A newsworthy week despite numbing temperatures

So what if it’s 20 degrees outside.
   

The temperature hasn’t had an effect on the news pouring in. It’s been a bustling week to say the least.
   

Pardon me for being cliché, but all good things must come to an end. Yes, Carthage’s run of 17 consecutive dual wrestling wins came to an end on Thursday at Neosho.
   

Obviously the streak would end at some point, and it came against one of the best teams in the state. In fact, it came against the No. 2 team in Class 3.
   

Carthage’s No. 6 ranking is nothing to sneeze at either. And despite the loss, the Tigers have nothing to be ashamed of. To put together a run of that caliber is truly impressive and serves as an exclamation mark of sorts for this storied program.
   
Not again   
Just when things appeared to be surging for the Carthage Lady Tigers disaster struck. OK...well maybe not disaster, but an obvious setback.
   

Once again, the Lady Tigers squared off against Republic on Thursday. Once again, Republic proved why they are No. 6 in the state in Class 4. The black and orange brigade has given Carthage problems for some time now, including last year in the state playoffs.
   

Head coach Bobby Waggoner pointed out the Lady Tigers have been lambasted in Republic but have played fairly well at Carthage High School.
   

A case in point is the Lady Tigers’ performance on Thursday. For three quarters Carthage played to its potential — specifically on the defensive side of the ball. But the third quarter was disastrous, which, unfortunately, overshadowed a pretty stellar first half.
   

It’s sometimes easy to forget how young this team is since all five starters return from a year ago. The key is to remain patient.
   
Friendly rivalry?
    When the Lady Tigers begin play in the Central Ozark Conference next year, you may want to circle Republic on your calendar.

These two are becoming very familiar with one and another, and while both schools are not horribly close, there is quite a bit of history.
   

“We have played each other the past few years,” said Republic head coach Kris Flood, who agreed there might be a friendly rivalry brewing. “Yeah, a little bit. (Carthage) has a good group and they’re not going to lose much.”
   

Time will tell, but one thing is certain: when Carthage and Republic pair up, you can count on a spirited contest.
   
The King has been dethroned
Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt had his coming out party on Thursday.
   

Hunt, who laid low from members of the media and fans during much of the season, spent three weeks evaluating his team following the regular season from his suite at One Arrowhead Drive.
   

Hunt told Sports Radio 810 WHB while he isn’t making any changes to the front office this year, he does expect significant improvement in 2008.
   

“Obviously 2007 was incredibly disappointing,” he explained. “Particularly coming off a playoff appearance in 2006, and I think really building on that season we felt we had a chance to get back to the playoffs.”
   

And Kansas City appeared to be on their way after a 4-3 start. However, the Chiefs went strait down the toilet, losing nine games in a row to finish the season.
   

“We misjudged where a number of our veterans were in terms of their career. I think that had to do with our losing streak at the end of our season.”
   

Hunt and head coach Herm Edwards agree the Chiefs need to get younger and develop a franchise quarterback, which contradicts general manager King Carl Petersons’ philosophy. Since his arrival in 1989, Peterson has lived and died by signing veteran players — particularly quarterbacks.
   

Late owner Lamar Hunt became so disconnected with modern football he let Peterson run wild. For a time Peterson’s philosophies worked, but it never materialized into a championship.
   

Peterson is responsible for signing over the hill free agents, while allowing marquee players to retire rather than working out a trade for draft position when they still had market value.
   

“Unfortunately, those players really reached the end of their careers here over the last couple of years,” Hunt said. “We have to go through a retooling process now and build a team with young players through the draft.”

Which Peterson isn’t exactly known for.

The Kings’ antics were well documented this year while the Chiefs’ season spiraled out of control. Peterson announced he, along with Edwards, would return in 2008 before the final game of the year against the Jets.
 

Fans want blood, but it’s not going to happen from this owner. I’m telling you, Clark Hunt is not about to start listening to the drunken belligerent fan in the parking lot. Yeah I understand, the fan buys the season ticket and pays the ungodly price for parking at Arrowhead, but Hunt is an educated man. He graduated No. 1 in his class from Southern Methodist University, and he is not stupid enough to make snap decisions.

“At the end of the day, you step back and really evaluate things from top to bottom, starting with your head coach and including the front office,” said Hunt. “At the end of the day I concluded that coach Edwards and the team will have the best chance to be successful in 2008 with stability in the front office.”
 

In a sense, all of a sudden Peterson is a rookie general manager again. Hunt stripped the crown from the King and is letting everyone know the Chiefs belong to him. Hunt wouldn’t directly come out and say it, but ultimately Peterson has one year to prove he is on board with Hunt and Edwards to get younger and convince Hunt he is the right guy to lead the charge.
   

Hunt admitted he is aware of the fans’ frustration with Peterson, but points out his success of turning bad football teams around.
   

“I am aware of it and certainly Carl, as much as anybody, is disappointed with our performance in 2007 and also not having more success in the postseason,” he said.“Carl has a good record of turning bad football teams into good football teams and I really think he is the right guy to help Herm Edwards get to where we need to be in 2009.”
   

Hunt has stated that he rather evaluate his organization on an annual basis and will continue to do so in the coming years.
   

“I don’t think you can tie (recent failures) specifically to one head coach or another,” he said. “Certainly the head coach and general manager are linked at the hip in a lot of ways.
   

“I certainly understand our fans’ disappointment, and a 4-12 season is not acceptable. I have made it clear to everyone in the organization that we have to be substantially better in 2008.
   

Reading between the lines, Hunt clearly refers to Peterson as everyone.
Is it a possibility the Chiefs are 4-12 one year from now? Absolutely. But I could tolerate another 4-12 season if the Chiefs continue to build defensively and find a franchise quarterback.
   

For years now the gates have been closed at Arrowhead to young quarterbacks looking for a shot. Hunt has unlocked the shackles and threw away the key.
   

Better watch out Carl, there is a new King in Kansas City.

To reach Cody Dyer, call 417-358-2191 or send e-mail to sports@carthagepress.com.