Seasons start at THS, MHS
Similar to last year, cooler temperatures greeted local athletes as Tonganoxie and McLouth fall sports teams officially started their season with the first day of practice Monday.
In Tonganoxie, Chieftain football, volleyball and cross country started with familiar faces.
Mark Elston begins his sixth season as THS football coach, Tiffany and Brandon Parker enter their fifth season in Tonganoxie, while cross country coach Phil Williams enters his 32nd year as Tonganoxie’s coach.
On the soccer field, however, it’s a different tale. Kenneth Lott is in his first year as Tonganoxie’s soccer coach. Lott comes to Tonganoxie from Leavenworth, where he was an assistant coach at Leavenworth High.
Although Lott has been on the job the least amount of time, his squad will start its season first. The team’s season opens Aug. 26 in Shawnee against Mill Valley. Fans can catch a sneak peak of the team Tuesday when the squad has its Red-White Scrimmage at 6 p.m. at Chieftain Park. The team’s first home game will be Aug. 29 against Bonner Springs.
The other three Tonganoxie sports will hold their Red-White scrimmages Aug. 26. Cross country will have an exhibition run at 4 p.m., volleyball will start at 5 p.m. and then football gets under way at 7 p.m.
The cross country team’s season officially starts Sept. 1 with the Tonganoxie Quadrangular. The THS football team opens its season the next day at Lansing. The Chieftain volleyball team, meanwhile, opens its season Sept. 8 at Bonner Springs.
At McLouth, Bulldog cross country, football and volleyball teams started practice Monday as well. All three teams will have their fall sports preview Aug. 26, the same day as most of Tonganoxie’s scrimmages.
Longtime cross country coach George Karn again leads the Bulldog harriers this fall, while Harry Hester and Rachel Webb start another year as football and volleyball coaches respectively.
The MHS volleyball team has the earliest start to its schedule with the Delaware Valley League tournament Aug. 27 at Jackson Heights and Horton. The team plays again Aug. 30 at Kansas City Christian.
The Bulldog cross country team starts its season with a road meet Sept. 1 at Jeff West.
And the McLouth football team opens its season with a Sept. 2 game at home against Horton. The evening also has been dubbed “Tailgate/Purple Night.”