The county’s six high school volleyball teams will be hard-pressed to top a 2008 season that saw three teams easily eclipse 30 wins and one place fourth at state, but the six returning coaches will do their best to lead their teams to success as season play recently began.
As in 2007, the Jefferson County North Chargers had the third-best winning percentage in the county in 2008 behind Oskaloosa and Jefferson West, but were the only squad to advance to state play before settling for fourth at the 3A state tourney in Salina. The Chargers’ final record was 35-10 and the state berth marked the school’s fourth in the last five seasons.
Oskaloosa and Jefferson West, meanwhile, were top seeds at their respective substates but faltered in the semifinals to finish with 34-6 and 33-6 records, respectively. Valley Falls saw a two-win improvement over 2007 to finish 22-16 in 2008, and McLouth turned around a losing 2007 record to go 22-15 last season. Perry-Lecompton also saw a seven-win improvement to finish 11-27 in 2008.
There were no coaching changes at the head spots among the six county teams, although McLouth is making use of a former JCN standout as an assistant under Erika Houk.
All six county schools got into action last week. Oskaloosa plays next at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament Saturday, Jefferson West will travel to Royal Valley in Hoyt tonight (Thursday) for a triangular with Holton and Royal Valley, JCN plays next in a triangular at McLouth Sept. 15, McLouth plays at the Nemaha Valley Invitational Saturday, Valley Falls plays next at a triangular with Troy and Kansas City Christian Sept. 15, and Perry-Lecompton plays host to Bishop Ward and Eudora in a triangular tonight.
Following are capsule previews of each team entering this season in order of their finish last season.
Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Tosha Landau, fourth year
2008 record: 34-6
Landau lost a couple key components from a very good 2008 squad but has a mixture of experienced youth and seasoned upperclassmen back to make another run at a state berth.
Gone are seniors Nicole Rockhold, Whitney Artman and Keri Heston, but Landau does return four starters. Her squad of 16 players includes only two seniors.
The OHS varsity rotation includes senior right hitter Kyra Coffman, who was lost late last season to a knee injury but has returned, senior left hitter Allison Lloyd, sophomore middle hitter Haley Pfau, junior libero Hailey Kelly, junior left hitter Kristen Brey, sophomore middle hitter Rachel Schmanke, sophomore setter Jordan Miller, sophomore back row specialist Brooke Beach and junior Jessie Beach.
“I think we have good offense and a lot of good hitters, plus an experienced libero and a really good setter who’s only a sophomore,” Landau said. As of Sept. 4 the team was 2-0 in the early going. “We’re a young team and don’t have as much experience as others may, but the girls are very talented.”
Landau said she looked for the Delaware Valley League to be competitive this season. She’s hoping the team’s athleticism and chemistry can combine to form a good follow-up season to another near miss at substate a year ago.
“We have a lot of athletic girls,” Landau said. “They work well together and have good chemistry, which makes a difference. I know we have quite a few new coaches in the league, so I have no idea how it’s gonna go. I know we have some hard workers and they were in the weight room together this summer getting ready. The best thing is that they all know they have a part to play and they do their best to play it. We don’t have anybody expecting to be the star.”
Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Sara Becker, fourth year
2008 record: 33-6
Becker has the numbers but has some rebuilding work to do as only two starters return from last year’s standout team.
There are 33 girls out for volleyball at West, which is up from 31 a year ago, but 13 are freshman while 20 are in the junior varsity and varsity mix. There are four seniors on this year’s team.
Becker said the varsity squad was a work in progress coming off a season-opening West Invitational that saw the Tigers go 1-4.
“There’s a lot of room for competition this year,” she said.
Seniors on the team include libero Morgan Scott, setter Marissa Goodrich, right hitter BriAnna Ploude and Kaitlin West. The rest of the varsity mix includes junior hitter Jessica Wells, junior setter Monica Sanders, junior middle hitter Danielle Steffey, sophomore Marci Greene, junior defensive specialist Cece Liby and junior left hitter Taryn Brees.
“Up until last Friday (Aug. 28) we were still figuring out who was going to be on varsity,” Becker said. “This is kind of a rebuilding year, so we’ll see how it goes. Next year we should be really good too.”
Becker said she expects ACCHS and Holton to be the class of the Big Seven but thinks her team should be competitive down the stretch as the group progresses.
“Definitely, although we started off slow, we can be competitive down the stretch,” Becker said. “Right now I’d say our strength is our defense, especially on the back row. We’ve got pretty solid defensive players, and they make good reads. We’ve got some big kids, too, but we’re working on coordination.”
Becker said she and the team were disappointed with their showing at the home invitational but she did note some ground to build on.
“This is the ultimate team game,” Becker said. “The main thing is that, as hard as it is to come out 1-4, it didn’t really show how well we played. We were right there with all the teams, so it showed we’re not that far away.”
JCN Chargers
Coach: Jeremy Gish, ninth year
2008 record: 35-10
Gish made his fourth trip to state in eight years as North’s coach with the 2008 squad and hopes a squad trying to rebound from some injuries can keep the good times rolling in the Charger program.
North’s group of 25 players includes six seniors and four returning starters. Key varsity contributors Lisa Weishaar, Amelia Noll and Devin Gigstad were lost to graduation, but senior setter Sara Navinskey is back from a knee injury suffered during last basketball season, and junior middle hitter Jordyne Seichepine returns along with 2008 starters junior Kelsey Deviney and senior hitter Molly Lyon.
The rest of the varsity mix for JCN includes senior libero Sara Peres, who has also suffered a knee injury in the past, junior hitter Katie Noll, senior Beth Anne Brickell, senior back row specialist Krista Weishaar, and sophomore hitter Jordan Kramer. Another senior who played on last year’s squad, Lexie Kiser, suffered a knee injury and is out for the season.
“There are a lot of factors that go into how successful you can be,” Gish said. His team is off to a nice start (through Sept. 3) at 6-1. “We had an opportunity to lose a couple more matches there in our first tournament but the girls pulled them out. I think we’re still trying to find ourselves a little bit.”
Gish agreed that the DVL is anybody’s to win this season.
“It’s hard to get a grasp on the league this season for some reason,” Gish said. “Overall I think the league is stronger than it’s been.”
Gish points to experience as the main strength for the Chargers.
“We have four starters coming back from a team that went to state, so that’s obviously a strength,” he said. “They showed that by not tensing up in a couple close games early on.”
Despite the change in personnel, the goal is again the same at JCN.
“It’s still our goal to get to state and see what we can do, but we’ll see what happens,” Gish said. “So far, we still have a lot of work to do, so it’s hard to judge. The record is a positive at this point but I don’t think we look like a state team right now. If we improve the way I know we can, we’ll definitely have an opportunity.”
McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Erika Houk, third year
2008 record: 22-15
A former Oskaloosa Bear in Houk has brought in a former JCN Charger in assistant Jessica Seichepine to help try to get the McLouth team to the next level with the most returning experience in the county.
The Bulldogs improved by eight wins in 2008 to post a winning record and return eight girls who started at some point last season on this year’s squad. The Bulldogs have 20 players out with five seniors.
The headliner returnee is 2008 Lawrence Journal-World area player of the year senior hitter Kylie Shufflebarger, but she is joined by returnees senior hitter Cassidy Bristol, senior setter and hitter Courtney Chilcoat, senior hitter Taylor Rush, and senior hitter Alexa DePriest. The rest of the varsity includes junior setter Jeri Holwick, junior libero Logan Terry, junior defensive specialist Katy Perry, junior hitter and back row specialist Jessie Troupe, and sophomore hitter Terri Stewart.
“We should be very strong this year,” Houk said. “This group has played varsity together the last two years, plus some club volleyball, so they work well together.”
The Bulldogs are off to a middling start at 4-3 but Houk is optimistic about the team’s chances in an even DVL.
“We’ve played well, but the girls just need to finish,” Houk said. “The number one thing they need is to learn to have confidence going out to win, rather than to not lose.”
The addition of Seichepine, who was a member of a state team at JCN before going on to play in college, adds more strength in experience to the coaching staff. Houk said the team knows if they can bring it all together, this could be a special year for the Bulldogs.
“They know this is their year to shine,” Houk said. “Confidence will be a huge factor for us. The girls have been working really hard, so I’ve been hapy so far. They’ve taken these early matches and I think we’ve learned from it.”
Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Seth Cooper, fourth year
2008 record: 22-16
The Dragons also for a second straight year have some strength in numbers with 28 girls out for volleyball, including six seniors.
Despite the good numbers, Cooper has only three returnees that saw major playing time for the Dragons in 2008.
Leading the way are seniors hitter Bethany Myers, setter Brenna Lane, libero Jessica Landman, hitter Bailey Sherretts, hitter Hannah Navinskey, and hitter Courtney Watson. They will be joined in the varsity rotation by junior hitter Abbey Kearney, junior setter Jade Edmonds and junior hitter Kaitlyn Speer.
“We’re still figuring out who goes where,” said Cooper. The Dragons are 2-5 to start the season. “I think our hitting should be a strength along with our defense.”
Cooper said the team already ran into experienced groups that should be among the tops in the DVL this season.
“We’ve still got to work on our serving and passing,” he said. “I’d like to think we can be better than how we started.”
Last year’s 22-win mark was a two-win improvement over 2008 and Cooper said his team just needs to get up to varsity speed, as although the upperclassmen are in place, they weren’t able to get a great deal of varsity experience.
“We played with the good teams at times early on,” he said. “I think this group can be better about getting over mistakes and putting them behind us and move on. Once the girls figure out how fast the game moves at the varsity level, they’ll be better off, but they have to gain some experience and play together to do that. I think we’ll get better as the season goes along.”
Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Jill Bradney, third year
2008 record: 11-27
Bradney is in her 10th year overall as head coach at Perry-Lecompton, although this three-year stint is 13 years removed from the first seven years of her tenure at PLHS.
The Kaws won double-digit games for the first time in a while in 2008 after three straight seasons with only four victories. This year’s squad has 26 girls out with a group of six seniors.
The Kaw varsity includes seniors Shelby Erickson, Katie Volle, Jessica Christman, Shea Visser, Caitlin Callahan and Amber Smith. Junior Abbey Bays, sophomores Sierra Morgison and Josey Hurd and freshman Jordan Erickson are also in the varsity mix.
The Kaws are 1-1 after defeating Piper and falling to Jefferson West in their first triangular of the season.
Efforts to reach Bradney for comment on the team were unsuccessful.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
County high school football preview 2009
The 2008 county high school football season was a remarkable one as, for the first time in a long time, a county team played for a state title. The 2009 season will see that coach try to regroup while the other coaches try to take their program to the next step.
All six head coaches return for the 2009 season in Jefferson County. Perry-Lecompton was the undisputed best story of the 2008 season as the Kaws finished the regular season 6-3, squeaked into the 4A playoffs and then went on a memorable four-game winning streak before falling to Hayden in the 4A state title game. Despite the 10-4 finishing record, the Kaws didn’t have the county’s best regular-season record in 2008. That honor belonged to Valley Falls at 7-2, but the Dragons fell in the first round of the 2-1A playoffs to finish 7-3. Oskaloosa also made a playoff appearance in 3A but lost in the first round to finish the 2008 season 6-4. Jefferson West had a second straight 4-5 season while Jefferson County North and McLouth finished at 2-7.
Two county teams start the season head-to-head once again as Oskaloosa plays at Valley Falls in week 1. Jefferson West plays host to Abilene to open the season while JCN makes the long bus ride north to Wathena, McLouth travels to Leavenworth to face Immaculata, and Perry-Lecompton enters a home rematch of last year’s 4A state semifinal against Holton. All games begin at 7 p.m.
Pictures and schedules for all the fall sports teams in the county can be found in the annual fall sports preview section in this week’s edition of the Independent and Vindicator.
Following are capsule reviews of each team in order of their finish in 2008.
Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Mike Paramore, ninth year
2008 record: 10-4
The 2008 season looked like a potential lackluster follow-up to an 8-2 2007 season going into the 4A playoffs but, this time, there would be no bi-district game letdown as the Kaws rolled past DeSoto, Atchison, Louisburg and Holton to reach the state title game in Salina.
Coach Mike Paramore lost a great deal of his offensive production from that team as a group of 17 Kaw seniors graduated in May. The Kaws return only two offensive and three defensive starters but Paramore is approaching the 2009 season as an exciting challenge.
“We want to get to the point the program can be competitive, year in and year out. We put things together at the right time last year,” Paramore said. “Last year’s seniors were good guys and did the right things in the locker room as to ‘This is how it’s done, this is how you work hard.’ We’ve got a great practicing team this season. I’m excited to get started.”
The main returning skill position player for the Kaws is senior Brad Phillips, who was a wideout last season but will see time in the Kaws’ backfield this year. The team of 56 players includes 11 seniors. The job of replacing standout quarterback Shane Gimzo will go to senior Ethan Moe and sophomore Jeremy Immenschuh, who Paramore said were battling it out for the starting job. Phillips will be joined in the offensive backfield by junior fullback Trent Robb, sophomore Luke Kellum and sophomore Branden Ball, who is a transfer from Santa Fe Trail. In the mix at receiver are junior Dalton Bahnmaier, senior Tyler Banton and junior Ty Williams with senior Shelby Polite, junior Cody Amerine and sophomore Jon Denton working at tight end to replace graduated senior Joel Gantz. Sophomore Trevor Hastert will also be in the receiving mix. The offensive line will include senior Logan Hurd, senior Wes Boaz, senior Mason Durkes, junior Tyler Bedford, junior Logan Elliott, senior Gage Bergman, junior Nathan Turpin, junior Austin Naramore and junior Dalton Jantz, who is a transfer from Free State.
Boaz, Bergman, Turpin, Elliott, Jantz and Bedford will be in the defensive line corps with junior Trevor Madorin. Linebackers include Hurd, Durkes, Ball, Denton, Polite, Amerine, Kellum, and junior Chris Callahan. The defensive secondary will include Phillips, Moe, Banton, Bahnmaier, Immenschuh, and senior Brooks Christman with Robb and Hastert at the safety spots. Paramore also has to find a new kicker this season with Neng Artwichai lost to graduation. He said seniors John Mehl and Kameron Hurd will fill that role.
“It makes it hard to find playing time for everybody,” Paramore said of his team’s depth. “I really like the way the kids go about it at practice.”
The Kaws are in their final season as a member of the Kaw Valley League as a move to the Big Seven League is set for the 2010 season. Paramore said he knows, as always, the going will be tough in a league in which Perry-Lecompton is one of the smaller schools.
“It’ll be a tough season,” he said. “There’s nobody you can look at and say is a huge favorite, but nobody is a sure win, either. I don’t see anybody running away with the league this year. It’ll be a battle every game.”
Paramore said consistency will be a key for the Kaws as they try to follow up what was the team’s best season since 1980.
“It’s fun to see the carryover (from last season),” Paramore said. “We depended on Shane so much last year. I really look at us to be a bit more balanced offensively. Last year our defense was up and down, hot and cold, and we just got hot at the right time. We need to get more consistent. I want to prove we’re better than that. Last season was a lot of fun, just to see the team make that progress. But last year was last year, and we can’t live on that. We want to go out and do things the right way. This group of kids wants to put their mark on this program.”
Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Rod Bunde, 17th year
2008 record: 7-3
Valley Falls was looking to complete a turnaround from a winless 2006 and 4-5 2007 season and made that happen with an athletic squad that won the most regular-season games in the county.
Bunde and the Dragons had the misfortune of running into a good Troy team in the first round of the playoffs, however, and that brought the season to a grinding halt. The good news is the Dragons return the bulk of their skill position players back, including one who has made a position change.
The biggest loss for Valley Falls was the graduation of senior standout running back and kick returner Josh Kearney, but Bunde has made the move to switch senior Mitchell Streeter from quarterback to running back to help fill that role. This year’s starting quarterback will be junior Alex Lederer with Streeter there if needed and sophomore Brock Watson also on the depth chart.
Bunde has good numbers for a 2A program with 44 players, including 11 seniors. He returns eight starters on either side of the ball. Streeter will be joined in the backfield by senior Chance Gier, senior Tyler Wynkop and junior Nick Domann. The receiving corps will include senior Billy Morris and senior Logan Wynkoop along with tight ends senior Riley Bunde and junior Alex Nottingham. Bunde does return some experience on the offensive line with senior Justin Sales, senior Kyle Heuertz, junior Brooks Glassel, junior James Grey and senior Tyler Miller.
Riley Bunde, Glassel and Sales will lead the defensive line cadre with Domann, Nottingham, Lederer and sophomore Bryson Smith in the mix at linebacker. Streeter, the Wynkoop brothers, and Gier will lead the secondary corps.
“We’ve got senior leadership and experience,” Bunde said. “We had some rainy days early on where we had to just run through plays inside and, normally that’d be a bit rough, but this group of guys know the plays and there was no problem.”
Bunde said there are a couple teams that stand out in the Delaware Valley League this season but a lot of the final outcome will be up in the air.
“Until we start playing and figure out who has what, it’s hard to say,” Bunde said.
Bunde said despite the returning experience his team still has room for improvement entering a season that has good potential.
“We’re making progress. I hope we continue to improve each week,” Bunde said. “We’ve still got a lot of room to grow. There’s a lot of excitement coming off last year’s success. All the guys have great attitudes, and that makes a difference.”
Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Scott Whaley, fourth year
2008 record: 6-4
Whaley turned the need for replacement of his starting quarterback and two running backs into a 1-win improvement from 2007 last season, and this season he’s hoping a couple key returnees can lead the Bears to more success.
The Bears fell to Rossville in the bi-district round of the 3A playoffs a year ago but do return an experienced quarterback and arguably their best tailback for the 2008 season.
Whaley’s team of 28 players includes seven seniors and five returning starters from a year ago. Junior Adam Bowser returns at quarterback with senior Brandon Barnes the key returner in the backfield along with junior Mark Newell. Whaley said junior Levi Wade and senior Mitch Boucher will also be in the group of running backs. Wade will also see some time at receiver along with junior Sheldon Malicke and senior Adam Marshall. Whaley said the line is what suffered the most from losses to graduation as this year’s mix includes junior Jake Buscher, sophomore Austin Trowbridge, sophomore Daniel Rhodes, senior Kodey Martin, and senior Cody Green will step into those spots this season.
The defensive line will include the same mix of players as the offensive line with the addition of junior Doug Obrock. Newell, Buscher, Rhodes and Wade will be at linebacker while Bowser, Barnes and sophomore Chris Garst will be in the defensive secondary.
“We’re pretty inexperienced at a lot of spots, but the only way to fix that is to play some games,” Whaley said. “I will say this, we’ve improved a ton from where we were at the start of practices.”
Whaley pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Valley Falls, Troy and Wathena as the teams to beat in the DVL race with JCN and Jackson Heights on the rise.
The Bears get an early challenge at Valley Falls to open the season. Whaley said what the team has in experience will be needed this season, as taking care of the ball will also be very important.
“We need that experience in the backfield to come through for us,” Whaley said. “We had problems last year in giving the other team a short field because of turnovers. It’s even more important we don’t do that this season. We’re really gonna rely on those guys coming back, and hopefully we’ll find some other guys to give us some good time. The guys are working hard. I’m happy with them and the way they’ve come to play so far.”
Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Steve Johnson, fourthyear
2008 record: 4-5
Work on developing a solid program with the middle school have paid dividends for Johnson as the numbers in the JWHS football program are better than ever going into the 2009 season.
The Tigers have 60 players out for football including a strong group of 13 seniors. Johnson returns nine defensive and seven offensive starters from a team that had an up-and-down 2008 season in the perennially tough Big Seven.
One position change leads the way as senior Alex Baker moves from wideout to starting quarterback at West. Sophomore Dalton Dean will be his backup. The backfield returns some good experience in junior Ethan Mumaw and senior Stephen Skaggs with junior Grady Tichenor also set to see some time there. Senior Austin Siess is the main returning receiver along with senior Tim Rhodd and junior Clint Lee. Johnson had to do some shuffling on the offensive line with junior Cameron Langston, senior Steven Vaught, senior Hunter Rouse, senior Paul Brink, senior Matt Shenk and junior Jordan Hunt in that group.
Those players will be joined on the defensive line by junior Joe Miller and junior Scott Hutchinson. Linebackers include Skaggs, Mumaw and senior Capp Wood with Siess, Tichenor, Lee, Rhodd and Dean in the secondary.
“We had to fill two spots up front (on offense),” Johnson said. “I think we all feel really good about the decisions we’ve made to get the program to where we’re not having to rely on playing young kids every year. This year we’ve lost some good kids to graduation and got some good kids back. Alex (Baker) is a big, smart kid, and he knows the offense well, so I’m comfortable there. We’ve also got some good kids to develop who can see some spot play on varsity.”
Johnson pointed to perennial frontrunners Holton and Sabetha as teams that stick out in the Big Seven,
“Those two teams you know will always be ready to play,” he said. “Nemaha Valley also is a team we always have problems with, and we get a tough game right off the bat versus Abilene.”
Johnson’s hopes of getting the team over the .500 mark for the first time in his tenure fell just short in 2008 but hopes abound that the Tigers can get on the overall winning side of the ledger for 2009.
“I’d say we have better leadership this year than we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Johnson said. “This is the best it’s been. We still have our ups and downs but everybody is going through that. So far everything has gone pretty well, I’d say we’re farther along at this point than we were last year. Defensively we should be a much stronger team. The core of our line is back. Offensively, we have some different kids in there but they’re kids who can make plays. We want to use our mobility and make people play in the space of the field.”
JCN Chargers
Coach: Mark McMillan, 16th year
2008 record: 2-7
Two straight 2-7 seasons aren’t what Charger fans have been used to over the history of the JCN football program, and McMillan has made some adjustments to try to break that string of records.
Once again the Chargers have 40 players out for football, including a big group of 13 seniors. McMillan points out he only has three juniors, however, so the bulk of the team is underclassmen. The Chargers return 10 lettermen from last year’s squad.
One change is at quarterback as junior Jeff Hale steps in and senior Austin Gaspard, last year’s starter at QB, takes a spot in the backfield along with senior Breck McMillan and senior Cody McMahon. Sophomore Dalton Minor will be the backup quarterback. Wideouts include senior Quentin McAfee and senior tight end Lucas Page among others.
The core of the offensive and defensive lines will be senior Andy Swoyer, senior Tyler Noll and senior Hayden Minor with Swoyer also seeing some time at linebacker along with Gaspard and McMahon. Dalton Minor, McAfee and junior Spencer Wentz will be in the secondary mix as McMillan said he was still making up his mind with a week of practice left who would fill out the depth chart.
“I really think we should be more salty this year,” said McMillan, who was begrudging the absence of the hot early season weather he often uses to get his team in shape. “The last couple years we’ve had some injury problems and things just haven’t worked out. Always in the past we’ve worked extra hard in the heat to really outlast teams those first four games. We haven’t had that heat this year.”
Despite some personnel changes on the field, McMillan said he hopes the Chargers can be in the top shelf of the DVL along with Pleasant Ridge and the other contenders.
“This senior bunch is turning into good leaders for us,” McMillan said. “I think versatility is a strength for us. We’ve always been that ‘Three yards and a cloud of dust’ type offense but this year we’re gonna try and balance the offense out some. Defensively we have a few question marks but we’re going full speed. We start the season young at a couple positions but that happens sometimes.”
McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Chris Stewart, second year
2008 record: 2-7
Stewart’s first year as head coach after four years as an assistant at McLouth had its share of frustrations but still resulted in a 1-win improvement over the 2007 season, so Stewart is hoping the Bulldogs can make the most of the lowest numbers of players in the county.
There are 25 players out for football at McLouth, including only four seniors and two juniors, but there are five returning starters on either side of the ball. Stewart said two other returning players saw good playing time in 2008 but weren’t starters.
The team’s youth means Stewart faces playing sophomores and freshmen in key spots, including quarterback, where sophomore Calvin Booth and freshman Mark Walbridge are battling it out for the starting spot.
“Quarterback is a question mark but we’re getting close to a decision there,” said Stewart with a week of practices left before opening night. “Playing a sophomore or freshman to start isn’t something a coach likes at all most of the time. Unfortunately we don’t have that level of play from upperclassmen at that position.”
Sophomore Alex Courtney may be the team’s best overall returnee at running back and is joined in the backfield by senior Tyler Drinnon and senior Chris Culter. The receiving mix will also include sophomores Tim Culter and Cody McHenry.
Another group of young players will try to shore up the offensive and defensive lines with sophomore Alen Kramer, junior Shane Cassatt and senior Dacoda Reusch joined by some undetermined other young players. Cassatt will join Courtney at linebacker with sophomore Shawn Dailey leading the secondary.
“We do have a few guys with some experience on the line but that’s probably going to be our youngest area, which is tough,” Stewart said. “Alex (Courtney) worked hard this offseason and I’m very optimistic about how he’s improved over one year. I think Shawn (Dailey) will come along well along with some others.”
Stewart pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Wathena, Troy, Doniphan West and Valley Falls as teams that could and should shine this year in the DVL. He said the focus at McLouth will be improving as the season progresses.
“I want to try to keep improving. Even though we have a lot of younger kids, they’re committed to playing and they enjoy playing,” Stewart said. “They’ve been enthusiastic about coming out and doing the work they need to do. I think our strength will be the effort we put out each week. The guys will give it everything they’ve got. I’ve told them that it does make a difference, putting out an effort like that. I’m confident the kids are gonna do that.”
All six head coaches return for the 2009 season in Jefferson County. Perry-Lecompton was the undisputed best story of the 2008 season as the Kaws finished the regular season 6-3, squeaked into the 4A playoffs and then went on a memorable four-game winning streak before falling to Hayden in the 4A state title game. Despite the 10-4 finishing record, the Kaws didn’t have the county’s best regular-season record in 2008. That honor belonged to Valley Falls at 7-2, but the Dragons fell in the first round of the 2-1A playoffs to finish 7-3. Oskaloosa also made a playoff appearance in 3A but lost in the first round to finish the 2008 season 6-4. Jefferson West had a second straight 4-5 season while Jefferson County North and McLouth finished at 2-7.
Two county teams start the season head-to-head once again as Oskaloosa plays at Valley Falls in week 1. Jefferson West plays host to Abilene to open the season while JCN makes the long bus ride north to Wathena, McLouth travels to Leavenworth to face Immaculata, and Perry-Lecompton enters a home rematch of last year’s 4A state semifinal against Holton. All games begin at 7 p.m.
Pictures and schedules for all the fall sports teams in the county can be found in the annual fall sports preview section in this week’s edition of the Independent and Vindicator.
Following are capsule reviews of each team in order of their finish in 2008.
Perry-Lecompton Kaws
Coach: Mike Paramore, ninth year
2008 record: 10-4
The 2008 season looked like a potential lackluster follow-up to an 8-2 2007 season going into the 4A playoffs but, this time, there would be no bi-district game letdown as the Kaws rolled past DeSoto, Atchison, Louisburg and Holton to reach the state title game in Salina.
Coach Mike Paramore lost a great deal of his offensive production from that team as a group of 17 Kaw seniors graduated in May. The Kaws return only two offensive and three defensive starters but Paramore is approaching the 2009 season as an exciting challenge.
“We want to get to the point the program can be competitive, year in and year out. We put things together at the right time last year,” Paramore said. “Last year’s seniors were good guys and did the right things in the locker room as to ‘This is how it’s done, this is how you work hard.’ We’ve got a great practicing team this season. I’m excited to get started.”
The main returning skill position player for the Kaws is senior Brad Phillips, who was a wideout last season but will see time in the Kaws’ backfield this year. The team of 56 players includes 11 seniors. The job of replacing standout quarterback Shane Gimzo will go to senior Ethan Moe and sophomore Jeremy Immenschuh, who Paramore said were battling it out for the starting job. Phillips will be joined in the offensive backfield by junior fullback Trent Robb, sophomore Luke Kellum and sophomore Branden Ball, who is a transfer from Santa Fe Trail. In the mix at receiver are junior Dalton Bahnmaier, senior Tyler Banton and junior Ty Williams with senior Shelby Polite, junior Cody Amerine and sophomore Jon Denton working at tight end to replace graduated senior Joel Gantz. Sophomore Trevor Hastert will also be in the receiving mix. The offensive line will include senior Logan Hurd, senior Wes Boaz, senior Mason Durkes, junior Tyler Bedford, junior Logan Elliott, senior Gage Bergman, junior Nathan Turpin, junior Austin Naramore and junior Dalton Jantz, who is a transfer from Free State.
Boaz, Bergman, Turpin, Elliott, Jantz and Bedford will be in the defensive line corps with junior Trevor Madorin. Linebackers include Hurd, Durkes, Ball, Denton, Polite, Amerine, Kellum, and junior Chris Callahan. The defensive secondary will include Phillips, Moe, Banton, Bahnmaier, Immenschuh, and senior Brooks Christman with Robb and Hastert at the safety spots. Paramore also has to find a new kicker this season with Neng Artwichai lost to graduation. He said seniors John Mehl and Kameron Hurd will fill that role.
“It makes it hard to find playing time for everybody,” Paramore said of his team’s depth. “I really like the way the kids go about it at practice.”
The Kaws are in their final season as a member of the Kaw Valley League as a move to the Big Seven League is set for the 2010 season. Paramore said he knows, as always, the going will be tough in a league in which Perry-Lecompton is one of the smaller schools.
“It’ll be a tough season,” he said. “There’s nobody you can look at and say is a huge favorite, but nobody is a sure win, either. I don’t see anybody running away with the league this year. It’ll be a battle every game.”
Paramore said consistency will be a key for the Kaws as they try to follow up what was the team’s best season since 1980.
“It’s fun to see the carryover (from last season),” Paramore said. “We depended on Shane so much last year. I really look at us to be a bit more balanced offensively. Last year our defense was up and down, hot and cold, and we just got hot at the right time. We need to get more consistent. I want to prove we’re better than that. Last season was a lot of fun, just to see the team make that progress. But last year was last year, and we can’t live on that. We want to go out and do things the right way. This group of kids wants to put their mark on this program.”
Valley Falls Dragons
Coach: Rod Bunde, 17th year
2008 record: 7-3
Valley Falls was looking to complete a turnaround from a winless 2006 and 4-5 2007 season and made that happen with an athletic squad that won the most regular-season games in the county.
Bunde and the Dragons had the misfortune of running into a good Troy team in the first round of the playoffs, however, and that brought the season to a grinding halt. The good news is the Dragons return the bulk of their skill position players back, including one who has made a position change.
The biggest loss for Valley Falls was the graduation of senior standout running back and kick returner Josh Kearney, but Bunde has made the move to switch senior Mitchell Streeter from quarterback to running back to help fill that role. This year’s starting quarterback will be junior Alex Lederer with Streeter there if needed and sophomore Brock Watson also on the depth chart.
Bunde has good numbers for a 2A program with 44 players, including 11 seniors. He returns eight starters on either side of the ball. Streeter will be joined in the backfield by senior Chance Gier, senior Tyler Wynkop and junior Nick Domann. The receiving corps will include senior Billy Morris and senior Logan Wynkoop along with tight ends senior Riley Bunde and junior Alex Nottingham. Bunde does return some experience on the offensive line with senior Justin Sales, senior Kyle Heuertz, junior Brooks Glassel, junior James Grey and senior Tyler Miller.
Riley Bunde, Glassel and Sales will lead the defensive line cadre with Domann, Nottingham, Lederer and sophomore Bryson Smith in the mix at linebacker. Streeter, the Wynkoop brothers, and Gier will lead the secondary corps.
“We’ve got senior leadership and experience,” Bunde said. “We had some rainy days early on where we had to just run through plays inside and, normally that’d be a bit rough, but this group of guys know the plays and there was no problem.”
Bunde said there are a couple teams that stand out in the Delaware Valley League this season but a lot of the final outcome will be up in the air.
“Until we start playing and figure out who has what, it’s hard to say,” Bunde said.
Bunde said despite the returning experience his team still has room for improvement entering a season that has good potential.
“We’re making progress. I hope we continue to improve each week,” Bunde said. “We’ve still got a lot of room to grow. There’s a lot of excitement coming off last year’s success. All the guys have great attitudes, and that makes a difference.”
Oskaloosa Bears
Coach: Scott Whaley, fourth year
2008 record: 6-4
Whaley turned the need for replacement of his starting quarterback and two running backs into a 1-win improvement from 2007 last season, and this season he’s hoping a couple key returnees can lead the Bears to more success.
The Bears fell to Rossville in the bi-district round of the 3A playoffs a year ago but do return an experienced quarterback and arguably their best tailback for the 2008 season.
Whaley’s team of 28 players includes seven seniors and five returning starters from a year ago. Junior Adam Bowser returns at quarterback with senior Brandon Barnes the key returner in the backfield along with junior Mark Newell. Whaley said junior Levi Wade and senior Mitch Boucher will also be in the group of running backs. Wade will also see some time at receiver along with junior Sheldon Malicke and senior Adam Marshall. Whaley said the line is what suffered the most from losses to graduation as this year’s mix includes junior Jake Buscher, sophomore Austin Trowbridge, sophomore Daniel Rhodes, senior Kodey Martin, and senior Cody Green will step into those spots this season.
The defensive line will include the same mix of players as the offensive line with the addition of junior Doug Obrock. Newell, Buscher, Rhodes and Wade will be at linebacker while Bowser, Barnes and sophomore Chris Garst will be in the defensive secondary.
“We’re pretty inexperienced at a lot of spots, but the only way to fix that is to play some games,” Whaley said. “I will say this, we’ve improved a ton from where we were at the start of practices.”
Whaley pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Valley Falls, Troy and Wathena as the teams to beat in the DVL race with JCN and Jackson Heights on the rise.
The Bears get an early challenge at Valley Falls to open the season. Whaley said what the team has in experience will be needed this season, as taking care of the ball will also be very important.
“We need that experience in the backfield to come through for us,” Whaley said. “We had problems last year in giving the other team a short field because of turnovers. It’s even more important we don’t do that this season. We’re really gonna rely on those guys coming back, and hopefully we’ll find some other guys to give us some good time. The guys are working hard. I’m happy with them and the way they’ve come to play so far.”
Jefferson West Tigers
Coach: Steve Johnson, fourthyear
2008 record: 4-5
Work on developing a solid program with the middle school have paid dividends for Johnson as the numbers in the JWHS football program are better than ever going into the 2009 season.
The Tigers have 60 players out for football including a strong group of 13 seniors. Johnson returns nine defensive and seven offensive starters from a team that had an up-and-down 2008 season in the perennially tough Big Seven.
One position change leads the way as senior Alex Baker moves from wideout to starting quarterback at West. Sophomore Dalton Dean will be his backup. The backfield returns some good experience in junior Ethan Mumaw and senior Stephen Skaggs with junior Grady Tichenor also set to see some time there. Senior Austin Siess is the main returning receiver along with senior Tim Rhodd and junior Clint Lee. Johnson had to do some shuffling on the offensive line with junior Cameron Langston, senior Steven Vaught, senior Hunter Rouse, senior Paul Brink, senior Matt Shenk and junior Jordan Hunt in that group.
Those players will be joined on the defensive line by junior Joe Miller and junior Scott Hutchinson. Linebackers include Skaggs, Mumaw and senior Capp Wood with Siess, Tichenor, Lee, Rhodd and Dean in the secondary.
“We had to fill two spots up front (on offense),” Johnson said. “I think we all feel really good about the decisions we’ve made to get the program to where we’re not having to rely on playing young kids every year. This year we’ve lost some good kids to graduation and got some good kids back. Alex (Baker) is a big, smart kid, and he knows the offense well, so I’m comfortable there. We’ve also got some good kids to develop who can see some spot play on varsity.”
Johnson pointed to perennial frontrunners Holton and Sabetha as teams that stick out in the Big Seven,
“Those two teams you know will always be ready to play,” he said. “Nemaha Valley also is a team we always have problems with, and we get a tough game right off the bat versus Abilene.”
Johnson’s hopes of getting the team over the .500 mark for the first time in his tenure fell just short in 2008 but hopes abound that the Tigers can get on the overall winning side of the ledger for 2009.
“I’d say we have better leadership this year than we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Johnson said. “This is the best it’s been. We still have our ups and downs but everybody is going through that. So far everything has gone pretty well, I’d say we’re farther along at this point than we were last year. Defensively we should be a much stronger team. The core of our line is back. Offensively, we have some different kids in there but they’re kids who can make plays. We want to use our mobility and make people play in the space of the field.”
JCN Chargers
Coach: Mark McMillan, 16th year
2008 record: 2-7
Two straight 2-7 seasons aren’t what Charger fans have been used to over the history of the JCN football program, and McMillan has made some adjustments to try to break that string of records.
Once again the Chargers have 40 players out for football, including a big group of 13 seniors. McMillan points out he only has three juniors, however, so the bulk of the team is underclassmen. The Chargers return 10 lettermen from last year’s squad.
One change is at quarterback as junior Jeff Hale steps in and senior Austin Gaspard, last year’s starter at QB, takes a spot in the backfield along with senior Breck McMillan and senior Cody McMahon. Sophomore Dalton Minor will be the backup quarterback. Wideouts include senior Quentin McAfee and senior tight end Lucas Page among others.
The core of the offensive and defensive lines will be senior Andy Swoyer, senior Tyler Noll and senior Hayden Minor with Swoyer also seeing some time at linebacker along with Gaspard and McMahon. Dalton Minor, McAfee and junior Spencer Wentz will be in the secondary mix as McMillan said he was still making up his mind with a week of practice left who would fill out the depth chart.
“I really think we should be more salty this year,” said McMillan, who was begrudging the absence of the hot early season weather he often uses to get his team in shape. “The last couple years we’ve had some injury problems and things just haven’t worked out. Always in the past we’ve worked extra hard in the heat to really outlast teams those first four games. We haven’t had that heat this year.”
Despite some personnel changes on the field, McMillan said he hopes the Chargers can be in the top shelf of the DVL along with Pleasant Ridge and the other contenders.
“This senior bunch is turning into good leaders for us,” McMillan said. “I think versatility is a strength for us. We’ve always been that ‘Three yards and a cloud of dust’ type offense but this year we’re gonna try and balance the offense out some. Defensively we have a few question marks but we’re going full speed. We start the season young at a couple positions but that happens sometimes.”
McLouth Bulldogs
Coach: Chris Stewart, second year
2008 record: 2-7
Stewart’s first year as head coach after four years as an assistant at McLouth had its share of frustrations but still resulted in a 1-win improvement over the 2007 season, so Stewart is hoping the Bulldogs can make the most of the lowest numbers of players in the county.
There are 25 players out for football at McLouth, including only four seniors and two juniors, but there are five returning starters on either side of the ball. Stewart said two other returning players saw good playing time in 2008 but weren’t starters.
The team’s youth means Stewart faces playing sophomores and freshmen in key spots, including quarterback, where sophomore Calvin Booth and freshman Mark Walbridge are battling it out for the starting spot.
“Quarterback is a question mark but we’re getting close to a decision there,” said Stewart with a week of practices left before opening night. “Playing a sophomore or freshman to start isn’t something a coach likes at all most of the time. Unfortunately we don’t have that level of play from upperclassmen at that position.”
Sophomore Alex Courtney may be the team’s best overall returnee at running back and is joined in the backfield by senior Tyler Drinnon and senior Chris Culter. The receiving mix will also include sophomores Tim Culter and Cody McHenry.
Another group of young players will try to shore up the offensive and defensive lines with sophomore Alen Kramer, junior Shane Cassatt and senior Dacoda Reusch joined by some undetermined other young players. Cassatt will join Courtney at linebacker with sophomore Shawn Dailey leading the secondary.
“We do have a few guys with some experience on the line but that’s probably going to be our youngest area, which is tough,” Stewart said. “Alex (Courtney) worked hard this offseason and I’m very optimistic about how he’s improved over one year. I think Shawn (Dailey) will come along well along with some others.”
Stewart pointed to Pleasant Ridge, Wathena, Troy, Doniphan West and Valley Falls as teams that could and should shine this year in the DVL. He said the focus at McLouth will be improving as the season progresses.
“I want to try to keep improving. Even though we have a lot of younger kids, they’re committed to playing and they enjoy playing,” Stewart said. “They’ve been enthusiastic about coming out and doing the work they need to do. I think our strength will be the effort we put out each week. The guys will give it everything they’ve got. I’ve told them that it does make a difference, putting out an effort like that. I’m confident the kids are gonna do that.”
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Substate wrapup 3/10
Tuesday’s games (March 3)
Girls
4A substate quarterfinals
Jefferson West 44, Royal Valley 40
• The fourth-seed Tigers took a 16-9 lead after one quarter and held on to win and improve to 15-6. They moved on to face top seed Holton in Friday’s semifinals in Perry. Junior BriAnna Ploude led West with 13 points and senior Audrey Mullins scored 11 in the win.
Holton 70, Perry-Lecompton 25
• The eighth-seed Kaws fell to Holton for a second straight year to end the season at 3-17. Junior Katie Volle led Perry-Lecompton with 9 points.
2A substate quarterfinals
Burlingame 46, Valley Falls 44
• The sixth-seed Dragons fell behind, 11-3, after one quarter and couldn’t come back for the win to end the season at 9-13. Sophomore Abbey Kearney led Valley Falls with 16 points, senior Chelsey Correll scored 12 points and senior Shelbie Glissman scored 10 in the loss.
Boys
3A substate quarterfinals
Silver Lake 75, Oskaloosa 58
• The fourth-seed Bears trailed by 11 after a quarter and Lake pulled away in the second half to end Oskaloosa’s season at 11-11. Senior Chase Tenpenny led Oskaloosa with 14 points, senior J.T. Thurston scored 12 points, sophomore Adam Bowser scored 11 points and sophomore Levi Wade scored 10 points in the win.
Marysville 66, JCN 36
• The sixth-seed Chargers were down, 27-11, at the half en route to the loss to end the season at 10-12. Senior Riley Noll, junior Austin Gaspard and senior Brendan Stevens led JCN with 7 points each.
KC Christian 71, McLouth 31
• The Bulldogs’ season ended at 2-19.
Thursday’s games (March 5)
Boys
4A substate semifinals
at Perry
Basehor-Linwood 60, Perry-Lec. 57
• The Kaws’ season ended at 12-10 as Basehor-Linwood took a 7-point lead into the second quarter and made it last. Senior Andy Bowman led the Kaws with 23 points, senior Shane Gimzo scored 13 points and junior Riley Shafer scored 11 points in the losing effort.
2A substate semifinals
at Lyndon
St. Marys 72, Valley Falls 42
• The Dragons trailed by 20 after one quarter and St. Marys pulled further away each quarter to end Valley Falls’ season at 11-12. Junior Mitchell Streeter led the Dragons with 13 points while senior Ray Cook scored 10 in the loss.
Girls
3A substate semifinals
at Marysville
Riley County 46, JCN 43 (2 OT)
• The Chargers trailed by 6 at the half but outscored Riley County, 9-0, in the third quarter to take a 3-point lead. Riley County came back to force overtime and outscored North, 7-4, in the second extra period to end the Chargers’ undefeated run and season at 21-1. Freshman Jordan Kramer was the only Charger in double figures with 10 points.
at Silver Lake
Oskaloosa 57, KC Christian 40
• The Bears rolled past KCC to move on to the substate title game Saturday. Senior Nicole Rockhold led the Bears with 19 points while freshman Haley Pfau scored 17 points and sophomore Hailey Kelly scored 13 points. The Bears improved to 19-3.
Rock Creek 54, McLouth 22
• The Bulldogs trailed, 33-3, at halftime in ending the season at 11-11. Junior Missy Rome led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the loss.
Friday’s game (March 6)
Girls
4A substate semifinals
at Perry
Holton 58, Jefferson West 33
• Holton took a 10-0 lead early and withstood a couple Tiger runs before pulling away in the second half to win and end West’s season at 15-7.
Saturday’s game (March 7)
Girls
3A substate championship
at Silver Lake
Rock Creek 50, Oskaloosa 30
• The Mustangs took an 11-point lead out of the first quarter and slowly pulled away to end Oskaloosa’s season at 19-4. Rockhold scored 17 points in her final high school game to lead the Bears.
Girls
4A substate quarterfinals
Jefferson West 44, Royal Valley 40
• The fourth-seed Tigers took a 16-9 lead after one quarter and held on to win and improve to 15-6. They moved on to face top seed Holton in Friday’s semifinals in Perry. Junior BriAnna Ploude led West with 13 points and senior Audrey Mullins scored 11 in the win.
Holton 70, Perry-Lecompton 25
• The eighth-seed Kaws fell to Holton for a second straight year to end the season at 3-17. Junior Katie Volle led Perry-Lecompton with 9 points.
2A substate quarterfinals
Burlingame 46, Valley Falls 44
• The sixth-seed Dragons fell behind, 11-3, after one quarter and couldn’t come back for the win to end the season at 9-13. Sophomore Abbey Kearney led Valley Falls with 16 points, senior Chelsey Correll scored 12 points and senior Shelbie Glissman scored 10 in the loss.
Boys
3A substate quarterfinals
Silver Lake 75, Oskaloosa 58
• The fourth-seed Bears trailed by 11 after a quarter and Lake pulled away in the second half to end Oskaloosa’s season at 11-11. Senior Chase Tenpenny led Oskaloosa with 14 points, senior J.T. Thurston scored 12 points, sophomore Adam Bowser scored 11 points and sophomore Levi Wade scored 10 points in the win.
Marysville 66, JCN 36
• The sixth-seed Chargers were down, 27-11, at the half en route to the loss to end the season at 10-12. Senior Riley Noll, junior Austin Gaspard and senior Brendan Stevens led JCN with 7 points each.
KC Christian 71, McLouth 31
• The Bulldogs’ season ended at 2-19.
Thursday’s games (March 5)
Boys
4A substate semifinals
at Perry
Basehor-Linwood 60, Perry-Lec. 57
• The Kaws’ season ended at 12-10 as Basehor-Linwood took a 7-point lead into the second quarter and made it last. Senior Andy Bowman led the Kaws with 23 points, senior Shane Gimzo scored 13 points and junior Riley Shafer scored 11 points in the losing effort.
2A substate semifinals
at Lyndon
St. Marys 72, Valley Falls 42
• The Dragons trailed by 20 after one quarter and St. Marys pulled further away each quarter to end Valley Falls’ season at 11-12. Junior Mitchell Streeter led the Dragons with 13 points while senior Ray Cook scored 10 in the loss.
Girls
3A substate semifinals
at Marysville
Riley County 46, JCN 43 (2 OT)
• The Chargers trailed by 6 at the half but outscored Riley County, 9-0, in the third quarter to take a 3-point lead. Riley County came back to force overtime and outscored North, 7-4, in the second extra period to end the Chargers’ undefeated run and season at 21-1. Freshman Jordan Kramer was the only Charger in double figures with 10 points.
at Silver Lake
Oskaloosa 57, KC Christian 40
• The Bears rolled past KCC to move on to the substate title game Saturday. Senior Nicole Rockhold led the Bears with 19 points while freshman Haley Pfau scored 17 points and sophomore Hailey Kelly scored 13 points. The Bears improved to 19-3.
Rock Creek 54, McLouth 22
• The Bulldogs trailed, 33-3, at halftime in ending the season at 11-11. Junior Missy Rome led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the loss.
Friday’s game (March 6)
Girls
4A substate semifinals
at Perry
Holton 58, Jefferson West 33
• Holton took a 10-0 lead early and withstood a couple Tiger runs before pulling away in the second half to win and end West’s season at 15-7.
Saturday’s game (March 7)
Girls
3A substate championship
at Silver Lake
Rock Creek 50, Oskaloosa 30
• The Mustangs took an 11-point lead out of the first quarter and slowly pulled away to end Oskaloosa’s season at 19-4. Rockhold scored 17 points in her final high school game to lead the Bears.
State hopes dashed in county
Substate play, the six-team Mid-East League and Jefferson County competition didn’t mix well this past week as all 12 county girls’ and boys’ basketball teams came home without a state berth.
In all, MEL teams were the demise of five county teams, including the previously undefeated Jefferson County North Charger girls and the Oskaloosa Bear girls, who were the lone team to reach a substate final this season. The Valley Falls boys, Oskaloosa boys, and McLouth girls also fell to MEL teams. Overall, the county was 3-5 against the MEL this postseason, as Oskaloosa and McLouth’s girls and the Valley Falls boys did overcome one MEL team each.
After that, Holton’s teams were the biggest poison to county state tournament hopes as both Jefferson West teams and the Perry-Lecompton girls fell to the Wildcats.
The Oskaloosa girls had the most successful run of any county team as they rolled past Rossville and KC Christian to reach the 3A Silver Lake substate finals Saturday versus the top-seed Rock Creek Mustangs, who took down McLouth by 32 points in the semifinals to end McLouth’s season at 11-11.
Against the Bears, Rock Creek would establish an early lead and use consistent rebounding and good defense to pull away for a 50-30 win. The Mustangs ended up outrebounding Oskaloosa, 26-12, in the win, which counteracted the Mustangs committing only 1 less turnover than the Bears.
The Mustangs took an early 4-1 lead and two scores from senior forward Dana Elliott made it 8-1 and forced an Oskaloosa timeout with 4:33 to play in the opening quarter. Senior Nicole Rockhold finally got the Bears their first field goal of the game with under three minutes left in the quarter but the Mustangs ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 17-6 lead into the second quarter.
Rock Creek extended the lead to 13 in the early part of the second quarter and Rockhold, Oskaloosa’s leading scorer, had to leave the game because of an injury. She returned just more than a minute of game time later with the 13-point Bears deficit still intact. She responded with a 3-point play to cut the lead to 10 at 23-13 and Rock Creek came away with a 27-14 lead at the half.
Elliott started the second half scoring with a 3-point play for Rock Creek but Rockhold responded with a 3-pointer to keep the lead at 13. She picked up her third foul with 6:37 left in the quarter and was pulled to the bench. When she returned with 3:48 left in the quarter, Rock Creek had inched away to a 38-21 lead. The Mustangs scored the last 3 points of the quarter as they began to stall on offense to run off the clock. Elliott finished the quarter by dribbling time off the clock at half court, then driving and hitting a lay-up with 3 seconds left to give the Mustangs a 41-23 lead going into the final period.
Rock Creek kept up the offensive stall in the fourth quarter and Oskaloosa couldn’t take advantage of chances to trim the lead. The Bears couldn’t get closer than 16 points the rest of the way, and Rockhold was pulled for the final time to a standing ovation from Bears’ fans with 54 seconds to play. The Mustang bench finished off the 50-30 victory.
Rockhold led the Bears with 17 points, but no other Bear scored more than 4 as their season ended with a 19-4 record. Freshman Rachel Schmanke was the team’s rebounding leader with 4 rebounds. Two Mustangs were in double figures led by 14 points and 7 rebounds from Elliott. Junior guard Taylor Ebert also scored 14 points in the win. Junior post player Becky Lightfoot pulled down 8 rebounds, all in the first half, for Rock Creek.
Oskaloosa coach LeeAnn Tufte said she was proud of her team’s efforts both this season and in Saturday’s loss.
“Our shots just weren’t going in, and they’re a good team that plays strong defense,” Tufte said. “They slowed down the game and we weren’t able to transition like we’re used to doing. To think about it, we’re losing one senior that was healthy at the end of the year, and we’ve got a lot coming back for us. I’m proud of how we did.”
JCN’s girls entered substate play in Marysville as the undefeated number one seed and coasted past Pleasant Ridge in the first round but ran into Riley County of the MEL in the semifinals, where the Chargers lost a heartbreaker March 5 in double overtime, 46-43.
North trailed by 6 at the half, 18-12, but outscored Riley County, 9-0, in the third quarter to take the lead. Riley County answered to force overtime and, after both teams scored 10 points in the first extra period, Riley County outscored North, 7-4, in the second overtime to end JCN’s season at 21-1. JCN freshman Jordan Kramer led the Chargers with 10 points in the loss while senior Amelia Noll scored 9 and senior Lisa Weishaar scored 8 in their final high school game.
The Perry-Lecompton Kaw boys got the benefit of playing on their home court in substate play but fell to top-seeded Basehor-Linwood, 60-57, in the March 5 semifinals to end the season at 12-10. The Kaws trailed by 7 after a quarter but trimmed the lead to 1 at 46-45 entering the fourth quarter before the Bobcats pulled out the win. Senior Andy Bowman scored 23 points for the Kaws while senior Shane Gimzo scored 13 points and junior Riley Shafer scored 11 in the loss.
In all, MEL teams were the demise of five county teams, including the previously undefeated Jefferson County North Charger girls and the Oskaloosa Bear girls, who were the lone team to reach a substate final this season. The Valley Falls boys, Oskaloosa boys, and McLouth girls also fell to MEL teams. Overall, the county was 3-5 against the MEL this postseason, as Oskaloosa and McLouth’s girls and the Valley Falls boys did overcome one MEL team each.
After that, Holton’s teams were the biggest poison to county state tournament hopes as both Jefferson West teams and the Perry-Lecompton girls fell to the Wildcats.
The Oskaloosa girls had the most successful run of any county team as they rolled past Rossville and KC Christian to reach the 3A Silver Lake substate finals Saturday versus the top-seed Rock Creek Mustangs, who took down McLouth by 32 points in the semifinals to end McLouth’s season at 11-11.
Against the Bears, Rock Creek would establish an early lead and use consistent rebounding and good defense to pull away for a 50-30 win. The Mustangs ended up outrebounding Oskaloosa, 26-12, in the win, which counteracted the Mustangs committing only 1 less turnover than the Bears.
The Mustangs took an early 4-1 lead and two scores from senior forward Dana Elliott made it 8-1 and forced an Oskaloosa timeout with 4:33 to play in the opening quarter. Senior Nicole Rockhold finally got the Bears their first field goal of the game with under three minutes left in the quarter but the Mustangs ended the quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 17-6 lead into the second quarter.
Rock Creek extended the lead to 13 in the early part of the second quarter and Rockhold, Oskaloosa’s leading scorer, had to leave the game because of an injury. She returned just more than a minute of game time later with the 13-point Bears deficit still intact. She responded with a 3-point play to cut the lead to 10 at 23-13 and Rock Creek came away with a 27-14 lead at the half.
Elliott started the second half scoring with a 3-point play for Rock Creek but Rockhold responded with a 3-pointer to keep the lead at 13. She picked up her third foul with 6:37 left in the quarter and was pulled to the bench. When she returned with 3:48 left in the quarter, Rock Creek had inched away to a 38-21 lead. The Mustangs scored the last 3 points of the quarter as they began to stall on offense to run off the clock. Elliott finished the quarter by dribbling time off the clock at half court, then driving and hitting a lay-up with 3 seconds left to give the Mustangs a 41-23 lead going into the final period.
Rock Creek kept up the offensive stall in the fourth quarter and Oskaloosa couldn’t take advantage of chances to trim the lead. The Bears couldn’t get closer than 16 points the rest of the way, and Rockhold was pulled for the final time to a standing ovation from Bears’ fans with 54 seconds to play. The Mustang bench finished off the 50-30 victory.
Rockhold led the Bears with 17 points, but no other Bear scored more than 4 as their season ended with a 19-4 record. Freshman Rachel Schmanke was the team’s rebounding leader with 4 rebounds. Two Mustangs were in double figures led by 14 points and 7 rebounds from Elliott. Junior guard Taylor Ebert also scored 14 points in the win. Junior post player Becky Lightfoot pulled down 8 rebounds, all in the first half, for Rock Creek.
Oskaloosa coach LeeAnn Tufte said she was proud of her team’s efforts both this season and in Saturday’s loss.
“Our shots just weren’t going in, and they’re a good team that plays strong defense,” Tufte said. “They slowed down the game and we weren’t able to transition like we’re used to doing. To think about it, we’re losing one senior that was healthy at the end of the year, and we’ve got a lot coming back for us. I’m proud of how we did.”
JCN’s girls entered substate play in Marysville as the undefeated number one seed and coasted past Pleasant Ridge in the first round but ran into Riley County of the MEL in the semifinals, where the Chargers lost a heartbreaker March 5 in double overtime, 46-43.
North trailed by 6 at the half, 18-12, but outscored Riley County, 9-0, in the third quarter to take the lead. Riley County answered to force overtime and, after both teams scored 10 points in the first extra period, Riley County outscored North, 7-4, in the second overtime to end JCN’s season at 21-1. JCN freshman Jordan Kramer led the Chargers with 10 points in the loss while senior Amelia Noll scored 9 and senior Lisa Weishaar scored 8 in their final high school game.
The Perry-Lecompton Kaw boys got the benefit of playing on their home court in substate play but fell to top-seeded Basehor-Linwood, 60-57, in the March 5 semifinals to end the season at 12-10. The Kaws trailed by 7 after a quarter but trimmed the lead to 1 at 46-45 entering the fourth quarter before the Bobcats pulled out the win. Senior Andy Bowman scored 23 points for the Kaws while senior Shane Gimzo scored 13 points and junior Riley Shafer scored 11 in the loss.
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