Marysville Wins Season Opener

From the Capital Gazette:

ROSSVILLE — For three years, Rossville has been the top Dawg in Class 3A, capturing three straight state championships.

 

Friday night might not have been a true changing of the guard with an entire season yet to be played out, but Marysville sure sent a message that there’s another Dog ready to step forward and challenge for the title.

After letting an upset of Rossville get away late in last year’s season opener, Marysville didn’t leave any hope for a comeback in Friday’s 2017 opener at Rossville. The visiting Bulldogs hung 36 points on the three-time reigning champions in the first half and never looked back on their way to a 52-13 statement rout.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this one,” Marysville quarterback Jack Blumer said. “Last year, they got us at the end there and this year we weren’t going to let that happen.”

Blumer made sure of it with a monster night. Coming off a breakout junior year, the senior quarterback single-handedly picked apart Rossville’s young defense, throwing for 316 yards and six touchdowns and adding another rushing touchdown.

Of course, Blumer was quick to note that having a target such as 6-foot-3 senior Gabe Pieschl, made things pretty easy. The duo helped Marysville to the Class 3A state basketball title last winter and spent much of Friday night playing a football version of alley-oop with Blumer simply putting the ball in a spot where Pieschl could go get it and watch his teammate turn it more times than not into six points.

Pieschl had six catches with four of them going for touchdowns of 73, 21, 61 and 11 yards as he finished with 192 yards receiving.

“I like getting him the ball because I know something special is going to happen,” Blumer said.

As big as the touchdown connections to Pieschl were, it was a 53-yarder from Blumer to Derek Roever that might have been the play of the game for Marysville. After the Bulldogs had scored on their first drive of the game, a 19-yard run by Blumer, Rossville answered when Sheldon Hulbert hit Elijah Daughty over the middle for a 76-yard strike that gave the Bulldawgs a 7-6 lead.

Having to replace all but one offensive starter off last year’s title team, the quick-strike score seemed to be a necessary jolt of confidence.

Instead, Marysville answered with three straight touchdowns, including one-play scoring drives on touchdown passes to Roever and Pieschl.

“That was huge for our kids,” Marysville coach Dustin Heuer said. “When you’ve got a team with the tradition Rossville has, you don’t want to leave a possession on the field. That kind of happened to us last year where we’d give up something big and they wouldn’t let us have it right back. What I was happy about was every time they scored, we came right back and that says a lot about our disposition.”

Once Marysville got rolling, Rossville couldn’t come up with enough answers to stay withing striking distance. Hulbert threw for 207 yards in his first start at quarterback, but 146 of it came on Rossville’s touchdowns, hitting Tronnie Blair on a 70-yarder on the first play of the second half.

That got Rossville within 36-13, but Marysville came right back with the fourth Blumer-to-Pieschl touchdown connection and the Bulldawgs were done.

“They’re experienced and talented and they put together some good schemes for tonight,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “They were a handful for us.

“It’s a starting point for us and we wanted to get the season underway and find our exactly where we were. It didn’t go the way we wanted obviously, but we recognized as a staff that we had some young kids and we have to find the right combinations and shore up our fundamentals.”

Marysville (1-0)22 14 8 8—52

Rossville (0-1)  7     0 6 0—13

Mary — Blumer 19 run (run failed)

Ross — Daughty 76 pass from Hulbert (Reeves kick)

Mary — Roever 53 pass from Blumer (Blumer run)

Mary — Pieschl 73 pass from Blumer (Roever run)

Mary — Pieschl 21 pass from Blumer (run failed)

Mary — Pieschl 61 pass from Blumer (Backus pass from Blumer)

Ross — Blair 70 pass from Hulbert (kick failed)

Mary — Pieschl 11 pass from Blumer (Blumer run)

Mary — Hornbeak 13 pass from Blumer (Blumer run)

GAME IN FIGURES

… Mary … Ross

First downs … 22 … 11

Rushes-yards … 39-147 … 32-124

Passing … 316 … 212

Comp-Att-Int … 15-17-0 … 9-23-2

Punts … 3-37.7 … 6-26.5

Fumbles-Lost … 5-1 … 0-0

Penalties-Yards … 4-30 … 7-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Marysville: Roever 7-22, Blumer 8-51, Hornbeak 4-23, Latta 7-20, Team 1-minus 2, Slupianek 10-28, Champoux 2-5. Rossville: Hulbert 15-82, Daughty 5-11, Johnson 8-9, Foster 2-minus 3, Sowers 1-10, Carver 1-15.

PASSING — Marysville: Blumer 15-17-0, 316 yards. Rossville: Hulbert 8-22-2, 207 yards, Carver 1-1-0, 5 yards.

RECEIVING — Marysville: Pieschl 6-192, Wetter 2-29, Rader 1-2, Roever 3-57, Backus 2-23, Hornbeak 1-13. Rossville: Daughty 2-74, Johnson 2-21, Foster 3-42, Blair 1-70, Sumner 1-5.

WIBW Video of Marysville Game

Wibw has game highlights from the Marysville game at:

http://www.wibw.com/video?vid=442527983

WIBW Football Preview & Video

That record has led them to three-consecutive state championships.

"You can do anything with some belief and hard work, and I think our kids are doing that," Rossville head coach Derick Hammes said.

The Bulldogs captured the 2016 title with a 48-42 overtime victory against Hesston.

"In all of our state championships, it's taken a little luck," Hammes said. " We've had adversity, but we've remained pretty healthy."

This year, the Bulldogs have a young team with just four returning starters. The team has to replace quarterback Jacob Bradshaw, who ran for more than 2,700 yards while throwing for more than 1,700 yards. He was responsible for 56 total touchdowns.

"Rather than maybe one person replacing Jacob, maybe two or three of us can make up for the things that he was able to do," Hammes said. "Hopefully what you do as a coach is develop a system where you can bring kids along where they are ready to jump in."

Another position the Bulldogs will focus on is the offensive line. There are no returning starters.

"We're all really close friends," senior lineman Nathan Dohrman said. "We're going to plan on working two times as hard as the line did last year because we're so much smaller."

The only hiccup during last year's state title run was a loss in the War on 24, a rivalry game with Silver Lake.

The Eagles beat the Bulldogs 36-28 to claim the Mid-East League title.

"Rivalry games are important," Hammes said. "t's meaningful when you win, and when you don't, it stings a little bit."

"It's definitely that one game sticks out whenever we bring up the state championship," Dohrman said. "13-1 is not as good as 14-0."

If Rossville can pull off a perfect season for the third time in four years, the senior class will graduate with a record of 55-1.

The Bulldogs open the season on Sept. 1 hosting Marysville.

Rossville state title run

2014

Record: 14-0
Points scored: 711
Points per game: 50.7
Points allowed: 159
Scoring differential: +552

2015

Record: 14-0
Points scored: 743
Points per game: 53.0
Points allowed: 202
Scoring differential: +541

2016

Record: 13-1

Points scored: 601

Points per game: 42.9

Points allowed: 302

Scoring differential: +299

For WIBW video with coach and player interviews,  go to:

http://www.wibw.com/content/news/KPZ-Preview-Rossville-High-School-442315103.html

Man Rescued After Trench Cave-In

ROSSVILLE, Kan. (KSNT) – One man was rescued Wednesday morning after being stuck in a trench.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. when emergency crews received the call. Officials on scene tell KSNT News the sides of the trench fell on the man causing him to be stuck up his waist area.

The Topeka Fire Department said he was a worker, working on a sewer line.

He is being transported to an area hospital for injuries.

This is a developing story, KSNT News will have more information as it becomes available.

You can see KSNT video about this rescue  at:
http://ksnt.com/2017/08/30/man-rescued-in-rossville-after-trench-collapse/

Willard Bridge Video

KSNT news has an article and video about the bridge opening.
http://ksnt.com/2017/08/28/willard-bridge-opening-leaves-neighbors-thrilled/

KC Star Preseason Football Rankings

CLASS 3A

1. Nemaha Central

2. Phillipsburg

3. Silver Lake

4. Conway Springs

5. Rossville

Rossville Faces First Big Test

From the Capital-Journal:

In the grand scheme of Rossville’s run to its third straight Class 3A state champion, the season-opening win over Marysville was just the first step on the journey.

But when it comes down to it, that victory might have been the most important one the Bulldawgs had until pulling out the overtime win over Hesston in the title game. Starting life without two-time All-Stater Tucker Horak and several other key components from its two previous title teams, Rossville went into last year’s opener with something to prove.

In many ways, the Bulldawgs did. Down 20-14 in the second half, Rossville rallied for a 27-20 win that showed it had championship-caliber mettle.

“That game was big last year,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “It provided a big challenge for us and it was a good win for us. As you saw the results as we both went throughout the year, it turned out to be a really big win for us.”

As big as the win was for Rossville, the performance in the loss might have been even bigger for Marysville. One year removed from a lengthy losing skid, the Bulldogs went into the game looking to prove they were headed in the right direction and back to being among the top programs in Class 3A.

Pushing the eventual 3A champions suggested as much and Marysville rode the confidence gained in the game to a 7-3 season — one in which all three losses were by a touchdown or less.

“We really took away from it that our kids had come a long way,” Marysville coach Dustin Heuer said. “I was really proud with how our kids handled it and after the games our kids walked away convinced they should have won that game. We had our chance at beating the team that ended up being the best in 3A and we really took it as a challenge to continue to grow and as a sign of what we were capable of.”

When both programs open the 2017 Friday night in Rossville, the feeling will be somewhat the same as it was a year ago. Once again, Rossville must prove it can fill key voids left by graduation capably enough to make a run at a fourth straight state crown. The graduation hits have been big in the past, but never as hard as this season with tailback Perry Foster the lone returning starter on offense and linebacker Sheldon Hulbert and lineman Nathan Dohrman the lone returning starters on defense.

Gone are All-State quarterback Jacob Bradshaw, two-time All-Class 3A linebacker Dawson Hammes, All-3A receiver Cole Schumacher and all five starting offensive lineman.

“It’s going to be a great gauge for both programs,” Hammes said. “You could say they are the most experienced team coming into this game, so maybe it’s a role reversal a little bit. Maybe we’re the challenger and we’re the team that has something to prove. That’s kind of where they were last year. They wanted to prove they were a good football team and in the long run I think we saw that they were.”

Marysville also lost some key pieces to graduation, namely All-3A lineman Greg Martin and two-way standout Hunter Warnick. But quarterback Jack Blumer flourished in his first year as starter, throwing for nearly 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns, and has a few key playmakers back around him.

While Marysville has an edge in experience, Heuer knows Rossville will still carry plenty of confidence gained from its championship seasons. At the same time, he sees more confidence from his team, gained in no small part by last year’s showing.

“Our kids knew the year before we had taken some big steps forward,” Heuer said. “That was a good opportunity to show how close we’d come and take and build on that. It was a really fun year last year and the guys this year are excited about doing their own thing as well.

“They’re fired up about playing a great team and Rossville might have lost a lot of kids, but they’ve done this before and been just fine. I’m sure everybody on their team has been working hard to write their own chapter for the Rossville program as well. And for us, the last four or five years have been a step forward and these kids want to take another step forward — whether that’s winning eight games, an NCKL title or a playoff game. They want to continue the process.”

Volleyball Team Gets Two Wins Tue.

    The RHS Varsity volleyball team won against the Olathe Metro Academy on Aug. 29 by scores of 25-21, 25-9 and 25-19, 25-21.
    The team is 5-2 for the season.    The two losses were to Burlington in their tournament where the Dawgs finished second to Burlington.

Cross Country Team At Mission Valley

The Rossville Cross Country competed in their first meet at Mission Valley on Aug. 31.  There were solid performances from all runners to start the season.  Amelia Foster (7th Grade) brought home the only medal of the day for Rossville, placing 4th out of 76 7th & 8th grade boys AND girls in the 2-mile, with a time of 13:43.

Rossville Results:

Boys 5k (94 Runners) - Zach Archer (33rd) - 21:35; Ben Price (39th) - 21:55; Marvin Cummings (82nd) - 26:13; Justin Jordan (85th) - 27:18

Girls 5k (54 Runners) - Meagan Huston (20th) - 25:03; Emma Streit (38th) - 28:04

7th/8th Boys & Girls 2-mile (76 Runners) - Amelia Foster (4th) - 13:43; Bronc Reser (22nd) - 15:33; Tres Faith (32nd) - 16:21; Cassie Fund (47th) - 18:02; Wade Twombly (55th) - 18:48; Hayden Sanders (62nd) - 19:56

Garrett Jones

Rossville Jr/Sr High School

Band & Choir Director

Head Cross Country Coach

Assistant HS Track Coach

Blossers Have A Boy

Kayla and Robert Blosser of  Rossville are the proud parents of a baby boy born Aug. 30.

Article On Marysville Game

From the MARYSVILLE ADVOCATE:

Marysville showed athleticism and a variety of options on the field Friday night for its Gatorade scrimmage, which was more like a series of offensive executions from the 40-yard line than a mock game.

“I thought our effort was great and we think we can have a very athletic team this season,” said Bulldog coach Dustin Heuer. “We just need to clean up some little things.”

The little things that cause penalties. There were a handful of times plays came back, yardage was lost, but in the end senior quarterback Jack Blumer was good with keepers, scoring on a run or passing to senior wide receiver Gabe Pieschl for other touchdowns.

The backfield was primarily a rotation of junior running backs Derek Roever and Raudy Latta.

“I thought the scrimmage went pretty well,” Heuer said. “We were a little sloppy from a penalty standpoint but I thought from an assignment perspective we were relatively solid. Offensively we are always striving to be more consistent and to not force ourselves backwards into difficult situations. It was a great learning opportunity to be on the field with officials to get a better simulation of a game.”

Heuer said he loved the pursuit he saw on defense and he thinks this group will be athletic.

“We need to make sure to trust each other and make sure all 11 bodies are where they need to be,” he said.

Marysville kicks off the season at 7 p.m. Friday at No. 4 Rossville. It’s a confrontation between the MHS Bulldogs and the Rossville Bulldawgs that kpreps.com considered a top 3A game. Last year’s game was a 28-21 win late for Rossville. The Bulldawgs didn’t string together an undefeated season, but it was a third straight state championship run.

“Rossville will have an almost entirely new cast of players, but coming off their success the past few seasons, I am sure we will get nothing but the best effort from their kids,” Heuer said. “They aren’t overly complicated but they are good at what they do. I think this is a great measuring stick going forward for our team. I feel like playing a great team right out of the gate helps us prepare for our North Central Kansas League schedule.”

The Dogs open league at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 against visiting Abilene, the only team Marysville lost to last fall. That 14-12 outcome is very much remembered. The loss kept Marysville from winning the league title, which the Bulldogs haven’t done since the 2008 season.

“We’re all ready to play Friday but being excited doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of things to continue to work on this week,” Heuer said. “These guys have worked extremely hard this offseason and I think they really want to continue to move the program forward and accomplish more than last year. This game is big for our program going forward. Even last year, despite the outcome, I thought that opening game really showed our kids we belong with the top teams. These guys really want to take the next step.”

Dawgs Open FB Season At Home

    The Dawgs start the football season at home against the Marysville Bulldogs on Friday night,  Sept. 1.  With the Dawgs ranked #4 by the Capital,  and Marysville ranked among the "others" it should be a good game and good test to see if the Dawgs can repeat what they have done the last 3 years.
    At half-time,  the 1992 football team will be honored.
    There will be Indian Tacos for sale from 6:00 on with proceeds going to Cody Lambotte who is fighting ALS..

Sheldon Hulbert Player To Watch

 RHS QB/LB Sheldon Hulbert has been selected by the Capital-Journal 

as one of the 25 players to watch in 3A-1A football this year.  

http://cjonline.com/slideshow/sports/prepkickoff2017/highschools/2017-08-30/25-area-prep-football-players-know-2017-0#slide-29

Jeff West Golf Scramble

The results of the girls golf four team scramble on Aug 29 at the Village Greens in Meridan is as follows:

Silver Lake    175
Rossville        177
Jeff West        179
Tonganoxie    185