WRITER: Shane Jackson

Preps notebook: Local athletes dominate swim meet at Lawrence High; FSHS boys win event

Local swim and dive athletes completely dominated a quadrangular at Lawrence High on Wednesday. All 12 events were won by an athlete from either Free State, Lawrence High or Bishop Seabury. FSHS boys swim and dive program earned seven of those event victories en route to a first-place finish by scoring 236 total points. Lawrence was usually in the mix in all of those events, while winning four races on its way ...

Behind big offensive night, FSHS girls basketball defeats Topeka West

Free State’s girls basketball team produced its best offensive outing of the year during its 72-46 victory over Topeka West Thursday night at FSHS. The Firebirds (3-4) jumped out to a 15-13 lead after the opening period, and the offense continued to improve after that. They scored 19 points in each of the next three periods, shattering their previous season high of 42 points set in the season opener. Senior ...

Photo gallery: Lawrence High boys basketball at Blue Valley Northwest

Lawrence High's boys basketball team suffered a 72-50 road loss to Blue Valley Northwest in a battle between the top-two teams in Class 6A. It was the first loss of the season for the Lions, who fell to 8-1 on the year. The Huskies, who have won 29 games in a row dating back to last season, improved to 9-0 with the 22-point win. LHS was outscored by 15 points in the fourth quarter. Photos by Chance ...

Veritas boys fall at home to KC East

Despite an early lead, the Veritas boys basketball team dropped its second game in a row in an 82-63 home loss to Kansas City East Christian Academy on Tuesday. The Eagles (7-5) jumped out to a 18-16 lead in the opening period, but they weren’t able to maintain that momentum. KC East outscored Veritas in each of the next three periods, including a 23-15 advantage in the second quarter to take control of the ...

Mozae Downing sets assist record in Free State's 77-59 win over Shawnee Heights

Junior point guard Mozae Downing didn't end up finishing in double figures Wednesday night like three of his fellow starters, but he arguably made the biggest impact in Free State’s 77-59 home win over Shawnee Heights. Downing, who finished with 7 points, served as the facilitator behind the Firebirds’ high-powered offense in their latest victory. FSHS (9-2, No. 5 in Class 6A) made 33 shots from the floor ...

Tai Newhouse 'catching people by surprise' during first season with FSHS wrestling

In his debut season of high school wrestling, Free State junior Tai Newhouse has surprised plenty of tough opponents — including the top-ranked wrestler in Class 5A, whom he defeated last Saturday. He’s also been surprising himself. The standout football player was talked into joining the wrestling squad by some of the other wrestlers in early December. And he never could have foreseen that he would go ...