Nine academy teams enjoyed a full winter sports season despite a delayed started. Academy athletic director estimates that overall the teams had a record of about 70-14. Clearly, the academy athletes are living up to the Everest winning tradition. Spring sports are underway, but we wanted to take a moment to honor our academy winter athletes. Congratulations on a great season!
8th Grade Boys Black
“The 8th grade boys’ basketball team enjoyed the opportunity to play this winter. All eleven boys really embraced what it means to be a part of a team and to have the opportunity to be with their friends. Every game the boys would compete with great effort and toughness and represent the Everest jersey with great pride. There were so many great moments on the season by each of the boys it is hard to pinpoint just one. With their competitiveness this will be a fun group to watch in high school if they choose to continue to work hard and stay close to Christ. They were a joy to coach. Their final record in the CYO was 8-2.” -Coach Mike Pruchnicki
7th Grade Boys Gold
“The 7th grade boys had a great season. Our record was 9-3. We played with seven players and limited practice time .The boys played with heart and passion for the game. Theses boys really understood how to play as a team and that teamwork provided the success we were able to experience. I am very proud of this group of boys ,they are an excellent reflection of Everest. The future is bright for Everest basketball. ” -Coach Jim Skaggs
7-8th Grade Girls Black
“This was a stacked team consisting of eleven 8th graders and two 7th graders. Most of this team has been together since the third and fourth grade. This was the year to bring home a 7/8 grade championship to Everest. COVID did not allow the girls to really show what they could do.
They did show determination, teamwork and grit to come back from 8 points down with less then a minute left in the game against St. Anne to win by one point. This team was undefeated in the Division A group and finished 12-1 including games forfeited. It’s sad to say these girls will never play middle school ball again but very excited to watch their careers playing high school ball.” -Coach Dave Berney
6th Grade Girls Black
“This season was an amazing experience for me since I have never coached before. God was definitely looking out for all this year. Holly and Katie were great to have when sharing the gym for practice. It allowed our girls to scrimmage with each other and learn the game from everyone. Our team ended up 6-0 undefeated!! To see the girls grow this year as a team and the friendships they have, especially the last game of the year, when they were cheering so hard for all the girls that didn’t score this year, not only that but were unselfish and tried to let them all score. They were so happy to be undefeated it was awesome! This is what sports is about and for them to learn this at their age is what matters most. Thanks for all the hard work in games and practices during this COVID-19 pandemic, incredible job, and God Bless!!” -Coach Ben Lazaris
5th Grade Girls Gold
“The 5th grade girls’ basketball team concluded a fantastic rewarding and challenging season with five wins and two losses. All 13 players were grateful for the opportunity to play this year and worked hard to improve their fundamentals each week. The player’s experience ranged from first time playing on an organized basketball team to some with three years participation. The girls showed tremendous support for each other and loved to see their teammates thrive. The 5th grade girls’ basketball team has a lot of talent and shows a lot of promise for the future. Congratulations on a great season!” -Coaches Katie Schmitt & Holly Groves
5th / 6th Boys Black
“This year’s 5/6 grade team enjoyed and frankly deserved the successful season that they had. The 6th graders on the team have been playing together for years and were always having to play “up” when they were younger. It was great to watch them compete at a high level and they only lost three games by close margins.
The boys won by playing tight man-to-man defense and had a very effective full court press. On offense, the team improved by learning to improvise and make plays within the system and continued to share/pass the ball to gain consistent scoring opportunities.
Our MVP should be shared equally between the entire 6th grade squad as from game to game, they always had a different leading scorer depending on what the opposing team threw at them. They really played together as a team. In the same light, most improved should be shared by the two 5th graders. As neither player had ever played organized basketball and both worked very hard to contribute and improve throughout the season.
JT and I both agree that it was a pleasure to coach this team and couldn’t wait until the next game to see all of the improvement made from their hard work! -Coaches Brian Schmitt & JT Luginski
3rd/4th Boys Black
“The 3rd/4th boys black team had a good mix of kids with various levels of basketball experience. With everything going on this year, we were able to get in seven games with a couple very competitive scrimmages with local teams. Our season ended on a high note. Our last game of the season was the boys first game in the Everest high school gym. This alone was enough excitement for our boys, but to top it off the game went into overtime and we came away with a two point victory. The kids couldn’t have been more excited! It was a great finish to our season, Coach Navarro and I really enjoyed coaching the group of boys we had this year. I believe we finished the season 6-1.” – Coach Eric Dale
3rd / 4th Grade Girls
“The third and fourth grade girls enjoyed a perfect season 8-0. It was a great way to start their career as Everest basketball players. The team average over 20 points per game and only gave up less than 10 pointer per game. It was a pleasure to coach such a great group of girls that were very enthusiastic and tough. I look forward to their continues success for years to come.” -Coach Christopher Cross
3rd / 4th Boys Gold
The 3/4th boys gold Mountaineers basketball team had a stellar 2021 season. Coach Denver and Coach Groff were blessed to have coached a great group of boys. The gold team was a talented bunch, but what separated them from their opponents was their teamwork and grit. The future is bright at Everest, Go Mountaineers! -Coaches Luke Denver and Brian Groff
