By John Mesh
Hutchinson Community College’s Waymond Jordan Jr. and Kedrick Walker and Butler Community College’s Chevy Edwards earned the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference’s final awards of the season.
Hutchinson’s Waymond Jordan Jr., a sophomore running back from Pensacola, Fla., posted his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season and jumped four spots on the Blue Dragon single-season rushing list to No. 7 in number two Hutchinson’s 42-17 win over Garden City.
For the game, Jordan rushed 22 times for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Now with 1,332 yards for the season, the NJCAA’s leading rusher moved into seventh place on the Blue Dragon single-season rushing list and is tied with Alvin Kamara for second in single-season rushing touchdowns with 18.
Hutchinson sophomore linebacker Kedrick Walker was named the KJCCC Defensive Player of the Week.
Walker had a career-high nine tackles in leading the Blue Dragons’ defensive against Garden City on Saturday.
Walker had seven solo tackles and a key tackle on a Garden City fourth-down play in the first half with the game tied at 7-7.
Butler CC’s Edwards was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.
Edwards finished with five punts in a 7-3 win over Iowa Central and had a 41.6-yard average. He had a long punt for 53 yards and put one punt inside the 20. He punted impressively despite wind gusts up to 25 mph throughout the game.
No other offensive or defensive players were nominated. Hutchinson’s Kordell Gouldsby also was nominated for Special Team Player of the Week.
Hutchinson’s Hailey Jackson was nominated for KJCCC Women’s Division I Basketball Player of the Week.
Dodge City’s Shorna Preston was named KJCCC Women’s Division I Basketball Player of the Week. The Division II women’s honor went to Fort Scott’s Kyleigh Scoggins.
Barton Community College’s Brent Moss was named KJCCC Men’s Division I Basketball Player of the Week. The Division II men’s honor went to Kansas City Kansas’ BJ Stewart.
Hutchinson, Buhler, Haven, Central Christian, Inman, Little River girls return All-State players
The 2024-25 high school girls basketball teams from Hutchinson, Buhler, Haven, Central Christian, Inman and Little River will return All-State players from the 2023-24 season, according to Sports in Kansas.
Hutchinson High School returns senior Grace Posch, who was a Second Team All-State performer in Kansas Class 5A.
Buhler senior Natalya Krafels was a Second Team All-State performer in Class 4A.
Haven senior Sienna DeFrain was a First Team All-State player in Class 3A.
Hutchinson Central Christian returns two Second Team All-State players in Class 1A Division II. They are senior Belle Barnett and junior Jessa Losew.
Inman returns junior Suttyn Harris, who was a First Team All-State performer in Class 2A.
Little River returns junior Arika Feldman, who was a Second Team All-State player in Class 1A Division I.
Sports in Kansas Basketball Player to Watch: Hutchinson’s Terrell King
Hutchinson’s Terrell King just finished a standout football season for Hutchinson and is expected to do the same this winter.
King was a Sports in Kansas 5A All-State pick as a junior.
When asked about the upcoming season the senior said: “I feel that this year can be special if we play the right way. We have some players that will stand out this year and some seniors that will step up so I am feeling great about this year.”
Hutchinson Monarchs’ alumnus Colton Cowser 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year balloting
Hutchinson Monarchs’ alumnus Colton Cowser of the Baltimore Orioles finished second in the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year balloting Monday night.
New York Yankees’ pitcher Luis Gil, who won 15 games, received 15 first-place votes from baseball writers for 106 points. Cowser got 13 first-place points for 101 points.
New York Yankees’ catcher Austin Wells placed third with 17 points.
Hard-throwing Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.
Skenes didn’t make his big league debut until May 11 but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation that he was selected to start the All-Star Game for the NL on July 16.
Skenes beat outfielders Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres and Jackson Chourio of the Milwaukee Brewers.
The 22-year-old Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. He struck out 170 and walked 32 in 133 innings.
Cowser, 24, who started 153 games for the Orioles, was the fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Sam Houston State.
Cowser’s 24 home runs were tied with San Diego’s Jackson Merrill for most among MLB rookies and were eight more than any other AL rookie.
Cowser also hit 24 doubles (third among AL rookies) and three triples (seventh) with 69 RBIs (third) and 77 runs scored (first). His .768 OPS was third among AL rookies.
He played for the Monarchs during the summer of 2019, helping guide the Monarchs to a 28-14 overall record and 19-13 mark in the Sunflower Collegiate League standings.
In 14 career games with the Monarchs, Cowser hit .370 with five doubles and 14 RBI. He set a team record with five stolen bases in a game against the El Dorado Broncos.
Cowser played for five minor league teams at four levels (rookie league to Triple-A) from 2021-2023. In 257 games, he batted .298 with 38 homers and 162 runs batted in.
During his three seasons in college, Cowser batted .354 and played in all 125 games throughout the three years, including the shortened 2019 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cowser also scored 125 runs, had 168 hits, 30 doubles, nine triples, 24 home runs and 112 RBIs.