“We might have been a little more top-heavy in a couple sports in years past. But now it’s balancing out a little bit,” THS athletics director Brandon Parker said.

That balance helped Tonganoxie finish third in The Mirror’s annual KVL Athletics Department of the Year standings.

The Chieftains finished in the top half of the league in 10 of 14 KVL sports. Leading the way, Tonganoxie volleyball was second at its league tournament and the golf team, which was second at its tournament, shot a 337 — the same score as league champ Santa Fe Trail — and lost a tiebreaker.

“I think golf’s really made a turn. Coach (Jared) Jackson’s done a good job,” Parker said, noting the importance of assistant coaches Doug Sandburg and David Walker as well. “They’ve been very competitive and they have some high goals. I thought they had a great turnaround this year.”

The THS AD also praised the boys and girls basketball teams as well as the baseball squad, which lost in extra innings in a regional final, for their seasons before marveling at the third-place KVL finishes of Tonganoxie’s boys and girls track teams.

“Track’s a numbers game. I think our kids maximized quite a bit,” Parker said, referring to Tonganoxie’s roster not being as large as other KVL schools. “It’s just one of those things, Mill Valley probably will always win track because it’s a quantity deal. We don’t have three two-milers.

“All things per capita, I think on both sides, boys and girls, they competed at a very high level.”

Tonganoxie’s third-place finish in the overall standings for the past school year wasn’t bad considering the KVL ADOY winner Mill Valley and runner-up Lansing are Class 5A schools while THS is 4A. Parker wasn’t upset about coming in behind the schools with larger enrollments.

“It’s good but we want to continue to shoot to be at one,” he said, adding the goal at THS is to maximize every athlete’s ability.

Of course, third meant Tonganoxie finished ahead of its 4A KVL counterparts in the standings.

“It’s a good third because Piper and Basehor have done well, Perry had a good year in a few sports,” Parker said. “There are a lot of good teams throughout the league. It’s by no means a pushover conference.”

Parker said THS athletes excel at carrying out the school’s saying: “Aim for excellence.”

“We want our teams to be ultra-competitive, be in every game and for the people of Tonganoxie to come out and know that the school and the community was well-represented by these young people,” Parker said, “whether we win or lose.”

Chieftain finishes

Second — Golf, volleyball

Third — Boys and girls track, girls cross country, girls soccer

Fourth — Baseball, wrestling

Fifth — Boys and girls basketball, boys cross country

Sixth — Football, softball

Ninth — Boys soccer