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Category: Sports

FHSU volleyball starts season 4-0 at Aggies Challenge

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GOODWELL, Okla. – Fort Hays State remained perfect on the season with a pair of wins on Saturday (Aug. 25) at the Aggies Challenge, hosted by Oklahoma-Panhandle State. The Tigers defeated University of St. Thomas (Texas) 3-1 in their first match before sweeping University of the Southwest in the nightcap.

Fort Hays State 3, St. Thomas (Texas) 1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 25-16)
Fort Hays State needed four sets to turn away the University of St. Thomas (Texas). The Tigers jumped out of the gates with a 25-22 win in the first set before dropping the second set by four. FHSU regrouped and took control with set wins of five and nine points to close out the match.

Azlyn Cassaday produced a new career high in kills with 20, hitting .204 for the match. Isabelle Reynolds and Tatum Bartels provided efficiency on offense. Reynolds produced 16 kills with a .394 hitting percentage, while Bartels added nine kills and four blocks with a .333 hitting percentage. Morgan West was right behind Bartels with eight kills.

Bre Becker produced 30 assists for the Tiger offense, while Amirah Bentley shared the distribution duties with 22 assists. Abbie Hayes averaged six digs per set to anchor the Tiger defensive effort, while Taylor White added 11 digs and Abby Groth had 10. The Tigers had 17 more digs than UST, holding a 68-51 edge in that category.

A 5-0 run by the Tigers in the first set, highlighted by a pair of service aces from Becker and kills from Reynolds and West, pushed the Tigers out to a 14-9 lead. St. Thomas closed the FHSU lead to one point three times, but a pair of kills from Bartels closed out the set. The Tigers produced a .448 hitting percentage in the opening set.

A rash of four straight attacking errors into the St. Thomas block put the Tigers down by three early. The Tigers knotted the score up at 14-14 with a 5-1 run and the remainder of the set was close until the Celts closed out the frame with a 3-0 run on Tiger mistakes (one bad set and two attack errors).

The Tigers used a 4-0 burst in the third set to push a two-point lead to six points. The Tigers coasted to a five-point win in the set thanks to a .317 hitting percentage in the set.

FHSU closed out the match by holding UST to a -.097 hitting percentage in the final set, using blocks to generate four points. A 7-0 run for the Tigers broke a 7-7 tie and they never looked back, leading by as many as 10 before the final margin settled at nine.

Bresha Orange led UST in kills with 13, while Brooke Garcia added 10. Hannah Westerlage had 22 assists and Kelsie Walker added 17. Libero Lauren Fernandez-Miller led the Celts in digs with 17.

Fort Hays State 3, University of the Southwest 0 (25-18, 25-6, 25-21)
Fort Hays State remained perfect on the season with a three-set win over University of the Southwest in its final match of the Aggies Challenge in Goodwell, Okla. The Tigers cruised to a 2-0 lead before having to make a comeback from seven points down in the third set to win 25-21 and sweep the match.

Ashley Webb and Kayla Vitztum led the Tigers with nine kills each, while Webb added four blocks for the match. Amirah Bentley (18) and Bre Becker (17) shared the assister role, while Abbie Hayes averaged six digs for the second straight match to finish with 18.

The Tigers held a steady lead all throughout the first set to eventually win by seven points, then dominated the second set with a 25-6 win. In the second set, the Tigers dominated with a .647 hitting percentage, while holding the Mustangs to -.208.

In the third set, the Tigers rallied from an 18-11 deficit to win the third set. Down 21-17, the Tigers reeled off the final eight points of the set to sweep the match. The final seven points came on Taylor White’s serve. Vitztum was a catalyst in the final push, putting down three kills in the Tigers’ run.

Lacey Clutts led the Mustangs with nine kills. Miranda Tapia had 17 assists and Autumn Lopez had a team-high 11 digs.

The Tigers return to action next weekend at the Augustana Invitational in Sioux Falls, S.D. FHSU starts the tournament with Black Hills State University on August 31 at 9 am.

TMP soccer open season with win over Wichita Classical

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HAYS – The TMP-Marian boys soccer team opened the season Friday with a 5-2 win over Wichita Classical.

Junior Ethan Brummer scored two goals for the Monarchs and Seniors Ethan Lang and Ryan Karlin and Sophomore Nathan Wechsler each added a goal.

The Monarchs are 1-0 on the season and will travel to Wichita Independent on Monday.

FHSU men’s cross country fifth in Preseason MIAA Poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team was ranked fifth in the 2018 MIAA Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll, released Friday (Aug. 24) by the league office. The Tigers picked up 54 points in the balloting process, tied with Pittsburg State for the fifth spot in the poll.

Fort Hays State also tied with Pittsburg State at last year’s conference championships, both finishing with 142 points, good for sixth place. Layton Werth was the lone Tiger to earn All-MIAA honors, crossing the line in 12th place.

Dr. Jason McCullough returns five of his top runners from a year ago to go along with a strong incoming class and multiple student-athletes returning from a redshirt year. Werth was one of three runners to score in all five meets for the Tigers alongside fellow returners Reed Rome and Brett Meyer. Other top returners include sophomores Robbie Schmidt and Alex Barbosa, who both finished in the top five for the Tigers four times as true freshmen a year ago.

Six runners coming off their redshirt season will compliment that group of returners, including Israel Barco, Oscar Carmona, Kaleb Crum, Justin Moore, Bill Oyet and D’corian Williams. All have had success at the collegiate level in the past and look to make big contributions for the Tigers this season.

Dr. McCullough rounds out his roster with eight newcomers, including six freshmen and a pair of transfers. Seppe van ‘t Westende hits the outdoor course for the first time as a Tiger this fall after transferring in last winter and contributing in the track and field season.

The Tigers will open the season next week (Sept. 1) when they traverse the Sand Plum Nature Trail for the 32nd annual Sand Plum Alumni Open. The men’s 5k is set to start at 9:45 a.m. After hitting the road twice in September, FHSU will wrap up the regular season back at home for the 7th annual FHSU Tiger Open on October 13.

2018 MIAA Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll
1. Missouri Southern (4) – 94
T-2. Central Missouri (3) – 75
T-2. Lindenwood (3) – 75
4. Nebraska Kearney (1) – 72
T-5. Fort Hays State – 54
T-5. Pittsburg State – 54
7. Emporia State – 52
8. Washburn – 46
9. Northwest Missouri – 44
10. Southwest Baptist – 28
11. Missouri Western – 11

FHSU women’s cross country No. 4 in MIAA Preseason Poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2018 cross country season is soon to be underway, and the Fort Hays State women’s cross country team heads into the season ranked No. 4 in the MIAA. The conference poll, which was released Friday (August 24), placed the Tigers in the fourth position alongside 113 total points while receiving one first-place vote.

The MIAA is led by No. 1 Pittsburg State who garnered 11 first-place votes and 143 total points, followed by Southwest Baptist with one first-place vote and 121 points and Missouri Southern rounding out the top-three with 120 points.

The Tigers are coming off a second place finish at the 2017 MIAA Championships, where three FHSU runners captured All-MIAA honors. This was the best finish for the Tigers since joining the conference in 2006. FHSU earned 91 total points at the event to come in the runner-up position. The senior trio of Lindsay Roberts (fifth place), Lauren Roberts (eighth place) and Chelsea Jackson (15th place) all picked up All-MIAA accolades.

The 2018 squad will try to pick up where those three left off, as the new team is filled with strong talent. Senior Yessenia Gonzales looks to anchor the squad, following a 24th place finish at conference last season. Gonzales is the lone senior on the roster. She is joined on the team by seven freshman, two sophomores and three juniors. The Tigers are once again led by head coach Dr. Jason McCullough who enters his 14th season at the helm of Fort Hays State.

The action for the new season will commence with a home event as the Tigers host the FHSU Sand Plum Alumni Open on Saturday, Sept. 1 starting at 9 a.m. They will also be back on their home ground on Oct. 13 with the FHSU Tiger Open again with a 9 a.m. starting time.

Below is the 2018 MIAA Preseason Women’s Cross Country Coaching Poll.

2018 MIAA Women’s Preseason Cross Country Coaches’ Poll
1. Pittsburg State (11) – 143
2. Southwest Baptist (1) – 121
3. Missouri Southern – 120
4. Fort Hays State (1) – 113
5. Nebraska-Kearney – 99
6. Washburn – 95
7. Central Missouri – 75
8. Northwest Missouri State – 64
9. Missouri Western – 53
T10. Central Oklahoma – 46
T10. Emporia State – 46
12. Lindenwood – 27
13. Lincoln – 12

KU inks video deal with ESPN

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KU inks video deal with ESPN. Photo courtesy KU Athletics

The award-winning in-house video unit of Kansas Athletics, Rock Chalk Video, will be playing a bigger role in the department as the result of an enhanced deal with ESPN, Kansas Athletics officials announced Thursday.

Rock Chalk Video will produce a combination of nearly 200 live events and Kansas-centered shoulder programming during the 2018-19 academic year for the ESPN+ direct-to-consumer streaming platform and the ESPN app nationwide, without any blackouts.

In addition to ESPN+, KU fans will also be able to see various Jayhawk TV Network programming throughout the state of Kansas and in the Kansas City Metro Area on KMCI (38 The Spot, Kansas City), Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network, and Cox Cable.

Rock Chalk Video, in collaboration with Jayhawk IMG Sports Marketing, will produce the standard Tier 3 offerings like the lone non-Fox/ESPN football game (which this season is the opener against Nicholls State on Sept. 1), six men’s basketball games (including the two exhibition contests), Late Night in the Phog and the spring football game. All nine of those events will be seen live, blackout-free, nationally through ESPN+ via the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI and Cox Cable.

The programming will also include Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, on every home and away Kansas football and men’s basketball game day, as well as Hawk Talks on tape delay. For the first time, that content will be available across the country on the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI, Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network and Cox Cable.

“We are thrilled to have an inclusive and expanded media coverage solution for our KU alumni and fans,” Kansas Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “A special note of thanks to Spectrum Sports for not only elevating our coverage over the last four years, but for helping us get to this point with an internal production solution. With our over-the-air and cable partners, paired with our ESPN+ agreement, we are pleased that more Jayhawks than ever will be able to follow us.”

Rock Chalk Video has already started the expanded coverage of live KU events, so stay tuned to KUAthletics.com or ESPN+ for a complete listing of all Jayhawk programming.

ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Programming on ESPN+ includes thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, , exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic soccer (Serie A, FA Cup, MLS, English Football League, UEFA Nations League, Eredivise, USL and more), rugby, cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.

— KU Athletics

Rays complete 4-game sweep by beating Royals

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – A throwing error on Kevin Kiermaier’s bases-loaded grounder in the ninth inning helped the Tampa Bay Rays complete a four-game sweep by beating the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Thursday night.

Jake Bauers opened the ninth by drawing a walk from Brian Flynn (4-4) and went to third on C.J. Cron’s single.

After Joey Wendle grounded out and Willy Adames was intentionally walked to load the bases, Kiermaier grounded a 3-2 pitch to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who made a wild toss to the plate.

Sergio Romo (3-3) worked a perfect ninth as Tampa Bay improved to a season-high six games over .500 (67-61) with its fifth consecutive victory.

Kansas City, which has lost 17 of 21, fell 52 games under .500 (38-90) and was eliminated from the playoff race.

The Rays tied it at 3 when Matt Duffy scored from second on a bad throw to first by second baseman Whit Merrifield on a potential double-play grounder hit by Cron.

Tampa Bay appeared to go up 4-3 later in the seventh on Kiermaier’s grounder, but the run was taken away after a replay review determined Adames made an illegal slide at second base. The call was changed to an inning-ending double play.

Alex Gordon had an RBI single in a two-run fifth against Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow that put the Royals ahead 3-2.

Adames hit a run-scoring infield single against Danny Duffy during a two-run third.

Duffy, making his first start in 12 days due to a left shoulder injury, allowed two runs and six hits over five innings.

Lucas Duda drove in a run with a first-inning single and had a potential two-run extra-base hit taken away with two outs in the third on a leaping catch by Rays right fielder Carlos Gomez.

Glasnow allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out eight.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Adalberto Mondesi (hamstring) was out of the lineup. . RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique) will throw a simulated game Friday. … OF Jorge Bonifacio (lower back stiffness) missed his third straight game.

Rays: OF Tommy Pham (dislocated right ring finger) felt soreness hitting off a tee but could play this weekend.

ROAD TRIP

Former Royals George Brett, Mike Sweeney, Bret Saberhagan and Reggie Sanders will visit U.S. troops at four locations in the Middle East next month as part of a USO trip. The group will watch a Sept. 11 telecast with members of the Missouri National Guard’s 35th Combat Aviation Brigade.

NUMBERS GAME

Merrifield had three hits, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. … Rays LF Mallex Smith went 3 for 5 and has multiple hits in seven of his last eight games.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (6-5) will face Cleveland RHP Mike Clevinger (9-7) on Friday night.

Rays: Will go with a bullpen day, including LHP Jalen Beeks (2-1), against Boston RHP Hector Velazquez (7-1) on Friday night.

Chiefs still without 3 defensive starters for preseason game

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs will remain without three defensive starters, including star safety Eric Berry, when they visit the Chicago Bears for their third preseason game this weekend.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday that Berry was still dealing with a heel injury that has kept him out of practice the past few weeks. Berry returned during the summer from a torn Achilles tendon only to have the heel injury crop up early in training camp.

Defensive end Allen Bailey is out with a knee injury and cornerback Steven Nelson with a concussion.

Reid was optimistic that middle linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Reggie Ragland would be on the field for the first time together. Both have dealt with nagging injuries throughout camp.

The Chiefs visit the Bears on Saturday before facing the Packers in their preseason finale.

Hays High to host Maroon and Gold Kickoff Classic

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Hays High athletics will open the Maroon and Gold Kickoff Classic on Friday at Lewis Field Stadium to preview the 2018 fall sports.  The evening is sponsored by the Hays High Athletic Booster Clubs. The action will actually start at Hays High School as the volleyball team will scrimmage at 4:00.

Students and the public are invited to a meal from 6:00 to 8:30 on the west side of Lewis Field Stadium.  Hays High students will be fed free of charge.  A free will donation will allow everybody else to eat.

Soccer introductions will start at 6:40 and then scrimmage from 7:00 to 7:45 with the dance team performing midway through the scrimmage.  The band along with the volleyball, cross country, football, tennis, cheerleader and golf teams will all be introduced during the soccer scrimmage.

The football team will scrimmage at 8:00.

Back to School Night/TMP-Marian Fall Sports Kick Off this week

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TMP-M

The Thomas More Prep-Marian Back to School Night/Fall Sports Kick Off will be at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.

Back to School Night is a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet teachers and learn about TMP-Marian policies and procedures. Please arrive at 6:45 p.m., in order to pick up your student’s schedule from the office. Principal Chad Meitner will give a welcome and directions in the Dreiling Theatre at 7 p.m. Parents will then be allowed to follow their student’s first semester schedule and hear what each teacher expects in their classroom. Our teachers want to build a solid relationship with parents that enables everyone to work together to educate the students.

This Friday, August 24, 2018, is the kick off to Fall Sports at TMP-Marian. Come out to Al Billinger and watch volleyball scrimmage or Cripplegate field to watch soccer square off against Wichita Classical. The highlight of the evening will be the Blue & White Scrimmage. The TMP-Marian football team will display the skills they have acquired thus far. A freewill offering meal, put on by the cheerleaders, will also accompany this event.

3:30 Cross Country Run at TMP
4:00 Volleyball Scrimmage at ABFH
4:00 Boys Soccer vs. Wichita Classical at Cripplegate Field
6:30 Girls Golf Exhibition
7:00 Football Scrimmage at Cripplegate Field

Rays beat Royals for 4th straight win

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Brandon Lowe and Mallex Smith drove in two runs each, and the Tampa Bay Rays moved five games over .500 for the first time this season with a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

Lowe, who drove in the first two runs with a second-inning single off Jakob Junis, and Smith were among six Rays who had two hits each.

Tampa Bay has won four straight, including the first three of a four-game seat against Kansas City.

Whit Merrifield led off the fourth with his ninth home run, the Royals’ first hit of the game, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Hunter Dozier added a two-run homer in the eighth, the second of the game off Yonny Chirinos. Dozier’s sixth homer of the season came on his 27th birthday.

Ryan O’Hearn had his first first multi-hit game for the Royals with three of their seven hits, but Rosell Herrera was thrown out at the plate for the game’s final out after O’Hearn’s third hit.

Rays opener Ryne Stanek pitched two hitless innings before Chirinos (2-5) took over. Chirinos gave up three runs on four hits while striking out four in five innings.

Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 25 opportunities.

Junis (6-12) allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five.

The loss clinched a sixth straight series loss for the Royals, who have lost 16 of 20 games overall.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Kevin Kiermaier, who had two hits and a walk, is hitting .357 in his last eight games, noteworthy mostly because he was batting .175 before that. “I’ve been pressing this whole year, trying to make up for all my lost time and all my (lack of) performance in one swing,” the Rays center fielder said. “I’ve been trying to kill the ball all year and hit the ball 700 feet, and that’s how I get myself out. You learn from things like this – being hurt and not playing the way you want to. It’s a learning experience and now I’m instituting those experiences into my approach.”

GETTING A BREAK

Rays rookie 1B Jake Bauers, mired in a 1-for-33 slide, was out of the lineup. “He’s been pressing, there’s no denying it,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He’s frustrated with himself.” Bauers entered Wednesday hitting .209 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 66 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Jorge Bonifacio, scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with lower back stiffness, was on the bench again Wednesday, but available, manager Ned Yost said.

Rays: OF Tommy Pham said he hopes to be back Friday after dislocating his right ring finger on a head-first dive back to first base on Tuesday. “It feels fine other than the swelling,” Pham said.

UP NEXT

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 4.10 ERA) will make his fifth start for the Rays in the season series finale Thursday night. Glasnow took his first loss Saturday at Boston, going 6 2/3 innings after a second inning in which he gave up three walks and four runs. Left-hander Danny Duffy (7-11, 4.90) is the likely if unannounced starter for Kansas City. He hasn’t started since Aug. 11 because of a left shoulder impingement.

Former TMP and FHSU softball standout Holub takes coaching position at Marshall

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Former Thomas More Prep-Marian and Fort Hays State softball standout Maddie Holub has been hired as the new pitching coach at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

“I am very excited to welcome Maddie to the Herd,” coach Megan Smith said in a release from the school. “She is a talented young coach who has proven that she can lead a pitching staff to high levels of success. Her work ethic and commitment to excellence will be a great addition to our program.”

Smith was hired on July 25th after spending the previous nine years at the University of Kansas.

“I am humbled and excited to be joining coach Smith and coach Lyon at Marshall,” Holub said in the release. “The tradition and culture of the softball program, and the university as a whole, is something I cannot wait to be a part of. I want to thank coach Smith and Marshall University for welcoming me into the Herd family.”

Holub will be the pitching coach for the Thundering Herd and brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the team. She spent the past four seasons as the pitching coach at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Fla. While working with the Lions, Holub helped the squad to back-to-back NCAA Division II postseason appearances including reaching the World Series in 2018.

The Lions never won fewer than 37 games during her tenure, and saw Stephanie Adkins win back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Saint Leo also had five pitchers in a three-year span named all-conference. Her pitching staffs’ ERAs stayed below 2.04, highlighted by a 0.93 staff ERA in 2016 that garnered the National Statistical Championship, and averaged 16 shutouts per season.

Prior to coaching at Saint Leo, Holub assisted at her alma mater Fort Hays State. The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 13 in the country during her time on staff. Holub also coached overseas in Collecchio, Italy, with the Collecchio Softball 17U and 10U squads. While in Italy, Holub focused on pitcher development and conditioning while assisting with game management.

During her playing days at Fort Hays State, Holub was a dominant performer in the circle and at the plate. She is still her team’s all-time record holder in career hits (255), runs scored (183), RBI (160), home runs (46), wins (77) and strikeouts (974). Her name appears in the top-10 in many other categories. She tossed seven no-hitters and shared in an eighth, and also contributed two perfect games. The four-time all-conference performer was honored as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Player and Pitcher of the Year in her senior season of 2013.

The health and human performance major earned her bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in 2013.

HHS, TMP volleyball both ranked in KVA Preseason Poll

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Both the Hays High Indians and Thomas More Prep-Marian volleyball teams are ranked in the Kansas Volleyball Association Preseason Poll. The Indians sit at No. 9 in Class 5A while the defending state champion Monarchs are ranked seventh. Plainville is ranked 10th in 2A. Smith Center, who qualified for the 2A State Tournament a year ago, is ranked second.

Class 6A
1. Blue Valley North
2. Olathe Northwest
3. Washburn Rural
4. Lawrence-Free State
5. Gardner-Edgerton
6. Blue Valley West
7. Blue Valley
8. Manhattan
9. Lawrence
10. Garden City

Class 5A
1. St. James Academy
2. St. Thomas Aquinas
3. Lansing
4. De Soto
5. Bishop Carroll
6. Topeka-Seaman
7. Basehor-Linwood
8. Maize South
9. Hays
10. McPherson

Class 4A
1. Rose Hill
2. Topeka-Hayden
3. Louisburg
4. Andale
5. Nickerson
6. Wichita Trinity
7. Circle
8. Santa Fe Trail
9. Ulysses
10. Independence

Class 3A
1. Nemaha Central
2. Burlington
3. Royal Valley
4. Holton
5. Beloit
6. Hesston
7. Thomas More Prep-Marian
8. Silver Lake
9. Cheney
10. Riverton

Class 2A
1. Heritage Christian
2. Smith Center
3. St. Mary’s-Colgan
4. Meade
5. Valley Heights
6. Garden Plain
7. Bluestem
8. St. Marys
9. Sedgwick
10. Plainville

Class 1A
1. Centralia
2. Sylvan-Lucas
3. Goessel
4. Argonia
5. Hanover
6. Thunder Ridge
7. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton
8. Kiowa County
9. South Central
10. Rural Vista

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