Throughout a season, teams have different issues and bumps in the road that they have to deal with and work to overcome. The Grandfield Academic Team was dealt a rough hand, but head coach Harli Clem says that they did not let it affect them.
“The season went very well for us under the circumstances they were handed,” Clem said. “In the middle of the year we had a coaching change, in which I had to take over the rest of the year alongside coaching the Junior and Elementary here at Grandfield. While the students already knew me, a coaching change was a huge change in the pace. While this change did cause a ripple effect, the students kept on trucking without fault, actually working even harder than before. They fought tooth and nail at each playoff meet, slowly inching forward. We eventually made it to the state meet, a huge milestone for Grandfield Academics. While we did not place at state, we overcame huge obstacles and grew more as individuals.”
Each member of the team made their imprint on the season, but Clem has a few that stood out. “While all of my players were exemplary attributes, a few players stand out,” the coach said. “For one, my captain, Landry Hunt. Landry is the glue that holds this team together. She spends countless hours studying for these meets without me even telling her to. She is an absolute powerhouse, answering more than half of our team points each game alone. She also carries herself in an honorable way at both meets, and in school. My other two players, Payne Coody and Blaise Dean. Blaise and Payne are extremely similar, in that they are always eager to compete in these meets. They are the ones that bring life and airiness to the team, allowing us to have fun while also taking care of business. They both also are the main two for any general knowledge/science topics, in which they almost always get.”
As she looks ahead to next season, Clem will look for team members to step up.
“Next season, one of the challenges we will face is losing our only senior, Jaxon Wood,” she said. “Jaxon is the guy that made sure everyone stayed on the same path during these meets. He was the person that ensured his team members did not act out of line, which didn’t happen very often. For the others we will all return, most likely adding some new faces to increase our depth.”
