With the year coming to a close it marks the time of the year when everyone looks back at all the events and happenings over the course of the year. We at Kanzaland radio thought there's no better way to close out a great year of Kanzaland area sports with a Top 10 countdown of the top Kanzaland area sports moments in 2012.

We will announce the top 10 on the Kanzaland sports reports during the week leading up to the number one announcement on December 31st. You can listen to the sports reports throughout the day on 103.9 KNZA and 92.1 KMZA to find out the top sports moments and also you can follow them online here, too.

2012 Kanzaland Sports Top 10 Moments:
#10 Centralia Native, Bob Fischer Gets National Attention for His 14 Guinness World Records
#9 John Riggins and Family has Centralia Football Field Dedicated to Them
#8 Highland CC Makes Noise on the National Sports Scene at Community College Level
#7 50 Area Wrestlers Compete at State and One Captures a State Title
#6 72 Area Runners Competed at State in Cross Country with Three Runners Capturing State Titles

Kanzaland Sports 2012 Moment #5:
B&B Captures State Volleyball Crown & Centralia Takes 3rd; Other Area Teams Perform Well

Volleyball in Northeast Kansas and in the state of Kansas for that matter for some years has been highlighted and dominated by a pair of Kanzaland area teams from the Twin Valley League that being the B&B Falcons and Centralia Panthers and 2012 was no different.

Looking to make it back-to-back state titles the Lady Falcons of B&B went into the state tournament primed and ready to soar over the competition. B&B went a perfect 3-0 in pool play dispatching their first two opponents in straight sets, before needing three sets in the pool play finale. In the semifinals, Falcons made quick work of Weskan in straight sets to set up a one versus two seed matchup in the championship with Argonia. Argonia pushed B&B but the Lady Falcons prevailed in three sets (25-18, 24-26, 25-18) to win Class 1A-Division II state championship for the second straight year finishing with a 40-5 record. (Click here for B&B State Volleyball story)

Lady Falcons with their stellar performance won the state title with a true team mentality and performance but many individual Falcons earned postseason honors. Junior, Laura Sudbeck continued to be a dominate performer earning “Player of the Year” honors in Class 1A-DII, while Head Coach, Jessica Coach was named the “Coach of the Year.” Sudbeck was named to first team All-State as was her teammate’s fellow juniors, Ashley Kramer and Katie Huerter. Senior, Haley Strathman earned All-State honorable mention honors as an integral part of the Falcons.

For the Centralia Lady Panthers dominance is the word to describe the volleyball program under Head Coach, Kimbrook Tennal and this year in a tough Class 1A-Division I the Lady Panthers performed well yet again. Lady Panthers needed three sets in every match at state but they would go 4-1 in action to capture a third place finish. Centralia survived pool play with a perfect 3-0 record then meet up with defending champs St. John Hudson in the semifinals and would go three sets but fall a little short of making the championship game. Going for third place Centralia would take down Hoxie in three sets to capture the third place finish at state. (Click here for Centralia State Volleyball story)

Panthers capped off their great season with a 40-5 record and two players earning All-State honors as junior, Kaitlyn Koch earned first team honors while senior, Kindal Deters came away with honorable mention honors.

Three other area teams made the state volleyball tournaments in their classifications also, as Marysville made it in 3A and Washington County and Jefferson County North both made the state tourney in 2A. The Lady Bulldogs bowed out in pool play after a solid year of play on the court. In Class 2A, Washington County dominated cruising to a state title, while Jefferson County North as a low seed surprised and finished fourth in Class 2A. (Click here for story on other teams at State)

Volleyball looks to be one of the prime sports yet again in Kanzaland for the 2013 year coming up with many teams getting better and of course the top teams continuing their success.

Kanzaland Sports 2012 Moment #4:
League Realignment and Movement Has Shaken Up Kanzaland Area Teams

You can tab 2012 for Kanzaland area schools and leagues as the year of change that will be coming in the next few years, as the landscape of the leagues that the Kanzaland area teams find themselves associated with will be changing.

One league will be no more as the Delaware Valley League will break up after this school year as eight of the of the current 14 teams will be forming their own league. Those eight teams include all the of DVL South teams in: Oskaloosa, McLouth, Valley Falls, Jefferson County North, Immaculata and Pleasant Ridge, while two North division teams will be joining them in Maur Hill-Mount Academy and Jackson Heights. This eight team league will start the being of the 2013-14 academic year and will be called the “Northeast Kansas League.” (Click here for Story on DVL disbandment)

With that movement that left the remaining six DVL schools looking for a new home and that’s when the other Kanzaland area leagues in the Big Seven and Twin Valley League got into the league movement. Both the ACCHS Tigers and the Riverside Cyclones are making the move into the Big Seven league which will give the Big Seven 10 teams good for two divisions for next year. Horton also applied to join the Big Seven but was denied by one vote. (Click here for story on ACCHS & Riverside Joining Big Seven)

Next up the Doniphan West and Troy both joined the Twin Valley League starting next season expanding that league to 14 schools; adding two 11-man football teams to bring that total up to six. Horton yet again ventured into possibly joining the TVL but after what was an original thought of inviting the Chargers to the league the TVL decided not to invite Horton to join the league. (Click here for story on Troy to TVL; Click here for story on Horton Denied League Affiliation to TVL)

With that Horton goes into the 2013-14 academic year as an independent next year searching for a new home, as they have petitioned KSHSAA to be placed in a league. Kansas City Christian the other odd man out in the DVL will return to independent as they were before being placed in the DVL.

We thought that was the end of the league movement, but not so fast as recently the Big Seven has seen its own shake up with the announcement of Santa Fe Trail leaving the league affective the 2014-15 academic year moving into the Pioneer League. This move will put the Big Seven down to nine teams, presumably thus looking to add another team to move back to 10 teams. (Click here for story on Santa Fe Trail Leaving the Big Seven)

2012 was a year of change for many Kanzaland area schools with their league affiliations and we can rest assured that in 2013 we will most likely see some more movement in league affiliations, but probably not as drastic as this year.