Senior Spotlight of the Day
Last night marked the first Fresh/Soph meet of the boys track season at Annawan-Wethersfield, giving our younger athletes a chance to compete against others in their class. Opportunities like this are valuable for development and always fun to watch, as these athletes continue to grow into the future of our program. Here’s a look at a couple standout performances:
Freshman Carter Sersland has been building a strong foundation in the 400m this season, recently dipping into the 53-second range. With that in mind, we used this meet as a chance to expand his skill set—and it paid off. Carter reached a new level in the high jump, clearing 5’10”, a four-inch personal best and just three inches shy of the state qualifying mark. He also anchored the 4x100 relay to a 5th place finish (49.35) and turned in a solid effort in the 100m dash. Carter’s focus and internal drive continue to stand out, and his versatility is becoming a major asset.
Sophomore Joe Border has put in a lot of focused work this season to refine his technique in the throwing events, and the results are starting to show. Over the past few weeks, he has made significant adjustments that have led to measurable improvements—adding over 15 feet to his discus and more than 5 feet to his shot put compared to last season. He turned in a strong performance at Annawan-Wethersfield, throwing 99’2” in the discus to place 6th and 34’10.5” in the shot put to take 7th. Both events had a field of 28 total throwers. Joe’s commitment to improvement and attention to detail have him trending in the right direction, putting him in a strong position to compete for a varsity spot.
Freshman Carter Sersland has been building a strong foundation in the 400m this season, recently dipping into the 53-second range. With that in mind, we used this meet as a chance to expand his skill set—and it paid off. Carter reached a new level in the high jump, clearing 5’10”, a four-inch personal best and just three inches shy of the state qualifying mark. He also anchored the 4x100 relay to a 5th place finish (49.35) and turned in a solid effort in the 100m dash. Carter’s focus and internal drive continue to stand out, and his versatility is becoming a major asset.
Sophomore Joe Border has put in a lot of focused work this season to refine his technique in the throwing events, and the results are starting to show. Over the past few weeks, he has made significant adjustments that have led to measurable improvements—adding over 15 feet to his discus and more than 5 feet to his shot put compared to last season. He turned in a strong performance at Annawan-Wethersfield, throwing 99’2” in the discus to place 6th and 34’10.5” in the shot put to take 7th. Both events had a field of 28 total throwers. Joe’s commitment to improvement and attention to detail have him trending in the right direction, putting him in a strong position to compete for a varsity spot.
Beautiful night at the ball park! Tonight the Orion Softball team hosted Rocky for their Strike Out T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) Night. Our very own Seniors Dylan White and Alli Taets were our honorary captains and threw out the first pitches! Both Dylan and Alli have battled with type 1 diabetes most of their lives but that has never stopped them from anything and being the great students they are! Thank you everyone who put in the work to make this night happen and for everyone who came to support it!
Mark your calendars and come out to the annual FFA Plant Sale.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day to the three women that keep OHS running smoothly each day. Thank you for all you do, Mrs. Amador, Mrs, Jackson, and Mrs. Stropes!
Senior Spotlight of the Day
This afternoon, Senior Kamryn Brown signed her letter of intent to play basketball for Blackhawk College. We are proud of her record-breaking run at OHS and wish her the best in this next chapter of her basketball career.
OHS took 20+ students to the "Build My Future" career fair at the QCCA Expo Center today! Students had the opportunity to do hands on activities and learn about possible future careers! All around great experience for our kids to see and interact with.
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Senior Spotlight of the Day
The boys track team hosted our annual Charger Invite last Thursday, moving the meet up a day due to weather concerns—and it turned out to be a beautiful night for competition. The boys delivered another solid team performance, racking up 281 points—114 points ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. In a fun twist, we swapped out traditional medals for custom champion t-shirts, and Orion athletes rose to the occasion by claiming 1st place in 11 events on the night. It was an outstanding showing across the board. Here is our top performers:
Will Maher
Sophomore Will Maher continues to show increasing consistency in the long jump, an event that is still relatively new to him. He put together a huge performance with a leap of 21’5.25”, surpassing the state qualifying standard of 20’10” by more than six inches. Will becomes the third athlete on the Charger squad this season to hit a state qualifying mark. He didn’t stop there—Will also placed 2nd in the 100m dash with a time of 11.57, finishing just behind teammate Owen Voorhees. In addition, he led off both the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, helping guide each team to 1st place finishes with times of 44.95 and 1:35.40. Will continues to be a key contributor to the sprints and jumps group, and his growth and composure are showing in a big way this season.
Tony Dochterman:
Tony returned to competition for the first time in nearly a month and took on a new challenge in the 300m intermediate hurdles, placing 4th with a time of 49.55 as he continues transitioning from distance events and finding his niche. He was then called on as a last-minute addition to the 4x400 relay—one of the most demanding events of the night—and stepped in without hesitation to help the team secure a 1st place finish with a time of 3:49.20, nearly four seconds ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. Tony’s willingness to embrace unfamiliar roles and compete for the team highlights his selflessness and made a major impact in securing the overall victory.
Will Maher
Sophomore Will Maher continues to show increasing consistency in the long jump, an event that is still relatively new to him. He put together a huge performance with a leap of 21’5.25”, surpassing the state qualifying standard of 20’10” by more than six inches. Will becomes the third athlete on the Charger squad this season to hit a state qualifying mark. He didn’t stop there—Will also placed 2nd in the 100m dash with a time of 11.57, finishing just behind teammate Owen Voorhees. In addition, he led off both the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, helping guide each team to 1st place finishes with times of 44.95 and 1:35.40. Will continues to be a key contributor to the sprints and jumps group, and his growth and composure are showing in a big way this season.
Tony Dochterman:
Tony returned to competition for the first time in nearly a month and took on a new challenge in the 300m intermediate hurdles, placing 4th with a time of 49.55 as he continues transitioning from distance events and finding his niche. He was then called on as a last-minute addition to the 4x400 relay—one of the most demanding events of the night—and stepped in without hesitation to help the team secure a 1st place finish with a time of 3:49.20, nearly four seconds ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. Tony’s willingness to embrace unfamiliar roles and compete for the team highlights his selflessness and made a major impact in securing the overall victory.
Congratulations to this year's 2026 Prom King and Queen - Will Clarke and Autumn Hoftender
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Chef Greenwood's Culinary Arts III class catered the teacher's inservice lunch this afternoon. They prepared a full meal with salads, garlic bread, pastas with various sauces, proteins, and toppings, and desserts. They did a wonderful job working as a team, and the food was outstanding!
Tonight's Baseball and Softball games have been cancelled due to impending weather.
Tonight's track meet turned out amazing and it was such a beautiful night! Thank you all who had a hand into making the Charger Invite run smoothly! Congratulations to the OHS Boys team for taking first place, well done and keep it up!
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Track Meet Parking: Due to extremely soft school grounds, parking will only be permitted in the paved parking lots at OHS for the Orion Invitational Track Meet this evening.
The JV boys track team had the opportunity to compete last night at Rock Island, taking on strong competition from much larger schools. This included Rock Island, Moline, UT, Pleasant Valley, and Alleman. These athletes represent the future of our program, and they made the most of the opportunity. With favorable weather and a great night to compete, the group came away with some well-earned medals. Here are a few highlights:
Freshman Collin Patterson is showing strong potential in the distance events this season. He set a new personal best in the 3200m with a time of 11:39.35, placing 7th overall. Collin was one of the few freshmen to crack the top 8—an impressive accomplishment. He continues to bring a positive attitude and strong work ethic each day, working closely with our volunteer distance coach, Nick Juenger. The transition from 8th grade to high school competition can be challenging, but Collin is handling it well and continues to make steady progress.
Junior Spencer Holst is already making strides in the pole vault. With just two weeks of experience in the event, he has quickly improved, setting multiple personal bests and clearing a new height of 8’6.25”. That mark earned him a 4th place finish—our highest placing medal of the night. Spencer’s rapid development in such a technical event is a great sign, and his contributions will be valuable as the team heads into larger meets later this season. Credit also goes to our new volunteer pole vault coach, Dave Voorhees, whose early impact is already evident as these athletes continue to grow in the event.
Freshman Collin Patterson is showing strong potential in the distance events this season. He set a new personal best in the 3200m with a time of 11:39.35, placing 7th overall. Collin was one of the few freshmen to crack the top 8—an impressive accomplishment. He continues to bring a positive attitude and strong work ethic each day, working closely with our volunteer distance coach, Nick Juenger. The transition from 8th grade to high school competition can be challenging, but Collin is handling it well and continues to make steady progress.
Junior Spencer Holst is already making strides in the pole vault. With just two weeks of experience in the event, he has quickly improved, setting multiple personal bests and clearing a new height of 8’6.25”. That mark earned him a 4th place finish—our highest placing medal of the night. Spencer’s rapid development in such a technical event is a great sign, and his contributions will be valuable as the team heads into larger meets later this season. Credit also goes to our new volunteer pole vault coach, Dave Voorhees, whose early impact is already evident as these athletes continue to grow in the event.
Senior Spotlight of the Day
