Rossville KS Alumni News

This blog is for posting all news of Rossville residents and Rossville High alumni. Bookmark this page and send any appropriate news (births, deaths, engagements, marriages, anniversaries, job changes, honors, etc.) items to: Frank.Ruff@juno.com . Feel free to add comments to any of the articles. Check this site often because I sometimes delete items. There are SEARCH (top left of page) and LINK (bottom of page) features. For photos, see link at bottom.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

2016-17 Wrestling Schedule

Dec.
3 @ Mission Valley Tournament
10 @ Clay Center Tournament
16 Kaw Valley Duals at Rossville

Jan
6 Rossville Double Duals
13 @ Bobcat Classic Tournament
14 @ Bobcat Classic Tournament
20 @ Holton Tournament
21 @ Holton Tournament

Feb
4 @ Silver Lake Tournament
10 @ Mid East League Tournament at Riley Co.
17 @ 3A Regionals
17 @ 3A Regionals
24 @ 3A State
25 @ 3A State

Girls Basketball Schedule

Girls Varsity Basketball Schedule.

Dec.
2 V Wamego
6 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
9 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
10 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
16 @ Frankfort
20 @ Perry Lecompton

Jan
3 V Silver Lake
6 @ Riley Co.
10 @ Rock Creek
13 V St. Marys
24 @ Valley Falls Tournament
27 @ Valley Falls Tournament
28 @ Valley Falls Tournament

Feb
3 V Wabaunsee
7 V Osage City
10 @ Silver Lake
14 @ Wabaunsee
17 V Riley Co.
23 V Rock Creek
27 3A Sub State Tournament

Boys Basketball Schedule

Boys Varsity Basketball Schedule.

Dec.
2 V Wamego
6 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
9 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
10 @ Irish Classic Tournament, Chapman
16 @ Frankfort
20 @ Perry Lecompton

Jan
3 V Silver Lake
6 @ Riley Co.
10 @ Rock Creek
13 V St. Marys
17 @ Jeff Co. North Tournament
20 @ Jeff Co. North Tournament
21 @ Jeff Co. North Tournament

Feb
3 V Wabaunsee
7 V Osage City
10 @ Silver Lake
14 @ Wabaunsee
17 V Riley Co.
23 V Rock Creek
27 3A Sub State Tournament

Boys Basketball Outlook

Boys Basketball Outlook from the Capital-Journal:

Coach: Derek Dick (9th year).

Last year’s record: 14-9 (6-4, 3rd in league).

Postseason: lost in 3A sub-state final.

Returning starters: (3) Cole Schumacher, G, 6-2, sr.; Dawson Hammes, F, 6-1, sr.; Jacob Bradshaw, G, 6-1, sr.

Other returners/newcomers: Wyatt Dyche, G, 5-10, sr.; Trey Anderson, F, 6-4, sr.; Caiden Musick, F, 6-6, jr.; Andrew Hudson, F, 6-1, sr.; Jared Morris, G, 5-10, jr.; Sheldon Hulbert, F, 6-1, jr.; Hunter Quiett, G, 5-10, jr.

Outlook: Bulldawgs’ bid to return to state tourney for first time since 2011 ended with sub-state championship game loss to eventual state champion Osage City. … Schumacher averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds per game despite missing time with thumb injury. … Hammes added 6 ppg and 6 rpg, while Bradshaw had 5 ppg, 3 rpg and 3 apg. … Morris averaged 5 ppg off the bench.

A look at the rest of the Mid-East League teams can be read at:

http://cjonline.com/sports/2016-11-25/prep-tip-2016-mid-east-league-capsules

Friday, November 25, 2016

RHS Seniors Leading The Way

From the Capital Journal:

HUTCHINSON — They aren’t exactly the forgotten ones.

After all, how does anyone overlook a group boasting the star talent found in Rossville’s 11-member senior class? But coming on the heels of two of the best senior classes arguably ever to step foot on the gridiron for the Bulldawgs, the Class of 2017 perhaps hasn’t been held in the same esteem.

That could all change Saturday.

Winners of two straight Class 3A state championships, Rossville (12-1) is back in Hutchinson for a three-peat. And a victory in Saturday’s 1 p.m. contest at Gowan Stadium over Hesston (9-3) would go a long way toward cementing the legacy for this year’s team, and in particular the senior class.

“This group has never really been given a chance,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said following the Bulldawgs’ heart-stopping 27-22 win over Nemaha Central in last Friday’s semifinals. “We lost a lot of star power the past couple years. They just wanted to prove their place in the program. They’ve done a great job of doing that so far and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

As star power goes, it’s hard to knock the abilities of Rossville’s leading men.

Senior quarterback Jacob Bradshaw leads the state in total offense, amassing more than 4,000 yards and 51 touchdowns. Taking over for Tucker Horak, Bradshaw has done a pretty good impression of the two-time All-Stater, rushing for 2,453 yards and 29 touchdowns while throwing for 1,627 yards and 22 scores.

Receiver Cole Schumacher has defined the term go-to target for Bradshaw, catching 52 of his 108 completions for 1,024 yards and 18 touchdowns — two coming in the win over Nemaha, including a 52-yarder to start the scoring. Senior linebacker Dawson Hammes, meanwhile, has battled back from an early-season thumb injury to rack up 156 tackles in 10 games.

The supporting cast has been more than solid enough to carry Rossville through a difficult path back to the state championship game — one that included wins over a trio of Big Seven League teams in the playoffs.

“To go through all the challenges we had — replacing four offensive linemen and on the defensive side of the ball we had one of our front seven back,” Hammes said. “The sense of accomplishment, well, we’ll get into that after this weekend. But it’s definitely significant that this group was not only able to piece together what’s turned into a good lineup on both sides of the ball, but they also did it early in the season in the face of adversity.

“It’s come together nicely and the kids’ effort has been a big part of that. Every challenge along the way, we’ve been able to find the answer and we want to do that for another week.”

Hesston will be yet another challenge for the Bulldawgs, who have used fourth-quarter comebacks in each of the previous two title games to deliver the program’s first two state championships. The Swathers entered 2016 with high expectations and promptly got off to a 1-3 start.

It wasn’t a complete early-season collapse. All three of the losses were by nine points or less to playoff teams and in each, Hesston had its chances to win.

“That was the hardest thing to drill into our kids’ heads was we were OK because our kids aren’t used to starting that way,” Hesston coach Clint Rider said. “In the Garden Plain game (33-27 loss) we were inside the 20 four times and couldn’t punch it in. Against Halstead (26-24 loss) we were up 10 with seven minutes to go and have them at third-and-16. I don’t know if we felt like, ‘We’re Hesston. We’re up. We should win.’ It was really, really tough.”

Instead of letting the season get away, Hesston has bounced back in a big way. The Swathers haven’t lost since a 36-27 defeat to Nickerson in Week 4 and have taken things to another level in the playoffs.

In the past three weeks, Hesston has picked off Chaparral (35-20), Phillipsburg (38-26) and Hoisington (35-19). Both Phillipsburg and Hoisington were undefeated before losing to Hesston with Phillipsburg last year’s 2-1A state champion and Hoisington ranked No. 2 in The Capital-Journal’s final rankings.

“We are playing with a lot of confidence and you need that to compete at this time of year,” Rider said. “We’re not a team that’s so talented that we can’t be stopped. We have to rely on each other for every play. Playing the two-time defending champion, we need to be confident, but we have to keep ourselves humble and keep our preparation the same. But I don’t think you can get to this point without being confident.”

You don’t get there without talent, either, and like Rossville, Hesston has plenty of star power.

Senior quarterback Zach Esau has enjoyed nearly as big of a season as Bradshaw, accumulating more than 3,600 yards of total offense, throwing for 2,688 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushing for 962 yards and 19 scores. Senior receiver Zach Vogt has 50 catches for 903 yards and 10 touchdowns and sophomore back Parker Roth has added 1,135 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing.

“He’s good in every way and makes those throws that typical high school kids don’t make,” Hammes said of Esau. “The deep out, the throw under pressure and he’s athletic to find time and a threat in the running game. He’s the catalyst for what they do and they’ve got nice pieces to go with him. They’re regarded as a passing team, but they’re willing and able to run it and have a very active defense.

“It’s a good football team and I’m not surprised they’re there. In a lot of ways, they’re a lot like us in that they got everybody pointed in the right direction and have made a tough run. They have some of the intangibles we’re talking about on our side, or they wouldn’t be here.”

There is a bit of history between the two programs. Hesston is making its first state championship game appearance since 1992. That year, the Swathers won the Class 3A state title with a 3-0 victory in the title game over … Rossville.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Title Game Preview

From the (Newton) Kansan:

HESSTON — In 1992, John Gotti was sentenced to life in prison for Mob activities, the Soviet backed government in Afghanistan is overthrown, the Summer Olympics are held in Barcelona, and at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, Ryan Achilles hit a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter to lead the Hesston Swather football team to a 3-0 win over Rossville in the Class 3A state finals.

Fast forward 24 years later and the two teams will meet again in the state finals — only instead of a sloppy grass field on a cold and rainy day — they will play on the turf at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.

Hesston enters the game 10-3, stopping Hoisington 35-19 in the semifinals. Rossville is entering the game 12-1, downing Nemaha Central 27-22 in the semifinals.

Hesston coach Clint Rider said he doesn’t expect such a low-scoring game this time, but said if the game is on the line this year, junior kicker Matt Whitsitt is ready to go.

“There’s no doubt, this is a big moment for us,” Rider said. “It’s a chance for us to win a state title. There are a lot of nerves, but we just have to stay focused on whatever the situation may be. Matt’s ready to go. I don’t think it will be a 3-0 game, but if the game is on the line, he’s made a field goal or two for us. Both teams are too good on offense for the game to be low scoring.”

Rossville is led by senior quarterback Jacob Bradshaw, who has 1,627 yards passing and 2,453 yards rushing. Rider expects a lot of four- and five-wide receiver sets from the Bulldogs on offense.

“They are a lot like us,” Rider said. “They may be a bit smaller, but they are a very quick team. They have some size, but they are pretty quick. Bradshaw is a quality quarterback. Our defense is going to have to play a great game to contain him. We will have to keep moving our feet. He makes cuts you just don’t see at this level.”

Hesston comes into the game with strong second half play in all four playoff games to date.

“We’ve managed to keep our turnovers down the last two games,” Rider said. “We’ve played outstanding defense. We’ve given up some yards, but we’ve gotten a lot of stops near the goal line and in the red zone. We’ve forced some turnovers and gotten good field position in the second half. I thought our first couple playoff games, we didn’t play as well as we could have in the the first half, but came back with strong second halves. We held Hoisington to 19 points, and that was a very good team. We’re going to have to get off to a good start in this game.”

This will be the Swather’s first game of the season on artificial turf, which Rider said shouldn’t be a problem. He said the team played both Hillsboro and Smoky Valley on turf last season.

“We practiced at Bethel today to get ready for it,” Rider said.

Hesston enters the game on a nine-game winning streak after a 1-3 start.

“We’ve tried to take the season on a one-game-at-a-time approach,” Rider said. “We’ve tried to keep our focus on where we are. Our three losses all came on the road against good teams. Our confidence wasn’t very high at that point. Then we got wins against Smoky Valley and Nickerson. That got us over .500 and got our confidence up. When we beat Southeast of Saline in the eighth week of the season, that’s when we really started to turn around. That was an undefeated team on the road. That really lifted our confidence.”

Recent Willard Bridge Construction Photos

Photos by George Brown

Donna Kerwin Passes Away (Updated Obituary)

Donna Jean (Hards) Kerwin , 89, passed away on Nov. 21, 2016, at the Hospice House in Topeka, previously resided at Rossville Health Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Donna was born on a farm south of the Emmett community on May 7, 1927 to John and Mabel (Hards) Jacobson. Donna spent most of her growing up years in the Rossville and Silver Lake areas. Her parents moved to Delia in the 40s where she graduated from the Delia High School in 1944.

She married her classmate, Kenneth Kerwin on October 3, 1945 at Assumption Church in Topeka, Kansas.

After graduation Donna worked at the Supply Depot Office just south of Topeka. She worked at the Supply Depot until it closed. She then worked as an Aide at the Silver Lake nursing home for a while. She retired to enjoy farm life with her husband near the community of Delia. Donna enjoyed visiting with family, friends and neighbors near and far. She always had kind words to say to everyone she knew or met.

Donna was a loving wifeinda) Houck, Delia and numerous neices and nephews and great neices and nephews.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 A.M. Monday, November 28, 2016 at Sacred Heart Oratory of Delia. Mrs. Kerwin will lie in state f, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt and great-aunt.

She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Delia and later a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, St. Marys.

Preceding her in death was her husband of 64 years, Kenneth Kerwin who passed away in June 2009, an infant son, Larry Stephen Kerwin, in 1952, and her parents John & Mabel (Hards) Jacobson.

Donna had many pets over the years, cats, dogs, pony, chickens, etc. She loved them all dearly. She would rather go hungry herself than to have her animals be without food. She had a big heart for all animals.

Donna is survived by her caregivers, Kevin & Tammy Kerwin, Delia, brother-in-law Leo (Virginia) Kerwin, Wellsville, Cousin Kenny (Lrom 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. Sunday, November 27, 2016 at Piper Funeral Home where there will be a rosary recited Sacred Heart Oratory of Delia, Helping Hands Humane Society, Topeka, Kansas or the Hospice House of Midland, Topeka and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple, St. Marys, Kansas 66536.at 7:00 P.M. Interment will be in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys. Memorial contributions may be made to

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

3A FB State Final Sat. at 1:00 PM

(2016 file photo/The Capital-Journal)

In the photo, Rossville quarterback Jacob Bradshaw

plays in a game earlier this year at Silver Lake.

Rossville is playing Hesston in the Class 3A state final, Sat. at 1:00 in Hutchison.

The Capital Journal Computer predicts that Rossville has a .2 point advantage

over Hesston which defeated Hoisington to advance to the final.

Appears that the teams are about equal in the CJ computer.

Dawgfeed 6, 2016-2017

Here is Dawgfeed 6, for 2016-2017, dated Nov. 18, 2016. This one contains football highlights, interviews of teachers Doug Reser, Rod Brown, and Stan McCrory, and the Manaquin Challenge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhs0IP7UihQ&t=6s

Dawgfeed 5, 2016-2017

This is Dawgfeed 5, 2016-2017, narrated by Garrett Carver and Jared Morris, and published on Nov, 7. This video includes foreign exchange student interviews, interview of coach Curt Brecheisen, and football playoff highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxyJi9kAcbA