updated June 10, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
As residents of Star Valley can attest, the summer months are fleeting and weather can be uncooperative. Despite this limited number of days, work has commenced in earnest at SVHS where something special is the goal for those involved.
That goal is when the athletes and students of Star Valley High School attend the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, that a fabulous new facility will be at their disposal.
The current location of the football field is now undergoing the initial phases of what will result in a new artificial field turf that will house the Braves as well as the Braves and Lady Braves soccer teams. In addition to the field itself, a track & field area like none that SVHS has ever seen will also be constructed, including an eight-lane track and a state-of-the-art timing system.
Be sure to click below for an update on the project with SVHS Activities Director Jamie Holyoak who had his sleeves rolled up and was aiding in the process before taking a break to speak with the Independent.
Also, look for an update on the progress of the project every Tuesday right here at starvalleyindependent.com.
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updated June 2, 2008 by Mrs. Shannon Harris in Principal's Note
It’s hard to believe that the 07-08 school year is gone. Graduation was held on Thursday, May 22nd in the auditorium with nearly 150 graduates receiving their diplomas. We commend them for all of their hard work and wish them well as they begin their many various adventures and opportunities. Good luck to all of you and thanks for the memories.
With the beginning of summer we move right into summer school. We began today offering courses in math, science, English, health, driver’s education, physical education and history. Summer school will run from 8:00a.m.-12:30p.m. Monday through Thursday through June 26th. There are a couple of deviations to the schedule due to staff training so please contact the high school for more specific information.
We encourage students who had failing grades, or grades below the 70% proficiency rate to attend summer school in order to recover those credits and keep them on-track for a timely graduation. For more information contact the counseling office at 885-4020, or the main office at 885-7847.For those of you not in summer school, enjoy your summer and we’ll see you next fall.
For those of you who like to plan ahead here are some dates you may want to make note of. Registration will begin at 8:00a.m. on August 18th for new students, August 19th for seniors, August 20th for juniors, August 21st for sophomores, and August 22nd for freshmen. We wil also have our community and family icecream social on Friday, August 22nd from 6:00-8:30p.m. The icecream social will be followed by a parking lot dance for all SVHS students from 8:30-11:30. Have a safe, fun summer and we’ll see you in August! 
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updated May 30, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
While most folks will never walk across the Cowboy State in real life, the Walk Across Wyoming program give them a chance to do so virtually and get a head start on what could be a new idea to jump start their exercise routine.
With a program designed to engage the citizens of Wyoming in a more active and healthy lifestyle, the annual Walk Across Wyoming contingent now enters their third year.
The organizers are making a concerted effort to encourage participation from not just individuals but businesses and organizations as well. Using an interactive program as part of the Casper Star Tribune, the organizers will take you on a virtual trip beginning at Devil’s Tower and stopping at 25 towns across the Cowboy State and finishing in Evanston.
This eight-week program affords participants the chance to walk up to 250 miles or roughly 500,000 steps. Weekly prizes and a Grand Prize will be awarded based on individual steps.
Those interested in signing up can turn their web browser towards www.trib.com/walk to register and get warmed up for the program which will take place from June 8 through July 31. Registration is currently taking place. In order to qualify for prizes, individuals must complete at least 70 percent of the overall distance.
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updated May 23, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
The Braves football job, now filled by former Sky View (Smithfield, Utah) coordinator Chris Howell, was the first varsity sports position to be visited, but it most certainly hasn’t been the last as L.C.S.D. No. 2 has announced that the interview process has been completed on head positions for boy’s basketball, track & field and golf.
The district has showed preference in the past to look internally at those employees in order to create more stability. It’s a mindset that is being put to the test as two more varsity coaching positions were coached this past school year by individuals who will not be in the employ of the district next year.
Namely, Bill Hopes, who helmed the SVHS Varsity Golf position for 20 of the program’s 21 years is retiring from the school district and Brandon Sanchez has tenured his resignation to the district from his teaching position for other employment opportunities. In light of those moves, the district has decided to make a few changes.
It was determined late Wednesday evening that the Golf position was offered to Kelly Fulmer who will become the third coach in the program’s history.
The Track position will also be filled internally by distance coach Ty Draney. The boy’s basketball position will be filled internally by Dr. Mark Taylor.
All three of these offers have been accepted but are still pending board approval at their next meeting, June 12.
Be sure read the May 29, edition of the Star Valley Independent for more details.
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updated May 21, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
On one hand, it doesn’t seem all that long ago that pads and helmets were being used and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils was in the air. On the other hand, try telling that to a high school senior. Here are a few moments caught in my mind from the sports year that was in 2007-08.
For the span of about two years the tide was rolling toward a classification change for Star Valley. It finally happened and now that the school year is coming to a close, I thought I’d recap some of my favorite moments in a year of change.
• Reversal of Fortune - an 0-3 start including a loss on the home field against Jackson had the Braves reeling as they made the trip to Cody to face the Park County Broncs. A mistake-laden first half and four-improbable missed extra points by the home team saw the Broncs lead 24-7 to begin the fourth quarter. The Braves woke up that day, rushing for over 200 yards in the second half and coming away with a thrilling 31-30 game that ended by snuffing out a two-point attempt by Cody. Although the Braves had several close contests, this reversal of fortune will likely stick in my mind as the reminder of the year.
• Ticket for Casper - The Lady Braves volleyball team was coming off five straight appearances in the 3A title game, with four championships when the season began. It didn’t take long for the doubter to concede that Star Valley’s chances for a trip to the state tournament were slim. However, with a group of raw sophomores and a mix of crafty veterans, the Lady Braves shocked both Rock Springs and Green River at the Regional tournament held at Kelly Walsh. The performance kept alive a streak of seven straight state appearances in the sport’s culminating event.
• The Makeshift Student Sections - So far as the win column was concerned, the Braves didn’t have a stellar season on the hardwood, but one of their wins will be a positive reminder of the season for me. Having lost a heart-breaker to Riverton the evening before, the Braves faced the Sheridan Broncs in the final hours of the Riverton Invitational. Despite threatening to run away with the game at several points, the Braves found themselves fighting for every point they could find as the Broncs, buoyed by their girls’ team and others, refused to go away. The Star Valley crowd reciprocated in kind and the two sections battled it out as their two teams fought to the very end, a 68-65 Star Valley victory. I’ve never seen two enthusiastic groups spontaneously appear on a neutral court for two struggling teams, and I may never see one again. But it certainly was memorable.
• The Burning Cross - No, not that kind. The Braves, fresh off the tragedy involving the Dana family, hosted the 4A West Regional wrestling tournament and needless to say, emotions were high. The Braves remained in control the entire time and pulled out a big team victory over rival Natrona overall. The capper was the heavyweight match in which Lynk Nield performed a technique usually not attributed to the style of heavyweight wrestlers as I sat calling the match with SVHS wresting legend, Richard Hoopes. The Burning Cross, which gave Nield the Regional crown and topped off a feel-good weekend for a community that desperately needed one, will always be remembered in my mind.
• The Hat Trick - For the considerable number of Star Valley seniors who play on the boys soccer team, success has been a measured response. In four years, they’ve had three head coaches, and just a handful of wins. Through those hard times however, they were able to find positives and it came to a head as the Braves hosted Evanston down the stretch of their second straight winless season to that point. The soccer gods were wearing their Crimson and Gold that day as the Braves dismantled the Devils, including a hat trick, or a three goal game, by Jon Scherbel, the first in school history. Despite the mounting losses and little interest, the soccer seniors finished their season with effort and grit and the Hat Trick game will signify this for yours truly.
• Ricks’ Kicks - The Braves and Lady Braves made their way to the 4A West Regional track meet at Natrona County High School, and while injuries, weather and apathy took an effect on the team’s numbers for this season, there were a lot of impressive standout performances from Star Valley athletes. Two in particular took place at this meet in the 3200 Meter and 1600 Meter events as Trevor Ricks battled with the crowd and a select few individuals and won both of these events with a final “kick” in the race’s last 100 meters, a new addition to Ricks’ considerable running skills. The 3200 Meter in particular will stand out to me as, despite running nearly two miles in ten minutes, Ricks pulled away from his nearest competitor with yardage to spare. Ricks’ uncommon work ethic and commitment to his craft is indicative of the Track team and is what I’ll remember most.
• The Catch - I know NFL fans will remember this phrase as Joe Montana to Dwight Clark, but for me, it will be Jordan Abrams to Tim Hokanson in a cold wet contest on the home field with Powell. Trailing late, Abrams was pressured and heaved the ball into the air where Hokanson was double covered by two taller defenders. Despite the odds, he came down with the ball in the rain, and then Abrams knocked through a 41-yard field goal in horrible conditions to force overtime where the Braves eventually won, 20-13. For over 20 years, Dan Dockstader has captured Star Valley on film, and he took the picture of Hokanson straining to catch this particular ball. I’ve looked at it nearly 50 times since that game in early October, and do you know what? I still don’t know how he got that ball. Definitely a memorable play in a very memorable game.
So, there are a few of my memories of this last sports school year, what are yours? Please use the comment section to fill in those that I may have missed.
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updated May 15, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
Dozens of athletes from Star Valley are in action today in both Casper and Laramie as the culminating state events for both soccer and track & field are underway.
The Lady Braves had a rude awakening this morning as they played a 9 a.m. match with Cheyenne Central, losing in a one-sided affair, 7-0. The Lady Braves don’t exactly get a break despite moving to the consolation bracket, as Cheyenne East’s upset of Kelly Walsh has sent the Trojans down to face Star Valley. Kelly Walsh defeated the Lady Braves 2-0 in the 4A West semi-finals last weekend. The match is scheduled for 9 a.m. again Friday morning.
In Casper, the weather is considerably more pleasant than it was a week ago when the team competed at regionals. At this point in the day, nearly all of the updates involve the Braves. Trevor Ricks, who won both the 3200 and 1600 meter events a week ago, ran his fastest time of the year to place second in a time of 9:46, just five seconds short of the school record set by Holbrook Call in 1995. Dominick Robinson of Gillette won the event with a time of 9:31. It bears noting that Ricks’ time in Star Valley’s first year of 4A competition, was a full 25 seconds faster than the winning time in Class 3A. In fact, six runners in the 4A field broke the ten minute barrier.
At the High Jump PIt, regional champion, Tyler “Skinny” Skinner had a few near misses, placing fifth with a jump of 6′ 4″. Team mate Mitch Schwab placed second with a leap of 6′ 5″ for an impressive finish for the Braves in the event.
Thursday Evening -
Danette Warren threw 36′ 6″ in the Shot Put, but missed out on the top eight by several inches. Warren will graduate having set the school record a year ago at 37′ 3.5″. Junior Madison Wilkes threw her best distance of the season, hitting 35′.
In the Long Jump, Audrey West leaped 16′ 11.25″, good enough for fourth place and the total points scored by the Lady Braves on day one. Star Valley is currently in eighth place with those five points, while Rock Springs and Cheyenne Central are tied for first with 32 points.
Senior Chad McKen earned a trip to the finals in the 110 Meter Hurdles with a time of 16.36, while sophomore Brandon Taylor barely missed the cut with a time of 16.79
The Braves currently sit in third place with 21 team points. Gillette is leading the pack with 34 points while Central is right behind with 32 points.
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updated May 11, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
The weather was cold, the competition stiff and the locales far away. But that still didn’t stop several new athletic happenings from taking place for the Crimson and Gold.
The weekend began on the soccer pitch, where despite more losses than wins overall, both the Braves and Lady Braves felt they had favorable conditions heading into the post-season. The Braves, fresh off a thrilling 2-1 overtime loss to Rock Springs, thought momentum was on their side as the two met up again just six days later. This time, the Tigers were ready and able. Rock Springs earned a state birth and regained momentum in a 6-1 drubbing of the Braves. Rock Springs eventually fell in the title match with Kelly Walsh, 2-1.
With a slightly higher number five seed, the Lady Braves met up with the Green River Lady Wolves with a chance to earn their first ever state tournament birth in this their fourth season of soccer, all under Head Coach Allison Hicks. Much like their most recent meeting, it was a physical, low-scoring affair, but this time it was Star Valley punching their ticket to Laramie and prevailing with the 1-0 win. In a bit of numerical favor, Star Valley was one of three number five seeds to advance to the state tournament of the four regional tournaments in the 4A Class.
Despite dropping a hard-fought contest to top-ranked Kelly Walsh in the semi-finals, 2-0, the Lady Braves capped off a very memorable weekend by dispatching Rock Springs for the second time in two weeks in a shoot-out. The pair of wins not only were the first for the program, but also netted Star Valley the third place trophy coming out of the regional tournament. The performance now earns Star Valley the right to face the Cheyenne Central team as the number two seed coming out of the East regionals. The Independentwishes to congratulate the Lady Braves on this achivement and wish them the best of luck at their first ever state tournament.
As for the Track & Field team, the Braves managed a third place finish as a team, scoring 95 team points and claiming a trio of Regional champions from the 4A West Meet held on the campus of Natrona High School. Standout senior Trevor Ricks won both the 1600 and 3200 Meter events in impressive fashion, pulling away from his nearest competitiors in both events for the set of titles. Ricks won both of these events at the state level a year ago at the 3A classification. In addition to Ricks, junior Tyler “Skinny” Skinner cleared 6′ 5″ and won in a jump off for the High Jump title. The home team Mustangs won the team title with 218.5 points, far outdistancing their cross-town rivals Kelly Walsh who finished with 116.5. The Rock Springs Tigers finished behind the Braves with 86.5 points.
The girls squad, despite taking a total of just 15 athletes still scored 56 points in a sixth place finish. Evanston took the title with 151 points, nipping Natrona who finished with 148.5. Sophomores Audrey West and Kirsten McKen both qualified for state action next week in four events, while West broke her own school record in the 400 Meter event Finals with a time of 59.15, besting her mark of 59.47 from two weeks ago.
State Track will take place in Casper at Kelly Walsh High School.
Be sure to check back on this page for photos and video of Regional Track.
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updated May 9, 2008 by bkovach in Uncategorized
You can download these videos for your iPod. Or just watch them.
Skits
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updated May 8, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
A large pile of resumes was whittled down by SVHS Activities Director and the hiring committee to determine Star Valley’s next head football coach.
Added urgency comes in the wake of the vacancy of the head basketball job as well, a fact well understood by Holyoak. That being said, the committee worked through nearly 60 applicants into eight interviews and they believe they’ve found their man.
That man’s name is Chris Howell and he has served as the defensive coordinator at Sky View High School for the past several years. He was approved by the school board of L.C.S.D. No. 2 Wednesday evening in their meeting.
Howell has also served in the same capacity at Logan High School from 1992-1997.
At Sky View, he has been involved in football, basketball and baseball where he was the head coach on the diamond. He comes to Star Valley with a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis on strength and conditioning. Howell has developed a regimen for strength training at both Logan and Sky View High Schools and has performed on the summer football staffs of BYU, the University of Washington and Boise State University.
For Howell, he will be exchanging one SVHS for another, this time in Crimson and Gold.
According to Holyoak, it’s Howell’s experience, his vigor, his enthusiasm and his organization that impressed the interview committee.
“The committee feels that within the pool of applicants that we’ve found who they wanted,” stated Holyoak. “This is a young applicant compared to some of the others that we saw, but the guy that we’re going with is young, enthusiastic and he wants this job. He wants to be in Star Valley and we could tell. He has done an exceptional job with his organization and we’re excited to have him.”
The Bobcats have gone an impressive 21-4 over the last two seasons, averaging over 33 points per game in that span.
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updated May 7, 2008 by the Star Valley Independent in Sports
The three sports programs that compete at this time of year will all be in action in various parts of the Cowboy State Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
I’ve got quite a few thoughts as the athletes head out on those beautiful yellow buses with green seats. Who came up with that combo by the way? Here are some things to watch for as the Braves and Lady Braves take on their respective opponents.
- The Girl’s Soccer team collected their first shutout since 2006 with their 2-0 win over Rock Springs last weekend. The program actually collected three shutouts that year, their first as a varsity squad. This team is a wonderful blend of seniors who have played for four years, (although there could be a few more) and young, fast, enthusiastic underclassmen. In fact, this team will look very similar next season and that bodes well for the future. Becca Sangster, the keeper, is a question mark right now due to a shoulder injury. Hopefully she can play, but if not, the defense has shown they’re up to the task of limiting good shot attempts. The ladies are aggressive, tough and despite a couple of wins, are using the underdog status to it’s limit. A birth in the state tournament would be an ideal next step for a program on the rise. Don’t be at all surprised if the Lady Braves kick their way to the next round.
- The match between the Braves and the Rock Springs Tigers was the best match I’ve seen the program play. Period. The guys are having fun and are genuinely disappointed to come up short. They’re ready to take that next step, and it’s the same team that will be standing in their way. The goal scored by Jon Scherbel on a full-speed header from Igor Dugat was stunning. If you feel that soccer can’t entertain, or will fail to do so, you’ve missed out this season. Sure it’s been cold, and some programs are just awesome (Kelly Walsh springs to mind) but this has been a very gutsy team this season. The Tigers will be at full strength and won’t be overlooking Star Valley this time. The big wild card for the Braves will be their ability to capitalize on good opportunities. No fewer than four shots had a great chance of going in in Afton that didn’t. Thus the loss. If Star Valley can convert those same opportunities into goals, they will be moving on. Defensively, the Braves have really stepped it up, and they’ll have their hands full with an incredibly quick Tiger squad. If you’ve got some time, this one should be very entertaining.
- So, the Independent had a few records that might be in danger of being broken this week or next week for the Track program. I wanted to expound a bit on a few of them after talking with Coach Brandon Sanchez. The girl’s 800 Meter record is the most intriguing to me. I had a very interesting conversation with sophomore Kirsten McKen, and I hope she won’t be embarrassed that I share it. In the Rock Springs Invite, my results of this event were wrong, but I didn’t know that as of yet. I mentioned to her that was only six seconds off the record which is 2:21. Her time from the Tiger Invite came back as a 2:27. She only laughed and said that the numbers were wrong and that she had run a 2:37, still good enough for the event title. She added: ” I wish I could run a 2:27″. There was not a hint of guile in her voice. Well, you know what they say about wishing, but McKen has put in the work. In a discussion with Sanchez and Coach Ty Draney who handles Cross-Country duties with McKen, they estimate she’s run over 1,200 miles this year and has been fortunate that her body has handled well. The result? McKen ran a 2:26 at the BYU Invitational just a few weeks later. I’m not going to pretend I ran the 800 Meter in high school, heck I was a thrower, and not a very good one. But even I know that cutting nearly 12 seconds on any event in that amount of time is amazing.
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Another discussion centered on Kevin Brough who became the first Wyoming boy to break the 50 second barrier this season. Sanchez, a former 400 runner himself, states that cutting off another six tenths is very difficult, but something he’s confident Brough will accomplish either this year or next. Hopefully conditions will be good in Casper like they were in Provo. If so who knows what will happen.
- One more track thing that involves the jumpers - Mitch Schwab and Tyler Skinner finished 1 and 4 in their respective leaps at the Track Classic. Skinner jumped even higher last week in Jackson, easily outdistancing the field with a jump of 6′ 4″ that he didn’t even come close to touching. What does this mean? The High Jumpers from Star Valley could very well go 1-2 in Casper. Both of these guys can clear 6′ 6″ and I hope for clear minds and performances over the weekend.
Well, who did I miss? Be sure to check out the May 8, 2008 edition of the Independent for more records poised to fall and also check back over the weekend for updates from the 4A West Regional Meet in Casper. Use the comment section and good luck everyone!
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