Olathe East girls soccer coach: ‘The cupboard is not bare’
Terry Hair considers his Olathe East High School girls soccer team to be like a fine China cabinet.
While this year might not have the glitzy names that have gone on to play at Kansas, Nebraska, Drake, Tulsa and Memphis, his “everyday dishes” have still been getting it done. The Hawks have an 8-1-1 record.
“The cupboard is not bare at Olathe East. It’s just different dinner pieces,” Hair said.
Currently, 33 of the 54 spots in the Olathe East soccer family are occupied by freshmen. Four of them are starting on the varsity team. The Hawks are also starting three sophomores, which has contributed to them trailing in six of their first 10 matches.
However, Hair is confident that his Hawks are built to last.
“They have a lot of grit and perseverance, and they believe in each other,” Hair said.
Natalie Wolfe, who was a second-team All-Sunflower League forward last year, is adding veteran leadership this season, along with Manuela Gonzalez, Emily Blais and Nora Voigt.
Baseball: Schedule bolsters St. James
Throughout the season, St. James Academy baseball coach Brian Bucklin says he has fielded several comments and questions about his aggressive scheduling technique for his squad.
St. James, which is an unaffiliated Kansas Class 5A program, has played a number of higher classification teams from both sides of the state line with a 10-4 record, which can only help the Thunder entering the final weeks of the regular season.
“We don’t shy away from anybody and that has always been our philosophy,” Bucklin said. “We have high expectations for our boys.”
Mitchell Zubradt and Derek Ripp have been leading the Thunder’s attack from the three and four holes in the batting lineup. Each is hitting above .500 for the season. Zubradt also has a team-high 10 doubles.
The team is balanced by Noah Zych at the bottom of the batting order. He is batting around .400.
The Thunder will play host to Rockhurst at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Boys tennis: Mustangs get big win
For seven straight seasons, the Kansas Class 6A boys tennis state title has belonged to either Blue Valley North or Shawnee Mission East, so it is only natural that their regular-season matches would be a gauge for either side.
This year, the Mustangs came out on top and defeated three-time defending state champion SM East.
“They played some of the cleanest matches they have played in a long time,” BV North coach Tracey Johnson said. “They played more games up and down the line, had good production, hit more balls in a rally and outlasted other people.”
Two players playing key roles for BV North are Carson Fournier and Brady Flanagan, who placed fourth in the state tournament last season. They succeed brothers Mitchell and Alex Samuelson as the BV North’s top doubles team.
“They know that they can play well together and they can have confidence in each other,” Johnson said. “It’s a nice foundation to have.”
Boys golf: Cougars second in league
Despite only having one senior on the squad, the Shawnee Mission Northwest High School boys golf team finds itself in second place after the first leg of the three-part Sunflower League tournament.
The Cougars have placed in the top five of every tournament so far this season, with veteran leadership coming from seniors Mitchell Bolton and Blake Allen.
“They have been really consistent off the tee, hitting fairways and getting around the green,” SM Northwest coach Jim Bamburg said.
Allen is currently ranked second in the league, after shooting a 73 at Lake Quivira. Bolton is tied for 16th, with an 82. Freshman Christian Ghilardi tied for fifth with a 77.
This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Olathe East girls soccer coach: ‘The cupboard is not bare’."