‘Bob’ Bodemann

Former Iola resident Louis Charles Bodemann Jr., known as “Bob” Bodemann, died at home in Hot Springs, Ark., on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012. He was 84.

He was born Feb. 27, 1927, in Oklahoma City, Okla., to Louis Charles and Nella Stolfa Bodemann Sr.  

He served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1946. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Petroleum Engineering.  

He married Wanda Sanders of Tulsa, Okla., in 1951.  

He spent his early years in Oklahoma City. After the service and college he worked for Tenneco Oil as a petroleum engineer in Houston, Texas , Oklahoma City, Denver, Colo., Casper, Wyo., finally settling in Iola as an independent oil producer.  

To be closer to their children and grandchildren, the couple moved to Hot Springs Village in 1998 and to Hot Springs in 2001.  His interest included coaching his sons’ baseball teams, playing softball and tennis, serving as a Boy Scout leader and later singing in a Barbershop Quartet. He and his wife were involved in community theater in Iola, performing in numerous musical productions. 

He is survived by his wife; three sons, Steve and his wife, Mitch, Mike and his wife, Peggy, and Don and his wife, Kim; one daughter, Diane Bodemann and her husband, Tom Cellers; grandchildren, Erin Bodemann McCarley, Keri Bodemann Forrester, Maggie Bodemann, Carolyn Bodemann Hall, Brian Bodemann, Julie Bodemann Goodwin, Scott Cellers, Jackson Cellers, Gretchen Cellers, Stephanie Cellers, Claire Bodemann, Marcus Bodemann and Isaac Bodemann; great-grandchildren, Clara McCarley and Cate Hall; and a first cousin, Kathleen Estes, Denver.

Memorials are suggested to Allen County Community College in Iola. Guests may register online at www.caruth-hale.com.

Nick Gutierrez

Nick Gutierrez, Kincaid, died Dec. 13, 2011 at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka. 

He was born June 10, 1951.

He was a member of Old-Time Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers. He loved to play the guitar and sing.

Romney moves to New Hampshire far in the lead

Iowa left Mitt Romney much farther ahead in the contest for the Republican nomination than Tuesday’s numbers indicate. He tied with Rick Santorum and Ron Paul was only 3 percentage points behind them. But no one believes either Paul or Santorum will be the nominee — including, in their honest moments, Paul and Santorum.

Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, is a one-issue man who was defeated by 17 percentage points when he ran for re-election in his home state. The people who know him best decided that government was about more than abortion and same-sex marriage. He has done nothing to qualify himself to be president of the United States, beyond being a citizen and above the age of 35. He doesn’t have a campaign staff or the funds to hire one.

In sum, the 30,007 votes he won in Iowa Tuesday only mean that many Iowans couldn’t bring themselves to vote for anyone else. Mr. Santorum has had his flash in the pan, his 15 minutes of fame.

As has been noted before, Ron Paul is a libertarian, non-interventionalist, pacifist whose views are 180 degrees out of sync with traditional Republicans. He doesn’t have a prayer of winning the nomination.

That leaves Romney going into New Hampshire for the Jan. 10 primary with a crippled Newt Gingrich as his only significant competitor, except for Jon Huntsman of Utah. Huntsman skipped Iowa to bring a middle-of-the-road message to New England. He has yet to catch fire there, despite his sterling qualifications, but could keep Romney’s margin from soaring.

Gov. Rick Perry almost went  home to Texas,  but reconsidered and pushed on to South Carolina. He was one of the few who campaigned in every Iowa county. He was the biggest spender — by about half a million dollars — in the campaign. The fact that he gathered only 10 percent of the votes for all of that effort and money should tell him that his bid for the presidency has been rejected. Michelle Bachmann got that message loud and clear and dropped out of the race Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Mr. Romney and his supporters must deal with the fact that three voters in Iowa chose someone else for every vote he received. He keeps bumping his head against that 25 percent ceiling. 

A determined Newt Gingrich will go into New Hampshire with a do-or-die fire in his belly. He remains the only contender likely to win enough votes there to keep Romney from breaking through and scoring in the 40s or above.

Santorum will peel off the born-again vote. Paul will win some of the youngsters who want mind-altering drugs to be legalized and think a demilitarized America would keep them out of uniform. 

New Hampshire will give the Romney campaign a solid opportunity to win a convincing victory and send its candidate to South Carolina to start piling up delegates. The inevitability of Mitt Romney’s nomination will become obvious before the daffodils bloom.

 

— Emerson Lynn, jr.

Grass fire extinguished

GAS — Firefighters helped douse a fire fueled by grass on the south edge of Gas Wednesday.

The fire was contained to grass and trees, except for some surplus equipment and an old truck owned by Richard Diehl, owner of 54 Rebuilders.

Diehl owns the land on which the fire started. He said he was unsure of its source.

Crews from the Iola Fire Department, Allen County Volunteer Fire Department and LaHarpe Rural Volunteer Fire Department were summoned, and prevented the blaze from spreading elsewhere.

Diehl said the brunt of the damage was in an area he had developed as a rabbit habitat, with several evergreen trees in the fire’s path.

There were no injuries.

Warm, dry weather, coupled with a brisk wind has increased fire danger in dormant grassy areas this week.


Clarence Haber

The Rev. Clarence H. Haber, 87, of Holton died Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, at Holton Community Hospital. 

He was born Sept. 17, 1924, in Olpe, to Herman and Lillie Laura (Bartell) Haber. He graduated from Holton High School in 1942 and from Westmar College in 1948. He attended Evangelical Theological Seminary graduating in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree and later received his master of divinity degree. 

He was assigned to many United Methodist Churches including Hanover, Throop Evangelical United Brethren Churches, Longford (where he directed the erection of the church), Derby, Zion United Methodist Church (in Wichita) and Moran, Bronson and Mildred Churches. He served in Horton from 1983 until his retirement in 1987. Clarence retired in Holton and served as an associate pastor and youth pastor at Evangel United Methodist Church. In 1989, he became part-time chaplain at Jackson County Nursing Home (now Medicalodge Jackson County).

He was a member of the Evangel United Methodist Church, Holton Lions Club, Kansas East Conference of the United Methodist Church and a member of Jackson County Friends of Hospice, all of Holton. He was a volunteer for Sunday school class, member of the choir, led prayer for men’s breakfast and joined in Bible study all at the Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton.

On July 5, 1948, he married Sada Catherine Haedt in Mankato, Minn. She died on July 12, 1998. He was also preceded in death by two daughters, Rebecca Lee Haber in 1974 and Joyce Ann Haber in 1962, and a brother, Harold C. in 1982.

He later married Carol “Jean” Fisher on Jan. 22, 2000, in Topeka. 

She survives as does a stepdaughter, Jennifer Nelson, Topeka; two stepgranddaughters; and three nephews, Chuck Haber, Kansas City, Mo., Dave Haber, Denver, Colo., and Don Haber, Boston, Mass.

Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton. Interment will be in Holton Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. 

Memorials to the EUM Church or Forest Park Conference and Retreat Center may be sent in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a message for the family online visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.

 

Deanie Duncan

Deanie M. (Stanford) Duncan, 78, of Ottawa died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at Ottawa Retirement Village.  

She was born on June 4, 1933, in Savonburg, to William J. and Cleona Bell (Adams) Stanford. She was raised in Allen County. From 1973 to 1985, she lived in Freeport, Texas, moving to Birmingham, Ala., then to Newton and to Ottawa in 2007.

She attended schools in Allen County. She worked as a security officer for the Birmingham Civic Center for 15 years, retiring in 2003. She was a member of the Eagles, Elks and Redman organizations.

She is survived by sons, Don Farnsworth Jr., Little Elm, Texas, and Richard Burris, Iola; a daughter, Susan Bauer, Orlando, Fla.; sisters, Cleta Ewing, Ottawa, Lillian Franklin, Iola, Dorothy Morrison, McCune, Karon Tullo, Bella Vista, Ark., and Jo Ann Smith, Lake Jackson, Texas; brothers, Johnny Stanford, Newton, Dale Stanford, Thayer, Mo., and Mike Stanford, Iola; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by an infant son, a son, Thomas Farnsworth, daughter, Cheryl Rosenbaugh, brothers, Billy and Bob Stanford, and sisters, Francis Ewing and Betty Stanford.

Memorial Services will be at 10 a.m.  Thursday at Dengel & Son Mortuary in Ottawa. The family will meet with friends at 9 a.m. Thursday prior to services.

Cremation is planned.

Inurnment Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday  at Fairview Cemetery in Mildred.

Memorial contributions to American Red Cross and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 0912 may be sent incare of the funeral home, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, KS 66067. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through [email protected].

Defense cuts part of balancing budget

Last summer, when the impasse over raising the debt ceiling had the world on edge, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta agreed that the defense budget could be cut by $450 billion over the next decade, an 8 percent reduction. He will show how to do the trimming without putting the nation in danger when he submits his department budget soon.

The screaming will begin when the details are put in writing. The military itself will strongly resist any cuts in salaries, pensions or health care benefits. Hawks will fight against reductions in the size of the military. Every state with military bases, such as Kansas, will strive to keep them and, if at all possible, keep them growing as Fort Riley has grown to the enormous benefit of Junction City and the area.

One of the budget-cutters’ targets is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Pentagon plans to spend $400 billion to buy 2,500 of them between now and 2035. They are wanted because their radar-evading qualities make them harder to shoot down. 

But killing the program would save hundreds of billions — and blast a huge hole in defense industry profits and employment.

And that’s the rub. Every dollar cut from defense spending — or from government spending of any kind — is a dollar taken out of somebody’s pocket. And that is the primary reason why budget-cutting is so difficult to do.

Congress, for example, routinely appropriates more for weapons programs and military wages and benefits than the Pentagon requests. They do so, to be bald about it, to win voter approval and make “friends” of the industrial complex that feeds on Pentagon contracts.

If deeper reductions in military spending than the 8 percent cut already agreed to do win approval it will be because Democrats and some Republicans decide that it is more important to spend more on domestic programs than to maintain the overwhelming military advantage over other nations that the U.S. maintains.

SEC. PANETTA AGREES that America can no longer maintain the ability to fight two major wars simultaneously. The next significant step toward a smaller military will come when Congress decides that the country can’t afford to give retired military families health care far below cost, that the F-35 must go, that a smaller army, navy, air force and marine corps can still defend the nation against attack and fight terrorism effectively.

Our nation can trim back its military by 10 to 15 percent without becoming Ron Paul isolationist or putting the nation at risk. 

But doing so will shrink parts of the U.S. economy, increase patches of unemployment and reduce war industry profits. 

We should be willing to accept that temporary pain as part of the cost of learning to live within our income.

 

— Emerson Lynn, jr.


Mat Warriors place at Chanute

CHANTUE — Allen County Kids Wrestling Club’s Mat Warriors competed in SEK Jr. Comets tournament in Chanute on Saturday.

Seth Sanford took first place in the 12-and-under 190-pound class. Sanford also took the 12-and-under fastest pin trophy.

In the 6-and-under division, Landon Boldra went 2-0 for first place at 40 pounds. Eli Adams was second in the 46-pound class.

At 49 pounds, Payton Houk was third and Jaaron Griffen placed fifth. Alejandro Vargus took second in the 95-pound class.

In the 6-and-under 37-pound class, Curt Shannon was fourth and Conner Larney took fifth. Mattix Cole was third in the 61-pound class.

T.J. Taylor placed third in the 8-and-under 49-pound class. Also at 8-and-under, C.J. Shields was second at 70, Clay Shannon finished third at 61 pounds, Trenton Jones was third at 95 pounds and Cooper Woods was fifth at 52 pounds.

Jeremy Ridge finished fourth in the 10-and-under 70-pound class. Andrew Garber placed third in the 14-and-under 155-205-pound class.

A Texas clown may come second in Iowa’s voting

If you are reading this at dinner time today the Iowa caucuses are only minutes away from being decided.

And as the sun sets on the first voting day of the 2012 nominating campaign, a great many Iowans say they may not know who they will vote for until they must decide or go home without making a difference.

The pollsters say Gov. Mitt Romney will win. But they also say Rep. Ron Paul of Texas will be second.

Ron Paul? He’s a Libertarian, a fringe candidate with views that can be most kindly characterized as quirky. Just last week he said 80 percent of what the federal government does is technically unconstitutional. He is an isolationist who would pull the U.S. military back from every station outside the country. 

Last week the United States announced that it would not permit Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz and drive up the price of oil to ruinous heights. The U.S. Navy has a fleet there to back up those words. It would not be there if Paul were president. Nor would he send warships in response to an Iranian blockade.

A president, remember, is commander in chief of the armed forces and can make such decisions unilaterally.

Paul would eliminate the Federal Reserve Board, the nation’s first defense against inflation. His promise is to reduce the size of the government by a third or more. Which third? Medicaid? Medicare? Social Security? National defense? The national parks? Aid to the elderly? Flood controls? Farm programs? Children’s health? Paul’s answer to these questions is “probably.” If a program wasn’t in place when the framers wrote the Constitution, he’s against it.

Paul has been in Congress 20 years. He has been advocating radical surgery on government for all of those 20 years and has managed to get exactly one bill passed. He is, in other words, a Washington laughing stock. If he were the Republican nominee, the party wouldn’t carry a state. Not even Kansas.

But, to repeat, pollsters put him in second place in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses.

What an insult to others in the race. Gov. Romney can take no comfort in beating the Texas clown. The rest of the candidates can only shake their heads and mutter bad words under their breath at such an absurdity. Any one of them would make a more credible candidate.

 If the polls are accurate, Wednesday’s punditry will declare that Iowa sent a solemn message to the country: the public, they will declare, has had its fill of “big government” and wants to do away with the world-beater that the American people have created over the past 236 years. America, Iowa has said, should give it up, crawl into a corner and quit. What sick nonsense.

IF IOWA DOES say Rep. Ron Paul would be an acceptable president, then the rest of the country should laugh both Paul and Iowa off the stage and the voters in the primaries to come should be warned to do their homework before they go to the polls. 

Deciding who will lead the most powerful, richest, most generous, most dedicated to individual rights and freedoms among all the world’s nations is a serious business, not a political game of pin the tail on the donkey. It calls for open eyes and study, not whimsy and blindfolds. Those who participate should know — really know — who the players are.

Voters have no excuse to be ignorant of a candidate’s platform, philosophy or experience. An ocean of information is available to everyone who makes even half an effort to be informed.

 

— Emerson Lynn, jr.


Register’s sports highlights of 2011

JANUARY

 Jan. 7 — PITTSBURG — Iola High’s Mustangs opened up Southeast Kansas League wrestling action Thursday against the third-ranked Class 5A Pittsburg High Purple Dragons and SEK-leading Fort Scott High Tigers. It was senior night at Pittsburg High and two of its seniors — both individually ranked — were beaten by Iola High Mustangs. Mustang freshman Mike Armstrong upset Class 5A’s fifth ranked Austin Haake at 119. Mustang sophomore Stephen McDonald and Class 5A’s fourth-ranked Austin Winner at 189.

Jan. 8 — GIRARD — It was heartbreaking for Iola High’s Mustangs. Two winless teams were playing and something had to give Friday night at Girard High School. Girard’s Dillon Walsh hit a shot with just over one second on the game clock for a 41-39 win. The Kansas Class 4A fifth-ranked Lady Trojans beat the Iola High Fillies 48-38 snapping a four-game winning streak for Iola.

MORAN — Points were at a premium Friday evening in the Marmaton Valley High gymnasium. In the end, Marmaton Valley High’s girls did just enough on offense, while keeping the visiting Crest High Lady Lancers at bay in a 27-25 win. It was the first win of the season for the Wildcat girls.

Jan. 10 — COFFEYVILLE — Allen County Community College’s Red Devil basketball teams’ struggles continued Saturday on the road at Coffeyville Community College.  Both ACCC teams are 0-4 in Jayhawk Eastern Division play and the women are 2-13 overall and the men 3-12.

Jan. 14 — Iola High wrestling fans saw sophomore Stephen McDonald and freshman Mike Armstrong improve to 4-0 in SEK action. Also senior Marcus Sullivan wrestled his first league matches, winning both, of the year as Iola High’s Mustangs hosted Chanute and Labette County in a Southeast Kansas League wrestling double dual.

Jan. 17 — PARSONS — Two teams winless in Jayhawk Eastern Division play met Saturday night. Something had to give. Allen County Community College’s men beat Labette Community College’s Cardinals 67-65.

Jan. 22 — BURLINGTON — Not since Feb. 5, 2010, has Iola High’s Mustangs posted a basketball victory. That has been 17 straight games without a win. The Mustangs found their way to a victory Friday night in a consolation game at the 2011 Burlington High Invitational. Iola defeated Rossville High’s Bulldogs 55-41. Iola is 1-9 on the season.

Jan. 25 — Iola Middle School’s seventh-grade Ponies captured first place in their round-robin portion of Saturday’s IMS 7th Grade Pony Stampede.

EUREKA — Iola High’s Marcus Sullivan cruised to a gold medal at the 2011 Eureka High Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday.

Jan. 28 — Every high school basketball team shoots free throws during practice. Tuesday was a normal practice session for Southern Coffey County High’s Lady Titans. Ashton Isch, a 5-5 junior guard, wasn’t missing Tuesday. When Isch finally did miss, she had set an SCCH girls’ record in practice, hitting 111 free throws in a row.

Jan. 29 — Kyran Stewart ran the 200-meter dash in 21.76 seconds at the Iowa State Open indoor track meet. The Allen County Community College sophomore captured third place in the 200 finals. Stewart’s time qualified him for the NJCAA national indoor Bryant Terry was 17th in the 600-yard run in 1 minutes, 13.98 seconds. That set a new ACCC record and qualified him for the national meet.

Jan. 31 — The streak is over. Allen County Community College’s Red Devil women snapped a 17-game losing streak as a homecoming present for the Red Devil faithful. The Red Devils weathered several rallies by visiting Neosho County Community College’s Panthers to claim a 54-45 victory. It was the first time the Red Devils won since Nov. 6 — a 66-64 win over Missouri Valley’s junior varsity. The 3-18 Red Devils hadn’t won at home since a seasonopening win on Nov. 2.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 4 — Carolyn D o r s e y, a former Iola High School basketball player, got her first coaching position in 2009-2010. It was assistant coach and head junior varsity coach of the Emporia High School BOYS’ basketball team.  Dorsey coached the Spartan JV to an undefeated season that year and showed interest in the EHS head boys’ basketball coaching job when it came open. This season she landed an assistant’s job with the EHS girls’ basketball team. She teaches biology.

Feb. 8 — Three for three. Not bad for an afternoon’s work. Iola Middle School’s Pony boys swept the visiting Parsons Middle School Vikings in three basketball games Monday.

Feb. 9 —  Uniontown High seniors Matt Maloney and Anthony Myers signed national letters of intent to play football for Independence Community College next year. The two Eagles are set to become Pirates as a linebacker and receiver, respectively. 

Wintry weather won again Tuesday. The snow wiped out the area high school and junior high sports events schedule for Tuesday evening.

Feb. 11 — INDEPENDENCE — History was made Thursday night for Iola High’s wrestling program. Iola has been wrestling for three years but only the past two in varsity action in the Southeast Kansas League. Although the Mustangs recorded two dual wins in SEK action last year, never had the IHS wrestling team swept a league double dual. That was until Thursday at Independence. The Mustangs posted a 42 21 win over Coffeyville’s Field Kindley High and a 42-39 victory over Independence High on the Bulldogs’ home mat.

Feb. 14 — PITTSBURG — With a slap of a referee’s hand Saturday afternoon, Iola High wrestling history was made. Iola High sophomore Stephen McDonald pinned Columbus High senior Brandon Alberty with 1:20 left in their six-minute match. McDonald became the first Mustang wrestler to go 8-0 in Southeast Kansas League competition Iola is in its third season of competitive wrestling and only its second in varsity action. Iola High senior Marcus Sullivan also went undefeated in league action at 160 pounds. Sullivan missed two league duals because of illness and was 6-0. Freshman Mike Armstrong finished 7-1 in league matches.

Feb. 16 — A week after winning the men’s triple jump at the Missouri Southern State University’s indoor track meet, Allen County Community College’s J’Vente Deveaux set a school record competing at the University of Arkansas Tyson Invitational. At the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., last weekend Deveaux placed fourth. The sophomore from Nassau, Bahamas, had a leap of 53 feet, 1 1/2 inches. Deveaux won the event at MSSU at 51’3/4”, which qualified him for the NJCAA national indoor meet. Weldon Paul formerly had the ACCC men’s indoor triple jump mark at 49’2”, set in 1996. Sophomores Bryant Terry, John Thurston and Trent Huling combined with freshman DeMario Johnson for an ACCC indoor record at the Arkansas meet. The foursome ran the 4×400-meter relay race in 3 minutes, 15.77 seconds. That was good for 17th place The previous time in the 4×400 was 3:22.75 set in 2007 by Bryce Johnson, Josh Gomez, Chase Bradley and Philip Redrick.

Feb. 21 — CHANUTE — Iola High senior Marcus Sullivan took control quickly in the 160-pound championship match Saturday at the 2011 Kansas Class 4A Regional Wrestling Tournament. Sullivan captured Iola High’s first ever individual regional championship at Chanute Saturday. Sullivan is joined by two teammates in qualifying for the 2011 Kansas Class 4A State Wrestling Tournament at the end of this week. Sophomore Stephen McDonald (189)  and freshman Mike Armstrong (119) earned their first trips to the state tournament Saturday by placing fourth in their respective weight classes. Iola sent two wrestlers to the state tournament in 2010.

Feb. 22 — One of two undefeated streaks had to end Tuesday night. Iola High’s Fillies had not lost a game at home this season. Labette County High’s Grizzlies were undefeated, 6-0, in Southeast Kansas League play. On senior night, the Fillies posted a 40-35 victory. Iola’s Mustangs lost and are  0-7 in league play and 1-18 overall.

Feb. 28 — SALINA — Iola High’s wrestling program closed its third season of existence Saturday morning. But the Mustangs closed it for the second straight year at the Kansas Class 4A State Wrestling Tournament. The Mustang program is still without a state tournament placer. It has qualified five wrestlers in the past two years.

MARCH

March 1 — OTTAWA — Iola High’s Mustangs closed the door on a frustrating basketball season Monday night. The Mustangs (1-20) had no answer for the fourth-ranked Ottawa High Cyclones in Kansas Class 4A Substate Basketball tournament action. The Cyclones blew past the Mustangs 74-33.

J’Vente Deveaux is leading Allen County Community College’s athletes qualified for this weekend’s NJCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships. Deveaux, a sophomore from Nassau, Bahamas, captured the Region VI and Jayhawk Eastern Division championships in the men’s triple jump.

March 2 — Iola High’s Fillies had a magical run on the IHS basketball court this season. They did not lose a regular season game at home in 2010-2011. Unfortunately, the Fillies needed one more drop of that magic here Tuesday in Kansas Class 4A substate basketball action. A long outside jumper by senior Carly Mulsow was dead on but the basketball went in and out. Mulsow’s shot came off and a battle for the rebound was enough to let time expire. Fort Scott High’s Tigers got away with 44-43 victory.

Opportunities to win two games against seventh-ranked Johnson County Community College presented themselves for Allen County Community College’s Red Devils Tuesday. The Red Devil softball team(6-2) came up empty both times and lost their opening Jayhawk Eastern Division doubleheader at home.

CONCORDIA — There was one upset in the first round of Region VI tournament games among men’s teams. And it was by Allen County Community College’s Red Devils. The ACCC men, seeded sixth out of the Jayhawk Eastern Division, went on the road Tuesday and upended Cloud County

March 4 — Two more games in before opening Jayhawk Eastern Division play is a good thing for Allen County Community College’s baseball team. The Red Devils, who were 0-4, broke into the win column at home Thursday. They swept a non-conference doubleheader with Brown Mackie College.

March 7 — Chants of “green machine, green machine” filled the Allen County Community College gym Saturday night. The Green Machine which is Olpe High’s basketball teams rolled to 2011 Kansas Class 1A, Division I Substate Basketball Tournament championships. The Eagle teams thwarted the state tournament bids of Southern

Coffey County High’s Lady Titans and Crest High’s Lancers.

WICHITA — Allen County Community College’s Red Devil men were right in the thick of their Region VI quarterfinal game Saturday. They were within four points of Cowley County Community College’s Tigers in the second half. The Red Devils trailed 45-41 with 15:20 left in the game before Tigers went on a 16-2 run that Allen County could not recover from. The Red Devils lost 93-79 at Koch Arena.

March 8 — LUBBOCK, Texas — J’Vente Deveaux closed out the 2011 indoor track season in great fashion Saturday. The Allen County Community College sophomore claimed third place in the men’s triple jump at the 2011 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Deveaux, who is from Nassau, Bahamas, earned NJCAA All- America honors with his third-place finish. He had a leap of 51 feet, 9 1/4 inches. Deveaux holds the ACCC indoor triple jump record at 53’1 1/2”. Kyran Stewart claimed fourth place at nationals in the men’s 55- meter dash in 6.40 seconds. Stewart, a sophomore from Camilla, Ga. Freshman DeMario Johnson placed sixth in the men’s 400- meter dash in 48.53 seconds. Johnson is from Junction City. Johnson combined with sophomores Bryant Terry, John Thurston and Trent Huling for sixth in the men’s 4×400-meter relay race. The ACCC men ran the race in 3 minutes, 16.01 seconds.

March 9 — Iola High senior Marcus Sullivan and freshman Mike Armstrong were selected as first-team All-Southeast Kansas League wrestlers. Mustang sophomore Stephen McDonald was awarded SEK honorable mention. The SEK wrestling coaches made the 2010-2011 All-SEK selections Monday.

March 16 — Iola High juniors Kelsey Larson and Kendra Taiclet received postseason honors from Southeast Kansas League basketball coaches. The SEK coaches recently selected the 2010-2011 All-SEK Basketball Teams. Larson was named to the All- SEK first team and Taiclet to the second team. There were no Iola High Mustang players on the 2010-2011 boys’ All-SEK basketball teams.

March 18 — Four basketball players from Yates Center High and one from Humboldt High received postseason honors from Tri-Valley League coaches. The TVL coaches named the 2010-2011 Tri-Valley League All-League Basketball Teams recently.  Noah Thornbrugh, a sophomore from Humboldt High, and Yates Center High seniors Paul Stockebrand and Dalton Smith were selected to the All-TVL boys’ first team. Yates Center’s Jake Morrison, a senior, earned honorable mention. Yates Center High senior Autumn Douglas garnered All- TVL honorable mention.

Playing at home on a warm, blustery spring day, Iola High’s Mustangs won four of 12 matches in their tennis quadrangular meet. Iola’s No. 1 singles player Garrett Catron played the wind well and won three matches.

Thirteen basketball players from Uniontown High and Marmaton Valley High were recognized by Three Rivers League coaches. The TRL coaches selected the 2010-2011 Three Rivers League All-League Basketball teams recently. Uniontown High senior Breanna Esslinger a unanimous selection to the All-TRL girls’ first team. Joining Esslinger on the first team were Uniontown junior Hope Jurgensen and Marmaton Valley senior Maggie Meiwes. Marmaton Valley senior Cheyanne Miller and Uniontown High junior received honorable mention. Crest High sophomore Kyle Hammond a unanimous selection to the All-TRL boys’ first team. Crest sophomore Jordan Morton, Marmaton Valley senior Dalton Houk and Uniontown sophomore Brenton Esslinger were named to the first team. Earning honorable mention were Crest seniors Dexter Wiley and Luke Decker, Marmaton Valley junior Zack Louk and Uniontown junior Zach Travis.

March 22 — OLATHE — Andrew Garber of Allen County Kids Wrestling Club earned a berth in the 2011 USA Kids Wrestling State Tournament. Garber placed third in his weight division at Saturday’s Kansas Kids District 1 tournament.

March 24 — Iola High juniors Kelsey Larson and Kendra Taiclet received state recognition for their efforts in leading the Fillies to an 11-10 mark in 2010-2011. Taiclet and Larson were named to the Class 4A honorable mention squads of both the Wichita Eagle and The Topeka Capital Journal. The two newspapers released their respective state all class basketball teams Sunday. Seven area high school players also earned state postseason honors — Class 3A, Uniontown High senior Breanna Esslinger was selected to both newspapers’ honorable mention lists; Class 2A, Yates Center High seniors Dalton Smith and Paul Stockebrand earned honorable mention; Class 1A,Crest High sophomore Kyle Hammond was named second-team by the Eagle, third-team honors from the Topeka; Southern Coffey County High’s senior Aaron Ludolph, senior Kristen Stephens and junior Ashton Isch earned honorable.

March 26 — CHANUTE — Marmaton Valley High senior Cheyanne Miller sets out to pursue her volleyball career at the college level. Miller recently signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Neosho County Community College in Chanute.

March 31 — PITTSBURG — Iola High’s Kayla Callahan along with Dalton Houk of Marmaton Valley High and Dexter Wiley of Crest High are playing in Sunday’s Fifth Annual U.S. Army KSEK/KLKC All-Star Basketball Games . All three are seniors. The games feature 40 senior boys and girls players from southeast Kansas.

APRIL

April 1 — On the final day of March, the rain and cold weather won out over most of the high school and junior college spring sports Thursday.

April 4 — ALTAMONT — It was no April Fools for Iola High’s Fillies as they opened the 2011 track season Friday. Winning four events and scoring points in 11 of the 18 events boosted the Fillies to a team championship of the varsity division at the Labette County High Invitational track meet. ola High’s Mustangs captured the gold medal in the 4×800-meter relay to open the 2011 track season Friday.

April 5 — HUMBOLDT — All is right with the racing world. At least in this part of the world as Humboldt Speedway’s racing goes to its normal Friday night schedule. The Speedway opened in March with races on Saturday. The rest of the season, which goes to September, regular program racing is Friday nights.

April 6 — Ten in a row. Allen County Community College’s Red Devil softball team made it 10 wins in a row Tuesday. At home, the Red Devils swept a Jayhawk Eastern Division doubleheader against the conference’s third-place team.

April 7 — OSWEGO — Uniontown High’s girls can go the distance. Uniontown High’s track teams began the 2011 season Tuesday at the Oswego High Invitational. Freshman Kelli Wilkinson set a new meet record in winning the girls’ 3200-meter run. She ran the race in 13 minutes, 49 seconds and teammate Rachel Henderson was fourth. The old meet record for the 3200 was 14:42 by Cormeny of Oswego in 2009. Wilkinson also won the 1600-meter run in 6:34

April 9 — YATES CENTER — Marmaton Valley High’s softball team captured two wins in its first outing of the season Thursday The MVHS Wildcats got past host Yates Center 11-10 and 15-12. Marmaton Valley High’s baseball team let the first game of the season slip away against the Yates Center Wildcats, losing 7-6. The MVHS boys came back and held off Yates Center in the second game to win 9-8.

April 13 — A bright, sun-lit day provided the backdrop for the 2011 IMS Invitational track meet Tuesday. A cast of over 1,000 athletes gave track and field fans plenty to cheer about. There were 13 meet records set in the four divisions of competition. Four records were established in a new event — actually a revised event. For years, athletes ran the 75- yard, then 75-meter hurdles at the IMS Invitational. This year the race was stretched to 100 meters.

April 14 — COFFEYVILLE — Isaiah Grover played the Coffeyville Country Club course perfectly Wednesday. The Iola Middle School eighthgrader was more than perfect for nine holes. Grover shot one under par, 35, to win the Roosevelt Middle School golf tournament. Grover led the Ponies to another tournament championship.

April 15 — OXFORD, Miss. — J’Vente Deveaux soared through the air and landed in a spray of sand. When it was all said and done last weekend, Deveaux had won the men’s triple jump at the 2011 Ole Miss Invitational. The Allen County Community College sophomore claimed the gold medal with a school record-breaking jump of 53 feet, 11 1/4 inches.The old mark was 49’2” set by Weldon Paul in 1996.

April 21 — KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Lenzie Boring threw a no-hitter Wednesday for Allen County Community College. She was one walk away from a perfect game as the Red Devils beat host Kansas City, Kan., Community College 8-0 in six innings. Boring faced 18 batters and struck out nine of them in the game.

COFFEYVILLE — Iola High’s Mustang tennis team competed in a rescheduled five-team tennis tournament hosted by Coffeyville’s Field Kindley High School Tuesday. Mustang No. 2 singles player Zeph Larney went undefeated to capture a first-place medal. Iola’s No. 1 singles player Garrett Catron was 3-1for second.

April 22 — CHANUTE — Iola High’s Mustangs captured their second Humboldt

High School Walter Johnson Baseball Tournament championship Thursday. The Mustangs powered past Neodesha High’s Bluestreaks 11-1 in five innings in the championship contest. Iola’s players seemed to enjoy playing on the artificial turf at Neosho County Community College’s Hudson Field in Chanute.

YATES CENTER — Iola High’s Fillies came back in the rain and

captured third place in the 2011 Lindsey Friederich Memorial Softball Tournament Thursday. The Fillies decked host Yates Center High’s Wildcats 13-0 in five innings in the third-place game. That came on the heels of a 12-2 loss to Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs.

BURLINGTON — On a not-so-ideal day for a track meet, Marmaton Valley High’s Zach Louk and Uniontown High’s Emily Aikins had stellar performances Thursday. At the Southern Coffey County High Invitational held at Burlington High School’s track, Louk broke his second MVHS distance race record in as many meets this week. Louk won the 1600-meter run in 4 minutes, 38.6 seconds. Louk’s time broke a 45- year old Marmaton Valley record. Larry Lust held the mark, 4:43.2, since 1965. It also set a new SCCH Invitational mark. Louk claimed another gold medal in the 800-meter run. Uniontown’s Aikins was a triple gold-medal winner — long jump, 100-meters, 200-meters.

April 25 — Allen County Community College’s Red Devil baseball team is fighting for its playoff life right now. There is still a chance, despite a 2-2 split with Labette Community College’s Cardinals over the weekend. Right now, the Red Devils stand in ninth place in the Jayhawk East at 11-21 and 19-26 overall. The top eight teams move into the playoffs.

April 26 — FREDONIA — Going 1-2-3 in the pole vault and winning six other events helped propel Iola High’s Fillies to a second-place finish at the 2011 Fredonia Relays last Thursday. Iola High’s Mustangs gathered in 11 medals on a cold and rainy day. The Mustangs ended up third in their division in the meet hosted by Fredonia High School.

LAWRENCE — Iola High senior Maggie Wilson competed in the high school girls’ pole vault Friday at the 2011 Kansas Relays. Wilson cleared 10 feet, 4 inches and placed seventh.

April 27 — One shot. That’s all that separated the top two teams at Tuesday’s 2011 Iola High Buck Quincy Invitational. Chanute High’s Blue Comets combined for a 351 on the Allen County Country Club Course. Iola High’s Mustangs put together a 352 on a cool, windy day on their home course.

April 29 — OSAWATOMIE — Maggie Wilson was flying high, setting a new meet pole vault record at the same time as Kelsey Larson was streaming around the track to win the 400-meter dash. Wilson and Larson helped lead Iola High’s Fillies to a team championship on Thursday at the Osawatomie High Francis Wendt Invitational. Scoring points in 16 events, Iola High’s Mustangs defended their Francis Wendt Invitational Field events led the way for the Mustangs.

April 30 — PARSONS — For the second year in a row, Iola Middle School is the owner of the Southeast Kansas League golf trophy. The Ponies won their final golf tournament Thursday at Katy Golf Course in Parsons.

MAY

May 2 — Celebrating in the rain didn’t faze Allen County Community College’s Red Devils Sunday. They had survived a hard-fought three-game series with Hesston College’s Larks to gain a spot in the NJCAA Region VI, Division II District E tournament.

NEODESHA — Iola High’s Mustangs have won eight games in a row with a non-league doubleheader sweep of Neodesha High’s Bluestreaks Friday. The Mustangs are 7-1 in SEK play and 11-1 overall.

May 3 — HUMBOLDT — Jeremy Wilson did it again at Humboldt Speedway. Wilson posted his fifth feature win in seven starts in the factory stock division at the Speedway. Brother Derrek Wilson pushed him but settled for second place.

HIGHLAND — There was little margin for error. Allen County Community College’s baseball team had to win at least three games in their final weekend series to have a shot at postseason play. The Red Devils won two out of four games against host Highland Community College Scotties. The Scotties went into the Jayhawk Eastern Division series two games in front of Allen County for the eighth-place position — the final spot for the playoffs.

May 4 — PITTSBURG — It took four days — Monday through Thursday — last week but the Region VI, Division II Golf Championship Tournament is completed. Allen County Community College sophomore Rob Carlson is the regional champion for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, Independence Community College broke a three-year reign of the ACCC team as Region VI, Division II champion.

May 9 — CHANUTE — Kendra Taiclet was the fastest girl on the track last Friday night at Chanute High’s Invitational. Taiclet won the three shortest individual races in leading Iola High’s Fillies to a third-place team finish. She anchored Iola’s winning 4×100-meter relay team.

TOPEKA — Cowley County Community College’s Tigers scored a run in the first inning and made it stand up in Sunday’s losers’ bracket final with Allen County Community College’s Red Devils. The Red Devils were ousted from NJCAA Region VI, Division II District E contention by the Tigers, who won 1-0. Cowley County lost 2-1 to Highland Community College’s Scotties in the championship game.

May 10 — FORT SCOTT — No margin for error for Iola High’s Mustangs as they seek their first-ever league title in baseball. They took another big step Monday night in securing that Southeast Kansas League championship. The Mustangs posted wins of 2- 1 and 8-5 in a league showdown with Fort Scott High’s Tigers. Iola has one more SEK doubleheader to finish the regular season — at home against Pittsburg High’s Purple Dragons.

May 13 — Iola High’s Mustangs needed a break to go their way Thursday night. They didn’t get one. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh in the second game of the Southeast Kansas League doubleheader, the Mustangs needed something to happen. A share of the SEK baseball championship was on the line. Jerrik Sigg delivered with a leadoff triple. That was the tying run. Pittsburg High’s Purple Dragons were also stalking the title. They had pounded out a 13-1, run-rule victory in five innings for the opener. Iola’s couldn’t get the run home. Pittsburg celebrated a co-championship with Columbus.

Maggie Wilson was lonely. There was no one within three feet of her and in the pole vault that’s pretty alone. Iola High’s senior made it three Southeast Kansas League pole vault championships in a row. Iola junior Kelsey Larson became the 2011 SEK 400-meter dash champion. Two Iola High senior throwers captured their first-ever Southeast Kansas League event championships — Kyle Heffern in the discus and Ralph Shafer in the javelin. Senior Charles Apt, juniors Christian Kauth and Mikal Bossell and freshman Tyler Powelson combined so the Mustangs could claim a fifth-straight 4×800-meter relay SEK championship.

May 14 — CANEY — Tanner McNutt made his mark on Humboldt High and Tri-Valley League track in his first season. The sophomore, who transferred from Marmaton Valley to Humboldt this year, claimed two TVL championships at the league track meet. He set one HHS record and came close to another. McNutt won the triple jump with a leap of 43 feet, 5 1/2 inches. The Humboldt boys’ school record was 41’6”.

May 16 — OSWEGO — A record-breaking race, three-event individual champion, a co-championship by a team and much, more came through performances by three area high school track teams. Athletes from Marmaton Valley, Crest and Uniontown competed in the 2011 Three Rivers League track meet last Thursday. Marmaton Valley High’s Zach Louk broke his own MVHS record in winning the league 1600-meter race. He captured the event title in 4 minutes, 31.85 seconds. His previous school mark was 4:38.6. Louk also won the 800-meter run in 2:06.81. Marmaton Valley’s Chase Dudley took the triple jump championship and Zack English is the TRL 300-meter intermediate hurdle champion, the Wildcat’s 4×400-meter relay team of Lucas Hamlin, Carlos Gonzales, English and Z. Louk is the TRL champion as well. Crest High’s Lancers ended up in a tie for the boys’ team championship. Dakota Ramsey was the only individual champion for the Crest boys, winning the javelin. CREST HIGH’s Kurston Gilliland became a three-event Three Rivers League champion. Gilliland captured the gold medals in the discus, javelin and shot put.

May 17 — Yates Center High’s Wildcats took the first step in defending their Kansas Sand Greens State Golf Championship. The Wildcats captured a 2011 Kansas Sand Greens Regional Championship Monday at Leonardville.

May 18 — SPRING HILL — Spring Hill High’s Broncos are quickly becoming Iola High Mustangs’

regional nemesis. For the second straight year, the Broncos ousted the Mustangs from Kansas Class 4A Regional Baseball Tournament contention in a semifinal contest.

HUMBOLDT — Two years removed from a team placing second at state, Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs are headed back to a state softball tournament. The Lady Cubs claimed a 2011 Kansas Class 2-1A Regional Softball Tournament championship

Marmaton Valley High’s softball and baseball teams reached the semifinals of their respective Class 2-1A regional tournaments. That’s as far as the Wildcat squads got.

May 19 — YATES CENTER — It was No. 1 seed against No. 2 seed just like it should work out in a regional baseball tournament final. Humboldt High’s Cubs, seeded No. 2, had sailed through their semifinal game and  Sedan High’s Blue Devils, top-seeded and undefeated, cruised past host Yates Center High’s Wildcats in the semifinals. The Blue Devils were just too much for the Cubs on a very cold, damp May night taking the 2011 Kansas Class 2-1A Regional Baseball Tournament championship.

Dr. Norman Bunch, Iola, hit a hole-in-one May 3 at Cedarbrook Golf Course.

May 20 — COLONY — Cowboy up. Dylan Sedlak, Crest High sophomore, has definitely done that. He recently qualified for the 2011 Youth Bull Riders World Finals. The YBR World Finals are Aug. 3-6 in Abilene, Texas. It is his first time at the YBR event.

May 23 — OTTAWA — Maggie Wilson captured her third straight Kansas Class 4A Regional Track Meet pole vault championship Friday. Wilson qualified for her fourth consecutive state track meet in winning the title at Ottawa High School. Also qualifying for the state meet in the event was Wilson’s teammate Breanna Stout.   Wilson and Stout were among seven Iola High athletes punching a ticket to this weekend’s Kansas All-Class State Track and Field Championship

Senior Charles Apt is the lone Mustang qualifier in the javelin. Kirstin McGuffin, a senior, qualified in the girls’ discus. Kelsey Larson, a junior, qualified for the second straight year in the 400-meter dash. Junior Kendra Taiclet qualified in  the high hurdles, the 200-meter. Wilson, Larson and Taiclet are going back to state in the 4×100- meter relay race along with sophomore Chanel Coyne.

YATES CENTER — Tanner McNutt, Humboldt High sophomore, was ranked No. 1 in Class 2A’s 400-meter dash going into Friday’s Kansas

Class 2A Regional Track meet. McNutt didn’t disappoint as he won the regional title in the boys’ 400-meter. McNutt captured three Class 2A regional event championships in all at the meet hosted by Yates Center High School. McNutt claimed the gold medals in the triple jump and the long jump. Yates Center High senior Brae Adams qualified for her fourth straight state track meet in the discus. Marmaton Valley High’s Zach Louk, a junior, qualified

in the three distance races. Yates Center senior Cherokee Shaffer is headed to the state track meet in the girls’ high jump and teammate freshman Mindi Holloway in the 800-meter run. Sam Aguirre, Yates Center sophomore is going to state in the hurdles. Humboldt High’s 4×400- meter relay team of seniors Jarred Barr and Derrick McCall sophomores Hayden Boring and Nick Keazer advances to

the state meet. McCall is going in the javelin.

BURLINGTON — Crest High sophomore Kurston Gilliland has another shot at a state medal in Kansas Class 1A shot put. Gilliland captured a Kansas Class 1A Regional Track meet shot put championship. Gilliland also advanced the state meet in Class 1A javelin competition.

Southern Coffey County senior Colin Kraft goes after state medals in the hurdle races and  junior Jenna Witteman of Southern Coffey County advanced to state in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Southern Coffey County junior Ashton Isch is on to state in

the triple jump. Three area boys are headed to the state meet in the Class 1A javelin — senior Ryan True of Southern Coffey County, Crest senior Dakota Ramsey and sophomore Jordan Morton. Crest junior Jayden Bowen qualified in the shot put and in the discus. Southern Coffey County High sophomore Sarah Webb qualified in the high jump.

DOUGLASS — Uniontown High’s Trenton Miller and Emily Aikins won Kansas Class 3A Regional Track meet event championships Friday. Miller won the boys’ discus and  Aikins captured the gold

medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.

May 24 — YATES CENTER — Jake Morrison bogeyed the first hole he played on his home course to open the 2011 Kansas Sand Greens State Golf Tournament. Then he birdied the second hole. By the end of the first nine holes of the 18-hole tournament, the Yates Center High senior was even — 36. Morrison turned in a final of 70, two under par, and capturing the individual state championship. Unfortunately, Rock Hills High had a better day on the Yates Center Lakeside Golf Course and claimed the 2011 state team championship with a 318. Yates Center claimed the third-place trophy with a 329.

May 25 — J’Vente Deveaux is Allen County Community College’s newest NJCAA national champion. Deveaux captured the NJCAA 2011 outdoor track triple jump title.  Allen County Community College sophomore Rob Carlson finished in a tie for 60th at the 2011 NJCAA Division II National Golf Tournament.

May 30 — WICHITA — Maggie Wilson has always had the confidence as she stood on the runway that she was about to clear the bar no matter what the height. Throughout her senior season for Iola High, she dealt with less-than-ideal weather conditions as she competed in the pole vault . Nothing was distracting her Saturday. Not the cool weather, the on-and-off-and-on again misting, the wind and not the crowd that is always at the final day of the Kansas All-Class State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. Wilson cleared 11 feet, 6 inches and captured the silver medal in the 2011 Class 4A girls’ pole vault. Jamie House of El Dorado became the four-time 4A champion by clearing 12 feet. Wilson holds the Iola High girls’ record at 11’6”.

EMPORIA — Down 4-0, Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs were not going away easily. They struck for four runs in the top of the fourth to tie their first-round game at the 2011 Kansas Class 2-1A State Softball Tournament. Udall High’s Eagles responded with three runs of their own in the fourth to regain a lead. The eventual state champion Eagles held off the hard-charging Lady Cubs for a 7-5 win Friday.

WICHITA — Black and orange came roaring down the track to the finish line in Saturday’s Kansas Class 2A boys’ 400-meter dash final. The top three finishers in the race wore those school colors. On the inside was Humboldt High’s Tanner McNutt, who came into the state meet with the top 400-meter time in 2A. McNutt, a sophomore, captured the Class 2A 400-meter silver medal. Yates Center High sophomore Sam Aguirre was at his first state track meet. He went home with state meet hardware, a seventh-place medal in the 2A 110-meter high hurdles. Southern Coffey County High’s Colin Kraft took second in the 1A 110-meter high hurdle final and fifth in the 300- meter intermediate hurdles. Southern Coffey County senior Ryan True claimed the  fourth-place medal in the 1A javelin plus it was a SCCH boys’ javelin throw record. Crest High’s Kurston Gilliland won the bronze medal in the 1A girls’ shot put and the seventh- place medal in the 1A girls’ javelin. Uniontown High senior Emily Aikins earned the seventh-place medal in Kansas Class 3A competition at the 2011 Kansas All-Class State Track and Field Championships at Wichita.

JUNE

June 1 — HUMBOLDT — Justin Folk has had a tough run at Humboldt Speedway in 2011. That changed Sunday. Folk, who won the first Dwaine Whitworth Memorial race in 2008, recorded his first win of the new season in taking the 2011 Whitworth Memorial modified feature race.

June 2 — Dexter Wiley, a 2011 Crest High School graduate, was selected to play in the Friendship Bowl game. The second annual all-star game is sponsored by The Neighborhood Academic. Wiley and Crest teammate Thomas Dietrich,  Aaron Ludolph from Southern Coffey County High and Justin Holeman from Marmaton Valley High played in the Kansas Eight-Man All-Star Game in Beloit.

June 7 — ELSMORE — Don Budd of Kansas City, Kan., claimed the singles championship for the Kansas Trap Shooting Association (KTA) Eastern Zone held at Lone Tree Gun Club. There were 44 shooters in the singles championships There were 30 shooters in the championship handicap class and 24 shooters in the doubles championship.

June 11 — One senior was all that was out for softball or baseball in 2011 for Iola High School. She earned first-team honors for the second year in a row from Southeast Kansas League softball coaches. Leah Weir, along with four juniors and a sophomore, were recognized by SEK softball and baseball coaches at the end of May. Iola High’s Mustangs posted their best-ever season — overall and in league play — in their seven- year history. Junior Jerrik Sigg garnered Kansas Baseball Coaches Association state honors. Sigg was named to the KBCA’s Class 4A all-state second team as an outfielder last week. Sigg and sophomore Levi Ashmore were selected to the 2011 All-SEK first team while teammates Clint Heffern and Drew Walden, both juniors, earned SEK second-team honors.

June 14 — Iola’s Kelsey Larson and Southern Coffey County High’s Ashton Isch are members of an 18-and-Under USA Basketball team headed to the 2011 United World Games in Austria.

June 16 — Competing on home court or in this case in home waters, Iola’s Seahorses won 43 of the 78 races contested Wednesday against visiting Erie. It was the first home swim meet of the summer for the Iola Swim Team.

June 17 — Dominant pitching performances by Ethan Ericson, Jerrik Sigg and Ryan Latta propelled the Iola American Legion Post 15 AA Indians to a doubleheader sweep. The victories push the Iola AA team’s record to 12-1.

June 18 — All the postseason honors are in. Allen County Community College softball and baseball players’ performances were recognized by Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference coaches, the NJCAA and a national softball coaches association. Sophomore Lenzie Boring is an NJCAA All-American. The Humboldt native was named to the NJCAA Division II Softball All-America First Team. Boring was Allen County’s ace pitcher for two years. She went 25-10 in 2011 with a 1.18 Earned Run Average, which was seventh best in NJCAA Division II. She finished her two years at ACCC with 536 strikeouts. Boring, sophomore third baseman Jenna Sigg, Iola,  and sophomore center fielder Callie Umholtz, Humboldt, were named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger Division II Second Team All-America team. Sigg is a two-time second team NFCA All-American.

Three ACCC baseball players received 2011 Kansas Jayhawk Eastern Division honors —  Nick Fountain, sophomore from Pleasant Hill, Mo., earned first-team All-Jayhawk East honors and first-team NJCAA All-Region VI honors as an outfielder; sophomore center fielder Bryce Williams, Manhattan, earned Jayhawk East second-team honors; eceiving Jayhawk East honorable mention was second baseman Riley Price.

June 21 — HUMBOLDT — Melissa Davidson decided to stay close to home and follow in the footsteps of former Humboldt High softball players. Davidson, who is a 2011 Humboldt High graduate, signed early in the spring to play softball for Allen County Community College next year.

SALINA — Kaden Macha and Shane Walden led Iola Middle School to back-to-back league championships on the golf course. The two soon-to-be Iola High freshmen competed in the 52nd annual Kansas Boys Junior Amateur Championship in Salina. They were joined by Matt Percy, who played golf for Central Heights Junior High this spring and is the son of Mark Percy of Iola. Macha and Walden made the cut of the field of 169 individuals for the final round.

June 24 — Make it 16 in a row. Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians haven’t dropped a game since their season opener against Osawatomie. The Indians rolled past visiting Fort Scott Thursday at Allen County Community College. That put them at 16-1 for the season.

June 30 — Aaron Sweazy is the new wrestling coach for Iola High and Iola Middle School programs. He comes to Iola after a year as an assistant coach for Columbus High’s Titans.

JULY

July 1 — Allen County Country Club held its annual member-guest charity golf tournament, June 3-5, raising funds for local charities and the Wounded Warrior Project.

July 2 — The SEK Sluggers, a 14-and-under girls’ softball traveling team, recently won the USSSA 14U championship at the 2011 USSSA 14U State Tournament in Topeka. Then, the SEK Sluggers captured their division’s title at the 2011 USSSA Mo-Kan State Championships in Basehor. The team has players from Iola, Humboldt, Chanute, Cherryvale and Nevada, Mo.

July 7 — Iolan John Morris hit a hole-in-one at the Cedarbrook Golf and Fitness course in Iola.

July 9 —  Molly Maxwell, a 2011 Iola High graduate,  will  be on the sidelines of Kansas State University games as a member of the cheer squad.

July 13 — Two area men will be competing in the 2011 World Horseshoe Pitching Championships in Monroe, La. The two-week event begins Monday and ends July 30. Dave Mathewson, Gas, and Neil Hartwig, Humboldt, are members of the Iola Riverside Horseshoe Club. Both competed in the 2010 World tournament.

July 14 —  GARNETT — Sigg Motors won the regular season title of the USSSA 14-and-Under Boys League. The Iola team plays in the league hosted by Garnett. Sigg Motors captured the 14-and-Under Boys League tournament championship Thursday.

 Bowlers from the Iola USBC Youth League received their awards from competing in the Kansas State Classic team tournament in February at a recent awards ceremony at Iola’s Country Lanes. Members of the prep mixed team are Jacob Lea, Jonathan Wall, Cheyanne Richards and Corey Bowen and it was first in the handicap division. Also not pictured: Emily Lawrence. The bantam mixed team of Daniel Wall, Savanna Richards.,Taylor Salzwedel and Mason Swanson was third in the scratch division.

July 16 —  The only way Se-Kan Asphalt could win the 2011 Iola PeeWee League tournament was to win three games in a row. No problem, right. Except it had to do it in one night. And it did on Thursday at Riverside Park.

 LE ROY — Four years of progress and success in a Southern Coffey County High basketball uniform afforded Kristin Stephens an opportunity to play college basketball. At the end of June, Stephens made her decision. The 5-8 forward signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Bethel College in North Newton.

 In Las Vegas, the term “making the hard way” is thrown about a lot.  Well, Sidelines Bar & Grill “made it” the hard way Thursday night. It had to win three games to capture the 2011 Iola Pigtail League tournament championship.

Iola’s Team Precision, an 18-and-under boys’ traveling basketball team, claimed their division’s championship in last weekend’s Iola Summer Shootout, an annul Mid America Youth Basketball (MAYB) tournament. The Shootout is sponsored by the Iola Booster Club. 

July 18 — BALDWIN — Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians sailed through their first three games of the 2011 Kansas Amateur Baseball Association (KABA) League Tournament. Ottawa, going after its third consecutive KABA tournament title, had to beat the Indians twice for that goal. It did just that.

July 19 —  Iola Elks was well rested. Community National Bank had played the first game of the hot July night at Riverside Park and staged a come-from-behind 15-14 win to reach the championship game. Iola Elks had enough to stave off a rally and won the 2011 Iola Little League tournament championship Monday. Iola Elks won 15-8 over Community National Bank.

July 20 —  Iola Indians, an 11-and-under traveling baseball team, concluded their season with a third-place finish in the USSSA 11-and-Under A World Series. Iola competed in the World Series last week in Liberty, Mo. The Indians were 4-1 in the 11-team tournament.

July 21 —  Jack Morrell is a sports junkie like most coaches. When he saw an email about a free trip giveaway to the 2011 ESPY Awards from Cox Communcations, he entered the contest online. Morrell and his wife, Cathy, were walking the red carpet at the 19th annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.

July 23 — Tournament success usually is dependent on pitching. Iola American Legion Post 15’s A Indians had pretty good pitching performances Thursday. Defensively, the A Indians committed eight errors in each of the games they played and lost. The two losses put the Iola A team out of the 2011 Kansas American Legion A Zone 3 Tournament, which Iola is hosting.

 Settling into his office in Allen County Community College’s fitness center in the activities building is nothing new for Vince DeGrado. It’s deja vu. DeGrado began his second stint as ACCC’s head track and cross country coach earlier this month. DeGrado has plans for a better run at Allen County than his first time here.

 History notwithstanding, Mark James likes what he sees ahead of him as Allen County Community College women’s basketball head coach. James is the seventh head coach in 10 years at ACCC. James comes to Allen County after a year as an assistant coach at Pittsburg State University. Before that, James was an assistant coach at Independence Community College under Tony Turner. Turner was the ACCC head women’s coach in 2006 and led the Red Devils to a 19-13 season.

July 25 — One loss. Evidently that’s what it took to light a fire under Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians. After losing their first game at last week’s 2011 Kansas American Legion AA Zone 3 Baseball Tournament, the Indians stayed as hot as the sweltering July weather they had to play in. Six wins is what it was going to take to get Iola the Zone 3 championship and a berth in the 2011 Kansas American Legion AA State Baseball Tournament. It rained more in Garnett Saturday night and the field was too wet. The zone tournament championship was moved to Iola. The Indians took on Baxter Springs on their home field at Allen County Community College Sunday afternoon, needing two wins to claim the Zone 3 championship. They did it. Iola run-ruled top-seeded Baxter Springs 8-0 and 10-1 in back-to-back six-inning contests.

July 27 —  CHANUTE — Iola Swim Team’s Seahorses ended the summer season competing at the 2011 SEK Swim League Championships Saturday. The league swim meet was held at Chanute’s Maring Aquatic Center. Iola had 33 swimmers competing in the meet. Swimmers are divided into time divisions — A and B — for races.

July 28 — Iola American Legion Post 15’s AA Indians opened the 2011 Kansas American Legion AA Baseball State Tournament with a 6-2 victory over the tournament’s host team.

July 30 —  OTTAWA — Pitching is major in a tournament. Iola American Legion Post 15’s Indians had gotten through the zone tournament’s losers bracket as they marched to the championship last week. It took several run-rule games to conserve pitchers’ arms.

But a 10-inning loss in Thursday’s 2011 Kansas American Legion AA Baseball State Tournament winners bracket semifinal, put the Indians in a spot again. They would have to win five straight to reach their goal of a state championship in the tournament at Ottawa.

It wasn’t to be. The Indians used six different pitchers Friday afternoon against Doniphan County and came up short 11-9. The back-to-back losses eliminated Iola from the state tournament.

AUGUST

Aug. 1 —  Heat and dust settled a bit here Friday and Saturday night as the 26th annual Allen County Fair Rodeo kicked up its heels. A cold front with a few sprinkles moved through Friday evening bringing the hot, muggy daytime temperatures down to tolerable. Attendance for the two-night rodeo bounced back this year. After a historical low of 950 last year, this year’s event pulled in 1,555 people. Before both nights of rodeo action, over 60 contestants competed in the Allen County Fair Mutton Busting. Each night 30 boys and girls rode the sheep provided by stock contractor, C.R. McKellips Rodeo Company of Raymore, Mo.

Aug. 2 — On the heels of a state championship, the 15-and-under Babe Ruth League baseball team heads to the 2011 Babe Ruth League Midwest Regional Tournament. The Heat leaves Wednesday for the trip to Holyoke, Colo. The tournament begins Thursday.

Aug. 3 —  The Moran II T-ball team, sponsored by Elsmore Feed Store, went undefeated this summer. It was the Three Rivers League regular season champion and won the T-ball tournament in Uniontown, July 8-10.

Aug. 9 — HUMBOLDT — Two nights of racing in one weekend. Jeremy Willard made the most of back-to-back race nights at Humboldt Speedway over the weekend. Willard captured pure stock feature race wins on the local dirt track Friday and Saturday.

Aug. 13 —  Numbers crunch. That’s a phrase heard a lot these days. Everybody is crunching numbers. Schools are crunching numbers. Humboldt High School’s football program is under the numbers crunch. Rumors have been swirling around the area about the not so big numbers expected out for the Cubs’ 2011 football team. According to Humboldt USD 258 Superintendent of Schools K.B. Criss and Cub head football coach Mike Miller, it all boils down to “how many kids show up Monday.” Monday is the start of Kansas high school fall sports practices.

 Jerrik Sigg and Levi Ashmore were named to the 2011 Kansas Amateur Baseball Association (KABA) All-League team recently. The team was selected by KABA coaches. The KABA is an American Legion baseball league.

Aug. 27 —  CHANUTE — Everything was new for Iola High’s Fillies as they opened the 2011 varsity tennis season. There were five teams competing at Chanute High’s meet. Junior Abbey St. Clair is the only member of the Fillies’ squad with any varsity experience. That was limited last year in doubles action.

Aug. 29 —  Iola High’s Fillies dropped only one game in their run through pool play at Saturday’s Iola JV Invitational. That put them in the championship match. Pool play featured two games per match and the Iola junior varsity went 7-1. The Fillies faced Burlington High’s Wildcats (7-1) for the tournament title in a best-of-three match. The Fillies won 25-21, 15-25, 15-11.

Aug. 30 — In front of a boisterous student crowd, Allen County Community College’s Red Devils did not disappoint their fans Monday night. The Red Devils collected a 25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23 victory over visiting Longview Community College in their home opener. The win puts the Red Devils at 2-3 on the season.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1 — The excessive heat has prompted Anderson County High School to change its schedule of today’s cross country meet and freshman-sophomore football game.

Sept. 2 — Iola High’s Mustangs gained six-yards on their first offensive play of the 2011 season opener. Then things went south. A miscommunication between quarterback Mason Coons and a receiver ended up in an interception. Independence High’s Easton Julian returned the interception 27 yards to the Iola 18-yard line. Three plays later, Iola’s game plan got blown up. Junior linebacker and fullback Stephen McDonald injured his knee at the 9:38 mark of the first quarter. Iola the opener 27-0.

 GARNETT — Iola High and Humboldt High cross country runners ran their opening races of the 2011 season in extreme heat Thursday. Even with a shift of almost two hours in start time, the Anderson County High Invitational was run under difficult weather conditions.

 Playing under the hot sun on the newly resurfaced tennis courts, Iola High’s Fillies made it sizzle on the blue courts Thursday. Hosting their only home tennis meet of the season, the Fillies claimed second place in the quadrangular. Independence was first followed by Iola then Parsons and Columbus. The Fillies won five out of 12 matches they played in.

Sept. 8 —  PARSONS — Avenging an earlier loss this season, Allen County Community College’s Red Devil volleyball team claimed a Jayhawk Eastern Division win over host Labette Community College Wednesday.

 Letting the legal process go through its steps then act accordingly is the response by Allen County Community College Athletic Director Randy Weber. Arrests of five ACCC basketball players were reported stemming from charges filed in Anderson County District Court last week. The ACCC players are Terrell Shears, 19, Christopher Laveist, 20, Thomas Daniel, 19, Canon Fields, 21, and Christopher Parker, 18. A single count of marijuana possession was filed against each player in connection with a June 25 traffic stop on U.S. Highway 169 south of Greeley.

Sept. 10 —  All of us recall where we were on Sept. 11, 2001. I was running late for work. Just brushed my teeth and walked back into the bedroom when the usual talk on NBC’s Today show was different that morning. Something happened. I sat on the edge of my bed, watched, listened and waited. Not long did I sit there but quickly moved out of the house, into my car and off to the Register office.

At first it appeared to be an accident then another plane, and another and another went down. We scrambled at the Register to purchase a television and had to have cable hooked up.

Later in the year as we all were still reeling from the shock and devastation of that day in September, I learned a high school classmate of mine was in Washington, D.C.

Sept. 12 —  Iola High’s Fillies finished work on their home court Saturday with a victory. Unfortunately, the Fillies went 1-2 in pool play and were denied a run at the championship of the 21st annual Iola High Invitational volleyball tournament.

 Iola High senior tailback Jerrik Sigg posted the second-best single-game rushing total in Mustang football history Friday night. Sigg rushed for 239 yards on 26 carries in Iola’s 57-32 loss at Parsons. The 6-1, 172-pound Sigg scored all but two points for the Mustangs.

Sept. 13 — James Miller drained a hole-in-one at Iola’s Cedarbrook Golf Club Sunday. Miller hit the ace on Cedarbrook’s No. 8, which is 182 yards, using a 3 Wood. Witnesses