Rising Star Road Trip: Spearville’s Cameron Offerle and Tawney Krominga

SPEARVILLE, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - Fall sports season is creeping up quicker and quicker, and to fully immerse ourselves into the action, we’re heading out to western Kansas for our “Rising Star Road Trip.” We’ll be highlighting some of the best athletes and teams state wide. Our first stop: Spearville High School, home of last season’s 1A volleyball state champion.

The Lancers bring back the 1A player of the year in outside hitter Cameron Offerle along with another all-state talent in outside hitter Tawney Krominga. The two have been playing together for nine years in Spearville and have made a huge impact together for the Lancers.

“I feel like on the court we definitely are very close,” Offerle said.

“Especially since I used to be her setter, that’s definitely made a difference between playing together,” Krominga said.

Spearville Head Coach Sybil Thompson said that for the last four years, the pair of all-state talent have been nothing if not entertaining to watch.

“You know, sometimes I think they’re enemies,” Thompson said. “They kind of have this this love-hate relationship. And I think deep down they know that the other one is just encouraging eachother.”

But as many saw on the way to Spearville’s first state championship in volleyball program history in 2021, the two are a scary sight for opposing teams.

“Wouldn’t you know it, when it’s time to step up and come together, they step up as leaders and you can see the unity,” Coach Thompson said.

Next year, after the two have been teammates for nearly the last decade, they will have to split paths to play for different teams. Offerle commiting to play at NAIA Bethel College while Krominga is committed for rival Kansas Wesleyan University.

“It’s going to be definitely different to play against each other, not with each other,” Krominga said.

But the two said they are ready for the new journeys.

“It’s good to have players [like Tawney] that are competitive playing against you though,” Offerle said. “For sure.”

In the meantime though, Offerle Krominga and the rest of the Spearville Lancers look to defend their state title. They open their season at home on August 30 taking on the Cimarron Blue Jays.

IN SPEARVILLE, TC, EWS

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