See you on the field

2007 Lawrence High graduate Lauren Kelly, a freshman softball player at Bradley University, is expected to take on another former Lawrence softball player this week at a tourney in Las Vegas.

When Bradley opens the season against Wisconsin, Kelly, who has a leg up on the starting shortstop position for the Braves, will be reacquainted with Free State High product Livi Abney.

Kelly and Abney have been friends since they were 8 years old and have played both on the same team and against each other throughout the years.

Kelly’s Braves also will come to Lawrence in March for a doubleheader against the Kansas University softball team.

Paint it black

The FSHS boys basketball team wore black uniforms for the first time this season at Leavenworth in a 55-48 loss, last week.

FSHS coach Chuck Law had originally planned to let the Firebirds wear the alternate jerseys in the finals of the McPherson Invitational in January, but FSHS was the home team and had to wear white. The players chose to wear black for the big Friday road game against the Pioneers. But the setback in black won’t deter the Firebirds from playing in the duds again.

“It didn’t have anything to do with the black jerseys,” forward Weston Wiebe said of the loss. “It was just how we played. We don’t believe in superstition.”

Big-time exposure

Although the Lawrence High girls basketball team lost, 47-44, last week when it traveled to Shawnee Mission West, the trip wasn’t all bad.

Several college scouts were in the gym that night watching players from both teams. Included among the schools were Division-I programs Creighton and UMKC.

Although the coaches were prohibited from talking directly to the players, both D-I coaches chatted with LHS coach Kristin Mallory, citing interest in juniors Tania Jackson and Taylor Bird, as well as a few LHS sophomores.

Rosie’s well read

Free State High senior Craig Rosenstengle recently was named one of 11 scholar athletes from Kansas by the Greater Kansas City Coaches Association.

Rosenstengle, Free State’s quarterback this fall, will receive a $1,000 scholarship at a banquet on March 9.