2021 fall sports fall short at Pleasant Valley

Following an extremely impressive 2020-2021 school year from PV’s athletic programs, high expectations accompany several historic accomplishments met over the course of last year.

To exemplify the Spartans’ noteworthy achievements, every team, only excluding the girls’ basketball squad, made it to the qualifying rounds of their state tournaments. Additionally, the boys’ soccer and baseball teams reigned 3A and 4A state champions. With that being said, how can PV use these impressive performances as leverage to maintain dominance over competitors this fall? 

The Pleasant Valley football team is off to a rocky start as they have struggled to find success in the new 5A district setting. Barrett Lindmark, senior quarterback and captain, illustrated how the team plans on turning their season around. “We obviously didn’t start the season how we wanted to, there have been some injuries as well, so coming together as a team and working together will be important. We need to put the previous games past us and come to practice everyday working hard and take the season one game at a time,” he said. In years past, the Spartan football program has reserved the top spot in the Mississippi Athletic Conference (MAC). The team is now left battling to maintain a .500+ regular season record. 

Along with the football program’s rough start to the season, junior golfer Connor Borbeck explained the inconsistent rounds carded from the varsity golf squad and how the team plans on chasing the state runner-up group from the previous year. “Collectively, we need to put extra work in outside of golf practice and maintain focus at all of our meets. When our team is confident and we believe in ourselves, we can compete at nearly any level of golf in the area,” he claimed. 

Building successful athletic programs at PV begins with a strong team environment. For example, in last year’s historic run in the 3A state soccer tournament, the boys’ soccer team had top-tier chemistry, helping motivate the squad through adversity. 

Jack Roemer, former Pleasant Valley graduate, golf star, and state champion, highlighted the keys to success in high school sports. “I personally think that some of the most important attributes to a successful team are chemistry, unselfishness, and willingness to put in work. Additionally, teammates need to push each other and demonstrate positive reinforcement to reach a team’s full collaborative potential. One of my favorite words to describe a successful team culture is commitment,” he explained. 

With these traits, any team should have the ability to perform in highly competitive  environments.