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Jeff Deters

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De Soto tennis triumph: DHS senior captures 4th state medal; By Jeff Deters; October 22, 2008; De Soto High senior Hana Lindbloom didn’t score that elusive first-place medal, but she walked off the court a winner. Lindbloom and partner Suzie Gulley finished their season by earning a fifth-place medal at the state tennis meet last Saturday in Lawrence. On Friday, the duo won its opening match but fell in three sets in the quarterfinals to Colby, the No. 1 seed and eventual state champion.
Area Football Roundup: Eudora falls in shootout: Kaws clobber Cardinals, 41-33; Baldwin rolls; By Jeff Deters; October 18, 2008; Eudora High’s football team scored touchdowns on all but two of its possessions and never punted, and yet the Cardinals still lost a 41-33 shootout to Perry-Lecompton on Friday night.
Fast start propels De Soto past Ottawa: Wildcats score two TDs on first five plays; By Jeff Deters; October 11, 2008; It didn’t take long for the De Soto Wildcats to prove they were the superior team Friday night against Ottawa. On the second play of the game, De Soto running back Dylan Burford lined up in the slot left, and on a misdirection play ran up the middle before darting to the right edge. Sixty-one yards later the Wildcats had a seven-point lead and cruised from there to a 33-7 homecoming victory against Ottawa.
Area Football Roundup: Late field goal propels Eudora: McLouth improves to 2-0, Baldwin tumbles; By Jeff Deters; September 16, 2008; With the game tied and Eudora High facing a fourth-and-one, Bryan Kindle kicked a 24-yard field goal with one second left to give EHS a 36-33 football victory over De Soto on Monday. Eudora led, 26-25, entering the fourth quarter, but De Soto’s Dylan Burford’s three-yard run and Mark England’s two-point conversion put De Soto back in the lead.
Youth movement: Influx of freshmen excites Indians’ student coach; By Jeff Deters; August 27, 2007; Melissa Peterson is finishing her degree in community health education at Haskell Indian Nations University this fall. At age 22, she’s also the Indians’ volleyball coach. Peterson has been around volleyball since an early age and played at Virginia Commonwealth University. “I come from a Division I level, so I want to get these girls to play at the Division I level,” Peterson said. “I want them to work their hardest, because when I played, I beat other people that were taller and stronger because I played harder than they did. And I hope they can take that from this season.”
Revamped Indians ready: Sixty newcomers change Haskell’s makeup; By Jeff Deters; August 26, 2007; Haskell Indian Nations University football coach Eric Brock has two goals he wants this year’s squad to achieve. “I want our guys to be able to represent our school well, and I want every team that walks away from playing us to be astonished by the team they just played,” Brock said Saturday at Haskell’s inaugural fall-sports media day.
Young racer eyes the track and the future: By Jeff Deters; August 13, 2007; Mackinzie Urish has raced midget cars competitively for five years and has won numerous races. That’s quite an accomplishment considering she’s only 10 years old. Mackinzie races in the Topeka Quarter Midget Association, competing in the Senior Honda and Light 160 heats. Before she climbs into her car, her father, Willie, often gives her some advice. “During the race I’m always told to work on my starts and passes,” Mackinzie said. “Once the race gets going I’m not really focused on anything.”
Volleyball learned from 2006 struggles: By Jeff Deters; August 11, 2007; The Kansas University volleyball team finished last season with a 10-19 overall record and a 3-17 last-place finish in the Big 12. In addition, Kansas failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. But coach Ray Bechard said last season was a valuable learning experience.
Soccer seeks return to NCAA tourney: By Jeff Deters; August 11, 2007; After failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, the Kansas University soccer team is hoping to reverse that trend this year. With nine starters back from last year’s squad and nine incoming freshmen, KU coach Mark Francis said this year’s team should be able to reach some lofty goals.
Lawrence thrower goes long in Knoxville: By Jeff Deters; August 6, 2007; As the No. 2-ranked javelin thrower in the country in his age group, 16-year-old Chris Smith had two goals he wanted to achieve Friday when he competed in the National Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tenn. “I wanted to throw 170 feet and win it,” he said.

Recent photos

Hana Lindbloom, middle left, and Suzie Gulley, middle right, show off their fifth-place medals at the 4A state meet Saturday in Lawrence. The fifth-place finish marked Lindbloom's fourth straight season of earning a state medal. Also pictured is De Soto coach Michael Sullivan, far left, and assistant coach Doug Opdycke, far right.