Gallatin R-5 cheerleaders and athletes found themselves in the spotlight last Wednesday night as Bulldog boosters met to honor softball, golf and football athletes from winning fall seasons.
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Alicia Chrisman welcomed the crowd on behalf of the booster club and Athletic Director Rick Lin thanked many people for their contributions to R-5 fall athletics.
Softball coach Casey Moberly introduced her players from the Lady Bulldog team that finished 8-1 in the Grand River Conference and 16-9 overall. The Lady Bulldogs experienced a turnaround season, said Coach Moberly, who was assisted by Courtney Ray.
"This shows how much the girls worked and improved in the off season," she said. "A lot of our wins came from sheer determination."
Members of the 2011 GHS softball squad were Celsie Baker, Megan Beck, Ashley Burns, Kylie Collins, Kirbie Crouse, Kaitlyn Hefley, Morgan Horvatin, Sara Lin, Kaitlyn McNeely, Marissa McNeely, Aubrey Nelson, Kailey Salmon, Elena Steele, Jade Steele, Kristina Steele, Sabrina Steele and Tannah Terry. Maria Bickford, Kailey Elbert and Micah Ray served as statisticians and managers.
In honors voted on by the team, Lin was named Rookie of the Year and also received the Hustle Award. Terry was named Most Improved. Burns received the Most Inspirational award. Salmon was named "Come Through Kid" for her performance in clutch situations. Horvatin received Most Valuable Player. She and Nelson also received home run balls for hitting five (Horvatin) and three (Nelson) this season.
"This has been an awesome year for coach," Coach Cindy Boles said of the girls golf program, which sported eight individuals this season. "I truly enjoyed working with the girls this year," she added.
The Lady Bulldogs improved their best team score from 251 last year to 212 this season. They won a pair of meets and finished second in five others. Mattie Burge, Kourtney Bird, Kelsey Bird, Markecia Wilson and Bailey Morrison were members of the second place team from the conference tournament. Other team members honored were Molly Mott, Kaley Cox and Carlye Guffey.
Kelsey Bird received the Most Improved award after shaving 21 strokes off her best score from a year ago. Burge, a state qualifier, was named Most Valuable Golfer.
"Our cheerleaders were extremely energetic," said football cheer sponsor Pam Critten. "Our goal was to do stunts they had never done before," she added. "They did some great ones."
Football cheerleaders recognized for their efforts were Hannah Boyd, Mattie Burge, Ashley Burns, Kristin Critten, Kylie Collins, Kailey Elbert, Morgan Horvatin, Ashley Huffman, Kaitlyn McNeely, Aubrey Nelson, Kailey Salmon and Kara Stanley.
Head football coach Kevin Meyer wrapped up the evening’s ceremonies with a recap of the Bulldogs’ 5-4 season. His assistants this season were Colby Gibson, Robert Rosenbaum and Sean Allen.
"I think we brought back some pride and tradition to the program," he said. "I’m very excited about the future. We played through a lot of adversity and made big strides," he added. "We always believed we would have a good year."
Teams captains for 2011 were Brand Hunt, Jordan Jeffers, Isaac Mattis, Zach Lollar and Derrick Lin. Also recognized were Trevor Barnes, Chad Ness, Wes Cole, Hayden Bott, Jacob Boyd, Trystan Sunby, Logan Jeffers, Cody Engel, Dexter Daniel, Peter Steele, Brandon Bradley, Dane Brammer, Colten Beck, Michael Stanley, Dylan Rogers, Harrison Pettit, James Dale, Devlin Smith, Jack Malo, Garrett McNeely and Lorne Demke.
Serving as team managers were Harley Whitt, Keegan Allen, Andon Allen, Brinley Vandiver, Brigham Steele, Johnathan Moore and Andrew Michael.
Four awards were given on behalf of the players. Steele received the Outstanding Lifter Award. Boyd received the 12th Man (Scout Team) Award. The Most Improved award went to Demke. Mattis received the Bulldog Award representing toughness and character.
Wrapping up the evening, Mr. Lin presented members of golf, softball and football teams who received academic all-conference awards, based upon a 3.5 or better GPA and varsity letter. They were: Mattie Burge, Molly Mott, Bailey Morrison, Ashley Burns, Marissa McNeely, Megan Beck, Kirbie Crouse, Sara Lin, Aubrey Nelson, Kailey Salmon, Wes Cole, Zack Lollar, Cody Engel, Isaac Mattis, Derrick Lin, Dylan Rogers, Garrett McNeely, Jack Malo, Devlin Smith, Jacob Boyd, Brandon Bradley, Colten Beck and Dane Brammer.