Panthers

County teams getting ready to start regional competition

With the Jackson County spring sports teams in the midst of league week, that means postseason competition is right around the corner. Officially, regional competition will start with the golf and baseball tournaments next Monday, followed by softball on Tuesday and regional track meets closing...

Royal Valley's Tim Martin Jr. (shown above, middle) gets some recognition from coach Raub Kirkwood (left) after drawing a walk in game action earlier this season. Martin Jr. was helping fill in for the injured Derek Linn last week and had a solid showing in the sweep of the Cyclones.

Panthers show resolve in key road sweep of Riverside

Timing is everything and while Royal Valley’s baseball team may have been inconvenienced by the weather last week, it ended up working out perfectly for the Panthers. In Wathena, Riverside and Royal Valley resumed their league doubleheader precisely a week after starting it on Monday. Before the...

Jackson Heights' Ericka White (shown above) leaps over the bar while competing in the high jump at a track meet earlier this season. White and several other young Cobras have had a lot of success this spring, which coach Lyle Alley has taken as a positive sign for the team both in regards to the near and distant future.

Panthers, Cobras compete in dual track meet at Seneca

As the championship stretch of meets approach, track teams are looking for athletes to keep progressing and keep pushing themselves to be at their best when they enter those competitions. Both the Royal Valley and Jackson Heights track teams were pushed in a meet hosted by Nemaha Central on...

Panther Sarah Beam (shown above, batting) turns on a pitch and sends it for a ride in the second game of a doubleheader with Hiawatha, helping RV pick up a 15-0 run-rule victory over the Red Hawks and its 12th win in a row.

Red-hot Royal Valley softball team keeps on rolling against Hiawatha

Looking at the product on the softball field last Thursday night, the mismatch between the Royal Valley and Hiawatha teams was clear. The Panthers were playing the role of Steve Austin, the titular “Six Million Dollar Man”, and were simply better, stronger and faster than the Red Hawks in a pair...

Panther Caitlin Burns (shown above) puts a ball in play in the second game of a doubleheader in Holton on Monday, sparking a big inning for her team. Royal Valley had a lot of those on Monday in a pair of victories, 16-4 and 10-1, over Holton to move to 11-1 on the season.

Holton softball can't slow down red-hot Royal Valley

If Monday’s doubleheader between the Holton and Royal Valley softball teams was a little bit anticlimactic, it may have had a little bit to do with timing. With the Wildcats playing just their fourth series of the season in only their second week of competition, you could say the Panthers had a...

Holton's Aaron Bain (shown above, at left) sees the ball down in the outfield before taking off to score while Royal Valley's Noah Hart (right) waits for the relay throw. The teams split the series on Monday, with the Wildcats picking up an 11-2 victory in game one and the Panthers closing out the doubleheader with a 7-1 victory.

Panthers, Wildcats each manage to pick up a win in league baseball doubleheader

All signs pointed to Monday’s doubleheader between the Holton and Royal Valley baseball teams being a pretty evenly matched affair. Both the Wildcats and Panthers sported similar records heading into the match-up with each team having its hits and misses so far this year. Monday’s games were a...

Royal Valley's Lucas Broxterman (shown above) soars through the air during an attempt in the finals of the boys long jump at the team's home meet on Tuesday. Broxterman and some other young athletes have come to the forefront to help the RVHS track team get off to a strong start this spring.

Panthers served well by early home track meets

Maybe there’s something in the water around Hoyt, because for a team that RV track coach Denise Visocsky said might struggle to compete at a high level (compared to past results) this season, the Panthers have been right in the thick of things in their first two meets. Coming off a pair of runner...

Holton sprinters Justin Pool (shown above, front left), Miles McClintock (second from left), Spencer Baum (second from right) and Mason Barta (far right) fire off the starting line in one heat of the boys’ 100m dash at a league quad hosted by Royal Valley on Tuesday. All four finished in the top six in the event and helped the HHS boys claim a team title at the meet.

Wildcats, Panthers have strong showing at league track quad in Hoyt

Royal Valley and Holton saw a host of league opponents in a meet hosted by the Panthers on Tuesday and both teams stacked up pretty well as no team finished worse then third. The Panthers finished runner-up on both the boys and girls side in their home meet, while the Holton boys took the team...

Royal Valley's Garrett Schultz (shown above) fires in a pitch early in the first game of a non-league doubleheader against Valley Falls. Schultz came up big on the mound and at the plate to help the Panthers pull off the sweep of the Dragons.

Panthers use small ball to get the better of the Dragons and sweep Valley Falls

Winning is always fun, but the way teams win can also add to that and RV baseball coach Scott Ternes couldn’t help but be pleased with the way the Panthers won a pair of games against Valley Falls last Thursday night. Royal Valley executed its game plan to perfection, pulling off a pair of close...

Panther softball not short on offense in season-opening split with Red Raiders

Royal Valley’s season opener on the softball diamond wasn’t short on fireworks as the offense flowed in Wamego last Thursday in a doubleheader the Panthers would end up splitting with the Red Raiders. The visitors from Hoyt wasted no time in getting the hit parade going as Sarah Beam delivered an...