Red Ink November Vol. 15 Ed. 1

How to become involved

4 ways to be involved at Eaton High School:

maddiefisher featureeditor

- Esports; students can get together to play competitive video games. (Sponsor: Drew Jorgensen; meets Tuesdays a er school in Jorgensen’s room)

1Join a co-cur ricular, class, club, or sport

At EHS, there are 15 di erent sports students are given the opportunity to participate in. Trying out for a team or playing a sport is the largest way students at EHS stay involved.

Over the past year, 82% of the students at EHS participated in a sport, club, or activity. “We would like to see if we can bump that up to 90% this year and then eventually have 100% participation,” said Steve Longwell, the athletic director of EHS.

Getting the percentage up in participation proves how much students at EHS are involved and are supporting their community.

Not only sports, but clubs have continued to grow at EHS. Currently EHS o ers the following clubs:

- FCCLA; for young men and women interested in family and consumer sciences (sponsor: Amy Fetzer; meetings Monday at lunch)

- Fellowship of Christian Students; promotes the transformation of the lives of students through evangelism, discipleship, and family life development. (Sponsor: Christina Contraraz; meets Fridays at lunch in the choir room)

- Key Club; opportunities to provide service, build character, and develop leadership. (Sponsor: Texie Jonsson; meets ursdays at lunch in Jonsson’s room)

- FBLA; prepares students for careers in business through academic competitions, leadership development, and educational programs. (Sponsor: Chris Love & Alex Adams; meets ursdays at lunch in Love’s room)

- FFA; for those interested in agriculture and leadership. (Sponsor: Heidi Lanning & Melissa Achziger; meets the second Monday of the month at 7:00 pm)

- LINK; junior and senior program that mentors freshmen through their rst year at EHS. Entry into LINK is through application and acceptance only. (Sponsor: Brittany Turnbull & Chad Shaw) - Knowledge Bowl; similar to a team version of Jeopardy and Brain Bowl (Sponsor: Fred Kinney; meets Tuesdays and ursdays in Kinney’s room)

- GSA; aims to create a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for ALL students while learning about and discussing topics relevant to the LGBT community.

(Sponsor: Abigail Duncan; meets a er school and at lunch on Wednesdays in Duncan’s room)

- NHS; elevates the culture of an entire community through everyday scholarship, service, leadership, and character. NHS members are selected through an application process. (Sponsor: Amy Ross; listen for future application opportunities)

- Robotics Competition Team; EHS Robotics competes with the VEX platform. (Sponsor: Jim Corbett; meets every day a er school)

- Student Council; helps spread students’ ideas and interests and also helps raise funds and plans for schoolwide activities. (Sponsor: Drew Jorgensen; meets at lunch Wednesdays in Jorgensen’s room)

Eaton High School also o ers classes that specialize in certain activities. As a student moves up in grade levels, more classes are available for the student to take. e following is a broad list of categories of classes that EHS o ers:

- Agriculture education

- Business and technology

- Construction technology - Family & consumer sciences

- Fine arts

- Physical education & health

- STEM Education

- World language

2Attend school or community events regularly

Students at EHS are highly encouraged to attend events around the school and in the community whenever the

opportunity is available. At school-related events, there is a “new system where students can sign in through the bar code tracking at each event that will earn them points towards getting free stu . If students get the prized black shirt they are the ultimate ‘Rowdy Red’,” said Tom Shannon, the assistant principal.

Being a “Rowdy Red” includes attending school events, sitting in the designated “Rowdy Red” zone at events, and showing the most school spirit.

e purpose of creating the new seating section and the competition is that “we want all of our students to support each other at the different events,” said Longwell.

By attending events regularly, players and performers can depend on their peers for support in what they are most passionate about doing.

3

Listen to the announcements and check calendars

Knowing when and where events are happening is vital to ful lling the duty of being an Eaton Red. Checking calendars on the school website, listening to announcements, and paying attention to posters in the school are a few ways to be aware of school events.

Trent Salberg (23) said, “Always check the calendars and gure out which things you can make it to and see if a group of friends could make it to this event as well. Having friends in clubs and at events make people more comfortable to have fun and be themselves.” Don’t miss out on fun activities at EHS.

Frequently checking the calendars on the school web-

site or the television screens inside the school is a good way to stay informed. Chad Shaw, an EHS history teacher said, “there are a plethora of ways that students can become involved in their school beyond just going to class, which makes this place much more enjoyable. I would challenge every student in this building to nd their niche within the high school outside of the classroom because it makes EHS much more of a home rather than just an institution.”

4

ere are many volunteer opportunities in EHS and around the community, which can create involvement. Working concessions, the student store, and picking up trash around the EHS campus are a couple of simple ways to volunteer. Key Club specializes in volunteering for the bene t of the community.

Dressing up for spirit week can also be considered volunteering for school spirit. Salberg said, “One thing that I noticed Eaton High School as a whole is lacking in the participation part of school is during pep rallies and the cheering of activities when leaving for state. I think we could do a better job getting excited about each other’s successes and getting loud for the assembly. It makes it more fun when it is a friendly competition between the grades with everyone participating.”

As Salberg said, the student body has been lacking participation during pep rallies, so make sure to cheer and participate to be involved.

Volunteer or take part in community activity opportunities

Under the spotlight

Twenty-three students earn spots in the Patriot League Honor Choir

juliameagher staffreporter

Patriot League Honor Choir is an audition only choir. 23 students from Eaton High School auditioned and earned spots in this prestige choir, and will represent the school in future perfor mances.

Honor Choir provides a unique opportunity for students to perform with other choir students in the league and state. This is an upper level choir designed for students who want to further their choir experiences while expanding their knowledge in the world of music. Students

get to perform side by side with other people from local schools that share the same passion for music.

Freshmen

Sophomore

Senior

Auditioning for Honor Choir requires many pieces; a prepared piece, major scale, major triad, minor triad, melodic sight reading, and rhythmic sight reading. Students make a recording of each of these pieces for their audition and submit them to a group of judges. This recording is then scored and those with the highest scores are placed into the Honor Choir.

Christina Contreras, Eaton High School’s choir teacher, said, “They are learning the concert songs on their own time as well as attending a lunch rehearsal once a week where I help them.” Students are responsible for practic ing and perfecting the music outside of choir class.

This practice will be put into place on Nov 14. 2022, when the entire Patriot League Honor Choir will perform at the Union Colony Civic Center at 7:00 pm.

Hope Shoemaker (24) said, “The most rewarding part without a doubt is when

everything comes together at the concert, and it sounds unlike anything you’ve ever heard. When you’re so into the music that you can liter ally feel it, and sometimes, if it’s powerful enough, the audience feels it too. It’s truly unexplainable.”

Eaton theater sets the stage

Theater students are ready to perform in their new auditorium brooklinfrank

staffreporter

Eaton High School’s fall drama is patiently wait ing for their auditorium to be finished so they are able to get back in the swing of things. The theater students are doing all they can to be prepared as they can’t use the stage at the moment due to construction. They are cur rently working on the murder mystery show called “Ap pointment with Death.”

Senior Tyler Beers is involved in the Tech Theater class. He builds the set props, controls lighting, and the curtains. Beers said, “The environment that the people

help maintain the social and language skills of students. Students take theater classes to be able to explore chal lenging scenarios and express themselves in a safe and sup portive environment.

to be performed on. Hixon said, “It is extremely difficult to work on a show without a complete stage. It is taking me out of my natural habitat.” Hixon as well as the theater classes are more than ready to get back in their own space to put on the first show that will be performed in the new building.

Auditorium under construction seven days out to fall production enjoy the environment theater gives, where they can be themselves. The drama classes at EHS improve and

around you create is the best part about that class. There is never a dull moment in the theater room.” Students

Kendra Hixon is the the ater director at Eaton High School. Hixon has worked at EHS for 13 years and she enjoys every second of it. Her students stay late and come in early to prepare for the show that is coming up on Nov. 10 called “Appoint ment with Death,” which is the mainstage show this year. With ten days left to prepare for the show, Hixon is hoping her stage will be completed

“We’ve already said our goodbyes to the old stage. Having to go back there is bringing back memories and making it difficult to picture how it will be in the new auditorium,” said Hixon.

Senior Lauren Caudle performs a solo in the fall choir concert

Patrick Preston

Representing EHS in the Patriot League Honor Choir are 23 students of all grades:

(26): Carli Bruegman, Celie Tharp, Jonathan Chumacero, Zachary Mellman

(25): Karley Riggs

Junior (24): Mattea Gurnsey, Jade Harris, Mayzie Helzer, Hope Shoemaker, Isabelle Mellman, Alejandro Rodriguez, Charlie Fritzler

(23): Amerie Valenciano, Ashleigh Williams, Zoe Lampe, Hayden Pollman, Michael Salazar, Carter Brogdon, Skyler Williams, Caleb McDaniel, Jarrod Robison, Samantha Clousing, Miranda Madrid

Brooklin Frank

Unique Pets of EHS

Strange or weird pets owned by the students and staff at EHS

reagankochevar staffreporter

The students and staff of EHS have many unique pets that are not commonly known or owned, includ ing lizards, hedgehogs and alpacas.

Carey Quaratino, the counseling registrar, has a variety of strange pets includ ing a hedgehog, a bearded dragon, a donkey, and pigs. The most unusual being the hedgehog, named Pokey, and a bearded dragon named Rango. Her family has owned Pokey for six years and got him off of Craigslist.

The entire family enjoys owning the hedgehog and finds him entertaining. Qua ratino said “Pokey is unique just because he’s a hedgehog, and it’s really funny because you reach in there to go and grab him and all his little spikes will stand up.” Her favorite part about owning Pokey is that “he loves baths, so you put him in the sink with a little bit of water and a toothbrush, and you scrub his little quills.”

Rango the bearded dragon

has an interesting story of how they got him. Quara tino’s daughter has wanted a bearded dragon ever since she saw her friends’ bearded dragon. However, Quaratino did not. Her husband works as a police officer and got Rango through his work. Somebody ordered a bearded dragon through the mail and then wouldn’t take him, so they brought it to the police station trying to decide what to do with him. Quaratino’s husband volunteered to take it home since his daughter wanted one.

Noah Juhl (23) owns two alpacas named Washington and Finn. He has had alpacas

since 2014 and shows them at the fair and enjoys hav ing them as pets as well. Juhl said, “They are bigger than most other pets and they are just not a very common pet to own, so they are good for conversation.” Since these pets are uncommon, they are often confused with llamas, but are smaller and were bred specifically for their fiber. They are fun animals to own and are cute and fuzzy com panions. Juhl said, “I enjoy showing them and watching them in my backyard because they are cool animals that are fun to work with. They are not the typical pet, so just seeing them in the yard is a cool thing.”

Max Bulzomi (23) owns crabs, a salamander, and a gold dojo loach. The crabs are named Shelly, Gilbert, Jeremy and Javier, the salamander is named Todd, and the gold dojo loach is named Volde mort.

He has only owned the crabs for two months and the salamander for a few weeks. Bulzomi’s dad thought it would be a cool collection to have the crabs, and they got the salamander from “a rescue mission out of their window well.” He says that the crabs are very active and crawl up the sides of the tank and are sometimes even out

and about his house. He en joys having the crabs and says that “they look funny and sometimes look like they are dancing even though they are standing still.” The gold dojo loach is a unique fish that can apparently predict the weather. They are easy to care for and a joy to watch.

four years. Smith got the fish because it was suggested to keep her goldfish’s tank clean. Although it hides, and doesn’t interact a whole lot, Smith said, “it is cool when it actually comes out, it is very funky looking.”

Lili Van Romer Hensley (25) owns a variety of strange pets including snakes, a lizard, and an axolotl, who’s named Cake. An axolotl is a type of salamander; the type Hensley owns is a walking albino salamander. She has owned him for about a year. Hensley got her axolotl from her mom, who used to work at a reptile and amphibian store. Her favorite part about owning this pet is watching him eat.

Kiauna Smith (25) owns a pleco. A pleco is a freshwater species of armored catfish. This type of fish is a jani tor fish, which means it eats algae in the tank. The fish’s name is Pleko and she has owned this fish for about

David Harris (26) and Jade Harris (24) have a leopard gecko named Lyla. They have had her for two years. D. Har ris saw that J. Harris’s friend had a bearded dragon and he wanted a lizard as well. He thought they looked very cool and wanted one of his own.

J. Harris said, “Lyla is unique because she has spe cific heat requirements. We have to keep her tank at least 80 degrees and moderately moist by spraying the inside with water. She is also unique because her tail can pop off and it will grow back. She also can go two weeks without food because her tail stores food. That’s why leopard geckos have such fat tails.”

While having such a unique pet may be a lot of work, having the leopard gecko has a lot of enjoyable moments as well.

J Harris said, “I enjoy having Lyla around because she is cute and likes it when we are around her, although we don’t hold her very much because she is so active and tries to bite you when you pick her up.”

D. Harris said, “I enjoy how friendly she is and how she lets me hold her. She also looks really awesome and it’s fun having a lizard as a pet.”

EATON acronym displayed for the community

EHS students paint mural in downtown Eaton

kylieschumacher staffreporter

The EATON acronym has its own personal meaning for each letter. The letter E represents excellence, which means that one is going the extra mile and is outstand ing. The letter A is awareness which is the knowledge of people’s surroundings and perception of others. The letter T means tenacity which means having the determi nation or drive to do some thing. The letter O stands for ownership which means not being afraid to stand up for what is right and the act of possessing something.

The last letter N represents noteworthiness, which is something that is interesting, unusual, or significant.

Senior Ainslie Ross

emphasizes the importance of noteworthiness. She said, “Noteworthiness to me is making sure your actions are worth being noted. It means you are representing yourself and doing the right thing.”

The acronym is a big part of the Eaton community. It is important that people un derstand what it is and how it plays an impactful role within the community. A few of the art classes at EHS got the opportunity to paint a mural of the EATON acronym on a board in downtown Eaton. The mural is valuable to the students because it’s their work that is being displayed to the community, and shows how people view them.

Even though the mural wasn’t planned, the students and art teach at the high

school found a way to make it something the represented the school. “The mural was thrown into my lap, and I got an email asking if we wanted to do it on our own free time,” said Payton Sporleder, the EHS art teacher.

Each art class was given the opportunity to choose a letter to paint that repre sented a part of the acronym. They got the time to brain storm and as a class came up with one idea that would fit the letter they chose. The overall piece was created to show what Eaton represents for the community to see how the schools and the commu nity go hand in hand. Having the opportunity to work on this mural shows how much dedication the art classes wanted to put into it because

Live and in concert

it is displayed for the town of Eaton. Having the mural displayed in downtown Eaton shows it’s not just for an art project, but for the people of Eaton to look at and admire.

Sporleder said, “I think we were pretty successful and very proud of how artistic we were able to create and depict the EATON acronym.

The EHS bands prepare for a year full of good music

amandadavis sportseditor

As the season starts the EHS bands begin to prepare for their first concert that will be coming up very quickly. The EHS band has three sectors; Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and Concert/Sym phonic Band.

This year has been full of many new beginnings in the band world, but especially because Benjamin Corneliu sen took over as Director of Bands. Madison Carson (26) said, “Mr. C is inspiring be cause he gives good speeches and he knows the right things to do and how to say it so you understand and can get better.”

Corneliusen said, “I am looking forward to our win ter concert on Dec. 19. After having to postpone our fall

concert due to construction, we are excited to get together and perform again, since it’s been so long. It will also be my first concert as the new director here, so I am looking forward to meeting the com munity of folks in Eaton that support the fine arts at EHS.”

Over the years there have always been four separate

bands, but before leaving the school, Mr. Doddridge de cided to combine the concert and symphonic bands, due to low numbers of students.

Sophomore Kiauna Smith said, “I’m not really a fan of combined symphonic and concert band. It gets frustrat ing as a musician in sym phonic band when Mr. C has

to backtrack to help out the people in concert band, espe cially since I got used to how fast-paced Mr. Doddridge moved with the symphonic band last year.”

With a new band direc tor this year the musicians have to adjust to the differ ent teaching ways that Mr. Corneliusen has. Taylor Ross (25) said, “Something a little different is he has us listen to an orchestral piece every day to train our ears more. He is helping us become better mu sicians through our instru ments and better musicians in the technical sense.”

The band students are excited for different things to come as the year carries on. Smith said, “I’m just excited to be in band and to be able to have a space to release my emotions through playing my

Everyone was very hands on and very enthused once we got there to work on it. We made edits and created it how we wanted it.” The acronym is a very important symbol for not just the school but for the community and the fact that the students were able tm make it means that much more to the community.

instrument.”

On the other side of things, Mr. Corneliusen wants to see growth in the bands. Corneliusen said, “As the band settles into its new space and we finally get comfortable playing together again, I am expecting for us to make some great music together as we grow closer to our concerts. With COVID finally in the rearview mir ror and the opportunity to play together in a brand new space, I am eager to see how the students grow as an en semble and how we can push forward towards making music that means something to all of us.”

Come show support for the EHS bands on Dec. 19 as they perform their first winter concert in the new auditorium.

2021 Jazz Combo performs in old high school gym while auditorium was under construction

EATON acronym, letter N, noteworthy displayed for community

Payton Sporleder

Amanda Davis

History does repeat itself

Eaton High School’s former teacher graduates

remibaessler staffreporter

Eaton High school is a small community where everyone knows one another and is one big family. For many generations, to this day, the school is able to continue bringing in new students from many different places.

There are students who have gone to Eaton from kindergarten through high school. But as one Eaton Red family, not just the students, there is an amazing staff team that works at the school. Cur rently, a total of five teachers went to and graduated from EatonHigh School.

Cameron Stewart, one of

college, he wanted to help in the weight room and start coaching because he wanted to give back to the place where he started.

“When I was a student I really enjoyed the family feel, which I think we still have,” said Stewart. Stewart has just as much appreciation for the academic side though and sees how important edu cation is.

Alli Duncan, one of the EHS physical education teachers, loves the pride and the kids within the building. Duncan loves the traditions that have been kept and some that are no longer around over the times, including the involvement that everyone has.

through the old building to the new building. I see kids have upped their game with being in a new facility and how they walk and talk around the building,” said Duncan. Duncan tries her very best to be all about the kids, making sure they have a safe learning environment.

Alex Adams, one of the business teachers at EHS, was a former EHS student who graduated in 2016. Adams came back to the school because he loved the experiences he had and ap preciated how focused and hardworking everyone is in the community.

Adams really enjoyed the

“I love being able to see the other side of the fence with the same community and great people, understand ing more about the teachers and how much work they put in for all the EHS students,” said Adams. Still to this day Adams loves seeing students walk the same path that he did and abide by the same EATON acronym.

Alexandra Dyer, the new EHS Spanish teacher, said, “Since becoming a teacher I have realized now how much time it takes to prepare for a class.”

He was involved in sports and FFA.

“Initially, I never wanted to return to Eaton. It wasn’t until I left Eaton and trav eled to other states and other counties that I gained an appreciation for what Eaton had to offer. When I was in the military, I was able to see how people in other countries lived, and how they were treated. Not all places have a sense of community like Ea ton does. Community mem bers have pride in their com munity and look out for one another. Eaton values high standards. This is important to me both as a teacher, and as a parent,” said Preston. As a student, Preston was never able to truly grasp some of the lessons or concepts that teachers were hoping to teach him. As a teacher he has now faced the same challenges that his teachers faced when teaching him.

When

“Excellence has followed

As a student, Dyer en joyed the teachers that had a caring attitude and strived to help the students become bet ter at playing the piano and learning Spanish. “Things I haven’t seen change when moving from the old build ing to the new is there are still a lot of teachers that care deeply about the students and I hope that never goes away,” said Dyer.

While attending Eaton High School, social stud ies teacher Doug Preston enjoyed knowing a number of different people based on common interests. He liked that he had teachers who challenged him, and didn’t worry much about the grades and the content of the classes.

Encouraging students to understand that the world outside of Eaton is different, it will be challenging can be difficult, when students embrace the concept that no matter what they do, things like hard work, punctuality, self-discipline, and respect are always transferable.

competitiveness of the teams, including the involvement of the clubs, bands, and sports.

It’s funny to be on the other side, rather than the student side.

-Cameron Stewart the EHS physical education teachers, was a former Eaton High student who was very involved with after school sports.

he came back from

Alex Adams

Alli Duncan

Cameron Stewart

Alexandra Dyer

Doug Preston

Artists

of Eaton High School

patrickpreston opinioneditor

The Eaton Red Ink staff wanted to recognize some of the fantastic artists who attend Eaton High School. In mid-October, announce ments throughout the school were made, and a google form was sent to students via email, where they could submit their own original artwork for the contest.

On Nov. 1, the Red Ink staff voted for their favorite pieces. There were several great sub missions to the contest, but in the end there were three defi nite winners. Ella Keenan (23)

was the champion, Michell Vallejos (24) was the runner up, and Remi Grasmick (25) took third place.

Keenan submitted a paint ing of a golden retriever with a forest background that is very realistic and detailed. The time taken and the at tention to detail is what made this winning artwork. Keenan said, “I worked really hard on that piece; It took about three weeks. It is the piece that I am most proud of. I took profes sional art lessons for five years to build my skills, and I hope to continue in college.”

Vallejos’ piece shows an

individual shopping in a con venience store. While it’s a simple idea, she nailed the atmosphere and patterns. The piece is quite immersive. Vallejos said, “I’ve been draw ing all my life, but my skills skyrocketed when covid hit. I was stuck in my house for nearly two years, and at the time, I didn’t have much else to do other than improve my skills. When I heard about the contest this year, I figured I might as well test my skills and submit something. I saw a photo of someone in a conve nience store and got inspira tion for the drawing. I worked

on it every day until the end of the contest and submitted it.”

Grasmick’s submission has quite the story. She said, “‘I call my artwork ’Salma’. I orig inally wanted to draw Salma as a single mother working to become a lawyer. It was go ing to be a scene with her and her son sitting in the kitchen with a laptop sitting on the table displaying a website that says ’So You Want To Be A Lawyer?’ In the end, I opted to draw her as a young girl sitting at her window alone since I couldn’t find a pose or background that fit right with me. After I drew her, I decided to add some things I thought would look appealing to the work. I love the sky and stars so I added that, and I focused on small details like the light streetlight and the contrast of light and dark shading in the outside of her room and the tones of light inside. Drawing the hallway and the shelves

full of her things was the big gest challenge. This art contest mostly excited me to share my creations with those who are also interested in art.”

Art is a very useful tool. Powerful emotions can be communicated through the various types of art that peo ple create. Now, more than ever, the world needs artists, like these students, to keep it in check.

New Building Same .A.T.O.N.

Throughout the years EHS has built many strong traditions. Although students are in a ment, the roots of EHS are still growing from one school to the next. Building tradition is part; keeping those traditions alive is the challenge students now face.

years. Now Eaton Schools are represented with a ‘Block E’. To bring unity within the students, the Rowdy Reds were created. is persona is used to represent the EHS student body during school-wide events.

Excellence. Awareness. Tenacity. Ownership. Noteworthiness. Created by teachers, advisors, and department chairs, the EATON acronym has stayed the same since it was created, and students continue to stand by this today.

e EATON acronym is taught in advising classes for years and is indispensable for EHS students. As the years go on, the acronym has become more important in order to unite the community as it grows.

Champions

EHS students have started to nd their passions in the new school. To honor the success of these students within their passions, a new tradition has emerged. e Walk of Champions was created to send o students to state competitions. Students being sent o walk through the main hallway while their classmates clap them out of the building. e band helps march them through with a drum performance.

TTUN. at Team Up North, a phrase coined by students at opposing schools. EHS students have recently reclaimed this phrase as their own and labeled TTUN ‘Title Town Up North’. TTUN represents winning to students at EHS. A ag was made with the acronym on it, which students love to wave around

at sporting events. Having this trade-

mark for EHS has increased the school spirit levels and hypes up student sec-

Rowdy Reds

Walk Of Champions

Reds!

Traditionally, before football games community members and parents tailgate. Getting together to grill, sitting around small res, eating good food, and preparing to win another football game has become a tradition at EHS. Previously hosted in the teacher parking lot of the Eaton Middle School building, this special get together brought families and fans of the Reds closer. ere is no better way to have this event in a larger area, for more people to come, than hosting in the new parking lot at EHS. e rst Big Red Tailgate hosted at the new building brought hundreds of fans, with plenty of parking close by. e tailgate was a success and the community can’t wait for all the future

ones to come.

GymBanners

Reds state championship banners. Each banner was remade to create a uniform look in the new gym. e community found it important to carry the culture from the old school to the new school. e plan for the retired banners is to be auctioned o at Eaton Days in 2023, with the proceeds going back to the athletic department.

new environis not the hard

Tailgate

Dakota’s Diary

dakotabraucher editorinchief

Mindset

“Man up” and “be a man” are two terms that have been used for centuries. In modern society men aren’t praised for seeking help if they need it, they are ridiculed. at help, however, isn’t the determining factor of happiness. Happiness is as much a mindset as it is a feeling. To be happy is perspective relevant. Nothing tangible can cause happiness, but can only alter a mindset toward that goal. Even some of the most successful and what you and I would consider “well-o ” people wouldn’t call themselves truly happy. e opposite is true as well. ere are people who society wouldn’t consider successful, but who have happiness.

Why does this matter to a high schooler? Realizing that being happy comes from within is just the tip of the iceberg. Happiness isn’t the only thing that can be determined through a

strong mindset. Success, time, and determination are all factors that are determinable through a frame of mind.

Athletes talk about the winner’s mindset. Whatever competition it may be, having a strong enough mindset is just as important as the athletic ability. None of the greatest athletes in the world have gotten to where they are through pure natural talent. ey work for what they have. is is ampli ed through the mindset that they have and they let it speak through their work. Whether it be athletics, academics, work, or life in general, a strong mindset is vital to success or defeat. It’s easy to not work at all. And it’s easy to work hard when life is going your way. It’s hard to nd a drive and a passion when there’s nobody pushing you toward your goals. Frame of mind shows up in life again and again. Only when it is mastered is life truly discovered.

Staff Editorial

With the new building of Eaton High School comes a new atmosphere and a new way of doing things. One of the big points of emphasis to the community about the new school was that even though Eaton was in a new building, it is still the same old Eaton. is is an easy way of thinking about things, but the execution of this idea is a little harder to perform.

What made Eaton High School di erent were the traditions and the history that the old building contained. e composites that were hung up in the hallways, showing the previous classes all the way back from when the building was founded in the early 1900’s, were iconic to the old building. e old building itself brought character to being an Eaton Red. e old auditorium, that housed generations of Eaton students, gave a sense of belonging to every student that stepped into the building. Many of the things that made EHS what it was, were taken away with the arrival of the new building. “ e school atmosphere just doesn’t feel the same. It seems like they are trying to force us to start new traditions. I think the Rowdy Reds seems very forced,” said EHS senior and student council member Grant Hernandez. e “Rowdy Reds” was the name given to the student section of the new school, and to the students, it was an idea that sprung up out of nowhere.

e drastic changes are a big part of the new

Tradition at EHS

school feeling di erent to everybody. If some of these traditions were added and taken away slowly, students and sta would have a better time understanding them and enjoying them. e changes that have happened within the school in the past year alone were drastic, and changed the dynamic of the school atmosphere.

e new building itself also has its downsides. Many of the places in the school aren’t nished with construction, so students aren’t even allowed in them. For example, the theater isn’t able to be accessed because it isn’t nished yet. is is a change because the historic theater of the last high school was iconic, and housed all of the plays and concerts that the school had to o er. All of those events now have to be held at a local church instead of being held in the school that is performing them.

EHS choir teacher Christina Contreras said, “I’ve been teaching here at Eaton for almost 20 years, that part [not being able to perform in their own theater] is very bittersweet for me, the history and the tradition. It’s just going to take time. I’m trying to keep a positive and forward minded mindset. It’s just the growing pains of getting it nished.” Everything in the new school will take time to rebuild.

Teachers also don’t have their own classrooms. Each classroom in the school is considered a “content classroom” and many of the teachers have to move from one classroom to the next depending on what class they teach. is is hard for the teachers because they aren’t able to have a good place to get their work done. ere are o ce spaces around the school for the teachers, but each o ce

houses many teachers in a con ned space, making it di cult to get things done. To the teachers, it feels like they don’t have a “home base” even though they have an o ce space. A classroom provides a sense of belonging to the teachers, which translates to the students as well.

is is also di cult for the students. Not knowing where to nd a teacher at any point in a day makes it hard for a student to get the things they need for their classes and when they need to turn their work in outside of class. ey need to schedule an appointment with their teacher instead of being able to just go into their class and ask them a question. e class environment is also di erent, because the teachers can’t decorate how they want to and make their class feel like a secure environment.

is environment can easily a ect the learning of the students within the school. It makes it harder for the students to learn. If the learning environment isn’t optimal for the students it will mess with their academics, and their social skills as well. When students don’t feel comfortable in school, it doesn’t help anybody progress.

It is hard to be successful in an uncomfortable environment. When the goal is to make the school feel more like home for a lot of these students, and it feels like the opposite, students and sta have a hard time adjusting. With a whole new school environment, people are forced to change how they do things, and how they have always done things. e school doesn’t feel like Eaton, which is the exact thing that the administration tried to keep alive.

There are two ways you can go with pain: You can let it destroy you or you can use it as fuel to drive you.

-Taylor Swift

“

Shining a light on EHS construction issues

The truth about EHS construction this year

eamonshaw staffreporter

For EHS the word construc tion isn’t one students haven’t heard before. For the last three years, EHS has under gone construction to the new and old school Seniors last year graduated in the midst of a construction site. The town of Eaton has completely revamped many of the old schools with the construction of the new EHS.

Sampson Construction won the bid to build the school and broke ground in January of 2020. The new high school was expected to be finished before students and staff came back to start the fall 2022 school year. The new school is beautiful, but construction is still in the midst of finishing, even months after they were supposed to hand over the building.

The completed construc tion date continually got postponed, but the school was supposed to be done and handed over by Aug. 1 before students and staff returned from summer break. When staff returned to school on Aug. 24, the entire north wing of the school was still under

heavy construction and un able to be accessed. Well into November, Sampson is still

were manpower issues and supply chain issues.” Martin expressed that whatever is on the architectural plans is what the construction work ers abide by. The construc tion completion date for the high school is now the mid dle of November. As head of construction, Martin did his job for building what was asked of him. Martin be lieves it was challenging, but still believes it is a beautiful building.

RB+B architect Brianne Smith explained how the process of designing the school began. Smith said, “There was a stakeholder meeting and we were in formed about how to design EHS; we discussed different things that were going to be best for the community and culture of Eaton.”

finishing construction on the learning stairs and some other areas of the building, includ ing the auditorium. Head of construction Vaughn Martin weighed in on the struggles faced during the project. Mar tin said, “There were some de sign issues and there was add ed work that takes time. There

The new learning stairs located in the cafeteria that were designed to give stu dents a place to study dur ing lunch were inspected and closed off before school started due to an issue with the code. The stairs have been closed since school started and will have to un dergo major construction

again before they are up to code. Smith said, “We had de signed the learning stairs as sitting areas and unfortunately the inspector interpreted the sitting areas as walking areas and determined it was a haz ard.” The new gym has also been a hot topic of discussion because when the gym opened it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t painted cor rectly. Smith said, “There was a miscommunication between us and the school. The school wanted the gym floor longer than CHSAA regulations, but we designed it according to CHSAA regulations.”

The new Eaton High School is beautiful and great for the community of Eaton, but the high school wasn’t completed on time, which has caused ex tra stress for students and staff because they were expected to go back to school without completed spaces. The blame cannot solely be put on Samp son Construction or RB+B architects, but some owner ship must be taken by the people who were put on the job. The community of Ea ton is very proud of the new EHS, but responsibility for errors that were made must be admitted and reconciled. The town of Eaton and its schools have been enveloped with construction for the last three years, which was to be

expected. The town of Eaton expected construction to be enveloped in student’s lives af ter the bond had passed, but a solid end date was also an ex pectation. Eaton High School exemplifies hard work and the new EHS is a direct result of hard work to give the town of Eaton something to be proud of.

Eaton High School also preaches the importance of the EATON acronym. E for Excellence, A for Awareness, T for Tenacity, O for Owner ship, and N for Noteworthi ness. As a whole, the teams that were put on the job must also take the Eaton acronym into consideration and must not be unaware of the errors that were made. The students and staff of EHS must be tena cious in having patience for the completion of a beautiful high school, but ownership of missed deadlines and incom plete construction should also be taken by those responsible.

The blame for the incom pleteness of EHS isn’t on Sampson Construction or RB+B architects alone, but they must be aware and take ownership of the challenges they faced to complete a new high school. With the current economic challenges faced and working conditions faced, it was not an easy job, but it’s still one they were hired to do.

The new EHS gym floor sparked some controversy after being painted 10 feet too short

The EHS learning stairs still undergoing construction

There were some design issues and there was added work that takes time. There were manpower issues and supply chain issues.”

-Vaughn Martin

Eamon Shaw

Eamon Shaw

Marching Band saves their best for last EHS Marching Band places third at state competition

logangullett newseditor

The EHS Marching Band completed another successful season with a 3rd place finish at state. Coming off two victo rious seasons in 2020 and 2021 (1st and 2nd place respective ly), the marching band had big shoes to fill. With the depar ture of last year’s band director, Mr. Doddridge, the future of the team was uncertain. Mr. Corenelisun, the new band hire, took the ropes and led the team to another top three finish at state.

Last year, the marching band placed in the top five at all of their competitions. This season they kept up with the standards they set the year prior by grabbing multiple top five finishes throughout their regular season. They placed 5th at the Legend Festival and

2nd at the Monarch Festival, both of which contained mul tiple 4A and 5A schools. After a 3rd place finish at region als, the marching band had punched their 4th consecutive trip to the state.

This season, the construc tion of the new school pre sented a plethora of challenges to the marching band. All sum mer long, the band migrated from place to place in order to find a suitable practice area. Without a finished band room, they were forced to practice in a variety of locations such as the auxiliary gym and even the old elementary school. Taylor Ross (25) said, “Our season started off a little rougher than we are used to, but in the end we all came together to perform an amazing show.” It wasn’t until mid-September that the bands were able to ac

cess the band room, and it’s still not completely finished..

John Davis (24) said, “I’m most proud of the fact that even though we faced chal lenge after challenge through out the year, we still finished the season strong and as a family.”

Irregardless of their home less status, it was business as usual for marching band. Essentially, every year the marching band comes up with a theme. Using music, props, and visual movements, the band creates a performance that conveys the theme. This year, their show was entitled “Glide,” and the theme was about taking a journey and breaking apart from the trend of the crowd.

After a five hour bus ride to Grand Junction, the marching band was eager to show the

state what they were capable of. A second place finish in the preliminary round secured their spot in the final round of competition. Following a tight battle between Berthoud and The Classical Academy, the Eaton Reds finished third overall in 2A. Ross (24) said,

“Although we didn’t place as high as we wanted to, everyone in the band is proud of what we put on the field for the last time this season.” Davis would agree. He said, “We could definitely call this our best one yet.”

Cheer program makes a spirited return to EHS

Spirit team navigates inaugural season

logangullett newseditor

With the addition of a new school, Eaton also brought back the cheer program. Officially known as a ‘spirit team,’ English teacher and head cheer coach Texie Jonsson has built the pro gram from the ground up. With tryouts taking place in the later months of the 2021/22 school year, the team has experienced its fair share of hardships due to lack of time and funding. Despite the challenges, the cheer team has done an outstanding job support ing the various fall activities.

During the creation of the cheer team, Jonsson had her abilities doubted by some. Jonsson said, “Nobody really knew my cheerleading background, so a lot of people were hesitant.” Jonsson is no stranger to the sport, as she competed in cheer throughout high school and coached private cheer lessons throughout her college tenure. “I could take a girl

who had absolutely no talent and turn her into a cheerleader,” said Jonsson.

To make matters tougher, Jonsson also received minimal funding. The team had a budget of $500-800, which simply isn’t enough to cover the costs of the sport. The rest of the money had to come out of the cheer team’s pockets, which made it difficult to convince kids to join. “Cheer is a different animal compared to other sports,” Jonsson said. “We have to purchase our own uniforms and shoes. It’s expensive, and that up front turned a lot of kids away.”

Once athletes do join, another overlooked challenge is creating a strong sense of camaraderie be tween the team. “Bonding ten girls who have never met each other before is a little challenging at first,” Jonsson said. “These are girls from all walks of life.” As with any sport, unity and team work are essential for success.

Coming into the season,

Jonsson had two essential goals. Firstly, she wanted to successfully establish a cheer team. With a strong foundation, the cheer team can achieve any goal they set their minds to. Jonsson also had the am bition to boost school spirit within the halls of EHS. “I wanted to create a professional program that would promote spirit and camara derie within our school,” Jonsson said. “I feel like that’s something that we don’t have. I want to make sure that every student, whether they’re doing basketball, football, or brain bowl, feels included and loved and supported.”

Next year, the cheer team will look to compete in cheer competi tions in addition to their normal cheering duties. The team isn’t big enough yet, but, in a year’s time, expect to see them giving it their all at league and state competi tions.

To help boost their scarce budget, the cheer team hosted a Halloween cheer clinic from Oct. 17 to Oct. 19. Girls and boys, ages

3-12, trained with the cheer team for three days, then performed a halftime performance on Oct. 20 at a home football game. With a participation goal of 50 kids, the clinic was an overwhelming suc cess with 150 kids signed up. Jons son said, “I know a lot of kids in this community don’t have access to dance classes, so I wanted to give them a chance to shine.” With the profits, the cheer team was able

to buy tumbling mats and other equipment.

The successful cheer clinic is one of many indicators of the cheer team’s bright future. Jonsson and the cheer team are creating something special for the school. Although they are a small program at the moment, the EHS cheer team has established them selves as a force to be reckoned with.

Marching Band poses after placing third at state

Cheerleaders flex their school spirit

Texie Jonsson

Courtesy Photo

The end of an era

Eaton Cross Country has an impressive showing at the state meet

ryleemartin managingeditor

Eaton High School cross country has been working to wards the biggest meet of the season since the beginning of August. The seniors set goals for the entire team at the beginning of the season and continued to push through to meet those goals. Cross country is an interesting sport, because it can easily be categorized as an individual sport, but it is a team sport as well.

Head Coach Jaryn Guerra said, “Cross country run ners show so much grit every single day. They fight to shave seconds off of their 5k times as they continue to set goals for themselves and smash them, and seeing that hard work pay off makes me proud to be their coach.” Seniors Maddie Robson and Logan Gullett have set the standard for the younger runners to continue the legacy for years to come. Dakota Braucher (23) has been a part of the cross country family since his freshman year, but this year Braucher took a new role as the team manager. Braucher

timed splits, helped runners keep pace, and kept track of times for the team. Braucher said, “I love being able to spend my senior season with my friends and being with the team.”

CHSAA hosted the State Cross Country Champion ships in Colorado Springs at the Norris Penrose Event Center. On Oct. 29, the three Eaton runners that qualified for state, Aedy Barclay (24), Andie Rasmussen (24), and Gullett all competed against the toughest runners in the 3A classification. Rasmussen said, “My goal for state was to get top ten. After being injured last year, and not per forming as well as I wanted

place running a 19:18.50 and Barclay finished 81st run ning a 21:54.7. Rasmussen said, “Next year I really hope to improve my 5k time and run sub 19 minutes. I also hope that in the state meet I could try and get top 8 and see where it goes from there.” Both girls have one more sea son left with the Reds to leave their mark on Eaton cross country. Barclay said, “This season, I was most proud of my personal improvement. In my freshman and sopho more years, I didn't really try as hard as I could, and cross country was just a side thing for me to do, but this year, I really wanted to improve and push myself to be better. Not only did my time improve but also certain skills and con cepts that I worked on over the season.”

to, I definitely wanted re demption.” A few other run ners on the team went down to Colorado Springs to cheer on their fellow teammates. Starting off with the girls race, Barclay and Rasmussen came up to the starting line with the utmost confidence in the world. Meanwhile keep ing different personal goals in mind, the junior duo trekked on throughout the course. Rasmussen finished in 10th

After the girls finished, the boys lined up to start their own race. Gullett has been the leader of the team since he entered the program, and getting to the state race has become an expectation; the real goal for Gullett has been to win the entire meet. Last year Gullett fell just short of the state title, so this year he has had his eyes set on the prize during every training session. After a hard-fought race, Gullett ran a 15:52.10, coming in second place. Gul let said, “I was happy with how the season went. I met all of my personal goals. I was disappointed how state went but I was proud of how I left everything out on the course and did everything that I could.”

Guerra is also proud of how the state meet went. She said, “During the girls’ race Andie and Aedy ran great times on a tough course, and I know that will give them confidence going into their

senior season. The boys’ race didn’t end with the outcome we hoped for, but I couldn’t be more proud of Logan. I’ve never met an athlete who works so hard and exercises so much discipline, and I know he left it all out there.”

“Eaton High School is so proud of all the Cross Coun try team and staff after their impressive 2022 season,” said Tate Smith (23).

As the seniors wave good bye to their last season in a Reds cross country jersey,

Coach Guerra has also de cided to hang up the coach ing timer. Guerra said, “I love coaching cross country and spending so much time with all the athletes, but during the season I spend more time with them than I do with my own kid at home. I had to make the tough decision to only coach one sport moving forward.” All four seniors: Gullett, Robson, Braucher, and Aaron Lampe will be missed, along with Coach Guerra.

Aedy Barclay (24) runs alongside Resurrection Christian rival during the 2022 3A Region 4 Cross Country Meet Oct. 6 2022

Logan Gullet and Dakota Braucher (23) smile during 2022 3A Region 4 Cross Country Meet

Andie Rasmussen (24) paces herself during the 2022 3A Region 4 Cross Country meet Oct. 6 2022

Dakota Braucher

Maddie Fisher

Dakota Braucher

Eaton softball won when it mattered

Eaton softball took down UH 9-1 and were crowned 3A state champions

shaw staffreporter

Once the dust settled at Aurora Sports Park after the state championship game, one thing was true, Eaton softball were state champions once again. For the second time in three years, Eaton softball was once again crowned num ber one in 3A. In 2020 Eaton softball won state, beating the Lutheran Lions 5-1. The sea son wasn’t as rocky in 2020;, Eaton softball cruised to a state championship. This year, though, Eaton softball went through it all. Before the sea son started, the team learned, they would be without pitcher Sadie Ross (24) as she tore her ACL again. The injuries didn’t stop there though. Eaton soft ball would soon be down to one pitcher as Stephanie Bing ley (24) would not be able to pitch due to a bicep injury.

This season Eaton soft ball had many doubters, and many thought Eaton was not going to get it done this year. The Reds all throughout the season were perfect on some occasions, but not so perfect on other occasions. Nobody in 3A softball would have predicted that Eaton Softball would come out on top this year. In season play, Univer sity tossed Eaton aside 7-1. Eaton softball was not nearly as dominant as they had been in previous years, but their imperfections led them to eventually lift the beautiful state champion trophy.

The Reds had a rocky sea son and were not consistent on some occasions. Despite the doubters, Eaton softball won regionals and were able to book a spot at Aurora Sports Park. The Reds shined on the first Friday of the tour nament, showing real tough ness and grit to beat La Junta 5-4 and Fort Lupton 11-1 in

games that showed what the Reds season really was. A tough battle-worn team that won when it mattered. Coach Shaw said it best, “Good teams win ugly.” Eaton softball ad vanced to the championship game.

On championship Saturday, the Reds stepped up when it mattered most. Eaton softball looked like a team no one had seen all year until now. Julia Meagher (24) pitched 27 in nings over the course of four tournament games. In past

tally pitch that many innings. I knew that my way of lead ing the team was through my pitching, so I gave my full ef fort and trusted that my team would have my back.”

history for Eaton softball, es pecially during tournament time, Eaton would take two pitchers to swap out over the duration of the tournament to avoid fatigue. This year was different, Meagher would be the lone pitcher to lead Ea ton to glory, so she had to step up. Meagher pitched 27 innings and only allowed for three earned runs to score. Meagher stepped up perfectly and arguably led Eaton soft ball to the eventual crowning. Meagher said,“It wasn’t easy having to not only physically throw 27 innings, but men

The Reds managed to get past a tough game against Thomas Jefferson in the semifinal. Stephanie Bingley (24) hit a home run to move the score to 2-0 Eaton. Eaton gave a tough defensive display, only allowing two runs. The Reds offense was not as efficient as it had been previously, but the offense managed to bring three runs in. The Reds held their breath in the semis as Meagher gave a pitching dis play that locked Thomas Jef ferson softball down. Thomas Jefferson’s road would end there as the Reds advanced to the state championship game against University.

University was a familiar op ponent for the Reds as last year University took the Reds out in the state semifinals just a year before this game. The Reds were ready after count less huddles and talks of “we would beat UH when it mat

tered.” Senior Zoe Lampe got the Reds started with a base hit on the first pitch. Lampe would later go 3/3 at bat. In the championship game, the Reds caught fire. The flood gates were open in the seventh inning when many infield er rors from the Bulldogs gave the Reds an eight point lead. The Bulldogs never got rolling and broke down on defense when the game was on the line. The Reds were perfect, holding UH to only one run. The Reds got their last three outs of the season and ended the Bulldogs’ hopes of a state championship title.

A red sea of players envel oped out into the field when junior- Ayla Ritchey made the game winning catch. Every Eaton softball player jumped for joy and couldn’t wait to get their hands on a state champi onship trophy.

The Reds had done it. A season of ups and downs had led to this one game where the Reds were perfect in a sea son where they maybe were not perfect every single game. That didn’t matter though. All that mattered was the Reds were state champions again. The Reds were perfectly, imperfect. A 3A underdog team proved once again to all doubters and non-believers that the Reds were back where they belonged: as 3A state softball champions.

Senior Blayke Duncan, at the end of the season, was awarded 3A player of the year. Duncan said, “It makes me happy, because it is a good way to end my senior season, and I got to repre sent Eaton.” Eaton softball has made the town of Eaton proud and has returned to glory.

eamon

Senior Blayke Duncan lifts the championship trophy

Eamon Shaw

Moments leading up to state

Eaton Reds Volleyball continues to set themselves up for postseason

haileypribble staffreporter

Two years ago Eaton volleyball won their tenth state title in pro gram history. This year, with state around the corner, the Reds are ready to take the title again. They have pre pared themselves and it shows in their rankings.

The Reds are ranked second in the Colorado 3A classification right behind Lamar High School. The Eaton Reds have only lost one game, leading them to a 17-1 winning streak.

Their one loss was to Palmer Ridge in the beginning of the season. They took that defeat and used it as power, and have not lost a game since.

The Reds are setting themselves up for suc cess with not only their stats, but also their dedi cation to the team. State will be a tournament to

look out for.

Chloe Crider is a freshman on the varsity team. State is not guar anteed, but if they did it once they can do it again. State is something all the girls look forward to, but with it being Crider’s first time it will be a whole new experience.

Gracie Tomlinson is a senior on the var sity team. “I definite ly think we will make it to state this year be cause all we have to do is win regionals this week which I think is achiev

state because if we work hard at regionals it is achievable. We are undefeated [in conference] and have been training in practice since the beginning of school for this moment. I am looking forward to all the competi tion we are going to face at state and getting this experi ence with this group of girls!”

able,” said Tomlinson. She has gone to state three years previously and is looking forward to the op portunity to get to go again. “The best memory at state last year was be ing able to spend time as a team in our hotel,” said Tomlin son. This is her last year playing for Eaton and just like any other senior, she wants to go out with a bang.

Kylie Schumacher is a senior on the varsity team. Schum acher is an outside hitter and her hitting statistics are above national aver age. She has gone to state years previous, but with this being her senior year it will be a tourna ment to remember.

This is the last year that she will be able to experience state with this group of girls.

Schumacher is look ing forward to, “Being a senior on this court one last time with my friends and teammates. It makes

me cherish the moment even more than my first time being at state,” said Schumacher. The girls are pumped up for the opportunity to take home another state title.

The Reds have many games coming up to

determine if they qualify for state, but with their statistics they have a good chance of making it. Go out and support your Reds! For weekly updates tune into Eaton Red Ink or watch live on NFHS.

““I do think we will make it to

-Chloe Crider

Chloe Crider (26) serves one of the points that helps the Reds take the win

Gracie Tomlinson (23) passes one of the plays that leads Reds to win the game against Platte Valley

Amanda Davis

Amanda Davis

Eaton’s varsity team huddles up during the game vs. Valley in October

Marty Damrell

Eaton football sets out to win the title again

Reds football continues its journey back to a state championships

abiahrandel staffreporter

The Eaton football team has always been well-known in Northern Colorado, but in the last three years, as well as this year, they have made a name for themselves. The team has won two back-toback state championships in the 2A football league and hopes to do it again this year.

This generation of football players in Eaton performs at another level. Eaton football has only won a total of three state titles: two of which have included tremendous effort from the classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025. Each of these classes have had the chance to experience one if not two state championship wins playing for the Reds.

In this year’s playoffs, Ea ton is ranked second and will play number 15 ranked Ben nett in the first round of play offs. From there they will face another winning team inside the bracket that consists of 16 teams spread around in the different corners of Colo rado. The next several weeks will be crutial in the Reds’ run back to a potential state title. The Reds not only have the talent and skill to win an other championship, but they have winning the mentality as well.

other week but there is a little more intensity to it because there is a chance of it being our last game of the year. It’s a brotherhood on and off the field. We support and help one another even when we aren’t on the field together. We all have each other’s backs no matter what!”

The middle and outside linebacker, Ryder True (23), has also taken on a leadership role for the Reds. After tear ing his ACL his sophomore year, True wasn’t able to see the field again for the rest of the season, but he still played a major part in the Reds’ title

in the 2020 season. Sitting on the sideline was a tough thing for True to face, but he came back better and stronger. This season, True has been on the field 99% of the time for the Reds, playing key offensive and defensive roles. True said, “I have just committed to Chadron State so I have been getting ready for that.” Com mitting to playing a sport at the collegiate level is a major step in an athlete’s career and even though it’s a time to celebrate, True is still focused on a state championship. True said, “We have been studying film harder and us

seniors have been buckling down on practices, making sure everybody is focused and not messing around.” The team has a strong bond and definitive culture off the field, which translates onto the field to help with the team’s suc cess. Team sports are all about connections and the Eaton Reds have that connection.

Joey Blaskowski (24) has had the chance to win two championships with the Reds football team and is hoping to get another under his belt. Blaskowski has been an inte gral part of the Reds’ offense the past two years and still

has another year to continue making an impact in the program. Blaskowski said, “Working hard together and feeding off of one another has helped. The group of guys I’ve grown up playing with has also helped us make an impact in the program.” 16 players in the class of 2024 suit up for varsity games and whether they get on the field or not, they still make a difference by cheering their teammates on. Blaskowski is preparing and focused on the upcoming games and said, “we’ve been doing a lot of film prep and just need a good week of practice. It is what we need to prepare for the games coming up.” While the Reds are locked in and serious on the field, they still have fun together off the field. Blaskowski said, “We all hang out off the field and we’re all like brothers, which helps us communicate, get along, and trust each other. It just easier to play when everyone get along.” The friendships be tween the players go beyond the field.

Senior quarterback Walker Martin has played for the Reds all four years of his high school career. Last season and the current season have allowed Martin to be the starting quarter back and a more experienced leader for the team also. Martin said, “Being a senior as the year continues, I have been just trying to enjoy each day I have left until I am sent away on my own.” As for the team, Martin said, “We are going to prepare like any Zac Grable (23) leads the 2022 team onto the new field for their home opener

The Reds have several weeks left in the season and everyone is cracking down and setting their eyes on another title. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but the Reds always work as hard as they can to go the extra mile. Not only is the team united, but so is the town as a whole. No matter what hap pens on the field in the next couple weeks, the town will support the boyst. With the determination of the players and coaches, there’s no stop ping the Reds from reach ing their goal. In a couple weeks the results for the 2022 season will be played out by the best teams in the state and everyone will be watching as it unfolds.

Amanda Davis

Seniors leave footsteps on the field before pre-game introductions