December 2007 AB Update
by Tracee Orman
December 06, 2007
The EHS academic bowl team members are keeping their brains busy this fall, competing in two conferences (TRAC-8 and Prairie Rivers) and attending a couple of non-conference tournaments. Their current record is 8-8 (TRAC-8 2-2, Prairie Rivers 3-2) going into tomorrow night’s final Prairie Rivers conference match against Fulton (at Bureau Valley at 6 p.m.).
The team opened its season Oct. 15 with two TRAC-8 wins against Fulton (65-54) and Amboy (35-34). Junior Jes Sasko led with four toss-ups, junior Matt Swanson had two, and senior Sam Berk added one. Other members who participated were senior Kody Olsen and juniors Joe Bright and Brittany Schmidt.
“It’s easy to keep track of the number of toss-ups each individual answers,” Coach Orman said, “but much harder to pinpoint who is answering in bonus questions because they all get to collaborate for the answer. So even though the members may not get recognized for toss-ups, they are all contributing to the bonuses—which are actually worth double the points.”
On Oct. 27 the team traveled to Orion High School for their annual non-conference tournament. “This is a great tournament because the questions are easier and we face the same teams we’ll compete with at Regional time,” Orman said.
The Cardinals lost in the first round to Peoria Heights 182-158. During the second round they lost to Aledo 172-126. For the final round, the team lost to Sterling Newman 255-112. Swanson led the team with 10 toss-ups for the day, Bright added seven, sophomore Sean Leeds had three, junior Ashley Heppner added two, and freshmen Hannah Sauer and Joacin Gurrolla each had one. Other participating members were freshmen Jordan Achs, Sam Cady, and Shelby Howard.
The opening rounds of the Prairie Rivers conference matches were Nov. 8 at Amboy. The team avenged their loss to Newman by defeating them 102-100 in the first round. Their luck changed for the next two rounds, however, and they were defeated by Riverdale 60-30 and Amboy 90-78. Sasko led with seven toss-ups and Swanson had five. The other two team members participating were seniors Sam Berk and Matt Armstrong.
The team had a tough night Nov. 13 in two TRAC-8 matches at Prophetstown. They lost the first round to Prophetstown 105-54. In the second round, Newman won 95-48. Swanson led the team with two toss-ups while Bright and Sasko each had one for the night. Other contributing team members were seniors Jordan Morrissey, Berk, Armstrong, and junior Brittany Schmidt. The next TRAC-8 competition is Jan. 15 at Amboy (5 p.m.). The conference tournament is Feb. 9 at Riverdale.
On Nov. 15 the team traveled to Sterling for two Prairie Rivers matches. They broke their four-match losing streak by beating Prophetstown 45-35 and Bureau Valley 92-34. Sasko led with seven toss-ups, Swanson and Berk each added one. Olsen, Morrissey, Armstrong and Schmidt contributed to the wins, as well. The final Prairie Rivers match is tomorrow night in Bureau Valley at 6 p.m. The team will face Fulton. Conference awards will be presented following the match. Currently, the team is 3-2 in the Prairie Rivers conference and Sasko is in third place for toss-ups with 14.
The Cardinals went to Kewanee Wethersfield Nov. 17 for a non-conference tournament. They went 3-1, defeating Westmer (122-55), Kewanee (35-15), and Wethersfield (142-64). They were beaten by Galva 119-89. Sasko made the all-tournament team with 11 toss-ups for the day. Swanson added five, Berk three, and Schmidt one. Armstrong also participated in the matches. The fresh-soph squad of Sam Cady, Madelyn Dorta, and Dawn Lackey competed in the all-Varsity squad to gain some experience. Lackey had three toss-ups and Cady had two.
The fresh/soph members compete during the Varsity matches. Their record is 1-10, but this is somewhat misleading because sometimes they are playing JV or varsity squads. Also, if an opponent does not have enough players, a couple members of the Erie squad will join them so everyone can get playing time and experience.
The members of the team are sophomores Nate Agnew, Zach Agnew, Madelyn Dorta, Dawn Lackey, Sean Leeds (also Varsity), and managers Megan Sattizahn and Caitlin DeWitt. Freshmen are Jordan Achs, Sam Cady, Joacin Gurrola, Shelby Howard, Samantha Johnston, Hannah Sauer, and Rebecca Steffes.
The following is the current team leaders for toss-ups:
Varsity TOTAL Prairie Rivers Conference TRAC-8 Conference
Jes Sasko: 30 14 5
Matt Swanson: 25 6 4
Joe Bright: 8 - 1
Sam Berk: 5 1 1
Sean Leeds: 3
Ashley Heppner: 2
Brittany Schmidt: 1
Fresh/Soph
Hannah Sauer: 5
Joacin Gurrola: 5
Shelby Howard: 4
Dawn Lackey: 4
Sam Cady: 3
Jordan Achs: 3
Nate Agnew: 2
Rebecca Steffes: 1
