As KHS students filled the halls for the start of the school year, many students also made their way to the fields and courts to kick off their 2026 fall sports seasons. 

This year, the boys’ tennis team is looking forward to enjoying every moment of the season.

“Our goal this year is to play with joy,” said head coach Travis Taflinger. “Having four seniors and three juniors has given us a tight knit group. We want to be content, grateful and enjoy every moment. The tennis season goes so fast and we want to enjoy all the parts of the season.”

Senior Mitch McClelland grew up around tennis, drawing inspiration from his cousin, the team’s assistant coach. Staying focused and motivated is something that sometimes challenges McClelland, but he tries to stay optimistic throughout those challenges.

“Be positive even if the match isn’t going as planned,” he said.

Another sport kicking off this season is girls’ golf. Golf is about more than just improving your score. For the players, it is also about having fun, supporting teammates and making memories throughout the season. 

“I am most looking forward to connecting with the team,” said junior Averie Stiner. “Everyone is so kind and fun so tournaments and bus rides are even better.”

Sophomore Kate Anthony works hard to get better and play better under pressure. But beyond golf, Anthony views her strengths as “being happy about every shot and keeping my teammates in a good mood.” 

As the season continues, the golfers are looking forward to cooler fall weather, spending time with their teammates, playing in tournaments and improving their scores. For the team, golf is a chance to grow as golfers while also having fun with friends.

The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams also kicked off their seasons in August, hosting the Western Panthers for a double-header. While the outcome of the games wasn’t what the Kats hoped for, they are still looking forward to the rest of the season. 

“Since this is my last season, I am looking forward to just working hard and making the most of all my games and practices, along with spending time with my teammates,” said senior Gisella Herrera.

The Kats face the Northwestern Tigers in a home match tomorrow at 12:30pm. The LadyKats will take on Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday at 7pm at the KHS soccer fields.

The volleyball team is under new leadership this season, with Ashlen Kropczynski taking over as head coach. 

“For the season, my first goal is to build a team culture. I want every girl to feel welcome and know that they have a voice and are allowed to use it,” she said. “I also want to build resilience in the girls, I want them to respond positively to mistakes and build from there.”

For senior Ava Federspill, enjoying the season is at the top of her priority list. 

“I’m looking forward to having fun,” she said. “It’s my senior year, I love volleyball and I just want to have a great time this season.”

Junior Myla Lacy agrees.

“I excited to play with my friends, especially the seniors since I won’t play with them next year,” she said.

Racing into the new season, the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are gearing up to race at the Taylor University Invitational tomorrow. The team is working towards their goals this season. 

“Our team goal is to qualify for regionals and challenge for the NCC title,” said head coach Jordan Ousley. “The boys won NCC last year for the first time in 20 years, so we know it will be hard to repeat, but we are ready for the challenge.”

For sophomore Monte Bunn, being with his teammates is one of his favorite things about cross country.

“I just love my teammates and all the great memories we’ve made,” he said. 

In the first meet of the season, junior Alaina Thompson won the Northwestern Combination. She followed that up with a 4th place finish at the Jacob Graf Invite in Logansport.

Ousley is looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what his team can do. 

“I am looking forward to this season of cross-country. We have a young team, but one that has experience,” he said.”There will be some ups and downs, but at the end of the day I think we will have a successful season.”

After falling to Mount Vernon in the opening game of the 2026 season, the football team travels to Terre Haute for tonight’s matchup. New head coach Grant Foes wants his team to take things week-by-week throughout the season. 

“The goals we have set for this season are to win as much as possible and grow the program. This could look like winning the conference, playoff rounds, etc,” he said. “We are going to take it week by week and work hard to reach these goals. We believe that we have a high potential this year and look forward to putting in the work to bring that potential to life.”

Senior Ben Carey tries to stay focused on what he and his teammates can do to improve. He tries to learn from his coaches and works hard.

“I listen to the coaches because they know better than me,” Carey said.

As KHS students filled the halls for the start of the school year, many students also made their way to the fields and courts to kick off their 2026 fall sports seasons. 

This year, the boys’ tennis team is looking forward to enjoying every moment of the season.

“Our goal this year is to play with joy,” said head coach Travis Taflinger. “Having four seniors and three juniors has given us a tight knit group. We want to be content, grateful and enjoy every moment. The tennis season goes so fast and we want to enjoy all the parts of the season.”

Senior Mitch McClelland grew up around tennis, drawing inspiration from his cousin, the team’s assistant coach. Staying focused and motivated is something that sometimes challenges McClelland, but he tries to stay optimistic throughout those challenges.

“Be positive even if the match isn’t going as planned,” he said.

Another sport kicking off this season is girls’ golf. Golf is about more than just improving your score. For the players, it is also about having fun, supporting teammates and making memories throughout the season. 

“I am most looking forward to connecting with the team,” said junior Averie Stiner. “Everyone is so kind and fun so tournaments and bus rides are even better.”

Sophomore Kate Anthony works hard to get better and play better under pressure. But beyond golf, Anthony views her strengths as “being happy about every shot and keeping my teammates in a good mood.” 

As the season continues, the golfers are looking forward to cooler fall weather, spending time with their teammates, playing in tournaments and improving their scores. For the team, golf is a chance to grow as golfers while also having fun with friends.

The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams also kicked off their seasons in August, hosting the Western Panthers for a double-header. While the outcome of the games wasn’t what the Kats hoped for, they are still looking forward to the rest of the season. 

“Since this is my last season, I am looking forward to just working hard and making the most of all my games and practices, along with spending time with my teammates,” said senior Gisella Herrera.

The Kats face the Northwestern Tigers in a home match tomorrow at 12:30pm. The LadyKats will take on Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday at 7pm at the KHS soccer fields.

The volleyball team is under new leadership this season, with Ashlen Kropczynski taking over as head coach. 

“For the season, my first goal is to build a team culture. I want every girl to feel welcome and know that they have a voice and are allowed to use it,” she said. “I also want to build resilience in the girls, I want them to respond positively to mistakes and build from there.”

For senior Ava Federspill, enjoying the season is at the top of her priority list. 

“I’m looking forward to having fun,” she said. “It’s my senior year, I love volleyball and I just want to have a great time this season.”

Junior Myla Lacy agrees.

“I excited to play with my friends, especially the seniors since I won’t play with them next year,” she said.

Racing into the new season, the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are gearing up to race at the Taylor University Invitational tomorrow. The team is working towards their goals this season. 

“Our team goal is to qualify for regionals and challenge for the NCC title,” said head coach Jordan Ousley. “The boys won NCC last year for the first time in 20 years, so we know it will be hard to repeat, but we are ready for the challenge.”

For sophomore Monte Bunn, being with his teammates is one of his favorite things about cross country.

“I just love my teammates and all the great memories we’ve made,” he said. 

In the first meet of the season, junior Alaina Thompson won the Northwestern Combination. She followed that up with a 4th place finish at the Jacob Graf Invite in Logansport.

Ousley is looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what his team can do. 

“I am looking forward to this season of cross-country. We have a young team, but one that has experience,” he said.”There will be some ups and downs, but at the end of the day I think we will have a successful season.”

After falling to Mount Vernon in the opening game of the 2026 season, the football team travels to Terre Haute for tonight’s matchup. New head coach Grant Foes wants his team to take things week-by-week throughout the season. 

“The goals we have set for this season are to win as much as possible and grow the program. This could look like winning the conference, playoff rounds, etc,” he said. “We are going to take it week by week and work hard to reach these goals. We believe that we have a high potential this year and look forward to putting in the work to bring that potential to life.”

Senior Ben Carey tries to stay focused on what he and his teammates can do to improve. He tries to learn from his coaches and works hard.

“I listen to the coaches because they know better than me,” Carey said.