Shield Staff

Senior Makhi Wilson runs the ball up the field at Pleasant Valley High School against Muscatine on Sept. 17 2022.

There is no doubt that Spartan sports have dominated in the MAC and at the State Level over the past few years.

Volleyball has had four state appearances with a state title in 2021 and a runner up title this season. Baseball won its first championship in 2021, boys’ soccer won back to back titles in 2021 and 2022, football made it back to the dome in 2020, girls’ XC and track got second in 2021. Every sport has also accumulated countless MAC titles along the way.

PV has also seen a lot of additions to their All-State wall. All-state is a select group of individuals who excelled at their sport. Each sport has a different way of determining All-State status for their respective athletics. Some sports differentiate the elite based on final finishes, while others factor in season, and sometimes specifically, state tournament cumulative stats.

Senior Makhi Wilson is a highly accomplished athlete at the high school. Participating in both varsity football and track, Wilson has been a part of an outstanding football team, going 9-0 in 2022 and traveling to the UNI Dome in 2020. Wilson also was on the 2022 state championship hurdle team, on which he achieved elite All-State status.

Wilson credits his coaches and teams for his success. “Both pushed me to be the best possible athlete I could possibly be.” However, Wilson believes that he was not alone. During his time at the school, Wilson witnessed his peers win 4 state championships and had 3 runner up titles in different sports along with a large amount of state appearances.

“I knew since 7th grade we were going to be a special class. I think we have become one of the most successful athletic groups in school history,” Wilson said. Not only with championships, but also All-Staters. Wilson is one of the 17 senior all-state athletes in the class of 2023 (not including 2022-2023 school year). From football to bowling, PV has seen an outstanding performance from this class.

With the seniors’ high school careers slowly coming to an end, the Spartans will have to rally around the next class for continued athletic success. Head lifting coach at PV, Ryan Arnold thinks PV won’t slow down, “The senior class has definitely improved sports here [PV] but looking forward at our underclassmen classes, I’m not worried,” Arnold said. Looking towards the younger grades, there is already a plethora of talent playing at the varsity level. 

The accomplishments of Makhi and the rest of the senior class are certainly extraordinary and ones that the other classes will hope to repeat. With the help of coaches and trainers like Arnold, PV sports are in good hands for the future.