Thorne, Milton named Athletes of the Week

Half of the fall sports seasons have ended — barring Tyson Weaver’s run at the cross country regionals Tuesday, Oct. 24 — and the other two remaining sports are nearing the end, as well.

The football and volleyball teams both have a few games remaining in the regular season before they get started on their respective playoff runs. The football team had a dominant win while the volleyball team put forth an incredible effort against a tough opponent before coming away with a loss.

But in each of those games, two players stuck out for their performances and what they brought to the team overall, no matter the record during the week. Camden Thorne of the Lady Blues volleyball team and Mason Milton of the Steers football team earned selections as Athletes of the Week for the period of Thursday, Oct. 12 through Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Camden Thorne, setter, volleyball

“They’re the unsung heroes.” That’s what head coach Marci Faulk said about being a setter, one of the toughest positions on the volleyball court.

Thorne is a junior on the Lady Blues volleyball team and spends a lot of time each game setting up balls for her teammates to score points on. It may not contain the jaw-dropping excitement of a powerful kill shot but it’s absolutely necessary for success in the sport.
“A lot of people don’t realize the importance of the position, but without setters you run no offense,” Faulk said.

Throughout the season, Thorne has improved her setting ability dramatically and has become someone other teammates rely on a lot. In Graham’s one game this past week, though the Lady Blues took a loss, Thorne excelled at setting up her teammates as she recorded nine assists.

“They have to know every hitter, what every hitter’s go-to set is, they have to read the other team’s block to know what can they set for their hitters, what’s in front of them; it’s a lot. It’s a lot deeper than what people realize,” Faulk said.

The Lady Blues have some talented hitters who have found lots of success this season powering down kills for points. But most, if not all, of that is thanks to the work of setters like Thorne.

As the season winds down and the postseason looms ahead, the Lady Blues will continue to rely on Thorne to help power their offense.

Mason Milton, linebacker, football

The Steers have been dominant as a team throughout the entire season. Their one loss on the year was by one point and excluding that game, their smallest margin of victory was just a measly 21 points in their 36-15 win over Springtown.

While all phases of the team have excelled in their own ways this season, the defense has been a major factor in how much success the Steers have had. Only a junior, Milton is one of the starting linebackers and is looked at as a leader on Graham’s defense.

In Graham’s most recent game, a 49-6 blowout over Snyder, Milton made his presence felt throughout the matchup. Milton tied for second on the defense with eight total tackles but tied for the team lead with seven of those coming as solo tackles.

As evidenced by the score, Snyder struggled to get anything going offensively and Milton and his linebacking crew were a big reason why. The Tigers struggled in the run game where Milton and Co. made a lot of stops.

On the season, Milton is currently tied for fifth on the team where he averages 6.1 tackles a game.

But perhaps one of his more impressive stats is that he leads the team in tackles for loss with eight on the year. He has also recorded two sacks on opposing quarterbacks and recovered four fumbles through eight games.

“(Milton’s) been a vital piece of our defense the past two seasons. He’s the type of player a coach loves to work with,” defensive coordinator Clay McChristian said. “Mason is a really smart player with great instincts on the football field. This year he has really elevated his game by improving his leadership skills. He’s been very positive with his teammates and is always encouraging everyone.  I can’t say enough about him and I’m really glad he’s just a junior.”