November 2023

ELYRIA, Kansas – In 2022-23 the Elyria Christian boys basketball team lost just four games, won twenty, earned a league title and made a trip to the Class 1A Division II State Tournament.From that team the Eagles lose but one senior to graduation while returning six seniors and juniors from the team that finished 20-4, went 9-0 in Wheat State League Play only to trip up on the first day of the state tournament where they lost to Wichita Classical.Returning to be the core of the team are seniors James Schott, Johnny Unruh and Alex Robertson plus juniors Ty Romero, Landon Schneider and Andrew Huxman.“This group has learned a lot of valuable lessons in their past couple of seasons playing together,” pointed out Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich.

Fifth-year McPherson High School head swimming coach Matt Cotton faces a tall task in 2023-2024 after two of the three state swimmers graduated from a season ago, but the Bullpups have added swim talent to the roster as they look for another strong season.Despite having three state qualifiers at the class 5A-1A state tournament in 2023, two of those swimmers came from Smoky Valley High School as the Bullpups and the Vikings formed a co-op up until the postseason.

CANTON, Kansas – Despite a change in coaching and graduating four key seniors, the Canton/Galva girls basketball program looks to return to the Class 1A Division I state tournament and make a run for a state title.In 2022-23 the Lady Eagles finished 15-9, knocked off Sylvan Grove to win their sub-state and made a trip to the state tournament where they lost in the first round to Norwich.A few things have changed as four Lady Eagles have graduated including Lili Espinoza, Mimi Craig, Brecken Pearson and Sage Toews.

CANTON, Kansas – After losing a heartbreaker in sub-state last season, the Canton/Galva boys basketball program looks to make a return run to the state tournament and possible state title led by six seniors.Yes, the Eagles need to replace all-state honoree Jett Vincent, Cason Mastre and Garrett Maltbie who have all graduated, but they return nine players with varsity experience.Returning starters Wyatt Collins and Lane McMannis will lead a team that is ranked tenth in pre-season rankings for Class 1A Division I by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA).Third year head coach Larry O’Connor will also have seniors Jaden Ediger, Isom Marston, Jory Ratzlaff, and Leyton Witte along with juniors Jase Beltz, Noah Collins and Garrett Silsby to fill out the remaining three starting positions plus game rotations.Sophomore Camden Kruse plus freshman Kustom Schamp and Jaxon Nightingale will also compete for some playing time.The Canton/Galva coaches have also noted that they have three transfers to watch for in getting some playing time including Elyria Christian transfer Ross Burrill, a senior, plus sophomore Ethan Harrington from McPherson and talented freshman Ethan Brozek from Valley Center.Reflecting on the upcoming season, coach O’Connor said, “We will be deep and have a pretty good shooting team.

FOREST CITY, Iowa – The sting of the first loss of the season for the McPherson College men’s basketball team did not stick long, as the Bulldogs rebounded with a decisive 90-77 victory over Waldorf College on Saturday, November 25 following the short Thanksgiving break.Before the Thanksgiving break, McPherson’s perfect 5-0 start was halted at the hands of a 70-66 loss to Friends on Saturday, November 18.