The Smoke Signal Classifieds

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

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9:48:16 PM
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S P O R T S

Wamego Boys Claim Victory on Senior Night

Six seniors were honored -- Wes Hanson, Cody Clarkston, Todd Spreer, Tyler Bryson, Kim Christensen and Sven Herwig, with the first five starting.
“I was really proud of them,” said WHS Coach Troy Hemphill. “We did a different starting line up, starting all five seniors. I’m really proud of their good start.”
In fact, the Raiders got off to a great start.
Spreer opened with a nice lay up, and his teammates followed. Bryson added two treys and Wamego defense only allowed one Clay Center bucket, closing the first quarter 16-2.
The Tigers tried to make a comeback early in the second period, with an eight point run before Aaron Fankhauser pumped in a three-pointer followed by two additional points at 5:39. Those scores changed the momentum of the game back in favor of the Raiders, who outscored Clay Center 19-15 to take a 35-17 lead into the locker room.
Craig Dunback opened the second half, stretching the lead to 20 points. The rest of the Raiders stepped right up behind him, with a trey coming from Bryson. Eric Conwell also got on the scoreboard, and Wamego extended their third quarter lead to 52-28.
The fourth quarter was the most hotly contested of the evening. Fankhauser put up an early trey, but for every score Wamego put up, Clay Center answered. Hanson did most of Wamego’s scoring in the fourth, with six points and Christensen ended the quarter with a charity. Even with the Tiger effort, Wamego still stretched the lead by one point, and celebrated the 70-45 Senior Night win.
“We were excited for the last game of the season at home,” said Hanson. “The seniors wanted a win and went out and played hard. It was fun to leave the home court with a win and now we’re excited to go on with the rest of the season and go on winning.”
“We shot the ball pretty well early on in the game,” said Hemphill. “Clay Center struggled shooting early on. I’m not sure we had anything to do with that, but they missed a lot of shots and we were able to take advantage of that.
“Hopefully we gained some confidence,” he continued. “The competition down the road is harder.”
Three Raiders were in double digits -- Bryson, 15, and Fankhauser and Dunback, 12 each. Also scoring were: Hanson, eight; Conwell and Spreer, seven each; Clarkston, six; and Christensen, three.
The Raiders final three regular season games are on the road.

Wamego Boys Claim Victory on Senior Night

Wamego Girls Top Clay Center on Senior Night

Three Lady Raiders were honored during the senior night ceremonies -- Ashley Stallard, Amber Manor and Amanda Flear.
In addition, at the risk of a technical foul, Flear started after sitting out for most of season with a broken arm.
“I'm kind of a sentimental guy,” said WHS Coach Dustin Odum. “I thought it would be nice to let Amanda start. We'd start six girls. I talked to the other coach, I talked to the ref. We were willing to take a technical so she could start but they were nice enough not to charge us with the foul.”
“We were really, really happy that Amanda got to come out and play with us,” said Stallard. “It meant a lot to us, it meant a lot to her family, and I know it meant a lot to her.”
Flear's few seconds on the floor turned out to be a good omen for the Lady Raiders as they took an early lead over Clay Center. Stallard and Heather Martin contributed treys to Wamego's 18-11 first quarter pounding of the Lady Tigers.
The only time the Lady Raiders faltered was in the second quarter. Clay Center to put together a 11 point run, broken only by a Casie Eichman trey. That run shrunk the Wamego lead to three points, 27-24 as the half ended.
Wamego got the momentum back in the third quarter, although it put the two seniors -- Stallard and Manor -- in foul trouble with only four minutes off the clock. Eichman stepped up with eight points and Ashley Leonard came in off the bench to add a spark. The Lady Raiders extended their lead by three points, 44-39.
The fourth quarter belonged to the charity line -- and Eichman. She dropped in 11 free throws, including a chain of four that came off of a Clay Center technical foul. Stallard and Manor were also back on the boards and the Lady Raiders put up 23 points, the strongest quarter of the game, and celebrated their first home win of the season, 67-53.
“This was very important,” said Stallard. “We were 2-13 going into this. We had lost to them before. We needed to get focused. Our underclassmen did a great job and we have to credit a lot of the win to them.”
Manor agreed. “It was all of us working as a team, stepping up and making the big plays,” she said.
Flear, who spent her senior season on the bench, was happy for her teammates. “Sitting out made me realize how much I wished I could be in there playing. I'm really happy they won tonight.”
While proud of his seniors, Odum also praised the others who contributed to this win. “Everybody showed up and played for 32 minutes,” he said. “We had some people make some big plays. Casey Eichman went 19-21 from the foul line which was amazing. Then we had some bench players come in -- Emily Frey, Ashley Leonard. They came in when we were in foul trouble. That was a large portion of our success tonight.”
Eichman was the leading scorer, tallying 24 points. Stallard and Manor added 11 each; Kate Peterson, 10; Martin, seven; and Leonard and Melissa Long, two each.
The Lady Raiders will play their final three regular season games on the road.

Two Wamego Wrestlers Compete at State Tourney

Scott Pittenger, a sophomore, qualified at the 125 weight group and Cody Hartwich, a senior, qualified at the 140 weight group.
Both advanced to the state tournament by placing second in the Regional Tournament held at Basehor-Linwood on Feb. 8 and 9.
Pittenger ended his state bid with a 1-2 record. He lost to Ronald Prater in the first round, defeated Shawn Brittingham in the second before being eliminated by Mark Dunn, 7-3, on Saturday morning.
Hartwich was also 1-2 for the tournament. He defeated Brian Simpson in his first bout, but lost to Eric Arveson in the second. He was then defeated by Travis McBurney in his third match on Saturday, which eliminated him form the tournament.
WHS Coach Ulysses Gonzalez was pleased with the efforts from both wrestlers.
“Scott wrestled phenomenally well at the regionals which got him into the finals and did well at state,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s young, just a sophomore, and he’ll be back.
“Cody came full circle,” he continued. “This was his senior year and he ended on a positive note. He did a great job.”
This was also a good year for the team -- the numbers doubled over last year -- and Gonzalez is optimistic for the future.
“We were a very young team, just four seniors and two of them were first year,” he said. “We only had two veterans, Cody and Josh Hendricks. But we were at 28, double over last year. We have a lot of leaders coming back next year, plus a strong group of eighth-graders coming up.
“I have appreciated the support of the school and community this year, and I hope they continue to support all our young athletes,” Gonzalez concluded.

Wamego Wrestlers Lose Final Home Dual

It was also senior night, and the four team seniors -- Cody Hartwich, Josh Hendricks, Oscar Carlsson and John VanPetten were recognized.
“I am really proud of all four of my seniors,” said WHS Coach Ulysses Gonzalez. “We had two first year wrestlers as seniors -- Oscar Carlsson and John VanPetten, and we had two four year wrestlers, Cody Hartwich and Josh Hendricks.
“Cody has served as our head captain,” he continued. “His intensity on the mat and academically off the mat has made him a great all around leader and I wanted to acknowledge that.”
Gonzalez was not quite as happy with the overall performance of his wrestlers against Marysville however.
“While I’m always proud of them and of their effort on the mat, we could have been stronger,” he said. “We got complacent in some areas, the score should have been closer. We are getting close to regionals and we can’t afford mistakes.”
Four Raiders did post wins over their Bulldog opponents: Brandon Flear, at 112, defeated Tyler Finley 17-3; Scott Pittenger, 125, pinned Matt Beckman; Lance Ferris, 130, defeated James Pruess, 2-0; and Hartwich defeated Mark Bussman, 9-4.
Other varsity results: Madison King, 119, open; Tyson Hutchinson, 135, pinned by Mark Hartsook; Nathaniel Janulis, 145, lost to Russ Fitzgerald, 18-3; Jamie Douglass, 152, lost to Ben Gurtler, 10-3; Hendricks, 160, pinned by Brad Heiman; Matt Campbell, 171, pinned by Pat Vogelsburg; Mark Bachman, 189, pinned by Shane Thoreson; Jeremy Danler, 215, pinned by Kode Pacha; and Clinton Donkers, 275, pinned by Ryan Fredricks.
Junior varsity results: Carlsson, 145, pinned by Richard Kabriel; Jerry Benton, 160, lost to Andy Rombeck, 14-1; Michael Sender, 189, pinned by Tyler Thoreson; Todd Hendricks, 215, lost to Jake Seematter, 14-9; Kyle Lough, 145, pinned by Richard Kabriel.

WHS Track Teams Take Second in Own Invitational

Chapman won the boys event, with Marysville taking the girls honors. Other local teams competing were Rock Creek and Wabaunsee.
Malia Mertz was the top performer for the Lady Raiders, winning the triple jump event.
The boys had several first place finishes -- Joey Steen had double golds in the 1600m and 3200m events, Renzie Poe in the triple jump, Derek Wassom in the 110m high hurdles and the relay team of Lance Bonderer, Joel Laub, Derek Wassom and Oscar Carlsson in the 4x400m.
“Teamwise, I was pretty well pleased with the second places,” said WHS Coach Rick Patton. “I don’t think we have enough depth for the winners positions. I do however think there are a few kids who aren’t really where they need to be, they need to work hard in practice to be where they need to be next year, especially when May rolls around to qualify for state.
“I did think there were some outstanding performances,” he continued. “I thought Oscar Carlsson’s 800 was excellent for this time of year. In fact, all his events were very good for this time of year. Derek Wassom performed very well on the high hurdles, he was at that time at Regionals last year. I thought Joey Steen had solid performances, better than he’s done this year. That’s kind of where our boys team stands.
“For the girls, the one who really continues to be the most improved performer from last year is Malia Mertz,” Patton went on. “She has done a fine job on the relays and the triple jump. Our middle distance girls were very solid as well. We scored 30 points out of our 800m, 1600m, and 3200m runners. Those young girls are doing a really good job in those events.” Megan Dietrich, Adrianne DeWeese and Allison Morton handle the middle distances for Wamego.
“The main thing I’ve told our kids, if they’re frustrated with they way they performed, I’m glad,” Patton concluded. “Because if they weren’t frustrated, then they don’t care about it. It’s easy to want to come and stay when you’re doing well. But the test of the person is if you’re not doing well.”
Meet Results
(Top Six Places)
Girls individual field events: Shot Put -- Long, Mission Valley, first, 32’8”; Hendricks, Wabaunsee, second, 32’2”; Bussart, Rock Creek, third, 32’1”; Waters, Mission Valley, fourth, 32’; Willis, Chapman, fifth, 30’6”; Stroda, Chapman, sixth, 30’4”. Discus -- Waters, Mission Valley, 113’10”; Long, Mission Valley, 107’5”; Bussart, Rock Creek, third, 101’5”; Collier, Council Grove, 87’9”; Rucker, Chapman, fifth, 85’9”; Droge, Hayden, sixth, 81’1”. High Jump -- Albers, Chapman, first, 5’4”; Wassenberg, Marysville, second, 5’2”; Davis, Chapman, third, 5’; Ebert, Wamego, fourth, 5’; Kelley, Council Grove, fifth, 4’10”; Loughary, Wabaunsee, 4’10”. Long Jump -- Beckman, Marysville, first, 16’2.5”; Albers, Chapman, 16’; Hancock, Wabaunsee, 15’6”; Parry, Clay Center, 15’1”; Baker, Rock Creek, 14’6”; McGee, Clay Center, 14’3”. Javelin -- Bowen, Council Grove, first, 111’9.75”; Ebert, Rock Creek, second, 105’3”; Long, Mission Valley, third, 102’6.5”; Cyre, Clay Center, Fourth, 92’8”; Poe, Rock Creek, fifth, 88’2”; Koster, Mission valley, sixth, 84’3.5”. Triple Jump -- Mertz, Wamego, first, 31’8”; Parry, Clay Center, second, 31’6”; Browning, Mission Valley, third, 30’6”; Griswald, Marysville, 29’5.5”; Zillman, Wamego, fifth, 29’5”; Ebert, Rock Creek, sixth, 29’4”. Pole Vault -- Davis, Chapman, 8’6” (new record); Atwood, Mission Valley, second, 8’6”; Slupiancka, Marysville, and Riffel, Council Grove, tie, third, 8’; Kastner, Mission Valley, fifth, 8’; Schamberger, Council Grove, sixth, 7’6”.
Boys individual field events: Shot Put -- Murphy, Chapman, first, 47’4.75”; A. Meyer, Rock Creek, second, 43’7”; Baier, Chapman, third, 41’7”; Newland, Rock Creek, fourth, 31’; Freeman, Chapman, 40’.5”; Ortega, Hayden, 39’5.5”. Discus-- Vogelsburg, Marysville, 147’3”; Murphy, Chapman, second, 131’8”; Danler, Wamego, third, 128’6”; Baier, Chapman, fourth, 116’6”; Meece, Council Grove, 115’7”. High Jump -- Beultel, Hayden, 6’; Stueve, Rock Creek, 5’10”; Bathurst, Chapman, and Barber, Wabaunsee, tie, third, 5’8”; Cox, Rock Creek, and Lunn, Chapman, tie, fifth, 5’6”. Long Jump û Corral, Clay Center, first, 21’2.75”; Barber, Wabaunsee, second, 19’7”; Poe, Wamego, 18’11.75”; Byers, Marysville, fourth, 18’11.5”; Lunn, Chapman, fifth, 18’11.25”; Greene, Clay Center, sixth, 18’7.25”. Javelin -- Vogelsberg, Marysville, 150’7.5”; Murphy, Chapman, second, 149’8”; Marston, Chapman, third, 134’8”; Zelzenak, Hayden, 131’10.5”; Baier, Chapman, fifth, 127’10”; Buerline, Hayden, 119’10.5”. Triple Jump -- Poe, Wamego, first, 41’11.25”; Corral, Clay Center, second, 40’2”; Greene, Clay Center, third, 39’2.25”; Landall, Marysville, fourth, 37’8.75”; Koelling, Wamego, fifth, 36’11”; Johnson, Chapman, 35’11.5”. Pole Vault -- Walstrom, Marysville, first, 13’6” (new record); Lunn, Chapman, second, 13’; Ruhnke, Chapman, third, 12’; Affitter, Clay Center, fourth, 12’; Bathurst, Chapman, fifth, 11; Grater, Clay Center, sixth, 9’.
Girls individual track events: 100m High Hurdles -- Baker, Rock Creek, first, 17.51; Whitney, Chapman, second, 17.93; Beem, Wamego, third, 18.15; Honer, Council Grove, fourth, 18.35; Biesenthal, Rock Creek, fifth, 19.70; Goodell, Council Grove, sixth, 20.45. 100m Dash -- Beckman, Marysville, first, 12.65; Hodges, Council Grove, second, 13.23; C. Ebert, Rock Creek, third, 13.40; Johnson, Marysville, fourth, 13.41; D. Ebert, Rock Creek, fifth, 13.44; Phillips, Chapman, sixth, 13.47. 1600m -- Height, Marysville, first, 5:55.26; Dietrich, Wamego, second, 5:59.5; Morton, Wamego, 5:59.99; LaCore, Hayden, fourth, 6:05.74; DeWeese, Wamego, fifth, 6:09.11; Engle, Chapman, sixth, 6.26.43. 400m û Parry, Clay Center, first, 1:02.36; Irvine, Chapman, second, 1:06.44; Stephan, Wamego, third, 1:06.79; Wassenburg, Marysville, fourth, 1:07.17; Burris, Wabaunsee, fifth, 1:07.34; Barron, Wabaunsee, sixth, 1:07.59. 300m Hurdles -- Baker, Rock Creek, first, 50.83; Irvine, Chapman, second, 51:04; Chamberlin, Wabaunsee, third, 52.75; Honer, Council Grove, fourth, 55.65; Beem, Wamego, fifth, 56.91; Elliot, Clay Center, sixth, 57.65. 800m - LaCore, Hayden, first, 2:30.25; Blumer, Marysville, second, 2:40.21; Morton, Wamego, third, 2:46.66; Barron, Wabaunsee, fourth, 2:47.26; Jones, Council Grove, fifth, 2:50.58; Bosworth, Mission Valley, sixth, 2:51.40. 200m -- Beckman, Marysville, first, 26.37; Johnson, Marysville, second, 27.71; Close, Clay Center, third, 27.91; Hodges, Council Grove, fourth, 27.93; Ebert, Rock Creek, fifth, 28.06; Long, Wamego, sixth, 28.25. 3200m -- Spencer, Mission Valley, first, 12:32.55; Dietrich, Wamego, second, 12:46.81; Height, Marysville, third, 12:47.53; McClure, Clay Center, fourth, 13:58.27; Everett, Clay Center, fifth, 14:22.52; Wuthnow, Chapman, sixth, 14:49.47.
Boys individual track events: 110m High Hurdles -- Wassom, Wamego, first, 15.84; Kurtz, Chapman, second, 16.19; Zimmerman, Rock Creek, third, 16.59; Laub, Wamego, fourth, 17.57; Stevenson, Council Grove, fifth, 18.25; Witt, Wabaunsee, sixth, 18.45. 100m Dash -- Richter, Clay Center, first, 11.10; Walstrom, Marysville, second, 11.44; Bealtel, third, 11.45; Feldhauser, Marysville, fourth, 11.53; Campbell, Rock Creek, fifth, 11.62; Poe, Wamego, sixth, 11.71. 1600m -- Steen, Wamego, first, 4:43.62; Gibson, Chapman, second, 4:47.45; Barten, Chapman, third, 4:47.76; Patrick, Mission Valley, fourth, 4:48.82; Fraught, Hayden, fifth, 5.13.29; Chase, Rock Creek, sixth, 5:13.70. 400m -- Byers, Marysville, first, 53.29; Brown, Chapman, second, 54.21; Gobber, Chapman, 55.16; Moore, Clay Center, fourth, 55.25; Johnson, Council Grove, 55.66; Heller, Chapman, sixth, 55.70. 300m Hurdles -- Kurtz, Chapman, first, 42.58; Zimmerman, Rock Creek, second, 43.83; Wassom, Wamego, third, 44.64; Ingenthron, Hayden, fourth, 45.60; Gurtler, Marysville, fifth, 46.50; Laub, Wamego, sixth, 46.63. 800m -- LaCore, Hayden, first, 2:04.63; Carlsson, Wamego, second, 2:04.77; Moore, Clay Center, third, 2:06.12; Mitchell, Chapman, fourth, 2:08.55; Gibson, Chapman, 2:12.28; Fraught, Hayden, sixth, 2:18.82. 200m -- Bueltel, Hayden, first, 22.91; Corral, Clay Center, second, 23.28; Landell, Marysville, third, 23.83; Poe, Wamego, fourth, 24.20; Leiker, Hayden, fifth, 24.31; Macy and Kurtz, Council Grove, tie, sixth, 24.43. 3200m -- Steen, Wamego, first, 10:23.66; Barten, Chapman, second, 10:31.57; Patrick, Mission Valley, third, 10:44.75; Really, Hayden, fourth, 11:16.52; Kerr, Wamego, fifth, 11:45.69; Wright, Council Grove, sixth, 11:54.25.
Girls relays: 4x800m -- Clay Center, first, 10:28.67; Mission Valley, second, 11:01.23; Wamego, third, 11:14.83; Chapman, fourth, 11:31.05; Rock Creek, fifth, 11:36.74; Wabaunsee, sixth, 11:53.33. 4x100m -- Marysville, first, 52.91; Wamego, second, 53.42; Clay Center, third, 54.45; Council Grove, fourth, 56.25; Chapman, fifth, 1:02.78. 4x400m -- Clay Center, first, 4:23.55; Chapman, second, 4:27.20; Wamego, third, 4:30.90; Marysville, fourth, 4:31.81; Rock Creek, fifth, 4:35.52; Wabaunsee, sixth, 4:40.35.
Boys relays: 4x800m -- Hayden, first, 8:57.60; Clay Center, second, 8:58.67; Wamego, third, 9:08.43; Wabaunsee, fourth, 9:58.67; Council Grove, fifth, 10:13.52.4x100m -- Clay Center, first, 44.45 (new record); Marysville, second, 44.77; Chapman, third, 47.13; Council Grove, fourth, 47.71; Wabaunsee, fifth, 49.35; Wamego, sixth, 51.47. 4x400m -- Wamego, first, 3:43.70; Chapman, second, 3:44.79; Hayden, third, 3:47.58.
Girls team results: Marysville, first, 102; Wamego, second, 81; Chapman, third, 80; Mission Valley, fourth, 74; Clay Center, fifth, 66; Rock Creek, sixth, 61; Council Grove, seventh, 48; Wabaunsee, eighth, 30; Hayden, ninth, 15.
Boys team results: Chapman, first, 146.5; Wamego, second, 97; Clay Center, third, 76; Marysville, fourth, 76; Hayden, fifth, 71; Rock Creek, sixth, 40.5; Wabaunsee, seventh, 20; Council Grove, eighth, 13; Mission Valley, ninth, 10.

Martial Arts Classes Available in Wamego

Ulysses Gonzales runs the Extreme Judo Club and Jim Neff the Wamego branch of the Manhattan American Taekwondo Association.
Both men are black belts in their respective disciplines.
Judo
“The Gentle Way”
Gonzalez trained in Korea and received his black belt through the Korean Judo Federation and the United States Judo Association. He was the 2000 United States Armed Forces Champion and the runner-up in 2001.
“I think what sparked the interest in Judo was me as the (Wamego High School) wrestling coach,” he said. “I had experience in Judo, and Judo goes hand-in-hand with wrestling. They’re both extremely competitive.”
The art of Judo, as it is practiced today, was begun in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano, according to Gonzales.
“He was a master in the field of Jujitsu, which was actually banned because it was so dangerous,” he said. “He developed a point scoring system and named it Judo.
“He brought this new art to the city council and said it should be legalized,” Gonzalez continued. “’It’s a good art,’ Kano said. And to prove it, they set up a tournament against the top police martial artists. The Judo won 12 of the 13 matches, the 13th was a tie. Back then, things were a little different. They fought most of the time to the death, submission or until someone couldn’t move at all.”
The result of the tournament was that Judo became Japan’s national martial art. Kano went on to establish the Kodakan school for Judo, which, according to Gonzalez, is still in Japan today.
“It is a phenomenal school,” he said. “I’ve never been there, but would love to.”
Judo training is appropriate for a wide range of people from the youngest to the oldest. There are two forms, very competitive and not competitive at all.
“I instruct a very competitive type,” Gonzalez said. “But there are types of kata where there is no throwing the body down, no aggressive throws. It’s all slowed down, you go through the forms very slowly. There are a diverse range of people who can enjoy Judo. If you start at a young age, it really becomes a way of life for you.”
Gonzalez starts training at 12 years of age and entry into the classes is selective.
“To take my Judo class, you need to request it,” he said. “We need to chat a little. A lot of techniques can be dangerous. Because of that, I don’t teach just anyone. I’m very careful about who I instruct. My students have to have a lot of self-discipline, a lot of self-respect about themselves.”
Gonzalez takes this so seriously, that he has a firm rule.
“The students have been notified, if I hear of any doing anything like this at school, or to their friends, they are asked to leave my class. I don’t want kids just running around beating each other up. I think it’s extremely important that they understand the discipline side of it.
“And I do think they enjoy the discipline they’re learning and they’re enjoying the moves,” he continued. “I think that some of them are truly beginning to understand that what they’re learning in Judo classes they take with them the rest of their lives.
“Jeremy Danler is probably one of the best examples of that,” Gonzalez said. “He is one of the young men who has worked very hard and shown a lot of personal commitment to the sport.”
For the first time, Gonzalez has some students who will compete in tournaments this summer.
“Right now, there are a couple here in Kansas,” he said. “The Sunflower State Games is one of them. I feel we have some students ready this year -- Jeremy Danler, Scott Pittenger and Chris Scheideman may compete if they want to. If they do, I’ll start preparing them for tournament competition.”
Current participants are: (Beginners) Andrew Young, Chris Young, Amber Hagedorn, Paul Tackett, Jerry Benton, Katie Conwell, Andrea VonFeldt, Britany Hempler, Brent Long, Justin Jordan, and Paul Howard; (Intermediate) Danler, Clinton Donkers, Scott Pittenger, Todd Peterson, Chris Schiedeman, Matt Campbell, Luke Brazzle, Sam Lada and Madison King.
Extreme Judo meets Sunday evenings for the remainder of the school year. Once school is out, they move to Tuesday and Thursday evenings. A session, or 16 practices, is $60. In addition, participants must purchase their own Judo uniform, the gi, plus annual insurance. Classes are held on the wrestling deck at WHS and are limited to 20 students. For more information, contact Gonzalez at work, 785-456-2114, or home, 785-539-0870.
Gonzalez encourages both boys and girls to join, and anyone who is interested to come and watch a session.
Taekwondo
“The Way of Hand and Foot Technique Towards Personal Development”
Jim Neff, the Taekwondo instructor, is also a black belt in his sport. He has been involved since 1992, when he was introduced to the art in a college physical education class. Over the years, he maintained an interest, and eventually progressed to a black belt and instructor level.
“I had to sit out for a while when I did student teaching and had my first teaching job,” he said. “But when I came to Wamego, my wife gave it to me as a present. Go and relieve stress!”
Taekwondo, according to the American Taekwondo Association, is considered to be the oldest of all martial arts concepts. Recorded evidence of Korean martial arts dates back thousands of years, with royal tomb drawings from 37 BC indicating that Taekwondo was a popular activity among Korean people.
The modern era of Taekwando, especially in the United States, started in 1962 when Grand Master Haeng Ung Lee left Korea to establish schools here. Those first schools were the nucleus of the ATA, founded by Lee in 1969.
“There are two different types,” said Neff. “Sporting Taekwondo and non-sporting, or traditional. Olympic is sporting, it’s very high impact, very full contact. It’s very hard on a person. The participants wear chest protectors, the whole bit. You don’t stop, you just keep going and try to lose as few points as possible. You go as hard as you can.
“Here, we train in the more traditional style,” he continued. “The self defense, the sparring, which is a little different. We use a high degree of control. Our goal in Taekwondo is to do everything at a two inch level. So, when I kick at a person, I can stop two inches away from them. I don’t have to kick someone to score a point.”
Neff also explained that the scoring is based on the body frame. Legal points are scored above the waist and below the neck.
“The neck is always off limits,” he said. “The head is legal for kicks only. There is no punching to the head, it’s too simple to jab and catch them off guard. And it’s very important that everything is above the waist, not the legs. If a knee gets taken out, that’s forever. We like to keep our sparring partners around.”
Being able to spar in Taekwondo is a big goal for the participants.
“Our kids aren’t ready to spar,” Neff said. “They have to wait until the end of their fourth belt. That’s kind of a magic time. But first, they have to get the base knowledge under them. If we started sparring on white belt, we’d have somebody out there get so excited, they don’t remember they have to stop before that foot gets there.”
Neff said his traditional Taekwondo is suitable for a wide range of people and ages.
“We’re family orientated,” he said. “We can have anyone from four years old to 60 years old. And, in addition to the physical, we also teach values - respect, honor, self control and discipline. The sport is based on personal victory, not an overall ideal that you have to get to. We don’t expect everyone to do the splits, we don’t expect everyone able to be able to kick above their own head. That’s not our overall goal.”
Self-defense is, however, one of the major goals of the Taekwondo class.
“But, it’s more of a distance thing,” Neff said. “I don’t necessarily want to get in and grapple. We teach how to get away from someone if they do grab. Our overall goal is not to throw someone down to the ground and get into a ground fighting match with them. We want to be on our feet and prepared. IF we can push away and get away, there is less liability for us. We work on getting away, kicking them away and pushing off.
“If things get more serious, we do have to take more serious measures,” he continued. “So we do teach varying levels of force and when to use them. For example, if someone has you in a head lock, you use a little bit more force that if someone just grabs your wrist.”
Neff stresses safety at all times. “We work on safety for the person, safety for others and on mental attitude on how to work with Taekwondo.”
Current participants are: (White belts) Kyle Mueller, Samatha Crelly, Brandon Davis; (Orange Belts) Corey Logan, Justin Logan, Paden Calvin; and Craig Seifkes, black belt.
Neff is affiliated with the Manhattan ATA. He offers classes every Tuesday and Thursday at the Wamego Senior Center. Classes are $100 for the first month, which includes the uniform, patches, video, annual ATA fee and the first month of lessons. After that, classes are $50 per month. The children’s class (ages 6 through 13) runs from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. and the adult class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Scheduling and more information is available through the Manhattan ATA office at 785-539-9161. He will be starting two new classes soon -- a parent/student Taekwondo session and Tai Chi.
Neff welcomes anyone to come by and observe the sessions.

Three Wamego Tracksters Medal at State Meet in Wichita

The effort was led by senior Renzie Poe, who earned a gold in the triple jump. Oscar Carlsson, another senior, added a fourth place medal in the 800m open and sophomore Derek Wassom placed seventh in the 110m high hurdles.
“I think (the meet) was pretty much a mixed view,” said WHS Coach Rick Patton. “I think we had some kids do an excellent job, some ran pretty solid races and some struggled. We were loaded with everything.”
Hampering the efforts for all the athletes was the abysmal weather for the Friday events -- including rain, thunder and hail. Saturday was a turn-around and proved to be a perfect day for the final events.
Poe earned his gold on Friday.
“Renzie had a really good performance in the triple jump,” said Patton. “His first jump of the competition was really strong, and in those weather conditions, gave him confidence. He took one more jump even further, at 43’4.25”, and that was the big key.” That jump earned Poe his gold medal.
“On the other hand, for the long jump in really nice weather, he scratched the first two times,” Patton continued. “That put him in a tough position. He was capable at placing in that. He was definitely the tails of two different performances, the best in the triple and 11th in the long.”
Poe was happy with his meet, which topped off his senior year with a gold.
“This is my third year at the state meet,” he said. “To settle for less than a gold would have been tough. It was expected of me by myself and by others. Three years at state has been a great experience, and I was happy to end this way.”
Carlsson, another senior and an exchange student from Sweden, was making his first appearance at the state meet.
“He ran an exceptional race in the 800m,” said Patton. “He’s a gutty performer, two flat is a great performance. He also ran an outstanding lead off in the 800m relay with 1:58.5. That had us in first place. He had a really great state meet.” Carlson’s 2:00.31 in the open was a new personal record and earned him fourth place.
“To run in front of more than 20,000 people was totally awesome,” he said. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Carlsson’s other event was the 4x800m relay, where he was joined by senior Joey Steen and freshmen Cody Hunt and Lance Bonderer.
“We were eighth and we needed to be seventh to medal,” said Patton. “It was an eye opening experience for the freshmen. It’s tough to go down there and run two freshmen, not that they didn’t do a good job, they dropped eight seconds off the regional relay. We were six seconds from placing.”
Wassom brought home the third Raider medal. This was his second state experience.
“He ran one of the better races in the prelims to get into the finals,” said Patton. “He didn’t run as well in the finals, but it was well enough to medal. I’m happy for him and it’s valuable experience for the next two years.” Wassom earned his medal with a 15.6.
“It was a good experience to go and improve on what I did last year,” Wassom said. “I hope to keep moving up each year and am looking for a gold medal in my senior year. But, it wouldn’t be too bad next year either,” he quipped.
The Raiders also sent athletes in the girls and boys 3200m, discus, girls 800m, girls 4x400m relay and girls high jump.
“Joey (Steen) had his best time of his career in the 3200m, but he didn’t run where he wanted to,” said Patton. “He wanted to run under 10 and place, but he fell short of that. He also anchored the two-mile relay, which is hard after the two-mile run.
“On the girls 3200m side, Megan Dietrich and Alison Morton both ran their second best times of the year,” Patton continued. “They both gained good experience.”
Melissa Ebert and Jeremy Danler both competed in field events Friday -- the high jump for Ebert, discus for Danler. Both events were greatly affected by the weather.
“Melissa didn’t jump where she was capable, but it was awfully difficult conditions,” said Patton. “No one was really high. The weather was really tough. Jeremy didn’t throw in the 130-140 range, but no one did in that event. The conditions were bad, the ring was slick. He was competitive, but not where he wanted to be.”
The other runners were Sarah Stephan in the girls 800m and the girls 4x400m relay.
“Sarah did a good solid job, adding a lot of experience that we hope she’ll use next year,” said Patton.
The relay didn’t make it to the final event. “They ran a 4:18, close to the second best time of the year,” he said. “But, down here, you have to run your best to get out to finals. Emily Frey ran a really solid opening leg for us.” The team consisted of Frey, Ebert, Stephan and Malia Mertz.
“Overall, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Patton. “I was expecting people to place, and I’m happy for those who did. I just didn’t feel like there was a sense of urgency in all cases. Some were just satisfied to have made it.
“I do think we had a pretty good season,” he continued. “We had some disappointments in people not going out, but people filled in and did a good job. The guys placed well in every meet and third in regionals. The girls were competitive all year long and did a pretty solid job.
“As to next year, we’re losing three awfully good people on the boys side -- Renzie, Oscar and Joey. But, coming back, we have Derek and Jeremy, who will be two key leaders with experience at state,” Patton went on. “We will also have strong sophomores in the middle distances -- Lief Kerr, Lance, Cody and Chad Williams. They will supply leadership and points. Plus, jumpers Matt Koelling and Cameron Poe and Brian Resser in sprints. Hopefully, we’ll have more help coming up from the middle school.”
The girls are also losing some key performers.
“We will miss Melissa, who has been to state twice, and Malia who had a really good year for us,” said Patton. “Also, the positive influence of Emily Remsing. I’ll really miss them. But, we have Sarah, Megan and Alison coming back in the middle distances. They all have state experience. Emily Frey will be key in the high jump and 400m. I would say that those would give us the leadership at this point. Hopefully well have some talent from the middle school out for the girls too.”
Individual results: Triple jump -- Poe, first, 43’4.25”; 800m (boys) -- Carlsson, fourth, 2:00.31; 800m (girls) -- Stephan, 12th, 2:31.1; 3200 (boys) -- Steen, ninth, 10:04.9; 3200 (girls) -- Dietrich, 11th, 12:27.2, Morton, 14th, 12:47.9; long jump -- Poe, 11th, 19’8”; Discus -- Danler, 14th, 127’1”; 110m high hurdles -- Wassom, seventh, 15.6; 4x800m relay -- Carlsson, Bonderer, Hunt, Steen, eighth, 8:30.5; High Jump -- Ebert, ninth, 4’10”; 4x400m relay -- Frey, Ebert, Mertz, Stephan, 10th in prelims, 4:18.7.

Red Raiders Looking For Another Successful Season

Can they do it again?
Yes, according to Coach John Black.
But, in order to get there, he has one role from last year to fill -- leadership.
“That will be our biggest miss from last year,” he said. “We do have good leaders, but last year’s were second to none. They had heart and desire and would not lose. When one of those guys would say get going, people got going.
“This year, we have to have someone who will do that, right now we don’t,” he continued. “We’ve got to have somebody jumping forward and saying ‘OK, we’ve got to do it this way, we’ve got to work hard. Everyone is just sitting back. As a coaching staff, we’re getting harder on them because no one is stepping forward.”
Black is looking for that leadership to come from the four captains selected by the team this year.
“We have Eric Woltje, Jessie McKinney and Brad Riniker, they are the senior captains,” he said. “And, for the first time ever, there is a junior that made captain this year, Jeremy Danler. Those four will need to be leaders. We also look for Jay Fath to step forward. He has to push himself and the team a little harder.”
The 2002 Raider leaders will have a good team behind them. There is a lot of returning top talent, and some talented newcomers among the sophomore class.
“We need Cameron Poe to step up big, catch more balls and be a big presence on the field,” said Black. “Derek Wassom will also be a big presence as will Craig Dunback. Those three receivers will definitely help us out.”
Tossing to those receivers will be one of three choices -- Matt Campbell, Tyler Cox or Brady Herman. “We’re really deep in quarterback strength,” said Black. Cox is one of the talented sophomore class and Herman filled back up quarterback duties last season.
Campbell, who saw a lot of action as a sophomore, is also a talented running back. “Either way, he will have to be a big time player,” said Black.
“We’re pleased about our offensive line, but we’ll have to work on breaking tackles and getting down field,” he continued. “Our right guard position is open right now. Once we fill that, we should have a pretty good offense. The left side of the line looks good. We’ve got Danler, Jessie McKinney and Riniker. Our defense is good on their side of the ball as well.”
These familiar names are joined by the young sophs.
“I’m very impressed with that class,” said Black. “Cox is looking good on both sides of the ball. Derek Fox is looking good on defense. I’d like to see him play more at running back, but right now, he’s looking very good on defense.BR> “We’re also kind of excited about Elliot Johnson playing on special teams,” he went on. “We’re also thinking tight end, but we don’t know if he’ll see time there because we have Jay and Kurtis Kabriel who play there and both do a great job.
“Madison King is hitting well in practice,” Black continued about the tenth graders. “Matt Koelling and Joel Laub are catching the ball well. John Oaks looks really good, he ran the ball well at our first scrimmage.”
One other player Black had looked to, Tyler Metcalf, broke his thumb and is out for a while.
When the 2002 season kicks off, Wamego will be looking at some new competition -- Tonganoxie, Atchison and Holton -- in addition to league opponents. Wamego opens at Tonganoxie.
“We’ve got film on Tongie already,” said Black. “They run the same offense we do -- multiple formation, option. They’re not afraid to throw the ball. They won’t do it as much as we do, but they’re not afraid of it. They are a very well coached team. It’s going to be a good game for our first time out.
The next two games are against familiar foes, Concordia and Abilene, then the Raiders move on to Atchison. “We don’t know much about them, just that they are a big, fast, strong team,” said Black. “They are not as team oriented as we are, but their physical ability is pretty strong.”
At the end of the season, Wamego will face it’s biggest challenge -- district play.
“We’ll meet Holton and Sabetha,” said Black. “Sabetha is not new, but they are in our district this year. That will be a dog fight. Holton will just come out and knock the heck out of you for four quarters. But, they are used to stopping a running game, not a passing one, so we could have an advantage there.”
Any way one looks at it, Wamego has a tough road for another try for state.
“We have what it takes if we win our district, those three games,” said Black. “We’re the toughest district in 4A. Whoever wins this district will go a long way. I just know we have to buckle down and get our district taken care of. I think we have what it takes to go to state, but the continuity needs to come together, our guys need to fight together. But leadership is what it’s going to take.”
The 2002 WHS varsity football schedule is: Sept. 6, at Tonganoxie; Sept. 13, at Concordia; Sept. 20, Abilene; Sept. 27, at Atchison; Oct. 4, at Chapman; Oct. 11, Clay Center, Homecoming; Oct. 18, Marysville; Oct. 25, at Sabetha; Oct. 31, Holton, Senior Night. All games start at 7 p.m.
The 2002 WHS junior varsity football schedule is: Sept. 16, Concordia; Sept. 23, at Abilene; Sept. 30, Atchison; Oct. 7, Chapman; Oct. 14, at Clay Center; Oct. 21, at Marysville. All games start at 6 p.m.
The 2002 WHS freshman football schedule is: Sept. 9, Clay Center; Sept. 16, at Concordia; Sept. 23, Abilene; Sept. 26, At Rock Creek; Oct. 3, Holton; Oct. 8, at Chapman; Oct. 31, at Marysville. All games except Holton, start at 6 p.m., Holton, 4:30 p.m.

Wamego Football Team Wins Season Opener

“I found my quarterback tonight,” Black said. “Without a doubt. Brady Herman did a great job for us. He took charge and walked us down the field very nicely.”
Herman connected on four passes for touchdowns in the 32-12 win.
“I didn’t start the game,” said Herman. “I just went in. I think I took (the leadership) about the second quarter and I feel like I’m going to do it for the rest of the season.”
The first quarter of the Raider-Chieftain match up was scoreless on both sides. Wamego‚s closest opportunity was a blocked 34 yard field goal attempt by the novice Swiss kicker David Linder.
Wamego started the second quarter off a Chieftain punt. That led to a scoring drive which culminated in the Raiders‚ first score at 7:17 in the period. “That was an unbelievable catch by Jay Fath,” said Herman, referring to the seven yard pass play. Linder’s PAT kick added one, and the score was 7-0, Wamego. The half ended on that mark.
Possession switched between teams several times in the third quarter, before the Raider defense forced Tonganoxie into an end-zone punt. It was fielded by Matt Campbell, who brought it back 25 yards. That gave Wamego excellent field position on the Chieftain 15. Herman tried to connect with Cameron Poe in the end zone, but went a bit long. Two penalties later -- one for each team -- and Herman did make the connection for an 8 yard pass play resulting in a touchdown. Linder added a kick and at 7:01 in the third, Wamego was up 14-0.
The Raiders’ biggest mistake in the third was a pass picked off by Chieftain Chuck Riddle at the 2:55 mark giving Tonganoxie possession on the 50 yard line. By the time the quarter ended, they were threatening on Wamego’s 11.
Tonganoxie moved the ball six yards at the opening of the fourth quarter, then Justin Walker ran the ball in for a TD. James Hartshorn’s PAT failed, so at 11:53, the score was 14-6, Wamego advantage.
The Chieftains gave Wamego four downs, then were back in scoring mode. One play after receiving Derek Fox’s punt, Walker again got the ball and took a 24 yard run for a score. This time, Tonganoxie opted for a 2-point conversion play, but it too failed. At 11:04, they had narrowed Wamego’s lead to 2 points, 14-12.
The Raiders didn’t take that back-to-back scoring lightly. Aided by an Austin Fink 24 yard run, they relentlessly marched down the field toward another scoring opportunity. At 7:06, Campbell carried the ball for a 20 yard TD effort. The PAT was blocked, but Wamego was up by eight.
Three minutes later, as the Raiders were down on their own 25, Herman connected with Campbell for one of the prettiest flies of the night, a 75 yard pass play that gave Wamego six more points. After a second blocked PAT, the Raiders were up 26-12. “That was the big turning point of the game, when Matt caught that fly and got the touchdown to go up by eight after we missed the extra point,” said Black.
Unbelievably, the Raiders had one more touchdown left in them. With a mere 3.6 seconds left on the game clock, A.J. Patterson took a 77 yard scamper to add six additional points to the Wamego scoreboard. Linder’s PAT was blocked, but his kick off went deep into the end zone, burying any hope for a Tonganoxie rebound.
“That was great,” said Black. “A.J. was not going down for anything. That was a nice surprise, he showed a lot there. But, the nicest surprise of the whole game was all the young people stepping up. We played a ton of people tonight, and everyone played their position well. We were hurting, lots of cramps, but everyone gave effort.”
The Raiders will be on the road again Friday night with a trip to Concordia. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

Wamego Football Team Falls to Concordia on Unlucky Friday the 13th

However, in the end, Concordia was able to take better advantage of the superstitious night and pulled out a 19-12 win.
The Raiders were put on the defense early in the game. Helped by a late hit Raider penalty, Concordia moved the ball quickly down the field on its first possession. Jesse McKinney finally stopped them on the Wamego three, but two snaps later Panther Jacob Strait carried the ball over for a TD. Quarterback Jared Goedert added a PAT and at 6:00 in the first quarter, the Panthers were up 7-0.
Wamego couldn't convert on its possession, and gave the ball back to Concordia on a punt. This time, the Raiders were called for pass interference, but then Brad Riniker and Kurtis Kabriel pulled Goedert down for a sack and loss of five yards. On the next snap, Riniker repeated the performance and flags flew again. This time, they were on the Panthers and Wamego took possession. The quarter ended on yet another penalty, and the 7-0 score.
Wamego opened the second on its own 11, but got nowhere. Most of the quarter was scoreless until a Brady Herman pass to Matt Campbell closed the score to 7-6 at the 3:57 mark. Or did it? A holding call on Wamego negated the touchdown and Wamego was barred from the end zone on the rest of that possession.
Concordia received the ball on their own two, but then the Raider defense sacked the QB, causing a fumble which they recovered on the Panther 42. Herman then connected with Derek Wassom for a 39 yard pass play to put the ball on the three. Herman then carried the ball over with 17 seconds left for a Wamego touchdown. David Linder's PAT failed, and the half ended on the 7-6 score.
The Raiders started the second half with possession on their own 26, but a Kyle Culwell interception ended the drive. Campbell got his revenge in the next series, as he snagged the ball back for the Raiders and took off on a 68-yard run for a Wamego TD. The two-point conversion pass failed, but the Raiders were up 12-7 at 9:32.
The quarter would see several more fumbles, interceptions and flags until Concordia pulled ahead 13-12 courtesy of a 14-yard touchdown run by Goedert with 3:14 left. Concordia's conversion pass also failed. Wamego did have another chance to score in the quarter, but it was nixed by an incomplete Herman-Wassom pass into the end zone, then a first down measure that favored the Panthers by inches, giving them the ball.
Concordia opened the final period deep in their own territory, and the Raider defense held them there. The game then turned into a defensive duel until the last 14 seconds of the game. Wamego had the ball on its own 24, when Randy Hamilton intercepted a Herman pass and ran it back for a TD and a 19-12 lead. But Goedert's PAT kick failed, and the Raiders still had a chance ... and 2.74 seconds. Those hopes were ended when Panther Grant Wisdom snagged another Raider ball, and the game ended on the seven-point spread.
Wamego will open at home Friday night against Abilene. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Wamego Football Team Falls to Abilene on Home Opener

The Raiders were hampered by the loss of Matt Campbell, who had sustained a broken rib early in the Concordia game and is out for three weeks.
However, while WHS Coach John Black admits Campbell is a big part of the team, he’s not totally essential.
“Dang right we can win without Matt Campbell,” he said. “Matt’s a big part of this team, he’s a great player, but you can always win just losing one guy.”
Black sees the issue more as a need for some focus and leadership.
“Somebody has to step up,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s the quarterback spot that’s going to change the team. I think it’s more that practice has to be focused. We have to have things right.”
Things certainly didn’t go right for the Raiders in the first quarter.
A fumble early in their first possession gave the ball to Abilene, but Wamego did recover the ball on a Craig Dunback interception. However, they couldn’t convert, picking up a penalty which forced a punt.
In a slightly bizarre play, an Abilene pass bounced off a Raider foot, sending a host of Raiders and Cowboys up in the air to recover -- Derek Fox came down with it in the end zone for Wamego, and they took the ball on the 20 as a result of the touchback. Their possession was short lived, Cowboy Zac Humphreys grabbed Brady Herman’s pass.
Six plays later, Abilene was close enough for Evan Anderson to score on a 35 yard field goal. Abilene was up 3-0 at 4:29. Wamego briefly took possession, but Abilene took the offensive and with 40 seconds left in the game, Clayton Issitt slipped the ball over from the one yard line for a TD. Anderson added the PAT and the quarter ended with Abilene holding a 10-0 lead and Wamego on the Abilene 37 with the ball.
The second quarter opened with Wamego continuing in possession. They made the most of it, continuing an 81 yard drive that resulted in Herman’s six yard touchdown rush at 7:00. Tyler Cox added the PAT kick and the Raiders narrowed the lead to 10-7.
Abilene started on their own 27, and the Raider defense held them to a punt. Eric Woltje took a 28 yard return scamper which allowed Wamego to start on Abilene’s 37. That field position was all the Raiders needed to put together another scoring drive. Herman slipped the ball over on a 1-yard QB keeper, and Cox tacked on the PAT kick to give Wamego a 14-10 lead at 1:54 in the half.
David Linder then buried the kickoff deep in the end zone for a touchback, and Cameron Poe intercepted an Abilene pass to finish the half with the 14-10 lead.
Unfortunately, the rest of the game was all Cowboys. Although the Wamego defense kept the Abilene penned up on their first possession, the Raiders couldn’t take advantage of their own possessions. On the first one, Abilene regained on a fumble. The Cowboys used the possession for an Issitt touchdown at 1:44. Anderson missed the PAT, but Abilene was up 16-14, and the quarter ended on that score.
Wamego had more trouble in the fourth, as the Abilene runners seemed to know exactly where to find holes in the Raider defense. On offense, Black switched quarterbacks, using Cox who then connected with Poe for several long passes. But, the duo couldn’t manage enough completions for a score.
The only points in the fourth came from Cowboy Adam Eckert, when Abilene put together an 82-yard drive that ended in a TD at 8:09. Anderson again missed the PAT, but the touchdown was enough to put the game out of Wamego’s reach.
“I think first quarter, the offense didn’t even know they were supposed to show up for the game,” commented Black. “The second quarter, we started playing football and we came back. Then, in the second half Jay Fath went down. We went with sophomore linebackers and their reads probably weren’t as good as they should be right now. They just stuffed the ball down our throat. The linebackers have to step up and make plays and they didn’t do that tonight.”
The Raiders travel to Atchison on Friday night, kickoff is at 7 p.m. -- and they have work to do. “They’re good, big and fast,” said Black.

Injuries Hurt Red Raiders Against Atchison

He was referring to the injuries that are plaguing the Raiders this year. They lost 14-0 in action at Atchison Friday night.
Before the game even started, Wamego was thinned out due to injuries. Matt Campbell was still on the sidelines and he was joined by Jay Fath and Derek Fox, who were both injured against Abilene.
Eric Woltje then took a hard hit on the first play in Atchison, which kept him out for the start of the game. “You need a rhythm to start the game, and he is usually our rhythm,” said Black. “So that hurt us.”
The upperclassman ranks thinned still further. Kurtis Kabriel was hurt, keeping him benched for part of the game, as was Derek Wassom, his injury occurring late in the fourth quarter.
“One guy goes out, then you put in another. Then another sub. They just keep going out,” the coach said.
So Black played his sophomores.
“That was a bright spot,” he said. “You saw all the sophomores playing well. Adam Karnowski played incredibly. He played very, very good inside linebacker.”
Unfortunately, he also took a hard hit to the jaw, which, according to Black, makes him questionable for next week.
“Travis Kohler also played very well inside,” Black continued. “Luke Brazzle stepped in, Jon Oakes always plays well and Lee Marcoux was on the field quite a bit. The sophomores just stepped up and played for us.”
But the smaller sophomore class just wasn’t able to match up to the Redmen’s size. All of their linemen were well above the 200-pound range.
The young Raiders gave a valiant effort. In the first quarter, they held the bigger team scoreless. There was a scary moment at 4:45, when Redman Robbie Schultz intercepted Tyler Cox’ pass and ran it back to the Wamego 49. But, the Raider defense held.
Wamego was able to hold off the Redmen again in the second. Karnowski recovered a fumble at 7:55 to give the Raiders a scoring chance, but it wasn’t to be. Atchison soon forced a punt. The kick was short, giving Atchison good field position. They soon threatened again at first and goal, but a fumble moved the ball back to the Wamego 19 and the Raiders recovered on downs. They couldn’t convert the opportunity, and the half ended on the 0-0 score.
Both teams were still in defensive mode in the third quarter, until Atchison finally scored at 3:52 on a 50-yard sideline run by Jeff Boldridge. Jake Weishaar added a PAT and the Redmen were up 7-0 at the end of the third.
But wait. It wasn’t the end of the quarter. The officials had granted an untimed down, because the Raiders had accepted a penalty on the previous play. On that final snap of the quarter, Redmen quarterback Shea Sowers connected on a 44-yard pass play to tight end Shayne Tyler. Weishaar added the PAT and boosted the score to the final 14-0 tally.
Both teams still had the fourth quarter to go. Wamego was able to hold off any further Redman scoring with a strong defensive stance. At one point, when Atchison was again threatening, Adam Hemphill broke up a pass in the end zone. Then, Aaron Poe sacked the quarterback, forcing a fumble which Jeremy Danler recovered. But the offense was unable to take advantage, and Wamego went home having put no points on the board.
The Raiders will be on the road again Friday, this time meeting the Chapman Irish. Game time is 7 p.m.

Injuries Plague Wamego High School Volleyball Team's Performance

Seven other teams participated in the event - Rock Creek, Wabaunsee, Nemaha Valley, Valley Heights, Riley County, Council Grove and Chapman.
Valley Heights went on to win the tournament, with Nemaha Valley placing second.
Unfortunately, the Lady Raiders never made it out of pool play.
They opened against Rock Creek, falling 1-15; 4-15. They then met Wabaunsee‚s Lady Chargers, going three games, but eventually losing 12-15; 17-7 and 1-15. The final chance in pool play came against Nemaha Valley, where the Lady Raiders went down 4-15; 2-15.
The biggest liability for Wamego was the absence of Kate Peterson, the team’s scoring leader and guiding force on the floor.
"Kate went down Thursday night with a knee injury at the beginning of the second game against Concordia," said WHS Coach Jamie Boring. "The girls really stepped up to the plate to finish that game, but faltered the rest of the night. That was to be expected.
"But I really expected them to regroup and come back on Saturday," she continued. "I expected us to regroup and come out of pool play, but no one stepped up. We had a lack of consistency, a lack of leadership and a lack of accepting roles. We have a lot of areas to improve on, to redeem ourselves. We are on a five-match losing streak without Kate. I have the athletes. They just need to understand what it takes to regroup. We are at ground zero."
With or without Peterson, there are some changes in store for the Lady Raiders in order to face up to the rest of the season, according to the coach.
"Basically we will be back to the strongest survive," she said. "Those that produce will be on the floor, those that can’t will be on the sideline. We’ll put a little pressure on them to step up to the plate. I’m also changing the offense, we’ve tried to run a six-and-two, now we‚ll go back to a five-and-one.
"I’m hoping they have enough pride to understand what has happened to them and to focus."
The Lady Raiders will go to Abilene on Thursday. Can they snap back?
"I believe 100 percent that they can," said Boring. "They have the ability and the skills. But right now, they don’t have the mental toughness. They will have to dig down deep, find pride, and at least compete. All I’m asking for is to compete. From here on out, our schedule is very tough. There is no room for feeling sorry for ourselves."

Wamego Red Raiders Win Homecomimg Contest

Friday culminated a week of Homecoming activities with a pep rally, parade and the crowning of Queen Staci Lloyd and King Eric Straub. The spirit week paid off. The Raiders were ready. After four frustrating losses, they had the home field advantage over Clay Center, and an opportunity to revenge last year’s loss.
It showed in the very first possession. Although Clay Center started with the ball, the only yardage they managed against the Raider defense was in negative numbers. They were forced to punt.
Wamego started its drive on its own 33. Eric Woltje was fleet of foot, moving the ball early. The team of quarterback Tyler Cox and his receiver Cameron Poe couldn’t miss. Cox fired off two back-to-back passes -- 28 yards and 21 yards respectively – to Poe. Woltje then had the ball again, this time for a 15-yard touchdown run. Cox added a PAT kick and at 7:51, the Raiders were up 7-0.
The Raider defense again stood up to the Tigers, forcing a punt in just four downs. Cox and Poe put on another aerial show. The drive included three pass plays. One went for 24 yards, one for 44 yards and the final was a 7-yard TD catch in the end zone. Another Cox PAT and at 1:09 Wamego’s lead had increased to 14-0.
The Tigers were able to take advantage of a momentary lapse in Wamego’s concentration on the kick-off return, as Jake Richter captured the ball and ran it back 92 yards for a Clay Center score. Brett Langvardt added a good PAT kick, and the Tigers had closed the gap to 14-7, where the quarter ended.
Wamego opened the second period with possession of the ball on its own 40 yard line but were unable to convert. It had looked as though a punt return fumble should have gone to the Raiders, but the ball was awarded to Clay Center. It didn’t help the Tigers, and Wamego soon regained possession.
They were close to scoring, with an incomplete Cox-Poe effort into the end zone, but they gave Clay Center the ball on downs. On the Tigers’ fourth down, they were stopped behind the line of scrimmage by Jesse McKinney and Aaron Poe.
This time, the Raiders were ready. With the help of a penalty on Clay Center, they were sitting on the 38 yard line when Matt Campbell took his longest run of the night, stopping with six points in the end zone. Cox tapped in a PAT kick and at 2:38, the Raiders had a 21-7 lead.
A series of fumbles and interceptions led to several possession changes as the second quarter ticked away. The final fumble was on the Clay Center side, recovered by Jeremy Danler for the Raiders. That gave the ball to Wamego on the Tiger 14. A Cox toss to Poe put it in the end zone at 1:06. The PAT kick added a point and the half closed at 28-7.
The Raiders opened the second quarter with possession. They made good use of it. Woltje ran the kick off up to Wamego’s 49. Austin Fink and Campbell took turns running the ball, with Campbell carrying it over the goal on a 9-yard effort. Again, Cox had the kick. At 8:24, Wamego was up 35-7.
For numerologists, the only other Clay Center score of the night was pre-ordained. At three minutes left in the third quarter, on third down with three yards to the goal, No. 23 Derek Corral leaped into the end zone to move the score to 35-13. Langvardt’s kick failed and the quarter ended on that score.
Clay Center might have been done scoring for the night, but Wamego wasn’t. They had one more left on the first drive of the fourth quarter. Cox fired off two back-to-back passes to Jay Fath, the second for 35 yards, and Woltje ran it in from the Clay Center 3 for a TD.
But, a Raider holding penalty negated the touchdown. So, Wamego moved back 10 yards and Woltje tried again. This time the TD stood. Cox’s kick failed, but the 41-13 score stood for the remainder of the game.
The team that won the Homecoming game was a remarkably different team from earlier in the season.
“We had a good week of practice,” said Poe. “We were really psyched up and we believed we could beat Clay Center. (Cox) was also able to hit me in stride tonight, the line was blocking for him very well. He had time. And, it’s pretty easy for him when the line is doing their job.”
WHS Coach John Black echoed that praise of the line.
“We felt good about this game and our line played tremendously,” he said. “Kurtis Kabriel really laid some people out tonight playing guard for us. The guard is a big position. Our whole line was tremendous – Brad Rice, Jeremy Danler, Jesse McKinney, Brad Riniker – I want them all in there.
“We also had Matt (Campbell) hitting the hole,” he continued. “Bringing in Austin Fink, he was fresh, his legs were pumping, he worked his tail off tonight.”
The Raiders also took advantage of some “pretty silly coverage” of Poe by Clay Center. “They left that in for the whole first series,” said Black. “So we hit it while it was there.”
This was a big night for the Raiders, giving them confidence going into district play.
“We have the toughest district in the state,” said Black. “Marysville is a big rival. Let’s go out and play some football!”
The Raiders-Bulldog match-up is in Wamego on Friday with kickoff at 7 p.m.

Wamego Football Team Falls to Undefeated Marysville

It was the first game in district action.
The first quarter was mostly uneventful for both teams. As the time ticked away, Wamego was threatening on the Bulldog six, but they couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. They were limited to a 24 yard Tyler Cox field goal with 31.5 on the period.
That would prove to be Wamego’s only score of the night.
Marysville got on the scoreboard twice late in the second quarter. Bulldog Mike Larkin was responsible for both TDs. The first came at 2:22 on a 15 yard run, the second was a seven yard effort at 26.9 remaining on the clock. Marysville failed at both conversion attempts -- a kick and a pass, and the half ended with Wamego down 12-3.
The serious rain began just as the players returned from the locker rooms to begin the second half. Wamego started with the ball, but Ben Gurtler soon latched on to one of Cox’s passes, giving the Bulldogs possession on the Wamego 32. Larkin went back to work, and at 7:51 slipped the ball over from the four yard line. Again, a conversion attempt failed, but Raider spirit was being rapidly quenched by both the rain and the opposition. “Matt did a good job in there as quarterback,” said WHS Coach John Black. “He’s a game breaker and an explosive player. He’s not tackled easily. I put him in there to make something happen.”
Both teams spent most of the fourth quarter sliding around on the sodden field, as thunder boomed and lightning flickered off in the distance. At 4:05, just when Wamego thought they had the Bulldogs pinned deep in their own territory, Larkin got loose and ran for his final score of the night. This time Adam Vogelsberg had a good PAT kick and the lead grew to 25-3.
The Wamego defense was just barely able to defend its goal against one final drive of the game, Marysville was threatening from the Raider seven when the clock ran down.
Black doesn’t blame the rain entirely for the Raider loss, though he admits it was a contributing factor.
“The rain was responsible for some dropped balls and it’s hard to come from behind in the rain,” he said. “But that’s not an excuse. We had a lot of missed opportunities,” he said. “We lost two touchdowns because the ball was dropped. You can’t give away touchdowns like that. We also lost the momentum in the second half when Marysville drove down field in one and a half minutes. That really hurts.”
Wamego will play at Sabetha on Friday night.
Black says his Raiders can win the game.
“Number one, they have to come out and know that they can beat them,” he stressed. “They are a good ball club. But we’ve had them down before, and this is not one of their better teams.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Raiders Fall to Sabetha on the Road on Oct. 25

This loss ends any chance of postseason play for Wamego.
Matt Campbell, starting as the Raiders' QB, attempted to spark an offense that has not been able to gain many points on the season. Under extreme pressure from the Sabetha defense, he spent most of the night scrambling out of the pocket to gain ground yardage. Campbell, and the normally starting Tyler Cox, would switch in and out of that position for most of the game.
However, neither team's offense was effective in the first quarter, as it closed on a 0-0 score.
Sabetha was threatening to score as the second quarter opened from inside the five. The Raider defense held their first attempt, but they gained a first down. Then with the ball on the four, and 10:30 on the clock, Adam Renyer carried it in for a TD. Micah Hall added the PAT kick and Sabetha was up 7-0.
The second half ended with Cox attempting a 27 yard field goal for the Raiders. It failed and the score remained 7-0, Sabetha.
Wamego's David Linder kicked off the second half of the game, burying the Blue Jays deep. The Raider defense held them to a fourth down, forcing a punt. But, the Raiders couldn't convert on the opportunity. It did however, lead to one of the highlights of the game for Wamego -- Derek Fox's punting, which topped out at 41 yards.
There were few other offensive gains in the third until 2:07 when Renyer got an eight yard run for his second TD. This time, Hall's kick failed, so the lead was only extended by six.
Sabetha recovered its own offside kick but Cameron Poe stepped up for Wamego with an interception that gave the Raiders excellent field position. By the end of the quarter, Campbell's scrambles had closed some of the distance to the goal, but they hadn't gotten the job done.
The fourth opened with the Raiders on the Sabetha 31. Several incomplete passes had put the Raiders at fourth and 15, and Cox was substituted in. He hit Jay Fath for a first down putting the ball on the 14. He then handed off to Eric Woltje who gained another four yards. As the Raiders were threatening on the fourth, Cox fumbled, but then recovered the ball with the loss of a yard. Finally at 8:57, Woltje got Wamego's first TD. Cox then attempted the PAT kick, but it failed. The score was 13-6.
Sabetha answered immediately on its next possession as Matt Pyle slipped a ball over from the two at 3:24. Hall connected with the PAT kick and the lead spread to 20-6.
The offensive action really picked up in the last minute of the game. Cox first hit Craig Dunback from Wamego's 46. He gained eight. Then Woltje carried the ball and was knocked out of bounds and sent flying onto the track around the 35. The resulting personal foul on Sabetha was half the distance to the goal, giving Wamego the ball on the Blue Jay 12. Cox hit Poe with a pass which he carried into the end zone for the Raiders' second, and final, TD. Cox's PAT kick failed, so the score was 20-12 with :53 left.
Cox then took over kickoff duties with an onside kick. Sabetha recovered and made the most of the opportunity, finishing off with a 19 yard pass to Jeff Thompson and a touchdown at 16.2. Hall's kick made it 27-12, where the game ended.
The Raiders will play their final game of the season at home on Thursday night against Holton. It's senior night, and activities start at 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Wamego High School Girls Cross Country Team Takes Second at State Meet

The girls were led by the all-state performance of freshman Mandy Gunter.
“Mandy ran phenomenally,” said WHS Coach Rick Patton. “It was her best meet. She was an All-State runner, placing 11th as a freshman. That’s incredible.”
Gunter was joined in her All-State achievement by three other area runners in the 3-A events. Michael Heigert of Wabaunsee High School placed 20th and Nicole Heptig and Chanel Ebert, both of Rock Creek, were 15th and 17th respectively.
The Wamego girls performance was not totally unexpected. They had an experienced state team that has run well all season.
“Our goal was to place in the top three,” said Patton. “We knew if we ran well, we could possibly get second place and it worked out that way. They have come a long way. Just two years ago, they struggled to get individual runners to state. Last year, they were 11th. This year they were consistent week in and week out. They ran as a team, and I’m happy they were rewarded for the effort.”
“We did a really good job all year,” said Sarah Stephan, the only senior on the team, and alternate runner. “Everyone made a lot of improvement. All year we’ve been grouped well together. Everyone is always working, nobody ever slacked off. We were really close (as a team) this year.”
One of the oldest runners was junior Kim Beem. “The race started off fast, never slowed,” she said. “It seemed everyone was out there giving it everything they had. We knew it was the last race of the year and we wanted so badly to get into the top three. We got second, and we were just so happy!”
The boys also put together a respectable state performance, considering at the beginning of the season no one expected them to be there at all.
“We lost six of our seven seniors from last year – the whole varsity team except for Chad Williams,” said Patton. “Then we won league, we were second at regionals. We finished well at every invitational. Tenth in state is nothing to be ashamed of, the boys were just overshadowed by the girls. I’m enthused and excited for them too.”
Individually, most of the Raiders pulled out a stellar performance for the state event, many of the posting season and personal records.
“Allison Morton was our most consistent runner,” said Patton. “She never ran a poor race all year. Adrianne Deweese had her best race by far, no doubt. She helped us out a lot. Christa Heideman ran a solid race, she had a good year for a freshman. Megan Dietrich really came from behind to close the gap, and that was a key to our scoring. Kim Beem and Jenna Wagoner ran solid races. I was really happy for all of them.
“(On the boys side) Rory Peddicord ran outstandingly,” Patton continued. “He ran his best time of the year. Leif Kerr also ran his best time by two to three seconds, as did Tyler Spreer. Chad Williams was solid and close to his best time. Cody Hunt only had his third best time, but he was sick again today. He just can’t get over the sickness. Rob Stueve and Scott Gnadt struggled with time today. If we had done a little better, we could have come up one or two places, but with this level of competition we’re just not ready for the hardware yet.”
Patton said the key to the performances was the off season training.
“Leif and Cody both trained off season,” he said. “They were fourth and fifth JV runners last year, this year they are in the state meet. Allison was another who was so consistent because she trained so hard this summer.”
There is a bright side to two young, successful state teams – they’ll be back!
“We’ll certainly miss our seniors,” said Patton. “Chad ran really solidly for us for four years. He’s a great kid and a hard worker. Sarah Stephan is another one. She battled injuries but just kept coming back. We’ll also miss Jessica Hanson. She was not able to run, but was a part of the team in practice. We have been with them for all four years and we’ll miss them.
“We’re also happy for the ones who came out for the first time,” he continued. “We’ll have a lot to look forward to in the next few years. We’ll have six of our seven boys back and seven of our seven girls.”
He cautioned that, as nice as the experience will be, “It doesn’t guarantee success, you have to work for it.”
Patton, who is appreciative of the work his runners have put in over the year, is also appreciative of the work the community added to make the season a success.
“I really need to put in a plug for Wamego as far as the meets are concerned,” he said. “We have the people who are willing to have it here, and the people who work. It takes a community effort to pull it off. I’ll bet there were 4,000 people running around here today – it wouldn’t happen without that help.”
Wamego Girls
Individual Results
Amanda Gunter, 11th, 12:39.60; Allison Morton, 27th, 12:59.23; Adrianne Deweese, 35th, 13:12.32; Christa Heideman, 44th, 12:24.90; Megan Dietrich, 45th, 12:25.83; Jenna Wagoner, 65th, 12:53.41; Kim Beem, 66th, 13:57.43.
Wamego Boys
Individual Results
Rory Peddicord, 45th, 17:57.95; Cody Hunt, 50th, 18:03.23; Leif Kerr, 53rd, 18:11.94; Tyler Spreer, 67th, 18:25.14; Chad Williams, 70th, 18:30.84; Rob Stueve, 99th, 20:05.00; Scott Gnadt, 100th, 20:05.55.
4A Girls
Team Results
Baldwin, first, 66; Wamego, second, 111; El Dorado, third, 126; Clearwater, fourth, 128; Colby, fifth, 137; Hayden, sixth, 145; Andover, seventh, 168; Hugoton, eighth, 177; Clay Center, ninth, 184; Chanute, 10th, 217; DeSoto, 11th, 256; Mill Valley, 12th, 301.
4A Boys
Team Results
Baldwin, first, 84; Clearwater, second, 102; Tonganoxie, third, 125; Anderson County, fourth, 144; Hugoton, fifth, 149; Pratt, sixth, 171; Independence, seventh, 176; Mill Valley, eighth, 178; El Dorado, ninth, 189; Wamego, 10th, 203; Jeff West, 11th, 216; Iola, 12th, 241.
Wabaunsee Boys
Individual Results
Michael Heigert, 20th, 17:38.19; Brian Boeckman, 31st, 18:06.21; Gabe Zeller, 71st, 18:58.53; Micha