Disappointing. It’s probably one of the first three words that has come to mind the past decade when thinking of our hometown Royals. As a long-time and true fan, this season, the boys in blue have given me more to look forward to than previous years. They finished their season-opening home stand with a surprising 4-2 start. Only once in the last 10 years have they had a better start, and that was the one year they finished above .500 (2003).
From a realistic standpoint, I don’t know if they can keep up the winning ways they began the season with, or if they’ll drop to the bottom of the AL Central after April is long gone — like they’ve done so frequently.
But what I do know is they have the best top prospects out of any team in the league, and it’s not just me saying their future looks promising.
Joe Posnanski, writer for The Kansas City Star and Sports Illustrated, published a story on the Royals bright future — which is pretty credible, considering he is one of the most respected sports writers in the country.
If you think about it, some of Southwest’s sports programs can be seen in the same way.
First, rewind back to our football team filled with young sophomores. They struggled at the beginning of the season, and at times it was tough to watch, but they ended up making it to the State playoffs. The majority of that team will still be in a Southwest uniform two years from now; same with the Royals. Their top prospects, like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, will develop. Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch, but I’ll say it anyway — Southwest in the top half of one of the best conferences in Kansas and KC’s team (other than the Chiefs) in the playoffs?
Every team has potential to look forward to. Despite the basketball team’s tough close losses to rivals Blue Valley High School and Blue Valley West, they have a Second Team All-EKL player in sophomore Anthony Miller to build around.
The wrestling program may be a different story after having a State champion (senior Hunter Like) and a fourth place finish (senior Geoffrey Wright) in its first year of existence. But nevertheless, their future will be in solid shape — three of the seven State qualifiers will be returning for next season.
Now to spring sports. The girls soccer team has been on top of the scoreboard quite a few times already this year with a 8-3* record, including a big win against rival BVHS.
To say they’re holding their own isn’t much of an exaggeration, considering they shut out their first five opponents and combined for 34 points in those games.
Finally, if you look at our baseball team, their starting lineup composes of eight sophomores — so they’ll have plenty to work with in seasons to come.
The next time you go to a Royals game, try not to just cheer on your favorite condiment in the hot dog race. Try to remember that when you’re watching your hometown team or school, we’ve got something to look forward to.
*As of April 29