The Ellis High School Railroader Golf Team is in action today! The junior varsity team will travel to Grinnell to play at the Cow Paddy Golf Course, while the varsity team will head to Goodland to compete at the Sugar Hills Golf Course. Both events will start at 1:00 PM. Good luck, Railroaders!
Ellis Jr./Sr. High School proudly recognizes an outstanding educator and coach, Mr. Mark Wildeman! We are thrilled to have his experience, knowledge, and expertise as part of our school community. Mr. Wildeman maintains a busy schedule teaching science for grades 7-9. He runs a structured and efficient classroom, emphasizing student involvement through labs and hands-on experiences. For the past four years, he has been dedicated to serving the Ellis community, its students, and their families.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Wildeman is the head coach for both the cross country and track and field teams at Ellis Jr./Sr. High School. Under his leadership, both programs have experienced significant growth and success. We are inspired by the numerous student comments highlighting his dedication to coaching, as well as the support and encouragement he provides. Several students noted that he strives for his athletes to develop both as individuals and as competitors, aiming for improvement each week. We truly appreciate his commitment both inside and outside the classroom. Mr. Wildeman is also a long-time basketball official, officiating many games in the area.
Fun facts about Mr. Wildeman include his love for camping and the exciting news that he will soon become a grandfather. His wife, Paulette, is the K-12 Vocal Music teacher for USD 388. An interesting tidbit about him is that he loves only his wife’s music. Good answer! We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated educator and coach like Mr. Wildeman. He makes a difference every day and is highly valued in our community and school. We are honored to celebrate his contributions as part of our Railroader family. Thank you, Mr. Mark Wildeman!
The Lady Railer softball team is traveling today for an Ellis County matchup against the TMP Monarchs. The game is scheduled for 4:00 PM and will take place at the Monarch Complex, located south of TMP. Good luck, Lady Railers!
The Railroader baseball team is on the road today for an Ellis County matchup against the TMP Monarchs. The junior varsity game starts at 3:00 PM, followed by a doubleheader varsity contest at 4:00 PM. All games will be held at the Monarch Complex, located south of TMP. Good luck, Railroaders!
On Saturday, April 12th, Talon Pyle and Kenzie Sunley competed at the Ellis forensics meet. Together, they placed 5th in IDA. Talon placed 3rd in Extemp. Kenzie placed 2nd in prose, earning her spot for state. Great job, Railers!
Also, Mrs. Kauten would like to thank all of the Ellis forensicators for helping run the meet today. A special thanks goes out to Mrs. Kauten's mom for running the hospitality room, Harper Burd for timing, all the judges, Randy Herman for making sure everything was ready, and Mrs. Nihlas's students for helping prepare food for the hospitality room. Without all of you, this meet wouldn't have been possible!
The EHS Wrestling teams recently held their end-of-season recognition.
The EHS Wrestling Team recognized Brandon Armbruster for his award as the 321A Junior High Wrestling Coach of the Year from the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. Pictured L to R with EJH Assistant Coaches: Zeke Haag (and former wrestler for Coach Armbruster), Robby Bennett, Jake Kirchhoff, and Brandon Armbruster.
Pictured L to R: Head Coach Ron Haag, Assistant Coach Robby Bennett, Associate Head Coach Zeke Haag, and Assistant Coach Jake Kirchhoff
The EHS Wrestling teams were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2024-2025 wrestling season.
Freshman Bag Recipients, Manager Pin, and Letter Winners--
Freshman Bag Recipients Pictured L to R: Lyla Richards, Asher Haag, and Hannah James. Not pictured: Austin Lopeman
Manager Pin & Letter Pictured L to R: Zeke Haag, Robby Bennett and Jake Kirchhoff, with Manager Chloe McClung
Boys’ Letter Winners Pictured L to R: Cole Yates, Colton Metzler, Brendan Seibel, JT Rhoden, and Asher Haag
Girls’ Letter Winners Pictured L to R: Piper McClung, Kia Mader, Lyla Richards, Hannah James, and Chloe McClung
Boys Statistical Leaders:
Escapes (20): Austin Lopeman and Cole Yates
Falls (17): JT Rhoden
2-point Nearfall (7): Brendan Seibel
Wins (24), Win % (77), Team Points (149), Individual Points (206), 3-point Nearfall (3), Major Decisions (5), Decisions (4), Takedowns (35), Most Reversals (10), 4-point Nearfalls (9): Asher Haag
Girls Statistical Leaders:
Escapes (20), 2-point Nearfalls: Piper McClung
Wins (26), Win % (74), Team Points (116.5), Individual Points (168), Reversals (10), 3-point Nearfalls (2), 4-point Nearfalls (9), Falls (20), Major Decisions (3), Takedowns (32): Kia Mader
Statistical Leaders Pictured L to R: Kia Mader, Piper McClung, Brendan Seibel, Cole Yates, JT Lopeman, and Asher Haag. Not pictured: Austin Lopeman
Team-voted Awards (members of the team nominated and voted for recipients):
Most Improved: Cole Yates, Hannah James
Most Outstanding: Asher Haag, Kia Mader
Newcomer of the Year: Austin Lopeman, Lyla Richards
Mr. Warrior Railer: Asher Haag
Ms. Warrior Railer: Piper McClung
Senior Recognition: JT Rhoden
Kansas Wrestling Coaches All-State Athletic Team Award:
Honorable Mention Pictured L to R: Piper McClung, Kia Mader, Hannah James, and Asher Haag
Recently, the EHS team was recognized for Academic Excellence.
Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association: Boys’ Team Academic Honorable Mention (Team Overall GPA 3.04) Pictured L to R: Jesse Vincent (EHS Principal), Colton Metzler, Cole Yates, Asher Haag, JT Rhoden, Brendan Seibel and Janice Wilson (Superintendent). Not pictured: Austin Lopeman and Mason Rohleder
Individuals Awardees:
First Team 3.5+GPA: Colton Metzler, Asher Haag, Mason Rohleder
Honorable Mention 3.0-3.49 GPA: JT Rhoden
*Principal, Athletic Director, and Superintendent recognized when a team meets the qualifications.
Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association: Girls’ Team Academic [No award because not enough girls on the team.] (Team Overall GPA 3.6)
Individual Awardees:
First Team 3.5+ GPA: Hannah James, Kia Mader, and Lyla Richards
Honorable Mention 3.0-3.49 GPA: Piper McClung
Pictured L to R: Piper McClung, Kia Mader, Hannah James, and Lyla Richards
United States Marine Corp Scholar All-Americans from the National Wrestling Coaches Association
Minimum Requirements for Consideration:
1) 3.5 Individual Grade Point Average (Based on a 4.0 Scale)
2) Either Fall Semester or Cumulative GPA
3) Athlete must be a 2024-25 Varsity Letter Winner
Pictured L to R: Lyla Richards, Kia Mader, Hannah James, Asher Haag, and Colton Metzler. Not pictured: Mason Rohleder
The HS track and Field team traveled to Norton to compete at a very competitive meet. Overall, our athletes performed at a high level, setting 26 individual PRs on the day. 1st place medal went to Isabella Eck in the HJ. 2nd place finishers were Sienna Schmidt in the TJ and Evelyn Merriman in the 100 M and 200 M. Earning 3rd place medals were the 4 x 100 relay of Addison Kohl, Isabella Eck, Sienna Schmidt, and Evelyn Merriman, Kamden Keller in PV, and Evelyn Merriman in the 400 M. Great Meet to all. Railer Pride!!
Avery Boydston, Aron Benzce, and Natalee North competed this week in Wichita at the Shocker Pre State Meet. Avery compete well in the 3200 Elite Division. Aron threw Disc in the 1-3A Division giving him more experience. Natalee won the Elite Division in Disc. and placed 4th in the Elite Shot Put. Way to represent your school. Railer Pride!!
Lady Railer Softball 🥎 with the sweep tonight in Plainville. Winning game one 24-1 on 3 innings and game two 26-14 in 5 innings.
Congratulations to our 2025-2026 EJH Cheer Squad!
We're so proud of everyone who tried out and encourage you to tryout again next year!
-Clara North
Railer Track competed at the Shocker Pre-State meet yesterday and today.
Congrats to Natalee North for picking up Gold in the Women's Elite Division Discus!
The Railroader baseball team is at home this afternoon against the Minneola/Ashland Wildcats! Game time is 4:00 PM. Come out and support our Railroaders on this beautiful day! Let's go, Railroaders!
The Lady Railroader Softball team is on the road today with games in Plainville. The start time is 4:00 PM on this fabulous day! Let's bring home some wins, Lady Railers!
The EHS Track and Field team is traveling to Norton for a meet this afternoon on this beautiful day! The start time is 3:00 PM. Good luck, Railroaders! Catch some rays and medals today!
Congratulations to our 2025 Prom Servers! They were elected by the junior class to assist with Prom!
Ellis High School has several outstanding track athletes who are set to compete at Wichita State University in the Shocker Pre-State Track and Field Event on Friday, April 11th. Junior Avery Boydston will participate in the elite division of the 3200-meter race. Senior Natalee North will compete in both the shot put and discus events in the elite division, while Senior Aron Bencze will compete in the discus event in the 1-3A division. Good luck to all our athletes—we are proud of you!
Congratulations to senior Keaton Fisher who placed in the Hays Arts Council writing contest. Her poem, which she creatively titled, "a pile of viscera called Hope" placed second in poetry, and her short story uniquely titled, "the stars are eternal" placed second in prose.
Each year, our seniors have the opportunity to attend a Rotary event. Today, our second group of seniors enjoyed a wonderful lunch and program. Ms. Damilola "Dami" Atanda, a graduate student from Fort Hays State University, shared an interesting presentation about her home country of Nigeria. Thank you, Ellis Rotary!
