Sports

Eisenhower girls basketball won’t be starting over this winter. The Tigers bring back a deep, experienced group, especially in the senior class, and head coach Matt Brumley is eager to see how far that continuity can take the team.

Goddard girls basketball is still in building mode under head coach Jeremy Heim, but he likes the direction the Lions are heading. The Lions bring back four players with varsity experience: junior guard Presley Schmidt, plus seniors Sariah Potter and Audie Phillips, and sophomore Kara Davis, who saw limited time last season but should take on a larger role.

The Goddard boys basketball team believes its foundation is much stronger this winter and is hoping to climb back toward postseason success. Head coach Blake Myers returns three starters from last season in seniors Erv Manuel-Phillips, Lawson Davis and Jaxen Terhune, all of whom were in the lineup throughout the year. That kind of experience, he said, is a welcome change.

The Garden Plain Owls wrestling team will feature a solid mix of experience and new faces when it hits the mat this season. Leading the way is sophomore Nate Eck at 106 pounds.

The Eisenhower and Goddard district boys swim team had a positive first season a year ago, and they hope to carry that success into the program’s second year. The team features four returning State qualifiers, including a two-time Class 5A State champion.

The Garden Plain Owls boys basketball team will have a different look as they tip off the 2025-26 season. The Owls graduated five seniors off of last year’s team, and those players had been on the varsity team for three and even four years.

The new Garden Plain Lady Owls basketball season starts with some unanswered questions that will need to be answered by a relatively young group. Three starters are back from last year’s team – senior Reese Stuhlsatz, sophomore Aubrey Haukap and Lylah Zoglman, who was a starter in the second half of the season.

The Conway Springs Cardinals will look to a quartet of experienced seniors as they seek their second trip in the last three years to the State tournament in boys basketball. Eli Benge, Logan Osner, Connor Koster and Kadyn Madi are all back for the Cardinals, with the first three having played significant minutes last winter for Conway Springs.

The Conway Springs Cardinals girls basketball team is looking to a veteran coach to lead its veteran roster this season. The Cardinals will be coached this winter by Brett Gunderson, a Minnesota native who is entering his 16th season as a head basketball coach.

The Clearwater Indians boys basketball team will be seeking to improve this season after finishing 1-19 last season. The Indians will have a few pieces back to build around when they start the season Friday against Chapman.