So the Yankees lost in Game Seven to the Astros, which means for you guys no more Yankees stuff for a while (at least until April). So this week, I will instead rant on the malarkey that is the high school football and soccer playoffs.

The High School Playoffs Explained

As the fall sports season is nearing its completion, I thought I would take some time to explain how high school postseasons work. The main accomplishment in the playoffs is crowning a state champion, but the overall goal is to make sure every school that has a team plays. Take soccer for example. Carroll played Heights on Tuesday in the first round of the playoffs. (Carroll won 6-1) The Falcons had a down year in soccer and entered the game with a losing record, but because KSHSAA believes in equality and has an “everybody plays” motto, they get a shot at a state title just like anybody else. This is actually a pretty fair way of doing things and makes perfect sense for High School sports in which anyone can participate. 

Shoutouts

I believe that there are some big shoutouts to go around for some kids who have just been so beneficial to their teams. First, I would like to start with boys cross country and Matt Harding. Only a junior, Matt has been dominating almost every single race, which has made it a lot easier for Carroll to be going to state, which is on Saturday up at Rim Rock if you want to watch. For the girls cross country team, the obvious leader has been Claire Winter, but there is an up-and-coming freshman Camille Behring, who took ninth place at regionals last weekend. As for the girls golf team, Vanessa Rosales left her mark and capped of the season by being an individual state qualifier. For football, I would say Braden Howell has had the biggest impact, as he brings multiple years of varsity experience to this team. For the boys soccer team, great win last night by the way, there is not one standout, but instead the entire senior class, as without any one of you, this team might not have gone undefeated in City League. As for volleyball, freshman Ella Larkin made a big impression on the team and will look to continue that this weekend at the state tournament. Last but not least, girls tennis had a tremendous season that was greatly helped by the Stevens family; having that built in chemistry really helps a team succeed from top to bottom as was evident this season. Great job to not only these athletes but to all the athletes who have made this fall’s Carroll sports season one to remember.