by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Coach Shawn Uhlenhake will take on a close friend when the Kansas City Kansas Community College women play host to Barton County Saturday at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the NJCAA DI Region VI soccer playoffs.
“Barton’s head coach, O.C. Camara, was my assistant coach while I was at Western Texas; I know he will have his team ready to play,” Uhlenhake said.
Hopes for a tie for the Jayhawk East championship faded away Tuesday as Cowley College (10-2) clinched the title with a 3-2 home win over third place Butler County. Second in the East with a 9-3 record, the Blue Devils (12-3) will be in the playoffs for the first time while Barton County is the defending Region VI champion. The Grizzlies finished third in the Jayhawk West with an 8-4 record and are 9-7 overall.
Uhlenhake’s ties with Barton County go well beyond his coaching relationship with Camara.
“It’s come full circle for me because Barton was my first college job and I know they invest a lot in their programs and expect to compete well in postseason play,” Uhlenhake said. “Having gone far in the playoffs last year, the Cougars are a little more prepared for postseason play based on last year. I know they have some dangerous players. They do every year.”
KCKCC’s experience will come from the coaching staff. Between Uhlenhake and assistant Sara Matthews, they have been to seven national tournaments.
“There isn’t a bar that’s been set before us; we’re writing history for our program,” Matthews said. “That allows us to not walk in with a ton of pressure on our shoulders and the ability to play fearlessly. But it also doesn’t give the players the experience of having been in this situation before. As coaches, we’ve had to get through conference tournaments to even get to the final site so we know the mentality it takes to win in the post-season. We will instill a hunger in this group for more.”
KCKCC is the No. 4 seed; Barton the No. 5. The winner will play the winner of the game that sends No. 8 Johnson County to No. 1 Cloud County Saturday. In the other half of the bracket, No. 6 Butler County plays at No. 3 Hutchinson on Saturday while No. 2 Cowley College plays host to No. 7 Dodge City on Sunday. The first round winners will advance to the semifinals at the home of the higher seeded team on Thursday, Oct. 31.