Subway Sports Spotlight, Sept. 24

Now that it's officially fall each fall sports regular season is over a third of the way through and there's plenty to recap from last week. In our weekly Subway Sports Spotlight feature Kansas Pregame writers take a look at several notable sports stories from across the state.

Royal Valley volleyball

Royal Valley stands at 17-0 and has been ranked No. 1 in Class 3A the last two weeks with coach Gary Armstrong. He has delivered a big turnaround with the program from 9-26 to 25-13 to 35-4 last season. The top-three hitters are all non-seniors. Junior Ivy Fink has emerged as one of the state’s best hitters with 194 kills – 124 more than any of her teammates.

She carries 5.7 kills per set, kills on half of her swings and an impressive .376 hitting percentage. She stands second in the state in kills per set, according to MaxPreps.

Additionally, Fink ranks second with 24 aces, behind junior Morgan Harvey’s 39. Fink and Harvey are tied for the team lead with 10 blocks. Fink is second with 2.2 digs per set. Royal Valley opened second in the preseason coaches poll and has won 34 of a possible 35 sets. The 5-foot-9 Fink was first team all-state Class 3A as a sophomore.

Last Tuesday, RV swept Nemaha Central and host Sabetha on the road. Sabetha is currently ranked fourth in Class 3A, and Nemaha Central was ranked tenth in the preseason.

Conor Nicholl

Humboldt survives Eureka upset bid

Humboldt recorded a thrilling come-from-behind win over Eureka Friday to extend its 10 game winning streak over Tri-Valley League opponents. The streak stretches back to a 2017 loss to Caney Valley.

Eureka held a 32-22 lead over the Cubs with 2:14 in the game and were forced to punt. The Cubs took over at midfield and were able to engineer a :41 second scoring drive and converted the two-point conversion to make it 32-30 Tornadoes.

Then Humboldt grabbed the onside kick at midfield with less than a minute-and-a-half to play. The thrilling finish continued when Cubs' quarterback Conor Haviland converted a 4th and 12 that would push the ball inside the two-yard line and Humboldt would score with 37 seconds to play and convert the two-point try for the 38-32 win.

Haviland rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns but completed just two of seven passes for 27 yards with an interception. Senior Isiah Coronado added 62 yards on 15 carries, while senior Kyle Kobold contributed the teams only other offensive touchdown on a 12-yard run.

Eureka quarterback Cade Larcom had a huge night completing 15 of 23 passes for 296 yards with three touchdowns, but also had two interceptions, including one which was returned for a 39-yard score by Humboldt senior Gunner Elder near the end of the first half.

Larcom completed passes to six different receivers led by senior Zach Hare who recorded seven catches for 102 yards and a score, but also had another long scoring catch called back following a block in the back call. Brennan Lowe had 22 carries for 93 yards to lead Eureka in rushing while Brent Escareno added 65 yards on 12 carries along with a 50-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass. Justin Zimmers added three receptions for 71 yards and another score.

Haviland also led the Humboldt defense with 17 total tackles and an interception followed by Speed Hoepker with 11 and Kobold with nine.

Humboldt (3-0) will host Jayhawk-Linn (3-0) not only for the start of district play but also their first home game of the season. The Cubs defeated the Jayhawks 73-0 at Mound City last year.

Eureka (1-2) will host Fredonia (2-1) for the start of their district play. The game will be the Tornadoes’ first home game in over two years.

John Baetz, Zoel Lopez of @SEK_Sports contributed to this recap

Daniel Harkin, Manhattan cross country

On Saturday, Harkin, a junior, won the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin, Mo. He posted a time of 15 minutes, 11.50 seconds to win by 2.4 seconds in one of the largest high school and collegiate cross country races in the region. The high school races were divided into Green and Gold.

Harkin, the defending Class 6A runner-up, ran in the Green race. Emporia’s Treyson True finished eighth in the race in 15:45. The competition had 380 runners. Manhattan took seventh as a team with 274 points in a meet that featured teams from Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. Harkin’s time would have also won the Gold race.

Conor Nicholl

Hiebert sisters lead Eudora cross country

In the Gold competition at the Stampede, Eudora senior Riley Hiebert captured the title by nearly 27 seconds when she ran 19:25.50.

Eudora senior Reagan Hiebert posted a third place showing in 20:06.30. In the 156-runner field, Eudora earned the team title with 47 points, 43 ahead of the field. Eudora took second place at 4A state last fall with Riley Hiebert third and Reagan Hiebert eighth. Riley was never lower than fourth in any meet last season.

On the girls’ side, Blue Valley West sophomore Katherine Soule took seventh in the 306-runner Green competition in 18:59.40. Soule finished 14th at state cross country as a freshman, and helped BVW to a state runner-up finish.

Conor Nicholl

Victoria off to hot start

Victoria has enjoyed a winning season every year from 2000-’18. The Knights have reached the postseason every fall but once since ’02. This year, Victoria had just two returning starters and a pair of seniors under longtime coach Doug Oberle.

However, the Knights have opened 3-0 with three dominant victories in Central Prairie League action: 42-14 versus Otis-Bison, 50-14 against Central Plains and 50-0 against Macksville last Friday.

Sophomore quarterback Grant Schoenrock, who filled in more than adequately for Cooper Windholz at season’s end last year, has performed exceptionally well in his first season as a starter. Against Macksville, Schoenrock completed five of seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Known for his poise and calm nature, he rushed 13 times for 189 yards and five scores.

Huser was one of eight-man football’s top returning linemen and the only Knight returning starter on both sides of the ball. He finished with a team-high seven tackles, along with a tackle for loss and a sack as Victoria’s defense limited Macksville to minus-2 yards in total offense.

Versus Central Plains, Schoenrock delivered 13 rushes for 225 yards and four scores. Junior running back Javyon Pruitt produced over 100 total yards of offense versus CP. Huser led a defensive effort that held Central Plains to just 103 total yards.

Against O-B – a team that has rolled to victories in its last two contests – Victoria led 42-0. The Cougars finished with just 183 yards of total offense as Huser recorded a sack and tackle for loss, and Pruitt had a strip sack that led to a scoop-and-score from Trenton Engel.

Conor Nicholl

Campbell leads Hoxie volleyball

Hoxie volleyball stands at 10-6 and 5-foot-4 senior libero Addi Campbell has delivered a remarkable season on the back row. She has 259 of her team’s 599 digs. Campbell has averaged 7.6 digs per set.

Last year, Campbell delivered 6.8 digs per set, sixth-best in the state, according to the Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association lists. As well, she stood fourth in ’18 in passing efficiency at 96.98 percent. This year, she has committed just three errors.

Also a standout point guard on the Hoxie basketball team, Campbell has 1,302 career digs (7.2 per set). Campbell has led the state in digs per set most of the year. She now stands second behind West Elk junior hitter Madelyn Koop (7.6 digs per set).

Conor Nicholl

Prairie View shuts out Galena

The program building project at Prairie View appears in good hands under third year coach Kyle Littrell after the Buffs throttled perennial winner Galena last Friday 28-0.

After winning at least eight games last season for the first time since 1998, and just the seventh time in school history, the graduation of seven starters on both sides of the ball left the Buffs with a number of question marks.

But a quality core of returners including senior running back Hunter Boone, senior quarterback Justin Scott and senior tight end Isaac Partida, along with physical junior fullback Otis Jacobs and a number of young players who are stepping into key roles could have the Buffs poised to make an undefeated run through the regular season and repeat as Pioneer League champions.

Galena beat Prairie View 55-20 in one of their two losses a year ago and the Bulldogs appeared ready to deliver more offense in this season's match-up after erupting for 106 points through their first two games. But the Buffs defense would be the story of the contest recording an interception and three fumble recoveries and keeping Galena off the scoreboard.

The Buffs offense was adequate rather than explosive but piled up 197 rushing yards on 50 carries with two touchdowns on the ground while Scott completed 4 of 6 passes for 30 yards with two of those completions coming on 4- and 6-yard touchdowns to Partida. Sophomore running back Damien Kline led the PV ground game with 143 yards on 32 carries and one score in relief of Boone who left the game with injury after just four carries. Scott added the other rushing touchdown for the Buffs.

John Baetz

Coaches and parents, are you aware of an interesting statistic, a cool tradition, or a heartwarming act of kindness by your team? Email us details for future releases of the Subway Sports Spotlight, and head to Subway for pre- or post-game meals, catering or Footlong Faves starting at $4.99. Order online at Subway.com.