This preview is the first of a 12-part series breaking down the upcoming KU football schedule. If you haven’t already been scratching the days off your calendar, Kansas football’s home opener against Missouri State on Aug. 31 sits just 12 weeks away. The Week 1 matchup, slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff, is the start of head coach Lance Leipold’s third year at the helm of the program after leading the Jayhawks ...
A familiar face has turned up as the Lawrence High football’s summer practices warm up. Third-year LHS coach Clint Bowen added Lawrence native Taylor Stuart as an offensive assistant and passing game coach for the Chesty Lions heading into the fall. Stuart, who coached safeties and tight ends at his alma mater Free State (class of ’09) from 2015 to 2021, spent the previous two seasons as an assistant to ...
Nearly a week since returning his team to campus for summer workouts, Kansas head football coach Lance Leipold chaired the thirteenth annual Audio-Reader Golf Classic on Monday at Eagle Bend Golf Course. The fundraiser, returning Leipold for his second year as chairman after raising over $30,000 last year, provides reading services for newspapers, magazines, theater performances and more via the internet and ...
Notching the top seed in any state high school championship is tough. Real tough. However, the Baldwin girls soccer team, with the help of a local yoga studio, did just that last month, ascending into the Class 4A state playoff in DeSoto as the state’s top-seeded program after besting Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy 3-0 in the regional championship. The Bulldogs, finishing the season 14-7-0, went through ...
After 14 seasons at the helm of Lawrence High’s boys basketball team, Mike Lewis resigned from his post as head coach of the program on Thursday afternoon. Lewis, in an email to students and families, said the decision was made with the help of his family and cited “distractions away from the game” as primary reasons for the move. Lewis will continue working within the school district, serving as a ...
Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets could be the first step toward a major feat for former Kansas guard Christian Braun. If Denver were to win the series, it would put Braun in a special circle with four other players — Bill Russell, Henry Bibby, Magic Johnson and Billy Thompson — who have won an NCAA title and an NBA championship in consecutive years. Braun, ...
The Cinderella story that landed the 19-win Tulane baseball team in Friday's NCAA regional playoff with top-seeded LSU includes 41 pitches thrown by Lawrence High alumnus Grant Cleavinger during last week's American Athletic Conference tournament title game. The former Chesty Lion, who was informed of his start the morning before the first pitch of the win-or-go-home contest, finished his sole inning against ...
The Free State and Lawrence High baseball teams landed a total of five players on the 2023 All-Sunflower League team at the end of the high school baseball season last week. Here’s the rundown on this year’s Lawrence-area selections: Kyle Graves (P), Free State — First Team Free State got a huge lift on the mound this season from Graves. The Firebirds’ sole All-Sunflower League first-teamer went 5-1 ...
Kansas transfer kicker Grant Glasgow is headed for Montana, committing with the Grizzlies earlier this month after entering the transfer portal in April. The Lawrence native didn’t see action as a redshirt freshman at KU. Entering the portal in April, Glasgow looked to former professional kicker Nick Novak for his next move. Novak recommended 17th-year Montana head coach Bobby Hauck for a sit-down and Glasgow ...
Six area schools were in action at the state track and field championships in Wichita over the weekend. The two-day event, often regarded as the largest high school track meet in the country, saw over 200 programs make the trip to Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State. As usual, all six of KSHSAA’s classifications completed a slug of events within 48 hours. Here’s a rundown of the biggest stars from ...
Professional soccer returned to town this spring, as Sporting KC II is knee-deep in its regular-season schedule. The club, serving as the feeder team representing SKC’s professional club within Major League Soccer's NEXT Pro league, has carved out a home for itself at Rock Chalk Park in West Lawrence. SKC II, which went 4-3-2 through its first nine matches, still has plenty of soccer left to go in head coach ...
One game away from the Class 6A state title game, the No. 3-seeded Free State baseball team came up just shy against the No. 2 seed Blue Valley West 2-1 in the semifinal matchup on Friday at Hoglund Ballpark. Knotted at 1-1 by the end of the second, the Firebirds (18-7) and Jaguars (18-5) showcased a tight defensive battle up until the decisive run scored in the bottom of the sixth. Free State couldn't find an ...
A six-run sixth inning doomed the No. 8-seed Free State softball team 9-1 against top-seeded Olathe Northwest in the state quarterfinal on Thursday at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence. Free State (10-13) ended its season leaning on starter Elsa Carrillo, who posted a big afternoon pitching six complete innings with 12 total strikeouts. She kept the Firebirds within two runs of the Ravens (23-0) up until a pivotal ...
It was smooth sailing for the No. 3-seeded Free State baseball team in a 10-0 win over 6-seed Shawnee Mission East in the state quarterfinal on Thursday night at Hoglund Ballpark. Free State (17-6) will now meet Blue Valley West in the state semifinal on Friday for a chance at the state title game. Free State starting pitcher Kyle Graves secured the shutout victory over the Lancers (14-9) through six complete ...
Devonte’ Graham, Udoka Azubuike, Wayne Selden, Tyshawn Taylor and a host of other Kansas basketball greats will be in town next month for the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic, the annual charity event that raises money for kids fighting pediatric cancer. The Roundball Classic, now in its 15th year is scheduled for June 8-10. It tips off with a charity basketball game featuring notable former Jayhawks at 7 p.m. ...
It’s only natural the Free State baseball team is included in the Class 6A state championship, as the tournament returns to Lawrence for the first time since 2019. The No. 3 seed Firebirds (16-6) are set to meet No. 6 seed Shawnee Mission East (14-8) after rolling through Lawrence High at home 13-3 in last week’s regional championship. It’ll be the fourth time this year that Free State will take the ...
One key soccer storyline this season was Lawrence High senior goalkeeper Cree Stewart. Surpassing 500 saves during her junior season, Stewart’s recruitment exploded last summer and the soon-to-be LHS alumna committed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City last month. LHS coach Joe Comparato’s second season with LHS (1-14-0) doesn't quite shine off the page, but it demonstrated a young club’s ...
The Baker softball team is headed for its first NAIA World Series after defeating top-seeded College of Idaho in the final game of the NAIA Softball Opening Round on Wednesday. Heading into Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Yotes, the No. 2-seeded Wildcats were riding high. Despite being bounced from their conference tourney in the second round by Mount Mercy, they had won four of their last five, ...
The Free State swim team surged past the competition at the Class 6A state championship on Saturday in Topeka. The Lady Firebirds defended their state title from a year ago, picking up the program’s fourth all-time championship victory – a strong finish for outgoing coach Annette McDonald. Seven state champions bolstered Free State’s team score (364), pushing the Lady Firebirds over 100 points past ...
Saturday's state swimming championship is the end of the road for longtime Lawrence area swim coaches Annette and Kent McDonald. Over 30 years of coaching experience will be on display when the Free State and Lawrence High swim and dive teams hit the water in Topeka. Annette, serving as Free State’s girls head swim coach since 2007 and coaching the boys’ program since 2000, announced her retirement earlier ...