Coach of the year: Jon Orndorff, Tonganoxie In a year with many quality soccer squads in the area, Orndorff’s Chieftains were one of two local programs (along with Baldwin) to win a regional title this fall. The Chieftains went 11-5 under Orndorff before losing to eventual state champion Bishop Miege in the Class 4A-1A quarterfinals. Player of the year: Grady McCune, Baldwin McCune is one of the ...
Coach of the year: Mike Spielman, Baldwin Under Spielman, Baldwin’s girls cross-country team bounced back to the top of Class 4A in 2020 after not winning a state title a year ago. The Bulldogs had five runners finish inside the top 17 this year to earn a state crown. Baldwin has won three of the last four state titles, and the program has had 12 state crowns since 2002. Athlete of the year: Sydney ...
Coach of the year: Steve Heffernan, Free State Heffernan’s Firebirds made history this season by winning their first state title in boys cross-country. Free State bought into a team-first mentality this year under Heffernan, who has been at the helm since 1998. Athlete of the year: Ben Shryock, Free State Shryock was the top runner on the best team in the area in 2020. He posted his school’s best ...
Free State’s wrestling team finished off a perfect opening month by winning all three matches during Saturday’s quadrangular at Olathe West. The Firebirds started off the 3-0 day by defeating Washburn Rural’s split squad by a 61-15 margin. Free State then knocked off Junction City (No. 7 in Class 6A) in a 51-21 win during the second dual. In the final battle, FSHS earned a 62-16 win over Olathe West. The ...
Free State’s swim and dive program won half of the events, but ultimately finished second as a team on Thursday during the Olathe Northwest quadrangular. The Firebirds won six of the 12 events on the day, scoring 226 points as a team en route to their runner-up finish. Free State only lost to Olathe Northwest by a total of 12 points, as the winners scored 238 points to secure first in the team standings. But ...
Overland Park — Thirteen points proved to be the lucky number for Lawrence High School in a 60-47 road win over Shawnee Mission North on Friday night — and the Lions decided to get them out of the way early. LHS raced out to a strong start in the opening period for a 13-point advantage, scoring 17 points to Shawnee Mission North’s 4. And the Lions were in complete control after that, holding onto their ...