spring sports 2013

Spring Sports

Ottawa • Anderson County • Central Heights • Wellsville • West Franklin

2013

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TennisSoccer Ottawa High School’s Dallas Natt, Track

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Page S2 Weekender, April 6, 2013Spring Sports

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The 2013 Ottawa High School baseball team members are front row (from left), manager Stephanie Brands, Aaron Miller, Nathan Roth, Shelby Rockhold, Hayden Yancey, Tate Jung, Connor Stepp, manager Jamie Hutchison; second row, Jamie Soderberg, Bryce Elder, Jordan Markley, Greyson LaPlant, Kaden Shaffer, Taylor Graf, Isaac Carter, Dakota Schmoe; third row, coach Joe Stegman, Camden Bien, Tucker Spears, Preston Emperly, Connor Medlan; Matt Hogelin, Wade Gregg, Max Adams, coach Jeff Montynegro; back row, coach Travis Persinger, coach Luke Bones, Peyton Crump, Sam Carver, Dayne Jung, Alex Stepp, Dalton Weidl, Chandler Wimmer, Kirk Harrell, Clayton Evans and coach Shawn Herrmann.

By GREG MASTHerald Sports Editor

The Ottawa High School boys tennis team will have a lot of the same players, but expect better results. The Cyclones return five of their six varsity players and 14 total from last year. “We have a lot of guys played last year,” second-year coach Troy Reade said. “We have good numbers. It gives us a good start. A lot of guys realize where they are and what their role could be on varsity. I have seen a lot of guys going pretty hard at that.” Reade likes how the competition level has stepped up in practice and expects spots to be fought for until the end of the season. “ I am not cementing anyone’s spot,” he said. “There are a lot of different open-ings for this season. “I have seen guys that want to be com-petitive. Their mindset has gotten much stronger.”

Part of that is knowing what to expect and how to navigate through the season. “As whole, we will be much deeper var-sity and JV this year,” Reade said. They have an idea what to expect. They know what they need to elevate their game to as well. “It is going to be a fun year to watch and see how much we progress from last year. We are trying to work toward that ultimate goal of qualifying for state.” The returning varsity players are Jona-thon Kucmarski, Vince Sylvester, Brock Benorden, Cale Paquette and Clint Ly-man. Several of those returners also play other sports. Reade said that is a positive thing. “They are highly competitive. That car-ries onto the court,” he said. One of the highlights of the schedule is Ottawa will be the host site for the Fron-tier League Tournament. It is scheduled for April 23 at the Forest Park tennis courts.


The Ottawa High School baseball program has al-ways had high expecta-tions. This season, the stakes are higher. Ottawa returns a bevy of talent and experience from last year’s third-place state tournament squad. The Cyclones were tabbed No. 1 in the pre-season coaches poll in 4A. “I like it,” coach Shawn Herrmann said. “It was voted by the coaches. That means the other coaches respect our returners. They respect what we did last year and what we are doing as a program. “Everybody wants to beat us and we want to beat them.” Ottawa put together a challenging schedule with two-time defending state champion St. James, 5A power St. Thomas Aqui-nas along with Kaw Valley League foes Mill Valley, Lansing and Piper. “Four or five of them are preseason ranked too,” Herrmann said. “I want to take some lumps. Learn from it. By time sub-state comes around we will be primed and ready.” Every team is different. Herrmann said this team will need to play games to find its identity. “We have to learn how

we are going to win,” he said. “We have to find our niche.” Ottawa has talent and depth. “We have experience returning. The guys are hungry from last year. A lot played all summer long. Some played in the fall.We have guys that can play multiple positions. It will help us. We have many good baseball players. We have guys that do things the right way.” Ottawa fell to Concordia in the state tournament semifinals and is still feel-ing the pain from that loss. “We did not hit like we can hit,” Herrmann said. “We have to focus on every single game. “We are not going to look past anybody this year. The potential is there. We have to do it. The skill is there. The mindset has to be there. Ottawa has eight seniors and is loaded in the infield and at catcher, “We have to play good defense,” Herrmann said. “We have good returners in the infield.” The top seniors include Taylor Graf, Kaden Shaf-fer, Greyson LaPlant, Isaac Carter, Jordan Markley, Jamie Soderberg, Bryce El-der and Dakota Schmoe. Top juniors include Na-


Two years in a row the Ottawa High School soccer team has caught fire late in the season. Two years ago, Ottawa won a postseason match after a late-season surge. Last year, Ottawa won its final three regular season matches to finish 4-13. The Cyclones would like nothing better than get off to a better start and finish like the past two seasons. Ottawa has a good mix of experience with 19 freshmen and sophomores and 16 seniors and juniors. “We have little bit of youth with enough experience at the top we can blend them in,” 16-year coach Kelly Smith said. “It can be a great lead in for the next few years.” Smith sees a lot of potential for this team. “I am excited to see what they can do,” Smith said. “They have kept their good at-titudes. They are going to put together a strong season.” Soccer is used to weird weather, play-ing in nearly every kind of weather. But the cold matched with the snow made for an usual March. “The weather made for the oddest start

to the season,” Smith said. Smith said this group exemplifies what this program is all about: playing hard in every situation. “We may not have the best skills against the teams we are going up against,” Smith said. “They work on them. They get better through the season.” Ottawa has experience in nearly every spot on the field. Seniors Jillian Prather and Logan Butler anchor the defense with senior keeper Amanda Stinebaugh. The midfield will be led by senior Sara Soph and sophomore Allie Schmoe The forward area is highlighted by speedster Cydney Lewis. She scored 14 goals last season and has a chance with a big season to reach 50 career goals. She will play soccer next fall for McPherson College. “Cydney is going to make it happen one way or another,” Smith said. “When you have three people on you it can get quite frustrating. “We are looking for somebody that will make the defenses think about leaving our other forward alone. We may put a third forward up top. Our finishing has been good so far. That has been a weak area for us.”

Ottawa baseball hungry for shot at state title

Soccer wants good startOttawa boys tennis returnsnearly whole varsity team

Photo by Matt Bristow/The Ottawa Herald

The 2013 Ottawa High School girls soccer team members are front row (from left), Jillian Prather, Sara Soph, Logan Butler, Ashea Hiatt, Amanda Stinebaugh, Morgan Fredricks, Cydney Lewis, Allie Schmoe, Clara Vander Reep; third row, Sierra Schmoe, Caylyn Buckley, Gracie Chappell, Paige Peterson, Syerra Emperly, Brianna Pfizenmaier, Ashlyn Rundle, Abagael Pruitt, Allison Matthews, Emma Altendorf, coaches Daniel Nathan and Kelly Smith; back row, managers Eric Duarte, Matt Robbins, Cody Uht and Gabby Bowers. Not pictured are Emily Crouch, Garrett Cruce, Lore-Marie Junghans, Bianca Webb and Brianna Yates.


The 2013 Ottawa High School boys tennis team members are front row (from left), Luke Rea, Brandon Nanninga, Brock Benorden, Clint Lyman, Cale Paquette, Jonathon Kucmarski, Spen-cer Morgan, Garrett Sullivan; second row, Nate Rodriguez, Max Mayo, Kevin Adams, Javon Williams; back row, Alex Reed, Zach Peterson, Vince Sylvester, Lance Behning, Chris Espinosa and Tomas Fuentealba.

See OHS, Page 3

Page S3Weekender, April 6, 2013 Spring Sports

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When teams or individuals come up short, it can ignite a fire. That is what Ottawa High School golf coach Cliff McCullough hopes happens this season. The Cyclones had a disap-pointing finish, not qualifying anybody for state in 2012. Ottawa returns five of its six varsity golfers. “There should be some hunger there,” McCullough said. “We could be really good. The potential is there. A lot of these guys commit to golf.” A year of maturity and experience could pay big dividends. McCullough said this group has combination of serious golf-ers and others with a more light-hearted attitude. “It is a good mix for a team,” McCullough said. “These guys know they will get out of golf what they put into golf.

“Everything is loose. I hope that feeds over into some tournaments. “Late in the season last year we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we did not handle it well. For many of these guys last year was new. “Kids can get bogged down by the pres-sure of this sport. We have others that will help balance them out.” That part of the team may be a big strength for the Cyclones. “It is more of a team sport than most people think,” McCullough said. “Our team will help each other ... keep the at-mosphere loose.” The returners are seniors Austin Blaue, Hunter Peoples, Jeff Doolittle along with sophomore Quintin Blaue and Trey Rich. The Blaue brothers play year round. Austin signed to play golf for Ottawa Uni-versity. “They are going to be a fun group and coach this year,” McCullough said.


The 2013 Ottawa High School golf team members are (from left), Patrick Conroy, Jeff Doolittle, Hunter Peoples, Austin Blaue, Trey Rick, Quentin Blaue, Zach Kaub, Parker Olmsted and Tyler Kaub.


The 2013 Ottawa High School softball team members are front row (from left), Akoda Black, Ki-ersten Eads, Elizabeth Seimears; second row, Hannah Green, Victoria Green, Amy Wilson, Shea Mesik, Courtney Clayton, Abby Hale, Bayleigh Nelson, Lacey Waterman, Hannah Ray; back row, manager Quinn Green, Meagan Powell, Kelsie Ferguson, Corie Fischer, Kylie Foster, MyKenna Hadl, Tatum Knight, Lauren Davidson, Chelsea Chambers, Abigail White, Hannah Hedges and Kendall Blanco.

Serna learns on the runBy GREG MASTHerald Sports Editor

Joe Serna comes from a baseball back-ground, but is surrounded by good strong softball coaches. The new Ottawa High School softball coach has taken a crash course in the little nuances of the game. His wife, Tammy, has guided Osage City to six state berths and a state champion-ship. Cyclone assistant coach JR Daughar-thy is a veteran coach with lots of softball knowledge. “We have had a lot of talks,” Serna said of his wife. “Coach Daugharthy has coached a lot of college players. He under-stands I have that baseball mentality. That is what I am going to bring to these girls. “The game is played a little different-ly. It is a smaller field. The game comes a lot quicker. I am pretty confident with my coaching abilities.” Serna has spent a few summers coach-ing his daughters’ traveling softball team. “I am very familiar with fastpitch,” he said. Serna has been an OHS assistant base-ball coach for the past six years.

He was the head coach at Baldwin for two years and spent three years as an as-sistant at Prairie View. The Cyclone program is still a bit young with three seniors, but have several re-turners from last season. The seniors are Akoda Black, Kiersten Eads and Elizabeth Seimears. “I see a lot of potential with this bunch,” Serna said. “I am excited to be their head coach. They are looking forward to new challenges. “There are girls that can play multiple positions. Tough part is figuring out who should play where. There is nothing wrong with options.” Serna said the first part of the season will be used to find out where everybody fits the best in the team puzzle. Ottawa has pitching depth with Seime-ars and Kendall Blanco returning from last season. “Having Kendall and Elizabeth is very reassuring,” Serna said. “Our focus has been on the defensive side. We have to be able to make the plays. “I am a big believer that defense wins games. Hitting will take care of itself.”

Golfers fired up for season

OHS: Depth to keep pitchers fresh(Continued from Page 2)

than Roth and Aaron Mill-er. “We are pretty deep in every position,” Herrmann said. “We’ve got some

sophomores that have im-pressed me. We have mul-tiple guys that can catch.” Ottawa’s pitching will be deep with Roth stepping to the front of the rotation. Carter, Shaffer, Graf and

Miller are expected to be in the mix. “We want our starters to give us four solid innings,” Herrmann said. “We want to keep arms fresh. They all play other positions.”


The Ottawa High School boys track team is primed and ready to make noise in every track meet this season. The Cyclones return a bevy of talent and expe-rience, including state meet par-ticipants. The Cyclones will be strong in the throwing and jumping events. Ottawa returns three long jumpers that qualified for state. The jumpers are led by two-time defending state champion triple jumper Dallas Natt, who also finished second at state in the long jump. He is closing in on the school record for the triple jump and signed to jump for Pittsburg State University. Andre Lewis and Alex Griffey return in the jumps. “I see those three guys that went to state last year anoth-

er year stronger, quicker and smarter,” coach Mark Laws said. “They have taken it upon them-selves to go camps and to study. It will take them awhile to get in the groove. When the weather gets warm, I look for some really good things from them.” Natt has a chance to become a handful of OHS track athletes with three or more state champi-onships in the same event. “He has very realistic goals,” Laws said. “It would be nice to be state champ again, but it is not a given. He has to go out and earn it.” Junior Kord Ferguson and se-nior Mickey Jensen headline the returners in the shot put and dis-cus events. Ferguson qualified for state in both events last sea-son, finishing second in the shot put. “Both have increased their strength,” Laws said. “Both of


The 2013 Ottawa High School track teams members are front row (from left), Hannah Thomas, Callie Shea, Erica Doty, Kyle Marvin, Paige Weidner; second row, manager Courtney Kessinger, manager Mallorie Bell, Sharissa Daw, Kyliegh Love, Brittany Pfizenmaier,Susanna Zanetti, Skylar Martin, Brandin Bell, Kaylee Peoples, Abigail Kelly; third row, Sam White, Daniel White, Courtney Houston, Nicole Gansy, Spencer Leecy, Josh Christian, Cole Reed, Tan-ner Wright, Katie Carswell, Jonathon Branson, Zac Hastings, Drew Birzer; back row, Lane Chanbers, Trinity Logan, Eliazar Zurugoza, Makale Hill, Zach Dillard, Brady Wallis, Asher McInnes, Aaron Miller, Jackson Schlotterback, Seth French, Cory Peoples and Brandon Kinn.

OHS boys trackpoised for big year

See OHS, Page 8


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The 2013 Anderson County High School baseball team members are front row (from left), Jake Trumbly, Colby Wittman, Trey Ahring, Vincent Hamilton, Hunter Gilbreth, Vincent Trujillo, Alex Dennison, Mitchell Highberger, Seth Wolken, Trent McDaniel; back row, coach Jeremy Ball, Zach Schroeder, Derrick Nelson, Mason Skiles, Tyler Wolken, Steve Dial, Tanner Lickteig, David Ball, Weston Gilbreth, Alex Craig, Jacob Rundle, Bryce Dieker and coach Brad Huber. Not pic-tured are Cameron Parks and Shiloh Sutton.


The 2013 Anderson County High School boys track team members are front row (from left), Tim Cornett, Cale Hedges, Zach Hilliard, Stephen Kaufman, Tyler Jumet, Michael Ghareeb, Trevor Tush, Star Carter, coach Karen Cox; back row, coach Mike Sibley, Devin Katzer, Zane Phelps, TJ Wilson, Garrett Redifer, Lee Koch, Tyler Woodard, Nathan Patterson, Welsey Wolken and coach Brad Burkdoll. Not pictured: Eric Small.

Bulldog baseball mixesyouth with 4 returners

Bulldog golfers to buildaround state qualifiers

AC softball fills starterswith program players

Depth big part of AC track


Anderson County High School softball team lost eight starters from last year, but that does not mean all the players are new. In fact, most played either as varsity re-serves or in the junior varsity program. Fifth-year coach Marty Alley said eight of the nine positions will be filled by a players with varsity experience. The Bulldogs will need that experience with a tough schedule. “We have tough teams on our schedule again with Burlingame, Eudora and Santa Fe filling in the out of league games,” Al-ley said. Senior Annsley Graham will be the top

pitcher. She has put some muscle on and will throw harder during her senior cam-paign,” Alley said. “She will also platoon in the outfield when not in the circle.” Junior Maddie Magner will be the catcher. “She has a ‘take charge’ attitude and that gives the Bulldogs some valuable leadership from behind the plate,” Alley said. Senior Ashlyn Martin will move to first base and still be available to fill in as pitcher. Senior Ashley McCullough returns at

By MIKE WEBBERSpecial to The Herald

GARNETT — The An-derson County High School baseball team began the season with just four re-turning starters and a lot of young players will be asked to contribute right away. If some of the young players can develop rap-idly, the Bulldogs may have plenty of bite to go with their bark by the time the postseason comes around in May. Fourth-year coach Jere-my Ball has 24 players and will try to improve on the team’s 7-10 record last year. The team has 11 freshmen among its 24 players.

“Last season when we made mistakes they seemed to compound. In fact that has been our Achilles’ heel the past couple of seasons. Plus a couple of key injuries last season really slowed us,” Ball said. “If we can reduce mis-takes we could have a much better record.” The team’s four return-ing starters are senior in-fielder David Ball, senior catcher, pitcher, shortstop Weston Gilbreth, senior outfielder Steve Dial and junior infielder Ryan Al-ley. Junior Zach Schroeder was the catcher for the ju-nior varsity last season and

will move up to the varsity position this year. A pair of junior pitchers will also be stepping up to see time on the mound for the varsity this year, Bryce Dieker and Tanner Lickteig will see time on the mound at the varsity level after spend-ing last year on the junior varsity team. The Pioneer League has been tough the past couple of seasons and likely not be any easier this spring with the addition of Iola. “Iola will definitely contend for the top spot. Osawatomie and Wellsville both lost some of their top pitchers from last year, but they have always been strong teams,” Ball said.


GARNETT — Anderson County High School has been the big dog on the track scene in the Pioneer League since it was formed. One of the secrets to the Bulldogs’ suc-cess is their ability to score points in near-ly every event because of their depth. This year they face a new challenger in Iola, which should match them in overall depth, so this may be the Bulldog’s biggest test in the league meet. Anderson County coach Mike Sibley be-gins his 13th season as track coach leading teams of 37 girls and 17 boys. The girls team is young with 18 fresh-men, however they have two key senior leaders in Alexandra Garbarino and Amanda Moody, who had a strong cross-country career. Garbarino is the school record holder in the 300-meter hurdles. Garbarino will compete for Baker Uni-versity next year. The Bulldog girls qualified for state in cross-country last fall, so they should be strong in the distance events this spring. Sophomore Eliza Sibley lettered last sea-son in the 800. She will team with her freshman sisters Belle and Gwen to com-pete in the Bulldogs’ distance relays. “The eighth grade track team last year broke all the school’s junior high records. They have a lot of speed and are a good at the sprints,” Sibley said of his daughters.

“We are probably viewed as the favor-ite for the league title, but Iola should re-ally test us. They are strongest in the field events and that is where we are the weak-est. Wellsville will also be strong in the field events. We need to get some of those fourth and fifth place points if we are go-ing to win the league title this year.” While the boys team does not have the numbers the girls do, they have a strong core of seniors. Cale Hedges qualified for the state meet last spring in the 800 and hopes also qualify in the 400 and 1,600 this year. Stephen Kaufman is a good pole vaulter, but narrowly missed qualifying for state last year. The pole vaulters in the Bull-dogs’ regional last season finished first, third, fourth and fifth at the state meet. Zach Hilliard combined with Hedges and Kaufman to form three quarters of Ander-son County’s state qualifying 1,600 relay team last spring. Junior Tanner Wilson is shooting to break the school record in the 1,600, which he may need to do to finish in the top four at regionals. “With just 17 athletes we will struggle to fill slots, so we will be excellent in some events while we struggle in others,” Sibley said. Sibley said Iola is the favorite to win the league meet because of its depth. He also said Wellsville should be strong in the throwing events.


GARNETT — The Anderson Coun-ty High School boys top two golfers have been to the state tournament ev-ery season of their careers. With those two consistently among the challengers for medals, the big-gest question this season is if two of the younger golfers will step forward and help them bring home any team awards. Fifth-year coach Steve Lyon guid-ed the Bulldogs to victories at both the Burlington Invitational and Ot-tawa tourney last spring. He has a team of seven athletes this year, but just two returning letter-winners. Senior Jack Rickabaugh has quali-fied for the state tournament for

three consecutive seasons, finishing 39th in 2012 and finished within the top 20 in 2011. Junior Spencer Walter qualified for state last spring, finishing 71st and finished in the top 10 in 2011. “Both Rickabaugh and Walter have won the regional tournament, so they understand what it takes,” Lyon said. Sophomores Colton Eichmann and Seth Wolken gained valuable expe-rience last season and will now be asked to move up to the varsity level. A team score in high school golf is based on the school’s four best indi-vidual scores. “The returning players certainly have their sights set on making the state tournament again this year,” Lyon said.


The 2013 Anderson County High School girls track team members are front row (from left), Remi Hedges, Kali Hermann, Adrianna Garbarino-Hermann, Michaela Stevenson, Tori Cunningham, Jessica McCullar, Bailey Wolken, Eliza Sibley, Julie Hartman, Cheyenne Sumner and Maddie Goode; second row, Ellie Lutz, Gwen Sibley, Bel Sibley, Lexi Pedrow, Maci Rockers, Tana Ben-ton, Tayler Porter, Paige Scheckel, Conner Parks, MaKayla Kueser, Tregon Guernsey; back row, coach Mike Sibley, Sarah Egidy, Tiffany Gafford, Alex Garbarino-Hermann, Amanda Moody, Alyssa Mikesell, Annelie Koppe, Reagan Jirak, Bailee Wilson, Morgan Egidy, Joanna Read, Mad-ison Malone, coach Brad Burkdoll and coach Karen Cox.


The 2013 Anderson County High School golf team members are front row (from left), Colton Eichman, Spencer Walter, Jack Rickabaugh, Seth Wolken; back row, Zach Miller, Chad Betts, Andrew Johnson, Bryce Feuerborn, Zeke Hermreck and coach Steve Lyon.

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CH baseball expectsto be in regional hunt

Track looks for more points

Viking softball programundergoes transformation

Pearson to guide golfersBy GREG MASTHerald Sports Editor

The Central Heights High School track teams have been stronger in the field events the past few years. The Vikings hope to keep up that tradition and add a chance to score on the track in 2013. “Our goal is to get some of our tradition back,” Cen-tral Heights coach John Schultze, who is in his 51st year in coaching, said. “Our determination is to score on the track and have success.” Schultze said having more numbers gives the

Vikings a chance to put compete in relays and have spread the depth through the running events. “We have a bigger num-ber,” Schultze said. We can have enough competition for relays. “When we go to meets we want to be able to com-pete.” Part of competing is changing the culture of wanting to get become bet-ter in those running events. Central Heights does return experienced throw-ers. Junior Tanner Erhart leads the group. Schultz said Erhart has been pushing the 50-foot

barrier in the shot put. Jake Savage leads the jav-elin crew. He was close to qualifying for state last season. “We have some other young kids coming out that might surprise somebody,” he said. “We will wait and see what happens.” Schultz said the Pioneer League could be the stron-gest its been in its short history with the addition of Iola. Plus having several state placers returning from the other schools. “The league will be pretty strong,” Schultze said.


The Central Heights High School base-ball program has a rich history, which in-cludes a state championship. The Vikings expect to be in the mix ev-ery season when it comes to league and regional championships. This season is no different. “We have some high expectations go-ing into this year,” Central Heights coach Jason Brown said. “We expect to compete for the league title. There will not be any easy games in our league this year all the teams will be good. “We made it to the semifinals of region-

als last year and lost to Rossville 2-1. Our goal is to win regionals and make it to the state tournament.” Part of the reason for those expecta-tions is the Vikings return seven starters. The senior returning starters are Trever Burkdoll, shortstop/pitcher; Drew Beck-with, outfielder/pitcher; Jordan Smith, first base/pitcher, and Adam Pryor, out-fielder. The returning juniors are Jordan Hor-stick, pitcher/utility; Coby Robertson, third base/pitcher, and Tristan Davis, out-fielder/pitcher. Brown said there are other players fighting for varsity playing time.


The Central Heights High School soft-ball juniors and seniors will need to be leaders and teachers to a the younger players this season. The Vikings are not blessed with a lot of experience and the team will consist of mainly younger players. Central Heights returns three starters. Senior Senior Samantha Stegner led Cen-tral Heights in hitting last year, pitched and played second base. She may see a little time at first base this year. Junior Whitney Kraus played short-stop and catcher last season and will be expected to do the same in 2013. Stegner and Kraus received all-league honors last year. Junior Kenzie Hayward started at first base the last two seasons and in addition this year will see more time on the mound. Senior Allison Schultz and sophomore

Hallie Brockus saw extensive playing time last year and will be asked to step up their play this year. “We will be very young and inexperi-enced, but the girls have shown a willing-ness to work and have been very coach-able,” Central Heights coach Kent Schulte said. “Our goal is to get better every day and focus on how we can improve.” Stegner signed to play softball with In-dependence Community College. She ac-cepts her role of being a leader and teach-er. “I have always tried to step up and help people,” she said. “It will be a new experi-ence. We have a lot of freshmen.Go out there and play. Teammates will be there to back you up.” Schulte said, “she has become a real leader. We are counting upon her big time this year. She has a challenge this year. She is the only pitcher we have.”


The Central Heights High School golf team has a new coach in Phillip Pearson, who played golf at Ottawa University after graduating from Central Heights. He has been a success-ful baseball coach, leading Wellsville to three straight state tournaments the past three years.

Pearson returned to his alma mater to take over the golf program and coached the Central Heights cross-country teams this past fall. “I’m pretty excited about the upcoming golf season,” Pearson said. “I’ve got eight kids that are golfing. Some of them are very raw but willing to listen and making a strong effort to learn the game of golf.”

Freshman Matt Percy has shown he can be a solid competitor for the Vikings. “He is a very solid golf-er,” Pearson said. “He will compete in varsity meets for us this year and should be pretty competitive on the individual level. He has high expectations of himself and he works ex-tremely hard on his game to improve and meet his goals.”


The 2013 Central Heights High School baseball team members are front row (from left), Jordan Horstick, Trever Burkdoll, Drew Beckwith, Jordan Smith, Adam Pryor; second row, Coby Rob-ertson, Tyler Hettinger, Tristan Davis, Trae Clayton, Dalton Thompson; third row, Scooter Kice, Chase Brown, Will Thoele, Jacob Anderson, Jason Clissold, Jacob Pryor; back row, Jake Kice, Jared Oshel, Cade Hibdon, Merrick Brown, Parker Griffin and Cade Masingale.


The 2013 Central Heights High School softball team members are front row (from left), Kenzie Hayward, Allison Schulz, Sam Stegner, Kirby Laird, Whitney Kraus; second row, Emerald Lam-beth, Lexi Griffin, Hallie Brockus, Krysten Baker, Kaye Cunningham, McKenzie Stevens, Ashlynn Brockus; back row, Hannah Dickey, Deanna Blackwell, Acacia Malone, Lindsey Folsom, Ciara Malone and Katelyn Castleberry.

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The 2013 Central Heights High School golf team members are front row (from left), Destiny Os-ler, Tanner Johnson, Matt Percy, Austen Massengale; back row, Kaleb Grimsley, JR Dunnivan, Eli Davis and Kyle Oshel.


The 2013 Central Heights High School track teams members are front row (from left), Caleb Lickteig, Tyler Hendron, Gavin Holler, Alex Jones, Ariel Lambert, Emily Holloman, Brianna Er-hart, Zach McAfee; second row, Shelby Cardell, Sam Skeet, Amandy Raby, Regan Markley, Sydney Meyer, JR Kimball, Amanda Stevenson, Tanner Erhart, Jake Savage; third row, Cole Sheldon, Jessica Louden, manager Mychaela Clissold, manager Sammie Wiederholt, Erika Bond-Valez, Josh Overton, Phillip Mayhew, Dacota Milliken; fourth row, Blaine Roelker, William Conner, Charles Webb, Jessie Hamblin, Alexis Finch, Chance Schooler, Zele Smith, Donovan Milliken; back row, Dillon Welch, Zach Craine, Cody Asbury and Samantha Bond-Valez.


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WELLSVILLE — The Wellsville High School baseball team has high hopes. The Eagles have played in three straight state tournaments, placing second last year. The Eagles will have changes to the roster and coaching staff, but the goals re-main the same. The biggest change comes on the bench where Casey Quinlan takes over as head coach. Quinlan played second base and outfield for Emporia State University. He has been coaching baseball at the

high school level for 37 years. He was the first head coach at Emporia High School, where he stayed for a decade before mov-ing to the Olathe school district. He was an assistant at Olathe South, before be-coming the head coach at Olathe East for 15 seasons. At East, he led two squads to state titles. “I believe that no team reaches the state championship without strong pitch-ing and defense. We might be carrying 10 pitchers on the varsity because that is


WELLSVILLE — The Wellsville High School boys track team has its sights set on making a big run in May. The Eagles hope to combine their experienced veter-ans with some young talented athletes to push for a Pioneer League title and quali-fy several for the state track meet. Fourth-year Eagle coach Andy Wright has a squad of 26 athletes, but 13 of them are freshmen. “I expect some surprises from the young guys. There are a couple of sprint-ers and one thrower that I think will make an impact this season,” Wright said. The Eagles will be led by their three returning state qualifiers. Junior Hunter Thuro and senior Alex Calderwood were members of the state-qualifying 3,200-me-ter relay team squad. Thuro also finished sixth in the 300 hurdles at 41.73 seconds. Senior Austin Jones finished third at state in pole vault for the second straight year with a mark of 14 feet. He signed to

pole vault for Cowley County Community College. He also competes in sprinting events. Wright believes Jones may reach 15 feet because of his dedication to off-sea-son work. In fact this may be the toughest event to place in at the Pioneer League meet where the top five finishers last year return and three of them will likely break 14-0. Senior Kenneth Hopkins qualified for state in the 300 hurdles as a sophomore, but sat out last spring due to injuries. Chase Bouse had a strong cross-coun-try season and is hoping to use that as a springboard to success in the 1,600 and 3,200 races. Wright sees the Pioneer League title as being more unpredictable than usual be-cause of the addition of Iola, which tradi-tionally has a deep squad allowing them to score points in every event. “Attitude-wise, we have a good group. They are working hard, and I think it will be a fun year,” Wright said.


WELLSVILLE — The Wellsville High School softball team ended last season on a down note, falling short in the sub-state championship game. The Eagles won 19 games last sea-son and return a good nucleus from that squad. Wellsville hopes to use last year’s sub-state disappointment and channel it into a trip to the state tournament this year. Third-year coach Chris Rose has seven returning starters among his 25-player roster. “The team this year seems to have a good attitude about taking things one practice at a time, one game at a time,” he

said. “They are hard workers, getting a lot of reps on their own not just waiting for team practices.” Wellsville has three returning senior starters in three-year starter in outfielder Erica McTaggert, second team all-league third baseman Justine Dougan and first team all-league outfielder Emily Strawn, who signed to play softball with Allen County Community College. The team’s other returning starters are junior catcher Ashley Ebeck, junior shortstop Moriah Kayhill, sophomore first basemen Tori Broers, and sophomore out-fielder Ashley Sparks, who earned second team all-league honors last spring. She


WELLSVILLE — It will be a different kind of sea-son for the Wellsville High School girls track team. The Eagles sport a young squad with 10 of their 14 members being un-derclassmen. The girls squad does have a pair of experienced seniors to show those young athletes what type of work is needed to be successful.

Fifth-year coach Mark Messer likes the squad he

has, especially their dedi-cation. “We have really good leaders. Their strong work ethic will set a tremendous example for our younger athletes,” Messer said. Senior Rebecka Ohl-meier is a three-time state qualifier. She was a mem-ber of three of the Eagle’s state qualifying relay teams last season: 400-, 1,600- and 3,200-meters. Senior Erica Sweeney finished seventh at state in pole vault with a mark of 9 feet, 6 inches. She also is a

three-time state qualifier. Sophomore Emily New-house qualified for state in three events last year: 1,600, 3,200 and was a mem-ber of the 3,200 relay team. Junior Morgan Dees ran on the 1,600 relay team. Messer identified de-fending Pioneer League champion Anderson Coun-ty as the odds on favorite to win the league title this season. He said new member Iola is a darkhorse for the title with Osawatomie as another strong team.

Changes don’t damperEagles’ expectations

Boys look for big finish

WHS hungry for state

Girls build around seniors


The 2013 Wellsville High School girls track team members are front row (from left), Taylor Ever-hart, Gabrielle Martinez, Erica Sweeney; second row, Nat Thaloengsok, Amanda Haagensen, Kyleigh Marsh, Katie Becker, Sadie LaMay; third row, Shelby Stahl, Lindy Manguso, Rebecka Ohlmeier, Morgan Dees and Emily Newhouse.


The 2013 Wellsville High School boys track team members are front row (from left), Nick Sudhu, Chase Bouse, Joey Cunningham, Caleb Pearson, Zach Burd, Brandyn Brewster, Aaron See; second row, Garrett Cunningham, Nathan Cunningham, Courtland Samson, Dillon Ware, Trevor Heckman, Luke Thomasson, Alex Calderwood, Austin Jones, Logan Messenger; back row, Col-ten Conner, Bryce Smith, Brandon Crisp, Jacob Sturdevant, Noah Calderwood, Nick Thomas-son, Landyn Holtwick and Hunter Thuro.


The 2013 Wellsville High School softball team members are front row (from left), Cassie Enright, Erica McTaggart, Morgan Cunningham, Emily Strawn; second row, Hannah Cummings, Raegen Beckley, Chelsea O’Conner, Moriah Kayhill, Justine Dougan, Ashley Ebeck, Maggie Enright, Allison Patton, Rayne Wright, Hailey Murphy; back row, Noon Witt, Rachel Swafford, Tori Bro-ers, Hollie Geist, Ryleigh Gibbs, Sami Poramino, Chrissy Swafford, Jessica Ewing, Sarah Nash, Ashtyn Rottinghaus and Kelsey Nelson.


The 2013 Wellsville High School baseball team members are front row (from left), Zach Perry, Shane Hillman, Cameron Lyon, Hunter McCullough; second row, Brec Rogers, Jared Klamm, Gavin Wilson, Tony Dougan, Andy Dougan; third row, Lucas Dwyer, Alex Li, Brody Young, Jake Manes, Michael Kunard; fourth row, Trent Smith, Shelton Breithaupt, Shamus Kearney, Luke Meyer, Zach Ball; fifth row, Kyle Taylor, Tyler Brown, Brett Osbern, Mitchell Huffman, Ethan Mosher; back row, Trevor Shalkoski, Seth Breithaupt, Gavin Gretencord and Lance Meyer. Not pictured are Landyn Holtwick and Zach Strawn.

See WHS, Page 8

See EAGLES, Page 8


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West Franklin track eyes finish at state meet

Bowman takes overWF softball programWF Falcons can’t wait

to begin Homer eraBy MIKE WEBBERSpecial to The Herald

POMONA — How exited were the West Franklin High School baseball players to start the season? Rather than waiting for the snow to melt, they spent the first four days of prac-tice shoveling the entire field. They are hoping the combination of that enthusiasm, plus a strong senior class and a new head coach will have them soar-ing to the top of the Flint Hills League this spring. Danny Homer takes over as the head coach of the Falcons this spring. Homer is a rule-10 coach, meaning he does not work for the school district. He works for the corps of engineers at Melvern Lake and has been coaching youth baseball for 17 years. His initial squad at West Franklin has 30 players, including seven seniors and seven freshmen. A total of 14 lettermen re-turn. “I feel like we have a great mix of kids,

freshmen through seniors. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be right at the top of the Flint Hills League standings,” Homer said. The team is headlined by senior catch-er/third baseman Mitchell Walters, who will play baseball for Baker University. The other returning seniors are catch-er/first baseman Kolton Eckenroed, in-fielder Owen Reed, outfielder Tanner Fine, outfielder Ethan Duda, utility Tyler Ecord and first baseman Dillon Peugeot. Junior Emerson Reece is battling a knee injury but hopes to contribute at shortstop and pitching. Sophomore Oaklee Homer will man second base and sophomore Will Duda is at shortstop. Homer expects five players to see time on the mound. They are Walters, Ecken-roed, Reed, Will Duda and Reece. “This group of kids has a lot of expe-rience in summer ball, which is good because the 3A regional in our area has been really rough the past couple of sea-sons,” Homer said.


POMONA — West Franklin High School track coach Susan Zentz felt a little lost at the end of the 2012 track season. For the first time in her 18 years as a track coach, her team did not have a single state qualifier. She hopes the return of sever-al letter winners will fuel a late season charge that ends at state in Wichita. The Falcons have 18 boys and 12 girls on the squads this sea-son. The boys team will be led by two returning seniors in throw-er and middle distance runner Josh Rubick and sprinter Jason Brown. Three other key returners are sophomore Cody Webb, distance runner and triple jumper; junior Wyatt Gilbert, hurdler and mid-dle distance runner, and junior sprinter Josh Napper, who is the school’s record holder in the 100-meter race and a member of several school-record relays. He was injured at the end of last season dashing his hopes of qualifying for state. The other senior is Brady Geist, who is competing in track for the first time. Zentz believes that the Fal-cons should be competitive in all three of the relay events as well as the jumping events. “There are a lot of unknowns with this team, eight of our 18 have never run track before,” Zentz said. The girls team also features


POMONA — The West Franklin High School softball team has a new leader this season, but the biggest question facing the Falcons is if the team’s returning play-ers can keep things going until the young players are ready to compete at the varsity level. Michelle Bowman is the new coach for the Falcons. She played high school soft-ball for Anderson County. From there she went on to play four years at Ottawa University where she was part of champioinship teams. Her initial squad has 20 members, but only five of them are upperclassmen. The three seniors are Shelbi Allen, catcher and first base; Sierra Miller, third base, and Shayla Shogrin, right field. The team’s two juniors are outfielders Alexis Yelland and Alexa Ryan. On the mound, Bowman is sorting through several younger players, hoping one will emerge and take over as the ace. Those showing early promise include

Michaela Campfield, Tiffany Montano, Si-erra Jones and Tori Coopman. Bowman’s believes the Falcons have some strengths, as well as some areas that need to improve, if they are to be competi-tive in the Flint Hills league. “The infield defense is solid, and we have some real team speed. We will try to take advantage of that by stealing base as well as being aggressive in running the bases,” Bowman said. “Our hitting needs to improve and we will have to solidify our pitching.”


The 2013 West Franklin High School baseball team members are front row (from left), Nick Streeter, Dylan Gates, James Marley, Evan Macklen, Dillon Douglas, Dakota Ferguson, Brett Whittington, Tate Jackson, Ryan Prochnow, Will Duda, Derick Peugeot, Cole Alterman, Zach Harris; back row, Sylas Horne, Steven Oshman, Oaklee Homer, Klayton Lacey, Matt Gray, Tyler Ecord, Owen Reed, Kolton Eckenroed, Mitchell Walters, Tanner Fine, Ethan Duda, Tyler Rogers, Clay Altic, Damon Abbott, Dillion Peugeot and Hunter Hollon.


The 2013 West Franklin High School softball team members are front row (from left), Emma Rossman, Bailey Shaffer, Shelbi Allen, Brittany Shaffer, Lacy Altic; second row, Tiffani Montano, Katie Adell, December Cummings, Charley Fine, Shaila Shogrin, Micayla Campfield, Sydney Walters; back row, Macy Flory, Avery Mead, Alexis Yelland, Sierra Miller, Sierra Jones, Alexa Ryan, Britany Crump, Tori Coopman and Courtney Schmitz.


The 2013 West Franklin High School track teams members are front row (from left), Alex Barber, Cody Renfro, Kylee Prouty, Rylee Radcliffe, Fallon Dyer, Carissa Dyer, Natasha Rodriguez, Dareyn Worley, Emily Reed, Autumn Holloway, Cody Webb, Isaiah Messick; second row, Ema Findley, Megan Ecord, Aubry Flory, Kati Aitchison, manager Miranda Carey, manager Katie Dunn; back row, Wyatt Gilbert, Jason Brown, Josh Napper, Khalil Naser, Kenny Mes-sick, AJ Ruecker, Jerrid Ryan, Josh Rubick, Wyatt White, Ty Vogh and Oleg Nelson.

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second base. “Ashley is a solid fielder and a steady bat has kept her in the Bulldog lineup,”

Alley said. Sophomore Ashley Mc-Cullough will take over at shortstop. “Samantha teams up with her sister at second

to provide a relatively nice double play combo,” Alley said. Senior Morgan Louk will play third base and can fill in at other infield spots.

Alley said Louk has a good knowledge of the game. Macy Adams, Nicole Stifter, Bailee Rockers and Reanna Romig will man the outfield spots.


The 2013 Anderson County High School softball team members are front row (from left), Mackenzie Lutz, Alli Jackson, Dakota Davis, Kinlee Jones, Jamie Sutton, Bailey Whitcomb; second row, Reanna Romig, Jordan Chambers, Maddie Magner, Bailee Rockers, Samantha McCullough, Bobbie Jo Rockers, Echo Higginbotham; back row, coach Joy Dyke, Ashley McCullough, Ni-cole Stifter, Annsley Graham, Ashlyn Martin, Morgan Louk, Macy Adams, Mariah Trijillo and coach Marty Alley.

was an all-state volleyball player this past fall. Senior Morgan Cunning-ham will get the nod at sec-ond base, She is new to the softball team after running track the prior three years. Pitching is a bit of a ques-tion mark. Regan Beckley was the team’s number two pitcher last year and will be asked to move up to the ace spot. Rose said she has had a

strong off-season of prepa-ration. Behind Beckley, the team is still waiting for someone to emerge. Last season Prairie View and Wellsville split the regular season Pioneer League title, though Prai-rie View won the league tournament. Rose feels like the Ea-gles can win the league again this season, though he believes Central Heights and Prairie View also will be strong.

how important I think it is to have quality pitchers,” Quinlan said. Quinlan’s first Wells-ville squad has 28 athletes, including nine returning lettermen. The team has four se-niors: Shane Hillman, shortstop and pitcher; in-fielder Cameron Lyon; in-fielder Hunter McCullough and catcher Zach Perry. Quality left-handed pitchers are scarce, but Quinlan has two junior left-handed pitchers he thinks can be quality hurlers in Shamus Kearney and Luke Meyer, who will also see time at first base. In addi-tion to Kearney and Meyer, the Eagles have four other left-handed pitchers that could see varsity time. Three other juniors ex-pected to contribute heav-ily this year are strong-armed catcher Mitch

Huffman, middle infielder and pitcher Trent Smith, and utility man Shelton Breithaupt. Among the underclass-men, Quinlan identi-fied sophomores Trevor Shalkoski and Brett Osbern and freshmen twins Andy and Tony Dougan as likely to contribute at the var-sity level. Shalkoski is cor-ner infielder noted for his quick hands, while Osbern is the likely starter in the outfield. “This team is strong up the middle. I think that will allow us to be competitive for the league title, Quin-lan said.


POMONA — The West Franklin High School golf team needs one of the new guys to make a jump to join the three senior returners. The Falcons have five new play-ers out of the eight on the team. New coach Chris Mickelson wants to guide those new players, which four are freshmen. “I would like to help teach the guys how to be in control of their game around the golf course,” Mickelson said. “I took the game serious in high

school and I am sure these guys will too. But I would also like them to learn to enjoy the game while they are com-peting.” The Falcons’ three returning play-ers are all seniors: Brandon Cobb, Dakota Adamson, and Dustin Good-ing. It may be difficult for the Falcon’s to find a fourth player to step forward and compete at the varsity level. Mickelson explained that some tournaments designed for smaller schools have an alternative team

scoring method in which just two player make up a team. He is hoping that the Falcon’s can find tournaments that use that scor-ing method. Mickelson took up golf as a teen and was a member of the Lyndon High School team. He went on to play football at Pittsburg State University, but remained an avid golfer for more than 15 years. The Falcons begin their season Tuesday at the Northern Heights Invitational played at the Emporia Country Club.

Anderson CountyBaseball/Softball April 9 at Wellsville April 15 BURLINGAME (1) April 16 OSAWATOMIE April 23 PRAIRIE VIEW April 29 at Jayhawk-Linn May 2 League May 6 League at Iola May 13 RegionalsTrack April 11 AC INV. April 19 Fort Scott April 23 Burlington April 25 Osawatomie April 30 Burlington May 9 League May 17 RegionalsGolf April 8 Paola April 18 Spring Hill April 20 Osawatomie April 22 Iola April 29 Ottawa May 4 ACHS INV. May 13 Regionals

Central HeightsBaseball/Softball April 8 WEST FRANKLIN April 9 OSAWATOMIE April 16 at Prairie View April 19 at Burlingame April 23 at Iola April 25 at Marmaton May 2 League May 6 League at Iola May 13 RegionalTrack April 9 Pleasanton April 15 Waverly April 19 Rossville April 25 Prairie View May 2 Northeast Arma May 9 League May 17 RegionalsGolf April 8 Paola April 18 Spring Hill April 20 Osawatomie April 22 Iola April 29 West Franklin May 4 Anderson County May 9 Pleasanton

OttawaBaseball/Softball April 9 at De Soto April 12 Kaw Valley (Bsb) April 13 Kaw Valley (Bsb) April 16 GARDNER April 23 EUDORA April 25 at St. James (SB) April 26 St. Thomas (Bsb) April 30 at Louisburg May 3 at St. James (Bsb) May 3 Turner Inv. (SB) May 7 PAOLA May 13 Regionals May 24 StateTrack April 11 Anderson County April 18 Bonner Springs April 26 Shawnee Heights May 3 SM North Relays

May 9 League May 17 RegionalsGolf April 15 Hayden April 18 Spring Hill/League April 20 Osawatomie April 22 Wildcat Inv. April 29 OTTAWA INV. May 13 Regional May 20 StateSoccer April 9 at De Soto April 11 at KC Christian April 12 at Spring Hill April 16 GARDNER April 22 Piper April 23 SPRING HILL April 25 BASEHOR April 30 HARMON May 2 at Tonganoxie May 6 BALDWIN May 7 at Wyandotte May 9 HIGHLAND PARKTennis April 8 Spring Hill Quad April 13 Baldwin April 18 Baldwin Quad. April 23 LEAGUE April 27 De Soto May 2 Regionals

WellsvilleBaseball/Softball April 9 Anderson County April 11 LOUISBURG (SB) April 16 at Iola April 18 at Eudora April 23 OSAWATOMIE April 25 BURLINGAME (1) April 29 PERRY (BSB) May 2 League May 6 League at Iola May 13 RegionalTrack April 9 Perry-Lecompton April 18 So. Coffey April 23 Silver Lake May 2 RED BUD May 9 League May 17 Regional

West FranklinBaseball/softball April 8 at Central Heights April 12 at N. Heights April 16 at Chase County April 18 HERINGTON April 26 at Mission Valley May 3 COUNCIL GROVE May 7 at Burlington May 13 RegionalsTrack April 11 Northern Heights April 15 Burlington April 23 Burlington April 30 Burlington May 2 Crest (Iola) May 9 League May 17 RegionalsGolf April 9 Northern Heights April 11 Osage City April 29 WEST FRANKLIN May 7 League May 13 Regionals

new faces. The team has four freshmen as well as three others who have never run track before. The five returning ath-letes are senior distance runner Natasha Rodri-guez, junior high jumper Emily Reed, and sopho-mores Autumn Holloway, middle distance and hur-dler, Aubry Flory, sprint-

er and jumper, and Caris-sa Mora, middle distance and hurdler. Zentz tabbed the Osage City boys as the Flint Hills league favorite. On the girls side, she said Council Grove along with Northern Heights, who is adding several athletes from the league’s top mid-dle school team last sea-son, should duel for top honors.


The 2013 West Franklin High School boys golf team members are coach Chris Mickelson, Dakota Adamson, Colin Downey, Bradley Lowe, Brandon Kaub, Morgan White, Caleb Short, Keaton Wise and Dustin Gooding.

WF golf needs 1 to join varsity

TRACK: New athletes(Continued from Page 7)

EAGLES: Team retools (Continued from Page 6)

WHS: Suspect pitching(Continued from Page 6)

DOGS: AC softball teams sisters in middle infield(Continued from Page 4)

Schedules

their techniques has im-proved. They throw a lit-tle bit all year long. Kord has been to three indoor track meets. “Both have high ex-pectations. We will hear some good things from them.” Brandin Bell leads the javelin throwers. Junior Aaron Miller headlines the returnees on the track. He qualified for state last year in the 400-meter race. He also competes in the sprints. “He is a competitor,” Laws said. “He is always gives it everything he’s got. He is in a very good

frame of mind.” Sophomore Sam White qualified for state in the 3,200 race last spring and was a key member of the boys cross-country team this fall that qualified for state as a team. Laws said the young group of distance run-ners have a chance to be competitive all season. The girls squad is led by senior middle distance runners Erika Doty and Paige Weidner. Laws said the big-gest thing for those two is to stay healthy and be a presence for the young girls runners. “We have a good group of kids,” Laws said. “It is a nice bunch to work with.”

OHS: Seniors lead girls(Continued from Page 3)

spring sports 2013

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