Multi-sport Maverick shines on the field, court, and track

It is hard to find three-sport athletes in general, especially ones that compete in all three at a state level. Sammy Dresie is a perfect example of how to balance three different sports while showing full commitment to each one in a certain season.

Photo by Taylor Vonfeldt

Dresie catches his breath during the game against Bishop Carroll. Dresie has been one of the key players off the bench for a Maize South team that is ranked top five in the state and is looking to make a run at the 5A state championship.

Isaiah Atwater, Contributing Reporter
March 3, 2023

Maize South junior Sammie Dresie is a  stand-out athlete in three sports, earning league and state honors in his sophomore and junior year.

For Dresie, sports are a full-year assignment where he’s often beginning a new season while just finishing up his last sports season.

Although he is a standout in all three, balancing these has been far from easy for Dresie. 

“It is hard to prepare for track because the practices start before basketball ends, so I’m a little late getting started,” Dresie said. This late start didn’t seem to slow him down as he had a great sophomore track season, qualifying for state in the 4×100 relay. 

Dresie is still not satisfied though, as he looks to improve on his sophomore season. This includes a better team placing at the state competition at Wichita State in the 4×100.

When asked about his goals and how he wants to improve in his upcoming track season,” said Dresie. “My goals for this season are to get faster overall and go to state again for one of my events.”

When he’s not preparing for track and playing basketball you can find him catching touchdowns on Friday nights as he is one of the premiere receivers in Kansas. Football is his favorite of the three sports and is the one that he plans to stick with in college. 

“Football is my favorite because I get to be with my friends and I like being outside,” said Dresie. 

Dresie proved himself as one of the top receivers in the area as he had 1069 receiving yards on 69 catches and 9 touchdowns last season. He was also named to 5A All-State Honorable Mention and AVCTL Division 1 1st team all-league.

 

Sammy Dresie lines up at receiver before he begins to run a route against Maize on Friday, September 30th. He had 14 catches for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns this game and was an Honorable Mention 5A wide receiver this year as well.
(Courtesy Photo )

Brent Pfeifer, who has coached Dresie since he was a freshman in football and track, thinks very highly of Sammy as an athlete and as a person. He appreciates Sammy’s dedication and commitment to both sports. 

“His mental toughness and work ethic improves each year as he competes year-round for different coaches and teammates,” Pfeifer said. 

Pfeifer is also grateful for Dresie’s winning mentality and says that playing multiple sports has helped him become an all-around competitive athlete that wants to win in everything he does. 

“Through his involvement with a variety of coaches and competing on different stages, he has become the ultimate physically and mentally tough competitor,” said Pfeifer.

Dresie’s work ethic and team-first mentality are also respected by his teammates in all three sports. Maize South junior, Jeron Askren, plays basketball and football with Dresie and is one of his closest friends. Askren has seen Sammy’s constant improvement up close as he’s been his teammate in both sports since middle school.

“Sammy is one of the most humble people I know. He shows resiliency through hardship and is always looking for an opportunity to learn and move forward,” said Askren. “Sammy is an extremely hard worker and is very competitive in all aspects, making him a talented athlete and a player that not only you, but everyone around him wants to be around.”