Bulldog boys, Comet girls tabbed in Southeast Kansas League

Fort Scott head boys' basketball coach Jeff DeLaTorre (seated) is interviewed for upcoming television segments by (from left) KOAM-TV's Jacob Leonard and KODE's Cealey Godwin after speaking to other media during a conference in Pittsburg Monday morning. The media conference serves as an unofficial kickoff to the high-school basketball season as Monday was the first day of practice allowed under KSHSAA regulations. Fort Scott's boys were picked to finish in third place while the girls, under new head coach Pechonne Stepps, were chosen sixth. (Scott Nuzum/Tribune)

PITTSBURG -- Fort Scott High School's boys were picked to finish third by league coaches in polls released here Monday morning while Tiger girls were tabbed for sixth place.

KSHQ Radio tabulated the polls for the annual media conference, held in Pittsburg's WATCO building. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

On the boys' side, defending champion Independence was picked to repeat, receiving six of the seven first-place votes. The Bulldogs finished 10-2 in the SEK and 19-3 overall last season. Labette County (8-4, 13-7), which finished third last season, was picked for second place, picking up the first-place vote from Indy head coach Marcus Lanning, since he couldn't vote for his Bulldogs.

Indy, which lost in the first round of the Class 4A-Division I State Tournament to eventual runner-up Topeka Hayden, had a total of 36 points in the voting while LCHS had 29 and Fort Scott picked up 24. Coffeyville was picked to finish fourth with 18 points. Chanute and Parsons tied for fifth with 15 points each and Pittsburg brought up the rear with 7 points.

Fort Scott head coach Jeff DeLaTorre noted that he has eight seniors returning for the Tigers, expecting to see 26 out in the top three grades and 15 freshmen on the first day of practice, which was also Monday.

"We do return some experience," DeLaTorre told the media. "In the last couple of years, we've had to play a few of those (underclassmen)."

The Tigers finished fifth last season with a 5-7 mark in the SEK and a 10-12 record overall. They begin this season, as they have the last quarter century, at the Willard (Mo.) Four-State Classic, Dec. 4-6.

"We're healthier than we have been after the past couple of football seasons," DeLaTorre noted. "And I think you can make a case for all seven teams."

Lanning enters his fifth season and noted that his teams have never finished where they've been picked.

"This could thing a bad thing," Lanning joked. "In the SEK, if you don't show up, you're going to lose.

"This team, we'll have a little bit of defense here and there and we'll get after it."

Labette County (8-4, 13-7) has six seniors returning, including Dustin Stewart, who is on pace to become the school's sixth 1,000-point scorer. Coffeyville (9-3, 16-6), second last season, was picked fourth. The Golden Tornado graduated six seniors and return only two lettermen.

Chanute (6-6, 11-10) doesn't bring back a lot of experience. One player will begin his fourth season on the varsity team but there are only a couple of other players with varsity experience, according to head coach Max Ruark.

Parsons (2-10, 6-15) brings back eight players who have varsity experience, six of whom started at least a few games.

Pittsburg (2-10, 5-16) lost two starters but Kiley Roelfs has some confidence in a junior group that had to play at lot at the varsity level last season.

Chanute received five first-place on the girls' side and tabulated 34 points. LCHS got one first-place vote and 29 total points and Independence got the other first-place vote and 23 total points.

Pittsburg was selected for fourth place with 21 points. Coffeyville was voted fifth with 18 points. Fort Scott received 16 points although one coach did pick them in his top three. Parsons brought up the rear with 6 points.

Pechone Stepps will go into his first season as Fort Scott High's head girls' coach with three returning starters. But the Tigers (10-2, 16-5), defending co-champs with Coffeyville, lost five seniors from last season's team.

"Coach (Jeff) Armstrong built a solid foundation," Stepps said. "Don't judge us early. Check us out in February."

Chanute (7-5, 13-9), which finished third does not have a single senior but does return six junior s who had a significant amount of playing time last season, three of whom are at least six feet tall.

"This year's going to be kind of an interesting year for us," Blue Comets head coach Dustin Fox said. "We're really young but we have a lot of experience back. We should be able to play a lot of different styles.

Labette County finished fifth last season at 5-7, 10-10. Independence placed fourth at 7-5, 12-9. Bulldog head coach Dale Reynolds noted he's the second-longest tenured girls' head coach in the SEK now with only Labette's Kristi Snider having been a head coach in the league longer.

Reynolds reported six seniors out for his team. Pittsburg head coach Kim O'Bray, on the other hand, lost four seniors from her team that finished sixth at 3-9, 6-15 last season.

Coffeyville (10-2, 18-4) advanced to Class 4A-Division I State last season, losing in the first round to Kansas City-Piper. The Golden Tornado return their second- and third-leading scorers from last season.

Parsons (0-12, 5-16) has a new head coach, John Cook, and says he has to "change some of the mentalities" in his program.

The Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League polls were also released. Columbus was picked to win the girls' title followed by Colgan and Frontenac. Riverton was a unanimous choice for the boys' followed by Colgan and Girard.