The people in Lavaca get together twice a year and have a community yard sale. Each spring and fall, the people get that urge to unclutter their homes, garages, and barns. The problem is that everyone goes to other sales and buy treasures from other people. In all actuality, we just swap junk.
Fifteen families said they were going to have sales this past weekend but there were many more that were out, selling prize merchandise on their lawns and flagging us down with brightly colored signs on their street corners. One group put a scarecrow on the corner of El Paso and Main Street, inticing the shoppers with a sign saying, “Free Stuff.” Every trick was used to make us stop and browse. One large sale was sponsored by a local church with items donated by their congregation. The money raised will purchase “Shoe Box Gifts” for overseas missions. Hundreds of dollars were raised for their project!
Out of town shoppers visited local restaurants and spent some of their cash on lunches. One restaurant owner said that they had several new faces in over the two days of the sales.
Get ready for the spring sale! Save that change so you can buy new stuff. And Lavaca, start boxing up those things you don’t need anymore. You know, one man’s junk is another man’s future junk!
One fact about this football season is that the Mansfield Sr High Tigers have had zero shortage of fierce programs to compete against on their 2019 schedule. One such program is that of the Booneville Bearcats who the Tigers were tasked to host for Friday nights match-up. Although the Tigers ended falling to Booneville 48-27, the night still delivered plenty of excitement and success.
Will Meadows
One thing Mansfield should be extremely proud of is that they definitely made the Bearcats nervous and start to doubt the idea that the Tigers were going to be an easy win. In Booneville’s last three conference game victories against Paris, West Fork, and Greenland, their opponents only managed to rack up a combined 18 points between the three of them. So the mere fact that the Tigers slammed 27 points on the Bearcats says a lot about Mansfield.
Jaicy Griffin
Captains for Mansfield were Dustin Holland, Dru Buckner, and Noah Crane. The Tigers earned 529 all-purpose yards with 213 of those yards stemming from receptions and 102 yards from rushing. Quarterback Ethan Stovall nailed 15 passes for 213 yards and executed eight rushes for 27 yards and one Tiger touchdown that was earned in the fourth quarter. Layton Howard was uncatchable pulling in a 78-yard kickoff return for a Tiger TD. And the man of the hour was Tyler Holmes with his game starting interception and with a minute left before the half, his two, yes two, Tiger touchdowns. Holmes was perfectly placed each time for Stovall to get the ball to him and the beauty of it all was that the second TD was achieved with one second left on the clock in the second quarter sending the game into halftime with Booneville ontop 28-20.
Zach Lowe
Another crowd-cheering stand stomping moment for Tiger fans was when in the blink of an eye, Will Meadows forced a Bearcat fumble allowing teammate Bri Sanderson to recover it and hightail it downfield for a 12-yard sprint. Jaicy Griffin set the field ablaze with his 61-yard kickoff return while also kicking three successful PATs and Cameron “Makin’ em Hurt” Macon followed suit with a 75-yard kickoff return. The Tigers defense was steadfast all game trying to keep the Bearcats off of the offenses’ heels leaving no time for the line to rest. Helping to dole out steel blocks, solid tackles, and gutsy sacks were Meadows, Macon, Isaac Cothran, Randy Claude, Jacob Brown, and Zach Lowe.
Clay James
For now, the door has shut for the Tigers and the Bearcats to face each other again. In the 2020-2022 football season, Booneville along with Paris will be moving up to the 3A-4 division. Mansfield will stay put in their current division but will see the new conference faces of Hackett, Lavaca, and Lincoln. With three games left to play, the Tigers sit in the fifth seed out of eight teams in the 3A-1 conference standings with their 2-2 record. Mansfield is 5-2 in total season play. Up next for the Tigers will be an away game against the 3-1 Lamar Warriors on October 25 at 7 p.m.
Please continue with us on Megan’s journey as she struggles to stay alive. This is part two of a two-part series. In September, Megan opened up her heart on social media about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and we asked Megan if she would share with our Resident Press readers how she survived the darkest times of her life.
Story continued:
“I can’t recall exactly how many pills I took, but it was a lot. In that moment right after, I don’t remember calling my mom, but I know I did. I just remember the Holy Spirit stirring me to call my mom, and I know the power of the Holy Spirit helped me to make that call.
To this day, I get sick thinking about having to tell my mom what I did. This is where my memory starts to fade. I remember small pieces of what happened next. I remember my mom coming through the back door of the house and her crying as she saw me. I can recall the small parts of the car ride to the ER, the memories of all the tears that flowed, and my mom praying over me.
“This 19 year old girl was trying her best to appear happy. Truth is, this picture was taken mere months after I tried to take my own life. To outsiders, I was ok. Normal. Happy. Inside, I was screaming. I felt hopeless. This was a broken little girl.”
Once we arrived, they laid me on cold table, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the ICU. I can still hear the sounds of the beeping of the machines and hearing lots of people crying out to God on my behalf. Its as if life was going on without me, and I was watching a movie. It was by the grace of God, the doctors were able to get all the meds out of my system.
The next time I was fully awake, I was being told I would be transported to an inpatient treatment facility. I had to ride in an ambulance because they would not even let my parents drive me. I spent about 5 days in treatment. I was monitored 24 hours a day, and I could only call my parents one time a day. I had therapy twice a day, and I began medicine for further treatment. I was officially diagnosed with situational depression and an anxiety disorder. Leaving treatment, I was filled with a new hope. I had gotten help that was greatly needed.
The last 10 years have been full of growth and learning. I’m learning how to better maintain my anxiety and how to deal with my depression when it comes. I’ve learned and still learning how to fully depend on the Lord for strength to simply get out of bed. Without Jesus, I am not sure I would have made it through the last ten years. God is my hope and my strength. I have become thankful for my story and my struggles, because it has drawn me closer to Christ.
For people with depression and anxiety, there are good days and
there are bad days. It’s a constant battle. It doesn’t always end. Each day, I
wake up and give my battle to the Lord. It’s ongoing.
Mental health needs to be talked about more within families, at school, and in the church. We all need to take the shame away from mental health struggles. I have especially felt a calling to speak out about my story within the Christian community. With God’s blessings, I have met many people within the body of Christ who have prayed for me and encouraged me. However, I have met a few who have told me to keep my issues to myself and that I must not be a true Christian if I struggle with anxiety. There are many people who walk closely with Christ who struggle with mental health. There has been no talk of it within the church until the last few years when more pastors have begun taking their life. Mental illness is real. Depression is real. Anxiety is real. Real people deal with these issues. Real people who love Christ. As a church and as a society, we need to be more aware and to allow conversations to take place where these Christians battling suicidal thoughts aren’t feeling too ashamed to speak up. We all need hope and Jesus Christ is the ultimate hope.
To those struggling with any form of mental health: You are not
alone. You matter. You were made for a purpose. Don’t be afraid to ask for
help. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Seek out the help of a counselor.
To those who know someone who is struggling with mental health issues: listen and know that even if you don’t understand what they are feeling, it’s completely real to them. Do research on what warning signs to look for and pray for them. Go to counseling with them if possible to better understand what they are feeling and experiencing. Also, please understand that mental illness is an illness. You cannot just “get over it”. It can be a lifetime struggle.”
Megan’s struggle and openness of her story amazes me. So many times, we, as a society, want to put on a “face” to our peers that everything is ok. Then, when we get home and alone, we are faced with our darkest fears, our struggles, and depression. In these darkest times, the enemy comes in to attack and play mind games. It’s in these moments, we must seek out help. Don’t try to face it alone. Don’t try to cover it up. Someone can help you. Someone can love you. Someone can be there for you. The bible says, “Is anyone crying for help? God is listening.” (Psalms 34:17 MSG Bible) God loves you just where you are at. No matter what you are going through, God still loves you. You don’t have to come to God perfect, because it’s through Christ, we are made perfect. So, if you are struggling, I encourage you to seek out help today. Don’t go another day through the motions. Don’t go another day through life with no happiness. Don’t go another through life without laughter. Don’t go another day through life feeling lost and hopeless. Reach out for help. Today could be your life changing day. Today could be the first day of the rest of your life filled with happiness.
If you are someone you know is contemplating suicide, you can call The National Suicide Hotline 24 hours a day:
1-800-273-8255
Megan is now blessed with a beautiful life with her husband, Chans, and their beautiful daughter, Olivia. She is a teens Sunday School teacher where she has been able to share her experience with other teens to help them as some of them have battled with depression and anxiety. God has done some amazing things in Megan’s life! To God be the GLORY!
A dear friend of ours opened up on social media about her struggles through out the years with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide in September during Suicide Awareness Month. After reading her post that gripped my heart and many other readers, I asked her if she would be willing to share her story with our readers at Resident Press. She has graciously opened up her heart to take us through some moments in her life that were part of the most difficult times of her life. This is Part 1 of a two-part series of her life through the eyes of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.
“My very first memory of my anxiety and my depression was around age four. I had to go to a new daycare for a week, and I can vividly remember the fear I felt. In my four-year-old mind, I was not safe. Everyday that week, I got physically sick. At the time, I know my parents thought, “Oh she just doesn’t want to go to school.” Normal kid stuff. Looking back, I know the feelings that I were feeling were anxiety & depression.
As I got older, my depression and anxiety steadily got worse. I would go months with no episodes, but I remember I would have bouts of feeling completely alone, feeling worthless and like I was not enough. I would withdraw from family and friends.
During those days, I saw no hope. While it seemed my struggle with depression came and went, my battle with anxiety was an every second of everyday battle. If my mom was late home from work, I had thought of ten different scenarios of what may be happening to her. I would rarely spend the night at a friend’s house. I feared being in a situation I could not control. The thought of not being the perfect basketball player led to getting sick so often my doctor told me to quit playing.
Depression and anxiety were not terms that I knew growing up. No
one in my family really did. It was uncharted territory. I honestly felt that
what I was feeling was normal and that it would pass. Everyone’s thoughts were that I was a normal
emotional teenager, and it would go away. Then came the thoughts of, ‘If I’m
truly a Christian, I shouldn’t feel this way. I should be happy. And if I’m not
happy, what’s wrong with me?’
Things became really difficult the fall and spring after I graduated high school. Life was changing, and I was terrified. I made a lot of bad choices. I started experiencing panic attacks. Panic attacks can be different for each individual person, and for me, I had difficulty breathing, would begin shaking, loose feeling in my hands and feet, and sometimes even loose feeling in my facial muscles. The first panic attack landed me in the ER thinking I was having a stroke. Then as time passed, I was having full blown panic attacks every few weeks. People normally only have a few in their lifetime. After the panic attacks started, I really started to fall into a depression that lasted longer than normal.
I’m normally a pretty happy person. However, during those few months, I was a completely different person. I started skipping classes. I wasn’t eating. I dropped about 30 pounds in a few months. I would sleep from 9PM until noon the next day, wake up, and then go back to sleep a few hours later. For me, sleeping meant things didn’t hurt so bad. I would have small fits of rage where I would just cry and want to hit anything I could find. During these few months, the thoughts of suicide really started to come up.
One afternoon in April 2009, I tried to take my own life by overdose. It was a sunny day. I was in my kitchen. My mom was at work, and my dad was out of town. I was all alone. I cannot put into words the feeling I felt at that moment. I felt completely alone. I was not myself. I truly believed in that moment that everyone would be better off without me. So, I took as many of my anxiety pills as I could…”
The Charleston Tigers traveled down Highway 22 to play the Paris Eagles on Friday night. Charleston (3-4, 3-1), defeated the Eagles (2-5, 0-4) on a chilly night in Paris, 34-12. It was a game in which the final score did not indicate how well the Eagles played. Charleston was able to capitalize on Paris turnovers and impose its will with its running attack in the second half to win its third conference game of the year.
After the game, Charleston coach Ricky May talked about the importance of the win over Paris. “We told them (Charleston players) after our loss last week that we still control our own destiny. We just have to play good football together for four more weeks and hopefully keep rolling into the playoffs. It went well in the second half and that’s a big thing. The kids played good all night, played their butt off, made some mental mistakes early, but got them to turn the ball over, played good.” Charleston was able to run the ball successfully in the second half with its physical running game. “And that was big. Coach Stewart (Charleston offensive coordinator) did a good job, believing in our offensive line and just took over. I loved it.”
The fourth quarter started out a little reminiscent of last week’s game in which the Tigers took over possession of the football with approximately 10 minutes to go in the game and began to run the ball and control the clock. But this week there would be no lightning or dramatic turn of events to change the outcome of the game. The defense did not allow any points in the second half. The Tigers were simply able to control the game in the second half, win, and move on to preparation for Booneville.
Charleston jumped out to an early lead with 14 fourth-quarter points. Paris scored in the first quarter and missed a PAT to make the score 14-6 Charleston at the end of the first quarter. Paris cut the Charleston lead to 17-12 by the end of the first half. Charleston held Paris scoreless in the second half while adding 17 unanswered points off of Paris turnovers and a Charleston ball control offense. More stats on this game will be published tomorrow on RP if they are available.
In other action around the conference on Friday night, the Booneville Bearcats remained undefeated in conference play by winning at Mansfield. The results of Friday’s conference games were:
Charleston 34, Paris 12
Booneville 42, Mansfield 27
Lamar 20, Greenland 14
Cedarville 35, West Fork 14
After Friday night’s games, the conference standings are:
Booneville 4-0
Charleston 3-1
Lamar 3-1
Cedarville 3-1
Mansfield 2-2
Greenland 1-3
Paris 0-4
West Fork 0-4
If the season were to end today, Booneville would be a #1 seed in the state playoffs. Charleston and Lamar would be tied for the #2 seed. Cedarville would be the #4 seed, and Mansfield would be the #5 seed. Of course, that is today, October 19. Next week, the big game in the conference will be Charleston hosting Booneville. Charleston still has Booneville and Lamar left on their schedule, and a lot can change over the next three weeks. With three losses, Greenland appears to be in danger of not making the playoffs. But again, a lot can happen over the last few weeks of the season.
The other big game in the conference next week will be Mansfield traveling to Lamar to play the Warriors. With two losses, Mansfield will be fighting for its playoff life. Should the Tigers defeat Lamar, it could potentially lead to a three-way tie for second should Booneville defeat Charleston. All three teams, Charleston, Lamar, and Mansfield would have two losses. Mansfield would have tiebreaker advantages over both Charleston and Lamar. So, in short, the conference standings could be turned upside down depending on the outcome of the Mansfield and Charleston games.
With the overall strength of the conference schedule, it is a war of attrition every week. Coach May said it best back in early August when he predicted it may all come down to which teams are healthy at the end of the season. He also said that whoever the conference places into the playoffs, it will put five good teams in who will all have a chance to win games. That also seems to be true. In all sports in the 3A-1 conference this year, several schools are very good and will be very competitive all year.
Charleston took it on the nose with multiple injuries early in the year, but seem to be healthy and moving in a positive trend with respect to staying healthy. The Tigers may get yet another player back next week, and that is certainly good news going into the Booneville game. With so many good teams in the conference this year, they are beating each other every week. Can four wins get a team into the playoffs this year? Only time will tell.
Friday night’s game may have been the biggest game of the year for the Tigers. Charleston was able to put the Mansfield loss behind them and win a road game against a program, that, although is young and hasn’t had a lot of success the past two season, is talented and is showing great progress. The Eagles wanted to win badly against the Tigers, and they gave great effort against Charleston. A loss to Paris would not have eliminated the Tigers mathematically from the playoffs, but psychologically and schedule-wise for the remainder of the season, it could have had a devastating effect.
Paris coach Tyler Clark is doing a good job rebuilding the Eagles football program. The Eagles are young and are gaining valuable playing experience with each game. They have talented position players and good size on the offensive and defensive lines. Eagles fans, they are close. They need your continued support.
For Charleston, coach Ricky May and his staff did a very good job of showing their team that the Mansfield loss did not mean the end of the season for the Tigers. Charleston is a physical, talented team. But perhaps more importantly, they are a great group of players who are tough mentally, give everything they have in a game, and know how to win. Booneville will be a tough match-up. Not many teams have had success against Booneville. But this group of Tigers will be ready to play, and they will play hard, physical football, and they will put themselves in a position to win. They need Alumni Stadium to be filled with Tigers fans next Friday night.
Resident Press will be in Charleston next Friday night for the big showdown game that could vault the Tigers into a tie for first place in the conference. Check with Resident Press on Sunday afternoon for a preview of next Friday’s big game versus the Bearcats.
For now, here are more photos of the pageantry of Friday night’s game at Paris. Enjoy!
Pictured is Raine Hecox, Branson Carver, and Tommy Pham
When the Mansfield Jr High Tigers set out at the beginning of their season, they knew it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. They already had a few things stacked against them like size and numbers. But what many failed to realize was that these players were Tigers. And Tigers don’t back down when faced with adversity. They laugh and say “Bring it on!” With a heavy schedule in front of them, Mansfield walked onto the field at every game with their heads held high. And no matter how bad the outcome of those games were, they walked off of the field the exact same way.
#19 Drew Elmore
Thursday night at Booneville was no different. Mansfield was in hostile territory. They faced a big uphill climb against the powerhouse Bearcats. But did that phase their determination? NO. The Tigers took each blow that Booneville threw at them with poise and maturity. At the end of the battle, Mansfield boldly took the loss 38-0. With two games left on the season, the Tigers sit with a 2-3 conference play record.
#35 Caleb Collier, #11 Fisher Willsey, and #7 Logan Cravey
At the conclusion of the game, the Tigers earned 181 total yards with 42 of those yards being rushing. Quarterback Fisher Willsey completed 17 passes for 139 yards and two interceptions. Willsey also rushed the ball three times for a total of 14 yards. Unshaken by the Bearcats pressure was Caleb Collier and Tyler Woolbright who each earned 12 rushing yards with their three and four carries respectively. And Branson Carver was cool and collected as he rushed the Tiger ball for four yards.
#10 Tyler Turnipseed and #4 Peyton Martin
The Tigers were unflinching in the receiving department. Drew Elmore was hard to stop in his running game as he saw the ball seven times for a total of 80 yards. Tearing downfield for six receptions was Tyler Turnipseed who sealed a total of 53 yards. Also seeing action with their own receptions were Peyton Martin, Logan Cravey, and Greyson Baggett. Although Mansfield failed to put any puts up, it wasn’t from lack of trying. Literally putting their bodies on the line the entire night through every push, bump, and slam in trying to help their receivers achieve success were John Broadway, Dakota Langford, Kindel Noblitt, Austin Quinalty, and Braxton Byers.
The Jr High Tigers have two opponents left to face in their football season. On Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m. Mansfield will host their last home game against the Lamar Warriors. And on Tuesday, October 29, the Tigers will travel to Cedarville to face the Pirates for their final game of the year. So throw on your RED, grab your cowbells, and finish out the season showing your Jr High Tigers what true fan support is!
The Mansfield City Council met in a regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday evening, October 17. All members of the council were present including Aldermen Jan Carlton, Dave Johnson, Julie Thomas, Beverly Lyons, Rick McDaniel and Sheri Hopkins. Also present, Mayor Buddy Black and City Recorder/Treasurer, Becky Walker.
After approving the September meeting minutes and financial statements, the council heard the city services report.
Black stated that Public Works Director Charlie Little had resigned, and that he would be seeking to hire a replacement.
Next, the council heard from Fire Chief Michael Smith. Smith reported that there had been 15 calls this month, 4 fire and 11 EMS. He shared that he’s been working with a contractor on the fire system at the Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Facility. Additionally, that the department has been working the at-home football games.
Smith reported that the roof on the fire station had been completed. Also, that the ceiling in the restroom had been repaired. According to Smith, there are still leaks in the truck bay.
The department is still in need of a truck to replace the old ones that won’t run. He is working with Shelby Allen, searching for grants to buy a new truck.
Lastly, Smith shared that someone had broken into his office. In response, the council voted to approve the installation of new locks at the fire station.
Two new applicants, Kameron Delp and Jimmy King were approved to join the department.
Next, Police Chief Wayne Robb reported that his department is continuing operation warrant sweet. In Scott County, the department issued a total of 27 citations and five warrants. In Sebastian County, four citations and four warrants were issued. They had a total of 78 calls, 35 agency assists and 10 school calls. In total, there were 12 incident/arrest reports and 14 accident reports. The department worked a total of 86 traffic stops, issuing 45 warnings. Also, they worked a total of 21 animal calls and had 93 hours of training.
Robb recommended that the council hire new officer, Jason Stearman. At 7:36 the council went into executive session. Upon reconvening at 7:53 p.m., the motion was made to hire Joe Manes as Public Works Director. Also, to hire Stearman as a full time officer. Both motions carried unanimously.
City Attorney Matt Ketcham was next to report on items of unfinished business. Ketcham had prepared the paperwork for the de-annexation of David Carlton’s property, and the council took action, approving it. He also presented the council with a yard sale ordinance –see related story. The ordinance passed 4-2, with Alderman Carlton, Thomas, Johnson, and Lyons voting for and McDaniel and Hopkins voting against. The ordinance will enforce a permit and regulate who, when and how residents can have yard sales.
Sebastian Retired Citizens Association Director Deanna Rice was in attendance at the request of the council. Rice shared information about the procedures and policies in place in regards to the building’s rental. Rice stated that the income from rentals keeps the city from having to pay for upkeep. The city, who owns the building, currently pays the utilities and for any needed repairs.
In items of new business, millage ordinance 2019-6 to levy taxes in Scott County passed unanimously. Black also shared that he would like to look at hiring someone to oversee the recycling bins. Currently, Sebastian County Solid Waste has removed the city’s bins due to contamination.
In announcements, the fall clean-up is scheduled for October 19 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Mr. Cabbagehead and the Screaming Radishes will be at the Dixie Theater on December 7 at 3 and 7 p.m. Admission will be $5. The Roving Gamblers will also be at the Dixie Theater on November 2. The Mansfield Volunteer Fire Department will host a chili cookoff on Saturday, November 2, from 6-8 p.m. Entry fee for the competition is $10, and you can eat a bowl with the fixings for $5. Come out and support the fire department.
The Mansfield City Council voted to pass an ordinance regulating garage sales at their meeting on Thursday evening, October 17. The measure, which passed with a vote of 4-2, will put into place a mandatory permit and regulate the number of personal property sales per household.
The ordinance states that those wishing to have a sale must come to city hall and obtain an application for a permit three days in advance. That application will require a name, address, location of the sale, the day(s) of the sale, date(s) of any other sales from the same applicant within the calendar year, statement that the property is owned by the applicant, and statement of compliance.
The fee for the permit, which will restrict the time and location of the sale, will cost $5. Only two permits will be issued per location or residential household during any calendar year. The ordinance also limits the time of the sale, which can begin no earlier than 7 a.m. and last no longer than 6 p.m. on three consecutive days.
Exceptions to the ordinance include inclement weather and the sale of real property. In the event of inclement weather, the permit holder can have another sale within 30 days with no additional permit fee. New owners would need to provide proof to the mayor’s office that the property had been sold.
The ordinance covers the usage of any city property or right of way. Signs must be limited to two directional signs. Those can go up two days prior and must be removed at the close of the sale, no longer than the following day.
Penalties for violating the ordinance is up to $25 per day and up to $100 for any subsequent offense.
Council members voting for the measure, Julie Thomas, Jan Carlton, Dave Johnson and Beverly Lyons. Voting against, Sherri Hopkins and Rick McDaniel.
At 7:48 p.m. on Thursday, it came to an end. The Charleston volleyball seniors scored their final point to defeat Elkins, and their high school careers playing at Charleston gymnasium came to an end. The team still has a lot of volleyball left to play, but playing their final game at home in front of the Charleston fans was something special. On this night, it was a very emotional time for the Lady Tigers as the community turned out to honor a very special and successful group of seniors.
The game almost seemed to be an after thought. Charleston (19-3-1, 12-2) defeated Elkins 3-0. The Lady Tigers completed the regular season as conference runner ups, losing only to defending state champion Paris.
The Charleston junior high team also won on Thursday night, and clinched the third seed in the upcoming junior high district tournament that will be played in Paris on Saturday. Check Resident Press today for more information on Saturday’s junior district tournament.
This year’s senior class has produced perhaps the most successful season in the program’s history. How their legacy will be written will depend on how they play next week in the district tournament and beyond. This is a team who has played the top team in the state to five sets, and has split two sets in the Paris Invitational tournament with Fountain Lake who is the number two team in the state. But, there will be time to discuss the tournaments and the final legacy of this team later. Thursday night belonged to the seniors.
After the match concluded, I sat down with an emotional Charleston coach, Ryan Rachuy, who not only honored the seniors on this team as their coach, but also honored his daughter who is also a senior on the team. I asked Coach Rachuy to tell me a little about each senior. We both laughed, 40 minutes later. Coach Rachuy loves his team, and it has shown all year. But on this night, he could not say enough about this senior class. “Our seniors are a group of girls that started volleyball in the eighth grade. They were the youngest girls of our first year of junior high. When we started the program, we did all three, 7th grade, junior high, and varsity. So these girls have been in the second longest amount of time as any girls we have had. A lot of this senior class, when we started, I really don’t think anybody tried to play club (JO volleyball) except for Jadyn; she started playing club after her first year. Nobody else started playing club until the second year they had started playing. When we played that second year, when they were ninth graders, we actually beat Paris in junior high. Beat them here (in Charleston). Some of those girls, it was like, that’s it, were doing it (committing to volleyball). When that happened, like I said, Jadyn was playing club, Khiley Frederick started playing club, and Sidney Kaempfe, she started playing club, Kenzie Revis started playing club, and so they started to get more and more girls involved. Girls like my daughter Rylee, Jessica Uribe, Allison White, those girls came into the gym every opportunity they had to play and practice volleyball they would.”
Trinity Atherton
Jadyn Womack
When asked about each senior, Coach Rachuy, with love in his voice, began to talk about each who has contributed so much to the development of a Charleston program that is just completing its fifth year. “Trinity (Atherton) actually started playing volleyball for me until her ninth grade year. And then she decided that she was going to try to concentrate on her academic work, so she stayed out. That was a good decision. She stayed out last year and then she came in and to me about coming back out her senior year. I asked her about all the thing she had talked to me about in the past, and she told me that things were scheduled out and working the way they should and she wanted to be back in (play in the program). We got her back in. Trinity is one of the girls, like Allison (White). Allison White didn’t start playing until later when her friend Sydney Kaempfe talked her into it. Came out and she really had stiff mechanics, but she goes out and plays her rear end off. She enjoys it. She’s one of those girls that enjoys being with the girls more, being a positive influence, than anything else. She loves to play, but she wants to make sure that every girl out there that they are valuable. Trinity and Allison are the emotional leaders.”
Sidney Kaempfe
Khiley Frederick
Coach Rachuy continued to talk about his seniors. “Sydney Kaempfe, I didn’t know where to put her we she first started. We played her on the outside, but I needed someone to play on the opposite, on the right side, and so she went over there and it seemed natural to her, and she just got better and better and better. I’m telling you, when it’s crunch time, when we need a kill, our setters know that although we have Jadyn, Sidney is a solid option. Because Sydney has improved so much. Her vertical (jump) is much better than it was. She plays smart and has improved by leaps and bounds over when she first started playing volleyball.”
Rachuy continued, “Bria Byrd is a girl, oh my goodness, she is an athletic kid, really athletic. She is an emotional roller coaster, you see her during the game as being up, up, up, then, maybe gets an unforced error and then she is all the sudden down on herself. So, we made a rule last year that she is not allowed to talk to herself. She starts laughing and understanding that she can’t do that because when she does she isn’t saying anything positive about herself. She is really energetic, she does really good things. She hit some really good balls tonight. Really good defense on the net. She’s a great kid, terrific kid, and a really good volleyball player. I’m really proud of how much she has grown.”
Then Coach Rachuy spoke of the commitment that Khiley Frederick made to volleyball that he believes was the turning point of the young Charleston program. “Khiley Frederick is a girl who was a basketball girl straight up when we first started volleyball. I at no time tried to change her mind. I am a big proponent of playing anything and everything you can. All you are going to do is get better. Khiley came over for the first two years and she shared basketball with volleyball. She came up to me later and said I’m not playing basketball anymore. I asked her if she was sure, and she said “yep.” She was one of those first girls, when Jadyn first started playing volleyball, it was the light switch is turned on, this is it. Well, I think one of the things that is awesome about Khiley is that Khiley was one of those girls that others looked at and said, wow, she is a pretty good basketball player, and she committed to volleyball. And I will be forever grateful to her for that. She really looked at what we were doing and it was a big vote of confidence for me, and like I said, I will be forever grateful to Khiley for that.”
Jessica Uribe
ltxi “Itchy” Canals
When asked about his senior libero, Kenzie Revis, Coach Rachuy said, “Kenzie is a girl that played a lot of positions for an extended period of time. She is not a big jumper, not overly tall, but what Kenzie can do is, Kenzie is smart, she can play within herself. But when we moved her to the libero position she sold into it and she got better and better. She pushed herself to get better and better. She went to every camp she could, she went to the U of A camp, and she really pushed herself to get better. When we started summer ball last year in July, we would come in and practice, and when she made an error, she would dive on the court, get up and get ready. She did it this year as well. She did it to herself to get focus she needed to play the position. Just an amazing kid.”
“Jessica Uribe is a girl you can’t get to talk if you assigned it to her. If you said, your entire grade is dependent on you saying words in class, she is going to get a bad grade. As good of a kid as she is, and she is a great kid, she’s one of the hardest workers I have ever had. She comes in here and she doesn’t say, I want to hit, or, I want to serve. I had her playing libero, had her playing defensive specialist, outside, and all she says is “yes sir”. She goes out there and she does the job. She is just an all around great kid.”
Allison White
Rylee Rachuy
“I’ve talked about Allison (White) and the great influence she is on our girls. Jadyn is, when you go away from volleyball, Jadyn is just an all around great kid. She does good in the classroom, there’s not a kid in the hallway that she wouldn’t consider a friend. Not one. Girls, guys, it doesn’t matter. If there’s a kid sitting in the corner of the classroom by himself and I tell Jadyn, I need you to go talk to that student, because that kid needs someone to talk to, she will walk right over there. It doesn’t bother her a bit. In the classroom she is on top of it. She is responsible. She makes sure she takes care of her business in the classroom. She won homecoming queen this year. She is just an all around, great kid. She works with her church, I mean, the kid doesn’t stop. She has played club ball. She was on the 16 national team her sophomore year. That year, we started volleyball like the fifth of July, and she had stopped playing volleyball club just four days prior. So, she went from the end of high school ball, right into club, and didn’t finish club until four days prior to the start of her junior year. She just kept on going. The improvement was huge. Her vertical, she is probably touching nine and a half feet, if not higher. She’s a leader on the court. Bria (Byrd) said it best, “”whatever Jadyn Womack tells me to do, I’m doing it.””
Bria Byrd
Kenzie Revis
“I’ve got two senior managers, Sierra (Montgomery) who played volleyball her first year. Played in the eighth grade. Sierra is an outstanding softball player, and she wanted to be part of this her senior year. When she came out for volleyball, she hits the ball a ton. But, she made the wise decision for her. She has a lot of friends out here, a lot of friends who love her, and she wanted to be a manager. Cheyenne is another senior manager as well. Cheyenne actually played for me until tenth grade. Cheyenne worked and improved, and her main position was middle. She realized that she wasn’t going to get any taller, and she said, you know what, I’m not going to leave this stuff. She committed to these girls to be their manager and it’s pretty awesome.”
Cheyenne Nelms
Sierra Montgomery
“Itchy (Canals) is a girl who is an exchange student this year. I don’t have a lot to say about Itchy because she hasn’t been here for a while. But I will tell you this, our girls love Itchy, she loves playing. She spent a lot of time with my wife trying to get everything written out like she wanted to for her senior night tonight. One of the things she shared was being part of this team was something that was very special to her. I am hoping she can take that with her when she goes home. Because she is a great kid.”
“My daughter (Rylee) is a senior on this team. And it is emotional for me. Getting to spend time with Rylee is probably the most important thing for me. I’ve told her, and I’ve told her sister who plays for me in ninth grade, in my opinion I really don’t care if you play a set, don’t care if you play a point, or if you serve, don’t care if you do anything. But when I look down the bench and I see that you are there, it makes me feel better. And both of my girls have embraced that. Rylee has improved a ton. They have embraced that idea that they’re there to help me and that’s a big deal for me.”
Charleston will now have a few days to rest and work on their first round opponent in the district tournament. The Lady Tigers have a bye to the semifinals of the tournament and will not play until Tuesday night. Coach Rachuy will have the opportunity to rest his team before he begins practice for the tournament. With the tournament being in West Fork, there will be factors such as playing team that are fighting for the playoffs and making trips to West Fork to play late games. These factors should be minimized by the experience seniors on this team.
The all district team will be named soon, and Charleston, by virtue of their second place conference finish, will have four spots on the team. Charleston should place four great players on the all district team.
And now, with each senior in possession of a worn out game ball as a trophy to remember their hard work that each invested into the program, they have a reminder of the work still to be finished before they clean out their lockers for the last time. This is a team that has the chance to play in the state finals. The Lady Tigers are just five games away from a trip to Hot Springs. Four wins will get them to the finals. I am guessing this group of seniors will give it everything they have over the next two weeks.
