Gartman Twins Eager to Win More Gold in Senior Year . By : Ryan Fletcher
The Gartman twins have been playing an integral role in Valley View Blazer Sports for the last several years . Sister Hayden and brother Drew have managed to help lead their teams to many victories dating back to their freshman and sophomore seasons . Hayden is an all-state volleyball player , and Drew has finished all-state in both baseball and football . The exciting thing is that both have one more season left to play , and there ’ s still plenty of fuel left in the tank . For Hayden her final year is bittersweet . “ It ’ s very emotional ,” told Hayden . “ I ’ ve played with these girls for years , and I hate knowing this is my last season with them .” While Hayden ’ s journey will be a bit more familiar , Drew will move from being an all-state wide receiver to the coveted quarterback position for Sean Cockrell ’ s football team . “ I ’ m super excited being the quarterback for Valley View ,” said Drew . “ Valley View is known for winning a lot of games , and I ’ m excited to keep that train rolling and showing everyone what I can do .”
Hayden has had the luxury of playing under one of the most successful sports programs in the history of Arkansas sports . Blazer Volleyball has won countless state championships over the years . Valley View came up just a bit short in Hayden ’ s sophomore campaign , but that only motivates her to get back to the finals and win it all . “ Winning a state championship has been a dream of mine since I started . Losing in the finals my sophomore year only made me want it more . If me and my team could cut down on the unforced errors and stay calm in pressure situations , I think you could see us back in Hot Springs .”
Drew has had a successful run of his own playing multiple sports . He ’ s been a part of three state championship games in baseball bringing home the title this past season as the team ’ s starting shortstop . “ Winning the state baseball title was the greatest feeling ever and to be able to dog pile with all my best friends and especially after losing it two years in a row made this win even better . But this next season , I expect for us to go do the exact same thing and keep going where we left off .” Additionally , Drew has helped to reinforce the pure dominance that the Blazers have held over the 5A