A great weekend to be a Dogie

It’s always a good day to be a Dogie, but last weekend it was great to be a Dogie!
Whether it was on the soccer pitch or on the track and field, Dogies showed up and showed out — soccer in their final regular season match of the year, and track at their regional meet.
I just came away from the weekend feeling all the feels after seeing the results of our kids’ hard work throughout the season come to fruition.
The first great news came following the Lady Dogies’ ninth consecutive shutout win over the Douglas Lady Bearcats on Saturday. Though I fully expected the victory to be Newcastle’s, there was a lot riding on the outcome of the game given that a win guaranteed the No. 1 seed heading into the state tournament and a loss meant a second seed. 
It’s been a minute since Newcastle has held such a high seed going into post-season play and an even longer minute since we’ve been able to brag of such a winning season for any sport. 
It feels great to be in this position.
What made this win even better, and what brought a tear to my eye, was that Hailey Wehri scored the final goal of the contest. After devoting most of her life to the sport and being a key defensive player for the Dogies, the senior suffered a torn ACL in the first game of the year and has been sidelined ever since. 
I know the loss this injury inflicts having gone through it with my daughter during her sophomore year in basketball, but when it happens during your senior year, it makes it so much more devastating.
Hailey has handled her disappointment so gracefully and has offered her team so much support from the sideline ever since, so for her to have the opportunity to score in this game was nothing less than awesome.
Not long after the elation of the Lady Dogie win, the Dogies won their first game of the season in their last game of the year. They worked their tails off and played with grit and determination to defeat the No. 1-seeded Douglas Bearcats on their home turf in double overtime.
It has been a tough year for the boys and they have persevered and improved so much over the course of the season, so to finally see that determination pay off made my heart so happy. 
It also brought a smile to my face that little Newcastle took it to Douglas in front of their home crowd. It’s always great to get a win against the Bearcats.
As if these soccer wins weren’t enough, then the track team finished up their regional meet with 13 athletes qualified in 23 different events. There were a few that went in already prequalified, but there were a lot more that came out with a state berth.
There was also another feel-good story.
Senior Grayson Ramsey suffered a tweak to his quad a week ago in the final regular season meet of the year so his ability to compete last weekend was questionable. Turns out, he powered through and didn’t let a little pulled quad get in his way as he qualified for the state meet in three events including the 110 Meter Hurdle, which is a race he hadn’t run since his freshman year. 
It’s just so awesome to see kids putting their heart and soul into their sport and having that dedication and grit pay off for them.
I can’t wait to see what they do this week in their final competitions from the year, and I hope to report next week that we have finally put another banner on the wall.
It’s a great day to be a Dogie!