Thursday chiller

It's cold. It's windy. The bad news? I have a football game tonight. Welcome to week nine of high school football in Kansas, where many teams have to play on Thursday because the state playoffs for four divisions--4A, 3A and both divisions of 8-man--get underway the following Tuesday, all so the Kansas State High School Activities Association can finish the football season before December 1 and make sure it doesn't conflict with basketball and wrestling.

I'm staying home tonight for Russell's finale with powerful Scott City. The Beavers are aiming for their fourth consecutive undefeated regular season, while the Broncos come in 1-7 and are likely going to post their worst record since going 1-8 in 2001. Scott City will play either Cimarron or Holcomb in the playoffs Tuesday.

Last weekend was a mixed bag. The football game between Smith Center and Bennington was quite exciting. Smith Center went ahead with 6:37 left, but missed the 2-point covnersion. Bennington drove deep into Smith Center territory in the final minute, but the Redmen's Taylor Zabel saved the game by wrestling the ball away from the Bulldogs' Heath Thornhill in the end zone. Had Thornhill hung on, the game would either have gone into overtime (Smith Center has already played two overtime games this season, defeating Oberlin and Ell-Saline), or the Bulldogs could have won with a 2-point conversion. Smith Center's 22-16 win gave the Redmen the Class 2-1A, District 6 title. They'll host Republic County in a gmae

I got my new iPhone when I got back from Bennington. I'm learning the ropes rather quickly.

Smith Center did not win the volleyball sub-state at Oberlin last Saturday. The Lady Red gave it all they had, rallying from a deep hole against Ellis in the semifinals to knock off the Railers in three sets and advance to the final, but Hill City was the better team, and it showed. The Ringnecks did not lose a set, and defeated Smith Center 25-20, 25-17 in the championship match. Hill City will play in the Class 2A state tournament Friday and Saturday at Emporia. The Mid-Continent League has never produced a volleyball state champion, and I'm hoping the Ringnecks change that.

I'm stuck with another football game tomorrow night, Ellis at Oakley. I wish I had volleyball to cover, but it wasn't to be this year. Life goes on.

One-sided place

Bennington is like no other football stadium I've seen, even in rural Kansas. Both groups of fans will be sitting on the same side, and as luck would have it, Smith Center has the fans behind their bench. The press box is next to nothing, and Smith Center's TV and radio are in the stands and had to run an extra, extra long extension cord to an outlet inside a box on a light pole. Interesting indeed. The field is oriented east-west, which means the sun will set behind one end zone rather than behind the stands, which is the case at most stadiums. Smith Center, Shawnee Mission North and Moscow are skewed to certain degrees and the sun sets at odd angles in those places.

I had to make a couple of stops in Salina before coming up to Bennington, and I decided to go to the Cozy Inn, a famous hamburger joint downtown. It's not much, just a counter and six stools, and four of them were taken up by patrons. I got 12 cozys--which are like Krystal and White Castle burgers--to go and ate six at Bennington when I arrived. I made Jesse Rhea, the radio play-by-play announcer for KQMA, jealous but he acknowledged it was a smooth move.

The new iPhone is waiting at home. I'll charge it, sleep and then activate it before leaving for Oberlin. I'll have to learn it on the go tomorrow, but I just want to learn enough to use Twitter and a couple of other applications. I'll take next week to learn more now that I don't have volleyball until the weekend, if at all, and no football until Thursday.

Okay, time to pack the computer and get the camera ready. Probably won't check in until I get back to Russell, but who knows.

Only on Fridays? Come on

This only on Fridays blogging has got to stop. I have got to find a way to make myself do this more often during the week, if not every hour of every day, at least once a day or maybe twice. But I keep leaving long gaps in between entries, and my life is lost, never to be recovered. Once I lose a day, I lose it forever, even with my great memory, and I can't recover it.

Tonight, I'm heading to a new venue to cover Smith Center football. I will be in Bennington, a small hamlet about 10 miles north and east of Salina on Kansas Highway. If I were the adventurous sort, I could drive up US 281 from Russell and then take K-18 all the way across past Waldo, Luray, Lucas, Sylvan Grove, Lincoln and Tescott, but (a) I don't have that kind of time (I do, but I would rather not waste it) and (b) I'm not that adventurous today. I want to go to Salina, fill up on gas and get a snack, and then drive up the rest of the way before the game. I want to get there by 5 p.m. so I can relax and be focused on the task at hand.

Smith Center has won all three of its district games and is 4-3 overall. If the Redmen win tonight, they will clinch a playoff berth. I suspect they will. Bennington is 4-3, but they have beaten mostly sub-par teams, and they tend to give up a lot of points to the better teams on their schedule, including 44 to Plainville two weeks ago.

I have to make a beeline back to Russell, because I have to be out of the house by 9 a.m. tomorrow morning to go to a sub-state volleyball tournament at Oberlin, which is 150 miles from Russell. I've been to Oberlin each of the last five years for the annual track meet hosted by Decatur Community High School (Oberlin is in Decatur County, and the other school district in the county, Jennings, no longer exists; thus the Decatur Community name), but I have been to only one other event at Oberlin, and that was back in first year in Kansas.

I remember it well. It was a wrestling regional tournament. I didn't cover the first day, since the semifinals weren't contested until Saturday morning that year. I stayed the night before in Colby after covering a basketball game in Ellis, and when I got up, it was 6 degrees below zero, the ice on Jack's Buick LeSabre was thick, and the pop in the trunk had frozen. I also remember snow being piled up along the sides of the narrow K-25 between Colby and Atwood, which scared me a bit, since it was my first Kansas winter, and I wasn't used to driving on snow. It got worse the next year; I went into the median on I-70 just east of Hays, and then I slid off the road one morning going west from Russell; I got out that time, but had to cancel my trip to Hays.

I have now covered events on every Kansas county seat on US 36 between St. Francis and Washington, and also in Kensington, which is on the highway between Phillipsburg and Smith Center. Tomorrow will be a very long day, since the volleyball matches don't start until 1, and I'm guessing the Lady Red will play for the title, and if they don't, Ellis will. I'll probably end up in Colby tomorrow night and then drive back Sunday to Russell.

Okay, here are some of my high school football picks:
Smith Center over Bennington
Phillipsburg over Minneapolis
Oberlin over Ellis
Plainville over Republic County
Beloit over Norton
Osborne over Pike Valley
Stockton over Palco
Trego over Hill City
Thunder Ridge over Northern Valley
Hoisington over Russell
Scott City over TMP-Marian
Salina South over Hays
Salina Central over Great Bend
Shawnee Mission East over Shawnee Mission West
Topeka over Junction City
Manhattan over Washburn Rural
Hutchinson over Garden City
Derby over Wichita East
Blue Valley over Pittsburg
Emporia over Andover
DeSoto over Spring Hill
Paola over Prairie View
Wichita Collegiate over Rose Hill
Holton over Topeka Hayden
Andale over Nickerson
Lakin over Holcomb
Garden Plain over Hutchinson Trinity
Caney Valley over Neodesha
Meade over Elkhart
McLouth over Valley Falls
Madison over Peabody-Burns
UPSET: Atwood over Ness City

Saturday morning follies

This morning is already off to a rolling start, and we're still an hour away from volleyball.

As I'm pulling out of my garage, I discover a gaggle of plastic pink flamingos on the lawn in front of the house. I was upset, and I left a voice mail for dad on his cell phone. Then it got worse.

I usually take old US Highway 40 to get to I-70 to go out to Hays and points west, but with the heavy rain--I could see it coming down sideways when I turned on the high beams--the road was wet everywhere and I couldn't go faster than 35 MPH without taking on significant water. I decided to turn around and pick up I-70 at US 281. Problem is, 281 has poor drainage, especially in the few blocks just south of old 40. Fortunately, it got better as I got closer to I-70.

The rain finally let up at Gorham. I called dad on my mother's cell phone and I told him about the flamingos. He told me it's some sort of prank with high school kids. I'm guessing our house was an easy target because they knew where I lived and today is my birthday. He said don't worry about it, and maybe I should leave the flamingos on the lawn to show it doesn't bother me.

It didn't rain any more going up US 183 to Phillipsburg, but the road was slick, and there were the few numbskulls who wouldn't dim their high beams coming toward me from the other direction.

Between Stockton and Phillipsburg, it was foggy. There were a couple of points where I could barely see in front of me, and I had to slow way down.. Still, I made it to town in time to get gas (I was almost completely empty) and pull into school at 7:40 a.m.

First matches start at 9 a.m. Smith Center is up right away vs. Osborne, so I'm on the air first thing. At least they don't play back-to-back, which will give my voice a rest.

This is my eighth MCL volleyball tournament. I haven't been in Kansas that long, have I? I guess so.

Waking up to rain

It's pouring outside. I am supposed to leave at 6 a.m. for Phillipsburg and the Mid-Continent League volleyball tournament, but I'm considering jumping in the shower and leaving early so I can navigate my way through the rain. Or do I wait until it passes? I'm guessing I should

Last night's football game was sloppy. Thomas More Prep committed 16 penalties for 121 yards yet still won 36-26. The Monarchs led 22-0 with less than four minutes left in the first half before the Broncos scored on a pass. TMP scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the second half and got the ball back after Russell fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but the Broncos held, and cut the margin to 29-18 by the end of the period. However, that was as close as it got. Russell scored a touchdown on a trick play with seven seconds to go, but it was far too little, far too late.

It was chilly last night, but I had adequate layering, so it wasn't that bad. The wind picked up in the second half, but I've seen far worse in Kansas.. The sweatpants were definitely a wise investment. They were much easier to wear over the leggings than jeans.

I've got a long day ahead of me. Probably not going to be home until late. But it's that time of year.

Dreary, but nostly dry

I am about ready to leave the press box at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. There has been off and on drizzle, but nothing serious. Russell and TMP will be kicking off at 7 p.m. on schedule. I've got my rain gear ready.

I'll check in at halftime.

Late again

Once again, I did not post for a very long time. I have got to stop doing that. My birthday is tomorrow (officially, it's at 9:16 a.m.) and maybe one of my resolutions for my 37th year on this planet is to update my blog in a more consistent manner. It might be tough tomorrow with the Mid-Continent League volleyball tournament at Phillipsburg, but I'll do my best. I promise.

I'm still at 1224 North Brooks, because tonight's football game is only over at Fort Hays State University, Russell at Thomas More Prep-Marian. I'm riding with Russell principal Larry Bernard to the game and then we're going to eat after. This is only the second Russell game I've seen this year, the first was at Belleville against Republic County, which I left at halftime. It also happened to be the only game which Russell won this season. TMP is also 1-5. But it's the start of district play, meaning everything the first six weeks is meaningless, at least in terms of qualifying for the playoffs.

Russell and TMP have been playing each other in sports for a very long time. TMP-Marian began its life as St. Joseph's Military Academy, colloquially referred to as the Hays Cadets. The school was an all-male institution under the control of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which is the largest church in Hays. It's a magnificent cathedral located on 13th Street downtown, and it attracts Catholics from all over the area. The Cadets routinely played Hays High, the public school, in those days as members of the West Central Kansas League. Russell was also in the WCKL, with Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend, Larned and Pratt.

In 1970, the military academy became Thomas More Prep, but stayed all-male. The WCKL split in 1973, with the larger schools--Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend and Hays--forming a new league, the Western Athletic Conference, while Larned, Pratt, Russell and TMP picked up Hoisington, Lyons and Nickerson to form the Mid-State Activities Association.

The WAC eventually took on Liberal, which is too big to be playing with nearby schools like Hugoton, Scott City and Ulysses, and the Mid-State League basically stayed unchanged until 1996, when Scott City and Ulysses came on board, forcing Russell to leave and join the North Central Activities Association.

TMP merged with the girls Marian High School in 1981 to form the co-ed TMP-Marian.

The Russell-TMP rivalry was usually most heated in boys basketball, where both schools enjoyed great success in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Football was never the strong suit of either side, save for Russell's trip to the Class 4A state championship game in 1979, and a deep playoff run by TMP in 2002.

However, there hasn't been a period in the last 30 years where both schools have been strong at the same time in the same sport, save for maybe last year, when the schools' girls basketball teams met in a sub-state semifinal at Lyons.

Time to pack up the computer and get ready to go. I don't want to be late. Maybe I can catch up when I get to Lewis Field Stadium.

Unexpected detour

So much for updating the blog last night when I got back from Russell. I don't know what it was, but I was feeling queasy in Smith Center by time I left, which wasn't until 10 p.m. I stayed for awhile after the game ended, and just could not get myself in gear to leave and make the 75-mile drive back on US 281. I always have trepidation about driving south on 281 at night due to the large number of deer which populate the countryside, but this night, I was fatigued and feeling bad, so it was that much worse.

Fortunately, the deer were not to be found on this night. I ended up following the Ell-Saline bus from just north of Osborne all the way to where 281 meets K-18 at Luray. Now why Ell-Saline was taking that route to Brookville baffled me at first, but I figured it out: they were taking K-18 to Tescott, where there is a road which runs 17 miles south and east straight into Brookville. I thought they would get to I-70, then take K-14 all the way to US 36. It made sense once I figured it out.

The game between Ell-Saline and Smith Center wasn't an artistic masterpiece, but it certainly was fun for the fans to see. The Redmen scored the only touchdown of the first half, and they could have been ahead by more, considering they  drove inside the Cardinals' 25-yard line three times, but twice turned the ball over on downs. Time of possession in the first half: Smith Center 18:58, Ell-Saline 5:02.

It took the Cardinals two plays to score in the second half, with quarterback Garrett Walker scampering 45 yards to paydirt. The conversion failed and it was 6-6.

Each team scored in the fourth quarter, and again, each team failed to make the conversion. The Cardinals drove to the Redmen 7 in the final minute, but on fourth-and-5, they went for a field goal, which is a risky proposition for most Kansas high schools, since there aren't a lot of schools which can train a kicker, especially at the lower levels, where there (a) isn't any time due to the players having to play both offense and defense, and (b) there aren't youth soccer programs like there are in the big cities. In Overland Park, there is a huge soccer complex which stretches for six blocks along 135th Street.

Smith Center won the coin toss in overtime and went on defense, which is what almost every team does in that situation. Ell-Saline scored on two plays on a 9-yard run by Walker, but again, the conversion failed. The Redmen had fourth down and just over 3 yards to go, and it appeared quarterback Payton Buckmaster may have been stopped. At least that was the view from the Cardinals' side, but the official was on the spot to rule touchdown. All five officials conferred briefly, but the call stood.

Finally, the Redmen were successful on the conversion, as Buckmaster bootlegged right and dove for the pylon, just getting behind Walker's attempted tackle. Smith Center won 20-18, its second overtime triumph of the season. More importantly, the Redmen are 2-0 in district, meaning they are well on their way to a playoff berth.

I'm going to go back to Kansas City. I wanted to drive back from Smith Center to KC on US 36, but after I had so much trouble driving westbound in the afternoon, I knew there was no way I would make it back the four hours at that ungodly hour. so I just drove back to Russell. I figure to get back there around 4 and go back to work. It's not the worst thing.

Redmen prevail

Smith Center defeats Ell-Saline 20-18 in overtime. I will get on the road and check back in from Russell or thereabouts.

Stow the shorts!

Trying to stay warm, but it's tough, especially since it has not been this cold at an outdoor event since last year's 8-man football state championship game in Newton.  Last winter simply was not that cold, and then it was pretty warm by time I started covering baseball, softball and track in the spring. In fact, I don't think I remember wearing anything more than a hoodie over a short-sleeve shirt with jeans during the track season. In 2011, I went to Phillipsburg for track twice and each time had to break out the parka. It was that chilly, even in late April and early May.

I can remember it being pretty darn cold one May weekend for an LSU-Alabama baseball series in Baton Rouge in 2002. In LSU's old baseball stadium, the press box was open-air, and the wind just whistled right through it. I will never forget having to wear long sleeves, a coat and a sweatshirt on May 18 and STILL freezing. In Louisiana. Just goes to show Mother Nature always wins.

Honestly, I don't think it will be that bad once I slip the parka on. The Under Armour leggings are doing just fine on the bottom, and I have the Under Armour hood--a godsend when I was wearing glasses--on the head. Wearing glasses prevented me from wearing the traditional ski mask, but Under Armour makes a hood which didn't intrude on the glasses. Now that I have contacts, this is moot, but I didn't need to spend more money when what I have works well. 

Smith Center needs to win this game. If it loses, next week's game at Plainville could be an elimination contest, since only the top two teams in each district go to the playoffs, and both Plainville and Smith Center will each have at least one loss, with Ell-Saline undefeated. 

My good friend Larry Bernard is skipping Russell High School's football game tonight with Sacred Heart to attend tomorrow's Nebraska-Ohio State football game in Columbus. Larry is a big Cornhusker fan, and he's going with his son who lives in Dayton, so it will be a nice family outing for them. I don't think Larry is missing much at Russell, since the Broncos figure to lose to Sacred Heart tonight. The Knights are 4-1 with their lone loss coming to Beloit.

Speaking of Beloit, the Trojans play at Southeast of Saline. Beloit has outscored its first six foes 326-38, or 65.2 to 7.8. Impressive. 

Enough for now. Maybe I can come back at halftime.

Worse for wear

Today's drive on US 36 from St. Joseph to Smith Center was arduous and tiring. I hit rain near Highland and  it persisted to Marysville, where I stopped to use the restroom and get a drink and some snacks. I was dead tired between Washington and Belleville. I seriously was out of it. I stopped at an abandoned gas station in Belleville and dozed off for a minute or two before resuming the westward trip. 

I swear I should have left Kansas City much earlier so I could have gone I-70 to Salina and then north on 81 to Belleville so I could have maximized my time on the four-lane highways. Certainly going back all the way to Russell and north on 281 was not the way to do it, but right now, I'll do anything to avoid that 200-plus mile ride on 36. It gets repetitive after awhile, and today was the fourth time in less than three weeks I've done it going westbound.  

October 4 is not the best day for me. Has not been since 2004. First, it was the day in 2005 when I hit a deer with my Oldsmobile 88 on US 183 north of Hays. The Oldsmobile was totaled, and that was it for a Steinle family tradition of owning Oldsmobile vehicles which dated back to the 1960s, since the Oldsmobile line was discontinued by General Motors in 2004. Wouldn't you know I replace the Oldsmobile with a Pontiac Grand Prix, and in 2008, and in 2009, Pontiac was shuttered. That's why I couldn't go wrong with a Chevrolet. I hope. 

The second reason for hating October 4 it happens to be the birthday of the lady whom I thought was the love of my life. Renetta Rogers was born in San Diego on October 4, 1980, and in the summer of 2004, she came into my life stronger than an EF-5 tornado. God, I fell head over heels. I was in deep. Really deep. The world now revolved around her. Problem was, she had to still live with her parents due to severe brain injuries suffered in a 2000 automobile accident. It was bad. Really, really bad. Her parents were protective, and I don't blame them a bit. 

I still think about her all the time. I haven't talked to her in over four years, and there are days where I don't know why I bother. I feel so bad about it and I feel worse about myself. It makes me wonder what might have been.

I have a lot more memories to bring back about Renetta and her parents, but for now, Ell-Saline and Smith Center are two hours away. Maybe it will keep my mind occupied. 

It will be cold tonight. The temperature never got above 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius in most of the civilized world), and the wind has picked up a little bit. If it is the least bit windy tonight, it will be even more miserable. I've brought plenty of layers, but it doesn't seem to do much good when that wind cuts through the layering.

Kansas high school football picks, week 6

Last week before district in Classes 3A through 6A, lower classes in full swing. Here goes:
MID-CONTINENT LEAGUE

• Smith Center over Ell-Saline
• Phillipsburg over TMP-Marian
• Norton over Colby
• Ellis over Leoti
• Plainville over Bennington
• Osborne over Linn
• Thunder Ridge over Stockton
• Quinter over Hill City
• Atwood over Trego

OTHER GAMES OF LOCAL INTEREST

• Dodge City over Hays
• Sacred Heart over Russell
• Beloit over Southeast of Saline
• Otis-Bison over Victoria

CLASSES 6A AND 5A

• Hutchinson over Derby
• Garden City over Wichita East
• Olathe East over Olathe North
• Shawnee Mission East over Lawrence Free State
• Wichita Heights over Wichita Northwest
• Gardner-Edgerton over Blue Valley North
• Emporia over Topeka
• Topeka Seaman over Washburn Rural
• Manhattan over Shawnee Heights
• Bishop Carroll over Kapaun Mount Carmel

CLASSES 4A AND 3A

• Clay Center over Wamego
• Coffeyville over Pittsburg
• Concordia over Chapman
• Eudora over Lenexa St. James
• Holton over Jefferson West
• DeSoto over Paola
• Mulvane over McPherson
• Conway Springs over Garden PlaiN

8-MAN

• Pretty Prairie over Central Plians
• South Haven over Udall
• Little River over Lincoln
• Madison over Lebo
• Pike Valley over Lakeside
• Clifton-Clyde over Wakefiled
• South Central over St. John-Hudson
• Weskan over Cheylin
• Sharon Springs over Tribune

Falling behind for the 2,741st time (or thereabouts)

Here I go again. I'm late on this blog. I left off Saturday morning in Concordia when I had to change gyms with the Smith Center volleyball team during the tournament, and I never got back on it. Not back at the hotel in Concordia Saturday night through Sunday at noon, not in a Wichita hotel from 2 p.m. Sunday through 11 a.m. Tuesday, not in Norton Tuesday evening, not when I got back to Russell and not yesterday.

Anyone want to undertake the job of reminding me to update my blog? If you are, please get in touch.

As for what went on since the last time I posted, well, it hasn't been the greatest. I guess it could be worse.

Smith Center's stay at the Concordia volleyball tournament did not last as long as I thought it would. I thought the Lady Red would at least get out of pool play, but instead, they went 2-2 and were sent packing early. Smith Center defeated Clay Center and Minneapolis, but lost to Concordia and Southeast of Saline. The match against Southeast was terrible, because Smith Center appeared to be overmatched by a team which I didn't think was all that special. Then again, the Trojans went on to win the tournament, so maybe I was wrong. As it turned out, Southeast did not lose a set in winning all six of its matches, defeating Marysville in the semis and Concordia in the final. Concordia was only seeded eighth, but it knocked off the top two seeds, Smith Center and then Washington County in the semis.

The Lady Red took care of business in Norton Tuesday against the host Bluejays and Trego, but those are two of the lesser lights of the Mid-Continent League. Yes, you want to win and not have to exert too much effort in doing so, but I don't know if we can tell if Smith Center has fully recovered from Concordia. We should know more this coming Tuesday when the Lady Red hosts Great Bend and Phillipsburg. Yes, Phillipsurg isn't having a great year, but as they say, when it's two rivals, you can throw out the records, and Phillipsburg would love nothing more than to knock off the Lady Red.

My parents are long gone and aren't coming back until Oct. 16. They left for their annual trip to Nashville to visit my brother, Jason, who works for the Tennessee Attorney General's office, and then down to New Orleans to visit my Uncle Jerry, who is my mother's twin brother. They're stopping in Memphis to visit Graceland and also are going to Biloxi to visit a casino for their 42nd anniversary. Anybody who stays together through putting up with me for 36 years has willpower beyond belief.

A cold front passed through town overnight, and fall has arrived full force. There is a stiff north breeze and termperatures are struggling to reach 50 degrees. Just Tuesday, it was almost 80. I've got my parka, Under Armour leggings and hood ready for tomorrow night's football game at Smith Center between the Redmen and Ell-Saline.

Tonight there's a football game in Olathe between 1-4 Olathe Northwest and 0-5 Shawnee Mission North. I'm thinking I'll pass, as much as I have enjoyed these Thursday night games. I'll pick Olathe Northwest to get the win on their home field at the College Boulevard Athletic Complex.

No volleyball this Saturday. I'll be busy enough the next two Saturdays, with the MCL volleyball tournament Oct. 13 at Phillipsburg and a sub-state tournament Oct. 20 at Oberlin. And hopefully I'll be at a state tournament in Salina or Emporia Oct. 26 and 27. I would rather not cover a state tournament in Hays. It's not the same sleeping in your own bed, driving 30 minutes and then driving back 30 minutes from a town you've visited over 1,000 times since moving to Kansas seven years ago.