Thursday, November 29, 2012

2012 Social Media Awards

The Social Media Awards are my way of saying thank you to all those who actively promoted The Sunflower League Football Blog through interaction on Twitter as well as leaving comments under posts.  I think you'll find that all of the individuals listed below were also extremely supportive (and in some cases even played) for their respective teams each week of the season.  If you didn't make these lists try harder next year and you'll certainly see your name mentioned!

Note: The "@" before a user handle represents their Twitter username, while users without the symbol represents those who posted comment on the actual blog.

Platinum Club

@BigDaddyBax (Anthony Bax)
@BigDaddyBax
Affiliation: Olathe South
Top Recent Tweet: "reading the latest post in the blog, definitely got chills reading the 2011 state part. #memories #south"- November 19th.
Stats: The die-hard senior leader of the Olathe South student section, BDB represented everything you could ask for in a social media follower/fanatic.  He helped me add hundreds of followers on Twitter, Retweeted nearly everything I sent out, and was highly interactive.  What's more, he kept the Olathe South student body pumped up for each and every game.  His enthusiasm was one of the primary reasons the Falcons held the top spot in the Social Media Standings from day one, and why the Falcon student body was able to create such a raucous atmosphere each Friday night.  It should also be noted that he held the top individual rank in the Social Media Standings for every week of the rankings.

@kbooger (Kyle Stonestreet)
@kbooger  
Affiliation: SM West  
Top Recent Tweet "I was talking to (Brett Sterbach) today and we were talking about him getting 138. and he responded. '... 200'" - November 14th.
Stats: Kbooger, along with @vakejance, was extremely influential in bringing back the Nordic Nasties moniker, the old nickname of the SM West student body.  Relentless with Retweets and interactions, I always knew I had a reliable source Tweeting at me from any and all of the Viking's games with kbooger at the other end of the Tweets.  He was also great at disseminating to me what the players were saying about upcoming games and opponents, which is great insight for coverage.  We will see if the Nordic Nasties can step up to fill the void that will be left when kbooger graduates.

@theRev_Carnahan
@theRev_Carnahan. (Dennis Carnahan)
Affiliation: Lawrence
Top Recent Tweet: "Game, Set, Match! #NordicNasties take the opening kick to the house. This one is OVER. We are headed to KrispyKreme." - November 16th.
Stats: The Rev is one of the few Tweeters/commentators whose knowledge of the Sunflower League stretches back to the days of the late 1990s and early 2000s Olathe North dynasty, and it's great because then I don't look like such a raving looney when I talk about events from the past.  Always quick with a joke, the Rev brought unbridled passion for Chesty Lions football, as well as the Sunflower League in general; a true champion of the league.

TheImpaler
Affiliation: SM West
Top Comment: "I voted for Andre Maloney" - November 6th.
Stats:  TheImpaler was the first person to actually post a legitimate football comment on this blog.  The date was September 9, 2009 and it was a diatribe about boycotting Metro Sports for not showing video recap of the SM West vs. Olathe East game.  It was, in many ways, a very solid indicator of the passion that was to come.  TheImpalar has been the blog's top commentator ever since its inception and he graciously handles the Weekly Pick 'Em Standings.  The Olathe East hater's constant commentary and passion for the Sunflower League earns him Platinum status.

Gold Club

@big_chiefD (The Biscuit)
Affiliation: SM East 
Stats: Stuck behind enemy lines in Colorado, The Biscuit (also known as big_chiefD on Twitter) has first-hand knowledge of the league from his playing days at SM East in the early 2000s--which in many ways lends with itself a great and unabashed perspective of league coaches and programs. 

@clairesunn
Affiliation: Olathe South
Stats: Clairesunn is what I would call one of the sentimental leaders of the Olathe South student section.  Always positive (even in losses), her support of Olathe South football is incredible.  She'll be back next year and hopefully she'll continue to be one of the league's top Tweeters.

@D_Nelly31
Affiliation: Olathe South 
Stats: D_Nelly was like a steel trap for Retweeting any Sunflower League related content I sent out--and that was awesome!  He, like his Olathe South brethren, was a perfect example of why the Falcons have the best student support in the league and likely the state of Kansas.

Who's Your Daddy
Affiliation: Olathe East 
Stats: One thing's for sure: Who's You Daddy brought it strong and didn't sugarcoat anything.  He told things as he saw them and he wasn't afraid to eat crow if his predictions didn't come into fruition.  It's good to have a commentator of his knowledge of the league around for the sake of discussion.

Silver Club

@A_Kiss18
Affiliation: Lawrence Free State
Stats: A ballgirl on the 2006 team and a mangers for this year's squad, A_Kiss naturally had more insight into the Free State football team (from a historical perspective) than you would expect from any high schooler.

@pubhouse_nation (Seth)
Affiliation: Lawrence 
Stats: His undying support for LHS makes him one of the league's most passionate fans and he's one of the few commentators that uses his actual name.

Govannon Grey
Affiliation: None (that we're aware of)
Stats: We think Govannon works (in some capacity) for a sports media outlet or team, but we're not sure which one--and we're cool with that.  His behind the scenes knowledge of the league is excellent.

@jimthejam 
Affiliation: Olathe East 
Stats: Jim was one of the few Olathe East students who was really interactive on Twitter. Their players always had something to say, but Jim was the flagship for their student body all season long.

@spills22
Affiliation: SM West
Stats: One of, if not the only player who consistently Tweeted throughout the season, Spills was always solid for feedback as well as Retweets on blog posts.

@BrianLibeer
Affiliation: SM East
Stats: Always steadfast with his latest video creation from SM East's games, here is Libeer's year-end video of the Lancers' 7-3 campaign this year.

@SME_Harbinger
Affiliation: SM East 
Stats: I really enjoyed interactions I had with the Harbie's, especially when I was able to do color commentary with them for the third quarter of the Olathe South vs. SM East game in week three.
 
Bronze Club

SMS watcher
Affiliation: SM South
Stats: With excellent weekly updates from SM South football games, SMS Watcher is the kind of fan and supporter the Raiders will use to take their program to the next level. 

Slugger 
Affiliation: Olathe South
Stats: Slugger was sporadic with comments, but a Slugger post was always a detailed and well thought out comment which bred interaction on the comments sections.

@alowe22 
Affiliation: SM East
Stats: Also known as SM East's speed running back from 2009-2011, Lowe was one of the best alumni Tweeters in the league.

@vakejance
Affiliation: SM West
Stats: Essential in the Nordic Nasties' rebirth, Jake was like the enforcer in the Viking's student section--the big guy who kept people in line and kept the students focused on the game.

@barely_jaylen
Affiliation: Olathe South
Stats: The consummate Retweeter, Jaylen was another tremendous Olathe South student section member who has a few years eligibility left to rep the Falcons.

Free State Fan
Affiliation: Lawrence Free State
Stats: Free State Fan built up commentating momentum as the season went along and the Free State machine kept rolling.  With the talented team they have returning we shouldn't expect differently next year.

@Ddderrick23
Affiliation: Lawrence
Stats: Derrick was one of the few students in the league who didn't hesitate to travel to see his team play--including a game at the 'Dotte.  Hopefully he and the LHS varsity basketball team get the same support this winter.

@itsbthombaby
Affiliation: Olathe South
Stats: The definition of insanity: Not following @itsbthombaby on Twitter. So start.

@pblackburn48
Affiliation: SM East
Stats: The Lancers' brusing tailback was also one of my most consistent Retweeters throughout the season, and also one of my first followers ever on Twitter.

@kelseybelsey16
Affiliation: Lawrence
Stats: Undying supporter of LHS football, LHS and Lawrence in general, Kelsey was a very positive and polite Tweeter who always supported her team.

@KeithLonekerSr.
Affiliation: Lawrence Free State
Stats: Just in case you didn't know, Loneker played in the NFL for the LA Rams, and has had roles in films such as Out of Sight (alongside George Clooney and Ving Rhames), Leatherheads, Superbad and Lakeview Terrace.  His son, Keith Jr., was selected as a Second Team All-Sunflower League selection and will be one of the league's top returning players in 2013.

9 comments:

@theRev_Carnahan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
theRev_Carnahan said...

I am humbled and honored to be recognized for such a prestigious award. I want to thank God, The Academy (Sumner, my Alma Mater), the voters (@eliunderwood) and Friday Nights for giving us reason to celebrate our uniqueness and bringing us closer together!
#SLBlogSocialMedia #tweetswag

Seth Nation said...

I second the Rev's comments, but want to add, that I had no idea about this blog until I did a google search in early August looking for some site that held some sort of 2012 pre-rankings for the Sunflower League. Low and behold i stumbled onto this. As a fellow blogger I have to say this blog helped make this season a blast. I religously followed twitter on Friday nights looking for score updates, and then anxiously awaited all of the report-outs during the week. My only regret is that when I played high school and college ball in the early 90's I wish we had something like this.

Eli what you've made here is outstanding, and I just want to say thanks for creating a forum and atmosphere that is informative and fun to be part of...it helps take the rivalries to another level.

Since my son was only a junior this year I'm already eagerly waiting for next year so I can get in on the action from the beginning.

Thanks again Eli, and GO LIONS!

8timestatechamps said...

#1 - Glad there is not 1 ON Eagle listed on this. Maybe its cause they went 3-7 but hopefully not.

#2 - Eli, You do an outstanding job of covering the league. Your always very fair on your coverage of the teams.

#3 - I would like to compose a chart of all the Olathe North Eagle football games since Olathe high became NORTH and how they compare to all the Sunflower league teams. Metro sports has all the schedule back to 2000 or so but i need the schedule before than and haven't had very much luck with doing a google search for info. Any ideas?

Free State Fan said...

This blog is so much fun. Eli, not sure how in the world you are able to do such a fantastic job of having great info on every school, but I know the players and fans really like coming to this site. I can't imagine there is another site like this. Even though everyone knows you are a SMW grad/former player, I'd like to publicly praise you for your unbiased, honest to goodness reviews and previews. As for bloggers, I really appreciate that there are rarely comments that cut someone else down... just people giving their team props and lots of love. Can't wait for next year and bloggin' with all y'all again! Ending with my signature send-off: Go 'Birds!

Slugger said...

Eli, I also want to echo the other posters comments. Thanks for running this blog. You do a great job. I won't have a son playing on Friday nights next year, so hopefully I'll hook up with a few of you and come see some of the other teams in the league. It's a great league with great games every week.

Also - A shout out to BigDaddyBax and DNelly - You guys are the best! Ring Leaders of the best student section in the conference!

Finally, I ask that you say a prayer for my buddy Pitt80. He no longer posts, but he still reads. I don't know of another individual who has done so much for the boys of OS.

Govannon Grey said...

Yeah, what they ^^^^^ said

TheImpaler said...

Thanks for the props Eli, it was a great season. WIth all my college teams (Iowa, Iowa St., Northern Iowa, Washburn) and pro teams (Chiefs, Jets, Saints) pretty much sucking ass it was great to see West win it all. I just wish it could have happened while my kids were still there. But it was a great, fun season beyond just the Vikes being good. It was, I think, the most balanced, competetive season I can remember in SFL league history with so many great games and talented players.

I'm so glad your blog is really seeming to take off. The popularity of HS football is growing and I think all the hard work you do on this site will pay off. Certainly the amount of posts are up this year. I had a great time. Thanks to everyone for a great season.

And thanks to the 2012 Vikings. Coach C, your best job ever. After week two this team looked headed for a 3rd-4th palce finish maybe a 6-3 record and a second round playoff loss but you really got these guys to believe they could go out and beat anyone they played. Also the play calling this year was first rate, really changing the scheme and your style to match the talent of your players. Now you're in Alabama position...anything less than 13-0 next year will be a disappointment with all the great talent that's coming back.

Next year will almost certianly be the end of an era in SFL football. The last year of the SFL as an all 6A league. Unless something changes next fall, SMS and LV will move down to 5A. This is going to make for some strange districts and fewer conference games overall. I'm not sure any of us are going to like this change, so emjoy next season.

Peace to all (even Hawk fans) and have a great off season! AJ, Andre get in the weight room, I want 20 more pound on each of you by next August! See everyone next season.

Anonymous said...

Eli, Just want to thank you for all your hard work on the blog. As much as we all love High School Football, your blog makes it twice as nice. I have to say your a tough sell. I think the picks champ should be an automatic qualifier for Platinum status. LOL! If I had hit the State game you would have had to elevate me. Now that I know there are post season awards. I'm bringing my AAA game next season. Bloggers beware!!