EMPORIA
CHASE COUNTY
LEBO/WAVERLY HARTFORD/SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY
NORTHERN HEIGHTS/ NORTHERN LYON COUNTY
OLPE MADISON
B y J ohn S orce john@emporia.com
The Chase County baseball team will be under new leadership this season.
Brett Monihen enters year one leading the Bulldog baseball program. He moves up from assistant coach and the team hired 2017 alumni Colton Potts as assistant coach.
Two seniors look to lead the way this season. Colin Monihen is a four-year
starter who hit .356 last season with 21 hits and 18 stolen bases. Brock Griffin has also started since his freshman year and batted .346 a season ago.
Sophomore Wyatt Griffin started as a freshman last year and also hit .346 with 20 hits and 18 steals.
Other returners expected to see their roles increase this year will be Josiah McKee, Eli Green and juniors Clay Dold, Masen Scott and Luke Budke. Freshman that are expected to make an immedi -
ate impact are Clark Miller, Noah Green and Brant Potter.
The team’s strong suit this season will be its pitching depth and offensive firepower, a good combination to win games. The Bulldogs will also have strong team chemistry. They tend to have lapses defensively at times and a lack of depth could become an issue if guys get hurt.
Monihen wants to see his kids get better as the season goes along, while
ultimately reaching the postseason.
“Our season goal is to continuously improve as a team, both individually and collectively, with the aim of reaching the playoffs and competing for a championship,” Monihen said. “Along the way, we will prioritize growth, sportsmanship, and teamwork, knowing that by staying committed to our goals and supporting each other, we can accomplish great things on and off the field.”
The Chase County softball team is hoping to take the next step this season.
Third-year head coach Linda Passmore will look to rely on a number of key returners. Kinzie Rogers started at shortstop last season, but will be making the transition to center field.
“We are really looking for her to make an impact in the batting lineup in the top three hitters as well,” Passmore said. “She saves us runs and outs every inning with her hustle and quickness.”
Karsen Vandegrift will pitch and play second base, while also hitting towards the top of the lineup.
“Karsen is a key component to our infield and our batting lineup,” Passmore said. “She was our two-hole hitter for us last year and will be in the top three again this year with even more power than last year.”
Kassidy Budke will return to play left field after hitting over .400 last year while being named an All-League selection. Madelyn Wilson was an honorable mention at first base last year as a freshman, and will move over to short this year.
Freshman Natalie Neff will take over at first base, and Passmore expects big
things from her.
“She will be stepping into a big role but has already made varsity in both volleyball and basketball as a freshman, so we expect her to step up with softball as well,” Passmore said.
The Chase County golf team will be under new leadership this spring.
Brian Budke enters year one leading the Bulldogs program. He expects things to go quickly this season.
“The season will be a fast and furious one,” Budke said. “The team has to qualify for state during a normal season and tournament since there is no regional qualifier. And, two out of three of our sand tournaments are at the beginning of the year. So, we have to be ready to go right out of the gate, and we will be.”
The Bulldogs will look to rely on their two returning state qualifiers from previous years. Reece Budke was a state qualifi-
er as a freshman two years ago, while Piper Vogel qualified last year as a sophomore. Carys Price is another junior who was close to qualifying last year.
The team will also welcome senior Josh Dexter, who Budke said comes with several years of golf experience and will help the team a lot.
While some individuals have been to state in the past, Budke would like to see the whole team qualify this season.
“The goal for the season is to qualify a full team for state,” Budke said. “The top four golfers have to shoot a 380 combined score or less at the same tournament. It’s definitely doable. We will need to be ready to go at the start of the season, hit a lot of practice shots to make our swings consistent and keep the ball in play.”
The team’s strength is in their motivation, as Passmore referred to her team as “a lot of go-getters.” They are young and still building their pitching staff.
In the end, Passmore hopes to see her team be competitive in each game. “We want to compete every game and put ourselves in a place to win each one,” Passmore said. “We will need to cut down on errors and put together a full seven innings every game, while also limiting big innings for our opponents.”
The Chase County track team has their sights set high this season.
The girls will be led by state placers Kinzie Rogers (pole vault, relays) and Madelyn Wilson (javelin, shot put) and will be joined by freshmen Sadie Mushrush (distance runner) and Lynnae Rains (throws).
“Our returning competitors continue to work hard and gains are being made,” said head coach Rackel Wilson. “We are a small, young program that continues to build, totaling only nine athletes for the women’s side but have the ability and potential to have a strong program in the next few years especially in field events.”
Wilson also noted that a number of their athletes also play softball, which is a challenge for many small school programs. But she feels the team will be able to build on last year’s success with the roster they have coming back.
“With our returning athletes that continue to improve their skills and build performances, we have a good chance to have a stronger championship season with higher placing in our regional and qualifying more athletes for state, hopefully in our relays along with field events,” Wilson said.
The boys will be looking to reload coming off a thirdplace finish at state last year. Tucker Groh and Brock Griffin will be main cogs in the team’s lineup. Silus Hernandez, Carson Schroer and Tate Morgan return from a state championship 4x800 relay team. Luke Budke and Wyatt Griffin will be major contributors in the pole vault, high jump and relays.
Also returning for the Bulldogs are Guthrie Danford (shot put, javelin) and Carson Schroer (800m, 4x800 relay).
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By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Emporia High School baseball team is looking to take further strides this spring.
Coming off a 2-17 season in 2023, the Spartans are hoping that some of their younger players are able to take a step forward.
Head coach Anthony Markowitz, entering his ninth year leading the program, is optimistic with what he has seen from the guys after the first few weeks of practice.
“We have had a great first few weeks of practice,” Markowitz said. “Our experienced guys have really led us. Our schedule should test us and we hope to be playing our best baseball in May.”
Emporia will be led this season by senior Aiden Ewing, who is committed to play at Bethany College, and junior Owen Ruge, who will be an impact player on both sides of the ball. Ruge is coming off a season where he batted .387 with 11 doubles at the plate, while striking out 54 batters in 45 2/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA on the mound.
Madden Seidl, Andrew Ruxton and Chase Harrington are other returners expected to make an impact, while the team will welcome Ox Shivley, Luke Pitman and Landon Wohlertz, along with freshman Micah Gray to the varsity level this season.
The team’s strength this season is expected to be its pitching, with three or four guys capable of taking the ball to start any given game. The Spartan bats are currently behind their pitching and defense this early in the season.
The team hopes to be playing its best
baseball in May, and pick up some regional wins this season. Some keys to that success will be the players developing chemistry as the season goes along, and hitters not giving away at-bats.
An Emporia High graduate himself, Markowitz hopes to give all of his players a positive high school baseball experience.
“I want to see Emporia High School succeed athletically,” Markowitz said. “I am an EHS alum and grew up playing baseball in Emporia, and I want to give high school kids a positive baseball experience.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
Emporia High School will once again enter the season under new leadership.
Head coach Tom McClure takes over for Annie Rockley, who left to take a teaching position with the Spring Hill school district. This will be McClure’s eighth year overall as a head coach.
McClure comes to Emporia from Western Kansas, where he spent the last five years as the head coach at Liberal High School. In addition to his time at Liberal, McClure spent two years in Hugoton and has been coaching travel softball in southwest Kansas for nine years.
The Lady Spartans fielded a young team last season, and a number of those girls should play prominent roles again this season. Senior Addie Kirmer is a returning All-League player, picking up honorable mention honors
last season. Emporia also returns a number of starters in Alivia Anno, Clara Williams, Ryane Howe, Molly Williams, Marley Sewell, Danika Williams and Bailey Schlesenger. Maedeen McClure is a new player expected to make an impact.
While there will be a learning curve like with any new coaching staff, McClure feels like the group should be in a good position to build upon what they did last season.
“I feel like we will start the process of being competitive,” McClure said. “I think it is possible that our team will continue its improvement from last year and put up more stats and wins. It takes an all-in effort.”
One of McClure’s coaching philosophies is working to get better each day to where his team is able to be competitive in every game.
“I stress every year to any team I coach that we want to work on improving day by day and game to game,” McClure said. “We want to get to a point where we are competitive in all games. We want to win the ones we
should and be able to compete in games that are challenging.”
McClure likes the athleticism he has on the roster this year, and hopes to establish a core group of foundational players that will set the team up for success in the near future.
“This group is great to be around,” McClure said. “They want to learn, and that is important because buyin is the key. If you get a group who buys in and works together well, then success usually follows.”
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By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Emporia High School track and field team is looking to continue its state success this spring.
The Spartans had two medalists at last year’s state event, with Kyle Obermeyer placing third in the 110m hurdles and the boys 4x400 relay team of Blake Spellman, Fred Jackson, Derrick Keys and Obermeyer finishing fourth.
Many of those student-athletes have since graduated, with only Spellman returning this season. Head coach Randy Wells hopes to qualify as many student-athletes as possible this year, while placing among the top three teams at each of their meets.
Both boys and girls welcome back a number of key contributors from last season. In addition to Spellman, the boys will rely on Daghyn True, Koby Le, Tyler Luthi, Braxton Malone, Enrique Rios, Calvin Seeley, Gideon Lowery, RJ Tabares and Kyler Worrel.
On the girls side, Mia Trujillo is back after placing 10th in the discus and 16th in the shot put last season. She will be joined by Lexsey DeWitt, Harley Smith, Bailee VanSickle, Paige Newland, Alexa Shivley, Marley Mullen, Allison Curtis, Elise Eckert, Talihah Tabares, Lilly Heinen, Kyla Herfkens, Zayda Pearson, Nikki Morrow, Sofia Ruvalcaba, Micah Sheffy-Harris, Reagan Thompson, Lauren Williams, Damia Zapata, Larkyn Wagner. Heinen is committed to run both track and cross country at Kansas Wesleyan.
New athletes expected to make an impact are Madison Evans, Kaylee DeWitt and Ava Courtney for the girls and Carter Granado, Garrett LeBlanc and Harrison Trelc for the boys.
Wells will also have a few new coaches on his staff this year, as he welcomes Kaden Glinsmann (javelin) and Heath Duncan (shot put and discus) to his staff.
The Emporia High School boys golf team is looking to return to state this season after finishing fifth in Class 5A a year ago.
Entering his 25th season as head coach, Rick Eckert returns a majority of his core group from last year’s team. Caden Massey was the lone senior to graduate, and the baton now gets passed to juniors Nolan Jacob, Hudson Sauder and Will Walker. Those three should hold onto the top three varsity positions for the entire season.
mark and finish top three as a team in each event. They want to qualify for state as a team and make it back to day two.
Eckert feels a combination of consistency and competition will be keys for this season.
“We will need consistent scoring from Nolan, Hudson and Will, as well as development and improvement from our other players,” Eckert said. “We want to have everyone pushing each other to do better.”
“We will be a solid team,” Eckert said.
“We may not be outstanding, but depth and consistency may be our strength this season. We have a good core that should
The last two spots will be up for grabs. Jared Johnson and Javen Arndt also return, while senior Cooper Rech will be joining the team for the first time this season. Eckert expects there to be some good competition through the season.
be shooting in the mid 70’s consistently by the end of the year and some new people that will help push the people in the last two varsity positions.”
The team’s goals this season are to get their average score down below the 320
Beyond the varsity roster, Eckert is pleased with the number of kids that came out for the sport this year. It gives the team an exciting future to look toward.
“We have great numbers this year,” Eckert said. “We have 21 players coming out, which is 50% more than we had last season. It is really exciting to see more young people interested in playing golf.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Emporia High School soccer team is hoping to build off a youthful roster last season.
Emeil Bennett will lead the way for Emporia this season. She is committed to play next year at Baker University. Katie Smart and Emma Swindle will also have a big impact on this year’s team. Freshman Emersyn Johnson is also expected to fill a key role right off the bat.
together for a while, and that chemistry will be one of the team’s strengths. They need to work on improving upon finishing opportunities on goal when they present themselves.
hopes the players will be able to take a step forward this spring.
The team’s core players have been playing
Head coach Oscar Macias, entering year 10 leading the Lady Spartans, is excited about the core group he returns and
“We return a good core group of players that will help us improve upon the previous season,” Macias said. “We want to be moving the ball effectively and efficiently while creating more chances on goal.”
It will be a year of building for the Emporia High School girls swim team.
The Lady Spartans will have to replace the production of Arianna Hamiliton, Alison Brown and Jaycee Stutler, who graduated last year. Brown is swimming in the MIAA at Nebraska-Kearney.
The Lady Spartans will look to rely on Allie Weiss on the diving side and Ryan Peak on the swim side. Weiss returns after placing fourth at state last year as a freshman, while Peak will be one of the team’s top freestyle swimmers.
Head coach Jamie Dawson is expecting big things from both girls.
“Allie has been dedicated to the sport and is already building her dives to bring more [degree of difficulty] for this year,” Dawson said. “She wants to be No. 1 in the state and she is the kind of athlete that will complete that feat.
“Ryan is a girl after my own heart. She was never a swimmer and decided to come out her sophomore year and has been a beast in the pool ever since. She can swim
any distance that you give her in freestyle and always makes an impact. She is going to need to really step up this year and lead this team to not only improve, but swim like they never have before so we can score enough points and place higher than in past years. Ryan is very poised and driven, and she will move into this leadership position well.”
Also joining the team for the first time is senior Avery Grimwood, who Dawson expects will make an immediate impact.
“Avery has already shown herself to be a major player when looking at speed and relays,” Dawson said. “She comes from swimming genes and has already shown that these are going to work in her favor.”
While Peak is expected to carry a heavy load on the swim side, Dawson would like to see some younger girls emerge as impact swimmers over the course of the season.
“We have a lot to fill after the graduation of Arianna Hamilton, Alison Brown and Jaycee Stutler,” Dawson said. “Our girls need to not only step up and fill these roles, but we need younger girls to step up and take over the other spots. If they put their minds to it, we could have some very successful seasons.”
While Dawson would like to see some success this year, she also sees the bigger picture and hopes some of the team’s younger swimmers can lay a foundation for the future.
“This is really a rebuilding year,” Dawson said. “I want to see our swimmers and divers make it back to state but we also need to build for the future. The keys for this year are the basics and making sure that our girls know what to do to be great next year.”
The Emporia High School boys tennis team will have a year of building in 2024.
Senior Jake Simons will lead the Spartans this year. He was one match away from reaching state a season ago in doubles. But fifth-year head coach Saul Trujillo will have to rely on younger players beyond him this season.
“We have a lot of new players, so we are just expecting a lot of growth this year,” Trujillo said. “We have a young squad that can hopefully improve over the coming years, and our kids are motivated and bring great energy to the court each day.”
Emporia lost Mats Goerres, who was with the Spartans last season as a foreign exchange student. He was the team’s top player and entered last year’s regional as the No. 6 seed in singles, where he went 1-2.
Trujillo said his team will be focusing a lot on the fundamentals, teaching a lot of the basics to the kids who might be picking up a racket for the first time this spring. But the early returns have
been positive in terms of how receptive the kids have been to taking in new information.
“We will be doing a lot of repetition of drills that can help instill the basic fundamentals of tennis,” Trujillo said. “I have a
motivated
coachable.”
are
great squad of tennis players who are willing to put in the work and extremely andMadison High School will have a golf team this spring for the first time in 30 years.
Madison will co-op with Hamilton High School to get the program up and running again. Parker Gates will lead the team. He has coached various sports in previous years.
“I have been fortunate to coach football, basketball and track at various schools and levels in the past,” Gates said. “The thing I love most about coaching is watching kids grow over time and seeing them achieve goals individually and as a team. Golf creates such great opportunities for growth and improvement and I think that this season will be mostly about that.”
The team will consist of 13 players and six varsity members, who are mostly new to the sport. They will be led by their three seniors in Makenna Engle, Gannon Pyle and Cohen Luthi.
With most players entirely new to the sport, Gates will be focusing a lot of time this season on teaching the basics.
“Overall, we are looking forward to having fun and growth for each golfer,” Gates said. “I am hopeful that they are all gaining knowledge and interest that will keep them excited about playing golf in their future. Teaching everyone about the rules of golf, the etiquette involved, how tournaments work and how to improve their personal performances are all priorities that we will focus on.”
With that inexperience however comes a strong willingness to learn. Gates noted that each golfer is excited about learning
more about the sport and building new friendships.
In the end, Gates just wants to see his kids learn the game as much as possible.
“The season goal is to allow each golfer opportunities to experience golfing in tournaments and seeing their personal scores continually improve,” Gates said.
“With success, hopefully each golfer will grow in their excitement and love for the sport of golf and stick with it for years to come.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Madison-Hamilton track team will have an entirely new coaching staff this spring.
The Bulldogs welcome Zachary Nuessen as head coach. He will be joined by Dallas Thompson (throwers) and Nate Teichgraber (sprinters).
The team will look to rely on senior Hayden Helm, who throws javelin and discus while also running the 200m. He will be throwing at Emporia State next year.
Sophomore Lane Smith will look to also make an impact for the boys.
On the girls side, juniors Jalynn Weakley (high jump, javelin) and Lily Hudson (800m, 1,600m, 3,200m) will lead the way with sophomore Caylin Luthi returning after being injured last year. Freshmen Rylie Watts and Jenna Thomsen also expect to make an immediate impact.
Nuessen said the team is fairly inexperienced, so his upperclassmen will look to lead the way.
“We have a fairly young team, with six total seniors including the kids from
Hamilton,” Nuessen said. “We have some younger kids that I am excited for their future/development and some that can be serious contributors this year.”
The team’s strength will be its field events, which have been a mainstay at Madison dating back to Nuessen’s days coaching at Olpe. They will struggle with having enough numbers to fill relay events on the boys side.
While the team is young, Nuessen hopes to win the Lyon County League meet and get a couple of relays and individuals into state this year.
“My goal is to get at least one relay (4x4) to state on the girls side,” Nuessen said. “I think there is also a chance for the same group to make it in the 4x1. We have a handful of girls on the throwing side that could qualify as well, both from Hamilton and Madison. I also think we have a shot in the boys 4x1, and we have a handful of boys that should also make it in individual events. In total, we are hoping to have at least five girls at state, and six boys. Time will tell. We just need to keep putting in the work and guiding them in the right direction to peak at the right time.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Lebo-Waverly baseball team will return a strong nucleus to build upon this season.
Despite graduating three solid seniors from a season ago, the Wolfdogs have high expectations and hope to play in the regional championship game. They return seniors Corey Reese and Dom Risner, as
well as juniors Zach Oswald and Drew Konrade. They also have seven freshmen they expect to make an impact, with Kaden Balding and Gus Ford being two of them who will compete for significant varsity innings right off the bat.
“We lost three solid seniors last year, but return an upper-class nucleus to build upon,” head coach Jason Konrade said. “Our core top four hitters return to give us a solid run producing punch. The addition
of seven freshmen gives us a solid group coming in and we look to really develop some underclassmen this year. We have five solid arms on the mound and look to see who steps up for us this year. As usual it will come down to making the routine defensive play and this will be a strong emphasis for our team.”
The team’s area of strengths are its experience, leadership and ability to put together tough at-bats. They need to improve
on making the routine play defensively and have some of their inexperienced guys step up.
Konrade also wants to see his players buy in to the team’s philosophy.
“We have to be a pitching staff that minimizes walks,” Konrade said. “Each player buying into the team philosophy, willingness to work hard at developing their pitching, and being a tough baseball player will make us a tough competitive team.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Lebo-Waverly softball team has their eyes on the next step this spring.
The Lady Wolfdogs will be led by their four returners. Abi Jones went 9-3 in the circle as the team’s top pitcher while Saige Hadley, Siara Crouch and Kate Wagner will lead the team on offense as the trio combined for 11 home runs last year, while providing stability
on defense as well.
Sophomores Allison Konrade and Cassidy Potter look to see increased roles this season. The team will also welcome senior transfer Emma Marsh, who is a versatile player and will have a big impact as a utility player.
Fourth year head coach Jim Jones feels things can be looking up for his team if they can continue to build on their success in recent years.
“We are looking to continue building
on the improved success we’ve had the last three years,” Jones said. “If we can stay healthy, we believe this could be a very good year for us.”
The team’s strength this year will be at the plate, where their aggressiveness has allowed them to set team records the last couple of years. While Jones is excited to have the number of players jump, the team’s 12 freshmen and sophomores are inexperienced and will deal with some growing pains.
“As a team, we believe this could be the year we make it to the state tourney for only the second time in our history,” Jones said. “Our goal is to reach 15 wins, but we know it will be very tough with the teams on our schedule. We will need to keep our girls healthy. The injury bug has nagged us the last couple of years, and held us back from our full potential. We will also need to develop our nine newcomers, who will compete for our final starting spots.”
The Lebo-Waverly track team will have a lot of new faces this spring. But that hasn’t stopped second year head coach Amanda Durst from setting her sights high this season.
“Our team membership has changed quite a bit from last season,” Durst said. “I like to have a positive outlook and believe that we will be competitive at league and hope to qualify several athletes for the state meet.”
The team will return a number of state qualifiers in junior Caleb Durst (3,200 and 4x800 relay) and seniors Grayson Shoemaker (800m, 4x800 relay) and Audrey Peek (pole vault, javelin). Also returning will be Corey Reese (pole vault), Zach Oswald (shot put, discus), Cira Plummer and Kennah Speer (mid/distance runners) and Ally Peek (400m).
The Wolfdogs also bring in new contributors in Kaden Balding, Taegan Kelley and Eli Hauff, who will bring speed and quickness to the track side while Brooklyn Jones and Rachael Barnhardt are freshmen throwers hoping to make an impact.
Durst said the team’s strength this season lies in their work ethic, always able to push themselves to be their best. The greatest challenge is keeping the athletes healthy over the course of the season, as many of them are multi-sport athletes in the spring.
At the end of the season, Durst wants to see her athletes show improvement.
“I want each of our athletes to show improvement in their events from the
first meet to the last meet,” Durst said.
“I believe the keys for that success are to be consistent with our training and keeping a positive attitude.”
B y J ohn S orce
john@emporia.com
The Northern Heights baseball team has high hopes for this season.
The Wildcats return a veteran roster headlined by McPherson commit Cooper Hamlin, who hit .356 last sea -
son. Leo DeDonder is also back after putting together a strong season at the plate (.292 AVG, 19 hits, 18 stolen bases).
In addition to those two, second year head coach Lane Callanan will look to rely on Patrick Niedfeldt, Liam Wilson and Logan Schlimme.
The team’s strong suit is its experience and knowledge of how to play together, but will still look to develop some younger players over the course of the season.
Callanan hopes to see his team take the next step come postseason time.
“This season we are looking to come
together as a team and move on to at least the second round of regional playoffs,” Callanan said. “We will need to stay out of our own way. We have a good group of athletes that can play and as long as we do our job individually and work together as a team, we could put together a tough team each game.”
The Northern Heights softball team will be entering a co-op with Burlingame High School this season.
Dave Watkins will be entering his first year leading the team, and have a whole new coaching staff. Watkins said it was hard to say what players are expected to make an impact, though noted some upperclassmen who will be counted on to set the tone early in the season.
Savanah Short, Starla Bennett, Jenna Moon, Addison Landgren, and Emileigh Short should get major innings in the infield. Kaitlyn Noonan will be a top outfielder and Joselynn Simmons (pitcher/infield) and Kaylynn McKlasky (catcher/infield) round out the group.
Watkins said building team chemistry will be key to the team’s success.
“With a new coaching staff and intermixing kids from two schools that are normally opponents for each other, developing team chemistry is vital to our success,” Watkins said. “So far, it has worked very well. Kids have been receptive to each other and are working together well.”
Watkins hopes to see the little things pile up each day.
“We want to build a competitive
The team’s strength will be its experienced group of upperclassmen, but a lack of experience playing together could take some time to get used to.
team day in and day out,” Watkins said. “We hope to challenge for a league title and hopefully make a run in the postseason. We need to be disciplined and have a consistent approach at the plate
to generate runs and develop some pitching depth. We have a good core group of upperclassmen to build upon, so finding the missing pieces is key for success.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Northern Heights track team will have a young team this summer, but they should have a number of standouts for both girls and boys.
The Wildcats return state qualifiers senior Cooper Hamlin (1,600m), junior Ad-
disyn Hinrichs (300m hurdles and 100m hurdles) and sophomore Jaitlyn Johnson (discus). Rees Spade also returns and will run the 1,600m, 3,200m and 4x800m relay on the boys side.
Freshman Ellei McCrory will make an immediate impact on the girls side in distance events. McCrory won the Class 2A state championship in cross country
in the fall.
Third year head coach Jerritt Curtis said the team’s strengths will be their distance runners on both the boys and girls sides, while they may struggle with sprints and field events. He wants to see the younger kids grow and build a foundation for future years.
“We hope to inspire the team to devel-
op a good work ethic, become self-motivated and continue to improve throughout the season,” Curtis said. “Keys to our success will be keeping the underclassmen motivated to return next year and help recruit the incoming freshmen. We will want to develop our sophomores into leadership positions for next year.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Hartford track team will look to overcome a smaller roster in 2024.
The Jaguars hope to have a strong season despite the small numbers this year. In her 17th year coaching the girls, Tammy Windle will look to rely on junior Trinity Windle, who returns after winning five meets in the high jump and finished top three in all other meets last season. Win-
dle won the regional and placed 10th at state, while also medaling frequently in the 400m, 800m and 200m during the regular season.
The girls also return Lexi-Gieksen Mears (200m and 800m and long jump), Avery House (throws) Sydney Sull (throws) and Maricela Munoz-Gardner (throws). They will welcome Aubrey Finnerty (throws) and Hannah Tunnell (sprints) this season. The boys are coached by Amandy Torrens, entering her eighth season leading
the program. They will be led by junior Cody Cleveland and senior Grayson Dailey. Cleveland finished top three in the 3,200m in most events a season ago, and finished 13th at state.
Dailey broke the school record in the 400m at the Lyon County League meet last year, but had a family commitment and was not able to go to state. He had one of the top three times in Class 1A prior to the meet. Samuel Blankkley will also make an impact in distance events.
The team’s strength lies in their longdistance sprinters, jumps and throws. But they don’t have any hurdles or pole vaulters, and have just one short-distance sprinter.
Windle wants to see her kids improve from their seasons last year, and hopes to get a few kids back to state.
“We hope to keep our kids healthy and see each athlete improve their performances over last season, and qualify a few for the state meet,” Windle said.
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Southern Lyon County baseball team has high hopes in 2024. SLC returns its entire starting lineup from last season, with Braydon Fowler, Ethan Redeker and Brody Cole leading the way.
Also returning to the lineup are Logan Hammond, Jaiden Kurzen, Braydon Linneman, Oliver Smith, Eli Markowitz and Kael Wagaman.
Fourth year head coach Dalton Laird said the team has their eyes on a state championship, and hopes his guys can stay healthy throughout the season.
“Expectations are high this year,” Laird said. “With a core group of leaders and a full returning lineup, we are preparing for a deep run. We hope to win our league and win state, and the keys to doing that will be staying healthy, continued development and leadership.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Southern Lyon County softball team will begin a new era this season.
Scott Steinke takes over for Tony Hagg in his first year as head coach. He is joined by assistant coach Derek Temeyer, who has been with the team for five years.
The team will rely on its core group of veteran players in senior Grace Coughlin, juniors Tobye Sull and Jaden Nuessen, and sophomores Kayla Steinke, Addie Wright and Kamryn Temeyer.
Temeyer said their postseason success in other sports will help them on the softball field.
“This group of kids has many that have been to state in volleyball and basketball,” Temeyer said. “They know what it takes to win. Four of the girls play their position very well, as well as being asked to pitch this year.”
New players expected to impact the team this year are senior Rhilee Scott, juniors Addyson Gillund, Chiara Garcia, Addison Wigton and Bridget Judd and freshmen Brailey Schmidt, Reece Johnson, Gaby Coughlin, Kyla Kuhlmann and Adrianna Sieberns.
“These girls fight hard every day to get a starting po -
sition,” Temeyer said. “They in return make themselves better as well as their teammates. Nothing is out of reach for them. Very determined bunch of ladies.”
The team will look to rely on its strengths of hitting, fielding, baserunning and leadership. They need to work on their pitching.
Temeyer hopes to see the girls lay a foundation they can build upon in future years.
“We hope to build a solid program after years of struggle,” Temeyer said. “Our main goal is to get to Pratt [for state]. We need to stay focused, practice hard and play harder, and play with confidence.”
The Southern Lyon County golf team hopes to get a few kids over the hump and into state this season.
The team will be led by senior Thayne Schmidt and junior Kane Crisp,
who were both close to qualifying last season. Senior Isaac Miller is also back after also playing on the team as a freshman, while Sean Dengler rounds out the team with some prior experience and should provide the team with a manageable fourth score.
The team’s strength is the receptive -
ness the players are to coaching. But a lot of them lack experience and are in the beginning stages of learning the game.
Head coach LG Barnard is excited to see what his guys will be able to do this season.
“Our goals are to get over the hump
and qualify for state individually,” Barnard said. “Other goals would be to continue to improve and become consistent with our game and scores. We feel like we have a lot of hard work ahead of us to meet these goals. Looking forward to working with these boys and watching them continue to develop.”
By John Sorce john@emporia.com
The Olpe track team has a strong foundation coming back this season.
Both head coaches, Ryker Schmidt (boys) and Jessica Knuth (girls) are entering their third years in charge
of the program. They will have a number of veterans to rely on this season.
On the boys side, sophomore Kalen Arnold will lead the way after winning a state medal in the 4x800 relay, the 1,600m and the 3,200m. Senior Coleten Wolf, an -
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other state qualifier, also returns. They will be joined this year by freshman Brecken McGuire, who is expected to make an immediate impact.
The girls will be led by sophomore
Lilly Skalsky, who won a state medal in the 1,600m and 3,200m as a freshman. They also return a number of state qualifiers in seniors Jade Smith, Kadey Robert, Aubryn Garriott, Milly Bailey, Hana Cole, Grace Coughlin and Gracie Scheve, as well as sophomore Ella Wilson. “Our numbers remain solid as we return many letter winners and state qualifiers from last year,” Schmidt said. “For
the girls, the team will look to their seniors to lead the way. We are also looking forward to our underclassmen filling in some events. The boys will also look to lean on some returning faces, with the hope that some underclassmen can step into some key roles and spots as well.”
The team will rely on its balance of upperclassmen and underclassmen and
should be able to lean on their older kids as some of their younger kids step into different roles as the season goes along.
Schmidt is optimistic that the team will be at its best come May.
“Overall, we hope to push each other to get better each and every day,” Schmidt said. “If we can do that, we hope to be at our best come May.”
