Kingsland high school fall sports are officially underway! We’re going to try something new when it comes to podcasts. I cover several high school sports programs for the Bluff Country Newspaper Group, so we’re going to take some of their coaches’ comments and provide periodic updates for their fans. Pass the word if you decide you like what I’m doing here.
You can download the podcasts and listen at anytime, or feel free to play them right off the website. First up is Kingsland football coach Brent Stinson. They want to improve on last season’s win total (1-8 overall, 1-6 District) as they move from 11-man football to 9-man play.
The Knights, like most football teams, have some holes in the roster to fill from the previous year. Kingsland lost a couple of All-District First Team selections in Reid Kruegel and Dallas Jones. Kruegel was a top receiver that drew double-coverage on almost every play but still finished with 22 catches for 486 yards (22.1 yards per catch). Jones was the team’s leading rusher and top linebacker last year. He ran the ball 102 times for 400 yards and four touchdowns. He made 39 solo tackles and assisted on 34.
Football
“We have several guys looking to step up and fill in some of that gap this year,” Stinson said. “Names people recognize include Reid Merkel, Devin Carr, James Howard, and Lucas Howard, who can really run.
Cross Country
Next up on the podcast is Erin Milz, the head cross country coach at Kingsland High School. Their first week of practice is a unique one. Their schedule included a two-day, midweek camping trip that involved some camping, swimming, and even a service activity.
The Kingsland boys’ team will be very competitive this year as they have the best roster numbers they’ve seen in several years. Twelve boys are on the roster, with ten of the boys eligible to run varsity meets (have to be in grades 9-12). Kingsland hasn’t been able to have competition for boys’ varsity spots because of low numbers since Milz started coaching. She’s looking forward to the new experience. “It’s hard to predict who the top boys will be because I haven’t had enough time to dial that in just yet,” Milz said.
Volleyball
We’re also talking with Amanda Siskow, the new coach of the Kingsland volleyball team. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to be hired until late July, which put the team’s preparations a little behind the 8-ball. Preparations are kind of on fast forward, which is okay as she says the first week of practice went well.
“We’ve got Ellie Buchholtz, a really good all-around player as a setter and hitter, who can also play the back row,” she said. “We’ve got middle hitter Shelby Beck back, who’s been playing well so far, as is Kate Miner in the front row. We also have some seniors back who didn’t play a ton last year but are really trying to step up to the plate and take on bigger roles.”
One of the biggest names not coming back is All-Southeast Conference standout Lauren Buchholtz. The senior outside hitter will be sorely missed during the 2019 season as both an outstanding player and a team leader. Her younger sister, Ellie, is back as a first-team All-SEC selection. Because of an early-season ankle injury last year, she made the switch from setter to an outside hitter to limit her on-court movement somewhat and didn’t miss a beat.
Sorry about the annoying little bursts of static in the interviews! Working on rectifying that. Hope you enjoyed the sports talk! More to come in the near future.