Sports News - Sept 16th - 21st
Girl Golfers Place Sixth at O’Neill
by Kelsi Svendsen
Finishing in 6th place, the girls golf team took the green at the O’Neill Invite on Monday, September 16. The team’s total score was 468.
Despite cold weather conditions, the team pushed through and competed well. Breanna Attema got 10th place individually with the low score of 107. Kristen Albrecht took the score of a 116 on the course. Kim Carlson shot a 122 at the meet. Bailey Tinker shot her personal best at this meet, which was a 123. She said, “Shooting my personal best is a great feeling because that means I improved, and it makes me want to keep improving.”
The team’s next meet is a triangular at Wayne on Thursday, September 19.
JH Volleyball Plays Wayne
by Austin Sporleder
Pierce’s junior high volleyball teams played their first games of the season and took on Wayne on September 16, at home. Neither the seventh- or eighth-grade team was able to pull out the win.
First the seventh grade volleyball team took the court and played four sets. They got beat in the first set 15 to 25. In the second, the Lady Jays lost 21 to 25 despite strong serving. Then in the third set Pierce dropped off a little and lost 19 to 25, but in the fourth set, Pierce won 26 to 24. Leading servers for the Lady Jays were Rose Grahm and Brianna Aguilera, each with five aces.
Next the eighth grade volleyball team played and won one out of four sets. The Lady Jays won their first set 25 to 21, but then in the second set they got dominated 4 to 25. In the third set, the Lady Jays fell again 11 to 25. The fourth set was close, but the Lady Jays fell short, losing 19 to 25.
The junior high’s next games are Thursday, September 19, against Battle Creek at home.
JV Football Falls to Hartington CC
by Kody Henderson
Junior varsity Jays traveled to Hartington to play the Trojans on Monday, September 17. The Bluejays lost 14 to 44.
The Bluejays received the opening kick and got into good field position. The Jays took advantage and scored on a long touchdown pass from Noah Fisher to Drew Fasse. The Jays were going to kick the field goal, but there was a bad snap so they didn’t have time to kick it. The Jays couldn’t complete the pass for the two-point conversion, but they did have an early 6 to 0 lead. The Trojans answered back with a touchdown of their own and a successful two-point conversion, bringing the score to 6 to 8, Trojans. The Jays had to punt on their next drive, which led to another touchdown and a failed two-point conversion by the Trojans, leaving the Jays behind 6 to 14 at the half.
The Trojans received the ball at the start of the second half. The Trojans scored and were successful on their two-point conversion. The score was 6 to 22 with the Trojans on top. The Jays had to punt on their opening drive of the second half, and the Trojans were on the move again. The Trojans scored again but failed the two-point conversion, and the score was 6 to 28 with the Trojans in the lead. The Jays had to punt again on their next drive, and the Trojans were in control. The Trojans scored again and were successful on the two-point conversion, bringing the score to 6 to 36. The Jays answered back with a touchdown of their own with a rushing touchdown from Fisher. The Jays went for two and were successful, so the score was 14 to 36 with the Trojans in the lead. The Jays turned it over on downs in their next drive, and the Trojans scored once again and were successful on the two-point conversion, bringing the final score of the game to 14 to 44.
The JV team’s next game is at Crofton Monday, September 30.
Lady Jays Defeat Battle Creek
by Emily Bjorklund
In an exciting and heated match, the Pierce Lady Jays defeated Battle Creek on the Pierce home court Tuesday, September 17. The match lasted four sets.
The first set didn’t fall in the Lady Jays’ favor as the rest did, and Battle Creek won 24 to 26. The score was close throughout the whole set, and possession switched often. The Jays played well, but they came up just short for that set.
The second set, however, saw Pierce win 25 to 20. The third set was also won by the Lady Jays, ending 25 to 18. During both sets, Battle Creek had trouble keeping a serving run going as long as Pierce.
The fourth and final set went to the Lady Jays by a score of 25 to 23. The Lady Jays began the set with a huge deficit, losing 1 to 8. The team then rallied to come back, but got behind significantly again near the end of the set 18 to 23. The Lady Jays dug deep, however, and managed to pull out the win due to a streak of seven serves in a row from Shelby Bretschneider.
The leader in kills was Shalene Richart with 15. Olivia Steffensen led in digs with 28 digs total. Shelby Bretschneider had the most aces with five and the most blocks with eight.
The Lady Jays’ next game was in Crofton against the Lady Warriors on Thursday, September 19.
Wayne Invite Varsity Cross Country Meet
by Matt Bruce
Pierce varsity cross country took the starting line at the Wayne invite on Tuesday, September 17.
The girls team earned score of 74 points, which put them in fourth place in the team scores. Shannah Unseld finished in 6th place with a time of 22:31; Samantha Acklie came in 27th place with a time of 26:15; Elaina Tucker finished 28th in 26:16; Rachel Tweedy finished 36th with a time of 30:28.
The male runners, who compete individually, did very well in the meet. Myles Sudbeck finished in 1st place with a time of 18:09; Aydan Ronspies finished 5th place with a time of 19:09; Dylan DeGroff finished 23rd with a time of 22:27.
The cross country team will run again at O’Neill on Friday, September 20.
Freshman Volleyball Victorious
by Kelsi Svendsen
Freshman volleyball players served up a win against Battle Creek on Tuesday, September 17. The Lady Jays won in two sets.
In the first set, the score was close to begin, and possession often went back and forth. Shianna Oestreich then served twelve points in a row to pull ahead and give the Lady Jays the set 25 to 13. In the second set, it was another close score with a lot of side outs until the Lady Jays were able to go on two serving runs. Krystina Schuett served five points in a row, and Oestreich also served five points straight to give the Lady Jays the edge. They won the set 25 to 16.
The Lady Jays’ next game was Thursday, September 19, against Crofton.
JV Lady Jays Beat Braves
by Kelsi Svendsen
Besting the Battle Creek Braves in two sets, the junior varsity volleyball team defended their home court on Tuesday, September 17.
The first set was a heated battle, but the Lady Jays managed to come out on top 25 to 20. The second set started off close, but with two serving runs, one from Krystina Schuettt and the other from Shianna Oestreich, the Lady Jays found their momentum and came out on top 25 to 13.
The team’s next game was against Crofton on Thursday, September 19.
Lady Jays Defeat Battle Creek
by Emily Bjorklund
In an exciting and heated match, the Pierce Lady Jays defeated Battle Creek on the Pierce home court Tuesday, September 17. The match lasted four sets.
The first set didn’t fall in the Lady Jays’ favor as the rest did, and Battle Creek won 24 to 26. The score was close throughout the whole set, and possession switched often. The Jays played well, but they came up just short for that set.
The second set, however, saw Pierce win 25 to 20. The third set was also won by the Lady Jays, ending 25 to 18. During both sets, Battle Creek had trouble keeping a serving run going as long as Pierce.
The fourth and final set went to the Lady Jays by a score of 25 to 23. The Lady Jays began the set with a huge deficit, losing 1 to 8. The team then rallied to come back, but got behind significantly again near the end of the set 18 to 23. The Lady Jays dug deep, however, and managed to pull out the win due to a streak of seven serves in a row from Shelby Bretschneider.
The leader in kills was Shalene Richart with 15. Olivia Steffensen led in digs with 28 digs total. Shelby Bretschneider had the most aces with five and the most blocks with eight.
The Lady Jays’ next game was in Crofton against the Lady Warriors on Thursday, September 19.
Lady Jays Go One and One at Wayne Triangular
by Austin Sporleder
Taking the diamond in a triangular in Wayne, the Pierce Lady Jays played on Tuesday, September 17. The Lady Jays beat Boone Central but lost to Wayne.
First the Lady Jays played against Bonne Central and won 12 to 0. The first inning for the Lady Jays went very well. Jacy Bretschneider led off the game with a double and was followed by Maddie Jenkins with a single, enough to get Bretschneider in for a run. Then Synthia Schuett came up and hit home Jenkins to make the game 2 to 0, Lady Jays. As good as the Lady Jays’ offense was, so was their defense, which held the Cardinals scoreless in first inning. Then came the second inning, and Brianna Polt came up with a double, followed by Brandi Sporleder with a single. Hailey Race came up to bat and got a single and hit in Polt to put the Lady Jays ahead 3 to 0. Bretschneider then came up and hit a double to score Sporleder. A single from Jenkins then brought in Race, and another single from Ali Johnson brought Bretschneider home, as well. The singles continued with Schuett, who came up and hit a single to score Johnson home. Rachelle Tucker came up and hit a single to bring Schuett home. Hannah Higgins wrapped up the at-bats for the Lady Jays in this inning up by hitting a single, and by the end of the second, the Lady Jays had a commanding 10 to 0 lead. In the third inning, the Lady Jays scored two more runs to bring their score to 12. After holding the Cardinals to no runs yet again, the game ended due to the 12-run rule.
The Lady Jays then faced a very strong team in Wayne, who beat the Lady Jays 0 to 10.
The Lady Jays first inning didn’t go as planned as they didn’t score any runs, but Wayne came up a swinging and scored six runs to put them ahead 0 to 6. Then the second inning the Lady Jays went three up and three down, but Wayne came up and scored two more runs to put the game 0 to 8. The third inning came up, and the Lady Jays started something with a single from Haley Race, but they didn’t get any runs in. However, the Lady Jays held Wayne scoreless in this inning, as well. In the fourth inning, the Lady Jays again went three up and three down, and Wayne came up and scored two more runs to make the game 0 to 10. The game was then called due to the ten-run rule.
The Lady Jays’ next game was a triangular in O’Neill on Thursday, September 19.
JV Falls Short to Crofton
by Kelsi Svendsen
Pierce’s junior varsity volleyball team played in Crofton on Thursday, September 19. The Lady Jays lost in two closely played sets.
The first set was close most of the way, but Crofton pulled ahead at the end to take the set 20 to 25. In the second set, Crofton pulled ahead early by five points and kept the lead throughout the set. The Lady Jays attempted a comeback when Shianna Oestreich served up five in a row; however, it wasn’t enough to take the lead, and Crofton came out on top once again 22 to 25 to win the match.
The team’s next game was against Hartington Cedar Catholic on Tuesday, September 24.
Golfers Compete at Wayne
by Kelsi Svendsen
Pierce’s girls golf team competed at the Wayne triangular on Thursday, September 19. The team placed second with a low score of 214. The girls were close behind with Wayne shooting a 209, placing them at first. Hartington CC finishd the meet third.
The day started off cold, and it sprinkled a little throughout the day, yet the team pulled through to get second. Kim Carlson and Kelsi Svendsen both shot a 53 on the nine holes. Breanna Attema and Kristen Albrecht shot a 54 on the course. Bailey Tinker shot a 59 at this triangular. The team finished the triangular with a combined 214.
The team’s next meet was Saturday, September 21 at Plainview.
Softball Teams Fall to O’Neill
by Austin Sporleder
Pierce’s junior varsity and varsity softball teams travelled to O’Neill to take on the Lady Eagles on Thursday, September 19. Both Pierce teams were defeated.
The junior varsity team began the evening of play, and they got it going with a walk, which let Synthia Schuett on base. Schuett reached third base with stolen bases and got home with a hit from Hannah Higgins. O’Neill started their at-bats with three runs in the first inning to make the game 1 to 3, O’Neill. The second inning came up, and only Morgan Stone got on base with a walk before the Lady Eagles got three outs. O’Neill also went scoreless in the inning. The Lady Jays in the third inning went three up, three down, but they turned around to play strong defense, and O’Neill went three up, three down as well. In the fourth inning Kayla Reinke got on base with a single, but the Lady Jays didn’t capitalize on the chance to score a run, and O’Neill in the fourth inning got four runs on the board to make the game 1 to 7, and that would be the game because in the fifth inning, the Lady Jays went three up, three down to end the game.
Next up was the varsity team, who lost to the eagles 1 to 9. The first inning started off great for the Lady Jays with a run when Jacy Bretschneider got on base with a walk and got home when Ali Johnson hit her home, but then O’Neill came up and got a run to tie the game 1 to 1. The second inning, Briana Polt got on base with a single, but it didn’t hurt O’Neill because the Lady Jays’ next three batters got out. O’Neill was also unable to score in the second. The third inning came, and the Lady Jays only got a single from Ali Johnson, who did not cross home plate. O’Neill also went scoreless again. In the fourth inning, the Lady Jays went three up, three down, while O’Neill scored three runs in the inning to make the game 1 to 4, Lady Eagles. In the fifth inning, the Lady Jays got a single from Bretschneider to start off the inning on a strong note, but then it was a quick three outs and O’Neill came up and scored three more runs to make the game 1 to 7, O’Neill. The sixth inning came, and the Lady Jays went scoreless again, whereas the Lady Eagles got two runs in the inning to end the game 1 to 9 with O’Neill on top.
The Lady Jays’ next game will be played in Central City on Saturday, September 28.
Freshman VB Beats Crofton
by PHS Journalism
Taking on the Warriors of Crofton, the freshman volleyball team recorded a victory on Thursday, September 19, in Crofton. The Lady Jays won in three sets.
In the first set, the Lady Jays ended on top by a score of 25 to 19. Things turned around for the Lady Jays in the second set, and Crofton ended up with the victory 19 to 25. The final set, however, the Lady Jays beat the Warriors 15 to 9, giving them the match.
The freshman team played again on Tuesday, September 24, against Hartington Cedar Catholic, and they will take on Laurel at home on Tuesday, October 1.
JH Volleyball Plays at Battle Creek
by Matt Bruce
Pierce’s seventh and eighth grade volleyball girls played Battle Creek on Thursday, September 19. Both teams fell to the Bravettes.
In the seventh grade game, two sets were played. Pierce lost a very close first set by a score of 23 to 25. In the second set, another close matchup, Battle Creek kept the lead and won with a score of 20 to 25.
The eighth grade team played four sets and lost all four. Pierce lost the first set with a score of 16 to 25. The second set, Pierce fell back and Battle Creek pulled ahead to win 11 to 25. The third set, Battle Creek came out on top yet again 13 to 25. The final set, Pierce took a loss in a close set 20 to 25.
The next JH volleyball game was at Hartington Cedar Catholic on Monday, September 23, and they will play again on Thursday, September 26, in Norfolk.
Lady Jays Defeated by Crofton
by Emily Bjorklund
Lady Jays traveled to Crofton on Thursday, September 19, to take on the Warriors. After three sets of play, the Lady Jays were defeated.
In the first set, the Lady Jays couldn’t seem to gain any momentum, and the set ended 8 to 25 in favor of the Warriors.
During the second set, the Jays improved, and they scored better than the last set. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to pull out a victory in the set, and they still lost 17 to 25.
The third set ended similarly, 14 to 25, with the Warriors on top.
The leader in kills was Shalene Richart. Leading in blocks was Kierstyn Wragge with 6. Olivia Steffensen was the lead digger with 10 digs.
The Lady Jays’ next game was away and against Hartington Cedar Catholic on Tuesday, September 24, and they will play again in Wisner on Saturday, September 28.
JH Runs in O’Neill Meet
by Matt Bruce
Junior high runners on the cross country team ran in the O’Neill meet on Friday, September 20. The girls team placed sixth.
The girls team earned a team score of 89 points at the meet. Janae Arens finished in 14th place with a time of 6:48.91; Rachel Fenton finished 28th place in 7:26.26; Allie Vavra finished in 34th place with a time of 7:36.88; Elizabeth Harris came in 36th with a time of 7:44.10; Aleah Olson finished 37th with a time of 7:44.95; Ashley Holmberg finished 39th with a time of 7:47.67; Macie Timm finished 51st with a time of 8:53.15.
The cross country boys don’t qualify as a whole team, but individually, Tyler Unseld finished in 14th place with a time of 6:00.57, and Ian Fisher finished 30th with a time of 6:44.77.
The junior high runners’ next race is Tuesday, October 1, at Pierce.
JH Runs in O’Neill Meet
by Matt Bruce
Junior high runners on the cross country team ran in the O’Neill meet on Friday, September 20. The girls team placed sixth.
The girls team earned a team score of 89 points at the meet. Janae Arens finished in 14th place with a time of 6:48.91; Rachel Fenton finished 28th place in 7:26.26; Allie Vavra finished in 34th place with a time of 7:36.88; Elizabeth Harris came in 36th with a time of 7:44.10; Aleah Olson finished 37th with a time of 7:44.95; Ashley Holmberg finished 39th with a time of 7:47.67; Macie Timm finished 51st with a time of 8:53.15.
The cross country boys don’t qualify as a whole team, but individually, Tyler Unseld finished in 14th place with a time of 6:00.57, and Ian Fisher finished 30th with a time of 6:44.77.
The junior high runners’ next race is Tuesday, October 1, at Pierce.
Jays Shut Out Logan View
by Kody Henderson
The Bluejays traveled to Logan View and beat the Raiders handily on the gridiron Friday, September 20, with a score of 34 to 0.
The Raiders received the ball to begin the game but had to punt. The Jays went to work on their opening drive and scored a touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Lane Rohrich to Braden Taylor. Johnnie Huff hit the extra point, and the Jays had an early 7 to 0 lead. The Jays shut down the Raiders’ offense as they went scoreless the entire game. The Jays scored another touchdown before halftime on a seven-yard run coming from Collin Freeman. Huff made the extra point, and the Jays were on top 14 to 0.
The Jays received the ball in the second half and scored on the opening drive by the way of a 24-yard run by Freeman. The Raiders had to punt on their first possession of the half. The Jays scored again on another touchdown run from Freeman. Huff made the extra point, and the Jays were up 21 to 0 early in the third. The Jays scored once again on another Freeman touchdown run. Huff made the point after, and the Jays were up 28 to 0 at the end of the third. The Raiders still couldn’t get anything going in the fourth, as they went scoreless. The Jays scored one more time in the fourth quarter on a 36-yard run from Freeman. Huff missed the extra point, and the final score was 34 to 0 the Jays won.
The leading rusher was Freeman with fifteen carries for 158 yards and four touchdowns. The leading passer was Rohrich with six completions for 101 yard and one touchdown. The leading tackler for Pierce was Charlie Krueger with five individual tackles and five assisted tackles.
The Jays travel to Columbus Scouts for their next game, which is Friday, October 4.
O’Neill Cross Country Meet
by Matt Bruce
Pierce varsity cross country teams ran in the O’Neill meet on Friday, September 20.
The girls’ team ran in a 5K race and earned a score of 97 points. This put them in sixth place in the team scores. Shannah Unseld finished in 9th place with a time of 22:13.15; Samantha Acklie came in 31st place with a time of 25:17.51; Elaina Tucker finished 32nd in 25:25.83; Rachel Tweedy finished 49th with a time of 29:38.71.
The male runners, who now have enough runners to qualify to compete as a team, got 5th place with a team score of 75 points. Myles Sudbeck finished in 6th place with a time of 17:55.82; Aydan Ronspies finished 11th in 18:49.10; Theisen Ziehmer finished 20th place in 19:20:31; Dylan DeGroff finished 44th with a time of 22:07.25.
The cross country team will run again at UNK on Monday, September 30.
Lady Jay Golfers Soar at Plainview
by Kelsi Svendsen
Finishing in first place, the PHS girls golf team were champions at the Plainview Invite on Saturday, September 21. The team placed first, beating the second place team West Holt by thirty strokes. The team finished the meet with the low score of 392. The golfers also broke the school record from 2009, which was a 406, for the lowest 18-hole score.
During the beginning of this meet, the day was a little chilly, but that didn’t stop the team from giving a strong performance. Each of the team members placed at this meet. Breanna Attema placed first with the low score of 89.
Attema said, “It feels great knowing that all of our work and my work pays off.”
With the score of a 95, Kristen Albrecht placed fourth. Kelsi Svendsen shot a 104, which got her ninth place. Kim Carlson placed tenth with the score of 104. Bailey Tinker shot a 114, and she placed 15th.
The team traveled to Battle Creek on Monday, September 23, to play nine holes, and they will compete next at Wayne on Thursday, September 26.
Freshmen Volleyball Plays Tourney
by Matt Bruce
Freshmen Lady Jays had a volleyball tournament in Norfolk on Saturday, September 21. The team went two and one for the day.
Pierce Lady Jays won their first game in the tournament against Norfolk. The Lady Jays dominated in the first set, winning 25 to 6. The second set, Pierce wasn’t done; they took another major win in the second set with a score of 25 to 8.
Pierce faced Grand Island in their second game. The Lady Jays lost in two close sets. In the first set, Grand Island pulled ahead significantly in the middle of the set, but the Lady Jays kept fighting to the end. Still, they fell just short, losing the set 25 to 27. The second set, Grand Island stayed up to win, and the final score was 17 to 25.
Pierce’s final game of the tournament was against Hartington CC, and the Lady Jays won in three sets. Pierce took a hit in the first set with a score of 18 to 25. In the second set, Pierce came back and defeated Hartington CC 25 to 19. In the third set, the Lady Jays fought hard for the win. They pulled ahead when Emily Simmons served nine points in a row and kept the lead to win 25 to 21.
The freshmen Lady Jays will have their next game at Hartington CC Tuesday, September 24.
