Katie Allin – Page 2 – SLHS Athletics

JV Volleyball Collecting Wins

By Shelby Jones

On September 12th, the JV team attended the annual Carmichael Invitational Volleyball Tournament hosted in Sacramento, CA, which features freshman teams across California and Nevada.

The Falcons played their first game at 9 am against St. Mary’s from Stockton, CA. St. Mary’s had some seriously talented and disciplined girls. Sierra Lutheran lost that set 0-2 with the scores of 21-25 and 19-25. Next, they played the San Marin Mustangs from Novato, CA at 10 am. Again, Sierra lost a close set, 20-25 and 14-25.

As they played more, they managed a win from their next competitior, River City from West Sacramento. They won 2-0, thus ending the pool play.

After lunch, the team faced their first opponent in single-elimination tournament play. They played Lodi High School first, beating them 2-1 with close scores, losing the first game 22-25, but then turning the tables and winning 25-22 and finally, 15-12.

As they wound down into the afternoon, many of the girls in the matches were overheated, as there was no air-conditioning where the tournament was held. But the Falcon’s kept up their spirit, and won both sets 25-9 and 25-14 against Bella Vista (Fair Oaks, CA).

The Falcons finished the tournament as Consolation Champions.

The Sierra Lutheran Falcons JV volleyball team won Tuesday's home conference match against Smith Valley by a score of 2-0.

SLHS Alumni is Named an NCAA & NJCAA National Athlete of the Week

By Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA

Text and Photos Courtesy of USTFCCCA.org

National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to six collegiate cross country athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions).

Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs.

The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Nathanael Williams, Colorado Mines

Junior | Carson City, Nevada

For the second weekend in a row, the men’s NCAA DII National Athlete of the Week is a Mr. Williams from an RMAC school in the state of Colorado. Nope, it’s not reigning winner Derrick Williams of CSU-Pueblo (though he does have a role to play in this story), but rather Nathanael Williams of Colorado Mines.

Williams won the 8K race at Colorado College in 24:48, topping multiple-time All-American teammate Marty Andrie by six seconds and CSU-Pueblo’s Williams by a whopping 42 seconds. Behind Williams’ effort, the Colorado Mines men took the meet with 24 points.

Colorado Mines is next in action on October 3 when it splits its squad between the Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival and the Colorado Rocky Mountain Shootout.

Falcon’s XC Off to Stanford Invitational

Featured Photo: Emily McNeely at the Twilight Invitational; Left, start of Twilight Invitational; Middle, Emma Herron at Twilight Invitational; Right, Clare Davison at N. Tahoe

By Shelby Jones

The Falcon's Cross-Country Team is off to a tremendous start this season.

On Friday, September 4th, the Twilight Invitational was held at Shadow Mountain Park, the course distance 4000 meters. For the boys, junior Ricky Mcneely took 4th place with a time of 14:19. Running for Varsity, freshman Jared Marchegger ran a time of 14:26, placing 6th. Jared also took 1st place in the Douglas Class Race for Division 4 on August 28th. In the girls run, junior Elaina Marchegger placed 5th with a time of 17:28. She also placed 1st in the Douglas Class Race for Division 4 on August 28th. Taking 7th place, junior Clare Davidson came in with a time of 17:51. Finally, Senior Emma Herron placed 14th with a time of 18:51. In JV girls, Emily Mcneely took 14th place with a time of 19:02. Taylor Davison ran a time of 19:29 earning her 24th place.

Cross Country also ran at the North Tahoe Kiwanis Invitational on Friday, September 11th. For freshman girls running the 2.8 mile course, Emily Mcneely placed in top 20, a time of 24:54.56 earning her 15th place. For the 3.3 mile course, the Varsity girls did well. Junior Elaina Marchegger placed 7th with a time of 26:54.56. Also a junior, Claire Davidson finished 31st with a time of 28:43.12. Senior Emma Herron placed 32nd with a time of 28:49.72. For the boys’ Varsity, Ricky Mcneely, a junior, ran a time of 22:47.56, earning him 24th place. Freshman Jared Marchegger came in the place of 37th, the time being 23:26.25.

This weekend, on Saturday, September 26th, the teams will travel to Stanford University for the 42nd Annual Stanford Invitational.

Photo Credits: Feature, Left, Middle – Dick McNeely

New Athletic & P.E. Field Nearing Completion

The grass is getting greener at Sierra Lutheran High School. By the end of this month, a brand new P.E. and athletics field will be completed behind the school.

Pastor Juls Clausen, Executive Director of SLHS, says that "the need for a field is the result of the blessing of growth." Since the end of the 2012-2013 school year, enrollment at SLHS has increased by nearly 45%, growing from 87 students to 125. "With the increase in enrollment, there is a necessity to further develop our Physical Education program and add additional activities. The field enables our P.E. teachers to be much more diverse in their curriculum and enhance our students' class experiences."

SLHS Athletic Director Michael Nelson shared that the P.E. program is only one of many areas that will benefit. "Not only will the P.E. program be able to include outdoor activities, but our athletic teams – like football and track – will have a home field for practices. Our travel time will be cut back significantly."

Surrounded by panoramic views of the mountains, the field is truly in an ideal location. Sierra Lutheran High School is inviting the community to come see the field for themselves during a Free Family BBQ on Sunday, September 27th. The BBQ will last from 4:30-6pm, on a come-and-go basis. Families can enjoy free food, as well as view the field, classrooms, and programs of SLHS. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to sgoins@slhs.com for the food count.

Falcons Soar to Their First Win

“Sierra Lutheran Falcons Soar to First Football Victory”

By Shelby Jones

On Saturday, September 5th, the Falcons made history by winning their first football game. Playing against North Tahoe, Sierra Lutheran tripled their points of last season in this first game. During the first quarter of the non-conference game, it was tied 12-12, both touchdowns scored by junior Alex Westre. In the second quarter, the Falcons scored another touchdown, this time a receiving touchdown by junior Jake Cummings. In the third quarter, North Tahoe scored one touchdown and one conversion. By the fourth quarter, it was 18-20, Falcons down by two points. Sierra Lutheran made a run and junior Ryan Salerno scored the final touchdown, bringing the score to 24-20. With about 40 seconds left, the Falcons decided that quarterback kneels were the best strategy, running out the clock and winning their first official game in Sierra Lutheran football history.

Falcons head coach Jacob Schumacher said, “The game was very evenly matched. We are both very young and very inexperienced teams, so the game could have gone either way. It came down to whoever made the least amount of mistakes.” As the program begins its second year, Schumacher explained, “It is a testament to our heart and determination to turn the ball over five times and still come out on top. The kids played hard, and they came from behind to win the game. Now they know how much work it takes to become successful on the field.”
Stats: Quarterback Ryan Salerno led the team with 14 complete passes, earning 174 passing yards, 182 rushing yards, 3 fumbles, and a touchdown.
Jake Cummings had 58 passing yards, 1 punt earning 41 yards, and a receiving pass to a touchdown. ZachFerenz had 15 tackles. Cole Contreras had 3 interceptions, 66 receiving yards, and 1 fumble. Alex Westre had 2 touchdowns and 5 kickoffs, completing 135 yards.

Follow the rest of the Falcons’ season on Facebook (SLHSFalcons), Twitter (@SLHSFalcons), and Instagram (@SLHSFalcons), or their website, athletics.slhs.com.

Shelby Jones is a freshman at Sierra Lutheran High School. Photo Credits: Top photo – Shelby Jones; Bottom three photos – Ferenz Family.