Blue Ridge
Running on the cross country team is a family affair for senior Casey Purdum. Her father Craig is an assistant coach and her sister Jessie is a sophomore on the squad.
“My dad is really into running and I train with my sister,” Purdum said. “It’s made us a lot closer.”
That close-knit family mentality resonates throughout the rest of the team. Purdum said every Monday, on the night before a meet, the team gathers at one of the runner’s house for a spaghetti dinner.
Purdum qualified for the PIAA Championship meet in Hershey as a freshman. She said her only goal this season is to make it back there.
Besides cross country, she also runs track and field and is a member of the Leo Club.
Outside school, Purdum participates in 4-H Club. She rides horses in both shows and barrel racings.
Forest City
Because Forest City doesn’t have a football team, freshman Noah Yates thought his gridiron career had come to an end after playing six seasons with the Carbondale Junior Chargers.
Then last summer, Forest City and Carbondale entered into a co-op that allowed Forest City students to play football and track for Carbondale and Carbondale students to play volleyball at Forest City.
“Last season (as an eighth-grader), I played freshman football because I was too old to play for the Junior Chargers, but too young to play for the varsity,” Yates said.
That freshman team captured the division title last year.
Still, as this season approached, Yates was uncertain if he was going to play football. He didn’t try out until the first day of summer ball in mid-August.
“As a freshman who joined late, I wasn’t sure if I was going to see much playing time, but I was determined,” he said “From the start, I tried to prove myself and by Week 1, I had a starting spot as defensive end.
“My coaches told me that if I listened to them and learned the proper techniques, I would be perfect for the position because of my 6-foot-4 frame with a little speed.”
In Carbondale’s 19-6 win over Montrose in Week 2, Yates recorded seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“I’m honestly grateful for the co-op between the schools because it enables me and a few of my peers to enjoy the sport throughout our high school careers,” Yates said. “With this co-op, I’m able to not only play football, but make new friends and build character that I would not have had the ability to do without football.”
Montrose
It’s an opportunity most can only dream of, but for sophomore Kylie Robinson, it’s already a dream come true.
Robinson got the opportunity to travel across Europe — to England, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria — through the People to People Student Ambassador Program.
“One of my favorite parts about the whole trip was being able to live with a German family, being around different cultures and the way that they do things compared to the way that we are used to,” Robinson said.
She was one of 43 students on the trip, which saw students broken into small groups when reached a destination.
Robinson is a starting varsity player on the volleyball team.
“My favorite part about volleyball is all of my teammates,” Robinson said.
Susquehanna
Senior Emily Stark loves cheerleading. A member of the football and wrestling cheer squads, she has been doing it since she was a freshman.
This year, she even started helping her sister Jessica Welch coach the Susquehanna Junior Sabers football cheerleaders.
“I love the competitions and working with the other girls,” Stark said. “I love being the person that gets the crowd going at the games.”
Off the field, Stark has participated in Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) since seventh grade and has been president for the past two years. She has been in Envirothon and National Honor Society since her sophomore year and this year she decided to join the yearbook staff.
After graduation, Stark plans to attend college and study pre-med. She hopes one day to become a pediatrician.
Be the first to comment on "AROUND THE SCHOOLS"