The Jackson Heights girls have reigned supreme the last few seasons in the Northeast Kansas League. The Lady Cobra’s have won 46 consecutive league matches and have won the last three NEKL titles. Jackson Heights was able to earn a spot in the 2A State Tournament in Manhattan, but they lost in the first round to Smith Center. Last season, ACCHS certainly challenged Jackson Heights but lost both times to the Cobras and finished second in the league standings with a 14-2 mark. Jefferson County North and Pleasant Ridge posted solid seasons a year ago finishing behind Jackson Heights and ACCHS. Horton, Valley Falls, Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and McLouth were all within a few games of each other in the standings and all have key players returning this season. Oskaloosa finished without a win last season but they’re hoping to take the next step and be more competitive this season. There are two new coaches in the Northeast Kansas League as Madison Massey takes over the job at Jackson Heights while Douglas Fisher is the new head coach at McLouth.

Once again, Jackson Heights will be the team to beat as they haven’t lost a league contest in three years and have won three straight league titles. They have two returning First Team All-League players that will be one of the best duos in the area with Kaylee Thompson and Kanyon Olberding. The Cobras will look to continue their dominance throughout the league and will look to get back to the State Tournament and make a deep run.

If any team is going to dethrone Jackson Heights from the top of the standings in 2022-2023 it’s going to be ACCHS. The Tigers won 17 games last season and return some of the top players in the league. Addison Schletzbaum, Natalie Nitz, and Aleah Wallisch is arguably the best trio out of any team in the league and they have all the pieces to knock off Jackson Heights and make a deep run in the postseason. The Tigers are coached by Austin Eckert who has won 33 of 43 games in his first two years at the helm.

The Pleasant Ridge program is certainly in good hands with their head coach Laurie Gann. Laurie has 30 years of head coaching experience and has piled up 447 career wins. The Rams went 11-10 last season, but they won eight of their last 12 games and return four starters and nine total letterwinners. Returning starters for Pleasant Ridge include Maddie Heim, Ava Potter, Emma Murphy, and Kelsi Ko. 

Jefferson County North will look to make a splash towards the top of the league this season as they’re led by Steve Noll who’s entering his 18th season as head coach. The Chargers won 14 games last year and made it all the way to the Sub-State Championship game before losing to Jackson Heights. They lose four to graduation, but they return three starters and add a transfer who will be able to provide some depth.

Horton, Valley Falls, Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and McLouth were all within a few games of each other in the standings and all have key players returning this season. The Chargers went 8-12 last season and are led by third year head coach Zach Nelson. Horton will have four returning starters back on the roster this season. The Dragons also return four starters and eight total letterwinners as they only lost one player to graduation. The Ravens will also have the luxury of returning four starters from a team that won seven games last season. The Ravens lost four straight games to end last season and will hope to get off to a much better start in 2022. McLouth will have a new head coach with Douglas Fisher. The Bulldogs will be led by their returning captains of Jill Holwick and Corissa Bandel.

Oskaloosa went winless last season as they finished 0-21. The Bears will look to improve as they’ll have more players out this season compared to just seven on the varsity roster last year. Head coach Lindsey Newell will have four returning starters to work with and will hope to be more competitive and earn some wins this season.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Valley Falls Dragons were the class of the Northeast Kansas League last season as they went a perfect 16-0 in league play and advanced to the 2A State Tournament. The Dragons lost two games in the tournament to finish in fourth place in 2A while finishing with an overall record of 24-2. Valley Falls lost a lot of good talent but do have some key pieces back which should give them another solid season. Jefferson County North could make a big jump this season and contend for the league title. The Chargers do have a new head coach in Cory Noll, but they return four starters and may have the most experience back of any team in the league. Pleasant Ridge had a great season last year as they finished 18-5 and second in the league behind Valley Falls. The Rams will have a new head coach this season in Jarehn White and he’ll have a tough task ahead as he’ll have to replace all five starters while only having two players return with varsity experience. ACCHS and Maur Hill-Mount Academy were both around .500 last season with both teams returning some key pieces which could lead to some improvement in the win column this year. The Ravens do have a new head coach in Dan Raplinger. Jackson Heights was 7-9 in league play last season, but they really struggled against non-league opponents. Horton, Oskaloosa, and McLouth were the bottom three teams last season but will hope to build and improve towards better outcomes this season in what should be once again a very competitive Northeast Kansas League.

We start here with Jefferson County North as the Chargers could be the favorite to take home the league title this season. The Chargers do have a new head coach but return four starters and seven total letterwinners should give them quite a boost after winning 15 games last season. Blake Fowler is the lone senior for the Chargers and has the capabilities to earn First Team All-League this season.

Valley Falls and ACCHS will be two teams with quality talent and should be towards the top of the league this season. Valley Falls won the title last season and made their way to the State Tournament, but they do have to replace a lot of talent. Dylan Cervantez was All-League last season and he’ll be arguably the best player for Valley Falls and one of the best players in the league. ACCHS returns a trio which will give them a big time boost this season. Trenton Kimmi, Kreyton Bauerle, and Coltin Myers can all be All-League players this season and those three with the rest of the returning pieces will make the Tigers a tough out every night.

Pleasant Ridge was towards the top of the league last season, but they must replace all five starters from a team that went 18-5. The Rams also head into this season with a new head coach. Even with all the talent lost from last season, this Rams squad should still be one of the better teams in the league.

Maur Hill-Mount Academy was a 10-12 team last season. They will have a new head coach in Dan Raplinger who has experience coaching at Benedictine College and Bishop Miege High School. Mark Harris is the lone returning starter for the Ravens but has a chance to have a monster season that could lead to All-League honors.

Jackson Heights went 7-9 in league play last season, but they failed to win a game against a non-league opponent. They will look to take a step forward and try to move up the standings this season. Horton won six games in the league and seven games overall last season. Horton has a new head coach in David Losey as he has experience coaching at schools such as Riverside, Cimarron, and Goodland. Horton will have three returning starters in the backcourt which should give them a nice boost this season.

Oskaloosa and McLouth will look to simply improve in 2022-2023 as both teams struggled last season. The Bears finished 3-19 and 2-14 in league play while the Bulldogs went 0-21. Oskaloosa will have some new faces as they lost seven total letterwinners but do return two starters. McLouth will have multiple returning starters which should give them a much-needed boost under head coach Eric Gorenc.