Pirate Competitor of the Week (February 7, 2022):
7th grade basketball player Kendra Bauer is this week’s Pirate Competitor of the Week sponsored by Galena Culver’s and the Galena Gazette.  Kendra averaged over 16 points last week and helped the 7th grade team get wins against Belmont, Scales Mound, and Southwestern. Coach Anna Hulscher praised the effort, saying “Kendra is a very talented offensive player and has confidence in her shooting. She is a leader on the court and that’s one of her biggest contributions to the team. She plays hard the entire game and doesn’t wear out easily. It will be exciting to see Kendra’s growth in basketball.”  Kendra was honored with a gift basket from the Galena Culver’s, as well as a newspaper courtesy of the Galena Gazette.

Also Nominated:
Pirate orator Chloe Roland beat out four other competitors and was able to qualify for the Sectional Speech tournament. According to coach Susan Bookless, “this was Chloe’s first regional and she handled the competition with confidence. Chloe has been a great addition to the team. She listens in practice and really tries to make herself better and stronger each time she performs. I’m excited to see how far she can go!”

Freshman Scholastic Bowl team member Sami Ouahbi correctly answered 6 tossups during the varsity scholastic bowl team’s two victories over Scales Mound on January 31, the second-highest total for the team. Sami has admirably stepped up to the task of playing on the varsity squad as a freshman this season. He has filled a void on the varsity team, where the questions are tougher than JV; he currently has the team’s second-highest answering percentage. Coach Ron Jenkins says, “I’m glad to see how much Sami is dedicated to scholastic bowl. He studies for the competitions, and his hard work has paid off. It will pay off even more in the next three years!”

Freshman Kaden Hauber averaged 12 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals this week helping the Pirates varsity to a 1-1 record. Coach Matt Wienen stated, “Kaden had a very good week. He played a very good game against Scales Mound on Tuesday. He was a player that we needed to step up and he answered the call. He kept his good game going by scoring 8 first half points vs Christian Life on Thursday in a big win! Kaden is one of the hardest working kids we have in our program. His basketball knowledge and his willingness to get better every day is the for his success this season. Only a freshman and starting varsity basketball is impressive enough but to be playing the way Kaden has been this season is unbelievable. So happy I get to see him play the rest of this season and the next 3 years. He’s only shown a glimpse of how good he can really be!”