JEFF FIELDER Editor
ALLIANCE – Collin Schrawyer, who will be a senior at Alliance High School this upcoming school year, is this week’s Nspire Today! Male Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Schrawyer helped the Alliance Spartans senior Legion baseball team enjoy one of its best seasons in program history. The Spartans earned a runner-up finish in the Class B state baseball tournament in Gering – their highest finish at state since 1997. Alliance finished the season with a 42-9 record. Schrawyer was a catcher, third baseman, and outfielder and also pitched for Alliance. His parents are Jennifer and Kirk Schrawyer.
Q: Talk about how thrilling this season was for the Alliance baseball team.
SCHRAWYER: “We started our season in January. It’s basically a six-to-eight-month process. We’re always in the field; we’re always hitting in the cage. The hard work paid off. We almost won it.”
Q: Did the team exceed its expectations this season?
SCHRAWYER: “We were expected to win the district, but I don’t think anyone expected us to come this far in the state tournament – earning a runner-up finish. We were right there. We came up just short, but I think we exceeded what everyone thought we could do.”
Q: Placing runner-up at state, where does that highlight rank in your list of athletic accomplishments?
SCHRAWYER: “Right now, this is probably my number one athletic moment. It’s the best feeling ever. I wish we could have won it, but it’s still special. Someone told us that it had been 22 years since Alliance finished runner-up, so this is pretty big. It feels unreal to us.”
Q: How did it feel just to be playing in the state championship game?
SCHRAWYER: “It’s so exciting. The fans were in the game the entire time. It was so loud. Without the fans, we wouldn’t have been able to make it as far as we did, so I want to thank them.”
Q: What helped Alliance make it to the state title game?
SCHRAWYER: “It took a lot of offseason work, including lifting weights at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. You might not feel like waking up at that time, but you have to get up because you need to put in the work. It paid off in the end.”
Q: Talk about the bond that this team had this season.
SCHRAWYER: “We all hang out as friends. We always pick each other up. We’re always there for each other. If someone needs something, we’re there for them. We’ve got their back.”
Q: What do you feel were the keys in the state championship game [which Bennington won 9-8].
SCHRAWYER: “I felt the key was when we were down, nobody got down in the dugout. Everyone was up and cheering. Our bats got hot when we needed them to. We were down 5-1, but then we came back and went up 6-5. We just couldn’t make the plays we needed to to get the win.”
Q: How proud are you of your teammates for the way they battled through the state tournament?
SCHRAWYER: “I couldn’t ask for anything more from these guys. Everyone gave it their all. Everyone tried their best. Nobody quit or let each other down.”
Q: How do you feel Alliance played in the state tournament overall?
SCHRAWYER: “I felt like we really stepped it up, especially with our sticks.”
Q: Talk about the support your team received from the Alliance fans.
SCHRAWYER: “It was big. The turnout was great. They traveled all the way down here to watch us at state, and we really appreciate it. They really helped us.”
Q: For you, will it be hard to top the thrill of making it to this year’s state championship game?
SCHRAWYER: “Yes. The only thing that will top it is winning a state championship next year.”
Q: How good can next year’s team be?
SCHRAWYER: “We’ll lose two great players – Ezra Ray and Peyton Pinedo – but everyone else will be returning. Hopefully, we’ll be back in the state championship game again next year.”
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, athletes of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in August to the local DOVES organization.
For all your insurance needs, visit The Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance, located at 1012 Ave. I in Scottsbluff, or call 308-632-8598.
