Windsock

JV Boys Basketball Wins VIC Championship

After having one of the best seasons in recent memory, the JV boys steam-rolled their way through the playoffs and into the championship game, played last Saturday, the 23rd of February.  It was there they played Covenant, renewing what is fast becoming a hard-fought rivalry.

In the first quarter, the Flames were playing an average game, and came out with a five point lead, but by the end of the first half they were winning by just a single point (24-23). Said freshman Benson Hostetter, "[Coach] Bix[ler] got us real pumped up at half time, and we went out there and got a 14-0 run, and eventually won by six, 48-42. It was really fun. I'm glad I could be a part of it."  The Flames were led in scoring by sophomore Diogo Durante, with 15 points, Richie Hine, with 12, and Parker Leap, with 10.

The win in the finals ran the team's record to an excellent 21-3.

Congratulations to Coach Bixler and the JV boys!

- Mikey Cranston

Caissons Stun Flames

   The # 3 ranked Flames collided with a freight train last Thursday night, February 21, in the VIC semi-final match in Waynesboro. The cadets were out in full force packing the corner of the crackerbox gym at Fishburne Military School. The noise of boot stomping and pole banging on the bleachers was deafening. Both teams seemed excited for the contest to begin.
   However, the #2 ranked Caissons freight train was not to be derailed tonight. They put 37 points on the board in the first quarter while EMHS struggled to get shots to fall and mustered only 8 points. Going into the locker room at half time EMHS had put up 24 points and earned only one trip to the free throw line. That 30 point deficit would remain for most of the game despite the efforts of the Flames. In the second half the Flames outshot the Caissons by 1 point. This was a small victory in the face of the season ending 97- 61 loss.
   There were several records that fell in the gym that night. The Caissons scoring 37 points in the first quarter was the first record. Michael Barrett finished the game with a career high 43 points and contributed 27 of those points in the first half. EMHS had no answer for how to stop Barrett’s hot shooting hand outside or his slash and drive to the basket.
    The one bright spot for the Flames was when Mitchell Leap received a pass off a steal and drove in for a lay up, only to have it blocked against the backboard.  However, goaltending was called by the official. That pushed Mitchell over the career mark to join only 8 other EMHS players that have scored over 1,000 points in their career. Scott Eberly tops the career scoring chart with 2046 points. Mitchell eclipsed Nathan Hartzler and settled into the 7th spot on the career scoring list with 1012 points. The fans rose to their feet in appreciation of the moment. After the game Mitchell received the game ball from coach Bechler to honor the moment.
    The Flames crowd erupted as each of the seniors exited the game for the final time. It was a sign of the fan’s appreciation for all of the hard work and effort that these seniors have given to the EMHS basketball program. The emotions of those moments were very evident as the players hugged coach Bechler.

- Special Correspondent Kendal Bauman

Bible Quizzing: The Awesomest Activity Ever!

Once a week a few teams will gather. Each team can only have six quizzers in a match at a time. Four players are active while two sit out as substitutes. There are 15 questions asked by the quizmaster. For each right answer the player’s team receive 10 points. By end of the round a winning team is found. Players need to have good memories to remember small details involving several chapters in the chosen book of the Bible.

This year the book of Acts was chosen, specifically chapters 10 through 28. This weekend two teams traveled to Richmond from Harrisonburg. One team was from Crossroads/Trissels while the other was from Mount Clinton Mennonite Church. Several EMS students participate in the Bible quizzing. They include me, Freeman Bendfeldt in 12th, Joseph Bender in 11th, Maria Martin in 11th, Jenny Hartzler in 10th, John Gullman in 10th, Malinda Bender in 9th, and Jared Giel in 7th. We traveled to meet two teams half way from Chesapeake. We had lunch and then had seven quiz matches. The first five matches were just over the two chapters that all the teams had studied that week, while the last two matches covered the first half of Acts.

All of the teams are preparing for the big Bible Quizzing Tournament up in Lancaster Pennsylvania, where hundreds of Bible Quizzers will gather to compete and half out.

- Freeman Bendfeldt

Student Profile: Amber Hertzler

Amber Hartzler started dancing the summer between the ages of 7 and 8 in an effort to control her lifelong diabetes. The necessity to dance soon became pleasure as she discovered a passion that has now expanded to include forms of dance outside of ballet, such as jazz, tap, modern and “a little Irish step.”

Last year, Amber tore her ACL and meniscus in class while she was “doing a jump and I was trying to get my leg higher than I had before.” Unsure of what the problem was Amber waited two months before finally getting surgery in Richmond, Va, by a doctor who has worked with the Richmond Ballet.

“I dance [ballet] four days a week,” said Amber; plus jazz, tap or modern classes if she is taking any at the time. One of the four days is spent dancing as part of the senior company for her studio, the Rockingham Ballet Theater. Amber has always been part of the same studio and this past winter danced in the “Nutcracker” for the sixth time. In the past she has performed as a “snowflake, Arabian soloist and as a flower."

“I’m intending to at least minor in dance,” said Amber recently. “I really love the performance and just getting to express myself through my body without having to say anything.”  Though she would love to dance professionally some day, Amber said that her second job choice would be working as a math or sociology teacher if dancing doesn’t prove possible.

- Kara Lofton

Our Basketball Teams in Playoffs

Boys Hammer Grace

Right from the get-go Mitchell and Travis had Grace on their heels, scoring point after whistle-evoking point on the baffled Warrior defense.  EMHS seemed to know their opponents, playing a run-and-gun offense in transition while Grace struggled in getting back into position.  This was evident in the fact that Senior Dillon Brunk went to the line twice in the first minute of the game.  With 3:19 left in the first quarter, Verne Canfield called time.  His team was losing 11-6.  Soon it became 18-6, and finally, 66-52.

Congratulations Flames, and good luck in the semi-finals! The guys will play in the semis on Thursday at Fishburne Academy.

Girls Fall to Virginia Episcopal

Our girls unfortunately fell in their quarter-final Blue Ridge tournament game against Virginia Episcopal, 61-42. Coach Jennifer Young called it a "rough night," with the team's injuries as proof.  Senior Erica Lehman went down with an ankle injury in the 2nd quarter, while Junior Emily Hollen sprained her wrist in the 3rd. Sophomore Katy Bergey led the team with 15 points, and Junior Lucy Showalter added 12.

The Flames ended their season with a 9-14 record.

EMHS Looks to VRC

EMHS girl’s varsity basketball team lost 71-44 to Liberty Christian Academy on Friday February 15.

Their defeat, while not inevitable, was an uphill climb.  EMHS had not played Liberty before, and Liberty had only lost 1 game all year.

Going into the game Emily Hollen, starting guard for EMHS, noted that whether or not their team was able to, “Work well together” was a deciding factor throughout their games.

EMHS went into the game with reasonable expectations.  They knew that they were playing the number one team in their division, but they also knew that when they played well together they could compete evenly with the toughest teams. 

Their performance during Friday’s game reflected this view.  While it took them a while to get into gear, by the second half EMHS was playing so well against Liberty that they actually outscored them in the last quarter.

It was easy to tell that EMHS was playing as a team better in the second half.  Ms. Young, their co-head coach, said that working as a “Cohesive unit” really helped them come back.

Hoping to build on their success in the second half, EMHS is looking toward the VRC tournament on Tuesday.  Their first match will be against Virginia Episcopal School, a team which EMHS has not played well against in the past, losing 74-46 in their last game.  Coach Young noted that Erica Lehman, their top scorer, couldn’t play in that game, so EMHS should have a closer game this time.

If EMHS wins on Tuesday, They’ll have a chance to take revenge on Liberty Christian Academy in their next game. 

- Eric Broderson

7th Grade Update: Week 22

As we pass the barrier between 1st and 2nd semester, everything seems to get much more cramped! We just had an o-p prepositions test, science test, soon a spelling test, and in the middle of it all, some of us are going to county honors band, which just leaves less time to study! But on the brighter side, our girls varsity basketball team is doing great and the jazz band is going to play for their game on Thursday! Middle school play tryouts are coming soon, just in case you wanted to know. And halfway through the school year means...well... halfway through the school year! So have a wonderful day and a great 2nd semester!

                        -Matt Lind

Lady Flames Fighting Cancer

When Nancy Kisamore, the mother of Lindsay Kisamore, a former EMHS basketball player and Junior Varsity girls’ basketball team assistant coach, lost her life to cancer, the varsity girls’ basketball team and their coaches wanted to do something good in her memory.   So, last year, varsity basketball head coaches Jennifer Young and Christie Osborne started the now-annual “Flames Fighting Cancer” fund raiser.

“We thought this would be a good way to honor her,” Osborne said of Nancy Kisamore.

This year, the fundraiser took place over three games: one against Covenant on February 5th, one against Miller on February 7th, and a third against Holy Cross on February 12th.  For the fundraiser, individual sponsors could make a flat donation or sponsor a specific player in a specific statistical category.  For instance, someone might agree to donate a certain amount of money for every rebound a certain player got during the three games.  All proceeds went to the Rockingham Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center, which helps treat and prevent cancer in our area.

Last year’s fundraiser garnered about one thousand dollars for the cause.  It’s too early to tell exactly how much this year’s event raised, but Young says that this year’s total should be more than last year’s.

The coaches are happy with the results of the fundraiser.  “We’re very pleased with how the girls responded,” Osborn said.  Many of the current team’s players had Lindsay Kisamore either as a coach or as a teammate.

- Dustin Crummett

I Once Was Lost

This semester's Spiritual Renewal Week, EMHS students focused on God's grace in using average people to accomplish His will in the world.  Each day, we watched a part of Walden Media's Amazing Grace, a documentary of William Wilberforce's fight to abolish Britain's slave trade.  Wilberforce's passion for this cause drove him to sacrifice complacency and peace of mind, to get his hands dirty in a corrupted political system.  His work inspired thousands of people to sign petitions and join him in acts of solidarity, like refusing to "take sugar in our tea."  he continues to challenge us today, as we contemplate the sacrifice it might take to examine the injustice in our lives and work to meet the needs around us.

Senior, and member of Chapel Planning Committee, Nathan Hershberger says that the film is "A really excellent movie," and that it "could inspire people to live a better life even in the face of adversity."  Says Junior Allen Bondurant Carter III, "I was mad because I didn't want to like it... and I did."  Walking through the halls last week, as I heard snatches of the hymn Amazing Grace, I hummed and sung: "how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch..."  Hopefully, those words will follow us into the rest of the school year.

Hannah Cranston

Our Volunteer Drama Troupe

EMHS's Drama Troupe provides an opportunity for 10-12 students who have expressed an interest in theatre to present fun and engaging productions to captive (and often active!) audiences of Elementary School kids.  Since Mrs. Linda Miller began it three years ago, the Drama Troupe has presented the play Robin Hood and Charlotte's Web, both successful productions.  This year they continue to amaze their fidgeting audiences with another play, Henry and Ramona.

Members of the Drama Troupe speak well of their experiences.  Joe Philips appreciates his cast members for their enthusiasm because "everyone here is a volunteer."  Liz Marin enjoys her appreciative audience: "We visit with the students for a little bit before each performance.  We also enjoy writing down quirky things that the kids say and our screw-ups in a quote book."

Hannah Cranston