Duane Zlatnik Interview After KU Pro Day

    Duane Zlatnik who was the starting Offensive Guard for University of Kansas.  Duane is 6'4", 306 lbs with an athletic build and outstanding football skills.

    Duane recently completed his Kansas Pro Day (3/15/13) where he secured stellar numbers on all his drills and compared to OG players at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Duane scored in the Top 10 in his Vertical, Top 10 in his 40 time, Top 10 in his Bench, Top 5 in his Broad Jump, Top 10 in his L-Cone and Top 10 in his Pro Shuttle.

    Duane has received many accolades during his college career including being named to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention by the Associated Press in both 2011 and 2012. In January, Zlatnik started in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

    Zlatnick was a mainstay on the KU Offensive Line over the years and in 2012 he snapped a school record of 27 consecutive starts with his start against Texas. Duane's contribution to the OL in 2012 helped pave the way for a running game that averaged 4.6 yards with a 1,000+ yards rusher. Zlatnik was also a stellar High School athlete where he was named to First Team All-State in Football and compiled an impressive 144-14 career record while winning Three State Championships in Wrestling.
    To listen to a radio interview with Duane,  go to:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nfldraftcombine/2013/03/28/nfl-draft-buzz-kansas-og-duane-zlatnik

Luellen Brothers Capture Kids State Titles

     Isaac Luellen of Rossville finally claimed a Kansas Kids folksytle  title with a 7-1 victory over Salina’s Kyle True in the 160-pound finals of the 14-under division Saturday at Landon Arena.
    About an hour before Isaac captured his crown, Isaiah won the 12-under 115-pound division with a dominating 9-0 victory over Hugoton’s Mitchell Hamlin.
    That gave Isaiah three Kids State titles, compared to Isaac’s one.  Isaiah won his first two Kids State crowns in the 6-under and 8-under divisions, also capturing a Tulsa Nationals crown during that span. He never won a 10-under crown, in large part because he took a couple years off from wrestling.
    Isaac had finished just about everywhere in the top six during his Kids State career, except first. He and True were scoreless at the end of the first period, and after True got an early escape in the second, Isaac caught him in a five-point move to take control.
    Isaac is a freshman at Rossville  High and he  qualified for state in his first year of scholastic competition, but not place.
    Isaiah is a seventh grader and should have a promising career high school career beginning in two years.  Read more about the brothers at:
http://cjonline.com/sports/2013-03-30/rossville-brothers-capture-kids-state-titles
    Archer from Rossville was fourth in the 10 and Under  55 pound class.
    For the complete results of the Kansas Folkstyle State Championships,  go to:
http://cjonline.com/sports/2013-03-30/kids-folkstyle-state-championship-results

Rossville's Isaiah Luellen tries to turn Hugoton's Mitchell Hamlin during their 12-under, 115-pound final Saturday at the Kids Folkstyle State Championships. Luellen won 9-0 to claim his third Kids State crown

    

Rossville's Isaac Luellen (top) grabs hold of Salina's Kyle True during their 14-under, 160-pound title match at the Kids Folkstyle State Championships. Luellen won 7-1 to earn his first Kids State title

Rodney Davis Wins Award

Rodney Davis, of Rossville, was one of 25 UPS drivers from Kansas recently inducted into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for UPS drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving. Davis works at the UPS facility in Topeka. Also among the inductees were Joseph Campbell, of Manhattan (Manhattan facility); Gerald Hisey, of Valley Falls (Lawrence); Jeffery Jennings, of Manhattan (Manhattan); Gregory Lane, of Wamego (Manhattan) and Charles Wittman, of Garnett (Ottawa).

Lorraine (Tuller) Vande Velde Passes Away

    Dorrilla Lorraine Vande Velde, 76, passed away Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at her home in Emmett.
    She was born August 3, 1936 at Windsor, MO, the daughter of Oliver F. and Florence L. Macha Tuller. As a young girl she lived in Wisconsin and moved to the Delia and Rossville communities where she attended Rossville High School and Clark's School of Business in Topeka. Lorraine was the office manager for Paramount Pest Control in Topeka for many years retiring this past January. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys and enjoyed music and the theater.
    She was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Christy Gouge on August 26, 2006.         Lorraine was united in marriage to James Vande Velde on October 14, 1982. They later had their marriage blessed in the Catholic Church in 1990. He survives of the home. Other survivors include a daughter, Cathy McCullough, Wamego; a son, Matt (Kayla) Vande Velde, Rossville; two brothers, Ed (Marilyn) Tuller, Topeka and Dennis (Linda) Tuller, Frankfort, IL; three sisters, Carol (Joe) Vande Velde, Rossville, Donna (Gary) Klotz, Hoyt and Bonnie (Charley) Wright, Mazatlan, Mexico; four grandchildren, T.J., Chelsie, Trevor and Kristen along with several nieces and nephews. 
    Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, April 4, 2013 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in St. Marys. Interment will be in the Rossville Cemetery. Mrs. Vande Velde will lie in state at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys after 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, April 3, 2013 where the family will receive friends after 6:00 and a rosary will be recited at 7:00 P.M. Memorial contributions may be made to the Columbian Theater or the and sent in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be sent to www.piperfuneralhome.com.

Cody Cooper in Senior Classic

Thursday night was the date of the annual  KANSAS WRESTLING SENIOR CLASSIC at Landon Arena in Topeka.

Cody Cooper from RHS lost to Will Geary of Topeka High in the 285 pound matchup.

See the link before for complete results of the match.

   http://cjonline.com/sports/2013-03-28/topeka-mat-champs-come-big-all-star-match

RHS Track Schedule for 2013

March
    28          Silver Lake         3:00

April
      5          Wabaunsee         3:00
      9          Royal Valley       4:00
    12          Rock Creek        3:30
    19          Rossville             2:00
    20-21    KU Relays
    26          St. Marys           3:30
 
May
      3          Riley County      3:00
      9          Mid-East League @ Rock Creek   3:30
    17          3A Regional
    24          3A State

RHS Softball Schedule

March  28       Jefferson West 

April
  2       Riley County
  5      Wabaunsee
11       St. Marys
15       at Wamego
19       at Perry-Lecompton
23       Marysville
25       at Silver Lake
30       at Osage City

May  
7         at Rock Creek
13-15    3A Regional
34-25   3A State at Manhattan

Softball Outlook

     The RHS softball team will be very young this year after losing nine seniors off last year’s team that lost in regional semifinals with a 16-6 record.    Cory Leiker again is handling the head coaching duties.                                                         

    The top returners from last year  are:   Taylor  Kirk, a sophomore pitcher who was 8-2 with 3.43 ERA and 61 strikeouts, while also hitting .466 with 5 HRs as freshman.    Taylor Brecheisen, a sophomore third baseman who hit .364.    Cheyanne Daniels, a junior second baseman, who hit .333.  Taylor Cooper,  a sophomore outfielder  
    Junior transfer Dariah Grimmett should help Kirk with the  pitching duties.

Derick Hammes Hired As Head Football Coach

    Derick Hammes, who resigned as Washburn Rural's head football coach following the 2012 season, has accepted the job as head coach at Rossville.
    Rossville announced the hiring of Bulldog assistant Jason Broaddus earlier this month, but Broaddus has stepped down because of health reasons, Rossville athletic director Derek Dick confirmed Tuesday.
    Longtime Rossville coach Steve Buhler was announced as Hammes' replacement at Washburn Rural in mid-February.
    Hammes was 27-37 in seven seasons as the Junior Blues’ head coach, but he led Rural to four winning seasons over his final five years at the school. The Junior Blues went 6-4 in 2011 and advanced to the Class 6A playoffs, ending the city's longest playoff drought. Rural was 4-5 this past season after graduating 24 seniors off the ’11 team.
    Hammes takes over a Rossville program that compiled a 120-54 record under Buhler over the past 15 seasons, including a 27-13 mark in the playoffs.

    To read more about this story,  go to:
http://cjonline.com/sports/2013-03-26/hammes-accepts-rossville-football-coaching-job

Rattlers Add 5 More Players

The Rossville Rattlers are pleased to announce the signing of five more players for the 2013 season.

The first three signings are all Freshmen pitchers from Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Oregon.

A.J. Doolittle, RHP (Medford, OR): In three starts Doolittle is 0-0 with 7 hits, 9 runs, 6 earned runs, a 13.50 ERA in 4 innings pitched. He’s struck out 5 batters while walking 3.

Austin Quigley, RHP (Vancouver, WA): In two games played he’s 0-0 with 5 hits, 4 runs, 2 earned runs, a 4.50 ERA in 4 innings pitched. He’s struck out 1 batter while walking 1 batter.

Wyatt Johnson, RHP (Sonora, CA): In three games, Wyatt is 0-2 with 7 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs and a 7.10 ERA in 6.1 innings pitched. He’s struck out 1 batter while walking 3 batters.

The Rattlers are also please to announce the signing of two local players.

Alex Head, OF (Topeka, KS): Head is a graduate of Hayden High School and the brother of Major Leaguer Jared Head. Alex is currently playing at Highland Community College where he is hitting .250 with 5 runs, 10 hits, 1 home run and 1 RBI in 15 games played.

Harrison Hill, IF/OF (Manhattan, KS): Harrison is the son of Kansas State Baseball Coach Brad Hill. He's currently playing at Central Methodist University this season.

RHS Baseball Schedule

    The baseball schedule for Rossville High is as follows:
March
  28              Jefferson West (ppd.).
April  
    2                Riley County
    5                Wabaunsee
  11                St. Marys
  15                at Wamego
  19                at Perry-Lecompton
  25                at Silver Lake
  30                at Osage City
May
    3                 Nemaha Central
    7                 at Rock Creek
  13-16            Regional Tournament
  24-25            State Tournament at Manhattan

RHS Baseball Team Outlook for 2013

    The Dawgs are coming off a 19-4 season in which they were just one game shy of a state berth when they lost to Silver Lake in the regional finals.
    The top letter winners returning for coach Brett Cowdin are:   Scott Shinn, sr., P-1B; Cole Brecheisen, sr., OF; Taylor Hartshorn, sr., SS; Dalton Catron, sr., OF-P; Marcus Catron, jr., P-3B; Zach Nitsch, jr., 2B-P.
    Shinn was 7-2 with 2.75 ERA and hit .442, earning first-team All-3A honors. ...
    Nitsch and Dalton Catron were 2-0 with sub-2.00 ERAs and Catron also hitting .347. ...
    Hartshorn hit team-best .556 and earning first team,  All-3A
    Brecheisen, a Pittsburg State signee, hit .409 and  also earning first-team All-3A.

Don Hagedorn Passes Away

    Don T. Hagedorn, age 93, of Silver Lake, passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at his home.
    He was born December 1, 1919 in Brunswick, NE the son of Thomas and Mable Hagedorn.
    Don graduated from Plainview High School in 1937. He was a veteran of the US Army during WWII, served in 5 different military theatres, and was the recipient of the American Defense Service Ribbon, Good Conduct Ribbon, and Bronze Star Medal.
    He had resided in Rossville prior to moving to Silver Lake in 2008. Don worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for 37 years in many capacities until his retirement as Production Superintendent in 1980. He was a member of the Rossville United Methodist Church, the VFW, and the Goodyear Leisure Club.
    Don married Myra K. Hagedorn on June 5, 1943 at Columbus, IN. She preceded him in death on February 19, 2004. He was also preceded in death by his two sisters, one brother, and one granddaughter.
    Survivors include one daughter, Donna (Rodney) Lasswell of Silver Lake, one son, James Hagedorn of Topeka, four grandchildren, Christiana (Mike) Redmon, Brandi Hagedorn, Traci Hagedorn, Joshua Hagedorn and five great-grandchildren.
    Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 29, 2013 at the Penwell-Gabel Mid-Town Chapel, 1321 SW 10th Ave, Topeka. Burial will follow in Penwell-Gabel Cemetery. Don will lie in state and the family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Rossville United Methodist Church, PO Box 586, Rossville, Kansas 66533. To leave the family a special message online, please visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com.

Rossville Elections on April 2

From CJ Online:

The April 2 general election is being held for the offices of Topeka mayor and Topeka City Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9; city offices for Auburn, Rossville, Silver Lake and Willard; and school district board of education members.

Voters may begin casting advance ballots in person Monday at the Shawnee County Election Office, 911 S.W. 37th, election commissioner Andrew Howell said in a news release Wednesday.

Howell said advance voting in that office for the April 2 general election begins at 8 a.m. Monday and ends at noon Monday, April 1.

The election office between Monday and Friday of next week will be open for extended hours — from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. — to accommodate voters wishing to cast advance ballots. The election office isn’t open on Saturdays or Sundays.

Voters also may ask that an advance ballot be mailed to them.

They may acquire applications for advance ballots by calling the election office at (785) 266-0285 and asking that an application be mailed to them; or downloading an application athttp://www.snco.us/election/document/av1_advance_application)2013.pdf.

Completed applications for advance ballots may be hand-delivered to the election office; faxed to its fax number at (785) 266-0299; or mailed to it at 911 S.W. 37th, Topeka, Kan. 66611-2378.

The last day the election office may mail advance ballots to prospective voters is Friday, March 29. Advance ballots must be returned to the election office by 7 p.m. on April 2.

Voters can view their sample ballot for this election at https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/.

A listing of all races and candidates in Shawnee County may be found on the election office website athttp://www.snco.us/election/document/sync/VT7J515_CAND_RACE_LST_PRI.PDF.