With the fall sports season wrapping up, readers can make their selections for the Allen County Area Athlete of the Month.
The October nominations cover a gamut of sports and skill levels including those just making a name for themselves in middle school action.
Voting will take place through November 7th. Readers can vote online here or call the Register office at (620) 365-2111 to cast their ballot.
Kale Pratt, Iola High junior running back
With Coach David Daugharthy developing sophomore quarterback Reed Clift for next season, and Pratt nursing a sore shoulder, the junior standout made the switch to running back last September. The change resulted in a touchdown in nearly all of Iola’s subsequent games. Whether catching balls out of the backfield or even lobbing a few TD throws himself, Pratt was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult season for Iola.
Todd Stevenson, Marmaton Valley senior receiver
Although MVHS quarterback Tyler Lord has become a household name across the region, his top target stayed under the radar despite putting up some eye-popping figures. Stevenson averaged 19 yards per catch for 548 yards on 29 receptions and 10 touchdowns. When not giving cornerbacks nightmares, Stevenson also averaged 13 yards per carry for 276 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Stevenson also had a respectable 24 tackles and 15 solo tackles.
Greyson Skahan, Iola Middle School running back
As the area’s only middle school nomination, Skahan deserves to be among the area’s elite athletes. The
seventh-grader is a dual athlete playing club soccer in Lawrence as well as football for IMS. Skahan racked up 1,087 rushing yards in just a handful of middle school contests. His other stats include 22 touchdowns, 128 receiving yards, 52 passing yards and eight 2-point conversions. On defense, he had 41 tackles.
Dally Curry, Iola junior outside hitter
Although the Iola Mustangs ended their volleyball season earlier than anticipated, junior outside hitter Dally Curry was their most reliable arm and an example to a young team. Curry had nearly 100 more kills than her closest teammates for host team kills this season. She also had a team-leading 326 digs while helping freshman libero Haidyn Desmarteau adjust to the speed of high school volleyball and was 13 aces behind Desmarteau for the team lead in aces with 23.
Skylar Hottenstein, Humboldt senior libero
For Hottenstein, the nomination may be just one more feather in her cap after wrapping up a solid senior campaign for the Humboldt Lady Cubs. She was Humboldt’s top defender with 592 digs and a constant threat at the serving line with 109 aces — nearly doubling her closest teammate’s production.
Josie Walter, Crest senior runner
After suffering burnout from distance running before the season, Walter renewed her love for the sport while putting up strong numbers and helping her team win its fourth regional title in a row. She began the month with 14th at the Central Heights Invite and made dramatic improvements to her times until peaking just ahead of regionals with a 22:23 and recently finished 32nd at state in 22:23. She hopes to return to state come March. This time on the Lady Lancer basketball team.
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