Author Spotlight
Elias Lowland
photo by: Ava Simonsen
Multimedia by: Sam Brown
Soccer– Clayton Phillips Cements Himself as One of East’s Soccer Greats
The soccer team finished the regular season with an 8-0 win against Shawnee Mission North on Oct. 20, which was their final game until the substate tournament. Their season finished with only one loss, 1-0, against Olathe East on Oct. 18. Senior Clayton Phillips had a hat-trick, bringing his total goals for the season to 17. He is now tied with current head coach Jamie Kelly for second-most regular season goals in East history. The late Tyler Rathbun is the only player with more goals. Following the game, the Lancers clinched the second seed in the regional bracket and will play number eight, Blue Valley North, at Shawnee Mission North Stadium on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. East will have to play an additional game following the matchup against BVN in order to become regional champions.
Girls Golf– Golf Fails to Repeat as Champions but Still Places Second
The golf team finished their season with a second place finish at state, played at the Country Club of Leawood. Seniors Teagan Noblit and Jessica Parker finished fifth and ninth, respectively. After winning state last year, the team was aiming at consecutive championships. The team improved their average score by 10 strokes from last season.
“For a while, the team was very upset about our finish at state, but looking back at the whole season, we realize that one tournament did not define it for us,” Parker said. “Emotions were high and there was a lot of passion which made losing tough. Even though we didn’t accomplish our end goal, I know I [am] and everyone else is still very proud of this team.”
Girls Tennis– Tennis Repeats as State Runner-up
The girls’ tennis team finished the season as state runner up for the second consecutive year. Following the retirement of former head coach of 45 years, Sue Chipman, former assistant Andy Gibbs took over as head coach. Junior Sarah Wilcox went undefeated en route to the championship where she fell in two straight sets to claim 6A runner up. The doubles team comprised of senior Joie Freirich and junior Larkin McLiney placed third and team of senior Gretchen Cooper and sophomore Lucy Kendall finished fifth. East fell second behind Blue Valley North by six points in the overall point total; East scored 14 points more than the third place finisher, Blue Valley Northwest.
Football– East’s Strong Running Game puts them in good position entering playoffs
The football team finished the regular season with eight wins and only one loss, 20 to 26 against Rockhurst High School on Sept. 26. The running game has accounted for roughly two-thirds of the total offensive yards. Seniors Nigil Houston, Trevor Thompson and Luke Kaiser have played major roles in the team’s success in the regular season. Houston, a transfer from Shawnee Mission West at the end of last school year, has become the number one running target. Houston along with junior Milton Braasch has become a major running threat as well after moving from inside linebacker this year.
“I think we improved as the games progressed,” Braasch said. “In the playoffs, we just have to take it one game at a time and focus every week.”
East plays Shawnee Mission Northwest in the first game of the playoffs on Oct. 27 at Shawnee Mission North Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
Gymnastics– After strong showing at league, gymnastics falls short at state
The gymnastics team placed seventh at state, which was held at Shawnee Mission South, on Oct. 22. Junior Jessie Stindt placed in the top 10 in the all-around competition; she was the only member of the team to place. Stindt placed first at the district meet which East won for the first time in school history. East placed third overall at the Sunflower League meet on Oct. 9 leading up to the state meet.
Cross Country– After first place finish at Regionals, cross country hopes to win state next
The boys’ cross country team won the regional meet on Oct. 22 after a disappointing fifth place finish at the Sunflower League meet. The team now looks to improve from last year and win state. The last time the team placed in the top three, before last season, was in 1967. Senior Jack Young placed second at regionals, while sophomore Griffin Keeter placed third and senior John Arnspiger placed fifth. The team won the overall points total by a slim three points over Shawnee Mission Northwest. Regionals was the final meet before the state meet last Saturday at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.
The girls’ cross country team finished fourth at regionals. East had three runners in the top 20 finishers, including senior Devon Dietrich placing 19th, junior Ingrid Worth placing fourth, and freshman Kathleen Stanley placing 18th. East failed to qualify any runners for state last year, keeping them from having any runners compete at this year’s state meet.
Volleyball– Volleyball goes to state tournament for the first time since 1983
The volleyball team won the substate tournament advancing to the state tournament for the first time since 1983. East beat Wyandotte High School in two straight games to advance to the finals of the substate tournament. After dropping the first game East came back to win back-to-back games against Blue Valley High School.
“We are really looking forward to state since we have been working so hard all year. I think we can beat anyone if we stick as a group and play hard together,” junior Sydney Ashner said.
East plays against Lawrence Free State at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 28 at the ExpoCenter in Topeka. The team will have two additional games in order to advance to the state finals.
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