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The Highway 91 cyclone started with a disappointing show at their first tournament of the season. On August 30, the Cyclones attended the NEN Vipers tournament in Wisner. 

They started the morning with a hard loss to the Boone Central Cardinals. The final score was 3-16 

Their second game of the morning was against the Logan View Scribner Schneider Raiders. Unfortunately, they took their second loss 6-8

Softball Stats

Hwy 91 vs. Boone Central

1 2 3 Final

Hwy 91 1 0 2 3

BC 9 4 3 16

(hits-at bats, RBI, put outs, pitching strikeouts, stolen bases)

Jocelyn Donnelly–1-1, 0, 0, 0; Matelyn Rayback–1-2, 1, 0, 0; Hannah Cech–0-2, 0, 0, 3, 0; Reese Bruhn–0-2, 1, 1, 0, 0; Allie Dirkschneider–0-2, 0, 2, 0, 0; Britney Faltys–2-2, 0, 5, 0, 0; Bailey Rios–0-2, 0, 0, 0, 0; Reann Bruhn 1-1, 0, 0, 2, 1

Hwy 91 vs. LVSS

1 2 3 4 5 6 Final 

Hwy 91 0 2 0 1 3 0 6

LVSS 1 6 0 0 0 1 8

(hits-at bats, RBI, put outs, pitching strikeouts)

Matelyn Rayback–0-3, 0, 0, 4; Britney Faltys–1-2, 0, 4, 0; Reese Bruhn–1-3, 1, 3, 0; Dani Dirkscheider–1-3, 0, 0, 0; Shaylynn Marty–2-3, 2, 0; Allie Dirkscheider–3-2, 1, 0; Reann Bruhn–1-4, 1, 3; Hannah Cech–1-4, 0, 5

Leigh Community School is excited to announce its August Students of the Month! (L to R): Sienna Svitak, Matilda Ahrens, Kayson Dvorak, Kinlee Olson, Aubrey Wendt, Carly Dvorak, Kendall Went, Declan Urbanek (Not Pictured: Ainsley VanDerslice, Ellie VanDerslice, Emric Urbanek

These amazing students have been noticed by teachers, administrators, and paras for their hard work, kind behavior, and the example they set for their classmates. Congratulations!

Members of the Leigh Community Schools staff were honored on Friday, August 15th at the back-to-school staff dinner held at the Lazy Arrow Event hall in Leigh.  Congratulations to the following staff who were recognized with plaques for reaching milestones in their years of service to LCS!  Their service to the school and community is greatly valued and appreciated! (L to R): Mr. Wayne Schroeder (35 years), Mrs. Tiffany Cash (10 years), Mrs. Jennifer Maliha (5 years).  Not Pictured: Mr. Chris Kurpgeweit Kurpgeweit (5 years), Mrs. Charmayne Brabec (5 years), Mr. Jeff Korus (5 years), Mr. Mike Meyer (5 years), Mrs. Tiffany Rayback (5 years), Mrs. Robin Urban (20 years)

Special bonds are formed between grandparents and their families, with love and wisdom passed from generation to generation—this bond was celebrated at Leigh Community Schools on Friday, September 5th. 

LCS hosted a Grandparents Day get-together, inviting all grandparents of elementary students. With an astounding 200 grandparents showing up for the school’s holiday, the bleachers were flooded with families smiling ear to ear during activities like trivia and bingo, all presented by Superintendent Mr. Fischer and elementary teachers. 

Prizes were provided for bingo winners and afterwards, everyone in attendance was treated to cookies as a small token of appreciation for the role they play in their grandchildren’s lives.  

This year marked Leigh Community School’s first celebration since 2018. With obstacles like construction on the new school building and Covid-19 lockdowns, there was a halt on the school’s annual gathering until it was resumed again for the first time in 7 years.  

“We were excited to host Grandparents Day for the first time since 2018!” stated Mr. Fischer. “We were ecstatic to receive the number of RSVPs we did. We had a great time learning who had the most grandkids enrolled, who traveled the farthest and who had great or great-great grandparents in attendance.”

Sixth grader Sophie Loseke stated, “I love that, even though there are twelve of us grandkids, my grandparents still find things to do and spend time with all of us.”

When asked what activities she enjoys doing with her grandparents, sixth grader Kalyn Beller said, “My grandma is really good at baking. It’s fun to make things like cookies and cupcakes with her.”

Mr. Fischer said, “We look forward to continuing this tradition every year, and we hope to see all grandparents at various events throughout the year!”

The Highway 91 Cyclones had their first home game of the 2025 season in Leigh Monday night August 25 against Boone Central. It was very intense and close in the beginning of the game until the Cardinals pulled away. The Cyclones were down 3-11 in the 4th inning, but soon came firing back to 9-11 in inning 5. Soon after the Cardinals ran away with a big lead. The Cyclones lost 9-16.

“I feel like there is still a lot of improvement to do but we are getting better every day. We hope to keep getting better and reaching our potential goals,” said Leigh sophomore Matelyn Rayback. 

Putting that game behind, the next night on August 26th. The Highway 91 Cyclones battled against the Pierce Bluejays in Pierce. Unfortunately, the Cyclones weren’t able to stop a high number of runs from being scored. The Cyclones lost 5-11.

The Cyclones are off to a better start from the year prior going 1-2. 

“We played a really good game against Pierce. It was a close game throughout; they just ended up hitting the gaps better than we did. We played as a team for the entire game, which is a really good thing,” said junior at Howells-Dodge Allie Dirkschneider. “We're going to respond to our loss by keeping our heads up and doing as much as we can on Saturday to bring home a couple of wins.”

On Friday, August 29, the Clarkson-Leigh Patriots traveled to Friend, Nebraska, to take on the Exeter/Milligan/Friend Bobcats in their season opener. The Patriots entered this game with high hopes, returning a lot of experience. 

Clarkson-Leigh started the game with nerves, fumbling twice in the first quarter. This resulted in the Bobcats having excellent field position for most of the half. The Patriots offensive miscues led to the Bobcats taking a 14-0 lead at halftime. 

After half, the Patriots still struggled to get anything going on offense. Clarkson-Leigh held EMF to only 6 points in the third quarter, but the Patriots were still struggling offensively. Early in the fourth quarter sophomore Easton Brabec provided a spark for the Patriots, scoring a 50-yard receiving touchdown to make the score 20-6. The Bobcats answered right back, scoring on the ensuing possession. 

The Patriots were unable to bounce back from the deficit, with the final score ending 6-32. 

Sophomore Easton Brabec said, “I feel we started off slow and not ready, which caused us to have low energy. I had a lot of effort but not enough energy. If we would have had energy the game would have gone a lot different and would have been an amazing game.”

Head Coach Jim Clarkson said, ““We did not execute well enough to win the game, missing a couple key starters did not help the cause, but we will keep looking to improve as we move forward with our schedule and district. We feel like this team has great potential.”

This year’s team is made up of freshmen Wyatt Eisenmann, Layton Held, Trent Olson, Xavier Ross, and Noah Hake; sophomores Cole Vodehnal, Easton Brabec, Cade Hoesly, Logan Sayers, Tyce Larson, Hunter Gall, and Michael Wemhoff; juniors Jeryn Struebing, Blake Loseke, and Wyatt Langhorst; and seniors Luke Eisenmann, Kyle McMullin, Corey Steffensmeier, Tucker Matthies, Levi Gall, and Wyatt Crosley.

The Patriots are coached by Jim Clarkson and assisted by Bob McEvoy, Jon Bos, Ben Tasa, Tommy McEvoy, Jarrod Bazata, and Jorge Gomez. 

Game Stats:

         Q1      Q2       Q3       Q4       Final

Clarkson/Leigh    0         0          0          6       6

EMF               8         6      0         18       32

Rushing: Attempts, Total Yards:  Wyatt Crosley—15, 16; Blake Loseke—9, 43; Jeryn Struebing–12, 43

Receiving: Receptions, Total Yards: Easton Brabec—1, 50; Luke Eisenmann—1, 18

Touchdowns: Brabec—1

Tackles: Crosley—5, Corey Steffensmeier—1, Levi Gall—6, Struebing—10, Loseke—10, Brett Wemhoff—5, Hunter Gall—9, Wyatt Langhorst—3, Eisenmann—5, Jacob Kroeger—5

The Governor’s Youth Summit was held in Kearney, Nebraska, on August 14. Leigh High School took all juniors and seniors who were able to attend, since school had not started yet. This conference was something new and the school made its first trip there this year. The students learned a lot and had a great time!

The conference began with Nebraska’s Governor Jim Pillen giving a brief speech. He then handed the floor off to Nebraska Football’s head coach Matt Rhule. From there, the students learned many different things from both speakers. The students learned a lot over the course of the day and junior Halle Korth stated, “The Governor's Youth Summit was a great opportunity for us to figure out all the different jobs that we wanted to pursue a career in.”

After the speakers were done, the kids then went to another conference room to speak with colleges or businesses in their desired career field. This was a great opportunity for kids to ask questions and learn more about the college or business. After being able to walk around and speak, the students sat down to have some guest speakers talk about the college or business they were representing and answer any questions. 

Accompanying the students was Mr. Hathaway, the Leigh JAG teacher.  

Mr. Hathaway said, “The Governor's Youth Summit was a fantastic opportunity that 22 of our juniors and seniors got to experience. Hosted by Governor Pillen in Kearney, it gave our students a front row seat to listen to Coach Matt Rhule and several current Huskers from across our great state! They spoke on leadership, community, a winning attitude and much more. The students also got the chance to connect with several employers and colleges in our state to shake hands, ask questions, and even apply for internships and jobs. This was the first year the Governor's Summit incorporated a youth portion, we are looking forward to attending in years to come.”

Saddling up, Mr. Fischer and Mr. Faltys rode actual horses into the Leigh High School gym on August 15, 2025, kickstarting the 2025-2026 school year!

Welcoming students and parents into the school year, an open house was held on Wednesday, August 13. At the open house, students and parents were welcomed to become acquainted with their teachers and classrooms, and were offered a delicious meal by the school board!

Marking a memorable first day surrounded by K-12 students, Mr. Fischer and Mr. Faltys along with staff members made their entrances themed around an animal. This year, the welcoming orientation was themed “Animal House”. Mr. Bazata brought his dog Maggie, Mrs. Went brought two of her show goats, and Mrs. Koch brought a fish! 

This year, the school has acquired many new staff members. Ms. Taylor Van Duysen is a new Pre-K para along with Mr. Jorge Gomez as a Para/EL. Mr. Gomez joined staff in second semester of last year, but starts his first full year at LCS. Mrs. Rhonda Bartling is not new to the staff, but she is taking charge this year becoming the full time cook with Mrs. Odalis Hernandez helping with food services.  Mrs. Sharon Schroeder is the new elementary custodian and Mrs. Misty Fischer will be a new bus driver!

Continuing excitement for the start of the year, more than academics are happening beyond the classrooms. Girls golf, football, volleyball, and softball are all in full swing with practices leading to upcoming games and meets! 

Senior Lexis Gleason said, "I think that the first day of school was really fun, and I enjoyed the opening ceremony. I am really excited for this upcoming school year because there are going to be a lot of new opportunities for my classmates and I." 

“We have had a great start to the school year! We had a great first day and hope the students enjoyed our "Animal House" entrance this year. Big thanks to the staff's willingness to participate every year,’ said Superintendent Mr. Fischer. ‘At LCS, students come first, and we strive to provide a meaningful education and an experience they will not forget! Our current PK-12 enrollment is 312 students. Since 2015-16 that is a 123-student increase. We are proud to see our community and enrollment continue to grow! Again, we are off to a great start and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish this school year!”

7-12 Principal Mr. Andrew Faltys said, “The first day of school was an exciting start to the year. Students came back with a lot of energy, and it was great to see our hallways filled with positive attitudes and a strong sense of Patriot pride. As I begin my fourth year as principal at Leigh, I’m excited to continue building on the growth we’ve seen and look forward to watching our students succeed both in the classroom and in their activities throughout the year.”

Wishing all students the best of luck in their academics and extracurricular activities, we wish you all to have the best year!

With fall sports ramping up, the Patriot girls’ golf team prepares for a great season. Composed entirely of unmatched upperclassmen, the team is returning a lot of golfers, including a whopping eight seniors and four juniors. 

The seniors consist of Hadley Dlouhy, Mia Glissman-Mayner, Emilie Hajek, Sofia Hake, Elizabeth Hoffman, Shaleigh McCallister, Sydney Messerlie, and Sophie Morfeld.

Madilyn Freudenburg, Ella Higby, Halle Korth, and Hannah Martensen make up the junior girls. 

Mrs. Michelle Held and Mrs. Lynn Morfeld are coaching this year, while Mr. Bill Morris will also provide his support and expertise in the game. 

“I am very excited for the 2025 girl golf season! This year we are bringing in quite a few new golfers, so I can't wait to see what the season has in store for them,” stated junior Halle Korth.  “We have so much talent within our team and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish!”

Coach Held said, “We are really looking forward to the golf season this year!  We have 10 veteran golfers and 2 newbies. Everyone has been working hard and has had fantastic attitudes!  With so many returning letter winners and medal winners, we are hoping for a very successful season and maybe our first state qualifier!”

After only losing just two seniors, the Highway 91 Cyclones are ready for a successful season. They have only gained one freshman for the season but plan to do great things with the returning players.  

The only freshman joining is Dani Dirkschneider from Howells-Dodge. 

The sophomores consist of Bailey Rios from Clarkson, Matelyn Rayback and Shaylynn Marty from Leigh, and Brittney Faltys from Howells-Dodge.  

The juniors include Reese Bruhn, Reann Bruhn, Rebecca Hastreiter, and Grace Hansen from Leigh, and Allie Dirkschneider from Howells-Dodge. 

To finish off the team this year are five seniors: Neveah Zulkoski, Lexis Gleason, and Jocelyn Donnelly of Leigh, and Hannah Cech and Emma Bernhardt of Clarkson. 

This group of girls did great things in their first game of the season, beating Polk County 18-12 in their season opener.  

This year the girls are coached by head coach Drew Machmueller and assistants Tiffany Rayback, Paige Rayback, and Breanna Ruwe. 

Head coach Drew Machmueller stated, “We return a lot of girls with experience to this year’s team.  I expect us to be more competitive and successful overall this season as long as we are able to take advantage of that experience.” 

Senior Lexis Gleason said, “With every practice we are improving more and more. Our environment is super positive this year and we are excited to see what our future holds.”