By Brad Ziegler
The high school teams in south Kansas City are well into their fall schedules and the favorites for post-season success are beginning to emerge.
Rockhurst High School
At Rockhurst High School, the boys cross country team, which finished second at the Missouri state championships last season, returned their top five runners from 2023. They are led by senior Henry Acorn, who has the top time in the state this season, along with 24 other returning seniors. Coach Michael Dierks looks to the seniors to provide leadership for the team and said that “this is the deepest and most talented senior class we have ever enjoyed. They do a great job of keeping guys on task and focused on improving.”
Freshman Jack McGovern made a splash with a historic run at the Gans Creek Classic last month where he had the fastest time for a freshman in school history and the second fastest time for a Missouri high school freshman since 2000.
The Rockhurst soccer team is a three-time defending state champion and are 9-1 this season after going undefeated last season. Currently ranked first in Class 4 in Missouri, the Hawklets are led by senior Uchan Kohring, and junior Asende Welongo, both first team all-state selections in 2023.
The Rockhurst swimming and diving team have won four consecutive state titles, and are led by senior Andrew Baklanov, who is currently ranked in the top 10 in the state is six events, Charles Huber, Peter Claxton and Aeden Lutman. The Hawklets won the Pirate Invitational meet in Belton in mid-September and expect to compete for another state championship in November.
Notre Dame De Sion
Notre Dame De Sion has a smaller than usual cross country squad this season, made up entirely of underclassmen. Despite their inexperience, Coach Rey Middleton, who is in his 25th year as the team’s coach, says that junior Ava Wickenhauser “is doing a good job of leading the team this year.” Freshman Kelly Frank has been their top runner this season, winning both the St. Mary’s Invitational, where the team finished first, and the small school division of the Ray-Pec Invitational, where the team finished second.
Sion’s volleyball team had an 8-6 record heading into Tuesday’s match with rival St. Teresa’s, and continues to improve after finishing 7-20 two seasons ago. Sion’s tennis team stands at 2-5 for the season and will begin district play this weekend. The softball team is 4-8 with their regular season finale next week.
Kansas City Lutheran
Kansas City Lutheran High School’s cross country team lost five seniors after last season’s second place finish at the state championship meet and are led this season by sophomore Graham Nord and junior Jack Malone. Their team finished fifth at the Belton Invitational in September and Coach Christian Nord shared that “we have a very devoted young team. Everyone is picking up where our seniors left the program last year.”
The Kansas City Lutheran High School girls team is led by junior Amelia Craig, who finished third at the Clinton Invitational and tenth at the Belton Invitational. Junior Caroline Linderman finished 14th at the Belton meet. The Lutheran boys soccer team is 2-9, with five matches remaining, and the Lady Knights volleyball team is 3-14 this season.
Grandview High School
The Grandview High School boys cross country team finished second at the Swope Park Stampede, led by David Boston, who finished third, and Josiah McNeal, who finished eighth, while the girls team finished first, led by fifth place finisher Sara Dominguez Catalan, followed by Yomara Guitierrez and Payton Simpson. The Bulldogs boys soccer team is 4-5 this season and have taken a big step forward from last year’s team, which finished 3-21.
Barstow School
The Barstow School boys soccer team is 8-5 for the season and are third in their district, while the girls tennis team stands at 3-5. The boys cross country team is paced by sophomore Leo Karaichev and the girls team is led by freshman Elizabeth Patry, who finished ninth at last week’s Maranatha Invitational.
Center High School
The Center High School girls tennis team has a record of 5-5 and are currently ranked fourth in their district. The boys soccer team is also 5-5 at the halfway point for the season, averaging 3.4 goals per game, the most in their team’s history.
Belton High School
The Belton High School boys swim team is led by senior Jackson Henry, who is ranked among the state leaders in seven different events. The boys soccer team is 6-7 for the season with seven regular season matches left.
The Pirates boys cross country team finished eighth as a team at their invitational meet in September, led by senior Aaron Gorsage. The girls team finished fourth at the same meet and were led by senior Rylee Jones. The boys team finished eleventh at the Knob Noster Invitational two weeks later, again led by Gorsage, and the girls team finished fourth, led by Jones.
Ruskin High School
The Ruskin High School boys soccer team is 0-10 this season with seven remaining matches. The girls softball team is also winless for the season with three games left before the district tournament next week. The girls tennis team recently won their first game of the season over Grandview and they begin district play this weekend. The girls volleyball team is 8-16 for the year and are ranked sixth in their district.