Well Cougars, if this year has taught us anything, it’s how to adapt to change, and it seems that also applies to our sports teams this year. But, while sports may look different this year, all of our amazing athletes are powering ahead through this strange time with a new determination and strength. As the end of first quarter rapidly approaches, it seems only fitting to give an overview of the sports that are in season and the ones that will be coming up soon.

Cross Country

Coronado Cross country has always been a large part of the school’s athletic community, and now even more so this year. With the more condensed fall sports list, Cougar Cross Country has been the number one sport to join. People from all athletic backgrounds have joined this year to stay in shape for this first season. With the addition of new talent and the return of top varsity runners, the cougars are a force to be reckoned with.

The boys team this year is especially strong with number one and two runners Zinabu Engstrom (JR) and Miles Medina (SR) returning for another season. In an interview, team captain Miles said that, “The team is doing well! We have had a lot of success and improvement from the start of the season up until this point, our boys team is strong coming in top three for the majority of the meets.” As the regular season finishes up, the boys are well positioned to return to the state course again this year.

On the girls side of things, the team has never been stronger. After competing at state last year, the team had to say goodbye to many strong seniors which left the team’s strength in question at the beginning of the season. However with the returning strength of runners like Allie Leisher (SO), Melissa Sartain (SR), and Amelia Echols (SO) combined with the strength of incoming runners like Erin Gray (SO) and Ella Huffor (FR) the team has been placing highly at meets and now has their eyes set on state. On this matter Allie Leisher said that “This season was very interesting and difficult because of the rules and regulations, but putting that aside the season has been going very well, everyone on the team is great and it has been a lot of fun.”

Let’s all channel some positive energy for Cougar Cross country as they make their way to the state meet!

Softball

It wouldn’t be a year at Coronado without the return of Cougar Softball! After the amazing breakout season last year, the team is looking to keep some of the same energy going this year. After a recent 16-3 win over canon city, the team has momentum going into the rest of the season. With an 11-4 overall record and a 9-2 league record, the Cougars are ranked second going into their Thursday game against Palmer. Led by captains, Amanda Seth (SR) and Hannah Hoffman (SR), the team is plowing ahead towards state once again.

Another breakout star on the team has been junior Addison Pakenham, who gave a small overview on how she thinks the season has been going. She “think[s] that as a team we did amazing at the second Mesa Ridge game, as we were down one of our best hitters and our star center-fielder [Kyla Papenfuss] and our starting third baseman [Taiyah Mooney] injured her shoulder during one of the first innings. The fact that our team was able to mentally pull through those issues and win against a team that is probably our toughest competition in our league makes me very proud to be a part of the team as well as excited for our season next year.”

In terms of the adjustments the team has had to make for COVID, Pakenham said, “I’m very disappointed about the season being shortened, I would love to have more games with the seniors before they leave us. Despite my disappointment, we have so many injuries on the team this year that the shortened season may be good for the health of the girls, which I care about much more than the few non-league games that we are missing.”

Good luck Cougars, and we can’t wait to see how the rest of the season goes!

Boy’s Tennis

Tennis is back and in full swing! However it is not without some notable changes this year. Coach Lovato Spoke on virus regulations in a recent interview. “The season was changed quite a bit due to COVID. It was first shortened to 7 weeks from the normal 10-11 weeks. We were only allowed 9 dual matches or 8 duals and 1 tournament. Then at regionals, there were no “playbacks”. It was single elimination, which put a lot more pressure on the players. Also, any time we gathered as a team either for practice or matches, each player and coach needed to be screened for COVID symptoms and their temperature needed to be taken. The coaches had to coach with our masks on unless we were an active participant in the practice.”

However despite this, the cougars are powering ahead with a mix of new and veteran talent. Bright spots include team captain Jackson Schaeffer (SR) who is #1 In singles with a 6-3 record and almost made it to state for the third year. Additionally, four new freshmen made the team this year to which Schaeffer said, “I enjoyed being captain and showing all the new players the high school tennis attitude, and I know in the coming years they will grow into a really strong team.”

Nice job this year cougars, and we can’t wait to see what happens next!

Upcoming

It’s been a rough year, cougars, but with the promise of upcoming sports it can only get better! Unfortunately volleyball has been yet again postponed (read, The Effect COVID 19 Left on Volleyball Players by Maycie Rogers), but we still have football and soccer to look forward to. With football star Ledarius Mays graduating last year, there is a lot of incoming talent on the football team this year, as well as room for a fresh start. With the season kicking off later this month, it will be exciting to see how the team performs this year.
That just about wraps it up for our sports overview in this first part of this strange year. Remember Coronado, it may look different this year, but ultimately we all play for the same team, and that’s the only way that we are going to get through this. Together. It sounds cliché at this point, but with all the changes, supporting each other is more important now than ever before. Be safe cougars, and happy October!