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Craig Middle School fall sports gearing up

Parent, athlete sports meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday

Andy Bockelman
Young volleyball players practice their approach at the net and snapping wrists on their spike during the Craig Parks & Recreation camp earlier this week at Craig Middle School. CMS football, volleyball, cross country and cheer will officially start practices Monday.
Andy Bockelman

The time is nearly here as the younger wave of Bulldogs prepares for athletic endeavors.

Just as Moffat County High School began its fall sports earlier this week, so too will Craig Middle SchoolCraig Middle School embark on new seasons starting Monday as teams for football, volleyball, cheer and cross country get moving. embark on new seasons starting Monday as teams for football, volleyball, cheer and cross country get moving.

Craig Middle School embark on new seasons starting Monday as teams for football, volleyball, cheer and cross country get moving.

The CMS gridiron will be largely the same in terms of coaching, with Tony Maneotis again the head of the eighth-grade team and Ben Egger supervising seventh-graders.



One difference however, will be in the schedule, as the groups will split their time playing on home turf between the CMS location and the Bulldog Proving Grounds at MCHS, taking to the bigger field for games with Eagle Valley, Steamboat Springs — which will be part of a larger fall sports night — and Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Players got a good idea of what’s to come if they stick with sport in future years during a camp this week at the high school, working with varsity players and coaches.



“It’s all about us trying to learn what they’re doing (at MCHS) so that we can teach kids what they need to know for when they’re up here,” Maneotis said while at the high school practice field.

Egger added that players being ready for the eventual transition is key.

“It’s all about the next level,” he said.

The CMS cheer program will also be present at all home football games, with coaching by Jordan Anderson.

For volleyball, the coaching staff will be experiencing some changes as Jim Croal takes the reins for eighth-grade from Vicki Blomquist and Bre Ford heads up the seventh-graders.

Under the tutelage of MCHS assistant coach Kacey Daugherty, players of the age group went through a crash course of the basics over the past week through Craig Parks & Recreation.

Croal served as Blomquist’s assistant last year and looks forward to continuing helping players improve. One key element of the game he will be working on is service.

“Serving is a big thing, especially in Craig since we have such low ceilings, and it’s kind of a big adjustment for some girls, because they’re used to swinging away rather than keeping it controlled,” Croal said.

Cross country will be up and running in the following week under a new coach, as well. Sara Linsacum had to step down from the position of head coach for cross country and track and field upon accepting the role of assistant principal and athletic director for CMS, leaving the slot open for Chad Backsen, who is also a first-year teacher at MCHS.

Backsen said it was in middle school that he began his love affair with running — eventually competing for South Dakota’s Augustana College, which recently became Augustana University — and he hopes to bring out the same enjoyment among Craig athletes.

“Sara’s made it extremely easy with all the work she’s put into this growing program,” he said. “I learned a lot from my coaches, and I want to be able to teach about cross country and how much of a team sport it really is and give kids a positive experience.”

Practices for CMS sports begin Monday morning, followed by a parent and athlete meeting the same night at 6:30 p.m. in the CMS auditorium.

2016 Craig Middle School fall sports seasons

FootballFootball

Football

Time, Date — Opponent, LocationTime, Date — Opponent, Location

Time, Date — Opponent, Location

4:30 p.m. Sept. 6 — Eagle Valley, Moffat County High School

10 a.m. Sept. 10 — Rawlins, Wyoming, CMS

9 a.m. Sept. 17 — Meeker, Meeker High School

4 p.m. Sept. 20 — Steamboat Springs, Moffat County High School

10 a.m. Sept. 24 — East Grand, CMS

4 p.m. Sept. 27 — Rock Springs, Wyoming, Moffat County High School

9 a.m. Oct. 1 — Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Springs Middle School

10 a.m. Oct. 8 — Rifle, Rifle Middle School

— Games will start with seventh-grade, followed by eighth-grade. The cheer squad will be present at home games.— Games will start with seventh-grade, followed by eighth-grade. The cheer squad will be present at home games.

— Games will start with seventh-grade, followed by eighth-grade. The cheer squad will be present at home games.

VolleyballVolleyball

Volleyball

Time, Date — Opponent(s), LocationTime, Date — Opponent(s), Location

Time, Date — Opponent(s), Location

9 a.m. Sept. 3 — Baggs, Wyoming, Little Snake River Valley School

9 a.m. Sept. 10 — Steamboat Springs/Rangely/Meeker, Steamboat Springs Middle School

9 a.m. Sept. 17 — Steamboat Springs/Rifle, CMS/Sandrock Elementary School

9 a.m. Sept. 24 — Meeker, Meeker High School

4:30 p.m. Sept. 29 — Blue/White, CMS

1 p.m. Oct. 1 — Rawlins, Wyoming, Rawlins Middle School

5 p.m. Oct. 6 — Baggs, Wyoming, CMS/Sandrock Elementary School

9 a.m. Oct. 8 — District Tournament, Meeker High School

— All eighth-grade home events will take place in the CMS gym and all seventh-grade home events at Sandrock.— All eighth-grade home events will take place in the CMS gym and all seventh-grade home events at Sandrock.

— All eighth-grade home events will take place in the CMS gym and all seventh-grade home events at Sandrock.

Cross countryCross country

Cross country

Time, Date — Event, LocationTime, Date — Event, Location

Time, Date — Event, Location

1 p.m. Sept. 2 — Rawlins Invitational, Sinclair Golf Course, Sinclair, Wyoming

4 p.m. Sept. 8 — Rock Springs Invitational, Pilot Butte Elementary, Rock Springs, Wyoming

9 a.m. Sept. 17 — Eagle Valley Invitational, Gypsum Creek Golf Course, Gypsum

1 p.m. Sept. 23 — Saratoga Invitational, Saratoga Public Golf Course, Saratoga, Wyoming

9 a.m. Oct. 1 — Bulldog Invitational, Loudy-Simpson Park

10 a.m. Oct. 7 — Delta Invitational, Confluence Park, Delta

— Events for all sports are subject to change.— Events for all sports are subject to change.— Events for all sports are subject to change.


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