Here it is in a nutshell: Iola High’s Mustangs have lost 15 straight football games and they have lost 22 consecutive games to arch-rival Chanute High’s Blue Comets.
Iola and Chanute are two of the founding members of the Southeast Kansas League. Friday night’s game at Chanute is the final one the Mustangs and Blue Comets will play as members of the SEK. Iola moves to the Pioneer League next year.
Even though the rivalry has been one-sided the past 22 years, not many want to see the two schools completely part ways. So there is work going on between now and next week to see what can be done to keep the rivalry game on the â¨schedule.
Next week, the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) announces the football district assignments for the 2012-13 and 2013-2014. There is a possibility Iola and Chanute could land in the same Class 4A district again. Right now, they are in different districts.
Talking to IHS head football coach Rick Horton and CHS head football coach Don Simmons Wednesday, they really want the teams to remain on each other’s schedules. We just have to wait to see how things wash out next week with district assignments and new individual school schedules.
SPEAKING OF SEK finales, Iola High’s girls will play in their last SEK League Tennis Tournament Saturday. The Fillies go into the tournament with one senior — Hannah Barclay, who is in her first year of the sport — three juniors and two sophomores.
The Pioneer League schools don’t play tennis. It was agreed this fall at a SEK meeting that Iola would continue to play in the SEK rotation of regular season action. The Fillies will not play in the league tournament again.
THE ROYALS are finished with the 2011 baseball season. There’s reasons to hope with the new crop of younger players. My fear, as a loyal Kansas City Royals’ fan, is that the front office will do what it has done in the past. Farm out our good players to other teams.
