Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021 by Sixteen 60 Publishing Co.

Kansas

PREGAME Volume 2 | 2021

Spring Yearbook

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

LOOKING BACK

As we edge further into the start of the fall sports season the staff at Kansas Pregame would like to take a look back at some of the top performing teams and athletes from 2020-‘21. While COVID-19 caused a few hiccups last season, for the most part the virus was held at bay and hundreds of teams and thousands of athletes were able to enjoy a complete season. From cross country to basketball and volleyball to wrestling state champions were crowned and players were recognized with postseason honors. Starting with volleyball and cross country – two sports not currently in our anJOHN BAETZ nual slate of previews – we take a look back at the season and revisit the teams PUBLISHER and athletes that dominated these sports a year ago. Twin Billing We’d also like to take this opportunity to share a special feature on siblings who shared a unique relationship on the field and court last season and now are taking their games to the college level. Check back for more coverage at www.kansaspregame.com this fall and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for even more coverage of high school sports. And remember: Let the coaches coach, the officials officiate, the players play, and be a great fan of high school sports!

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

John Baetz & Bree McReynolds-Baetz, Publishers Co-owners of Sixteen 60 Publishing Co., publishers of Kansas Pregame Football Magazine, Kansas Pregame Spring Edition, Kansas Pregame Winter Edition and KansasPregame.com Staff Writer: Keegan McCullick; Layout and Design: Becky Rathbun; Ad Design: Becky Rathbun, Kayla Kvacik Contributing writers: Huey Counts Photographers: Bree McReynolds-Baetz Photography; Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com Acknowledgments: With a project of this size and scope we can’t possibly thank all the contributors, but a special “Thank You!” goes out to the school secretaries, athletic directors, coaches, photographers, sports journalists and parents who helped us secure team information and action photos. Mail inquiries to kansaspregame@gmail.com or Kansas Pregame, PO Box 186, Lincoln, KS 67455

The 2021 Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook cover shoot was photographed at Rolling Hills Zoo by Bree McReynolds-Baetz.

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EXPERIENCE MATTERS WHAT’S INSIDE

SPRING SUPPORTING CAST

Brian Lightner

Goessel Athletic Director, Brian Lightner, is a perfect example of someone who excels at his position, and in no year prior has the value of having a fantastic AD shined quite so brightly. “Throughout this COVID-influenced school year, Mr. Lightner has been a steady leader in our athletic department,” coach Garrett Hiebert said. “He has done a great job communicating to our community, athletes, and coaches about COVIDrelated guidance from KSHSAA and schedule changes. Mr. Lightner has definitely gone the extra mile to keep our school community informed, keep our athletes safe, and give our teams the opportunity to compete as often as possible.” Lightner, like many other Kansas ADs, doesn’t wear just one hat. He has a considerable variety of teaching and coaching experience throughout his career. Currently, he is the 6-12 AD, an assistant track coach, and a math teacher. Just a quick review of Goessel’s school board meetings shows the spectrum across which Lightner works. He successfully pushed for a new speaker system for the track/football stadium, a new wireless sound system for the high school gym, has pushed heavily for a change in math curriculum and updated textbooks, and continues to champion a number of other important causes throughout the school. He also helped Goessel girl’s cross country to its first ever state championship in 2016 as the team’s head coach. No particular activity has seen Lightner’s passion shine through more than track and field. “He has advocated for the building and maintaining of quality track facilities at Goessel,” Hiebert said. “He also helped facilitate the purchase of an FAT timing system in 2015. He expertly runs the meet entry and timing systems. He has begun posting live results during home track meets as well. Most of all, he communicates effectively with his meet workers and event judges so that everyone is on the same page and he

retains quality workers from year to year.” With the improvements that have been made in the facilities, it’s not surprising there has been an uptick in use as a center for track and field meets. “Mr. Lightner does a great job in his role as AD throughout the school year, but the spring is his time to truly shine,” Hiebert said. “Between junior high and high school, Goessel is scheduled to host eight track meets. The entire junior high track schedule will be contested at Goessel’s home track.” The largest of those meets hosts up to 20 teams making Lightner a busy man in the latter months of the school year.

Terrell Olson

Karen Schroeder

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Since before man first landed on the moon, Terrell Olson has been officiating high school sports. The Kansas officiating legend began his career in 1968 and has spent many of his evenings since patrolling fields and courts alike. This past fall, the veteran white hat finally decided to call it a career after 52 years. To his credit, Olson has presided over 19 state basketball championships and numerous playoff football games. In many competitions, he had the opportunity to officiate with his sons, Travis and Troy. Olson’s joy on the sideline was magnetic enough to draw them both into the officiating ranks. Travis, now a veteran official for the last 28 years, recalls how his father’s career inspired him. “My dad and all of his buddies, seeing how much fun they had when they went on officiating trips,” Travis recalled. “Hanging out with the guys and the thrill of the game. A way to stay in the game after your playing days and getting to do that with guys that are in it for the same reason.” Travis remembers the time officiating with his father fondly, if not at times having a bit of a learning curve. “It was awesome,” Travis said. “Sometimes it could get a little tense, just because of the different stages we were in our careers.” Travis also noted an important trait of his father’s: “He remembers everything,” making the reality of being a budding referee under an expert all the more daunting. Travis noted a few prominent officiating opportunities over the years including Friday nights in Smith Center during their 79-game win streak in the latter half of the 2000s, the early 2000s with the towering Pruitt brothers of Beloit taking on rival Belleville in a noisy, cramped gymnasium, a football sub-state come from behind victory with Wichita Heights surging back from a 31-3 halftime deficit to take the game 37-34 over Dodge City. The great matchups Olson got to call are too

numerous to list, but Travis reflected particularly on the Dodge City vs. Heights game. “It is these types of games that kept my dad in it for so long,” Travis said. “At the end, in the locker room, dad told us, ‘Boys, that may be the best football game I have ever worked!’” As Olson enters retirement from officiating he’ll continue running the family farm and being a dedicated grandpa. “I don’t think he really wanted to retire, but he really wants to watch his grandkids play sports,” Travis said. But Travis is quick to note his father’s modesty. “My dad is not one to do this for the awards or recognition,” Travis said. “I would love for him to garner some of them, but he is the last person to seek those out or want the recognition. Remember, if you go to a game and don’t remember the officials or anything they did; that’s a well officiated game.” But after 52 years, it’s time an official like Olson receives some well-deserved recognition.

Everett Royer

Over the past 10 years, Otis resident Everett Royer has photographed more central and western Kansas sports action than just about anyone in the state. The Fort Hays State alum began his sports photography career as a kind of “side hustle” in 2009 alongside Mitch Weber, who at the time was the head photographer with FHSU sports. Since then he has been a regular on the sidelines of high school and college games throughout Kansas, camera-in-hand. Royer has covered virtually ever sport offered in his area and the shots from these events can be found on his website, KSportsImages.com. Kansas Pregame publisher John Baetz said the quality of Everett’s photos are just one important piece of what Royer brings to the table. “Everett always hustles to get what I need as quick as possible, and, he does a great job of organizing and naming photos, which is absolutely essential for us at Kansas Pregame because we put out dozens of pages in each magazine and scrambling to find details about the photos we use takes time that we just don’t have,” Baetz said. “For someone who started shooting high school sports as a side gig a little over 10 years ago, Everett is the consummate professional and combines outstanding photo quality with outstanding service to his clients.” A duo that anyone well-read on Kansas sports will be familiar with is Royer, and long-time sportswriter Conor Nicholl, who have worked for multiple outlets since 2014. “We all have things that we enjoy doing in life,” Nicholl said. “However, those things have more enjoyment when we do them with friends. I love covering high school sports. For me, coverage has more enjoyment when I get to do it with my great friend Everett Royer. We have spent hundreds of hours on the road to games talking about sports and life. We take great pride that we have an opportunity to cover Kansas athletes.” But Nicholl says it’s more than just photos for Royer. “He is highly knowledgeable about teams, players, rankings and past matchups, and that always shows in his photos,” Nicholl said. About Nex-Tech Wireless Nex-Tech Wireless, owned by Nex-Tech Inc./Rural Telephone, Golden Belt Telephone and Tri-County Telephone is a premiere wireless provider offering hightech wireless solutions to residents in over 40 counties of central and western Kansas as well as local coverage to 4 counties in Colorado. Nex-Tech Wireless focuses on providing its customers cutting edge technology including data and mobile services, as well as the latest wireless equipment and competitive wireless plans that provide nationwide coverage. For more information, visit www.nex-techwireless.com

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

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students and the businesses,” said Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth’s Executive Director Jacque Beckman. Interns are hired directly by participating, local businesses. “While the majority of the time will be spent with their respective businesses, interns can expect to get together at least two times during the summer,” Beckman said. “They will attend a ‘virtual’ orientation at the beginning and an in-person graduation session at the end of the program.” Nex-Generation assists with the application process and provides guidance, curriculum, and materials. The skills students attain during their summer experiences are amazing and truly life chang-

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REGAN & REESE CURRY Every athlete talks about their team as a family, often referencing a brotherhood or sisterhood, or reciting the mantra “Family Over Everything!” But for one select group of athletes in Kansas – twins – family is more than just a slogan and blood is truly thicker than water. While teams across the state feature numerous sibling teammates, more rarely are those siblings twins. Staff writer Keegan McCullick profiles four such sets of uniquely connected athletes in the stories that follow. Regan & Reese Curry - Oskaloosa Oskaloosa’s graduated middle-infielders from the Class of 2021, Regan and Reese Curry, are a dynamic combination on a softball field. Through her freshman and sophomore seasons, Regan managed a batting average of .544, 87 hits, 68 RBIs, 19 doubles, 9 triples, 8 home runs, 81 runs scored, and a .904 fielding percentage. In the meantime, identical twin sister, Reese, posted a .446 average with 70 hits, 42 RBIs, 17 doubles, five triples, 5 homeruns, 84 runs scored, and a .924 fielding percentage. Regan’s sophomore year she was also awarded the NFCA All-Region Award First Team for the South Central Region at Shortstop. During their sophomore season, the duo helped lead Oskaloosa to the 2-1A state championship, where they fell just short of a victory against Pitt-Colgan, losing 10-7. Unfortunately for the two, Oskaloosa would not get a shot at redemption in 2020, given the season’s cancellation due to COVID. When the 2021 season finally came after a good amount of time off, the Curry sisters did not disappoint. Regan finished the season batting .500 with 28 RBIs and 4 homeruns, while Reese led the team in batting average with a .522, with 40 RBIs and 8 home runs. Oskaloosa would win their league and finish the season 18-5, eventually losing to state runner-up, Silver Lake, in the championship round of regionals. The duo broke seven school records as well as tying five current records despite losing a year. Reese was only three runs shy of breaking the career runs record. The Curry sisters didn’t turn into the standouts they are on the diamond overnight, although having each other’s assistance certainly helped. “We practice all the time and we have the option to

Photos by Bree McReynolds-Baetz Photography

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

MAHPIYA & WAKIYAN IRVING

because we’re always with each other, Reese said. With the time put in, it also isn’t surprising that the two are a particularly synchronized pair of teammates. “When we play, since we’re both middle infielders, she plays second and I play shortstop, we kind of feel a connection up the middle like who has what balls and where we’re going to be covering bags and stuff like that,” Regan said. “We always have a built-in partner to do everything with and push each other and things like that.” As many siblings can relate, a fine line exists between healthy competition and bickering about technicalities when competing with each other. The Currys manage to keep with the latter and hone that into further development. “Probably friendly competition,” Regan responded when asked about their on the field relationship with each other, before her sister chimed in, “To an extent, but then we always want to make each other better,” Reese said. “So we get really competitive and push each other to see who can be better” The duo is currently attending Central Arkansas playing softball and further co-developing their games. “When we went down for a camp we loved the coaching staff and we always wanted to go together so we could have the experience together,” Reese said. “So when we went down there we really loved the coaching staff and then after the camp they asked us for a visit and we just loved it there and we wanted to go there ever since.” Central Arkansas recruited them at the shortstop and second base positions, although they are confident in their ability to play elsewhere on the field. Both plan to enter into the medical field in some form. Mahpiya & Wakiyan Irving - Royal Valley Mahpiya and Wakiyan Irving are a pair of guards from Royal Valley in tune with one another like a virtuoso guitarist with their six-string. The twins can often be found together working on their game in one way or another, and the time spent shows. “I think it’s pretty fun, people always talk about twin telepathy,” Mahpiya said. “It especially comes out on the court because we just know where each other are at and we work very well together.” Mahpiya was quick to add to her sister’s thoughts. “People are always talking about how we know where each other are at or how we’re fun to watch because I know where she’s at and she knows where I’m at,”

TWIN BILLING

Mahpiya said. “Our chemistry is just different and I think it’s an advantage.” With Wakiyan running the point for Royal Valley and Mahpiya on the wing, the Panthers had little issue finding success as early as their sophomore seasons. During the 2018-2019 season, along with their older sister Waniyetu, Royal Valley had a dream season, going 21-5 and winning the state championship in a 55-52 thriller against Cheney. “It’s always something we’ve always worked for and talked about and I’m just happy I got to share the experience, and not only (Mahpiya) but our older sister was on the team too,” Wakiyan said. After that season, Royal Valley would graduate a considerable amount of talent and the Panthers would struggle to a 3-18 season, but would not be held down for long. In the 2020-‘21 season, the Irving twins developed into one of the best guard combos in the state. The duo helped to lead the Panthers to a 17-5 record before eventually losing to state runner-up Sabetha in an overtime heartbreaker in sub-state play, a team Royal Valley managed to beat earlier in the season. Mahpiya earned KBCA second team all-state honors, while Wakiyan received honorable mention. As one last hurrah at the high school level, Mahpiya and Wakiyan took part in the Lakota All-Star game in Rapid City, South Dakota. The two were standouts in the matchup, Mahpiya led their team in scoring with 25 points. The backcourt mates have since moved on to Haskell University in Lawrence, Kan., to continue their education and basketball careers. Harper & Riley Kennedy - Maize South Harper and Riley Kennedy are among the most athletically talented twins in the state, however, unlike the rest of the athletes in this year’s feature on twins, they don’t get the opportunity to play together on the same varsity field. Despite playing on different teams, the Kennedy’s still found ways to help each other develop. “We still can go out and hit and correct each other’s swing and help each other out and still compete the same way if we were boy and boy or girl and girl,” Harper said.

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RILEY & HARPER KENNEDY Harper is a talented dual-sport athlete, a varsity contributor in both football and baseball at Maize South. Defensively for the Mavericks, Harper was an impact player on the football field, where he started two full seasons and managed 115 tackles, three interceptions, and a defensive touchdown, good for all-league honors in both 2019 and 2020. During the 2019 season, Harper helped anchor a defense for a Maverick team that wouldn’t lose a regular season game and advanced to the sectional round before losing to rival Maize, finishing the season 10-1, before slipping to 5-4 last fall. As a sophomore on the diamond, Kennedy put up a .250 batting average and could be found all over the field as a utility player defensively, despite the fact that he was forced to miss the first half of the season with a broken back. Harper missed more field time with the cancellation of his junior season due to COVID, but then managed to help Maize South all the way to the semifinals of the state baseball tournament during his senior season, before they were defeated by eventual champion Blue Valley Southwest, finishing the season 17-6. Riley also had an excellent athletic career, hers being in volleyball, basketball and softball. On the volleyball court, Kennedy is a talented libero, accounting for 270 of South’s digs during her senior year as a pivotal piece of Maize South’s state qualifying team which finished the season 29-6 last fall. During basketball season, Kennedy was a guard for the Mavericks with a knack for knocking down outside shots and playing tenacious defense. Maize South managed a 15-8 record in 2021 before eventually having their season come to an end in regional play. The 2021 softball season was a bit of a struggle in terms of the team’s final record, 3-17, but Riley was a bright spot on the team. Her batting average of .273 saw her get on base frequently and when she was there she was dangerous, leading the team with 13 stolen bases on the year. Harper is now at Newman University playing baseball and considering engineering as a possible career path. Over the summer, Riley suffered a serious ankle injury, but will be cleared on September 7th to play sports at Neosho County Community College, where she will play volleyball and softball and is considering a career in accounting. Blake & Brayden Perez - St. John’s-Beloit/Tipton Blake and Brayden Perez are a dangerous combina-

Photos by Bree McReynolds-Baetz Photography

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

BRAYDEN & BLAKE PEREZ

tion of speed and power on the field, court, track, and perhaps even some day, the golf course. The two brothers are most known for their impact on the football field, but that is likely because of the lack of a 2020 spring season. In 2021, the pair found considerable success during their track and field seasons. Brayden was among the fastest athletes in 1A. During the 2021 KSHSAA State Meet the sprinter managed to qualify in four events. In the 100, Brayden finished 12th with a time of 11.61, which was a departure from some of the times he posted earlier in the season. However, in the 200 he was able to consistently improve before running his PR at the state meet with a time of 22.86, good for a fourth place finish. Brayden was the anchor leg for the 4x400 relay, which won gold at state in a time of 3:33.05. In the meantime, Blake found a majority of his success in jumping events. The springy senior took ninth at state in the long jump with a 20’1.75” leap, although it was considerably short of his 20’11.5” PR that got him second at Regionals. He also managed a 40’1” triple jump, placing him 11th at the state meet. Outside of jumping events, Blake ran a solid 53.82 in the open 400, but found himself one spot out of qualifying for the state meet, finishing fifth. The Perez twins joined forces in the 4x100 and helped to set the school record. At state they took fourth with a time of 44.96, now the Blujay record. The twins also both decided to give golf a try this season after little past experience, which will likely take at least some time for the two to figure out the learning curve based on their recent entry into the sport. “We actually just picked it up this year and just started playing it, but I guess we’ll see how it goes,” Blake said. “I think we should make varsity, so that’s good.” Both brothers were valuable members of the Blujays basketball program, displaying scrappy styles of play centered around their athleticism. The combination of the two tough defenders helped SJBT to a 12-8 record and a sub-state championship. They would ultimately advance to the state quarterfinals, before being defeated by powerhouse, and eventual 1A-Div. II state champions, Hanover. Both lettered all four years of high school on the football field impacting the game from the defensive back positions from the start, amassing a combined 674 tackles and 12 interceptions in their careers. As a sophomore, Brayden stepped into his own offensively, rushing for 867 yards on the season accompa-

TWIN BILLING

nied by 12 touchdowns. It wasn’t until the two became juniors that the 1-2 punch of the Perez brothers started to light up the scoreboard. During their junior season, Brayden again put up considerable numbers out of the backfield, rushing for 829 yards and doubling his rushing touchdowns with 25 on the year while Blake added 573 of his own rushing yards along with 12 touchdowns on the ground. With solid numbers during their junior season, the two became production machines last fall, adding a pass catching element to each of their games. Brayden finished with 1,280 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns, along with 277 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions. Blake, sometimes found in a fullback position ahead of his brother and at other times split out wide, posted 632 yards on the ground with 9 touchdowns and another 464 yards through the air to go with four touchdowns. In both their junior and senior seasons the two helped lead St. John’s-Beloit/Tipton to back-to-back Regional appearances and 7-3 seasons. They were defeated by a talented Frankfort team 54-43 as seniors, despite the two combining for 343 all-purpose yards in the game. Through the years the tandem found a healthy balance of competition and camaraderie. “We talk about it at home a lot,” Brayden said. “Always with ‘How many rushing yards did you get?’ or something like that and then compare. It’s fun to kind of have it, when you walk up to a team and they see that they have two of you and they’re like, ‘Oh shoot!’” While the two have a close connection, they do plan to go their separate ways in college to focus on individual goals. Blake, who does have various opportunities in track at the NAIA level, ultimately plans to attend Fort Hays State University and study Criminal Justice. Brayden, meanwhile, plans to attend Bethany to play football. Keegan McCullick is a full-time staff writer for Kansas Pregame covering sports across Kansas in print and online. A native of Minneapolis, Kan., McCullick is a graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in History.

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

S PRI N G SPOTL I GHT

Kansas Pregame added cross country and volleyball coverage as part of last year’s Spring Yearbook. Two of the state’s more undercovered sports, Kansas Pregame is proud to provide a look at some of the state’s top athletes in both sports through the writing of Keegan McCullick and Huey Counts. Daniel Harkin, Manhattan Manhattan High’s senior Daniel Harkin won his second straight 6A state title in 2020 the same way he won his first in 2019, by a large margin. The now back-to-back champ had taken his first step onto the podium in 2018 as a freshman, finishing sixth with a time of 16 minutes, 17.4 seconds, before making a considerable jump his sophomore year, coming in second place with a time of 15 minutes, 55.1 seconds. In 2019, Harkin would do the folks at Lawrence’s Rim Rock Farm one-better, this time winning the title in his third trip to the historic XC venue with a time of 15 minutes, 23.5 seconds, 33 seconds faster than second place. During his senior year Harkin would easily make his way back to the 6A state meet, having not lost to a runner in the 6A classification all year long, and would also have a new venue hosting the state meet at Augusta’s 4 Mile Creek Resort, giving an altogether different vibe for Harkin. “It was my last year, so I was really focused on ending my career on a good note,” Harkin said. “State felt more casual this year due to a different location, which helped relax me.” Harkin put his comfort at the new course on full display, winning by 36 seconds over second place, with a time of 15 minutes, 50.7 seconds. While he wasn’t gloating of a win prior to the race, it didn’t take long for Harkin to acknowledge his circumstances in his own head. “I was very confident about my chances three minutes in because I gapped everyone pretty early which gave me

confidence,” Harkin said. The gap Harkin created would remain for the rest of the race, as he crossed the finish line with a time of 16 minutes, 17.18 seconds. Gardner Edgerton’s Quenton Walion finished in second place with a time of 16 minutes, 36 seconds and 2019’s runner-up, Logan Read of Olathe North, finished just behind Walion with a time of 16 minutes, 38 seconds. Aside from Harkin’s victory, his efforts along with his Manhattan High teammates placed the Indians in second in the state team standings, after finishing fourth the year prior. Junior Ben Mosier came in 13th with a time of 16 minutes, 55.3 seconds, junior Max Bowyer was 21st at 17 minutes, 6.2 seconds, freshman Ethan Bryant was 22nd at 17 minutes, 8.5 seconds, senior Gavin Erickson 29th at 17 minutes, 18.6 seconds, and senior Sean Anderson came in 42nd with a time of 17 minutes 38.4 seconds. Manhattan finished with 57 team points, coming just shy of champion Free State’s 49. “Running is so much more enjoyable in a team environment, Harkin said. “Even though it’s an individual sport, it’s nice to have pride in your teammates.” Also one of the state’s top tennis players, Harkin won the 6A singles title in May, the first individual boys’ tennis title for MHS since 1982. Harkin was also state runner-up in the 1600 meter run at the state track meet and finished seventh in 3200. Harkin plans to play tennis at Kansas Weselyan and is excited for the next phase of his journey, but will miss Manhattan High. “It’s satisfying to see hard work pay off, and just meeting new people on the team is nice,” Harkin said. “I will miss the team and its culture.” Keegan McCullick Erik Enriquez, Kapaun Mt. Carmel In October 2020, Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Erik Enriquez won the first state title of his career after some forward and back

Page 8 movement the prior two years. In 2018, Erik Enriquez was a sophomore and finished 7th in the 5A cross country state meet with a time of 16 minutes, 27.9 seconds. The next year as a junior, he would drop back a few spots, finishing 14th in the state with a time of 16 minutes, 44.6 seconds. Despite having another year ahead of him, Enriquez faced a loaded field of athletes in 2020, with eight of the 13 runners that finished ahead of him being non-seniors. To compound the challenge of a loaded field to compete with during his senior season, Enriquez suffered a toe injury at the beginning of the year that caused him to miss the first two weeks. Once the toe healed and he got back on the course, there would be no stopping Enriquez. The senior flipped a switch that saw him finish the season undefeated, breezing through the races leading up to the regional meet. When Enriquez arrived at Brown Thrush Park for regionals, he had a loaded field to deal with. Emporia senior Treyson True had finished second in state the year prior, Bishop Carroll junior Carson McEachern had been fourth, and Andover Central senior Brett Schoenhofer had finished one spot ahead of Enriquez in 13th. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, it was clear his streak of success in the regular season had not gotten to his head and were far from a fluke, as he broke the Kapaun Mt. Carmel school record during the race, finishing it in 15 minutes, 18 seconds and leaving the field in the dust with McEachern taking second place in a time of 15 minutes, 43 seconds. Of the eight non-senior runners that had finished ahead of him during the 2019 cross country state meet, seven made it back to the state meet in 2020. Despite the incredibly talented field, Enriquez once again blew away the competition, this time setting the Augusta 4 Mile Creek course record with the best time across all divisions, at 15 minutes, 43.9 seconds. McEachern of Bishop Carroll took second in the race with a time of 15 minutes, 51.84 seconds. St. Thomas Aquinas won the team championship by a

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Briggs wasn’t pushed at any of her state meets. Then again, she is rarely pushed. In a mid-season matchup against 2019 state champions Jentrie Alderson of Southeast of Saline (3A) and Jaycee Vath of Lincoln (1A), Briggs raced to a personal best 18:07 and was never challenged. She’s quite adept at pushing herself and following a plan laid out by her father, Brian. “We always set goals for every season, we just take it day by day and work what we can do each day to meet that goal,” she said. “I’ve just been taking it that way year by year, working to drive my times down.” She entered her final track season as a two-time defending 4A champion in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races and came away with two more golds in the events. Couple that with cross country and she is unbeaten in 10 state races. Briggs would most likely be 12-0 except that the state’s 2020 track season was canceled due to COVID-19. “There is always going to be part of me that wishes I had gotten that junior year, but a bigger part of me says, or it’s a God feeling I guess, that I needed that time off to really focus on getting the fundamentals down and just improving,” she said, “so I valued that time off.” Briggs handles expectations and pressure well. Now that she’s taken all the golds her high school career offered it’s off to compete collegiately at Iowa State, where she’ll be a teammate of none other than ... Callie Logue. “I was talking to a couple colleges and they were all really great, but I just knew Iowa State was the one when I talked to the coach and had the Zoom meeting with the girls,” she said. “I just knew they were the one, that was the place.” HC Cormick Logue, Girard Girard’s Cormick Logue probably had some state track medals taken away from him by COVID-19. Possibly even a gold one. But, over the past year, Logue, who is one of the better long-distance runners in the state, has kept his head up, even after having his entire junior track season wiped out by the pandemic. There were no tears. No whining. No pointing of fingers and angry shouting. The senior runner just turned his attention ahead to his final high school cross country season. “We just kind of switched our training,” he said. “Instead of focusing on speed work like we normally would at that time, we focused on base training instead and began prepping for cross country. “We just kind of put track to the side and said we’d come back to it next year.” And, when he did spike up this spring, he did it coming off his best-ever cross country season, one that ended with his second consecutive state championship and an opportunity to continue his career at the NCAA Division 1 level. While he wouldn’t necessarily recommend losing out on an entire track season, he said, “it set me up to be successful and run faster times during this cross country season, so

Briggs photo by Bree McReynolds-Baetz Photography

DANIEL HARKIN

comfortable margin finishing with 37 points to second place St. James Academy’s 77. Two of Aquinas’ top finishers, juniors Logan Seger (fourth in 2020) and Ashton Higgerson (seventh in 2020) both had finished ahead of Enriquez during the 2019 season. Enriquez wrapped up his senior season with a third place finish the in the 5A 3200 meter run at the KSHSAA State Meet in May and an 11th place finish in the 1600. He also helped the 3200 meter relay team to a fourth place finish. Enriquez signed with Wichita State and is now running cross country and track for the Shockers. Keegan McCullick Taylor Briggs, Chapman Taylor Briggs recalls watching a Kansas State Cross Country Championship race the first time as an eighth grader. It was her first time watching former Girard standout Callie Logue. “I just remember watching her race and I was like, ‘Wow, she is really good,’ and I think I wrote down her time in one of my old running journals,” she said. “I watched her and the other older girls and was like, ‘I want to be like them one day, I want to put out fast times like them.’” One year later, Briggs was. Then the next season, she was again. Same thing the following year. And this past fall, she was again. For four consecutive falls, the Chapman senior was fastest of the fast at the Class 4A state cross country meet, matching the string put together by the runner who inspired her years ago, Logue, who won four straight while running for Girard. Her latest victory came by nearly 2 minutes, as she blazed through the course on a blustery afternoon at Wamego Country Club in 18 minutes, 19 seconds, easily the fastest time of her four state races. “I started in block four and my coach thought it was kind of ironic since it was my fourth year running at state, so that was kind of cool,” she said, “so I was right in the middle of all the other starting blocks. “I tried to get out and have a good start, but obviously the other girls were trying to do the same, so I felt like everyone was kind of surrounding me. I just wanted to get out quickly so I wouldn’t get cut off or have to slow down.” Once she shook free, Briggs quickly built a huge lead. By the mile mark she was already ahead by 30 seconds and just continued to pour it on. “It was definitely a really windy day, so that affected my time, obviously,” she said. “I just tried to get out and run and race, not put any pressure on myself.” Only twice in her high school cross country career did she not cross the finish first, those being top 10 finishes her sophomore and junior seasons at the Rim Rock Classic against competitors from several states. “Each year I compete I try not to put a lot of pressure on myself,” said the humble Briggs. “I know that God has given me the love and passion to run so I’m going to do it to glorify Him.”

Page 9 Harkin photo by Huey Counts; Enriquez photo by Lathe Cobb

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

TAYLOR BRIGGS

there is plusses and minuses.” Using his superior foot speed at the Class 3A state meet, he broke free late to easily outdistance runner-up Kodi Downes of Council Grove and third-place Ryan Heline of Smoky Valley in a winning time of 16 minutes, 17 seconds last October at the Wamego Country Club golf course. When he was a junior, Girard competed in 4A, so when the midseason announcement came that they would be dropping a class, he was mostly disappointed that he wouldn’t get another chance to battle longtime friend and rival, Topeka Hayden’s Tanner Newkirk. “I thought I’d be racing Tanner,” said Cormick, who beat Newkirk for the 4A title two seasons ago and then split with him during two regular-season matchups in 2020, “and I was preparing for that. It is never easy to race Tanner Newkirk. I’ve raced Tanner numerous times and we don’t give each other an inch until the last 100 meters.” When he’s not racing Newkirk, Cormick is typically just pounding the field from start to finish, as a senior winning most of his races by at least a minute. Unlike many schoolboy runners, he does not pour over web sites looking at his competition’s times or checking to see who beat whom. So when he toed the line at Wamego, he only had a vague idea of what he was against. “My original race plan was to go out and just bury everybody,” said Cormick, who rolled out a career-best 15:17 early in the season, which was the fastest time in the state in all classes. “But then I got there and the wind was just awful. “(Competitors) were a lot closer when I started, they didn’t let me get a gap, they were definitely on me for the first mile. So I just stayed relaxed. I always run the state meet with a break point about 800 meters from the finish and the finish is all downhill from there. “When I got there I was feeling pretty fresh. I don’t want to say they faded, but they weren’t on my shoulder anymore, so I knew I could get away.” The day before his gold medal winning performance, his older sister, Iowa State senior Cailie Logue, claimed her third Big 12 Conference women’s cross country championship at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence. During her time at Girard, Cailie won four cross country championships. Neither of the siblings’ success is a surprise. Girard’s coach is their father, Matt, a two-time champion for Lansing High School in the late 80s. Their mother, Christie, never won a high school title, but she won several national titles as a collegiate runner at Pittsburg State. “At first I was very resistant to being a runner,” he said, “I didn’t want to follow in everybody else’s footsteps. I wanted to play football or do something else. Then I was forced to realize I wasn’t going to be as good at anything else as I would be at running. And I decided I want to be very good at what I was doing.” He wrapped up his successful high school career with a gold in the 3200 at the state meet and a runner-up finish in

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

Page 11

the 1600. He’ll continue his career collegiately at South Dakota State, located in Brookings. Huey Counts Lara Murdock, Colby Colby senior Lara Murdock grew up in a family of runners, having two parents that coach track and a brother who shares her love of the sport. Murdock remembers the first time she knew it was for her. “I fell in love with running when my elementary P.E. teacher introduced us to the PACER test,” Murdock said. “I loved the thrill of running faster than the beep noises and seeing how long I could go.” Her parents quickly realized their children’s passion for the sport. “When they noticed that I loved it, they did all they could to support my goals and dreams,” Murdock said. “They took my brother and I to youth track meets and the state meet in Wichita as often as possible. I continue to love running and

first in the 3200 at the 2019 state track meet despite a bad the atmosphere of track and field and cross country ever foot that plagued her throughout the year. She was poised to since.” Murdock would have a fantastic freshman track season, dominate as an upperclassmen. finishing runner-up in the 800 and 1600 in 3A. As time went As the 2019 cross country season approached, that same on, Murdock increased her commitment as she realized the bad foot that Murdock heroically ran on at the state track potential she had and her parents continued to help her along meet began to cause her serious issues. “I ran most of my 2019 track season with pain in my foot the way. “The summer after my freshman year, my mom drove me all and was just hoping to make it through the season,” Murdock over Kansas for road runs,” Murdock said. “After those expesaid. “After my season ended we got my foot checked out but riences I became more serious about my training and decided had trouble figuring out what was causing the pain. In August of 2019, my doctor put me in a walking boot that I ended up to go out for cross country instead of volleyball. It was around this time that I realized that if I wanted to succeed, I had to wearing till the end of October. It was definitely the most difput in the work and run year-round.” ficult setback I have had to encounter, but it taught me about The switch to cross country in the fall was seemingly a great listening to my body and the importance of cross training.” move. Only being a sophomore, Murdock finished second at After missing the 2019 cross country season, Murdock the 2018 3A state cross country meet with a time of 19 minappeared as though she would have the opportunity for a big utes, 30.2 seconds, just under four seconds behind Norton comeback that spring on the track. That opportunity would not ULYSSES, KS KS GOODLAND, KS SYRACUSE, WHEELER, KS of KS ULYSSES, COLBY, OAKLEY, KS as the SUBLETTE, JOHNSON, ULYSSES, KS KS WHEELER, KS state champion Lexi Kats. The next spring, MurdockKS took come world braced itselfKS for the effects COVID-19

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and the 2020 Spring sports season was cancelled. As time went on, it became muddled as to whether Murdock would get an opportunity to return to a course or track at all, but the season did start, but with considerable unease. “Our coach made it clear from the beginning of the season that there might be a chance that our season could be cancelled at any time,” Murdock said. “After we talked about this we made it a priority to run every race like it was our last, and to simply enjoy it. It was a concern at the beginning of the year, but after my first race it was easy to just enjoy each race and live in the moment after not racing for so long due to injury and covid.” Murdock tore through her 2020 race schedule, not losing a race to a runner in her classification, and easily winning the 3A Norton Regional by a margin of 27 seconds Murdock perceived something new during the final high school cross country meet of her career. Having realized her love of running in elementary P.E., the importance of dedication after her freshman year, how to better take care of her body after her sophomore track season, and to enjoy every race individually and live in the moment after dealing with the anxiety that COVID brought to every athlete’s 2020 season. Her newest realization was the culmination of the work she put in was leading her to a state championship, and she remembers about the time she became sure of that reality. “At the state cross country meet I planned to go out strong and push through the hills in the first half of the race at Wamego,” Murdock said. “From there I knew it would just be a matter of toughing it out to the finish line. After all the work put in throughout the season, it felt good to accomplish my goals.” Murdock finished in first place by 34.32 seconds, with a time of 19 minutes, 36.8 seconds. Ozia Trujillo of Southwestern Heights came in second with a time of 20 minutes, 11.12 seconds. Murdock had two teammates place close behind with freshman Kathie Chavez coming in third with a time of 20 minutes, 41.49 seconds and junior Seanna Metcalf in ninth with a time of 21 minutes, 20.94 seconds, making them the most successful trio at the state meet. Junior Laurel Cates was Colby’s fourth runner in just her first year out for cross country, finishing 20th at regionals with a time of 23:20, outside of the top 10 finish necessary to advance to the state meet as an individual. “Even though we only had four girls on our team, we found ways to continually push and support each other. Before meets we would all talk about race strategy and help each other build plans based on our different strengths and weaknesses. After our league meet, we discussed the thrill of turning on a switchback and seeing your teammates right behind you. It encouraged all of us to keep pushing to run personal bests. Thanks to our coaches, we peaked at the right time and took the top three places at our league meet. At Regionals three of us qualified for state and then we were fortunate enough to have all three of us in the top 10. I love my team and am so proud of them and all we accomplished

LARA MURDOCK this year.” Murcock enjoyed similar success during the track season this spring, but was bested in both the 1600 and 3200 runs by Southeast of Saline standout Jentrie Alderson. Murdock unsurprisingly plans to continue to push her limits and learn more about herself by attending Pittsburg State to run track and cross country. “I chose Pitt State because I wanted a change of scenery and I wanted to run at a school that had a tradition of excellence in cross country and track and field,” Murdock said. “Coming from a school with a small group of girls, I am beyond excited to get to run with a team that has had individual and team success. I was looking for a school where I wouldn’t be the best. I was also looking for a school where I would be challenged to better myself daily, while hopefully being able to do that for others as well.” While she hasn’t fully decided on her career choice, it is likely she will continue to learn from her experiences as a runner. “I am still undecided of my major,” Murdock said. “I plan to take some classes in education since I have always had an interest in teaching. I would love to work with people to help them better themselves and succeed. At the moment though, I am just not sure where this passion will lead me to, but I am looking forward to what God has planned for my life.” KM Wyndom Giefer, Trego When you grow up in a distance running family – and Wyndom Giefer comes from one of bigger ones in the state of Kansas – you are always aware of the finish line. One of those came last fall for Giefer, a four-year state cross country qualifier for Trego Community High. The best cross country race of his high school career came one year after one of his most disappointing. A favorite to win the 2019 state 2A championship, he ended up being a non-factor. One season after finishing a solid seventh as a sophomore, he placed 43rd. Asked what happened, he simply said, “I’m not really sure.” Good thing for runners, though: There’s always another finish line ahead. “Immediately after that race I thought, ‘Man, this is terrible, what am I doing?’” he said. “And it stung for a while, definitely, but it also gave me incentive for every hard training session we had. “I put in the back of my mind that I’m never going to let it happen again.” For Giefer, the youngest child of Nishi and Bernard Giefer, putting in the necessary work for his redemption run would not be an issue. His older siblings, Bernard, Sybil and Helen were all high-caliber runners at Trego and were coached for years by their father, who is a proponent of heavy mileage. Running 100 miles in a week is not uncommon in his workout plan. “My dad has always been keen on doing a lot of miles, a lot of base, in part because in our family we don’t naturally have kicks,” Giefer said. “The more we can take out a race from the beginning and hang on as long as we can is kind of how

Photos by Bree McReynolds-Baetz Photography

CORMICK LOGUE

Page 12

Logue photo by Jessica Sprecker

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

WYNDOM GIEFER we run, so we run a lot more bulk than a lot of people.” He also wins more than many people, grabbing victories in all of his meets leading into the 2A championships, pretty much dominating the competition each time out. While collecting gold medal after gold medal was nice, it wasn’t totally unexpected. He and his father had kept a keen eye on the competition’s times as the season went on, and Giefer looked to be the class of the 2A field. “We figured if I was going to be competing for a state championship it would kind of fall in,” he said. “Before the season I kind of thought it would be cool if I had an undefeated season, but really the goal was winning state. “If that was the only race I won, that was really the only important one.” For this first three state meets, Giefer raced on the hilly course at Wamego Country Club, then a change of venue due to COVID-19 meant he would compete at Sand Plum Course in Victoria, a course he’d never seen. He made a trip to the course for an easy run about three weeks before state, looking to just get a general feel for the place, and afterward thinking, “it would be a fast course.” Along with hoping to wash away the memory of his previous state race, Giefer was looking to bring home a gold medal to match the one claimed by his sister, Helen, the 2A girls champ in 2018 who now runs for Kansas State University. “I definitely looked up to her, especially my eighth grade and freshman year,” he said. “I was running about the same speed as her so we would push each other at practice. She was always a role model, she is one of the reasons I fell in love with the sport.” As he made his way to his chute at Victoria for the start, Giefer went over the game plan he and his father had put together. The toughest competition in the field would likely come from Hoxie’s Gabe Friess, a rival he’d already beaten four times. “I was thinking I’ve got this if I run the race I’m capable and that I’m going to set a PR,” he said. “Obviously, winning was the goal and I assumed it would come down to Gabe and me, which it did.” In his hunt to run sub 16:00, he started quickly, looking to hit 5:08 splits on each of his first two miles, then use up whatever he had left in the tank for a strong finish. He executed his strategy to near perfection, hitting 5:07 and 5:08 before he faded just a bit down the stretch, winning in a personal best 16:09, besting the runner-up Freiss by eight seconds. “I had a pretty clean race except for dying a little at the end,” he said. Unlike other distance runners who went right into cross country season, Giefer’s father took both he and sister Sybil, who was then a senior, to each of the canceled meet’s locations where the athletes ran either a 1,600- or 3,200-meter time trial. “We treated it as a track season,” he said, “except that we didn’t totally peak for what would have been regionals or state. It was a pretty fun way to gauge our fitness.” Giefer entered his final track season hoping to collect his

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Page 14

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

first state track medals after just missing by one spot in two races as a sophomore, when he ended up ninth in both the 1600 and 3200. He achieved his goal with a fourth place finish in the 1600 and a fifth place finish in the 3200 at the 2A state meet. HC Collin Oswalt, Central Christian Mile after mile after mile, day after day after day, year after year after year. For some runners, this can be a recipe for boredom or even burnout. But Collin Oswalt isn’t like many runners, either in his approach or his results. The Hutchinson Central Christian graduate just completed the homestretch of an impressive career for any small-class distance runner. Just aless than a year ago, he led from start to finish to capture the Class 1A state cross country championship in 15 minutes, 56 seconds at the Sand Plum Cross Country Course in Victoria. He won by 23 seconds over runner-up Caleb Eilert, a fellow senior runner from St. John’s-Beloit/Tipton whom had upset Oswalt at the previous season’s state meet after Oswalt snagged the title in 2018. “My strategy with racing was to force him to really push if he was going to beat me,” Oswalt said, “I was going to go all out. It was definitely good and I definitely pushed myself. “It was one of those races where I hadn’t even reached a mile and you know you’ve gone all out and you have nothing left to do but hang on.” He laughed, then added, “It was definitely not a good place to be that early in the race, but I was able to do it.” That race put the cap on his schoolboy cross country career, which has been notable for sustained success and gradual improvement over four seasons. But in the infancy of his running career, he faced a dilemma. He really wanted to play football in the fall as a freshman. As the quarterback on middle school’s 8-Man team, he scored 34 touchdowns zig-zagging his way through defenders. The slightly built Oswalt prayed much of the summer and said he felt led by God to put his football pads into the locker room for good. “I ended up very confident that God wanted me to run cross country. (But) I actually cried about it when I first told my parents. It was hard.” His debut cross country season went very well as he won lots of meets and finishing behind only two seniors as he claimed bronze at the state meet. Oswalt followed up with an outstanding sophomore season, notching his personal best 5k mark of 15:32 midway through the cross country schedule before topping Eilert at the end of it for his first state title. Never one to settle, he pushed his training limits in the summer leading up to the 2019 cross country season. He was feeling great, running well but once he hit meets, nothing went as he planned. He never ran faster than 16:03, a far cry from his goal of getting close to 15:00, and he lost by 27

JAYCEE VATH

ALYSSA MILLER

seconds to Eilert at state. “My junior year, it was a really big season, not really competing wise, but for my life in general,” he said. “That cross country season really opened my eyes to things that needed to change in my life, particularly in my view of running. “I was treating running like it was the most important thing in my life, even though I was not saying it. I was saying God was the most important thing in my life, but I was treating running like it was. I think you can be self-deceived. God showed me areas where I needed to adjust.” Unable to show his revamped mindset for his junior track season because of its cancellation due to COVID-19, he simply set his sight on his preferred sport of cross country and turning out his best season. He upped his weekly mileage, became more serious with his strength and conditioning and tweaked his already healthy diet. Oswalt cut back on his races and the three events displayed on MileSplit all resulted in gold medals and respective times of 15:44, 15:58 and 15:56 and he collected his aforementioned second state title. Not long after the season ended, he decided to run collegiately at Hutchinson Community College. A year ago, competing at a two-year school and living at home wasn’t on his radar, but Oswalt said things fell into place quickly. “After my junior cross country season I wasn’t receiving a whole lot of interest from colleges and stuff based on my times and then the track season gets canceled,” he said. “Sometimes you set your mind high and mighty but sometimes God has other plans.” Oswalt expected to be accepted into Hutchinson’s physical therapist assistance program. While in high school he had taken classes that were prerequisites for the PTA program, which will help him graduate from the two-year school in just one year. “Coming into high school I really felt like, and this is going to sound stupid, I thought I was going to be like a Jim Ryun. My focus was like, just like every kid dreaming, I’m going to be the nation’s best and such and such. “Really, what God changed my mindset on, was what I feel like more than anything, that my four years of high school running were really God laying the foundation for what He has next for me. Maybe not as successful athletically-wise as I originally anticipated, but spiritually it has all been worth it. I’m excited to build upon it moving forward.” Jaycee Vath, Lincoln For the past few years, Jaycee Vath has been the smiling, polite, yet extremely competitive face of distance running in Class 1A and 2A. Many folks have watched her grow up on cross country courses in the fall and track ovals in the spring. She’s been durable, powering her way through aches and pains, soreness and sprains. She’s someone everyone cheered for whether or not their fandom was to Lincoln High. Vath has been one of the most consistent as well as one of the best. During her outstanding career, she claimed back-to-back-to-back 1A state cross country championships

after finishing second in 2A as a freshman. Her victory as a sophomore propelled Lincoln’s four-runner squad to the 1A team title. She was barely challenged in her three individual victories, with respective winning margins of 26, 37 and 36 seconds. “There were a couple girls behind me near the beginning,” recalled Vath, looking back on her 19 minutes, 20 seconds clocking during her 2020 title run. “I can remember people cheering on a couple girls behind me, but I don’t know how long they stayed there. It wasn’t close at the end.” This was her first ever race at the Sand Plum Course in Victoria as her previous state races had been held on the grueling Wamego Country Club Golf Course. COVID-19 and the unavailability of Lawrence’s Rim Rock Park forced the KSHSAA to do some reshuffling of locations. “Wamego is my favorite course, I love it,” she said. “It’s my favorite place to run, ever. It threw me for a loop when things changed. I was like, ‘Hmm, I’ve never been there, what’s it going to going to be like running on a course I’ve never run on?’” But at the same, she said, she wasn’t about to complain. The pandemic had completely wiped out her junior track season and was flirting with doing the same to her final season of high school cross country. Said Vath, “I definitely felt like my season wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to break 19 minutes and that didn’t happen. I ran a fun run on the Fourth of July and I ran faster at that than I did at any of my cross country meets all year. “Looking back, that’s kind of sad, but at the same time I can’t ask for much more. We actually got to have a season and I got to race my senior year. But I definitely think I did everything to the best of my ability. With everything that was thrown at us, I think it went as well as it could have went.” Vath entered the 2021 track season hoping to duplicate the success of two seasons ago when at state she claimed gold in the 1600 (5:23.81) and 3200 (school-record 11:27.53) and fourth in the 800 (2:28.58). While Golden Plains’ freshman Emma Weiner edged Vath in the 1600 the Lincoln senior ran a PR of 11:26.48 to beat Weiner in the 3200. Huey Counts Alyssa Miller, Blue Valley West Senior Alyssa Miller and her Blue Valley West volleyball squad were a force in 2020. Miller put up prolific numbers as a setter, including 839 assists, 103 kills, 21 aces, 50 blocks and 214 digs. Her all-around abilities helped the Jaguars navigate a challenging

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

CAROLINE BIEN

Eastern Kansas League schedule that accounted for six of the teams seven losses on the year. To give an idea of the depth the KVA 6A Player of the Year is surrounded by, the KVA voted two Jaguars to the first team, including juniors Morgan Colangelo and Taylor Stockman, as well as Brooke Leiker to the second team. Despite the stand alone talent of each of the three juniors, Miller’s control of the court is an undoubted convenience. “Alyssa’s leadership was invaluable this year,” Blue Valley West coach Jessica Horstic said earlier this spring. “She is so competitive and her will to win was infectious.” With Miller leading the way from her setter position, the Jaguars would see the considerable amount of talent on the roster put to good use. After a three game midseason slide, the Jaguars reeled off 17 victories through their last 18 games, finishing 27-7 on the year and defeating Olathe Northwest in the state championship in two games. Miller had an impressive statline during the championship with 24 assists, two aces, three blocks and five digs. After graduating early, Miller joined defending Atlantic 10 champs Dayton to continue her volleyball career. KM Carolyn Bien, St. Thomas Aquinas This last May, St. Thomas-Aquinas’ Carolina Bien completed one of the more successful and diverse high school sports careers in recent memory as she rounds out her senior track season as one of the best jumpers in the state, having cleared 5-4 during the state meet to finish fourth in 5A. Throughout Bien’s career she has lettered in a fascinating array of events, including track and field, bowling, swimming and diving, and volleyball. Bowling and swimming and diving were done by older siblings of Bien, which prompted her to give them each a one-year go. She made varsity as a bowler and qualified for state in dive as an underclassmen, displaying her vast range in abilities. “I did bowling my sophomore year because my older sister Mary Clare did it and she loved it, so I just decided to do it my sophomore year,” Bien said. “I did swim and dive freshman year because my older sister was a senior and she did dive, so she wanted me to do it with her and I’ve dove it my whole life and swam, so it was fun to do it with her, but after that I was like I’m done.” During her year of diving, Bien also was a member of a state championship squad. Despite her impressive range in abilities, volleyball was always the core of Bien’s sports world. The two-time state champ helped lead the Saints to a 29-2 record her senior season, winning 21 straight to close out the year in dominant fashion through a tough Eastern Kansas League schedule. Bien was extremely effective statistically, posting 242 kills, 257 digs, 29 aces, 24 blocks, and 73 assists on the year, her efforts being a major part of the team’s noteworthy streak. After losing their fifth game of the season to Skutt Academy, a dominant 35-1 Nebraska Class B state champion out of Omaha, Aquinas reeled off four straight victories against tough teams before losing for the final time that season

PAYTON VERHULST

against a highly talented Blue Valley West squad, eventual winner of the 6A state title and a team the Saints would best in their next encounter. “I mean, we just don’t like losing,” Bien said. “That one game I think everyone looked at it and said ‘I never want to do that again!’ I mean that was not fun, that was not us and I think we kind of used that as motivation and it was all uphill from there.” The determination quickly became evident as they sailed through the remainder of their challenging schedule with only a few matches that needed to go more than two games. Once at state, Aquinas immediately was tested by a talented Lansing team that managed to take them into three games. Bien would post 12 kills in the match ultimately pushing the Saints past the Lions. Aquinas would defeat the rest of the opponents in the tournament in two games, dispatching Bishop Carroll and Maize South in each of their matchups before meeting with Lansing again in the championship match. Aquinas completely controlled the first game 25-13 before a tense final matchup that finished 26-24. Bien had a game saving dig with the score 24-23 in favor of Lansing before scoring the final two points of the game on kills and sealing Aquinas’ second straight 5A state title. In the bizarre year that was 2020, Bien and her teammates were no exception when it came to learning to adjust. “It was already kind of a weird season because we had six seniors graduate, so it was a pretty young team,” Bien said. “Only four seniors, two new ones that were on JV last year, it was just a whole new team. So we were getting used to that and then COVID, also. It was really crazy, but I feel like we adapted well and it worked out fine. It was really just the first week wearing the masks and then after that I feel like we just went on a roll and things were fine. I don’t think people were expecting us to do that well, but it all works out.” Bien is now at KU where she joins 2019 5A Player of the Year Caroline Crawford and 2020 Topeka-Seaman All-Stater Camryn Turner. “That’s kind of always been my dream,” Bien said. “I’ve grown up watching KU and going to KU games. Kendra Wait’s sister, Cassie Wait, I’ve always looked up to her and she was a libero there and I’ve always followed them and wanted to go there, so I was just kind of waiting for them.” Payton Verhulst, Bishop Miege Bishop Miege’s 2020 volleyball season was full of unique circumstances. After winning the 4A state title two years prior, in 2018, the Stags fought hard in 2019 through a tough Eastern Kansas League, but were unable to find any consistent success, finishing 15-23 and shy of the state tournament. A significant portion of the drop in success can likely be traced back to the loss of Payton Verhulst during the 2019 season due to receiving finger surgery. Despite knowing she wasn’t going to touch the volleyball court for the duration of that fall, Verhulst was never far from the action. “I went to all the games because a lot of the girls on the team are my friends,” Verhulst said. “Went to every game

ABBY ROSE

and just kind of missed playing and being around those girls so coming back and winning that state championship with them in 2020 was awesome and I was just so proud of them sticking through it and getting through those hard years to get to the years where you succeed.” After a solid freshman and dominant sophomore season, Verhulst came back as a senior to post a team high 301 kills on 794 attempts for an impressive 37.9 kill percentage. Despite her return and dangerous scoring capabilities, the Stags did not have an easy road forward. The Eastern Kansas League is arguably the toughest in the state and Miege is one of the smallest in terms of classification size. Miege finished the season 22-11 and 6-9 in league with 10 of their losses to ranked EKL opponents, the other being to KCMO’s St. Theresa’s Academy. Blue Valley West won 6A, Aquinas won 5A and Miege won 4A, all from the Eastern Kansas League. “People always give Miege crap because we’re in 4A,” Verhulst said. “Not because it’s our choice, but we’re there, and it’s not because we’re necessarily just stacked, it’s because we play in conferences during the year that are stacked. We play competition throughout the year and I think it’s what makes it so good once we get to 4A at the end of the year.” After finding themselves at 11-11 at the beginning of October, Miege went on a spree and didn’t look back for the remainder of the season reeling off 11 straight victories and finding themselves once again hoisting the state title. Despite her impressive volleyball skills, Verhulst’s best sport, and personal passion, is basketball, and for good reason. The 6-1 senior signed with Louisville where she will play for head coach Jeff Walz. “Louisville was one of the first schools that actually started talking to me early,” Verhulst said. “So I think them building that connection at a young age was something that just kind of stuck with me and I visited there in like eighth grade and really liked it and I remember telling my mom and my family ‘Wow I really like it!’ and obviously they’re like ‘You’re in eighth grade, you don’t know what you want yet,’ So I was like okay I’ll give it time and I visited a lot of other schools and no others felt like Louisville did.” Verhulst also was selected as a member of the McDonald’s All-American team, the USA Women’s U19 World Cup team and is among the best basketball players in the class of 2021, holding the 12th spot in the nation overall and 4th spot among guards, according to ESPN. While her ultimate goal is to make it to the WNBA, Verhulst is also interested in teaching special education and coaching in the future. Keegan McCullick Abby Rose, Smoky Valley In just three years of high school volleyball, Abby Rose has cemented herself as one of the best players in the state, winning KVA 3A Player of the Year, holding the school record for kills, as well as second in blocks, and being a pivotal part of her team’s 3A second place finish during the 2020 season. Prior to this season, though, Smoky Valley wasn’t considered one of the top teams in the state and the year prior to

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021 Rose’s freshman campaign, the Vikings only managed a 1-35 record. At the same time Rose was entering high school, her club coach, Sharlene Ramsey, entered into the coaching ranks, taking over the head spot for Smoky Valley. “I actually had no idea that coach Ramsey was going to become the head coach until the information meeting in the spring of my eighth grade year,” Rose said. “I had known her for a little while because she is my mom’s boss and Elyse (our setter, her daughter) and I are pretty good friends. I was actually shocked when our Athletic Director announced her at the meeting. She had been my club coach the year before, so I was relieved. Coming in as a freshman isn’t always easy, so it was nice knowing that I knew her and how she coaches. I was very excited knowing that she was going to coach because I knew she knew what she was doing.” Throughout her career, the Vikings have seen clear improvements year-by-year as a team. During her freshman

year, they jumped to a 15-23 record with Rose starting. In her sophomore season they moved to 24-15, with Rose receiving all-state honorable mention recognition. As a junior, Rose truly came into her own as an individual, and subsequently, Smoky Valley took a huge step as a team. The Vikings lost their first set of the year in three games against Hillsboro, after that they would go on a 31-1 tear through the rest of their regular season and regional tournament, avenging their loss to Hillsboro by beating them in two games. “I think our first loss against Hillsboro was definitely a wake-up call,” Rose said. “We knew we had a very talented group, so I think that showed us that we need to work even harder if we want to go to state. I thought it was a reality check for everyone on the team including myself. After that game, I thought we had to prove ourselves to each and every team and person, which is what we did and I am very proud

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Page 17 of that.” Individually Rose, a middle/outside hitter, curated an impressive statline for herself with 316 kills on 611 attacks for a 51.7 kill percentage, a .378 hit percentage, along with 97 total blocks, 28 solo blocks, and 229 digs. With such impressive numbers, it is no wonder Rose received the accolades she did, but her success was not built in a day. “I started playing volleyball in rec. in second grade and then once I got to fifth grade I started club volleyball,” Rose said. “Over the years I have definitely put in a ton of time and effort. Countless hours in the gym during the offseason, weight training, lessons during the season on the weekends, etc. During club season I have practice in Wichita three times a week. On Wednesday nights we go from 7-9 p.m., then on Saturdays and Sundays, we practice during the day for around three hours. On top of that, I have basketball, so once

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KATRINA DAVIS

tournaments start I get pretty busy. It gets very tiring, but I think the most important part is having the drive to keep going and to meet my goals. I started getting serious about volleyball in middle school. I ended up playing on two club teams, one my age and one an age group older than me, ever since then I have always played with older girls. My sophomore club season, I decided to join a more competitive club (Fight Club), so this is my second year with them.” Rose has gotten to enjoy the fruits of her labor culminating in last year’s team success. “Making it to state was very exciting especially since Smoky Valley hadn’t gone in a long time,” Rose said. “I know everyone on the team, especially the seniors, had been working for that point all four years and for us to finally reach that point was very exciting. For me, the part I will remember forever is the support. Our community came together and supported us so well. People who I didn’t even know would come up to me and tell me ‘good luck’ or ‘good job!’ It was just so amazing to see how many people we had behind us. I didn’t realize how many people we impacted, especially little kids. It’s something I will cherish forever.” Rose’s expectations during her senior season will be high, despite the graduation of a considerable amount of talent. “Obviously, we are going to be losing six seniors, so that will definitely affect us because of how essential they were to the team, but I am so excited for next season,” Rose said. “We are going to be pretty young, but I think that is what excites me most. I have been working with some soon-to-be freshmen and sophomores, and I have total confidence in them. We also have some really good soon-to-be seniors and juniors that will play a huge role. We aren’t going to be the same team, but I am confident that we will be able to pick up right where we left off.” Keegan McCullick Katrina Davis, Heritage Christian Senior setter Katrina Davis may have felt relatively old at times during her 2020 volleyball campaign, despite still being in high school. “I was a senior and our freshman team definitely impacted us because we had a lot of club players on the freshman level that came up and played varsity and we had five starting freshmen in every game,” Davis said. For most seniors, this would not be an ideal situation, that was not the case for Davis, however. While fellow senior Cassie Koellner put valuable time into the rotation, the Chargers and Davis were among the youngest teams in the state. Luckily, the group of underclassmen Davis played with as a senior were not a common group. Freshman Rachel Van Gorp, a name you’re likely not hearing for the last time, finished the season with 444 kills, while fellow freshmen Cy Rae Campbell added 269 kills and Maddie Wolf finished with 101. All the while, Davis was skillfully setting up the three sensational freshmen from her setter position, finishing the season with a staggering 870 assists. Heritage Christian rarely hit any snags during the 2020 season, finishing with a record of 30-8 and only one of their

Atkins photo by Kara Bruna

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

KASSIDY NIXON

losses coming from a classification not two sizes bigger than them, to eventual 1A-DI state runner-up Lebo. After a loss to Blue Valley Northwest on the third of October, the Chargers did not drop a game for the remainder of the season. Once they arrived at state, the Chargers quickly dispatched Hillsboro in two games, 25-16 and 25-21, then Alma-Wabaunsee 25-20 and 25-15, before their final pool play match in which they went into three games with Smith Center 25-23, 21-25, and 25-21. From there Heritage Christian rolled through, winning the semifinals against Wabaunsee 25-9 and 25-11 and moving on to play Smith Center again, who they ousted 25-21 and 25-14 to claim the 2020 2A state title. With Heritage Christian in talented hands for the years ahead, Davis is off to Viriginia Commonwealth, where she to play volleyball continue her education. Keegan McCullick Kassidy Nixon, Central Plains Central Plains won their second straight volleyball title in 2020 and in no small part because of junior standout Kassidy Nixon. The then junior dominated all season long, racking up 511 kills and 58 total blocks and shows no intentions of slowing down after the joy of winning her second championship. “It was a great feeling,” Nixon said. “We knew we had a great chance to win another one and we’re hoping to do the same thing (this fall) because we only lost three and we have a great group of freshman girls who are incoming sophomores...who have a lot of potential to help us out.” While the Oilers did play a tough schedule and hit a few bumps in the road, they finished their 32-11 season strong with 11 straight wins en route to their title. After defeating an extremely tough Lebo squad in three games 21-25, 25-21, and 25-17 they moved along in pool play with another three game match against St. John-Hudson 23-25, 25-12, and 25-15 before taking care of Pratt- Skyline in two games 25-17 and 25-16. In the semifinals, Central Plains again took care of St. John 25-22 and 25-19. They would again play the loaded Lebo squad in the finals, barely edging them out for the 1A-DI state title, 26-24 and 25-23. Central Plains continued their momentum into basketball season, eventually winning the state title with Nixon as a major part of the team. Nixon finished the basketball season with a foot injury that kept her in a boot for the first few weeks of the 2021 softball season, putting her toughness on display. Despite having to start softball season off in a boot, Nixon helped the combined Hoisington/Central Plains team to the 3A State Tournament where they posted a 12-1 win over Holcomb and then lost close contests with eventual champion Cheney, 4-2, and third place finisher Haven, 8-7. KM Ceegan Atkins, Hanover Hanover’s Ceegan Atkins is quickly becoming one of the best all-around athletes in the state. After just finishing her sophomore season, she was voted the best 1A-DII volleyball player in the state by the KVA, was voted all-state honorable

CEEGAN ATKINS

mention in basketball by the KBCA, and ended her track season with a gold medal in the 100 meter high-hurdles, third in the 300 hurdles, and also qualified in the open 100. While it is obvious Atkins all-around athleticism is unique, she arguably stands out the most on the volleyball court. The sophomore sensation cranked out considerable production as a hitter with 331 kills on 787 attacks, finishing with just under four per set. She also managed 53 blocks and 497 digs on the year. Big numbers are great, but Atkins ultimate goal is winning and she credits the coaching staff with helping the team to get to championship form. “Coming into the season my team and I set the goal of ending the season with a ring,” Atkins said. “Although we went through many obstacles, like losing a varsity setter to injury, which resulted in new rotations and many frustrating practices, our coaches were there to bring us together and remind us that in order to reach the goal we set for ourselves we would have to learn how to be strong mentally and emotionally, they taught us that we’d have to work together and be a team player which included controlling our emotions when things didn’t go our way.” The then sophomore’s talent and mental toughness were vital in helping vault the Wildcats record to 34-6 on the season and helped push them through to the state tournament. Once there, it was obvious Hanover was the team to beat, as they rolled through most opponents with large margins of victory. Despite her dominance, Atkins had a lot going on behind the scenes to deal with. “State was a little bit of a challenge for me,” Atkins said. “There were very few games my parents missed and right before leaving for Emporia my parents were quarantined and unable to attend state at all. That played a big factor in how I carried myself into the gym, but stepping onto the actual court for game time, the energy I received from not only my team and coaches, but from the crowd as well was beyond reassuring and feeling the support made the experience worth it and I know my parents were watching and cheering me on from home, as well as my sister, who was a senior helping me keep my mind clear and focused. It was amazing.” Hanover would eventually take gold in the tournament, defeating Attica by scores of 25-18 and 25-19. The Wildcats will be a favorite to repeat this fall, bringing back all six starters from their state championship squad. “The expectations held for this year are definitely higher than they were last year for the simple fact that our coaches have seen how hard we can work, how well we can click and how willing we are to do everything we can to win,” Atkins said. Find our cross country recap on the pages that follow and look for our volleyball recap in the near future.

Kansas

PREGAME

2020 Cross Country Recap

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

CROSS COUNTRY By Gallagher Martin, For Kansas Pregame Take a look back at the 2020 State Cross Country Championships with Gallagher Martin. 6A Boys: AUGUSTA —Class 6A came down to Lawrence Free State and Manhattan in the boys race, and despite a state-championship performance from Manhattan senior Daniel Harkin, Free State came out victorious as a team. The Firebirds scored 49 points to edge Manhattan’s 57 points. State was a two-team race as third-place Gardner-Edgerton scored 101 points. The top six finishers at state were all seniors. Free State was led by senior Ethan Sharp’s fourth-place finish at 16:39.49. The Firebirds had three top-10 performances as junior Benjamin Shryock placed seventh at 16:44.73, and senior Christopher Stone took 10th at 16:49.19. Junior Jack Keathley-Helms held his own with a 14th-place performance at 16:55.61, while senior Brock Cordova rounded out the top five in 33rd place with a time of 17:23.15. While Manhattan had firepower at the top with Harkin, the Indians could not match Free State’s depth. Harkin, who also won state last year as a junior, was Manhattan’s only finisher in the top 12. Junior Ben Mosier placed 13th for the Indians at 16:55.3. Junior Max Bowyer was Manhattan’s next highest finisher in 21st place at 17:06.23, and freshman Ethan Bryant was right behind him in 22nd place at 17:08.55. Senior Gavin Erickson rounded out Manhattan’s top five with a 29th-place finish at 17:18.57. Harkin won state by over 18 seconds. Senior Quenton Walion of Gardner-Edgerton finished as runner up with a time of 16:35.96, and Olathe North senior Logan Read took home the bronze at 16:38.00. Class 6A was held at Augusta-4 Mile Creek Resort instead of Rim Rock in Lawrence to help with social distancing. 6A Girls: AUGUSTA — Every point mattered in the Class 6A state meet in the girls race. Not much separated the top three teams. Olathe West ultimately won state with 59 points, runner-up Blue Valley Northwest finished a point behind at 60, and Olathe North was also in the thick of things at 63. Olathe West won state by placing its top five runners in the top 21. Sophomore Aubree Blackman led the Owls in fifth place with a time of 19:14.70. Freshman Kathryn Miller took 14th at 19:43.56, and junior Ava Wardlaw was right behind her in 15th place at 19:46.53. Freshman Bree Newport was also in the mix in 17th place at 19:50.37. Sophomore Charis Robinson rounded out Olathe West’s top five with a 21st-place performance at 20:05.11. Of the seven runners Olathe West sent to state, the top six will be back next year. In contrast, Blue Valley Northwest had a more veteran team, led by senior Riley Beach’s second-place performance at 18:42.25. Senior Carolyn Thurlby just missed out on the “Know the “Know the difference between having a difference Bank and being “Know the having a between part of one.” difference Bank and being between having a part of one.” Bank and being MEMBER FDIC part of one.”

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STATE CROSS COUNTRY 2021

BOYS CHAMPIONS:

6A: LAWRENCE-FREE STATE 5A: ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 4A: BUHLER 3A: SOUTHEAST OF SALINE 2A: BEREAN ACADEMY 1A: MEADE top 10 in 11th place at 19:36.11. In 16th place, junior Cecilia Fisher finished at 19:47.06. Fellow junior Alexis Liess was right behind Fisher in 18th place at 19:50.42. Rounding out Blue Valley Northwest’s top five was freshman Elliese Thurlby at 20:11.17. Olathe North placed two freshmen in the top 10, including state-champion Anjali Hocker Singh. Hocker Singh won by three seconds over Beach with a time of 18:39.16. The Eagles received a ninth-place performance from Shea Johnson, and junior Kaylee Tobaben placed 13th. Olathe North’s next highest finish was from junior Lydia McGlocklin in 23rd place. Individually, Hocker Singh and Beach went 1-2, while Shawnee Mission Northwest sophomore Paige Mullen rounded out the top three. Class 6A was held at Augusta-4 Mile Creek Resort instead of Rim Rock in Lawrence to help with social distancing. 5A Boys: AUGUSTA — Another year, another state championship for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys cross country team. Aquinas won its seventh straight state title in 2020. The last time a team other than Aquinas won state was Bishop Carroll in 2013. The Saints dominated Class 5A last fall by placing all five runners in the top 20. Aquinas scored 32 points compared to second-place St. James Academy’s 77. Mill Valley took home the third-place plaque with 84 points. Aquinas had two top-five runners in senior Thomas Hazen and junior Logan Seger, who took third and fourth respectively. Hazen crossed the finish line at 15:57.61, and Seger at 16:05.60. Junior Ashton Higgerson gave the Saints three top-10 placers by finishing seventh at 16:23.98. Senior Aidan Grantham (14th, 16:38.23) and junior Darren Mallot (20th, 16:49.32) rounded out Aquinas’ top five. St. James Academy did its best to keep up, as junior Elijah Moore took eighth at 16:27.04 and junior Jordan (Terry) Irvine placed 10th at 16:29.41. Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Erik Enriquez won state with a time of 15:43.90. Bishop Carroll junior Carson McEachern placed second at 15:51.84, Hazen and Seger took third and

GIRLS CHAMPIONS:

6A: OLATHE WEST 5A: MAIZE SOUTH 4A: BALDWIN 3A: SOUTHEAST OF SALINE 2A: STANTON COUNTY 1A: DONIPHAN WEST fourth, and De Soto senior Carson Sturdy rounded out the top five at 16:11.13. Class 5A was held at Augusta-4 Mile Creek Resort instead of Rim Rock in Lawrence to help with social distancing. 5A Girls: AUGUSTA — The Bishop Carroll girls placed two runners in the top three, but Maize South went home with the 2020 5A State Championship. The margin was razor thin as Maize South finished with 58 points and Bishop Carroll tallied 59. Blue Valley Southwest also brought home hardware, but they were a distant third with 105 points. Maize South won state by placing two runners in the top 10 and three in the top 11. Senior Alexa Rios led the way with a fifth-place performance at 19:19.49. Sophomore Bowi Sargent took 10th at 19:51.63, while junior Britton Kelly just missed out on the top 10 in 11th at 19:53.61. Junior Sage Pauly (21st, 20:18.17) and freshman Kennedy Mitchell (23rd, 20:31.17) did their part in helping Maize South capture state as well. Bishop Carroll received the majority of its points from state-champion Hope Jackson, and bronze-medalist Landon Forbes. Jackson, a junior, finished at 18:58.00, while the sophomore Forbes finished at 19:13.74. Bishop Carroll’s next highest finisher came from senior Cameron Pascal in 17th place at 20:13.74. Freshman Sofia Wendell (22nd, 20:30.27) and junior Ava Dugan (27th, 20:38.91) rounded out Bishop Carroll’s top five. For the second straight year, Mill Valley junior Katie Schwartzkopf took second place with a time of 19:04.16, while Andover junior Elizabeth Vetter took fourth at 19:17.64 to round out the top five. Class 5A was held at Augusta-4 Mile Creek Resort instead of Rim Rock in Lawrence to help with social distancing. 4A Boys: WAMEGO — The Buhler boys made it three state championships in a row in 2020 as the Crusaders won a tight battle over Bishop Miege and Winfield. Buhler finished with 75 points, led by a third-place performance from Tanner Lindahl with a time of 15:59.08. Bishop Miege freshman Micah Blomker took second at 15:56.97 to give the Stags 79 points, and Winfield was not too far behind with 81 points as the Vikings put three runners in the top 10.

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

Buhler had won its last two state championships by double digits, but this year’s race was much closer. Outside of Lindahl winning bronze, Buhler’s highest finisher came from freshman Kaden Lohrentz in 17th place at 17:32.07. A pack of Crusaders crossed the finish line not too far apart from each other. Sophomore Spencer Hines (22nd, 17:35.45), junior Hayden Keller (25th, 17:42.06), and sophomore Wyatt Bunce (26th, 17:43.70) rounded out Buhler’s top five. Miege placed four runners in the top 16. Blomker led the way, while senior Charles Hill placed 10th at 17:19.24, junior Zoran Rodriguez took 13th at 17:27.47, and junior Colin Batliner finished 16th at 17:31.96. Miege’s fifth runner, freshman Oliver Lafond, took 53rd with a time of 18:41.79. A pair of seniors and a sophomore led the way for Winfield. Seniors Craig Labrue (5th, 16:42.81) and Camilo Leos-Tarin (8th, 17:01.25), and sophomore Corban Priest (9th, 17:12.09) packed quite the punch for the Vikings. Sophomores Torrance Adnru and (36th, 18:16.04) and Mark Thompson (42nd, 18:26.83) rounded out the Winfield top five. Individually, Topeka Hayden junior Tanner Newkirk won state with a time of 15:53.32 after placing second last season. 4A Girls: WAMEGO — After finishing second at state in 2019, the Baldwin girls cross country team did one better in 2020 by winning the Class 4A State Championship. Baldwin won state with a comfortable lead over second-place Eudora, who was well ahead of third-place Louisburg. The Bulldogs captured first place with 39 points, as Eudora (60) and Lousiburg (100) could not keep up. The Bulldogs showed great depth by placing their top five runners in the top 17. Baldwin junior Riley Smith led the way by taking fifth place at 20:42.05. Fellow junior Jana Landreth also turned in a top-10 performance by taking ninth at 21:00.36. Senior Ambrynn Stewart (12th, 21:22.31), freshman Bailey Smith (16th, 21:29.35), and senior Lauren Russell (17th, 21:29.94) all contributed to Baldwin winning state. Second-place Eudora was led by a second-place performance from freshman Sydeney Owens. Owens, who finished at 20:09.70, was a distant second behind Chapman senior Taylor Briggs (18:18.96). Still, Owens turned in an incredible freshman season and will likely have Eudora competing for a state championship in the near future. Eudora will return most of the team it took to state next year. Junior Mackenzie Mayer took 11th at 21:19.94, junior Stella Whalen placed 21st at 21:40.63, and junior Maya Pattison finished 25th at 21:50.02. Eudora will lose senior Rachel Pratt, who rounded out the Eudora top five by placing 26th with a time of 21:56.23. After Briggs and Owens individually, Clearwater sophomore Hayley Trotter took third with a time of 20:22.36, Buhler senior Leah Bentley was fourth at 20:36.25, and Smith placed fifth. 3A Boys: WAMEGO — Two familiar faces stood atop the Class 3A boys cross country state meet in Wamego, and it was the juggernaut that is Southeast of Saline that went home with the championship. Southeast of Saline, seeking its third straight state title, scored 58 points to edge Smoky Valley’s 62 points to win state. Third-place finisher Scott Community finished with 100 points. Southeast of Saline was a heavy favorite to win state after returning its entire lineup from last year’s state-championship squad. Junior Dylan Sprecker, who won state individually last season, led the way for the Trojans by placing fourth with a time of 17:12.78. Senior Luke Gleason gaven the Trojans a much-needed

Page 21

second top-10 finish by placing 10th at 17:36.07. Sophomore Damion Jackson was also a key part of Southeast of Saline’s success by taking 15th place with a time of 17:46.01. Southeast of Saline’s next highest finisher came from senior Spencer Smith, who placed 36th at 18:22.14. Senior Andrew Hanson rounded out the Trojan top five with a 38thplace finish at 18:28.99. The Trojans were without Dominic Jackson, who placed fourth at state last year, due to an injury he sustained during the race. But the depth of the Trojans was enough to overcome a formidable challenge from Smoky Valley. Smoky Valley was led by a third-place performance from senior Ryan Heline, who finished at 16:35.97. Smoky Valley’s next highest finisher came from junior Lukas Apel, who was 17th at 17:48.22. Junior Justice Gardner (21st, 18:01.20), sophomore Tytus Reed (31st, 18:16.31), and senior Stephen Peterso (34th, 18:20.47) all did their part to help the Vikings ensure a second-place state plaque. Individually, Girard’s Cormick Logue won state with a time of 16:17.03. Logue won state last year in 4A, and when Girard dropped down to 3A, he did the same. Council Grove freshman Lakoddah Downes (16:35.15) took second, and Wichita Collegiate sophomore C.J. Meyer (17:15.25) took fifth. 3A Girls: WAMEGO — The Southeast of Saline girls won state just like their boys’ counterparts. According to Huey Counts in an article for the Salina Journal, it was the fourth time in school history the boys and girls won state in the same season. Like the boys, the SES girls were the favorites to win state after finishing second a season ago. The Trojans were led by junior Jentrie Alderson - last year’s state champion who took 7th with a time of 21:12.74. Alderson dealt with COVID-19 and mono illnesses during the season, but gave it her all at the state meet. Southeast of Saline’s next highest finisher came from sophomore Ashley Prochazka’s 22nd-place performance at 21:51.12. Junior Joni Schroeder took 31st at 22:12.04, junior Mallorie Pearson placed 42nd at 22:32.87, and freshman Sadie Franklin finished in 51st at 22:4795. Including freshman Brookelyn Adams, who placed 72nd at 24:09.72, Southeast of Saline will return its entire squad next year. The Trojans won state with 62 points. Scott Community took second with 78 points, and Cimarron rounded out the top three with 89 points. The top six runners at state all ran as individuals, although Colby and Minneapolis each had two runners in the top six. Colby senior Lara Murdock won state with a time of 19:36.80, followed by Southwestern Heights sophomore Ozia Trujillo (20:11.12), Colby freshman Kathie Chavez (20:41.49), Columbus sophomore Montana Ohmart (20:47.50), Minneapolis freshman Maddy Krueger (20:51.31), and Minneapolis sophomore Alayna Cossaart (21:09.06) rounded out the top six. Of the top 15 runners at state, only Murdock and Douglass’ Kendall Coombes (10th, 21:22.04) were seniors. 2A Boys: VICTORIA — A step up in classification did not slow down the Berean Academy boys cross country team in 2020. After winning the Class 1A state title in 2019, Berean handled the move to 2A by winning their second state title in as many years. Two top-10 performances and three individual medalists helped the Warriors to 54 points. After winning 2A last year, second-place Stanton County was not too far behind this year at 62 team points. McLouth rounded out the top three at 84.

Sophomore Andrew Harder led Berean with a fifth-place finish and a time of 16:47.5. He was joined in the top 10 by senior teammate Gavin Tucker, who took 10th at 17:04.0. Junior Eli Nord gave the Warriors a third medalist by placing 13th with a time of 17:06.4. Berean’s next highest finisher came from senior Andrew Janzen, who finished in 27th place at 17:32.3. Rounding out the Berean top five was Trey Topham in 41st place with a time of 18:01.0. Runner-up Stanton County did its best to repeat as champions. The Trojans received a third-place performance from sophomore Kamryn Golub, who finished at 16:24.6. Also medaling for Stanton County was junior Spencer Schmidt (12th, 17:04.9). Stanton County’s top five runners finished within the top 40 as junior Ryan Wenman (25th, 17:30.8), junior Colton Adams (34th, 17:45.5), and senior Cyle Peterson (40th, 18:00.8) rounded out the lineup. Individually, Trego Community senior Wyndom Giefer won state with a time of 16:09.2. He won state over Hoxie senior Gabriel Friess, who finished eight seconds later at 16:17.3. Jefferson County North Trevor Pentlin took fourth at 16:42.8 to join Giefer, Friess, Golub, and Harder in the top five. 2A Girls: VICTORIA — The Stanton County girls were the cream of the crop in 2A, riding sophomore state champion Chesney Peterson to the finish line en route to a team state championship. It was a perfect day for Peterson, who left the Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria as an individual state champion and as a member of the Class 2A State Championship team. Peterson finished with a time of 18:17.1 - nearly 15 seconds faster than the state runner up - to lead Stanton County to 48 points. Second-place Remington finished with 83 points, and Oakley was third at 108. Fellow sophomore Suzanne Farnham gave the Trojans a second top-10 finish in eighth place with a time of 20:02.6. Senior Peyton Peterson also medaleded individually for Stanton County, taking 12th place at 20:35.7. Freshman Madison Seyb was Stanton County’s next highest finisher in 24th place at 21:21.2, while senior Jania Don Juan rounded out the top five in 31st place at 21:48.3. The top 10 finishers in 2A were filled with underclassmen. After Peterson, a sophomore, won state, three seniors were close behind. Kansas City Christian senior Alysia Wagner (18:31.7), Ellinwood senior Erin Hammeke (18:58.4), and senior Emily Diercks (19:33.8) followed suit. West Elk junior Josie Ware took fifth at 19:38.6, but sixth through 10th place were all underclassmen. Additionally, of the top 20 finishers at state, 10 were either freshmen or sophomores. 1A Boys: VICTORIA — In the Class 1A boys state cross country championship, the race for second place was much closer than the race for first. Meade captured state at Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria with 30 points. La Crosse claimed second at 63, while Quinter picked up the third-place plaque with 70. The 2020 season may have been the beginning of a long run of success for Meade. The Buffaloes did not qualify a team for state in 2019, but an extremely talented freshman class made the difference in 2020. Meade’s top three finishers were freshmen, and four of its top five were underclassmen. The freshmen trio of Trent Roberts (12th, 17:28.5), Logan Keith (14th, 17:40.2), and Brock Keith (17th, 17:44.4) led the way for Meade. Vance Shewey (27th, 18:36.0) was the lone senior, while sophomore Kody Henson (59th, 19:54.8) rounded out the top five. In addition to Meade’s top five, junior Arron Orr (64th, 20:26.8) and freshman Orivn Dyck (71st, 21:23.8) will also be back next year to help the Buffaloes defend their title.

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

Page 22

Second-place La Crosse received a fifth-place performance from senior Blake Pierce (16:46.6), but its next highest finisher came from junior Will Rues in 32nd with a time of 18:49.8. Individually, Hutchinson-Central Christian senior Collin Oswalt won state with a time of 15:56.8 - the only sub-16 minute finish in any of the state’s three smallest classifications. He won state by 23 seconds, as state runner-up Caleb Eilert of St. John’s-Beloit/Tipton finished at 16:19.9. The top five finishers in 1A were all seniors, as Osborne’s Reagan Bales (16:42.3), Olpe’s Nolan Redeker (16:44.2), and Pierce rounded out the top five. 1A Girls: VICTORIA — In 2019, the Doniphan West girls won state over Berean Academy by one point and held off third-place finisher Lincoln by four points. Although the Mustangs did not run away with the title in 2020, they did hold a 12-point lead over Lincoln to capture their second straight state title convincingly. Doniphan West

scored 42 points, while Lincoln tallied 54 and Wichita Classical School placed third with 62 points. Doniphan West proved too tough to beat by turning in two top-five finishes. The duo of junior Elle Williams (second, 19:56.1) and sophomore Chloe Clevenger (fifth, 20:33.5) led the way for the Mustangs. Doniphan West was far from a two-runner team, as sophomore Claire Cole also medaled individually by taking 11th at 21:33.4. Two more sophomores - Alyson Gobin (45th, 24:51.8) and Lilly Clark (50th, 25:43.8) rounded out Doniphan West’s top five. Lincoln faced injuries during the regular season, and with a healthy team likely would have narrowed the gap with DW. The Leopards had the top runner in 1A in senior Jaycee Vath, who finished her career as a three-time state champion in 1A and 2A runner-up as a freshman. Vath, a Fort Hays State signee, won state this year by 37 seconds with a time

of 19:20.0. Junior Shelbie Ford placed 20th for Lincoln with a time of 22:14.4. Junior Raegen Stewart was not too far behind in 25th place at 22:47.5, while junior Alex Biggs rounded out the lineup for Lincoln - who only had four runners - in 47th place with a time of 25:29.8. This was the third straight top three finish for the Leopards, including the 2018 1A title. After Vath and Williams finished 1-2, Golden Plains freshman Emma Weiner placed third at 20:27.2.

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

Page 23

6A CROSS COUNTRY

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS CHAMPION: LAWRENCE FREE STATE

BOYS RUNNER-UP: MANHATTAN

MANHATTAN

GARDNER-EDGERTON

Logan Read

Lathe Cobb

Quenton Walion

Lathe Cobb

Daniel Harkin

Lathe Cobb

OLATHE NORTH

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Daniel Harkin Quenton Walion Logan Read Ethan Sharp Shane Mullen Riley Vandaveer Benjamin Shryock Andrew Mason Graham Miller Christopher Stone

Manhattan Gardner-Edgerton Olathe North Lawrence-Free State Shawnee Mission NW Olathe South Lawrence Free State Blue Valley Northwest Blue Valley West Lawrence Free State

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: BV NORTHWEST

GIRLS CHAMPION: OLATHE WEST

OLATHE NORTH

Paige Mullen

SM NORTHWEST

Lathe Cobb

Riley Beach

BV NORTHWEST

Lathe Cobb

Anjali Hocker Singh

16:17.18 16:35.96 16:38.00 16:39.49 16:40.18 16:40.98 16:44.73 16:48.44 16:49.03 16:49.19

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Anjali Hocker Singh Riley Beach Paige Mullen Jenna Keeley Aubree Blackman Gace Meyer Hannah Gibson Madeline Carter Shea Johnson Melody Ochana

Olathe North Blue Valley Northwest Shawnee Mission NW Manhattan Olathe West Shawnee Mission East Shawnee Mission South Washburn Rural Olathe North Olathe East

18:39.16 18:42.25 18:59.33 19:12.05 19:14.70 19:15.76 19:25.05 19:27.51 19:29.07 19:31.77

5A CROSS COUNTRY Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

BOYS CHAMPION: ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Page 24

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS RUNNER-UP: ST. JAMES ACADEMY

Kapaun Bishop Carroll St, Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas Aquinas De Soto Emporia St. Thomas Aquinas St. James Academy Andover Central St. James Academy

15:43.90 15:51.84 15:57.61 16:05.60 16:11.13 16:17.25 16:23.98 16:27.04 16:28.68 16:29.41

Erik Enriquez KAPAUN

Carson McEachern

Lathe Cobb

Erik Enriquez Carson McEachern Thomas Hazen Logan Seger Carson Sturdy Treyson True Ashton Higgerson Elijah Moore Brett Schoenhofer Jordan Irvine

Lathe Cobb

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Lathe Cobb

BISHOP CARROLL

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: BISHOP CARROLL

GIRLS CHAMPION: MAIZE SOUTH

18:58.00 19:04.16 19:13.74 19:17.64 19:19.49 19:27.55 19:28.01 19:43.13 19:53.61 19:53.63

Hope Jackson

BISHOP CARROLL

Katie Jo Schwartzkopf MILL VALLEY

Lathe Cobb

Bishop Carroll Mill Valley Bishop Carroll Andover Maize South KC Piper Valley Center Maize Maize South Maize South

Lathe Cobb

Hope Jackson Katie Schwartzkopf Landon Forbes Elizabeth Better Alexa Rios Grace Hanson Hannah Grover Zoie Ecord Britton Kelly Bowi Sargent

Lathe Cobb

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Thomas Hazen

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Landon Forbes

BISHOP CARROLL

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

4A CROSS COUNTRY Page 25

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS CHAMPION: BUHLER

BOYS RUNNER-UP: BISHOP MIEGE

TOPEKA HAYDEN

BISHOP MIEGE

Tanner Lindahl

Jessica Sprecker

Micah Blomker

Kevin Newkirk

Tanner Newkirk

Jessica Sprecker

BUHLER

GIRLS CHAMPION: BALDWIN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Tanner Newkirk Micah Blomker Tanner Lindahl Eli Gilmore Craig Labrue Sawyer Schmidt Cody Achilles Camilo Leos-Tain Corban Priest Charles Hill

Hayden Bishop Miege Buhler Tonganoxie Winfield Augusta McPherson Winfield Winfield Bishop Mieg

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: EUDORA

CHAPMAN

EUDORA

Hayley Trotter CLEARWATER

Jessica Sprecker

Sydney Owens

Jessica Sprecker

Taylor Briggs

15:53.32 15:56.97 15:59.08 16:38.93 16:42.81 16:55.39 16:58.76 17:01.25 17:12.09 17:19.24

1 Taylor Briggs 2 Sydney Owens 3 Hayley Trotter 4 Leah Bentley 5 Riley Smith 6 Adaline Fulmer 7 Kristi Chambers 8 Madison Rhamy 9 Jana Landreth 10 Lola Edwards

Chapman Eudora Clearwater Buhler Baldwin Wamego Tonganoxie Louisburg Baldwin Louisburg

18:18.96 20:09.70 20:22.36 20:36.25 20:42.05 20:54.94 20:58.58 20:58.88 21:00.36 21:02.56

3A CROSS COUNTRY Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

BOYS CHAMPION: SE OF SALINE

Page 26

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS RUNNER-UP: SMOKY VALLEY

Girard Council Grove Smoky Valley Southeast of Saline Wichita Collegiate Silver Lake Halstead Cimarron Lakin Southeast of Saline

16:17.03 16:35.15 16:35.97 17:13.78 17:15.25 17:26.80 17:33.08 17:33.50 17:36.05 17:36.07

Comick Logue

COUNCIL GROVE

GIRARD

GIRLS CHAMPION: SE OF SALINE

Lakoddah Downes

Jessica Sprecker

Comick Logue Lakoddah Downes Ryan Heline Dylan Sprecker C.J. Meyer Cameron Teneyck Thomas Porch Damion Santisteven Edwin Garcia Luke Gleason

Jessica Sprecker

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Jessica Sprecker

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: SCOTT COMMUNITY

19:36.80 20:11.12 20:41.49 20:47.50 20:51.31 21:09.06 21:12.74 21:17.24 21:20.94 21:22.04

Lara Murdock COLBY

Ozia Trujillo SOUTHWESTERN HEIGHTS

Jessica Sprecker

Colby Southwestern Heights Colby Columbus Minneapolis Minneapolis Southeast of Saline Council Grove Colby Douglass

Jessica Sprecker

Lara Murdock Ozia Tujillo Kathie Cahavez Montana Ohmart Maddy Krueger Alayna Cossaart Jentrie Alderson Jordyn Picolet Seanna Metcalf Kendall Coombes

Jessica Sprecker

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ryan Heline

SMOKY VALLEY

Kathie Chavez COLBY

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

2A CROSS COUNTRY Page 27

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS CHAMPION: BEREAN ACADEMY

BOYS RUNNER-UP: STANTON COUNTY

TREGO COMMUNITY

HOXIE

Kamyrn Golub

Courtesy Photo

Gabriel Friess

Hoxie Year book

Wyndom Giefer

Bree McReynolds-Baetz

Courtesy Photo

STANTON COUNTY

Rockers Photography

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

GIRLS CHAMPION: STANTON COUNTY

Wyndom Giefer Gabriel Friess Kamryn Golub Trevor Pentlin Andrew Harder Alfonso Rubio Joshua Howard Samuel Pyle Chayse McCulloug Gavin Tucker

Trego Community Hoxie Stanton County Jeff Co North Berean Academy Mission Valley Prairie Village Ellis Plainville Berean Academy

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: REMINGTON

STANTON COUNTY

Alysia Wagner KC CHRISTIAN

Erin Hammeke ELLINWOOD

Courtesy Photo

Shannon Meier

Bree McReynolds-Baetz

Courtesy Photo

Merwyn Snowbarger

Chesney Peterson

16:09.20 16:17.30 16:24.60 16:42.80 16:57.50 16:49.10 17:01.70 17:02.80 17:03.10 17:04.00

1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10

Chesney Peterson Alysia Wagner Erin Hammeke Emily Diercks Josie Ware Madelyn Russell Oona Nelson Suzanne Farnham Isabelle Pro Sydney Myers

Stanton County KC Christian Ellinwood Hoxie West Elk Ellis Bishop Seabury Stanton County Bishop Seabury Jeff County North

18:17.10 18:31.70 18:58.40 19:33.80 19:38.60 19:38.60 19:46.20 20:02.60 20:13.60 20:32.60

Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

Page 28

Lady Leopards Enjoy Unprecedented N DO19 Y OF 20 BRASS AU CL

“Run” of Success

Y LE 2018 1A Cross Country Runner-up, 20:13.5 2016 2A Cross Country, 5th Place, 21:12.65 2015 2A Cross Country, 9th Place, 20:52.15 2019 1A 800 Meter Run Champion, 2:24.15 2019 1A 400 Meter Dash Runner-up, 58.91 2018 2A 400 Meter Run Champion, 58.17 2018 2A 800 Meter Run Champion, 2:21.37 2017 2A 400 Meter Dash Champion, 58.78 2017 2A 800 Meter Run, 6th Place, 2:23.01 2016 2A 400 Meter Dash, 5th Place, 1:01.38 2016 2A 800 Meter Run, 3rd Place, 2:27.24 2016 2A 1,600 Meter Run, 5th Place, 5:30.14

Pictured (L-R): Aubry Donley, Jaycee Vath, Coach Steve Crist, Raegen Stewart, Shelbie Ford

2018 1A Cross Country Champions

Jaycee Vath, 1st Place, 19:47.7 • Aubry Donley, 2nd Place, 20:13.5 Raegen Stewart, 8th Place, 21:26.3 • Shelbie Ford, 9th Place, 21:31.6

Pictured (L-R): Alex Biggs, Jaycee Vath, Shelbie Ford, Raegen Stewart

2019 1A State Track Runner-up

TH VFA2021 O EE SS YCLA JA C

2020 1A State Cross Country Runner-up

2019 1A State Cross Country Third Place

2021 1A 3,200 Meter Run Champion, 11:26.48 2021 1A 1,600 Meter Run Runner-up, 5:28.70 2020 1A Cross Country Champion, 19:20 2019 1A Cross Country Champion, 19:11.33 2018 1A Cross Country Champion, 19:47.7 2017 2A Cross Country Runner-up, 19:40.7 2019 1A 1,600 Meter Run Champion, 5:23.81 2019 1A 3,200 Meter Run Champion, 11:27.53 2019 1A 800 Meter Run, 4th Place, 2:28.58 2018 2A 1,600 Meter Run, 3rd Place, 5:24.45 2018 2A 3,200 Meter Run, 3rd Place, 11:41.59

2019 3,200 Meter Relay Champions, 10:03.22 (Jaycee Vath, Shelbie Ford, Raegen Stewart, Aubry Donley) Raegen Stewart: 2019 1A 3,200 Meter Run, 5th Place, 12:23.73 Shelbie Ford: 2019 1A 3,200 Meter Run, 7th Place, 12:35.10

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Kansas Pregame Spring Yearbook 2021

1A CROSS COUNTRY Page 29

CROSS COUNTRY 2020

BOYS CHAMPION: MEADE

BOYS RUNNER-UP: LA CROSSE

Central Christian St. John Hudson Osborne Olpe La Crosse Holton-Jackson Heights Logan Fowler Canton-Galva Pratt-Skyline

15:56.80 16:19.90 16:43.20 16:44.20 16:46.60 16:49.70 17:06.10 17:09.10 17:12.90 17:20.60

Collin Oswalt

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN

Caleb Eilert

ST. JOHN’S-BELOIT/TIPT

Jaycee Vath LINCOLN

Courtesy Photo

19:20.00 19:56.10 20:27.20 20:33.40 20:33.50 20:59.60 21:03.30 21:06.30 21:23.30 21:29.10

OSBORNE

Courtesy Photo

Shannon Meier

Courtesy Photo

Lincoln Doniphan West Golden Plains Olpe Doniphan West Beloit-St. John’s Colony-Crest Pretty Prairie Macksville Ingalls

Reagan Bales

GIRLS RUNNER-UP: LINCOLN

GIRLS CHAMPION: DONIPHAN WEST

1 Jaycee Vath 2 Elle Williams 3 Emma Weiner 4 Macy Smith 5 Chloe Clevenger 6 Jane Letourneau 7 Ursula Billings 8 Abigail White 9 Madison Butler 10 Courtney Bailey

Robin Bales

Collin Oswalt Caleb Eilert Reagan Bales Nolan Redeker Blake Pierce Daniel Little Sam Pinkerton Elijah Zortman Morgan Becker Jackson Wallace

The Beloit Call

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Courtesy Photo

Huey Counts

Courtesy Photo

Elle Williams DONIPHAN WEST

Emma Weiner

GOLDEN PLAINS