“I feel like the season is going really well because we all play together, we’re unselfish and we just want to win,” Ruben Gosa ’13 said.

Ever since the beginning of the season, the boys have been very confident. Many of the players have been practicing and anticipating the season since summer. Some of them are also looking forward to playing with old teammates again.

“I knew we were going to be a pretty good team,” Scott Sterusky ’13 said.

Although the team has been doing well, they still feel there are a few things they could work on as a team. Most of the players agree that their biggest setback is their rebounding. A few of the other players feel that they need to work on playing together better and not playing down to their competition’s level.

Not only do the players feel that they need to work on things as a team, but as individuals themselves.

“I need to work on learning the plays since I’m new to the team,” Johnny Hopkins ’13 said.

Hopkins played basketball in grade 7 and 8, but has not played since then. He was told by the coach and players that he would be a help if he joined the team. Since he just joined the team, he has not been as much of leader as he was for the football team, but he feels the other seniors do have more of a leadership role on the team.

Unlike Hopkins, Gosa has been playing basketball since he was three. Gosa feels as though he has a lot of leadership on the team.

“I feel good about being one of the older players on team because the younger players look up to me and listen to me because they know I’m experienced,” Gosa said.

Another player that has a lot of leadership on the team is Khalil Rasheed ’14. Even though he is not a senior, he is still and leader and starter for the team.

“As a leader a lot of younger players kind of look up to me which means I have to be a good role model. As a starter expectations are higher and I have to always make sure I’m setting the right example,” Rasheed said.

With their season off to a good start, their setbacks identified and older players taking their role as leaders, the team feels very confident in districts.

“I think we’ll go as far as we push ourselves,” Hopkins said.

Both the players and fans are looking forward to a great season with the basketball team. They have been held to high expectations based on previous seasons and plan to make this season the best to their ability. So far the basketball team has been undefeated.

“Anytime anyone gets a spare or a strike, the boys’ and girls’ team screams ‘squad’,” Ariana Martinez ’13 said.

Although the record is not as great as the players wish it would be, a few still believe the season is going pretty well. Personally, many of the players believe they are improving and off to a better start than they were last season.

“This season has been going pretty good. Individually I have improved a lot since the beginning of the season. As a team, we have been doing pretty well also. We tied Taylor County which was a good thing because they were region champions last year. They are our main competitor,” Brooks Bennett ’13 said.

Most of the players agree that there is room for improvement in each and every person. As a team, they feel they need to work on their baker’s scores, communication skills, and not putting their heads down when they do not bowl well. As individuals, they feel they need to work on individual scores, hitting their mark more accurately, and being consistent.

“I feel like there’s always room to work on something, so individually I am going to work on improving everything that I can improve,” Braden Price ’13 said.

Along with making improvements as a team, the players also have great chemistry with one another. According to Bennett, the team works very well together because they are all friends with each other in and out of school.

‘We’re all one giant group, all of us pretty much hangout with each together all the time, both in and out of the school,” Bennett said.

With their improvements and team chemistry, many of the players have high hopes for districts, regions, and state. They hope to beat their rivals, including teams like Taylor County. They also feel that because regions will be hosted at Elizabethtown lanes that they will have an advantage over everyone else.

“I think we have a pretty good chance at districts. John Hardin is a pretty good team, but I still think we have a pretty good chance to make it far this year,” Joey Shepherd ’16 said.

In order to do well in districts, the seniors have started stepping up as leaders. The fact that it is their last year seems to linger in the back of their mind. By keeping the team as a solid whole, they will be able to increase their chance at districts, regions, and state.

“You have to constantly bring up the younger girls, but it’s worth it because you can’t have them getting down because that will ultimately bring the whole team down,” Martinez said.

The bowling team has high hopes for the season, and they are fixing one problem at a time. With practice, determination, and team building they plan on becoming one of the top competing teams in the state. It is only the second year the bowling team has competed, but at they have proved their will to be the best

Being on a high school sports team is stressful. Student-athletes have to worry about maintaining grades, behaving in classes and performing well during games.

With all of this stress on their minds, it can create tension between players and coaches. This tension may lead to arguments amongst players that could possibly lead to fights.

Being apart of a team is a big responsibility that some athletes do not take seriously. It is easy to get caught up in drama and what she said or what he did. However, this should never be a reason to fight with your teammate.

Fighting within your team can tear down the team piece by piece. Word gets around that there is drama, and people quickly begin taking sides of whom they believe is right. They never really listen to the details of the whole story before doing this.

With all this frustration built up, athletes begin blaming others for mistakes and sooner or later the team falls apart during a big game. They never focus on the game itself, but what is going on within their team and this causes them to perform poorly. Tension between teammates can cause the entire team to lose a very important game that they should not have lost.

After the game is over and the team has lost, people then begin to blame the loss on the person they are having problems with. This solves nothing and creates even more problems because the whole team is being brought down because of one little issue.

If athletes would sit down and talk about what is bothering them before going into a game, then the team would work together better than if they just ignored the problem. They are not focused on what needs to be done and they make silly mistakes that they would not normally do.

A team should be just as close as a family. Of course there are going to be arguments and disagreements, but they have to find a way around that.

In high school, drama is one of the biggest issues, so students use athletics to get away from it. But when drama is brought into a sport it changes everything about that team. There is always going to be some sort of tension.

We always hear about who fought who in the locker room or what this person said about this person. Being an athlete is a privilege and some people do not understand that it can be taken away from you just as quickly as it was given to you.

Fighting with a teammate has its consequences such as losing your starting or varsity spot, getting benched in a big game or even getting kicked off the team. Is fighting really worth losing what you worked for all season?

We need to improve on becoming closer with our teams. To do this, athletes can organize a team bonding day to grow closer and get to know everyone on the team. It allows everyone to become closer to one another.

 By becoming closer as a team it will help them win those close games they would normally lose because everyone is encouraging each other. When your teammates cheer you on instead of blaming mistakes on you, it makes everything easier.

Domeneque Taft ‘14 dribbles the ball during a game early on in the season. “The season is going well. We’re doing good but we can always work harder and play better,” Taft said. Domeneque is a point gaurd for the team.

The team is excited for the rest of the competition after kicking off their season with a win.

After winning their first few games, the team is ready for the rest of their season. They know what they need to work on and are ready to do what it takes to win.

Alexis Shelby ‘16 has been on the team for two years. She plays freshmen and JV and is hoping for some varsity time this season as well.

“I expect to win and improve. Hopefully I will improve and get more varsity time,” Shelby said.

Shelby is coming off a break and is excited to get back in the game. She, as well as the rest of the team, all have things they can improve on.

“Everyone has their own stuff to work on. We have to work on rotating the ball around,” Shelby said.

However, the team has improved since they began practicing and conditioning. They have worked on ball handling and shooting. They have areas where they feel they are strong in, like shooting.

“We’re really strong with shots both inside and outside,” Shelby said.

Shelby along with ZakayshiaPass ‘15 feel the team has stepped up and pulled their weight. Since the team graduated many seniors last year, they had to step up and work harder.

This year’s team only has two seniors. In order to compete against other teams with a heavy senior line-up, the younger athletes had to step up. They are using their speed as an advantage.

“We stepped up and filled their shoes. There aren’t many teams who have our speed,” Pass said.

They know they have to work hard if they want to compete in regions so they have been working harder each practice to get better. During games they do not want to ever give up.

“We hustle, we give our all and we play from buzzer to buzzer,” Pass said.

While working harder during practices and improving on their weaknesses, the team has grown closer. They communicate well and they use this as an advantage.

“Our attitudes have gotten better, so we encourage each other more,” Pass said.

After playing their first few games they found things they need to work on. The team wants to work on rebounding and staying out of foul trouble.

“I think we’ll work on and improve our weaknesses and make them our strengths,” Pass said.

As the team improves and gets closer to the end of the season they hope to win more games and keep the winning streak going.

The team works on sprints to improve times for the season. “I think we’re going to have a great season this year. there’s a lot of people who show some great talent. i’m really excited for it,” said Brittney Ester. ‘13 The team works on conditioning to prepare for the upcoming season.

With returning experience, the team has high expectations as the season for indoor track begins.

The team is already looking toward Mason Dixon, the indoor track state, as they begin conditioning Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Runners and jumpers practice at different times.

Head coach James Webb has set a beginning and long term goal for this indoor track season.

“Our basic goal is to improve each week and our long term goal is to be Mason Dixon champions,” Coach Webb said.

Coach Webb has high expectations this season with all of the returning talent they have as well as newcomers.

“I believe we’ll be better than last year,” Coach Webb said.

Bryce Meers ’13 is one of the returning athletes. He participates in the 55-meter hurdles and possibly the relay.

He feels the team is going to have another great year. Also, he feels his work during the offseason has paid off.

“Personally, I think I’ve improved much during the offseason,” Meers said.     

As most athletes do, Meers has set a personal goal he hopes to accomplish at Mason Dixon.      

“My main goal is to beat the guy who beat me at state last year,” Meers said.

Raven Graves ‘14 participates in the 55-meter dash and the 60-meter dash. Along with the rest of the team, she has high expectations for this season.

“I think this season is going to be good because we have a lot of new people,” Graves said.

Workouts have been easier to help the athletes get in shape. They are hoping to get faster and stronger each week to improve their times and distances. They plan to push harder each day to get to where they need to be to reach their goal.

“We’re putting in a lot of work and working harder than we did last year,” Graves said.

With the first indoor meet closely approaching the team wants to start off the season strong. They want to use this season to build for the upcoming track and field season.

Marcus Terrell ‘14 plans to use indoor to prepare for the spring season.

“I’m going to work hard during the indoor season and making my PR’s better,” Terrell said.

As well as looking towards the spring, he also plans on setting goals for indoor season. He wants to improve his two mile time.

“My goal for indoor is to go under two minutes in the two mile,” Terrell said.

 The team looks forward to Mason Dixon to prove they are a top 5 team. They want to use this practice time to for the spring season as well as take first in indoor state.

“I hope to come in top five in all my events and I hope we win Mason Dixon,” Terrell said.

They have set their goals and are ready to start showing how hard they have been working during the indoor meets.

The team will continue to practice and condition to prepare for their first meet in late December.

For most swimmers, swimming becomes a passion. Swimming is the time to show everyone what you’ve got. Swimming is the time to prove all the doubters wrong. For some swimmers, the sport of swimming becomes their life.

As the season starts back up and the meets began to get closer swimmers practice more and more. Eric Martinez ’15 is one of the dedicated swimmers that practices constantly for good results.

“I practice four days every week Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and sometimes Saturdays,” Martinez said.

Martinez hasn’t been able to participate in the meets that have taken place so far. Even though he isn’t very happy about it he is still practicing so he will be in shape for when it is his chance to swim.

Each week the team practices at Gammon Field House in Fort Knox. They show much dedication to the sport they love by attending practice ever week.

Each season has its ups and downs. Each season brings the newbies but also lacks the seniors that have graduated from the previous year. Each season always brings something new to the team.

The swim team has been appointed a new head coach. The coach has made many changes and new rules. But the coach has made a difference in the team already.

Being on the team for a few years, Martinez has experienced the old coach’s decisions and now the new coach’s decisions.

“It’s basically the same only this season coach comes with a plan on what we are doing that day,” Martinez said.

After being on the swim team for one year, Dalton Mitchell ’15 has placed in both the meets that have taken place.

“In the first meet I placed first in the 200 freestyle. In the second meet I placed first in the 100 freestyle,” Mitchell said.

Every athlete always judges their performance in their sport. Swimmers judge how fast their lap time is.

Each practice a swimmer thrives to do better than their last practice. They thrive to earn a higher score at their meets.

Swimmers find place for improvement somewhere in their performance. They will practice and practice until they find themselves at the point they want to be at.

“In terms I am happy with my accomplishments this season but in reality I need to do even better,” Mitchell said.

During each season athletes set goals for themselves. They set a goal for which they want to meet before the end of the season. Zachary Carr ’15 has set a new goal to accomplish this season.

“My goal this year is to make it to state and place very well, too,” Carr said.

As the team begins to attend matches and put in all their might to their competition, they are planning to make a mark in history.

Wrestlers start to reveal their abilities as the season continues to progress with numerous duals and tournaments.

The team did quite well in their dual at Jeffersontown coming in second place. Our wrestlers went against several schools such as North Oldham and came in at a reasonable place. The team is setting a standard for the rest of the season, in hopes to continue and become better.

Jeffersontown being their first dual, some of the wrestlers came across many obstacles. Devonte Adams ’14 in the weight class of 126 feels the team did fairly well at the dual, Adams won his dual. He holds a record of 1 and 3.

“We did pretty well, however, we came out soft because it was our first meet,” Adams said.

Adams also feels the team did a great deal of bonding on the long trip to Louisville and back.

“I feel the team has gotten a lot closer since the dual,” Adams said.

Lavonte Adams ’15 weight class of 126 had difficulty adjusting as well.

“It was difficult because I had to wrestle 6 pounds above me,” Adams said.

Adams has high hopes for his team as the season progresses, tournaments and duals will soon begin to get more challenging as all the other teams begin to work harder so will our Trojans.

“I felt we were all quite nervous because it was our first meet, but the next one will be better,” Adams said.

One player that has difficulty adjusting to the sport is Tommy Underwood ’15. It was Underwood’s first time wrestling at Jeffersontown since his injury freshman year. After tearing the cartilage out of his arm Underwood was back on the mat feeling confident as ever.

“I feel I did okay, hopefully I can do better next time,” Underwood said.

The season is progressing at a reasonable rate.

Tyler Breeds ‘14 continues running towards the finish line during the region race. “The season was a pretty good season for us since we managed to pull out the best finish that North Hardin has done in awhile at state. Overall we had a great season and I’m proud of the way the team performed this year.” Breeds said. This year the boys finished in the top five which was the best finish they have had since 1988.

Both the boys and girls cross country teams sent their entire team to state which was a huge accomplishment for them.

The girls placed 4 in regions which meant they were able to send their whole team to state. It was something they set a goal for at the beginning of the season. Alexis Shelby ‘16 was excited to go to state with the team in her first year on the team.

“It’s my first year but I’m really excited because we make everything fun when we’re all together and I think we’ll do better with all the support,”Shelbysaid.

The team prepared for regions and state by working on packing, which is running together as a team, and working through the pain. The team had some of the top runners injured during this season and they were unable to participate in both regions and state.

The weather was cold and cloudy during regions and the team had a hard time adjusting.

“I think we all ran slower, but we pushed hard,”Shelbysaid.

The hardest part of the season for most of the girls was the expectations. They set high goals this season and felt as though they worked harder to meet them.

“It’s hard when you’re having a bad day because you don’t want to let your team and the coaches down,”Shelby said.

The girls felt they had improved from last year and accomplished a huge goal by sending their entire team to state. They were pleased with how their season ended.

The boys finished 3 in regions and 5 in state. They prepared for state by doing basic workouts and easy distances. Marcus Terrell ‘14 led the team in regions while Brandon Ignas ’13 led the team in state. Terrell feels he could have done better in state.

“The hardest part during state was not doing the best that I could,” Terrell said.

All of the workouts and mileage throughout the season were done to prepare the team for state. The team did speed workouts, hills and long endurance runs throughout the season to get ready for these two races.       

“The races were getting more important and we were running out of time to get where we needed to be,” Ignas said.

As they moved farther in to the season, they had tougher competition to compete against. The teams at regions they had a hard time beating wereGraysonCountyandBowling Green.

“It was a hard race and they came out on top. We got them back at state though,” Ignas said.

For the seniors on the team it was hard on them after each race. They were not able to start thinking about next season because it is over for them.

“I couldn’t just say ‘I’ll do better next time’ or anything like that because my cross country career is over now, and there’s no next time,” Ignas said.

Both teams were able to make it to state with their entire team which was a lot of training and hard practices. They were able to make it through and the boys were even able to place in the top five which has not been done since 1998.w

The fall sports have ended and every athlete should be proud of the progress they made this season. Many of the teams have gone further than they thought. We had two of our fall sports teams go to state and that is a great accomplishment we should be proud of.

The boys soccer team went to state for the first time in quite a few years. They made it to the quarterfinals and that is something they should be extremely proud of since it has been so long.

The boys worked hard this season and it was great to see them have an opportunity like this. Even though they did not go as far as they liked to, they should still be proud of the way they played and I know the school is proud of them as well.

The boys and girls cross country team sent their whole team to state and all of them should feel accomplished because that is a tough thing to do.

As for the other fall sports, they should not be down on themselves because they did not go as far as they wanted to. There is always next season for them to improve. The girls’ soccer team improved their record from last season.

The teams who did not improve their record or go to the district finals now know what they need to improve on and get a- chance to work on it during their offseason. It gives them a chance to focus on the good and the bad. Their coaches can take the time and show them what they need to improve on.

The fall sports have time to reflect on their season whether it was good or bad and know what they need to improve on. The winter sports now have a chance to prove themselves and show what they have been working on during the offseason.

The winter sports that are beginning to take place are girls and boys basketball, swimming, bowling, wrestling, and indoor track.

The athletes who participate in these winter sports should start off their season with an optimistic attitude knowing that they have worked this entire pre-season to be the best they can. 

As these athletes prepare for their upcoming season, they should take a look at how they have improved from last season and use that as an advantage over other competitors.

The winter sports have big shoes to fill. They all want to make a statement and say that the fall sports are not the only ones who will go to state.

For them to go to state they need to stay focused on what it takes to get their team to state. They need to know what needs to be accomplished and work hard during their practices, meets and games.

It is a tough task to make it to state, but all of the teams have the potential and talent to get there. They just need to keep their minds focused on what needs to be done.

For this it is important for the students and staff to come out and support them just as they did for the fall athletes. It boosts their confidence and even makes them perform better. It pumps them up when they are in the middle of the match or a game and they hear the fans behind them no matter what.

With the fans behind them and their spirits high, it should make their goals a lot easier to meet.

The teams are looking forward to competing against cross town rivals to either redeem themselves or make it clear that they are here to compete for the district and region title. Both of the basketball teams have set a goal to compete for the district titles and they expect to do well this season.

It is going to be a tough winter season, but they have to keep in mind that the competition will be tough. However, they have to fight through the season to reach the top. It will be hard to do, but if they practice hard and communicate with their teammates and encourage each other, it will help ease the journey through this season.

Coach Burroughs demonstrates a move to a wrestler during drills. This is Coach Burroughs first year as a head coach for the program.

Wrestling practice began on October 15, officially pre-starting the season at that point. The team shows dedication to their common interest.

This is Coach Joe Burroughs first full year as head coach, with his first year being head coach in a high school program; he has high hopes for the team when it comes to competing.

On October 20th the team participated in their first scrimmage of the season, There was good feedback from the wrestlers about the turnabout. One wrestler that thought they did quite well was Christopher Wills ’13; Wills is in the 132 weight class.

“I feel our first scrimmage went quite well, it was kind of what I expected it to be,” Wills said.

Darius Parrot ’14 has great expectations for his team. This is Parrot’s eighth year wrestling.  Parrot is in the 195 weight class. There is a lot of pressure that goes along with being an experienced wrestler, with Parrot being a junior this season is very important to him.

“It’s going to be a lot of pressure knowing I could win state,” Parrot said

Parrot is also enjoying his new head coach, after knowing him as the assistant it seems to be a natural transition.

“He’s my best friend and father. He is an overall great mentor in my life,” Parrot said.

 There are always newcomers; one wrestler that is just starting out is Jay Harden ’15. Harden is in the 150 weight class. Harden is enjoying his first season so far, but some difficulty has approached him as well.

“I think it’s a real tough sport, but it’s something worth sticking through,” Harden said.

When transitioning into a sport you are not really used to, there can be difficulty adjusting. This scenario is not the case when it comes to Jacob Burroughs ’15, father of head coach Burroughs. Burroughs has been wrestling for 10 years.

Burroughs has a goal of placing top 5 for state. He has a weight class of 106. Burroughs likes having his dad as a coach and father.

“I like it because we are really close, wrestling with my dad is fun,” Burroughs said.

Wills is also quite experienced in wrestling; he has been wrestling for 4 years. He has anticipated a successful season for his teammates.

“I think we’re going to do well, we have a great line- up this year,” Wills said.

The team has their second scrimmage tomorrow against John Hardin, Central Hardin,FortKnoxandLarueCounty.