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November 29, 2011
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Rotarians meets New Knoxville athletes
The New Bremen-New Knoxville Rotary Club held their weekly Tuesday morning breakfast meeting at the American Legion in New Knoxville on November 29th. The club has been meeting in New Knoxville once each quarter. The regular club meeting place is at Speedway Lanes in New Bremen each Tuesday morning at 7:30 am. Staff and players from the New Knoxville School visited the club to discuss their upcoming season. Athletic Director Jerry Vanderhorst led the discussion, gave credit to the coaching staffs and introduced several New Knoxville Basketball players. “The job these coaches do is a thankless one,” said Vanderhorst. “Our coaches do a lot of great work with our kids and in the community.” Vanderhorst introduced Junior Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Dwayne Meckstroth, and senior players Lucas Leffel, Seth Kuck, Gabbi Kuck, Haley Dylan and Tiana Heidt.
Vanderhorst noted that while New Knoxville has won the MAC in Boys Basketball four out of the last five years, they are in a transition mode, developing younger talent. They are integrating younger players into a small roster this year. “The community is buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming game with St. Marys,” said Vanderhorst. “It will be interesting to see a former NK coach behind the bench in blue and gold, and we hope to get a win.” Vanderhorst went on to discuss how competitive the MAC conference is, and what it means to have success in the MAC in any sport. “The fact that the MAC could possibly win four state championships in one school year is unfathomable,” said Vanderhorst. “We’re proud to be able to say we’ve won the MAC in basketball, with so many great programs in the conference. There is an expectation from the community that our kids will succeed. They will be thinking that these are our Rangers, this is our gym and this is where we win.”
Coach Meckstroth discussed the upcoming season for the New Knoxville Girls Basketball team. “The boys program has taken the highlight over the past decade,” said Meckstroth. “The girls have also had many winning seasons over the past several years. Last year our girls made it to District Finals before losing to Minster, and most of them are returning this year.” Meckstroth noted that many of the younger players are playing at the varsity level, being asked to do so to fill spots vacated by graduating seniors the past two seasons. The Lady Rangers played in the New Bremen Tip-Off Classic and came away with one win and one loss. Coach Meckstroth has worked with the current seniors since they were in sixth grade, praised them for their hard work and improvement. “They really understand the game of basketball,” said Meckstroth. “I don’t think fans realize how much these kids have to work to reach the level these girls have reached.” The program currently has a total of 14 girls, seven on Varsity and seven on the JV squad.
Each of the senior athletes introduced themselves and
shared a bit about their expectations for the season. They
each also shared their future plans after high school.