Articles about EVHS sports

Article about EVHS volleyball written by our very promising student, Samuel Simons (11/15/2023)

Success And Popularity Of EVHS Volleyball

After another incredible season in which Eagle Valley volleyball went 20-7 and made it to states, I wanted to dive deeper into the sustained success of the volleyball program here at EVHS and what makes it such a fan favorite here at Eagle Valley. 

Since taking over as head coach of the varsity volleyball team, Coach Mike Garvey has gone 61-25 with a winning percentage over 70%. This is an incredible feat and is credited to the program that Coach Garvey and his players have been able to build here over the years. When Coach Garvey was asked what the most significant factors in building a program to have the continued success that we have seen here at EVHS, he talked about consistency within the program, "sometimes just staying here and being able to continue to build on year after year is how you sustain things. You can't do that with change." Coach Garvey is in his 4 season as head coach here, and since taking over, the coaching staff has remained the same. 

It takes the players within the program to buy into it to have winning season after season. Players must show a level of commitment and ability to handle adversity, which the volleyball players here at Evhs have been able to do incredibly. Coach Garvey stated, "We're a program, and I'm a coach that really believes that in order to improve your skill in order to do anything, you have to approach things with the right mindset." Coach Garvey also talked about how having trust in your athletes is a big part of building a winning program. "We're really fortunate that our kids are dedicated. We don't get excuses. Players show up to practice every day". This speaks volumes to the program here and how coach Garvey runs it. 

Early within this season, Coach Garvey caught covid. He missed six matches, and the team managed to go 4-2 without him in his absence. When asked how his absence affected the team, Coach Garvey stated, "I think, you know, the girls do a really good job of understanding that there's going to be bumps in the road. And learning and coming back strong from those challenges". It always sucks when the head coach has to miss some time, but this shows how the team overcame adversity and did not get thrown off. It is also a telling sign of a well-built program that can handle obstacles in the road. When talking to Coach Garvey about how the team handled his absence, he said, "Our message this year is things aren't going to be perfect. And we expect to still achieve goals in that scenario". Not only did they achieve their goals, but the team as a whole learned how to overcome obstacles. 

The volleyball team here at Evhs is known as a fan favorite, with the games being very popular among students. Not only does the team's popularity help the school, but it also helps the program's success. When asked how Eagle Valley supports the volleyball team, Coach Garvey stated, "Eagle Valley has always supported volleyball certainly very well. And it's been pretty exciting every year to see each group of kids find a new leader in the crowd, and a new leader to lead all the cheers different things." It is really cool to see the school support the team year after year. Volleyball is a big part of the EVHS community, and that is not changing anytime soon. 

The program's popularity also helps and continues to contribute to some of the team's sustained success. When talking about how the popularity of the team affects the success of the program, Coach Garvey said, I have moments in games that have, you know, that I can get caught up, and we need a little bit of momentum. And I can just turn over to the fans, and somebody will catch my eye, and I can just, you know, give them a little fist bump or something, and they start to get rowdy for us. I feel like not only they support the team, but they support me. 

It is pretty safe to say that the program's success is going nowhere, and the popularity of volleyball at Evhs is still on the rise. It is cool to look behind the scenes of Eagle Valley's most successful programs. And according to Coach Garvey, Let's see if we can surprise some people at the state tournament and turn some heads!

-Samuel Simons (10th Grade) EVHS Future Sports GM

 The Senior's Impact On Eagle Valley Boys Basketball

  As in any High School sport, the seniors play an essential role in the team's culture and success. I wanted to dive deeper into the seniors' impact on the team this season and learn more about them, not just as players on the court but as leaders and people off the court. 

This season, the boys' basketball team sits at 10-8. They have been an incredibly streaky team all season, but with five regular season games ahead of them, there is optimism throughout the program when asked about what can be expected from the team for the rest of the season. Senior and starting power forward Kaden Kraft said, "We're just hungry to keep winning; we're hungry to get a solid seed for playoffs and hungry to win that conference championship." Kaden is one of six seniors on the team, including Aedan Phelan, Caiven Lake, Eli Melzer, Elias Pena, and Kevin Hasley. 

When head coach Justin Brandt was asked who the team leaders are on and off the court, he stated, "All of our seniors are really good leaders this year on and off the court. Kaden Kraft, Aedan Phelan, Kevin Hasley come to mind." This gives insight into how the coach looks at them and values them within the program. Coach Brandt also talked about what the seniors have done differently this year than in years past, “I think a lot of times they see it as every person has shortcomings. So, I think every senior sees the shortcomings and the strengths of the previous kind of leaders, and they attack those shortcomings.” When talking to Kaden, he mentions the family aspect of the team, especially this group of seniors: "I think the seniors really like we're all just like, so tight together, that we just want everybody to have that relationship with us." 

When talking to the team and other seniors, having a group of seniors who care about the team and the players has not always been the case. According to Aedan Phelan, "This year specifically, it's the first time I feel like people are generally happy to be on the team. They're happy to be around each other. It's just a great culture this year." The team's vibe is in a great spot, according to players and coaches, and a part of the credit should go to the men at the front and center of the program in the seniors. This speaks volumes about this group of seniors and their impact on the program from top to bottom. Kraft was asked about the team's culture; he talked about the senior's role. He said, "We really do want to build a culture of, you know, helping out the young guys not looking down on them, but really just developing, developing them as good young men." Not only does this talk about how these seniors impact the team and the younger players, but it sets the team up to have a continued culture even after they graduate. 

Aedan Phelan was asked who the team's leader is; he said, "I'd say that Kaden Kraft is probably the leader on and off the court. And definitely, Kevin's a leader on the court and leader off the court as well." The respect they have for each other goes a long way, and it sets an excellent example for the future leaders of the program as well, but who are they as people? Kevin, Aedan, and Kaden are all multi-sports athletes who have succeeded in all their sports. They all have very bright futures, and I was lucky to get to know some of them and interview them as well. At the end of our interviews, I asked Aeden and Kaden what they would miss most about playing basketball for Eagle Valley. Kaden said, "My favorite moments are just hanging out with the guys at team dinners. Being at hotels and just enjoying each other's time and just really building, like I said, relationships with each other. I think that's more valuable than any win or anything else." Aedan said, "I'm going to miss it. The people I play with probably the most because, like, the people on the team, some of my best friends."

Eagle Valley High School is extremely lucky to have these seniors representing our school and our basketball program. These seniors lead by example daily and represent what Eagle Valley is all about. It is going to be fun to watch these guys ball for the rest of the season and according to Coach Brandt, "You can expect us to be competing for our league championship. You can expect us to have high  character as we do it."

-Samuel Simons