November 22, 2005 Vol. 34 Issue 5
Lady Cubs look to fill leadership
roles
By Robbie Ball, senior & Phillip
Vernon, sophomore
Reporter & News Editor
As their preparations for the winter sports season begin, the
high school girls’ basketball team is ready to start off with a bang.
With last year’s 11-9 record, the Lady Cubs are geared up and ready
to play.
Last year’s basketball team had absolutely no starting senior players.
This year however, the team plans on returning six seniors, which include
Mallory Mueller, Kristin North, Kayla Owens, Sarah Riebel, Cara Tilman, and
Maegan Wall.
“We plan on having better leadership this year, since we did not have
any seniors on last year’s team,” said Wall.
The current seniors especially have big plans for this year’s team.
“We hope to finish in the top three in League and hope to win a Sub-State
game,” said both Owens and Tilman.
Other players plan on going all the way.
“We are going for all the marbles this year,” said Mueller.
Photo by Jennifer Combes
Set the pick.
Senior Mallory Mueller drives the ball down the court during one of the Lady
Cubs’ basketball evening practices.
Although the team did not graduate any seniors last year, the team hopes to
be a strong force this season.
All of the seniors agree on having a better record, but to do
that they understand that it is necessary to win more games.
“I hope we can win more games and play better as a team. It will really
help the underclassmen,” Owens.
Players were quick to comment that better ball handling would improve the
team, as well as performing with more unity.
This year’s basketball teams will not be descending to 2A, as the football
team, however. Basketball teams as well as other teams besides football will
remain at the 3A level.
The Lady Cubs plan to develop an edge over the competition with their returning
seniors.
Many of the girls felt the pressure it created to fill the gap. Created by
a lack of senior leadership.
“Not having any kind of senior leadership made it a little difficult
to get through the year, but it was overcome because we had some people that
stepped up and filled those roles,” said Mueller.
Luckily, this time around, the team will not have to worry about those types
of issues.
Mueller named as All Tri-Valley League and Tilman as an Honorable Mention
in the previous year. This season proves to be one of goal setting, as the
team hopes that most of their players are named All Tri-Valley League.
This year’s coaches are John Johnson and Sherrie Bagshaw, who also have
winning outlooks for the girls’ basketball team.
“We plan to win, win, win, and win some more,” said head coach
Johnson.
Of course, this season’s focus is not only on the varsity team. Junior
varsity players also plan on winning more games and improving upon their previous
performances.
Although no great numbers were put up last season, a lot of hard work and
effort was put in to improve the team.
“This year we plan on having a better record and train harder to win
more games,” said Adrienne Gutierrez, so. “We are working on our
JV teams, which will be able to help us as varsity players.”
The girls’ first game will be against the Neodesha Bluestreaks on December
2nd, with both the varsity and junior varsity teams playing.
Fall athlets honored with banquet,
several receive All League honors
By Anthony Sweeney, senior
Online Manager
After an intense fall season for the volleyball and football
teams, the athletes who put their blood, sweat, time, and effort into achieving
success were recognized at a banquet held on November 16.
Football players receiving Tri-Valley League All League were; first team offensive
line Shane Stanley, sr., defensive end Derrick Onnen, sr., defensive line
Derek Wrestler, sr., linebacker Tyler Thomas, so., defensive back Sam Norris,
and punter and kicker Drue Barton, jr.
“It was really awesome to receive All League for defensive end,”
said Onnen. “But, I was disappointed that I did not receive All League
for tight end as well.”
Those receiving Tri-Valley League Honorable Mention were; wide receiver Trey
Zartman, jr., and linebacker Barton.
“I could not believe I received All League Honorable Mention for wide
receiver in only my junior year of high school,” said Zartman.
Volleyball players receiving Tri-Valley League All League were; Mallory Mueller
and Cara Tilman, srs.
Kelci Owens, fr., was selected to receive Tri-Valley League Honorable Mention
and was the only freshman selected.
“I think that we had a really great season that could have been even
better,” said Teri Shaughnessy, head volleyball coach. “The girls
worked hard and were dedicated to the team. I am very proud of them.”
Those who lettered for football during the season were: seniors Stephan Nickell,
Tyler Thomas, Duane Hibbs, Garrett Fitzmaurice, Robbie Ball, Shane Stanley,
Derek Wrestler, Derrick Onnen; juniors Tory Thomas, Drue Barton, Tanner Korf,
Casey Womelsdorf, Cliff Adams, Josh Poovey, Josh Honas, Jason Kaufman, Justin
Kaufman, Trey Zartman, Derek Harris; sophomores Sam Norris, Zach Cole, Jacob
Hamlin, Drake Tilman, Chas Wille, Dalton Shannon; freshmen Devin Myers, Andrew
Whitaker, Thad Wells, and Devin Onnen.
Photo by Mitchell Dewey
Congratulations on a great season.
Senior Derek Wrestler accepts his letter from his offensive and defensive
line coach, Jason Feeback,
during the annual fall sports banquet as fellow team mate Derrick Onnen, sr.,
looks on. The banquet
honored those athletes who participated in volleyball or football this year.
Shane Stanley, Derrick Onnen,
Derek Wrestler,Tyler Thomas, srs., Sam Norris, so., and Drue Barton, jr.,made
All League in football.
Cara Tilman and Mallory Mueller srs., both made All League in volleyball this
season as well.
Those who lettered for volleyball during the season were: seniors Cara Tilman, Kristin North, Whitney Piley, Maegan Wall, Kayla Owens, Mallory Mueller; junior Michele Rickner; sophomore Katie Manbeck; freshmen Lenzie Boring and Kelci Owens.
Cubs basketball ready
for upcoming season
By Shawna Dawson, senior, Reporter
Haley Terflinger, senior, Sports Manager
As
the Cubs get ready for a new season of boys’ basketball
with five new players, the team is looking forward to an exciting season.
“Our practices are more intense this year and more competitive. I think
it will be an exciting season and we have a chance to win a bunch of games,” said
Trey Zartman, jr., who is a junior guard.
Last year, Zartman received All-League Honorable Mention.
While the coaches are working the team hard, the boys are going through warm-up
drills and several different plays throughout their practices. The team seems
to be doing everything they can in order to perfect their game.
“I am very excited about our potential. If we can just continue to get
better every day and play hard, we have the chance to succeed,” said
Jason Jones, head coach.
Humboldt has sixteen returning players this year with one lone senior,
Anthony Sweeney. This will be Sweeney’s fourth year of playing basketball,
and he views this as his opportunity to lead the team on its path to success.
“It is hard to be the only senior leader because the underclassmen do
not always listen, and I really have to step it up and take on some authority,”
said Sweeney. “But, I think the whole team is really prepared to
do well and to give it the best that they have got.”
Overall, the team feels that they communicate more openly this year.
Many positive things are being said about this year’s juniors, who
have the largest returning group and hold many collective talents.
“We have played together all of our lives, and we know each other very
well,” said Brent Frederick, jr. “Our cooperation and combined
effort is going to put us ahead.”
Photo by Jennifer Combes
Try to put one past me.
Sophomore Zach Cole puts up a block against fellow cubs basketball teammate,
junior Tanner Korf
during a practice held after school.While the boys will
only have a few weeks of practice under their
belts before the season actually begins, the Cubs first game of the season
will be against the Neodesha
Bluestreaks on December 2 as an away game.
As for the individual players, most are looking to Sweeney,
Zartman, Tory Thomas, jr., and Josh Honas, jr., to make a difference this
year in the areas of defensive playing, leadership, and positive energy.
However, several players also explain that even though some people do stand
out, the team is good because of its overall effort, not because of any individual
person or group of persons.
“One person will not effect us as much as the guys who act like a team,”
said Travis Wall, jr.
With nine players total, the juniors include: Drue Barton and Honas, who lettered
for their first time last year, Thomas who lettered for two seasons as a guard,
and Zartman who lettered as a guard last year, with Frederick, Wall, Cliff
Adams, Justin Kaufman, and Tanner Korf filing up as the remaining juniors.
“The juniors are a really big part of the team this year,” said
Barton. “But, it’s all about working together to make this season
a success.”
The sophomores also have a large returning group of six players. Thy are Zach
Crays, Zach Cole, Devin Myers, Sam Norris, Drake Tilman, and Chas Wille.
Cole will be playing mostly varsity this year, as well as Norris, who will
also be seeing some varsity play.
The only newcomers on the team this year are the freshmen participants, consisting
of Nate Bartlett, Josh Elder, Andy Honas, Thad Wells, and Andrew Whitaker.
“I am confident that anyone we put on the floor will contribute and
play hard. We have a talented, hard working group of kids,” said Jones.
Last year, the boys’ record was 9-12, and even though the team lost
a lot of seniors they are looking forward to a more successful year.
“The junior class has a lot of experience from last year, so I think
that we will do good anyway,” said Kaufman. “I have a lot of faith
in these guys and I know that we are going to succeed.”
Coaches ready to get their game on
By Jordan Young, senior
Sports Editor
For this year’s basketball coaches, experience is a major
factor. As all four coaches return from previous years, Cub basketball is
expected to be a powerhouse of leadership.
This year’s boys’ basketball team is lead by head coach Jason
Jones and assistant coach Brad Piley.
Piley has been an assistant coach at Humboldt High School for five years and
coached the team that went to State two years ago.
As a basketball player for Humboldt during all four years of high school,
Piley feels that he knows the ins and outs of the game and hopes to accomplish
more with the present teams.
“It felt really good to make it to State, because it allowed me to experience
what it was like to make it to the State tournament, which I was never able
to experience during high school,” said Piley.
Jones is entering his second year of coaching for the boys’ basketball
team and is a very experienced player himself. Jones played basketball during
all four years of high school and played for four years at Sterling College,
which is classified as 1A.
Photo by Amber Ysusi
Coaching strategy.
Coach Jason Jones converses with Cubs basketball player, Tory Thomas, jr.,
at one of the team's
after school practices proceeding a middle school game.
“I played in Europe during spring break for my junior
year in college against three European teams for ten days,” said Jones
about his past experiences as a basketball player.
Jones has coached Nickerson High for the freshman girls’ team one year
and the junior high boys’ team another year. The team at Sterling College
had a team that Jones was the assistant coach for, while he was the head coach
at Wetmore High School for two years.
“My favorite coaching experience here at Humboldt was almost beating
fourth ranked Cherryvale last year by only three points. But my favorite experience
of all time, was taking Wetmore to the Sub-State tournament for the first
time in four years.”
The Lady Cubs this year are lead again by head coach John Johnson and assistant
coach Sherri Bagshaw.
Bagshaw will be in her second year as assistant coach for the girls’
basketball team and has previously coached for Chanute and Altoona-Midway
schools.
Johnson has been coaching for a total of twelve years, with his first head
coaching job at Humboldt High. Johnson played basketball for four years during
his high school career and played intramural basketball in college.
“Our girls have gotten in better shape this year, which means that I
can work them harder to get them in better condition for the games,”
said Johnson.
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