Hugoton sweeps Red Demons Home Opener on the Hardwood

December 14, 2016 By DCHS Sports

Dodge City boys, girls drop home opener

By: John Zetmeir

Hugoton’s fast-paced tempo frustrated the Dodge City High School girls basketball team from the opening tip-off on Tuesday night. The Eagles ran away with a 71-47 win in the Red Demons’ home opener.

Dodge City (1-2) turned the ball over 27 times, 12 of which came in the first quarter.

“We’ve got to do better at executing the game plan,” Dodge City head coach Kelley Snodgrass said. “We had people in different positions. We’ve got to be able to handle pressure because we are going to see that at the 6A level as well so we really need to minimize turnovers and value every possession.”

Hugoton, the No. 1 ranked team in 3A, scored 25 points in the first quarter on 10-of-15 shooting from the field while also forcing 12 Dodge City turnovers. The Eagles took a 23-12 lead near the end of the first quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way.

The Red Demons were limited with their rotations on Tuesday as they were without three members of the team.

“We’re going to face adversity before Christmas due to injuries and due to absences,” Snodgrass said. “People on the bench are stepping up and that’s what we need but yeah, we would’ve liked to have a few more (substitutes).”

Senior Tia Bradshaw finished with 24 points and seven rebounds while fellow senior Ashley Nelson tallied nine points and nine rebounds.

Hugoton’s Kathryn Heger led all scorers with 26 points while teammate Amy Scott added 17.

HUGOTON – 25 17 11 18 – 71

DODGE CITY GIRLS – 13 13 5 16 – 47

Bradshaw 24, Armstrong 9, Nelson 9, Buller 3, Morales 2. 17-45, 10-19 FT, 3-18 3FG.

HUGOTON 62, DODGE CITY BOYS 55

The young Dodge City High School boys basketball team showed signs of improvement despite suffering their third-straight loss to start the season on Tuesday.

The Red Demons and Hugoton exchanged the lead seven times in the first half before a 9-0 run late in the second quarter helped the Eagles create separation.

After trailing by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, the Red Demons chipped away at Hugoton’s lead to make it a four-point game in the final minute after a steal and layup by senior Chris Baker.

Dodge City made 20-of-37 shots from the floor and 7-of-13 free throw attempts on the night. It was the best shooting performance of the season so far for the Red Demons.

“We made shots,” Dodge City head coach Dennis Hamilton said. “I knew that we were better than what we showed the first two games. Tonight we got off and (Baker) really led us early on and knocked down some shots. When you’re knocking down some shots, going down to the (defensive) end is a little easier.”

Baker led all scorers with 17 points which included five 3-point makes.

With 2:19 left in the game, sophomore Noah Sowers was fouled on a layup and turned it into a three-point play after making the free throw that cut Hugoton’s lead to 55-50. Sowers scored 13 points and added five rebounds.

“(Sowers) has kind of become the motor to this team out front,” Hamilton said. “He does a really good job and kids respond to him.”

Both Dodge City teams will continue their grueling week on Friday when they travel to Goddard-Eisenhower before returning home Saturday to host Manhattan.

HUGOTON – 15 17 10 20 – 62

DODGE CITY BOYS – 14 9 13 19 – 55

Baker 17, Sowers 13, Heath 11, Williams 7, Riekenberg 5, Gleason 2. 20-37, 7-13 FT, 8-14 3FG.

Red Demons split games in Liberal vs. Hereford, TX

December 12, 2016 By DCHS Sports

Demon girls rout Hereford

By: John Zetmeir

The Dodge City High School girls basketball team collected its first win of the season Friday afternoon by beating Hereford

59-34. The Red Demons’ defense made things tough for Hereford from the opening tip as they held the Herd to just 11 points in the first half. Dodge City took a 28-11 lead into the halftime break. Dodge City’s lead grew to 28 points in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Madison Armstrong led the team in scoring with 15 points. The sophomore guard knocked down three 3-pointers on the afternoon. Senior Ashley Nelson finished with 14 points and led the team with seven rebounds.

HEREFORD 36, DODGE CITY BOYS 31

The Red Demons fell to Hereford in a tightly contested game on Friday 36-31. Dodge City grabbed a two point lead with 3:26 left in the game but an 11-4 run by the Herd was enough to propel them to a win. Seniors Chris Baker and Thomas Sanchez led the team in scoring with nine points each. Dodge City finished

9-of-34 from the field. The Red Demons will play their home opener next Tuesday when they host Hugoton. The girls game is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. at Dodge City High School.

Red Demons look to bounce back against Hereford

December 9, 2016 By DCHS Sports

Demons look to bounce back against Hereford

By: John Zetmeir

The Dodge City High School basketball teams have had a whole week to prepare for their second game of the season following last Friday’s losses at Junction City.

The Red Demon girls did not get off to the start to the season that they were hoping for in Junction City. Dodge City fell to the Bluejays 46-43 but trailed by 15 points in the first half.

After being rebounded 39 to 29 and giving up 17 offensive rebounds to Junction City last week, Dodge City head coach Kelley Snodgrass said that rebounding has been a big focus for the Red Demons this week in practice in preparing for Hereford.

“We definitely have to box out,” Snodgrass said. “Hereford rebounds just as well, if not better, than Junction so that’s been a point of emphasis. That and taking care of the ball. We have to value every possession and limit our turnovers.”

In her first high school game, freshman Chidera Okoro scored six points and also grabbed four rebounds last Friday.

“Chidera plays hard,” Snodgrass said. “I didn’t know if we would use her this early but she’s proven herself in practice and did some good things for us so I decided to give her a shot and she rose to the occasion.”

The Hereford girls fell to Liberal on Thursday night.

The Dodge City boys are also looking to bounce back after their 48-32 loss to Junction City.

The Red Demons got off to a strong start by taking an 11-3 lead over the Bluejays but as the game went on, Dodge City struggled to score.

“We made shots and that’s always a good sign but as that game unfolded, our shooting percentage just went down and down,” Dodge City head coach Dennis Hamilton said. “We’ve spent some time on just finishing around the rim in practice. It’s correctable. Is it correctable in one week? I think we’re going to be a better team with the guys that we have to play than we were a week ago.”

Dodge City will be without senior Justin Schowengerdt who was injured early in last Friday’s season opener. Schowengerdt was one of four returners with varsity experience from last season.

Junior Dawson Williams will likely replace Schowengerdt in the starting lineup. Williams grabbed eight rebounds against Junction City last week.

Tip off will be early than the average Friday as the Dodge City girls will square off with Hereford beginning at noon with the boys following at 2 p.m. in Liberal.

Red Demons dominate All-State selections

December 8, 2016 By DCHS Sports

Red Demons dominate All-State selections

By: John Zetmeir

Seven members of the Dodge City High School boys soccer team earned All-State honors on Wednesday following their state championship win this season.

Head coach Saul Hernandez was named 6A Coach of the Year while five players earned First Team All-State honors and senior Antonio De La Torre was named to the Second Team All-State list.

For the second year in a row juniors Joshua DonJuan, Francisco Cayetano and Mario Martinez were awarded First Team All-State honors. Fellow juniors Miguel Baca and Eddie Del Toro also found themselves on the first team. DonJuan, who scored 26 goals this season, earned the title of 6A Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Baca, who anchored the Red Demons’ defense that did not allow a goal in postseason play, was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Dodge City captured its first state championship in boys soccer by defeating Olathe East 1-0 in the 6A state championship game. The Red Demons also finished the year as the No. 5 ranked team in the country by USA Today.

Q&A with Dodge City’s Tylor Garcia

December 7, 2016 By DCHS Sports

By: Kyle McCaskey

Dodge City’s Tylor Garcia enters the final season of a prestigious high school wrestling career. Garcia is a three-time KSHSAA 6A state qualifier, placing third as a sophomore and second as a junior, where Garcia lost a 1-0 thriller to Garden City’s Michael Prieto – one of only 33 four-time state champions – in the 138pound state final. Garcia begins the season ranked No. 2 at 152 by the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association, and Dodge City is No. 4 in the team ranks.

Dodge City has finished in the Top 5 at state the past two seasons. Who, or what, has elevated the program?

“It’s all of us. We wrestle for our families and take care of each other. We try to get better each week.

The team tries to get better and continue to improve on what we need, every match, win or loss. If someone has lost a match, we give feedback on what they could have done better during that match. Coach Lars Lueders has taught us that we’re a family and to take care of each other.

Who in the practice room brings out the best in you?

“I think it’d be (182-pound senior) Dylan Servis. He might have gotten hurt last year, but even though he’d be on the side last year, he’d still help me out on what I could have done better.

Especially with the day I faced Michael Prieto for the very first time, him and Clay Weil helped me out with getting a better stance against him and not to be so afraid, just because he was a three-time state champion.

He gave me motivation to face him a second time and to be more confident in myself. Dylan Servis is a very good friend.”

Is there a wrestler or team outside your program that you love to face?

“I’d say it probably would be Garden City, because they have such a good program that it (makes us want) to strive to be even better than what they are. It makes me hungry. They have some great seniors with them, and we have some seniors that can be on the same level, if not be better than they are. For that, Garden City is probably the one team I look highly up to.”

There was a reasonable argument to be made that you may have scored on Prieto in the closing seconds of the state championship match. Do you feel you got a point out of that match? Or too close to call?

“Honestly, yes, I think I did get those final points, but I may have not secured his leg for a good few seconds so the ref could call it.

Honestly, I believe the refs made a good decision.”

How have you handled the hours, weeks, months since that title match?

“At first, I was very sad and disappointed. Afterward, the coaches and all my other teammates supported me, telling me that even though it didn’t go my way, I wrestled my hardest and gave it my all. For that, they believed in me that I could be a state champ next year.

I just learned from that mistake. One of my teammates, (132-pound senior) Devon Plaza, showed me some different situations for when I had (Prieto’s) leg.

Now, if I get in that situation ever again, I will finish it and hopefully be on top.”

What inspires you to wrestle?

“What inspires me to wrestle is my family. They support me in everything, even though I may be stubborn sometimes. They support me in my decisions, especially last year. Made weight every single week.

They believe in me and I did everything I could. I did everything for them. Even the matches I lost, the ones I won, I wrestled for them. I lost a couple family members on the way. Most of those matches were for all my family and all my wrestling family.”

You mentioned you have, unfortunately, lost a couple people along the way. Do you think about them during matches?

“Yes, I do. They give me strength for when I feel like I want to give up.

Especially last year, I didn’t think I could make one of my weights during that time. I thought of them. Just striving to get that weight down as quickly as possible.

They’re the ones who I will always keep in my heart at the end of those matches.”

“I see us doing what we do best – going out, every match, facing Garden, facing all of our (Western Athletic Conference) competition, and just going as hard as we can against them for our future Red Demons.

They have a very bright future in front of them, and they have a very good coach coaching them for those matches. Even with the JV guys, they have some awesome coaches, as well.”