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The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
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Wildcats dominate the defending state champions

Cats win in four sets against third ranked Silver Hawks in the state
Trey Jochims, Staff Reporter
October 16, 2024
Senior Hayden Hart helps the Wildcats build momentum in key moments against Lincoln Southwest. The Cats win their second top five matchup this season at home. “The gameplay for the team was to trust one another and enjoy every given moment we have with each other on the court,” Hart said. “The season is slowly coming to an end so the opportunity to play with this team is also wrapping up so winning gives us the ability to play a few more games together.” Photo By: Lilly Stoops

On Friday Oct.4, the Millard West Wildcats hosted the Lincoln Southwest Silver hawks at home for another top five match up in Wildcat one.

The Wildcats came into the game with a 17-7 record along with a three game winning streak. On the other hand the Silverhawks came in with a 12-5 record. These two teams played each other Twice last year, and the Silver Hawks won both in convincing fashion. Millard West ended the season without a state appearance while Lincoln Southwest went on to be the state champions.

“This game gave us the opportunity to move up in the polls and get prepared for the postseason,” senior Malia Fichtl said. “The game plan was to get the silverhawks out of positions and just play the Wildcat way.”

The Wildcats came out hot to start the game leading the Silverhawks 10-4 early in the first set. The Silverhawks were never able to get going in the first set and they dropped the set 25-15. The second set was completely different from the first. The Silverhawks scored the first four points of the set. After a quick start from the Silver hawks, senior Hayden Hart came in and helped bring the Cats back into the game. The rest of the set was back and forth as the game went past 25 points and Lincoln Southwest was able to tie the game at one set a piece with a score of 28-26.

The third set was looking to be a repeat of the second as the teams were going back and forth. After a 6-4 lead for the Wildcats Hart would come in to take control of the offense and help give the Wildcats a 16-10 lead as the set was starting to take final shape. Once the wildcats got the early lead, they never looked back as they would end up winning the set 25-16. 

“We did an excellent job on punching first and slowing down their runs,” head coach Joe Wessel said. “Making adjustments at key times helped us to go on runs of our own and open the match for our wildcats to control.”

The fourth set got very competitive early as the Silverhawks finally got to double digits first with a 10-9 advantage, but the Wildcats still had a ton of gas left in the tank as they reached a 20-16 lead. Once the Wildcats got to 20, they never looked back as they cruised to victory with a 25-18 final to take the game 3-1.

“Even though there were slow starts, I wouldn’t have been playing well if it wasn’t for my team,” Hart said. “They have my back and can trust me to put the ball where it needs to be in intense moments.”

The Wildcats came up with a big win right before the post season and look to continue  pushing the momentum into their final regular season game against their rival Millard North at home to head to Districts with a win.

 

 

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Taking it all in on the ice, senior Eli Simard skates around the ice during warmups. Simard received the call on the morning of Nov. 2 that he had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream that same night. “It was special for me because I’ve always wanted to play for the Lancers or the Stars as a little kid,” Simard said. “It made me so happy to see that dream come true. Stepping on to the ice, I had so much adrenaline pumping and I was genuinely so happy and enjoyed every second of it.” Photo courtesy of Eli Simard
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About the Contributor
Trey Jochims
Trey Jochims, Staff Reporter
Trey is a senior here at Millard West. This is Jochims’ third year on staff and is thrilled to continue Journalism. Jochims enjoys reporting sports here at Millard West. Jochims has won multiple awards during his time in Journalism.