Special Selections 2009
Seniors: Hunter Levan, Brandon Maatouk, Burgandy Schmidt, Chloe Stoker, Ian Weeth Juniors: Kasey Bruha, Jeremy Gonyo, Karen Hill, Nick La Rue, Kelsey Quinn, Adam Reuter, Taylor Rowe, Alex Siemers, Hannah Stigen, Corey Wilhelm, Nick Wuensch
May 2009
Baseball – Jesse Servais, Gr. 12: Jesse has done a great job of buying into our “family” concept. He is always one of the first ones on the field for practice and works hard for the improvement of the team. Softball –Allyson Hennessy, Gr. 10: Allyson has worked hard to turn herself into one of the best softball players in the area. She is an excellent pitcher who threw the first no-hitter in Central history last week. She is one our top hitters and base stealers and is slowly turning herself into a leader as well! Boys Track & Field – Jake Wuensch, Gr. 11: Jake was 2 time conference champion on Tuesday in both the 200 and 400. He has been exemplary in not only how he competes, but also how he practices. Only a junior, Jake has unlimited potential ahead of him and is certainly deserving of Athlete of the Month. Boys Golf – Jacob Beal, Gr. 11: Jacob has been there for the team all season….he’s great in practice at the range or on the course. He’s a super kid to coach….he follows coaching directives to a tee! Jacob is always available to play or practice in order to become better for the sake of the team. As this is his first year out for golf, I’m very pleased to have Mr. Beal join our program! The rest of the team is happy to have Jacob be a part of the team as well! Girls Track & Field – Jourdan Stacey, Gr. 10: Jourdan has been an asset to our team. She is a great team leader; she works hard everyday in practice and lays it on the line every time she competes in a meet. She does whatever we ask of her in a meet and is always encouraging to her teammates. Girls Soccer – Jaime Brackeen, Gr. 12: Jaime worked very hard in preparation for her senior year. She was a fixture at open gyms and Sunday morning futsal. Jaime was chosen as a captain this year not only for her commitment and improved play, but also because she embodies many quality character traits. She had a great end to the regular season, scoring her first career goal against Portage and setting up a play which led to a cross and game winning goal against Logan in double overtime. Boys Tennis – Nick Garvin, Gr. 10: Nick has played a huge role in the Central Tennis team’s success this season. He also recently became the MVC conference champion at #3 singles . Due to changes in the varsity line up, Nick played #1 singles in many matches this season, which is quite an accomplishment. Nick’s desire to improve and his “never-give-up” attitude will certainly take him to great places in the future. Nick has also been a great role model to the younger players who joined the team this year. Boys Tennis Victor Mirasola, Gr. 12: Victor is in the process of completing an outstanding tennis career at Central. Victor recently won his second consecutive MVC tournament at #1 singles making him a four-time conference champion. He has also been undefeated in conference singles play during his Central career. Victor’s hard work and incredible desire to succeed is a model for all Central tennis players to follow. Victor is a major factor in this year’s team finishing in 3rd place in the MVC.
April 2009
Baseball –Drew Ghelfi, Gr. 12: Drew has done a great job for our team so far this spring. He continues to improve his work ethic during practice and games. I am proud of Drew for his willingness to take the ball in some of our biggest games of the year. He is a large part of our top ranking in the State. Softball – Beth Servais, Gr. 12: Beth is simply a consistently hard worker who approaches games and practices with a great attitude. Although she is not playing in the field during games, she continues to work hard on her fielding at practice and gives the best effort of anyone on the field every day. Her hitting has consistently improved and she is one of our most dangerous hitters. Beth truly deserves this award. Boys Track & Field – Drew Sierzant, Gr. 12: Aside from the fact that he scored 1st in three events at our recent invitational at Prairie Du Chien and helped lead the team to a 1st place overall finish, it is Drew’s leadership and work ethic that allow me to recommend him as the April Athlete of the Month. Always the last one out on the practice field, Drew exemplifies all that a coach could want of a senior captain. Knowing what each of his competitors is doing, Drew has become a student of the sport it’s most devoted fan. Drew has bought into the idea of track and field and has become one of the reasons why the program has seen its recent success. Boys Golf – Andy Brown: Gr. 12: Andy has been a solid performer for the Central Golf Team so far this season being consistent and always improving his game. As a senior, Mr. Brown is always working hard in practice and plays practice rounds with great focus and shows leadership towards the younger members of the team. He also is a great teammate with all players on the team: always friendly and supportive! Girls Track & Field – Carolyn Lubben, Gr. 12: Carolyn is a great team leader. She works hard in every practice and encourages and helps her teammates any way that she can. Even as a senior she is willing to try new events to help the team score points however she can. She’s a very coachable young lady and is always striving to improve her running. She is truly an asset to the girl’s Track and Field team and an absolute pleasure to have around! Girls Soccer –Emily Romeyn, Gr. 12: Emily leads the team in minutes played and has probably been our most consistent player. Anyone who watches her at practice or during a game knows she is always giving her best effort. She has played through injury and still is one of our most dependable defenders as well as a contributor of offense. Emily has always been eager to improve ever since she started playing. I remember the first time I subbed her out her freshman year when she sprinted off the field and said, “What can I do better coach?” She has matured as a leader, and I have been most impressed by her positive attitude and willingness to help some of our less experienced players understand the game. Boys Tennis – Tony Mirasola, Gr. 9: Tony leads the group of young Red Raider tennis players this season. Tony is playing #2 Singles and also some #1 Doubles with his brother Victor. Tony has a combined record of 7-0 so far this season. Tony's off season dedication to tennis is directly related to his early season success.
March 2009
Baseball – Steve Trussoni, Gr. 12: Steve has done a great job of leading by example. He is constantly working to improve his skills. His effort will help us to be a successful team this season. Softball – Sierra Steele, Gr. 12: Sierra has come a long way since her sophomore year. She is now hardworking, coachable, and a real leader for our team. Her success and more importantly her leadership will go a long way in determining our success as a team this year. Girls Track –Ashley Heilman, Gr. 10: Ashley came into the season with a great attitude and ready to work hard. Her efforts are paying off on the track; her times have improved tremendously from last year. She is always positive and encouraging to her teammates. Ashley is an asset to the Girl’s Track team. Boys Track – Derek Finsterwalder, Gr. 10: Though only a sophomore, Derek has gone undefeated in his primary even, the 800 while facing many competent and more experienced foes. His great attitude and tireless work ethic make this a clear decision for the month of March. Congratulations! Girls Soccer – JadaHeinze, Gr. 10: Jada put in perhaps the most off-season work of any player in our program. She played summer league soccer for the La Crescent Soccer Club and played on several indoor teams this past winter. She has set a high standard of commitment, serving as a good role model for the rest of the girls in our program. Jada started every game as a freshman last season and we will depend on her again this season to both score goals and set up for her teammates.
February 2009
Dance Team – Hannah Schumacher, Gr. 11: Hannah has been a big motivator for our team this season. She balances herself well between show choir and dance team, and has helped choreograph and teach numerous routines. She is an asset to our team. Gymnastics – Amber Bartlett – Gr. 12: Amber is the top gymnast in the MVC this year, a leader for our team and very deserving of this award. Boys Basketball – Garret Schultz, Gr. 12: Garret has really done an excellent job for us this year. He has embraced his role as one of our best defenders and has worked very hard at doing whatever he needs to do to help our team win. Girls Basketball - Megan Jirsa, Gr. 12: Megan has worked hard all season despite the fact that she has seen limited minutes on the court. She comes to practice on a daily basis with a smile on her face and is ready to work. She is a true “team” player and an asset to the program. Wrestling – Cal Thornton, Gr. 10: Cal has again been the dominate wrestler as well as the clear leader of the team, despite only being a sophomore. He has set his goals and expectations very high and has challenged himself to accomplish those. He is a very hard worker and leads by example and the sky is the limit for what he can accomplish! Congrats! Boys Swimming – Parker Krause, Gr. 10: Parker had a great sectional meet with life time best in his events. Parker was one of the most dedicated swimmers all season. By not missing any practices during the season was one of the many ways that he helped make our season a success. Hockey - Dylan Tydrich, Gr. 10: Dylan has shown his coaches and his team that even though the sport can throw you a curve ball, never back away. Dylan was hurt at the end of December with a knee injury but never quit on being a hockey player. Through weeks of physical therapy he still attend every practice and every game. He showed his dedication and commitment to his team and coaches by helping his team and encouraging them at times when he knew that if he was healthy, he could of made a difference. I believe these are qualities that every player should strive for and Dylan is great example. Dylan did recover and play in the last two games of year in which he scored a goal and got an assist. BRANDON BENDEL has persevered as a racer and made his coaches and teammates proud as he stepped up to varsity and handled the pressures of competing at the State level. He is a quiet, hard working individual who deserves this award. MELISSA GRAU is a talented athlete whose peak performances came at just the right time. After battling prolonged illness, Melissa came roaring back for big meets like the Quillins Cup and State, where she placed 36th overall out of 149 competitors.
January 2009
Boys Swimming –Nick Henderson, Gr. 12: Nick has helped our team by being versatile enough to swim many different events. The underclassmen look up to Nick because he leads by example not necessarily vocally. His sportsmanship is not questioned whether we win or lose. Wrestling – AJ Ambrose, Gr. 12: AJ has really come a long way since his freshman year. He was very close to making the 20-win club as a sophomore and junior and finally accomplished that goal this past weekend. His unorthodox style is certainly fun to watch, but at the same time, can be very frustrating to coaches. He always brings a fun, down-to-earth attitude which helps our team loosen up! Congrats!! Hockey – Mike Torgerson, Gr. 11: Mike is one of those players that keeps pretty quiet but shows leadership in his actions and commitment. Mike is a hard working player, dedicated to the sport and displays a pure joy in playing hockey. He steps up to every task we ask him to do and completes those tasks 100%. Girls Basketball- Courtney Athnos, Gr. 12: After a slow start to the season, Courtney has picked her game up and putting the stats that are expected of her. Teams pay a lot of attention to her and they make sure to defend her all over the court. As the season goes on, she will only get better and will be a leader for us as we make our push towards tournament time. Dance Team – Mollie Bush, Gr. 11: Molly has really become a leader this year. She has grown in maturity and talent and is a huge asset to the team. Her teammates look up to her, and as a coach, I look to Mollie for ideas and suggestions to benefit the team. Boys Basketball – Bobby Juan, Gr. 11: Bobby has done a very good job for us this season. His work ethic continues to get better each and every week. His leadership skills have continued to grow and his is an outstanding teammate. He is very deserving of this honor. Girls Ski Team – Ella Overholt, Gr. 10: Ella is undefeated so far this season. Furthermore, she is a coach’s dream and a thoughtful, helpful, friendly teammate. Boys Ski Team - Ryan Sneath, Gr. 10: Ryan is one of the most dedicated and helpful racers ever. He badly damaged his toes early this season and has trained through the pain. Please he comes early every day to help set up our courses, a task that sadly some of his teammates attempt to shirk. Likewise, he is one of the last athletes helping with tear down at the end of the night, no matter how cold and dark conditions are. Snowboard Team – Alexis Wolf, Gr. 11: The reason is simple, she give everything she can as an athlete to ensure that she makes constant improvement. Gymnastics – CeceParcher, Gr. 11: Cece is a wonderful person. She is both helpful and supportive to her teammates. Her hard work and love for the sport can be seen in her rising scores and her presence at the meets. She has great attitude that will take her far in the upcoming meets.
December 2008
WRESTLING: Alex Valentine, Gr. 11: Alex has been very dedicated to wrestling and stuck with it even though he got beat earlier this season in a wrestle-off. It opened his eyes and made him work even harder. This is evident by his 5-0 record and taking 1st place at the EC North Husky Invite at 103. With his commitment, we can expect even greater things this season. Congratulations and Good Luck! BOYS BASKETBALL: Matt Hammes, Gr. 12: Matt has done an outstanding job for us so far this season. He has matured into one of our most consistent performers. What sets him apart is that he doesn’t take a night off. Whether it is practice or a game, he is intent on giving his best effort. GIRLS BASKEBALL: Chelsea Ruda, Gr. 11: Chelsea is a great young lady. She has not played a lot of minutes this year yet, but she does not let that affect her work ethic. Each and every practice, she works hard and is a very coachable player. During games, she is always there to cheer on a teammate or offer praise to someone. She is a big part of our team and the definition of a team player. BOYS SWIMMING: Trent Glendenning, Gr. 12: Trent has been one our leaders this season. His work ethic has made our team better. He leads by example and helps the new swimmers be better in the pool. He has been fun to coach and have on our swim team. HOCKEY: Kyle Seubert, Gr.9: Kyle has done everything the coaches have asked of him. He works hard, listens and applies suggestions that have improved his game. He’s always smiling and willing to help with whatever we need. Kyle will keep raising the bar for our team and is an athlete that will excel at leadership when given the chance. DANCE TEAM: Amy Garvin, Gr. 12: Amy has remained a very dedicated and positive member of our team as she has been busy getting ready for her performance in the Nutcracker. Although she has had to miss some practices and performances, she has split her time and tried to come to events when she could. She has put many miles on her car driving back and forth between her two commitments. Amy wrote letters to the team for me to read to pump them up at our last 2 competitions and she was intricate in helping plan a trip to go see her dance in the Nutcracker. We could not be a successful team without her! BOYS SKI TEAM: Willy Roesler, Gr. 12: Willy goes to practice early and helps the coaches set the training courses. He also stays late and helps tear down the courses. During practice, Willy works hard and has become a real leader. He encourages the younger racers and offers them useful advice. His positive attitude and friendly demeanor makes everyone relaxed and comfortable. GIRLS SKI TEAM: Heather Laylan, Gr. 10: Heather has been training hard and making improvements. She doesn't complain about the cold conditions: she just toughs it out and keeps training. She approaches each practice with a positive attitude and with a smile on her face! SNOWBOARD TEAM: Steve Henderson, Gr. 12: Steve lives and breathes snowboarding! He works part-time in the rental shop at Mt. La Crosse, but is out snowboarding any time he can. He is a very talented snowboarder and is not afraid to try new techniques. He has also become a leader on the team. The other team members respect his ability and enjoy learning from him.