Cross Country
Frank Dieckgraeff Invite
September 18, 2020
Jason Simile
Contributed by Coach Melissa Koontz- The cross-country made the long journey to Seward for a fun wooded 5k. The trail consisted of grass and dirt. The runners completed two loops in the woods around Seward High School. The sun blessed us with its warmth and we left the wind behind in Anchorage, perfect running conditions.
We were missing Freshmen Rafe Caruthers and McKennan Mayer, but were excited to have Sophomore Jason Smilie back for his first race of the season. Freshman Anika Palomar ran first with the junior varsity girls of Seward, Homer, Soldotna, Nikiski, and Kenai. She stayed with the front pack for most of the first lap before they pulled ahead. Palomar shined at the end with a sprint that left spectators gasping. She still placed 7th out of 15 with a time of 26:41, losing 10 seconds from last week.
Sophomore Cole Wadsworth was next, running with the junior varsity boys. He was running strong until a cramp disabled him in the second lap and he had to scratch the race.
William Benes (on the left)
Taking on the varsity runners were Junior William Benes and Sophomore Jason Smilie. Benes stayed in the middle of the pack for the first lap and then fell to the back. He finished 24th out of 28 runners at 20:28. Simile completed his first race of the season at 24:35.
We have one week to improve speed to get a shot at state. Regions is next week in Fairbanks!
Go Bucs!
William Benes 24th 20:28
Cole Wadsworth NA NA
Jason Smilie 28th 24:35
Anika Palomar 7th 26:41
Varsity Volleyball
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – This weekend we traveled to Delta for our first conference games of the season. Friday night’s game was a tough match. We came out on top winning 3-2. The girls played tough and had some really great plays. Reese King and Ambrosia Woodgate had great sets all night. Ariel Mitchell played in set one as a setter and was a great asset to the team during that set. Those were made possible by the Libero, Rylie King and Defensive specialist Aly Metzger. They both also had tough backrow attacks throughout the weekend.
The girls played much more cohesive on Saturday, taking another win 3-1. During these sets the girls had a few long streaks of strong attacks and serves. Middle Blockers Momoe Togaga’e and Masen Holmes made it hard for Delta to attack consistently. In all, Saturday was a great improvement for all the players and we are looking forward to playing Glennallen next weekend.
J.V. Volleyball
Valdez Bucs vs. Delta Huskies
September 18-19
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – The Junior Varsity Buccaneer Volleyball team walked away with another split victory for the weekend against the Delta Huskies.
Friday night the Bucs JV came out strong in three straight winning sets (25-10, 25-15, 25-17). The entire team exhibited great energy on and off the court, strong communication, and clear focus. Our setters (Ariel Mitchell, Ember Leadbetter, and Lilly Brown) were working diligently to vary their sets, showing off our entire front row of attackers, and also making the Delta defense stay on their toes to respond. Mitchell, Brown, and Leadbetter also led the team in serving for Friday evening.
Saturday morning was a different game entirely. The team that had been so connected and confident the night before had become quiet and disjointed, six islands on the court rather than a team working together. Victories were traded back and forth with the Huskies taking us into the fifth set for a tie breaker. The final set, by far, was the most aggressive and engaging game for our team. Though the Bucs fell short and lost with a final score of 10-15, this was the set we were the most proud of for that day. On Saturday Lily Brown really shined, leading the team in serves (twelve total with six aces), great in-game passes, and aggressive attacking at the net. Lucy Selanoff led the team in kills, while Jaimie Crisp, Desi Woodgate, Marcedes Taylor, and Ember Leadbetter also contributed with strong serving.
It is great to have these opportunities to play other teams in the state! We look forward to preparing mentally and deepening our skills for next week’s games against Glennallen. Go Bucs!
