Hesston baseball: shot down in flames

For nearly two decades, there has been a movement to add baseball as a varsity program to Hesston. To say the least, the movement has been more of an uphill trudge through the mud.

But there has been a little bit of progress. The high school now offers baseball as a club sport, with around 20 kids expected to play this year, paying out of their own pockets to get on the diamond.

Clearly, there is an interest among the kids.

The latest proposal for the school board was a co-op, possibly with Haven, with expenses to be paid for privately with no cost to the district.

I decided to go to the meeting and hear the argument for myself.

After nearly 20 years of shooting the program down, surely there would be a well thought out reason.

Not exactly.

I was surprised (shouldn’t have been) to hear the old tired, politically cliché, slippery-slope fallacy.

After all, if you open the door to baseball, how long before you have to deal with—a rowing team?

Unfortunately I didn’t pull rowing out of thin air. This was actually mentioned by a school board member.

Fallacy.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations’ high school athletics participation survey, baseball is the third most popular boys sport by participating schools, with 15,720 participating schools nationally. That is 1,733 more schools with a varsity baseball team than football.

In Kansas, there are 64 class-4A schools. Hesston, Cheney and Hiawatha are the only three of those 64 who don’t play baseball. In Hesston’s league, the Mid-Central Activities Association (a league in its final year of existence), Hesston, Ellinwood and Sterling are the three out of 12 schools without a baseball team.

Rowing?

Actually, why not?

Why not add boys and girls soccer, girls golf and—even rowing if the interest is there? Adding more opportunities for kids is something to be admired, not scoffed at. It is the very core of the baseball movement in the first place. It is about more opportunities for kids to get a chance to participate.

For kids who aren’t as big and strong as a bull, football might not be the way to go. For kids who aren’t tall or who can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound, basketball is probably out too. But for these kids, a baseball diamond could be a great place to be a productive member of a team. I don’t want to minimize the athletic ability needed to play baseball, because it takes a tremendous amount of ability and dedication. But the game doesn’t necessarily require the same prototype of physical build as the other sports.

After having said all this, there are some good reasons to pass on baseball.

At the heart of the issue is Hesston’s lack of a diamond to play on. A few years ago, a proposal for a multimillion-dollar sports complex was put on the table. The school board was understandably as eager to pull the trigger on a multimillion-dollar complex as it would have been to spend money on a rocket to the moon.

But an elaborate complex is not what the program needs. It would cost an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 to build a diamond.

And you can’t overlook the timing involved. At the moment, every district in the state is in dire monetary straights. Programs are being cut and every opportunity to save is being considered.

Now is simply not the time to be adding anything.

But when will the time be right? You would think that the time would have been good enough at some point during this long fight. But for one reason or the other, it just hasn’t been.

So the baseball players in Hesston will have to continue to hope they will one day be a part of a varsity program. And they will watch another class of dedicated players graduate without having ever experienced varsity baseball.

And so it goes.

Random Stuff

Scatterbrained thoughts from the scattered brain…

To Jenn and the West High community. If the 6-game winning streak comes to an end tonight and this resurgent season goes in the tank, I take full responsibility. I did a "Rising Star" feature on the Pioneers' recent boys basketball success (as many wins in the last three weeks as they'd had in the previous three years combined!), recognizing the jinx possibilities that might ensue. But this seemed like too good a story not to tell.

***

I’ve been meaning to throw this into a blog but keep forgetting. Cross country and track are notorious for team t-shirts with slogans, ranging from inspirational to snappy to hokey to all of the above. The most creative I’ve ever seen belongs to Wichita Northwest for the simple yet effective “Bringing XC Back.” Two years too late, maybe, but still very funny.

***

Random thoughts that pop in my head while covering high school basketball #158: If every City League girls basketball player were simultaneously injured and each school’s respective cheerleading squad had to step in to finish out the schedule, which team would be the best?

I went with Heights because there are so many of them, and they seem like they would be scrappy. Thoughts?

Cheerleaders playing hoops wouldn’t be a bad thing, necessarily. Human pyramids make it easier to get to the rim… assuming that’s not illegal for some reason.

***

I finally got to see Bishop Carroll’s new gym last week. I stuck my head through the window while it was under construction last year, but this was my first experience with it on game day. Color me impressed. I love the new dug out gyms with walkways around the top. Especially when they incorporate seating behind the basket. There aren’t too many gyms in Kansas that have bleachers all the way around. I can think of a few (Halstead, Hesston, El Dorado, McPherson, North). I know I left a bunch out, but you get the idea. There aren’t many. Having that makes a gym feel more like an arena. Big time. Good job Carroll. I hope Kapaun’s turns out similar. Ditto for the new Wichita schools when they open.

Sub-State Injustices

Basketball postseason is quickly approaching, so that means it is time for my annual “the KSHSAA Sub-State system is flawed” rant.

I am going to start out with the biggest problem and that comes out in Class 3A Boys Sub-State in Conway Springs. Wichita Collegiate is the defending champions in 3A and have not lost to a 3A team since the 2007-2008 season. The Spartans are the top ranked team in Class 3A by the Kansas Coaches.

Also in the Sub-State are the second-ranked and 15-1 Douglass Bulldogs. One of these two teams will not make the state tournament. They are each putting up similar numbers with Collegiate’s scoring average this year is 69.6 points per game while only giving up 44.6. Douglass scores 63.3 points per game and gives up 46.8.

The likely sub-state championship game in Conway Springs likely should have been reserved for the state championship game.

The East Boys regional is similarly stacked. Two teams get out in Class 6A and 5A, Top-Ranked Heights will be favored to advance, but Wichita Southeast will likely be on the Falcons side of the bracket and the Golden Buffaloes are the only City team to beat Heights this year, so that game could be very interesting.

Likely on the other side of the bracket will see Wichita East and Derby locking horns. They are ranked eighth and sixth by the coaches respectively.

The local 5A Girls Sub-States are both brutal as well. The Andover Regional has top-ranked Andover Central, third ranked Bishop Carroll and sixth ranked Andover. Andover and Carroll will likely play for a spot in the state tournament.

In the McPherson Regional, fourth ranked Emporia, sixth ranked McPherson, ninth ranked Newton and 10^th ranked Salina South will all take the court.

These are just the local examples. IN 4A boys, top ranked Basehor Linwood will have to get through third ranked Kansas City Sumner to make the tournament. At Topeka Hayden, second ranked Hayden must deal with fourth ranked Clay Center.

Something needs to be done. I have always been a fan of seed the teams one through 32 or 64 and playing it out college basketball style, but that may not be the answer. What do you guys think? Is there a way to make sure the top teams at least have a fair shot at making the tournament?

Going for two

Quinter went through a lot during the football season.

Their coach Greg Woolf battled cancer and left the team for a period on their way to defeating the defending champions for their first 8-man state title.

All that adversity brought those players together and now they are the team to beat in 1A.

17-0, #1 team in the classification all season. No one has come close to challenging them so far.

A town of less than 1,000 people, maybe less than 800, they have seven kids over six feet tall, and their big man is 6'7".

Check them out on the Catchitkansas.com home page.

North, West boys meet after 5-game win streaks

The Wichita North boys basketball team is on a five-game winning streak after defeating Wichita Northwest on Friday. The Redskins feature some talented players, including senior twins Brison and Briston White, and freshman Conner Frankamp. Frankamp averaged 17.2 points in the team’s first 13 games.

North’s 14th game on Friday brought its record to 9-5 overall. Next up for the Redskins is Wichita West, which will host Tuesday’s game. West is on a five-game winning streak of its own. The Pioneers are 6-8 this year, which marks a milestone for them. West had only one win in the 2007-08 season and just three victories last year, so the Pioneers have already surpassed their win totals of the past two years combined.

So Much Fun to Watch

As I've said before in this blog it's really really hard for us each week to decide what games we're going to cover. Do we hit the big schools because of bigger numbers or do we go with the small schools because we want to be more all-encompassing? It's a tooth and nail type of fight, trust me.

But lately it's been tough for us to break away from covering the 6A schools in our area simply because night in and night out there's always a chance for an upset. I'm not just blowing smoke here, there truly is always a chance for an upset.

For example, tonight Southeast travels to face Heights. The only loss in the GWAL for Heights this year came at the hands of the Golden Buffaloes. Granted, the Falcons were without point guard Evan Wessel, but still, you have to wonder if Southeast still has Heights' number?

North is as West tonight. Normally this would sound like a slam dunk for the Redskins but the Pioneers have been a major surprise after boys tournament week. West has won 5 in a row, that's more wins in just a couple of weeks than the West girls have had in about the last 5 years! All of a sudden West seems like the perfect underdogs with the capability of an upset. This newly confident Pioneers team got beaten handily by North earlier in the year, a 17 point loss to be exact. But tonight West is at home, they're riding a serious wave of confidence and as always, what do they really have to lose?

Let's not forget Northwest here either. The Grizzlies are having a solid, yet under the radar type of season. They're a little young but the team is still holding its own against some power house 6A schools.

The post season is always fun to watch but I think this year will be exponentially entertaining considering the number of talented schools we have in our area. Will it be another championship game between two Wichita schools? I hope it is because I want to watch these teams play for as long as possible!

Small towns passionate about their sports

As the newest member of the CatchItKansas staff, I’m still getting used to the grind, but having fun in the process.

Getting the opportunity to get out of the office and go shoot video of area games on Tuesday’s and Friday’s is a unique opportunity.

In the past few week’s I’ve been to Rose Hill, Wichita Heights, Halstead (twice), El Dorado, Sedgwick, Haven, and most recently Remington and Berean Academy in Elbing.

As a graduate of Wichita Northwest, I often thought that the school spirit and passion for high school athletics was lacking. Not to pick on the big kid, but it just seems like small towns take a lot of pride in what is happening on the court or gridiron in their hometown.

The student sections are always rowdy, and everyone in the stands in fixated on the court and not as worried as about their plans for the rest of the night.

Last night, I travelled from the Remington girl’s game, to shoot video for the Berean boy’s game against Moundridge. Upon arriving, there was no need to ask where the gym was because the cheers were already pouring down the hallway.

While getting set up for the game and during down periods of the game, several people approached to tell me that “you should have been here earlier!” The Warrior girl’s team had just won on a buzzer-beater shot.

Little did they know, that the boys game would come down to the wire, with Moundridge’s final second shot bouncing off the back iron as time expired giving Berean a one-point win. The place went nuts!

You get a whole different experience watching a game through a tiny view finder, but you still feel the excitement and heartbreak that fans go through on a weekly basis.

So, thanks for the good times so far small towns. Then again, it was fun watching Perry Ellis and Blake Bell go toe-to-toe on the hardwood…

Time to start crowning champs

The winter season has been a blast.

It was filled with buzzer-beating baskets, last second takedowns, a perfect 300 game of bowling, fish-like feats of swimming, and a signing day blitz that had us all pulling for our local heroes and the bright futures awaiting them.

CatchItKansas.com listed nearly double the amount of signings as a similar Kansas website throughout the day Wednesday.

It was also filled with the usual share of weather cancelations and single-digit temperatures that made me reach for my golf clubs when the thermometer hit a sweltering 31 degrees.

But seemingly as soon as it started, the winter season has nearly come to a close. State swimming starts on Feb. 18.

So as much fun as the winter season is, it’s high time we buckled up and start crowning some champions.

And let our signing day coverage be an indicator of how we will approach state championships.

State swimming kicks off the winter postseason in Topeka on Feb. 18-20. Boys swimming has been dominated by the Kansas City area for the better part of 30 years with a couple of exceptions. Wichita Southeast won a title in 2003. It was the first western championship since Salina South won in 1983.

But Maize is showing a ton of promise in 2010. Could this be a rare year for a Wichita-area team championship?

Wichita Trinity has carried the girl’s banner, winning four titles since 2000. But this year the Lady Knights will have to try without one of the Bruce sisters.

On the Saturday state swimming wraps up, regional wrestling tournaments will decide who moves on to state the week after.

When the state tournament starts on Feb. 26, expect wall-to-wall coverage with a live blog throughout the day, video, photos and articles, all leading up to the championship finals on Saturday.

The week after state wrestling brings us right into March, with state bowling on Thursday and Friday. Goddard will be defending a boys title in 6A as will the Maize girls. Bishop Carroll took both the girls and boys championships in 5-1A.

On the Saturday following state bowling, basketball sub-states begin as teams will either win or go home. Catch It Kansas will have in depth coverage of the state tournaments the following week with live blogs, video, and articles.

The winter has been fun. But the time for fun and games is over. Let’s ratchet up the intensity and find out who the best in the state really is.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for our winter state coverage, let us know how you would like to see the events covered.

Track season quickly approaching

We are almost to the postseason for Winter sports so that means that it once again is almost one of my favorite times of the year, track season. The University of Kansas held its high school indoor invitational on Jan. 31 and we got a little preview of what to expect this spring. Here are some of the results of note from the meet:

- Wichita East’s Oliver Bradwell ripped a 21.84 to win the 200-meter dash. That is one of the top five times recorded by a high school athlete in the US in the indoor season. Last season the fastest 6A time at state outdoor was 21.90 in a prelim. If Bradwell can keep it up he should be in for a big track season.

- Class 5A mid-distance heavy weights Josh Muncsh of Hays and David Thor of Bishop Carroll faced off in the mile. Munsch came away with the win fairly easily in a time of 4:32.44 and Thor was second at 4:36.78. Munsch also ran the 800 where he placed third with a time of 2:01.02. Munsch is a senior who will run for the University of Kansas next year.

- Cameron Sprague of Hutchinson, class 5A runner-up in cross country, ran a time of 9:36.46 in the 3,000-meter run to place third.

- Aarian Tipton of Wichita Southeast ran a time of 26.30 to finish third in the 200-meter dash. She was third in Class 6A in the event last season.

- Jamie House of El Dorado won the pole vault by a foot with a winning vault of 11-feet and three inches. House is the two-time defending 4A champion in pole vault. She also holds the third best vault in the history of Kansas.

What do you think? What athletes will make some noise this spring on the track?

For complete results of the meet click here.

Switcharoo...

Colt Rogers is a winner on the gridiron: Three state football titles, two time all-state running back, member of the longest winning streak in Kansas prep football at Smith Center High School.

We know that but despite all that, not many schools showed much interest in his football potential. And unfortunately, you can't blame them with his small stature.

(Would you be excited if your team signed a 5'5" 150 pound running back?)

But that comes in handy on the wrestling mat, where Colt has been just as dominate by himself: three time defending state champion at 130 pounds and undefeated in his prep career.

The University of Virginia and even the Naval Academy (NAVY!) expressed interest in Colt on the mat, and locally Fort Hays State and probably a few Big 12 schools.

And whenever you asked him where he was going, he answered, "Don't know..."

Ask his dad, Mike, and he gave the same answer but he always added something, "I think he wants to play football..."

He got his dream Wednesday, signing with the Pitt State Gorillas (awesome mascot) to play football.

Absolutely did not see that coming! Completely blindsided.

Big 12 wrestling schools, UVA and the Navy wanted him on the mat and when you put all the stats and intangibles on the table, wrestling seemed like the sure fire path to a free education at a high quality institution but he wanted to be on the field.

I went head, he went heart.

The Okies are Coming!

Signing Day. Ugh. It’s a sad day… Okay, not exactly sad for everyone. For guys like Blake Bell, Geneo Grissom, etc it’s the realization of a lifelong dream, the culmination of years of hard work, blah blah blah, etc.

No, it’s sad for the rest of us who will be watching them in “hunter safety orange” or “crimson and cream” for the next four or five years. Joseph Randle? Devon Hedgepeth? You’re dead to us. You’re the enemy now!

It’s a sad day for major college football in the state of Kansas. The cream of the recruiting crop was pillaged by our neighbors to the south.

Consider the top high school recruits from Kansas (according to Rivals, at least):
1. Justin McCay – ATH – Bishop Miege – Oklahoma
2. Blake Bell – QB – Bishop Carroll – Oklahoma
3. Geneo Grissom – DE – Hutchinson – Oklahoma
4. DeMarcus Robinson – RB – Northwest – Kansas State
5. Joseph Randle – RB – Southeast – Oklahoma State

These are the only four star athletes in what typically is a shallow pool to pick from. Props to Bill Snyder for landing Robinson – who’s as good a kid as he is a runner – but seeing the Sooner State snap up four of the top five football players in Kansas is disappointing. No… Infuriating!

Grissom was supposed to be a Jayhawk, but when Mark Mangino was bumped, Grissom decided to re-open the recruiting process. In stepped Brent Venables and out the window went Grissom – one of the most talented defensive lineman to come through here in a while.

Go down the list a little further. Lucas Vincent – a 3-star defensive tackle from Olathe North – slipped across the border to Missouri. Ouch.

Derby’s Devon Hedgepeth – who Brandon Clark compares favorably to former K-State all-american Terence Newman – won’t be reprising the role in Manhattan. He’s headed to Oklahoma State.

K-State and KU did step in and nab the next best three on the list with Tre Walker, Laton Dowling and Pat Lewandowski (numbers 8-10). But still!

Justin McCay has a 42-inch vertical. Forget "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader."
McCay could probably jump over a fifth grader. But if he ever decides to try it, it’ll be one from the Norman, Oklahoma school system.

Both programs (KU and K-State) rely heavily on table scraps from the schmorgasbord that is Texas, but it’s hard to build sustainable success if you can’t protect your own back yard.

See: Bryce Brown, Chris Harper (the first time through), Arthur Brown, Blake Lawrence… It’s been four years since a Kansas school has actually been able to land the state’s top prospect. Those are just a few of the ones that got away.

I suspect Bill Snyder won’t be fully caught up in the recruiting game until this time next year. If Turner Gill is the silver tongued pied-piper he’s billed to be, he’ll also make some inroads in 2011. For the sake of college football in Kansas let’s hope so.

In the meantime it might be wise to start drawing up blueprints for a big wall across the Oklahoma border.

Bored with Sports?

I just recently watched a spoof that aired on the BBC (my favorite channel) called "The Anatomy of a News Package." I would post the link but this is a high school site and it has an unsuitable word in it. So you can probably just google it. Anyway, for those who don't know, a 'package' is basically a story that you see on the air. It's what an anchor tosses to when they say, so and so has the story. We do that in sports too. We have rising stars, game wrap-ups, highlight packages, etc. What this spoof does however, is make fun of the way we do said packages. It calls news reporters out on how predictable and unoriginal our format is. So I wonder, do fans feel the same way about sports packages?

Trust me when I say that all stories are not created equal. In that same vein reporters don't feel creative every day. It's hard to be terribly witty on a regular basis. Just ask Jay Leno. So sometimes we get lazy which is a horrible thing to say but it's true. But on the days that we actually do get a little creative and witty and put a lot of effort and care into our stories, is it actually worth it to you the viewer/reader?

The Catch it Kansas show is a perfect thing to dissect when it comes down to my question. Do you all like the way the show is put together? We try to keep it as quick and as engaging as possible without making it a total strain to put together. There's a total of about 25 people that make this show possible every Friday night so it's easy to get a creative vibe going when there are that many people around. We try adding new things all the time, like this year when our producer (we'll call him Brian Funruh) added in the column on the right hand side telling you what's coming up next. We have Bryan Holmgren do packages while I call my highlights on the set just to mix things up. We have packages from Grant, Trista and Melody usually accompanied by live highlights called by Bruce just so it doesn't get mundane. Does that help?

I'd love to get some viewer feedback on it with some ideas. Well, creative and useful ideas that is. Please, if you're feeling in a non-witty/unoriginal mood I'd rather you wait until you hit your creative stride :).

Martin Segovia named Garden City Athletic Director

Martin Segovia was named the new Athletic Director at Garden City high school today.
Segovia is originally from Garden City and only left to attend college at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

While in college Segovia was a three-time All American wrestler in the 134 pound weight class. Segovia made an appearance in 1993 at the National tournament where he placed fifth, and then in 1995 was national runner-up.

Because of his accomplishments at Kearney, Segovia was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the university.

Segovia has been a teacher at Garden City High school, along with being an administrator at surrounding elementary schools.

Segovia also coached the GCHS wrestling team for three years as an assistant and seven years as the head coach. In his reign as Buff head coach, he earned a 119-16 dual record, and was named Kansas 6A coach of the year two times running.

Segovia will precede Bill Weatherly in the 2010-2011 season.

Lindsay Hett leads Marion to 11-2 record

Senior Lindsay Hett is finishing her basketball career at Marion with a flourish. After the Warriors went 13-9 last year, they have put together an 11-2 record so far.

Marion has more than one strong player, but Hett has been a force this season, averaging 17 points per game. The Warriors moved into the No. 9 spot in Class 3A this week, according to Kansas Basketball Coaches Association rankings.

The Marion girls won their own tournament by beating Berean Academy for the championship this season, and they took third place at the Hillsboro tournament. The Warriors’ only losses have been to Thomas More Prep, ranked No. 5 in 3A, and Hesston, ranked No. 7 in 4A. In the loss to Hesston, Hett exploded for 25 points and 15 rebounds, both game-high totals.

Hett was named to the Mid-Central Activities Association second team after last year’s basketball campaign. She was also a second-team MCAA pick for volleyball in the fall.

A History Lesson

Let's start with some trivia: Name the only City League boys team to never win a GWAL basketball title… The answer below...

We’re right about the half way point of the City League schedule, so let’s take stock. We have a couple of interesting races – on paper. In reality? Don’t hold your breath. Heights is steamrolling toward another boys and girls sweep.

The Falcons boys (7-1) are up a game in the loss column over Northwest and East but have looked like an entirely different team since the return of Evan Wessel in early January. Since reinserting the junior guard into the lineup, Heights is 6-0 and has done it with ease. Their average margin of victory during that stretch – 25 points.

Northwest seems to be putting things together, beating East earlier this week to knock the Aces out of first. But a 30+ point loss to the Falcons earlier this month is hard to overlook.

East has been slumping. After winning seven in a row early in the season, they’ve dropped three of their last four. Injuries are taking their toll.

Heights will host East on Tuesday in a game that could blow the race wide open.

The Falcon girls (8-0) have even more impressive splits on their end. Against Kansas schools their margin of victory is 43 ½ points. Against the City League – even better – 45.4 a game.

Bishop Carroll is 8-1 and just a half game back but lost to Heights by 18 in their lone meeting. If Carroll can win out it potentially gives them a shot at a share of the title in their regular season finale on February 23rd.

Trivia Answer: Bishop Carroll

School, # of titles (Last title)

South - 12 (1996) – won 10 in a row between 1987 and ’96 under Steve Eck
Southeast – 10 (2008) – won a share of 4 of the last 7
East – 9 (2005)
Heights – 8 (2009)
North – 4 (1974)
Northwest – 3 (2004)
West – 3 (1983)
Kapaun – 2 (2006)
Carroll - 0

Carroll has made up for it on the girls side, winning a share of six of the last eight. Their eight total GWAL titles matches them with Heights for number one.
You have to go back to 2000 to find the last City League title not won by a team named Heights or Carroll.

School, # of titles (Last Title)
Carroll – 8 (2009)
Heights – 8 (2009)
Kapaun – 7 (2000)
Northwest – 7 (2000)
East – 4 (1984)
South – 4 (1978)
Southeast – 3 (1988)
North – 3 (1985)
West – 0

Only four times (since the girls officially began league play in 1973) has the same school won both a boys and girls title in the same year (Heights in 2009, Northwest in 2000, East in 1984 and South in 1978). If Heights can hang on and win both sides outright it will become only the second school to ever do it, joining East’s ’84 squads.

Recruiting 2.0

With the advancements in technology over the past few years, getting your name out over the internet has become increasingly easy.

For better or worse, this has taken college football recruiting to an all new level. With football signing day set for this Wednesday, Feb. 3, coverage of the event from coast-to-coast will be rampant.

Several recruiting and fan sites track the top recruits from across the country, and are constantly feeding updated information on whether or not that certain five-star athlete will be heading to their favorite college.

With the aid of highlight tapes posted to the internet and national recruiting sites, in recent years, we’ve seen several local talents head to big-name, out-of-state, Division I programs.

Former Wichita East product Arthur Brown is attending Miami, while his younger brother Bryce saw significant playing time as a freshman last season at Tennessee.

Wichita Northwest’s Chris Harper spent time at Oregon before transferring back home to Kansas State, where he will be eligible to play this upcoming season.

Harper will likely be joined by fellow Grizzly running back, DeMarcus Robinson, who has committed to play at K-State and is expected to sign this week.

Highly touted Bishop Carroll quarterback Blake Bell has committed the Oklahoma Sooners squad next season along with Hutchinson defensive end Geneo Grissom.

Other local talents listed among the state’s Top 15 according to Rivals.com include Southeast’s Joseph Randle and Derby’s Devin Hedgepath, who have both committed to Oklahoma State.

Back to the technology aspect…ESPNU will devote Wednesday with wall-to-wall coverage of signing day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can of course sign up for text message alerts for your favorite school from various outlets to see who your school nabbed.

While it’s great to see local talent succeeding and making a name for themselves among the nation’s elite college programs, one has to wonder if the publicity and exposure given to high school athlete’s is becoming too much.

Rasslin comes to CIK

For the first time this winter, wrestling highlights will be featured on the “Catch It Kansas Show.” I for one could not be happier.

It is really nothing against basketball. The first night of wrestling highlights comes the night before ESPN’s “College Gameday,” broadcasts from, “The Octagon of Doom,” in Manhattan for a huge Sunflower Showdown. Clearly basketball is a proud staple of our Kansas winters.

Apparently, so is nasty winter weather that makes taking your car from being parked to driving on the road impossible without a push (thanks to the guy in Newton who gave me the necessary assistance to make it to work tonight).

But with all the attention basketball has drawn through the years, wrestling has taken a big-time back seat.

The lack of attention has formed a close-knit wrestling community, bonded by an almost underground competition those outside the wrestling family know almost nothing about.

It is a competition literally forged out of the blood, sweat, and tears that have become a mere cliché in other sports.

Honestly. There is a routine timeout know as, “blood time.” How cool is that. These athletes are dedicated to their craft to say the least.

Well, allow us to invite the rest of the phenomenal Kansas high school sports fans into this unique bubble. It is about time this sport gets a little recognition.

Let us know what you think about our wrestling coverage.

Bias one-ups YouTube sensation

Joel Branstrom of Olathe Northwest became a YouTube sensation when he made a half court shot blindfolded at a school pep rally. Branstrom was promised Final Four tickets by his students if he made the shot, but they never expected him to make it. The NCAA ended up stepping up and giving him the tickets.

The story and video can be seen by clicking here.

On Thursday, Branstrom’s team traveled down to the Newton tournament and faced Andover Central and its star Tiffany Bias.

Bias ended the first quarter with a half-court shot of her own. However, she was not blindfolded. Instead of Final Four tickets, she received three points and led her Jaguars to a 57-35 win over Olathe Northwest.

For video of the shot by Bias click here

The Science of Predicting Athletic Ability

It's not often that I do a story for the 'news' side of our operation but this one is particularly interesting. In a story that will air on Super Bowl Sunday we take a look at a company that claims they can test a person's DNA to determine what they're more suited for athletically. For example, if a test comes back and says your genetic code is best suited for endurance sports, it's best for your child to concentrate on things like cross country and swimming. Whereas if the test claims your child is best suited for power or sprint sports you should consider football or weight lifting. The test can also come back as a mixture of sorts which would mean sports like basketball or soccer are best for your child.

The company, Atlas Gene (www.atlasgene.com) requires a payment of $120 per test. It also offers multiple 'levels' of testing that includes products you can use at home to further record and monitor a child's level of progression. The most expensive 'testing' set of products is $999. Is there anyone out there in this blogosphere that's actually willing to pay nearly one thousand dollars to get a general idea of the sport in which their child will most likely excel?

To get a little more specific our news team spoke with a geneticist as Wichita State. She said that tests like this only take into account about 2% of a person's entire genetic code. So does spending $120 on a test to discover what 2% of your genetic code says about you sound like a good idea?

For one man it does. Daryl Winston runs the Salvation Army Biddy Ball organization in Wichita. His father was an excellent ballplayer in the negro baseball leagues so naturally everyone pushed Daryl towards baseball. Daryl says he liked baseball ok but it wasn't something at which he was particularly excelling. It wasn't until Winston's freshman year of high school that he tried basketball. What an amazing transformation. All of a sudden Winston found something he really felt came naturally to him. Next think you know he's playing for Kansas State and then gets drafted by the Seattle Supersonics. Winston says he encourages genetic tests like this so kids aren't stuck in a sport where they don't feel right. So how about parents?

We spoke with a parent of one of the kids in the biddy basketball system. We are testing her 9 year old son's DNA as part of our story. She thinks the idea of the test is interesting but it won't sway her decision on what sports her son plays. She also says she knows plenty of parents that would gladly shell out the money for a test like this so they can try to tell where their kid would be best.

I think it really all just boils down to everyone's own opinions. I personally feel like most of the stuff on the company's website kind of reeks of a scam. But maybe it doesn't. Overall it just seems to flirt with ethics a little bit when we talk about predicting a child's future with a DNA test.

Cursed?

You have heard of curses affecting sports stars before.

The Curse of the Bambino, the curse of the Chicago cubs, the Sports Illustrated cover curse and for those in my generation, the curse of the Madden NFL video game cover.

But I think I might be cursing when it comes to Rising Stars. I've have a done several Rising Star stories and maybe they should start running away from me. The reason I bring this up is young Dylan Schumacher, TMP wrestler who pins his opponents in record fashion and was undefeated in his prep career, lost over the weekend at the Bob Kuhn Prairie Classic. Undefeated no longer.

He was our weekly Rising Star only a few days prior!

I might be making too much out of this but, maybe I'm not - who are you to decide who I curse?!?!

I'm not saying this is fact but maybe just a well timed fluke, but I'm starting to watch where I walk from now on!

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.