Faded hopes

Written by Don Ratzlaff Wednesday, 31 October 2007 11:31

StSChhs3TrojansPA274346.jpg Click to buy photo McMillen, who had established himself this season as one of the top performers in Class 3A, faded toward the end of the 5-kilometer route and finished 41st in the field of 104 runners.


Trouble at the top meant trouble for the team.

On a day when cross-country runners do everything to be at their physical best, it just didn’t happen that way for the top two runners from Hills­boro.

The Trojans, with a realistic hope of coming home from the Class 3A state race at Wamego with a top-five team finish, settled for ninth as Cody McMillen and Nicholas Mueller struggled with physical ailments along the challenging hills of the Wamego Country Club.

McMillen, who had established himself this...

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MHS ends its season with loss to Swathers

Written by Andrew Ottoson Wednesday, 31 October 2007 10:10

MHSfbHeidebrechtPA181891.jpg Click to buy photo Justin Heidebrecht looks for daylight as the Hesston defense closes in during Thursday’s season finale. The Warrior senior finished his MHS career with 87 kickoff return yards, including this 30-yard run.


Unbeaten Hesston hammered the Marion Warriors 42-15 Friday, scoring six times in the first half to engage the running clock for the entire second half.

But with time ticking down on their season, the Warriors came up with a quick stop against the Swather varsity and tallied two scores before the clock ran out. 

What started as a tough night ended with all smiles for the slew of Marion fans that turned out for the finale on a cold evening. The Warrior faithful were treated to a...

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Bluejays fall late to 'Builders

Written by Andrew Ottoson Wednesday, 31 October 2007 09:58

TCfbStubbsPA201947.jpg Click to buy photo Tabor wide receiver Lance Stubbs fights through a tackle to score a touchdown in the second quarter Saturday. Tabor took a 13-6 lead on the score, but ultimately fell by a 26-20 margin. Andrew Ottoson / Free Press.

The Tabor College football team lost its final home game of the season to Southwestern, 26-20, on Saturday.

Anthony Davis, who started at quarterback in place of the injured Jason Aubrey, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Bluejays leaned heavily on its passing game for the second straight week.

Davis tossed both scores in the first quarter, wiping out an early deficit.

The Moundbuilders got off to a fast start. On the third play from scrimmage, running back...

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Bluejay men's soccer season ends in 6-3 quartfinal loss at Bethel

Written by Andrew Ottoson Wednesday, 31 October 2007 09:53

TCmen's-soccerPA244236.jpg Click to buy photo Tabor sophomore Dallas Pruitt forces the issue and takes away the angle against Bethel senior Jason Wood. Pruitt ended up getting the better of this play, but Wood made his mark with a goal midway through the second half of the Threshers 6-3 win. Andrew Ottoson / Free Press

The Tabor College men’s soccer team closed out its season with a 6-3 loss to Bethel in the opening round of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs a week ago.

Bethel’s Galidore Ngapeth scored three times on five shots, and put the Bluejays behind 1-0 only 36 seconds into the game.

Bethel made it 2-0 on a strong finish by Emanuel Batu, who took a precise pass from Josh Laubenheimer and banged a shot off the...

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TC Runners prep for regionals with 15 personal record times

Written by Andrew Ottoson Wednesday, 31 October 2007 09:40

TCxcLizPA201914.jpg Click to buy photos Left: Leading the women’s squad to a third-place finish, Liz Kleinsasser strides past a bend in the high grass. Right: Caleb Schroeder completes the first 1.5- mile loop of the men’s race, in which Tabor placed fourth.Free Press photos by Andrew Ottoson


The Tabor College women’s cross country team placed third on the strength of all-conference calibre races by Liz Kleinsasser and Heidi Schmidt.

Kleinsasser placed fourth with a time of 18 minutes, 42 seconds. Schmidt (19:35) placed 8th. Amber Wiens (17th, 19:54) trailed Schmidt by only 19 seconds.

“That was a major accomplishment for Amber after her knee surgery eight months ago,” coach Karol Hunt said. “This was the first...

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