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Lancer Softball Makes History, Advances to State

Julia Poe — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:55:16 +0000

After winning the regional championships, the Varsity Lancers softball team will be playing for the state title. This is the first time that the East softball team has ever qualified for the state championship.

“It’s really a satisfying feeling,” sophomore outfielder Erin McGinley said. “Especially for the seniors, since they’ve been working towards this for so long. For all of us, it’s just a really cool feeling to be a part of something that made history at East.”

The Lancers beat Shawnee Mission West 9-3 and Olathe North 7-5 to qualify. The championship tournament will begin on May 25, where the Lady Lancers will mostly face teams from the Olathe and Blue Valley districts. After beginning their regular season 12-0, the team expressed feelings of confidence and pride going into these championship games.

“At state, it’s a big deal and it’s sudden death,” sophomore left fielder Savannah Bellem said. “But we’re just feeling really relieved to have gotten this far. A lot of the pressure’s off now, actually, and I think we’re going to be playing much more relaxed. We’re just really excited for this experience.”

2012-2013 Junior Varsity Lancer Dancers Announced

Julia Poe — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:02:05 +0000

Junior Varsity Results

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Annika Kuhnke
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“I really like the idea of being on a team and getting to have a class where all you do is dance,” Kuhnke said. “Learning a dance with my friends was the best part of tryouts. They helped me through the process. I am looking forward to being on a team with amazing dancers.”

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Bea Workman
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“All of the dancing that they do at the games is so much fun to watch, and all of the dancers are so good,” Workman said. “Practicing with my friend Lauren Blackburn made tryouts fun. I’m looking forward to being on the team, and experiencing being a lancer dancer.”

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Brooke Erickson
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“I love to dance and the aspect of being able to dance in high school with a group of friends will be so much fun,” Erickson said. “I enjoyed the leaps and turns part of the tryouts. I can’t wait for the performances and family-like aspect of the team.”

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Carolyn Wassmer
Grade: Freshman
Experience: None
“Being able to perform at half times at games is probably the best thing about Lancer Dancers,” Wassmer said. “And also just being able to bond with a really cool group of girls. The best part of tryouts was the mock trial. It really lightened the mood after a week long of intense tryouts. I’m really looking forward to the performances and the team bonding.”

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Chloie Costello
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on JV team
“I love being part of a team and bonding with all the girls,” Costello said. “First day of clinics was the best day of tryouts. I’m looking forward to having another great year and performing at games.”

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Emily Meiring
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“I really look forward to being a part of a team and getting to be a part of the family that the sport of dance is,” Meiring said. “Also being able to do what I love – dance. Learning the routines was the best part of tryouts. Dancing all the time and being a part of an amazing dance group is going to be so much fun this year.”

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Emma Matthews
Grade: Freshman
Experience: None
“The Lancer Dancer performances are amazing,” Matthews said. “It’s nice having a high school dance team whose dances are fun to watch. Mock trials were the best part of tryouts. After the whole week of being completely stressed out, it was nice having a little bit of a break from just practicing the whole time. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and being a part of this amazing dance team.”

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Emma Olander
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“Working as a team and learning fantastic dances is what seems really awesome about Lancer Dancers,” Olander said. “Tryouts was great because I got to see my friends doing their best and working hard. I’m looking forward to dancing with my friends and really good dancers, and supporting others.”

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Grace Satterlee
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on JV team
“Dancing in front of my fellow peers is the best part of Lancer Dancers,” Satterlee said. “The best part of tryouts is when I would go home and get the dance down. I can’t wait to not be a freshman on the team.”

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Gracie Guignon
Grade: Freshman
Experience: None
“I really like the thought of performing and being able to do something that I love in front of my peers that involves my school too,” Guignon said. “Tryouts are always really stressful but my partner and I really bonded a lot. On the last day when the seniors did the mock try outs it was really funny and it kind of helped you relax. I’m really looking forward to being able to be a part of something at SME and especially something that I love to do. I’m excited for all of the games and most importantly bonding with the team.”

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Lauren Hunter
Grade: Freshman
Experience: None
“What I love about Lancer Dancers is seeing all the girls have a good time and of course all of the amazing dances,” Hunter said. “All the girls seem to get along really well and it looks like a really fun time. The best part of tryouts is the leaps. I like leaping the best so I feel like that’s my time to shine. I am looking forward to meeting new girls and learning new dances. I love all of the choreography and activities Lancer Dancers get to do.”

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Madelaine Heigele
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team
“Dancing is what I love to do,” Heigele said. “I enjoy dancing everyday during school. My favorite part [of tryouts] is showing my personality in all the dances. I’m looking forward to dancing with my dance family. I can’t wait to start off the year with a brand new, fun start.”

Not present for pictures:

Kathryn Peterson
Grade: Freshman
Experience: None
“Dancing every single day as a class will be awesome. Hopefully it improves my technique a lot and I’ll get to meet some great new friends,” Peterson said. “The best part of tryouts is either the senior mock tryout or when it’s all done. Even if you messed up you feel a sense of accomplishment. I look forward to just having fun doing what I love – dancing.”

Lauren Blackburn
Grade: Eighth
Experience: None
“I love how good and put together their performances are,” Blackburn said. “Learning flags was great. It was new and I like new things. The freshman experience and learning so much more about dance is what I’m looking forward to the most.”

Lizzy Hall
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on JV team
“I love being a part of a team, meeting new people and doing what I love to do- dance,” Hall said. “Hearing the judges’ critiques and learning what I can improve on is the best part of tryouts, along with challenging myself. I am looking forward to learning even more and continuing to support SME school spirit.”

2012-2013 Varsity Lancer Dancers Announced

Julia Poe — Sat, 05 May 2012 03:01:40 +0000

Varsity Results

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Abigail Heying
Grade: Junior
Experience: Two years on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“I love getting to dance at pep assemblies, Nationals, and getting so close to the team,” Heying said. “The best part [of tryouts] is when the seniors do the mock try outs. It’s really funny to watch them do the exact opposite of what they do when they always perform. I can’t wait for Nationals, because it’s so cool to get to perform that competitively and it’s in Florida with your best friends.”

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Audrey Phillips
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on JV team
“I love the whole experience of being on a team and creating new bonds with new people,” Phillips said. “My favorite part of tryouts would be the mock trials because they are very humourous and you know what to do and what not to do. What I am looking forward to most would be a whole new year with new dancers and learning more and more each day.”

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Britney Hinote
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year JV team and two years on Varsity team
“The most appealing part about the Lancer Dancers is the enormous amount of bonding we do,” Hinote said. “Drill team is year round so we all get really close and become a family. My favorite part of tryouts is being able to see all the new girls coming in and waiting to see who the new team is. The thing I’m most looking forward to next year is Nationals. The last two trips have been some of the most amazing memories of my life and I would love to make a final trip my senior year.”

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Grace Cantril
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“I love everything about the team,” Cantril said. “Mostly the coach and the girls, and the awesome dances. The mock tryout was great because the seniors act really funny, and I laugh a lot. I’m looking forward to Nationals, being a senior, all the sisters I make, dancing at the South and Rockhurst games, and pep assemblies.”

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Frances Wooldridge
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“I love how Lancer Dancers is all year long,” Wooldridge said. “You become so much closer as a team and really become a family. Performing is a blast and it’s really fun to pump up the school at games. My favorite part about tryouts was watching the seniors do the mock trial on Thursday morning. I can’t wait to get close with a new team and form a new family. Also I am looking forward to going to Nationals again because it was probably the best trip of my life this year.”

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Hannah Smith
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“The most appealing parts of drill team to me are the performances at the basketball games and of course nationals,” Smith said. My favorite part of tryouts was watching the seniors do the mock trial during the clinic. I am most looking forward to getting to know all the girls on the team, performing at Nationals, and the incredible dances Bubba has in store for us.”

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Helen Petrow
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on JV team and two years Varsity team
“I love performing dances at games and pep assemblies,” Petrow said. “The energy is so exciting. Being apart of Lancer Dancers is like having a team of sisters. It’s the most supportive group of friends you could ask for. The feeling of relief you experience after is the best part of tryouts. It’s nice to have it all done. I’m looking forward to my last year on the team and going to Nationals one more time.”

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Kaitlin Morgan
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“I love how close all the girls get and I have such a blast dancing with all of them,” Morgan said. “Every single part of Lancer Dancers is appealing. The mock trial was my favorite part of tryouts. After working hard, it was fun to sit down and laugh for a while. I hope we get the chance to go to nationals again because it was a phenomenal experience.”

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Kaitlin Stewart
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“Drill team is a class during the school day so we get to dance every day at school and I love that,” Stewart said. “Watching the seniors do mock tryouts on the last day was great – they’re hilarious. Nationals is going to be great. It’s so much fun and a great bonding experience for our team.”

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Kara Lawrence
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team
“I love all the dancing we do and performing,” Lawrence said. “Learning a new dance is the greatest part of tryouts beacause they are always fun. I look forward to performing with the team and bonding.”

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Kate Rumsey
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Varsity team
“All the people are so fun and we become like sisters,” Rumsey said. “Learning a fun new dance was the best part of tryouts, because I love to dance – it is my passion. I’m most looking forward to having another successful year with my dance sisters.”

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Lily Kaufmann
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on JV team and two years Varsity team
“As much as I love dancing, the best part of Lancer Dancers is definitely the bond that I make with my team and coach throughout the year that I love most,” Kauffman said. “Being a senior I know is going to be a huge transition this year. It’s going to be weird to be the eldest and to be the leaders, but I know how much fun that’s going to bring along with it. I hope to be as much of a big sister to all these girls as my past big sisters have been to me. And we’re gonna win Nationals.”

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Mary Kate Workman
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: Two years on JV team
“I love watching and performing with the Lancer Dancers at sporting events,” Workman said. “They always pump up the crowd during halftime and their routines look phenomenal every time. Nothing is better than being in the school gym dancing at six in the morning. I am looking forward to learning amazing choreography, dancing at sporting events and bonding with all my teammates.”

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Melissa Ator
Grade: Sophomore
Experience One year on JV team
“I just love dancing and having fun with teammates and performing in front of the school,” Ator said. “Picking up the dance and watching myself get better was great. I’m looking forward to getting to know all the girls and learning new dances.”

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Missy Linville
Grade: Junior
Experience One year on JV team and two years on Varsity team
“There is so much I love about Lancer Dancers,” Linville said. “I love performing and doing what we love to do, in front of big crowds. Aside from the dancing aspect, I love the bonds made between all of the girls on the team. Waking up at five in the morning is painful for everyone and not enjoyable in any way. But in years past, my favorite part is finding out who makes the team. Meeting the new girls and learning new dances, of course, is what I’m looking forward to.”

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Sadie Laughlin
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“All the people are so fun and performing in front of school is always fun,” Laughlin said. “I enjoyed learning a fun new dance. I can’t wait for another great year on Lancer Dancers and creating great new memories.”

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Sydney Lowe
Grade: Sophomore
Experience Two years on JV team
“I love dancing and it’s so fun feeding off everyone’s energy and spending time with friends,” Lowe said. “The mock trial that the seniors did was so funny and I love the feeling when tryouts are all over. Having more dance opportunities and being with friends is going to make this year great.”

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Taylor McCullough
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV team and one year on Varsity team
“The Lancer Dancers are such a talented and close-knit team,” McCullough said. “It’s something that I look forward to every day. I love performing, especially with such an amazing group of girls! My favorite part of tryouts is watching the seniors do their ‘mock tryout’. It’s so funny. I am looking forward to spending another year with my Lancer Dancer sisters. Basketball season is so much fun and will definitely be a blast this winter.”

Not present for pictures:

Elizabeth Cox
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on JV team
“The opportunity to possibly go to nationals in March,” Cox said. “Lancer Dancers is one of the best drill teams in the area. The mock trial was my favorite part. I love watching the seniors, and it’s going to be great making new friends and progressing as a dancer.”

Madison Stottle
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: Two years on JV team
“Lancer Dancers are my family,” Stottle said. ” I can’t wait to have fun with my friends.”

Peri Ogg
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: Two years on JV team
“I love dancing and having fun times with the team,” Ogg said. “I also love performing at basketball games and spring show. Tryouts are really stressful, but I loved practicing with Audrey and eating food. I am really excited to perform at basketball and football games. It will be really fun to bond with the team and get to know them better.”

You can find the JV results here.

Junior Varsity Cheerleading Results Announced

Julia Poe — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:07:41 +0000

Junior Varsity Results

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Annie Savage
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I really like the stunting in cheer,” Savage said. “It’s the best feeling in the world when your stunt group masters a new skill. My old stunt group and I did a push-up into a lip and it was the best feeling in the world. We try to do it every game. I’m also looking forward to a new coach, new girls and new stunts. I also can’t wait to cheer in front of big crowds.”

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Danya Issawi
Grade:: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“I like getting to spend a lot of time with friends and getting really close to each other, and cheering at the games is really fun,” Issawi said. “I was much calmer and more relaxed [at tryouts] this year; last year we were all freaking out. I can’t wait to have Lindsey as our coach. She has a ton of great ideas and is really easy to talk to.”

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Emma Handy
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I love being a part of a squad and getting to make new friends,” Handy said. “My favorite part of tryouts was getting to show the judges how well I can perform. I’m excited to meet new people other than just the freshman students.”

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Jessica Mier
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“The most appealing thing about East Cheer is the involvement with the school and the girls on the squads,” Mier said. “The dance is my favorite because I used to be a dancer. The new head coach is going to help us have a fun year ahead of us.”

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Keyli Kamin
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: None
“I enjoy meeting new friends and getting to know them better,” Kamin said. “Learning the material is fun because I think it is really fun to learn new chants and dances. It’s going to be great getting to know more people and learning new things.”

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Lindley Savage
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“I love getting to be a part of all of the SME sporting events,” Savage said. “I liked practicing with my friends after the clinics. The football games are going to be fun this season.”

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Maddie Hise
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“I’ve been on the squad for two years and I really like attending all the games and being part of the team,” Hise said. “We all really bond and have a great time together. I really hate tryouts but I like when you get done because there’s a rush of relief before you over-think how you did. I’m really excited about the girls and the fun activities next year. Lindsey got the freshmen this year so I’m hoping that will transfer over and make the whole program a fun experience.”

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Maria Dunn
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“Cheer is a fun way to get involved, and it’s just really fun in general,” Dunn said. “I love everyone on the squad too, which is nice. I love spiriting. You can just go crazy and be as loud and obnoxious as you want and no one cares. Its actually a good thing. Having Lindsey as our coach is going to be great.”

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Meghan Shirling
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on JV squad
“I love the team bonding,” Shirling said. “You are always together and you become really close with each other. We can have a good time and still get stuff done. I’m interested to see the new coach and see what she can bring to the table. I have heard nothing but good about her and I can’t wait to see it first hand.

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Morgan Clausen
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“Cheer is a great opportunity to get involved and make good friends,” Clausen said. “Nothing is fun about tryouts, its too nerve racking. I’m excited about the season and having Lindsey Haymond as a coach is going to be a highlight.”

Morgan Twibell
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“I really like the team bonding and the sister-like feel of the environment,” Twibell said. “Making people smile is a plus. Nothing was fun about tryouts because it was stressful. At this point I’m just hoping that I make it, but I am also looking forward to making new friends.”

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Ryley Johnson
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“I love all the girls. we have became a family by pushing each other to do better and be the best we can be,” Johnson said. “The best part of tryouts is getting them over. Just being with all of my friends and having fun is going to make a great season.”

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Samantha Pfeifauf
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“Being a part of a team is really fun,” Pfeifauf said. “Experiencing tryouts with the younger girls was great, because last year we were the babies. Getting to know the new girls and bonding with the squad will be great.”

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Sophie Paulk
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“It’s fun supporting my school and encouraging school spirit,” Paulk said. “Getting together with my friends and preparing for next year’s season that awaits us was great. I’m excited for a new team, meeting new people and getting more involved with my school.”

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Sophie Tulp
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I love East Cheerleading because of the close bonds you come to make with the entire team throughout the year, as well as pumping up the crowd at games,” Tulp said. “My favorite part of tryouts is the adrenaline rush you get right before you enter the judging room. I’m looking forward to meeting the new coaches, cheering at more games and making more new friends through cheer.”

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Sydney Krause
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I love East cheer because I love to be a part of a team,” Krause said. “My favorite part of tryouts was getting to learn new chants and dances. I am looking forward to meeting new people.”

Varsity Cheerleading Results Announced

Julia Poe — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:06:45 +0000

Varsity Results

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Alexis Welch
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I love the bond that you build with your team and all of the activities you do,” Welch said. “I like actually trying out because after you know you are finally done and you can relieve your stress. I’m looking forward to watching and being a part of how much the team will grow and improve in skills.”

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Elisabeth Trecek

Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Varsity squad
“I love spending time with my friends on cheer,” Trecek said. “I wasn’t as nervous [for tryouts] as I was last year just because I know what to expect. I’m so excited that we have a new coach.”

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Elizabeth Birkenmeier
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“Cheer is very fun and you get really involved,” Birkenmeier said. “The end [of tryouts] was really scary though.”

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Emily Gray
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I like being part of the games and getting everyone pumped up,” Gray said. “Tryouts aren’t fun but we obviously make it through every year. I’m excited for going to every single game and being able to be with our new coach.”

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Emily Woltering
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Sophomore squad and one year on JV squad
“I enjoy the school spirit we bring at the games,” Woltering said. “My favorite part about tryouts is how all of the cheerleaders work together to try and be the best we can be. I am looking forward to spending my last year with the rest of the varsity squad and becoming the best squad we can be.”

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Emma Robson
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on JV squad and one year on Varsity
“I’m excited about pumping up the crowd,” Robson said. “The best part of tryouts was showing the judges what I am capable of being [as] a senior.”

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Faith Connelly
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on Varsity squad
“Cheer is a good way to get involved,” Connelly said. “Tryouts are really stressful but I like being there with my friends. I’m excited about our new coach.

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Grace DeGoler
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on JV squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I am so excited for the upcoming year,” DeGoler said. “Tryouts are really stressful, but in the end it’s worth it. I’m really excited for our new coach also.”

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Hannah Yeoman
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Sophomore squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I like cheering at varsity football games,” Yeoman said. “I was glad when [tryouts] were over, because tryouts make me nervous. I’m looking forward to working on perfecting my tumbling.”

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Isabella Tomelleri
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Sophomore squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I love being able to put up stunts in the air and to know that with every practice you can start to develop new and better stunting skills,” Tomelleri said. “I like learning the material at [tryout] clinics. I’m most excited to continue cheering my third year as a senior. Most of the fun of cheerleading is being able to work your way up to Varsity as a senior and being able to chant “Hey Seniors!” to the stands.”

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Jayden Robert

Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“I like being able to try new things in stunting and spend time with friends, as well as make some new ones,” Robert said. “Practicing with my friends over the weekend at our slumber party was the best part of tryouts. I’m really looking forward to Friday night football games!”

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Kaileigh Frigon
Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on JV squad
“The girls are so much fun and I really like to cheer so its just a great experience,” Frigon said. “I like when tryouts are all over because there’s no more stress and it’s all done and decided. I’m really looking forward to cheering for the school and representing East.”

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Kendall Dunn
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“East cheer has a lot of fun girls and Tim to offer,” Dunn said. “I’m excited to start next year with Lindsey as our head coach. Cheer is one of those sports with extra fun things to get involved in. My favorite part about tryouts is going in in front of the judges and going crazy with my spirit. I’m excited to see the program move forward next year to reach new levels of amazing cheer.”

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Kendall Reeves
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“Team bonding helps you make friendships that last throughout high school, and everyone is so supportive of everything,” Reeves said. “Tryouts aren’t fun and are a huge relief when they are over. I am looking forward to making new friends and supporting East sports.”

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Leila Seabaugh

Grade: Sophomore
Experience: One year on Freshman squad and one year on Varsity squad

“It’s a lot of fun to get to know all the girls and have a physical activity that is motivating, rewarding and fun all at the same time,” Seabaugh said. “I always look forward to coming to practice and games and being involved in school activities. I like seeing everyone who is trying out and what they’ve been working on to get to all year. It shows everyone’s skills that they’ve built up through the year. There’s a new head coach and she’s is supposed to have a lot of new ideas and activities that we’ve never done before.”

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Lexi Belzer
Grade: Junior
Experience: Once year on Freshman squad, one year on JV squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I love all the girls,” Belzer said. “We have become a family and pushing each other to do better and be the best we can be. Easily the best part about tryouts is the end. It’s not like any other sports’ tryouts, so you can’t really prepare for what you’re getting yourself into. I’m looking forward to becoming closer to all the girls and getting better for the last year in high school.”

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Lindsey Grimm
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on Sophomore, and one year on Varsity squad.
“I love being able to support all the teams at all times,” Grimm said. “I liked the dance this year and I appreciated the extra time we got to review the material over the weekend. I am really excited to have Lindsey as our coach this upcoming year, and I can’t wait to continue all the fun memories.”

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MacKenzie Bridges
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman year, one year on Sophomore squad and one year on JV
“I really enjoy being able to connect with the student body and encourage school spirit,” Bridges said. “My favorite part of tryouts are the clinics- being able to learn the material and ask questions and bond with your future team. I look forward to continuing to push our skills as a squad and increase team building”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Mackenzie Sweat
Grade: Freshman
Experience: One year on Freshman squad
“The best part of cheer is the team bonding with everyone and how everyone is so dedicated to what we do,” Sweat said. “Honestly, tryouts was terribly nerve racking. But I look forward to the school spirit and being with friends and having a good time. I’m so excited for next year.”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Maddie Connelly
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on Sophomore squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I enjoy always being the main support at the east sporting events and always having a reason to be peppy,” Connelly said.
“This year I really felt all of the material was taught well and I liked having the weekend to practice. I look forward to being a senior on Varsity and having Lindsey as our coach and ending my fourth year of cheering with a fresh start!”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Madeleine Reynolds

Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Sophomore squad and one year on JV squad
“I enjoy the spirit we bring to this school,” Reynolds said. “It is so fun putting energy into the crowds at sporting events. I enjoyed the tryout dance because I love to dance. [Next year] will be my senior year and my grade is filled with so many talented athletes that are going to make cheering at games such a great experience.”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Sarah Colburn
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on Sophomore squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I really like to cheer in general and I love being in front of the student section and performing,” Colburn said. “I like doing the mock try-outs. Even though tryouts are nerve racking, it’s still a good thing to do to get ready for the real thing. I’m excited to be a senior on the Varsity squad. I’ve looked forward to senior year and senior night and all that that entails. I’m so excited.”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Sydney Edmisten
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Freshman squad, one year on Sophomore squad and one year on Varsity squad
“I love being around my friends,” Edmisten said. “We always have a lot of fun. I also like cheering at football games. I love the adrenaline rush you get when you tryout. I think cheering at all the football and basketball games will be a highlight of my senior year.”

Stefano Byer | Harbinger Online

Timothy Whittaker
Grade: Junior
Experience: One year on Varsity squad
“Practices are my favorite part of SME cheer,” Whittaker said. ” It is always something I am looking forward to in my day and I am always looking forward to learning new stunts.”

Not present for interviews/pictures: Caroline Breckenridge

You can find the JV results here.

New Cheer Coach Comes to East

Jeri Freirich — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:19:52 +0000

The varsity cheerleading squad will be making a change to the program with a new head coach, Lindsey Haymond. Next year will be different from years past because cheerleading at East won’t just be at games and pep assemblies. They will be competing at competitions around the state.

Haymond cheered in high school at Blue Valley Northwest, and then coached cheerleading in Texas for five years. Now that she has the opportunity to coach the East varsity squad, things will be different from years past.

“I hope we can compete at the Kansas high school competition and be successful at it,” Haymond said. “I am really looking forward to improving on what the squad learned last year.”

According to Haymond, if she can coach in Texas, she can coach anywhere. Texas cheerleading is way more than just football and basketball games. Her old squad competed nationally and was at a higher level so Haymond is prepared for the upcoming year. She is planning on using her coaching skills to improve the East varsity squad.

The cheerleaders are used to practices from five to seven at night five days a week, but Haymond wants to start practicing right after school Monday through Thursday. The team will be competing in competitions and will be participating in community service projects.

“I think we are going to be doing more community activities and social activities,” Haymond said. “Doing activities will help them become more united, which will improve their skills.”

Junior Maddie Connelly has been cheering for the past three years and thinks next year will be more organized and fun because of the new coach. Since the squad will be entering competitions, they will get a feel for working hard towards something besides games.

“I’m excited to get to know the new coach,” Connelly said. “I can’t wait to see what the new changes will be like and how the team improves next year.”

For tryouts this year, Haymond is looking for well rounded cheerleaders. She wants someone who can tumble, someone who is spirited and loud, and someone who has good motions.

Connelly is nervous this year only because tumbling is a big part of tryouts and in the past it hasn’t been based on that. Now that there is a new coach, the requirements have changed.

“I think most of the squad from last year has a good chance of making it again,” Connelly said. “We all had good varsity scores last year and we have really progressed.”

Top Sports Moments of the Last Four Years

Adam Lowe — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:36 +0000

2008-2009

1) Football vs. SM South
Just hours before gametime, senior star quarterback Curran Darling was diagnosed with mono. The coaches had no choice but to put their faith in sophomore John Schrock; with three hours, a 15-minute bus ride and the most important game of his life to look forward to, they gave Schrock the keys to the Lancer offense.Early in the second quarter, the Lancers were down 16-0. Schrock responded by leading four Lancer scoring drives, giving the Lancers the advantage at 24-16. The team was no longer thinking about the loss of the senior star quarterback, because they had a new one on their hands, as well the lead. With only minutes left, South ran the ball right over the left side of the center and walked easily into the endzone.The entire field stopped as the referee blew his whistle and tossed his flag to the ground.“Holding, on the offense. 10 yard penalty. Repeat 3rd down.”East had another chance to make the stop they needed to win the game. With the announcement, the South quarterback came rushing in with his own rendition of the “George Brett Pine Tar Incident”. Another 15 yards was taken away from the play. And just like that, it was 3rd and 25 from the 25 yard line with 11 seconds left. One more play for the win. As he took the snap, the South quarterback dropped back in the pocket, the pass went up and senior Marcus Webb knocked it down.“This game is why we have rivalries,” Webb says. “It was the best way to finish my career against the Raiders.”With the win came the rebirth of a long standing rivalry.

2) Boys basketball vs. Olathe East in Playoffs
Head Coach Shawn Hair describes this team as the most overachieving team he’s ever coached. With only two Varsity players returning, it seemed like it would be a grim year for the Lancers. However in the quarterfinals, seniors, Johnny Delgado and Charlie Luddington worked together, both having career highs for scoring and were able to beat Olathe East by single digits for the second time in the final month of the season.

3) Boys Swim wins league by 1 point over Olathe East
Olathe East had one of the best teams in state history. They were projected to win the Sunflower League championship by 60 points, and later this season they won state. However, at League, the Lancer Swim and Dive team had other plans. According to then-freshman Corbin Barnds even on a down year for East Swimming the Lancers “swam perfectly” in this meet. They only won by one small point, but it was a huge upset victory.

2009-2010

1) Boys Basketball at SM West-4 overtime
This team was built on ugly basketball. Not because they were bad, but because they were scrappy and they made other teams stoop to their level. According to head basketball coach Shawn Hair, this was how his team won games.

“We had a chance to win at the end of regulation, at the end of the first overtime and the second overtime, but we were not able to make shots,” Hair said.

This was a game in which nothing went right for the Lancers; a “roller coaster” as Hair describes it. A game where his Lancers were not able to convert in the final seconds when it counted.

“It really showed how raw energy isn’t always enough,” Hair said. “We played hard but at the end of the day we let a necessary win slip away from us.”

In the fourth quarter alone the Lancers missed seven free throws. Had they made them, they would’ve won the game. As the buzzer sounded with a score of 40-40 the Lancers were not happy.

“I just kept looking at the scoreboard and saying to myself ‘how in the world are we not winning this game’,” Senior guard Jackson Harter said.

Harter was the leading scorer for the game, racking up 20 points for the Lancers. With a final score of 64-64, both teams came close to doubling their scores from regulation.

This game could not have ended worse for the boys basketball team as they lost by two in the final overtime; however the “roller coaster ride” was enjoyed and will be remembered by all the fans.

2) Football Playoff Berth on goal line stop vs SM Northwest
The Lancer football team stunned SM Northwest in Chip Sherman’s first season as head coach. With a small lead that was about to be taken, Sherman called a timeout. He looked into his players eyes and assured them they were better than Northwest. After the timeout, the Lancers stopped the Cougars on the goal line four straight times setting the tone for the “new” East football team under Sherman.

3) Boys Golf sets low score record at tournament
According to senior Conner Schrock the only way to win in high school golf is when your team is consistent. Winning and consistency is something that the Lancer Boys Golf team has seen a lot of. With two straight state championships, the Lancers have consistently beat their competition. Three years ago the Lancers went to the largest high school boys golf tournament west of the Mississippi River when each player golfed under par, something nearly unheard of in high school golf. They also set a new tournament record.

2010-2011
1) Football vs. SM West
George Brophy may have been listed at 6 foot 2 and 230 pounds, but then-junior SM West quarterback Armani Williams would tell you that Brophy played much larger than that. And along with his Lancer teammates, he played with a huge heart. According to head football coach Chip Sherman, Brophy along with the entire Lancer football team had the game of their lives against SM West in the fall of 2010.

“Everything seemed to fall into place at the right time for us,” Sherman said. “But that can be attributed to the hard work of our boys.”

This Lancer football team not only went down in history as the winningest team the program had ever seen, but also brought the Nut Cup back to East for the first time in 14 years.

This game was highlighted by touchdown passes and runs by senior quarterback John Schrock, an airborne touchdown by then-junior Adam Lowe and a quick field goal by senior Chase Woofter. But what really made this game so special was the way the Lancer defense took control of the Vikings. At halftime, although the Lancers only held a single touchdown lead over the Vikings, they had been able to hold them to only five passing yards and just over 80 rushing yards. With SM West being a offensively driven team, this was impressive.

The Lancers were able to hold with a 21-10 victory over their district rival securing their spot in the record books as the greatest team in school history.

2) Boys Basketball vs. BV North
Sitting through an ugly basketball game with the score of a football game on a 90 foot court, the fans were still pumped up. With a score of 14-10 at halftime, head coach Shawn Hair describes this game as a game his Lancer team “had no business winning”. But through scrappy play and tough defense, the Lancers were able to pull off the upset with a score of 34-32.

3) Field Events Win Big
To have a good track and field team, you have to have a field team. According to Head Track Coach Brie Meschke what wins state championships is having good field events. In the spring of 2011, the Lancers had that going for them. Not only did shot put thrower Brian Williamson break a 50-year-old school record early in the season, but Kyle Engelken placed first at state.

2011-2012
1) Boys Soccer vs. SM West
With two minutes remaining, it was going from bad to worse for the Lancer boys soccer team. They were losing 1-0 to the inferior SM West team. It was senior night and someone needed to step up and make a play for the Lancers. Senior Jake Seitz was that somebody. As Seitz dribbled in and out of defenders he saw a wide open junior Tyler Rathbun gliding toward the goal. Seitz sent a pass hurling past defenders, leading Rathbun for the easy score in the back corner of the net. Just like that it was all tied up and the Lancers were going to overtime.What makes this score by the Lancers even more impressive was that they were playing with a man down. Early in the second half a red card was awarded to senior Nathan Ross. However this Lancer team did as they always did and kept on playing.In high school soccer overtime is played with a “golden goal” style so whichever team scores first wins. With this in the back of their minds Jamie Kelly’s team took the field. The first three minutes were back and forth; neither team could get an effective shot on goal. Three and a half minutes in, junior Austin Wilcox played the ball ahead of Rathbun once again. The pass looked to be heading too far in front of him, but with a magical diving header he was able to find the back of the net and finish off the win for the Lancers. The term golden goal really was fitting for the Lancer team in this win.

2) Lacrosse vs. Rockhurst
Coming off of a state championship and an undefeated start to their season this Lancer team knew they could beat anyone. However the Rockhurst Hawklets seemed like a difficult task. The closest East has ever come to beating Rockhurst was last season when they lost 13-6. Rockhurst had never been beaten by a Kansas team, but the Lancers changed that winning 9-7.
3) JV Boys Basketball vs. Rockhurst
Every year the East vs. Rockhurst basketball game redefines school spirit. It is a day circled on calendars year in and year out. This year the JV game took center stage. With stunning play and leadership by junior Conner McGannon, the Lancers were able to not only bring the students to their feet but were also able to pull off a close win igniting the atmosphere for tip off of the Varsity game.

2011-2012 Best of the Best Team

Coach Sherman: Not only did Sherman beat cancer while in the midst of the football season but he also helped lead his injury stricken team to a second round playoff berth for the first time in a decade. Sherman continued to battle cancer throughout the entire season only missing two practices.

Shannon McGinley: Since her freshman year McGinley has been tearing it up on the Varsity stage. Her leadership on the basketball court and fastball on the softball diamond have set her apart from other Lady Lancer athletes.
Grant Minick: After recovering from a broken leg Mincik was the fastest leg on a state champion 200 and 400 freestyle relay team. Grant Minick also placed second and third respectively in the 50 and 100 freestyle.
Zach Schneider: Schneider’s coming out party actually wasn’t a party. It was a three month rave. No one game was better than the rest. If he wasn’t vacuuming up boards, he was stroking from deep. He was the most consistent player for the Lancers this year.

Football Offensive Line: Five beefy seniors led the high power scoring offense of the Lancers football team this year. While the skill players of the team battled injuries the entire season these seniors helped put the team on their back.

Caroline Dodd: Head soccer coach Jamie Kelly calls Dodd’s leadership style infectious. Not only is she a stud athlete who has come up big for her team but she also has created a working environment that any high school athlete would want to be around.

Grace Pickell: Pickell may only be a junior but in the opening meet of the 2012 track season she shattered the school record for the high jump, leaping to height of 5 foot 8 inches.

Katie Crawford: Halfway through the 2012 Soccer season and Crawford already has two hat tricks. Crawford’s ability to make things happen while battling injuries has been a great learning tool for her teammates.

Conner Rellihan: Rellihan may have been shadowed by senior Elliot Faerber in the off season however while Faerber suffered a concussion in week 4 for the Lancer football team, Rellihan continued to have a strong junior season. Look for Rellihan to be the main target for his classmate Jordan Darling next season.

Weekly Spring Sports Update- Week 7

The Harbinger Online Staff — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:34:59 +0000

Boys’ Tennis-
The boys’ varsity tennis team beat Olathe Northwest 5 to 1 and swept them in doubles. The JV team also dominated the ravens by winning every match with an impressive 80 games to 12 in all.
On Thursday the Lancers will play in the Varsity Sunflower League Championship at the Indian Creek Recreation Center. Senior Jackson O’Gorman-Bean, sophomore Brooks Kendall and junior Jake Glazer will lead the varsity team as they try to take another Sunflower League Championship.
The team will play in the Desoto Tournament on Saturday and will look to continue they’re hot streak at the Gardner Edgerton Quad on Monday.

Baseball-
The Lancers continued winning and improving this past week. They are staying strong with an overall record of 9-4, the Lancers are in second place overall in the Sunflower league. The Lancers are in 8th place in the state according to the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches (KABC).
“We had a varsity game on Tuesday, we won 2-1 in nine innings,” sophomore varsity player Quinn Appletoft said. “We played great defense but our bats have coming around a little slow.”
The Lancers have a game on Friday against Blue Valley West. The team also has senior night on Saturday against Bishop Ward on the Shawnee Mission East field.

Boys’ Golf-
This Friday, the 27th, the Boys’ Golf team will compete in the Hutchinson Golf Tournament at Hutchinson Carey Park Golf Course. This is a one day tournament.
Next Thursday the Lancers will co-host an Invitational at St. Andrews Golf Course with eight other teams.

Girls’ Soccer-
Last Tuesday, the Varsity team beat SM South 2-0, making their record a current 5-game winning streak. Goals were scored by senior Kara Hines and junior Anna Colby.
“South is a huge rivalry, so it’s always fun to beat them,” Sophomore Quincy Hendricks said.
Tonight (Thursday) the Lady Lancers have a home game, breast cancer awareness themed, against Olathe Northwest at the SM Soccer Complex.
“Olathe Northwest is a really good team,” Hendricks said. “We beat them in overtime last year so it should be a really good game.”

Softball-
East handily beat SM Northwest this week in two games this Tuesday, 10-0 and 8-2. Their record is now 10-0, giving them the best start in team history. However, the competition is growing more intense. SME will face Olathe North tonight in a hard fight between two softball giants. The team has played solid ball all year, but they will need to step it up even more.
“We are aware that our schedule gets tougher, but we are excited because we know that this type of schedule will make us our best at the right part of the season,” said Senior Shannon McGinley. “Everyone wants to win and we are all aware of the increase in competition that is coming up.”

Boys’ Lacrosse-
Last weekend, the boys’ travelled to Dallas, Texas to play Frisco as well as Episcopal Dallas. The Lancers returned home with a 1-1 record, beating Frisco 9-4 and losing to Episcopal 14-6. Neither game affected the Lancers’ standing in league play where they are still undefeated. East had one day of practice on Monday before facing Pembroke Hill at Shawnee Mission North stadium Tuesday for Senior Night. The Lancers looked to have a decisive 5-2 lead early into the second half before the Raiders were able to gain back some ground, taking an 8-7 lead late in the fourth quarter. East went on to win the game 9-8 in exciting fashion as freshman Nick Bailey was able to put back a mishandled stop by Pembroke’s goalkeeper.

The boys head to St. Louis Friday morning for two non-conference games against O’Fallon of Illinois and Saint Louis University High.

Girls’ Lacrosse-
The Girls lacrosse team lost to Lee Summit West last Saturday, but the JV won. Their scheduled upcoming games will be against STA and Blue Valley. The girls are hoping to see more student support at the games as the season progresses.

Girls’ Swim and Dive-
With League a week away at Lawrence Free State High School the Lady Lancers swim team is preparing for the tough road ahead. The loss of senior Marston Fries was a big setback but it now gives other girls the chance to step up. Meg Stanley, Sarah Freshnock, Emily Minick, Lanie Leek and Tiernan Shank are the only girls on the team with their state qualifying times. The rest of the team are beginning their taper so they can be more rested and prepared for the league meet.

“We will see a lot of our competition for state at league,” said junior Meg Stanley. “It will be interesting to see which girls on our team can succeed and get their state cuts. After league we only have one more meet before state so there is a lot of pressure to do well.”

Track

Sprints/Hurdlers-

Last weekend was the KU Relays at the University of Kansas. The Relays have athletes from all over the region giving this meet stiffer competition than the state meet. Junior Devin Burton won his heat and placed fifth in the 300 hurdles running a 40.12. The boys 4×400 won the Sunflower Showdown with a team of Joe Lewis, Carter Olander, Juan Ramos and Jack Fay running a 3:27.69.

On the girls’ team senior Toni Aguiar was the only runner to score points. She placed eighth in the 100 running a 12.68. This week the Lancer runners are headed to the Aquinas meet on Friday.

Long Distance-

The varsity boys’ and girls’ had their work cut out for them at this KU Relays this week. The boys 4 by mile (Mitch Kasie, Ian Wiseman, Evan Nichols, Mitch Daniel) placed 7th overall with a time of 18:40, a new school record for East. The next day, the boys took 9th in the DMR and 14th in the 4×880.

Field Events-
High jumper Grace Pickell and Nick Pirotte represented East at the KU Relays last weekend. Pickell, ranked as the third best high jumper in the nation, placed third with a jump of 5’4’’, four inches off of her personal record.

Nick Pirotte threw for 149 feet, earning no points and falling 15 feet short of his personal record.

University of Missouri Coaches Come to East

Patrick Frazell — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:34:56 +0000

At approximately 12 p.m. Tuesday, the Missouri Tigers’ football team had a bus parked in the front circle drive of East. Missouri assistant coach Andy Hill and first year graduate assistant, Mack Brown, son of East athletic director Sam Brown were touring around area high schools meeting with possible recruits. Their other stops included Blue Valley High School and Olathe South.

Hill and Mack Brown spent time talking with head football coach Chip Sherman and Sam Brown. Sam Brown told the Harbinger Online that Missouri is not currently recruiting anyone here, but they are expressing interest in junior quarterback Jordan Darling. Darling has already received offers from KU and gaining interest from other Division I schools. For more on Darling, check out Corbin Barnds’ article here.

Weekly Spring Sports Update- Week 6

The Harbinger Online Staff — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:34:53 +0000

Boys’ Tennis-
The tennis season is beginning to wind down and the Lancers seem to be staying on top form. The Jv team beat Pembroke Hill high school 11 to 6 on Monday. Sophomore Brooks Kendall defeated junior Will Welte 8 to 3 to make up for junior Jake Glazer’s loss to junior Chandler McCray. Sophmore Jamie McDonald and freshman Reese Goulding also won their matches to give the varsity the win against the Raiders.
The boy’s tennis team also placed second at the BVNW Invitational to Rockhurst high school by only losing by two points. Senior Jackson O’Gorman-Bean and Glazer placed second in doubles while Kendal placed fifth in singles.
On Friday the Lancers will play in the Sunflower League tournament and will be getting ready for districts next week.

Baseball-
The Lancer varsity baseball team was able to improve on their record, moving up to 7-3. The Varsity team plays in Lawrence both today and tomorrow but not against Lawrence either day. The JV and C team play today against Olathe South.
“I think this team is good enough to win it all [state],” sophomore varsity player Quinn Appletoft said. “We have a good core of seniors that can carry us to state.”

Boys’ Golf-
The Boys’ Golf team competed in their first round of the Sunflower League tournament last Tuesday. A three round tournament, the Lancers came out of the first round in first place only standing one stroke ahead of Shawnee Mission Northwest.
Senior Conner Schrock lead the Lancers with a 73, 1 over par. He is placed second so far, next to SMNW’s Jackson Foth.
Next week, the Lancers will compete in the second round.

Girls’ Soccer-
Varsity won their game against Leavenworth last Tuesday, 10-0, implementing the mercy rule for the second time this season. Hoping to continue their winning streak, the girls will play Olathe North tonight (Thursday.)
“[The game against Leavenworth] was great, we played well as a team and it was good to score 10 goals against them,” Sophomore Kelly Pidcoe said.
Softball-
The team continued its run at perfection this week. East earned a victory and a shutout against Lawrence, winning 2-0. They went on to defeat Lawrence Free State 12-3. Pitching and defense has been a strength of the Lancers all year — they also shutout SM West 3-0 and won on Thursday 13-3. Despite their rigorous schedule, the girls continue to perform at a high level and are now 8-0.
“It feels great to be undefeated because it really shows that our hard work in practice is paying off in games,” said senior Shannon McGinley. “Our confidence is up and we are prepared to face our more difficult competition coming up at the end of the season.”

Boys’ Lacrosse-

The Lancers have continued their success from last week, and improved their record to 10-0 on Sunday morning against the Tulsa Bulldogs. East has benefited from strong scoring from Connor McGannon, Droste Milledge and freshman Nick Bailey, resulting in 114 goals through 10 games. The Lancer defense has also been strong so far this season, allowing only 39 goals. East will take on the Saints from Saint Thomas Aquinas at North Stadium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. before heading to Dallas, Texas for two games against Frisco and Episcopal Dallas.

Girls’Lacrosse-

The girls lacrosse team had their first loss of the season when they played Sion last Tuesday, April 17th. Even though they lost earlier this week the girls are looking forward to playing Lee Summit North this Saturday at SME.Girls’ Swim and Dive-

Last Tuesday the Girl’s Swim and Dive team had senior night against Lawrence Free State High School. At the meet senior Lanie Leek made the qualifying state time in the 50 yard freestyle and senior Hallie Beck qualified for state in the 100 yard breaststroke. The team still won the meet even though they were without their start swimmer senior Marston Fries who will be out this season do to mono and having an iron deficiency. On Friday 20, the team hosted the Lancer Invitational against Shawnee Mission North, Shawnee Mission West, Shawnee MIssion Northwest, Olathe East, and Blue Valley West High School. As the season reaches its peak the team and head coach Rob Cole are looking forward to the League meet, May 4 and 5, and the State meet, May 18 and 19.“I think so far we are doing very well this year,” said coach Rob Cole. “We’re better at this time in the season than we were last year. We are all together more consistent in our times but that being said if we want to win league and state, [the girls] are going to have to step it up and start getting those qualifying times.”

TrackSprints/Hurdlers-

While some of the top athletes are looking towards their events at this weekends KU Relays other JV and varsity runners participated in the District meet last Tuesday. On the girls team senior Emma Pennington won the 100 hurdles running a 17.41. In the open 400 the girls took second, third and fourth by Emma Vickers, Lauren Brown and Phoebe Aguiar. Kaycee Mayfield took first in the 200 meter dash running a 27.54.
On the boys side of things Sam Stewart placed second in the 100 meter dash running a 11.43. Sam also had an amazing run in the 4×400 relay running a 51.7 split. Freshman Will Oakley proved himself placing second in the 300 hurdles running a 43.88.Long Distance-

Middle and long distance runners had one of their most impressive across-the-field performances last Tuesday at the combined JV/Varsity District meet. Every SME 4×800 team, from JV girls to Varsity boys, took home a gold in the 4×800 relay. Other standout performances include senior Jake McCoy’s 2:08.88 in the boys’ varsity 800 and Freshman Hannah Arnspiger’s 2:34.4 in the girls’ varsity 800.
This Friday and Saturday a handful of East’s best runners will be competing in the KU Relays, a national meet whose competition level rivals that of the State meet. Here are the athlethes that will be competing:Nick Pirotte: Javelin
Toni Aguiar: 100m, 4×400 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Devin Burton: 110H, 300H 4×200 Relay
Chloe Stradinger: 100H, 300H
Mitch Daniel: 800m, Distance Medley Relay, 4x1Mile Relay, 4×800 Relay
Annie Kuklenski: 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Grace Quinlan: 800m, 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Abby Dunn: 400m, 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Grace Pickell: High Jump
Carter Olander: 4×800 Relay, Distance Medley Relay, 4X400 Relay
Joe Lewis: 4×200 Relay, 4×400 Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Connor Rellihan: 4×200 Relay
Josh Winter: 4×200 Relay, 4×400 Relay
Blake Hill: 4×800 Relay, Distance Medley Relay, 4x1Mile Relay
Evan Nichols: 4×800 Relay, 4x1Mile Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Mitch Kaskie: 4x1Mile Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Juan Ramos: 400m, 4×400 Relay
Jack Fay: 400m, 4×400 Relay, 4x200m Relay
Ian Wiseman: 4x1Mile Relay
Kelli Johnson: 4×800 Relay
Sam Stewart: 4x200m Relay
David Sosna: 110H, 300H withdrawn due to injury

Field Events-

Even without Nick Pirotte (javelin) and Grace Pickell (jumps) at the District meet on Tuesday, the field athletes saw great success. Christian Blessen won the boys’ varsity javelin and Myisha Heinen took second. Both set new personal records for the season. Bennet Uhl also performed well for the throwers, placing second in the discus.Pickell’s absence provided freshman Justine Paton to fill a hole in the girls’ varsity in the high jump and Paton came up big with a second place finish. Alec Bartholemew and Ben Williams placed first and third respectively for the boys.

Alic Erpelding took first in the boys’ pole vault with Preston Vaughn sneaking in at a close third.

Boys’ Tennis Team Runner Up at Rockhurst Invitational

Adam Lowe — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:13:41 +0000

The varsity boys’ tennis team competed and received second place overall at the Rockhurst Invitational Tournament. The tournament took place yesterday afternoon on the Plaza.The tournament consisted of 30 singles players and East Sophomore Brooks Kendall took fifth place overall. According to head coach Sue Chipman the Rockhurst tournament is always a competitive field of teams however East has competed very well in recent years.

“These players did an exemplary job representing East with intensity and class,” Chipman said in an email to the East staff. “Our parents were amazing and I could not have been more proud of our school.”

Along with Kendall’s fifth place finish, Sophomore Jamie McDonald came in seventh out of the 30 singles. On the doubles side of the tournament Jackson O’Gorman-Bean and Jake Glazer came in 2nd and Drew Surface and Reese Goulding finished 10th overall.

Lancer Track and Field Qualifies 22 athletes for Kansas Relays

Adam Lowe — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:43:34 +0000

The Lancer Track and Field Team is using this week to gear up for the annual Kansas Relays Meet. East has qualified 22 athletes, all of these athletes with the exception of a short number will be running in several events throughout the weekend. The relays will take place Friday and Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.

The Lancers have had recent success in the Kansas Relays. Most recently in 2010 when the girls 4×400 relay team took home gold medal on their way to a first place finish at state.

According to Head Coach Brie Meschke, all eyes will be on Junior high jumper Grace Pickell. In the first meet of the season Pickell skyrocketed over the school record with a leap of 5 foot 8 inches. According to Meschke she will definitely be one of the East athletes they expect on the leaderboard.

Junior hurdler David Sosna will be the only East athlete to qualify and not race. Sosna has been struggling with a broken foot since the beginning of the season and will not be racing this week.

East Qualifiers
Nick Pirotte Javelin
Toni Aguiar 100 meter dash, 4×400 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Devin Burton 110 Hurdles, 300 Hurdles, 4×200 Relay
Chloe Stradinger 100 Hurdles, 300 Hurdles
Mitch Daniel 800 meter dash, Distance Medley Relay, 4×1 Mile Relay, 4×800 Relay
Annie Kuklenski 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Grace Quinlan 800 meter dash, 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Abby Dunn 400 meter dash, 4×400 Relay, 4×800 Relay, Sprint Medley Relay
Grace Pickell High Jump
Carter Olander 4×800 Relay, Distance Medley Relay, 4X400 Relay
Joe Lewis 4×200 Relay, 4×400 Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Connor Rellihan 4×200 Relay
Josh Winter 4×200 Relay, 4×400 Relay
Blake Hill 4×800 Relay, Distance Medley Relay, 4×1 Mile Relay
Evan Nichols 4×800 Relay, 4×1 Mile Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Mitch Kaskie 4×1 Mile Relay, Distance Medley Relay
Juan Ramos 400 meter dash, 4×400 Relay
Jack Fay 400m, 4×400 Relay, 4×200 Relay
Ian Wiseman 4×1 Mile Relay
Kelli Johnson 4×800 Relay
Sam Stewart 4x200m Relay
David Sosna 110 Hurdles, 300 Hurdles withdrawn due to injury

Weekly Spring Sports Update-Week 5

The Harbinger Online Staff — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:12:45 +0000

Boys’ Tennis-
On Monday, the Lancers took on the Cougars from Shawnee Mission Northwest, and were able to sweep the meet in singles and doubles. Friday, the team has matches against St. James Academy, but will be without a few players due to personal conflicts. Next week will be a big week for the Lancers with four days of matches including tough competition such as Pembroke Hill and Blue Valley Northwest.

Baseball-
The Lancer baseball team has been able to continue their early season success. All three of the Lancer teams are above .500 with the Varsity team leading the way at 5-1, so far going undefeated during Sunflower League play. The JV and C team follow Varsity with records of 4-2 and 3-3 respectively.
“All of the teams play tonight and we had Varsity games on Wednesday,” sophomore varsity player Quinn Appletoft said. “The JV and C team both played on Monday.”

Boys’ Golf-
Boys’ Golf is coming off of their worst performance of the year where they placed 4th, behind notables: Blue Valley North and Blue Valley West. Henry Simpson placed 4th overall. Next week the Lancers host the SME invite and begin Sunflower League.
“League is really important to us because it really prepares us for the postseason,” Senior Conner Schrock said. “We don’t want anything more than that.”

Girls’ Soccer-
Girls’ Varsity went 2-0 this week starting off with a win againstSM North 10-0 last Thursday, and Lawrence Free State the following Tuesday 2-1. This weekend they will head to St. Louis for the annual St. Louis Soccer Classic.

Jake Crandall | Harbinger Online

“[The game against SM North] was pretty easy,” Senior Anna Marken said. “We mercy-ruled them with 12 minutes left. They’re not very strong.”

Softball-
The team is still undefeated after two wins against SM South this week. Leading up to the double-header, Coach Vaughan had really pressed the importance of fundamentals and strength in the infield. After going over one week without playing, the Lancers were a little sluggish in their first game. Their pitch recognition and overall plate performance was slightly lacking, but they grinded out a 3-2 win. The second game was a whole other story. East made key adjustments and blew out South 13-0.
“We were patient at the plate when hitting,” said senior Morgan Satterlee. “It helped that we were controlled and adjusted to the pitching.”

Boys’ Lacrosse-
The Lancers earned their eighth and ninth victories of the season this week, moving the team to 9-0 on the season. Tuesday marked a historic day for both the program and the city, as East was able to upset Rockhurst 9-7. Before Tuesday, Rockhurst had never lost to a team from Kansas City and with the loss dropped to 6-3 on the season.

After the emotional win Tuesday, the Lancers travelled to Park Hill High School to take on the Park Hill Spartans. Despite a sluggish first half, East was able to prevail and ultimately win the game by a score of 12-1.

East takes on the Tulsa Bulldogs on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. on the turf.

Girls Lacrosse-
The Lancer girls’ lacrosse team had no games this week. They were supposed to play Sion last weekend but unfortunately the Sion girls team had to cancel the game due to lack of players being in town. The game is being rescheduled though for a later date that hasn’t been announced yet.
The girls were scheduled to have an out of town tournament this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa but it was also cancelled because many of the teams players are going to be taking the ACT.

Girls Swim and Dive-
Thursday night, the Lady Lancers took on St. Thomas Aquinas and were able to win the meet easily. Saturday, they have a meet at 10 a.m. at Blue Valley North. Next Tuesday, will be senior night when the team hosts the Firebirds from Lawrence Free State. With four meets remaining until the Sunflower League meet, the Lady Lancers will definitely be one of the favorites heading in.

Track:

Hiba Akhtar | Harbinger Online
Sprints/Hurdlers-

After last weeks Blue Valley Relays with the boys’ team getting fifth place and the girls’ team at sixth they are looking to better their times at this weeks SMWest meet. Last week hurdler Devon Burton was the only runner to receive a first place medal running a 40.37 in the 300 meter hurdles. The boys’ 4×100 placed third with a team of Connor Rellihan, Clint Dunn, Sam Stewart and Joe Lewis. To finish off the meet the boys’ 4×400 placed second with a team or Joe Lewis, Clint Dunn, Jack Fay and Juan Ramos.

On the girls’ team senior Toni Aguiar placed second in the open 100 running a 12.96. While junior Chloe Stradinger placed third in the 300 meter hurdles running a 49.43. The girls’ 4×400 ran a 4:09.54 placing third with runners being Roni Aguiar, Emma Vickers, Grace Quinlan and Abby Dunn.

Long Distance-

Setting a new personal record for the second week in a row, the boys’ 4×800 placed 3rd with a time of 8:08.92. They placed behind 2nd place Blue Valley Northwest and 1st place Shawnee Mission Northwest — Northwest currently holds the fastest relay time in the state with a 7:58.56. The SME girls did not compete in the 4×800.

In the Distance Medley Relay (800, 400, 1200, 1600) the boys placed 2nd with a time of 10:52.88, while the girls took 3rd with a time of 13:19.54.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams earned no points in the open 1600. Overall, the boys’ and girls’ teams placed 5th and 6th in the meet respectively.

Field Events-
The highlight of the Blue Valley Relays for the field events was the discovery of Christian Blessen as an up-and-comer in the javelin. Recognized for breaking his personal record twice in one meet, the first year sophomore received a star award for tremendous performance after the meet. Blessen took fourth place behind junior Nick Pirotte in the boys’ javelin with Myisha Heinen also placing fourth for the girls.

The squad earned no points through shot put, discus or pole vault, but made up for it with another strong performance by jumper Grace Pickell. Pickell took first in the girls’ high jump and fifth in the girls’ long jump. Alec Bartholomew continued the Lancers’ success in the high jump, taking third.

Weekly Spring Sports Update-Week 4

The Harbinger Online Staff — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:36:03 +0000

Boys’ Tennis-

The Lancers beat Shawnee Mission North 8-4. Senior, Jackson O’Gorman-Bean lost to Keenan Smith 4-8 but won in doubles with Spencer Jones 8-1.

The boys’ tennis team was supposed to play Olathe East on Wednesday but the matches were canceled due to inclement weather. East will play Shawnee Mission West on Thursday before playing Sumner Academy on Friday.

Baseball-

The Lancer baseball team was able to improve their record coming off of last week with a win against Olathe North. The JV and C team was also able to open their season 2-0 with back-to-back a win over the weekend over Olathe North.

“We were able to beat Olathe North behind the great pitching of Dylan Brett,” sophomore varsity player Quinn Appletoft said. “Tonight we play Shawnee Mission West and then Olathe South on saturday, two of the top teams in the state.”
Boys’ Golf-

Boys’ Golf competes at the Lake Quivira Invitational this Monday. The team hasn’t had a tournament in over a week and a half. At the Lake Quivira Invite, the Lancers will find their biggest competition from around the state: Blue Valley North and Blue Valley West. The Lancers are undefeated thus far.

Girls’ Soccer-
Girls’ Soccer suffered a tough loss on Tuesday to Olathe East, who is currently ranked 49th in the nation. According to senior Bahar Barani, the girls didn’t play to their potential, although they managed to keep up with them for the majority of the game. Olathe East earned their only goal through a penalty kick.

“It was a big rivalry and we didn’t play that well so it was pretty upsetting,” Senior Anna Marken said.

The girls’ next game will be tonight (Thursday) against SM North at the SM Soccer Complex.

Softball-

East doesn’t have any games this week, but is looking to keep the momentum from its two convincing wins against Leavenworth last week. Coach Vaughan mainly focused on fundamentals for the first few weeks of practice. Now that the season is underway, practices have become more game-oriented.

“We have been practicing game situations by scrimmaging, while continuing to improve on fundamentals,” said senior Morgan Satterlee.

The team is preparing for their game against SM South next Tuesday. This will be a key game against a division rival, but players are already thinking ahead to the Olathe East game on Thursday. Satterlee said that it will be important to have the middle infield in great shape for this game.

Boys’ Lacrosse-

The Lancers beat the Raiders of Shawnee Mission South on Wednesday moving the team to 5-0 on the season. East has taken some significant strides since the first two games of the season, in which the Lancers seemed lackluster on the offensive side of the ball. Since then, the Lancers have clearly become more comfortable in their new offense and won their last three games by a combined score of 37-8. Saturday, the Lancers will travel to Omaha, Nebraska for a day trip in which they’ll play Creighton Prep (5-2) and Lincoln (6-0).

Girls’ Lacrosse-

The Varsity girls’ lacrosse team took on Lee’s Summit West again at Lee’s Summit West last Tuesday April 3rd, winning the game 11-6. Saturday, April 7th, the girls will be playing Sion at East and are really hoping to get some student body to come out to the game.

Girls’ Swim and Dive-
Wednesday night the JV Lady Lancers Swim Team took on Bonner Springs, Turner High School, Lansing High School at Bonner Springs. On Thursday the JV team also took on Piper-Ward High School and Leavenworth High School. Friday, April 5th the Varsity team will head to the Olathe Invitation where they will compete against 20 other teams.

“My goal is to make it to state this year and so I am excited that our season is finally starting to pick up,” sophomore Madeline Peters said. “We are having more meets and so that means everyone has more chances to get state times.”

Track:

Sprints/Hurdlers-

The junior boys cleaned up at South Relays on Saturday. Junior Devon Burton placed first in both of the men’s hurdling events. He ran his personal record of 15.42 seconds in the 110 High Hurdles and 40.92 seconds in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. Junior Juan Ramos ran a time of 51.67 in the 400 meter dash to place second overall. Not too far behind him was Senior Joe Lewis who won third place with a time of 52.08 seconds.

There was another gold medal on the girls side; senior Abby Dunn won the 400 meter dash with a time of 61 seconds. Senior Toni Aguiar placed second in the 200 meter dash and fourth in the 100 meter dash.

Times were slower than normal for this time of year for runners across the board. Coaches speculate this may have been because of the intense heat — it was sunny and around 80*F — that runners weren’t accustomed to.

Long Distance-

The boys’ 4×800 relay of Jake McCoy, Blake Hill, Carter Olander and Mitch Daniel brought home a gold medal at last Saturday’s SMS Relays with a time of 8:14.60. The race was anchored by senior veteran Daniel who ran his fastest split of the season — a 2:00 flat — to beat out Rockhurst for the win. Keep an eye out for the boys’ relay in the future — they currently hold the 4th fastest time in the state and 2nd fastest among 6A schools.

In the open 800, seniors Blake Hill and Evan Nichols placed fourth at sixth respectively with times of 2:03 and 2:04.

The girls’ 4×800 took second place with a time of 10:01.60. The team placed behind SM West, who has the returning state champion 800 runner, Alli Cash, on their relay (Cash ran a 2:18.78 in the open 800 later that day).
In the open 1600, senior Emily Kerr took fourth with a 5:50 while on the boys side junior Mitch Kaskie and senior Ian Wiseman took 9th and 10th place respectively, with a 4:41 flat and a 4:41.20.

Field Events-

The SM South Relays held some disappointment for the field athletes. Javelin thrower Nick Pirotte was the only male thrower to earn points for the team with a third place finish. Myisha Heinen took eighth place in the javelin and also earned a point.

Grace Pickelll continued to dominate the high jump with a top jump of 5’ 6’’, two inches shy of her personal record set last week. Pickell also received seventh place in the long jump. Ben Williams, a dark horse this season, took second in the high jump for the boys. Williams also placed fifth in the long jump with 19’ 11.5’’. Tommy McGillicuddy got fourth place in the triple jump.
Alic Erpelding and Preston Vaughn took ninth and tenth places respectively in the pole vault while Claire Tracy took eighth place on the girls side.

Live Broadcast: Boys’ Lacrosse vs. SM South

The Harbinger Online Staff — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:15:33 +0000

Tune in at 8:00 p.m. as the boys’ lacrosse team takes on SM South.

Video: SME Quad

Andrew McWard — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:18:30 +0000

Watch footage of East’s varsity track meet win at the SME Quad on Tues. March 27.

Weekly Spring Sports Update-Week 3

The Harbinger Online Staff — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:40:19 +0000

Boys’ Tennis-
On Monday, the top varsity players including senior Brooks Tate, junior Jake Glazer and senior Jackson O’Gorman-Bean all won their matches against Kansas City Christian. The Lancers won the meet 8-2.

“The South meet was a lot closer,” Glazer said. “We didn’t have have our top varsity players but we still managed to win the meet.”

Next week the Lancers will be headed to Topeka on Monday and will play Saint Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday.

Baseball-
The Lancer baseball team has had three baseball games this past week against Gardner Egerton, Blue Valley Southwest and Shawnee Mission Northwest. The Lancers lost to Northwest while beating Gardner Edgerton and Blue Valley Southwest. The Lancers started off their season 2-1. The Lancers beat Leavenworth at William Jewell college yesterday by a score of 6-1.

“The JV and C team have been working hard all week in practice and are working on getting prepared to play for their first games this saturday,” sophomore varsity player Quinn Appletoft said.

Boys’ Golf-
The Boys’ Golf team competed last monday at Lionsgate Golf Course. The Lancers competed against 13 other teams with much of the best teams in the state present. In the one day tournament, the Lancers were victorious. Junior Connor Knabe shot a 72, placing second in the tournament. Senior Conner Schrock had the worst round of his high school career shooting an 87. The Lancers have room for improvement for their next tournament with Conner Schrock, one of their top seniors, scoring an 87, well above his average.

“It was great to be able and come out early and get a win this year at a great course,” senior Henry Simpson said. “We played well but definitely not up to our full potential, can’t wait to get everyone going and see how we do once we reach our peak form.”

Girls’ Soccer-
Early this week, junior Addison Steiner found out that she had torn her MCL and would be out for the rest of the season. Despite this and other injuries, the Lady Lancers were able to pick up a win against Lawrence High on Thursday night. The team hopes to get senior Katie Crawford back in the line-up next week. Crawford has been out with complications from mono and tendonitis. Next week, the team has games against Olathe East and Shawnee Mission North. The season is just getting started, and with Steiner’s injury, head coach Jamie Kelly is looking for some of his seniors to rise to the challenge.

“Because of the injury to Addison, now would be the time for other players like Katie Crawford and Bahar Barani to step up. Even though Addison was out last year for five games with a concussion, we were still able to win four of the five games. I’m just really expecting to see some new and returning players step up and show me what they can do,” said Kelly.

Softball-
The Lancers opened the season on Tuesday with a double-header against Leavenworth. The team came away with two large victories, winning 17-0 and 11-1. First year Head Coach Vaughan stressed the importance of fundamentals during the first two weeks of practice — focusing on basic fielding and plate adjustments. The team entered their first games with strong core skills and easily defeated Leavenworth. East players feel confident after their convincing victories and are looking to build on this success by working as a team.

“We have great team chemistry, but we need to make sure we trust everyone to do their role, especially the players at new positions,” said senior Morgan Satterlee.

The team is looking strong as ever and hopes to extend its success throughout the season.

Track:

Sprints/Hurdlers-
Both the boys’ and girls’ sprinters and hurdlers did well at the SME Quad on Tuesday. With both East teams winning the meet overall it couldn’t have been done without the points of the sprinters and hurdlers.

On the boys’ side in the 400 Meter Dash senior Joe Lewis and junior Juan Ramos were only milliseconds apart running a 51.91 and a 51.99 placing second and third respectively. The boys’ 1600 Sprint Medley took first place with a team of Connor Rellihan, Clint Dunn, Tucker Styrkowicz and Jake McCoy. Junior Devin Burton placed first in the 300 Meter Hurdles running a 41.49. Juniors Sam Stewart and Connor Rellihan ran their 200 Meter Dash finishing only two hundredths of a second apart running a 23.73 and 23.75 respectively. In the last event of the evening, the boys’ 4×400 Meter Relay the SME team took first with a team of Juan Ramos, Joe Lewis, Carter Olander and Clint Dunn.

The East girls’ team scored 94 points overall with second place only receiving 70.50. Chloe Stradinger placed first in both the 100 and 300 Meter Hurdles running a 16.57 and 49.68. Seniors Abby Dunn and Toni Aguiar both placed first in their events the 400 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash running a 1:00.69 and a 26.67 respectively. Lastly, the girls’ 4×400 Meter Relay won by a landslide running a 4:12.50 with a team of Toni Aguiar, Abby Dunn, Annie Kuklenski and Grace Quinlan.

Long Distance-
Boys’ and girls’ long distance had a strong showing at last Tuesday’s 54th annual Quad hosted by Shawnee Mission East. The girls’ 4×800 relay took third place while the boys’ relay took 1st with an 8:17.92, beating the second place team by almost 12 seconds.

In the mile, junior Mitch Kaskie took second place running a 4:38.80, this time was only 4 seconds off his personal best. Kaskie placed second behind Shawnee Mission West’s Jonah Heng who ran a blazing 4.26.18 (Heng placed 8th at this year’s state cross country meet).

Sophomores Grace Quinlan and Annie Kuklenski took first and second respectively in the open 800. On the boy’s side, Seniors Mitch Daniel, Blake Hill and Evan Nichols took second, third and fourth respectively.

The complete Quad results are posted on SME’s track website.

Field Events-
Grace Pickell broke the school record in the high jump with a 5 feet 8’ inch leap at the SME Quad on Tuesday. Several other field event athletes also earned points for the team. Alic Erpelding won pole vault, Ben Williams won the high jump and Bennett Uhl won the discus. Myisha Heinen and Nick Pirotte took second in the javelin. Field athletes that qualified will be competing in the SM South meet on Saturday.

Lacrosse-
On Tuesday, the Lancers traveled out to Lee’s Summit North to face the Broncos on their home turf. While the Lancers were victorious by a score of 13-3, the team was not content with the score. East had 43 shots on goal, and only scored 13 goals. The highlight of the night was the Lancer defense, that allowed only 8 shots on goal, and 3 to hit the back of the net. Tonight, East takes on Blue Valley West at home. The Lancers beat the Jaguars in an earlier meeting at the Kansas City jamboree by the score of 4-3. Tuesday’s victory moved the Lancers up to 2-0 overall, as well as 2-0 in league play.

Girls’ Lacrosse-
Last Saturday, March 24th, the girls lacrosse team took on Lee Summit at SME. JV lost the game but Varsity won 12-6. Last Tuesday the 27th, the Varsity team beat Lee Summit West 9-4. The girls continue to practice at Franklin Park Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

“Since Varsity is 2-0 right now and JV is 1-1 I think we are doing really well as a team and we are definitely still progressing.” Senior Caroline Wooldridge said.

Girls’ Swim and Dive-
Yesterday, the girls swim and dive team took on the Blue Valley West Jaguars and the Bishop Miege Mustangs and the Blue Valley Tigers. Next week, half of the varsity team is swimming at the Olathe Northwest Invitational on April 6. The other half of the varsity team are traveling to the Wichita Northwest Invitational on April 7.

“I’m looking forward to our big meets at the end of the year, we work all season for league and state and we’re hoping that we can keep going for our 8th year consecutive league title. I’m nervous about state this year with new girls that originally didn’t swim are now on the team so there is more talent for us to compete with this year. We have been working even harder this year to do well at state.” Senior Hallie Beck

Senior Wrestler Signs With Benedictine

Patrick Frazell — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:26:30 +0000

Senior wrestler Ben Randolph joined the 14 other seniors continuing their athletic career in college, as Tuesday he signed to wrestle at Benedictine. According to Randolph this has been a long process, and a difficult decision to make.

“I’ve been on the fence about them for awhile actually, but I learned they had a lot to offer me academically, and that’s what sold me on it,” said Randolph.

Benedictine is located in Atchinson, Kan. and has been at its current location since 1971. They are only in their second season with a wrestling team, and are looking to get their program up and running. Randolph will be wrestling at 133 lbs, but plans on red-shirting his freshman year. Benedictine has signed a lot of wrestlers from Kansas and Missouri, and Randolph has high hopes for the future.

“We’re going to be the start-up team, which is an experience I’m really excited to be a part of,” Randolph said.

Lancers Boys and Girls win 54th SME Quad Track Meet

Adam Lowe — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:57:23 +0000

In the 54th SME Quad Track and Field meet the Boys and Girls teams won convincingly. The Girls team won by 23.5 points while the Boys also came on top winning by 36 points. The other schools that competed in this meet were Shawnee Mission West, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Topeka High School.

In both the boys and girls competitions Shawnee Mission West took second place. In the girls meet Aquinas took third and Topeka came in fourth while in the boys meet those two schools were reversed with Topeka in third and Aquinas coming in fourth.

Early in the field events junior Grace Pickell smashed the school record in the girls high jump. The previous record was 5 feet 5 inches but Tuesday Pickell soared past that with a leap of 5 feet 8 inches.

The Lancers finished the meet with back-to-back first place finishes in the Boys and Girls 4×400 relays.

“It was a real team effort and it is obvious that the road to state definitely started with this big win today,” Hurdlers coach David Pennington said to the team in an email Tuesday night.

The Lancers next meet will be this Saturday at the annual Shawnee Mission South Relays meet.

Photos from 2012 SME Quad

Full list of meet results

SME Quad Champions from East

Pole Vault-Boys
1) Alic Erpelding

High Jump-Boys
1) Ben Williams

High Jump-Girls
1) Grace Pickell

Discuss-Boys
1) Bennett Uhl

4×800 Relay-Boys
1) Blake Hill, Carter Olander, Evan Nichols, Mitch Daniel

100 Meter Hurdles-Girls
1) Chloe Stradinger

400 Meter Dash-Girls
1) Abby Dunn

800 Meter Run-Girls
1) Grace Quinlan

1600 Sprint Medley-Boys
1) Connor Rellihan, Clint Dunn, Tucker Styrkowitz, Jake McCoy

300 Meter hurdles-Girls
1) Chloe Stradinger

300 Meter Hurdles-Boys
1) Devin Burton

200 Meter Dash-Girls
1) Toni Aguiar

4×400 Meter Relay-Girls
1) Toni Aguiar, Annie Kuklenski, Grace Quinlan, Abby Dunn

4×400 Meter Relay-Boys
1) Joe Lewis, Carter Olander, Clint Dunn, Juan Ramos

To view a gallery of the meet, click here.

For more inside information on the Track and Field team visit the official website or follow the team on twitter at @SMETrack

Girls Soccer Player Out for Season

Adam Lowe — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:32:32 +0000

Varsity Girls Soccer player Addison Steiner will not be able to play for the remainder of the regular season. Steiner tore her MCL in the Girls Soccer season opening loss to St. Theresa’s last Thursday. On Tuesday Steiner found out that she will not be able to play for the remainder of the girls varsity regular season.

In the final seconds of the first half Steiner initiated contact with a Saint Theresa’s player. The injury occurred as both of their feet collided with the ball. According to Steiner she “pulled a few ligaments and strained her MCL”. Tuesday it was confirmed by doctors that Steiner had suffered a stage 2 MCL tear to her right knee. With this injury she will be out 6-7 weeks which will bench her for the entire regular season. However according to Steiner she is hoping to be able to play in the Lancers first round playoff game.

“It’s obviously not something you ever want to happen,” Steiner said. ”But the doctors are keeping me optimistic and all I want is to be back playing with my team helping them win state.”

Steiner is hopeful that the exercises along with the brace that was prescribed by her doctor will help her get back on the field as fast as possible.

Weekly Winter Sports Update: Week 7

The Harbinger Online Staff — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:28:45 +0000

Swimming:
The Boys’ Swim Team competed at state last Friday and Saturday. At the meet, the Lancers won by 67 points over Blue Valley North. With the Mustangs disqualifying their medley relay to start the meet, the Lancers knew they were in control from the beginning.

The Lancers had superior depth at the meet but also had many athletes place near the top of their events. Senior Grant Minick placed 2nd in the 50 free and 3rd in the 100 free. Zack Holbrook placed 2nd in both the 200 and 500 freestyle. Troy Demoss placed 2nd in the 200 IM and 4th in the 100 back.

This is the Lancer’s 6th state championship in 8 years.

Girls Basketball:
The girls are preparing for sub state and really focusing on winning their last couple of games to try and place 3rd for sub state. Tonight is the game against sound that will determine their seed.
“We are really focusing on winning our last games because we would really like to get 3rd in sub state. The 3 seed would be an ideal situation because that would give us a better road to state,” senior Caroline Nick said.

Wrestling:
The East wrestling team has one tournament left- State. After winning Regionals and once again slightly edging Lawrence in their house, the team has high expectations and a lot of momentum – as of February 14th SM East is ranked 9th as a team.

“We definitely have momentum. I think it’s a confidence thing because a lot of the guys we are bringing to state didn’t think they would make it to state… and now that they are there they can do great things and upset people they didn’t think they would,” said Senior Ben Randolph, “we are bringing a stronger, more confident team, and I believe we are bringing a better team [than Lawrence].”

The hard work the team has put in this year will pay off, and the tournament will test the Lancers. There will be East wrestlers that pull off upsets as well as those that don’t quite live up to their rankings. The 6A State tournament will cap off many great wrestling careers at East. The end of the season is here. Good luck Wrestlers!

Ranked SM East individuals (as of 2-23-12):
160 – Blake Hill, 5th
170 – Blaine Hill, 2nd
195 – Alex Beahm, 6th

Bowling:

The bowling tam continued to go up and down as they were not able to build off of last weeks third place finish at the Shawnee Mission School District meet. Overall the team did not have the best meet, qualifying none of their bowlers for state.

“Regionals were yesterday but we didn’t have a good meet,” Mike Thibodeau said. “None of the boys qualified and I didn’t see placings for the girls but I don’t think we sent any girls to state either.”

Boys Basketball:
The Lancers pre-season goal was to win the league, but after that goal became obsolete, they then strove to host a home Sub-State game. This week was what the team focused on, needing to win both games to achieve the goal. On Tue. the fought off the Firebirds of Lawrence Free State in overtime, thanks to two big three’s by senior guard Andy Heitt. Immediately after the games conclusion, Coach Hair told the team in the locker room to get over this game quickly, because they have to take down SM South on Friday. A win would put East at a coin-flip with Blue Valley West for home court advantage for their match-up next Thursday. The East vs. SM South game will be broadcasted live on The Harbinger Online tonight, and you can also catch it on Metro Sports.

Injuries: Junior Zach Schnieder’s knee has been bothering him recently, but nothing serious has been reported.
Senior Andy Heitt has come down with cold-like symptoms that side-lined him for a portion of practice Wed, but he should be good to go for Friday’s match-up.

Wrestling Wins Regionals

Alex May — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:06:55 +0000

The SM East wrestling team took 1st at the regional tournament on Feb. 18., edging out Lawrence High at home. Lawrence was ranked 2nd in Kansas 6A rankings as a team, while East recently dropped out of the top 10. After beating Lawrence for two consecutive weeks, the possibility of scoring higher than the Chesty Lions at the state tournament seemed more likely. All 13 East wrestlers at the tournament placed in the top 4, which qualified all of them for the 6A Kansas State tournament on Feb. 25.
Regional Placings:
Barrett Cooper (106lb) – 2nd Place
Gavin Jorns (120lb) – 1st Place
Grant Hollingsworth (126lb) – 2nd Place
Seth Ortiz (132lb) – 4th Place
Ben Garten (138lb) – 4th Place
Jack Mitchell (145lb) – 1st Place
Xander Todd (152lb) – 4th Place
Blake Hill (160lb) – 2nd Place
Blaine Hill (170lb) – 1st Place
Tyler Nelson (182lb) – 4th Place
Alex Beahm (195lb) – 2nd Place
Dan Loftquist (220lb) – 4th Place
Dominique Atkinson (285lb) – 2nd Place

Boys’ Swim and Dive Team Wins State

Adam Lowe — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:16:39 +0000

The depth of the Lancer Boys’ Swim and Dive team is what helped them capture the school’s sixth state title in the last eight years. This depth also helped earlier this week as the Lancers won the Sunflower League Championship for the ninth straight time over Olathe East and the other Sunflower League teams.

The Swim and Dive team had sixteen athletes that qualified for state and the team won the meet 372-272 over rival Blue Valley North. Even though the Lancers were not able to win an individual event they were able to win both the 200 and 400 yard freestyle relay events.

“It was a great job,” head coach Wiley Wright told the Kansas City Star. “Our depth was unbelievable. It was a total team effort.”

Wright secured his seventh state championship with the win on Saturday.

“Winning the state championship is something that us seniors have dreamed about since freshman year,” senior swimmer Corbin Barnds said. ”Nothing compares to this feeling and being able to go out this way is unbelievable.”

Relay State Champions
200 Yard Freestyle-Grant Minick, Andrew Hornung, Jack Haverty and Zach Holbrook won in a time of 1:27.46.

400 Yard Freestyle-Zach Holbrook, Grant Minick, Troy DeMoss and Andrew Hornung with a time of 3:11.08.

Olathe East Sophomore Receives Concussion

Spencer Davis — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:07:12 +0000

Spencer Davis | Harbinger Online

Olathe East will be down a man going into tonight’s game.

Sophomore Forward Daniel Donnelly was kicked in the head going for a rebound in the first game of the evening, according to varsity head coach Jim Super, which may have resulted in a concussion. Donnelly, fighting to stay awake, was soon carried to an ambulance.

“We saw him sitting on a bench, towel around his neck, holding his head,” SM East varsity senior Chris Heady said. “Next thing we knew he was being carried out on a stretcher.”

The Olathe and SM East varsity squads face off at 7:20 p.m. tonight.

Wrestling Wins Sunflower League

Alex May — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:11:40 +0000

SM East beat out 11 teams including the defending champ, Lawrence, for the Sunflower League title at SM Northwest.The wrestling team battled through previous weeks of adversity to place in 12 of the 13 weight classes the team participated in. All 13 wrestlers won at least one match. Of the five East wrestlers that participated in the finals, senior Blaine Hill (170) and junior Gavin “Chipper” Jorns (120) took home first place medals. The team now has their eyes set on the Regional tournament, and more importantly the State tournament.

“We beat Lawrence so it gives us an idea for what potential we have for state,” said Blaine Hill about besting then 2nd ranked Lawrence in 6A Kansas State rankings.

Individual SM East placers:
Barrett Cooper (106), 6th place
Chipper Jorns (120), 1st place
Grant Hollingsworth (126), 2nd place
Ben Randolph (132), 2nd place
Jack Mitchell (145), 2nd place
Xander Todd (152), 5th place
Blake Hill (160), 3rd place
Blaine Hill (170), 1st place
Tyler Nelson (182), 6th place
Alex Beahm (195), 3rd place
Dane Lofquist (220), 6th place
Dominique Atkinson (285), 3rd place

How Wrestling is Scored

Alex May — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:31:30 +0000

Wrestling isn’t a popular spectator sport for many students because of a general lack of knowledge people have about it. Understanding the scoring system is a good way to become more familiar with the sport.

The main objective in the sport of wrestling is to put your opponent on his back and keep him there–to pin him. A pin, or fall, is when both of a wrestler’s shoulders make contact with the wrestling mat and are held there for two seconds. When a wrestler pins his/her opponent the match is ended and he wins the match. If neither wrestler pins the other, the victor of the match is determined by whichever wrestler has more points when the time in the match expires.

There are five ways to score points:

1. Takedown – (2 Points) A takedown is awarded when a wrestler has taken down his/her opponent to the wrestling mat and has control. Control usually means that none of the wrestler’s limbs are being held by his/her opponent, and the wrestler is behind his/her opponent keeping him/her from getting up off the mat.

2. Escape – (1 Point) An escape is awarded when a wrestler gets away from his/her opponent and gets into the neutral position.

3. Reversal – (2 Points) A reversal is when a wrestler goes from the bottom position to the top position reversing positions with his/her opponent.

4. Near Fall – (2 or 3 Points) Near fall points are awarded when a wrestler nearly pins his opponent. Near fall points are awarded when:
-The wrestler holds both of his opponent’s shoulders within four inches of the mat for two seconds.
-The wrestler holds one of his opponent’s shoulders on the mat and also keeps his opponent’s other shoulder at a 45 degree angle to the mat.
-The wrestler holds his opponent in a high bridge or back on both elbows.
-If the wrestler on his back gets injured during the period where near fall points are being awarded, another point is tacked on to the points scored from the near fall itself.

5. Penalty Points – (1 or 2 Points) Penalty points can be awarded when a wrestler commits an infraction. Most start with a warning, followed by one point, two points, and disqualification if the infraction is committed a fourth time. Although there are small sport related infractions, like lining up with the wrong foot, the call is always at the discretion of the referee. If a wrestler does something like throw a punch he will forfeit the match.

Another thing to note is that wrestling requires managers that are in charge of keeping track of the scoring in each individual match that their team has. If there is a dispute in the score of a match the managers from the two teams participating in the match will compare their scores in order to resolve the dispute.

Wrestling can seem difficult to comprehend but once the basics are learned it shouldn’t be too difficult. Knowing the scoring system of the sport should help to make the sport more approachable for those that don’t know a whole lot about it.

The East wrestling team heads out to Shawnee Mission Northwest this weekend for the Sunflower League tournament.

Wrestling Team Wins District Championship

Adam Lowe — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:36:26 +0000

Last Friday the Lancer Wrestling team took first place in the annual Districts Meet. Originally it was announced that there was a three-way tie between the Lancers, SM South and SM West however today it was announced that the Lancers were the outright district champions.

“We had some young guys really step up for us,” senior wrestler Ben Randolph said. “With all of the skin diseases going around it’s good to know that we have guys there who can back us up when we need them.” The Lancers have been plagued with different skin diseases over the last couple weeks and competed at districts without nine of their varsity wrestlers.

“The good news is we are finally starting to get healthy,” Randolph said. “Hopefully be the time we get to state we can be at full strength.

District Champion Wrestling Team and their Weight Classes
Barrett Cooper-106
Chipper Jorns-120
Seth Ortiz-126
Grant Hollingsworth-132
Marshall Green-138
Xander Todd-145
Zach Rome-152
Tommy Dettwanger-160
Blaine Hill-170
Tyler Nelson-182
Nick Mason-195
Will Kaiser-220
Dominique Atkinson-285.

The Lancers competed and scored points for their team throughout many different duels. Senior Blaine Hill and Sophomore Grant Hollingsworth both went undefeated however no individual champions were named.

Coach Sherman Victorious over Lymphoma

Adam Lowe — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:33:26 +0000

For the last seven months head football coach Chip Sherman has been fighting Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatment and many other treatments througout the summer and into the fall of last year. On Thursday evening Sherman underwent scans to check his body for the cancer cells. Friday afternoon his test results came back clear, meaning that he had beat the cancer for the time being.

Sherman will have to undergo scans every 60 days for the rest of his life to confirm that the cancer has not returned to his system.

“It’s been a tough battle,” Sherman said. ”But at the end of the day I am just happy to be back with my players.” At the end of the season Sherman told the team in a post season meeting that his return to the head coaching position relied solely on his cancer treatment. Simply put if he beat cancer he would be back as the head coach and if the cancer came back he would have to take a season off to be with his family.

Students React on Twitter and Facebook to Coach Sherman Beating Cancer

@JHarrigan76 :“So happy to hear Coach Sherman beat cancer. The man never ceases to amaze me, I’m proud to have played for him”

@SamHeneger: “Nice try cancer, but you were messin with the wrong Coach Sherman.”

@cheadz04: “Sherman didnt want me 2 write the story about him. I told him I thought it would help ppl. After that he was all for it #CongratsSherman”

@BradyForbes: “Coach Sherman will always be an inspiration to all of us, the east body needs balance and we would not be balanced without coach Sherman”

@JackWSayler: “Shermdog Beats Cancer. Harbinger headline”

@webbgemz: “Absolutely elated. Love my coach #ALLIN”

@DavidSosna: “Coach Sherman will be back this next year and our prayers have been answered. Thank god I get to be coached my senior year by this man. Everyone at east has had his back. Truly amazing what he has done for east.”

@jakefleming10: “Congratulation to Coach Chip Sherman for defeating cancer. Love you Coach, couldn’t be happier!”

@asheridan7: “Congrats to coach Sherman being cancer free! God answers prayers! #ALLIN”

@coletrainxpress: “Coach Sherman cancer free!!!!!!!!!”

@alowe22: “Congrats to coach Sherman on beating cancer! Seriously an answer to our prayers! If anyone could do it we knew it was you. #foreverALLIN”

@LCRose22: “So pumped for Sherman’s great news #shermanovereverything”

Signing Day for East Athletes

Andrew Beasley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:00:43 +0000

Senior Alex Dressman stared straight ahead, attempting to take in the enormity of the scene. She sat in front of a gym packed with parents, friends and fellow students all watching expectantly. Before her was a table draped in red tablecloth with red and black balloons tied to the corner. In the center of the table, awaiting her signature, sat a letter of intent guaranteeing that she will have a scholarship to play soccer at William Jewell College. She leaned forward, picked up the provided pen and shook off the nerves as she signed her name.“It was nerve wracking,” Dressman said. “I thought my hand was going to cramp up but I managed to get my full name down.”Dressman is one of fourteen SM East students who have chosen to sign letters of intent with colleges who have offered them athletic scholarship packages. To honor their achievement, the school arranged for a signing ceremony to occur on National Signing Day, Feb. 1.

Each signee was seated at a table decorated with the colors and logos of their chosen schools. As they sat down, each athlete looked at the paper with a blank face, minds focused on reconciling with what they were about to do. The students were then invited to sign the letters of intent and give a short speech thanking those who helped them along the way. Most of the signees kept their lists short, knowing that those who truly deserved thanks would be thanked in person. After the last signee had spoken, the audience was invited to come down and give theircongratulations as well as enjoy refreshments provided by the school.

Though the crowd of proud parents and friends was excited and wanted to talk to every athlete, signees such as Virginia softball recruit Shannon McGinley stood almost in shock as the finality of the situation began to become apparent.

“It is still kind of sinking in a bit,” McGinley said. “Last year around this time it was really nerve wracking for me because I was traveling around, going to different camps, and I didn’t really know where I was going to be. It all happened so fast but I am so relieved that I finally know where I am going.”

For many of the fourteen seniors, signing the letter of intent is a moment they have waited four years for.

“I remember going to a signing my freshman year and thinking how cool the kids were who were signing and hoping it would happen to me,” Dressman said as students left the gym. “I feel blessed, its such a great opportunity and I cannot believe it is happening to me.”

The students who signed at the ceremony were as follows:

Toni Aguiar – Track/Field – Dartmouth College
Dakota Collins – Football – Coffeyville Community College
Mollie Cooper – Girls Tennis – Colorado State University

Alex Dressman – Girls Soccer - William Jewel College
Marston Fries – Girls Swimming – University of Connecticut
Mimi Fotopolous – Girls Tennis – University of Tennessee
Hayley Hansford – Volleyball – Pittsburg State University
Kara Hines – Girls Soccer – Benedictine College
Shannon McGinely – Softball – University of Virginia
Caroline Nick – Girls Basketball – Emporia State University
Conner Shrock – Boys Golf – Kansas State University
Henry Simpson – Boys Golf – Kansas State University
Meara Smith – Girls Tennis – Missouri Western State University
Molly Young – Volleyball – Johnson County Community College

More on signing day with the Harbinger:

More Photos of Signing Day

Video: Fall Signing Day

Story: Eight East Athletes Verbally Commit to Colleges

East vs. Rockhurst Basketball Preview

Adam Lowe — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:32:41 +0000

Preview of the East vs. Rockhurst Basketball Game

The Lancer Basketball Team will be taking on cross state rival the Rockhurst Hawklets for the 37th time this Friday. You can view this game right here on www.smeharbinger.net. The JV game will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the Varsity at 7 p.m.

Previewing the game with Rockhurst Coach Mark Nusbaum

How is your approach to this game different from others?
We try to keep it as normal as possible on the practice floor, but we also know that the school treats this week different. We talk about the atmosphere, the noise, the energy is different from most Friday nights.

Is this game one that you look forward to coaching?
I always look forward to this game because of my friendship with Coach Hair, the competitive spirit of both schools and the added dimension of the Coaches vs Cancer fundraising.

Does the home team have a sizable advantage each year?
I don’t know if it is sizable, but playing on the road in that atmosphere is tough. What a great Friday night feel!

Describe your team this year?
The strength of our team this season is balance. We have several players who can score in double figures on any given night. This kind of forces teams to pick their poison, so to speak. This year we’ve got more depth at each position. Also more balance.

From your time scouting East, what are your thoughts on them?
They have the same characteristics as all Coach Hair’s team does. They play tough, physical, smart basketball. They can play different speeds at either end of the floor.

What is going to be the key to the game?
Matching their intensity and blocking out the crowd.

Previewing the game with East Coach Shawn Hair

Do you feel like the home team in this series has a sizable advantage?
I’d play every game at East if I could. I think playing at home definitely helps you. It’s one of those games where both crowds are just so jacked up that it’s gonna be a sellout at 4 o’clock. But you know, it’s not like you’re going to Allen Field house and every fan in there is cheering for KU. It’s pretty evenly split up.

What is the strength of the team this year?
We’ve got really good balance. Vance obviously is our best scorer and Zach has really picked up his scoring as well, so I think that’s been really crucial because teams are really starting to guard Vance hard. And you know, we are starting to get contributions from Andy Hiett, Chase Hanna, Billy Sutherland and Henry Simpson, so those are bigs. All of those guys are crucial to our balance.

What is the difference between this years’ team and last?
We can defend. Holding Shawnee Mission West to 26 points, that’s a big deal. So hopefully we can build on that going into McPherson and come back ready to go ready to play Rockhurst.

What are your thoughts on Rockhurst?
They’re good. They’ve got good size. They’ve got three guys inside that are really good. Kyle Wolf, who is a junior, is about 6’5 and is a really good player. Probably their leading scorer. And then Brian Fosselman who is about 6’3-6’4 and kind of a three man. And then Pat Jones is a really good guard so they’re just a solid team all the way around.

What is going to be your approach to stopping their “big three?”
More than anything, you’ve got to keep them off of the boards, got to get back in transition. Can’t give up offensive transition buckets to Rockhurst, got to make it a half court game and you can’t give them second chance opportunities. If you give them second chance opportunities, they’re going to finish.

What’s going to be the key to winning this game?
The key for us is going to be settling down immediately; everyone is going to be jacked up, amped up. Settle down; get in the flow of the game as quickly as possible. Understand that every possession has got to be one; the offensive possession has got to be won. If we do that, we should be in good shape.

Link to live broadcast recording and game wrap up from the game:

http://smeharbinger.net/sports/live-broadcast-boys-jv-and-varsity-vs-rockhurst