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ONNER’S ORNER
High schools that recruit athletes not a bad idea if... by | Josh Conner
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he high school years are all about dreaming about the future, so it is not surprising that high school athletes at some point in their careers imagine being recruited to play for a major university. The feeling that comes with a first letter from a coach asking you to bring your talents to their school must be indescribable. But what if that recruitment letter never comes? In recent years, private high schools that are allowed to compete in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association have also recruited athletes to compete for state titles. These schools can make a public school team look like your friendly neighborhood team. When West students were asked after the volleyball team’s loss in the state championship finals to private school Cardinal Gibbons what they thought about high school’s recruiting, the answers were rather surprising and too inappropriate to print. But I believe high school recruiting should continue under new regulations. The recruitment of athletes as early as high school gives athletes opportunities that many public schools can’t offer. Private schools can offer athletes the chance to play with quality talent to improve their credentials. Along with talent, private schools offer the chance of winning state titles and national coverage. I can’t discourage you from making your fifth basketball mixtape, but I can tell you playing for your local private school will benefit you more in the long run. As much as I agree with recruiting I do believe it leaves public schools at a disadvantage. Moving all private schools to their own conference could help keep the integrity of high school athletics while allowing athletes to compete at a high level. Public schools can continue with the homegrown approach without the fear of squaring off against recruiting giants. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
Win streak helps men’s team turn season around by | Hannah Corn
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he ball swished through the net as senior Sam Polovina scored a three-point goal. Playing at Tuscola on Jan. 6, Polovina scored 20 points and received credit for two assists and eight rebounds. Polovina’s performance led the team to a 48-46 conference win. “We started our season off rough because we lost our first eight games, but I think we started to get it together in conference play,” Polovina said. “I think we’re getting the hang of it because we’ve won four of the last six games.” Polovina was right when he said the team started to get it together. In fact, the team has completely turned the season around, winning 11 of the last 16 games. The team is currently 11-13 overall, 7-7 in Western North Carolina Athletic Conference play. “I think we are a completely different team,” junior Colby Kilpatrick said. “At the beginning of the year, we were trying to figure out our identity and how we could play together. But now we’ve figured out how to work together as a team.” The Falcons turn-around started when they beat Hendersonville, 65-46, on Dec. 17. They showed exactly how much they had improved when they defeated Madison, 66-26, in spite of a tough 37-50 loss to the same team weeks earlier. “We felt good about the win against Madison,” Coach Billy Phillips said. “Compared to the first time we played them, our team chemistry was much better. As a group, we have learned to play harder and understand everyone’s role on the team.” Phillips said he is proud of the hard work the team has shown in practice and on the court. According to Phillips, Polovina, senior Zack Crane and junior Tristan Thomas have worked especially hard to improve. Polovina is the top scorer on the team with 385 points so far, and Thomas has 222 points. After defeating East Henderson, Brevard and Tuscola, the team picked up a win at North Henderson, 55-42. “We’ve surprised ourselves this season,” Kilpatrick said. “If we can turn everything around now, we can just keep going and winning more games.” On Friday the WNCAC tournament began at West. The Falcons played North Henderson.
Photo used by permission of Lifetouch
Play it off| After receiving a pass from junior point guard Dylan Buchanan, junior Tristan Thomas faces his Hendersonville opponent. The team defeated Hendersonville, 65-46. “It’s always good to beat Hendersonville because they are our in-county rivals. We have a lot against Hendersonville and they have a lot against us,” Thomas said.
Winter track team athletes race in state meet by | Amy Turlington
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enior Brittney Naef and freshman Lauren Kilby raced around the Polk County track in the mile run. During the first three laps, they ran close together to help pace each other. Then, on the fourth and final lap, Kilby told Naef it was time to sprint. The two teammates rushed across the finish line, earning a second and a fourth place finish with Naef running a 5:50.70 and Kilby a 5:56.50. “It’s like we coach each other while we’re running,” Naef said. “If she goes faster I’ll stay with her, and if I go faster she stays with me, and then when we have one lap left we both just go.” The men’s and women’s winter track teams have had a successful season with Brittney Naef sophomore Dylan Shamburger ranked 11th in the state for the 1000-meter run. The women’s 4 x 400 -meter relay team is ranked sixth, and the women’s 4 x 800-meter relay team is ranked eighth.
“I’m proud of how the team is doing right now,” Coach Walt Fletcher said. “We’ve got some strengths right now that we can work with, and we should be set up for spring track. The women’s 4 x 800 team cut 28 seconds from a Wednesday to a Saturday meet. Naef and Kilby have been doing well in the long distance, and we’ve got (junior) Riley Dean doing well in the sprints.” The winter track team has succeeded in qualifying for state events. Naef qualified for the individual 2-mile event with a 12:17, Dylan Shamburger qualified for the 1000-meter run with a 2:41, the women’s 4 x 800-meter team of Naef, junior Olivia Hogan, senior Katie Kennedy and senior Kara Kilby qualified with the time of 10:37, and the women’s 4x400-meter team of Naef, Hogan, senior Summer Wong Chong and freshman Taylor Meadows qualified with a time of 4:23. “We’ve all been training really hard and cutting our times,” Naef said. “We hope to cut our times even more for the state meet.” The Falcons were succesful in their last meets. During the JDL track meet in Winston-Salem, 10 team members set personal records for the season and the 4 x 800-meter relay team earned a win. The 4 x 400-meter relay team achieved a first place at the last home meet. The track team traveled back to Winston-Salem on Feb 14 to compete in the state meet at the JDL Indoor Fast Track Meet.
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