First Place: Tommy Ruffin, North Kansas City High School
AND ONE: Flying in for a layup, senior guard Kam Tate is fouled on his shot while still getting it to go down. Tate went on to hit the free throw to cut the Rock Bridge lead down to three, and set up a game tying three-point shot to send the game into overtime. “We just gotta out hustle everyone else and get to bucket,” Tate said. (Tommy Ruffin/NKCHS)
Judge’s Comments: Gorgeous, crystal clear shot–I love the framing with the ball/basket in the rule of thirds and tournament marquis in the background!
Second Place: Maggie Laciny, Kirkwood High School
Cristian Galindo-Knudsen, sophomore, competes in a freestyle race at his swim meet. Kirkwood High School later beat Lafayette High School 118-66. 9/12 (Maggie Laciny/Kirkwood)
Judge’s Comments: Awesome swim shot with her actual face and arm in full focus. Great expression on her face as she comes up for breath–just a tad overexposed.
Third Place (TIE): Anna Mowry, Eureka High School, AND Chloe Washington, Liberty High School
On Dec. 10 senior Jaxon Hicks is interviewed after receiving the 2024 Simone award. The award is given in remembrance of Tommy Simone and presented to the most outstanding football player in Kansas City. Hicks’ position was running back and set a school record for the number of touchdowns scored in a season, as well as a record for carry yards. “It means the world to me. I want to thank my teammates and God because he’s put a lot of really good people in my life and I’m very grateful for that,” Hicks said. (Chloe Washington/Liberty)
Belting out holiday classics, senior Audrey Clark glides through the air at the Onstage! Show Choir Winter Show. The sold out evening featured two performance times, desserts, an auction and live holiday entertainment. ““We spend a lot of hours over the summer and during the school year choreographing dances, so it is a really special experience being able to show off our work during the two big winter shows,” Clark said. (Anna Mowry/Eureka)
Judge’s Comments: I couldn’t decide between these two very different photos so I went with both. The top photo is perfect framing with the subject just blurred enough to make the depth of field interesting and totally full frame. Very creative! The bottom image was great use of fast shutter speed without being underexposed and the girls are perfectly framed by the pink lighting.
Dribble and Drive. Owen Wyatt (12) maneuvers around two Van Far defenders to score for the Panthers. The Panthers lost to Van Far on Saturday, December 14, landing in sixth place in the Centralia Tournament. Wyatt stated, "Even though we lost, I felt we played really well against a team that has potential to be in the Final Four of the state for Class 2."
