Back row from left: Dr. Tami Seddon, Brennan Pott, Michael Davis, Dylan Friend, Stephen West, Brad Denney, Tristan Bailey, Matthew Edelman, and Hannah Potts. In the front from left are Margo Lewis, Sophie Choat, Jennifer Carnes, Mikayla Talkington, Melissa Steele, and Kacie Osier.
As Sierra Lutheran’s winter sports season begins, they are looking back and celebrating the last Fall NIAA sport to finish its season — Academic Olympics.
Over Thanksgiving break, AO teams from around the region traveled to Eureka for the state championship. Sierra Lutheran’s team members are the regional champions, winning the Western Division by a margin of 10 points. Quite a feat, considering how strong the Western Division is — Whittell, the team ranked third regionally, was the state champion.
Typically, the final rounds of the state championship always have at least one or two teams from the West. Sierra Lutheran has been in the top four teams in the state for the past 13 years. At the state meet, Sierra Lutheran was the point leader after the first four rounds of competition, but ended up being half a point shy of advancing to the final round.
“I am very proud of our Falcons for playing with character and integrity the entire season,” says SLHS Academics Olympics coach Tami Seddon (who also is SLHS’s principal).
Sierra Lutheran was last year’s AO state champion, a win that significantly contributed to the school garnering the impressive NIAA Award of Excellence. SLHS achieved some noteworthy accomplishments this fall sports season.
The girls golf team (coached by Juls Clausen and Dave Gebhardt, assisted by Gary Casteel) were both the regional and state champions. Individually, Kami Niles was the girls golf state champion. The Falcons Cross Country team (coached by Robin Williams, Steve Kubel, and Dave Marson) had a stellar season, despite begin a small group this year. Juniors Jared Marchegger and Emily McNeely (both graduates of Bethlehem Lutheran School) were regional champions; Jared winning the state championship. As a team, the Boys XC team took second at regionals and fourth at state.
Football (coached by Del Bugg, assisted Brandon Neal, Fred Contreras, Nino Iannacchione) saw three players receive 1A All-League nods, including senior Peyton Hedwall, junior Nathan Waite (a graduate of Bethlehem Lutheran School), and a Special Teams award for sophomore Kicker John Miles (another graduate of Bethlehem Lutheran School).
The Lady Falcons Volleyball team (coached by Tiffany Patrick, assisted by Danika Neal) placed second in the league, with a 16-2 record for the season. The team won its first game at regionals, going farther than it has since 2011. All-League Athlete awards were given to seniors Gabby Kale and Brynna Hansen (First Team) and senior Briana Mofhitz-Faieta (Honorable Mention). All honorees are alumni of Bethlehem Lutheran School in Carson City.
Sierra Lutheran now looks ahead to basketball season, already in full swing.
For a calendar of game dates and times, check out www.slhs.com.
