WICHITA, Kan. — Centralia is the Class 1A All-Sports Award winner for the 2011-12 school year. This is Centralia’s second title. It won the award in 2009.
The Panthers and Lady Panthers scored 27 points in the competition, just 4.5 points ahead of second place Tribune-Greeley County. Hoxie and St. John-Hudson tied for third with 22 points and Pike Valley rounded out the top five with 21 points.
The Panther football team got the year started with the right foot forward, as it won the class 2-1A state title 20-14 over a splendid La Crosse team. La Crosse was undefeated heading into the championship. Centralia finished the year as state champions with a 10-3 record.
After its first round win, the Panthers defeated three teams that had a combined record of 32-1. One of which was Pittsburg-Colgan, the top seed of the tournament and also undefeated before meeting Centralia in the state playoffs.
In its second round game, the Panthers met Wathena-Riverside, a strong one-loss team. In the state playoffs, Centralia outscored its opponents 142-49.
Centralia enjoyed success in volleyball, another fall sport. The Lady Panthers took home second place as it fell in three sets to St. John-Hudson, the third-place finisher in the all-sports award. St. John finished with a record of 43-2.
Centralia made it to the final match by defeating Goessel, Pike Valley and Spearville. It then lost a tough match 25-21, 23-25, 25-12.
The Lady Panthers boast a rich tradition in volleyball, as it is holders of multiple undefeated seasons, and owners of several one- and two-loss seasons. Between 1997 and 2004, Centralia lost just 11 matches. The same span the school won 312 matches, a win percentage of .966.
The Centralia boys’ basketball team made it to the state tournament, but lost its opening game in Emporia to Udall 69-64. Udall was the state runner-up. The Panthers finished the season with an 18-7 record.
The Lady Panthers girls’ basketball team also made it to the state tournament, but as well lost in the first round to third-place finisher Waverly.
The Centralia boys’ track team tied for second at state behind championship performances from Lukas Koch in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs. He alone scored 30 points for his team at the meet. As a team, Centralia scored 38 points at the state championship meet.
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