By Cole Klassen
Spring is sprung, everything is growing, allergies are acting up, and the famous AZ heat is coming back. Noble junior high athletes are taking to the field. Here are some of them.
Boys Basketball
Ah junior high basketball, the place where future legends are born. I spoke with coach Phelan and he had this to say: “Our goals for the junior high boys Gold Team season, from the coaches’ perspective, are to improve every practice and to be competitive in every game, as well as to show the kind of sportsmanship and character expected of TPA Knights as others encounter our school through athletics.” That is a pretty lofty goal for a coach, but he thinks his team can handle it.
“Early on, Coach McCollough and I are seeing good basic knowledge of the game in the boys as well as willingness to learn more. We also are starting the season with several boys, who are interested in becoming a team and encourage each other as well as keep each other accountable.” Well good luck to those boys and have a great season.
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball falls under the same umbrella as the boys, but the teams and the goals are slightly different. Coach Flores had this to say: “Help the team build confidence in their talents, work well together by communicating in the game to minimize turnovers, become better in their ball handling skills, and most of all, love the game. As they enter the high school program, it gets more competitive and they have more commitment to give to their team. A love of the game will help them overcome the challenges and fall into the TPA motto: ‘Work works!’”
I asked her how she felt about the team and she said, “I am very excited for our junior high varsity squad this year. In the first few practices we have had, the girls are putting in 110 percent effort, they are having fun with one another, and we have some very talented players. We are a mixture of 6-8th grade students and that is always exciting because the talent grows each year. Looking forward to bringing home the championship trophy this year!” Well good luck to the girls basketball team.
Junior High Track
Oh track, running for “fun” – no seriously, though track is great. Coach Wilkison had a really great response to my questions: “First of all, I am very happy to be finally coaching a sport at Tempe Prep! Mrs. Wilkison (a TPA teacher since 2011) and I had children at TPA from 2002-2011. Our younger daughter Corey graduated in 2008, and our son Kevin in 2011. Corey was involved in cross country and track for her entire TPA experience, and Kevin ran cross country and track in junior high, then switched to football, soccer and baseball in high school. In addition, Corey coached the TPA junior high track team for two years while she was a student at ASU. To say the least, Tempe Prep academics and sports are in our blood. While this is my first year coaching middle school track and field, I previously coached high school cross country for eight years, high school track for five years, and junior high cross country for once year at another school from 2005-13. I love both sports.
“Goals for the season? Everyone participates, everyone improves, everyone has fun. In addition, Tempe Prep has one of the finest small school high school track and field programs in Arizona, and I hope that my work with these young student-athletes will encourage them to continue in the sport when they reach 9th grade. The main strength of this team is, quite simply, that they attend an outstanding college preparatory school. Their work ethic in track and field mirrors what they are asked to do in the classroom. They are working hard in practice, and I expect them to honorably represent Tempe Prep in upcoming track meets. Go Knights!”
I salute all who run track or play spring sports. Go Knights!