Here are highlights from last weekend's Turner-Shawnee Heights game. Turner was upset 14-10 and conclude the season at 8-2.

David Gauntt (#7) led Shawnee Heights to an upset victory on the road against Turner Friday night.

Mistakes and a few bad breaks led to an upset loss for the Turner Golden Bears football team.

Shawnee Heights defeated Turner 14-10 Friday night at Piper High School, eliminating the second seeded Wyandotte County team from the Kansas 5A Playoffs.

Both teams scored in the first half behind big running plays.

On the opening play of Shawnee Heights' second drive, running back Donnie Lockhart scored from 71 yards out, giving the Thunderbirds a 7-0 lead.

Turner, who only had one first down in the opening quarter, got things going in the second quarter despite faulty coaching head-sets through the first half.

Rashon Thames, who had 162 yards on the ground on 24 carries, rushed for 71 of them on one play early in the second quarter to set up Turner's opening score.

From the nine, David Bernal scored, tying the game up at seven.

The defenses stepped up in the second quarter, with each team throwing interceptions inside the other's red zone.

But Turner's key mistake came in the third quarter. The Bears were deep in Thunderbird territory when Thames fumbled, turning over the ball back to the Thunderbirds.

Two red zone turnovers were the difference in the game.

"Usually the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins," said Allen Terrell, head coach of the Golden Bears. "We had a lot of things go wrong in the game. It took us longer to adjust without headsets and we had a wrong call on the long score early."

Despite the mistakes, Turner would hold a lead late into the fourth quarter, as kicker Nick Rodriguez drilled a 34-yarder midway through the fourth.

However, quarterback David Gauntt came back and delivered Shawnee Heights a game-winning drive.

He connected on two key plays on the drive, passing for 174 yards in the game. He capped off the drive with a five-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left.

Turner responded with one more opportunity.

Quarterback Nick Bloomer connected with Thames on a screen pass on a fourth and five. Thames scrambled for a nice chunk of yardage, driving the ball near the red zone.

The Golden Bears were unable to convert a second fourth down, as a a gadget play did not fool the Thunderbirds.

Concluding the season 8-2, Terrell said the Golden Bears senior class stepped up.

"We're very proud of how far they came," he said. "If people had seen this group four years ago, they would be very proud of how it turned out. We had a great run last year and we didn't want to take a step back this year."

The high school football season in Wyandotte County is officially over.

After Piper was eliminated on Tuesday, Turner, Schlagle and Sumner Academy were all defeated.

Turner lost a tough thriller to Shawnee Heights 14-10 at Piper High School. The Sabres of Sumner Academy lost a shootout with Topeka Seaman 53-34. Schlagle, meanwhile, was banked 49-0 by Gardner-Edgerton.

Recaps soon.

 

Three Wyandotte County teams will be playing this Friday in the opening round of the Kansas 5A State playoffs, while Piper begins its 4A state journey tomorrow.

The Turner Golden Bears, finishing the regular season at 8-1, will host the 3-6 Shawnee Heights team in the first round in a 2-7 seed matchup. If they win, the Bears will take on the winner of the Mill Valley-St. Thomas Aquinas game on Friday, Nov. 13.

Meanwhile, two teams from the Kansas City, Kan., League have advanced to the 5A state playoffs.

The league-winning Sumner Academy Sabres (6-3) will take on Topeka Seaman this Friday. The Sabres are the #5 seed in the bracket, with Topeka Seaman the #4 seed.

Perhaps the greatest challenge any local team will face involve the Schlagle Stallions.

Finishing at 6-3 and second in district play, Schlagle will take on perennial power Gardner-Edgerton, who finished the regular season undefeated.

If Sumner and Schlagle both win, they'll renew their KCK rivalry next week.

Piper, 6-3, will take on the 9-0 Holton team tomorrow at 7 p.m. in 4A play.

The 4A bracket half with Piper:

The 5A bracket portion with the three KCK schools:

On paper, the Turner-Harmon game appeared to be the biggest mismatch of the week. Entering the game at 7-1, Turner escaped J.C. Harmon High School with a 28-14 victory.

The Hawks, who entered 2-6 on the season, punched Turner early on.

After Golden Bears quarterback Nick Bloomer gave Turner a 7-0 lead with a four-yard touchdown, Harmon's leader stepped up.

John Zeno returned a punt from 60 yards out for a touchdown. A two-point conversion by Okeye Nyondweh gave Harmon an 8-7 lead.

Zeno struck again from 60 yards out in the second quarter, scoring on a run and giving Harmon a 14-7 lead after a missed two-point conversion.

As Zeno stepped up for Harmon, Turner's leader stepped up beginning in the second quarter.

Rashon Thames scored his first of two touchdowns from 38 yards out, tying the game at 14. Bloomer scored another touchdown on the ground, this time from 17 yards, regaining the lead for Turner.

The score would remain 21-14 until Thames scored early in the fourth quarter from the 20-yard-line.

Overall, Thames rushed for 168 yards on 25 carries. Zeno ran for 123 yards on 31 carries.

The Golden Bears end the regular season at 8-1 and with the best record of any Wyandotte County team. Harmon closes 2-7.

Despite some key losses, things remained unchanged in this week's power rankings.

1. Turner: The Golden Bears, if they win Thursday night against Harmon, will claim the wire-to-wire top position in the power rankings. At 7-1, Turner is coming off a 62-0 win against Wyandotte.

2. Piper: The Pirates have a very important Kaw Valley League game at home this Thursday against Basehor-Linwood.

3. Bishop Ward: A great effort on the road at Basehor-Linwood last week for the Cyclones.

4. Sumner Academy: All of Sumner's three losses came against the three teams listed above them. The Sabres won the Kansas City, Kan., League last week against Harmon.

5. Schlagle: The Stallions defeated Lansing last week and look to finish the KCK League with a 3-1 record.

6. Bonner Springs: The Braves have been up and down this season.

7. Harmon: The Hawks finished 2-2 in the KCK League last week.

8. Wyandotte: The Bulldogs have a shot at finishing 2-2 in the KCK League as they face Sumner Academy at Wyandotte on Thursday.

9. Washington: The Wildcats are looking for their first victory against KCK competition when they take on the rival Stallions of Schlagle.

After many close fourth-quarter nailbiters this season, the Turner Golden Bears were able to put a game away early on.

The Bears defeated Wyandotte 62-0 at Turner High School Friday night. Turner was led by Rashon Thames' three touchdowns (2, 23 and 2 yards out). David Bernal added two more on the ground (12 and 2 yards out) as part of a 56-0 halftime lead.

Other scores in the first half: DeAndre Waters scored on a two-yard touchdown, Tyrice Trice returned an interception from 68 yards out and Nick Bloomer connected on a touchdown pass to Brevon Guess.

Turner is now 7-1 on the season, Wyandotte falls to 1-7.

(Courtesy of the Turner School District)

District Facilities Specialist, Cindy Hand, was the first recipient of the District's new program to recognize outstanding customer service efforts among classified staff.  A surprise visit was made to the Maintenance Offices by district leaders including Superintendent Michelle Sedler and Assistant Superintendent Bill Hatfield where Ms. Hand was awarded a certificate of recognition and the traveling trophy, which she will hand-off to the next recipient in the coming month.

In nominating Ms. Hand for the award, her supervisor Michael Short offered the following descriptions:

• Customer service is exceeding the needs of both internal and external customers. Cindy Hand truly goes above and beyond our customer's expectations. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any department that desires to provide a high level of service. 

• Cindy answers the phone with courtesy, warmth, enthusiasm, good listening skills, and provides valuable advice.
 

• Cindy provides leadership in the daily functions of the office management and assist in coordinating the efforts of the Facilities Technicians, Grounds Crew and Custodial Staff to insure our customer needs are resolved in an efficient and timely manner. Cindy is a true Administrative Professional.

 The award which was recently initiated by the District Human Relations department will be presented monthly to a new recipient.  Cindy's traveling trophy will be passed on to the new recipient at that time.

Just about everything imaginable that can happen in a high school football game did happen in tonight's affair between Turner and Sumner Academy at Wyandotte High School.

A big lead was lost. Multiple fourth down attempts failed. Key turnovers. Great plays. Overtime. And a recognizable star taking over when his team needed him to.

The Golden Bears defeated Sumner 28-22 in an overtime classic, sending Turner to 6-1 and Sumner to 4-3.

Rashon Thames, who was contained by Sumner Academy's defense in the first half, carried Turner to the tune of 285 yards on the ground on 42 carries. He scored three touchdowns in the game, two coming in Turner's comeback effort in the second half.

However, it was Sumner who brought the big plays early on.

Armand Brisbane put the Sabres on the board with a quarterback sneak touchdown. Sumner led 8-0 after the first.

Thames scored his first from nine yards out, but a missed conversion left the Sabres leading at 8-6.

Sumner would quickly expand their lead by 14 points to close out the first 24 minutes.

Running back Torrel Saffold scampered 46 yards down the sideline to give Sumner a 16-6 lead. On Turner's next possession, Garrett Mumphrey intercepted a Nick Bloomer pass and took it to the house, providing the Sabres a 22-6 halftime lead.

But Turner wasn't done, nor did they panic, said head coach Allen Terrell.

"I have a lot of sayings but one of them is plan your work and work your plan," he said. "Sometimes I tend to get away from it. We didn't work our plan in the first half but we didn't change a thing. The kids worked our plan out in the second half. They were winners."

The Golden Bears did what they normally have done in the third quarter this season– scoring first.

Thames dominated the opening drive of the half, culminating in his second score from four yards out. A failed two-point conversion left Sumner up 10 points.

After multiple stops from both defenses, Turner went back to work.

A mid-fourth quarter drive ended in a 28-yard Nick Rodriguez field goal, bringing Turner to within 22-15.

Then, a game-changing fumble from Sumner's Benny Parker provided the Bears a golden opportunity to tie the game.

Thames and crew took advantage, as he scored his third touchdown, this time from the seven-yard line.

"Thames goes as our front line goes," Terrell said. "Both sides were getting in trouble up front throughout the game. It's hard to run open field on them as their linebackers are very fast and they tackle well."

Sumner would fumble on the ensuing ensuing kickoff. But the defense stepped up, stopping the Bears on a fourth-and-one.

Turner was unable to cash in a final Sumner turnover in the fourth, as Rodriguez missed a late field goal to win the game.

In overtime, Sumner's Brisbane was picked in his end zone, giving Turner its first opportunity to take the lead.

They did and won, this time on the back of running back David Bernal. Bernal scored from 10 yards out, giving Turner another close victory against Sumner Academy.

Now 6-1 on the season, Terrell said this team has heart.

"This isn't a game we would have won in years past," he said.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS, more photos hopefully soon.

A Turner Days celebration 25 years in the making begins Saturday, October 17 in Kansas City, Kansas.

The event’s silver anniversary begins with a 5K Run, sponsored by the Turner Recreation Commission, to benefit the Arthur C. Waugh Scholarship Fund. The run begins at 7:30 a.m. at Turner High School, 2211 S. 55th Street, Kansas City, Kan.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. at Turner High School and continues down 55th Street to Inland Road.

Turner Days events will continue through Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18 at Steineger Fields, rain or shine. Steineger is located behind Turner Middle School at 1312 S. 55th Street, Kansas City, Kan. Vendors will pack the field selling food and craft items. Patrons can also count on a packed day of entertainment on the Turner Days stage.

For those with a competitive spirit, popular events such as Mudapalooza mud volleyball, the eating contest and the BBQ Battle will return this year, sponsored by the Turner Recreation Commission.

Car lovers can spend the day browsing the Turner Days Car Show, which will take place on Saturday, October 17, in the upper parking lot of Turner Middle School. The car show will be moved to Sunday, October 18 if the event is rained out on Saturday.

Vendor, parade, and contest participation information is available at the Turner Days website, www.turnerdays.com and through the Turner Recreation Commission website, www.turnerrec.org. Additional information about the Turner Days Car Show can be found at www.turnerdayscarshow.com.

The Community Blood Center will host a blood drive Friday, Nov. 6, at Turner High School.

The blood drive will start at 7:15 a.m. and last until 1:15 at the school, located at 2211 South 55th Street.

“When individuals normally think of essential community services, they think about the fire and police departments,” said Dr. Jay Menitove, Executive Director and Medical Director with Community Blood Center.  “However, because Community Blood Center is here to meet the needs of local patients, we would hope that individuals in our community would consider us to be just as essential.”

According to a press release for the event, over 28,000 individuals within the Kansas City area needed a blood transfusion at some point. The Community Blood Center has to collect at least 580 pints of blood each day to meet those needs.

Turner High School is presenting the musical ‘Cinderella’ on November 12, 13 and 14. Advanced tickets for the shows are $5. The cost will be $7 at the door the night of the performance.

A unique evening experience this year will be the ‘Dinner and Show' on Saturday November 14.

The KAY club at the high school is teaming up with the Drama Department to offer a dinner before the musical for this one evening. The ticket for the ‘Dinner and Show’ must be purchased in advanced by November 6. The cost is $15.00. The meal will be served in the commons at the high school beginning at 6 p.m. followed by the musical beginning at 7 p.m.

If you would like to purchase a ‘Dinner and Show’ ticket please email Linda Wolken at wolkenl@turnerusd202.org; there are limited tickets for the Dinner and Show.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department released the name of a man killed in Friday's car accident on the Turner Diagonal near Interstate 70.

Richard Ottens Jr., 49, was a Kansas City, Kan. resident. He was killed after a second vehicle crossed over the median and struck the vehicle Ottens was in.

The incident remains under investigation by the KCKPD's Traffic Support Unit/Critical Collision Response Team.

After getting punched first during the initial half, the Turner Golden Bears responded in the second half.

Turner defeated Bonner Springs 39-14 at Turner High School Friday night, improving to 5-1 on the season. The Bears did it this time on the legs of Rashon Thames and the efficient passing (and running) behind Nick Bloomer (both pictured at the top).

Thames carried the ball 25 times for 174 yards with two scores. Bloomer ran for one and pass for another, completing eight of 12 passes for 142 yards.

Bonner Springs jumped out to a 7-0 nothing lead behind a 22-yard Steve Williams touchdown reception from Brandon Eastland (pictured right). Bloomer responded, carrying the ball 33 yards for the game-tying score.

Bloomer connected with Brevon Guess from 60 yards out to give Turner its first lead of the ball game in the second quarter

Bonner tied the game by the half as Williams received another long pass from Eastland.

The first half was dominated by early mistakes from Turner, including key turnovers and a failed fourth down conversion.

"Bonner Springs is a tough physical team that'll hit you hard," said Alan Terrell, head coach at Turner. "It was  bad week for us with grades and illness and it caught up to us in the first half. We had a rough week."

Turner would storm into the second half, scoring 25 unanswered points.

David Bernal's 37-yard touchdown run game the Golden Bears a 20-14 lead, which would serve as the game winning touchdown. Thames added two touchdown runs from 15 and 14 yards out.

Turner's running game turned it up a notch in the second half, possibly as a result of Turner's line wearing Bonner down.

"We have a big and good offensive line and it helped," Terrell said.

Turner improves to 5-1 on the season; Bonner falls to 2-4.

A man was killed Friday morning after a Chevy Blazer collided with a Jeep on the Turner Diagonal.

The driver of the Chevy Blazer was traveling northbound on the Turner Diagonal when it crossed the median and struck the the Jeep. The driver of the Jeep was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. A passenger in the Jeep was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Chevy Blazer was transported to an area hospital and was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department's Traffic Support Unit/Critical Collision Response Team is investigating the case.

The incident occurred near North 65th St. at 10 a.m.

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