The Mirror / Benton Smith

Benton Smith covers sports and news for The Mirror. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina but bleeds Crimson and Blue for the Jayhawks.

Recent stories

City’s young enjoying old ball game: By Benton Smith; July 16, 2008; This summer, like most in Tonganoxie, the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds have been swarming with baseball and softball players nearly every evening.
Summer hoops session behooves Chieftains: By Benton Smith; July 16, 2008; It wasn’t because of their grades or for disciplinary reasons, but Shawn Phillips sent his players to an entire month of summer school.
Smith: TV softball game fails to live up to hype: By Benton Smith; July 16, 2008; While lounging and flipping listlessly through my channel guide Monday night during a break in the Home Run Derby, I realized that the guide claimed I was watching softball on ESPN even though I clearly was watching the MLB’s long-distance experts clash.
Gunning for their future: Young Post 41 players use experience as stepping stone; By Benton Smith; July 9, 2008; What’s bad for Pat Bailey, coach of the Post 41 baseball team, is good for the future of Tonganoxie High baseball.
Smith: Fourth of July without baseball? That’s just un-American: By Benton Smith; July 9, 2008; When it comes to national holidays I’m generally a nonchalant celebrator. Sure, I’m glad we have them and I’m not against them by any means, but let’s just say you’ll neither catch me in a pseudo-Santa stocking cap on Christmas nor waving an American flag while singing Toby Keith songs on July 4.
Long holiday weekend for Post 41: By Benton Smith; July 8, 2008; The Fourth of July weekend started with a bang but ended with few fireworks for the Post 41 baseball team this past week as Tonganoxie won two games on Thursday before dropping four straight on the weekend.
Not-so-lazy summer: Grapplers take to mats at summer league; By Benton Smith; July 1, 2008; Who needs to spend their summer kicking back and relaxing? Not the 50-plus high school grapplers of the Unlimited Fitness Wrestling League.
Stewart eyes smooth transition in first season: By Benton Smith; July 1, 2008; For eight years Chris Stewart has left his fingerprints on the state of McLouth football. But as he enters year nine, his involvement is about to get more hands-on than ever before.
Post 41 finally feeling confident: By Benton Smith; July 1, 2008; It took awhile — eight games to be exact — but the Tonganoxie Post 41 baseball players finally got some wins under their belts this week with back-to-back victories.
Smith: Jayhawk rookies will have a shot in NBA: By Benton Smith; July 1, 2008; Enough has been said about the draft night drama surrounding the former Kansas University basketball players selected in the 2008 NBA Draft. It's time to look to the future.

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Recent photos

Sonny Mangelsdorf of the Gators, a 10-and-under baseball team in the Tonganoxie Recreation Commission league, watches a pitch come toward home plate on Friday evening at Leavenworth County Fairgrounds.

The Gators’ Caleb Todd tries to get in position to catch a pop-up while warming up with his teammates. A total of 37 teams and 464 youths from Tonganoxie participate in the TRC’s youth baseball and softball programs.

Jamie Everett, right, goes in for a layup as Austin Smith follows during Tonganoxie High basketball camp in June. The Chieftains spent their Monday evenings that month competing against other prep teams from Kansas and Missouri at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. Tonganoxie won three of their last four games in the summer league and went 4-6, overall.

Post 41 pitcher Kyle Newton, pictured in this Mirror file photo, threw two innings of relief in Tonganoxie's 16-6 victory against the Lansing Cubs on Thursday.

Post 41 pitcher Brett Bailes, like a number of players on the team’s roster, hopes to parlay his experience this summer into future success as a player at Tonganoxie High.

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