Mill Valley to travel to Lansing for district title showdown

In preparing for the district championship this week against Lansing, Mill Valley is focused and looking to build off of the momentum of Friday’s 63-40 victory against Washington.

“We’re concentrating on what we do as a team (this week),” coach Joel Applebee said. “Our goal all year long is to concentrate and improve on what we do.”

At least on paper, there didn’t appear to be much for the Jaguars (7-1) to improve upon from Friday’s senior night victory against the Wildcats (3-5). In its second district game, the Jaguars put up 42 points in just the first half.

“We played well,” Applebee said. “We jumped out early, and I was very happy.”

Senior quarterback Skyler Windmiller led the Jaguars the first half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 211 yards, including three touchdowns. Windmiller frequently targeted senior L.J. Hatch, who caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Senior Kendall Short ran for two touchdowns to follow up his three-score performance from a week ago against Schlagle. Against Washington, Short carried nine times for 105 yards and also brought in a 38-yard reception.

The 36-point halftime cushion prompted Applebee to start rotating in his second- and third-string underclassmen.

“Our kids got some great experience,” he said. “We played a lot of freshmen fourth quarter.”

Behind freshman quarterback Logan Koch, who ran for three touchdowns and 189 rushing yards, the seemingly inexperienced players held their own against Washington’s starters.

Amassing 331 rushing yards, the Jaguars surpassed the season average of 220, effectively moving the ball downfield all night.

Senior Staton Rebeck had an 89-yard punt return in the second quarter for a touchdown, while junior linebacker T.J. Philips led the defense with seven tackles and a sack.

Senior Coleman McCann remained on the sideline Friday after an injury sustained at Tonganoxie on Sept. 21. Joining him was junior Adam Swearingen, who injured his leg against Turner. Applebee called both players’ status “week-to-week.”

Applebee said the Jaguars were pumped up after the decisive senior night performance but that they needed to take it to another level against the Lions (3-5) at 7 p.m. Friday in a game that will decide the district title.

“Lansing is going to be a challenge,” he said.

The Lions are coming off a one-point victory against Schlagle.

While the Jaguars are already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, a district championship would ensure Mill Valley’s chance to host a game.

“We’ve clinched the playoffs, but that’s not what we are about,” he said. “We want to win the district.”

Mill Valley sets up shot at district football title with latest victory

Mill Valley stepped out to an impressive lead against Washington on Friday night, putting up 42 points in just the first half.

With a final score of 63-40, coach Joel Applebee said he never felt threatened during Mill Valley’s second district game.

“We played well,” Applebee said. “We jumped out early and I was very happy.”

The Jaguars (7-1) played consistently in the first two quarters,  executing on both the defensive and offensive sides with special teams playing a major role again this week.
Behind senior quarterback Skyler Windmiller, who threw for three touchdowns in the first half, the Jaguars moved the ball down the field effectively all night.

Senior running back Kendall Short ran for two touchdowns after recently returning from an injury sustained last month.

With the 36-point cushion at the half, Applebee started rotating in his second and third string underclassmen.

“Our kids got some great experience,” he said. “We played a lot of freshmen in the fourth quarter.”

The seemingly inexperienced players handled their own against Washington’s starters.

Logan Koch, freshman quarterback, rushed for three touchdowns in the second half, two in the third quarter alone.

“We decided to rest our ones (starters) for the entire second half and let our younger ones get some play,” Applesaid.

Senior Coleman McCann remained on the sidelines again this week after his injury at Tonganoxie on Sept. 21. Applebee said he continues to “look week-to-week” in the hopes of getting him back as soon as possible.

Mill Valley visits Lansing on Friday for the district championship.

Cougars, Indians get tuneup for state at league gymnastics meet

Both Shawnee Mission Northwest and Shawnee Mission North gymnasts had the opportunity to gauge their competition a week ahead of the state championship meet on Saturday during the Sunflower League championship meet.

SM Northwest totaled 99.85 points for fourth place, a mere 0.6 points behind SM West, at the 11-school meet held at Shawnee Mission East. Competing mostly on the opposite side of the gym, the Indians placed 10th overall with 91.5 points.

Lawrence Free State took home first place with a combined score of 104.575, with Olathe East putting up 103.775 for second place.

SM West edged the Cougars out of a top-three overall finish, only three days after the Cougars placed second overall at SM Northwest’s home Cougar Classic meet.

“We looked better than what I expected,” SM Northwest coach Cindy Beason said on Sunday. “Overall, skillwise, I think we are making improvements and I look to see even more improvements by next Saturday.”

Grace Gregory, an SM Northwest junior, yielded a third-place finish after a solid performance on the balance beam with a score of 8.55. Gregory also led her team in the all-around competition, placing ninth.

“Grace was very good, considering she had a fall (on the balance beam), and had she not fallen she would have placed first,” Beason said.

Teammate Mallory Wilhite, who won the floor routine last week, placed eighth in the same event on Saturday with an 8.8.

Senior Caitlin Chen struggled in the same event, placing 25th with 8.1. Toward the end of her routine, the 17-year-old gymnast began to grimace and fight back tears.

A dislocated shoulder sustained during the state competition last year came back to haunt Chen during warmups and has hindered her final season as a Cougar.

“It hasn’t been as great of a year as I was hoping it could have been,” Chen said.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s state championships, Chen said she wants to be satisfied with her routine and maybe even nab a first-place medal.

“I want to be able to be happy with what I’ve done,” Chen said. “But it would be really nice to place top three in the floor. Last year I had a really good chance of it and it all crumbled; to come back and reclaim that would be great.”

Chen has been with the Cougars since her freshman year and said the short season’s been somewhat of “an emotional ride” for her, one of seven seniors graduating in May.

“It’s super exciting and super sad,” she said. “It’s putting it all out there.”

SM North coach Chuck Lundblad had similar advice for his two seniors going into their final meet.

“Talking to one of the seniors, I said, ‘If not now, then when?’” he said. “I don’t want them to say ‘what if …’ or ‘if only I would have done this better or that better.’”

Lundblad said the Indians’ lack of depth — and the experience and confidence that come with it — contributes to the team’s placing.

“All the girls, and not just these girls, all the gymnasts doubt themselves and they don’t have the confidence,” he said.

With a mostly freshman squad, Lundblad is hoping to finish in the top eight at the competition.

Senior Jen Lanman secured 10th place in the all-around competition behind SM Northwest’s Gregory, with 33.375. Lanman also wound up in a three-way tie for second on the vault led by a 9.25.

Fellow senior Elaina Zinn said she felt like she “struggled with consistency” in her events. Zinn didn’t place within the top 10 in either the vault or the uneven bars, scoring 7.1 and 8.3, respectively.

“I think I have the skills, I just need to work on improving them and the technique,” Zinn said. “I wasn’t as consistent (on Saturday) and have new skills in there and I’m excited to show them off next week.”

Natalya Freeman received her best score (8.0) in the vault to finish 32nd in the all-around competition with 26.75.

Lundblad said his team basically needs to work on the essential fundamentals in gymnastics.

“We need to work on form, and on the beam we had too many falls,” he said. “You just need to have three solid scores.”

All but two of the teams that will be competing at this Saturday’s state meet at Lawrence High School were at the Sunflower League meet.

Beason said ultimately she’s comfortable with the Cougars’ performance over the weekend.

“I like going into state in fourth position,“ Bleason said. “(We) can be the dark horse that might sneak in and surprise someone.”

Sports on the Agenda

 

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

USD 234 School Board members spent a majority of Monday night’s meeting discussing middle and high school athletics.

 

Board members heard from Eric Baldonado, director of rehabilitation services at Mercy Health Center, and Fort Scott High School Activities Director Larry Fink regarding the implementation of an ImPACT Testing system at the high school level.

 

ImPACT Testing provides comprehensive testing for concussions through a thorough evaluation of functional brain activity and is already in place at Fort Scott Community College.

 

“I’m bringing this to you as something we would like to implement at the high school level,” Baldonado said. “More importantly, I am bringing this to you as something to prevent high school injury that you don’t have to pay for.”

 

Board members approved the motion saying, “If it’s not going to cost anything and save kids, why not?”

 

Some 300 student athletes will be subjected to ImPACT Testing. The exam would take 30 to 45 minutes, be based on what he or she can do and it will be free.

 

The Mercy Health Auxiliary provided $2,400 that Boldonado said would allow three to six years of ImPACT Testing for high school athletes.

 

On the subject of middle school athletics, board members heard a progress report outlining the finances and options for intramural and interscholastic sports.

 

Tom Davis, intramural director at Fort Scott Middle School and one of five members on the intramural sports committee formed since the January board meeting, said he did not want the panel to make any kind of decision on Monday night but just wanted to give a progress report on what the committee was discussing.

 

Recommendations ranged from cutting intramurals at the seventh and eighth-grade level and going interscholastic to keeping intramurals at the sixth and seventh-grade level and having just five sports in eighth grade become interscholastic.

 

No decision was made, but many options were outlined. Board members said they would like to see a definitive recommendation in March that would allow scheduling needs to be met.

 

“We need direction from administrators and committee members to know what is best for the student. We don’t know,” board member Justin Meeks said.

 

Other items discussed at Monday night’s meeting included:

 

* Approval of fundraiser requests for student groups and the use of athletic/activity funds.

 

* The second semester enrollment count showed that total headcount is down 58 from this time one year ago, with the elementary schools taking the biggest hit.

 

“This is not good news,” Superintendent Rick Werling said.

 

* Seven employees put in requests for retirement or early retirement, including Werling.

 

“We have some long-standing people in the district who sent in letters and we are going to miss them,” Board President Janet Braun said.

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