Oaks Plus offers our students a variety of extracurricular activities such as before and after care, clubs, and sports. Sports, in particular, provide students with a different atmosphere to learn and grow where they face new and different challenges. Offering a total of seven competitive sports throughout the school year, our Fall season is the largest with Cross Country (boys and girls), co-ed soccer, and girls volleyball.
The Oaks is one of 13 schools in the Indianapolis Independent School League (IISL), in which our Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams play. In addition to these teams, we follow a ‘no-cut’ philosophy that allows for every student that registers for a sport to be placed on a team in an in-house league. Tryouts are held at the beginning of the season so that coaches can assess the skills and abilities of players and assign them to an appropriately challenging team.
While our Cross Country teams are our smallest group of athletes in the fall, the 28 boys and girls who competed this season were dedicated runners and champions of their peers. At the beginning of the seasons, runners participated in a time trial to establish a baseline from which to compare themselves to and measure growth. Throughout the short season full of practicing pacing, improving endurance, and competing in time recorded meets, students prepare for the IISL Conference Meet.
A unique sport, cross country is scored by individual finish placement, which is then factored into a team’s overall placement. The top 5 runners for each school determine the school’s placement for boys and girls teams separately in the IISL Meet. This year, the meet included over 175 runners from 10 schools in the league. Ending their season on a high note, 14 Oaks athletes had their fastest timed run of the season at the meet, with 2 girls and 4 boys placing in the top 10 of runners! This resulted in our boys bringing home the 1st place trophy out of the 10 teams competing while the girls just missed the podium and placed 4th out of 7 teams.
Another highlight of the season, the Indiana Middle School State Cross Country Meet was held the weekend before the IISL Conference Meet. Students with qualifying times can register and compete against runners from across the state in Terre Haute. The Oaks has 9 runners represented, with 3 of them running their fastest time of the season there!
Our soccer teams returned this season as the reigning IISL conference champions for 7th and 8th grade (Varsity) team with a hungry 5th & 6th grade (Junior Varsity) team ready to join them in success. Helping build a legacy of success, our strong in-house program, managed as part of the Tab Rec youth league, grew in size and added an additional team of student athletes. The season was an exciting journey with a total of almost 90 players organized into six teams total!
Making up half of the Tab Rec league, our In House teams – Team Brooks, Team Sho, Team Williams, and Team Gillespie – displayed their skills and determination throughout the season. After a month of practice, teams began a series of weekly games leading up to the tournament at the end of the season. Team Brooks and Gillespie each secured a regular season record of 3-2, while Team Sho and Team Williams each finished the regular season with 2-3 and 2-2-1 records, respectively. The competition was fierce in the tournament, with Team Williams and Team Gillespie falling short in their first round games and exiting early. Team Brooks displayed resilience, winning their first game but ultimately losing 1-0 to Team South Korea in the semi-finals. Team Sho had a thrilling 4-3 victory over Team England but couldn’t overcome Team St. Anthony, losing 5-0 in the semi-finals. In the end, St. Anthony emerged as the In House league champion for the Tab Rec league.
Meanwhile, our conference teams had stellar regular seasons with JV going undefeated at 9-0 and Varsity at 8-1. This hard work earned them the top seeds in their tournaments, where they continued excelling. Both teams easily moved on from their first games to the semi-final round – and then won those games to get into the championship games held the next day. In the championship game, JV faced off against Orchard and secured a close 3-2 victory, clinching the 6th/7th grade championship. The Varsity team faced Park Tudor in their final game, winning 2-0 and becoming the 7th/8th grade IISL Champions, capping off an outstanding season for the conference teams.
The 8th grade students from all teams ended their season by facing their coaches and other school staff in the Staff v. Student game. Unfortunately for the students, the staff prevailed with a score of 4-2.
The volleyball season showcased a diverse array of talent among its 50 players divided into five teams. The girls played on small teams that allowed for close knit relationships to be formed and lots of playing time for each player.
In the In House division, Team Ripley demonstrated their prowess with an impressive 7-1 record, while Team Reese held their own with a 4-4 record, and Team Doaks worked hard throughout the season but finished at 1-7. The In House Tournament was a double elimination challenge that unfolded over several days. In the opening round, Team Reese triumphed over Team Doaks with a 2-1 victory. The following day saw Team Ripley narrowly defeating Team Reese 2-1 in the second round, securing a spot in the championship game. Team Doaks persevered, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Team Reese in round three to earn their place in the championship game from the elimination side of the bracket. In the end though, Team Ripley clinched the championship with a 2-1 win, capping off a thrilling In House season.
Our conference teams faced their own challenges during the regular season, with JV holding a 6-5 record and Varsity at 4-6 before the tournament. This led to the JV team being seeded ninth out of 13 teams and Varsity seventh out of 12 in the tournament. In their first round game, the JV team showcased their resilience by winning 2-0, coming back from six-point deficits in both sets. They played a strong game against 1-seed ISD in the second round game, but ultimately lost 2-1. The Varsity team also secured a victory in their first round game against ISI at home, but traveled to ICS and lost to the 2nd seed team.
The 8th grade students from all teams will get 1 last chance to play when they face their coaches and other school staff in the Staff v. Student game before Thanksgiving Break.
Change is always challenging, especially when it may effect your children. Please share any questions or comments you have using the form below, or by emailing me directly at ahart@theoaksacademy.org.
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