2011-2012 Preview and Summary Headlines (links to archived athletic pages from 2011-2012 are in the drop down menu below)

Select Date May 28, 2012 May 23, 2012 May 21, 2012 May 18, 2012 May 15, 2012 May 14, 2012 May 11, 2012 May 9, 2012 May 8, 2012 May 7, 2012 May 4, 2012 May 2, 2012 April 30, 2012 April 27, 2012 April 25, 2012 April 24, 2012 April 23, 2012 April 20, 2012 April 18, 2012 April 17, 2012 April 16, 2012 April 13, 2012 April 11, 2012 April 10, 2012 April 6, 2012 April 4, 2012 April 3, 2012 April 2, 2012 March 30, 2012 March 28, 2012 March 27, 2012 March 26, 2012 March 13, 2012 March 5, 2012 March 2, 2012 February 29, 2012 February 28, 2012 February 27, 2012 February 24, 2012 February 22, 2012 February 20, 2012 February 15, 2012 February 13, 2012 February 10, 2012 February 8, 2012 February 7, 2012 February 2, 2012 February 1, 2012 January 30, 2012 January 27, 2012 January 25, 2012 January 23, 2012 January 20, 2012 January 18, 2012 January 17, 2012 January 13, 2012 January 11, 2012 January 9, 2012 January 6, 2012 January 4, 2012 December 19, 2011 December 16, 2011 December 14, 2011 December 12, 2011 December 6, 2011 December 5, 2011 November 28, 2011 November 21, 2011 November 14, 2011 November 7, 2011 November 2, 2011 November 1, 2011 October 31, 2011 October 26, 2011 October 24, 2011 October 21, 2011 October 19, 2011 October 17, 2011 October 13, 2011 October 10, 2011 October 7, 2011 October 5, 2011 October 3, 2011 September 30, 2011 September 28, 2011 September 26, 2011 September 23, 2011 September 21, 2011 September 20, 2011 September 19, 2011 September 16, 2011 September 14, 2011 September 12, 2011 September 8, 2011 September 7, 2011 September 2, 2011 August 31, 2011 August 29, 2011 August 25, 2011

	Working To The Finish The Rose Hill Rocket Track team had an outstanding season this year. The team as a whole struggled at points, but the men and women who made it to state consistently dominated their meets. Throughout the year they worked extremely hard, improving their times, distances, and heights. This showed as these select young athletes began their meet on Friday. During the prelims, the Rockets cruised. They may not have won their heats, but they did what they had to in order to get into finals. Going into Saturday, every Rocket was competing in the finals of their event. Even despite some dissapointments internally, that kind of achievement is hard to come by.
Remarkable Season Ends Lady Rocket Soccer have put another great season on the books. They had a couple rough patches in the beggining but still had a record of 4-2. They dominated the next nine games, making six of them shutouts. After a hard loss to Andover Central the ladies bounced back with a 4-0 shutout against the Buhler Crusaders. Finally, they entered into the Quarterfinals. They had a game against the Topeka Hayden Wildcats and were playing to make it into the State tournament. After a strong, scoreless first half the Rockets had a rough second half. Although their season ended short of where they wanted. the Rockets had a tremendous season and Coach Treat is proud of what they have done.
	First Season Success The first ever womens' swimming team at Rose Hill High School has set the standards high for years to come. The Rockets started off the season slow, but quickly started working their way to where they hoped to be. From the start, Shayla Meyer, Rachel Smith, and Stina Ahlmark were standouts. They led the team in points scored and were all a part of at least one relay. Although she didn't make it to State, Stina had a remarkable season. She improved her times and helped push every other girl on the team. Shayla and Rachel were dominant the whole season, and it showed when they both made it to State. The team had an incredible first season and Coach Haug is extremely proud of them.
Tough Regionals Strike Although it could have ended better, the Rose Hill Softball team had a terrific season. They had some closes losses to some very good teams. They ended the season with a record of 13-9, but it could have easily been a 4 game sway. The Rockets last game was against their rivals, the Mulvane Wildcats. Like many of their games, they had a slow start. Towards the end they began to pull themselves back into striking distance, but couldn't manage to get where they wanted to. Although they were sad to end their season, especially the Seniors, the Rockets walked away with a smile. They stood with their parents, siblings, and friends with a smile on their face. The team had a great season and will be sending multiple players on to the next level.
	Tough Course End Season The Golf team started off their season rough. They barely had anyone in the 90's and definitely no one in the 80's. As the season continued, each player improved individually as well as the whole team. Moving into the second half of the season, golfers started to drop into the 80's. First was Cameron Bates, then James Ashby, and finally Andrew Trimble and Jake Sutton. The had a few rough patches, but overall their coach (Steve Siemens) was very proud of his team. Unfortunately, Regionals was one of those rough patches. The Rockets just missed sending guys to State.
Difficulty Stops Rockets Rocket Baseball hit a rough patch this year. They fought hard through every game, but couldn't manage to pull out the season that they had hoped for. The Rockets ended their season against Mulvane. Their final record was 4-17, but could have easily been 9-12 wtih fewer errors. Even after the season, the coaches are still proud of the kids for working as hard as they did. Six seniors will be graduating and leaving big shoes to fill. Luckily, underclassmen had a chance to get varsity experience this year, which should make the transition easier.
	Ending The Season Strong The Wrestling team had an up and down season. They started off well, but slowed down through the middle. As the end of the season approached, however, they caught steam once again. The Rockets battled through some tough matches on their way to Regionals. By the end of the meet they had four young men qualify for state: Eastin Dockers, Jake Wilson, Nathan Lamb, and Hunter Black. Although Lamb and Black were elimated early, Wilson and Dockers both finished strong in an outstanding season. Jake Wilson won his first two matches, but with a loss to the 2012 4A State Champion, ended up taking fourth. Eastin Dockers powered through his first three matches making his way to the Championships. Although he took second, he still finished the season extremely well.
Mid-Season Revive The Rocket mens' basketball team started off with what appeared would be a long season. After having a 1-6 record, they began to improve. Over the next 6 games, they were 4-2. Then the return of Senior point guard, Caleb Braddy, gave the Rockets hope for a longer season. Although they played a tough ending schedule, it prepared them for the Sub-State Tournament. They beat Clearwater for the first time in their last three match-ups to move them in to the Semi-finals of the tournament. They then faced off against the Wellington Crusaders. Although they fought hard, the Rockets lost an extremely close game in overtime. Some may be dissapointed with the season, but they definitely had major improvement since the start.
	Needed Players Step Up With the loss of five Seniors from the 2010-2011 season, the Rockets knew that people would need to step up. From the first few games, it was clear that Kayla Justice was going to be one of those girls. She consistently scored in the double digits, but one player can't carry the whole team. Emily Harris, Lakynn Myers, and Autumn Lipscomb also played a key role in the Rockets' success this year. With the combination of Kayla's consistent scoring and at least one other girl stepping up each game, the Rockets ended their season in the Sub-State Tournament Semi-finals. After dominating Collegiate in the first round, they had a close game, up until the fourth quarter, with the Wellington Crusaders.
Beginning The Program The 2011-2012 Rocket mens' swimming team had a great first season. They started off slow, since none of them had ever competitively swam before. As the season progressed their times were showing significant improvement. By the end of the year, each swimmer had cut anywhere from 2-13 seconds off their respective races. The relays were where the team really came together and did well. The 200 M Freestyle cut over 20 seconds off of their time, while the 200 M Medley cut off almost 25 seconds. The team may not have finished as well as they would have liked, but for a first season program, they did extremely well.
	The Perfect Ending No one can complain about this year's football season. From the beginning, the goal had already been set. The ultimate goal was to win a state championship. They all knew the talent was there, all they had to do was work hard and be a team. At the end of the first game it appeared that the season would be a long and difficult one. A 34-12 victory over Collegiate showed the Rockets their silver lining. They reached for that lining as the season continued. A few stumbles along the way, the Pratt game, motivated the team to work even harder. Everyone knew that their District would be one of the easiest in the state, but the coaches did all they could to keep the team focused and continue to improve. This success showed in the redeeming victory over Holton. From there, the Rockets knew that they could achieve their goal and all they had to do was work for it. Andale, a much improved team, again proved no match for the Rockets, who were much improved as well. Next was Ulysses, who was a top ranked team. But the whole team, especially the defense thanks to Coach Boese, was prepared. After the 56-14 win the coaches announced that the hardest game was yet to come. Their match up against Topeka Hayden was no joke. After losing the lead with five minutes left in the game, the players rallied to a sub-state victory. Now, they were more motivated than ever. With an extra day to work with, the team wasted no time in beginning their preparation for the Eudora Cardinals. Coach Slade brought in members from the 2004 State runner-up football team. They talked of team, brothers, and the hype of a game. As they stepped on the field on Saturday, November 26th the team didn't let the hype get to them. They hit the Cardinals early with a touchdown on the second offensive play. After a fumble return for a touchdown and a cutback by Hunter Lewis the Rockets had secured Rose Hill's first state championship football team. They embraced their coach as tears began to fall from his eyes. The season was more perfect than anyone had expected. They were the champions.
Another Great Season Rocket soccer had another great season. From the beginning of the season they did extremely well. Like every team, they had a few hiccups in the season. They overcame these hiccups and entered the state tournament with only three losses. After a rough 3-4 loss to St. James Academy, the team was demoralized. Another loss to Topeka Hayden ended the season with less than they had expected. On the other hand, however, they still ended their season with an incredible record of 16 wins and 5 losses. There were 60 other teams in the state that would have given anything to be in their position. Congratulations to the soccer team for another great season and being the fourth best team in the state.
	Rough But Happy Ending Volleyball was no exception to the list of great finishes that Rose Hill has had this fall. They had a great season and established themselves as a powerhouse of the league. They worked their way to the state tournament, battling their way through Clearwater, Wichita Trinity, and a high ranked Maize South. The ladies relaxed a little too much as they began the tournament. In the end they finally buckled down and beat Circle 25-22 the next two games. This finished their season with a final record of 38-6, which they should be very proud of. The Rockets achieved very prestigious post season awards. All-League honorable mention was Bailey Santo. Second Team All-League were Dakota Williams and Kylie Pfaff. First team All-League were Keanu Bradley, Katelynn Slade, and Jessica McDougald who was also league MVP. Coach Segovia was also granted the honor of being named All-League coach of the year. When a team has the coach of the year and 6 All-League selections, none of them should be disappointed in their season.
A Satisfying End By Coach Barger So, classes’ 1A, 2A, and 4A stayed at Wamego. The girls started their race at 10 am with 101 girls racing in the 4A race and 12 teams participating. Emily Terrell, our consistent #1 runner ran a 15:39 to earned her a 4th place finish. This was her best finish so far at the state meet where she placed 18th a year ago at the state meet. The girls scored 171 points and earned a 7th place finish. This has been the best that Rose Hill has placed in state, as a team, to this date. There was a 25 point spread from 4th to 9th place that could have gone anywhere, so it was close. The girls didn’t run their best times of the year, but were satisfied with their finish. Joey Kenneson has had a great season and wanted to end it with a great state meet finish and he didn’t disappoint. He ran a tough race and had great support from his teammates and came home with a 7th place finish out of 104 runners. Joey also improved from his 25th place finish from a year ago at the State meet. Joey wanted to place in the top 5, but was satisfied with his finish. Joey has accomplished a lot for the little time that he was on the team. I hope that spirit spreads for next year. As their coach, I was very happy for all of my runners this year. It was a very enjoyable and rewarding season for me as well.
	What Off-Season? Ask any High School Football player what they did in the off-season and you'll get the answer, "football." Over the years, the Rocket Summer Weight Program has evolved from "weights" into "weights and physical conditioning." Every member of the team was pushed to their limits. Both their physical and mental strength were tested as they lifted, sprinted, and crawled their way to complete exhaustion. Now that the season has arrived, they're prepared. Knowing that each player's body can take the punishment, everyone can focus on their responsibilities instead of being tired. This coming week the Rockets prepare for their first game at home against Buhler on Friday, September 2nd at 7:00 p.m.
Boys Soccer Returns Strong Despite the loss of many good players, the Rockets expect to be just as good this year as they were last year. Among the returning starters are Goalie Aaron Parrot and Forward Dom Swindler, who led the team in scoring last season. The loss of Jace Dinkel, Aaron Eilert, and six other Seniors leaves big shoes to fill, but as always, expectations have not been lowered for the returning members of the team. The boys will have their first game of the season Friday, August 26 at 7 p.m. in Coffeyville.
	Talent Returns To The Court Among the returning Varsity players are Seniors Jessica McDougald, Katelyn Slade, and Lauren Arndt. Joining them are Seniors Lakynn Myers and Katie Gilbert. With 5 graduates gone, the team will also have to rely on younger members to step up and work hard. The girls will have their Gatorade Scrimmage on Thursday, August 25th beginning at 4:30 p.m. Their first game will be be at home on Tuesday, August 30th at 5:00 p.m. against Winfield and Mulvane.
Rocket Roster Fills Up This season's Cross Country team has the potential to perform extremely well. For the first time since he started coaching, Coach Barger has closed the team to newcomers. With 10 boys and 20 girls, his hands are full. Among the top returners is Joey Kenneson. As a Junior he finished with the 8th fastest time in Rose Hill High history. Also, as a Freshman last year, Emily Terrell achieved the 3rd fastest time ever for the girl's team. In the following week, final preparations will be made for their first meet on Thursday, September 1st. It will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Clearwater.