Thursday, February 25, 2016

Exeter-Milligan Wins Sub-District


Above - Timberwolf Patrick Murphy dribbles around Hampton Hawk #10 Caleb Dowling for two points.


The Timberwolves never fell behind Thursday night in the Centennial gym.  They led by 10 at the end of the first quarter and only got within 5 points in the third quarter.  At the end of the third the T-wolves were up by 8 but it was all Timberwolves in the fourth quarter. The Hawks went over four minutes without a score in the fourth quarter and managed to net 7 points in the last two minutes of the game.  The Timberwolves win 54-40. 


Below - Cameron White scores from under the basket.




Above – Exeter-Milligan’s Sam Zeleny takes out Hampton’s Caleb Dowling on his way to the basket.
Below – Cameron White blocks the lane for Eric Olsen to take the ball in for two.



Above  – Exeter-Milligan’s Trevor Luzum launches over Hampton players #42 Alex Parks and #44 Devin Nissen for a shot.

Howard Chooses to Play at Nebraska Wesleyan




Marissa Howard is sitting next to her mom, Marci Reinsch, holding her sister Mara Reinsch with summer softball coach Rick Buerer and Exeter-Milligan Volleyball Coach behind her as they support her as she moves to play college athletics.
 



After winning the volleyball state championship Exeter-Milligan senior Marissa Howard realized she wasn’t quite ready to hang up her jersey.

While touring several colleges in the area there was no doubt in her mind that Nebraska Wesleyan  University was the place for her.  “It was more individualized and made me feel like I was at home.  I liked the campus and the whole layout.”

Howard plans to major in biology and minor in environmental studies.  She knows that college won’t be easy but so much of what Exeter-Milligan Coach Darcy White has taught her will continue to serve her at the next level. 

“Coach White is a very intense coach.  She knows how to get you in shape and it will obviously be another step, but she has prepared us.”

White is confident in Howard’s future success, “she is such a competitive, motivated individual.  I think she will make an impact right away because of her positivity and energy that she brings to the court.”

“Marissa truly matured into a fantastic volleyball throughout her four years of playing for me.  She grew into a committed player and teammate, and I think her confidence on the court was an inspiration to her teammates.  She has tremendous all around skills which gives her the ability to play many positions, but what I think I will remember the most about Marissa is her incredible jumping abilities, and her tremendous quickness and definitely that huge smile that was always on her face.”

That vertical jump and her hang time were two things that stood out to Wesleyan volleyball coach Rayna Cain.  “She will probably start in the middle where she is comfortable but we plan to move her to the outside to utilize her vertical eventually. Her athleticism and personality fit really well with what we were looking for.”

Howard has experienced a great deal of success in athletics.  She was part of two state championship volleyball teams along with two state championships in summer softball league.  White noted that the success Howard has experienced, “lends to her self-confidence that she can continue this at the next level."

Volleyball is not the only sport that Howard will pursue at Wesleyan.  “Softball has always been my number one sport but throughout high school I wanted to play volleyball, too.”

Now, at Wesleyan, Howard will have the opportunity to participate in both sports collegiality.  She also will have two years of eligibility left to play in summer softball league and she has been invited to play with the championship team Flames of Nebraska. 

Flames Coach, Rick Buerer was on hand to support Howard in her decision to play collegiate sports.  “I just wanted to support Marissa as I have been working with her on her pitching since last fall.”

Howard is looking forward to a summer full of softball before she heads to Lincoln to prep for her first college volleyball season.  She will be taking what Coach White instilled in her when she goes, “It’s not just what you can accomplish, Coach White has made me want to strive for higher goals.”


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Zeleny Signs with Concordia





Exeter-Milligan senior Sam Zeleny is surrounded by his parents Jim and Liz Zeleny.  Behind Zeleny are Exeter-Milligan head football Coach Dean Filipi and Concordia University Junior Varsity Head Coach Corby Osten.  Below #3 Zeleny stiff arms a Giltner player and bottom, during the playoff game versus Wynot.






Exeter-Milligan’s Sam Zeleny has had a lot of success in the high school arena and has decided to take the next step and play football in college.

Zeleny chose Concordia University in Seward to pursue both a Bachelor’s degree in Ag Business along with some time on the football field.

Zeleny, a standout quarterback and basketball player for Exeter-Milligan has three state championship medals, a runner-up medal along with qualifying for State Track.

“I visited Concordia and really liked it.  The football team is on the up rise right now and the coaches are really great right now.  It will be a challenge going from quarterback in eight man to eleven man football.  I will have to find my spot.  This is new beginning for me.”

Concordia Coach Corby Osten is the JV Head Coach and  was very positive about the impact that Zeleny will have.  “He comes from a winning program and he’s a good athlete. He’s played a handful of positions.  We see him as  receiver right now but could have him in a few different spots.”

Concordia recruited Exeter-Milligan student Derek Luzum for their football team last year and saw the positive impact that the Timberwolf program had on their students.  They were impressed with the hard work and dedication that Zeleny brought to the field and saw that he has the option of flexibility, “We are looking at Sam as a slot receiver or a receiver but he could easily flip over and be a defensive back for us.”

Exeter-Milligan Coach Filipi has similar positive thoughts after coaching Zeleny in football and basketball for four years.  “Sam has been a hard worker for us for four years.  He doesn’t give up.  He has had a lot of success in Lincoln. We had a great group of seniors this year. Sam has been a great leader for us and he will be missed.”