2023 Area High School Spring Sports Preview

CHASE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

HEAD COACH: Alex Weiss

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 4

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: n/a

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“Share a love for baseball and see success through hard work.”

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Cal Kohlmeier-368 AVG., 21 H, 15 RBIs, 15 R. Pitching: 36 IP, 1.75 ERA, 53 SO.

Brock Griffin-426 AVG, 20 H, 13 RBI, 14 R, 24 SB, 32 QAB.

Colin Monihen-349 AVG., 15 H, 7 RBI, 7 R.

Mitch Budke-481 AVG, 25 H, 10 RBI, 22 R, 29 SB, 35 QAB.

Taylor Palenske-340 AVG, 17 H, 10 RBI, 5 R, 6 SB, 16 QAB.

James Bell-423 AVG, 22 H, 17 RBI, 11 R, 10

SB, 23 QAB.

Kaleb Fetrow-279 AVG, 12 H, 4 RBI, 6 R, 8 SB, 24 QAB.

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

“Masen Scott and Clay Dold. These guys had to pitch quite a bit last season due to limited pitchers. Their experience needs to shine this year for us out of the bullpen. They will find themselves in the lineup as

well, depending on who is pitching.”

OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON: “Positive. A lot of potential that can do some great things.”

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“A great group of guys who are focused and work hard. A strong starting rotation with a deeper bullpen than we’ve experi-

Please see Chase, Page 3

HEAD COACH NAME: Linda Passmore

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 2

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: n/a

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I have played softball since I was four or five and have loved it ever since. I knew from a pretty young age I wanted to be a teacher and a coach. Now that I stepped out of teaching, coaching has given me the opportunity to still make a difference in kids’ lives and to be able to be a part of the game. Softball has given me so much, and I am just trying to give back as much as I can to these girls.”

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

“We have a senior centerfielder in Grace O’Brien who is a natural leader, was our leadoff hitter last year and was second-team all-league. She is going to continue to be a great leadoff for us and will be a key leader in the outfield this year.

Kinzie Rogers is our returning shortstop. As a junior, we are really looking for her to make an impact in the lineup this year. She saves us runs and outs every inning with her hustle and quickness at shortstop.

Karsen Vandegrift is also a junior and is returning as our second baseman. She is a key component to our infield and our batting lineup. She was our No. 2 hitter for us last year and will be in the top four again this year with even more power than last year.”

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

“Madelyn Wilson is a freshman that I expect to get some key playing time out of this season. She is a great athlete, and I see her making an impact for us.”

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“One of our strengths is hitting. Our girls are contact hitters and look to put the ball in play each at bat. We are also aggressive. We are going to use that to our advantage and get our opponents on their heels.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“Putting too much pressure on ourselves.”

SEASON GOALS:

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“We are young and don’t have a ton of returning varsity players. So we are working on fundamentals and confidence.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

“Minimizing errors and putting the ball in play.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Make it to the state tournament.”

business. Play the game the right way, and relax knowing all of the work in the off-season is ready to be put to use.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

LEAGUE/OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON:

“We have a tough league with Mission Valley being the reigning state champion, and then Council Grove is a tough 3A that went to state last year as well. We are going to continue to build off of last season. We are looking forward to a winning season and a trip back to the state tournament.”

enced in previous years. A good lineup with a mix of speed and power.”

“Put all three phases of the game together. Pitching, defense, hitting. Finish better than we have the last few years. Unfinished

“Continue to compete in the batter’s box and fill up the strike zone on the mound.”

LEAGUE OUTLOOK:

“We have a lot of talent in the Flint Hills League. Multiple all-state players and the defending state champion (Mission Valley). When there are this many players headed to play college baseball every year in a majority 2A school league, that is something to be proud of.”

CHASE COUNTY JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD

HEAD COACH NAME: Derick Budke (Boys), Rachel Wilson (Girls) HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: Coach Budke-29 years. Coach Wilson-two years.

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: None

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“Relationships.”

POTENTIAL STATE-QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Cooper Schroer – senior, 2nd 800m at State, sub 2:00.

Mitch Budke – senior, 200m state qualifier, 4x100m (3rd at State), 4x400m relay.

Brock Griffin – junior, 400m state qualifier, 100m state qualifierq, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay.

Aidan Eidman – senior, 300m hurdles, high jump.

Cal Kohlmeier – senior, 4x100m relay.

Gavyn Francis – senior, 4x100m relay.

Luke Budke – sophomore, pole vault state qualifier (11-3), 4x100m relay.

Wyatt Griffin – freshman, 300m hurdles, 4x400m relay, 4x800m relay.

Tucker Groh – junior, 400m, 4x400m relay.

KEY FEMALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Kinize Rogers – junior, pole vault state qualifier, 4x100m relay.

Madelyn Wilson – freshman, shot put and discus.

Overall goals for this season: “Regional championship, Top-3 State Finish (Boys).”

CHASE COUNTY JR./SR. HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

HEAD COACH NAME: Kelly Glanville

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 2

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: none

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I love the enthusiasm and the excitement my athletes bring to the game.”

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

“I return two State Sand Green Qualifiers from last season in sophomores Luke Budke and Reece Budke. They are bringing state experience to the squad and I return sophomore Piper Vogel, who was close at times to qualifying last year. She has more experience, put in a lot of off-season work, and has a lot more confidence in her game and self. I anticipate that she will be at state. I also have Carys Price who put in off-season work and has experience now that I feel will be a competitor, also trying to make it to state. I look to Paden Jahnke as a returning fourth-year member of the team, and a senior, to be a leader in keeping out motivation and work ethic up. I also know that he is also motivated to do well. I return sophomore Connor Jahnke who is working hard and has improved.

I look for him to keep improving every game.”

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

“I have three newcomers this year. I have

two freshmen, Sophia Burton and Maddy Williams. Both are excited and driven to do well. I also have newcomer sophomore Mikayla Matile who is also driven to do well and improves every day. I have been im-

pressed with how well all three are picking up the sport and have shown great promise in their short games.”

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“Our attitudes, work ethic and sportsmanship. My squad is willing and driven to do well and improve every practice, every shot, and support each other.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“We are overall a very young team that is new to the sport, so consistency is an area of weakness that we are working to improve on.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Taking a team to state, improving our game and scores each tournament.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

“Consistency is going to be the key. If we can hit the ball consistently every shot, we will be going to state.

LEAGUE OUTLOOK/OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON:

“We hope to be competitive. I feel that with my returning players, we have a great chance to take a full team to the State Sand Green Tournament this year. I look to the new members to have great success as well. I will be looking to Reece, Luke, Piper and Carys to do very well, along with Paden Jahnke.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY MISER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEE WILLIAMS

EHS BASEBALL TO FIELD YOUNG TEAM THIS SEASON

The Emporia High School baseball team will be younger than many of its opponents this season.

Head coach Anthony Markowitz is entering his eighth year leading the program and will be joined by first-year assistant Aaron Mejia on the varsity level.

Seniors Drew Hess and Jaxon Dial and sophomore Owen Ruge will be key returners from last season. Markowitz

said he will rely on their experience this season and hopes they can kickstart the team early on.

“Those three guys have the most returning experience,” Markowitz said.

“They’ve seen the Washburn Rurals and the Manhattans and they know what it takes to compete against those schools that have a lot of college-caliber players. We’ll have guys that follow along as the season goes but we hope those guys can kickstart our season.”

Senior Aiden Skiles will join Hess

and Dial in the Spartan outfield this season. Sophomores Max Rusco, Andrew Ruxton and Madden Seidl are younger players that Markowitz hopes will contribute as the season goes along.

The team’s strength this season will be the work ethic of its leaders but the team will not be as experienced as a majority of teams on its schedule.

Markowitz wants to make sure his guys are practicing and playing the right way and will hold them accountable if they are not. He wants to see the

team grow over the course of the season and hopes they are playing their best baseball late in the season.

“We’re going to be pretty particular in practice when it comes to doing things the way that we want them done,” Markowitz said. “We want them to learn the right way to do things and we’re going to call everybody out for it if they don’t do it that way. When it comes to game days, we just want to try to be there to teach and let them learn from their mistakes.”

EHS SOFTBALL WILL BEGIN A NEW ERA IN 2023

B y J ohn S orce

john@emporia.com

There will be a new leader for the Emporia High School softball team this year.

Annelise Rockley, who has been with the program since 2019, will begin her first year as the team’s head coach. She will be joined on staff by assistant Eli Stewart and ESU student Katie Heiserman, who will help on a part-time basis.

The Lady Spartans will return Shaylee Ginter, Kaylee Reimer, Adriana Hernandez and Addie Kirmer as starters.

“These girls have great leadership qualities and will no doubt be key players,” Rockley said. “Having Shaylee and Reimer as an experienced middle infield duo with Adriana at third base and Kirmer as our outfield leader in center will be extremely beneficial for us. I am excited to coach them, but I just can’t wait to see them play.”

Pitcher Ryane Howe and catcher Clara Williams spent the majority of last season on JV, but got some varsity experience and are expected to make an impact this year. Other key newcomers are freshmen Marley Sewell, Molly Wil -

liams and Yzabel Ultreras and pitcher Alivia Anno.

Emporia will boast a lot of youth this year, and Rockley is expecting some bumps along the way.

“I anticipate we could struggle mentally at the plate; finding the balance between physical fatigue and overcoming adversity during our at-bats,” Rockley said. “I want to make sure these girls are ready for the pace of play at this level of competition.”

Rockley does expect Emporia to compete in the Centennial League and wants the girls to represent the team

well “on the field, in the classroom, and in our community.” She wants the girls to build trust in each other and in the new coaching staff.

“We will need to maintain focus and a good pace throughout the season, and we will definitely need to maintain chemistry,” Rockley said. “If there is one thing you will see when you watch us play, it’s that we do not give up. We as coaches are working on instilling mental toughness, confidence, and trust in each other. But we know that creating a fun environment for that learning to occur is our priority.”

EMPORIA GIRLS SOCCER LOOKS TO CONTINUE REBUILD IN 2023

The Emporia high school girls soccer team will look to take a step forward this season.

Head coach Oscar Macias is in his ninth year leading the program and will welcome two new assistant coaches to the staff this season: Nathan Nance and Natalie Kalma. Macias is excited with what he has seen from the girls so far.

“They’ve brought a lot of good, positive energy,” Macias said. “We want to keep a positive environment so we can

have a strong season.”

The Lady Spartans will return their leading goal scorer from last year in junior Emeil Bennett. She will be joined in returners by juniors Makayla Sherman and Bonnie Gardner and sophomores Karah Cooper and Katie Smart. Junior Lotte Spaans is expected to make an impact on varsity this year.

The team’s strength will be its center backs and midfielders, and Macias hopes his wings and wing backs will take big offensive strides this year. Macias is not so much concerned with how the team starts the season. He wants to

see improvement as it goes along.

“We want to establish and reach a common goal of improving each day and assuring that the soccer we are playing by the end of the season is better than that of the beginning of the season,” Macias said.

Being an inexperienced team can have its positives as well. Macias wants them to play unafraid to make mistakes so they can learn the game quickly.

“We want them to play with courage and an aggressive mindset so we can put the ball in the back of the net,” Macias said. “We are young, so hopefully,

they are going to be courageous and take risks and learn from those experiences.”

Macias credited the Emporia youth soccer program with getting girls to play at a young age. He is now excited to see them grow at the high school level.

“We are now beginning to feed more of our younger talent into our high school program,” Macias said. “It will be an absolute blast and honor to watch these girls grow into their own as individuals and a team knowing where they started.”

EMPORIA TRACK LOOKING TO HAVE STRONG SEASON

By John Sorce john@emporia.com

The Emporia High School track team has a good group of kids to watch for this season.

“All the kids that we have are really attentive and eager to learn and I think everybody has been working extremely hard so far,” head coach Randy Wells said.

The Spartans return a number of key returners. On the boys side, Blake Spell-

man, Daghyn True, Marco and Ontario Robinson, Derrick Keys and Kyle Obermeyer are returning runners to watch for. Enrique Rijos and Robert Allaman-Wesley will be throwers to watch for.

The girls will be lead by Maryn True, Micah Sheffy-Harris and Sofia Ruvalcaba on the running side and Mia Trujillo (throws), Kenadie Lewis (hurdles), and Allissa Telfer (jumps) on the field side. Harley Smith is a freshman expected to make an impact for the girls on the running side.

“We’ve got a good mix of kids,” Wells said. “It’s just a matter of trying to develop some depth.”

Some of that depth will come from a collection of freshmen whom Wells is currently sorting through to see who fits where. But he’s glad to see how they’ve been handling themselves so far.

“They’ve been very attentive and that’s a big thing for us,” Wells said. “If they can do that, take care of themselves through practice and be accountable, that’s that biggest thing that we’re looking for.”

With such a large group of athletes that come out for track, Wells relies on his coaching staff and upperclassmen who are experienced to make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be.

“For our freshmen, we try to get them to do a couple of events and try some different things,” Wells said. “We’re pretty flexible with them. Our upperclassmen know where they need to be and what they need to be doing each day. We have a really good staff that is experienced, so it’s easy to get kids in the right place.”

B y J ohn S orce john@emporia.com

EHS BOYS GOLF RETURNS CORE GROUP OF PLAYERS

By John Sorce john@emporia.com

The Emporia High School boys golf team is looking to make another state run this season.

The Spartans graduated state medalist Brooks Sauder from last season. But the majority of its core group will be back this spring from a team that qualified a year ago.

“We’re hoping to pick up right where we left off,” head coach Rick Eckert said. “Brooks is going to be a huge loss for us

but I think Caden [Massey] is ready to step into the role. The big thing we’re going to need is to find some solid players to fill the 4-5-6 positions as guys that we will be able to count on because our top three are going to be pretty solid.”

Massey, a senior, will be joined in the top three by sophomores Nolan Jacob and Hudson Sauder. The four through six spots in the Spartans’ varsity rotation will be up for grabs and possibly rotated throughout the season. Eckert noted sophomores Will Walker and Jared Johnson and seniors Cooper Davis and Braden

Bowen as players to watch for. But he thinks the competition will make everyone better.

“We basically shuffle the deck as I tell them every three weeks,” Eckert said. “That gives us a chance to see where they’ve played and where their scores are at and we will make adjustments if we need to. By the time we get to the first of May, we should have a pretty good idea of who will have for our league tournament. Once we have that group set, that will probably be a good indicator for regional and state.”

The team will play a new tournament

this year at Firekeeper Golf Course in Mayetta instead of at Topeka West due to a renovation at the Topeka Country Club, and he is excited for the guys to get to see a new course.

The season begins on April 6 with the Washburn Rural Invitational at the Wamego Country Club. Eckert feels his team will be tested right away.

“That’s a really good tournament that a lot of good schools go to,” Eckert said. “We get a lot from the Kansas City area, so it will be a pretty good challenge for us right out of the gate.”

COURTESY PHOTO

EMPORIA GIRLS SWIM LOOKS TO MESH FRESHMEN WITH VETERANS

B y J ohn S orce

john@emporia.com

The Emporia High School girls swim team were young last season, and they are hoping that experience will translate to more success in the pool this spring. “We’re hoping to build off of where we were at last year,” head coach Jamie Dawson said. “We got a couple of relays into state and Ryan Peak had some consideration times but she now knows what it takes now this year. We were very young last year so hopefully, they can take some of that experience and get us back into that state meet.”

Dawson noted there is a big group of freshmen that came out for the team

this year, which she really liked as the program continues to add studentathletes and keep stability. She is not concerned with leadership as she has a strong senior group that has grown as leaders.

“We have an awesome group of seniors and a lot of them have been around swimming long enough to where I won’t have to worry about leadership,” Dawson said. “We have some girls that swimming is their thing and they’ll be able to guide everyone else. We have a lot of girls that will have to learn the basics. But we are seeing a lot of potential from them so I think we will have a lot to build with.”

Alison Brown is one of the Lady Spar-

tans’ top returners on the swim side –she is committed to swim at The University of Nebraska – Kearney. Emporia will have two female divers. Senior Jacey Stutler placed eighth at state last year and Allie Weiss will debut this year as a freshman.

Arianna Hamilton and Ryan Peak will also be swimmers to watch for. Dawson had high praise for Peak’s competitive nature.

“Ryan is built like a swimmer and has the mindset of a swimmer,” Dawson said. “She’s the kind of girl that you want on your team because she just wants to destroy everyone else. A lot of times, you struggle to find girls that are really aggressive once the competition starts.

We have a really good group of girls that are nice but when you put them in the pool, they just want to beat the person that is next to them. Hopefully, some of that aggression in the pool will rub off on some of our younger girls.”

Dawson is looking forward to seeing who emerges in the fourth spot in relays as the season goes along.

“We really lost a lot with Brooklyn [Wiltz] last year, so I’m really looking to see who is going to step up and take that position,” Dawson said. “We have a couple of girls who were right there last year and I think that’s going to be the theme this year is who’s going to step up in that fourth spot and there’s potential for a lot of girls to be in that spot.”

EMPORIA BOYS TENNIS TO HAVE LARGER, BUT INEXPERIENCED ROSTER

By John Sorce john@emporia.com

The Emporia High School boys tennis team had five players on its roster a season ago.

That number will be almost tripled this year. But it also comes with a lot of inexperienced players.

The Spartans return just one player from a season ago –junior Jake Simons. But there will be plenty of options for head coach Saul Trujillo to choose from. Trujillo is glad to have the numbers he does.

“I’m still trying to see what their strengths and weaknesses are,” Trujillo said. “We have a lot of underclassmen that are new to the sport so it feels like we are rebuilding right now. But I’m so excited to have more numbers. When you have almost three times the players you had last year, the camaraderie and energy feels more like a team. It’ll be exciting to see how much they grow this year.”

That means the early portion of practice, and the schedule, was mostly about seeing where each kid excels and figuring out where he best fits. Trujillo has been working on repetition and teaching them the basics.

“Just try to hit as many balls as possible,” Trujillo said. “We’re trying to push them with forehand and backhand drills, overheads, serves and just lots of repetition. Just

teach them the basics and see how much they grow.”

Anything new starts with fundamentals and Trujillo was excited to see the growth in just the first week of practice. He feels the hard work will pay off if they continue to stick with it.

“We’ve seen growth in the first week of practice which is exciting,” Trujillo said. “I just keep telling the guys to work hard and it’s going to pay off eventually.”

HEAD GIRLS COACH: Tammy Windle coaches the runners and jumpers.

HEAD BOYS COACH: Amanda Torrens coaches throwers.

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 16-Windle, 7-Torrens.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I love the sport and working with the athletes. I enjoy watching them grow as young adults and seeing their hard work pay off in personal improvements. I enjoy the comradery of the team and watching them cheer each other on.” - Tammy Windle

“To give kids the same experiences I had in high school track. As far as a thrower, to get better every meet and break personal and possibly school records and of course experience the state track meet.” - Amanda Torrens

POTENTIAL STATE-QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Trinity Windle (high jump and 4x800m relay)

Lexi Geisken-Mears (4x800m relay, 400m and 800m)

Brooke McAvoy, Emma Wwestshoff (4x800m relay)

Grayson Dailey (2023 state qualifier in the 400m)

Cody Cleveland (2023 state qualifier in the 1600m and 3200m)

KEY FEMALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Trinity Windle

Lexi Giesken-Mears

Brooke McAvoy

Emma Wwestshoff

Lilah Wilkinson-4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.

Avery House-throws

Chloe Giesken-Mearssprints and jumps.

Keighley Giesken-Mearssprints and jumps.

Cela Munoz-Gardnerthrows

Sydney Sull-throws

Key male athletes and stats:

Grayson Dailey

Cody Cleveland

Samuel Blankley-distance

Tristan Roach-thows

OVERALL GOALS FOR THIS SEASON:

“We hope our athletes will continue to improve throughout the season, and hopefully, we can get a few of them to the State Meet.”

Back L-R -Grayson Dailey, Tristan Roach, Emma Westhoff, Avery House, Keighly Giesken-Mears, Lexi Giesken-Mears, Trinity Windle, Chloe Giesken-Mears, Cody Clevland. Front L-R Maricela Munoz-Gardner, Kayleigh Olson, Lilah Wilkinson, Sydney Sull, Brooke McAvoy, Sammuel Blankley

MADISON/HAMILTON TRACK AND FIELD

HEAD COACH: Alex McMillian (7th Year)

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 7. Lyon County League titles, 2018-2022, and boys state runner-up in 2022.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I have always really enjoyed coaching track. I think track is an awesome sport. Kids not only compete against other schools but they get the opportunity to

better and motivate themselves to beat their personal best each week.”

POTENTIAL STATE-QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON: Bryson Turner-senior, 2022 100m state

champion (PR 10.53), 2022 200m state champion (PR 21.61), long jump (22-8), triple jump (45-4). All are school records.

TRACK

From PAGE 12

KEY FEMALE ATHLETES AND STATS: MADISON

Lily Hudson-sophomore, 3200m (13:53),1600m (6:10)

Yolaine Luthi-senior, 200m, 300m hurdles

(49.26), long jump (16-4).

Jalynn Weakley-sophomore, high jump (4-10).

Caylin Luthi-freshman, 800m (2:40).

Hamilton

Elizabeth Friend-shot put (35-0), discus (94-2).

KEY MALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Lane Darbro-junior, 300m hurdles

(43.35), 110m hurdles (16.89). Boys 4x100 meter relay (Hayden Helm, Lane Darbro, Colton Isch, Ethan Hall) (45.2).

OVERALL GOALS FOR THIS SEASON:

“I am really looking forward to this year. The boys team has been backto-back state runner-up and returning three-time state champion Bryson Turner. We will need some younger

City of Madison

classmen to step up this spring if we want a chance at competing for another state title.

Our girls numbers should be up this year, with Yolaine returning after taking her junior year off, and we are adding a solid group of freshmen coming up that will contribute, especially in the relays…Hoping to put together a solid 4x400 and 4x800 girls team this year.”

Ratcliff Propane LLC

LEBO-WAVERLY BASEBALL

HEAD COACH: Jason Konrade

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 5

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: n/a RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS

AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

“We have a great group of seniors and upperclassmen, who bring a ton of baseball experience to this 2023 baseball team. These guys love the game, work hard and play the game with passion and toughness. Isaac Durst (IF/ P. Led the team as a pitcher last

year, 38 innings, 4-2 record, 29Ks, 2.7 ERA), Addison Smith (OF/IF) and Scott Smith, our three returning senior starters, look to provide team leadership and set the tone fielding and hitting to produce and score runs. Our junior class returners are Corey Reese Jr. (IF/C/OF. 2022 Honorable Mention KABC all-state utility player, 2.55 ERA, .569 BA, 29H, 31R, 22SB) and Dom Risner. Sophomore Drew Konrade (OF/P. 2022 2nd team KABC all-state outfielder, .536 BA, .582OB%, 30H, 22 singles, three triples, 24RBIs, 14SB and 100% fielding percent-

age with 38 putouts without an error) will be expected to produce even more this year, and sophomore Zach Oswald (1B/3B/DH. .411 BA, 1.046OPS, 23H, 27RBIs) will be needed to drive in more runs this year and give some relief pitching on the mound.”

NEW PLAYERS/NON-STARTERS EXPECTED

TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

“Freshman Brayden Hopkins comes in with a lot of baseball experience and a solid bat Scott Smith looks to earn a starting spot and build on his rookie junior year playing baseball. Taegan Kelly and Caleb Durst have

shown dramatic improvements, and each looks to earn more varsity play time this year.”

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“Experience, leadership, tough-at-bats.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“Fielding the routine play, needing inexperienced guys to step up.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Daily improvement and be a highly

wolfdogs

Back row left to right: Manager Kaden Balding, Dom Risner, Ashton Lattimer, Sam Hasenclever, Zach Oswald, Drew Konrade ,Brayden Hopkins , Isaac Durst, asst coach Duncan fort ,and head coach Jason Konrade. Front row left to right : Scott Smith, Eli Ellis, Conner Bailey, Caleb Durst, Corey Reese Jr., Addison Smith, Taegan Kelly , Andy Foltz and assistant coach Javy Muro. Not pictured team manager Lane Oest

LEBO-WAVERLY SOFTBALL

HEAD COACH: Jim Jones

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 2

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: n/a

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Brooklyn Jones-senior, .475 avg., with six home runs.

Saige Hadley-sophomore, .500 avg., with nine doubles and three triples.

Abi Jones-sophomore, .489 avg. and 8-2 as starting pitcher.

Siara Crouch-sophomore, .361 avg., with 10 doubles.

NEW PLAYERS/NON-STARTERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

“We have 3-4 freshmen that have played a little travel ball that I’m excited to see this year.”

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“We’ve had very successful volleyball and basketball seasons this year, and I’m hoping the teamwork, work ethic, and desire to win they’ve shown will continue on into the spring season.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“Youth…We’ll head into the season with five freshman, four sophomores and two juniors new to the high school level.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Our goals this year are to stay healthy, continue to grow, and be competitive in every game this year. Before injuries, we were off to a pretty good start last year, giving us confidence that we can very much be in every game this year.”

WOLFDOGS

From PAGE 14

SEASON/LEAGUE OUTLOOK:

Barring any major injuries like last year, we definitely feel as if we’ve got more pieces this year to take another big step forward. We’ve got a pretty tough

competitive baseball team. We will need to develop pitching this year and have the whole team contribute on the mound, as Isaac Durst is our only returning pitcher with significant innings from last year.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

“Defensively, we have to make the routine play. We have to be a pitching staff that minimizes walks. Each player buying into the team philosophy, willingness to work hard

schedule this year, and wins won’t be easy, but we’re excited to see what the season brings.

The Powerhouse of Burlingame Bearcats (with their All-State pitching)

at developing their pitching, and being a tough baseball player will make us a tough competitive team…We have a lot of new guys this year, so having fun and individual development will be key.”

LEAGUE OUTLOOK:

will be very tough to contend with again this year. Olpe will be another challenging team, who made big strides last year under Coach Haag, which was not surprising given his knowledge of the game.”

“We play league teams South Lyon County, MDCV (Marais des Cygnes Valley), and Burlingame. League games are big. Also play a tough Central Heights team, Osage City, Chase County and added a new team this year, Wabaunsee.” 821

Front Row: Nicolle Bacon, Cira Plummer, Chalie Crouch, Siara Crouch, Brooklyn Jones, and Abbie Sheilds. Back Row: Coach Jim Jones, Gracie Cameron, Sydnie Everhart, Kate Wagner, Cassidy Potter, Allison Konrade, Abi Jones, Saige Hadley, and Coach Dennis Becker. Not pictured: Coach Chloe Roberts and Jolee Baldridge

LEBO HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD

HEAD COACH: Amanda Durst and Dylan Grove (throwing coach)

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: First year

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I enjoy the opportunity coaching provides to encourage and challenge student-athletes.”

POTENTIAL STATE QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Brooklyn Jones (javelin, 400m, 4x400m relay)

Audrey Peek (pole vault)

Abigail Jones (400m and 4x400m relay)

Landon Grimmett (long jump and triple jump)

Austin Bailey (shot put and discuss)

Corey Reese (pole vault)

Caleb Durst (3200m)

Boys and girls 4x400 and 4x800 relays

Key female athletes and stats:

Brooklyn Jones-senior, 2022 1A Javelin Champion, 400m state qualifier and 4x400m relay state qualifier.

Audrey Peek-junior, finished 9th in the pole vault at the 2022 state track meet.

Abigail Jones-sophomore/Keaira Ferguson-junior, members of state qualifying 4x400m relay team.

KEY MALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Austin Bailey-senior, shout put and discus.

Luke Davies-senior

Caleb Durst-sophomore

Landon Grimmest-Senior

Kord Kiefer-junior

Corey Reese-junior

Overall goals/outlook for this season:

“Encourage athletes to be focused and disciplined in training. Be competitive at league, regional and state meets. In addition, our team adds several freshmen and first-year competing sophomores who will contribute in mid-distance and distance events.”

Front Row: Nicolle Bacon, Cira Plummer, Chalie Crouch, Siara Crouch, Brooklyn Jones, and Abbie Sheilds. Back Row: Coach Jim Jones, Gracie Cameron, Sydnie Everhart, Kate Wagner, Cassidy Potter, Allison Konrade, Abi Jones, Saige Hadley, and Coach Dennis Becker. Not pictured: Coach Chloe Roberts and Jolee Baldridge

Providing the highest quality carbon steel products, exceptional service & on time deliveries.

NORTHERN HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

HEAD COACH NAME: Lane Callanan

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: First year

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON:

Head- Lane Callanan

Assistant- Robert Hampton

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“The love for the sport and having the kids come out everyday showing their love for the sport.”

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Kolden Ryberg-senior, pitcher: .367

batting average, 1.031 OPS, 3.96 ERA.

Cooper Hamlin-junior: .300 batting average, 11 RBI.

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

Patrick Niedfeldt-junior

Logan Schlimme-sophomore

Tripp Stormont-sophomore

Leo DeDonder-freshman

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“Solid core group. We have a group of guys that could help us build upon as the year progresses.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“Young group. With only having a few juniors and one senior, we are having to fill in with a lot of underclassmen. Getting these guys experience now is going to help us succeed in the next few years.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

“Building off of each other’s strengths and working together as a team.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Compete. We have come to practice everyday and competed against each other. Now we need to show what our

hard work has done and prove it to others.”

LEAGUE/OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON:

“Looking at the rest of the league we have a lot of competition. But with the group of guys we have, if we work together we could compete with a lot of teams we face this year.

With not a lot of upperclassmen, our group of underclassmen are needing to step up and play varsity this year. There is a lot of room for improvement that could help us sneak a few upsets in our tough schedule.”

northern heights wildcats

NORTHERN HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

HEAD COACH: Angie Becker

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: Second year

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“I love the game and want to share what I have learned about the game with young girls, so they will love the sport as much as I do.”

RETURNING KEY PLAYERS:

Kailyn Schlimme-senior, pitcher.

Addison Landgren-junior, shortstop.

Dani McElfresh-senior, OF.

Elizabeth Galloway-junior, OF.

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

Taylor Pringle—senior, OF.

Kylee White—senior, OF (coming back from a season off due to injuries).

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“Teamwork, dedication to getting better each day in practice, putting in the work.”

SEASON GOALS:

“Win more games than we did last

year and improve every time we step on the field.”

Overall Outlook for the Season:

“To be committed to getting better every day and to work hard. We have a tough league and will face many great teams this season.”

NORTHERN HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD

HEAD COACH: Jerritt Curtis

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 2

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON:

New assistant Alfwenna Meyer

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“Love of the sport and watching the young athletes improve.”

POTENTIAL STATE-QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Teagan Hines (1600m and 3200m)

Cooper Hamlin (1600m and 3200m)

Addisyn Heinrichs (100m hurdles and 300m hurdles)

KEY FEMALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Kayleen Baldridge-senior, long jump (14-11”).

Dylan Kosinski-senior, discus (63-6).

Teagan Hines-senior, 1600m (5:58) and 3200m (13:49).

Addisyn Hinrichs-sophomore, 100m hurdles (18.4) and 300m hurdles (54.5).

KEY MALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Connor Arb-senior, long jump (19-3).

Cooper Hamlin-junior, 1600m (4:54) and

3200m (10:50).

Shayne McGee-senior, shot put (37-4).

Gabe King-senior, shot put (34-4), discus (94-4).

OVERALL GOALS FOR THIS SEASON:

“Establish good work ethic, inspire athletes to self motivate, set solid foundation for younger athletes to be competitive.”

SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY BASEBALL

HEAD COACH NAME: Dalton Laird

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 3

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: Coach Corpening is no longer an assistant coach.

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Braydon Fowler - junior

Logan Hammond - sophomore

Ethan Redeker - junior

Blake Skalsky - junior

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IM-

PACT:

Kael Wagaman - freshman

Brayden Lienemann - freshman

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“A plethora of baseball experience and knowledge.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“We are young and lost a core group of seniors last year.”

KEYS FOR SUCCESS:

“We must be able to do the little things correctly. Being able to execute properly will lead to our success.”

SEASON GOAL:

“Our team goal is to make a trip to the state tournament.”

LEAGUE/OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON:

“Our expectations are to win the league. We welcome nine freshmen to the team and have no seniors on the roster. However, we still expect to compete and win a lot of games.”

SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY SOFTBALL

Front Row L to R: Kayla Steinke, Grace Markowitz, Drew Haag, Karsyn Young, Tobye Sull, Jaden Nuessen

Back Row L to R: Rhilee Scott, Addyson Gillund, Keilee Finnerty, Grace Coughlin, Aubrey Finnerty, Kamryn Temeyer, Addie Wright

Not Pictured: Chiara Garcia

HEAD COACH NAME: Tony Haag

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 2

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: None

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS

FROM LAST SEASON:

Drew Haag – senior

Grace Markowitz – senior

Grace Coughlin – junior

NEW PLAYERS EXPECTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT:

Kailee Finnerty – sophomore

Tobey Sull – sophomore

Norfolk

and Metal

AREAS OF STRENGTH:

“Senior leadership, good attitudes, defense. All of our coaches return this year and we work well together.”

AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

“We are a young team that is inexperienced (three freshmen on the roster). We hope our offense can improve from last year.”

LEAGUE/OVERALL OUTLOOK FOR THIS SEASON:

“We play in a tough league. Burlingame and Lebo are expected to be at the top. Marais Des Cygnes Valley is also a good team. We also have Burlington and Blue -

stem on our schedule this year, which are really good teams. We want to take things day by day and focus on getting better. We want our girls to not be afraid to make mistakes, but also to learn from them when they do.”

Ratcliff

OLPE HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD

HEAD COACH NAME: Ryker Schmidt (boys head coach), and Jessica Knuth (girls head coach).

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: One, for both.

Coaching changes for this season: none

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“To have positive impacts on the lives of the athletes we coach, just as our coaches did for us!”

POTENTIAL STATE-QUALIFIERS AND RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Lilly Skalsky (fourth at state cross country meet, 1600m and 3200m)

Gracie Scheve (state qualifier in the 800)

Jade Smith (state qualifier in the 4x1)

Hana Cole (fourth at regionals in discus)

Darren Heins (state qualifier in the 800 and 4x8)

Kaleb Arnold (eighth at state cross country meet, 1600m and 3200m)

Garret Cole (Missed last season due to an injury.)

Connor Kueser (state qualifier in the 300m hurdles and 4x8)

Andon Temeyer-senior (returning state 4x8 qualifier)

Olpe Eagles

KEY FEMALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Lilly Skalsky-freshman

Gracie Scheve-junior

Jade Smith-junior/Aubryn Garriotjunior, members of state qualifying 4x1 relay.

Hana Cole-junior

KEY MALE ATHLETES AND STATS:

Darren Heins-senior

Garret Cole-senior, javelin. Connor Kueser-senior

Andon Temeyer-senior

Kaleb Arnold-freshman

OVERALL GOALS FOR THIS SEASON?

“Our goals are to get better each and every day and push each other to do so.”

Front row (L to R): Garrett Hammond, Cade Whitmore, Dexton Hoelting, Ethan Redeker, Jesse Kuhlmann, Cale Steffes, Gavin Vogts, Colton Redeker. Middle Row (L to R): Dalton Mayer, Andon Temeyer, Garret Cole, Connor Kueser, Blake Redeker, Blake Skalsky, Karder Weakley. Top row (L to R): Isaac Miller, Darren Heins, William Beadles, Kaleb Arnold, Colten Wolf

SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY GOLF

HEAD COACH NAME: L.G. Barnard

HOW MANY SEASONS AS HEAD COACH AT SCHOOL: 5

COACHING CHANGES FOR THIS SEASON: n/a

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO COACH?

“Just a love of the game…and honestly, I like to go out and be around the golf course. I’ve enjoyed it and like this year we’ve got new kids that are just starting to play golf, haven’t played at all. And it’s sort of fun watching their progress, their development.”

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS/KEY PLAYERS AND ANY RELEVANT STATS FROM LAST SEASON:

Thane Smith-junior/Olpe. “Over the last two years he’s really developed quite a bit. I think he’s going to be pretty decent for us.”

Kane Crisp-sophomore/Olpe. “He’s progressed pretty decent. I do think that they have…an outside chance…of coming close to qualifying for state.”

Jace Hinkel-sophomore/Olpe. “Just started

a couple years ago…he hasn’t done too bad.”

Levi Dunn-sophomore/Hartford. “He’s doing a pretty good job.”

OVERALL OUTLOOK/GOALS FOR THIS SEASON:

“The development of the players… And these young kids…getting a little bit closer to where they can qualify to state. That would be the ultimate goal.”

Front row (L to R): Jade Smith, Grace Coughlin, Gracie Scheve, Hana Cole, Madelynn Knuth, Aylssa Ziglar, Bridget Judd, Kadey Robert. Back row (L to R): Zoey Vogts, Ava Flott, Ella Wilson, Lilly Skalsky, Carlie Gieger, Riley Monk, Aubryn Garriott, Milly Bailey COURTESY PHOTO