As tough as last year’s 5-1 Class 3A regional championship loss to Santa Fe Trail was for Osage City – ending one of the best season’s in program history with a 16-3 mark – Indian coach Mitch Foote could take solace in the fact that the bulk of that squad was going to be back for the 2024 season.
 
Coming into this season, Osage City returned seven of nine starters off last year’s team.
 
“I knew it wasn’t a rebuild but more of a reload situation,” said Foote, who is in his fifth year as head coach of the Indians, one of those seasons lost to COVID. “I’ve been really blessed with this senior group. I’ve had the luxury of having them for the last four years, my first four-year group. I knew we were going to be one of the top teams in the league and would give us a pretty good chance in regionals as well.”
 
It's certainly played out that way. After starting the season 1-2, Osage City ripped off 18 straight victories before seeing that win streak end with a 2-1 loss to Humboldt last Monday. Ending the regular season with a program-record 19-3 mark, the Indians are the No. 1 seed in a loaded 3A sub-state at Santa Fe Trail, which begins with a Friday quarterfinal game against St. Marys (3-17).
 
“We’ve gotten better every game,” Foote said. “We’ve cleaned up every aspect of our game and given ourselves chances to win every game.”
 
Not only did Osage City return an experienced team that included five senior starters, the program got an additional boost when it welcomed a co-op situation with Burlingame. Anticipating perhaps as many as eight players, the team wound up with four additions, two of whom – senior Brandon Punches and junior JD Tyson – stepped into starting roles at designated hitter and right field, respectively.
 
Tyson is one of seven regulars hitting better than 300 with a .311 average while Punches is just under that mark with a .286 average. Tyson has also given the pitching staff another arm and has a 2.25 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched.
 
“Being at a small school, it takes everyone,” Foote said. “You need all the athletes you can get. Even if it’s just four kids coming in, that’s huge and has very beneficial for our program. What really helps, those guys live just a couple miles down the road so a lot of these guys were pretty familiar with each other. Our guys did a great job of accepting those guys and the biggest thing when you combine two schools, you worry about politics, but there’s been none of that.
 
“The kids have been awesome and the camaraderie has been awesome. We’ve got a really good core right now and it’s ‘We Over Me,’ that’s our mentality. We just continue to do what we need to do to continue to move forward.”
 
A trio of returning seniors have led an Osage City offense that has produced the most runs in program history with the Indians putting up 232 runs this season (10.5 per game) – highlighted by a 35-0 win over Lyndon and 21-0 win over Northern Heights. Logun Fager is hitting .536 with 30 RBI while Noah Lohmeyer is hitting .455 and Cooper Parsons is at .352. Parsons and sophomore brother Kasen each have 21 RBI. Fager also sports a 1.58 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 35.1 innings to lead the pitching staff.
 
As impressive as Osage City’s offense has been, however, it’s been the Indians’ ability to win those games that haven’t been blowouts that’s been the real key to the season. Osage City has played in 13 games that have been decided by five runs or less, including eight by two or fewer, and have a 10-3 mark in those contests.
 
Two of their three losses have been by one run and the other was by five.
 
“When you win these close games, it’s just like a regional and I tell them that all the time,” Foote said. “You have to treat these games like there’s no tomorrow and go out and execute and control what you can control. It’s one inning, one pitch at a time and that’s been our mindset. Continue to find a way and let’s turn the page. In past years, in tight games we might have ended up on the opposite end of the spectrum. But this year, we’ve done a really good job of finding outs when we needed to get outs and making the plays necessary to win those games.”
 
Osage City opened the year with splits against Hayden and Mission Valley, the latter handing the Indians their only league loss of the season as they captured the Flint Hills League title for the second straight year and just third time in program history. While the late hiccup against Humboldt ended the Indians’ winning streak, it’s hardly slowed their momentum or dampened their enthusiasm for the postseason.
 
Looking to continue a historic season and secure the program’s first-ever state tournament berth, it won’t be easy.
 
Regional host Santa Fe Trail finished only a half-game behind the Indians for the top seed in the regional with a 19-4 mark and returned the bulk of last year’s team that finished third at state a year ago. The regional also includes traditional powers Silver Lake, Rossville and Hayden with the latter the No. 6 seed in the regional. Silver Lake and Rossville have absorbed the bulk of their losses in the tough Mid-East League.
 
“It’s basically like a state tourney,” Foote said. “When we go to these games, we’re going to a state tournament. You look at it, the top four or five or six teams are all capable of going and that’s the scary thing about our regional. I don’t care if you’re the sixth-ranked team, you’ll have a chance. There’s a lot of rich tradition in those programs.
 
“We’re excited for the opportunity and it’s the mindset of respect all, fear none. We’ll keep sawing wood, moving forward and hopefully continue to play games and keep our season alive. It’s an exciting time for Osage City baseball. We’ve got a really good culture going on right now and a lot of great kids that have bought in and laid the foundation for our program.”
 

OTHER BASEBALL STANDOUTS

• With a 3-0, 6-0 sweep of Wamego, Abilene completed a 10-0 North Central Kansas League championship – the program’s first league title since winning its only other league crown in 2017. Kyson Becker threw a 5-hit shutout in the opener, striking out 7 and walking 1. Stocton Timbrook scattered three hits in 6.2 innings in the nightcap and struck out 17.

 

• Oskaloosa captured its second straight Northeast Kansas League title, finishing 15-1 in league play after sweeping Maur Hill (16-3, 10-0) and Horton (10-0, 10-0) last week. The Bears are 23-3 overall with their lone losses coming to Mission Valley (swept) and Pleasant Ridge, the latter the lone league defeat.
• Needing two wins against Burlington to earn a share of the Pioneer League crown, Santa Fe Trail rallied from down 7-1 in the second game to win 9-7 on a walk-off home run by Talan Long. Trail won the opener 9-4 and finished 9-3 overall in league play, tied with Iola. The Chargers are 19-4 overall and have been led by Kyle Strother, who is hitting .494 with 4 home runs and school-record 42 RBI.
• Sabetha wrapped up its second straight Big Seven League title, sweeping Royal Valley 8-0 and 9-5. Mitchel Kramer threw a 7-inningn perfect game in the opener, striking out 18 of the 21 batters he faced. He also went 3 for 3 with 2 doubles and a triple. In a 5-0, 7-5 sweep of Rossville, Christian McAfee threw six shutout innings and Jacob Grimm had shutout innings in relief in both games, getting the save in the second contest. The Bluejays are 16-5 overall.

 

• Rock Creek’s Daegen Vinduska recorded his sixth and seventh wins of the season to become the Mustangs’ all-time career wins leader as Rock Creek swept Silver Lake and Rossville to win its second straight Mid-East League title in the final season in the league. With 19 wins in his career, Vinduska passed Shane Adams for the all-time lead. Vinduska tossed a 1-hitter with 8 strikeouts in 4.2 innings in a 2-0 shutout of Silver Lake and followed with a 2-hitter and 8 strikeouts in a 5-1 win over Rossville. Ryker Zoeller added a complete-game no-hitter in an 8-0 second-game win against Silver Lake and Cooper Sieben improved to 6-0 in an 8-2 win over Rossville. Brock Lubbers recorded his fifth save in the opener against Silver Lake and added a sixth save against Rossville. Vinduska had 3 RBI in the second game with Rossville and Mack Lee belted a three-run home run. Rock Creek is 22-1 and finished league play 10-0, outscoring its opponents 70-3.
• Clay Center’s Cole Pladson threw a six-inning no-hitter against Buhler last week. Pladson struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter in the 10-0 victory. Clay Center added a 7-1 win in the second game to improve to 18-4.
• Mission Valley’s Nick Price tossed a one-hit shutout against West Franklin last week, racking up 12 strikeouts as he improved to 5-0 on the season with a 0.72 ERA and 67 strikeouts. He’s also hitting .541 for the Vikings, who are 17-3. Porter Deters tied the state record for career stolen bases.
• Walker Beets and Cooper Peterson each went 5 for 7 with Beets driving in 5 runs as Osawatomie split with Prairie View last week, winning 11-0 and losing 7-6. Peterson also threw a 5-inning complete game in the opener, giving up 1 hit and striking out 6 while walking none. He is hitting .467 and on the mound has struck out 69 and walked just 3 this season.
• In six games last week, Marysville’s Grant Haefele hit .391 with 3 home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored while also stealing 7 bases. He also competed at the Sabetha Invitational in track and won the 200 in 23.18, took second in the 100 and third in the triple jump.

SOFTBALL STANDOUTS

• Santa Fe Trail’s Brooke Neidhardt belted her seventh home run of the season on Thursday to break the Chargers’ single-season home run record of 6 set by Shelby Dahl in 2014. The home run was the 11^thof Neidhardt’s career, also setting the school’s career record with Dahl hitting 10 during her career. Her career record was matched on Monday by Kaelee Washington, who smacked the 11^th of her career in a sweep of Burlington. In an 8-0 win in the opener against the Wildcats, Washington also threw her third perfect game of the season, striking out 18 of the 21 batters she faced. That gives Washington 715 career strikeouts, making one of a select few in state history to go over 700 career strikeouts.
• Osage City improved to 15-1 with an 8-0, 4-2 sweep of Humboldt last Monday. Peyton Pitts threw both games of the doubleheader and gave up a total of 7 hits in the two games while striking out 25 and walking none. Callie Lane had 4 of the Indians’ 13 hits in the first game.
• In Burlingame/Northern Heights’ sweep of Horton on Friday, Joselyn Simmons threw a perfect game in a 10-0 victory, striking out 13 batters. Addison Landgren with 7 for 8 on the night with 3 doubles and 4 RBI.
• McLouth captured the Northeast Kansas League title for the third straight year, going undefeated in league play for the second straight year after sweeping Atchison County 17-0, 14-0. The Bulldogs are 22-2 on the season overall.

 

• Perry-Lecompton finished as Big Seven League champions after Monday’s doubleheader with Nemaha Central was rained out. The Kaws are 12-4 overall and hit .412 as a team with 28 home runs, 180 RBI and 209 runs scored. Taylor Damme and Macie Corcoran each hit 9 home runs while Trystan Buttram had 5 and Paxton Damme had 3.
• Hitting a pair of home runs in a split with Chapman last Tuesday, Abilene’s Maddie Murray broke the school record for home runs in a season. She now has 7, topping the old record of 5 set by Brie Murray in 2015.
• In Jefferson County North’s doubleheader sweep of Horton, Emilee Subelka went 6 for 9 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored.

BOYS GOLF STANDOUTS

• Silver Lake’s Bryce Badsky broke the school’s 18-hole scoring record, shooting a 2-under 68 to win the Rossville Invitational last week at Western Hills Golf Course. Badsky won the tourney by 13 shots and led the Eagles to another tournament victory, their fifth of the season. Wyatt Herkenrath shot an 82 and took third and Brody Kelley had an 84 and was fourth.
• Emporia’s Hudson Sauder captured the Centennial League championship at Firekeeper Golf Course, carding an even-par 72 to win by three shots over Manhattan’s Tate Reid. Reid shot a back-nine 35 that helped the Indians capture the team title. Reid followed that with a 73 to win the title at the Junction City Invitational by one shot over Southeast of Saline’s Dylan Esch. Manhattan posted a 324 team score to beat Emporia by three shots.
• Sabetha captured team titles at the Holton and Marysville Invitationals on consecutive days. Roman Scoby posted a career-low 1-over 71 at Holton to win the individual title and then followed with a 1-under 71 at Marysville to win that title as well. He won the Marysville tourney by 13 shots over Clay Center’s Jackson Henry after beating Holton’s Kaden Fox by one at the Holton tourney. Sabetha won each team title by at least 30 shots.
• Heritage Christian’s Lucas Prado picked up his third individual victory of the season at the Ottawa Invitational last Monday. Prado shot a personal-best 1-under 70 to win by six shots over Ottawa’s Cayden Turner. Prado previously won titles at the Osawatomie and Paola Invitationals.
• Wamego placed five golfers in the top six to run away with the team title at the Clay Center Invitational, posting a team score of 293. Talon White shot a 71 to win by three shots over teammates Spencer Hecht, Cash Foltz and Regan Kueker and Concordia’s Luke Donovan. Breckin Miller was sixth with a 75. The Red Raiders then won the North Central Kansas League title on Monday at Marysville, posting a team score of 312 to win by 31 shots over Concordia. Foltz and Kaden Tyner finished 1-2 with Foltz shooting even par 72 to win by five shots.
• Topeka West's Myles Alonzo captured the United Kansas Conference title on Monday, shooting a 73 at Lake Shawnee Golf Course to win by four shots over Basehor-Linwood's Carson Youngblood and Piper's Brody Cook. Alonzo has won three of his last five tournaments going into next week's Class 5A regional. Basehor-Linwood won the team title, finishing at 327 to win by three shots over Shawnee Heights.
• Onaga’s Graham Valburg and Konnor Nider each shot 79s to tie for low honors at the Buffaloes’ home meet. Onaga won as a team with a 333.

TRACK AND FIELD STANDOUTS

• De Soto’s boys 3,200 relay broke a 44-year-old meet record at the Shawnee Mission North Relays as Luke Swarts, Harrison Purkey, Connor Jacober and Vance Krudwig finished in 7:48.89 to wipe out the old mark of 7:50 set by Shawnee Mission South in 1980, a Raider relay team that featured two runners who went on to become NCAA All-Americans. The time ranks as the fourth-best in Kansas history. The Wildcats also got school records from the boys’ 400 relay and the girls’ 3,200 relay at the meet. Layton Lawson, Davis Barr, Jayden Lang and Carson Miller teamed on the 400 relay that finished in 42.23, tops in 5A this year. Miller also won the 200 at both the North Relays and De Soto Invitational, setting a PR with a 21.69. The girls 3,200 relay finished in 9:35.60 for their school record time.
• For the fifth consecutive meet, Wabaunsee’s girls 1,600 relay broke their own school record. The foursome of Talen Orton, Grace Zeller, Alexus Ford and Payton Wurtz ran a 4:04.2 at Friday’s Jefferson County North Invitational to lower their previous best by more than a second. Wurtz and Zeller teamed with Adalynn Miller and Isabelle Stuhlsatz to break a two-week old record in the 3,200 relay, going 10:06.4 – the third different combination to break that event record this year. Wurtz also lowered her own school record in the 800, running a 2:17.1 to take more than two seconds off her best of 2:19.13 from last year.
• Seaman’s Ryin Miller was back at it, taking down a pair of records at the Topeka City/Joe Schrag Invitational last Friday. After missing the rescheduled Seaman Relays on Monday for a soccer commitment, Miller obliterated the city meet records in both the 800 and 1,600. Her time of 2:10.62 in the 800 was just off her season best of 2:10.25 but knocked a whopping seven seconds off the meet record time of 2:17.97 set by Washburn Rural’s Jaybe Shufelberger in 2019. Miller also clocked a 4:46.90 in the 1,600 and demolished the old record of 5:13.40 set by former Viking teammate Bethany Druse last year. Miller’s 1,600 time is the fourth-fastest in state history as well trailing only Shawnee Mission West’s Alli Cash (4:38.28), Riley County’s Amy Mortimer (4:42.39) and Girard’s Callie Logue (4:44.08).
• Doniphan West’s Kelby Windmeyer brought home a pair of victories and school records from the Jefferson County North Invitational on Friday. Already the school record-holder in the 400, Windmeyer set the school record in the 100 with a 10.77 and 200 with a 22.60 at the meet.
• Manhattan’s Hanna Pellant broke the Indians’ school record in the girls’ 100 at the Salina Central Invitational. Her time of 11.72 broke the old mark of 11.90 set by Trina Blake. Pellant also teamed with Aylani Barron, Sarah Oberreuter and Harli Omli to break their own school record in the 400 relay with a 48.05, topping their old mark of 48.37 from a year ago.
• Wellsville’s Ellie Strain delivered a pair of school records at the Eagles’ home Jim Wright Redbud Classic. Strain broke her own school record in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.45 and then added the 300 hurdles record as well with a 47.39 to nip the old school record of 47.40 set in 1984. For the boys, Carson Bell set a PR in the pole vault with a clearance of 14 feet, 6 inches.
• Chase County’s Tucker Groh won four races at the Burlington Invitational last week, taking titles in the 200 and 400 and also running on the Bulldogs’ winning 400 and 1,600 relays with Luke Budke, Brock Griffin and Wyatt Griffin. Wyatt Griffin also added a win in the high jump and the 3,200 relay team added a victory as the Bulldogs took the team title at the meet. Madelyn Wilson won the shot put for the girls.
• Burlingame freshman Harper Seele won three golds at the Bearcat Relays, taking titles in the shot put, 100 and on the winning 400 relay. Seele had medaled in all three events at every meet with season-bests of 35-2.75 in the shot put and 13.24 in the 100. She’s also hitting .378 for the softball team.
• Washington County’s girls continued their dominant season, rolling to team titles at the Minneapolis and Rock Hills Grizzy Invitationals last week. Lillee Richard broke her own school record and the Grizzly Invitational meet record with a clearance of 10-8 in the pole vault. Jesse Hoover swept javelin titles at both meets, throwing 133-7 at Rock Hills, while Addy Goeckel swept the hurdles titles at both meets as well.
• Holton’s Brayden Peak set a school record in the 400 at the Seaman Invitational, running a 49.94 to break his own record from a year ago.

GIRLS SOCCER STANOUTS

• After getting a hat trick in Topeka High’s 5-3 win over Hayden on April 23, Avery Zimmerman added four more goals last week as the Trojans rolled to a 10-0 win over Topeka West and 4-2 win over Liberal. Raelee Shipley added 2 goals and 2 assists on the week and Natalie Barnes had three goals.
• Seaman forged a three-way tie atop the United Kansas Conference standings with a 1-0 win at De Soto last Monday. The Vikings got a goal from Anna Becker to hand the Wildcats their first league loss and both now sit 6-1 in league play along with Basehor-Linwood. Seaman is 10-2-1 overall after having their seven-match win streak end with a 3-2 overtime loss to Hayden on Friday and will play host to Basehor-Linwood on Tuesday to potentially decide the league title. De Soto is 9-4 overall.