HHS baseball team on the move
Sports editor
Daniel Kunanataev took second and third places at two major golf events this past week as the Trojan team prepares for regionals.
The junior and former state runner-up was second Monday at the league meet hosted by Marion Country Club and third Friday at the 36-hole Marion County tournament.
Kunanatev shot 74 Monday, just two strokes behind champion Michael Gillerman of Sterling.
Gillerman also won the county tournament.
Kunantaev shot 35 on the front nine and lead Gillerman by two strokes. However, a double bogey on 10 tied him with the sophomore.
He lost the lead for good on 13 with a six, but ended the tournament tied with Marion’s Luke Gordon. Kunantaev earned second on a scorecard tiebreaker.
On Friday, the junior used an impressive round of 70 at Hillsboro Municipal Golf Course to take third place at the county tournament.
His round also included a 77 at Marion Country Club for a total of 147.
Gillerman won after shooting 136.
The 36-hole tournament was delayed until 11 a.m. Friday because of soggy course conditions. The final golfer finished about 8:30 p.m. after some hurried play enabled the tournament to finish before dark.
Hillsboro head coach Scott O’Hare appreciated everyone working together.
“I know getting all 36 holes in was a lot to ask of the kids with the shortened time frame, but that was our goal,” O’Hare said. “We take pride in hosting the only 36-hole, high school golf tournament in the state. I hope, with all things considered, it was a positive experience.”
Hillsboro was eighth out of 14 as a team and took fifth out of nine at the league tournament.
The Trojans will play host Monday to a 3A regional and hope to qualify for the state tournament May 26 at Tallgrass Country Club in Wichita.
For full golf results see Page 7.
Baseball
The Trojan baseball squad improved to 13-5 this week, dismantling its two opponents.
Hillsboro outscored Marion and Little River 55-7 en route to four victories.
The team played Haven Tuesday but results were not available by press time.
The week began with 18-0 and 8-1 victories against Little River.
The Trojans banged out 18 hits in game one, with Dylan Delk, Aaron Bina, and Ben Bebermeyer each collecting three.
Derek Kelsey and Jacob Edwards led the team at the plate, each with two RBIs.
Bina picked up the victory on the mound with a complete game in a shortened, three-inning game.
Bina then had three RBIs in game two to go along with two hits.
Luke Moore threw a complete game, giving up just one run in the process.
The runs continued to pour in Friday against Marion as the Trojans earned 14-1 and 15-5 victories against their county rival.
Edwards threw a complete game in the first match-up allowing five hits and one run while striking out five in five innings.
Tyler Ediger went all five innings on the mound in game two, allowing five runs on six hits and striking out five.
The Trojans scored in all but one inning in game one, leading 13-1 after three innings.
Ediger had two hits and four RBIs, while Daniel Jost added a home run and two RBIs, and Edwards was 2-for-4 with four driven in.
Jost knocked another out of the park in game two, and added a double and two RBIs for good measure.
Ediger hit a long-ball, and was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and four runs scored.
Delk added three RBIs in the contest.
The Trojans will play host to a 3A regional beginning Monday.
Tennis
Taylor Hagen and Clay Shewey will represent Hillsboro Friday at the state tournament.
The duo is now 21-8 on the season after taking third place Thursday in the doubles event at the Hillsboro regional.
The two entered the tournament as the three seed.
“They have shown steady improvement and continued to play some excellent tennis at regional,” said head coach Stu Holmes.
Hagen and Shewey defeated opponents from Elyria Christian and Douglass before falling in the semis to a duo from Wichita Collegiate.
They bounced back in the third-place match, defeating Dustin Ohl and Jason Banning of Hutchinson Trinity, 6-2, 6-3.
Number 12 seed duo of Ben Gottsch and Nolan Dirks was ousted in the first round.
Trojan singles player Jarod Hamm won his first-round match-up against Daxten Pruter of Neodesha 6-4, 6-3, but lost in the second round to number one seed and eventual champion Daniel Ritchie of Wichita Collegiate.
Grant Shewey went in as the 12th seed and lost in the first round, 6-2, 6-1.
Holmes was proud of how his team competed this season and looks forward to watching Hagen and Clay Shewey at the state tournament.
“I know Taylor and Clay are looking forward to continuing to play well at state and can be very competitive,” Holmes said.
Track and field
Both Hillsboro High School track and field teams took fifth place Thursday at the Hesston Invitational.
The usual suspects were at it again with Dakota Kaufman and Ishmael Morris leading the way for their respective teams.
Kaufman took second in the javelin, long jump, and triple jump, setting a school record in the process.
Her javelin toss of 116 feet, three inches was the longest throw by a Trojan girl in the history of the school.
Morris was off and running to a first-place in the 100-meter dash, as was second in the 200 and third in the 400.
Teammate Nathan Vogel edged him out in the 400, taking second place.
Matt Klenda was second in the 800m run.
The teams will compete Friday at Sterling for the league meet.
For full results see Page 7.