Gene Morris
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Track coming together as a team for Panthers
Between the Lines
By Gene Morris
Going through the results from track meets every week, I thought I had a pretty good idea of why the Paola High School boys and girls were doing so well.
The boys were getting some outstanding performances from Joe Stephens, who can flat out rack up points. He is usually first or second in the hurdles, among the top three in the high jump and can score big points in the long jump as well.
It is not unusual for him to score more than 30 points in a meet. He had two golds and two silvers in the Frontier League meet at Spring Hill, scoring 32 points.
Ashley Smith is the same way for the Paola girls. She dominated the sprints, winning league titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Panther track is by no means the Stephens and Smith show. They are two standouts, but there is a great cast around them.
Daniel Haines, Mike Gamerl, Devon Wolf and Brint Hastert have been strong in the distance events.
Antonio Smith is one of the top sprinters in the area.
Kaleb Mueller and Luke Wilson have been adding points in the field, leading the Panthers in the javelin, shot and discus.
Timmie Morris is a threat in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. She placed third in both events at league.
Hillary Watrous has been solid all season, placing among the top five at meets in the shot put and the discus.
The numbers don’t lie.
However, the athletes’ times and distances are not why the Paola Panthers are on fire right now.
There is another reason — team chemistry.
Make no mistake about it, the Paola track and field program, more than 70 strong this season, is a family.
Sitting in the stands at the end of the league meet, I got to visit with some of the individual league champions.
They were humble. Even with the wins at league, the focus was on the team and not the individual.
When it became apparent that the Panthers would finish runner-up in the league title race, Stephens was quiet and somber. His individual accomplishments were not near as important to him as how the team did.
Sprinter Ashley Smith spoke with the confidence of a senior, knowing she had it in her to win. She also took a moment to talk about one of her teammates, Jessie Kern, who she called a ray of sunshine for the team with her positive outlook.
Now that is a team to be proud of there.
— You can reach Gene Morris by calling (913) 294-2311 or by e-mail at gmorris@miconews.com.
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The boys were getting some outstanding performances from Joe Stephens, who can flat out rack up points. He is usually first or second in the hurdles, among the top three in the high jump and can score big points in the long jump as well.
It is not unusual for him to score more than 30 points in a meet. He had two golds and two silvers in the Frontier League meet at Spring Hill, scoring 32 points.
Ashley Smith is the same way for the Paola girls. She dominated the sprints, winning league titles in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Panther track is by no means the Stephens and Smith show. They are two standouts, but there is a great cast around them.
Daniel Haines, Mike Gamerl, Devon Wolf and Brint Hastert have been strong in the distance events.
Antonio Smith is one of the top sprinters in the area.
Kaleb Mueller and Luke Wilson have been adding points in the field, leading the Panthers in the javelin, shot and discus.
Timmie Morris is a threat in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. She placed third in both events at league.
Hillary Watrous has been solid all season, placing among the top five at meets in the shot put and the discus.
The numbers don’t lie.
However, the athletes’ times and distances are not why the Paola Panthers are on fire right now.
There is another reason — team chemistry.
Make no mistake about it, the Paola track and field program, more than 70 strong this season, is a family.
Sitting in the stands at the end of the league meet, I got to visit with some of the individual league champions.
They were humble. Even with the wins at league, the focus was on the team and not the individual.
When it became apparent that the Panthers would finish runner-up in the league title race, Stephens was quiet and somber. His individual accomplishments were not near as important to him as how the team did.
Sprinter Ashley Smith spoke with the confidence of a senior, knowing she had it in her to win. She also took a moment to talk about one of her teammates, Jessie Kern, who she called a ray of sunshine for the team with her positive outlook.
Now that is a team to be proud of there.
— You can reach Gene Morris by calling (913) 294-2311 or by e-mail at gmorris@miconews.com.