Bruised and Broken

By the end of Lawrence High’s boys soccer game Wednesday night, nearly half the team’s starters were out of the game due to injury or cards.

Goalkeeper Sean Simmons was injured in a collision, and Matt Shipley’s knee was wrapped in ice. Dar Fornelli was out with a red card from the game before, and Rex Hargis received a red card in Wednesday’s game. Tor Fornelli didn’t play as well.

Good Omen?

The future looks bright for Free State High volleyball. On Saturday, the Firebirds won both the Sunflower League junior varsity and sophomore tournaments.

In the JV meet at Olathe East, Free State topped SM West in the championship match, 16-25, 28-26 and 15-12.

In the sophomore tourney at SM North, the Firebirds tripped Olathe South in the final, 25-23 and 25-14.

The varsity squad, which won two of three at its quad at Shawnee Heights on Tuesday, has two quads remaining before its Oct. 20 date at sub-state.

Former EHS Coach On a Roll

There’s little doubt former Eudora High coach Aaron Barnett will be named Sunflower League football coach of the year after guiding Shawnee Mission Northwest to an unexpected league title.

In the preseason coaches’ poll, the Cougars were predicted to finish in sixth place, but they wound up as the only Sunflower team with an unbeaten record (6-0).

Barnett compiled a 30-10 record in four seasons (1998-2001) at Eudora.

How About Mr. Hunt?

With Lawrence High running back Clifton Sims sidelined by an injury the last two games, Tyler Hunt has taken over as the Lions’ primary ball-carrier and he’s been impressive with 114 yards against Olathe East and a career-high 209 last week against SM Northwest.

Going into district play, Hunt has gained 572 yards on 90 carries.

Hunter Carrying the Load

Chucky Hunter was Free State High’s leading receiver as a sophomore last season (44 catches), but this fall Hunter has become the Firebirds’ go-to running back.

In six games, Hunter has rushed for 699 yards on 101 carries. Hunter has lugged the ball nearly as much in the last two games (48) as he did in the first four (53).

Eudora Holds Baseball Camp

The Legends of Lawrence Camp for youth ages 5 to 18 will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Eudora High School baseball field. A rain date is set for Oct. 21.

Participants will receive instruction from former 2006 Big 12 Tournament Champion Kansas Jayhawks baseball players and current professional players including Don Czyz (Florida Marlins); Ryan Knippschild (Texas Rangers); Sean Land (Minnesota Twins); Gus Milner (Philadelphia Phillies); and Eudora High School head baseball coach and Lawrence Raiders head coach Shaun Edmondson.

Cost, which includes a T-shirt, is $40 prior to the camp and $45 the day of the camp.

Registrations may be made at www.eudoraschools.org/baseball.

Eudora High School baseball players are not eligible to participate in the camp.

For more information, e-mail Edmondson at shaunedmondson@eudoraschools.org or Don Czyz at donczyz@yahoo.com.

Not Half Bad

During Friday’s 41-18 loss to SM Northwest, the Lawrence High football team continued a bittersweet streak.

For the third straight week, LHS outscored its opponent in the second half. Unfortunately, the Lions lost the three games by an average score of 35-15.

LHS has outscored its opponents in the second half five of six times this season, and holds a 53-49 second-half scoring advantage overall.