Sports Ink., February 2017

A magazine focusing on all things sports in northwest Kansas

February 2017

Hill City

STAR

Zech Wilson is a force to be reckoned with.

The Hays Daily News

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Nice move

What’s up?

Fort Hays State University sophomore Brady Werth blows by Southwest Baptist’s Brian Patterson in the second half of a game at Gross Memorial Coliseum earlier this month.

Vinny Benedetto, Sports Ink.

14

A look inside this issue

5

Who’s That?

Notable perfor-

6 12

mances from

Living

northwest

legend

Kansas.

Growing

Shining star

Hill City senior Zech Wilson making the most of his opportunity to shine for the

Ringnecks.

up

The last four years, Trego senior John Kuhn has

climbed the ladder in

3-2-1A

wrestling for the

Eagles.

Keith Riley is synonymous with

Kansas high school basketball.

Sports Ink. contributors: Nick McQueen nmcqueen@dailynews.net, Vinny Benedetto vbenedetto@dailynews.net, Jolie Green jgreen@dailynews.net, On the cover: Hill City senior Zech Wilson warms up before practice earlier this month at the HIll City High School gym. Photo by Nick McQueen.

Volume 6, Issue 12 Sports Ink. is published and distributed by The Hays Daily News. Copyright © 2017 Harris Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Sports Ink. is a registered trademark of The Hays Daily News, 507 Main, Hays, KS 67601 (785) 628-1081.

Back to ball at GMC

Recently, the website herosports.com named Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Coliseum one of the top five arenas in NCAA Division II basketball.

OK. This website and this list seems to be a small step above what I would call “click bait.” The site contains what they call news, but is nothing more than copied and pasted links of work others have done (mainly collegiate SIDs). Lists and rankings like this are designed to hit you up off your For Starters Facebook or Twitter feed.

I’m not exactly sure how they came up with their ranking. I can only imagine they went off FHSU being among the highest in attendance each year and possibly assumed that it must be a great place.

Regardless, I’ll give that list at least a little bit of validity. GMC is a great place to see a college game.

And, barring some unforeseen circumstances this year in the MIAA women’s and regional race, it will be a great place once again to watch a Class 1A state tournament game.

After a two-year absence — due to scheduling conflicts with the FHSU women in line to host the Division II regional — postseason high school basketball likely will return to Hays and GMC in March.

It should be a welcomed return for all involved.

Not that the Dodge City Civic Center isn’t a nice facility in its own right. It just isn’t for basketball — not anymore. And not when there are much more suitable basketball venues around.

It will be great to see a state tourney back in the comfy confines of GMC with the larger Class 1A bracket this time around.

There’s not much that compares to the atmosphere a state basketball tournament provides, and FHSU likely (for now) traveling for the regional, the 1A tourney will be back where it belongs.

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Just a freshman for the Fort Hays State University women’s basketball team, Kennett averaged 10.5 points per game through the Tigers’ first 15 games — second on the team in scoring. The 6-footer from Olathe South High School reached double figures in five straight games, including a 16-point effort in a win against Kansas Christian College. She scored 14 in back-to-back games Jan. 5 and 7, helping FHSU to MIAA wins against University of Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

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Among the top scorers in the state, the senior from Norton averaged 19.9 points per game through the Bluejays’ first seven games, helping them to a 7-0 record in that same span. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He scored 25 points in the Bluejays’ second game back from the holiday break in a 58-49 win against MCL foe Stockton. He scored 29 just before the break in a 72-43 win against Goodland, helping Norton jump to the top of the Class 3A rankings in the first Kansas Basketball Coaches Association release of 2017.

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Dynamic TALENT

H

ill City boys’ basketball coach Keith Riley has coached a lot of guards in his four-plus decades as the Ringnecks’ coach, but he hasn’t had one quite like senior Zech Wilson.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Story by Vinny Benedetto • Photos by Nick McQueen

Page 6

February 2017

SPORTS INK.

Through five games this season, Wilson — all 5-foot-10 of him — was averaging 24.2 points, 15.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per outing.

The program record for rebounds in a game, by any player, is 19, which was set in 1971. So far this season, Wilson has three games with 17 rebounds and grabbed 18 in a win against Decatur Community.

While he doesn’t have the size of most great rebounders, his vertical leaping ability and simple mindset allows Wilson to crash the boards like someone who stands well above 6 foot.

“If the ball is in the air, go get it. That’s all it is. It doesn’t matter how tall they are,” Wilson said.

“I go out there and play. That’s the biggest thing. I’m not going for numbers really. I could (not) care less. I could have zero points at the end of the game, as long as we win. That’s all that matters to me.”

Riley called the senior the best rebounding point guard he’s coached.

“Usually I have the point guard drop back but not this year,” Riley said. “This year, my two wing men drop back, and he goes to the boards.”

The numbers are staggering to the eye, and Wilson was aware of what his stats looked like, but he doesn’t appear to pay them too much attention. His stats appear to be the product of a vastly expanded role as a senior, but his attitude is nothing new.

Riley recalled one of his first interactions with Wilson when the Ringneck

point guard was in seventh grade. Wilson had only started playing organized ball a couple years earlier, but Riley swung by a middle school practice and harped on the importance of doing all the little things right. The Hill City coach thought he got after the youngster pretty good, but Wilson, with an assist from one of his older brothers, handled it well enough to surprise Riley.

“After practice, he comes over and says ‘Coach you can yell at me all you want to because Solomon said if you’re yelling at me, you’re trying to make me a better player. You can yell at me all you want to,’ ” Riley recalled.

“I thought that was a pretty neat story.”

The attitude, and natural ability, allowed Wilson to make an almost immediate impact once he moved on to high school.

He referred to himself as the sixth man as a freshman who came in to play defense.

Wilson broke into the starting lineup as a sophomore and made his mark as a lockdown defender on the perimeter, helping the Ringnecks to the sub-state final.

“He’s been my best defensive player since he was a sophomore,” Riley said.

“He’s won the defensive award every year.

He does a great job there.”

As a junior, Wilson averaged better than 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals per game on a team that went to state and knocked off top-seeded Sedan in a game Wilson totaled 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

“If

the

BALL

IS in the AIR, go get it. THAT’S ALL it is. It DOESN’T MATTER how TALL they are.”

Zech Wilson, Hill City senior

2917 Vine, Hays 785-625-4830

FILE PHOTO Hill City’s Zech Wilson goes for a shot beside Sedan’s Kylar Walker during the second half of their Class 2A state tournament last March in Manhattan.

Page 10

February 2017

The season ended with losses in the semifinals and third-place game but provided good motivation for his senior season.

“I’d love to get back there,” Wilson said. “It was an awesome experience.”

To get back there, Wilson understands he’ll have to take on a different role for the Ringnecks.

Claiborne Kyles, who averaged better than 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Ringnecks’ 18-8 campaign a year ago, transferred to Hays High School at the start of the year, and Hill City’s second leading scorer, Tate Buchholz, graduated after averaging 12.4 points.

Wilson was the Ringnecks’ third scorer as a junior and realized there was a sizable void he would be tasked with filling.

“Every year I’ve had in high school, it’s been a different role for me,” Wilson said.

“This is the role I have this year, so this is what I have to do.”

It wasn’t the easiest transition. Riley said his point guard is also one of the few players in his storied career who needed to be prodded to look for his own shot more.

“I try to get him to shoot more,” Riley said.

“He doesn’t shoot enough. He still doesn’t.

He’s going to have to or we’re not going to win.”

The Hill City coach isn’t the only Mid-Continent League coach to notice Wilson’s unselfishness.

“I would take him in a minute, and I told him that last year. He’s a kid that makes four other guys look way better than they are,” Thomas More Prep-Marian coach Joe Hertel said.

“People are going to gravitate to him to try and slow him up, and he is not selfish. He gets irritated with his teammates if they turn down an open shot. I like that kid.”

Hertel also bore the brunt of Wilson’s best offensive game to date. He scored 31 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field in a 5953 win over the Monarchs in Hill City in December. It was a showing that was a far cry from what the TMP coach saw in 2015-16.

“The thing that really surprised me, a year ago, he had no game midrange. We did a great job of sliding over and getting in front of him and keeping him from getting to the rim,” Hertel said.

“Instead of plowing over us, he just jump stopped and elevated. I don’t have anybody who can match that. It didn’t matter if we perfectly defended. He rose above, and seriously, the kid couldn’t miss against us. It looked legit to me.”

His coach said his ability to score outside the paint is where Wilson improved the most from his junior campaign.

SPORTS INK.

“His shooting has always been a question, but he’s really improved that this summer,” Riley said. “He’s shooting a lot better, and he’s one of those kids, he never forces anything.”

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The numbers prove as much. As a junior, Wilson only eclipsed the 20-point threshold once.

In the first five games as a senior, he’s only been held under 22 points once.

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The exception came against St. John’s Tipton on Jan. 6, the Ringnecks’ only loss in their first five games, when he posted a line of 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

According to his coach, picking up a pair of fouls in the opening minutes of the game prevented what could’ve been another big game.

“He never got back in a groove after that,” Riley said. “He was worried about fouling.”

The hope is that more big lines over the rest of the season will attract the attention of college coaches. While Wilson seems like he’s a ways away from making a decision in that regard, his coach believes he’s got a couple attributes that would work in his favor at the next level.

“One, he’s athletic; two, he can handle the ball; three, he plays great defense,” Riley said.

“He can (play at the college level), and he’s coachable. You can get on him, it doesn’t seem to bother him.”

As much praise as his coach can heap on Wilson’s game, he’s got even more to say about his character. Riley pointed out that Wilson was named the Ringneck homecoming king despite not being a member of the football team.

As unique as his skill set is on the court, a personality that high school kids can’t find a flaw in might be more uncommon.

“That tells you that kids like him. I’ve never heard a kid say anything against Zech. Never,” Riley said.

“He’s a great talent, but even better than that, he’s a better kid.”

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NICK McQUEEN, Sports Ink. Hill City head coach Keith Riley at practice earlier this month in Hill City.

Legend continues Nearly 50 years in, Hill City’s Riley a consistent winner

Page 12

L

ong before Thomas More Prep-Marian boys’ basketball coach Joe Hertel had the opportunity to coach against Hill City head coach Keith Riley, the Monarch coach looked up to the Ringnecks’ veteran leader.

The reason was pretty simple.

“He’s just a winner,” Hertel said. “He found a way to take lesser talent and found a way to beat people who looked like they clearly had the advantage. I think that speaks well for the chief.”

February 2017

After losing his two seniors and the leading scorer from a team that reached the state semifinals in 2015-16, Riley has led the Ringnecks to a 4-1 start.

The only exception was a 61-44 loss at St. John’s Tipton where Riley’s team showed some rust from the holiday break.

It also was the only game the Ringnecks have allowed their opponents to score more than 60 points.

“Mr. Riley loves tough defense,” senior guard Zech Wilson said.

SPORTS INK.

A focus on the little things has Riley inching closer to 700 career victories. To go along with that, he’s got three state titles to his name, with the last coming in 1998 with his son Geoff on the team. “(He’s) just an icon in Kansas high school basketball,” Hertel said.

A year ago, Riley came within two games of another state title before falling to eventual state champion Jackson Heights in the semifinals.

Wilson would like to get back to state, but the Ringnecks don’t have the personnel they did a year ago. The good news is he knows he’s got the right coach if his team wants to overachieve.

“It’s good playing for him. He knows what he’s talking about,” Wilson said. “If he’s yelling at you, he’s trying to help you because he knows the game. He’s coached many teams. He knows what he’s doing, so you gotta listen to what he’s saying.”

While it’s too early to tell whether Riley can get the Ringnecks back to state, Hill City was seeded third in the Mid-Continent League Tournament in mid-January.

The Ringnecks only played four games before the break and will play another backloaded schedule, something Riley likes to do to avoid playing just one game a week later in the season.

It’s something that seems to work for Riley, and one of the reasons he’s deserving of the respect from his peers.

While it’s uncertain how many wins Riley will accumulate before hanging up his whistle, his legacy appears pretty well solidified.

“I’ve known Keith for a long time, and I’ve kind of, to some degree, idolized him from a distance,” Hertel said.

“He’s a God blessed fossil and a legend.

I have nothing but respect for the man and what he’s accomplished.”

Vinny Benedetto, Sports Ink.

Riley on the sidelines in 2013.

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CLIMBING

THE LADDER

113-pounder John Kuhn had just one loss in his first 13 matches as a senior this season.

Nick McQueen, Sports Ink.

Trego’s Kuhn works his way up the 3-2-1A ranks

Page 14

W

aKEENEY — Right away to start the 2016-17 season, WaKeeney-Trego Community High School wrestling coach Jeremy Samson noticed a chance in senior John Kuhn.

The senior 113-pound wrestler for the Golden Eagles, the coach said, seemed more focused than ever when the team took the mat.

“By the Ellis Tournament (Dec. 9), it really struck me how focused he was about going to business in every match,” Samson said.

Keyed in on his senior campaign after a disappointing trip to the Class 3-2-1A state finale as a junior, Kuhn seems locked in on making the most of what could be his final season on the mat. He

started the year with a 12-1 mark through Jan. 6, and climbed to the No. 2 ranking in Class 3-2-1A at 113 pounds.

“Mostly just because it’s my senior year,” he said.

“I’ve just been thinking that I should probably make the most of it — do whatever it takes to get to the top.”

Standing in Trego’s weight room before a practice Jan. 9, Samson kept pointing out that Kuhn’s success started right there. Arguably no one has worked harder to get to this point than Kuhn.

And for all his hard work in the weight room to get stronger, another battle has been staying in the 113-pound class — a struggle that has paid off.

February 2017

SPORTS INK.

“He’s not the ‘little’ guy anymore,” Samson said.

As long as he’s been coaching him, Kuhn has been the smallest guy among his weight class. Even as a seventh-grader, he always was nine to 10 pounds lighter than the lowest weight class.

“He’s the big fish now,” Samson said, adding it’s a rarity for a four-year wrestler in the lighter weights to stay at the same weight class all four seasons.

“Even as a freshman he was 90 pounds wrestling at 106,” Samson said. “Finally, he’s not the little guy struggling to get up there.”

Kuhn is not what some would classify as a “career wrestler.” He does spend some time with a camp in the summer, but he likes to divide his time among the many opportunities he’s had in high school.

“I try to keep balance with everything,” Kuhn said. “I put more emphasis on wrestling, but I don’t really focus on wrestling all the time.

“When the time comes, I’m all about it.”

That’s something he’s hoping for as a senior, and something he’s worked toward — hoping his time has come.

He also has spent time working with former Trego state medalist Cameron Staples, a 2013 graduate who finished fifth as a senior in 3-2-1A. Samson said Kuhn has been working in the neutral position, to supplement his skills on the mat, and the extra work has paid dividends.

“That’s what got us beat (last season),” Samson said. “He’s really worked hard on that. Everyone knows we’re tough on top.

“Now, it’s just mental with him, and he has the mental edge. He has a goal in mind he’s going for, and that’s giving him the advantage right now.”

Last season, he entered the Class 3-21A state finale for the second straight year. He started with a 19-16 record, and picked up a first-round victory to pick up his 20th win.

Then things kind of went downhill by narrow margins. Kuhn fell in the championship quarterfinals, 6-2, to eventual medalist Kolby Beitz, Eureka. Then, he suffered a 10-9 decision in the consolation bracket to end his state showing at 1-2 and his season at 20-18. He also qualified for state as a sophomore.

But the early exit last season isn’t what’s driving him. He just wants to compete the best he can.

“What happens happens,” he said. “I just try to move forward and get myself back up.

“If I train harder at practice and outside of practice, I will be able to compete better.”

The senior is so determined to compete he even wrestled up to 120 pounds just to get a match in early against Oakley senior Estin Slack, the No. 6 ranked wrestler at 120.

“Not all the kids in that position are going to sacrifice losing an undefeated record at that point in the season,” Samson said. “To wrestle a kid we’ve wrestled in the past and has beat us.”

It resulted in his only loss in the early portion of the season, but for Kuhn, it meant another opportunity to compete.

“I just want to give it my all every time, whether it’s on the mat or off,” Kuhn said. “You don’t know when you could get injured or something. Give it your all every time.”

Nick McQueen, Sports Ink.

FIL E PHOTO Kuhn, top, competes against Russell’s Chandler Schoenberger during the first round of the Class 3-2-1A state finale last season in Hays.

“I just want to GIVE it my ALL EVERY TIME, whether - John Kuhn, Trego senior it’s ON THE MAT or off.”

SPORTS INK.

February 2017

Page 15

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