Common demoninators
Published 1:16 pm Saturday, April 2, 2011
After historic football and basketball seasons, 3 Glenville-Emmons athletes attempt to rollover success to baseball
GLENVILLE — Glenville-Emmons boys’ athletic programs have been on a roll this school year.
After years of mediocrity, the Wolverines football team went on a postseason tear, upsetting state-ranked Grand Meadow to earn a spot in the program’s first section final game.
During the basketball season, the Wolverines won the school’s first Southeast Conference championship, notched a record 23 wins and advanced further into the postseason than any team before them.
Now as the Wolverines begin their baseball season, the team will look for leadership from three young men not unfamiliar to success their senior year of high school.
Tyler Woodside, Landon Hall and Peter Hansen all started on the Wolverines’ football team and boys’ basketball team.
Woodside was the football team’s tight end and a forward on the basketball team. Hall and Hansen were both guards on the basketball team and a running back and wide receiver, respectively, on the football field.
Now all three begin their final season on the Wolverines baseball team, hoping to continue their year of success.
“We want to keep on winning,” Hansen said. “We don’t want to let anyone down.”
Hansen said that advancing deep into the football and basketball postseason tournaments motivates him to do the same in baseball.
After tying for Southeast Conference title last season, the Wolverines lost their section tournament opener to Kenyon-Wanamingo. This year they’re not expecting an early exit.
“We now know what it’s like to experience success,” Hall said. “It give us a little more drive to do what we did during the football and basketball seasons.”
With Woodside on the mound, the Wolverines are expected to win the four-team Southeast Conference. All three players admit, though, that winning the conference isn’t their primary goal. They want to win their section.
“We’re a lot more motivated,” Woodside said. “We’ve set higher standards for ourselves.”
After missing most of his senior basketball season with a broken ankle, Hansen said he’s not taking his final baseball season for granted.
“I’ll probably push a little harder than I usually do,” he said.
Hall said one of the most noticeable differences at the high school following the fall and winter seasons is the amount of support for the Wolverines athletic programs.
“We’ve had a lot more fans this year and pretty much all of our games have been packed,” Hall said. “It’s been a fun environment and fun playing.”
Hall said he doesn’t expect the same crowds to attend baseball games but that fans will likely fill the small amount of bleachers the school’s field has. Regardless of fan support, Hall, Hansen and Woodside are as confident as ever.
“We know what it’s like to be winners,” Hall said. “We have that winning attitude.”