BISMARCK — Last year at this time, Aubrey Peters was just wanting to get back on the volleyball court.
She got back on this season and she was part of an Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin volleyball team that won a Vermilion County title and a regional championship.
All throughout, she showed leadership and sportsmanship and it why she was named the individual volleyball winner in the County Sportsmanship Awards.
“Coming back was rough because there were a lot of skilled players, so I thought I wasn’t going to fit in,” Peters said. “I made sure to practice in my off time and made sure to go hard in practice. I am very happy to get the award. I try to think positive and have a smile on my face no matter what. You want to try to keep them smiling, It is not about winning, it about playing with your team and having a good attitude.”
“She had major surgery and it took her away from athletics and that is a big part of her life,” BHRA coach Anna Showers said. “She took her junior year off, she came back and we welcomed her with open arms.
“Aubrey is the kind of athlete that will do anything you ask. If I asked her to play middle blocker, she would do it with no hesitation. She is willing to work at whatever the coach wants her to do and she is willing to learn more. She respects her teammates and coaches. She does a lot of work on the court, but she is great to her teammates and other teams and officials and she is an awesome kid.”
For Peters to come back this season was challenging as far as trying to get to know some of her teammates and finding a role on the team.
“It was very emotional because there were some girls I never talked to and I never knew them very well,” Peters said. “I liked getting back in because creating a bond with them was amazing. I talked to them more and we are friends now. I can’t believe this is my last season and I was so glad to have played and it was amazing.”
“She’s a defensive specialist and we have a lot of players that are on her level and it made it difficult to find what niche she was going to fall into,” Showers said. “There were times we just needed her to serve, it was like she never missed a beat and she had been serving all season. She got some aces and we played front row for one of our starters near the end of the season and she came in and did well.”
Peters usually plays three sports, but she is skipping basketball to focus on her final track season in the spring.
“I am looking forward to track season and I am super excited because we had so many accomplishments and I want to join in this season,” Peters said.
The football sportsmanship award winner went to Westville senior running back Trent McMasters.
“Trent is a fantastic young man with a great attitude,” Westville coach Guy Goodlove said. “He works really hard. He’s a yes, sir, no sir type individual. He leads by example.
“If you are a young player and you want to see how it is done as far approaching practice and approaching games, Trent is the complete package. He’s made himself a great athlete and he brings all that hard work to the classroom. He’s the type of student-athlete that you want on your team. he’s going to be successful no matter what he does and if you are an employer, he is going to be some one you have to hire and to keep in your company.”
Like Peters, McMasters is a multi-sport athlete and has a 3.89 grade point average, but Goodlove said that McMasters does not broadcast his accomplishments and was more focused on being a captain this past season.
“I have never heard Trent mention a word about individual accomplishment. He is truly a role model for our younger student-athletes,” Goodlove said. “As a captain, Trent is enthusiastic and energetic. He encourages his teammates and provides help to the younger players who need help with technique and who are unsure of what to do or where to go.
“He demonstrates good patience and guidance when he works with teammates. In practice and games, I have never seen Trent become angry or upset, however, he does play the game with a high level of intensity. When he blocks or tackles an opponent, he is the first player to extend a hand to help the opposing player to his feet and tell them good job.”
The football team award went to Salt Fork, while the volleyball team award went to Georgetown-Ridge Farm.