Jonathan Alder Fall sports have officially kicked off for the 2022 season. During preseason each player worked with their team and, now that seasons have begun, are starting to see that work pay off. 

Football: Jonathan Alder’s football program’s preseason consisted of practices, conditioning, and lifting. The team also had scrimmages against Teays Valley and Fairbanks to get a feel of the game before the official season. With the scrimmages, the team saw many new leaders and greatness on the field. Coach Roberts says“ With a lot of new players this year to the Friday night lights we have lots of great kids stepping into leadership roles on the team.” As they had a great end to preseason Alder football set some goals and officially began the season on August 1st with mandatory practices. Coach Roberts says, “The first and primary goal is that players have fun playing the game and build a positive culture.”The team so far has had two weeks of great wins against Amanda Clearcreek and Buckeye Valley 42-9  and 21-7respectively) and hopes to keep the winning streak going as they face off against Bloom Carroll at home this week.

Volleyball: Jonathan Alder volleyball program worked hard during the preseason to prepare for the big season ahead, participating in many scrimmages and spending a lot of time both in the weight room and on the court. Senior Olivia Ishmael says,  “During preseason we focused on lifting and getting stronger while getting more efficient in our technical moves. As a team, we wanted to get smarter on the court with plays.” Alder Volleyball started the season running on August 1st with and so far have a record of 3-2, including their win against Urbana last night. . Senior Olivia Ishmael says, “Goals for the team for the season are chemistry and working together as a unit.”  Jonathan Alder Volleyball has their next game Tuesday, September 6th at Bellefontaine.

Cross Country:  Jonathan Alder Girls and Boys Cross Country teams have been practicing during their summer preseason. Both teams had Cross Country camp at the end of July in Hocking Hills for team bonding while getting better. Since August 1st they have been practicing every day. Last year, the boys team advanced to regionals, and while girls won districts. The teams this year are saying “the future is now.” Both teams hope to get better with each race and practice, and so far this year they have performed well at Buckeye Valley and Westerville North finishing 2nd and 10th. Their next race is the McGowan Invitational on Saturday, September 10th. 

Cheer: Jonathan Alder Cheer team has had a great lead into their season, which lasts all year in different formats. In the fall, the team cheers at football games before moving on to the basketball and competition seasons. Senior cheerleader Cierra Russell says, “ As this year starts, we want to have a positive season with all the girls around us.” The girls cheer next home Friday, September 2nd.

Boys Golf: Jonathan Alder Boys Golf two days a week during the preseason, one day at the driving range and one on the course throughout the summer.  Similar to all fall sports, the official start of the season was  August 1st with tryouts followed by a tournament on August 5th. As the season started, four main goals were set. Coach Mitch Koester says, “ Our goals for this season are win Madison County tournament, win Union County tournament, win CBC, and then qualify for districts.” With returning players and seniors there are lots of leaders this season. The boys tied the school record with a 291 during the preseason. Their next match is Tuesday, September 6th against Kenton Ridge.

Girls Golf: Jonathan Alder Girls Golf had a productive preseason with participation and practicing throughout the summer. The Girls had a preseason tournament where they finished 2nd place overall. The girls started playing as soon as August 1st rolled around. Coach Darren Clark says, “Our main goals and most important are to have fun, enjoy the game, be a great teammate and overall get better.” According to Clark, they hope to carry on momentum from last year’s record when they finished 9-2 overall and continue to compete in the league. The team’s motto is “ Good Vibes,” and they stick to that as they play. The overall record so far this season is 2-1, and they play next on Tuesday, September 13th against London.

Tennis: Jonathan Alder girls tennis is currently in the thick of their season. The girls have been working on fundamentals by doing drills with a mix of new and experienced or returning players. As the season began, the team set goals for the season. Coach Bryan Deeken says, “Our goal is to control what you can castrol. Tennis is a sport that you don’t have much control over and we want to do the best we can with what we have. And not letting our mental state get in the way of how we play.” The girls are now in the thick of the season with a record of 1-4. Alder girls tennis is back at it again on Tuesday, September 6th at Tecumseh. 

Boys Soccer: Unlike most fall sports, JA boys soccer preseason starts in December. Senior Anderrson Wilson said “ Back in December we lift and do small games then that carries on to the spring where coaches work with us in small groups. Then when summer comes we do lots of conditioning to get stamina for the season ahead.” 

 They have had scrimmages and been working in groups to improve on their skills. Alder Boys Soccer has had a great pre-season with scrimmages defeating Amanda Clearcreek and Marysville. The program this season has teams Varsity and JV. Also team captains Senior Anderson Wilson, Senior Carson Skidmore and Senior Roman Huston. The boy’s soccer team’s goals for this season are to win the CBC and leave behind something bigger than themselves. So far this season the boys hold a record of 3-2-0 with wins against Hamilton Township, River Valley, and Shawnee. The boy’s next game is Wednesday September 7th at Graham.

Girls Soccer: Jonathan Alder Girl Soccer has been working hard during preseason over the summer working in the field. During the summer the girls had open field, scrimmages, and tryouts before the regular season began. As preseason came to an end there were goals that wanted to be set. Assistant Coach Sarah Wiechman is new to the program and her goals for the season are as follows: “Building relationships with the players and culture of a team having fun. With building a  connection we will have a stronger team and that  translates into the season and being a team.” Girls soccer is having a great season so far with seniors leading the team. Their record so far is 1-2-0 and includes a win against Columbus Academy. The girls’ next game is Wednesday, September 7th at Graham.

For updated information on all Alder sports or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.alder.k12.oh.us. You can also keep up with us on social media at @JAHS_News and Alder Athletics at @alderathletics