Having guided the Erie Red Devils boys basketball team to its second straight state tournament, head coach Nick Pfeifer is this year’s Parsons Sun High School Boys Coach of the Year.

Taking over for a legend, Tyler Beardmore faced the pressure of keeping afloat one of the most respected tennis programs in the area.

Playing in her third year after her true sophomore year was called off early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Labette Cardinals softball first baseman Grey Holland is this year’s 2020-21 Parsons Sun Labette Female Athlete of the Year.

Bryson Dennis was the leading scoring threat for the Labette Cardinals men’s basketball program, which won a KJCCC title and advanced to the Region VI Tournament finals in a shortened season.

A return to contender status for the Labette Cardinals softball program earned Ryan Phillips the 2020-21 Parsons Sun Labette Coach of the Year honor.

HUTCHINSON — Parsons graduate Tanner Barcus started at defensive back for the East squad in the 2021 Kansas Shrine Bowl on Saturday at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.

Coming off a prolific senior season, Tanner Barcus will represent the Parsons Vikings at the 2021 Kansas Shrine Bowl in Hutchinson on Saturday.

EUGENE, Ore. — Brett Thompson, a decorated athlete from Erie who’s developed into one of the nation’s best collegiate javelin throwers at Pittsburg State, is a breath away from representing Team USA at this year’s Olympics in Tokyo. 

Forty-one youth participated in the weekly Southeast Kansas junior golf tournament, held Thursday at the Katy Golf Club.

WICHITA — Dawson Lehman, a senior who joined the Erie track team full-time just weeks ago, won the state title in the 2A 400m dash on Saturday during the last day of the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships.

WICHITA — Mariah Monroy wrapped up one of the most decorated athletic careers in Cherryvale history on Friday as she took third in the Class 3A triple jump at the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships.

WICHITA — Three of the four triple jumpers for the Parsons track team that went to Wichita for the KSHSAA state championships returned with bling around their necks.

WICHITA — Labette County brought 15 athletes to the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships on Friday and returned to Altamont with three medals on behalf of Alex Meister and Russell McCarty.

Labette County’s Dakota Payne as well as the Erie boys golf team all competed at their respective KSHSAA state championships on Monday and Tuesday.

A two-win campaign isn’t what the Parsons Vikings baseball team envisioned in its return following the lost season from last year.

TOPEKA — A state debut — a year late thanks to the pandemic — was overdue and well worth the wait for Labette County sophomore Sidni Meister, who captured the KSHSAA 5-1A championship in the 100-yard backstroke on Saturday at Hummer Sports Complex in Topeka.

PAOLA — Labette County produced four regional champions and 14 state qualifiers while Parsons notched one champion and 10 state qualifiers at the KSHSAA 4A Regional Track and Field Meet at Paola on Friday.

Eight Labette Cardinals softball players earned All-KJCCC honors for the 2021 season. Chloee Sams, Winter Snyder, Morgan Schmidt and Labette County High School graduate Jadeyn Wyrick were among those that earned the coveted first team selection.

For the third straight season dating back to the spring of 2018, the Parsons Vikings softball team suffered a winless campaign in 2021.

INDEPENDENCE — Parsons’ Jayce Quirin, a freshman, and Labette County’s Dakota Payne, a senior, each punched their tickets to the KSHSAA 4A State Golf Championships in Dodge City at Monday’s regional tournament in Independence.

PITTSBURG — The Chanute boys and girls swept the SEK League track and field titles at Thursday’s league meet in Pittsburg, winning the girls team division with 109.5 points and the boys standings with 174.5 points.

ERIE — The Cherryvale Chargers boys track team won the Tri-Valley League title on Thursday, registering 120 points to squeak by Caney Valley with the meet held at Erie High School.

PRYOR, Okla. — Murray State, the only unranked team in the field at the NJCAA Region VI District A Tournament this past weekend, stormed through the bracket and denied the No. 10 Labette Cardinals’ bid at a fourth-ever trip to the national tournament.

TOPEKA — An excruciating three-set semifinal loss denied Parsons’ Zach Spriggs a chance at the KSHSAA 4A Boys Tennis singles title on Saturday in Topeka.

TOPEKA — Parsons senior Zach Spriggs moved one step closer in his quest to capture the KSHSAA Class 4A State tennis championship, easily dispatching a pair of opponents Friday afternoon. 

FREDONIA — Needing just one win to secure at least a share of the Tri-Valley League title on Thursday, the Cherryvale Chargers ended up dropping both games to Fredonia 5-2, 11-1. That allowed the Yellowjackets to earn their share of the league title and snapped an 11-game winning streak Cher…

Hunting its fourth-ever bid to the NJCAA national tournament, the No. 10 Labette Cardinals began the week trying to put behind a physically and mentally labored end to its regular season.

CANEY — The Erie Red Devils boys golf team captured the Tri-Valley League title on Monday. Erie won the Tri-Valley Invitational with a team score of 418 strokes, three ahead of second place finisher Caney Valley. It’s the first-ever Tri-Valley League title for the Erie boys golf team in scho…

INDEPENDENCE — Zach Spriggs of Parsons continued his climb up the ladder on Friday, following up his SEK League singles title with a KSHSAA 4A Regional singles championship to punch his ticket to the state tournament.

By Sean Frye

CHERRYVALE — Athletes from eight schools took part in the Cherryvale Invitational on Thursday, with Cherryvale’s boys and girls both winning first place in the team standings. 

FORT SCOTT — Jadeyn Wyrick tased a complete-game one-hitter in the circle as the 10th-ranked Labette Cardinals swept Fort Scott 11-1, 7-3 on Thursday on the road.

OVERLAND PARK — A two-run top of the seventh inning in Game 2 helped the Labette Cardinals save a split of a series at Johnson County on Saturday. The Cavaliers won Game 1 4-1 before the Cardinals came back and won the second game 5-4.

A 23-hit effort hoisted the No. 12 Labette Cardinals to an 8-6, 11-5 sweep of the No. 9 Cowley Tigers at home on Thursday.

COLUMBUS — Five different classifications from two different states were present at the Columbus Invitational track and field meet on Monday.

CHANUTE — A familiar foe foiled No. 9 Labette’s 12-game KJCCC winning streak as the No. 18 Neosho County Panthers swept the Cardinals 10-2, 10-9 on Thursday.

Two SEK League golf meets took place over the week, with the Fort Scott Invitational on Monday and the Parsons Invitational on Wednesday at the Katy Golf Course.

CHERRYVALE — For the second time in as many seasons this fall, the Cherryvale Chargers will have a new head football coach.

Four Labette Cardinals earned All-KJCCC honors for their efforts during the 2021 season.