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 ...
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 dominant defensive effort, the top-ranked team in Class 2A ended 2019 with a lopsided win. Bishop Seabury’s boys basketball team rolled past Christ Prep for an 82-32 road win Friday night. It was an impressive performance, considering the Seahawks (2-0) hadn’t played a game since ...
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 ...
The only No. 1 team in the area started the 2019-20 campaign off with a win. Bishop Seabury’s boys basketball team pushed past St. Marys for a 68-62 road win Friday night. Joao Carlos Ramirez started off his sophomore campaign with 28 points to lead the way for the Seahawks. Stavian Jones ...
It is that time of the year again. The area basketball scene will be in full swing this week, with multiple teams slated to compete in tournaments next week. Over half of the area boys basketball programs advanced to the state tournament last year, and many of them have similar expectations ...
It hasn’t been an easy journey for Bishop Seabury senior Henry Nelson, but that didn’t stop him from securing a state title Saturday at the Class 2A cross-country state championship. “The plan was to just go out there, have fun and see what happens,” Nelson said. “The goal was to ...
All in or all out. That has been the motto of the Free State volleyball team since the first day of summer workouts. It is a slogan that was introduced by head coach Jayme Savage when she took over the program after being the team's assistant coach for nine years. And it has helped define the ...
Free State’s gymnastics team came home with some hardware to finish off the 2019 season. The Firebirds placed third at the state gymnastics meet Saturday afternoon at Olathe South after entering the meet in second place. FSHS finished finished inside the top three in all but one meet this ...
Lawrence High senior Deshon Lewis still vividly remembers the chant. During the boys basketball version of the City Showdown this past winter, Free State’s student section broke out in a “Let’s play football” chant. It came two years after FSHS students painted their chests “56-7”, ...
A pair of area girls golf teams and one individual earned a medal during this year’s state tournament, which featured a new two-day format at all levels. Bishop Seabury’s Faith Hedges closed out an illustrious career with a runner-up finish in the Class 3-2-1A state golf tournament at ...
Free State senior Colter Maldonado has had experience playing safety. And that has made the midseason position change much easier. Entering the year, Maldonado was taking a bulk of the reps at quarterback in the first year with Kevin Stewart at the helm. But an injury forced the Firebirds to ...
Behind a balanced effort, Free State’s girls golf team secured a second-place finish at the 6A regional meet Monday afternoon at Lake Shawnee Golf Course. All six players finished inside the top 19 for the Firebirds, who qualified for the 6A state tournament as a team with their runner-up ...
Free State’s girls tennis team will be sending three athletes to the Class 6A state tournament. One singles player and one doubles team qualified for the final meet of the year for the Firebirds after a strong showing at regionals. FSHS claimed second place as a team Saturday afternoon at ...
The cross-country course at Haskell University may have been altered slightly, but that doesn’t mean any runners lost any familiarity. “Honestly it just feels like I know what to expect, which — even if it’s not true — it makes me feel like I have an edge on the competition,” Free ...
The Veritas volleyball team earned a 2-1 win over Bishop Seabury Tuesday night at FSHS on Oct. 8, 2019. Photos by Shane Jackson/Lawrence Journal-World
Even when the Veritas volleyball team was on the verge of losing, senior Emma Boulton wasn’t worried. The Eagles were coming off a two-set loss (25-22, 25-14) to Kansas City East Christian Academy and had even dropped the first set (25-23) in the final match of the triangular against host ...