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Student-athletes that play and excel in two sports during their high school careers are commonplace. But how many can say they play and excel in two sports during the same season?

With the addition of soccer at Basehor-Linwood and Bonner Springs High Schools this year, it appears to be more and more.

There are three athletes at Bonner Springs and one at Basehor-Linwood that are competing in two sports this fall, each of them performing at the highest level in each sport.

Two of them are sophomores, Steve Lutjen and Jon Van Maren at BSHS; the other two are seniors, Jimmy Vogel at Bonner Springs and Luke Hill at Basehor-Linwood. Vogel and Hill play football and soccer, Lutjen plays football and runs cross country, and Van Maren competes in soccer and cross country.

Why do it? Why do these student-athletes want to go out and compete in two sports in the same season? All but one said it was because he couldn't choose which one to play.

"I've been playing soccer since I was 8 years old and I had a lot of fun running cross country last year, so I decided to do both," Van Maren said. "I couldn't decided which one to do."

Vogel said, "Soccer had always been what I played until middle school and since we didn't have a soccer team here, I started playing football. This was the first year for our soccer team so I decided to play, but I also wanted to play football, so I decided to do both."

Lutjen also could not decide, saying, "I couldn't choose which sport to play. I love football, but I've excelled in running as well, so I decided to try cross country out."

But for Hill, it was a matter of the football coaches asking him if he'd be interested.

"At first I just wanted to play soccer, then Coach (Paul) Brown asked if I wanted to try kicking. It just all worked out."

Two coaches commented they had no problem with multi-sport athletes.

"If the kid has the athletic ability to do both and both programs are willing to work together to benefit both the program and the athlete, then I think it's great," said Bonner Springs head football coach Lew Kasselman.

But Bonner Springs co-head soccer coach David Toland added that he hoped all coaches involved would allow the athlete freedom to choose which sport to play if a scheduling conflict arose.

"The bottom line is what the kids want to do. Some coaches will say 'you have to choose my sport or nothing'. But it's whatever the kids want to play. It's up to them. But like any coach, you hope they pick the sport you coach."

On most days, these athletes don't run into scheduling problems. Both Lutjen and Van Maren run on their own before school and then go to football and soccer practice, respectively. Vogel and Hill, both of whom are strictly place-kickers on the gridiron, go to their soccer practices, seeing the football practice field when they can.

But what if there was a game-day conflict? Each said the decision to choose would be tough, but felt their coaches would all understand. And for Van Maren, he has already had to make a couple of choices.

On one occasion a few weeks ago, the Bonner sophomore skipped a cross country race for a soccer match. The Bonner Springs harriers lost the team title by only two points.

"If I would have ran, we may have won the meet," Van Maren said. "I would play soccer anyway since it's our first year and we really don't have any other defenders besides the ones that play."

"I'd probably have to run cross country," Lutjen said. "If I'm not there, we don't do as well as a team. If I don't play football, they can fill my spot a lot easier."

Vogel said, "I'd probably go with the soccer team since they are my first priority. I think coach Kasselman would understand. He's been reasonable with me the whole time. I think he'd understand, but he'd be disappointed."

Added Hill, "Soccer is definitely my first priority. I'm a senior captain so I have to be there. I think coach Brown would understand. I think he knows soccer is my first priority."

Though Vogel and Hill only handle place-kicking duties in football, it doesn't mean the two avoid contact on the playing field

"Our soccer coaches don't want me to get hurt, so all I do is kick," Vogel said.

But that didn't help the Bonner senior last week when Vogel sustained a concussion doing a soccer game, forcing him to miss the Braves win over Sumner Academy last Friday night.

Hill's soccer coach at Basehor-Linwood, Lane Davis, told the B-L senior that it scares him to see Hill going down to make tackles in the Bobcats' football games because he doesn't want him to get hurt.

"Some people don't realize that soccer is an aggressive sport," Hill said. "But on the football field I'm pretty aggressive out there and I push around a lot. I've even made a couple of tackles this season."

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