I think one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing others succeed.
It seriously just lights up my soul to see people experience those little wins and meaningful moments in their lives.
As most of you know, varsity fall sports at MCHS have all had pretty incredible seasons this year.
Volleyball went undefeated for the second year while flag football only lost one game last season and went undefeated this year.
The football team also only lost one game.
All three teams are Southern League champs this year — volleyball and flag for the second year while the football team has earned the title for the first time since 2014.
Not to mention the JV teams are building the foundation for continued success.
All three programs seem to be pretty well set up for the next few years.
It’s been pretty cool to see how some of these athletes have grown and improved since I first saw them play a couple years ago.
They haven’t just improved within their sport of choice, they’re maturing and developing into good humans.
Some of these guys on the football team were basically small kids when I first saw them and even though it’s been a couple years, it seems like they’ve turned into full grown men overnight.
I’ve had several moments over the past couple months when I’ve gotten to see kids experience some meaningful moments.
During the flag football team’s playoff game, freshman Whitney Marcis had pick six and her reaction was everything.
I don’t think her smile could’ve been any bigger as she jumped and celebrated with the team.
Laten Butler always seems to have a heck of a game…every game…in every sport he plays but he had a one-handed catch in the football team’s final regular season game against Le Grand.
Not only did he have that moment, the team had that moment.
The way the sideline and the crowd erupted, it’s just such a great feeling knowing he’s probably going to always remember that.
Rusty Bull has had a monster season. They guy scored four touchdowns in their last game and broke the school record for single game rushing — he had 10 rushes for 330 yards.
He’s had 21 touchdowns this season and has scored 132 of the team’s 332 total points.
Emma and Gillian Pioske seem like they were basically built to play volleyball.
Emma has 1,737 assists during her high school career so far, 996 from this season alone.
Gillian has 527 kills, 140 aces and has scored 493 points so far in her high school career.
And they still have another season ahead of them if they choose to play next year.
All of the volleyball players are extremely talented, the JV team included.
A lot of these same players are on the softball and basketball teams — the talent just transitions to the other sport.
All of the seniors on the flag football team have played since the team was formed three years ago.
The improvement for them has just been insane.
Going from knowing almost nothing about football to being Southern League champs two years in a row is definitely an accomplishment.
There’s just so much to be proud of and even though volleyball and flag lost during playoffs, I hope they’ve been able to reflect and truly see the progress and accomplishments.
I’ve enjoyed seeing how the community here supports the sports teams and how excited parents and families get at seeing their players having a successful season.
I have to give a shout out to Edward Williamson’s mom.
I’m pretty sure if there was an award for “Loudest and Proudest” she would have earned it 10 times over.
These kids are loved and it shows.
The football team will face Denair again this Friday for the first round of playoffs.
Many of the players have said the win over Denair during Alumni Night/Homecoming was the highlight of their season and possibly their high school career.
It’s sure to be another game for the books.
Amanda White is a staff writer for the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at amanda@mariposagazette.com
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