Creighton Sanders made it happen in four sports at Heights

Creighton Sanders didn’t start his athletic career with overwhelming athletic gifts. By the time he graduated from Heights, he overwhelmed his weaknesses with enthusiasm, confidence and work.

“Honestly, my best position growing up was on the bench,” he said. “I was lacking one key element … athleticism.”

Sanders, who will play football at Pittsburg State, developed into a Class 5A javelin champion, an honorable mention All-Class 5A defensive back, second-team All-City League outfielder and a state champion swimmer. For that versatility, he was named Barry Sanders Male High School Athlete of the Year on Thursday at the Greater Wichita Sports Banquet at Century II.

Sanders didn’t play basketball, but he took his “make it happen” philosophy from NBA star Michael Jordan and dove into athletics, academics, drama and singing in high school.

“I was kid who wanted to make it happen,” he said. “I wanted to win. Running, soccer, tether ball, king of the monkey bars. It didn’t matter.”

Heights won the 2015 Class 5A swimming title and finished second in 2016. He won the Class 5A javelin title in 2015, his first try at the sport, and finished second in May. Heights won big in baseball and football, as well. But things didn’t always go smoothly for Sanders.

In fifth grade, he broke the growth plate in his elbow making a throw from the outfield and spent the season as pinch-runner. Falcons baseball lost in the semifinals of the Class 5A tournament in May. As a sophomore, Sanders had to endure weakness and fatigue due to swollen lymph glands. He was seeded second in the Class 5A 110-meter hurdles and failed to qualify for the finals.

“I was stunned,” he said. “I felt like I had myself down, my coaches down, and my teammates well. I was supposed to be in the finals.”

After a pep talk from his mother, “I got right back to training so I could make it happen the next year,” he said.

Former Wichita State basketball player Ron Baker was named College Male Athlete of the Year at the banquet.

Baker begins his professional career on Saturday with the New York Knicks in an NBA summer league game in Orlando, Fla. As a senior at WSU, he received All-District honors from the United States Basketball Award and the National Association of Basketball Coaches and All-Missouri Valley Conference.

Miami’s Zack Collins earned the Johnny Bench National Collegiate Catcher of the Year honors, beating out Oregon State’s Logan Ice and Keith Skinner of North Florida.

Collins hit .363 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 59 RBIs for the Hurricanes, who advanced to the College World Series. He signed with the Chicago White Sox after being drafted 10th overall.

Other award winners from the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission:

Lynette Woodard High School Female Athlete of the Year — Amanda Kakoulias (volleyball, basketball, track), Andover Central

Junior College Female Athlete of the Year — Brynn Minor (softball), Butler Community College

Junior College Male Athlete of the Year — Brylie Ware (baseball), Neosho County Community College

College Female Athlete of the Year — Cacy Williams (softball), Wichita State

Professional Athlete of the Year — Clarence Anderson (football), Wichita Force

High School Coach of the Year (boys) — Mitch Fiegel (basketball), Wichita Collegiate

High School Coach of the Year (girls) — Antwain Scales (basketball), Wichita South

Gene Stephenson Coach of the Year — Doug Chance (softball), Butler Community College

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 9:49 PM with the headline "Creighton Sanders made it happen in four sports at Heights."