Sunday, January 16, 2022

Amanda and Caila Hill In KWU Win

Kansas Wesleyan U. defeated McPherson College on Sat., Jan. 15, 95-84 in Double Overtime.
Amanda Hill had 21 pts, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 6 assists.
Caila Hill had 9 points rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 assists.
Al the game details can be read at:  https://www.kwucoyotes.com/SIDHelp/fullBoxScores/23/2/9229

 

Friday, January 14, 2022

Valley Hts. At Rossville Girls BB

Valley Heights  18 19 16 13 -- 66
Rossville          13 14  6  13 -- 46

Rossville scoring:
Perine      5 (2) 2-7 14 
Douglas   1 (1) 0-1   3 
Mitchell    3      1-2   7
Porter      5      3-6 13 
Haehn      0      1-2  1 
Gillum      3       2-2 8

Valley Hts At Rossville Boys BB

Valley Heights  13 8 16 19 -- 56
Rossville            9 9 13 22 -- 53


Rossville scoring:
Perine           3      1-2   7 
Garcia           6 (2) 3-5 17 
Patrizi           6 (1) 1-4 14 
Horak           2 (1) 0-0   5 
Bush            3 (1) 3-4 10

Amanda and Caila Hill in KWU-Friends Game

    Kansas Wesleyan lost to Friends U. 73-66, Monday, Jan 10. 
    Amanda Hill had 17 pts,  5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. 
    Caila Hill had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.   
    You can read the game details at:     Box Score KWU-Friends game

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Edward Simecka Passes Away

      Edward Paul Simecka, 78, passed away peacefully with family by his side Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at the St. Marys Manor.

     He was born January 20, 1943, at Delia, the son of James E. and Regina M. “Sally” Dohrman Simecka.  Ed was raised in the Delia community and graduated from Delia High School in 1961.

     After graduation he was employed as a tire builder for Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Topeka retiring in 1998 after 37 years of service.  Ed served in the United States Army. In 1969 he coached the Immaculate Conception Catholic Grade Schools boys’ basketball team and was proud to do so, he loved to talk about it though-out the years.  Ed was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church; he also was a member of the United Rubber Workers Union.

     Ed always had a unique style.  He loved his family, cars, music, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Royals, and the KU Jayhawks.

     In 1966 he started his family with Judy Perry.  They had two children Jacqueline, and Christopher.

     Ed was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Jo Endicott.

     Survivors include his son, Christopher Simecka, Topeka; his daughter, Jacqueline (Tim) Moylan, St. Marys; Their children, Kayla, Shannon, Maria, Anna, Daniel, and Catherine; two brothers, James L. Simecka, Wamego, and Gerald R. (Eva) Simecka, Topeka; sisters, Mary Barr, Lincoln, NE, Judy (Doyle) Kizzire, in Lawson, MO, Pat Skaggs, Topeka, Dee Dee (Steve) Kennedy, Topeka, Barbara Froelich, Kansas City, and Ginger (Lloyd) Lynch, Web City, MO; many nieces and nephews and friends.

     Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, January 18. 2022 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.  Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys.  Ed will lie in state at Piper Funeral Home from 4:00 until the rosary at 6:00 P.M. Monday, January 17, 2022.  Memorial Contributions may be made to St. Marys Manor and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536.

Rossville-Rock Creek Basketball

Girls Game 

Rock Creek  12 18   7 14 -- 51
Rossville        6 12 14 13 -- 45

Rossville scoring:
Perine           3 (1) 3-6  10 
Douglas         3 (1) 5-6  12 
Mitchell          3 (1) 5-6  12 
Porter            2       1-2   5 
Haehn            1       0-2  2 
Gillum            2       0-0  4

Boys Game

Rock Creek  16 14 17 14 -- 61
Rossville      15 15  5   8 -- 43

Rossville scoring:
Perine           6 (5) 0-1 17 
Garcia           2 (1) 4-4  9 
Patrizi            1      0-0 2          
Horak            2 (2) 0-0 6 
Bush             2 (1) 0-0 5 
Brace            2      0-2 4

Undefeated Kendra Hurla Ready For State

From the Capital-Journal.



Rossville sophomore wrestler Kendra Hurla is off to a fantastic defense of her 120-pound state title she won as a freshman after going 5-0 on Saturday at the Rossville Invitational while wrestling a class up at 126.

Hurla came into Saturday with a 9-0 record and nine first-period pins.

She won by fall over Santa Fe Trail's Savana Hook, Chandler Lill and Hayden's Rachel Burrough's in the first three rounds, won a decision over teammate wrestler Keera Lacock in the fourth round and won by injury default over McClouth's Leighanna Patz in the final round.

Looking back on her journey so far on Friday before the Invitational, Hurla said she didn't envision being where she is today, an undefeated sophomore defending a state title.

"Going back to eighth grade, I thought I'd be a pretty good wrestler," said Hurla. "I never really thought of states. It's odd saying, but I didn't think I'd be here a sophomore year, maybe junior or senior year. It's really crazy, especially some of the teachers I have saying, 'What’s up, state champ?' It's like, 'Oh that did happen,' It's crazy. I'm proud of it."

Wrestling is in her blood

Hurla has been around wrestling her whole life.

Her dad, Chris, and his brothers wrestled in high school, and he's coached kids club for a long time in the area. All three of her older brothers wrestled, too.

Hurla and her brothers all started around the age of 4.

"My brothers all wrestled at home," said Hurla. "It felt natural for me starting at a young age."

 After she stopped wrestling as she got older to play volleyball, she was still around the sport, going to her brother's high school tournaments and matches and said she loved watching.

That led to her becoming a team manager in seventh grade.

"I looked up to the guys on the high school team," said Hurla. "Being a manager made me miss (wrestling)."

Horgan is a close friend of the Hurla family.

"I had a couple of girl wrestlers, (Kendra) would come to practice," said Horgan. "And two to three times a week I'd grab her and say, 'Hey Kendra, show her this,' always keeping her involved. Eighth grade, I talked her into wrestling."

Hurla was nervous about diving back in but those concerns were alleviated as she held her own all year and wrestled well late in the year against someone that had beaten her several times.

"In league, I was the one that lasted the longest with him," said Hurla. "I was happy with that because I knew I had gotten better throughout the year because the last match with him was better."

Even in eighth grade, Horgan said Hurla showed flashes of what everyone sees today.

"She’s fierce, man," said Horgan. "As tough as they come. She grew up with three older brothers, no choice but to be tough."

Chris was hesitant to see Hurla start wrestling again in eighth grade, especially with the thought of wrestling boys in high school, but with KSHSAA sanctioning girls wrestling as a high school sport it changed things.

"I was tickled about it," said Chris on Hurla's return to the mat. "I was definitely happy."

Winning a state title

Hurla won the school's first-ever girls wrestling state title last year when she beat the No. 1 ranked wrestler in Paola's Kailyn Younger with a second-period pin.

Younger entered the match with a 26-1 record and had just beaten Hurla in the sub-state championship match.

After watching that substate back with last year's coach Brandy Lowe, Hurla said she was going to make Younger wrestle all three periods if she wanted to win the state title.

"I knew going in I had her where I could gas her if I stayed up," said Hurla. "That sub-state match I got caught in the headlock and I knew if I grinded, worked hard and stayed in stance that I could beat her. I went out with the mentality there was no way she would take it in the three periods and I think that really helped me."

 

"It was a blur, to be honest," said Hurla. "All that work we had put in had paid off and I beat her. That one match I had to get that year, it was relieving and the best result it could've been."

Chris said Hurla's state title was the first in the immediate families and recalled watching the match, the pin and Hurla's hand being raised.

"It was very exciting," said Chris on what emotions he felt watching. "I don't know if I have words for it."

With Hurla's oldest brother, Holden, passing away earlier in the year, the win meant more to everyone in Rossville.

"Our oldest son that had worked with her had an influence on her," said Chris. "I think all my kids were wrestling for him last year."

Watching that match was something Horgan will always remember.

"That was an emotional time for our whole team. Two brothers on the boys team, her on the girls team. Her jumping into her dad's arms after that match, that's in here for forever," said Horgan tapping his head. "I'll never forget that. That was a pretty special deal."

Back for more

Coming into this year, in addition to repeating as a state champion, Hurla's goals were to get better on her feet and improve other aspects of her game to set a bigger gap between the other wrestlers in her class.

She's been working since the summer with other wrestlers including a longtime friend and teammate Keera Lacock, who placed fourth in the state last year at 115.

"We hold each other accountable to go hard," said Hurla of Lacock, her practice partner since middle school, "because we know we can do it. We’ve been there and we know what it takes."

Lacock was someone else who  encouraged Hurla to wrestle in the eighth grade after she had convinced her dad to let her wrestle if she could find a partner.

Lacock saw Hurla's talent from a young age just like everyone else.

"She's always been a really good wrestler," said Lacock. "Our brothers both wrestled, we would go to kids club wrestling and wrestle there. She knew what she was doing, I didn't know what I was doing. She's helped me improve a lot, I feel like we push each other a lot."

Lacock said Hurla has the talent, skill and form and that her own relentless effort makes them a good sparring pair to help each other get better.

Although Horgan took over as the girls head coach this year, the boys and girls teams went to several of the same tournaments last year, he was in the coach's corner during her post-season run and the boys and girls practices have been combined since the latter part of last year.

"They work out with the guys, and she doesn’t bat an eye at the stuff we do," said Horgan. "It gets pretty intense in there sometimes. She doesn’t balk a bit. I've known that for years."


"As an athlete, especially with wrestling being mainly a guy sport, I won’t let a guy be better than me just because of someone’s position," said Hurla. "I won’t let it happen. Courtney has helped us with that, he doesn’t let us off the hook because we're females. I really appreciate that, it helps to push and drive me to be better than others."

Horgan said Hurla not only a leader for the girls team but the program overall.

"At the beginning of the year I tell all my teams, 'You don't have to be a senior to be a leader,'" said Horgan. "It can be anybody. It's been cool seeing her, not only as a sophomore but a female stepping into that leadership role. She steps up and barks orders in the room pretty well. That's always been impressive."

Her competitive fire has been around ever since she was born, said Chris.

"If she doesn’t like something, she’ll say it," said Chris. "I guess with all the boys here, if you lose, there will be some words about you. You don't want to lose. She doesn’t like to lose. She wants to win."

When asked where that competitive fire comes from, Hurla says some of it is from wrestling at a young age and some of it is just instinct.

"I've always been competitive whether family games or any type of sport," said Hurla. "I don't like losing."

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

KWCA Weekly Rankings

 Rossville is not in the Top Ten for either boys or girls in the week four, Jan. 11,  KWCA  rankings

The only boy ranked is Sam Twombly who is ranked 4th in the 160# class, and Jacob Carver, 2nd in the 285# class

Kendra Hurla is ranked 1st in the 120# class, and Keera Lacock is ranked 6th in the 126# class. 

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Rossville Inv. Wrestling

 Rossville finished 5th out of 18 teams in the Rossville Inv.Wrestling Tournament Jan 7-8

The top five teams were 
1.  Wamego       194.5
2.  Sabetha         173.5
3.  Wellsville     164
4.  Santa Fe-Car 156
5.  Rossville       134 

Individual Boys Results:

Mason Broce      120 #    3rd    2-1 + 2 byes
Ayron Klesath     132#      --     2-2
Colby Hurla        138#     1st    3-0 + 1 bye
Krew Lacock       145#      --     2-2
Sam Twombly      160      1st    3-1 + 1 bye 
Barrett Leitz         220      1st    3-0 + 1 bye
Jacob Carver        295      4th    4-2

Individual Girls Results

Keera Lacock       126      2nd    4-1
Kendra Hurla        126      1st     5-0
Reagon Wonnell    138     5th     2-2
Cassie Fund           138     2nd    2-1   

Girls Full Court Press Works

 From the Capital-Journal

Rossville's full-court press having success

Rossville used a full-court press against Riley County, something that they've showcased already and will continue to use despite a short bench.

In the third quarter, it began to give Riley County trouble and allowed them to get back in the game and that's despite having just 12 players in the program.

"We worked on it ever since the season started," said Bell. "It works better for our girls, the personnel we have. We do a lot of running during practice. They're in good shape."

Senior Caylee Douglas, Perine, Haehn, Mitchell are all quick with active hands forcing turnovers and applying high pressure constantly.

"If all five players on the court are committed, we're a tough team to play," said Bell. "Tonight, felt like we had two or three per possession, we have to have all five. It's something we're implementing, doesn't always work in the first quarter but wears teams down in the second or third."

Sophomore Emma Mitchell

Freshman Shyanne Haehn

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Amanda and Caila Hill in KSU-Bethel Game

Kansas Wesleyan U. lost their Jan 8 girls basketball game with Bethel College.
Amanda Hill had 10 pts, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.   Her sister Caila had 2 pts, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists.  For game stats and recap, go to:      KWU coyotes game stats

Phyllis Miller (78) Passes Away

Topeka - Phyllis "Kate" Miller, 61, of Topeka, passed away on January 5, 2022 surrounded by her children.

She was born on November 12, 1960 to Clyde and Phyllis (Sorden) Miller in Topeka, KS.

Kate graduated from Washburn University in 1995 with a degree in business. She worked for the United States Postal Service for 24 years. Kate went above and beyond in her role as a mother to her children, and without hesitation would extend that "momness" to the friends and significant others of her children. She loved being a grandmother more than anything, often spoiling her grandchildren & telling stories about them whenever she got the chance.

Kate is survived by her life partner, James Hagedorn; children, Katie (Phillip) Martin, Morgan (Leonard Cobin Jr.) McNorton, Thomas McNorton, and Haley (Andrew) Golding; grandchildren, Grace Bartley, Jacob Bartley, Camden Martin, and expecting Baby Martin in August 2022.

She was preceded in death by both of her parents; her sister, Peggy Wilkinson, and her son-in-law Kyle Bartley.

Memorial services will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2022, 3:00 pm at the Parker-Price Cremations, Funerals & Receptions.

Memorial contributions may be made to Kate Miller Fund to be used for her grandchildren's future.

To leave a special message for the family online, please visit www.ParkerPriceFH.com.

Service Information

FUNERAL

Parker Price Funeral Home 245 NW Independence Ave. Topeka, KS 66608
January 20, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Deborah Smith (74) Passes Away

Deborah Sue "Debbie" Smith, 65, of Topeka, passed away on Saturday, January 1, 2022. She was born July 9, 1956 
in Topeka, the daughter of George N. and Carolyn S. (Peterson) Smith.

Debbie graduated from Rossville High School and attended Emporia State University. She was employed by 
Walmart for a number of years before retiring.

Survivors include her siblings, Anita Feldhausen of Kansas City, Kansas, Pamela Bird of Topeka, Linda Harris 
of Manhattan and Nelven "Lane" Smith of Topeka and several nieces, nephews and great-nephews.

A Celebration of Debbie's Life will be held at a later date. Private inurnment will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Children’s Miracle Network, 205 W 700 South, 
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101.

Dove Southeast Chapel, 2843 SE Minnesota Ave. is assisting the family with arrangements.

To leave a message of condolence for Debbie's family, or to share a special memory of Debbie, click the
 Share Memories at Dove Cremations

Riley Co. Wins Two BB Games (Updated)

     Rossville traveled to Riley County for basketball on Jn 7.    The Riley Co. girls prevailed 61-52 and their boys team likewise at 48-40.

Boys Game

Riley County  14 18 16 13 -- 61
Rossville         6 12 16 18 -- 52

Rossville  scoring:

Perine          7 (3) 1-2 18
Garcia          6 (1) 0-0 13
Badura         1 (1) 0-0  3
Bush            3 (1) 1-2  8
Lietz            4      2-5 10

Girls Game

Riley County  5 19   6 18 -- 48
Rossville        7 13 10 10 -- 40

Rossville scoring:

Perine            5      3-6 13
Douglas         1      1-2  3
Mitchell          5      3-6 13
Porter            1 (1) 3-7  6
Haehn           1 (1)  0-0 3
Gillum           1        0-2 2