Valley View freshman Tyson Price shows the peace sign after evading defenders while running the ball during summer practive.
6/15/2022
Valley View seniors take charge
Tanner Spearman, Sports Editor, Gainesville Daily Register
Valley View freshman Tyson Price shows the peace sign after
evading defenders while running the ball during summer practive.
Valley View began summer workouts last week, and the seniors are determined to have a successful final year.
Eagle senior Wyatt Huber said the first week went well with everyone motivated to have a better performance this fall and beyond.
“Last two seasons, we didn’t do how we wanted to at all,” Huber said. “So, we’re here to work.”
In the 2019-20 academic year, Valley View’s last in Class 2A before transitioning to 3A, the Eagles’ football team went 12-3 and played in the state semifinals. Valley View reached the playoffs that season in boys’ and girls’ basketball and volleyball. There were no baseball or softball playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Eagles reached the playoffs in both sports the year prior.
Only the softball team has made the postseason in the two years since, though the Lady Eagles haven’t been able to match their 2019 district championship performance.
Football coach and athletic director Curtis King said all the coaches met after the school year ended, and they are determined to improve.
“(We have) a lot of pride,” King said. “We left 2019, we were competing in every sport. It’s been a struggle since then, but we have the kids. We have the kids, and I’ve hired a bunch of new coaches who haven’t started yet. But they all know where we are, and where we want to be.”
The seniors for this upcoming season were freshmen in 2019. They are the only Eagles left who were in high school during the football state semifinal run. They saw firsthand what Valley View athletes could accomplish.
Huber said this group of seniors are trying to take after the class of 2020 and step up as leaders.
“Last couple of years, we haven’t had very much leadership at all,” Huber said. “So, we’re trying to take charge in that. It was constantly them getting on people, telling them to hurry up. We haven’t had that the past couple of years, so we’re trying to bring that back.”
King said record numbers of high school and junior high athletes are taking part in the summer workouts. He said over 100 kids have shown up each day, peaking at around 150 the first two days.
He said all the athletes are working hard, and the seniors are doing a great job leading them.
“We have a real good senior leadership group,” King said. “Probably the best we’ve had since 2019. They’re kind of taking control of these kids, and they’re working their butts off. It’s real nice. We haven’t had that in a while. These kids don’t like where we’ve been, and they want to go out on a better note. They’re working."
After strength and conditioning sessions, the boys get to work on football. Thursday, they walked through a few plays as a group. The girls are working on softball skills with an intention to rotate to other sports every two weeks or so.
Valley View opens volleyball season Aug. 9 at Howe. The Eagles begin football season Aug. 26 at home against Ponder.