The Blog

Junior High Students Begin Sports Seasons

Junior High is all about adapting to new changes. Junior High sports is no different. Some kids are excited; some may even be a little scared for such a new change, but one thing is for sure–sports can provide great lessons and opportunities for the years to come. Junior High sports at NC is a little different than other schools. The students practice during 9th period, which limits their time and makes it very important to maximize their time in everything they do.

The Junior High volleyball season began on September 13 with a win against St. Edward. Head Coach Tara Mundt has 14 girls out for her team this year. Coach Mundt is extremely excited for this year’s season. “I want them to improve their skills and to love the game even more than they already do,” she said.

The Junior High football team started its season on September 18 when the boys took on and defeated Palmer. The Eagles will have a total of five games this season, their last being October 16 at Fullerton. Coach Carl Ostrand enjoys 19 brave souls, which is a good number because it allows the Eagles to get a full 8 on 8 scrimmage effect in practice. Coach Ostrand hopes that the boys will learn some valuable lessons throughout the year. “Each year is a different challenge. We strive to teach our players to be disciplined, mentally tough, and to enjoy playing football with their teammates,” he said.

The cross country team is a little more unique than the two other sports. To allow students to participate in both cross country and either football or volleyball, the junior high cross country runners run after school with the high school team. They mostly do the same workouts as the high schoolers, except their workout is cut in half. Their meets are on the same day and at the same place as the high school team. This provides a great opportunity to close the gap between senior high and junior high athletes. Brennan Nokelby enjoys having the junior high around for practice. “It’s great to help out the Junior High and give them advice in practice and before meets.”

Overall, the junior high teams are off to a great start, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish in their seasons.