Excelling across both the campus and state is not new to OHS, but the 2023-2024 school year has brought the most amount of athletic success and accomplishments ever seen. It is hard not to want to follow along the sidelines of each sport and cheer on fellow OHS students as they consistently exceed expectations and build a reputable name for OHS within their respective athletic divisions.
Setting off the school year on the right foot, girls volleyball, after getting runner up last season, persevered their way into finally earning the state championship ring that they were working so hard towards.
“People will now see that we’re a competitive school. People will see that we are a threat to them, and that we want another state championship,” said Leylah Duran, sophomore.
While student determination and the team’s talent were the most defining components of their success, the OHS athletic department fostered their potential and aided in turning their efforts into something for other schools to be envious of.
“Girls volleyball had a max-out mindset person come in, and just work on team building, how we deal with stress and everything else during the game, and so we’ve tried to be more intentional at that,” said Jason Rypkema, Athletic Director .
Assistive programs and coaches that go the extra mile to set up their teams for success are not uncommon for OHS, differentiating us from other athletics departments.
“We have a lot of power training classes, where the kids get to be together with their group of kids. Boys basketball does a ‘Mindset Friday’; they work together to build each other up, to work on teamwork, and do all that,” Rypkema said.
The boys basketball team proudly made it to the 6A division state championship this previous season, commending part of their determination to the resources and strategies used within their team environment. OHS prides itself in having that same grit and encouragement for all sports across campus throughout the year.
“There’s a lot of schools out there, they might have one sport that does well, and they put everything in that — that is not our goal. We want every single sport to be at the top level, so when we get to see that, and then everybody gets to cheer on everybody else, it just builds up community and school spirit,” Rypkema said.
The girls basketball team also fought to achieve their own respective spot in the state championship, bringing it all the way home, plastering the OHS name on the final trophy. Their success is an emblem of the abundant change and revitalization within the program that the recent season brought.
“I think it’s changed a lot with the new coaching staff, and new transfers coming in. I think we’ve definitely built more trust with each other, and our [team] culture is a lot better than the last two years,” said Bella Elsholz, junior.
Seen through OHS’s growing collection of trophies and winning games, the sports culture around campus continues to be fed by incoming students and rising talent. Girls soccer, for example, after seeing an influx of new players and uniting their team, came out of their season winning the program’s first ever title as Region Champions.
“I don’t think it was very known. We had a lot of girls come out our freshman year, but it wasn’t the same as my junior and senior year, [where] we had a ton of girls coming out, and I think it’s really cool how we’ve built up a really strong program.” said Jacey Donathan, senior.
The OHS sports legacy for this year in review does not end there. From August to May, the school’s sports continue to make a name for themselves across the state, making admin, students, and all supporters alike, proud of their collective accomplishments.
“Spring sports we have a good chance to win a couple state championships, and so that’s the goal, to just keep driving and going forward, but it has put people on notice,” Rypkema said.
While this 2023-2024 year has exceeded expectations and proved what OHS athletes are truly capable of, it only sets forth rising expectations for future seasons; something the OHS sports programs are fully capable of living up to.
“For girls volleyball and girls basketball next year, they’re going to get everyone’s best shot. Boys volleyball after they won it a couple years ago, and beach [volleyball] being back to back, [that means] everytime someone comes, they want to beat you, and so it’s having that grit and determination mindset [that will make the difference],” Rypkema said.
