With the opening week of spring sports upon us, coaches start looking at the abilities of their teams and what they are capable of. Athletes are beginning to refresh their skills by getting back on the field, track or court. Spring sports at CHS consists of baseball, boys golf, girls tennis, soccer, and track. 

Get a taste of the upcoming sports season with an inside scoop from the head coach of each sport! For a full-feature on new girl’s tennis coach, check out Zoey De La Rosa’s article linked here: https://www.fusfoo.com/article/11057/New-Coach-Tennis-pre-season.html 

Baseball: 

After the historic end of the last season, the Discoverer Baseball team is ready to get back on the field. They ended last season winning the district championship and made an appearance at the state tournament after not visiting for 50 years. This season, Coach James Johnson expects to win yet another district championship and make another appearance at the state tournament. 

If the team wants to achieve this, they need to overcome many obstacles. One thing that the 2021 seniors took with them was their ability to hit. Coach Johnson believes that they might struggle to hit the ball early on, but the players will adapt and turn hitting into a strength by the end of the season. It is up to the returners to carry the team early on. Seniors Ryan Eickhoff and Tadan Bell have been an excellent 1-2 pitching combo. Senior Cody Zrust and Sophomore Jarrett Bell will be a great infield duo. An outfield and first base star is senior Sam Kwapnioski. He will also provide the team with great offense. There are two juniors, Jack Faust and Connor Rausch, who will also be strong players this season with many opportunities to impact games. 

Boys Golf:

Recently appointed to the head coach position, Coach Anne Robertson cannot wait to see where the golf season takes her and the team of boys. Her goal is to see constant improvement in skills that transfer to their competitive rounds. If these things happen, Robertson can see the team qualifying for state. There are three returning letterwinners: Seniors Brock Kuhlman and Brody Mickey and Junior Tyson Weber. Of those three, Kuhlman was the only one to end last season with a medal at state. As a team, they missed out on qualifying for state by 2 strokes. Robertson believes that the team played their best round of the season at districts. If they can play that well again, they might end up in the top 3, resulting in their advancement to state. The seniors will provide strong leadership for the team. Underclassmen will also get the opportunity to compete for a deserved varsity position. 

Boys Soccer:

With a record of 8-8 from last season, the boys soccer team is ready to get back on the field. With a lot of returning players from last season, the boys have been working hard to have a great turnout. Last season, they made it to the district final, losing 3-2. Coach John Arlt, would like to finish this season in the state tournament. The senior players made it all the way to the final round of the state tournament their freshmen year. With a lot of drive, they could finish their high school career in Morrison Stadium. Just like any team, the boys soccer team has their struggles. When it comes to adversity and leadership, they hit a wall. Last season, they struggled, but this season will be a fresh canvas. They have the chance to succeed and face adversity with strength and determination that will hopefully propel them to great success. 

Boys Track: 

Boys track has great prospects for this upcoming season. Of the 7 athletes who made it to the state meet, 4 are returning. There were also 6 athletes who barely missed out on qualifying for the state meet. They are all returning. Those 6 athletes have extra drive and motivation in them that will hopefully push them farther this season. Coach Scott Bethune believes there is nothing to be nervous about and is thrilled to see all of the improvements the team is capable of making. He cannot wait to work with the new runners and see how far they can make it. 

Girls Track: 

The girls track team has a lot to offer this year. The team boasts a strong senior class, 23 incoming freshmen and 6 returning state qualifiers. Seniors Josie Garrett (hurdles, 4x100), Joselyn Olsen (long jump, 200, 4x100), Kassidy Hiesterman (discus), Erin Smith (300 hurdles, 4x400) and Hannah Kwapnioski (shot put) are strong athletes to look out for. This is their last chance to make an impact and qualify for the state meet. Other athletes to look out for are Addison Johnson, Elizabeth Wemhoff, Hailey Kropatsch, Hannah Kropatsch, Kira Benkendorf and many more. Of the 60 athletes of the girls track team, 23 are freshmen. Coach Julie Kreikemeier is excited to see what they are capable of and how they can contribute to the program. Unfortunately, the team lost a lot of their pole vaulters. Coach Kreikemeier is hoping they can get that event built back up. This season, the team is also welcoming 2 new coaches, Emily Sheridan in sprints and Dave Slusarski will be coaching pole vault. 

Girls Soccer: 

Coach Zack Wayman, a second year coach, is ready to see how the girls soccer team can build off of what they did last season. They ended last season in the first round of districts losing in a shoot-out. Class A and B are full of strong programs that challenge the girls team. The thing that stood out from last season was the leadership. The seniors gave the new coach an opportunity to make changes that would push them towards improvement. Coach Wayman stated that they “wanted to be the first building block of a solid foundation.” He is hopeful that the team can continue what they started last season with a growth mindset. There are many holes to fill and Coach Wayman is expecting the new group of seniors to step up. Along with the seniors, a lot of the underclassmen have the strength and ability to step up. With a lot of practicing in the offseason, and the growth from last season, this team is capable of a lot. Together they can become stronger players, a productive team and better people. 

With prospects for a great spring season, expect to hear some Discoverer names on the podium at state, or coming home with a new trophy for the trophy case. Best of luck to all Spring Sports! 

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