Sports
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Gant finishes junior career in style
Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Jeremy Gant ended his junior golf career on a positive note by helping Team Kansas defeat Team Nebraska for the Virgil Parker Cup. The Kansas Junior Cup team beat Team Nebraska 11-5 in the 24th annual event. This year’s competition was held at Arbor Links Golf Course in Nebraska City, Neb. on August 4-5. “It was an honor to represent Kansas and to be on the team,” Gant said. “It was a lot of fun, too. Ou...
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AN AGELESS WONDER
Tribune Staff Reinhardt can still play ball at 68 Jason Peake Tribune Sports Editor Gene Reinhardt has considered taking up golf for decades now. But year after year, he’s put it off. The sport of basketball still has a hold on him. At 68 years young, Reinhardt still plays basketball three times a week at Neosho County Community College with the “noon ball” crew. And week after week, the Chanute resident leaves his fellow players amaz...
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Quick Rick wins at Humboldt Speedway
Tribune Staff Scott Lee Stewart For the Tribune¬† HUMBOLDT—“Quick Rick” Aielo has a goal. He wants to be the Humboldt Speedway 2009 B-Mod¬†points champion. His mantra to himself: “Be smooth, be consistent, stay out of trouble, finish.” He did a good job of doing just that this week, winning both heat and feature at The Hummer, and padding his points lead. Jerry Kustanborter gave it all he could muster, but had to settle for second. Paden ...
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Isaac wins Tri-State Golf Championship
Nancy Isaac of Chanute put back-to-back rounds together to win the gross champion spot at the 72nd annual Tri-State Golf Championship July 28-29 in Pittsburg. Isaac shot a 75 the first day and was medalist. She followed that with a 76 for a 151 in the two-day, 36-hole stroke play event. “These are my best two-day totals ever,” Isaac said. “It was pretty exciting. I shot the 75 with one triple bogey!” Four shots back was Heidi Rice from ...
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NCCC track teams earn national academic recognition
Darin Schmitz, head coach of the Neosho County Community College track and cross country teams, was notified this week that both the men’s and women’s track teams at Neosho County have been named the NJCAA Coach’s Association National Academic Teams of the Year. Schmitz said this award is given to the top 5 team GPAs for the year. “We also have had many Coach’s Association individual Academic All-Americans,” he said. “One of these awards woul...
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K-State’s quarterback’s time arrives along with Snyder
IRVING, Texas (AP) — The six-win mark means more than bowl eligibility for Kansas State quarterback Carson Coffman. It means matching the number of victories his father, tight end Paul Coffman, had in three years with the Wildcats in the 1970s. “We’ll definitely surpass that total,” said Coffman, also the younger brother of former standout Missouri tight end Chase Coffman. “In one year, yes.” Coffman’s declaration during Big 12 media days...
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