As the weather started to turn colder, KHS athletes wrapped up their fall sports seasons. KHS’s fall teams had successful years, with the boys’ tennis and boys’ soccer teams winning North Central Conference championships, the football team advancing to the sectional final and the cross country teams competing in the regional meet.
Boys’ Soccer
The boys’ soccer team enjoyed a lot of success this fall. The team was undefeated in NCC play and won the NCC championship.
The team improved their ability to score and notched 12 wins as a result. They were competitive in nearly every match, and the junior varsity team became difficult to score on, and they were able to create some timely goals, too.
“Our players played with a lot of skill and flair this fall. We had moments of brilliance on the pitch, and it was a fun group of players to lead into competition,” said head coach Aaron Blessing.
Girls’ Soccer
While the season didn’t end quite as the team had hoped, the girls’ soccer team rose to the occasion and worked hard all season long.
The team graduated most of their starters from last year, so they had to have many new players in field positions they hadn’t played before.
One highlight of the season for the LadyKats was beating Logansport for the first time under head coach Elizabeth Rayl’s leadership.
The team was faced with adversity towards the end of the season and didn’t finish with as many wins as they wanted to, but they grew as a team.
“The season ended in the semifinals of sectionals with a team that fought hard until the buzzer, played for each other and left it all on the field,” Rayl said. “With injuries and ineligibility limiting the number of available subs, several players were tasked with taking on new positions. Their determination and effort were evident as they played with hard, giving everything they had in each game.”
Girls’ Golf
This year’s girls’ golf team had several players who were new to the game. New head coach Mariah Horner worked hard with her team to learn the mental toughness it takes to push forward during a difficult round.
One improvement Horner was hoping to make was the number of girls on the team. This year, seven girls played golf and are still showing up to weight lift to get ready for next year.
The girls’ golf team almost advanced out of sectional and most of the girls had their best rounds toward the end of the season. They were just a few strokes off of four of the girls advancing individually to regionals.
“It is so difficult to wrap this season into words. It is the first time I have coached in quite some time, but this team made it a joy to attend practice each day because they were open to learning and getting better each day,” Horner said.
Boys’ Tennis
For the second straight season, the KHS boys’ tennis team were the North Central Conference champions. And without any seniors in the varsity lineup, the team has a pretty good idea of what next season will look like.
While the season didn’t end how the team hoped, the team competed and worked extremely hard this year. Head coach Travis Taflinger is hoping the team can work in the offseason to get their bodies ready better with weights, conditioning and injury prevention.
The highlight for Taflinger was watching the younger players improve so much and seeing his team support one another.
“We handled our final loss with a lot of class,” Taflinger said. “It was a tough way to end the season, but I was so proud of the way they rallied around each other. They genuinely were so disappointed to see the season end for one another. They did a great job of building unity this year and loving others.”
Cross Country
After finishing 9th at the 2023 sectional meet, the KHS boys’ cross country team battled hard throughout the season and finished as the sectional runner-up this year. Their 2nd place finish qualified them to run at the regional meet.
The girls’ cross country team also improved their sectional finish from last year, coming in 6th place. Three runners, Alaina Thompson, Gretchen Riggle and Morgan Rakestraw, advanced to the regional meet at Brownsburg.
“Our expectations this year for both teams was to improve from last year and qualify for regionals,” said head coach Jordan Ousley. “We did both of those, so I would say we were successful. At the end of the day I thought we had a terrific season and I am excited to see how we continue to build our program and keep improving.”
Football
For head coach Austin Colby, this football season was not what they wanted or expected in terms of wins and loses, but many life lessons were taught and learned and Colby thinks everyone grew and are better people because of what they went through and accomplished as a team.
The football team ended their season with a loss to Lafayette Jeff in the sectional finals. But for Colby, the ultimate goal wasn’t achieved on the football field.
“We wanted to teach life lessons and I believe we accomplished that,” he said. “Showing up with a group of guys for more than five months and bonding of a certain goal and team vision is my favorite part of high school football.”
