JCHS Girls Basketball and Cheerleading Coach Resign

Junction City, KS – Nate Parks, Junction City High School girls basketball coach of two seasons,

resigned March 6, 2015. The team finished the past two seasons with a 9-33 record.

 

Yvonne Warren, Junction City High School cheerleading coach, resigned after 16 years with the squad on March 2, 2015.

 

Megan Parks, Junction City High School volleyball coach, did not have her contract renewed. The High School appreciates the time, effort and energy Megan has put into a combined 11 years with the team.

 

Resignations and non-renewals are common during this time period due to the hiring period of districts around the state. USD 475 normally starts its recruiting campaign during the March/April time frame to seek out and attract the best teachers and staff.

 

“Junction City High School appreciates the time and energy our coaches put into our students each and every day to help them improve and get better,” says Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus.

 

Junction City High School will be taking applications for its girls basketball and volleyball vacancies through the usd475.org Employment page.

USD 475 Executive Director of Communications, Hugh Davis

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs have signed long snapper James Winchester to a two- year contract, yet another move in what has turned into a massive roster overhaul this offseason.

The signing Friday came one day after the Chiefs traded a fifth-round draft pick to New Orleans for Pro Bowl offensive guard Ben Grubbs and signed offensive lineman Paul Fanaika, a former Cardinals starter.

Kansas City also signed wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and safety Tyvon Branch this week, and released veteran wide receiver Dwayne Bowe in a cost-saving move.

Kansas City now has three long snappers on the roster in Winchester, Brandon Hartson and Jorgen Hus, which means the club appears to be moving on from incumbent Thomas Gafford.

Big 12 Conference

Quarterfinals
at Sprint Center
Final Baylor 80 West Virginia 70
Final ( 1) Kansas 64 TCU 59
Final Iowa St. 69 Texas 67
Final Oklahoma 64 Oklahoma St. 49

BC-KS–Kansas Prep Scores
Thursday’s Scores
By The Associated Press
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Class 5A State Tournament
BV West 68, Shawnee Heights 49
Maize South 60, Mill Valley 52
Wichita Bishop Carroll 67, KC Washington 53
Wichita Heights 54, Kapaun Mount Carmel 51
Class 3A State Tournament
Sabetha 50, Riverton 46
Scott City 47, Cheney 44
Wellsville 59, Osage City 51
Wichita Collegiate 57, Hesston 44
Class 1A State Tournament
Caldwell 65, Wheatland-Grinnell 58
Doniphan West 49, Pratt Skyline 39
Hanover 83, Pretty Prairie 37
Hartford 67, Satanta 54
Hutchinson Central Christian 70, Ashland 67
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 57, Axtell 45
Stockton 59, Cedar Vale/Dexter 44
Wallace County 68, Fowler 44
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Class 6A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Maize 49, BV Northwest 30
SM Northwest 39, Manhattan 26
Washburn Rural 52, Olathe South 43
Wichita South 52, SM West 39
Class 4A State Tournament
Division I
Quarterfinal
Bishop Miege 68, KC Piper 52
Buhler 73, Labette County 62
Paola 66, Rose Hill 44
Topeka Hayden 41, Andale 36
Division II
Quarterfinal
Baldwin 61, Girard 44
Clay Center 50, Columbus 48, OT
Concordia 64, Wichita Trinity 48
Hugoton 54, Jefferson West 49
Class 2A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Central Plains 62, Wabaunsee 52
Meade 54, Pittsburg Colgan 51
Moundridge 47, Chase County 38
Valley Falls 52, Hill City 37

The Junction City Blue Jay wrestling team gathered at the Freshman Success Academy Thursday night for the end of the year banquet.

Reflecting back on the season the Blue Jays were able to accomplish a lot. They won their third straight Centennial League Title, finished 3rd as a team at Regional’s and sent nine wrestlers to state with six of those nine placing and the team finishing in fifth place.

“You know you want to be a state champion but that wasn’t in the picture, so you want to do the best you can and come as close as you can to that. I think finishing fifth comes pretty close to our goal,” said Head Coach Bob Laster. “Of course not everybody can complete their goals but that’s how goals work, it’s how close you can come to them.”

During the banquet Jake Bazan was voted Most Valuable Wrestler of the year, J’Quan Robinson was named Most Improved Wrestler of the year, and Max Bazan was awarded the Brandon Bramlage Outstanding Freshman of the year. The Varsity and JV King Pin awards handed out to the varsity and JV wrestler with the most pins on the season was also handed out. Jeryl Denton was this years Varsity King Pin with 29 pins, and the JV King Pin went to Troy Murray who finished the season with eight pins. Murray won a tie-breaker with Hunter Bogenhagen who also finished with eight pins, but Murray collected four of his pins in one tournament giving him the award.

Along with the season awards next years co-captains were named, Aryus Jones and Max Bazan.

This years varsity team will be graduating a number of seniors leaving plenty of open spots for next year. Coach Laster is looking to this year JV squad where he said he see’s a lot of potential,”and that’s all that you need to have. The desire needs to come from. I’m hoping that they will step it up because this was a senior oriented team. Out of the 14 guys I had on my varsity team, nine were upper classman.”

To wrap up this years banquet former Blue Jay Wrestling Head Coach Ben Bennett spoke to the team. In his message to the younger wrestlers returning next year he expressed the importance of taking advantage of any chance possible to get on the mat during the off-season as well as getting in the weight room and adding muscle.

There will be a new team in the Mid-Plains League for the 2015 season.

The league has announced the addition of the Liberty Monarchs, who will play out of Liberty, Missori beginning this summer.

The Monarchs will be run by Prodigy Baseball Academy, who operates youth and high school programs in Parkville, Missouri.

The Monarchs will play 15 games at William Jewell College’s Talley Baseball Stadium and three games at Liberty High School’s baseball field. The Monarchs will be coached by Rafi Cedeno, an assistant baseball coach at William Jewell College.

“We are very happy to expand our league footprint for the 2015 season,” said Commissioner David Streeter. “Liberty, Missouri is a great fit for our league and Prodigy is a quality organization that shares our league’s core values.”

Liberty will join the Junction City Brigade, Midwest Athletics, Rossville Rattlers, Topeka Golden Giants, Topeka Senators, and Baldwin City Blues.

“we are very excited to be the newest member of the Mid-Plains League,” said Monarchs owner Jesse McSpadden. “We have a great group of guys that are ready to get after it this summer.”

The league’s seven teams will play a 36-game regular season schedule, with a postseason playoff to follow in late July. The Junction City Brigade won the 2014 Cowdin Cup postseason championship.

 

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Dwayne Bowe on Thursday, parting ways with a fan favorite who will finish his career as the franchise’s third-leading receiver.

Bowe would have counted $14 million against the salary cap this season, a massive number for a player whose production has been on the decline. Bowe still had 60 catches for 754 yards last season, but he was part of a wide receiver corps that failed to catch a touchdown pass.

Bowe signed a $56 million, five-year contract just two years ago, one of the first big moves for general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid after taking over the franchise.

The Chiefs have already signed a replacement in Jeremy Maclin, who was introduced during a news conference Wednesday at Arrowhead Stadium.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Big 12 athletic directors are in favor of using a head-to-head tiebreaker to determine their College Football Playoff participant after TCU and Baylor were skipped over by the selection committee last season.

The athletic directors met Thursday at a hotel near the Sprint Center, the site of this week’s conference basketball tournament. While no official vote was taken, the ADs said they support using head-to-head results to determine who makes the four-team field.

TCU and Baylor both went 8-1 in the league last season, but the Bears beat the Horned Frogs in October. Rather than choose one of them, the Big 12 crowned them co-champions.

Members of the selection committee said that decision played a role in leaving both out.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – Kansas City Royals left-hander Tim Collins has undergone season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Kansas City said Thursday the 25-year-old was operated on a day earlier by Dr. James Andrews.

Collins made his spring training debut against Texas on March 4 and left after two outs. A MRI revealed ligament damage.

He topped AL relievers with 93 strikeouts in 2012, but a left flexor strain last April put him on the disabled list for a month. He went 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 22 regular-season games and had a 3.18 ERA in four postseason games, including three World Series appearances.

Collins out, Brian Flynn, Franklin Morales and Brandon Finnegan are the leading left-handed relief candidates.

BC-KS–Kansas Prep Scores
Wednesday’s Scores
By The Associated Press
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Class 6A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Lawrence 64, Wichita South 46
Olathe East 60, Olathe North 48
SM North 65, Derby 51
Wichita East 59, Maize 46
Class 4A State Tournament
Division I
Quarterfinal
Basehor-Linwood 65, Wellington 40
Bishop Miege 50, Andale 34
McPherson 66, Chanute 31
Ottawa 53, Fort Scott 44
Division II
Quarterfinal
Holcomb 59, Parsons 44
Osawatomie 63, Girard 57
Rock Creek 74, Atchison 40
Wichita Trinity 63, Hays-TMP-Marian 57
Class 2A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Central Plains 67, Jackson Heights 42
Olpe 42, Pittsburg Colgan 31
St. John 83, Ellis 41
Washington County 71, South Gray 57
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Class 5A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Blue Valley Southwest 47, Wichita Bishop Carroll 37
Kapaun Mount Carmel 55, Topeka Seaman 28
Leavenworth 49, Newton 31
St. Thomas Aquinas 56, Emporia 34
Class 3A State Tournament
Quarterfinal
Cimarron 57, Wellsville 39
Hesston 51, Galena 25
Sabetha 55, Beloit 52
Silver Lake 55, Remington 42
Class 1A State Tournament
Division I
Quarterfinal
Centralia 70, Waverly 55
Centre 46, Ingalls 38
Hoxie 71, LaCrosse 43
St. Paul 37, Thunder Ridge 32
Division II
Quarterfinal
Moscow 56, Sylvan-Lucas 42
Norwich 41, South Barber 39
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 52, Wetmore 49
Wheatland-Grinnell 48, Wallace County 36