Holy Cow... Look at the Calendar.

Can anyone believe what time of year it is? I know I can't.

I was flipping through my desk calendar this afternoon and realized... We have nearly hit February. That means the winter sports season will soon be coming to a close.

Tournament week for basketball has just passed, which means the half way mark is here for hoops. In exactly one month the state wrestling meets open. That very same day bowling regionals take place.

So I took the liberty of counting.... 45 days remain of the winter sports season.
That means we are 2/3 of the way finished with the 2009-2010 school year!

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the spring weather to bring baseball and softball to my coverage area... but Holy Cow... Where does the time go?

McPherson freshman an important weapon

The McPherson girls will enter their own basketball tournament with a 9-1 record Thursday, when they will start first-round play with an important weapon.

Freshman Katelyn Loecker has averaged 14.2 points per game in the Bullpups’ past seven contests. She put up an impressive 24 points and 14 rebounds against Campus, and she repeated a double-double in McPherson’s next game against Andover, when she had 16 points and 11 boards.

McPherson’s only dropped game this season was a three-point loss to Salina South. The Bullpups are ranked No. 6 in Class 5A, according to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, while Salina South is listed as the No. 9 team in 5A.

McPherson placed second in its tournament two years ago and then placed fifth last season. The Bullpups’ game starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against Valley Center.

New Wichita North Football Coach

Press Release from North Athletic Director Lance Deckinger

North High announces the hiring of Kelly Sayahnejad to be their next head football coach. Mr. Sayahnejad spent two years at North High School as an assistant before spending the last four years as an assistant coach at Mulvane High School. North High School is excited to have Mr. Sayahnejad build on the proud tradition of North High Football.

Derby-Goddard wrestling rivalry heats up

When Derby and Goddard wrestlers face off tonight at Newman University, it might appear that history is on Goddard’s side. Or is it?

Goddard has edged Derby for the Class 6A state title two years in a row. Goddard is the No. 1 team in 6A this season, according to Kansas high school wrestling coaches, while Derby is ranked No. 2. And Goddard won this year’s Derby tournament, followed by Valley Center (second) and the host (third).

That sounds like a pretty good resume for the Lions. There’s just one problem: Derby has beaten them in league duals the past two years in a row. Perhaps history is on the Panthers’ side after all.

In 2007-08, Derby defeated Goddard 51-30 in their dual. Goddard went on to beat Derby 209-204.5 at state, where Derby settled for second place.

In 2008-09, Derby topped Goddard 38-31 in dual action. Goddard took revenge at state, compiling 180 points to again relegate Derby, with 155.5 points, to second place.

This year, Derby will be seeking its first 6A title since 1985 and 1986, when it won back-to-back championships.

The Panthers commanded attention early in the season, when they won the December Duals, a dual tournament at Valley Center. They didn’t fare as well in their own tournament, where Goddard prevailed.

Goddard features 10 ranked wrestlers, but Derby is close behind with eight. Tonight’s dual is sure to be a fierce battle and possibly the deciding contest in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division I race.

It could be a win-win situation. If recent history is any indication, a loss at the dual could mean a victory at state.

Hats off to Catch it Kansas

I'm going to brag on our Catch It Kansas staff for just a few paragraphs.

I was at the Southwest Shootout Wrestling Tournament in Liberal Saturday and I had a few refs tell me how awesome they thought it was that CIK covers wrestling. They went on and on about how wrestling is a forgotten sport because basketball has long overpowered its presence in high school sports.

Those comments got me thinking about all the "smaller sports" the CIK staff covers. Bowling, swimming & diving, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls golf... Shoot I think I could list every sport that isn't football, basketball, and baseball and people would consider them "smaller sports."

I can't speak for the entire staff when I say covering smaller sports is fun, but I think it is. It's refreshing to see kids who maybe aren't physical enough to play football win a golf tournament because they have the finesse to sink a long putt. And you should see the way their faces light up when they realize they are being covered. Sometimes for TV, but for them, any coverage is great.

Not to mention, everyone has knowledge on the "bigger sports." But who can go to a wrestling tournament one time and know what in the world is going on? Not many people. Covering those "smaller sports" gives you a chance to learn things you otherwise wouldn't have really cared about.

So here's some encouragement..... If you like reading the stories about the sports you wouldn't typically go watch.... GO WATCH THEM!!! The kids would really love the support!

Great News

Awesome stuff out of Quinter.

Football coach Greg Woolf, whose diagnosis of non-Hogkins Lymphoma kept him off of the Bulldogs' sidelines for most of the season and went on to win the 8-Man Division I state title, found out this week that his cancer is in remission.

Woolf told his team the news after the second game of the season and began chemotherapy treatments in Omaha, Nebr. in the following weeks. He has a few more followup treatments but it looks like he is in the clear.

Woolf makes no apologies about his faith said that exact faith is what got him and his family through that trying time.

In the short time I have been out here, Woolf is one of the nicest, most gracious men I have met. He had no problem sharing his experience with the diagnosis and letting me into the program to get a sense of how he and the players were dealing with the ordeal.

Winning the state championship that season was the ultimate achievement for Quinter. This is better.

Good coach, great person, awesome stuff.

Who's it gonna be?

It's time for another rivalry game. People in the southwest Kansas area wait for games like this one all year in every sport. Dodge hosts Garden on the court tonight.

Lets look at the rundown.

The Buffs are 3-2, one more win and they will already have a better schedule this year than they finished with last year (4- and in the teens.)
The Demons are 4-1, taking their first loss Saturday to Wichita Collegiate.

Garden has a new leader in 2010 in Chris Ruiz. Ruiz leads with 13.6 PPG and has 32 boards, 10 of which are offensive, and Ruiz has scored off more than half of those offensive boards.
Ruiz has kind of replaced last season WAC all league player Cody Bernbeck as the Buffs go-to-guy. Bernbeck has been in a bit of a slump so far this season averaging only five PPG. Last season he never missed a double digit game.

Dodge looks to Terrance Williams to run, well almost every aspect of its game. However, Williams is HURT. In fact, Williams has only played in two of the Demon's five games this season. He first had to sit out the opening weekend when Dodge played Salina Central and Manhattan in back-to-back home games because of violation of team rules. Now he's out from an ankle injury. Sprained in practice last Thursday. At least the Demons still have Rico Hogan. The 2009 freshman phenom, who Dodge was scared they wouldn't even get back at the beginning of the season due to an out of state move. Hogan will take point, while Trey Hallman follows close behind. Don't forget the Dodge height. Three post players 6-3 or taller. Pretty good advantage.

Speaking of advantage... Garden may have the upper hand in vengeance. Dodge did put Garden down in both hoop games last year in the regular season, not to mention the sub-state game.

Who's it gonna be.... Check the teams pages Tuesday night.... I'll get you a final!

Think your return to work is tough?

Well, the holidays are over and by now you have probably dragged yourself back to work or school. Harsh reality has set in as you have traded your La-Z-Boy and bowl games on TV for a desk and a computer screen.

But as you read this in an effort to look busy, thinking about how much it hurts to get back into the daily grind, be glad you are not a wrestler headed to the Derby Invitational this weekend.

Regarded as being tougher than any state tournament, this year’s Derby Invitational will not disappoint. With eight teams ranked in the top-10 across three different classes and 49 individually ranked wrestlers, nine No. 1’s, this is a tournament that will weed out the riff-raff quickly.

Welcome back boys and girls! Now dive right in!

This is a sampling of what to watch for in terms of ranked wrestlers, according to the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, in each weight class.

103—

The fun begins. Look for 6A’s top-ranked Kaleb Bonilla from two-time defending state champion Goddard to be tested by Great Bend freshman Chris Burley. Burley is ranked No. 3 in 5A and will grow up quickly during this tournament

112—

If Bonilla can win at 103, the Lions from Goddard will try to keep it going with junior Justin Martinez, who will have his hands full with Aspen Kimec from Shawnee Heights. Martinez, the No. 6 wrestler in 6A, is a returning state qualifier while Kimec, No. 4 in 5A is a two-time state qualifier who placed fourth last year.

119—

Top-ranked Zac Sparr from 4A Rose Hill is chasing a school record for career wins, and a title in Derby. Sparr will have to get through Pittsburg’s Aaron Seybold, No. 3 in 5A. And don’t count Lincoln Lemon out either. Lemon, another Goddard wrestler is No. 6 in 6A.

125—

125 pounds could be a beauty. This weight features two top-ranked wrestlers in Daniel DeShazer from Wichita Heights and Garrett Jones from Ark City. DeShazer, a state champion two years ago, and a state runner-up last year, lost in the finals of this tournament last year. Jones also has state hardware, as a runner-up two years ago, and as a champion last year. Brady Heincker from Derby, Austin Haake from Pittsburg and Jake Mertins from Valley Center could make some noise at 125 as well. All three are ranked No. 6 in 6A, 5A and 4A respectively.

130—

Top-ranked Taylor Moeder from 4A St. James Academy will have his hands full with Skyler McComb from Derby and Mario Corado from Pittsburg, both ranked No. 2 in 6A and 5A respectively. Goddard’s Mitchell Belle can have a good showing as well as the No. 6-ranked wrestler in 6A.

140—

140 could be a rowdy rivalry and state final preview, between top-ranked Tre Houlden from Goddard and No. 2 Bradley Little from Derby. Vance Oliver from 5A Winfield brings a No. 2 ranking as well. No. 4 Brent Koehn from Pittsburg and No. 6 Cole Rickabaugh from Shawnee Heights make three 5A wrestlers with hopes of state championships at this weight.

145—

St. James Academy will put another top-ranked wrestler in with the bigger school with Ryne Cokeley. No. 2 Cody Shavlik from Derby and No. 4 Tyler Willis from Shawnee Heights will also contend for the title. Chad Macy from Goddard, Daniel Blair from Pittsburg and Kyle McGoldrick from Valley Center all carry a No. 5 ranking and make it six ranked wrestlers at this class. Six ranked wrestlers is the most at any class in this tournament.

152—

Top-ranked Cade Blair from Valley Center will see some tough competition from No. 3 Dylan Penka from Bishop Carroll, No. 4 Vontez Long from Derby and No. 6 Domonique Henderson from Wichita Heights. This will be another interesting test for a top-ranked wrestler in 4A, going up against some of the best 5A and 6A have to offer.

160—

No. 2 Austin Willis from Shawnee Heights could see a potential state foe in No. 5 Louis Burley from Great Bend. But they will both have to deal with No. 3 Lucas Cortez from El Dorado and No. 4 Ian Whittit from Derby, wrestling in his home gym.

171—

The ninth top-ranked wrestler, Devon Keith from Bishop Carroll, will take on some stout competitors at 171. No. 2 Garrett Hoover from Winfield and No. 3 Glen Thurber from Shawnee Heights give this weight all of the top three wrestlers in 5A. Matt Reed from Wichita Heights will try to break up the party as the No. 3 wrestler in 6A.

189—

189 will separate a group of four close wrestlers. Dylon Walker from El Dorado has the highest ranking at No. 2 in 4A, but he will have to go through No. 3 Cole Carpenter from Derby. Dalton Beard from Goddard and Donnie Lockhart from Shawnee Heights will also contend as the No. 4 wrestlers in 6A and 5A.

215—

This will be the last chance to see how a 4A school compares to the 6A and 5A’s of the world. No. 2 Titus Hopper from Valley Center will try his hand against No. 4 Josh Hicks from Goddard, Derby’s Shawn Marlatt and Shawnee Heights’ Brandon Flanagin who are both ranked No. 6.

285—

The heavyweights could feature a rumble between Tylor Woodruff from Goddard and Derek Holly from Shawnee Heights, both ranked No. 4.

Wow. I hope you boys didn’t eat too much holiday ham, peanut clusters, or fudge, because your return to work will not be forgiving.

Welcome Back, Evan Wessel

How much have the Heights Falcons missed their point guard Evan Wessel? Would Heights be undefeated right now if they had him, well, I'm not sure but I'm inclined to say yes.

Wessel has been out for the first half of the season with a broken wrist he sustained in the 6A football state championship game. Which is kind of funny (funny weird, not funny haha) considering I asked coach Joe Auer how nervous he was having one of his star players in the football state championships. Auer said, "I saw him at church the other day and considered throwing a little extra holy water on him." Maybe he should've thrown a little more.

In any case, Wessel will help the Falcons out TREMENDOUSLY in this next part of the season. He said he would return in the second half of the season and told our photographer extraordinnaire, Greg McFadden, that he would be back after Christmas break. Wessel is a perfect compliment to big man Perry Ellis and is an excellent distributor. We here at Catch it Kansas and KWCH 12 like Wessel's play so much that we are all pulling for him to stay in Wichita and play for the Shockers.

Heights is off Tuesday night and they have Northwest at the end of this week. Although he may not be 100% the Grizzlies are in for a rough outing once Wessel touches the ball.

School of the Decade

With the decade coming to a close everywhere you look there appears to be decade lists everywhere, so I figured I would hop onto the bandwagon and put out a “sports schools of the decade” list. This list is based soley on championships won in the last decade.

Here is the list:

1. St. Thomas Aquinas
Number of Titles: 33

St. Thomas Aquinas has been the dominant school in the state the last few years and its 33 total titles in the last 10 years prove that. Aquinas had 21 titles in girls sports and 12 in the boys sports. The Saints were most dominant in boys soccer where they won six titles. On the girls side there was a lot of balance as Aquinas won titles in eight of the 10 girls sports it participated in.

2. Wichita Collegiate
Number of Titles: 28

Tennis and Golf are what got Collegiate up this high. The Spartans were downright dominant in those two sports with 20 of its 28 titles coming in those sports. On the boys side, the boys golf team made a case for most dominant singular sporting program of the decade with eight titles in 10 years. The only other program to win eight titles in 10 years was Shawnee Mission Northwest cross country. Both boys and girls tennis won six titles over the last decade.

3. Olathe East
Number of Titles: 24

Olathe East made it up this high largely based on the strength of its programs on the girls side over the last decade. Olathe East won 18 titles in girls sports to six titles in boys sports since 2000. It was especially dominant in softball and girls gymnastics with five and four titles in those sports respectively.

4. Blue Valley North
Number of Titles: 21

5. Bishop Carroll & Bishop Miege
Number of Titles: 18

Times have changed for female wrestlers

Our stories this week about girls in high school wrestling reminded me that times have changed, even in the past 10 or 15 years.

I’m from Valley Center, and I remember when a female wrestler named Tiffany Adams wanted to join the Hornet team in the 1990s – before coach Brian Shelton had taken the helm. Some parents of male wrestlers didn’t like the idea, and when the school district resisted, Tiffany and her mother hired an attorney. The situation resulted in some tense school board meetings and, ultimately, a court case. In the end, Tiffany was allowed to wrestle.

Now, female wrestlers are still uncommon in high schools, but they aren’t unheard of. This year, several area schools include female wrestlers, such as Wichita South, Wichita Heights, Wichita Southeast, Wichita West, Wichita North and Goddard.

Mike Church, who coaches the No. 7-ranked Heights squad, welcomes girls’ involvement in wrestling. Although some girls express an interest in the sport and then don’t take it seriously, he said, Falcon JV wrestler Lily Trinh has shown dedication in her first season, just like the boys.

“She’s showed up to all the practices and made the sacrifices like they have,” Mike said. “She seems to be doing what it takes to be a wrestler.”

Lily is in good company. Heights features many talented wrestlers; the varsity athletes are contenders for a league title and a top-three finish at state.

Incidentally, Falcon graduate Chase Nelson, who won Class 6A state titles in 2007 and 2008 before placing second in 2009, has joined the team at Labette Community College. Labette is listed No. 4 in NJCAA rankings, and Nelson is the No. 2-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds.

What mascot would you like to see?

There are several new schools in the plans around the Wichita area, so this means that several new mascots will have to be chosen. This got the CatchItKansas and Eyewitness Sports staff thinking, what should those mascots be?

So we got together and thought of some mascots we think should be considered for the new area schools being built.

We tried to think of mascots that both make sense for the area and are unique. This meant no bird mascots or anything relating to a wild feline. These have been done, excessively in the state of Kansas. There are also things outside of the mascot itself to take into account such as color schemes and possible dress up ideas for the students.

Here is our top five.

1. Miners

Jeffrey Graber came up with this one and had the new school the Wichita school district is building in Northeast Wichita in mind. The school will be built on Rock Road in Wichita, so the Miners fits perfectly. Graber also came up with the idea of the gym being called the quarry.

It would be easy for students to dress up in Miner attire, all you need is a hard hat with a light on it. A gray, rocky type color scheme would be the best for this mascot.

2. Bucks

Jenn Bates came up with this one by pointing out that the hunting culture in Kansas is big and the Bucks mascot plays right into that theme. This mascot could play up the hunting angle big time with the school colors being camouflage or bright orange. Seriously, does any school have camo as its official colors? I think not. To dress up students just need to either get some readily available antlers or head down to Gander Mountain for their favorite camo outfit.

3. Comets

Your initial thought on this mascot: the celestial body made up of ice and rock that hurtles through space looking for an unsuspecting planet to crash into. That is not the Comet I was referring to when I came up with this idea. This mascot is more geared towards a Wichita school because it refers to the first-ever plane manufactured in the Air Capitol, the Cessna Comet. This mascot works because it pays homage to the airplane industry that has made Wichita world-renowned. Colors for this mascot are endless and could be anything because you can color a plane whatever you like.

4. Swamp Rabbits

This is another one of Jenn’s ideas. Swamp Rabbits, according to Ms. Bates, are native to Kansas. Solid mascot idea just because of how oddly specific it is. Not just the Rabbits, but the Swamp Rabbits. The gym or football field could actually be called the Swamp (it should be noted now that Jenn is a proud University of Florida grad and would love nothing more than to be shooting games in a place called The Swamp). As for the actual mascot, it would not be your regular happy Easter bunny type rabbit. It would be a fierce and covered in mud bunny that would strike fear into the heart of the opposing teams (if that is even possible for a rabbit to do?). The color scheme would have to reflect as such and be dingy brown or green with black as a major color.

5. Ninjas

Bryan Holmgren came up with this one. Really not much to say past, what student wouldn’t want to dress up as a ninja and go to a football or basketball game. The color scheme would have to either black or invisible. Not sure if invisible is a KSHSAA approved color though? Or an actually color for that matter.

Well there is our top 5. What mascot would you like to see a high school choose as several open over the next few years? Let us know by leaving a comment or you can vote in the CatchIt Poll at the bottow of the CatchItKansas.com homepage!

What to choose, what to choose?

I wish I had the talent of Kaylee Hoffman.

I was moderately good at one sport, Hoffman is a standout at three sports; volleyball, basketball and softball.

She had offers to play at the next level in all three but had to choose one. Many thought she would go softball. Star pitcher for the Monarchs, part of a one-two punch in 2009 with Maddie Holub now with Fort Hays State, Hoffman had a wicked drop ball (her coach's adjective, not mine) and could hit too.

But she is headed to the true wild west of Wyoming to play Division 1 basketball. Solid choice, hard to argue against playing at the highest level.

Not many have that opportunity, much less THREE. Oh to dream...

GWAL wrestling gets serious early

After Wichita Northwest picked up a rare (only the second team in 108 duals) win over Bishop Carroll last week, the dual this Thursday between Northwest, and the only other team to beat Carroll recently, Wichita Heights, is quickly shaping up to be a classic.

Last year, the season built into a frenzied battle between Heights and Carroll in the last dual of the year. But this year, it seems Christmas is coming early.

Both schools are 2-0 in GWAL duals to start the year and have a ton of talent.

For Northwest, the biggest firepower comes at 215 and 285 pounds. Senior and two-time defending 215-pound 6A state champion Kyle Caylor is an intimidating figure for anyone on the mat. Teammate, classmate, and last year’s 6A runner-up at 285 pounds Trey Page can flat out score points. In Northwest’s dual against Carroll, Page won his match by technical fall by a score of 20-4, in a notoriously low-scoring weight class.

Caylor and Page are not a bad one-two punch to have anchoring a line-up. But the Grizzlies are also developing some young talent at the lower weights. Sophomores Reggie Cooper and Antonio Terrell also came away from the Carroll dual with some impressive scores. The 119-pound Cooper won an 11-4 decision and the 130-pound Terrell dominated in a 10-1 decision.

If Northwest is to beat Heights, it will be up to the lower weights to hang in there against some tough competition.

Heights strength comes in the lower and middle weights, starting with 125-pound Daniel DeShazer. Last year, DeShazer came within an overtime loss in the finals of becoming a two-time state champion as a sophomore. As impressive as it is to take a state finals match into overtime, consider that DeShazer did it with a shoulder he separated (twice) in the match.

Armed with a duck-under almost too quick to see, let alone defend against, DeShazer is one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the state. His dream of matching brother Tristan’s mark of four state championships is over, and he is not happy about it. After losing in the finals last year, DeShazer will wrestle every match in the next two years with a chip on his shoulder, looking for redemption. If that isn’t a scary thought for anyone entering the circle against him, it should be.

Unfortunately for everybody who will face Heights, Daniel is not the only DeShazer on the team. Sophomore cousin Uylesses DeShazer is representing the name well at 135 pounds this year. 135 pounds is a big jump for Uylesses, who was the 112-pound runner-up last year, but DeShazer is a technically sound wrestler who can put team points on the board for Heights.

At 112 pounds, look out for Jeremy Waller, who pinned Jajuan Riley in 23 seconds in the Falcons’ last dual against South. Matt Reed may find himself in a big match for Heights at 171 pounds. With only the 189-pound match coming before Caylor and Page take the mat.

Thursday’s dual will give us an early look at some of the best wrestlers the GWAL has to offer. And a league title could be on the line only three duals into the season.

If you could direct an asteroid. . .

A friend and I were discussing Kentucky’s recent men’s basketball game against North Carolina at Rupp Arena. I rooted against UNC, and he rooted against Kentucky and coach John Calipari. However, he remarked that the preferable outcome would be an asteroid hitting the arena while the game was under way.

If I had my choice, the asteroid would hit the Smith Center while Duke and UNC were facing off. Kablooie! No more Tar Heels, no more Dukies.

So that led me to ask the staff at CatchItKansas.com, including our high school prep editors, which teams and venues (college or pro) they would most like to see an asteroid hit. Here are their responses:

NFL, Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders at Oakland Stadium

NCAA men's basketball, Iowa State vs. Missouri at Mizzou Arena

College football, Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium

NFL, Oakland Raiders vs. Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium

NCAA men’s basketball, Syracuse Orangemen vs. Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium

NFL, Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium

NCAA men’s basketball, Kansas State vs. Missouri at Mizzou Arena

NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium

MLB, New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium

Two people nominated Yankee Stadium, but they couldn’t think of an opponent they hated as much as the Yankees.

What about you? Which teams and venues would you pick? Leave a comment and let us know!

Faster than a speeding... wrestler

If Dylan Schumacher were a machine, every business would own him or be in line to buy him.

The TMP sophomore wrestler is the definition of efficiency. He entered 2009 undefeated and so far is 4-0 this season. The four matches he has won have come from first period pinfalls. He has spent less than two and a half minutes on the mat. TMP lost to Minneapolis on Thursday but Schumacher won in the 112 pound class, pinning Skyler Constable in 41 seconds!

Schumacher is the #1 ranked wrestler in his weight class in 3-2-1A and the defending state champion at 103 pounds. His victory last season, as a freshman mind you, happened in less than a minute too. At state. Where the best of the best are. Pin in less than a minute.

Efficient.

Watch out for Salina South girls basketball

After losing to Buhler basketball players in their season opener last year, the Salina South girls rolled over the Crusaders 60-46 to start this season.

Salina South is ranked No. 7 in Class 5A, according to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, and the Cougars have a good chance to win the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League’s Division I. Their Tuesday game at Great Bend was postponed, and the next four games on their schedule will take place in Salina.

The Cougars’ veterans include Taylor Goodness and Sally Thompson, who combined for 39 points against Buhler. Salina South finished last year 18-4, losing to Great Bend in the sub-state final.

After falling to Buhler, Salina South’s losses were to Andover Central and Goddard – both teams that included a future Oklahoma State player - and Great Bend, which went on to place second at the state tournament. Three of Salina South’s losses were by four points or fewer.

Goodness is a triple threat for the Cougars. She helped lead the volleyball team to the state tournament in the fall, and she was named the all-state volleyball player of the year in 5A. Goodness is also a track and field athlete who placed second in the high jump at last season’s state meet.

Warming up

Yes, yes basketball season is warming up. Tip off is Thursday for many teams, which is like tomorrow, dude.

And I am warming up to basketball. I'll be honest - I've never really been a huge fan of basketball. I never played a single minute of organized basketball. No one in my family ever played it and no one ever encouraged me to play either. And when my friends who DID play got me out to shoot hoops, they made fun of me because I had no idea what I was doing. Therefore my lack of interest in the sport.

Now I've played nearly every sport under the sun; football, baseball, wrestling, tennis, golf, lacrosse, track and field, even rugby. I even played Cricket when I lived in England for a while, but not basketball.

But living in Kansas, it is hard to ignore basketball. It is the birthplace of the game after all and the Jayhawks are currently the number one team in the land. SOOOO, it is hard to ignore.

But I'm warming up. I was still sad to see football season go, but knowing basketball season was right around the corner wasn't so bad. Usually it was filled with dread for me but now, it's OK.

Football Plays of the Year

CatchItKansas.com and KWCH Eyewitness sports have come up with the plays of the year that we witnessed in this last football season. The list has been narrowed to 10 and you can vote on who you think had the play of the year.

To view the video follow this link:
Plays of the Year

Here are the plays that were picked and some context behind them.

Quinter's Matt Bird's Interception at the goal line to preserve the 8-man I title

This play was easily the biggest on this list. Matt Bird pulled down a goal line interception as the Baileyviille B&B Falcons were driving in the waning moments of the 8-Man Division I championship game a few weeks ago. This play prevented the Falcons from winning back-to-back titles and gave Baileyville its only loss of the 2009 season.

Kapaun's Tyler Nulik's one-handed touchdown catch against Northwest

This was likely the first touchdown scored in Kansas High School football this season. On opening night back on September 3, Tyler Nulik hauled in a 59-yard pass with one hand from Chris Hayes as the Crusaders jumped out to an early lead against league rival Wichita Northwest.

Northwest's Demarcus Robinson's touchdown run against Kapaun

This was also in opening week and it started off a near record setting season for Robinson. Robinson looked tackled and it appeared that Northwest might lose its opening game of the year, but the dynamic Robinson twisted his way out of the grasp of Crusaders and dived for the pylon. This 15-yard touchdown run for the future Kansas State running back gave Northwest a 16-13 lead and the win in the opening week.

Clearwater’s Alex Baughman’s touchdown run against Cheney

Clearwater and Cheney were playing for a berth in the playoffs back in week nine. The Clearwater quarterback took it upon himself to rumble 49 yards while bouncing off of Cardinal tacklers to score the touchdown. Clearwater went on to win 15-13 and earn a spot in the playoffs.

Heights’ Evan Wessel’s tackle on Carroll’s Blake Rollins

Back in week one Carroll thumped Heights 28-0, but it was not for a lack of trying by Evan Wessel. The basketball standout has made a name for himself as a big hitter on the football field. In the Carroll game, Blake Rollins danced around one tackler but Wessel quickly stuck him into the turf with a solid hit.

Wichita West's Xavier Kelly's block on North's Tevin Pratt

In week 2, West lost to North 26-19, but Xavier Kelly was able to teach Tevin Pratt a physics lesson. The 320-pound Kelly rocked Pratt to help spring quarterback Dorian Flourney for a rush. In that collision the 5’7 and 158-pound Pratt gave up six inches and 162 pounds to the bigger Kelly.

Wichita North's Aubreon Davis' fumble return for a touchdown

Heights’ Lewis Taylor makes a great catch, but leaves the ball inbounds as he goes out of bounds. Aubreon Davis of North then picks the ball up and rumbles 88 yards back in the other direction for a touchdown. It was the only North High touchdown in the game.

Hutchinson's Josh Smith hurdling Carroll defenders for a touchdown

Josh Smith was known for his ability to run would-be tacklers over until the state semifinal against Bishop Carroll. Smith, on his way to a school record 302 yards rushing and five touchdowns, would add a new dimension to his game. On a late drive the Carroll defenders were desperately trying to bring Smith down by tackling his ever-moving legs, so Smith decided to just go over the Carroll defenders. It resulted in a 13-yard touchdown run and the outstanding senior’s fourth score of the night.

Mulvane's Jordan Springer's one-handed catch for a touchdown

Springer seemingly defied laws of science in his 33-yard touchdown catch against Wichita Trinity. The ball was thrown to the back of the end zone and he reached out and caught it almost on the top of the ball it seemed. It is a play you truly need to watch to understand.

Garden Plain's Seth Klausmeyer scoring touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams against Douglass

This play was more three plays than one. Seth Klausmeyer started out his night with a five yard touchdown run. He then notched the game’s next score with a 36-yard intereception return against the Douglass Bulldogs. He capped off his trifecta with an 80 yard kick return to kill the momentum the Bulldogs had gained by scoring a touchdown. Garden Plain won the week three game by a 68-14 final.

Which play was the best? Leave a comment and let us know or go to the bottom of the CatchItKansas.com homepage to vote.

New season brings new head coaches

Every sports season brings its share of new head coaches, but high school wrestling has resulted in an especially interesting shift.

As I wrote in a previous blog, Greg Buckbee left his alma mater – Emporia – and then Dennis Charbonneau left his alma mater, Clay Center. Both teams had been impressive at the state tournament in February.

Buckbee left his hometown Spartans for Arkansas City, while Charbonneau resigned at Clay Center to take the newly vacant Emporia job. The loss for Clay Center was compounded by the fact that Charbonneau’s son, Brandon, is a talented sophomore wrestler.

Now that the dust has settled, Kansas wrestling coaches have released their preseason rankings. Buckbee’s Arkansas City wrestlers, who placed seventh at the Class 5A state tournament last year, are ranked No. 6 this season.

Charbonneau’s Emporia squad, the defending state champion, is the top-ranked team in 5A. Brandon Charbonneau is ranked No. 1 at 130 pounds.

Clay Center, the second-place team in 4A last year, is now ranked No. 3 in its class.

Another coaching change occurred at Bishop Carroll, which earned its 105th consecutive dual win last year (before Heights snapped the streak) and then placed third at the state tournament. Head coach Darian Eshelman is listed on the school’s site as an assistant coach for 2009-10, while Jared Vogel has taken the helm. In addition, Carroll – which won 5A team titles in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008 – is unranked on the coaches’ list.

Incidentally, a former City League coach who put together his own impressive streak – in basketball, that is – has made a significant move. Steve Eck, who led a powerhouse boys basketball program at Wichita South, most recently coached at Cowley College. He will start this season as head coach at Hutchinson Community College.

The Hutchinson men finished last season 20-12. Eck, who helped Cowley set the school record for wins in a season with 31 in 2007-08, led the Tigers to a 29-5 record last year.