The Hartsburg-Emden Stags are heading to State - destination Redbird Arena!

[November 05, 2018] 

The Hartsburg-Emden Stags won the Lexington Class 1A Super-Sectional on Friday night over the Flanagan-Cornell Falcons and with the two set victory the little local volleyball powerhouse punched their ticket to State.

Hartem took the first set 25-13 and then wasted little time in dominating the second set 25-12 to earn their first state berth since a runner-up finish in 2014.

Orange was the popular color in the Lexington gym.

Six Stags hit the court ready to do whatever it takes to win.

The Stags took the court in front of a heavily-painted orange crowd on Friday night, as both teams were sporting orange in their team colors.

Anna Hayes set the tone immediately with her first kill that hit the floor with a thunderous boom and was followed by a volcanic eruption-like sound from the Stags crowd. Before long the one-two punch of Anna Hayes and Grace Beekman had the Stags commanding a 5-1 lead.

A beautiful tip by Alaina Bradburn gave Hartem a 9-3 lead and the Stags’ fans were causing the gym to rumble.

With lefty Lexi Barry serving, the Stags ran out to a 12-3 lead and the Falcons were all discombobulated.

A kill by Izzy Classen made the score 16-5 and the Stags were looking loose and fancy-free, full of fun.

With another kill by Beekman, stats man and Anna Hayes’ grandpa, Ron Crane, said “Grace is feeling it tonight. She’s rolling.”

Indeed she was. No jitters present from the super sophomore. She must of felt Crane’s positive vibes. The sophomore annihilated the ball to the score of 21-5.

A kill from Classen made the score 22-5 and then the Falcons went on a roll.

The Falcons finally threw down a kill on Hartem to make the score 22-6. The Falcons pulled off some successful blocks at this point, too, and mounted their comeback. A seven-point run by that other orange team made the score 22-12.

And then it was time for Beekman to get back to business. “Atta girl,” said Crane, after the sophomore pounded a kill to stretch the lead to 23-12. Beekman would also end set one with a kill and settle the score at 25-13.

Set two

Set two began with Anna Hayes in the starring role, as she had three quick kills.

Brianna Grabowski, a super supporting member of the Stags offense also planted one into the hardwood floor and the Stags were rolling 6-2 in set two.

After a short set by Lily Escobedo, Bradburn’s kill was good and the Stags were on top 8-5.

Hayes placed a long tip deep into the corner of the court and the nice shot allowed Hartem to take an 11-5 lead.

The Hartem cruise control was set in this one with Beekman on autopilot as kill after kill after kill just electrified the crowd. The last kill of that trio by Beekman literally was pounded into the floor at a 45 degree angle and with such speed that honestly the Falcons didn’t have a chance.

A dejected Falcon crowd glanced at the scoreboard only to see a devastating 16-9 score lit up. By the time Classen and Hayes added a few more kills, the state vibes were beginning to run through the Stags bodies, 20-9 the score. Things were going Hartem’s way so well that even a kill by Hayes grazed the top of the net, rolled onto the floor, and right in front of the Falcons stunned defenders who just seemed frozen.

A series of errors allowed Hartem to race out to a 24-12 lead before game point was served. The heavily anticipated point was the least dramatic play of the game, as a long serve by the Falcons simply went out of bounds and the victory celebration was about to begin.

Hugs, sweat, smiles and a Stag hoisting a plaque - all part of the reward for hard work on the court.

Hartem players and fans are accustomed to the routine following these wins. Players shake hands, gather in a circle to hear Coach Hayes’ words, then they go fetch that plaque and pose nonstop for photos. The bleachers empty in the meantime as every mom, dad, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, third cousin removed and neighbor mix and mingle on the court in celebration.

The words “Redbird Arena” were heard rumbling through the crowd multiple times Friday night as smile after smile graced the faces of those so proudly wear the Stag uniform.

These girls are going to Redbird Arena in Normal this weekend and the feeling couldn’t be sweeter, especially for newcomer Izzy Classen. Classen is the senior who moved from Delavan to the Hartsburg-Emden School District this summer and for her the season has been incredible.

“Oh my gosh, it has been a ride,” beamed Classen. “I seriously love the team and I love the atmosphere. Everybody is so…..just awesome. Everything about this team, really, and the coach….she’s really committed to this team too. She will do anything and I love it. It is awesome.”

For Classen’s volleyball career, this will be her first ever trip to state and of course, her first time being on the court at Redbird Arena.

“All through high school I have gone and watched the state tournament but I’ve never been to play…ever,” said Classen. “This is new and this is an awesome way to end my senior year."

Senior Lexi Barry is equally beaming with pride and anticipation of the upcoming weekend. "This is so unreal,” said Barry. “We have worked so hard for this. All of our hard work has definitely paid off. I am so excited. Go Stags!”

The Stags will take a 35-4 record to Redbird Arena in Normal.

Super sophomore Grace Beekman was smiling from ear to ear as sweat poured down her face following Friday night’s win. “I think I was just super-excited, taking care of business,” said Beekman. “Like Coach says: three words - breathe, believe and battle. We battle no matter what, if we’re up or down, we just keep battling. And like we kinda let it down in the first set and let them get a seven point run. In that second one we came out ready to kick butt.”

"It’s like unreal,” Beekman continued. “I am so excited. I can’t even believe it. I am so excited.”

Beekman’s parents, Blake and Lori, have to be a little extra-excited about the weekend, too. While one daughter is a standout on the court, the oldest of the three girls coaches alongside Jennifer Hayes.

Grace Beekman’s older sister, Kaylee, is in her first year as the assistant coach for the Stags and she was also on the Stags last team to go to Redbird Arena.

“It’s awesome for me to be a part of the volleyball program at Hartsburg once again,” said Kaylee Beekman. “It makes it even better that my sister is on the team. Being able to continue spreading my passion for the game alongside the coach who made me fall in love with it, while also getting to watch my sister is incredible. It’s been amazing to watch all of the girls grow. I played with the seniors this year when I was a senior and it’s crazy to see how far they’ve come. They’ve put in the hard work and are really willing to do whatever it takes to be champions. I couldn’t be more proud of them and all they’ve accomplished this far. I can’t wait to see what this next week brings! I’m so glad that they get to experience playing at ISU and everything that goes along with it. I’m just glad that I get to be a part of it. Once a Stag always a Stag!”

Speaking of once a Stag always a Stag, how about the Hayes family?! Aaron Hayes and Jennifer (Crane) Hayes both graduated from Hartem and decided to stay in the community to raise their own family. Now nearly 18 years later they are in the midst of a fairy tale story. For dad Aaron, he admitted to having a case of nerves on Friday.

Aaron Hayes appeared to be ready to “lose it” after the super-sectional win over Flanagan. “Lose it” meaning the proud dad was spotted standing off to the side trying to take pictures and for a casual second he just rested the camera at his waist and took the moment all in as the girls were gathering for yet another group picture. Aaron’s face began to turn a little red and his eyes appeared to get misty as his eyes were focused on his only little girl, Anna.

Moments later, Aaron, still basking in the memories that were unfolding in front of him, admitted that he was a nervous wreck all day while at work on Friday and just wanted to get the day over so he could get to the game in Lexington. “I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” he said with a slow grin.

Anna Hayes, who honestly appeared loose on the court, also admitted some nerves. “I think we were more nervous than loose tonight because we were just so close,” said the senior outside hitter. “I mean, like it was right in our grasp and we knew we could do it, but I don’t know, I felt tight. I did.”

Good thing she never played like she had any nerves. Hayes dominated the game from the get-go. Her first kill of set one that made the score 1-0 landed on the opponent’s side of the court and made a “whoosh” sound that astounded the Falcons’ fans and let the entire orange-filled gymnasium know the Stags came to play.

So what’s going through the mind of Anna Hayes now that the Stags are going to Redbird Arena?

“Win two more games,” smiled the senior, who has never played at Redbird Arena.
 

Two more games. That’s all Coach Hayes has left coaching her daughter. But honestly what two better games are there than the state finals? None.

After the Super-Sectional win, Coach Hayes gave a quick recap of the past that briefly mentioned the team bowing out of the postseason early during Anna’s freshman year.

The next year was a tough year, too, admitted the coach. “Anna’s sophomore year we were 18-14,” said Coach Hayes. “A lot of tears. It was just a really hard year. I kept telling them as sophomores, you know, this is what we’re building for. You have to look to the future. You have to go each day regardless of winning and losing and figure out exactly what it is that your goal is and it has to be long-term. And they just kept grinding, kept grinding every day, every year. They kept playing club ball, going for lessons outside of my court, playing beyond August to November, you know, doing everything that they needed to.”

A couple years later and they’ve tasted success and kept moving towards that ultimate goal of playing at Redbird Arena.

Coach Hayes threw in the team’s 2018 motto in this sentence at the end of her interview when she said, "Whatever it takes to get to where we’re going and we’re not done yet,” said the coach with a smile. Whatever it takes.

And then there were four.

Congratulations to the Hartem Stags and their loyal fans!

The IHSA Class 1A State Tournament at Redbird Arena this Friday will feature Newark versus Grayville at 9 a.m. and Hartem versus Decatur St. Teresa at 10:30 a.m. (approximately, which means get there early). The winners will meet for the state championship on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (again approximately so be early).

The Stags will march into Redbird Arena with a 35-4 record.

Stags stats

Anna Hayes 13 kills 8 points 3 digs
Grace Beekman 13 assists 10 kills 8 points 3 digs
Izzy Classen 3 kills 5 points 6 digs 1 block
Lexi Barry 6 points 5 digs 2 aces 1 assist
Alaina Bradburn 5 kills 4 blocks
Brianna Grabowski 1 kill
Sami Perschall 1 kill 1 block
Emily Craig 7 points 5 digs
Lily Escobedo 11 assists 1 dig 1 block
Avah Classen 4 assists 1 point

[Teena Lowery]