Republic held its first-ever Tigers in Training night Wednesday to recognize and encourage members of Republic Middle School’s athletic teams. It was part of an effort by Activities Director Trevyor Fisher to increase the ties between middle school and high school extracurricular activities. And he hopes to see the night grow to include even more Republic youngsters.
“I think it is important to get our middle school kids excited about coming over to the high school and being Republic Tiger athletes, cheerleaders, band members, etc.,” Fisher said. “We would eventually like to add youth teams to the mix, and just give the kids the feel of being out on the football field or the basketball court. I also think it helps connect the middle school programs and coaches with their high school counterparts.”
Here are the scripts of the season summaries for each team included in the ceremony at halftime of Wednesday’s game:
Wrestling
Middle school wrestlers were coached by Lee Von Allman and Justin Prewitt. The middle school wrestling program featured 43 kids this year, which is an all-time high. The team went 9-4 and was an extremely hard working group of kids that excelled on the mats and in the classroom.
Boys Basketball
Boys Basketball was coached by Dylan Bekemeier and Allen Stolte. The 2018-2019 7th grade boys team finished the season 16-11 overall. The A-team had a record of 8-7 and the B-team finished 8-4. The A team averaged 41.7 points per game while only allowing 35.8 points per game. The B team averaged 29.3 points per game and only allowed 24.6 points per game. This group improved as the year went on and will continue to get better and better the older they get.
The 8th Grade A team went 12-3 and finished 3rd in the COC tournament. The B team went 8-3 and also had a very successful season. Season highlights included tough hard-nosed wins against Joplin and Willard on their way to earning the number 2 seed in the COC tournament. This team worked extremely hard this year and always had each other’s backs. We are very excited to watch this group continue their careers at the high school.
Girls Basketball
The girls basketball teams were coached Candy Gish and Sara Barnhart. The 8th Grade A Team went 13-2 and won the COC tournament. The B team went 6-6 and had a very successful year. Season highlights included big wins against Nixa and Carl Junction, and earning the number-two seed in the COC tournament. This group of girls has been a very fun group to work with, plays hard, and really came together as a team. The Republic Lady Tigers have a bright future with this group of girls coming up!
The 7th Grade A Team went 15-0 and were COC Champs and the B Team went 13-0 for a combined record of 28-0! The girls had a great season with wins over Nixa, Ozark, and Willard, and capped off the year with the COC tournament win on their home court. These girls have a bright future and they will be super fun to watch as they continue their careers as Lady Tigers!