Nick De La Criz  -  Alexis Mitchell
Junior Alexis Mitchell has been phenomenal for the volleyball team this year on the court.

Mitchell played on the high level club team Platform Elite this off-season, and she attributes a lot of her improved game play to the great coaching. She says she is fundamentally and mentally a better player.

“The high performance club helped me to help my teammates,” Mitchell added.

Mitchell recorded a career high 15 kills and five blocks in a sweep of Muscatine this season. She is currently leading the Mississippi Athletic Conference in blocks.

Because Mitchell is a junior, she said it was a conscious decision on the part of the team to allow her to be a leader.

“I had to step up and take it upon myself to be a leader,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell has been playing for five years, and growing up as the sister of graduate Ashley Mitchell, an accomplished volleyball star at the school, helped her enormously.

“The reason I’m as good as I am is because I watched my sister for four years,” Mitchell said.

Ashley Mitchell went on to play at Northwest Missouri State. Alexis plans to play in college, too.

“I’ve been going through the recruiting process, so far it’s been good,” Mitchell said.

Nick De La Cruz  -  McKinzie Jackson
McKinzie Jackson has starred for the football team this fall as the electrifying return man and tailback that has made a big name for himself, after generally going under the radar as a junior.

“Jackson has stepped up and been one of our biggest leaders this year,” coach Mark Roering said.

“Because I worked really hard in the off season to prepare for this, I’ve just been doing the right things,” Jackson said.

The senior attributes the long returns to purely tactical reasons, following blocks and finally being able to find holes.

On the offensive side, Jackson has become a staple as a running back. Starting the season as a non-starter in the backfield, Jackson saw himself get an opportunity after two key injuries depleted the depth chart. Jackson currently starts tailback, and in the Burlington game, grounded out 116 yards on 16 carries.

Jackson also starts cornerback on the defense. So far this season, Jackson has four touchdowns in four games.

Grant Kilmer  -  Connor Gillund
As a four year varsity golfer, two time city champion and defending conference champion, Connor Gillund is an exceptional fall athlete.

“He is the best golfer we’ve ever had, by far,” Coach John Gill said of his senior captain.

He currently has a meet average of 36.1 on nine holes which is good enough to be ranked fifth in the state and over two strokes better than anyone else in school history. Not only is he one of the top players in the state but even on his bad days he still comes through for the team as his score has been used in every meet for the past two years.

“He is extremely dependable and we can always count on him for a good score,” Gill said.

“Not only can we always count on him to deliver, but he makes us better by us trying to get to his level,” Junior Austin Teel said. “We (the team) strive to get to his level by using his practice methods,” Teel said.

These methods include countless hours at the driving range and putting green along with spending a great deal of his winter time at the new indoor driving range. All of which the team as a whole has been doing more of which is a big reason for their success.

Gillund is proud of the success he and his team have had thus far this season and looking forward to finishing it off well. “Everything and everyone is coming together, and hopefully we can keep playing well enough to make it to state,” Gillund said. Since the beginning of the season his goals have been to qualify as a team for state and individually finish in the top three there. He is well on his way to completing those goals.

Jessi VandenBerg  -  Melanie Louis
Senior Melanie Louis has been running on the varsity cross country team ever since she began her high school career. Inspired by former Blue Devil athlete Jenna Bieri, Louis has strived for Bieri’s success.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed running,” Louis said. “I like the feeling of accomplishment and finishing before my competitors.”

Louis has grown up with a background of running in her family. A runner himself, Louis’ dad has been very supportive throughout the years. He encourages that all things are possible if the mind is put to it. Louis and her dad have become running buddies, each pushing the other when running together.

Although some of Louis’s talent is in her DNA, she is a very had working athlete, always giving her all at every practice.

“I feel there’s a lot of training that still needs to be done,” Louis said. “I know there are many things I need to work on to better myself.”

For Louis, the hardest part of running two and a half miles in ever changing conditions is mentally preparing herself. Staying confident up against prime competition is never easy. When racing, it’s also hard to stay positive.

“When I run I think about anything, everything,” Louis said. “I ask myself why I’m out there killing myself, why I do it.”

Through the tough mind games, Louis still conquers. She’s finished in the top seven as a freshman up through her senior year and is encouraged by family, friends and teammates. Her coaches have also greatly contributed to her consistency, with their variety of workouts enforced. Coach Ravi Bhave has had the biggest impact.

“Ravi was a big contribution to my confidence level,” Louis said. “He also never let me slack off.”

In Louis’s last year as a Blue Devil harrier, she has been selected as team captain. Her dedication and support to the team has been evident beginning in her freshman year, qualifying her for the position. Hoping for her best season yet, Louis is ready to inspire her fellow teammates and influence further athletes.

Anthony Willis  -  Robbie Pogue
The ability to push through the pain of running, his intensity and his passion have led junior Robbie Pogue to claim the lead of many packs this fall on the cross country paths.

Pogue, who has been running since eighth grade, puts his affection for running bluntly. Although he is very serious about competing Pogue also has other reasons for being on the team.

The pasta parties are one of his favorite pastimes of being on the team.

Pogue is in his second year on varsity, becoming one of the top runners on the team. Pogue goes the extra step in practice often staying after practice to get extra running in.

“Robbie has put more time in, runs track which helps and trains in the off season. Now he is more focused and more dedicated,” cross country coach Mike Tandy said.

Pogue’s summer of hard work of putting in hundreds of miles is beginning to start to pay off. Pogue recently placed fifth at the Lancer Invite beating out fellow teammate Alex Trujillo on Sep. 11.

With his hardworking regimen continuing throughout the season Pogue looks to compete with the top tier runners in the conference.
 

Nick De La Cruz  -  Katie Beale
Sophomore Katie Beale is starting to turn heads in the pool this fall, after shaving seconds from her impressive freshmen times last year from a summer of hard work.

Beale participates for the swim team in the 100m fly, freestyle and the 200m individual medley. Beale has set personal bests this year in the 100m fly and the 200m individual medley, which she improved by two and four seconds respectively over times from a year ago.

This summer was Beale’s chance to improve. Beale says for three to five days each week she swam four hours, weight lifted two hours and ran for one to prepare for the season.

Beale is also optimistic about her team’s success, not just her own.

“The team as a whole is really improving, we’ve got some amazing freshmen and best times are coming out of nowhere,” Beale said.