WYNOT—The Osmond Tigers football team suffered a loss on the road to the Wynot Blue Devils. The Tigers we defeated 42-40 in overtime.

Overall, the Tigers had a lead throughout basically the whole game until the Blue Devils were able to tie the game at the end of regulation and then ultimately in on a two-point conversion in overtime.

The Tigers inability to adjust defensively led to the team’s gradual downfall and ultimate demise.

“This loss is on me,” Tigers Coach Scott Morrison said. “I didn’t adjust our defense well enough, and as a result Wynot was able to gradually get themselves back into the game and tie it up.”

The game started out well for the Tigers who built a 20-0 lead into the second quarter.

After being forced to punt on their first possession, the Tigers drove the ball down the field quickly against the Blue Devils on their second.

This was thanks in large part to a long run by Connor Gutz (Jr., B/OLB), set up by some nice blocking up front. Josh Gansebom (Sr., B/DB) scored both the touchdown and the two-point conversion to put his team up 8-0.

Both teams punted on their final possession of the first quarter.

The second quarter started with a bang for the Tigers as Alex Vinson blocked a Blue Devil punt. Alexis Solorzano (Sr., C/DL/LB) picked up the punt and returned it inside the Wynot five yard-line.

This set up a short touchdown run by Bryan Solorzano (So., RB/DB), who used his blocking to get to the edge and then pushed his way into the endzone for a touchdown.

The two-point conversion was no good, and the Tigers were up 14-0.

This led to another Tiger touchdown on the team’s ensuing possession. The Tigers forced the Blue Devils to punt and put together another solid drive.

Alex Vinson ended up scoring the touchdown, and after a failed conversion, the Tigers held a 20-0 lead.

“The two-point conversions actually proved to be pretty important,” Morrison said. “Had we converted on a couple of these early, we would have been in a little position later in the game.”

As it was, Wynot got the ball back, and this is where the game changed completely. The Blue Devils switched out quarterbacks and changed to an aerial attack.

With this the Blue Devils were able to put the Tiger defenders in vulnerable one-on-one situations.

In this particular drive, Wynot scored their first touchdown. After the conversion failed, the Tigers held a 20-6 lead.

The half ran out as the Tigers were forced the punt and then intercepted a pass on the last play of the half.

In the second half, the Tigers started out really well as Alex Vinson picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown. The conversion was no good and the Tigers held a 26-6 lead.

It took Wynot all of four plays to answer. The scored on a 30-yard pass and converted the extra points to cut the lead to 26-14.

With the momentum in their favor, Wynot forced the Tigers to a three-and-out and a punt.

Wynot again took the ball down the field and scored, thanks in large part to the pass. They failed on the conversion, but had now brought the score to 26-20.

The Tigers did respond well with a nine-play drive. The Tigers picked up two big first downs thanks to the feet of sophomore Patrick Vinson (QB/LB).

Gansebom also had a ten-yard run for a first down. Alex Vinson scored on a 6-yard run.

The conversion was good, and the Tigers were up 34-20.

After Wynot took possession after the kickoff, Zach Reikofski recovered a fumble to give the Tigers possession again.

The Tigers converted a fourth down play where Gansebom scrambled around the right end. However, they were set back thanks to a penalty, and ultimately ended up turning the ball over on downs.

Two plays later, the Blue Devils hit a big pass play down the sideline and were set up inside the Tiger five yard-line.

This led to a Blue Devil touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone. The conversion failed and the score was set at 32-26.

Offensively, the Tigers took possession and couldn’t get anything going on first and second downs. Vinson scrambled for a gain of six on third down, and the Tigers were forced to give the ball right back to Wynot.

The Tigers defense did a great job in forcing the Blue Devils to a punt of their own; however, the Tigers committed two penalties on second down to push them back behind the chains.

They gain some ground back after a pass play from Gansebom to Alex Vinson; however, the long snap was sent over punters head into the endzone where Solorzano batted it out of bounds for a safety, putting the score at 34-28.

A great kick by Solorzano and penalty by the Blue Devils set Wynot back deep in their own territory at the eight yard-line with 2:45 left in the game.

The Tigers buckled down at this point and forced Wynot to a 4-and-out. Patrick Vinson made a great play to break up a pass on fourth down.

“I was really proud of our defense at this point,” Morrison said. “We had gone through a lot and survived it; we had guys step up and make plays.”

They took possession on the Wynot 15 with 1:58 on the clock. This gave the Tigers a false sense of satisfaction considering that the Tigers fumbled the ball right back to the Blue Devils on the next play.

Though the defense was making the Blue Devils work for it, Wynot was gradually making it downfield. They got a couple big first downs and then hit a play over the middle for a touchdown, tying the game at 34-34.

The game went into overtime, where the Tigers took possession and got great blocks from the line (senior linemen Landon Stelling, Logan Stelling, and Alexis Solorzano plus ends Zach Huwaldt and Zach Reikofski). This resulted in a 10-yard touchdown on the first play.

The Tigers failed on the PAT try and were up 40-34.

On defense, the Tigers made a big play on first down as Landon Stelling corralled the Wynot quarterback on a designed run play. Second down, though, saw the Blue Devils score on a post pattern, evening the score 40-40.

The Blue Devils then scored on the two-point conversion as the ball floated just over the outstretched hand of a Tiger defender, giving the Blue Devils the 42-40 win.

“Overall, this was a fun game, and one that answered a couple questions for us as a team. This was our first real 4-quarter test, and our guys came to compete through it all. There’s aspects of the game that we need to work on. It should be a fun rest of the season.”

TEAMS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TOTAL

WYNOT 0 6 14 14 8 42

OSMOND 8 12 6 8 6 40

The Tigers junior varsity hosted Randolph on Monday, September 16 in a controlled scrimmage. They won the contest 44-0.

Members playing included junior Brenden Gillespie (E/DB), Blake Bahr (Jr., OL/DL), Patrick Vinson (So., QB), Bryan Solorzano (So., B/DB), Bradee Gubbels (Fr., B/E/OLB), Reese Hanna (Fr., OL/DL), Kayson Maertins (Fr., OL/DL), Zach Reikofski (Fr., OL/DL/LB), Alex Vinson (Fr., B/LB), and Caden Wingert (Fr., OL/LB).

The Tigers jumped to an early lead and continued to battle down the stretch. The defense created several turnovers including an interception for a touchdown by Gillespie and strip by Wingert.

All players were physical including Solorzano and Reikofski.

Solorzano had a nice game running the ball along with his counterparts Alex Vinson and Bradee Gubbels. At one point, Gubbels picked up a loose ball and ran it in for a score.

Reikofski made a couple nice catches offensively.

Bahr, Hanna, Maertins and Wingert blocked well throughout the game.

“It was great to get our guys out on the playing field,” Morrison said. “This is a fun group that loves football. They showed some great potential tonight!”

Tigers Fight For Win at Home
BY MADELINE HUWALDT

On Tuesday, September 10 the Osmond Tigers took on the Bloomfield Bees and gained
another win for their season in four sets 25-13, 13-25, 25-19, 25-18. 
The Tigers started the night out strong with a 4-0 run during the first set. The Bees did not let up
though and were able to bring themselves back into the game. The Tigers refused to give up
though and came away with their first set win of the night.
At the start of the second set the Tigers were unable to get a good amount of momentum and
started down 6-0 before they were able to gain control of the serve. There were many long
rallies between the Bees and Tigers but the Tigers were unable to put everything together and
lost the second set of the night. 
Losing the second set did not frighten the Tigers  as they came into the third set ready to fight.
Although the Tigers were ready to fight the Bees did not back down and used the momentum
they earned during the second set to stay with the Tigers. 
The Tigers were able to work together as a team and gain their second set win of the night after
winning the third set and making the game go into four sets. 
The fourth set started out with many long rallies that pushed the girls on both teams to fight until
the whistle. Although the Bees started out strong and were ahead the Tigers pushed back and
ended up being the better team of the night as they finished the match with their third set win. 
“We are so happy to see this group of girls work hard every day in practice, and their hard work
is showing up in each game. This team is determined and leaves their all on the court. This
team should be proud of themselves as the coaching staff is,” Head Coach Tiffany Rice
commented after the varsity win. 
Normally there would be a junior varsity game before the varsity game but because of numbers
on the teams the JV squad was unable to practice their skills they are learning in practice
against an opponent. 
The starters for the night were Seniors Kennedy Johnson and Madeline Huwaldt, Junior Elisa
Herrera, Sophomores Grace Gansebom, Kierra Moes, Macy Aschoff, and Bailey Schmit. 
Also getting varsity time were sophomore Lillie Gansebom and freshman Cali Gutz. 
Leading the Tigers in kills was Kennedy Johnson with fourteen followed by Macy Aschoff with
ten, Madeline Huwaldt with six, Kiera Moes with three, Grace Gansebom with two and Bailey
Schmit with one. 
Tiger setter Grace Gansebom led the team in set assists with twenty-four followed by Bailey
Schmit with four, and Elisa Herrera with two. 
Grace Gansebom led the Tigers in solo blocks with two followed by Madeline Huwaldt with one,
Kennedy Johnson with one, and Kiera Moes with one. 

Grace Gansebom took control of the serving with seven ace serves followed by Kennedy
Johnson with three, Macy Aschoff with two, Madeline Huwaldt with one, and Kierra Moes with
one. 
Elisa Herrera led the Tigers in digs with eleven followed by Macy Aschoff with ten, Kennedy
Johnson with eight, Bailey Schmit with six, Grace Gansebom with five, Madeline Huwaldt with
one and Kiera Moes with one. 
The Osmond Lady Tigers (3-1) will take on the Emerson-Hubbard Lady Pirates (0-6) and the
Randolph Lady Cardinals (1-6) in a triangular on September 12 in Osmond. 
The first game of the triangular will be Osmond vs Emerson Hubbard at 5:30 pm followed by
Randolph vs Emerson Hubbard. Ending the night will be Osmond vs Randolph.

September Students of the Month!

Jaxson Wingert and Tessa Ferry

Way to Go Tigers!

Blue Devils Clean House

BY MADELINE HUWALDT

Opening night of the Osmond Lady Tigers’ volleyball season did not go as well as the team had hoped. On August 29 the Wynot Lady Blue Devils swept the Lady Tigers in the opening game of the 2019 season in Osmond 25-18, 25-8, 25-14.

The first set looked promising for the Tigers as they were able to keep the score close with the Blue Devils. Towards the end of the set the Blue Devils were able to gain a great amount of momentum to finish the set and get their first win of the night at 25-18.

The second set of the night was definitely not promising for the Lady Tigers. Although the Tigers were able to keep the set a one-point game at the beginning, the Blue Devils quickly pulled ahead earning their second set win of the night with a score of 25-8.

When the third set started the Tigers were able to keep rallies going with the Blue Devils and it looked as though it would be a close set. Sadly the Lady Tigers were unable to get into a groove and gain the momentum needed to win against the Blue Devils.

The starters for the match were Senior Kennedy Johnson (OH), Senior Madeline Huwaldt (MH), Junior Elisa Herrera (L), Sophomore Grace Gansebom (S), Sophomore Bailey Schmit (RH), Sophomore Macy Aschoff (OH), and Sophomore Kiera Moes (MH). Also seeing the floor and gaining experience was Sophomore Lillie Gansebom.

Leading the Tigers in kills was Kennedy Johnson, she had six, next was Madeline Huwaldt with three, Macy Aschoff with three, and Kiera Moes also with three.

Leading the team in set assists was setter Grace Gansebom with thirteen.

Grace Gansebom also led the Tigers in digs with eight followed by Elisa Herrera with six, Bailey Schmit with four, Kennedy Johnson with three, Madeline Huwaldt with three, Macy Aschoff with two, and Lillie Gansebom with one.

Madeline Huwaldt and Grace Gansebom each also had one ace serve.

The Tigers’ JV squad also had their first match of the night against the Blue Devils’ JV squad. The JV game automatically went three sets so all of the girls would have a chance to get some playing time.

All three sets were close between the Tigers and the Blue Devils with set scores of 25-22 (Blue Devils), 27-25 (Blue Devils), 15-10 (Tigers)

The leading JV server was Lillie Gansebom and Cali Gutz led the Tigers in kills.

The next match for the Osmond Varsity Volleyball team (0-1) will be a triangular with Creighton (0-0) and Niobrara / Verdigre (1-0) in Creighton on September 3. The First game will be at 5:30 and will be Creighton vs. Niobrara / Verdigre with Osmond vs. Niobrara / Verdigre to follow and ending the night with Osmond vs. Creighton.

The Wynot Varsity Volleyball team (1-0) will travel to Boyd County (0-0) on September 3.

Tigers Win First Triangular of the Season

BY MADELINE HUWALDT

On September 3 the Osmond volleyball team (0-1) traveled to Creighton to compete in a triangular with Creighton (0-0) and Niobrara/Verdigre (1-0).

The First match of the night was Creighton vs. Niobrara/Verdigre. Creighton came out on top with a 2-1 set win over Niobrara / Verdigre 23-25, 25-19, 25-17.

The second match of the night was Osmond vs. Niobrara/Verdigre. Osmond got their first win of the season by going 2-1 against Niobrara / Verdigre 26-24, 16-25, 25-10.

The first set was a very close game for the Tigers all the way up until the last points. The Tigers were able to keep their determination and focus during this set to gain their first set win of the night over the Cougars.

The second set of the match did not go very well for the Lady Tigers. Although the Tigers were able to start the set with a 3-0 lead the Cougars were able to close the point gap and eventually pull ahead and keep the momentum rolling to make the match go into a third and final set.

In the third set the Lady Tigers were able to pull themselves together to get their momentum and energy rolling and get the needed win to finish the match. With an amazing start to the third set the Tigers shut down the Cougars and finished the game.

Starters for this game were Senior Kennedy Johnson (OH), Senior Madeline Huwaldt (MH), Junior Elisa Herrera (L), Sophomore Grace Gansebom (S), Sophomore Bailey Schmit (RH), Sophomore Macy Aschoff (OH), and Sophomore Kiera Moes (MH). Also seeing the floor was Sophomore Lillie Gansebom and Freshman Cali Gutz.

Macy Aschoff led the Tigers in kills with seven followed by Kennedy Johnson with six, Kiera Moes with six, Grace Gansebom with four, Madeline Huwaldt with two, Bailey Schmit with two, and Elisa Herrera with one.

Grace Gansebom led the Tigers in set assists with sixteen followed by Bailey Schmit with two, Elisa Herrera with two, Kiera Moes with two, and Kennedy Johnson with one.

Grace Gansebom also led the Tigers in Ace serves with five followed by Macy Aschoff with three, Bailey Schmit with two, Kiera Moes with two, Madeline Huwaldt with one, and Kennedy Johnson with one.

Grace Gansebom led the Tigers in digs with nine followed by Bailey Schmit with eight, Macy Aschoff with six, Kennedy Johnson with five, Elisa Herrera with five, and Madeline Huwaldt with four.

The Third match of the night was an exciting match up with Creighton going up against Osmond. The Tigers were able to fight until the end of the night against the Bulldogs in this close matchup and earn their second win of the season 20-25, 26-24, 25-23.

In the first set the Tigers came out ready to fight and with loads of energy to compete against the Bulldogs. The Tigers fought long and hard during this set but came up 5 points short of winning, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to keep fighting in the next set.

The second set started out tough and close with both teams fighting for the ball. The score was quickly rising for both teams. There was definite momentum and energy on both sides of the net during this set and the intensity was felt by all of the players.

With tensions high in the gym the Tigers were able to keep themselves focused on the task at hand to win this set.

In the third and final set fans and bench players could tell both teams wanted to win and both teams were willing to go after anything and everything. The determination on the Tigers’ side is what I believe won the game for them.

The gym was so loud as the Tigers and the Bulldogs fought for each and every point. When the Tigers hit 20 points the Bulldogs were right behind them but the Tigers were able to keep momentum and control of the set to get their much needed set win to finish the game.

Tiger fans and players were overjoyed when the last point was scored. There were smiles on all of the girls’ and coaches’ faces.

Starters for this game were Senior Kennedy Johnson (OH), Senior Madeline Huwaldt (MH), Junior Elisa Herrera (L), Sophomore Grace Gansebom (S), Sophomore Bailey Schmit (RH), Sophomore Macy Aschoff (OH), and Sophomore Kiera Moes (MH).

Leading the Tigers in kills was Kennedy Johnson with eleven followed by Kiera Moes with five, Madeline Huwaldt with three, and Macy Aschoff with three.

Leading the team in set assists was Grace Gansebom with eighteen followed by Kennedy Johnson with one.

Madeline Huwaldt had one solo block on the night.

Macy Aschoff led the Tigers in ace serves with five followed by Grace Gansebom with three, Kennedy Johnson with two, Kiera Moes with two, and Bailey Schmit with one.

Macy Aschoff also led the Tigers in digs with fifteen followed by Elisa Herrera with seven, Grace Gansebom with six, Kennedy Johnson with five, Bailey Schmit with five, Kiera Moes with four, and Madeline Huwaldt with three.

The Osmond Tigers’ (2-1) next match will be against the Bloomfield Bees (0-2) in Osmond on September 10 at 6 pm.

The Niobrara / Verdigre Cougars’ (1-2) next match will be against the Stuart Broncos (1-1) in Stuart on September 10.

The Creighton Bulldogs’ (1-1) next match will be against Battle Creek (2-0) on September 5 in Creighton.

PLEASE JOIN US!

After nearly three weeks of practice, the Tigers finally got an opportunity to play against a live opponent. The Tigers began their game schedule by defeating the Wausa Vikings 38-8 in Osmond on Friday, August 30.

For the Tigers, this was an up and down game from a performance standpoint. The game was highlighted by their solid play in the last half of the first quarter and throughout much of the second quarter.

However, there were times were the Tigers’ performance was marred by mistakes in execution. This was especially visible at times during the second half.

“Overall, we’re happy to get back out on the football field to compete again,” Tigers Coach Scott Morrison said. “Clearly, we have room to get better, yet what’s nice is that we have a strong foundation and several bright spots to build on.”

The Tigers did a nice job getting their running game going. The ran for an unofficial 410 yards on sixty-two carries. They had a swarm mentality and talked mostly well on defense. They did a decent job of controlling special teams as well.

They were hampered by four turnovers and several penalties.

The game began with both teams displaying high energy and competing with strong effort, but both teams seemed to be getting used to the rhythm of the game. Ultimately, neither team could get much going offensively in their first two drives.

The Tigers turned the ball over on downs to the Vikings on the Wausa 28 yard-line during their first drive and then ended up punting on their second possession.

After forcing the Vikings to punt on their second possession, the Tigers took possession on the Wausa 29 yard line and made the most of their opportunity. They scored in five plays on a 19-yard run by Connor Gutz (Jr. RB/OLB), followed by a 3-yard run by Josh Gansebom (QB/S) for the two-point conversion.

The Tigers offensive line, including Alexis Solorzano (Sr.), Landon Stelling (Sr.), Logan Stelling (Sr.), and Zach Huwaldt, really started to make progress on this drive.

Up 8-0, the Tigers Zach Huwaldt (Jr., E/DE) hopped on a loose ball-the Vikings only turnover of the game. This gave the Tigers the ball with a fresh set of downs on the Vikings 16 yardline.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers take advantage of the opportunity; they scored in two plays to take a 16-0 lead.

Gutz ran for nine yards on the first play while Gansebom took a 7-yard run into the end zone for a touchdown. Patrick Vinson (So., QB/E/LB) added the two-point conversion on a 3-yard run.

This was a nice end to the first quarter.

“There’s always a little bit of an edgy, awkward feeling at the beginning of the first game of the season, so it was fun to watch as our guys got more and more comfortable as first quarter went on,” Morrison said.

The Tigers picked up on defense in the second quarter where they left off in the first. Their physical, cohesive play forced the Vikings to punt on their next drive.

Gansebom then returned the Vikings punt thirty-three yards on a really nice run. He used open space and solid blocking to give the Tigers offense great starting field position.

Taking over on the Wausa 27 yard line, the Tigers’ offense moved the ball down to the four in six plays. However, having the false start penalty and throwing an interception at the one held the Tigers from scoring.

The Tigers did respond well on the next play as stopped the Vikings in the end zone, earning a safety and making the score 18-0.

Of course, the Tigers got the ball back on their thirty-eight yard line. This led to a 7-play, 42-yard scoring drive that showed the strength of the Tigers offensive line and their balance in the backfield.

Gansebom, Gutz, Vinson, and sophomore back Bryan Solorzano each contributed to the drive, which ultimately saw Vinson scoring on a 1-yard run.

Vinson also scored on the 2-point conversion after a Wausa penalty put the ball near the one yard line. This made the score 26-0 in the second quarter.

“It was really nice to see our offense respond after giving away an opportunity for a touchdown on the last drive,” Morrison said. “Our guys seemed to charge down the field with an attitude that weren’t going to be stopped.”

This attitude carried over to the Tigers next time on defense and offense. They forced the Vikings to punt on their next possession and then marched the ball seventy-four yards offensively for their next touchdown.

On the drive, Gansebom, Gutz, and Solorzano each had runs of fourteen yards or more, including Gutz’ 34-yard run. Gansebom ultimately scored he second touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run.

After a failed two-point conversion, the Tigers held a 32-0 lead.

The Viking played with urgency on the last drive of the half. They get the ball down to the Tiger 30 yard line before turning the ball over on downs.

To the Vikings credit, and hopefully to the long-term benefit of the Tigers season, their players came out with a vengeance in the second half.

After receiving the half’s opening kickoff, they put together a 10-play, 53-yard touchdown-scoring drive and added the two-point conversion.

Then, after it looked like the Tigers would answer with a scoring drive of their own, they fumbled the ball back to the Vikings.

Suddenly, the score was 32-8 and the Vikings seemed to have all the momentum.

“Obviously we would have liked to perform better right away at the beginning of the second half, but we got punched in the mouth a little bit, and we were forced to battle some adversity,” Morrison said.

The Tigers held the Vikings on their next position and forced them to punt. This led to the only Tigers’ scoring drive of the second half.

They moved the ball fifty-five yards on eight plays and scored on a 29-yard run by Alex Vinson (Fr., RB/LB).

The Tigers PAT failed, and they held a 38-8 lead headed into the fourth quarter where the Vikings took possession.

After driving to the Tigers’ side of midfield, the Vikings’ drive stalled thanks to nice coverage by the outside and inside backers and thanks to some nice pressure applied by the defensive line.

Solorzano, Landon Stelling, Logan Stelling, Huwaldt, Blake Bahr (Jr.), and Zach Reikofski (Fr.) all got playing time on the line and each did well throughout the game.

On their next two possession in the fourth quarter, the Tigers had opportunities to execute but fumbled both times.

“Again, we would have liked to execute at a higher level in the second half, but for whatever reason we didn’t quite put it all together,” Morrison said. “Hopefully we can use this as motivation to stay hungry and keep getting better.”

In the final two drives of the game (one defensive and one offensive), the several Tigers got on the field for their first chances of season.

Defensively, Brenden Gillespie (Jr., E/S) combined with Gutz to make a nice play on a ball thrown underthrown to a Wausa receiver.

Reikofski, Bahr, Kayson Maertins (Fr., OL/DL), and Reese Hanna (Fr., OL/DL) all combined on the defensive line.

Caden Wingert (Fr., OL/LB) jumped in as an inside backer and Bradee Gubbles came in at outside backer. Wingert had come in the game a couple times throughout the game on special teams.

Once instance specifically, Wingert came on the field when the Tigers were short a man on Kickoff return. The ball was kicked to him, and he made a great catch to secure possession for the Tigers.

Offensively, the Tigers had one final drive to finish the game. This was set with Hanna at center, Wingert, Maertins, and Reikofski rotated at inside backer.

Gillespie and Gubbels each took an end spot.

The Tigers (1-0) concluded what they consider their first quarter with this game against Wausa. This included their first two weeks of practice, the soap scrimmage, and game one.

The second quarter of the season begins with the bye week and extends through Homecoming week where they host Laurel-Concord-Coleridge. This also includes the Tigers next game on Friday, September 13 at Wynot.

GAME 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Wausa 0 0 8 0

Osmond 16 16 6 0

Tigers Sweep At Home

BY MADELINE HUWALDT

On Thursday, August 22 the Osmond volleyball team took the town by storm when they swept the Plainview Pirates during the 2019 Jamboree in Osmond. The Tigers won the match 27-25, 25-15, 25-16. 

The Lady Tigers were off to a rough start on the night when they were down 6-2 at the start of the first set. Halfway through the set the Tigers’ determination and teamwork paid off because they brought it to a one point set and were able to take control of the game at 14-15.

Soon the Tigers learned that this would be a close game up until the last point because the Pirates kept pushing their way back, but the Tigers were able to hold them off and become victorious. 

The start of the second set proved to be a bit more promising for the Lady Tigers as they started out with a 4-0 lead over the Lady Pirates. By starting out strong the Tigers were able to take control of the set early and keep the momentum throughout the set. 

When the third set came around sophomore Grace Gansebom started off by scoring points with five consecutive serves before the Lady Pirates were able to side out and get a chance to serve. 

Although the Pirates brought the game within a few points and eventually caused a tie at eight, the Tigers were able to get themselves pulled back together and get their emotions in check to pull ahead of the Pirates and get the final set win to finish the match. 

Excitement swept through the stands and all of the players as the last point of the game was scored.

Senior Captain Kennedy Johnson stated “Overall, I think that our chemistry on the court was great, which helped us win.  Everyone on the court played for each other.  Even the girls who came in off the bench contributed to our success.” 

The starters for the match were Seniors Kennedy Johnson (OH) and Madeline Huwaldt (MH), Junior Elisa Herrera (L), Sophomores Grace Gansebom (S), Macy Aschoff (OH), Kiera Moes (MH), and Bailey Schmit (RH). 

As for stats Grace Gansebom led the team in ace serves with six, Macy Aschoff with three ace serves, Bailey Schmit with three ace serves, Kiera Moes with two, and Kennedy Johnson with one. 

Grace Gansebom also led the Tigers in set assists with nine; while Bailey Schmit had two and Kennedy Johnson had one. 

Madeline Huwaldt had one solo block and Kennedy Johnson also had one solo block on the night. 

Macy Aschoff led the team in digs with four, followed by Grace Gansebom with three, Elisa Herrera with two, Kennedy Johnson with two, and Kiera Moes with one. 

Leading the Tigers in kills was Kennedy Johnson with seven followed by Macy Aschoff with three, Madeline Huwaldt with two, and Grace Gansebom with one. 

Other members of the Tiger Volleyball team that saw the floor and got playing time were sophomore Lilly Gansebom and freshman Calli Gutz. 

The Tigers’ next match is against the Wynot Blue Devils on Thursday August 29 in Osmond at 6:00 pm. 

Tigers ready to begin new season

The Osmond Tigers football team is ready to go for the 2019 season.

Of course the Tigers lost two fantastic seniors to graduation last season in Nick Reikofski and Anthony Heiman, but for every senior who graduates, it opens an opportunity for returning student-athlete to step in make a big difference.

This is true for the 2019 who have put in a tremendous amount of work in the offseason in attempt to help the team make the most of its potential.

This starts with the Tigers’ captains Joshua Gansebom (Sr.), Alexis Solorzano (Sr.), Landon Stelling (Sr.), and Logan Stelling (Sr.). These guys set the precedent for the work standards throughout the offseason and have continued that into the season.

Connor Gutz (Jr.) and Zach Huwaldt (Jr.) are the team’s two honorary captains. They both have added an equal contribution to the work ethic of the team.

Blake Bahr (Jr.) and Brenden Gillespie (Jr.) are upper classmen who have worked well in the weight room and who are looking to make a contribution on this years team.

Sophomores Patrick Vinson and Bryan Solorazano are continuing to improve. Each looks like he is going to take a step forward.

Several freshmen joined the team and have done a nice job familiarizing themselves with the details of being a part of the team.

These include Bradee Gubbels, Reese Hanna, Kayson Maertins, Zach Reikofski, Alex Vinson, and Caden Wingert.

The fun part is watching how all of the players come together to make a unified team. Seeing how the young and older players blend together to develop a group is exciting.

The Tigers core begins defensively. On this side of the ball, the Tigers are expecting to turn into an intense, angry, and physical unit.

The team’s strength with be its front five. This starts with its defensive line.

Landon Stelling (DE/NG), Zach Huwaldt (DE), Logan Stelling (DE/NG), Zach Reikofski (DE/NG), Blake Bahr (DE), Reese Hanna (NG), and Kayson Maertins (DE) are the teams defensive linemen.

They work closely with the inside linebackers, another important group for the team. This year’s inside backers are Alexis Solorzano, Patrick Vinson, Alex Vinson, and Caden Wingert.

Other linebackers include the outside backers. They, along with the safeties, will work hard in the team’s secondary. These players include Joshua Gansebom (OLB/S), Connor Gutz (OLB), Bryan Solorzano (OLB), Alex Vinson (OLB), Brenden Gillespie (S), and Brenden Gubbels (OLB) make up this group.

Hopefully the Tigers’ student-athletes will all be ready to contribute to develop depth for the team.

Offensively, the Tigers success will start on the offensive line. Alexis Solorzano (C), Landon Stelling (T), Logan Stelling (G), Blake Bahr (G/T), Zach Huwaldt (X/Y), Joshua Gansebom (Y/Z), Zach Reikofski (G/T/X), Brenden Gillespie (X/Y), Bradee Gubbels (X/Y), Reese Hanna (C/G/T), Caden Wingert (G/T/X/Y), and Kayson Maertins (G/T) are the individuals who make up the group and who form the bond moving forward.

The Tigers offense extends to its skill position players, where finding guys to step up and take control of certain positions will help the team grow.

Gansebom and Patrick Vinson will be the team’s quarterbacks. Gansebom, Gutz, Bryan Solorzano, and Alex Vinson will combine to move the ball forward for their team.

The key is for the team to continue to progress during games and as a united group. Overall, the team has some experience and physical toughness up front while it has a variety of unique talent to carry the football. It’s going to be really fun to see what this team can accomplish together. This should be a fun group to work with.

While the coaches are charged with helping to develop a solid group on the field, their most important responsibility is to develop each individual on his way to becoming a man.

The Tigers coaching staff remained the same for this season: Todd Schulze, Mike Slagle, Cory Lenton, Eli Neitzel and Scott Morrison.

The first quarter of the season started with practice on Monday, Aug. 12. The Tigers begin play on Friday, August 30, at home versus the Wausa Vikings.

The second quarter of the season includes a bye before they travel to Wynot on Friday, September 13. They will finish non-district play at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge on September 20.

In what the Tigers deem their third quarter of the season, they begin district play at Humphrey-St. Francis (Sept. 27). Next they host Plainview (October 4). They round up the third quarter at Winside (Friday, Oct. 11).

Headed into the last quarter of the season, the Tigers have two guaranteed games: at home versus Elgin Public-Pope John on October 18 and at Riverside Thursday, Oct. 24. Of course, the Tigers can earn a spot in the playoffs depending on the outcome of their win-loss record.

Overall, this will be a fun yet difficult season considering that each team they play got better!

TEAM

Top Row: Leia Buchanan, Cali Gutz, Reese Johns, Mary Jane Herrera, Taylor Thompson

Middle Row: Kiera Moes, Lilly Gansebom, Grace Gansebom, Bailey Schmit, Macy Aschoff

Front Row: Elisa Herrera, Madeline Huwaldt, Kennedy Johnson

LETTERWINNERS

Top Row: Kiera Moes, Grace Gansebom, Macy Aschoff

Bottom Row: Elisa Herrera, Madeline Huwaldt, Kennedy Johnson