By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Running with fast company, Hays’ Josh Munsch made the school’s 31-year 1,600-meters record his very own on one of Kansas’ biggest regular season high school track and field stages last weekend.
The sophomore used a strong kick down the stretch to run second to Shawnee Mission South’s Scott Gillespie, who finished the event in a time of 4-minutes, 19.92-seconds. Munsch was clocked in at 4:21.99, bettering the old record of 4:24.40 set by Brad Siebel in 1977.
“I am happy that I have the fastest time but it kind of makes me nervous because I know that the other 5A guys are going to be after me,” Munsch told the Hays Daily News. “It is going to be interesting.”
Munsch’s effort undid the school’s fifth oldest mark.
Southard Stakes Pratt to Third Place Finish
Nate Southard set a new St. John Invitational record in the 400-meters and recorded a personal best in the javelin to help Pratt to a third place finish and 69 points.
The junior bettered the invitational’s 400-meter time by winning the event in 50.64-seconds and then threw the javelin to the tune of a personal best distance of 162-feet, 2-inches in a second place effort.
Southard won his second event of the meet when he raced past the field in the 200-meters with a time of 23.52-seconds and then teamed with Bryce Krehbiel, John Rowland and Paul Harris in placing second in the 1,600-relay with a time of 3:36.58.
Harris was also a double winner for the Greenbacks after breaking the tape in the 800-meter (2:06.02) and 1,600-meter (4:52.9) runs.
LaCrosse won the meet with 107 points, while Meade finished with 102.
Baseball: One-Hitter Not Enough
The first game of a doubleheader split between Frontenac’s Brett Marshall and Zach Dainty of Southeast was the ultimate pitchers duel. The two pitchers combined to strikeout 21 batters and allowed just three hits collectively.
Marshall allowed one hit over seven innings and walked four batters. But he hit Dalton Powell with a pitch to begin the opening inning, and then walked Dainty. A fielder’s choice off of the bat of Matt Renn scored Powell to put the winning run on the scoreboard. Marshall’s wild pitch then scored Dainty for an insurance run.
Dainty racked up nine strikeouts and walked eight batters on his way to the two-run win.
Frontenac earned the split and jump-started their offense in the 14-4 nightcap win.
Softball: Atchison Snaps 26-game Skid
Megan Reno went 3-for-4 from the plate and Amanda Gill pitched a two-hitter in helping Atchison snap a 26-game losing streak that stretched across two seasons, with a 10-0 win over Kansas City Schlagle in the first game of a doubleheader last week.
Following the 10-run win, the Lady Red went after the sweep and got it with a 14-4 triumph.
“It was a lot of fun, especially for the girls,” Atchison coach Steve Watkins told the Atchison Globe. “And they focused pretty quick on winning two instead of just one.”
Golf: Sawyer-led Winfield Breaks 20-Year Drought
Sam Sawyer led Winfield to a six-stroke win over the hosts at the Ark City golf tournament Friday by firing a runner-up score of 39-37 76. But a true team effort assured the Vikings of the triumph over 10 other teams in the field, while snapping a 20-year victory drought.
Four Winfield golfers placed in the tournament’s top 15 golfers. Ethan Brennan fired the second lowest Viking score of 81. Tyler Crown and Mike Rose chipped in with rounds of 86. Rounding out Winfield’s varsity scores were Taylor Snider (88) and Wilson Long (90).
“Sam had a great round,” Viking coach Richard See told the Winfield Daily Courier of his top golfer. “He was able to put together two very good nine-hole scores (39) on the front and (37) on the back. He told me afterwards that he hit almost every single fairway off the tee box. That by itself is a sure way to cut several strokes off anybody’s round.”
Swimming: Bizarre Ending Costs Olathe Northwest
An unfortunate turn of events cost Olathe Northwest and Blue Valley Northwest at the Shawnee Mission East Invitational Saturday. But it was all gold for St. Thomas Aquinas, who appeared to latch onto third place following the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Both Northwest teams jumped into the pool while other teams were finishing their races to celebrate what appeared to be an Olathe Northwest and Blue Valley Northwest 1-2 finish. Instead both teams were disqualified, and Aquinas, who swam the third fastest time, vaulted atop the podium.
According to Olathe Northwest swim coach Hank Krusen the turn of events was a comedy of errors.
“The girls were all looking at me like, ‘When are you going to blow up,’’’ Krusen told the Olathe Daily News. “I kept my game face on, but the whole time I was just thinking, ‘I’m glad it happened now and not later in the season.’’’
Northwest lost 40 points due to the premature celebration and fell to fourth in the team standings. Blue Valley Northwest was also disqualified following the relay and fell to third as a team. The hosts won the event with 368 points.
