An ending to the good ol’ days – former high school athletes discuss not playing in college

By Greta Klein
Staff Writer

The transition from high school to college can be difficult for many students. These events can be difficult, for some as it includes moving away from home, beginning classes.

But for some, the difficulty includes an ending to their athletic careers.

Some athletes get the opportunity to continue their athletic career at community colleges, smaller four-year colleges or large universities across the nation, while others have the realization that their dreams of continuing on their athletic careers are over.

While some high school athletes regret not continuing their athletic career, others are happy with the decision they made.

For Inman sophomore Dawson Mannebach, he regrets the decision to not continue his athletic career. In high school, Mannebach was a three-sport athlete all four years as a Teuton.

Mannebach devoted his time playing football, basketball, and track throughout his high school career. During that time, Mannebach was scouted in football, and track for the next level. He was a part of Inman’s state runner-up team in 2021.

Mannebach had the chance to play football at Hutchinson Community College, but ultimately chose to not play for the Blue Dragons.

“I regret it now,” Mannebach said. “I was nervous and burnt out at that point. I didn’t want to do anything in college. I contemplated the idea of playing at the next level, I was nervous going against other college athletes, especially ones playing for Hutch. The football program here has players that will bounce to (NCAA) Division 1 universities after playing here, and it scared me to compete with them.”

On the other hand, regret is not something that freshman Sierra Lanning feels. Lanning was an athlete at Fairfield High School, a school that takes students from many small towns in western Reno County.

“I do not regret playing in college because during high school, wrestling season was only for three months,” Lanning said. “The rest of the time I was able to focus on myself, homework and everything else.”

To Lanning, some ordinary things were not something that she wanted to give up while in college.

“In college, they practice every single day,” Lanning said. “I wouldn’t have time to spend with my little sister Maisie. I wouldn’t have been able to go on my Europe trip that I went on for three weeks over the summer. I wasn’t going to be wrestling my whole life so it really didn’t play into my degree that I’m getting.”

Lanning participated in many sports throughout her high school career including basketball, softball, track, volleyball and wrestling.

For everyone going to college it is a difficult transition, but for Lanning, and Mannebach, they both agreed that it was time for them to hang it up.

“I miss it, yes,” Lanning said. “I’ll see my friends’ posts from Friends University and I’ll see them post everything about wrestling and I missed the sport and the friendships that it gave me. But I’m OK that I didn’t continue.”

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