It was a full week for fall sports, as many teams began their first competitions of the season.
Football: The football team had a rough stretch on the road, losing to Lee’s Summit North High School 14-48. Senior varsity quarterback T.J. Shanks threw both of the team’s touchdowns to senior wide receiver Andrew Genova for a combined 98 yards on seven attempts, completing three. The Falcons rushing attack was split three ways with junior running backs Nick Ballew, Lance Holsted and Draivyn Colvin who had a combined 23 carries and 48 yards with no touchdowns. The defense took every opportunity they could to take the ball away, picking up a crucial fumble on the goal line, but ultimately were not able to shut down the high powered Lee’s Summit North offense. The varsity football team will look to earn their first win on another road trip to Park Hill High School.
Girls Volleyball: The girls volleyball team started off their season 2-2, winning their first match against Raymore-Pecuiliar, also earning head coach Tori Spencer’s first school win. In their second game, varsity swept Kearney High School in three sets to start off the week 2-0. The team ended up 2-2 after two losses on the road to Lee’s Summit and Park Hill high schools. Their next match will be at home against Lee’s Summit North High School Sept. 5.
Boys Soccer: The varsity boys soccer team started off their season with a loss to Park Hill South High School at home 0-1 in an overtime matchup. The team didn’t let the first game loss define them and came back to defeat Oak Park in a dominating 8-1 score in front of the home crowd to add a win to their record, making them 1-1 to start off. The team will hit the road to face St. Joseph Central High School, searching for their second win.
Girls Tennis: The girls tennis team dominated in their first match of the year against Raymore-Peculiar High School, sweeping them 9-0 to start off the season strong. The team also went to beat Park Hill High School on the road 7-2, followed by another 4-0 win against Park Hill South High School. The girls tennis team looks to keep the undefeated streak alive next week at Platte County High School Sept. 9.
Softball: The varsity softball team started off their season on the road, and beat Park Hill South High School in a 4-1 victory to start off strong. They went on the road again to face Lee’s Summit, where they lost 0-2 to even out their record to 1-1. The team went on to play three matches Sept. 6, with their first game being a 0-9 loss to Raymore-Peculiar High School, however they went on to beat Joplin High School in a 9-6 victory, followed by another win against Jay High School 8-6. The team wasn’t able to win their next two matches against Webb City and Neosho high schools, losing by a one-run differential in both games 3-4 and 2-3. The team looks to host a rematch against Raymore-Peculiar High School Sept. 9
Boys Swim: The swim team earned personal best times and placements as well as solid relay times in their meet against Liberty North Sept. 12. The meet started off with the 200-yard Medly relay with Staley finishing third. The 200-yard freestyle ended with junior Garrison Wells placing second, followed by another second place from junior Sam Hennenfent in the 200-yard IM. Staley won their first gold in the meet with senior Gabriel Wells in the 50-yard freestyle where he won by 0.20 seconds. Hennenfent also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle, followed by another gold in the 200-yard freestyle relay. In the eleventh event of the meet, Gabriel Wells earned second place in the 100-yard breaststroke for the team’s final podium placement of the meet. The Falcons earned a total of 312 points, placing second in the meet behind Rockhurst High School with 539 total points.
Cross Country: At the Todd Warner Kickoff Classic, the boys varsity team scored a team final 360 points and finished 15th in the meet, with the highest placement being junior Carson Crockett, running a 17:21.10 placing 55th in the meet. The girls cross country team placed fifth as a team. Junior Audrey Ritcher placed 16th in the meet, running a 20:10.80. The cross country teams next meet will be the Ray-Pec Invitational Sept. 14, where the runners will look to break PR’s and earn medals.