Clarion's Fall Sports Preview 2012

BREAKING OUTAndale Football’sJake Brand

Haven Volleyball’sAshley Rogers

This is one of my favoritetimes of the year. Theweather is starting to get

cooler, children are back inschool and, of course, footballseason is near. I enjoy watching volleyball and

tennis as much as the next per-son, and I admire cross countryrunners, but for me, football iswhat makes me excited for thistime of year. The cracking of the helmets, the

smell of the grass and the yellingfrom the sidelines; everyone hashopes of a successful season rightnow, and the real games start onFriday, so optimism is as high asit will ever be right now.I am a huge Kansas City Chiefs

fan and couldn’t be more excitedto see what happens this yearwith my team. The Chiefs had agreat off-season and are bringingback a ton of guys who wereinjured last year, so if you ask me,things are looking up this season. I was eight years old when Joe

Montana led Kansas City to a winin Houston against the Oilers in

1993 for their last playoff win.Eight… Every year, I convince myself

that this is the year we are goingto break through. Never was Imore excited than in 2003, mysenior year of high school, whenthe Chiefs started out 9-0 andlooked unstoppable. Trent Green was airing out

bombs to Tony Gonzalez andEddie Kennison, and PriestHolmes was one of the best run-ning backs in the league, settingthe touchdown record for a singleseason that year. Then there was The Human

Joystick, Dante Hall, who tied aNFL record for returns in a sea-son and was an early MVP candi-date. His return at home against

Denver when he got caughtbehind the 10 yard line and jukeda few guys and then ran back-ward even farther after gettingaround one last defender and hadnothing but daylight was one ofthe coolest plays I have ever seento this day. Hall was the man.

The Chiefs were rolling, and Ikept telling everyone this was theyear we would knock down thedoor and win a playoff game. Kansas City finished the season

13-3 and with the second seed inthe AFC. Nothing could have gonebetter, but there was a chink inthe armor, and teams figured outthat the Chiefs were an open dooron defense. In came Peyton Manning and

the Colts into Arrowhead, and itwas a shootout. Hall evenreturned one for a touchdown, buta fumble late by Holmes ended up

being the only turnover, and theColts beat my Chiefs, ending thebest chance K.C. had to win aplayoff game for a long time. I wasdevastated. Fast forward to 2012 and

Peyton Manning is older but stilleffective, and now he plays fordivision rival Denver. He willmake another trip to Kansas Citywith the Chiefs having their bestteam in quite some time.Everything is coming full circle. As much as I am excited about

watching the drama that will bethe Kansas City Chiefs season, Iam just as excited to see thedrama with prep football thisyear, too. Andale is always a tough team

to beat, and should bounce back ina big way. Haven hasn’t had an overly

competitive team for awhile, butlet me tell you this: I think theWildcats are really going to sur-prise some people this year. Havenis no doormat, and their teamlooks like it might make a splash. Maize and Maize South will

both have tough schedules toovercome, so we will quickly seehow their seasons will go. The cool thing about this area is

that all our teams have a chanceto make some noise this year,which makes going to the gamesall that more enjoyable. We won’t just be at the games

on Friday nights, though, as weplan on making it to as many vol-leyball matches, cross countrymeets and tennis tournaments aswe can. This is the first fall sports pre-

view The Clarion has ever pro-duced of this magnitude. In thepast, there has been a footballpreview done but never one withthe other fall sports. We wouldn’t have been able to

produce this without the advertis-ers in this section, so if you likewhat you see, make sure to fre-quent their establishments anduse their services whenever youcan, and we will keep producingquality sections in the future. Well, with no further ado, are

you ready for some fall sports?

Fall SportS preview • 2

THE CLARION

Are you ready for fall sports?

PUBLISHER

JOEY YOUNG

316-445-2444

[email protected]

ANDALE- Another season begins on thegridiron for the Andale Indian Footballteam, which strives for a state champi-onship every year. The road won’t be easy, as tough games

against Collegiate, Clearwater and thereigning 4A State Champion Rose HillRockets are all on the Indians’ scheduleearly. If the team is to succeed in its goals,

they will need to be led by their largegroup of seniors including Jake May, TylerBugner, Levi Eck, Ben Seiler, DanielCarney, Gabe Probst, Jared Smarsh,Michael Maus and last year’s First teamall AVCTL and honorable mention all-state linebacker Jake Brand. The Indians struggled early last year,

losing five straight games to begin theseason, but rebounded nicely, reeling offfive wins in a row before losing to Rose

Hill in the second round of the playoffs. Head Coach Gary O’Hair hopes the

team can ride their late game momentumand continue to improve so the team canwork towards its goals. “We’ve had a good summer, which is

good since we start off with a toughschedule again with Collegiate, Rose Hilland Clearwater as our first three games,”he said. “These are all teams that beat usearly last year, so we need to be ready.” Another big challenge awaits the

Indians in division play as their firstopponent will be Buhler at home. If they get out of division play and head

towards the playoffs, Andale is always atough out and should give every team ontheir schedule a tough and hardnosedopponent. O’Hair is in his tenth year coaching the

Indians and his 21st overall. His assis-tants are Tim Fairchild, Ted Easter, ClayUrbanek, Dylan Schmidt, Derek Deegan,Jordan Ungles and Greg Smarsh. The Indians finished 2011 with a 5-6

record and kick off this year’s campaignFriday night against Collegiate at home.


Indian Football ready for next stepBY JOEY YOUNG

THE CLARION [email protected]

FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Top right:Jared Smarsh breaks loose for arun against Clearwater in the Indians' first-round playoff game last season.

Above: Trent Horsch, right, tries to breakaway from Mulvane defenders in a regularseason game.

Left: Tyler Bugner fights for some yardage inAndale High School's 2011 football debut atthe annual Black and Gold event last season.


AHS Volleyball hasbig goals for season

ANDALE – Hanging something on thewall through team unity and chemistrywill be the Andale Volleyball team’s pri-mary goal going into the season. The team returns three seniors,

Mackenzie Stuever, Olivia Orth andJessica Schwartz, who all have been var-sity starters since their sophomore year.After playing competitive club volleyballduring the off-season, they are hungry fortheir final season wearing black and gold. Following last year’s second round loss

at sub-state to Maize South, the Indianslook to rebound and take the team to thenext level. Andale’s biggest challenge in doing

that will be to get healthy as severalgirls are recovering from off-seasoninjuries and need to get back to full-strength. “They will definitely need their team-

mates’ support to help them get backinto the swing of things,” Head CoachJanelle Birkner said. Birkner is in her third year as head

coach, and she will be aided by assistantcoaches Valeen Finney and Sarah McGee. The Indians finished 2011 with a 24-14

record.

BY JOEY YOUNG


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Lauren Rowland blocks a shot during the Andale High School's Black andGold volleyball exhibition last season.


Indians workingtoward Wamego

Andale golfers wantto take the next step

ANDALE- It’s all about the state tour-nament in Wamego for the Andale CrossCountry team, which has a state trophyas their big goal for the 2012 season. “The top three teams receive a state

trophy. The top four teams from last yearhave only lost one runner and will becompeting for it,” Head Coach JamesGregg said. The boys team finished just outside the

top three with a fourth place finish at 4A

state last year and have Jacob Wallace,Evan Vaughn, Tommy McKean, BryceCamp, Kurtis Liles, Paul Koontz andNathan Wallace leading their team thisyear. The girls varsity team returns one girl

who qualifed for state, Sarah Zurkee, andwill be comprised of Denise Merrill, EmilyUnrein, Katy Spencer, Clara Lane, EllenReardon, and Madison Seiler. “We are concentrating on the state

meet,” Gregg said. “Our goal is to bringhome a trophy.”Gregg is in his sixth year coaching the

Indians and will be assisted by long-timecoach Lance Reid.

BY JOEY YOUNG


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Andale runners compete in a meet last season. The Indians finished secondat the state tournament at Wamego last year.

ANDALE- Another trip to state,this time with the title, is what theAndale Girls Golf team has in itssight for the upcoming season. Last year, the Indians were close

to grasping the title but camehome with second place, losing outto Buhler.This year, the Indians will be led

by seniors Taylor Hawkins, RachelEck and Jamie Mies, who will allbe intricate to Andale achieving

their goals. “It’s all about getting back to

state this year,” Head Coach IrvSchueller said. “Buhler beat us lastyear, so they are the team to beat.” Schueller said the team is work-

ing on being more consistent andalways practicing their short gameso they can close the deal thisyear. “We are hosting our regional, so

that will be a big advantage to us,”he said. Andale will play at their home

course, Cherry Oaks in Cheney,three times this year, on Sept. 17,Sept. 24 and Oct. 8.

FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Dani Eck watches her shot sail during a meet last season.

BY JOEY YOUNG


COVERIING ANDALE SPORTS EVERY WEEKWWW.CLARIONPAPER.COM


Returners to power2012 Maize football

MAIZE – The Maize Eagles return 25lettermen for the 2012 season as they lookto improve on last year’s 3-6 record. In their second season under head

coach Gary Guzman, who has a 103-93record in 29 years of coaching, Maize isonce again pitted against a competitiveArk Valley Chisholm Trail League-Division I. The Eagles, 2-4 in the league in 2011

and 1-2 in district play, are aiming atmaking the playoffs and advancing as faras possible this year. To do that, they’ll“have to execute and play fast and aggres-sive on both sides of the ball,” CoachGuzman said. Maize will run a spread offense and a 4-

2 defense, Guzman said. The team alsowill rely on leadership from their seniorclass and experience on the offensive line. Returning offensive starters include

Spencer Baalman, senior lineman, 6’3”,234; Blaise Fountain, senior lineman, 6’2”,271; Joseph Hamer, senior lineman, 6’0”,225; Colin Nitcher, senior lineman, 5’8”,200; Jordan Schultz, senior wide receiver,

6’3”, 200; and Chase White, junior, run-ning back, 5’11”, 182. Top offensive newcomers include Dane

Byfield, senior wide receiver, 5’10”, 174;Conner Lungwitz, sophomore, quarter-back, 6’1”, 175; and Zach McGuire, senior,wide receiver, 6’0”, 170. Defensively, the Eagles return Landon

Lemuz, senior, defensive back, 5’11”, 178;Matt Mar, senior, lineman, 5’10”, 213; AlexMcNew, senior, linebacker, 5’9”, 195;Ethan Stallbaumer, senior, linebacker,6’1”, 215; and Brayden Wood, senior, line-man, 5’11”, 212.They are joined by newcomers Nick

Benford, junior, lineman, 6’3”, 233; KolbyKern, junior, linebacker, 5’10”, 193; AustinLumpkins, senior, defensive back, 5’6”,147; Justin Queen, junior, defensive back,5’11”, 150; Garrett Thompson, junior, line-backer, 5’8”, 178; and Brian Velo, senior,lineman, 5’10”, 211. The 2012 assistant coaches are Chris

Davis, Rob Helm, Rocky Helm, VictorMercado, JJ Milanovich, Fred Rosas,Travis Self, David Walker and WadeWatkins. The AVCTL-Division I teams are

Campus, Derby, Hutchinson, Maize,Newton, Salina Central and Salina South.Maize is in District 8, along with DodgeCity, Garden City and Hutchinson.

BY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Maize receiver Drew DeOrsey tries to get extra yardage out of a reception. Hescored one touchdown in the Eagles' 14-0 victory over Andover last season.

MAIZE – Maize High’s tennis doublespartners Paige Lungwitz and JessHolman have three-peated at state thelast three years. Now seniors, the pairhopes to make it a clean four in a row. Last year, they were 29-14, and third in

the league, second in regionals and ninthat state, while helping the team earn anArk Valley Chisholm Trail League-Division I and Regional championship. On the singles side, junior Hannah

Hills was a state qualifier last season, fin-ishing fourth in the league and third inregionals. Senior Sydney Shields reachedstate and netted seventh place in theleague and fourth at regionals, and fellowsenior Audrey Stingo qualified for doublesat state and finished fourth in the leagueand in regional play. Natalie Chabot, senior, and Tiffany

Holman, freshman, add more depth to thesquad’s lineup. Anderson, the Eagles coach for the past

14 years, expects the team to be tested atthe St. Thomas Invitational (Sept. 18),Collegiate Classic (Aug. 25), MaizeInvitational (Aug. 30), and CollegiateTournament of Champions (Sept. 22).


MAIZE – The Lady Eagles’ bid toreturn to state will be a tall order thisseason. “The AVCTL-Division I is looking

stronger each year, and winning leaguewill be no easy task,” said Maize volley-ball head coach Betsy Martling. But Maize may have the right combi-

nation to travel that tough road. “We have the largest class of seniors

this season than any other I havecoached at Maize. Cohesiveness and afamily attitude will hopefully take us farand allow us to continue our winningtradition,” said Martling, now in herfourth year at the helm.The Eagles seniors, Lexi Hartzog,

libero, Heather Engle, outside hitter, andMary Kangas, setter/hitter, will be bol-stered by sophomore setter/hitter andall-round athlete Keiryn Swenson asthey try to repeat as league and sub-state champs, and place at state. Eagles assistant coaches are Megan

Sauer, Alison Hall and Kristina Harris.

Volleyball has tough road aheadBY FRED SOLIS


BY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION A Maize tennis player smacks the ballback to her opponent during a tour-nament last season.

Four in a row for team?

MAIZE – A year after winning ArkValley Chisholm Trail-Division I, theMaize High Boys and Girls Cross CountryTeams are poised to take the program tothe next level. The girls, who also won a regional

championship last year, their fourth in sixyears, placed fifth at state. “Last year I was guardedly optimistic

about how the girls would finish up, know-ing they were young but fairly talented,”said Skeeter Rankins, now in his seventhyear as Maize’s head cross country coach. “Our girls…have been the most consis-

tent girls group I have ever seen here atMaize when it comes to summer condition-ing. They know that champions and cham-pionships are won in the summer, andthey have set some high goals that I hopethey achieve,” Rankins said.Returning runners include Deidra

Walker, sophomore, Sydney Roy, junior,Dani Bever, sophomore, Aaren Morrell,sophomore, Shea Roy, junior, KaitlynAyres, freshman, Shealene Woods, sopho-more, Emily Scheuffele, sophomore, andRachel Mohr, senior. The boys narrowly missed a regional

title last year, coming in second, butadvancing to state, where they finished insixth place. The boys have a strong core returning

with Brooks Rummery, senior, JasonCostello, junior, and Cole Bosley, sopho-more, leading the way. Juniors Jake Omo, Colin Olson, and

Stevan Lizardo, along with RichieRathbun, senior, Chris Chesser, junior,Liam Kilgore, senior, and HarrisonSchively, freshman, should also earnpoints for the Eagles. Meets this season at Emporia, Rim Rock

Classic, AVCTL, Regional, and the Class6A state meet will offer the Eagles theirtoughest fields. Rankins is assisted by Diane Walker, a

second-year coach.

MHS XC set for another strong seasonBY FRED SOLIS


MAIZE – The Eagles return a solidcore of golfers in its bid to repeat as ArkValley Chisholm Trail League-Division Ichampions and Regional runner-up. Theteam finished eighth at state last season. Maize will be led on the links by

returning league champion TaelynEntriken, who was tenth at state, LizzyHurley, fifth in league, and AshlieRieswig, sixth in league. Senior Madison Scheer and sopho-

mores Brodee Johanson and BrittaniCasement will give the Eagles addeddepth. Fourth-year head coach Ben Harlow

looks to the Hutchinson, Salina andGarden City Invitationals to be theEagles’ biggest tests this season.

Golf team wants to repeat as league champsBY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THECLARION

Lizzy Hurleywatches herputt rolltoward thecup duringaction at theEisenhowerInvitationalgolf tourna-ment. Maizegolfers tookfirst place inthe tourneywith a scoreof 181.

WHAT’S BLACK AND WHITE AND READ ALL OVER?

THE CLARION

HAVEN – Ashley Rogers is lookingto blow past last year’s 11-21 recordand help take the Wildcats volleyballteam as far as they can go in her sen-ior year at Haven. “Getting to state would be awe-

some,” said the 5’9” Rogers, who wasSecond Team All-League last season.The Wildcats were defeated in thefirst round of sub-state competitionlast year. Rogers plans to “listen to coach, do

what she wants of me and try to bethe best I can be” when she takes herposition as middle hitter for theWildcats. As one of the team’s leaders,

Rogers will draw on her experienceas a four-year starter to help meldthe team into a unit that works hardtogether and leaves it all out on thefloor. Over the summer, Rogers contin-

ued to hone her skills at volleyballcamp and at tournaments. Her teamtied for first place at the Inman tour-nament, and she was named to theall tourney team at Halstead. Losing just four players to gradua-

tion last year, the Wildcats hope tocombine their returning talent andtransferring players with their matu-rity. “I think we’re going to be

improved,” Coach Katie Thomas said.“We’re athletic, quick and scrappy. Weclimbed in the rankings last year,and we hope to this year. The goal isto be one of the top four in theleague.” Moving Rogers from outside to

middle hitter also will enhance theWildcats’ athleticism and defense,Thomas said. “We hope that will help with the

blocking and put her in position tocontinue to score for us and make bigplays for us,” Thomas said. While she’s looking forward to

returning to the floor, being a senioris a little bittersweet for Rogers. “Knowing it’s my last year is so

sad,” she said. But staying togetheras a team and overcoming any obsta-cle that comes their way is the anti-dote, she said. “I want to be a leader that they can

say, ‘She led the team well,’” Rogerssaid. “I love to encourage. During myfreshman year, I played with my sis-ter. She was my biggest cheerleader.” As an experienced senior, Rogers

“built into a vocal leadership role inpractice,” Thomas said. “I hope shecontinues that. “We’re excited about the outlook.

We have a lot of potential. I hope wecan peak at the right time of the sea-son,” Thomas said. “We can definitely do it,” Rogers

said.


Rogers looking for break outBY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Ashley Rogers, right, celebrates a point for the Wildcats at a volleyball tournament in Haven last season.


ANDALE –Jake Brand has been readyfor this year’s football season since lastyear’s ended. The Indians’ uncharacteristic 5-6

record just didn’t set well with him. Assoon as Andale’s season-ending loss toRose Hill in regional play was over,Brand “was excited to get back to foot-ball.”“Last season started with a tough

schedule. I don’t think we were preparedfor tough games,” said the 6’2”, 217-pound senior co-captain. “Once we beat Circle, we got our confi-

dence that we can play, and that is whatkicked us in gear,” he said. Andale opened the 2011 campaign

with six straight losses before wallopingCircle, 53-13. That win put them on animpressive, five-game winning streakthat saw them avenge an earlier 36-31loss to Clearwater. In the rematch,Andale demolished Clearwater, 42-7. Over the summer, Brand and his

Indians teammates have hit the weightsand strength and speed conditioninghard with an eye toward having a break-out season. “Conditioning will help us out a lot.

People have been running stairs anddoing extra work to get better,” he said.

“Everybody is working as a teamand encouraging each other.“Coach Schmidt and Coach

Ungles know what they aredoing. They have helped us outa lot,” he added. So have some Andale alum-

ni. Every Thursday, he andsome of the team faced offagainst the alums in seven-on-seven games. “Most of them were on the two

state championship teams, and thathelped us out playing against goodteams on pass defensive,” Brandsaid. A defensive standout

last year with post-season honors as aFirst Team AllLeague line-backer, Brandwill againanchorAndale’sdefenseat theline-backer

spot. On offense, his duties will

shift from last year’s assign-ment as a pulling guard,which took advantage ofhis speed and quickness, tofullback, where he’ll be“running through the holeand opening up the gap” forfellow captain and runningback Jake May. May also brings speed tothe position as the Class 4A

state champion in the100-meter hurdles.

A versatile ath-lete, Brandtook sev-enth in thejavelin atthe 2012state trackmeet. “It’ll be

fun,” hesmiled. “Idon’t neces-sarily needthe ball. Ijust like to hitpeople.” He’ll also

carry the balloccasionally, andshare time in the

backfield with Levi Eck, to conserve someof his energy for defense. “That (lead blocker) is a lot of punish-

ment,” said Andale Coach Gary O’Hair.“Jake Brand will be the main guy ondefense. We’ll try to rest him. He’ll beimportant as fullback as lead blocker, buthe’ll be valuable on defense.”That suits Brand fine. “I like defense,” he said. “I like that I

don’t know where it’s (ball) going. I canrun wherever I want and hit somebodyand tackle. I don’t have to block some-one.” As the season opener draws near,

Brand’s focus and intensity are building. “We still have a tough schedule like

last year,” he said. “We start off againstCollegiate (at home Aug. 31), but we’veworked really hard this summer. I thinkwe’ll be better and ready as a team, morethan we were last year.”As co-captain, he wants to inspire confi-

dence in the Indians and to think abouttheir goals this year. For Brand, he wantsthe team to go as far as it can andimprove on last season. “The main goal as a team is to make

regionals, make it past regionals, and, ofcourse, I hope we win state,” he said. As aplayer, he’d like to repeat as All Leagueon defense as well as add offensive hon-ors. “I’m just excited for it. It’ll be fun,”

Brand said.

BY FRED SOLIS


Brand to lead Indians in ‘12


Mavericks looking tobuild on best season

MAIZE SOUTH – The Maize SouthHigh Mavericks have come a long way inthree seasons. Last year, the teamreached the .500 mark, going 5-5 in theArk Valley Chisholm Trail League-Division II. They went 2-1 in district play. For 2012, the Mavs hope their hard

work, continuous improvement, and posi-tive and unselfish attitudes will carrythem beyond a break-even season. The young squad will have to “trust in

what we have started to build in ouryoung program,” said Brent Pfeifer, nowin his fourth year as Maize South’s headfootball coach. Maize South is 11-28 over-all in its first three years of existence. “We have been fortunate to have some

early success, but we have a long way to

go and need to continue with the processwe have in place. Trust in any program isthe key to lasting success,” Pfeifer said. Key to Maize South’s season will be

returning players, 21 of whom are letter-men. The Mavericks also return fouroffensive and five defensive starters. They include Wes Phillips, senior, wide

receiver and defensive back, 5’10”, 160;Nevada Harlan, senior, linebacker, 5’9”,205; Jessi Rogers, senior, running backand linebacker, 5’8”, 195; Alex Orth, senior, running back, 5’9”,

190; Ridge McDonald, senior, wide receiv-er, 6’0”, 170; DeSean Washington, junior,defensive back, 5’9”, 160; Mac Evans, jun-ior, defensive back, 5’7”, 150; and AndyGalliher, sophomore, place kicker, 5’10”,165. Maize South’s assistant coaching staff

consists of Steve Rasmussen, TomO’Connor, Kip Schultz, Brent Randolph,Rick Craig and Layne Carter.

BY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Taner Thurman drags Colan Macias along as he picks up yards for MaizeSouth in a game last season.

Talented young group of golfers looking to take on tough competition

MAIZE SOUTH – The MaizeSouth’s ladies of the links maybe young, but they’re talented.

And that’s good news for theprogram. Sophomores Laine Evans and

Rachel Schremmer, state quali-fiers last year, return, alongwith junior Meg Rindfuss, tohelp the Mavericks face newfoes in Division II of the Ark

Valley Chisholm Trail League. “Our competition will be very

tough,” said Steve Martling,Maize South’s fourth-yearcoach. “Andover, AndoverCentral, Ark City, the twoGoddard schools and ValleyCenter will provide us with a

much tougher league than lastyear.” Sophomores Meg Pralle and

Sierra Parduhn, and freshmenRose Rindfuss and BrittanyDennis round out the MaizeSouth squad.Martling will need the play-

ers not only to improve this sea-son but to prepare for thefuture. “The young girls are more

athletic than I have had in thepast,” he said. “I expect to haveseveral very good golfers in thenear future.”

BY FRED SOLIS



MAIZE SOUTH – The Maize SouthHigh volleyball team lost six players tograduation, four of them starters, butthey’re still a force to be reckoned with. “We are rebuilding with several new

players, but we feel we’ll be competitive,”said fourth-year head coach Teri Larson.“We are in a new league (Ark Valley

Chisholm Trail League-Division II) andprobably a new classification (5A), so newopponents and tough competition will beour big challenges along with rebuildingwith a young team,” she said. A host of talented and decorated play-

ers return, however, to help the teamimprove on its 38-4 season. The Maverickslost to Rose Hill in the finals of the Class4A Regional last year.

Back for their senior campaign are JodyLarson, 6’1” outside hitter and setter, andMcKenna Poynter, 5’5” libero. Returningjunior Kelsey Sterneker, 6’0” middle hit-ter, joins them. Last year Larson was AVCTL-Division

IV MVP and All-State First Team 4A,Poynter was AVCTL-Division IV FirstTeam, and Sterneker was AVCTL-DivisionIV Honorable Mention.Over the summer Larson, Poynter and

Sterneker played together in club volley-ball. Their team, the Incredibles from theWichita Power club, took third in thenation in the 17-American division.Larson was named to the all-tournamentnational team. Also returning for the Mavericks are

senior Kaitlyn Pracht, 5’3” setter, andJunior Macy Allred, 5’7” outside hitter.This year’s lineup also will feature somenew players. Coach Larson is assisted by Michelle

Stwalley and Robi Ahlstrom.

BY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Mackenzie Obermeyer, middle, and Jody Larson, right, try to block a ball hitby Rose Hill's Katie Gilbert.

Mavs set for strong season

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MAIZE SOUTH – Maize South High’smove up to Division II from Division IV ofthe Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League,along with a jump from Class 4A to 5A,brings with it a new competitive landscape. “The schools in our division will be both

Goddards (Goddard and Eisenhower), bothAndovers (Andover and Andover Central),Ark City and Valley Center,” said third-year head tennis coach Mike Domnick. “Ithink we should be very competitive in thisleague. “5A will be a challenge, but I doubt it

will be any more challenging than lastyear’s regionals, so hopefully we can getseveral girls qualified for state this year,”he added. Last year, the Mavericks played in a sub-

state bracket with six of the top eightteams in 4A and weren’t able to advanceany players to the state tournament. Maize South is hoping to change that

this year with a stable of athletes thatinclude Gywnneth Schuler, sophomore,Marcy Cuestas, junior, Taylor White, junior,Aubree Henderson, senior, Karli Kubik,junior, Addie Hermanson, junior, MariahSuchan, junior, Alexa Brockel, sophomore,Breann Gerstenkorn, sophomore, TaylorTipton, senior, Madie Loomis, junior, andClaire Cervantes, sophomore. “Gwyn (Schuler) and Marcy (Cuestas)

will probably be playing singles this year,”Domnick said. “Gwyn should be one of thetop singles players in 5A, with Marcy beingup there as well. Any of the other 10 couldbe our two sets of doubles teams. “We are very deep with the top 12 all

capable of competing for a position in ourtop six,” he said. Brenn Shipman, sophomore, Nikki

McCormick, junior, Whitney VanderGriend, junior, Kacy Minks, sophomore,Ellie Staver, sophomore, JenniferTarbutton, sophomore, and Beth Jewett,sophomore, also will give the Mavericksquality outings. Coach Domnick is assisted by Sabrina

Gallo.

BY FRED SOLIS


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION A Maize South tennis player returns a ball across the net during a meet lastseason.

South working to meet challenge

MAIZE SOUTH – After three yearscompeting in Class 4A of the Ark ValleyChisholm Trail League-Division IV, theMaize South Mavericks Cross Countryteam is moving up to Class 5A, Division IIof the AVCTL. “It’s extremely challenging for both boys

and girls,” said fourth-year coach AlanBirdsell. “We’re going into unknown terri-tory. It will be exciting to see how well wecan compete moving to Class 5A and toDivision II.” Last season, the Mavericks captured

second place at state in 4A, with MorganSchaefer finishing tenth, and MadeNestor taking thirteenth place for medals.

The girls finished the 2012 season withAVCTL-Division IV and Regional champi-onships. Along with senior Schaefer and junior

Nestor, Maize South returns LayneHardin, senior, Jake Braschler, junior,Ross Yarrow, junior, Katie Trumble, junior,Everett Lacy, senior, Christina Roe, senior,Grace Aitken, junior, and VeronicaSowder, sophomore. Overall the team will stay focused on

league, regional and state competition,while taking the season “one week at atime,” Birdsell said. Coach Birdsell is encouraged by the

program’s development at Maize South,calling this season the “best attendance inthe four years Maize South has beenopen.” Birdsell is assisted by Coach Kendall

Heidi.

Cross country ready tocompete at Class 5A

BY FRED SOLIS



HAVEN- A desire to win and build onthe improvements from last year has theHaven Wildcat Football team feelingoptimistic about this year’s season. Haven will return a large class of sen-

iors including Trae Regier, ZachHendrickson, Justin Weve, DaltonArbuckle, Cody Crabtree, Eric Shive,Taylor Carlson, Noah Miller, TylerSkomal, Ryan Heim and Cyrus Raigoza. “This class will be key in not only lead-

ing the team this year but also in settinga precedent in work ethic and attitude,”Head Coach Mike Self said. “This is anextremely formative year for us, and theseniors will set the tone for it all.” The team boasts a great overall quick-

ness, which will aid them in their secondyear of running the Flexbone offense,which allowed Haven to be more effectivein moving the ball in a controlled anddeliberate fashion last year. On defense, it will be all about how

well the Wildcats are able to stop the run

in a league that has several teams thathave power-run offenses. One area the Wildcats are sure to have

an advantage in during most games willbe in special teams where Havenexcelled last year with four kickoffsreturned for touchdowns. The team alsoaveraged over 20 yards on returns, whichhelped senior Trae Regier receive anunanimous all-league returner honor lastyear. Last year was a turning point for

Haven according to Self, who said despiteonly winning two games the team viewedit as a successful season. “The kids’ attitudes and expectations

have changed in Haven to not just want-ing success but expecting it through hardwork and dedication,” he said. Haven returns nine offensive starters

and eight on defense and feel, despitetheir overall lack of numbers, the teamwill pull through and build on success. Mike Self is in his second year as head

coach of Haven and will be assisted byTeal Stutzman, Nate Bailey, RussellColeman and Dustin Salmans. The Wildcats will kick off their season

on Friday against Eureka at home.

BY JOEY YOUNG


FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Trae Regier fights for a few more yards during a game last season.

Wildcats looking formarked improvement


HAVEN- The Haven Wildcat Volleyballteam is looking to claw their way up intothe top half of the Central Kansas Leagueand improve their overall record to above.500.

The team made marked improvementslast year, and according to Head CoachKatelyn Thomas, they think they could bebetter this year.

“With a few changes to some defensiveschemes that we feel will enhance ourteam’s athleticism, we have seen the girlslooking stronger and quicker and more‘scrappy,’” Thomas said. “As the girls con-tinue to work hard day in and day out, we

hope that we will be able to bring someexcitement to the hardwood come gametime.”

Haven is looking to build on their pastsuccesses behind seniors MaKayla Stucky,a transfer from Sedgwick, MackenzieRohling, Ella Matteson and 2011 CKLsecond team player Ashley Rogers.

As long as the Wildcats can stayfocused and mentally tough throughoutthe roller coaster of emotions they willface throughout the year, Thomas believesthey will be able to accomplish theirgoals.

“New faces and new positions will forceus to reunite and bond together to findour team chemistry.”

Thomas is in her third year coachingand will be assisted by Kim Waller andEmily Yoder.

Wildcat Volleyballready for breakout

BY JOEY YOUNG


PHOTOS BY FRED SOLIS/THE CLARION Above: Sydney Stephan, Haven volleyball player, puts up a ball againstSmoky Valley in last season's tournament in Haven.Left: Kristen Hatchel, middle, and Elizabeth Preisser, right, converge to blocka ball against Kingman's front line.


Lack of depth will not keepHaven Cross Country down

HAVEN- Despite a lack ofdepth, the Haven CrossCountry team has a dearthof talent and is expectingbig things in the upcomingseason. The ladies will be led by

2010 state qualifierMadison Caffrey who wassidelined all last seasonwith an ankle injury. HaileyDavis, Breanne Jones, BettyAusherman, AnnemarieWortz and Abby Aushermanround out the returners forthe girls. The boys will have an

opportunity to grow as theseason goes along accordingto head coach Dwight Roperwho said the team has someexperienced seniors to leadthe way, and they expect tobe competitive as the seasonprogresses. Nate Lacoy, Ian Brannan,

Luke Johnson and TonyWagler are the top return-ing runners on the boys’side. Roper is in his 17th year

at Haven and will be assist-ed by Lonnie Paramore.

BY JOEY YOUNG


PROVIDED PHOTOSAbove: Haley Davis tries to get ahead of the pack during a cross country meet lastseason. Left: Jake Kentzler pushes towards the finish line in a cross country meetlast season.


Documents

Clarion's Fall Sports Preview 2012