The
Hartsburg-Emden Stags are heading to State - destination Redbird
Arena!
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[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!”
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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] |