Couple goes all out for October holiday
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
Childhood memories are often a powerful motivational tool as an adult.
Need proof?
Just stop by the home of Joycee and Tony Francisco at 9929 Countryside Road on Oct. 31.
“When I was young, my mom hated Halloween,” Joycee said. “We never got new costumes. We had to wear hand-me-downs and the boxed store-bought ones, which I collect now.”
Those memories made Joycee swear her own kids would have the best handmade costumes; that they would have memories of wonderful Halloweens. Now, she and her husband help make Halloween memorable for all Lenexa trick-or-treaters.
“My favorite part of the night is the little kids coming and being so proud of their costumes,” Tony said.
For any Halloween-loving child, walking up the front steps of the Francisco home must be like taking a trip to a wonderland. Every inch of the house, which recently took first place in the city’s Halloween decorating contest, is transformed.
The front yard is now a cemetery, complete with headstones from the set of the 1992 Kiefer Sutherland film “Article 99.” The two garages become a witch’s den and mad scientist’s laboratory, and the interior is filled with every type of Halloween memorabilia imaginable.
“It’s just fun,” Joycee said of why they go to such lengths.
“We like to give of ourselves on Halloween,” Tony added.
Evidence of their dedication is everywhere.
The decorations, they said, take approximately a month to put up and a month to take down.
Married on Halloween in 1998, the couple decides to forgo a more traditional anniversary celebration each year. Instead, they cater to the hundreds of trick-or-treaters that visit their home.
In fact, Joycee’s wedding ring, designed by Tony himself, features a broom, a bat, and a cauldron filled with diamonds.
“We’ll give tours,” Joycee said. “We let anybody who shows an interest, who’s out in our yard, tour our house.”
The last trick-or-treater will ring their doorbell sometime around 10 p.m., they said, and it’s often a teenager impressed by the decor. They’re still looking for candy, of course, but Joycee isn’t about to let them off the hook that easily.
“When a teenager comes with no costume, I’ll say ‘What are you?’” she said. “They’ll come up with some story, but I always say ‘what are you’ because I prefer them to be in costume if they’re trick or treating.”
Almost as popular as the candy and the atmosphere is the authentic movie popcorn that Tony makes throughout the night. Using a classic popcorn machine that was a gift from a friend, he makes it complete with the Flavacon salt found in theaters, to give trick-or-treaters an added bonus. The Franciscos even give it to their neighbors and friends in individual tins as gifts, which they’re quick to bring back for refills.
“All night long I’m making popcorn as fast as I can, giving it out, giving out candy, and filling people’s cans,” Tony Francisco added.
The Franciscos said while the the thought has crossed their minds once or twice, they have no intention of stopping the annual decorating any time soon. For Lenexa trick-or-treaters, that’s some very good news indeed.

Retired colonel begins community effort to send care packages to military personnel in Iraq
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
Sidney Linver, a retired colonel in the United States Army, walked through the parking lot at Oak Park Mall when an object on the ground caught his attention. He recognized it as one of the magnetized yellow ribbons that adorn the back of many vehicles across the country in support for the troops in Iraq.
“When I picked it up, the yellow ribbon had written on it in red ‘Support the Chiefs,’” Linver said. “So I said, ‘What is all this about?’”
Finding that ribbon set Linver’s mental wheels turning. Many of his friends sported the yellow ribbons on the back of their own vehicles, but after speaking with them Linver discovered that the support often ended there, and not out of a lack of desire to do more. The ribbons, they told him, were all they knew how to do.
So Linver set out to create a way for troops to obtain a few necessities from back home; things that they might not have access to while on deployment in Iraq. The project, which he named “Platoons Forward,” provides a tangible way for people to show their support for soldiers fighting in the Middle East.
After speaking with some colleagues at Fort Leavenworth, where he works occasionly as an instructor, Linver contacted Ist Sgt. Jim Naughton of C Company, 2nd Infantry Unit, 12th Battalion. Units such as Naughton’s are the ones responsible for patrolling Iraqi streets and are often away from the comforts of the forward operating base for extended times. Project Platoons Forward supports Naughton’s group and another within 12th Battalion, 1st Sgt. Riley Burdine and A Company, exclusively.
“They really are at the point of the bayonet,” Linver said. “All they have is what they can carry on their backs.”
The list of what troops need is comprised of simple, everyday items — things like socks, snacks, hand-warmers and hygiene products. The project is conducted in partnership with VFW Post 7397, 9550 Pflumm Road, and the response has been positive, Linver said.
More than 20 boxes have been sent overseas, all stuffed to the brim with the requested goods.
With the holidays approaching, Linver said the emotional impact of receiving a gift from home can be as important as the gift itself. While serving two tours in Vietnam back in the late 1960s, he said soldiers looked forward to the mailbag coming off the supply helicopters.
“A package from home, a letter from home. That makes your day,” he said. “It makes your week, depending on how often it comes in.”
For more information on the two units the project supports and information on how to make donations to Project Platoons Forward, call Isadore Hoehn at VFW Post 7397, 913-492-2244.

Young entrepreneurs open venture in niche market
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
Innovative dreams and ideas are common with teenagers. What is uncommon, however, is when one of those ideas comes equipped with enough staying power to see it through the long haul.
But the first leg of that long haul is exactly what brothers Chris and Matt Matsch, and their friend Shane Schulze are ready to complete. Aged 20, 18, and 19 respectively, the young entrepreneurs will open the doors of their business venture, Ride 4ever Sports, this weekend.
The store, located within the All-American Indoor Sports complex at 8875 Rosehill Road in Lenexa, is the culmination of an idea that began while the trio was on vacation.
“We always had crazy ideas to do things,” Schulze said. “We actually went through with one of them, which is surprising. But it’s been fun.”
Ride 4ever Sports will specialize in seasonal action sports equipment and apparel. With the winter season approaching, the store will feature snowboards, jackets, pants, goggles and a variety of other items one might need to hit the slopes.
“We’ve got longboards, skateboards, wakeboards, swimsuits and stuff like that in the Summer,” Chris Matsch explained. “We’re going to do all around action sports, all year round.”
Everything within the location bears the boys’ imprint.
What used to be three separate rooms, containing laser tag, an office and an arcade has been transformed into a singular retail space, filled with wooden shelving and flooring created and installed by the trio themselves.
They’ve been fortunate to have a solid foundation from which to build, however, which is something all three are quick to point out.
Ron Matsch, Chris and Matt’s father, is one of the founders of Discovery Zone, and he has provided insight and advice on starting a business along the way. In fact, all of their parents have worked hard to support them in a variety of ways, from interior design to computer installation and old-fashioned elbow grease.
And there have been times when that support was necessary. One of the more difficult aspects of starting the business, Matt Matsch said, was convincing outdoor clothing and equipment companies to allow the boys to market their goods.
“Some of the bigger companies have blown us off completely,” he said. “It’s been a process definitely.”
Their passion and enthusiasm ultimately proved infectious. Not only were they able to convince several companies to market with them, but other business owners have been impressed by what they’re doing.
“We’ll start talking to people (at conventions and expos) and they’ll be like ‘What are you guys doing here?” Matt Matsch explained. “We’ll start talking about the business, and they’ll get really excited for us.”
The boys hope this store only is the first piece of the puzzle. They want to expand their business onto the Internet, design their own product line and add more stores if the opportunity should present itself.
There’s an even larger goal.
“As far as this place goes, you can definitely get more kids involved in the sports and just grow the community around it,” Chris Matsch said. “That’s my major goal for this store.”
The process has provided them with a wealth of experience and has taught them a great deal about responsibility and time management, they said. But perhaps most importantly, it gives them a chance to carve out their own path in life.
“Sitting behind a desk for a 9 to 5 job, that’s not something I’ve ever looked forward to,” Schulze said. “(The business) is something I can be more creative and more passionate about and be more involved.
“Really, the sky’s the limit on how much you can get involved.”

Dancers enjoy music, social atmosphere
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
Sometimes, happiness can be something as simple as a quick beat, a smooth melody and a turn around the dance floor.
Isabel Holden knows this well. She’s been a regular at the senior citizens dance — held every Monday at the Lenexa Community Center, for the last three or four years. Ask her why she keeps coming back, and she’ll answer in no uncertain terms.
“Because it’s fun,” she said. “They have a good band here; KC Swing is great.” Holden also cited the friendly people and noted the availability of dance partners. “I have a good time and I have somebody to dance with. That’s what I come for,” she said.
Holden isn’t alone in her toe-tapping hobby; far from it, in fact. In November, there are 38 dances catering primarily to Kansas City area senior citizens. KC Swing is slated to perform nine times, including a weekly stop at the Lenexa Community Center.
Dick Krueger is the bass player for KC Swing. He knows that while people do come for the camaraderie and the exercise that social dancing provides, the band’s blend of 1930s and ‘40s swing music plays just as big a role.
“These people have been dancing to these same tunes since they were kids,” Krueger said. “Same tunes, same music. They were there when it was new, and it just stays with you.”
Krueger is a founding member of KC Swing, as is band leader Jack Young. KC Swing’s oldest member at 78, Young said that his band’s popularity was no accident.
“We know that’s what these people want,” he said. “They’re there to dance, and they want a good strong beat and a good melody.”
Young started out in music himself when he was 16, playing gigs at roadhouses until the early hours of the morning. Most of the members of KC Swing have been musicians their entire lives, he said, and they continued to play the music of their adolescence simply because it was something they enjoyed.
“It’s fun,” Krueger said. “Music is fun. We’ve all been playing this music for years.”
The importance of these dances as social outlets can’t be denied either. Take the example of Leda Butel and Mel Stutheit. After meeting in the last year, during which both lost their respective spouses, Butel and Stutheit were looking for a way they could have fun together. Dancing at the community center proved to be just what the doctor ordered.
“The first time I stepped on the floor (with her),” Stutheit said, “it was just like we had danced forever.”
“I think it will last forever,” Krueger said of the music. “People say ‘that will probably die out.’ I don’t think so. I think good music lasts forever, and those tunes are good.”

SM West student honored for journalistic endeavor
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
As the managing editor of Shawnee Mission West High School’s bi-monthly student newsmagazine, The Epic, senior Britany Riley has both seen and written her fair share of content.
A member of the magazine’s staff since her sophomore year, Riley developed a love for the little guy, so to speak, in the world of high school news.
“I really enjoy just being able to tell people something they didn’t know,” she said. “I like doing stories that matter.”
Any story involving Kelsey Smith, and the tragic situation surrounding her death, is sure to fall into that category. On Oct. 1, the Ali Kemp Foundation conducted a self-defense class at Shawnee Mission West for students, their sisters, and their mothers. Looking for the topic of her next editorial, Riley decided to encourage students to attend, as well as lay out some key tips for self-defense and self-awareness, in a piece titled “Smith, Self-Defense, and Safety.”
Riley said the piece presented some challenges, but that she wanted people to know about the class, which she felt was essential.
“I did know Kelsey,” she said. “And so it was just kind of a hard one to write.”
The opinion-piece caught the attention of Amy Morgan, the paper’s staff advisor, who submitted it to the Kansas Scholastic Press Association’s “Story of the Month” competition, unbeknownst to Riley. September’s category was editorials, and “Smith, Self-Defense, and Safety” took home the prize. Riley, who recently learned she won the award, said Morgan connected with the newsmagazine’s staff.
“She’s such a great sponsor,” she said. “She’s younger, so she really kind of understands what’s going on with us.”
The Epic is popular with the Shawnee Mission West community, which Riley attributed to the dedication of the newsmagazine’s student staff.
“I think we have one of the better papers in the area. We just work really hard on it, and there’s a lot of fun stuff.”

Run/walk to benefit after-graduation activities for seniors
Arley Hoskin | Staff Writer
Mascots from Olathe’s four high schools will unite Nov. 4 for the second annual Run With the Birds at Olathe Northwest High School.
The four schools will divide the proceeds from the fundraising event to help each one provide safe after-graduation activities.
“The purpose is to keep (seniors) in a safe environment, away from drugs and alcohol and yet have a lot of fun,” said Janet Stanley, the Olathe Northwest parent who organized the run.
Olathe parents have sponsored Project Graduation activities for 17 years. These activities offer seniors an all-night alternative to after-graduation parties.
“It is one of the most wonderful ideas that has ever been done,” said Becky Gordan, co-chair of Olathe East’s Project Graduation.
Gordan lost her niece to a drunken driving accident in Colorado. Gordan said the 17-year-old girl was coming home from an after-graduation party when the accident occurred.
“(Project Graduation) is very dear to my heart,” Gordan said.
Parents hope to raise at least $4,000 at the event. The race costs $20 per person for people who register by Oct. 25. The cost after Oct. 25 is $25.
“It’s not a timed race. It’s more of a fun-run,” Stanley said. “People that enter get their name put in for prizes at the end of the race.”
Stanley volunteered for the Project Graduation fundraiser because her son is a senior at Olathe Northwest.
“I want him to remember the night of his graduation in a safe environment and not have to worry about what he’s doing,” Stanley said.
Joan Huston, Olathe Northwest’s Project Graduation co-chair, said Northwest’s event will cost about $25,000.
“That figure will depend on prizes that are available for kids too,” Huston said. “We like to provide gift cards for the kids and different types of prizes.”
Northwest plans to rent Dave and Busters from 12 to 5 a.m. at the Legends at Village West on graduation night.
“There are all sorts of activities out there for kids to do,” Huston said.
Parents at each high school plan an activity for their students. The high schools do separate and joint fundraisers throughout the year to pay for Project Graduation activities.
“It’s a project that parents really need to get involved with,” Gordan said. “It’s not school supported. It’s parent supported.”
Nan Schaper, Olathe Northwest’s other Project Graduation co-chair, has been involved with Project Graduation before with her older children. Schaper said the events benefit everyone.
“It’s a great bonding experience (for students), and then the parents don’t have to worry about anything,” Schaper said.
To register early for Run With the Birds, people can go to www.active.com and search for “run with the birds.”

— Contact Arley Hoskin at 764-2211, ext. 133, or ahoskin@theolathenews.com.

Family provides safe haven for foster care children
Aaron Cedeño | Staff Writer
Lenexa resident Joni Stout understands a fundamental truth about growing up, and taking on the responsibilities of being a parent. It’s a truth that she’s trying to impart to Braxton, her own 13-year old son.
“When you grow up, you don’t just live your life for yourself,” she said. “You live your life giving back.”
By those standards, Stout was forced to grow up at a very early age, as she helped her single-parent mother raise her sister. That experience would serve her well later in life, as she went on to become a single parent herself and, thanks to an incident three years ago, a foster parent.
“About three years ago (Braxton) was playing on a basketball team and there was a kiddo that was all of a sudden gone from the team, and we didn’t know why,” Stout remembered.
The boy had been placed in foster care by Social and Rehabilitation Services. Stout said that she knew he was having some issues at home, but not that they were that severe. As a result, she decided to look into foster care as her way of giving back.
“Even though I was a single parent, I’m a strong single parent,” she said. “I wanted to do it, and so I wanted to look into it and see what it took.”
What it took was 30 hours of training, as well as meeting other criteria, to become licensed with KVC Behavioral Health Care. Since obtaining that license a year ago, Stout has opened her home to foster children and along with her boyfriend, Derrick Bowen, provides safety, shelter, and stability during what is often a tumultuous time in the child’s life. Bowen, who also volunteers in the community as a basketball coach, is currently in the process of obtaining his own individual license with KVC. He said that foster kids were often looking for compassion above all else.
“Especially if they came from a bad situation where there was abuse or anything like that,” he said. “They want to be able to come in and see that they’re going to be loved, and not abused.”
Stout said that there is always a need for more foster families, especially those willing to take in teenagers. Everyone wants a baby, she explained, but it’s often teenagers that are the most complex and in need of care. Among the necessary qualities essential in a prospective foster parent, Bowen said “understanding” was paramount.
“That’s probably the biggest one,” he said. “You have to be understanding of them and their situation. If you’re not, it will backfire in your face very fast.”
Stout said that one of the most difficult aspects of foster care also happened to be the best. The bond that is formed, even if it’s over a matter of a few weeks, is one that she described as lifelong, and when the children are moved from her care to a more permanent situation, the transition can be tough. Even so, she and Bowen plan on continuing their roles as foster parents for the foreseeable future.
“Without my family and my friends supporting me as a single parent, I wouldn’t be where I’m at either,” she said. “Without my job, without all this stuff. That’s when you’re blessed.”
“I like being a mom,” she continued. “Why wouldn’t I want to be a mom to other kids?”
For more information on becoming a foster parent, contact KVC at 913-322-4900, or visit www.kvc.org.

Longtime gymnastics coaches poised to ride into sunset
Tod Palmer | Sports Editor
The Sunflower League gymnastics scene, and the state’s for that matter, won’t be the same after the season wraps.
For 35 years now, two coaches in the Shawnee Mission district have been staples.
Janice Baker at SM Northwest and Janine Sisk at SM West took over their respective programs for the 1973-74 school year. And both have been fixtures since.
“I never imagined I’d be here so long, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess,” Baker said Oct. 17 at the league gymnastics meet.
The Sisk-Baker era soon will come to an end, however, when both coaches retire following the season.
“This is a very physical sport for a coach,” Sisk said. “It’s not like you’re on the sideline, yelling at your kids. You are in there spotting. I’ve had my nose broken three times. I’ve torn a rotator cuff. There’s always something. I had a couple surgeries last spring that are associated with this kind of wear and tear, and it gets to you. I want to be able to sleep all night long without pain.”
Baker indicated that her health — specifically arthritis — also played a role in her decision, but so did the desire to spend more time with her four grandsons and husband, who also will retire soon.
It’s not an easy choice, especially considering the success both coaches have had and the legacies they leave in their wake.
Baker guided the Cougars to seven state championships (1985, 1986, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001), while Sisk oversaw the Vikings’ three Kansas titles (1983, 1984, 1987).
Counting up titles, though, misses the mark a bit when defining the legacy Baker and Sisk leave behind.
“Anybody who really knows her (Baker) knows she such a nice person and such a warm-hearted person,” Cougars junior Natasha Mings said. “She’s always been someone I go to and talk to, and she’s just been very supportive.”
In many ways, Baker has been like a mother figure, SMNW senior Haley Hoffman said.
“She works on you with your peer life and not just gymnastics,” Hoffman said. “I’m sad to see her go, but I’m glad she got to stay for my senior year.”
Baker held off retirement one year to see the Cougars’ six seniors — Hoffman, Christen Botteron, Brooke Kissinger, Stephanie Serda, Jenny Hinkle and Jenny Jobe — wrap up their high school careers.
It’s the love of the athletes in their charge that made Sisk and Baker stick around so long.
“It’s going to be a lot different,” Mings said. “She’s always brought a lot of fun to the team. It’s going to be hard not having her around. She is always happy no matter how we’re doing at meets and always full of motivation.”
Of course, that’s what makes it hard to step away too.
“I love my kids,” said Sisk, who will continue teaching at SM West. “It’s a hard decision to make, but I think it’s just time to let some new blood come in.”
Baker will miss watching her athletes mature into young women over their four years in the program most.
“It’s more than gymnastics,” Baker said. “Coaching is developing character in kids — developing athletics, but also developing character, confidence, determination, how to overcome disappointment and how to succeed with humility.”
Everything won’t be missed, of course.
“I probably won’t miss the hours,” Sisk said. “The meets for gymnastics are very long and involved, but the girls are a lot of fun and I enjoy the other coaches.”
Kansas gymnastics has become a tight-knit family in recent years as the number of programs dwindled and a dedicated few have kept the sport alive in the state.
Baker and Sisk have been at the forefront, but the duo are set to ride off into the sunset.
Sisk’s career came to a close Oct. 23 at the regional meet, where SM West failed to qualify for state.
Baker has another few weeks with her kids in preparation for the Kansas state tournament Nov. 3 in Hutchinson.
Adorned with pumpkin antennae atop green pipe cleaners on orange headbands, the Cougars posed for pictures after finishing second behind Olathe East at the regional meet, which earned SM Northwest a berth at state.
The Cougars even closed the gap on the Hawks, widely considered the front-runners for a state title.
After three straight fourth-place finishes at state, SM Northwest hopes to at least return from south central Kansas with some hardware in a couple weekends.
If it’s in the cards, a state title would be an epic sendoff for Baker.
“There’s nothing we’d like more,” Hoffman said. “It would mean a lot to her.”

— Contact Tod Palmer at 764-2211, Ext. 140, or todpalmer@theolathenews.com.

Running Raiders earn state berths
Tod Palmer | Sports Editor
The Shawnee Mission South cross country program’s goal all season was to return its boys and girls squads to state.
The Raiders were able to achieve that feat Oct. 20 at Shawnee Mission Park where both teams did well enough during the Class 6A regional meet to return to state.
The boys cruised to a regional championship by 24 points over runner-up Olathe East, while the girls finished third behind Olathe East and Blue Valley Northwest in the state’s toughest regional.
Now, if only SM South can sustain the momentum built and improve on last season’s finishes.
The Raiders boys and girls both placed fifth a year ago.
But fifth won’t do in 2007.
“Last year, we expected to be on the podium, so it was pretty disappointing,” said senior Jon Sanell, the boys regional champion. “This year we want to be on the podium for sure. We’d like to get at least a strong second place and, if we have a really great day, maybe first place.”
SM Northwest, of course, has dominated Kansas cross country on the boys side in recent years.
The Cougars, who won the Washburn Rural regional, have won the last 14 6A titles.
SM South is conceding nothing with state on the horizon Oct. 27 at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence.
“We feel this is the strongest team South has had in quite a while,” Sanell said.
The Raiders’ depth took a hit just before the regional when senior Austin Bruss was injured, but the team didn’t miss a beat.
Senior Jake Taylor finished second behind Sanell and hopes for a repeat performance at state.
“I think we can go one-two again,” Taylor said. “If we want to, we can do it. I’m positive we can do it.”
Of course, that’s not the primary goal.
“It’s cool to win, but I’m a lot happier that we won as a team,” Sanell said of his performance at the regional. “It’s the same thing with state. If someone on our team won state, it wouldn’t mean as much unless we won as a team.”
Two other Raiders in the medals. Sophomore Andrew Stevens placed fourth and junior Peter Friedel crossed the line seventh.
“Shawnee Mission Northwest has such great depth that it’s going to be hard to overcome,” SM South coach Bruce DuFresne said. “I’ve got four great runners. My fifth runner Jon Coler really stepped up, and if he can continue that, I’d like to think we can give them a race.”
In Bruss’ absence, Coler, a junior, finished 27th.
“I think our top four guys can beat their top four easy,” Taylor said. “If (Coler) finishes pretty high again, we’ve got a chance to win state.”
DuFresne believes his girls have a shot at a title too.
Manhattan, Olathe East and BV Northwest are formidable teams, but SM South has been in the mix with those squads all season.
“Nothing much changes on the girls side going to state,” DuFresne said. “It’s still going to be a very tight race. There are six teams that could win a state title.”
Free State and SM Northwest also will be in the running at state.
“We hoped to do better as a team, but just getting third and going to state is huge for us,” said senior Kristen Gillespie, who led the Raiders with a fourth-place finish. “Hopefully, we can build off this and do even better at state.”
SM South’s Hayley Cline wound up 11th, while Haley Beggs was 21st, Megan Murray checked in 29th and Allie Antrim placed 34th.
The Raiders may have hoped for better than third at the regional, but have something to aim for in preparation before state.
“This should give us motivation for training next week,” Gillespie said. “State is it. It’s my last race of my career, so I want to make sure I give it my all and that my teammates give it their all too.”

— Contact Tod Palmer at 764-2211, Ext. 140, or todpalmer@theolathenews.com.

Cougars line faces toughest test
Andy Marso | Sportswriter
The Shawnee Mission Northwest football team ends many practices by shoving the heavy blocking sled around the field.
The Cougars line up and take turns abusing the sled, egging each other on and often yelling out the name of their next opponent before they hit it. It’s one of the exercises head coach Aaron Barnett instituted when he arrived two years ago.
“When they get out there and push it around, I think it’s good for camaraderie and good for team-building,” Barnett said. “We do it a lot.”
Barnett is the kind of old school, smash-mouth coach who loves to see good blocking.
With his broad shoulders and thick neck, Barnett still looks like he could block and tackle, and he stresses those fundamentals to his players daily.
After one year of getting used to his expectations, the Cougars are seeing the dividends of Barnett’s approach. They’re 8-0, thanks largely to a rushing attack that averages 257.3 yards per game, easily the best in the Sunflower League.
It’s impressive, considering Barnett wasn’t sure how good his offensive line could be at the beginning of the year.
“I said they needed to improve and they definitely have,” Barnett said. “This is a very intelligent group of offensive linemen, and I think, by being intelligent, they’ve maximized the work that they get out of practice. For the most part, they don’t make the same mistakes twice.”
One of the leaders of the line is Mitch Ayers, a 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound senior. The other starters are senior Clint Jackson, junior Ben Davis, senior Alex Meyer and junior Darion Hillman. Senior tight end Bryce Murray and senior fullbacks Tyler McKee and Jared Pessetto also have been key to the blocking scheme.
Hillman weighs in at 265 pounds, but the rest of the SM Northwest linemen are much closer to 200. That hasn’t stopped them from being the league’s most dominant group up front.
“That’s what we were hoping for and that’s what we worked all off-season for,” Ayers said. “It’s what we were pushing for.”
Aside from their smarts and work in the weight room, Barnett attributes the line’s success to physical ability and a good supporting cast.
“I think we’re pretty quick and our technique is getting better and is pretty solid,” Barnett said. “But it takes all 11. I’m convinced that one reason we’ve been able to run the football is because Alex Carder is our quarterback and I think people are nervous — and they should be nervous — about putting nine people up on the line of scrimmage because Alex is a good enough quarterback to hurt you.”
The beneficiary of the line’s work has been SM Northwest’s backs, a good group in their own right.
Senior tailback Alex Reed led the league in rushing before going down with an injury. He still has 670 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Junior tailback Bryce Atagi stepped into the feature back role after sharing carries with Reed much of the year and has been spectacular.
Atagi leads the team with 711 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Both he and Reed have averaged more than six yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Carder and reserve tailback Elliot Kovach have both amassed more than 200 yards on the ground in supporting roles.
“No matter who it is, we know somebody’s going to be running hard behind us,” Ayers said. “We do the same stuff.”
The Cougars may have Reed back for this week’s game against Olathe East and, as good as Atagi has been, they may need him.
The 7-1 Hawks present the toughest challenge the Cougars’ line has faced all year. They feature the Sunflower League’s best rushing defense, giving up only 83.4 yards per game.
“We’ve got to do well in practice,” Ayers said. “I haven’t played well the last few weeks, and I need to step up for sure. We all want to step it up this week because we lost to them last year and it ended our season. We want to really take it to them this year.”
That’s why the Cougars were screaming out, “Hawks” before they hammered the blocking sled at the end of their recent practices.

— Contact Andy Marso at 764-2211, Ext. 138, or amarso@theolathenews.com.

Ammons excels in return game, receiving
Garth Sears | Special to the Lenexa Centennial
When a defense lines up against Shawnee Mission South’s offense, there is only one number they are looking for: No. 5.
Tra Ammons, a 5-feet-10, 175 pound senior receiver, does not look or act like one of the most dangerous players on the field.
But defenses look silly when they don’t cover him well.
Just ask 7-1 Olathe East. When SM South (1-7) played the Hawks, Ammons caught two touchdowns in one half.
“He can take a five-yard slant route and make it a 45-yard catch,” SM South coach Brandon Claypool said. “He can make big plays happen, take small catches and make big catches out of them, and he has great consistency in catching the ball.”
Claypool said that he struggles to keep Ammons open in the field. Opposing teams can put their best defender on him, or double or even triple team him.
“Every week, we come up with new ways to try to get him the ball,” Claypool said.
Many weeks, the struggle isn’t whether Ammons can make the big play, but if he can get open long enough to even get thrown to.
Still, Ammons is adamant about his teammates’ abilities. When he is asked about his own strengths, he points to the running backs, quarterbacks, and linemen.
On the field, beyond the stats, Ammons is a pillar for the team. In the huddle, some of his best leadership comes through.
“I try to be a positive influence,” he said. “If we have a penalty or something goes wrong, I try to keep everybody’s heads up. I tell them to make a big play next play, you never know what can happen.”
Naturally, Ammons excels at returning punts, perhaps because it is the only time all game he is left alone by the other team.
He averages 17 yards per returned kick, a number that can eat into an opponent’s field position and move SM South much closer to the end zone with just one play.
“Right now he’s our biggest playmaker,” Claypool said. “When you can return a punt, averaging 17 yards, it’s big. Every time he gets the ball, he has the chance to make something special happen.”
Beyond his speed and playmaking on the field, Ammons is a quiet leader in the locker room.
On a 1-7 team with a new coach trying to build the program up from the ground, players like Ammons set the groundwork for the years to come. Through example, Ammons has been a positive influence on the team.
“He’s a great guy to be around. He has a nice personality,” Claypool said. “He’s a good teammate. He’s a quiet guy that gets stuff done and leads by example.”

Undefeated Thunder ready for state tournament
Garth Sears | Special to the Lenexa Centennial
It is impressive that a strong St. James Academy volleyball team went 41-0 through the regular season and sub-state tournament, which they hosted Oct. 20 as a precursor to the Class 4A state tournament.
But it is unbelievable that the Thunder has no seniors and, as a program still in its infancy, is the only volleyball team in all of Kansas — at any level — to remain undefeated going into state competitions.
“We’re happy right now having won sub-state,” St. James coach Nancy Dorsey said. “That was one of our goals. We also want to win state. Part one accomplished, now we need to work on part two.”
The Thunder, of course, aren’t satisfied, which is precisely the way Dorsey wants her team.
“The best thing about these girls is their motivation,” she said. “They’re not satisfied. There’s no sense of relaxation in these kids. It’s like, ‘We’re not done yet. We still have something to prove.’”
St. James will open state Oct. 26 against Tonganoxie — a team they have already beat this season — at the Salina Bicentennial Center.
“I think we probably have a target on our backs, but that just makes us work harder to keep it there,” said junior Bridget Blowey, a left outside hitter.
The Thunder’s undefeated record certainly will make them a target in Salina, but they have been a prime target for awhile and still haven’t lost.
A state championship in the team’s second year would be a strong step toward becoming a dominant force in Kansas. It also would be St. James’ first state championship of any kind.
Quite simply, a championship would be a major accomplishment for the team and the school.
“We’re here to show everyone what we have,” said junior Brook Jansen, a middle hitter.
Because there are no seniors on the team or in the school until next year, the St. James volleyball team’s success sets a lofty precedent for future teams and for next year’s squad, which probably will return every starter from this season.
While the 41-0 record displays dominance, a state championship would be the perfect fairy tale ending to their Cinderella season.
No matter how the championship tournament unfolds, the Thunder already has made its presence felt with a rumble this season. Now, it’s time to protect that No. 1 status.