Activities Department Update
September 4-16
From the AD's Desk
Be a Champion
Fall sports are underway, and it’s a great time of year! Our theme this year in the Activities Department is “Be a Champion.” This can sometimes be mistaken to mean that winning championships is the priority. Yes, championships would be excellent outcomes, but being a champion is much more focused on the process of getting there. There are five common traits of championship-minded people.
*Consistency- Champions love the process, and they give the same effort and attention to detail every day. Not just when they feel like it or when they know they will be successful, but in everything they do. Consistency creates habits, habits create confidence, confidence creates opportunities for execution, and execution creates success. Champions understand the importance of being intentional and purposeful with their time and effort. They don’t simply “go through the motions.” They approach sports, school, work, relationships, and life with purpose.
*Growth Mindset- Champions are confident in their abilities, but they also have the humility to recognize that they can and should get better. By focusing on improving themselves and those around them, champions never become complacent with where they are. They respect the process. They don’t fear failure; they embrace the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. This mindset allows them to appreciate their successes even more.
*Prepared- Champions prepare themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. They embrace the weight room and the daily grind of practices to better themselves physically. They understand that the mental side of approaching a competition or situation is just as important, if not more important, than the physical. Confidence and belief in oneself are critical to success, and those qualities are built through preparation. Champions don’t allow anger, fear, doubt, guilt, or cockiness to ruin their performance. Instead, they remain focused on the task at hand and concentrate on what they can control.
*Resiliency- Resiliency is a must-have for champions. When things don’t go their way, when they are struggling, or when situations happen that are outside of their control, champions respond positively. They remain focused, stay motivated, continue to give effort, and look for ways to improve and execute better. They understand that adversity is not an excuse to quit, they persevere.
*Team Over Individual- Champions know it is about the name on the front of the jersey rather than the one on the back. They put team success and the team’s outcome ahead of individual statistics and recognition. They commit to the role they play on the team, whether they are the starting star or a supportive player on the sideline. Every person plays an important part in the success of the team. Champions commit to doing what is right and appropriate for the team, understanding that harmful distractions and poor decisions can jeopardize not only themselves, but the entire team. Champions hold one another to high standards and expectations. They celebrate their teammates’ successes, knowing that when the team succeeds, every individual benefits. Blame, excuses, and selfishness do not belong on championship teams.
*Champions love the game, love their teammates, and love the process. So be Champions.
Weeks in Review 🏈🏐👟📣
Football
Our varsity football team started the season with a huge rivalry win against the Van Buren County Warriors. The Hawks routed the Warriors 38-12 in a dominating showing while also being down three starters. Brett Cook led the Hawks offensively throwing for 201 yards on 8/14 attempts for one touchdown, and rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Johnny Seyb also ran for 83 yards and a touchdown, while his fellow fullback Jaxson Mueller ran for a touchdown and Micah Ashmore ran for 20 yards on two carries. Carson Morrison caught 3 passes for 59 yards, all coming on 3rd down, and Evan Fogarty also caught 3 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Jack Benner led upfront with 8 pancake blocks at the center position. Brett Cook and Luke Kruse both led the team with 8 tackles, while Jack Benner (4), Caden Maltas (4), and Johnny Seyb (5) all helped wall the Warriors rushing games. Carver Hayes completely shifted the momentum of the game with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, while the Hawks had two other turnovers collected.
Week 2, the Hawks won a thriller up at Albia, beating the Blue Demons 20-14. Both teams put on a defensive clinic through most of the game, and the game was also plagued with penalties for both teams. In a showing of true perseverance and grit, the Hawks scored on a Brett Cook 63 yard touchdown run with less than 2 minutes remaining after the Hawks converted on two 3rd downs. The Hawks then withstood the Blue Demon air assault in the final minute of the game. With the clocks showing zero, the Albia quarterback threw a ball up to his wideout only for Carson Morrison to come down with the interception in the endzone. Brett Cook threw for 43 yards and ran for 95 yards with two touchdowns. Kellen Weber threw the two point conversion after Cook's tiring game winning run. Kellen also recovered a blocked field goal for a touchdown. The Hawks made the Blue Demons turn it over twice, and Adam Bagan helped with his 11.5 tackles in his first game as a Hawk.
The Hawks finish the non-district play going into the week with a 2-0 record hosting the local rivals, Fort Madison Bloodhounds on September 11 for Military/First Responders Appreciation Night.
Volleyball
Our volleyball team is currently 3-5 on the season. Last Thursday, they beat the Keokuk Chiefs in four sets to win the Battle of 218 Trophy. They look to carry the momentum as we head into conference play. Brylee Cook leads the team in assists (76), digs (58), and kills (39) while Chloee Haigh leads the team at the net with 14 blocks. There are five girls with 20+ digs making this a well balanced team. The team’s serving efficiency is 87% which is a strong stat. They will play New London and Mediapolis to open up SEISC play.
Girls Cross Country
Our girls are starting the season strong with one of the largest teams the program has had. At Cedar Rapids Prairie, the team placed 5th in the Orange Division. The girls all finished close together, led by Aubree Bunnell placing 24th. The girls ended up winning the Keokuk Invitational on Thursday. Aubree Bunnell led the way with a 4th place finish with 21:39 as her time. Freshman Addalie Daly finished 9th rounding out the top 10, and fellow freshman Savannah Overton placed 11th. This young team finds itself at the top of a few ranking systems, an excellent way to start!
Boys Cross Country
Our boys have high expectations for this season, especially after starting off by placing 7th in the Cedar Rapids Prairie Orange division. Drake Newton finished 4th with a time of 17:12, followed by Austin Fogarty, Caden Crozier, and Caedon Newton all finishing in the top 40. At Keokuk, the boys finished Runner-Up on a strong team effort. Drake Newton finished 3rd with a time of 17:46, with his brother Caedon Newton and Austin Fogarty both placed in the top 15. The team beat Fort Madison, the first time in a few years.
Hawks in Action
Fall Sports
Schedules can be found on our Bound website.
Football- 2A
State Site: IHSAA
9/4- @ Albia
9/11- vs Fort Madison- Military/First Responders Appreciation Night
9/18- vs West Liberty- Educator Appreciation Night/ FFA Farm Strong Night
9/25- @ West Burlington
10/1- @ Mid-Prairie
10/9- vs Wilton- Homecoming/ All Band/ Alumni Band Night
Volleyball- 3A
State Site: IGHSAU
9/8- @ New London
9/15- vs Mediapolis
9/17- @ Notre Dame
9/21- @ Holy Trinity Tournament
9/22- @ Holy Trinity
9/24- @ SEISC Tournament
9/26- @ SEISC Finals
10/1- vs West Burlington
10/6- @ Van Buren County
10/8- vs Danville- Senior Night
10/10- @ Davis County
Cross Country- 2A
9/12- @ Monticello
9/15- Home Invitational
9/17- @ Fort Madison
9/22- @ Mount Pleasant
9/29- @ Williamsburg
10/8- @ Mediapolis
Marching Band
9/12- @ Rodeo Parade
9/19- @ Mount Pleasant Invitational
9/29- SouthSound Marching Band Clinic
10/3- @ Davis County Marching Invitational
Athlete Spotlight
Announcements and Updates
*NEW* Football Scoreboard
Our new football scoreboard is ready to be used the first home football game. Thank you again to the donors, Sports Boosters, Jesse Day, and Jerry Mohrfield for all of their work and effort to allow us this great new addition to our facilities.
*NEW* BSN Year Round Store- Store Link
With our partnership with BSN, we can now offer a generic Central Lee apparel store year round! If you need some new Hawk merch or a cool gift idea, feel free to check out the link. Prices are a little higher as any items bought in this store will be customized and shipped within the week.
Pure Athlete Podcast/Social Media- Youth Sports Resource
If you want evidence-based, professionally backed sports philosophy and mentality, youth sports advice, and positive outlook on sports, look no further than the Pure Athlete Podcast and social media. This resource validates much of the direction Central Lee is heading towards.
Podcast- Found on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
Sports Registrations on Bound
Central Lee utilizes Bound to register all athletes into the activities they are participating in, as well as collecting sports physicals, and student performance statistics. It is a requirement for all athletes to register for each activity, and it is recommended to do so at the beginning of the year all at once. The parent of the athlete must be the one to fill out and submit the registration. Having an athlete do it for themselves causes too many issues in regards to parent/guardian access and locking the profiles. A guide to registering for activities can be found at this link: Bound Registration.
Coaching Vacancies
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. Interested in getting your Coaching License? Follow this link for the process to obtain it: Coaching Authorization
Middle School Boys Basketball Coach
Varsity Girls Golf Coach