Sports
Neosho County women fall in home opener
Tribune Staff Tribune staff CHANUTE—The Neosho County Community College women’s soccer team fell to Hutchinson CC 4-0 on Wednesday night at Chanute Community Sports Complex. It was the first home match of the season for the Panthers. With the loss, Neosho County falls to 3-2 on the season for Coach Damon Solomon. The Panthers defeated Northeast Oklahoma 4-0 last weekend and also recently picked up a win over Coffeyville, 4-1. Mallorie Adams, ...
full story
Girls golf team takes third at first tourney
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor The first tournament of the season was definitely a positive experience for the Chanute High School girls golf team. The Blue Comets began their inaugural season on Tuesday at the Fort Scott Invitational at Fort Scott Country Club. And at the invite, the Comets took third place out of nine teams and left with medals in hand. “I had no idea how it would go, but I was really pleased,” Chanute Coach Bill Woo...
full story
Blue Comets hit the road on Friday
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Don Simmons hopes to see an overall improvement when his Chanute High School football team hits the road for the first time this season on Friday night. The Blue Comets will take on the Labette County Grizzlies in Altamont for the second game of the season. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. “The biggest thing is to improve,” Simmons said. “Most years, you make your biggest improvements from the first game ...
full story
Panthers off to a stellar start
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor There’s no better way to say it, the Neosho County Community College women’s volleyball team is off to a stellar start to the season. The Panthers are now 4-1 on the season for second-year coach Asya Herron. And the team has already avenged its only loss of the season, too. Neosho County defeated Butler County CC 25-20, 25-17, 17-25, 25-17 last Wednesday night. Butler entered the match ranked 12...
full story
Panthers run at Timmons Classic
Tribune Staff LAWRENCE—The Neosho County Community College cross country team competed at the Bob Timmons Classic on Saturday at Rim Rock Farm. The event featured teams such as Kansas, Missouri-Kansas City and Emporia State, as well as several junior colleges from the Jayhawk Conference. The men ran a 6K. Neosho County’s top finisher was James Straubel, who finished 43rd overall with a time of 21:58. Fred Lozano was 66th (23:10), Andy Hill fi...
full story
Comets host Vikings in season-opener
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Don Simmons hopes the first game jitters aren’t too bad. A new cast of characters will take the field for the Chanute High School football team on Friday night when the Blue Comets host the Parsons Vikings in the 2009 season-opener. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Chanute Community Sports Complex. Coach Simmons, entering his sixth season as head coach at CHS, said he expects to see some nerves with so...
full story
READY TO STEP UP
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor T.J. Walls and Alec Haight got a taste of the Friday night lights a season ago. Now, as the 2009 football season arrives, both Blue Comets are ready to step up. Both made nice contributions to the Chanute High School football team a year ago. And both will be taking on much bigger roles this season for the Blue Comets. Walls, a 5-10, 155-pound senior was a kick returner specialist and a cornerback a year...
full story
Humboldt set for cross country season
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Raquel Hill should lead the way for the Humboldt High School cross country team this fall. Hill, a junior, finished 17th at the Class 2A State Meet last year. Hill finished second at the Tri-Valley League Meet for the second-straight year last season. The Cubs have 10 athletes out for the sport this year, Coach Eric Carlson said. The program is now set for its third-ever season. “I’m excited abo...
full story
Boys cross country team has high expectations
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor A solid group of returning letterwinners has Derek Liggett feeling optimistic. But it’s one injury that has the Blue Comets cross country coach feeling a little uneasy. Standout senior Lucas Tabares is currently out of the lineup with a stress fracture in his leg. Tabares was an all-league runner last year and was just 10 seconds away from qualifying for the state meet at the Parsons Re...
full story
Comets second at invite
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor CHANUTE—Mike De La Torre could barely contain his excitement. Like a proud father showing off a newborn child, De La Torre walked around with a big smile on his face for several hours on Thursday. Why? The new tennis complex at the Chanute Community Sports Complex was officially broken in. And at the Chanute Invite, De La Torre’s Blue Comets had a solid showing, too. Chanute finished se...
full story
Great Expectations
Tribune Staff Volleyball preview Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor All summer long, the Chanute Blue Comets were counting down the days until the 2009 volleyball season arrived. Why were they so ready to go? The most obvious reason is simple: because the way the 2008 season ended left a bad taste in their mouths. They were a few points away. A sub-state championship was within their grasp. But for the second-straight year, the Blue Co...
full story
Comets set sights on SEK title
Tribune Staff Girls cross country preview Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Attached to the wall of the Chanute High School gymnasium, the banner reads “Girls Cross Country.” But unlike the others surrounding it, this particular banner is missing something. Empty space is the only thing underneath it. The Chanute Blue Comets hope to change that in 2009. The girls cross country team has never won a Southeast Kansas League title in its entire...
full story
New complex energizes tennis program
Tribune Staff Girls season begins on Thursday Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor The arrival of a brand new tennis complex signals a new era for the Chanute High School tennis program. Coach Mike De La Torre said he was thrilled with the new complex and the possibilities it should bring to the program. “I think this is the beginning of a new era for Chanute tennis,” De La Torre said. “This new complex will help the program in the long r...
full story
Girls golf tees off at Chanute
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor The interest was there for years. And now, the numbers are there, too. The result of those two factors equals a new fall sport at Chanute High School. Chanute will now have a girls golf program. Bill Woodard and Megan Reid will be the program’s coaches during this inaugural season. “I’ve wanted to start a girls program for many years but we just never had enough players to make up a team that co...
full story
Blue Comets will have big games at home
Tribune Staff Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor When you take a quick glance at 2009 Chanute High School football schedule, one thing stands out right away. The Blue Comets will have some key showdowns at home at Chanute Community Sports Complex this year. For starters, the Comets will look to avenge two of last year’s losses on their home turf. In week three’s game on Sept. 18, Chanute will host the Columbus Titans. The Titans edged the Come...
full story
Starting positions up for grabs at CHS
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor As the 2009 high school football season officially arrived at Chanute High School on Monday, some familiar faces were absent. The Blue Comets lost 18 senior starters from last year’s team that went 7-3, won a district title and once again advanced to the playoffs. What that means is there are numerous starting positions up for grabs this year. And with all of the spots open, Chanute Coach Don Simmons sa...
full story
MAKING THE SWITCH
Tribune Staff Bollig ready to lead Chanute Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Matt Bollig spent last season hauling in passes. Now he’ll be throwing them. The Chanute High School senior is making the switch from receiver to quarterback this season for the Blue Comets football team. If you ask Bollig, he’ll tell you he expects the transition to be an easy one. “I’m pumped,” Bollig said. “I played quarterback my sophomore year and I’ve ...
full story
Comets picked fourth in preseason poll
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor PITTSBURG— Despite losing almost every starter on both sides of the ball, the Chanute High School football team was still picked fourth in the 2009 Southeast Kansas League Preseason Coaches Poll. The poll was released on Thursday at the Fifth Annual SEK Preseason Coaches and Media Luncheon at WATCO in Pittsburg. Chanute Coach Don Simmons said the poll came out pretty much as he predicted. “I thought we’d...
full story
Erie hopes for an injury free season in '09
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor The Erie Red Devils appeared cursed at times during the 2008 football season. The team was hit by injury after injury—all season long. Entering his second season as head coach of the Devils, Don Barcus hopes the 2009 season goes a little better. On Thursday, Barcus reflected on last season and all of the team’s injuries. “This will be my 38th year of coaching and I have never seen anything even close t...
full story
A PASSION FOR GOLF
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Nancy Isaac discovered the game of golf at an early age and fell in love with it right away. And while golf has always been a part of her life, the Chanute resident has rediscovered a true passion for the game in recent years. That’s been evident this summer. With tourney win after tourney win, Isaac has established herself as one of the best women’s golfers in Southeast Kansas, if not the state. “I set some...
full story