Answer is: TMP headed to state
By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN
A perfect 5-0 record in the finals clinched a Class 3A regional championship for the Thomas More Prep-Marian High School scholars bowl team Thursday.
But it was a couple of victories earlier in the day that helped the Monarchs even reach the finals and were instrumental in extending their season another week.
TMP-Marian went 6-1 in pool play with close victories over Norton and Council Grove. Had they lost those matches, they could have been edged out of the finals, which is what happened to Norton (4-3).
TMP-Marian got past regionals for the first time since 2003, when the Monarchs won the 3A state title under Coach Randy Brull.
The Monarchs will have to wait a few days to see who will be joining them at the 3A state meet, Feb. 13 in Cimarron. The 3A regional at Lakin was postponed until Monday because of bad weather.
TMP-Marian doesn't care who its opponents might be at state after accomplishing a goal that has eluded them the past two years.
The top three teams from the four 3A regionals advance to state, and the Monarchs finished fourth at regionals in 2008 and '09.
"I'm thrilled to death for the kids," said Don Hageman, in his fifth year as the Monarchs' coach. "They work hard. There were some heartbroken kids last year."
After going 5-1 in pool play and advancing to the top six Thursday -- the top three from each of the two pools -- the Monarchs made sure their successful regular season didn't go for naught.
Gaining some confidence with a convincing 70-10 win in the first round of finals, TMP-Marian then defeated St. George-Rock Creek 70-50 and Gypsum-Southeast of Saline 60-30 to go up 3-0.
Southeast of Saline, which had gone 5-1 in the other pool and looked to be one of the stronger teams at the meet with six seniors on the squad, was one of three teams to finish with a 2-3 record in the finals and in a three-way tie for third.
Much like what has happened to TMP-Marian the past two years, the Trojans lost that coveted third and final state-qualifying spot by a whisker, losing out in the tiebreaker to Hillsboro, which finished third, and Rock Creek, which placed fourth.
Riley County went 3-2 in the finals to finish second behind TMP-Marian.
For all the excitement of its finals record, it all started earlier in the day for the Monarchs.
They got off to a quick start in pool play, cruising past Hoisington 120-30.
Next up was Norton, their nemesis all season that owned a 3-0 mark against the Monarchs in 2009-10, including two wins at their final regular-season meet at Phillipsburg.
"I knew a while ago that Norton would be in our pool at regionals," Hageman said of the Bluejays' veteran team with four seniors. "But I didn't tell our kids until we came back from Phillipsburg."
The TMP-Norton score was tied Thursday at 50-all before juniors Alex Becker and Tanner Younie, the Monarchs' team leaders, saved the day.
Becker correctly answered the question, "Which impressionist painted 'Luncheon on the Grass?' " with Edouard Manet.
"(Norton) generally beats us on the fine arts questions," Becker said. "But that was one I happened to know."
"Some French guy," Becker said later, admitting he wasn't sure how to spell Manet's name.
It didn't matter, as long as he could pronounce it.
Norton also buzzed in, more than likely with the correct answer, but Becker's buzz was a fraction of a second quicker.
Holding onto the slim 60-50 lead, Younie then correctly answered the final question in the year-in-review category, "Give the full name of the woman who died in August 2009 who founded the Special Olympics."
Younie buzzed in before Norton with his answer, "Eunice Kennedy Shriver," and TMP-Marian escaped with the victory.
That match was huge. If Norton had won, the Bluejays would have finished 5-2 and would have owned the head-to-head tiebreaking edge on TMP-Marian.
"After they won (against Norton)," Hageman said, "I said, 'OK, but we still have a ways to go.' "
Indeed.
Immediately after the Norton win, the Monarchs fell 50-30 to Marion, which would end up being their only loss of the day.
They then held off Council Grove 55-50 in another too-close-for-comfort match before closing out pool play with three consecutive wins.
TMP-Marian lost two strong seniors, Paul Flesher and Nathan Felder, off last year's squad who were instrumental in rebuilding the program but never could quite get to state.
Becker and Younie, on the team since their freshman year, returned this year, as did sophomore Kaleb Stark. And the Monarchs were able to fill in the holes left with the graduation of Flesher and Felder with a good group of underclassmen, mostly sophomores, and two other newcomers, senior Nathan Lawson and junior Matt Applequist.
It has proven to be a good combination.
With their 11-1 record on the day, the Monarchs now are 61-10 on the season for a .859 win percentage, that includes four first-place finishes and three seconds in nine outings.
"I thought we were a year away," Hageman said. "I thought next year when (Becker and Younie) were seniors, we could get to state, maybe do something special."
Something special came a year early for the Monarchs.