photo by: Shutterstock

Rallying off strong 2022-23 seasons, the Free State girls tennis team continued that trend with a first-place finish at the Lawrence High quadrangular on Wednesday.

Senior Maya Lee went undefeated in singles, besting Olathe South’s Marlie Martens, LHS’s Morgan Moeckly and Shawnee Mission South’s Kara Lorenz through three rounds. Sophomore Cami Lee also finished unbeaten in singles for the Firebirds, topping Olathe South’s Laura Umscheid, LHS’s Tatum Johnson and Shawnee Mission South’s Mia Sutton through three rounds.

FSHS doubles pairings senior Ava Gray and sophomore Taryn Jones; juniors Zoe Cachiguango-Latta and Sacia Edie finished the day 4-2 collectively through three rounds.

On the LHS side, senior Karen Middleton and junior Alexa Nauholz went 2-0 through two rounds of doubles, which included an 8-5 victory over FSHS’s Gray/Jones. Middleton paired up with Johnson for the final round of the day, going on to defeat Olathe South’s Brooke Bryan and Macy Caldwell.

FSHS and LHS both return to action Thursday, as the Firebirds travel to the College Boulevard Activity Center for a road quadrangular, and the Lions host a home make-up quadrangular at LHS. Both are slated for a 3 p.m. start.

Soccer roundup

The Lawrence High boys soccer team kept rolling with a dominant 8-1 win at Topeka-Seaman on Tuesday night. Leading the charge was senior Colin Sandefur, surpassing a hat trick with four goals for the Chesty Lions (3-0).

Fellow junior Asher Sikes also found the net twice; sophomore Patrick Sandefur and junior Nate Schworm tacked on two goals’ worth of insurance.

Next up, LHS hosts Shawnee Mission North on Thursday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Across town, the Free State boys soccer team captured its first win of the season, besting Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights 5-0 in Tuesday night’s home opener. Senior Cameron Stutler led the charge with two goals on the night.

Three more goals between seniors Utah Hester, Andrew Rosenthal and junior James Spear ushered in the Firebirds’ (1-1) shutout victory.

FSHS hosts Shawnee Mission North next Tuesday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Hale shines at Washburn Rural-Great Plains Classic

Free State junior Merrit Hale carded a team-best 97, finishing 31st individually among 82 total golfers, at the Washburn Rural-Great Plains Classic on Tuesday at Wamego Country Club. Behind Hale’s finish, the Firebirds finished 12th as a team carding a 439 team score.

Also in action on Tuesday, the Lawrence High girls golf team finished 14th as a team (529) behind a team-best 127 shot by senior Lily Fisher.

FSHS and LHS return to action at Tomahawk Country Club in Shawnee on Thursday.

Upcoming FSHS, LHS volleyball schedule

The Free State and Lawrence High volleyball teams resume action on Thursday night.

FSHS (0-1) travels to Blue Valley Northwest for a triangular with Washburn Rural and BV Northwest on Thursday; LHS (0-1-1) hosts Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission Northwest in a home triangular on Thursday.

Both matches are slated to begin at 5 p.m.