The winter sports have had a fantastic season. From state titles to winning records to senior leaders, it has been a season to remember.
Boys basketball finished the regular season with a 14-6 record. The win/loss record gave them the #1 seed in 8-team 5A Sub-State Tournament.
“So far this year we have only lost one game at home and since our record has earned us the home court advantage, we are hoping to keep that momentum going with our two sub-state games and earn a spot in the state tournament,” says head coach Craig Cox. “It’s been a fun year. We have a great group of guys that really get along well. They all worked really hard to improve.”
The boys played #8 Leavenworth at home this past Wednesday, March 2. Since the boys won, they will play #4 KC Washington on Friday, March 4.
The girls basketball team finished with a 4-16 record as a #7 seed going into the Sub-State Tournament.
“At times it was like a roller coaster because there would be games against really good teams and we played really well, and then there were times where we played teams that weren’t as good and we faltered,” says head coach Steve Alexander. “Overall I’ve been happy with our progress. I think a lot of the players, and the team as a whole, improved. But we haven’t been as consistent as we need to be. For the most part, the girls worked very hard and they were very enjoyable to be around.”
The girls played at #2 Shawnee Heights on Thursday, March 3. They lost in a hard-fought battle against the T-birds, 43-41.
The boys bowling team placed 2nd at the 5A Regional Bowling Tournament which qualified them for the 5A State Tournament in Wichita on Friday, March 4. Junior John Baetan placed 2nd overall and freshman Noah Belt got 9th at the Regional Bowling Tournament.
“I believe our men’s team has a chance to place in the Top 3 at the State Tournament. I think we have had a really good season entering the State Tournament. We have been successful on the boys and girls side and extremely competitive all year,” says head boys and girls coach Geoff Poston.
Girls bowling placed 7th at the 12- team regional and did not qualify, as a team, for State. Sophomore Kishno Bell qualified as an individual when she placed fourth overall and will represent the Vikes at State.
“Our women’s team future is bright only losing one senior. I believe that next year has a chance to be one of our best, both on the men’s and women’s side,” says Poston.
The wrestling team qualified 12 of the 14 wrestlers for the 5A state tournament. As a team, they finished 9th, with three wrestlers medaling. Senior Spencer Fortney placed 5th at 138 lbs., junior Dawson Podlena placed 2nd at 106 lbs., and senior Bailey Kelly placed 1st at 195 lbs.
“I think it was an up and down season. We really didn’t get our lineup secured all season long. We had some real highlights and a few struggles. One highlight was that we beat Heights in a duel for the fifth straight year earlier this season. We came into state not ranked
and ended up top ten and I think that it was a good finish for us,” says head coach Patrick Kelly, “I thought that we had some really great senior leaders on the team; Bailey Kelly, Ian Hall, Spencer Fortney, and Mason Ray.
All three of our medalists are 4.0 students and they all have perfect attendance, and I think that’s really a tribute to them.”
The boys swim and dive team had a memorable and record breaking year. They won the City Championship, the Centennial League Championship, and placed 8th at the 5A State Swim Meet. Sophomores Zeke Metz and Janson Garman were named 1st team All-City and 1st team All-Centennial League. Zeke was also named to the All-State 2nd team and Coach Garman was voted 5A Coach of the Year. The team this year set seven new school records.
“I was extremely proud of the team. They accomplished all three of their team goals (City Champions, League Champions, and Top 10 Team at State), and even went beyond by dominating their regular season invitational meets,” says head coach Rod Garman, “The
addition of diving to Seaman this year was huge, and most importantly, I think what lead to the team’s success was the work many of the athletes put in during the off season. I really respect and admire those athletes’ dedication to and focus on improving their performance. They’re a cohesive, unified group who push each other to be better. I’ll miss
our Seniors (Colton Brennan, Bradyn Rottler, Andre Vila, & Brendan Fosse). They call themselves “the first four” since they have had me as their coach all four years; they were on my first team at Seaman. However, I am looking forward to even faster swimming and higher diving points next year as our team returns the bulk of its members.”