Skip to main content

Rocket Athletics

Rockets Bring Home Hardware!

by Bill Wright

The boys and girls track teams had an excellent showing at the State Track Meet at WSU on May 28th bringing home several medals. The boys placed 7th as a team while the girls finished in a tie for 12th place. Drew Leck led the Rockets by bringing home the silver in the 800-Meter Run with a time of 2:00.44, setting his personal record by 4 seconds. Leck also earned a bronze medal in the 1600-Meter Run with a time of 4:29.60, just 1.5 seconds off of the school record. Carter Wagner also brought home two state medals placing 3rd in the high jump with a height of 6’2”; Wagner also placed 6th in the triple jump with a distance of 42’1¼”. The boys 4x800 Meter Relay Team of Drew Leck, McCoy Korte, Korbin Woods, and Ethan Anderson placed 4th with a time of 8:37.44. Teagan Cobb placed 6th in the 110-Meter Hurdles with a time of 15.57. Tyler Kiser placed 8th in the javelin with a throw of 161’7” breaking his personal record by 9-feet. On the girl’s side, the 4x100 relay team of Rylie Baker, Kate Dare, Haley Thrush, and Faith Exley placed 3rd with a time of 50.99, just one second off the school record. Dare also placed 4th in the 100-Meter Dash with a time of 12.65 and she placed 7th in the 200-Meter Dash with a time of 26.52. Thrush finished 6th in the triple jump with a distance of 35’3”, just ¾” off the school record. Alexa Marshall set a personal record in the 2 Mile Run by 30 seconds as she placed 8th overall with a time of 12:56.76. Overall, it was a great showing by both teams at the State Track Meet and Coach Barger stated that he was “super proud of them all!”

Hoang Ties for 26th At State

by Bill Wright

Rocket Senior Golfer Zach Hoang participated in the State Golf Meet held at the Mariah Hills Golf Course in Dodge City on May 24th and May 25th. Golfers competed on Monday trying to advance to the 2nd round and a chance at a medal on Tuesday. Hoang started the tournament strong by recording a par on the 1st hole. Hoang recorded a 44 on the front nine to put himself a good position. Hoang finished the first round with a 90 leaving himself with a chance to make the cut for the second day. Fortunately, Hoang just made the cut to advance to the second round the following day. After, another strong start on day two Hoang found himself at even par after three holes and a strong 39 on the front nine. Hoang finished day two shooting an 81 for a total of 171 over the two days. Coach Browning said, “Zach finished in a tie for 26th and his final scoring average was in the top 20 in Class 4A. He won the Clearwater Invitational, shot under 80 twice and was second team all-league. Just a tremendous season by one of the hardest workers I know. Great season Zach!”

Ladies Lose In Regional Final

by Bill Wright

The Lady Rockets left early Tuesday morning for the long trip to Clay Center for the Regional Tournament. They were first matched up against the Wellington Crusaders who had swept the Lady Rockets 16-6 and 8-7 back on April 26th. The Lady Rockets played much better this time around. Both teams were held scoreless until the top of the 4th when the Lady Rockets struck for two runs to gain a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 5th inning, the Lady Rockets again scored two more runs to increase their lead to 4-0. The Crusaders finally got on the board with a run of their own in the bottom of the 5th to cut the Rocket’s lead to 4-1. The Crusaders were able to score one additional run in the bottom of the 7th but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Rockets earned the 4-2 victory and a trip to the Regional Championship Game. The Rocket’s opponent would be Clay Center, the top seeded team on the West side of the bracket. Clay Center struck first with a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The score remained that way until the top of the 4th when the Lady Rockets were able to tie the score 1-1. However, Clay Center then scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning, 3 more runs in the 5th inning, and then 4 runs in the 6th running to take a close game and quickly turn it into a run rule. Clay Center won the game 11-1 and will advance to next week’s state tournament. The Lady Rockets see their season end with a 11-11 record.

Rockets Take It To An Extra Inning

by Bill Wright

On paper, this was not supposed to be a contest. However, that’s why you play the games. In the Regional Standings, Buhler earned the right to host a Regional Tournament by being the second overall seed with a glowing 17-3 record. Meanwhile, the Rockets entered the tournament as the 15th overall seed and a 6-14 record. After winning 6 of their last 10 games, the Rockets entered the contest with a quiet confidence. Buhler had swept the Rockets fairly easily in the first two games of the season, 10-2 and 13-3, but the Rockets had improved a lot since that doubleheader back in March. In a game that would not see a lot of offense, the Rockets struck first by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning as Charlie Black walked, Chase Green singled and then Bryce Bischler singled to score Black. Meanwhile, a defensive error allowed Green to score to give the Rockets the early 2-0 lead. With sophomore Jayden Jones on the mound, the Rockets were able to hold the 2-0 lead into the bottom of the 4th inning. Leading off the bottom of the 4th, Buhler smashed a solo homerun to left field to cut into the Rocket’s lead. Senior Trevor Kiser relieved Jones in the 5th and neither team was able to capitalize as the Rockets held the slim 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the 7th. The Rockets only needed three more outs to record a huge upset over the Crusaders. However, a leadoff walk and later a Rocket error put the Crusaders in prime scoring position. A passed ball allowed the Crusaders to score the tying run. In the bottom of the 8th, the Rockets again gifted the Crusaders baserunners by walking the first two hitters. With runners on first and second, the Crusaders attempted a sacrifice bunt to move the runners. However, the Rockets gifted another run to the Crusaders when the throw sailed over the head of the first baseman allowing the Crusaders to score the winning run and win 3-2 in 8 innings. While this loss ends the Rocket’s season, they can take pride in their tremendous improvement over the second half of the season. They almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the state and that is something that the younger players can build on for next season.

Orioles End Lady Rockets Season

by Bill Wright

The Lady Rockets hosted the Augusta Orioles Monday evening in the first round of the regional tournament. After losing a close 2-1 game to the Orioles on April 29th, the Lady Rockets were looking to gain the upper hand this time around. However, the Lady Orioles struck quickly as they scored first in the 4th minute on a free kick from 40 yards out that bounced off the hands of Rocket’s goalkeeper and into the back of the net. They then struck again in the 8th minute on another free kick, this time from 30 yards out into the top corner of the goal. Finding themselves quickly down 2-0, the Lady Rockets were determined to fight back and they started the comeback with a goal in the 24th minute as a low cross into the box by Kayden Lucent was knocked into the goal by Lexi Rose. The score remained 2-1 for the remainder of the first half. After halftime, the Lady Rockets continued fighting as they attempted to tie the score. In the 61st minute Korryn Hackney had a break away counter drawing the goalie out and then was able to just get the ball by her to tie the score 2-2. The Orioles then scored again in the 75th minute to take a 3-2 lead over the Rockets. In attempt to tie the score again, the Lady Rockets brought everyone up but the Orioles were able to counter and a late goal in the 80th minute to ice the game and earn the 4-2 victory over the Rockets. After the game, Coach Henderson said, “Unfortunately, we put ourselves in too big a hole early. We clawed and fought to come back and tied it up. We just let them sneak one in late on us to make it 3-2. The last goal came with us pushing to get another equalizer and not having enough girls back to defend but I would rather push to win than try to hold and not to lose by more. I was very proud of the girl’s effort and their attitude was good all night. Even when we lost Korryn late in the game there was no quit in them.”

Swimming Season Ends At AVCTL

by Bill Wright

The girls swimming season under first year head coach Christopher Kurt has come to an end after the AVCTL Meet that was held at Salina Central on Friday. The girls had no state qualifiers for next weekend’s State Meet in Topeka. The Lady Rocket swimmers finished the season by placing 11th at the League Meet. The girls’ best finishes include two 10th place finishes. Grace Koehn, Madison Ivy, Jenna McCulloch, and Josie Belden recorded a time of 2:39.88 in the 200-Yard Medley. The 200-Yard Freestyle Relay team of McCulloch, Ivy, Jaidyn Myers, and Belden finished with a time of 2:27.79. Coach Kurt knew that this season was going to be a rebuilding year with the girls not having hardly any experience returning after last season was canceled due to Covid-19. However, even though it doesn’t show in the standings, the season was a success as the team gained a lot valuable experience that can be carried into the 2022 season.

Baseball Working For Wins

by Reed Brownlee

The Rocket Baseball struggled through difficult 2018 and 2019 seasons as many freshmen and sophomores were forced to play varsity out of necessity. The team gradually improved, and while the record did not show it, they were playing good baseball at the end of the 2019 season as sophomores. The team was looking forward to the 2020 season being the breakout season but the Covid lockdown canceled the season. Now those 2018 freshmen are seniors looking to earn a winning season on their way out the door. Even though the Rockets are a senior heavy team, they are working to find pitching for the season, some of which may come from underclassmen. They will be working hard to improve and to make a deep run into the playoffs. There is a lot to look forward to this season with some experience on the varsity team. Coach Carr said, “We have an inexperienced pitching staff that will be asked to compete in a very tough ACVTL. With five returning starters from the 2019 team, we expect them to be productive at the plate, steady on defense, and to mentor the rest of our kids so that we will be able to compete in one of the toughest 4A leagues in the state.” The Rockets will be tested early as they will open their season on March 25 at top-ranked Buhler.

Softball Looks To Make Impact

by Reed Brownlee

The last time the Rocket softball team took the field in 2019, they had a very successful 17-8 season and finished 4th in the State Tournament. As with all other spring sports, the 2020 season was canceled as Covid shut everything down. The 2021 team is looking to have a solid season under the leadership of Seniors Aspen Goetz, Hailey Koeningsman, and Naveya Gardner. The Girls are a very young team looking to make a big impact this season. With only 4 upperclassman they are looking at a very inexperienced team but want to prove that they can win this year. Coach Gardner said “We are going to be young this year but I think we are going to have a really talented team. The coaching staff is excited to see how this year is going to turn out!”. The girls are scheduled to open their season on March 25 at Buhler.

Lady Rockets Look Promising

by Trevor Kiser

The Lady Rockets are working very hard and are very determined to reach their goals this year. The 2019 season ended with a 3-13 record on the year and some of that young talent then is now ready to make a big leap into this season. The ladies have high hopes for a big season with 12 returning seniors and some really good young talent ready to fill key positions on the field. With all that said the Lady Rockets still have a tough schedule ahead. Out of the Kansas High School Soccer Coaches Association pre-season polls, four of the state's top ten teams are in their league (McPherson-2nd, Buhler-6th, Collegiate-7th, and Circle-8th). Head coach Matt Henderson said, “We are definitely in for a battle again this year but I feel like we are up to the challenge and are going to catch a few teams by surprise. I'm excited to see what we can do against a typically very good Salina Central team Friday night”. The Lady Rockets first game is March 26th at 6:30 pm. Good luck to the Lady Rockets this season.

Rocket Golfers Looking To Hit Big

by Bryce Bischler

The Rocket Golf team is looking to come out hot this year. Zach Hoang, Brennan Evans, and Tyler Ivy are all returning seniors looking to make a big leap this season.  Head Coach Matt Browning said, “We return six guys that have played varsity before, so we have plenty experience. My expectation is that we can compete in some tournaments and have a chance to go to the state tournament. Zach Hoang is going to be our leader. He was second team all-league in 2019 and would have certainly been all-league last year, too.”  The Rocket seniors will be ready to make a final push as well heading into their last season. Senior golfer Zach Hoang said, “This will be a tough season, but hopefully we will be ready to prove ourselves and perform. The seniors are ready for their final push and hope the next class can carry it on”.  The Rocket Golf team will be looking to come out firing in the upcoming Wellington meet on April 8th at 1:00 pm.

Ladies Look For A Bright Future

by Bryce Bischler

After having a great first season with the Boys Swim Team, Coach Kurt is looking to carry that momentum into his first season with the Girls Swim team.  However, the Lady Rocket swim team is looking very young this year with only two juniors and the rest being sophomores and freshmen.  With last season being canceled due to Covid-19, the Lady Rockets will be looking to compete this year.  Coach Kurt said, “This season is definitely a developmental one. Most of the team are freshmen and sophomores and the sophomores only had two weeks of practice last year before the lockdown. Only two of the girls have swam competitively before. However, they are determined to be successful and are connecting really well with each other! Watch out for this team as they grow throughout the next few years. There is some talent here!”  Going into the season the Lady Rockets won’t have any seniors, but that won’t stop them from being successful.  The Lady Rockets will compete at their first meet of the year on April 2nd at Wichita Heights at 5:00 pm.

Prolific Season Cut Short

by Reed Brownlee

The Rockets finished off last year 13-10 after upsetting Parsons, the number one seeded team at the State Tournament, but the tournament ended tragically with the shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They went into the offseason losing key pieces for this year’s team but also gained pieces from transfers coming in to play. The Rockets started off with a rough record of 1-3 but regained some footing going into Christmas break at 3-3. After Christmas break, they were toughing out a 3-game winning streak going into the Rupp tournament where they matched up with a tough Haven team; the outcome was not what they expected but humbled the team more than anyone thought. The Rockets then went an impressive 8-1 to finish the regular season and went into the postseason playing their best basketball of the season. For the first time in 10 years the Rockets won the regular season league title. They started off Substate with a scrappy Wellington team and escaped with a 70-64 victory. They went on to hosting Clearwater for the Substate championship. The Rockets played a low scoring game that they are not used to but toughed out the win to punch their ticket to the State Tournament. They had a tough draw and had to play a very good Augusta team at Augusta. The last time the Rockets went to battle with the Orioles, Rose Hill came out on top winning 71-58. The Orioles wanted revenge and went on early runs that would eventually be too much for the Rockets. It was one of the better years for Rocket basketball bringing home a regular season AVCTL Division IV title and a Substate title with an impressive 15-6 record, the best record since Head Coach Josh Shirley was a senior for the Rockets in 2007. Coach Shirley summarized the season by saying, “This year will be one I will remember forever, not only because of what our team accomplished on the court but how they were able to navigate a global Pandemic and still complete 21 games. There were several firsts in my coaching career with this group, our first league championship since 2010, our first back to back state appearance since 1993, and finally our first time having a winning record with all three of our teams (C-Team, JV and Varsity) since 2009-2010."

Solid Effort By Wreslers

by D'Sean Garcia

The 2020-2021 Rocket wrestling team welcomed new head coach Chris Saferite and had one of their best seasons yet! The boys had an amazing 9-3 win-loss dual season and a fantastic tournament season always finishing in the top ten of the team standings. The girls had just one lady wrestler in sophomore Brooklyne Page, who had an excellent season as well. Page was a state qualifier in the girl’s division. In the boy’s division, several wrestlers also had a great season. State qualifiers not placing include senior Charlie Black and sophomore Pierce Probasco. Rocket wrestlers placing at the State Tournament in Salina include sophomore Braden Tatum 2nd place, junior Keegan Beavers 4th place, senior Peyton Besco 5th place, and senior Tommy Rogers 3rd place. In the team standings, the Rockets brought home a 7th place finish as a team, their highest team placing since the 2007 State Runner-up team. Four wrestlers made it to a 30+ winning record including Keegan Beavers (46-5), Tommy Rogers (41-9), Peyton Besco (40-5) and Charlie Black (35-15). Black finished his wrestling career with a place on the 100-career victory list. 2020 graduate David Leck set the all-time record for career victories with 142. Junior Keegan Beavers will be chasing that record next season needing 47 victories to tie Leck.

New Era Begins For Swimmers

by Bryce Bischler

Coming into the 2020-2021 season, the Rocket swim team looked to make a splash. Timmy Hoopes, Drew Leck, Zach Hoang and Bryce Bischler would all be returning after competing at the State Meet last season. However, the Rockets would have to start off with a new face leading their team. Christopher Kurt was hired as head coach just a week before practices started. “I had no idea what the ability level of these guys were so I was excited to see where they were and improve them one step at a time.” said Coach Kurt. Going into the season the Rockets would start off hot placing in the top 5 in their first two meets. As the meets got larger and they started competing against the larger schools, the Rockets would slowly fall in their overall team placings. “It was not the fact that they were better than us, it was that we had limited swimmers and couldn’t compete for the team win in the meets” said Timmy Hoopes.  Nevertheless, the Rockets would go on to send Timmy Hoopes, Zach Hoang, Drew Leck, Bryce Bischler, and Landon Rutledge to swim in the 200-Yard Medley Relay and the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay at state. Drew Leck would also go on to compete in the 100-Yard Breaststroke as the only individual race for the Rockets. To conclude the State Meet, the Rockets would finish top 20 in the state for 1-5A in the Medley Relay. “After State, it was tough. These guys have made a difference in my life. I've thoroughly enjoyed the bonds we've created and that's something I definitely miss. However, the seniors have come back to help out with the Girls Swim Team, which has been stellar. Knowing I made an impact on these guys is really validating for me as a coach, teacher, and human being.” said Coach Kurt. Sadly the Rocket Swim team is graduating six seniors including four key swimmers. However, it will not stop Coach Kurt and the Rocket swimmers from coming back strong next year.

Success Despite COVID-19

by Rylan Barger

The 2020-21 basketball season was a close year for the Lady Rockets. With Head Coach Jenny Page and Assistant Coach Brandon Barger returning to coach the girls basketball team once again, the girls ended with a record of 10-9 and improving on their record from the previous year. The Lady Rockets started the season with a rough start. After seeing a majority of the team miss early season practices due to being quarantined, they started the season with losses against Garden Plain and Chanute in the Early Season Tournament but won their last one against Caney Valley with a score of 53-36. During this basketball season, two games were canceled. The Lady Rockets had to cancel both of their games with Wellington due to both COVID-19 and weather. During the season, we witnessed many achievements with our senior girls. We saw Lexi Rose score 10 or more points in 16 out of 19 games. Korryn Hackney also scored in double digits in 14 games. Another achievement would be Aspen Goetz scoring 22 points at the Augusta home game. We had a short interview with Head Coach Jenny Page and this is what she had to say, “It was a crazy year to come back due to the COVID-19 season. It was weird to start coaching at first but I slowly got back into the flow of coaching. I had a great time coaching again and had a great season. The senior girls were scrappy, competitive, and very entertaining this year and I had a blast coaching them.” All in all, the girls had a better season than last year but persevered during the season of COVID-19.

Kurt Leads Rocket Swimmers

by Caeden Adams

The Rocket boys swimming team is confident in their standings coming into the 2020 season. First year Rocket coach, Christopher Kurt, is new to high school swimming but swam competitively for 13 years. Kurt also taught swim lessons for 6 years and coached a team of elementary kids in 2010. Kurt is currently in his first year as the RHHS Choir Director, but he is in his 7th year of teaching. There are currently 10 guys out for the team including seniors Ethan Anderson, Rylan Barger, Bryce Bischer, Zachery Hoang, Timothy Hoopes, and Andrew Leck. Juniors include Landon Rutledge and Jacob Woodrome and Sophomores Jack Hensley and Dante Robinson. Returning lettering swimmers are Rutledge, Bischler, Hoang, Hoopes, and Leck. Senior Ethan Anderson is the only new swimmer this year but Kurt says he is impressed with his drive to understand the mechanics of each stroke before focusing on his speed. The team's main goal this year is to have swimmers make it to the State Meet. The Rockets and their new coach are looking forward to a successful season.

Rocket Boys Confident In Season

by Caeden Adams

The Rose Hill Boys Basketball team heads into the 2020 season with confidence as the Rockets expect new player combinations. With three returning starters, the Rockets have confidence for the season. Senior Spencer Nolan, Sophomore Kellan Simoneau, and first year Rocket Junior Adriel Smith are among the starters who have big roles to fill this season. Last season, the Rockets advanced to the State Semifinals but a disappointing shutdown due to Covid canceled the remainder of the tournament. Coach Shirley believes the team has a great shot at a successful season but needs some work finding their team defensive identity. Despite losing 4 Seniors from last year, Shirley is excited to build the team’s skill and confidence this year with new strategies for success.

Rocket Girls Ready For Takeoff

by Caeden Adams

This season, the Rocket Girls basketball team welcomes 8 key returning players. With returning players such as Korryn Hackney, Lexie Rose, Haley Thrush, Aspen Goetz, Jenna McCullough, and Alexa Struble, the Rockets are primed and ready. Coach Jenny Page is hopeful for the outcome of the season after returning to the coaching spotlight for her second tenure since 2015. “I look for our team to be athletic and quick,” says Page. The team expects to build on their scoring this year, but are confident in their defense. Having a 9-11 record last season, the Rocket girls are thrilled to get out there and do what they do best. The Lady Rockets are looking forward to a successful season.

High Hopes For Rocket Wrestling

by Caeden Adams

This year, the Rocket Boys Wrestling club has high hopes for the season. Leading the team is first year Rocket coach Chris Saferite and by his side are assistant coaches James Bilby and Darian Eshelman. When asked about preseason expectations, Saferite humbly stated his appreciation for the #7 ranking of the team and the potential of becoming top 5 in the future. With Covid precautions in place, the team is disappointed with the lack of in person fans at their events, but are grateful to have a season despite the stress of this year. 2020 State Tournament 4th place finisher Keegan Beavers and State qualifiers Tommy Rogers, Peyton Besco, and Charlie Black are among some of the key returning wrestlers from last season. With a large number of returning wrestlers, Saferite has confidence in the team’s ability for success. “Rocket Wrestling is on the rise and we will be a force come February.”

Rocket Soccer Dominates Season

by Caeden Adams

The Rocket Soccer team came into this season with great confidence as they had a majority of their players returning for their senior season, many of whom had started varsity since they were freshmen. Starting off the season with a win over Coffeyville, their talent was seen by all and expectations were set for the ambitious team. After only losing one game in the first tournament of the year consisting of several larger schools, the Rockets were unstoppable. Following their 2-1 tourney status, they remained undefeated for almost the rest of the year. The only other blemish on their record was a 0-0 tie with Berean Academy. With a 9-game win streak, the Rockets easily made their way to Regionals. The Rocket boys were relentless, taking the first round and the championship. After that, they made their way to State quarterfinals where they would be victorious over Coffeyville for the 2nd time in their season. However, senior Caden Dinkel was lost to injury early in the quarterfinal game and would be out for the state games as well. The Rockets faced off against Trinity in the State Semifinals but injuries continued to hamper the team and they lost 2-0. The next day, more injuries sidetracked the Rockets again and they lost to Louisburg in the State Consolation Finals 3-0. It was not the ending that the team hoped for but they held their heads high. Going undefeated in the League season, the Rockets had their best year since the back-to-back 2014 and 2015 State Championships finishing with an outstanding 16-3-1 record. With many exceptional players on the the team, Seniors Caden Dinkel, Ethan Anderson, Charlie Black, and Drew Leck were among some of the highest scoring members on the team. Coach Jerry Treat congratulates his players for an astounding season, and he looks forward to the future of the program with many young players ready to make their mark.

Football Embraces True Potential

by Caeden Adams

Starting off this year’s football season, Coach Lee Weber had high hopes for his Rocket athletes. With a starting varsity team consisting of mainly upperclassmen, the Rockets had high potential. Upon the beginning of the season, the team faced a few obstacles while learning to find their mojo. After three losses in their first three games, the seniors stepped up and decided not to have another losing season. Their homecoming game against Augusta was the spark that lit the Rocket’s fire. Following their narrow victory, the Rockets went on to win over and over and over. A 6-game winning streak, including a first round play-off win against Mulvane, would send them to the regional championship game to face the Buhler Crusaders. In the Regional Championship game, the Rose Hill boys gave everything they had to carry on with their winning momentum. Unfortunately, they were defeated by Buhler, ending their season earlier than they hoped. Despite their loss, the Rocket football team played a phenomal season, their best since the State Championship season of 2011. The Rockets showed an unbelievable level of improvement by turning their season around and competing in the playoffs for the first time in 7 years (beyond the play-in game). With satisfaction from both coaches and players, the Rocket football program looks to next year with hopes of reaching a higher level than they achieved this season. Lastly, they say goodbye to all the seniors who graduate this year that contributed greatly to their success.

Bright Future For Rocket XC

by Caeden Adams

The Rocket Cross Country team began their season with high hopes for success with many skilled runners returning for yet another season. For the girls, Senior Aubrie Thomison, Juniors Haley Murray and Jenna McCullough, Sophomores Elliott Herod and Krysten Lucent, and Freshmen Alexa Marshall and Mackynzie Pierce all had an amazing varsity season. For the Boys, Seniors Tommy Rogers and Drew Leck also performed excellently this season by being high placers in most races.  Aubrie Thomison and Alexa Marshall had an exceptionally notable season by being the highest placed finishers in all races this season. Marshall, being just a freshman, took 19th in state and helped Rose Hill break a school record by placing 6th overall at Wamego. With a young, energetic team, the Rockets have a very positive outlook for the future and congratulate themselves for having a solid and successful year.

Lady Rockets Finish Strong

by Caeden Adams

The Lady Rockets Volleyball team came into the 2020 season with confidence after the covid-19 delay to the beginning of the school year. Winning two of their first three games, things were looking up for the Rockets. Unfortunatley, they would fall into an 8-game losing streak before they would encounter victory yet again. The Lady Rocketes would then win 4 out of 5 of their next games before falling into another losing streak. The girls competed in Sub-State and would secure the victory over El Dorado in their first game. Despite their efforts, the Rocket season would be cut short after a loss to McPherson in the second round. The Ladies endured a tough season, including several girls being quarantined at different times, but Seniors Aspen Goetz, Haley Thrush, and Rylie Baker served as captains helping their younger teammates to improve for their following high school seasons. With a final record of 9-20, the Lady Rockets look forward to next year with five returning starters for the 2021 season.

Climbing Back To Top Of 4A

Information From Head Coach Jerry Treat

Head Coach Jerry Treat has had an extremely successful tenure leading the Rocket’s soccer program with an overall record of 254-96-10, including State Championships in 2014 and 2015. The 2020 season looks to be more of the same as the Rockets return ten starters from last year’s team that finished 10-7-1 after losing a heartbreaker to Buhler in overtime in the Regional Championship game. The only player the Rockets lost to graduation from last year’s team was 4A 1st Team All-State Goal Keeper Trystan Spiess. However, Coach Treat is expecting big contributions from Goal Keeper Temo Luna-Berumen. Meanwhile the Rockets return their entire field of play in Defenders Ethan Anderson (2nd Team All State), Teagan Cobb, Charlie Black, and Ethan Tucker.  Midfielders returning are Drew Leck (2nd Team All State), Andruw Weeks, and Daylin Jantzen. Returning forwards are Caden Dinkel (1st Team All State), Timmy Hoopes (2nd Team All State), and Zach Hoang.  Coach Treat believes this should be a very strong team and he is expecting the team to be in the top three of Class 4A with the team setting a goal of winning another State Championship. They will open the season by hosting Coffeyville on Friday, August 28.

Girls Looking To Rebound

Information From Head Coach Cherith Mock

From 2016 to 2018, the Lady Rocket Volleyball program dominated with State Championships in 2016 and 2017, a state tournament appearance in 2018, and an overall record of 111-18 for a .860 winning percentage. However, the 2019 season saw the Lady Rockets struggle to a 13-24 finish while fielding a young varsity team. With four key players returning to the varsity squad this year, the Lady Rockets have some great returning experience in Rylie Baker, Haley Thrush, Aspen Goetz and Mandi Heinz. Both Thrush and Heinz were 2nd team All-League last year.  Coach Mock said, “I feel like we have a great shot at finishing strong in our league. Tournaments this year are going to look a little different with limited teams at each site, but hopefully we will get to play some teams outside of our league and continue to grow throughout the season.  We are all looking forward to court time and getting to play together.” The girls will open their season on Tuesday, September 1 at Buhler.

#ToughPeopleWin

Information From Head Coach Lee Weber

Coach Lee Weber arrived in Rose Hill in 2018 with the goal of rebuilding the Rocket Football program to the level where it was in 2011 when the program completed a very successful decade with a State Championship. After finishing 1-8 in 2018 and 3-6 in 2019, Coach Weber stated, “We grew up quite a bit over the course of 2019. We competed much better and really had several opportunities to win a couple more games than we did win last year, but we are still in the process of learning how to win. Our group has really taken some steps in the weightroom to work to be bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic. They have bought in completely. A majority of our returners played 2 other sports in this off-season and worked extremely hard even with the COVID-19 quarantine. As an example, slot receiver Spencer Nolan has put on 30 lbs since our Spring Break and is faster than he was before. Our offensive and defensive line proved themselves to be formidable last year. Offensively, senior Bryson Evans would appear to be in line for the starting quarterback job but will be pushed by Lane Gardner, a junior. Both are intense workers and have put in a great amount of time honing their craft. Keegan Beavers returns as our lone returning running back, but Brennan Robledo, junior, Spencer Nolan, senior, Jonathan Morgan (sophomore transfer from Florida), and sophomore Boeden Whitted all will compete for carries. Seniors Bryce Bischler and Spencer Nolan are our top returning targeted receivers and will figure into a lot of our offensive plans. Noah Paredes will have the ability to play split receiver and tight end in our offense, which will make him very valuable. Senior Trevor Kiser became a reliable possession receiver and great blocker at outside receiver last year and returns there this fall. Seniors Brandon Kelly and Tyler Gowdy, Juniors Brennan Robledo, Kale Kochick, and Chase Green, and sophomores Luke McCaughlin and Ben Peck may also contribute offensively at the skill positions. Our defense only returns three starters from 2019. Kelly, Paredes, and Bischler are all great returning linebackers who will really have to step up this fall. We will be deep and physical on the defensive line, but inexperienced. Our defensive backfield will be very inexperienced, but given our workouts thus far we have a lot of faith in the fast and athletic group.” In regard to their goals for the 2020 season, Coach Weber said, “As it is every year, our number one goal is to go 1-0 each week. If we can perform and take care of business each week, then we have a great shot to more than surpass last year’s 3-6 record. Turnarounds do not happen overnight as we found out the last two years. This turnaround has been and will continue to be a multi-year process and being 1-0 daily is what we have to focus on. We love the 4A playoff format, which gives us a shot to be in the playoffs regardless of our record and makes every game on our schedule vitally important to our seeding. We were a mere 7-8 points in a tiebreaker from having a home playoff game at Rose Hill last year for the first time in a long time.  Quite simply to be successful in that format, we have to treat every game like our Super Bowl. That strategy worked well for us in the last part of the season as we played one of our best games of the year against the #1 seed McPherson in the regular season. We will always have a tough schedule because of the strength of the AVCTL Division 3 and 4, but we believe ourselves to be equal to the task. We want to be a team that overachieves and is recognized for its speed, toughness, discipline, and will to win.” When asked bout the team’s key to success in 2020, Coach Weber replied, “Our key to success will be consistency and ball control. Offensively, we will need to be efficient, play at a deliberate pace, control the ball and pace of the game to be successful. We also are putting a priority on running the football this season and controlling the ball and clock. Defensively, we need to hold our opponents under two scores and be the best tackling team in the state. In addition, our special teams being special and an advantage is critical to our success this year. Overall, we will need to lean heavily on our deep offensive and defensive line and our young skill players will need to step up immensely. We have some fantastic young players but they need to step up to the plate under the lights on Friday. I really love our group of kids. These Rockets over the past three years have been the most coachable group of kids I have had in 20 years of coaching. There has never been one bit of push back when we coach them on anything! Success is coming for them. We just have to be patient.” The Rockets will open the season on September 4th as they host 4A State Power Andale.

Season of Redemption

Information From Head Coach Brandon Barger

As the Rocket Cross Country team starts the 2020 season, there are many questions that will need to be answered. Since most of the athletes started with track last spring and then had the season canceled after two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team is doing their part to make sure we have a fall season.  Coach Barger is going into his 14th season as the head coach of the Rocket’s cross country program and Coach Page will be the assistant coach for her 4th year.  The girls are coming into the 2020 season after they were short by just 6 points of going to state as a team.  In 2019 the girl’s team had two freshmen, Kyrsten Lucent and Elliot Herod, qualify for the State Meet. Aubrie Thomison will be leading this young team that should be causing some noise in the rankings of 4A.  We have 15 girls with most of them only being sophomores and juniors.  For the boys, our numbers are really low with only six runners for the program.  Tommy Rogers is the leader of this team and is the lone senior.  The boys will have a learning curve as most of the team from last year were seniors. The six boys that we do have are working hard and will learn a lot this season.  Some of the team from last year decided not to return, which hurts our numbers a little. However, our middle school program this year has really picked up the pace in numbers and really will be a contributor in the future.  Our first meet will be at Clearwater on September 3rd.