As the winter season comes to an end, so do Lodi winter sports. Both the girls and boys basketball, wrestling, and hockey teams performed at their best this season and played to their strengths. Sometimes in sports, the score is not the most important thing, but how the team has grown throughout the season. Let’s hear from some of the players from each sport to hear their thoughts on how the season went.

It is important to remember to have fun during the season, and you never know what might happen in a game. Gavin Sergeant’s oop dunk from half-court was one of Brian Meitzner’s favorite moments from the season. The boys and girls basketball teams had many highlights over the season, including pulling out many victories. The girls basketball team had a crushing victory of 70-21 against Portage and 71-37 against River Valley as some of their highlights. When asked what their greatest accomplishment was, Brian, one of the senior captains on the boys basketball team, responded by saying, “Sticking with it and pulling out some wins that people didn’t think we could beat like Evansville and Portage.”

At the end of their season, both teams had really come a long way from when they first started. Brian said, “I think that everyone is really learning that it takes a lot more than just a few individuals to be a team, and you’ve got to put in a lot of work to actually be successful, and I think everyone’s kind of learning a little bit of humility and getting humbled a lot.”

In addition to having an amazing sports program at Lodi, we are also lucky for people to be able to participate in co-op boys and girls hockey teams. A team needs to set goals for themselves in order to achieve the things they want. When asked if he could describe the team in one word, Gabe Larson, senior co-captain of the boys hockey team, said, “Productive. We started at the bottom with a rough season and had to expect to work for it. As the season went on, we got more and more productive.” You have to expect to work towards your goals, and in the end, it is the only way to grow and get better.

Also, no matter what challenges a team may face, they have to work together to keep going. “At the end of the day, you just have to keep your head up no matter what,” said Gabe in reply to the question of what he has taken away from the hockey season.

The most successful teams don’t just grow as individuals but build off of each other and grow as a team. The Lodi wrestling team has had a good run this season, winning multiple matches and sending six individuals to state. Zane Licht, a senior captain, says that their greatest accomplishment this season was, “Winning the DeForest tournament. We just won our 30th straight conference title.”

Looking back on past memories of the season is important so that you can reflect. Zane shared his best memory from the season: “Nine champs at the conference and just seeing the team grow and hopefully being able to make it to team state.” While being a part of a team, there are many different opportunities and challenges. Sometimes looking to fellow teammates for advice is the best help someone can get. When asked what he took away from this season, Zane said, “Looking up to other guys and asking for help can help you improve by a lot. Everyone’s got each other’s backs.”

In short, the athletics department is full of very dedicated and talented individuals who must come together and grow as a team in order to achieve their goals in the long run. The Lodi winter sports season was extremely successful, and both our players and teams made huge strides. We look forward to seeing them grow even more in the future.