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Football Team Fights a Good Fight in State Playoffs

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    Football players Ryan Weed, Mitchell Robinson, and Jason McCleskey wait on the sidelines of a game. Brian L. Morgan.
  • Brian_L_Morgan_20161118_BMC6016.jpg
    Wesleyan's varsity football team, the Wolves, in a group photo. Brian L. Morgan.

Though the season has come to an end, the football team reflects on their winning season.

Before playoff week, the team was in a good position. “We finished the regular season with eight wins and two losses…third in our region,” said Head Coach Franklin Pridgen. Both of the losses were by a combined seven points from Eagles’ Landing Christian and Landmark Christian. “We felt like we were really close and could’ve won each of those games,” said Pridgen. Keep Reading

Cross Country Season Meets Its End

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Cross country runners are not ones to give up on a task easily, seeing as they run for fun, and this quality has without a doubt been expressed throughout the season.

To any Wesleyan cross country runner, the phrase “form drills” will cause their mind to fill with escape routes and excuses to find refuge in the locker room. The dreaded exercises are not exactly enjoyable to say the least, but runners are not one to give up on a task, so they jump right into those high knees and B-skips.

The Wolves started out strong in August with a third place finish coming from the girls’ team and a sixth place finish coming from the boys’ team at the Wesleyan Invitational. It is common knowledge that the Wolves’ course is one of the most difficult to race, given the Sahara Desert above the upper field and the ever-so-common unexpected hills.

Throughout September, both the boys’ and girls’ teams’ times dropped substantially. Personal records were being achieved by the meet, despite the difficulty or terrain of the course – a feat that not many can claim to have conquered. The races held at Covered Bridge and Georgia International Horse Park resulted in outstanding times, as both courses were relatively flat and offered ideal footing (with the exception of the mountain towards the end of the Horse Park course).

In early October, the top 12 runners (13 for girls) from each team were given the opportunity to race in a highly competitive meet in Cary, North Carolina at the Great American Cross Country Festival. This trip proved to be much more successful this year than it did the previous year, as Hurricane Matthew decided to learn from its predecessor, Hurricane Joaquin, and refrained from perusing the east coast the same weekend as a much-awaited cross country race.

While in North Carolina, the 25 runners were provided with a personal tour of the University of North Carolina, courtesy of girls’ assistant coach, Ann Barnett. The race itself produced immaculate results, with nearly all of the Wesleyan runners attaining lifetime personal records.

The Wolves were able to run in a much more low-pressure meet at the Wesleyan’s second invitational, which resulted in a number of course personal records. Most recently, Wesleyan competed at the Nike/Fleet Feed Coach Wood Invitational, a meet that has been attended by the Wolves for many years, due to the excellent competition it offers. Many runners were able to get in a solid season record and help lead the team to a solid standing, with the girls finishing sixth out of 20 teams.

Though they work behind the scenes, such accomplishments could not have been achieved without the brilliant expertise and constant support of the Wesleyan cross country coaches, Chad McDaniel, Chris Yoder, Josh Smith, Jason Scheer, Megan Trotter, Laura Carver, Macey Sims, Abby Johnson and Ann Barnett. These faculty members willingly give up their afternoons and Saturday mornings to lead high school students in cross country practices and meets, a deed that should not go unnoticed.

Between Yoder’s strategically planned practices and McDaniel’s course patrol, the Wolves have inevitably improved throughout the season.

With two more races before the state cross country meet on Nov. 4, the Wolves are looking strong. Last Chance at Carrollton and the Region Cross Country Meet in Athens will give runners who are fighting to run in the state meet an opportunity to leave it all on the course and try to earn a spot as a top seven runner.

Coach Smith said, “Single A has a lot of really great teams- teams that look a lot like us [with] one or two really good runners [and] a pack of runners that are really good behind those two runners.”

The boys have a decent chance of becoming state champions, but Smith said, “It comes down to three teams: Wesleyan, Landmark, and Hebron.”

The boys will have to kick into the next level in order to perform to their full potential and possibly swipe the state title. Whatever the outcome may be, Smith said that the boys are “[working] harder than I think I ever have seen them work in the four seasons that I’ve been a coach.”

As for the girls’ team, the state title is looking like a slightly less-attainable goal because of Landmark’s strong girls’ team, with a number of girls running a 5k in the 18 minute range.

However, the Wesleyan girls will be pushing for a second place finish, competing with Hebron and Darlington. The Wolves have been successful in creating a strong pack that runs excellent times, so hopefully this tactic will lead them to a runner-up victory.

This cross country season has been one like no other. The senior captains have done an excellent job in terms of encouragement and leadership on the team. Every runner, despite the times they record, feel as though they are a valuable aspect of the team, thanks to the captains, coaches and fellow team mates.

Senior captain, Sophia Kidder said, “I felt that we had a very strong team effort this season in cross country which led to many great race performances.”

 

Water Polo Splashes into Club Season

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With fall sports in full swing, water polo returned to the Davidson Natatorium for the 2016 season. Often overshadowed by the other sports competing this season, water polo’s dominance and impressive statistics have gained them much recognition.

The team, led by Coach Kevin Kadzis, is currently on a three-game winning streak after a victory against Pace. Returning senior James Claffey, added in an exclamatory fashion that the Wolves are in fact undefeated. With a current record of 4-0, it appears that this season should be one for the books.

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Wolves Battle New Rivals in Class A

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Now that Wesleyan has moved down to class A, Greater Atlanta Christian is no longer the prevailing rival for the Wolves. While there will always be tension between Wesleyan and GAC, the rivalry will no longer be settled on a field or a court. Because Wesleyan will no longer play GAC for a championship, each sport has had to choose a new team to focus on defeating. Keep Reading

Post-Game Interviews

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The following are Post-Game Interviews with Junior Payton Kaloper.

Volleyball:

*Interview with Senior Natalie Armstrong

Payton: “Hey Nata

lie, way to win tonight. As a team, what do you think the best aspect of the game was?”

Natalie: “I think we all did well and played as a team and it was a huge game for us because we are now the number one seed in the area. I am proud of us for ending it on a good note.

*Interview with Junior Maddie Lloyd

Payton: “Hey, Maddie. Way to pull through with a win tonight. As a team player, what was the hardest aspect of the game and how did your team overcome it?”

Maddie: “Usually we have so much energy. We go out there really strong but tonight we were low on the energy. We just needed more energy.”

Payton: “Awesome, thank you, Maddie. Great job tonight.”

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