Category: KCKCC

Promising freshmen carry Blue Devil golf hopes

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s golf team of, from left, Kellen Welsh, Keegan Ellington, Dylan Freund, Cam Riley, Mark Towey and Jacob Hall opened the season in the Swedes Invitational in Salina Monday and Tuesday. (KCKCC photo by Gary Shrader)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s young golf team is being thrust into the thick of competitive college golf in a hurry.

One sophomore and five freshmen opened the Blue Devils’ fall schedule when they competed in Bethany College’s 54-hole Swedes Invitational Monday and Tuesday at Salina Municipal Golf Course.

“All five have good swings and have played high school golf but it will be a new experience playing against four-year colleges with juniors and seniors. I’m sure their eyes will be a little wider,” KCKCC coach Gary Shrader said.

Hastings, Bethel, York, Kansas Wesleyan, Bethany and perennial Jayhawk Conference power Barton County Community College joined KCKCC in the opener.
Cam Riley, a sophomore from Liberal, is the lone returnee from last year’s team.

“Cam had a good first season,” Shrader said. “Very steady, kept the ball in play, shot in the mid-70’s.”

Four of the five freshmen have state tournament experience including two state champions, Keegan Ellington of Andover Central and Mark Towey of Wichita Bishop Carroll. Ellington won the Class 5A state championship as a junior in leading Andover Central to back-to-back state titles in 2018-19 while Towey won the Class 4A state championship last spring.

Jacob Hall of Tonganoxie fired a one-over par 73 at Sunflower Hills to qualify for the state tournament as a junior while Dylan Freund was a member of a very competitive Cheney high school team that gained the Class 3A state tournament.

A wrist injury suffered during the football season limited the playing time of Kellen Welsh of Olathe West. Welsh’s older brother, Harry, played for the Blue Devils last season.

“Like all freshmen, these young men need to get out and play competitive golf,” Shrader said. “Weather did not do them any favors this past spring. Rain pushed state tournaments back twice and forced them to be moved. On the plus side, it’s a team that’s working hard and really competing on the practice stations. Obviously with just six players we’ll be able to take all six to all but one of the tournaments.”

The Blue Devils will be competing almost exclusively against four-year college and university teams in their six-tournament fall schedule which will include hosting the Blue Devil Invitational at Dub’s Dread Oct. 7-8.

The 2019 fall golf schedule:
Sept. 15-17 – Evangel Invitational, Rivercut, Springfield, Mo.
Sept. 23-24 – Ottawa Invitational, Eagle Bend, Lawrence.
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 – Culver Invitational, Porta Cima, Sunrise Beach, Mo.
Oct. 7-8 – Blue Devil Invitational, Dub’s Dread.
Oct. 13-15 – Tabor Invitational, Sandcreek Station, Newton.

KCKCC volleyball at home to face No. 3 ranked JCCC Wednesday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s young volleyball team finally gets to play a home game Wednesday. But that doesn’t make things any easier.

After giving No. 1 ranked Coffeyville a couple of early scares in a 3-0 loss at Coffeyville Monday night, the Blue Devils open their home season against No. 3 ranked Johnson County (8-2) Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

The Blue Devils pushed Coffeyville’s defending national champions to the wire in the first two sets, losing 25-23, 25-23 before the Red Ravens pulled away in the third match with a 25-15 win. It was the 11th straight for the unbeaten Red Ravens

Meanwhile, KCKCC fell to 6-5 overall and 0-2 in Jayhawk Conference play with all 11 contests played on the road or at neutral sites. One of seven Jayhawk teams ranked in the Top 20 nationally, KCKCC entered play this week ranked No. 20.

“I was very pleased with our performances in the first two sets,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “Both came down to a couple of points and a point or two difference in each and we walk away with wins. Our service pressure put us in great situations to be successful and as a group, we have flashes of blocking brilliance.

“Four of our five losses have been at the hands of Top 20 nationally ranked teams so we’re competing with the best teams in the country. We just need to be better disciplined and find ways to win.”

Lady Blue Devils post 3-0 soccer shutout at Neosho County

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Led by a trio of freshmen, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women’s soccer team ran its 2019 record to 3-1 Saturday with a 3-0 blanking of Neosho County at Chanute.

Even at 1-1 in Jayhawk Conference play, the Lady Blue Devils are right back in action Wednesday when they’ll play host to once-beaten Cowley County at 5 p.m. Men’s teams will follow at 7:30 p.m.

Midfielders Melissa Siegel and Kayley Pederson each had a goal and an assist to lead the way at Neosho.

Scoreless through the first half, the Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes of the second half on a goal by Shawnee Mission South freshman defender Katrina Sargent on a pass from Siegel, a freshman from Endingen, Germany.

Siegel made it 2-0 just 2.5 minutes later when she headed in a goal on a crossing pass from Pedersen. A freshman from Shawnee Mission West, Pedersen closed out the scoring on an unassisted goal with four minutes remaining.

“It was good to get scoring from the back when Neosho was keeping our forwards in check,” KCKCC coach Shawn Uhlenhake said. “We’ve been getting goals from a lot of different people. Melissa Siegel did a very good job of finding players and Kaylee Pedersen had another good game.”

The Blue Devils got off a whopping 21 shots including 13 on goal that were blocked.

“We came out the first half a little flat and Neosho did a good job of putting pressure on us,” Uhlenhake said. “We did have opportunities but could not finish. But the early second half goals got us going and we controlled the ball the second half.”

Defensively, the Blue Devils limited the Panthers to just six shots, two of which were turned away by freshman goalkeeper Jaidyn Takaishi of Olathe North.

“Our defense made it difficult for their forwards,” Uhlenhake said. “They had some shots but nothing dangerous.”

Cowley (4-1) will come to KCKCC Wednesday on a four-game winning streak highlighted by a 2-1 win over Butler County in El Dorado Saturday.

After dropping their season opener 1-0 at Rose State, the Lady Tigers have defeated Northeast Oklahoma A&M 7-0, Northern Oklahoma Tonkawa 5-1, Allen County 5-0 and Butler 2-1 in two overtimes.