Looking forward to The Swinging Bridge

It’s a tradition unlike any other.

The Masters you say?

No, the Swinging Bridge.

Yes, it’s my annual pilgrimage to my hometown of Independence, Kansas, for a three-day golf tournament that could also be called “old home week.”

It’s called the Swinging Bridge because there’s a bridge that separates holes 4 and 7, both par-3s. In the old days the bridge would sway when you walked or drove your cart over it, but it is now much more fortified.

I have no idea how long the tournament has been played under its current format, but I know I’ve gone for some 20 years. I used to play with my late Dad, played a couple of years with Cliff Hawkes and for the past several years have played with my best friend from childhood, Craig Dancer.

We play a practice round on Thursday, then Friday is a low-ball competition, where the best score of the two-man team counts. Saturday is a scramble format, which Craig and I tore up last year as we actually shot one of the best scores of the day with a 67. Then on Sunday is the modified chapman event, where we both drive the ball, pick the best one and then alternate in from there. That’s the format we always seem to struggle with, but we’ve been better the last few years.

The tournament draws nearly 180 players as they really do it right with a dinner on Friday and party on Saturday, as well as provide us with breakfast and lunch, not to mention there are numerous prizes as well as the horserace on Saturday, where 10 teams play an alternate-shot format and those not in the tournament follow in their carts. It’s like a Mardi Gras as golf carts flood the course to spectate the event.

Craig and I have been friends from grade school and our parents were best friends. He now lives in Tennessee, so it’s quite a trip for him. Neither of us have any family left in Indy, as we both lost our parents, with Craig’s mom being the last to pass just a couple of years ago. “The Princess” was like my second mother and she always told me I was the level-headed one and it was my job to keep Craig out of trouble during our mischievous high school days.

What makes this tournament so much fun is that the guys we went to school with — and played junior high, high school and college golf with — also come back. It’s become a ritual that after Friday night’s steak dinner, about a dozen of us sit on the back patio and talk about “the good ol’ days” and how we are probably lucky to still be alive. Putting it simply, we were “boys being boys” and were never lacking for a good time. We may have paid the price the next day, but we were definitely a group that lived life to the hilt. The stories have been told thousands of times, but I never, ever tire of hearing them. My main man Mark “Meek” Palmer is the chief storyteller and keeps us in stitches.

Now we’re all getting longer in the tooth, most of us around 60. We’ll still probably be the last to leave the party on Friday as they’ll turn out the lights on us, but that will be after hours of bellyaching laughter. We truly are a band of brothers and I know if I ever need their help, they’re just a phone call away. They would help me no matter what and I would do the same for them.

Craig and I always take time on Thursday when we arrive to drive around the old hometown. We go past the homes we grew up in and I can say I hardly recognize the old Sell house on West Beech Street that our family occupied for nearly a half century. It practically brings a tear to my eye remembering my family days.

The town also is not nearly as vibrant as the 1970s. Hard times have hit not just Independence, but all of Southeast Kansas. There were some nearly 12,000 people who lived there back in the 1970s, but now it’s under 10,000. But for one weekend, we’re there to breathe a little life back into the town.

And it’s always good to see some of my other friends. While McPherson has now been home for almost 40 years, Independence is my original home and I’ll never forget the people there. It was a great place to grow up and made me the person I am today.

It’s going to be four days of fun in the sun and I can hardly wait. I’m sure there will be new stories told and most of all it’s a chance to see my oldest friends and reconnect. I’m sure there will be a lot of laughs and even a few tears when it comes time to leave. You never know how much longer we’ll do this, but Craig and I have made a pact we’ll do it as long as we’re physically able.

A year of haves and have-nots in baseball

I’ve been an avid follower of Major League Baseball for more than 50 years.

I began in 1964 following my beloved St. Louis Cardinals as they defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series behind Bob Gibson’s stellar performance. So I’ve seen my fair share of the national pastime.

But I can’t ever remember a year where there has been such a separation from top to bottom, especially in the American League. It’s like there’s a millionaire’s club and then there are several teams on the poverty line.

The American League is the league of the haves and have-nots. The slugging New York Yankees (my pick to win it all at the start of the year) and the Boston Red Sox have gotten off to blistering starts, the Yankees 42-19 (.689) and the Red Sox right there at 45-22 (.672).

But then you look at the AL West and it’s more of the same. The surprising Seattle Mariners, who toil in anonymity in the Pacific Northwest, have surged to a 42-24 record (.636) and have we already forgotten that Houston is the defending World Champion? The Astros have proven they’re no flash in the pan with a 42-25 record (.627).

And never count out Cleveland. While the Indians are only 35-29 as they have battled injury after injury, they have a ton of games coming up against their AL Central brethren. Remember teams in the same division play each other 19 times and Cleveland is going to fatten up against the Chicago White Sox (22-42, .344) and Kansas City Royals (22-44, .333).

I think when the dog days of August get here, the Yankees and Astros will separate themselves from their challengers. The Yankees’ offense is just so potent and it hasn’t even found its stride yet. Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez have been scuffling and when they get hot, this is a team that could score 6 runs a game.

Houston has such good pitching that it will eventually pull away from Seattle, which is doing it with smoke and mirrors and also without All-Star Robinson Cano.

As for the have-nots, the before-mentioned White Sox and Royals are joined by the true dreg of the league, Baltimore. It’s hard to believe a Buck Showalter-led team is just 19-46 (.292). I wonder when the last time was that three teams in the same league lost 100 games in the same season.

The AL has three teams under .500 in the East and four of the five are below the break-even line in the Central. The West has four of its five over .500.

The National League doesn’t quite have the star power of the AL. The Chicago Cubs (38-25, .603) have caught fire and are starting to look like the possible World Series representative. Washington was terrible at the start of the year, but all of a sudden you look up and it’s 36-27 (.571). The NL West is very balanced and those teams are going to take turns knocking each other off. Don’t be surprised if the division winner has about 86 wins.

Miami and Cincinnati are the bottom-feeders, the Marlins just 24-42 (.364) and Reds are 23-43 (.348). Both will probably lose 100 games.

The dynamics of baseball have changed. When a team is bad, it starts casting away its most desirable assets and blows the whole thing up. That’s what’s going to happen to the Royals, who most likely are going to deal Mike Moustakas and Kelvin Herrera at the July deadline and get a haul of prospects.

It’s definitely a year like none we have seen in recent memory.

Impressions from MHS football scrimmage

Attending the McPherson High football scrimmage with Hays and Kingman last Friday morning at McPherson Stadium, I found myself asking who some of the players were on defense.

There’s a lot of new faces in new places on that side of the ball for the Bullpups, who completed team camp with a 2-hour scrimmage.

The Bullpups currently are in Hays for stern competition against other teams from Kansas as well as other states.

Last year the MHS defense was a rock, a well-oiled machine that was practically insulted when teams would score on them or hit on a big play. It was a veteran unit that was senior dominated.

Six members of that defense signed collegiate letters of intent, proof just how talented it was.

A few defensive players were recognizable on Friday. Honestee Whittker and Cody Stufflebean were season-long staples last year, while Kaleb Hoppes and Khalil Lisbon started at times later in the season.

It’s amazing how much difference about 9 months can make. It’s evident some of the Bullpups have spent considerable time in the weight room as they are bigger, stronger and faster.

My first impression is that the Bullpup offense has the potential to put a lot of points on the board. Health, of course, is the chief concern, but with Kyler Hoppes back as the triggerman, MHS is going to have the balance that has come to define it the last few years.

Hoppes is going to be able to spread the ball around as teams won’t be able to concentrate on defending one top receiver. Hoppes and Tayln Huff hit on a couple of big plays in the scrimmage, while Gabe Hoover and Chandler Wiard are proven commodities. They all appeared to be in midseason form.

Stufflebean saw some time as a slot tight end and he’s a target at 6-4. He’s also fast for someone his size and he’ll be a new weapon.

Dawson VanGoethem probably looked around and wondered where all his offensive line mates had gone. He was the only underclassmen who started last year, but players like Shane Starkel, Kourtney Craig, Noah Avila and Ryder Peterson have made a nice transition. Also exciting is that there’s a lot of size among the sophomore offensive linemen and MHS coach Jace Pavlovich gushed about how much depth the team has at that position.

How quickly the new-look defense develops will be a key. Just like last year, it’s going to be a unit that’s going to rely more on quickness and technique rather than size, though Lisbon  — who transferred in from Florida last year — has all the physical tools to dominate. Whittker and Mason Thrash looked strong at linebacker, while the top area to develop would appear to be the secondary as there are some terrific players who graduated.

All-in-all, I believe McPherson fans are going to be treated to another exciting season. There’s an eight-game regular season, with Week 9 the first round of postseason play. I’m expecting the Bullpups to host that week as they’ll probably have one of the better records in the class.

NBA season could end tonight

Unless LeBron James scores 60 points, grabs 20 rebounds and dishes for 10 assists, tonight most likely will be another Golden State Warriors’ NBA championship coronation.

The Warriors have built a monumental 3-0 advantage against LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers, who seemingly haven’t been able to get over their Game 1 debacle when they had the game in their hands and let it slip away.

Golden State pummeled Cleveland in Game 2 and then in the pivotal Game 3 to determine whether we were going to have a series or not, the Cavaliers played well, but could not overcome 43 points by the second-best player on the planet, Kevin Durant.

Cleveland will enter tonight’s Game 4 rather dispirited even though it’s at home. The goal now is to just win one game, as nobody likes to get swept.

While the storyline should be about the Warriors’ third championship in four years — and the fact if they keep their core group together they could win another four or five more — the first questions that reporters are going to ask is whether or not LeBron will return to Cleveland next year.

If the Warriors win as expected, I believe LeBron should be given a pass on the question. It’s going to be difficult if the Cavaliers are swept and do you really think LeBron wants to talk about his future moments after pouring his heart and soul into the series? He’s got the rest of the summer to talk about this, let the guy decompress.

Speculation is running rampant. While LeBron is of course a Cleveland guy — he’s from nearby Akron — he’s had a rather contentious relationship with owner Dan Gilbert, who blistered him when he left the first time for South Beach. LeBron’s Ohio roots brought him back and he fulfilled a dream by delivering the Cavaliers their first title in 2016.

But his supporting cast has weakened the last couple of years. Before this season, the Cavs brought in the likes of Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, players with proven pedigrees but injury prone or in the twilight of their career as is the case with Wade. It didn’t work out and they were all jettisoned, but LeBron still managed to will his cobbled-together cast of retreads into The Finals, where they simply don’t have the talent to match up with the mighty Warriors.

LeBron could return, but at this point in his career he wants another ring or two. That means he’s going to have to go to a top contender, such as Houston, Philadelphia or Boston. It seems there’s a few teams that have separated themselves in terms of talent, but remember LeBron can make an average team look great.

If Cleveland does win and force a Game 5, the Warriors will quit messing around end the series on Sunday.

But my guess is they end it tonight.

Royals in full-blown rebuilding mode

If you need any further evidence that the Kansas City Royals are in full-blown rebuilding mode, the trade of Jon Jay on Wednesday should clinch it.

The Royals, who have the second-worst record in the American League at 21-41, traded their most consistent hitter to Arizona for two minor league pitchers, neither of whom should help anytime soon.

Jay is 33, though, and never figured in the Royals’ long-term future. He’s a true professional and had far exceeded expectations this season with a .307 average, but had only 10 extra-base hits and just recently ended the longest homer-less streak of any player in the majors.

The Royals received an 18-year-old pitcher named Elvis Luciano and 23-year-old pitcher Gabe Speier, who has been in baseball six years but will be placed at the Double A level, while Luciano will be in the Rookie League. Not exactly a haul for a player who was among the top hitters in baseball during the month of May.

The Royals are trying to find arms wherever they can. Their pitching has been horrendous and in the Major League draft earlier this week, they stockpiled arms.

Right now, the alleged top three pitchers in the rotation are Danny Duffy (2-6, 5.81 ERA), Ian Kennedy (1-6, 5.76 ERA) and Jason Hammel (2-5, 5.17 ERA). The revelation has been Jakob Junis, who is 5-5 with a highly creditable 3.62 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 74 innings. The big concern is going to be durability, as he’s on pace for about 200 innings, which is no-man’s land for him.

The fifth starter is now Brad Keller, who has looked good since moving from the bullpen. He’s 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA and has 19 strikeouts in 29 innings.

But when you have only five victories from your three veterans at the head of the rotation, it’s a sure sign of a 100-plus-loss season.

Offensively, the Royals have at times been decent. My guess is that with Jay now gone, Whit Merrifield will move to center field and Ryan Goins will be inserted at second base. With Jay departed, Merrifield now leads the team in hitting at .289 and has 14 steals.

Mike Moustakas is cobbling together a resume that probably will get him traded at the July deadline as he would fetch a nice return. He’s been solid with a .272 average with 12 homers and 40 RBIs. He’s on a one-year deal and honestly the Royals were lucky to have him back this year.

Jorge Soler has blown hot and cold, but at least he’s a presence. Salvador Perez has 10 homers and 31 RBIs, but he’s in a real skid where he’s getting himself out on bad pitches and has been hitting into too many doubleplays.

Alex Gordon, who is costing the Royals millions, had a flicker of his old form earlier this season, but has only 14 RBIs in 46 games, which is not what you expect from a guy making on average id="mce_marker"8 million a year.

Right now the Royals are a team of spare parts. There’s too much pressure on the offense due to the starting pitching and the once-heralded bullpen is among the worst in the game. Kelvin Herrera is having an All-Star type year as a closer, but he’s just not getting many opportunities.

It’s going to be a long, hot and dull summer in Kansas City.

Bullpups don the pads for the first time

McPherson High’s 2018 football team is 3 days into summer camp, but the real action didn’t begin until this morning as the Bullpups donned the pads for the first time.

The Bullpups are coming off an historic 10-2 season that included a deep run in postseason play, ending with a loss to Andale in the Class 4A Division I semifinals. They are 18-5 over the last two years.

It’s definitely going to be a different-looking Bullpup team as one of the most decorated senior classes in school history has graduated. Gone is most of a record-setting defense that anchored the team, including six players who will be playing collegiately this fall.

The onus this year is going to fall on the offense. With nearly all the skill players back and  some worthy replacements to fill in on the offensive line, this is a Bullpup team that could light up the scoreboard.

“We’ve seen a lot of good things,” MHS coach Jace Pavlovich said. “We have some young guys, some juniors and sophomores, who didn’t get to play a whole lot last year stepping up. They understand our schemes. We haven’t changed a whole lot. We saw some great execution with pads on, which usually is a concern for coaches. Kids are pretty good until the shoulder pads get on.”

It’s also evident with the large number of offensive players back, that side of the ball is ahead of the game.

“We’re going to have to put points on the board,” said Pavlovich, whose team last year had a nice balance between the run and pass. “I think we can do that. We've got a lot of guys back. Skillwise we have almost everybody back.”

Of course, as it is every year, the concern early is the offensive line. Dawson VanGoethem, who will be one of the state’s best, is the only returning starter.

“Our offensive line is coming along really well,” Pavlovich said. “It’s a credit to (assistant) coach (Pat) Corcoran. Each year we say, hey, this may be a weakness for us, but by the end of the season it becomes one of our strengths. We really like where they are right now. We have more depth than I can remember us having the last 15 years. We have a lot of sophomores who are third on the depth chart who could easily start for us in Week 1.”

Kyler Hoppes will be back to direct the offense after making rapid development last year, becoming one of the best passers in Class 4A Division I. Jace Kinnamon will be one of the top running backs in the class as he went over 1,000 yards and there’s a tremendous receiving group in Gabe Hoover, Chandler Wiard, Tayln Huff and Cody Stufflebean.

Defensively, it’s almost a new group, but Stufflebean and Honestee Whittker certainly will be leaders. Khalil Lisbon, with a full year under his belt, could be a force in the defensive line. Many players who were backups last year should be able to make a seamless transition to the starting lineup as due to several blowouts last year, Pavlovich was able to get subs in early for experience.

The Bullpups wrap up camp Thursday and then host Hays and Kingman at 8 a.m. Friday at McPherson Stadium for a scrimmage, before heading to Fort Hays State camp on Saturday.

“We expect that Hays is going to have a great defense, which is going to be great for us offensively,” Pavlovich said. “I don’t know what to expect out of Kingman. I would expect the defenses are ahead of the game, they always are at this point. Our offense, with all of our skill guys back, should be firing on all cylinders.”

The Bullpups then will be stepping up big time at the Hays camp.

“Fort Hays is going to be murderers’ row,” Pavlovich said. “We have Enid, Okla., Elk City, Okla, a couple of schools from the Denver area, a couple from Nebraska... then Bishop Carroll and a lot of those top-end teams in 5A and 6A. I expect we’re going to get a heck of a lot of film work to learn from.”

NBA Finals could end in 4

Unless the Golden State Warriors relapse into boredom, the NBA Finals are going to end on Friday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their chance and blew it. They played a tremendous Game 1, only to be undone at the end by a missed George Hill free throw that could potentially have won the game, and then a brain cramp by much-maligned guard J.R. Smith, who apparently lost track of the score and dribbled out the clock with the game tied.

Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday in Cleveland and I think this is the Cavaliers’ last-gasp chance. If LeBron James can somehow hoist this team on his back with a line that reads something like 55 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, then the Cavaliers at least think they have a semblance of making it a series.

But if the outrageously confident Warriors walk into Cleveland and walk all over LeBron and his band of not-so-merry men, then Game 4 on Friday is little more than a Warriors’ coronation and perhaps the last time we’ll see James in a Cleveland uniform.

I think everybody knew how this series was going to play out. Give Cleveland credit for playing a spirited Game 1. I also think Golden State looked at the odds-makers and felt like all it had to do was show up, go through the motions and pick up the win.

Game 2, predictably, was a Warriors rout, even though Cleveland did something few teams ever do and that’s outscore Golden State in the third quarter. Normally the Warriors shine in that quarter after coach Steve Kerr lashes them at halftime for not putting the pedal to the metal.

Let’s face it, the NBA is Golden State and then everybody else is living in its world. When Steph Curry is draining parabolas from near halfcourt and Kevin Durant is silky-smoothing his way to 30 points, nobody can beat them. Throw in the offensive artistry of Klay Thompson, who may be the second-best pure shooter in the NBA behind Curry, and the all-around game of the annoying Draymond Green, it doesn’t matter who the fifth guy is. Heck, the Warriors’ “Big 4” could probably beat some the NBA’s ham-and-eggers in a 4-on-5 matchup.

There are many who believe a dynasty like Golden State’s is good for the game, just like the Bulls during the Jordan years and the Celtics of the 1960s. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I like seeing new blood, which has been the case for baseball and football. You almost never see a team win the World Series back-to-back or a team win the Super Bowl in successive years. 

The New York Yankees were once a dynasty in baseball and the team everybody either totally liked or had total disdain for. I think a lot depends on how the team handles success.

For Golden State, I thought its first championship was a feel-good story since it had not won the title in a long time. But when Kevin Durant joined the team, it had an air of invincibility, almost to the level of cockiness. I’m just one of those people that wants a team to play the game and act like it’s been there before. I don’t think Golden State falls into that category, but you have to give it its due. It truly is the dynasty of this era.

Big Doke's return changes KU outlook

The announcement last week that Udoka Azubuike would be returning for his junior season at the University of Kansas dramatically changes the dynamic of the Jayhawks.

After back-to-back years of playing Azubuike and four perimeter players, coach Bill Self can return to the bruising inside-out game he greatly desires.

Azubuike’s decision takes KU from a fringe Top 10 team to a near sure-fire lock to be in the Top 5 at the start of the year.

He’s the only returning starter, provided something crazy doesn’t happen with Lagerald Vick. Vick tested the NBA waters and received little-to-no interest, so he’s pulled his name out of the draft. However from all indications, he doesn’t want to return to Kansas as he may go to the G-League. 

Even without Vick, the Jayhawks once again appear to be loaded, provided the newcomers live up to their somewhat unrealistic hype.

Azubuike made the right call to pull back from the draft. While he had an excellent sophomore season, he’s still only 18 years old and his skillset is raw. He is powerful around the basket, but needs to develop an all-around game and playing one more year of college will only help him.

The Jayhawks could send out a frontcourt that has an NFL offensive line look with all the beef. Silvio De Sousa looked like a bust early on, but found himself near the end of the season and in the postseason. He’s chiseled and will only get better.

The big hope is 6-9 and 240-pound redshirt Dedric Lawson, who averaged nearly 20 points in his final year at Memphis before transferring. Add to that McDonald’s All-American David McCormack (who was a physical presence at 6-10 and 260) as well as a bulked-up Mitch Lightfoot and you have a quintet that can pound opponents. Lightfoot had to play out of position last year as he was the first sub off the bench until the light went on for De Sousa.

Self is stocked with perimeter, but inexperienced, players, but a definite concern will be 3-point shooting, which has been such a staple the last two years.

McDonald’s All-American Quinten Grimes reportedly is the real deal and maybe KU’s next one-and-done. Freshman point guard Devon Dotson, another McDonald’s All-American, also is highly regarded, but if he’s not ready redshirt Charlie Moore, who started at Cal, is right there to pick up the pieces.

Marcus Garrett, who had an uneven freshman year, is a great defender but whose offense is woefully lacking. But he does all the little things that Self likes.

And don’t forget there’s still Sam Cunliffe, who surely is better than what he showed last year after sitting out the first part of the season, and 6-7 redshirt K.J. Lawson, the brother of Dedric who came in a package deal. He played a lot in his year at Memphis.

That’s 11 players, not counting freshman Ochai Agbaji, who the Jayhawks are hoping will become the next Travis Releford as he’s a late bloomer that flew under the recruiting radar.

Team chemistry has been one of Self’s strengths during his time at KU. With so many new parts, this could be one of his greatest challenges as this is a team of holdovers, redshirts, transfers and freshmen. If he can get this hodgepodge united as one, a trip to the Final Four will be the expectation.

It was the Year of the Bullpups

I seem to be saying this a lot in recent years.

It was “The Year of the Bullpups” during the 2017-18 school year.

But maybe this year more than the others, this truly was a year of Bullpup domination. It started in the fall, carried over into the winter and wrapped up this past weekend.

Two new state championship banners will be hung in December during the annual Wall of Fame ceremonies, running the total to 56.

And speaking of the Wall, it is going to expand greatly as a number of athletes will be going on. In fact, a record 11 athletes will be added in December, 10 of them being from the Class of 2018. The only exception is Gallagher Martin, who has had to wait for Nolan Schrader to graduate as the duo won the state tennis doubles title way back in 2015 when Schrader was a freshman.

Also, Emma Ruddle has now qualified for the Wall, but she’s only a sophomore and won’t be officially added until 2020. Same for Rhett Edmonson, as he has two more years to add to his wrestling legacy.

New members who automatically qualified for December are:

• Nolan Schrader, 3-time state doubles champion

• Gallagher Martin, state doubles champion from 2015

• Elle Barrett, five-time state track and field champion

• Mandi Cooks, 2016 state high jump champion

• Kaden Stewart, two-time state doubles champion

• Taylor Robertson, two-time All-State All-Class basketball first team

• Darrius Armstrong, two-time first-team All-State soccer

• Devin Cape, two-time first-team All-State soccer

• Aislinn Hughes, three-time All-State soccer first team

• Ben Pyle, All-State All-Class first team in basketball in 2018.

• Dylan Werries, two-time All-State first-team baseball.

It’s no wonder McPherson High won 11 AVCTL Division III championships this year and fared well at many state competitions.

Here’s a breakdown of MHS sports by the seasons:

• FALL •

The fall opened with a bang with the MHS football team knocking off favored Buhler in the season opener and it was the beginning of a runaway freight train. The Bullpups finished 10-2, beating Buhler again in the playoffs on the infamous “Jade” play, and advanced to the state semifinals before losing to Andale. MHS also earned a piece of the league title.

The volleyball team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state at one point and finished with a 35-6 record, though it fell one match short of state. It also won the league title.

The boys soccer team, which blew through the league, made it to state semifinals where it lost to, you guessed it, Miege 3-1 before coming back to beat Spring Hill 1-0 for third.

The girls tennis team didn’t win league, but Maisie Edmonson and Taylor Bruce made it to the state semifinals before finishing fourth.

While the MHS cross country teams didn’t win league, the Bullpups sent Natalie Hedlund on to state.

• WINTER • 

The Bullpups left Division III in its wake.

Five of the six sports won league championships and, of course, the highlight was the girls basketball team winning the state title, overcoming a 9-point deficit against the Miege mystique with just over 2 minutes remaining before winning in overtime.

The girls and boys both won league basketball titles with 9-0 records and the boys had a chance at a state sweep, but Miege played an incredible second half to rally for the win. Still, it was a third straight second-place state finish after having won back-to-back titles as MHS has been in the title game five years in a row.

The Bullpups pulled off a rarity in that they produced both Miss Basketball (Taylor Robertson) and Mr. Basketball (Ben Pyle). MHS also won the McPherson Invitational and Mid America Classic, something it hadn’t done in the same year for quite some time.

The Bullpup wrestling team won the league and the season was capped by Rhett Edmonson winning a state championship while Scott Radke barely lost in the finals.

The boys bowling team won the league and had Taylor Miller and Clayton Ouellette finish in the Top 20 at state. Ouellette also made MHS history with the school's first-ever 300 game in actual competition.

The boys swimming team had an amazing season, winning nearly every meet they competed in and finishing fifth in the state.

The girls bowling team was in a rebuilding year, but figures to be better next year.

• SPRING •

Where do we begin?

The boys tennis team, for the first time in its history, went undefeated through the entire season and capped it by outlasting arch-rival Wichita Collegiate for the state championship. Nolan Schrader and Kaden Stewart repeated as state champs and for Schrader it was his third state doubles title. Jarod Nowak became the first Bullpup to play for a state singles title, losing a hard-fought match, and Andrew Snell was third in singles. Rhett Edmonson and Jackson Schrader rounded out the perfect team.

The girls soccer team compiled its best-ever record, 18-2-1, smashing about every school record imaginable — including 136 goals while allowing only 9 — and taking third in the state after losing to eventual champion Miege in the semifinals. All 11 MHS starters received some type of league honor.

The girls track and field team was the third of the spring to win a league title. Elle Barrett won two more state championships to finish her career with five and Emma Ruddle won two golds as well and she still has two more years to go.

The boys track and field team had an excellent year and nearly had a state champion as Tyson Stites was nipped in a photo finish in the finals of the 110 hurdles.

The girls swimming team won five meets and finished second in four others as it gave the boys’ season a run for their money. The Bullpups had solid representation at state, with Megan Cutting making the finals in two events.

MHS’ baseball team came within a whisker of making it to state, losing to Buhler in the final inning the regional title game. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the ‘Pups, but they went 15-7.

The regular season was somewhat of a struggle for the boys golf team, but it played well when it mattered as underclassmen Kyler Hoppes and Tyler Hoxie advanced state.

The softball team is in rebuilding mode and showed pains of having a young team, but the experienced gained this year should prove beneficial next year.

I said last year that I wasn’t sure the 2016-17 school year could be topped, but it was. The 2018-19 year has a tough act to follow.

NBA Finals will be little more than a yawn

Does anybody really want to see this again?

It’s the same song, fourth verse, when the NBA Finals open tonight as Golden State and Cleveland clash once again.

The odds-makers certainly believe this is a mismatch. The Warriors open as one of the more overwhelming favorites in recent NBA history. All that’s saving the TV ratings is the presence of superstar power.

This reminds me of when I started watching the NBA — more than 5 decades ago — when it seemed like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers met seemingly every year in the finals back in the days of Bill Russell and Jerry West.

Golden State won the championship in 2015, Cleveland returned the favor in 2016 and then Golden State regained the title in 2017. 

Had it not been for the whiny Draymond Green having an idiot attack and being suspended for Game 6 in 2016, the Warriors would probably be looking at making it four straight championships as they are the dominant team of our era, much like Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

And why not? They have several future Hall of Famers, including locks Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Green and Klay Thompson could be, though their numbers may not be Hall worthy. However, if that core four stays together, they could run off about a half-dozen championships.

I still believe at some point that greed, not another team, will be what eventually causes the Warriors’ dynasty to end. Curry and Durant aren’t going anywhere, but at some point Thompson and Green are going to want to cash in and be “the man” on another team. If they are smart they’ll put their egos aside and continue this yearly destruction.

Cleveland, of course, has LeBron —  no last name needed —  but his rag-tag supporting cast pales in comparison. There’s no question he’s The King, but his court is too inconsistent. If Kevin Love continues to be plagued by concussion symptoms, that only makes the Warriors’ task easier. Love has been a bit of an enigma the last couple of years as it seems to be one thing or another that keeps him out of the lineup.

There’s a popular theory that the team with the best player stands the best chance to win. There’s little doubt LeBron is the Jordan of this era, one of the five best players of all-time. To get this team into The Finals is one of the crowning achievements of his career as most of the other Cavalier starters wouldn’t get many minutes with the Warriors.

The sheer brilliance of James probably keeps this from being a sweep. He’ll single-handedly put his team on his back and carry it to one win, probably Game 3 or 4.

But it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s over in four straight. The Warriors, to me, have been bored much of the year. Now they’re focused and with it being June, they’re ready to get it over with. Down goes the hammer and down go the Cavaliers.