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2009-2010 Interscholastic League Male, Female, Coach of the Year Announced
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League are proud to announce for the first time ever, its overall 2009-2010 Male, Female, and Coach of the Year.
"This was something new that we talked about doing when I first came on board last fall, so our department worked closely with the district’s public relations staff to figure out a way select two top athletes (male-female) among so many choices," Kimble Anders, the District’s Athletic Director said. “The winners were selected among our sports MVP’s this season and chosen by our varsity coaches and school athletic directors to make it a fair and open process.”
Daylen Robinson, a senior from Northeast High School, was voted Male Athlete of the Year after winning the top IL honors during the basketball season, leading his team to an 18-11 record and scoring a career high 57 points against the Central Blue Eagles, who were ranked third in the state, in their district championship game.
During his stellar season, Robinson received the league’s top player of the month award on three occasions (Dec-Feb) during the season, led the state in scoring at 32 points per game, was selected Hy-Vee Player of the Week on three occasions, first team all-state, first team all-metro, and to top off the season, won the 2010 DiRenna Award as the top player in the metro-KC area.
Robinson has already signed a letter of intent to attend Moberly Area Community College this fall.
Christina Pratt, a junior from Lincoln College Prep Academy, was voted Female Athlete of the Year. Already winning top honors for her stellar season on the volleyball court, Pratt also excels in track & field whereas team captain, has led her team to its sixth straight league crown and has qualified to compete in the state championships in track & field for the second year in a row (1600m relay).
Lincoln College Prep’s Head Track Coach Lee Allen was voted Coach of the Year among his peers who saw his girls dominated the Interscholastic League track & field championships, winning by 160 points over their nearest competiton.
During his time in the league, Allen has won the top track coaching honor five times, won eight league titles (Boys-2, Girls-6), two Class 3A District 8 titles (Boys-2008, Girls-2006), and has coached two state champions (Tyrisha Chambers-2006, Jalexis Peterson-2009).
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Southeast's Dell Davis wins state title in high jump
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) and the Interscholastic League congratulate Southeast Knights track star Dell Davis on winning the Missouri Class 1 State Championship in the high jump Saturday, May 22 in Jefferson City, Missouri on the campus of Lincoln University.
Davis, a senior, won his state title on his last jump, clearing 6 feet, 5 inches.
“I thought this would be the best way to go out,” said Davis after winning his title. “My name will always be synonymous with Southeast, no matter where my life takes me. For that, I am humbly, eternally grateful.”
Davis, who graduates Tuesday, will be honored by the District’s Board of Director’s meeting Wednesday evening.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
IL track athletes compete in sectionals this weekend
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – This will be a busy weekend for Interscholastic League athletes competing in track & field sectionals to be held in Kearney and Blue Springs South, respectively.
In Class 3 Sectionals, the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers will send 19 athletes to Kearney in the hopes of moving on to state, while Westport will send their relay teams to compete in the 400m and 800-meter relays.
In Class 4 sectionals, Central’s Allen Gilbert will compete in both the 110m and 300m hurdles, while his teammates on the 1600m relay and the Lady Blue Eagles on the 800m relay will have a chance to go to state as well. Northeast will send one runner, Shaniqiua Sanders to sectionals, who will compete in the 300m hurdles.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Davis, Alexander compete for state titles
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – For Southeast Knight’s senior high jumper Dell Davis, he has one goal this weekend as he travels to Jefferson City, Missouri to compete in the Missouri Class 1 State Track & Field Championships at Lincoln University.
After winning the high jump during sectionals, Davis stated his only purpose is to, “win”.
“Since our school is closing, we fell short on the basketball court to win a state title, so for myself and for my school, I want to do the best I can to come back with a state title,” said Davis. “It may not seem like it to those on the outside, but this is a heavy burden I’m placing on myself. After this weekend, there won’t be any more Southeast Knights. I’m the last one.”
When it comes to track, Southeast has been known for its greatness, including 1989 graduate Todd Trimble, who still holds the state record in the long jump (26 ft. 1.5 in.).
Also competing this weekend will be Antonio Alexander of Afrikan-Centered Education (ACE), who will be competing in the 100-meter dash.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Lincoln Prep to send 12 athletes to KU Relays
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 16, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers qualified 12 of its athletes to compete in this weekend’s prestigious KU Relays.
Qualifying for the Blue Tigers and the events they will be competing in include:
Kelvin May - Triple Jump & 400-meter run
Sheilahn Puryear – 300-meter hurdle
Kayla McGee - Long Jump, Triple Jump, 100-meter hurdle
Christina Pratt - Triple Jump
Jewel Stovall – 400-meter run
Erica Boyer, Jewel Dixon, Shaquille Shanklin, and Jonae Daniels in the 400-meter relay
Sheilahn Puryear, Alexis Coleman, Jewel Dixon, and Shaquille Shanklin in the 800-meter relay
Sheilahn Puryear, Christina Pratt, Alexis Coleman, and Jewel Stovall in the 1600-meter relay
Alternates: Kothney-Issa Guillaume & Lauren Brown
The Blue Tigers are coached by Lee Allen, assisted by Roger Franks.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Robinson to sign national letter of intent Thursday
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Northeast Vikings senior point guard Daylen Robinson, the Interscholastic League Boys Player of the Year, has made his college decision and will sign his national letter of intent and Thursday, April 15 with Moberly Junior College.
The event will take place at 12:45 p.m. at the high school, where the media is invited to attend.
"If people remember the newspaper article that was written about Daylen, he was someone that wasn't suppose to make it," said Kimble Anders, the District's Athletic Director. "To see what this young man went through in his life to have an opportunity to attend college, I'm excited for him and his family"
Robinson was the league's top player of the month, winning the league award three times during the season. Leading his team to an 18-11 season, Robinson averaged 32 points per game, leading the state in scoring, while securing first team honors, both locally and across the state. He was awarded the 2010 DiRenna Award as the top basketball player in the metro area, the first league player to win the award since 2003.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Robinson, Spearman named to All-Metro teams
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 12, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In a fitting way to end the 2009-2010 basketball season, the Interscholastic League was represented on the Kansas City Star All-Metro Basketball teams with the selection of the Northeast Vikings' Daylen Robinson and the Central Blue Eagles’ Mikel Spearman.
Robinson, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard, was selected to the first team after leading his team to an 18-11 season while leading the state in scoring at 32 points per game. The highlight of his senior season came versus Central in the championship game of the district basketball playoffs, where Robinson scored 57 points in the Vikings loss. It was this game that cemented his place as the 2010 DiRenna Award winner as the top player in the metro area.
Spearman, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, was selected for honorable mention honors after leading his team to the Interscholastic League championship and the District 15 championship this season, Averaging 16 points per game, Spearman considered his team's ascension to the No. 3 ranking in the state to be the highlight of the season.
In the final rankings for the metro area, the Central Blue Eagles finished tenth in the city and seventh in the state.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Robinson named 2010 DiRenna Award winner
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Northeast High School’s Daylen Robinson was chosen as the winner of the DiRenna Award as the top male basketball player in the metro area by the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association.
Robinson, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard and the Interscholastic League (Boys) Player of the Year, is the first player in the league to win the award since Quinton Day of Paseo took home the award in 2002 and 2003.
Mark Scanlon, head coach of the Northeast Vikings, was always out front promoting Robinson’s credentials, hoping that politics wouldn’t keep his star player from being slighted.
“I’ve coached great players during my career, including (Raytown High’s) Tyronn Lue, but Robinson was a special kid that I didn’t know how good he actually was until I saw him play this year,” Scanlon said.
The District congratulates Robinson on the award and will honor him at the Wednesday, April 14 School Board meeting.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
IL Players of the Years announced for basketball
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The votes have been counted and the Kansas City, Missouri School District Athletic Director Kimble Anders is proud to announce that Northeast Vikings guard Daylen Robinson and Central Lady Blue Eagles' Brittany Silas have been selected the Interscholastic League's Boys & Girls Player of the Year in basketball, respectively.
"I actually have to admit that at the beginning of the season, I thought Daylen was overrated because I didn't know what all the hoopla was about," said Anders. "Trust me when I say that he proved myself and a lot of people wrong because he's definitely the real deal on the court. I'm glad to have been around to see him play."
In every game this season, Robinson was the best player on the court. Averaging a state-leading 31.5 points per game over 28 games, Robinson led his team to a 17-11 record where he capped off his career with a 57-point performance in the Class 5, District 15 championship game in an 80-74 loss to Central.
"I'm happy to win the award, but I couldn't have done it without the help of my coaches and teammates," said Robinson, a senior, who also won the Player of the Month Award for February. "I just hope to be as productive at the next level."
Silas, a junior guard, led her team to its third consecutive league title, going undefeated in the process of going 17-8 on the season. She was also name Player of the Month for February for the second time this season.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
All-Inscholastic League Teams, top IL coaches named
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In addition to being named the top players in the Interscholastic League for basketball, both Daylen Robinson (boys) of Northeast and Brittany Silas (girls) of Central were named to the first team of the league's basketball squads.
Karen Jamison, the head coach for the Lady Blue Eagles at Central (17-8), was selected by her peers as the girls coach of the year for the third consecutive season.
Phillip Morgan, head coach for the Central Blue Eagles (24-4), was named the boys coach of the year after leading his team to the league title and a district championship.
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE 2009-10 BOYS BASKETBALL HONORARY ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
First Team
Terrell Shears, Central Sr. 6-4 Center
Kenyon Smith, Central Sr. 5-11 Guard
Mickel Spearman, Central Sr. 6-2 Forward
Dennis Toliver, East Sr. 6-3 Forward
Atomiewa Aromona, Lincoln Sr. 5-9 Guard
Daylen Robinson, Northeast Sr. 6-0 Guard
Paris Simpson, Northeast Sr. 6-5 Center
Thomas Daniel, Southeast Sr. 6-5 Center
Rickey Hollis, Southeast Sr. 5-10 Guard
Marshawn Maull, Westport Sr. 6-0 Guard
Honorable mention: Prince Bass, sr., 6-5, forward and Kyle Murray, jr., 6-1, guard/forward, Central; Philon Barr, sr., 5-9, guard, Antonio Pettigrew, sr., 6-4, forward, and Tyrone Wright, sr., 6-1, forward, East; Maurte Harrison, jr., 6-3, guard/forward, Aaron Jones, sr., 6-4, forward/center, Marcus Mondaine, jr., 6-2, guard, and Montay Simmons, sr., 6-4, forward, Lincoln Prep; Andrew Cann, sr., 5-11, guard, and Robert DuPriest, sr., 6-4, forward, Southeast; Donte Frazier, sr., 5-11, guard, Tyreek Freeman, soph., 5-10, guard, Julius Lloyd, jr., 5-10, guard, and Laron McAfee, sr., 6-1, guard.
Player of the Year
Daylen Robinson, Northeast, sr., 6-0, guard
Coach of the Year
Phil Morgan, Central
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE 2009-10 GIRLS BASKETBALL HONORARY ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
First Team
Candice Lovings, Central Sr. 5-7 Guard
Danielle Randle, Central Soph. 5-11 Forward
Brittany Silas, Central Jr. 5-8 Guard
Brittany Atkins, Lincoln Prep Soph. 5-9 Guard
Jimisha Blanton, Lincoln Prep Sr. 5-9 Forward
Miya Smith, Lincoln Prep Jr. 5-5 Guard
Angel Woods, Lincoln Prep Jr. 5-7 Guard
Shayniqua Sanders, Northeast Sr. 5-8 Forward
Tonyae Curry, Westport Jr. 5-5 Guard
Shalishia Johnson, Westport Sr. 5-9 Forward
Honorable mention: Omunique Jackson, sr., 5-6, guard, Chestina Lark, jr., 6-2, center, and Kaila Talbert, soph., 5-4, guard, Central; Brittany Farris, sr., 5-4, guard, and Makeesha Hill, sr., 5-3, guard, East.
Player of the Year
Brittany Silas, Central, jr., 5-8, guard
Coach of the Year
Karen Jamison, Central
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Lady Aggies to work out at Lincoln Prep Thursday
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Former 2006 Interscholastic League Player of the Year Tanisha Smith and her number #15-ranked Texas A&M teammates will return to the stomping grounds where Smith made her mark, practicing at Lincoln College Prep Academy this week as it looks to take home the Big 12 tournament championships.
They will practice Thursday in the school's gymnasium from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Traditionally A &M practices at a home school of a player on the team. Lincoln considers this a great honor to asked by Tanisha and the A&M Aggies.
Smith, who averaged 28 points and 14 rebounds as a senior at Lincoln Prep, and led her team to the state championship game her junior season, is excited to come back home.
"I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym, running the floor and possibly giving some advice to some of the girls while we are there," said Smith, who ranks third on her team in scoring with 15.3 points per game.
The Lady Aggies, 22-7, will begin their play Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Municipal Auditorium, taking on the Texas-Missouri winner.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Final season for Southeast Knights come to an end
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Southeast Knights boys basketball team fell short in its bid to repeat as district basketball champions on March 6, falling to University Academy 72-66 in the Class 2 District 12 finals.
Southeast High finished its final season at 13-13. The school is slated to close at the conclusion of the school year.
The Knights were led by senior center Thomas Daniel, who scored 27 points. Robert Dupriest added 17 points.
After the game, Knights Head Coach Ben Suber reflected on his time with his players.
"I'm going to miss the time we spent together- the practices, the games, the classroom," said Suber. "I'm proud of being able to coach them, but I'm much more proud of them as young men who will leave this school with an education and diploma come May."
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Central teams win IL Championships
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League would like to congratulate both the boys and girls basketball teams from Central High School for winning the Interscholastic League Basketball Championships in their respective divisions.
For the second consecutive season, the Lady Blue Eagles (17-8) swept through their division, clinching the championship Friday, Feb. 19, with a 54-41 hard fought win over the Lincoln Prep Lady Blue Tigers (17-6). Junior guard Brittany Silas led all scorers with 24 points.
"Our girls worked hard all summer, playing in camps together and working out together, so it's rewarding to them, but they still have more to do heading into district play," said Central Head Coach Karen Jamison.
On the boys side, the Blue Eagles (22-3) came back from trailing early in Friday's ballgame against the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (13-12) to clinch the boys title in a 67-53 win. Junior guard Kyle Murry led all scorers with 20 points.
"This is been one of the hardest, yet rewarding coaching seasons that I've had," said Head Coach Phillip Morgan. "Hopefully, if our guys play together and listen, we should do well in the playoffs."
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
District assignments for IL teams announced
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 17, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Heading into the last week of the regular season, Interscholastic League teams, minus the Southeast Knights, were given their seeds after district assignments were announced Monday.
In Class 5, District 15 on the boys side, the Central Blue Eagles (19-3) received the top seed, with the Northeast Vikings getting the third seed.
The Blue Eagles, who receive a first-round bye, will face the winner of North Kansas City (#4) and Fort Osage (#5) on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:00 p.m.
The Vikings will take on William Chrisman (#6) Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7:00 p.m. in the first round, with the winner facing Truman (#2), in the semifinals, who the Vikings defeated earlier this season, 63-61..
On the ladies side, the Lady Blue Eagles from Central received the second seed and a first-round bye as they take on the winner of the William Chrisman (#3)-Northeast Vikings (#6) match-up, which will take place, Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:00 p.m. Central will play the winner Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Class 5, District 15 will take place at North Kansas City High School, located at 620 E. 23rd Avenue; NKC, MO 64116.
In Class 4, District 15, which will take place at Staley High School, three IL schools will compete for the district title.
On the boys side, Kearney and Staley High Schools received the top two seeds and first-round byes that come with it. The Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers were seeded third and will face sixth-seeded Excelsior Springs on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7:00 p.m.
Preceding that game will see the East Bears (#4) take on the Westport Tigers (#5) at 5:30 p.m. in the first game.
Over on the ladies side, the Lincoln Prep Lady Blue Tigers received the #2 seed and along with top-seeded Staley, received first-round byes.
Kearney, seeded at #3, will take on the East Lady Bears (#6), Monday, Feb. 22, at 7:00 p.m. The winner will face Lincoln Prep, Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 5:30 p.m.
In the first game to open up district play, fifth-seeded Westport Lady Tigers, will take on Excelsior Springs (#4) at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 22.
The Southeast Knights, competing in Class 2, will receive their assignment in the upcoming days.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Robinson Chosen KC Star Athlete of the Week
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The awards continue to come in for Northeast Vikings guard Daylen Robinson.
After being named the Interscholastic League Player of the Month for December and January, Robinson has been selected by the Kansas City Star as their boys athlete of the week for his outstanding performance during the week of Feb. 1-6, 2010.
During that period, Robinson led his team to a 3-1 record, including wins against Truman and East, while averaging 33 points in the four games, including dropping 42 points in the Vikings win against 10th-ranked Central on Feb. 3.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Interscholastic League Player of the Month for January
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Interscholastic League announce today that Daylen Robinson of Northeast High School and Brittany Silas of Central High School have been selected the player of the month for boys and girls basketball, respectively, for January.
For Robinson, a senior, this is his second award after being named top player in December. In January, Robinson averaged 28 points per game.
Silas, a junior, averaged 18 ppg in January, where the Lady Blue Eagles were 6-2 during that month, including 29 points in the team's triple overtime win against Notre Dame deSion.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Central Chosen KMBC 9's Team of the Week
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – As Central High School continues to rack it victories, it's team is starting to gain local recognition around the city. Sitting at 15-3 and ranked tenth in the KC Star high school poll, the Blue Eagles, were chosen Monday as KMBC Channel 9's Hy-Vee Basketball Patrol Team of the Week.
"We've been wanting to get out to Central for some time now after they defeated Hogan Prep, Rockhurst, and Rock Bridge," said Channel 9's Karen Kornacki. "Central has been pretty good this season, both the boys and the girls."
Central, which averages 85 points a game, has a starting five lineup in which all of its players average double figures in points. Leading the way for the Blue Eagles is senior Mikel Spearman, who averages 21 points per game. Forward Terrell Shears averages a double-double, 15 points and 12 rebounds.
"I'm blessed to have the kind of talent on my team," Central Head Coach Phillip Morgan said. "The only thing that will stop us from going far will be free throws and not being patient. But, I will put my team up against anyone and let the score speak for itself come playoff time."
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Lincoln Prep swim team to host championships
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers swimming team will host the second annual 2010 Tom Horn Independent League Swimming and Diving Championships over a two day period.
The meet, which will take place at Central High School, will be held Wednesday, Feb. 10th and Thursday, Feb. 11th. Preliminaries will begin at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and will not include diving. The finals, which will include diving, begins Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
The cost of admission to the event is $5 for adults and $4 for students. The Central Blue Eagles swim team will also be participating.
For more information please contact Eileen Houston-Stewart, Director of Public Relations, (816) 418-7406 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Metro Sports to begin accepting applications for CityBall Scholarship
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – During their Feb. 5th broadcast of the Game of the Week featuring Central-Lincoln Prep, Metro Sports will announce that they will be accepting applications for the CityBall Scholarship Fund.
"The mission of the CityBall Scholarship is simple, send as many KC-area kids to summer activity camps as possible," said Stephen Spiegel, the Emmy-winning producer of Metro Sports who created CityBall.
Kids from K-12 are eligible to apply for the application, which you can find by going to, www.cityballmovie.com and fill out their online application form or download a hardcopy form, fill it out and send it to us by US mail.
Soon after the deadline (May 1, 2010), the CityBall Advisory Council, made up of members from Metro Sports and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, will decide who receives the award or awards.
Recipients will be notified by late May.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Daylen Robinson scores 42 points in huge win
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Either the Northeast Vikings' shooting guard Daylen Robinson is that good or the pressure of wearing royal blue and white is catching up to members of the Blue Eagles basketball squad.
Or maybe it's both.
In what is considered one of the biggest upsets in the Interscholastic League over the past few seasons, the Vikings, (11-7) defeated the Central Blue Eagles, 71-69, Wednesday night at the IL Field House.
Vikings head coach Mark Scanlon game plan was pretty simple going into the game and it worked to perfection.
"Give Daylen the ball and get the heck out of the way," Scanlon joked. "Seriously, we figured they would allow Daylen to score and try to have someone beat them, but it didn't work.
Central, 14-3 and ranked ninth in the KC Star poll, led throughout the game, but their star player, Mikel Spearman, disappeared in the second half, scoring only two of his 15 points in the final 16 minutes of play. it was the first league loss in over two seasons.
"I'm very disappointed in the way our team played tonight, especially after coming back to win against Westport," said Central head coach Phil Morgan. "Northeast played a great game, especially Daylen, and they executed in the end. We didn't."
Morgan continued, "We haven't been playing our best ball lately and it seems my players have lost focus, whether its believing the hype or just thinking that because you wear this jersey, teams are suppose to lie down. I can assure you we will be refocused and ready to go by Friday (against Lincoln Prep)."
Other games Tuesday night saw the Southeast Knights lost their second game in a row, this time to the Westport Tigers, 91-81. The Tigers' Donte Frazier led all scorers with 28 points.
Lastly on the boys side, the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers easily moved to 10-5, defeating the East Bears, 74-35.
On the girl's side, Lincoln Prep, in preparing for their Friday match-up against Central, easily defeated Northeast, 67-8. Lincoln's Angel Woods led all scorers with 14 points.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Blue Eagles, Vikings, come from behind to get wins
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In their toughest game to date this season, the Central Blue Eagles came from behind late in the fourth quarter and withstood a 39-point effort from Westport's Marshaun Maull to win, 76-74.
"We played a bad game and we didn't come out ready to play," said Central head coach Phillip Morgan. "Defensively, of course we didn't give up 100 points, but hopefully this game will serve as a wake-up call for these players if they want to be considered one of the top teams in the state."
The Blue Eagles, now 14-2 on the season, got 20 points from Mikel Spearman and 15 points from Kyle Murray.
"We weren't focus tonight and we almost got beat for it," said Murray. "Hopefully my teammates know that just because we put these jerseys on doesn't guarantee us a win."
Maull, who played his best game of the season against Central, hit 13 field goals (including 4 three-point shots), and was 9 out of 12 from the free-throw line, missed the game-tying shot at the end of the game.
"He was in a zone tonight," said Tigers head coach Albert Collins. "We came into the game with a plan and it almost came through, but this loss in the end can be viewed as a win if we build on it."
Other games Tuesday night saw the Southeast Knights lose at the hands of Wyandotte, 75-62. The Knights got 21 points from Ricky Hollis in a losing effort.
The Northeast Vikings, 9-7, came from behind to beat Truman, 63-61. The Vikings' Daylen Robinson led all players with 27 points.
Lastly on the boys side, the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers easily moved to 10-5, defeating the East Bears, 74-35.
On the girl's side, Central and Lincoln Prep continued their dominance over the IL, defeating Northeast and East, respectfully.
Central handily defeated the Lady Vikings, 65-12 behind Brittany Silas' 13 points.
The Lady Blue Tigers (12-4) defeated the Lady Bears, 80-13. Brittany Atkins led the way with 23 points.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Former Lincoln track stars excel at the next level
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Former Lincoln College Prep and Interscholastic League track star Jalexis Peterson has continued her winning ways at the collegiate level for Pittsburg State University.
Peterson, a 2009 graduate who won the state championship in the triple jump, has qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships, to be held March 12-13 at the Albuquerque (N.M.) Convention Center. She won the Radio Shack Missouri Southern Invitational last weekend with a jump of 37 feet, 8.75 inches.
Other Blue Tigers excelling at the next level included Greg Wright (2008 graduate), a sophomore at Pittsburgh State, who finished sixth in 60 meter dash and took first place in the 1600 meter relay at the Radio Shack Missouri Southern Invitational.
Christian Ricketts, a teammate of Peterson at Lincoln Prep, now competing for Baker University, finished fourth in the 600 meter dash, narrowly missing the NAIA Provisional Mark by one second at the NWU Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Vikings' Parrish selected First Team All-State by AP
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 4, 2010
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Selected by respected media from across the state, Northeast Vikings senior defensive back and Interscholastic League Defensive Player of the Year, Kawnn Parrish, was recently selected to the Missouri 2009 Class 5A First-Team All-State on defense.
"I'll admit I was shocked when I first heard the news," said Kimble Anders, the District Athletic Director. "Not that he couldn't make it, because he was the best player in our league, just shocked that it took the media across the state to recognize what our local media didn't, that Parrish was one of the top players not only in the city, but across the state."
Parrish was the league's first ever player of the week recipient for his play against Hogan Prep. In a losing effort, Parrish garnered 29 tackles (20 solo), two interceptions, scored two touchdowns, including one on forced fumble that he recovered and another on a kickoff return. He did this after breaking his arm early in the game.
For the season Parrish totaled 112 tackles (69 solo), 6 sacks, 13 interceptions, 17 pass breakups, 9 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 16 total touchdowns, 3 block kicks.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Blue Eagles fall to Washburn 55-42 in Hy-Vee Shootout
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Facing their stiffest competition to date, the Central Lady Blue Eagles were defeated by Topeka Washburn Rural, 55-42, Wednesday in the opening game of the Hy-Vee Shootout.
Central (4-2), led early in the game, but after five minutes, the Blue Eagles had a hard time boxing out and couldn't stop the Rurals from getting offensive rebounds and second chance points. Poor shooting from the field (18-49, 36%) didn't help the Blue Eagles, who got as close to seven in the second half.
Washburn, the reigning Kansas class 6A state champions, were led by Alexa Bordewick, who topped all scorers with 19 points. The Blue Eagles were led by Brittany Silas, who scored 16 points in a losing effort.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Central's Bush honored during classic
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Former Central basketball coach Jack Bush was honored Friday, Dec. 4, during the halftime game of the Jack Bush Tip-Off Classic featuring Central and St. Thomas Aquinas.
Bush, who taught and coached in the Kansas City, Missouri School District for 52 years, was humbled by his diamond-shaped plaque presented to him by the athletic department.
"When you get into this field, all you think about is trying to win one game at a time," said Bush. "I was just fortunate to have always been surrounded by good people and players over the years that allowed me to be standing here to receive this type of recognition."
District Athletic Director Kimble Anders said that honoring someone like Bush, "Was never given a second thought. When I saw it on our calendar, our department wanted to make sure we honored him and did it the right way this time around."
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
All-Interscholastic League Soccer Team announced
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League are proud to announce this season's 2009 All-Interscholastic League Soccer Team:
2009 All-Interscholastic League Boys Soccer First Team
Oscar Anchondo, sr., East
Anyer Avila, sr., East
Ketlyn Caton, sr., East
Francisco Escutia, jr., East
Jose Silva, sr., East
Juan Vargas, sr., East
Lamine Badji, so., Lincoln Prep
Armando Lopez, so., Lincoln Prep
Hassan Adan, sr., Northeast
Eddy Flores, so., Northeast
Luis Pacheco, so., Northeast
Honorable mention: Ibrahim Abdi, r., Rodolfo Lopez, fr., Juan Ramirez, fr., Alejandro Romero, jr., and Omar Vargas, so., East; Joe Bustog, jr., Simon Davies, fr., Christian Esteban, so., Manfred Ngom, fr., Thibaut Ngom, fr., and Rosendo Pina, fr., Lincoln Prep; Dirie Abdi, sr., Vorge Galarza, jr., Murajan Mohamed, sr., and Christian Range, jr., Northeast.
Player of the Year
Juan Vargas, sr., East
Coach of the Year
NarWarrior Mackey, East
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Central's Brittany Silas named player of the week
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Central Blue Eagles Brittany Silas was named by the Kansas City Star today as the Female High School Athlete of the Week for her play on the basketball court.
Silas, a 5'5 junior guard, has led the team to a 3-0 record heading into the championship game tonight in the Fort Osage Tournament.
According to the KC Star, Silas started the season with a breakout performance against Hickman Mills last week. Not only did Silas score 20 points during the 52-49 victory, but she also contributed two big fourth-quarter defensive plays to take out the Cougars’ best player.
Silas took two charges against Polly Harrington, who recently signed to play at Louisville, sending Harrington to the bench with foul trouble. Silas also made five of eight critical free throws down the stretch. Central has since improved its record to 3-0.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
All-Interscholastic League Volleyball Team Announced
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League are proud to announce this season's 2009 All-Interscholastic League Volleyball Team:
First Team
Erica Mendenall Sr. East
Amy Rice Sr. East
Lauren Brown Soph. Lincoln Prep
Lizz Palaamo Soph. Lincoln Prep
Christina Pratt Jr. Lincoln Prep
Monique Yil r. Northeast
Second Team
Brandy Roos Sr. East
Kothney-Issa Guillaume Sr. Lincoln Prep
Gabrielle Murillo Sr. Northeast
Victoria Winters Sr. Northeast
Wynieshia Wilson Sr. Southeast
Sharina Wiley Jr. Westport
Honorable mention: Jasmine Clark, soph., and Brianna Walker, jr., Central; Karessa Gibson, sr., and MeKayla McGee, soph., Lincoln Prep; Cinderella Lajdrik, jr., and Campbelle Tatum, sr.,. Northeast; Marissa Winfield, sr., Southeast; Kosha Johnson, jr., and Taeseana Watkins, sr., Westport.
Player of the Year
Christina Pratt, Lincoln Prep
Coach of the Year
Gayla Brown-Curtis, Lincoln Prep
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
All-Interscholastic League Football Team Announced
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In addition to being named the top players in the Interscholastic League for football, both running back Brian Townsend (offensive) of Westport and defensive back Kawnn Parrish (defensive) of Northeast were named to the first team of the IL football team. Parrish was also named on the offensive second team for his play at wide receiver.
Other notable players to receive league honors included first team running back Anthony Johnson of East, who gained 1,730 yards from scrimmage. Johnson, also made first team defense at linebacker, getting 160 tackles and 15 sacks on the season. Westport's Conception Rosa (guard, linebacker), Lincoln Prep's Montay Simmons (tight end, linebacker), and East's Bobby Morgan (wide receiver, defensive back), were the only other players to make first team, both on offense and defense.
This season's 2009 All-Interscholastic League team:
OFFENSE
First Team
QB Chris Hester Sr. 5-10 165 Westport
RB Brian Townsend Sr. 5-11 195 Westport
RB Anthony Johnson Sr. 5-10 195 East
WR Victor Hoskins Jr. 6-2 190 Westport
WR Bobby Morgan Sr. 5-9 165 East
TE Montay Simmons Sr. 6-2 220 Lincoln Prep
C Tarrell Todd Jr. 5-11 215 Lincoln Prep
G Conception Rosa Sr. 6-0 205 Westport
G Duron Whitley Jr. 5-11 200 Westport
T Jules Maxi Sr. 6-1 205 Central
T Carlos Reams Soph. 6-3 256 Lincoln Prep
K Victor Hoskins Jr. 6-2 190 Westport
Second Team
QB Tyrone Wright Sr. 6-0 180 East
RB Durrell Calhoun Sr. 5-10 195 Northeast
RB Theo Johnson Sr. 6-1 200 Westport
WR Kawnn Parrish Sr. 6-2 170 Northeast
WR Shamon Green Sr. 5-8 170 Central
TE Anthony Rashid Sr. 5-11 179 Northeast
C Vonzell Wesley Soph. 5-11 210 Westport
G Davian Griffin Sr. 6-2 297 Northeast
G Marcus Heard Sr. 5-9 240 East
T Samuel Watson Jr. 5-10 275 Northeast
T Travel Stewart Sr. 6-1 215 Westport
Honorable mention: running backs – Wayne Poole, sr., 5-8, 175, Central, Donovan Templeton, sr., 5-10, 185, Northeast, and Xavier Herring, sr., 5-7, 155, Westport; guards – Immaunuel Jones, sophl., 5-9, 245, East; tackles – Darnell Walker, jr., 5-10, 210, East, Anthony Maple, jr., 6-4, 240, Northeast, and Jordan Frazier, jr., 6-2, 245, Westport; wide receivers – Cornell Roe, sr., 5-7, 160, East..
Offensive Player of the Year
Brian Townsend, sr., 5-11, 195, Westport
DEFENSE
First Team
DL Samuel Watson Jr. 5-10 275 Northeast
DL Travel Stewart Sr. 6-1 210 Westport
DE Jules Maxi Sr. 6-1 205 Central
DE Theo Johnson Sr. 6-2 200 Westport
ILB Conception Rosa Sr. 6-0 205 Westport
ILB Anthony Johnson Sr. 5-10 190 East
OLB Daylen Robinson Sr. 6-0 174 Northeast
OLB Montay Simmons Sr. 6-2 220 Lincoln Prep
CB Bobby Morgan Sr. 5-9 165 East
CB Elijah Callier Sr. 5-10 165 Northeast
S Kawnn Parrish Sr. 6-2 170 Northeast
P Stephon Irons Sr. 5-10 165 Central
Second Team
DL Anthony Maple Jr. 6-4 240 Northeast
DL Carlos Reams Soph. 6-3 256 Lincoln Prep
DE Anthony Rashid Sr. 5-11 179 Northeast
DE Darnell Walker Jr. 5-10 210 East
ILB Chris Garcia Sr. 5-8 155 Westport
ILB Durrell Calhoun Sr. 5-10 194 Northeast
OLB Antonio Clark Sr. 5-8 170 Central
OLB Xavier Herring Sr. 5-10 150 Westport
CB Malcolm Brown Soph. 5-11 173 Lincoln Prep
CB Tray Hacket Sr. 5-7 165 Westport
S Victor Hoskins Jr. 6-2 205 Westport
P Victor Hoskins Jr. 6-2 205 Westport
Honorable mention: defensive linemen – Devon Brown, jr., 6-0, 220 and Jordan Frazier, jr., 6-2, 240, Westport; inside linebackers – Deron Whitley, jr., 5-10, 220, Westport; corner backs – Cornell Roe, sr., 5-7, 160, East, and Chris Hester, sr., 5-10, 160; safeties – Allen Gilbert, sr., 6-0, 175, and Stephon Irons, sr., 5-10, 165, Central.
Defensive Player of the Year
Kawnn Parrish, sr., 6-2, 170, Northeast
Coach of the Year
Dan Stanley, WestportFor more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Townsend, Parrish selected Players of the Year
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2009
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| KCMSD athletic Director Kimble Anders with Westport's Brian Townsend; KCMSD Superintendent Dr. John Covington with Northeast's Kawnn Parrish. |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The votes are in and the Kansas City, Missouri School District Athletic Director Kimble Anders is proud to announce that Westport's Brian Townsend and Northeast's Kawnn Parrish were selected the Interscholastic League's Offensive & Defensive Player of the Year in football, respectively.
"Both kids displayed a lot of heart and talent this season and came up big for their teams as the season wore on," said Anders. "I'm happy for Kawnn as I got a chance to coach him for two games this season, but both guys were able to lead their teams to a share of the championship this season."
On the offensive side of the ball Townsend led all running backs in the league with 1,044 yards in eleven games played, while leading his team to a 4-7 record and a share of the Interscholastic League Championship.
"This is a good way to cap off my career, but I wouldn't have gained any yards without the help of my line and teammates," said Townsend, who was selected the Player of the Week on three occasions this season.
For Parrish, he convinced coaches after the first game this season that he was going to be player of the year, for either offense or defense with his performance against Hogan Prep in the Vikings' regular season opener. Breaking his arm in the first half of the game, Parrish went on to score two touchdowns, one on a forced fumble recovery, and finish with 29 tackles in the game.
He went on to become the Interscholastic League's first Player of the Week recipient, winning the award twice upon leading his team to a 4-6 record and a share of the conference crown.
"I had lost my desire to play football after last year (1-9, 2008 season), but they brought in Coach Anders and he was able to change our mindsets, our practice habits, and so on before he was promoted and we used it to get us to where we are," said Parrish. "I plan to go to college and continue to use those tools and with my studies, make it to the next level."
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Interscholastic League to honor Hall of Fame coach during weekend classic
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 1, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Interscholastic League will feature a blockbuster two-night, six game schedule this weekend as the league honors its famous coach with a classic bearing his name.
The Second Annual Jack Bush Tip-Off Classic, named after the former Hall of Fame basketball coach from Central High School, will feature local top teams such as Rockhurst, Raytown South, and St. Thomas Aquinas to come in and take on IL powerhouses Northeast, Central, and Lincoln Prep, respectively.
Bush, whose age continues to eludes even the CIA, has garnered nearly 800 wins over a 50-plus year coaching career, winning 25 league championships, playing in the final four on ten occasions, and winning the state championship in 1979. He has coached some of the top players to come through Kansas City, including, Michael Walker (Missouri), Michael Watson (UMKC), and Derek Hood (Arkansas).
One of the coaches who will be forever linked with Bush is the new basketball coach at Northeast, Mark Scanlon. Scanlon, a 500-win coach, coached against Jack Bush in 1995 when he was at Raytown High and they played in the most famous high school game ever in Kansas City, when his Blue Jays took on the Blue Eagles in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Basketball playoffs at Municipal Auditorium.
"I get asked about that game often and every now and then Metro Sports replays it to get under my skin," Scanlon laughed. "But seriously, that was an exciting game, the atmosphere was electric and I'm not sure their will ever be another game like it here."
That game featured the top two teams in the city with a birth in the state semis on the line. Billed by the Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock as the "Giants vs. the Dwarfs", Central's front line of a 6'8 Hood and 6'7 JoVonn Jefferson faced off against Tyronn Lue (who later went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers) and his band of guards, defeated Raytown in front of 10,000-plus fans 80-73 in double overtime. That was Scanlon's only loss that season.
"We had a great team, but on that night Jack's team was better," said Scanlon. "I'm glad to be a part of it and it's only right that we honor him. I only wish more schools or leagues treated their coaches like the IL is doing."
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Interscholastic League teams sweep Fred Pohlman Classic
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 30, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – With Thanksgiving behind, the boys from area Interscholastic League basketball teams worked off their appetite to win their respective games in the Fred Pohlman Shootout at Penn Valley over the weekend.
With five games on the shootout schedule, the Southeast Knights (1-0) defeated Frederick Douglass Friday, in the first game, 77-61. The Knights were led by Thomas Daniels, who had a double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Andrew Cann chipped in with 18 points.
"We opened the season the way I would have expected," said Knights head coach Ben Suber. "The only goals we have set is to win it all, the league, district, and the state title."
The second game saw the East Bears (1-0) defeat the KC East Christian Academy, 59-46. The Bears were led by Antonio Pettigrew, who scored ten points.
Saturday's action opened with a win for the Westport Tigers (1-0) as they defeated Don Bosco, 87-52. Westport had three players in double figures, led by Donte Frazier's 20 points. Marshawn Maull added 17, Victor Hoskins added 11.
Following the Tigers win, the Northeast Vikings (1-0) began their season under new head coach Mark Scanlon with a win against St. Louis Construction Careers, by the score of 84-36. Scanlon, who formerly coached 22 years at Raytown, got 29 points from Daylen Robinson, and ten points apiece from Kawnn Parrish and Riak Riak.
The final game of the weekend saw the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (1-0) knock off Renaissance Academy, 55-30. The Blue Tigers were led by Atomieua Aromona, who had 13 points in the win.
The next game for each team will be this weekend, Dec. 4-5, 2009 in the Second Annual Jack Bush Tip-off Classic at the Interscholastic League Field House.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210Athletic Director's charitable foundation provides baskets for Thanksgiving
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 25, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Running Back/Giving Back, a charitable foundation run by District Athletic Director Kimble Anders, provided Thanksgiving baskets Wednesday for those less fortunate this holiday season.
Surprising lucky students during the day Tuesday, Anders talked about why he decided to partner his charity with his job.
"For me it was pretty simple as I love kids and I know what it's like to be hungry or to be struggling during this time of the year," said Anders. "I didn't always play for the Chiefs and trust me, when we provided these baskets to the kids and their families, just seeing their faces light up meant the world to me and makes it all worthwhile."
One such lucky recipient was Rayanna Pearson, a sixth grader from Pinkerton K-8. Pearson, who has six brothers and sisters told Anders that her mom just bought food for Thanksgiving, but quickly laughed and told Anders, "Thanks to you we got an early start on Christmas!"
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Interscholastic League teams go 2-1 in season opener
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 25, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The 2009-2010 basketball season got underway Tuesday as the Interscholastic League champion Central Lady Blue Eagles won the nightcap of a tripleheader at Manual, knocking off the Hickman Mills Lady Cougars, 52-49.
In the earlier matchups, the Northeast Vikings lost their opener to Renaissance Academy, 53-37, while the Lady Blue Tigers from Lincoln Prep easily handled KC East Christian Academy, 70-21.
The Vikings (0-1), led by Christen Jordan's 15 points, will next play Grandview on Dec. 2, 2009.
For the Blue Tigers (1-0), they sent an early message to the Blue Eagles that the IL crown will be up for grabs this season as their top player, sophomore Brittany Atkins, led a balanced offense with 16 points and six rebounds. Angel Woods chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds for the Blue Tigers as well.
The Blue Tigers next game will be Tuesday, Nov. 30, in the Savannah Tournament.
The final game of the night saw the Blue Eagles (1-0) hold off a late charge from Hickman Mills and their top player, University of Louisville-signee Polly Harrington, to win their season opener. Harrington scored 27 for the Cougars.
"We wanted to set the tempo early, pushing the ball and running up and down the court," said Blue Eagles guard Brittany Silas, who led Central in scoring with 20. "Coach (Karen) Jamison expects us to run her game plan flawlessly and for the most part we did."
Central's next game is Tuesday, Nov. 30, during the Fort Osage Tournament.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Interscholastic League basketball season tips off tonight
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 23, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The winter season for the Interscholastic League athletic program will begin Tuesday with a tripleheader action of girls basketball at Manual Career & Technical Center.
Questions awaiting to be answered this season, "Will Lincoln finally get over the hump and win the league title over Central? How will Mark Scanlon do coaching in the IL at Northeast? Will Southeast go out on top to end their season?" Any true fan of high school basketball with a rich knowledge of inner-city athletics should look forward to this upcoming, exciting season.
Tipping off the season for the IL as they host Renaissance Academy at 4:30 p.m. will be the Northeast Lady Vikings (0-0). Coached by former WNBA star Antoinette Wells, the young Vikes are looking to start their season on the right track.
In the second game, the Lincoln Prep Lady Blue Tigers (0-0), under new head coach Pamela Bankhead, will tip-off at 6:00 p.m. against KC East Christian Academy. Bankhead, in her first year as head coach, will have her top returning players in Brittany Atkins, Jimisha Blanton, and Angel Woods to assist her along the way.
In the final season opener, the reigning Interscholastic League champion Central Lady Blue Eagles (0-0) will open up against Hickman Mills at 7:30 p.m. Karen Jamison, the Blue Eagles head coach, return five players and bring in a couple of freshmen who will see significant action this season as they look to win another league title.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Bears end their season in semis
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 6, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears soccer team finally met their match Thursday, falling at the feet of Pembroke Hill, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Class 2, District 6 tournament.
The Bears, coached by Narwarrior Mackey ended their season at 18-5, winning the Interscholastic League soccer championship for the second straight year. This season the Bears had four players, Juan Vargas (4), Jose Silvia, Francisco Escutia, and Alejandro Romero selected Interscholastic League Soccer Player of the Week during the season. Vargas also broke the school record for goals scored in a season with 44.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
BACK TO TOP
Tigers fall short in state playoffs
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 5, 2009
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| KCMSD athletic Director Kimble Anders with Westport AD Waunda Comeauw, award winners Brian Townsend, Concepcion Rosa and their teammates Wednesday. |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The magical football run for Westport ended Wednesday, as the Tigers fell to the Kearney Bearcats in the opening round of the state playoffs, 63-7.
The Tigers, coached by Dan Stanley ended their season at 4-7, winning a share of the Interscholastic League championship and having three players, Brian Townsend, Theo Johnson, and Concepcion Rosa, all selected Interscholastic League Football Player of the Week during the season.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Anders award final fall season awards
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 5, 2009
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| KCMSD Athletic Director Kimble Anders with Central’s Kaila Talbert | Northeast’s Mohamed Aweys and KCMSD AD Kimble Anders | |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – With the time that it took to dedicate to getting the NFL Grassroots Grant completed with the city, Kansas City, Missouri School District athletic director Kimble Anders didn’t get a chance to do what one of the perks he enjoys about his job. Talking and presenting students with their awards.
Fortunately for Anders this week, two of the recipients were the same as last week, as Northeast’s’ Mohamed Aweys and Central’s Kaila Talbert received the Interscholastic League’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week for boys and girls, respectively.
Both Aweys and Talbert won the Interscholastic League Championship held at Swope Park on Oct. 25, 2009, leading their respective team to the team championships. They also placed first and second the previous week in the E.A. Markey Invitational.
“I normally have a day scheduled when I get a chance to go around and hand out the awards and last week was just hectic,” said Anders referring to the grant submission. “So with the end of the fall campaign I wanted to make sure I personally set time aside to honor our kids.
This week player of the week selection in football went to Westport Tigers’ Concepcion Rosa, who received his award Wednesday.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Woodland Elementary students run the 5K
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Students at Woodland Elementary got a chance to compete against some of their staff and teachers Sunday as they participated in the Cliffhanger 5K (3.1 miles) Run.
Among the top runners in their age division were Abdullahi Mohamed and Antonia Jackson. The instructors attempting to keep up with the students were Elaine Alexander, Bernadette Fitzpatrick, and Craig Rupert.
Woodland had a total of 18 students participating in the run, including: Anthony Blackmon, DeOnte’ Brown,
Avery Williams, Aubry Williams, Delton Williams, Dmeeko Blackmon, Maria Ortiz, Lydia Ortiz, Martin Ortiz, Liliana Ortiz, Keone Mayes, Nicholas James, Janeshia Lawson, Feymi Morales-Zuniga, Esther Morales-Zuniga, and Antoinette Lawson
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Concepcion Rosa third Westport Tiger to win Player of the Week award
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The top player selected this week in the Interscholastic League for football is Westport Tigers' Concepcion Rosa.
Rosa, a senior, is the third Westport player to receive the award this season, joining running backs Brian Townsend and Theo Johnson.
"Concepcion, came up big for us Thursday night and his play solidified the score and ensured our team of another game this week," said Tigers head coach Dan Stanley.
Against Platte County, Rosa accounted for what ended up being the game winning touchdown in the third quarter when on a blitz, Rosa caused a fumble and returned it 30 yards for a score to put the Tigers up 20-7, before holding off Platte County in the end, 20-14. He also had seven tackles in the game.
Westport will take on Kearney, Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Bears win, face Pembroke Thursday in district soccer play
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears soccer team got off on the right track Monday night, defeating O'Hara, 5-1, in the first round of district play.
The Bears, 18-4, were led by Juan Vargas, who had two goals, follow by Alex Ramero, Juan Ramirez, and Kristo Garcia, who closed out the scoring for East.
East will now move on to play the host school and top-seeded team in Pembroke Hill, Thursday, Nov.5 in the Class 2, District 6 semifinals at 5 p.m.
The Northeast Vikings had their season ended Monday at the hands of William Chrisman, losing 5-3.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Metro Sports, KSHB-41 to focus on Westport Tigers
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Making it to the postseason has earned the Westport Tigers a lot of local interests.
The Tigers, at 4-6, will be the subject of Metro Sports nightly broadcast, Tuesday night at 10:00 p.m. with footage of the team practicing and interviews with some of their top players. Head coach Dan Stanley, will also be interviewed for the video piece that will be airing.
KSHB-41 will also be airing footage of the Tigers from their practice Tuesday, which is set to air at 6:00 p.m.
Westport will travel to Kearney for its next playoff game. The contest will kick off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Bears win their final game of the season
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears ended their football season on a high note, defeating Olathe Christian, 57-0 at home Friday night. East, which finished the season at 2-8, will begin playing in the Interscholastic League next fall and become eligible to compete for the league championship as well as qualify to play in the postseason.
Bears running back Anthony Johnson ran for 147 yards on just ten carries, while scoring 5 touchdowns (4, 25, 2, 5, 37) as he led the Bears to their highest scoring output of the season.--
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Blue Tigers, Bears receive district volleyball honors
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Class 3, District 14 volleyball tournament teams were announced and members from the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers and the East Bears' had players selected to represent their respective programs.
Christina Pratt of Lincoln Prep and Erica Mendenhall of East, were the top players selected from the Interscholastic League schools participating. They both received second team honors.
Lizz Palaamo, McKayla McGee of Lincoln Prep and Amy Rice, Brandy Roos of East received honorable mention votes.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Bears, Vikings begin district soccer play
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears soccer team will begin their march to the state playoffs as they begin their district play tonight as they face O'Hara High School at Pembroke Hill at 6:30 p.m.
The Bears, 17-4, will face stiff competition in the Class 2, District 6 tournament, facing off against teams like Pembroke Hill., Harrisonville and Clinton.
And that's the way four-time Interscholastic League Soccer Player of the Week Juan Vargas likes it.
"The only way we will find out if we are as good as our record is to be against the best and our bracket give us that chance," said Vargas. "We've got good coaches and talented players, so why not us? Why not now?
The Northeast Vikings, will look to perform well in their district game this evening as well, facing off against William Chrisman at 5:00 p.m. at Fort Osage High School in Independence, Mo.
The Vikings are competing in the Class 3, District 15 tournament.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Westport wins, moving on to football playoffs
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 30, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Behind the running of Brian Townsend and what ended up being the winning touchdown on a 30-yard fumble recovery by Concepcion Rosa, the Westport Tigers (4-6) won a spot in the football playoffs, defeating Platte County, 20-14.
Townsend, who rushed for 135 yards on 28 carries, said this was the hardest victory in his playing career.
“We weren’t ready for our season to be over with, so we came together, listened to our coach and his game plan, and behind our offensive line, I was able to run well,” said Townsend.
The Tigers, who finished second in districts to Staley, will move on to face Kearney, next Wednesday.
In other Thursday night action, the end of the season came for the remaining Interscholastic League teams, as the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (2-8) fell to Pembroke Hill, 20-8; Staley defeated the Central Blue Eagles (0-10), 55-6; and the Northeast Vikings (4-6) fell to Truman, 44-12.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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For some players, playing high school football will come to an end tonight
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 29, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Senior players from the Northeast, Central, and Lincoln Prep football squads will play in their last game tonight, and unless Westport defeats Platte County tonight as well, it will be the end of the road for them as well.
Kawnn Parrish of the Northeast Vikings (4-5), and the first-ever recipient of the player of the week award from the superintendent of schools, had the opportunity to look back over this season and his career before his team's game tonight against Truman.
The game will be played at Chrisman Stadium at 7 p.m.
"A lot of times people get caught up in wins and losses, but forget the true reason that we participate in sports," said Parrish. "It's about building life-long friendships, learning about yourself, building character and integrity."
Parrish continued, "We went 1-9 last season and we could have just folded up our tents and quit. Coach (Kimble) Anders came in over the summer and helped change our mindsets, taught us to believe in ourselves and to depend on each other, and this year we won a championship. So I have a lot to be thankful for."
For Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers wideout Montay Simmons, tonight's game will be hard to swallow as the Blue Tigers (2-7) travel to take on Pembroke Hill tonight at 7 p.m.
"I'd say what I will miss most besides my teammates, will be our coaching staff," said Simmons. "Coach (Roger) Franks, Coach (Lee) Allen, have been with us since we were freshmen and they've been there with us along this journey. For me personally, as a young Black man, having these kind of men as role models has been very beneficial for myself and my teammates."
For Central, the graduating class from last season took its toll this year as the team has yet to win a game (0-9). Playing against the top-ranked team in the city doesn't increase the team's chances, but if it's one thing this season has taught Blue Eagles head coach Henry Newell, it's patience.
"This season for us, everything was pretty much a trial by fire, throw it up against the wall and see what sticks kind of season," said Newell. "With new freshmen and transfers coming into our system, it was inevitable we'd take our lumps; tonight, we'll just go out and represent our school and District well."
The game, which was originally scheduled to be played at Bryan Stadium at Southeast, was moved to the Staley District Complex tonight at 7 p.m. due to the wet field conditions.
In the final match-up tonight, the Westport Tigers (3-6) will travel to take on Platte County tonight at 7 p.m. If the Tigers can defeat Platte tonight, they will move on to play next week.
"We hope to make it a close, tight, physical game tonight and come out on top," said three-time player of the week, running back Brian Townsend. "We'll let the chips fall where they may."--
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IL Athletes of the Week lead their teams to league championship
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 28, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Both girls and boys Interscholastic League Cross Country Athletes of the Week, Kaila Talbert of Central High School and Mohamed Aweys of Northeast High School, led their respective teams to the Interscholastic League cross country championships Tuesday at Swope Park, winning their divisions.
Talbert, a junior who also plays on the basketball team, won the girls division of 1.5 miles with a time of 13 minutes and 5 seconds, besting her teammate Candice Lovings, by 19 seconds. This is Talbert's first league championship for cross country.
Aweys, a senior, won the boys 5K division with a time of 18 minutes, 39 seconds. A three-time award winner, Aweys won the league championship for the second straight season and will move on to sectionals Saturday as he tries to qualifies for state.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Blue Tigers, Bears see their season come to an abrupt end
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 28, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The competition for the East Bears and the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers' volleyball teams were just too strong Tuesday night, as both schools lost their semifinal games during districts at Center High School.
The Bears had the tougher of the two opponents, falling to O'Hara, the reigning Class 3 state champions, 25-5, 25-0.
"Our girls tried hard, but in the end, O'Hara was just too strong for us to handle tonight," said Bears AD and volleyball coach Bonnie Piper.
In the second game, the Blue Tigers fell to Pembroke Hill in a much closer game, 25-15, 25-19.
"Obviously, this wasn't how we wanted to end our season, but as I told our girls after the game, they had a great season, won the league championship and for them to stay in the gym, continue to train and prepare for next season," said Blue Tigers head coach Gayla Brown-Curtis.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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| East player spiking the ball over a Westport player Monday night at Center |
Blue Tigers, Bears advance to semifinals in district volleyball play
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Both the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers and the East Bears' volleyball squads won their respective games Monday, advancing to today's semifinals in the Class 3, District 14 held at Center.
Lincoln, on the heels on winning the Interscholastic League championship, jumped out early and defeated Center in two sets, 25-13, 25-9. They will take on Pembroke Hill at 6:30 p.m. today.
"Our girls came out on fire and wanted to set the tempo early," said Blue Tigers head coach Gayla Brown-Curtis. "They served well and we hope to continue that momentum tonight."
The Bears defeated the Westport Tigers to end their season, winning in three sets, 20-25, 25--20, 25-20. East will play O'Hara at 5:00 p.m. today.
In other district action, the Northeast Vikings ended their turnaround season Monday, losing to Winnetonka in two sets, 25-8. 25-13.
"I'm proud of my team as they performed much better than anyone thought they would this season," said Vikings head coach Linsey Morningstar. "We are building a program and I am already preparing for next season."
Other schools who seasons concluded Monday, were the Central Blue Eagles, losing to North Kansas City, 25-7, 25-3; and the Southeast Knights, who were defeated by Orrick in two sets.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Vikings' Aweys, Tigers' Townsend win their third Player of the Week award
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Interscholastic League is proud to announce the winners for the Interscholastic League Players of the Week for football and cross country.
In football, Westport's Brian Townsend won the award for the third time this season, with a hard fought 114 yards rushing performance on 19 carries against the top ranked team in the city, Staley.
"The coaches told me after the game that no one has played that tight and tough against them this season before our boys came to play," said Westport's athletic director Waunda Comeaux. "Brian did well against their defense."
Mohamed Aweys of Northeast qualified for sectionals after finishing 18th in the Class 4, District 8 cross country championships with a time 15 minutes and 47 seconds Saturday. Aweys also won the E. A. Markey Invitational Monday at Swope Park. This is his third time winning the award for boys cross country and will go after the IL championship this afternoon at Swope Park.
Kalia Talbert from Central High School won the Player of the Week for girls cross country, finishing second in the E. A. Markey Invitational with a time of 13 minutes and 27 seconds for 1.5 miles, leading her team to win the team championship. This is Talbert's second time winning the award.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
Central, US Olympians to honor track star Friday to kick off foundation
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Former Kansas City native and Central High graduate Muna Lee, will return to the place where she made her name in athletics this Friday, Oct. 30 to kick off the Muna Lee Foundation.
Lee, a 2000 graduate, made her mark in track and field, winning 12 state championships, including 10 individually, between 1997-2000, before graduating and continuing her stellar career at Louisiana State University. She is also a two-time US Olympian.
Lee is returning to Kansas City to speak to students at Central about her foundation, which she formed as a way to provide annual scholarships to graduating seniors. Her foundation will also provide under privileged kids with the opportunity to run track in youth organizations to help offset costs for shoes, spikes, equipment, etc. Her ultimate goal with the foundation is to have a track facility built in the inner city.
Debra McGill, principal at Central High, says students are excited about getting a chance to meet an Olympian that once walked the same halls they currently do.
"What I hope our students get out of meeting Muna is that no matter the struggle, if they do right, get their work done, refuse to take short cuts in practice, that they too can reach and ascertain the heights that she is achieving," said McGill.
Her foundation weekend will kick off with a press conference, hosted at the school on Friday at noon as lunch will be provided as Lee and some of her teammates from the Olympic team discuss her foundation and their part in helping. It will then be followed by her address to the students at a pep rally at 1 p.m.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist,
(816) 442-9337 Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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District volleyball play starts today for Interscholastic League teams
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – As a reminder, teams in the Interscholastic League competing in volleyball will begin district play this evening, beginning at 5:00 p.m. as the Central Blue Eagles, seeded eighth, will take on North Kansas City at Winnetonka High School. The Northeast Vikings, seeded sixth, face Winnetonka at 7:30 p.m.
Reigning Interscholastic League champions Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers, who are seeded third in their district, will face the host school, Center, at 5 p.m.
The fourth-seeded East Bears will take on fifth-seeded Westport Tigers following Lincoln's game, Monday at 6:30 p.m.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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IL teams have rough weekend in district football; week nine wrap-up
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – It was a tough weekend to be a member of the Interscholastic League as all five schools in the second week of district play fell short in their respective games over the weekend.
Friday night action saw the Central Blue Eagles extend their winless streak to nine games (0-9) this season as they fell to Platte County, 41-6. The Blue Eagles kept it close for the first half of the game, but early in the second half, Platte County opened up with five straight touchdowns.
"This wasn't the way I envisioned our season being with a bunch of young players," said Central head coach Henry Newell. "However, rebuilding or not, we are going to go into our final game (against Staley) and fight till the end."
Speaking of Staley, the top ranked team in the Kansas City Star's small class poll, defeated the Westport Tigers, 35-0.
"Staley defensively was as good as we expected them to be and they did a good job of keeping Brian (Townsend) out of the end zone," said Tigers head coach Dan Stanley. "We'll go back and prepare for Platte County, try to win that game and hopefully qualify out of districts."
The Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (2-7) suffered a tough loss Friday night to St. Pius X, losing on the road to 26-14. The lone bright spots in the game came from running back Steven Rambo's 43-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Tigers return to the field for their final game of the season Thursday, as they take on Pembroke Hill.
While the East Bears didn't have to travel to Springfield to face their opponent, the result was the same as the Bears fell to Springfield Glendale, 41-6. The Bears are 1-8 on the season.
In the league's final game of the weekend, the Northeast Vikings (4-5) lost their second game in district football, this time to Raytown South, 42-0. The Vikings will close out their season this week against Truman.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
(Add Table)
Vargas, Johnson receives top player honors
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2009
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| KCMSD Athletic Director Kimble Anders with East Bears' Juan Vargas | Westport’s Theo Johnson and KCMSD AD Kimble Anders | |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – East Bears soccer standout Juan Vargas is enjoying getting called to the office each week, especially when it’s to receive top honors as the Interscholastic League Soccer Player of the Week.
“I used to get nervous when they would call for me to come downstairs, because the first thing that crossed my mind was what I do?” said Vargas. “Now, I want to get called down each week!”
Vargas, scored six goals in the Bears’ four victories last week, and broke the school record for goals scored in a season with 40.
Westport’s Theopolis Johnson was the league’s top player this week for football, scoring four touchdowns to lead his team to a share of the Interscholastic League football championship over the weekend. But it was his best friend, two-time winner Brian Townsend who was more excited to see Johnson walk away with the award this week.
“I told him all weekend this was his award to win and I am so proud of him,” Townsend said. “When he found out he won it, he actually cried when they didn’t come to present it on the day he thought he was going to receive it.”
Kimble Anders, the District athletic director, said words like that touch him, not only as they A.D., but as a former player and coach.
“When I sit back after presenting something like this and hear what other players are saying about their peers, it means something to me because they are learning some of the fundamental meanings on what it takes to be a good teammate,” said Anders. “We’ve got some quality kids in this District and they are a couple of reasons why.”
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Westport looks to get a share of the IL crown in the opening of district play tonight
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – As football teams begin the start of district play these next three weeks, both the Central Blue Eagles and Westport Tigers have unfinished Interscholastic League business to attend to this evening as they compete against one another.
Tonight’s match-up, which takes place tonight at 7 p.m. at East Stadium, will be Westport’s homecoming, but also a chance for the Tigers to clinch a three-way tie for the league championship. Unless the winless Blue Eagles (0-7) can play the spoiler role, the Tigers (2-5) will have the same conference record at 2-1, which both the Northeast Vikings and Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers share.
“I’m not one to look ahead, but if we are fortunate to win tonight, that would be good for our players, but as we look ahead to next year, I do believe for the survival of our league, we have to make some changes regarding our competition,” said Tigers head coach Dan Stanley.
Other district games tonight will see the Vikings (4-3) take on Raytown tonight at Bryan Stadium at Southeast, Lincoln Prep (2-5) travel to O’Hara, and the East Bears (1-6) on the road to Springfield Kickapoo.
All games begin with a 7 p.m. kick-off.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Vikings’ soccer, volleyball teams continue win streaks; Bears’ soccer players set records
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 16, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Thursday was a good day to be a sports fan in the Interscholastic League as teams from Northeast and East continued their winning ways.
On the hardwood, the Lady Vikings from Northeast High School won their tenth game in a row, this time dispatching the Southeast Lady Knights in two games, 25-13, and 25-20.
“Right now our team is playing well collectively, and they’ve been putting in a lot of sweat equity in practice, which is carrying over on game day,” said Vikings head coach Linsey Morningstar.
On the soccer field, the Vikings won their third game in a row, this time by a score of 4-2 over Kansas City East Christian Academy.
“Our guys played well in the absence of the coach who was under the weather,” said Vikings athletic director Steve Schottel. “They stepped up well and we’re proud of them.”
The East Bears continued their stellar season, this time defeating Maryville, 2-0. The sixth shutout of the season for the Bears came from Jose Silva, who became the school record holder in that category. East received goals from Juan Vargas and Francisco Escutia, the District’s Player of the Week. Vargas, a three-time recipient of the District’s top honor, has now tied the school record for goals scored in a season with 39. He will have an opportunity to break the record today against Alta Vista.
“Juan is a great player, a great team player and his success is a major reason for our team success,” said Bears head coach NarWarrior Mackey.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Parrish receives his top honors, again; Escutia receives his first
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 15, 2009
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| Northeast Head Coach Elvis Patterson, Kawnn Parrish, and Kimble Anders | Kimble Anders with East Bears' Francisco Escutia and East High staff |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Receiving accolades is taking some getting used to according to Northeast Vikings wide receiver/defensive back player Kawnn Parrish. East Bears' Francisco Escutia is hoping to have that feeling as well.
Parrish, a senior, was awarded the Kansas City, Missouri School District's (KCMSD) Player of the Week in football for the second time today from Kimble Anders, the District's athletic director. He received the award after leading his team to its fourth win of the season, a 16-6 homecoming win over Harmon in which he had 85 rushing yards, 12 tackles, a blocked field goal and a two-point conversion.
"I never really think when I'm out on the field about what I am doing stat-wise that would allow me to get this award," Parrish said. "All I'm trying to do is help my team win as we head into district play."
After having been named the first recipient on television by the superintendent, Parrish got caught off guard again before the end of his engineering class with his award.
"I'm trying to get used to this, but since we don't get prior notice, it is kind of cool when Coach Anders comes into class," said Parrish. "Of course, if I wasn't doing the right thing, I'd probably think I did something wrong. In all seriousness, I am thankful for my teammates and coaches putting in a position to get the award again."
Elvis Patterson, the Vikings head coach who was on hand for the presentation added, "Kawnn is a special young man and is one of the leaders on the team. He plays hard on every play and is I will say he is the toughest player in the city."
After awarding Parrish his award, Anders delivered the District's top honor in soccer to Escutia over at East.
Escutia, a senior, received the top honor scoring three goals in the last three wins for the Bears (12-4), while assisting on 15 of the last 20 goals of three-time Player of the Week Juan Vargas.
“It's pretty clear that this soccer team is more than just one player,” said Anders. “Francisco, is a good kid, a good player and very humble. He's scoring in the classroom as well, so that's always a double winner for me.”
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
The District announces its player of the week awards for October 2nd
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – This time, there was no sharing as Westport Tigers running back Brian Townsend was selected today as the Kansas City, Missouri School District’s (KCMSD) Player of the Week in football.
Townsend, who shared the District’s honor with Darrell Calhoun of the Northeast Vikings two weeks ago, received more votes this week than Calhoun for the award.
“I’m honored to win the award again, but it could have easily gone to Darrell and it would have been good as well,” Townsend said after receiving the news. “We both had great games, thanks to our linemen and defense, so I know it was a tough decision.”
Townsend led the Tigers to their second win of the season, this time knocking off the Van Horn Falcons, 54-24. He ran for 224 yards on 22 carries, while adding four touchdowns (3, 25, 1, 4).
Calhoun led his team in rushing with 155 yards and a touchdown, while adding 2.5 sacks on defense, as the Vikings defeated the Central Blue Eagles before a televised audience, 42-12.
“This shows what kind of athletes we have in our District,” said District athletic director Kimble Anders. “It could have gone either way with those two, but it also could have gone to either one of their teammates, who also had outstanding games.”
Other winners selected by the District on Monday included Northeast Vikings Victoria Winters for volleyball, Mohamed Awyes for boys cross country, Kacia Talbert for girls cross country and Juan Vargas (three-time winner) of East for soccer.
Winters, a senior, has led her team on a six game winning streak, compiling 19 aces, five assists, two kills and two blocks along the way.
Talbert won the girls division in the Westport Invitational with a time of 14 minutes and 8 seconds, while leading her team to their first win of the season.
Vargas scored seven goals in the Bears last two victories to post a record of 9-1. The District’s first three-time winner has scored a total of 30 goals this season.
Awyes, a senior, won the Westport Invitational Monday with a time of 10 minutes, 44 seconds for two miles and also won the Wyandotte Invitational in 18 minutes and 2 seconds for 5K.
Anders will present the awards to the student-athletes Wednesday.
Follow the Interscholastic League on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/KCMSD_Athletics to get news, scores and updates.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Bears' Vargas closes in on school record; Other IL news and results
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears continue their dominance on the soccer field, this time coming from behind to defeat the Northeast Vikings, 6-2.
The Bears, now 10-1, fell behind early after the Vikings (5-5) jumped out to take a 2-0 lead behind goals from Hassan Aden and Mohamed Aweys. East then came back with two goals from three-time District player of the Week Juan Vargas, before the half to tie up the game. Vargas added two more goals before Francisco Escutia closed out the game with two goals.
Vargas, who has scored 34 goals in only 11 games, is five goals away from the school record of 39, which was set by Carlos Contreras last season.
The only other game on the soccer field saw the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers lose a tough one to Van Horn, 7-1. Chrisman Bagdi scored the only goal for the Blue Tigers, who play against Holden tonight at Center.
On the volleyball courts, the Lincoln Prep volleyball team moved to 19-3-1 after defeating the East Bears (25-7, 25-12). The win comes on the heel of the Smithville Tournament, where they went 1-2-1 and now face Smithville again this evening at 5:30 p.m.
The Northeast Vikings volleyball team has won six games in a row, after defeating Westport (twice) and University Academy. Coach Linsey Morningstar's JV squad recently earned a plaque Saturday, in the KC Lutheran tournament, going 2-1, winning the consolation bracket. The varsity squad will hope to make it seven in a row when they face Renaissance Academy at home Thursday.
Follow the Interscholastic League on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/KCMSD_Athletics to get news, scores and updates.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Vikings volleyball wins fifth straight; other Interscholastic League scores
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Northeast Vikings volleyball team has been on a roll, winning their fifth game in a row, this time taking down University Academy (12-25, 25-18, 25-18) to win their tenth game of the season. They also defeated Westport Monday, 25-17, 25-8.
“My girl’s have been practicing very hard and we are making progress in trying to rebuild our program,” said Vikings head coach Linsey Morningstar. “We’ve been rotating schedules to see what lineup works best for us and we’ve been fortunate to be very successful lately.”
Other action in the Interscholastic League saw a scheduling snafu result in the East Bears (1-4) football team playing in a Monday night game against the Ruskin Eagles, losing 48-8.
“Our players tried hard, but they just played on Thursday and to try to play at a certain level of intensity is hard for any team to do three days later,” said Bears head coach Greg Smith. “Now we have to try and play again this weekend. Hopefully we won’t have this issue again. I’m proud of my guys in spite of our situation.”
Central won their first event of any kind this season winning the Westport Invitational in the girl’s division Monday. Kaila Talbert of the Blue Eagles won first place with a time of 14 minutes and 10 seconds. Northeast’s Mohamed Awyes won the boys division with a time of 10 minutes and 44 seconds. The Vikings won the overall team division.
On the soccer field, the East Bears moved their record to 9-1 on the season, this time easily dispatching the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers, 7-0 behind the fifth shutout performance from Jose Silvia, the District’s Soccer Player of the Week. Two-time winner Juan Vargas scored his 29th and 30th goals of the season for the Bears.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East athletes capture weekly honors
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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| Anders Bears’ running back Anthony Johnson, Anders | Bears’ cross country runner Jordan Bryant | |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – It was a good week to be a student-athlete at East High School. You probably walked away with a District Player of the Week if you did.
“We’ve got some good athletes in our league,” said Kimble Anders, the District’s athletic director. “What impresses me more is that they are making the grade as well.”
In football, this week’s recipient was Anthony Johnson, a senior running back, led the Bears to their first win of the season against Olathe Christian, 38-0. Johnson, on ten carries, rushed for 200 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half.
“I wanted to play more in the game, but Coach Smith wanted to save me for our game we played Monday,” said Johnson. “He did what he always did and that was what was best for the team.”
The other recipients included Jordan Bryant, who won for boys cross country; Magali Rojas, girls cross country; Erica Mendenhall, volleyball; and Jose Silvia, soccer.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Lincoln Prep, East win their first game of the season; Week Five football wrap-up
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-28-09
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Northeast Vikings and Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers showed up to East Stadium Friday night and a football game broke out.
In the game of the season thus far in the Interscholastic League, Lincoln Prep (1-4) snapped its four-game losing streak with a 41-35 overtime win against the Vikings (2-3).
“I was exhausted for both teams after this game was over,” said Blue Tigers head coach Roger Franks. “They left it out on the field and did a good job of executing in overtime to pull it out.”
Lincoln Prep running back Micah Robinson scored the winning touchdown from four yards out in overtime, his second of the game. Steven Rambo of Lincoln Prep also scored two touchdowns, while Darnay Sessions, Valdore Crowder each added a touchdown.
In a losing effort for the Vikings, Kawnn Parrish had another highlight game, scoring three touchdowns (50-yard reception, 78-yard kickoff return, 5-yard rush) and adding 20 tackles on defense. Quarterback William Cuffee added three touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) to his season stats.
The loss currently puts the Vikings in a three-way tie for first in the league with both Lincoln and Westport at 1-1.
Speaking of the Westport Tigers, they had a very rough outing getting their first win last week as they were defeated Friday night, 63-20 by Sedalia Smith-Cotton. The Tigers, who fell to 1-4 on the season, had another good showing by running back Brian Townsend, who rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries.
“Our guys started out good, keeping pace with Sedalia at the end of the first quarter,” said Tigers head coach Dan Stanley. “Second quarter came, they switched gears and we didn’t. Next thing you know we were too far behind in the end.”
On Thursday, the East Bears (1-3) earned their first win of the season behind two touchdowns and a 200-yard rushing performance from Anthony Johnson, as they defeated Olathe Christian, 38-0. Central (0-5) remained winless, losing to Ruskin 32-8.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears sweep athlete of the week honors
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-28-09
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The good times continue to roll this week as East High School has swept the District’s Athlete of the Week awards for football, volleyball, soccer, and cross country for the week of September 25th, respectively as announced by the District’s athletic director, Kimble Anders.
“Some of the selections that we made were hard to decide, especially in football, where we had at least five nominees to choose from whom were all very deserving,” said Anders. “In the end, the votes add up and East had a very good week on the field.”
In football, this week’s recipient was Anthony Johnson, a senior running back, led the Bears to their first win of the season against Olathe Christian, 38-0. Johnson, on ten carries, rushed for 200 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half. Contributing on the defensive side as well, Johnson added ten tackles.
Other nominees included the District’s first Player of the Week recipient Kawnn Parrish of Northeast, who scored three touchdowns (receiving, rushing, and kick-off return) in a losing effort, and Micah Robinson of Lincoln Prep, who scored two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown in overtime, against the Blue Tigers to their first win of the season over the Vikings 41-35.
In soccer, Jose Silvia was this week’s winner for his stellar play in the team’s 7-0 shutout win over Hickman Mills. Silvia, the team’s goalie, recorded his fourth shutout of the season in helping the Bears attain an 8-1 record.
Two-time District player of the Week standout Juan Vargas, almost made it three weeks running, scoring five goals in the game..
Both the boys and girls cross country winners are underclassmen at East. Jordan Bryant, a sophomore, won the individual title in the Long Hill Run at Swope Park, defeating last week’s winner, Mohamed Awyes of Northeast by 20 seconds. His win helped propel the Bears to win the team title as well. Magai Rojas, a junior, was the highest placed finisher among league runners in the Long Hill Run, with a seventh place finish in the 5K..
Rounding out the award recipients in volleyball, senior Erica Mendenhall led her team to a 2-0 week, defeating both Central and Westport. She averaged 12 aces served and 12 kills in those matches.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East wins first game, Central remains winless; other Thursday night games
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-25-09
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears and head coach Greg Smith got their first win of the season Thursday night, defeating Olathe Christian at home, 38-12. The Bears (1-3) won behind a strong running game, where they put up five touchdowns on the ground.
“It was a big win for our ballclub and it gives them more confidence going into next week’s game against Hogan Prep,” said Smith. “It’s going to be a tough match-up as they have the best running back in the state.
The other match-up saw the Central Blue Eagles (0-5) lose their fifth game in a row, this time to Ruskin, 32-8.
“Our boys are trying hard and coming off of last week’s performance where we were able to move the ball around, is disappointing,” said head coach Henry Newell.
Other Thursday night action saw the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers soccer remain winless on the season (0-8) as they lost to Christ Prep, 4-0.
On the hardwood, Lincoln Prep moved to 15-1 on the season as their volleyball team defeated Southeast (3-9) 25-10, 25-11. The Northeast Vikings (6-8) have won three games in a row as they defeated Central (0-15) 25-4, 25-10. And the East Bears moved to 10-7 on the season, beating Westport (2-9), 25-8, 25-12.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears win first cross country meet since its reopening
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-24-09
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears and head coach Greg Smith got their first win of the season Thursday night, defeating Olathe Christian at home, 38-12. The Bears (1-3) won behind a strong running game, where they put up five touchdowns on the ground.
“It was a big win for our ballclub and it gives them more confidence going into next week’s game against Hogan Prep,” said Smith. “It’s going to be a tough match-up as they have the best running back in the state.
The other match-up saw the Central Blue Eagles (0-5) lose their fifth game in a row, this time to Ruskin, 32-8.
“Our boys are trying hard and coming off of last week’s performance where we were able to move the ball around, is disappointing,” said head coach Henry Newell.
Other Thursday night action saw the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers soccer remain winless on the season (0-8) as they lost to Christ Prep, 4-0.
On the hardwood, Lincoln Prep moved to 15-1 on the season as their volleyball team defeated Southeast (3-9) 25-10, 25-11. The Northeast Vikings (6-8) have won three games in a row as they defeated Central (0-15) 25-4, 25-10. And the East Bears moved to 10-7 on the season, beating Westport (2-9), 25-8, 25-12.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears win first cross country meet since its reopening
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9-24-09
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Competing in the Long Hill Run 5K at Swope Park, the East Bears cross country team and head coach Alonzo Burton got their first team victory in defeating five other schools in Wednesday’s meet. This is the first win for the school since it reopened in 2008.
“It’s been a long time coming and our school is deserving of it,” said Burton.
Sophomore Jordan Bryant of East won the boys meet with a time of 19 minutes and 4 seconds, defeating Northeast’s Mohamed Awyes by 20 seconds.
ACE finished second overall, followed by Northeast, Westport, Hyman Brand, and Central.
Mikayla Davis of Hyman Brand won the girls division with a time of 29 minutes and 46 seconds.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears to be honored by KC Wizards Saturday
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears soccer team return to the playing field as they host Hickman Mills at Manual today at 5 p.m.
Win or lose, the Bears, who currently sport a 7-1 record, will be honored Saturday night by the Kansas City Wizards professional soccer team for being named High School Soccer Team of the Week last week.
East was chosen over the Rockhurst High School and as an incentive for being named the top team; the Wizards donated 50 tickets to the team for their game against the Colorado Rapid and will bring them on the field to honor them during the game.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears win first cross country meet since its reopening
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Competing in the Long Hill Run 5K at Swope Park, the East Bears cross country team and head coach Alonzo Burton got their first team victory in defeating five other schools in Wednesday’s meet. This is the first win for the school since it reopened in 2008.
“It’s been a long time coming and our school is deserving of it,” said Burton.
Sophomore Jordan Bryant of East won the boys meet with a time of 19 minutes and 4 seconds, defeating Northeast’s Mohamed Awyes by 20 seconds.
ACE finished second overall, followed by Northeast, Westport, Hyman Brand, and Central.
Mikayla Davis of Hyman Brand won the girls division with a time of 29 minutes and 46 seconds.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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“The Real Deal” Anders proclaims about East Bears’ Vargas
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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| Thomas Herrera, Juan Vargas, AD Kimble Anders Northeast’s Awyes, Calhoun with Anders AD Anders with Westport’s Townsend | ||
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In passing out Player of the Week honors, District athletic director Kimble Anders shared his assessment of Bears soccer player Juan Vargas with East High’s Principal Thomas Herrera stating simply, “He’s the real deal.”
Anders continued, “When I came out and watched him play last week, he played like a man among boys. I expect him to win this award a few more times before the season’s complete.”
Anders made the rounds Wednesday to area schools to hand out the weekly awards and while it is only the third week of the season in soccer, Vargas is the District’s first two-time recipient.
“He’s just an all-around good kid,” said Herrera. “He does it in the class and on the field.”
Other recipients included Anders going back to his old job at Northeast to deliver POW honors to Mohamed Awyes and Durrell Calhoun who were selected for cross country and football. Calhoun shared the award with Westport’s Brian Townsend.
“The message is pretty much the same when I talk with our kids,” said Anders. “Just do your best on the field and in the classroom be respectful and good things like this will continue to happen.”
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Interscholastic League volleyball scores from Sept. 22; updated standings
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Blue Tigers from Lincoln Prep got back to their winning ways Tuesday night, defeating the Westport Tigers (2-8) 25-10, 25-10 to move their record to 14-1 overall.
“Our lost last week (against Christian Academy) was actually a good thing for our team,” said Blue Tigers head coach Gayla Brown-Curtis. “It was against stronger competition that what we’ve been facing and that’s what was needed for them if they want to get to the next level.”
Other games played Tuesday saw the winless Central Blue Eagles (0-14) struggle against the East Bears, losing (25-8, 25-8). The Bears moved to 9-7 on the season.
“Our team has begun to start playing well as a collective unit to win games,” said Bears head coach Bonnie Piper.
Northeast Vikings head coach Linsey Morningstar’s squad improved to 5-8 after defeating the Southeast Knights at home, 25-22, 25-14. The Knights fell to 3-8 on the season.
“Our team played hard at home, overcoming a good team in Southeast, especially in the first game,” said Morningstar. “They came together and stepped it up big for us to pull it out in the end.
| Interscholastic League Volleyball | Conference | Overall |
| East Bears | 4-0 | 9-7 |
| Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers | 2-0 | 14-1 |
| Southeast Knights | 1-3 | 3-8 |
| Westport Tigers | 0-2 | 2-8 |
| Northeast Vikings | 1-2 | 3-6 |
| Central Eagles | 0-6 | 0-14 |
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Former Central track star, Southwest coach to be inducted into Hall of Fame
INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Two-time U.S. Olympian Muna Lee and former Southwest track coach Pat Sullivan were selected this week to be inducted in the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The inductions, which will take place on Dec. 11, will be held at the Holiday Inn Select in Columbia, Mo.
Lee, a 2000 graduate from Central High School, is the most accomplished athlete in the history of the Interscholastic League. A standout in track & field, Lee won 12 state championships, including 10 individually, before moving on to become a 7-time National Champion, 12-time SEC Champion, and 20-time All-American at Louisiana State University. She holds the record for most individual national championships for women at LSU with seven.
“Muna put in a lot of time and hard work to get to this point in life where she is recognized for what she accomplished on the track,” said Richard Samuels, Lee’s high school track coach. “I’m very proud of her as she is a role model for all of our students to follow.”
After graduating from LSU, Lee went on to qualify and run in both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
“Mrs. Lee is a beacon of light for our young women in the District as well as the community and we are extremely proud of her honor,” said Superintendent Dr. John W. Covington.
Sullivan, who coached both track (girls) and cross country (boys and girls) at Southwest High School from 1977-80, also coached at Central (1975-76). During his time at Southwest, Sullivan’s girls cross country team placed third at state in 1978 and second in ’79. His girl’s track team also placed second at state in ’79.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist,
(816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Northeast Vikings lead Interscholastic League charge; Week Four football wrap-up
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. - Interscholastic League football teams lit up the
scoreboard Friday, as all but one team was victorious.
Playing at Truman, the Northeast Vikings (2-2) doubled their 2008 win totalby giving Van Horn a little tough love for leaving the District two years
ago, thumping the Falcons 45-21 behind the running of Durrell Calhoun, who rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries for the Vikings.
"Our players came out and jumped on them early and didn't let up," said
Vikings head coach Elvis Patterson, who also got his first win. "We finally
got a chance to play some of our younger players in preparation for our
game next week against Lincoln."
For Lincoln Prep, they will need to be well prepared as they had a rough
time moving the ball in a 14-0 loss to the Westport Tigers (1-3).
Westport's defense held the Blue Tigers (0-4) to 28 total yards the entire
game. The Tigers had a 1-2 combination in the backfield of Brian Townsend and Xavier Herring, who combined for 192 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
"We needed this win after losing a close one to Northeast a couple weeks
back," said Tigers head coach Dan Stanley. "Our game plan was to play smash mouth football with Brian and Xavier and this week it paid off."
Playing their first home game, the Central Blue Eagles (0-4) were finally
able to put some points on the board, though it wasn't enough to overcome a 42-26 defeat at the hands of Christ Prep. Central scored on their first play of the game, a 75-yard scoring pass from Trayvon Gordon to Shamon
Green.
"Our offense finally woke up," said Eagles head coach Henry Newell. "Our
quarterback (Gordon) ran the offense well and did it on one leg as he had a badly bruised thigh muscle."
"We had two scores called back that really killed us in the second half,"
Newell continued. "But the important thing is our team never quit and they
kept the pressure on Christ Prep's defense the whole game. Even though we lost the game I think our team's awake now and can't wait to take the field
again."
Thursday night, the East Bears (0-3) fell to Pembroke Hill, 28-8. The
highlight of the game saw the Bears put together a 95-yard scoring drive in the second quarter, ending with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Tyrone Wright to Bobby Morgan.
| Interscholastic League | Won-Loss | Conference | Points For | Points Against | Diff | Streak |
| Northeast | 2-2 | 1-0 | 93 | 111 | -18 | Won 1 |
| Central | 0-4 | 0-0 | 26 | 139 | -113 | Lost 4 |
| Westport | 1-3 | 1-1 | 50 | 91 | -41 | Won1 |
| Lincoln Prep | 0-4 | 0-1 | 39 | 132 | -93 | Lost 4 |
| East* | 0-3 | - | 41 | 104 | -63 | Lost 3 |
*East is eligible to play for the league championship beginning in 2010.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications
Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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“This is the fun part of the job” Anders says in distributing awards
September 16, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In one of his new weekly duties athletic director Kimble Anders awarded the District’s weekly top athletic honors to Juan Vargas of East, Christina Pratt and Darnay Sessions, of Lincoln Prep, for the we ek of September 11th.
Vargas, one of the top players in the city, had nine goals in three games, prior to his selection, was presented his award prior to scoring three more goals in the Bears 7-2 win over Cair Paravel.
During the Interscholastic League’s Spikefest, Pratt had 18 kills, 12 serve aces and a pass average of 87%, while scoring 35 points. Her team has amassed an undefeated (12-0) thus far. She was presented her award in between practice.
Sessions, a running back for the Blue Tigers, scored two touchdowns in the team’s loss to KCK-Sumner. He was presented with his award on Metro Sports, which will air later this week.
“Our players are performing at a high level and what we are doing is a small way of showcasing it to the general public and the media is taking notice,” said Anders. “This is the fun part of the job; because it lets our kids know that their work on the field doesn’t go unnoticed. And it also shows that they’re we have some quality coaches in our league as well.”
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East stays unbeaten defeating Christian state champs; other action around the District
September 16, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears (7-0) faced their biggest challenge of the season on September 15th against Cair Paravel, a team that defeated the Bears last season 4-1 before going on to an 11-1-2 record while winning the state championship in soccer for Christian schools.
The Bears ended up knocking off the reigning champs 7-2, behind another solid game from the District’s player of the week, Juan Vargas, who scored three goals in the win. In the last five games played, Vargas has scored a total of 15 goals.
“Our starters played well early on in the game, so this gave us the opportunity to play our younger kids a little longer,” said Bears head coach Narwarrior Mackey.
“This was definitely one of the wins we wanted to have this season.”
Also scoring in the game for the Bears, were Alejandro Romero (last week’s player of the week) with two goals, and Alejandro Cisneros, Edgar Lugo each closed out the scoring with one goal each.
In the second game, Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (0-5) were unable to capture their first win, losing a close game to Van Horn 1-0.
In volleyball, the Northeast Lady Vikings picked up their fourth win of the season (4-6) defeating the Renaissance (25-12, 25-19).
“Our girls have been practicing hard and wanted to bounce back from the Spikefest, so this was a good win for them,” said Vikings head coach Linsey Morningstar.
The Lady Bears from East (8-7) split their games yesterday, defeating Central (0-9) (25-11, 25-10), while falling to Hickman Mills (25-10, 25-4).
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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East Bears look to stay undefeated during a full slate of Interscholastic League action today
September 15, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The East Bears (6-0) continue their dominance on the soccer field, defeating the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers 5-0 yesterday behind three goals from the District’s player of the week, Juan Vargas. They look to continue their unbeaten streak as they head into their game this afternoon against Cair Paravel at 4 p.m. at Manual Career & Technical Center. This is the first game of a doubleheader taking place.
“Our players are clicking on all cylinders right now and we’ve been allowed to play some of our younger players because of it,” said Bears head coach Narwarrior Mackey.
In the second game, Lincoln Prep (0-4) hopes to bounce back from yesterday’s showing to try to get their first win of the season against Van Horn. Kick-off is at 5:30 p.m.
The Interscholastic League will hold their second cross country meet of the season with the Les Fields Fellowship Meet at Swope Park today at 3:30 p.m. Both the soccer and cross country meets are free and open to the public.
Finally, Central High School will host a triangular volleyball game, featuring the Lady Blue Eagles (0-7), the East Lady Bears (7-6), and the Hickman Mills Lady Cougars. The action begins at 3:30 p.m. when central will take on East, followed by East taking on Hickman Mills at 4:15 p.m., before Central concludes playing Hickman at 5 p.m.
Finally, the Northeast Lady Vikings (3-6) volleyball team will host Renaissance today at 4:15 p.m.
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District to give away 3,000 courtesy passes to “The Greatest Show on Earth”
September 14, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League is offering parents and students courtesy passes for discounted tickets this week to attend the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus.
The discounted tickets after receiving a courtesy pass will be $8.50.
“The Greatest Show on Earth” as it is advertised is going to take place at the Sprint Center, September 16-20. These passes were donated to the athletic department from Carter Broadcast Group (KPRS Hot 103 Jamz & KPRT Gospel 1590) and may be used for any of the eight performances that will be taking place.
Parents can come to the Board of Education main building to pick up the passes from the public relations office on the tenth floor between now and Friday. The passes are free of charge to receive and are no limits to the number of tickets parents can receive.
They will also be given away at East and Southeast, this Friday during the varsity football games.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Teams go winless in the
Interscholastic League’s week three football wrap-up
September 14, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Five games played, five games lost, though expect to see teams at full strength this upcoming weekend.
After three weeks of play, the Central Blue Eagles (0-3) will finally have all of their new players’ eligible (transfers) to play against Christ Prep this Friday, at East Stadium. Head coach Henry Newell is ready for the road ahead after what he says was an exhausting mental and physical road game following their 42-0 loss to Rogers (Arkansas).
“Our young Eagles were outmatched but played very hard in the second half,” said Newell. “We made some improvement by facing this tough opponent. We are glad to finally be able to play in front of a home crowd and we know that’ll make a big difference this weekend.”
The East Bears (0-2) had a tough four day stretch where they played two games to start their season off. Following the team’s 52-20 setback against KCK-Sumner last Tuesday, Bears head coach Greg Smith’s team heads back on the field Thursday to face Pembroke Hill at home.
“Our team looked well considering this is just our second year back, so they have a lot of maturing and growing to do, but they’re coming along well,” said Smith. “Even when we have fallen behind, our players don’t quit and that has been most impressive so far this season.”
KCK-Sumner had a good week against our schools as they also defeated the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers (0-3) 52-33. The Blue Tigers this week were able to get production from both sides of the ball as they scored two touchdowns on interception returns and three scores on the ground. Darnay Sessions from Lincoln scored two touchdowns on the ground and was selected the District’s football player of the week.
Giving Sessions a run for the player of the week was Westport Tigers wide receiver Victor Hoskins. Hoskins caught a 10-yard scoring pass from Khris Hester in the Tigers (0-3) 42-8 loss to the Hogan Rams Saturday. Both players from each school will get a closer look at each other when both teams match up Friday at Bryant (Southeast) Stadium at 7 p.m.
In the final game of the week, the Northeast Vikings (1-2) put up a good fight, but ran out of gas against Christ Prep Saturday night, falling to Christ Prep, 40-22. New Vikings head coach Elvis Patterson’s team move on to play Van Horn at Truman this Friday to try and get back on track to pick up their second win of the season.
| Interscholastic League | Won-Loss | Conference | Points For | Points Against | Diff | Streak |
| Northeast | 1-2 | 1-0 | 48 | 90 | -42 | Lost 1 |
| Central | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 97 | -97 | Lost 3 |
| Westport | 0-3 | 0-1 | 36 | 91 | -55 | Lost 3 |
| Lincoln Prep | 0-3 | 0-0 | 39 | 118 | -79 | Lost 3 |
| East* | 0-2 | - | 33 | 76 | -43 | Lost 2 |
Lincoln Prep Lady Blue Tigers win Spikefest, stay undefeated
September 14, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Respect is given to those who earn it and for these Lady Blue Tigers from Lincoln Prep, the time for the general public to take notice is now as they every team put in front of them to win the Interscholastic League’s biggest volleyball tournament of the season, the IL Spikefest.
Defeating five teams (Westport, Cristo Rey, Northeast, Heartland, and Metro Academy) in route to winning the overall tournament, the Blue Tigers remain undefeated this season (12-0) as the team has yet to lose a single match thus far.
“Our girls have been pretty focused this season, with their end goal to win state,” said Lincoln head coach Gayla Brown-Curtis. “They’re willing to make the sacrifice to do what is necessary to win.”
Leading the way for the Blue Tigers this season is junior middle hitter Christina Pratt, who had 18 kills during the tournament.
“Christina has been instrumental and a big part of us being undefeated,” Curtis said. “She scored 35 points for us during the tournament.”
Other IL schools participating in the Spikefest saw the East Lady Bears placing fifth, defeating the Lady Vikings from Northeast, who placed sixth. The JV squad from Lincoln Prep defeated the Lady Tigers from Westport for seventh place. *East is eligible to play for the league championship beginning in 2010.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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The District announces its player of the week awards for September 11th
September 14, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Interscholastic League announced today that Juan Vargas of East High School, Christina Pratt and Darnay Sessions, both of Lincoln Preparatory College Academy were selected player of the week for soccer, volleyball, and football respectively, for the week of September 11th.
Vargas, scored nine goals in keeping the Bears undefeated at 5-0. The Bears defeated Hickman Mills 10-0 (six goals scored), Cristo Rey 4-1 (two), and Alta Vista 5-1 (one).
Pratt, a junior, is the first volleyball recipient for the District. Last week she had 35 kills, 18 in the Spikefest tournament, 12 serve aces and a pass average of 87%, while scoring 35 points in the tournament. She is instrumental in the Lady Blue Tigers (12-0) being undefeated thus far.
Sessions, a junior running back for the Blue Tigers, scored two touchdowns in the team’s 52-33 loss Friday to KCK-Sumner. He scored on runs of one yard and 11 yards, respectively.
Kimble Anders, the new Director of Athletics for the District will present the awards to the student-athletes on Tuesday.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Northeast Vikings promotes former Raiders from assistant to head coach
September 10, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The wheel continues to keep turning with progression as the Northeast Vikings have promoted assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Elvis Patterson as the new head coach, following the resignation of Kimble Anders.
Patterson, a graduate of the University of Kansas, played ten years in the National Football League from 1984-1993 with the Los Angeles (now Oakland) Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and San Diego Chargers as a defensive back.
“Coach Patterson is looking forward to the challenge as he has done a great job developing our players on defense,” said Anders, who became the District’s new athletic director. “He is deserving of this opportunity and the Vikings are in great hands as he has many years of experience building teams and teaching kids how to play the game.”
The Vikings also promoted Mike Taylor, a former Minnesota Viking and Iowa State graduate to assistant head coach.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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District names former Chiefs All-Pro Kimble Anders as new athletic director
Sept 9, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – In a sign that the Kansas City, Missouri School District is going in a new direction with its athletic program, Dr. John W. Covington, superintendent of schools, has announced that Kimble Anders has been named the District’s new Director of Athletics, effective immediately.
Anders, who had just garnered his first career win as a head coach with a victory over Westport last week, has resigned as the Vikings head coach. Elvis Patterson has been promoted to head coach for Northeast.
“Anders brings instant credibility to the job and his desire to see to it that our kids do well on and off the playing field will allow him to succeed as an athletic director,” said Covington.
A three-time Pro Bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs, Anders brought city-wide attention and credibility to a Vikings program that was missing in the past. In his short stint as head coach, Anders had two players, Kawnn Parrish and William Cuffee selected players of the week from the District.
“I’m going to miss the kids over at Northeast, but now I get the opportunity to share in the Interscholastic League’s experience with all of our student-athletes across the District,” Anders said. “As I have shared in my conversations with Dr. Covington, while I want to make sure we are fielding winners on the playing field, nothing, absolutely nothing, will come before the class work and these students grades.”
Anders also added, “I want to set a higher standard for our student-athletes, playing sports is a privilege and its important that they treat and play their respective sports with class and dignity. When they finish their careers, they will leave with a degree as well as being respectable men and women.”
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Metro Sports and Hy-Vee names William Cuffee athlete of the week
September 9, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – On the heels of receiving the player of the week award for football from the District, the accolades keep coming in for Northeast Vikings’ William Cuffee, as today he was named the Hy-Vee High School Athlete of the Week for his outstanding play.
Cuffee, a junior, plays both quarterback and defensive back for the Vikings (1-1), and led his team to its first victory of the season (matching last year’s total), with a 12-8 win over the Westport Tigers.
Metro Sports will be presenting the award to Cuffee during practice on Thursday, September 10 and will air it on Friday, September 11, during their 10 p.m. program.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
Or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Chiefs Ambassador name Anders coach of the week
September 9, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The honors continue to roll in for the Northeast Vikings as the Kansas City Chiefs Ambassadors name Vikings head coach Kimble Anders as their Coach of the Week.
As an award recipient, Anders will receive a trophy and a $500 check donated to the school.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337 or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Are you ready for some football? The race for the Interscholastic League championship begins this weekend
August 13, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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| Central- Newell | Northeast- Anders | Westport- Stanley |
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The hunt is on and the Lincoln Prep Blue Tigers are the prey. After winning the Interscholastic League football championship five years running, the other schools in the league have put the bulls eye right on the head coach Roger Franks, and his players.
And that’s just the way he likes it.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Franks, whose team prepares to open its season Friday night against Grain Valley with a 7 p.m. kick-off at East Stadium. Players for the Blue Tigers to watch for this season according to Franks are Montay Simmons (SR) TE/LB, Kelvin May (SR) DB/WR, Micah Robinson (JR) RB, Darnay Sessions (JR) RB.
Franks added, “With some new blood in the coaching mix and the excitement that’s been building for one school in particular, believe me, we’ll be ready.”
That school would be Northeast High, where the Vikings will begin their season Saturday night against Hogan Prep at 7 p.m. at Bryant (Southeast) Stadium. The Vikings will probably be the most talked about and visible team in the league this season with their new head coach, former Kansas City Chiefs running back, Kimble Anders.
Anders, in his sixth year of coaching, but first as a head coach, is just as anxious as his players to finally get the season underway. He also expects his team to improve on last season’s record.
“From a coaching standpoint, we’re just ready for our players to beat up on someone else instead of each other,” Anders said. “They have been working out hard all summer long, coming to camp, doing the little things to prepare for this moment. I don’t make guarantees when it comes to wins and losses, but I can guarantee my players will be well-conditioned and will play hard. They’re winners for making it this far.”
Regarding his outlook on the season and competing for the championship Anders said, “I know Lincoln has won it the last five years, but after the Jamboree, from what I saw, it’s pretty much wide open, everyone has some good talent and a good shot at it.”
One coach who knows a thing or two about winning is Westport Tigers’ head coach, Dan Stanley. A member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Stanley’s team faces Odessa at the Bryant Stadium Friday night at 7 p.m. in its season opener.
“We expect to compete and play hard, hopefully pull out a win in front of the home crowd,” said Stanley. “We’re always in the hunt and Lincoln is going to be tough to get, but I’ve got a bunch of good kids and they want to win, so we’ll see how things fall into place. As they say in the NFL, that’s why they play the game.”
For Henry Newell, head coach of the Central Blue Eagles, this may be a rebuilding year after losing 24 players to graduation last season. His team will open their season on the road, traveling to face St. Joe Lafayette, Friday night at 7 p.m.
“We lost a lot of good players, many who ended up going on to play at the college level, so we will rely on our younger players who saw action throughout the season last year,” said Newell.
While they will have to wait until next season to vie for the league crown, the East Bears and head coach Greg Smith will begin their season at home against Rock Port on September 4th at 7 p.m.
“We’re just in our second year back from getting our football team so I have to be more realistic, but still optimistic on our season,” said Smith. “That said we still expect to play hard and compete in every contest. If anyone thinks they will push us over, by all means, come out and have that mindset.”
Since he has no bone in this fight this season, Smith’s prediction of the league was simply, “Until someone knocks off Lincoln, it’s their championship to lose.”
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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Kansas City Chiefs donate $11,400 worth of pre-season tickets to Interscholastic League teams
August 13, 2009-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Whether the Kansas City Chiefs are destined to make it to the Super Bowl this year will have more to do with getting past teams like the New England Patriots or the Pittsburgh Steelers than it will for being good Samaritans.
But for at least 120 Kansas City, Missouri School District Interscholastic League football coaches and players, being able to attend an NFL game. Whether it’s an exhibition or regular season game, this may be the closest that some of them may ever get to their version of the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs, in their continued efforts in giving back to the community, donated 120 tickets to Saturday’s exhibition game against the Houston Texans to three area high schools: Central, Northeast, and Westport, according to Brenda Sniezik, community relations director for the Chiefs. The tickets are valued at $95 and the players will be seated on the lower level. The team will also provide meals for the players and coaches.
The Chiefs currently have a working relationship with the District as they maintain the football field at Central High School.
For more information please contact Andre Riley, District Communications Specialist, (816) 442-9337
or Darren L. Smith, Senior Media Relations Specialist, (816) 668-4210
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