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.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Dawgfeed #3 for 2021-22

The latest Dawgfeed video is now on YouTube. You can view it by clicking on: Dawgfeed # 3 for 2021-22

Lifelong Friends Corey and Torrey

From CJ Online:

Corey Catron and Torrey Horak were in fifth grade when Rossville won its first of three consecutive state titles starting in 2014.

Torrey remembers older brother Thatcher having an 85-yard touchdown run to seal the game over archrival Silver Lake to get to the state title before winning it all.

Click on images to enlarge

Corey and Torrey

The Capital-Journal has a nice long article and Corey and Torrey with several picture, 3 of which are shown here. You can read the whole article at: cjonline.comStoryOfLifeLongFriends

Corey and Torrey practicing a hand-off

Corey and Torrey celebrating end of 2A Title Game

The Men In The Trenches

Crom CJ Online:

From Left: Junior Jacob Carver, Senior Mhewe Hale, Senior Brody Lietz

A big part of the Dawgs championship team was the offensive line play opening holes for Corey and Torrey as well as anchoring the defensive line. Jacob, Mshewe and Brody were the anchors of the 2021 State Champs. Jacob Carver, Mshewe Hale and Brody Lietz were veterans that helped the Dawgs to the 2020 2A State Championship and were crucial in the drive for the 2021 Title.

There is a nice long article about the trio and the team at: https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/11/24/offensive-and-defensive-linemen-leading-rossville-into-2-a-state-finals/8748191002/

Sunday, November 28, 2021

KWU Wins Close One Over Ottawa

Kansas Wesleyan defeated Ottawa U. on Nov 27, 73-68. Amanda Hill had 18 pts, 3 assists, and 9 rebounds. Caila Hill had 9 pts, 4 assists, 8 rebounds and 1 block.

Rossville Wins Fifth State FB Title

From CJ Online

The Rossville Dawgs (13-0) hadn’t lost since Nov. 8, 2019 and that would not change on Saturday as they beat the Beloit Trojans (9-4) in the 2A state title game, 35-12.

The Trojans were undermanned with their top two rushers, juniors Benson Berndt (274-1832, 25 touchdowns) and Branson Hiserote (86-452, 4 touchdowns), on the sideline on crutches.

Dawgs head coach Derick Hammes said earlier in the week that they had to take the opportunities given to them offensively with the possession-based game the Trojans have with their run game.

On the defensive side, he likened a three and out to a turnover for either side with the limited possessions coming into play.

The Dawgs would win both of those battles.

Offensively, the Dawgs scored on five of their seven possessions.

Of the Trojans eight possessions, two ended in punts, two ended in turnovers on downs and another ended with a fumble.

The Dawgs had 373 yards to 229 for the Trojans and although the Trojans rushed for 35 more yards (174-139), the Dawgs passed for 234 yards compared to the Trojans 55.

There are 14 photos and many videos showing the big plays at:

2A Championship 2021

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Catherine (Jacobson) Wild Passes Away

Catherine Ann “Kay” Wild, 85, passed away Monday, November 22, 2021, at the St. Marys Manor.

Kay was born July 28, 1936, at home in rural Jackson County Kansas, the daughter of John T. and Catherine V. O’Connor Jacobson. She grew up in Delia where she attended grade school and moved to Topeka where she attended Sacred Heart Catholic School. Kay and her family moved to the Rossville community, where she attended high school.

Kay worked in food services for Kaw Valley USD No. 321 for 50 years before retiring. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Church in St. Marys.

She was preceded in death by her son, William C. “Billy” Wild on Nov 27, 1989; her parents; three brothers, Billy, John Jr., and Robert; and her sister, Rosemary Pauly.

Kay was united in marriage to William S. Wild on October 31, 1959, in Topeka. He survives at the home.

Other survivors include a son, Lonnie (Angie) Wild, Topeka; her daughter Connie (Chris) Royer, Manhattan; a brother Donald (Genevieve) Jacobson, Rossville; two sisters, Betty Lambotte, and Dorothy (Jim) Lloyd, all of Rossville; and six grandchildren, Becky (Kris) Logsdon, Lindsay Royer, Gavin Royer, Lauren, Joe and Brock Wild.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 A M Saturday, November 27, 2021, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys. Interment will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, St. Marys. Mrs. Wild will lie in state on Friday, November 26, 2021, after 2:00 PM at the funeral home where there will be a family visitation from 5:00 until 7:00 PM followed by a rosary at 7 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church or Food for the Poor and sent in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536. Online condolences may be sent to www.piperfuneralhome.com.

Emma Yocum Passes Away

Emma L. (Pageler) Yocum went to be with her Lord and Heavenly family on Thanksgiving night, November 25, 2021, at the St. Marys Manor.

Emma was born on January 5, 1934, on a farm north of Belvue, KS and spent her entire life in the St. Marys, KS area. She was the only daughter of Reinhardt and Vaneta (Cox) Pageler. She attended a one-room school north of Belvue, Belvue Grade School, and graduated from St. Marys High School in 1952. After graduation, she married her high school sweetheart.

She worked as a clerk for Blue Cross and Blue Shield until she became a stay-at-home mother to raise their 4 boys. She later worked for the Standard Gas Station in St. Marys. She worked as a para-professional for USD 321 from where she retired in 1996.

Emma filled her life with many activities in the community, including teaching Sunday School at St. Marys United Methodist Church. She also enjoyed dancing with the Swinging Squares. She and her husband, Nick were active in their children’s and grandchildren’s activities.

She is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, Clarence “Nick” Yocum. They were married on September 13, 1953, at the Evangelical & Reformed Church-Wells Creek.

Together they raised 4 sons. Steve Yocum, Lawrence, KS; John Yocum (Jennifer) Lawrence, KS; David Yocum (Kristi) St. George KS; James Yocum (Kerri) St. Marys KS.

Emma and Nick are blessed with 9 Grandchildren. Travis Yocum (Lori), Nichol Gallegos (Zack), Eva Parkin (Levi), Ethan Yocum (Faith), Brandon Yocum (Becca), Jenna Yocum (Matthew Klotz), Ryan Yocum (Karlee), Hayley Smith (John), and Trevor Yocum.

They also have 12 Great-Grandchildren: Alex, Noah, Anna Beth, Zackary, and Thaddeus Gallegos; Aubrey Carrier & Olivia Klotz; Pierce Yocum; Avah & Cale Yocum; Weiss Parkin, and one on the way.

Her life will be celebrated on Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Marys United Methodist Church. Interment will be at Valley View Cemetery in St. Marys. Family will receive friends from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Friday, December 3, 2021, at Piper Funeral Home.

Memorial Contributions can be made to St. Marys United Methodist Church in care of Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St Marys KS 66536.

Friday, November 26, 2021

Rossville & Beloit Comparison

CJOnline has a good article comparing the Dawgs to the Beloit team which has an 8-3 record, the losses being against bigger teams.

cjonline.com/story/football-state-championship-game

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Rossville Ready For Final Game

Below is article from WIBW On-line:

ROSSVILLE, Kan. (WIBW) - Rossville enters Saturday’s 2A state football championship game riding a 25-game win streak — but the road to get there started much earlier.

“I can remember a few years back watching them as Junior Dawgs and I knew that they were a special group,” head coach Derick Hammes said. “They’ve really grown up and they’ve matured, and they’ve had success for us already. For me, this would be the icing on the cake if they were able to complete their goal.”

The Dawgs went 13-0 en route to a championship last season. One year later, they’re in the same spot: 12-0 with just one team, Beloit (9-3), standing in the way of a repeat state title.

“Beloit’s good,” Hammes said. “The first thing I told the players is they deserve to be here. They stand out to me because they’re a physical football team and they really are intent on establishing the run.”

“We know they’ll be ready,” senior quarterback Torrey Horak said. .They’ve got some athletes, we’ve got some athletes, and we’re hoping this is gonna be a really, really fun football game.”

For this tight-knit senior class, Saturday marks one last chance to take the field together.

“Last year was fun, but this year it’s a little more special since it’s our senior year,” senior Corey Catron said. “It’d mean the world if we could do this again.”

“To go out with a bang like this, we really can’t ask for anything better,” Horak said. “We’re looking to go finish this thing right and send these seniors home how we’ve always wanted to go out, how we’ve always dreamed about it.”

A nice video accompanied the above article which can be viewed at:

https://www.wibw.com/2021/11/25/rossville-aims-second-straight-2a-state-football-title/

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Amanda and Caila Hill At KWU Basketball

Kansas Wesleyan lost to Oklahoma Wesleyan on Nov. 23 69-60. Amanda Hill had 10 pts, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the losing effort. Caila Hill had 7 pts, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Cody Lambotte Award Established By KWCA

In the Summer of 2021, the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association’s Executive Board voted unanimously to establish the Cody Lambotte “Courage in Coaching” Award. The focus of this award is to recognize wrestling coaches who, in the face of adversity and challenges, continue to find a way to serve their programs and, more importantly, their wrestlers through the difficult challenges that life can bring. Their courage and determination teach all of us about resilience, grit, dedication, and the unwillingness to surrender, which are all essential traits that we hope the sport of wrestling can teach young men and women.

In addition to creating the award, the KWCA Board also voted to present the Inaugural "Courage in Coaching" Award to Rossville Head Coach Cody Lambotte. The award presentation tookplace at the KWCA "Fritz Knorr" Fall Clinic and Awards Banquet on Saturday, October 9, at the Hilton Homewood Suites in Salina.

Lambotte was a graduate of Rossville High School, where he accumulated a 136-17 overall record. He was a 4-time state qualifier, and he finished as state runner-up as a junior and third as a Senior. From there, Lambotte attended Labette Community College and was part of the 2005 National Championship Team there. He then went on to the University of Nebraska Kearney. While at Kearney, Lambotte was part of 2 National Runner-Up Teams, and in 2008 he was a Team Captain on their National Championship Team.

Lambotte started his coaching career as an Assistant Coach at Rossville from 2010 through 2016. He was the KWCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014. Since 2017 he has served as the Co-Head Coach and continues to this present day. He has coached 35 state placers and 13 state champions in his 12 years. This run includes 4 Team State Trophies. In addition to his High School coaching, he has been a coaching staff member for Tteam Kansas for the Junior Dual Teams, Southern Plains, Folkstyle Nationalss, and Fargo.

In April 2017, Cody was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Cody has battled ALS head-on just like he battled opponents for years on the mat. He has never quit following wrestling, coaching wrestling, or developing his wrestlers to be great young men on and off the mat. In addition, Cody focuses on his family, including his 7-year old son Lincoln, and his friends.

According to co-head coach Courtney Horgan, “One of the few good things to come from COVID-19 is everything is live-streamed now. Instead of having to wait for Hudl, Cody could watch live and give immediate feedback. This man has been a huge part of shaping our program and continues to do so despite his disease. Without a doubt, Coach Lambotte is the toughest son of a gun I know.”

For additional info about Cody, go to SEARCH and type in "Cody Lambotte" to see previous articles in recent years.

Monday, November 22, 2021

All Area Volleyball Team

The Capital-Journal has selected their All-Area Volleyball Teams which is based on game statistics,

1st team

Brinley Dyche, Junior, Rossville.
Caylee Douglass, Senior, Rossville.
Drew Baxter, Senior, Seaman.
Brooklyn DeLeye, Junior, Washburn Rural.
Makinsey Jones, Junior, Topeka West.
Taylor Russell, Junior, Washburn Rural.
Taylin Stallbaumer, Sophomore, Seaman.

2nd team

Laynee Brown, Junior, Seaman.
Jaya Miller, Sophomore, Topeka West.
Katelynn Brogan, Senior, Washburn Rural.
Camilla Ossola, Senior, Silver Lake.
Kinsey Perine, Sophomore, Rossville.
Emily Loy, Junior, Shawnee Heights.
Briar Gillum, Senior, Rossville.

Honorable Mention

Reagan Huscher, Junior, Hayden.
Anna Brown, Senior, Hayden.
CC Hammes, Senior, Hayden.
Kinley Porter, Sophomore, Rossville.
Brooklyn Gormley, Sophomore, Seaman.
Maegan Mills, Freshman, Seaman.
Taylor Rottinghaus, Junior, Shawnee Heights.
Kali Henry, Senior, Shawnee Heights.
Taryn Burkhard, Senior, Silver Lake.
Sarah Wehrli, Sophomore, Silver Lake.
McKinley Kruger, Sophomore, Silver Lake.
Leah Cook, Junior, Silver Lake.
Jo’Mhara Benning, Freshman, Topeka High.
Cierra Carranza, Senior, Topeka High.
Quincy Smith, Senior, Topeka High.
Siani Sanchez, Sophomore, Topeka West.
May Henderson, Junior, Topeka West.
Addison Brooks, Sophomore, Topeka West.
Jada Ingram, Sophomore, Washburn Rural.
Zoe Canfield, Sophomore, Washburn Rural.