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.
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.
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