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.

“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.

“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.

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

Watch the Senior Night presentations here:

Watch a recording of the Lancers’ 50-56 loss to Olathe East.

Marisa Walton

Senior Jack Haverty is tired of hearing the Blue Valley North swim team talk trash. He’s sick of hearing them call East’s team “lucky” or make excuses after Haverty and the rest of the relay team won all three relays on their senior night.

“We don’t talk back; we just let our swimming do the talking,” Haverty said.

Haverty and the team heard from their assistant coach that the BV North team said that East wasn’t going to pull off another hat trick in the relays at Topeka the upcoming meet. The team took those comments and turned them into motivation at practice.

Watching BV North win state a year ago gave the team motivation during the off-season to work hard and come back even faster. With the memory of their loss still in their minds, the Lancers have maintained focus all year to achieve their main goal: beat the Mustangs and take home the state title.

At Topeka, the Lancers lost their first relay but won the following two, something that kept the Mustangs’ mouths shut.

“We may have beat North on senior night and Topeka but the whole team still wants redemption after watching them win state last year,” Haverty said.

Despite the trash talk and the rivalry between the schools, Haverty said that the whole East team sees the Mustangs with respect and are looking forward to facing them again for a fourth time this season in Topeka.

“We really respect North for what they’ve achieved,” Haverty said. “Most of this year’s swimmers were at state last year and even though our chances weren’t too good last year, it still gave us a sick feeling to see them take state home. I think we have a really good shot at it this year.”

Since 1990, East and BV North have been crowned champions more than half the time combined. East has won state six times since 1990, while North has won it eight times.

Lancers’ head coach Wiley Wright, who has coached at East for the last 27 years, has witnessed the rivalry develop over the last 10  years.

“Some years we’ve been better than them, and vice versa,” Wright said. “One year they’ll beat us and the other we’ll come back and beat them.”

Wright says he has seen the team improve throughout the season. This year a lot more swimmers than usual have gotten their state cuts before league.

“Last year we had a lot of kids make their state cuts at league. It is harder for them to come back in two weeks and get that same time. If they can do it before league then that gives them the chance to train through league and drop time at state,” Wright said.

The Lancers are 7-1 going into league and will be looking to end the season on a high note. Despite these positive early signs for East, Wright is still focused on getting the other swimmers who haven’t gotten their cut yet qualify at league.

One new addition to the swim team has been senior Grant Minick, who swims the 50 and 100 free. Minick, who transferred from Osbourn Park high school in Virginia, has impressed Coach Wright and will be a big part of the Lancers’ quest for state.

Wright says he mostly amazed how the new senior has recovered from breaking his femur during lacrosse in October.

“He’s at 90% now but if he continues to train the way he’s training he should be 100% at state,” Wright said.

Minick believes that although the injury has diminished his chances to swim at the collegiate level, he can still help the team at state.

“My goal for state is to at least get the same time from last year,” Minick said. “I’m going to treat state just like any other meet and will train for it just as I have done for each meet.”

According to senior Andrew Hornung, this year’s team has a lot more experience than past years and has plenty of talent.

“The relay teams have gotten better and all the seniors have been trying their hardest knowing that this is our last shot at state.”

Hornung says that this year been particularly different from his last three years on the varsity team.

“Senior night was very emotional and it was weird knowing that was the last home meet,” Hornung said.

Hornung has also seen his fellow senior team mates grow into their leadership roles this season.

“Our team is a lot more veteran-driven and mature than last year. It’s weird watching the past seniors and then having to take on the responsibilities that they had.” Hornung said.

Wylie believes that the seniors last year landed the foundation for this year’s seniors to take the helm and lead the team.

“This year’s seniors have done a great job assuming the leadership that each year’s seniors are expected to take,” Wright said. “They know that this is their last shot and that they will do everything they possibly can do to be successful.”

Coach Wright predicts that this year will be a three team horse race at state between East, Wichita East and, of course, BV North. Despite his team’s success and high expectations, Wright still has set a humble goal at state.

“Our goal this year is again to place in the top three,” Wright said. “Honestly, I tell them to do the best that they can and what happens happens. If they swim as fast as they can, that’s all I can ask for.”

Hornung believes that this year’s state competition will be a tough one with a couple other teams that are loaded with talent and speed. Despite the team’s success, Hornung thinks that team will keep their heads straight and hopefully end his high school swimming career with a state championship.

“There are about three are four really good teams at state this year,” Hornung said.

“We aren’t really overconfident but these last few weeks have definitely been good signs. The other teams are going to make it really hard and I think we’re all up to the challenge. It’s going to be a fight till the last relay.”

“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 ]]> http://smeharbinger.net/sports/wrestling-wins-sunflower-league/feed 0 http://smeharbinger.net/sports/live-broadcast-double-header-vs-sm-northwest http://smeharbinger.net/sports/live-broadcast-double-header-vs-sm-northwest#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:51:55 +0000 The Harbinger Online Staff http://smeharbinger.net/?p=45423 The Lady Lancers defeated the Cougars 59-45, and the boys defeated the Cougars 49-37.

Boys’ game:

Girls’ game:

“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.

Watch a recording of the boy’s 58-52 victory over Lawrence.

Matt Baker a Maryville University wrestler and 2008 East graduate is being featured on NCAA “All Access”. In this video mini-series the NCAA selects a school and one of their athletes to do video blogs of their daily life. So far Baker has shot four videos, and he is continuing to shoot them weekly. After Baker shoots the videos, he submits them to one of his assistant coaches where they are passed on to “All Access” and posted to be viewed on the NCAA’s Website.

Currently Baker is a fourth-year junior, but his first three years of college were not spent at Maryville. After graduating from East in 2008, Baker began his wrestling career at Division II wrestling powerhouse, the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO). Baker redshirted his freshman year, earned 24 wins the season after that and was a Division II All-American last season. After a national championship win in the 2010-11 season, UNO and head wrestling coach Mike Denney had won their third straight, and sixth out of the last eight Division II National Championships. Just hours after winning the national championship, Baker received a text from assistant coach Ron Higdon to return to their hotel as soon as possible.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” said Baker, “My first thought was that maybe someone had gotten hurt, but really I didn’t know what to expect.”

Nothing could have prepared the team for the news they were about to receive. After gathering in the lobby of their Kearney, Neb. hotel, the team was told that UNO athletic director Trev Alberts was proposing moving from Division II to Division I. If the school made the jump, they would join the Summit League which does not provide funding for football and wrestling, and therefore the programs would be cut. On the eve of their third consecutive national championship, a night that should have been spent celebrating, the UNO Mavericks were in utter disbelief.

“At that point I thought no way,” said Baker. “No way this could come true, there is no way they could let this happen.”

When the team made their return to Omaha, they began to organize any kind of student resistance they could muster up. Unfortunately, the resistance was a waste of time. Alberts had told Denney that the move was just a proposal, and nothing had been decided yet. But in reality, it was too late. Upon meeting with the wrestling and football teams for the first time, the decision had already been made; the programs were going to be cut.

Fortunately for Denney and his team, their success was admired and sought after by many other schools. Within a day of hearing the proposal, Denney was bombarded with phone calls and e-mails from schools interested in offering him a coaching job. However, one of the offers seemed to stand out from the rest. Maryville University, a private school in St. Louis did not have a wrestling team, but was highly interested in adding one. Jeff Miller, the vice president of Maryville made an offer for Denney, his coaching staff and the whole UNO team to make the move to Maryville. Upon hearing the offer, Baker and some of his teammates began to discuss it, and could not deny its appeal.

“I remember thinking, if we get enough guys, and the right guys, we can win a national championship next year,” said Baker.

Denney accepted the offer from Maryville, and the wrestlers began examining their options. Ideally, the whole team and the recruits they signed would have been able to make the move, but due to everyone’s individual academic and family needs this was not a reality. Being that Maryville is a private school, the tuition was also more than everyone can afford. Even after these hurdles, 12 of the 19 wrestlers on Maryville’s roster either wrestled at UNO or were incoming freshmen planning on wrestling there.

After figuring out who would be joining him in Maryville, Baker soon realized that a National Championship may not be in the cards for this season. But that does not mean that the future for Maryville’s program is not bright. On campus, the interest level in wrestling is high and gaining even more support. The roster is set with one of the top freshmen classes in the country and with leadership from upperclassmen like Baker they are getting better week by week. Three of these freshmen start, and have gotten first place finishes for the team at multiple meets this season. Denney says that he believes he has about eight years left of coaching, and Baker is confident that during his tenure Maryville will bring home a national championship.

“It probably won’t happen this year,” said Baker, “But Coach Denney will be able to in his time here, I have no doubts.”

For more on the cutting of UNO’s football and wrestling programs, check out the ESPN Outside the Lines report.

In the second round of the 48^th Annual McPherson Invitational Tournament, the Lancers fell to the hometown Bullpups 60-51. From the beginning of the game, Coach Shawn Hair’s team was unable to establish any rhythm on the offensive end. In a pregame interview, Hair said the Lancers would have to take care of the ball and not let the turnovers get the best of them. This was not the case however, as the Lancers turned the ball over 26 times.

The second quarter was characterized by more offensive woes from the Lancers as they continued to struggle with turnovers. McPherson senior guard Jordan Hart provided most of their offensive firepower. None of the Lancer defenders seemed able to contain him. After struggling to retain quality offensive possessions, senior guard Andy Hiett led an 11-5 Lancer run to end the quarter. Going into halftime, East trailed 29-20.

After carrying the momentum into halftime, the Lancers found themselves down 15 early in the third quarter. Juniors Vance Wentz and Zach Schneider proved to be the key sources of offense for East again as they fueled a comeback to bring the Lancers within one. Key assists from senior guards Henry Simpson and Alex Schoegler helped fuel the run as well. Late in the quarter, Schneider hit three free throws to give the Lancers a one point lead, their first of the game.

Coming into the fourth quarter, the Lancers looked to be controlling the game. McPherson was able to pick up the intensity on the defensive side and force more Lancer turnovers. Hart continued to give the Bullpups solid offense and got some help inside from junior Keaton Sorenson. After East gave up a few buckets and failed to convert on the offensive end, McPherson finally pulled away.

The Lancers drop to 6-4 on the season, and will play a tough Lawrence Free State team in the 3^rd place game tomorrow at 5:30. Hair’s team will be looking to rebound against a Sunflower League opponent who fell just short of the tournament’s championship.

Points by Player:

Wentz: 20

Schneider: 14

Hiett: 10

Tuttle: 4

Simpson: 2

Sutherland: 1

]]> http://smeharbinger.net/sports/live-broadcast-boys-basketball-vs-mcpherson-high/feed 0 http://smeharbinger.net/sports/weekly-winter-sports-update-week-2 http://smeharbinger.net/sports/weekly-winter-sports-update-week-2#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:21:34 +0000 The Harbinger Online Staff http://smeharbinger.net/?p=38993 Swimming:  
Last week the Lancer’s won their duel meet against reigning state champion, Blue Valley North, in what was an extremely close meet.“Going in we knew we could we win but all of the [Blue Valley] North kids thought that they had the meet,” senior Jack Haverty said. “The entire meet their was so much energy, I’ve never heard the pool that loud. In all of the relays we were underdogs but we came out victorious in all of them.”

“We need our play makers to make plays in big games,”  Stein said.  “Even though they did that for the most part we were just not able to convert.”

The Lady Lancers have a full week of practice before their next game.  Tuesday, Jan. 24 the Lady Lancers will take on the SM Northwest Cougars at home for the first time this season at home.

Girls Game Wrap Up

>>By Andrew McKittrick

Watch a recording of the Lancer’s 46-26 victory over SM West.

Boys Game Wrap Up

>>By Will Webber

“I think we are off to a good start we won our first meet and did well yesterday too”  Patrick said.  “I feel really good about how our team has been playing early.

“The coaches pushed me to start wrestling,” senior Tyler Nelson said, “But once I got started I just could not quit.”

The Lancers were favored over the Pioneers last night, as their returning state-placers had an advantage over a less experienced Leavenworth team. The seniors got some help from junior Gavin Jorns who quickly pinned his opponent scoring the team six points. Senior Ben Randolph struggled in his match against a less experienced Leavenworth opponent, but was still able to come out with a victory.

Senior Ben Randolph along with Blaine Hill are the two Lancer wrestlers planning on receiving a wrestling scholarship next year. Benedictine and Cornell College are currently Randolph’s top choices, while Hill remains undecided.

“Wrestling was my favorite sport through high school, I think lessons I learned from it will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Randolph said.

With two returning Sunflower League Champions and four returning state-placers the Lancers have high expectations for the rest of the season. League will take place on Feb. 11 and state is two weeks later starting Feb. 24.