Riverton’s Thomasson, Compton sign to play college volleyball

RIVERTON, Kan. – Riverton High School seniors Jacy Thomasson and Morgan Compton signed on Wednesday afternoon to continue their volleyball careers in college.

Both will be staying in southeast Kansas, with Compton signing to play at Labette CC and Thomasson signing to play at Pittsburg State University.

“I love coach Gomez, first of all. She immediately drew me to Pittsburg State. I love their team and I love their culture,” Thomasson says on why she chose Pitt State, “I think everyone around here knows that Pitt State has a culture that you can’t beat. Apart from that, it’s just thirty minutes down the road. My family is very important to me. They’ve pushed me to be the person I am today. I owe it to them to stay close to home.”

“The coaches were always really friendly to me. They reached out to me and they were close to home,” Compton says of choosing Labette, “It’s a nice and new facility, and the new dorms are nice. It’s just a great environment for me to be in.”

Both Thomasson and Compton are headed to the college game – but they certainly left their mark at Riverton High School.

Compton leaves Riverton as the school’s all-time leader in assists, while Compton finishes her high school career as Riverton’s all-time leader in kills.

“Riverton has been my whole life K-12. I’ve put all my blood, sweat and tears into athletics here. I will miss it dearly,” Thomasson says of leaving Riverton, “It’s been a great experience and some of the best memories of my life. I know that a new chapter is beginning and I’m excited for that, but I’ll never forget the memories and the accomplishments for me and my team.”

“It’s a great feeling to know that my name will always be remembered,” Compton says, “My sisters made that mark. I feel great to make my own mark in volleyball and not other sports like them. So yeah, it’s a great feeling.”

Riverton prepares for its return to the state tournament

RIVERTON, Ks. – The Riverton Rams claimed the sub-state championship on Saturday and will compete for the state title for the third year in a row.

“I think you see a really focused and intense group of kids,” says Riverton head coach Rebecca Lipasek. “They’ve been saying that they’re ready and have been talking about this since the summer.”

Last year at state tournament, the Rams were eliminated in pool play. They’ve been working hard for months to have another shot at the title.

“We missed a spot in the state semifinals last year by two points in the third set,” Lipasek says. “We remember that. We had two plays in front of us to make. We use that to fuel us. This is an experienced team. They see challenges in front of them and they’re like, “Oh, I want to do that. I want to achieve that. I want this and I’m going to go get it.” We were so close last year to getting into that second day of state and they’re really on a mission.”

Phase one: complete. Riverton cruised through the sub-state tournament without dropping a set.

“Our serve-receive has been solid,” Lipasek says. “Defensively, we’ve really picked things up and we’re starting to make some plays that maybe we didn’t make earlier in the year. Our communication has gotten better, and they have gelled as a unit. Rachel Wilson came back in the middle of the season from an ACL injury and getting her back was important to us.”

The Rams have also played a stronger schedule this year to help prepare for the level of competition at the state tournament.

“The change in the schedule was really beneficial to us,” Lipasek says. “We picked up a quad here on a Saturday and we played Heritage-Christian and now we’re going to face them in pool play on Friday. We didn’t win that match, but it was important for us to see the speed of the game that they play at and the challenges it creates for us. We need a daily challenge. A lot of times when we play, we’re ahead of teams and I think we needed to be in some of those tougher situations, so that we learn to not panic.”

Phase two begins on Friday. Riverton will play three pool play matches to determine if they will advance to the semifinals.

“We need to believe that we are a state contender, and no one can tell us otherwise,” Lipasek says.

Thomasson, Compton near career milestones for Riverton volleyball

RIVERTON, Kan. – The Riverton Rams open the volleyball season on Thursday, hitting the road to play at Erie.

Riverton is ranked #6 in the state in the KVA Class 3A poll – and is looking for their third straight trip to the state tournament.

On top of that, they have a couple players nearing career milestones.

Senior Morgan Compton has a chance to reach 2,000 career assists this season, while Jacy Thomasson will likely top 2,000 career kills.

“When I got into high school I was like, man 1,000 volleyball kills is way up there. I don’t even know if I could do that. Then doing that as a sophomore, I was kind of dumbfounded that I even got there. After that I was like alright, to get to 2,000 kills is my goal,” Thomasson says, “Before I graduate, I want to leave my mark here as someone who did that. That would just be crazy. That’s a huge goal of mine that I hope to accomplish.”

“We could tell early on that she was going to be athletic, it was just getting her to learn the game of volleyball,” says Riverton head coach Rebecca Lipasek on Thomasson, “The thing that really took her to the next level is the commitment she makes to the weight room. She puts in the time and she’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had as a volleyball coach. Had she not done that, she would have been a good volleyball player and would have done some nice things, but it really took her to the next level.”

“Since we were in middle school, she’s always been my number one hitter,” Compton says of Thomasson, “We always had that connection. We always just know where she’s going to be and where she’s going to hit.”

“They have great chemistry,” Lipasek says of the two, “Morgan also kicks butt in the weight room. She has a combination of speed, a really nice vertical jump and good instincts. She has really learned the game. The setter has to make so many judgement calls…and each year she has become more and more consistent. She’s really put together a nice three years so far here at Riverton.”

Compton posted 883 assists last season and currently sits at 1,119 assists in her career. Thomasson has 1,453 kills heading into the season, after posting 569 last year.

“I couldn’t have done anything without my team. They are my rock. They’re my solid support system. They’ve been there at the lowest of my moments and the highest of my moments,” Thomasson says, “Morgan has been nothing but my best friend. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am. Without the rest of my team, I wouldn’t be where I am. Without a good set and without a good pass, you can’t get a kill.”

“My freshman year I wasn’t really thinking about it because I was being used as a passer,” Compton says of nearing 2,000 career assists, “It’s become more important as the years have come. My younger self would definitely be proud of myself right now. It’s pretty cool because my sisters all made great accomplishments here, so it’s pretty cool for me to do that, too.”

Riverton enters 2022 season with depth, talent at skill positions

RIVERTON, Ks. – Riverton is coming off its winningest season (8-3) in 13 years. The Rams skill positions players will be a be strength this year as well as the team’s depth. They enter their first season under head coach Danny Weaver.

For more on the Riverton Rams, check out the 2022 Pigskin Preview.

Mallatt talks retirement after 50 years as football coach

RIVERTON, Kan. – Riverton head football coach Johnny Mallatt has announced his retirement after 50 years as a football coach.

43 of his 50 years coaching football came at the prep level. 41 of those 43 years were between Galena, Baxter Springs and Riverton High Schools in southeast Kansas.

“I’m an old Galena boy and grew up in the CNC league. I wanted to have my kids know their grandparents growing up, and they all live back here. I couldn’t think of a better spot than the Galena, Baxter and Riverton area,” Mallatt says of what kept him in southeast Kansas, “People ask me all the time if I’m going to miss football. I tell them I’m going to miss the kids more than I will the game of football.”

Mallatt retires at Riverton after going 8-3 overall in 2021 – the most wins for a Riverton team in 13 years. The Rams won a district championship and a regional championship before falling in the state quarterfinals.

“I told the kids some coaches when they leave they’ll look over their shoulder and they don’t see much coming. Sometimes they move on to greener pastures. That’s not my case,” Mallatt says of his final meeting with the team, “We’ve got a lot of good, young kids coming up. That makes it harder for me because I’d like to be a part of their success. They’re going to be resilient and hopefully we’ve got some tradition going. I told Chad Harper, our principal, six years ago that when we get the program going in the right direction that’s when I’m going to be stepping down. I think they were ready for it.”

Below is our full conversation with Mallatt on his retirement. We talked about his favorite memories, coaching his son and grandson, what he’s most proud of in his 50 years as a coach and more.

Bennett dominates, Girard walks it off against Riverton to stay undefeated

WATCH: Girard walks it off against Riverton 1-0. Hunter Bennett pitches a complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts.

In game two, Girard makes it a sweep, winning 5-2. The Trojans improve to a 7-0 overall record.