The Excelsior Citizen in partnership with the Excelsior Springs School District is proud to bring you this Fall Sports and Activity Guide. We hope you find it informative and helpful. We encourage you to get out and support our students in all of their various activities!
It’s a big year for Excelsior Springs High School Sports and Activities as they reenter the Suburban Conference after a 15-year stint in the Missouri River Valley Conference. The Suburban Conference itself has also seen a major change this year realigning 28 schools into 5 divisions instead of 4. Excelsior Springs will be joining the Suburban Blue Division as the smallest of 8 schools. Other schools in the division include Grandview, Kearney, Platte County, Raytown South, Ruskin, Smithville, and Winnetonka. Rejoining the Suburban Conference should help reignite some fun local rivalries as well as cut down on the amount of travel for our students, coaches, and staff. Football, Volleyball, Softball, Boy’s Soccer, Cross Country, Girl’s Golf, and Girl’s Tennis are all on the slate for the fall. Adding to the excitement of the fall sports and activities season are the ever-present pep squads who perform throughout the year. The Tiger Cheerleaders, Color Guard, and Tigerettes have all been preparing routines and choreography to energize and entertain audiences at events this fall. Last but not least, is the annual musical theatre performance, sure to wow audiences. Let’s take a look at what’s in store!
Click a link below to jump to an activity
| Football | Girl’s Tennis | Boy’s Soccer | Color Guard |
| Cross Country | Volleyball | Band | Tigerettes |
| Girl’s Golf | Softball | Fall Musical | Cheerleading |
Football
The Football Tigers return with a veteran group of linemen that should bolster their chances as they re-enter the Suburban Conference, facing unfamiliar opponents. Head Coach Mark Faubion, entering his 24th year as a coach, said he feels confident in his offensive and defensive lines both having a strong unit of returning players, many of which he said are 3-year starters. “It’s nice to have that core of guys back so that we’re not restarting with a whole new group as we enter this new conference,” he said. The team’s biggest challenge will be rebuilding the skills positions. Faubion said the team lost two running backs, two wide receivers, and the entirety of their secondary to graduation. The players coming up offer good options to fill all of the needed positions, with “3 or 4 guys” who could step up to fill each of the roles needed. “It’s nice to have a class like this come through that has a lot of kids that have played a lot of snaps so we’re really kind of taking leaps and bounds forwards and not having to go back and reteach a number of things,” Faubion said.
Teams from the Suburban Conference look to be fierce competition for the Tigers. Having been in the Missouri River Valley Conference for so long, Faubion said the coaches and players there had become accustomed to what to expect as far as the style of play and execution. Faubion said teams in the Suburban Conference like to “spread it out” which will be a new challenge for his defensive unit. Faubion said he’s looking forward to playing in the new conference, rekindling some of the old rivalries with nearby teams such as Kearney and Grandview, and thinks Excelsior Springs has the opportunity to surprise some of the larger districts with the tenacity his team will bring to the field.
Cross Country
Cross Country Head Coach, Brian Smarker said It looks to be a rebuilding year for the Cross Country team with only a couple of Seniors on the team. The girl’s team was hit especially hard, losing six runners. Despite losing several team leaders Smarker is optimistic, having a couple of runners returning to the sport after sitting out a year or opting for other sports. With 11 girls and 8 boys participating, Smarker said the team turned out to be “a decent size.” Smarker emphasized that while it’s great to have winning teams, cross country has several other benefits such as camaraderie, positive impacts for multisport athletes, and learning a “lifetime sport.” He recalled a story of one runner who wasn’t particularly fast and who never won a cross country meet, but later when she joined the Air Force her training really benefitted her. As part of her training, she and other recruits were exposed to tear gas and then had to run a half mile, Smarker said she was the first one to finish. “Everybody else was asking her, ‘how the heck did you do that?’ and she said ‘it’s because I ran cross country.’ She wasn’t fast, but she was good.” Coach Smarker encouraged the community to come to support the runners at their first home meet, Tuesday, Oct 4, 2022 at the Excelsior Springs Golf Course. “Come out, cheer them on, and don’t just wait at the finish line, spread out and offer encouragement as they go,” he suggested.
Girl’s Golf
Golf Coach David Stalder is looking to seniors Olivia Kelly and Paris Edwards to offer leadership for the Girl’s Golf team this Fall. Although Stalder said he’s got a good group of nine players, he’s a bit concerned because there are currently no freshmen girls participating in golf. “That’s kind of a scary thing as a coach if you don’t have those freshmen kids coming through building your program,” he said. Stalder encouraged students to consider golf citing the positive impacts of learning a lifetime sport while opening the door to scholarship opportunities, especially for girls. Assistant coach, Andrew Price noted, “You don’t have to be a stellar golfer to earn some scholarship money and go play college golf. The number of college scholarships for girl’s golf that go unused every year is really incredible.”
Currently, Olivia Kelly sits at the top of the varsity roster, with a couple of juniors Kylie Baldrige, and Megan Cook along with Abby Matthews filling the top four slots. Stalder said the fifth spot is currently wide open. “I don’t know who will be that fifth varsity golfer right now, any one of them could step into that role,” he said. For the high school golf tournaments, Stalder said they are required to play four golfers to register a team score at events. Teams are permitted a fifth varsity player at each event allowing them to take the four best scores. “It’s just a luxury where if somebody has a bad day, someone else can make up for it,” Stalder said.
Stalder said the move to the Suburban Conference will offer the chance to play on some new courses but shouldn’t really impact the performance of his team or the golfers. Most golfers tend to shoot pretty close to their average whether they’re in high school or in their 40s. Stalder said often the difference comes down to mental strength when golfers are up against tough competition. Once a match begins coaches aren’t allowed to help their golfers on the course. “If their opponent is shooting lights out, and they’re just stinking it up that day, are they just gonna fold up and cry all afternoon or are they going to continue to play and make it through the day?” he said. Golf is a sport that helps teach some lessons about life, doing your best shot by shot and enjoying the process. “At the end of the day, you know, we stop and get something to eat, we talk about the match, it’s about the camaraderie and being with your teammates… and if you have a bad day, you just gotta let it go,” said Stalder.
Girl’s Tennis
The Excelsior Springs Tennis Tigers are set to serve up a competitive season of action. Richie Marsh, in his twelfth year as head coach of tennis, said he’ll be looking to senior Annalise Selby to set the example for an up-and-coming squad. There are currently 11 girls vying for 6 varsity spots on the roster. Seniors Lena Nunincamp and Lauren Mueller, along with sophomore Megan Reigel vying for the two, three, and four varsity spots. For the final two spots on varsity number five and number six. Marsh said he has some first-year sophomores and a freshman competing for those last two spots. Freshman, Evie Selby, along with sophomore Malia Tedesco, and sophomore Shelby Stodden. Those three girls are pushing for the final two varsity spots as we approach our first game. Marsh said there’s still a lot of practice to go before any decisions are made but he’s proud of the effort from all of his players and said he’s “excited to see how it all shakes out.” Marsh said the team’s ultimate goal is to send some players to State. Last year Anna Selby took third in districts just missing a shot to participate in the state tournament. “Hopefully she can bump up a little bit and finish first or second and districts,” said Marsh. The tennis team will get their first test at the William Chrisman tournament at 4:00pm Monday, August 29, 2022.
Volleyball
“A good group of girls having fun,” is how third-year head coach, Kathryn Partridge describes her 2022-23 Volleyball Tigers. She said it’s always fun to win but her main focus is helping to shape her players into kind, responsible, and supporting young women. “I think it’s really hard in today’s world to be a female. It was hard for me in high school, I can’t even imagine what it would be like now, she pondered. “Volleyball is just the fun platform, but I just really want them to be good humans and to be successful in life, that’s the ultimate goal,” Partridge smiled. Partridge said her players have really come together this year and they’re to a point where they are pushing themselves to a new level of performance. “My upperclassmen know my expectations. They know how I want things done and they just take care of it without being asked, it gives me goosebumps…it’s a really, really cool feeling,” she said of her players.
Partridge said she’s looking forward to fresh matchups and closer travel with the move to the Suburban Conference. With varsity volleyball playing the best of five sets, she said that in the past there were times when the team wouldn’t return home until after 11:00 PM. She said the team has already talked a lot about leaving a legacy of winning and what it takes to be successful as a team working together to achieve a goal. As she pointed to the rafters Coach Partridge noted that each of the championship banners didn’t list the names of individual players, but the years of the championship teams. “I tell my players, ‘this is your year’ and I ask them, ‘do you want to be a part of having your year up there?’ you can’t do it by yourself!” The Volleyball Tigers set off on their quest to be the best at the Fort Osage tournament Monday, August 29, 2022.
Softball
The Softball Tigers look to build on a season that saw them advance to district finals last year. Megan Gilbertson is starting her fourth year as head coach and said she’s looking forward to keeping the momentum moving forward. She’ll have her work cut out for her after losing five starters to graduation. There are currently 14 Girls on the varsity roster all vying for starting spots. Coach Gilbertson said she has confidence in her players with her only concern being a lack of experience under pressure. “I can try to simulate that pressure as much as possible, but it’s completely different when you’re against another team, another coach, with people watching you. It will be good to get some games behind us,” she said.
Gilbertson said the most rewarding aspect of coaching high school sports is being able to watch her players mature into young adults and come together as a team. “I just love being with these girls and watching them grow year to year… and the fact that I get to do it through softball is just a super great experience, I absolutely love it,” she said. Getting out to the ballpark and watching a game is not only fun for spectators, it’s great for team morale, too. Gilbertson said the best way the community can support her team is by coming to a game and cheering on the girls. “It means the world, just coming out and watching them and supporting them, it’s huge,” she said.
Boy’s Soccer
Head Coach, Zac Ganzer said the boy’s soccer team is ready to make another run at a State Championship after finishing 3rd at the Class 2A championships last year. “We’re poised with another really good team, but this year we’re not going to surprise anybody,” he said. After losing only one starter you can bet that every team in the conference will have the Tigers down as a key matchup. “We’ve got to prepare every day harder than we prepared last year… we can’t think that we’re gonna be able to roll in and do what we did last year without getting better in all facets of our game,” said Ganzer.
Ganzer said that playing in the highly competitive Missouri River Valley Conference (MRVC) has prepared the Tigers for the move to the Suburban Conference. “It was a really solid conference… last year you had two MRVC teams in the final four with Harrisonville and us, I think we’ll be ready,” he said. Ganzer also noted that facing off against schools in the Suburban Conference that are a little bigger could be beneficial to his team when it comes to playing for a state championship. Playing against schools that compete at a higher level could ultimately help them be better equipped to face tough competition in the future. Ganzer said he doesn’t like to look too far ahead, “One game at a time, if we lose sight of what’s what’s right in front of us, somebody’s going to pop us in the mouth, so we’ve got to stay focused,” he said. The Tigers kick things off this weekend at the Winnetonka Tournament for what should be an exciting season.
Cheerleading
Kaylea Bradshaw is starting her first year as head coach of the Tiger Cheerleaders and she’s excited about the opportunity. She’s joined by Assistant Coach Wendy Coldwell. Bradshaw was quick to give praise to her cheerleading supporters especially the families of the cheerleaders. “I just want to give a shout-out to all of the cheer parents who have done a tremendous job of fundraising and providing lots of great snacks for the team,” she said. With 28 members on the cheerleading team including varsity, junior varsity, and the competition team, there shouldn’t be a lack of spirit at any of the activities this year. Bradshaw said the best way the community can support the cheerleaders is by getting out to some games and making some noise, “the kids love to see them in the stands,” she said. The cheerleaders will take their talents to the Regional competition on September 24th, 2022 at Avila University.
| 2022 Tiger Cheerleaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sam McDonald Sydney Jarvis Haley Smith Mateya Figuerora Ayanna Petersen Jaylenn Huddlemeyer Keelin Brewer Brice Gould Lauren Park Cassidy Garza | Madelynn Green Shayla Sellers Brooke Hobbs Kaylynn Betts Paris Edwards Lily Hughes Lexus Barney Audrey Ishmael Maycie McLaughlin Harley Garrison | Jadyn Biermann Makenna Morris Adriana Circo Karly Jo McWilliams Rhianna Frederick Nevaeh Zucca Happy Denee Caulkins Grace Whitworth |
Tigerettes
The Tigerettes dance team is ready for another exciting school year and is looking to build on their back-to-back state awards. Senior Captain for the Tigerettes, Kelsey Coleman said she’s most excited to get back in front of the crowds and share new routines that she thinks could do well at the state competitions this year. “I’m excited for the football games and I’m excited for state. Since we started practicing early we’ve had enough time to clean things up and to make sure it’s better,” she said. First-year head coach Kayla Ganzer said she’s been pleased with the work ethic of the dance squad and said the girls have really gelled as a team. “It’s been a fun group to be with and we’ve seen their relationships grow really quickly,” Ganzer said. The Tigerettes will be performing at halftime for the football games and will return to perform at halftime shows for both boy’s and girl’s basketball. Ganzer said the squad is also very excited to be a part of the mini-clinics for elementary-age students that will take place again this year in January. “It will be another opportunity for the littles to come and dance and perform, we’re really looking forward to that,” she said. When they’re not out on the field performing, the Tigerettes will be working to perfect their routines, getting them ready for competitions.
| 2022 Tigerettes | |
| Fall Kelsey Coleman – Sr (C) Grace Nedblake – Sr (C) Abby Rash – Jr Reese Roberts – Jr Lacy Adair – So Kyndra O’Dell – So Regan Bishop – Fr Makenna Maring – Fr Ragan Roberts – Fr Evie Selby – Fr Kaylee Wilmes – Fr | Winter Kelsey Coleman – Sr (C) Reese Roberts – Jr (Co-C) Lacy Adair – So Kyndra O’Dell – So Regan Bishop – Fr Makenna Maring – Fr Ragan Roberts – Fr Evie Selby – Fr |
Color Guard
Color Guard sponsor, Meghan Morris asks just one favor from Excelsior Springs Tiger fans, “Please wait until after halftime to get your snacks!” she laughed. The plea to “stay seated” was shared by members of the Tigerettes and Marching Band as well. “We see those halftime performances as practice for our competitions, and if the audience comes out and gives us feedback, and they cheer, or they boo or whatever, that lets us know how we can get better,” Morris said. Growing up in a small town Morris said she never got to experience Color Guard in all of its glory, “We didn’t have all of the themes and costumes the kids have now, it’s so fun to see how much excitement and joy it brings them,” she smiled. Aside from the halftime performances, Morris said there are a number of community events and concerts that the Color Guard participates in throughout the year and invited more community members to come and witness the talent of our young performers. “A lot of the seasonal concerts are basically just attended by parents, but it would be cool to have people just mark those on their calendars and come out to listen and watch. Our high school band is exceptional,” she espoused. Check out the Color Guard schedule and get out to see them toss, twirl, and boogie with the band.
Band
“Leadership” is what Band Director Garett Jones says he’s most proud of this year. “This past year, I had so many kids interested in taking on a leadership role that we started doing a monthly leadership symposium where we met and we would talk about leadership and working with their peers, and really got to dive into a bunch of that stuff,” he explained. Jones said the meetings have led to a record number of students trying out for leadership positions such as drum major, or section leader. The demand for leadership was so great that they started what he calls “band council,” similar to a student council. “It’s made up of those section leaders and drum majors but we also have a band president and vice president that are in charge of running the meetings,” Jones said. The students have already started having meetings and have formed committees to get things done. “I’m super excited to see where this goes… it’s all about letting them have more say in what’s going on in the program,” smiled Jones.
Jones didn’t reveal what the theme will be for this year’s shows, keeping it a bit of a surprise until their first halftime performance at the home football game on Friday, September 9, 2022. Aside from halftime performances, the band will participate in community events and looks to hold another fundraising event, or two, throughout the year. The first-ever “Night with the Band” fundraiser was a smashing success at the Montgomery Event Venue at a standing-room-only capacity. “We’re looking to do something here at the school maybe this year, where there’s a little more room,” said Jones. It’s a good bet that he’ll let the students decide.
Fall Musical
Get ready for something creepy and kooky with this year’s High School Musical, The Addams Family! Auditions for the show begin in September and this year they will have two weekends of performances, November 4 & 5 and 11 & 12. Theatre Director Jeff Haney said it’s going to be a spectacular show with a breathtaking set. Each year the citizens who take the time to view the fall musical and spring play are blown away by the production value of the plays and the performances of the staff and students. Don’t miss your chance to catch a little bit of Broadway right here in Excelsior Springs, put this show on your calendar now!
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