What's recently happened:
The Merrillville High School (MHS) Boys’ Basketball Team began shooting forward into its season right before Christmas break. Now, 10 games into the season, the team is now excited for what the possibilities could be by the time the season is over.
“I feel engaged,” said Sophomore Basketball Team Member Jaeden Williams. “Sometimes I feel nervous until tip-off though, but then my teammates get me going and I’ll talk to like A.J [Ajanen Dixon] or Sai [Isaiah Akinyele] and they’ll get me right.”
Bo Patton, the head coach of the basketball team, alongside Assistant Coaches Dominique Nelson and Dave Pritt, have been preparing for this season to have athletes gain new strengths and talents compared to previous years. Working on strength training, defense, and offense has been the focal point of the team this year.
Ajanen Dixon, a senior on the team, wants to perfect his craft on the court and be a better teammate.
“Some strengths and talents I hope to gain this season are being able to learn from my coach on becoming a better leader on and off the court, and also being able to lead the team the right way,” Dixon said.
Deeon Franklin, another senior on the team is full of optimism for the season ahead while always looking for ways to improve as well.
“I feel like the season is going pretty good,” Franklin said. “We just need to rotate guys and see who all fits with each other, but other than that we’re doing good so far. The season is just getting started so anything is possible.”
What’s coming up:
With MHS winter sports now in full effect, the spring sports, including girls’ and boys’ track, have been warming up to the start of their season. The indoor track season, which debuts within the next month, has athletes ready to excel this year. The pandemic, which has halted the indoor season over the past few years, has given athletes even more motivation to take on the track this year.
The head coach of boys’ track, Patrick Coffey, is excited to see what outcomes his team will bring to the track this year.
“We expect to see a lot of individuals fill in and score points that were dependent on our seniors last year,” Coffey said. “I expect us to be very competitive this year without as much depth in the years prior.”
Silas Mathis, a senior on the team, has his own goals for himself and his team entering the season. Mathis, who came in first last year for high jump at the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC), is now ready to accomplish new titles this year.
“I expect for me and my guys the team to win our fourth sectional and regional in a row,” Mathis said. “For me personally, I expect myself to break Mr. Daniels’, a teacher and coach at MHS, high jump record of six feet, nine inches.”
Caleb Carter, another runner who is facing his last year on the team, hopes his team is able to take the season to another level this year. Carter is hoping to go through more training to become a better athlete and place even higher than last year at DAC.
Michael Jones, a junior on the team, who placed first at DAC for the 400 meter relay, feels his team is going to execute their skills properly and that teamwork will be their greatest strength going into the season.
“I really just expect everyone to come out and do what they have to do,” Jones said. “Get things done together and work as a team to get the win.”
The head coach of girls’ track team, Branden Wesby, said the girls have been able to show teamwork even in an individualized sport.
“They are very supportive of each other,” Wesby said. “Knowing that we do have a couple of upperclassmen, they take that role in making sure each athlete is encouraged after a certain run or just the reminder to some of the underclassmen that they were in that same situation of not knowing certain drills and things like that.”
Taylor Jackson, a senior on the girls’ track team, said her team has been working hard to prepare in the pre-season to be ready to step onto the track.
“For conditioning, my coach has allowed the opportunity for anyone not actively participating in winter sports to work out three times a week which includes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,” Jackson said. “On these days, we do various amounts of training which often includes trips to the cybex room, weight room, and other exercises that have included resistance bands or targeting reaction times.”
Paige Simpson, a junior on the team, shared how she's excited to step back onto the track after the change the pandemic made.
“I’m expecting a lot from us given the fact that last year we didn’t have an indoor season last year and this year we do,” Simpson said. “So it's like we did good last year without an indoor season, but now we have a full one and we have a full outdoor season as well so I feel like we should end up on top.”
Staff spotlight:
Stephanie Lohman, an athletic trainer at MHS, is normally seen after school dealing with the injuries held by many of the athletes at MHS. Lohman is often known as a life-saver by many of the athletes; they often cannot recall a moment when she has not made them feel welcomed and cared for when they come into the training room. Lohman brings a positive light during some of athletes’ scariest moments of being injured and often recalls why she chose to become a trainer.
“I wanted to become an athletic trainer because when I was in high school myself. I was an athlete and I really liked being around sports,” Lohman said. “I thought I wanted to go into nursing because it was in the medical field and I can help people, but then I shadowed my athletic trainer and realized that you can help people and still work medicine while being involved in sports.”
Being involved in such emotional moments of athletes’ lives has allowed Lohman to create memories she won’t forget. Lohman is a part of many of the highs and lows that happen with MHS sports teams.
“Definitely being here at Merrillville for the three sectional titles win with football is a favorite memory of mine,” Lohman said. “That was a lot of fun going back-to-back to back with those guys and making it to semi-state two years in a row. That's one of the highlights. It's fun being a trainer but even more fun when you're a part of successful teams, so that was a lot of fun.”
Lohman wants to create a safe space for athletes and students that come into the training room regardless of the issue at hand. Lohman said she has an immense feeling of wanting to be a positive influence for those around her.
“I try to be very positive and be a light or just some type of a positive influence,” Lohamn said. “You don’t know what people are going through; you don’t know what is going on at home, with classes, or with family and friends, so I thought that with my position, I could always be something that was enlightening or just positive. Kids may not always have a positive aspect in their lives, and if they can find a little bit of positivity when they come into the training room with me, I thought I could find my way of helping.”
Student spotlight:
Theodore Sparks takes on the tasks of being a tri-athlete through his involvement with football, wrestling, and track during the school year. Sparks is often described by teammates and coaches as bringing a positive and rigorous attitude to all the sports he plays. Playing the roles of defensive and offensive line for football, competing in weight group 285 for wrestling, and being a thrower for the boys’ track team has allowed Sparks to become a well-rounded athlete. Joshua Haynes,
“Obviously with football and wrestling he’s a varsity starter and you look to him to carry the burden to what's going on in a moment, to apply pressure to a situation and he performs at a very high level,” said Joshua Haynes, Sparks' throwing coach. “With track, he’s relatively new to it but he did allow a third-place win in shot-put, mixing it up with Adonis Rodgers. You need that competition and he's someone that will kind of shake things up a little bit to keep pushing people in the right direction.”
Sparks often is referred to as being loving and charismatic when competing and playing alongside his team. He shared that the mindset can often make or break the love of the game he plays.
“Mentality, trying to keep your head up at practice, and keep everybody else's head up,” Sparks said. “If you have a good mood the whole practice it’s going to be a good practice regardless no matter what happens."
Adonis Rodgers, a junior that plays alongside Sparks in football and track, mentioned how he can’t name a teammate that pushed him to be his best beside Sparks. Embracing the love and perseverance that have ultimately made them a better team when it comes to playing together.
“Theo is a great player, his work ethic is outstanding,” Rodgers said. “When Theo is having a bad day, he’s going to try to find a way to make his practice and day way better. Theo is very hard working and an outgoing player in my eyes.”
Sparks gave a glimpse into what the time management is like being a tri-athlete, which involves often going to school then having practice immediately.
“You just have to have good time management to know what needs to be done and when,” Sparks said. “Just staying on top of things and not pushing anything back.”