Post-season honors awarded
Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
It’s a wrap for the 2018 fall sports seasons, and post-season honors have been awarded. Eleven Newcastle athletes got the nod from coaches around the conference and state as deserving of recognition for their performance throughout the season.
CROSS COUNTRY
With the shortest season, cross country runners were the first to claim All-Conference honors for the 3A East Absaraka Conference team. Seniors Dylan Talley and P.J. Martin made the cut at the regional meet in Douglas on October 10th, as they finished the race in fourth and eighth place respectively.
Both runners placed in the top 10 in several meets this year, and Talley finished second twice during the season. Head coach Kathy Beehler praised both athletes for their hard work and commitment, and stated that each would leave a lasting legacy for the team.
“PJ and Dylan have run year round, whether it be in another sport or on their own,” she nodded. “You will find them running in 0 degree weather and snowing, or in 95 degree heat. It takes the commitment of hard, consistent work and year round training to achieve these goals.”
PJ Martin
“PJ has endured many setbacks due to injuries or illness, but he has always persevered and come back stronger than ever with strong mind and character,” Beehler stated. “PJ has been an outstanding role model to all of the younger athletes. He understands the meaning of team, and always has everyone’s best interests at heart.”
Dylan Talley
“Dylan has trained through many injuries as well, always finding a way to get back to the top of his competition” Beehler continued. “He is such a talented runner, and is visiting with college coaches who would like him to run at the next level.”
LADIES SWIM
The Lady Dogie swim team closed out their season next, and not surprisingly the squad’s top performing swimmer of the season was at the top of every list.
Hannah Gross
Sophomore Hannah Gross was All-Conference in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke, and was All-State in the 100 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke. In order to be named to each team, she had to finish in either first or second at each culminating meet.
At the 3A East Conference meet on October 20th, Gross finished first in each of her individual events, and at the State Meet on November 2nd, she was narrowly out-touched in each event for second place to earn her All-State placement.
This is Gross’s second consecutive year of making the All-Conference and All-State team, and head coach Doug Scribner was quick to note that achieving this success at such a young age is significant. He attributed the achievement to the dedication Gross has given her sport.
“Last year, Hannah earned a senior zones time in the 100 Free, which qualified her to attend the Regional Senior USA Swimming Zones Meet in Fresno, CA over the summer,” he began. “This gave her the opportunity to swim against some of the best swimmers in the western United States, and competing at that level gave her a new perspective about training and motivated her to increase the intensity of her training.”
VOLLEYBALL
The Lady Dogie Volleyball team finished their season at the 3A East Regional Tournament in Torrington on the 27th of October. Though they were one win short of advancing to the State Tournament, the squad showed improvement over the course of the season and played well in their final weekend of competition.
Junior middle hitter/blocker Grace Coy was named to the 3A East All-Conference team while classmates Johnna Dawson (libero) and Madi Pearson (setter/outside hitter) received Honorable Mention nods.
Grace Coy
Coy finished the season with 121 kills and 28 blocks, which landed her in 17th place in the state (and first on the team by a whopping 36) for kills. She was 20th in the state and first on the team with over half of the Dogie’s season total for blocks.
“Grace is a great player to have on our team,” head coach Ashley Reed exclaimed. “Not only is she great at the game, but she has many qualities which are important to make a true team. She is selfless, a leader, a positive force and a hard worker.”
Johnna Dawson
Dawson demonstrated defensive prowess by racking up 284 digs on the season to finish 10th in the state and first on her team in that category. She also served up 39 aces to place her 15th in the state and first on her team, and had 373 serve receptions (not a state stat) which is more than any other teammate.
“Johnna always gives 100 percent and I never question whether she gave her all during any play,” Reed nodded.
Madison Pearson
Pearson is a multi-dimensional player who alternates as a setter and an outside hitter/blocker for the Lady Dogies. Over the course of the season, she filled up the stat columns with 200 digs (20th in the state and second on the team), 211 serve receives (second on the team), 132 set assists (13th in the state and second on the team), 85 kills (27th in the state and second on the team) and 34 aces (third on the team).
“Madi was our all-around player as evidenced by her stats,” Reed smiled. “She is a rock who the team depends on every game. She never disappoints and never comes out of the game.”
FOOTBALL
Head football coach Matt Conzelman’s squad experienced a tough season. However, that didn’t stop several Dogies from catching the attention of coaches around the conference and state. Sawyer Roberson, Isaiah Covey, Kyle Haslam, Christian Santos and Bradyn Frye all received a shout-out as post-season awards were handed out.
Sawyer Roberson
Roberson finished his career as a Dogie by earning his third consecutive All-Conference nod, and was named for the second time to the All-State team. The senior demonstrated his commitment to the sport by compiling 100 weight lifting sessions in the offseason, and finished the year with 30 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles on defense despite missing two games due to injury.
“Sawyer was one of our main leaders this season, and having him on the field was like we had a coach right out there with the guys,” Conzelman nodded. “The season didn’t go as planned for him, but he was able to finish strong in Buffalo. He brought a lot of energy/excitement this season, and I wish that I had him for just one more season. Sawyer is a great role model for the underclassmen as he showed them what commitment, leadership and perseverance looks like.”
Isaiah Covey
Covey received his first All-Conference honor by being named to the team this year. He finished the season with 34 total tackles, 11 of which were tackles for a loss.
“Isiah has had a great four-year career with Dogie Football,” Conzelman declared. “He always has a good work ethic and a great attitude, and he will be greatly missed next year.”
Kyle Haslam
Haslam was named to the Second Team All-Conference squad, leading his team in receiving yardage and was third in both all-purpose yardage and defensive points.
“Kyle got his nickname ‘Scrappy’ his freshmen year because even though he was a smaller player, he was fearless on the football field,” Conzelman smiled. “Kyle was a great leader for us and will be missed next season.”
Christian Santos
As a sophomore, Santos was named to the Second Team All-Conference team as well. He was thrust into the varsity starting lineup and experienced a little baptism by fire. He rose to the challenge, leading the Dogies in all-purpose yardage piling up 487 yards in 90 carries.
“Christian was a workhorse for us this season,” Conzelman exclaimed. “He will be a very exciting player to watch for the next couple of years of Dogie Football.”
Bradyn Frye
Also named to the Second Team All-Conference, Frye, who is a junior, compiled 345 all-purpose yards on the season while also being tasked with playing three different offensive positions over the course of the year – tight end, fullback and quarterback.
“Bradyn got better in every contest he played this season,” Conzelman declared. “At the end of the year he played quarterback during the Buffalo game and I thought that he controlled the game very well. We will look to build on his success from this season as we go into next year.”