Ragan's Roosts

The Macksville Mustang boys placed second with 132 points while the St. John Tiger girls took third place scoring 74 points at the Central Prairie League Track Meet last Thursday at Victoria.

The La Crosse Leopards boys and the Ness City Eagles girls each won their CPL championship. In fact the top two finishers in each division had comfortable leads over the rest of the field.

The second place Macksville boys gave it their best shot, but La Crosse had just too much firepower, leading the Stangs by 35 points. Even with that, the Mustangs led third place Ness City by 60 points in the nine team field.

Macksville senior Adam Oak gathered in 34 points, placing first in both the 110 Meter and 300 Meter Hurdles, second in the 100 Meter Dash and third in the 200 Meter Dash. Isaac Seibert placed first in the Pole Vault and third in the 110 Meter Hurdles. Seth Filbert, Simon Miller, Andy Wendland and Tanner Tranbarger took second in the 4x400 Meter Relay while Henry Penner, Miller, Clay Cooper and Peter Penner took second in the 4x800 Meter Relay.

Filbert also took second in both the 800 and 1600 Meter Runs. Tranbarger placed second in the 110 Meter Hurdles and third in the High Jump. Henry Penner placed second in the 3200 Meter Run.

Other third place finishers were Clayton Wood in the Shot Put and Wendland in the 400 Meter Dash.

Ty Wycolf placed third in the Pole Vault for St. John.

For the St. John Lady Tigers, Haley Falk scored 30 points, placing first in the 300 Meter Hurdles, the High Jump and the Long Jump. Teresa Wade placed first in the Shot Put.

All three of the Tigers relays did well with Taylor Woodward, Ashlynn Fisher, Tia Smith and Jamie Waters placing second in the 4x800 Meter Relay, Breana Towers, Alexis Witt, Teresa Christie and Smith placing third in the 4x100 Meter Relay and Wade, Waters, Smith and Fisher placing third in the 4x400 Meter Relay.

For the Macksville girls, Lisa Penner placed first in the 1600 Meter Run and second in the 800 Meter Run. Kenzi Pavlu placed second in the discus throw.

Girls rankings: 1.)Ness City 147, 2.)Central Plains 104, 3.) St. John-Hudson 74, 4.) Kinsley 63, 5.) Otis-Bison 54, 6.) Victoria 42, 7.) Macksville 37, 8.) La Crosse 7, 9.) Western Plains 5.

Boys rankings: 1.) La Crosse 167, 2.)Macksville 132, 3.) Ness City 72, 4.) Kinsley 69, 5.) Victoria 48, 6.) Otis-Bison 30, 7.) Central Plains 18, 8.) St. John-Hudson 13, 9.) Western Plains 6.


Girls results: 100 Meter Dash - 6^th Breana Towers STJO 13.77. 400 Meter Run - 5^th Ashlynn Fisher STJO 1:06.24, 6^th Tara Bunker MACK 1:06.52. 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Lisa Penner MACK 2:29.73, 6^th Taylor Woodward STJO 2:39.83. 1600 Meter Run - 1^st Lisa Penner MACK 5:41.79, 5^th Brooke Polly MACK 6:49.56. 3200 Meter Run - 4^th Anna Penner MACK 15:05.78. 100 Meter Hurdles - 5^th Tara Christie STJO 19:04. 300 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Haley Falk STJO 49:55. 4x100 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 54.59 (Breana Towers, Alexis Witt, Teresa Christie, Tia Smith), 5^th Macksville 1:05.13 (Daisy Ibarra, Stephany Ortiz, Erin Hornbaker, Tara Bunker). 4x400 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 4:28.58 (Teresa Wade, Jamie Waters, Tia Smith, Ashlynn Fisher). 4x800 Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 10:49.43 (Taylor Woodward, Ashlynn Fisher, Tia Smith, Jamie Waters). High Jump - 1^st Haley Falk STJO 4-10.00. Long Jump - 1^st Haley Falk STJO 16-00.00, 6^th Breana Towers STJO 14-07.75. Triple Jump - 4^th Breana Towers STJO 31:10.50. Shot Put - 1^st Teresa Wade STJO 37.08.25, 5^th Kenzi Pavlu MACK 31-04.50. Discus Throw - 2^nd Kenzi Pavlu MACK 104.01. Javelin Throw - 5^th Teresa Wade STJO 98-07.

Boys results: 100 Meter Dash - 2^nd Adam Oak MACK 11:58. 200 Meter Dash - 3^rd Adam Oak MACK 23.48. 400 Meter Run - 3^rd Andy Wendland MACK 54.43. 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Seth Filbert MACK 2:06.87, 4^th Peter Penner MACK 2:10.50. 1600 Meter Run - 2^nd Seth Filbert MACK 4:48.19, 4^th Henry Penner MACK 5:01.42. 3200 Meter Run - 2^nd Henry Penner MACK 10:42.55. 110 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Adam Oak MACK 15:49, 2^nd Tanner Tranbarger MACK 16:09, 3^rd Isaac Seibert MACK 16:25. 300 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Adam Oak MACK 40.32, 5^th Isaac Seibert MACK 43.97. 4x100 Meter Relay - 4^th St. John-Hudson 48.06 (Schuyler Brown, Juan Neri-Leon, Omar Ramirez, Ethan Allen), 6^th Macksville 49:48 (Guerrero Lopez, Christian Acosta, Clay Cooper, Billy Burnett). 4x400 Meter Relay – 2^nd Macksville 3:42.17 (Seth Filbert, Simon Miller, Andy Wendland, Tanner Tranbarger). 4x800 Meter Relay - 2^nd Macksville 8:52.67 (Henry Penner, Simon Miller, Clay Cooper, Peter Penner), 6^th St. John-Hudson 10:16.87 (Omar Ramirez, Michael Gilbert, Preston Nemec, Gerardo Calleros). High Jump - 3^rd Tanner Tranbarger MACK 15-08.00, 5^th Dean Wade STJO 5-06.00. Pole Vault - 1^st Isaac Seibert MACK 12-00.00, 3^rd Ty Wycolf STJO 9-06.00. Shot Put - 3^rd Clayton Wood MACK 41-01.75, 6^th Tracy Freeman MACK 40-05.50.

It certainly was a good day for the Mustang “red and gray” at the CPL Junior High track meet  last Tuesday in Hoisington with the seventh grade boys easily taking the championship with 104 points and almost doubling their nearest rival's score.

The seventh graders broke four school records: Levi Cooper in the 100 Meter Dash (12.74), Jarrod Kuckelman in the 800 Meter Run (2:29.41), Nick Lucas in the 1600 Meter Run (5:31.40), and Levi Cooper, Nick Lucas, Jarrod Kuckelman and Bryce Casper in the Sprint Medley Relay (2:00.06).

The eighth grade girls and boys each claimed third place in their divisions while the seventh girls took fifth.

The St. John-Hudson seventh graders placed in the middle of the ten-team pack, with the boys placing fifth and the girls close behind in sixth place. St. John's eighth graders were not so fortunate - the girls taking seventh while the boys placed ninth.

Macksville seventh girls having high scores were Emma Stimatze placing first in the 1600 Meter Run, Katrina Waters third in the Shot Put and the 800 Macksville Sprint Medlay getting their third.

St. John seventh girls placing in the top three were Bailey Burns taking second in the 75 Meter Hurdles and a second for Baley Doggett in the Discus Throw. Burns also placed third in the 800 Meter Run as did St. John's 4x200 Meter Relay getting their third place finish.

Other than the records broken, Macksville's seventh grade boys placing in the top three were Levi Cooper first in the 200 Meter Dash, Bryce Casper first in the 200 Yard Hurdles, Bryce Casper second in the 75 Meter Hurdles, Taylor Rodriguez second in the Shot Put, Jarrod Kuckelman third in the 400 Meter Dash,  and Nick Lucas third  in the 800 Meter Run.

The St. John seventh grade boys had Ryan Woodward second in the 800 and 1600 Meter Runs, Sammy Ramirez second in the 200 Meter Dash and third in the 100 Meter Dash, St. John-Hudson third in the 4x200 Relay, and Jorge Calleros third in the Triple Jump.

Macksville's eighth grade boys had Kolton Pavlu placing first in the Shot Put and Discus, and third in the 200 and 400 Meter Dashes.

St. John's eighth graders had St. John-Hudson placing third in the Sprint Medlay.

Team Standings

7th Grade Girls:  1.) Victoria 93, 2.) Central Plains 83, 3.) Kinsley 64, 4.) Ness City 56, 5.) Macksville 6.) St. John-Hudson, 7.) La Crosse 28, 8.) Otis-Bison 16, 8.) Western Plains 16, 10.) Sacred Heart 12.


7^th Grade Boys:  1.) Macksville 104, 2.) Otis-Bison 64, 3.) Ness City 63, 3.) La Crosse 63, 5.) St. John 57, 6.) Central Plains 54, 7.) Kinsley 42, 8.) Sacred Heart 11, 9.) Victoria 4, 10.) Western Plains 2.
 

8^th Grade Girls:  1.) Central Plains 94, 2.) Victoria 84, 3.) Macksville 56, 4.) Ness City 52, 5.) Kinsley 47, 6.) La Crosse 46, 7.) St. John-Hudson 41, 8.) Sacred Heart 34, 9.) Western Plains 18, 10.) Otis-Bison 14.


8^th Grade Boys:  1.) Central Plains 148, 2.) Victoria 135, 3.) Macksville 40, 4.) La Crosse 39, 5.) Western Plains 36, 6.) Ness City 31.5, 7.) Otis-Bison 23, 8.) Kinsley 22.5, 9.) St. John-Hudson 16, 10.) Sacred heart 5.
 

Team results
 

7^th girls: 100 Meter Dash - 4^th Olivia Vosburgh MACK 14.77.  200 Meter Dash - 5^th Olivia Vosburgh MACK 31.14.  400 Meter Dash – 4^th Olivia Vosburgh MACK 1:10.00.  800 Meter Run – 3^rd Bailey Burns STJO 2:51.61.  1600 Meter Run - 1^st Emma Stimatze MACK 6:04.48, 5^th Sophie Filbert MACK 6:32.57. 75 Meter Hurdles – 2^nd Bailey Burns STJO 14:35, 5^th Katrena Brown STJO 15.12. 200 Yard Hurdles - 2^nd Bailey Burns STJO 36.36.  4x100 Meter Relay - 4^th St. John-Hudson 1:02.61 (Jennifer Villanueva, Kourtney Brown, Kerisa Brown, Katrena Brown), 6^th Macksville 1:07.06 (Deisy Carillo, Susie Penner, Cass Woolf, Katrina Waters). 4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:16.38 (Baley Doggett, Kourtney Brown, Kerisa Brown, Miranda Garner), 5^th Macksville 2:22.05 (Perla Ibarra, Cass Woolf, Haley Haberman, Katrina Waters). 800 Sprint Medlay - 3^rd Macksville 2:18.07 (Deisy Carillo, Sophie Filbert, Olivia Vosburgh, Emma Stimatze), 6^th St. John-Hudson – 2:23.46 (Kerisa Brown, Katrena Brown, 3. Miranda Garner, Bailey Burns). High Jump - 5^th Case Woolf MACK 4-02.00.  Long Jump - 5^th Emma Stimatze MACK 12-08.00. Shot Put - 3^rd Katrina Waters MACK 26-05.00, 6^th Deisy Carillo MACK 25-01.00.  Discus Throw - 2^nd Baley Doggett STJO 27-02.
 

8^th girls:  100 Meter Dash - 4^th Gilda Lopez MACK 14.30. 400 Meter Dash - 2^nd Gilda Lopez MACK 1:07.29, 5^th Anne Kenworthy STJO 1:10.62. 800 Meter Run - 3^rd Gilda Lopez MACK 2:52.99, 5^th Audrey Mercer STJO 3:06.33. 1600 Meter Run - 2^nd Margaret Penner MACK 6:37.17, 3^rd Brandi Hanson STJO 6:42.33, 5^th Kaite Belvins MACK 6:53.36. 3200 Meter Run - 3^rd Margaret Penner MACK 15:07.73, 6^th Brennyn Woolf MACK 17:07.26.  75 Meter Hurdles - 3^rd Anne Kenworthy STJO 14:27.  4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd Macksville 1:05.75 (Miami Catron, Brennyn Woolf, Margaret Penner, Cody Burnett), 3^rd St. John-Hudson 1:06.70 (Bella Haskins, Audrey Mercer, Marsena Irvine, Christy Garcia).  4X200 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:12.65 (Audrey Mercer, Marsena Irvine, Brandi Hanson, Christy Garcia), 5^th Macksville 2:31.56 (Kaite Blevins, Gilda Lopez, Brennyn Woolf, Miami Catron).  High Jump - 4^th Kaite Blevins MACK 4-00.00. Triple Jump - 5^th Anne Kenworthy STJO 27-08.50. Shot Put - 5^th Bella Haskins STJO 28-08.00, 6^th Cody Burnett MACK 28-02.00.  Discus Throw - 6^th Bella Haskins STJO 65-06.
 

7^th boys:  100 Meter Dash - 1^st Levi Cooper MACK 12.74, 3^rd Sammy Ramirez STJO 13.23, 5^th Josh East MACK 13:49.  200 Meter Dash - 1^st Levi Cooper MACK 27.22, 2^nd Sammy Ramirez STJO 27.60, 6^th Jorge Calleros STJO 28.55.  400 Meter Dash - 2^nd Sammy Ramirez STJO 1:00.00, 3^rd Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 1:01.32, 4^th Levi Cooper MACK 1:01.51.  800 Meter Run - 1^st Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 2:29.41, 2^nd Ryan Woodward STJO 2:32.98, 3^rd Nick Lucas MACK 2:35.41.  1600 Meter Run - 1^st Nick Lucas MACK 5:31.40, 2^nd Ryan Woodward STJO 5:34.31. 75 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Bryce Casper MACK 13:16, 6^th Hunter Ward STJO 14:95.  200 Yard Hurdles - 1^st Bryce Casper MACK 31.97.  4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd Macksville 56.90 (Bryce Casper, Taylor Rodriguez, Brigdon Russell, Josh East).  4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:04.18 (Patrick Doran, Ryan Woodward, Brayan Ramirez, Paul Maxon). 800 Sprint Medley - 1^st Macksville 2:00.06 (Levi Cooper, Nick Lucas, Jarrod Kuckelman, Bryce Casper), 5^th St. John-Hudson 2:12/25 (Patrick Doran, Rrayan Ramirez, Paul Maxon, Ryan Woodward).  High Jump - 4^th Hunter Ward STJO 4-02.00. Long Jump - 6^th Nick Lucas MACK 14-01.75. Triple Jump - 3^rd Jorge Calleros STJO 33-00.00, 6^th Taylor Rodriguez MACK 26-00.50. Shot Put - 2^nd Taylor Rodriguez MACK 29-02.25.
 

8^th boys:  100 Meter Dash - 4^th Alan Ibarra MACK 13:03, 5^th Kristian Claussen STJO 13:35. 200 Meter Dash - 3^rd Kolton Pavlu MACK 27.88, 4^th Alan Ibarra MACK 28.40, 5^th Kristian Claussen 28.41. 400 Meter Run - 3^rd Kolton Pavlu MACK 1:02.01, 5^th Kristian Claussen STJO 1:03.67. 4x200 Meter Relay - 6^th St. John-Hudson 2:09.25 (Jeremy Crockett, Omar Portillo, Jacob Milton, Allen Schwein). 800 Sprint Medlay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:02.02 (Allen Schwein, Jeremy Crockett, Andrew Deveney, Kristian Claussen). Long Jump - 5^th Andrew Deveney STJO 15-10.00. Triple Jump - 6^th Andrew Deveney STJO 33-06.50. Shot Put - 1^st Kolton Pavlu MACK 41-09.50.  Discus Throw - 1^st Kolton Pavlu MACK 152-07.

Scoring 104 points, the St. John-Hudson seventh grade boys track team took first place honors at the Ellinwood Middle School Invitational last Thursday, April 26. Both the Tigers seventh and eighth grade girls placed third with the seventh girls scoring 83 points and the eighth girls with 63.

Central Plains won the meet in the seventh and eighth grade girls divisions out of the five teams entered. The Central Plains eighth grade boys won their division.

Team rankings:

7^th girls – 1.) Central Plains 135, 2.) Ellinwood 110, 3.) St. John-Hudson 83, 4.) Otis-Bison 65, 5.) La Crosse 46.

8^th girls – 1.) Central Plains 160, 2.) La Crosse 80, 3.) St. John-Hudson 63, 4.) Otis-Bison 48, 5.) Ellinwood 23.

7^th boys – 1.)St. John-Hudson 104, 2.) Otis-Bison 102, 3.) Central Plains 85, 4.) Ellinwood 80, 5.) LaCrosse 74.

8^th boys – 1.) Central Plains 166, 2.) Otis-Bison 102, 3.) Otis-Bison 69, 4.) Ellinwood 48, 5.) St. John-Hudson 44.

Team results

7^th girls events: 200 Meter Dash - 6^th Katrena Brown 32.51. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Bailey Burns 2:55.40, 3^rd Baley Doggett 2:58.75. 100 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Bailey Burns 19.11, 4^th Katrena Brown 19.72. 4x100 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 1:02.93 (Jennifer Villanneva, Baley Doggett, Kourtney Brown, Kerisa Brown). 4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:12.57 ( Miranda Garner, Baley Doggett, Kourtney Brown, Kerisa Brown). 800 Sprint Medlay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:18.91 (Miranda Garner, Katrena Brown, Kerisa Brown, Bailey Burns). Long Jump - 4^th Kourtney Brown 10-08.00. Triple Jump - 4^th Miranda Garner 24-03.50. Shot Put - 3^rd Kristi Weiser 23-04.25. Discus Throw - 2^nd Baley Doggett 68-04.

8^th girls events: 100 Meter Dash - 3^rd Christy Garcia 15.18. 200 Meter Dash - 5^th Marsena Irvine 34.57, 6^th Bella Haskins 38.96. 400 Meter Dash - 2^nd Anne Kenworthy 1:08.82. 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Audrey Mercer 3:08.61. 100 Meter Hurdles – Anne Kenworthy 19:05. 4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 1:05.32 (Bella Haskins, Audrey Mercer, Marsena Irvine, Christy Garcia). 800 Sprint Medlay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:15.79 (Audrey Mercer, Christy Garcia Marseena Irvine, Anne Kenworthy). Triple Jump - 3^rd Anne Kenworthy 27-01.00, 5^th Audrey Mercer 22-10.00. Discus Throw - 4^th Bella Haskins 60-08.

7^th boys events: 100 Meter Dash -4^th Jorge Calleros 13:53, 6^th Paul Maxon 13.66. 200 Meter Dash - 2^nd Sammy Ramirez 1:00.20, 4^th Patrick Doran 1:08.90, 6^th Hunter Ward 1:12.43. 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Ryan Woodward 2:41.07, Tanner Wycoff 3:38,36. 1600 Meter Run - 1^st 5:51.04.100 Meter Hurdles - 3^rd Hunter Ward – 19:28. 4x100 Meter Relay - 1^st St. John-Hudson 55:39 (Brayan Ramirez, Jorge Calleros, Paul Maxon, Sammy Ramirez). 4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:00.60 (Brayan Ramirez, Patrick Doran, Ryan Woodward, Paul Maxon). 800 Sprint Medley - 1^st St. John-Hudson – 2:00.88 (Ryan Woodward, Jorge Calleros, Paul Maxon, Sammy Ramirez). High Jump - 2^nd Hunter Ward 4-08.00. Long Jump - 5^th 13-02.75. Triple Jump - 1^st Jorge Calleros 31-06.50. Discus Throw - 4^th Patrick Doran 73-01.50.

8^th boys events: 100 Meter Dash - 4^th Kristian Classen 13.30. 200 Meter Dash - 3^rd Kristian Claussen 27.44, 5^th Jacob Milton 32.84. 400 Meter Dash - 4^th Omar Portillo 1:17.38. 3200 Meter Run – Allan Schwein 14.33.63. 4x100 Meter Relay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 1:02.92 (Austin Towers, Jacob Milton Omar Portillo, Jeremy Crockett). 4x200 Meter Relay - 4^th St. John-Hudson 2:04.65 (Allen Schwein, Andrew Deveney, Jeremy Crockett, Kristian Claussen). 800 Meter Medlay - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:07.61 (Allen Schwein, Andrew Deveney, Jeremy Crockett, Kristian Claussen). Triple Jump - 3^rd Andrew Deveney 30-11.50. Shot Put - 5^th 33-09.00, 6^th Andrew Deveney 32-09.25. Discus Throw - 6^th Jeremy Crockett 96-05.

The Macksville Mustangs boys may have placed in just nine events, but the quality of their wins told the story, the Stangs gathering in 112 points from six first place finishes, four seconds, three thirds and one fifth place to win the Kiowa County Invitational last Friday at Greensburg, forty points ahead of their nearest competitor.

And they did it all the hard way, considering they were battling very strong southerly winds, especially on the longer runs when rounding the northwest corner of the track and then running against the wind. Even going with the wind in the hurdle events, it took some adjustment so their strides would make the clean jumps.

Mustang seniors Seth Filbert and Tanner Tranbarger accounted for four first places - Filbert placing first in the 800 and 1600 Meter Runs while Tranbarger got his in the 110 and 300 Meter Hurdles. Henry Penner also placed first in the grueling 3200 Meter Run and second in the 1600 Meter Run. Andy Wendland and Isaac Seibert did their part with Wendland taking a second in the 200 Meter and third in the 400 Meter Dash. Seibert got his two thirds, one in the 110 Meter Hurdles and the other in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Peter Penner took second in the 800 Meter Run while Clay Cooper placed fifth in the 800.

Lisa Penner scored all of the Macksville girls 18 points, taking a first in the 1600 Meter Run and second in the 800.

Boys team standings: 1.) Macksville 112, 2.) Kinsley 72, 3.) Kiowa County 61, 4.) South Gray 49, 5.) Fowler 43, 6.) Bucklin 39, 7.) Spearville 36, 8.) Skyline 33, 9.) Hodgeman County 32, 10.) Rolla 20, 11.)Pawnee Heights 10, 11.) Minneola 10, 13.) Ashland 8, 14.) Central Plains 1.

Girls team standings: 1.) Kiowa County 94, 2.) Bucklin 66, 3.) Skyline 63, 4.) Hodgeman 60, 5.) Central Plains 56, 6.) Spearville 52, 7.) Minneola 37, 8.) Kinsley 32, 9.) South Gray 19, 10.) Macksville 18, 11.) Ashland 9.50, 12.) Pawnee Heights 9, 13.) Fowler 7, 14.) Rolla 1.50.

Boys events: 4x400 Meter Relay - 2^nd Macksville 3:38.46. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Seth Filbert MACK 2:08.38, 2^nd Peter Penner MACK 2:08.41, 5^th Clay Cooper MACK 2:19.65. 400 Meter Dash - 3^rd Andy Wendland MACK 55.00. 1600 Meter Run – 1^st Seth Filbert MACK 4:56.47, 2^nd Henry Penner MACK 4:58.88. 110 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Tanner Tranbarger MACK 15.85, 3^rd Isaac Seibert MACK 16.31. 4x800 Relay - 1^st MACK 8:58.11. 200 Meter Dash - 2^nd Andy Wendland MACK 23.49. 3200 Meter Run - 1^st Henry Penner MACK 10:32.09. 300 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Tanner Tranbarger MACK 42.87, 3^rd Isaac Seibert MACK 43.81.

Girls events: 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Lisa Penner MACK 2:30.27. 1600 Meter Run - 1^st Lisa Penner MACK 5:37.09.

Mixed 4x100 Relay – MACK 59.87.

What a difference a week makes. After being undermanned for two straight track meets, the St. John-Hudson Lady Tigers came back almost full strength number-wise at Stafford's Invitational Track Meet last Friday, placing in 16 of 18 events and taking home second place with 110 points.

St. John's boys had it a little rougher, scoring 55 points with a fifth place finish.

The Ellinwood Eagles easily won the meet in both the girls (165) and the boys (178) divisions.

St. John's lone senior Teresa Wade came through again with two firsts, one in the Shot and the other in the Javelin. She also placed 6^th in the discus. The Tigers 4x800 Relay took home St. John's third, first place finish.

Much of the Tigers points came from 2^nd and 3^rd places, with Haley Falk placing 2^nd in the Long Jump, 2^nd in the 300 Meter Hurdles, and 3^rd in the High Jump. Breana Towers took 2^nd in the Triple Jump, 4^th in the 100 Meter Dash and 4^th in the Long Jump. Long distance runner Taylor Woodward took 3^rd in the 3200 Meter Run and 5^th in the 800 Meter. The girls 4x100 and 4x400 Relays took 2^nd .

St. John's Ethan Allen and Gabe Olivier got second place finishes - Allen in the 100 Meter Dash and Olivier in the High Jump. The Tigers 4x100 Meter Relay took St. John's other second place.

Team rankings

Girls – 1.) Ellinwood 165, 2.) St. John Hudson 110, 3.) Otis-Bison 67, 4.) Cunningham 64, 5.) Stafford 52, 6.) Attica 25, 7.) Chase 23.

Boys – 1.) Ellinwood 168, 2.) Otis-Bison 109, 3.) Cunningham 96, 4.) Stafford 57, 5.) St. John-Hudson 51, 6.) Attica 35, 7.) Chase 5.

Girls results: Long Jump - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 15-01.75, 4^th Breana Towers STJO 13-11.25, 5^th Alexis Witt STJO 13-08.50. Triple Jump - 2^nd Breana Towers STJO 30-07.25. Discus Throw - 4^th Jessica Zink STAF 85-03, 5^th Haley Tucker STAF 83-03, 6^th Teresa Wade STJO 82-01.50. Javelin Throw - 1^st Teresa Wade STJO 107-01, 4^th Adriane Millershaski STAF 78-06, 5^th Megan Cross STAF 70-06, 6^th Carla Bordier STAF 70-05. Shot Put - 1^st Teresa Wade STJO 37-09.25, 6^th Teresa Christie STJO 28-00.25. 200 Meter Dash - 4^th Tia Smith STJO 30.27. 3200 Meter Run - 3^rd Taylor Woodward STJO 14:36.84. 4x400 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 4:37.05. 4x800 Meter Relay - 1^st St. John-Hudson 11:0264. 100 Meter Hurdles - 5^th Tara Christie 21.25. 100 Meter Dash - 4^th Breana Towers STJO 14.01, 5^th Alexis Witt STJO 14.04. 1600 Meter Run - 3^rd Kristen Lumpkins STAF 6:11.45. 4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 55.25, 3^rd Stafford 50.62. 400 Meter Dash - 5^th Ashlynn Fisher STJO 1:07.06. 300 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 49.81. 300 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 49.81. 800 Meter Run - 2^nd Kristen Lumpkins STAF 2:34.06, 4^th Jamie Waters STJO 2:43.07, 5^th Taylor Woodward STJO 2:48.37, 6^th Sydney Sallebedra STAF 2:59.97. High Jump - 3^rd Haley Falk STJO 4-08.00, 5^th Samantha Sosa STAF 4-06.00. Pole Vault - 1^st Samantha Sosa STAF 9:00.00, 3^rd Regan Harris Stafford 6-05.00.

Boys results: Pole Vault - 3^rd Andy Flores STAF 9-00.00, 5^th Ty Wycoff STJO 7-06.00. Triple Jump - 4^th Michael Gilbert STJO 32-11.00, 5^th Gerardo Calleros STJO 32-10.75. Discus Throw - 6^th Austin White STJO 92-02. Javelin Throw - 4^th Ethan Allen STJO 128-03, 6^th Eric Herschberger STAF 122-00. Shot Put - 4^th Austin White STJO 36-06.00. 3200 Meter Run - 2^nd Derek McClure STAF 10:50.85. 4x400 Meter Relay - 2^nd Stafford 3:49.46, 4^th St. John-Hudson 3:54.79.4x800 Meter Relay - 2^nd Stafford 9:14.18, 5^th St John-Hudson 10:36.89. 100 Meter Dash – 2^nd Ethan Allen STJO 12.26, 5^th Omar Ramirez STJO 12:38. 1600 Meter Run - 3^rd Derek McClure STAF 4:54.90, 4^th Dustin McClure STAF 4:58.09. 4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 47.82, 4^th Stafford 49.40. 400 Meter Dash - 4^th Juan Neri-Leon STJO 59.43, 6^th Kodey Claussen STJO 1:02.26. 800 Meter Run - 3^rd Austin Ceniti STAF 2:11.41, 4^th Dustin McClure STAF 2:12.46. High Jump - 1^st Ethan Johnson STAF 6-00.00, 2^nd Gabe Olivier STJO 4-10.00, 6^th Jesus Alvarez STJO 5-00.00.

What's a coach gonna do? That's a question St. John's head coach Trish Wade has been pondering these last few track meets. Her predicament – players can only participate in so many track meets, and with such a young talented squad, several are going to have to bite the bullet and sit out a particular meet.

For instance - in Tuesday's meet at Larned, 8-13 Tiger girls could not compete. Same with the boys with six not participating. The result – with ten teams participating, St. John's girls placed seventh while the boys placed ninth.

Out of the seventeen girls events, St. John had players entered in nine and placed in six. Missing were some of the Tigers top performers in the running events, hurdles, triple jump, long jump, high jump – all underclassmen.

Highlights of the meet were senior Teresa Wade placing 2^nd in the Shot Put and 3^rd in the Javelin, the 4x400 and 4x800 Relays placing 3^rd, Maddy Lippoldt placing 4^th in the 3200 Meter Run and Jamie Waters placing 6^th in the 800 Meter Run.

At least there's a light at the end of the tunnel with St. John's full varsity squad suited up for this Friday's Stafford and next Friday's Ellinwood Meet. Also, it doesn't hurt to have most of the girls track team back for the next two years.

Team rankings

girls – 1.) Pratt 140, 2.) Cimarron 114, 3.) Pratt-Skyline 73.90, 4.) Kinsley 52, 5.) Nickerson 49, 6.) Larned 46, 7.) St. John-Hudson, 8.) Bucklin 20, 9.) Hays-TMP 20, 10.) Pawnee Heights 6.

boys – 1.) Pratt 123, 2.)Kinsley 99, 3.) Cimarron 90, 4.) Hays – TMP 63, 5.) Larned 56, 6.) Pratt-Skyline 47, 7.) Nickerson 32, 8.) Bucklin 28, 9.) St. John-Hudson 11, 10.) Pawnee Heights 8.

St. John girls: 800 Meter Run – 6^th Jamie Waters 2:41.00. 3200 Meter Run - 4^th Maddy Lippoldt 13:45.00. 4x400 Meter Relay - 3^rd 4:32.00 (Teresa Wade, Jamie Waters, Tia Smith, Ashlynn Fisher. 4X800 Meter Relay - 3^rd 10:52.00. (Tia Smith, Ashlynn Fisher, Maddy Lippoldt, Jamie Waters). Shot Put - 2^nd Teresa Wade 37-05.50. Javelin Throw - 3^rd Teresa Wade 106-10.25.

St. John boys: 100 Meter Dash – 5^th Ethan Allen 12:27. 300 Meter Hurdles - 5^th Dean Wade 45.23. 4x400 Meter Relay - 6^th 3:51.00 (Gabe Olivier, Ethan Allen, Omar Remirez, Dean Wade). 4X800 Meter Relay - 6th 10:30.00 Omar Ramirez, Kodey Claussen, Michael Gilbert, Preston Nemec). High Jump - 6^th Dean Wade 4-04.00. Javelin Throw - 4^th Ethan Allen 132-09.50.

Normally 138 points would be good enough to win a track meet, but unfortunately for St. John's Lady Tigers Junior Varsity squad, it wasn't enough as Hutchinson's Trinity Celtics came away with a 143 point victory at St. John's Freshmen/Sophomore Track Meet this Tuesday at Brown Park.

Hutchinson Trinity and the Lady Tigers both took comanding leads over the next seven teams, with second place St. John leading third place Garden Plain by 80 points.

The Macksville Mustang boys also placed second with 121 points, 15 points behind Hutchinson Trinity's 136 points, but well ahead of third place Garden Plain's 68.50 points.

Macksville's Tanner Tranberger led the pack getting three firsts – the 110 Meter Hurdles, the 300 Meter Hurdles, and the High Jump.

Other Macksville boys had several high finishes. Isaac Seibert took first in the the Pole Vault, second in the 110 Meter Hurdles and second in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Andy Wendlend took first in the 400 Meter Dash and second in the 200 Meter Dash. Henry Penner took first in the 3200 Meter Run and second in the 1600 Meter Run.

On the girls' side, Macksville's Lisa Penner gathered in two firsts – the 800 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter run.

While St. John's Haley Falk received a first in the Long Jump, she fattened up St. John's point total by getting three seconds – the 100 Meter Hurdles, the 300 Meter Hurdles and the High Jump. Fellow teammate Breana Towers also helped taking first in the 100 Meter Dash, second in the Triple Jump and third in the Long Jump. Maddy Lippoldt took first 3200 Meter Run and third in the 800 Meter Run.

Team rankings:
Girls – 1.) Hutchinson-Trinity 143, 2.)St. John-Hudson 138, 3.) Garden Plain 58, 4.)Stafford 52, 5.) Pretty Prairie 46, 6.) Macksville 38, 7.) Larned 33, 8.) Pratt 25, Lyons 10.

Boys – 1.)Hutchinson-Trinity 136, 2.) Macksville 121 3.) Garden Plain 68.50, 4.) St. John-Hudson 53, 5.) Pratt 52.50, 6.) Stafford 48, 6.) Pretty Prairie 48, 8.) Larned 25, 9.) Lyons 4.

Results:

Girls events

100 Meter Dash - 1^st Brenna Towers STJO 13.51, 2^nd Riley Bowen STAF 13.64, 4^th Alexis STJO 13.96. 200 Meter Dash - 3^rd Tia Smith STJO 29.14, 4^th Teresa Christie STJO 29.71, 5^th Erin Hornbaker MACK 30.64. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Tara Bunker MACK 1:07.33, 2^nd Kandyce Lumpkins STAF 1:07.86, 3^rd Ashlynn Fisher STJO 1:07.91, 4^th Madysen Schreiber STAF 1:11.96. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Lisa Penner MACK 2:39.37, 3^rd Maddy Lippoldt STJO 2:53.24, 4^th Sydney Sallebedra STAF 2:55.42, 5^th Ashlymn Fisher STJO 3:02.61. 1600 Meter Run - Lisa Penner MACK 5:45.11, 4^th Taylor Woodward STJO 6:21.20. 3200 Meter Run - 1^st Maddy Lippoldt STJO 14:06.17. 100 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 17:11. 300 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 50:64. High Jump - 2^nd Haley Falk STJO 14-10.00, Pole Vault 3^rd Regan Harris STAF 6-00.00. Long Jump - 1^st Haley Falk STJO 15-01.75, 3^rd Breana Towers STJO 14-06.50, 4^th Tara Bunker MACK 14-05.50, 5^th Alexis Witt STJO 14-02.00. Triple Jump - 2^nd Breana Towers STJO . Discus Throw - 5^th Carla Bordier STAF 66-09, Sydney Sallebedra STAF 66-02.75. Javelin Throw - 4^th Carla Bordier STAF 72-06, 5^th Stephany Ortiz MACK 66-08. Shot Put - 1^st Teresa Christie STJO 30-01.00, 5^th Adriane Millershaski STAF 25-03.50, 6^th Carla Bordier STAF 24-08.50. 4x100 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 54.61, 3^rd Stafford 55.24. 4x400 Meter Relay - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 4:46.93, 3^rd Stafford 4:54.92. 4x800 Meter Relay - 1^st St. John-Hudson 11:10.49.

Boys events

200 Meter Dash - 2^nd Andy Wendland MACK 24.49, 3^rd Ethan Johnson STAF 24.69. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Andy Wendland MACK 54.21, 2^nd Austin Ceniti STAF 55.05. 800 Meter Run - 6^th Clay Cooper MACK 2:27.55. 1600 Meter Run - 1^st Derek McClure STAF 4:50.99, 2^nd Henry Penner MACK 4:52.58, 5^th Preston Nemec STJO 5:42.02. 3200 Meter Run - 1^st Henry Penner MACK 10:39.20, 2^nd Derek McClure STAF 10:59.96, 4^th Preston Nemec STJO 12:33.89. 110 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Tanner Tranbarger MACK 16.46, 2^nd Isaac Seibert MACK 16.77. 300 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Tanner Tranbarger MACK 43.27, 2^nd Isaac Seibert MACK 43.58, 4^th Christian Acosta MACK 47.68, 5^th Dean Wade STJO 48.55, 6^th Jesus Herrera STAF 49.27. High Jump - 1^st Tanner Tranbarger MACK 15-08.00, 2^nd Dean Wade STJO 15-08.00. Pole Vault - 1^st Isaac Seibert MACK 11-06.00, 3^rd Ty Wycoff STJO 18-06.00. Long Jump - 5^th Preston Nemec STJO 16-04.00. Triple Jump - 2^nd Schuyler Brown STJO 36.06.50.

Discus Throw - 5^th Jesus Alvarez STJO 86.03, 6^th Austin White STJO 85-04. Javelin Throw - 1^st Logan Behr STJO 133-11, 6^th Austin White STJO 94-10. Shot Put - 3^rd Austin White STJO 36-00.00, 6^th Logan Behr STJO 34-05.00. 4x100 Meter Relay - 3^rd Macksville 46.42, 6^th Stafford 49.36. 4x400 Meter Relay - 2^nd Macksville 3:44.48, 3^rd Stafford 3:59.70. 4x800 Meter Relay - 1^st Macksville 9:32.90, 2^nd Stafford 9:41.67.

St. John's and Macksville's next track meet will be this Friday at St. John's Keith Blide Invitational, starting at 4pm.

It was a miserable day for a track meet Thursday, but the Stafford Track Meet still went off without a hitch, Macksville's 7^th gals placing first (115) and St. John's 7^th boys placing second (97). Both of Macksville's 7^th (89) and 8^th boys (71) placed third while the Tiger's 7^th girls (64) placed third.

Personal highlights of the Meet were Stafford 8^th grader Mikey Agular, taking firsts in the 400 Meter Dash (1:00.11), the 800 Meter Run (2:26.52) and the Long Jump (14-10.50), Macksville 8^th grader Kolton Pavlu getting first in the Discus (143-10) and the Shot Put (38-02.50), Macksville 7^th grader Nick Lucas getting firsts in the Long Jump (14-04.50) and the 1600 Meter Run and Macksville 7^th grader Emma Stimatze getting firsts in the 800 Meter Run (2:53.99) and the 1600 Meter Run (6:27.89).

Team Rankings:

7^th girls – 1.) Macksville 2.) 115, Kinsley 77, 3.) St. John 64, 4.) Fairfield 61, 5.) Pretty Prairie 56, 6.) Skyline 42, 7.) Stafford 25, 8.) Central Christian 21. 7^th boys – 1.) Pretty Prairie 120, 2.) St. John 97, 3.) Macksville 89, 4.) Skyline 52, 5.) Fairfield 34, 5.) Kinsley 34, 7.) Stafford 30, 8.)Central Christian 26.

8^th girls – 1.) Kinsley 90, 2.) Skyline 83, 3.) Central Christian 82, 4.) Macksville 76, 5.) Pretty Prairie 59, 6.) St. John 39, 7.) Fairfield 29, 8.) Stafford 19. 8^th boys – 1.) Pretty Prairie 131, 2.) Skyline 103, 3.) Macksville 71, 4.) Kinsley 51, 5.) Stafford 42, 6.) St. John 39, 7.) Fairfield 30, 8.) Central Christian 19.

Results

7^th grade girls: High Jump - 1^st Talor Gillespie MACK 4-04.00, 3^rd Baley Doggert STJO 3-10.00, 5^th Cass Woolf MACK J3-10.00. Long Jump - 3^rd Olivia Vosburgh, MACK 11-09.00, 6^th Sophie Filbert MACK 11-02.50. Triple Jump - 2^nd Miranda Garner STJO 26-00.00, 6^th Kourtney Brown STJO 22-09.75. Discus Throw - 1^st Haley Haberman MACK 67-08, Morgan Sailabedra STAF 43-11. Shot Put – 2^nd Katrina Waters MACK 25-03.50, 3^rd Haley Haberman MACK 23-02.50, 4^th Kristi Weiser STJO 21-9.75, 6^th Sara Bordier STAF 19-11.75. 75 Meter Hurdles – 2^nd Bailey Burns STJO 14.54, 3^rd Taylor Gillespie MACK 14.98, 5^th Katerna Brown STJO 15.33. 100 Meter Dash - 2^nd Olivia Vosburgh MACK 14:84, 5^th Nakita Foos STAF 15:19. 1600 Meter Run - Emma Stimatze MACK 6:27.89. 4x100 Meter Relay - St. John-Hudson 1:01.80, Macksville 1:03.80. 4x200 Meter Relay - 1^st Stafford 2:19.40, 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:26.06, 4^th Macksville 2:27.73. 200 Meter Dash - 2^nd Olivia Vosburgh MACK 30.91. 200 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Bailey Burns STJO 35.27. 400 Meter Dash - 3^rd Morgan Sallabedra STAF 1:14.65, 5^th Katrena Brown STJO 1:20.84. 800 Sprint Medlay - 1^st Macksville 2:17.62, 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:21.97, 5^th Stafford 2:25.15. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Emma Stimatze MACK 2:53.99, 2^nd Sophie Filbert MACK 3:07.20, 5^th Allison Lowther STAF 3:20.07.

7^th grade boys: Long Jump – 1^st Nick Lucas MACK 14-04.50, 6^th Austin Davis STAF `12-03.00. Triple Jump - 1^st Jorge Calleros STJO 31-03.50, 2^nd Sammy Ramirez STJO 30-09.00. Discus Throw - 3^rd Taylor Rodriguez MACK 71-08, 5^th Greyson Collins STJO 62-11. Shot Put - 2^nd Greyson Collins STJO 25-05.00, 3^rd Taylor Rodriguez MACK 24-01.00, 6^th Pierce Ceniti STAF 21-04.00. 75 Meter Hurdles - 1^st Bryce Casper MACK 13.90, 5^th Brendan McCandless STJO 16.91. 100 Meter Dash - 2^nd Jorge Calleros STJO 13:48, 4^th Paul Maxon STJO 13:54, Josh East MACK 13.72. 1600 Meter Run - 1^st Nick Lucas MACK 5:50.00, 2^nd Ryan Woodward STJO 5:55.22, 3^rd Brigdon Russell MACK 6:03.64. 4x100 Meter Relay – 1^st St. John-Hudson 54:18, 3^rd Macksville 59.10. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Sammy Ramirez STJO 1:01.24, 2^nd Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 1:03.56, 5^th Josh Harter STAF 1:08.21. 4x200 Meter Relay - 1st Stafford 2:08.92, 3rd St. John-Hudson 2:15.84. 200 Meter Hurdles - 5^th Brendan McCandless. 200 Meter Dash - 1^st Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 28.44, 3^rd Jorge Calleros STJO 28.96, 5^th Preston Ceniti STAF 29.44,Cole Kinnamon STJO 29.50. 800 Sprint Medley - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:03.39, 3^rd Macksville 2:04.60. 800 Meter Run - 1st Preston Ceniti STAF 2:34.47, 2^nd Nick Lucas MACK 2:38.50, 4^th Ryan Woodward STJO 2:43.30, 6^th Brigdon Russell MACK 2:47.77.

8^th grade girls: High Jump - 3^rd Katie Blevins MACK 4-02.00. Triple Jump - 5^th Anne Kenworthy STJO 27:08.25. 1600 Meter Run - 2^nd Gilda Lopez MACK 6:45.81, 4^th Margaret Penner MACK 6:55.99. 4x100 Meter Relay - 4^th Macksville 1:09.27. 400 Meter Dash - 3^rd Anne Kenworthy STJO 1:12.17, 4^th Kaite Blevins MACK 1:15.34, 6^th Logan Shultz STAF 1:20.72. 4x200 Meter Relay - 1^st Stafford 2:33.81, 2^nd Macksville 2:37.04. 800 Sprint Medley - 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:16.10, 3^rd Macksville 2:19.17, 4^th Stafford 2:25.15. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Gilda Lopez MACK 2:55.66, 3^rd Brandi Hanson 3:07.72, 4^th Audrey Mercer STJO 3:15.56. Shot Put - 6^th Bella Haskins STJO 24-03.25. 75 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Gilda Lopez MACK 14.95, 3^rd Anne Kenworthy STJO 15:17. 100 Meter Dash - 5^th Logan Shultz STAF 14.98, 6th Christy Garcia STJO 15.21.

8^th grade boys: Long Jump – 1st Mikey Agular STAF 14-10.50, 2^nd Alan Ibarra MACK 14-10.25, 4^th Andrew Deveney STJO 14-06.75. Triple Jump - 4^th Rylee Soiko MACK 10:07.50, 5^th Nathanial Miller MACK 19-05.75. 1600 Meter Run - 5^th Allen Schwein STJO 6:54.94. 4x100 Relay - 4^th St. John-Hudson 1:03.12. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Mikey Agular STAF 1:00.11, 2nd Alan Ibarra MACK 1:04.46. Discus Throw - 1^st Kolton Pavlu MACK 143-10, 2^nd Jeremy Crockett STJO 115.00, 5^th Omar Portillo STJO 79-05. 3200 Meter Run - 5^th Rylee Solke MACK 15:48.38, 6^th Lane Sehas MACK 16:30.10. 1^st Alan Ibarra MACK 13.16, 2^nd Andrw Deveney STJO 13.38. Shot Put - 1^st Kolton Pavlu MACK 38-02.50, 4^th Jacob Milton STJO 30-11.00. 4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd Macksville 2:29.99. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Miley Agular STAF 2:26.52, 4^th Ramiro Arzola STAF 3:07.19, 6^th Allen Schwein STJO 3:18.94. 200 Meter Dash - 2nd Mikey Agular STAF 26.34, 4^th Alan Ibarra MACK 27.86, 5^th Kolton Pavlu MACK 28.19. Sprint Medley - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:18.69.

The St. John seventh grade boys track team came within four points of winning St. John's Junior High Invitational on Tuesday with 106 points followed by Macksville's third place finish with 84. Macksville's eight grade boys placed fourth in the eight grade division.

On the girls side, both of Macksville's girls teams placed third, the seventh gathering in 83.50 points, and the eighth girls getting 80 points in their division. St. John's eight grade took fourth place with 53 points while Stafford's seventh graders took fourth with 51 points.

One of the highlights of the meet was Macksville's Kolton Pavlu smashing the Meet's record for the 8th grade boys discus throw, his last toss going 144-06.50 feet, seven feet farther than the old record. His throw also broke Macksville's 8th grade school record, breaking Evan Loomis's old record by almost four feet. Three events for Larned also broke Meet records, the first in the 8th girls Shot Put (36-01.75), the second in the 8th boys 4x200 Relay (1:45.71) and the third, the 8th boys Medley Relay (1:51.64).
 

Other highlights were St. John's 7th grade boys dominating the triple jump, with Jorge Calleros placing first, Macksville's Bryce Casper getting a first in the 7^th 75 Meter Hurdles, Nick Lucas first in the 7^th 1600 Meter Run, St. John's Sammy Ramirez a first in the 7^th 200 Meter Dash and the 7^th 400 Meter Dash, St. John's 7^th 4x100 Relay a first and Macksville's 7^th 800 Sprint Relay a first, Stafford's Preston Cenitia first in the 7^th 800 Meter Run and Mikey Agular's first in the 8^th 400 Meter Dash.

Highlights for the girls were Stafford's Erika Reynold's first in the 7^th High Jump, Macksville's Kaite Blevins a first in the 8^th High Jump, Haley Haberman a first in the 7^th Discus Throw, Katrina Waters a first in the 7^th Shot Put Throw, Margaret Penner first in the 8^th 3200 Meter Run, Gilda Lopez first in the 8^th 800 Meter Run, 7^th 800 Sprint Medley and 8^th Sprint Medley both getting a first, St. John's Anne Kenworthy a first in the 8^th Triple Jump and the 7^th 4x100 Relay getting a first place.

Girls Team Scores: 7^th grade – South Central 132, Larned, 84.50, Macksville 83.50, Stafford 51, St. John 46, Medicine Lodge 24 and South Central gre 2 points. 8^th grade – Larned 129, South Central 119, Macksville 80, St. John 53, Medicine Lodge 50, Stafford 1, South Central gre 1.

Boys Team Scores: 7^th grade – Larned 110, St. John 106, Macksville 84, Medicine Lodge 51, South Central 45 and Stafford 34. 8^th grade – South Central 169.50, Larned 117.50, Medicine Lodge 67, Macksville 30, Stafford 24, South Central gre 21 and St. John 20.

Team Results

7^th grade girls: High Jump - 1^st Erika Reynolds STAF 4-06.00, 3^rd Taylor Gillespie MACK 4-02.00, 4^th Baley Doggett STJO 4.00.00. 6^th Cass Woolf MACK J3-10.00. Long Jump - 5^th Olivia Vosburgh MACK 11-06.00. Triple Jump - 4^th Mirnda Garner STJO 24-07.25. Discus Throw – 1^st Haley Haberman MACK 56-02.50, 4^th Logan Shultz STAF 48-02, 5^th Katrina Waters MACK 45-10.50, 6^th Perla Ibarra MACK 45-10. Shot Put – 1^st Katrina Waters MACK 28-00.75, 3^rd Haley Haberman MACK 23-08.50, 5^th Deisy Carillo MACK 22-10.50. 75 Meter Hurdles - 2^nd Katrena Brown STJO 14.61, Bailey Burns STJO 14.80. 100 Meter Dash - 3^rd Olivia Vosburgh MACK 14.50, 4^th Logan Shultz STAF 14.90. 1600 Meter Run - 2^nd Emma Stimatze MACK 6:14.21, 6^th Taylor Gillespie MACK 6:34.96. 4x100 Meter Relay - 1^st St. John-Hudson 1:00.74, 4^th Macksville 1:06.58. 400 Meter Dash - 2^nd Morgan Sallabedra STAF 1:11.55, 3^rd Erika Reynolds STAF 1:12.68, 5^th Katrena Brown STJO 1:17.50. 4x200 Meter Relay - 2^nd Stafford 2:15.84. 200 Meter Dash - 3^rd Olivia Vosburgh MACK 30:49, 4^th Bailey Burns STJO 30.71. 800 Sprint Medley - 1^st Macksville 2:17.02, 2^nd St. John 2:22.08.800 Meter Run - 2^nd Emma Stimatze MACK 2:50.74, 3^rd Erika Reynolds STAF 2:58.50, 4^th Morgan Sallabedra STAF 3:02.08.

8^th grade girls: High Jump - 1^st Kaute Blevins MACK 4-02.00. 1^st Anne Kenworthy STJO 26-09.00, 5^th Margaret Penner MACK 24-01.50. Discus Throw - 4^th Bella Haskins STJO 58-00, 6^th Josie Zink STAF 56-10.50. 75 Meter Hurdles - 3^rd Gilda Lopez MACK 14l.71, 4^th Anne Kenworthy STJO 15:36.100 Meter Dash - 6^th Christy Garcia STJO 15:27. 1600 Meter Run - 3^rd Brandi Hanson STJO 7:08.42, 4^th Margaret Penner MACK 7:20.77, BreAnn Anshutz MACK 11:01.00. 4x100 Meter Relay - 3^rd Macksville 1:06.68, 4^th St. John-Hudson 1:07.02. 400 Meter Dash - 2^nd Anne Kenworthy STJO 1:10.74, 3^rd Kaite Blevins MACK 1:19.20. 4x200 Meter Relay - 3^rd Macksville 2:35.43. 3200 Meter Run – 1st^t Margaret Penner MACK 14:20.99, 2^nd Brennyn Woolf MACK 17:25.75. 800 Sprint Medley - 1^st Macksville 2:17.02, 2^nd St. John-Hudson 2:22.08. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Gilda MACK 2:48.48, 3^rd Brandi Hanson STJO 3:07.14, 5^th Audrey Mercer STJO 3:10.77.

7^th grade boys: High Jump - 2^nd Jorge Calleros STJO 4-06.00. Long Jump - 2^nd Nick Lucas MACK 14-02.50, 5^th Paul Maxon STJO 12-10.25. Triple Jump - 1^st Jorge Calleros STJO 28-10.50, 2^nd Sammy Ramirez STJO 28-05.50, Cole Kinnamon STJO 27-03.00. Discus Throw - 2^nd Taylor Rodriguez MACK 71-08.50, 6^th Patrick Doran STJO 60-07. Shot Put - 3^rd Taylor Rodriguez MACK 25-11.00, 5^th Greyson Collins STJO 25-02.50. 75 Meter Hurdles - Bryce Casper MACK 13:96, 5^th Brendan McCandless STJO 15.64. 100 Meter Dash - 4^th Josh East MACK 13:58, 5^th Paul Maxon STJO 13:68. 1600 Meter Run - Nick Lucas MACK 5:40.49, 3^rd Ryan Woodward STJO 5:56.27, 6^th Austin Davis STAF 6:05.11. 4x100 Meter Relay - 1^st St. John-Hudson 52:90, 3^rd Macksville 54:45, 5^th Stafford 1:10.58. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Sammy Ramirez STJO 1:00.84, 2^nd Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 1:04.81, 5^th Bryce Casper MACK 1:10.96, Patrick Doran STJO 1:11.05. 4x200 Meter Relay - 2^nd Stafford 2:08.05, 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:11.59. 200 Meter Dash - Sammy Ramirez STJO 27.49, 3^rd Jorge Calleros STJO 28.33, 4^th Jarrod Kuckelman MACK 28.99, 5^th Preston Ceniti STAF 29.33, 6^th Josh Harter STAF 29.42. 800 Sprint Medley - 1^st Macksville 2:02.96, St. John-Hudson 2:07.92, 4^th Stafford 2:14.02. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Mikey Agular STAF 2:24.67.

8^th grade boys: Long Jump - 4^th Andrew Deveney STJO 14:11.00, 5^th Alan Ibarra MACK 14-05.00. Discus Throw - 1^st Kolton Pavlu MACK 144-06.50, 4^th Jeremy Crockett STJO 100-00.50, 5^th Jacob Milton STJO 99-07. Shot Put - 2^nd Kolton Pavlu MACK 25:03.50. 100 Meter Dash - 5^th Alan Ibarra MACK 13.27. 4x100 Meter Relay - 4^th St. John-Hudson 1:01.78. 400 Meter Dash - 1^st Mikey Agular STAF 59.14, 4^th Kolton Pavlu MACK 1:03.61. 200 Meter Dash - 4^th Mikey Agular STAF 26.52, 6^th Alan Ibarra MACK 26.92. 3200 Meter Run - 5^th Lane Sebes, MACK 15:54.70, 6^th Rylee Solko MACK 16:04.52. 800 Sprint Medley - 3^rd St. John-Hudson 2:18.74. 800 Meter Run - 1^st Mikey Agular STAF 2:24.67.

The St. John-Hudson Lady Tigers Junior Varsity track team had little trouble at Ellinwood's JV Track Meet this Tuesday, walking away with a 64 point lead to their nearest competitor and gathering in 156 points to lead the Tigers in the nine-team event.

St. John sophomore Haley Falk kept her winning ways going placing first in the 100 meter hurdles, the 300 meter hurdles, the girls long jump, and a first in the 4x400 meter relay. Freshman Breana Towers placed first in the 100 meters, the long jump, the triple jump and the 4x100 meter relay.  Teammate Maddy Lippoldt placed first in the 3200 meters and the 4x800 meter relay. Tia Smith was perfect in the relays, placing first in all three - the 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, and the 4x800 meter relay. Alexis Witt, placed first in the 4x100 meter relay and the 4x400 meter relay. Ashlynn Fisher placed first in the 4x400 meter relay and the 4x800 meter relay. Teresa Christie placed first in the 4x100 meter relay and Taylor Woodward placed first in the 4x800 meter relay.

In all, 19 gold medals were awarded to the Tiger girls JV.

County rival, the Macksville Lady Mustangs placed fourth with 60 points. Lisa Pener placed first in the 800 meters and the 1600 meters.

The track meet, which had mostly larger schools entered, had St. John leading with 156 points, followed by Smokey Valley with 92 points, Ellinwood 67, Macksville 60, Larned 55, Chase 31, Great Bend 21, Central Plains eight and Lyons with eight points.

With St. John's Schuyler Brown leading the way placing first in the 300 meter hurdles and the triple jump, the St. John-Hudson Tiger boys took third place honors at Ellinwood, gathering in 76 points. Great Bend's JV won the meet with 162 points, followed by Ellinwood with 105, St. John 76, Hoisington 55, Chase 39, Larned 31, Smoky Valley 24, Lyons 16 and Macksville with nine points.

(Top places in each event!)

Girls 100 Meter Run: first - Towers, STJO, 13.65, fifth - Witt, STJO, 14:08. 200 Meter Dash: third – Smith, STJO, 30.28. Girls 400 Meter Dash: second – Tara Bunker, MACK, 1:07.05, third – Fisher, STJO, 1.08.29, fifth – Brooke Polly, MACK, 1:13.35. Girls 800 Meter Run: first – Lisa Penner, MACK, 2.33.98, third – Taylor Woodward, STJO, 2:54.72. Girls 1600 Meter Run: first – Penner, MACK, 5:53.24, third – Woodward, STJO, 6:31.27. Girls 3200 Meter Run: first – Lippoldt, STJO, 13.47.23, second – Anna Penner, MACK 14:13.72. Girls 100 Meter Hurdles: first – Falk, STJO, 18.05, second – Tara Christie, STJO, 19:17, fifth – Trina Schlotthauer, STJO, 21.48. Girls 300 Meter Hurdles: first – Falk, STJO, 55:35, third – Tara Christie, STJO, 57:02. Girls 4x100 Meter Relay: first – STJO, 56:42 ( Towers, Witt, Smith, Teresa Christie). Girls 4x400 Meter Relay: first – STJO, 4:43.22 (Falk, Witt, Smith, Fisher), second – MACK, 4:45.83 (Bunker, Polly, Erin Hornbaker, Lisa Penner). Girls 4x800 Meter Relay: first – STJO, 12:02.16 (Smith, Fisher, Lippoldt, Woodward). Girls High Jump: first – Falk, STJO, 5-20.0. Girls Long Jump: first – Towers, STJO, 14-05.00, second – Witt, STJO, 13-11.00, fourth – Bunker, MACK, 13-01.00. Girls Triple Jump: first – Towers, STJO, 29-09.75. Girls Shot Put: third – Teresa Christie, STJO, 29-02.00. Girls Javelin Throw: third – Stephany Ortiz, MACK, 65-11.50, fifth – Clara Cross, MACK, 49-08.

Boys 100 Meter Dash: fifth – Christian Acosta, MACK, 12:40. Boys 200 Meter Dash: sixth – Juan Neri-Leon, STJO, 26.63. Boys 400 Meter Dash: fourth – Christian Acosta, MACK, 1:01.06, fifth – Juan Neri-Leon, STJO, 1:01.38. Boys 800 Meter Run: sixth – Gerardo Calleros, STJO, 2:35.48. Boys 1600 Meter Run: sixth – Gerardo Calleros, STJO, 5:28.41. Boys 3200 Meter Run: third – Presston Nemec, STJO, 12:13.81. Boys 300 Meter Hurdles: first – Schuyler Brown, STJO, 47:01, second – Dean Wade, STJO, 49:27. Boys 4x100 Meter Relay: second – STJO, 49.53 (Brown, Wade, Calleros, Neri-Leon). Boys 4x400 Meter Relay: second – STJO, 4:10.77 (Neri-Leon, Wade, Jesus Alvarez, Nemec). Boys High Jump: second – Wade, STJO, 5-06.00. Boys Pole Vault: second – Ty Wycoff, STJO, 8-06.00. Boys Long Jump: sixth – Erik Jacuez, MACK, 14-11.00. Boys Triple Jump: first - Brown, STJO, 37:00.00. Boys Shot Put: fourth – Austin White, STJO, 34-10.00. Boys Javelin Throw: fifth – Justin Freeman, MACK, 108.00, sixth – Logan Behr, STJO, 101-07.

Included in the Hutchinson News recent All-Area Girls Basketball listings, St. John's senior Teresa Wade made first team 1A All-Area while junior teammates Jamie Waters and Morgan Osborne both made honorable mention.
 

Wade, St. John's 6' post averaged 17 points per game this season.
 

St. John's Spencer Nusser and Macksville's Adam Oak both made honorable mention in the 1A All-Area boys.
 

Both the boys and girls divisions were comprised of first, second and third five-man teams along with honorable mention.

This All-Area recognition covers both the 1A division I and II classifications.
 

Another mention goes to Osborne who recently played with Hutchinson's “Dream Team” in their first game in the Mid-American Youth Basketball League this year, the “Dream Team” capturing the Junior-Senior Tournament Championship at Newton's MAYB Tournament last week.

The Wichita Eagle and Topeka Capital-Journal have recently listed their All-class teams for Class 1A girls basketball.
St. John's Teresa Wade made both first teams while Morgan Osborne and Jamie Waters made honorable mention in both.

Wichita Eagle
Class 1A (both divisions)

First Team

Hallie Kuhlman, Wallace County 5-7, Sr. 14.2
Jamie Patrick, Central Christian 5-11, Sr. 23.1
Ashley Romig, Waverly 5-11, Jr. 18.9
Karlie Steinle, Wilson 5-8, Jr. 22.0
Teresa Wade, St. John 6-0, Sr. 17.0

Second team

Carley Greiving, Logan 6-0, Sr. 15.0
Raelyn Lorson, Hope 5-4, Jr. 10.0
Jori Mote, Weskan 5-8, Sr. 12.9
Elle Stein, Spearville 6.0, Sr. 13.0
Michelle VanGieson, Norwich 5-4, Sr. 11.8

Honorable Mention

Morgan Osborne Jr.
Jamie Waters Jr.

Topeka Capital-Journal
CLASS 1A GIRLS (both divisions)

FIRST TEAM

Player, school Ht. Cl.
Hallie Kuhlman, Sharon Springs 5-7 Sr.
Jamie Patrick, Hutch Central Christian 5-11 Sr.
Ashley Romig, Waverly 5-11 Jr.
Karlie Steinle, Wilson 5-8 Jr.
Teresa Wade, St. John 6-0 Sr.

SECOND TEAM

Player, school Ht. Cl.
Nichole Boden, Wetmore 5-6 Sr.
Caley Greving, Logan 6-0 Sr.
Carly Heim, Hoxie 5-6 Fr.
Ashton Isch, Southern Coffey 5-6 Sr.
Raelyn Lorson, Hope 5-4 Jr.

THIRD TEAM

Player, school Ht. Cl.
Danica Casey, Natoma 5-9 Jr.
Michelle Haug, Centralia 5-7 Sr.
Jori Mote, Weskan 5-8 Sr.
Elle Stein, Spearville 6-0 Sr.
Michelle VanGieson, Norwich 5-4 Sr.

HONORABLE MENTION

Morgan Osborne, St. John 5-8 Jr.
Jamie Waters, St. John 5-5 Jr.

With new head coach Nathanial Norman and assistant coach Kelby Adams bringing with them a new philosophy, terminology, and expectations, the Macksville Lady Mustangs basketball team was looking forward to the start of the 2011-2012 season.

But like last year, injuries and illness played their part this season along with losing four top graduates last year, the deck being stacked against the Lady Stangs.

The season was almost like a perfect storm for the Stangs, the Central Prairie League being one of the toughest in the state, with Macksville playing ranked teams -Victoria, Otis-Bison, St. John and Central Plains, plus Norwich, Pratt, and a strong “Word of Life” team, The Stangs certainly had their work cut out for them.

Instead of having a 1-19 season this season, it could have been a 5-15, the Mustangs almost pulling out wins against Kiowa County 50-52, and twice to La Crosse 39-41, 43-46, not to mention loosing to Victoria 33-45.

Macksville played hard all season long. It wasn't easy, keeping their emotions in check and playing a fast-paced brand of basketball, but the girls gave it their all.

Those Lady Mustangs who played varsity this year – Kiley Freeman, Brianna Evans, Keira Parr, Kristiana Murphy, Melissa Espino, Mindy Wood, Selana Galan, Alexis Johnson, Alex Ponce, Karissa Langlois, Clara Cross and Tara Bunker.

With Johnson being the only senior lost to graduation, the Stangs will have practically the whole team back next year.

Back row Maddie Lippoldt, Haley Falk, Ashlyn Fisher, Teresa Christie, Tara Christie. Front Row - Brenna Towers, Kendra Hacker and Jessica Hanson. Not pictured - Desiree Hull

The St. John girls junior varsity had a great season this year, finishing with a 16-1 record, their only loss to Ellinwood's JV by two points.
And even that loss was evened by the Tiger JV defeating the same Ellinwood team in the second round of the Pratt-Skyline JV Tournament and going on to win the tournament championship.
 

Congratulations Lady Tigers for a job well done – Teresa Christie, Tara Christie, Jessica Hanson Brenna Towers, Ashlyn Fisher, Maddie Lippoldt, Kendra Hacker, Haley Falk and Desiree Hull.

 

Teresa Christie goes in for two

Not only is St. John's Teresa Wade going to play in this Sunday's Barton County All-Star Basketball Classic, she was recently chosen to play in the KBCA All-Star game(it's the big one) in Topeka, the first Thursday in August.

This one is selected by coaches only and there are only two players chosen from 1A to participate in it - Teresa and Jamie Patrick of Hutchinson Central Christian.

Teresa is still checking to see if she can play, but it's really a great honor for her.

St. John's Teresa Wade and Macksville's Adam Oak will play in the inaugural Central Kansas High School All-Star Basketball Classic that will be hosted on the campus of Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, next Sunday, March 25.

These high school all-star games will feature some of the best talent from Central Kansas and beyond. The girls game will tip off at 4 p.m. with the boys' game to follow at 6 p.m.
 

Three point and slam dunk competitions will also be held in conjunction with the two games.

Make plans to attend this action packed event! Tickets go on sale Sunday, March 25 at 3 p.m. with 5$ admision for adults and $3 for students kindergarten through twelth grade.
 

This basketball season has been a very good one for the St. John Lady Tigers, the Tigers achieving a 23-3 record, having a first place finish at Coldwater's Sub-State and a second place finish in the 1A div. I State Playoffs at Emporia - all this with just one senior in the line-up.

You almost knew that by watching the Tigers demolish a good 2A Pratt-Skyline team 59-32 in the first game of the season, it was going to be the forerunner to St. John winning a number of games, in fact, going halfway through the regular season 11-0.

In the following week, the Tigers won the Inman Tournament defeating 3A Sedgwick 51-27, 2A Inman 48-17 and 3A Hutchinson Trinity 41-33.

Then came league rival 2A Central Plains, the Tigers pulling away early in the first half and winning 58-39, following that by defeating 1A Cunningham 59-33, who earlier defeated former State Champion Argonia by 20.

More lopsided victories came – against 2A Ness City 63-35, 2A Ellinwood 50-11, and 4A Larned 53-14.

For the rest of this story, be sure to read it next week's St. John News.

Sometimes things just don't happen the way you want or expect to happen, but that happens more often than not in Kansas State High School basketball. And that was certainly the case for the St. John Lady Tigers basketball team in a tough loss playing the Hoxie Lady Indians in the State Championship game 45-55 last Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium in Emporia.

Things looked promising in the first quarter with seven Lady Tigers contributing to St. John's point total. But after a Tiger five point lead, Hoxie came back and went ahead by one 14-15 going into the second quarter.

Teresa Wade's and Tara Christie's three-pointers certainly helped in the second quarter, but Hoxie's four first half three's pretty much made the difference, with the Indians headed to the locker room 27-32.

The Indians extended their lead to eleven points 36-47 during the third quarter, much of that coming from three's while St. John struggled scoring from outside.

The Tigers scored nine in the final quarter with freshman Tara Christie canning her second three. Still, that wasn't enough, the Lady Tigers dead cold shooting from outside, the Tigers losing 44-55.

Wade led all St. John scorers with 11 while Jamie Waters and Alexis Witt each added eight. Tara Christie had seven.

“There are some pretty staggering statistics from our loss to Hoxie. We shot 23 more times than they did (60-37), outrebounded them by 8 (40-32), we had 21 offensive rebounds, we had 5 fewer turnovers than they had, and they did not make a single basket in the 4th quarter.” said coach Smith. “If you'd have told me this before the game started, I'd say we probably won easily, but the bottom line is, we just couldn't seem to make a shot. Our girls were getting frustrated when we couldn't and were really hitting the glass hard, but then we'd come up with the rebound and miss again.”

St. John's first round win against Caldwell was special. Not so much because how strong the Bluejays were or that St. John's offense over-powered Caldwell, even though the Tigers did go 58 percent shooting in the second half. It was what the Tiger's did on defense - allowing the Jays just three baskets for the night, 17 points and shooting less than eight percent in the second half, for a 44-17 St. John victory. So great that the Lady Tigers tied a 1A State record allowing the lowest number of points for an opponent.

Six Lady Tigers scored 12 points for the Tigers in the first quarter, with Tia Smith making St. John's first three-pointer. The Tigers also forced seven Bluejay turnovers. But not all went smoothly, the officials calling the game close and putting the Tigers into foul trouble early on.

“We seemed to foul every possession. The first half was crazy – we couldn't get anything to happen.” said Waters. “In the locker room we decided to pull a South Central and try to hold them scoreless which we somewhat achieved (17-2).”

It was a good thing St. John had a strong bench with both Morgan Osborne and Waters whistled for their third foul in the second quarter. The Lady Tigers finished the half leading 20-11.

“In the first half we had some trouble scoring. So we had to take more shots.” said Wade.

The Tigers increased their lead 37-13 with Waters hitting two three's and Wade making three baskets, St. John playing much better offensively.

Tara Christie hit St. John's fourth three-pointer in the final quarter, the Tigers winning 44-17.

“Tough game. It wasn't how we really planned coming out but we pulled it out in the end.” said Osborne.

Osborne led St. John in rebounding, assists and steals. Wade led in scoring with 14 points followed by Water's 10.

The Lady Tigers knocked off the second seeded 22-2 Waverly 54-43 Bulldogs in the second round at State.

The Tigers came out of the gate taking charge and leading the Bulldogs 10-1 half-way through the first quarter. However, Waverly made their own charge, out-scoring the Tigers 3-9, with the Tigers going into the second leading 13-10.

"Over the season we got really close. Being a family helped us play as a team. We all improved so much as individuals and a team. Even though it didn't quite end the way we wanted, it was a successful season and we're gonna miss Teresa.” said Witt.

With Waverly catching up and tying the score, Waters made her second three-pointer and Wade a basket, to take a 24-19 halftime lead.

The Tigers adjusted their defense in the third, collapsing on Waverly's two big men that seemed to work with the Tigers increasing their lead 38-26 starting the fourth.

"This season and playing in the finals was so amazing. I could never ask for a better team." said Teresa Christie.

Both teams stayed even in the final quarter with five Lady Tigers scoring, St. John winning 54-43.

“We were a shorter team but our Tiger defense changed this game.” said Tia Smith. “I am so happy we are going to the finals and its because of this team and our families and fans.”

Wade led all comers with 21 points follow by Water's fifteen. Wade went 8-10 in field goals and 5-6 from the free throw line. Waters was 3-6 in field goals, 2-5 from beyond the arc, 7-8 from the free throw line and five assists. St. John shot 50 percent for the game and 76 percent, making 16-21 free throws. Witt led in rebounds with six followed by Osborne with five. Osborne also led in blocks with two.

“Despite losing, I am very proud of our team and the season they have had. They have overcome a lot of illness/injury to go as far as we could go.” said coach Smith. “This was the last chance for our lone senior Teresa Wade. I can't tell you enough about what she has meant to St. John High school and what a great kid she is.”

“I'd like to send an enormous thank you for all of the support we had during the state tournament from the moms, local businesses, and just all of the many fans, family and friends that came out to support our girls. This weekend was a great experience for our girls and one they'll never forget.”

Start packing your bags, make arrangements for your pets - St. John Tigers fans in large numbers will be heading to Emporia on Thursday to watch the Lady Tigers play in the 1A (Div. I) State basketball tournament after defeating Coldwater-South Central 44-25 Saturday evening.

Finding a seat Saturday night on St. John's side was like finding a needle in a haystack - the crowd over-flowing, St. John's vivacious hula girls were there – what more could the Lady Tigers have asked for in the Championship round.

The St. John Tigers have always been a defensive team, but Saturday night was special, the Tigers putting on a defensive showing that was almost beyond belief against a good Coldwater-South Central squad, allowing the Timberwolves just 10 points in the first three quarters.

The last time South Central saw something like that was last year playing St. John in the Sub-State finals, but not nearly at this level.

“We have waited for 364 days(not that we were counting) to get rid of that bitter taste in our mouths from losing to South Central on our home floor.” said St John's head coach Danny Smith. “It was nice to be able to return the favor. Our girls were very determined and played their tails off.”

Not to overlook South Central's achievements in the first half. They also brought to the table an effective zone defense against the Tigers, smothering Teresa Wade down under and not allowing the Tigers fast break to materialize, or at least not until the second half. That was a different story.

“South Central played a pretty tough zone and we couldn't seem to hit any shots, and they did a great job of keeping us off the glass.” said Smith.

For complete coverage of the game, be sure to read this week's St. John News!

For more area girls basketball, click on the “blogs” button at the top of the page, then go to “Ragan's Roosts”.
 

The St. John Lady Tigers are ready and waiting for the Sub-State Championship round this Saturday after taking the La Crosse Leopards to the woodshed Thursday evening, the Tigers leading 16-7 after one quarter,stretching that to a 33-13 half-time lead, and winning their second round game 57-23 at Coldwater-South Central.

They've been waiting for this moment for a long year now since losing to Coldwater-South Central at St. John's Sub-State last March. Waiting for another chance to move on to State at Emporia. But to get there, they had to take care of business by defeating league rival, the La Crosse Leopards.

Starting out and doing what they do best – forcing press-induced turnovers, running down court and making the score, the Lady Tigers had little difficulty offensively against the Leopards as the scores indicate. But playing half-court and working the ball into the middle of a zone did have certain problems sometimes, the Tigers having to pay the bodily price on a put back or layup.

Even though the Tigers outside shooting was about as cold as an ice cube in early January, Morgan Osborne's three point swisher in the third quarter started to thaw things a little. Still, the Tigers inside play made up for most of that, especially grabbing offensive rebounds and given a second chance for the score.

Sophomore Alexis Witt was a commanding presence underneath especially in the first quarter, putting herself on the opposite side of the basket where the ball was coming from, taking the rebound and finishing the play with a put back – in fact four baskets just in the first quarter alone. St. John's lone senior Teresa Wade made four points with Jessica Hanson and Osborne each making two points.

Starting the second with a 16-7 lead, it was Wade's turn, scoring two baskets and two free throws. Jamie Waters also had two baskets, plus points from Witt, Osborne, and Teresa Christie, St. John leading 33-13 going into the half.

Waters scored nine of her thirteen points in the third, while Osborne made St. John's only three. Witt added two more baskets, giving her the game high 15 points, the Tigers widening their lead 54-17.

With most of St. John's starters sitting comfortably on the bench in the final quarter, the Leopards out-scored the Tigers by three as the clock was running. The final score 57-23 – the St. John Tigers heading to the Championship round where a win will move them on to State.

It was a pleasant surprise seeing St. John's #3 heading out onto the court. Sophomore guard Tia Smith has been out for much of the season and was not expected to play. Her presence will add more depth to the Tigers, which is sorely needed in a high-tempo and exhausting full-throttle attack that the Lady Tigers use.

Scoring for the Tigers: Witt 15, Waters 13, Wade 12, Osborne eight, Teresa Christie five, Haley Falk two, Jessica Hanson two.

Free Throws: 16/25 for 64 percent.