Feb. 17, 2023 Collegian

Lynn Spahr writes about her newest podcast obsession Page 2

Preview of Tuesday’s Dillon Lecture Series Speaker, Ginger Kerrick Page 3

Dragon Warriors may experience a resurgence Page 4

portsFormer HutchCC athlete joins baseball coaching staff

Page 6

Stange is back in saddle at Sterling

By Sam Ojeda Sports Editor

It is not very often that the world sees coaches come out of their retirement but former Hutchinson Community College athlete, coach and administrator Randy Stange has taken over as the head men’s basketball coach for Sterling College.

Stange was a long time member of the HutchCC community. Stange, who is a Nickerson High School graduate, came to HutchCC as a member of the basketball team. He was a key piece of many successful teams but he was also a dual-sport athlete. Stange was also a Blue Dragon tennis player at the college. After HutchCC, Stange went on to have a successful career at Missouri State.

A coaching career filled with constant success and many stories followed in Stange’s career. After a long assistant coaching stint at multiple Division 1 programs, Stange returned to HutchCC as the men’s basketball coach in 1994.

“My time at Hutchinson is one of the best parts of my career so far,” Stange said.

Stange had a lot of success in his career but also had some regrets.

“My biggest regret when I was there was when I had my best team,” Stange said.

Stange had a really good looking team headed into the 1997-98 season. The Blue Dragons had won Region 6 the season before and Stange had compiled a quality roster for the next season.

Randy Stange, a former Hutchinson Community College student-athlete, coach and administrator, has come out of coaching retirement to coach Sterling College’s men’s basketball team

“My biggest regret in my career was not coaching that team,” Stange said. “That team could have competed for the national championship.”

What people forget about coaching is that they have a whole other side of life: The personal side. His family is what kept Stange from coaching that

team.

“When I was coaching at Hutch, I had four kids,” Stange said about his family, “My oldest daughter was 6, and as a coach I missed every birthday party.

“I was never there.”

When the athletic director position at

HutchCC opened up, Stange was open to it but not exactly interested. However, his wife made his mind shift from open, to interested.

“She told me that I have missed every birthday,” Stange said. “That made

See Stange, Page 5

Sex trafficking concerns in Hutch

By Ainsley Trunkhill Managing Editor-Content

On a Friday night in November, a young Hutchinson Community College student arrived for her shift as a waitress at the HutchinsonApplebee’s, preparing herself for a busy night of serving after the Friday Night Lights from area high school football games.

High school students flooded the tables following the games, resulting in a hectic evening for the waitress. She didn’t realize at the time that she was in the presence of something more nefarious than high schoolers.

Two middle-aged men in coveralls sat at the bar all night, both potential suspects in a sex-trafficking ring, according to Hutchinson police who would later arrive on the scene.According to witnesses, one man was tall with brown eyes and was bald, while the other was shorter with brown, curly hair They flirted with waitresses, attempted to talk to younger high school girls, and frequently snuck glances out the window

“Itwascreepy,”saidthewaitress,whosenameisbeing withheldtoprotectheridentity.“Menalwayscomeand goandflirtwithservers,butthisfeltmoremalicious.”

The men engaged in full-on conversations in a place of the usual small talk and preferred to stand rather than sit, which struck the servers as odd. Progressively, their questions transitioned to being more and more intrusive.

“It wasn’t just ‘how are you?’,” the waitress said. “I felt uncomfortable … it was definitely off.”

Their questions included relationship status, first and last name, height, and age.As directed during safety training, the waitress lied about her age.

The waitress claimed to be 17, to which the men replied, “That’s not a problem.”

Around 11:45 p.m., six Hutchinson police officers arrived at Applebee’s. The waitress watched as the men left through the back door and drove away in a white Chevy truck with a scratched and gray, vented trailer attached to the back.

“I felt relieved when the police came, but once (they) said who they were it was really scary,” the waitress said. “It showed the severity of the situation.”

According to the information the waitress received, the men had made stops around multiple bars in Hutchinson in search of sex trafficking victims, with a possible connection to several missing persons in Wichita as well.

This variety of crime, however, is not a unique instance, nor is it unique to Kansas. According to Wichita CBS affiliate KWCH, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations rescued 31 individuals from sex trafficking, 14 of those being missing children in June 2021. The offenders operated in Wichita, Independence, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan.

In 2022, the Hutchinson Police Department announced a “renewed focus on sex crimes,” according to KWCH. Despite their claims, sex crimes still remain, largely, underreported and teeming with corruption.

According to Rain, Abuse & Incest National Network, nationally one out of every six women will be the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, nine out of 10 victims of rape are women, and out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free. According to the Reno County Sex Offenders Registry, there are currently 198 registered sex offenders in Reno County, which is higher than the national average per capita. A source, who

wished to remain anonymous because they aren’t authorized to speak about crimes and was a former 911 dispatcher with the City of Hutchinson, also suggests that the statistics regarding crime reduction could be altered in order to display the department favorably.

The Hutchinson Police Department was contacted several times for comment about recent incidents of sex trafficking in Hutchinson, but interview requests were declined.

While sex crime statistics are difficult to measure, cultural differences account for the significant dispar-ity in the prosecution of these crimes and a lack of support from traditional law enforcement.

“Alot of crimes against women and children that are culture-specific, where male machismo takes precedence, is sometimes glossed over by law enforcement due to a language barrier or unwillingness of the victim to cooperate,” said the former dispatcher “These crimes aren’t as focused on by law enforcement because, in effect, it’s not white women being preyed upon.

“The advocacy part is also essential to assisting in prosecution of some of these crimes,” the former dispatcher said. “It is hard for women to report these things to men … It helps to have more females in law enforcement to help soften that situation a little more.”

BrightHouse is one place in Hutchinson that seeks to provide this kind of advocacy and support. They provide free, confidential service to anyone in Reno, Rice, Kingman and Harper counties in support of victims of sexual assault.

“HutchPD does some child safety stuff, but Bright

See Hutch, Page 5

Photo by Danae Moser/Collegian

A shortage in more ways than one

The world is in an unprecedented shortage.

Shortage of employees, shortage of products, shortage of patience, shortage of kindness.

Workers are pouring their energy and countless hours into their jobs, doing their best to provide the excellent service their customers are accustomed to receiving.

Those same people walk into other businesses, clearly struggling to make it through the day with the skeleton crew that showed up to work that day, and get so frustrated when their service takes longer than a few minutes.

Your wait in line at the grocery store may be a little longer than usual. You might have to wait an extra 10 minutes for your morning coffee.

The product you might need may be out of stock, or even on backorder. The young adult working the register at the store is not at fault for that.

Everyone is struggling right now. That’s no question.

Just be kind. It’s the very least one can do. Show some decency and just be patient.

We’re all humans trying to make it through the day. Cut one another some slack. - For the Collegian Editorial board

The perks of being a Pawrent

Magnus Archives’: Bringing the horror genre right to your ears

Horror, as a genre, is something that can have a lot of depth.

It can portray abstract fears in a physical way. Though I appreciate this quality, I don’t typically enjoy horror. I dislike jump scares and the constant tension.

I saw “The Quiet Place” with my friends and could barely watch. So imagine my surprise when I decided to try listening to “The Magnus Archives,” a horror podcast, and was instantly hooked. Spoiler warning for seasons one and two.

At first, “The Magnus Archives” seems like a series of disconnected stories of people that encounter supernatural, often deadly, entities. The connections between statements start to become clear as names and locations reoccur, though the reasoning behind these connections remains unclear, just vague suggestions that something bigger is happening. More subtly, there are themes, and fears, that begin to reoccur. In episode two, “Do Not Open,” the statement giver talks about a coffin he kept in his apartment for a stranger, and the odd occurrences in the year he had

it. This coffin isn’t mentioned again for nearly sixty episodes. By the time it’s brought up again, listeners may have forgotten the original mention.

The writing in “The Magnus Archives” is incredible. Most of the time, the statements are read by the same

person, but each statement feels different, like different people wrote them. Though the general tone remains constant, this keeps the podcast engaging, as you never know what’s coming next. The descriptions are effective, evoking a sense of tension and fear while

capturing the sheer strangeness of the supernatural. For example, in episode twenty-one, titled “Freefall,” a skydiver vanishes in front of his mother, and she says “...the sky ate him.” Later, she talks about how the sky shifted around her son. This description of the sky moving sent shivers down my spine when I listened.

While I don’t find every episode terrifying, every single one keeps me intrigued, wanting to know more.

“The Magnus Archives” has had me hooked since episode one as it paints a picture of different fears and what people do when desperate.

Let trans people live: the criminalization of the innocent

If you’ll excuse me, the tone of this opinion piece is going to be very angry. Angrier than usual, if you can believe that. Because this is a topic that makes me furious.

To begin with a statement of fact - the right is currently attempting a genocide of trans people. This is indisputable.

At the beginning of this month, former POTUS Donald Trump announced

his plan for trans healthcare in America. Of course, the main idea is for him to ban it outright, something we have seen an increasing amount of in recent years.

What I don’t understand is this, and to any of you out there who agree with him and may be reading this, do reach out and answer because I’m actually curious.

Why do you care so much? Why is it such a big deal that other people find their happiness? Why in god’s name is it so important that you deny a group of people a fundamental right discussed in the Declaration of Independence“Life, liberty, and the PURSUIT. OF. HAPPINESS.”

Trans people transitioning is absolutely vital to their continued life to

them. Why do you feel the need to take that away?

And don’t even think to tell me “Because they’re mutilating/grooming/whatever to children.” Because here’s the magical thing. Your representatives are responsible for way more child abuse than trans people. Drag Queen story hour does not groom kids. If you genuinely think that, please feel free to institutionalize yourself because you are a lost cause.

The ‘Pro-life’ party you claim to be is nothing but a facade and a joke. You are the party of doing nothing to stop kids from being shot. The party of doing nothing, or actively participating in, child marriages. You. Are the party of pedophiles. Not democrats, not leftists. The right.

Quit reading from the same three Tucker Carlson nonsense echochambers and read some real news.

Doesn’t have to be CNN or whatever “Liberal media” you’re so afraid of. Read The New York Times, or the Washington Post, or the Associated Press. Stop assuming everything that disagrees with you is lies or false news. You claim to be the party that triggers the left but you guys seem pretty triggered over the existence of trans people Get over yourself. It’s embarrassing. Let people live their life.

Braedon Martin is a Hutchinson sophomore studying journalism. He is the Opinion Page Editor and the Managing Editor-Design

signature, address and phone number. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for style, legality and length. Letters may not exceed 300 words. Send letters to hallierb@hutchcc.edu.

Non-discrimination statement Hutchinson Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law, or by college policy.

For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies contact: Christopher Lau, Coordinator of Equity & Compliance 1300 N. Plum Hutchinson, KS 67501 (620) 665-3500 equity@hutchcc.edu (www.hutchcc.edu/equity)

‘The

Columnist

Lynn Spahr

Lynn Spahr is a freshman in general studies.

Kerrick to open 2023 DLS

By Lizzie Kipp Staff Writer

The flowers are attempting to bloom, but they aren’t having much luck yet, which can only mean Hutchinson Community College is about halfway through the spring semester. This also means it’s about that time again for the return of the Dillon Lecture Series.

Many HutchCC students know the drill by now - every once in a while, someone cool comes into town and speaks at the Sports Arena. The first lecture lecture of 2023 will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and fea-

tures Ginger Kerrick, NASA’s first Latina Director of Mission Control.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Kerrick grew up dreaming of becoming an astronaut. She overcame many obstacles to gain her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physics, including being disqualified from the astronaut program. She began working at NASA in 1991 as a summer intern and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the first non-astronaut Capsule Communicator (also known as CapCom) and the first female and Latina flight director in 2005.

During her 30-year tenure

at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Kerrick has held many titles at NASA. She has also supported a grand total of 13 missions on the International Space Station, as well as five joint shuttle missions before her departure from the organization.

Today, you can find her working for Barrios Technology, which partners with NASA to work on furthering the developing space economy. HutchCC students are admitted free with their student ID. The college will also be on Assembly Schedule, meaning students do not have to miss class to attend.

One Day Plays, 24 hours of fun

The Hutchinson Community College Theatre Department had its annual One Day Plays, rebranded from the 24-Hour Plays, on Saturday at Stringer Fine Arts Center.

Current and former HutchCC students met at 7 p.m. Friday to start from scratch. The writing, the acting and the production went all through the night and the plays were presented at 7 p.m. Saturday. Staff photographer Josie Schrag spent some time with the actors and directors.

Ginger Kerrick

Jessy Wisdom and Dylan Kramer rehearse a scene.

Hannah Hayden (left) and Mona Lange practice their lines.

From left, Jacob Wobbeking, Carolyn Thompson, and Addy Hurtig get in their costumes.

Photos by Josie Schrag/Collegian

From left, Claudia Egerstaffer, Jessy Wisdom and Dylan Kramer rehearse on stage.

Fighting for a comeback

By Mason Poepperling Staff Writer

Starting or continuing college after serving in the military can be a difficult process.

Research from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs indicates that veterans may find the logistical challenges of switching from the military to college to be overwhelming. These feelings of immense confusion are present on every college campus, and Hutchinson Community College is no different.

But what if there was a place where veterans on campus could find the resources necessary to navigate the tumultuous landscape that is college life?

Once upon a time, there was a place

like that at HutchCC and it’s trying to make a comeback - The Dragon Warriors, an organization dedicated to supporting campus veterans on their college journey.

Michael Castino, a second-year student who served in the U.S. Army for seven years, knows first hand what it’s like to move from military service to college. His goal with Dragon Warriors was to provide veterans with vital resources to get through the college experience.

“When we talked about the Dragon Warriors and talked about getting it organized, it was so we could network and make our program stronger and help our veterans who are dependent on school and help them not fall into the

dropout statistic,” Castino said. This was about two or three years ago when the organization was created. But, like a lot, COVID-19 threw a wrench into the plans for Dragon Warriors. However, it may not be over yet for the Dragon Warriors. Talks have already started about rejuvenating the organization and, once again, offering networking opportunities for veterans who need them the most.

Castino understands the challenges veterans on campus face, which add to the importance of the opportunities the Dragon Warriors organization can bring.

“You got all the stressors that are already happening and as a veteran I would like it to be cut and dry and it’s

not like that,” Castino said. “Especially in the classes that I’ve got now we take it step by step. For some of us veterans that’s probably the most difficult process where it’s so slow, but I do understand that it’s got to be that way, you gotta get it ingrained in your brain.”

For many veterans who are going through the college experience, it may seem like no one else understands the struggle you go through every day. But it’s important to realize that every day, there are resources that are available and being created every day to help you get through it. For any veteran attending HutchCC, it’s never too late to ask and search for help in any way possible. Dragon Warriors is one avenue.

Winter homecoming brings out cheers

Members of the Hutchinson Community College spirit squad form a stunt during the college’s annual winter homecoming pep assembly on Feb. 8 at the Sports Arena.

A competition among the winter sports teams was performed during the homecoming pep rally, as members of the indoor track and field team attempt to keep balloons in the air. As soon as one touched the floor, the team was out of the game.

The spirit squad performs stunts during a routine at the winter homecoming pep assembly at the Sports Arena.

The Dragon Dolls dance team performs during the homecoming pep assembly.

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian

Password sharing restrictions and its consequences on society

By Connor Keating Staff Writer

Earlier this year, Netflix dropped the news that it would be removing the ability for users to share passwords, forcing many users to buy their own account.

The news caused such a kerfuffle from upset users, that Netflix removed the announcement and claimed that it was posted in error, though some don’t buy that claim. Netflix then said that they are testing the waters by trying it out in Latin American countries, and are planning to charge users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain extra for giving their account to people who don’t live with them.

Matt Wilper, economics professor at Hutchinson Community College admitted that he was one of the many who uses someone else’s account, his sister’s.

“I think it’ll affect (students) tremendously, like ones that don’t live with their parents because that whole idea of like households, it seems like they wanted to tie it to your wifi IP address, if I read that correctly, and of course our students come from all over who aren’t always going to be tied to that IP address,” Wilper said. “So it’s going to hugely, negatively affect those students.”

When the topic was brought up in one of his Microeconomic classes, students reacted negatively to the change. However some aren’t totally against the idea.

“I think it’d be fair to use it in the household, but friends should get their own subscription,” freshman

Rylee Jacobson said. “It interrupts my shows I’m watching, so I have to go find where I was at.”

There’s also the fact that only one user can be using a Netflix account at a time, even if they’re on different profiles. These restrictions, if they were put into place, would make the

Stange

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a real indication that I should look at this job.”

Stange ultimately made the decision to take the HutchCC AD job.

“It was a family decision, not a professional decision,” Stange said.

As the AD, Stange felt more in control of his life. He felt the job was not easier than coaching but it was more predictable when he had free time. After his tenure at HutchCC, he moved on to be the athletic director first for Springfield Public Schools in Missouri and then at Johnson County CC.

Stange however, always had the itch to coach again.

“The last year at JCCC was the last year of having a child in the house,” Stange said. “Now that she was grown up and on her own, there were no more birthdays to miss.”

He had a chance to come back to coaching and he took it.

The Sterling College men’s basketball job opened up and he took it.

Now Sterling’s coach Randy Stange took over a program that was 2-29 in the 2021-2022 season and he

experience for owners of the account smoother, but would greatly affect users borrowing the account.

If Netflix did go through with such a plan, Wilper says it may harm the company.

“We have to remember my forecasting predictions have not always been great, but I see streaming services as probably the closest thing we have to a competitive market in the United States right now,” Wilper said. “Competitive markets, very easy to enter and exit, many buyers and sellers, of course there’s many providers of streaming services, tons. It’s relatively very competitive. I don’t think this is a good idea for Netflix to be honest in a long term sense.

“I get that they’re looking at a short term increase influx in cash but they’re going up against Disney, Hulu, which are basically the same company, then there’s Paramount plus, also Peacock, they’re these big players attached to major networks, who are getting a lot of content from that (pre-existing content) plus in creating their own (new) content and Netflix might find themselves in the issue of not being able to keep up. It’s so easy to just leave Netflix. A couple clicks, they lose you as a customer.

“So I just don’t think this is very wise for them, and that’s why I think you see them scaling back. They were going to implement these changes, I think they saw the big backlash, and then they were like ‘okay, maybe we should slow the break’. So I think if they do go through with it, it’d be very bad for the company. Somebody could easily buy them up and just add them under their umbrella.”

While Netflix may be a powerhouse in the current streaming service market, a major decision like this could potentially ruin them, sending users to go elsewhere for their entertainment.

As Wilper said, all it takes is a couple clicks.

knew he had a job to do.

“Coming here, I knew just with a little recruiting and bringing other guys back we were going to be better,” Stange said.

Stange was right, his team is now above .500 with a record of 1412. The Warriors are also 10-10 in KCAC play and tied for sixth place headed to Wednesday’s game at Avila.

Stange and his group have an opportunity to have the first winning season since 2013-2014. It takes more than just players for a team to succeed, it takes a culture and Stange knew that.

“When I walked in those doors, I wanted to change the mindset of accountability,” Stange said.

Stange wanted to focus on the little things with his players, “It starts with getting your guys to go to class and how they act in the community and the cafeteria,” Stange said. “We need to show we could handle ourselves and they showed me they could buy in.”

This idea of being bought in is bringing success to Sterling. Stange is back at the helm coaching in college basketball for the first time in 25 years. He is loving the experience and enjoying time with his family.

Sports roundup: Baseball goes 3-1

By Laci Sutton Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Community College baseball team is 3-1 following its opening weekend against Southeast Community College, bringing home their first series win of the season.

Freshman Max Childers brought in three runs alongside sophomore Will Edmunson’s pair of twos, defeating Southeast 8-4 in the first game of the doubleheader in Nebraska.

Freshman pitcher Gus McKay worked four-plus innings for his first career start, throwing three shutout innings in the first three innings. He allowed four hits, one unearned run, three strikeouts and two walks.

Hutch

• Continued from Page 1

House does more of the safe touch and safe date talks at schools to give children and young adults information about what is OK and what is not as far as your body (goes),” the former dispatcher said.

Resources such as BrightHouse serve to protect victims and prevent sex crimes, although the discourse continues to be inherently flawed.

“The whole discussion always has me up in arms because we live in an unfair world where women have to actively change everything they do to avoid being attacked and it’s still never good enough,” the former dispatcher said.

Sophomore pitchers Brady Beverman and Jackson Blue came together to finish out the rest of the game.

Ryan Henderson and Cody Gunderson shared two hits each, bringing the Blue Dragons to outhit the Storm 14-7.

Softball - The 17th-ranked Blue Dragons had two wins to close out the THF Winter Blast in Denison, Texas.

Saturday morning started off with a 9-1, six-inning victory over Paris Junior College.

That momentum continued into the second game of the day, leading to a 1-0 victory over Weatherford College.

Fd becoming the first Blue Dragon pitcher since Jordan Galliher to throw a complete game shutout.

“There was a HutchCC track dude that was a serial rapist … he would assault girls at parties or invite them to his house (or) go to hang out at the girls’ houses and rape them,” the former dispatcher said. “That in and of itself is bullshit because what were those girls doing other than trying to make a friend or date an attractive, well-spoken, and charming man who was secretly a monster?”

At Applebee’s, the recent incident has forced

“STOP SEX TRAFFICKING” by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.

female waitresses to pivot their nightly routines.

“(I) always walk out with a co-worker now,” the waitress said. “(There are) definitely more precautions … I used to not lock my apartment door, but ever since then, I lock my car, my door, (and) never give out my number to customers.

“Managers now talk with customers that make servers uncomfortable and they actually take customers out. They never did before, (but) you can’t be too sure.”

From their experience within law enforcement, the previous officer also provided some safety precautions for individuals. Their tips include always using the buddy system, checking in on one another when going somewhere, creating code words for uncomfortable situations, not accepting drinks or drugs from strangers, keeping your location on your phone, carrying an alarm or small weapon with you, and always trusting your gut.

Wagler blood runs through HutchCC

By Victoria Lewis Staff Writer

When Logan and Jennifer Wagler met one night in 1994 during their time playing basketball for Hutchinson Community College, they had no idea that nearly 30 years later they would have a son carrying on the family legacy as a fourth-generation Wagler to become a Blue Dragon.

Landon Wagler, a freshman on the men’s basketball team this year, is part of a long line of family members to grace the court for the Blue Dragons.

It all started with Landon’s great-grandfather Al Wagler, who after playing for the Blue Dragons ended up becoming the men’s basketball NJCAA tournament director for more than 20 years. Next, it was his son, Landon’s grandfather, William “Bill” Wagler who played from (need years).

Landon’s parents both played during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, where it was all ‘love and basketball’ after meeting at the State Fair their freshman year.

Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Landon’s mother Jennifer thoroughly enjoyed her time as a Blue Dragon, and made many fond memories in her two seasons.

“I love that (Landon) gets to experience being a Blue Dragon. What an honor to play at HCC,” Jennifer Wagler said. “He grew up listening to my husband and I talk about our Hutch memories so I am glad he is now making his own.

“It’s special to see Landon continue the Wagler HCC tradition. To carry on that legacy means a lot to Landon.”

Logan Wagler, a Hutchinson native and Landon’s father, also recalled memories of playing “in front of sold out crowds,” while “proudly wearing the Blue Dragon uniform,”

“My wife and I have never expected our kids to worry about being a part of a legacy, but rather finding their own path. It’s pretty amazing that his path led him to HCC,” Logan Wagler said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Landon. I know my father and grandfather would be so proud as well.”

The family connections do not stop there, Landon also has an uncle, Lucas Wagler, who was a part of the Blue Dragons’ NJCAA national championship winning men’s basketball team in 1994.

Landon said hearing the stories from his father, who was in the crowd at that 1994 championship game about the atmosphere in the area, played into his final decision to play at HutchCC.

Despite growing up in the Kansas City area, Landon paid regular visits to Hutchinson as he was growing up. He said that with all the family connections to the school, “it comes up all the time. They’re always talking about … what they were doing back when they were (here) and what was happening then and how much has changed.”

It’s nostalgic at times for Landon now to play for the same team that four generations of his family has, and these family ties don’t go unnoticed in the community.

“It’s like everywhere I go, someone knows my family so it’s awesome seeing people like that and hearing stories about my grandfather and great grandfather,” Landon said.

When asked if there were hopes for his future kids to one day continue what seems to be becoming a family tradition, Landon said “if they get the opportunity to, that would be awesome, make it a fifth generation, this is just a great school.”

From the pros to the Dragons: McCue makes his HutchCC return

By Carly Thompson Staff Writer

Hutchinson Community College alumnus, and Quarterback Club Hall of Famer, Deron McCue has returned to campus as an assistant baseball coach.

McCue, a Hutchinson native, played baseball and football at HutchCC from 1981-1983. He also played for the summer wood-bat collegiate team, the Hutchinson Broncs, before he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants. His career went from playing to managing and coaching in the Giants’ organization. Later, McCue returned to Kansas where he managed the newer summer collegiate team, the Hutchinson Monarchs, and coached at Nickerson High School.

McCue gives credit to HutchCC for beginning his career and has always wanted to come back and coach.

“I’ve always cared about this program and Coach (Ryan) Schmidt has done a great job in his 11 years …the opportunity finally came where I could come and coach here full time,” McCue said.

Schmidt said McCue was a “no brainer” to hire, based on his experience, along with the friendship they have developed over the years.

“He has coached, developed, and mentored many Blue Dragon players during his tenure as the Monarchs manager,” Schmidt said. “He is a player’s coach. He can relate to every single player on the field and the guys gravitate to him. He’s going to bring a new life to the offensive side of the ball game.”

McCue calls himself a “hard, but fair” coach and values being honest with his players.

“If you see me on the baseball field, I’m always talking and yelling,” McCue said. “If you see me off

Baseball

All dates are doubleheaders unless noted

Feb. 11, Southeast Nebraska, W 8-5, W 10-7

Feb. 13, at SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, W 8-4, L 4-5

Feb. 17, at Temple, Texas (one game), 2 p.m.

Feb. 18, at Hill, Texas (one game), 1 p.m.

Feb. 19, at McLennan, Texas (one game), 1 p.m.

Feb. 21, TABOR JV, 1 p.m.

Feb. 24, at Rose State, Okla. (one game), 3 p.m.

Feb. 25, at Rose State, Okla, 1 p.m.

Feb. 28, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid (one game), 2 p.m.

March 2, COFFEYVILLE, 1 p.m.

March 4 at Coffeyville, 1 p.m.

March 9, DODGE CITY, 1 p.m.

March 11, at Dodge City, 1 p.m.

March 16, at Pratt, 1 p.m.

March 18, PRATT, 1 p.m.

March 23, SEWARD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

March 25, at Seward County, 1 p.m.

March 30, at Butler, 1 p.m.

April 1, BUTLER, 1 P.M.

April 6, CLOUD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

April 8, at Cloud County, 1 p.m.

April 11, at Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (one game), 2 p.m.

April 13, COWLEY, 1 p.m.

April 15, at Cowley, 1 p.m.

April 17, STERLING JV (one game), 4 p.m.

April 20, at Garden City, 1 p.m.

April 22, GARDEN CITY, 1 p.m.

April 24, at Sterling JV (one game), 2 p.m.

April 27, BARTON, 1 p.m.

the field I’m very quiet and I don’t hardly say a peep. Quiet off the field, on the field you can’t shut me up.” McCue said he urges the team to get to know the Hutchinson community and show appreciation for its support of the team. His favorite part about coaching is the interaction he gets with the players and being able to help develop them on their journey to the next level. Both coaches emphasize the importance of teaching

April 29, at Barton, 1 p.m.

May 4, at Colby, 1 p.m.

May 6, COLBY, 1 p.m.

Basketball, men’s

Nov. 1, FORT SCOTT, W 124-101

Nov. 4, TRITON, W 113-105

Nov, 5, NEO, W 117-107

Nov. 9, LABETTE, W 139-84

Nov. 11, vs. Victoria at Great Bend W 121-95

Nov. 12, vs. Wilbur Wright, at Great Bend, 11289

Nov. 16, INDEPENDENCE, W 99-94

Nov 19, at Cloud County, L 90-75

Nov. 22, at Pratt, W 120-118

Nov. 26, BARTON, L 101-75

Nov. 30, at Cowley, L 111-95

Dec. 3, at Butler, L 68-63

Dec. 7, COFFEYVILLE, L 104-100

Dec. 10, at Dodge City, W 113-112

Dec. 12, COLBY, W 96-81

Jan. 4, at Northwest Kansas Tech, W 90-87

Jan. 7, SEWARD COUNTY, W 86-75

Jan. 14, at Garden City, L 117-97

Jan. 18, at Independence, W 115-94

Athlete of the week (Feb 6th-12th ) Will EdmunsonBaseball

The Week: Edmunson started off his season hot with a scorching weekend at the plate. He went 7-10 with a Homerun and 4 RBI’s. The Oklahoma Sophomore added 3 stolen bases and 3 runs scored.

This Season: It is early in the season but Edmunson has already been named KJCCC baseball player of the week. He is a team leader in the clubhouse. The Blue Dragon baseball team is 3-1 and will travel to Texas this weekend for a tough set of games.

the players valuable life lessons the players can use later on.

They look forward to this season and being able to see the team in action.

“It’s great how you can get a team together from all over and they all come together as a family. I think that’s pretty neat,” McCue said.

The Blue Dragons are off to a 3-1 start, with a three-game, three-day trip to Texas starting on Friday.

Feb. 22, at Seward County, 6 p.m.

March 1, GARDEN CITY, 5:30 p.m. Basketball, women’s

Nov. 1, BETHANY JV, W 88-44

Nov. 4, MINERAL AREA, W 84-48

Nov. 5, NEO, W 84-61

Nov. 9, WASHBURN JV, W 90-51

Nov. 11, Labette at Great Bend, W 74-63

Nov. 12, vs, Redlands at Great Bend, W 64-58

Nov. 16, INDEPENDENCE, W 61-53

Nov 19, at Cloud

Edmunson

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian Hutchinson Community College assistant baseball coach Deron McCue (right) talks with sophomore Ryan Henderson during the season-opening series against Southeast Nebraska on Feb. 11 at Hobart-Detter Field

Photo by Sabrina Anzo/Collegian Landon Wagler gaurds in the paint in a game agaisnt Dodge City. Wagler has played in 22 games this season.