Preps notebook: Senior Grady McCune sets single-game assist record for Baldwin boys soccer

photo by: File photo by Shane Jackson

Baldwin's Grady McCune pushes the ball up the field during a match against Spring Hill Tuesday afternoon at BHS on Oct. 22, 2019.

Baldwin senior Grady McCune set another record this week to add to a long list of achievements throughout his soccer career.

McCune recorded all five assists in Baldwin’s 5-1 win over Midland Academy Monday night at BHS. Not only was McCune responsible for every score in that win, but it set a single-game record for most assists by one player in program history.

“Honestly, I wasn’t aware of the record until I broke it,” McCune said. “I was just having fun that game and the team had very good chemistry.”

McCune now has 19 assists for the year, which is also a team record for most assists in a single season. Both accolades perfectly illustrate the type of player that McCune is though, as he is quick to compliment his teammates for his success.

“I’m fortunate to have a team with that (level of) chemistry otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to break the record,” McCune said. “So big shout out to the rest of the team.”

Since his very first day, McCune has been a key part of the Baldwin boys soccer team by holding things down at the midfielder position. He’s been an All-Frontier League selection three times, and is certainly a lock to do so for a fourth time this season.

In 2019, McCune was a first team All-State selection and was named the Journal World’s All-Area Player of the Year. He helped the Bulldogs win double-digit games for the second year in a row by scoring 13 goals and 14 assists, which was the most combined scores and assists by a Baldwin midfielder since 2012.

McCune just has a knack for winning 50/50 balls, and often has to do most of his damage while being defended by multiple players. Yet McCune is always looking to set his teammates up for easy scores when he gets near the goal, and that is arguably the biggest reason for his success.

“Grady is possibly the most unselfish player I’ve ever coached,” said Baldwin coach Matt McCune, who is Grady’s father. “We have several good players on this team and he gets quite the thrill of setting them up for shots. He is the quintessential workhorse, and even though (he faces) double and sometimes triple team, he still gets the ball in the danger zone.”

Baldwin suffered a 2-1 loss in double overtime at Spring Hill on Tuesday to end the regular season with a 9-5-1 overall record. The Bulldogs, who were a regional finalist a year ago, believe they are in good position to have a deep postseason run this fall.

“We have had another solid year and we are blessed to have a solid group of seniors to build on,” Matt McCune said. “We’ve had a very exciting season and have really been tested playing in five overtime games, and another two determined by a last-minute goal. We should be mentally and physically ready for the playoffs.”

Bishop Seabury volleyball sweeps Veritas

Bishop Seabury’s volleyball team earned a 3-0 win over Veritas on Monday in a rivalry matchup.

The Seahawks secured a 25-14 win in the first set, which was their closest victory of the night. BSA recorded a pair of 25-8 wins in the final two sets to come away with the sweep. Senior Reaghan Bible recorded 11 kills to lead the offensive attack for Bishop Seabury.

Seniors Sophia Chindamo and Elena Weber also performed well in their final crosstown clash. Weber finished with five kills to be second on the team in that category, while Chindamo tallied four kills in the win. Chindamo also finished with three blocks to lead the way on defense.

In addition, Paige Weigel-Helt paced the squad with 20 assists in three sets. BSA then followed that performance up with a 3-1 road win over Marais des Cygnes Valley to close out the regular season with a 12-15 overall record.

Substate brackets revealed for volleyball teams

Area volleyball squads officially know their postseason fate, as substate brackets were revealed on Wednesday. All sub-states groups were done geographically this season in order to keep travel to a minimum.

Free State and Lawrence High are slated to compete in the same four-team bracket at Olathe West on Saturday. As the No. 4 seed, LHS (13-16) will face No. 1 Gardner-Edgerton (15-6) in the first match at 1 p.m.

The opening-round matchup between No. 2 Free State (16-13) and No. 3 Olathe West (11-12) will then take place 20 minutes after the first match is completed. The two winners will square off in the substate championship that same day.

The Firebirds are the highest ranked team in this region at No. 6 in Class 6A, but Gardner-Edgeton is listed at No. 7 in Class 6A.

In Class 4A, Eudora will host a substate bracket that features three area teams. No. 2 Eudora (16-10) will face No. 3 Baldwin (12-10) in the opening round on Saturday. No. 5 Tonganoxie (8-21) will face No. 4 Bishop Miege (13-11) in the play-in game, with the winner advancing to the first round to take on No. 1 Louisburg (20-9).

Despite the seeding, Bishop Miege is actually the highest-ranked team in this region at No. 3 in Class 4A. Louisburg is ranked No. 4 in the latest poll, while Eudora comes in at No. 6 in Class 4A.

Perry-Lecompton (19-16) is the third seed in its Class 3A substate bracket, which will be held at Wellsville on Saturday and features eight teams. The Kaws will face Bishop Ward (4-12) in the opening round. Osawatomie (20-10) is the top seed in this sub-state bracket.

Bishop Seabury is listed as the fourth seed in its 2A substate region, an eight-team event that will take place at Lyndon High School on Saturday. The Seahawks will square off with Lyndon (12-18) in the opening round, with No. 1 Northern Heights (21-7) potentially on deck in the semifinals.

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