Free State’s boys swim and dive team won its first meet of 2020 in convincing fashion. The Firebirds placed first in 11 of their 12 events, scoring 431 points to win the quadrangular at Mission Trail Middle School on Wednesday. Lawrence High won the diving competition during its runner-up ...

Throwing strikes was prohibited during the final practice before the start of the 2020 bowling season. Burton Gepford’s request to the Free State bowling team might have seemed strange, but he had his reasoning. He wanted the Firebirds to work on picking up their spares Wednesday afternoon ...

Olathe — It didn’t take long for Lawrence High boys basketball to readjust the game plan. Less than two minutes into the game, senior forward Mayson Quartlebaum went down with a rolled ankle. He’d sit out for the remainder of the first quarter, checking back in at the 6:43 mark of the ...

Olathe — Junior forward Ozi Ajekwu scored 9 points as she tried to lead the way for Lawrence High, but the Lions failed to overcome turnovers and a stagnant offense in a 47-31 loss to Olathe West on Tuesday night. Both sides struggled to get much going on offense early, with the Owls holding ...

Finding enough feats for this list was the easy part. Once again, another successful year in high school sports has come and gone. In 2019, three teams won state titles, with two of those teams defending their crowns. Two more teams made it all the way to the title games, ending the year with ...

It remains to be seen if any area wrestlers will come home with a state title in 2020. But the first month of the season could be a sign of things to come. Several area wrestlers earned some hardware in December, a stretch that featured a number of competitive tournaments. As a result, plenty ...

Just one month into the season, the area girls basketball scene has already featured a number of strong performances at both the team and individual level. Baldwin, which placed third in Class 4A last year, has a perfect 4-0 record and a shiny No. 3 ranking entering the 2020 portion of its ...

If the first month was any indication, this is going to be a fun basketball season for the area boys teams and players. Lawrence High and Eudora both made it to the championship game of their respective midseason tournaments. Free State also came away with some hardware, finishing third in a ...

Behind a balanced effort, Free State’s wrestling squad took home a third-place finish in its final tournament of 2019. The Firebirds had nine different wrestlers place in the top six of their respective weight class during the Emporia Winter Classic on Saturday at EHS. Free State finished ...

Lawrence High senior Mayson Quartlebaum threw down a vicious left-handed slam, only to follow that up with an equally emphatic block on the other end during an 80-52 win over Shawnee Mission North on Friday night at LHS. In a matter of seconds — a sequence that took place in the final minute ...

Not one of Shawnee Mission North’s 11 field goal attempts went through the net during an eight-minute second quarter. Thanks to a stifling effort on the defensive end, Lawrence High’s girls basketball team closed out the 2019 portion of its schedule with a 56-40 win over Shawnee Mission ...

A number of student-athletes from area high schools made their collegiate plans official on Wednesday. Free State’s Turner Corcoran, who was the top-ranked football recruit in Kansas in the Class of 2020, signed his national letter of intent to play at the University of Nebraska. Corcoran, a ...

It has been a busy start to the basketball season, which is a good thing. Multiple area basketball teams got some much-needed game action last week in midseason tournaments. It gave those respective teams a better idea about ways to improve before the start of the new semester. While many ...

It was an important week for both city swim teams. The boys swim squads of Free State and Lawrence High had two tough tests in as many meets this week. In Wednesday’s quadrangular in Manhattan, FSHS placed third with 303.5 points and the Lions claimed fourth with 289 points. MHS won the ...

Coach of the year: Jim Barnard, Eudora The Cardinals closed 2019 with high finishes in their three postseason meets. Under the direction of Barnard, Eudora’s girls cross-country team won the Frontier League title. EHS also won the regional title for the second year in a row before placing ...

Coach of the year: Darren Erpelding, Eudora Erpelding's Cardinals finished just shy of qualifying for the Class 4A-1A state tournament, but it was still a special season for the Eudora squad. Eudora went 12-6-1 in 2019, which included the team’s first regional title in program history. The ...

Coach of the year: John Tollefson, Tonganoxie Under Tollefson, the Chieftains earned plenty of hardware during the postseason. Tonganoxie’s boys cross-country team won the Frontier League title and secured a regional crown as well. THS also ended up taking home a third-place finish at the ...

Coach of the year: Jayme Savage, Free State In her first season at the helm, Savage directed Free State back to the Class 6A state tournament. The Firebirds ultimately lost all three matches in pool play, finishing the year with a 24-15 record. FSHS also won its first Sunflower League title ...

Coach of the year: Mike Paramore, Perry-Lecompton Under Paramore, Perry-Lecompton advanced to the state championship game for the second time in program history. The Kaws ultimately finished as a runner-up in Class 3A. PLHS finished with a 9-4 record, which included a stretch of six ...

Stilwell — As if the game couldn’t be any more dramatic, it was a single layup that decided the Blue Valley Shootout final. Thanks to a ferocious comeback, Olathe South snatched a 63-62 overtime victory over Lawrence High in the Blue Valley Shootout final Friday. Junior guard Zeke Mayo led ...