Second-year Cottonwood Middle School head volleyball coach Rex Barton likes to see the gym courts full in practice — and hopes they will stay that way through the Quad City League championship this time around.
“This is certainly better than last year, when so many girls quit,” said assistant coach Carol Karber, a CMS teacher who handles the Lobos’ B and C volleyball teams, while Barton will coach the A-team in its season opener Thursday, Aug. 21, at 3:30 p.m. in Prescott at Liberty Charter School. “This is a really nice group of girls. They’re young, but they work well together.”
Four Lobos quit Barton’s first team before the end of last season, with two others getting kicked off for fighting the week before the league tournament, he said.
“There was a lot of turmoil within the team,” he said. “We had a number of kids that just didn’t stick with the program, and started with us and faded out, or didn’t come to practice. If we hadn’t had the fallout that we did, I think they would’ve contended for the league championship.
“They competed really hard, but you’ve got to have some sort of team chemistry and cohesiveness, and I think that’s what I appreciate most about these girls. They’re open to and accepting of other grade levels. I’m really, really proud of them.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Aug. 20, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
