Football:

As the season has ramped up for Trojan football, they are feeling prepared to go “1-0” each week.  Along with their motto, “Stay Dangerous,” “1-0” is a part of the team’s maxim for this season. The first game they played was against a well-rounded Rock Creek team who also made it to the semifinals last year, but fell to Frontenac 42-26. “As of right now, I’m most excited to play Rock Creek ’cause they are our first opponent and have been very cocky,” says Senior Landen Allen. Southeast beat Rock Creek 38-26 in a very good game. The boys are also looking forward to playing Beloit. “I am excited to play Beloit because it’s one of the biggest rivalries in Kansas and it is always a good game,” says Senior Luke Gebhardt. 

One of the pregame rituals the football team has is eating together before the game. Another ritual includes blasting music in the locker room. One of the fan’s favorites is the team thundering down the hill surrounded by a cloud of purple smoke, with elementary through high school students there ready to give high fives and cheer them on. According to Luke Gebhardt, “The thing that gets us pumped up the most is running down the hill. It’s three minutes before game time and the atmosphere is great.”

The team knows that they need to grow from week to week and improve all assets from last year. Working on these weaknesses is what they need to make it to state, which is the Trojan’s overall goal. They are looking to get to state by taking the season one game at a time. Both Luke and Landen said their end goal is to win state as they finish out their senior season.

Volleyball:

The SES volleyball team is looking to create change for the reputation it has held over the past few years. Starting the change for this 2022 volleyball season are the two new assistant coaches JuliAnn Rathbun and Kelsey Sims. Senior, Reagan Goetz, agreed by saying, “I really like the new assistant coaches. They bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the team.” Experience is something that the volleyball team will have this year. They have 5 seniors and 7 returning varsity players.

Looking into the future, the girls are hoping for some momentum-shifting plays to help put a stamp on some big wins. Seniors Chase Gilpin and Reagan Goetz agreed that “The team gets super hyped when we score off of a block. It is challenging to get a block so when we block someone everyone gets super excited.” Electric moments like this are going to be the difference in challenging games.

Coming up first for Trojan volleyball is a home Triangular vs the Clay Center Tigers and the Minneapolis Lions. The Trojans came up short in both matches, but they were very optimistic looking in the future at their next event which is playing Sacred Heart and Lyons in another Triangular on the 8th. They were very successful in beating both teams in 2, and they are hoping that will give them some leverage going into the big tournament on the 10th at SES. This tournament will host 7 other teams that will be great competition for the Lady Trojans, who view every minute of gameplay as an opportunity to grow as a team.

Boys Cross Country:

Leading up to the first meet, the anxious feelings and the build-up of all the time the team has spent practicing up to the moment of competition is what makes the races worth it. It’s all very exciting, especially for our boys. Once they hit the Abilene course for the first meet, those anxieties were gone. The boy’s team did very well taking the first place title at the Abilene Invitational. It was no shock after all the work we saw them put in over the summer, but it was also a great debut for freshmen Brayden Walker and Jacob Bircher who both placed top 10, which helped secure that first-place win for Southeast Cross Country.

Seniors Drew Richardson and Damion Jackson are both very optimistic for the 2022 season. “I’m feeling very optimistic because we have a very good group of veterans and some very talented underclassmen. I think we will really surprise people after the class of seniors we lost last year,” says Drew Richardson. Damion had a similar perspective when stating, “I am super optimistic and ready for the season. I believe that we can win and will win. Everyone is putting in the work and is training as hard as possible.” The goals remain the same for this cross country season, even though they did lose some seniors. Everybody wants to not only make it to state but win state too. Hopefully, throughout the season Coach Caselman can throw in some long road runs because both seniors agreed that those are their favorite practices.

Girls Cross Country:

Coming off of back-to-back state titles, the girl’s Cross Country team is entering the season with a target on their backs. With the high status the team holds, they are ready to become a three-peat championship team. Right now, they are ranked number one in 3A, with six returning varsity runners: Ashley Prochazka, Abby Commerford, Cali Augustine, Sadie Franklin, Savannah Sutton, and Brookelyn Adams. All of these girls have helped the team to victory in the past, and hope to do so this season too.

The girls have been working very hard. Most trained all summer for the upcoming season. “Every day we work very hard and always push each other,” says Senior Ashley Prochazka. Some people may think that cross country is only a three-month sport, but most runners train all year round. 

The seniors are the only ones who have experience running on KU’s home course known as “Rim Rock” where state was held their freshman year. “When and if we make it to state, and when and if I run at state, Rim Rock is the one I’m looking most forward to. I haven’t run on it since my freshman year and it’s such pretty scenery. It also has some scary downhills and if you try to stop, it won’t end well at all,” says Senior Savannah Sutton. Senior Ashley Prochazka says, “I’m most looking forward to running at our home course and at Rim Rock.”

With hard work and determination, the Lady Trojans Cross Country team will be very successful. Both Ashley and Savannah said, “I know that we are capable of so much, and every day we work very hard and always push each other,” and, “I’m feeling very optimistic about this season. We have a strong group of girls that want to be the best. We all work hard when we need to. None of us would just slack off and not want to win.