October went by quickly, starting with Homecoming and ending with Halloween. This month there were a few outstanding athletes both dominating in state. One athlete is Micheal Knee who is a senior part of the swim team here at Mountain Ridge. Micheal was the only male diver this year with an automatic qualification for state and took first place at the district championships. Michael is always compassionate about swimming and always goes to cheer his team on all the time. His presence lights up the pool deck. The other athlete is Ellie Cardiff who is a Senior and is a captain of the girl’s flag football team at Mountain Ridge. Ellie is a very hardworking student-athlete, she is one of the four captains on the flag football team and is leading her team in sacks at 19.5 and her flag pulls at 48. Not only did she lead the team in defense, but she also tackled the quarterback to get the ball back in the 4th quarter of the game against Sandra Day O’Connor in the region champion game which won them the victory. The majority of the success is from Ellie, if anyone ever went to her game they would have been able to see her rush the quarterback 5-10 yards and then sprint another 20 yards to be able to pull the flags of the ball carriers. Her heart and determination for the sport are unmatched. She covers every single inch of the field, putting her all out there. Ellie also dances, is part of the track team, is a member of the SALT team, and is part of FCA. These athletes are full of determination and are always trying their best.