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The Patriot Volleyball team came into sub districts as the #1 seed and proved why they
were with a 3-0 sweep against #4 seeded Aquinas-Catholic on Monday, October 23. As the #1
seed, their games were played on their home court in Clarkson.
Set 1 against Aquinas Catholic was a blowout, as the Patriots would hold Aquinas to
only two points in the whole set, taking it 25-2. Sets 2 and 3 were much of the same as the
Patriots would take them 25-9 and 25-11 respectively.
In the subdistrict final the next night, the Patriots played the Humphrey-Lindsay Bulldogs,
again for the fourth time this season. The Bulldogs won a close first set with a final score of 26-
24. The girls didn’t let this bother them though, as they dominated the second set, taking it 25-
12. After that the Patriots continued to roll, taking the second set 25-14; and then the third and
final set 25-18.
Next it was off to the sub-state District Final Round. The girls were #3 in the state by this
point, and they had to play a tough West Holt team, who came into the district final with a record
of 21-9 as the #14 seed.
As the upper seed, the game was again played at home, this time in Leigh on Saturday,
October 28. The Patriots won a close first set, taking it 25-20. Clarkson-Leigh built on the
momentum and crushed the Huskies 25-11 in set 2. The third set was back and forth, but the
girls came out victorious, winning the set 25-18, clinching their fourth consecutive district title.
Head Coach Rebecca Schneider said, “Overall, we played really well throughout subs
and sub-state!  In subs, we had a little bit of a slow start against HLHF, but once we settled in
and let go of the nerves, we were able to execute our game plan!  Offensively, we were able to
attack, find seams, and keep them out-of-system.  Defensively, our block was solid and we got
a hand on a lot to slow them down, and in the back court, we were able to read the hitter and
get the dig!  Our defense made some really big plays that we were able to turn into points!  
“We played very similarly in our sub-state match against West Holt,” Schneider said.
“They came out firing on all cylinders and we were not ready!  We made some uncharacteristic
mistakes, but again, once we let go of the nerves, we were able to execute and play Patriot
Volleyball!  We did everything we needed to do!  We really stepped it up on defense and
became more engaged to get the ball where it needed to go!  Offensively, we were able to
become more aggressive and keep the pressure on them!”
Assistant Coach Tyler Brester said, “The girls did a great job of battling throughout the
whole match. West Holt came out swinging and we did a good job of withstanding their early
runs and eventually came back to win the first set. From the second set on, we settled in and
started to play our brand of ball.”
Junior Baylee Settje said, “Overall, I think our sub districts went really well. We had to go
in not overlooking anybody and playing with confidence, which we definitely did. Against
Aquinas, it was a great first game to start off sub districts winning all three sets. Next round we
knew was going to be a little more challenging, which it was. We ended up having to play HLHF.
We started off really slow losing the first set, but fought back and gained the momentum and
ended up winning. ”
The state tournament showed up quickly, and the Patriots were ready to go to work.
They entered the tournament as the #2 team in the state and played the Crofton Warriors in the
first round, sweeping them 3 sets to none. All three sets were fairly close, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-
18.
This put the Patriots into the semifinals against the Oakland-Craig Knights. Both teams
faced off right before sub-districts, with the Pats coming out on top in that matchup. The girls
remembered their success and swept the Knights in three sets, winning Set 1 25-20, Set 2 25-

15, and crushing them 25-10 in the final, deciding set. This sent the Pats to the C2 volleyball
championship for the first time in school history!
The finals were against the tough Lincoln Lutheran Warriors, who were looking for their
third straight title. And it looked like they were going to get it as they took a 2-0 set lead, winning
them 25-23 and 25-21. But the Patriots never gave up and took the third set 25-20. The fourth
set the girls pushed them to a decisive 5th set after they took the fourth set 25-22. The final set
was a back and forth most of the way, with Lincoln Lutheran pulling out a close 15-12 victory,
ending the Patriots’ magical state run.
Senior Tanyn Larson said, “Overall I was very pleased with how the State Volleyball
Tournament went for us. I think we played the best we played all season at Lincoln. It was
exciting to finally make it past the first round after having a disappointing State Tournament
experience the 2 previous years. To make it to the final game was an amazing experience as
well. We played a really tough team and battled with them the whole game. Keeping the sets
close and going to 5 sets proves that we battled hard and have nothing to hang our heads
about. As a whole, I think our season couldn't have gone any better. We improved through the
whole season and had fun as a team every chance we got.”
Head Coach Becky Schneider said, “Making it to the state tournament for the 4th
consecutive year was so awesome, but being able to compete at the level we competed at was
even better!  We played some of our best volleyball in those three matches!  The biggest take
away was that we were able to finally break that barrier and get past the first-round which in turn
just boosted our confidence into the semi-finals!  We wanted to go down there and make a
statement, and we did just that and made it to the finals!  
“Our match up with LL was a highly anticipated match,” Schneider continued.  “We knew
all season it could be us in the finals and we knew it was going to be a challenge, but we were
absolutely ready!  We gave them everything we had and in the end, it just didn't fall our way! 
But our girls battled back, especially forcing a 5th set after going down 0-2.  We could have
easily quit, but we stayed mentally tough and played them all the way to the end!      
“Overall, we had one incredible season!!  These girls once again made history in a lot of
different ways and we couldn't be prouder of them and all that they have accomplished!” 
The Patriots came back to Leigh and Clarkson to police and fire truck escorts and many
fans cheering on the state runner-ups rom Main Street! Their final record in their history-making
season was 34-2.
Game stats vs. Aquinas Catholic
       Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
AC - 2 9 11
C-L - 25 25 25
Individual Stats - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 4, 19, 1, 0, 4; Chloe Hanel - 23, 0, 5, 1, 7;  Kendall Schneider - 0, 17, 0, 0, 5;
Cadence Indra - 0, 2, 0, 5, 7;  Brynn Settje - 7, 0, 0, 0, 11; Tanyn Larson - 3, 0, 1, 0, 3; 
Gracie Eisenmann - 6, 2, 2, 2, 5; Baylee Settje - 2, 0, 0, 0, 1;
Game Stats vs. Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4
HLHF - 27 14 12 18
C-L -     25 25 25 25
Individual Stats - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 6, 23, 5, 1, 16; Chloe Hanel - 28, 3, 2, 0, 30; Kendall Schneider - 0, 24, 0, 1, 19; 

Cadence Indra - 0, 1, 0, 1, 19; Brynn Settje - 7, 3, 4, 1, 30; Tanyn Larson - 4, 0, 2, 0, 3; 
Gracie Eisenmann - 5, 2, 2, 0, 30; Baylee Settje - 8, 0, 9, 0, 3;
Game Stats vs. West Holt
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
WH - 20 11 18
CL - 25 25 25
Individual Stats - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 3, 16, 2, 1, 10; Chloe Hanel - 20, 1, 2, 0, 12; Kendall Schneider - 0, 18, 0, 1, 7; 
Cadence Indra - 0, 1, 0, 1, 6; Brynn Settje - 4, 1, 1, 0, 15; Tanyn Larson - 7, 0, 2, 0, 0; 
Gracie Eisenmann - 5, 0, 0, 1, 12; Baylee Settje - 2, 0, 4, 0, 0;
Game Stats vs. Crofton
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
CR - 21 21 18
CL - 25 25 25
Individual State - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 5, 16, 2, 0, 8; Chloe Hanel - 13, 0, 8, 1, 7; Kendall Schneider - 0, 16, 0, 0, 10;
Cadence Indra - 0, 1, 0, 1, 4; Brynn Settje - 4, 0, 0, 0, 16; Tanyn Larson - 3, 0, 2, 0, 0; Baylee
Settje - 5, 0, 4, 0, 2; Gracie Eisenmann - 5, 0, 6, 0, 19; 
Game Stats vs. Oakland-Craig
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
OC - 20 15 10
CL - 25 25 25
Individual Stats - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 5, 21, 1, 0, 11; Chloe Hanel - 12, 0, 3, 2,13; Kendall Schneider - 0, 15, 0, 0,7; 
Cadence Indra - 0, 0, 0, 0, 2; Brynn Settje - 7, 0, 2, 0, 18; Tanyn Larson - 2, 0, 2, 0, 0; 
Baylee Settje - 10, 1, 2, 0, 1; Gracie Eisenmann - 5, 0, 1, 1, 13;
Game Stats vs. Lincoln Lutheran
Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
LL - 25 25 20 22 15
CL - 23 21 25 25 12
Individual Stats - (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)
Izzy Hollatz - 4, 23, 3, 0, 10; Chloe Hanel - 19, 1, 4, 1, 20; Kendall Schneider - 0, 22, 0, 0, 14;
Cadence Indra - 0, 1, 0, 1, 16; Brynn Settje - 5, 0, 0, 0, 23; Tanyn Larson - 8, 0, 3, 0, 2;
Baylee Settje - 6, 0, 1, 0, 2; Gracie Eisenmann - 9, 3, 1, 0, 12;

The Leigh American Legion held a Veteran’s Day program at Leigh Community Schools
last Friday on November 10th at 10:00 am for Veterans Day.
Mr. Don Tyser started off the pep rally with a welcome, and the senior high band
performed the “Star Spangled Banner,” directed by Mrs. Sydney Wemhoff.
We were lucky to have guest speaker Austin Bruhn, US Navy Retired, address the
crowd.
Next the elementary Students sang “Service Medley” and “Grand Old Flag”, directed by
Sydney Wemhoff and accompanied by Mrs. Cindy Settje. The Legion Auxiliary President Janet
Eisenmann followed it up with remarks.
Connie Talbott followed Janet with Quilt of Valor. The Quilt of Valor was presented by
Mr. Cecil Fields. The quilt was made by one of his former students when he taught at Newman
Grove Schools. Mr. Fields then shared with the crowd about his time in the Marines.
Next, the Senior High Choir sang a medley called “American Celebration.”
Mrs. Justine Fischer and Legion Commander Mr. Mike Benesch presented the Patriot’s
Pen essay contest and Voice of Democracy speaking contest winners.
For the voice of Democracy, Nevaeh Zulkoski placed first, Luke Eisenman finished
second, and Ava Kasik was third. Nevaeh Luke read their speeches, which will go on to
compete in the district competition.
For the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, Bryce Hawley placed first, Grant Zabka finished
second, and Dominick Lango was third. Bryce read his essay, which will compete at the district
competition.
The senior high band played their last song for the day, “Under the Double Eagle.” Don
Tyser followed with a closing. To end the morning, the Leigh FCCLA served coffee and pies
they made to veterans and families following the program.

Every month Leigh High School honors three “Students of the Month” that teachers nominate and then the whole staff votes on. In October, the three winning recipients were Emily Stender, Gracelyn Eisenmann, and Jordan Noonan. 

The first recipient is junior Emily Stender. Emily is the daughter of Kathy and Dan Stender. She has been involved in many activities throughout high school, including golf team, journalism club, One-Act, vision board team, band, and track.  

Her favorite hobbies are programming and designing things on the computer. Her favorite subject is Digital Design. She likes this class because she gets to learn with computers.

After high school she plans to go to college at Northeast to get her gen-ed classes done before transferring to UNL or UNO and major in Computer Science. After college, she plans to work at a company for something within computer science. 

This is the first time Emily has won student of the month. Emily states that “It is nice to win this award and I feel that my actions to help the school were worth it.”

Emily’s teachers said, “She has been responsible for getting her stuff done for being involved in many activities. Emily is polite, a hard worker, and has been very motivated this year. She has done an awesome job with helping for One-Act by programming the light board and getting the set ready; she has a great attitude and is a fun kid! Emily is kind to others and has had a positive attitude this year. She puts in extra time outside of class to promote our school and our students like working the vision board at volleyball games, editing the state hype video, Emily has also been active for FBLA this year.”

The second recipient is senior Gracelyn Eisenmann. She is the daughter of David and Kimberly Eisenmann. Her grandparents are Ken and Janet Eisenmann of Leigh and Jim and Jeanne Stuart of Nebraska City. 

Gracie is involved in volleyball, basketball, journalism, One-Act, Youth Advisory Committee, FCCLA, FFA, and NHS. 

Her hobbies are shopping and spending time with friends and family. Her favorite class is Anatomy and Physiology. She plans to attend Wayne State College and major in Nursing. 

This is Gracie’s second time receiving this award. She states, “I’m honored to receive this award again because it shows off all of my hard work and dedication in my academic and extracurricular activities are paying off!”

Gracie’s teachers said, “She is an extremely hard worker and fun to have in class. She excels in her extracurriculars and is extremely helpful around the school. She is a kind person and a definite leader in our school.” 

The third recipient is senior Jordan Noonan. He is the son of Greg and Kim Noonan and the late Shawn Noonan. His grandparents are Barb Noonan and Kathy and Lee Seda. 

Jordan is involved in football, basketball, FFA, Youth Advisory Committee, NHS, and One Act. 

His hobbies are hunting, fishing, and hanging out with friends. His favorite class is math. He plans on attending UNL to earn a degree in mechanical engineering.  

This is Jordan’s third time winning this award. He states “I feel very honored to have won this award. It is a nice feeling to see teachers and other people are seeing the hard work being put into everything I do. No matter how many times you win this award it feels amazing. And thank you to everyone who voted me for Student of the Month.”

Jordan’s teachers said, “He is a fantastic kid who works hard in all of his extracurriculars and in the classroom always. He is always helpful to staff and classmates and another senior leader in our school.”

Congratulations to this month’s winners!

This last week of October was surely a busy one for students and staff members at Leigh Community Schools. Monday, October 23rd to Friday, October 27th, was Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is an annual event in the United States that focuses on drug and substance abuse prevention. It serves as a national campaign to promote drug-free lifestyles among youth and the general population. The members of National honor society created a fun week for everyone in the school to participate in. 

Superintendent Cole Fischer said, “Red Ribbon week is dedicated to drug prevention and awareness across the whole United States. This week gives LCS a chance to celebrate drug free lifestyles while encouraging students to stand up against drugs. Our students participate in our daily themes and credit our National Honor Society for their work throughout the week!”

To kick off the week, students were handed a red bracelet that said “Live Drug Free”. Monday’s theme was ‘Follow your dreams, not drugs,’ and students wore their pajamas to school. Tuesday, students showed up in their best beach attire and followed the theme, ‘Your future is bright.’ On Wednesday the whole school wore red to take a school picture. Wednesday’s theme was ‘Pledge to be drug free!’ Students and staff brought back many years on Thursday for decade day. Thursday’s slogan was ‘Drugs are never in style!’ Lastly, Friday everyone showed their best Patriot Pride and showed that ‘The Patriots are proud to be drug free!’

Along with the daily slogans and dress up themes, the NHS also had activities for the students to participate in. Each class in the elementary was given a different coloring page corresponding with their grade and going along with the Red Ribbon Week theme. These coloring pages were judged and there were winners from each class. Hadley Kurpkeweit and Collins Fischer won for Kindergarten, Kendall Went won for 1st grade, Carter Wendt won for 2nd grade, Taylynn Went won for 3rd grade, Kinlee Olson won for 4th grade, Emery Malena won for 5th grade, and Bergan Settje won for 6th grade. Congrats to all of the winners!

Guidance counselor and National Honor Society Leader, Mrs Maddie Gall said, "I think our elementary classes enjoyed the trivia with our NHS members in the mornings. It was really fun to see all the students dress up during the week as well as wear their Live Drug Free bracelet!"

On October 30th, The senior class took a trip to Schuyler, which is the county seat of Colfax County. The trip was for Colfax County government day.

County Government day is an event that takes place every year in Schuyler at the courthouse. This is a way that seniors can see how everything works in the county seats.

Macy Clausen said, “County government day was a great opportunity for myself and my classmates to attend. I personally learned more about the different jobs that occur in the courthouse. I’m very glad I was able to attend this event.” 

Social studies teacher Mr. Jeff Bachman takes the students every year, and he also shared his thoughts: “This was a fun learning event, and a great opportunity for the seniors to learn about county government.”

On July 2, 2005, Nate and Katie Higby were blessed with the birth of their first child, Dylan Marcus Higby.

Dylan has three younger siblings; Ella, who is a freshman at LHS; Brantley, who is a 4th grader; and Beckett, who is in Kindergarten. His grandparents are Mark and Karla Higby of Madison and Dennis and Mary Stoklasa of Clarkson. Dylan’s family wouldn’t be complete without his two dogs, Rex who is a chocolate lab and their corgi named Dolly. 

Throughout Dylan’s high school career, he has been involved in football, wrestling, track, One Act, and FFA for 4 years. He also has been involved in Youth Advisory Council for 3 years. 

Dylan has been named All District in football and has been a multi-year letter winner in all of his activities. 

One of Dylan’s favorite and proudest accomplishments of high school was making a playoff run as the 7th seed and then going on to win the 2022 D1 Football Championship his junior year. 

Dylan’s future plans include attending Northeast Community College and majoring in something ag related. In 10-15 years, he sees himself hopefully married with kids and living in Leigh or around the Leigh area. 

If Dylan were to win the lottery, he would spend his money on a bunch of land and cattle. 

Dylan would pick somewhere tropical to visit if he ever got the chance to travel anywhere in the world. 

Some of Dylan’s favorite things to do is play sports, hang out with his friends, and go hunting. His favorite class is any ag class, his favorite movie is American Sniper, his favorite song is “I Wrote the Book” by Morgan Wallen, his favorite sports team is the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Dallas Cowboys, and his favorite restaurant is Freddy’s. 

Three goals on Dylan’s bucket list include moving back to Leigh and building a house, raising top quality show calves, and meeting Morgan Wallen in person sometime. 

When asked who he admires, Dylan said he has always admired his uncles through watching them play football in high school when he was a kid to watching how they operate their farms now. 

Three words that would best describe Dylan are funny, outgoing, and hardworking. His advice to underclassmen is to not take anything for granted in high school, especially during sports, because you don't know when it might be your last time playing or participating in it. 

We wish Dylan the best of luck, and we hope he is successful in his future endeavors!

“One thing I love about Thanksgiving is the sense of togetherness it brings. It's a time when families and friends gather to share a meal, create memories, and show gratitude. It's heartwarming to see the joy and laughter that fills the air. Thanksgiving has a way of bringing people closer, and that's truly something beautiful.” 

-Clayton Folken, freshman 

“My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is that I get to see family that I haven't seen in a long time. I like getting to sit down and spend a day with them, and hear the stories that they tell. The food is an added bonus, too.” 

-Aubrie Hanna, senior

"My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is seeing my family. It brings us all together and we are able to appreciate life and family. Thanksgiving also has GREAT food, so that's pretty nice as well." 

-Lexis Gleason, sophomore

Every year the Natural Resource Districts in Nebraska host land judging competitions to help FFA students learn more about what the NRD does.

This year over 700 students in the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resource District competed in the District Land Judging Competition in Wayne on October 11.

During the competition, students compete as individuals to judge four different pits to determine the category the soil and land area falls into. 

The students are scored as individuals, but then the students from each school are put into teams of four based on how they score. This year, Leigh FFA students had a team place 7th and qualify for the state competition.

The top four individuals from Leigh were Luke Eisenmann, who placed 9th, Reese Wietfeld, 19th, Kyle McMullin, 62nd, and Blake Loseke, 95th. Out of 700 participants!

At the State competition, Luke Eisenmann, Reese Wietfeld, Kyle McMullin, and Blake Loseke traveled to Broken Bow in the sandhills to compete on October 25th.

The state competition brought new challenges with different types of soil than what the members were used to. Unfortunately, the members placed outside of the top half against very strong competition.

“Land judging was a really great experience,” FFA Member Kyle McMullin said, “Qualifying for state as a team was a great chance to learn and get better at land judging.”

FFA Advisor Mrs. Alyssa Went said, “There was a record number of participants this year at State Land Judging. Our students were able to see new soil profiles and get more experience, and it was great to have a team be able to compete at state.”

This year the Patriot Cheerleading Team has brought a new type of energy to all Patriot sporting events. The team is only in its second year, and has new coaches and new faces! The team has brought many new cheers to Patriot fans.  

The cheer team participates at all home games and state games, and has even traveled to Shelby to cheer for an event there. They recently even had the chance to cheer at the Pinnacle Bank area and Bob Devaney Sports Center for state volleyball. 

This year’s team is led by Coach Kristi Dinslage and Coach Andrea Sortino. The members of this year’s team consist of Ella Higby, Carmen Malena, Gracie Sortino, Kyla Clarkson, Maize Stoklasa, Lexis Gleason, Reese Wietfeld, and Kaylee Brabec. 

Patriot Nation is very excited about this addition to the many of the activities in our schools!

On August 19, 2005, Bob and Kelsey Larson were blessed with their second daughter, Tanyn Raye Larson. 

Tanyn’s siblings are Taylor, who graduated in 2020, and is 21 years old; Tyce Larson, who is an 8th grader, and is 14 years old; and Taytum, who is a 4th grader, and is 10 years old. Her grandparents are Rick and Lorie Larson of Creston, and Bill and Georgia Klassen of Lindsay. Her family wouldn’t be complete without their pet dog, Luna. 

Tanyn has been involved in many activities throughout her high school career. She has been involved in FCCLA for 6 years, One-Act for 4 years, Volleyball for 4 years, Track for 4 years, Journalism for 4 years, Yearbook for 4 years, and National Honorary Society for 2 years. Tanyn is also involved in Leigh Youth Advisory Committee and Zion Lutheran Church Youth Group.  

In Tanyn’s freetime, she enjoys working at her family farm. 

Her proudest high school accomplishment is making it to state in volleyball for all 3 years, and hopefully a 4th this year. 

Tanyn’s future plans are to attend Northeast Community College for their nursing program. After Northeast, she will transfer to UNMC to get her RN degree.  

The three best words to describe Tanyn are friendly, motivated, and fun. 

If Tanyn won a fortune in the lottery, she says she would build her dream house and never work!  She would also like to visit all 50 states and go skydiving in her lifetime. 

Tanyn would especially like to travel to a beach because she loves warm weather and exploring new places. 

Tanyn’s most embarrassing moment was when Mr. Jeff Bachman made their class play a review game, and she didn't want to play because she didn’t know many of the answers. When Mr. Bachman asked her, “Who is the 3rd president of the United States?”, she was already annoyed that she had to play the game, and responded with “I don’t know, Thomas Edison?”

Her biggest pet peeves are when people chew and breathe loudly. 

In 10-15 years, Tanyn sees herself with a family, working in a hospital with her RN degree, and married. By this time, she hopes to have 2 kids. 

When asked who Tanyn admires the most, she said her grandma Lorie Larson. “She has always been there for me and never has a bad attitude. She has taught me that life is better when you have fun and enjoy the little things.”

Her advice to underclassmen is, “Enjoy your time and have fun! Time goes by fast and enjoy the things you enjoy in high school while you can.”

We wish Tanyn the best of luck and lots of success in her future endeavors!