Groom's Volleyball Career Journey

By Justice Udelhofen

Chloe’s volleyball come back story:

Freshman Year…

The new kid. First season playing volleyball, ever. Junior Varsity

Sophomore Year…

2nd year playing volleyball. JV

Junior Year…

3rd year playing. Varsity; bench.

Senior Year…

4th year playing. Varsity starter. Varsity beast.

Chloe Groom is a senior, one of three on the volleyball team. She was home schooled up until her freshman year, where us folks at Potosi high school were fortunate enough to have her. She was a little blessing to the class of 2020, shy, polite, funny, and smart. Just what we needed. Some people thought she was mute for the first year, but slowly she broke out of her shell and now she will talk your ear off. 
During an interview with Chloe, I got to listen to her story as she answered questions about her volleyball career and her comeback story. It is as follows: Freshman year was hard for her. “I hated it at first; I wanted to quit.” Can you blame her? A new school with new teammates. When it came time for the first game she was scared, because there was “just a lot of new stuff,” and excited, even though, “I’m pretty sure I didn’t play very much.” With some strong-willed sophomore players ahead of her, she learned from them and got better every day. Of course, having Avarie by her side sure did help! “She was like my rock that year. I had some troubling times, but Avarie was always there to help me. Then she quit and I was really mad, because I definitely could’ve used her help junior year.”

Building relationships is a big part of sports because you should feel comfortable with who you are playing with so that you can play as yourself and play fearlessly, which is why her first two volleyball seasons were so important; it took time to build those relationships. For Chloe, it took until basketball season her freshman year to feel comfortable with the girls around her. “[Sophomore year] volleyball season there were new freshmen, and I was kinda scared of Syd.” It took some time to adjust again. 

Chloe’s third season wasn’t a step forward like her first two seasons were. During her junior season, she rarely got to experience playing time in varsity games. “At first I thought it would be pretty decent, but it kinda went downhill.” She was grinding it out everyday at practice and getting better, “but you’ve gotta learn from it! That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

Chloe’s favorite year was “probably this one; we did all of the summer [working out and practicing] and all of the memories we’ve made. You build very good relationships when you have to run together.” Chloe was a huge asset to our team. “I’m getting to play quite a bit.” She plays all the way around on the court. As an amazing leader, she is constantly making others around her better by giving her all and encouraging everyone when she is on and off the court. 

This year has been an eye-opener for me as a teammate of Chloe. The way she leads and the amount of determination to succeed that she has is truly inspiring. I asked Chloe what volleyball has taught her about herself. “About myself? Well, I could’ve quit, but I didn’t, so I guess I have a little bit of perseverance.” Chloe stuck it out and it worked well for her; she practiced to get better, not to be the best. She worked out because she knew it would help her, not because she had to. 

Chloe has developed into a leader, a great teammate, and a very important part of the team!

Seniors Reflect on Their Football Careers

By Ty Dressler

The smell of freshly cut grass, the pregame music blaring, and cars parked all the way down the highway. These are the things that make the atmosphere at a small-town football game one of a kind. “The only show in town” brings the whole community together every Friday night during the fall. It is a special time of year and many young kids look forward to playing for the hometown team under the lights their whole childhood. In time the kids grow up and get to experience what high school football is really like. And it is everything they thought it would be. But their time with the football team comes and goes, and eventually, they take off their helmet for the last time.

Potosi-Cassville 2019 Senior Football Players 

On November 2nd the Potosi-Cassville football team lost a snowy WIAA Level 2 Playoff game. For the 14 seniors, this marked the end of a long road. Although organized football doesn’t begin until 7th grade in Potosi, kids start playing during school recess and with their neighborhood friends much earlier. Senior Trevor Pluemer recalled playing football outside his house when he was 5 years old: “I remember going outside, rounding up my friends to play football, and pretending to be like the big kids.” 

When 7th grade arrived the young boys were finally able to put on a helmet and pads for the first time. Although middle school football is not quite Friday night lights, it still gives players a little taste of what high school football will be like. A little taste is all it takes to get the players hooked for life. Senior left guard Austin Uppena said, “When you start playing middle school football it gives you your first experience with success. That little bit of success drives you to want to work harder and become something when you’re older.” 

Some may think football season is simply from August through November. But players prepare for the season all year long. Potosi-Cassville football players are expected to lift 120 days in the offseason. The weightlifting program is a major factor that makes the football program successful. For a lot of kids, going into the weight room for the first time is an exciting experience. “You’re pumped up, but you’re also really nervous because there are older kids in there lifting twice as much as you and have been lifting for years. As soon as you touch a weight it becomes a competition with yourself as well as your teammates. If you took away the work, then the season wouldn’t be as special because you wouldn’t have anything invested,” said senior quarterback Ben Udelhofen.  

Then that special time of the year finally comes around. Players, coaches, and fans can practically feel the anticipation of the upcoming season in the air. The lines are painted on the field, pads and helmets are passed out, and practices can begin. At last, football is here. At the beginning of the year practices are hours long and are often in smoltering heat. But nobody cares. Everyone is just excited to be playing football. After all the offseason workouts, offseason camps, and weeks of practice, Friday night football is finally here. “The hay is in the barn.” The lights are turned on and players are ramped up and ready to go. Many players have been waiting an eternity to play under those lights. Senior Danny Kliebenstein described playing on a Friday night for the first time as “breathtaking.” He continued, “You finally go from watching from the sidelines to getting to be a part of the action.” Once the games start, the seasons seem to fly by. There are jersey Fridays, homecomings, team meals, playoff games, and so much more that make this time of the year come and go so quickly. Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the games were over, and years of work came to an end. All the weightlifting, film sessions, practices, pep rallies, and bus rides were gone in an instant. 

Many players mentioned that they will miss “Mr. Siegert’s old man quotes.” Some seniors said they will miss getting to hit people. But practically every senior said what they will miss most is the comradery with their teammates and all of the traditions that football let them be a part of. What this year’s senior class will miss most is seeing each other every day on the old gridiron, just trying to get better. Although high school football was only four years long, the memories this year’s senior class made will last a lifetime.

Potosi High School Musical: Shrek

By Avarie Breitsprecker

Every year our school performs a musical. In the past few years we have had a new director almost every time, but this year, Mrs.Boneske, who is also our choir teacher, has taken on the role as director of this year’s show, Shrek. “We wanted to pick a show that includes lots of people to give as many people a part as possible.” She wanted to do a show the majority of people are familiar with to boost ticket sales. “I think having Mr. and Mrs. Boneske directing has been a good experience and a learning experience,” said Stevie Kliebenstein, who plays Shrek. 

The casting process consisted of coming to auditions, filling out a form, and writing down any scheduling conflicts there may be. “That helps us better decide how to put the schedule together,” said Mrs. Boneske. Doing this helps them get to know people better, and to figure out who wants to be center stage and who doesn’t. She went off of who had really good attitudes and were going to be committed to being there every day. Once the parts had been cast, the actors had to learn their lines. “I have been running my lines and music with cast members as well as listening to recordings of my music and different performances from other schools,” said Kliebenstein. Mrs. Boneske also wanted it to be available for people in sports, because a lot of people in the musical are in a sport.

At this point, they are starting to practice in costumes, use set pieces, and running through an act at a time. The first show will take place a week from Thursday, so Mrs. Boneske is buckling down and trying to focus on fixing the smallest of details.

Each year, there is either a pit band playing music or music is played over the speakers. “We are going to have live musicians for this production,” said Mrs. Boneske. They have seven people lined up this year, and instead of being backstage where nobody can see them,  they are going to be on the floor, “hopefully we can stay together a little better,” exclaimed Mrs. Boneske. This year the musical will take place in the auditorium on Thursday, November 14 at 7pm, Saturday, November 16 at 7pm, and Sunday, November 17 at 2pm. 

Vesperman Farms: Fall Paradise

By Bradley Reynolds

A farm turned into a child’s fall paradise; Vesperman Farms has been a staple for the ultimate fall experience for the whole family. When you think of a farm, you think of getting your hands dirty and doing the hard work, yet people love this farm so much. Picking pumpkins and getting lost in the corn maze; why do hundreds of families and our own 4k and kindergarten classes flock to this iconic fall hotspot? 

Kyle Vesperma, the owner of Vesperman Farms, wanted to stay involved with the family farm that has been running for 119 years and counting. In 2003, he made the first of many famous corn mazes. What all started from a simple corn maze and pumpkin patches, that he has been doing all his life, has turned into a must-stop spot for fun family activities. Kyle never thought it would have grown this big. Hosting wedding reception was definitely not planned, but five years ago they built a very nice barn which is used as a rustic event center. Located right outside of Lancaster at 8149 Stage Road, Vesperman Farms brings in tens of thousands of people each year, and there's no questioning why.

Many reviews say that Vesperman Farms is a very welcoming place, filled with fun for the whole family. If you ask people what their favorite thing about Vesperman Farms is, everyone would have a different answer: the corn maze, petting zoo, apple cider doughnuts, the pumpkin launcher, or just the fun atmosphere. Kyle Vesperman said he thinks it is the apple cider doughnuts. There is still more to come on the farm, so don’t lock in your favorite just yet. No major plans for buildings yet, but they will continue to manufacture more homemade ice cream. 

On October 11th, our 4K and kindergarten went to Vesperman Farms. It was a blast. Potosi kindergarten student Calvin Reynolds had a few words to say about the wonderful experience: “I absolutely loved the fun activities. My favorite was definitely the petting zoo with all the goats. We got the goats to eat out of our hands, it was awesome.” The excitement in his voice was intense. You could tell he and his peers sincerely enjoyed their class field trip to Vesperman Farms.

Our Chieftain News team went there on October 28th and also experienced a great time. Kyle greeted us and was also featured in the news. Overall it was a wonderful experience; all the fall-themed games and activities make this place a highly recommended stop when summer passes and the weather gets a little colder. We encourage everyone to go there. Thank you Vesperman Farms for welcoming Potosi students.