Veterans return for Warriors

By NICHOLAS KIMBALL

Staff writer

Cross country

Gavin Wasmuth placed 13th last season at the Class 2A state cross country meet and has set his goal to improve on that finish this season.

Luke Wessel, who placed 23rd at the state meet, and Eli Klenda, who finished 31st, also return this season for Marion, which finished third as a team.

“This group comes back hungry to get back to the top of Class 2A and the Heart of America League,” coach Jason Hett said.

Ten runners total this year are ready to compete and have been putting in the miles over the summer to get ready.

“With the loss of our two seniors last season, Tristen Dye and Christopher Beery, we are going to have to have a few of our younger runners step up to take those spots,” Hett said.

Competing hard to fill those roles are Owen White, Harrison Beery, Zayden Janzen, and Keenan Lange.

Cross country competed for the first time this season Thursday at the Abilene invitational on, and Wasmuth led the team with a fifth-place finish.

Wessel finished sixth, and Klenda finished 10th. The team finished third overall at the meet.

The Warriors will be traveling to Wamego this Saturday for a 9 a.m. start.

Volleyball

Keri Collett will be making her debut as head coach this season and she has five seniors who will provide a strong leadership base.

The returning seniors include Grace Hett, Tessa Mendoza, Gabby Newell, Haley Kraus, and Calleigh Soyez.

“As my first year at Marion High School as the head coach, I am really excited to see what this year brings,” Collett said.

Marion has started off the season beating Rural Vista and Trinity, but fell in two games Thursday against Bennington.

The Warriors will be on the road this Thursday to play against Eureka.

Girls Golf (w/ Centre)

Nine players are ready to hit the greens this fall, eight players from Marion, and one from Centre.

Three of the nine are returning from last year while the other six are brand new to the game.

“This year, a major point of emphasis will be reducing strokes around the greens,” Coach Max Venable said.

The returning players are Caitlin Thornhill, Chylynn Watts, and Leah Brunner from Centre.

Venable has spent the first week of practice teaching the basics of putting, chipping, and full shots.

“We simulate the pressure of actual rounds though competitive drills at practice,” Venable said.

They’ve also been discussing strategy, rules, and etiquette.

The team has participated in their first golf meet in Lamont Hills on Tuesday and will be on the road in Osage City this Thursday for another meet.

Cheer

Many first-time cheerleaders are making the squad this year for Marion.

“We are focusing on learning the basics and building from there,” Coach Reann Buchanan said.

The goal is the get the crowd more involved in the cheers, especially the student section.

“We are hoping to build school spirit and make every game a fun experience,” Buchanan said.