VHS Weekend Wrap-Up – August 27, 2018
Football @ Ketchikan (Coach Chadwick)
The football team had a great opportunity to travel to Ketchikan this past week to play. It was a long and arduous trip, but a great adventure for the players. While we were practicing one day, a deer ventured to the fence beside the field. One player remarked that it was the first time in their life that they had ever seen a deer. Sometimes it is easy to forget the limited exposure that many students have living in Valdez. Trips like these can be strenuous, but are great opportunities for students to gain a broader understanding of the challenges and uniqueness of Alaska.
From a football perspective, it was a difficult week. A drenching rain made ball control difficult for us, and we fumbled early and often. Ketchikan was a much more physical team with greater size, age, and experience. Towards the end of the game, we often had 6 players on the field that are in their first year and only second game of football. Due to this, we had difficulty moving the ball consistently against them, as well as stopping their offense. The final score was 77 to 0. This week we look forward to regrouping and working hard to prepare for our first home game against Seward.
The Bucs host their first home game of the season on Saturday, September 1 against the Seward Seahawks. Game time will be 12:00 pm at the High School Football Field.
Cross Country Running @ Interior Invite – Birch Hill (Coach Mel Koontz)
Birch Hill Interior Invitational
Lathrop High School in Fairbanks hosted interior schools and Valdez at Birch Hill Recreational Center. The rain stopped long enough to give runners some reprieve from being in the rain, but not long enough to dry up the course. Runners endured a muddy and slippery 5 km course. Junior Kalin Woods is off to a strong start this season, decreasing his time from last year by 45 seconds. With his teammates cheering him on, Woods shifted into high gear to narrowly squeezing by a runner from elite West Valley. He finished 13th out of 95 boys on Saturday with a time of 19:43. Junior Rafael Alfaro is not far behind, carrying a shoe found on the course, finishing 21st at 20:32. Freshman William Benes continues to strengthen his running techniques. He finished 86th, sprinting to the finish at 26:19. Junior Katelyn Wadsworth improved last week’s time by 0.09. Wadsworth finished 40th out of 86 girls with a time of 26:44.
Click for results
Coach Koontz sees great potential in this year’s team. They work hard and daily endure the contents of her “book of torture.” The team is excited to welcome Senior Dustin Woods, Sophomores Wyatt Mehlberg, and Landora Hammons. Look for then at our home meet on Saturday.
Our next meet is at home on Saturday, September 1st. Come out and support your Buccaneers Cross-Country team! Races begin at 10:00am. Volunteers are needed, please contact Coach Koontz at mkoontz@valdezcityschools.org. We hope to see you there!
