Activities Department Update

One of the most important aspects of athletics is the mental performance, specifically Confidence. Confidence can be the difference between rising up to the occasion and leading your team towards success at the end of the game, or crumbling and allowing the opponent an easy victory.

There are countless recommendations, books, and videos on how to build confidence in an athlete. Five of the biggest strategies are:

1. Repetition- Reps create muscle memory, muscle memory creates a flowing athlete, athletes in the flow are confident and effective. Part of those repetitions includes in the weight room getting faster and stronger.

2. Self-Talk- One of my college football teammates said the following four sentences to himself in the locker room before every football game, and it has stuck with me since. "Nobody gives effort better than me. Nobody does my job better than me. Nobody is as talented and wants success more than me. If you want to know how much better I am than you at these things, just wait and see."

3. Visualization- Mentally rehearsing or playing out situations and seeing yourself in success. I remember going onto the football field at 11:30pm the night before my first career collegiate start. The turf lit up by the moon, I walked the field, I went through my mechanics, and I narrated situations where I saved the day or had a great performance. This allowed me to be confident over nervous and doubtful.

4. Growth from Failures- We all fail at some point, but those who learn from their mistakes or shortfalls become more prepared for success. When you hit rock bottom, you realize you never want to be there again and will do whatever is in your control to avoid it. That determination builds confidence.

5. Builders around you- Confident people surround themselves with people who will encourage them and hold them accountable. People who will build you up when you are low, and celebrate your successes with you.

I’ll end with the story of the lion:

A young lion looked at his reflection in a water hole. Where other lions saw fierce kings of nature, he only saw a house cat. He walked the wild with his head low, comparing himself to other animals. He wasn’t the biggest—that was the elephants. He wasn’t the fastest—the cheetahs were. He wasn’t the smartest—the chimpanzees were. He wasn’t the shiftiest—that was the gazelles. He wasn’t the fiercest—that was either the alligators or the hippos. Other lions proudly wore their manes and confidently walked the land, but this lion shrank in self-doubt. One day, after failing a hunt, the lion said, “No more.”

The young lion changed his mindset and how he carried himself. No more comparing—just living and giving his best effort to survive. He had something to prove to the other animals and, more importantly, to himself. He wasn’t big like the elephants, but he carried himself bigger. He wasn’t fast like the cheetahs, but he was relentless in his pursuits. He wasn’t smart like the chimpanzees, but he worked harder. He wasn’t shifty like the gazelles, but he kept going until the prey gave out. He wasn’t fierce like the hippos or alligators, but he was determined to fight to the death—something the gators and hippos weren’t willing to do. This change in mindset transformed the lion physically. His mane grew in, his stride grew taller, and the other animals feared him. He became king.

Go into this week with the confidence of the Lion! Have a great week!

Our varsity football squad is currently 2-1. After suffering a frustrating defeat at home against Albia (0-30), our young men bounced back mentally strong with a physical win against Fort Madison (14-7) last week. The mental performance of the team collectively was impressive, and the physicality we played with set us over the top of the Bloodhounds. This is encouraging as our team heads into the most important part of the season in district play.

QB1, Brett Cook, leads the team in rushing yards with 202 on the season. Fullback, Peter Seyb, ran for 95 yards and collected his second and third rushing touchdowns against the Bloodhounds. Cook and Seyb also lead the team in tackles with Cook having 26.5 and Seyb having 22. The defensive Ends, Odin Mullins and Will Hayes, have been relentless in their pass rushes and have landed 2 sacks and multiple tackle for losses. Max Jones (wing) collected 3 pancake blocks on the night leading the skill positions in that category, but it was Cam Thornburg who controlled the line with 7 pancake blocks on the night, 12 total on the season. Ward Fraise is the other starting wing who assisted the rushing attack, hitting over 100 yards on the season. The defensive backs controlled the skies against Fort Madison, collecting FOUR interceptions by Carson Morrison, Carver Hayes, Brett Cook, and Colton Taft. The best thing about these young men, is they care more about the win than their individual statistics.

Keep up the good work on the gridiron gentlemen!

A Special shoutout to the Middle School Football Team, as they had a tremendous comeback against New London in their first game, winning 26-18 after scoring 26 unanswered points in the second half. Wow! They also got a win this week against Van Buren County.

Our varsity team entered into Conference play last week, now holding a record of 6-5 (1-1). After a 1-2 showing at the Wapello Tournament, the girls have had a wave effect on the last three games. The Lady Hawks put a stomping on Keokuk in three sets, but then had a disappointing defeat against the Bulldogs at Mediapolis, but then once again crushed the Tigers of New London. Last night our girls faced Notre Dame and came up short, losing 3-1. Team cohesion and confidence are critical for these girls to flow together consistently, and I have seen that in a few games, but we need every game.

Kenna Sandoval has over 200 assists on the year, many of them coming from kill leaders Taylor Jones (74) and Brylee Cook (55). Chloee Haigh holds strong at the net, leading the team with 16 blocks, followed by Sandoval (13) and Jones (11). Remaining on the defensive side, we have three girls over 60 digs on the season: Taylor Jones (61), Macie Doty (66), Kenna Sandoval (96), and team leader in digs with a whopping 221 digs is Jayden Mueller. Brylee Cook collected 9 aces against New London, adding to her team leading amount of aces of 18. Macie Doty is the next deadliest server with 11 aces. The team averages over 90% of their serves being successful.

Taylor Jones also achieved the 750 Kills milestone while also adding to her 500 digs. Congratulations to Taylor!

As we head into the meat of the season, these girls have put themselves in a great position for success, and are continuously playing their best ball. Nice work ladies!

Our varsity cross country runners have only had two meets since the last AD update, but they have been excellent meets. At the meet in Keokuk, EIGHT athletes improved their personal best and both men and women teams placed in the top 5 in the meet. The Middle School Boys team took the trophy at Keokuk as well. Drake Newton won first place, Addalie Daly and Joseph Kruse placed in the top 5. Aubree Bunnell was the only medalist on the high school level, placing in 10th place. If you find the stats on athletic.net, one thing that is impressive from this meet, is multiple athletes cut MINUTES off of their previous personal best from last year.

The latest meet ended in excitement as BOTH boys and girls teams took home the gold at Davis County. Caden Crozier led the boys' side placing in 3rd, but the Hawk pack followed closely behind with Austin Fogarty, Orion St. Clair, and Caedon Newton placing in 4th, 5th, and 6th respectfully. The girls' side saw Aubree Bunnell achieving silver and Macy Anderson and Afton Maynes each placing in the top ten. Middle school wise, Drake Newton once again won gold, and both girls and boys placing second as a team. Orion St. Clair continues to have the best time on the team, but along with him, Austin Fogarty and Caden Crozier should all potentially be under 19 minutes if they keep up the effort. Aubree Bunnell could potentially hit the sub-18 minute mark by the end of the season.

We held our Home cross country invitational on 9/16. Our boys team placed 3rd, with Austin Fogarty and Orion St. Clair finishing in the top 10. Our girls team placed 4th, with Aubree Bunnell getting a top 5 placement finishing in 5th. It was a hot meet, but all of the kids gave great effort.

This amount of success shows how much growth and dedication the athletes have committed to their performances led by Coach Newton and Coach Weber. I see the hunger these athletes have in terms of achieving their goals and earning high placements. Keep up the great effort, ladies and gentlemen!

Schedules can be found on our Bound website.

Football- 2A

State Site: https: IHSAA Football

Varsity Football @ West Liberty, September 19, 7:00pm

MS Football vs Columbus, September 22, 4:30pm

JV Football @ West Liberty, September 22, 6:00pm

JV/Varsity Football vs West Burlington (Senior Night), September 26, 5:00pm

MS Football @ Wapello, September 29, 4:30pm

Volleyball- 3A

State Site: IGHSAU Volleyball

MS Volleyball @ Notre Dame, September 18, 4:30pm

FR/JV/Varsity vs Van Buren County (Youth Volleyball Night), September 18, 5:30pm

Varsity @ HTC Tournament, September 22, 4:00pm

MS Volleyball vs Van Buren County, September 22, 4:30pm

MS Volleyball @ West Burlington, September 23, 4:30pm

SEISC Tournament, September 25, 5:00pm

SEISC Tournament, September 27, 5:00pm

MS Volleyball @ Danville, September 29, 4:30pm

Fresh-Soph/JV Triangular, September 29, 4:30pm

Cross Country- 2A

State Sites: IHSAA CC and IGHSAU CC

@ Fort Madison, September 18, 4:30pm

@ Mount Pleasant, September 23, 4:30pm

@ Van Buren County, September 29, 4:30pm

Marching Band

@ Mount Pleasant Marching Band Festival, September 20

@ Argyle Parade, September 27

E-Sports

1st Competition vs Osage, September 18, 4:00pm

Competition vs New London, September 25, 4:00pm

Thank you Helpers!

As I wrap up the home cross country invitational, I want to thank all of the workers and volunteers who took part in running a smooth race. I had multiple compliments about how our spotters were encouraging, our workers were effective, and our course was well managed. As you know, a successful cross country meet only happens with the help of great people working and volunteering their time, so thank you very much everyone! Thank you to Wes McGraw and our cross country coaches (Chase Newton and Hollie Weber) for taking time to walk through the process with this football minded guy being introduced to CC for the first time!

Athletic Passes are Available

If you are interested in saving time with a one time payment to get into Central Lee home athletic events (excluding post-season competitions) for the 2025-26 athletic year, contact Tyler Bryant or Tina Cale for the options and pricing.

Sports Boosters Baseball/Softball Initiative

We are in the beginning process of the First Phase of this Renovation Initiative. The facility crew is hard at work on the infield of the football field, and we look forward to beginning pole installation for the nets on both fields.

Central Lee Sponsorship Opportunities

Want your business logo to be displayed on the scorers table at all of the 35+ events hosted in our Performance gym? Want your business to have a spot in the new sports events programs? Maybe you want your business to have a logo on the football field? If you or someone you know want a chance to advertise your business at Central Lee, then take a look at the Sponsorship Catalog for this year.

Below are the current coaching vacancies in our district. If you are interested, please contact Tyler Bryant and apply online at TeachIowa. Applicants must have a current Iowa Coaching License/Endorsement. Looking for positive, reliable, and determined individuals for these positions.

Varsity Assistant Football Coach

Head Varsity Girls Soccer Coach

MS Boys Basketball Coach

MS Boys Basketball Coach

Varsity Assistant Boys Basketball Coach

Middle School Baseball Coach

Middle School Baseball Coach

"You have power over your mind- not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."- Marcus Aurelius