Blue Jay Tennis Coach Matt Micheel was voted by his peers as Centennial League Boys Tennis Coach of the Year. 

“It felt great knowing that my peers, the ones I go up against all the time, respected the work I put in; I think that there were a lot of deserving coaches – and I didn’t expect that I would have [won],” said Micheel.

Micheel is from a small town in Iowa where he played baseball, tennis and basketball while in highschool.

Micheel was a Men’s Tennis Coach at Missouri Western for three years, and a Men and Women’ s Tennis Coach at Chowan University in North Carolina for two years before coming to Junction City High School where he has been the head tennis coach for six years.

“When you look at overall how our program [at JCHS]  is made up, a lot of the credit has got to go to Coach Zimmerman for the work he has put in with our guys in strength and conditioning.”

Micheel humbly credits the entire Blue Jay staff for his Boys Tennis Centennial League Coach of the Year award.  The Blue Jay athletics program encourages multi-sport athletes, says Micheel, and all the coaches work together to make sure the athletes transition well from season to season, keeping in mind that the athletes have multiple areas of interest athletically.  

Micheel was especially proud of his assistant coach David Goheen, “He’s been right next to me for four years helping these guys become who they are and the athletes they’ve become. He’s done a fabulous job and needs to get recognized the same way, and I can’t be more thankful than having him as a coach next to me.”

Although, he’d hope to get more boys to the state meet, Micheel was proud of Angeleau Scott, who did make it to state and was the “first repeat boys state qualifier in over 30 years.”

Scott finished 6th in the Centennial League Singles play, tying the highest place received by a JCHS boys tennis athlete at the league championship in the six years Micheel has been coach.

“The athletes are what really made this award,” said Micheel.

What the newly voted Centennial League Coach of the year is most proud of:  “…I’ve got a bunch of consistent, great hard-working athletes that just make for an unbelievable time when you’re out on the courts and the last two years have been phenomenal.”

The  Blue Jay Boys Tennis team finished seventh at the league championships.

 

The Junction City High School track and field program will send a strong contingent to the state track meet Friday and Saturday at Cessna Stadium in Wichita.

Twenty-six athletes are making the trip, with two serving as alternates on relay teams.

Blue Jay coach Randall Zimmerman says Hannah Reynolds gets Junction City started on Friday morning. She will throw the shotput at 9 a.m. Numerous other JCHS athletes will compete Friday morning and early afternoon in the 100 hurdles, 4 x 100 boys and girls relays, boys and girls 400 meter dash prelims, girls 300 hurdles, boys and girls triple jumps, boys 300 hurdles prelims, boys and girls 200 meter dash prelims, and the boys and girls 4 x 400 relay prelims.

Finals in the events on the track are Saturday along with the 100 meter dash prelims. Field event competition is spread over both days.

KJCK AM, The Talk of JC,  and JC Post will provide coverage from Cessna Stadium both days.

The Junction City Blue Jays led top seeded Blue Valley 1-0 going into the bottom of the 5th inning in their first round matchup in the Class 6A State tournament Thursday in Lawrence.

But then the Blue Valley bats woke up and the Tigers put one run on the board in the fifth and four in the sixth enroute to a 5-1 win over Junction City.

Blue Jay coach Drew Biery said he thought his players were ready to play. “As a coach you worry about a couple things when you get to state. You worry about the shock and awe factor , you’re playing in a really nice stadium, you’re playing a team that has a lot of talent, but I thought our guys said here we go and lets’ play.”

Blue Valley got three hits and drew two walks in the bottom of the sixth to open up the four run lead.

Biery stated unfortunately the game go the Blue Jays way, “But when you look at the little things that I talk about all year our kids did a phenomenal job of that, and we’re going to hang our hat on that because that’s who we are, that’s who we’re going to be, and that’s what we’re going to be in the future.”

Junction City finished the season with a 13-10 record, while Blue Valley improved their record to 21-2.

The Junction City High School Blue Jay Baseball team begins their first round of state tournament play today at Hoglund Stadium on the University of Kansas.

The 13 and 9 Regional Champion Blue Jays will face the 6A State number one seed 20 and 2 Overland Park – Blue Valley. 

Game time is scheduled for 11:00 am with a pregame broadcast beginning at 10:47 am.

Dewey Terrill and Brian Field will be providing live coverage of the game on AM 1420 KJCK – The Talk of JC.  You can tune in from your car or office, visit kjck.com to listen live on your computer, or download the 1420 KJCK app for your smartphone.

by: DeAngela McDougald

Congratulations are in order for two Junction City High School Lady Jay softball players.

Junior Kaileigh Solis, at large, made the Second Team 2016 Centennial League Softball Team. Junior catcher, Jonna Adams earned Honorable Mention.

The Lady Jays made it as far as the first round of 6A Regionals this season before falling short to Olathe Northwest May 17th.

Also on the 2016 Centennial League Softball Team Second Team was Manhattan sophomore infielder Kenzie Smith. Freshman Haleigh Harper and sophomore Ayanna Gamble also of the Indians both earned Honorable Mention.

by: DeAngela McDougald

 

Junction City Boys Tennis Coach Matthew Micheel has been named the Centennial League Boys Tennis Coach of the Year.

Micheel coached Angeleau Scott to the 6A State Tennis Tournament this year.

Micheel could not be immediately reached for comment.  Follow-up on the story to come.

The Al Simpler Stadium at Junction City High School will be the site for the Class 6A Girls State Soccer Tournament Friday and Saturday ( May 27-28 ).

Game times Friday are 5 and 7 p.m. On Saturday the third place consolation match is scheduled at noon and the championship match at 2 p.m.

The pairings have Shawnee Mission West ( 18-0-1 ) vs. Manhattan ( 15-4 ) at 5 p.m. Friday and Washburn Rural ( 17-2 ) against Overland Park – Blue Valley West ( 15-2-2 ) at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Junction City Blue Jays, 13-9, have drawn Overland Park Blue Valley, 20-2, in the opening round of the Class 6A State Baseball Tournament. They will play at 11 a.m. Thursday at Hoglund Stadium at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

The other first round matchups find on the same side of the bracket Lawrence Free State, 17-5 vs. Derby, 17-5, and on the other side of the bracket Olathe South, 18-4, Washburn Rural, 14-8, Shawnee Mission East, 18-4, against Wichita West, 16-6.

The Blue Jays are the number eight seed in the tournament, and Overland Park Blue Valley is the number one seed. The tournament is scheduled Thursday and Friday.

The Junction City Lady Jays captured first and the Blue Jay boys third in their Class 6A Regional Track meet on Friday in Lawrence. In the process 25 JCHS athletes qualified for the State Track Meet Friday and Saturday May 27-28 in Wichita.

The top four finishers in regional meet events qualify for the state meet.

State qualifiers for Junction City at regional for the Lady Jays:

–Alana Kramer, 300 meter hurdles, 1st, 47.47

–Destiny Lemons, 300 meter hurdles, 3rd, 48.57

–Keiana Newman, 100 meter hurdles, 2nd, 15.77

–4 x 100 relay team of Jacqui Moran, Lyric Holman, Amaya Booker, Ayi-lissa Dotson, 3rd, 49.11

–4 x 400 relay team of Lyric Holman, DeisJambra Bisio, Alana Kramer, Myrissa Humphreys, 1st 4:06.74

–4 x 800 relay team, DeisJambra Bisio, Sully Soto, Briona Jensen, Myrissa Humphreys, 1st 10:03.70

–800 meter run, Myrissa Humphreys, 2nd, 2:23.31

–400 meter dash, Lyric Holman, 2nd, 1:00.53

–400 meter dash, Amaya Booker, 4th, 1:01.33.

–200 meter dash, Ayi-lissa Dotson, 3rd, 26.14

–High Jump, Ayi-lissa Dotson, 4th, 4-10.00

–Shot Put, Hannah Reynolds, 4th, Junction City 35-4.50

–Discus Throw, Hannah Reynolds, 3rd, 100-06

State qualifiers at regional for the Blue Jays:

–100 meter dash, Ta’Marche Mason, 2nd 11.27

–200 meter dash, Ta’Marche Mason, 1st, 22.51

–400 meter dash, Juwan Bush, 1st, 50.24

–300 meter hurdles, Javontez Brime, 4th, 42.82

–4 x 100 relay, Charles Winchester, Ta’Marche Mason, Dai-Jon Lopez, Ian Sanchez, 3rd 42.96

–4 x 400 relay, Juwan Bush, Ricardo Erans, Aaron Hamilton, Justin Barton, 1st, 3:24.86

–Pole Vault, Traecy Freeman, 2nd, 12-6.00

–Triple Jump, Jaylene Brime, 2nd, 44-4.00

–Shotput, Stephon Starks, 2nd, 48-6.00

Team Scores – Girls:

–Junction City                                                      96

–Lawrence Free State                                        91

–Wichita East                                                       85

–Wichita Southeast                                              80

–Washburn Rural                                                 72

–Manhattan                                                           49

–Derby                                                                    44

–Topeka High                                                         41

Team Scores – Boys:

–Derby                                                                     94

–Lawrence Free State                                           86

–Junction City                                                         78

–Topeka High                                                          75

–Washburn Rural                                                    68

–Manhattan                                                              67

–Wichita Southeast                                                  45

–Wichita East                                                            44

 

 

 

 

 

The Junction City Blue Jay baseball team has clinched a berth in the Class 6A State Baseball Tournament.

Junction City defeated Haysville – Campus 6-2 in the championship game of their Class 6A Regional Tournament on Wednesday in Wichita.

The Blue Jays improved to 13-9 on the season and will advance to the state tournament at Hoglund Stadium in Lawrence at the University of Kansas. The tournament is scheduled May 26-27.

Haysville Campus finished their season with a 14-8 record.