The fall sports team openers have kicked off our back to school season in great fashion. Each team has competed in their season opener and has given their input on how they hope this 2024 fall season is going to unfold.
Football-
Head coach Shannon Jolley expressed how bringing in a new culture and process four years ago has been a big step for Osage Football. It is now year four of the plan. His coaching staff has really focused on reemphasizing all of the principles put into place when this year’s seniors were freshmen. Jolley’s principles are called the “Five Spears”: honesty, attendance, trust, learn, and win. Jolley communicated that this group of seniors has done a really good job of carrying those principles into their senior year and redirecting their culture. According to Coach Baumstark, “We have a really good group of seniors that has worked really hard the last three years to get to this point…[Jolley] said it was a four year plan to get to where we needed to get, and this is year four.”
Senior running back, Adian Williams, returns for another night under the lights, explaining what has made him stick with the sport all four years of high school: “the relationships I’ve grown and made during the season and the lessons I’ve learned.” Adian explained that the most important factor in encouraging his growth and his skill is his “relationship with God by growing closer to Him and trusting the process and [his] coaches.”
This group of upperclassmen are playing for more than just themselves, and they are determined to get to where they want to be. Continuously working hard to leave behind a good culture and become role models for younger athletes has been a top priority.
Junior Quarterback Maverick Trusty explains that he wants to leave behind a legacy of “good workmanship…and if you continue to work to where you wanna be, you can get there.”
Cross Country-
While there are several familiar faces returning to this year’s cross country team, new faces are also emerging. Freshman James Newell is new to the team but not new to the sport. He came onto the team looking up to junior Luke Wolf and senior Josh Davis. “Luke does a good job at balancing out cross country and basketball…I hope to see myself like [Luke] in the future,” Newell said. Sophomore runner Ben Koeppen also holds Luke as a role model saying, “Luke is really good at pace setting…he knows how to take slow days slow and fast days fast…[Luke] is a good example to look up to.” While Wolf might enjoy the compliments, his focus is definitely on his sport. When asked about what he wants younger athletes to think of when they think of him, Wolf explained, “I don’t want them to think of my time; I want them to think of my leadership and how I treat others…when they become upperclassmen, they can lead the cross country team when I am gone.”
Sophomore Rosie Falter provides a different perspective. As a member of the girls cross country team, Rosie looks up to the other female athletes who train with her, specifically, Jaidyn Tabony. “[Jaidyn] is super hard working and has a ton of discipline.”
Returning for her 20th year as the cross country coach is Miriam Hill; she has been with the program since its inception in 2005. When asked what she wants her athletes to get out of this season, Coach Hill expressed, “[A]s coaches, we want our teams to grow together as a team and recognize the value of each other…making sure that [the athletes] realize that everybody is a somebody.” Using the word of the year, resilience, has been a focus of the season in strengthening the athletes’ resilience as they work hard this year.
Boys Soccer-
New to the district, Chris Lawson has taken the role as the boys head soccer coach. He is very optimistic with this season just getting started but is promising to take the season game by game. Returning as senior leaders are Caden Breneman, Andrew Groos, AK (Alex Kauten), Michael Stipanitz, and Tucker Willoughby. With the leadership from these experienced seniors, the chemistry is bound to be good, and Coach Lawson agrees: “[The players] have a great desire to grow and work towards seeing progress…[these athletes] truly believe in the process.”
Senior goalie Andrew Groos definitely agrees with having a better team chemistry saying, “[The team chemistry] is much better…[with the team being] way more in shape, which is very important.” Andrew is definitely excited for the victories to come this season, with confidence of a district championship on its way.
Softball-
Alexa Dickerson, head coach of the girls softball team, is upbeat about her team’s improved cohesiveness and knowledge about the game. She expressed the good that came out of a tough loss at their jamboree to kick off their season by saying, “Our knowledge is getting better…these girls have now played one year together, now this is their second year together.” When asked about how this year is going compared to last year, Coach Dickerson expressed that her team is definitely progressing along pretty well, getting better the more they play with each other.
Senior center fielder Macey Kessler, who has been on the varsity team for all four years of high school, is definitely someone who knows the game well. While being someone who younger athletes can look up to, Macey is passionate about her team and the game. When asked about what has pushed her to keep playing, Macey expressed that it has been with no doubt her love for softball and watching herself grow along the way. Not only that, but the loss of Bailey Lutrell has really pushed Macey to play for something bigger than herself. All in all, Macey is just excited to see her team grow saying, “I just want to see our team get better…we’ve grown every year, and I am just hoping that this year can be another step forward.”
Girls Golf-
Coming off a two-time State Championship for his team, Travis Squire, the head coach of the girls golf team, is excited for another year. With the loss of Hanna Maschoff and Sophie Sidlinger, Coach Squire expressed, “Hanna and Sophie both are leaving huge holes in our team…but we have a lot of brand new golfers, and I had some kids show me some potential that I wasn’t certain was going to be there.” Someone else who feels the impact of losing two important seniors is veteran junior, India Arauz. India expressed, “I really do miss Hanna a lot and I miss how she was our anchor [by] pulling our team forward…I’ve been trying to fill her role…it [has been] a big challenge for me, and I am excited.” While India is excited for the upcoming season, she stated that her motivation has been “[her] goals, and [she] just thinks about how far [she’s] come since [she] started playing golf.”
Volleyball-
Just as the girls golf team lost a bunch of key seniors, the volleyball team also lost most of their starting lineup going into the 2024 fall season. Starting from scratch with only the returning varsity outsides, Emma Faulconer and Avery Sperling, Osage Volleyball (2-0) has come out with a bang. Winning their first two games of the season, beating Smith Cotton and Blair Oaks (both 3-0), has been nothing short of a big deal. The historic rivalry between Osage and Blair Oaks has finally taken a turn. September 5, 2024 was the first time Osage had beaten Blair Oaks in over 15 years, previously only taking two sets from them in all of those years. Senior six-rotation outside, Faulconer, elaborated on how this year has been going with a new team of girls and without the safety net of playing with Taylor Johnson: “Playing this year has definitely been a big change for me on the court, playing without Taylor…but I have had to take on a new role on the team to be a leader and work hard every day to play for more than just myself.” Osage Volleyball has built this new team on a great starting foundation, making the idea of “trust and sisterhood” their number one value. Before every game, every athlete writes a word of encouragement on her left arm to serve as a reminder that they are all in this together and to build a strong confidence within their team.
Girls Tennis-
One of the seven seniors on the Osage Tennis Team, Lucy Crocker is looking forward to the 2024 season. The seniority of the team, according to Crocker “contributes to a lot because almost all of us have been through a complete four years…I think that really helps.” When asked about some goals that Lucy is working hard to achieve this season, she listed “being able to get past individuals [at] districts.” The Girls Tennis Team looks promising this year with more than just the seniors stepping up. Returning junior Lauren Adkins is definitely looked up to as a role model on the team according to head coach, Brandy Hutzler.
Cheer & Dance-
On the sidelines and shining during halftime are the cheer and dance teams. Led by head coach Bailey Womble, the dance team understands how to work and perform as a team. “Dance is a team sport,” Womble says, “so we recognize the importance of being united.” Building good relationships throughout the team, and recognizing the importance of staying humble is definitely top priority for Womble. She also elaborated on the main goal of the Dance Team:“to promote school spirit and good sportsmanship…[as well as] representing Osage in a positive light.” Senior Amara Brandon hopes to “be a great co-captain to [her] team and enjoy being on the sidelines this year.” Brandon explained that her favorite thing about being on the dance team is “all the school spirit [Osage] has and just bonding with all of [her] teammates.”
In addition to the dance team, Osage is supported with its large group of cheerleaders. With the exciting 2024 football season just getting started, head coach Carla Bradley explained the upcoming new routines that the Osage community hasn’t seen yet. “We have added a sideline pom dance that we are doing in coordination with the Dance Team…we also had a summer camp where we learned a new routine that we will present to everyone for homecoming.” Senior cheerleader Taylor Rassenfoss understands the hard work required to learn those new routines and explains that she is hoping for “some better technique and working on skills to gain some talent towards the team…we have a lot of possibilities for us.” Cheer and Dance are the heartbeat of support for the football team. Rassenfoss’s perspective is this: “We really enjoy home games more just because it is a different type of energy with the band and having our huge tribe.”
Whether you’re a friend, family member, or fellow community partner, check out the Osage Fall Sports lineup for your favorite athlete and sport. With the resilience of these athletes to push through the tough games and celebrate the victories, it truly is the teamwork that makes the dream work!
