Swedes add Coffeyville Juco transfer

Bethany College Sports Information

LINDSBORG — Brandon Huskey has signed a letter of intent to play men's basketball at Bethany College for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Huskey, a 6-5 power forward, is transferring to Bethany from Coffeyville Community College where he made the All-Academic Team. Prior to college, Huskey attended Wyandotte High School where he was a four-year starter. He earned second-team All-Conference his senior year and honorable mention All-Conference his junior year.

During his senior season at Wyandotte, Huskey averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He shot 71 percent at the foul line.

"We are pleased to have Brandon Huskey transfer to Bethany from Coffeyville Community College,” Bethany coach Clair Oleen said. “Brandon had a really good high school career at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City and has grown, developed and matured as a player at Coffeyville. Brandon should be a real force for the Swedes in the paint at both ends of the court as his size, skill and athleticism will be very good in the KCAC. Brandon is also a very good and serious student in the criminal justice field."

Huskey is the son of Brenda Huskey. He has a 3.5 grade point average and plans to major in criminal justice.

Inman's Garst looks to repeat

Kendall Shaw

If Inman’s Grant Garst runs his usual 800-meter race on Saturday, he’ll once again be standing tallest on the podium at the State Track and Field Championships at Wichita’s Cessna Stadium.

Garst is hoping to repeat as Class 2A champion in the event and his regional time last week of 1:57.02 was six seconds faster than any other 2A time.

Garst is expected to carry the McPherson area banner as he’s the lone athlete to be ranked No. 1 off regional results.

Here is a school-by-school breakdown of the upcoming weekend:

• Canton-Galva — Just two entrants, but Cody Savage has a chance to medal in the 100 as he ranks No. 8 going in.

• Hesston — The Swather girls could be in the hunt for a top-three team finish. A lot will depend on Ali Jost and Hannah Schmitt, as they will be competing in two individual events as well as two relays. Jost has a shot to win the 200 as she’s No. 2 going in and is No. 7 in the 100. Schmitt is fifth in the 200 and sixth in the high jump, though she’s capable of a top-three in that event. Jost and Schmitt will be joined by Jessanna Nebel and Taylor Valdez in two relays, both of which the Swathers could make the finals. On the boys’ side, Ryan Schadler could visit the podium four times, as he’s the second-ranked 200 sprinter, is third in the 400, and fifth in both the 100 and triple jump. 

• Inman — The Teutons don’t have quantity, but they do have quality in addition to Garst. Krystal Miller is ranked fourth in the 200 and fifth in the 100, and Savanah Case could place high in the javelin as she’s third going in.

• Little River — The top Little River finisher should be Emily Baldwin, who's ranked No. 3 in the shot put. Ethan Wright has a chance to score in the short sprints for the Little River boys, as he’s right on the medal cutline right now.

• Moundridge — It could be a profitable weekend for both Wildcat teams. Colby Badman is expected to medal in the two short sprints for the boys, who also have a pair of quality relay teams that are good bets for the finals. The Wildcat girls should make some noise in the 100 (Anna Stucky), 300 hurdles (Ashley Holler and Peri Lange), Stucky in the long jump and a couple of relay teams.

• Smoky Valley — If the Vikings are to score any points individually, it may have to come from 300 hurdler Ashley Finney, who is ranked No. 6. The Vikings could pick up some points from their 4 x 800 relay team as well, which is No. 5 at the beginning of the meet.

Here are the McPherson area qualifiers for next weekend’s state track and field championships at Wichita:

• CANTON-GALVA •

• Cody Savage — 100

• Austin Bullinger — 400

• HESSTON •

• Ryan Schadler — 100, 200, 400 and long jump

 • John Birch — shot put

• Drew Hageman — 3,200

• Kameron Johnson, Austin Bollinger, Jonathan Weber and Drew Hageman — 4 x 800 relay

• Veronica Ziegler — long jump

• Hannah Schmitt — high jump, 200

• Ali Jost — 100, 200

• Mikala Heddin — 3,200

• Jessanna Nebel — 100 hurdles

• Jessanna Nebel, Ali Jost, Hannah Schmitt and Taylor Valdez — 4 x 100 relay; 4 x 400 relay

• INMAN •

•  Savanah Case — javelin

• Krystal Miller — 100, 200

• Grant Garst — 800, 1,600

• Tyler Cottam, Ethan Ball-Yankey, Justin Friesen and Grant Garst —  4 x 400 relay

• LITTLE RIVER •

• Emily Baldwin — shot put, discus

• Ethan Wright — 100, 200

• Brady Holler — 400

• Chet Cordell — shot put

• Grant Harvey, Trevor Smyres, Brady Holler and Ethan Wright — 4 x 100 relay

• Tanner Hodgson, Chord Zeller, Kyler Farmer and Brady Holler — 4 x 800 relay

• MOUNDRIGE •

• Colby Badman — 100, 200

• DeShawn Pfeiff — pole vault

• Tyler Kaufman — triple jump

• Colby Badman, DeShawn Pfeiff, Tyler Kaufman and Brandon Johnson — 4 x 100 relay; 4 x 200 relay

• Ashley Holler — high jump, 300 hurdles

• Rylie Dick — high jump

• Peri Lange — 300 hurdles

• Anna Stucky — long jump

• Peri Lange, Anna Stucky, Cassidy Siemens and Bailey Strausz — 4 x 100 relay

• Ashley Holler, Peri Lange, Cassidy Siemens and Bailey Strausz — 4 x 400 relay

• SMOKY VALLEY • 

• Mason Weiss — 300 hurdles

• Taylor Tiani — 400

• Emily Deterding — 400

• Emily Deterding, Sophia Peterson, Telea Peterson and Allison Rose — 4 x 800 relay

• Ashley Finney — 300 hurdles

Sewell, Wankum to lead MHS thinclads

Kendall Shaw

Keshawn Sewell and Christina Wankum will be McPherson High’s top contenders for gold medals this weekend in the State Track and Field Championships contested at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium.

Sewell is the No. 2-ranked triple jumper in Class 4A, though he’ll have to post a career mark to have a chance for first place since Ottawa’s Dallas Natt is in the field. Natt already has signed with Pittsburg State and has been a longtime state mainstay.

“Keshawn has already established himself as an elite triple jumper,” MHS coach Jace Pavlovich said, as he was third in the state last year.

Wankum is ranked No. 2 in the 3,200, which is run on Friday, and will double up in the 1,600 on Saturday.

“Christina is our team leader,” Pavlovich said.  “The nice thing for her is that she will run those races on different days so she will be fully recovered.  I cannot wait to see her run at the state level.  She is one of our most fierce competitors.  You can see it in her eyes coming down the track on the last turn that she is not going to let anyone out kick her.”

Pavlovich is hoping that the girls can finish in the Top 10, while the boys could score well despite having only three entries.

“Our girls could possibly finish in the Top 10 if we have a solid weekend.  Look for Concordia to be a top finisher on the girls’ side,” he said. “Our boys have a chance to score in the teens, which should put us in the Top 10 overall.  Andale is the team to beat on the boys’ side.”

The girls have seven entrants. Bri Cooks won the regional last week in the shot put, but is just N0. 8 overall.

“Bri is two inches away from the school record in the shot put, but ranked eighth (in 4A) this year at state with a throw of 39-7,” Pavlovich said. “She has also eclipsed the 40-foot mark in meets, but has scratched which nullified her record-breaking throws.  She has the ability to pop one and finish much higher than her seed.”

Ivanna Moyer will throw the discus and Alisa Becker will compete in the javelin. Both are seeded in the bottom fourth, but are hoping for that one big throw to land in the finals.

Megan Pedersen will compete in the high jump, where she’s 12th going in, but it’s basically close. Also in the field events, Taylor Scheidegger will compete in the triple jump even though she just took up the event a few weeks ago.

Meredith Hess is the only other track performer for the girls. She is in the 200, where she ranks ninth.

“I am so proud of Meredith,” Pavlovich said. “This girl is what our program is all about.  She has worked hard for four years and has qualified for the first time in an individual event.  She should have qualified in two other individual events, but it just so happened that those two events were loaded at regionals.  She is seeded ninth in the 200 with a time of 26.89.  This is almost a two-second improvement from where she was at at the beginning of the year. She is just now peaking, which is great to see.”

The boys have only two other entrants in addition to Sewell —  Chris Stoppel in the 100 and the 4 x 100 relay team of Stoppel, Collin Harvey, Austin O’Bannon and Kyler Kinnmon.

“Chris is just now starting to come along in the 100,” Pavlovich said. “We have been working on his running form which has been shaving time off at every meet he runs in.  He is seeded ninth with a time of 11.28.  If he can get a great start and stay relaxed throughout the race, look for him to qualify for the finals and get on the podium.”

Pavlovich believes the 4 x 100 team could do well, even though injuries have slowed its progress. Both O’Bannon and Kinnamon have been running hurt for a couple of weeks, but MHS still is the No. 4 team going in.

“We have been working very hard on our handoffs.” Pavlovich said. “If we can run a smooth race, you never know what can happen.  All it takes is one bad handoff from another team and we move up a place.” 

MHS' O'Connor co-MVP; Ruder, Kaufman on 1st team

Kendall Shaw

McPherson High’s Colleen O’Connor has been selected as co-Most Valuable Player for Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Division III soccer.

O’Connor shared the honor with Taylor Childers of Augusta.

O’Connor had a spectacular senior season after missing nearly all of her junior year with a broken leg. She scored both of the Bullpups’ goals in their heart-breaking 3-2 overtime loss to Winfield on Tuesday in the Class 4-1A State Tournament quarterfinals.

O’Connor was joined on the first team by teammates Hailey Ruder and Breckon Kaufman. MHS, coming off a 3-15 season in 2012, made a huge improvement to 10-8-1 and shared the league title with Winfield.

Addie Lanning was the only Bullpup to make the second team. MHS populated the honorable mention list, as Paige Schmidt, Hannah Willems, Michelle Carrillo, Hannah Dalke, Maren Hansen and Shaelah White were all recognized.

Don Birney of Winfield, which is playing Friday in the Class 4-1A Final Four, was named Coach of the Year.

Youth soccer camp offered

The 2013 McPherson Bullpup Youth Soccer Camp is scheduled for June 21-22 at McPherson High School.

This is for kids of all skill ranges from ages 5-14. MHS coaches and players will be working the camp, led by head soccer coach Chris Adrian. All aspects of the game will be covered.

Kids should bring water, a soccer ball and wear proper attire (cleats, shinguards).

Here is the schedule:

• Friday, June 21

• U5-U8 — Warmup (5 p.m.), skills session (5:15), scrimmage (5:45)

• U9-U-14 — Warmup (6:30 p.m.), skills session (6:45), scrimmage (7:45)

• Saturday, June 22 (Morning)

• U-5-U8 — Warmup (8:30 a.m.), skills session (8:45), scrimmage (9:30)

• U-9-U14 — Warmup (10 a.m.), skills session (10:15), scrimmage (11:15)

• Saturday, June 22 (Evening)

• U5-U-8 — Warmup (5 p.m.), skills session (5:15), scrimmage (5:45)

• U-9-U14 — Warmup (6:30), skills session (6:45), scrimmage (7:45)

The fee to register is $25, which includes a T-shirt, and the deadline is June 8. Contact Adrian at 620-755-1883.

Adrian announces dates for MHS soccer team camps

McPherson High soccer coach Chris Adrian has announced the dates for team camps for the 2013-2014 school year.

This is for all MHS players who will be entering grades 9-12 next year. The dates are July 15-19.

The fee is $40 and all proceeds go directly to camp expenses.

The camp will be at McPherson High. Girls go each day from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with the boys from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Adrian will be joined by his assistant coaches at MHS as well as area college coaches.

The Bullpup Team Camp is an intensive, five-day camp that will cover all aspects of the game and allow players to develop technically and tactically, in a fun, playing-based environment. Players will take part in drills, small-sided games, goalkeeper training and team-based competitions. The camp staff strives to create a fun inclusive environment where individual skills and teamwork are developed. 

Check with the MHS Activities Office, 241-9510, for more information or to pick up a form. The deadline to register is July 7.

Former Swedes thriving in indoor football league

LINDSBORG  — Several former Bethany College football players are in their first seasons with the Champions of Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL).

Earlier this year, DeWayne Autrey, Tyler Vogt and Zach Waggoner signed with the Salina Bombers indoor football team and Ira Autrey and Alex Fambrough signed with the Wichita Wild indoor football team.

Since then, Autrey was released from the Wild and is now playing for the Bombers, giving him an opportunity to play with his brother Ira. As of now they are both starting for the Bombers, DeWayne as a safety and Ira as a cornerback.

The Bombers are currently 6-3 and stand in fourth place in the league. Thet had a rough first game against the experienced roster of the Wichita Wild, getting beat in almost every aspect of the game. They stuck with them until half, but then struggled in the second half where the score got away from them in a finish of 60-34 in favor of the Wild. Since then they have won five of their last six and have several favorable matchups through the rest of the season.

DeWayne currently is tied for second in the league with three other players with four interceptions and DeWayne and Ira both are in the top 25 in the league with 29 total tackles. Ira has snagged three interceptions while also getting some recent kick return action.

The support for the Bombers has been spectacular as they have sold out two of their five home games with over 5,100 at the franchise's first-ever home game.

TheWild are first in the league with a 9-1 record and are very close to clinching the inaugural playoffs for the first season of the CPIFL's existence. As a team, the Wild are one of the top teams in the league in almost every defensive, offensive, and special teams category.

Fambrough, a kicker, had a shaky start in his first couple games during his first pro experience adjusting to the smaller field and goal posts, as well as adjusting to the new rules regarding kickoffs which require him to keep the ball inbounds or take a penalty.

Since then, Fambrough has honed in on his accuracy and now currently owns the top spot in just about every league stat category: most field goals made, best field goal percentage, most PATs made, most legal touchbacks.

He also leads the league in scoring for a kicker as well as average points scored per game. With the Wild offense being so successful, Fambrough's opportunities are plenty. He was named the Special Teams Player of the Week after his successful 10 extra points made, two field goals and five legal touchbacks in the 82-9 win over Mid-Missouri in which the Wild scored 11 touchdowns, seven on offense and four on defense.

Youthful Teutons set for state baseball opener

Contributed Photo

Halfway through the season, the Inman baseball team was on the road to nowhere.

The Teutons were struggling along with a saggy 3-7 record and it had the all the makings of a less-than-ordinary season.

But the Teutons caught fire, as they won nine of their final 11 games to earn a berth in the Class 2-1A State Tournament that begins Thursday at Emporia’s Soden Grove Complex.

The 12-9 Teutons play the 4 p.m. game against perennial state qualifier Sedan, which enters with a shiny 19-3 record.

If the Teutons win, they go up against the winner of Heritage Christian Academy (13-3)-Sublette (13-8) at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

“We had key wins over Sacred Heart (11-10) and Marion (10-9) late in the season,” Inman coach Jim Preston said as keys to the turnaround. “Our biggest strength is the ability to play together, compete and never give up.”

The Teutons overcame a huge obstacle just to get to state. In the regional semifinals against Flinthills, they were down to their final strike before Blake Druecker delivered a season-saving hit, one of the biggest in Inman history. They went on to win that game 7-6 in eight innings, then dominated Moundridge 8-1 in the championship game.

What makes the Teutons’ state appearance somewhat stunning is the youth of the team, as leadoff hitter and table-setter deluxe Brock Lucas and Layne Richert are the only senior starters and there are five sophomores in the lineup. Lucas is the epitome of the Teutons, who rely on their speed and aggressiveness to drive their offense. Lucas is hitting .362 with a staggering 25 stolen bases.

The Teutons have speed to burn. Blayne Konrade has 18 stolen bases, and Wyatt Regehr and Richert have 10 apiece. Druecker has nine thefts, and Taylor Almquist and Greyson Wood have pilfered eight bags apiece.

Richert is battering the ball at a .450 clip with 23 RBIs, while Treyton DeVore hits a loud .390, with a team-high 27 RBIs. Other healthy averages include Almquist (.370, 19 RBIs) and Konrade (.327). While Regehr is at .290, he’s knocking in nearly a run a game with 18.

DeVore is expected to get the nod on the mound, as he has 52 strikeouts in 42 innings and just seven walks. He has won half of the Teutons’ games as he’s 6-3. Regehr would likely get the ball if the Teutons win, as he’s 2-2. Druecker (1-0, 2.50 ERA) also is an option

The Teutons have no bargain in their opener. Sedan won the state title in 2011, its first since 1973.

“Sedan has great tradition and coach (Rick) Chrisman does an excellent job,” Preston said. “They have two pitchers with over 100 strikeouts and they will be fundamentally sound.”

STATE SCHEDULE

Thursday

11:00 — St. Paul (14-2) vs. Medicine Lodge (9-10)

1:30 — Valley Falls (16-5) vs. Ell-Saline (14-5)

4:00 — Inman (12-9) vs. Sedan (19-3)

6:30 — Heritage Christian Academy (13-3) vs. Sublette (13-8)

Friday

11:00 — St. Paul-Medicine Lodge winner vs. Valley Falls-Ell-Saline winner

1:30 — Inman-Sedan winner vs. Heritage Christian Academy-Sublette winner

4:00 — Third-place game

6:30 — Championship game

C-G grad Hill named Big 12 Baseball Coach of the Year

MANHATTAN — Brad Hill, a 1980 graduate of Canton-Galva High School, was named Tuesday as Big 12 Baseball Coach of the Year.

Hill guided the Wildcats to their first conference championship in 80 years and they could very well be a host for an upcoming NCAA regional.

The Wildcats finished Big 12 play with a 16-8 record and were 39-16 overall, that after suffering through a losing season last year and finishing in a tie for last place. Kansas State was picked seventh in the preseason Big 12 poll.

It’s been a banner year for Kansas State, which shared the Big 12 title in men’s basketball with Kansas and shared the football title with Oklahoma.

Hill was a standout at Canton-Galva both as a football and basketball player. He also was  a stellar performer for the McPherson American Legion baseball team under the coaching of Vance Carlson. He later went on to become one of the greatest players in Emporia State history, as he holds most of the Hornets’ offensive records, and later played in the Texas Rangers organization.

 Before being hired at Kansas State in 2004, Hill coached at Central Missouri State, where he won an NCAA Division II national championship in 2003. He also was an assistant at Kansas for four years and was head coach for three years at Hutchinson Community College.

All in all, Hill has won 740 games while losing 331 in his coaching career and is 332-240 at Kansas State.

The Wildcats are competing this weekend in the Big 12 Postseason Tournament at Oklahoma City.

McPherson College hosting Class 5A State Soccer Tournament this weekend

McPherson College Sports Information

McPherson High may no longer be a Class 5A school, but that isn’t preventing the city of McPherson from serving as the host for the Class 5A Girls State Soccer Final Four this weekend.

McPherson College is in charge of the event, which is expected to be a boon to the McPherson economy.

McPherson College Athletic Director Doug Quint, who also serves as the Bulldogs’ men’s soccer coach, is delighted that the school is able to show off its facilities. Not only does McPherson Stadium have a fast track as its artificial surface was replaced recently, but it has a top-notch practice field the teams can warm up on.

The field was set after Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The 5 p.m. game Friday features AVCTL Division II member Valley Center (19-0) against Mill Valley (15-2-1), while the 7 p.m. game is a battle of powers as St. Thomas Aquinas (16-2-1) takes on Bishop Carroll (15-1-3), two schools with excellence in all sports programs. The third-place game Saturday is set for noon, with the championship game at 2 p.m.

“Only three sites across the state of Kansas are chosen to host an event like this,” Quint said. “For McPherson to be chosen with the likes of Wichita and Topeka is a tremendous honor. The impact this has on our community and college is tremendous. People from all over the state will be in town and on our campus for two days. Our goal is to run a first-class championship and give the student-athletes, fans and community a good experience.”