Nearing the end of October and seeing the Halloween season on full display means MV’s fall sports season must sadly come to a close. From another exciting and emotional football season to the volleyball team looking to go in a new direction, the sports world was filled with newsworthy events this midterm.
The Lady Rams volleyball team finished their season with a 10-23 record and 3-5 in the South Seven conference. They picked up notable wins against the Marion Wildcats, Woodlawn Cardinals, and East St. Louis Flyers. Even with two wins against the Wildcats, when it came to Regionals, the Lady Rams were defeated by Marion in a hard-fought, three-set game.
“Our season did not always go as we planned. We knew coming into this year that it would be a little more challenging. We lost a handful of very talented seniors last year who made our whole varsity team, but we knew the potential this year’s team could have. We started the year off strong. In almost every game we played, we were dominating. As we moved further into the season, we suffered minor injuries and sicknesses that prevented some players from competing. This year threw us for a loop because we did not play to our full potential. We had many errors that needed to be corrected before we continued to play. We miscommunicated, hung our heads, and lost hope lots of times. Then sometimes we would have the best game of our life,” said Melaina Zedalis, ‘25.
Ram’s soccer improved quite well this season, winning two more games than the previous year, finishing 3-15 overall. It wasn’t all bad for men’s soccer, as they’ve picked up a lot of young talent and are looking forward to future years. Keaton Koch, ‘27 led the team in goals on the season with seven, along with Isaac Nitzsche, ‘25 completing 298 saves total. Both of these key players and many more will remain with the team through the 2024-25 schedule and that is something to look forward to as a Ram fan.
“This season overall was a great improvement from last year. Our coaches as well as seniors were much more positive and we had a better formation going into games. The second half of the season was also better since we held off good teams and had two very close games. I will miss everyone on the team and have loved playing in the last four years,” stated Nolan Armstrong, ‘24.
Men’s golf at MV came very close to sending participants to State in the form of Xander Ashby, ‘27, and John Rickner, ‘24. The score to qualify at Sectionals was 74 and Ashby scored an 81, while Rickner scored an 88.
“As Arnold Palmer once said. ‘Success in golf depends less on strength of body and more on strength of mind and character.’ So throughout this offseason, I will develop more strength of mind, character, and strength of body to come back better than ever for sophomore season,” described Xander Ashby, ‘27.
Lady Rams golf had a very successful season. The team picked up many new players and Ava Wheeler, ‘25 was ranked as the sixth-best women’s golfer in the South Seven Conference!
“I think this season was great. We got a few new players this year and they all did great. Overall I am very proud of how the team did. One thing I think we could work on is getting more competitive and striving for those wins. I think I could use some work on my chipping and the consistency of my clubs. Other than that I am very proud of how we did this year,” asserted Emmalee Kroeschen, ‘25.
The Runnin’ Rams qualified for State for the second year in a row at Detweiler Park in Jacksonville for Sectionals on October 28! The guys finished 18 seconds after the top runners in this race, led by Caedmon Cook, who finished with a 15:08:90 time stamp.
“This is most definitely the best team we’ve had in my four years of the sport, and it’s been an amazing part of my life that I’ve had the pleasure of spending with these guys,” stated Caedmon Cook, ‘24, “I’ve been running with some for 4 years, some for 2 years, and it’s just great knowing I’ll end my high school running career with the people who have put as much into the sport as they have. It’s been an amazing season so far and we can’t wait to see how we will go in the late-season,” added Cook.
The Lady Runnin’ Rams did not have as great of success when it came to Jacksonville’s Sectionals. Kennedy Bax, ‘27 finished 62 in the race with a time of 19:26:20, breaking MV’s 2.9-mile time record in the process, surpassing Brynlee Thomason’s 2020 record of 20:52.70. Dazey Musgrave, ‘26 also climbed over Thomason’s record at Sectionals, ending the season on a 20:11.20 run.
“This year we have worked very hard as a team and made it to Sectionals. We all get along great. One thing I think that we could work on though is having a little more confidence in our ability, but in the end, we pull through and have each other’s backs and we are very proud,” said Bailee Pigg, ‘25.
This season was very successful for women’s tennis at MV. The Lady Rams ended their season with a 10-3 record, sending two players to state. Maria Ibba, ‘25, and Brylie Brands, ‘24 got the pleasure of competing at the state level, winning three of their four matches and placing in the top 25 of Illinois for the sport.
Ram’s football saw another successful season under head coach Dan Mings and the rest of the coaching staff’s helm. This year saw the Rams go 6-4, losing their first playoff matchup against the Highland Bulldogs in the process. They started hot with a 55-41 win against Waterloo, but quarterback Payton McMillen went down with an ankle injury midway through a conference matchup against the Carbondale Terriers and the Rams looked a little lost up until week four. The Rams would only suffer one loss after the Marion game, bringing them to the playoffs for the second straight year.
“I feel this season has gone very well. We started slow defensively, but we were able to gather our feet and become a destructive defense, which I see as key to having a successful team. Offensively, this has been one of the greatest ones in the school’s history, breaking many records along the way. A key piece in those record-breaking statistics has been our offensive line,” described Jhymear Smith-Henson, ‘24.
We at the Vernois News Sports Department are thankful to have such a great season of sports here at MV, and we wish all these teams, coaches, and future seasons for other programs good luck.
