MVP: Shawnee County High School Sports - November

Ambassadors of Sportsmanship November 2012

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stormont-vail & cotton-o’neil

three levels of care Stormont-Vail HealthCare provides a variety of levels of care. If a medical need occurs when your primary care physician is not available, you have three options: Mild

The ClinicModerate at Walmart by Stormont-Vail Severe 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays Located inside the north Topeka Walmart and providing minor health services without an appointment for patients ages 18 months and older. Staffed by advanced practice nurses and a physician assistant.

Mild

Moderate

Cotton-O’Neil ExpressCare Severe With three locations in Topeka and one in Osage City, these urgent care clinics, complete with lab and X-ray services, are available to patients of all ages who need treatment for a minor illness or injury.

You do not have to be a Cotton-O’Neil patient to be cared for at ExpressCare.

ExpressCare – Croco: 2909 S.E. Walnut Dr. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends ExpressCare – Urish: 6725 S.W. 29th St. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends ExpressCare – North: 1130 N. Kansas Ave. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays ExpressCare – Osage City: 131 W. Market 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends

Mild

Moderate

Severe

Stormont-Vail Emergency and Trauma Center Open 24 hours a day, every day, and designed for sudden, serious injury or illness. Located one block west of Eighth and Washburn.

Call Health Connections’ Ask-A-Nurse at (785) 354-5225 evenings and weekends for help finding the most appropriate level of care.

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stormontvail.org

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contents Pictured: In the air: Bri Aeschliman, senior. Base created by: Madie Carter, sophmore; Lizzy Blum, senior; Caitlin Ungerer, senior; and Sadie Kincade, junior.

4 MVP of the Game 4 Athletes in Action Tennis & Volleyball 6 Ambassadors of Sportsmanship 24 Athletes in Action Football 30 Made in Shawnee County // Warren Seitz Cover Photo: Morgan Cahill, Rossville; Morgan Koelzer, Silver Lake; Mariah Valdivia, Hayden; Desiree Abbott, Highland Park; Danielle Davenport, Seaman; Jessica Beasterfeld, Shawnee Heights; Regan Barrow, Topeka West; Christy Christensen, Topeka High; Lizzy Blum, Washburn Rural

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Thank you to Chris Grandmontagne and Warehouse 414 for providing the location for our cover shoot!

Whoops! Our apologies to Blanco and Tim O’Byrne for misspelling their last name in the October 2012 Issue of MVP.

Ambassadors of Sportsmanship 26 Very Superstitious

28 Coach Talk // Highland Park’s Ken Darting

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mvp of the game & contributors MVP of the Game is chosen by the announcers of each football game at Hummer Sports Park. They select the athlete who was most instrumental to their team.

Contributors Publisher Braden Dimick Editor-in-Chief Tara Dimick Photographer Rachel Lock

shawnee heights vs. topeka high September 21, 2012 Eli Weinbrecht, Topeka High Senior photo by David Vincent

Creative Director Jenni Ponton

manhattan vs. topeka west September 28, 2012 Jeremy Selley, Topeka West Senior photo by MVP

athletes in action // TENNIS & VOLLEYBALL

Contributing Writers J.B. Bauersfeld Mark Elliott Karen Ridder Contributing Photographer David Vincent Account Executive Tara Dimick 785.217.4836

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Publishing Company E2 Communications, Inc.

PO Box 67272 Topeka, KS 66667 785.217.4836 taradimick@gmail.com www.mvpsportsmagazine.com MVP Sports Magazine is published by E2 Communications, Inc. Reproduction or use of this publication in any manner without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

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1. Brett Fair, SR, Topeka West 2. Jodie Ladner, SO, Topeka West 3. Laura Dicus, SO, Topeka West 4. Danielle Cross, JR, Topeka High #10 & Elysia Acosta-Guerrero, JR, Topeka High #7 5. Madison Lysaught, FR, Shawnee Heights & Madison Foster, FR, Shawnee Heights 6. Kendra Houston, SR, Topeka High #4 7. Jaqueline Johnson, SR, Topeka High #2

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Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information in this publication as of press time. The publisher assumes no responsibility of any part for the content of any advertisement in this publication, including any errors and omissions there in. E2 Communications, Inc. makes no endorsement, representation or warranty regarding any goods or services advertised or listed in this publication. Listings and advertisements are provided by the subject companies. E2 Communications, Inc. shall not be responsible or liable for any inaccuracy, omission or infringement of any third party’s right therein, or for personal injury or any other damage or injury whatsoever. By placing an order for an advertisement, the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publisher against any claims relating to the advertisement.

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Senior, Seaman

Senior, Topeka High

Danielle Davenport Desiree Abbott

Senior, Highland Park

Jessica Besterfeld

Senior, Shawnee Heights

Regan Barrow Senior, Topeka West

Lizzy Blum

Junior, Silver Lake

Answer Key: A. Regan Barrow; B. Lizzy Blum; C. Morgan Cahill; D. Morgan Koelzer; E. Christy Christensen; F. Danielle Davenport; G. Jessica Beasterfeld; H. Desiree Abbott; I. Mariah Valdivia

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Morgan Koelzer

Senior, Washburn Rural

Senior, Rossville

A. Has a whole drawer in her fridge dedicated to her bacon.

B. Has had four surgeries in the last year and a half.

C. Has competed in back to back state forensics championships.

D. Won the leadership award at the National Cheer Association Camp.

E. Cast as the lead role, Elle Woods, in her high school musical "Legally Blonde."

F. Spends her weekends volunteering at Presbyterian Manor Retirement Home.

G. Won a hot dog eating contest.

H. Was just nominated homecoming queen.

I. Played violin in the Topeka Youth Symphony.

Morgan Cahill

Match the statement with the cheerleader:

Senior, Hayden

Ambassadors of good sportsmanship - that is how the Kansas State High School Athletic Association describes the mission of cheer leaders.

They are students tasked with creating positive environments at their schools. That includes turning negativity around after a bad call on the field, being willing to uphold school traditions, and finding ways to encourage sports teams.

In doing this job, cheer teams are finding ways to give back to their school and their community to improve its image and make it stronger. They volunteer inside and outside their school and spend time teaching younger kids how to have school spirit too.

It is work that extends far beyond the sidelines.

These athletic girls and boys, often practicing just as long and as hard as the football and basketball teams they encourage. Here are a few ways Shawnee County Varsity Cheer Squads are making the extra effort to stand out and stand strong.

Mariah Valdivia

Christy Christensen

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Pictured: Macy Gillum, junior; Karen Dick, cheer-mom; Katie Conley, freshmen; Rachel Day, freshman; Brooke Fairbanks, sophomore and Cassidy Gulley, sophomore.

Swaying Negativity Rossville High School

The Rossville Varsity Cheer Squad is given the task to lead others into a positive cheering environment, and gathering together for a meal before the game helps them do that.

Coach Shelley Wichman says they make every effort to sway negativity, in what can often be a tough situation. “Sometimes the call is bad, but the cheerleaders keep the atmosphere positive and cheering the boys on so they don’t get down,” says Wichman. As they attempt to be ambassadors of good sportsmanship, their own experiences on the playing field help them become positive role models.

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Pictured: Jacinta Akin, sophmore; Taylor White, freshman; Katlyn Kirkwood, sophmore; and Lauren Simon, sophomore.

Dedicated

The smaller size of Silver Lake High School means the nine girls on the team participate in a lot of activities, and many of the girls are dual sport athletes. That means the only time left for cheerleading practice is 6:00 in the morning.

Coach Bailee Quam says she is impressed with the dedication of the girls, particularly those who also play on sports teams with practice after school. “For them to go above and beyond in that way says a lot about those girls and their dedication to it,” says Quam.

Quam points out the dedication of these cheerleaders showed up this summer at camp. Though the squad came from one of the smaller schools attending NCA Camp and their squad is mostly sophomores, they were given several awards. One girl on the team won an All-American award, and the team captain was given the camp award for leadership.

The team isn’t afraid to put in long days so they can lead up spirit activities and build a stronger school community.

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Silver Lake High School

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Pictured: Hayden Cheerleaders Mariah Valdivia, senior; Glynnis Debenham, senior; Hayley Tuggle, senior; Sydney Schmidtlein, senior; and Kristin Schmidtlein, senior. Saints Cheerleaders - Emily Cochran, Mater Dei Catholic School, 8th grade; Hannah Rocha, Mater Dei Catholic School, 8th grade; Lauren Abbey, St. Matthews Catholic School, 7th grade; and Alicia Flach, Mater Dei Catholic School, 8th grade (in the air).

Leading by Example Hayden High School

While the 11-member varsity squad at Hayden High School leads team spirit at football and basketball games, they also make a unified effort to build school spirit off the field. Coach Tara Logan explains the cheer-team members serve as teachers for middle school cheerleaders on the city’s all-Catholic team, and attend their games as coaches.

Hayden’s Varsity squad shows a unified effort to build team spirit and in doing so teaches more students how to have each other’s back.

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Pictured: Isiah Brooks, junior; Demarus Kelley, senior; Desi Abbott, senior; Brittany Strayhorn, junior and Alexis Perkins, senior.

School Ambassadors The homecoming carnival at Highland Park is just one place you could find the school’s Varsity Cheer Squad giving back and serving as School Ambassadors this year. The event, which was an outreach to the community, is one of many in which the team is called on to serve as representatives of their school. In the past, they have worked with United Way of Topeka, served as tour guides, and handed out fliers at other community events.

While each member of the team is a school leader in their own right, they have earned the designation through hard work and determination, putting in the time for athletic and academic excellence. In addition to their cheer commitments, the cheer squad members are leaders in the classroom and many serve in some sort of leadership program at the school.

Coach Monica Augusto expects the team to go above and beyond, and they deliver.

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Highland Park High School

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Pictured: Quinci Summers, freshman and Katelyn Hersh, sophomore.

Building Community Spirit The Seaman Varsity cheer squad heads up a Junior Vikes clinic to teach younger kids in the district dance and cheer routines, and give them an opportunity to perform at one of the football games. It helps build a community spirit at the games and gets more people involved in supporting the team.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a squad that has been so dedicated to getting the student section involved in games,” says Coach Natalie Wolfe. “We’re trying to make an effort to build school spirit at games and pep rallies. They really show their support for all the teams.”

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Seaman High School

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Pictured: Emily Gardner, sophomore; Kami Wells, freshman; Jessi Sands, senior; Courtney White, senior; and Jessica Beasterfeld, senior.

Thinking Beyond Themselves While they cheer and raise morale for the football and basketball teams, they are also volunteering and raising money and morale for good causes. Helping with Special Olympics meets is one way Shawnee Heights varsity cheerleaders work to think beyond themselves.

In addition, the girls use some of their valuable concession sale time to promote the sales of pink cookie dough to raise money for breast cancer research. The team has also stepped up its elementary outreach this year by going and reading to younger kids. Coach Renee Dexter says, “We really want to start getting out there in the schools, meeting the kids and hopefully building spirit. It’s just a way to get connected with children outside of the high school.”

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Shawnee Heights High School

1801 SW Wanamaker Road Topeka, KS 66604 785-272-5119

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Pictured: Topeka West Cheer Squad

Giving Back

This year’s Topeka West squad has built a reputation for helping others and reaching out to the community.

Strong senior leaders decided they wanted to create school spirit by volunteering their time to do things like plant flowers, help with the Whitson elementary school carnival, and assist at zoo events.

Coach Renee Chambers says the girls have well-rounded athletic talent that could do well in competition, but seniors wanted volunteer to come first. “They are all really good girls. They felt like getting involved in the community around Topeka West,” says Chambers. So, as they have boosted team spirit on the field, they have also worked to boost the Topeka West image in the Topeka.

Being respectful and careful with their attitude towards others in the school is getting noticed. That’s why the school counselor went to the cheer squad for ideas on how to help start an anti-bullying campaign at the school. They got together and came up with the idea to sign a pledge in a public way to take a stand against bullying.

The eight-girl varsity squad is small in number, but has a creative way to build spirit and make their whole school stronger.

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Topeka West High School

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Pictured: Topeka High Cheer Squad

Upholding Tradition Before every home football game you will find the Topeka High Varsity Cheerleading team with other spirit organizations “running the halls” to raise school spirit. This tradition dates back decades. The cheerleaders, dance team, band and varsity football players, line up on the first floor at 8:45 in the morning. They run the first floor end to end, then up the stairs to the second, running it end-to-end and doing the same thing on the third floor. It is a way to create excitement about the upcoming game. It is a tradition.

Topeka High has a lot of tradition, and the twelve girls and two boys on the school’s Varsity cheer squad lead the way to keep that tradition alive. The squad carefully re-creates some chants and choreography along with the singing of school songs that have become part of what it means to be a Trojan. The cheer squad’s adherence to the traditions helps link one generation of Topeka High graduates to the next.

Coach Kandi Granado says sticking to traditions helps the cheerleaders learn respect and teach it to others. The cheer squad focuses on communication and the importance of being who they are as an individual. Tradition is not just trying to conform, but the responsibility of sticking to the routine. “It is about respecting yourself and respecting your school in an appropriate manner,” explains Granado.

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Topeka High School

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Pictured: In the air: Alyssa Neher, senior. Base created by: Madie Carter, sophomore; Caitlin Ungerer, senior; Sadie Kincade, junior; and Kendra Stindt, senior.

Advancing Athleticism Washburn Rural High School

The Varsity squad at Washburn Rural has upped its athleticism this year, and people are noticing. Coach Emily Lockhart was new in August. She saw real gymnastics talent in many of the girls, and decided to capitalize on those skills to build more difficult routines and raise the crowd’s spirit.

“I’ve tried to create an atmosphere that the girls are athletic and talented. There are still people who think cheering is just an activity, or something that doesn’t require athletic ability. My biggest goal is that I want that perception to change,” says Lockhart.

Twelve of the fourteen girls on the squad have a gymnastics background and the ability to tumble. The members of the squad have also added new skills thanks to the collegiate cheer experience and gymnastics background of the coach.

One new stunt is the Airbusk 540. It involves a cheerleader holding one leg up in the air and doing a one and a quarter turn in the air before the other members of the team catch her. It’s a college-level skill that’s thrilling the crowds. “People are noticing. I have random people in the crowds that comment and say they can tell a big difference,” says Lockhart.

This year the Washburn Rural Varsity Squad has been invited to three competitions. If they go, it will be a first for the team.

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athletes in action // FOOTBALL

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photo by David Vincent

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photo by David Vincent

1. Nick Meck, SR, Shawnee Heights #45; Zach Holmes, SO, Shawnee Heights #53 2. Topeka West Marching Band 3. Molly Hatesohl, FR, Topeka High Drumline 4. Peter Pfannenstiel, SR, Silver Lake #21 5. James Gragson, SR, Topeka High #9; & Alec Beatty, SO, Topeka High #19

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Very Superstitious...

Shawnee County athletes are no different from the pros when it comes to superstitious behaviors to ensure great play and a win for their team. Here are some of the superstitions we gathered from our local high school athletes. The names of the respondents have been removed to protect their identity!

Team Superstitions: “We do the same high five order before each game.”

“We do the hokey pokey before a game.”

“We do the same hand clasp as we walk on the field.”

“We paint our fingernails black and keep them that way all season.”

“We have our team meeting at the same time every game: 4:54.”

Sound Superstitions:

“Silence, I must have silence.”

“I listen to same playlist on my iPod® before the game.”

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Uniform Superstitions: “I sleep in my uniform the night before a game.”

“I wear the same hair style every game.”

“I have to have the same hair tie.”

“I wear the same underwear and bra for every game.”

“I tie knots in my shoelaces in the same order for each game.”

“I paint the same one fingernail with sparkles every time we play.”

“I wear socks that say “confidence” in every game.”

“I need to wear a small safety pin hidden in the left bottom corner of my uniform.”

Food Superstitions:: Before each game: “Strawberries.”

“Snickers®.”

“Two bananas.”

The night before every game: “Chinese food.”

“Hot dogs and cheese puffs.”

“Teddy Grahams®.”

random Superstitions: “I have to fart before an event.”

“I sit in the same spot on the bench every game.”

“The morning before a game, I have to shampoo and condition twice.”

“I have to pray before the game.”

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COACH TALK Mark Elliott of WIBW 580 AM Sportstalk interviews Highland Park High School’s Head Basketball Coach Ken Darting.

Elliott: Coach Darting, let’s start from the beginning.

Darting: I started high school at St. George High School, which is now Rock Creek. I was the starting quarterback as a freshman. After my junior year of football we transferred out to Wamego, which was a little bigger. I always wanted to go to Manhattan High, but it was overcrowded and they didn’t

take out of district kids.

I went from football to basketball; at St. George we had baseball, at Wamego we didn’t have baseball, so I ran track. Back in those days you didn’t play for a scholarship, you didn’t play for All-State; it was just the fun thing to do. It’s been my life, and I love it.

College, same thing, I went to junior college and played football, basketball, and ran

It’s an envy of every coach to have parents like this… Run ‘em, yell at ‘em, do whatever, but make them successful.

And if you’re doing that, you’ll have their support forever. track. I went on to Emporia State planning to play baseball and basketball. But as you know when you get to that level, no matter what they tell you when you get there, eventually they’re going to guide you one way or the other. So I decided to concentrate on baseball.

When I finished, my baseball coach at Emporia wanted me to stay as a grad assistant. I loved to play baseball, but I never had any desire to coach baseball.

My first job offer was a ninth grade teaching job and the ninth grade basketball coach at Silver Lake. C.J. Hamilton and I had been good friends in college, so I ended up helping him in football and he helped me in basketball. He had baseball in the spring and I had

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track. It turned out to be a great working situation.

Elliott: You were also at Allen County Community College.

Darting: When I decided that I wanted to go the college route, I was about 35, which is a little late to start. So, I went back to K-State and was with Jack Hartman for a year as a grad assistant and then went to Allen County for nine years. I saw a lot of things I didn’t like about that level, outside of basketball.

And I also saw that it was not conducive to being a husband or father. High school coaching is the same as college with the exception of possible fame and fortune, and you don’t get to watch young guys become men. Also, one thing you can never do is go back and watch your own kids grow up.

You always want to compete against the best, but as you get older, you realize that’s all egos. So, I came back to the high school level when Kerry (Ken’s son) got in high school. I wanted to watch him play.

When I resigned at Allen County to come back to Silver Lake, the first note I got was from Roy Williams, and he stated how much he admired my decision. He said he would have missed his son’s state championship game if KU had not been upset in the Big 8 Tournament. And as it was, I think he said he saw him play seven games. I can’t even imagine not watching.

Elliott: You have one state championship at Silver

Lake, 1981, four state championships in seven years at Highland Park, and this year the Highland Park Scots for the first time are going to drop down a class to 4A. It seems like the Highland Park Scot family is a little disappointed they’re going down to 4A, but does it really matter?

Darting: Well, we are disappointed, and it does have a lot to do with those rivalries, but with that said McPherson dropped to 4A last year, which is a big rival, and Miege will probably drop next year. But it’s like a bad referee’s call, there’s nothing you can do about it. So you’re 4A—you quit pouting, get over it and go to work. There will be plenty of competition, and it really doesn’t change except post season. We’re going to be playing in the Centennial League and we’re still going to go play in Blue Valley’s tournament.

Elliott: Most coaches LIKE when they’re players play more than one sport.

Darting: I do. I remember in junior college, my final football game was in a snowstorm in Pratt, Kansas and my coaches loaded me in the car and drove me to Garden City for the first basketball game. I was freezing cold and miserable and man, I got to the arena and got dressed in the locker room and it was like I couldn’t wait to get going, everything was good.

I’ve been trying since I’ve been here to get kids out for football.

This year I only have two varsity players that aren’t playing either soccer or football.

Elliott: Highland Park, a different place than Silver Lake without question. I know Highland Park has become very special to you and to Karen (Ken’s wife).

The kids and the stories, the successes and the sadness at times. Highland Park, what makes it so special to you?

Darting: Well, I think you kind of summed it up. You’ve got such a depressed economy, and when I say depressed I mean most of them are poverty or near poverty. There just isn’t a lot of great wonderful happy things going on in their lives.

I’ve had so many kids tell me when I talk to them about college, “Oh coach there’s no way I can go to college, nobody in my family has ever been to college.” So the biggest thing I had to overcome here was just teaching kids to dream. Here kids don’t even think about college. They might think about NBA basketball, but they don’t think about college. So the old saying “perceive it, believe it, and achieve it.” If you can’t perceive it, then you can’t believe in it, so you certainly can’t achieve it.

I’ve got Kyle Weems, college graduate playing in Germany.

Theron Wilson, college graduate, playing basketball in Australia. Lamont Austin, who had a whole bunch of trying times through his teen years, now a college graduate from Morehead State, beat Louisville in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.

Adrian Herrera, academic all-American and a Pitt State graduate. This year we’ll have six or seven more.

Here you have a chance to really guide and direct. Here you have to be a lot tougher because they don’t believe.

People have a tendency on the outside to say “you can’t do anything with those kids, they

don’t care.” “Those kids” care just like Silver Lake kids care or anybody else, but they’ve got to be made to believe that they can have what Silver Lake has and what Washburn Rural has, and it doesn’t come easy.

Elliott: I love doing the radio.

I always like to take my headset off just to hear what you’re saying in the huddles.

Early in your Highland Park career it was one of the moms that came right to your defense. That’s a great story.

Darting: It’s an envy of every coach to have parents like this.

And they are like this. The young man was Buster Miller, who I adored. But he was playing terrible and I spent the whole timeout just ripping his head off and his mother was sitting about three rows up and she heard everything I said. We broke and went back out on the floor and she stands up and yells, “That’s right Coach D! I wouldn’t have even brought his butt if I had known he was going to play like this.”

That’s a story that’s hard for any coach in today’s society to believe. But that’s what I’ve had here. Parents that trust their kids to you and as long as you maintain that trust they’ll turn them over to you. Run ‘em, yell at ‘em, do whatever, but make them successful. And if you’re doing that, you’ll have their support forever. So I’ve never had such a wonderful parent support group.

This summer every senior I have had here in the last 10 to 12 years was back playing with us in the gym. (Karen and I) are godfathers and godmothers of a bunch of babies, we get invited to a bunch of weddings, and unfortunately we’ve attended too many funerals. It’s a group of kids that are just waiting for enough people to care and really get them pointed in the right direction; they’ll do the rest.

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MADE IN SHAWNEE COUNTY JB BAUERSFELD, WIBW-TV SPORTS ANCHOR, TALKS WITH FORMER TOPEKA WEST ALL-STAR WARREN SEITZ. Warren Seitz graduated from Topeka West High School in 1981 where he excelled in football, basketball, and track and field. Seitz went on to a successful collegiate career at the University of Missouri before playing professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants.

He led his alma mater to the State Championship game as a coach and is currently the head football coach and athletic director at Nemaha Valley in Seneca, Kansas.

JB: What was it like to be a three-sport athlete in the late 70’s/early 80’s at Topeka West?

WS: It was fantastic, we had great coaches, it was a great atmosphere, and there were a lot of good athletes, so we had a lot of success. Frank Walton (football) really got that program turned around; and in track, Joe Schrag was there, so it was a lot of fun.

JB: How was Topeka West different from your playing days to your coaching days?

WS: I think that the students at West have changed, as they have at a lot of schools throughout the state. There’s a lot more things for kids to do. Basketball and other sports have become more a part of the summer. The culture in general changed a lot from the time I (played) there to the time I went back and coached.

JB: What made you want to come back to Kansas to coach?

WS: I think I came back to Kansas and, specifically, Topeka right away because that’s the area that I knew best after I was finished playing football. I didn’t know what I really wanted to do, so I got into coaching as an assistant over at Highland Park my first year. I really enjoyed working with the kids, and I really enjoyed being a part of athletics. So, it was an easy fit for me to get back into teaching and coaching.

I was asked to come back over to Topeka West by Frank Walton and be an assistant of his. It was a progression that I wanted to take, and it worked out for me.

JB: That was the first time.

More recently, you coached (baseball) in Moberly, Missouri; why did you decide to come back to Kansas and Nemaha Valley?

WS: When I originally went over to Missouri, I decided

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that that I was going to coach baseball for three years. I really wanted to get back into football number one. The second part of that is I had gotten my Masters in Athletic Administration so I wanted to be an AD at some point in time. Then the Nemaha Valley job opened up, it allowed me to do both. Plus, my parents and my wife’s parents live in Topeka. It was a good fit and I’m really happy.

JB: How do you think your pro career has affected the way you coach football?

WS: At first, I think it might have affected the X’s and O’s a little bit. As I’ve gone on, high school is a lot different than college football and professional football. More than anything, I think it’s gotten my foot in the door with some job opportunities in knowing a lot of people in the coaching profession.

JB: What advice would you have for kids who want to get to the highest level?

WS: Obviously, a lot of it is God-given talent. Right now they base a lot of stuff on how fast you are and how big you are. But even if you can’t have a professional career; I think if you work hard and do the things that you are supposed to and train and lift weights, there are a lot of different levels: Division I, Division I-AA, Division II. Especially in Kansas, the opportunity to play sports and football specifically (even at a Junior College), is there. It’s just whether you make the most out

of that opportunity.

JB: You played multiple sports in high school; can you weigh the pros and cons of doing that today?

WS: The advantages are: (1) it’s almost like cross training. If you play football and basketball you get all of the footwork stuff in basketball. In baseball, you do different eye-hand coordination things, and you have to be an all-around athlete to do that or track with the speed. (2) Being a part of a team, your teammates are different in each sport. (3) The other thing I think is important is putting yourself in competitive situations in multiple sports. That helps you to be successful when it comes down to the last minute of the game, you want the ball.

It’s just so hard to do everything (now). There are a lot of people tugging at the coat tails of high school athletes. Football coaches think that they should lift weights and play seven-on-seven and go to team camps, basketball there’s all these leagues all summer and, of course, I always grew up thinking summer was for baseball.

So it’s really difficult for a kid to do all three and be what they can. I applaud the kids that go out and do that; and those athletes we need, more than ever, in the small towns because those same, few kids are the ones that carry the torch in every sport.

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