As winter sports are coming to an end the spring season of sports are starting to warm up and get some practice in. Brecken Haynes, who is a sophomore at BRHS, plays linebacker for the football team. His season was cut short last year due to a dislocated elbow that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. “I couldn’t do much at first, but when I could I started training right after my injury.”His goal for this season is to lead the team in tackles. His favorite thing about football is the competition. Being on defense means having to learn new plays and knowing what to do. “With being a linebacker I don’t really have to remember plays, but when I do I have to read plays and know where everyone is at all times.” When he has to remember plays he goes home and studies them so he doesn’t forget what he’s supposed to do. He lifts weights with the football team on and offseason in the weight room. “Lifting helps build strength and helps build a sense of confidence and competition.” He keeps going to lift weights because he wants to be the best person he can be, and wants to beat everyone else. One of his goals for football is to have a winning season. Another BRHS sophomore student, Jaxson Theurer, plays quarterback for the football team. To get stronger in both the offseason and during the regular season he also goes and lifts weights with the team. “Weightlifting helps us on the field to become stronger and to compete with others.” He’s motivated to keep going to lift weights because he wants to help others on the field. Being the quarterback means having to learn plays and get them right. “There’s mental things that I need to know like where to throw the ball, when to throw depending on reads, a lot of pre-snap things and watching film before practices,” says Jaxson. He goes and studies the playbook for the season and watches film on top of it so he won’t forget them. Sometimes football becomes hard but there are always some positive things that come out of it. “My favorite thing about football is the brotherhood and getting closer to the team and the relationships you get from playing.”His goal for the season is to finish with a winning record and make it to the state championship. When playing football, injuries are always going to come at the wrong time. “How I handle injuries is going to Shawn who is the athletic trainer; he helps a lot and helps us get better when injuries come up.” Playing football always has challenges but these guys work hard both on and offseason to become better and it definitely shows when playing out on the field. They are always ready for challenges or injuries that come their way and try to conquer them. Written by: Cayson Potter, and Addistyn Burrup
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Getting a pin is how a wrestler wins, but it is not easy by any means.Payton Wood,a sophomore at Bear River High School, has been on the wrestling team for 2 years.Last year she got discouraged when everyone but her were getting wins so she stepped up her game. Payton said, “it’s discouraging watching everyone else win when you aren’t winning.” A first pin in wrestling is “very exciting and feels good”, says Payton. When Payton is wrestling, the rest of the team is “jumping for joy… when I got my very first pin even the girls on the other Bear River dual tournament mats came over and started cheering so loud.” Pinning someone is more difficult than defending a pin, says Payton. To get a pin, first you have to get a takedown; this is when you get the opponent on the ground from the standing position. Getting a takedown is worth 2 points but that's not all. In order to get a pin you need to have the opponent flat on their back with both shoulders down between you and the ground. In order for Payton to get where she is now she has had her coaches Sophie Miller and Teia Gonzales by her side.They have been by her side and helped encourage her to be the best wrestler she possibly could, Payton says.“I have worked really hard every day during practice to be able to pull off a win. My teammates and coaches push me every day to be better. They have helped me get to where I am today.” Payton has been working hard to get to where she wants and to do her best. We want to recognize all the hard work Payton has put into her performances as a wrestler on the team. Congratulations to all of the wrestlers on their season and how they have performed. By: Avery Cazzell, Shayna Higley, & Croydon Pebley Every year between January and March, the Bear River Color Guard team competes in competitions around the state. Each weekend, the team is up early to begin their competition day. Joey Hunter, a senior and a member of the team with three years of experience, says, “ Waking up on a competition day is always a little stressful, but exciting overall.” The team meets at the natatorium to load all of the equipment that is needed. Sage Hook, also a senior and color guard member explains, “It usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes to get the floor, props, and people all loaded and ready to go.”
Joey says, “ Honestly, riding with a bus full of hyper teenagers can be rather loud, but the distraction helps with everyone’s nerves.” During the drive, it is the time to calm down and relax. Once the team arrives, Sage says, “ The first thing that happens after check-in is unloading all our stuff into the designated area for our team.” “ The team arrives between 9:30 and 11:00 depending on how far we have to travel.” Sage says. There are many teams that participate at these events, all at different times. Joey says, “Everyone at the competitions are super nice and supportive. They are even willing to help other teams with their props, before, and after the performance.” Throughout the day, many teams perform. Joey says, “ Right before our performance, we do a perfect runthrough, and then we head to the practice rooms to run through the routine a few times. Then we head to the gym entrance with our stuff and watch the team before us finish up their performance.” Watching the other teams is a chance to see what the competition is like. Sage says, “ Our perfect run though is where the team sits in a circle, we all close our eyes and our coaches play the music. We run through the routine and imagine doing it perfectly. This is so that we can see how it will look when we do it right.” Meagan Sorensen, the color guard coach, explains “A perfect run through is a great way to focus the mind and relax the team.” In between performances, each team does something exceptional. “During winterguard there is a clap that everyone participates in while the next team is pulling out their floor.“ Joey says. On the ride back home, Sage says, “ We always stop and grab some food on the way back home. After we get back on the road most of the team eats then goes to sleep. We all unload the trailer then head home.” Joining the Bear River Color Guard team presents amazing opportunities for any student who is willing to try new things. Quotes : Joey Hunter, Sage Hook, Meagan Sorensen Picture: Farmington Utah, ColorGuard Team, Linnea Thomas Photo credit: Millieah Price Writer: Ash Snyder BRHS Students and coaches hope to score big on the Soccer Field by Cayson Potter and Addistyn Burrup2/15/2024 As the warm weather is coming up, spring sports are also gearing up to start their season.
A Junior at Bear River High School, Camron Norton plays defense for the soccer team. Having an indoor gym definitely gives the soccer team an advantage against other teams because some high schools like Box Elder do not have an indoor gym to practice in. ”We mostly practice dribbling, certain drills with short time passes,” Cameron says. He says his soccer goals for this year are to try and become a team captain, and to start in all of his games and play varsity. He and his team hope to compete with the Cache Valley teams and do well this soccer season. He also says that balancing playing soccer, having a home life as well as school work can get really difficult at times. Kelson Hale also plays defense on the high school soccer team. When at open gym he practices the fundamentals like passing so he can move the ball around to his teammates and work as a team. His goal for this season is to be able to help the team as much as possible. Shawn, who is BRHS soccer coach, said that it’s not easy being a coach and also wanting to spend time with family. “With juggling life, it’s just making sure you prioritize the most important things each day. I'm never just on the couch doing nothing. Being busy is part of who I am. But it's hard juggling my family, my wife, work, and soccer”. He said that getting players to learn the new plays for the season is easy because it’s not like other sports that are played here. “Soccer really doesn't have new plays such as football or basketball. We teach fundamentals and formation through demonstration and reputation until they learn the concepts. We encourage players to practice outside of training.” Shawn said, “ Having the Bear Center is definitely an advantage for spring sports. The disadvantage is that we have multiple teams and local clubs who are fighting for the time in the Bear Center”. The soccer team practices so they stay in shape all year and they will be ready when tryouts start, says Coach Miller. Some players play soccer year round on competitive teams and travel around for tournaments to help them get better. They just want to play, have fun, and have lasting friendships. Coach Miller has open gym sessions every Tuesday night from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and on Thursday nights from 6pm to 8pm. The Bear River swim team finished competing at region Saturday, February 3rd and now they are getting ready to compete at state. State swim is on February 16-17 down at BYU. In order to qualify for state the athletes prepare all season aiming for their best times. Brodie Rowley, a junior at Bear River High School has been on the team since freshman year. He has qualified for state every year. Brodie said, “The way you get to state is based on the times you get when you swim. They take your best time from the whole season.” Making it to state is going to be difficult for both the boys and girls. Cordell Cluff, a junior, has been on the swim team for 3 years. Cordell said “Out of the 4A schools in Utah only the top 30 best swimmers get to go to state.” Nearly every member of the swim team worries about qualifying for state. If they didn’t make it to state, their swim season ended right after the region competition. Preparing for state is no easy feat. First, the coaches take the times that the team earned at region and compare them to the times of the rest of the state teams in 4A. Then they look at the top 30 swimmers to see who may have qualified for state. Two weeks before state, the swim team performed at region 11 as the last meet to have the best chances to make it to state. After region, the coaches look at the top 30 swimmers that get to make it to state, then they start practice. They start out with harder sets and workouts then everyday they start cutting down the yards that they do; this is a process called tapering. Danny Esplin, the coach of the boys swim team, said “The purpose of tapering is that all season we have broken down the muscles and tapering is just to back off and give the muscles time to heal and save energy so they can perform their best.” In order to get ready the team does some mentalizations, and works on the necessities like their starts and flip turns. Right after region the team goes back to longer, harder sets and then they go back to tapering to help prepare them more for state. This year there were 6 people from the team that made it to state; Aaron Betourney, Jace Hamblin, Jaden Hyer, Brodie Rowley, Bryson Winkler, Jason Winkler and then the three relays, which haven’t been selected yet. When you see a swimmer wish them luck for when they go to state. And off they go to state. By: Shayna Higley & Croydon Pebley Cordell Cluff doing his 100 Butterfly race. Photo by: Shayna Higley State cheer was on January 26, 2024. Josie Brown, a senior on the Bear River High School cheer team, said, “It is very hard to place at state. There are usually 15-20 teams.” While the competition itself is a challenge, there are a few things the team needs to do to get ready to perform. The cheer team has practiced for 6 months prior to state, in addition to the pressure of their final showcase on February 22. They have been practicing 3 times a week after school, every other Saturday, and whenever else they can, Josie said.
For Josie Brown and Avery Steinman the upcoming performance is the end of their high school cheer experience. For the seniors they can continue onto college cheer if they want. College cheer is a little different from other college sports. Josie said “Schools don’t reach out with scholarships. The person needs to try out in order to make the college team.” The other juniors and sophomores have cheer tryouts very soon after the season ends which is February 22nd. Avery Steinman says, “Cheer tryouts are usually the last week of March the 25-29th. ” Tryouts consist of a cheer and a dance that are taught to the athletes. They send out a video of the cheer and dance and it is the athletes responsibility to learn them both. When the day of tryouts comes the individual will go in and perform the cheer by themselves. For the dance, they will go in a group and perform to the coaches. The night of tryouts the athletes will find out if they made the team or not. Even though this is the end for Josie and Avery, there are still many more cheer generations to come. By: Shayna Higley & Croydon Pebley Athletes Pumped for Spring SportsAJ Walkins putting in the work at one of his games. When the weather is warming up so are the sports. Here at Bear River High School the teens here have these to pick from: Football, Baseball, Swimming, Soccer, and Track. Gracie Riley does track in the spring. Her favorite part is that it’s a very relaxed sport where she meets tons of new people. It’s also very individual and she pushes herself a lot. “We do dynamic stretches as a team then split into our event groups.” When she does track she throws the javelin. She has been doing this sport for 3 years now. “Basically I just do a little run up and chuck the javelin as far as I can.” In the offseason she participates in soccer and basketball that help her stay in the shape she needs to be in to participate. Adria Flores plays soccer. He said that he likes this sport due to what it has brought him.“All the friends I have made and the fun games.” When he does some warmups he likes to do some light jogging, passing, and small games with his friends. He helps prepare himself by , “Just [being] confident in myself.” He has some great experience in this sport since he has been playing since he was 6 years old. When he is in the offseason he just does a lot of jogging and endurance drills and drills with the ball to stay in great shape. AJ Watkins plays soccer in the spring. His favorite part is probably the brotherhood aspect of it and that they make a lot of good memories while playing this sportThey usually do dynamic stretches to start off with and then do a bunch of different touches on the ball to warm up, says AJ. To prepare he eats a good meal and then usually just hangs out and talks to other buddies who also play soccer. He has some great experience in this sport as well since he has been playing since he was 9 years oId. He tries to play smart. “Soccer is a very easy game that we make so complicated,” he said. Playing smart helps make the game easy for him and harder for the other team. “It's like finding the better pass or the better position to be on the field to be more effective and as a teammate and making smarter decisions. If you can make smarter decisions with the ball it makes it hard for the other team and makes them work harder to get the ball.” Then when it's offseason he plays on the comp team to help him stay in shape for the next season. These girls and boys have dedicated years to these sports. They stay in great shape all year round so that when they are ready to play for the season they are just ready to play and have fun. Schedule of the upcoming sports and their times and places are listed down below. MAR 1 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM - Boys Soccer - Library MAR 7 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM - Boys Soccer @ Box Elder MAR 9 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Timpview MAR 16 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Layton MAR 21 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Sky View MAR 23 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Mtn Crest MAR 25 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Soccer Clinic - Stadium & Bear Center MAR 28 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Ridgeline MAR 30 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Green Canyon APR 11 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Logan APR 13 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Sky View APR 18 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Mtn Crest APR 20 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer HOME vs Ridgeline APR 25 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Green Canyon APR 27 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Boys Soccer @ Logan MAR 16 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Track @ Mtn. Crest MAR 23 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Track Home vs Green Canyon APR 13 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Track Home vs Sky View & Mtn. Crest APR 15 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Track @ Grizzly Invitational - Logan APR 19 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Track @ CV Airshow Invitational - Cedar Valley APR 20 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Track @ Sky View APR 27 3:30 PM - 7:00 PM - Track Home vs Logan MAY 10 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Track Region @ Mtn. Crest MAY 11 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM - Track Region @ Mtn. Crest MAY 19 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Track State @ BYU MAY 20 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Track State @ BYU Article written by: WyLee Wright Music at sports games brings out the cheer in the audience Music Brings Positive Energy Music is a mood changer and a positive influence. It is used in all sorts of events and gatherings but what does it actually do to people? Almost everybody would probably say that it brings out something in us that isn’t there when it's silent. One of the most hyperactive and positive places you could be is in the audience of a sports game. Having music brings out the energy in the audience. Essentially, music is a great source of school spirit and really brings it all together.
At BRHS football games, we get the whole band out and play for the audience. We may even have a color guard for the visuals. This shows what we put into the sports games to bring out the positive energy in the audience for the players. The music director, Mr. Walton executes the performances at events perfectly. He said, “Well, music affects the emotions of everybody who can hear it and our job is to influence the game in a very positive way and when we play music it pumps up the audience which then pumps up the players.” In the spring, we have certain sports games that don’t get music or performances. The energy that comes with the music and the special performances is missing. Mr. Walton explained to me why they don’t have the music there. He said “In the spring, that’s when our musicians focus on their own world and they have their own competitions for music.” WIth no assigned band for the spring sports, there may be a way to add some positive energy and school spirit to sports games anyway.. The band is the main way to provide music for these sports games and they do an excellent job but when it comes to playing at games what does it do for them? Jenelle Iverson, a member of the band said “We enjoy playing at sports games, it definitely is a great way to express school spirit and bring positive energy for the players and the audience.” Music is a great way to make our sports games even just a little bit better, it’s no secret that music is a gateway to good energy. Music at sports games brings in energy that can be otherworldly, making it one of the most positive settings you could be in. When it comes to the spring sports games, bring your own positive energy and cheerfulness making it just as good as the other games. Article Written by: Darrell Ryan BRHS Wrestlers Dedicated to the Sport Wrestling is a very time consuming and brutal sport for many. Not only is it hard on the competitors but it is also tough on the family of the athletes. Wrestlers put in numerous hours a day for practice and just about every weekend for meets. Competition weekends and wrestling matches are called meets. It’s when the wrestlers get together to compete against another school, or individual if they are at state.
Braegger Richards, a Senior wrestler at Bear River High states, “We dedicate 5-7 days of the week and 2 or more hours each time.” With this much time dedicated to the sport they sacrifice a lot of things. Braegger Richards said,”I sacrifice a lot like food, water, sleep, weekends, time with family and friends, and even birthday celebrations.” These sacrifices can make it very easy for them to want to quit during the season. Janessa Esquivel, a Sophomore wrestler at Bear River High said, “I sacrifice a lot to be able to wrestle, although I have never wanted to quit during the season.” She sacrifices anywhere from 2-3 hours everyday, making her have less time with her family and friends. Her body also takes a toll during the season. She ended this season with cracked ribs but still loving to wrestle. Although not all athletes feel the same way. Braegger Richards, stated, “I want to quit all the time during the season. Even with winning matches it still is hard to dedicate my whole life to wrestling. I want to quit especially when I lose matches.” Braegger isn’t just any wrestler either, he is an elite athlete in every sport he does. Just this year Braegger got second place at state. This is a huge accomplishment for him. Not all wrestlers have these types of accomplishments even after all the hours they dedicate which can be tough. Janessa Esquivel stated, “Even if I don’t win every match, or get to go to state. I still love the sport so much and would never stop doing what I love.” Her coaches and teammates cheer her along, keeping her going even after a loss. These two athletes truly show us an inside view on what it takes to be a wrestler and to survive the tough season. Some come out with medals and some don’t, but they all have the same love for this tough sport. On February 18th the boys wrestling team placed second at state. Our top two wrestlers for the boys team were Max Miller a Senior, and Breagger Richards a Senior as well. Our girls wrestling team also placed second. Saide Hardy, a Senior at Bear River High received outstanding wrestler award as well as 1st in her division. Shannon Hyer at USU, Provo (Februrary 10th, 2023) Taking The Lead With The Swim Team The Bear River Swim Team has made much progress this year. From winning medals at Region and State, to building each other up as a team. 2022-2023, most of the Bear River High School swim team went to regionals, but only a handful of them went to state.
Hunter Kotter, a Junior swimmer said about improving as a team, “A whole lot of effort, trying your best, and help from the people on the team.” Katelyn Winkler, a Junior swimmer, said of improvement, “I improved by a lot, almost a full minute through a lot of practice.” When our team went to Regionals the team went above and beyond. BRHS won four medals and those who medaled went to state. The State swim meet was held in Provo, Utah on February 10th and 11th, and it was the last swim meet that only a handful of the team was able to attend. Shannon Hyer, Jaden Hyer, and Hayden Swain-Schmit all medaled in their respective events. Shannon Hyer medaled in the 100 Butterfly by getting 6th place and broke the school record for fastest time by .4 seconds. She also took 8th place, medaling in the 200 IM event as well. All in all, BRHS swimmers received 4 medals. Shannon Hyer, Senior swim captain, said “At first I didn’t realize it, but when I did realize I broke [the record], the six years I've been swimming felt like they proved my hard work.” Shannon progressed from a swimmer to swim captain her senior year. Shannon said, “I’ve gained friends that I wouldn’t trade for anything, and my self-esteem improved a lot. I felt like I found the one thing I would do forever.” Shannon is one of the five captains of the swim team, she has helped so many swimmers improve with swimming, as well as herself. She is a great example for other swimmers. Hayden Swain-Schmit, another swim team captain, said he had the chance to go to the State Meet one last time since he will be graduating this year. Hayden said, “Well it was pretty cool because it was the first time I medaled at state, it was cool doing something I’ve seen people do the last four years I've been swimming.” Other swimmers have said how good he is at swimming, and how he was able to go to State and win a medal. He seemed to really enjoy the swim team over the four years he’s participated in it. Hayden said, “...it’s nice being on a good team where you don't rely on anyone, but they are there to support you.” He was able to medal in his respective event. Jaden Hyer, a Junior swimmer, said of medaling in his event, “I was extremely surprised, it was the first time I screamed out of joy.” He also said, “It's been amazing and a lot of fun. I would not regret a single minute [being on the swim team].” These swimmers have made much progress, like Katelyn Winkler, dropping a full minute on her 100 freestyle. Shannon Hyer broke the school record by .4 seconds, and was able to improve from being a swimmer, to a swim captain with Hayden Swain-Schmit. All in all, these swimmers have made improvements over this year. Article Written by: Kenadee Eversten The Bear River Swim Team has made much progress this year. From winning medals at Region and State, to building each other up as a team. 2022-2023, most of the Bear River High School swim team went to regionals, but only a handful of them went to state.
Hunter Kotter, a Junior swimmer said about improving as a team, “A whole lot of effort, trying your best, and help from the people on the team.” Katelyn Winkler, a Junior swimmer, said of improvement, “I improved by a lot, almost a full minute through a lot of practice.” When our team went to Regionals the team went above and beyond. BRHS won four medals and those who medaled went to state. The State swim meet was held in Provo, Utah on February 10th and 11th, and it was the last swim meet that only a handful of the team was able to attend. Shannon Hyer, Jaden Hyer, and Hayden Swain-Schmit all medaled in their respective events. Shannon Hyer medaled in the 100 Butterfly by getting 6th place and broke the school record for fastest time by .4 seconds. She also took 8th place, medaling in the 200 IM event as well. All in all, BRHS swimmers received 4 medals. Shannon Hyer, Senior swim captain, said “At first I didn’t realize it, but when I did realize I broke [the record], the six years I've been swimming felt like they proved my hard work.” Shannon progressed from a swimmer to swim captain her senior year. Shannon said, “I’ve gained friends that I wouldn’t trade for anything, and my self-esteem improved a lot. I felt like I found the one thing I would do forever.” Shannon is one of the five captains of the swim team, she has helped so many swimmers improve with swimming, as well as herself. She is a great example for other swimmers. Hayden Swain-Schmit, another swim team captain, said he had the chance to go to the State Meet one last time since he will be graduating this year. Hayden said, “Well it was pretty cool because it was the first time I medaled at state, it was cool doing something I’ve seen people do the last four years I've been swimming.” Other swimmers have said how good he is at swimming, and how he was able to go to State and win a medal. He seemed to really enjoy the swim team over the four years he’s participated in it. Hayden said, “...it’s nice being on a good team where you don't rely on anyone, but they are there to support you.” He was able to medal in his respective event. Jaden Hyer, a Junior swimmer, said of medaling in his event, “I was extremely surprised, it was the first time I screamed out of joy.” He also said, “It's been amazing and a lot of fun. I would not regret a single minute [being on the swim team].” These swimmers have made much progress, like Katelyn Winkler, dropping a full minute on her 100 freestyle. Shannon Hyer broke the school record by .4 seconds, and was able to improve from being a swimmer, to a swim captain with Hayden Swain-Schmit. All in all, these swimmers have made improvements over this year. Picture of Sawyer Davis Often when new sports programs are started, its questioned if the outcome of the season is related to things such as the new program, coaches, and budget. Or if its more heavily related to a teams old win loss ratio and how other teams and an outside environment view them. All of which are not directly related to the athlete's ability to perform their best especially with new sports like lacrosse. But with being a new team it can be hard for other teams to judge the Bears playing abilities. With there being no previous seasons to base them off of, which might affect wether they play better or worse. As for the new Bear River lacrosse program, this question is still very real. The new program has been in place for its second season as of this year, and is still very young. With a win-loss rate of 3-5, as of the writing of this article, while this record has space for improvement it's still not sure whether the team was playing below their best when they lost or if the team simply hasn't had a lot of seasons to play together.. Sawyer Davis, a senior on the Bear River Lacrosse team, has been playing lacrosse for 4 years. Three of which have been on the sanctioned Bear River team. When asked what the team generally thinks about playing against other teams that have been sanctioned longer he said “if anything it lowers team confidence”. This lack of team confidence may be normal for it being the first couple seasons of the program. It makes it harder for players to play at their best with odds stacked against them like this. Not only can it be hard to play at full capacity, but getting players in the first place can prove to be an issue. Not long before the start of the season, the team was still looking for a goalie. This can also be normal because it could be hard for a player to join a team when they don’t have any basis on things, for example team culture or past playing records. All things considered the team still has some time left to gain experience this season and with seasons to come.
Picture credits: Lisa Ingleby Pictured: Peter Ingleby The Bear River Water Polo team has had an amazing start to their season. The team has had three tournaments thus far this season. The boys team got third place at the March madness tournament and the girls team got second place at the same tournament. Danny Esplin, the head water polo coach, stated “Our teams had a rough start this year with a lot of new boys and almost did not have a girls team.”
The season is still just starting for the Bears. They still have a lot of tournaments to come. Speaking to one of the captains of the boys , Riley Oram he said “I'm excited to see what happens this season. We do have a lot of new players but they are quickly gaining an understanding of the game and how to play.” On the girls side of things when asked about the team Reagan Turson stated “We have a small team this year with only nine girls on the team. We only have a couple new girls but they don't have enough stamina yet. I am excited to see the growth of our team” The water polo team is a club sport so it is not sanctioned by the high school. Because of this it makes it difficult for the team to get new players. This year they got seven new players whereas most other sports get more than that every year so it's rough for the water polo team to replenish the players that they lost. This year's new players have been picking up the game quickly and should be able to help the team out at their tournaments. A mentionable new player is Christopher Sherman who has been practicing to get better skills. Last year the girls and the boys team took first place in the state tournament. All of the Bears are hoping to take the state championship title again this season. State this year is on May 19th through the 21st. But there is still a lot of time until then for the team to grow. The next home game is the 19th of April. The next tournament is the Jesse Kochel invitational in Kearns on April 28th to 30th. This tournament is an honor to Jesse Kochel, a water polo player who passed, so the Utah league has created this tournament for him and his family. By: Isaac Evans Often when discussing high school athletes, and their commitments to college sports people tend to overlook the work it takes to play at a college level. In many ways people seem to focus on athletes with “raw talent” or “great genetics,” and think that is the very reason they’re playing at higher levels. But it may be surprising just how many highschool athletes have to seemingly start from scratch. This is not to say that athletes with so-called “raw talent” haven't put in a lot of work to play at higher levels. It just goes to show that not all athletes start out being particularly skilled in any given sport. For instance, Bear River softball just last season has had great success, with a win loss record of 27- 6. Putting them at top 3 in the state of Utah as of 2021. This being a result in part of amazing players, but as stated before, not all athlete’s skills in the sport come naturally. A good example of this would be the team’s catcher, Haylee Farnsworth, who is currently committed to the Southern Idaho university softball team. But the journey to playing at a college level did not necessarily come easy. Haylee has been training for 6 years all together, determined to compete in college, by playing on multiple teams along with playing on her highschool team up to this point. She has been working very hard “playing every weekend of every summer and practicing twice a week plus lessons, and playing every fall, and spring only taking off the month of december.” While this is a big part of being able to play in college, it isn't everything. The support she had from her parents driving her to all her games and practices and helping to get coaches for her definitely held a role in the process as well. This being said, Haylee also has things to work for when actually playing at southern Idaho that includes, “getting playing time as a freshman and simply improving in every game”. This alone is a great example of having to work very hard to play in college. But a few other girls on the team plan to play in college as well, Mccall Maxfield, a senior that plans to play softball for Snow college. Kynlei Nelson is another senior planning to play for USU eastern. With all this in consideration, it shows that not all college athletes are naturally talented, and can play in college without much training. It takes a lot of work and time to play at higher levels and these girls are great examples of that. If you would like to support these players, their next game will be on Tuesday, March 29, at home against Mountain Crest. Photo credit: Lexi Capener
Written by: Isaac Evans Photo taken by: Chad Hurst For many students at Bear River High School, breaking records of any kind isn't often within their reach. But for a select few BRHS track runners, breaking records is more attainable. For instance, Joshua Fowler (a senior) holds the indoor 60 meter school record. Ammon Hunter and Kenneth Pingle (both seniors) hold the 4 x 800 meter school record. But among these athletes one stands out: Braxton Hurst, (a senior) who currently holds the outdoor and indoor open 400 record, the indoor and outdoor 4 x 4 record, and another school record in the outdoor 4 x 2, which adds up to five school records.
This alone is impressive, but Hurst not only does well on the track, he can also carry his own weight in a classroom with a 4.0 GPA this year. While he does make it look somewhat easy, not all of his accomplishments come without setbacks and challenges. Throughout high school Hurst suffered a broken clavicle twice, once as a freshman and again as a senior, in addition to minor ankle problems. He also suffers from a lingering injury involving a tendon in his hip that does not stay in place while running, which causes discomfort. Needless to say Hurst is no stranger to injury and yet he still manages to excel in his events. Hurst's expectations for his final track season are“I’m shooting for the state title [open 400 meter and 4 x 4).” These are his “crazy goals”. Not only does he already hold one state record, he still plans on getting two more state records. So despite his prior setbacks he still has great plans for his senior track season. That being said, it may raise the question of how the track program is responsible for such successful runners, or does it simply come down to a unique group of athletes at the right time? As for the real answer, time will tell for younger athletes in the program as they mature in the sport. But for the most part the team’s “track record” for past seasons has looked great. Which goes to show that Bear River track is capable of making truly record breaking Bears. If you want to come and cheer on our Bear track team, the first meet of the season will be held at Mountain Crest Highschool on the 16th of march. Shylee Kidman tossing a double Color Guard is a combination of flags, sabers, wooden rifles, and other equipment, as well as dance and other interpretive movements. The color guard season starts with parade, then football, then basketball, Christmas, and talent show, then onto winter guard. Each section of the season is different ranging from band music, to audio. Also from being out on the football field to working inside.
The color guard season includes them performing at high school football games with the band and high school basketball during the halftime shows. They usually do their own routine. This year the team is performing at lacrosse halftime shows and the spring show on April 13th. When the color guard is not performing for fall sports, they get ready for their new season: winter guard. Winter guard is just like a normal season but instead of performing at games, they prepare for the competitions within other divisions that have color guard teams. Each competing team must have 5 or more people on the team and have attended practice to learn the basic movements. The routine is called “Andy’s Bath”. Choreographed by Linnea Thomas and Hanna Nyman with the help of our captains Harley Bennett and Kapree Christensen. Right now all that is done is the floor, which looks like a bathtub full of water. They have all learned the routine and they just clean up the routine during practice to make it look better. They have practice every morning at 5:30 and Wednesday after school. For this routine, they use flags, streamers, hula hoops, and sabers that have been put into the routine. Bear River’s color guard winter competitions are coming up soon. February 19th at West Lake High School, February 26th at Lehi High School, March 12th at Lone Peak High School, March 26th Pleasant Grove High School, and April 2nd (championships) at Riverton High School. Our color guard team has 10 members which include Harley Bennett (Senior), Kapree Christensen (Senior), Amare Johnson (Box Elder Senior), ShyLee Kidman (Senior), Lillie Rasmussen (Herriman Sophomore), Ashley Hunter (Sophomore), Madelaine Jensen (Sophomore), Kaisa Faulring (Sophomore), Addison Phipps (Freshman), and Rebecka Hayden (Freshman). Anyone who wants to watch this amazing routine, come cheer on the color guard at the competitions. If you want to be part of this amazing group, color guard tryouts are 25-27th of April. Update: Bear River placed 9th at West Lake. Bear River also placed 5th place at Lehi. Written By: Kael Kowallis Photo Credits: Danny Esplin
The Bear River High School swim team had an incredible showing at Region on the 29th of January. Many Bears punched their spots onto the state team roster. It was quite a show at the region meet for the Bear River High Swim team. Even though there were only four medals earned there were many athletes who were close to receiving a medal. Many swimmers got their new personal record and it was overall a great meet. Now some of the swimmers will join the state team and will compete at the highest level for high school swimming. The women that made the state team include Shannon Hyer, Morgan Mickelson, Ashley Littlefield, Kambry Gardner, Astrid Nergaard, Allie Throop, Reagan Tureson, Iliana Anderson, and Kiya White. On the boys side of things Kelton Marshall, Kael Kowallis, Keeghan Gibbs, Garrett Griffin, Hayden Swain-Schmit, Jace Hamblin, Aaron Betournay, Jonah Dean, Peter Ingleby, Jaden Hyer, Brody Rowley, Ashton Esplin, Kaden Kofoed, Riley Orem, and Daxton Gardner. This is quite an impressive turnout for a state team. Many athletes were feeling optimistic about this state championship. Jonah Dean, for example, said that he was ready to “redeem himself from a rough showing at the Region meet.” Dean swam the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard freestyle. Dean is a strong swimmer and was looking forward to the state meet. At the state meet, there was something super exciting that happened, senior Kelton Marshall was forced to do a swim off which is when two swimmers tie and have to swim that race again one on one at the end of the meet. Coach Danny Esplin says, “In all my years of coaching, I have never seen that.” Marshall won the race and on day two received his eighth-place medal. Shannon Hyer made a repeat of last year's state meet with a fifth-place finish and a massive time drop which was a personal record of two seconds with a time of 1:03.33 in the 100-yard butterfly. Jonah Dean, Kael Kowallis, and Hayden Swain-Schmit all were able to finish in under a minute in their respective races. Dean and Kowallis Swam the 100 butterfly and Swain-Schmit swam the backstroke. Garrett Griffin was able to drop over 20 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle. The Bears men and women both took 11 place in the state and had an incredible finish to their season. By: Phoebe Warner Despite its growing popularity, lacrosse has had a lot of ups and downs the last year. Elise-Sarah Roskelley, a sophomore on Bear River’s girls’ lacrosse team, has some insights regarding this year’s season.
Even though lacrosse is relatively new to Bear River, it has become very popular. Roskelley says that “there are about 40 students who tryout and they usually don’t cut anyone.” Those who work hard and improve get a chance to play on varsity which only has 20 spots open. Even still, there is an opportunity for almost everyone to participate in the practicing and conditioning. Roskelley likes that there is a lot of opportunity, but also said, “sometimes I feel as if we are overworked. Some of the girls are in shape and others aren't. When some of us fall short, the whole team is punished and it’s really hard .” Lacrosse is said to be easy to pick up, but training and conditioning can be hard on the body. Roskelley said “With lacrosse season cancelled last year, we didn’t do much conditioning. But this year, the standards are still the same, but the way we achieve them is a lot more intense than last year.” While Roskelley agrees that the conditioning has been hard, she knows that it is what will help her and the other players become the best they can be and it’s overall worth it. By: Ammon Hunter Many athletes at Bear River have been preparing for the track season and are very excited to finally participate in the sport. Due to COVIC, last year’s track season was virtually non-existent and many athletes were disappointed. However, this only raises the excitement for those who will be participating in the track season this year including junior track runner, Braxton Hurst.
Hurst comes from a very athletic family specifically running. His dad, Coach Hurst, is one of the great coaches of the track team and is known to have been, and still is, quite the speedster. Hurst’s older brother, who also attended Bear River, held very fast times for nearly every race he competed in. Braxton Hurst himself is very dedicated to his performance in track sports and is eager to start the season. One thing that many athletes have been doing to be in good running condition, including Hurst, is participating in CrossFit. CrossFit is run by Coach Hurst and has been conditioning students pre-season to be ready for when the track season starts. The session goes for about an hour and students work on different exercises depending on what type of runner they are. Hurst is a short-mid distance runner and competes mainly in the 400m down to the 100m. These races require tons of speed and, especially in the case of the 400m, plenty of mental power. While it can sometimes be very challenging to run in these races, Hurst explains how much he enjoys track and simply states that, “track is life.” The sport is a great part of his life and he meets the season with excitement and anticipation to compete. Hurst is a very talented runner who loves track and doesn’t back down when it comes to a good competition. Many of his friends are also on the team and there's no doubt they expect him to perform very well this season. The team will undoubtedly do very well this year and Hurst expects he will be able to do very well for his team. By: Olivia Veibell Water polo is a game that combines speed, strength, endurance, energy and teamwork. Water polo consists of 14 players on the field at a time, seven players for each team: one goalkeeper and six outfield players.
The objective of the game is to get as many points as possible. Players are not allowed to touch the bottom of the pool and have to tread water the whole time. Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or swimming while pushing the ball in front of them. They can only hold the ball with one hand, other than the goalkeeper who can use both hands. The match starts with a swim-off. The ball is released in the middle of the pitch with the players lined up along their own goal lines. The first team to reach the ball has the first possession of the game. After each goal, the team who conceded resumes the match with the ball. All players for each team must be in their own half at the resumption of play. Water polo matches have two referees with one standing on either side of the pool. The referees are in control of the game and are the only officials who can award fouls. The clock is stopped when the ball is not in play and the average quarter lasts around 12 minutes. Each team is only allowed to hold onto the ball for a maximum of 30 seconds before shooting for the goal. If they haven’t done this, then possession passes to the other team. Bear River’s water polo team consists of 15 boys and 11 girls. The team has about 21 games this season. Peter Ingleby, a junior and valued player of the team, said water polo “should be very interesting this season regarding new players” and they will also focus on strengthening returning players to make them better. Dacia Hook, another player on the team talks about why people should consider trying water polo by saying, “It’s just a good way to let your anger out, and we need more girls, otherwise we might not be able to play next year.” Water polo is a great outlet for people to get involved and wanting to make some amazing friends. The game may be difficult to understand at first for new players, but as you get more into it the easier it is. Ingleby talks about it by saying, “It is a little hard to understand at first, but once you understand, it’s easy.” Water polo is a very fun sport and would be a great sport for anyone who likes to be in the water and wanting to try something new. By: Braxton Christensen Wrestlers placing at state. Photo Credit: Melanie Smith. The Bears wrestled their last tournament of the season on February 20, 2021 and placed 3rd as a team. Twenty four wrestlers from Bear River participated at state and eight placed individually in the end. Bears were neck and neck with Uintah and Mountain Crest the whole tournament. Cael Wilcox and Trenton Ward both brought home state medals.
For Ward, this was the second time winning state. Last year, Ward won it at the weight of 106 lbs and at 113 lbs this year. Some would think COVID would ruin a season, but not for Ward. Despite COVID and a quad injury that occured early in the season, Ward has been fighting all year. Some people thought he was done, one of those people being him: “After my quad injury, I didn't think I could do it. [But] when I stepped out on that mat, I knew I was ready.” Indeed he was pinning his kid from Stansbury in the late 2nd round. After the match, Ward got all the treatment he could ever ask for from his team mates. Walking into a crowd of friends, they lifted him on their shoulders and chanted his name! Ward said, “The feeling of winning is nothing like I’ve ever felt. Your body is speechless.” Ward ended the season with a 14-2 record. Junior River Smith also had great success placing 6th in one of the hardest weight classes: 152 lbs. Smith won his first match, then lost his second. He then climbed back up to accomplish 6th. Smith said, “I knew it was gonna be hard, but it was my goal to place at state.” Some would be disappointed with 6th place, but Smith, with a 21-11 record, feels very good about what he accomplished at state this year with it being his second medal at state. Smith brought home a 5th place medal as a freshman. With these accomplishments, Smith knows next year is going to be his year. With this year’s success at state, there are high expectations and big things coming for the Bear’s wrestling team. This year was great and many of the Bear’s toughest wrestlers will be returning for the upcoming season. It should be very fun to see what happens! By: Aleksa Evertson For many years now, Bear River High has had a baseball team that has done very well. This year, 2021, the baseball players are preparing for tryouts as they will be held at the beginning of March. Kellen Hess, a sophomore, has shared some insights on the expectations of this year’s season because, as we all know, this past year has been something else.
Baseball is the third most favorite sport in the United States which is reflected in how many try out at Bear River. Hess said, “There are usually 40-50 kids that tryout.” With that many kids trying out for the team, the coaches have to cut about half of them because there are only around “20-24 spots” available. Practicing can be hard for baseball players because of all the different drills they do and how long they practice those drills. There are nine different positions in baseball and each one has a different way of improving different skills that are needed for that position. Hess mentioned that they each practice “all of the drills.” Those drills include conditioning, batting practice, infield drills, and much more. If one of the players is struggling in practice, Hess said, “the coaches tell them what they are doing wrong and explain what they need to do instead.” The potential players practice every weekday for about two to three hours depending on how hard they practiced that day and what drills they did. Getting along with your teammates is a crucial key to playing baseball because, as Hess puts it, “You need to be able to trust your teammates.” Trusting your teammates is how the team is able to get to the top and succeed in their season. Hess enjoys the relationships and bonding with his teammates and said, “I know them all very well.” Hess’ favorite thing about baseball is “Everything! Just being able to play with my team and just being with the boys.” Hess says his main goal this season is to “help my team win a state championship.” To improve before tryouts, Hess says he is going to put in a lot of practice to be ready when tryouts come. Hess prepared for practice by “getting [himself] locked in and ready to go.” Having that mindset can impact your practice and games for the better. Hess explains that his expectation for this season is to get to the top and be “region champs.” By: Braxton Christensen Senior wrestlers lined up at divisionals for the National Anthem. Photo Credit: Melanie Smith. Bears wrestled at the Utah 4A Divisionals on February 5th and 6th and are now sending 24 wrestlers to state. This definitely sets them up to succeed! By scoring 398 points at divisionals, they nailed 2nd place and are in the top three in their division, alongside Uintah and Mountain Crest.
Being one of the top three teams, the bears are going to state with high expectations. Cael Wilcox said, “We as a team are capable of winning this!” Wilcox was one of the wrestlers many expected to do great, and he has. Taking 1st at divisionals sets him up well to go in hot and repeat it at state. Wilcox is one of the Bears top wrestlers and with his 22-2 record, many argue he may be one of the best in the state which he’ll get to prove soon at state. After winning divisionals, Wilcox said, “It felt good because my work was finally starting to pay off!” Wilcox has worked hard all year to get where he’s at. He goes in before school and stays after practice. Holden Richards has coached Wilcox on some of his moves he used to win the State Championship. Eugene Wilcox, Cael’s father and coach, works just as hard in the room to make his son the best he could possibly be. Regarding Coach Wilcox and Richards, Wilcox said, “They made me work harder when I wanted to take it easy, and saw things that would make me better that I couldn’t see at the time.” Wilcox has big plans for state as he goes in as the one seed: “My plan is to be a state champ.” Also going to state is Kaeson Burn who placed 2nd at divisionals. Burns has a 17-2 record with 16 of those 17 wins being pins. Burn is the Bear’s 182 pounder, but some say he wrestles like he’s a 1000 pound truck, ramming through his opponents left and right all season. Burn says, “I plan on taking state not only this year but next year too.” Based on his current record, he’s definitely capable of these goals. Burn works hard on his off time in the gym and in the wrestling room, and it shows. Burn and Wilcox plan on leading the Bears to victory at state along with all of the great wrestlers on the team! By: Ammon Hunter On February 12, Senior Jefferson Kowallis at Bear River High School competed with his team in the state swim meet in Bountiful. There have been ups and downs over the course of the swim season and some records have previously been close to being broken.
One of the swimmers who showed great potential in setting a new record is Jefferson Kowallis. In many previous meets, Kowallis came close to beating the school record for the 100 meter breaststroke, but has come short by just a few seconds. This particular section is a race where instead of peddling your arms through the water individually, they are peddling simultaneously. While this race may be difficult, Kowallis has been practicing every day with his team and is confident he will succeed in his goal. As well as hopefully breaking a school record, Kowallis also aims to place in the state meet. It won’t be easy as there are a couple of very talented swimmers. In most racing sports, good competition drives competitors to push their limits. However, when swimming, you're mostly face down in the water, only surfacing your face to take a quick breath. Kowallis states, “You can only really see someone if you're ahead of them.” He explained that having competition isn’t really a factor, so it all comes down to your own self determination. On February 12, all the work Kowallis put in during the season paid off. Kowallis was able to beat the previous 100 breaststroke record of 1:02 and set the new record at 1:01. Not only was he able to score the record, Kowallis also placed 4th in state. Most of his team probably weren’t surprised as they all know what a good swimmer Kowallis is, but achieving this win for his team is a great accomplishment. By: Olivia Veibell Bear River Girls’ Basketball had their Senior night on Thursday, January 28. They had a ceremony before the game and the senior girls (Cami Gibbs, Olivia Taylor, Ashley Mickelson, and Kaitlyn Mckee) each shared what they are doing after high school and how long they have been on the basketball team. The girls were then awarded flowers and a small gift for a great season and all of their hard work. These girls played hard and played well for senior night but took a loss to Logan (60-44).
Senior Girls Cami Gibbs, number 4, has always played many different sports when she was younger, but basketball and softball were her favorites. Gibbs has been playing basketball since she was nine, and has loved every second of it. She started competitive basketball in high school her freshman year. One of her biggest achievements is ending games with 100% free throw. Gibbs also plays softball and plans to attend Snow College to play. She isn’t continuing basketball, but she is super glad she did play through her whole high school career. Gibbs talks about senior year by saying, “I feel really good. Super excited to graduate! I will miss playing as a Bear River Bear!” Gibbs plans on staying very active after high school and occasionally having fun with her friends playing basketball. Kaitlyn McKee, number 1, has been playing basketball when she first fell in love with the sport. She spends around 18 hours a week just working and playing basketball. One of her biggest achievements this year is being able to play varsity. She worked really hard to get to play on varsity. Mckee also used to run cross country, which is a bonus when playing basketball. After high school, Mckee plans to finish her cosmetology degree and go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mckee talks about her senior year saying, “I'm sad that it's senior year already, but I have had so many experiences already that have made this year so memorable.” Mckee has worked very hard, and she is determined to get where she wants; it will be very exciting to see what she does in the future. Ashley Mickelson, number 2, has always loved sports. Her parents made her do a bunch of sports when she was younger, and ultimately basketball just stuck with her. Mickelson has been playing for almost seven years. Since her high school basketball career started, she has done some amazing things. This year, her biggest achievement is winning games and all the hard work she’s put in practice. When she goes to practice she puts in the effort she needs to succeed and spends about 10 hours a week. She talks about being a senior by saying, “I’m really excited to move onto new things, but I will definitely miss playing with my Bear River team.” Mickelson is excited for her future although she doesn’t plan to continue her basketball career. She plans on going to college and staying active. Olivia Taylor, number 20, has been playing basketball for about five years. She started competing in eighth grade and has loved it ever since. She loves the game because of how fast-paced it is, and she’s gotten to meet some of her most favorite people. She is currently averaging 16 points per game, which is crazy! She makes sure she works hard by practicing two and half to three hours a day. Her plans after high school are to play softball at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. Taylor talks about being a senior saying “It’s bittersweet! I’m excited to graduate, but sad to leave high school sports! Basketball the past four years has been a big highlight and enjoyable time for me!” Taylor will miss being in high school, but is so excited for the future ahead of her. These girls have worked really hard to get where they are: many hours of hard work, lots of team interaction, and lots of mental training. They have put in a lot of effort and they are doing great. They have fought their way to be better players, teammates, and individuals. These girls are super sweet and are going to do amazing things in the future. |
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February 2024
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