SEK ALL-SPORTS AWARD
For a second straight year, Chanute High School has been named the winner of the Martin Rohde Southeast Kansas League All-Sports Award for the 2020-21 school year.
The award, which began at the end of the 1976-77 school year, was named after the long-time Pittsburg educator and coach.
One year after being altered due to the cancellation of the spring sports season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rohde Award returned to its full format this season, including 17 total sports championships during the fall, winter and spring seasons. Although schools also compete in boys’ and girls’ swimming, they have not been declared official sports as of yet by the SEK.
Chanute claimed the all-sports award for a second straight year and the fifth time ever — previously doing so in 2006-07, 2012-13 and 2014-15. A year ago, the Blue Comets ended a string of four consecutive awards won by Pittsburg, which still holds the most in SEK history with 15. Fort Scott is second on the all-time list with 9, followed by Independence in third with 7, Labette County in fourth with 6, Chanute in fifth, and Parsons and Field Kindley tied for sixth with 2 each. Columbus, Iola and Ottawa never won the Rohde Award during the years they competed in the Southeast Kansas League.
This year, the award was once again tightly contested with just 2.5 points separating first-place Chanute (76) and second-place Pittsburg (73.5) in the final SEK standings.
The Blue Comets won league championships in boys’ wrestling, baseball, boys’ track and field, and girls’ track and field. They led by a half point over Fort Scott (42.5-42) at the conclusion of the winter season but secured the win with three titles during the spring season, including a share of the championship with Fort Scott in baseball.
Pittsburg captured league titles in boys’ cross country, girls’ golf, boys’ basketball, and softball.
Third place in the final standings went to Fort Scott with 62 points, while Independence came in fourth at 61. The Tigers won four league titles during the school year, including football, girls’ cross country, girls’ wrestling, and baseball in a tie with Chanute. The Bulldogs earned three league championships, including girls’ tennis, boys’ tennis and boys’ golf.
Rounding out the final standings for the Rohde Award, Labette County finished in fifth place with 54 points, followed by Field Kindley in sixth with 32 and Parsons in seventh at 28.5. Labette County won two league championships in volleyball and girls’ basketball, while Field Kindley claimed one title in soccer. Parsons did not win an SEK championship during the 2020-21 school year.
Points for the award were compiled by Montgomery County Chronicle sports editor Brian Thomas.
SCHOOL POINTS
1. Chanute 76
2. Pittsburg 73.5
3. Fort Scott 62
4. Independence 61
5. Labette County 54
6. Field Kindley 32
7. Parsons 28.5
FALL SPORTS CHAMPIONS
Fort Scott: football, girls’ cross country
Labette County: volleyball
Field Kindley: soccer
Independence: girls’ tennis
Pittsburg: boys’ cross country, girls’ golf
*Parsons and Pittsburg were not scored in football as they chose to play as independents.
*Parsons and Labette County were not scored in soccer. Parsons was not eligible for the league championship in its inaugural season. Labette County did not have a team.
*Independence, Field Kindley and Parsons were not scored for girls’ cross country as they did not have enough participants in the league meet.
*Independence and Parsons were not scored for boys’ cross country as they did not have enough participants in the league meet.
*Fort Scott and Parsons were not scored in girls’ golf as they did not field a complete team for each league tournament, making them ineligible for the championship. Field Kindley did not participate.
WINTER SPORTS CHAMPIONS
Labette County: girls’ basketball
Pittsburg: boys’ basketball
Chanute: boys’ wrestling
Fort Scott: girls’ wrestling
*Parsons was not scored in girls’ wrestling as it did not participate in the league championships.
SPRING SPORTS CHAMPIONS
Chanute: baseball (co-champion), boys’ track and field, girls’ track and field
Fort Scott: baseball (co-champion)
Pittsburg: softball
Independence: boys’ tennis, boys’ golf
*Parsons was not scored in boys’ golf as it did not field a complete team for each league tournament, making it ineligible for the championship.
MAX POINTS POSSIBLE:
7 — volleyball, girls’ tennis, girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, boys’ wrestling, baseball, softball, boys’ tennis, boys’ track and field, girls’ track and field
6 — girls’ wrestling, boys’ golf
5 — football, soccer, boys’ cross country
4 — girls’ cross country, girls’ golf