By Kennedy Short

Staff Writer

Updated 10-18-25

For the first time in CJHS girl’s soccer program history, the 2025 girl’s team came out on top in the conference, as well as winning the Big 11 tournament. 

The girls went undefeated in conference play with a conference record of four wins, one draw, and zero losses. In the Big 11 tournament they came up undefeated.

Concord head coach Sara Guy said, “It wasn't definite that we would win, but the girls worked really hard and allowed us to continue our season.” 

In the game against Elkhart, Concord's center attacking midfielder, Alia Harber, took a long shot from just outside the box to put them up 1-0, and then on another play, Concord got a corner kick, and Harber crossed the ball into the middle ricocheting off of an Elkhart player, scoring and making it 2-0. 

Kira Williams, Concord’s left outside midfielder, dribbled around a crowd of people, executed a successful move, and then scored putting Concord up 3-0.  Elkhart then had a couple of chances but just couldn't finish.

After the half, Harber crossed a ball to the middle when striker Raigen Glover put one in. Elkhart then had a big chance to score. Elkhart shot the ball but Priya Snyder, Concord's goalie, saved the shot ending the final score 4-0.

Glover said, “The girls played their hearts out; they showed passion for the sport on and off the field which led to a huge victory.” 

That decisive victory led Concord to the semi-finals where the girls defeated John Young, putting them in the finals against Northridge. During this game the girls beat Northridge 4-2 to win the Big 11 tournament.

JV volleyball team finishes strong

By Elizabeth Shupert

Staff Writer

Updated 10/15/25

The 8th grade JV volleyball team ended the season with a record of 7-4, while the 7th grade JV ended with a record of 3-7, despite losing in the 1st round of Big 11. 

At the start of the 8th grade game against Bethany Christian, Camila Laguna served the ball to start the game off with an ace, gaining a point for Concord. Londyn Cook, Lola Crase, Daelynn Arnold, and Julieta Rodriguez all got kills to end the first set of the game with the score  25-10. During the second set of the game, Concord received a serve from Bethany Christian. Isabella Narvaez Murillo passed the ball to Laguna who set up Rodriguez who killed the ball and ended the game 25-13.

“I am so proud of how hard the girls pushed themselves in practice and in this game to be able to win,” said 8th grade JV coach Brooke Donovan.

During the first set of the 7th grade JV game, Bethany Christian took control of the ball  with the score 6-8. Valencia Rentas Lopez sent a free ball over to Bethany Christian scoring a point for Concord, winning the first set with a close score of 25-21.

In the second set of the game Bethany Christian took the lead and beat the Minutemen 23-25 to take  the game to a third set. Andrea Mashala started the set off with an ace, gaining a point for Concord. Lopez passed the ball up to Yaretzi Alarcon who set the ball out to Selina Moreno Serveriano to score the game winning point, 15-7.

“The girls never gave up even when they were down in score,” said girls 7th grade JV coach Emily Ehret.

During the 8th grade JV Big 11 game, the Minuteman went up against Northridge.Crase killed the ball to win the first set of the game 25-20. In the second set of the game, Concord fought hard but came up short with a score of 21-25 to take the game to a third set. In the third and final set of the game, the Minuteman held a great attitude but ended up losing 13-15.

“We fought hard and kept a good attitude even when we were down,” said Rodriguez, an outside hitter and defensive specialist.

During the girls' practices, the 7th and 8th grade JV volleyball team did serving drills, hitting drills, and passing drills to strengthen their abilities in the game.

Concord varsity wraps up season with resilience and growth

By Ava Dutton

Staff Writer

Updated 10/16/25

  The 8th grade girls’ volleyball team ended the season with a record of 8-9, while the 7th grade had many close wins.

At the 7th grade varsity game against Northridge, Jennifer Loza started with 5 aces. Getting a dig by Morgan Hoeflinger and a freeball kill by Holland Rowe and Nora Campanello, the team ended the first quarter 23-25. Delainey Peterson started the game with 3 aces followed by Raiden Kabay getting a kill and ending the second quarter 25-23.

Starting off the third quarter, Loza has 4 aces. Loza and Peterson had tips which gave  Concord points. During the third quarter, Kabay had 2 aces. The well-fought game ended with a score of 10-15.

The 7th grade varsity girls volleyball team did receive drills, workouts, and serving drills at practices. “The team put forth an impressive effort in their matchup against Northridge, demonstrating determination and teamwork throughout the game. It was especially encouraging to see such a large crowd in attendance, creating an exciting and supportive atmosphere for the players. Overall, it was a great experience that highlighted both the team’s hard work and the community’s continued support,” said 7th grade coach Ariana Rice.

  Starting off the 8th grade varsity game against Northridge, Ava Dutton had 2 aces. Ending the first quarter, Kynslee McKinney, Gabby Gunden, Emmie Hale, Sophia Macias, and Mia Narvaez all had 1 or more kills. The first quarter's score was 17-25. Starting the second quarter McKinney had two aces. Bayleigh Bontrager, Kinsley Blair, and Dutton all had 1 or more digs during the second quarter. Ending the second quarter with a score of 20-25.

  “Our game against Northridge was very competitive. We maintained a close score throughout the match, showcasing their formidable strength. I am incredibly proud of the girls' determination and commitment to playing until the very end. With their performance, I am confident that we have the potential to defeat them if we encounter them again in the Big 11 tournament," said 8th grade coach Julie Campanello.  

During the 8th grade varsity girls volleyball practices, the girls did serve receive drills, hitting drills, and defense drills. 

“I’m so proud of how my team played today. We fought hard and never gave up,” said  8th grade player Sophia Macias. 

During the first round of Big 11 both teams got out in the first round. This ended the 7th grade varsity season with a record of 0-17; the 8th grade varsity ended with a season record of 8-9.

By Maddox Bailey

Staff Writer

Updated 10/20/25

The 7th grade boys football team finished 6-1, beating their rival Northwood by 1 point with a game-winning touchdown.

During the Northwood game, Concord was down 6. Maddox Gonzalez and Jordan Amezquita connected with a 23-yard pass. The team was on the 17-yard line with  7 seconds left on the clock. The ball was snapped and Gonzalez dropped back, throwing the ball to Amezquita for a touchdown to win the game.

During the Big 11 game on vs Elkhart, Concord came out on top with a 49-21 victory. To start the game, Gonzalez threw a short 17-yard pass to Minder to get to the 15-yard line. Gonzalez hit Jordan Amzquita on the run for a 15-yard passing touchdown to put them up 14-0. Elkhart responded early with Jamir who had a 35-yard catch and later caught a touchdown to put Elkhart on the board 21-7. Concord got the ball right back and returned the kickoff to the 50-yard line. 

Amezquita caught a 23-yard pass from Gonzalez to put Concord on the 27 yard line.The team marched down the field, and Amezquita received another pass for a touchdown to put Concord up 42-21.

“Our offense put up a fight and that showed by the 49 points they put up in this game,” said Coach Loth.

Gonzalez connected with McCloughen for another touchdown with 2:15 left on the clock.

  “We won this game with the power of Jesus on our side,” said Connor Hourigan.

  Concord was up 49-21 and the buzzer went off. The offense played a solid game, and the defense held strong to pull out the Big 11 win.

Boys soccer takes home Conference Championship

By Liam Miller

Staff Writer

Updated 10/16/25

Winning the Conference, the boys` soccer team finished with a 8-2-1 season record.

With a Big 11 game on the line, Concord rose up and won 1-0 against Elkhart, winning the conference. In the first half against Elhart Concord was dominating, possessing the ball and moving it around the field. During the second half, Concord lost momentum, and Elkhart had multiple shots on goal but were easily stopped by Concord’s goalie Dago Mederos. 

With 8 minutes left in the game, Liam Miller passed the ball up to Brandon Aguilar. On the edge of the line, Aguilar passed to Kyle Boots who dribbled around multiple Elkhart defenders. A shot outside the 18, Boots scored with a shot that went in the top left corner securing victory for Concord and winning the conference. 

“It was a hard match up, even throughout most of the game, but we got a break away and scored to win the game,” said Boots.

In a regular season game against Goshen, Concord boys tied 2-2. At the start of the game emotions were very high and Goshen scored first to put them up 1-0. Concord acted fast and started with an attack.  The ball was passed to Coen Dalton who dribbled to the middle of the 18 and got fouled in the box. Dalton gave his penalty to Boots who scored making it 1-1. 

For the rest of the 1st half, Concord fought hard and managed to score one more  goal before the end of the 1st half. Going into the 2nd half, Concord was looking to put the game away but on a counter attack, Goshen scored making it 2-2 and tying the game.

“We had a good game but needed to work on a few things before the Big 11,” said Coach Gene.

Eighth grade boys football seal the deal

By Brody Bertrand 

Staff Writer

Updated 

The 8th grade boys football team wrapped up their season with a record of 5-2 after securing a victory over Grissom.

In a regular season game against Discovery, Concord kicked the ball away to start the second half of the game. As the ball was kicked away, Jonathan Hernandez watched the ball as it landed in the hands of Discovery’s kick returner.  Hernandez tracked the player down, and hitting the player with just enough force, Hernandez knocked the ball straight out of the player’s arms causing him to fumble.

Hernandez jumped onto the ball, recovered it, and allowed Concord to get the ball back for an opportunity to score a touchdown. 

 “This 8th grade team was very coachable, hard working, and resilient throughout the entire season. Even when faced with adversity they kept battling and never stopped competing at any point, "Which as a coach is all you can ask for,” said coach Trevor Wilmore.

In the same game against Discovery, Concord's defense was able to back Discovery’s offense up into their own 5-yard line. Discovery decided that they were not going to go for it on fourth down and 15, so they got the punt unit to come out to kick the ball away. Concord lined up to receive the punt and punt returner Carter Stembel lined up to receive the ball and got as many yards as possible on the return.

As Discovery punted the ball away, Stembel was ready to catch it, and as the ball landed in Stembel's hands, he took off Stembel weaves in and out of blockers and spins around them like they are practicing tackling bags reaching for every yard he can get. As Stembel is taken down the crowd and sideline erupts. It's a touchdown. Stembel ran the ball all the way back for a 45 yard punt return touchdown. 

“Perseverance is key, if you don't have perseverance you wont be successful,” said Jonah Paino.

 In the game against Goshen late in the third quarter in a game that could've gone either way, the Goshen quarterback stepped up in the pocket thinking he was going to be able to make an easy pass to his receiver; however, Noah Anderson made a huge defensive play by intercepting the ball and taking it back to the endzone for a pick 6 securing the win against Goshen. This crucial play allowed the Concord team to beat Goshen 44-0. It not only secured the victory, but it also showcased the team's resilience and preparation throughout the season.

“We did great. I was proud of our team this year and we had a fantastic season,” said quarterback Maddox Bailey. 

During practices players would do things such as practicing tackling for defense and running routes on offense so the receivers know what they are doing. The players also did things such as catching drills and the lineman would do blocking drills so that the quarterback has time to throw the ball in the pocket and to open gaps up front for the running backs to run through.

Concord girls track team smashes records

By Brynn Weirich

Staff Writer

At the Big 11 track finals, the girls' eighth-grade team placed first, while the seventh-grade girls placed third. 

In the field events, Brynn Weirich took first place in long jump with a length of 16’ 9 ½”, this jump not only won gold, but also set the eighth grade school conference record. Seventh grader Kennedy Short jumped 4’ 0” for high jump, and eighth grader Hailey Arroyo jumped 5’ 0”; both of these jumps got first place.

 Placing first in discus, Damiah Pearl got first with 84 '10”, and seventh grader Charlotte Badskey placed fourth with 58' 6”. Both grades got second in shot put with Pearl throwing 33’6”, and Daelynn Arnold throwing 22' 9 ½”.

In hurdles, Dariana Miller, an eighth grader, won gold with a time of 16.92 seconds. Also in eighth grade, hurdles Maliyah Haggan got second with 17.54. 

The 100-meter dash had two eighth graders qualify. Weirich placed third with 13.87, and Pearl placed fourth with 13.89. In the 200-meter dash, Weirich got silver with a time of 28.65.

Short placed second in both the 800-meter run—she ran this in 2:36.17—and the mile. Short’s mile time was 5:50.27.

The girls' 4x1 team managed to secure Concord gold with a time of 52.34. 

Both girls' teams ended their season on a good note, with the seventh-grade team placing third in conference with 62 points. Eighth-grade girls won the Big 11 conference with an impressive 115 points.

Head coach Katrina Godzisz said, “This season brought about a lot of growth, hard work, and motivation for both the 7th and 8th grade teams.  It was this hard work and dedication that led to a lot of long-time school records being broken this season. Going into the Big 11 Conference Championships, we had high expectations for both teams.” 

During a previous track meet against Northwood, Weirich took first place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.6 seconds. With this time, Weirich set the new 8th-grade girls' record. Arroyo managed to secure Concord first place in high jump with a height of 4’10”.

In the throwing events, Pearl placed first in the eighth-grade shot put with 32 '3 ¾”, and in discus with 70' 3”. Seventh grader Daelyn Arnold finished third in shot put with 22 '8 ½”, and Badshey got second place in discus with 58' 2”.

The eighth-grade girls' 4x1 team smashed their competition, running a time of 52.23 seconds. This relay team consisted of Haggan, Genesis Link, Pearl, and Weirich. With this time—the previous record was 52.6— they managed to break the 8th-grade girls' school record. 

Chloe Carrington said, “Northwood is a tough school to run against; however, we were able to outperform them today.”  

In the mile, Short took first place and broke the 7th grade girls' record with a time of 5:44.  Overall, Concord 8th grade girls demolished Northwood, winning 82-18. However, 7th-grade girls lost 26-74.

Boys track remains undefeated throughout regular season

By Aston Bontrager

Staff Writer

Both 7th and 8th grade boys track teams went undefeated in the regular season but came up short in the Big 11 Tourney at Northridge High School.

In the regular season against Northridge, Coen Dalton started the meet with a first place finish in the 110-m hurdles followed by Carter Stembel coming in 3rd.  For the 8th grade 100-m, Carmelo Nelson was close to breaking the school record with a staggering 11.38 seconds. The 400-meter was a great race for both grades with Brendon Grant breaking the 7th grade school record with 54.7 seconds and 8th grade filling the entire top three.

In throwing events, Micah Koeler won both shotput and discus for 7th grade. For high jump, 7th graders Jamar Thomas and Charlie Shafer tied for 1st place with a height of 4 '6”, while Sam Spillman got 5 ‘4 to place in second for the 8th grade. In long jump, the 8th graders gained all points with Cade Peak, Kamryn Smith, and Narkiso Odiambo getting the top 3. Eighth grade dominated Northridge 60-40, and 7th grade also won 53-47.

Eighth grader Bryan Mejia said, “I always have more motivation and confidence when we play Northridge. I am very glad we beat them again this year.”

In the Big 11, Odiambo won the 110-m hurdles with 17.05, gaining the first victory of the night. In the 400-m, Grant easily won the 7th grade race with a time of 55.53. In the 4x100m relay, 8th grade ran a 49.72—gaining 5th place—while 7th grade ran for 6th.

At the end of the meet, both grades earned points from the 4x400m relay with 7th grade getting second–right behind Northridge–while 8th grade got 6th place. The 7th grade team placed 3rd at the Big 11, while the 8th graders placed at 8th.

“Our season went well because we learned how to come together as a team and got better together while performing well at our meets. We put all our effort on the track to break personal records and why we stayed undefeated,” said 8th grader Devon Moore.

The 8th grade team suffered a big loss in last year's Big 11, while also having an undefeated record. The 7th grade won every meet and the 8th grade won every meet except one tie against Northwood. Many personal records were broken, as well as a couple of school records this year.

Concord wrestlers continue to improve their skills 

By Devon Moore

Staff Writer 

Having a season record of 6-10, the wrestling team had three JV players who finished in first place at the Big 11 hosted by Northridge Middle School.

At the Big 11, three wrestlers Armani Rico, Fernando Aguilar Loza, and Ma’Liyah Haggan all came in first place in their weight class. Other participants who performed well during the season as well in the Big 11 include Easton Winter, Brogan Metcalf, Aiden Rolon, and Michael Albert. All the partakers in this event showed exemplary sportsmanship and exceptional skills in wrestling. 

Wrestler Connor Decker said, “Big 11 was very nerve racking and suspenseful. Wrestling is definitely the hardest sports I have ever done. Big 11 definitely challenged both our mental and physical capacities.”

During the meet against Elkhart, all the wrestlers did their best but some of them stood out like Easton Winter, who pinned his opponent in less than a minute. Gabe Rico also pinned his competitor in a very fast time; others like Metcalf didn't win their match by pin but by points. Rolon had a close match but unfortunately lost. They came up short with the score of the match being 33-50 but overall they did their best.

During practices they worked on form as well as getting quicker and stronger so they can perform their best at all their matches. They practiced from 3:00 to 5:30 so they had time to work to get better. Before meets they had time to relax and get in the right mental state to perform their best five.

Concord 8th grade girls varsity basketball shows growth throughout season

By Hailey Arroyo

Staff Writer 

Ending the season with an 8-7 record, the 8th grade girls varsity basketball team made significant progress over the course of 15 games.

Playing against Discovery for the second time, Concord lost 9-50 in the first game.  Hailey Arroyo scored a three pointer in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the score was 13-16 with Discovery in the lead. 

Turnovers by Discovery allowed Concord to score eight points in the third quarter. Both teams held strong, trying their hardest by not letting up any buckets for the whole last six minutes of the night. In the end, the Concord Minutemen made an intense comeback and scored 12 more points leading to a Concord victory, 33-26.

“I thought if you looked at us from game one to game 15 we were a completely different team. We improved a lot and it is probably the most improved team I've had in a few years. That was pretty cool,” said 8th grade girls varsity coach Trevor Willmore. 

Going against John Young in the Semi-Finals, Concord came up short. Nataly Torrez was able to get fouled and make both free throws in the 1st quarter making the score 4-14 with John Young in the lead. Nataly Torrez allowed Amelia Howard to score 4 points in the 2nd half putting Concord at 12 and John Young at 16. 

After the first half, Concord tied the game by scoring 16 points in the second half until a last minute three pointer was made by a John Young player putting up the final score 28-31 with Concord Minutemen short.

“Wish we won that last game and we could have won because we had effort, strength and determination but we just didn’t start out as well as we wanted to or should have,” said Lillian Taylor.

Ending the season record with 8 wins 7 losses, the team put up an incredible fight in the Big 11. They practiced five days a week for two hours during the season.

7th grade girls varsity basketball makes great progress

By Hailey Arroyo

Staff Writer

Ending the season with a 5-7 record, the 7th grade girls varsity basketball team lost against Discovery in the first round of Big 11.

Playing against Wawasee, a three pointer was scored by Kennedy Short in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, the score was 21-9 with Concord Minutemen in the lead.

A turnover was made by Concord, leading Wawasee to score a lay-up in the third quarter. Both teams held strong, not giving up no matter what the score was for the 6 minutes. In the end Concord came back and scored six points leading Concord to Victory, final score 36-27.

“This game was one of our first games playing situational basketball, meaning that they had to play smart with the ball. Couldn’t commit any turnovers with the lead in the game where they could have stolen the lead back from us. Big learning curve for some of our girls,” said 7th grade varsity coach Corbin Bate.

Going against Discovery in the first round of Big 11, Concord came up short. Alia Harber was able to score 8 points in the first quarter causing the score to be 13-11 in the first quarter with Concord in the lead. A play set up by Alia Harber allowed Lola Crase to score a 2 pointer ;however, Discovery was taking the lead in the second quarter, the score being 15-31 Discovery.

After the first half Concord held strong and played good defence the whole rest of the game. A Discovery player was able to score 2 more points for their team causing the final score to be 24-50 with Concord short. 

“I felt that we were going really strong at the beginning of the game but after the 3rd quarter we lost all of our momentum  when they got up. The difference between the first game and the last game was significantly different,“ said one of the team captains, Alia Harber.

Ending the season record with 5 wins 7 loses, and putting up a great fight in Big 11. This team practiced 5 days a week for two hours every day.

Concord girls JV basketball shows determination throughout season

By Julia Ralston

Staff Writer

The girls' JV basketball teams finished the season with one close game against Northwood.

During the first quarter of the game, Isabella Moreno drove for the basket to make a layup, but she was fouled by a NorthWood player, leading to free throws. Moreno scored 1 point for Concord securing the first point of the game. Maggie Avita saw an open shot and decided to take it, sinking in a 2-pointer for Concord.

Julia Ralston ran the ball down the court and sank an easy layup making a 2-pointer. Ralston then had a turnover, scoring another 2 points for Concord leading to 7 points in the first quarter. Putting Concord in the lead.

During the second and third quarters, Moreno, Avita, and Ralston scored another 17 points. Moreno took wide-open shots and made the baskets. Avita also took wide-open shots and made most of them.

Ralston drove the ball toward the basket throughout both quarters. During the fourth quarter, Kaitlynn Smart passed to the basket helping the girls score even more. Concord was down by 6 points and was coming back fast. With only a minute left the teams were tied. Northwood scored a layup putting the girls down by 2 points making the score 30-32. Although they lost, the girls worked hard and did not give up.

“I improved so much during the season. The girls on the team have helped me so much and I'm glad that they were the ones chosen to be on the team,” stated Derica Gary an 8th grade Jv player.

During Big 11, 7th grade and 8th grade were defeated by Northwood. During the 7th grade game in the first quarter, Kami Militello scored a layup. No one else scored in the first quarter.

During the second quarter, Rylee Stier scored six points for Concord, along with Charlie Shannon who scored two points. At this time the score was 10-4 with Concord winning. During the third quarter Stier, Shannon, and Taliyah Massey scored. 

Kynessest Ivory went up for a layup and was fouled but missed both shots. During the last quarter, the score was 17-14. Northwood hit a last-minute buzzer beater beating Concord 17-18 leaving Concord eliminated, with 8th Grade also being beaten 14-37.

“This season we faced some challenging competition but our girls grew a lot in spite of that. It was really neat to see leadership qualities develop in each of my players as the season progressed. By the end of the season, we had a solid team with good camaraderie! I am proud of these ladies!” Stated Mary Reddy the 8th grade girls' JV coach

Over the season Both teams worked hard practicing every day and running certain drills. The girls ran drills such as the three-man weave and a three-on-two scrimmage drill. These drills helped to improve the girls' running upcourt with the ball skills and attacking the basket. 

All of these drills helped the girls improve on and off the court. The girls practiced hard and improved through the season. Although the season didn't end well, the girls made lots of friends and learned many lessons.

Varsity boys basketball improves throughout the season     

Brynn Weirich

Staff Writer 

The 8th-grade boys’ varsity team ended their regular season with a record of 7-4, while the 7th grade closed their season 9-2.

On November 28, during a regular season game, the 8th grade Concord team had another substantial win against West Side. In the first quarter, Kolten McCloughen advanced the ball up the court to make a 3-point shot, which made the score 7-0. 

By the 3rd quarter, Concord was in control of the game, leading West Side by 30 points. With 4:40 left, McCloughen intercepted a pass, dribbling it down the court for an easy lay-up. Trevin Koontz was passed the ball by McCloughen for another 3-point shot, which brought the score to 43-10. 

With just a few minutes left in the game, Narkiso Odhimabo dribbled the ball all the way up the court to make his lay-up and got fouled. He did not, however, make the free throw for the extra point. The game ended with Concord winning, 46-15.

Axel Arendt said, “We as a team out-worked them tonight, and I think our performance showed it.”  

Seventh grade varsity also had a hard-fought win against John Young Middle School. Tim Woods moved the ball up the court making an assist to Brenden Grant for a 2-point lay-up. This play made the score 2-6. 

The 3rd quarter started off 13-14, with John Young leading the game. Jamar Thomas received the ball and secured a 3-point shot. Chase Brown cut off the passing lane for John Young and stole the pass, taking it down the court for an easy lay-up.

In the last quarter of the game, Concord was up 33-27. With 4:44 remaining in the game, Thomas got a rebound and put the ball back up for a 2 point shot. The game concluded with Concord securing a 39-36 victory.

Seventh grade varsity coach Trevor Wilmore said, “The season definitely had its ups and downs. We started off a little slow in the beginning, but as the season continued everyone of them bought in and worked really hard. We had a tough loss in the Semi-finals, but overall I had a lot of fun coaching this group! I will definitely miss coaching them.”

In the 8th-grade Big 11 tournament, Concord had a tough first-round game against John Young. Throughout the game, there was little separation in scores between the two teams; however, Concord managed to stay ahead by the end of each quarter.

With just a few seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, Anthony Beard was fouled while shooting a 3-point shot. Beard made 1 out of his 3 free throws, which concluded the game, with Concord winning 26-24.

During the second game of the tournament, the 8th graders faced a difficult matchup against North Side. By the end of the 1st quarter, it was a close game, with the score at 6-10 with North Side in the lead. However, they ended up closing their season with a loss of 37-50.

Also, defeating John Young in the first round of Big 11, the 7th grade team easily defeated them 34-19. Both teams started off the first quarter tied 3-3. Regardless of the slow start of the game, the gap slowly widened, with Concord pulling away with the victory.

The 7th grade team then advanced to the second round of the tournament, where they faced North Side. Throughout the game, Concord dominated with the score being 30-8 at half time. They triumphed 45-14 to close out the game.

In the last round in the tournament for the 7th graders, they faced off against Schmucker. Concord lost 18-40. With this game, their season came to a close, preventing them from advancing to the championship.

Season of unity brings Concord cheerleaders sense of achievement 

By Isabella Moran

Staff Writer

Concord Cheerleaders motivated players and fans during both the basketball and football games over the fall season.

During games, cheerleaders performed up to twenty different types of cheers.
Motions must be sharp and tight and facial expressions need to be positive. One of the cheers performed by Concord’s cheer team is the fight song, done at the end of each game on the gym floor in front of the bleachers, with parents, teachers, and friends interacting and clapping along. Cheerleaders learned a new cheer called “Rebound, Concord!” which was performed whenever the JV or varsity team shot a freethrow.

Stunting involves a high level of difficulty due to perfecting hand placements and strength.  This can be difficult, but it’s worth it. One of the crowd's favorite stunts was a full down, in which Kaylynn Grant, Isabella Moran, and Dariana Miller threw Zoie Williams in the air and she spun around. Tumbling is one of the main things students this year strived to work on and get better at. During basketball season, varsity’s four tumblers, Williams, Jaylah Aguilera, Chloe Carrington, and Madison Rupp all threw a back tuck during a full timeout. 

“Let’s get fired up!” Williams yells from the sidelines at the start of each game.  With a team of only 11 girls, Concord was not able to participate in this year’s annual competition. That however, didn’t stop the team from having a great season.

Coach Laney Creech said, “We didn’t expect perfection, we just wanted effort.”

Dribbling, whistles, and chants to encourage this year's basketball team were the sounds heard throughout the gym this season. Since the first practices, the girls have all encouraged each other to believe in themselves and pursue new skills. During halftime and full timeouts is where their hard work paid off with four talented tumblers and one competent stunt group. 

“It was awesome to see the girls getting along and using their sportsmanship to help one another out,” said Grant. 

Boys soccer shines through season

By Aston Bontrager

Staff Writer

Updated: 10/18/24

With a record of 8-1-1, the boys soccer team beat Elkhart twice in the regular season, but they lost in the 2nd round of the Big 11 to Goshen.

In the regular season game against Elkhart, Addyson Amaya-Amaya whipped a ball into the box from a corner kick, and Nevin Lopez used his head to score, gaining the lead 1-0. Lenin Guzman beat a defender to go through on goal, making it 2-0 for Concord. Aston Bontrager’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but Coen Dalton got the rebound to score, ending the half at   3-0.

After the half, Elkhart did not get any chances to get a score on goal. Concord’s defense prevented any goals from being scored as they kept possession and won the game 3-0. 

Noah Montiel said,”I am glad that we won and that we finally beat Elkhart.”

In the Big 11, Concord faced Wawasee in the first round, Bontrager was at the edge of the penalty box and passed it to Edgar Reyna to score the last goal of the game making the final score of 6-0. In the second game, they matched up against Goshen, who Concord lost to in the regular season. Brian Mejia ran down the left wing and crossed it to Guzman who tapped it in to tie the game up at 1-1.

In the second half, Concord conceded 2 goals making the final score 3-1 for Goshen. They ended the season with 9 wins, one tie, and 2 losses in total.

Coach Luke Saleh said,” I was so incredibly proud of our soccer team this season, with 9 wins and 2 losses and we had a great season! What grit! In soccer, and life, we choose to win and we lose or tie with dignity!

Before games, they passed the balls around to warm up for the game and they practiced Mondays through Fridays from 3:00 to 4:45. In 2023, the Concord boys team had a record of 5-5. 

8th grade JV volleyball loses Big 11

By Hailey Arroyo

Staff Writer

Coming up short in the regular season, the 8th grade JV volleyball team lost against John Young in the semifinals of Big 11.

Playing against Northwood, three teammates dove for the ball in one round in the first set causing Concord  to get the point. Kendall Jackson served a perfect ace with the ball going directly under the net, advancing the score in the second set to 2-11.By the end of the second set, the score was 5-25 Northwood.

“My goals for the next game is to call the ball, move my feet and win,” said Mia McLean.

Going against the John Young Jaguars in Big 11, Concord came up short in the semifinals. Jordyn Kamp, the libero, ran up to the front to block the ball multiple times when she was playing in the back row. Concord lost the first round of Big 11 against the John Young Jaguars.

“Tips for the next year’s volleyball players is to go for every ball and always have a positive attitude,” said Jordyn Kamp, the libero.

Ending the season record with 1 win and 10 loses, the team put up a big fight in Big 11. This team practiced 5 days a week and had some of their tournaments on weekends.

Girls’ varsity basketball teams finish season with wins

By Emma Wilson 

Staff Writer 

Updated 3/15/24

The 8th grade varsity basketball team ended their season with a record of 6-5, and the 7th grade varsity team had a season record of 4-10. 

The 8th grade team went against Jimtown Junior High, and they won with a score of 21-12. During the first half of the game, Jennifer Shirk Marquez #23 ran one of their plays, scoring two points, finishing the second half with a score of 10-0. Then to finish of the game, Imonni Torres sank  2 free throws, bringing the score to 19-12; they finished the game off with 2 more points from Brooklyn Ganger #10. 

“Honestly this was one of my favorite girls teams I have ever coached. They worked hard every day and always had positive attitudes. My favorite part was probably just watching them work hard and improve throughout the season,” said Coach Wilmore.

The 7th grade girls team went against Goshen Middle School, and they won with a score of 33-20. Amelia Howard made a shot, starting the team off with 2 points, and after the first half, they had a score of 22-5. At the start of the second half, Haleigh Pinnick shot free throws and made 2 out of 2 which brought them to a score of 36-15, beating Goshen. 

“I loved being able to teach students about a game that has brought me so much joy in my life,” said Coach Bate.

In the first round of Big 11, both teams lost to Schmucker Middle School.

   Girls soccer team wins Big 11

By Katie Tucker

Staff Writer 

The girls soccer team won first place at the Big 11 on Saturday, October 30 against Northridge with a score of 1-0. 

During  the Big 11  game, Northridge scored on Concord but got a hand ball right before, so it did not count and the girls had another chance to win. Beyonce Carrillo made a goal in the last 3 minutes of overtime making the score 1-0. During the last 3 minutes of the game, the girls went back and forth hoping that Northridge wouldn't get a goal. The girls soccer team ended the season strong with 13 wins and one loss. 

“This season has been a lot of fun. We’ve got a group of girls who are kind-hearted, yet fierce on the field. I am so proud of the progress we made this season,” said coach Luke Saleh.

The girls soccer team played against Goshen and won on Thursday, September 14. While Goshen took many good shots, the Concord goalie, Ana Moratinc, blocked almost all of them. Fortunately, when Goshen tried to score on Concord, the ball bounced off the top of the goal, and they were able to turn it around and make a shot.

  “Even though we are in second overtime,” said Brynn Weirich, “we still pushed through.”

    The girls practiced on Monday through Thursday each week from 3:00-5:00. During this time, they would  practice plays that they struggled with in the past game.  

Eight grade varsity volleyball secures fourth place in Big 11

By Eiishianna Njoroge

Staff Writer

The 8th grade varsity volleyball team finished their season with a record of 7-4, winning the first two rounds of the Big 11 game against Schmucker.

 Towards the first set of the middle of the Schmucker game,  Schmucker players spiked down the ball at Kaylen Troup, digging the ball into Elishianna Njoroge’s arms. Following, Emma Wilson put it back over to Schmucker's side getting the point and tying the game.

The team got down a few points, but stayed strong and caught back up to take the lead. The ball immediately came back over by a tip with Njoroge making the save to get the play back in motion. Concord then ended up winning the first set with a score of 25-19, with Laela Moore ending the set by spiking the ball down to Schmuckers side. 

Coach Julie Campanello said, “There is so much talent and mental toughness on our team.” 

In the second set, Ella Bloss served to Schmucker’s side, returning it back to Concord, while Troup passed the ball to Bloss. Bloss backset the ball to Moore, spiking it back down to Schmucker and Concord got the point, making the set come to a close finish.

Concord ended up winning both sets with Troup’s game point serve leading to a final score of 25-23. 

Moore later said, “This team never gives up.” 

The 8th grade team played a challenging game from hits, to serves, to digs, and to kills with an amazing crowd to support our Minutemen team.

8th Grade JV Volleyball places third at Big 11

By Isabella Garcia Romero

Staff Writer

     The 8th grade JV volleyball team finished their season with a 3-9 record after losing in the third set against John Young in the Big 11 Tournament.

     In the first set, Concord took the lead with a score of 9-2 against Goshen. The middle hitter Miyania Emmons had a total of 9 serves and 7 aces. After a strong serve, the defensive specialist Mariana Arroyo secured a perfect pass to the setter Gabrielle Light, who decided to tip the ball over the net. Goshen let the ball drop, giving Concord a point. 

     Emmons said, “My favorite part of the game was that we kept our energy up, supported our teammates, and celebrated each point that we got.” 

     In the second set, Ella Vander Reyden passed the ball to Dillyn Casey, who set it to Arroyo. Spiking the ball directly into the line, the line judge called it in. This was the game point, and Concord won against Goshen with a score of 25-9. 

     “We had good energy throughout the whole game and enjoyed what we were doing,” said Coach Russ Frey.    

     On Saturday, at John Young, the team lost the first set after feeling nervous and getting distracted by the loud crowd at the game. After a timeout and some motivating words from Russ, they gained confidence and won the second set by 10 points. Unfortunately, after giving their best effort they lost the third set with a score of 14-15.            

     The team practiced  two hours five times a week from Monday-Friday. During practices the players would hone their skills on passing, hitting, setting, and serving. Twice a week, 7th grade and 8th grade had a scrimmage to help the girls be prepared for their upcoming games.     

Eighth grade football finishes third

By Tyler Watson

Staff Writer

The 8th grade football team ended the season with a record of 5-2, beating Elkhart East and placing third in the Big 11 tournament.

During the Big 11 game, Jimmy Thews took the snap and handed it off to running back Gerrel Suggs, who took off down the left sideline, slipping off tackles and running in for the Concord touchdown. Caden Frizzo kicked the PAT (point after touchdown) through the uprights and scored the team another point that helped them on their comeback win over Elkhart East.

The Minutemen defense held up strong and stopped Elkhart at the Minutemen 27 yard line, but it was 4th down and the snap fell into the hands of Elkhart East’s quarterback. He stepped back and threw but it flew through the air and was incomplete.

“The best part of the Big 11 game was when the 7th graders were riding in the bus and you could hear them screaming and cheering while we played, ” said cornerback Boden Scott.

After the turnover on downs, the Minutemen offense just has to run the ball a few times and the game will be over. The Concord Minutemen just won and placed third with a final score of 38-32.

The football team ended the season with a placement of 3rd in the Big 11 tournament. 

“The highlight of the season was out there on the field. The growth that we sustained from our week one loss to now,” said Coach Daniel Loth.

            Seventh grade varsity volleyball ends season strong

By Laela Moore

Staff Writer 

  The 7th grade varsity volleyball ended their season with a record of 6-7, while falling short in the Big 11 Tournament against  Discovery. 

In the Discovery game, Samyja Jones had the most consecutive serves with five. Carly Clauss had two kills that dropped giving her the most kills. Damiah Pearl, the libero, had two digs that both got sent over as free balls. 

In the second set, Genesis Link had two saves on shanked balls gaining two points for Concord.  Going back and forth to keep the tie, Concord eventually lost the lead, ending  the game 18-25.

 “We had a really good team, fought hard and relentless,” said Taelynn Mckinney, setter.

During the game against Pierre Moran, the 7th grade team kept a five-point lead both of the two sets. Mckinney started the game off strong with four consecutive serves. Pierre Moran tipped the ball to Dariana Miller who blocked the tip resulting in a point for Concord. 

Pearl set Clauss up for a kill that was shanked on Pierre Moran’s side ending the first set. Link had an accurate pass to Mckinney then tipped on the line by Paxton Fisher to start off the second set. Pearl set up Clauss ending the game with a score of 25-11.

“The 7th grade varsity volleyball team may not win every game, but they always push themselves and never give up,” said Coach Tiffany Mckinney. 

Cross country team excels throughout season

By Marihanna Montiel Reyes 

Staff Writer and Photographer

Achieving their personal best, both the boys’ and girls’ cross country team succeeded all throughout the season.

After chanting the Minuteman song, the girls got into position waiting to start. Starting off strong altogether, Danica Montiel got ahead and ran in first for ⅓ of the first 100 meters. Two girls from Discovery end up passing her while going up a big hill.

Montiel said, “There were definitely a lot of challenges and obstacles to overcome. One of the biggest challenges I overcame was accepting that I won't always have my best race, and that's okay.”

Montiel ended in 8th place for the girls’ varsity. Boys varsity finished with Noah Anderson in15th place as 6th grader. Around the 200-meter mark, three people passed Anderson; however, he didn't give up and finished strong.

The Big 11 was at Northridge Middle School on September 23 due to the season ending short. Both teams worked hard for the season to finish. At Oxbow Park, Concord’s Cross Country course was extended 100 meters as a result of the course being slightly shorter than previously laid out.

Coach Ryan Praul said, “I think it was a good decision as we use our courses to keep track of our runners’ times and to show improvement.  By adding on to the course, we could feel good about comparing times across courses.”

Concord ends playoffs with win against Grissom

By Caden Frizzo

Staff Writer

Ending their season with a record of 4-3, the 7th grade boys football team came in third place in the Big 11 by defeating Grissom.

Concord kicked it off to Grissom to start the game, but the returner fumbled the ball and Concord got it, giving Concord a great field position. The quarterback, Kolten Mcloughen, threw a touchdown pass to Jimmy Read. Kamryn Smith ran for the two-point conversion.

After Grissom got the ball back, they went for the 1st down on 4th down but didn’t make it, giving Concord the ball in a very good position. Concord went to score a touchdown after that.The only time that Grissom scored was on a kickoff in the 4th quarter.

“The 7th grade team was one of the hardest working and most respectful teams I have ever coached,” said Coach Trevor Wilmore.

 The touchdown scorers were Kolten Mcloughen who threw 5 TD passes: one TD pass was to Joey Campanello and the others were to Jimmy Read who caught 4 TD passes. Narkiso Odihambo had one rushing TD and Kamryn Smith also had one rushing TD.

Concord 7th and 8th-grade boys finish strong at Big 11 Finals

By Kendall Howard

Staff Writer

At the Big 11 finals, the boys seventh grade track team placed second, while the eighth grader boys took fifth.

In the field events, Elijah Castaneda won first in shot put, throwing a 420-02.25. He also threw a 128-02 gaining 2nd place in discus. In seventh grade, Caleb Koehler took first place in shot put with a 37-03.50. At finals, Harry Brunner placed first in high jump withTrent Deaton securing second place in high jump for eighth grade. 

In hurdles, seventh grader Mason Sheely ran 17.46 during the Big 11 prelims before running 17.80 in the finals, earning second place. He also placed fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.94. 

Coach Wilmore said,  “I was very proud of the boys this season. There were a lot of injuries that held us back, but everyone worked very hard and pushed through.” 

In a previous track meet against Westview, both Brunner and Deaton managed to take first place in high jump, while Koehler and Drake Light both won first place in discus— Koehler with a distance of 92’11” and Light with a distance of 101’8”. Concord was also able to secure first place in shot put because of Elijah Castaneda’s distance of 43’ 1 ½” and Cameron Cole’s distance of 33’11 ½”. 

Chase Aplin, an eighth-grade long jumper, managed to win first with a distance of 17’10”. In the end, they managed to win seven out of the eight field events that meet, and both the seventh and eighth graders came out victorious. 

“Even though we didn’t win the Big 11, I still had fun being a part of the track team,” said eighth-grade runner; Kyden Deane-Nesbitt.

Intramural Tennis swings into action

By Bethany Saavedra

Staff Writer

Intramural tennis taught students the concept of the sport and how to play it.

Before practices started, many students signed up for the sport but many were not selected as there was a limit of twenty-five players. Due to this, the coach increased the limit of students to forty students. This allowed additional students to have the opportunity to be in the tennis program.

  Students were required to buy or bring their own racquets for the sport and had to pay a ten-dollar fee. Athletic clothes were also needed for the practices. Lastly, students could not be in track, due to the schedules interfering with each other.

At practices the coach, Ms. Megan Denton taught different tennis moves such as forehands, backhands, and volleys. Students learned how to do all of these moves with the group's work and the coaches' help. 

A forehand is when the tennis ball is hit with the racquet in the dominant hand that is holding the racquet's face forward. Students had to swing the racquet across their bodies in the direction of where they wanted to land the ball. 

A backhand is when the tennis ball is hit on the non-dominant side having both hands on the racquet. As easy as it seemed to some players, many of them found this move more difficult than the others. 

A volley is when a player returns the ball before it bounces on the court. Students usually used this when they were closer to the net. This is because if they were to let it hit the ground it would be harder to hit it.

At the end of practices, Ms. Denton allowed students to play games such as, King of the Court and Jail. Many people on the team enjoyed these games and had fun with their teammates.  

From beginning to end students improved their techniques of the sport. Not only was it technique but it was also teamwork and dedication to learn the sport. Intramural tennis benefited the students by teaching them how to play the sport as a single player and also as a team.

“I think I have grown physically in tennis. I have learned how to play the game better and how to hit a ball the correct way. It was also really fun to learn a new sport I never played before,” said Hayden Minder.

By Whitney Sotebeer

Staff Writer

The girls’ varsity and JV swim teams finished undefeated while capturing the Big 11 trophy at Northridge High School

The varsity girls were on fire this season, especially the girl's A relay team which included Isabella Biggers, Whitney Sotebeer, Ingrid Medina, and Brynlee Yoder. They swam their medley and free relay every meet, winning by almost 10 seconds every time. Biggers broke a record that had been set in 2019. She went 28.43 in the 50 backstroke.

Biggers stated,” There will always be someone faster than you, but don't let that bring you down.”

    Sotebeer broke 1:00 in the 100 freestyle, and Medina broke 36 seconds in the 50 breast. Emily Blistiv, Mya Pressler, Xiomara Salinas, and Maya Preston broke 2:10 in their 200-medley relay.

The JV girls worked their hardest and improved throughout the season. Natalie Eslinger,  Alyssa Mascola, and Gabriela Villasmil Lizardo improved their times in many strokes. These girls just started swimming this season.  

Coach Hayden said, “We had an amazing season as a team. While it’s always nice to finish the season with a trophy and lots of wins, the best part was seeing the athletes' growth and how strong they found out they truly were.”

This year was the first year in Concord Junior High history that all four boys and girls Varsity and JV won Big 11.

         Boys’ Varsity and JV swim teams         win Conference

By Jacob Espinosa-Castaneda

Staff Writer 

For the first time in history, the CJHS both the boys’ JV and Varsity swim teams won the Big 11 Championship at Northridge Middle School on March 22.

Going undefeated the entire season and absolutely crushing all of the schools in their way, the boys had won first place in the relay event with the order of Harry Brunner, Toby Huston, Grace Combs, and Jacob Espinosa going last with a time of 2:00.70. Concord went on to win first and second in the 100-yard freestyle with Toby Houston winning first with a time of 58.01 and Jacob Espinosa second-place time of 1:04.65, leading to the victory of the championship

“Winning the Big 11 championship again is an amazing accomplishment, and I hope to win it again next year,” Brunner said.

After a nail-bitter season, the JV team won all of their meets except for one draw with Wawasee. The JV team placed first and third in the relay event with Joel Montiel, Jayden Spice, Bennett Auvil, and Tanner Hutchison getting a time of 1:13.90 entering first place; meanwhile, Julio Flores Hernandez, Brady Iemma, Ricardo Flores Hernandez, and Luis Ramirez maintained a time of 1:40.43 coming in third place. Later, Montiel placed first for the boy's 50 free while Auvil and Iemma won first and second in the 100 IM, ultimately victorious in the Championship.

  “It was truly amazing. We were so close last year, but this year everyone dug deep and gave it their all. Because of this, they made history, marking the first time CJHS swim has won all four Big 11 trophies,” said coach Hayden.

A total of nine boys joined the Concord swim team that had originally concluded club swimming for Concord. One of those swimmers happened to be Harry Brunner who had broken a school record against the Wawasee meet. Coincidentally, a swimmer from the opposite school had accidentally false-started which resulted in a disqualification. For the first time in Concord’s history, both varsity and JV for both boys and girls won the Big 11 championship.

Girls’ JV basketball team ends season with strong season record

By Valeria E. Garcia-Murillo 

Staff Writer 

The 8th grade girls’ JV basketball team ended their season strong with a record of 9-2, while the 7th grade girls’ JV finished their season record 1-10.

During the game vs Westview, the 8th grade basketball team victoriously won the game. In the first half of the game. Khila Ziegert rebounded the ball after Westview missed a foul shot, but she ended up turning the ball over giving Westview a chance to score. However, Westview missed, and the ball went out of bounds. 

When the ball was thrown in, Westview made a foul on Kylee Anglemyer, and she made both foul shots, tying up the score 2-2. Later in the game, Samatha Braden got the ball, dribbled it across the court, and went for a lay-up, making it 4-2 and putting Concord in the lead.

Coach Trevor Wilmore said, ‘’This was a very hard game. The girls did very well and fought hard all the way to the end. I think we just needed to execute our plans a little better but overall we did good and made a lot of progress through the season. This game was tough but I think we did very well."

In the Big 11, the 7th grade basketball team fought hard but unfortunately lost to Northwood. In the first quarter of the game, Northwood had the ball and took their shot but was blocked by Alyssa Mascola who dribbled the ball halfcourt; additionally, she passed it to Victoria Moreno. Moreno dribbled it closer to the basket but was guarded by Northwood; therefore, she passed it to Jacqeline Esparza who went up to the hoop making a layup and putting Concord in the lead 2-0.

Moreno said, ''Even though we had a tough season, I still enjoyed being a part of this team. My favorite part of the season was the support and cheer from teammates during all the games.” 

Every weekday the girls’ JV basketball team would practice from 3-5.Two girls would lead the team through hand drills and other basketball exercises. They would then practice two on three for a few rounds, start with plays they would do in the game, and continue working on their layups, offense, and defense. 

Concord wrestling ends season strong

8th grade varsity ends Big 11 as runner-up

 Seventh grade JV basketball wins Big 11 Championship

By Jeiel Njoroge

Staff Writer

Seventh-grade JV basketball ended their season undefeated, securing a win in the Big 11 championship.

At the end of the 2nd quarter, Concord ended the half 19-8 with an 11-point lead. In the 3rd quarter, Tristan Crowder cut off the ball, caught the pass, and made the layup to make a 13-point lead for Concord. With well-played defense, Concord ended the game with a score of 33-17.

“I think we did a great job of communicating and playing as a team the entire game. I also thought we played with a lot of energy. This allowed us to execute defensively and limit teams from getting easy baskets, which helped us win a championship in the end,” said 7th grade JV Coach Wilmore.

During a regular 7th-grade season, they played one of their best games of the season. Drew McEachern got possession of the ball, passed the ball into the paint to Micheal Martinez, and made the layup. 

Concord played great defense the rest of the quarter, having Northridge score only 11 points in the entire game, beating Northridge  36-11.

“It was definitely defense, we were locked in, in the 4th quarter that secured us a win,” said 7th-grade JV player McEachern.

During the regular 8th-grade season, Concord had a big win against Goshen Middle School. Tony Medrano-Hernandez got possession at the top of the key. He went an open lane and drove to get a layup, for a score of 14-0 in the 1st quarter.

In the 3rd quarter, Goshen had possession of the ball. Victor Vergara gets a steal off of a Goshen guard and goes up for the fast-break layup—Concord gets a lead of 15 points, securing the 3rd quarter, 25-10.

In the 4th quarter, Goshen missed the layup and Brennan Sheely got the rebound. Concord had possession of the ball, Jeiel Njoroge passed the ball to Avant’e Baskin. He shot a 3-point shot and made it. Eighth grade won with a score of 30-14.

“I think us playing like a team and encouraging everybody helped us win,” said 8th-grade JV player, Simon Arroyo.

At the beginning of practice, the 7th and 8th grade got the basketballs out to start warming up. Once coaches arrived, they worked on various things like ball handling, plays, and defense.

By Bryce Outlaw

Staff Writer

Updated 12/15/22

Ending their season 13-1, the Concord boys’ seventh grade varsity team lost a hard fought battle to John Young in the semi-finals, while the eighth grade finished their season 2-11.

  In the Big 11 tournament, Concord seventh grade varsity placed third. They won 44-41 against Schmucker and 37-36 against West Side, but lost 44-43 against John Young in the semi-final round of the Big 11 tournament. On the other hand, Concord eighth grade lost in the opening round of the Big 11 tournament 44-27 to Schmucker.

The seventh grade and eighth grade varsity teams had a regular season game against Jimtown on Wednesday, November 30. The seventh grade team started off strong, beating Jimtown 11-2 at the end of the first quarter. Concord started to slow down letting Jimtown come back. 

Going into halftime, Concord was up 19-13.  Coming out of the half, Concord and Jimtown went basket-for-basket with Jimtown making two three’s while Braylon Mitchell made a three for Concord and Harry Brunner made a layup. The third quarter ended 24-19, Concord winning. The fourth quarter started with Jimtown having possession of the ball.

Brady Emerick stole the ball from Jimtown and missed the contested layup. Jimtown got the rebound off of the miss, took the ball down the court, and made a three-pointer. Concord got possession of the ball, and Emerick passed the ball to the post for Brunner who made a layup. 

Jimtown took the ball down the court and made another three. Emerick took the ball up the court and passed to Tarajhi Jones who drove to the basket and made a layup. Jimtown took  the ball up the court after the basket and made a layup.

The game was 28-27, Concord up, with 2.4 seconds left. Jimtown called a timeout to talk about what they needed to do to score. At the last second, Jimtown throwed up a shot and missed. Concord seventh grade varsity won 28-27 over Jimtown. 

Concord eighth grade varsity had a win against Jimtown also. Concord won the tip-off and had the first 2 points of the game, Bryce Outlaw passed the ball to Trent Deaton for the layup. Jimtown responded with a layup of their own; the game started off tied 2-2.

Jimtown scored on a fast break layup; the first quarter ended 2-4, Jimtown up. In the second quarter, Concord went on a 12-0 scoring run. Going into half time, Concord was up 14-4. 

Coming out of the half, Mason Bailey connected on two threes in two possessions for Concord. After Bailey’s threes, Jimtown finished the quarter on a 10-2 scoring run. The third quarter ended 22-14. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, Breslin Defrees made a three pointer. Jimtown responded with a three and a layup of their own. After Jimtown’s points, Defrees made another three.

Jimtown got the ball and brought the ball up the court, they scored on a backdoor cut. Towards the end of the game, Chase Aplin made a three. Concord eighth grade won 31-19 against Jimtown.

Seventh grade football team end season 6-1

Girls’ soccer team earned 2nd place at the Big 11 Finals

By Valeria E. Garcia-Murillo 

Staff Writer 

The girls’ soccer team ended their season record 4-6-1 after securing second place in the Big 11 after competing against Goshen.

On Monday, September 19, the Concord girls played against Elkhart Christian Academy and took the victory, ending the game 2-1. This game was difficult with lots of blocks, throw-ins, free kicks and even a hand ball. 

During the start of the second half, Elkhart Christian had a throw-in, but Concord was able to obtain the ball and take a shot. Unfortunately, it was blocked by Hannah Liggitt who gave the ball to Braycee Brosamer. Brosamer then made a goal during the last few minutes of the game securing a 2-1 win for Concord. 

“Even though we were tired,” said Brosamer, “ we came through at the end.”

On Saturday, October 1, Concord went against John Young in the semifinals at the Big 11 and won. During the finals, they went against Goshen but lost 0-7 earning 2nd place in the Big 11. During the game, there was a goalie kick that ended with Goshen getting the ball out, leading to a throw-in by Keylen Mejia. However, Goshen interfered and ended with the ball making it past Concord’s defense; Goshen took the shot but the goalie, Alyssa Mascola, blocked it and stopped the goal. 

“The Big 11 is special because it allows our teams to show growth as they play the same teams a couple of times. It is a wonderful thing to see the athletes grow in their skills and confidence, and it is a privilege to coach them,” said Coach Luke Saleh.

The girls soccer team practiced after school from 3-5 and discussed positive and negative things about the day prior. The team captains would lead the warm-ups, and after that, they would focus on foot skills by doing drills. Before each game, someone would make a speech to motivate the team to do their best. 

Boys cross country team achieve their P.R. goals

By Paola Garcia   

Staff Writer

         Surpassing their time in a home meet at Oxbow Park, all of the boys' cross country teams achieved their personal records against Elkhart Schools, Benton, and Goshen.

The boys were all together at the start of the home meet but started separating at the first 1,000-meter mark. At the end of the race, Jaydon Yoder got first place for the team, and 15 seconds later, Jude Hauser followed. Not only did they get their personal records, but the whole team did.

  Hauser said, “Getting to the end and seeing my P.R. and being proud that I’ve improved [was the best part of the meet].”

In another home meet against John Young, it was there that the boys and girls ran together in a meet for the first time ever in the season. This was due to John Young having a small team. Even after the challenge of the park being crowded, eight boys managed to get a P.R.

At the Woodland Trails Invite hosted by ECA in First Baptist Church, five boys beat their P.R. from the home meet. One of them was Elijah Towner who beat his P.R. exactly by a whole minute. Some of the boys from each division placed top 20 receiving a ribbon and varsity boys ended in 3rd place.

At the Big 11, Nathan Wheeler crossed the finish line first for the JV team and five other runners continued after him, achieving four P.Rs and ending 8th overall. Varsity ended with 9th overall and two PRs were beaten.

Coach Katrina Godzisz said, “Watching people getting their best efforts and their P.R. was the best part of the season.”

 A highlight of the season was running to and from Flavor Freeze which was a distance of 3 miles. On the way there, the boys signaled the drivers to honk. Each student got to choose an item that Coach Rach paid for because of their hard work throughout the season.

Concord cheerleaders compete in inaugural competition

By Valerie Munoz-Ramon

Staff Writer

Updated 10/31/22

On September 24, the 7th and 8th grade cheerleaders competed in the inaugural Big 11 competition at Goshen Middle School.

Prior to the competition, the cheerleaders had three weeks to work on their routine. During each practice, they worked on their dance, stunts, tumbling, and cleaning up their motions. With only twelve girls, Coach Megan Stevens and the girls managed to come up with a two-minute routine with two stunts hitting perfectly.

“My favorite part of cheer was preparing for competition and watching all the girl’s hard work shine on the mat,” said Coach Stevens.

The cheerleaders had the option to sign up for a jump-off which contained pikes, toe touches, and hurdlers. Going against girls from seven different schools, Emma Elick made it to the last round and won first place. 

“Winning to me means so much more than just a trophy. It proves to me that all my hard work has lead me to accomplish something big,” said Elick.

During the competition, the judges didn’t deduct any points from Concord. There were only first and second place winners announced. Discovery won first and their runner-up was Northwood.

Eighth grade boys secure first place in Big 11 track finals

Brodie Hershberger

Staff Writer

Updated 5/20/22

On May 13, the 8th grade boys' track team took first place in the Big 11 Conference, while the 7th grade boys came in second.

In field events, Trent Deaton jumped 5’6 ½” in high jump, beating the 7th grade junior high record and securing a first place finish. Chase Aplin ran a 12.53 in the 100-meter dash; he placed 6th place in the conference finals. Riley Parsons ran a 1:01 in the 400-meter dash. He ended up placing fourth place in the 400-meter dash. 

Carson Weirich ran a 25 flat in the 200-meter dash. This put him in third place for the 200-meter dash. He also ran a 12 flat in the 100-meter dash, securing a third place finish. Mason Bailey ran a 19.72 in the 100- meter hurdles, placing seventh overall.  Jude Hauser ran a 2:54 in the 800-meter dash earning ninth place. 

“Starting the season off, we went through a lot of injuries. People getting hurt left and right. But we managed to stick with it the whole way through and took 2nd place in Big 11,” said Coach Wilmore.

Donovan Arnold threw a 88.11 in discus, placing second place. Jack Yoder ran a 5:00 mile, which put him in third place. Jaxson Meyer ran a 2:19 time in the 800-meter dash, securing fifth place. Meyer came in fourth place after running the mile in 5:09.

In fourth place, Jeremy Moore ran a 12.6 in the 100-meter dash. Dalex Moreira ran a 24 flat in the 200 meter dash. That put him in third place for 200 meter dash. Moreira secured a first place finish in the 400-meter with a time of 55.2.

“I learned a lot this season by giving my best in practice and showing the results in Big 11,” said Bo Brunner.

In a previous meet against Northridge, Donovan Arnold threw the shot put 40’ 5” placing first. Not only did Concord secure first in shot put, but they also got first in discus. James Wilson threw 127’ 10” in discus allowing Concord to get first in both throwing events. Concord unfortunately was unable to win against Northridge. 

During practice, students worked on their running by doing accelerations, snake drills, warm up jogs, and 1-mile runs.

By Camdyn Bolton

Staff Writer

On Tuesday, May 10, the girls’ 7th and 8th grade track teams won 1st place in the Big 11 Conference at Concord High School.

In the field events, 7th grade Ingrid Media beat the school record for high jump with 4' 11". Vivian Casey placed 1st in discus with a distance of 59' 8" and placed 2nd in shot put, throwing 21’. Evie Mashala beat the school record in hurdles and placed first with a time of 16.92 seconds; she also finished the 800 in 2:49. Concord’s seventh grade girls earned 84 points beating Northridge by ½ a point allowing them to take home the win.

“At the beginning of the season, I couldn't get the steps down, and then when I finally got it it was a significant accomplishment. Before Big 11 my personal record was 4' 6"--that is 5 inches off 4' 11". On that Tuesday I was very positive and when I missed my first attempt at 4' 8" I just let it go and kept believing in myself and it paid off,” said seventh grader Medina.

Eighth grader Alison DeFreese ran in the 4x100 and 4x400. DeFreese also took first place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.03 seconds and placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.13 seconds. Ava Dixon and Lucile Odhiambo placed in the 10-meter hurdles with times of 17.07 seconds and 17.40 seconds. The 4x400 team including Camdyn Bolton, DeFreese, Bella Kratzer, and Kimberly Arriola finished with a time of 4:56.51.

“As a coach, it is important for my athletes to understand that the goal during the season is improvement.  We look at our meets as a hard practice where we can work harder to get better.  We were very uncertain, in many events, early in the season.  Many girls switched events throughout the season to support the team in areas where we needed to improve or where someone might have been sick or injured.  The need to switch event participants was evident at the first meet of the season. It resulted in a Big 11 Conference Championship.  I am very proud of this group of girls,” said the 8th grade coach Katrina Godzisz.

In a previous meet against Northridge, both girls’ teams beat Northridge with 7th grade winning 56-54     and 8th grade winning 57-43.  Concord 8th grade took 1st and second in hurdles and in shot put. Claire Campanello cleared 4' 6" placing 1st for high jump. Seventh grade girls took first in hurdles, 200-meter dash, 800-meter dash, 1600-meter dash, long jump, high jump, and discus.

Both teams trained during practices to get better at each of their events. Everyone had to try new events to find where they were best. Even though they were not the best at the beginning of the season they managed to fight through and even win the Big 11.

By Juanita Quintero 

Staff Writer 

Finishing with an undefeated record, the varsity girls’ swim team won first place at the Big 11 finals for the second consecutive year. 

The girls ended the season strong with many broken records including the  50-freestyle 24.77 , 100-freestyle 53.01, 200-freestyle 1:55.65, 50-breaststroke 32.27, and 100-IM 1:01.24—all broken by Catie Brenneman; the 50-butterfly 27.16  was broken by Mya Earnsberger. 

“It’s definitely cool and it really shows the effort that I put into the sport that I love,” said Brenneman. 

In the Big 11, the swim team faced Northridge, Goshen, Northwood, Elkhart, and Jimtown. It was an easy win for the girls with the results displaying Concord in 1st with 338 points, Northridge 2nd with 282 points, Northwood 3rd with 159 points, 4th Elkhart with 119 points, and 5th Goshen with 99 points.

With Northridge being the toughest team to go against, the varsity girls still managed to break multiple records with less than two weeks of practice. Due to the track season starting right after swimming, many swimmers were forced to quit. 

“It would have been nice to have a couple more weeks, especially for the new kids to the sport,” said coach Mary Lucchese.

The team had four weeks of practice that lasted two hours each day. Last year, the girls finished with 293 points in the Big 11 at Northridge. With great efforts and hours of practice the girls took the victory and resulted with an undefeated season once again.

By Irvin Mejia

Staff Writer 

On March 23, the Concord Junior High School boys’ swim team won the Big 11 and ended their season in victory after losing a year ago.

The swimmers went undefeated, 6-0, during the regular season. They broke multiple records including the 200-freestyle, 50-butterfly, 100-IM, 200-freestyle relay, and the 200-medley relay. Although the team had some tough matches, they still came out victorious. 

Bo Brunner broker the record for the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:55.64, and Ivan Blystiv broke the record for the 50 butterfly with a time of 25.85 seconds and also broke the 100 IM(Individual Medley) record with a time of 57.92 seconds. Camden Stutsman, Harry Brunner, Brunner, and Blystiv broke the record for the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.77 and also broke the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.30.

  During the Big 11, Camden Stutsman, a Concord eighth grader, was in the lead and a Northridge swimmer was right on his tail. In the end, Stutsman ended with the victory, winning the points for his team which contributed to Concord's Big 11 victory. Ivan Blystiv came in first for breaststroke with a huge gap between him and a Northridge swimmer; he finished with a time of 29.6 seconds, contributing to the team's points and victory.

      Stutsman said, “It was fun breaking those records and winning all our meets.”

The swim team had defeated Goshen the week before the Big 11 without letting Goshen come in first in all the events.  

Mrs. Lucchese, the swim coach, said, “All in all, Northridge was the toughest team because they had a lot of kids who were club swimmers.”

Varsity girls basketball team beats Grissom 43-0

By Teagan Walters

Staff Writer 

On March 10, the 7th and 8th grade varsity basketball team made it to the final four in the Big 11.

After the 1st round of the Big 11, both 7th and 8th girls beat John Young by 15 points to move on to Round 2 against Northridge. Unfortunately, they lost in Round 2, after missing a half-court shot. 

On Tuesday, February 8, the 7th grade girls went against Grissom winning 38-10. The game started and Addyson Coleman jumped for the ball, got it, and passed it to Hayden Minder. Minder went straight to the basket and made a layup. Grissom came up the court with the ball and Shiloh Smith stole the ball from Grissom’s point guard and passed it down to Coleman who scored a layup. 

Minder said, “I thought it went really well. We all worked as a team for the most part.”

After half-time, the score was 33-6 and Brianna Koontz took the ball up and passed it to Vivan Casey. She passed it back out to Koontz who shot it and made a three. They ended their game winning 38-10. 

During the 8th grade game, Sarah Funston jumped for the ball, passed it to Shelby Emerick who shot at the three-point line. Zaza Zilm guarded the point guard, stole the ball from her, and scored a layup. Funston passed the ball in from the out of bounds to Teagan Walters who went in for a layup and made it. 

After half time, the score was 29-0.  Mia Sollars passed the ball to Lilly Bieganski in the paint to score a layup,ending their game with a score of 43-0. 

Coach Earl said,“Our season didn't go as I expected. It was stressful at times but I enjoyed the highs and lows. Our record definitely did NOT reflect the talent that this team had the potential for, and I wish I could have found a way to pull that out of each of them.”

Concord girls JV basketball carries another great season

By Lilly Newburn

Staff Writer

Concord girls’ 7th and 8th grade JV basketball both fought it out in the Big 11 with 7th grade losing in the championship game, ending their season with a record of 4-7, and 8th grade losing in the first game with a record of 2-5.

On February 24, Concord JV basketball girls went against Northwood at Concord with 7th grade losing with a final score of 6-26. With 1:38 left in the first half, Kylee Anglemyer stole the ball and dribbled down the court. She passed the ball to Khloi Rios who took a shot and scored, carrying the score to 4-17 right before half. 

“There were quite a few girls who had not played basketball before. They made tremendous growth and began to gain confidence as the season went on.  Even though our record didn't show it, our team was getting better and better.  In fact, 7th JV lost in the Big 11 championship game at the end of the season. There is so much more to prove,” said Coach Lemmon.

Eighth grade JV also lost to Northwood with a score of 10-19. Northwood fouled Taylynn Calhoun with 3:20 left in the second quarter, making one out of the two chances she received. Calhoun ended the half with a score of 10-13. Rebounding the ball, Calhoun threw the ball to Deanna Banks who took a 3-point shot and scored. 

“We would maintain positive energy on the court by talking and motivating each other during the struggles,” said Banks.

Every day after school the JV basketball girls would go down to the gym and practice from 3-5. Coach Lemmon and Coach Wilmore would start practice by conditioning and then running drills and plays.

Eighth grade football makes it to championship game

By Camdyn Bolton

Staff Writer

Updated 10/11/21

The eighth grade football team ended their season 8-1 after losing to Discovery in the championship game on October 5.

During their fourth season game against Jimtown, the score was 6-0 when Derek Gomez threw the ball to Charrese Brevard for a 2-point conversion making the score 8-0. During the second quarter, Concord called a timeout to regroup and make sure they didn’t let Jimtown come back and tie the game. Later that quarter, Jimtown scored a touchdown but missed the field goal; Concord still held the lead 8-6.

The third quarter started off with a couple running plays back-to-back. Breveard then scored another touchdown by a quick running play. After they scored a touchdown, Derek Gomez made the field goal.

“We started off rough, but we found a way to keep the lead by the second half,” said Donavan Arnold, defensive tackle, right guard, and defensive end.

During the championship game against Discovery, Concord let Discovery get in their heads. Discovery held the lead the whole game. During the first quarter, Discovery managed to score a touchdown and complete the two-point conversion. 

During the second quarter, Discovery did the same thing and scored a touchdown by throwing the ball for a 2-point conversion. Concord didn’t score until the third quarter. Although they scored a touchdown, Concord did miss the field goal.

“It was a really tough game! We  started off really slow in the first half, but they fought hard in the second half! It was a great season and I was very proud of how hard they played,” said Coach Wilmore.

During the eighth grade football team’s practice, they worked on running drills. This showed them how to fix their mistakes and to keep fighting throughout the season. The eighth grade football team ended their season 8-1.

By Cheyenne Collins

Staff Writer

Updated 10/13/21

On October 4, both the 7th and 8th grade JV volleyball came in second place at the Big 11; 8th grade finished their season 4-4, while 7th grade finished their season 1-7.

During the first round of Big 11, the 8th grade scores were 24-21 going into a third set to win a spot in the championship game. As the ball was served by Goshen, Lucile Odhiambo retrieved and passed the ball to Ana Valeria Morianto who then set the ball to Skyler Balamucki. Balamucki tipped the ball over to Goshen; they then passed the ball back to Concord. 

Cheyenne Collins set the ball over the net to their front row and the set went on for a while, back and forth. Finally Collins tipped the ball over her head as she was jumping to block the ball from falling  onto the floor to secure a place in the Big 11 championship game.

 “I think that we did good this season. We tried really hard to make it to where we are now and even though we lost our last game we still played like we won,” said Teagan Walters.

During the first round of the 7th grade Big 11 game, the score was 24-20. When the ball was served by Goshen, Salma Latif retrieved it and passed it to their setter Evelyn Vera Santos who then tipped the ball over to Goshen. Goshen bumped the ball back over to Concord. Ruby Cuevas passed the ball to Amari Rockett who then finished the point by passing the ball back to Goshen; they failed to retrieve the ball.

“These girls improved so much in the short amount of time we had, even though it wasn’t the best season, it was the best growth I've seen so far,” said Coach Arlette Rangel.   

During the season, the players practiced every day on their serving, passing, and worked with their setters. Occasionally, the  8th grade JV would scrimmage the 7th grade varsity. This helped the JV girls prepare for the intensity of a tournament such as Big 11. 

Seventh grade football wins playoff game

By Sloan Fisher

Staff Writer   

Updated 10/10/21

      The 7th grade football team ended their season with a strong record of 3-2, securing a 7-6 win in the playoff game against John Young. 

      In the playoff game, Tavion Beach caught the ball and ran down the field into the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown for Concord. In total, Beach ran 70 yards in the game leading to a successful victory over John Young.  Riley Parsons also added to Concord's victory by throwing a 1-point conversion to Cooper Carrington and running a total of 90 yards.

     “The game was really hard fought both defensively and offensively; each team was back and forth with points throughout the game. When Tavion scored and Cooper threw the conversion it definitely was a big help in having a victory over John Young,” said Coach Trevor Wilmore.

     On the defensive side of the field, Elijah Castaneda made the most tackles of 5 during the playoff game. Concord's defense strongly held their line and prevented John Young from getting any more field goals. By working together and communicating, the whole team collectively rushed a total of 160 yards in the playoff. 

      “I think our team did  well playing together in the playoff game. I would say over the season we've become a family and learned how to work with each other.”  defensive tackler Barrett DePriest said. 

         The team worked diligently in every practice on improving any mental errors they were experiencing and also learning the plays better.  Last year's 7th grade football team had a season record of 3-1, and they managed to have a regular season during Covid.  

Varsity volleyball finishes season strong

By Teagan Walters

Staff Writer 

The 7th and 8th grade varsity volleyball teams ended their season with an 8-5 record, and the 7th finished 7-6.

On September 28, the 7th-grade team lost their second game of the match. The majority of players on the 7th-grade team made all their serves. Ten minutes into the first match, the score was 10-9 with Concord leading. The ball went over and Schmucker hit it back over the net. 

Addie Worden set the ball to Briana Koontz who spiked it over causing the ball to rickashay off the arm of one of the players on Schmucker, and the ball went out. Schmucker then called a time out. Concord ended their last match with a win of 25-21.

Koontz said,” One thing good about the game is that we got three hits every time.”

The 8th-grade team had a lot of hits that game and most of them were from Claire Campanello. Campanello jump-served a couple of times and made all of them over. Concord lost the game in two matches, but they played a solid game. In the first 5 minutes, the score was tied 5-5. Schmucker started off with the ball, they served it over, and Rheagan Stafford set the ball to Campanello and she spiked it over. It hit the floor and Schmucker had no time to hit it back over. 

 Campanello said, “We played good even though we lost. We walked off the court like we won.”

Boys track takes first and third place at Big 11

By Jake DeShone 

Staff Writer

On Tuesday, May 11, the 8th grade boys’ track team took home 1st place and the Big 11 Conference trophy along with the 7th grade who placed 3rd at the Big 11 Conference meet at Concord High School during COVID-19. 

In 8th grade, Noah Culp took 6th place in the 110- meter hurdles and 3rd place in high jump. Culp also took part in the 4x400 meter relay and 4x100 meter relay where Concord took first place in both events. In the 100- meter dash, Elijah Swanson took 3rd place and took 1st place in long jump;, and he was also a runner in the 4x100 relay.  Simeon Lake who took 2nd place in the 400 with a new personal record of 58.58 seconds also took part in the 4x400 relay and 4x100 meter relay where CJHS took first place in both. Distance runner Reid Sollars finished with his best time in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:08 finishing 5th. 

"Winning the Big 11 Championship was achievable because every athlete performed at the highest level and did their very best.  We had a lot of guys who had some of their best jumps, times, and throws at the Big 11 Conference meet which is what you need to do to win a big meet like that."  Winning a meet this big isn't easy," Said 8th grade coach, Ryan Prahl.

 Starting off in field events Concord’s 7th grade Donovan Arnold took first place in shot put with a throw of 37.3 feet and placed top 10 in discus. In long jump, Bo Brunner and Charrese Brevard earned 2nd and 4th place. Brunner also took part in the 4x400 team taking 3rd place. 

Brevard also took 2nd place in long jump with a jump of 15 feet.  Angel Rodriguez came in 3rd in both the 400- meter dash and 80-0 meter dash. Distance runner Jackson Meyers finished 2nd in the 1600- meter dash with a personal record of 5:37. CJHS 7th graders racked up a total of 74 points falling 14 points behind the Big 11 champions.

Unlike previous years, the 2021 Big 11 Meet was a little different due to a life- changing pandemic, Covid-19. The meet this year took place all in one day with boys being on May 11 and the girls Big 11 being on Friday May 14. Through this year's struggles, the 7th grade boys were able to take home 3rd place in a hard fought battle.  

       In an earlier meet against Northside, both boys teams beat Northside with 8th grade winning 60-40 and 7th grade winning 72-23.  Concord 8th took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 400-meter dash and high jump. Austin Ayrea and Culp had some of their best jumps failing at 5’8. Seventh grade boys took first in every event but 2, and  worked hard for their spots. 

“It was amazing to go out there and compete with yourself and only get better. It was also a new experience for everyone and something most people aren't used to.” said Elijah Swanson. 

This was a different year for not just track but all sports. Covid-19 affected everyone in different ways but CJHS was able to overcome that and perform as hard as they could. CJHS boys distance team suffered a two-week quarantine going into spring break losing practice time. Despite the two- week loss the distance team came back better than before.

Varsity girls basketball team finishes strong

By Annika Troyer

Staff writer

On March 11, both 7th and 8th girls varsity basketball teams lost to the Discovery Archers in the final four.

In the final Big 11 game with 11 seconds left on the clock, Concord was ahead by 1 point as a Discovery player brought the ball up the court. She attempted to pass it down the middle, but the pass was intercepted. The ball flew out of bounds, out on Concord.

Discovery took the ball out under their basket with four seconds left of the game. The ball was swiftly passed to an awaiting player on the elbow of the free throw lane. She shot the ball and made the basket as the buzzer rang throughout the gym.

“I loved spending time with the girls, and the overall season was amazing,” said 7th grade varsity player Sarah Funston.

In the 7th grade girls’ regular season they faced Pierre Moran and won 40-6. In the 2nd quarter Concord stole the ball and passed it to Funston who was wide open at the 3-point line. Funston took the shot and made it over the nearing hands of her defender.

“It was a great season but things didn’t really work out how we wanted them to. The girls are like family. I’ve built so many friendships with the players, and the coaches did the best they could to make us all better,” said 7th grade varsity player Shelby Emerick.

The 8th grade varsity lost to discovery in their Big 11 tournament. The team was missing two of its starters (Libby Kavanagh and Monique Mitchell) due to injuries and other events. In the second quarter Natalie Rodrigez brought the ball up the court. She lobbed it down the middle of the lane to Mileah Mckain, who made the basket from the block.

“We played our best and that’s all that mattered in the end. I loved getting to know the girls and growing relationships with them,” said 8th grade varsity player Mileah Mckain.

The eighth grade varsity also faced Pierre Moran that night and took the victory with a score of 46-3. In the second quarter, Halle Ganger stole the ball from the opposing team and sprinted down the court for a layup. She successfully made the shot, despite the defender in her way. 

“All I can say is that my team worked extremely hard so they were not defeated. You are not defeated when you lose at anything. You are defeated when you quit and that is what I was most proud of with my team against Discovery. No matter what the score said, They NEVER quit!” said 8th grade varsity coach Earl.

Boys varsity swim team secures second place at Big 11

By Reid Sollars 

Staff Writer

The Concord JHS boys’ swim team finished with a record of 5-1, while claiming a second place finish in Big 11.

In the first event, the Concord boys with Bunner(backstroke), Blystiv(breast), Sollars(fly), Delio(free) relay started off strong with a first place finish in the 20-medley relay beating the school record that was set two years before, which Sollars was on with his older brother Brayden Sollars. Later on in the meet was the 200-freestyle with Gabe Kazmerizack and R.Sollars dueling it out for first place. Kazmerizack pulled out ahead of Sollars on the last 50 of the race, with a finishing time of 1:53, but Sollars was right behind him with a 1:56 beating the school record.

Will Delio said, “Although I like getting first, dropping time is my main goal.”

During a regular season meet against Goshen and Jimtown, Zachary McDonald pulled out ahead at the start of  the 200-free.. Towards the 100-yard turn, Camden Stutsman from Concord and Peter Moser from Goshen were battling it out for 2nd, but Moser pulled ahead with a final time of 2:10:49, and Stutsman with a time of 2:15:80. McDonald crushed his best time with a 2:01:69.

Coach Nicolle Corporon said, “Watching the kids get best times and watching them beat records was amazing. It was a fun year.”

The team practiced for 1.5 hours each day and had  a variety of practices.

Varsity 8th grade boys basketball remains steadfast  

By Jake DeShone

Staff Writer 

Ending the regular season with a 9-1 record, Concord faced the Pierre Moran Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and lost.  

During the playoff game, Concord was missing key players--Noah Culp, Levi Klien, and Jamar Moton-- due to injury or absence, putting them down to 7 players. The game took place exactly like their first matchup, hard-fought with high intensity; but, unfortunately, CJHS lost and sent Pierre Moran to the second round of the playoffs.  

The game came down to the last 1 minute and 30 seconds. CJHS was down two points and had the ball with Elijah Swanson bringing it up. They beat Pierre Moran’s defense to get the ball past half court where Swanson passed it, and the ball got turned over leading to two more points by Pierre Moran, putting them up 4.

 As Concord brought the ball down, they passed it over and the ball slipped; it was stolen, but they missed the layup and CJHS brought it and scored, putting them down 1. As Pierre Moran brings the ball with 20 seconds, they tried to score but missed. With only ten seconds left, Swanson brought the ball up and passed it. Hudson Glantz got the ball 3, 2, 1, and no shot was put up. Concord lost by 1.  

During a regular season game on November 17, CJHS had a hard-fought home boys’ varsity basketball game against Pierre Moran, but they came out on top winning 46-43; despite the loss, CJHS  fought hard until the final buzzer sounded.

Concord was recently coming off a two-week quarantine due to a school shutdown. Due to this, they were down for two weeks of practice. They had only 4 weeks of practice coming into the game and they weren’t all together in a row. They were also missing two of their players putting them down to 9 players. 

Coming off a championship win last year, CJHS had to fight the 4-0 Pierre Moran Warriors. With key play Elijah Swanson out, it was a tough game. Both teams moved the ball well and had strong defense, but Pierre Moran had one player to do it all, scoring 27 out of their 46 points. 

“Even though we didn’t have a full team due to COVID-19, we still worked as a team until the final buzzer and competed to our best; we just weren't able to come out on top,” said Lucas Prough who scored 17 out of Concord’s 43 points.     

  Concord came out winning the tipoff and scoring the first basket. They ran their main offense well and set up plays that helped get them buckets. The play that gave them the most points is a play called “twist” giving 12 of their points before half.  At the end of the half, Concord was up 25-21. 

“We played well on our side of the ball. We kept up our defense the whole game and executed the offense every time they could. The kids did what I asked and executed it well. I am proud of how everyone played. They played the game they truly loved that night and that is why I coach,” said head coach Tim Osborne.

7th grade JV volleyball team wins Big 11 during COVID

By Layla Miller 

Staff Writer

Updated 11/10/20

The Concord girls’ soccer team ended their season with a 12-2 record, losing in the championship game to Goshen on October 3.

It took ten wins and two losses to get to the final championship game against Goshen. The Friday before the championship game, the team was supposed to play Northridge; however, the game was moved to the championship day, causing them to play two games that Saturday morning,  winning the first game by 1 - 0. 

Concord’s girls’ soccer team had made it into the Big 11 game with an undefeated record against Goshen who also had an undefeated record. The girls’ team lost in the Big 11 game, 5-0 

Soccer player Bella Allen said, ´´Whether we won, lost, had a bad or good day, we were always there for each other because at the end of the day we are more than just a team, we are a family.´´ 

With 15 minutes left in the game against Northridge, Concord’s goalkeeper got the ball and passed it to Allie Defreez; Defreez then passed the ball halfway up the field to Layla Miller. Miller then crossed the ball in between two of Northridge’s midfielders right to Annabelle Singleton's feet. Annabelle stepped over the ball and then passed it to Ashley Lopez Cruz; Lopez Cruz took one dribble and then shot from right outside the eighteen. The goalie dove and missed the shot which made the score 1 to 0 Concord with the lead.  

Coach Luke Saleh said, ´´This has been a very special group. This has been a team that has worked incredibly hard and grew in character. We had a lot of wins, a lot of hard-fought matches, but most of all we had ladies that were proud to represent this school and the sport that they love with class and integrity."

The Concords girls’ soccer team practiced every Monday through Thursday and occasionally some Fridays from the beginning of August till mid-October. Because of Covid, the soccer team had to do some things differently than they would have done in the past. For example, before every game, the girls and boys team would have a snack together and till it was time to get ready for the game. This year the players had to go straight to the field and came dressed and ready for the game.

Boys’ cross country season ties for fifth at Big 11

By Reid Sollars

Staff Writer

The Concord JHS varsity boys’ cross country team finished their season with a record of 8-5, while securing a tie for fifth place at the Big 11 championship.

At the start of the Big 11 race on Oct.3, it was close with Max Malloy, Xavier and Baylor Miller, and Reid Sollars leading the group of 76 people. During the middle of the race, Malloy made a move to shoot out in front of Sollars who was in first. Sollars finished fourth and Zachary McDonald finished nineteenth.

McDonald said, “Beating hills is like climbing Mount Everest.”

During a regular season meet against Smucker and Northwood, McDonald got out with a 20-yard lead ahead of all of the competitors. Towards the middle of the race, there were three Northwood runners that came up to pass McDonald on the biggest hill of the course. McDonald finished in fifth but stepped up for an injured Sollars.

Coach Michael Rach said, “The runners really enjoyed running with each other and having fun. That is the most important part of cross country.”

The team practiced for 1.5 hours each day and stretched for 30 minutes.. The runners sprinted twice a week and completed long runs twice a week.

7th-grade football goes 3-1 in regular season

By Garrett Stewart

Staff Writer

Due to the quarantine of the entire Concord Jr High football team, the 7th-grade boys finished their season with a  3-1 record, after only playing 4 games. 

In the game against Northridge, after being handed the ball, #3, Charrese Breveard, ran to the right outside part of the field. On his way, he juked out a player attempting to tackle him. Once he saw his opening, he dashed his way up the sideline into the end zone, resulting in a 70-yard touchdown and ended in a victory.

“During the season, it felt fun to play because a lot of other kids didn’t get to. Because of this, I played every game like it was my last,” said Charrese Breveard.

Even though there weren’t many games in the season, Coach Demien still liked the way the 7th-grade performed on and off the field. While only having 17 players for the 7th-grade, Coach Demien thought the 7th-grade should be praised for their effort against Northwood, Northridge, Goshen, and Jimtown.

“This year’s 7th-grade football team should be commended for their pride, grit, and effort to have such a low number of kids but to succeed on the field as they did is commendable, highly commendable. Because your opponent doesn’t care how tired you are or how rough you have it, the 7th-grade never used that as an excuse, they overcame it. Will and determination and all those things as a coach you want to see they exhibited it on a daily basis,” said Coach Demien.

So with a 3-1 record and the coaches happy with their effort, the seventh-grade season did come to an end early because of a Covid case. But the players tried their best and hardest with everyday practices, and, in the end, came out with a great season.

Girls' varsity basketball team ends season in close game

Updated 4/25/20

By Mia McEachern

Staff Writer

With the conference record of 3-9, the 8th grade girls' basketball team lost in the first round of the Big 11 Tournament to John Young with a score of 20-22.

On March 9, the 8th grade varsity girls basketball team played in round one of the Big 11 Conference against John Young in a close game. In the fourth quarter, Concord was up 20-18 and John Young scored a shot in the last 2 minutes of the game. Then, the game was tied 20-20 and Concord fouled John Young. The rival team pulled ahead, scoring two  free throws making the score 20-22. 

“My favorite part of the season was our tournament game. Even though we lost, I had never been so proud. Y’all came together, despite the arguments and disruptions, and shed tears but represented Concord well and lifted each other up, as well as showed your true growth.The obstacles that you all overcame were tremendous,” said Coach Takita Earl.                         

On March 4, the 8th grade varsity girls basketball team lost with a score of 26-5. At halftime, the score was 3-5 with the leading scorer Dominique Stilley with a layup. Later in the third quarter, Stilley scored when Kambrya Zilm bounced passed the ball  giving her the chance to score a layup to make the score 5-16.

“My favorite game that I played this year was when we played North Side and almost everyone on our team scored, and we tripled the score of the other team,” said Danielle Aplin. 

Eighth grade volleyball team captures Big 11 title