Jaguars advance to state semifinals

The Jaguars won their first round of state play against the Andover High School Trojans, 56-46, on Thursday, March 7 in Topeka.

This is the first time in school history both the boys and girls teams have advanced to the state semifinals. The boys will have a rematch with Shawnee Mission South High School at 4:45p.m. on Friday, March 7 and the girls will play Kapaun-Mt. Carmel at 6:30p.m.

Senior guard Kyle Kain said the Jaguars followed their game plan well.

“We made our shots,” Kain said. “I think we could have executed the plays a little better. We could have been better in transition, but I think we played great defense and we made our shots.”

The first points of the game were scored by sophomore forward Patrick Muldoon with an assist by senior forward Nathan Stacy. Kain followed with a steal on Andover’s next possession and junior guard Wyatt Voorhes made the shot to bring the score to 4-0, Jaguars.

Senior guard Austin Moylan said the intensity at the beginning of the game got the Jaguars off to a good start.

“The start is always fun,” Moylan said. “That was a blast.”

After the Trojans scored their first points after an offensive rebound, freshman guard Logan Koch followed with two free throws and a three-pointer.

“It was fun,” Koch said. “It was a great experience; we played great. What we do in practice every day comes out in the game.”

Ending the first quarter with Jaguars leading 15-11, the Trojans scored the first two points of the second quarter.  The Jaguars then extended the lead, with help to three-pointers by Stacy and Voorhees. The first half ended with the Jaguars leading 27-21.

After exchanging two-point plays with the Jaguars, Andover scored six points in a row and took the lead at 29-27. The Jaguars regained the lead at 31-29 after two free throws by Voorhes, but Andover answered with a three to move the score to 32-31, Trojans.

Even though the Jaguars were struggling, head coach Justin Bogart said they stepped up and answered when the Trojans began to threaten.

“We were really tough,” Bogart said. “We did exactly what we wanted to do which was get rebounds, make layups and make free throws. We were tough enough to do that.”

In the middle of the third quarter, Bogart called a timeout and the Jaguars went on a 10-3 run to re-capture the lead and end the quarter, 42-34.

“The biggest turning point in the game was when coach called a time out … and told us to get stops on defense,” Muldoon said. “We came out, scored a quick layup and got two stops on defense. That was pretty much the turning point when we took the lead.”

The Trojans came within five with 1:46 remaining in the game and the score at 48-43, Jaguars. Koch, Stacy and Voorhes combined for eight free throws to keep the Jaguars in the lead. Koch scored five of the free throws and created a turnover by drawing a charge at the end of the game to give the control back to the Jaguars.

“[The charge was] going out to my boy Aaron Craft, my favorite player,” Koch said. “He takes them all the time.”

Muldoon attributed a lot of the success at the end of the game to Koch.

“We finished really well, especially with our freshman taking care of the ball and sinking free throws,” Muldoon said. “That’s our bread and butter. “

Although he sees the impact Koch had on the game, Muldoon thinks that this game means the most to the seniors.

“They deserve it more than anybody on our team,” Muldoon said. “They’ve worked so hard the past four years and this is finally their chance.”

Moylan agrees, although he is focusing more on the end of the tournament than the end of the year.

“[I’m looking forward to] moving on to the next game and continuing our season,” Moylan said. “It’s not over yet. It’s been a great career and I’m just not ready for it to be over but I’m glad we’ve gotten to where we’ve gotten.”

Senior Jake Theis has been a part of the team since his freshman year, but has not been able to play his senior year after suffering an injury during football season. However, he has still remained a part of the team. Theis said that his excitement at the team’s win is not any less than it would be if her were able to play.

“It’s sad and all but being around the guys I love and seeing winning makes it a lot easier for me,” Theis said. “Seeing how much success we’re having as a team makes it not so bad. Right now it’s exciting. Win and go on or lose and go home, and we keep on winning.  I feel like Mill Valley’s now going to be on the map for winning it all. We’ll be in the state tournament for the next couple years.”

However, the Jaguars will face an undefeated SMSouth team, which they lost to 58-39 on Friday, Dec. 14.

“I’m excited because the first time didn’t go so well but I think it will be a lot closer,” Kain said.

Moylan recognizes that the game will be tough, but agrees with Kain.

“We’ve already played them once this year and I’m looking forward to playing them again,” Moylan said. “We’ve just got to play a good game.”

Boys basketball advances to state tournament

After beating the Washington High School Wildcats 65-50 on Saturday, March 2, the boys basketball team qualified for the state tournament for the first time in nine years.

The high scorer of the night was senior forward Nathan Stacy, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

“I was excited because four years of hard work for me and my senior teammates finally paid off by getting to go to state,” Stacy said. “We put in so much hard work and effort in the off season. During the season we work on so many fundamentals that teams can’t score against us. And if they can score against us, we will beat them.”

Head coach Justin Bogart said that senior guard Kyle Kain’s three-pointer in the fourth quarter was the moment he realized the Jaguars would be headed to state.

“[Kain’s] three in the corner was probably the biggest play of the game,” Bogart said. “That sent a message to everybody that we’re going to get this thing finished.”

Kain, who contributed six points to the team’s win, felt confident after his three, but attributes Stacy’s break-away dunk as his moment of realization that the team would win.

“I felt pretty confident that we were going to win because that shot really extended the lead,” Kain said. “But [Stacy’s] dunk was the sure moment for me. I think everyone thought that was the final blow.”

Stacy agrees that his dunk with 1:09 remaining in the game to put the Jaguars up by 13 was an exciting moment.

“When I got the dunk, I knew we were going to state,” Stacy said. “I thought it was going to be a very close battle and the game was going to go down to the wire but we ended up winning comfortably.”

The Jaguars held the Wildcats at a safe distance for most of the game after getting off to a quick start. They led by 12 at halftime and the Wildcats never really threatened during the second half.

“We started so well,” Bogart said. “The guys were confident in our game plan and we made shots early. Once we started stopping shots at the other end, we got very confident and played at a high level all night. [But] you’re always concerned [until it’s over]. With four minutes to go, we were only up by 12 and it just seemed that four minutes were going to take forever.”

After putting in four years of work for the basketball program, sophomore forward Pat Muldoon is excited that the seniors get to experience this season’s success.

“[Making it to state] was our goal as a team,” Muldoon said. “We put so much hard work into it. I’m happy for all of the seniors. They deserve it more than anyone else on the team.”

Bogart also expressed his excitement for the seniors.

“It was just elation,” Bogart said. “I was really excited for our players. I think of all the effort they put in and it pays off. I couldn’t ask for anything better for those kids.”

After the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, the packed student section rushed the court.

“I thought they were going to rush the court,” Stacy said. “I thought our fan support was incredible. I had never seen so many people at a game before. When they rushed the court, it was exhilarating for the players to be surrounded by our fans.”

Junior Gabby Fangman, who was in the stands, agrees with Stacy.

“It was awesome,” Fangman said. “I wanted to storm the court right away.”

Looking forward, Muldoon feels that there will be pressure to win in the tournament.

“I’m looking forward to the exposure to the other teams,” Muldoon said. “I’m nervous about putting our whole season on the line for one game. It’s win or go home.”

If the Jaguars win their first game, they will most likely face the undefeated Shawnee Mission South, who they lost to 58-39 on Friday, Dec. 14.

“I think Shawnee Mission South will be a close game,” Kain said. “I think it will be a lot closer than last time.”

Bogart is also confident that the team is prepared for the state tournament.

“We’ve been preparing for the championship game since the first day,” Bogart said. “Having been there once and winning that first game, I would be disappointed if we lost. I would still be proud, [but in the end], we are going there to win it. We prepare to win the first game because if you don’t win that one there’s nothing else to play for.”

Kain feels that much of the team’s success is coming because of the players’ close relationships.

“I think we have a lot of chemistry together,” Kain said. “We’ve played a lot together. Last year we had no seniors, so we’ve had two years to build that relationship on the court.”

Boys defeat league rivals 71-41

The Jaguars defeated their league rivals, the Bonner Springs High School Braves, at home 71-41 on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Junior Wyatt Voorhes scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer, en route to a 9-0 start. The Braves were slow to add points but were fouled and made their first point via a free throw. The first quarter ended with a score of 17-8, Jaguars.

Voorhes said that this game had one of the most explosive first quarters he has ever seen.

“We’ve been having great practices lately, and we were really pumped for this game,” Voorhes said. “We just came out with more intensity than they did, which helped us bury them early.”

Senior Kyle Kain scored a three-pointer within a few seconds of the start of the second quarter. The Braves added five points within the next minute to bring the score to 22-13, Jaguars. Sophomore Patrick Muldoon added two points of his 12 from the night via a layup to bring the score to 24-13, Jaguars. The first half ended with a score of 37-16, Jaguars.

Junior Drew Boatwright was the breakout star of the night and contributed 18 points to the game, 12 of which were four three-pointers in a row during the third quarter. The third quarter ended with a score of 66-32, Jaguars.

The Braves added another nine points in the fourth quarter and the game ended with a final score of 71-41.

Senior Nathan Stacy compiled 14 points and 13 rebounds while Muldoon added 12 points and Voorhes and Kain added 10 apiece.

The Jaguars next game is at home against Lansing High School on Friday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.

 

Jaguars defeat Olathe Northwest 63-45

The Jaguars brought home a 63-45 win against the Olathe Northwest Ravens on Friday, Jan. 25.

After trailing by 11-points in the first quarter, senior forward Nathan Stacy and sophomore center Patrick Muldoon led the team to turn around the game. Their combined 37 points rallied the team to numerous fast break points.

Muldoon said that the Jaguar’s recovery from the Ravens quick lead was the best way to display the team’s improvement.

“We’ve been working real hard on offense in practice and focusing on finishing up at the rim,” Muldoon said. “Defense created our offense Friday night. Without our tough defense the offense wouldn’t have come back so easily.”

The consummate moment of the night was Muldoon’s dunk at the end of the first half.

Junior Emily Meier said that Muldoon’s dunk set the mood for the crowd for the rest of the night.

“I have never seen our student section get so excited,” Meier said. “There was no way we could have lost, not with our crowd cheering the team on like that.”

The Jaguars led by 11 at the end of the half.

Freshman point guard Logan Koch scored the only three pointer of the night for the Jaguars and finished with 14 points. Stacy finished with 21 points, Muldoon added 16 and junior shooting guard Wyatt Voorhes scored 10.

Voorhes said that the team couldn’t have rallied back from a low scoring start to the game without the support of the crowd.

“We came out a little flat,” Voorhes said. “But after some big plays the crowd got behind us and fueled us the rest of the game.”

The Jaguars play at home against Piper High School at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Varsity boys win first game of season

The Jaguars brought home a win at their first game of the season over the Piper High School Pirates on Friday, Nov. 30 with a 59-56 victory.

The first quarter began with the Jaguars leading 12-2 within the first five minutes of play.

The second quarter maintained scoring equilibrium between the Jaguars and Pirates, with the teams sitting at a one-point difference for most of the second quarter. The first half came to a close as senior forward Brett Hamilton made a layup, putting the score at 29-28, Jaguars.

“The first half was not executed very well,” sophomore forward Patrick Muldoon said. “Coach stressed that we couldn’t let [Piper] drive inside and we really needed to be stronger with the ball.”

With 2:27 left in the third quarter, senior forward Nathan Stacy, the leading scorer with 26 points, earned his fourth foul of the night and subbed out. With Stacy sitting on the bench, the Pirates made numerous shots, but senior guard Kyle Kain led the Jaguars on an unanswered 6-0 run.

“We really needed somebody to step up and be the leader of the night and that’s exactly what Kyle Kain did,” Muldoon said. “He led us to the victory that night.”

The game ended with a clutch stretch of free throws by Kain and Stacy, who returned from the bench, to win the game.

Senior guard Staton Rebeck said that the first game was a way to show everybody what to expect from this season.

“The first game was intense and a good game for us to start the season out with,” Rebeck said. “It showed what we needed to improve on, such as running the break, defense and free throws. We will keep improving at practice and be ready for Gardner on Tuesday.”

The next game will be at Gardner-Edgerton High School on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Mayhem Week offers spirit events for students

The StuCo-sponsored Mayhem Week began with a dodgeball tournament on Monday, May 7 and ended with a mud volleyball tournament on Saturday, May 12.

“It’s a week full of school spirit,” StuCo sponsor Erica Crist said. “Mayhem Week is a fun way to end the school year.”

This year, the funds raised went to StuCo funds, which are used to pay for different school activities, help support other groups and clubs and to give scholarship money to senior StuCo members.

On Monday, the dodgeball tournament took place, which included six teams of six players each.

The winner of the tournament was the team Brick Squad. The team members, freshman Patrick Muldoon, sophomores Ben Carroll and Jason Biesma and juniors Kyle Kain, Brett Hamilton and Nathan Stacy, were awarded a “golden” sphere for the win.

“Going into double overtime against the Brick Squad was the best part of the night,” sophomore Hunter Moravac said.

On Tuesday, May 8, the senior versus faculty game took place. The seniors were overwhelmed by the faculty’s power according to senior Tony Vitale, with the faculty winning 70-42.

“It was a blowout,” Vitale said. “We probably should have forfeited the game.”

In the talent show, 13 acts performed, but the overall winner was freshman Alex Ayala for his beat boxing performance. For winning first place, he received $30 along with a rubber ducky.

“The talent show is my favorite part of Mayhem Week,” Crist said. “All the students put so much work into it. It’s great seeing the wide variety of talent.”

Topping off Mayhem Week, students participated in mud volleyball. There were 16 teams in the tournament with six players on each team. The Brick Squad also won.

“Even though our team left early, it was fun killing the teams that we played and getting completely dirty,” sophomore Ty Smith said.

Sophomore Sankie Smith had similar views on playing mud volleyball.

“The fact that we were playing in mud, not sand [made it fun],” Sankie said. “Mud brings a different aspect to the game.”

Varsity wins second to last game of regular season

The Jaguars took the court for the second to last game of the regular season against Lansing High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Lansing got the tip off and made a three pointer to begin the game. Play continued with three pointers from both teams, and the first quarter ended with a score of 14-13, Jaguars.

Second quarter began with a two-point shot by junior forward Brett Hamilton. Junior forward Nathan Stacy then made a lay up and the ball became Lansing’s possession. Junior guard Jake Theis stole the ball from Lansing and scored, causing the Lion’s to call a time out, with a score of 20-13, Jags.

Theis thinks that forcing a team into timeout is the best way to know that your team is accomplishing a goal.

“Defense wins games,” Theis said. “Lansing being our best defensive game of the year, we knew we were doing what we should when they kept calling time outs.”

Towards the end of second quarter, sophomore guard Drew Boatwright jammed his finger and was forced off the court due to his injury. Freshman forward Patrick Muldoon took his place and immediately rebounded the Jaguars missed free throw and scored. First half finished with a score of 37-26, Jaguars.

Theis viewed the end of the first half as being well played and physical.

“When we’re playing good, we can beat anyone,” Theis said. “And we were showing that we were on our way to doing so at the end of the half.”

Second half started with Lansing in possession. Lansing turned the ball over to the Jaguars, but Stacy missed a three-point opportunity. Stacy rebounded his own missed shot and was fouled, then made two for two free throws.

Junior guard Kyle Kain made a three pointer, Lansing received possession, Jaguars stole, then sophomore guard Nick Friesner turned the ball over. Kain fouled Lansing, which allowed them to shoot. With 3:03 left in the quarter, the score was 42-32, Jags.

To finish the quarter, Stacy had an assist to Kain who scored a layup. After Lansing tried for a three, Muldoon rebounded and passed to Kain who scored a three pointer. The Jaguars were fouled and Boatwright shot two for two free throws. During a Jaguar possession, Lansing stole and scored. With 6.5 seconds left in the quarter, Hamilton was fouled and made both free throws. Lansing scored at the buzzer and third quarter ended with a score of 51-38, Jaguars.

The fourth quarter began with Stacy being fouled and making one of two free throws. Lansing pushed their defense, causing steals from the Jaguars. After some scrambling for the ball and a few attempted shots by the Jaguars, a foul was called for Stacy and he shot two for two free throws.

To end the game, countless fouls were called, causing both teams to travel from line to line shooting. During the Jags possession with 10 seconds left, the ball was held onto and the team walked off the court. The game ended with a score of 77-62, Jaguars.

Freshman basketball player gains experience on court

Being the only freshman on the varsity team, forward Patrick Muldoon became a better player by working with teammates who are older and more skilled than who he is used to playing with.

“Varsity really gives me more experience,” Muldoon said. “It helps a lot having teammates who you can count on to make a play.”

Though playing on varsity has its advantages, there are also some disadvantages to going up against older players.

“Overall, I’m just slower to adjust to new concepts,” Muldoon said. “It’s difficult going up against players who have been playing basketball for a couple more years.”

As the team’s season progresses, Muldoon hopes the team can keep learning to play as one. As the team is on a two game losing streak, Muldoon plans to step up his game and bring as much as he can to the table.

“We are all getting to know one another pretty well,” Muldoon said. “As the season goes on, I expect we will only get closer.”

Boys basketball team loses league rival game

The Jaguars traveled for their second road game in a row, and lost to the Bonner Springs Braves, 54-45. At halftime the team seemed to have the game closed out, leading 30-20, but there was still another half to play.

In the third quarter the Braves outscored the Jaguars 13-9, slowly edging their way back into the game, but then in the last eight minutes of the game they outscored the team, 21-6 concealing the victory.

Junior forward Nathan Stacy led the team in scoring and rebounds with 11 points and 14 rebounds, recording a double-double. Right behind him in scoring was other junior forward Brett Hamilton with 10 points.

“I felt that we played the same as we played the first time [against Bonner Springs] and we thought we had the game won, so we stopped playing as hard,” Hamilton said.

Freshman Patrick Muldoon came in off the bench and scored a career high, nine points.

“It was a rush. [It] felt like a normal game, I didn’t feel pressure that I normally do when I enter varsity games.” Muldoon said.

The team played again on Tuesday, Feb. 14 against the Basehor-Linwood Bobcats and lost, 87-54.

NHS hosts ‘Know Ya Boo’ contest

NHS hosted the “Know Ya Boo” contest, a dating game show with a prize of Starbucks gift cards, on Monday, Feb. 13.

The contest was hosted by seniors Devin Rudicel and Robbie Weber, who asked questions such as “What is your significant other’s birthday?”, “What is your boyfriend’s most irritating habit?”, and “What is your song?”

The participating teams were senior Greg Mason and sophomore Alexis Riedel, juniors Luke Marx, and Caroline Kain, sophomore TJ Phillips and freshman Olivia Midiros, freshmen Patrick Muldoon and Lauren Mansfield and staff members Sheree and Dwight Stoppel.

“It was just a lot of fun,” Sheree said. “It was just light-hearted fun.”

The game ended with a victory by the Stoppels.

Next Page »