Logan-Palco entered the season knowing it had enough firepower to establish itself as a contender in 1A Division II. 

The Trojans returned four starters off last year’s 17-6 team. They boast an all-senior starting lineup, spearheaded by a dynamic player in Rhett Kats. 

Logan-Palco is well on its way to delivering its biggest season since the two schools joined forces for athletics. The Trojans have raced out to an 8-0 start, highlighted by a Castle Rock Classic championship at Quinter last month. 

“If they play as a team, the sky’s going to be the limit for them,” Logan-Palco coach Michael Delimont said. “This is a good group of kids. They’re seniors and they’ve played together for quite a while. 

“If they can put it all together and everybody can do their part, it’s going to be a fun season.”

Kats agreed. 

“We have a great group of seniors,” Kats said. “We’ve been looking toward this since we were little kids. It’s been a goal to go win a state championship, and I feel like the dream is still alive.

“(Having seniors) helps the chemistry on the court so much. It helps bond everyone together.”
 

Kats, a 6-foot-3 guard, is one of the most versatile players in the state. He averages 23.8 points, 4.5 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 1.5 blocks.

In a 56-21 win over Wheatland-Grinnell this past Friday, Kats put up 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks.

“He can see the court and he’s not afraid to give the ball up if he has to,” Delimont said. “He’s a real team player.  He loves assists just as much as scoring. That’s what makes him a well-rounded player.”

“I try to keep everybody involved in the game,” Kats said. “As long as everybody’s involved, it will help keep the momentum of the game going and everybody will keep firing on all cylinders.”

Kats is joined in the starting lineup by Kaden Graham, Ethan Gaschler, Caleb Sparks and Ryan Prewo. Junior Case Ashmore comes off the bench to average 7.8 points. Gaschler and Sparks add 6.4 points per game each. 

On the way to the Classic Rock Classic title, the Trojans beat Ellis in the semifinals then pulled out a 39-37 win in the finals against Dighton, which took fourth place at state last year. 

“Beating a bigger school like Ellis and going on to beat a high-ranked team like Dighton, who has been to the state tournament – at the level we want to be at –  it was amazing,” Kats said. 

The Trojans are allowing just 32 points per game. 

“Our key is actually on the defensive end,” Kats said. “We’re all over 6-foot-1, 6-2. We’re long and lengthy and it’s hard to get passes everywhere. Defense feeds into offense and that’s how we get going.”

Logan-Palco saw last season’s bid for a state tournament berth come up short in the sub-state finals with a 60-50 loss to Northern Valley. The Trojans have gone 75-38 over the past four seasons, but have seen each season end at the hands of the Huskies in sub-state. Northern Valley was hit with huge graduation losses from last season. 

“If we can put full games together, I think we have a good chance to make it to state and maybe even win it,” Delimont said. 

Delimont knows that providing a consistent secondary scoring punch to Kats will be vital come March. 

“I think they’re getting there,” Delimont said. “We’ve told them they need to step up with 8 to 10 points – that’s what we need from the other four on the court. For the most part, they’ve stepped up. Some of them go through a slump, but they keep their head up so I think it’ll be all right.”

“We’ve got to keep hitting shots,” Kats said. “When we’re all hot -- and we can be hot at any given moment -- we’re a tough team to stop.”

The Trojans are breaking in a new facility for their games in Logan with the opening of the LIFE Center. Their home schedule features five games at the new gym and two at the gym in Palco. 

“It’s awesome,” Kats said. “The court is so nice and the fans really get into it. It’s wonderful.”

“Everybody’s excited for these seniors,” Delimont said. “They’ve watched them since they were freshmen. There’s a lot of excitement and you can see it with the stands full.”
 

 

 

OTHER WESTERN KANSAS STANDOUTS 

– After helping lead Weskan to a Six-Player football state championship last fall, Trey Allen has put up eye-popping numbers on the court. He’s averaging 31.1 points for the 8-0 Coyotes. He scored 29 points in a 80-25 win against Triplains/Brewster on Friday. 

– Macksville senior Diego Esparza if off to a blistering start, averaging 30.6 points for the 6-2 Mustangs. He put up a season-high 37 against Hodgeman County on Jan. 3. 

– Great Bend junior Ian Premer is putting up 22.7 points and 12 rebounds per game for the 7-1 Panthers. He scored 20 points in the Panthers’ 71-60 win over Garden City on Friday. 

– Goodland’s Brady Brumbaugh became the Cowboys’ all-time leading scorer on Friday, climbing to 967 career points.  

– South Gray coach Mark Applegate captured his 800th career victory with the Rebels’ 78-40 win over Satanta on Saturday. Applegate, who is in his 43rd season, has five career state championships (1997, 2007, 2008, 2018 and 2024).

– Holcomb is out to a 7-1 start including a 59-55 win over previously-unbeaten Goodland last week. Brody Deniston scored 17 points in the Goodland win. 

– Scott City’s Jackson Rumford is averaging 20.6 points and 11.7 rebounds for 6-1 Beavers. 

– Colby pulled out a 57-56 thriller over Hugoton on Friday. Brayden Foss scored 19 points and had the game winner for the Eagles. 

– Hugoton’s Jay Acosta set Hugoton’s single-game scoring record with 41 points in Friday’s 57-56 loss to Colby. He is averaging 19.3 points for the Eagles. 

– South Central is out to a 9-0 start. Jack Herd is averaging around 20 points per game for the Timberwolves. 

– David Crane is averaging 19.4 points for Stanton County while Gerardo Robles is adding 15.8 per game. The Trojans are coming off a big victory, knocking off South Gray 51-50 last Friday. Robles scored 22 in the win. 

– Through Ellinwood’s first five games, Landon Simpson was averaging 27 points for the Eagles. 

– Nico Doume, a foreign exchange student for Lakin, scored 31 points in a 71-44 win over Syracuse on Friday. 

– Beloit-St John’s/Tipton junior Edward Horinek is averaging 19.9 points through the Blujays' first seven games. 

– Kiowa County got 26 points from Brock Deterding and 21 from Boone McDonald in a 72-49 win over Bucklin last Tuesday. 

– Spearville’s Ian Melendez put up 29 points in a 68-58 win over Meade last week. Melendez is averaging 22.3 points for the 6-1 Lancers. 

– Garden City senior guard Dallas Rosales scored 22 points in the Buffaloes’ 71-60 loss to Great Bend on Friday. 

– Hays’ Dawson Ruder is averaging 15 points through the Indians’ first six games.

– Wichita County’s Francisco Figuerora scored 22 points in a 69-45 win over Golden Plains last Friday. 

– Oakley’s Mason Jackson scored 20 points in a 50-43 loss to Plainville on Friday. 

– Hill City’s Carson Keith scored 24 points while Vincent Zohner added 20 in a 73-27 win over Northern Valley on Monday. 

– Camden Stiles scored a career-high 19 points to lift Central Plains to a 53-50 victory over Macksville on Saturday. 

– Freshman Emmett Delp is averaging 16.4 points for St. John. He had 22 points in St. John’s 55-46 win over Little River on Saturday. 

– Lakeside’s Jace Cunningham scored 23 points in a 55-22 win over Pike Valley on Friday. Cunningham is averaging 15.4 points for the 6-1 Knights. 

– Lakeside’s Lee Holopirek is averaging 18 points for the 6-1 Leopards. 

– Oberlin-Decatur’s Tyler Ostmeyer is averaging 16.9 points and 12.5 rebounds. 

– Lincoln moved to 6-0 with a 57-14 win over Osborne on Friday. 

– Cooper McDill scored 22 points in Rock Hills’ 78-67 loss to Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton on Friday. McDill is averaging 18.8 points on the season. 

– Through Meade’s first six games, Samuel Lynn was averaging 22.7 points for the Buffaloes. 

– Adriel Clymer scored 21 and Michael Lira added 19 in Deerfield’s 78-68 win over Satanta on Friday. 

– Hazen Rydquist had 24 points in Hodgeman County’s 68-21 win over Pawnee Heights. The Longhorns moved to 7-1.

– Freshman Landon Schoenberger is averaging 15.5 points for Cheylin. 

– Daniel Cramer scored 27 points in Dighton’s 55-24 win over Ness City last Tuesday. He is averaging 16 points on the season. 

– Golden Plains’ Dylan Wark is averaging 17.6 points for the Bulldogs. 

– Through Thunder Ridge’s first five games, Evan Slavik was averarging 16.6 points per game for the Longhorns. 

– Pike Valley’s Andrew Cooper is averaging 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Panthers. 

– Northern Valley’s Owen Hammond scored 25 points in the Huskies’ 65-40 loss to Cheylin on Friday.