Top Sports Moments of the Last Four Years

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.