Winter athletics are starting up for the 2022-2023 school year at MCHS, and coaches and players of teams are getting excited for upcoming tryouts and events around the school coming up.

MCHS has 8 winter athletic teams, including boys basketball, girls basketball, boys bowling, girls bowling, cheer, dance, boy swimming and wrestling.

Teams to look out for this year specifically are boys bowling and boys basketball, due to the young talent on both of the teams heading into this season.

Head Varsity Boys Basketball coach Chris Madson is excited for the new season and is looking for a turnaround from last year’s season.

“It’s so hard to knock them [the team] for anything to do with the consistency that we didn’t have last year,” he said. “But being super consistent and our level of competition last year, we had games that we had that we competed really high, and then other days we really just didn’t have it … That consistency and that kind of level and commitment is something that we’re definitely going to be looking for and we are also looking for guys who are going to push past their comfort levels.”

Madson is also excited for the upcoming tryouts and wants to build off the young talent that the team had last year.

“The nucleus of the team this year is definitely going to be young, we’re going to have to look  to the senior class to kind of lead because they have the experience and maturity. We had an awesome summer where the seniors really took the lead and some of the younger guys even showed that they could as well.”
Madson also feels this season will go well because sports have gone back to normal post COVID.

“I thought our players did really well considering the last two years with COVID and having to deal with playing with masks on. For example we played a game last year with seven players and I wasn’t even there because of a close contact. So just having to have that consistency knowing that we’re going back to normal is also important for the team this season.”

Madson isn’t the only one who is focused on the team’s success this season. Sophomore player Samuel Maye is also excited for upcoming tryouts and the season.

“Personally I’m a little bummed coming off my wrist injury,” Maye said, “but, from a team standpoint, I’m excited to see all the talent that we have finally and I’m also excited to hit the floor for the first time together this year.”

Maye also feels it is important for the team to gel together this season coming off an odd year.

“I think some of the goals this year would be to really gain chemistry between all the players again as the season progresses and hopefully have some fun and help out our varsity team to go out with a winning record this year … I also think some things that really any of us can do is just the simple things like communication and just mentally having that competitiveness in you is needed among our players this year. ”

But basketball isn’t the only sport trying to come off and improve on the season last year. The boys bowling team is also looking to build off of the successes that it found last year because of its young talent. New head coach Doug Primus is excited to see what the team has to offer this year as well as what they can do beyond the regular season.

“For this season, I’d like for our team to advance as far as possible into the state playoff series,” Primus said.  “While doing that, I’d like for our less experienced bowlers to progress in their skills through practice and through working with our more experienced bowlers.  I want all bowlers to increase their ability to maintain composure and persevere through ‘bad days.’”

Primus also feels it is important for him to set high expectations of his players so they can perform the best they can during matches.

“I want to set high expectations on focus, effort and perseverance.  I’d like for all of our bowlers to approach every shot they take in a game without worrying about any mistakes they had made before.  Oftentimes, we can let our frustrations about a previous mistake or miss bother us as we take our next shot.  I’d like our bowlers to be able to let it go and just relax.”