Centennial League Bests: Leaders

<p>High school teams need leadership. The best leaders aren’t always the best players. But they do the right things. They show up and always play hard. They support their teammates. And they’re willing to take on whatever role they must for their teams to succeed.</p> <p>Here are some of the top leaders in the Centennial League:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="599759" first="Joe" last="Berry"], junior, Washburn Rural:</strong></p> <p>Coaching isn’t the only reason Washburn Rural always seems to overachieve. There’s a culture there, and it thrives on good leadership. Berry exemplifies that leadership. As a sophomore he helped lead the Junior Blues to the state finals. He came back with an entirely revamped roster, and he did whatever it took to win again. He moved inside, guarded the opponents’ best player, and took on the brunt of defensive overloads. Yet he produced and led the undermanned Junior Blues to another stellar season.</p> <p><strong>Skyler Douglas, senior, Emporia:</strong></p> <p>Multi-sport stars usually know how to lead. They lead regardless of the team they’re on. Count Douglas in that category. The 5-foot-10 senior provided the grit his school needed regardless the season. On the basketball court he could score and defend, and he allowed junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889466" first="Charles" last="Snyder"]</strong> to be the go-to guy.</p> <p><strong>Noah Krueger, senior, Washburn Rural:</strong></p> <p>Krueger knew his place, and waited his turn. He was a key reserve on the 2019 state runner-up. When his name was called, he stepped into the starting rotation, providing his reliable three-point shooting, solid ball handling, and mature approach to the game. And when his time came, he averaged 10.1 points, second-leading scorer on one of the best teams in the state.</p> <p><strong>Mitch Munson, senior, Manhattan:</strong></p> <p>Munson has been providing heart and hustle to Manhattan for years. He didn’t score a lot of points or grab a lot of headlines, but he was in the lineup on some great teams. The reason he was in the lineup was because of his passion and reliability.</p> <p><strong>Eric Patterson, senior, Seaman:</strong></p> <p>Patterson sat out his junior year with an injury while the Vikings turned in a 14-8 record and made it to the finals of sub-state. He returned to a rebuilding project. Despite being just 6-foot-1, Patterson had to play in the lane, and battle much bigger players. But to the end the Vikings kept fighting, due in part to Patterson’s never-say-die attitude.</p> <p>Others:</p> <p><strong>Elijah Brooks, sophomore, Topeka West</strong></p> <p><strong>Juan’Tario Roberts, sophomore, Highland Park</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="885609" first="John" last="Roeder"], senior, Hayden</strong></p> <p><strong>Noah Schneider, senior, Hayden</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889466" first="Charles" last="Snyder"], junior, Emporia</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="726594" first="King" last="Sutton"], senior, Topeka High</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="885573" first="Peyton" last="Weixelman"], senior, Manhattan</strong></p>