Swimming (Coach Carl Young):
“2018 Valdez Invitational Swim Meet”
Isaac Clubb, photo courtesy Justin Prax
CLICK HERE for complete results
The Valdez Buccaneer Swim Team had their home meet this past weekend. Valdez had a total of 8 visiting teams for this meet which made for an exciting weekend of swimming. Valdez had swimmers swim Personal Best Times or PBT; and Numerous swimmers placed in the top 6 in their races scoring the Buccaneers enough points for the swim team to place 5th overall beating Eielson, Cordova, Bethel, & Lathrop High Schools.
Swimmers who swam PBT:
- Isaiah Silveira, 200 Freestyle- 2:04.18, 100 Backstroke -1:06.88, & 100 Freestyle- 55.11
- Lewis Marshall, 50 Freestyle- 32.71 & 100 Freestyle 1:12.88
- Raymond Martel, 50 Freestyle- 32.17
- Chase Randall, 100 Backstroke- 1:01.39
- Isaac Clubb, 100 Breaststroke- 1:18.27
- Destiny Gray, 50 Freestyle- 33.36
- Abigail Sims, 100 Butterfly- 1:34.67
- Kali Petersen, 100 Freestyle- 1:11.13 & 100 Breaststroke- 1:30.48
- Victoria Korenev, 100 Butterfly- 1:18.53
Swimmers who placed in the Top 6 & scored points for VHS include:
- Victoria Korenev, 100 Butterfly, 6th Place & 100 Breast, 5th Place
- Grace Keller, 100 Backstroke, 5th Place & 50 Freestyle, 6th Place
- Kali Petersen, 100 Breaststroke, 6th Place
- Isaiah Silveira, 100 Freestyle & Backstroke, 4th Place & 200 Freestyle, 3rd Place
- Chase Randall, 200 Individual Medley- 4th Place, 100 Butterfly- 5th Place, & 100 Backstroke- 1st Place
- Calvin Gondek, 500 Freestyle, 5th place
- Jeffrey Prevost, 100 Breaststroke- 5th Place, 200 Individual Medley- 3rd Place, & 100 Backstroke- 2nd Place
Both the Boys & Girls 200 Medley Relays placed 4th overall. The Girls 200 & 400 Freestyle Relays placed 5th overall. The Boys 200 Freestyle Relay placed 4th overall & the 400 Freestyle Relay placed 3rd overall.
The Buccaneer Swimmers of this Week goes to the VHS Boys Relay Teams. They had an excellent meet and scored the most points in the for VHS!
Please wish all our Buccaneer Swimmers Good Luck as they continue their season!!
Varsity Volleyball (Coach Adam Sharrai):
The Valdez Lady Bucs began play against Hutchison last Friday night on their home court taking the Hawks in three Games: 25-17, 25-19, and 25-18. Serving it up in Game 1 was Jade Watts and Kassi Howard sent over 80% and 71% with 2 and 3 aces respectively. Sydney Johnson had 4 of 5 kills for 80%. Game 2 Carlee Fleming was 71% with 2 aces and Johnson continued hitting well with 5 kills for 71 % as well. The Lady Bucs closed their night out taking Game 3 and leaving themselves thinking of possible improvements for Saturday morning.
Saturday competition began with some serving struggles at 48%, while Sydney Johnson went 5 for 6 for 83% and Ally Seiber went 5 for 7 at 71%, leading the way to a 25 – 20 win. The serving for Game 2 remained in struggle mode (at 47%) for the team, while team hitting held their attack game to 62% for the only Game they would drop. Kendal Wesenberg and Sydney Johnson turned the serving dial up for Game 3 sending over 9 for 11 points with 3 aces and 6 for 7 points with 2 aces respectively while Johnson also posted 5 for 6 kills all helping lead to a 25-16 win. Game 4 produced a 70% serving average with Jade Holmes leading the way 3 for 3 and a 76% kill ratio average being shared pretty evenly among, Jade Watts who was 2 for 2, Kassi Howard 2 for 3, Sydney Johnson 3 for 3, Ally Seiber 2 for 3, and Maison Anderson 1 for 2. Game 4’s score was 25 – 14 over the Hawks to complete conference play Saturday afternoon.
In our brief post-game discussion excitement blossomed knowing that the Grace-Christian tournament is coming up next weekend bringing 16 teams together from both 3A and 4A schools to provide some of the most intense competition in our season. Continue sharpening your skills and building intensity Lady Bucs! Go Bucs!!
Jade Watts , photo courtesy Justin Prax
JV Volleyball (Coach Katie Burns):
While the Varsity Buccaneer volleyball team competed against the Hutchison Hawks, the Junior Varsity squad split up into even teams and competed against each other. On Friday the two teams fought back and forth, each squad winning a set against the other. The third and final set came to a close score of 15-12. Both teams showed great improvement in their serving consistency. Their movement on and off the net and coverage around the hitters was the best we have had this season. We are showing a lot of growth in each player. Lindsey Gudgell had excellent coverage and passing this weekend. Paris Pennington is a threat on the net blocking and has developed a good serve. This type of game experience is unique because it forces our team to play with other teammates that we don’t work with as often. Great work, Bucs! Let’s keep after it!
Cross Country Running (Coach Mel Koontz):
“ASAA Cross-Country State Championships, Bartlett”
It seems like just yesterday the cross-country season began and now it is over. It was truly an honor having three runners representing the Valdez High School Buccaneers at state this year! Everyone on the team grew as runners by leaps and bounds.
The runners couldn’t have asked for a better day. The rains from the previous few days left behind a few muddy spots, but the sky was clear and the temperature perfect for a 5K. Juniors Kalin Woods and Rafael Alfaro ran in ¼” spikes because of the mud and grass. Junior Katelyn Wadsworth remained in her Brooks trail runners. Spikes make a world of difference on slippery ground.
The energy was high and runners were pumped. Wadsworth ran first and looked strong throughout the race. She came out of nowhere, sprinting down the track. She was picking off runners left and right to finish 77th out of 144 runners in 24:47, an impressive time considering she was injured most of the season. Next, the boys faced off against 146 other runners. Woods remained consistent throughout the race. He saved some for a strong sprint down the track and finished 37th with a time of 18:20. Alfaro wasn’t far behind Woods and gradually picked up speed during the course of the race. A pack of runners fell in behind Alfaro as he sped up to a sprint, refusing anyone access to pass him. Alfaro finished 49th matching his personal record of 18:47.
A few lessons were learned in the days leading up to state. First and foremost, a rest week means a rest week. Jump rope competitions can wreak havoc on the calves. Secondly, save Get Air for after the competition. What a fun group of runners this year! They are already setting goals for next year and now know what to expect at state. Each of these incredible athletes worked hard all season long, even through the pouring rain. I am so proud of this team for supporting each other all season!
Football (Coach Lee Chadwick):
The football team took 25 student-athletes to Barrow this past weekend to compete in the last football game of the season. It was a very cold, frozen day on the tundra with high winds. The Whaler team had large, powerful players that largely overwhelmed our young and inexperienced squad. It was inspiring, however, to see our young team not back down, but continue to play with heart, working to get better on every play.
While the season didn’t reflect success in wins over opponents, it was a good season. Players worked hard to improve as individuals and as a team. All players indicated their desire to work hard in the off-season and return next year. We would like to express our gratitude to all who support us so graciously for their time, effort, and encouragement. Thank you.
THIS Week in Sports:
JV Volleyball to Glennallen on Tuesday – Leaving at 1:30 pm (Pre Arranged Absences needed for 6th & 7th Period)
Varsity Volleyball to Anchorage for the Grace Christian Tournament – Leaving Thursday at 12:30 pm
Swimming to Anchorage for Bartlett Invite – Leaving Friday at 12:00 pm
