Riley Swerczek nailed a 3-pointer to give Riverside a two-point lead over Humphrey St. Francis with just 12 seconds left on Friday afternoon during the Class D2 semifinal. But Kyle Wemhoff responded with a trey of his own seconds later to pull off the 40-39 win over the Chargers.
The Chargers will play for third place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, at Lincoln Northeast. Riverside 11 9 12 7 - 39 Humphrey, SF 11 13 9 7 - 40 Riverside Chargers are heading to the semifinal round of the D-2 state basketball tournament in Lincoln.
The Chargers pulled ahead in the first quarter at 13-10 and maintained their lead throughout the close game. Entering the second half at 21-18, the Chargers battled the Blue Devils through the third and fourth quarters, claiming victory with a 47-34 win. Chargers 13 8 13 13 47 Blue Jays 10 8 11 5 34 The Chargers will play at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday, March 11 at 3:45 p.m. The Riverside FFA chapter has had full slate of fundraisers and competitions this fall and are in full swing for spring semester.
Riverside freshman performed the creed to earn their Green Hand degrees earlier this fall. Members presented their speeches for district Leadership Skills Events (LSE) at the open house for the community on Nov. 19 and traveled to Aurora on Dec. 2 for the district LSE competition. Seniors Fina Choat (Extemporaneous Speaking) and McKayla Mogensen (Job Interview) earned runner-up in their respective events with purple ribbons. Mercedes Hemmingsen was selected as an alternate for the state competition in cooperative speaking. LSE participants earning blue ribbions include: Macy Zentner (Junior Public Speaking) Emma Ahlers (Senior Public Speaking) Jordan Muckey and Morgan Haschke (Creed Speaking) Daylinn Feik ( Job Interview) Noah Valasek, Riley Swerczek, Jacob Keenedy, and Joel Scott (Ag Demo) Molly Berger, Fina Choat, Lana Molt, and Angelique Kampmann (Ag Demo) LSE participating earning red ribbons include: Kale Diessner (Junior Public Speaking) Abby Asche, Kyle Cornwell, Jaydan Craven, Wyatt Martinsen, Grant Marish, Joseph Bloom, and Daniel Lozano (Junior Parli Pro) Upcoming FFA events include state degree interviews, Valentine’s day fundraiser, pancake feed, National FFA Week, and district Career Development Events competitions. Photo courtesy of Paul Beranek's Facebook Hashtag BStrong (#BStrong) is trending on social media in an outpouring of grief and sympathy for the loss of a former Riverside teacher.
Paul Beranek, 55, passed away Tuesday morning after battling cancer. Coach B was a Riverside art educator and well-known Ravenna's boys basketball coach. He coached four Ravenna teams that won state championships since 2005. Beranek and his wife Brenda have three sons. Funeral services have not been announced at this time. Riverside Public Schools gets four stars from the Nebraska Association of School Boards.
Riverside Public Schools has been named one of only five Nebraska school districts to receive an excellent rating under the AQuESTT accountability system. According the to Nebraska Department of Education, the previous system, Nebraska Performance Accountability System (NePAS), relied solely on ranking public school and district performance on state assessments and graduation rates. AQuESTT, which stands for Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow, also includes elements of accountability, such as performance on state assessments and graduation, school and district accreditation, college and career ready education, and the effective use of data into a system of school improvement and support. The new accountability system, Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow (AQuESTT) replaces the old ranking system which was in place in previous years. While the new system relies primarily on test scores, it also takes into account for growth and improvement in test scores, graduation rates, and the implementation of a district’s programs and practices to boost student achievement. Scores from all 4 NeSA assessments are combined and averaged to determine the primary rating. Last spring’s NeSA results revealed that Riverside had 95% of their students proficient in Reading, with many of those students scoring in the top quartile. Superintendent Joan Carraher said, "This is indeed a great accomplishment for our staff and students, but it doesn’t come by chance." Riverside has implemented Reading Mastery (RM) at both elementary sites as well as providing research-based interventions to support struggling readers. All staff teaching RM have received rigorous training and receive ongoing coaching by the district’s reading coach and RM consultant. All Riverside staff is also receiving professional development on research-based teaching practices to ensure student achievement and success. Last year, the primary goal was improving student engagement in the classroom, so many strategies are being incorporated in their instruction. Teachers participate in Learning Walks (visits and observations of other classrooms) to provide support for one another. Auburn, Bennington, Elkhorn and Potter-Dix were the other four school districts in the state to receive top recognition. Two Boone County photographers are among those selected to have artwork on display on Capitol Hill.
Irene Rutten of Cedar Rapids and Kyle Mock of Albion are among the 18 photographers whose photos will be on display, each labeled with the photographer’s name and city, in the main lobby of Smith’s Washington, D.C. office. Congressman Adrian Smith thanked photographers who submitted their photos of Nebraska’s Third District to The Good Life Showcase this year. “Thank you to everyone who shared their photography talents and highlighted the best of their Third District communities through this Showcase,” Smith said. “The variety, creativity, and number of photos we received exceeded my expectations. All submissions are proudly displayed in my Washington office so visitors and colleagues can experience ‘The Good Life’ during their time in the nation’s capital.” Smith will continue accepting submissions for The Good Life Showcase on a rolling basis. Third District photographers are invited to send their photos for consideration to TheGoodLifeShowcase@mail.house.gov. Tuesday was a tough night on the road for the Riverside girls basketball team as they took on the Clearwater-Orchard Cyclones in Spaulding.
While the game was a close one, the Riverside Chargers fell short with the final score 60-51. Senior Karen Schmeits and junior Amber Berger led the team in points, scoring 12 each. The 1-1 Chargers will play their next game at Humphrey against the St. Francis Flyers on Friday. Riverside repeated as six-man state champions tonight with a win over St. Edward at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The Chargers held a 44-0 lead at the half and won 72-18 over the Beavers. St. Edward ends the season at 8-3 while Riverside is a perfect 11-0. Two rival schools will be duking it out Friday night as the St. Edward Beavers face the Riverside Chargers in Kearney for the state title in 6-man football.
St. Edward has an 8-2 season record after a 45-20 win over Hyannis in the semifinals. The Beavers scored 27 points in the first quarter of the game and lead the longhorns 34-0 at halftime. Junior Brayden Olson lead the team in rushing yards with 142 yards on 16 carries. The team had 7 sacks on the night as well. Riverside comes into the competition undefeated after a huge 62-21 over Silver Lake. Jake Kennedy rushed for 44 yards for the first touchdown of the game. By halftime the Chargers had taken a 62-8 lead. The team had 291 rushing yards against the Mustangs. Sophomore Enricho Kreher successfully kicked 6 field goals for the Chargers. The game will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Nebraska Kearney football field. The game will also be streaming online. |