WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Herders honored during first awards night

Zach Miners photos

Head Volleyball Coach Meghan Anderson recognizes All-Conference Volleyball winners Skylar Harford (from left), Alyssa Collier and Adelaide Williams during Glenrock High School’s first annual “Walk, Talk and Act Like a Champion” awards banquet May 19. Roughly 100 students were recognized in about a dozen categories.

By: 
Zach Miners@glenrock.com

The spirit and words of the American icon John Wayne were conjured on the evening of May 19 at Glenrock High School, as wisdom for the students in the room.

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean,” Activity Director and Assistant Principal James Downs said in his opening remarks to students and family gathered in the gymnasium.

“It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands,” he went on. “It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

Downs then added for emphasis (and perhaps clarity): “You’re here today because you’re able to work hard. Work harder. You will find success at anything in life as long as you’re able to work harder than those around you,” he said.

He may have been preaching to the choir.

Around 100 Glenrock students, from freshmen to seniors, and their family and friends, were seated in the gymnasium as Downs delivered his remarks, during the first annual “Walk, Talk and Act Like a Champion” awards banquet at GHS.

Following a pasta dinner in the commons area of the school, students were recognized in about two dozen awards categories, from sports to drama to speech and debate to music and business.

Cathy Holman, also known as “Prairie Wife” on Wyoming K2 Radio, lent a bit of star power to the proceedings, serving as the event’s Master of Ceremony.

“I say ‘Go Big Purple,’ you say ‘Go Big Purple!’” she said to the crowd from the podium, in an effort to fire them up.

But it was not long before the students took to the stage and enjoyed the limelight.

The awards kicked off in the sports category, as various coaches took to the stage to introduce the awards and the winners.

The coaches commended the students for overcoming numerous obstacles during the past year, whether they were due to the pandemic, the competition or other challenges.

“The season did not go as we hoped,” head football coach Ryan Collier said. “We had fewer wins than we thought we’d have. Each week was a different situation, like injuries . . . injuries . . .  or more injuries. But, the whole football team stepped up every weekend. Many of them played positions they’ve never played before. Through all these challenges, none of my young men gave up,” he said.

Meanwhile, due to the pandemic, “week by week we didn’t know where we would run,” head cross country coach Chris Gray said.

The cross country team faced limits on the number of athletes that could compete in each race, he explained, and often the school needed to create their own meets because they couldn’t travel to large schools.

The list of students and faculty receiving awards includes the following:

 

ALL-CONFERENCE FOOTBALL

Andrik Moreno

Dustin Simmons

Kade Guenther

Lane Raney

 

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL

Andrik Moreno

 

ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL

Alyssa Collier

Skylar Harford

Adelaide Williams

 

ALL-STATE VOLLEYBALL

Adelaide Williams

 

ALL-STATE CROSS COUNTRY

James Halvorsen

John Halvorsen

Anna Grant

Rana McCluer

 

ALL-CONFERENCE GIRLS BASKETBALL

Adelaide Williams

Abbigail Cerny

Anne-Marie Young

Skylar Harford

 

ALL-CONFERENCE BOYS BASKETBALL

Adam Bearfield

 

ALL-CONFERENCE WRESTLING

Talon Granaas

Dustin Simmons

Corden Phillips

Lane Raney

Andrik Moreno

 

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

Lane Raney

 

CULINARY TEAM

Max Coulter

Wyatt Tabor

Trysta Stoddard

Summer Schumacher

Sage Preston

 

ALL-STATE DRAMA

Emmeline Cotton

Savanna Mitchell

Esperanza Almonte

Sage Preston

 

ALL-STATE SPEECH & DEBATE

Sage Preston

McKenzie Wood

Skylar Pikkaart

Mallory Baker

Hannah Dority

Sage Preston

 

REGIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Khloie Halsey

Emmeline Cotton

James Huck

Logan Wolski

McKenzie Wood

Savanna Mitchell

Esperanza Almonte

 

ALL-STATE MUSIC

James Huck

 

STATE ART

Hope Rau

Jessica Potter

Sage Preston

Zach Coleman

Aiyana Jaime

Kyrie Tiensvold

 

B.I.O.N.I.C. CLUB

Josie Bruno

Adalee Sexson

 

FBLA

Bella Taylor

Trysta Stoddard

Bryant Svrko

Adrian Orozco

Will Pinkerton

Skylar Harford

Terrin Fauber

Jeffrey Winger

Josie Mares

 

STATE FCCLA

CJ Toner

Tyne Loyd

Sarah Winger

McKenzie Wood

 

POUND-FOR-POUND WEIGHT LIFTING

Adrian Orozco

Alyssa Collier

 

THE LETTERMANS’ CLUB

First Year 3-Sport Athletes:

Richard Black

Alex Cerny

Jacob Coziahr

Kira Hill

John Holman

Jordyn Survis

Mason O’Brien

Gavin Zeiger

Charlie Schowengerdt

Hunter McCullough

Ann-Marie Young

 

SECOND YEAR THREE-SPORT ATHLETES

Dusty Cox

Tyne Loyd

Makenzi Partridge

Sarah Winger

Logan Jones

Cody Piasecki

Lane Raney

 

THIRD YEAR THREE-SPORT ATHLETES

Skylar Harford

Paxton Piasecki

Emma Wieser

Adelaide Williams

Andrik Moreno

Abbigail Cerny

 

Fourth Year 3-Sport Athletes:

Alyssa Collier

Kade Guenther

 

JUNIOR HIGH WYOMING COACHES ASSOCIATION COACH OF THE YEAR

Nicole Williams

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Leeanna Horn

 

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Kade Guenther

 

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Sierra Galicia. 

 

HERDER OF THE YEAR

Alyssa Collier

 

WYOMING COACHES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

Ray Kumpula

 

•For more photos, see this week's issue of the Glenrock Independent.

Category:

Glenrock Independent

Physical Address:506 W. Birch, Glenrock, WY 82637 Mailing Address: PO Box 109, Douglas, WY 82633 Phone: (307) 436-2211

The Glenrock Independent is located in the Bronco Building

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday - 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Subscriber Login