Highly rated Trojan volleyball rebuilding
Staff writer
Hillsboro will compete in four varsity sports this fall: volleyball, football, cross country, and girls’ tennis.
Most teams will see continuity with their head coaches, except girls’ tennis, which hired a Trojan alumna to take the helm this offseason.
Volleyball
It’s been nearly 40 years since HHS won its first state title in volleyball.
The Trojans continued to make state appearances in the 1990’s, and early 2000’s. They continued at a steady pace from 2008 to 2014, when the team won three more state titles in seven appearances.
Even between 2020 and 2023, as well as last year, Hillsboro strung together more state appearances.
Head coach Sandy Arnold now enters her 23rd year at Hillsboro, and 32nd overall as a coach. With the Trojans alone, she boasts a 653-235 record.
She expects this season to start a little more slowly than in years past, as few returners with varsity experience will suit up for the team’s first game.
“It is also possible that our returners may come back in new roles,” Arnold said.
The Trojans graduated seven key seniors from last year’s team who held valuable positions and added height.
Outsides Kingzley Ratzlaff and Lauryn Vogt both earned league and state honors.
“With all this change, it will be important for us to give ourselves time to gel and gain confidence,” Arnold said.
Returning starter Amyah Werth is looking to set the tone and anchor the Trojans for her senior year.
Last season, Werth made Central Kansas League First Team All-League, 2A State All-Tournament Team, and KVA First Team All-State Class 2A.
Senior Daisy Klein also is set to return, and so is senior Mackenzie D’Albini, who Arnold said “is no stranger to the varsity floor.”
“She filled in last season when girls were injured,” Arnold said. “We anticipate her helping us out in the front row.”
Regardless, the Trojans have a variety of spots to fill, and Arnold expects underclassmen to compete for positions and find bigger roles.
“We will look different in our size, we will also focus on a different style of play,” Arnold said. “It is our goal to grow and improve each day so that we will be a team to contend with in the post-season.”
Hillsboro’s schedule this season has contenders that will test their skills.
They play bigger schools in Great Bend, Emporia, and Southeast of Saline.
They also play non-league state contenders like Little River, Sedgwick, Ellinwood, and Concordia.
“Our final tournament is the one we host at home, and includes volleyball strong programs like Minneapolis and Rock Creek,” Arnold said.
The Trojans started preseason play in Hoisington on Aug. 29.
They officially began the season Tuesday against Little River in Ellinwood.
“We play in three very competitive tournaments throughout the season and each tournament brings larger schools, which will be great tests for us,” Arnold said.
The next matchups for Hillsboro will be this Tuesday in Hesston against Hesston and Cheney.
The Trojans’ first home game this season won’t be until Sept. 17 against Sedgwick.
Football
Hillsboro’s football team ended last season at 6-4 and with a second-round exit in the playoffs against Hoisington.
Head coach Demetrius Cox said the work done in the offseason should position the Trojans for another run in the playoffs.
Cox now is entering his seventh season as the Trojans’ head coach, and 15th total.
He will be assisted on the sidelines by Dennis Boldt and Jeff Haslett.
A few losses were Jesiah Gooch, Aaron Hein, and Evan Jones, all of whom graduated the year prior.
Still, there are a handful of key contributors from last season on both offense and defense that are making their return.
Zayne Haslett, Brayson Amstutz, Preston D’Ablini, Thurston Silhan, Braxton Hiebert, Talon Regier, Hudson Rogers, Daniel Blackmon-Richard, and Peter Farha are positioned to help lead the Trojans to another playoff berth.
“Their success will hinge on summer development and leadership stepping up from the junior and senior classes,” Cox said.
Hillsboro kicks off its season on the road Friday against Hoisington, a rematch against the team that sent the Trojans packing a season ago.
They won’t play at home until Sept. 11, when Larned makes a visit.
Cross Country
Of Hillsboro’s 18 cross country runners this season, only one is a senior: Riley Richert.
Despite this, coach Brielle Loewen said a few more may show up by the end of the season.
“We do have a good group this year, it will be fun to see them each improve as individuals,” Loewen said.
This year’s team primarily is made up of sophomores, with a handful of freshmen, and three juniors. All returning athletes lettered last year.
Anna King, Wyatt Dies, and Elijah Holmes are juniors.
Ashton Davidson, Ethan Jost, Ethan Rempel, Emerson Corby, Joseph Kelley, Nathan Byford, Hudson Sibayan, and Grayson Millman are sophomores.
Freshmen to keep an eye on this season and in years to come are Silas Sigley, Brooklynne Thompson, Ansley Wichert, Aaliya Sorensen, and Camryn Shewey.
When asked about this year’s practice strategy, potential meet strategy as well as potential obstacles she and the team will need to overcome, Loewen said, “I don’t comment on strategy or things like that.”
The Trojans’ cross county season starts Thursday in Clearwater.
Hillsboro will be running close to home at the Marion cross country meet Sept. 24.
Girls tennis
The Trojans girls’ tennis team hired a first-year head coach this season, and one with local connection.
Kyla Isaac, who played at Hillsboro during her high school career as well as in college at Brown University, will lead Hillsboro’s girls’ tennis team this fall.
“I am excited to return to my home courts and coach the next group of competitors,” Isaac said.
Her previous experiences with coaching, she said, include helping run camps, and giving private lessons. Now, she’ll lead an entire team.
To help cushion that, Hillsboro is returning seven players from last season, five of which will be seniors.
Those seniors include Abby Beavers, Emma Bartel, Ruthie Paulus, Hailey Gilkey, and state doubles competitor Brooklyn Thiessen.
This year’s sophomore class features Abi Suderman and Bethany Boyd.
Three new players joined the team this year, looking for success: freshmen Lakin Oelke, Kelsey Shaw, and Summer Dalke.
For her first year as a head coach, Isaac said practices have combined court agility, hitting consistency, and the mental toughness required to compete at a high level.
She’s already seeing improvement in individual skills that could lead to depth up and down the roster.
“I anticipate successful doubles and singles seasons for both returners and freshmen,” Isaac said.
The team’s biggest challenge, Isaac said, won’t be the players across the court. It will be the weather.
“Kansas weather is often the greatest challenge during the tennis season, and will be something we address and overcome during our hot, windy, and frigid practices,” she said.
Hillsboro tennis opened its season with the Hillsboro Invitational on Tuesday.
The Trojans’ next match will be Sept. 10 in Lindsborg.
For information about scores and schedules, visit www.tennisreporting.com.