HHS football equipped to repeat success

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:17

The Hillsboro football team will have 15 seniors and letter-winners as they seek to match or exceed last year’s 7-4 record. Pictured are: kneeling (from left) Brandon Rooker, Luke Moore, Devin Dick, Cory Abbott; standing, Matt Wiebe, Ben Gardner, Daniel Kenny, Chance Reece, Ethan Frantz, Ben Bebermeyer, Dylan Delk, Tanner Johnson, Eric Scheele, Caleb Hilliard, Sam Shope. Hillsboro High School football coach Max Heinrichs may have lost a record-setting quarterback and dangerous wide receiver from last year’s 7-4, bi-district championship team.

But the second-year coach feels he has enough weapons in the arsenal this year—including 12 letter-winners—that the Trojans should be sufficiently armed for another successful season this fall.

“I think we can be a pretty good team,” said Heinrichs, who multi-tasks as the HHS principal, too.

Gone through graduation is Jacob Fish, who set passing records last year for yardage (2,216) and touchdowns (24), and the speedy Jacob Edwards, who caught 29 passes for 531 yards and six touchdowns.

“It’s nothing against my last year’s seniors, but I think...

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Allen should set the pace for HHS cross country

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:12

Even though the Hillsboro High School cross-country team graduated its lone state qualifier from 2009 in Nath­an Vogel, the Trojans will have a state qualifier on this year’s squad.

But it will be his premier season in Kansas.

Joel Allen will compete as a Trojan in his senior year after running at state last season with his Minnesota high school team.

Allen, who transfered to Hillsboro after cross country season, made his mark in the Sunflower State in spring when he finished third in the 3,200 meters at the Class 3A state track and field meet.

Allen has been running hard this summer to train for his cross-country debut for HHS.

“It takes a good amount of self-discipline and determination to run 350 miles like he has this...

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Trojan tennis returns last year’s full varsity lineup

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:10

Hillsboro’s top six players from 2009 will be looking for more success in 2010. Pictured are (from left) Aubrey Meier, Becky Faber, Emma Heyen, Hayley Pankratz, Elise Heyen and Courtney Weber. It’s not often that a high school coach returns his entire varsity lineup from the previous season, but that’s both the de­light and the dilemma for Hills­boro tennis coach Bob Woelk.

“The good news is I have five returning seniors, and they have been with me for four years now,” Woelk said. “The bad news is there are fairly high expectations when you have girls who have been through a system. So it’s kind of a moment of truth.”

The five seniors are Becky Faber, Elise Heyen, Emma Heyen, Aubrey Meier and Hayley Pankratz. Courtney Weber, a junior, is the sixth varsity returner.

“What I like about this group of girls is that they like each other and they’re a fun-loving group,” Woelk said. “But what I’ve seen...

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Tabor soccer teams seek to surpass predictions

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:07

Five seniors return for the Bluejay soccer team: (from left) Josh Reiswig, Robert Masson, JD Tippin, Jake Riley and Aaron Beagle.  

The Tabor College men’s and women’s soccer teams are looking for continued improvement this fall under the coaching leadership of Grant Brubacher.

Men’s team



Picked to finish ninth in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and coming off an 8-10-2 season in 2009, the men’s team will be led by a key group of seniors.

Those seniors are Aaron Beagle (Topeka), Marcos Banderia (Porto Alegre, Brazil), J.D. Tippin (Hillsboro), Josh Reiswig (Wichita) and Jake Riley (Derby).

Reiswig was an honorable-mention all-KCAC defender in 2009. Also returning is two-time all-KCAC honorable-mention middle fielder Robert Masson (Dagety Bay, Scotland).

Tabor will bring in eight freshmen after losing two-time first-team all-KCAC forward...

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Tabor aims for KCAC repeat in volleyball

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:05

Returning to defend their regular season KCAC championship are seniors and all-KCAC performers: back row (from left), Gina Hullett, Caylan Thompson, Jessica Perrault (manager), Jordan Crosson, Tina Frick; front row, Erin Dick, Mandilyn Phillips, Lichelle Large. Favored to repeat as Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference champs in 2010, the Tabor College volleyball team has had great success since Amy Ratzlaff took over the program in 1999.

In the first decade of the new millennium, Tabor has won seven KCAC titles, including six straight from 2001-06.

Ratzlaff cites a simple formula for the success.

“I feel like God has called me to this program,” she said. “He does with the program what he’d like to with it.

“We recruit great women,” she added. “I feel like the character of our women in our program make us successful.”

Pulling much of her talent from the central Kansas area, Ratzlaff said she focuses on building a team core with players from the Sunflower State.

“Our...

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