Kansas Pregame Winter Edition 2022

The home-field advantage starts here.

The home-field advantage starts

here.

Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine is proud to be the sports medicine provider to area high schools and colleges.

Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine is proud to be the sports medicine provider to area high schools and colleges.

We offer comprehensive care that includes education to prevent sports injuries, sports performance, and the healing and preservation of damaged joints through surgery and rehabilitation.

We offer comprehensive care that includes education to prevent sports injuries, sports performance, and the healing and preservation of damaged joints through surgery and rehabilitation.

Our team of physicians include Dr. Matthew Pyle, Sports Medicine Physician and orthopedic surgeons Drs. Travis Rump and Todd Reilly. They provide specialty sports medicine care, whether it’s general sports medicine such as treating sports injuries, ultrasound guided joint injections, nutrition, concussion management or surgery. Plus, an A-team including certified athletic trainers and physical therapists who work with athletes at every level.

Our team of physicians include Dr. Matthew Pyle, Sports Medicine Physician and orthopedic surgeons Drs. Travis Rump and Todd Reilly. They provide specialty sports medicine care, whether it’s general sports medicine such as treating sports injuries, ultrasound guided joint injections, nutrition, concussion management or surgery. Plus, an A-team including certified athletic trainers and physical therapists who work with athletes at every level.

At school, on the field or in our clinic, Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine has everything you need to get back in the game and keep you in the game.

At school, on the field or in our clinic, Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine has everything you need to get back in the game and keep you in the game.

520 S. Santa Fe, Ste. 400 | Salina, KS | salinaregionalsportsmedicine.com | 785-452-7366

520 S. Santa Fe, Ste. 400 | Salina, KS | salinaregionalsportsmedicine.com | 785-452-7366

Kelsey Wilson, ATC McPherson College

Shelby Barrett, ATC Salina Central High School

Abe Noll, ATC Smoky Valley High School and Southeast of Saline High School

Evan Bowers, ATC Salina South High School

Matthew Pyle, D.O. Sports Medicine Physician

Kelsey Wilson, ATC McPherson College

Shelby Barrett, ATC

Salina Central High School

Abe Noll, ATC

Smoky Valley High School and Southeast of Saline High School

Evan Bowers, ATC Salina South High School

Matthew Pyle, D.O. Sports Medicine Physician

It’s been a trying offseason for the winter sports community in Kansas. Several coaches, athletes, and family members suffered devastating accidents and/or fell victim to untimely deaths just in 2022. For fear of leaving anyone out, or forcing family and friends to reopen wounds that may just be starting to heal, I’ll opt not to try to make a comprehensive list in this column. Those closest to each incident know the details and mourn the losses while family members work to pick up the pieces.

As so often happens when tragedy hits, people are left searching for answers. We want to know how to approach those closest to the situation with offers of help while respecting the need to mourn.

In a small rural state like Kansas a lack of anonymity can be a blessing, and a curse.

It’s a blessing when an entire community can rally to help a neighbor in need. I’ve seen it time and again when small farmers are hit with a serious accident in the middle of harvest. Local emergency service personnel will find it a test to mobilize as fast as a fleet of combines rushing to help a neighboring farmer in need of help getting the crop to the elevator It’s a curse when a person just wants to be left alone to mourn in private.

And for those invested in the community, who want to help, the answer is seldom clear how to best approach the situation. The answer? Let your heart guide you. Put yourself in that person’s shoes. Think how you would want to be treated. You can seldom go wrong with “The Golden Rule”.

But perhaps most importantly just be there and be ready. If a person close to the situation, who clearly has a connection to the family, hosts a fundraiser, donate your time, or money, or both. If a meal train, or card shower, or clean-up day is held, get on board. If someone calls and needs someone to listen...don’t talk...just listen!

The most challenging circumstance to navigate is often that first meeting in public. Do I talk to them? Do I put my head down? The answer is likely somewhere in-between. Don’t jump in their path and stop them from getting where they’re going, but don’t ignore them. Smile, project warmth. If they offer to stop and talk, express your concern. If they don’t, be ready the next time. There are a lot of people in our close-knit sports community that need healing. Just know that we are thinking of you, and we’re ready if you need us!

Staff Writer: Keegan McCullick Layout and Design: John Baetz & Becky Rathbun Ad Design: Becky Rathbun

Contributing writers: Brian Thomas, Montgomery County Chronicle/Prairie Star; Conor Nicholl

Contributing photographers: Heather Kindall, HeatherKindallPhotography.com; Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Acknowledgments: With a project of this size and scope we can’t possibly thank all the contributors individually, but a special “Thank You!” goes out to the photographers, school administrative assistants, athletic directors, coaches and parents who helped us provide complete coverage. And a special salute to the advertising sponsors who make this publication possible.

Mail inquiries to kansaspregame@gmail.com, or, Kansas Pregame, PO Box 186, Lincoln, KS 67455

Publication date: Volume 4, December 1, 2022

Find back issues online at www.issuu.com/1660publishing, or, find a list of free Kansas Pregame print distribution locations and links to the current digital edition at www.kansaspregame.com.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

The 2022 Winter cover shoot was photographed by Heather Kindall at Rolling Hills Zoo in front of the new “Pride of the Prairie” exhibit. This new exhibit doubles the size of the lions’ original outdoor yard and includes a massive visitors’ cave, a new indoor habitat and additional off-exhibit housing.

John Baetz & Bree McReynolds-Baetz, Publishers Co-owners of Sixteen 60 Publishing Co., publishers of Kansas Pregame Football Magazine, Kansas Pregame Winter Edition and Kansas Pregame Spring Edition.

JOHN BAETZ PUBLISHER

SUPPORTING CAST

participate. Josh has helped sponsor kids to attend camp, he comes in to explain rules, and volunteers his time to various organizations related to our youth.”

Biera also serves as a board member of the Western Kansas Community Founda tion, on the Alumni Board of Directors at Fort Hays State University, and as a mem ber on the Kansas Advisory Board for the Real Men Real Leaders program, of which he is also a “founding father.” If that’s not enough, he is also on the Department of Public Safety advisory board at Garden City Community College, and is a Grand Knight with the Knights of Columbus.

Biera is a truly dynamic individual, but keeps his family, his career, and his favor ite sport at the top of his list.

Josh Biera, Garden City

Lieutenant Josh Biera has worn a number of hats in addition to the standard issue dark blue campaign hat of a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper. The same year as his graduation from Atwood High School in 1988, Biera added the black stripes and whistle of a high school wrestling official to his wardrobe while attending Dodge City Community College as a wrestling student-athlete, and later doing the same at Fort Hays State University.

After graduating from FHSU in 1992, Biera joined the Norton Police Department, serving the northwest Kansas community from 1993 to 1999, before joining the KHP as a Trooper stationed in Garden City.

Biera has exhibited a passion for serving, not just as a valued member of the law enforcement community for the last 30 years, but also as an important contributor supporting wrestling in Kansas.

“I believe that working as a wrestling offi cial, as well as a Kanas Trooper, both have their benefits,” Biera said. “They both put one in the public eye and there is minimal room for error. They both demand an indi vidual to be professional, courteous and demonstrate a high level of integrity.”

And his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Josh is not only a great wrestling official, but an even better person,” Garden City High School wrestling coach Carlos Prieto said. “He truly cares about the sport of wrestling, but cares more about kids that

“Both (law enforcement and officiating) are a call of service as well as a commit ment of one’s time,” Biera said. “I have enjoyed being able to serve the citizens and young athletes of Kansas, as well as a number of individuals from around the country. I would encourage everyone to be part of something that is bigger than yourself.”

Jeff Ramsey, Hugoton

For a head coach, there are few things more important than good assistant coach es. For Hugoton’s Emmanuel Adigun, he has that, and more, in Jeff Ramsey.

“It is obvious that we have had some extremely talented players come through our program over the last 10 years, but one constant is our assistant coach, Jeff Ramsey,” Adigun said. “Coach Ramsey has been a Farm Bureau agent in Hugoton for close to 30 years. His journey with the program began as just a fan, watching his daughters play for the Lady Eagles. Over his daughters playing career, Jeff watched his girls compile a record of around eight wins and 74 losses.”

Ramsey decided to join the Andy Gil len-led staff after that stretch, starting during the 2012-13 season. Since joining the team the Eagles have gone 192-47 with eight state tournament appearances, six final four appearances, and two state championships.

Ramsey does much of his work behind the scenes. Little was said about the women’s program in years prior to his involvement,

leading Ramsey to reach out to numerous media outlets – including Kansas Pregame – to pro mote the program and its resurgence. He’s also a long-time member of the Eagle Booster Club and sponsors a number of youth programs in the community.

“Coach Ramsey has always provided a positive attitude and shows up everyday with great enthu siasm, patience, positive energy, and genuine love for every player in our program,” Adigun said. “He is most known for having everything the girls need at all times.”

Quinter’s Young Officials

Quinter High School seniors Preston Havlas, Zayne Beckner, and Braden Polifka’s involvement with sports goes beyond just playing them, with the trio in the process of becoming multi-sport of ficials as part of coach John Crist’s “Intro to Sports Officiating” class.

“Braden and Preston have both officiated two nights of junior high basketball (so far),” Crist said. “Braden actually went to Hill City because they were short on officials. Zayne will officiate in December for us at one of our home junior high games. It is really neat to see these kids step up and do this class and give back to the sports they all play. It has been an eye-opening experience for them learning all the things that officials need to do to officiate. All of them have said they plan on officiating next year while they are in college.”

Crist also has six girls that have gone through the volleyball modules over the fall and are now work ing on basketball modules: Anna Briggs, Cashlyn Kvasnicka, Caybrie Kvasnicka, Paige Bell, Tatum Holthus, and Bryton Mesch. As part of the class they each have to referee at least one game with veteran officials to get the ball rolling.

“Toby Countryman, our high school principal, ap proached me last spring about teaching the class,” Crist said. “The RefReps curriculum takes the kids through all the rules and mechanics of each sport through videos and quizzes. The kids will not be certified once they complete the course, they will still need to register with KSHSAA next fall, but it gives them a huge step in learning the rules and mechanics of the sports they want to officiate. The class has been a huge success and I’m anxious to see where it leads these kids going forward.”

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Kansas Pregame & Nex-Tech Wireless are joining forces to recognize the individuals behind the scenes who help youth and high school sports programs achieve success. Administrators, team managers, assistant coaches, booster club members & more.

PROUD Hometown

sophomore Will Donley has already made a big impact on the mat for the Bearcats with a third place finish at regionals, posting a win at state (with his two state losses by one point and two points in OT), and finishing his freshman season with a 34-10 record, already establishing himself as one of the top young wrestlers in 321A.

EHS wrestling coach Steve Thor burn had plenty positive to say about Donley, calling the sopho more “polite, dedicated, and smart,” and emphasizing his work ethic, on and off the mat.

“He is a hard worker and a well-rounded kid in the classroom, outside of school, and on the mat. He is involved in football, wrestling, and FFA. Will also helps his dad on their cattle ranch. I am looking for ward to watching how he continues to improve.”

The freshman also saw time on the varsity football special teams, helping the Bearcats to one of the best seasons in school history and performing well against one of the best teams in 2A in tough conditions in a second round playoff game.

“He is a great kid,” football coach Josh Homolka said. “Works very hard. Came in at Kingman in the rain and long snapped and was per fect. He will do whatever is needed for the team.”

After the volleyball season she was selected to the All-Northern Plains League team for her strong play at the net for a Leopard team that went 18-15 overall and 8-4 in the NPL, good for a fifth place finish in the 13-team league. On the bas ketball court she earned honorable mention All-NPL as a sophomore in 2021. She also finished third in clean and sixth in squat at the April KEMFA Powerlifting Championship.

Head basketball coach Jenna Far ris said Obermueller’s impact on the court is more than just her hustle, defense, and imposing 5-10 frame.

“Avery is one of our vocal leaders on the team,” Farris said. “She en courages her teammates to work hard and pushes everyone to do their best on the court. We’re ex pecting big things from her this year.”

Outside of sports Obermueller is also a member of STUCO, FFA, and takes part in school plays, and beyond the classroom she works as a babysitter, on the family farm, and as a Nex-Generation Round-up for Youth intern for hunting dog breeder and trainer, Setter Dogs.

She is a varsity member of the vol leyball, basketball, and track teams, and earned first team All-League honors for the recently completed volleyball season.

“Jordan has high expectations for herself and is willing to put in the work to reach those goals, but she never forgets to have fun along the way,” Minneapolis volleyball coach Julie McCullick said. “Not only is she a great role model for our younger players, but she is also a teammate who brings a positive energy to the gym and the weight room.”

But her biggest impact can’t be found on the stat sheet.

“Jordan is very active in our school community”, Minneapolis girls’ bas ketball coach Bryan Weatherman said. “She is a great role model for all around her, and has leadership skills that get those around her to be successful.”

Off the court she is a member of National Honor Society, STUCO, Dance Team, FCA Leadership Team, and Art Club. And if that’s not enough, she also works as a CNA, helps with harvest at the elevator, officiates junior high volleyball, and helps with camps and officiates for the local rec. commission.

Lincoln senior Lilly Sinclair is known for going the extra mile, whether that’s in her role as a stu dent, or as an athlete.

A member of the volleyball, bas ketball and track and field teams she is a multi-season starter and varsity letterwinner for the Leopards. She earned third place All-Northern Plains League honors in volleyball for her recently completed senior campaign as the Leopards finished the season 18-15 overall and went 8-4 in the NPL, good for fifth place in the 13-team league. She also placed third in squat and sixth in clean in the 132-pound class at the KEMFA State Powerlifting Champi onships in April where she helped the LHS girls to a runner-up finish. She also utilizes her high energy as a member of the cheerleading squad and was chosen the LHS Homecoming Queen earlier this fall. She is a standout student and member of the National Honor So ciety as well.

“Lilly is a hard worker, not only on the court, but in the classroom,” basketball coach Jenna Farris said. “Younger girls look to her for guid ance as she is a fantastic leader. She does an outstanding job of helping players who are struggling with a drill or play. She was our leading scorer last year and I’m ex cited for her senior year.”

Homewood is a versatile multi-sport athlete who plays key roles on the basketball court, football field, and baseball diamond for the Mustangs. Last basketball season he aver aged 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore on a team that went 17-3 after a loss to league rival Lakeside in the second round of a sub-state that featured the top three teams in the NPL. This fall Homewooed started at quarterback for the Mustang’s 7-3 squad and led the team to a 30-22 win over St. Francis in the playoffs, rushing for 139 yards and three TDs and adding another score on a 71-yard kickoff return.

“Lane started 19 games for us last year as a sophomore,” head bas ketball coach Jeff Starkey said. “He brings versatility to our team both offensively and defensively. He has a good feel for the game and we are looking for him to help lead the team this year.”

Lane is also active off the court where he is a member of the high school choir, played a supporting role in the recent production of Disney’s “High School Musical, Jr.”, is a past member of the 3.5-3.9 Honor Roll, and serves as a mem ber of the wait staff at Flyboy’s in Sylvan Grove.

Hometown Proud Student-Athletes, brought to you by Citizens State Bank and Trust Company with locations in Ellsworth, Lincoln, Delphos, Glasco and Minneapolis.

Ellsworth

AVERY OBERMUELLER

Lincoln

Becky Rathbun

Avery Obermueller is a senior at Lincoln High School and a key member of the volleyball, basket ball, and track teams where she is a multi-season starter and varsity letterwinner.

WILL DONLEY Ellsworth USD 327

LILLY SINCLAIR Lincoln

Becky Rathbun

Minneapolis High’s Jordan Peck is a dynamic student-athlete and valuable member of the school and community.

JORDAN PECK Minneapolis

Submitted

Photo

Sylvan-Lucas junior Lane

LANE HOMEWOOD

Sylvan-Lucas

Jessica Rhudolph

Hometown Proud features by Keegan McCullick

The Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office recently an nounced the winners of its “SAFE Speaks” competition.

SAFE, an acronym for Seatbelts Are For Everyone, is a free, student-led program for middle and high school stu dents focusing on peer-to-peer promotion of traffic safety.

The “SAFE Speaks” competition invited high school se niors across Kansas to choose a traffic safety topic and create a brief virtual presentation to share with their com munities. Participants selected topics such as distracted driving, seatbelt use, drunk driving, and inexperienced drivers. The presentations were judged by a panel of safety professionals.

“We were impressed with the quality of the presenta tions given,” said SAFE Program Specialist Johnny Lang. “The students did a lot of research and gave facts, along with telling personal stories of crashes that have already affected their lives.”

Scholarship totaling $5,500 were awarded to the win ners. The top five students received a $1,000 scholarship from the Kansas Sheriffs Association. One additional student received a $500 scholarship from the Kansas

BE SAFE: Seatbelts Are For Everyone!

Juvenile Officers Association.

The $1,000 scholarship winners are: Georgia Combs, Campus High School; Jenna Smith, Olpe High School; Jadynn Doyle, Holton High School; Makenna Broyles, Olpe High School; and Ava Mayginnes, Southeast of Saline High School. The $500 scholarship winner is Addie Struckhoff, Stockton High School.

Each winner was recognized at the Kansas Teen Transportation Safety Conference held in early November in Wichita.

Through education, rewards, and enforcement, SAFE highlights the importance of wearing a seatbelt, driving alert, and following traffic laws with the goal of decreas ing the number of teen injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes. The program is available in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Iowa.

For more information on SAFE, and other traffic safety programs in Kansas, visit ktsro.org.

Produced in partnership with the KTSRO and SAFE, senior photos submitted by scholarship winners

ADDIE STRUCKHOFF

Kansas Students Talk Traffic Safety, Win Scholarships

AVA MAYGINNES

GEORGIA COMBS

MAKENNA BROYLES

JENNA SMITH

JADYNN DOYLE

Win a signed KU Jayhawk

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By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Are you the world’s biggest fan of the KU Jayhawks?

Have you ever dreamed of owning a piece of their unparalleled basketball history? Well Theatre Salina wants to give you a chance to own multiple pieces of that rich history thanks to the generous donation from retired lawyer and sports memorabilia collector, Robert Jones.

“I had a case that involved a card collection,” Jones said of his entry into the world of sports memorabilia

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collecting. “As I discussed his collection with the client we opened a box of cards. I was hooked. From that point I became an avid collector but there was no focus, I just bought anything and everything.”

But after several years exploring the hobby, Jones began to narrow his sites to specific types of memorabilia and cards.

Valued at over $25,000!

Tickets are $100 for one ticket entry into raffle.

history.

In all, the collection includes 25 basketballs from the years 1996 through 2022. During that span the Jayhawks boasted two NCAA championship teams, two NCAA National Runners-Up, and two NCAA Final Four, five Elite Eight, and four Sweet 16 qualifying teams.

In total, 46 players who signed the basketballs went on to NBA careers, with 11 of them currently still playing. It also includes the signatures of Hall of Fame coaches Bill Self and Roy Williams, as well as Celtics’ legend Paul Pierce.

of the Top 10 All-Time KU Scoring Leaders

KU Retired Jersey Players

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“This was in 1984 and 1985 (when I started collecting) and over time I started developing a focus, collecting mainly baseball cards and memorabilia. Then in 1996 I started collecting the basketballs. Having been a KU fanatic since I was a teenager, after that first ball, I got the team signed balls every year. When I turned 70, after collecting for around 35 years, I began selling things. When I thought about, however, selling my KU basketballs, I did not want to break them up and I decided to donate them, which I did during the summer of 2022.”

www.salinatheatre.com | 785.827.6126

Joel Embiid, Kirk Hinrich, Andrew Wiggins, Scott Pollard, and 2022 National Champions Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji are just a few of the signatures featured on this incredible collection.

Tickets to enter the raffle are $100 each and the basketballs are on display in the lobby at Theatre Saline, and on MainStage shows and events. Ticket sales will end at Dancing with Salina Stars 2023 late next summer, or when sales reach 1,000. The winner will receive the entirety of this unique compilation of Kansas basketball

ROBERT JONES

“I donated my collection of KU bas ketballs to Theater Salina because I hoped there were KU fanatics out there like me who would want to keep this collection,” Jones said.

“The balls are all sequential from 1996 through the 2022 Final Four.”

Another benefit of the collection is the legwork Jones has already done for any collector or die-hard KU fan. A timespan that ranges from the final year of the Big Eight to last year’s iteration of the Big 12 Conference in the twilight years of Texas and Oklahoma’s membership. Through that time, the Hawks won 20 regular season conference titles and 11 Big 12 Tournament champion ships.

“By acquiring these balls through this raffle one saves the time, patience and cost of assembly and can acquire the ability to keep it growing on into the future,” Jones

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basketball collection

said. “It also gives the Theater revenue to apply to its continued growth.Theatre Salina operates from ticket sales but most people would be surprised at how much it depends on donations from the community. Without those contributions the theater could not survive economically.”

Theatre Salina is a non-profit organization “whose mission is to create live theatre to inspire, educate, and entertain.”

With its origins in 1960, 13 years before the opening of the current location on Iron Avenue was completed in 1973, the organization has provided opportunity for countless children and adults to take participate in, and enjoy, quality live theatre.

A particularly unique facet of Theatre Salina is the opportunity it provides for Salina’s youth and adults to engage their love of the performing arts. The Center for Theatre Arts provides classes ranging from theater, to vocal music, to dance, and is the only performing arts academy between Topeka and Denver.

“For a theatre like ours, one that creates everything you see on our stages, donations of this kind are transformative,” Executive Director of Salina Theatre Michael Spicer said. “They allow us to take huge strides into the future, and expand our capacities to entertain our audiences and educate our students.”

When asked about how he could let such an amazing collection go, Jones didn’t have to think twice.

“As a person who has been involved with the theater since 1979 – on its board numer ous times – and thus knowledgeable about its economic realities, what I have done is a small effort to help meet these needs. If we can sell all 1,000 tickets that money will supply a small part of the need. I told someone who asked me a similar question this: ‘I loved the KU Jayhawks since I was a child, but I love the Salina Theatre and what it has done and will do in the future, more.’ The sale of the basketballs and the money raised from its sale will provide a much greater good to Salina, its children and to the promotion of the arts, than anything else I can do.”

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at Keegan3434@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @KeeganM_KPG.

Waconda Lakers: Small town girls, big time hoops

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Since 2010, the Waconda Lakers have been a staple in North Central Kansas women’s basketball, helping small town girls gain recog nition, and potentially scholarships, in a region far from the state’s big cities which play host to numerous summer traveling teams.

The brains behind the Lakers program is Todd Clover, a resident of Cawker City, long-time Beloit-area Farm Bureau agent, and passionate hoops fan, who focuses significant amounts of time and resources to the benefit of small-town basketball players in the region.

Since their inception, Clover’s Lakers program has sent 37 girls on to college on basketball scholarships with 21 different programs. In an era where kids have more demands on their time than ever, Clover works to keep the kids close to their home base, makes sure to consider their roles within their high school programs, and tries to save their parents some money on gas.

“I do NOT want someone to not be able to play because of money,” Clover said. “So there is no cost to be on the Lakers. I pay for uniforms, registration, and individual workouts. Only cost to parents is travel.”

This year’s roster consists of seniors Trinity Lutters of Osborne, Maile Hrabe of Smith Center, Keeli Knobbe of Sylvan-Lucas, Lauren Whelchel of Rock Hills, juniors Kylee Hahn of Hoisington, Kamryn Rietzke of Thunder Ridge, Shea Wurtz of Clifton-Clyde, sophomore Maggie Labertew of Sylvan-Lucas, and freshman Sevy Wurtz of Clifton-Clyde.

“We do not put focus on playing games but more on skill development,” Clover said. “We do individual skill workouts to improve as a player. The current four seniors have done a combined 160 workouts with me since they were freshmen. The key is they do the workouts themselves most days of the week. This is where the improvement as a player comes during the offseason, working on skills.”

The focus on skills has paid off in a number of ways, including during the height of the COVID pandemic, when they were still able to spend that spring and summer in the gym doing individual workouts. The emphasis has also paid off on the Mid-America Youth Basketball (MAYB) circuit.

“At the national tournament this past summer in OKC with hundreds of teams and thousands of players, two Lakers swept the individual skills contests,” Clover said. “Shelby Siebold won the ‘Hot Shot’ competition and got second in the skills competition. Trinity Lutters got first in the skills competition and second in the ‘Hot Shot’ contest. I told the girls after the tournament that we were the most skilled team at the tournament where we went 3-0 in pool play, got a bye, and lost in overtime in the quarterfinals. It showed at the nationals, the work the girls have put in over the last three to four years.”

The Lakers keep records of 16 different skills that have been done since the program started, allowing current players to compare themselves to other elite NCK girls over the years.

“When someone breaks one of the records we call the player who held the record to let them know they are now in second place,” Clover said. “The current players are excited to see they can do as well, if not better, than players that went on to college and became All-Conference, or All-American.”

The Lakers polished skills don’t just turn heads in individ ual contests though, with one particularly notable athlete paying attention several years back at a tourney in Hays.

“I noticed during the second half this young group of girls stopped to watch us play,” Clover said. “I could see that

they were from SW Kansas from their uniforms. I remember thinking at the time it was nice for them to stop and watch the Lakers. Several years later the coach of that team told me that they watched us play and said we want to play for that team. Well they do now because it was Trinity Lutters and her mom that stopped to watch us play and Trinity will be a four-year Lakers player.”

Lutters moved from South Gray after eighth grade and averages just under 20 points a game over her three-year career at Osborne. She has led the Bulldogs to two state berths playing for her mother, head coach Trina Lutters. Much of the success she credits to Clover’s program.

“I am just thankful to be a part of a group that loves to work as hard as me,” the younger Lutters said. “Through the years I have done individual workouts with my coach, Todd. The skill development that I have seen from myself and my teammates is amazing. I am so blessed to have a team and coach that believes in what I do and works with me to achieve my dreams.”

Lutters is one of two current Lakers committed to play college ball, with Sterling, one of the top NAIA programs in the Midwest, her future destination.

Another senior in the program, Keeli Knobbe, is coming off an All-State season during which she averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists for Sylvan-Lucas Unified.

“I feel like Todd has done a great job with bringing area girls together and working with them individually to help improve skills,” Knobbe said. “He has a great basketball IQ and really has us all on a great regimen to take our game to the next level. I also love working with the team over the summer. I’ve created so many new friendships that I probably wouldn’t have made without coming together for our basketball tournaments.”

Knobbe pointed out Clover’s support of his players isn’t just limited to the court either.

“Todd always has some fun meals planned for us after games and we’ve created some great memories. Todd supports

us through everything we do. I don’t know too many coaches who take the time to come to all of our events like volleyball or musicals. He’s created something like a family, of course the girls have a passion for basketball, but we’ve all found out we have other things in common. I’m so thankful to be a part of this team and appreciate how hard Todd works just so we better ourselves and gain experience over the summer.”

Knobbe’s Sylvan-Lucas teammate, Maggie Labertew, was a spark plug off the bench for the Lady ‘Stangs last season, and will pair together this season to make one of the better guard duos in the Northern Plains League.

“Our sophomore will be Maggie Labertew of Sylvan Grove, who is ready for a breakout year for the Mustangs after a good summer of workouts and playing seven games filling in for the Lakers,” Clover said. “She is now a full-time Laker!”

Thunder Ridge junior Kamryn Rietzke, who Clover had worked with prior to her becoming a Laker, missed a majority of her sophomore season with a knee injury and focused on physical therapy through most of last year, before eventually returning to the court. According to Clover, her explosiveness was coming back by the final tournament of the summer.

Maile Hrabe averaged 9.3 points per game for 2A state runner-up Smith Center a season, a team that was loaded with talent. The 5-10 senior is committed to Kansas Wesleyan after this season, and credits much of her ability to her AAU team. She’s also a top player on the power house SC volleyball team.

“We use each person to their best ability and push each other to be great,” Hrabe said.

AGENTS:

Darin McDowell Melissa Westbrook Kim Campbell

Ethan Kuhlmann Tiffany Rietzke

Pictured (L-R): Shelby Siebold, Lauren Whelchel, Keeli Knobbe, Kendall Riley, Maile Hrabe, Trinity Lutters, Kamryn Rietzke. Seated: Wacond Lakers founder and coach, Todd Clover (Courtesy Photo)

“Through us pushing each other and Todd pushing us we have gone very far as a team and personally. If it wasn’t for Todd I would not be the player I am. He has taken hours upon hours to help create the player I am today.”

Hrabe’s father, Brandon, attests to time with the Lakers helping to expand his daughter’s game, and more.

“Todd has built a summer program dedicated to each player’s development and skill set. His programs are based on working with each player’s strengths and weaknesses through individual workouts. If a player wants to improve her game, she can schedule unlimited workouts with Todd. He will come to the player’s hometown, or she can go to Beloit to workout. Todd will push you to become a better player, but the players must want it. He will not ask the player to do workouts. Instead, the players must request them, and he will work to get them in. His ability to select his players for the Waconda Lakers summer team is based on their ability, personality, drive, ambition, and character. He has led his teams to be unselfish, fun, and successful. The girls on his teams have built lifelong friendships; it is common for Todd to come to his players’ high school events and bring along Laker teammates to support each other. Todd has consistently helped improve each player’s skill set and game to help his players play at the next level.”

Clover’s unique level of passion for coach ing and supporting athletes isn’t something

that came about spontaneously. His father, Jack Clover, was a team captain and threeyear letterman at center and defensive end for the Kansas Wesleyan football program under Gene Bissell, and later a multi-sport coach at Cawker City and Waconda East, where he led the 8-Man football program to a 125-35-1 record. He was also a trailblazer in women’s sports, serving as a basketball and track coach in the early days of the adoption of women’s sports by KSHSAA following the passage of Title IX.

“My dad played football for coach Bissell at Kansas Wesleyan and is in the Hall of Fame,” Clover said. “Dad taught school, coached multiple sports, ran the family farm, yet always had time for my brother and I for working on our skills. Dad always said if you were going to do a job, do it right, so when I set out to start the Lakers back in 2010, I needed to put a plan in place to help girls develop as players. I knew what most teams did was sign-up to play games and that was it, they didn’t focus on the most important part which is skill development. One of my seniors played the year before becoming a Laker on a different team and they said she played basketball tournaments all summer, but didn’t get any better. About four or five workouts into being a Laker they were now seeing a huge improvement in her skills. The goal is to try to develop a well rounded offensive player that can score from the three-point line, from mid-range, and with multiple ways to score at the rim. It takes a lot of work, but the really dedicated players find the time to make themselves better.”

By John Baetz, Publisher

When people think of Kansas, they often think of the wind swept rolling prairie, mile upon mile of native grassland as far as the eye can see. Some might say the plains of Kansas are similar to the African Savanna, home to the one of the most impressive predators on our planet, the lion.

In October more than three dozen of the state’s top wrestlers and basketball players gathered at Rolling Hills Zoo for our annual feature photo shoot, the new “Pride of the Prairie” exhibit playing host to the Zoo’s two adult female lions, served as the backdrop.

Since opening on August 5th of 2022, the new exhibit has doubled the size of the lions’ original outdoor yard and features a visitors’ cave for close encounters with the Savan na’s royalty, a new indoor habitat, and addi tional housing to allow the lions to integrate new members to the pride and allow lioness es to care for new cubs in an isolated space. Also unique to the lion habitat among Zoos in Kansas is the cliff feature shown on this

take even the most entrenched city dweller out into Kansas’ wide-open prairie.

While Rolling Hills’ new exhibit is certainly a top attraction at this world-class Zoo, we think the athletes you’ll read about in the following pages are also the Pride of our Kansas Prairies.

Check out their features on the following pages, and when reading Keegan McCul lick’s writing, and enjoying the photography of Heather Kindall, be sure to take notice of the many Rolling Hills Zoo events highlight ed at the top of each of the feature pages.

About Rolling Hills Zoo

Rolling Hills Zoo and Wildlife Museum is a world-class attraction just west of Salina that encompasses exhibits depicting ani mals in naturalistic environments. Rolling Hills conducts rich science-based education programs that reach visitors of all ages, and they participate in conservation programs on the local, national, and international levels.

The Rolling Hills Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to meet

ANDOVER TROJANS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

An otherwise successful season came to an end in the sub-state finals for Andover, the second straight sub-state championship loss for AHS. The Trojans were unable to over come Topeka West in that highly touted sub-state matchup, losing on West’s homecourt, 73-59. The Trojans ended the year at 17-5 and took second in the AVCTL-I with a 7-2 mark. Head coach Martin Shetlar has achieved significant success in his six-year tenure at Andover, including an undefeated 2019-20 season cut short by the COVID pandemic, as well as a 19-3 finish two seasons ago.

Coach Shetlar hopes to build on last season’s promise thanks to five seniors with starting experience, including his son, 6-6 All-State selection, and Indiana State verbal commit, Eli Shetlar. As a junior, Shetlar averaged 17.3 points, eight rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest. He holds Andover’s single game and season three-point records.

“We got almost everybody back and we have so much more talent coming in, too,” the younger Shetlar said. “I feel like it’s really just about putting it together and just knowing how to play with each other and just playing as a team and we have the opportunity to be really, really good if we can put it all together.”

All-League selection BJ Redic is another vital cog in the Andover machine after posting 13 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game last season. The 6-3 forward is entering his third go-around as a starter.

“I think the biggest thing that everybody knows is injuries,” Redic said. “You know, we had guys out, so staying healthy (is key). We have a lot more depth this year, but it’s very important to keep everybody healthy, and then just defining our roles. As soon as we mesh it all together and put it all together, we’re going to be a nasty team.”

The team’s third All-AVCTL DI selection from a year ago, Chris Harris, adds more to a blend of size and skill, measuring in at 6-7 and possessing the ball-handling skills of a guard. Harris averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game a season ago.

“We know that all of us are capable of going out and scoring 30 points and backpacking the team to a win, but we don’t need to do that,” Harris said. “We can all play together, get 10 points, be out by halftime and just get those easy wins, and we know we’re capable of doing it. We just need to trust each other and know our roles to be able to do that.”

Alongside those three, honorable mention All-AVCTL selection Brad Harris posted 7.3 points, three rebounds and 1.3 assists in the starting lineup alongside his twin brother Chris. Brady Strausz was also to return after averaging 4.8 points, three rebounds, 3.9 assists, and four steals per game, but the 6-1 senior suffered another torn ACL and will miss his final high school season.

All five starters for the Trojans will stand over 6-foot, and fittingly their top two reserves do as well with 6-3 senior Devon Neal-McFarthing (2 ppg) and 6-2 sophomore Josh Kim (3.6 ppg, 2.5 rpb, 1.7 apg) both playing key roles off the bench.

“It’s pick your poison with our team overall,” Redic said. “We have good size and we’re able to play a bunch of different positions, so it’s not easy to scheme for us. You have to pick your poison and I feel like that’s tough to do with our size.”

Andover’s versatility makes transition defense a particular struggle for opponents.

“All of us can almost play one through five,” Eli Shetlar said. “Everybody can handle the ball. Whoever gets it off the rebound can bring the ball up and I feel like that’s really difficult for teams to guard. And if playing that style of basketball, we don’t have a set big or a set point guard, it’s way easier and it flows in the offense a lot.”

The group had a pre-existing well-roundedness in their skillset, and for the elder Shetlar, the best path forward is playing to those strengths.

“They all have good talent and they’ve all been able to handle the ball and shoot and do

Andover Athletics Good Luck Trojans!

all those things all along,” coach Shetlar said. “And then we just kind of developed that over the last couple years and kind of changed how we play to fit what they all can do. So they all have that talent coming in, but we’ve just kind of increased it, made it better, let them play the right way and way they want to play.”

Along with Shetlar’s Indiana State commitment, Chris Harris recently chose Emporia State over offers from Pitt State, Fort Hays, and Washburn, among others. Redic, meanwhile, has received attention for football and holds an offer from Bethel. For each of the seniors and their coach, what is certain is the importance of the season ahead.

“This group of seniors has grown up with my son,” coach Shetlar said. “So I have had a close relationship with them since they started playing basketball. It’s been amazing to watch them grow and develop into the talented young men they are today. They were league champions in middle school, and have been a huge part of our success for the last three years. It’s definitely going to be bittersweet this season watching them finish up an amazing high school career. I’ve been blessed to coach some very talented players over the last five years, but I will always have a special connection to this group of seniors.”

(L-R): Martin Shetlar, Eli Shetlar, Chris Harris, BJ Redic (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

The current senior class at Ellinwood has put together an impressive team résumé over the last three seasons, amassing a 57-13 record with two league titles and three sub-state championship berths, but the Eagles have had a constant thorn in their side in the form of Sterling.

The Black Bears have knocked Ellinwood out of the substate title game in each of the last three seasons by scores of 43-37 in 2020, 49-30 in 2021, and 48-42 last season. Ellinwood finished 20-3 overall last season and secured the league title with an 8-0 mark in the CKL. While the season ending deja vu has certainly been unpleasant for the Eagles, the focus is on ending that curse this season.

“They were expected to beat us our freshman year,” AllState senior Britton Dutton said. “But the last two years they kind of upset us and the fact that they upset us, I think it’s a good motivation to make us do better. And this offseason we’ve really been going at it and we’re gonna be ready to beat them.”

Dutton has been a major component of Ellinwood’s suc cess in each of his first three seasons, earning All-League honors as a freshman and All-State recognition the past two seasons. Last season he averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.

The senior already holds the school record with 1,493 ca reer points, and the single game record of 48 points, set last year against Lincoln. Dutton is committed to D2 University of Illinois-Springfield where he hopes to help the Prairie Stars get above .500 for the first time since 2012.

All-League senior Koy Behnke is another piece Ellinwood coach Derek Joiner will count on to help the Eagles go

deeper this postseason. The lanky swingman averaged nine points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game a season ago. The 6-3 se nior’s length and passing instincts make him a deadly distributor, as his 3:1 assist-to-turn over ratio indicates.

The Eagles third All-League senior, 6-4 for ward Parker Scheck, was the team’s second leading scorer last season, averaging 12 points and four rebounds per game, despite fighting injuries and frequent foul trouble - no tably playing in the sub-state championship with an ankle sprain that kept him out of the first two rounds of the tournament.

The three have been together on a basket ball court for years, providing familiarity as another advantage for their team.

“I would say our trio works tremendously together,” Behnke said. “We’ve been playing in MAYB and AAU together for quite a long time and we just know what we’re doing and what we should do to win.”

Along with summer workouts, AAU, and MAYB, the Eagles squad also attended a team camp over the summer, and if nothing else, organized their own games.

“Sometimes we just play pickup ball at the park,” Scheck said. “We just get the feeling of the ball. If anything’s ever going on for basketball, it’s because of us like starting something or putting something together.”

Going into this season, graduated All-League selection Cody Zink is the only player not making a return from last season, giving the Eagles significant experience.

Junior Drew Heinz was the fourth starter a season ago and averaged 6.2 points and 2 assists while shooting 37% from beyond the three-point arc. Senior Darian Haynes (6-1, 1 ppg, 1 rpg) is expected to compete for a starting spot after serving as a reserve a season ago, along with juniors Alex Brack (3 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Cooper Hosman, while senior Asher Miller, junior Mason Moore, and sophomores Landon Simpson and Campbell Coleman provide depth.

With only one senior last season the Class of 2023 effectively took over team leadership roles as juniors, giving them one less area of growth to worry about.

“I think we’ve all been okay with it because we have all had to be leaders at some point of our team or in different ways,” Behnke said. “So I think we all do good at that.”

The Eagles three returning continued on page 27

(L-R) Britton Dutton, Parker Scheck , Koy Behnke (Photo: Heather Kindall)

Photos by Sheryl Crotinger

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Greeley County’s 2022 season culminated with the Jackrabbits winning the school’s third ever state title in a 5655 thriller against Hanover in the championship game.

GCHS finished 24-2 with both losses coming back-toback in late January. The first, a loss to a quality Ness City team, followed by a 61-60 OT loss to Dighton, which left the Hornets in first in the NWKL at season’s end. Besides that two-game stretch, coach Josh Gooch’s team was unstoppa ble, and scarier yet, multiple weapons return.

All conversations about individual standouts on the team begin with All-State senior Jaxson Brandl after he averaged 22.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game last season. With some minimal rounding, the 6-2 Brandl has averaged a double-double in each of his three seasons, going for 21.2 points and 9.8 rebounds as a freshman and 19.6 and 10.6 as a sophomore.

Alongside him is 5-8 All-League guard Titus Sherer, a senior entering his fourth season on the varsity squad. Last year Sherer put together a stat line of 8.2 points, 3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

“Jaxson and Titus have been working hard since March,” Gooch said. “Their leadership with the underclassmen is crucial. They challenge each other and their peers every day in practice. Our goals this year are similar to last year, we want to improve daily, and the seniors push each other every day, more than any group I’ve had.”

Summer consisted of lots of time on the road for Sherer and Brandl, but they still enjoy getting in the gym together when they’re back home.

“There were more than five occasions where we both were in the gym at the same time this summer,” Sherer said. “Just putting up shots, working on our game, and then we invite others to come in just to get better, get more efficient in our shots and get better ball-handling.”

Though a majority of the team is back this year, Cade Magan and Jesus Martinez, two noteworthy losses to grad uation, are going to be tough to replace, but the Jackrabbits aren’t without young players capable of stepping into bigger roles.

“We lost just two seniors last year - a good shooter and one of our best rebounders on the team,” Sherer said. “But, I think our other seniors might have a really good chance of stepping up and filling those two spots. We also have Lincoln Shafer, our sophomore that’s gonna be a key part of our team that will help us out a lot this season.”

Shafer earned All-League honors last season after aver aging 8.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Other key players back with starting experience

are seniors Jariath Yanez (6-0, 6.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg) and Valentine Villalobos (4.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 spg), along with seniors Isaac Schneider (6-3, 2.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Carson Luebbers (6-1, 1.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg), junior Kasen Felty (1.5 ppg, 1 rpg), and sophomores Bryson Bjorkland (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and Brodey Grubb (1.2 ppg, 1 rpg) from the varsity rotation.

“Our speed and depth is going to be an asset to us this year,” Gooch said. “The nucleus of our team from last year returns for their senior season and are ready for the challenges this year. Our number one goal is to make it back to Great Bend this season and to win our league regular season title.”

With few accomplishments left on the list for Gooch’s senior group, it’s no surprise aveng ing their second place finish in the Northwest Kansas League is near the top.

“Winning our league outright is a big goal,” Brandl said. “I think these past three years we’ve been one to two games off, just losing to league opponents. This coming year, I think that’s our goal.”

Along with team goals, Brandl is on pace to break a number of records as the Jackrabbits embark on their state title defense and league championship pursuit.

“I would like to break the Greeley County (career scoring) record, and also the same with rebounds and steals and blocks. I’m trying not to be too aggressive with it, but just let it come to me naturally. I don’t want to force anything bad or do a wrong thing just because I’m trying to be selfish, but just let the game come to me.”

Along with Brandl, Sherer is within striking distance of the career assist record, currently sitting just over 100 off.

The Jackrabbits carry a 12-game win streak into this season and after the opener at Stanton County, GCHS plays in the Border War tour nament which features some of the top small classification teams in Colorado, including

From there Gooch and company enter the league stretch of their season, with their biggest obstacles in their own locker room and 70 miles to the east on Highway 96.

“Our biggest challenges will be health, injuries, and Dighton has a good squad this year,” Gooch said.

McClave, last year’s 1A state champs, who the Jackrabbits beat in last year’s Border War championship.

(L-R) Titus Sherer, Jaxson Brandl (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Since first taking the Maize High job in 1988, Brad Smith has been a constant in Kansas high school basketball. After six seasons with the Eagles, Smith moved on to Labette County, where he remained for the next 25. In time with those programs Smith took his team to the state tournament five times, finished as state runner-up in 2000, won three SEK titles, and mentored 29 All-State selections. On top of that, he is also a past-President of the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and the Kansas Coaches Association. In 2020, Smith made another coaching change, this time heading 25 miles west, to Independence High School. Year one at Independence saw the veteran coach take over a program that went 14-8 the season prior, but grad uated the majority of its experience, including four starters, with two of them All-League selections. His 2020-21 roster was young and untested, and the result was a 5-16 finish. Despite the struggles it was apparent to Smith the Bulldogs boasted young talent, particularly 6-7 sopho more forward Easton Ewing. After averaging four points and four rebounds as a freshman prior to Smith’s arrival, Ewing bloomed in his sophomore campaign, averaging 18.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game, and All-State honors followed in abundance.

“Easton is a natural athlete,” Smith said. “As big as Easton is, he has great athletic ability. In my 38-year career I have never had a big kid that plays so well with his back to the basket. He is a load for high school players to guard when he is low on the block. He can shoot many different ways which makes him tough to guard. He understands for us to be successful he must score, but he is a good passer and he enjoys making the extra pass to his teammates.”

After establishing himself as a sophomore, Ewing contin ued his dominant play as a junior last season, averaging 20.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game. The dynamic big man was voted All-State by multiple outlets and was a Sports in Kansas 4A Player of the Year finalist. In addition to dominant play with his back to the basket, Ewing has also gained a penchant for hunting putback jams, a newer development in his game.

“I’ve been able to dunk since seventh grade,” Ewing said. “But I guess I just wasn’t mean enough to go try and get the ball out of the air and break my hand on the rim.”

The Bulldogs improved to 10-11 last season, a big step in the right direction, but Ewing and company aren’t satisfied.

“Really we just couldn’t finish games last year,” Ewing said. “We struggled in the fourth and third quarters, giving games up that we should have won. But, we got a bunch of kids coming back, got a whole group of seniors. That’s what

we’ve done our whole lives prior to that, is close games, so I think we’ll be alot better about it this year.”

Entering his senior season, Ewing is established among the best in the state and poised to join the “1,000 point club” at some point this year - currently at 900 - but despite that, his coach has continued to see growth in other areas.

“I feel Easton has improved in many ways,” Smith said.

“He has learned to be a little less unselfish because he lit erally has an opportunity to score every time down the floor. His impact on defense is huge. He has understood much better his defense is as important as his offense. His ability to block shots makes opponents alter their offensive attack.”

After sitting out his junior season of football, Ewing made the decision to go out again for his senior season, a deci sion that has allowed him more time with teammates.

“Most of our (basketball) players played football,” Ewing said. “So we played a lot of football over the summer together, which is still team bonding, basically. Of course we also played some basketball. We played Winfield and Riverton, played a few Missouri teams at a Pitt State camp, and we whooped up on quite a few teams there. Hopefully we can play like that in the regular season.”

Two starters from last season return with Ewing, including fellow senior Hayden Smith, who has started alongside Ewing since they were sophomores. Smith provided well-rounded play last season, averaging 6.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Junior Camdon Julian is the third returning starter and averaged 5.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a season ago.

Senior Jimmy Unruh is another returner with varsity expe rience after averaging 1.5 points off the bench in his junior campaign. Beyond those four Smith has expressed the need for his team to find a fifth starter and reliable reserve, and some offensive production to take pressure off his All-State big man.

“Our team understands the weapon Easton is, but on the other hand our guards know from last year they must take some pressure off Easton to score,” Smith said. “Easton is doubled every night and we see a lot of zone so opponents try to cover him up with two or three players. Our guards understand from the

last two years their play is crucial to our success.”

While he does hope to hit 1,000 points this season that will simply be a byproduct of team accomplishments.

“We really want to win our league,” Ewing said. “We were tied for second last year and we let a lot of games get away that shouldn’t have, and I think this year we’ll be able to close those games out and really dominate the SEK.”

Ewing is currently undecided on his post-graduation plans, but is leaning toward playing basketball.

“Barring injury, Easton could achieve being the top scorer in Independence history,” Smith said. “The biggest plus is Easton has one more year and he could be better. Being 6-7, almost 6-8, the sky is the limit. He is a multi-sport athlete in football and baseball. His class rank as a student athlete is definitely in the top 20%. In my 38-year coaching career Easton is the most skilled post I have ever coached.”

Easton Ewing (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

In March, Macksville added another trip to state under head coach Jeff Kuckelman, taking third place with a record of 23-3 after soundly beating Solomon in the con solation round. Over his career, Kuckelman has led the Mustangs to a 257-126 record with 11 state tournament appearances, two state titles, a runner-up finish in 2003 and an additional third place finish in 2005. This season is extra special for the elder Kuckelman, as his son, 6-6 AllState senior Ryan, finishes his run of playing for his father.

The younger Kuckelman averaged 11 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game for his dad’s team last season, and has career averages of 10.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks a game over three seasons of varsity hoops.

Alongside Kuckelman is the team’s leading scorer from a season ago, All-League senior Alexis Barron, who averaged 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and one block per game. Barron has also been a regular on the varsity floor since he was a freshman and also holds impressive career averages of 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

The two postseason award recipients are joined by two other returning starters, sophomore Hector Gomez and senior Lance Lickiss. Gomez averaged 9.8 points per game a season ago to go with 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals, while Lickiss posted 6.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Coach Kuckelman expects sophomore Diego Esparza to be the fifth starter, after he averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds,

2.5 assists, and 2.6 steals per game last season.

The group is a uniquely unselfish one, something coach Kuckelman admires about his team.

“It really happens organically with these guys,” Kuckelman said. “They play very well together, they don’t care who leads us in scoring, and it’s evident because any one can lead us in scoring any given night, and somebody can certainly go off and have a great game and the next night it could be somebody else.”

Kuckelman’s team is also no stranger to hard work, making it a point to hit the weight room with vigor.

“Well, they do a good job of this,” Kuckelman said. “I really emphasize that the biggest thing is always working on getting stronger. They’ve done a good job in the weight room. As you get older and mature, that’s one of the biggest things you can do to help yourself.”

The team also saw plenty of court time over the summer.

“We came together as a team during the summer,” Barron said. “We worked hard. We played against some pretty good teams down in Oklahoma and in their tour nament. And yeah, we’re trying to come back and do our best to win state this year.”

The Oklahoma State team camp Barron mentioned saw

the Mustangs finish 8-1 after getting knocked out in the semifinal from a tough field of teams. The tournament was a portion of a large collection of games played by the Mustangs over the summer, and with that extra time sharing the court comes added trust.

“Just like, as a team, we played a lot more games in general this summer,” Ryan Kuckelman said. “So we just improved our chemistry overall. Just knowing our team mate’s game and how they play, it just translates into the season for us, and it takes a load off me just knowing that my teammates will pick me up when I make mistakes.”

Though Macksville is a favorite to make it back to the continued

on page 31

(L-R) Ryan Kuckelman, Coach Jeff Kuckelman, Alexis Barron (Photo: Heather Kindall)

per game - earning him All-State honorable mention - Morrical-Palmer with 9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per con test, and Gebhardt and Augustine averaging right around 2 points while playing in every game off the bench.

The group’s success as underclassmen they largely attribute to their unselfish approach and familiarity with one another’s game.

“We’re excellent teammates,” Sawyers said. “We don’t care who scores the ball, really. We all pass the ball well, we share the ball well, and we get out and run. We play with good tempo and we’ve always done that since we were little, and so we brought that back to our Southeast team that didn’t have it that one year when we were eighth graders. And that really kind of helped us start to win more and get into that winning stage and be back to the top where we once were.”

Their junior seasons saw their team play pay off even more, coming just eight points from playing in the state title game in a loss to Royal Valley in the semifinals, before turning around and decisively winning the third place game against TMP 57-44. Prior to that the Trojans had rolled through the NCAA to a 10-0 league title.

Sawyers averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game and earned All-State honors for his

dominant play.

“Eli has been so valuable to our program for the past three seasons and looks to be no different in his final run,” Flax said. “His versatility and commitment to development has really made him stand out. When he was young, we knew we had to get him on the wing, and on the run as much as we could. He obviously can score as he looks to become only the fourth player in Southeast history to score 1,000 points in a career, but his court vision and ability to pass the basketball is what separates his game from others. He has the ability to feel numbers coming at him, stay calm, process quickly, and deliver a pass to the right person at the right time. He’s a special player with a bright future ahead of him.”

Meanwhile, Morrical-Palmer earned All-State honorable mention for his efforts, which amounted to a stat line of 12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.

“Nakari is a special athlete with a growing game,” Flax said. “He sees things before they happen which allows him to be an excellent passer and rebounder. From the time he walked into the gym his freshman year, I knew he had the potential to be one of the better players to ever play at Southeast. He can take over a game in a wide variety of ways. I’ve been very impressed with Nakari

now that he has confidence in himself and his abilities. He alters shots, grabs rebounds, makes the right passes, knocks down jumpers, plays above the rim, the list goes on. He is a truely a guy that you can look down at the stat sheet after the game and say, ‘Nakari had the quietest 15, 11 and 8 I’ve ever seen.’ I look forward to following his future in which ever path he chooses.”

Augustine and Gebhardt both moved into the starting lineup as well, with Augustine averaging 5.5 points, 1.6 re bounds, 2 assist, and 2 steals and Gebhardt at 11 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 steals.

The other returning starter, and only non-se nior in the group, is junior Daniel Kejr who added 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds a game.

Seniors coming back from the bench rota tion include Drew Richardson (3.1 ppg), Jake Gebhardt (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg), Kayson Lilley (3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1 apg, 1.3 spg), and Caden Isaacson (2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg).

Both Sawyers and Morrical-Palmer have as pirations for records, with Sawyers in striking distance of some scoring marks and MorricalPalmer in assists, but both have their eyes

set on a return to Hutchinson this March.

“I’m feeling great, as you can tell, bringing everyone back,” Sawyers said. “We’ve played together since we were second graders. We know each other well and so we should be looking for a big season here. Goal is always to win state as every team’s goal, and that’s obviously ours again this year.”

And Morrical-Palmer doubled-down.

“We’ve played for a long time and our goal together has always been to win a state championship in basketball, so we will try to do that this year.”

(L-R)Eli Sawyers, Nakari Morrical-Palmer (Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

After winning five state titles in a seven season span between 2008 and 2015, acclaimed Wichita Heights head coach Joe Auer made a return to the top of 6A basketball last season as his Falcons posted a 23-2 record, overcom ing Blue Valley Northwest in the state title game, 61-54. Over his 27-year career, Auer put together six of Heights’ seven championship seasons - legendary head coach Lafeyette Norwood won the program’s first in 1977 - and amassed a 427-191 record in that span. Auer was inducted into the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame in August of 2021.

“Once you accomplish the first one, and you establish within your school community what it takes, it’s just a matter of getting everybody to buy in,” Auer said.

After capturing his first title in 2009 with Perry Ellis and Evan Wessel leading the squad, the floodgates opened for the Falcons, winning four consecutively from there, and then another in 2015.

“Obviously at Heights, we’ve been very blessed with great players and great families,” Auer said. “I’m proud to say that in my time at Heights, we’ve played in state championship games in four different decades. And I think the constant is an unselfish commitment to defending, and you know, players, good players, really good players that are willing to sacrifice individual success in the name of team success.”

This season, Auer gets back three starters total, including All-State senior Marcus Zeigler Jr. and All-State junior TJ Williams. Zeigler, a 6-1 guard who averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and two steals per game as a junior, led the team in scoring and has varsity court time on par with anyone in the state. Besides eight games he missed due to injury as a sophomore, Zeigler has started every game since joining the program as a 14-year-old freshman.

“He’s done a lot of winning and, you know, he’s our guy, he’s our captain, and we thought he was the best defensive guard in the state last year,” Auer said.

Zeigler led the team in scoring in each of the past three seasons, but after the holiday break last season the stand out guard showed his willingness to adjust his own game for the sake of the team.

“Last year he took a tremendous amount of pride in becoming our best on-ball defender,” Auer said. “And he was one of the keys to our success last year, the fact that he was willing to give up some shots in the interest of the team becoming more efficient offensively. We met over Christmas break and looked at his stats and talked about, ‘Hey man, you need to take fewer shots, let’s get the ball distributed a little bit more. We think the team will benefit from that, and we also need you to be our lockdown on-ball defender.’ He really bought into that and so it’s great to have a guy on the court that has played as many games (he has). He’ll graduate from here as one of the all-time greats to come through our program.”

Alongside Zeigler is fellow guard TJ Williams. Williams typically plays on the outside, but his 6-5 frame allows him the flexibility to be effective just about anywhere on the court. Last season he averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and two steals per game.

“With TJ, obviously he’s had a lot of accolades,” Auer said. “He’s had a lot of success in his first two years of high school. He’s got multiple D1 offers right now, and you know, he’s a kid, who, in spite of all of the hype and in spite of all the attention, he’s maybe the most devoted, one of the most devoted guys we have to the team’s success. He’s never a guy’s gonna complain about points. He’s never gonna complain about getting his, he just wants to do whatever it takes to win.”

Williams’ growing list of offers includes Wichita State,

Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Missouri, North Texas, Tennessee, and SMU, and he has interest from KU, K-State, Wake Forest, and others.

“He’s incredibly unselfish and we’re excited to see what he can do,” Auer said. “He’s still got two years of high school left, but he obviously has a bright future. In our program, he’s kind of a pied piper. He’s really happy every day, smile on his face and everybody, he just helps. On a scale of one to 10, your kids being responsible for fun, TJ’s a 10 when it comes to that. He’s just the best teammate you could possibly have and really cares about everybody else.”

The dynamic Williams brings to the team goes far beyond his own game, and has allowed him to be a pacesetter in the program for some time now, despite just entering his junior season.

“Obviously he’s a great player,” Auer said. “Obviously he’s got national attention, but, I gotta say his number one value for us is just the joy he brings to practicing every day. He just loves being on a team and loves being a part of the Heights family. Our kids would walk through fire for him. He’s just a beloved member, beloved leader in our program.”

While Zeigler and Williams are firmly established as two of the best in Kansas, Heights’ third returning starter, 6-7 sophomore, Amalachi Wilkins, who joined Perry Ellis as the only freshmen over to start on Heights’ state championship teams, could very well be the next up.

“He’s our best athlete,” Auer said. “He’s the fastest kid on our team, he jumps the highest, he’s a tremendous three point shooter, he’s got a good handle. We think he’s got an incredibly bright future. He’s a real humble kid.”

Wilkins averaged 3.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a part-time starter. Despite his impressive skill set, Heights’ current circumstances are allowing him time to step into his own at a cautious pace.

“You know, Amalachi doesn’t know how good he can be, when you’re a young sophomore like that and you’ve got a TJ Williams and you’ve got a Marcus Ziegler, you know, they keep him in place. He just really wants to contribute any way he can, but what he is going to discover is there’s really no limit to his game. I mean, he’s a big time talent and just a really unselfish player that we’re blessed to have him, but

he might be the most all-around athletic basketball athlete in the state in terms of verticality, speed, quickness, touch. He’s a really gifted kid, but he’s raw. You know, he’s not a really experienced kid yet. So we’re taking it nice and slow with him and we’re not in any rush. He’s not going to be under the radar for much longer.”

The Falcons are also bringing back depth from their bench with seniors Qyree Holt (6-1), Sajavious Bowman (6-3), and Jordan Okon (6-3) back from reserve roles last season.

“Collaboratively, we’re talking a lot more,” Williams said. “Everybody’s feeling each other out. We lost two seniors last year, big part of our organization and team, but we’re just gelling together. Losing them two was a big loss, but luckily it was only two.”

Over the summer the Falcons have been hard at work pre paring for the upcoming season, at times on their respective summer teams, and at others together.

“With the schedule we got in summer ball, we travel all summer, all around the country,” Williams said. “June’s our off month, so we get together as a team, you know, see everybody, who got better, who improved body-wise and just their game in general.”

Heights’ season tips off on December 2nd against Wichita Northwest, and the Falcons have one goal in mind.

“Get another ring,” Zeigler said. “First goal, obviously. Yeah, that’s basically it, it’s all about the ring.”

(L-R): Marcus Zeigler, TJ Williams (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

After wrapping up sub-state with a championship a season ago, Blue Valley embarked on what turned out to be one of the wilder postseason paths in recent memory.

Entering as a six-seed, the Tigers kicked off the tour nament with a thrilling 33-32 upset over a Kiki Smith-led Topeka squad. The next round they came up against twoseed Derby, a team boasting some of the top players in the state as well with Addy Brown and Maryn Archer. The Tigers played the game about as close as possible, but ultimately were unable to overcome the Panthers in double-overtime, 51-49. In the third place game overtime turned out better for Blue Valley, this time against Olathe North in a triple-over time matchup, with the Tigers coming out on top. 48-46, to finish 21-4.

Junior Jadyn Wooten was already established as the go-to option for the Tigers last season, hitting big shots through out the state tournament. But with all the extra time on the court, she was understandably drained.

“It was tiring,” Wooten said of the postseason run on the razor’s edge. “With the position I play on my high school team, I don’t get too many breaks, I would say. And so that tournament, just playing three games alone is like, you know, that’s pretty tiring. But then playing three games and five overtimes, it’s a lot. ... It was exciting. It was just no one thought we could be that close. And so just to be that close was just an amazing opportunity.”

Wooten’s efforts throughout last season yielded impressive results by any measure, but particularly for a sophomore. She averaged 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. She’s rated the number one player in the state in the Class of 2024 according to Prep Girls Hoops, was the 6A Player of the Year by Sports in Kansas, made the 6A All-State Tournament team, and as of this summer committed to Oklahoma State University, where she’ll play for Hoxie native, and new Cowgirl coach, Jacie Hoyt.

The 5-6 junior has already dealt with pressure most seniors don’t ever have to deal with in big game situations, something she sees paying dividends down the road.

“I feel like it definitely prepares you, for like, what’s com ing,” Wooten said. “Especially for me, or for players who wanna play at a high level, because in those moments, like state, I had to take on a bigger role as a sophomore and I had to play in the big moments and under the whole team’s pressure. Everyone kind of is expecting like, ‘what is Jayden gonna do?’ And so for that, it was so much pressure, but it was a good thing to have to live up to!”

Wooten has spent her time since the end of last season further refining her craft on the AAU circuit and with her Blue Valley teammates. Whether at a team camp, or on the AAU circuit with her team, Missouri Phenom EYBL, basketball was a constant throughout the summer.

Blue Valley coach Bruce Erickson – a veteran high school and college women’s basketball coach – says Wooten is one of the best he has coached.

“Jadyn impacts the game in a number of ways,” Erickson said. “She is the best passer I have had in 41 years of coaching. She has such a great understanding of the game and she sees the floor extremely well. She averaged over five assists a game last year but that should have been up around seven plus if our players would have been ready to catch the ball and finish all of the easy shots. Jadyn can score when she needs to and one of the most important things is that she can get the ball where we need it. She can break presses with her dribbling and long passes down the court off of a dribble to a one-handed baseball pass.”

Erickson has posted a 433-293 record over the course of a career that has spanned 40-plus years and includes stints at Morland, Ellis, Salina South, the University of St. Mary, and now enters his fifth season with the Tigers. He also spent time as an assistant at Oklahoma State and UMKC. While he was immediately impressed by Wooten’s skill on the court, her desire to improve those skills and involve her teammates is what sets her apart from others.

“Her leadership has improved so much because she is not worried about making anyone mad about what she does with the ball,” Erickson said. “I even have to tell her to go score in practice because she shares the ball so much that she sometimes forgets to shoot it when she is open. Every workout or open gym, she will shoot a minimum of 1,000 shots and usually when I talk to her the next day she will say she got up around 1,500-1,800 shots. She is definitely putting in the time to be a better player and that will help her to be a great player for us and Oklahoma State. I feel like she is a great leader for our team, as a junior, and she leads by example during practice and games.”

The standout junior has also improved her approach to the classroom over time and currently holds a 3.4 GPA.

“Jadyn has really improved her mental outlook on her game and also her academics. She has figured out that you have to be a student first, and an athlete second, and a lot of high school players forget that.”

The Tigers return four other players with starting experi ence; twin sisters Clara Bax (6.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-7) and Eden Bax (6.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-6), Tiana Simmons (5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-9), and Ainsley Lister (3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-10), all seniors.

“One of our strengths will be our experience,” Erickson said. “We really do have five starters returning. We had in juries to our two seniors last year, so we had the chance for a lot of our players to step into the starting five last season. We also will have three seniors coming off of the bench so we will have some experience stepping on the court. I feel very good about our squad and we had an outstanding summer with trips to five different team camps and we ended up with a 32-3 record for the summer. Our players are putting in the time to make that trip back to Wichita.” Blue Valley won’t fly under anyone’s radar this season,

and while they have the potential to make even more noise next March, the Tigers are not without concerns.

“Our biggest team challenge on returning to the state tournament is how well we can guard inside versus post players,” Erickson said. “We don’t have any player above 5-10 and we cannot afford to get in foul trouble trying to guard the teams with big post players. We really need to shoot well for us to be a factor when the sub-state games come around.”

In spite of those weak points, Wooten said the team is working for another shot at what would be Blue Valley’s first basketball title in school history.

“We want to win state,” Wooten said. “That’s like, definitely one of the things that we just want so badly. because no one expects it from us, and I went to state my freshman year and we lost the first round, and then last year we just got so close, just like two times in a row, you know? Just losing at the buzzer is just so hard. And so I think not only did it kill me, I think it started a fire in my teammates, and so there’s just a fire under everyone right now to go win state.”

Jadyn Wooten (Photo: Heather Kindall)

CIMARRON BLUE JAYS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

For the second season in a row Cimarron saw their state tournament aspirations dashed one game short at the hands of league rival Hugoton.The Blue Jays entered the Kingman sub-state as the two-seed with a 14-6 record and dispatched Southwestern Heights, 70-26, and tournament host Kingman, 53-28, before a 49-34 loss to the Eagles.

Despite the disappointing and familiar conclusion, the Bluejays still put together an excellent season in their first year under head coach Austin Stebens - who took over for now-Spearville boys head coach Eli Applegate - finishing 16-7 overall with a third place finish in the GWAC.

“Cimarron has always had great tradition with the girls basketball program,” Stebens said. “When I got here five years ago I was on staff as an assistant coach, so I have always been around these girls and a part of the program. I am really blessed to be able to lead this program and con tinue the tradition of girls basketball here in Cimarron. We have had a lot of success, but have not been able to get to the state tournament since 2015. This group has put in a lot of hard work in the offseason to try and get over that hump.”

The Bluejays graduated All-League selection Emily Acton last May, but return two other All-League players in senior twin towers, 6-1 McKayla Miller and 6-foot Caitlyn Sonday, along with senior Tayrn Jantz and junior Jayna Wilson.

Sonday averaged 10 points and seven rebounds a game last season. Despite often being one of the tallest on the court, she has the ability to get up and down the hardwood with grace, and is always a threat for a double-double.

“Caitlyn has a huge impact on this team, she is a great re bounder for us and scores well inside,” Stebens said. “She also runs the floor really well and can alter a lot of shots

with her length. Being a senior, she has played at the varsity level all four years of her career and brings leadership and experience to our team.”

Miller was the team’s leading scorer a season ago, averaging 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals per game.

“Like Caity, Mckayla has a huge impact on this team and we look for this senior class to lead us on a playoff run in March,” Stebens said. “Mckayla is a special talent that I feel very privileged to be able to coach. She is a hard worker who is always in the gym and trying to improve her game daily.”

Keeping with the Bluejay theme, Miller signed to play at Creighton after high school, choosing the school in Omaha over a litany of DI offers, including K-State, KU, Illinois, and others.

Standing at 5-10, Jantz also brings good height, and averaged seven points, three rebounds, and three assists per game a season ago. Wilson, at 5-8, rounds out the returning starters and averaged four points and four rebounds.

Cimarron has worked hard in the offseason toward their ultimate goal of making the state tournament.

“I think the things that we do every day are gonna add up to those bigger moments and we just gotta focus on com peting every day and not taking any days off,” Miller said.

While basketball is the focus from here, the Bluejays vol leyball season, which recently ended in the sub-state final, has helped to develop senior leadership skills.

“Leadership is a pretty big focus for us,” Sonday said. “Having to lead volleyball with McKayla also, we’ve learned that it gets really hard sometimes and that we just have to

keep going and keep showing that we’re okay and that our heads are up. So that way all the players younger than us have some belief in us.”

In a league that boasted the 3A state champs, Goodland, and 3A runner-up Hugoton, Cimarron has a challenge ahead, but Stebens feels good about what’s in store for his team.

“We are in a really good league and playing that type of competition each night will hopefully help us to make a deep run in March. We just have to take it one game at a time and compete every night!”

(L-R): McKayla Miller, Caitlyn Sonday (Photo: Heather Kindall)

CLEARWATER INDIANS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Last year, Clearwater saw their season end earlier than they would have liked. The Lady Indians made a state tournament appearance the season prior, and boasted a dangerous array of weapons.

A trip back to state was not meant to be, however, as the talent-loaded group came up short in a 31-30 sub-state championship heartbreaker at the hands of Clay Center. Further adding to that bitter pill that ended their season at 16-6, a gifted senior class was lost to graduation, includ ing 6-2 Brooke Berline, 6-foot Laurel Streit, 5-10 Taylee Hatton, and 5-7 Sydnee Cotham.

The silver lining entering this season for Clearwater? Few teams in the state return a backcourt combo like the Indians.

Carli Carlson, a 5-8 senior with ball-handling skills that can make defenders’ heads spin, and Elizabeth Tjaden, a 5-10 junior that can take over games with her offensive ability, are unlikely to allow any opposing guard combo a wink of sleep in the nights leading up to a game with CHS. What’s worse for the opposition? They have extra incentive.

“The loss to Clay Center really stung for quite some time,” head coach Casey Carlson said. “Like with most losses, you hope you can learn from mistakes that were made and build off what worked well in those games. It’s my hope they remember how close they were to making it to the state tournament and how important executing the small things matters in games where so much is on the line.”

Coach Carlson, also Carli’s father, is entering his fifth season with Clearwater, and was largely to credit for the

team’s first state tournament appearance since 2013 two seasons ago, and his confidence in his duo is no secret.

“Both these players will be counted on to carry the bulk of the load, especially early on,” coach Carlson said. “Carli is one of the best point guards in the state and has really worked her tail off to improve her shooting this offsea son. Elizabeth Tjaden is just a beast and really elevated her game this summer to another level. We will use her anywhere and everywhere this season.”

Tjaden earned All-State honors last year as a sopho more, averaging 14.4 points, six rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. Her versatility and size make her a nightmare for defenders.

Meanwhile, Carlson earned All-State honorable mention after posting 12 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.4 steals per game.

“Carli’s best strength is her vision coupled with her basketball IQ,” coach Carlson said. “She understands and sees things happening before they actually happen. One of the challenges early on in high school was getting her teammates to understand that Carli sees you when your open and not after you are open.”

Back alongside that dynamic duo is senior Camryn Clevenger, who reliably put up six points, 3.3 rebounds and an assist per contest last season.

“Clevenger started all but one or two games last year,” coach Carlson said. “She played a lot of basketball this summer and continues to improve and will be counted on to be that Swiss army knife type of player.”

The Indians also bring back junior Allison Clevenger and sophomore Kaylee Hampton from their bench, but oth erwise have no varsity experience returning, particularly down low.

“The biggest challenge is going to be getting our role players playing at a level that makes other teams have to respect their game in a relatively quick manner,” coach Carlson said. “Although we return three starters, the rest of the varsity players don’t have much experience so that in-it-self presents a challenge. If we can become a really good defensive team we have a chance to make a run in the postseason.”

Unsurprisingly, this issue has been a major focus over the summer.

“We’ve been working over the summer,” Carli Carlson said. “Me and Elizabeth have been working on

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trying to get our younger posts to get stronger and more confident in themselves so we can use them during our games when there’s mismatches and when we feel like they would be more useful than a guard during a game.”

The summer has been a time of growth for the younger players, as well as for their established group, with Carlson in particular working through rigorous shooting workouts on a daily basis. The work both individually and as a team has appeared to pay dividends.

“Coming off of our summer,” Carli Carlson said. “All of our summer games, we’ve gotten more confident and I feel like we’re coming together more as a team and knowing what each individual can do and how we can use that to better our play during the season.”

And unsurprisingly given their back court skill, when the post play isn’t there, another solution exists.

“Definitely pushing the ball,” Carli Carlson said. “We do a lot of good when we run the ball and we use our speed and just push the ball in front of every other team.”

After this season, Carli is intending on playing college basketball and majoring in physical therapy, making this the last season playing for her father. But according to him, physical therapy may not be the only thing she has the chops to make a career out of.

“It’s been fantastic, tough, rewarding and challenging all at the same time,” Coach Carlson said. “I think she would say the same thing. Getting this opportunity is really spe cial. We talk a lot during the season as to what is working and what isn’t working. She has a really great mind for the game and I think she could be a really good coach someday, should she decide to pursue coaching.”

senior starters have the obvious goals in mind; Dutton scoring his 2,000th career point, Behnke finishing in the top five for career assists, and of course, topping the 20-win mark as a team and making it to the state tournament. But according to Scheck, the seniors want their impact to go beyond this season.

Ellinwood/from page 17

level,” Joiner said. “Our goal is to win the whole thing, but most importantly, we need to be the best version of ourselves every practice and game. There are parts of our schedule where we will not be challenged, and it will be important that we continue to strive to be the best version of ourselves during that stretch.”

“I just want to help the underclassmen step up for next year and they just take our place,” Scheck emphasized.

Those underclassmen undoubtedly have big shoes to fill when that time comes, but given coach Joiner’s approach, there will be more to it than the win column.

“Our expectations are to compete at the state

Joiner also summed up the importance of the senior class to this season.

“These guys will likely have the most wins in a four-year career in Ellinwood history by season’s end. This is their team and their season. I will do everything I can to make it as successful and enjoyable as possible, and our expectations are as high as they can get.”

(L-R): Carli Carlson, Casey Carlson (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

The Goodland women’s basketball program captured its third state title in school history last season, and first since since capturing a 4A title in 1980 under coach J.D. Hooper. In 2022, it was Bill Biermann at the helm as the Cowgirls captured a victory over league rival Hugoton in a 48-47 3A championship thriller. Goodland finished the season 24-2, with one of their losses coming against Hugoton in a regular season overtime matchup.

“Obviously the experience was everything we could have imagined,” Coach Biermann said. “I was so happy for the girls, our school, and our community. We talk a lot about playing for them, playing hard and supporting one another and this community will wrap their arms around you and support you. It was rewarding to watch that materialize. It’s just very rewarding to watch a group of girls who have come so far because of all their hard work and commitment. They earned it!”

This season, both Goodland and Hugoton get back major components, and for the Cowgirls specifically, four starters and six players at least 5-10 or taller return, none more valuable than the senior combo of 6-footers Talexa Weeter and Lindsey Cure.

Weeter was a first team All-State selection after averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game as a junior.

“Talexa is a real talent,” coach Biermann said. “A legit 6-foot guard with really unlimited range. She can work inside as well and is becoming more of a penetrator and finisher as we continue to develop her game for the next level. She really has a good feel for the game. We lean a

lot on her for her scoring but she gives us a lot in other areas. A tremendous player.”

Cure meanwhile, earned All-State honorable mention after posting 7.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.4 steals per contest.

“Lindsey is just such a great athlete,” Biermann said. “Strong, can run, quick for as tall as she is at 6-foot as well. We really haven’t had to count on her much for scoring but I think that will change this year as she is really developing her shot more and ability to finish inside. She just makes such a difference for us on the defensive end of the floor. Really looking forward to her growth this year.”

The Cowgirls also return a host of talent outside of their returning starting seniors, and while the loss of last season’s lone senior Emma Lehman (Colby CC volleyball) is a challenge, her sister Olivia is about as good of an option as a team could ask for.

“Olivia Lehman was almost like a sixth starter for us last year playing a lot of minutes,” coach Biermann said. “Therefore, our starting five should be set and we bring back a lot of experience there.”

The other two starters back alongside the three seniors are junior Jaxi Mitchek, a 5-10 guard who averaged 7.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game and earned first team All-State Tournament to comple ment her All-League honorable mention, as well as coach Biermann’s daughter, Haley Biermann, a quick 5-4 junior that averaged 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9

The Cowgirls were a force to be reckoned with defensively last season, with their length allowing them to cover large swaths of the court in their nearly impassable 1-3-1 half court zone defense.

steals per game a season ago.

Senior Jordin Owens (1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and junior Haley Blochlinger (1.6 ppg, 2 rpg) both stand at 5-10 and return with varsity experience this season.

(L-R): Talexa Weeter, Lindsey Cure (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

By any measure, Hugoton was among the best in 3A last year. The 23-3 Eagles won a league championship in the brutal Great West Activities Conference, besting league opponent Goodland in a regular season overtime matchup to earn it.

However, the two met again, with the rematch in the 3A state title game, and this time the Cowgirls got the best of their GWAC rival in a heartbreaking one point loss for Hugoton.

Unfortunately for observers, the Eagles are moving up to 4A this season, making a state title rematch impossible for the two talented squads, but a GWAC rematch will be prime billing for basketball fans in the state.

This year Hugoton returns four senior starters from last season’s team - Mikyn Hamlin, Gianna Vos, Summya Adigun, and Julienne Salazar.

Hamlin, a Wyoming basketball commit, averaged 17.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest last season. The 5-8 All-State selection will be a bit of a Christmas present for the team this season, with an injury likely keeping her out until after the holiday break. Hamlin also earned All-State honors as a sophomore and is one of the most experienced and skilled players in the state.

“Obviously, my main goal this year is to get healthy and complete rehab and be a hundred percent before I step onto the court and risk anything,” Hamlin said. “That’s really the main goal and huge focus for me right now. One step at a time. And then, obviously adapting to being on the bench is gonna be difficult, but I’m excited to be able to help encourage and help coach and assist some of the younger girls and just be a leader in that aspect.”

Lucky in a relative sense for the Eagles, they have players to hold down the fort until Hamiln’s return, including fellow All-State selection, high-motor guard Summya Adigun, daughter of head coach Emmanuel Adigun. The younger Adigun is committed to play basketball at Division II Northwestern Oklahoma State after she averaged 12.3 points, 9.8

“I think the biggest thing is our defense,” Cure said. “I mean, it is crazy hard to get past like four six-footers right now. We just lost one, but we also have Jordin Owens coming up that’s growing and getting there. So, you know, it’s really hard to get past those long arms.”

Goodland enjoyed their hard-earned suc cess last season, but remember a key fact surrounding it, that it was hard-earned.

“I thought it was a really good summer overall,” Weeter said. “It’s kind of fun walking in a gym, people know we’re state champions, so it’s kind of seeing the look on their faces, but we know we gotta work extra hard this season if we want to get back to the state championship.”

For Cure, the top of Biermann’s zone, the best solution is amping up the effort.

“Last year we really just worked on effort in general, like always getting on the floor

for the ball,” Cure said. “We did a lot of extra working out just because we know that we have a dominant five right now, and (coach Biermann) needs to know that we can stay out on the court as long as we can and you know, put in as much work as we can. So just putting in that extra effort.”

As the season approaches, Goodland is in the driver’s seat as the defending champs with nearly their entire team back, but know that nothing will come easy.

“There are a lot of great teams in 3A and a lot of worthy opponents,” Biermann said. “So there really is no easy path. It will be a fight for whoever comes out on top. I don’t think we are going to talk a lot about “back-toback” or defending it. We are going to enjoy the journey, stay focused on the present, each other, and who is next (opponent) and when we get to March we will see what happens.”

rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game on 44% shooting from field goal range, and 40% shooting from behind the arc.

“Honestly, my number one goal is just to have fun this year,” Summya said. ”I mean, we’ve been a winning team and we’ve had some tough losses in the years that I’ve been in high school, but I really just want to focus on having fun, making sure our team is

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(L-R): Mikyn Hamlin, Gianna Vos, Summya Adigun (Photo: Heather Kindall)

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the state championship.”

Last, but not least for Hugoton’s postseason honors recipients is All-State honorable mention selecrtion Gianna Vos, who committed to Florida Southern over the summer, and posted 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game as a junior “Individually, I want to work on shooting some more jump shots,” Vos said. “Be more of a leader this year just because we lost some seniors and to get back to where we were, we just have to have some leadership. That’s something I really want to work on. I also just want to work on building up our culture in Hugoton for women’s basketball. Obviously it’s been pretty successful in the past couple of years, and I just think we can keep building on that and be able to leave it better than we found it for our younger classes.”

Hugoton returns a fourth starter in senior Julienne Salazar, who averaged 2.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. While her scoring numbers weren’t overwhelming given that there are only so many shot attempts to go around, Salazar’s steady play and tough defense is a key component for the Eagles going into this year.

Given Hamlin’s injury, it’s not unlikely that coach Adigun will call upon Salazar, and others, to do more.

“Obviously when you lose a kid of that caliber there are significant changes that are going to have to be made, and I think the biggest thing we wanted to fo cus on this summer was just making sure everybody understood we have faith and trust in the players that are going to have to fill those positions and that, you know, it’s not an excuse, it’s an opportunity.

And once Hamlin is back, the Eagles could be a downright scary-good offense.

“I think it all starts the foundation of our scoring and our balance is the offense,” coach Adigun said. “It’s a free flowing offense with obviously some rules and structure, but it allows them to play to their strengths.

I don’t think they look at shots per game or anything of that nature. I think they know if I’m being heavily defended, I have two other teammates that can go get a bucket for us if we need it. We got three kids that can go make a big shot at any big game scenario.”

With a full season ahead, the Eagles have a num ber of goals to accomplish, but Adigun holds one for his team over others.

“We want to be at our peak in March,” he said. “We want to be healthy in March, but most importantly we just want everybody to be as prepared to dominate their role when it’s time for the postseason. Obviously we want to win league and we want to get another sub-state champi onship and we want to compete at the state tournament. But most important, those are some of the things that aren’t neces sarily in our control. Our play is what we can (control), so I just want us to be at our very best as a team by March.”

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at Keegan3434@gmail. com or follow him on Twitter at @ KeeganM_KPG.

1A-DI state tournament this year, it won’t be an easy road for the ‘Stangs, who are likely to have a number of ranked match ups on their schedule, and in their league. “Well, you know, obviously we had a great season, but we play a pretty tough schedule,” coach Kuckelman said. “Our league is always very tough and just meet ing the challenge every night is tough. We play a good tournament early in the year at Larned. We won it last year and we’d like to defend our title there and St. John in the mid-season always has lots of good teams that come to it year in and year out. …We’ve got a good team in Ellinwood in our league and we’d like to get them once. We haven’t gotten them in the past.”

“While I’m really looking forward to the season and all that goes with it, I also know that it will be it for Ryan and myself. We’ve been down a long road together and I’m just so proud of not only the player that he has become, but also the young man that he is. He has worked very hard and I am also somewhat apprehensive to get things going because I know it will go by very fast. I just hope he and our team enjoy the ride and that it is everything they hope that it will be. I know I am going to try to soak up this time together and try to make it as memorable as possible.”

(L-R): Emmanuel Adigun, Summya Adigun (Photo: Heather Kindall)

And for the Kuckelmans, this season has an added layer of sentimentality that goes beyond the court.

Macksville/from page 21

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

For the past three seasons of Kansas high school basketball, Ava Jones has been simply dominant. As a freshman, the 6-2 talent came out of the gates as the leader of a Nickerson squad which played in the state semifinals, before COVID ruined their chances at a state title. Jones averaged 13 points and eight rebounds per game, and gained the interest of numerous major college basketball programs including KU, K-State, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas Tech, West Virginia, and more.

As a sophomore, Jones was individually unstoppable, averaging 24.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and two steals per game. She earned All-State honors for her efforts, and helped lead the Panthers to a sub-state title game. The offers and notoriety continued to pile on.

During her junior campaign, she averaged 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds and led Nickerson to a fourth place finish in state after two hard-fought battles in the semifinals and in the consolation game, the latter of which she scored 26 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, despite the loss.

after the retirement of Sun Devil coach Charli Turner.

However, just three days after committing to be a Hawkeye, while four members of the Jones family - Ava, Trey, Ava’s mother Amy, and younger brother Creek - were walking along a sidewalk in Louisville, Ky., in town for Ava’s tournament, and standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross a busy downtown street, they were struck by a motorist in an SUV allegedly under the influence of drugs.

While new Nickerson coach Hannah Millershaski was head ing into the season with question marks following the departure of standout guard Josie McLean to Hutchinson, where her father, former Nickerson girls’ head coach Jon McLean, is the new athletic director, the Panther program was dealt another blow when a tragic accident took the team’s top returning player, Ava Jones, off the court for her senior season. While this tragedy is far more significant than concerns about a high school basketball season, Millershaski still must forge ahead with a number of new faces in key roles.

Senior Destiny Ponds, who averaged six points, 3.6 re bounds, and 1.5 steals per game last season is the lone returning starter, but senior Brooklyn Perry, junior Kalyse Abernathy, and sophomore Adaylee Morrell have all shown promise.

“Kalyse is one of the few returners who had consistent varsity time last season,” coach Millershashki said. “She will be a starter for us and play a key role on the court, physically and mentally. She is a huge leader for us. Kalyse will be a threat for us because while she is a post, she can drain some three’s. Adaylee won’t be starting for us, since we need her to gain some confidence, but she will be the first one off the bench. She works hard and is naturally athletic. She is quiet, but her actions show leadership. She will be a power forward for us and is aggressive with every move she makes. Brooklyn didn’t get any varsity time last year, but has proved to us that she is ready for the challenge now. Brooklyn works hard and has a great outside shot. She is a threat on defense with her quick feet and is a positive leader for us.”

And while Ava will not be physically on the court, she hopes to serve as a leader off the court for a team trying to continue the traditon of success she helped establish.

Through those three seasons, Ava’s head coach was Jon McLean, who has since left Nickerson to take a position as the Athletic Director at Hutch High.

“Ava was just always a hardworking, competitive athlete,” McLean said. “She was always striving to improve her skills and abilities as a basketball player. It was pretty simple, she wanted to win. What made her so impactful was that she was 6-2 and was very skilled. She could shoot and handle the ball. She had a high motor which helped her get many rebounds during her career. She just loves to play basketball.”

Jones’ passion and ability, coupled with her height, placed her among the elite high school basketball players in the country Aside from her hardwood skills, she had also proven herself as an excellent competitor in track and field, and competed in the Kansas State Track and Field Championship where she took second in the high jump, third in pole vault, and seventh in javelin last season

Jones comes from a track and field family. Her dad, Trey, serving as head coach of Nickerson during Ava’s career and was a catalyst for the construction of Nickerson’s new track facility completed earlier this year. Her brother, Hunter, who was also a Nickerson standout, is entering his third year as a member of the Pitt State track program, where he is a twotime All-American in the heptathlon and the school’s indoor record holder in the high jump (7-1).

Whatever the athletic undertaking, the Jones family has been there for each other, so it’s not surprising that on July 3, 2022, when Ava announced her commitment to play basketball at the University of Iowa, for head coach Lisa Bluder, the whole family was excited. While Ava had initially committed to Arizona State, she made the decision to decommit

The family was taken to University of Louisville Hospital in critical condition. Trey later succumbed to his injuries and died, while Ava and Amy suffered serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and severe damage to their knees. Creek was treated at the hospital and has since made a full recovery.

Ava and her mother remained in Louisville until mid-August as they worked to recover from their injuries, while Hunter split time in Kentucky and back home looking after Creek.

The driver, Michael Hurley, was at first charged with four counts of first-de gree assault, driving under the influence, and a license possession violation, with murder charges added after Trey’s death.

After hearing the news of the horrific aftermath of Hurley’s negligence, compassionate people across the state and the country rallied to support the Jones family.

The town of Nickerson, friends, family, the basketball community, and people from every corner of the Midwest offered assistance. A series of fundraisers were established that raised tens of thousands of dollars.

“The fundraising has been amazing to watch and see how many people care for my family and to see everyone do whatever they need to help with,” Hunter said. “My mom can not do much on her own still and will not be able to for a while and it just makes me happy to see people reaching out to offer rides to work or wherever she needs to go.”

Ava will not return to the court as the player she once was anytime soon, if ever, given the severe damage to her knees.

“My mom and sister are getting better but it’s a slow process and could take years,” Hunter said. “They are getting surgeries planned for my sister’s knees and then eventually her shoulder. My mom is going to have to get a pretty serious surgery on a leg that she thought was healing but was not healing properly. But they are strong and I know they are going to keep working their hardest.”

In the wake of the incident,

coach Bluder still honored Ava’s scholarship, and in November she signed her Letter of Intent with her mother and other supporters by her side.

This season, she will take on a leadership role from the sideline for Nickerson.

“I’m not gonna play at all, but will still be part of the team,” Ava said. “Like I feel like I can just give them advice on what to do and help coach.”

Given Jones’ knowledge of the sport forged from countless hours on the court, Nickerson’s new head coach, Hannah Millershashki, is looking forward to Ava’s input.

“Ava’s role will still be as strong as it would be if she was on the court,” Millershashki said. “She is such a leader and will continue to be so for us! I’ve talked several times with Ava, and she’ll take more of a coaching role for our team. She has already given me great ideas on offenses and team dynamics. Ava is so intelligent and she sees basketball in such a unique way. I’m so sad that she won’t physically be on the court, but excited that she gets to share her love for basketball with us still!”

And while it’s still an uphill battle for Ava, she has already begun training for a return to basketball at the college level and her many coaches and teammates agree she has the will to overcome incredible odds to return to the hardwood as one of the country’s top basketball players.

“I’m super excited to go to Iowa and be a part of the team,” Jones said. “I obviously had much different plans before this all happened, but now I am just excited to be a part of their

Ava Jones (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Over the last three seasons, Osborne has seen a string of their best records since the Bulldogs took third at the state tournament in 2013-14, and not coincidentally, that span consists of time that mother-daughter coach combination Trina and Trinity Lutters have been with the program. Trina took over the head coaching job as Trinity was entering her freshman season, with Osborne coming off an 11-11 mark. The effect of the duo was immediate, with Osborne post ing their best season since earning the 2014 bronze medal, with Trinity, an All-State freshman, putting up 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. While they didn’t qualify for state, there was an obvious momentum shift for the program.

The next two seasons would see continued success for both the team and Trinity as an individual. The Bulldogs qualified for two consecutive state tournaments and won the league title in 2022. Again, Trinity was dominant, averaging 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.5 assists as a sophomore, and then 20.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.3 steals per game as a junior, earning All-State recognition both seasons.

Osborne was knocked out in the first round of each state tournament, but this season, a group with talent and experi ence, led by one of the best in 1A, are feeling determined.

“We stressed individual workouts, trying to get in as many shots as you could,” coach Lutters said. “I kind of challenged everybody to take 10,000 shots or more in the summer, and so I know we had Trinity, as well as a few others that got out and they shot on their own.”

The Bulldogs also saw time together in the summer, with

the team bringing back four starters, including senior Brooke Befort, who posted 5.3 points, three rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season, junior Hudson Wolters at 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, and the team’s second leading scorer, AllLeague junior Gracie Riner, who averaged 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, and particularly challenges opposing defenders.

“It takes off a lot of pressure,” Trinity said of Riner. “It’s really nice when – especially when both of us are scoring really well on the same night – it’s kind of really hard to decide who to guard that night and it makes us really unstoppable.”

It’s not just the combined offensive firepower that makes the pair a dangerous duo, though.

“They key off each other well,” coach Lutters said. “They’re really fun when they are driving and dishing and looking for each other, and then defensively they’re quick and get the steals and it’s just a good combination. It’s hard for another team to know who to focus on when you do have one and two, maybe even three scoring options.”

Befort and Wolters round out the quality quartet.

“Brooke plays tough defense while also being an offensive threat from the outside. Hudson also shoots well from the perimeter. They are versatile players and that helps with flexible subbing.”

With the talent there, the Bulldogs focus is simply pursuing league, sub-state, and hopefully state championships.

“Just working hard every day in practice, especially with other teams in our league that probably aren’t the best,” Trinity said. “We just need to focus on beating up on each

other in practice and working to push each other.”

Whatever comes of the season ahead, Trinity Lutters bas ketball career will continue after, with her November signing to play at Sterling College.

“We are very eager to start the season,” coach Lutters said. “There are several girls on our team that are pushing each other to constantly be improving. This senior class has been a hard working group from the time they entered the court as freshmen. The competitive nature of the group keeps practice intense and focused. As a coach it is always exciting to see several girls that can step up in practice and in games on any given night. This group of girls are truly amazing to coach and fun to watch play.”

(L-R) Trinity Lutters, Trina Lutters (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Entering the final season in her already storied high school career, guard Taryn Sides and her Phillipsburg team are looking to inch just a bit closer to a gold at the end of the season, something she knows from experience isn’t easy.

“I’m hoping to lead the team, get a lot of wins, get to state, work to win state,” Sides said. “I feel like we have a good chance to do that this year. I’ll just do whatever I can to help win.”

Sides has been helping the team win since first setting foot on a varsity floor her freshman year. She averaged 18.7 points, six rebounds, 2.8 assists, 4.5 steals and a block per game on a team that won league and advanced to the state tournament, losing in the opening round to a loaded Cheney squad before the remainder of the tourney was canceled due to COVID. The 20-4 record at season’s end was the best in school history.

In the offseason prior to her sophomore year, Sides committed to Kansas State to play college basketball, she then led the Panthers back to state and improved her numbers to 20.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5 assists and a dizzying 6.1 steals per game. This time around, Sides and company were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Hugoton, though they did improve their win percentage slightly at 20-3.

As a junior Sides again increased her production, averaging a double-double per night at 27.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, five steals, and a block per game. The Panthers finished the season 18-5 after getting

knocked out in the sub-state finals by eventual state champs Goodland.

“Taryn does an excellent job of moving without the ball and when she has the ball she is really good at creating her own shot,” coach Rachel Miller said. “We practice run ning multiple defensive schemes in practice in preparation for games. We try to space the floor to make it difficult for teams to help. Taryn is dangerous in the open floor and thus as a team we try to turn defense into quick offense. We want to play fast and not allow teams to set up their defense.”

Sides earned All-State honors for each of her first three seasons and was Sports in Kansas Co-3A Player of the Year last season as a junior.

Despite the slight drop in record, Phillipsburg’s losses came to quality opponents, and from that team the Panthers return four players with starting experience, including 5-6 senior Trinitti Gross (3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.5 spg), 5-foot sophomore Brynn Billings (3.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg), and possibly the biggest boost for the Panthers after she missed last season with an injury, 6-foot senior Heather Schemper (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 spg as a sopho more, Washburn VB signee).

“We are excited and happy to have Heather back and healthy,” head coach Rachel Miller said. “She will provide added depth at the post position. Heather is a 6-foot stretch four player that can run the floor in transition and finish at the rim. She plays long and is quick defensively.”

Sophomores Kayla Jacobs (4.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-6) and Karissa Keeten (3.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5-5), along with seniors Austin Dierking (1.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-11) and Jaelyn Miller (3.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-9) are others back from that varsity rotation, while 5-11 senior newcomer Kaelyn Means should add depth, according Miller.

“We have a good group of senior girls this year,” Sides said. “So I’m looking forward to taking on that leadership role with them. We have a lot of goals in mind, so I feel like we’re gonna have to be the ones to start the ball rolling.”

Since the end of last season Sides has been hard at work on further improve ments in her game with her AAU team the Missouri Phenom.

“Trying just to make plays, cut down on turnovers,” Sides said. “I kind of struggled with that at the beginning of the summer and then focused on defense. I feel like going into college I’m going to have to improve on that, especially guarding quick girls, stronger girls. So those were two things that I focused on this summer.”

The prospect of improv ing her defense is likely a

terrifying prospect for opposing guards, given her lowest season steal average is 4.5 and high is 6.1, but that atti tude toward her game is part of what makes Sides such a unique player.

“Taryn is the ultimate competitor, she hates losing,” Miller said. “Her work ethic is second to none, she is always working on improving her game and wanting to get better. Taryn has a high basketball IQ, she understands situations and schemes. She communicates well with her teammates and provides calm in pressure situations.”

Her competitive nature comes in part from her upbring ing in one of the state’s most athletic families. Her father, Keith, is the head boys’ coach at Phillipsburg and older brothers Trey and Ty were incredibly successful football and basketball players. Trey played collegiately at Division I Jacksonville State where he saw action as a true fresh man. He is now finishing his basketball career at Division II Central Missouri.

Sides’ primary goals this season include earning the team’s first league title since her freshman season, and also moving past the first round of the state tournament.

“We took second in the league tournament two years in a row,” Sides said. “So we’re looking to win that this year. Obviously win sub-state, get to state, win some games there. We’ve gotten knocked out in the first round the years we’ve gotten to state. So yeah, we’re looking forward to getting revenge and winning some games at state too.”

After wrapping up her senior year, Sides is committed to Kansas State where she will be a part of head coach Jeff Mittie’s staff.

“I decided on K-State for multiple reasons,” Sides said. “I grew up a K-State fan with my parents going there so K-State has always been a special place to my family and I. Also, the coaching staff was the first college to recruit me which was around 7-8th grade. They made me feel special from Day 1, a lot of coaches will tell you how much they want you but K-State also showed me that they wanted me. I am beyond excited to get to Manhattan and start my college basketball career. I can’t wait to play with the girls and learn lots from the coaches. I feel like I have a lot of people to prove wrong, so I cannot wait. Also I’ve always dreamed of playing in Bramlage so it’s still surreal to me that it will happen!“

Taryn Sides (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

After three years with 5-Star basketball recruit S’Mya Nichols, the top ranked senior basketball player in Kansas, Mark Rabbitt and his Shawnee Mission West team appear to have all the talent necessary to make a run at the team’s first state title since the early 1990s, when coach Larry Shepherd won the program’s two championships in 1990 and 1993.

The biggest obstacle for Vikings?

“We are not healthy right now, but we expect to be healthy, fingers crossed, by some time in January,” Rabbit said. “Like all programs, being healthy will be a part of our chances to make it back to state. As a result, early in the season, we won’t be at full strength, so it is possible that we experience some adversity earlier in the season than we have in recent years. So to answer your question, getting and staying healthy and having the toughness to stay together during adversity, are the keys for us to make it back to state.”

Nichols spent this offseason with a split focus of rehabbing a knee injury she suffered in her sophomore season and more recently has had problems with again, and forging ahead in what has already been a decorated basketball career at the high school level, for the Under 18 USA Team, and soon-to-be for the University of Kansas, where she committed in November.

In terms of her experience with Team USA, it was a mixed bag worth opening.

“Tryouts practice is extremely hard,” Nichols said. “Honestly, I loved it all though. It was basically an awak

ening for me, like of how college would be the pace I need to start training at now. It was an amazing experience. A whole bunch of Power 5 girls from across the world com ing together to go win a gold. That was amazing. I would go back if I could.”

Due to her knee injury Nichols couldn’t compete through this summer, but the future Jayhawk doesn’t lack in experience, and has been an impact player at the high school level since her freshman year, when she averaged 14 points and nearly five rebounds per game. As a soph omore she upped it to 15 and six, and as a junior put up 15.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.

Despite the opposition’s best efforts, Nichols has contin ually gotten the better of them.

“Teams have tried pretty much everything,” Rabbit said. “We have not shot the ball particularly well over the past couple of seasons, so often, there is one girl defending S’Mya and four girls in help inside the paint. It’s become easier to get S’Mya open shots over the past season or so because she has become such a good perimeter shooter off handoffs and ball screens. Early in her high school career she heavily relied on her ability to score around the rim. She has worked hard to become a complete scorer.”

Along with her shot, Nichols is looking to find other ways to continually improve.

“I want to grow as a leader,” Nichols said. “I’m a very ‘lead by example’ person, so I want to be more vocal. Also, just (as far as) individual awards, I’d love to win Gatorade Player of the Year.”

What stands in Nichols way the most is simply the time she will see on the court this season, with there being a high likelihood she won’t return until January.

Besides Nichols, West brings back 5-7 junior Izzy Joyce, who averaged 10 points and three steals per game, along with Macie Loe, a 5-10 junior with a four point and 5.5 rebound per game average, both starters last season.

“We feel good about our group this year,” Rabbit said. “We have lots of experienced players, tough kids who know how to win

and have proven that they have the toughness to do so. With losing Taedyn Gray and Aaliyah Garcia to graduation, many teams are overlooking us. We have a bit of a chip on our shoulder as well, so yes, we are ready to go prove some things.”

While the early part of the season is likely to be a bit of a slog as the team searches for their identity without their two graduates, and as they await the return of arguably the best player in the state, if the Vikings get healthy after the holiday break, they will be dangerous.

“We would clearly like to have a healthy S’Mya Nichols at the start of the season,” coach Rabbitt said. “However, we plan to compete and make the best of our situation until she returns in January. This December will be a great opportunity to gain some valuable experiences, asking players to play larger roles. We feel that this can be a positive thing for us and can really make us even better when we are at full strength down the stretch run.”

Keegan3434@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @KeeganM_KPG.

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at

S’Mya Nichols (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Four-year varsity standout Keeli Knobbe and SylvanLucas Unified put together an impressive 17-5 season with a second place finish in the Northern Plains League tournament a year ago, but were ultimately unable to make it past Rawlins County in the second round of substate. Despite that shortcoming, the Mustangs bring back one of the top players in 1A in Knobbe, an experienced core around her, and some young players with potential. Combine it with a blue collar work ethic and it’s a formula that gives the Mustangs the potential to push it a couple games further into this postseason.

“This year I feel like we’ve really stepped it up,” Knobbe said. “Especially in practice. We’ve been working on putting that pressure on that’s in a game, and so we’ve just worked through a lot of those tendencies and habits that we’ve, bad habits I guess, that we’ve built, and just worked through them. Yeah, it’s a ride with a bunch of my seniors. I have a great team behind me to support me and just enjoy it while we can, hoping to get past sub-state and go somewhere.”

Those pressure situations Knobbe is referring to were simulated by the team in order to overcome crunch time situations, which makes sense seeing as four of Sylvan’s five losses a season ago were by five points or less, including their 58-54 sub-state loss to Rawlins County.

Knobbe, who Waconda Lakers’ coach Todd Clover says “can guard one through five positions and offensively can play one through five positions” for his team on the sum mer MAYB circuit, averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds,

and 2.2 steals per game a season ago, earning All-State honorable mention. It was her third season averaging in double digits, after posting 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds as a freshman, and 11.9 points and six rebounds as a sophomore.

Knobbe challenged the team this offseason to work hard at expanding their skills, particularly shooting, over the course of the summer.

“I mean, obviously going to state is always one of our goals that we set as a team, but we actually, this summer, got in the gym a lot,” Knobbe said. “I set a 10,000 shot goal for everybody, and it helped a lot of girls. I think a lot of girls got in the gym just to better themselves. But yeah, working together as a team and just working on fluidity.”

Knobbe also personally challenged herself to improve her distribution abilities to her teammates and SylvanLucas head coach Craig Bachtman calls her ability to see the floor and knowledge of the game her biggest strengths.

“This year I really want to focus on getting everybody involved, being more of a distributor,” Knobbe said. “Along with helping everybody get easy shots.”

The senior’s work ethic has been a trait in her game since she entered high school, something Bachtman credits for allowing her to become the player she is today.

“It was a great part of her success,” coach Bachtman said. “She has put in the time to become the player she is by working hard throughout the year to improve herself everyday.”

Knobbe is joined as a returning starter by senior Sophie

Pancost, who averaged 2.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season, as well as junior Emma Finkenbinder,

Keeli Knobbe (Photo: Heather Kindall)

who is coming off a 7.5 point, 2.8 rebound, and 1.9 steal per game campaign, and Knobbe’s Waconda Laker teammate, sophomore Maggie Labertew, has the poten tial to emerge as a scoring threat this season as well.

“We are going to have to work twice as hard as we did last year and take on some new roles,” Bachtman said.

While the Mustangs have some spots to fill outside their three returning starters, the team also returns several pieces that contributed to a state volleyball berth

and 34-5 overall record, helping coach Linda Haring earn her 500th career coaching victory in the process.

“We are very excited for the team this year,” Knobbe said. “We know that we have some areas that we need to improve on to make us successful this year again.”

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at Keegan3434@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @KeeganM_KPG.

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Augusta wrestling came within 10 points of a 4A title a season ago, but couldn’t quite overcome Tonganoxie’s point total. Nonetheless, the season saw a lot of success for head coach Brandon Terry’s 17th in the Oriole wrestling room.

The Orioles posted an 11-1 record in duals last season, going a perfect 5-0 in league contests. At regionals, they boasted five champs and qualified 11 wrestlers for state, ultimately earning a regional championship.

This season, much of the talent that led them to so much success a season ago is back and gearing up for what is likely to be another quality season on the mat. Chief among those talented returners are seniors Marcus Terry (126) and Kalvin LaPlant (132).

Marcus won his second straight state title as a junior after edgining Abilene’s Chistopher McClanahan, 5-4, in the title match to finish the season a perfect 25-0. What’s more impressive is he missed six weeks of the season with a broken collarbone and his action at regionals was his first since the January 15th Clearwater tournament.

“He is super quick on his feet, tough on top, and possess es a strong work ethic that carries over to his matches in competitiveness and confidence,” coach Terry said.

If you noticed a consistency in the last name Terry, that’s not a coincidence, the two are father and son, and Marcus is Brandon’s first two-time state champ.

“Although it has been a struggle at times coaching my own son, it has been very rewarding,” coach Terry said. “The great thing for me is that I have some great assistants who do a great job with Marcus when I need to take on the Dad role more or when we start to butt heads a little. That all

being said, I am super proud of who he has become both on and off the mat. He battled through an injury last year and I couldn’t have been more proud of the way he finished.”

LaPlant also had a podium finish at state last season, taking second at 113, and finishing 35-4 on the year.

“Kalvin is a hard worker,” coach Terry said. “He is a slick wrestler with good mat savvy. Even as a young wrestler, Kalvin has always hated to lose. This has pushed Kalvin to be successful in high school.”

Last season’s state title match in particular, a triple OT loss to Chanute’s Kolton Misener, has lit a fire under LaPlant this offseason.

“That match in the finals definitely motivates me,” LaPlant said. “I got a bunch of work in the summer, but it’s mostly that match coming back this season. I’m excited. I know I have the ability to get it done. I just have to prove it.”

Another senior back looking to make some noise is Grady Fox (138, 36-6), who took third last season at 138, and also finished on the podium as a freshman (3rd at 113) and as a sophomore (6th place at 120).

Senior Cannon Carey (150, 37-5) took fifth last year at 132 after placing fourth at 113 as a sophomore. Other senior state qualifiers back include Thomason Johnson (175, 3212) and Gabe Kant (215, 30-14).

“These seniors have been competing together for a long time,” coach Terry said. “They know what it takes to be successful, what is expected of them, and more importantly they are great kids that do things the right way. This sets the tone for everyone in our program.”

Seniors aren’t all Augusta has back from last year’s state run either, sophomore Willie Jon Morales (285, 38-9) took third place last season, while junior Elijah Foy (106, 22-19) qualified for state as well.

“I feel awesome,” Marcus Terry said. “I feel like we’re bringing back definitely a huge team and very hard, hard workers. You know, we got second last year, fell just short, so that’s been biting at us a little bit and I think we’re going to get it this year.”

Beyond the returning qualifiers, coach Terry has a guys he’s confident can make an impact at each weight.

“I am really excited for this year’s team,” Coach Terry said. “They are a talented, yet a hard working and fun group.”

(L-R): Marcus Terry, Kalvin LaPlant (Photo: Heather Kindall)

HOXIE INDIANS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Over the course of the last two seasons, 3-2-1A state wrestling has seen the return of a juggernaut to the top of the podium. Prior to 2021, Hoxie wrestling had won its most recent state title in 2003, the 10th in program history, after decisively adding another first place trophy to their case two seasons ago, the Indians put together an even more domi nant state title run in February, scoring 186 points and more than doubling the 89 of second place Douglass.

Posting an 8-0 dual record with first place Mid-Continent League and regional tournament finishes, Hoxie’s momentum continued all season long. In all, 10 Hoxie wrestlers qualified for state with four winning regional titles. Once at state, seven of their wrestlers managed a top-four finish, with three earning state gold. Scarier yet for challengers to Hoxie’s dominance this season, the Indians bring back a majority of their state qualifiers, with three-time state champ Drew Bell (Fort Hays wrestling) the only loss from that group.

Senior Drew Bretz (165), who won a second state cham pionship as a junior and was a key leader on the team last season, has made a point to enjoy the team’s second straight title without becoming complacent.

“It definitely feels good,” Bretz said. “Can’t get too relaxed though, definitely got to keep going into the next season. Just ready to do what we’ve done in the past. Just keep on it.”

While it may seem at this point that Hoxie is unbeatable, that of course has not always been the case. The Indians’ finish at the 2020 state tournament – when they were among the favorites to win a title, but came up short with 88 points, just behind Norton’s 95 – still helps to galvanize Hoxie’s resolve to this day.

“A disappointing state tournament our freshman year made us feel more hungry for state championships,” Derek Johnson said. “So we won one and then the second one. We can sit here and talk about how good that was, but we’ve still got one more to go, at least for us being seniors this year.”

Along with the goal of winning a third straight team title,

Beyond Johnson (157) and Bretz (165), Hoxie returns senior state champ Tate Weimer (120), senior fourth place finisher - in 2021 - Wayne Shepard (126), senior state runner-up Dayton Bell (144), junior state runner-up Carson Ochs (138), sophomore state runner-up Sam Watkins (175), and sopho more qualifiers Kash Schlitz (106) and Duncan Bell (150).

“We’ve got good wrestlers. We’ve got smart wrestlers that kind of understand what it takes to do things like that,” coach Porsch said. “You can’t just have things given to you, and we’ve still got guys that are going to be working to get to weight. We talked a little bit about filling the weight classes

the right way and making the best lineup we can for individu als on the team. It could work out really well.”

As you’ll hear with many championship teams, it starts in the practice room, and for Hoxie it is no different.

“We go hard two hours a day, every day,” Bretz said. “And then sometimes we have really tough morning practices, too. I mean, it’s pretty crazy because we go a hundred percent every day. Being able to wrestle four or five different guys that have been in the state tournament and everybody wants to win every go? We never go easy on each other. So it is really beneficial in that aspect, having those guys around you in the practice room.”

As for avoiding complacency, with the athletes leading this group, a moment of sub-par effort leads to a reality check.

Johnson will be working on his fourth straight individual cham pionship, which, if it comes in an undefeated season, would match his high school loss total of only four matches.

Hoxie wrestling seeks third straight title. For individual IDs flip to the next page. (Photo: Heather Kindall)

Given the group’s depth and experience, with enough state medals for a pirate’s treasure chest, the attitude and talent in Hoxie wrestling practices allows for a constant and intense tone throughout the room.

“It makes a job as a coach pretty easy when you can put a room together like that, have that dynamic,” Porsch said. “And that doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes you get one or two good guys and they’re way apart and things in between aren’t to that level. But we’ve got a pretty good group from top to bottom, so you can go up or down a couple weight classes and find somebody that can, on any given day, give you everything you want.”

Hoxie is also a program that lets merit dictate leadership as

much as graduating class.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good culture,” coach Porsch said. “Even sometimes as freshmen and sophomores we get guys that’ll step up and feel comfortable enough to try to be a leader or say what’s on their mind at times. So if we’re having a talk at the end of practice, that’s the kind of culture we want.

If you’re doing your job and you’re taking care of business, it doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman on JV or a senior returning state champion. If you’re doing things right, taking care of business the right way, and you step up and say something, they’re going to support you and listen.”

Hoxie enters this season hoping for the program’s first three-peat in school history, and the team has also established the goal of crowning five individual championssomething not done at the school since 1971.

“We’ve got the possibility of putting a bunch of guys in the finals,” Porsch said. “We put six in the finals last year, four in the year before and came up short on some of those. So

in my mind as a coach, there’s goals, and like I said, being heavy favorites coming in, sometimes you’ve got to come up with extra motivation or things these guys could really do to put their team on the map as far as Hoxie wrestling is concerned, and maybe state wrestling, too.”

But with all the talk of state titles – as Porsch, Bretz, Johnson and the rest of the Hoxie squad have made clear –don’t expect them to forget what it takes to win as a team.

“That’s where it all starts,” Porsch said. “But if we’re doing our jobs and everybody’s taking care of theirs, then really, really special things could happen if things would fall into place. Now, injuries and upsets and just whatever, I mean, that all happens. So you’ve got to take it one step at a time. But hopefully there’s extra motivation for the guys to not rest on their laurels and take things for granted, because it’s a lot easier if they hand you that trophy at the beginning of the season than at the end.”

Carson Ochs

Derek Johnson

Tate Weimer

Dayton Bell

Drew Bretz

Sam Watkins

Wayne Shepard

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Lawrence Free State finished fourth as a team at last season’s 6A state tournament, a strong campaign by any account, but what’s most intriguing is the talent the Firebirds bring back. Entering his third year as head coach, Randy Streeter returns five state qualifiers from a team that finished 10-2 in duals and took sixth in the 6A West Super Regional.

Leading the way for the Firebirds this season is senior Nolan Bradley (113/120) a three-time state qualifier, who, after taking fifth in 2020 and third in 2021, won a state title as a junior with a 41-4 overall record.

“I think it’s important to not just have the one goal of state at the end,” Bradley said. “I feel like there’s a lot of little steps that build up to it and we would need to win a lot of those tournaments to put our name out there.”

Streeter attributes much of Bradley’s success to his athletic talent, and his participation in the Sunflower Kids Wrestling Club from a young age.

“A product of Sunflower Kids Wrestling Club since 2010,” coach Streeter said, “possibly the most well-rounded athlete I’ve ever coached. Fast, strong, compact, and explosive. Technically sound in all three positions. Also very good on top. Quick on his feet.”

Randy’s son, senior Eric Streeter (132/138) is also a top re turning wrestler for LFS. The younger Streeter has qualified for state in all three of his seasons to date, and took third place in both 2021 and 2022, the latter of which he finished with a 36-12 mark. The older Streeter also credits the SKW as a key to his son’s development.

“A product of Sunflower Kids Wrestling Club since 2009,” coach Streeter said. “Incredible amount of experience both locally and nationally. Very mat savvy, always in good

position, tough on the edge, quick on the whistle. Fantastic leg rider and scrambler, a product of his Cornellstyle training. Lanky, strong, and deceiving wrestler.”

The third Firebird senior with sig nificant state experience is Matthew Marcum (215), a two-time state qual ifier that captured gold at 195 pounds last season in one of the biggest upsets of the postseason, beating then undefeated Olathe South senior Blake Jouret by fall in overtime in one of the most thrilling championship matches of any state tourney.

“A product of Sunflower Kids Wrestling Club since 2010,” coach Streeter said. “Deceiving strength and leverage. Most superior leg rider and crab rider I’ve trained since Alan Clother (2x state champ, Appalachian State/University of Northern Colorado) at Lawrence High, also an SKW product. Number one reason Matthew wins? Confidence! He doesn’t believe anyone is better than him, and he might be right.”

A few weeks out from the season, the trio of wrestlers were already feeling good about this year’s prospects, and the popularity the sport has been experiencing at the school.

“I think we have a good group of guys right now,” Eric Streeter said. “We’re doing preseason workouts right now, so I think we have about 30 in there, and then I think we’ll have 50 by the time the season comes around. So we have a good group of hard working guys, so I think we’ll be able to at least start where we finished.”

A major boon for the wrestling program was

coach

encouraging his players to go out for the winter sport, helping to build further a bond between the two hard-nosed sports with mutual coaches.

“There’s no better friend to a wrestling program than your head football coach,” coach Streeter said. “Further, having a football coach on the wrestling staff is also key—like we’ve had the last couple years with Defensive Coordinator Nolan Henderson. We have a lot of football guys out for wrestling to sharpen their foot speed and hand fighting. It definitely helps us on the mat with more numbers, more bigger guys, and it adds to the overall athleticism in the room. The more tough practice partners the better.”

Given the influx of new wrestlers, one of the larger issues the Firebirds could face is cohesion in the wrestling room.

“Because of all the new guys we have, just learning to work

football

Kevin Stewart recently

(L-R): Matthew Marcum, Nolan Bradley, Eric Streeter (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Newton wrestling finished third at 5A state with 147.5 points a season ago behind winners of the past eight team titles, Goddard, and consistent placer Blue Valley Southwest. This year the Railers bring back much of that talented group for head coach Tommy Edgmon, who enters his eighth year with the program.

While the loss of state place-winners Colin Bybee and Clayton Kaufman does take some of those state points away, six state qualifiers are back in all for the Railers, including seniors Nick Treaster (120), A.B. Stokes (126), and Rio Gomez (285).

Treaster, a three-time state champ, is working toward his fourth consecutive gold. He also has seen a ton of competition outside of KSHSAA events.

“Nick typically gets 75 to 100 matches just over the summer,” Edgmon said. “Nick represented Team USA and competed against the best around the world.”

Treaster comes from a family of wrestlers, with father Matt and brothers Grant and Logan each winning titles in their high school wrestling careers and going on to wrestle at the Naval Academy, something Nick himself intends to do, but first he’s locked in on state championship number four.

“I’m feeling really confident and I know they are about this upcoming year cuz we’re definitely gonna pack a punch and make a name for ourselves this year,” Treaster said. “We’ve definitely got big aspirations to end up on top.”

Treaster’s second oldest brother, Grant, a two-time state champ and four-time state placer who graduated in 2020, is who Nick credits with who he is as a leader.

“When we first came in, my middle brother was basically the captain of the team and he was a senior that year,” Treaster said. “He really led by example and kind of set the tone for what the practice room is going to be like, what tournaments are going to be like. He was always on us, making sure that everyone was doing the right things. So I know that whenever I’m going into the practice room, I’m trying to emulate that and I’m trying to be just like my older brother and also set the tone for the people under neath me in other classes.”

Stokes, a two-time state placer and runner-up last year, and the son of Bethel College head football coach A.B. Stokes Sr., is another with big goals this year.

“A.B. also competes in many summer tournaments and spends time at different facilities learning from high level coaches picking up skills that propel him to be a top level wrestler,” Edgmon said.

Despite Stokes’ accomplishments in his high school

as a team and building that chemistry is our biggest challenge,” Eric Streeter said. “But I think we can do it, to be honest.”

Bradley reiterated the sentiments of his coach and senior teammate.

“There’s a lot of kids who went out. I feel like the football coach did us a blessing by telling his kids to come out.”

The challenges the Firebirds are facing are made easier given the leadership of the seniors.

“I feel more comfortable that we get to take charge now,” Marcum said. “We get to lead the team how we want now.”

Other’s back from last year’s run include

career, he’s not satisfied yet, with last year’s silver medal leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

“It kind of motivated me to go harder this year,” Stokes said.

“You know, I did put a lot into the season, but I always know that I can put in more and do better.

junior D’onte Goodman (138), a two-time state qualifier that ended last season with a 25-18 mark, and sophomore Grayson Hagen (120/126), who took third place at state at 106 in February.

“We can finish higher this year,” coach Streeter said. “I know our returning placers will do well. It will come down to one thing and one thing only, how will the others do? We need big seasons from Drew Streeter (So., 106), D’onte Goodman, Dylan Farrell (Sr., 144), Gabe Swoyer (So., 157), Gavin Blanchard (Sr., 190), and Braxton Blanck (Sr., 285). If we get to the next level with those guys, we will be in good shape.”

HOISINGTON CARDINALS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

After taking first in the CKL and their regional held in Colby, the Hoisington girls went on to take second at 4-1A state, the third annual KSHSAA sanctioned girls’ wrestling state tournament, with three wrestlers accounting for all of their points. Two of those three are back this season.

“We looked to be the team to beat at the state level with the kids we had coming back,” head coach Dan Schmidt said. “Unfortunately, one of our kids, who we felt would be very instrumental to our team winning a state title, has moved with her family to Winfield. She is currently ranked second, and deservingly so. Her name is Sheena Gocela. In spite of that, we feel like the kids we have coming back should make for a strong showing at the state level. We have a couple ranked in the top two, and have some kids coming back that gave us solid performances at state last year. We currently have 16 girls out, and they all have very good attitudes.”

Gocela finished fourth in the state at 101 pounds last season, and the Cardinals finished with 67 points total, seven ahead of third place, with senior state runner-up Tally Wikum (138) as their top place-winner. The senior finished at 23-2 overall on the year, with one of her two losses com ing to senior state champion Marissa Porsch in the finals.

“I think part of it was a disappointment a little bit. I mean, I was so close, I just didn’t quite get there, so looking at it that way, it’s more, ‘What do I have to do to get there?,’” Wikum said of a possible return trip to the finals this season. “What are the inches, the tiny progress that I need to make.”

Wikum spent the summer working on making up those inches, spending a large majority of her vacation trying to prepare her body for next season.

“All year I’d wrestle and I’d go to the tournaments and I’d have maybe one to two matches,” Wikum said. “I didn’t get very many matches in every tournament. So then, when I went to regionals and I went to state, I was wrestling these long matches and I had multiple matches and it was hard on my body more than any of the tournaments ever really had been before. So it’s

kind of getting to where I’m in shape before the season and then I hold my shape all the way throughout, just so in those tournaments, I can keep up my conditioning.”

Despite it sounding like a new development, Wikum has made her career outworking others long before they step onto a mat together.

“Her work ethic is outstanding,” Schmidt said. “She works at getting better both in and outside of the wrestling room. Very good at studying video, and utilizing video to help her become more successful. She is very solid in her focus at practice.”

Prior to Hoisington picking up a girls’ wrestling program just a couple years ago, Wikum’s sole focus in the sports world was rodeo, a sport she still loves.

“I went to Nationals for two years out of three,” Wikum said. “I competed in the high school (Nationals) and was two out of two when I competed in junior high, and so now I’m going for a third time at Nationals my senior year for rodeo and it takes up all of fall and all of spring. So basically rodeo is my offseason or, or basically wrestling is my offsea son from rodeo. It’s been a good balance.”

Not only are the sports dual-passions for Wikum, they also complement each other in terms of approach.

“So if you go from a basketball standpoint,” Wikum said, “where you have a whole team and you spread out the re sponsibility, and then going into wrestling, it is way different than being an independent performer already (in rodeo) and then going into wrestling. You still depend on yourself and however hard you work will determine how far you go, and in both of those sports, I mean, that was a huge, huge thing

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sports.

“She is very solid on fundamentals,” Schmidt said. “She is very mentally tough. She is very good at correcting mistakes.”

The other of the state finalists back for Hoisington is junior Dashia Jones, who took fourth in state at 132 with a 20-13 record a season ago. Others returning with experience include Kiana Granclair (132, 19-14), Emily Lovett (126, 29-9), and Lyrica Grosco (155, 15-10).

After the conclusion of her senior year, Wikum is planning to attend college and study psychology, but says she plans to keep both rodeo and wrestling in the previously mentioned back pocket.

Tally Wilkum (Photo: Heather Kindall)

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Lakin wrestling took fifth at 4-1A state last season with four state qualifiers on their squad, including state cham pion sisters Josiah and Isabell Ortiz. Isabell graduated at season’s end and after originally committing to Baker is now wrestling at Chadron State, but Josiah is back in the Broncs’ wrestling room with hopes of collecting another state title.

“It just pushes me to want to win again and go undefeat ed,” Ortiz said. “I think it just kind of sets what I want to do this year, and so I’m just aiming to do it again.”

Josiah (110) was a perfect 32-0 last season and is a three-time state place winner with a career record of 85-8, a fifth place finish as a sophomore, and a fourth place finish in what was then an All-Class state tournament her freshman year.

The 2021-22 season allowed Ortiz a bit of redemption after a tough go-round in her sophomore campaign.

“Josiah worked very hard last year to not repeat what happened her sophomore year,” coach Jim Christiansen said. “She was ranked number one heading to state and finished up getting fifth that year. So she worked at getting better in all positions on the mat and was rewarded with her state title last season. It is very important for her to focus on one match at a time and to keep getting better so she can make a run at another title this season.”

Josiah spent the summer at tournaments, often wrestling under a Team Kansas banner, which still allowed her to work with teammates back in Lakin.

“We practice on our own in our towns and then we meet

up when we go to a tournament and wrestle each other a little bit, good competition,” Ortiz said.

Unlike many female wrestlers who have picked up the sport after finally getting the opportunity with the first official KSHSAA sanctioned season in 2020, Ortiz has extensive experience on the mat.

“I actually started wrestling when I was six with me and my sister, and we would always wrestle boys and just knowing that the competition was harder,” Ortiz said “We just had to try to be that much better with them knowing that there were girls they were wrestling.”

Oritz says the community’s reaction to the addition of women’s wrestling at Lakin has been positive.

“I think it’s been strong,” Ortiz said. “I mean, girls wrestling wasn’t always an option, and so just growing up, always wrestling boys and then just having the option to wrestle girls, I mean, it’s just good. I was excited.”

Other state qualifiers from a season ago returning with Ortiz include junior Ivy Davis (125) who posted a 9-17 record and sophomore Luna Vasquez (100) who finished 13-18.

“Some goals I have are just to be a leader for my team and just to create a bond between my teammates to help us in the tournaments,” Ortiz said. “And just to hype everyone up, I also want to find a good college to go to.”

Ortiz is at this time undecided on where she will attend at the next level, and is likely to see more options if she can put together another season last year.

“I am expecting Josiah to have a great season this year and to make another run at a state title,” coach

Christiansen said. “Even more than that I think Josiah can step up and be a great leader for us in the practice room. I see Josiah wrestling in college and think it’s just a matter of time until we all know where that might be.”

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at Keegan3434@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @KeeganM_KPG.

Josiah Ortiz (Photo: Heather Kindall)

OAKLEY PLAINSMEN

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Oakley senior Citori Bosserman has proven to be a quick learner in the world of high school wrestling, already making it onto the podium twice since picking up the sport as a freshman. Bosserman and her parents had already been loosely planning on it since her eighth grade year as rumors swirled that the Kansas State High School Activities Association was planning to let girls on the mat in their own division.

“We’d been talking about it, ‘’ Citori’s father Clayton said. “They’d been talking about sanctioning girls and she had a bad experience with volleyball and basketball and just didn’t like it. She was always the smallest one in the class, real athletic, but tiny. So basketball, she didn’t get to play a lot because she was so small and she just said, ‘Hey, if I can wrestle, I’m going to wrestle then.’ That’s how it all started.”

Bosserman has already seen significant success going into her fourth year in the sport. After winning a state title in 2021 in the 101 pound weight class, she bumped up to 109 in 2022 and took fourth, unable to get by Mulvane’s talented freshman Leiannah Landreth in the semifinals of last season’s state tournament and following up a back side win over Coffeyville’s Emma Hall with a fourth place finish by fall in the consolation final to current Columbus senior Addi Saporito.

The two-time state qualifier finished last season 33-6 overall and despite missing a chance to win the state title in back-to-back seasons, remains committed to working to improve her craft.

“I’ve been really just working on the moves that I know and just working on those so I can get more confident in how I shoot and stuff,” Bosserman said. “Because I haven’t been wrestling for that long, so I don’t really know a lot of moves, so I just use the moves that I do know and work on those more so that I can get pretty good at those, and then I’ve been working a lot more on my lungs.”

Bosserman runs cross country and track and field out side of wrestling, both helping her to increase her stamina for the wrestling season, though she did suffer shin splints as a result of her 2021 cross country season, something she had to recover from before too much running this summer. She was able to make it to multiple camps and spent ample time in the weight room.

No matter the season or workout, one constant is Bosserman’s upbeat approach.

“Citori has a positive attitude and the desire to work hard,” Oakley wrestling coach Bryce Lewis said. “She always has a smile on her face and enjoys every second.”

As a team Oakley took fourth in the Mid-Continent League, fifth at the regional tournament, and 17th at state last season. This year Bosserman will move up to 115 pounds and welcomes some other established wrestlers as teammates.

“We have five ladies this year on the team,” Lewis said. “Three of the athletes are returning state placers, and the two are freshmen who have the ability to compete.”

Those two state placers are sisters Mikyah (120) and Atavia Cain (170).

Mikyah, a senior, missed her junior season with injuries,

F or more information visit rollinghillszoo.org

but took fifth place at 116 in 2020 and third place at 120 in 2021. Atavia, meanwhile, went 20-11 during her freshman campaign in 2022 and finished up taking sixth place at 170 after posting three wins on the backside of the brack et. Freshmen Abbygayl Jackson and Abbie Mandeville are also both “eager” to test their abilities on the mat this upcoming season.

The Plainsmen program has seen solid growth since its

Citori Bosserman (Photo: Heather Kindall)

inception during Bosserman’s freshman year, exceeding her initial assumptions, and at least partially due to her success.

“There’s a lot more girls and little kids than I was expecting,” Bosserman said. “Once I won state there were a lot of girls that looked up to me and chose to do wrestling over a lot of other things.”

This season, Bosserman has set a goal to reach 100 career victories – a number she is currently 23 away from reaching –and the ultimate goal of winning a state title.

Plainsmen boys look to resume winning tradition

On the men’s side of the wrestling room state runner-up Carter Krier (126) returns for his sophomore season after going 37-2, losing to Hoxie’s Tate Weimer in the finals after beating him twice earlier in the season, including regionals. Senior Landyn Plummer (150), junior 2021 state qualifier Ivan Jirak, fellow juniors Ace Plummer (132), Isiaha Rebarchek (138), Colton Foster (138), and sophomore Daniel Macias (132) will join Krier in trying to help return the Plainsmen to their usual place knocking on the door of the top 10 in the final team standings at 3-2-1A state.

“The men’s will be a fun team to be around this year,” Lewis said. “We have 12 boys on the team with six of them being freshmen. These kids have been around the sport for a long time and are ready to compete. I have two returning

state qualifiers who are eager to lead the team. Landyn Plummer is my returning senior. He worked hard all summer and is eager to compete.”

The guys took sixth in the MCL, ninth at regionals, and 29th at state last season. While it may be an uphill battle for the Plainsmen boys program to win their second state title and first since 1974 this year, coach Lewis has goals of moving in that direction, pointing to health, hard work, and positive attitudes as his young team’s keys to success.

As the season starts, a number of Plainsmen and women have opportunities at excellent season’s in one of the state’s best wrestling leagues, but their lone returning state champion is who many eyes will be focused on.

“Citori has the heart and spirit of a warrior and loves all facets of the sport,” Lewis said. “She has the desire to be the best wrestler, which is illustrated through her presence and attitude at practice.

Citori is athletic, strong, determined, or simply put, has the attributes of a champion.”

Keegan McCullick is in his third year as the staff writer for Kansas Pregame. Reach him via email at Keegan3434@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @KeeganM_KPG.

OLATHE WEST OWLS

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

Olathe West’s Makayla Rivera (191) is among the most dominant athletes in the state of Kansas, and her résumé speaks for itself.

The senior is a three-time state placer, coming in second in 2020 as a freshman, and then taking the gold in both 2021 and 2022. In the 73 matches she’s won during her high school career, she has pinned 70 of her opponents. This season the back-to-back state champ is dropping to 191 after dominating 235 with an iron grip over the last couple of seasons. She’s cautiously confident in her ability to have a similar impact in her new weight class.

“It’s a little bit like heavyweight, but not as slow,” Rivera said. “We’re a lot more muscle based. It’s a lot more throwing and then once you get towards lighter weights it becomes a lot faster paced. You have to be really quick. You have to be more responsive. And so right now that’s what I’m working on because I have the strength, I have the technique, I’m just not like there in terms of physical and speed.”

If Rivera sounds like someone that approaches wrestling methodically, it’s because that is simply the truth.

“What sets Makayla apart is she is very goal-oriented and will work tirelessly to get to where she wants to go,” head coach Lucas Vincent said. “She will come in early and stay late. She doesn’t care how hard she has to work to get to where she wants to go. She’ll do it all with a smile on her face.”

Since introducing the program a couple of years ago, West has seen considerable growth in interest.

“It’s really good,” Rivera said. “We have a great coach who loves to get girls out for wrestling. Like last year, I think we had a full varsity lineup and almost a full JV lineup, too. And then this year we’re getting a lot more girls. We have a good group of freshmen that are coming to try the sport out. We have some really good girls that are joining. Not even just freshmen, but like sophomores, juniors that wanna try it out, too, which is really nice.

Rivera’s infectious attitude alone has been a catalyst in the program gaining momentum, according to her coach.

“Introducing girls’ wrestling at Olathe West has gone really smoothly,” Vincent said. “We have gone from nine girls at the start to 48 girls last week to start the season. A big reason for that success has been Makayla. Everyone at Olathe West knows who Makayla is and the program gets a lot of support from within our building. This senior class is the one who started the program as freshmen four years ago and have done an excellent job in setting the standard for the future of this program.”

West also gets back senior Laney Finazzo (170), a twotime state qualifier that finished fourth in the state last year with a 17-7 record and fellow senior Zahra Andela (155), a 2022 state qualifier who posted a 15-6 mark as a junior.

Junior Gianna Garcia-Campos (125, 20-11) and soph omore Ileen Sanbria-Baez (105, 6-14) were also state qualifiers last season.

With such increased interest, Olathe West has far more female wrestlers, but will only ever have one Makayla Rivera.

“Makayla is just an overall great person,” Vincent said.

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“She is someone who never has to be told to do the right thing or even what the right thing is, she just does it. She isn’t much of a vocal leader but she doesn’t have to be. Her actions in the practice room and the classroom speak louder than anything she could say.”

And Rivera will get a chance to continue leading the right way after high school as she committed to wrestle at Division II Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., just prior to the start of her senior season.

Makayla Rivera (Photo: Heather Kindall)

WICHITA NORTH

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

With a 7-1 dual record, a first place finish in the Greater Wichita Athletic League, second place finish at regionals, and third place finish at state, Wichita North put together a fantastic 2021-22 season. Now, many of the student-ath letes that helped achieve that success are back, including three of the best wrestlers in Kansas, seniors Larisa Garcia (109), Rodah Bengi (115), and Diana Urista (120).

“All three of these young ladies are fierce competitors and it’s been a real blessing to have the privilege of coaching them,” head coach Quinter Burgess said.

Garcia is a two-time state champ and finished last season 39-4, and while her wrestling talent is clear, there is more to her approach that makes her such a problem for opponents. “Honestly, she is just really strong physically and a really fierce competitor,” Burgess said. “With Larisa we just call it the ‘it factor,’ she just has ‘it’.”

Her story and competitive drive brings to mind a young Michael Jordan not making his sophomore basketball team.

“She couldn’t get in the starting lineup for us as a freshman, her first year out,” Burgess said. “But I remember seeing how much potential she had and just how strong she was. I told her that year that she was going to be special, I said ‘You keep working like that and you’ll be a three-time state champ!’ and here we are in the hunt for a third title.”

Garcia says the biggest challenge in that hunt is herself.

“There’s always someone that’s working harder than you are, right?” Garcia said. “I feel like that’s the challenge for me, trying to push past that imaginary person in my head that’s working harder than me.”

Bengi is another state champ back for North after going 40-0 during her junior campaign.

“Honestly you can’t talk about the ‘it factor’ and not talk about Rodah Bengi,” Burgess said. “Rodah is one of, if not the most, gifted athlete I have ever worked with. Not only is she so fast and strong, but she is super smart and that com bination makes her extremely dangerous. I don’t even try to coach her in matches, I just leave her alone. It’s like she’s running through a chess match in her head while she competes.”

The third senior place-winner back for North is Urista, who went 38-4 overall last season and took fourth place at the state tournament.

“It’s kind of funny, Diana and I talked a bit after last season and I really had to applaud her,” Burgess said. “She was 38-4 and only lost to two girls in her weight class. Diana is special to us as a program because she has really had to hone in and work very hard for the success she has had. To go from a .500-ish (record) sophomore season to the year she had last year just shows you how much she has put into it. Diana has a different style of wrestling and it gives people trouble. She refuses to wrestle anyone else’s match and really controls things on the mat which makes her tough to beat.”

Others back for North are junior Jaycee Tyler (135, 27-9) and sophomore state qualifiers Olivia Busada (145, 14-18) and Nathalia Hernandez Martinez (191, 3-16).

“As a team we aren’t really worrying about February at this point and honestly I hope we don’t think about it all year,” Burgess said. “We need to focus on the present and just getting better while enjoying this season together. From my perspective we have the kids in our room right now to have

a paramount season and a great showing at regionals and state, but really want to avoid getting bogged down thinking about that all season.”

The team seems to have taken that inward focus to heart. “I think our biggest challenge is ourselves,” Bengi said. “When you compete in, like, competitive sports, the biggest challenge you have to mentally push through is having negative thoughts. Telling yourself that, ‘Oh, this might be difficult.’ You know, it’s just being positive and having the strength through mental toughness. That’s gonna be our biggest challenge, is holding those standards that we put out there last year and just competing and just trying to keep those same standards throughout this whole year.”

(L-R): Larisa Garcia, Diana Urista, Rodah Bengi (Photo: Heather Kindall)

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, Division I 51

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, Division II ...... 52

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, Division III 52

Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, Division IV 53

Big 7 League ....................................................... 54

Centennial League 55

Central Kansas League ....................................... 56

Central Plains League 57

Central Prairie League......................................... 58

Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League 60

Eastern Kansas League 61

Flint Hills League ................................................. 61

Frontier League 62

Great West Activities Conference ........................ 63

Greater Wichita Athletic League 64

Heart of America League ..................................... 65

Heart of the Plains League 66

Hi-Plains League.... 67; Kaw Valley Conference. 67

Lyon County League ........................................... 68

Meadowlark Conference 68

Mid-Continent League ......................................... 69

Mid-East League 70

North Central Activities Association 71

North Central Kansas League ............................. 73

Northeast Kansas League 75

Northern Plains League ....................................... 76

Northwest Kansas League 79

Pioneer League 80

Southeast Kansas League .................................. 81

South Central Border League 82

Southern Plains-Iroquois Activities Association ... 83

Sunflower League 84

Three Rivers League ........................................... 84

Tri-Valley League 86

Twin Valley League 86

United Kansas Conference.................................. 88

Western Athletic Conference 89

Western Kansas Liberty League ......................... 90

Wheat State League 90

6A Wrestling ........................................................ 92 5A Wrestling 93 4A Wrestling 94 3-2-1A Wrestling .................................................. 95

DI Girls Wrestling.... 96; DII Girls Wrestling. 97

ARK VALLEY CHISHOLM TRAIL LEAGUE, DIVISION I

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The DERBY Panthers tied for a league title last season with a 10-2 record in the AVCTL along with a sub-state championship appearance and a 14-8 overall mark. The Panthers had their struggles outside of the AVCTL last season going just 4-6 in non-league competition. DHS graduated Jameer Clemons, Trent Parke, and DeShawn Titus, but they do bring back some experience with four upperclassmen including All-AVCTL senior Kaeson FisherBrown (11 ppg, 2 apg, 2 rpg, 6-2), fellow senior Jasiah Shields (3 ppg, 2 apg, 6-1), and All-League junior Dallas Metzger (6 ppg, 2 rpg, 6-3). Other potential varsity contributors include seniors Cooper Chadwick (5-10), Brock Zerger (5-10), Cayden Arnett (6-4), junior Kaden Franklin, sophomore Jack Ulwelling (5-9), and freshman Channing Marshall (6-2).

“We are really excited for this season,” coach Brett Flory said. “We had a great summer of preparation, capped by winning the Friends University team camp and beating some really good area teams in the process. Senior leadership was outstanding throughout the summer for us. Our kids have established really good chemistry and understand their roles on our team. We have some excellent players who are also excellent kids off the court, so we hope that will translate to a successful season.”

HAYSVILLE-CAMPUS took a first round sub-state exit against Derby and finished 8-13 a season ago. All-League junior Andrell Burton (12.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and fellow junior Kaason Thomas (6.9 pgg, 3.5 rpg) return to the starting lineup for veteran coach Chris Davis, who expects the Colts to challenge for a trip to the state tournament and contend for a league title with a junior-heavy team.

HUTCHINSON drops to 5A after advancing to the sub-state title game last season before losing to top-seeded Free State. Overall the Salthawks finished 12-10 and return All-League senior Garrett Robertson (14.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 5-10) along with fellow seniors Nic Lange (12 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-6) and Dauntay King (7.7 ppg, 3.2 rpb, 2.2 apg, 5-10). Buhler transfer Wade Meyer (6-2), former home school student Julian Smith (6-4), sophomore Terrell King (5-10) and seniors Bradyn Rodriguez (5-10) and Kellen O’Sullivan (6-4) will compete for the remaining minutes.

“We have good senior leadership and have good overall depth,” coach Brian Miller said. “Our kids play hard, play unselfish and play for each other. Our expectations are to compete for a league title and go back to the state tournament.”

MAIZE brought home third place in 5A after going 19-6 a season ago. The Eagles also shared a league title with Derby after going 10-2 in the AVCTL-I. From that team head coach Chris Grill gets back zero starters after the loss of three All-Staters - Kyle Grill (FHSU), Jaden Gustafson (Wichita State baseball) and K-State football commit Avery Johnson, who isn’t taking part in other sports during his senior season. Sophomore Alan Hanna, younger brother of former MHS standout Jacob Hanna, could be the next big thing for Grill, who is likely to reload.

“Our goal is to improve each game so we have a chance to

compete for a sub-state championship,” Grill said. “Staying positive and focusing on improving each day will be key.”

In sharp contrast to their district rival, MAIZE SOUTH has back plenty of experience from their 15-6 squad that took third in the AVCTL-I with an 8-4 mark. Five players with starting experience return in seniors Isaiah Atwater (14.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 5-10), Tatum Steinhoff (3.5 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg, 5-11), and juniors Michael Kates (10.5 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-10), Tory Homan (8.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1 bpg, 6-7), and Jeron Askren (6-4) who averaged 5.3 ppg and 3.6 rpg despite dealing with injuries last season. South’s only graduate from last year’s team was leading rebounder Owen Clyne.

“We must defend at a high level in order to win games,” head coach Joe Jackson said. “We will have the capability to score the ball this year at a high clip. We must guard at a high level to achieve our goals.

NEWTON has a new head coach Demetric Williams after finishing with one win a season ago. Williams has some restructuring to do after the graduation of a senior class that had two All-League performers in Dylan Petz and Joe Slechta.

SALINA SOUTH finished 7-14 in head coach Jason Hooper’s ninth year at the school, having spent seven seasons in charge of the women’s program prior to taking his current post. The Cougars were unable to get by a tough Andover Central team in the first round of sub-state. Hooper loses four starters, including All-League selections Tejon McDaniel (transfer) and Zach Davidson (graduation), but does get back one starter in junior Quevon Purucker (5 ppg, 6-0). Senior Emory Barth (1 ppg, 6-1), junior Layson Sajdak (2 ppg, 5-9), and sophomore Jace Humphrey (1 ppg, 6-5) return from the bench rotation, with juniors Talen Slater (6-2), Brady Howard (5-10), and sophomore Owen Bailey (6-0) potential varsity contributors.

“This team returns only one major contributor from a year ago,” Hooper said. “After graduating several seniors and losing Tejon McDaniel to North Carolina from last year’s team, this group looks forward to an opportunity to compete at the next level. There are many questions yet to be answered, but this group will play hard and compete every night.”

GIRLS: Powerhouse DERBY finished 23-2 last season with a league championship and a 6A state runner-up trophy to show for it. After dominating their way through sub-state and the first round at Koch Arena, the Panthers won a 51-49 double-overtime thriller against Blue Valley, but didn’t have much gas left in the championship game where they lost 40-23. While they lose a few key players to graduation and All-State Arkansas Razorback signee Maryn Archer to college early, they do return another of the best in 6A in All-State senor Addy Brown (14.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 6-3, Iowa St. commit) as well as part-time starter, senior Destiny Smith (4.8 ppg, 5-7).

“We need to stay healthy as a group, our young talent needs to step up, find creative ways to get the ball to our best player, Addy Brown, and continue to play our brand of tough defense,” coach Dan Harrison said.”

HAYSVILLE-CAMPUS finished 2-19 after a first round sub-state exit against eventual state runner-up Derby, From that team the Colts bring back three starters in seniors Brylie Laake (5-9), Morgan Nedeau (5-7), and junior Mya Free (6-0). Gameto-game improvements and growth from younger players are head coach Ron Allan’s biggest focuses.

Fourth year head coach Conor Reilly guided HUTCHINSON to a 16-5 record with a second

Addy Brown

Derby, Senior

place league finish last season. The Salthawks were knocked out in sub-state by Manhattan. Three starters return from that group in sophomores Grace Posch (10.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 2.1 spg, 5-6) and Aliyah Green (7.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg), and senior Mya Thompson (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 spg). Hutch should also get a boost from former Nickerson standout Josie McLean who moved to Hutch for her senior year when her father, former Nickerson girls coach, Jon, took the Salthawk AD job. Green, McLean, Posch and Thompson were also key pieces of the Salthawk volleyball team that just played to a third place finish in the 5A state tournament.

“Our goal is to continue to play at a high level and win league,” said coach Reilly, who pointed to playing together, playing fast and free, and solid defense as her team’s keys to success.

MAIZE went 11-10 overall last season with a 6-6 mark in league play and has since hired first year head coach Shelby Hillman, a Cheney native and former Barton CC and FHSU player who most recently served as a boys assistant at Maize in 2019. Hillman has one returning starter to build around in sophomore Brynley Smith (6.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1 apg, 1.1 spg). The graduation of All-Stater Kyla Frenchers will leave a hole.

“Our effort will be the key for us,” Hillman said. “We will have to lock in on every play and eliminate mistakes. Every possession will matter. Our goal is to compete every single season and improve from one game to the next.”

Matching their district rival, MAIZE SOUTH also managed an 1110 record a season ago but had a bit more success in league play at 7-5, good for third place. Coach Ben Hamilton returns three starters led by All-League senior Avery Lowe (11.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.7 apg, 6-3, University of Nebraksa-Kearney commit), senior Ava Howie (5.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 5-10), and junior Bella Peters (3.1 ppg, 2.1 apg, 5-6).

“Compete and improve everyday in practice, compete for an AVCTL championship, play our best basketball in March for a chance to play at the 5A state tournament,” Hamilton said of his team’s goals. “Rebounding and execution at both ends of the court will be key.”

NEWTON finished 2-19 during head coach Tavis Leake II’s second season with the team. As he enters year three he brings back seniors Olivia Antonowich, Alexia Hernandez, and Grace Hendrickson, junior Abigail Koontz, and sophomore Amaree Henderson from that starting lineup.

“Our goal is to continue improving as a team, finishing games that are close and learning from last year’s mistakes,” Leake said. “Controlling the tempo of the other team and scoring the basketball will be our key to success.”

SALINA SOUTH went 7-14 overall last season with a 4-8 league mark good for fifth place. From that team return five key varsity contributors in Lauren Harris (5-7), Elena Herbel (4.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5-5), Giselle Nash (5-2), Sydney Anderes (5-3), and Montanna Packett (5-7).

“Our team this year will lean on our five returning seniors with varsity experience, as well as some younger athletes gaining their first significant exposure to the varsity court,” head coach Justin Erbert said. “We will be led by returning starters Elena Herbel and Lauren Harris. Stepping into more significant roles this season will be seniors Giselle Nash, Sydney Anderes, and Montanna Packett. In addition, juniors Mercedes Tarver, Anahyssa Nash, Julissa Nash, sophomore Tamia Cheeks, and freshman Paityn Fritz will provide depth for our varsity team.”

Derby Informer Sports

ARK VALLEY CHISHOLM TRAIL LEAGUE, DIVISION II

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The ANDOVER Trojans went 10-2 and took second in league last season with a 17-5 mark overall, but were unable to overcome Topeka West in the sub-state championship. Five senior starters return from that team in Eli Shetlar (17.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 6-6), Chris Harris (12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 6-7), BJ Redic (13 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 6-3), Brady Strausz (4.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 4 spg, 6-1), and Brad Harris (7.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.3 apg), though Strausz suffered a potential season-ending injury in football. Winning league and making state are the goals sixth-year head coach Martin Shetlar laid out for his team.

ANDOVER CENTRAL went 11-1 in the AVCTLII and took first place just ahead of their crosstown rivals while posting an 18-4 overall record that culminated in a loss to Maize in their sub-state title game. All-State guard Kobe Smith (19.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 6-1) headlines a strong group of four returning senior starters, along with All-League duo Brian Perry (6.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 6-4), Chance Gulley (7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 6-1), and Omar Alsmadi (2.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6-9).

“Make no excuses, sacrifice, and hold each other accountable,” head coach Tyler Richardson said of his team’s keys. “If we can have total buyin and defend at the level that we are capable of, we will be able to accomplish our goals.”

ARKANSAS CITY wasn’t able to gain much momentum last year, finishing 3-17 overall and last place in the league. They bring back an experienced senior duo in Trevor Pierce (11.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 6-4) and Cadon Clark (5.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-9).

“We will rely on our bench to be our strength,” coach CJ Jennings said. “We have several players who got quality minutes for us last year so we will build off of that momentum going into this season.”

First year head coach Blake Myers takes over a GODDARD team that went 4-17 overall with a 2-10 league mark putting them at sixth place in the division. He inherits four experienced

upperclassmen in juniors Jake Jasnoski (7 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-4), Nick Rogers (4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 5-10), Mason Healy (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 5-10), and senior Ryan Bay (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-4).

“We will be relying on a large group of juniors and our senior leader, Ryan Bay,” Myers said.

“A lot of these players had to be thrown into the fire of varsity basketball early on as freshmen and sophomores and hopefully they will be battle tested and ready to compete. Rebounding and being tough defensively will have to be pillars of our program if we are going to compete in the AVCTL.”

After going 6-15 overall and 4-8 in league last season GODDARD-EISENHOWER returns three senior starters in Jaden Roth (4 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-1), Carson Roy (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-10), and Nate Purkey (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-3).

“Our goals are to continue to get better every day and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” coach Steve Blue said. “Our tradition has fallen off the past few years and we want to get that tradition of being a league contender back.”

SALINA CENTRAL finished 10-11 with a first round sub-state exit and posted a 6-6 record in league during head coach Ryan Modin’s third season with the team. Modin enters 2022-23 with just one returning starter in senior Kenyon McMillan (2.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 spg, 5-8).

“Our goal is always to get better every day and to be playing our best basketball by the end of the season,” Modin said. “We want to be in a position to compete and win any game we play.”

VALLEY CENTER advanced to the sub-state finals before getting knocked out by Kapaun last season, finishing the year at 16-6 overall. Head coach Ty Unrau has work to do with just one returning starter in junior Sam Kemp (3.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 6-2), along with varsity rotation player, senior Eli Lefto (1.5 ppg, 6-3).

“After back-to-back 16-win seasons the Hornets will have to replace six graduating seniors who all played significant time last season,” Unrau

said. “Two letterwinners return including junior point guard Sam Kemp and senior forward Eli Lefto. On offense, Sam Kemp will lead a young group of new varsity contributors filled with a big sophomore class. The Hornets will look to play inside/out on offense and also continue to be solid on defense after leading the league in defensive efficiency last season.”

GIRLS: ANDOVER went 13-9 overall and took sixth place in the AVCTL-II a season ago. They also managed to make a strong run in sub-state to the championship game where they fought hard, but were ultimately knocked out by Bishop Carroll, 50-42. Back from that team’s starting lineup are junior All-State selection Brooke Walker (18.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6 spg, 2.7 apg, 5-8), junior Alana Shetlar (6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 6-2, Wichita State, Oral Roberts offers), and sophomore Amelya Vance (6.1 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-4). The most noteworthy new face at AHS this fall is that of coach Hannah Alexander, who takes over the Andover program after leading Topeka to an 88-8 record in four seasons.

“We are a very young team, but we are bringing back some solid experience,” Alexander said. “We had a fun summer and the sky’s the limit with these kids. Our goal is to win league and our midseason tournament. We plan to continue playing in March.”

ANDOVER CENTRAL graduated one of the most talented senior classes in the state - including Kansas Pregame covergirls Ellie Stearns (FHSU) and Brittany Harshaw (Creighton) - after they helped the Jaguars to third place in 5A with a record of 19-6. All talent is not lost from that successful season, however, with Maddie Amekporfor, a senior entering her fourth year as a starter, and fellow returning senior starter Jaylee Jefferson, who has been on the varsity court since her sophomore year. Juniors Hayden Snodgrass and Haven Deckinger also saw varsity minutes last season.

“Maddie Amekporfor and Jaylee Jefferson will be asked to be great leaders and mentors to the

ARK VALLEY CHISHOLM TRAIL LEAGUE, DIVISION III

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The AUGUSTA Orioles were 7-14 a season ago and suffered a first round sub-state loss to Abilene, but have some bright spots going into this winter. All-League senior Kaden McDaniel (13.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 6-4) and All-League junior Gavin Kiser (9.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) are two excellent centerpieces, while a strong group of upperclassmen further bolster the Orioles roster.

“We return three starters and seven players who saw a lot of varsity playing time last year,” coach Ryan Petty said. “We will have two of the best bigs in our league. Guard play will determine how the season goes.”

David Bryant takes over BUHLER after an 18-5 league championship season with a state tournament appearance under coach Ryan Swanson, but along with their coach, the Crusaders say goodbye to 4A POY Jack Voth, now at Hoggard High School in North Carolina, and HM All-AVCTL senior Wade Meyer, now at Hutch. Seniors Dedrick Willard-Trass (6-3) and Grant Ricker (6-1) will be looked to for experience as the roster takes shape under Bryant.

Entering his 28th season, MCPHERSON coach Kurt Kinnamon added another state appearance to his illustrious career, making it 19 total. Despite going 15-10, the Bullpups easily worked their way through sub-state and were eventually edged 49-42 against Andale in the state semis, before beating Hayden in the consolation game for McPherson’s second straight third place finish. The Bullpups lose All-Stater Seth Madron (McPherson College), but return four starters: juniors Owen Pyle (6.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 6-1), Corey Muhler (11.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 5-11), Kreighton Kanitz (7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 6-0), and senior Mason Miller (5.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6-4). Returning lettermen include senior Dawson Feil (1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 5-8), junior Kyden Thompson (1.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1 apg, 6-0), and sophomore Gabe Pyle (1.8 ppg, 1 rpg, 6-1).

MULVANE went 6-14 with a 2-8 mark in the AVCTL-IV a season ago and this year will be competing in the AVCTL-III after swapping with El Dorado. The Wildcats return a few varsity contributors in juniors Kaiden Abasolo (13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.6 spg), Aiden McKee (3.8 ppg,

2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), and Shannon Fuller.

“Our ability to solidify six, seven, eight positions within the group,” coach Mike Aboslo said of his team’s keys. “Bring guys along, get them battle tested, ready, and learn ‘how to win’ and that takes experience we do not have at this time, but (we hope to) get them there by the end of the season.”

First year head coach Jordan Crawford takes the reins of a TOWANDA-CIRCLE squad that had their ups and downs last season. While they did finish with a winning record at 11-10 and won both of their regular season tournaments, they weren’t able to get much going in league play at 3-8 and were decisively knocked out of the first round of sub-state. Senior Trevor Cowman (8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 6-5) and juniors Ethan Koehn (5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 6-2) and Conner Chadwell (7.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 6-1) returns from that starting lineup. Crawford’s key to success for his team couldn’t be clearer: “Defense, defense, and more defense.”

WINFIELD went 1-19 last season and are now under the direction of 41st year head coach Rob Fields. Fields most recently coached at Wichita-

underclassmen that I know will be great additions to the team,” two-time state champion coach Stana Jefferson said. “Maddie Amekporfor is one of the best basketball players/athletes in the state that has been a huge factor in the success of the program the last three years. Without her contribution we would never have had the success we did. Will have our work cut out for us to fill the loss of some very talented seniors, but believe that our younger kids are ready for the challenge.

ARKANSAS CITY finished 2-18 last season, but have a new coach and a young, yet experienced roster going into 2022-23. Eighth year head man Tyler Henderson takes over a Bulldogs program bringing back sophomores Saliyah HendersonJohnson (5.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 spg), Kierslynn Waggoner (4.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg), Savannah Phillips (3.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Brylee Thompson (3.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg), and senior Kamri Pool (4 ppg, 5.1 rpg).

After tying for third in league play at 7-5, GODDARD was knocked out in the semifinals of sub-state by Kapaun, good for a 15-6 record overall. Coach Marcus James loses his top player in All-State selection Maycee James (Butler CC), but does return his other four starters in senior Natalee Bazil (1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 6-1), juniors Reece Albin (4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1 spg, 5-6) and Lauryn Gordon (5.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1 spg, 6-0), and sophomore Marayah Coleman (9.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 6-2).

“Our goals are to continue to improve as a unit and play our style of basketball consistently night in and night out,” James said. “Our league is so tough and it takes a tough team to navigate it. We want to play with that gritty mentality and at the end of the day challenge for a league title in year three under our staff’s regime.”

GODDARD-EISENHOWER ended last year 7-14 after a first round loss to league opponent Andover Central in sub-state. All-League senior Addison Verbeck (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-8), senior Emilee Hollinger (5 ppg, 2 apg, 5-9), AllLeague junior Carly Dameron (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg, 2 bpg, 6-2), and junior Sydney Crees (4 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-11) are back from that starting lineup.

“Scoring more consistently is key,” head coach

Independent, but also had a tenure at Winfield spanning from 2000-2009, during which the Vikings made it to three state tournaments. Senior returning starters Trey Thiel (6.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6-3) and Kale Madrigal (3.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 6-6) provide Fields with vital experience to build around.

“Practicing and playing together as a team, improving every day,” Fields said of team keys.

GIRLS: Dipping below .500, AUGUSTA went 9-12 last season with a 5-5 mark in league play. The Orioles closed the season strong with a substate championship appearance before losing to Andale. This season they return All-AVCTL senior Avery Williams (9 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.3 bpg) and fellow senior Aspen Peterson (2.1 ppg, 1.7 apg).

“There are multiple underclassmen who have shown great improvement in the offseason,” coach Rainey Malloy said. “This, along with our senior leadership and experience, gives us confidence we will be competitive in every game.”

BUHLER was just 4-16 last season, but started three freshmen in coach Sierra Michelstetter’s second season, including Natalya Krafels, Charley Baxter and Gracie Oard. The trio are joined by a roster dominated by underclassmen, with 5-11 Dacie Deviney as the only senior expected on varsity.

ARK VALLEY CHISHOLM TRAIL LEAGUE, DIVISION IV

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer BOYS: Athletic

superpower ANDALE went 18-7 overall and 9-1 in the AVCTL-IV en route to a league title and 4A state runner-up finish last season, losing 64-57 to Miege in the title game, a major bounceback from 2021 when the team went 10-12 in their first losing season in over a decade. Two starters return from last year’s lineup in seniors Noah Bruce (5.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6-3) and All-State selection Wyatt Spexarth (11.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6-3), along with fellow senior varsity lettermen Tegan Orth (2.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-9), Cody Parthemer (1 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-11), and Brady Ziegler (5-10).

“We enjoyed a great offseason where we saw tremendous improvement by many individuals on our team,” coach Jeff Buchanan said “I also believe their hard work and commitment to our ‘TEAM’ philosophy will produce even more improvement throughout the season.

CLEARWATER took third place in the AVCTL-IV with a 5-5 record in league and a 12-9 overall mark, but couldn’t overcome a soon-to-be statebound McPherson team in the first round of sub-state. Clearwater graduated three starters, including AllState big man Brent Gibbs, but get back seniors Ty Cash (1.8 ppg, 1 rpg, 6-2) and Tyler Fugarion (2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 6-3) from the starting lineup, as well as varsity letterwinners Jackson Haslett (6-3, Sr.) and Jaeden Fisher (5-10, Jr.).

“Returning Starters Ty Cash and Tyler Fugarino will be asked to carry a bigger portion of the scoring load and lead the team on the defensive end,” coach Dustin Clevenger said.

EL DORADO makes the switch from the AVCTLIII where they finished 14-8 overall with a 6-4 record in league play that left them in third place a season ago. The Wildcats advanced to the sub-state finals and nearly upset Buhler before ultimately falling 4441, ending a half-decade streak of first round substate exits. Third year head coach Drew Culbertson returns senior All-State selections LJ Berstresser (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.3 spg, 6-0) and Barry Summer (13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.4 spg, 6-2), along with bench contributors Logan Garner (2.9

“We are a young team, but more experienced than in past years,” Michelstetter said. “We have to replace a huge scoring and rebounding presence, but we had several players step up in these roles this summer.”

Going 15-8 with an unblemished league title and state tournament appearance, MCPHERSON added another successful season to the tenure of Chris Strathman as he enters his 18th as head coach with a 338-68 mark, and even more impressively a 163-8 league record with 15 consecutive league titles. This season two starters return for Strathman in senior Chloe Clevenger and junior Karter Alvord, along with an experienced supporting cast and ‘new’ senior Jordan Sears (Newman commit), who could not participate in varsity competition a season ago after spending four years as a home school student in McPherson before returning to public school at MHS.

“We are returning several key players that were able to gain a lot of varsity experience last season,” Strathman said.

MULVANE finished 8-13 with a 4-6 league record and a fourth place finish a season ago. This year the Wildcats will be play in DIII after swapping with El Dorado. Returning starters Teagan Garrison (9.2 ppg), Karlie Kanaga (8.3

ppg, 5-11, Jr.) and senior Gannon White (1 ppg).

“We have to replace five seniors, but bring back a lot of experience,” Culbertson said. “Our two leading scorers are back, and Garner and White will step into expanded roles after getting a lot of quality minutes last season.”

ROSE HILL had a strong season at 15-7 overall and 6-4 in league, but saw their year end with a sub-state loss to eventual state runner-up Andale, who they had beaten just weeks prior. The Rockets graduated All-Leaguers Adriel Smith and Xander Landrie, but get back All-League pick Kellan Simoneau (6-2, Sr., 19.7 ppg, 5 rpg).

A young WELLINGTON team finished 6-15 with a 1-9 mark in league play last season. The Crusaders played eventual state qualifier Buhler respectably close in their first round matchup at sub-state, keeping the score within 10 points, 52-42. Back from that team are five senior starters: Malachi Rogers (3.9 ppg, 6-0), Banks Hinshaw (10.9 ppg, 6-2), Montel Tate (10.3 ppg, 6-4), Jack Wright (8.9 ppg), and Cope Henry (4.2 ppg, 6-0).

“We will have to utilize our size and experience,” coach Joe Newman said. “We want to be physical and disciplined on both sides of the floor.”

WICHITA COLLEGIATE ended up second in the league last year with a 7-3 mark. Overall the Spartans were 15-7, but had the unsavory task of playing eventual state champs Hesston in the second round of sub-state. The Spartans lose their entire starting lineup, including AVCTL-IV POY Jack Duarte (Depauw) and fellow All-League selection Cameron Brown to graduation, and All-League senior Wesley Fair (KSU FB commit), who opted not to play his senior basketball season, but coach Mitch Fiegel has a proven record of reloading the Spartan roster. Quentin Fair (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 6-1) is the team’s lone senior, and Wesley’s twin brother, while juniors James Shackelford (3 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-2), Brett Wetta (2 ppg, 2 rpb, 6-2), Robbie Rasberry (3 ppg, 1 rpg, 6-0), and Asa Ahamad (5-9) all are likely to see increases in varsity minutes, along with a talented group of underclassmen.

“There are some really good pieces to the puzzle

ppg, 2.7 spg), Madison Shaw (5 ppg, 3 rpg), and Ashley Young (5.5 ppg) have the benefit of a full year working with second year coach Kadee Carpenter, experience that should help them in 2022-23.

“The key for our team’s success is to grow even closer together as a team in everything that we do,” Carpenter said. “We have to play with a ‘we before me’ mentality.”

TOWANDA-CIRCLE closed last season at 11-11 after a sub-state championship loss to Wellington. Prior to that the Thunderbirds had tied for third in AVCTL-III regular season play at 6-4. Starters Adie White, Abi Shaults, and Erin Johnson were key players lost to graduation, but senior Katie Coble (3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5-7), junior Kya Thornton (8.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 spg, 5-5), and sophomores Londyn Soto (.9 rpg, 5-4) and Emma Johnson (1.4 rpg, 5-8) return after contributing varsity minutes. WINFIELD experienced a majority of their success in league play last year with a 7-3 mark good for second in the AVCTL-III at season’s end, but struggled outside of that at 11-10 overall with a first round upset loss in sub-state against Augusta. AVCTL-III Player of the Year Aleah Moore is entering her junior season while seniors Crosby Curtis and Zaria Driver both earned AllLeague honors as juniors.

present, no doubt about that,” Fiegel said. It is just a matter of how they fit together, and will they buy into the process of doing what it takes on a daily basis to achieve excellence. We have a process that we believe in, if we follow it, I think we have a chance to be really good by February.

GIRLS: Despite the tragic passing of coach Ted Anderson in late January, ANDALE qualified for state after a second place finish in the AVCTL-IV. Their stay at state was short after a first round loss to Bishop Miege. The Indians lose two starters to graduation, but bring back three senior starters in All-State forward McKenzie Fairchild (12 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.9 spg, 5-11), All-State guard Camryn Winter (5.1 ppg, 2.1 spg, 2.1 apg, 5-6), and sharpshooter Kyrie Kerschen (4.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Seniors Jenna Kuepker (5-8) and Madeline Schrandt (5-11) are two other key returners. Clint Robinson, who took over last season after the tragedy, will start his first full year as Andale’s head coach, but has 20 years of experience overall.

“We return three full time starters as well as multiple players that started or contributed in games for us last season,” coach Robinson said. “Our defense improved throughout the season and had the lowest points per game by opponents allowed in 4A. Continuing with that defensive approach will be key early in the season while the offense begins to gel.”

CLEARWATER posted a 16-6 record last season with a 6-4 mark in league play and had a strong showing in their sub-state tournament, but couldn’t quite overcome a talented Clay Center team in the championship game, losing 31-30. Clearwater loses two starters, including All-State recipient Brooke Berlin (Tabor), but get back a pari of AllStaters in senior Carli Carlson (5-8) and junior Elizabeth Tjaden (5-10), as well as senior returning starter Camryn Clevenger (5-10) and rotation players in sophomore Kaylee Hampton (5-9) and junior Allison Clevenger (5-10).

“We have three really solid returning players, led by one of the best guard combinations in the state in Carli Carlson and Elizabeth Tjaden,” coach Casey Carlson said. “Both these players will be counted on to carry the bulk of the load, especially early on. Senior Camryn Clevenger started all but one or two games last year. She played a lot of basketball this summer and continues to improve and will be counted on to be that ‘Swiss Army Knife’ type of player. We have a really athletic freshman class coming in this year and I think two or three of them have a chance to play meaningful minutes this season. We had a really good summer and I expect us to be in the conversation for making it to state this season.”

EL DORADO went 1-19 and graduated Victoria George, their lone All-League player, along with a number of other seniors. The season was a slight improvement over the previous year’s 0-19 mark, but there is no doubt that new head coach Brett Gunderson is looking to make improvements. He gets back four returning lettermen in seniors Macy Parsons (5-5), Sydney Scholes (5-9), Gibby Baker (5-4), and junior Keylee Faudere (5-9). The Wildcats are competing in the AVCTL-IV after moving from the AVCTL-III last season.

“This will be my first season at El Dorado,” Gunderson said. “I had the opportunity to work with the team during the summer, which gave us an opportunity to start implementing the new system and a new way of doing things. The team from day one were bought in and ready to get after. We will have a few returners mixed with a lot of youth! I am excited to see what this group is capable of.”

ROSE HILL posted a 2-19 record last season with one of those wins coming in league play after graduating a majority of their production the year prior. All-League senior Jessa Lee was their top player a season ago.

WELLINGTON was unbeaten right up until the last two games of the season, the state semifinals and the third place game. The former was a matchup against an other-worldly Bishop Miege squad, 82-42, the latter a tough matchup against Wamego that ended 68-61. Despite the tough ending, the Crusaders still managed a league title and easily tore through their sub-state. Gone from that team are All-Staters Airalyn Frame and Ali Zeka. Fortunately, the Crusaders get back a pair of key sophomores in Britt Zeka (All-AVCTL) and Val Norwood (HM) and senior Ashlyn Gerten (HM).

WICHITA COLLEGIATE went 1-20 last season and took last place in league. Returning are three starters: seniors Erihana Vincent (2.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-0), Katherine Grace (2.8, 2.5 rpg), and sophomore Julia Herrman (6.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6-1), who will all be key for first year head coach Dylan Heath.

“Our team’s goal this year is to be competitive in each game,” Heath said. “We want to change the way people think about women’s basketball here at WCS.”

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Britt Zeka Wellington, Sophomore

BIG 7 LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: HIAWATHA ended last season at 9-12 after a first round sub-state exit against Marysville. All-League selection Joel Bryan graduated and the Red Hawks will look to replace his production. After a 6-17 inaugural season as head coach at Lincoln, Eric Tate takes over a HOLTON program that finished 12-9 with an 8-6 fourth place finish in the Big 7. Two All-League senior starters return for Tate to build around in Matt Lierz (12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 apg, 2.4 spg, 6-0) and Tyson Snyder (11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 6-2).

“Our goals are to be competitive in the Big 7 League at the varsity, JV, and freshmen/C Team levels,” Tate said. “We want to compete everyday at practice and we should have a deep group to push each other daily.”

JEFF WEST took a first round sub-state exit against Royall Valley and ended last year winless at 0-20 with a team full of underclassmen. This year the Tigers bring back juniors Gage Galle, Hunter Moser, Caleb Morse and sophomores Connor Reich and Tucker Holthaus.

“Last year was my first year and I accepted the job somewhat late in the summer,” coach Joe Smith said. “We had some growing pains as you’d expect, but we got better every week and had a great and productive summer of workouts and played in different leagues and tournaments, so I’m excited for these guys to come back with a chip on their shoulder and some new confidence.”

NEMAHA CENTRAL are coming off of an 18-4 season and second place league finish at 11-3, but have a major challenge in replacing all five of their starters from last year.

“I think we should be solid defensively,” head coach Jon Thomas said. “We will need to estab lish an offensive identity. It may take us time, but the goal would be to develop a chemistry among individuals from possibly four grade levels.”

PERRY-LECOMPTON ended last season 10-11 with a 6-8 record in league play, good enough for fifth place. Entering his second year in charge of the Kaws, and fourth overall, Matt Simmons gets back unanimous All-League senior Gunnar Ball (16.1 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.6 spg) and fellow senior Kael Gorski (5 ppg, 4.3 rpg). The Kaws will also benefit from the transfer of Kamryn Kaniper, a 6-4 AllLeague selection as a junior at Silver Lake.

“We have to defend without fouling and re bound,” Simmons said. “The teams, players, and coaches in our league are too good for us to take rebounding and defense for granted. If we do those things, along with playing for the team and not the individual, there’s a chance for success.”

After winning the Big 7 and posting a 24-2 record

ROYAL VALLEY emerged as the 3A state run ner-up last season after a 51-41 loss to Hesston in the title game. The Panthers are 44-6 in coach Chris Brown’s first two years with the team, but with the graduation of a talented senior class it’s back to the drawing board. The varsity experience they do have comes from seniors Treyson Murata (3 ppg, 2 apg, 2 spg) and Daniel Coleman (2 ppg, 2 rpg), both rotation players last season.

“We will have to find a way to score efficiently and rebound well,” Brown said. “I think we will be able to defend at a high enough level to win but will have to get better at those things to give ourselves our best chance to reach our potential.”

SABETHA posted an 18-5 record with second place league and sub-state finishes last season, both behind Royal Valley. In his 33rd year at Sabetha, coach Scott Burger gets back significant experience, including seniors Matthew Garber (14 ppg, 2 apg), Davis Rokey (12.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg), Nohl Niehues (4 ppg, 7 rpg), and juniors Christian McAfee (10 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and Marcus Bauman (8 ppg, 2 apg). Burger said avoiding injuries and game-by-game improvement are keys to success.

WATHENA-RIVERSIDE ended last season 7-14 after a first round loss against Maur Hill in the sub-state tournament. All-League senior Todrick Duncan was the Cyclones top performer.

GIRLS: The HIAWATHA Red Hawks shared first place in the Big 7 a season ago with Nemaha Central going 11-3, and finished 18-4 overall, fall ing in their sub-state semifinal to none other than the Thunder. Junior Abby Elffner (5 ppg, 2 bpg), and seniors Darcy Lierz (12 ppg, 5 spg) and Josie Delaney (5 ppg, 3 apg), return from that squad.

“We want to be competitive in our league,” coach Brody Jasper said. “We would like to finish in the top half. One key is to stay healthy. We can’t afford to lose any key players. Also, some of our success will depend on new players and inexperi enced players growing up quickly.”

HOLTON came just one game short of a state tournament appearance after a sub-state cham pionship loss to Wamego, leaving HHS with a record of 14-8 and a 9-5 mark in league play, good for fourth. Seniors Lindsey Wisdom, Brooke Flewelling, and Tiara Dodd return from that start ing lineup, with fellow seniors Grace Etzel and Delaney New back after logging varsity minutes.

“We expect that we will have a number of play ers competing to earn roles and playing time this season to contribute to our success, and if we are able to increase our depth we could be more di verse in our style of play on both ends of the floor,” coach Kurt Haussler said.

JEFF WEST may not put a senior on the court this season after graduating a talented group that helped the Tigers to a 10-4 league record with a 15-7 mark overall. Returning starters include

juniors Ella Dickey and Kinley Stones. Others to watch are juniors Verlee Sanders, Halle Tuck, Cooper Brading, and sophomore Kaylee Heinen. “We will have some growing pains early this sea son as we will have a lot of girls getting their first significant varsity minutes,” coach John Malloy said. “That being said, our summer was good and several girls showed they’re ready for varsity play.”

NEMAHA CENTRAL tied with Hiawatha for the top spot in the Big 7 last season with an 11-3 mark in league and a 17-6 record overall. All-State se nior Addy Holthaus (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 spg) returns from last season’s starting lineup along with fellow senior and three-year starter Ella Larkin (7.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.6 spg). Other key rotation players last season included sophomores Cali Honeyman (2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2 spg) and Reagan Gerety (2.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg).

“We have great length this year as four of our projected starters are 5-9 or taller,” coach Hadden Hiltgen said. “Having a young team last year, we should be improved in every facet of the game.”

PERRY-LECOMPTON finished 3-18 last sea son after a tough 36-31 loss to Heritage Christian in the first round of sub-state. All-league junior Taylor Damme (10 ppg, 5 rpg), and seniors Brooke Metcalfe (7 ppg, 5 rpg) and Reagen Thayer return from last season’s starting lineup for second year head coach Joey Franzitta.

“This year will be an exciting year for us,” Franzitta said. “We bring back a nice core group of players that played big roles for us last year.”

ROYAL VALLEY ended last season with a 3-11 mark in the Big 7 and went 7-14 overall. Back are returning starters including All-League senior Kennedy Bryan (13.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.7 spg), and fellow seniors Morgan Davis (4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg, .7 spg) and Alysa Ladson (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg), and sophomore Samantha Klotz (2.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .7 apg, 1.4 spg).

“Our success in the winter will be determined by our focused hard work in the summer season and also our development through playing other sports,” coach David Boucher said. “This group is loaded with multi-sport athletes and we think that will help us tremendously this season.”

SABETHA was knocked out of the first round of sub-state and ended their season 9-12 last year. Prior to that they managed a fifth place finish in the Big 7 at 8-6. This season they return seniors Mary Lukert (9.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.8 apg, 5-8), Jessica Gruber (5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5-9), and Halle Scoby (3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5-8) as head coach Nathan Bauman enters his fourth year with the program.

by rebounding well, and get great shots for our team,” Bauman said. “We lost an outstanding point guard in Emily Krebs, so it will be key to replace her production, but more importantly, her intelligence and toughness. Mary will likely slide to the point guard spot some, but we will also need juniors Alexia Hayden and Leah Lukert to help handle the ball.

WATHENA-RIVERSIDE hired first year head coach Craig Burnes this offseason after going 1012 overall with a sixth place finish in the league. Burnes gets two junior starters back from that team in All-State selection Taylor Weishaar (14 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2 bpg, 2.4 spg, 6-2) and Halle Studer (6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 spg, 5-4).

“We want to improve on our conference record, overall record and make a good showing at substate,” Burnes said. “We will need upperclassmen leadership and underclass growth that will build team confidence as the season progresses.”

“Our goals on the court are always to play tough defense, eliminate opponents’ second chances Dine-in,

CENTENNIAL LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

One of the biggest storylines for the Centennial League this season is the departure of Highland Park, Seaman, and Topeka West to the UKC, but plenty of basketball talent still resides with the six teams that remain. Let’s take a closer look.

BOYS: The EMPORIA Spartans weren’t able to sustain momentum last season, finishing 4-17 overall, with just a 2-8 league record, but they have a strong group back, headlined by AllLeague honorable mention Parker Leeds (13 ppg, 4 rpg, Sr.), as well as juniors Cooper Rech (8 ppg, 4 rpg), Sheldon Stewart (6 ppg, 3 apg), and soph omore River Peters (12 ppg, 2 rpg), who will play for new head coach Lee Baldwin, who enters his 10th year as a head coach with stops at Cheney and Goddard High.

HAYDEN went 11-18 in former Lebo head coach Dwayne Paul’s first year with the program. Despite the less-than-perfect record, the Wildcats managed to scrap their way to a fourth place fin ish in 4A after winning their sub-state games by double digits and upsetting Eudora in the first round of state. The Wildcats showed marked im provement in the second half of the season. After posting just three wins in their first 18 games, but closed out the season winning seven of their fi

JUNCTION CITY had the best finish of current Centennial teams last season, going 13-9 and 8-7 in league. An experienced group is back, in cluding seniors Sheldon Butler-Lawson, Deontae Baker, TJ Jones, Xavion Felton, junior Michael Boganowski, and sophomores Jackson Austin, Jatwaan Williams, and Larkin Turner, but they did graduate All-Leaguers Terrance Tedder (Veritas Academy) and Howard Johnson (Barton CC).

“We graduated 95 percent of our scoring from last year and all of our bigs,” head coach Nick Perez said. “We will have to have guys step up in a huge way. I like that this team doesn’t have an identity so they will have to create one. We will have to change some things up defensively but love that we play fast. With this group it will be finding and keeping confidence early. We need the younger guys to step up and contribute.”

MANHATTAN went 9-14 overall with a 6-10 mark in league play last season, but managed a strong postseason performance culminating in a state tournament appearance. Seniors Dre Delort (3.9 ppg, 3.8 apg), Cole Coonrod (8.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Jack Wilson (13.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and Collins Elumogo (4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) provide ninth year coach Benji George a solid foundation.

“We have a great opportunity to balance vet eran leadership with very talented first-year varsity players,” George said. “Navigating a com pletely different schedule due to changes in the Centennial League will present new and exciting

challenges.”

After going 4-17 overall with a 4-12 league record last season, TOPEKA HIGH has gone a new direction with Geo Lyons, most recently the head coach at Schlagle, taking over the head role.

Lyons inherits a strong trio of juniors in Bryson Thrasher, Isaiah Lyons, and 6-5 BJ Canady.

“The core of a loaded sophomore class returns for their junior year,’’ coach Lyons said. “All players returning got valuable experience last season and look to make the jump to being the frontrunner in the league.”

WASHBURN RURAL is in the midst of switching from one highly successful coach to another after hiring Alex Hutchins to replace the retired Kevin Muff. Hutchins stops at Minneapolis, Elizabeth, Colo., and Hays High were each successful with two WAC Coach of the Year awards and two state tournaments his most recent accomplishments. Hutchins’ roster has no shortage of experience with seniors Jack Bachelor (13.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.5 spg, 6-2), Wyatt Conklin (5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 6-2), Jacob Hirschi (3.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6-3), Lukas Hanks (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6-3), Tre Morris (2.4 ppg, 6-3), Preston Ross (1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 6-2), Pearse Bowen (5-10), and juniors Griffin Durst (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6-3) and JC Heim (2.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6-3) all back.

“We return a large group of varsity players, but will still likely experience the growing pains that come with a new coach and new scheme,” Hutchins said. “Hopefully, the great buy-in and work ethic our guys showed during the summer will help shorten that learning curve.”

GIRLS: A good EMPORIA squad closed out last season with a first round exit at the state tourna ment and a 17-6 record with an 11-5 league mark. Senior Rebecca Snyder (9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and ju niors Alexa Shivley (1.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 spg) and Addie Kirmer (7.4 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.3 apg) all return.

“We lost some key players and some great se niors, but we hope to replace them and grow up very quickly,” coach Carolyn Dorsey said. “We will be fast and have depth. We are returning some key players who were a very important part of a very talented team last year.”

HAYDEN went 12-10 last season with a 7-9 mark in league with an extremely young team and now return considerable firepower from last year’s lineup in juniors Lauren Sandstrom (8 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-0), Jill Lenherr (3 spg, 2 apg, 5-9), and sophomores Brylee Meier (10 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-0) and Norma Greco (3 ppg, 3 spg, 3 apg). Improving their outside shooting percentage and improving their work on the glass are two top keys for fourth year head coach Carvel Reynoldson.

Brooklyn DeLeye Washburn Rural, Senior

JUNCTION CITY finished with two wins last season after getting stuck against powerhouse Topeka in the first round of sub-state. The Blue Jays are still looking for their first winning record since 2009.

MANHATTAN had a 9-13 record with a 7-9 mark in Centennial play a season ago. The Indians fin ished fifth in league and were knocked out of substate by eventual state champs Washburn Rural. All-League seniors Avery Larson (12.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2 spg, 5-7) and Destiny Yates (6.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 spg, 5-5) are back along with fellow starters, juniors Maxine Doering (8.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2 spg, 5-9) and Emery Ruliffson (3.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3 spg, 4.4 apg, 5-7). Seniors Saylor Salmans (1 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-9), Ally Ingram (2 ppg, 1.5 apg), and Paige Chauncey (injured 21-22 season) are also forecasted to make an impact on the varsity court.

“We do have good, experienced players re turning this season, led by starters Avery Larson, Destiny Yates, Maxine Doering and Emery Ruliffson,” coach Scott Mall said. “We also return Paige Chauncey, who was set up for a strong sea son inside for us last year, but missed the season due to a late summer injury. We also received strong play off the bench last year from Saylor Salmans and Ally Ingram.”

TOPEKA finished last season 20-3 with a oneloss first place league finish, but were upset in the first round at state in a 33-32 loss to Blue Valley. New head coach Britt Redmond is taking over the program from Hannah Alexander who took the same position at Andover after an eight year run at THS, including an 88-8 mark with four state tournament appearances the past four seasons. Redmond is a Topeka High alum and has spent time on the JUCO coaching circuit. She will have one of the best guards in the state with All-State

nal 10. Returning from that team are seniors Joe Otting (Notre Dame football commit), Jake Muller, Daxton Ham and junior Jacob Padilla.

Jake Proctor Hesston, Senior

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: Former HALSTEAD All-State standout Chris Santoya, now head coach of his alma mater, didn’t get off to a dream start last season, going just 2-19. However, the Dragons bring back a strong core from a young team. Senior Spencer Johnson (6-6), junior Dylan McDonald (6-0), and sophomore Braxton Creed (5-10) return from that starting lineup, while senior Seth Motes (6-2) and sophomore Kohen Corona (6-0) return from the bench rotation. Freshman Isaiah Heredia (5-10) is also likely to contribute at the varsity level.

“This team has some nice individual pieces that will be returning this year as well as a key transfer and solid freshman in Isaiah Heredia,” Santoya said. “This team is coming off a defeated season, however, with the gain of newcomers, returning starters, and the amount of work put in this summer, this team’s feet are set and ready to continue to move forward.”

HAVEN was one game outside of a state tournament appearance and finished 14-8 with a fourth place league finish at 6-3. Entering his 15th season with the Wildcats, and 31st overall as a head coach, Lonnie Paramore returns seniors DJ Miller (10.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.7 apg) and Brant Sipe (14.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) from last year’s starting lineup.

“We will only have five or six upperclassmen so we will depend on some younger men to step in and add some depth,” Paramore said. “I believe we have the guys to have a very good season!”

Legendary coach Greg Raleigh is calling it a career after 29 seasons during which he compiled a 402-132 record with four state titles, three coming in his 12 years at HESSTON - 2014 and back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. The Swathers

went 48-2 over the past two seasons culminating with a 51-41 victory over Royal Valley in last year’s 3A championship. Taking over for Raleigh is former Hesston assistant Garrett Roth, who lost a considerable swath of talent to graduation, but gets back an excellent centerpiece to rebuild around in 6-4 All-State senior Jake Proctor (15 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3 spg).

“Our team goal this season will be to continue the success from the past two seasons with a new group of guys,” Roth said. “We graduated a talented group of seven seniors last year that played a huge part in our back to back state championships. We believe we have the group to continue to be competitive in 3A moving forward.”

HILLSBORO suffered one loss last season to league opponent and 3A champs Hesston and subsequently took second in the CKL, otherwise the Trojans were flawless at 25-1 with a 2A championship to show for it. Head coach Darrel Knoll lost four seniors to graduation from that team, including All-State selections Matt Potucek and Grayson Ratzlaff, but All-State senior Brekyn Ratzlaff (17.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg, .5 bpg, 2 spg, 6-1) is a fantastic piece to build around.

“Keys will be staying healthy, developing depth, playing team basketball, and having excellent team chemistry,” Knoll said. “We do have several younger players who will battle for a spot, so our practices should be competitive.”

HOISINGTON was knocked out of the first round of sub-state and finished 9-12 overall last year with a 3-6 record in the CKL. A number of key players return from that team including senior All-League selection Leyton Haxton (8.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 6-1), fellow seniors Chase Steinert (3.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg, 5-10) and MJ Alyward (1 rpg, 5-9), junior Tony Moore (2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg), and sophomores Jason Robinson (4.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-10) and Rhen Galla (5-10).

“I believe this team will work relentlessly on the defensive end,” coach Kyle Haxton said. “We have several good shooters with range, especially Leyton and Tony, and they are really good at creating for their teammates as well.”

LARNED finished 5-16 overall with a 2-7 CKL record in head coach Luke Steinlage’s first season. The Indians were knocked out in the first round of sub-state by one-seed Lakin and return one starter from that squad, sophomore Carson Shaver (2.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1 apg, 6-0).

“We should be competitive in all games this year and hope to finish in the top half of the league,” Steinlage said. “We will have to be a team that

works the ball inside out. Post play should be our strength this year. Cade Colglazier has the ability to be one of the best bigs in the league. We will need some guards to take that next step. Losing Brady Hope for the year to an injury, our leading returning scorer, is a big loss.”

LYONS finished last season 7-14 after a 51-44 sub-state quarterfinal loss to Council Grove. The Lions have a tough task in replacing captains and All-Leaguers Cade Crawford and Dawson Stover. NICKERSON had a tough go last season at 2-14 overall and 0-9 in league, but they get a fresh start with first year coach Parker Bruce, who has six varsity players from last season to work with in senior Mario Ortiz (5-11), juniors Skyler Wakefield (5-9), Taylor Engelland (5-11), and sophomores Garret Crossman (5-10) and Alex King (6-2).

“I think our main keys for success will be the defensive side of the court and being able to shoot our shots instead of being rushed into shots we may not be looking for,” Bruce said. “One of the biggest keys will be to have fun and allow the young men to play basketball the right way.”

PRATT had a successful season at 17-5 with a third place CKL finish, but ran into a McPherson team better than their record showed in the substate championship game falling 60-39. The Greenbacks graduated All-Leaguers Karter Hoeme, Aiden Crow, and Peyton Koehler, but return senior starters Carson Hoeme (6-2) and and J’air Johnson (5-10).

“Really have to commit to the defensive end of the floor,” coach Chris Battin said. “Have potential to be very disruptive. Offensively we have to play with an attack mentality and work to get our shot.”

After finishing fifth in the CKL at 5-4 with an 1111 mark overall, SMOKY VALLEY gets back two starters in seniors Karson Pihl (9.9 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.5 apg) and Kade Blanchat (4.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.9 apg), along with a strong group of veteran rotation players that includes seniors Vincent Pickering (8.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.4 apg), Gus Griffith (3.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .8 apg), Justice Autry (1.1 ppg, 1.1 rpg, .9 apg), Jerome Autry (.9 ppg, .5 rpg, .5 apg), Trystan Stambaugh (.7 ppg, 1 rpg, .3 apg), and

junior Ki Blanchat (1.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .1 apg).

“The 2022-23 Vikings will be looking for a strong season out of their returning seniors,” head coach Doug Schneider said. “Many other players had an integral part of last season’s squad and will be looked to for solid contributions.”

GIRLS: A very young HALSTEAD team, coming off of an 8-13 campaign and seventh place finish in the CKL, returns all five starters, including AllLeague junior Dominique Schutte (15 ppg, 5.5 rpg), junior Lauren Wilson (3 ppg, 2.5 spg), and sophomores Dalaina Schutte (3.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Sydney Holzrichter (6.8 ppg, 6 rpg), and Kaci Young (5 ppg). Key rotation players return in senior Clara Myers, juniors Yari Martinez, Alyssa Cyre, and sophomore Kahlyn Davis.

“A year ago this team featured no returning starters,” coach Derek Schutte said. “This year the team will bring back most of its statistical production. The team improved throughout last year and found a style of play suited to their talents. The Dragons will look to play fast and use pressure to make up for lack of size inside. Freshman Addisen Wills should help add defensive pressure and scoring.”

HAVEN took a first round exit from sub-state after falling to Wichita-Trinity. The Wildcats have a tough task in replacing the All-League production of Reese Roper, but also had All-League freshman Sienne Defrain on their roster last season.

HESSTON rolled through most of the CKL with an 8-1 mark, but finished just behind Nickerson. Overall the Swathers went 16-7 and earned second in a tough sub-state, but were again thwarted by that same Nickerson team. On the heels of that excellent season, 18th year head coach Matt Richardson gets back mounds of varsity experience in seniors Anna Humphreys (5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg), Sydney Kaiser (1.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg), Carley Bartell (4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg), Gillian Lais (1.2 ppg, 1 rpg), and sophomore Kendall Brueggen (10.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 2.9 spg), as well as senior Kierra Funk (.1 ppg, 1 rpg) and sophomore Abby Proctor (3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2

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CENTRAL PLAINS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BELLE PLAINE Dragons ended 4-17 after a first round loss to one-seed Sedan at sub-state. Seniors Isaac Bible (17.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5-11), Colten Henning (6-0), Trenton Pierson (6-0), Daniel Garver (6-0), and juniors Caleb Ouellette (6-2) and Levi Christy (5-10) are all back from last season’s varsity roster.

“While we lose eight seniors, we return a large majority of our guys who had quality varsity min utes last year,” coach Storm Scott said. “We will be looking to get closer to our previous year’s records, as a 4-17 season was a bit uncharacter istic. Isaac Bible was our leading scorer last year, as well as one of the top scorers in the CPL.”

The CHAPARRAL Roadrunners were eliminat ed in the sub-state semifinals by Hugoton and finished the year 13-9 overall. All-State senior Jackson Swartz (16.5 ppg, 7.1 rpb, 3.7 apg, 3.1 spg) returns as one of the top players in the CPL, though the lost production of graduates Kaden Harding and Alec Pfaff presents a challenge.

CHENEY graduated four seniors - including AllState selections Harrison Voth and Luke Grace - from a team that finished 22-1, suffering their only loss of the season in the sub-state champi onship against eventual 3A champ Hesston. The Cardinals had just a handful of teams come within double-digits prior to their final matchup. Junior Jackson Voth (8 ppg, 4 apg) is the lone returning starter for 32nd-year head coach Linndy Frieden now in his third season at Cheney.

“Only one player is back who has lettered,” Frieden said. “So our younger kids have to get better quick. Our JV team last year went 19-1 and we had a good summer. We will not be very big so rebounding will be very important.”

CONWAY SPRINGS was 14-6 with a third place finish in the CPL last season at 7-2. Juniors Nash Johnsen (9.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-6) and Taylor Wykes (6.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-2) provide eighth-year head coach Paul Lange a strong duo to build around.

“We got a lot smaller and younger in the offsea son,” Lange said. “We’ll need the younger guys to flatten the learning curve as much as possible and play aggressively on both sides of the floor.”

DOUGLASS finished 5-16 overall and tied Belle Plaine for last place in the CPL, but the Bulldogs get back six players with starting experience in AllLeague senior Jordan Stoffel (11.1 ppg), his class mates Conner Megli (4.5 ppg) and Mason Megli (6 ppg), juniors Brock Stiner (3.3 ppg), Konnor

Kielhorn (3.5 ppg), and sophomore Kyler Moore (6.8 ppg).

“Returning all five starters along with a senior class that will have six contributing members (is key),” head coach Matt Lawson said. “Douglass will look to start the season strong and is excited for the 2022-2023 season.”

GARDEN PLAIN went 4-17 with a 2-7 league record and starts fresh with former Hutch-Trinity head coach Mark Powell. The fourth year coach gets back just one starter in senior Collin Haukap (5.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.2 spg, 1.1 apg, 5-10). Other returning varsity rotation players include soph omores Max McGregor (2.3 ppg, 6-0), Cooper Scheer (3.6 ppg, 5-9), and Kaeden Kasselman (2.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6-2).

“We will need our point guard and senior Collin Haukap to provide leadership on and off the court,” Powell said. “As players gain more varsity experience we will be expecting more from them.”

KINGMAN ended last season sixth in the league with a 3-6 mark and finished with just two wins against non-league opponents for an overall mark of 6-15. Looking to improve those fortunes is all-league senior Nolan Freund (11.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2 spg), along with fellow starters Avrey Albright (6.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, Sr.) and Tristen Davidson (9.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 spg, Jr.)

MEDICINE LODGE finished 11-11 and have back significant experience. Senior Cauy Scripsick returns to the lineup after sitting out last season with an injury, while junior Carter Cunnigham (6 ppg, 5 rpg), junior Derrek Randels (4 ppg, 4 rpg), and sophomore Keveon Ruiz (9 ppg, 8 rpg) are returning starters.

“We have some high expectations going into the year,” head coach Joe Dohrnmann said. “We are going to have a younger team, but we trust in them to step up and play well.”

WICHITA INDEPENDENT had a strong show ing last year with a state tournament appearance and a 17-6 mark. All-Leaguers Joseph RecaldePhillips and Christian Dean, now seniors, were the team’s top producers last season.

WICHITA-TRINITY ACADEMY finished 12-9 after getting knocked out of one of the toughest sub-states in 3A. The Knights lose the All-League production of Trey Buckner and Alex KirstenWestgard from that team.

GIRLS: The BELLE PLAINE Dragons took a first round exit from sub-state, but not before near ly upsetting one-seed Bluestem, falling 38-35, to

end the season 4-17. All-League junior Gabby Lujan had a solid sophomore season, but fellow All-League selection Alayna Mowdy graduated.

CHAPARRAL was dealt an upset against Kingman, 42-34, in the first round of sub-state, after the team earned the three-seed. The Roadrunners finished 12-8 overall. All-League selection Mattelyn Swartz has since graduated, but All-League senior Haley Kangas (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), and what was otherwise a young roster last season, provides Chappy a good starting point.

CHENEY was knocked out in the second round of sub-state, 29-27, against Hesston, leaving them 18-4 overall. The Cardinals won the CPL with the best record in league play and return twin-tower seniors Campbell Hague (10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 bpg, 1.9 spg, 6-2) and Leah Durr (9.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6-0) from that starting lineup.

“We want to get to the state tournament,” head coach Sarah McCormick said. “Our inside game will be a huge key to our success. We have both size and experience in the paint, and our guards will be instrumental in getting them the ball.”

CONWAY SPRINGS finished 8-13 after a first round sub-state loss to West Elk. Third year Cardinals head coach Sheri Mercer returns one starter in All-League junior point guard Melissa Ebenkamp (8.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 spg), along with rotation players in juniors Olivia Lange (7.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Haylee Osner, and seniors Katelyn Koester and Caitlyn May.

DOUGLASS finished 7-14 after a first round sub-state loss to Cheney. All-League selections Rebecca Hajdukovich (11.7 ppg) and Mariah Barkus (5-4), now a senior and junior respectively, were two of the team’s top players last season.

GARDEN PLAIN finished second in the CPL at 8-1 and made their fifth straight state tournament which ended with a runner-up trophy. Replacing All-State selection Brooke Hammond (Emporia State Track and Field) will be a tough task for head coach Kody Kasselman, but he gets back five seniors with starting experience in Celia Puetz (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.2 apg), Sydney Puetz (6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 spg, 1.4 apg), Madelyn Rolfs (7.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1 spg, 1 apg), Ryleigh Stuhlsatz (5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 spg), and Molly Zoglman (3.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg, 1 apg).

“We also return a number of kids who will push for varsity minutes,” Kasselman said. “We feel we have a team that can compete for a league title and have some postseason success.”

KINGMAN was eliminated from the second round of a brutal sub-state against Cimarron, 53-28, and finished out their season at 9-13.

Seniors Marissa DeWeese and Erin Albright

return from that starting lineup, along with junior All-League sixth-man Laney Wood. All-League selections Aly Hageman and Alex Schreiner were both lost to graduation.

MEDICINE LODGE finished 11-11 after a substate semifinals defeat at the hands of eventual state champs Sterling. All-League junior Aydan Bryan returns from that starting lineup along with senior Camyrn Smith, and juniors Karsyn Jacobson and Jhayla Alojacin. Replacing gradu ated All-Leaguer Rachel Fischer, a 6-footer and member of the 1,000 point club, won’t be easy.

“Bringing back some good experience this year, unlike seasons prior,” coach Kami Hahn said.

“Looking forward to continuing what we started last year.”

WICHITA INDEPENDENT ended 4-16 after a first round exit against Garden Plain. The Panthers graduated a big class last spring, but AllLeaguer Dana Imankulova (14.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.4 spg), now a senior, was among the best scorers in the league last season.

WICHITA-TRINITY ACADEMY advanced to the second round of sub-state after a 59-53 win over Haven, but were defeated soundly by a state bound Nickerson squad. All-League selections Aubrey Winter and Megan Hedstrom both gradu ated in May and are key players to replace.

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Kingman, Lindsborg, Lyons Medicine Lodge, St. John Phillipsburg, Scott City

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: First year head coach Michael Ryan takes over a CENTRAL PLAINS team that fin ished 4-17 last season, but there’s reason for optimism after the Oilers won their sub-state with a young squad. All-State junior Peyton Ryan (20.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.4 rpg, 3.7 spg, 5-10) is coming off a monster sophomore campaign, while fellow re turning starters, senior Evan Strathmann (7 ppg, 1 apg, 3 rpg, 5-9), junior Hunter Klima (4 ppg, 1 apg, 5 rpg, 5-11), and sophomore Aiden Akele (3.2 ppg, 1 apg, 2.4 rpg, 6-0) also provide experience.

“Our team goals this year are to improve every day in practice,” coach Ryan said. “We want to show improvement every game and hopefully be playing our best ball late in the year.”

ELLINWOOD went 8-0 in league play and won the CPL title before coming one game short of a state berth after a sub-state championship loss to Sterling, good for an overall mark of 20-3. Head coach Derek Joiner graduated just one starter from last spring in forward Cody Zink and returns

two-time All-State senior Britton Dutton (24.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.5 spg) who is already the school record holder in points in a career (1,493) and game (48). Alongside Dutton are returning starters Koy Behnke (9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.6 apg) and Parker Scheck (12 ppg, 4 rpg), and junior Drew Heinz (6.2 ppg, 2 apg, 37% from three). Senior Darian Haynes (1 ppg, 1 rpg), and juniors Alek Brack (3 ppg, 2.2 apg, 26 charges taken) and Cooper Hosman, are expected to compete for the final spot in the starting lineup.

“Our expectations are to compete at the state level,” Joiner said. “Our goal is to win the whole thing, but most importantly, we need to be the best version of ourselves every practice and game.”

KINSLEY finished 3-18 after a first round loss in sub-state to Quinter, the second straight year the Bulldogs knocked the Coyotes out in the postsea son. Senior London Brokar was one of the team’s top players as a junior a season ago.

La CROSSE had an 8-14 mark at season’s end and took fifth place in the CPL at 5-5. The Leopards were knocked out in the sub-state semi finals by Ness City. Juniors Caden Morgan (12.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.5 spg, 6-3), Gage Burk (9.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 spg, 6-3), Logan Skillett (6 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 bpg, 6-6), and senior Brodie Schmidt (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-10) return from that squad and give fifth year head coach Kyle Schmidt size and experience to work with.

“We plan to use the experience that we have coming back from last year to make a run and im prove our record from the last couple of seasons, Schmidt said. “Our goals are to get farther in the two regular season tournaments and play for a chance to go to state this year.”

MACKSVILLE head coach Jeff Kuckelman has a 357-126 career record entering his 21st year in charge of the Mustang program with last year’s 23-3 team finishing third in 1A-DI and tied for sec ond in the CPL. Good things are expected again this year as four starters and 11 varsity players total return from the 2021-22 season. The starters include sophomore point guard Hector Gomez (9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.2 spg) and seniors Lance Lickiss (6.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.7 spg), Alexis Barron (11.r ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 1 bpg), and Ryan Kuckelman (11 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.8 bpg) with sophomore guard Diego Esparza (6.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.6 spg) expected to fill the fifth spot after a big season off the bench a season ago.

“We are excited about the potential for a great season with a lot of experienced players return ing,” coach Kuckelman said. “We hope that last

CENTRAL PRAIRIE LEAGUE

season’s success will springboard us to even higher goals this year.”

NESS CITY lost all five starters from last sea son’s talented 18-6 squad that finished third in the league, including two of last year’s Winter cov erboys, Jose Guzman and Taylor Cable. Coach Brandt Rogers expects seniors Brayden Schniepp and Danny Guzman to step into key roles after playing important minutes off the bench as juniors.

“Our ability to adapt to changes within the struc ture of our program are keys to success,” coach Rogers said.

OTIS-BISON finished 3-19 and returns three junior starters from that squad in Hayden Morrison (1.6 ppg, 5-10), Eston Juno (6.4 ppg, 6-0), and Riley Polly (4.1 ppg, 5-7).

“Our underclassmen being able to have success in varsity games is key,” coach Curtis Little said. ST. JOHN tied for second in the CPL last season with a 6-2 mark in league play. Overall the Tigers went 13-9 and were knocked out in the sub-state semifinals by Macksville, 70-47. Senior Marco Ibarra (4.8 ppg, 5-10) and sophomore Quade Smith (6.4 ppg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg, 5-10) return with experience for a team that graduated four players that earned some level of all-league recognition.

“Our goal for this season is to compete every day,” coach Danton Hilton said.

VICTORIA went 6-15 a season ago and hired veteran coach Rick Keltner in the offseason. Keltner most recently served as an assistant for La Crosse, but is well-known for notching 535 wins over his nearly half a century long coaching ca reer, with eight seasons at Tipton, and 34 at Hays High, where he holds the record for wins (452) and earned eight WAC Coach of the Year nods. Four starters return for Keltner to work with, including junior Seth Schwien (5.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 39%FG), and seniors Landon Schmidtberger (11.8 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 42%FG), Leo Schmeidler (9.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 70%FT), and Thaddeus Wohler (8.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, 40%FG).

“Our goal is to get better every day,” Keltner said. “I am very thankful for the opportunity to coach these young men and look forward to developing

as a team. If we play hard and play together and care about each other I believe we can be a dan gerous team. I like the competitiveness of these young men and look forward to growing together.”

GIRLS: The unstoppable force that is CENTRAL PLAINS has yet to meet an immovable object since winning their first of eight consecutive titles back in 2014 - not counting the COVID year in 2020, when they finished in the final four before the state tournament was cancelled. The Oilers only challenger to their most recent 1A-DII title came in the semifinals against Hanover who came within five, besides that the 24-1 squad’s only loss came against undefeated 2A state champs Sterling. Head coach Pat Stiles embarks on an other title hunt this season with a strong senior trio of Brynna Hammeke (19 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 4.2 spg, 5-8), Reese McGuire (5.9 ppg, 1.4 spg, 5-4), and Kyla Metro (4.8 ppg, 1.3 spg, 5-4). Other play ers that received varsity minutes last year include juniors Mollie Steiner (5-5), Melissa Donecker (59), Addyson Ogle (5-9), and sophomores Marilyn Soeken (5-9) and Grace Lamatsch (5-4).

“We will take one practice, one game at a time and continue to keep working to get better with the ‘Win the Day’ attitude,” Stiles said. “Our tough schedule should help prepare us for the postsea son where we want to be playing our best basket ball at that time. Success will depend on us main taining the awesome culture the girls have created by playing hard, playing for each other, making the extra pass and sharing the ball.”

ELLINWOOD went 6-2 in the CPL and finished third in the league, but had struggles outside their most familiar opponents with a 12-10 mark over all. All-State senior Brittany Simpson (22.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 4.1 spg, 5-10) is coming off a dominant junior season and is joined by senior Bella Baker (8.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.6 spg, 5-6) and sophomore Kennedy Behnke (5.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 5-11) from that starting lineup.

“Our goals are to build on 21-22 success and push for a league title and establish consisten cy with what we do each night,” coach Andrew Gower said. “Building depth behind Brittany and

Joey Bahr

Photography

Brittany Simpson

Ellinwood, Senior

Everett Royer,

Brynna Hammeke Central Plains, Senior

Bella and replacing the roles our two seniors had from last season are our keys to success.”

KINSLEY ended their season 4-17 after a first round loss to Wichita County in sub-state. Replacing the production of All-League senior Kayla Ruiz will be key for the Coyotes.

La CROSSE was knocked out of the sub-state semifinals against state qualifier Hodgeman County, 41-27, a season ago and finished 6-15. All-League selections Brooke Herrman and Taylor Marvin both graduated, while junior Avery Parrott enters her third year starting on varsity.

MACKSVILLE had their first winning season in nearly two decades going 12-11 and advancing to the sub-state semifinals. Seniors Joselin Garcia (6.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 apg) and Lupita Galan (2.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), juniors Mayce Russell (11.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 5.1 spg, second team All-Central Prairie League) and Kambry Adams (8.4 ppg, 7

rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, HM All-CPL), and sophomores Isabela Ortiz (5.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2 spg) and Laney Butler (1.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) all return from last year’s rotation.

“This year we have an experienced team that is looking to build off of the first winning season in 18 years,” fifth year coach Megan Schroeder said. “Our team should have more confidence and chemistry because of their experience at the varsity level. We lost one senior but the rest of the varsity squad is returning, and we will be gaining two or three freshmen. We return our leader in points, assists, and steals in junior Mayce Russell and also return our leading rebounder and second leading scorer in junior Kambry Adams. We also return senior Joselin Garcia who will be a fouryear starter for us.”

NESS CITY earned a two-seed at sub-state last season and ended up finishing second in the

tournament after a loss to Hodgeman County in the finals. The Eagles finished 11-11 overall with a 3-5 mark in league. Seniors Hannah Delaney (11.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.6 spg, 1.5 bpg, 5-9) and Aneth Robledo (4.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.6 rpg, 5-4) return from last year’s starting lineup, along with juniors Monica Jordan (1.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 spg, 5-4) and Danae Rodriguez (4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-1), and senior Mackenzy Tillitson (2.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1 apg, 5-7) from the varsity bench rotation.

“This year we lost a big chunk of our starting lineup,” coach Shelby Flax said. “So we are look ing for our big group of seniors this year to step up and fill those gaps. Our younger players have another year of varsity underneath them, so they should be able to step in and help as well.”

A young OTIS-BISON squad finished 5-16 af ter a first round sub-state tournament exit. Haley Morrison (11 ppg, 5.7 rpg, second team All-Central Prairie League), Johanna Baalman (8.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and Maci Wiltse (5.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg) all enter

their senior seasons looking to improve on that mark.

ST. JOHN ended up 15-8 after a sub-state semi finals loss and took second in the CPL. Junior Heidi Fisher (5-6) is the lone returning starter, and is joined by rotation players, Jade Portillo (5-6, Sr.) and sophomore Lydia Reed (6-1).

“This will be a year of big change for the Tigers,” coach Danny Smith said. “Graduating four start ers, including their leading scorer and three point percentage leader Darby Smith, who now plays for the Barton County Cougars. The Tigers return very little varsity experience, but like the potential of their young players.”

VICTORIA ended the year 7-14 after a 5146 first round sub-state loss to Rawlins County. All-League selections Melany Huser and Kaitlyn Windholz both graduated in the spring, leaving a definite production void, though the team does return its second leading scorer in senior Brooklyn Nowak (7.8 ppg).

senior KiKi Smith (18 ppg, 4 apg, 4 spg, 5-7), along with returning senior starters Adisyn Caryl (7 ppg, 8 rpg, 5-10, Illinois softball commit) and Faith Shields (7 ppg, 5-9). Redmond says outworking and outhustling opponents are key to the team’s success.

Despite finishing second in the league behind Topeka High, WASHBURN RURAL otherwise dominated their way to a state title last season with a 40-23 drubbing of Derby as the exclama tion point to a 23-2 campaign. The title was the second with Kevin Bordewick as head coach, though he was on the coaching staff for three ti tles under legendary head coach Bill Annan (Oral Roberts assistant). Bordewick’s top returners in clude seniors Brooklyn DeLeye (11.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.3 apg), MaRyah Lutz (5.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2 apg), Chloe Carlgren (2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 apg), and juniors Zoe Canfield (10.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.6 apg) and Jada Ingram (6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 apg). Junior Destiny Ochs and sophomores Kate Hinck and Tenly Bunck were mentioned as top newcomers. “We graduated a great senior class last year that

was not only talented, but also had great leader ship traits,” Bordewick said. “However, we do re turn a strong nucleus that we believe we can build around to possibly challenge for a league title and make a run in the postseason.”

The Junior Blues enter the basketball season with momentum after Bordewick and crew deliv ered a 45-1 6A volleyball title. The veteran coach is entering his 14th season as the head basketball coach and just wrapped up his 28th leading the volleyball team.

CRAWFORD-NEOSHO-CHEROKEE LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BAXTER SPRINGS Lions were 4-17 last season after a 50-31 first round substate loss to Columbus. Juniors Payton Gaines (11.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.3 sspg, 2.2 apg, 6-0), Weston Shafer (9.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 spg, 3.1 apg, 6-4), and sophomore Jacob Grant (8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .9 spg, 1.2 apg, 6-4) return from that starting lineup. Senior Logan Gess (4.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6-1), juniors Javen Alexander (3.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 spg, 1.2 apg, 6-4) and Gage Maggard (1.6 ppg, 5-8), and sophomore Briar Simpson (1.2 ppg, 5-7) also saw varsity minutes last year.

“The Lions will rely heavily on their upperclass men as the younger players mature and learn the system,” coach Alan Hibler said. “Depth must be found as some younger players will need to ma ture quickly to add to the team. Length of the team should be a strength on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, a point guard will need to be de veloped and the Lions must learn to value each possession and the ball. As always, putting the ball in the basket will be a must and found trouble will need to be avoided. Looking to continue re building and trying to make strides going forward.”

COLUMBUS finished 14-7 after losing to league foe Galena in the sub-state championship, 65-39, a loss the football team avenged with an upset of the Bulldogs in the Regional playoffs a few weeks back. Seniors Brett Hamilton, Kolt Ungeheur, Seth Stover, Lance Midgett, Cole Minor, and juniors Cole Youngblood and Mack Kirk return with expe rience from last season and will help the Titans go from one of the youngest on many team’s sched

ules to one of the most experienced.

FRONTENAC returns a few pieces of last year’s rotation including All-League senior Mario Menghini, along with fellow seniors Lane Sullivan, Dylan Withuhn, and juniors Vinny Pile and Trey Cramer. The Raiders were upset by Burlington in the second round of last year’s sub-state tourna ment after securing the one-seed, and closed out the season 15-6. Eighth year head coach Ryan Varsolona returns to coach the Raiders after a season away from coaching.

“The goal is to find a way to be better today than we were yesterday and better tomorrow than we were today,” coach Varsolona said. “All while doing it with an attitude of gratitude towards one another. We have a lot of juniors and seniors that have played a lot of basketball, so leadership will be the main key this year.”

GALENA saw their season end in the first round of the state tournament in heartbreaking fashion, losing 68-67 in double overtime. Despite that tough conclusion the Bulldogs had a good year, winning their sub-state along with grabbing a CNC league title with a 22-2 overall record and an 11-1 league mark. All-State senior Tyler Little (13 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg, 2 bpg) and fellow senior Maverick Harmon (7 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg) are starters head coach Matt Meyr will count on going into 2022-23.

“Our goals every year include winning our league and sub-state,” Meyr said, “which we have done the last three years. We have had some suc cess the last few years at the state tourney, but we were knocked out last year in the first round in double OT, so our number one goal this year is to

get back and have a chance to play past that first round game. We must stay healthy. We will not have a lot of depth. ”

GIRARD punched their ticket to the state tour nament after beating upset-minded Burlington in their sub-state championship 41-34. The Trojans were unable to recapture the magic of their 2019 3A title run this time around though and lost 60-56 in the first round of state to Royal Valley. All-State selection Brahm Born and All-League Brecken Troike were both lost to graduation, but All-League senior Luke Niggeman is back to lead the way for the Trojans.

Four-seed ST MARY’S-COLGAN powered their way through sub-state with blowout victo ries, including a 62-35 second round win over one-seed Erie. Once at the state tournament the Panthers were narrowly bested, 64-61, in the first round against a then an undefeated Valley Falls team, finishing the season 14-9. Former assis tant Clint Heffern returns after a two-year stint as head coach at Fort Scott to replace legendary Panther boys’ coach Wayne Cichon, who won 655 games and five state championships in four decades leading SMC. Cichon led the Panthers to 14 straight state tournaments between 2002 and 20015, which included a streak of nine straight championship games. Heffern inherits a team with senior returning starter Colin Hite (3.5 ppg, 6-0) and junior Tucker Harrell (7.2 ppg) as the only regular varsity contributors back, though Harrell suffered a collarbone injury late the the football season that could delay his return to the hard wood. Heffern remains optimistic and believes

senior Carter Jacquinot (6-0) and juniors Jack Schremmer (6-1), Connor VanBecelaere (6-0), Gus Keller (5-10), Tristan Voss (6-3), and Cooper Simmons (5-10) round out a capable group.

“I think we will have some quality kids in our pro gram this year that are going to be disciplined and work hard,” Heffern said. “I think our strengths will be playing team basketball and the ability to have different guys step up on different nights. We will need to work on establishing a post presence, as I think that could be a weakness for us. Overall, we hope to be fundamentally sound and aim to be a solid defensive team.”

Head coach Tucker Thompson gets two AllLeague starters back after RIVERTON finished 12-8 last year with a 6-6 CNC record, good for a third place finish in league play. Senior Jamey Richardson (15 ppg, 7 rpg) and junior Loch North (12 ppg, 5 rpg) were both All-League selections and provide a strong foundation for Thompson to build on going into the 2022-23 season.

Carloyn Eddington

Brett Hamilton Columbus, Senior

EASTERN KANSAS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BISHOP MIEGE Stags won their second consecutive 4A championship last season after besting Andale, 64-57, in the title game. The Stags finished 19-6, with all of their losses coming in league play. The title makes it seven in Miege boys’ basketball history, with six of those under current head coach Rick Zych, who has a tough task in replacing All-State selections Christian Bowen-Webb (Barton CC), Kellan Boylan (Air Force), and Xavier Hall (Truman University), but do return senior All-League standout Aidan Wing, a college football prospect who elected to play again this season after considering opting-out. As usual for the multi-sport power, the depths of their football playoff run affects early team structure, but Zych did receive a boost in the offseason in Harmon senior transfer Jason Rodriguez, last year’s KC-AL Player of the Year.

BLUE VALLEY ended last year 11-11 with a fifth place finish in the EKL and lost three start ers from a season ago, including Missouri signee, and Kansas Pregame coverboy, Aidan Shaw. Returning senior starters Jackson Ackerman (8.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 6-6) and Davis Bright (3 ppg, 2 apg, 6-1) give 10th year head coach Dwight Williams some experience to help his team achieve his goal number one: “Win our first game.”

A year removed from a 21-3 state champion ship season BLUE VALLEY NORTH posted a solid 14-8 record with a third place league finish in March. Five key players return in seniors Blake Garrett (6-6), Jaxon Goldberg (6-1), Adam Parks (6-5), Zach Sand (6-2), and junior Jaron Lashley (6-3). Replacing All-State selection Kernan Bundy (HCC signee) is sure to be a challenge for 17th year head coach Ryan Phifer, but he feels good about his group.

“It was an up and down 2021-22 season af

ter having to replace four starters, but our guys started to really play well towards the end of the season and were 7-1 in our last eight games. Hopefully that experience and momentum will carry over into 22-23. We have three starters back along with two key bench players. We should have a strong frontcourt but will need to have solid guard play to compete with the best in the state. This team has potential to be in the mix for a state tourney berth by the end of the season.”

BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST ended as the 6A runner-up after losing to Wichita Heights in the state championship. It was head coach Aaron Ihm’s first season with the team after taking over for legendary coach Ed Fritz. Ihm’s team finished 21-4 overall with a 10-2 mark in the EKL. All-State senior and University of Nebraska-Omaha bas ketball commit Grant Stubblefield (19 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg, 2.1 spg, 6-1) was dominant last year and returns from that starting lineup alongside fellow senior Landon Braun (6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 6-6) and juniors Joey Matteoni (4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 6-7), Aidan Behymer (2 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-5), and Jaxon Klein (2.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-5). Ihm’s team goals are to “win EKL, win sub-state, make the final four, win the state championship, maximize potential.”

BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST couldn’t find much traction in the brutal EKL going 3-4, but finished 15-8 overall and punctuated it with a 5A state tourney berth. Significant talent was lost to graduation, but the T-wolves do return senior starter Quillan Rank (4 ppg, 3 apg, 6-0) and ro tation players Jackson Noland (4 ppg, 6-3, 41% three-point, Sr.) and Micah Piggot (2 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-6, Sr.), and junior Dylan Dunn (2 ppg, 6-4).

“We will be replacing 90% of our scoring from last season due to graduation,” head coach Dustin Leochner said. “So, our returning players with var sity experience will need to lead our younger kids

FLINT HILLS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: A young CENTRAL HEIGHTS squad ended up 7-13 after a first round sub-state loss to KC Christian. Seniors Connor Peel (10.7 ppg, 5.4 rpb, 1.9 apg, 1.5 spg), Luke Burkdoll (7.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 apg), Luke Brown (6.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Max Cannady (6.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 apg), Nicholas Schultze (3.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg), and juniors Ethan Rowan (10.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.4 spg), Baker Moore (2.2 ppg), and Alex Skeet (2.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg) were key members of that team.

The CHASE COUNTY Bulldogs were 1111 overall last season with a sub-state finals appearance, but couldn’t gain momentum in league play with an 0-6 mark. Coach Cade Witte gets back six guys with substantial varsity experience in seniors Cooper Schroer (13.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 6-4), Pax Vogel (11 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2 bpg, 6-7), Dominic Cauthers (2.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 5-11), and juniors Tucker Groh (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.3 spg, 6-0) and Colin Monihen (4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1 apg, 6-4).

“Our goals are to improve our league record and tournament finish, and play our best basketball at the end of the season, get back to the substate championship game and compete at the state tournament,” Witte said. “Keeping all of our players healthy will be a key to our success.”

COUNCIL GROVE went 14-9 overall with a

4-3 mark in league. As they enter coach Bruce Hula’s 18th season, the Braves graduated three starters who went on to play college ball, Hunter Brintle (Man. Christian), Koen Hula (Friends), and Kellen Marshall (Highland CC), but get back two returning senior starters in Gavin Mills (7.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Anthony Monihen (2.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg). Sophomore Brycen Palmquist (4 ppg, 3.8 rpg) also earned varsity playing time as a freshman.

“We expect continued improvement every day by focusing on us, which is the only thing we can control,” Hula said. “We have a relatively inexperienced squad at the varsity level and a new look as we lost two four-year starters in Koen Hula and Kellen Marshall, as well as three-fourths of our scoring and half our rebounding.”

After taking first place in the league tournament and their sub-state, LYNDON went on to capture a third place finish in 2A with a 66-50 win over Valley Falls in the consolation game, finishing 22-3 overall. The Tigers graduated one of the classification’s top players in All-State selection Toby Miller, but return a strong core group including All-State big-man Jackson Biggs (13.2 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg, 6-5), Evan Feuerborn (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, 5-10), and Ryan Bones (3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3 apg, 5-10), all seniors, while 6-8 junior Kaedin Massey, an FBS O-line prospect, should provide an imposing presence in the paint.

who are also stepping in to fill that void. This will be one of the fastest teams I have ever coached and we will play a tenacious style of man-to-man defense and will run in transition to capitalize on our speed. Over the summer, this team showed a unique ability to play unselfishly on both defense and offense, which will help us tremendously. I believe this team will be very competitive in the EKL and can be one of the top teams in class 5A.”

BLUE VALLEY WEST pulled off an EKL league title and had a 15-6 overall record for coach Ryan Hintz, but as he enters his sixth season he has a number of vacant roster spots to fill with the loss of all but one starter, senior Quentin Robertson (6.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 5-10).

“Our key to success is defense; the majority of our team graduated,” Hintz said. “We have guys that have been working hard while they wait their turn, so for a lot of our team, this will be our first varsity experience. I’m excited to watch us im prove as the season goes on, and play a tough brand of basketball that represents our community well.”

ST. JAMES ACADEMY was third in 5A last year after beating Maize, 81-62, in the consola tion game at the state tournament, giving them a 17-8 mark with a fourth place league finish at 4-3. A wealth of senior talent returns from that team in four-year starter Brian Hawthorne (14 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.7 spg, 6-3), All-State wide receiv er John Niesen (8.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6-3), and point guard Blake Boydston (4.4 ppg, 2.3 apg, 6-0) - all of who were starters last season - as well as key rotation players Gabe Sydzick (7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6-7) and sharpshooter Finn Burrit (6 ppg, 6-1) who led the team in three-pointers made.

“Our team goal is to build upon the success of last season and use the momentum from last year’s group to try and get better every day,” head coach Stan Dohm said. “Our key to success is surviving the football season without injuries! We are returning a very large part of our team that fin ished third in state last year. Five of our top seven players also play football this season.”

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS finished last in EKL standings last season at 1-7, but were competitive

“Our goal for this year is to compete for championships,” coach Michael Massey said. “We have a group that is very talented and if we play together, we can have a very good season. We lost a lot of leadership from last year, but return a lot of talent.”

MISSION VALLEY took third in the league last season with a 3-2 record and went 12-9 overall. The only consistent starter the Vikings return is senior point guard AJ Rubio (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg, 5-8), but other varsity experience returns from seniors Tanner Thomas (6-0), Corbett Hinck (6-4), and sophomore Porter Deters (5-10).

“We will be somewhat undersized and have players step into more primary roles,” coach Jordan Hysten said. “How quickly we adapt and learn how to score with this group of guys will determine how successful we are early in the season. We have the type of players to be pretty good and flexible on the defensive end if we buyin and come together.”

NORTHERN HEIGHTS went 7-14 with a fifth place league finish at 3-4 last season. Their campaign came to an end in the first round of substate against Mission Valley, 46-38. The Wildcats are looking to make improvements on that mark with the return of four starters in Kolden Ryberg (10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.2 spg), Connor Arb

outside of league play at 7-14 overall. Tons of var sity experience returns from that squad including lone senior Will Rost (14 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 6-4), juniors Wyatt Lewis (6.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 6-1) and Cooper Welsh (1.1 ppg, 6-0), and a notably large group of sophomoresboth in number and in height - in William Goode (4.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6-9), Julian Marks (4.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 6-7), Isaiah Freeman (1.6 ppg, 6-2), London Burton (1.4 ppg, 6-2), and Michael Bernhart (3 ppg, 1 rpg, 6-2). According to fifth-year head coach Jake Kupersmith team goals include making daily improvements, identifying and thriv ing in roles, and preparing for a tournament run in March. He also noted the importance of winning the turnover battle, shot selection, rebounding margin, and making more free throws than oppo nents attempt as keys to success.

GIRLS: The BISHOP MIEGE community mourned the passing of Hall of Fame coach Terry English after he suffered a stroke in October. The 72-year-old English held a 910-168 record with an incredible 22 state titles while coaching for more than 45 years at the high school he gradu ated from in 1968. He was the Maxpreps National Coach of the Year in 2021. Last season, he added the most recent edition to that considerable state title collection after a 23-2 season punctuated by a 71-45 win over Eudora in the 4A title game. English’s long-time assistant, Kevin Mulvaney, is taking over the head coaching position in the wake of the tragedy. He welcomes back AllLeague sophomore Kirston Verhulst (14.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2 spg) and classmate Grace McCallop (8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 spg) from last season’s starting lineup.

“We will be very young and rely heavily on our two returning sophomore starters and other key returners,” Mulvaney said. “We look forward to a new season and challenging schedule.”

BLUE VALLEY won a triple-overtime marathon against Olathe North, 48-46, to take home bronze at the 6A state tournament after narrowly losing a double-overtime thriller to Derby, 51-49, in the semifinals. The Tigers opened the tournament

(1 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg), Gabe King (2 ppg, 3 rpg), and Cooper Hamlin (3 ppg, 3.5 rpg).

“We have several guys who got their first varsity experience last year,” coach Jacob Lang said.

“They need to continue to improve. We have some young guys who will need to step up and take over some of the scoring load we lost due to graduation.”

OSAGE CITY made their way out of a competitive sub-state for a state tournament appearance last season. From there the Indians were eliminated in the first round by Southeast of Saline and finished with a 20-4 mark. All-State selection Landon Boss and All-League Kaden Kilpatrick, both seniors this year, were key pieces to that team’s success, but the lost production of Tyler Sage will need to be addressed.

WEST FRANKLIN finished 5-15 with a 2-5 league mark in head coach Kris Hassler’s second season with the team. The Falcons were knocked out in the first round of sub-state by Osage City. Hassler returns four starters including All-League senior Trey Rogers (14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.8 spg, 2 bpg, 6-3), senior Brayden Love (6.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 6-1), junior Hunter Criqui (9.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.1 bpg, 6-4), and sophomore Gunnar McMahan

FRONTIER LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: A young BALDWIN squad finished 8-13 after a 66-50 loss in the first round of sub-state. The Bulldogs returns four starters including AllLeague senior Caleb Carr (17.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 apg, 3 spg, 5-10), senior Sam Darnell (4.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-3), and juniors Ryker Grossner (5.3 ppg, 6-1) and Joey Ziembicki (4.5 ppg, 2 spg).

“We want to continue to improve everyday,” coach Don Blanchat said. “Compete for a league title and peak in March. Returning a healthy senior duo of Caleb Carr and Sam Darnell will be big for Baldwin. These guys only won two games as sophomores, but helped improve to eight wins last season. They are looking to guide us their senior year to another big season. We want to continue to improve everyday, compete for a league title, and peak in March.”

BONNER SPRINGS finished 12-8 overall with a fourth place league finish and return senior Cameron Doss (10 ppg, 5-10), senior Tavian Cruse (7 ppg, 6-2), and junior Kalen Streit (11 ppg, 6-0) from that starting lineup. Head coach Dan Streit pointed out “teamwork and communication” as two keys for his team’s success.

With All-League selection, and last year’s only senior, Traeger Rader graduating in the spring, a EUDORA team that finished 18-4 and qualified for the state tournament a season ago would be getting all but one of its varsity contributors back if not for All-State selection Jaden Hamm (Arkansas football) graduating early to head to Fayetteville. The Cardinals do bring back vital experience in All-State junior Logan Sullivan (14 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-1), and a senior trio of Cole Parker (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-2), Kale Hammerschmidt (4 ppg, 3 apg, 5-8), and Conor Dunback (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-10).

“We have some varsity experience returning, but lost our big guys,” coach Kyle Deterding said. “We return our starting backcourt and a couple of other guys who were in the rotation last season. Piper won the league last season, but they are no longer members of the league. The league could be wide open this year. We will play a very competitive schedule. Besides our league games, we will play Highland Park, Mill Valley, Hayden, and Barstow.”

LOUISBURG finished 5-16 after keeping their first round sub-state matchup with oneseed Eudora close for a majority of the game by slowing down the game, but they ultimately couldn’t overcome the Cardinals and let the game slip out of control late, 47-30. Five key players were lost from that roster including Maverick Rockers, Michael Seuferling, Carson Ker, Isaac Guetterman and Hunter Rogers.

OTTAWA finds themselves in a tough spot after going 4-16 last season and returning none of the starters from that team, creating a challenge for 26th year head coach Cliff McCullough (345-167) as he pieces together a new roster.

“Our goal is to finish in the top half of the league and make a dent in the postseason,” McCullough said. “We have a few guys back with some varsity experience but not many. Our one lone starter coming back had Tommy John surgery in the spring and won’t be playing so we will have to rely on many young players this year. We have a very strong sophomore and freshman class that could help out this year. Goals for this year would be to utilize what experience we have, coupled with the inexperienced young players, and try to put a

quality product on the floor.”

PAOLA finished 15-8 after a state tournament appearance that saw them exit at the hands of state runner-up Andale. The Panthers also finished fourth place in league play at 4-4. Coach Ryan Oshel’s first season went well, but his work is cut out for him in year two with no starters back.

“We will need to learn what it takes to be successful at a varsity level as a group,” Oshel said. “Not just in games, but what it takes on a daily basis at practice concerning effort and intensity for us to improve every time we step on the court. We will also need some guys that have very little or no varsity experience to step up and become major contributors to our team this year.”

SPRING HILL was 5-16 after a first round substate exit against one-seed Basehor-Linwood last season. All-League senior Luke Metcalf (6-2) is the Broncos top player back from that team.

TONGANOXIE went 13-9 overall and managed a third place finish in the Frontier, but has a primarily new roster with the exception of senior Caleb Clark (5.5 ppg, 4.5) whose experience should be key for fifth-year head coach Phil Jones.

“How fast can our underclassmen get up to speed,” Jones said of team keys. “We will need to find scoring as we have lost 90% from last year.”

GIRLS: Coming off of a 10-11 season with a 3-5 league mark, BALDWIN brings back three returning starters in All-League senior Karly Neufeld (11 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg, 5-7), senior Merrin Frost (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 spg, 5-6), and junior Alyssa Reichard. Other returning contributors include senior Karly Toot (5-6), senior Emma-Kate Lang (5-8), and junior Bailey Smith (5-5). The Bulldogs 2021-22 season came to an end after a first round sub-state loss against Fort Scott 58-26.

“I know that our players will give great effort,” coach Eric Toot said. “So our key to success will be our ability to make shots and convert at the free-throw line. I know that sounds simplistic, but it’s been a struggle for us the last couple of seasons and something we will need to focus on.”

BONNER SPRINGS went 9-12 overall and finished 5-4 in league play last season. Three returning starters are back in All-League senior Mariyah Noel (18.5 ppg, 6 rpg), senior Wren VanCleave (5 ppg, 7 rpg), and junior Pirsten Leslie (7.7 ppg, 4 rpg). Head coach Peyton Leslie pointed out a winning record and winning their sub-state as the teams top goals and listed the team’s keys to success in the form of a question, “Can we guard and rebound?”

To go with their 2021-22 league championship, EUDORA earned second place in 4A after losing to Bishop Miege in the title game. Along with their state runner-up finish, the Cardinals 23-3 record were both school records. A talented group led by All-State selection Harper Schreiner (Pitt State) has since graduated, but some two starters return in senior Sawyer Schreiner (6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5-10) and junior Kenzie Yoder (6.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-9). They also bring back three juniors from last season’s rotation in Jayla Erpelding (5-6), Parker Long (57), and Lainey Orr (5-11).

“We are looking forward to the process of underclassmen stepping into leadership roles,” head coach Brandon Parker said. “Each returner will be adopting a new role for this season. We feel confident that they will continue to grow throughout the season.”

LOUISBURG finished sixth in the league with a 3-4 mark and went 9-12 overall in 2021-22. From that team four starters return in seniors Brianne Kuhlman (2.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1 spg), All-

League selection Adyson Ross (8.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 spg), Emma Prettyman (4.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg), and Delaney Tally (5.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 spg). Replacing the production of AllLeague selection, Jordan Mynsted, will be key for head coach Adrianne Lane.

OTTAWA finished 9-11 after a first round exit at the hands of eventual state qualifier Labette County. The Cyclones lose two of three AllLeague performers, with Kirsten Evans and Sofia Ficken graduating last spring, but get senior Brooklyn Hadl back.

After taking third in the Frontier League in the regular season, PAOLA closed out at 13-9 on the heels of a sub-state semifinal defeat against Eudora. The Panthers boasted two All-League selections last season, now-senior Maggie Kauk and 2022 grad Kate Ediger (Johnson County CC softball). Other returning senior starters are Maddie Pitzer and Ava Kehl.

SPRING HILL punched a trip to the 5A state tournament after breezing through their sub-state, but were knocked out in the first round by an Aquinas machine that has won six consecutive 5A state titles. The Broncos finished with a 16-7 mark and an 8-3 league record. The season marked the last for 20th year head coach Clay Frigon, who retired with over 200 wins under his belt. First year head coach Paige Husa takes over the program with two starters returning in All-State senior Jenna Weber (15.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1 bpg, 1.6 spg, 5-9) and All-League sophomore Sydney Buscher (7.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6-0).

AVCTL-II/FROM

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Matt Brumley said. “We thrive off of our defense and hang our hat on that end of the floor. If we can become a more consistent scoring team, we will be successful.”

SALINA CENTRAL finished second in 5A last season - a one spot improvement over their third place 2020-21 campaign - but couldn’t quite overcome a loaded Aquinas team in the state championship game. The Mustangs lose all five starters, including covergirls Aubrie Kierscht (Presbyterian) and Hampton Williams (Abilene Christian), and Class of 2023 standout Mykayla Cunningham, who will play her senior season at Spire Academy in Ohio. The Lady ‘Stangs do get back a majority of their bench rotation in juniors Tyler Vidricksen (3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-8), Callan Hall (2.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 5-4), Abbey Peckham (2.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5-6), and senior Brynn O’Hara (1 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-8).

“We are very excited as we prepare for the

“Our team goals include posting a winning record and making a reappearance at the state tournament in March,” Husa said. “We lost eight seniors from last year’s roster, but our young kids are ready to step up and make another run this season.”

Fourth year TONGANOXIE head coach Mitch Loomis finds himself with an entirely new roster after going 6-15 last season and graduating the Chieftains entire starting lineup. Junior Mariah Herrera and freshman Alyssa Choeneck are likely to fill guard spots while their lone returner with varsity experience, junior Sage Isaacs, will be looked at to control the glass.

“We will have a young new core with only one senior on this year’s team,” Loomis said. “Our goal is to learn to compete at a high level in a competitive league and build a solid foundation for future seasons.”

Senior

2022-23 season,” coach Chris Fear said. “We have a talented group of players returning from our state runner-up team. All five starters from last season have moved on from our program but we do expect to take big steps forward with our new group. We are going to grow as a group as the season moves along and build our confidence. We have developed a solid tradition of success in our program and it is our expectation to continue our run of success.”

VALLEY CENTER gets two starters back from a team that finished sixth in the league at 3-9, with an overall mark of 7-14. Seniors Ali Coash (6.5 ppg, 2 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-4, Emporia St. soccer commit) and Emma Taylor (1.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6-1) provide some experience for eighth year head coach Trent Preheim.

“We would love to finish in the top half of our league and have a winning percentage above .500,” Preheim said. “Losing our two leading scorers to graduation will definitely leave some holes to fill, but the girls had a good summer.”

BHS Journalism

Caleb Carr Baldwin,

GREAT WEST ACTIVITIES CONFERENCE

BOYS: The CIMARRON Bluejays went 5-16 last season with a 3-7 mark in league play in head coach Christopher Chilton’s first year with the team. From that squad he brings back three starters in senior Lane Beery (6.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg, 1.2 spg, 6-4), junior David Mendez (1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, 5-9), and sophomore Trace Kopper (5.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 5-9).

“Our goals are to improve on where we left off at the end of last season,” Chilton said. “Continue to improve week to week and game to game. I would like to see us compete for a GWAC title, and give us a legit shot at making it to state.”

COLBY finished 8-13 after a 49-39 first round sub-state loss to Scott City. All-League seniors Hunter Vaughn (19 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg, 6-0, first team) and Shane Puckett (6-2, honorable mention) return to lead the way for the Eagles this season. Vaughn is one of the top guards in western Kansas and currently holds multiple junior college and NAIA scholarship offers. Senior guard Brayden Imhoff (5-11), sophomore forward Guy Tubbs (6-3), and sophomore guard Brayden Foss (5-10) are all expected to join Vaughn and Puckett as impact players for fourth-year boys’ head coach Parker McKee, who previously spent eight seasons as the Colby girls’ head coach. McKee should also get a boost from senior forward Ben Busse (6-0) who transferred in from St. Francis over the summer after earning All-NWKL honors as a junior.

GOODLAND brings back four starters from last season’s youthful 7-14 team that took fifth in the GWAC at 2-5. Juniors Manuel Gonzalez (8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2 spg, 5-9, HM All-GWAC), Cole Linton (5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 6-0),Noah Shinette (9.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 6-4, second team All-GWAC), and senior Devontay Hardy (9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 6-5, HM) give head coach Mike Doll an experienced group.

“Team goals will be to compete to be on top of the GWAC standings and compete in our substate,” Doll said.

HOLCOMB went 17-5 overall with a 10-2 mark

in the GWAC and were among the best teams in the state not to make it to the championship round of sub-state after losing to league rival Hugoton in a 49-46 OT heartbreaker. All five starters from that team were lost to graduation along with 80% of the team’s scoring and 75% of the team’s rebounding, but veteran head coach Chad Novack feels good about his new varsity lineup’s work ethic. Seniors Cris Palacios (5-11) and Dalton Long (5-7), and a big group of juniors and sophomores will compete for minutes.

“We have a group of kids that are willing to work really hard right now and want to be successful,” Novack said. “They will work very hard on both ends of the floor. Probably our biggest weakness will be experience. We have a large number of young kids that will see playing time this season.”

HUGOTON qualified for, and got knocked out in the first round of, the 3A state tournament by eventual champions Hesston, finishing 19-5 overall with a perfect 6-0 league record. On the heels of that season the Eagles return significant experience in junior DaSean Lewis (4.8 ppg, 1.8 apg, 5-10), senior Ryle Riddlesperger (14.2 ppg, 2.6 apg, 6-2), senior Carson Bennet (13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6-2), junior Isaac Martin (6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6-2), and junior Emmet Gaskill (4.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 6-2).

“Our daily goal is to focus on the task at hand of continual improvement,” second year Hugoton head coach Trey O’Neil said. “If we do that, whether it is a practice, weight room workout, or a gym session, then our team goals will be right there for the taking. Team goals for the season are to put ourselves in a position to win the GWAC for the fifth year in a row, win sub-state and make it back to the state tournament, and compete for a state championship.”

SCOTT CITY made it through the first round of sub-state with a 10-point win over Russell before meeting their season’s end in the second round against state qualifiers TMP. The Beavers finished 11-11 overall and boasted two AllLeague non-seniors, now-junior Gus Hawkins

and now-senior Lawson Bailey, but Hawkins moved to the Mill Valley district where he is a DI O-line prospect and the loss of fellow AllLeaguers Austin Thon and Ronnie Weathers to graduation means the Beavers will have to retool the majority of the roster.

ULYSSES went 1-19 in head coach Matt Cox’s first season in charge. Just one starter is back from that team, junior Alex Navarette (6.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.2 bpg, 6-2). All-Leaguer Ryan Nightengale is lost to graduation.

“Our goal is to be competitive in a tough GWAC conference,” Cox said. “Put a team on the floor that can defensively be one of the best in the state. To create a culture where we can bless the community with good basketball and keep building our Tiger Basketball program.”

GIRLS: The CIMARRON girls ended 16-7 after a loss in the sub-state championship to eventual state runner-up Hugoton. The season was Austin Stebens’ first as head coach for the Bluejays, and with four talented seniors on his roster, his second could be even better. Led by All-League selections McKayla Miller (18 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg, 4 spg, 6-1, Creighton signee) and Caitlyn Sonday (10 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-0), along with Taryn Jantz (7 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg, 5-10), and Jayna Wilson (4 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-8) the Bluejays height alone makes them dangerous.

“Team goals this year are to continue to get better each week and compete in conference play,” Stebens said. “We are in a really good league and playing that type of competition each night will hopefully help us to make a deep run in March. We just have to take it one game at a time and compete every night. I believe that if we can stay healthy and play solid on the defensive end we could be a pretty competitive team in 3A.”

An extremely young COLBY team went 9-12 with a 3-3 record in league action in 15th year head coach Yancey Walker’s first year with the Eagles. Returners include sophomores Alisabeth Barton (6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.7 spg, 5-5), Logan Nolan (1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 5-2), Brenn Stanley (1.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5-10), and junior Anna Starbuck (1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5-9).

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS:

The BISHOP CARROLL Golden

Eagles were 8-13 overall with a fifth place finish in the GWAL last season with a 59-48 first round loss to Andover in sub-state, but the Golden Eagles were a young squad and bring back ju niors Mikey Brand (11 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6-4), John Hauserman (4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 6-3), Van Haneberg (4 ppg, 5-10), Reese Peterson (2 ppg, 6-0), and senior Braden Beasley (2 ppg, 6-1).

“Continue to improve,” coach Mike Dominick said of his team’s primary goal. “Had to play a lot of sophomores last year so hopefully they will be able to benefit from that experience and put up better stats. Another goal is to be the best defen sive team in the league.”

After winning a league championship at 16-0, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL made a trip to state on the heels of winning each sub-state game by double-digits, but couldn’t overcome eventual state champs, Seaman, in the first round. The Crusaders lose Wichita State commit Henry Thengvall, but get back talent and experience in seniors Will Anciaux (13.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6-6), Max Keller (2.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 6-4), and Dominic Shibley (5.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 spg, 6-2), juniors William Thengvall (8.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6-4), and Teagan Charles (4.2 ppg, 3.3 rpb, 1.7 spg, 6-5), and sophomore Corbin Johnson (3.2 ppg, 2.5 apg, 6-2). Steve Eck is entering his 46th year as a head coach and his second at Kapaun. He is just one shy of career win 1,000 (999-165). He pointed to balanced scoring, team defense, and allowing the least points per game in 5A as keys.

“Once we get healthy from football we should be very competitive,” Eck said. “Great team chemistry. Once we get some practice in, we should be a good offensive team. Can score from inside and outside. The defense should be aggressive and will be good if we can rebound

on the defensive end.”

WICHITA EAST went 4-17 under Clint Kinnamon - now at Whitewater-Remington - and welcome new coach Carlin Whitten. Two starters return to build around with senior Asher Switzer (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 1 bpg, 6-5) and sophomore Collin Laws (9 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg, 6-4).

“Our keys include being receptive to coaching and buying-in to a new system,” Whitten said. “(We want) to execute on both ends of the floor and play at a high-level.”

Defending 6A state champs WICHITA HEIGHTS finished last season 23-2 with both losses coming against Kapaun. All-State selec tions Chase Harris and Dreylin Kemp were lost to graduation, but coach Joe Auer gets back All-State senior Marcus Zeigler (13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2 spg, 6-1), All-League junior TJ Williams (13 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2 spg, 6-5), and sophomore Amalachi Wilkins (3.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 6-7). Auer’s team goals are simple: “Win league, mid-season tourney, sub-state, and state championships.”

After starting the season off at 2-0, WICHITA NORTH went on to win just one more game for the rest of the season in a 55-53 OT matchup with league opponent Wichita South. North fin ished the season 3-17. Seniors Jack Hopping and Jacob Wassall were the team’s leading scor ers last season, but the loss of All-League selec tions Emilian Carrion to graduation and Michael Bailey Jr. to a knee injury suffered toward the end of football season leaves them with consid erable production to make up for this season.

WICHITA NORTHWEST was 14-7 overall with an 11-5 league mark that placed them third in the GWAL. After earning the one-seed at substate the Grizzlies found themselves on the wrong side of a Cinderella story, losing 68-66 to eventual sub-state champs Manhattan. Senior Tasean Williams (9.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 5-9) is the only starter back for head coach Andy Hill, whose teams led the league in scoring the last two years.

“We will have to learn on the fly this year as we will be very inexperienced at the varsity lev el,” Hill said. “I think we’re going to have to win games on the defensive end this year, which will be a change for us because we have put up a lot of points the last two seasons.”

WICHITA SOUTH couldn’t quite overcome Junction City in the first round of sub-state last season, losing that matchup 67-62 and finishing 9-12. All-League sophomore Aven Mboule (11 ppg, 7 rpg, 5-11), seniors Caiden Neal (3.5 ppg, 5-10) and Andre Baker (4 ppg, 6-3), juniors Asa Tarver (11 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-5) and Jalen Manning (2.5 ppg, 2 apg, 5-7), and sophomore Parker Hardgrave (5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 6-8) are top returners from that team.

“Probably the youngest team in the Wichita City League with some exceptional underclass men with some talent,” coach Charles Gunter said of his squad.

WICHITA SOUTHEAST ended their sea son 12-9 after a first round sub-state loss to Washburn Rural. Starters Keaton Williams, Abel Jones, and Anthony Verge have all since graduated, but senior All-League selections Asa Barnes and Mason Le are coming off strong ju nior seasons.

“I think this season we have a lot of youth that will take big strides and by seasons end we can be a very dangerous team,” coach Karl Brown said.

WICHITA WEST didn’t have a dream sea son last year at 3-17, but fifth year head coach Tommy Brumbelow returns two experienced ju niors in Rob Basks (12.7 ppg, 2 apg, 6-3) and Gavyn Phillips (11.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 6-6) as the Aces look to improve their fortunes in 2022-23.

GIRLS: BISHOP CARROLL won a regu lar season league title after going 15-1 in the GWAL and followed that up with a sub-state championship over Andover, 50-42. From there, the Golden Eagles were unable to overcome Andover Central in the first round of the state tournament and ended the season at 19-3. Head coach Taylor Dugan returns two starters from that team in Landon Forbes (11.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg, 3 apg) and Brynn Steven (9.8 ppg), but will have some roster retooling to do around them.

“Our team will need to have some young play ers step into a larger role,” Dugan said. “We only have two returning starters. The two starters will also need to carry a heavier offensive load than last year. Our team will need to bring the tough ness on defense, as we are very small in size.”

A KAPAUN MT. CARMEL team that started 2-9 a year ago managed an excellent recovery and finished 10-12 with a loss in the sub-state finals to Emporia. Head coach Billy Graf looks to keep that energy alive with four players returning with starting experience, including All-League senior Sophia Gimino (13 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2 apg, 2.4 spg), All-League junior Lizzie Romer (13.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 spg), and junior Mayra Nichols, who was injured in the sub-state semifinal and is likely to be out until at least late January. Sophomore

junior Tilly Jones (2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg)

(1.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.1 apg).

“We’re hoping the lumps we took early and the experience and momentum we gained as the season went on carries over to this season,” Graf said.

WICHITA EAST made it to the sub-state cham pionship before getting knocked out by eventual 6A runner-up Derby, leaving the Aces at 12-10 on the season. Former Stucky Middle School coach Ryan Chandler has since been hired as head coach and has a solid group to build around with senior Ariunna Moore (3.9 ppg), and sophomore Heylei Davis (6.1 ppg) back from last season’s lineup, and his daughters, junior Nyah Chandler (15.1 ppg) and sophomore Rylan Chandler (6.7 ppg) transferring from Wichita Southeast.

“Transition and defensive ball and pressure free-throws are keys to success,” Chandler said.

WICHITA HEIGHTS finished 21-4 after a 5246 sub-state championship loss to Dodge City. All the Falcons’ losses came against teams that qualified for state - Derby, Bishop Carroll, and Topeka the others. All-State selection Zyanna Walker and All-League selections Cayanna Stanley and Jordan Bell have moved on after graduating, but Heights does return junior Mya Mayberry and sophomore Kennadi Jackson, both All-League guards.

WICHITA NORTH finished up the season at

Emily Jacobs makes the fourth returning starter after filling in for Nichols. Other returning rotation players include

and sophomore Maddy Spiers

Submitted

Nyah Chandler Wichita East, Junior

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Andrell Burton Campus, Junior continued on

HEART OF AMERICA LEAGUE

By Keegn McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BENNINGTON Bulldogs finished 13-9 with a 5-4 mark in league play that left them in fifth place last season. Along with a tough league schedule the Bulldogs also faced a loaded sub-state where they earned a fourth seed, but couldn’t overcome eventual state runner-up St. Marys in their second round matchup. All-League junior Eli Lawson (20 ppg, 10 rpg, 3 bpg, 6-6) thoroughly avoided a sophomore slump last season and is joined by fellow returning starters, junior Talan Pickering (7.3 ppg, 1 spg, 5-7) and sophomore Kian Wilson (6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3 apg, 6-0). Head coach Curtis Pickering pointed out “doing the little things to win” as his team’s key to success.

A typically dominant BEREAN ACADEMY had a relatively down season last year at 12-9 with a majority of their losses coming in league play at 3-6. Four returning starters are back from that squad in seniors Creighton Kukula (13.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-3), Alex Zapata (3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6-0), Nolan Driskill (2 ppg, 5-10), and junior Devin Busenitz (4 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-11) as head coach Lewis Wiebe approaches 700 career wins in his 38th year.

A young ELL-SALINE went 3-18 with a 1-9 record in HOA play last season but welcome back all five starters as they attempt to improve their fortunes in 2022-23. Seniors Kade Wilson (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-1), Mason Ellerman (3 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-1), All-League junior Marshall Johnson (15 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-0), and sophomores Brogan Rowley (8 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-4), and Garrison Zerger (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-7) give head coach Marty Wendel good size and experience as he enters his third year in the position.

“We are a much better team than we have been in the past so we are going to find ourselves in a lot of our games late,” coach Wendel said. “A huge key to our success is going to be how we handle those late game situations.”

HUTCHINSON-TRINITY finished 3-19 after facing eventual state champs Hillsboro in the first round of sub-state. The Celtics lost All-League selection Truman Westhoff to graduation, but return All-League senior Blake Hammeke.

INMAN ended their season 18-5 after a 42-35 loss in the sub-state championship game against Hillsboro, a team that went on to win the state championship by 28 points. All-League senior Eli Brunk and All-League junior Tanner Heckel were key pieces on that team, but replacing Jace Doerksen, Kyler Konrade, Kendyn Blank, and Dawson Mannebach – all lost to graduation –does pose a challenge to the Teutons.

Continuing the youthful trend of the HOA last season, MARION went 4-17 with an 0-9 record but bring back all but one varsity letterman from last year’s team. Returning starters included senior Caden Wilhelm (8.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1 bpg, 6-1), and juniors Jack Lanning (7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-10), Cooper Bailey (6 ppg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-10), and Jonathan Frese (5-10).

“The continued development of our players is our key,” coach Donald Raymer said. “We return 12 out of 13 players from last season. Eight of the 12 have two years of varsity experience and have improved as basketball players over the summer and they understand what we are trying to do on the court. We need to become more consistent from behind the three-point line and be more physical in the paint.”

MOUNDRIDGE gets back one of the best scoring duos in the state in seniors Landon Kaufman (16.1 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.2 rpg, 5-11) and

Logan Chrchill (18.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 6-7). The two were key cogs in the Wildcats 18-4 season that lasted all the way to the sub-state championship game where they were knocked out by league rival Inman. Sophomore Barrett Moddelmog (8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6-2) also returns from last year’s starting lineup, along with sophomore Henry Hecox (4.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 6-1) from the bench.

SEDGWICK went 14-8 last year with a fourth place finish in the HOA, but lose a majority of that production this season. Junior Jackson Scarlett (4.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1 apg, 6-2) is the lone returning starter with rotation players Christian Brown (2.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 6-0, Sr.), senior Westyn Anderson (1 ppg, 5-7), junior Jeff Nold (2.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6-3), junior Koen Werner (1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 6-2), and sophomore Corey Crumrine (2 ppg, 1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 5-9) also back.

“We will be replacing a majority of our scoring and rebounding,” coach Darren Crumrine said. “Several returners played significant minutes last season, they were just not asked to score a lot. They are all capable of assuming larger roles this season. Our biggest challenge will be developing depth from inexperienced players. We will be asking guys to play extended minutes at times this year. Our ability to stay out of foul trouble will be a primary focus especially early in the year. The league will be much improved over last season. Several teams will be much better than they were last season.”

After two years at Wichita East with a 15-29 mark, head coach Clint Kinnamon takes over a WHITEWATER-REMINGTON squad that went 12-9 last season and returns one full-time starter in senior Sam Entz (7.3 ppg, 6-2), along with three part-time starters in seniors Sam Scheffler (3.2 ppg, 6-2), Dylan Margriter (3.6 ppg, 5-11), and junior Eli Gerber (4.3 ppg, 6-0). Seniors Sage Martin (6.3 ppg, 6-3) and Josiah Claassen (6.3 ppg, 6-1) were also productive bench players. Kinnamon, who has a 494-223 career coaching record, has taken teams to the state tournament 15 out of his 32 years as a head coach and won four state titles in his two decades at St. John.

Head coach Derek Schneider put together another excellent season for STERLING, leading the team to an 18-6 mark with a state tournament appearance and a share of the league title. He gets back a big junior class including All-League selection Gabe Riffel (7.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6-2), Carson Gray (2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 6-4), Colby Beagley (3.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6-2), and Isaac Briar (2.1 ppg, 6-1), and Jaiden Diasio (5-9), as well as senior Cedric Wilson (6-4) and sophomore Camden Smith (6-1).

GIRLS: BENNINGTON finished 12-10 in year one under head coach Tracy Piepho. The Bulldogs exited in the semifinals of sub-state after a matchup with eventual state qualifier Valley Heights. Senior Payten Debold (4.6 ppg, 2 apg, 5-3), juniors Kolbie Bartlett (11.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 5-8) and Tambryn Watson (6.7 ppg, 1.8 apg, 6.7 rpg, 5-6), and sophomore Rori Miles (6.4 ppg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-6) are all returning starters.

“We return a solid nucleus of starters, but have lost some depth in our bench due to last year’s graduation,” Piepho said. “We need to build some depth with incoming freshmen and last year’s junior varsity players. We will rely on our half-court and full-court pressure defense to help fuel our offense. To be successful we need to control the boards, limit turnovers and shoot

the three with consistency.”

BEREAN ACADEMY finished second in the HOA behind eventual state champs Sterling last season and were 24-3 overall punctuated by a fourth place state finish. Two starters return from that team in seniors Lillie Veer (13 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.7 spg, All-HOA) and Tayton Smith (9.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.3 spg). Other returning lettermen include seniors Kelsey Koontz, Lindsey Edgren, Leah Mullins, Alexa Timken, and juniors Flora Morgan and Avery Wiebe.

“We return an experienced group, so our goal as a team is to pick up where we left off last year and compete at a high level from the beginning,” coach Kristin Wiebe said. “We face some tough opponents early on and our league is always tough every night, so we will need to learn how to be ready each night and use our experience as well as some different skills that the underclassmen can bring to hopefully compete at a high level.”

ELL-SALINE ended last season on a sour note with an upset loss against Wabaunsee in the first round of sub-state, but otherwise had a good season that saw them finish 14-6, the team’s best mark since 2013-14. Senior Kaela Wilson (5-11) and junior Bayleigh Schneider (5-5) are both back from that starting lineup, while other varsity returners include juniors Avery Richards (5-6), Ally Richards (5-6), Reygan Schrock (5-8), Brin Hecker (5-8), Kalei Powell (5-11), Gabey Norris (5-8), as well as sophomores Taelor Hardesty (5-5) and Isabelle Porter (5-8). “Expectations are high as we enter the season,” coach Brandi Schneider said. “This team worked hard this summer to come together and they play with intensive defense and without offensive bias. They have begun to expect success and not settle for less, which is a testament to the work and foundation built over several seasons.”

HUTCHINSON-TRINITY ended their season at 3-19 after a first round loss to state qualifier Berean Academy, 38-21. Replacing Pratt Community College basketball and softball commit Lauren Galliher will be a tough task.

INMAN went 6-15 overall last season with a sixth place finish in the HOA. Three starters return in seniors Maci Neufeld (9.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-9), Kadence Welch (8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2 spg, 5-9), and junior Madelyn Brunk (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 spg). Standout freshman Suttyn Harris is expected to make a significant impact as well after an All-State performance on the volleyball court this season. Second-year head coach Megan Heckel, who also serves as head volleyball coach and led the Teutons to fourth place at 2A state, called defense a team key.

After going 4-17 overall with no league wins last season, MARION gets back three starters as head coach Jason Hett enters season four leading the Warriors. Senior Calli Burkholder (7.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5-0), junior Grace Hett (9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2 spg, 5-2), and sophomore Kenna Wesner (3.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) provide a good starting point for a new season.

“Our goal this season is to be competitive in each game we play, to develop some toughness and grit, and play hard,” coach Hett said.

MOUNDRIDGE went 12-9 after a tough first round sub-state matchup with Hillsboro. AllLeague seniors Kate Eichelberger and Emily Durst were a big part of last season’s success, though the loss of All-League selection Kindall Elmore to graduation will be felt.

SEDGWICK posted a 9-12 mark a season ago and returns three starters in seniors Addie Fitch (9 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 5-8), Anessa Croxton (5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-7), and All-League junior

Logan Stucky (11 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg). Other key returners are senior Ella Zimmerman (3.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5-7), junior Addie Rogers (3 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 5-3), and sophomores Logan Budde (2 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 5-4) and Gaby Peterson (3.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 5-5).

“We play in the Heart of America League,” head coach Aaron Stucky said. “This is the toughest 2A league in the state. My expectations are that we finish in the top half. If we stay healthy we will improve on last year’s 9-12 record.”

After back-to-back state titles and a 51-1 mark over the last two seasons (26-0 in 2021-22), STERLING graduated a group loaded from top-to-bottom with talent. Entering her 15th year with the Black Bears, head coach Jill Rowland gets back no starters, but does return 6-5 sophomore Lily Gray and juniors Kate Rowland, Bella Brownlee, and Faith Ekart from their championship rotation.

“Our team goal is, as always, to compete every time we step on to the floor,” Rowland said. “We are a whole new team, so we need to discover who we are and play to those strengths.”

WHITEWATER-REMINGTON made their way to the sub-state championship game at their homesite, but couldn’t overcome a determined Berean Academy squad. The Broncos finished 16-7 on the year. All-League selection Emily Wedel has since graduated and her production will be missed, but All-State senior Kaleigh O’Brien is back coming off a big junior season.

Kaleigh O’Brien Remington, Senior Berean Booster Club, proudly supporting our student athletes through a Christ-centered education!

HEART OF THE PLAINS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer BOYS:

The ATTICA Bulldogs took second in the HOPL at 7-2 and advanced to the finals of sub-state, but were stopped just short by Caldwell, 45-44. Coach Monte Miller gets back two proven senior scorers back in Noah Loreg (10 ppg, 5-11) and Connor Harnden (10 ppg, 5-10) from their 16-5 squad, but the departures of Xander Newberry (All-State, graduated), Cooper Traffas (HM All-HOPL, graduated) and Colter McDaniel (HM All-HOPL as a sophomore, transferred to Cheney) leaves glaring holes.

BURRTON may have not had a dream sea son after finishing 4-16 last March, but they are a young group with potential. Sophomores, in cluding All-State scoring machine Cam Schmidt (23.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.7 spg, 6-0), AllLeaguer Aiden Hoopes (9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-6), Charlie Musser (4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 6-0), and Leyton Graves (1.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 6-0), along with junior Jude Barnes (1.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5-10) are returning starters.

“Team goals for this upcoming basketball season are improving defense to limit oppo nent scoring, limiting turnovers, and lifting each other up when mistakes are made,” coach Tyler Hoppes said.

CUNNINGHAM tied for fourth place in the league last season with a 6-4 record. Overall the Wildcats went 13-9 and earned a three seed in sub-state before taking a second round exit against a two-seeded Stafford squad. Seniors Trey DeWeese (11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.8 spg, 5-9), Lane Halderson (11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 6-0), and junior Luke McGuire (8.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 6-0) are back from that starting lineup.

“We will have to use our athleticism on defense to force turnovers or speed up the opponent,” coach Bob Stackhouse said.

HUTCH-CENTRAL CHRISTIAN went 5-4 in league play last season and managed third place before taking a first round sub-state exit against eventual state qualifiers Pawnee Heights. Three starters return from that 9-12 team in seniors Drew Yoder (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-3) and Josh Miller (7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6-1), and junior Emilio Ibarra (9 ppg, 5-10).

“We gained a lot of valuable experience last year with eight of the 15 players being fresh men,” head coach Adam Clark said. “We should be up around 22 players this year. I think this

team can contend for a league title and make a deep run into the playoffs. We are going to be a lot more athletic with a lot more depth than we had the previous season. Overall the guys had a good offseason. We want to definitely go upt empo and use our athleticism to our advantage.”

KIOWA-SOUTH BARBER finished 4-16 af ter advancing to the second round of sub-state where they were eliminated by top-seeded Attica. Replacing the production of All-League graduate Caden Rathgeber will be key for the Chieftains, but junior Briggs Jewell should be an impact player for new coach Shawn Hooker.

LANGDON-FAIRFIELD lost five seniors from a team that finished 6-14 after a first round substate loss to Little River. All-League selections Jacob Bauman and Brady Fowler will leave significant voids, but the Falcons do return their second leading scorer in junior Calen Wente (9.0 ppg, 6-5) and senior Jarod Bauman (5.6 ppg, 5-11) - though his season will get a late start after he broke his collarbone earlier this fall. Sophomore Conner Fowler also returns after posting major varsity minutes as a freshman and 6-6 senior Mason Kalmar is back after missing his junior year to injury. Coach Nathan Schaefer enters his fourth season leading the Falcons.

NORWICH easily navigated through their substate before coming up just short, 45-43, against Solomon in the first round at state. The Eagles also won a league championship and posted a 22-2 record overall. Seniors Dax Rosenhagen (4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.9 apg), Camden Smith (4.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1 apg), Jace Gosch (12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, All-HOPL), and junior Tray Schroeder (10.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.9 apg) return for what should again be a formidable Eagles squad. Graduated All-HOPL selection Chance Hilger does leave a hole, but junior Jace Benge, sophomore Brayden Pauly, and freshman Jayden Benge are expected to contribution.

“We expect to continue to compete at a high level this year,” coach Nicholas Kyle said. “We have experienced success the past two seasons but look to grow as a team this year in terms of how we focus, prepare for games, and grow fun damentally as athletes and basketball players.”

PRATT-SKYLINE finished 13-8 after a first round exit at sub-state to go with a 7-2 third place league finish. Third year head coach Hagen Turner gets back senior Ryan Miller (13 pg, 6 rpg, 2.1 spg) and junior Brayden Berens (9

ppg, 4 rpg, 2.1 spg) from last season’s starting lineup and pointed out speed and athleticism as his team’s strengths.

PRETTY PRAIRIE started last season with three blowout wins in their first four games, and by the seventh game of the season were at a solid 4-3, but the things soon took a turn and the Bulldogs ended the season 5-14. The replace ment of graduated All-League performer Brad Steadman is at the top of the Bulldogs’ to-do list. STAFFORD finished 14-9 and made their way to the sub-state championship game before seeing their season end 43-34 against Pawnee Heights. They also managed a third place league finish with a 6-4 mark and bring back seniors Josh Hildebrand (11 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.5 bpg, 6-6), Colson Minks (11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3 apg, 5-8), and junior Jimi Oleson (4 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 5-10).

“This year’s team knows they can do some re ally special things,” coach Cole Smith said. “It’ll just be about staying together, staying positive and playing with a chip on their shoulders. We return five to six guys with a lot of experience who have the extra motivation from coming up short of our goal of reaching the state tourna ment last season. We also have the privilege of having some young guys who will contribute for us and will continue to learn the ropes from the upperclassmen.”

GIRLS: ATTICA is coming off a 16-6 season that saw them advance to the sub-state finals before losing 44-43 to South Haven. Fourth-year head coach Scotty McCartney gets four players back from that starting lineup, including seniors Brenna Ricke (8.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5-7), Sidney Swingle (4.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5-10), junior Isabel Alexander (4.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 1 spg, 5-5), and sophomore Zoie Redgate (7.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 4.1 spg).

“Team goals this year are to finish strong, take care of the ball, and defense,” coach McCartney said. “One goal that we always set is to keep turnovers to under 15 a game. We would like to keep it at 12. Defense is our main focus this year because of our speed.”

BURRTON advanced to the sub-state semi finals before getting knocked out by St. JohnHudson and finished the season 13-9. AllLeague senior Cassie Dunlavy was key to the team’s success last season, though All-League selections Shali Henss and McKinsie Hoopes both graduated in May.

CUNNINGHAM ended up 2-18 after a first round sub-state exit against Chase. All-League sophomore Ellie McGuire was key to the team as a freshman last season and provides a quality building block for new coach Kayla Staley.

HUTCH-CENTRAL CHRISTIAN took fourth at the 1A-DII state tournament after winning a 28-26 nail-biter over Elyria Christian in the substate finals and handling South Haven 49-40 in the first round of state. The Cougars lost their final two bouts in the semifinals and consolation round, ending their season with a 20-5 mark. Central Christian returns their leading scorer from a season ago in senior Kaylee Kauffman (12.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.4 spg, All-League).

KIOWA-SOUTH BARBER knocked off Wichita-Central Christian in the first round of their sub-state tournament, but ran into a state bound South Haven team in the second round and end ed their season 4-14. Graduated standout Grace Cantrell was the team’s lone All-Leaguer. After entering sub-state as the six-seed LANGDON-FAIRFIELD couldn’t overcome a

NORWICH finished the season 18-3 after a sub-state title loss to eventual state champs Pretty Prairie. The Eagles lose All-League selec tions Kira Kelly and Anna Kyle from that team, but return three starters in senior Haley Sheetz, and juniors Kierstin Adams and Braylin Kelly. Other key players this season include junior Brooklyn Sheetz, senior Teja Samuelson, sopho more Maddie Hilger, and junior Marisa Brewster. A youthful PRATT-SKYLINE squad went 6-15 after a first round loss to Elkhart in sub-state. Despite the move of starter Presli Harts to Texas, the Thunderbirds bring back considerable expe rience with seniors Kady Anschutz (5-6), Monika Castillo (5-7), and sophomores Ashley Spease (5-9) and Kory Anschutz (5-7).

PRETTY PRAIRIE won its first girls state cham pionship last season, finishing 25-1 after a 37-35 victory over Centralia. The Bulldogs also won a share of the league title with their lone loss giving a share to Norwich. Two senior starters return in Bailey Young (10.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 apg, 1 bpg, 1 spg, 5-10) and Trinity Kruse (5 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.5 apg), as do rotation players Emma Hendrickson (5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-8, Sr.) and Joley Harbaugh (5 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg, Jr.).

“We should be very good defensively again but we will have to be able to rebound and score,” coach Scott Goering said. “Also team chemistry is very important after losing five senior leaders.”

STAFFORD benefited from a sub-state forfeit by Pawnee Heights and advanced to the second round of sub-state before getting knocked out by two-seed Elyria Christian. The Trojans finished the season 2-18. Junior Taylor Denio was the team’s top performer a season ago.

first round matchup with third-seeded Burrton and ended their season 10-11. All-League senior Paisley Smyth led the team in scoring last sea son at 12.2 ppg. In addition to Smyth the Falcons return plenty of experience, including seniors Karly Combs and Yesenia Espinosa, and juniors Mikayla Pugh and Erin Schwertfeger.

Everett Royer/KSportsImages.com

Bailey Young Pretty Prairie, Senior

Nick Minks

Josh Hildebrand Stafford, Senior

HI-PLAINS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The ELKHART Wildcats finished 14-7 with a 6-0 league record, good for a first place regular season finish in the HPL. From that squad third year head coach Jason Wilson returns seniors Clayton Cole (16.4 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.1 spg, 5-9), Kage Ralstin (9.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 5-10), Cesar Gomez (3.2 ppg, 3.3 spg, 5-8), and juniors Donavyn Rhodes (5.4 ppg 5.5 rpg, 6-1) and Lane Runkle (3.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg). Senior Austin Rich was also a key player last season, but his season is currently in doubt after a knee injury during football season.

“If we can continue to lock-in on the defensive side we will look to get extra possessions that lead to opportunities to score,” Wilson said. “We return a nucleus of four starters and have some young sophomores who will look to compete for varsity minutes. Last two years we have increased our numbers and the success has carried over into our summer program.”

LAKIN won the league tournament a season ago to go with their regular season second place finish after going 5-1. The Broncos went 18-4 overall and earned a one-seed at substate before getting knocked out in the second round by Chaparral. Sophomore Colter Oldham (8.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.3 spg) is the lone returning starter as head coach Nate Schmitt works to find roster balance with a new group.

“We have a lot of firepower and senior leadership to replace from last season and our first goal will be to find a core group of guys to replace that,” Schmitt said. “We will strive to improve every single day and play as hard as possible. We will continue to keep our main focus on the core of our program, our press.”

SOUTHWESTERN HEIGHTS finished 12-9 overall last season and third in regular season league play with a 4-2 mark, but took second in the HPL tournament. Four starters were lost to graduation, three of them All-League, but their lone returner, All-League senior David Torres (11.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3 apg, 2.6 spg, 6-0) provides 12th-year head coach Nefro Saucedo with an excellent starting point.

“Our goal every year is to develop our kids on and off the court,” Saucedo said. “We want to represent our school and communities to the best of our ability. We also want to be competitive each night. The HPL will be a very competitive league this year across the board, and we’ll be in

a loaded sub-state again.”

STANTON COUNTY lost their first round sub-state game against Ellinwood, 64-31, and finished the year 7-14. Then-sophomore Juan Aleman earned honorable mention All-League.

SUBLETTE took third in the regular season and tournament play, and finished 12-10 overall after a sub-state exit against Ellinwood. AllLeague senior Ace Martinez (18 ppg, 4.5 apg, 3 rpg, 1.5 spg, 5-8), senior Miguel Hernandez (10 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2 rpg, 2 spg), and junior Mason Unruh (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 6-0) give coach Travis Leverett a strong core.

“Our team goal this year is to continue to improve and keep being competitive in our league and league tournament,” Leverett said. “We have a good group of returning guys who believe, if we can do things the right way, we can earn another shot at a sub-state championship game and hopefully take care of business.”

SYRACUSE finished 8-13 overall and fifth place in both the HPL tourney and regular season. Much of last season’s varsity returns in seniors Bryson Luebbers, Kyler Keller, Hugo Leyva, and Ian Brummett, juniors Jose Martinez, Kaidin Upson, Mariono Gomez, Jay Gould, and Brody Keller, and sophomore Noah Garcia.

“Maturity – learning from last year’s tough losses and eliminating the ‘rookie’ mistakes,” coach Jordan Wahlmeier said of team keys. “We have experience now, and the entire varsity has had quality minutes, using our experience to our advantage and wearing teams down for four quarters will be key.”

WICHITA COUNTY finished 6-15 with an 0-7 league mark last season. The good news for coach Haydon Parks is the return of lots of experience with seniors Erhik Hermosillo (9.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 spg, 5-8), Cordell Brown (10.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 6-1), Romeo Terriquez (7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5-11), Gage Jones (4.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-10), and juniors Colton Harbin (13.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.1 spg, 6-1), and Christopher Michel (6.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 6-2). Parks just needs to get everyone healthy following a deep football playoff run.

“Our key to success this season is using our length and depth along with our balanced scoring to be a dangerous team offensively,” Parks said.

GIRLS: ELKHART had one of the best seasons in the state with a 20-3 record and a Hi-Plains League title, but had the unfortunate draw of taking on defending champs Sterling in the sub-state title game, losing that one 7443. The Wildcats lost their top three scorers from that squad, but senior Nakaela O’Hair and

sophomore Isabel Gonzalez, both All-League selections, return. Other potential varsity contributors include seniors Shaylynn Hanes (56), Galilea Garcia (5-8), juniors Bella Brillhart (55), Madyson Brillhart (5-10), and Cameron Scott (5-8), and sophomores Anella Long (5-4) and Camila Garcia (5-8). Hall of Fame former Andale football coach Gary O’Hair, an Elkhart native, takes over as head coach after three decades away from the sport. Much of that time was spent leading Andale to 15 consecutive playoff appearances and winning three football state championships in the process.

LAKIN closed out their season at 10-11 to go with a third place regular season HPL finish at 4-2 and a second place finish at the league tournament. Seniors Teagan Bachman (9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 5-4) and Sara Wright (7.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.7 spg, 5-6), along with juniors Jara Davidson (8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 4 spg, 5-8) and Samantha Vogel (8.7 ppg, 7,5 rpg, 2.7 spg, 5-10) are back for coach Jacy Holloway’s second second year with the team after a long run as Garden City’s boys’ coach.

“Getting better guard play and handling team chemistry are keys to success,” Holloway said.

SOUTHWESTERN HEIGHTS finished 5-16 after a first round sub-state loss to Holcomb. The Mustangs lost All-League selection Dianna Olvera to graduation, but return All-League senior Roxy Stone (8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 spg).

STANTON COUNTY finished 7-14 with a substate opening loss to Ellinwood. The Trojans have an excellent centerpiece back in Hi-Plains Player of the Year Adyson

18 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as a junior. Junior Hallie Waldron, and seniors Alexys Walker and Suzanne Farnham give the Trojans are also key returners.

SUBLETTE wrapped up their season at 5-16 after a first round defeat against back-to-back state champs Sterling. Senior Clarysa Webber was a unanimous All-League selection for the Larks during that campaign.

SYRACUSE was 1-5 in league play in the regular season, but managed a third place finish in the HPL tournament. Overall the Bulldogs finished 9-12 and bring back seniors Yaya Moreno (7.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-5) and Ashlyn Finlay (7.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, 2.9 spg, 5-8) as head coach Kendra Fyler enters her fifth season as head coach.

“We will need to work hard at outsmarting our opponents, working hard on both ends of the court, and finishing around the rim,” Fyler said.

WICHITA COUNTY finished 10-12 last season after a second round sub-state loss against Ness City, 45-39. All-League junior Megan Ricke and All-League sophomore Clara Koehn were two top performers for the Indians as underclassmen last season.

KAW VALLEY CONFERENCE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: BISHOP WARD won a Kaw Valley championship before entering into a tough sub-state with just one team sitting under .500. The Cyclones overcame Santa Fe Trail in the first round, but couldn’t get by Pleasant Ridge in the semifinals, losing that one 65-52 to end the season 16-5. Seniors Jeremyah Greer, Dustin Rector, Emanuel Campbell, Tarence Maddox and Jalen Pickens give Bishop Ward an experienced returning starting five.

“Our goals are to play tough defensively and play more as a team,” coach Steve Sitzer said. “Key to success is to share the ball and use our athleticism and length to push the ball and to be tough defensively.”

LAWRENCE-BISHOP SEABURY closed out their season at 3-18 after a first round substate loss to one-seed Lyndon, 65-35. Senior Enzo Karam earned All-League recognition last season. His fellow All-Leaguer Sam Hertzog was lost to graduation.

OLATHE-HERITAGE CHRSITIAN put together a 15-7 season, 8-2 in league, leaving them in second place behind Bishop Ward. The chargers competed in a tough sub-state and won their first round matchup against Wellsville, 64-63, before taking on state qualifier Osage City in the semifinals and losing 75-61. A deep and experienced group is back from that team as head coach Evan Burns enters his fourth season at the helm. Senior Kaw Valley Co-Player of the Year Owen Evans (16 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7 apg, 2.7 spg, 6-1), and fellow All-League seniors Blake Hekman (16 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 spg, 6-2) and Ashton Ratzlaff (8 ppg, 8 rpg, 6-2) top the list of

and seniors Reid Krikke (8 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-4), Evan Anderson (8.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-6),

Vasey (3 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-3), and Johnny Cook (1ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 6-0),

Long (61), and standout sophomore Biruk Dietz (6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5 apg, 2 spg, 5-6) leave the Chargers ready to compete with anyone.

“Led by a group of seven seniors, these boys are ready to reap what they have sowed over the past four years,” coach Burns said.

KC CHRISTIAN went 9-13 last season and took fifth in the Kaw Valley Conference. In sub-state the Panthers were knocked out in the semifinals by one-seed, and eventual state qualifiers, Lyndon, 62-28. Seniors Luke White (9.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Roger De La Torre (10.5 ppg) return to lead the way. De La Torre earned honorable mention All-League honors for his performance last season.

“We lost five seniors and with only three players returning with much varsity experience the key to success will be having the young guys step up into varsity roles,” coach Josh Poteet said. “We will have 30 to 32 guys out and the competition for spots on each team will be strong.”

SHAWNEE-MARANATHA CHRISTIAN was dealt a 70-52 first round loss against Chase County in sub-state last season and closed out with a 6-12 mark. The Eagles graduated their top two producers from that team in Co-Kaw Valley Player of the Year Rex Robinette and All-League selection Luke Formwalt.

TOPEKA-CAIR PARAVEL lost six seniors, including four that earned All-League recognition, from a team that finished 14-5 after losing a 58-

Scott who averaged

returners,

Henry

junior Charlie

Kaylin Noonan Burlingame, Junior

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BURLINGAME Bearcats closed out last season 16-6 after losing their sub-state title game to eventual state champs Olpe, 49-33, to go with a fourth place league finish at 4-3. Head coach Eric West returns three starters in senior Matthew Heckman (6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6-2), senior Colby Middleton (5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6-1), and sophomore Dane Winters (6.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 5-11), as well as senior Roman Bayless (1.2 ppg) from last season’s rotation.

“We will look much different this year since we lost two really good inside players,” West said. “We will be much more perimeter oriented and balanced on offense. We do not return much production from last season but we do return some good athletes. The key to our season will be replacing the scoring and rebounding production we lost from Quaney and Noonan last year.”

HARTFORD finished out last season 5-17 after a second round sub-state exit. Three starters return from that team in seniors Ali Smith (10.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2 apg, 1.7 spg), Duncan Baker (3 ppg, 5 rpg), and sophomore Tysin Bulson (3.4

ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 spg), while junior Kevin Goza, sophomore Nolin Trester, and freshman Keevan Renfrow are expected to provide minutes this season as well.

“We will have good size this year to be able to play better defense overall,” coach Colten Barrett said. “Also, our depth will allow us to do different things defensively this year.”

First year head coach Dennis Becker is taking over a talented LEBO team that finished 16-4 with a second place regular season finish, and a fourth place LCL tournament finish. Seniors Landon Grimmet (16.3, 4 rpg, 6-2) and Luke Davies (4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6-3), junior Grayson Shoemaker (12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6-1), and sophomore Zach Oswald (5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) provide Becker an experienced group to build on.

“Our ultimate goal would be to have the chance to compete for a state championship,” Becker said. “While working towards that goal we first would like to give ourselves a chance to compete for a preseason tournament championship and LCL regular season and tournament championships.”

LEROY-SOUTHERN COFFEY COUNTY finished 5-18 overall last season, with two of those wins coming against Oklahoma teams. The Titans were knocked out in the first round of their sub-state tournament by league opponent Marais des Cygnes Valley and have since lost their lone All-League recipient, Wade Gleue, to graduation.

MADISON-HAMILTON is another team in the league with a first year head coach as Alex McNeal takes over a squad that finished 16-5 overall and second in the league tournament a season ago. Seniors Bryson Turner (7.2 ppg, 5-9) and Gavin Isch (5.5 ppg, 6-2) return from that starting lineup and provide McNeal with two

Pat Battle said. “This team has the potential to have a lethal inside-outside punch. A year of experience should help with taking better shots and reducing turnovers which were a problem in spots last season. Overall though, the team greatly improved on the defensive end. Such improvements will be needed in order to realize the expectations in what could be an outstanding season for the Phoenix.”

experienced leaders.

LYON COUNTY LEAGUE

“Having senior leadership with our two returning starters and having our young guys step up and adjust quickly to the varsity level are our keys to success,” McNeal said.

MARAIS DES CYGNES VALLEY finished 9-11 after a 49-44 loss to Waverly in the second round of sub-state. The Trojans also took sixth place in the LCL. Cole Lacey was the team’s only AllLeague selection and was lost to graduation, along with the rest of the starting lineup.

“Our key to success is finding five guys that will play D and play hard,” coach John Bass said.

OLPE made it back-to-back with their second state championship in a row last season. Besides their lone loss coming against St. Marys in the season opener, the 25-1 Eagles faced few

tests throughout the season, including during their 66-42 championship matchup with South Gray. However, May saw the graduation of four talented starters leaving Truman Bailey (12 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 6-2, Sr.) the only returner.

“We need to play good team defense and be able to shoot the ball decently from the outside,” head coach Chris Schmidt said. “We hope to get better each week, win league, win the league tournament, and make a run in the postseason.”

WAVERLY lost a heartbreaker in the state quarterfinal to Northern Valley last season, 6357, in overtime, punctuating what had been an exciting late season run for head coach Tyler Williams and his squad. The Bulldogs were 1311 at the season’s conclusion and get back

continued on page 100

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

The former Kansas City-Atchison League added Centennial League basketball power Highland Park and form the new Meadowlark Conference this season.

BOYS: ATCHISON went 12-9 last season with a third place regular season finish in league play at 5-4. With no seniors in the starting lineup during that campaign, this season the Phoenix won’t have to rise from the ashes thanks to the return of seniors Jesse Greenly (10.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 5-11), Raef Bowen (6.4 ppg, 1.5 apg, 5-10), Trey Carter (9.7 ppg, 4.5 apg, 5-9), and juniors Jeter Purdy (9.7 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-4) and Xiomar Hernandez (13.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5-11).

“We expect to play fast and in order to do that successfully, the Phoenix will need to be better on the defensive boards and be more consistent from the perimeter. The team shot just 23.1% from the three-point line (last season),” coach

FL SCHLAGLE was 2-19 and starts completely fresh this season with no starters returning and a new head coach in charge with 11th year veteran Kelley Newton taking over after coaching the KC-Turner girls last season. “Teamwork, togetherness, and toughness” are coach Newton’s keys to success.

HIGHLAND PARK finished second in the Centennial League last season, and will look to emulate that success in the new Meadowlark Conference. Head coach Michael Williams’ team also managed a state tournament berth – the second time in three seasons – before getting knocked out in the first round by a talented Maize squad, leaving the Scots at 18-5 overall.

All-State senior Ketraleus “Bo” Aldridge (19 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg, 2 bpg, 6-5, DI prospect), is joined by fellow senior returning starters Quintin Adams (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-7), Tre Richardson (12 ppg, 3 spg, 2.5 apg, 6-0, DI football prospect), and Jahmir Kingcannon (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-5) giving Williams plenty of firepower.

“Our goal is to maintain and continue the storied tradition of Highland Park basketball,” Williams said. “Team goals are to go undefeated at home,

MEADOWLARK CONFERENCE

win the Topeka Invitational Tournament, win the Meadowlark League, and position ourselves for a top seed in sub-state and hosting two playoff games.”

JC HARMON entered into sub-state at 15-4, but faced a first round upset against an Olathe North team that went on to qualify for state. Head coach David Gonzales was voted KC-AL Coach of the Year, but has since moved on to coach the Olathe Northwest men. Taking over for him is second year head coach Keith “Boo” Richardson, who coached Northeast High School last season. Richardson is a 2005 Wyandotte grad who excelled at Coffeyville Community College and Illinois State University before playing professionally overseas. He also spent time as a college and high school assistant before taking the head coaching job at Northeast, and now Harmon. Current senior Jason Rodriguez won Player of the Year in the final year of the KC-AL’s existence, but transferred to Miege for his senior season, and Harmon graduated All-League selections Lynell Lane, Jamarrion Evans, and Eddie King, giving Richardson a clean slate entering the season.

Richardson listed “rebuilding a great program” and “building student-athletes on and off the floor” as goals for his team.

SUMNER ACADEMY was knocked out in the first round of sub-state by a state bound Blue Valley Southwest squad and ended up just under .500 at 9-11. Seniors Jammial Hicks Jr. (18 ppg)

and Terry Rowe III (15 ppg), and junior Howard Peoples (16 ppg), were All-League selections last season and are back from the starting lineup along with senior Cameron Johnson (4 ppg). Fifth-year coach Albert Collins Jr. listed team goals to “win conference, compete in our tournaments we play in, and get a win in substate.”

WASHINGTON lost a first round matchup with soon-to-be sub-state champs Blue Valley Southwest, 61-46, and finished up with a 10-10 mark to go with a 6-4 KC-AL record and second place finish in the league’s final season. Firstyear head coach Michael Green gets back three starters from that squad, juniors Lebron Young (6.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.5 spg) and Damien Alexander (9.5 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 3 spg, 1.5 bpg, 6-3), and senior Cahlil White (4.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 6-0).

“Team goals are to compete for a chance to win a state tournament,” Green said. “Keys to success are defense and a deep roster.”

WYANDOTTE went 5-13 with a 4-6 league mark good for fourth place in the league in Marcus Johnson’s first year as a head coach. Senior Ronald Smith (11.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 6-0) is the lone starter back from that team that lost its first round matchup with sub-state champs Shawnee Mission Northwest. Johnson’s team goal list blends the court with the classroom.

“National Honor Society representation – goal

Andy

Ketraleus Aldridge

Highland Park, Senior

Rex Wolf/TopSports.news

MID-CONTINENT LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ELLIS went 7-13 overall and finished eighth in the MCL tournament last season. From that team senior Carson North (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6-1) is the lone returning starter for new head coach Nolan Smith.

“Our goals are to as a team, shoot 70% or better from the free-throw line for the year, win the rebounding stats – offensive and defensive –for the year, and win the turnover margin for the year,” Smith said.

HILL CITY finished the season 17-5 with a 9-2 mark in the MCL, good a third place regular season finish. Tournament play was less kind to the Ringnecks, however, as they took fifth in the league tourney and were upset by Plainville, 48-36, in the second round of sub-state, after en tering as the one-seed. All-Leaguer Derek Keith was lost to graduation, but four experienced players return, including All-League senior Trent Long (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-5), senior Kaleb Atkins (5 ppg, 5-6), and juniors Jaden Nuss (8 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-1) and Dylan Gansel (8 ppg, 6-0).

“Our team goal is always to win the next game we play,” 53rd-year coach Keith Riley said. “We will have to survive on our defense this year.”

HOXIE earned a three-seed in last season’s sub-state hosted at Plainville and advanced to the semifinals before getting knocked out by state qualifier Trego and ending the season 166. The Indians lost All-League selection Ashton Dowell to graduation, but return three senior starters in Miles Baalman (6-4, All-MCL), Brady Jones (5-10), and Dominik Jones (6-0).

Coach Jared Dowell will look to the entire team for contributions calling “a strong performance from the upperclassmen, as well as production from the underclassmen” keys to success.

NORTON finished last season 14-8 and ad vanced to the sub-state championship game before getting knocked out by TMP. The Blue Jays are dealing with a few injuries from football season, but return two starters in junior Roman Hauser and and senior Silas Jones. The gradua tion of talented big-man Nolan Juenemann, and injuries to a couple of the Blue Jays top players, leaves some glaring holes to fill for long-time coach Doug Reusink.

“Football injuries hit us hard with two of our top six out for the season on a group that was already thin,” Reusink said. “We will need some young kids to step up for us to have success.”

OAKLEY returns just two starters from last season’s 7-14 team, but both are quality players with the ability to score in All-State senior Will Schmidt (14.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.5 spg, 6-1) and senior Brayden Cunningham (11.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-10).

“We have multiple returning players this sea son with varsity experience which is a change from last year,” coach Aaron Dardis said. “We are expecting our senior class to provide strong leadership and be the anchor to the team. Our younger players continue to show improvement and will be asked to play key roles to help give us depth.”

PHILLIPSBURG finished 11-11 with a 4-6 mark in the MCL last season. From that .500 team 27th-year head coach Keith Sides returns solid varsity experience in seniors Jesse Blackburn (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 6-0) and Julius Stutterheim (6 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-7), and juniors Tyler Davis (7 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 1 spg, 5-9), Rad Rodriguez (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 spg, 6-2), and Rhett Shelton (4 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 spg, 6-1)

PLAINVILLE managed a big sub-state upset over league opponent Hill City in the second round before getting knocked out in the title game, 64-46, by Trego, and ending their season 11-14. Seniors Carter Cellmer (8 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-9) and Camerson Lindsey (7 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-8) return from that team.

“Team goals will be to compete in a tough league and play together,” coach Chris Drees said. “Success will never be defined by wins and losses but attitude and effort. The keys to our success this year will be to make the easy plays, play good defense, and win the turnover battle.”

RUSSELL went 10-11 overall and 3-7 in the MCL with a roster full of junior talent last sea son. Now back as seniors, the group includes All-League selection Jackson Cross (16 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 6-0), Jordan Buhrle (7.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 6-9), Wyatt Middleton (1.6 ppg, 2 apg, 5-8), Cameron Farmer (1.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg), and Jace Peerman (6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 6-4).

The key for our success will be a better mix of inside and outside scoring,” coach Blaine Maier said. “We have tended to rely on outside shooting to be competitive. We have the size and experience inside to get the tougher baskets that we have been missing out on late in the game.”

SMITH CENTER had a tough go-round a sea son ago with a 1-20 overall record that includ ed an 0-8 mark in the MCL. The season was head coach Patrick Miller’s first and only with the Redmen after he took over a team that had won just one game in the season prior. First-year head coach Alex Hobelmann – a Smith Center alum – takes over for Miller. Key returners from that team include senior Tarek Koelsch (3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 6-0), juniors Wyatt Overmiller (8.25 ppg, missed majority of season with broken wrist), Tegan McKenzie (3.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 bpg), Ean Doane (5-11), and Benjy Carr (5-9), and sopho more Daveyon Orr (5-11).

“We have experience coming back this year as well as seven freshmen coming out this year, so numbers are getting better,” Hobelmann said. “Consistency will be the most important key for our team this year.”

STOCKTON had numbers too low to put a team on the court last season, but they’re back this season under first year coach Don Moffet.

“Team goals are to build the program back up and get back on track,” Moffet said. “After a year without a team, fundamentals will be key in get ting into a competitive rhythm.”

TMP finished 20-6 after earning fourth place at the state tournament last season, and before that won the MCL with a 10-0 record in league play during the regular season. Fifth year head coach Bill Meagher graduated lots of talent last year, but has a big group of upperclassmen in seniors Dylan Werth, Kade Harris, Luke Rome, Landon Rozean, Harrison Lowe, and juniors Joey Mindrup, Evan Balthazor, and Griffin Schumacher.

“We are really excited about the group of guys we have coming back this year,” Meagher said. “We graduated five really talented players from last year’s team and will need a lot of guys to step up and fill those roles. We need to work to find consistent scoring from our guards and con tinue to see good development of our big men inside. We are really excited about the group we

have back but also understand that we are going to have to work really hard to be the kind of team we want to be by the end of the season.”

WAKEENEY-TREGO was met with two tough matchups in their sub-state last season, taking on Hoxie in the second round and Plainville in the championship, overcoming both of them by double digits. The Eagles couldn’t get by last season’s 1A-DII state runner-up St. Marys in the first round of state, but had a 19-5 record and tournament appearance to hang their hat on. Senior Owen Day earned All-League, but so did 2022 graduates Cole Feldt and Charlie Russell.

GIRLS: ELLIS finished 10-12 after a first round loss to St. Francis/Bird City-Cheylin, 5136. Second-year coach Lauren Fortin gets three starters – all seniors – back from that team in Emily Eck (14 ppg, All-MCL), Hannah Schiel (6 ppg), and Makenna Kohl (2 ppg).

After going 4-17 overall, with a 1-10 mark in the MCL last season, HILL CITY went in a new head coaching direction with Greg Deines. A trio of se nior starters return for the first year head coach in Rayleigh Shellito (7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5-10), Ella Hart (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5-9), and Grace Beiker (2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5-8).

“We will have to prioritize ball control and take advantage of our scoring opportunities along with continuing to build on our defensive efficien cy,” Deines said.

HOXIE put together a 13-10 season with a 6-5 MCL record that left them in sixth place. At the league tournament the Indians took seventh and from that team second-year head coach Easton Slipke returns senior Tori Bainter (4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.8 spg, 5-5), juniors Josey Kennedy (13.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.8 apg, 3.2 spg, 5-5) and Kinley Rogers (11.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 5-10), and sophomore Emily Bainter (10.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 1 bpg, 5-9).

“We want to be a top-two team in the MCL reg ular season and tournament,” Slipke said. “We want to be the Purple and Gold champs, have our first 18-win season in four years, and last, but not least, make it to the state tournament for the first time since 2016.”

NORTON went 6-15 last season with all of their wins coming in league play, where they went 6-7. Second-year head Blue Jay coach Cheri Brooks returns all five starters from that team with se niors Cara Cox (9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-7),

Dylan Werth TMP, Senior Everett Royer, KSportsimages.com

Avery Porter (4.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-9), and Dylan Hawks (1.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5-11), junior Janessa Ruder (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 spg, 5-9), and sophomore Hallie Brooks (4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2 spg, 5-9).

“Our goals are to push the ball up the floor, control the boards, and execute our offense and defense,” Brooks said. “Taking advantage of our quickness, consistent shooting, and blocking out are keys to success.”

OAKLEY finished last season 11-11 and have since hired new head coach Cheryl Martin. Martin – who last coached at Wheatland-Grinnell and has a career record of 107-48 in seven seasons – in herits four returning starters in juniors Karli Krier (5-5), Justice Booker (5-7), Daysha Allison (5-5), and senior Jaelle Johnson (5-8).

“The girls will have to adjust to a new system both defensively and offensively,” Martin said. “We are quick and have stepped up our defensive in tensity, but we will need to learn to be scorers.”

PHILLIPSBURG wasn’t quite able to overcome Goodland in the sub-state championship last sea son, losing 40-33 to the eventual state champions. Overall the Panthers finished 18-5 with a 10-1 league record that left them in a tie for a regular season title. Co-3A Player of the Year, and Kansas State signee, Taryn Sides (27.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 5 spg, 1 bpg, 5-6) returns for her senior sea son as one of the best players in all classes, along with senior Trinitti Gross (3.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1 apg, 5-6) and sophomore Brynn Billings (3.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5-9). Senior Heather Schremper (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 spg, 6-0, Washburn volleyball signee) also returns after dealing with an injury last season

continued on page 102

“Our keys to success are to be a solid defen sive team, score more points than last year by finishing around the rim, and making each other better by sharing the basketball,” Sides said.

By Keegan McCullick, Kansas Pregame BOYS

: After a state finals appearance in 2021, fourth-year head coach Christian Ulsaker’s ALMA-WABAUNSEE squad had a solid fol low-up campaign a year ago with a 17-6 record and MEL runner-up finish. The Chargers couldn’t quite make a repeat postseason appearance though after an overtime loss in the sub-state finals to league rival St. Marys, who also won the MEL title. Wabaunsee gets back three starters from a big senior class in Eli Oliver (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, .6 bpg, 1.7 spg), Ryan Schutter (7 ppg, 5 rpg, .9 apg, .9 bpg, .3 spg), and Logan Clark (3.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, .1 bpg, .9 spg), though replacing all-state scoring leader Brayden Meseke’s production could pose a chal lenge. Oliver will get a late start after suffering an ankle injury late in the football season.

“We have a tremendous group of seven se niors this year,” Ulsaker said. “We will be heavily experienced with six players playing meaning ful varsity minutes last year. Our players have played in numerous big time games the past two years and that will pay dividends this season.”

Sixth-year head coach Dustin Webber and the Falcons have many questions to answer as RILEY COUNTY comes off a 2-8 mark in MEL play with a 5-15 record overall, a team from which he returns just one starter in 6-foot sopho more Eli Harmison (2.5 ppg, 2 rpb, 2 apg).

“Our goals are to get better each day and com pete in our games, play well enough to give us a chance at the end of each game to win,” Webber said. “If we can do that, with our schedule, hope fully we can be playing some really good basket ball going into sub-state.”

New ROCK CREEK head coach Justin Smith takes over a team that finished 9-13 overall and 4-6 in league last season and he inherits three senior starters in Ethan Burgess (7.9 ppg), Dalton Whitworth (9.1 ppg), and Logan Sturdy (8.9 ppg). The trio were key players on a Mustang squad that finished in the top four at state two seasons ago and will provide leader ship for an otherwise young team.

“We’ve got to develop kids that consistently score,” Smith said. “We don’t have a lot of size, so we have to defend and rebound as a group.”

ROSSVILLE managed just one win in the league and finished with a 3-18 overall mark. The Bulldogs return just one starter from that team in All-League senior Kade Perine (13.5

ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 spg), whose scoring and ex perience will be key for an inexperienced team under first-year head coach Brandon McDonnell.

“A bulk of our team is really young as most are sophomores,” McDonnell said. “Our main goal, because we are so young, is to learn and progress. From day one of stepping on the court with the boys, they have done just that. The work ethic and energy is there. We just can’t wait to get on the court and let it all loose.”

SILVER LAKE finished 7-14 overall and 5-5 in MEL play, good enough for the third spot in a league that beat itself up last season. Thirdyear head coach Johnny Roberts gets back All-Leaguer Troy Heiman (9.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg, Sr.), but graduated a big group and standout Kamryn Kaniper moved to PerryLecompton for his senior year.

“We have to shoot the ball better first,” Roberts said. “Then we have to do a better job of limiting turnovers. We have to do a better job of passing and getting great shots. We will need to play for one another, play for the team, the program and the community. Defensively we will need to con tinue to rebound the ball, pressure on the ball and limit teams to one shot.”

ST. MARYS was the Mid-East League’s top team last season, finishing perfect in league play at 10-0 and taking second at 2A state where the Bears won their first two state tournament games by double-digits before being dispatched 60-32 in the championship by a loaded Hillsboro team. St. Marys head coach Will Spradling has amassed an 84-34 record in five seasons on the job, and although he is losing a talented group to graduation, All-State senior guard Keller Hurla is back after averaging a team high 19 points per game. Fellow seniors Kason Gomez and Josh Deiter, along with sophomore Brady Hurla, give the Bears additional varsity experience, while incoming freshman guards Zach Sommers and Ben Devader are newcomers Spradling lauded.

“We graduated one of the winningest classes to come through St. Marys,” Spradling said. “We do return our leading scorer from last year in Keller Hurla but we will look a lot different this year. Our three seniors are great leaders and set the tone this June, but we will need some young

players to step up. We will hang our hat on the defensive end, but will have a lot of players that can really shoot the ball.”

GIRLS: ALMA-WABAUNSEE wasn’t able to get much going in league play last season, going 1-9 with an overall mark of 8-14. The good news for fourth-year head coach Trevor Keller is the re turn of four starters in juniors Kaci Meseke (11.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1 apg, 2.2 spg), Karlie Meseke (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2 spg), Taryn Maike (4.2 ppg, 1.4 spg), and senior Annie Wright (2 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1 apg).

“I am expecting a lot out of our four returning starters and senior transfer Lexi Barnes,” Keller said. “It will also be crucial for our sophomores and freshmen to add depth by playing key min utes. We want to be playing our best basketball in late February/early March to give us a chance to make a run in the postseason.”

RILEY COUNTY closed out second year head coach Kelsey Nelson’s first season with a 10-12 mark after nearly leading the Falcons to a state tournament appearance, ultimately losing, 3730, in the sub-state finals to Southeast of Saline. Three starters return from that squad including senior CJ Rignell (10 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg), along with juniors Taryn Shepard (4 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg) and Maddie Davis (3 ppg, 4 rpg).

“Our team goal is to show up every day ready to compete and get better,” Nelson said. “We know our league and non-league games will be tough, so we will have to physically and mentally be ready for the challenge.”

ROCK CREEK’s only two losses in league play came against Silver Lake, giving them a second place league finish to go with a 17-5 overall re cord and sub-state runner-up finish after seeing their chances for a state appearance dashed by McPherson in the championship. Two starters return from that team in seniors Claire Matzke (7 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg) and Brynn McFall (4 ppg, 2 apg), along with senior letterwinners Kya Lingenberg, Kinley Ebert, and Becca Conrow. Along with his numerous seniors, eigth-year head coach Adam Plummer pointed out depth as one of the team’s biggest strengths and is confi dent he will have the option to go 10-deep. The coach’s biggest concerns are finding a primary

ball-handler and having his veteran group step out of roles and into leadership positions.

ROSSVILLE finished up 11-10 after a first round sub-state loss to Jeff West. Unanimous All-League juniors Emma Mitchell and Kinsey Perine were top players on that squad.

SILVER LAKE went 24-2 with a third place fin ish at 3A state and won their league with a 12-0 mark a season ago. The Eagles are once again a team not to be trifled with, returning their entire roster. All-county seniors Mariah Farmer (7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg) and Taylor Ross (9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.9 apg) lead the way while All-State junior MaKenzie McDaniel, who measures in at 6-1, re turns as one of the top players in 3A after posting 15.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last year. She headlines a talented junior class that includes All-State guards McKinley Kruger (12.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 spg) and Kaibryn Kruger (7.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.2 apg), and key contributors from last season Kaylee Deiter (3.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg) and Sarah Wehrli (1.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, .8 apg). Lanie Koelliker and Juliya Seele are two other seniors that could contribute varsity minutes this year, along with sophomores Ella Bolan and Taylor Zordel, as well as fresh man Kailyn Hanni. Head coach Kyle Porter made a note of how much of a premium playing time will be at and expects practice competition levels to be high throughout the year.

Dorian Sills-Berry enters his first year as head coach of ST. MARYS as the team comes off a 5-5 league finish and an 11-12 overall record after getting knocked out in the sub-state title game against Valley Heights, leaving them one game short of the team’s first winning record since the 2017-18 season and first state tourna ment appearance since 2009. The rookie head coach has some solid pieces from last season’s starting lineup to work with including All-State sophomore Hayden Heim (10 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.3 spg) and junior forwards Brenna Smith (8.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg) and Catherine Moylan (6.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1 spg). Other return ing contributors include senior Lily Singh Dhillion (1.2 ppg 1.7 rpg), junior Hope Garland (4.2 ppg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg), and sophomore Isabel Hurla (2.4 ppg, 1 rpg).

NORTH CENTRAL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The BELOIT Trojans finished 7-3 in the NCAA and earned second place in the league along with a two-seed at sub-state, where the Trojans lost in a second round matchup with Council Grove. Entering his 14th year as head coach, Ryan Eilert brings back three starters from that team in juniors Bryce Beisner (11.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3 bpg, 6-6, All-NCAA), Quinn Eilert (5.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-2), and senior Wyatt Broeckelman (11.7 ppg, 2.1 apg, 6-0, All-NCAA).

“We will need a lot of young kids to step up and contribute right away,” Eilert said. “Defensively we have to improve and offensively find guys that can consistently score.”

ELLSWORTH tied with Republic County for fourth in the league last season and also post ed an 8-13 record overall. From that team the Bearcats bring back four starters in juniors Will Cravens (14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3 spg, 6-0), Riley Stone (9.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1 apg, 6-2), Lane Rolfs (6.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 6-0), and se nior Cade Gwinner (6.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1 spg, 6-0). The varsity experience will be valuable for new Bearcat head coach Brett Rolfs.

“Our keys to success are building great chem istry and improving every week, as well as realiz ing how much dedication it will take to reach our potential and embracing that challenge,” Rolfs said. “Also, staying healthy is always important.”

MINNEAPOLIS is in the midst of a rebuild with no starters back from a 5-16 team that won just one league game. This marks the second year the Lions lose a majority of their starting lineup after the 2021 squad graduated four starters.

“We are inexperienced at the varsity level,” coach John Darrow said. “It will take some time

for the guys to catch up to the speed of varsity level basketball. This is a group that will continue to improve during the year.”

REPUBLIC COUNTY finished tied for fourth in the league with a 3-7 mark to go with an 8-13 overall record. Fourth-year head coach Nick Junker gets back one starter from that squad in senior Trey Melton (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg) and will otherwise have several spots to fill.

“Committing to our team identity with a new set of key contributors, making the right plays offen sively while playing a new style, and continued growth on defense leading to easy offensive opportunities are our team goals,” Junker said.

SACRED HEART went 15-6 overall with a 6-4 mark in NCAA play. In sub-state, the Knights advanced to the semifinals before getting elim inated by a talented Alma-Wabaunsee squad. Eleventh year head coach Brian Gormley has a tough task in replacing All-County double-double machine Alex Disberger, but four junior lettermen return in All-League selections Max Ehrlich (15.8 ppg, 5-11) and Mike Matteucci (7.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 5-9), sharpshooter Evan Bogart (8.5 ppg, 41 per cent from three, 6-3), and Jett Samuelson (6-0).

“We have five players who were in the starting lineup at various times in the season as sopho mores and return all of our perimeter shooting,” Gormley said. “Also, should be good at ball-han dling with back court returning.”

SOUTHEAST OF SALINE brings back all five starters from last season’s 22-4 team that finished third at state and won the NCAA with a 10-0 mark. Those starters include seniors Eli Sawyers (16.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.1 spg, 6-5), Nakari Morrical Palmer (12.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 spg, 6-3), Drake Augustine (5.5

ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-10), Luke Gebhardt (11 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.1 spg, 6-1), and ju nior Daniel Kejr (3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 spg, 5-11). Other key rotation players are seniors Drew Richardson (3.1 ppg, 5-10), Jake Gebhardt (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 6-3), Kayson Lilley (3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1 apg, 1.3 spg, 5-10), and Caden Isaacson (2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 6-0).

“During the regular season we want to put ourselves in the best position possible for substate,” head coach Bryson Flax said. “The goal is to give ourselves a chance to win a game in the fourth quarter of a sub-state championship.”

GIRLS: BELOIT went 10-12 with a loss to eventual state qualifier Southeast of Saline in the sub-state quarterfinals. The Trojans lost two starters to graduation and also lose junior Mylie Brown and sophomore Addison Budke to club volleyball, leaving junior Peyton Remus (6.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2 spg, 5-5) as the only one back from last year’s starting lineup. Sophomore Cassandra Thompson (4.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6-0) and junior Ashlyn Knight (1.6 rpg, 5-6) also saw time as part of the bench rotation.

First-year head coach Ryan Peschka takes over an ELLSWORTH squad that went 7-13 with a 2-8 mark in league last season, good for fifth place in the league’s finals standings. Juniors Peyton Coonrod (2.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 5-6), Rylan Ohl (6.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5-10), Kylan Turnipseed (6.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 5-6), and senior Greta Klein (9 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-10) give Peschka most of last season’s starting lineup back. Peschka said limiting turnovers and adapt ing to a new system are keys to success.

“Our goal is to be more competitive in our league and improve on last year’s record,” Peschka said.

SOUTHEAST OF SALINE was barely knocked out in the first round of the 3A state tournament

last season, losing to eventual state champs Goodland 38-37. While the loss likely stung, the Trojans had a 20-4 season with a 10-0 league championship to hang their hat on. Two starters return from that team in senior Avery Caselman (6.4 ppg, 5-6) and junior Maddie Harris (6.5 ppg, 5-6) while head coach Shauna Smith fills out the rest of her rotation for 2022-23.

“We again will have high expectations en tering this season,” Smith said. “Seniors Avery Caselman and Reagan Goetz are poised and ready to have big seasons; both are proven scorers and will provide strong leadership. Junior Maddie Harris is a two-year starter and will move into more of a true point guard role. Speed, ath leticism, and our ability to defend will again be keys for us to be successful.”

MINNEAPOLIS finished last season 12-9 after a first round exit against a Riley County team that later flirted with a sub-state championship before they were knocked out by Southeast of Saline. The Lions also earned a second place league finish with a 7-3 mark in the NCAA. From that team coach Bryan Weatherman returns se nior Jordan Peck (1.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5-8), junior Maggie Shupe (5.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 5-8), and sophomores Maci McClure (7.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 5-6) and Braedee Weatherman (5-4).

“Our goal is to improve on last season,” coach Weatherman said. “We only lost one kid to grad uation, and return the rest of our roster. They are a year older and gained a bunch of experience at the varsity level. We need to be better on the of fensive end executing and that includes shooting the ball better.”

REPUBLIC COUNTY finished 0-21 after a first round loss to Valley Heights in last year’s sub-state tournament. Allie Wright-Frederick has since taken over as the Buffaloes head coach and she returns se

niors Rosalie Goertzen (5-11) and Emily Hansen (5-5), and sophomore Avery Stindt (5-10), as key varsity players back from that squad.

SACRED HEART finished 11-10 after a 4644 loss to Bennigton in the Republican County hosted sub-state. Starters back from that team are seniors Tessa Junk and Kiera Cochran, along with juniors Avery Eshelman and Katie Weiss.

“This is year two under our new system and I am confident our team has grown within it,” coach Carl Hines said. “I expect our team to become more mature and disciplined. I am super excited to get things started with our group!”

57 heartbreaker in the sub-state championship game against Troy. The loss prevented the senior-dominant group from making the school’s first state tournament after they led at half by eight points. The Lions will especially miss the presence of 6-6 Noah Hastert, and 6-4 Zach Clark, both first team All-League a season ago.

GIRLS: BISHOP WARD ended their season 9-11 after a first round sub-state exit against Osage City. Kaw Valley Player of the Year Augustina Rosales has since graduated. Senior Jaden Oropeza and sophomore Alaina Mendez were both All-League selections last season.

LAWRENCE-BISHOP SEABURY finished 0-15 last season after losing their first round substate matchup with Northern Heights.

OLATHE-HERITAGE CHRSITIAN lost a second round sub-state matchup against West Franklin, 45-34, and ended the season 147. Juniors Haley Sachau, Caelyn Ferguson, and Anna Schenk each earned All-League recognition for the Chargers as just sophomores a season ago.

KC CHRISTIAN took fifth in the Kaw Valley Conference with a 2-8 mark and exited the first round of sub-state after a loss to state qualifiers Mission Valley. The Panthers final record was 4-17 in what was Josh Woodward’s

first season as a head coach. Five starters are back from that group in seniors Meredith Veer (6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.9 spg, 5-3), Rickea Holloway (3.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1 apg, 2.2 spg, 5-8), and Daley Diggs (3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3.1 bpg, 6-2), junior Meagan Dekker (4.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-6), and sophomore Brooklyn Veer (1.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 5-6). Woodward’s team goals include finishing with a winning record, winning the conference, and winning at least one postseason game.

SHAWNEE-MARANATHA CHRISTIAN lost a first round sub-state matchup to Chase County, 39-26, to bring last season to a close with a 9-10 record. The Eagles saw the graduation of All-League selection Olivia Favero, but have another All-Leaguer in junior Cooper Wilcox.

TOPEKA-CAIR PARAVEL lost a first round sub-state matchup with Troy, 47-33, and ended the season 11-8. All-League selections Jaley Barkley and Lauren Drum were both lost to graduation, but the Lions had a third All-League selection in junior Allison Schwartz.

NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ABILENE head coach Erik Graefe led his squad to a share of the NCKL title and a substate championship last year, but had the unfor tunate draw of eventual champs Bishop Miege in the first round. The Cowboys finished 16-7 overall with an 8-2 league record and bring back seniors Grant Waite (6 ppg, 2 spg, 6-1), Triston Cottone (12 ppg, 6-2), and junior Brax Fisher (6 ppg, 4 apg, 6-1), who will have a late return to the court after suffering an injury during football sea son. Replacing the production of All-State senior Kaleb Becker (William Jewell) does pose a chal lenge, but Graefe’s primary goal for the season is simple: “Be better than last year.”

CHAPMAN finished 0-20 in head coach Drew Gruver’s first season as the head coach for the boys after he spent the previous two seasons leading the CHS girls. A deep group of juniors returns including Ian Suther (6-0), Gage Picking (5-5), Weston Langvardt (6-4), CJ Holm (6-3), Ondre Miles (5-5), Ray Whitehair (5-5), and Darren Klukas (5-7).

“We return six juniors that got a lot of experi ence last year and will look to them to lead our team and be solid contributors on the floor,” Gruver said. “Taking care of the ball on offense, limiting turnovers, being disciplined, working for the shot we want on the offensive end, playing together as a team, and playing solid team de fense will be keys to our success this year.”

At 9-12, CLAY CENTER’s win total last season matched head coach Travis Smith’s first two with

the team, and he feels like more improvement is on the horizon. Despite losing three seniors, his two returning starters, senior forward Mark Hoffman (11.4 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.6 rpg, 1 spg, 6-2) and junior guard Justin Wright (8 ppg, 2 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1 spg, 5-10) provide first unit experience for a big group of returning varsity lettermen that in cludes seniors Jace Brownell, and Ty Langvardt, junior Jackson Henry, and sophomores Cole Pladson, Jace Weller, Owen Craig, Weston Hammond, and Colton Tadtman.

“I am really excited about this year,” Smith said. “We only have two returning starters, but potentially have the ability to be the deepest team we’ve had. I am also looking forward to the leadership of this team. These guys have always been extremely coachable and hungry to win.”

CONCORDIA graduated an All-League duo of Cav Calgren and Tyler Hobrock this past spring, but the Panthers still return talent and experience from last season’s 14-7 squad that finished third in the NCKL. Senior Aceyn Cash (8.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 6-4), along with juniors Payton Breese (6.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg, 6-1), Joey Henderson (7.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-9), and part-time starter last season Jonathan Turner (3.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6-6) provide experience and size for the Panthers as head coach Derek Holmes works to increase his team’s fortunes this season.

“Our goals every year are to improve every day, be the best people we can be on and off the floor, and win every game we play,” Holmes said. “Those expectations will be the same every

year.”

MARYSVILLE gets back four starters from their 10-12 team that finished fourth in the NCKL last season. Seniors Jack Lauer (All-NCKL), Peyton Smith (honorable mention), Rook Williams, and sophomore Will Otott all return along with senior lettermen Thomas Behrens, Deavon Tommer, Rhett Williams, and Sander Zutterman.

“We return a bunch of experience and athleti cism,” coach Scott Brown said. “If we can com pete every possession of every game and play as a team, we have a chance to have a great season.”

WAMEGO tied for first in the NCKL last season with an 8-2 record and finished 14-8 overall after losing in the sub-state final to Topeka-Hayden. Senior Colin Donahue (4.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 6-1) is the lone returning starter from that team after graduation raided their varsity rotation.

“We have a strong senior class, but limited varsity experience,” coach Troy Hemphill said. “We will need to find scoring and get our guys to mesh very quickly.”

GIRLS: ABILENE struggled to a 3-18 record last year with just one win coming in league play. Three starters were lost to graduation last May, but the Cowgirls do return production in Claire Dannefer (10 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5 apg, 6-0, All-NCKL) and Sammy Stout (3.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.7

spg, 5-5).

“Our goal is to instill a competitive mindset each day at practice which carries over to the games,” coach Shawn Herrman said. “We want to be better today than the day before and focus on instilling the fundamentals of basketball into our program.”

CHAPMAN exited sub-state after a first round loss to state qualifier Clay Center, 43-29, and finished the year 8-13. Senior Maya Kirkpatrick earned All-League for the Irish last season. Replacing her fellow All-Leaguer Shannon Anderson will be key.

CLAY CENTER graduated two All-League selections from last season’s 16-7 squad that qualified for state after a 31-30 nailbiting win over

Julie Perry/Marysville Advocate

Peyton Smith Marysville, Senior

a loaded Clearwater team. All-League senior Hailee Bent was a key player for the Tigers last season.

First year head coach Trey Kuhlman takes over a CONCORDIA team that finished 4-17 a season ago, but he also gets four returning starters to build on. Seniors Cianna Deleon (4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.8 spg, 5-8) and Hanna Acree (3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 5-5), junior Carlie Carlgren (6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.7 spg, 5-8), and sopho more Taylor McDaniel (5.9 ppg, 6 rpg, 5-11).

“Our team goal for the 2022-23 season is to build a culture,” Kuhlman said. “We want to set the tone early in games and stick with our pur pose. We will have setbacks along the way, but

we want to control what we can. We made huge improvements this summer that we are going to build off of.”

MARYSVILLE is another team going a new direction as Ben Wertenberger takes over after coaching the boys’ freshman team the last few years. He takes over a team that went 9-12 a season ago and returns four players from their varsity rotation including seniors Brynn O’Neil (1.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 5-5), Maddie Capp (1.5 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-5), and juniors Bella Rader (5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 5-5), and Hailey Ingalls (2.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 5-10). All three players who earned all-league recognition graduated though.

“The upcoming team will have lots of new fac

like to hit that goal this year. We would also like to host first round sub state and make a run at the end of the year.”

es,” Wertenberger said. “Seven seniors gradu ated from last year taking with them 70% of the scoring and 75% of the rebounding numbers. The four girls listed have differing degrees of varsity experience but will be looked at to provide leadership and production. There will be plenty of opportunities for new faces to step in and prove they can play. I don’t mind playing nine or 10 girls a night, so opportunities are available.”

WAMEGO won a league championship and took third in state after going 9-1 in league play and 22-3 overall. The third place finish in state is the Raiders’ second consecutive, and head coach Brian McIntosh brings back varsity expe rience as they try to make it a third consecutive trip to Salina this March. Seniors Trista Hoobler (11.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 spg, 2.5 apg, All-NCKL),

Ashten Pierson (11.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3 spg, 3.2 apg, All-NCKL), Maya Gallagher (3.5 ppg, 5 rpg), and junior Rylie Meinhardt (5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2 spg) return, along with seniors Addison Denney and Kyla McAdam, who missed last season due to injury.

“Each year we’ve taken steps to achieve our ultimate goal,” McIntosh said. “This year we will look to take another step. Our returners played a huge role in our third place finish last sea son. They understand what it takes to compete against the best and have their focus set on some high goals. The girls are very hungry and eager to get the season going. They all did more this off-season than they ever have. We look for ward to another memorable season.”

apg, 1.2 spg), both key rotation players.

“The core foundation of our team has some solid experience,” Richardson said. “We hope to develop depth as the season goes on and we look to advance our young players so that they become comfortable and aggressive assets for us to use throughout the season.”

Micah Ratzlaff takes over as HILLSBORO’s head coach after most recently coaching the Tabor men. Ratzlaff inherits a team that went 13-9 and returns two starters in All-League juniors Zaylee Werth (10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 bpg, 3.4 spg) and Savannah Shahan (14.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

“We will have to rely heavily on our two juniors, Zaylee Werth and Savanah Shahan,” Ratzlaff said. “They are capable of impacting the game on both ends of the floor.”

HOISINGTON put together a solid season last year at 14-8, but had a tough second round sub-state matchup with eventual 3A champs Goodland. The Cardinals also finished 6-3 in league play and bring back senior Addy Mason (7.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1 apg, 5-5) beside juniors Kylee Hahn (6.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 5-10) and Jordyn Boxberger (5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 5-7) from that starting lineup. Juniors Mallory Mooney (4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5-10) and Paige Lamatsch (1.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 5-7) provide further varsity experience.

“With the athleticism and quickness we have on our team we would like to push the ball in transition and play faster than in the past,” coach Mandy Mason said “We seem to struggle at times running a half-court offense so we want to take advantage of scoring in transition. Defensively, we want to use our same athleticism and quickness to put pressure on our opponents.”

LARNED finished 3-18 in coach Jerrod Smith’s first year in charge of the program. The Indians were knocked out in the first round of sub-state by eventual state runner-up Hugoton. Senior Liz Herrera (3 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg, 5-4), juniors Akielah Collins (9ppg, 4.7 rpg), Jaidyn Pinkston (3 ppg, 4.6 rpg), and sophomore Karley Lemuz (5.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) return from that starting lineup.

“Continue to develop toughness and raise expectations as we build the program,” Smith said. “We lost four games last year by six points or less, we’ve got to learn how to win those games.”

LYONS went 6-15 overall and finished in the bottom half of the league, but get back three returning starters in Yamyle Ramirez (5.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4 spg), Caitlyn Belote (12.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.2 spg), and Nevaeh Boy (2.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg).

“We have a team goal of getting 350 steals and forcing 400 turnovers,” fourth year coach BJ Smith said. “We came really close last year and would

NICKERSON finished fourth at 3A state last season in a tournament loaded with close games, including their seven point loss to Hugoton in the semifinals and a two point loss to Silver Lake in the consolation game. The 23-3 Panthers were among the best in the state and won the CKL. No single player had a bigger impact on the team than All-State selection Ava Jones, however, a tragedy in July cut short the high school career of the young star who was committed to play basketball at the University of Iowa. The senior remains a part of the team, but is unable to play, and will also have her scholarship honored by the Hawkeyes. Head coach Hannah Millershaski takes over for Jon McLean, who took a job as the AD at Hutch High, and took his daughter Josieanother key piece of last year’s run - to finish high school as a Salthawk. That leaves junior Destiny Plonds (6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 spg, 5-4) as the lone returning starter.

“Our goals are to win the CKL again, be in the sub-state championship, and grow as a team,” Millershaski said.

An injury-riddled PRATT finished just under .500 at 10-11, and struggled particularly in the CKL with a 3-6 mark, leaving them seventh in the final league standings. Another year should do good for the Greenbacks as they return five players with starting experience in seniors Gabby Gatlin (13.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.7 spg, 5-6) - who missed nine games last season - and Marleigh Bates (3.5 rpg) - missed six games - juniors Jaycie Theis (9.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.5 spg) and Corrinne Donnerwerth (4.8 rpg, 2 apg), and sophomore Quinn Thibault (5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1 spg, 5-8) who missed seven games.

“Hopefully stay healthy and can build on our early success that we had during last season,” head coach Dustin Hildebrand said. “We were 9-3 and then lost two starters to torn ACL injuries. So we are returning quite a bit of experience from last year and have the capabilities to have a good season. With our injuries we had girls that had to step up at the end of last season as well throughout summer games and so that was good for them to take on more responsibilities.”

SMOKY VALLEY went 15-7 in head coach

Jason Drouillard’s first season in the position and finished fifth in the CKL. Three starters return from that team in juniors Adrian Hazelwood (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.5 spg, 5-7) and Tinley Scott (3.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 5-11), as well sophomore Katja Blanchat (2.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg). Playing healthy, pushing tempo, and creating chaos on defense are Drouilliard’s keys to success for his team.

EXPERIENCE THE LANDMARK DIFFERENCE

NORTHEAST KANSAS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer BOYS: ATCHISON-MAUR HILL MOUNT

ACADEMY lost their second round sub-state matchup with last season’s 2A state fourth place finisher Valley Falls, 75-46, and ended with a 1011 mark. All-League selections Mark Harris, now a senior, and graduate Samuel Peitsch, were top players on that team last season. Harris will be joined by fellow seniors Sam Joyce (6-2), Keegan Mispagel (5-9), JohnKen Ngwaba (6-2), and Parrish Beagle (5-11, returns after a year away), and junior Bohdan Korbelik (5-5), all with varsity experience. The Ravens welcome a new coach this season in Dan Raplinger.

EASTON-PLEASANT RIDGE graduated all five starters from last season’s 19-5 squad that advanced to the sub-state championship before losing, 61-55, to Osage City. Along with their starting lineup, head coach Isaac Jaramillo is also moving on after taking an assistant coach ing job at Rock Valley College in Illinois. He accu mulated a 34-11 record in two seasons with the Rams. First-year head coach Jarehn White takes over with a fresh slate and emphasized building culture, along with defense and rebounding, as his team’s keys to success.

EFFINGHAM-ATCHISON COUNTY welcomes back three starters from a team that went 12-11 and finished fourth in the league a season ago. New coach Taylor Smith will look to Trenton Kimmi (8.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG), Kreyton Bauerle (8.0 ppg), and Coltin Myers (6.7 ppg, 5.4 RPG) to lead the way this season for the Tigers. Smith’s goals for his team are “to get to the 2A state tour nament, to win the NEKL, and to be the hard est working team in 2A.” His keys to achieving those goals are giving “100% effort all the time, develop good habits, strong senior leadership, complete buy-in to core values, and how we will handle adversity.”

HORTON went 7-14 overall with a 6-10 record in league play a season ago and start fresh with 10th-year head coach David Losey taking over the program. Losey inherits a young core of re turning starters to work with in juniors Gannon Becker (4.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg) and Cooper Wischropp (4.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 spg), and sophomore Luke McAfee (8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.6 spg).

“Our main goal for the season is to be fun damentally sound in all aspects of the game,” Losey said. “Our kids started working on this goal throughout the offseason and we hope this springboards us to being competitive during the season.”

JACKSON HEIGHTS returns one starter, senior Haden Doyle (5.6 ppg, 5-8), from last season’s 7-14 squad that posted all its wins in league play. Third-year head coach Brett Plattner emphasized “execution on offense” and “under standing rotations on defense” as his team’s keys to success.

“Our goal is to improve every day and be play ing our best basketball by the end of the year,” Plattner said. “(We must) never be outworked by an opponent.”

McLOUTH couldn’t pull out a win last season and finished 0-21. Three starters return looking to improve on that mark in senior Dayon Flint and sophomores Judd Holwick and Jerrick Chenall. “Limiting mistakes and playing team basket ball” were the goals third year head coach Eric

Gorenc pointed to for his team this season.

OSKALOOSA went 3-18 overall and managed two wins in league play at 2-14. A relatively young group of starters returns this season with senior Hunter Boyd (2.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5-10), juniors Coy Perry (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5-10) and Gunner Rockhold (3.4 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-10), and sophomore Trenton VanHoutan (10.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-11).

“Our goal is to compete every time we step on the floor,” coach Jeremy Rockhold said. “We want to get out in transition and take advantage of mismatches, and create pressure with our de fense to get our offense going.”

VALLEY FALLS closed out last season with their only two losses of the year in the state semi finals and third place game, going 24-2 overall. Prior to that, head coach Caleb Gatzemeyer’s squad cruised to their league and sub-state titles. The Dragons lose a strong group to graduation, including All-State selection Avery Gatzemeyer, but get back All-League senior Dylan Cervantez (16 ppg) and junior Zac Evans, who averaged 19.6 points per game during the state tourney.

“There is no doubt that we lost a lot of guys off a tremendous team from last year, but I believe that we return the best two players in the league on our team in Dylan Cervantez and Zac Evans,” Gatzemeyer said. “Our JV squad from last year only lost one game and we have some talent ed freshmen coming into the program. Hayden Kearney was one of the top JV players in the league last year and will come into the starting rotation for the Dragons.”

WINCHESTER-JEFFERSON COUNTY

NORTH went 15-7 last year after getting up set in their sub-state in the semifinals against Atchison County. The Chargers posted a 12-4 mark in league play. First year head coach Cory Noll – son of the Jeff County North women’s head coach Steve Noll – takes over a program that graduated five seniors, but returns seven varsity letterman in senior Blake Fowler, juniors Carson McAfee, Calvin Manville, Connor Keirns, Grady Noll, and Ethan Noll, and sophomore Andy Baker.

“With one senior on the roster we will rely heavily on our junior class,” Cory Noll said. “But even with one senior, our strength will be our depth. We’ll have seven returning lettermen with five players having some starting experience in the past. We’ll look to use our depth and speed to play at a fast pace. The key to our success this season starts with our defense. I think our ability to play aggressive defense and speed up the game will benefit us. We just need to make sure we can handle the high tempo offensively and limit our own mistakes. Last season Blake Fowler and Ethan Noll missed a majority of games due to injury. They would’ve been key players on that team and I expect them to be back and in the rotation this year.”

GIRLS: ATCHISON-MAUR HILL MOUNT ACADEMY finished 7-14 with a 6-10 mark in league play, good for sixth place. Three starters return from that squad for coach Luke Noll in se niors Hannah Kocour (5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Scarlett Begley (3 ppg, 6 rpg), and junior Bethany Urban (7 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2 spg). Lone All-League selec tion Zoey Stec graduated after earning honor able mention.

Sub-state three-seed EASTON-PLEASANT

RIDGE ended their season with an 11-10 mark after a first round sub-state upset loss to tourna ment host West Franklin, 42-38. Graduated AllLeague selection Gabbriella Watkins is likely to be tough to replace for the Rams, but All-League junior Mia Ernzen was another top player for the team as an underclassman.

Third-year head coach Austin Eckert gets back plenty of experience for his EFFINGHAMATCHISON COUNTY team that went 17-5 last season and finished second in the NEKL. Seniors Addison Schletzbaum, (15 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.2 spg, 5-10), Natalie Niz, (11.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.8 spg, 5-3), and Aleah Wallisch ( 9.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.0 spg, 2.6 bpg, 6-0) and sophomore Kinzee Baurle, (8.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 5-7) return with loads of varsity minutes while senior Jordan Caplinger (1.8 ppg, 1.3 apg, 5-5) returns from the bench.

“Our team goals are to win our league, win our mid-season tournament, and go to state,” Eckert said. “The key to our season’s success will be a major improvement on the defensive end. We have a talented group of players who can score, but will we be able to limit other team’s chances to score?”

HORTON finished 8-12 after a first round substate exit. The win total makes it two eight-win seasons for Zach Nelson as he enters his third season as head coach. Nelson returns four starters from that group including senior Maddy Stirton (2.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6-1, honorable mention All-NEKL), junior Ashtyn Keo (3.7 ppg, 5-3), and sophomores Piper Chartier (4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5-7) and Carly Hutfles (6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5-10).

“We would like to improve each and every day, and learn how to close games out when we have a lead late in games,” coach Nelson said. “The girls will need to step up into new roles and learn how to play together.”

JACKSON HEIGHTS made a trip to the state tournament last season after knocking out league opponent Jefferson County North in the sub-state championship game, before los ing, 44-37, to Smith Center in the first round at Bramlage. The Cobras finished the season with a 22-2 overall record and won their third straight NEKL title while stretching their league win streak to 45 games. Three senior starters return looking for another big season including All-State selections Kanyon Olberding (17.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg) and Kaylee Thompson (14.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.4 apg), as well as Rebekah Hutfles (6.8 ppg). Junior Dawson Cochran (4.8 ppg) also saw time off the bench last season.

“Jackson Heights girls basketball has put in a lot of gym time this summer and we are excited to see it pay off in the season,” coach Madison Massey said. “We are looking forward to the up coming year with our strong returners and prom ising up-and-comers. The Lady Cobras made a trip to the state tournament last season and they are eager to put in the work to return.”

MCLOUTH first-year head coach Douglas Fisher takes over a team that returns two start ers from last season’s 7-14 squad that finished seventh in league standings. Seniors Corissa Bandel (2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg) and Jillian Hollwick (6.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg) give Fisher a starting point as he fills out the rest of his roster.

OSKALOOSA failed to get a win last season and finished 0-21. Junior Lex Messalle was the team’s lone All-League selection last season.

VALLEY FALLS doubled their 2020-21 win to

tal last season, going 8-14 in head coach Jordan Hale’s fourth year with the team. As the Dragons enter their fifth year under Hale, they get back loads of experience with five returning starters in senior Lillian Darveaux (3.8 ppg, 1.8 apg, 2 spg, 5-6) and juniors Korie Kirkwood (11.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.2 spg, 5-8), Lauren Brown (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-5), and Emma Montgomery (2.8 ppg 2.4 rpg, 5-5). Senior Carly Henson (57), who missed all last season with a knee injury, gives them a fifth player with starting experience as the Dragons look to take another step forward this year.

“How well we play together and whether or not we can build on the doubling of wins from two seasons ago to last season,” Hale said.

WINCHESTER-JEFFERSON COUNTY

NORTH finished 14-9 last season after losing to Jackson Heights in their sub-state champion ship game. Three starters return from that team in seniors Macy Thompson (6 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-0), Claire Jobbins (9 ppg, 3 rpg), and junior Clara Johnson (9 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg, 5-7). The Chargers also get back key contributor Abby Laird (4 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-0, Jr.) and welcome in junior transfer Emily Langley (6-0) from Pleasant Ridge. This season marks coach Steve Noll’s 18th year with the Chargers, while his son is starting his first season as head coach of the men’s program.

“We will be a big team with three six-foot posts, but will only have 11 girls out for basketball, so our size will definitely be a strength and a weak ness could be our depth,” head coach Steve Noll said. “Hopefully we are able to adjust to a little different style game using our size. We are going to need some younger girls to step up and fill some roles. We have started slow the past cou ple years and then finished the year strong. With a better start this year we would like to be in the top three in the league. Atchison County should be the team to beat in the NEKL.”

James Howey/Atchison Globe

Addison Schletzbaum Atchison County, Senior

Valerie Olberding

Kanyon Olberding Jackson Heights, Senior

NORTHERN PLAINS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer BOYS:

BELOIT-ST. JOHN’S/TIPTON finished 10-11 after a 60-57 sub-state semifinal loss to eventual 1A-DII third place finisher Northern Valley. Veteran head coach Lance Bergmann en ters his 14th season leading the Blujays and wel comes back a trio of returning starters in senior Luke Bates (9 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 spg, 6-1), senior Josh Towner (4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 spg, 6-1), and junior Daniel Eilert (11.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 spg, 6-3). Sophmore Tyson Gates and junior Koevin Schroeder also return with significant varsity ex perience. Bergmann’s goals include being “at the top of our league,” doing well in the league tour nament, and winning sub-state, and he wants to put an uptempo team on the court.

“Playing fast and under control,” Bergmann said of team keys. “We need to push the tempo and take care of the ball. Have to be aggressive on the floor. We must control the boards.”

CHASE lost their first round sub-state matchup with Cunningham, 64-31, and closed the season with a 6-13 record. All-League selections Ismael Martinez and Payton Steadman were both lost to graduation.

A senior-dominated LAKESIDE tied for a share of the regular season NPL title and took third in the league tournament before ending last season in their sub-state title game against Osborne, losing 46-41. The Knights finished 17-6 overall with an 11-1 league record, but get back no starters back from their lineup that in cluded four All-League recipients.

“Our key to success is to build upon the suc cess from the previous years,” coach Drew Duskie said. “Losing all five starters will be a tough transition but we have a combination of talent from upperclassmen and will need some underclassmen to step up into varsity roles.”

LINCOLN has a new head coach in first-year man Chase Klozenbucher after going 6-17 over

all a season ago. The Leopards were 4-9 in the regular season league play and finished 11th in the regular season standings, before going on to take seventh in the NPL tournament. In substate they entered as the fourth seed and won their first round matchup against Rock Hills, 4324, but were then soundly beaten by top-seed Clifton-Clyde. Seniors Trey Simms (5-7), and Blake Knight (6-1), along with juniors Logan Meier (5-10) and Caleb Dotterer (5-8) all return with multiple seasons of varsity experience.

“Some team goals for the season include improving our record from last season and im proving our offensive and defensive points per game,” Klozenbucher said. “Many players return from last year’s team. We must rely on all of our returning players to learn from the past and con tinue to build on what they have already learned. We must defend, take care of the ball, and out play each opponent. Most importantly, we must make the most of each day and play for each other.”

NATOMA has a new first-year head coach in Cade Watson after going 4-14 overall with a 2-12 NPL record. Watson has back two starters, se nior Keyth Conlin (2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5-9) and junior Jackson Young (1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 5-8), to lead an otherwise young group.

“The goal is to develop a new culture,” Watson said. “We will be a young team, so getting better everyday is the main goal. Leadership will be the key to our success. I will need every individual to step up to take a leading role.”

OSBORNE advanced to the state tournament and finished 21-3 after getting eliminated in the first round by Macksville. The Bulldogs also won a league title with an 11-1 mark. Back from that team are junior starters Jonathan Hamel (14.1 ppg, 3.5 apg, 5 rpg, 5-10, transferred from Stockton last November when SHS opted not to field a team) and Doak Guttery (7.5 ppg, 6.1

rpg, 6-2) - Guttery dealt with ankle issues last season but averaged 9.5 ppg as a freshman two seasons ago. Junior part-time starter Nathan Goheen (3.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 6-3) and 2020 starter, junior Connor Schurr, who injured his ACL during the 2021 football season, are also back. Senior Nick Hartsock (6-1), juniors Sam Kendig (6-0) and Aiden Conrad (2.5 ppg, 5-8), and sopho mores Dawson Lantz (2.1 ppg, 6-1) and Dalton Garman (5-8) also return.

“We should have a pretty good team again,” coach Jamie Wolters said. “We have a very tal ented junior class. Hamel and Guttery will be two of the better players in the area. It will be good to have Connor Schurr back, he is an outstanding defensive player.”

PIKE VALLEY wrapped up their season at 9-11 after a 54-40 first round sub-state defeat against St. John’s/Tipton. All-League selections Jaxon Russell and Keaton Reeves both graduated. Year one was tough for ROCK HILLS under new head coach Zach Duffy with the team going 3-16 and just 2-10 in league play, but for year two the entire starting lineup returns. Seniors Ethan Kenworthy (5.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 5-8), Troy Duskie (3 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-10), Wyatt Evert (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-0), and sophomores Cooper McDill (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 apg, 5-11), and Eli Vance (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg) are all back with another year’s experience under their belt.

“With projected low numbers, we will need to be in phenomenal shape,” Duffy said. “Along with that, our defense will need to be exceptional, and our ability to control the tempo of the game will go a long way in determining our success. Last year, we struggled to take care of the ball, were poor with allowing offensive rebounds, and our defense was sub-par. We need to see improve ment in those areas to take the next step.”

SOUTHERN CLOUD went 7-11 with a 4-8 mark in league play and the Warriors bring back a large majority from that team. Seniors Levi Cool (5.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 6-2), Bryson Schmidt (7.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6-1), and Zane Morris (7.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-1), juniors Dante Peterson (2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 6-0) and Gus Rice (3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1 apg, 6-0), and sophomore Kye Chase (3.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Coach Roger Perkins cited “lack of depth and injuries” as the team’s biggest concerns.

“Our goal is to make it further than last year at sub-state,” Perkins said.

A strong group returns from SYLVAN-LUCAS UNIFIED’s squad that went 18-4 and finished second in league play before getting knocked out in the second round of sub-state. All-League se nior Valden Dohl (13.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.1 spg, 6-2) and junior Lane Homewood (5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6-0) return from a starting lineup losing three All-Leaguers to graduation. The two return ing starters are bolstered by juniors Matthew Lawson (5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6-1) and Drayse Walter (1.3 apg, 5-4), sophomore Harlan Pancost (1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 5-9), and senior Zack Ryan (6-0).

“We return six players that experienced a lot of varsity minutes over the last couple of years,” coach Jeff Starkey said. “We have some depth and the competition to get on the floor should give us a chance to be pretty good.”

TESCOTT finished 3-20 last season with a 13th place finish in league and have since hired former Salina South and Kansas Wesleyan point guard Chase Owen to take over as head coach. Owen gets four starters back from that team in seniors Nate Ehlers, Wyatt Gipe, and juniors Carter Peters and Dawson Lee.

“This season we look to lock in on the defen sive side of the ball,” Owen said. “Also looking to push the tempo on the offensive end. Key for success for us will be to focus on our individual skill as well as team skill to improve on defense and offense.”

THUNDER RIDGE advanced to the second round of sub-state before they were knocked out 49-33 by Logan/Palco and finished with a 13-9 record.

Seniors Dylan Bice, Jashawn Dodds,

Everett Royer/KSportsImages

Ella Wiles St. John’s Catholic, Senior

and Kaleb Wagenblast earned All-League hon ors for the Longhorns a season ago.

A young WILSON team earned a two-seed and first round sub-state bye despite having just four wins. They were then knocked out by state qual ifier and two-win sixth seed Central Plains in the second round. The Dragons ended their season with a 5-18 record. All five starters are back from that team in seniors Noah Crawford, Memphis Eberhart, and sophomores Connor Charvat, Cade Brokes, and Tage Woodmansee.

GIRLS: BELOIT-ST. JOHN’S/TIPTON went 16-7 overall last season with a 10-1 mark in league play and managed to punch a ticket to the state tournament before they were knocked out by eventual 1A-DII champs Central Plains. Three senior starters return from that team in Ella Wiles, Katie Brummer, and Emma Jones. Fourth-year coach Leah Bergmann (50-15 over all at SJBT) said “playing smart” is one key to helping the team reach goals of winning the league tourney and having postseason success.

CHASE posted their best record in 14 years last season at 7-14 and return all of their tal ent from squad. All-League sophomore Haylee Miller leads the way for the Kats after averaging 15.6 points per game to go with 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.6 assists as a freshman. She’s joined by the rest of last year’s rotation, includ ing seniors Cassie Herrera (6.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg), Isabella Antuna (4.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.8 spg), Alexis Donovan (1.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.6 apg), junior Abigail Blackburn (5.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.3 spg), and sophomore Jersey Meyeres (2.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 spg).

“The time and effort they have put in has shown as the Lady Kats had their most successful sea son in 14 years, going 7-14 and winning a post season game for the first time in eight years,” head coach Mike Marzolf said. “Turning around a program isn’t easy, but these young ladies have done everything I have asked of them and their hard work is paying off. We have to lock up the place after practice since we are usually

the last ones to leave the school. We come in on Saturday mornings as well quite often. This group never complains about the time we put in. They are a very coachable bunch of girls who genuinely want to succeed.”

LAKESIDE entered into sub-state as the four-seed before losing to five-seed Decatur Community, 43-32, and finishing the year with a 13-7 record. The Knights were 9-2 in regular season league play, good for fourth place, but suffered an upset to Lincoln in the NPL tour ney opener and finished sixth after a one-point loss to Rock Hills. Senior Kylie Bergmann (14.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.1 spg, 1.8 apg, 5-8) and junior Lauren Brummet (10.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.4 spg, 5-11) both earned All-League honors last season, as did graduates Bailee Cunningham and Morgan Eberle, leaving new coach Scott Jermark with a couple holes to fill. Senior Taylor Baetz (9.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.6 spg) provides a third returning starter and additional height for what will be a long Lakeside team.

Jermark set goals “to be in the top three in league and just improve our overall quality of the game of basketball” for his first season at the helm. He called creating depth a key to his team’s success.

First-year head coach Jenna Farris led her alma mater LINCOLN to an 8-13 mark last season with a fourth place finish in the league tournament. The former Leopard and Kansas Wesleyan basketball standout returns two start ers from that team in seniors Avery Obermueller (4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5-8) and Lilly Sinclair (7.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 5-7), and fellow senior Emalie Hull (2.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg) is back after serving as a key player off the bench. The Leopards will miss the height of graduates Alex Biggs and Tana Hayworth, with the latter now playing volleyball at Hesston College. The Leopards could also get a boost from McPherson transfer junior Bentley Smith and a strong incoming freshman class. Farris pointed out communication, defense, confi dence, players knowing their roles, and work

ethic as points of emphasis for her squad. A NATOMA team which struggled to post any wins over the past few seasons closed out last season 4-15 with three of those wins coming in the NPL, in which they finished ninth. All five se niors return from that team including All-League senior Candyce Engling (15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1 apg, 1.6 spg), fellow seniors Raylyn Paget (5.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5-8) and Sara Lyle (2.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-7), and sophomores Rylee Conlin (2.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5-4) and MaKayla Murphy (1.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1 apg, 5-3).

“After winning their first game in four years, we won four last year,” second-year Natoma coach Kurt Grafel said. “We want to improve our competitiveness by competing well against teams and winning more games. To do this, we will need to do a better job of taking care of the ball and shooting at a higher percentage. We are expecting our sophomores and freshmen to fill starting spots along with the three seniors.”

OSBORNE made a state tournament appear ance after winning both of their sub-state match ups by double digits, but couldn’t overcome eventual champions Pretty Prairie in their first round matchup. The Bulldogs finished 21-2 over all on the year and return four starters from that team. All-State senior Trinity Lutters (20.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3 apg, 3.3 spg) has been among the most productive scorers in the state over the last few seasons, totalling 1,327 points by the end of her junior campaign. She’s joined by All-League junior Gracie Riner (12.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.3 spg), senior Brooke Befort (5.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.9 spg), and junior Hudson Wolters (2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.7 apg). Key players returning from last year’s bench include sophomore Grace William (4.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and seniors Kalli Kaser (2.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 spg) and Aydan Dill (1.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg).

“Our team is looking forward to a strong post season finish,” coach Trina Lutters said. “This senior class brings strong leadership and com mitment to the game. The girls are very goal driv

en and work hard to accomplish what they set their minds to. With a lot of our experience returning we plan to keep building on our program that we have run for the last three years.”

A young PIKE VALLEY went 6-14 a season ago and managed a sixth place NPL finish, and now returns all five of their starters in seniors Natalee Bray (7.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5-9) and Bella Beckman (1 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-4), juniors Raelyn Bolte 2.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 bpg, 5-9), and Reese Douglas (4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 3 apg), and sophomore Breanna Reeves (11.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg) as they look to take a step forward this season.

“Our goals for the 2022-23 season include finish ing with an above .500 record and finishing top four in the league,” coach Cole Callaway said.

ROCK HILLS came up short in sub-state against Washington County 33-26, finishing the year 12-10. Senior Lauren Whelchel earned All-League honors and returns along with fellow seniors Danica Frost, Selena Luong, and junior Hannah Simmelink, but the Grizzlies will have to replace the production of All-League graduate Avery Brown.

SOUTHERN CLOUD didn’t win a game last sea son with an 0-14 mark, but get back all five starters for another go-around this season. Seniors Braya Darnall (7 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg, 6 spg, 1 bpg, 5-3), Brianna Snively (3 rpg, 5-7), juniors Georgia Rolph (1 rpg, 1 spg, 5-3), and sophomores Bethany Demars (3 rpg, 5-4) and Celsie Stein (3.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 spg).

“Our goal is to continue getting better day in and day out,” coach Ryan Perkins said. “We were a young team last year that made huge strides from beginning to end and we hope to build on that this year.”

SYLVAN-LUCAS UNIFIED returns two postsea son honor recipients from their 17-5 team that took second in the NPL a season ago. The Mustangs played in one of the toughest sub-states in 1A-DII and were knocked out in the second round by Rawlins County, but All-State senior Keeli Knobbe (16.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.2 spg), All-League junior Emma Finkenbinder (7.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.9), and

Valden Dohl Sylvan-Lucas, Senior

senior Sophie Pancost (2.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) are back with a large chunk of last year’s production.

“To improve each game until we are playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” fifthyear coach Craig Batchman said of team goals.

TESCOTT went 8-14 overall to go with a 4-8 eighth place league finish last season in head coach Shawn Pecenka’s third year with the girls after a stretch away from coaching following a lengthy run as head coach of the boys. In year four he returns four starters, including senior

cast to step into new roles and score, which will take pressure off of Sarwinski and Boyes.”

Mallorie Church (12 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.3 spg, 2 apg, 5-7), and juniors Danika Pasley (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5-7), Sandra Adams (2.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5-6), and Riley Still (1.5 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 spg, 5-3).

“We will be lacking depth again so staying healthy will be important,” Pecenka said. “For the first time in three years we will be lacking in size so guard play, perimeter shooting and our ability to keep people off the glass will be critical.”

season. A knee injury ended Rietzke’s season just after the holiday break. A healthy Longhorn squad appears well-equipped to improve on their sixth place finish in the NPL.

GIRLS: BAXTER SPRINGS finished 3-18 af ter a first round sub-state loss last season. The Lions graduated All-League selection Emmalee Williams in May and will try to replace her pro duction.

COLUMBUS ended the year 9-12 after a sec ond round loss to Neodesha in sub-state. The Titans lose the talents of All-League selection Lily Mooney, but return her sister, All-League sopho more Katy Mooney.

FRONTENAC went 15-6 after making a trip to the state tournament on the heels of an up set win over one-seed Eureka in the sub-state finals. From there the Raiders season ended in a tough 47-40 contest with Nickerson. All-League senior Hattie Pyle (14 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 spg, 5-7) and classmate Mia Brown (8 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-7) are both back from that starting lineup as head coach Scott Fields enters his fifth season on the job.

“Our goal is to have the best practices we can every day,” Fields said. “Work on weaknesses individually and as a team, be great teammates, and come as close as possible to reaching our ceiling as a team are our keys to success.”

In his first year as head coach, GALENA’s Zach Shockey led his team to an 11-11 record to go with a 5-7 mark in the CNC and fourth place league finish. The Bulldogs season ended in a 56-54 sub-state semifinal loss against soon-tobe statebound Cherryvale. All-State senior Mia Sarwinski (18.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 spg, 5-5) returns after a dominant junior campaign, along with honorable mention All-League soph omore Rylee Boyes (8.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg, 2.7 spg, 5-6).

“Our goals are to compete for a CNC champi onship and win our sub-state,” Shockey said. “On defense, we need to consistently contest shots and limit our opponents to one opportunity every possession. Offensively, we need our supporting

GIRARD got bounced by Frontenac in the sec ond round of sub-state, 45-21, but otherwise put together a solid season, finishing 13-6 with a 7-4 mark good for second in the CNC. The Trojans have a major challenge in replacing All-League graduates Olivia Cullen, Faith Poland, and Kinley Smith, who were vital to that team’s success. Back from that starting lineup are seniors Bailey Troike (1.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 5-8) and Emmaline Senecaut (4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpb, 1 apg, 5-10).

“Our goal is to improve each game and be play ing our best basketball at the end of the season,” coach Brad Herlocker said. “We will have to play really good defense and work really hard as a team to score.”

A tough first round matchup with Garden Plain saw ST. MARY’S-COLGAN’s otherwise perfect season end in the first round of the state tour nament with a score of 39-26. Up until that point Colgan dominated their way to a CNC league title, decimated their sub-state competition, and rolled into the state tournament 21-0. While it wasn’t the perfect ending, the Panthers were a team loaded with talent, a lot of which is still around. All-State selections, senior Lauren Torrence (12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1 spg) and junior Lily Brown (22.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2 spg, 6-0), are one of the best tandems in the state. Juniors Ava Glover (4.2 pg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, 5-6), Polona Kala (2 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-6), and sophomore Anna Westhoff (5.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 5-10) are also back after serving as reserves a season ago.

“Our goal is to be better at the end of the sea son than we were at the beginning,” coach Abby Farabi said. “And to build on our weaknesses and to be able to put four quarters of basketball together.”

RIVERTON finished last season 8-10 after a first round sub-state loss to Columbus. Their top players were then-junior Jacy Thomasson and then-sophomore Chloe Parker, with both earning All-League honors.

THUNDER RIDGE finished 10-12 after a substate semifinal defeat at the hands of Logan/ Palco. Seniors Toree Slavik (11.1 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.7 spg), Alexis Holling (9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg), and junior Kamryn Rietzke (19.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 3.6 spg) earned AllLeague honors. The Longhorns return plenty of experience after graduating just one player and senior Sydni Rust (1.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg) joins Slavik and Holling as the only seniors on the roster this

MEADOWLARK

/FROM PG 68__

is to have at least five of our student-athletes/ managers awarded – players and managers that are a part of our academic leadership group to fully complete the program, team GPA of 3.0, Blue Valley tournament top three, Shawnee Mission North tournament top three, league champions, sub-state champions.”

GIRLS: KC-AL champs ATCHISON finished a perfect 10-0 in the league play in head coach Nic Rebant’s first season, but struggled outside of conference action with a 13-8 overall mark. Juniors Presley Simpson (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 5-8) and Tyeera Heyward (1.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 5-11) return from that squad.

“Goals are to win league, host sub-state, improve upon last year’s record,” Rebant said.

FL SCHLAGLE wrapped up their season at 4-14 after a first round defeat at the hands of Basehor-Linwood in sub-state. Senior De’Janae Brown earned All-League for the Stallions during that campaign and returns alongside fellow senior starter Dominee Williams.

Third-year head coach Anthony Wesson, who spent the two seasons prior as a Schlagle assistant, is trying to get more girls out for the team this season.

“Right now we need more participation from the young ladies at the school,” Wesson said. Wesson spent 15 years as an assistant at Hogan Prep and five at Shawnee Mission North before coming to Schlagle.

JC HARMON managed one win last season, that came against league opponent Washington, and finished the season 1-18. First year head coach Nicole Dierking takes over this season and gets back senior A’luel Miller (5-6) and sophomore Jacqueline Martinez Huerta (50). Dierking’s goals for her team are centered around increasing the average overall team points per game, decreasing average team turnovers, and to win at least five games this year.

TOPEKA-HIGHLAND PARK went 4-17 overall with a 2-12 record in league play under first year head coach Robert Brown. Sophomores Amelia Ramsey (11 ppg, 10 rpg, 6-0) and DeAsia Sanders (3 ppg) are back from that squad.

“Last year the goal was to get numbers up to have three complete teams,” Brown said. “We achieved that goal.This year we want to continue to improve, build our culture for girls basketball, and win games. We want to get to state.”

WILSON went 6-14 last season and is con tinuing the theme of NPL teams bringing back high numbers from young squads. All-League junior Anna Thielen (13.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 apg) and her lone classmate Skylar Cullens (2.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5-5), along with sophomores Serenity Steinike (7.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1 bpg, 2.1 spg, 5-8), Tyra Meyer (7.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 5-5), Abby Dlabal (2.7 ppg, 1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 5-2), and Hallie Thielen (1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5-6) give the Dragons a still-young team full of potential.

“We would like to place in the top half of the league, compete in every game, and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” coach Ted Long said.

SUMNER ACADEMY lost their first round sub-state matchup against Leavenworth, 40-29, and wrapped up their season at 10-11. Seniors J’Layne Hulse (11.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 4.5 spg) and Kylah McCleary (6.8 ppg, 7.4 apg, 1.3 spg), and juniors Myleah Brown (12.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 6.3 bpg) and Ariana Rivera (5.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3 spg) each earned All-League honors and return from the starting lineup. Fourth-year head coach Mike Platt emphasized relationships over accolades.

“The ability to maintain strong relationships and connections with players is the ultimate goal,” Platt said. “All of us want that next championship, but it’s being able to feel good about the job you’ve done at the end of the day. Sometimes the result is a championship, others, it’s just listening to your players and being there for them.”

Platt listed a conference championship, substate wins, and a state appearance as team goals and called “taking care of business in the classroom first” while trying to “minimize outside distractions and drama” as keys to helping his team “focus on we, not me.”

WASHINGTON won two games last season and returns All-League senior Jada Alexander (10 ppg, 6 apg, 3 spg, 5-5) from that starting lineup.

“If each season we can have fun, work hard, and help others, we will have had a fruitful season,” coach Katrena Richards said.

A Washington alum, Richards played junior college and NAIA basketball before serving as the freshman coach at Wyandotte for five seasons, and now takes the reins at her alma mater.

Anothony Williams Jr. led WYANDOTTE to a 7-11 record after a first round loss against substate champs Shawnee Mission West in his first season as head coach. In league play the Bulldogs went 5-5 and finished in third place. Back from that team are seniors Angie Delgado (2.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 6-3), Dyshay Morgan (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 2.4 spg, 5-7), Zaria Mitchem (4.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 5-5), junior Raishelle Thurman (4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1 apg, 1.2 bpg, 1.7 spg, 5-8), and sophomore Jaylynn Hunt (3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 spg, 5-9).

“Goals are to have an over .500 record overall, finish first in our new Meadowlark Conference, and play for a chance to advance to the state tournament,” Williams said.

“Defense and discipline” are what Thompson calls his team’s keys to success.

Jessica

NORTHWEST KANSAS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: First year head coach Rob Beckman takes over an ATWOOD-RAWLINS COUNTY team that finished 5-12 a season ago and returns six players from that rotation. Seniors Brady Beckman (6-3), Brandon Chvatal (6-4), and Grady Lohefner (6-1), and juniors Brayan Rodriguez (6-0), Braxton Dixson (6-0) and Pete Couse (6-0) are all back for Beckman, whose goal for the season is one word, “intensity.”

DIGHTON finished 15-7 after a second round exit in their sub-state tournament last season, but not before winning the NWKL regular season title with a 6-0 mark. Senior Max Neeley (9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-11), All-State junior Carson Shimer (15.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2 apg, 2.1 bpg, 1.9 spg, 6-3), All-League sophomore Daniel Cramer (13.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 4 spg, 5-9) and sophomore George von Leonrod (2 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-11) give second year head coach Tyler Lingg an abundance of experience and production to work with this season.

“Our goal for the season is to win the NWKL again and make it to the state tournament,” Lingg said. “We want to be the best defensive team every night. In order to do this, we must play with a passion on that end of the court.”

OBERLIN-DECATUR COMMUNITY had a winless season at 0-20 after a first round loss to Lakeside at sub-state. The team has since graduated their lone All-League selection, Logan Hayward.

QUINTER went 12-10 with a 4-2 league record last season. This year they get back senior starters Preston Havlas (12.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1 apg, 6-2) and Trevor Kaiser (3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg), along with senior Zayne Beckner (5.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1 apg), and juniors Trace Kinderknecht (2.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 5-9), Ethan Gruenbacher (1 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 5-9), Avery Briggs (3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-9), and Lakin Getz (2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 5-11) from last season’s rotation.

“We will need to use our speed and quickness to create an uptempo style of play,” head coach John Crist said. “We should have really good depth so we will try to use that to our advantage and play fast and play a lot of kids. We lack size, so playing fast will be very important to us. Our league will be extremely competitive. Hopefully we can stay healthy and be playing our best basketball when the postseason rolls around.”

SHARON SPRINGS-WALLACE COUNTY

ended

earned All-League honors.

ST. FRANCIS ended their lone season in a basketball cooperative with Cheylin at 7-14 on the heels of a first round sub-state loss against Plainville and this year the two schools return to playing on their own. All-League selection Ben Busse was a top player in the NWKL as a junior, but transferred to Colby for his senior season leaving coach Brock Waters with a very young team this season with just three sophomores, seven freshmen, and no upperclassmen.

TRIBUNE-GREELEY COUNTY won their third state title in school history – the others in 1968 and 2011 – in what was head coach Josh Gooch’s sixth year leading the program. The Jackrabbits managed to edge out runner-up Hanover in the 1A-DII championship game in a 56-55 thriller and finished the year 24-2 overall. All five starters return including All-State senior Jaxson Brandl (22.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 3.6 spg, 1.2 bpg, 6-2) and second team All-League senior Titus Sherer (8.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 spg, 5-8), along with fellow seniors Jariath Yanez (6.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 6-0), Valentine Villalobos (4.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 5-11), and sophomore Lincoln Shafer (8.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 6-0, second team All-NWKL). Senior Isaac Schneider (2.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6-3) and Carson Luebbers (1.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6-1), junior Kasen Felty (1.5 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-7), and sophomores Bryson Bjorkland (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 5-10) and Brodey Grubb (1.2 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-7) also return with varsity minutes.

“Our speed and depth is going to be an asset to us this year,” Gooch said. “The nucleus of our team from last year returns for their senior season and are ready for the challenges this year. Our number one goal is to make it back to Great Bend this season and to win our league regular season title.”

GIRLS: ATWOOD-RAWLINS COUNTY managed a league title and sub-state runner-up finish and ended the season 18-5 overall. Four starters return from that team in seniors Mariyah Nichols (7.4 ppg, 4 rpg) and Michaela Rippe (5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg), junior Abby Micek (5 ppg, 6 rpg), and All-League sophomore Tayten Dewey (11.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg). Replacing All-League selections Sadie Sramek (graduation) and Reece Smith

(transfer to Trego) does pose a challenge.

“Our goal is to continue on our winning ways in the NWKL and win sub-state to make it to the state tournament,” coach Deone Horinek said.

DIGHTON was knocked out in the second round of sub-state by eventual state qualifier Golden Plains and ended their season at 11-11.

Seniors Allie von Leonrod (5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpb, 2.4 spg, 1.7 apg, 5-2), Jessie Whipple (12 ppg, 8.7 rpb, 2.9 spg, 5-9), and Brianna Maughlin (4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5-5) return after playing big roles last season. Incoming freshman Lani Speer (5-8) is expected to be a key piece of the Hornets’ lineup after a strong summer.

“I feel we have a chance to be competitive in our league and in our division, but it will be difficult due to our league schools being so much bigger and deeper than we are,” coach Joni Bollinger said. “The leadership from the three seniors will help mold the younger girls into a true team. I feel by the end of the season we have a chance to make a run deep into sub-state and hopefully make it to state again this year.”

OBERLIN-DECATUR COMMUNITY returns two starters in seniors Breyana Gehring (7.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.3 spg, 5-10) and Gabbie Vontz (12.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 spg, 5-7). The duo played a big part in last season’s 15-7 record and second place finish in league and give 10thyear head coach Brandon Gehring a solid pair of leaders as they pursue this season’s goals.

“Our team goals will be to win the NWKL and make the state tournament,” Gehring said. “Our keys will be to defend without fouling, find ways to score, and play fast.”

QUINTER got knocked out of the first round of sub-state by La Crosse, 46-37, and ended the year with an 8-12 mark. In league play the Bulldogs were 3-3 and ended up taking fourth in the NWKL tournament. All-League junior Kennedy Werth and sophomore Bryn Gillespie are back for that team along with a majority of their varsity contributors. Ninth-year head coach

Matt Havlas also expects a big boost from 6-2 transfer senior Anna Briggs from York, Neb., who returns to Quinter after a year away.

“Our goal is to win sub-state and make a run at a state championship,” Havlas said. “Key to success is to improve on defense, get the ball to our scorers, and run the court.”

SHARON SPRINGS-WALLACE COUNTY entered sub-state as a three-seed and easily dispatched Western Plains/Healy, 42-20, before losing their semifinal matchup with Wheatland/ Grinnell, 52-42, good for a 11-10 season mark. Senior Joss Benish and sophomore Jaelyn Daily both earned All-League last season.

ST. FRANCIS put together a 14-9 season and took third place in the NWKL Tournament while playing in a coop with Cheylin, but the two teams will play separately this season. All-League selections Jordyn Faulkender and Grace Wright were both lost to graduation, but senior Ellie Krien (6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg) is back from last season’s lineup, along with senior Molly Gilliland from last season’s rotation and senior Gracie Parsons, a transfer from Smith Center.

“The team goal for the year is to be a very unselfish hard working group that competes everyday in practice and games,” head coach Brad Porubsky said. “Our team’s success will depend on how quickly we can jell as a team. Replacing six seniors – four starters – will not be easy. I believe with this group’s potential, we will be very competitive.”

TRIBUNE-GREELEY COUNTY finished 7-14 after a 73-57 first round sub-state loss to Dighton. All-League sophomore Jadyn Mangan was a top player on that team last season, but the loss of All-League graduate Myla Reynolds will be felt.

their season at 6-14 after a first round loss to Triplains-Brewster in sub-state. Senior Cade Johnson and juniors Evan Pearce and Tharyan Hawkins

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ANDERSON COUNTY lost their first round sub-state matchup with Burlington, 54-51, and ended the season at 10-9. Reese Jarrett was the team’s lone All-League selection and graduated in the spring. Seniors Garrison Martin and Caden Register give the Bulldogs a pair of returning players with varsity experience.

BURLINGTON finished 15-8 last season after getting knocked out in their sub-state championship matchup with Girard. Since then the Wildcats lost four starters to graduation, but return senior Hayden Sides (6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1 spg, 6-0) as head coach Justin Logan fills out the rest of the roster.

“A key this year could be how quickly some sophomores grow into the speed of the varsity game,” Logan said. “We have a solid core of seniors to help them along the way but our depth will be extremely younger than what we have become accustomed to here recently. After that on offense, it’s getting to the rim and opening the floor up for our shooters. While on defense, continuing to play at the standard we have cultured into our program, but still working to raise that standard each and every year.”

IOLA returns one starter from last year’s group that went 6-15 overall with five of their wins coming in league play, which placed them fifth in the final standings. Junior Landon Weide (8.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 6-0) gives head coach Luke Bycroft a jumping off point as he pieces together the rest of the roster.

“Our key to success is playing with speed,” Bycroft said. “We lost our size in the senior class last year and will need to defend with intensity and attack in the open floor.”

OSAWATOMIE went 4-15 last season, but gets back a trio of starters in senior Japin Scales (7.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 6-0), junior Cooper Peterson (4.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 6-1), and sophomore Joseph Mitzner (8.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 spg, 1.9 apg, 5-9). All were key pieces for head coach Chris Pitts last season and provide him with vital experience on a young team.

“We only have one senior so will be pretty young,” Pitts said. “Our key to success is having our younger players step up and gain some experience.”

First year head coach William Shannon takes over a PRAIRIE VIEW team that finished 8-13 overall with a 3-9 record in the Pioneer League a season ago. Shannon embarks on his coaching career with two starters back, juniors Gabe Murillo and Kooper Konitzer.

“We are in the process of starting over and changing a culture that has become content with just being an okay team,” Shannon said. “The

biggest goal is to change that, understand what it takes to win a game, and compete every night. Play with passion and play as a team. Defense is something that we will take pride in throughout the season. Cleaning up boards and not allowing second chance points, winning 50/50 balls, and nonstop hustling.”

SANTA FE TRAIL went 10-11 with a Pioneer League record of 7-5 that placed them third in the final league standings. Junior Lane Workman (11 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg, 1.5 spg) is the team’s lone starter coming back, but the Chargers return noteworthy experience from last season’s bench rotation in seniors Theron Berckefeldt (5-10), Kemper Spoonemore (6-0), and Brodie Gleason (6-0), juniors Luke Edwards (6-0), Chad Roberts (5-10), and Garlin Kincaid (6-2), and sophomore Jalen Smith (6-5).

“Losing four senior starters once again and only returning one starter sounds like a rerun and rebuild but we like to see it as a reload,” coach Thatcher Decker said. “We will once again be relying on players with limited varsity experience, but we look forward to another year of building our Charger program. As always we live by the “next man up” credo and after a great summer we look forward to the season with the Chargers we will have within our program. As usual, the Pioneer league will be tough from top to bottom with Burlington and Wellsville again being the class of the league.”

WELLSVILLE was perfect in the Pioneer League last season, going 12-0 and taking the 2021-22 league title, but the Eagles were unable to make it out of the first round of a brutal substate - the eight seed was the only team with a losing record - after losing 64-63 to Heritage Christian Academy. Three starters return from that team in senior Dylan McCarty (13.3 ppg, 6-2) and juniors Willie Dorsey (12.2 ppg, 6-2) and Dezmond Williams (8.5 ppg, 5-10). Head coach Rick O’Neil set goals of 35 rebounds per game and three-to-one assist to turnover ratio.

GIRLS: ANDERSON COUNTY took fourth place in the league last season and finished 9-10 overall after getting knocked out in the first round of sub-state by Girard. Fifth-year head coach Amy Disbrow returns three junior starters from that team in Kylie Disbrow (12.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 6.5 bpg, 1.6 spg, 6-0), Caitlyn Foltz (8.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.2 spg, 5-11), and Addie Fudge (3.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 5-6). Disbrow and Foltz both earned All-League honors for their efforts, and it’s likely teams will think twice before attacking the basket given the duos dominance in the paint.

“Continue to build on our development and play well-rounded game,” coach Disbrow said of team goals. “We have a large number of juniors returning in our program that will provide some additional depth this year.”

BURLINGTON were co-champs of the Pioneer League last season going 10-1, along with Santa Fe Trail, who also dealt the Wildcats their lone league loss. Overall the Ladycats finished 14-7 after a sub-state semifinals loss to Eureka. AllState senior guard Harlee Young (13.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 spg, 5-7) has been a reliable scorer over her high school career and is closing in on the 1,000 points mark. While Young is the team’s lone returning full-time starter, Argonia transfer Brenna Booker (8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4 apg, 2 spg, 5-5) and senior guard Josie Fejfar (3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg) have considerable varsity experience

as well. Seniors Rachael Hernandez (5-3), Lyllian Gerrow (5-3), junior Ava Beyer (5-6), sophomores Aliva Bangs (5-7), Grace Birk (57), Mallory Over (5-4), Hannah Sides (5-4), and freshman Hattie Burgio (5-6) are others first year head coach Erin McGown expects to compete for varsity minutes.

“The Pioneer League is expected to be solid again this year,” McGown said. “Santa Fe Trail and Anderson County both return a lot of quality players and will be tough. With the combination of some experience and a lot of new players in the starting lineup and rotation, we expect to be a team that improves throughout the season and plan on competing for a league championship and making a run in sub-state.”

IOLA went 4-17 last season and returns just one varsity starter in senior Aysha Houk, who was a part-time starter last season.

“We would like to double our wins from the previous season,” coach Kelsey Johnson said. “Ending the season as a .500 team would be a great accomplishment. Continuing to build our program with our underclassmen will be important this year. We are going to have to have some girls step up and be leaders for us this year, that is going to be a big key to our success.”

OSAWATOMIE finished 4-15 after a first round loss to top-seed Eureka at sub-state. The season was a rebuilding year for the Trojans, who had gone 22-3 and made the state tournament the season prior.

PRAIRIE VIEW lost their first round sub-state matchup with Burlington, 58-23, and closed out the season at 11-9. Julia Paisley and Braxton Stainbrook both earned All-League honors during that campaign but were lost to graduation.

SANTA FE TRAIL finished with a cochampionship in the Pioneer League with

Burlington last season at 10-1. Overall the Chargers finished 19-5 and made a trip to state before getting knocked out by eventual 3A runner-up Hugoton. All-League juniors Kaelee Washington (15.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2 apg, 2.4 spg, 1.8 bpg, 5-11) and Braegan Buessing (12.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 spg, 5-3), fellow junior Whitney Herren (4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.5 spg, 5-8), and senior Sydnee Whitaker (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 spg, 1.9 apg, 5-8) provide leadership and offensive firepower to a team with high goals.

“Continuing to build upon what we instilled in our players last year,” head coach Jacee Kramer said of her team’s primary objective. “We return four starters and seven varsity players and we look for our experience from last year to show this year. We will rely on Washington and Whitaker to lead us with their athleticism and ability to score in a variety of ways. We will look for Buessing, Clark, and Banks to be sharpshooters from the outside. Herren and Smith will use their strength to control the paint. Staying healthy, our defensive pressure, and our balanced scoring will be keys for continued success this year.”

WELLSVILLE had a tough first round matchup with top-seed and eventual state qualifier Santa Fe Trail and lost, 69-34, leaving them at 2-18 on the season.

Caitlyn

SOUTHEAST KANSAS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: The CHANUTE Blue Comets get three starters back from a group that finished 6-15 last season with a 3-9 mark in league play. Juniors Larson Koester (9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 6-0) and Kaiden Seamster (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 6-1), and senior Parker Henson (3.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 6-2) give coach Devon Crabtree experience to build on in his fourth year leading the team.

“Our keys will be younger guys with not much experience stepping up to fill roles,” Crabtree said. “We need to find positive leaders that can guide some of our younger players.”

COFFEYVILLE-FIELD KINDLEY finished 8-13 after a first round loss in sub-state to Wamego. Replacing graduated All-League selections Ethan Viets and Caden Herring will be a challenge for the Golden Tornado.

FORT SCOTT ended the season 4-16 and lose their lone All-League selection, Collin Thomas. The Tigers welcome new coach Mike Krull and his nearly 20 years as a head coach which includes stops at Frankfort, Yates Center, and most recently, Parsons, where he spent 10 seasons as the boys’ head coach and four leading the girls in a stint that ended in 2019. Krull’s overall record as a head coach is 192-206 and he’s one win over .500 coaching boys at 157-156. Krull welcomes back eight letterwinners with seniors Marquinn Johnson and Kristian Paronto, juniors Spencer Goldston, Cal Cosens, and Rocco Loffredo, and sophomores Dub Chipman, Ty Marbery, and Colton Rogers. Krull will put a team with few varsity minutes on the floor, but called cohesiveness a strength.

“Players get along and work well together,” Krull said. “That will go a long way. They have been successful on the JV level.”

INDEPENDENCE finished 10-11 last season with a 7-5 SEK regular season record, good for second in the league. The Bulldogs return three starters from that team, including one of the best players in 4A. Senior Easton Ewing (20.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 6-7) is entering his fourth year on varsity and earned All-State honors in his last two seasons. He’s joined by senior Hayden Smith (6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 6-0) and junior Camdon Julian (5.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg). Senior Jimmy Unruh (1.5 ppg, 6-2) provides experience from last year’s rotation.

“Last year we improved from the season before and finished tied for second in the SEK league race,” coach Brad Smith said. “This could be a very positive indication of what is in store for the 2022-23 edition of Independence basketball. We have the most experience coming back since I have coached at Indy. This group is anxious to compete and have a successful season. With Easton Ewing and Hayden Smith starting since their sophomore seasons, opposing teams will need to take notice for sure. I expect this team to vie for an SEK league championship.”

LABETTE COUNTY finished last season 12-10, getting knocked out in the sub-state championship by Eudora. Seniors Tray Vinson (2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 5-11) and Griffin Eaton (4.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1 apg, 5-8), along with juniors Hudson Baker (6.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-8) and Zavier Phillips (5.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1 apg, 6-4) return with starting experience, along with key junior reserve Joseph Paige (5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6-5).

“Hudson Baker, Griffon Eaton, Zavier Phillips

and Tray Vinson played significant minutes last year and will be looked on to be leaders on the court and off,” coach Bradley Argabright said. “The reason they are on this list is because of their experience and their ability to work hard day in and out. Our culture, and how we approach practice each day, will play a big part in our success this season. We have some new faces this season and we are excited to watch them grow throughout the year and watch them step up into new roles.”

PARSONS was 8-13 last season with all but one of those wins coming in league play, where they finished 7-5, tied for second in the SEK. The Vikings’ season ended after they dropped a hard fought first round sub-state game, 65-61, against Tonganoxie. From that team they bring back juniors Landon Wheat (11.3 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-3), JJ Kendrick (7 ppg, 4 apg, 2 spg, 6-0), and senior Jessie Jones (16.2 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 5-9).

“A key to every team’s success is staying healthy,” head coach Anthony Houk said. “We played the first seven games last year without one to three starters. That really hurt our record and was tough to bounce back from. We must also limit our turnovers. We averaged 15 turnovers last season. That is the highest total we have had in a very long time. As a team, we must have a more complete defensive mindset. Our defensive field goal percentage was the highest it has been in five years. We must force tougher shots and finish defensive possessions. Lastly, we must shoot the ball better. The name of the game is putting the ball through the hoop. Our free throws, two-point field goals, three-point field goal percentages must take big leaps if we want to accomplish our goals.”

PITTSBURG took first in the SEK last season and made their way to their sub-state championship before getting knocked out by Blue Valley Southwest to finish 16-6. Senior Jackson Turnbull (6-5) and junior Mason English (6-3) return from that starting lineup, along with key reserves in seniors Jovani Salas (6-5) and Dan Hastings (6-3), and juniors Zach Ward (6-0) and Joey Cronister (6-0).

“It will be another year of not returning a lot of players with a lot of varsity experience,” coach Jordan Woods said. “The good thing is these kids got to practice against the same players every day and hopefully learned what it takes to be competitive at this level. We have some players who have put in work in the offseason and with our top two scorers returning, the players coming up can hopefully just relax and play hard every night. Mason English is becoming more of a leader for us and in doing so will make our team better throughout the year.”

GIRLS: A youthful CHANUTE team finished 5-16 and was knocked out in the first round of sub-state a season ago, but the Blue Comets get back all five starters along with bench depth. Juniors, including All-League selection Peyton Shields (5-4), Kelsey Haviland (5-7), Jaye Smith (5-6) and Kierny Follmer (5-10), and senior Tyra Bogle (5-7) all return from the starting lineup, alongside juniors Ashley Haviland (5-8), Kynleigh Chard (5-6), and senior Preston Keating (5-6) from the varsity bench rotation.

“We want to get better every day and be the best versions of ourselves at season’s end,” coach Dustin Fox said. “Along the way we want

to win as many games as possible. I look for us to take some strides forward and be more competitive this season.”

COFFEYVILLE-FIELD KINDLEY finished outside of the top 16 that competed for 4A substate and only managed one win on the season, that against non-league foe, Caney Valley.

FORT SCOTT won a league championship last year over Labette County, but were then defeated by their league rivals in the sub-state championship game, leaving them at 17-5 on the year. Senior Jescie Comstock (5 ppg, 3 apg, 5-6) and the All-Leauge duo of senior McKenzie Murphy (7.4 ppg, 9 rpg, 5-11) and junior Keegan Yarick (11 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 3 spg, 5-8) provide starting experience, while senior Ellie Smith (5-7), juniors Carsen Wunderly (5-8) and Raveyn Kegler (5-6), and sophomores Allie Brown (5-5), Kinsley Brown (5-6), and Kylee Comstock look to replace the production of AllState graduates Harmony Shaw and Abby Altic.

INDEPENDENCE finished 12-9 overall with an 8-4 mark in the SEK that left them in third place. Brycen Byrd is entering his third season with Independence, and eighth overall as a head coach. He gets five starters back including AllState senior Abby Veile (17.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.6 spg, 5-9), senior Rylie Reichenberger (7.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 spg, 5-5), and juniors Camdyn Eytcheson (6.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.9, 5-4), Alexandra Jones (2.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-10) and Tionne Johnson (3.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5-10).

“One of our main goals for this year is to play more consistently,” Byrd said. “We had some great opportunities last season at the end of the year, but we struggled to be consistent on both sides of the ball. We are going to need to develop the younger players in the program by depending on leadership that can be provided by our upperclassmen. One of the strengths of our team is work ethic, and that needs to be a continued point of emphasis.”

First year head coach Brianna Volmer takes over LABETTE COUNTY as they return half of their varsity roster and one starter from last season’s team that finished with a 10-2 league mark and a state tournament berth before they were knocked out in the first round by Wamego. Senior guard Shelbi Wilson (8 ppg, 5-11) is the lone returner from that lineup, but a big group of upperclassmen from last year’s varsity bench will compete for starting spots around her.

“Shelbi Wilson is our lone returning starter from the 2021-22 season,” Volmer said. “We will lean on her veteran court experience. Shelbi is a long shooting guard that causes problems

for other teams defensively. She also brings scoring experience averaging eight points per game. Ridley Lynn and Audrey Dewey round out our seniors. They bring energy and intensity to a team that is rebuilding. Kayton O’Brien and Landry O’Brien are transfers to LCHS. They bring speed and the ability to finish at the basket. Nevaeh Jones and Addison Rexwinkle bring some varsity experience from the 21-22 season and will be fun to watch. Overall our speed will allow us to mix things up defensively. The Grizzly women’s basketball team will look much different in the 2022-23 season, with an entirely new starting lineup, new head coach, and many new faces to the varsity floor.”

PARSONS lost their first round sub-state matchup against Hayden, 67-51, and ended their season with a 10-11 mark. All-League juniors Iniya Hinman and Sydney Schibi, along with junior Riley Dunlay, senior Briona Patterson, and sophomore Saylah Rea are key players back for the Vikings. Schibi can score in bunches when she gets hot. As evidence, she broke the state record for made three-pointers in a game last season when she buried 11 triples and scored 38 points in a win over Baxter Springs, as reported by Parsons Sun sportswriter Sean Frye. Fourth-year Vikings’ coach Pat Schibi will miss All-League sophomore Eliana Valentin Florence, one of the top point guards in the league as a freshman last season, who moved to Tulsa.

PITTSBURG finished 5-15 after a first round loss to state qualifiers De Soto in sub-state. AllLeague junior Jacqueline Hall (13.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 5-9), senior Dessie Gorley (4.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5-7), and sophomore Megan Johnston (5.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5-5) are returning starters. Sophomores Gabbie White (1.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg), Ava Heardt (5-2), Erin O’Connell, Alyssa Hotze, and senior Laikyn Fever are other key players.

“This team will have a whole new look,” new coach Chris Popp said. “That is perhaps our biggest strength.”

Abby Veile Independence, Senior Andy Taylor/Montgomery County Chronicle

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ARGONIA ended up winless last season at 0-14, but gets back a trio of starters including junior Dalton Morrison (14 ppg, 2 apg, 5 rpg, 6-2) and seniors Damien Smith (4 ppg, 1 apg, 2 rpg, 5-9) and Brady Roblin (3 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-2). Senior Nicolo Lamesso (6-0), along with freshmen Jackson Kollmeyer (5-10) and Carson Vineyard (5-10) are also likely varsity players.

“We will take pride in our defense and effort, hopefully outworking some opponents,” coach Bob Almanza said. “We won’t have a big team, so we will need to control the pace of the games as well make a concerted effort to rebound bigger than we are.”

CALDWELL went 16-6 with a 7-1 league record that left them in second place in the regular season SCBL standings. The Bluejays then won the league tournament, followed by sub-state, before facing a tough Bucklin team in the first round of state and losing, 67-45. Sean Blosser adds head basketball coach to his role as long-time head football coach and welcomes back all five starters including seniors Keiondre Smith (8.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.1 spg) and Christopher Clark (1.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg), and juniors Teagan Thompson (12.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.4 spg), Jackson Risley (8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 spg), and Miles Newell (2.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg).

“The team goal for the 2022-23 Caldwell Bluejays will be to build off the success the team found last year,” Blosser said. “The key to our success will be sound defensive play. We need to avoid foul trouble with a small roster.”

CEDAR VALE/DEXTER finished 17-5 overall after a semifinal loss to Wichita-Independent in sub-state. A 5-3 record in the SCBL left them third in regular season standings to go with second at the league tournament. Seniors Xavier Strong (6-4) and Caden Woods (6-2), and junior Brayden Henderson (6-3) return to the starting lineup, while seniors Mason Casebolt (5-10), and Taylor Rainbolt (6-1), and junior Devonte Harris (6-3) from the varsity bench rotation.

“Three returning starters provide a solid base to work with,” coach KB Criss said. “These kids will work hard, play hard, and compete.”

CENTRAL-BURDEN went 4-16 last season and have since hired 16th-year head coach Ben Ponce to take over a team that returns senior Nocona Hamilton (5-10), and juniors Russ Smith (6-0), Ben Long (6-0), Jace Wunderlich (5-9), and Hunter O’Neil (6-2).

“Goals are to limit teams to one shot per possession, shoot 75% from the free-throw line and win the rebounding battle each night,” Ponce said. “Key to success is to be in the best shape possible and share the ball on offense. Defensively, to make teams uncomfortable and allow one shot per possession.”

OXFORD finished 9-13 after a sub-state semifinal loss to top-seed Norwich. In SCBL play they posted a 3-6 record that left them tied for sixth place. While it wasn’t Kyle Green’s best season, the winningest coach in Oxford history (213-163 over 17 seasons) gets back all five returning starters and two rotation players. AllState senior Peyton Rush (15.7 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6-2), All-League senior Kyan Morris (12.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6-0), senior Hayden Ruyle (6.1 ppg, 4.3 apg, 6-2), senior Logan McLain (8.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, 6-0), and junior Cayden Carpenter (4.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6-5) return to the starting lineup, and senior Colby Hammond (1.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and sophomore Cordell Jordan (1 ppg, 1.1 rpg) are

back from the bench.

“The whole key to our season will be focusing on being a little bit better today than we were yesterday; prepare for each game with a mental focus that is unrivaled, control the things you can control,” coach Green said. “If we can improve on the defensive end of the floor and team rebound, we will be fine.”

Head coach Michael Hunter takes over at ROSALIA/FLINTHILLS after they went 7-14 overall with a 3-8 league mark last season.

Seniors Hunter Lowmaster (6-3), Nate Becker (5-11), Tiler Slaughter-Scott (6-1), and juniors Tate Leslie (6-0) and Wyatt Osborne (5-9) are all back from that squad.

“We are excited to start the 2022-23 season,” coach Hunter said. “We return a number of upperclassmen with varsity experience along with a large freshman class. We will strive to play solid defense and take care of the basketball offensively. Hard work and discipline will be the catalyst to our team’s success.”

SEDAN has a new head coach as Zach Hill takes command of a squad that went 19-3 and claimed an SCBL regular season title at 8-0. The Blue Devils were unable to match that success in the league tourney, where they took third, or substate, where they were upset in the championship against a determined Wichita-Independent team.

Senior Koda Blankenship (5.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6-2), and juniors Lyndon Sears (7 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 spg, 5-10) and Jeremiah Prince (5.4 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.5 spg, 5-10) are back from that starting lineup. Replacing All-State selection Dameion Hatten’s production is on Hill’s to-do list.

“Our goal as a coaching staff is to watch these men grow as leaders,” Hill said. “We had some special players lost to graduation, but the loss of leaders presents the opportunity for our younger guys to step into larger roles. Beyond our returners we have several players who have been striving to get better this offseason that we know are ready for the opportunity. Beyond leadership we want to compete every day, regardless if it is a practice, a game, or a day off to become the best we can be.”

SOUTH HAVEN hired head coach Zane Aguilar – former Wellington football head coach and current South Sumner football assistant – to take over a program that went 10-12 last season. Potential impact players include junior Alex Smith, and sophomores Alex Shore, Colby Irey, Tanner Kelly, and Brady Russell.

“In order for us to be successful, we will need to develop quickly over the first couple weeks,” Aguilar said. “The players who had significant playing time last year must lead the way for the underclassmen.”

Formerly the coach of the West Elk girls since 2017, head coach Dave Miller takes over as boys’ coach for a WEST ELK team coming off a 14-7 season with a 6-3 record in league play that left them fourth in the SCBL. Back from that team are seniors Jarrett Wilson (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.1 spg, 6-2) and Tate Stewart (2.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 5-9), and sophomore Maddex Moreno (10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2 spg, 5-11), along with a majority of the Patriot reserves.

“This year should be interesting,” Miller said.

“We had a good summer, especially in June, but we will have to come into practice the first day ready to work. I expect to be competitive each game. We have some depth, but not much size. We have arguably the toughest schedule we have had since I have been here and I am

SOUTH CENTRAL BORDER LEAGUE

hoping that prepares us for the postseason.” UDALL finished 8-12 overall with a fourth place SCBL regular season finish at 5-3. Senior David Otis (4.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.8 spg), junior Jenson Harness (9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 6-1), and sophomore Isaac Johnson (5.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 6-0) return from the starting lineup as head coach Jarod Meier enters his second season in charge of the program.

“Our goals for the season are to build on the foundation we set last season by going plus.500 for the first time in four seasons, finishing top three in our league, and making a sub-state championship appearance,” Meier said. “Our success will be dependent on how aggressive we can play defensively and how well we move without the ball offensively. We don’t have much size so our cuts and screens will need to be efficient if we’re going to be successful.”

GIRLS: ARGONIA closed out their season at 10-11 after a second round sub-state loss to Attica. All-League selection Chelsea Coleman, one of just two seniors on the roster, was lost to graduation, but her fellow All-League selection, now-senior Brenna Booker, has been a multiyear starter. Other non-seniors last season were Maya Jones, Heidi McCurley, and Abigail Harbin. According to an article in the Times-Sentinel, the Red Raiders played with just six girls on the team last season, and after a season-ending injury to graduate Alyssa Martin, the last 19 games were played with just five.

CENTRAL-BURDEN went 7-14 overall with a 3-7 mark during SCBL regular season play

that put them in seventh place, one spot behind their sixth place finish in the league tournament.

Seniors Emily Long (5-7) and Maddie Brogan (5-7), both three year starters, and sophomore Coda Brickell (5-7) are back from that starting lineup.

“Our senior leadership will be key,” coach Greg Mettling said. “We will also focus heavily on defense.”

CALDWELL finished 0-20 last season after a first round sub-state exit at the hands of Argonia. Sixth-year head coach Jason McVeigh does get four starters back from that team in seniors Jacelyn Brown and Allorah Caruthers, junior Adley Mayo, and sophomore Payten Stevenson. McVeigh’s goal for his team is “to compete!”

CEDAR VALE/DEXTER finished 6-13 a season ago and gets back four starters from that squad in senior guard Hayleigh Rainbolt (5-4), junior forward Riley Schalk (5-9), sophomore guard Edee Boatman (5-3), and sophomore swingman Kylee Bragg (5-4).

“We look to build on an improved 6-13 season from last year where we won more games than the program had seen in the previous three seasons combined,” coach Eric Swanson said. “We lost our top two scorers to graduation, so we will look to find some other girls to step up and score the ball this season. Some of our younger players got a lot of solid minutes last season, and put in work this summer. We will look to Hayleigh Rainbolt and Riley Schalk for leadership this season to continue building the program.”

Photo by Amy Keller

SOUTHERN PLAINS-IROQUOIS ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ASHLAND dominated their first round sub-state matchup with Rolla 60-38 before getting soundly defeated by Ingalls in the next round of the tournament. All-League junior Landen McPhail was a top performer for the Blue Jays.

BUCKLIN lost the third place game at the 1A-DII state tournament in an 84-79 overtime thriller and finished fourth in the state last sea son with a 20-7 record. The Red Aces also took second in regular season league play with a 10-1 record and won the league tournament. While standouts Scott Price and Nate Bowman are lost to graduation, seniors Jaron Lindsay (10 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 apg, 6-5) and Garin Stimpert (3.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6-2), junior Andrew Bowman (14.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.8 apg, 6-0) and Dairius McKinsey (2.7 ppg, 5-9), and sophomores Kolson Cook (5.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5-11), Lucas Kirk (2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 6-0), and Kaden Tilley (3.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-2) all return from the varsity rotation.

“I am looking forward to seeing who is going to step up for us on offense this year since we grad uated nearly 50% of our offense from last year,” coach Derek Bevan said. “I saw lots of growth from some of the guys this summer and I’m look ing forward to seeing it translate to the season. I really think our senior post, Lindsay ,can have a big year for us inside. Pace and efficacy will be our focus again this year.”

HODGEMAN COUNTY managed second place in both regular season (11-3) and tour nament play in the SPIAA. Coming off a solid regular season the Longhorns advanced to their sub-state championship before getting knocked out by a talented Ness City squad. Two starters are back for head coach Gustavo Flores as he enters his third year with the team in All-State junior Owen Reece (17.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4 apg, 2.9 spg, 1 bpg, 6-3) and senior Sawyer Bowman (4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg, 6-2).

“Compete,” Flores said of his team’s key. “Whether it is practices, scrimmages, games, or even for a starting spot or varsity spot. As long as we compete and continue to make ourselves better we will make our teammates better which will assist in obtaining our ultimate team goal and that is to win.”

INGALLS finished 10-12 last season and made a strong push to their sub-state champion ship before being defeated decisively by Bucklin. Juniors Layton Simon (6.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5-8), Mitchell Lehman (5.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 5-8), and senior Brendan Ellis (8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.5 apg) return from that starting lineup, but the Bulldogs did lose considerable production to graduation.

“We are replacing our two highest scorers, most notably Tyson Bleumer, who averaged a double-double and is now playing college bas ketball at Sterling,” coach Luke Johnson said. “Our goal is to finish above .500 for the first time in over a decade and to make the state tourna ment.”

KIOWA COUNTY closed out last season at 8-12 and struggled in league play going 2-9. The Mavericks return All-League senior Brady Deterding (14.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-4) and his younger brother, sophomore Brock Deterding (6.4 ppg, 5-10), and welcome senior transfer from Canada, Jerahmiah Thompson (6-2), who coach Matt Hoffman expects to see substantial

minutes.

“Our biggest goal will be learning to play to the speed of varsity as we will be very young this year, mostly freshmen and sophomores,” Hoffman said. “I think a key to our success will be having guys step up and play to their full po tential.”

MEADE missed a trip to the state tournament by five points losing their sub-state champion ship matchup with South Gray and ended their season 15-8. Six players who were key varsity cogs graduated, but three starters do return for Tyler Flavin in his sixth year as Meade’s head coach. All-League junior Brock Keith (15 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 5-11), junior Bradon Bird (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-3), and senior Grayden Stapleton (9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 6-1) provide a strong core.

“We have a strong nucleus of kids that are very close together in their skill set and ability,” Flavin said. “This has motivated kids over the summer to get in the weight room and gym which will heat up the competition level at practice. This will provide us good balance on both ends of the floor along with good speed that we will use to pressure teams and play fast.”

MINNEOLA was 11-9 last season after getting knocked out by league opponent South Gray in the sub-state semifinals. All-League junior El Lang (12 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg, 2 spg), and se niors Noah Deibert (9 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-2) and Ryan Renner (5 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-0) return from that start ing lineup.

“Our team goals for this upcoming season are to play team basketball and focus on our pres sure D,” coach James Temaat said.

PAWNEE HEIGHTS put together a 12-11 re cord with a state tournament appearance in head coach Rick Carlson’s first season in charge of the team, and while they were 9-3 outside of the SPIAA, the Tigers struggled in regular sea son league play with a 3-8 mark. Despite those issues Carlson got his team rolling in the post season, finishing third in the SPIAA tournament and winning sub-state before facing eventual state champs Greeley County in the first round at state. All-State senior Alec Carlson (20.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.5 apg, 1.7 bpg, 6-3), and fel lows seniors Dakota Ryan (5.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 spg, 6-1) and Davin Hamby (4.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.3 spg) return from last season’s starting lineup.

“Our goal is to build upon the success of the last two seasons of Pawnee Heights basketball,” Carlson said. “We also want to have higher field goal and three-point shooting percentages as a team, along with a higher free throw percentage, and to become more aggressive on defense while also lowering the opposing team’s ability to get into the lane. We must be a lot better shoot ing team, especially behind the three-point line.”

SATANTA finished 13-8 last season with a 5-6 league record that left them in sixth place. Back form that team are All-League senior Kacen Anthony (14 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2 apg, 6-1) and soph omore Isaiah Manriquez (4 ppg, 2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 spg, 6-1).

“We want to be very competitive in league and be a contender in the league tourney,” coach Tim Dusin said. “Our keys to success are improving our defensive pressure in the full court and our offensive shooting percentage overall.”

SOUTH CENTRAL finished 10-11 last year af ter a 46-44 OT loss to Satanta in the first round

of sub-state. Their near-upset ended a season during which they took fifth in SPIAA regular sea son and fourth in tournament play. One senior returns from that starting lineup in sophomore Jamie Sarmiento (6.5 ppg, 3.1 apg, 3.2 spg, 5-7).

“While only having one returning starter from last year, we have some young guys ready to step up,” coach Bud Valerius said. “We have two guards in Jamie Sarmiento and JT Prusa who both played a lot as freshman. They will handle the bulk of the duties out front. Junior Gavin Uhl also played significant minutes last year. Gavin brings some inside scoring for the Timberwolves. Look for 6-5 junior move-in Heath Howell to make some noise this year.”

SOUTH GRAY added another great season to the Hall of Fame résumé of 41st-year head coach Mark Applegate, going 23-3 and finishing as the 1A-DI state runner-up to go with a reg ular season league title. The Rebels lost three All-League players to graduation and have sig nificant production to make up for, but senior re turning starters Carter Jantz (8 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg, 5-10) and All-League selection Jorge Lupercio (12 ppg, 7 rpg, 5-11) give coach Applegate and a good jumping off point.

“We want to win the league and try to qualify for the state tournament,” Applegate said. “We grad uated 70% of our scoring from last year’s team. We need some JV players to step up and take advantage of their opportunity. We will have to find ourselves as a team.”

SPEARVILLE finished last season 10-11 after a first round sub-state loss to Minneola. Senior Josiah Mettling, juniors Dereck Alcala and Blake Werner, and sophomore Aydin Ruiz return from the varsity rotation as head coach Eli Applegate enters his second season with the Lancers.

“We return a handful of young players,” Applegate said. “Keys to the season will be learning how to play together and using our quickness to our advantage. The boys worked hard this summer and are looking forward to building off of the last season, where we almost doubled our win total from the previous season. We play in a tough league and overall our sched ule is tough, so from Day 1 we will be looking to gain confidence mentally and physically and look to better that a little bit everyday.”

GIRLS: ASHLAND finished 13-8 after a 31-28 sub-state championship loss to Bucklin. Five starters are back from that team in All-League senior Mackinzie Walker (17 ppg), junior Lily McPhail (4 ppg), and sophomores Jaya Milburn (8 ppg), Biannca Ceniceros (4 ppg), and Cam Cunningham (4 ppg).

BUCKLIN made a trip to the state tournament last season after narrowly defeating top-seed Ashland in the finals 31-28. The Red Aces were knocked out in the first round and finished their season 11-13. All-State senior Hallie Feikert (12 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 5-8), All-League junior Sydnie Jones (14 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 5-9), junior Brooke Evans (4 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-6), and sopho more Whitney Scott (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-6) are all back from that starting lineup.

“Incorporate a talented freshman class with our returning upperclassmen, increase our offensive efficiency, improve our physicality on the defen sive end,” coach Craig Bowman said of team his team’s keys to success this season.

HODGEMAN COUNTY punched their ticket to

the state tournament last season after winning regular season and tournament SPIAA titles. They nearly found themselves advancing to the championship game, but ultimately were defeat ed in the semifinals by eventual state champs Pretty Prairie, 37-32. After losing in the conso lation game the Longhorns finshed 24-2. Seniors Malynn Beil (12 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.9 spg, 5-6) and Jessie Ruff (5.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-8), and junior Morgan Ruff (10.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-8) provide continuity from last season’s starting lineup, but head coach Trent Bright does have question marks.

“We will be replacing a lot of toughness lost off of last year’s team,” Bright said. “We will definite ly need to be able to find that with the returning players and the upcoming freshman. Staying healthy is always a key to being successful as well. We have a good core returning, plus add some key pieces that will hopefully be able to compete.”

INGALLS ended their season 10-12 after nearly upsetting eventual state qualifier Bucklin in the semifinals at sub-state, ultimately falling 38-34. Juniors Elly Jo Tancayo (10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.7 spg) and Brooke Bailey (7.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3 spg) are both back from that starting lineup for coach Terra Simon.

“Our goal is to build our team so that we are competing every game with our opponents,” Simon said. “We play in a tough league. This year I want to be playing on championship night of the league tournament. Last year we lost a heartbreaking game in the semifinals of sub state. Our team wants to make it back to state.”

KIOWA COUNTY finished 17-4 overall after a sub-state semifinal loss to eventual sub-state champ Spearville. The Mavericks also had a strong showing in league play, going 9-2 with losses to South Central and that same Spearville squad. Back from that starting lineup are seniors Bear Alvarez (5-7), Shelby Lingafelter (5-8), and All-State selection Raygan Heft (5-4), along with seniors Liberty Gilkey (5-5) and Grace Thompson (5-8), both rotation players off last year’s bench projected to start by second-year

Jennifer Shiew/Threads Photo

Owen Reece Hodgeman County, Junior

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Alec Carlson

Pawnee Heights, Senior

SUNFLOWER LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: A youthful GARDNER-EDGERTON squad went 3-17 a season ago, but get back five starters led by All-League senior Malaki Taylor, along with his fellow seniors Mitch Mauk and Nathan Pascarelli, and juniors Cooper Williams and Colton Hawkinson.

LAWRENCE got knocked out in the sub-state championship in a 73-69 slugfest with Olathe West and ended their season 17-5 overall, the program’s 11th consecutive winning season. In league play they took second with an 11-2 mark. Back from that team is junior All-League standout Zaxton King (19.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6-2), with other returning varsity contributors including seniors Will Leuschen (6-6), Kenton Simmons (6-4), Jaylon Case (5-10), Macade Lewis (5-10), Jude Harris (5-8), and Lance Bassett (6-4).

“We look forward to our seniors leading us to another successful season,” coach Mike Lewis said. “We feel like we have a quality group who can play well together, count on each other, and put the team before themselves. We also really like our juniors and sophomores. They know how to compete and make each other better. This group might take a little more time to get acclimated to the varsity schedule, but we are confident that they will make big strides.”

Former KU and Charlotte Bobcat guard Sherron Collins takes over at LAWRENCEFREE STATE from former head coach Sam Stroh who guided the Firebirds to a 126-38 record in seven seasons including a 6A third place finish and league championship a season ago, going 23-2 overall. A strong group graduated from that squad including All-State selections Mozae Downing (Barton CC) and Jordan Brown (Emporia State), leaving senior Jailen Thompson (8 ppg, 5 rpg) as the only returning starter.

MILL VALLEY was knocked out in the first round of sub-state last season by Shawnee Heights and finished 10-11 overall. Seniors Dylan Blazer and Nen Matlock, and sophomore Carter Kaifes all received All-League honors and give MV a strong returning core. But, as usual, the Jags will have to wait for another deep football playoff run to wrap-up before getting the full squad together. The Jags have six state tournament appearances, including four final four berths, and a state title (2016) since 2006.

OLATHE EAST finished 5-16 with a 2-11 league record a season ago, but five starters return in seniors Drew Purdy (7 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 6-7), Tyson Grimes (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-5), and Dakota Marshall (3 ppg, 6-0), and juniors Micah Deaver (8 ppg, 4 apg, 4 rpg, 6-1, HM All-SFL), and Ryan Horsch (2.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 6-1).

“We will use each day to improve and play as a group,” coach Toure Grimes said.

OLATHE NORTH punched their ticket to the state tournament after upsetting sub-state opponents JC Harmon, 56-46, and Shawnee Mission East in the title game, 56-47. The Eagles were then knocked out in the first round of state by champs Wichita Heights. North has a tough task in replacing all three All-League selections, Jack Rippee, Gavin Shearer, and MJ Devoe.

OLATHE NORTHWEST hired head coach David Gonzales from Harmon after the Ravens posted a 13-8 record with an 8-5 league mark a season ago, good for fifth in league standings.

Gonzales starts with three seniors returning from last year’s starting lineup including Aiden Sullivan (12 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 apg, 2 bpg, 6-8), Elson Blanding (8 ppg, 3 apg, 1 spg, 6-0), and Isaiah Cull (6 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 6-3).

“We have a great post player in Aiden Sullivan,” Gonzales said. “We want to play through him and then we have some good outside perimeter shooters that can knock down shots when teams double down on Sullivan.”

OLATHE SOUTH went 13-8 last season and returns one starter from that squad in senior Tucker Armstrong. All-League selections Caden Kaberline and Corbin Dozier were two of the four starters lost to graduation.

“Rebuilding year,” coach Dan Morrow said of his team. “Graduated eight seniors. Guard heavy, good shooting team, I’m excited about our young guards!”

OLATHE WEST turned heads last season, first by beating Lawrence in overtime, 73-69, for a sub-state title despite entering the tournament with only 12 wins, and then going on to upset Dodge City, 67-53, in the first round and finishing fourth in the 6A state tournament with a final record of 15-10. The Owls get back just one starter in sharpshooting All-League senior Harrison Kisling.

“We need to shoot the ball well and be able to get enough stops to have a chance,” coach Brad Ball said.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST finished 12-10 overall and tied for third place in the Sunflower with an 8-5 mark. Three starters return from that team in seniors Spencer Blacketer (4 apg, 6-2), Dillon Mong (12 ppg, 6-6), and junior Jack Jones (10 ppg, 6-5). Others with varsity experience are seniors Will Alexander (6-4) and George Kopp (5-10), while seniors Hudson Henzlik (6-0) and CJ Leonard (6-3), along with juniors Teddy Saylor (6-2) and Abdoulaye Kanté (6-7) are newcomers coach Shawn Hair is optimistic about.

“Our keys to success are to play great team defense and share the ball on offense,” Hair said.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH finished 4-17 in coach Pat Denney’s third year with the program. In year four he brings back one starter from that team in senior Randall Boldridge (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-3). He pointed to “development of our younger players” as the team’s key to success.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST made a trip to the state tournament and played state runner-up Blue Valley Northwest close in their first round matchup, but ultimately lost 58-50.

SMNW finished the season 18-5 overall with an 8-5 record in league that put them in third place.

Seniors Michael Collins (7.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 1 apg, 6-4) and Malik O’Atis (9 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg) are back from that starting lineup.

“Our goal is to go back to state for the third year in a row and win some games when we get there,” coach David Birch said.

SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH was 16-5 overall and took second in the Sunflower at 10-2. Coach Brett McFall enters his 14th season with senior starters Ben Webb and Kieron Smith back.

“How quickly our new varsity players adjust to the varsity level,” McFall said. “Leadership from our returning seniors will also be a key.”

SHAWNEE MISSION WEST went 4-17 and finished in second to last place in the league.

Head coach Matthew Shulman enters his first season as head coach of West after leading the Blue Valley Northwest women’s program the four seasons prior and helping them to their first winning season since 2012. Seniors Jayse Boathwright (5-11) and Pierce Ross (6-2) are back from last season’s starting lineup.

“Being a great defensive team, running in transition, playing together, and sharing the ball” are Shulman’s keys to success.

GIRLS: GARDNER-EDGERTON finished 4-17 last season and had a 3-10 record in league play. Fifth-year head coach Joe Leiker gets back three starters from that team, seniors Abri Leiker (10.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-8) and Brenley Cunningham (3.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 spg, 5-5) and junior Aaliyah Moss (5.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5-10).

“Our goal is to improve upon last year’s record and compete better in the Sunflower League,” Leiker said.

LAWRENCE wrapped up at 9-12 and took 10th place in league. All-League seniors Amaya Marshall (10 ppg, 5-6, Johnson CC commit), Serenity Keo (10 ppg), and Lucy Hardy (5-8), fellow senior Daphne Brackersturm (6-3), and

All-League sophomore Brynnae Johnson (5-8) are back with varsity experience.

“Goals are to work hard and compete hard every day and maintain a great attitude throughout,” coach Jeff Dickson said.

LAWRENCE-FREE STATE got their only win of the year against FL Schlagle, 47-22, but went 0-20 outside of that. The Firebirds have a new first-year head coach in Summer Frantz, who has back one starter in senior Hadley Lonnberg (1.4 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-11).

“Goal is to get better every time we’re on the floor for practice or a game,” Frantz said.

MILL VALLEY ended their season 9-13 after a 43-33 loss to Lansing in the sub-state finals. Senior Sophie Pringle earned All-League honors for the Jaguars, along with 2022 graduates Mackinley Fields and Maddie Vosberg.

OLATHE EAST finished 9-12 with a 5-8 record in Sunflower League play. Head coach Brian Martin gets back four starters from that team, in senior Jillian Reese (6.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6-1), juniors Braylee Rogers (6.4 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.3 rpg, 5-11) and Cate Whitehead (2.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5-10), and sophomore Meredith Reese (2.5 ppg,

THREE RIVERS LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ARMA-NORTHEAST went 10-11 overall with a 5-6 record in league play. Fourth-year head coach Karl Wicker gets four starters back from that team, seniors Brendan Alters (15 ppg, 5-10), Blake Goodwin (6-8), Brandon Sigmon (5-11), and junior Dawson Troth (14 ppg, 8 rpg, 6-1). “Keys to success are understanding our roles, playing together, staying healthy,” Wicker said.

BUFFALO-ALTOONA-MIDWAY ended up 5-15 last season after a first round sub-state loss to Hartford. Lone All-League selection Jackson Ashmore has since been lost to graduation.

After entering sub-state as the two-seed, CHEROKEE-SOUTHEAST made their way to the championship game against Pitt-Colgan, but were ultimately knocked out, 76-48, by the Panthers and finished the year 18-5. Seniors Cade Burdette and Easton Renn both earned All-League honors during their junior campaigns.

CHETOPA ended last season winless after a first round defeat against Waverly in sub-state.

COLONY-CREST went 11-10 with a third place finish in regular season league play during head coach Dakotah Sporing’s first season with the team. Sporing enters his second season with four players back with starting experience, including senior Stetson Setter (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 6-0), Ethan Godderz (6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 6-0), and Karter Miller (6.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-10), and junior Ryan Golden (2.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, 6-4), who suffered a knee injury after starting seven games last year.

“We will have to rely on defense heavily, losing a lot of our scoring from last season,” Sporing said. “We will have to also rely on our team athleticism to make up for a lack of size.”

MORAN-MARMATON VALLEY finished 7-12 with a 6-8 league mark and have a new coach this season with first year head man Cornell Walls. Senior Dylan Drake, junior Chase Smith, and sophomores Brayden Lawson and Jaedon Granere are back from last year’s starting lineup.

“Young guys contributing and maturing quickly are our keys to success,” Walls said.

MOUND CITY-JAYHAWK LINN held an 8-11

record at season’s end and took third place in the league with a 6-4 mark. Seniors Austin Nation (10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg), Dylan Nickelson (3.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5-10), junior Gus Grote (12.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 3.2 spg, 6-3), and sophomore Braeden Nation (6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 1.2 spg, 6-2) are all back from that starting lineup.

“Our foundational goal this year is to strive toward moving our team and individual player’s development needle forward every single day,” coach Ken Glaser said. “For our program, this involves both players and coaches maintaining high expectations of each other, in terms of our focus, dedication, and maximum level-of-effort, along with our willingness to hold ourselves and each other accountable if those expectations are not being met. Competitively speaking, our goals for the upcoming season are to successfully compete for a Three Rivers League title, to qualify for the championship game in both of the tournaments on our schedule, and, ultimately, to earn the opportunity to be one of the final eight teams competing in March, at Bramlage Coliseum.”

OSWEGO went 4-14 with all of their wins coming in league play, where they took eighth with a 4-6 mark. Seniors Jake Hutchinson (6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 spg, 6-0), Colton Goddard (6.5 ppg, 1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1 spg, 5-9), and Jon Frisbie (2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1 apg, 1.6 spg, 6-3) provide experience and leadership.

“We want to be a hardworking team that will make our school and community proud, play aggressive defense and play with great sportsmanship,” coach Steve McBrien said.

PLEASANTON lost in the first round of substate to top seed Erie and finished the season 5-14.

ST. PAUL was knocked out in the first round of sub-state against three-seed Burlingame and finished with a 5-14 record. Senior Trey Peters and junior Kiser Wiatrak both earned All-League honors, along with 2022 grad Payton Norris.

UNIONTOWN put together a 6-15 season after a first round sub-state exit, along with a 5-6

1.5 rpg, 5-8).

“We graduated one senior, Aubrey Rogers, our top scorer and defender, and we have one senior returning,” Martin said. “With so many young returners we’re looking to improve our overall record from last season, compete for a Sunflower League crown, and improve our substate standing to earn a chance to play at state.“

OLATHE NORTH captured a Sunflower title with a 13-0 league record and managed a trip to the 6A state tournament. The Eagles advanced past the first round with a 54-51 win over Blue Valley North, but then barely came out on the wrong end of their next two matchups, losing 44-43 to Washburn Rural in the semifinals and then 48-46 in triple overtime to Blue Valley in the consolation game. Their final two games were the only losses of the season. All-State selections Sania Copeland, Ashlyn Alloway, and Saniya Simmons have since graduated, and only one starter remains in senior Tyriana Stanford (11.5 ppg, 2.5 spg, 5-11).

“Our key to success is making sure we are still playing at a high level defensively,” coach Alonzo

record in the TRL. Juniors Levi Snider (5 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-9), Brycen Stewart (6 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-2), and Joey Marlow (5 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-9) are back from that starting lineup. Juniors Byron Fry (5 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-11) and Mathias Johnson (6-2) were also on that varsity squad.

“Last season our team experienced some growing pains as we only had two upperclassmen,” coach Chad Hays said. “We had a lot of sophomores get valuable experience at the varsity level and that should start to pay off as those sophomores are now juniors and a year older and stronger. Our basketball team had one of the best summers we’ve had since I’ve been the coach, and they are hungry to get better. I think we have the talent to surprise some people. Defense and rebounding should be a strength this year. We will have some length and should be able to match up better with teams athletically. We will be a team that prides ourselves on how hard we play and the energy we bring to the floor.”

Three-seed YATES CENTER won their first round sub-state game against Jayhawk-Linn, 48-37, before dropping the semifinal against Southeast, 44-28. Senior Jayston Rice earned AllLeague honors, along with 2022 grad Sean Hurst.

GIRLS: ARMA-NORTHEAST finished 13-9 and took third place in the Three Rivers League last season with a 9-2 mark. Fourth-year coach Brandon Sigmon returns all five starters from that squad, All-League seniors Liberty Sigmon (14 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.3 spg, 5-5), Autumn Claffey (6.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.1 spg, 5-6), MaKenzie Jackson (10.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 5-6), fellow senior Chasity Young (2.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-6), and junior Shelby Underwood (5.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1 apg).

“Our goal is to have a better record than last season, to compete for a league championship and to be competitive heading into sub-state,” Sigmon said. “Getting some valuable minutes from our kids off the bench, mostly younger kids, to give our starters some breaks, taking care of the basketball and making smart decisions offensively, our attention to detail defensively, and communicating will be big.”

BUFFALO-ALTOONA-MIDWAY lost their first round matchup with Waverly, 61-32, and finished the season with a 3-16 record. Mariah Stackhouse was the team’s only All-League selection and

Williams said.

OLATHE NORTHWEST nearly overcame 6A third-place finisher Blue Valley in their substate finals matchup, but fell just short, 43-41. The Ravens finished 14-8 and now-juniors Skyler Pierce (Nebraska volleyball commit, Jillian Huckabey (Florida International volleyball commit, and Emily Fischer each earned AllLeague recognition.

OLATHE SOUTH entered into sub-state with a 15-5 mark and dispatched first round opponent Olathe East before losing a finals matchup with Shawnee Mission West 42-33. Juniors Ella Anderson and Adriana Tetley both earned AllLeague honors last season, but replacing AllState senior Reagan Halliday will be tough.

OLATHE WEST finished 12-10 after a 4839 sub-state finals defeat against Olathe North. Senior Keely Barnard and sophomore Emma Sales both earned All-League, along with graduates Alexis Newman and Kendall Starcevich.

SHAWNEE MISSION EAST lost their substate opener with Blue Valley, 56-24, and ended

graduated last May.

CHEROKEE-SOUTHEAST went 6-15 and earned all of those wins in league play, where they took sixth with a 6-5 mark. Seniors Audrey Jacobs (4 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-3), Kinzey Cassidy (5.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.9 spg, 5-5), and junior Zoey Tavernaro (3.1 rpg, 5-2) are back from that starting lineup

“Our goals this year will be to improve on last year’s record, both overall and in our league, and as every year, improve from the beginning of the season and be playing our best at the end of the year,” coach Derek Sanders said. “We did a decent job defensively last year, but we need to do a better job scoring the ball. Hopefully we’ll be able to apply more pressure this year, leading to easy baskets, but we also need to limit our own turnovers to make sure we get a good shot every possession.”

CHETOPA got knocked out in the first round of sub-state by Southern Coffey County and ended the year with a 3-13 record. Taylor Beard was the team’s lone All-League selection last season and graduated in the spring.

First-year head coach Steve Zimmerman takes over a COLONY-CREST squad that finished 2-18 and gets back four starters in seniors Haylee Beckmon, McKenna Hammond, and juniors Mia Coleman and Kayla Hermeck.

“I think my team’s success will depend on how fast my team learns a new system,” Zimmerman said. “ We are starting over from ground zero and there is lots of stuff to cover.”

MORAN-MARMATON VALLEY took on Olpe in the first round of sub-state and lost in heartbreaking fashion by a score of 36-35, giving the Wildcats a 12-6 mark on the season. Junior Janae Granere earned All-League honors, along with 2022 grad Ally Ard.

MOUND CITY-JAYHAWK LINN lost their first round matchup at sub-state against an undefeated Pitt-Colgan, 66-16. Rachel Brownback was the Jayhawks lone All-League recipient and was lost to graduation.

OSWEGO finished 1-16 after a first round sub-state loss to Burlingame with their lone win coming against league opponent Chetopa, 40-30. Mae Albertson was the team’s lone All-League selection and was lost to graduation.

PLEASANTON was knocked out in the second

the season 8-13. Third-year head coach Doug Archer returns seniors Riley Eck (3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 5-7), Reese Birch (1.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 5-8), junior Ashley Zastrow (3.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 spg, 5-10), and All-State junior Abigail Long (19.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.9 spg, 5-7, Yale basketball commit).

“(We want to) make things difficult for our opponents and cause chaos on defense and move the ball and play together on offense,” Archer said.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH finished 3-17 last season, matching their win total from the year prior.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST entered sub-state as the second overall seed with 17 wins, but were upset by 10-seed Blue Valley North in the finals, 51-43, and ended the year 18-3. The Cougars graduated all three of their All-League selections, Saige Grampsas, Ella Mackiewicz, and Tamara Harris-Webster.

SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH went 13-8 overall with an 8-5 record in the Sunflower League. Head coach Mark Western enters his

round of sub-state by Uniontown, 53-38, and finished the season 15-6. Junior Eryn Sabine earned All-League during that campaign, along with 2022 grad Bailey Myrick.

ST. PAUL were undefeated league champs after going 10-0 in head coach Calea Augustin’s first season at the helm, along with a 19-3 overall mark. In sub-state, the Indians made their way to the finals as the one-seed, but were unable to overcome a talented Burlingame that went on to take third in state, losing 44-39. All-league seniors Josey Harris (9.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2 apg, 2.8 spg, 5-7) and Sophia Albertini (4.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.3 spg, 5-7) are back from the starting lineup, though the loss of All-League 2022 grads Elise Doherty and Emerald Struthers-O’Brien leaves holes.

“Our team goals for this year is to compete better with each team, win league again, and make it to the state tournament,” Augustin said. “Being able to adjust and learn new things, communication, and teamwork.”

UNIONTOWN finished last season 19-4 after losing in the sub-state championship game to PittColgan, 55-27. The Eagles finished 9-2 in league play and took second in the regular season standings. Junior Rylee Coulter (6.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2 spg, 5-8) and sophomore Reese Gorman (6.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.6 spg, 5-4) are back from the starting lineup after both earned AllLeague honors last year. Other varsity contributors are junior’s Brooklynn Dreisbach (2.3 ppg, 2.3

fourth year with the program with juniors Camryn Smith (17.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.7 spg, 3.6 apg, 5-8), Ashley Vanelders (7.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 6-3), and Joycelyn Moore (7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.6 spg, 2.1 apg, 5-7) all returning starters.

“In order for us to reach our potential we must be great defensively and be a team that really moves the ball well,” Western said. “The best passing team usually wins.”

SHAWNEE MISSION WEST finished 18-5 after losing their first round matchup with Derby in the state tournament last season. Prior to that, the Vikings took third in the Sunflower League and plundered their way through sub-state. AllState senior S’Mya Nichols (15.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg), along with juniors Izzy Joyce (10 ppg, 3 spg, 5-7) and Macie Loe (4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5-10), return from that starting lineup. Nichols, a KU basketball commit, will miss at least the 2022 part of this season as she recovers from a knee injury. Coach Mark Rabbitt cited staying healthy and finding three-point shooters as team keys.

“We believe that we can compete for a SFL title and a sub-state championship,” Rabbitt said.

rpg, 1.2 spg, 5-5), Addisyn Hall (2.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5-10), and sophomore Macy Schoenberger (1.6 ppg, 5-4). Freshmen Jaci Marlow, Ella Shelton, and Klara Stock were others mentioned by head coach Dustin Miller. The graduation of alltime Uniontown career scoring-leader Danielle Howard, a KBCA All-Star and first team All-State selection, leaves Miller with a glaring hole to fill.

“The loss of three starters and two valuable substitutes to graduation will require us to change some of our schemes to fit our young team,” Miller said. “Returning starters Rylee Coulter and Reese Gorman will lead the way as the only returning starters. Brooklynn Dreisbach, Addisyn Hall, and Macy Schoenberger are all capable of filling the void left by the graduating class. Our freshmen group will also compete to solidify our varsity rotation. Jaci Marlow, Ella Shelton, and Klara Stock have the potential to play some valuable varsity minutes as the season progresses. I believe this young team has the ability to compete at a high level. Our successes will not be measured by the number of wins but the small victories that will grow this group into a team that shouldn’t be overlooked.”

YATES CENTER closed out the season 5-14 after a 36-31 first round loss in sub-state to league opponent Uniontown. Morgan Collins was the teams lone All-League selection and graduated last year.

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: CANEY VALLEY lost their first round sub-state matchup with Riverton, 41-37, and wrapped up their season at 11-10. All-League selections Jack Billignsley, Gage Grant, and Anthony Rogers were all lost to graduation.

CHERRYVALE finished 13-9 with a 4-3 TriValley record that left them in third place. Seniors Jackson Knight (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg), Trevin Elam (5 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg), and All-League junior Stetson Schafer (15 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 bpg, 3 spg) are back from that starting lineup.

“Our goal is to continue to learn and apply the skills, fundamentals, and principles of the game,” coach Rodney Vigil said.

First-year head coach Wes Leach is taking over an ERIE team that went 18-4 overall and won the Tri-Valley League with an 8-0 mark. Leach gets zero of those starters back, however, including graduated All-League selections Ethan Bartholomew, Erid Dillinger, and Garret Ruark.

“Get better every day,” Leach said of team goals. “Help our young men grow into accountable people of society. Key to success is controlling the boards and consistency on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball.”

EUREKA went 1-21 overall with a 1-6 mark in league play. First-year head coach Jeff Watts gets four of those starters back in senior Trey Howard (6-2), and juniors Carson Spoonts (5-10), Lyle Perrier (6-3), and Cole Adkins (6-0). Watts’ keys to success include “limiting turnovers, building confidence, and defending.”

“Our goal is to compete and get better every practice and games,” Watts said.

FREDONIA finished 2-19 with an 0-8 mark in league play but return eight lettermen.

“We must compete with ourselves each day,” coach Dee Barnett said. “I expect there to be quite the battle for minutes on the floor between all of our returners.”

HUMBOLDT closed out last season at 13-8 after a second round sub-state loss. In league play the Cubs went 7-4. From that team they return one starter in All-State senior Trey Sommer (15.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg), along with a rotation player, sophomore Colden Cook (5.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-1).

Junior Sam Hull (6-5) and sophomores Blake Ellis (5-9), Logan Page (5-10), and Asher Hart (5-11) are others expected to compete for minutes.

“There were a lot of new faces at the varsity level (last season), and playing at the speed required to be successful can be a challenge,” coach Terry Meadows said. “We also had a challenge with size, as we had no true big man, so we had to really battle on the boards. I am hoping to see Sam Hull become a good inside/out player for us, as he has some good size.”

LEON-BLUESTEM finished 8-10, third place in the Tri-Valley, before graduating their entire starting lineup, including All-Leaguers Landen Wilson, Kristofer Laidler, and Jake Emmons.

“We are looking to compete from start to finish of every game,” coach Branigun Gomez said.

“We will be a younger team this season, but we’re ready to take on the challenge.”

NEODESHA went 5-16 with a 2-5 mark in league play a season ago. Back from that team is one starter in senior Andrew Heck (6-4), with the team’s lone All-League selection Maddux Johnson graduating along with a big senior class.

“Grow with the underclassmen and be competitive in each contest,” coach Nick Hart said of team goals. “We only return three (players) with

TWIN VALLEY LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: AXTELL put together a 12-11 season with an 8-4 record in league play that left them in a tie for third place. Coach Jayson Tynon gets all five starters back in seniors Isaac Detweiler (12.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3 spg, 5-10), and Owen Strathman (8 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 bpg, 6-5), junior Grant Buessing (4 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg), and sophomores Eli Broxterman (10 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, 6-0), and Brandon Schmelzle (11.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 3 spg, 6-2), but the team gets a late start af ter a second straight football title. Other returners include senior Evan Buessing (6-0) and juniors Grady Buessing (6-1) and Sawyer Deters (6-1).

“This is one of the most experienced and deep teams we have had in my tenure,” Tynon said. “We have athletic ability and some skill. We have to be able to hit outside shots and develop con sistent post play on the offensive end. On the defensive end we have to continue to build and play connected.”

*The team got some disappointing news just pri or to the start of the season, learning that senior Owen Strathman will miss basketball and track to a football knee injury.

BLUE VALLEY-RANDOLPH was eighth in the TVL and went 10-12 overall. Five starters are back in seniors Jaylyn Pleasant (12 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 1.7 spg), Ryan Stevens (12 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1 apg), Brock Burgman (6.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg, 2.7 spg), Skyler Zoeller (4.1 ppg, 3 rpg), and Dakota Krause (3.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg).

Nick Evans takes over a CENTRALIA team that finished 11-10 overall with a Twin Valley tourna ment title in tow. Two starters return from that team in seniors Trenton Talley (5-8) and Brock Reinecke (5-9). Talley earned All-League for his efforts, along with 2022 grad Presly Bowers.

“Our goal is to compete at a high level, play together, and enjoy what we are doing together,” Evans said. “This is a talented bunch and we just need to take this thing day-by-day and see where it takes us. We want to run a fast-paced game, and create with our defense. We don’t have a ton of size, so team rebounding will be a team focus all year.”

CLIFTON-CLYDE finished third in the regular season Twin Valley standings at 9-3. Overall the Eagles went 16-7 and return three starters from that group, including senior Seth LeClair (10 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-4), along with juniors Trent Long (11.2 ppg, 2 apg, 2.5 spg, 3.2 rpg, 5-9) and Drayden Reed (3.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1.3 bpg, 6-3).

“We want to win the regular season and tourna ment championship in the TVL this year first and have success in the postseason,” coach Justin Steinbrock said. “Staying healthy and injury free is always critical. I think being the second year in a different system we will be more comfortable in what we want to do and what type of identity we will have as a team.”

DONIPHAN WEST ended their season 7-13 after a first round loss to Centralia in sub-state. Head coach David Johnson gets back one senior

any varsity experience and two of those were very limited in minutes.”

GIRLS: CANEY VALLEY was knocked out in the first round of sub-state by eventual state qualifier Cherryvale, 54-35, finishing the year 5-16. Junior Anna Washburn was the team’s lone All-League selection last season.

CHERRYVALE entered sub-state as a two-seed and fought their way past Galena and Neodesha on their path to state. Silver Lake proved too much for the Chargers once they arrived at Hutch, leaving them at 15-9 on the season. In league play they finished fourth with a 4-3 mark. Four starters are back from that team, including All-League senior Kelsi Lantz (15 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg, 5-8), senior Jenni Bunyard (5 ppg, 4 spg, 4 rpg, 5-5), All-League junior Jailee Reister (12 ppg, 4 apg, 3 spg, 5-3), and junior Bethany Umbarger (11 ppg, 3 apg, 9 rpg, 5-9).

“Understanding each other, using each other to our best ability,” coach Kelsey Overacker said of her team’s keys to success. “We have several weapons and can attack teams in several ways. Being disciplined will be huge for us.”

ERIE lost their first round matchup against Northeast-Arma in sub-state and finished the season 8-13. Junior Alex Pasquarelli was the lone All-League selection for the Red Devils.

EUREKA went 22-2 overall with one of those losses coming in the sub-state final to a talented Frontenac team. The Tornadoes managed to nab a league title, however, and return two starters, senior Cadence Ptacek (6.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 4.3 spg, 5-7) and All-State junior Ashley Singhateh (21 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 5-7).

“We are excited about the season and looking forward to growing our underclassmen,” coach Shelly Hoyt said. “We have a lot of talent we plan to develop and believe that we will be a major contender come March. We will need to stay healthy as our experienced numbers are low and stay focused on the process.”

FREDONIA finished 7-13 with a 2-6 mark in league play in head coach Chad Estes’ sixth

starter from that team in Brody Jeschke.

“Getting young guys to understand how to play together and how to handle adversity,” Johnson said of his team keys. “Finding success, maybe not in the score, but to build on the little things. Our team will have one senior, no juniors, two sophomores, but many incoming freshmen.”

FRANKFORT finished 15-7 overall with an 8-4 mark in league play. In the TVL tournament the Wildcats took third. From that team no starters return, but sophomore rotation players Ty Smith (1.7 ppg, 1 rpg, 5-11) and Lane Loiseau (2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 6-2) give some varsity continuity to head coach Ben Steinlage’s squad.

“There are a lot of holes to fill but also a couple of talented younger classes to help fill some of that void,” Steinlage said. “Need some of those kids to mature physically and mentally at a little quicker pace and to understand that individual improvement is a daily process. With potentially playing as many young guys as we may have to there’s likely to be some growing pains.”

HANOVER finished second in the state last season and missed out on making it back-to-back 1A-DII titles by just one point against Greeley County, losing 56-55. All-State selections Emmitt Jueneman, Keagan Dimler and Philip Doebele were all lost to graduation, with senior Josh Zarybnicky (12 ppg, 7 rpg) back as the lone re turning starter. Coach Cory Jensen has been in two title games in his first three years as head

season with the team. The Yellowjackets return all five starters from that squad, with seniors Natalie Jenkins (10 ppg, 5-5), Madison Jenkins (5 ppg, 5-5), Gracyn Bracken (4 ppg, 5-4), and juniors Campbell Odell (3 ppg, 5-7) and Zoey Sims (15 ppg). Sims earned All-League for her efforts.

“Our goal is to be competitive,” Estes said. “Turn some of the close losses last year into wins this year. We were young last year, and I believe this group of kids have seen what it takes to win. They are hungry and ready to get over that hump. (Our) key to success is outside shooting. We have to get better shooting the ball from the outside. We need to focus on our inside-out game and be able to knock down those open shots.”

HUMBOLDT ended their season 6-14 after a first round loss to Frontenac in sub-state. Current seniors Carsyn Haviland and Karley Wools both earned All-League last season.

LEON-BLUESTEM entered sub-state as the top-seed after a strong regular season, but saw an unexpected end to their run in a second round OT loss to West Elk, 46-42. The Lions ended up 17-4 on the year. Senior Reise Witty earned All-League honors a season ago, but loses fellow All-Leaguer Lauren Donner to graduation.

NEODESHA went 14-8 with a 6-1 mark in league play, leaving them in second place in the Tri-Valley at season’s end. Sixth-year Bluestreak coach Justin Stover returns sophomores Samantha Stover (5-7), Prayer Roebuck (5-11), and senior Kristen Stover (5-10) from that lineup.

“Our goal is to compete for the league title and make another push to play for a chance to get to the state tournament,” coach Stover said. “Team chemistry and the ability to work together for a common goal are our keys to success.”

coach and holds a 48-3 career mark.

“Our goal is always to be the best version of our selves that we can be,” coach Jensen said.

LINN went 3-17 without notching a win in league play. Entering his third season, head coach Michael Voelker returns senior Kreighton Klima (7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 6-0), junior Gavin Turk (6.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 6-0), and sophomores Conner Ohlde (5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6-2) and Ethan Bott (2.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 5-9).

“Our goal is to compete at the highest level de fensively and execute our offense on a consistent basis,” Voelker said. “Continue to grow and find success from the lessons learned as a young team last year and to turn those lessons learned into more opportunities to be on the winning side of games this season.”

ONAGA closed out last season 6-15 with a 3-9 record in league play that put them in ninth place at season’s end. Head coach Luke Baxter enters his 12th year at the helm with senior starters Zac Fisher (10 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3 apg, 6-1), Ty Figge (5.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 5-11), and Colby Simkins

(4.5 ppg,

“We have to develop post play” Baxter said. “We lost two post players to graduation that finished the year strong last year.”

TROY qualified for state last season after a comeback win over the top seed in sub-state, Cair Paravel, 58-57. The Trojans lost their first round matchup with repeat state champs Olpe, but still hung their hat on a solid 16-8 season with a second place finish in the TVL at 10-2. All-State senior Jerrit Norris (14.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 2.5 spg, 6-4), and classmates Reagan Hartman (6.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 6-0) and Boden Benitz (5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg, 6-0) are back from that starting lineup after also leading the Trojans to an excellent football season. Other returners with varsity experience include seniors Preston Christenson (6-0) and Austin Grable (60), and juniors Seth Judd (5-9), Christian Etherton (5-10) and Brogan Morris (6-5). The Trojans need Norris to stay healthy after he battled injuries a season ago.

“This year we will again be one of the most experienced teams in the area,” coach Jonathan Rodvelt said. “The players are confident from last year’s postseason success and have the drive to go back to Dodge City. We’ll be more aggressive this year with more depth on the bench. If our of fense can match the defense, we’ll be tough to beat.”

VALLEY HEIGHTS went 4-18 with a 2-10 mark in league play last season. Senior Caden Parker (9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6-1), along with sophomores Royce Ekstrum (6.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 6-3) and Logan Gray (6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6-1), are all back from that starting lineup. Other lettermen include junior Kaison Bigham (2.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6-1) and sopho mores Jayden Dewalt (1.1 ppg, 5-10) and Dustin Denton (1.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6-0).

“We will still be a young team, but will have a lot of potential to do well,” coach Cale Green said. “We need to limit turnovers this year and execute offensively in order to be successful.”

WASHINGTON COUNTY finished 4-17 last season and return four starters from that squad in seniors Payton LeDuc, Jaydon Otott, Trenton Zenger, and junior Miles Miller. Other varsity re turners include senior Konnor Gepner and juniors Austin Wurtz and Carson Kearn.

WETMORE earned a first round bye in substate after going 14-6 in the regular season, but were knocked out in the second round against Axtell by a score of 59-55.

GIRLS: AXTELL finished 3-19 and took last place in the league a season ago. First-year head coach Bradley Broxterman gets two starters back from that team in seniors Taylor Broxterman (11 ppg) and Laney Porting (8 ppg).

“(We) need our two seniors to have great lead ership and freshman girls stepping up,” coach

Broxterman said of his team’s keys.

BLUE VALLEY-RANDOLPH finished 7-13 with a 2-11 mark in league, but the Rams get back considerable varsity experience. Senior Landry Zoeller (12.1 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 spg, 5-7), juniors Kirsten Allison (6.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5-9) and Kya Stevens (3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 5-6), and sopho mores Kenedy Lister (2.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 5-4) and Isabel Wright (2.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5-6) established themselves in prior seasons, while sophomores Lexi Weixelman (5-5), Eve Corkill (5-6), Brianna Krause (5-6), and freshman Brynlyn Brockman (5-8) look to do so this season.

“Zoeller will need to lead this team as the lone returning senior on the roster,” coach Matt Schreiber said. “She has the ability to take op ponents off the dribble and finish at the rim as well as hitting the three. We have to be ready to play every time the whistle blows, win the 50/50 ball war, and out-hustle our opponents for a full 32 minutes. A good mix of younger players and freshmen must step up quickly and be ready to play, stay away from injuries, and stay healthy.”

CENTRALIA finished as the 1A-DI state run ner-up with their only loss of the year in the state championship game by just two points to Pretty Prairie. First year head coach Dusty Thompson takes over for Roger Holthaus, who replaced Larry Glatczak as the Panther head football coach. Thompson gets back three starters from that team in All-State sophomore Oen Deters (17.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.8 spg, 5-6), and seniors Lena Haverkamp (10.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 spg, 5-6) and Jayden Wells (2.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5-6).

“Our goal early will be to find our role,” Thompson said. “Whether it’s as a scorer, a re bounder, or the girl that wants the challenge of guarding their best player. Our tallest player is 5-7, so just like in the past we’ll challenge the girls to outwork other teams at both ends of the floor. Hopefully doing those two things will give us the opportunity to play for a league championship and make it back to the state tournament.”

CLIFTON-CLYDE posted a 15-9 mark with a 6-6 record in league play. The Eagles also advanced to the state tournament where they fought hard, but were knocked out by Hodgeman County, 4943, in the first round. Eleventh-year head coach Kieran Wurtz returns senior Haley Thrasher (3.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5-8), junior Shea Wurtz (12.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.8 spg, 5-10), and sophomore Lilian Steinbrock (9.3 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.5 spg, 5-5) from that starting lineup and should get a boost from talented incoming freshman Sevy Wurtz, Shea’s younger sister, giving the older Wurtz a pair of daughters on the team.

“We will need to build upon a strong showing

from some underclassmen from last year,” coach Wurtz said. “We will need to shoot the ball from the outside when teams take away our transition game and limit our easy points.”

DONIPHAN WEST lost in the sub-state semi finals to a determined Frankfort squad and closed out their season at 16-6. Seniors start ers Claire Cole (5-7), Kyra Johnson (5-8), and Avery Weathersbee (5-8) return. Other key re turners include juniors Malaina Whetstine (5-7), Lena Leatherman (5-5) and Ava Gladhart (5-4), and sophomores Brennah Edie (5-3) and Katie Johnson (5-10).

FRANKFORT went 15-8 with a 6-6 record in league play and have back four starters including senior Taryn Parthemer (5-6), and juniors Hattie Gros (5-8), Emma Hardwick (5-5) and Sydney Wapp (5-10). Other letterwinners include juniors Lexi Dalinghaus (5-8), Tana Stowell (5-5), and sophomore Breleigh Ebert (5-7).

“We will push tempo when it’s available and slow it down and run our half-court offense when we can’t run,” coach Brian Ebert said. “We will need everyone to step up and do that night in and night out. We will be young, but experienced, so hopefully we are more consistent. Our under classmen are very talented and will be relied on a lot this season. The key this year is finding more scoring threats night in and night out.”

HANOVER finished third at state last season, beating Central Christian, 47-27, after losing to powerhouse Central Plains by just five points in the semis, an unusually close one for the Oilers. All-State senior Ceegan Atkins and All-State ju nior Tessa Lohse were key components in that tournament run and give the Wildcats a pair of standouts to build around, but HHS needs to re place graduated All-Leaguer Avery Behrends. Seventh-year head coach Trevor Kuhlman led LINN to a sub-state title game where they fell short against eventual state third place finisher Hanover, ending the season 13-9. Seniors Sophia Bott (11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-6), Megan Beier (8.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-7) and Claire Beikmann (8.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.3 spg, 5-9) return from that starting lineup.

“We bring back a lot of young experience from last year’s squad,” Kuhlman said. “We had a great summer together, and our goals are to compete each night at our highest level and be consistent all year.”

ONAGA was knocked out in the first round of sub-state against Frankfort, 42-20, and finished the season 4-15.

TROY overcame Cair Paravel in the first round of sub-state, but weren’t able to get past state runner-up Centralia in the second round and fin

ished the season 9-13. Senior Paityn Engemann was the lone All-League selection for the Trojans.

VALLEY HEIGHTS qualified for the state tour nament last year and were just barely kept from advancing to the second round after a 46-43 loss to Berean Academy. The Mustangs finished 21-3 overall with a second place finish in both the TVL tournament and regular season league play. Senior Kaylee Skalla (3.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-8) and junior Maggie Toerber (6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-6) are both back from that starting lineup but the Mustangs have holes to fill from a quality group of seniors.

“We will need to limit turnovers and rebound well to be successful this season,” coach Jordan Broxterman said. “We have a new look to our team in terms of personnel, but the high expec tations will still be the same.”

WASHINGTON COUNTY went 12-10 with a 6-6 record in the Twin Valley League that left them tied for fifth place. In sub-state the Tigers advanced to the state tournament and put up a good fight against Clifton-Clyde, but ultimately lost, 36-31. Senior Emma Hoover (6 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 5-5) and sophomore Jesse Hoover (12 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.7 spg) are back from that starting lineup.

“We lost some on the floor experience from last year’s team due to graduation,” coach Scott Romeiser said. “We will have some girls stepping into new roles, hopefully we will be able to build some continuity ear ly in the season. We will have to do a better job scoring the ball as well as re bounding will be key for us because as a whole we are a little undersized.”

WETMORE overcame Axtell in the first round of sub-state 53-48, but had less luck in the semifi nals against Hanover, losing that one 63-27 and closing out their season at 5-16.

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

The UKC gets significantly more competitive this season with the addition of Centennial League powers Seaman and Topeka West, and Frontier League power KC Piper.

BOYS: BASEHOR-LINWOOD earned the one-seed at sub-state and advanced to the finals, but were upset by a talented St. James squad. The Bobcats finished 19-3 overall and took first in the UKC. All-League senior Tyson Ruud (14.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 6-6) is the lone starter back from that squad. Head coach Mike McBride was named UKC Co-Coach of the Year. “Young kids’ developments are key,” coach McBride said. “We have some very good sophomores, but Tyson is going to have to pull us through until they get some experience.”

DE SOTO finished as the 4A state runner-up with a 20-5 mark on the season and took second in the UKC with an 8-2 mark. The Wildcats graduated three starters including All-League selections Tyler and Ethan Schultze, but return All-State junior David Cobin (17.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.4 spg, 5-10) and All-League senior Trent Johnson (9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 5-11). Head coach Matt Rice was named UKC Co-Coach of the Year and called defense and shooting his team’s keys to success this season.

“Our goal is to compete night in and night out and to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” coach Rice said.

Frontier League transplant KC-PIPER went 14-8 with a 9-0 mark in conference play last season, leaving them in first place in their final year as a member. Juniors Devin Kerr (6-4), Gannon Roth (6-4) and sophomores PJ Moore

(5-9) and Lantz Walton (5-9) return with starting experience, but replacing All-Stater Jaron Briggs and All-Leaguer Aaron Simmons won’t be easy.

“Sticking together and being mentally strong both on and off the court are our keys to success,” coach Steve Wallace said.

KC-TURNER finished last season winless and had one player receive All-League honors in now-senior Daleshawn Jenkins.

LANSING went 10-10 and placed fourth in the UKC last season. Senior Nate Expose (7 ppg, 8 rpg), and juniors Davion Winton (7 ppg, 2 apg) and Lexton Grafke (6 ppg) are back from that team, but replacing All-League selections Joren Remington and Adam Allen won’t be easy.

“Development of players who have to go from role players to starters and major contributors,” coach Jason Jones said of his team’s keys.

LEAVENWORTH finished 6-15 after their first round loss to De Soto in Sub-State. Seniors Eddie McLaughlin and Jeremiah Lewis are back after earning All-League honors, alongside fellow senior Trevonte Miller and sophomore Jamarcus Crawford, but the Pioneers will have to replace grads Jaikuan Darthard and Corey Chatmon.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS took third place in the UKC last season with a 5-5 mark. Overall the Thunderbirds finished 14-8 and get back two junior starters in All-League selection Brennon Dodge (15.7 ppg, 2.1 apg, 2 spg) and Jayden Holly (7.7 ppg 7.1 rpg, 1.5 spg, 6-2).

“Team goal is to get better every week,” coach Ken Darting said.

TOPEKA-SEAMAN turned it on at the right time and dominated their way through the postseason to a 5A state title. After earning a nine-seed going into sub-state at 13-7, the Vikings made their 73-65 first round win against eight-seed Maize South their last game decided by single digits and defeated De Soto 66-47 in the state championship game. Seaman graduates three starters from that team, including All-State selections Ty Henry and Mateo Hyman and All-Leaguer Gavin Wilhelm, but return All-State selection Kaeden Bonner (13.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 6-2) and his fellow senior Aron Davis (10.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 6-4).

“We want to compete for a Conference championship in our first year in the United Kansas Conference,” coach Craig Cox said.

TOPEKA WEST made their way back to the state tournament after taking second in 5A two years ago, before being eliminated by St. James Academy in the first round, leaving them at 21-2 on the season. Prior to that the Chargers finished 10-1 in league play and secured a Centennial League title. All-State selection Elijah Brooks (University of North Dakota basketball) will be missed in the starting lineup, but seniors Xavier Alexander (10.7 ppg, 4 apg, 3.5 rpg, 6-1), Sincere Austin (10.6 ppg, 3.1 apg, 2.2 spg, 6-2), and Malachi Berg (10 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-3) are all back from that starting lineup.

GIRLS: BASEHOR-LINWOOD took second in the UKC to Lansing and in sub-state to league opponent De Soto last season and closed out the season at 14-7. Jason Tatkenhorst, entering his 27th season as a head coach, returns a swath of varsity experience in seniors Emma Johnson (5-5) and All-League selection Taylor Cruse (5-4, Ohio State softball commit), All-League juniors Kodi Greer (5-6) and Harley Baker (5-6), fellow junior Savanah Fisher (5-6), and senior Ella Gilliam (5-7)

“We graduated four players from last year,”

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Tatkenhorst said. “We have quite a number of players returning from last year’s 14-7 team. We are lacking height for sure, but hopefully our skill and shooting will make up for that. This group should be fun to watch.”

DE SOTO finished last season 15-8 after punching their ticket to the state tournament with a 43-36 sub-state championship win over league opponent Basehor-Linwood.

KC-PIPER finished 3-17 in their last season as part of the Frontier League, however, the Pirates bring back five players with starting experience, including junior Lauren Marron (5-5) who missed last season with an injury. Others in that group include senior Tatum Vallejo (5-3), junior Sage Grann (8.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5-10), and sophomores Abbie Roth (4.1 ppg, 5-9) and Avary Vallejo (4.1 ppg, 5-5).

“Improve over last year,” coach Shane Stout said of his team’s goal. “We have several incoming freshmen and players returning from injury.”

KC-TURNER was knocked out of the first round of sub-state by state champs St. ThomasAquinas and finished 3-18 on the year. Senior Arlyn Carrillo was the team’s only All-League selection last season.

LANSING finished fourth place in 5A last season with a 20-5 overall mark and took first in the UKC a season ago. Head coach Brett Pierce takes over for KC Simmons, who resigned in April, and gets back senior Skylar Weaver (9.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2 spg, 5-9) from that starting lineup.

“Developing our returners and getting them confident in their new roles are our keys to success,” Pierce said.

After upsetting KC-Sumner in the first round of sub-state, LEAVENWORTH went on to lose in the finals to Spring Hill, 40-26, to finish 8-14. All-League selections Brandi Gardner, Kaylee McLain, and Jariah Wright all graduated, but senior Monece Thomas, along with varsity contributors, sophomore Avianna Garrett and juniors Makiya Barker and Kylee West return.

SHAWNEE HEIGHTS went 10-11 overall with a 4-6 mark in the UKC last season. Seniors Riley Showalter (5-9), Taylor Rottinghaus (5-4), Korin Gonzales (5-8), Abby Fleischer (5-10), Haydin Hill (5-6), Taylor Rantz (5-8) and Emari Doby (5-8), as well as juniors Breezy Canady (5-5), Audre Schulte (5-6) and Rachel Swift (6-0) are all

back with varsity experience. Coach Bob Wells pointed out sophomores Haley Bowers (5-3), Taylor Brees (5-3), Madison Morris (5-3), and Kaydence Torrez (6-2) as others that could see varsity action.

“The Thunderbirds return a lot of varsity experience and it’s time for all the hard work to pay off,” Wells said. “A strong senior class will lead the way but will rely on a few underclassmen to lend a hand both in the post and on the perimeter. The girls are extremely motivated and there is anticipation to see the growth of the off-season show up as improvement during the season. There is room for a few girls from the JV team or incoming freshmen to step up and help at the varsity level. We are all looking forward to coming together as a team working hard throughout the season. Seaman and DeSoto should be the teams to beat in the UKC. They return a number of girls from last year’s teams that were very tough. Basehor, Lansing, and Leavenworth can never be overlooked and the tradition Piper brings to the UKC will make everyone’s schedule even tougher.”

TOPEKA-SEAMAN went 16-6 with a third place finish in their final season in the Centennial League. Starters back from that team include All-State sophomore Anna Becker (14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg, 5-9), All-League sophomore Ava Esser (5 ppg, 7 rpg, 6-0), junior All-League selection Taylin Stallbaumer (10 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 5-7) and junior Brooklyn Gormley (5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6-1). Other varsity players back include seniors Jaycee Chumann (5-5), Carsyn Anderson (5-4), along with sophomores Kinley Wilhelm (5-7) and Jaida Stallbaumer (5-6).

“Continuing the build on the run we had last year playing mainly freshman and sophomores,” coach Matt Tinsley said of his team’s goals. “We got a taste of it. We have depth and can play a lot of girls. (We want to play an) uptempo game.”

TOPEKA WEST beat Highland Park and St. Xavier last season, but that was it. Junior Zoe Clark was the team’s lone All-Leaguer.

Kaeden Bonner Seaman, Senior

Rex

Taylor Cruse

Basehor-Linwood, Senior

Derek Wiley/Leavenworth Times

WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: DODGE CITY finished second in the WAC with a 6-2 mark and a 19-4 record overall. Third-year head coach Shane Traughber saw the graduation of eight seniors from that team, including Cooper Scheck (Dodge City CC Golf) who averaged 16 points per game a season ago. Lone returning starter, Isaiah Taylor, is coming off an All-League junior year during which he av eraged 9.2 points and 2.4 assists per game run ning the point. Also joining him are junior Daelyn Unuetz (4 ppg) and Tochi Okoro (2.2 ppg), both rotation players a year ago.

“We will have a lot of production and leadership to replace from last year’s team with eight valu able seniors graduating,” Traughber said. “We will rely on our one returning starter, senior PG Isaiah Taylor to bring along a lot of players with out much varsity experience into the fold. There will be a lot of competition for minutes early on, which will hopefully make us a deeper team this year.”

GARDEN CITY finished third in league play last season with a 3-5 mark in the WAC and went 10-11 overall in head coach Jeff Williamson’s first year with the team. The Buffaloes return a healthy share of varsity experience from last year including All-League seniors Jace Steinmetz (10 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg, Doane University commit) and Caleb Wiese (11 ppg, 10 rpg), along with fellow seniors Jake Underwood (8 ppg, 5 rpg), and Iziah Salinas (7 ppg, 5 apg, Barton County Baseball commit). Replacing the production of All-League Tae Rosales is likely to be at the top of Williamson’s to-do list.

GREAT BEND closed out last season with a 7-14 mark overall with a 3-5 WAC record that left them in the fourth place at season’s end. While the Panther’s record wasn’t ideal, they bring back a strong group consisting of junior Carter Coombs (8.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.6 apg), and seniors Braylon Council (5.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.7 spg), Tyler Stuhlsatz (2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Matthew Moeder (1 ppg, 1.7 rpg). Senior Cayden Scheuerman, and juniors Maddox Spray and Parker Dicks are three others that could make a varsity impact.

“Our team goal is to be competitive, prepared, and focused every time we take the court,” head coach Kyle Kreigh said. “Our keys to success are expanding our playbook on offense and running plays with multiple ball reversals and actions. On

defense, we will need to speed teams up and not let them get to the basket or high percentage shots. We want to force them to take tough shots and force turnovers. We will need multiple guys to step up and rebound if we want a chance to compete throughout the season after losing allstate honorable mention players Stefan Spray (Barton CC) and Sage Koelsch (Pratt CC).”

After winning at least a share of the league title with a 59-9 record in his three years at HAYS HIGH, two-time WAC Coach of the Year Alex Hutchins has moved on to Washburn Rural to fill long-time head coach Kevin Muff’s position af ter he stepped down this past offseason. Filling Hutchins’ position is former Trego head coach Sean Dreiling, who compiled a 67-62 record in six seasons with the Golden Eagles and capped off his last season there with Trego’s first state tournament appearance since 2009. Dreiling takes over a team that finished 20-2 with a perfect league record last season but gradu ated all five starters from a big senior class in the spring, including WAC Player of the Year Jace Linenberger and his all-league classmates Carson Kieffer and Jordan Dale. The only play ers on the team with any varsity experience at all are seniors Remy Stull (6-1, New Mexico St. football offer), Devin Schmidtberger (5-11), and junior Jack Weimer (5-9). Senior Chason VanderWege (6-1) and junior Edwin Mueller (60) are others expected to see varsity time.

“Focus on the process,” Dreiling said of his team’s key. “Make it a mission to get better ev ery day and represent Hays to the fullest on the court, in the classroom and in the community.”

LIBERAL went 4-17 in head coach Keenan Thompson’s first season with the program and took fifth in the WAC. Back from that starting lineup are seniors Isaiah Almeida (6.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1 spg, 5-10), Israel Garcia-Rotolo (6.7 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-11) and AB Amador (1.8 ppg, 5-11).

“Our keys to success are: 1. To be more disci plined; 2. Our scorers have to make plays, and guys have to realize not everyone is a scorer; and 3. Eliminate stupid fouls,” Thompson said.

GIRLS: DODGE CITY advanced to state after upsetting a loaded Wichita Heights team in the sub-state finals. The Demons were knocked out in the next round by state champs Washburn Rural, finishing the year at 19-4. Senior Becca Unruh earned All-League last season along with

junior Easha Potts, but replacing All-State selec tion Camree Johnson and the team’s other AllLeaguer, Victoria Gonzales, won’t be easy.

GARDEN CITY ended last season 3-18 and had one All-League selection in senior Amaya Gallegos.

GREAT BEND finished 7-14 with a 2-6 league record that left them in fourth place. Three start ers are back from that team in juniors Emilee Hall (11 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5-9), Mersadie Spray (11 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.3 spg, 5-8, All-WAC), and Makenzie Premer (3.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-7).

“We are returning three starters which gives great varsity experience,” coach Cindy Beck said. “We did lose some pieces to graduation though. That should lead to some very com petitive practices to see who will step up and fill some key positions. Defense is going to have to be a big focus for us again this year and some thing we need to improve on. We will have to learn to battle inside when we are outsized by opponents. Our team has to become more con sistent on both ends of the court. We have to be able to rely on each other to do their job to better the team. We look to compete in every game.”

HAYS went 13-9 with a 4-4 mark in WAC play, giving them a bronze in the league standings. Third-year head coach Len Melvin gets back

senior Carly Lang (7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-6, Second Team All-WAC), junior Jillyan Sheldon (7.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6-2), and sophomore Molly Martin (11 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.7 spg, 5-6, Second Team All-WAC).

“It is imperative that we are very sound defen sively,” Melvin said. “We know that shots may not fall so being really good defensively gives us a

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Isaiah Taylor Dodge City, Senior

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: ALMENA-NORTHERN VALLEY

finished third in the state last season after beating Bucklin in OT of the consolation game, 84-79. All-State selections Bailey Sides and Eric Loya were both lost to graduation, but the Huskies do get back All-State junior Kenton Thalheim. Fourth-year head coach Kevin Sides also expects senior Foster Brands (6-2), and juniors Drew Schemper and Jeremiah Hansen to get plenty of varsity minutes, but junior Brody Preston will miss the season with an injury.

BIRD CITY-CHEYLIN returns to the basketball court on their own this season after playing in a co-op with St. Francis last year. Coach Chris Walden welcomes an experienced group in the form of four juniors with significant varsity playing time: Logan McCarty (6-0), Pablo Bermudez (511), Brady Ketzner (5-9), and Victor Hernandez (6-2). Walden set goals of winning the WKLL and making it to the state tournament.

Walden called “defensive execution, reestablishing the identity of our basketball team that we had in the 2020-2021 season, play fast, play hard, and do the little things correctly every

day” his team’s keys.

GRAINFIELD-WHEATLAND/GRINNELL went 14-8 last season and return two starters from that team in seniors Nathan Vollbracht (5.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-10) and Treven Humphries (9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 5-10) but the graduation of a talented group of seniors and the move of Jett Vincent to CantonGalva for his senior year will make this team look very different this season.

“Our goal is to always win our League, qualify for the KSHSAA state tournament, and ultimately compete for a state championship,” coach Will Bixenman said, “but everything before and inbetween is most important. I’m excited to get to work with this group every day and continually improve on a daily basis. We are young and will be relying on some inexperience at the varsity level to contribute big minutes for us. We lost over half of our offensive scoring so we will obviously need to fill that void, but I’m excited to have our young guys returning and to see how our freshmen develop.”

LOGAN-PALCO made their way to the substate finals before seeing their season come to and end at the hands of league rival Northern Valley, finishing 14-7 overall. All-League selections Dylan Van Laeys, Kylor Hogan, and Ty Kats all graduated last spring, leaving a big production void.

RANSOM-WESTERN PLAINS/HEALY finished 4-16 after a first round sub-state loss to Wheatland-Grinnell. All-League selection Eddie Malicovsky and a good majority of their varsity minutes have since been lost to graduation.

“We will work on being competitive, having fun, hustling on the floor, and working as a team on defense,” coach Joe Spangler said. “We are very young this year. We will work on being a team and fundamentals to put us in position to be competitive in as many games as we can.”

WESTERN KANSAS LIBERTY LEAGUE

REXFORD-GOLDEN PLAINS finished 3-17 overall with a 2-8 league record and starts this season with a new coach and starting lineup, as first year head coach Edward Weiner takes over a team that graduated a big class.

“Our goal is to work hard and improve each and every game,” Weiner said. “We want to be competitive and never quit working hard. Key to success is the development of our underclassmen. Our team will consist of mainly freshmen and sophomores as we will only have one junior and no seniors.”

TRIPLAINS-BREWSTER went 12-8 with a 5-2 mark in league play that left them third in the WKLL. All-League senior Brock Woolf (12.4 ppg, 13.8 rpg, 6-6, K-State football commit) is the lone returning starter from that team.

“Improving our outside game and three-point percentage are our keys to success,” coach Greg Woolf said.

WESKAN finished 12-12 and took fourth in the WKLL. Senior Gabe Crow (4.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 6-0) and All-League sophomore Trey Allen (16.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 6-0) are back from that starting lineup. Val Reiss returns to take over the program this season after a couple seasons as an assistant at Goodland.

“Our goals will be to mature quickly as players, and be very competitive at the league and postseason tournaments,” coach Reiss said. “Players adjusting to a new coach and system, as well as only having three juniors or seniors, may cause us to struggle slightly at the beginning of year, but we should be an awfully competitive team by tournament time. Trey Allen and Gabe Crow will need to develop as leaders, and Judah Crow, Pearce Richardson, Jadon Schemm, and Brennan Aldridge, among others,

will need to move successfully into important varsity roles, after limited roles last year. If Trey Allen can develop into a 20-plus points per game player as a sophomore, we could really sneak up on some good teams.”

GIRLS: ALMENA-NORTHERN VALLEY went 5-16 and took sixth in the WKLL tournament in head coach Mitch Pugh’s first season. Key players back from that team include seniors Shaylee Vsetecka (4.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5-2), Thayz Saenz (7.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 5-7), juniors Austyn Cox (9.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5-8), Braxton Cox (4.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 5-2), Mary Baird (5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5-7), and sophomore Delaney Sides (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5-6). Pugh pointed out a winning season, winning the WKLL, and winning games in sub-state and beyond as the team’s goals.

BIRD CITY-CHEYLIN is again putting their own team on the court after co-oping with St. Francis a season ago. Former St. Francis High and Cheylin Junior High head coach Ted Busse is leading what will be an untested group consisting of senior Vivian Yanez (5-4), junior Chiara Trane (5-8), sophomores Milla Dorny (60), Stella Michailidis (5-8), Manuela Rodriguez (5-7), and a freshmen group Busse coached in middle school, including Emily Serrano (5-6), Alayna Carson (5-6), and Kyla Howard (5-4).

GRAINFIELD-WHEATLAND/GRINNELL narrowly lost their sub-state championship matchup against state runner-up Golden Plains, 46-45. The Thunderhawks finished 14-8 on the year and bring back All-State junior Karoline Schroeder (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 2.8 spg, 5-8) and All-League senior Kerri Heier (6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2 apg, 1.7 spg, 5-8).

“We expect to compete in all our games,”

WHEAT STATE LEAGUE

By Keegan McCullick, Staff Writer

BOYS: CANTON-GALVA went 10-10 last season and finished fourth in league play. Seniors Garret Maltbie (9.3 ppg), Cason Mastre (6.4 ppg), and TJ Koehn (5.9 ppg) return from that starting lineup, and the Eagles should get a boost from the addition of former WheatlandGrinnell standout Jett Vincent, who earned AllState honors as a junior for the Thunderhawks and should help fill the hole left by graduated AllState honorable mention, Tyson Struber.

“Just getting better everyday,” coach Larry O’Conner said of his team’s goal.

GOESSEL closed out the season with a 15-7 overall mark and a 6-3 record in league play. Two starters are back from that team in senior Caleb Burkholder (6.7 ppg, 6-1) and junior Noah Schrag (2.7 ppg, 5-10).

“We will be looking to younger guys to step up this season after loosing eight seniors to graduation and losing other letterwinners to injury,” coach Curtis Guhr said. “Offensively,

we lost a good portion of our scoring from last season so we will be looking to others to step up and fill those roles. With decent numbers we look forward to competitiveness in practices and finding the right people to fit into roles will be important to how successful this year can be. We look to build off last year’s success and continue to build our program.”

HERINGTON only managed one win and finished 1-19, but get back five starters from that team in seniors Will Lingenfelser and Kris Jones, and juniors Tristen Swarts, Kwinton Barlow-McKenna and Tyus Becker. The Railers also have a new head coach in first-year man Blake Homman.

“Our team goals for this year are to compete for a league championship and make a run in sub-state,” Homman said. “Our key to success this year will be working together and doing the little things to help us win. We were very young last year and gained a lot of experience and we will use what we learned to help us compete in

every game.”

After securing a league title with a 9-0 mark in the WSL, LITTLE RIVER closed out the season at 16-7 with a sub-state championship loss to Macksville. All-League senior Braxton Lafferty (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 3.1 spg, 6-1) returns, along with classmates Dalton Mantz (6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5 apg, 2.9 spg, 5-9), Rylan Konen (7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 6-1), and Treyton Olander (5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6-1).

“Our goal is to build on what we accomplished last year. (We started last) season with three starters banged up, two not coming back until after Christmas,” coach Erik Base said. “Asked a lot of guys to step up into roles that they may not of even thought they would be in and they did a great job. Had a great summer with them and look forward to continue to get better as a group and compete at a high level. Our keys to success are going to be to continue sharing the ball, working for great shots and having the toughness to finish on the defensive end.”

LOST SPRINGS-CENTRE secured a oneseed at sub-state last season, even though they had a losing record going in at 8-10. The

Cougars ended up losing to Central Plains in the title game and finished 9-11 on the year.

MCPHERSON-ELYRIA CHRISTIAN finished second in the WSL at 8-1 and posted a 15-7 record overall after falling to Pawnee Heights in the second round of sub-state, 41-39.

Sophomore Ty Romero (11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 6-3), junior Johnny Unruh (8.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.3 spg, 6-1), and senior Caleb Laney (4.2 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg) are key returners which should help the Eagles continue their winning ways.

“Our goals this season will be to improve every day in practice and build solid habits,” coach Zach Goodrich said. “We were young last year, and in some high level contests that youth showed. We are hoping with a season under our belts and a tough way to lose our final contest, we learned some valuable lessons that will lead to the commitment needed to play a fundamentally sound game. We have players

have

knowledge of the game, but need to learn to make the right decisions during the

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first round of sub-state and ended their season 6-14. Lone All-League selection Philip Young was lost to graduation.

RURAL VISTA went 2-18 with a ninth place finish in the Wheat State League. Back from that team are seniors Parker Stilwell (13.8 ppg) and Jason Elson (2 ppg), and junior Colton Jacobson (6.5 ppg).

“After struggling much of the season last year, Rural Vista brings back eight kids who saw significant minutes,” coach Adam Sobba said. “Our goals are to show improvement. We bring back a lot of kids who played last year and add a very highly touted freshman class. We will still be young with only two seniors but we look to be way more competitive this season.The biggest key for us will how our young kids develop. Our practices should become way more competitive and this will lead to us being more competitive in games.”

SOLOMON finished fourth at 1A-DI state last season to go with a third place finish in the Wheat State League at 7-2. Overall the Gorillas finished 17-9 and get back three starters from that team, All-League junior Spencer Coup (12.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.6 spg, 6-0), junior Spencer Krause (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg, 5-10), and sophomore Carlos Duran (3 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-10), but the transfer of standout guard Makaen Hastings leaves a big hole.

“We lose a lot from the previous season,” coach Kyler Stein said. “Our goal is to get better each and every day and compete for a league championship. We failed to reach that goal last year and it is something we are determined to get this year. Our defensive pressure will be a huge part of our success. We are a very undersized team and we want to play at a fast pace and pressure you the entire game. If we can do this effectively we will be a tough team for anyone to play.”

WAKEFIELD lost their first round matchup in sub-state and finished the season 5-14.

GIRLS: After a first round sub-state loss against St. John, CANTON-GALVA finished 3-17 in head coach Brad Willems’ first year with the program. Back from that team are seniors

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Mimi Craig, Brecken Pearson, Sage Toews, and Lili Espinoza along with a strong group of underclassmen.

“We had a really good summer together,” Willems said. “I am not looking at just wins and losses, I want us to compete in every game. We will play with passion and energy.”

GOESSEL went 12-9 overall with a 4-4 mark in league play in coach Ryan Hoopes 16th season with the Bluebirds. Juniors Cheyenne Sawyer (10 ppg, 5-5) and Braylyn Hoopes (5-5) are both back from that starting lineup, along with seniors Sarah Spurlin (5-6) and Riley Graber (5-7), and junior Jaicee Griffin (5-8) from the varsity bench. Coach Hoopes also pointed out sophomores Aimee Funk (5-4) and Abigail Funk (5-4) as players to watch.

“We will be somewhat young this year, but return a lot of girls who played quality minutes for us last season,” coach Hoopes said. “We return our two leading scorers with Cheyenne Sawyer and Braylyn Hoopes, but will look to a number of others to add to our scoring. We will not be big at all, but we will be very fast. We have a lot of young athletic girls who love to compete, and win. They will be a fun group to watch develop over the course of the season.”

HERINGTON finished 13-7 after a loss to St. Marys in sub-state. All-League selections Tristyn Kremeier and Halle Rutschman both graduated, but sophomore Leslyn Kremeier (5-6) and Harley LaRosa (5-6) are back from that starting lineup.

“Our goal is to get better every day and be competitive,” coach Troy Hetfield said.

League champs LITTLE RIVER advanced to the state tournament after beating St. JohnHudson in a 40-39 nailbiter in the sub-state final. Once at state they were knocked out in the first round, but posted a 22-2 record. Juniors Aubrey Orlander (6-0) and Alaina Eck (5-4), Ashley Stephenson (5-7), and sophomore Elsia Boughfman (5-10) are all back from that starting lineup. Senior Victoria Norez (54), juniors Kate Ellwood (5-4), Kami Grasser (5-7) and Katie Collins (5-8), and sophomore Jailyn Miller (5-4) are also back after lettering a season ago.

“We return four starters from last year,” coach Brent Clark said. “We will have both some size and quickness and lots of depth. We will also have one of the most talented freshman classes I’ve seen.”

LOST SPRINGS-CENTRE finished 2-17 after a first round sub-state loss to Tescott and graduated lone All-League selection Carly Deines. Centre does get some good news in the experience they have coming back, though, with sophomores Olivia Carlson (6.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1 bpg, 1.1 spg), Kaitlyn Bina (2.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.1 spg, 5-6) and Hailey Barton (1.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5-8), and juniors Jenaya Plett (2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 spg, 5-4) and Allie Stuchlik (1.6 rpg, 5-5) all back with varying levels of starting experience.

“Staying healthy, out of foul trouble, and developing a mentally tough team chemistry are key to success,” coach Alan Stahlecker said.

MCPHERSON-ELYRIA CHRISTIAN finished 14-8 with an 8-1 mark in league play. The Eagles lost in the sub-state championship game against Central Christian. Key players back from that team include All-league senior Ryland Hawkinson (14.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.5 spg, 5-9), senior Allie Stone (4.9 ppg, 1.5 apg, 2.1 spg, 5-5), senior Alexus Swenson (3.4 ppg, 1.4 spg, 5-3), and junior Julia Allen (1.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 5-7).

“There are a lot of younger players that are coming back or joining the team this year, and I won’t be surprised if some of them make a big impact on our success this season,” coach Greg Fields said. “We lost some key players last year, but I am excited by the speed and athleticism of the group that we get to work with. This group of girls love to get out and play defense, and we are hoping to create transition points by running the floor for four quarters. I’m looking forward to coaching a

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team that is truly selfless and ready to play for each other.”

PEABODY-BURNS is once again able to field enough girls to start their program back up after a multi-year hiatus. Head coach Austin Weaver leads the resurgent team as they take the court in 2022.

RURAL VISTA went 11-11 a season ago after losing in the sub-state finals game. Four starters are back from that team in All-League senior Kacie Acres (13 ppg, 15 rpg, 3.9 bpg, 6-2) and juniors Angie Linder (7.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6-0), Shaylee Sanford (6.4 ppg, 5.6), and Bailey Rapp (2.5 apg, 5-6).

“Our goal every year is to compete for a league championship and earn a trip to the state tournament,” coach Kane Hensley said.

SOLOMON finished 2-16 last season, but has a new head coach taking over in 2012 Sacred Heart grad Luke Riordan. The former Knight gets two starters back from last year’s team in junior Taytum Anderson (5-7) and sophomore Maya Newcomer (5-10).

“Our goal is for the players to walk away with a better attitude and understanding of basketball,” Riordan said.

WAKEFIELD was knocked out in the second round of sub-state and finished the season 9-12. Senior Jada Clark earned All-League honors for her efforts.

By Brian Thomas, Montgomery Co. Chronicle

For a second straight year, Washburn Rural captured the Class 6A wrestling championship. This time, just 8.5 points separated the Junior Blues from runner-up Derby in the final standings.

Can Washburn Rural make it three straight titles this season? Well the Junior Blues will have some competition based on the preseason rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.

Washburn Rural was picked eighth in the KWCA poll, with Derby the preseason #1. Rounding out the top-10 rankings were Garden City in second, Mill Valley third, Free State fourth, Junction City fifth, Olathe North sixth, Gardner-Edgerton seventh, Dodge City ninth and Liberal 10th.

Losing a pair of state champions in Aidan Boline (160) and Austin Fager (182) to graduation, WASHBURN RURAL will have some holes to fill in its lineup in pursuit of a third consecutive 6A crown. The Centennial League champions, under the direction of second-year head coach Joshua Hogan, has five returning state qualifiers. The Junior Blues are led by sophomore Easton Broxterman, last year’s runner-up at 106, that will move up to 113. Also back with state experience is sophomore Kristjan Marshall at 150, junior Brody Byrne at 157, junior Chase Calhoon at 215 and senior Zach Franco at 285. Franco missed all of last season to injury after qualifying for state in 2021. Also look for freshman Cooper Stivers to step into a key role at 106.

“Our goal is to win another 6A wrestling state championship,” Hogan said.

Last year’s runner-up, DERBY, appears to be the favorite heading into the season according to the KWCA. Finishing second in AVCTL-I, the Panthers are led by the return of senior Tate

Rusher, who captured the championship at 138 pounds but will move to 150 this season. Derby had 10 other wrestlers qualify for state, with seven of those placing. That includes senior Braden Tatum at 126 (29-3, second at 120), senior Knowlyn Egan at 157 (39-6, third at 145), junior Peyton Neptune at 175 (35-12, third at 182), junior Diego Gauna at 138 (28-21, fourth at 132), sophomore Jayden Grijalva at 106 (22-10, fifth), senior Cole Molloy at 113 (33-11, sixth) and senior Miles Wash at 215 (37-13, sixth at 220). Also back with state experience are senior Layne Sweat at 132, senior Troy Allen at 144, and junior Mason Hopper at 190.

“Our goal is to try and improve on getting better every day both on the mat, as well as, off the mat,” said Panther head coach Bill Ross, who enters his 22nd year in the program. “The leadership of our upperclassmen will be the key to any success we may have.”

After finishing third at state a year ago, GARDEN CITY could be a threat to win the title this season. The Western Athletic Conference champions have a total of eight returning qualifiers. Leading the way are junior Sebastian Lopez, who is the defending champion at 285 pounds, as well as senior Ryan Heiman, who was the runner-up at 126 but will move to 132 this season. Also placing at state were senior Alan Chairez, fifth at 182 and now at 190, and sophomore Braydon Pacheco, sixth at 106. Other returning qualifiers include sophomore Robert Corrales at 138, senior Colin Klestueber at 157, junior Ethen Allen at 165 and sophomore Brayden Hill at 215.

“We want to win a state championship,” said Garden City head coach Carlos Prieto, now in his 11th year with the program. “The key will be staying healthy and getting everyone in the right weight class.”

MILL VALLEY makes the move up to 6A this season after finishing in a tie for eighth place last year at the Class 5A state tournament. The Jaguars had six wrestlers place at 5A state a year ago — Maddox Casella, second at 126; Eddie Hughart, third at 132; Colin McAlister, fourth at 145; Payton Douglas, fourth at 182; Robert Hickman, sixth at 113; and Dillon Cooper, sixth at 120.

Sunflower League champion FREE STATE is coming off a fourth-place finish at state a year ago. Under the direction of third-year coach Randy Streeter, the Firebirds are led by a pair of defending state champions in seniors Nolan Bradley (41-4) and Matthew Marcum (43-5). Bradley, a three-time state placer, won the title at 113 and will make the move to 120; while Marcum, a two-time state qualifier, will move up to 215 from 195. Three-time qualifier senior Eric Streeter (36-12) placed third for a second straight year at 132 and will move to 138. Sophomore Grayson Hagen (34-12) placed third at 106 a year ago but will compete at 120 or 126. Also back is junior D’onte Goodman (25-18), a two-time qualifier, at 138 or 144.

“We need to be filling in the middle weights with up and coming JV kids and new guys to the program,” Streeter said. “We have five returning state qualifiers, four returning placers, including two state champs. We are heavy in numbers with 60-plus, but we need to shuffle some guys around in December and figure out what our best lineup will be.”

Defending state champion Ezekiel Witt leads the way for JUNCTION CITY after the Blue Jays took eighth place

overall in 5A a year ago. Witt, a junior, went 36-1 last season en route to a state title at 106. The two-time qualifier will make the move up to 113. Three other two-time qualifiers are back in the lineup, including seniors Patrick Foxworth at 145, Kayden Blake at 138 and Zac Petrusky at 132. Foxworth went 35-9 and was the state runner-up at 138. Senior Logan Nabus (29-16) and junior Cooper Bogenhagen (30-10) earned sixth-place finishes at 170 and 182 pounds, respectively. Bogenhagen will move up to 195 this season. Other qualifiers back in the lineup are senior Aimin Strickland at 152 and junior Griffin Bohanan at 182.

“We need to score more points than the other guys, be consistent and compete every second,” said head coach Tyler Gonzales, who begins his fourth year in the Blue Jay program. “Continual individual improvement on and off the mat will help the team to take care of its best performance consistently each week.”

OLATHE NORTH captured 10th place at the state tournament a year ago. The Eagles had two individuals claim state titles, including Cael Alderman at 126 and Alec Samuelson at 152. With the return of seven qualifiers, GARDNEREDGERTON looks to have another solid season after capturing ninth place at state a year ago. The Trailblazers finished as the Sunflower League runner-up and were the regional champions heading into state competition. They return a twotime state placer in senior Alonzo Borjas (31-12) at 144, as well as senior Zaine Mayfield (14-5) at 165 and sophomore Ty Hammers (31-10 ) at 175. Mayfield took third place a year ago, while Hammers was fourth. Other qualifiers back in the lineup are junior Kasen Smith (26-15) at 126, junior Caden Smith (24-21) at 132, senior Therron Meade (26-20) at 150 and sophomore Kaden Schwendemann (17-17) at 138.

“The goal for this is year to build on successes from last year, coupled with a great and competitive summer, to finish as one of the top teams in 6A,” said head coach Tyler Cordts, now in his seventh season with the Trailblazers program. “The key to this year’s success is combining the youthful talent we are bringing up alongside the grizzled veterans on the team.”

Western Athletic Conference runner-up DODGE CITY is picked to finish ninth in the KWCA poll after taking fifth place in 6A a year ago. The Red Demons, under the direction of fourth-year coach Tate Lowe, will be led by two-time state champion Luke Barker. The senior captured the 170-pound title a year ago and will move to 175 this season. He has advanced to the state final three straight years. Also back are senior Roman Loya, a twotime state placer, at 190, as well as pair of other qualifiers in senior Frio Vontress at 126 and junior Raymond Hernandez at 120.

“We want to compete for WAC, regional and state championships,” Lowe said. “The key is being able to face the adversity of being a young team and grow as the season goes.”

Eight starters are back in the lineup at LIBERAL The Redskins of the Western Athletic Conference are picked to 10th in the preseason KWCA rankings. Leading the way is senior Trystian Juarez, a two-time state placer who finished as the runner-up at 170 pounds. Two-time qualifier Tommy McClure returns for his senior campaign at 145 and will be joined by qualifiers such as senior Edgar Landa at 120, senior Javon Allen at 180 and sophomore Mathew Trejo at 195. Three other starters back in the lineup are sophomores Julian Orantia (106), Alex Schwindt (152), and

Hudson Rice (285).

“We need leadership that inspires growth,” said Michael Fowler, who begins his second season as head coach at LHS.

Four qualifiers returns for first-year head coach Aryus Jones and BLUE VALLEY this season. The Tigers welcome back Wesley Gill at 126, Nathan Gaddie at 138, Charles Stewart at 144 and Blake McManamon at 165.

“The key for us is understanding who we are as wrestlers and not being afraid to embrace our strengths,” Jones said.

Anthony Andrew, a two-time qualifier, is one of two state participants back for BLUE VALLEY NORTH this season. Andrew returns for his senior campaign with the Mustangs at 182 pounds. Also returning after qualifying for state is junior Jordan Hansett (17-7) at the heavyweight division. Another key returning wrestler is senior Joel Vasquez (138), who was 25-7 a year ago before suffering an injury.

“We want to have eight go to state with four state placers,” said Mustangs’ second-year coach Jacob Spadoni. “It will come down to consistency.”

BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST looks to compete for an Eastern Kansas League championship this season with the return of four state qualifiers from a year ago. The Huskies, under the direction of second-year coach Zack Orrick, welcome back seniors Thomas Peterson (113), Aidan Markley (126), Barrett Waller (165) and Nick Bock (175). Also filling in spots are senior James Bi at 138 and junior Andrew Sharokhi at 144.

“We want to compete in our league and regional schedule,” Orrick said. “We need to continue to improve one day at a time and be at our best in February.”

Following a third-place finish in the Eastern Kansas League and 12th-place performance at state, BLUE VALLEY WEST will have four qualifiers back in its lineup this season. Leading the way for the Jaguars will be sophomore Logan Meinheit, who will make the move to 126 after going 37-12 and finishing fourth at state in the 113-pound weight class. Also returning to the lineup are junior Brady Watts (21-17), who moves from 145 to 150; sophomore Max Carrasquila (18-16) at 113; and senior Robert Svoboda (2417) at 195.

“We lost some quality seniors from last season,” said Randy Lowe, who enters his 22nd season as head coach of the Jaguars. “We would like to be able to fill our lineup and be competitive. We have a few guys who could compete for state medals. Our success will depend on how well our young kids develop.”

Dalton Miller has three qualifiers back in the lineup as he begins his third season as coach of CAMPUS. The Colts welcome back junior Preston Unchurch at 190, and sophomores Terrence Wallace at 106 and Trinity Willis at 113.

Wallace recorded an overall record of 24-16 last season and Campus took 16th place at state.

“We want to improve and become better wrestlers each and every day,” Miller said. “We need to develop our young talent and make sure that we give them the tools to be successful in February.”

JC HARMON, was third in the KC-AL last season under second-year head coach Matt Langhofer. The Hawks have five starters back, led by senior Raymond Ladd, who was a league champ with a

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Tate Rusher Derby, Senior

Luke Barker

Dodge City, Senior

5A WRESTLING

By Brian Thomas, Montgomery Co. Chronicle

Over the past decade, Goddard has been THE dominant force in Class 5A wrestling. Last season, the Lions extended their championship string to eight straight years. Overall, Goddard has claimed 13 state titles in program history. Yet, could this be the season the Lions see their reign in 5A come to an end?

According to the Class 5A preseason rankings by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, Goddard is not the favorite to win it all this season, selected fourth in the poll behind favorite Maize, second-place Newton and thirdplace Saint Thomas Aquinas. Rounding out the rankings behind Goddard are Valley Center in fifth place, Bishop Carroll sixth, Blue Valley Southwest seventh, Shawnee Heights eighth, Emporia ninth and Spring Hill 10th.

A year ago, GODDARD finished the state tournament with 190.5 points to distance itself from runner-up Blue Valley Southwest at 168.5. The Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League champions, the Lions are under the direction of head coach Brett Means, who welcomes back plenty of experience this season, led by senior Levi Glover, the state runner-up at 113. Three other state placers return — junior Zach Wessley, third at 145; sophomore Jacob Goodwin, fourth at 132; and senior Daniel Helmers, sixth at 126. The Lions also welcome back two other state qualifiers in senior Ayden Giltner at 220 and sophomore Eastyn Vieyra at 138.

“We want another team state championship,” Means said. “The key is having new kids step up and fill spots vacated by graduation.”

MAIZE will be looking to end Goddard’s state championship run this season after taking fourth place at the state tournament last season. The Eagles had seven wrestlers place at state, led by 170-pound champion Connor Padgett. Other individuals that placed included Ayden Flores, second at 182, Clayton Bowers, third at 138, Ronan Wunsch, third at 195, Jayden Ford, fourth at 160, Keton Patterson, sixth at 132, and Camden Padgett, sixth at 145.

After coming in third at state a year ago, NEWTON should be a contender for a state championship this season with the return of several key wrestlers, include three-time state champion Nick Treaster at 120. Finishing as runner-up were Lucas Kaufman at 113 and A.B. Stokes at 126. Stokes is a two-time state placer along with Logan Buchanan at 190 and Rio Gomez at 285. Two other qualifiers return — Bailey Steinmetz at 138 and Brody Harper at 175 — while Nate Barron is back in the lineup at 132.

“We want to improve on last season’s finish, have fun, and get better every day,” said ninthyear head coach Tommy Edgmon.

East Kansas League runner-up ST. THOMAS AQUINAS should also be a state contender after finishing sixth a season ago. The Saints, under the direction of eighth-year coach Eric Akin,

have several key returners to the lineup this season, including defending 160-pound state champion Dylan Elmore. The senior — a twotime Fargo All-American and ranked #22 in the WIN Magazine national rankings — will move up to 165 this season. Two-time state placer Sean Carroll, a senior who was state runner-up at 195, will compete at 190 and has committed to wrestle at Northern Illinois University. Sophomore Kaden Allen, third place at 126, is a Fargo All-American that will move up to 132. Junior PJ Cunningham, who is a USAW Folkstyle Nationals All-American, was sixth at 220 and will move down to 215. Other returners with state experience include junior Luke Hancock, a Fargo All-American, at 175, as well as junior Gianni Rizzi, a 2021 qualifier who returns from injury, at 157.

“Our goal is to get six wrestlers in the finals at state, a minimum of three individual state champs and a top-three team finish,” Akin said. “Why aim low when you can aim high? We need to be relentless and have ruthless determination.”

After earning an eighth-place tie at state a year ago, VALLEY CENTER, under the direction of head coach Justin Schwartz, will be looking to make a push towards the top of 5A this season. The Hornets are led by defending 106-pound champion Jett Schwartz, who will make the move to 120 this season. Two other state placers return to the lineup in Easton Boone, third place at 160, and Aiden Shields, fourth at 113. Other individuals returning to the lineup are Cameron Bowyer at 165/175, Dai’Mont Mucker at 175/190 and Rock Schomaker at 215.

“We want a top-three finish at state,” Schwartz said. “It’s going to take hard work and dedication.”

BISHOP CARROLL had five wrestlers place at state tournament last season and looks to be a contender this year. Caleb Means placed fourth at 138, while Caden Denton and Brady Duling were fifth at 106 and 126, respectively. Also placing sixth were Antonio Huerta at 160 and Broc Eastman at 195.

Defending state runner-up BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST could be in contention once

again after an impressive season that included nine individuals that placed at state. Leading the way was Hayden Mills, who was the champion at 132, while Brett Umentum and Torin Forsyth were runner-up at 160 and 220, respectively. Other wrestlers that placed for the Timberwolves were Kaden Markley, third at 106, Cole Cronk, third at 152, Ethan Cronk, third at 170, Andrew Farrell, fourth at 285, Nate Kays, fifth at 182, and Jake Laurie, fifth at 195. Four of those individuals are ranked in the preseason KWCA poll, including Cole Cronk as the #1 wrestler at 157.

United Kansas Conference champion SHAWNEE HEIGHTS looks to be a contender in 5A after capturing seventh place at the state tournament a year ago. Chad Parks enters year 17 in the program and has a total of seven qualifiers back from last year’s squad. The Thunderbirds are led by seniors Tyler Lincoln (375) and Sean Wunder (40-10), who both finished fourth at state a year ago. Lincoln will compete at 157, while Wunder will be at 190. Other qualifiers returning are senior Nick Freeland (3515) at 150, junior Andrew Bonebrake (35-11) at 138, junior Allen Baughman (11-9) at 175, junior Rykan Carver (17-11) at 285 and sophomore Carson Anderson (10-10) at 120.

“We need to prepare well, wrestle hard every match, and enjoy the journey,” Parks said. “Each wrestler must step into their full potential.”

Expectations are high for head coach Brook Medrano and EMPORIA with the return of defending state champion Xerarch Tungjaroenkul and six other qualifiers from last year’s squad. Tungjaroenkul won the title at 145 a year ago and will compete at 150 this season. He will be joined in the lineup by seniors Lukas Hainline at 138, Davian White at 165, Jesse Ulteras at 175 and Bobby Trujillo at 190, as well as junior Josiah Bradley at 285 and sophomore Braxton Malone at 113.

“We want to place in the top five at state,” said Medrano, who enters his fifth season with the Spartans. “Our success will come down to conditioning.”

A potential darkhorse in 5A could be SPRING HILL, which welcomes back nine state qualifiers from last season. That includes Jake Cochran at 106, Ryan Pahl at 126, James Sheldon at 132, Avery Bartek at 144, Miles Bell at 150, Noah Anderton at 157, Kelson McAllister at 165, Brodie Pipkin at 175, and Draven Pipkin at 215.

“We want to compete to the best of our abilities and make a run in February,” said Bronco fourthcoach Tucker Woofter.

With the return of state placer Wyatt Bahm, ARKANSAS CITY will look to build off last season’s success. At state, Bahm captured fifth place at 160 pounds and is one of three state qualifiers returning, including Spencer Mosier at 132 and Derrick Honeycutt in the heavyweight division. Jeremy Biddle begins his first season as head coach of one of the state’s traditional wrestling powers.

A pair of state qualifiers are back to ANDOVER CENTRAL this season. Returning is senior Jaxson Newcomb, a two-time state qualifier, at 113, as well as junior Isaac Wall at 106. Six other spots in the lineup will be filled by seniors Jacob Brown at 165 and Mason Sanchez at 175; juniors Cash Henning at 132, Kaden Seibel at

Nakaylen Shabazz Maize, Senior Rich Norrod

Goddard continued their historic streak in February by winning the wrestling team championship for the eighth straight season, the 13th state title in program history.

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For the first time in program history, Tonganoxie captured a state championship in boys’ wres tling. The Chieftains edged out Augusta by 8.5 points to take first place at the Class 4A State Tournament in Salina. It was the first state team title of any kind for Tonganoxie since 1991. THS finished with six top-three finishes, includ ing individual champion Gabriel Bailey at 182 pounds. Although Bailey has since graduated, the Chieftains do return some key parts from last year’s championship squad and will look to repeat as title holders this season.

According to the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, Tonganoxie has been picked sixth in the preseason rankings. Andale is ranked No. 1 in those rankings and is followed by Augusta in second, Rose Hill third, Paola fourth and Clay Center Community fifth. Rounding out the pre season rankings in 4A are Wamego in seventh, Abilene eighth, Chanute ninth and Baldwin 10th. Brett Delich, who enters his fourth season as head coach, once again will lead TONGANOXIE as it looks for a second straight title in 4A. The Chieftains — Frontier League champions — have four top-three finishers back in their line up this season. Juniors Noah Bailey and Tyler Pankey both finished as runner-up in their weight classes, Bailey at 132 and Pankey at 170. The two-time state qualifiers have both moved up in weight class to 150 and 190, respectively. Two other two-time qualifiers took third place a year ago in juniors Braeden Moore at 126 and Colton Brusven at 160. Moore will be competing at 138 this season, with Brusven going up to 165. Two more qualifiers return to the lineup in seniors Wyatt Harris (175) and Hunter Benedict, while junior Presley Herring (120) and sophomore Emmett Crookham (132) will fill in key roles.

“Our goal is to get better every day,” Delich said. “This year, we need to wrestle hard for each

other in the practice room and in competition. If this happens, good things will happen for us in February.”

Last year’s third-place team, ANDALE, ap pears to be the favorite to claim the 4A crown this season. The Indians have a proud tradition in boys’ wrestling with a total of 10 top-three fin ishes as a team, including four championships in 2006, 2011, 2012 and 2021. AHS has some key components back as it seeks a second title in three years. Junior Owen Eck, the defend ing champion at 138, will make the move up to 144 this season and will be joined by a pair of finalists a year ago in sophomore Trent Eck at 120 and Riley Marx at 215. Both individuals took second place, Eck at 106 and Marx at 220. Two other individuals finished in fourth place — Kelby Eck at 152 and Jonah Meyer at 160. Both of those wrestlers are expected to move down in the new weight classifications to 150 and 157, respectively. The remainder of the Indian lineup will include seniors AJ Furnish (132) and Roman Vrana (190), juniors Waylen Eck (138), Ian Aouad (165), and Cody Engelbrecht (175), sophomore Isaiah Wilson (190), and freshmen Tristen Cox (106) and Ethan Eck (126).

AUGUSTA, the runner-up a year ago, has been selected #2 in the KWCA preseason rank ings. The Orioles, of the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, are once again led by Brandon Terry, now in his 17th season with the program. Leading the list of returning wrestlers is two-time state champion Marcus Terry, now entering his senior season. Terry claimed the 120-pound title a year ago after winning it all at 106 one year earlier as a sophomore. He is coming off a per fect 25-0 season and will be competing at 126 this season. Four other state placers return to the lineup, including senior Kalvin LaPlant (354), who moves up to 132 after taking second at 113, senior Grady Fox (36-6), a three-time placer

who captured third at 128 last season and will move up to 138, senior Cannon Carey (37-5), a two-time placer who took fifth at 132 and will jump to 150, and sophomore Willie Jon Morales (38-9), who will remain at 285 after taking third place a year ago. Three other state qualifiers are back in the lineup — junior Elijah Foy (22-19) at 106, senior Thomas Johnson (32-12) at 175 and senior Gabe Kant (30-14) at 215.

“We bring back a strong team,” Terry said. “It will be key getting all them spread out to the cor rect weight and into the lineup.”

After taking fourth place a year ago, ROSE HILL hopes to stay in contention for the title this season as it enters ranked #3 in the pre season poll. Under the direction of third-year coach Chris Saferite, the Rockets will be led by defending champion Johnny Leck at 106. The sophomore closed out his freshman campaign with a title and a 41-5 overall record. Two oth er sophomores placed in the top three of state as freshmen — Milan Colvin (30-13) second place at 285 and Adam Bilby (35-11) third at 113. Sophomore Tyren Emberson (21-19) quallified for state last season and will return at either 150 or 157. Another key returner will be senior Boeden Whitted (28-10) at 126. Meanwhile, the Rockets will add Andover Central transfer Bronx Wood to the mix. Wood will wrestle at 215 after posting a 28-3 record a year ago. He is a threetime qualifier and finished fourth at state in 2021. “The key to our success will be getting all of our kids to the weights that they need to be,” Saferite said. “All of them buying in to themselves and to the team. We have a couple new faces on the team this year and a lot to be excited about. Hard work and dedication always pays off. If we can do that, then we will be in the hunt at the end of the year.”

PAOLA looks to shoot into the top 10 this season after finishing 15th in 4A a year ago. The Panthers, under the direction of fourth-year coach Darvin Willard, took second place in the Frontier League. The squad has a total of nine wrestlers in the lineup with state experience, led by three with top-five finishes a year ago. Senior Ryan Pankov, a three-time qualifier, went 30-10 last season and captured fourth at 126. Sophomore Kaiden Powell went 38-5 and was fifth at 106. Also taking fifth was senior Charlie Zeller, a two-time qualifier who went 19-9 at 152. Rounding out the list of qualifiers back in the lineup are seniors Macoy Johnson (34-10), Sheldon Martin (22-11) and Dylan Waggerman, junior Clayton Younger, and sophomores Xander Meinig (29-12) and Hagen Blanck.

“The key for us is getting everybody to the right weights and staying healthy,” Willard said.

North Central Kansas League champion CLAY CENTER COMMUNITY will be looking to crack the top 10 of 4A this season after taking 11th at state a year ago. The Tigers, who were 13-2 in duals, are led by head coach Brandon Pigorsch. The squad has six wrestlers back with state experience, including three-time qualifier Brett Loader. The senior went 34-7 a year ago en route to a fourth-place finish at 170 and will make the move up to 175 this season. Senior Luke Young, a two-time qualifier, was fifth at 285 and will return to that weight class following a 33-7 campaign. Juniors Talyn Pfizenmaier (309) and Tucker Jackson (7-3) took sixth place in 2021 and will compete at 157 and 190, respec tively. Two other qualifiers back this season are sophomore Hayden Kalivoda (26-16) at 120 and

junior Braylon Berry (14-14) at 215.

“Staying healthy and making daily improve ments are key to our success, as is staying resilient mentally and physically,” Pigorsch said. The return of state champion Hayden Oviatt would give WAMEGO a big boost heading into the new season, though it was unclear at press time whether the future Army quarter back would wrestle following injuries sustained during football season. The senior capped off a perfect 33-0 slate a year ago as a junior en route to the 195-pound championship. The Red Raiders have plenty of experience back to not only challenge for the NCKL title but a top-10 finish in 4A. Three other qualifiers return to the lineup, including senior Thomas McIntyre (23-8), who will wrestle at 157 after a fourth-place finish at 145. Senior Tayke Weber (30-13), a two-time qualifier, will compete at 144, while junior Jake Meyer (27-13) comes in at 190. Others that will play roles this season are junior Gannon Couture at 165/175, sophomore Brody Oviatt at 165/175, and freshmen Knox Karnowski at 120/126 and Talon Conrad at 165/175.

“We compete in one of the toughest leagues in the state across all classes,” said seventh-year Red Raiders coach Kevin Brown. “Last year, three teams in our league finished in the top 10 of 4A state. Our goal is to compete for a league title and to finish in the top 10 at the 4A state tournament. We will have a number of wrestlers returning with varsity experience. Keeping every one healthy and motivated throughout the year will go a long way in determining our success at the end of the year.”

Another North Central Kansas League team that could make some noise in 4A is ABILENE, which is coming off a ninth-place finish in 4A and third-place performance in the NCKL a year ago. The Cowboys, who are led by James Stout, now in his 20th year with the program, welcome back two-time state champion Tucker Cell. The junior went 39-1 a year ago to win the 132 pound title and will compete at 144 this season. A two-time qualifier, senior Christopher McClanahan was 28-7 and second at 120 but will move up to 126. Another individual that has placed at state is se nior Braden Wilson, who went 32-9 a year ago and also took sixth in 4A in 2021. Wilson, a threetime qualifier, will wrestle at 175.

“We must improve daily and fill the weights for duals,” Stout said.

State champion of 2020, CHANUTE will be looking for another strong season after capturing fifth in 4A a year ago. The Blue Comets, under the direction of head coach Andy Albright, have claimed five consecutive Southeast Kansas League championships and eight in the last 10 seasons overall. Gone from last year’s squad is 113-pound champion Kolton Misener due to graduation. The cupboard isn’t bare, though, as Chanute returns five wrestlers with state expe rience, including 2021 145-pound champion Ty Leedy. The senior, who will wrestle at 157, is a three-time state placer that took third at 145 a year ago. Another three-time state placer is se nior Trey Dillow, who was third at 132 and will make the move up to 138. Also back are senior Bryan Jackett, a three-time qualifier, at 285, se nior Dagen Dean at 215, and sophomore Cade Small at 190. Other

3-2-1 A WRESTLING

By Brian Thomas, Montgomery Co. Chronicle

A year ago, Hoxie dominated the state tournament field to capture a second straight 3-2-1A state championship. The Indians will be seeking a third straight title this season and head into the 2022-23 campaign as the #1-ranked team, according to the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.

Hoxie’s performance at state last season was the true definition of dominant. The team’s 186 points more than doubled the point total of runner-up Douglass at 89. The Indians captured their 12th state team title in program history. In addition to the current set of back-to-back titles, they previously won crowns in 1969, 1971, 1972, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2003.

There’s no reason to think HOXIE won’t be back at the top of 3-2-1A again this season, although there could be some challenges along the way. The Mid-Continent League champion, under the direction of 16-year head coach Mike Porsch, lost 138-pound state champion Drew Bell to graduation and Fort Hays State, but still has plenty of talent and experience throughout the lineup. The Indians welcome back a threetime state champion in senior Derek Johnson, who will go from 160 to 157 this season, as well as a 113-pound champion in senior Tate Weimer, who makes the jump to 120. Three other returners made the state finals and picked up second place, including junior Carson Ochs, senior Dayton Bell and sophomore Sam Watkins. Ochs will move up from 126 to 138, while Bell goes from 132 to 144 and Watkins from 170 to 175. Placing third was senior Drew Betz, who will go from 152 to 165. Other state qualifiers back in the lineup are senior Wayne Shepard at 126 (who placed fourth as a sophomore), as well as sophomores Kash Schiltz at 106 and Duncan Bell at 150.

“We want to be the first Hoxie team to win three state titles in a row and to crown more than five individual state champions,” Porsch said. “We need to have our veterans keep improving and roll right into the new season and get our new varsity guys up to speed quickly. We’ll have some key incoming freshmen and some of our guys that wrestled JV last year that will really contribute and win matches and score points at the state tournament.”

Although SABETHA fell outside the top 10 of 3-2-1A a year ago, there’s reason to believe the Bluejays will make a serious push up the standings this season. Under the direction of Ricky Creek, who begins his eighth year in the program, SHS welcomes back a total of 10 wrestlers with state experience. Leading the way will be senior Jonathan Renyer (32-26), who took sixth place at 152 and is the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the weight class by the KWCA. Josh Herrmann, who placed sixth in 2021, enters his senior campaign ranked #4 by the KWCA at 165. Four other returning qualifiers are currently ranked in the KWCA preseason poll — junior Colin Menold (35-3), a two-time qualifier, at #3 in 132; junior Cullen Wikle (31-9), another two-time qualifier, at #5 in 126; junior Dalton Rokey (2812), #5 at 195; and junior Joshua Grimm (21-14), #5 at 285. Also returning with state experience are seniors Kellan Spielman (23-20) at 138 and Jacob Kuenzi (17-15) at 182, as well as junior

Cole Hinton (28-8) at 145 and sophomore Caleb Renyer (19-16) at 106.

“We need to continue to fill the lineup,” Creek said. “We have to stay healthy and work to improve both on and off the mat.”

NORTON looks to make a push to the top at #3 in the preseason rankings. Despite a seventhplace finish in the Mid Continent League, the Bluejays took sixth place overall in 3-2-1A at the state tournament. The squad returns defending 170-pound state champion Garrett Urban for his senior campaign. A year ago, the three-time qualifier went 35-10 overall en route to the title. That came one year after he took fifth place at 152 in 2021. This season, Urban could wrestle at 175 or 190. Another placer returns to the lineup in sophomore Corbin Puga, who went 36-12 en route to a third-place finish in the heavyweight division. Also qualifying was senior Jefferson Otter (22-22) at 215.

“We need to be competitive and use our heavy senior class to be leaders to build the future with our larger underclasses,” said coach Bill Broeckelman, who begins his second season leading the program after replacing legendary coach Bill Johnson a season ago. “The key will be to not worry about the past and just go out and compete in every match.”

Three state placers are back for SMITH CENTER, which is ranked #4 in the preseason KWCA poll. After a season away, long-time head coach Brock Hutchinson returns to lead the Redmen, who return senior Alex Wilkinson at 138/144, senior Bentley Montgomery at 150/157 and junior Eli Franklin at 215. Montgomery, a three-time qualifier, went 37-9 and captured fifth place at 138 last season. Wilkinson was fifth at 145 following a 24-22 campaign. Meanwhile, Franklin capped off a 24-21 season and took fifth at 220. Also returning with state experience is junior Jason Desbien, who was 19-17 at 170 but will make the move up to 175. Two other key wrestlers in the lineup will be junior Luke Franklin (27-9) at 190 and sophomore Will Tucker (20-16) at 113.

‘We just want to get better each and every day,” Hutchinson said. “We have a good base leadership group. They need to be able to bring our younger wrestlers along and provide valuable lessons to help mold our 20022-2023 wrestling team. We will have a tremendous amount of young wrestlers that have some definite wrestling experience that can contribute to a successful season depending on leadership.”

After placing 10th at state a year ago, PHILLIPSBURG, under the direction of sixthyear head coach Andy Kenney, will be looking to make a climb up the 3-2-1A ladder this season. The Panthers, who finished second in the MidContinent League, return three state qualifiers, including a pair of placers. Returning at 120 will be sophomore Kaden Sisson, who was 37-9 and took third place. Sophomore Hunter Sisson (32-15) also surpassed 30 wins to take fifth place at 126. Another returning qualifier is junior Patrick Driggs, who went 24-16 at 113. Kenney also returns five other wrestlers to the lineup — juniors Carsen Meitl (18-17) at 132 and Trace Hanchett (13-22) at 182, as well as sophomores Cole Keeten (20-20) at 138, Seth Keeten (23-15) at 145 and Kayden Hudson (10-22) at 152.

“We want to get better every week and bring home a team trophy in the 3-2-1A State Tournament,” Kenney said. “The key will be filling in every weight class, staying healthy and

keeping each other accountable.”

HOISINGTON had two wrestlers place at the state tournament last season. The Cardinals were led by a pair of fifth-place finishers in 3-21A — Eastin Redetzke at 120 and Cole Gilliland at 285. Hoisington enters the season ranked fifth as a team by the KWCA and are led by long tenured head coach Dan Schmidt.

After an impressive freshman campaign that included a runner-up finish at 145, sophomore Creyo Koop will lead the way for WEST ELK this season. The Patriots, who finished in second place in the Three Rivers League, had two individuals place at state last season. Coop capped off a 44-1 season with a second-place finish in his weight class, while junior Evan Coble returns after going 40-4 and taking third at 113. Coble is a two-time placer at state, previously taking fifth place as a freshman. Kevin Weber returns for his 32nd season as head coach of the program and will also welcome back sophomore Boedy Murphy at 220 after he went 21-17 his first season.

“We want to be league champions and qualify four or more to state,” Weber said. “We have to work harder than our competition.”

Finishing fourth in 3-2-1A a year ago, REPUBLIC COUNTY will have high expectations again entering the new season. Champions of the North Central Activities Association, the Buffaloes return five wrestlers with state experience, including three-time qualifier and two-time state placer AJ Polansky. A year after taking sixth place in 2021, the senior will be coming off a season that included a 44-7 record and fourth-place finish at 120 pounds. Senior Garrett Siemsen will compete at 175 after going 33-14 and taking sixth place a year ago at 182. Other qualifiers back in the lineup are sophomore Owen Weatherhead (34-13) at 126/132, junior Alex Dyke (25-15) at 144 and junior Jordan Williams (24-14) at 150.

“Working hard day in and out should put us in position to be very competitive all year,” said head coach Adam Polansky, who begins his 18th season in the program. “The key will be getting the weights filled and having our sophomore and junior wrestlers taking the next step in their progression.”

MINNEAPOLIS enters the season ranked ninth in the initial KWCA poll and welcomes back a pair of key wrestlers led by junior Chase Johnson, the 106-pound state champion a season ago, who lost just one match all year. Fellow junior Braylon Smith also returns after finishing sixth at 132 pounds and posting a 28-13 record. The Lions will have several weights to fill though after graduating four other state qualifiers.

HILL CITY finished in a tie for fourth place in 3-2-1A a year ago. The Ringnecks, who are led by first-year head coach Craig Amrein, finished third in the Mid Continent League and were second at the regional meet. Returning to the lineup will be two-time state placer Aiden Amrein. The junior finished 34-5 and was the runner-up at 160 a year ago after claiming third place in 2021. With a career record of 75-7, Amrein will be coming in at 175 this season. Also back is two-time state qualifier Connor Dinkel. The senior will wrestle at 190 after going 31-10 a year ago.

Experience should be a key factor for ATCHISON COUNTY COMMUNITY as it shoots for a top-10 finish in 3-2-1A this season. The Tigers were picked seventh in the KWCA

preseason poll. A member of the Northeast Kansas League, ACCHS has seven qualifiers back in the lineup this season, led by a pair of 30-win performers in senior Bricen Lee (34-8) at 165 and sophomore Easton Schletzbaum (30-6) at 157. Also returning are senior Conner Simmers (21-13) at 175, as well as juniors Austin Smith (24-16) at 138, Vincent Wee (18-16) at 215, Tyler McRae (15-12) at 285 and Carter Page (11-9) at 150. One other wrestler that should contribute is junior Adler Koontz (11-7) at 120.

“It’s the same goals we have every year,” said Tigers fourth-year head coach Cody Kramer. “We want to win a regional championship then finish in the top three of the state tournament. For the first time since I have been here, we will have a team led by many upperclassmen. We will do as well as they want to do. We look for our returning guys to jump levels and, when they do that, we will have success.”

Andy Niemczyk begins his 37th year as head coach at BELOIT. The Trojans, who finished third in the North Central Activities Association, and were 13th in 3-2-1A a season ago, lost a pair of wrestlers that placed at the state tournament to graduation, including Brennan Walker, state champion at 195 pounds, and Braden Burks, fourth at 220. One qualifier returns to the lineup — junior Coe Neilson (21-11) at 120. Other individuals that should contribute are seniors Ayden Loomis (10-16) at 138, Raiden Gilly (1311) at 150, Caden Anderson (24-13) at 157 and Wes Adolph (14-14) at 215, junior Xander Elam (3-15) at 152, and sophomore Brodie Boudreaux (9-7) at 190.

“We hope to qualify five or six to state and place three or more in state,” Niemczyk said. “We will need to improve weekly and stay away from injuries.”

Despite finishing fifth in the Tri-Valley League, BLUESTEM has hopes of a possible league championship this season, according to head coach Nash Burtin. The Lions have two wrestlers back that competed at state a season ago, including two-time qualifier senior Kolby Hebb (26-12) at 285 and junior Dagan Turner (1914) at 113. Another leader on the squad will be sophomore Laythan Vice (26-12) at 120, while junior Zak Dotter (132) and sophomore Colten Neal (175) also return to the lineup.

“We are a young team still, but we won more matches last year than we have in the previous four years,” said Burtin, who enters his sixth season with the program.

BURLINGAME has two starters back in its lineup this season.

Garrett Urban Norton, Senior

Everett Royer, KSportsimages.com

Kamahni Jackson

at 101; and sophomore Annie Gallegos (26-10), sixth at 126. Rezac will move to the 105-pound weight class, while Gallegos will be at 130. Other state qualifiers returning and their current weight class are senior Kaitlyn Morris (25-11) at 110, junior Laiken Clark (23-9) at 140, sophomore Madison Davison (29-15) at 145, junior TaAni Rhoten (20-10) at 155 and junior Sophia Ross (27-15) at 235.

“This senior class is the first one that we’ve had for all four years, and this is a really special group,” said Damon Parker, who enters his fourth season as women’s coach at WRHS. “We are as deep and talented as we have ever been, which means that there are going to be several girls with state-level talent that won’t compete as our varsity wrestlers. While this can be a good problem to have, those who find themselves on our second varsity squad will have to show a great deal of maturity.”

clude junior Gianna Garcia-Campos (20-11), who moves from 126 to 125, senior Zahra Andela (156), who drops to 155 from 170, sophomore Ilene Sanbria-Baez (6-14), who goes from 101 to 105.

“We want to win the Sunflower League, win re gionals and have a top-three finish at state,” said Lucas Vincent, now in his second season at West. Taking fifth at state last season was SHAWNEE HEIGHTS, which also captured the United Kansas Conference and regional championships. The Thunderbirds are directed by Chad Parks, who enters his 17th season with the program. Parks welcomes back five state qualifiers, includ ing placers senior Molly Busenitz (27-3), fourth at 115, and junior Odessa Schmidt (22-11), fifth at 109. Also returning with state experience are ju nior McKenna Haltom (23-10) at 145, sophomore Maddie Freehand (18-11) at 140 and sophomore Reece Taylor (19-14) at 130.

Esha for her junior season after she went 22-2 en route to the 101-pound title. She will be at 105 this season. Also returning with state experience are juniors Trinity Williams (15-3) at 170 and Maddie Snowbarger (13-14) at 135. Williams is a two-time state qualifier that placed third at 170 in 2021.

“Our goal is to get better every week and for these girls to show improvement each week,” said Panthers head coach Michael Phillips, who enters his third season. “We want to try and com pete for a state trophy. We have three returning state qualifiers and a state champion, so we have the foundation. Now we need more girls to take that next step and earn the chance to wrestle one week after regionals.”

By Brian Thomas, Montgomery Co. Chronicle

After claiming a state championship a year ago, Dodge City is the favorite to win it all again head ing into the 2022-23 season. The Red Demons are ranked #1 in the 6-5A preseason Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association poll. They sit just in front of Washburn Rural in second place. Dodge City edged out the Junior Blues for the title by 7.5 points (118.5-111) last season at the state tournament. Rounding out the preseason rankings are Wichita North in third place, Hays in fourth, Leavenworth in fifth, Olathe West in sixth, Olathe Northwest in seventh, Shawnee Heights in eighth, Bonner Springs in ninth, and Spring Hill in 10th.

DODGE CITY - the Western Athletic Conference champions - claimed a regional title en route to its state crown. Under the direction of fourth-year coach Tate Lowe, the Red Demons return the core of their varsity unit this season, including two-time state runner-up Ashley Arroyo (155), and two-time state placers Ariana De La Rosa (126) and Jolette Almaraz (170). DCHS has four other individuals back that placed at state, including Hailey Ramos, second at 132; Ashley Alonso, third at 109; Dayanara Garcia, fourth at 138; and Jessica Rivera, sixth at 101. Other returning wres tlers include state qualifiers Denys Ochoa (120), Valeria Hernandez (143) and Sindy Gutierrez (235), as well as senior Emily Alonso (115).

“We want to compete for WAC, regional and state championships,” Lowe said. “We are not settling and continue to improve.”

Last year’s state runner-up, WASHBURN RURAL, has high expectations once again after claiming the Centennial League and regional championships. Leading the way for the Junior Blues is a pair of wrestlers that surpassed 40 wins a year ago - senior Addison Broxterman (42-3) and senior Alexis Fredrickson (43-5). Broxterman was the state runner-up at 120 pounds and will now compete at 125, while Fredrickson placed third at 132 and will compete at 135. Also placing at state were junior Kristen Rezac (37-8), fourth

Taking third at state last season was WICHITA NORTH, which captured the championship of the Greater Wichita Athletic League. North has plenty of experience back this season, led by two-time state champion Larisa Garcia. After a 39-4 cam paign, Garcia will be competing at 109 during her senior season. Also winning a title last year was senior Rodah Bengi, who went a perfect 40-0 to claim the 115-pound crown. Other key returners include senior Diana Urista, who went 38-6 for fourth place at 120, and sophomore state qual ifiers Olivia Busada and Nathalia Hernandez Martinez. North also welcomes back junior Jaycee Tyler, who went 27-9 a year ago at 135.

“We will depend on a strong group of seniors to lead our team and finish out their careers on a high note,” said Quinton Burgess.

Led by returning state champion Hannah Jackson, LEAVENWORTH will be looking to make a push up near the top of 6-5A after plac ing 10th at state a year ago. Jackson enters her senior campaign after claiming the title at 143 pounds. She will be joined in the Pioneer lineup by state placers in junior Jacqueline Goodman, fifth at 170, and junior Avari Johnson, sixth at 155.

“We want to have a top-three finish in state,” said Leavenworth fifth-year coach Matt Long.

Five qualifiers return for OLATHE NORTHWEST after the Ravens captured fourth place at state a year ago. Northwest won the regional champi onship en route to its strong finish at state. The Ravens are led by a pair of third-place finishers — junior Chloe Harris at 155 and junior Val Galligan at 170. Harris is a two-time regional champion and qualifier, while Galligan also claimed a regional crown last season. Also returning are sophomore Camryn West (105), who was a regional champ and took fifth place at state, sophomore Emmy Keller (110), regional champion, and sophomore Hailey Arthur (140), regional runner-up.

“We want to have fun and become the best ver sions of ourselves,” said Northwest coach Doug Newcomb, now in his second season at ONW.

OLATHE WEST will be looking to make big strides this season after capturing 20th place at state a year ago. Members of the Sunflower League, the Owls have some key pieces back from last year’s squad, including defending 235-pound champion Makayla Rivera. After going a perfect 27-0, Rivera returns for her senior cam paign and will compete at 190. She is a three-time state qualifier and also finished as state runner-up in 2021. Senior Laney Finazzo (17-7) returns at 170 and is a two-time state qualifier, placing fourth at 155 in 2021. Other returning state qualifiers in

“We want to prepare well, wrestle hard and en joy the journey,” Parks said.

BONNER SPRINGS enters the season with a trio of ranked wrestlers led by junior Olivia Stean who continued her dominance of the 170-pound classification a season ago winning back-to-back state championships and recording just three losses in high school wrestling thus far, and all three of those were during her freshman season. She followed that up with a 42-0 sophomore cam paign in which she pinned her way through the state tournament with no match lasting longer than 49 seconds. Also back for the Braves are fourth-ranked 120-pound senior Jenna Knight, who placed sixth in the same class a season ago, and 130-pounder Emmalee Foya, who qualified as a sophomore last season and enters the year ranked sixth.

SPRING HILL has high hopes this season with the return of seven state qualifiers. Leading the way is two-time state placer Jay Yoder, who cap tured sixth at 115 and will compete at 125 this sea son. Izzy Farris was fifth at 138 and will move up slightly to 140. Other returning qualifiers include Averi Cochran at 100, Kaylynn Ottenschnieder at 120, Gracie Oppeau at 130, Campbell Mermis at 145, and Avery Feeback at 190.

“We need to compete to the best of our abilities and make a run in February,” said Tucker Woofter, who enters his 19th season leading the Broncos.

Jeremy Biddle begins his first season at ARKANSAS CITY. The Bulldogs had a 7-6 dual record a year ago, including a 3-3 mark in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.

Two state qualifiers return at BASEHORLINWOOD for head coach Jay Johnston, who enters his fifth season with the program. Back are a pair of seniors in Narissa Hampton (22-14) at 100 and Jillian Wallace (19-8) at 130.

“Our goal is to develop our young talent so we can be a contender at league, regionals and state,” Johnston said.

Eastern Kansas League champion BLUE VALLEY WEST returns a pair of league cham pions this season. Back are junior Bella Lyons (17-12) at 105 and sophomore Elinna Khars (167) at 155.

“We want to continue to grow our team,” said Jaguars coach Staci Lowe. “Last season was our first season with a girls team. We want the girls to continue to improve each week and hopefully make a good run at defending our league title.”

With the return of three state qualifiers, including defending state champion Amara Esha, DERBY will be looking to improve off last year’s eighthplace finish at state. The Panthers welcome back

Winning a pair of regular-season tournaments, EMPORIA was the runner-up of the Centennial League and took second place at the regional tournament. Shawn Russell will be starting his fourth year as Spartan coach.

“Our goal is placing top three in the state,” Russell said. “We need our athletes believing in themselves and trusting the process.”

Two former state placers return for GARDEN CITY. Carlos Prieto, now in his 13th season with the Buffaloes, welcomes back Belle Hernandez and Bethanie Cruz. Both wrestlers placed at state in 2021 — Hernandez second and Cruz fifth.

“Our goal is to bring home another state trophy,” Prieto said. “The key for us will be staying together as a team and supporting each other.”

Two-time state placer Shelby Davis returns for GARDNER-EDGERTON after the Trailblazers tied for eighth place at state a year ago. Davis, a senior, took third place at state and finished with a 33-8 record a year ago. She will compete at 140 this season. Two other state qualifiers return, in cluding senior Kaira Mannio (23-21) at 110 and sophomore Ellie Rhea (15-15) at 135.

“We look to build on a successful run last year with some new faces and a lot of young talent coming in alongside our battle-tested seniors,” said Trailblazers coach Tyler Cordts. “The key to success will be our seasoned vets doing what they do best and leading the youthful talent and helping them mature and grow and sharpen their skills.”

Head coach Brian Means leads GODDARD into the season. Four wrestlers return to the var sity lineup for the Lions, including Audrie Felkins at 115, Chandra Malipartidva at 135, Ashlynn Goodwin at 140 and Breann Kellogg at 155.

“We want to place as a team at state with mul tiple state placers,” Means said. “The key will be hard work and following the lead of our boys’ team who are eight-time defending state champions.”

After finishing third in the Western Athletic Conference a year ago, GREAT BEND has hopes of bringing home a league championship this sea son. The Panthers will be led by a pair of returning state qualifiers in junior Daizy Gomez (36-11) , who captured fourth place at 126 and will be at 125 this season, and sophomore Haylee Holinde (20-18) at 190. They will also return seniors Karley Stukey (7-7) at 100, Jaydon Davis (8-12) at 140, and Katie Kuhlman (14-21) at 135.

“We want to be WAC champs and bring home a state trophy,” said Panthers head coach Nathan Broeckelman, who is in his eighth season at GB.

With the return of two state placers, JUNCTION

J.C. Harmon, Sophomore

Jenna Knight

Bonner Springs, Senior

Brian Turrel/Wyadotte Daily News

Brian Turrel/Wyadotte Daily News

By Conor Nicholl, For Kansas Pregame

Last season, Pratt enjoyed the biggest margin of victory for any class since girls’ wrestling became a KSHSAA sanctioned sport in 2020. A girls’ wres tling team champion has been crowned five times. Three of the margins between first and second are under eight points. Four of the differences were decided by a collective 43 points.

Pratt rolled to a 44-point win in the two-day event at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina. The Greenbacks essentially had the title clinched after the first day. Pratt finished with 111 points, while Hoisington was second at 67, Columbus third with 60 and Prairie View fourth at 59. Lakin took fifth at 52, Oskaloosa sixth at 50, and Wellington seventh with 46. Pratt, the 2021 runner-up to Baldwin, won the first state wrestling title, boys or girls, in school history.

“When I moved over to coaching girls, there is nothing better, because they are so coachable,” Pratt coach Tate Thompson said at state. “There is no ego. They listen. This is what can be done when you have kids like that. And it doesn’t hurt to have athletically talented kids as well.”

Columbus had its best finish for any girls’ sport in 23 years. Hoisington, under longtime coach Dan Schmidt, has four state runners-up: 2022 with the girls, along with 2012, 2015 and 2018 for the boys. Tally Wikum took second at 138, and junior Dashia Jones was fourth at 132.

“We do have a solid group returning,” Schmidt said.

The returning state champions came from a variety of schools. Oskaloosa sophomore Holly Thacher (28-1) is the defending 101 champion, while her teammate, senior Allison King went 29-1 for the 155-pound title. Lakin senior Josiah Ortiz finished 32-0 for the 109 title and is a three-time state placer. At 120, Rossville’s Kendra Hurla (390) bested Pratt’s Jadyn Thompson in a close finals match. Hurla is a two-time state champion. Clay Center’s Gabi Koppes (30-0) won the 126 title as a freshman.

Mission Valley junior Hope Blake captured two state championships, including a 24-0 mark at 132. Scott City’s MacKayla Miller won at 235 with a 23-1 mark as a junior. Oakley’s Citori Bosserman, Mulvane’s Kammie Schanz, Wellington’s Anna Cullens and Buhler’s Emilie Schweizer are back after state championships from previous seasons, too.

Multiple state runner-ups return, paced by Mulvane’s Leiannah Landreth (109), Colby’s Kathie Chavez (115), Pratt’s Jadyn and Keimarla Thompson (120, 132), Hoisington’s Wikum (138), Circle’s Katelyn Schmidt (143) and Chapman’s Grace Johns (170). Ellis’ Kaydawn Haag was a state runner-up from 2021.

This longtime sportswriter (Conor Nicholl) and the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association have compiled all-time available girls’ wrestling statis tics. Jadyn Thompson is 103-12, a three-time state placer, is currently eighth and on pace to become the state’s all-time leader in victories.

Great Bend’s Bre Ridgeway, a former Kansas Pregame winter covergirl who graduated last sea son, has the mark at 124. Josiah Ortiz is 85-8 and third among returning wrestlers for career wins.

Among returning state leaders in career win ning percentage, Koppes (100.0), Hurla (96.9), Thacher (96.6), Cullens (96.2), Miller (95.8) and Blake (95.6) are in the top-10.

The preseason top-10 by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association is: Baldwin, Columbus, Pratt, Chanute, Rossville, Colby, Oskaloosa, Hoisington, Rose Hill, and Mulvane. Labette County is also considered on the rise.

PRATT still has plenty of pieces to make a run at a repeat. Thompson, who earned a national coach of the year award after last season, has goals to finish top-three at state and have at least six state placers for the Greenbacks. His mental toughness regimen and training has become a hallmark of the Greenbacks. Thompson wrestled for legendary Rocky Welton at Garden City.

Pratt senior Lilly Herrman is a two-time state qualifier at 105. Sophomore Wendy Candia is a 2022 state qualifier. Junior Gloria Webb finished 17-13. Junior Emmaline Primrose finished 17-11 and was a state qualifier. Sophomore Lexia Taylor was also a state qualifier.

“Our keys to success in 2022-2023 will be the leadership of our juniors and seniors, prepping our big freshman class for varsity wrestling, and taking the potential of our youth to production by the end of the season,” Thompson said.

ABILENE returns two girls in sophomore 235-pounder Miranda Radenberg (state qualifier) and sophomore 155-pounder Danielle Ogden. Freshman Kaylee Weibert is expected to have a solid season as well.

“Continue to improve,” coach Curtis Rein said of team goals. “Our two returning girls were both firstyear wrestlers last season and showed incredible improvement throughout the season. They both love the sport and I am confident they will continue to improve this season.”

ANDERSON COUNTY returns three girls: sophomore Danika Metcalfe (115), senior Bailey Clawsen (125), and junior Gracelyn Whalen (145). Coach Maggie Price looks to “grow our team” and “spread the love for girls’ wrestling.”

ATWOOD-RAWLINS COUNTY returns one wrestler, junior 143-pounder Xavia Brenn, a state qualifier.

AUGUSTA will likely have a strong season un der 17th-year coach Brandon Terry. Junior Jill High is expected to wrestle at 126 after a 27-3 record. She has taken fifth and third at state the last two seasons. Sophomore 135-pounder Emma Otsuka went 14-17 and qualified for state. Senior Emily Hess finished 23-11 and will compete at 145. Terry noted the three team goals are to work hard, have fun and grow girls’ numbers.

BALDWIN won state two years ago under coach Kit Harris, now starting his 24th year with the pro gram. Senior Morgan Basse (100), junior Brianna Mitchell (105), senior Marley McCune (115), junior Allee Darnell (120), junior Harper Schoendaller (125), senior Willow Dubois (130), junior Nora Prather (135), senior Audrey Darnell (140), senior Makayla Hirschmann (145), junior Jaden Wharton (155), sophomore Kaitlin Base (170), junior Elee Pittman (190) and senior Madi Hargett (235) are all back for the preseason top-ranked Bulldogs. Mitchell went 25-13 and qualified for state. Allee Darnell was a league runner-up, finished 20-14, and was a state qualifier. Schoendaller was 7-2 before injury. Dubois went 22-12 as the league runner-up. Audrey Darnell went 12-1 and was injured after a third-place finish at state in 2022. Base (14-21) and Pittman (29-8) both qualified for state. Hargett (32-5) took fifth at state. Harris believes the team is ready to chase a state title.

“This team will need to focus on daily improve ment and understanding the importance of fixing mistakes and drilling the crucial skills that win

matches,” Harris said. “They are hard workers and are becoming smarter and smarter wrestlers every year. We have great leadership with a strong se nior class. We will have to continue to become a team to compete together as one.”

BISHOP MIEGE third-year coach Ryan Wrigley returns senior Christina Arana at 145.

BLUESTEM returns two state placers and would like to grow the team beyond five wrestlers for sixth-year coach Nash Burtin. Sophomore Payton Burton (29-7) qualified at 110, while junior Cadence Williamson was 27-10. A 120-pounder, Williamson is a two-time state qualifier and third place winner in 2022.

BUHLER first-year coach Bowe Behymer returns one of Kansas’ best in senior Emily Schweizer. She won the 235-pound state cham pionship in 2021 and went 16-2 with a third-place showing last year. Behymer wants to continue to build a successful program, have the girls enjoy the process and pursuit of wrestling, and have fun, work hard and get better everyday.

“Our teams key to success is to get more young women out for wrestling,” Behymer said. “Emily Schweizer has laid the foundation for the expec tations of Buhler Women’s Wrestling. We will lean on her as a leader because we have some young wrestlers coming up that I am excited to see what they can do at the high school level.”

BURLINGAME coach Doug Bingham returns three wrestlers. Junior Maliyah Lopez (25-4) was third place at state, sophomore Kaylynn McKloskey was a state qualifier, and sophomore Willow Wyatt also returns.

CHANUTE finished ninth at state. Six state qual ifiers return, and second-year coach Nick Nothern has set goals of a regional championship and topthree at the state tournament. Nothern noted men tal toughness and conditioning as the team’s keys. Kadynce Axelson (115) is back after sixth place at state. Reese Clements (120) was fourth at state. Grace Thompson (135) was a state qualifier, along with Brinly Brancroft (155), Lena Aguilar (170), and Sequoia Keever (235).

CHAPARRAL would like to have more girls come out for wrestling and improve leadership for coach Jeff Green. The Roadrunners’ returners are Rebecca Hunter (130), Taryn Meeks (170), Madison Haley (190), and Nakeitta Macis (235).

CHAPMAN has three returning wrestlers in se nior Mena Mann (100), sophomore Taya Rowley (140) and senior Lillian Shipman (190). Coach Zach Lucas has stressed practice reps.

“Our number one team goal for this season is to keep everyone healthy,” Lucas said. “We lost too many girls last season to injury, so our goal is to keep everyone on the mat for the entirety of the season.”

CHERRYVALE coach Casey Lickteig has set goals for a league championship and state plac ers. Junior 152-pounder Taylor Plumley (16-3), 143-pound junior Olivia Saucedo (state qualifier) and sophomore 138-pounder Keagan Maupin are returners.

“Staying healthy and producing late in the season when it matters the most,” Lickteig said of team goals. “Last year we were riddled with injuries throughout the season so if we can stay healthy and feel good going into regionals I believe we have a lot of opportunities in front of us.”

CIMARRON returns three wrestlers in two-time state qualifier Veronica Greene (105), state qual ifier Madison Newton (155) and Megan Feltman, who is at 115. Longtime coach Lance Walker looks to fill more weights and stay healthy.

Columbus, Senior

Mulvane,

“We will need to have leaders step up,” coach Casey Gobel said. “Also the team will need to be perfect at the basics.”

CLAY CENTER coach Brandon Pigorsch would like to increase numbers and finish top-10 at state. Koppes went 30-0 as a freshman and will wrestle at 125. Junior 115-pounder Alissa Cowing was 2-2 at state last season and 23-10 for the season. Sophomore 120-pounder Kate Morillo went 11-8. Sophomore Masyn Mutz was injured and is ex pected to be key at 135.

COLBY coach Matt Sims returns two state placers. Kathie Chavez was a 2021 state qualifier and was second in 2022 at 120 pounds. Amanda Jaeger was sixth place at state in 2021 and 2022.

COLUMBUS returns six preseason ranked wrestlers led by senior twin sisters Addison and Aubree Saporito. Addison is ranked third at 115 and signed with Baker to wrestle after high school and Aubree is ranked fifth at 135. Senior Jailyn Rodriguez enters the season ranked fourth at 145 while juniors Grace Noel (second at 100), Madelyn Garcia (sixth at 130), and Brooklyn Lima (fourth at 140) round out the strong group of ranked wres

CIRCLE senior Katelyn Schmidt is the defending state champion at 143.

Jaden Ney

Russell, Sophomore

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Kammie Schanz

Senior

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

Saporito

Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com

CITY will be searching for improvement during the 2022 season. Juniors Laila Lesher and Charly Goodwin both placed fifth in recent seasons at state — Lesher at 101 in 2020 and Goodwin at 115 in 2021. Other key returners to the lineup in clude senior Kennedi Turner (12-11) at 235 and sophomore Jaidyn Alvarado (18-5) at 101.

“We are excited to continue growing the wom en’s wrestling program, expecting a good amount of incoming freshman and new wrestlers this sea son,” said Tyler Gonzales, who enters his fourth season in the program.

J.C. HARMON gets back two starters in senior Alayna Santos (8-5) at 170 and sophomore state placer Kamanhi Jackson (23-8) at 132.

“Our team goals are to come together as a team to get some dual wins,” Matt Langhofer said.

The combined team of LAWRENCE/FREE STATE has one returning wrestler this season in sophomore Daijah Preston (8-18) at 143. David Blazevic enters his first season as head coach.

“The goal for this year is to promote the team and gain numbers of girls out for wrestling this year,” Blazevic said.

Michael Fowler returns for his second sea son leading LIBERAL of the Western Athletic Conference. The Redskins return senior Mana Chanthasone, who captured third place at state at 101 and will make the move to 106 this season.

“We need leadership that inspires growth,” Fowler said.

Defending 155-pound state champion Sage Rosario returns for MANHATTAN. After posting a perfect 9-0 record as a freshman, Rosario looks to repeat as the title holder in her weight class.

“We are looking to continually grow our wom en’s team,” said Indians coach Shawn Bammes. “Projected numbers are looking good for this year, and we have some good young talent to add to what we have returning. Last year, the girls start ed to buy in on what the program was about, and we look to take that a step farther this season.”

Coach Michelle McRay has one state qual ifier back at MILL VALLEY. The Jaguars return sophomore Raina Frantz, who went 20-7 and will compete at 105. Another returning wrestler to the varsity lineup will be sophomore Piper Wendler at 125.

“Our goal is to empower young women through the sport of wrestling,” McRay said. “(And) to de velop young female athletes to perform to the best of their ability through hard work, dedication and passion for the sport.”

Led by returning state placer Jaymie Murry, NEWTON will be looking for bigger things enter

ing the 2022 season. Murry was 29-9 and cap tured fourth place at 143 a year ago. She will be competing at 145 during her senior campaign.

“We want to improve on last season’s finish,” said Railer coach Tommy Edgmon.

After taking seventh place at state a year ago, OLATHE NORTH hopes for another top-10 fin ish with the return of four state qualifiers from that squad. Leading the way will be sophomore Kaylan Hitchcock, who finished 41-4 and run ner-up at 115. She will move up to the 120 class this season. Also placing at state was junior Hailey Coley, who captured third place at 235 with a 27-6 record. Other state qualifiers return ing are sophomores Rocky Kingsby at 135 and Aubrianna Barnes at 140.

“Our biggest key to our success will be our second-year wrestlers,” said Eagles second-year coach Dylan Hitchcock. “We need them to take a big jump this year to help fill out our roster.”

Four wrestlers with state experience return for SALINA CENTRAL. Junior Lydia Dong, a twotime state qualifier, took sixth place at 125 in 2020 and is coming off a 31-10 campaign a year ago. Other returning qualifiers for the Mustangs include seniors Amelia Coykendall (14-14) at 155 and Alison Coykendall (20-8) at 191, as well as sophomore Haylie James (21-8) at 105.

“Our goals for all wrestling programs will be the same,” said Central third-year coach Charles Black. “Our wrestlers are to show great character off and on the mat and meet the Mustang wres tling program standards. As a team, our goal is to finish in the top 10 at the 5A-6A state tournament.”

Conan McCormack begins his first season as coach at SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH. The Bison have two varsity wrestlers back this season, including senior Aniah Grady at 138 and sopho more Alyssa Briner at 115.

“Our goal is to increase numbers and provide in dividuals an opportunity for success,” McCormack said. “Our key is having fun and bringing more girls into the program.”

State qualifier Luisa Duewel returns for her junior season to lead SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST. Duewel will be at 110 and will be joined by other returning wrestlers in senior Abigail Bates (130), junior Hannah Mott (145/155), and sophomores Reese Irwin (140/135) and Mackenzie Farkes (170/155). The Cougars will also welcome back Celestine Ndubuisi at 190 af ter she was 8-0 a year ago before getting injured.

“We are continuing to grow in numbers and in skill,” said Northwest coach Zach Davies, who enters his second season. “Our girls have been putting in a lot of work in the offseason getting

better and getting stronger. We have a lot of new girls that are going to be joining us, so it’s excit ing to see the growth. We have a great group of underclassmen that are invested, and it’s making everyone better.”

Champion of the Meadowlark Conference with a perfect 8-0 dual record, SUMNER ACADEMY will be seeking a second straight title under head coach Sean Fitzgerald. The Sabres return one wrestler to their lineup in senior Alissa Harris (269) at 132.

“We want to repeat as league champions,” Fitzgerald said. “We want to grow the girls’ wres tling participation at Sumner Academy.”

Seven wrestlers return for TOPEKA, includ ing three state qualifiers. Sophomore Brantajia Loggins (20-7) took fourth place at 191 a year ago, while Marilena Zuniga (23-10) was sixth at 138 and will move up to 140. Another returning qualifier is sophomore Ingrid Cabrera (14-9) at 101. Other wrestlers back in the lineup are seniors Alesia Alvarez at 155 and Grace Erwin at 120, as well as sophomores Navaiah Martin at 109 and Kharys Jones at 112.

“We are hoping to qualify the entire team for the state tourney,” said Trojans head coach Roger Laubengayer-Mena. “We are also hoping to have all of our kids finish over .500. The main goal is to try and get more girls to join the team.”

One wrestler returns for WASHINGTON and head coach Aaron McGhee, who enters his sixth season with the Wildcat program. Back to the line up is Breanna Neal at 191.

“We want to improve on last season,” McGhee said. “Our key will be to compete in every match.”

WICHITA EAST welcomes back state qual ifier Haley Somchay for her senior campaign.

Somchay went 18-6 a year ago and will compete this season at 125. From there, the Aces will be thin in overall experience, with one other senior and three sophomores returning to the lineup. East took sixth place in the Greater Wichita Athletic League a year ago.

“We are building from the ground up here at Wichita East,” said head coach Aaron Haselwood, now in his third year. “Our main goal is to have a large number of athletes join the program and work on building success on the mat.”

April Buckley and Kenny Taylor will share coach ing duties at WICHITA SOUTHEAST, which re turns a total of three state qualifiers. Back is twotime state runner-up Meya Howell, a junior at 190. Also returning with state experience are sopho mores Tanyaia Hunt at 110 and Alivia Wilson at 120. Another key returner will be senior Cophers Orange at 145.

“Our goal is to stay healthy and wrestle to our best ability,” Taylor said. “The keys to our success is to stay healthy and believe in our training.”

Jason Brown begins his second season at WICHITA WEST. The Pioneers captured third place in the Greater Wichita Athletic League last season. Leading the way for West is sophomore Dru Johnson - a two-time state runner-up - at 235. Also back is sophomore state qualifier Samya Slater at 110.

WYANDOTTE will be basically starting from scratch in Gabby Turvey’s first season as head coach of the Bulldogs.

“We are essentially building a new girls program from scratch,” Turvey said. “So we just want to see girls out there competing and building their skills. The key will be focusing on teamwork and learning new skills.”

head coach Marcus Mitchell. Replacing the production of graduated All-League selection Addi Heinson and threeyear letterwinner Addison Sherer is at the top of Mitchell’s to-do list.

“For the 2022-23 season, we are expecting to continue to build off of the foundation from last season,” Mitchell said. “It will be a tough task to replace our two seniors from last season, but we have several players that have potential to fill that hole on our roster. We are returning six play ers, highlighted by SPIAA league second team and honorable mention All-State player Raygan Heft. Raygan has a high IQ, knows how to fa cilitate, and her defensive pressure can cause issues by itself. We will be adding two players from our JV team that will be able to compete for minutes as well. Our success will depend on staying healthy and our guard play on both sides of the ball (especially defense) since we are un dersized and have low depth at the post position. We hope to make up what we lack in size, with speed and aggressiveness.”

MEADE was knocked out of the sub-state semifinals 40-37 against league opponent South Central and ended last season 11-10. All-League senior Kyra Shewey (12.9 ppgm, 6-0) and junior Carlie Martin (6.5 ppg, 5-8) are both back from that squad as head coach Mario Saucedo enters his second season in charge.

“We play in a very competitive league and it only makes us better,” Saucedo said. “We can’t afford to take a game off and this group of girls practices hard to face their next opponent. We have great leadership headed by seniors, Kyra Shewey and Riley Foster, which will help guide us in the right direction this season. Returning starter Carlie Martin, who is a junior, continues to improve and she will be a formidable threat for us as well. Our sophomores played a lot as freshmen last year and they are a gritty class that loves to compete.”

MINNEOLA finished 11-10 with a 5-6 record in the SPIAA that left them in sixth place in regu lar season league standings. All-League senior Madison Denison (16.6 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2 spg, 2.2 bpg, 5-10) and junior Maiya Shelor (10 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg, 2 spg) are back from that starting lineup.

“Defensive intensity and grit, doing the lit tle things to out work our opponents,” coach Morgan MCClaren said of team keys, adding, “ball movement has to be snappy and with a purpose.”

PAWNEE HEIGHTS went 5-13 last season in the wake of forfeiting their first round sub-state matchup with Stafford due to low numbers, de spite earning a three-seed. All-League selection Olivia Hands (15 ppg, 6-3) and Joslyn Cordero (8 ppg, 5-6) are both back for their junior sea sons after starting last season.

SATANTA went 6-14 overall with just one win in league play during head coach Lindsey Heskamp’s first season at the helm. Seniors Madison Ross (8 ppg, 6 rpg, 5-7), Miranda Salas (7 ppg, 10 rpg, 5-5), and Karley Chacon (2.5 spg, 5-3) are back from the starting lineup.

“Three things will help us succeed this season

– having a positive team culture, accountability, and competitiveness,” Heskamp said.

First year head coach, and former Colby Community College and Fort Hays State stand out, Carson Konrade takes over his high school alma-mater’s women’s program at SPEARVILLE after they made the state tournament last sea son with a 15-8 record. The Lancers lost in the first round to a Centralia team that didn’t lose a game until their state championship matchup with Pretty Prairie. All-League senior Taeson Pedigo, and fellow seniors Tawney Krominga, Kara Brakey, and Kristin Huston are back from that starting lineup, along with rotation player Faith Ackerman, a sophomore.

“Goal is to help each player to grow as basket ball players and young women as well,” Konrade said.

Head coach Scott Howell is entering his first year at SOUTH CENTRAL where he will replace retired long-time coach Tim Rietzke after spend ing 17 years coaching in Oklahoma. Howell inherits a team that returns two starters after finishing 18-4 with a sub-state championship defeat at the hands of Spearville. Senior Kodie Herd (13.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2 spg, 5-10) and sophomore Mea Alexander (8.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2 apg, 1.7, 5-4) provide a strong duo for Howell to build around.

“We have two returning starters who con tributed a lot to the successful team last year,” Howell said. “Our key this year will be how well the inexperienced players around them perform. Izzy Hackney, 5-4 sophmore, was a key sub last year who will need to play a bigger role this year. McKenzie Jellison, 5-8 senior, will get her chance to prove what she can do.”

SOUTH GRAY faced a first round loss to Meade during last season’s sub-state and end ed the year 12-10. Back from that starting lineup are senior Halli Meairs (10.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.7 spg), junior Vi Helm (11.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 spg), and sophomore Allie Reed (6.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 3.3 spg). Junior Jacelyn Huelskamp, along with sophomores Reagan Meairs and Kylie Stapleton also return with sig nificant varsity time. Seniors Alleris Granados, Kendall Riley, and sophomore Gwyn Jantz are others likely to see an increased role on varsity.

“We return much of our roster from last year, in cluding 80% of our scoring,” coach Mindy Stilwell said. “As well as two seniors who missed last season to injury. Last year we were very fresh man and sophomore heavy, so the experience the underclassmen gained on the varsity floor should benefit us this season. We should have a deep bench and are quick this year. Playing out of our defense in transition will be a key for us. Defense and rebounding is a major focus and area we are looking to improve.”

“We truly just focus on getting better every day,” Walker said. Defending a state championship is never easy, but in 3A state champion GOODLAND’s case, it’s much easier to do with a majority of your roster back. The Cowgirls went 24-2 en route to their thrilling 48-47 victory over league rival Hugoton in the title game, and while replacing All-State selection Emma Lehman (Colby CC volleyball) is a significant challenge, All-State senior and Fort Hays commit Talexa Weeter (17.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.8 spg, 6-0), AllLeague senior Lindsey Cure (7.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.4 spg, 6-0), All-League junior Jaxi Mitchek (7.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.8 spg, 5-10), and junior Haley Biermann (2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.9 spg, 5-4) give the Cowgirls talent and experience. They also return last season’s top player off the bench, senior Olivia Lehman (7.9 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 5-11), as well as senior Jordin Owens (1.7 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 5-10) and junior Haley Blochlinger (1.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-10) from the rotation.

“Obviously last season was a great year for us with winning the state title and we return four starters off of that team,” coach Bill Biermann said. “Olivia Lehman was almost like a sixth starter for us last year playing a lot of minutes. Therefore, our starting five should be set and we bring back a lot of experience there. Our JV went undefeated last year and we will be counting on several of them to step into vital backup rolls and to build depth. Replacing senior Emma Lehman from last year’s squad, who was an outstanding leader for our team, will be critical to our success. She was such a good leader for our squad and a solid player who could do a lot of things. We need to continue to develop our team chemistry and leadership within the team in order to get back to where we want to be. Looking forward to another great year!”

HOLCOMB closed out last season just about .500 at 12-10 with a 3-3 record in league. From that team, head coach Andrea Ardery returns a still young core featuring juniors Jera Kruleski (15.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2 apg, 2.5 spg, 5-6), and Brooklyn Deniston (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1 spg, 5-5), and sophomore Halle Jones (8.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 5-6).

“Our goal is to continually improve with each practice and game,” Ardery said. “Improving our record from a year ago will be important but doing it together and for each other will be paramount.”

HUGOTON lost a heartbreaker in the 3A state title game against league rival Goodland

by just one point, but the Eagles did nab a regular season GWAC title over the Cowgirls, finishing at a perfect 6-0 in league and 23-3 overall. Head coach Emmanuel Adigun returns a wealth of senior talent from that team in All-State selections Mikyn Hamlin (17.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 2.1 spg, 5-8), Gianna Vos (13.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 spg, 5-9), and Summya Adigun (12.3 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.2 spg, 5-8), along with Julienna Salazar (2.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 5-6). Hamlin did run into some injury issues over the summer, but is expecting to be back some time after Christmas break. Developing and improving team depth and focusing on growth as opposed to wins and losses are Adigun’s keys to success for his team.

SCOTT CITY ended last season 8-13 overall after a semifinal sub-state loss to a talented Phillipsburg team. A proven scoring combo of senior Brooke Strine (10.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1 apg, 1 spg, 2.3 bpg, 6-0) and junior Erika Felker (10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-6) give head coach Amy Fekler a good starting point as an otherwise inexperienced roster find it’s identity.

“Girls will have to accept roles, and the inexperienced girls will have to step up fast to the varsity level,” coach Felker said. “Defense and rebounds will always be key. We need to be sure we are physical and attack the basket.”

ULYSSES finished 2-18 and have since hired head coach Audrey Marshall. Three starters return from a season ago in All-League senior Cami Kenny and sophomores Clarissa Sianuqui and Chloe Curl. Curl dealt with injuries during her freshman campaign and should make an impact for the Tigers in 2022-23. Marshall’s keys to success for her team are to “defend, rebound, and run.”

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seniors Brantley Peterson (9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-10) and Koy Myers (7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2 apg, 1.7 spg), and junior Ben Moohan (5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 6-1) from the starting lineup. Senior Brady Wallace (2.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1 apg, 1.3 spg, 5-10) also returns as a key contributor.

“We want to compete in the Lyon County League, finishing top three would be an accomplishment with how strong the league is,” Williams said. “We want to get back to the state tournament for the third year in a row and make it to the medal rounds. Being close the past two years has made the kids hungry. Bringing back the kids that we are, the cupboard is not bare, and we should be competitive with what we have and what we have added.”

GIRLS: BURLINGAME finished third in the state last season with a 55-45 win over Hodgeman County in the consolation game. The Wildcats graduated All-State selection Daelyn Winters, AllLeague selection Kenna Masters, and varsity contributor Emma Tyson, but return a plenty of other experienced players. All-State junior Kaylin Noonan (18.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.4 spg, 2.5 apg) set the single season scoring record last season (457) and led the state tournament in scoring (62). Seniors Gracie Simmons (8 ppg, 5 rpg) and Isabella Tyson (1.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.7 apg) also return from the starting lineup, while senior Alexandra Crook, juniors Madison Hovestadt, Savannah Short, and Jennifer Graybeal, and sophomores Joselyn Simmons and Karah Ross are back from the bench rotation.

“We had a strong summer going 10-3,” coach Jeff Slater said. “We have a strong core of girls to lean on, but we need girls to step into new roles and take on bigger responsibilities of handling the ball and scoring. We will have a big, strong lineup which I think can be a strength of ours on defense and rebounding. The goal for our season isn’t to repeat what we did last year, our goal is to find our ceiling and play at that level the second half of the season. If we can do that, we will be a tough team to beat and all our team goals will be in play.”

HARTFORD ended their season in the second round of substate after a loss to league opponent Waverly, leaving them at 13-9. The Jaguars went 3-4 in the LCL during the regular season

and took fifth place in the league tournament. Sophomore Tobye Sull (4.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 5-5) is the lone returning starter, and the loss of All-League seniors Kiernan Breshears and Regan Darbyshire to graduation will require some adjustments.

“We are going to be freshmen and sophomores, so a lot of girls will need to step up to help score,” head coach Ryan Thomas said.

“The biggest thing will be taking care of the ball.”

After going undefeated in the LCL during the regular season, LEBO qualified for the state tournament last season with just one loss, on the heels of a dominant sub-state performance. The Wolves ran into a first round roadblock in the form of Hanover, though, and were knocked out, 54-47. Lebo’s final record was 22-2 and they return three All-League starters in senior Brooklyn Jones (15 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 spg, 5-8), junior Audrey Peek (11 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg, 5-8), and sophomore Saige Hadley (9 ppg, 4 apg, 3 spg, 5-8). Junior Katie Ott (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-7) and sophomore Abi Jones (3 ppg, 2 spg) also return and are expected to move into starting spots, according to fourth year Lebo head coach Patrick Gardner.

LEROY-SOUTHERN COFFEY COUNTY defeated Chetopa in the first round of sub-state decisively, 48-27, but were then given the same treatment in the next round by a loaded Lebo squad, ending their season, 71-27, for a 10-12 final mark. All-League senior Josie Weers (16.6 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2 spg) set the single season rebound record last season and is the top returner this season.

MADISON-HAMILTON closed out their season at 13-7 after a sub-state semifinal loss to state qualifier Burlingame, 37-31. Yolaine Luthi (6-0) and sophomore Jalynn Weakley (5-10) were both All-League selections last year, and are back alongside returning senior starters Sarah Miser (5-7) and Ava Foltz (5-7). Freshman Caylin Luthi (5-5) is projected by coach Bill Nienstedt to see significant varsity time, while senior Rachel Trower (5-5), junior Brooke Gaines (5-5), and sophomore Lily Hudson also are back and likely to make big contributions.

“We are all looking forward to the opportunity to grow together as a team and to improve steadily as the season progresses,”

Schankie

Nienstedt said.

MARAIS DES CYGNES VALLEY went 3-17 in head coach Mike McDougald’s first season with the team and for year two he brings back two starters, senior Madison Cormode (2 ppg, 5-5) and junior Olivia Lacey (9 ppg, 10 rpg, 5-8).

“With few returning players, one of the keys to the Lady Trojans’ success this year will be how quickly the new players can adjust to competing at the high school level,” McDougald said. “The leadership from senior Madison Cormode and the intensity and rebounding from Olivia Lacey will be counted on to help this team learn the process and habits it takes to not only be successful but also to establish the identity of this year’s Lady Trojans basketball team.”

After winning the 1A-DI state title two seasons ago, OLPE was due for some rebuilding. The Eagles finished 8-14 after a second round sub-state loss to St. Paul. Senior Makenna Broyles and junior Kadey Robert both earned All-League for that squad.

WAVERLY finished 13-10 overall with a sixth place tournament and fourth place regular season finish in the LCL. Returning starters include senior Serenity Lockwood (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg, 2 spg, 5-6), junior Addison Miller (6 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg, 2 spg, 5-6), and sophomore Josie Romig ( 8 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg, 5-9).

“Our goals are to play our best basketball at the end of the season, finish above .500, finish in the top half of the LCL, and play in the sub-state finals,” coach Ty Piper said.

with a 33-32 win over Topeka, rounding out three of the most exciting and grueling games any tour nament team played last season. BVHS finished with a 21-4 record overall and a 5-2 record in the EKL. Fifth-year Blue Valley head coach Bruce Erickson, who has more than 40-years experi ence coaching at the high school and college lev el, returns three senior starters in Clara Bax (6.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 spg, 5-7), Eden Bax (6.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 spg, 1 apg, 5-6), and Tiana Simmons (5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1 spg, 1 apg, 5-9), along with Oklahoma State commit Jadyn Wooten (19.2 ppg, 5.2 rpb, 5.4 apg, 2.2 spg, 5-6), the best junior in the state according to Prep Girls Hoops.

“We need to shoot the ball well because we are not very tall,” Erickson said. “With Jadyn Wooten at the point we are able to get a lot of open shots and we have nine players that will play so we have good depth with seniors and battle tested under classmen.”

BLUE VALLEY NORTH made their way to the state tournament after upsetting Shawnee Mission Northwest in the sub-state championship. From there the Mustangs nearly upset Olathe North in the first round at state, but fell just short, 54-51. North gets back honorable mention AllEKL senior Nyla Hale (7 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-10), junior Tyara Davis (5 ppg, 4 rpg, 6-0), and sophomores Aubrey Shaw (13 ppg, 3 rpg, 6-2, third team AllEKL) and Jaliya Davis (17 ppg, 5 rpg, 6-2, honor able mention All-EKL).

“We want to be a great defensive team, have good ball movement, and get better every game,” head coach Ann Fritz said. “Try to win a state championship.”

BLUE VALLEY NORTHWEST finished 12-9 overall last year after a first round sub-state exit and have since hired a new head coach in 12 year veteran Tiffany Dirks. The Huskies bring back varsity experience for their new coach in

(5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg, 6-1). Other returning lettermen include senior Kyle Haner (510), junior Travell Froggatte (3.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 5-10), and sophomore Gavin Gonzales (3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 6-0).

“While there are not a lot of seniors on the team, there will be a lot of experience returning for the Falcons,” Hassler said. “After graduating only two seniors from last year’s squad the Falcons will return 90 percent of their scoring. Trey Rogers will be one of the top returning players in the league.”

GIRLS: The CENTRAL HEIGHTS Vikings were 12-9 after a sub-state semifinals loss to state qualifier Mission Valley. All-League selection Cameron Peel was a key member of that team lost to graduation.

CHASE COUNTY overcame Maranatha Christian Academy in the first round of substate last year by a sound 39-26 margin, but didn’t have enough firepower to overcome league rival Northern Heights in semifinals. The Bulldogs ended their season 9-12 and have since graduated All-League performer Abby Tubach.

COUNCIL GROVE went 7-1 in league play last year, giving them a regular season title to go with their eventual Flint Hills tournament second place finish. However, outside of league play the Braves were just 3-10 with a 10-11 record overall. Their season ended with a loss in the first round of substate to Beloit. Seniors Jessica Filkin (3.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1 apg, 5-8) and Lillian Thompkins (2 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 spg, 5-8) return from last season’s

the form of a tall junior class that includes six-foot tall second team All-EKL twin sisters Elise and Josie Grosdidier, Ava Smith (5-11), Tamiya Davis (5-11), Katie Mitchell (6-0), and Laine Douglas (6-3) – who is coming off an injury that kept her out for most of last season – along with Olathe North transfer Ella Dirks (5-11). Claire Suchma (511) is the team’s lone senior returning with varsity experience.

“This team has a combined talent that should challenge any opponent we face,” Dirks said. “Our goal would be to compete deep into the postseason with a chance to make it to the state weekend.”

BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST ended their sea son 2-19 with an 0-7 mark in the ever-brutal EKL. Back from that young team are juniors Maryam ElDemerdash (1.7 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.4 apg), and sopho mores Madison Mann (6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.4 spg), Lindsay Dill (2.5 ppg, 4 rpg), and Lily Unruh (2.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg).

“We will need to rely on our returning starters taking the next step and mixing in some inexperi enced young talent to make strides this season,” coach TJ Taylor said. “Our lack of size will need to be countered with aggressiveness, creating and finishing shots, and sound decision-making.”

BLUE VALLEY WEST finished their season 7-14 after a first round sub-state exit. Lily Ba was the team’s top player a season ago, earning third team All-EKL honors as a junior.

ST. JAMES ACADEMY fought their way to an 11-10 record with a 4-3 EKL mark. All six of St. James’ losses to Kansas teams were against EKL programs who at minimum qualified for stateincluding a loss to 5A state champs St. Thomas Aquinas in the sub-state championship. Their other four losses were to three Missouri schools with a combined record of 61-14. Returning from that deceivingly talented squad are senior Riley Bruggeman (20.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.2 spg,

starting lineup for coach Eric Carter, who pointed to offensive and defensive execution as keys.

“Our goal is to compete for another Flint Hills League championship and make a run in substate,” Carter said.

LYNDON went 4-17 overall with a 2-5 league mark last season and brings back three starters in senior point guard Jolie Hieslcher, senior post Taylor Segrist, and junior guard Taylor Thompson.

“We want to compete in every game we play in and get better individually and as a team,” head coach Toby Baker said. “We bring back a good core of girls that are really excited about the season.”

MISSION VALLEY took third place in both the league tournament and in the regular season at 4-2. Overall the Vikings went 14-9 and return All-State senior Paige Martin (12.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2 apg, 1.4 bpg, 3.8 spg, 5-10), senior Morgan Tomlinson (6.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg, 1.9 bpg, 5-8), and sophomore Kyplee Jacobson (7.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 5-9) from their starting lineup, as well as sophomore Adaline Bloomfield (5.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2 spg, 5-5) who was the team’s first player off the bench as a freshman.

“Developing chemistry between our four returners that played a lot and our younger players are our keys to success,” head coach Ben Packard said. “We will have to rely on some freshmen being in our main rotation and I expect them to be up for it.”

NORTHERN HEIGHTS earned a one-seed at sub-state last season and easily handled their first

5-8) and sophomore Reese Messer (16 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 3 spg, 5-11) - a dangerous All-State scoring duo - along with senior Lauren Steinlage (6.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 5-8), and sopho more Riley Kerwin (4.6 ppg, 1 spg, 5-3).

“We have gotten better each of the last two sea sons,” coach Justin Snell said. “Our goal is to con tinue moving in a positive direction. We play one of the toughest schedules in the state again. We want to be playing our best ball in late February into March. We won our sub-state in 2020-21 and would ultimately like to make a run back to the state tournament.”

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS took second in the EKL with a 7-1 mark and did themselves one better at the 5A state tournament with a 52-38 championship game victory over Salina Central, giving them a 23-2 overall record. From that team 25th year head coach Rick Hetzel brings back three starters in juniors Kelsey Schenck (9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2 apg, 5-11), Jamya McPherson (7.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.6 apg), and senior Catherine Goodwin

(10.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 3 apg, 5-6), along with sixth man Tatum Grimes (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6-2), but the graduation of Oklahoma signee Beatrice Culliton leaves a glaring hole.

“Key to success is to continue to have good team chemistry and play hard,” coach Rick Hetzel said.

and second round matchups, but were knocked out by Mission Valley in the title game, 41-35, finishing 16-6 on the year. All-League performers Makenna French and Aubrey Hinrichs were key pieces to that success but have since graduated.

After a 9-13 regular season with a fourth place league finish, OSAGE CITY has back five letterwinners including senior Greta Crawford (5.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5-6), All-League junior Campbell Stark (10.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6-1), junior Jorjia Kitselman (6 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-7), and sophomores Sadie Shoemaker (4.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5-6) and Lexi Boss (2.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5-8).

“I’m really excited to see what this group will do

at the varsity level,” coach Chris Kilpatrick said. “They meshed well last season and showed bright spots. This summer we had our best numbers in the weight room and they all have shown great improvements. I think we can be really solid on the defensive end and have some potential offensively to do well. We will have to continue to work hard and get better each day.”

WEST FRANKLIN entered sub-state a sixseed at 6-12 before upsetting their way to a championship game matchup with Santa Fe Trail. The Falcons season came to an end there at 8-13. The production of All-League graduates Lily Judd and Allison Swank will need to be replaced.

Everett Royer/KSportsImages.com

Kirston Verhulst

Bishop Miege, Sophomore

and provides the Panthers a strong post presence. Other players returning from last year’s rotation are seniors Austin Dierking (1.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 5-11) and Jaelyn Miller (3.2 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-9), as well as sopho mores Kayla Jacobs (4.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-6) and Karissa Keeten (3.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5-5).

“One of our team’s strengths this year is our senior leadership,” coach Rachel Miller said. “The seniors are competitive, passionate, and energetic and all of that carries over to the rest of the team in practices and games. We have qual ity depth at every position and can play big or small as needed. We have a balanced inside out scoring attack. Like any other team, we need to stay healthy all season. We look to focus on our team defense. We need to improve our rebound ing margin and defensive field goal percentage every game. Our league and 3A in general has some of the toughest teams in the state, so we have to be focused and ready to battle each and every game.”

PLAINVILLE took a first round sub-state exit against Smith Center and ended up winless at 0-20 in head coach Brian Barr’s first season.

RUSSELL finished 12-10 last season after a 47-43 loss in the first round of sub-state to Hoisington. First year head coach Tyson Revell gets back one starter from that team in sopho more Kelvie Reeves (5.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.6 spg).

“One of our main goals this season is get tougher on defense and finish around the rim consistently,” Revell said. “Another goal of ours is to finish in the upper half of our league. Our keys to success this season will be deter mined by our guard play. If we can find a few consistent ball-handlers, we can be a success ful team. We will be smaller in numbers than in years past, so we will need some athletes to step up.”

SMITH CENTER missed out on a state title ap pearance by just two points after being defeated by Garden Plain, 40-38, in the state semifinals. Despite the tough loss, head coach Nick Linn’s team went on to take third place with a final re cord of 21-5 to go with a 10-1 league mark that tied them for first in regular season standings. Juniors Camryn Hutchinson (3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2 spg, 5-5), Dakota Kattenberg (10 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg, 5-7), and Gracie Kirchoff (6.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.2 spg, 5-7), and senior Maile Hrabe (9.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.7 spg, 5-9) re turn after playing key roles a season ago.

“We feel like we can compete for the MCL title again this year,” Linn said. “As always, our goals will Include making it beyond postseason again. Last year we finished third at state and will strive to get there again. We should be a fairly quick team relying on transition as well as a press. We want to convert points off of our pressure up the court. We will need to work hard on our boxing

out and rebounding skills.”

STOCKTON finished 4-15 after a first round sub-state loss to Sylvan-Lucas in head coach Alexa Rogers’ seventh season with the team. She enters year eight with three returning start ers back, including senior Cappi Hoeting (7.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 5-10), and sophomores Ava Dix (4 ppg, 5rpg, 2.1 apg, 3 spg, 5-8) and Brin Muir (5.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 5-8).

“Our goal is to continue to compete every game regardless of the score,” Rogers said. “(We must) find ‘wins’ other than just the scoreboard. We are in a tough league but it helps us for postseason, (where we want to) be able to get to sub-state championship game. Key to success is defense. If we can overcome our lack of depth to our team and buy into communication on defense that will help us on the offensive end as well.”

TMP entered sub-state as the two-seed after posting 17 regular season wins. After a domi nant first round win over Scott City, 59-24, the Monarchs weren’t able to overcome a tough second round matchup with a Taryn Sides-led Phillipsburg squad, losing that one 56-46. Rose McFarland is entering her 15th year as head coach of TMP, and her 27th overall, with a 381199 mark. She gets back All-League senior Jaci VonLintel (13 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 spg, 2.5 apg, 5-11) and two part time starters, senior Hannah Garcia and sophomore Brooke Koenigsman.

“Staying healthy and out of foul trouble,” McFarland said of team keys. “We will also be playing a lot of young players and how they transition to the varsity level will be key to our success.”

WAKEENEY-TREGO went 13-9 overall with a 7-4 mark in the MCL. The Eagles took eighth in the MCL tournament and entered sub-state as a two-seed. After a 49-16 first round win over Hill City, Trego met their season’s end in a 4441 semifinal matchup with St. Francis/Bird CityCheylin. Seniors Kaylee Walt (7.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-8), Kya O’Banion (3.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-8), and junior Annabelle Malsam (5.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5-7) all return.

“Our goal is to be competitive in a strong MCL, win two games in the MCL tournament, and win sub-state to return to the state tournament,” coach Shelby Crawford said. “We will be work ing to incorporate transfer sophomore Reece Smith into our game plan. We will need to see development inside from 6-foot senior Tori Hober and 5-11 sophomore Dani Shubert, as well as a strong defensive mindset.”

coach Marlin Beougher said. “I think the girls believe in what we are doing and they are looking forward to the season.”

LOGAN-PALCO finished 10-12 overall after a loss in the sub-state championship to St. John’sTipton. First-year head coach Raelyn Gilmore takes over after six seasons as an assistant with the Trojans and she gets back senior Madison Brackney (6.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5-7), juniors Cydnee Rider (5-4), Ansley Delimont (1.8 ppg, 1.2 apg, 5-6) and Mara Kats (5.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg), as well as Kenzie Wells (5-3), who was injured last season after starting as a freshman.

“This season, with the amount of experience we have coming back, we are looking to be in contention for our league championship and push deep into the postseason,” Gilmore said. “We are looking to build a program based on love for competition as well as teamwork and strategic problem solving. This season we plan to play our brand of basketball by controlling the tempo of the game, being relentless on the defensive end.”

RANSOM-WESTERN PLAINS/HEALY were knocked out in the first round of sub-state last season and finished the season 6-14. The Wildcats lost a large group of seniors from that team, including All-League selection Alana Strickler.

REXFORD-GOLDEN PLAINS took home 1A-DII silver medals last season after losing to one of the most dominant programs in KSHSAA

history, Central Plains, in the title game, 50-38. Besides that loss the Bulldogs were flawless and finished the season 24-1 overall with an 8-0 mark in the WKLL. The defending league champs return senior starters Breanna Rath (7 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 spg, 5-4) and Sidney Taylor (8 ppg, 4 rpg, 5-8), along with junior Jordyn Fleckenstein (6 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-10) and sophomores Anette Hernandez (2 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-9) and Hayden Wark (5-4) from the varsity bench. Junior Emma Weiner (5-4) was injured last season and is expected to make an impact as well.

“Develop our younger players, stay injury free, upperclassmen will need to grow into team leaders,” veteran coach Parker Christensen said of his team’s keys.

TRIPLAINS-BREWSTER didn’t notch a win last season, ending the year 0-17 after losing their first round sub-state matchup to Wheatland-Grinnell. Lora Peterson was the team’s only All-League selection and was lost to graduation.

WESKAN finished last season 16-8. Sophomore Aubree Richardson earned All-League during that campaign, along with 2022 grads Brielle Allen and Ariana Okeson.

chance to be in games regardless. This is a little different group than last year so we will be doing some different stuff in hopes of creating opportu nities offensively.”

LIBERAL lost in the sub-state title game against a very good Topeka High team, but oth erwise put together a great season with a 15-7 mark overall and a 7-1 record in league that gave them the Western Athletic Conference champi onship. Senior Rylie Hallman (5.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg, 5-8), along with juniors Hailey Contreras (8.5 ppg, 1.3 apg, 1.5 rpg, 2 spg, 5-4), Keyona Hall (6.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 6-0) and Elle Hatcher (2.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6-1) are all back with starting experience, but the graduation of first team All-WAC selections Ashley Carrillo (WAC Player of the Year, Presbyterian College basket ball) and Bree Horyna (Hutchinson Community College basketball) leaves significant production to replace.

“Our goals are similar to most in the state; we want to compete, improve, and win,” last year’s WAC Coach of the Year Brandi Fowler said. “This season, many of our players are going to take on much bigger roles than they have in the past. A key will be for our player leaders to accept their new roles and be role models of our program’s core values.”

Brewster, KS • 785.694.2924

Kim Reel

Carly Lang

Hays High, Senior

individuals that will fill spots in the lineup are seniors Chandler Angleton (165) and Dax Axelson (175), and sophomore Owen Luttrell (132).

“I think our goal this year is to get back to the basics and try to wrestle a hard-nose style of wrestling that will give our fans some thing to cheer for this season,” Albright said. “We need to out-hus tle our opponents whenever we have the opportunity. Our younger wrestlers need to buy in and embrace the grind. We will be very successful if they follow our seniors’ lead. We have a very solid senior class that is fun to coach and be around daily.”

Experience will be key for BALDWIN this season as it looks to make a serious climb in 4A this season. Finishing fourth in the Frontier League, the Bulldogs went on to capture 23rd place at state. But head coach Kit Harris, now in his 24th year with the program, has several key returners in this year’s lineup. Back this season are five qualifiers from last year’s squad, led by junior Jack Harvey. A Frontier League champion, Harvey went 37-4 and was the runner-up at 182 but will make the move up to 190 this season. Other returning qualifiers include seniors Jesse Hopper (25-18) at 138 and Dayton Peterson (20-16) at 144, junior Jayden Westgate (15-11) at 106 and sophomore Jake Van Horn (22-17) at 285. Six other individuals are back after placing in the Frontier League — seniors Jaiden Michael (150), Wesley Martin (175) and Jonathan Wren (215), juniors Ayedin Johnson (113) and Dylan Williams (157), and sophomore Gunnar Reichard (126).

“We have a strong group of returners,” Harris said. “We will need great leadership from this group every day in practice and each week at competitions. We have to continue to develop our skills offensively and defensively, on the mat and on our feet, and be ready to battle for points every second of the match.”

Head coach Jeremy McAdam begins his seventh season in charge at ANDERSON COUNTY. The Bulldogs of the Pioneer League return a pair of state qualifiers to the lineup. Back is a two-time qualifier in junior AJ Schaffer at 132, as well as junior Masten Wright at 150. Others expected to contribute are seniors Trenton Guernsey (138) and John Wright (157), as well as junior

Colten Wittman (144).

“A tough group of freshmen coming in is going to create a com petitive practice room,” McAdam said.

Eastern Kansas League champion Baker North returns to lead BISHOP MIEGE this season. The Stags are under the direction of fourth-year coach Ryan Wrigley. North, a junior that will wrestle at 285, went 18-4 a year ago. In addition to the league title, he placed second at regionals to become a state qualifier. From there, Wrigley will be looking for several individuals to step into key roles for the Stags.

“We want to grow the program, improve every day, bring the un derclass to a higher level, win one dual and qualify five guys for state,” Wrigley said. “That will take consistency and hard work.”

Cruz Hershberger is the lone returning qualifier for BUHLER this season after the Crusaders captured 24th place in 4A a year ago and graduated multiple-time state champion Sam Elliott. Hershberger, a sophomore, went 24-12 a year ago and will com pete at 138 this season. Other individuals that could be a factor for the Crusaders’ lineup are seniors Jayce Spencer (19-16) at 132 and Jaxson Roeder (18-15) at 150, juniors Cooper McCloy (24-9) at 165, Lucas Anderson (6-7) at 190, and Keaton Parsons (9-7) at 215, and sophomore Jayden Deister (7-5) at 120.

“We have a very young, inexperienced team, so it will be very im portant to learn from mistakes, work hard and continue to get better on a daily basis,” said Buhler first-year coach Bowe Behymer. ”Our boys will need to push each other and hold each other accountable on and off the mat. Making no excuses and putting in the time and effort will define our team’s success for the 2022-2023 season.”

After going through some growing pains the past few seasons, CHAPMAN is looking for experience to play a huge role in its suc cess during the 2022-23 campaign. The Irish have three wrestlers back in the lineup with state experience, including a two-time qual ifier in senior Justin Wisner-McLane (24-8) at 150. Also returning are senior Brayden Lexow (22-6) at 215 and sophomore Julius Raygoza (13-17) at 113. Some other individuals that will play key roles this season are senior Troy Boyd (25-4) at 285, junior Kendan

Blacketer (16-7) at 175, junior Ryan Clark (14-12) at 165 and junior TJ Schreiner (9-8) at 138.

“We have been a young team the past few years,” said fourthyear Irish coach Zach Lucas. “We’re finally comprised of primarily upperclassmen, which is going to be huge for us this season. Our key to success will be the leadership that the upperclassmen pro vide. It is a great group of juniors and seniors this year, most of whom have experienced levels of success over their respective careers.”

No qualifiers return for CLEARWATER this season for head coach Cooper Ross in his second season with the program. The Indians of Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League Division IV had a 5-4 dual record a year ago.

“We must change the culture, adhere to discipline and maintain a high standard,” Ross said. “That will take discipline, outworking our opponents, having a family-like culture and the will to win.”

COLBY, which captured sixth place in 4A a year ago, returns four qualifiers to its lineup this season. Matt Sims begins his 16th year in charge of the Eagles, who took third place in the Great West Activities Conference and finished as regional runner-up. Junior Kaden McCarty leads the way as a two-time state placer, finishing fourth a year ago at 113. A two-time qualifier, junior Tucker Wark will be back after capturing sixth place as a freshman in 2021. Other individuals back with state experience include senior Logan Haggard and sophomore Dawsen DeGood.

“We need to develop our young talent in the room,” Sims said. After finishing as the runner-up in the North Central Kansas League and placing 10th in 4A, CONCORDIA has four wrestlers with state experience back in its lineup this season. Leading the way is 126-pound runner-up Daniel Vines. The senior, who went 38-2 a year ago, will move up a classification to 132 this season. Three juniors return after competing at the state tournament, in cluding Christian Belden (34-8) at 106, Ashton Dooley (18-18) at 113 and Easton Swihart (23-17) at 138. Another individual that could be in the mix is sophomore Tracer Murdock (24-10) at 190.

“The goal this year is improve on last year’s success and contin

ue to build the Panther brand,” said Josh Brown, who enters his sixth season as head coach. “We will lean on our experienced wrestlers to push our talented underclassman to achieve team goals.”

Great West Activities Conference runner-up GOODLAND will try to crack the top 10 of 4A this season after finishing in 14th place a year ago. The Cowboys are led by Joseph Sramek, who begins his 17th season with the program. Sramek welcomes back a pair of state qualifiers in Mason Hernandez at 175 and Kayan Ensign. Hernandez (31-7), a three-time qualifier, has placed twice in his career, including sixth in 2020 and fifth last season. Ensign went 24-12 a year ago and is a two-time qualifier. From there, the squad will look for leadership from three other seniors — Octavio Gonzalez (36-10) at 126, Maverick Spresser (17-9) at 190 and Angel Lazo (19-17) at 215.

“Our goal is for our senior class to have a suc cessful season,” Sramek said. “The key to our success will be the leadership that our senior class provides us this season.”

FORT SCOTT enters the season with a pair of ranked wrestlers, junior Jasper Allison, fourth at 132, and sophomore Lennox Vann, who enters the season ranked fourth at 150.

Beginning his 28th season at HESSTON, Doug Broadfoot will be looking for individuals to step up in leadership roles this season. The Swathers have no returning qualifiers from last year’s squad but are led by senior Hayde Hartung, who will compete at 215 following a 21-13 season. Other individuals that could step up this season are senior Tyrone Taylor (14-7) at 165, as well as juniors Jaden Wald (12-11) at 120 and Aedan O’Halloran (9-7) at 190.

“We are working to earn more state berths and tournament medalists this season,” Broadfoot said. “Gaining experience for improvement will be our focus.”

Big 7 League champ HOLTON hopes to crack the state top 10 this season after a 12th-place finish a season ago. Coach Cullen Jackson has high expectations that include a repeat of that league title. Three state placers return to the line up for the Wildats, led by 160-pound runner-up Jayden Fletcher, who moves up to 165. Dalton Roush will compete at 215 after taking third place at 220, while Tucker Gilliland will be at 120 fol lowing a sixth-place finish at 113. The remainder of the lineup will likely consist of Maverick Hug at 106, Sean Morrissey at 113, Asher Larson at 126, Kyler Jackson at 132, Cale Hein at 138, Caleb Chermok at 144, Sheldon Conley at 150 and Garyson Booth at 175.

“The key for us will be health and hard work,” Jackson said.

Coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history, INDEPENDENCE continues to seek improvement as it pushes near the top of the Southeast Kansas League. The Bulldogs finished as the SEK runner-up behind state pow er Chanute for a fourth straight season but went on to finish as the runner-up in the Frontenac Regional. That was only the second time IHS had ever done that as it sent eight individuals to state — tied for the second-most ever in program history. Zack Camacho, beginning his eight year as head coach, returns seven wrestlers that have state experience. Leading the way is sophomore Keith Sanders, who went 34-2 and was third at 106. He will make the jump up to 113. Another state placer was junior Kohen Wright, who went

32-8 and took fourth at 132, but will move up to 138. Also returning to the lineup with state experi ence are seniors Gunar Allen (20-13) at 170 and Isaiah Melugin (15-16) at 195, as well as juniors Mason Gibbons (35-6) at 106, Saxton Renfro (27-9) at 145 and Dillon Kuehn (13-17) at 220.

“Our key to success will be building off of last year’s success,” Camacho said. “We really hit our stride at the end of the season and built a ton of confidence. We need to make sure we stay healthy and that each individual dominates their current role. We have a ton of talent and experi ence, and we are bringing in a few freshmen that can contribute right out the gate.”

Jason Bates returns for his ninth season at IOLA as he welcomes back one qualifier from last year’s squad. Returning to the Mustang lineup will be senior Wyatt Westervelt, who was 23-13 and a qualifier at 195. One other individual returns after posting a winning season last year, junior Korbin Cloud with a 19-11 mark. IHS took fifth place in the Pioneer League.

“We want to continue building the program by filling as many weight classes as possible,” Bates said. “Our success will come down to our willing ness to change, adapt, and overcome.”

A pair of qualifiers are back in the lineup for head coach Shawn Dolezilek and his JEFFERSON WEST squad. The Tigers return senior Keaton Shelman, who captured fifth place at 182 last season. Sheldon will move up to 195 following a 36-10 campaign. Also back with state experience is sophomore Tristan Strawn at 220. Strawn had an overall record of 27-11 as a freshman.

“Our goal is to expand numbers on the team,” Dolezilek said. “We also want team cohesion.”

Led by a pair of state qualifiers, LABETTE COUNTY will try to move into the upper half of the Southeast Kansas League this season. Head coach Chas Thompson, the former head coach at Fort Hays State University, begins his third season in the program, and welcomes back two wrestlers with state experience — Cason Wyrick, who captured sixth place at 120 and will move to 138, and Cody Hambleton, who drops down from 195 to 190. The Grizzlies have one other individual with state experience as Kyler Irwin qualified in 2021 at 113 but now be competing at 132 this season.

“Our team goals are to do better as a team than we did the year before,” Thompson said.

After a top-20 finish in 4A a year ago, head coach Bobby Bovaird is looking for bigger and better things from his squad at LOUISBURG Bovaird begins his 12th year in the Wildcat pro gram and expects his team to shoot for a Frontier League championship this season. Three qual ifiers are back in the lineup, including two that placed at state. Senior Kevin Bartlett, a two-time qualifier, captured sixth place at 126 and will move to 138 following a 33-12 campaign. Senior Elijah Eslinger, another two-time qualifier, placed sixth in the heavyweight division and finished with a 32-13 record. Another qualifier back is sophomore Ashton Moore (29-14) at 190. From there, the Wildcats will be looking at several other individuals to fill out the lineup, including juniors Noah Cotter (21-19) at 106 and J’Lee Collins (12-25) at 132; and sophomores Colton Blue (25-13) at 120, Jay McCaskill (18-18) at 150, Lucas Swartz (12-22) at 165 and Brayden Yoder (17-13) at 175.

“The key to success this season will be build ing on what we accomplished last year,” Bovaird said. “We return two state placers, along with

another state qualifier. We have a lot of younger wrestlers with plenty of experience at the youth level, and with their hard work in the offseason, we’re looking to take that experience to the next level this season.”

Former Eureka coach Mike Davison begins his first season as head coach at McPHERSON. The Bullpups return two qualifiers from a year ago. Senior Treyton Pelnar is the top returning winner, posting a 36-9 record and fifth-place finish at 126 a year ago. Another state qualifier is sophomore Jase Fitzmorris, who was 21-15 at 170. The re mainder of the lineup will likely consist of seniors Tucker Pelnar, Gavin Richardson, Caden Burris, Joseph Nutt and Conner McVicker, juniors Brock Burgess and Hayden Farley, and sophomores John Robben and Brock Richardson.

“We want to continue to grow and get better every day and peak at the end of February,” Davison said. “We need to come in every day with a positive attitude and ready to work.”

First-year coach Jayden Creach takes over the program at OTTAWA and will welcome back 145-pound state champion Parker Guge. The junior will move up in weight class this season to 165. Guge is one of three qualifiers back for the Cyclones this season, including senior Brock Sutton at 113 and junior Dalton Evans at 144. Sutton is a two-time qualifier that placed fourth at 106 a year ago.

“Our team goal is to go into every match and put pressure on our opponents to not give them the chance to breathe or think about what they want to do,” Creach said. “Our key to success is to understand that we have go into every match like it’s a business trip.”

In his first season as head coach at PERRYLECOMPTON, Trent Robb has set some lofty goals. That includes the championship of the Big 7 League.

“Our key to success will be to get our experi enced but small senior class to gel with our large core of freshmen and sophomores who will be getting considerable varsity mat time,” Robb said.

PRATT, runner-up of the Central Kansas League, has two qualifiers back from last year’s squad that finished 15th place in 4A. The Greenbacks will be led by sophomore Taye Wilson, who finished 30-14 and took sixth place at 132 a year ago. Wilson will be making the move up to 138. Also back after going to state is sophomore Blake Winsor at 132. Another key returner will be Drake Van Scoyoc, who was 26-5 last season and will be competing in the heavy weight division.

“Our focus this year is going to be on physical and mental toughness,” said Greenback firstyear coach Anthony Brown. “We’re always look ing to score points and secure the fall. Another focus is on keeping it simple, being aggressive and ensuring our kids know how to wrestle through every position.”

Runner-up in the Mid East League, ROCK CREEK has one qualifier back in the lineup this season. Returning for his senior campaign is Cooper Bittle, who went 31-16 and will compete at 215. Other key returners to the squad include senior Seth Figge (29-7) at 126, sophomore Aidan McKinney (29-14) at 144, senior Kody Howard (23-11) at 175 and sophomore Danny Parker (12-11) at 215.

“Depth is coming as expectation for team size is to be around 35 wrestlers,” said Mustang sec ond-year coach coach Brad Burenheide. “We

have a huge freshman class coming up with sev eral competing for the starting lineup. We lost five seniors, but we had a decent summer of work for the team.”

Claiming second place in the Pioneer League, SANTA FE TRAIL will have experience back in the lineup this season. Regan Erickson, who begins his 26th season with the program, has five qualifiers back in the lineup, including senior Cody Black (20-14) at 120, sophomore Blake Slavin (29-6) at 126, sophomore Drake Kirby (22-17) at 132, junior Chayse Jeanneret (22-17) at 150, and junior Kyle Strother (19-20) at 190.

“The majority of our team has tipped the scale and moved to upperclassmen, even though we will only have two to three seniors,” Erickson said. “This should help us continue to improve from the previous season. We have a lot of ex perience returning, which will be helpful to take on a very powerful return of 4A wrestling teams.”

Champion of the Great West Activities Conference, SCOTT COMMUNITY is ready for another strong season after an eighth-place finish in 4A a year ago. The Beavers, under the direction of second-year coach Dakota Hayes, won league and regional titles last season as a team. They have five wrestlers back in the lineup with state experience, led by 126-pound state champion Collin McDaniel. The junior, who went 40-6, will jump up in weight class to 138. Also returning to the lineup as qualifiers are senior Evan Fry (24-18) at 120, juniors Houston Frank (15-14) at 175 and Brady Welker (19-18) at 215, and sophomore Waylon Ricker (26-19) at 126. Also posting 20-win seasons a year ago were junior Ayden Presson (22-16), who will compete at 132, as well as sophomore Alex Rodriguez (20-17) at 150.

“We would like to see a repeat of last year, just with a better state finish,” Hayes said. “We would like all wrestlers to compete at the best of their ability every time we step on the mat. Some keys to the season will be having our athletes buy in and wrestle tough. We have a great junior and senior class. Having them step up into their new leadership roles will be huge.”

Four seniors return at SMOKY VALLEY to pro vide leadership for head coach Ben Elliott, now in his 18th season. The Vikings welcome back Wyatt Johnson at 152, Richard Zeller at 170, Justin Holt at 220 and Alex Grassland. The top returner in wins from last season is junior Connor Barnes, who will compete at 120 after going 26-8 a year ago. Other individuals to step into the line up will be sophomores Takoda Hauck at 113 and Geo Luis at 182.

“Our numbers are lower, so we are looking to fill as many weight classes as possible,” Elliott said.

“Our main goal will be to compete hard and get better every week.”

ULYSSES enters the season with a pair of wrestlers ranked, sophomore Sebastian Heredia, fifth at 126, and senior Justin Degallodo, who en ters the season ranked third at 190.

WINFIELD enters the season with two wres tlers ranked, sophomore Talon Suttles, third at 113 pounds, and senior Kody Brenn, who enters the season second at 175.

tlers. All six qualfiied for state a season ago and helped Columbus to the regional title.

COUNCIL GROVE has Brogan Humphrey, a former four-time state champion at Fredonia, as its first-year coach. Senior 115-pounder Hayvin Thornill went 26-9 and was a state qualifier, but the early graduation of standout Jolie Ziegler, now wrestling at Baker, leaves a hole in the room.

“Practice is everything,” Humphrey said. “We use our time on the mats wisely. Drilling out weakness es, perfecting strengths, and constantly improving body awareness and endurance. Hard work gets you where you want to be in this sport.”

GOODLAND coach Joe Sramek is in his 17th year with GHS wrestling. He expects at least eight girls out this winter. Sophomore Destiny Gonzalez went 30-3 and was fourth place at 155 last year. Sophomore Lola Burk (115) and junior Havon Rickard (120) both return.

HALSTEAD second-year coach Josh Ortiz’s goals are to qualify a wrestler to state and have a top-five team finish at a tournament. Ortiz’s goals are to build a positive culture, build a solid founda tional base with skills and make our athletes com petitors. Senior Abby Newman (190) and junior Faye Thompson (235) are back.

HAVEN looks to add numbers for coach Wade Spencer. Sophomore Trista Rogers (16-12) is a returning state qualifier.

In addition to Wikum, HOISINGTON returns the second-ranked wrestler at 135 in Daijah Jones but will miss fellow junior Sheena Gocela who moved.

HOLCOMB returns junior 160-pounder Rian Rodriguez.

JEFFERSON WEST returns three wrestlers: sophomore 140-pounder Lucy Henderson, junior 135-pounder Tamberlyn Pulsipher and sophomore 155-pounder Lillian Bronson. Henderson is a state qualifier.

LABETTE COUNTY first-year coach Joe Royer is excited about this team, including several top incoming freshmen. Sophomore Emma Whittley (132) is a returning state qualifier. Sophomore Fammie Goleman (120), sophomore Hannah Benson (132) and sophomore Breanna Evans (138) are all back. Royer is preaching the family style atmosphere and grit.

“With the additions of the incoming freshman, a few juniors, who have been shelved due to injury, will make their return this season as well,” Royer said. “This season, we will be able to fill each weight class so that will help in carrying us in team competition. All of these athletes have the ability to adjust to a new coaching style and take on any challenge placed before them.”

MARYSVILLE has Ella Johnson (140/145), a returning state qualifier.

McPHERSON coach Mike Davison, who led Eureka to a state title, takes over for legendary Doug Kretzer. McPherson has significant return ers, headlined by sophomore Ciara Rawson. She was third at 235 with a 26-6 record.

“To continue to grow the numbers in the program, and take additional steps forward in development,” Davison said of team goals. “Continue to grow the number of state medals we bring home.”

MULVANE enters the season with a pair of the best wrestlers in the classification. Senior Kammie Schanz was a state champion in 2021 and battled through injuries to place fifth at 155 in 2022 fin ishing 18-5 overall. The three-time state qualifier signed to wrestle at Iowa Central after high school. Sophomore Leianna Landreth stormed on the scene as a freshman a season ago wrestling to a

state runner-up finish against Lakin’s undefeated Josiah Ortiz in the 109-pound class. She finished the season with a 34-3 overall record. Senior Jericka Stiles and junior Loren Gonzalez also qualified for state a season ago.

NORTON returns five starters, including three state qualifiers. Sophomore Natalie Simmons fin ished 15-11 at 109. Sophomore Kaitlyn Tallent is a returning state qualifier. Senior Libbi Puga (10-9) qualified for state, along with sophomore Kenya Goss (15-3 at 191). Junior Emma Belleau returns at 235.

OAKLEY has goals for top-three at league, topfive at regionals and top-10 at state. Coach Lewis returns Citori Bosserman, Mikyah Cain and Atavia Cain. Bosserman was 33-6 last season with first and fourth place finishes the past two seasons. Mikyah Cain has taken fifth and third.

OSAGE CITY first-year coach Josh Atchison has 235-pounder Taylor Erikson.

PAOLA coach Darvin Willard returns sopho more state qualifier Alyssa Bartlett (19-10). Bailey Donahue, Jailynn Taylor and Camryn Mather are varsity returners.

PHILLIPSBURG returns junior 120-pounder Isabella Keesee. She is a two-time state qualifier.

ROCK CREEK would like to up numbers and qualify more girls to state under second-year coach Brad Burenheide. RC has 14 girls out. Two freshmen, Claire Steeves and Koda Moeller, are expected to be key at 120 and 155.

“The returning core of girls had a great summer wrestling and improving,” coach Burenheide said. “New wrestlers will have a steep learning curve but are an athletic bunch of girls. Brooklyn Burenheide is a two-time USAWKS kids state champ and Adidas Nationals Champ who was lost to an ACL last November and is looking for a trip to Salina in her comeback season.”

ROSSVILLE wants a top-three state finish. In addition to Hurla, senior Cassie Fund (20-15 at 135) is back. Junior Hailey Horton went 34-13, is a two-time state qualifier and took fourth in 2021.

Junior Keera Lacock (125) went 34-8 and is a twotime state qualifier. Senior 140-pounder Reagan Wonnell went 28-11 and qualified for state.

“Finishing the season strong,” coach Courtney Horgan said of his team goal. “We had some adversity at the end of the season last year and allowed it to negatively affect our performance. This year we need to put the blinders on and go compete and wrestle up to our potential.”

RUSSELL returns sophomore Jaden Ney, the third place finisher at 132 as a freshman and topranked wrestler at 135 entering the season. Ney was 31-5 last season.

SCOTT CITY returns two wrestlers. Senior MacKayla Miller is the defending state champ at 235. Sophomore 145-pounder Ashlyn Pazdernik went 15-15 and was a state qualifier at 138.

“Having those girls who had some success last year take some of those new girls under their wing,” coach Dakota Hayes said of team keys.

STOCKTON returns three wrestlers for longtime coach Clint Bedore. Sophomore Ashlyn Hahn went 33-6 and finished third at 115.

“With the addition of a couple of incoming fresh men to the squad, as well as the growth from one year to the next of the returning wrestlers, I feel a top 20 team finish at state is achievable,” coach Clint Bedore said.

THOMAS MORE PREP-MARIAN sophomore 143-pounder Claudine Stein went 19-17 and qual ified for state.

WAKEENEY-TREGO returns three wrestlers:

Ashlynn Cramer (101), Adrian Wynn (120) and Mya Mattheyer (155). Wynn and Mattheyer were a match away from being a state qualifier. Coach Michael Malay has set goals to place in the top half of the league.

“We have a couple of girls that have shown great leadership even though they were first-year wres tlers last season,” Malay said. “They have quickly fallen in love with the sport and have put in the hard work this off season.”

WAMEGO will have two coaches with Katey Stream and Luke Meyer.

“We believe that having two coaches dedicated to the girls wrestling program at Wamego High School will be key to our team’s success,” the coaches said. “By not sharing a coach with the boys’ program, we can tailor our practice plan to meet the needs of our female wrestlers and teach them in a way that they will learn best without hav ing to split our time and attention.”

Wamego returns five wrestlers: senior Zoe Houghland (115), sophomore Trinity Propst (120),

junior Adison Honeycutt (140), sophomore Piper Clark (145) and junior Nautami Niedfeldt (155).

Wamego looks to continue to grow its high school numbers. The middle school went from one wrestler last year to 11 this season.

“Some of the team goals we have for the 202223 season include growing our girls wrestling team and improving the records of our returning ath letes. We are really excited for the future of girls’ wrestling in Wamego. At our middle school, we have 11 female wrestlers this season compared to one last season. Growth at the middle school will undoubtedly result in growth at the high school in the coming years. It’s an exciting time to be a part of it all.”

Under the direction of head coach Doug Bingham, now in his 18th season, the Bearcats return juniors Jose Arevalo (23-15) and Cooper Burns (22-15).

“We want to improve throughout the season,” Bingham said. “The key for us is staying healthy.”

Qualifier Jotham Meyer returns to the lineup for CENTRAL HEIGHTS this season. The sophomore advanced to state as a freshman and closed out the season at 11-13 in the 106-pound weight class. From there, the Vikings, under the direction of third-year head coach Jeff Meyer, will try to gain some experience in other weight classes. Individuals to look for in the lineup include senior Aiden Welch (285), juniors Baker Moore (120), Gavin Peine (160) and Kennedy Thao (195), sophomores Owen Miller (145) and Ben Teagarden (152), and freshman Max Chrisjohn (215).

“Our goal is to outwork our opponents and get better every day,” Meyer said.

CHAPARRAL will be searching for a third straight Central Plains League championship this season. The Road Runners, who were third in the regional tournament, return four qualifiers from last year’s squad — Pake Green, Joe Ord, Eli Gates and Carson Gates. Other individuals that are expected to fill in the lineup are Keaton Bollman, Angel Mendoza, Payton Haley, Cody Moritz and Josef Planansky.

“The key for us is to stay healthy and work hard,” said Jeff Green, who enters his ninth year as head coach of Chaparral.

Now in his 27th season at CHASE COUNTY, Derick Budke welcomes back wrestlers with state experience. Mitch Budke, a senior, is a two-time state qualifier and will compete at 157 pounds following a 28-8 campaign a year ago. Three other qualifiers return after posting 20 wins last season — sophomore Luke Budke (23-15) at 120, junior Micah Cauthers (20-13) at 175 and senior Cal Kohlmeier (20-17) at 190. Another individual that is expected to contribute is junior Brock Griffin (22-14) at 165.

“Last season, we had a 5-to-1 takedown ratio and recorded 111 falls,” Derick Budke said. “We will work to improve these ratios this season. We have thrived on an offensive style of wrestling.

include Logan Sefried at 165, Andrew Bogner at 190, Zachary Harmon at 157 and Aiden Crow at 190/215.

“We want to compete every match and improve as the year progresses,” Walker said. “We have to stay healthy.”

Brogan Humphrey takes over as head coach at COUNCIL GROVE. The Braves went a perfect 5-0 in duals and captured third place in the Hillsboro Regional a year ago. They welcome back four state qualifiers from a year ago, led by sophomore heavyweight Holden Ziegler, who went 35-7, and senior Jace Goodman at 144 following a 29-7 mark last season. Also back in the lineup with state experience are senior Tyler Rodgers (5-5) at 150 and sophomore Ethan Lif (14-15) at 120.

DECATUR COMMUNITY has a pair of qualifiers back in the lineup this season. Leading the way for the Red Devils is senior Josh Juenemann, who captured fourth place at 113. Another qualifier returning is junior Lukas Zodrow, who went 23-7 a year ago at 138. Also in the lineup will be junior Reid Fort (15-15) at 120 and sophomore Garret Emig (10-17) at 190. Shane Bird enters his sixth year as head coach.

DOUGLASS wrestled to a state runner-up finish in 2022 and enter this season with one of the top wrestlers in the state in the 190-pound class as Wade Morgan enters the season ranked second after finishing as state runner-up at 195 pounds a season ago. Jace Pilcher was a state qualifier at 220 pounds a season ago as a junior but 285-pound state champion Joe Martin, fourth place 160-pounder Dalton Hilyard, and fifth place 182-pounder Jace High, were all lost to graduation. Jason Frakes takes over the Douglass wrestling program from long-time coach Dusty Rhodes.

Four wrestlers placed at state a year ago for ELLIS, which heads into the season ranked #10 in 3-2-1A by the KWCA. The Railers, who captured ninth place as a team a year ago, were led by runner-up Mason Younger at 120. Also placing were Mason Gottschalk, fourth at 182, George Crawford, fifth at 160, and Jarret Mader, sixth at 138.

ELLSWORTH will put a very young team on the mat and coach Steve Thorburn expected to

Yellowjackets, who are led by third-year head coach Charl Hill, will rely heavily on senior Joel Dutton. Last season, Dutton — at 150 pounds — finished 18-11 and was the regional runnerup. Although Dutton will be the lone qualifier returning, Hill will be looking for some younger wrestlers to step into key roles, including juniors Aiden Hughes at 132 and Dameon Kiesel at 275, as well as sophomores Lyle Walker at 120, Sam Cole at 138, and Landon Minor at 165.

“This team is full of young talent with a freshman class bringing six new wrestlers to the team,” Hill said. “We need to be playing on the talent of the young team and maximizing their abilities along with the leadership of Joel Dutton. This should be a very potent mix of talent and experience to vault Fredonia back to the top of each tournament.”

GARDEN PLAIN graduated three of their four state qualifiers including 195-pound fourth place finisher Reed Adelhardt. Returning state qualifier Gage Lee does enter the season ranked second at 157 pounds after posting a 34-9 record last season.

HALSTEAD, which finished third in the Central Kansas League, is coming off a 20th-place performance at the 3-2-1A State Tournament. The Dragons have a pair of qualifiers back in the lineup this season, led by Clayton Considine

at 113 pounds. The sophomore closed out his first season at the high school level with a 41-6 overall record that included a fifth-place finish at 106. He will be joined in the lineup by another qualifier, junior Tucker Divine (21-19), who will make the move up from 138 to 144.

“Our key to success will be sticking to our strengths and not trying to force things,” said Dragon second-year head coach Joshua Ortiz. “We want to stay positive throughout the entire match and wrestle to score points … not to not lose. If we do that, control what we can, then we will be in the best position for us to win.”

After more than a decade away as a program, HAVEN returned to the mats last season and now welcomes back three state qualifiers from that squad. The Wildcats, under the direction of second-year coach Wade Spencer, will be led by senior Gavin Moore, who went 33-3 and took fifth place at 132 a year ago. Other qualifiers back in the lineup include sophomore Jacob Moore (22-10) at 126 and junior Dustin Loughrie (17-12) at 138. Four other individuals return to the lineup after posting winning records last season — seniors Lance Loehr (16-1) at 215 and Cooper Williams (9-7) at 285, junior Riley Loop (14-6) at 157, and sophomore Hadley Hopkinson (14-13) at 113.

“We want to improve on the successful reboot

as the program’s first season back after a 10plus year hiatus,” Spencer said. “We qualified four boys to the state tournaments, which is the most wrestlers qualified ever in Haven Wildcat Wrestling. We have a goal to qualify more this year. Overall, the team wants to improve individually and be the best team we can be that competes at a high level.”

Central Kansas League champion and qualifier Lane Rogers returns for his senior season to lead HILLSBORO. Coming off a 30-11 season that included a fourth-place regional finish at 182 pounds, Rogers will make the move up to 190 this season. Another wrestler with state experience returning is Ryder Nordstrom, a senior at Canton-Galva, who missed last season due to an injury but previously qualified for state as a sophomore at 145. He will compete at either 150 or 157 this season. Also back for his senior season is David Schafer (14-14), who will drop from 160 to 157. Scott O’Hare begins his 20th year as head coach of the Trojans.

“We have a solid core of wrestlers coming back this season, including three seniors and two state qualifiers with significant varsity experience,” O’Hare said. “With decent numbers returning and the addition of several from the incoming freshmen class, we should have some nice depth and hopefully be close to filling the weight classes.”

Logan Doshier takes over as head coach of KINGMAN this season. The Eagles, who compete in the Central Plains League, will deal with the loss of 145-pound champion Colby Schreiner due to graduation, but he does have two state qualifiers back in sophomores Kade Osborn (113) and Colby’s younger brother, Collin Schreiner at 170.

“We want to win league, and place in regionals and state,” Doshier said. “It will come down to

fundamentals and conditioning.”

LAKIN has no returning qualifiers this season but does have some experience back in the lineup. A pair of seniors return, including Dravin Chavira (19-11) at 215 and Bly Gosch (17-10) at 132. Also returning is junior Javion Granado (21-8) at 144.

“We will have to keep getting better on our feet and be more confident in our abilities on the mat,” said Jim Christiansen, who begins his sixth year leading the Broncs. “We need to be pushing each other in the room every day to keep improving our skills on the mat.”

Two-time state qualifier Chance Shults returns for his senior campaign at MARION. The senior will wrestle at 132 following a 21-18 mark a year ago. Another key leader on the squad will be senior Colby Lollar at 138. The Warriors are coached by Tyler McMichael, who is now in his seventh season with the program.

“We will be a mostly young team,” McMichael said. “My goal for our team is to show growth with our young guys and to refine some things with our seniors so that they can end their high school careers well. Since we should have more wrestlers on our roster, a goal is also to go .500 in duals this year. Getting the best wrestler at the best weight class will be a key to success this season. Also, getting the freshman wrestlers accustomed to the step up from middle school wrestling as quickly as possible.”

Entering his 14th season as head coach, Cole Fredrickson returns to lead MARYSVILLE, which is coming off a regional championship a year ago. A member of the North Central Kansas League, the Bulldogs welcome back four key wrestlers from a year ago, led by two-time state qualifier and 2021 state champion Gable Fredrickson, who will compete at 138. Carter Trimble will jump to 144 after taking sixth place

at 126 a year ago. Also back in the lineup are qualifiers Tayven Wilson at 113 and Juandre Walton at 215.

“We want to develop our young guys, and we want to see leadership out of our upperclassmen,” Fredrickson said. “We will need production out of our upperclassmen. We have a talented group of underclassmen that will have to perform well this season for us to be successful.”

There will be some work to be done at MISSION VALLEY. The Vikings have no key returners back this season for head coach Josh Parker, who begins his fifth year in the program.

NEMAHA CENTRAL was very young last season with four state qualifiers who were all freshman or sophomores – Keaton Rottinghaus, Lucas Holthaus, John Langill, and Abram Keim. The return of 113-pound runner-up Carter Krier will give OAKLEY a boost heading into the new season. Krier, a sophomore, went 37-2 a year ago en route to his second-place finish in the weight class. He will make the jump up to 120 or 126 this season. Another qualifier back for the Plainsmen is junior Ivan Jirak at 285. Other individuals that should contribute this season are senior Landyn Plummer at 150, juniors Ace Plummer at 126, Isaiaha Rebarchek at 138 and Colton Foster at 138, and Daniel Macias at 132.

“We are a young team with seven freshmen,” said head coach Bryce Lewis, now in his second season with the program. “Our team’s keys to success will be to stay healthy, not get discouraged, and work hard.”

ONAGA graduated two of their three state qualifiers, but junior Landon Koelling went 21-4 last season as a sophomore and qualified for state at 126 pounds.

Josh Atchison has the task of building up the program at OSAGE CITY in his first season. The Indians will be led by junior Josiah Smith. Senior Connor Collins, the top-ranked wrestler at 144 pounds, opted not to go out for his senior season. Collins was the 113-pound state runner-up as a freshman.

“It’s a new program with new expectations and continued growth,” Atchison said. “It’s going to take leadership for us to succeed.”

OSBORNE has one upperclassman to lead the way this season for head coach Jason Knoll, who begins his second season in the program. Returning to the lineup is senior Chris Heise, who will fill the spot at 170 following a 23-19 campaign a year ago.

“Our goal this season is to get these kids better every day and to work hard,” Knoll said.

“Hopefully, we can get someone to the state tournament. The key is to get some more kids out this year and to start turning this program around.”

Finishing third in 3-2-1A a year ago, PLAINVILLE will be searching for individuals to step into key roles as the Cardinals seek another strong performance at the state tournament. Ryan Becker, now in his sixth year as head coach, welcomes back seniors Cohen Kaiser and Kyler Werner after both placed at state last season. Werner went 33-6 and was fifth at 195, while Kaiser was 9-2 and took fourth at 106. Kaiser will bump up to 126 this season. Another qualifier back in the lineup is junior Mason Hogan (16-14) at the heavyweight division.

“We have to work on us and progress through the season,” Becker said. “The key for us will be strong leadership.”

Spending the last 21 years as head coach, Scott Urban has some experience coming back to lead the way at RAWLINS COUNTY. The Buffaloes, members of the Northwest Kansas League, return two wrestlers that placed at state a year ago — senior Drew Withington, fourth place at 152, and sophomore Ryan Sramek, sixth at 120. Withington may bump up a couple weight classes this season. Also expected to contribute in the lineup this season are seniors Kenneth Micek at 138 and Josh Popp at 170, juniors Gus Hanson at 113 and Henry Holle at 152, and sophomores Eli Holle at 106, Asa Popp at 126 and Tanner Vyzourek at 132.

RIVERSIDE has one qualifier back in its lineup this season for head coach Sebastion Perry in his second year with the program. The Cyclones return sophomore Cody Hewins at 120. Hewins advanced to state competition and finished with an overall record of 21-26. Three other wrestlers return to the lineup — senior Ben Trueblood (196) at 285, and sophomores Dylan Brooke (6-30) and Josh King (10-16) both at 145.

“This year, we are really looking to continue to build and grow our program,” Perry said. “We are coming off a season where we had a freshman beat the odds and qualify for the state tournament. This year, hopefully, the Riverside wrestling team can make some things happen and work to be a program people notice in 3-21A.”

Capturing eighth place in 3-2-1A a year ago, ROSSVILLE returns three qualifiers from last year’s squad. Head coach Courtney Horgan, who begins his sixth season in the program, welcomes back two-time state qualifiers Jacob Carver and Barrett Lietz. Carver, a senior,

finished 34-4 and was the runner-up in the heavyweight division. A junior, Lietz was 30-7 overall and will compete at 215. Meanwhile, junior Mason Broce, a 2021 qualifier, went 2617 last season and will wrestle at 132. Another individual that should contribute is senior Aryon Kiesath (27-20) at 144.

“The keys for us are staying healthy and the development of some of our freshmen,” Horgan said. “We have a good group of young guys coming in, and they will need to step into the lineup and contribute right away. If they get through those early-season growing pains, they will be a handful during the postseason.”

RUSSELL had just two state qualifiers a season ago, but both were placers – 195-pound third place finisher Tyler Moresco and 145-pound fourth place finisher Jace Windholz – and have since graduated.

SILVER LAKE graduated just three of their eight state qualifiers from a year ago, but their only two state placers. The Eagles enter this season with two wrestlers in the top six of their respective classes in the KWCA rankings, junior Blake Redmond is preseason sixth at 144 and senior Kaden Walker is sixth at 215.

ST. FRANCIS will be looking at several underclassmen to fill in the lineup this season.

Kyle Buffington, who has been involved in the Indian program the last 15 years, will begin his fourth season as head coach. The team will be led by sophomore Shane Todd at 113. Last year as a freshman, he went 25-19 and was just one win shy of qualifying for state.

“We are returning lots of young underclassmen,” Buffington said. “We need to become competitive again as a team to set a precedent for future teams. The key will be working hard and wrestling well at basic fundamentals.”

With one starter back that qualified for state, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE will rely on younger wrestlers in the lineup this season. Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Chuck Schremmer, the Trojans are coming off a fourthplace finish in the NCAA and 23rd place in 3-21A. Returning is senior Mac Chambers, who went 31-6 a year ago and qualified for state at

160 pounds, but the graduation of all-time great Trojan wrestler Matthew Rodriguez leaves a big hole to fill.

“This year, we will be very young, but I believe we can be a pretty talented and competitive group of young men,” Schremmer said. “Mac Chambers will need to step up and be a great team leader, and that will help our younger guys learn how difficult high school wrestling is. Of course we will need to stay healthy.”

STAFFORD, member of the Heart of the Plain League, has one qualifier back from a year ago. The Trojans have three returners to the lineup this season in seniors Dylan Gantz (215) and Caden McCandles (182), and junior Axel Ortiz (285). They will also look to two freshman to step into key roles — Dylan Brozek at 170 and Kyle Haskins at 143.

“We want to get one percent better every day,” said Stafford head coach Jimmy Brozek. “We will rely on our senior leadership.”

Emerson Lowry returns for STOCKTON after qualifying for the state tournament a year ago. Lowry, a sophomore, went 14-17 as a freshman at 126. He will be joined in the lineup by junior Zach Young at 170 and sophomore Ryan Mongeau at 285.

“We want to qualify a few kids for the state tournament,” said Tigers head coach Clint Bedore. “The key will be practice room intensity.”

Austin Tatro begins his fifth year as head coach at THOMAS MORE PREP. TMP returns three wrestlers to its lineup this season, including seniors Brayden Binder (24-20) at 120 and Seamus Holmes (9-13), and sophomore Ethan Pfannenstiel (3-4) at 106.

“We want to build confidence, control what we can control and work towards qualifying for the state tournament,” Tatro said. “That will take us being consistent in the practice room and being dedicated in the weight room. We have built a foundation, but it is time for us to take the next step.”

It will be a young squad that leads TREGO COMMUNITY this season for second-year head coach Michael Malay. The Golden Eagles will rely heavily on four sophomores — Tate Blackwill at 106, Conner Colby at 157, Kaiden Bliss at 175

and Hunter Yingling in the heavyweight division.

“We are a very young squad with no seniors on our team, but we have a great group of freshmen that will make an immediate impact,” Malay said. “Our goal is to improve as much as possible from day one to the end of the season. It will take us being disciplined and controlling what we can control.”

Tyler Douglass takes over as head coach at WABAUNSEE after spending the previous season as an assistant. Douglass returns one qualifier in junior Weston Johnson (18-8) at 119. Another individual that should provide leadership is junior Alex Beggs (20-15) at 170. The Chargers will be looking for improvements out of four other returners to the lineup — juniors Miguel Hernandez at 132, Calvin Magette at 144 and Jacob Havenstein at 160, and sophomore Carson Reves at 138.

“Our goal is to continue to grow our team,” Douglass said. “On top of having all of these returning wrestlers, we have four new team members. The keys for our team are showing up to practice, keeping our grades up, maintaining a positive attitude and striving to be successful each day. We need to keep growing individual skill sets and learning moves that fit our style.”

WICHITA COUNTY graduated state qualifiers Tristen Porter and Chandler Seaton, but 138-pound state runner-up Wyatt Gardner is back for his junior season and enters the year ranked second in the same weight class after posting a 37-6 record a season ago.

15-6 record. Also returning are juniors Abrahim Miranda, Chris Ortiz and Jesus Rodriguez, as well as sophomore Carlos Gallardo.

“We want to wrestle to our fullest potential,” Langhofer said. “We need to stick to the fundamentals of wrestling and have a good attitude no matter the situation.”

Patrick Naughton returns for his 15th season at LAWRENCE. The Lions welcome back a pair of fourth-place state finishers — Andrew Honas at 106 and Jack Elsten at 120. Other individuals in key roles are Tre Swearinger at 138, Aiden Carmack at 152, Brandt Wollesen at 160, Elijah Mann at 182 and Tucker Corbin at 215.

“We were young last year,” Naughton said. “We are looking to build on the experience that we gained. We have a good base to build on this year and are ready to make some moves in 6A.”

After taking sixth place at state a year ago, MANHATTAN looks to make some noise with the return of four qualifiers. Coach Shawn Bammes welcomes back state placers in sophomore Logan Lagerman at 126 (28-14, third at 120 last season), senior Jaxon Vikander at 215 (34-14, fourth at 195), and junior Jameal Agnew at 132 (27-22, fifth at 126). Vikander and Agnew are two-time qualifiers, and junior Isaac Sinks (25-10) is a returning qualifier.

“We need to get back to competing for a state trophy,” Bammes said. “The last couple of seasons haven’t ended the way we would have wanted, and we are looking to changing that around.”

Brett Carroll returns for OLATHE EAST after finishing as the 6A runner-up in the heavyweight division. The junior had a 42-8 record a year ago and returns as the second ranked 285-pounder behind last year’s champion, Garden City’s Sebastian Lopez. The Hawks, who took seventh place as a team in 6A, have four other returning qualifiers in the lineup: senior Javion Whitney (11-12) at 106, sophomore Aiden Stuart (29-20) at 113 or 120, sophomore Ender Rider (16-23) at 144, and senior Evan Shuster (9-16) at 157.

“We are looking for continued growth from the returning starters,” said head coach Lance Larson. “We will also have some new faces in the lineup this year and will need them to make an impact.”

Five qualifiers are back in the lineup for OLATHE WEST, who will be led by sixth-year head coach Tyler Rodden. All five returners captured more than 20 wins last season, led by senior Reese Russman with a 29-11 mark. He will compete at either 138 or 144. Also back in the lineup for the Owls are senior Jayton Hay (26-18) at

106, junior Jackson Bell (21-18) at 113, sophomore Derek Sanchez (27-14) at 132 or 138, and senior Cooper Novacek (27-10) at 150 or 157. Hay and Novacek enter the season ranked fourth “We have to find a way to push to the next level,” Rodden said. “We’ve been a decent dual team. Now we need some individuals to improve and get on the medal stand at state.”

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH returns two qualifiers from last year’s squad. The Bison will be led by junior Jack Taylor at 190. Taylor finished 28-18 a year ago. Also returning is senior Ke’Juan Blake, who will compete at 215.

“We need to increase numbers and provide an individual an opportunity for success,” said Bison coach Conan McCormack.

SHAWNEE MISSION NORTHWEST has four qualifiers back from last year’s squad. The Cougars return senior Adrian Elsen and sophomore Adam Hageman, who both placed. Eisen went 19-5 and was fifth at 285, while Hageman was 38-10 and sixth at 145, and will likely move to 150 this season. Also returning are senior Wyatt Coats at 165 and sophomore Harper Engel at 215. Meanwhile, Northwest will have senior Lucas Hageman in the lineup at 190 after he was previously a regional champion for Olathe West in 2020.

“Our team goals will be to build off our success from last season,” said Cougars second-year coach Zach Davies. “We will have three key seniors this season that will help lead our team.”

There may be some growing pains for TOPEKA this season with limited experience in the lineup. Trojans fourth-year coach Tony Canacari will look for several individuals to step up and fill roles.

“We need to work hard in practice and get better each week,” Canacari said. “The key for us will be to wrestle for three periods.”

Third-year coach Aaron Haselwood is “building from the ground up” at WICHITA EAST. The Blue Aces have limited experience in the lineup, with only two returners competing in more than 10 matches last season. Returners include seniors Anthony Liggins (215) and Fernando Medina (285), juniors Jesus Deloera-Rodriguez (126) and S’Ron Hill (215), and sophomores Keshawn Jeannoel (132), Dean Elliott (145), Eder Aguilar (175), and Tidus Baker (190).

“Our main goal is to have a large number of athletes join the program and work on building success on the mat,” Haselwood said. “This will lead to getting a handful of wrestlers to state.”

New wrestlers will fill spots in the lineup at WICHITA HEIGHTS this season, with five experienced individuals: seniors Austin Sachen

(144) and Zion Pete (170), as well as sophomores Terrick Johnson (126), Dom Wells (138), and Kieron Harrison-Jones (190).

“Our goal this year is to make the transition from just being competitive in a match to actually winning,” said coach Todd Sacquitne. “The key to our success is our ability to fill every weight.”

Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Quinton Burgess, WICHITA NORTH is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Greater Wichita Athletic League a year ago. Richard Shields (32-2), the state runner-up at 113, returns for his senior campaign and will move to 120. Three other returning state qualifiers will switch weight classes this season — junior Martin Guttierez (19-13) going from 120 to 126, junior Orlando Watley (20-19) from 106 to 132, and senior Angel Jeronimo (15-17) from heavyweight to 215.

“The standard continues to rise in our room and I think we will have our best team yet since taking over six years ago,” Burgess said.

WICHITA SOUTHEAST has five upperclassmen back in seniors Sam Yakobo (170) and William Buckley (215), and juniors Sirvante Williams (150), Vondonyae Williams (157), and Greg Ferrari (165).

“Our team goals for this upcoming season are to stay healthy and wrestle to our best ability,” said Buff coach Kenny H. Taylor Jr.

Finishing third in the Greater Wichita Athletic League, WICHITA WEST returns five wrestlers with state experience this season. The Pioneers have upperclassmen leading the way at the top of the lineup, led by returning state qualifiers in seniors Rashad West (160) and Drystan Kelley (195), and juniors Jamal Garrett (106), Zeke Brown (126) and Jesse Villanueva (220). Brown heads into the season as a two-time state qualifier.

“Our goals are to finish higher in the GWAL at the league tourney, send more athletes to state, improve our team GPA and put athletes on the podium,” said sWest coach Jason Brown. “The keys for us will be conditioning and technique.”

WYANDOTTE returns one state qualifier from last year’s squad. Junior CJ Anderson will compete at 120 after going 25-6 and advancing to state at 113 a year ago. The Bulldogs will rely on four other individuals that return to the lineup, including seniors Antuan Jones at 190 and Marcos Cordova at 154, as well as sophomores Darius Gillom at 190 and and Julio Sagastume at 215.

“We want to have enough wrestlers be more competitive at dual competitions and see more wrestlers compete at the state level,” said Wyandotte second-year coach John Fields.

157 and Jayden Joy at 190, along with sophomore Liam Coultis at 126. The Jags will miss the transfer of standout Bronx Wood to Rose Hill.

“Our goal is to continue to build upon the growth and success we saw in 2021-2022,” said Jaguars third-year coach Nate Alvarez. “We had several guys lose in the blood round to qualify for state. Our goal is to help those guys punch their tickets this year.”

BASEHOR-LINWOOD, runner-up of the United Kansas Conference, will be looking for big improvements this season after taking 18th place overall a year ago at 5A state. The Bobcats have six wrestlers returning with state experience, led by sophomore Brody Ballard, who went 40-8 and took fourth place at 106. He will make the move to 126 this season. Junior Evan Vielhauer (38-9) returns at 120 as does senior Tyler Elven (15-3) at 175.

Both Vielhauer and Elven are two-time state qualifiers. Other qualifiers back in the lineup are juniors Hudson Strahm (11-30) at 132, Quincy Jones (17-24) at 165 and Logan Plum (9-18) at 165.

“We want to have fun and get one percent better daily,” said coach Jason Puderbaugh.

Finishing third in the Frontier League, BONNER SPRINGS has six experienced wrestlers back. That includes Frankie Garcia (113/120), Ethan Cook (120/126), Thomas Cullum (132/138), Braeden McGrath (144/150), Daniel Loza (175) and Sam Harrigan Hernandez (215).

“Our team goals never change,” said ninth-year coach Brandon Jobe. “We want to get better every single day and with every opportunity.”

Two qualifiers return for EISENHOWER and head coach Enrique Espinoza, who begins his 12th season in the program. Returning with state experience are Braedyn Blasi at 138 and Cade Cook at 215. Other individuals back in the lineup for the Tigers are Gabe Rosenstiel at 132, Tommy York at 144 and Corbin Gillien at 150. Eisenhower finished 19th at the 5A Tournament a year ago.

With the return of six qualifiers, including two placers, GREAT BEND looks to be a contender for the Western Athletic Conference championship. The Panthers, who took third in the WAC a year ago, placed fifth overall at state, are led by juniors Cooper Liles and Matthew Johnson. Liles (22-15) took fifth place at 132 and will move up to 157, while Johnson (30-21) was sixth at 182 and will now compete at 190. Other state qualifiers back in the lineup are senior Skyler McMullen (23-21) at 138, sophomore Jace Schartz (26-22) at 150, junior Keyven Schroeder (22-15) at 215 and sophomore Brody Schnoebelen (32-19) at 285. The graduation of 2021 Kansas Pregame Winter coverboys Kaden Spragis and Wyatt Weber, along with multiple time state placer Avery Wolf, leave the Panthers with significant points and leadership to replace.

“Our team goals are to be WAC champs and bring home a state trophy,” said Panthers head coach Nathan Broeckelman, who begins his eighth year. “We will rely on the returning state qualifiers and placers along with seniors Prieto and McMullen to continue the success of previous years.”

HAYS welcomes back three state qualifiers from a year ago, including last year’s 5A runner-up at 132. Junior Harley Zimmerman, a two-time state placer, finished 41-3 and capped things off in second place at that weight class. Also returning are two other qualifiers — senior Aaron Weigel (27-13) and junior Elijah McCullough (27-17). The Indians lost a key figure from last year’s squad to graduation, K-State football signee Gavin Meyers, who captured the 5A state championship at 220. The three-time state placer capped off his high school career with a 40-0 season. Also returning for Hays in the lineup are senior Cyrus Vajnar (2214), junior Tacoma Augustine (26-14) and sophomore Dalton Meyers (23-17), Gavin’s younger brother.

“We want to bring home at least five state medals and finish in the top 10 of 5A,” Meder said. “The key will be to build up from graduating losses and continue with the improvements from past years.”

Freddy Maisberger’s 28th season as coach at HIGHLAND PARK will see the Scotsmen lacking experience overall and wrestling in the new Meadowlark Conference. Just one wrestler returns to the varsity lineup with senior Myles Curry filling the spot at 106.

“We want to place higher in league and regional,” said Maisberger, who will be in his 35th year of coaching wrestling overall. “The key for us will be getting our weight classes filled.”

Experience will be key for HUTCHINSON this season with the return of four qualifiers from last year’s squad. The Salthawks welcome back senior Sammy Christians (24-17) at 150, junior Camden Jensen (20-12) at 285, and sophomores Kade Smith (33-15) at 138 and Kevin Wilson (18-22) at 144. Also returning to the lineup are seniors Keenon Gonzales at 165 and Dorian Hippen at 190.

“We are looking for consistency and putting in the extra work that other teams aren’t doing,” said second-year Salthawks coach Dane Edwards. “We can be a lot better team than last year, but it’s going to be up to the kids and how bad they want to win individually and as a team.”

One state qualifier returns for LEAVENWORTH and head coach Matt Long as he enters his fifth season. The lone returner with state experience for the Pioneers is senior Shy’ron McMurray.

“We want to qualify as many boys as possible,” Long said. “It will take hard work.”

Two wrestlers return at MAIZE SOUTH for head coach Matt Kerr, who starts his 14th season in the program. Back in the lineup are Josh Berlin (24-12) and Isaiah Lowe (16-15).

“We are very young and will look to grow up quickly and improve each day,” Kerr said. “We need to be working together and improving together.”

As PIPER moves into the new United Kansas Conference, the Pirates have higher expectations heading into the 2022 season. Head coach Todd Harris welcomes back four wrestlers with state experience, including senior qualifiers Payton Mills (19-16) at 126, Nick Hoover (21-10) at 138 and Sawyer Vas (27-19) at 175, as well as junior Makao Groneman (9-22) at 113. The Pirates took eighth place in their final year in the Frontier League.

“We would like to finish in the top half of the new UKC League, have six state qualifiers and two to three state placers,” Harris said. “It will take senior leadership and depth.”

Lars Lueders takes over the SALINA CENTRAL program this season after the Mustangs finished 16th at state last season. Four individuals return that competed at state a year ago. Sophomore Jace Adam captured third place at 113 and finished 33-9. Seniors Isaac Phimvongsa (21-13) and Dawson Hogan (25-10) are twotime state qualifiers at 120 and 150, respectively. Also returning is sophomore Ty Young (22-19), a state qualifier at 215.

“The key to the team’s success is buy in to the new standards of the Mustang wrestling program,” Lueders said. “Family, legacy and character must be each of the wrestler’s top priority.”

Kanean Wendell begins his seventh season as coach at SALINA SOUTH. The Cougars welcome back six wrestlers to their lineup, including Trevor McMurray at 120, Isaac Martinez at 132, Deacon McDonald at 138, Peyton Augustine at 165, Cooper Vorarath at 175, and Brayden Fenci at 215.

“Our goal is to win a few league duals, have multiple state qualifiers and have multiple state placers,” Wendell said.

Three state qualifiers return for ST. JAMES ACADEMY as Mike Medina begins his 18th year as the only head coach the Thunder wrestling program has ever had. Returning to the lineup are a pair of two-time state qualifiers — seniors Mio Cregan (28-13) at 132 and Wade Spencer (30-14) at 220. Also back with state experience is sophomore Will Burchard (22-13) at 138.

“All three returning state qualifiers have set high goals during the offseason and plan to be state placers this year,” Medina said. “Mio had some quality wins last year over state placers in other classes, Will got some much-needed experience at a solid 126 weight class last season and spent a lot of time on the mat during the offseason, which should pay off this year. Wade missed all of his sophomore year with a knee injury but last season had a lot of success and we expect to see him on the podium at the end of the season.”

SUMNER ACADEMY’s lone state qualifier, Byron Keith, graduated after finishing last season 20-8. Erick Jaquez-Perez also graduated after posting 24 wins a season ago, but he was unable to find his way out of a tough 182 pound regional. Underclassmen Miles Dean (113), Sommyr Moore (120), Gerardo Fierro (152), and Javeare Akande (195) all wreslted at regionals,

and while none of them qualified for state, all ended last season with winnin records.

TOPEKA-SEAMAN has five qualifiers back this season for firstyear head coach Tony Pena. The Vikings will be led by senior Jaxson Thomas (44-11), a three-time state qualifier, at 285, as well as junior Colin Little (33-19) at 138, sophomore Jayden Foster (18-21) at 120, senior Draven Bennett (13-22) at 126 and senior Lain Anderson (9-19) at 144.

“We would like to advance as many kids to state as possible and have a couple state placers,” Pena said. “The key will be heart.”

Aaron McGhee has three wrestlers back in the lineup as he enters his sixth season at WASHINGTON High School in Kansas City. The Wildcats, who also co-op for wrestling with F.L. Schlagle High School, welcome back juniors Darius Mitchell (13-13) at 113 and Christopher Lyons (4-5) at 130, as well as sophomore Chris Gonzalez at 120.

“We want to improve on last season,” McGhee said. “Our goals are to place at every tournament and qualify for state. To do that, you have to hold your teammates accountable and be leaders on and off the mat.”

Harley Zimmerman Hays High, Junior

Hays Post

Nathan Fury Kapaun, Senior

Submitted

4-17 after a first round loss to state qualifier Dodge City. North loses its lone All-League se lection from a season ago in Am’Unique Cavitt, but return senior twin towers (literally, they’re twin sisters) Taryn (5-11) and Riannon St. Clair (5-10), along with fellow senior starter Tyresica Gordon (5-7). First-year head coach Barry Glover takes over on the sidelines as North looks for its first winning season in over a decade.

WICHITA NORTHWEST was knocked out in the first round of sub-state by a loaded Wichita Heights team and finished the year 4-16. The Grizzlies return their entire team, including ju nior team captain Sahsa Reid, junior leading scorer N’Ascent Robinson (13 ppg), and Sunrise Christian transfer, sophomore Kamyra Barber, who currently holds an unannounced DI offer, according to head coach Marcus Myers. “The Lady Grizzlies have everyone returning

OXFORD went 11-11 overall with a 5-4 record in league play that left them at fifth place in the SCBL a year ago. First year head coach Gina Westerman takes over this season with two starters back in senior Liberty Kies (7.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 spg) and sophomore Yasmin Gardea (4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.4 spg). Westerman called “outrebounding opposing teams” and “getting to the free-throw line often” as her team’s goals.

Daniel Scribner led ROSALIA/FLINTHILLS to a 16-6 mark and a second place finish in both the SCBL regular season and tournament play. The Mustangs’ season came to an end after a substate semifinal defeat against Remington but the Mustangs lose just one senior to graduation. Seniors Madison Alvord (5-10) and Karly Girty (6-0), along with sophomores Harlee Randall (60) and Paige Carter (5-8) give Scribner a team with a good blend of size and experience.

SEDAN was knocked out in the second round of sub-state after a 51-37 loss to state runner-up Garden Plain, giving them a 13-8 mark on the season. Senior Jacie Cummings earned All-

along with a sophomore transfer student,” coach Myers said. “This season should be a statement year for this young ball club.”

WICHITA SOUTH ended their year with a loss to Liberal in the first round of sub-state to go 8-13, with all eight wins in GWAL play. The All-League duo of junior Zion Butler and soph omore Mahogany Butler, along with sophomore Danayshia Smith (8 ppg, 5 rpg, 5-9) are back.

WICHITA SOUTHEAST lost their first round sub-state matchup to league opponent Wichita East 37-23. The Golden Buffaloes were 11-7 overall with a 9-5 mark in league play and return junior Kakhia Jones and sophomore Lane Webb from that starting lineup this season.

“This year will be a year of determination and growth to achieve our goals that we set out,” coach Donald Dixon said. “I believe that if every one buys in we can definitely move mountains this year and become the team to watch. ‘Be the

League for the Blue Devils last season.

After qualifying for state with a 44-43 win over Attica in the sub-state finals, SOUTH HAVEN suffered a 49-40 first round loss to Central Christian to finish the season 18-4. The Cardinals boasted four All-League selections, Macey Pond and Alyssa Bridges, who both were lost to graduation, but the other two, Kami Butler and Britain Dark are now seniors.

UDALL finished 2-17 after a first round loss to Oxford in sub-state. Lone All-League selection Abby Hoffman was lost to graduation.

WEST ELK was 14-10 last season and managed a 7-2 SCBL regular season record that left them in second, to go with a bronze trophy at the SCBL tournament. Once in the sub-state tournament the Patriots shook things up with an upset over one-seed Leon-Bluestem in the second round, but couldn’t overcome a stacked Garden Plain team in the finals. Seniors Molly McClendon (9 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 2.4 spg, 6-0), Lakin Wiseman (2.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 5-4), and junior

WICHITA WEST ended last season at 3-18 and since have hired a new coach in David Clark after he coached Wichita South during the prior two seasons. Seniors Gabby Faust (1.5 ppg, 3

rpg) and Keke Albright (4.5 ppg, 2 spg) are both back from that starting lineup.

“Our goal is to play great defense and improve on measurable goals every game,” Clark said. “Key to success is developing leaders on and off the court.”