Coach of the year: Steve Rampy, Lawrence High The season may have ended in the quarterfinals for Rampy’s Lions, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were considered the best team in the state for much of the year. LHS has made an impressive turnaround since Rampy took the helm. Lawrence went 1-8 during Rampy’s first year in 2018, but the Lions were 17-3 over the next two seasons, including a ...
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 ...