By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

Kylie Brown has been part of a class that made volleyball a priority since the sixth grade.  With that dedication Brown and the rest of her teammates turned a ten win Hays High volleyball program into one of the top ten volleyball teams in class 4A-DI this past season.

Kylie Brown

Also with that dedication has come the opportunity to play volleyball on the collegiate level.  Monday Brown decided to continue her career at Fort Hays State University, signing her National Letter of Intent.  Brown joins fellow senior Madison Prough who has also inked her letter to play for the Tigers.

Coach Christin Nunnery

Brown patrolled the middle of the front row for Hays High with a high level of success.  As a junior Brown set the school record for blocks in a single season.  She missed six matches as a senior due to injury, but according to her coach Christin Nunnery, she was on pace to break her own record in 2015.  Brown likely won’t be playing the middle at FHSU and will switch to right side hitter but was willing to play the position in high school to help fill the team’s need.

Brown was named to the honorable mention team for 4A-DI this past season and first team on the Western Athletic Conference honors.

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

They’ve been playing baseball together since both were seven years old. Friday, Hays High seniors Jared Haynes and Cole Schumacher signed their National Letters of Intent to play baseball for Fort Hays State University.

Haynes got his first chance to play on the varsity level midway through his sophomore year. Due to injuries, Haynes got an opportunity to be in the line-up of the second game of a double header with Garden City. He hasn’t left the lineup since. In that first varsity game Haynes went collected two hits, scored a run and stole a base.

Jared Haynes

Haynes selected FHSU on the basis that it just felt right and his father played football for the Tigers as well. He is a career .333 hitter. Haynes has also appeared on the mound in two games. Once in a starting role and once in relief.

Coach Frank Leo About Jared Haynes

Schumacher has seen varsity time since his freshman season. Used primarily as a pitcher that season, he did bat in nine games. It was his sophomore season that started out the new Tiger with a bang. Schumacher hit safely in 15 of the first 16 games that year. His junior year did not yield the number of hits one would expect out of a lead-off hitter, but thanks to a keen eye Schumacher was able to walk 25 times to tied the school record for walks in a single season. His 36 career free passes has him just two outside of the career top ten list.

Cole Schumacher

Schumacher is a career .291 hitter and has also seen time on the mound. He posted a 1.57 ERA as a junior posting a 5-2 record. Schumacher threw a team high 50.2 innings last season striking out 45 and walking 19. For his career Schumacher is 11-2 with a 1.74 ERA over 92.1 innings in 22 total appearances.

Cole’s older sister Katelyn is a member of the KU softball team.

Coach Frank Leo About Cole Schmacher

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

The Hays High Indians placed two on the Western Athletic Conference First Team. Senior Brayden Delzeit was named first team offensive line. Junior Shane Berens was named first team defensive line.

Delzeit a three year starter at center was the only returning starter along the offensive line for the Hays High Indians. He helped the Indians rush for 1585 yards in 2015. Delzeit received honorable mention from the WAC his junior season.

Berens earned first team defensive line honors for a second consecutive year. He finished in the top 20 in the WAC for tackles on the season and top 5 for each sacks, tackles for loss and fumbles caused.

Seniors Isaiah Blackmon and Maddux Winter along with sophomores Hunter Brown and Logan Clark each earned honorable mention status.

After winning the Western Athletic Conference with a 4-0 mark, Dodge City head coach Dave Foster was name WAC Coach of the Year and Red Demon Senior Eric Reid was name Player of the Year.

WAC FOOTBALL ALL CONF (2015)

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

Most kids are relieved to have their college choice made sometime during their senior year sports season. Connor Rule knew before his junior season in the spring of 2015. Early in 2015 Rule attended a baseball camp at Kansas State University and the rest as they, say is history. Rule performed well enough to earn a scholarship offer from the Wildcats, an offeer he accepted. After verbally committing in the spring of 2015, Rule made it official by signing his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday.

Connor Rule

Frank Leo

Rule is a multi-year starter for the Indian baseball program and saw his first varsity action as a freshman appearing in ten games. He struck out only twice in 74 plate appearances as a sophomore. The career .383 hitter, batted .474 his junior season for his best season yet. He also had on on base percentage of .595 in 2015, which is the 4th best in a single season at Hays High.

By Dustin Armbruster

Hays and McPherson were facing the same fate at the end of Friday’s match-up at Lewis Field Stadium.  Neither team would be advancing to the playoffs.

Following a Hays punt on three plays to open the game, McPherson drove 53 yards on 12 plays to score the games first touchdown.  The drive consumed 5:40.  McPherson had a miscue on the snap and the point after failed leaving the score 6-0.  After another three plays and punt by Hays, McPherson drove 60 yards on 17 plays scoring on third and goal from the 19 yard line.  The second scoring drive took 8:14.  McPherson scored on a two point conversion attempt to lead 14-0 with 7:02 left in the second quarter.

Hays finally caught a spark on offense during their ensuing drive using a double pass, hook and ladder, and a 28 yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Hunter Brown to Jared Haynes to get with-in a touchdown at 14-7.  Maddux Winter intercepted a Bullpup pass on the following possession and the Indians again scored on fourth down this time Brown to Keith Dryden for 24 yards and a 14-14 tie at half time.

Highlights

McPherson opened the second half with a long drive that ended with a 21 yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead.  The Hays offense couldn’t gain any traction for the first half of the third quarter, but their defense held McPherson in check.  Brayden Delzeit blocked a punt to set up the Indians at the eight yard line late in the third quarter.  Hays would get their first lead of the game on a Dryden five yard touchdown run at 21-17.  Following a Bullpup touchdown the Indians would drive for a Logan Clark 40 yard field goal to tie the game at 24 with 2:56 remaining.  McPherson would find a way to drive down the field to score a touchdown pass with :27 left and take a 31-24 victory.

Coach Randall Rath

Hays finishes the season at 2-7.  McPherson is done at 5-4.

By Dustin Armbruster

The Hays High Lady Indian golf team wasn’t quite able to defend their 2014 state title.  However their third place finish on Monday was still a major accomplishment.

All season Katie Brungardt and Taylor DeBoer battled at the top of the leaderboard, consistently finishing in the top five.  But for the majority of the season the team finishes didn’t match up.  The team was made up of inexperienced players outside of Brungardt and Deboer.  Four of the players didn’t even own clubs, playing the season with borrowed equipment.

Coach Kelli Karlin

Katie Brungardt

Taylor DeBoer

Heading into the Regional Tournament in Goodland, Hays was just simply hoping to qualify the team to state.  They did qualify to the state tournament to be held on their home course at Smoky Hill Golf Course.

Battling 20-30 mph southerly winds Brungardt fired an 82 to finish runner-up.  She shot a 44 on the her first nine, followed by a 38.  The winning score was 77.  DeBoer carded an 89 for 5th shooting a 44 and 45.   Emily McGuire and Breanna Park rounded out the Indians score of 411.  Emily George and Brittani Park also competed on Monday.

Hays finished behind Goodland (400) and champion Winfield at 395.

By Dustin Armbruster

The Hays High Indians opened district play with the undefeated Buhler Crusaders on Friday Night.  Buhler had only given up 41 points in their first six games, which included three shut-out wins.  Buhler entered the night ranked #2 in class 4A-1.  It was the first time Hays had played an opponent that was not in Class 5A or 6A.

The Indians forced Buhler into a change of possession on downs to start the game.  Hays then had their punt blocked and recovered at the 1 yard line to set up the Crusaders to with their first score of the night one play later.  Hays blocked the extra point to keep the score at 6-0.  Hays responded on their next drive scoring on a 43 yard touchdown pass from Kohlton Meyers to Keith Dryden on 3rd a 21.  The score and Logan Clark extra point gave the Indians a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.

Highlights

Hays would hold that lead until midway through the second quarter.  At that point Buhler would score three touchdowns in less than five minutes to go up 25-7 at halftime.

The Indians opened the second half driving with the football but fumbled the ball that Buhler returned 40 yards for a touchdown.  Buhler would go on for the 46-14 win.  Dylan Schmidtberger scored his first career touchdowns for the Indians in the fourth quarter for their second score of the night.

Coach Rath

Hays falls to 2-5 and 0-1 in district play.  Buhler is now 7-0 for the eighth time in school history.

Hays travels to 7-0 Abilene next week.  Abilene beat McPherson 26-17 on Friday moving to 1-0 in district play.

By Dustin Armbruster

The Hays High Indians traveled to Dodge City on Friday night to take on the fourth most potent offense in all of 11-man football.  The Red Demons entered the evening averaging 52 points and 502 yards per contest.  Dodge City was held to under their average in both points and yards but pulled out the win 37-3 over Hays.

It took all of three offensive plays for Dodge City to show their offensive fireworks.  Hays opened the game with two punts and an interception.  Dodge City responded with three pass plays all from Caden Walters to Eric Reid for 184 yards and three scores.  The Red Demons led 21-0 with 4:24 left to go in the first quarter.  Dodge City tacked on a Tyler Trent touchdown run in the first quarter and second quarter to lead 35-0 at half time.

Highlights

The Hays defense came to play in the second half.  The Indians forced three fumbles, picked off a pass, and forced a change of possession on downs holding Dodge City out of the end zone in the second half.  The Indian’s only scoring drive came following a Dodge City fumble to open the third quarter.  Logan Clark kicked a 32 yard field goal to cap a 12 play-4:40 drive.

The lone points for Dodge City in the second half came when Hays fumbled in their own end zone and covered it up for a Red Demon safety.

Coach Randall Rath

Hays falls to 2-4 on the year and finishes WAC play at 1-3.  Dodge City improves to 4-2 and is 3-0 in the conference.  Dodge City will play Garden City for the outright league title in week 9.

Hays is at home to open district play next week against undefeated Buhler.

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER

The Hays High Indians will have a different look to their football schedule for 2016 and 2017.  The Indians will open 2016 at Scott City, a team they have played three time prior.  The two played in 2002 and 2003.  Scott City winning 13-12 in 2002 and Hays taking the 2003 game 23-20.  The two also played back in 1931 with Hays winning 6-0.

Weeks two through four remain with the same Western Athletic Conference games as before with Great Bend, Liberal and Garden City.

Week 5 the Indians will welcome Valley Center to town.  The two have only met one time prior and that was in the 5A playoffs in 1995.  Valley Center won the game 28-7.

Hays will finish their WAC schedule with Dodge City in week 6.

The Indians district schedule gets a bit of a tweak as well.  McPherson moves from the final game of the season to Week 7.  Abilene remains in the Week 8 slot.  To finish district play and the regular season the Indians will travel to Wamego in Week 9.  The Indians have never faced the Red Raiders.  Wamego is competed last year and this year in 4A-II.

Scott City is moving from 3A to 4A-II after ten years.  Valley who is the 8th smallest 5A school football.   Those two schools replace 6A schools Olathe Northwest and Wichita South on the schedule.

Wamego replaces Buhler in the district schedule that is set up by KSHSAA.

2016 Football Schedule
1. @ Scott City
2. @ Great Bend
3. v Liberal
4. @ Garden City
5. v Valley Center
6. v Dodge City
7. @ McPherson (district)
8. v Abilene (district)
9. @ Wamego (district)