The Northwest Missourian by Northwest Missourian

NORTHWEST

MISSOURIAN

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

MARYVILLE, MISSOURI

NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

VOL. 110, NO. 7

@THEMISSOURIAN

SILVIA ALBERTI | NW MISSOURIAN

David Croney from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources explains Mozingo Lake’s water quality issues and addresses the Mozingo Monitoring Plan at the Maryville City Council meetingSept. 27.

State plans to monitor Mozingo QUENTIN MORRIS News Reporter | @TheMissourian

he Missouri Department of Natural Resources has created a plan to monitor Lake Mozingo after observing continual increases in harmful algal blooms that could aﬀect wildlife and humans. Maryville’s City Council hosted David Croney from the Missouri DNR Sept. 27, who outlined the next steps the city should take to gather more information about Mozingo Lake’s water quality issues. The Environmental Protection Agency and Missouri DNR put Lake Mozingo on the 303 (d) list back in 2020. The 303 (d) list is

Census shows drop in freshmen students SIDNEY LOWRY News Editor | @sidney_lowry

Northwest’s official census showed an increase in enrollment for the fourth consecutive year, with an 8% increase to 7,870 students, and a jump in international, graduate, online and dual-credit enrollment. Though many groups of students experienced an increase in enrollment, freshman enrollment saw a decrease. Last fall, Northwest had 1,221 first-time freshmen, but a year later saw 257 less students, bringing the number down to 964 ﬁrst-time freshmen. Despite enrollment being down, there was a 76% retention rate from last year’s freshman to their second year of school, showing the second-highest retention rate in University history. Of the headcount, the highest jump in enrollment numbers was from international students, with a 59% increase. International Involvement Center Director Phil Hull said the rise in numbers compared to last year came from the limited ability for international travel, and now some of those restrictions are being lifted. “After about a year and a half with very little international student mobility due to COVID-19, we found students ﬁnally able to leave their home countries and come to the United States,” Hull said. “For the better part of a year, embassy and consular offices were closed, disallowing

algal blooms. Mozingo Lake’s blue-green algal blooms went above that threshold in April and August of 2021 and got close to that threshold in July. “The issue of the persistent, harmful algal blooms is these blooms can cause a huge impact to human and recreational impact as well as impact aquatic life in the lake,” said Croney. Because Mozingo Lake has continued to have these problems, the Missouri DNR wants to gather more data about the lake. To gather more information on Mozingo Lake, the Missouri DNR is creating a monitoring plan.

a classiﬁcation used by both governmental agencies to identify impaired waterbodies. An impaired waterbody is a water source that has some pollutants that may impact human or aquatic life. This list was created under the Clean Water Act as a way to deﬁne and regulate the maximum allowed pollutants that could contaminate a water source. While the lake is not harmful to the public for drinking water or for recreational purposes, the amount of blue-green algae that causes harmful blooms to form went above 100,000 cell parts per milliliter. That is the threshold used for determining the potential presence of harmful

students from making visa appointments and, therefore, obtaining student visas. Flights were limited and borders were closed.” There are 702 international students, comprising 9% of the student population and representing 38 countries, with students mainly from India, Nepal, Nigeria and Brazil. Hull said Northwest also welcomed eight exchange students, six of whom are here for the fall semester, and the other two are here for the full year. Due to the pandemic, many study-abroad partner universities either canceled their programs or limited them to virtual settings. With the slight lift of travel and visa restrictions, those universities are now bringing back study-abroad programs to students. “After no study-abroad mobility since spring 2020, we’re seeing programs open their doors, and the Study Abroad Ofﬁce is looking forward to sending Northwest students abroad again this spring,” Hull said. The next group of students to see an increase in enrollment was graduate students, with an increase of 44%. Associate Provost of Graduate and Professional Studies Gregory Haddock said this increase was slightly over what the enrollment team had projected. There was an anticipated growth of around 41%, Haddock said, so the growth in enrollment

SEE MOZINGO | A6

OFFICIAL NW ENROLLMENT NUMBERS

702 Total International students attending Northwest

Different countries are represented by students at Northwest

23% FRESHMAN

59% INTERNATIONAL

44% GRADUATE

19% ONLINE

964

First-time freshman for Fall 2021, down from 1,221 in 2020

MAKAYLA POLAK | NW MISSOURIAN

was not much more than they expected. However,in comparison to previous years, it is 10% more than what they have seen. “The previous three years had grown a little less than 30% per year, so tracking ahead of that performance for the past 12 months has helped the institution’s overall headcount,” Haddock said. “The strategy to bolster graduate enrollment with online programs began in 20162017 when just under 15% of the graduate population were in on-

line programs.” He said the programming in the graduate school enrolls around a third of the overall students on campus and two-thirds of Northwest online students. This year, online student enrollment increased by 19%. Northwest also saw a 16% increase in dual-credit students, along with more transfer students. Compared to last year, there was a 4% increase, and Northwest welcomed 302 transfer students for the fall semester.

Freshman found dead in Millikan Northwest freshman Samuel Davis was found dead in his Millikan Hall room Sept. 23. University Police Chief Clarence Green said Davis was found at approximately 8 p.m last Thursday, upon which UPD began an investigation. Green said there is no foul play suspected in Davis’ death. Davis was a first-year radiologic science major from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and was employed as a student security officer with the University Police Department. Green said Davis completed his training and was scheduled to begin work the week he was found dead. The University sent an email to students and staff the night Davis’ body was found. The email included a message from Northwest President John Jasinski asking students to be mindful of the situation throughout Family Weekend. “As we gather for Family Weekend activities on our campus, it is especially important that we keep his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers,” Jasinski said in the email. UPD was able to determine that no foul play was suspected after initial autopsy results showed no immediate concern; however, it will take eight to 10 weeks for the department to receive official autopsy results.

SEE UPD| A6

Northwest Missouri’s oldest and largest independently-owned and operated bank. Maryville Savannah Mound City St. Joseph 660-562-3232 660-442-3131 816-324-3158 816-364-5678 AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1914.

Member FDIC PLEASE

RECYCLE

Sept.30, p 2021 @TheMissourian

NEWS

Sept. 30, 2021 @TheMissourian

Employees continue to outpace students in vaccine reporting NATHAN ENGLISH Managing Editor | @nathan_3nglish

ROSCOE FLINT| NW MISSOURIAN

The 99th Student Senate elected Zoe Chagnon as the 2021 freshman class president at its Sept. 28 meeting. McKenna Grimmer, Sophia Sanders and Lucas Pratter were elected freshman class representatives, and Cameron Laughry was elected RHA representative.

Student Senate swears in new representatives RIAN CASWELL News Reporter | @rian_caswell

sign’s features and explained why the current sign needed to be replaced. “Our current sign is 12 years old and can only be operated on by one computer,” Hendrix said. “A new sign would allow us to catch the eye of people visiting campus and provide information to everyone about events happening at Northwest.” The total cost of the sign is $17,500. Northwest’s University Marketing and Communication Office will provide financial support and use current resources for electronic wiring to reduce the final cost.

Student Senate swore in six new freshmen senators and a new Resident Hall Association representative, passed funding for a new entry sign and approved two new student organizations at its Sept. 28 meeting. Freshman Elections Freshman representative elections closed Sep. 24th. Results were announced at this week’s meeting. Seven candidates were on the ballot, six of whom were voted into positions. Zoe Chagnon was elected freshman class president; Sophia Sanders, McKenna Grimmer and Lucas Pratter will all serve as freshman class representatives. “I’m super excited to meet everyone and be in this position. I’m looking forward to being able to give a voice to other students on campus,” Chagnon said. Freshmen Kaylee Snowardt and Emerson Henry were elected on-campus representatives. Cameron Laughry will be the new RHA representative.

Newly Approved Student Organizations A new Google Student Developer Club became an approved campus organization. The club will provide students with the opportunity to learn about in-depth Google technology that students can utilize to solve problems in the community. All members of the club will be provided with Google software. Student Senate also approved Investment Club, an organization that will allow students to discuss the stock market and invest their money as they believe is best for them. Investment Club President Danny Heller said the new club is not like others on campus. “Instead of focusing on ﬁnancial management, like another organization on campus, we will strictly be focused on investing money and learning as individuals as we go,” Heller said.

Rollover Budget Student Senate approved the use of $15,000 from the rollover budget to go toward a new electronic entry sign for Northwest. Digital Content Manager for the Oﬃce of University Marketing and Communication Ashlee Hendrix gave a presentation to Student Senate about the new

Half of Northwest students and 66% of employees have shared that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with University Wellness ahead of the last incentive drawing Oct. 1. “That is encouraging. We’re hoping to get students higher as well,” Lt. Amanda Cullin said of employee vaccination rates. Cullin, a member of the Crisis Response Team 2, said the team is continuing to evaluate whether more incentive drawings or other incentive alternatives will be used in the future. For example, CRT 2 is aware that MIAA counterpart Central Oklahoma is offering days off to students if they hit certain vaccine benchmarks as an incentive. Northwest will be giving out $39,000 in scholarships and organization funding — $35,000 of which will be for individual scholarships — during its fourth and final planned drawing. CRT 2 will continue to look at holistic data from the University, Nodaway County and surrounding communities and higher education institutions to reevaluate incentive programs and mitigation efforts at Northwest. Nodaway County’s vaccination rates continue to creep up with a seven-day average of 26 doses administered per day as of Sept. 28 — a rate that is comparable to those at the beginning of June in Nodaway County. Nodaway County Health Center Administrator Tom Patterson said the rate is down slightly from recent weeks but that he is still encouraged by the number of residents initiating and completing their vaccinations. The county is still behind the state vaccination rate with 45% of Nodaway County residents fully vaccinated, compared with 47.6% of total Missouri residents. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval for booster doses of Pfizer Sept. 22 for certain populations, including the immunecompromised. Moderna is expected to be granted emergency approval for its own booster in the next few weeks, and boosters are expected to be made available for more populations in the near future. “I would guess that the demand is high enough that you would see similar vaccine efforts that you saw in the spring,” Patterson said of local booster administration. The Nodaway County Health

ROSCOE FLINT | NW MISSOURIAN

A group of students sit during class wearing masks due to the mask mandate put in by Northwest.

Department partnered with Mosaic - Maryville and Northwest to host mass vaccination clinics in the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse from January to May. President of Mosaic Maryville Nate Blackford said the hospital is in a “holding pattern” waiting for further guidance on booster shots from state and national authorities. Blackford, Patterson and Cullin all said they are awaiting further information on the executive order issued by President Joe Biden’s administration mandating vaccines for employers with over 100 employees and for organizations receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. The order initially set a deadline of November for the mandate. Current COVID-19 case counts continue to remain “pretty flat” in Nodaway County, Blackford said. The seven-day rolling average for positive cases in the county was six Sept. 26 and was ﬁve a week prior. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have remained consistent at Mosaic in recent weeks. Black-

ford said the system is averaging a total number of hospitalizations in the mid to upper 20s, with one to three cases at Maryville. Both Blackford and Patterson said they were still concerned with the number of cases among children in recent weeks. The middle of September represented a significant spike in cases among children ages five to 14, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “I think a lot of my concern, if you will, is if there’s a third significant variant; will it have a larger impact on children?” Blackford said. “That’s just what viruses do. They typically morph and become more severe.” “To see an increase in cases in that age group is troubling,” Patterson said. Pfizer recently submitted trial data to the FDA and is seeking emergency approval for a version of its vaccine for children ages five to 11. Northwest has seen a recent reduction in COVID-19 cases, with the number of positive cases dropping below double digits this past week.

Worship in Maryville Disciples of Christ

Dale Baker, Pastor

Sundays: 9 a.m. Discipleship Classes 10:30 a.m. Worship onsite live livestreamed on our facebook page Fa Facebook.com/FFCMaryvilleMo 201 West Third, Maryville 660.582.4101

Phone - (660)562-2616

Campus contact: Deena Poynter

Email - fbcmaryvillemo@gmail.com

660.541.1336

Join Us On Sundays Sunday School - 9:30 a.m. Worship gathering - 10:45 a.m.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Eve Everyo very ry ne ryo ne IIss Wel Welcom Welcom come e Here

WWW.MARYVILLEFUMC.ORG EMAIL: PASTORKIM@MARYVILLEFUMC.ORG YOUTUBE: MARYVILLE FUMC

FACEBOOK: FUMCMARYVILLE

Join us for worship Sundays at 9 and 11 am

Website - www.fbcmaryville.com

121 E. Jenkins St. Maryville, MO 64468

St. Gregory’s Catholic

Church

333 South Davis Street Maryville, MO 64468

www.fccmaryvillemo.com fccmaryvillemo@gmail.com

660-582-4821 CORNERS OF 1ST & MAIN, MARYVILLE, MO

ADVERTISE YOUR CHURCH

Mass times: Saturday- 5:00 p.m. Sunday- 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Monday- 5:30 p.m. Tuesday- 12:00 p.m. Wednesday-Friday- 8 a.m. Reconciliations by appointment. www.stgregorysmaryville.org

9 AND 10:30

SUNDAYS

First Christian Church

s536943@nwmissouri.edu

1122 S. MAIN STREET THEBRIDGEMARYVILLE.COM

Sept. p 30, 2021 @TheMissourian

OPINION

Avoiding abusive post-grad employers NICK SHUTTS Columnist @TheMissourian

Entering the working world after college is one of the biggest transitions a person makes in their life. It’s difficult to imagine doing anything except going to school after nearly two decades of structured learning. Because this is such a huge leap, it’s important to be prepared for the transition so that your first job doesn’t take advantage of you. This is easier said than done. There are innumerable opportunities post-graduation, but college students often settle for one of the first things that come their way. Recent college graduates are an easy demographic to hire. They’ll settle for lower salaries, less flexibility and larger workloads. Most graduates have never worked a full-time job in their industry before, so they don’t always know what boundaries to draw with their employer. This creates an abusive relationship between the company and employee that the graduate may not even recognize. I know someone who graduated from the University of Kansas and began working at a startup advertising agency right out of college. The fast-paced environment was exciting, and she was working with over nine clients at a time. This led to her working 50 to 60 hours a week. Despite this, her managers began to demand more from her. The work she could produce in 50 to 60 hours became the standard, so she had to work 65 hours to impress her bosses — then 70 hours. For the entire time, she was only being paid for 40 hours a week. Most college students would recognize that this is an unhealthy work dynamic, but how can you avoid a situation like this? A lot of it comes down to research and instincts. If you do research on a job before you interview, you can likely gauge what kind of working environment it might be. In an interview, your instincts and questions can give you valuable information on what the company culture is like. However, where are graduates supposed to learn skills to navigate the real world correctly and avoid being exploited by employers? Students pay thousands of dollars for an education, so universities should do more than help students find a job postgraduation; they should implement further education on how to spot red flags in workplaces. Professors need to spend time in class discussing workplace norms in their industry, and advisors should share previous student experiences. This kind of discussion would help students develop an idea of what they want and, more importantly, don’t want in a first job. Graduates shouldn’t have to go through abusive workplaces to learn what an undesirable employer is like. With further guidance pregraduation, students can be more prepared to find a suitable first position that’s fulfilling. If everything falls into place, that first job could turn into decades of your career.

ALEXANDRIA MESZ | NW MISSOURIAN

OUR VIEW:

Masks should be mandated by Maryville R-II schools The Northwest Missourian has advised Northwest students and Maryville residents to get the vaccine and wear masks in order to return to some sort of normalcy soon. Now, the Maryville R-II School District needs to implement a mask mandate to keep kids from missing school or getting the virus until children are allowed to receive the vaccine. In the school district’s third semester following the initial lockdown, the number of quarantined students is following a similar trend to last year’s so far. Since the ﬁrst day of the semester, 257 Maryville R-II students have missed school due to quarantine, and 20 of those students tested positive for COVID-19. “These numbers are on a comparable pace with the numbers we experienced during the ﬁrst semester of last year,” Maryville R-II Superintendent of Schools Becky Albrecht said in an interview with the Missourian. “This year, we have noticed more positive cases among our younger students this year than we did last.” At Northwest, students have the choice to protect themselves by getting the vaccine and have a chance to get rid of the mask mandate if

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor News Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Opinion Editor Photo Editor Social Media Editor Cartoonist

Should local schools enforce mask mandates?

(660) 562-1224 (660) 562-1635

REA BOWERS Junior Animal Sciences

LOGAN COATS Junior Computer Science

NAMENAIYA PATEL Freshman Computer Science

“I do think they should. I know it’s a big controversial topic, but I think, especially in big crowds, people should continue to wear them and social distance.”

“I guess if it’s the city or state or county mandate, then yes. But it depends on the school and what their rates are.”

“I think they should enforce the mask mandate, with cases rising and the new variants. Safety is a priority. If you want to continue studying in person, you should continue to wear them.”

THE STROLLER:

Your Bearcat loves vaccine alternatives Are you tired of people pushing an extensively researched, completely safe COVID-19 vaccine on you? Do you want to use alternative methods like Ivermectin and bleach injections but are worried about possible side effects? Well, I just might have a solution for you. The best alternative prevention method against COVID-19 that has been proven by science will require a depressed freshman male’s fa-

NEWS STAFF Quentin Morris Rian Caswell Lincoln Hipsher Roscoe Flint Silvia Alberti Renee Haskell Wesley Miller Cecilia Nguyen Cheyenne Hellebust

News Reporter News Reporter Photographer Photographer Photographer Photographer Sports Reporter Designer Designer

If the safety of the children isn’t in question, maybe the safety of their education should be. Rising numbers of quarantined students has already affected South Nodaway R-IV School District. All schools were shut down Sept. 2-7 for extended cleaning, sanitation and ventilation after more than half of the junior high and high school students were absent due to quarantine. In addition, 15 elementary students were absent due to the same reasons, according to the Maryville Forum. Out of the quarantine population, 18% had a return date that allowed them to resume the day schools resumed. After shutting down schools, the district implemented a temporary mask mandate to reduce the chances of a districtwide shutdown happening again. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. It’s still affecting students, staff and faculty. If an individual chooses not to get the vaccine, they should at least be given a mask mandate to lessen the impact of the highly contagious virus. If children legally cannot protect themselves, it should fall on the shoulders of the district to keep them safe while educating them.

YOUR VIEW:

EDITORIAL STAFF Kendrick Calfee Nathan English Mary Grace Rice Sidney Lowry Jon Walker MaKayla Polak Corbin Smith Addalynn Bradbury Noah Crowe Alexandria Mesz

cases are low enough. Students under the age of 12 don’t have the former option to protect themselves. That means Maryville’s elementary students and younger are more likely to get the virus if they aren’t wearing masks or social distancing. Currently, the Maryville R-II School District doesn’t enforce a classroom mask mandate, but on school buses, they’re federally mandated. If a student has to wear a mask in order to ride transportation to school, it would make sense for the student to keep the mask on out of sheer convenience. By not mandating masks in school, the school is subjecting children to the virus when it’d be easier to keep masks on from the start of the day to the end of it. Additionally, the masks are the only way for children to protect themselves at the moment. From Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, 1,871 school-age children tested positive for the delta variant in Missouri — more than half of them were under the age of 10. Although they’re young, their immune systems aren’t perfect, and their age doesn’t make them any more immune than those who can, but choose not to, receive the vaccine.

Circulation: Fax:

(660) 562-1528 (660) 562-1521

vorite beverage: a Natural Light. First, take the can of beer that tastes like a drunk person’s memory of ale-ﬂavored vomit and set it outside. Next, wait for it to reach exactly 88 degrees Fahrenheit and then slightly crack it. I know what you’re thinking — “I’m going to shotgun it,” — but what you do next is set the beer in an asphalt parking lot. Finally, dance around it six times in a clockwise motion while shouting your maternal

grandmother’s maiden name — it must be maternal. If it’s paternal, you’ll just protect yourself from the H1N1 virus. Perhaps most importantly, you need to film this process and then upload it to social media. This will allow us to spread this prevention method faster without interference from, as Jack Black says in the ethereal, noir, classic film “School of Rock,” “The Man.” Be loud and proud about your resistance to something

NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MARYVILLE, MISSOURI

An Independent Student Newspaper since 1914. 800 University Drive, Wells Hall Maryville, MO, 64468

CORRECTIONS POLICY If you believe information within our publication is incorrect, please email us at northwestmissourian@gmail.com, call our newsroom (660) 562-1224, or leave us a comment on www.nwmissourinews.com.

NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

Your first copy of the Northwest Missourian is free. Additional copies cost 25¢ each.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We publish letters from readers for free. All letters become the property of the Northwest Missourian, which reserves the right to edit them. Letters should include your name, address and telephone number. Letters should be between 150 and 300 words and sent to k.calfee.missourian@gmail.com.

that has full FDA approval. It’s how you show those around you the kind of person you truly are. And at the end of the day, that’s what really matters. If you do this, I promise that maybe, quite possibly, it might help you. And unlike Ivermectin, it won’t poison you. So, that’s always a bonus. The Stroller has been a tradition since 1918 and does not reflect the views of The Northwest Missourian.

DIRECTORS Steven Chappell Anna Swink

Student Publications Director General Manager/Ad Director

AD STAFF Brooke Volgelsmeier Cora Stout Jerilynn Hoover Sydney Cook Vanessa Weiler Grace Murphy Devin Jernigan

Advertising Manager Ad Design Manager Advertising Designer Advertising Designer Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive

HUMANS OF NORTHWEST

Sept. 30, 2021 @TheMissourian

Ecker’s Dairy: the last of a dying breed

ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN

Larry Ecker stands with his wife Sharron Ecker under an Ecker’s Dairy sign proudly displayed in their front yard. It’s one of many signs displayed around their property. ADDALYNN BRADBURY Photo Editor | @addalynnbrad

Rain meant no farming would get done on that particular, strangely chilly September day. Interrupting the quiet surrounding, an engine croaked up the side of the house. In his Polaris four-wheeler, which was covered in dust and filled with loose tools, sits Larry Ecker, a more-than-classic-farmer with a big heart for his cows and land. The land, tucked down the gravel driveway of 120th Street in Elmo, Missouri — a town with a population of 510 that sits 30 minutes north of Maryville — houses an abandoned dairy farm of empty stalls and land itching to be used again. A matted gray cat, perched on the front steps of the robin-blue farmhouse, keeps guard over the small acreage while clouds roll in above, bringing the smell of rain and fall air. About 69 years ago, Larry Ecker and his wife, Sharron Ecker, graduated high school, and 66 years ago, Larry Ecker established Ecker’s Dairy with his first herd of dairy cows. He married Sharron Ecker that same year. The number 1955 is proudly written on the many signs around the Ecker’s property; it marks a year full of memories for the two. But a new stepping stone befell the Ecker’s in March 2012, when Larry Ecker officially shut down his operation after a long 57 years of business, marking an end to Ecker’s Dairy. The decision was not made lightly, considering the lively man Larry Ecker is, nearing 85 years old. However the years tacked on, and his body said no before his mind could. A tour of the farm was seen from a seat in his trusty fourwheeler, “his legs,” he called it, to show a diminishing sawdust pile. He drove deeper into the abandoned ghost town, to an open field now slightly overgrown — a different sight than the manicured yard that drew you to their house, just above the old dairy. Larry Ecker sat, thinking before he spoke again as he overlooked what could be seen of the old buildings. “Every dairy around here has quit, you know. Most of them have died, and I guess I’m the last one now,” Larry Ecker said with a tired look on his face. Larry Ecker was at his prime, though, when he was operating. His dream was to milk one hundred cows he said — he milked 125. Afterwards, his herd fell to about 90 cows. There was no need to keep adding more, as he got his wish, Larry Ecker said. The star of the whole operation was the milking area, a

compact, yellow building eased behind a small hill. Towering glass doors barricaded people from entering the eclectic shed Larry Ecker had started to use as storage. Here, they stored their 1,200 gallon tank, a treasure in the rusting room, which the tank ﬁlled over half of. The tank was guarded by a box of dusty plaques and awards, which Larry Ecker frantically searched through to find an award won by his favorite cow, #56. The brown Swiss cow, nicknamed Brownie, would come running when she heard Larry Ecker yell her name. In her heyday, #56 produced the most milk at a time for the Ecker Dairy. Now, she sits in his mind as the best dairy cow to pass through his farm. They shared a relationship he didn’t have with any other cow, he said. “It’s a mess right now, but I never tore anything out. Most dairymen tear it all out. I know I need to sell that tank, but it’s so small, no one nowadays would even need it,” Larry Ecker said. “But I think I want to keep it all for now.” Exploring more of the yellow shack, Larry Ecker pushed open a door with broken glass and spider webs ﬁlling the gaps. He revealed a room with tubes hanging down like snakes from the ceiling. The room was long and narrow, housing these tubes for milking, which fed back to the previous room to fill the small tank with 1,200 gallons

of milk. Larry Ecker was only able to ﬁll the tank once, he said. The operation was small, so only four cows at a time could be attached, with four others waiting impatiently for their turn. Back in the tank room, Larry Ecker pointed out a garden

“

Every dairy around here has quit, you know. Most of them have died, and I guess I’m the last one now.” -LARRY ECKER spicket protruding from the wall, leading outside. It’s where the milk man, as Larry Ecker calls him, would hook his hose up and pump milk into 10-gallon cans to drive them down to a plant in Maryville for testing and distribution. The small shack held more than just boxes and old equipment; it was where a nearby elementary school would stop for a ﬁeld trip to take a break from math and to learn how to milk. Larry Ecker would save about

five gentle cows for the kids to try milking, along with calves for them to bottle feed. At the end, Larry Ecker would hand out red, #2 pencils, his name and business engraved in the wood. “Afterwards, I would ask ‘how many of you are gonna help me when you get out of high school?’ All of them would raise their hands.” Larry Ecker said, pausing before he finished as he shared a small smile with himself. “They haven’t come yet.” Larry Ecker’s tour was ending, and the last dairy building left was the freestyle barn, where 96 cows could lay as they wished, keeping them warm from the harsh, northwest winters. He said the barn was a mock of one Larry Ecker had seen from another dairy, slanted so it could drain out properly, leaving the cows in a cleaner environment. Ecker’s Dairy started at an auction. He bought his first two cows and milked them by hand, and he fell in love. Larry Ecker eventually added Heifer cows from Wisconsin to his growing herd. He started gaining equipment from a neighbor who was selling a milker and he built his Grade A building around the same time. It was then that ,Larry Ecker got together with other farmers to form the Interstate Diary Association. “One thing led to another, and I finally got to where I wanted to be. I milked my cows, and after so many years, everyone

died or stopped, and now this is where I’m at.” Larry Ecker said. The tour was finished, but Larry Ecker’s story wasn’t. Sitting around the Ecker’s kitchen, guests can see the overtfaith the couple shares. Every cabinet has a piece of copy paper with 48-point font scriptures, encased by sheet protectors. Sharron stood under a cabinet, verses framing her as she made a cup of coffee. These signs were gentle reminders when grabbing a dish or walking through the kitchen, the stark black against the white reaching out hard to look away from. The sheet protracted verses made their way onto a wall of photos behind where Larry Ecker sat. “I just became unable; I caught cancer the next year, so I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even drive if I had my knees right. I’m not what I used to be. I can’t do what I used to be,” Larry Ecker said. “I’m 85, most people are dead, and I would’ve been if it wasn’t for me going up to the clinic that day and the lord.”

READ MORE ONLINE A full version of this story with a closer look at Larry Ecker’s retired dairy farm, and the legacy he has built in Elmo and beyond can be found at NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN

Larry Ecker stands next to his 1,200-gallon tank, empty since the closing of Ecker’s Dairy in March of 2012. Ecker was proud of his milking building when it was in operation and always kept it up to code until the closing of his dairy. It’s now used for storage.

Sept. 30, 2021 @TheMissourian

CRIME LOG

for the week of Sept. 30 Northwest Missouri State University Police Department

Sept. 28 There is an open investigation for second degree harassment at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building. Sept. 25 There is a closed investigation for trespassing in Perrin Hall. Sept. 22 There is an open investigation for stealing at the College Park Pavilion.

Maryville Department of Public Safety Sept. 27 There is an ongoing investigation for harassment on the 1600 block of South Main Street. There is an ongoing investigation for an assault on the 400 block of South Prairie Street. A citation was issued to Samuel R. Taylor, 26, for careless and imprudent driving on West Sixteenth Street and North College Drive. Sept. 26 A summons was issued to Camryn I. Grote, 18, for a minor in possession, possession of an open container and possession of a fake ID on the 400 block of North Main Street. A summons was issued to Mo’Nae E. Moody, 18, for a minor in possession, possession of an open container and for an equipment violation on the 400 block of North Main Street. A summons was issued to Jimmy R. Collier, 19, for a minor in possession on the 100 block of North Davis Street. Sept. 25 A summons was issued to Shane D. Adwell, 49, for driving while intoxicated, careless and imprudent driving, failure to maintain the right half of the roadway and failure to maintain financial responsibility on the 1200 block of North Main Street.

NEWS

A summons was issued to James H. Belucco, 27, for driving while intoxicated and an equipment violation on East South Avenue and South Hester Street. There was an accident between Isabelle M. Stewart, 23, and Spencer B. Kicksey, 15, on West Fourth Street and North Mulberry Street. Stewart was issued a citation for careless and imprudent driving. Sept. 24 A summons was issued to Amirsha Kabulov, 21, for driving with a suspended license on the 100 block of South Buchanan Street. A summons was issued to Corby E. Roush, 22, for driving while intoxicated, failure to register a motor vehicle and failure to maintain financial responsibility on the 100 block of North Main Street. A summons was issued to Jesse W. Kilcoyne, 19, for a minor in possession on the 100 block of North Main Street. A summons was issued to Felicitas M. Duran-Roldan, 38, for failure to maintain financial responsibility and speeding on the 1500 block of North Main Street. Sept. 23 A summons was issued to Kendall E. Crowley, 19, for possession of a fake ID on the 1500 block of North Main Street.

UPD

SILVIA ALBERTI | NW MISSOURIAN

Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel discusses ongoing water quality issues in Mozingo Lake at the Sept. 27 City Council meeting. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced a plan to help the city monitor the lake.

CONTINUED FROM A1

MOZINGO

“If students are having any type of anxiety or frustration or just trying to figure out how to process this, it’s always great to reach out to our Wellness Services,” Green said. “We have excellent counselors. … as well as after hours, you can always call University Police.” As always, students are welcome to use Wellness Services for counseling by contacting 660-562-1348 during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or contact the University Police Department at 660-5621354 outside of business hours. Faculty and staff can call the University employee assistance program at 800-964-3577.

The monitoring plan includes gathering water chemistry samples at both the surface and near the bottom of the lake to conduct clarity tests and test water quality by checking the temperature, acidity and amount of dissolved oxygen in the lake’s water. These tests are to be conducted at three different locations throughout the lake: one on the north dock, one near an intake point and one near the dam. As of now, no part of the plan includes monitoring any of the watershed that makes it into the lake. Some of these monitoring tests are a year-round affair,

CONTINUED FROM A1

such as the temperature profiles and intake monitoring. Others, such as the water chemistry tests, will take place every two weeks from May through September of 2022. While the data collection is a necessity to improve the water quality, it does come at a cost, mainly for the equipment needed to conduct the tests. The range for the cost of the project is $77,000 to $105,000. These numbers are subject to change, as these projections do not include any funding coming from the DNR, assuming there is no change in the monitoring plan. Once the equipment is purchased, the operating cost will be about $40,000 a year, which

is the same amount the city already spends on testing the lake. Until the monitoring plan is complete and a more longterm solution is found, the city will continue to treat the lake with EarthTec, a chemical that is used to treat cyanotoxins caused by the algae in the water. The city pre-authorized Estate Management Services of Missouri to conduct two treatments of EarthTec at Mozingo. The treatments will be conducted as needed. The city has already performed four treatments since May. This newest contract will cost the city $109,340 and will treat approximately 500 acres and use 2,200 pounds of EarthTec.

The Clothesline Project Shirts will be hung on central campus made by survivors and allies of assault and violence starting Oct. 1. Each shirt will have unique messaging, information, or artwork. If you or someone you know may have been the victim of assault or violence, or if you would just like to speak to someone, please contact Wellness Services at 660-562-1348

Questions or concerns? Email bmoran@nwmissouri.edu

SPORTS

Sept. 30, 2021 @NWMSports

Student section continues low effort

WTT

CONTINUED FROM A10 What can people expect from this matchup? Great question, but I’m not sure anybody knows. Northwest football coach Rich Wright isn’t even sure. Wright mentioned during preseason, and has continued to do so throughout the ﬁrst few

A7 weeks, that people can expect the unexpected in the MIAA this season. It’s been two years since teams have matched up against each other, and that means there have been a lot of changes from program to program. Western has been streaky so far this season, being really good at times and also being really bad other times. If the Griffons could play from behind for the entirety of a game, they’d be

overwhelmingly good, or at least that’s how it seems. The Bearcats have been great so far this year, especially considering their starting quarterback was sidelined after an emergency surgery. They’ll be riding the nation’s best scoring defense into the game, too, only allowing 4.7 points per contest to opposing oﬀenses. Expect the unexpected, though, and that could include a game that’s closer than some

might anticipate. But after winning the last seven matchups, perhaps Northwest will meet the expectations its set for itself and dominate Western. Walk The Talk is a mailbag that focuses on all things Northwest Athletics. To submit a question for the next edition of the mailbag, tweet @ByJonWalker or email j.walker.missourian@gmail.com.

NATHAN ENGLISH Managing Editor @nathan_3nglish

I remember holding my breath while sitting in Arrowhead Stadium watching a football game in the fall of 2017, surrounded by a sea of red. It wasn’t an unusual atmosphere for the stadium, except this time it wasn’t the Chiefs’ red but Central Missouri’s. I, a resident of Warrensburg, Missouri, at the time, was the lone green and white shirt in the Mules’ fan section. The Mules had taken the lead over Northwest with 34 seconds left in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead Stadium. All hope seemed lost. And then, in just four plays, Northwest’s offense drove down the field and scored the gamewinning touchdown with seven seconds left. I remember the eruption from the other side of the stadium as Northwest scored, and I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to be on that side, in a packed and raucous crowd, watching a Northwest game.” Flash forward nearly four years, and the Bearcat football team is still up to its dominant ways, trouncing Central Oklahoma 38-0 in its home opener, but something is missing. Growing up in Warrensburg, I never really cared that much about Mule’s or Jennie’s athletics. The town didn’t seem to embrace the teams of Central Missouri, even when they were good. I, an avid lover of college sports, was often bored attending games. The UCM students never seemed particularly into the action, making the games boring affairs even when they were nail-biters. When I decided to attend Northwest after a visit just a few weeks before the 2017 Fall Classic, I thought I was joining a student body with a different pedigree than UCM’s. Shortly after the beginning of my freshman year, I realized I was wrong. With all the talk about Northwest being the “Alabama of Division II,” I expected the students to be the same way: energized, loud and proud — even during a blowout. They were not. My time spent in the student section before I transitioned from being a fan to being a journalist was mired in mundane memories. I remember students only standing for the first quarter of football games, leaving at halftime or being too drunk at game time to enjoy the football. For Northwest’s matchup against Central Oklahoma on Saturday, I noticed much of the same thing. The first few rows of the student section were what I was expecting from everyone at the game. They stood, they cheered and they stayed through to the end. The rest of the section followed the same pattern of years past. Northwest came in as the No. 2 team in the country, playing its first home game in nearly two years. It was a prime opportunity for the student section to erupt as they watched the Bearcats. By the fourth quarter, the bleachers on the east end of the stadium were only at half capacity. Few students were even present to make much of a sound whenas junior defensive lineman Zach Howard blocked a Bronchos’ field goal late in the fourth quarter to solidify the shutout. The fans on the west side of the stadium outdo the students every game. The typical reasons for a deflated student section shouldn’t apply to Northwest. The team is and has been good. It may not reach the extremely high expectations some have, but Northwest has secured a playoff berth in 16 straight seasons. Northwestern Missouri may not have the pedigree of Texas when it comes to football fanaticism, but people still love the sport here. Maybe too much energy is spent in the grass lot prior to kickoff. Maybe students have been spoiled by success. It doesn’t matter. The most baffling element of Northwest Athletics continued last Saturday, and it seems it will for awhile.

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football linebacker Brody Buck records a quarterback pressure during the Bearcats’ 38-0 shutout of Central Oklahoma Sept. 25 in Bearcat Stadium. Northwest’s defense held the Bronchos to 122 total yards of offense, including minus-28 yards rushing during the Bearcats’ 2021 home debut.

RIVALRY

CONTINUED FROM A10 The Griffons’ comeback heroics — including the two losses that were almost wins — have been led by the high-octane offense. Against the Ichabods last week, Griffons sophomore quarterback Anthony Vespo set a new school record with 443 yards passing. On the receiving end of 188 of those yards was freshman wideout Traveon James, who is currently leading the MIAA in receptions (32) and receiving yards per game (131.8). Northwest senior linebacker Jackson Barnes, who was named

STREAK

CONTINUED FROM A10 “That was a routine-type thing, but on that day, it was not,” Gordon said about the goal the Jennies scored within the first three minutes of the first match. After holding Central scoreless for 67 minutes, the Jennies scored twice in a matter of seven minutes, courtesy of Jennies freshman midfielder McKenzie Robinson and junior forward Kassie Newsom. When Newsom’s kick went past the fingertips of Northwest goalie Alexis Serna Castillo, it looked like the Jennies might defeat the Bearcats for the second time in less than two weeks. Central kept the ball away from the Bearcats for a majority of regulation’s home stretch, tallying up shot attempts with ease. However, in the 80th minute, the Bearcats broke loose and headed toward the Jennies’ side of the field. Freshman forward Adell Gore, who had her first collegiate goal a week ago, Sept. 19, received the ball from her teammate and handled the rest from there. Gore made it past multiple Jennies before sending the ball toward the goal. Her kick didn’t go wide right or left, and it didn’t go above the goal. It went right into the back of the net, and the Bearcats tied it up with 10 minutes left in regulation. Following the final few moments of regulation and two tenminute overtime periods, the score stayed 2-2. Both teams finished with their first tie of the season, which gave the Bearcats a 1-2-1 record when facing ranked teams. Gordon said the team spent a lot of the first few minutes on the Jennies’ side of the goal. He said the players worked much harder in this game than in the first matchup. “We were a lot more involved, you know,” Gordon said. Throughout the game, the two teams were busy at the goal. The Bearcats and Jennies combined for 40 shot attempts for the game, the most combined shots in a Northwest game all season. The second most was 39, which happened during Northwest’s first game against Central Missouri.

the MIAA Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, is up for the challenge. “The biggest thing with them is just limiting their explosive plays,” Barnes said. “They’ve been down in a lot of games and have come back, and I think a lot of that can be attributed to their explosive plays. I think the biggest thing for us this week is limiting those.” Should the Bearcats be able to do that, they’ll find their fourth win and stay as one of the last couple of teams that are undefeated to this point in the season. It’ll take a grand defensive scheme from Wright, though he already knows that. “If they can create one-on-one

matchups, they hit you for explosive plays,” Wright said of Western’s offense. “If you look at the Washburn game, that’s what a lot of it was: explosives that generated their oﬀense.” Despite the Bearcats clinching the last seven meetings between the two programs, and 10 of the last 11 at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph, Wright and Barnes know that clipping the Griﬀons’ wings will be a tall task. They’ll both take pride in Northwest’s defense, though, which is the No. 1 scoring defense in Division II, holding opponents to an average of 4.7 points per contest. And they’ll both be hoping to

ride that defense to a win — one they’ve planned on returning to Maryville with since the season’s schedule was released. “It’s one of those games that’s a bigger game,” Wright said. “We’ve been the team that’s had the most success, but, yeah, it’s a big game. I’m not going to sugar coat that at all.” “It’s a big game to us,” Barnes said. “Every game is a big game, in a way, but this one’s kinda circled a little bit. I mean, it’s just a game that we look forward to playing. It’s been a rivalry for years. I mean, I’ve heard about it before I even got here, so it’s just a really cool game to play in.”

On top of that, the two teams combined for 18 saves. Northwest coach Marc Gordon also pointed out the statistics between the two teams. He said he felt the players competed better this time around compared to the first time. “I think we finished our chances,” Gordon said, referring to the opportunities the Bearcats had to score. “Focus, constant focus and competing up to our abilities was the difference.” For the first game of the weekend, the Bearcats went up against the Missouri Southern Lions. This game went differently than Sunday afternoon’s match, and the Bearcats made quick work of the Lions, winning 4-1. There was a difference in statistics, one that showed the Bearcats in control of the shot attempts. They finished with 27 shot attempts to the Lions’ seven. “I felt like we started the game pretty quickly,” Gordon said. “We kept the ball for quite a bit.” Gordon said the Bearcats were able to keep their composure all game and give themselves opportunities to score, which they took advantage of. Blackburn, who also scored in this match, said it felt great to get that big of a win against Missouri Southern. “I feel like that gave our team additional confidence moving forward,” Blackburn said. Gordon was able to watch film on the Bearcats, and he said he felt as if the team Northwest played was an entirely new team compared with the one he saw on film. “We will play them again at the end of the season, so I don’t know that we saw their best,” Gordon said. Next, the Bearcats will continue their conference schedule with games against Washburn University and No. 5 Emporia State University. Both games will be played at Bearcat Pitch. Gordon said he feels like Washburn is more athletic than in years prior. He said the Ichabods play organized and defend well. “If you’re not doing the things you’re supposed to on the defensive side of the ball, they can be very dangerous,” Gordon said. The Hornets, who are the tenth-

best team in Division II, enter the matchup 7-0-1. However, the Bearcats are experienced with playing ranked teams and played No. 1 Grand Valley State earlier this season. For ranked teams in general, this will be Northwest’s fifth game of the season against a ranked opponent. Despite the 5-2 loss to the Lakers Sept. 10, Gordon said that from a mental standpoint, playing a team of that caliber will better prepare the Bearcats for the Hornets.

“It’s been a gauntlet to run, but I think it’s been a great experience for us to know that if we put in that work, that we can compete with teams of that caliber and build to become one,” Gordon said. Gordon said it’s great the games will be at home for the Bearcats. “Everybody loves to play at home,” Gordon said. “You can do a familiar routine when at home, and you aren’t sleeping in a hotel. You get to be in your own environment.”

Pitzenberger Body Shop

2711 South Mulberry

‘When quality counts!’

714 N DEPOT • MARYVILLE, MO

(660)562-0025

tune-ups, heating & ac repair, Missouri state inspections, brakes, computer diagnostics, fuel injection, suspension & steering, electrical, systems cleaning

Sept. 30, 2021 @TheMissourian

MHS blanks MEC rival at home GAGE KAHLER Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

The Maryville boys soccer team has not played at home since kicking oﬀ the season with a 9-0 mercy-rule win over Cameron Aug. 30. The Spoofhounds (6-2-1) came ready as ever to protect their home field over conference rival Lafayette (0-9) Sept. 27 after nearly a month of playing on the road. From the beginning, it was apparent who would be leaving Bearcat Pitch with a victory; just a few minutes into the

SPORTS UP NEXT

MHS vs. Bishop LeBlond 4 p.m. Sept. 30 Bearcat Pitch

LINCOLN HIPSHER | NW MISSOURIAN

Maryville boys soccer senior forward Jacob Ferris nets a goal during the Spoofhounds’ 9-0 win against MEC rival Savannah Sept. 27 at Bearcat Pitch. Ferris scored two goals en route to Maryville defeating the Savages.

ﬁrst half, Maryville senior midfielder James DiStephano assisted senior forward Jacob Ferris for his ﬁrst of two goals during the game. Maryville continued the scoring onslaught when sophomore defender Lane Hazen hit his second goal of the season a few minutes after the opening goal had been scored. “Lane goes back and forth between playing left back and left mid for us,” Maryville coachChase Tolson said. “He’s usu-

ally a left back, but with a lot of our injuries and rotating people around, he’s had to change to play left mid twice now, and both games he’s played there, he’s scored. So he’s looked really good out there.” DiStephano added a goal to his resume right before halftime to give Maryville a 3-0 lead. The lead grew from there as the Spoofhounds tacked on ﬁve more goals. Immediately after intermission, Ferris tacked on his sec-

ond goal of the game, and junior midﬁelder Quinn Pettlon scored a goal, too. The star of the second half was Maryville’s leading scorer, sophomore midfielder Kason Teale, who had the team’s ﬁnal three goals before the game was called to a mercy-rule stoppage when the Spoofhounds went up 8-0 with a little more than 12 minutes left. “He’s been out for a little while. He’s missed a game, and he’s been out of practice here

for a little while, so he didn’t get to practice much yesterday.” Tolson said of Teale. “We only played him for 10 minutes, but in that 10 minutes of time, he scored three goals, and he looked really good, so I think he’s okay. Teale’s three goals would give the ‘Hounds the 8-goal triumph, advancing the ‘Hounds to 3-0 in conference play. “It’s been a really good start.” Tolson said, “We’ve blown out all of those (conference opponents) so far. But we’ve got a really big matchup on Thursday who, if not our toughest, is one of the toughest conference opponents that we’ve got.” That conference opponent that Tolson mentioned is Bishop LeBlond, a team that’s been handed one loss on the season (9-1), which came in overtime. Tolson and crew will likely be without senior defender Tegan Haer, who would miss his third straight game from an ankle injury he suﬀered during the Excelsior Springs Tournament Sept. 7-11. The ‘Hounds will look to continue their home and conference dominance over LeBlond Sept. 30 at Bearcat Pitch on Northwest’s campus.

Softball hopes to fix defensive mistakes prior to district play TRISTAN LYNCH Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

With districts right around the corner, the Maryville softball team is preparing to lock in mentally and clean up its defensive mistakes as the Spoofhounds take on the last few weeks of their regular season. Heading into the last three weeks of their 2021-22 regular season, and with a matchup against conference foe Benton awaiting them Sept. 29, the Spoofhounds are sitting at a record of 4-13. Despite the struggles this season has brought for the ‘Hounds, head coach Chandra DeMott said she is feeling all right with where her team is at and is ready to work toward the team’s goal. “We have talked a lot in the past couple of days about focusing on the little things,” DeMott said. “It sometimes seems that we make an error, and then it has the snowball eﬀect. … We just are making sure we focus on doing the small things and doing what we need to do to ac-

complish big goals.” The ‘Hounds have been focused on improving defense, as this season they have a fielding percentage of .784 with 231 putouts on 407 total chances, a mark that includes 88 total errors. As the ‘Hounds improve defensively, DeMott knows their abilities aren’t the issue — it’s the mental side of the game they need to focus on. “The struggle for our team right now is that it varies day by day,” DeMott said. “A solid 98% of our mistakes are mental mistakes at this point.” In addition to improving the ‘Hounds defense, DeMott and assistant coach Mackenzie Gydesen have also continued to focus on improving sophomore pitcher Ella Schulte. “We have been working a lot on locations and just hammering down on some diﬀerent batters,” DeMott said. “I have seen steadiness out of her and control that we really need, along with a maturity that has come this year that has been nice to watch.” Schulte has been Maryville’s

RENEE HASKELL | NW MISSOURIAN

Freshman pitcher Emma Sprague winds up a pitch during the Spoofhounds’ home game Sept. 16. Heading into the last three weeks of their 2021-22 regular season, and with a matchup against conference foe Benton awaiting them Sept. 29, the Spoofhounds are sitting at a record of 4-13.

ace pitcher so far this season with 49 innings pitched in 14 appearances. Within those innings, Schulte has allowed 27 earned runs on 36 hits and has a team-high of 41 strikeouts with a batting average against her at .155. The ‘Hounds have also seen freshman Emma Sprague on the rubber with 28 innings pitched in 10 appearances. In those appearances, Sprague has allowed 22 earned runs on 28 hits with 15 strikeouts with a batting average against her at .207. The ‘Hounds have used weekend tournaments and multiple back-to-back games to help them improve their offense as

they have an overall team batting average of .196. The ‘Hounds have put up 53 runs on 73 hits while only striking out 88 times. DeMott said she has also been happy with the lack of injuries, but she knows that COVID-19 still continues to sit in the back of their minds. “Our current situation, globally, is that COVID-19 is a minute-by-minute thing; it’s always going to kind of be in the back of our minds of making sure we keep our kids healthy,” DeMott said. Besides improving and trying to stay healthy, DeMott also has one more major goal for

UP NEXT MHS vs. North Platte 5 p.m. Oct. 4 ’Hound Pound

the ‘Hounds prior to their next matchup Oct. 4 against North Platte at home: just have fun. “I think the biggest one is to do the little things to the best of our ability and kind of have fun with the game,” DeMott said. “Late in the year, it is kind of easy to beat up each other and get down on yourself, so I think it’s important to remember why we play the game.”

Bearcats find second-place finish at KC Cup despite season-high totals TRISTAN LYNCH Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

The Northwest golf team returned to Maryville with a second-place finish at the 2021 Kansas City Cup held at Paradise Pointe: The Outlaw Course in Smithville, Missouri, Sept. 27-28. The Bearcats placed second out of seven teams after ﬁnishing the two-day, 36-hole tournament with a second round score of 316 to make their team score 641 (+65). As the ‘Cats finished five strokes behind the team title holders, Rockhurst, Northwest athletic director and golf coach Andy Peterson was more than happy with the way the Bearcats performed and noticed their improvement. “We played well, I think the main thing is we improved from day one to day two, which is something we have been trying to do almost all fall,” Peterson said. “So, that’s pretty good and a step in the right direction.” The ‘Cats liked their position after day one, as they sat at third place, shooting a first round score of 325 with all ﬁve Northwest competitors sitting in the top 13 places of the individuals. “For the most part, we were

pleased with where we were at. Obviously, we had a chance to win a tournament … but that was not fully what we were focused on,” Peterson said. “We were really focused on improving the next day and I think we did that.” With ﬁnishing second in the tournament, multiple Northwest golfers also improved their own scores to combine for a second-round team score of 316. Senior Morgan Thiele finished tied for third, improving from her first-round score of 81 (+9) by shooting a 77 (+5) in her second round to tally a total score of 158 (+14). “She’s our leader; she’s a ﬁfth year senior that has played a lot of rounds of golf,” Peterson said. “She knows how to score and play with the best of them when she is at her best. ... She leads by example, so I think that’s what the girls can appreciate, understand and respect about her.” Peterson was also impressed with senior Anna Zech, who was also able to rebound from her first-round score of 84 (+12) by shooting a secondround, team-low 75 (+3) to tally a total score of 159 (+15), placing her sixth individually. “She played really well to-

UP NEXT Grace Shin Invitational Oct. 4-5 Edmond, Oklahoma

day; she’s very consistent,” Peterson said. “She was not pleased with her short game yesterday and was able to rebound today and take care of business around the green.” Senior Maddy Acers was also able to improve her firstround score of 84 (+12) to place tied for 14th by dropping three strokes and scoring an 81 (+9) in the second round to tally a total score of 165 (+21). With most of the ‘Cats improving scores, Peterson was happy with the way they performed and noticed the team’s scores starting to cluster up. “Everybody kind of shot the same. We all had between 79-84 yesterday, so you have a ﬁve-shot spread there,” Peterson said. “I think today it was 75-84, nineshot average — that is really the makings of a good team is if everyone can kind of cluster score.”

FULL STORY ONLINE:

NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

SUBMITTED

Northwest golf sophomore Elly Speece drives the ball during the Bearcats’ outing at the KC Cup Sept. 27-28 in Smithville, Missouri. The team will be back in action Oct. 4-5 at the Grace Shin Invitational in Edmond, Oklahoma.

SPORTS

Sept. 30, 2021 @NWMSports

Tough road outing awaits ’Cats JAYVON MCKINNEY Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports

After conference foe Missouri Southern cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, Northwest volleyball improved its record to 9-2 — including a 1-1 at home — with a 3-1 win against Pitt State Sept. 25 in the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. Despite getting oﬀ to a slow start by losing the first set to the Gorillas 26-24, Northwest

was able to win the next three sets, ending with 59 assists, 96 digs, 64 kills and seven aces. The Bearcats made a more defensive stand in this matchup en route to the two-set victory. “Passers and defenders do a great job giving us high balls for us to run an offense,” sophomore setter and team captain Alyssa Rezac said. “It’s tougher for the other team to guess who’s getting the ball when we’re firing that efficiently.” Rezac tallied 54 assists and shared dig leader (19) along with junior libero Hanna Koechl (34) and sophomore Sophie McMullen (14). “If we wouldn’t have dug as many balls as we did, the outcome would have been different,” Northwest coach Amy Woerth said. The Bearcats’ defensive efforts gave them more opportunity to convert on offense. The Bearcats out-dug Pitt State 96-88, had 15 more assists and out-killed the Gorillas 64-47. Northwest kill leaders in the matchup were junior Kelsey Havel (17), junior Rachel Sturdevant (14) and redshirt freshman outside hitter Payton Kirchhoefer (13). “I think it’s important to

UP NEXT NW @ Nebraska-Kearney 6 p.m. Oct. 1 Kearney, Nebraska

have around three hitters that can be in double digit kills,” Woerth said. “For them to be able to get as many kills as we had, I think it floats well into what we’re trying to do to — be an offensive team.” The Bearcats made up for over 60% of kills and points to give them the oﬀensive push and put Pitt State away. Northwest will now prepare for a long weekend on the road heading up to Kearney, Nebraska, to face No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney Oct. 1, followed by a hike to Hays, Kansas, to face Fort Hays State Oct. 2. Northwest will be on the road for the next two weeks with ﬁve games until their next home matchup. “It’s gonna be a challenge,” Rezac said. “But we’re gonna focus on one game at a time and control what we can control.” “It will be a grind from the standpoint of how long the trips are,” Woerth said. “We look forward to hopping on the bus and being some road warriors.”

NATHAN ENGLISH | NW MISSOURIAN

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Payton Kirchhoefer follows through after a kill attempt Sept. 25 against Pittsburg State. Kirchhoefer posted 13 kills in the 3-1 victory against the Gorillas.

Maryville aims for second straight win over Cardinals WESLEY MILLER Sports Reporter | @wesleymiller360

After a two-game home stand, Maryville football will be back on the road this week to take on MEC foe Benton. For the first day of October, the Spoofhounds (2-3) will make the 45-minute trip to the south side of St. Joseph for their game against the Cardinals (1-4). However, the ‘Hounds won’t have to wait long for another home game, as the game this week against Benton will be their last game on the road for the remainder of the regular season. Maryville coach Matt Webb said it is great to think the team won’t be forced to travel much for the rest of the season. “We definitely have home field advantage there,” Webb said. Maryville is coming off a 52-0 win over the Cameron Dragons Sept. 24. The Spoofhounds scored seven touchdowns on seven consecutive drives and did not allow the Dragons to pick up a first down until the end of the third quarter. Maryville’s defense allowed a mere 54 total yards to the Dragons. Offensively, the Spoofhounds’ rushing attack was the best it had been all season, tallying up 366 yards on the ground — the most in a game this season. “We obviously played well, and we hope to continue that confidence over to another good week of practice and prepara-

UP NEXT MHS @ Benton 7 p.m. Oct. 1 St. Joseph, Missouri

ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN

Maryville High School junior running back Drew Burns makes his way down the field during the Spoofhounds’ 52-0 win against Cameron High School Sept. 24. Maryville moved its record this season to 2-3, while Cameron fell to 1-4.

tion,” Webb said. Webb said the team was consistent all night and was able to win all three phases of the game, which is something it hadn’t done all season. He said the execution was much better, and the players did a great job at focusing on process football. Senior quarterback Connor Drake said it was a good week of practice leading up to the game, and the coaches had a

great gameplan. “We went out and executed like we know how,” Drake said. For the Cardinals, they suffered a fate diﬀerent than their Week 6 opponent’s. Benton was shutout on the scoreboard for the first time this season and allowed 273 yards rushing against Savannah. Benton has yet to amass 100 points on the season (75), while Maryville has scored 127 points.

The Cardinals have scored over 20 points in one game so far, and the ‘Hounds have had two games where they failed to score 20 points. Webb said it’s about taking it a week at a time. He said teams could play their best ball on any given day, and it’s important to be prepared.

“We’ll need to do a good job,” Webb said. “They run a similar style of oﬀense that we do with the Wing-T style and some other things out of it. So, we know how complex that can be.” Drake said the Spoofhounds will win if they just do the same thing they did against Cameron. “Be ourselves. Just go out and execute the game plan, and keep the foot on the throttle,” Drake said. The matchup with Benton will serve as the starting point to Maryville’s second half of the regular season. Webb said they’ll try to mimic what they did in practice before the game against Cameron. He said the ‘Hounds are at a point in the season, though, where they have the same practice schedule and routine every week. “That’s always a challenge because you still want to go out and improve,” Webb said. “I think good football teams continue to improve throughout the regular season and make themselves the best they can for the playoﬀs. We’re doing that really well right now.”

Third-set heroics fuel volleyball to fifth victory KESTON OLTMAN Missourian Reporter | @NWMSports DENISE NEAL | NW MISSOURIAN

Maryville volleyball used clean hits and a third-set rally against Lafayette to pick up the Spoofhounds’ fifth win of the season. The Spoofhounds (5-9) came into the Sept. 27 game having lost five of their last six matches. The Lafayette Fighting Irish (7-8) already lost to Maryville once this season and didn’t want to get swept in the two matches the MEC rivals will play against each other this season. The two teams traded points for the first few volleys of set one, tying at 3 until the Irish rattled off a 5-point run to create an early 8-3 lead. The lead did not last long, however, as Maryville got good looks off rotations, leading to clean kills from junior hitter Rylee Vierthaler and sophomore middle blocker Ava Dumke. Dumke and Vierthaler had a good connection, as the teammates were yelling out directions to help each other as the match progressed. “My outside, Rylee Vierthal-

Maryville High School senior Grace Wright kneels to bump the ball back during the Spoofhounds’ 3-1 match win Sept. 27. The ‘Hounds came into the game having lost five of their last six matches.

er from the back row, she would call where I should hit,” Dumke said. “She kind of read the block for me so that I wouldn’t have to think too much about it. I was trying to do the same for her; that’s how we got a lot of clean hits.” Those clean swings resulted in a 5-point Maryville run that tied the game at 9. The Spoofhounds used two more 5-point runs to ultimately take set one 25-20. Maryville head coach Bailey Cook was impressed with how her team hit the ball in set one. “I’ve always said, ‘Start off each set with our energy being up there,’” Cook said. “We started oﬀ with high energy, our connections were good, our contacts on the ball were good — Ava Dumke, especially. It just kind of worked and synced all together.” Maryville used that energy to take an early lead into set two, but Lafayette quickly

UP NEXT MHS @ Savannah 7 p.m. Sept. 30 Savannah, Missouri

Keeping your views

caught up. The rivals were neck and neck until Lafayette used a 3-point run to take a 19-17 lead on the Spoofhounds. In set two, Lafayette was getting clean looks and good swings. While Maryville was hanging in there, it was clear that the Fighting Irish had the momentum. “Lafayette came out really strong that second set,” Cook said. “They’re an all around good team, and whenever other teams’ energies are up and ours isn’t as much, we struggle a little bit.”

clear since 1977.

FULL STORY ONLINE:

NWMISSOURINEWS.COM

www.maryvilleglassandlock.com

660-582-3131

Toll Free: 888-855-3131

55thh & Buchanan h - Maryville, ll Missouri

MARYVILLE

GLASS & LOCK

The First Glass Place to Call Residential Glass Replacement Auto Glass Mirrors Garage Doors Storm Doors Storefronts Complete Locksmith Services Lockouts

SPORTS

Feathers flying MHS football hits road in search of win over Cardinals.

First is the worst NW golf takes second place at KC Cup.

see A9

see A8

Sept. 30, 2021

JON WALKER | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest football junior defensive end Zach Howard (94), senior defensive end Noah Williams (97) and junior linebacker Sam Phillips (43) celebrate the Bearcats’ defense recording a sack during a 38-0 win against Central Oklahoma Sept. 25. The Bearcats held the Bronchos to 122 total yards of offense. JON WALKER Sports Editor | @ByJonWalker

espite a 47-7 win against Central Missouri in Week 3, Northwest football coach Rich Wright expected more from his defense. The fifth-year coach, who also serves as the team’s defensive play caller, holds his defense to a higher standard than most coaches ever will. Those expectations were met, though, during the No. 2 Bearcats’ 38-0 win against Central Oklahoma Sept. 25 in Bearcat Stadium. “When I looked at the film, I felt like, in totality, we played better,” Wright said Tuesday afternoon at the Northwest Athletics Media Luncheon. “We were sound with what we were doing. A lot of the things that I saw are things that don’t show up in stat lines. Anybody who talked to me after the Central Missouri game knew I wasn’t happy. … Our goal each and ev-

’Cats ride defense into matchup with Griffons ery week is, ‘This shouldn’t be our peak; we’ve gotta get better and better and better.” Wright and his defense will have an opportunity to take the next step when the Bearcats (3-0) make the 45-minute trek south to take on rival Missouri Western (2-2). Northwest isn’t too caught up in the rivalry that hasn’t been much of one as of late, Wright said. All three phases of the ball will make the usual week-toweek adjustments, of course, but the Bearcats aren’t going to make any drastic modiﬁcations just because it’s rivalry week. In-

stead, Wright’s intentions are the exact opposite. “Really, it’s no diﬀerent from week to week to week,” Wright said. “The emphasis has to be on Northwest Missouri State and us improving as a football team, and that’s in all three phases. We have to get better each and every week if we want to try and achieve the goals that these guys set at the beginning of the season, then that’s how you climb the mountain. … You either get better or worse, but you’re not going to stay the same.” One of Wright’s goals, he said, is for the Bearcats to assert their dominance early in an attempt

to manufacture doubt on the opposing sideline. It’s worked against the Mules. It’s worked against the Bronchos. Whether it’ll work against the Griffons is left hanging in the balance. During Week 1, Western scored 13 unanswered in the second half and almost mounted a comeback before eventually losing to Central Oklahoma 24-20. During Week 2, the Griffons overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Fort Hays. In Week 3, the Griffons overcame a 21-point deficit at halftime to take down Emporia State 38-37. The Bearcats were able to have their best defensive per-

UP NEXT NW @ Missouri Western 6 p.m. Oct. 2 St. Joseph, Missouri

formance of the season against Central Oklahoma, limiting the Bronchos to a shutout that included 122 total yards of oﬀense, including -28 yards rushing. But Wright isn’t expecting things to come as easy this week against a Western oﬀense that’s coming off of one of its best weeks despite a 47-41 loss to Washburn. “If we get up on Missouri Western early — Missouri Western’s not gonna blink,” Wright said. “They’ve been behind in several games this year, and they’ve come back and played. So, my challenge to the kids is that we’ve gotta play 60 minutes, regardless of what the score is.”

SEE RIVALRY | A7

Soccer readies for No. 5 Emporia on heels of snapping losing streak WESLEY MILLER Sports Reporter | @wesleymiller360

Just nine days before Sept. 17, Northwest soccer was handed a 3-0 loss at the hands of Central Missouri. Nine days later, the Bearcats got another chance at the No. 19 Jennies for the first game in MIAA play. Before the 35-minute mark, the Bearcats did something they didn’t do at all in the ﬁrst matchup: score. Thanks to an assist by freshman midfielder Yesenia Arnau and midﬁelder Madi McKeever, sophomore forward Teagan Black-

WALK THE TALK:

Are MWSU comeback efforts an anomaly? JON WALKER Sports Editor @ByJonWalker

burn was able to put it away for the Bearcats and give them the early 1-0 lead. While this goal put the Bearcats ahead, it meant Blackburn had scored in all but three of Northwest’s eight games this season. “I am able to keep composure and stay consistent by working hard in practice and staying focused,” Blackburn said. The Bearcats’ one-point lead over the Jennies lasted the rest of the half. However, in the second half, things started to go south for Northwest. After a one-week hiatus, welcome to a rivalry edition of Walk The Talk, the mailbag column where you’ll ﬁnd answers to all of the questions people might have about Northwest Athletics. Northwest football is heading 45 minutes south to face Missouri Western this Saturday, and everyone asked a multitude of questions about that matchup, so this week’s edition will focus solely on the rivalry — which hasn’t really been much of one for the last decade. Are Missouri Western’s comebacks a fluke? Nope, they sure aren’t. Missouri Western faced a 24-7 deﬁcit at halftime during

$6 t Card to Show your Bearca deals get these amazing ! NG LO ALL YEAR

Asian

2 Entree meal with bearcat card

UP NEXT NW vs. Washburn 3 p.m. Oct. 1 Bearcat Pitch

Gordon said a major difference for the first half between both matches was that Northwest didn’t give up a “silly” goal early in the match, like it did the first time. This made it easier for the Bearcats, because they weren’t playing from behind all match.

SEE STREAK | A7 a Week 1 matchup against Central Oklahoma. The Griffons scored 13 unanswered points in the second half before falling to the Bronchos 24-20. The Griffons found themselves down by 14 points during their Week 2 matchup with Fort Hays, the MIAA’s third-best scoring defense. They were able to successfully mount a comeback this time, though, beating the Tigers 38-31. In Week 3, similar to the ﬁrst pair of games this season, Western faced a 21-point deficit at halftime against Emporia State. The Griﬀons were able to outscore the Hornets 31-7 in the second half to take a 38-37 win

10% off

Any Menu

item from our market grille with bearcat card

ADDALYNN BRADBURY | NW MISSOURIAN

Northwest soccer sophomore forward Teagan Blackburn chases down the ball during the Bearcats’ scrimmage against Augustana Aug. 27 at Bearcat Pitch. Blackburn has tallied six goals throughout eight games this season.

against the seventh-best defense in the conference. Washburn beat Western 4741 in Week 4, and the Griffons didn’t need any come-frombehind heroics, but that game proved they’re able to put up points at ease. Behind an offense led by Anthony Vespo, who broke Western’s record for passing yards in a single game during the loss to Washburn (443), the Griffons are never out of a game — even if it seems that way. Where should I eat before the game? Anybody who follows me on Twitter knows I provide food

reviews while traveling to away games, and that’s why I love this question. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but moved to St. Joseph when I was 10. I’ve had more than enough time to dine in at a bunch of eateries throughout the town. Pappy’s, hands down, is my No. 1 recommendation for a classic burger-and-fry combo before a football game. There’s a Texas Roadhouse about five minutes from Missouri Western’s campus, too, if a chain is more your style.I don’t know too many people who couldn’t down a basket of rolls with cinnamon butter.

SEE WTT | A7

Any SINGLE

$6 SUSHI ROLL with bearcat card

RETAIL UP TO $12 !

off with your Bearcat Card