- Manhattan High girls tennis won the Topeka High quad. #1 singles player Alexandra Sager went 2-1, #2 singles player Annie Hodges went 3-0, the #1 doubles team of Julia Yang and Carolyn Fox went 1-2, and the #2 doubles team of Erin Cruise and Caitly Wichman (Wish-man) went 3-0.

- Manhattan High girls golf finished 3rd at the Salina Central Invitational held at the Salina Municipal golf course. Hays claimed first place with a 155, Hutchinson was second with 170, and the Tribe shot 177. Jenna Cruisenberry shot 40 for 8th place, and Aubrey Rumford also carded a 40 for 9th place.

- Clay Center swept Wamego volleyball, 26-24 and 25-21, 25-17 and 25-19.

The season will get underway on Saturday when Manhattan High cross country hosts their own invitational, and both the Indian boys and girls are ranked in the first coaches poll. The MHS girls are #4 in 6A, while the boys tie for #8. In 4A, the Wamego boys are #1 ahead of three-time defending state champ Mulvane, and the Red Raider girls are #3. The defending state champ Riley County girls are #1 in 3A, while the Falcon boys are #4. The Frankfort boys check in at #8 in 1A.

Fans can get their first look at the 2010 Manhattan High football team Friday night at Bishop Stadium. The Indian freshmen will take the field at 6:00, the sophomores at 6:30, and the varsity and JV at approximately 7:30. The MHS volleyball team will hold a scrimmage this Tuesday night.

Around the area, Wamego football will hold a scrimmage at 7:00 pm with the freshmen and sophomores, followed by the varsity and JV. Rock Creek will hold both a volleyball and football scrimmage at 6:00. The football scrimmage will be on the practice field. Riley County will hold volleyball scrimmages for the middle school at 5:00 and the high school at 6:00. Falcon football will have a middle school scrimmage at 6:00 and the high school at 7:00. Frankfort will hold their “Gator Games” with a volleyball scrimmage at 4:00 pm and a football scrimmage at 7:00. The Wildcat cross country team will be introduced before the volleyball scrimmage. The Blue Valley will have a parent’s meeting at 6:00 followed by a scrimmage.

The Wamego girls tennis team opened the season Thursday with a runner-up finish at their home invitational. Sabetha claimed the team championship, Mill Valley was third, Wabaunsee fourth, and Atchison came in fifth. Wamego’s #1 doubles team, Kaylee Page and Rikki Alderson took first place. The #2 doubles team of Brooke Powers and Laura Furney were second. #1 singles player BreShawna Briggs was third, and #2 singles player Mariah Ekart was fourth.

The Lisa Kinderknecht era has began in the Manhattan High volleyball program, as Lori Martini stepped down earlier this year after 11 years with the Indians. She led MHS to nine 6A state tournaments including a 3rd place finish in 2009. Kinderknecht is a former head softball coach for the Indians, and has taught at MHS for the past 18 years. She says so far in practice she’s looking to get the girls on the right page, and getting them to know their roles. The Tribe are dealing with the loss of five seniors, so they’ll break in several new players.

MHS won’t start the season until Thursday, September 9th at Silver Lake against Silver Lake, Shawnee Heights and Seaman.

DE SOTO, Kan. (AP) More than a dozen high schools in northeastern Kansas are testing how the brains of their student-athletes work normally in case any of them suffer concussions. De Soto High School athletic trainer Steve Hawkins says the high schools are relying on something called ImPACT, which stands for Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. A handful of Kansas high schools used the test last year, but most are adding it this fall. The test can be taken at the beginning at the season and measures such things as the athletes’ memories. If an athlete suffers a suspected concussion, the test can be retaken, and the post-injury results can be compared to the pre-injury results. The program already is used by the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, NBA teams and universities across the country.

Manhattan High returned to the 6A state tournament a year ago, bringing home a third place trophy. The Indians don’t start this season ranked in the Kansas Volleyball Association poll, but are mentioned among the five teams receiving votes. Washburn Rural is #1 in the 6A ratings. In 5A, Seaman is ranked #4. Three area teams are rated in 4A, Hayden is #2, Abilene is #3 and Clay Center is #4. Valley Heights is top ranked in 2A. Centralia is #1 in 1A, while defending state champ Frankfort is mentioned. Once classifications are released for this year, the 1A rankings will be split into divsion one and two.

The Wamego girls tennis team will start the season Thursday with one of their most anticipated meets. The Red Raiders will host their only tournament of the year with the Wamego Invitational. Wamego coach Jim Page says it’ll be exciting to have a home crowd, and he wants to see if the girls can apply what they’ve learned in practice. The Wamego girls tennis Invitational starts at 3:00 pm Thursday afternoon. Mill Valley, Sabetha, Atchison, and Wabaunsee will join the Red Raiders in the tournament.

Despite just a 3-7 record, Rock Creek football again went to the playoffs last season, but they’d obviously like a less bumpy road to get there. Double digit starters return for the Mustangs as they gear up for the opener against Wamego. Rock Creek coach Mike Beam says the Mustangs are trying to maximize what they’ve got in the running game, while trying to improve on defense. “We’re not very big, we’re not real talented, not real athletic, but we have some good football players. Those kids just play hard and work.” Beam said.

Rock Creek football will open the season against budding rival Wamego next Friday night in Flush. Our sister station, Hot Country B104.7 will broadcast the game. First and Ten starts at 6:15 pm and kickoff will be at 7:00.

The Manhattan High girls golf team finished 2nd in their season debut at the Shawnee Heights Inviational. Washburn Rural won the tournament at Lake Shawnee in Topeka with a team score of 346. The Indians and Blue Valley North each shot a 350, but MHS won the second place tiebreaker because of a better score for their fifth golfer. The Tribe had two medalists, Michelle Woods was the runner-up with a 78, and Blake Fingalsen had an 87 for 5th place. The Manhattan girls tee it up in the Topeka West Invitational at Cypress Ridge on Monday.