Sports Playing for Mia
Page 6
The Hutchinson Collegian Friday, October 20, 2017
Athlete of the week
Courtesy photo/HutchCC Sports Information Hutchinson Community College soccer player Jayde Miyamoto (19) has been playing with a heavy heart this season. Her younger sister, Mia, a former high school soccer teammate of Jayde’s, died earlier this year after a two-year bout with cancer.
HutchCC sophomore suffered death of sister during the spring By Lucas Barlow Sports Editor Hutchinson Community College sophomore Jayde Miyamoto spends most of her waking hours practicing or competing for the Blue Dragons’ soccer team. Although Miyamoto is busy juggling classes and practice, she has to be enjoying herself at the moment – her team is currently 12-1-1, and sit second place in the conference. However, Miyamoto can remember a time when life wasn’t so joyful and exciting. In 2015 Miyamoto was in her last semester of high school. She was also finishing up her last year on the Topeka Hayden’s soccer team, a team that made three state-tournament appearances in her four years. Miyamoto was also in the hospital with her sister and teammate, 15 year-old Mia Miyamoto who tore her ACL during a practice session. A few weeks later, Mia
was in the hospital again, this time for chest pains. After a series of tests, the doctor announced some of the worsts words a family could hear – Mia had terminal cancer. She was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. The family was in shock. “We just didn’t believe it,” Miyamoto said. The doctor told Miyamoto Mia she only had a short time to live and did not recommend chemotherapy. Ignoring that recommendation, Mia decided to undergo chemo straight away, telling the world that she was a fighter and she wasn’t giving up easily. Seasons changed, and Miyamoto moved to Hutchinson in the fall to begin her freshman year of
college. Mia continued the therapy into 2016 and had well outlived the initial three months the doctors gave her. Only weeks into the second semester, Miyamoto decided to move back to her hometown to be with her mother and sister and support them. She enrolled in online classes through HutchCC in order to keep her scholarship. In March, Mia had her last treatment – almost one year after being diagnosed. For almost seven months, the cancer was in remission. But grief struck once again in October when Mia found a lump on her body. Another one was found in November. Surgery was used to remove it. On Christmas Eve, a third was discovered. Afterward, Mia announced she didn’t wish to continue treatment. On Jan. 25, Mia Miyamoto died. She had battled cancer for nearly two years.
“I’ve always looked up to her even though she was my younger sister,” Miyamoto said. “Mia was fun, smart, and honestly one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.” Sharing the playing field with Mia was one of Miyamoto’s favorite experiences with her sister. “Being her teammate and being able to play with her and teach her new things meant a lot to me,” Miyamoto said. This fall, Jayde returned to HutchCC to start her sophomore year on the team. As she plays her final season, she wants to continue her soccer career, and attend the University of Kansas to further her business major. Although her sister is gone, Miyamoto still thinks about Mia all the time. “I know she’s up there looking after me, so it’s nice having her to think about during every game,” Miyamoto said. “She really encourages me to do my best.”
Blue Dragon football moves up to No. 9 after road win By Lucas Barlow Sports Editor
It’s official. The ninth-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team is now eligible for a bowl game.
The Blue Dragons haven’t been eligible since the 2014 season, as had back-to-back 5-6 seasons in 2015 and 2016. However, most notably, they have already exceeded the amount of wins of the past two seasons with a current 6-1 record. This past Saturday, Hutchinson traveled to Iowa Falls, Iowa to take on Ellsworth Community College. Coming fresh off of a bye week, the Blue Dragons cruised
past the Panthers, never behind at any point in the game. After the game was delayed because of potential severe weather, the game got rolling at 3 p.m., but the persistent showers left the grass field wet and muddy. Hutchinson went with a run-heavy approach, as they rushed for 307 yards, and passed for only 30. Sophomore Otis Williams led the charge on the ground as he picked up 122 rushing yards, a season high for him. B.J. Emmons and Dezmon Jackson both picked up 70-plus yards a piece, with 70 and 73 respectively. Quarterback
Cam Jones scored two of the three Blue Dragon touchdowns with a pair of 1-yard quarterback sneaks. Luke Niemeyer became Hutchinson’s all-time leader in field goals when he kicked a 22-yarder in the second quarter. The Blue Dragons won their fifth straight as the game ended 25-13. Saturday’s game will end homecoming week at Hutchinson as the Blue Dragons take on Butler Community College (52, 3-2 conf.). The Blue Dragons haven’t beat the Grizzlies since 2014. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff.
NJCAA Top 20 poll
First-place votes in parentheses. Jayhawk Conference teams in bold 1. Iowa Western (6) 6-1 2. Arizona Western (2) 5-0 3. Trinity Valley (1) 6-1 4. Hinds 6-0 5. Blinn 6-1 6. Northwest Mississippi 5-1 7. East Mississippi 6-1 8. Independence 6-1 9. Hutchinson 6-1 10. Jones County 6-1 11. Snow 6-1 12. Scottsdale 6-1 13. Georgia Military 5-1 14. Tyler 5-2 15. Mississippi Gulf Coast 5-2 16. Butler 5-2 17. Lackawanna 5-1 18. NE Oklahoma A&M 5-2 19. Louisburg 5-0 20. Navarro 4-3 Others Receiving Votes: Monroe College (6-1); Itawamba (4-3); Garden City (4-3); Holmes (5-2); ASA New York (51); Central Lakes (6-1).
(Oct. 8-14) Otis Williams, football The week: Williams, a sophomore RB from Tampa, Florida, had a breakout game Williams Saturday at Ellsworth, Iowa. After mustering just 178 yards in the first six games of the seaosn, Williams rushed for 122 yards on 12 carries in helping Hutchinson beat Ellsworth 25-13. Although he didn’t score a touchdown, those 122 yards amounted to more than a third of Hutchinson’s offense. The season: Williams has rushed for 300 yards and two touchdowns. He has also caught three passes this season for the 6-1 Blue Dragons.
Cross country teams wrap up regular season By Lucas Barlow Sports Editor
El Dorado was the spot of the fifth and final regular season meet for the Hutchinson Community College cross country team. The No. 13-ranked women’s team was led by freshman Sarah Patterson as she crossed the finish line 16th overall with a time of 20 minutes, 19.81 second. She joins teammates Maggie Lambert and and Aileen Gomez as top finishers this year. The Blue Dragons scored 136 points and finished fourth out of the eight teams participating. Cowley Community College dominated the race with its top six runners all placing in the top 10. Butler Community College and Allen County Community College placed second and third respectively. Men’s Cross Country - Monday’s Ollie Isom Invitational was the last chance for the men to run before the Region 6 Championship on Oct. 30 in Garden City. Freshman Connor Kaufman once again led the men’s team as he finished his eight-kilometer race in 14th place with a time of 27:17.4. Jared Stark also See Roundup, Page 4
Blue Dragon sports schedules, results. All home games, events in caps.
Cross country
Sept. 1, MASTERSON TWILIGHT CLASSIC, men 4th, women 3rd Sept. 16, at Missouri Southern State, men 9th, women 10th Sept. 30, at OSU Cowboy Jamboree, men 5th, women 7th Oct. 7, at FHSU Tiger Open, men 6th, women 6th Oct. 16, at Ollie Isom Invitational, men 5th, women 4th
Football
Aug. 28, COFFEYVILLE, W 50-42 Sept. 2, at Iowa Western, L 27-21 Sept. 9, REZOLUTION PREP, W 91-0 Sept. 16, at Garden City, W 31-28 Sept. 23, HIGHLAND, W 13-10 2OT
Sept. 30, IOWA CENTRAL, W 42-14 Oct. 14, at Ellsworth, W 25-13 Oct. 21, BUTLER, noon Oct. 27, at Independence, 6 p.m. Nov. 4, FORT SCOTT, noon Nov. 11, at Dodge City, 1 p.m.
Golf
Oct. 2-3, at Newman invitational, 6th Oct. 9-10, at Iowa Western, 4th Oct. 15-16, at NJCAA Preview Oct. 23-24, at Missouri Southern Invitational Oct. 30-31, at Dr Pepper Invitational
Men’s basketball (nonconference)
Nov. 1, FRIENDS JV, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, NORTH LAKE, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 4, NEO, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, at Tabor JV, 7:30 p.m.
Soccer
Aug. 25, NORTHEAST NEBRASKA, W 3-0 Aug. 27, TRINIDAD STATE, W 6-0 Aug. 31, ROSE STATE, W 1-0 Sept. 6, HESSTON, W 4-0 Sept. 9, BARTON, W 6-0 Sept. 13, at Pratt, W 6-0 Sept. 16, at NW Kansas Tech, W 2-1 Sept. 20, DODGE CITY, W 8-0 Sept. 23, at Garden City, W 6-0 Sept. 30, at Hesston, W 4-0 Oct. 4, at Barton, T 1-1 Oct. 6, PRATT, W 4-0 Oct. 11, NW KANSAS TECH, L 4-0 Oct. 14, GARDEN CITY, W 14-0
Oct. 18, at Dodge City, 8-0 Oct. 21, CLOUD COUNTY, 2 p.m. Oct. 23, at Cloud County, 1 p.m.
Volleyball
Aug. 25-26, at New Mexico Military tournament, 2-2 Aug. 30, GARDEN CITY, W 3-0 Sept. 1, at Cloud County, W 3-0 Sept. 6, DODGE CITY, W 3-0 Sept. 8-9, at Southern Idaho tournament, 2-2 Sept. 13, BUTLER, W 3-1 Sept. 16, at Colby, L 3-1 Sept. 18, at Barton, W 3-0 Sept. 20, at Pratt, W 3-0 Sept. 22-23, Blue Dragon Classic, 3-1 Sept. 25, at Garden City, W 3-0 Sept. 27, at Seward County, L 3-1
Sept. 29-30, at Tyler Invitational, 2-2 Oct. 4, CLOUD COUNTY, W 3-0 Oct. 9, at Butler, W 3-1 Oct. 11, BARTON, W 3-1 Oct. 13-14, at West Plains Classic, 2-2 Oct. 16, at Dodge City, W 3-0 Oct. 18, COLBY, W 3-0 Oct. 20, PRATT, 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28, at Seward County, 6:30 p.m.
Women’s basketball (nonconference)
Nov. 1, BETHANY JV, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7, LAMAR, 6 p.m. Dec. 29, Santa Fe, at Bradenton, Florida, noon Dec. 30, at Florida Southwestern, 2 p.m.