Special seniors graduate, but for Maryville, it remains ...
Next Hound Up
Jaci Elston | Katherine Pohren | Tucker Wilmes | Emma Sprague | Alayna Pargas | Bradley Deering | Jalea Price
JON DYKSTRA/THE
Seniors spearhead Spoofhound resurgence
Spoofhound volleyball has enjoyed tremendous success recently especially with an experienced group of seniors to lean on.
Jalea Price (sr.) — 84 assists, 0.8 assists per set, 1 ball-handling error
Four seasons ago, it was the spectacular senior class of Serena Sundell, Macy Loe, Morgan Stoecklein, Klarysa Stolte, Kelsey Perry (Scott), Ilse Flores and Jordyn Suchan that led the Spoofhounds to a state championship. There were also three sophomores on that team and when Rylee Vierthaler, Kennedy Kurz and Anastyn Pettlon were seniors, they guided the Spoofhounds to a 19-win season. With Vierthaler and Pet-
tlon playing college basketball last season, the Spoofhound volleyball program underwent plenty of transition with Alyssa Stout (Rezac) taking over as head coach and new faces in new positions with a revamped lineup. Maryville would end up going 12-20-2 in Stout’s first year with the program.
“It was super nice to have an offseason with these girls, a full offseason,” Stout said. “We can kinda work more on the fundamentals and systems with them and get them more accustomed to my coaching.”
But once again, it is the senior class which is looking to catapult the Hounds back to their winning ways.
“We already know the expectations that they are setting,” senior Jalea Price said of the coaching staff being back. “So we can meet those goals a lot easier without having to relearn a whole new coaching system.”
This year’s senior class was in the eighth grade when the Spoofhounds celebrated a state title in Cape Girardeau in 2020. Now they have the opportunity to help set the table for the team’s climb back up to the mountaintop.
Maryville’s five returning seniors all played big roles as juniors with Price, Kami Tobin, Ellie Willnerd, Claire Nickerson and Sabryn Lager.
“The thing that I’m most looking forward to this year is just seeing our growth from last year and see how much we improved,” Price said. “Hopefully we come out and show everyone what we are made of.
“I’m really excited. I think this is going to be the best year yet.”
Price fuels the team’s defense from the libero spot like Stolte and Kurz did before her. She was a firstteam All-MEC selection last season after recording 530 digs.
“I’m pushing her a lot more in a leadership role this year and I’m really excited to see what she can do along with all the others,” Stout said. “I’m just going to continue to push them to get better and push them out of their comfort zone.”
While Price leads the defense, the rest of the senior
class flourishes on the offensive attack. Willnerd was third on the team in kills last season with 136. This year she may factor in more at setter as well.
“I’m excited to definitely bond more with the people that we’ve been with in the past,” Willnerd said. “I feel like we are going to be way closer this year as a team.”
Nickerson added 76 kills while Lager had 28 and Tobin had 14.
“I’m very excited,” Nickerson said. “I think that we have a really good team. We have a lot of talent, a lot of young talent too, so I am excited for that to show with our team and for it to continue on after we are gone.
“I’m really excited to show at our home games what Spoofhound volleyball is really about. I think that we have struggled with that in the past. I’m excited to show what we are capable of.”
All four saw much of their time as hitters last season where they are joined in a deep rotation by junior Brylee Acklin. Acklin has proven to be one of the best athletes in the MEC with seven state medals in her first two years as a track and field athlete.
Acklin made a big step forward last season in volleyball, going from 17 kills to 151. She added 97 digs and 25 blocks defensively.
In the middle, the Spoofhounds have a pair of experienced options with juniors Olivia Stanley and Abigail Bowe. Stanley had 98 kills last season while Bowe had
Stanley had a team-high 54 blocks and Bowe added 42.
Junior Evelyn Branner is another key returner after emerging as a strong serving weapon late in the season with 16 aces.
One of the keys entering the season is finding a new weapon at the position Stout starred at while playing at Northwest Missouri State. With Bryna Grow graduating and Payton Kurz not on the team this season, the Spoofhounds will have at least one new setter this season.
“Ellie Willnerd is probably going to step up in a role for us in that position,” Stout said. “Gracyn Hoover is stepping up. We are excited to see the younger girls step up into the J.V. roles as well. Definitely training them here as quick as I can, but I think they are going to be alright.”
The veterans will benefit from a strong incoming freshman class which should add to the depth across the roster.
“My personal goal is just to establish our culture,” Stout said. “I’m sure that they have a lot more statistical goals and I do too, but we will just stick with culture right now.”
The Spoofhounds open the season on Monday at the Hound Pound against Benton.
“I’m hoping that we can win the conference, make a run in the postseason and just see where it takes us,” Price said.
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FORUM
Maryville volleyball: front from left; Kami Tobin, Jaylin Bucy, Brylee Acklin, Channing Minton, Olive Madden, Gracyn Hoover, Lola Alvarez; second row; Jalea Price, Ryan Tobin, Grace Stiens, Channing Harbin, Nia Lipiec, Julia Branner, Addison Bowe, Charlotte Davison; third row; coach Alyssa Stout, Devyn Deiter, Chloe Blackford, Evelyn Branner, Avery Derr, Sofia Lynn, Jade Price, Karlie Renshaw, coach Meghan Hermelink; fourth row; Casey Stoll, Sabryn Lager, Claire Walter, Olivia Stanley, Abigail Bowe, Essie Voss, Claire Nickerson, Ellie Willnerd and coach Jessica Stufflebean.
Maryville football: front from left; coach Matt Webb, Kyrin Addison, Matthew Walter, Brandon Wilmes, Gavin Stone, Major Scarbrough, Kole Zarbano, Lucas Vierthaler, Dylan Meyer, Noah Bellamy, coach Matt Houchin; second row; coach Tryce Floyd, Kade Watkins, Canon Creason, Gavin McAtee, Sutton McAdams, Mace McKim, Tyson Atwell, Brennan McElvain, Gus McCollough, Darren Dwight, Colsen Freeman, coach Marcus Grudzinski; third row; coach Brock Kruske, Jackson Dredge, Jackson Wilmes, Jonah Long, Charles Myrick, Xander Brown, Shawn Mahoney, Weston Tally, Darion Harris, Lucas Ziegler, coach Ryan Lessman; fourth row; Sadler Viau, Lucas Duff, Jayce Piveral, Ambrose Sundusky-Ury, Canon Scarbrough, Cain Bowles, Brody Shepherd, Caden Eighmy, Ben Jaster, Grayson Hess, coach Tom Dwight; fifth row; manager Chloe Little, JJ Higdon, Will McCollough, Zac Voss, Will Sheil, Luke Allen, Jarrick Pettlon, Brett Long, Logan Peter, Bryce Bennett, manager Mia Carter; sixth row; Charles Jordan, Ethan Lager, Cooper Mooney, Creed Creason, Jack Luke, Haddon Baker, Kevin Houtchens, Noah Hughes and Beckett Kendrick.
Maryville sets tone in trenches
The senior class for Spoofhound football was a special one last season. It was discussed plenty in the moment and had they not run into a St. Pius X team that will drastically move up classifications this season because of school size and the private-school classification factors that MSHSAA implements, there is no telling how far that group would have gone.
On offense, the team is replacing eight starters including all its skill positions. On defense, its five starters.
The Spoofhounds are going to look different this season, but different is not new. The offense looked different with Derek Quinlin at the controls than it did with Connor Drake or Will Walker or Trey Oglesby or Jonathan Baker. It was still highly effective in all those iterations.
The Matthew Walter-led Spoofhound offense won’t look exactly like the Quinlin version and it won’t look exactly like any of the other versions either, but that is to be expected.
“I think that we are going to be really good offensively this year,” Walter said. “We’ve got a really strong O-line, a really big O-line. They are going to take us as far as we are going to go.” Walter spent the last two years as Quinlin’s backup and learned a lot about the spread offense that Quinlin, Delton Davis, Wyatt Garner, Boston Hageman and Cooper Gastler thrived in. Walter was plugged into
that offense for one start last season with Quinlin injured and excelled with a 9-for-12 day for 124 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 42-8 win at Benton.
“Obviously I’ve backed up Derek the last two years and I think that has been super good for me because he has taught me a lot and I’ve been able to learn from him,” Walter said. “Just to step in senior year as a quarterback, I am super excited to go out and play with my guys.”
The cast around the quarterback has also changed with the top-5 receivers from last year gone, but what the Spoofhounds lack in the speed threats they had last year has shifted into another year of growth from a big offensive line and a couple bruising running backs.
That line is led by senior Lucas Vierthaler. Vierthaler was a second-team All-State selection on the offensive line last season.
“It feels great to be back,” Vierthaler said. “Obviously I love playing football. Senior year, so it is going to be exciting.”
The right side of the line is as imposing as its been in a long time with junior Phoenix Phillips and sophomore Mace McKim coming off their first seasons as starters, but with both getting significant college football interest.
At the other spots, the Hounds replace a couple of their best leaders with Owen Wonderly and Landon Liebhart, but Canon Scarbourgh and Brandon
Wilmes appear ready to step into larger roles and bring larger frames to play.
“This year, we’ve got a lot of big guys on the O-line,” Vierthaler said. “The smallest guy is like 230 pounds so that is always good — it is different than past years. I feel like we are all getting connected very well.”
At running back, the team replaces a couple program leaders with Tucker Turner and Colton Eighmy, but Sadler Viau was the team’s most efficient runner last season on limited reps. Viau ran for 217 yards on just 16 attempts with a remarkable 13.6 yards per carry average. Injuries and his role as the team’s middle linebacker limited his workload.
“We lost a lot of firepower from last year obviously, but I think that we can go back to what Spoofhound football has been in the past — run the ball and then pass the ball when we need to,” Walter said. “I think that we’ve got a great group of guys to do that.”
Darren Dwight, Zac Voss and Luke Allen also saw success in limited carries last season and could factor in as well as the healthy return of Canon Creason who missed last season.
“It is a lot of competition and I think that is great for us because everyone is tying to get in and playing their hardest,” Walter said.
At pass catcher, senior Kole Zarbano leads a relatively inexperienced group. Zarbano didn’t start last season, but made the most memorable play of the season with a 1-handed grab
late against Lutheran North which set up Quinlin’s game-winning touchdown run.
Zarbano finished the season with 11 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. No other returning Spoofhound had more than 86 yards receiving last season.
“He has been a great leader to the other receivers coming in and he has been teaching them,” Walter said. “I’ve been able to work with them. I’ve been playing with these guys the last couple years so we’ve got that connection and I’m super excited for it.”
Jonah Long was that 86yard receiver and if he can put together a healthy season, should be in line to see those numbers tick up.
Major Scarbrough was Gastler’s backup at tight end last season and should see an expanded role.
Defensively, it starts in the trenches again. Major Scarbrough and Vierthaler are as good of bookends at defensive end as there are in the conference.
“We’ve just got to worry about stopping the run first and once the run is stopped, we’ve got to worry about stopping the pass,” Vierthaler said. “That is how it is going to work.”
On the inside, Phillips and McKim bring their sheer size into the heart of the run defense.
“We are looking pretty strong and connected,” Vierthaler said. “Everyone knows what they are doing. ... I feel like that when Week 1 rolls around that we will be ready to go.”
Linebacker sees the departure of Swiss Army knife Davis, but Viau returns in the middle after 105 tackles last season and Gus McCollough is back after a second-team All-State season. Creason’s return factors in there as well.
“Gus and Sadler know what they are doing and they can teach other people the stuff that they need to know,” Vierthaler said. “I feel it is good because we all built a connection last year through all the games we played together last year and that is only going to get stronger as the games go on.”
The secondary has the most openings with just Zarbano returning as a starting safety. Dwight has played significant snaps at cornerback over the last couple seasons and Long has seen time at several spots in the secondary. Zac Voss and junior Brett Long are others to watch along with both backup quarterbacks Colsen Freeman and Will Sheil who double as safeties.
The kicking game is strong with senior Noah Bellamy doing well on extra points last season while Viau handles punting and kickoffs.
The Spoofhounds open the season on Friday with a road trip to Blair Oaks in Wardsville.
“The goal is to win games,” Walter said matter-of-factly. “We want to win games. We want to get homefield advantage in districts and make a run and hopefully go to state.”
Coach: Matt Webb
Assistant Coaches: Matt Houchin, Marcus Grudzinski, Jacob Vollstedt, Tom Dwight, Brock Kruske, Tryce Floyd, Grant Hageman
Last Season: 9-2 (6-0 MEC)
Postseason: MEC champions; Lost in Class 3, District 8 championships 41-13 to St. Pius X
Schedule: 8/30 at Blair Oaks 9/6 Pleasant Hill 9/13 Chillicothe 9/20 at St. Pius X 9/27 at Cameron 10/4 Benton 10/12 Lutheran North* 10/18 at Savannah 10/25 at Lafayette * — at Chillicothe
Returning Leaders: Passing: Matthew Walter (sr.) — 11-for-18, 193 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interceptions
Rushing: Sadler Viau (jr.) — 16 carries, 217 yards, 2 touchdowns
Receiving: Kole Zarbano (sr.) — 11 catches, 161 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackles: Sadler Viau (jr.) — 105 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception, 1 defensive touchdown
Sacks: Major Scarbourgh (sr.) — 5 sacks
Interceptions: Kole Zarbano (sr.) — 2 interceptions
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Hounds reload after unprecedented run
UThat is truly the word to describe the journey that the Spoofhound boys soccer team has been on the past three seasons.
Those three seasons were highlighted by the first two state trophies in program history with Class 1 thirdplace finishes in both 2023 and 2021.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville senior midfielder Anmol Prabhakar attempts a shot during last season MSHSAA Class 1 State Tournament at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton. Maryville ended up finishing as the third-place team in Class 1 for the second time in three seasons. Prabhakar returns after starting 16 games last season and scoring six goals with three assists and 15 points as a junior.
Last season’s team was likely the most talented in school history with three players moving on play college soccer — Kason Teale, Jaxson Staples and Boyd Gallaher. They were joined on the All-State First Team by defender Gavin Wray.
“They want to be good,” coach Matt Stoecklein said. “They are on travel teams and they are excited about this year and excited about the opportunity they are going to get. Not everyone can be the star, but last year we had our stars. Well, this year, who are going to be the stars?
“I think it is not only, ‘can I find a role on the team,’ but can I be a star on the team, which maybe I wasn’t last year, so that is all exciting.”
The triangle of Staples, Wray and Gallaher in the heart of the Maryville defense was nearly impenetrable by opposing attacks — allowing just 18 goals in 20 matches.
That will be a key for the new-look Spoofhounds as they usher in five new starters on the defensive end of the field.
For four years, the Hounds have had Staples in goal, and the competition to replace him is between
senior Titus McKim and junior Ryker Argo.
“We have two kids competing for that spot,” Stoecklein said. “... Both of those guys right now are competing for that spot. We really don’t know who it is going to be yet.”
McKim made three saves last season and didn’t allow a goal in 50 minutes as the keeper. Argo played 11 minutes, making one save and not allowing a goal.
The players likely to fill on the defensive line all have playing experience, but will be filling new roles with juniors Cooper Lynn and Connor Moore shifting back after primarily playing minutes at forward and in the midfield in years past.
“They are new and that is kinda scary because you never want that much new with your back five and then our defensive midfielder with six — we don’t know who that is right now,” Stoecklein said.
Lynn had a goal and four assists in 18 matches last season. He scored and had an assist in the third-place match. Moore earned a starting spot late last season and finished with three goals including one in the thirdplace match.
“Both of them played in big games, so yeah, you are moving to defense possibly, but at least those nerves and understanding of the game is going to be a little bit easier for them,” Stoecklein said.
Junior Miles Poynter towers over his teammates as the tallest player on the team and adds some size to the defense after appearing
in eight matches last season.
Senior John Little is in line for a bigger role this season as the most experienced defender among the new group. Little played in 12 games last season.
Offensively, the Spoofhounds largely allowed Teale to work and create for himself and his teammates.
The West Texas A&M recruit had 30 goals while the next highest total on the team was seven. He had 12 assists while the next highest total was six.
This season, the Spoofhounds are eyeing a more balanced attack and that begins with their outside forwards where junior Tuan Jacobson and senior Tucker Wilmes reside.
“I’m really pumped honestly,” Jacobson said. “Our offense should be pretty good this year with Tucker at wing and Anmol (Prabhakar) at striker,” Jacobson said. “And then we have some younger guys coming up like Nathan (Walter). He is going to have a pretty key role in our offense this year.”
Jacobson was that secondary playmaker for the Spoofhounds last year — finishing second on the team in both goals and assists with seven and six.
“I’m ready to step up,” Jacobson said. “Thanks to Kason Teale — he has been really helping me over the summer to get ready for this season with dribbling drills and shooting drills. But I am ready to step up.”
Wilmes played on the defensive end of the pitch last season, but played club soccer in the offseason with
Jacobson and is set to transition into the spot opposite him.
“I played right back last year, but now I’m being moved up to right wing, which is pretty fun because I get to score more goals and stuff, and get more opportunities to have fun with friends,” Wilmes said.
“Me and Tuan played club together and have played soccer together our whole entire lives, so we have pretty good chemistry. It’ll just be a fun year.”
In the middle, it is a new role, but a familiar situation for senior Anmol Prabhakar. Prabhakar stepped into the starting lineup last season in the place of graduated All-State midfielder Quinn Pettlon.
Prabhakar did that last season and became an AllState honorable mention selection himself with six goals and three assists.
“I’ve grown a lot and I attribute that mostly to the seniors from last year,” Prabhakar said. “If I can set an example for the new freshmen to just come out to the pitch every Sunday and Saturday to work on their foot skills and have a good time, that is something that I think helped me a lot.”
Now, with Teale in Texas, Prabhakar takes another role as more of an offensive weapon in the middle of the attack.
“It is going to be a fun season,” Prabhakar said. “I know that we’ve got a lot of new players and I’m really excited to try out again and just have a really good time with all of my friends again.”
The Spoofhounds will be reshuffling the midfield, junior Sunxi Lugo will be one player that the team relies on after playing six matches last season and recording an assist. Freshman Nathan Walter is another who will be taking on a role in the midfield.
“It is looking pretty good right now,” Prabhakar said. “They know where to go and I believe that with a little more practice, we will be a really good midfield.”
The other new piece for the Spoofhounds will be joining Stoecklein on the sideline with new assistant coach Mario Castaneda. Castaneda is studying teaching at Northwest Missouri State and has been a student assistant for the Bearcat women’s soccer program.
“He is excited,” Stoecklein said. “He is young. He is ready to go. If I say, hey, organize a practice. He is all over it and comes up with a really good practice. He is very knowledgable in soccer and wants to coach soccer at the college level. ... He is just hungry to learn.”
The Spoofhounds open their season with the usual tough back-to-back tournament challenges. They play in the Barstow Tournament the first week of September and Excelsior Springs the second week of September.
“They motivated me a lot, the last group of seniors,” Prabhakar said. “And I am hoping to do the same with these new freshmen.”
Maryville’s first home game on the new Hound Pound turf is Sept. 17 against MEC rival Chillicothe.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville soccer: front from left; Karsyon Wilson, Carl Frank, Colin Stanley, Owen Cronk, Jaxson Byers, Sunxi Lugo; second row; Nathan Walter, Luke Bilke, Cooper Lynn, Tuan Jacobson, Aaden Garcia, Lucas Hazen, Andrew Ferris, Sawyer Husing; third row; Shane Garnett, Riley Gonzales, Garrett Byers, Ryker Argo, Adrian Hull, Dayn Henderson, Derek Evans; fourth row; John Little, Tucker Wilmes, Will Michaelsen, Titus McKim, Miles Poynter, Conner Moore, TJ Kain and Anmol Prabhaker.
Pargas leads young Spoofhounds
Replacing seven of your top eight players in a single offseason is quite the ambitious charge regardless of what sport it is. With golf it may be even tougher with only five varsity players in each event.
Spoofhound golf is ready to take on that challenge though and coach Brenda Ricks knows she has a captain at the top of the lineup capable of being that leader for the four underclassmen around her.
“My goal for this season would be just to be a good captain and have a good season of golf,” junior Alayna Pargas said.
Pargas joined one of the most experienced golf teams in the state two years ago with its seven upperclassmen and still was able to make an immediate impact — going to state as both a freshman and sophomore.
“She has done a totally awesome job of this,” Ricks said. “... She is being a great leader and we are just getting started.”
Now Pargas has a new challenge — going from the young up-and-comer on a veteran-laden squad to the captain on a team that other than her, doesn’t have a single varsity stroke attempted on the roster.
“I’m so excited to be out here with my girls and have fun on the golf course,” Par-
gas said. “I’m just so excited to come back and be able to be more of a leader and be a good example for my golfers.”
Ricks has been impressed with Pargas’ leadership in practice so far and her ability to work with the younger golfers.
“I’ve watched these girls grow from last season and I can’t wait to see what they do this season,” Pargas said.
Of course, when the matches begin, all the Spoofhound golfers will be divided up and it becomes an individual challenge. Pargas feels she is ready for that challenge of being the team’s No. 1 player this season and points to her mental game as making the most strides over the summer.
“I’ve probably improved my mental game and my short game the most, and making my mistakes smaller,” Pargas said.
Pargas’ summer was filled with big junior tournaments and plenty of preparation for this season. She was 24th at the Class 3 State Tournament as a sophomore after finishing tied for 64th as a freshman.
“Just go to the next shot,” Ricks said of the key for Pargas to keep getting better this season. “She is good at that. It is just to play her game. She has played a lot. She has competed a lot. She knows what she needs to do. I don’t think her head gets in her way. She’s got that. That is how
she has to go forward and just play that next shot. And she knows that too.”
Pargas wasn’t the only Spoofhound playing in junior tournaments this summer with sophomores Halle Zimmerman and Taylor Akon playing in the Northwest Missouri Junior Tournament Series. That series plays on courses throughout northwest Missouri on Mondays during the summer.
Akon played in five tournaments and finished fifth overall in the girls’ 14-15 age division. Zimmerman was fifth in the division and played in five tournaments.
“They didn’t come in with ‘a little more’ experience, they came in with a lot more experience,” Ricks said crediting the Junior Series. “And it shows. It shows in their scores. It shows in their confidence. It shows that they know what they need to do.”
Sophomore Jaidaci Wilmes also returns for her second year with the program. She has been golfing in her free time to prepare for the season.
Wilmes is a multi-sport athlete — playing soccer.
“We’ve all grown a lot from when we were freshmen, and just to be able to grow and play as a team is going to be really fun,” Wilmes said. “It is really exciting because we have all been childhood friends together and stuff like that. To be able to play the same sport together
and excel as a whole group is really exciting.”
The Spoofhounds were able to fill their fifth spot in the lineup with freshman Avonlea Mitchell. Pargas helped recruit Mitchell to join the team this year.
“I’m really excited to get to know the girls and become better friends,” Mitchell said. “I’ve started to really like golf. ... This is definitely a new sport for me. One hundred percent.”
The Spoofhounds open the season at Cameron on Wednesday. They go to St. Joseph for a tournament at Moila Country Club on Sept. 5 before a home tournament on Sept. 9.
“We are just going to spend a lot of time on short game, because that is where they are going to take the strokes off,” Ricks said. “Hitting the driver is fun, but 100 yards and in is where we are really going to work on that.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville golf: from left; coach Larry Ricks, Alayna Pargas, Jaidaci Wilmes, Avonlea Mitchell, Halle Zimmerman, Taylor Akon and coach
Brenda Ricks.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville junior Alayna Pargas chips last season.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Kemper guides Maryville’s rebuild
No Spoofhound softball player currently on the roster has had the same head coach in back-toback seasons.
With Maryville promoting Brylee Kemper from assistant coach to head coach, the hope within the team is that the transition is done and the program can build under Kemper’s leadership.
“Probably one of the best things that has happened to our program in quite a while,” senior Alyssa Cunningham said of Kemper being hired.
Kemper, a Mid-Buchanan graduate, played two seasons at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, bat-
ting .340 over her 206 at-bats with the Spartans.
She transferred to Northwest Missouri State for her final two years, starting 26 games and hitting .258 for the Bearcats.
The business teacher at the Northwest Technical School was an assistant coach on last season’s 7-20 squad and moves into the head coaching position this season.
“We all loved her as an assistant,” senior Brylie Henggeler said. “I think her stepping up as the head (coach) shows that she cares about us and the program.”
Kemper inherits a team that returns seven starters, but had two players graduate who
did a lot for the program.
“Kemper has had us practicing all summer and I feel like we have a good shot of going decently far,” senior Emma Sprague said. “I’m really excited for that. ... I have nothing but good things to say about Kemper. I love Kemper. So I am excited for that.”
The leader of last year’s team was shortstop and leadoff hitter Ella Schulte. Schulte was the Forum’s Softball Player of the Year after hitting .505 last year with 16 of her 46 hits going for extra bases.
The team also replaces Aliya Farmer as Schulte’s doubleplay partner up the middle.
“We definitely lost two good seniors last year in Ella Schulte and Aliya Farmer — they will be missed just based on their leadership alone,” Kemper said. “I think that this next group of seniors is ready to take on that battle and take on that role. I’ve seen it all summer and I’m excited to see it in the fall.”
Schulte was slotted in as Maryville’s top pitcher last season, but an injury limited her to just playing the field — allowing Maryville to get valuable experience for Sprague and Phoebe Hornickel, who return to lead the pitching staff this season.
“That is very nice,” Kemper said. “To have your starting pitchers back and your catcher back is a lot to work with. We’ve also got a freshman pitcher coming in too, so being able to have those three and Ella Eckley pitch a little bit more. ... It is just really nice to have an experienced pitching staff.”
Hornickel threw 66 2/3 innings last season with a 4.83 earned run average and 22 strikeouts.
Sprague has been the ultimate utility piece in her three years as a Spoofhound playing the outfield as well as the corner infield spots. Last season, she was needed in the pitcher’s circle and gave her team 95 1/3 innings with a 5.65 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just 35 walks.
In addition to pitching, Sprague is the team’s most reliable on-base threat returning. She hit .287 last season with a .367 on-base percentage.
“I’m really excited,” Sprague said of her senior season. “I just want to soak it in though.”
Senior third baseman Brylie Henggeler is the team’s returning leader in terms of batting average with a .298 mark last season. She has also been valuable around the diamond in her first three years — playing third, second and the outfield.
“I definitely just want to be open,” Henggeler said. “I know that Coach Kemper needs us kinda everywhere right now, because we don’t really have many solid positions. I’ve been working more at third and short. ... I’ll do anywhere that she needs me.”
The player that the Hounds have relied on to keep them organized from behind the plate the last two seasons is senior catcher Alyssa Cunningham. Cunningham batted .273 last season.
“A few of use have been playing together for like eight years now, and it is awesome that we are still playing together,” Cunningham said. “It is pretty bitter-sweet, but we are really excited.”
The player with the most raw power on the team is senior outfielder Emma
Aley. She finished with more extra-base hits than singles last year with four homers to lead the team and six doubles — second only behind Sprague in terms of returners.
“I’m ready for it — senior year, just take it as it comes,” Aley said. “Played all these years up to it — this is your big year to play.”
Ella Eckley, Gwyn Bilke and Annie Sparks also return as starters.
Eckley was the team’s first baseman last season and was a solid threat as the plate with a .279 batting average. Sparks and Bilke filled out the outfield and provided reliable defense for the Spoofhounds.
“I think that this year we have a lot of chemistry because a lot of the seniors are still here, so I think that we will have a lot of improvement,” Sparks said. “I think that we could do really well this year.”
Kemper is also excited about the young talent in the freshman class this season with several having the opportunity to make early impacts.
“It is good to see a lot of numbers, especially in the younger group and see the program grow and excel,” Kemper said. “We have a pretty good freshman group and I am pretty excited to see how they handle working with the seniors.”
The Spoofhounds open the season on Thursday at North Andrew before playing in the Plattsburg Tournament this weekend.
“We are just here to have fun honestly,” Sprague said. “We aren’t going to be able to play forever, so might as well enjoy it.”
Maryville softball: front from left; Marriah Williams, Mallory Culp, Kate Ackley, Brilynn Strayer, Ella Eckley, Haleigh Jackson; second row; coach Brylee Kemper, Emily Davis, Samantha Metcalf, Addisyn Pleasance, Phoebe Hornickel, Brylie Henggeler, Julia Wiederholt, Kamryn Spire, coach Kyle Mayes; third row; coach Abby Swink, Avah Eckley, Emma Sprague, Emma Aley, Alyssa Cunningham, Jesslyn Grayson, Annie Sparks and coach Ellie Clay.
Returning core elevates Spoofhound girls
The rise of the Spoofhound girls cross country program over the last few seasons has been impressive. They got five runners to field a team two years ago with sophomore Katherine Pohren and freshman Ellie Parsons among the newcomers.
Last season, it was junior Nyah Davis and freshman Audrey Deering who made immediate impacts in their first seasons with the team and the Spoofhounds turned that into a Midland Empire Conference runner-up finish — just a single point behind St. Pius X — and a state berth as a team.
“What we saw at districts was that if we can have three solid runners and then two who finish well, we don’t all have to be way up, then we should still be in the running for a state-qualifying team depending on what the competition is like,” Maryville coach Rodney Bade said. Now, led by the core four of Pohren, Deering, Davis and Parsons, the Spoofhounds are set up to make another jump in Pohren and Davis’ final season as Spoofhounds.
“Katherine is highly motivated,” Bade said. “She has put in a great summer, lots of miles.”
Pohren is the reigning Midland Empire Conference champion individually and finished 43rd at state.
“I feel like our team is pretty solid this year,” Pohren said. “We built a pretty solid team last year, but this year, we are going again and have everyone back. I’m excited. It should be a good season and we will see what we do.”
Deering was spectacular as a freshman, finishing fifth in the MEC and taking 74th at the state championships. She was the 15th-best freshman in Class 3 last season.
Davis joined the team last season and Bade knew almost immediately that he had an instant contributor. Davis took fourth at the MEC championships and 76th at state.
“Now that I know what state is like, I am so excited,” Davis said.
After joining cross country in the fall and track and field in the spring, Davis is excited for what her second year as a varsity runner may bring.
“I’m so excited,” Davis said. “I’m super excited to be back on the (course).”
Parsons has also been an immediate contributor from the moment she first put on a Spoofhound jersey, making state and finishing 81st as a freshman. Her sophomore season saw her struggling to replicate what that first season brought though.
“Ellie has had the best summer she’s had probably ever,” Bade said. “Last year was a sophomore slump for her a little bit, so she is ready to come back and get after it again.”
Her best time of the season came in the final meet with a 23:01.9 — 47 seconds off the time she had at state as a freshman. Bade has been impressed with the way Parsons has attacked the offseason and improved as a runner.
With the four leaders of the program as established state returners, the key for Maryville will be developing depth behind its core group and identifying a fifth runner to take the reins of that final varsity spot.
For the Spoofhound boys, there is very little question about the No. 1 spot in the lineup as state medalist Bradley Deering is back for his senior campaign.
“I’d say that I’m pretty excited,” Deering said. “I feel like this summer has just been a little bit different. I’ve got a different mindset — knowing that it is my last one of high school, so I really tried hard to get more involved in my training with coach.”
Deering saved his best for last in 2023 with a careerbest 16:12.7 in the Class 3 State Championship run to claim 12th in the state. It continued a steady improvement over his first three years in the program when he was 36th as a sophomore and 71st as a freshman.
“I think that I want to go under 15:30,” Deering said. “I want to place higher than 12th at state and at least see some improvement.”
The challenge in training is slightly different as a senior for Deering who always had Connor Blackford to run with in previous seasons, but with the other four of the Spoofhounds’ top-5 varsity runners from last season not on the team this season, Bade says the key for Deering is to push himself to improve.
“A lot of this year is going to be about individual, personal growth for him and how to step into that role as a leader rather than a follower,” Bade said.
The team has still been putting in the miles with seniors Dalton McDonough, Raymond Zhao and Jonah Miller all stepping up as leaders. McDonough went to state last season as a member of the 7-man squad and finished 111th. He appears to have the inside track on the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
“It is going to be a pretty fun season,” McDonough said. “It is my senior year so I’m excited to end it with a bang.”
Miller also made the trip to state last season and finished 163rd at state. He has taken a large leadership role with the younger runners on the roster.
“Let’s be patient,” Bade said of the mindset going into the season. “Let’s give some of our younger kids time to develop and get into shape, and build throughout the season.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville girls cross country: front from left; Audrey Deering, Avery Berry, Arryonna Bartlett, Nyah Davis; back; Ellie Parsons, Tallyn Haer, Katherine Pohren and Melodie Babcock.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville boys cross country: front from left; Dalton McDonough, Raymond Zhao, Jonah McKim, Braden Dwight, Tucker McCullough; back; Aiden VanVactor, Bradley Deering, Jonah Miller, Kimball Mitchell, Jaren Dombek and manager Carson Sterling.
Hounds build on upward trajectory
After just one win two seasons ago, the Spoofhound
tennis program got itself back on track last season with
wins and plenty of evidence of team growth.
“I’m really excited about this season,” coach Nicole McGinness said. “We did a lot better with our season record last year, so we are looking to improve on that even more this year and get better.”
A lot of that improvement came from a big group of freshmen who had an immediate impact on the team.
Chloe Little began the season as the team’s No. 2 player and found immediate success with a 3-0 singles record before an injury end-
ed her freshman season prematurely.
“I’m definitely excited to be back,” Little said. “I am looking forward to the season and hopefully I get farther than I did last year.”
Little goes into her sophomore season healthy and excited about the continued improvement that she was able to make over the offseason.
“I’ve been working on everything, but definitely my serve is something that I want to improve on,” Little said. “I went to the Bearcat Tennis Camp this summer.”
When Little got injured, the emphasis was on another freshman to enter a bigger role and Kori Quinlin was able to do that as the team’s No. 3 player.
Just like Little, Quinlin also plays soccer in the spring and her speed and athleticism translated well to the tennis court — wearing down her opponents by keeping the ball in play.
“It is a good foundation for the team,” Quinlin said.
“I’ve worked on my serve and my returns because last year, I only did simple serves, but now I’m looking a little more complex.”
Jaci Elston also made a big step forward last season — her second year with the program. She was consistently the team’s No. 4 player and had a strong season in that role.
“This is a really big group of girls,” Elston said. “This is the biggest we’ve had in quite a few years.
“We definitely have some young talent coming in with a lot of girls who haven’t played tennis before as a sport in high school, so it will be interesting to see how they grow and how they develop their skills as an individual and as a team.
And I will be there helping coach them and helping them in any way that I can.”
Madison Hennegin, Abigail Evans and Lindsey Deering all had a taste of varsity action last season.
Evans ended the season on a high note as she was a part of a doubles team which earned Second Team AllDistrict honors to finish the season.
McGinness is excited for the rest of the senior class around Elston as Isbella
Hennegin goes into her third season with the program and Makayla Yaple joins the team this year. Yaple has been a starting player in basketball and soccer for the Spoofhounds in the past.
“(Yaple) came out all summer and has been hitting, so she is ready to go,” McGinness said.
The Spoofhounds open the season with four-straight matches at home against Richmond, East, Lafayette and Benton. The season opener is Sept. 2 against Richmond.
“They’ve been working hard all summer,” McGinness said. “Everyone has been coming out and hitting. We do have some new faces who could possibly make varsity.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville tennis: front from left; Kori Quinlin, Geordynn Bostwick, Mahoney Funderburg, Abigail Evans, Jaci Elston, Miah Stoecklein; second row; Vivian Kain, Kayla Pedersen, Isabella Hennegin, Madison Hennegin, Paityn Hostetler, Alyssa Quimby, Brilynn Wells; third row; coach
Nicole McGinness, Maya Johnson, Kora Grow, Lindsey Deering, Chloe Little, Makayla Yaple and Shayleigh Rybolt.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Maryville sophomore Kori Quinlin smiles between points last season at the Rosewell Tennis Center.
Well Grounded
Platte Valley builds around its run game ~ D8
Tigers aim to make return to state finals ~ Page D3
Breakout year serves as fuel for hungry Thunder ~ Page D11
Bluejay seniors set to leave mark
The impact that the current senior class made at Northeast Nodaway was immediate and impressive four years ago. They inherited a team what was fresh off of a 1-15 season and an 0-15 season.
— 1.81
Strikeouts: Hadley DeFreece (sr.) — 106
WHIP: Hadley DeFreece (sr.) — 1.113
As freshmen, the group that basketball coach Sheldon Saxton affectionately referred to then as his “Baby Bluejays,” went 16-7. They have gone 40-23 over the past three years.
“It is exciting,” senior Lindsey Jackson said. “It is also kinda sad because it is the last year.”
Now, those Baby Bluejays are now among the most experienced teams in the state and go into the season with as high of expectations as they’ve had in a long time.
“I think the girls are hungry,” coach Payton Beason said. “They’ve had some postseason endings that were a little heartbreaking, but I think that they are ready to roll. I think it is going to be a fun season.”
The senior core is five players with Hadley DeFreece, Jackson, Baylie
Busby, Sasha Deardorff and Makenzie Pride.
“We’ve been together since, like what, seventh grade,” Busby said. “At the end, it is going to be a little tough to let go. I love all of them.”
“It is really exciting,” Pride said. “It is kinda sad that it is our last year.”
DeFreece and Jackson have been the team’s top two pitchers the past three years and should be the leaders in that category again as seniors.
“You can’t ask for much more,” Beason said. “Especially not just being a Class 1 school, but a small Class 1 school — to have such strong pitchers to rely on.”
DeFreece threw 85 1/3 innings last year with a 1.81 earned run averaged, 106 strikeouts and 18 walks. She spends her summers playing club softball and is ready for her final year in a Bluejay uniform.
“I’m pretty excited,” DeFreece said of the emotions going into her final year as a Bluejay. “It is going to be tough at the end, but I think that we are going to have
BLUEJAYS!
fun this year.”
Jackson took more of the workload off DeFreece than in previous seasons and pitched 47 innings. She finished with a 2.68 ERA, 37 strikeouts and 23 walks.
“I think we are kinda a power team,” Jackson said of the 1-2 punch with her and DeFreece. “When one of us can’t do it, then the other one can.”
When Jackson isn’t pitching, she will likely find herself patrolling center field.
“I’m pretty excited to be with all my friends and play with all the girls that I’ve played with since I was little,” Jackson said. “We’ve got new freshmen coming in, which is awesome because I’ve been friends with them also throughout my high school career. It should be a good year.”
Both players will benefit from the return of one of the state’s top catchers after Busby missed all but five games last season with a broken leg. In her five games back at the end of the season, she managed to hit .400. As a sophomore, she hit .397 with 10 extra-base hits.
“It feels good (to be back),” Busby said. “This summer, I played a little bit of travel softball to get back in the groove and I am really excited for this year because I think that we will be really solid.
“I think that we will have a good offense. We have some power hitters and some people who will get on base and some people who will steal, so I am excited about that.”
Busby is also a coach on the field for Beason in their third season together.
“It is good offensively and defensively,” Beason said. “You couldn’t ask for someone better at a Class 1 school. That was a big loss for us when she broke her leg last year. It is good to have her back and even at practices this year, it is nice to have her stepping up.
“She can kinda reads my mind before I say it. Before I have to tell them, she is already on it.”
Busby’s versatility also helps as she has shown in the past that she can play any position on the diamond defensively. With sophomore Hayley Yost returning after playing catcher with Busby out last year, that versatility could be utilized more this season. Yost hit .242 last season.
The big hole that the Bluejays will be looking to fill on the infield is shortstop where Jill Boswell has graduated. When DeFreece isn’t pitching, she likely factors into that spot. She hit .344 last season with four doubles, three triples and 13 stolen bases.
When DeFreece is pitching, sophomore Blair Nelson is likely to see most of the time there with Busby being a possibility for some innings as well. Nelson played mostly the outfield and first base as a freshman and saw her bat improve as the season went — finishing with a .274 batting average.
“We’ve been throwing people in and out there all summer trying to figure out what to do,” Beason said.
“(Boswell) was a leader and not only a leader, but played a good role. She hit No. 3 so we have to fill that role and we’ve been messing around with the batting order. The communication that she did on the field are big shoes to fill. ... They are competing real well with each other to fill that spot so it is good competition.”
Pride has developed into one of the team’s most reliable bats with a .304 batting average last season. The first baseman had four doubles.
“I’m really excited,” Pride said. “I feel like we can probably make it to state if all of us seniors and the whole team come together and push through it.”
Across the diamond at third base, sophomore Brianna Meyer was an instant starter for the Jays as a freshman. She hit .262 last season and had two of the team’s three home runs.
Junior Mylee Wilmes held down the second base spot last season — hitting .283. Jackson played in the outfield when she wasn’t pitching and also hit .283. Deardorff filled another of the outfield spots and hit .265.
“Slapping and drag bunting,” Deardorff said of what she is working on improving this year.
The Bluejays open the season on Tuesday at home against Stewartsville/Osborn.
“It feels like we aren’t even seniors and we are just little freshmen again,” Deardorff said of her senior class. “It means family, friends. I’m definitely going to miss them.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Northeast Nodaway softball: front from left; Baylie Busby, Sasha Deardorff. Makenzie Pride, Lindsey Jackson, Hadley DeFreece; back; coach Payton Beason, Sadie Hall, Brianna Meyer, Aubrey Fetters, Blair Nelson, Bristol Hicks, Hayley Yost, Mylee Wilmes and coach Abbie Groomer.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Sophomore Brianna Meyer smiles during a game in King City last year.
BRENT JOHNSON/TRI-COUNTY LEDGER
County football:
Tigers reload around young core
Not many teams can lose four First Team AllState players and still be a consensus top-5 team in the state going into the next season. But Worth County and its young core of talent have earned that right going into 2024.
“We’re excited to try to pick up where we left off and hopefully they feel like they’ve got something to prove again,” coach Jon Adwell said. “We had a good group last year who graduated, but I think that we have a good young core here of kids who have worked hard and some of them just haven’t gotten the chance to shine because they’ve been behind some good kids. They are excited to get out and try to prove themselves.”
Despite losing Tyler New, Kolten Smith, Grant McIntyre and Elias Alarcon from last season’s state runnerup, the Tigers were ranked by Grand River Conference coaches as favorites in the GRC.
“I’m excited to come out here and play football again,” junior Brayden Stevens said. “We had a rough end last year, but we are out here grinding every day.
“We lost four of our best seniors and we have a lot of young guys coming in and stepping up. ... Worth County — we breathe, sleep and eat football, so it is a huge thing in Worth County.”
Any preview of Worth County’s prospects will begin at quarterback where Tyler New was All-State and was the unquestioned leader of the team in 2023. New ran for 1,954 yards and 38 touchdowns while completing 79of-126 passes for 1,699 yards, 37 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Junior Brayden Stevens is set to step in as the team’s starting quarterback. Injuries
have limited him in the past and he only carried the ball once last season and didn’t throw a pass.
“Nothing is guaranteed, you have to work for it every day,” Stevens said. “... Just get as many reps in as you can and take every rep serious.”
Stevens played well defensively with 64 tackles and one interception.
“He is another kid that was behind an All-State kid with Ty,” Adwell said. “(New) is hard to replace, but these guys — they’ve waited their turn and when their card is pulled and they get their opportunity do their thing.”
He has the benefit of one of the state’s best running backs lining up beside him in the backfield. The Tigers only have three seniors this season, but one of those is Landon Wilmes.
“We are going to be quick this year,” Wilmes said. “We aren’t very big, so we don’t have a lot of big guys to block for us, but we have a lot of speed that is going to play a big role.”
Wilmes carried the ball 130 times for 1,203 yards last season and 21 touchdowns — earning himself First Team All-State recognition. He added 13 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
“He is a tough runner,” Adwell said. “He is going to be our horse and bell-cow this year. With him and Lucas (Frisch) in the backfield, that gives us a good 1-2 punch. I think Stevens is going to be a good addition as well. He has got good quickness and makes good decisions. Lucas and Landon are two kids who we definitely have to get the ball to and try to keep things balanced. I think each of them compliment each other real well.”
Sophomore Cole Ruby proved to be a capable backup for Wilmes last season as he is groomed to take over
that position next season. Ruby ran 18 times for 244 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman.
Junior Lucas Frisch broke out last season as the team’s fullback. Frisch, a star during track and field season as well, ran the ball 57 times last season for 374 yards and nine touchdowns. He added 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“I’m ready,” Frisch said. “I love football and every part of it. My entire fall is around football.”
A strong running game goes hand-in-hand with the offensive line and the Tigers are reshuffling that group which is replacing Alarcon. Sophomore Ethan Lininger is the top returner on the offensive line after earning All-GRC Honorable Mention recognition last season.
“We got some strong kids up front and they are fast too, so that is going to be good to look forward to this season,” Stevens said.
The big change on the offensive line is sophomore Bo Collins shifting from end to offensive guard. Collins was effective as a pass catcher last season with 21 catches for 417 yards and nine touchdowns, but his size and physicality brings a lot to the revamped line.
“When you lose a kid like Elias, he was a big part of what we did last year,” Adwell said. “I don’t know if there is ‘replacing him,’ but I think that some of these young kids have the ability to go out and be good at what they do as well.”
Losing Collins as a pass catcher in addition to McIntyre means that the Tigers will have to develop new pass catchers this season. Other than McIntyre, Collins, Wilmes and Frisch — the leading receivers for Worth County were sophomore Caleb New and senior Karson
two
of their combined four catches were touchdowns.
Defensively, the line will look different. Alarcon was one of the most disruptive defensive ends in the state.
Collins gives the Tigers an elite weapon on the edge as a Second Team All-State selection as a freshman. He had 78 tackles and six sacks.
The biggest change on the defensive line comes in the middle where Smith stepped in for Jase Latham — giving the team back-to-back AllState nose tackles, who also happened to be mountains of players.
“Losing Kolten at nose, that is kinda a big part of what we do,” Adwell said. “At the center of our defense, we always like to have a good, big nose in there.”
Lininger steps into that spot in the middle of the defense. He gives the group more quickness, but it will look different than how it has in recent years.
“He is not quite as big, but I think he gives us a little more in the quickness aspect,” Adwell said. “He is still a big kid who can kinda own the middle of the field. He has got the linebackers and skills behind him who can come back and clean things up.”
The other guy in the middle of the Worth County defense is the same guy who was in the middle of the offense as Tyler New had 124 tackles at middle linebacker.
The new leader of the linebacking group is obvious with Frisch, who finished as a Second Team All-State linebacker after 142 tackles and four sacks last season.
“Defense is my favorite part of football,” Frisch said. “I would rather do defense than offense any day of the week.”
Frisch’s role changes as he shifts to the middle and New’s spot.
“I’m going to have to step up and take Tyler’s spot,” Frisch said. “I’ve got to sit at home more. I watch the quarterback as middle linebacker — which is something that I’m not very good at. I like to jump around and fill holes.”
Wilmes also returns as one of the team’s top coverage players and had 110 tackles last season.
“Everyone is getting down what they are supposed to know and everyone knows what to do in their positions,” Wilmes said. “... I want to improve on what we did last year. I want to win a state title.”
Other top returners on defense include junior Sawyer Thurman (22 tackles), junior Brayden Combs (18 tackles), junior Brayden Murphy (12 tackles) and senior Carter Chapman (nine tackles).
“We tested out this year faster than we have in the past,” Adwell said. “I think speed is going to be something that we need to lean on. Also, they know the system, they know their jobs and with hopefully knowing their jobs and having the speed behind it will pan out.”
The Tigers open the season on Friday in Barnard against 275 Conference favorite Platte Valley.
“Win every game,” Wilmes said is the goal for this season.
The home opener is the following week against Mound City.
“Same goal: don’t lose,” Frisch said.
Worth
front from left; Dylan Smith, Wesley Brown, Reed Smyser, Franklynn Taute, Hayden Sanders, Toryn Privett, Trentib Adwell, Luke Findley; second row; Jude Archer, Brayden Combs, Brayden Murphy, Liam Hayden, Landon Wilmes, Brayden Stevens, Wyatt Hill, Lance Runde, Ryder Smyser; back; Caleb New, Ethan Lininger, Reyen Hansen, Sawyer Thurman, Karson Briner, Bo Collins, Cole Ruby, Lucas Frisch and Carter Chapman.
Briner with
catches each. Three
Green inherits team hungry to build
Last season, it was all about the senior class for Worth County softball and stamping their legacy. In four years, that group improved the team’s win total each season — going from seven to nine to 12 to 17.
Bases: Rylee Ruck-
(jr.)
Pitching: Kristen Tracy (soph.) — 2 innings, 8 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks
This season, the Tigers go through a transition without a senior on the team and with Cody Green stepping in as the team’s head coach.
“I’ve had all these girls be-
fore in junior high,” Green said. “I appreciate all the work (former coach Tiffany) Bliley did ahead of us setting the foundation for us to kinda get things rolling here. I feel like a lot of these girls are very experienced and did a lot under her.”
Green coached the current team of three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen in junior high.
“The thing is — the group we have, a lot of them can play
ball,” Green said. “That is the exciting part. It is one of those things that you have a good problem because you have a lot of kids who can play in a lot of places, but then have to figure out the best place to put all those pieces. That is kinda what we’ve been trying to figure out — where the best spot is for every one of these girls.”
to get back on the field and start my sophomore season.”
While Tracy stepped right into the third spot in the Tiger batting order as a freshman, her classmate Kambree Briner also took on a huge role as the team’s starting second baseman and the No. 2 hitter.
son with five doubles and a triple.
“I’m really excited,” Ruckman said. “... I think it is going to be a lot of fun. It already has been for sure.”
The most glaring change on the field will be in the pitcher’s circle where Brooklyn Richardson was dominant last season and threw 140 of the team’s 142 innings last season.
Sophomore Kristen Tracy will be the one getting the ball to step into that spot for the Tigers. Although she only threw two innings last season, she is not new to the Worth County lineup.
“We’ve definitely been pitching more in practice, working on different pitches so I can be ready for the season,” Tracy said. “My sister, Megan Tracy, she’s going to be our J.V. pitcher. She will be the second string. I’ve definitely been working on it all summer and last year, through the winter, trying to get prepared for my sophomore season.”
Tracy led the team in batting last season at .526 and was the every-day first baseman as a freshman. She had 11 doubles, two triples and one homer.
“I’m really excited,” Tracy said. “I’ve been waiting all year since last year at the district finals. I was already ready
“It taught me a lot,” Briner said of jumping right into the varsity lineup. “It definitely taught me that I can’t freak out and be nervous all the time.”
Briner hit .405 last season with a double and triple.
“I’m really excited for this team and I think that we can go a long ways,” Briner said.
Adding to the infield returners, third baseman Kiara Hardy is back for her sophomore season. The slap hitter had a .283 batting average last season.
Junior Rylee Ruckman has played the most varsity innings among the Worth County returners and has proven to be a versatile weapon for the team and could line up anywhere from the outfield to catcher to shortstop.
“We’ve got two great options at catcher right now,” Green said. “We have Ruckman, but then we also have Audrey (Runde), a freshman coming up who does super great, so that falls back into that category of having girls who know how to play a bunch of different spots, but where do they fit best?”
Ruckman hit .444 last sea-
The other spots in the lineup need replaced going into this season, but they return several players who played roles last season. Junior Rayleigh Smith played in seven games and hit .143.
Junior Riley Ridge played in two games last season. Ridge is a standout on the Tigers track and field team.
Arenna Galanakis, Sumer Riley and Addison Gray also return as sophomores. Gray played in 10 games last season. The freshman class of Megan Tracy, Braelyn Fletchall and Audrey Runde. The younger Tracy will likely slot in as the team’s No. 2 pitcher behind her sister.
“They can play ball,” Green said. “Those freshmen — I think every single one of them has played travel ball. This game is not new to them at all.”
The Tigers open the season at home on Tuesday against North Andrew.
“It is definitely exciting,” Kristen Tracy said of not having any seniors this season. “Because then we don’t lose anybody and we can stay strong hopefully both years and when we have seniors next year, we can dominate.”
JON DYKSTRA/TIMES-TRIBUNE
Worth County softball: front from left; Audrey Runde, Braelyn Fletchall, Rayleigh Smith, Keira Hardy, Sumer Riley, Addie Gray; back; Megan Tracy, Kambree Briner, Riley Ridge, Rylee Ruckman, Kristen Tracy and Arenna Galanakis.
Hightshoe, Engel lead Tigers
Worth County’s golf program has been growing in recent years and this year includes a little extra. The Tigers are up to 12 girls on the team and they doubled their coaching staff.
“That is the biggest team that we’ve ever had is 12,” coach Janice Borey said. “They work hard and there will be some improvements throughout the season. The younger girls are just learning — I have a couple who are new to the game. They have a lot more to learn than the older girls, but the older girls didn’t know a lot when they came in either and it just took a little bit of time.”
With Worth County and Northeast Nodaway beginning a co-op in girls’ golf, the team also expanded the coaching staff — making Craig McNeese an official assistant coach. The team is already familiar with McNeese, who has been a volunteer assistant for Janice Borey in the past.
The new co-op also brings sophomore Georgia Taylor to the program. Taylor comes to the team with experience playing with her family at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.
“She has got quite a bit of experience and has played Mozingo quite a bit,” Borey said. “So that is good. Mozingo is a tough place to play.”
The Tigers return their entire lineup and are led by a pair of seniors with returning state qualifiers Bridgette Hightshoe and Eva Engel.
Hightshoe is one of the
best golfers in the Grand River Conference West. She finished 15th at last season’s Class 1 State Championships. She became the first Tiger golfer to earn a state medal since 2002.
“Top 5 is what I’m going for,” Hightshoe said. “Every day, we have been out here (at the golf course) and practicing with every club from pitching wedge to driver.”
Engel also earned her way to the state meet — where she finished 58th overall.
“I’m excited, but I’m also sad because this is my last year,” Engel said. “I’m excited to make a lot more memories and I am glad that we have a lot more people on the golf team to make those memories with.
“This is a pretty good-sized team and I am glad because that means that golf is growing.”
Engel and Hightshoe put the time in this summer to improve their games — playing in the Northwest Missouri Junior Tournament Series.
The series has proven helpful for Maryville and East Atchison golfers over the years with their top golfers going to the event that goes to 18-hole courses throughout
northwest Missouri.
“Since freshman year, my focus for my golf game has been pitching and putting,” Engel said. “I would say it has gotten a tad bit better.”
Just like East Atchison’s Melody Barnett and Maryville’s Brenda Ricks, Borey went with her golfers to help them with the new courses.
The additional benefit of playing in the summer is experiencing grass greens while the Grant City course has sand greens.
Juniors Marissa Schmitz, Brylea Paxson and Bailey Steele also return to the varsity lineup this season.
Schmitz was the team’s No. 3 golfer last season and came up big in big meets. She shot a career-best 111 at the GRC West championships to help the Tigers to a conference runner-up finish.
“She has improved this year,” Borey said.
Steele and Paxson will be competing with a deep roster for the fourth and fifth spots in the lineup. Even the junior varsity spots will be fought for with only 10 of the 12 players getting to play either varsity or junior varsity.
Borey says she will rotate
players amongst the spots.
“They are all growing so much and it is fun to watch the improvement,” Borey said. “There is the possibility to rotate people in and out. I’ve done that before. They will get to play a varsity match to give them that experience. I just don’t want them to come out the next year and not have any of that varsity experience.”
The rest of the roster includes freshmen with Brynn Chapman and Unique Brown; and sophomores Emsley Spainhower and Arenna Galanakis; junior Katelyn Fletchall and senior Abbi Brown.
“More people means more
points for the team,” Hightshoe said. “Hopefully as a team, we will score more and place individually and as a team.”
Brown is looking forward to her senior season with Engel and Hightshoe.
“Very excited because those are my besties,” Brown said. “... Here, we laugh, we have fun, we enjoy it a lot and that makes it more fun for sure.”
The Tigers open the season on Wednesday at Stanberry.
“We got beat last year by King City by not very many strokes for the championship at the GRC West,” Borey said. “One of (our goals) is to not let that happen.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM Worth County senior Bridgette Hightshoe plays in the Northwest Missouri Junior Tournament Series this summer at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. Last season, Hightshoe finished 15th in Class 1.
Worth County golf: front from left; Brynn Chapman, Arenna Galanakis, Bailey Steele; back; Emsley Spainhower, Georgia Taylor, Marissa Schmitz, Abbi Brown, Bridgette Hightshoe, Eva Engel, Unique Brown, Katie Fletchall and Brylea Paxson.
Coach:
Last Season: 16-6 (6-0 275)
Henry leads transition for Platte Valley
Not many programs in the state can sport the consistent run of success that Platte Valley softball can with winning records stacked back as long as anyone on the current roster has been alive.
“I’m very excited — I think we all are,” Henry said. “I think it is going to be a learning experience for all of us, but I think we’ve got a great group of girls to do it with and I’ve got some great assistant coaches helping me out.”
RBI: Maleeah Bliley (sr.)
Pitching: Maleeah Bliley (sr.) — 12 innings, 1-1 record, 13 earned runs, 18 hits, 6 strikeouts, 13 walks
This season is a new challenge to attempt to continue that streak with a lot of transition around the program. It begins with the graduation of five seniors who all were multi-year starters. The team only returns five players in total, but a big freshman class has replenished the roster with 14 total players. The other big change is Shelly Deen’s retirement as head coach and the promotion of assistant coach Jessie Henry to head coach.
TEAMS!
Henry was a two-time AllState outfielder during her career at Jefferson. She is a school counselor at South Nodaway.
“I love her as a coach,” senior Maleeah Bliley said. “She is nice and is always there encouraging us.”
Henry has a small, but experienced senior class to lean on in her first season with Bliley and Mackenzie Swinford.
Bliley has held down the team’s starting shortstop role
nearly since she joined the team.
“It has been good,” Bliley said referring to the first week of practice. “It is definitely going to be a change since we lost a bunch of our starting positions, but I have faith in our team and I know that the girls coming up have played together and that if we have positions that need filled, they will fill them for us.”
The shortstop had a strong offensive season last year with a .329 batting average. She belted a pair of homers and six doubles last season. She led the team with 24 RBI and was third with 23 runs scored.
“She is one of those players that if you could have her everywhere, that would be great,” Henry said. “But you can’t put her in more than one position at once, so it is going to be seeing what is best for the team. ... She is definitely going to be an asset to us wherever she is playing.”
Ever since her freshman year, Bliley has mixed in some pitching responsibilities, but hasn’t seen consistent innings there. She is the only player on the roster to throw a varsity pitch.
Last season, Bliley pitched in four games — starting two and throwing 12 innings with a 1-1 record.
“Obviously I play shortstop, and we have Finley as a pitcher too,” Bliley said. “We both will pitch whatever games that we need to and I just have to have confidence in myself.”
Freshman Finley Moutray hopes to allow Bliley to stay at shortstop as much as possible this season as she helps take on some of the 127 1/3
innings that Delaney Wolf threw last season as a senior. Moutray and Wolf are cousins.
“We have got several who work on it everyday,” Henry said of pitching. “It is probably going to be trading off every once in a while and seeing who is comfortable doing it. No one has a lot of experience and has been throwing since they were itty bitty. They are all pretty new at it. We will see where everything falls I guess.”
Junior Emalee Langford is the ultimate do-it-all athlete as a softball, baseball, track and field, cross country and basketball player. She has the ability to play any spot in the infield or outfield for Henry.
Last season, she settled in as the team’s everyday third baseman next to Bliley on the left side of the infield. She was terrific there with only three errors all season.
Langford finished with a .919 fielding percent — third on the team only behind graduated seniors Maggie Collins (.986) and Tina Turpin (.926).
“I’m pretty excited,” Lanford said for the upcoming season. “I think that it’ll be fun.”
There may be a position change in store for Langford this season with Collins off to play basketball at Northwest Missouri State. Langford may shift to catcher to take over for the All-Stater.
“Wherever the coaches want me, I’m going to try my best in whatever position they want me in,” Langford said.
At the plate, Langford was a breakout star last season — hitting .384, second on the team behind Collins’ .500. She had 23 singles and five
doubles on the season.
Senior Mackenzie Swinford joined the starting lineup last season and held down a corner outfield spot. This year, she likely shifts to the infield. She hit .138 last season and scored 13 runs.
“Honestly, the focus is just to have fun and encourage the girls, keep us on track and just win,” Swinford said.
Sophomore Kenzie Redden had the other corner outfield spot last season. She hit .131 and scored 12 runs.
“They both I think got comfortable in the outfield last year and did well for us,” Henry said. “They came a long way throughout the year.”
Junior Aubre Degase returns this season after getting three at bats as a sophomore. Henry is excited to see her young roster develop this season.
“I think that honestly it is going to be a work in progress,” Henry said. “We are going to be moving people around a lot at the beginning of the season and trying to figure out where everybody fits best. But we already talked about that everybody is going to have a role on this team and whatever that role is, it is all important. We all are going to come together and have fun.”
Platte Valley opens the season in the Cameron Tournament on Saturday. They are then on the road at Stewartsville/Osborn before making their home debut on Sept. 10 in a massive 275 Conference matchup with Northeast Nodaway.
“Our freshmen are ready to step up and fill the gaps that we need filled,” Swinford said. “I have a lot of faith in them.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Platte Valley softball: front from left; Kirstan Miller, Aubre Degase, Mackenzie Swinford, Maleeah Bliley, Emalee Langford, Makenna VanDeventer; back; Elizabeth Lopes, Whitney Redden, Chloe Peery, Kenzie Redden, Jocelyn Bottorff, Finley Moutray, Emori Dunn and Maggie Swinford.
Junior class sets tone for Platte Valley
Emalee Langford, Allison Riley, Mylie Holtman and Mya Wray have been through a lot together. The quartet burst onto the scene as freshmen, and along with Allison’s big sister Andrea Riley, won an improbable state championship.
As sophomores, the challenge was different. It was the pressure of expectations and for much of the summer leading up to the season, they weren’t sure they’d have five people for a team. But classmate Chase Reiske stepped up and made it possible to field a team when she joined.
“We don’t expect a lot out of each other, but we know that we are going to be there for each other,” Wray said of her friends. “It makes it a lot more enjoyable for sure.”
Platte Valley would end up qualifying for state as a team and although the loss of Andrea Riley was too much to overcome for a team title repeat — the individual success was plentiful.
“This is a solid group,” coach Wendy Riley said. “They work hard and they have done great things in the past, so I think that it is going to be a really great year. They are working hard this summer.”
The headlining performance came from Wray who dominated the race start to finish and won the state championship. She ran a 19:11.9 to win the title by over a minute.
“Honestly, I don’t have a lot of goals set,” Wray said. “I want to have fun this year. I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself like I did last track season.”
Wray is the top Class 1 distance runner in the state with two 3,200-meter titles and a 1,600-meter crown to go with her cross-country success. She has been open about the pressure that comes with success, but goes into this season excited for what’s to come.
“I’ve been doing quite a bit of training and everything — I’m enjoying all of that,” Wray said. “And we have a good team and everything obviously. I like the group of people that does this with me.”
Allison Riley has been a top-30 runner in the state each of the last two seasons — going from 29th as a freshman to 27th last season. She is a consistent top5 performer in all the local meets she runs and is looking to make the next step at state this year.
“I’m excited to see how far I can push myself and see how far I can go,” Alli-
son Riley said. “... The team aspect is definitely the best part of the sport because you are all just like a family, so you can just support each other and it makes everything better.”
Langford gives the term multi-sport athlete a new meaning. She runs a limited cross-country schedule because she is also one of the program’s top softball players. Balancing the two sports is nothing new to Langford though as she also plays basketball in the winter, and baseball and track and field in the spring. The only Platte Valley sport that she doesn’t play is football.
Last Oct. 16, Langford had a 5 p.m. race at the 275 Conference Championships in Maryville and took fourth overall, then she went to Stanberry in time for a 6:30 first pitch at districts and went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in.
“Emalee really works hard because she has to do a lot of it on her own once the seasons get going because she will go to softball practice,” Wendy Riley said. “But she puts the work in and just keeps improving. There are a lot of conflicts
between the softball games and the meets this year so we probably won’t have her as much as we did last year, but we will have her for a few meets and she’ll keep working hard.”
Holtman has been a steady force for the team for each of the last two years and took 47th at state last season.
For the boys this season, junior Andy Lager is the team’s returner for his third year with the team. He goes from the youngest member of the team in previous seasons to the veteran this year.
“Andy is our veteran,” Wendy Riley said. “He keeps us going in practice. He has got a really good work ethic. ... He puts a lot into it so I am hoping that he sees some improvements in time and some success because I know that he is trying really hard at it.”
Lager has a personal-best time of 21:12.22.
“I would like to make it to state if I can accomplish that,” Lager said.
Lager will have a new teammate with freshman Jace Beattie joining the team this season.
“It is kinda nice to have someone new around,” La-
ger said. “... It has been an experience and it has been fun trying to teach people everything that you need to learn for running cross country correctly.”
Platte Valley opens the season on Tuesday with a
meet hosted by Maryville.
“My individual goal is to medal at state and keep improving my times throughout the season,” Allison Riley said. “As a team, we just want to grow our team and make each other stronger.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Platte Valley cross country: front from left; Mylie Holtman, Chase Reiske, Allison Riley, Emalee Langford; back; Jace Beattie, Mya Wray and Andy Lager.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Mya Wray hugs her father Nick Wray after winning the state title last year.
Coach: Johnnie Silkett
Assistant Coaches: Zach Dyer, Dallas Giedd Last Season:
9-2 (6-1 275)
Postseason: Lost 56-20 in 8-man District 7 championship to Worth County
9/6 at
9/13 Mound
Returning Leaders:
Passing: Ridge Harger (sr.)
— 0-of-1; 0 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Rushing: Mason Casner (sr.) — 86 carries, 620 yards, 11 TDs
Receiving: Mason Casner
(sr.) — 8 catches, 141 yards, 2 TDs
Tackles: Lealand Otto (sr.)
— 55 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, three fumble recoveries
Interceptions: Mason Casner (sr.) — 1 interception, 44 tackles, 1 fumble recovery Sacks: Kegan Etter (sr.)
— 4 sacks, 36 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble
FORUM FILE
Platte Valley senior Justin Miller celebrates with teammates during a Week 1 victory last season over Worth County in Grant City. Miller, an end for the Platte Valley squad, battled through an injury-plagued season last year, but returns for his senior season as one of the state’s top pass rushers.
Platte Valley reloads for another run
For years, the South Nodaway and Platte Valley football program struggled to gain its footing with a 26-94 record over the course of 12 years. All that has flipped the past three years.
In that time, Platte Valley has gone 26-7 and has established an identity for smashmouth football and winning games. That identity doesn’t change as the class that came up from junior high with coach Johnnie Silkett are now seniors.
“I look at these guys like family,” senior Lealand Otto said. “I treat them like brothers. I’ll do anything for them.”
And the expectations are high.
“I’m excited to get out here and try to get to state,” senior Landon Wiederholt said. “We have the guys. We just got to compete and do our jobs. ... (The goal) is to be state champions. We want to get down there and win.”
Last season, Platte Valley had four rushers with at least 500 yards on the ground and three of those players return this season.
Senior Mason Casner leads that group after toting the ball 86 times last year for 620 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Last season, it was a physical transformation that stood out for Casner who was bigger, faster and stronger in his first season as the starting running back.
“I’m pumped,” Casner said. “We may have lost some important guys, but we also
kept a lot of important guys and I think that if we all just play hard and play like we did last year, even minus however many people we lost, we can get where we want to go.”
The depth at the position is outstanding as Lucky Ferry also enjoyed a breakout season and given the blowout nature of most of their games, the backup running back actually led the team in carries with 94 for 570 yards and six touchdowns.
Lealand Otto gives the team a weapon at fullback as well and one that Silkett and offensive coordinator Zach Dyer love to deploy. He had 60 carries for 500 yards and four touchdowns while his backup Jayden Sturm had 25 carries for 79 yards and another touchdown.
“What it allows us to do is that those same guys aren’t just getting loaded down so much that they can’t play defense,” Silkett said. “We can have a lot of guys rotate in on defense. ... It makes a big difference as far as keeping healthy and keeping explosive throughout the whole season. So maybe when playoffs roll around, we are just a little bit healthier than someone else who had to run somebody 200 times or such. We are hoping that is maybe the case for us and we can spread the wealth around a little bit.”
The depth doesn’t end with the two-deep as sophomore Dylan Klamm’s explosiveness was on display last season with 223 yards and three touchdowns on his 39 carries.
“It is good cause (the runners) can go 100% every play,” Wiederholt said. “They are not going to be tired because we can rotate them in and just pound and pound.”
With all those runners putting up impressive statistics, the running game begins in the trenches for Platte Valley where all three offensive linemen return to pave the way again.
Wiederholt, an all-state selection, was the lone returning starter last year, but the guard put together a dominant season.
“We should be able to power people over and run the ball,” Wiederholt said.
Junior center Blaine Clements won a preseason battle for the starting center job last season and played well at the pivot. Junior guard Andy Mattson has size and physicality that is unmatched in the 8-man game and is the perfect tone-setter for Silkett’s offensive philosophy.
“Bringing those guys back with the experience level, it just allows us to roll so much faster and adjust — especially to different defensive fronts,” Silkett said. “They are quick and know exactly what they need to do. ... It is kinda fun to watch them make those adjustments in practice where I am not yelling at them to do it.”
The biggest question mark all offseason for Platte Valley is who takes over for threeyear starting quarterback Aydan Blackford. Blackford was never one with gaudy numbers, but was one of the
more respected 8-man quarterbacks in the state for the way he played in Platte Valley’s system.
The team explored its options at the position over the summer, but has settled in on sophomore Ridge ClementsHarger as their new signalcaller. The sophomore only threw one pass last season, but his arm strength and physical gifts have impressed coaches this offseason.
Clements-Harger will have new, but familiar weapons on the outside to throw to with the graduations of Lane Acklin and Brandon McQueen. They get the return of senior Justin Miller, who battled injury for much of last season.
“I think what our young quarterback Ridge has that maybe Aydan didn’t have previously was that we have guys in their fourth year in the program — we return our offensive line,” Silkett said. “So it takes off a little bit of pressure. Have all three running backs returning, both the fullbacks returning, so we have a pretty stacked backfield and offensive line. He can rely on that.”
Miller’s size and athleticism, plus the speed of senior Xavier Middleton, gives Platte Valley a couple bigplay threats on the edge.
The defense also benefits from Miller’s return at defensive end as they now sport the deepest defensive line in the state with Miller, Otto and Clements off the edge while Wiederholt, Mattson and Kegan Etter are very disruptive on the interior.
“I think we are really good defensively,” Otto said. “We got Justin Miller back from injury, and that will help us a lot. ... We are going to get that push. We are going to tackle them behind the line of scrimmage and get some sacks.” Sturm is the team’s leader at linebacker after making 58 tackles and seven tackles for loss last season. Brody Staples joins him on the second level after 31 tackles last season. Bruce Otto and Ferry are two linebackers who may see bigger roles this season with McQueen graduating.
Blackford’s departure leaves a big hole defensively as well at safety, but Casner emerged last season next to him and had 44 tackles and an interception. Klamm is in line for a bigger role on the back end as well after 16 tackles last season.
“The one thing we have this year more than we’ve had in year’s past is that we have a lot more depth in the defensive backfield,” Silkett said. “... We can matchup a little better, maybe than we could in the past.”
Devin Albertson and Missouri 8-Man Football recently conducted a coaches poll in each conference and Platte Valley was selected as the favorite in the 275 Conference and Worth County was picked as the favorite in the Grand River Conference. The 8-man season starts with a bang with those two teams meeting in Barnard on Friday.
“State championship,” Casner said when asked what his goals were.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Platte Valley football: front from left; Xavier Middleton, Kegan Etter, Mason Casner, Lealand Otto, Landon Wiederholt, Justin Miller, Brody Staples; second row; Lucky Ferry, Jayden Sturm, Andy Mattson, Blaine Clements, Bruce Otto; third row; Leo Marriott, Ridge ClementsHarger, Connor Nielsen, Dylan Klamm, Matt Sturgis; back; Mason Holaday, Gavin Jackson, Michael Degase, Ezra Morris, Luke Conover and Ora Baker.
Mustangs having fun building program
Music was playing and the North Nodaway Mustangs were getting their work in during a Tuesday preseason practice.
The team was working on serve-receive and rotating through the stations of the drill with three players out of the drill at a time. The three players waiting their turn weren’t exactly taking it easy though.
Junior Addalea Barcus and sophomore Lily Blane appeared the be the tone setters, but the waiting for the drill slowly, but surely became filled with more dancing as practice was into its second hour. Smiles became the theme of the day as the Mustangs continued to work on their passing and digs.
“We’ve had a lot of fun while still getting work done, which I think is really important for us,” junior Lacy Riley said. “Good things are coming out of practice. I think that we’ve improved a lot already and I’m excited for the season.”
That is what first-year head coach Jody Thompson hopes to continue to build in Hopkins — not necessarily dancing, but an environment where the players are having fun each day while building their volleyball skills.
“These girls, I’ve known since they were little,” Thompson said. “So it is exciting to step into this role and help lead them. We are trying to build a real positive team this year. We are young. We aren’t very tall. But we are going to be positive and do our very best at what we are doing.”
In terms of numbers, the Mustangs are doing that and building the program with a jump in participation this season to 12 players.
The veteran players on the roster have enjoyed the first few weeks with Thompson shifting from assistant coach to head coach.
“I love Jody,” Barcus said. “She is just such high energy. It is just such a great time. I just love volleyball because of her.”
On the court, the Mustangs benefit from the return of third-year setter Lacy Riley, who is preparing for her junior season. Riley had 190 assists last season.
“I truly love setting,” Riley said. “It is my passion. We are working on hitting a lot this year, which I think is going to be really important. Getting good passes to get good sets to get good hits is really important this year. We’ve been putting a lot of work in. I’ve been coming in a little bit extra.”
Blane was second in assists last year as the team’s secondary setter, but she was a strong back-row player and finished with a team-leading 177 digs.
“I’m excited to see Lily hit too,” Riley said. “She is a really good powerhouse that you aren’t really expecting.”
Replacing the offense provided by Lauren Herndon
will be a key for the Mustangs as Herndon is now playing college basketball. She finished with 157 kills last season while the rest of the team combined for 156.
The team will look to Barcus to provide some of the offense. The junior outside hitter had 82 kills last season to go with 118 digs.
“I’m just trying to do the best that I can to fill (Herndon’s) shoes because she was a really good hitter,” Barcus said.
“For my individual self, I want to get better at serving and blocking.”
Senior Amy Richards is the most experienced of the team’s three seniors this year and will also be looked to for more offense as the team’s top returning right-side hitter with 30 kills last season.
“It is a really good group of girls,” Richards said. “There are a couple more of us than
there were last year and it is looking pretty promising.”
Richards is also looking to be a more versatile player this year and improve her backrow ability.
“Personally, I am working on my serving percentage,” Richards said. “Last year, I didn’t play back row. I think that I am going to play back row this year, so that is exciting.”
Kila Miller is the other varsity returner from last season.
The Mustangs open the season at the Lenox (Iowa) Tournament on Saturday. They have road matches with East Atchison and South Holt before the home opener on Sept. 10 with Heartland Christian (Iowa).
“They’ve come in with a good attitude,” Thompson said of the upperclassmen on the roster. “They are working hard. They are helping lead. They are making us laugh a lot.”
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
North Nodaway volleyball: front from left; Addalea Barcus, Amy Richards, Neveah Smith, Lacy Riley; back; Lily Blane, Taccoa Moyer, Laney Turner, Kila Miller and Pyper Smith. Not pictured, Nevaeh Halvin.
Wray eyes return to state meet
Casey Wray was the newcomer last season, learning the ropes of North Nodaway cross country from Andrea Jenkins. Now she returns as the team’s leader.
Wray was immediately impressive as a sophomore and took 11th at the 275 Conference Championships with a season-best 24:20.5 and then 20th at the Class 1, District 4 Championships to earn her place at the state meet alongside Jenkins.
“I’m just ready to go out and try to get better times,” Wray said. “Maybe beat my time from last year and hopefully go to state again this year.”
She stuck with her teammate and finished right on her heels to take 90th at Gans Creek in Columbia.
“She did some work over the summer and I think for her it’ll just be about getting herself really back into the groove,” coach Roger Johnson said. “Last year, she was really starting to improve as the season went on and continued to get faster and faster.
“For her, it is just to power through some of the hills. I think sometimes those can wear on her, but we are going to try to work pretty hard on the hill portion of it this year.”
Wray returns this season as the lone member of the Mustangs girls team and is
driven to improve on her results from last season.
“Now that I know what it is like and I know what to expect, I can kinda prepare myself better,” Wray said. “Hopefully I can go out and get a better time than I did last year.”
She isn’t without teammates though as the boys team has grown this season with three boys on the team.
Junior Draven Rowland is the veteran after running the last two seasons.
Rowland’s personal best came in his final run last season with a 24:49.06 in the Mount Ayr Invitational last October.
“He is another one who really improved last season as the year went on, so we are looking for some good things from him,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s request for Owen Martin to join the team paid off. The only catch was that he forgot he made it.
When Martin got into high
school, Johnson approached the athlete who was focused on basketball if he’d give cross country a try. Martin declined the request, but told his principal that if he didn’t do it by his senior year, he’d join the team.
Fast-forward three years and Johnson had forgotten about the conversation, but Martin hadn’t and there he was at the first practice.
The tradition for Nodaway Valley cross country has been a good one in its first three years of existence, but that success has been centered around one person.
Current Northwest Missouri State Bearcat runner Riley Blay delivered state championships in every season the Thunder have had a program. The challenge for the four brand-new crosscountry runners is to build that tradition out beyond Blay.
“I’m very excited,” coach Payton Walker said. “I didn’t know if we were going to have a team this year, but I’ve been on the girls since last cross-country season to go out. And I think that after having a successful track season and seeing what they can do, it helped convince to come out.”
The boys team is small again this season, but again talented. Sophomore Aidan Hughes-Fast was immedi-
ately successful last season as an 800-meter runner for the track and field team.
His success and desire to keep building led to him taking track and field assistant coach Bill Blay’s advice and joining cross country this year.
“He trained me at the beginning of the summer a little bit,” Hughes-Fast said. “It has just been really fun. He made me want to continue to do cross country.”
Hughes-Fast just missed making it out of districts as a freshman by taking fifth at districts. His season-best was a 2:14.31 in the 800, 5:19.41 in the 1600 and 12:16.79 in the 3200 — only running the 1600 and 3200 one time each.
He’s been working hard this summer training, but suffered an injury late in the summer. He’ll miss the beginning of the season, but it shouldn’t affect him in the long term as he chases a state appearance.
“I want to at least go to
Martin — the starting point guard on the Mustang basketball team — joined track and field last season and ran the 400-meter run in addition to high jumping and triple jumping.
“Endurance,” Martin said. “It’ll keep me ready for all my other sports. Basketball is right after this so it’ll help me with that. Then just meeting new people, trying new things and senior year is about just trying to do as much as you can.”
He wasn’t the only athletic Mustang to join the team.
Trevin Wyllie had an outstanding baseball season last spring as the team’s center fielder and joined the cross country team this year.
“It is great,” Johnson said. “Obviously it is going to help build their endurance base for those other sports and a lot of kids are using it for that. They are anxious to get started in some meets.”
The Mustangs spend most of their season in Iowa during the regular season with their first four meets north of the border. North Nodaway opens the season on Sept. 10 at Clarinda.
“Every year he’s been begging me to play, he always needs people,” Martin said. “We can always have more people for cross country. I told him that I’d do it my senior year. Time comes around and you don’t really want to do it, but I got to stick to my word. I thought I’d come out, help the team out and see what I can do.”
Thunder start fresh with four new runners
state,” Hughes-Fast said. “That is really my main goal.”
For the first time in Thunder history, Nodaway Valley will field a girls’ team with three girls from the track and field team doing that same thing that Hughes-Fast did and joined cross country.
The leader of this season’s team is their lone senior Paige Hanson. Hanson began her transition from a sprinter into a distance runner last season.
“I’ve been working pretty hard this summer, running a lot,” Hanson said. “It is different. It is something I’ve never done before, so I’m excited to see what I do.”
As a junior, Hanson became one of the best mile runners in the state. She finished seventh at the Class 1 State Championships in May.
Prior to last season, she was primarily a 200-meter sprinter for the Thunder.
“It is definitely a longer distance,” Hanson smiled. “Getting used to running longer — I just want to see what I am able to do and hopefully make it to state.”
Hanson won’t be alone representing the Thunder as sophomore twins Madeline and Ellie Wilmes join her this season.
“It has been fun having teammates,” Hanson said.
“Especially the Wilmes twins. After having a successful track season with them, I am glad that they decided that they wanted to do cross country as well. It has been fun working with them.”
Walker is excited about the talent of her top three this season and hopeful that they can get two more girls out to form a full team.
“I’m hoping to get two more girls out because I think that I could get a girls team to state,” Walker said.
“Even if I don’t get them to state, the three girls that I do have are three of the hardest-working athletes that I have ever seen.”
Madeline Wilmes was a 400-meter runner as a freshman and topped out with a 1:03.99 in her freshman season — advancing all the way to sectionals before finishing sixth and just missing a trip to state.
“I had a really successful track season, so I wanted to keep it up during cross country and to be better for the next track season,” Madeline Wilmes said.
She ran the 800 meters once last season — a 2:54.5 — and
knows the cross-country 5K will be a new challenge, but the trio of girls have been training all summer for it.
Ellie Wilmes primarily specialized in the high jump last season — taking second in conference. But she also joined forces with her sister and Hanson on the 4x400meter relay team that came away with a state medal.
“Our track season was very successful and we haven’t had a girls cross country team in quite a while, so it is very cool to start one up this year so we can win some trophies and some medals,” Ellie Wilmes said.
“I think it will help us be better at certain events in track like long distances. We are just getting fit with the running through cross country.”
Nodaway Valley will open the season on Sept. 12 at St. Joseph Christian’s meet.
“They’ve all been doing 30-plus miles this summer, grinding two workouts per week,” Walker said. “It will just really help develop them when it gets time for track season because their anaerobic base will be a lot bigger and then we will just be able to work on speed.”
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North Nodaway cross country: from left; Owen Martin and Casey Wray. Not pictured: Draven Rowland and Trevin Wyllie.
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Nodaway Valley cross country: from left; Paige Hanson, Madeline Wilmes, Aidan Hughes-Fast, Ellie Wilmes and coach Payton Walker.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Casey Wray runs at state last season in Columbia.
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podium in May.
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Nodaway Valley football: front from left; Ty Miller, Tye Hoyt, Walker Thompson, Braxton McGinness, Skyler Randall, Kash Johnson, Cooper Morrow, Will Thompson, Brayden Sipes; second row; coach Trey Gaudet, Deontrae Mincy, Dylan Walker, Blaze Richardson, Ben Cordell, Kaden Reynolds, Oren Goff, Keaton Reynolds, JD Cronk, coach Josh Randall; third row; coach Alan Calfee, Cooper Snodderley, Jax Cowden, Jon Smock, Brody McGinness, Joe Smock, Brody Dow, Bryton Olson, Xavier Comstock, Preston Jenkins, coach Michael Goff; fourth row; Connor Russell, Lane Larabee, Walker Johnson, Dillon Russell, Payton Morrow, Tyler Gray, Dakota Patterson, Garrett Carpenter, Collin Kinsella, Wyatt Langford and coach Matt Shipley.
Thunder try to build on success
The excitement is different around the communities that form Nodaway Valley. The fourth year of the co-op between Nodaway-Holt and West Nodaway is about to begin and it is difficult to imagine the partnership being in a better place this far into it.
Both schools have done co-ops in the past that have ended up dissolving for one reason or another. And no matter the setup, low participation numbers have tended to follow.
The Thunder co-op has changed that trend and success has been what’s followed. Whether it’s girls basketball becoming a top10 team in the state last season and the only team to give the eventual state champions their toughest postseason test. Then there is the historic success of Riley Blay in cross country and track and field, but coupled with the growth and success of the whole track and field program. Also, baseball having its first winning season in seven years two seasons ago and improving on it last year.
The health of the athletic programs in the co-op are something the communities have been able to take pride in and last fall, football joined that list of success stories.
After five total wins in the first two seasons of the co-op, the Thunder broke through last season with a 7-3 season.
Last year is last year, we have to move forward,” coach Alan Calfee said. “Last year, we kinda went in with something to prove, be-
cause we hadn’t had a ton of success. This year, to me, it is more that we have to rise to expectations and rise to the standard that we set forth as a team.”
For the first time, Nodaway Valley goes into a season where all their players have only worn the Thunder jerseys during their highschool careers and participation has ceased to be a problem with enthusiasm for the program at an all-time high. The roster includes 36 players this season.
“I think we get bigger and bigger each year,” senior Ben Cordell said. “I’m excited for the future.”
Of those 36 players, eight are seniors and one notably is a newcomer — returning to the program after not playing the last two seasons.
“I’ve always loved football,” senior Lane Larabee said. “I’ve been going to the games and still supporting them and stuff the last couple years. Seeing everyone ready to play, I’ve been kinda getting the fire back in me and wanting to come out and try it again.”
Larabee has been a standout in baseball ever since he got into high school. Last season, he joined the basketball team and made an immediate impact. This year, it is football that he is giving a shot.
“Everything has been coming back pretty well,” Larabee said.
Larabee isn’t slowly getting worked into the mix either. He is stepping in at quarterback for graduated leader Michael Cook.
“Lane coming back out is huge for us,” Calfee said. “... He is obviously a good
athlete.”
Cook was the leader of the team that got the program on the map last year and led with his toughness, but he’d be the first to say that he was more of a natural running back than quarterback. Larabee has already impressed his teammates with his arm in practice.
“Lane can throw the ball, that is just flat-out,” senior Preston Jenkins said. “In practice, he will just throw it deep. He has got an arm and he can show it off if he needs to.”
It’s not like the cast around Larabee lacks experience. The Thunder’s success last year started in the trenches and that will continue to be Nodaway Valley’s calling card led by Garrett Carpenter’s two-way ability.
“It’s football,” Carpenter said. “We are here to play football and we are here to win. ... That is kinda the mentality that I’ve been going in with. I’ve been trying to get my teammates to go in with that. I think that it is working.”
With Tyler Gray back at a guard spot, the biggest hole is at the center spot, but Calfee likes what he has seen from the competition so far.
“Any level of football, it starts up front,” Calfee said. “If you go to the NFL and look at Patrick Mahomes and what he does. When they lost that one Super Bowl, they didn’t have the guys up front. If you have the guys up front, it makes those skill-position guys’ jobs a lot easier.”
The physical nature of the Thunder extends to the backfield where senior fullback Preston Jenkins returns
after an 820 yard and 14 touchdown season.
“I’m ready to go hit somebody with a different jersey than me,” Jenkins said. Jenkins was also a threat as a receiver with a teamhigh 202 yards and three touchdowns.
“I like to be one of the better players to throw to,” Jenkins said.
If Larabee is going to spark the passing game, one of the primary benefactors should be sophomore Tye Hoyt who the team tried to feed the ball anyway possible last season which included 54 carries for 418 yards and six touchdowns and 18 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He even threw for 98 yards and a score.
Hoyt’s catches and carries numbers have the opportunity to flip with a more explosive passing attack.
Junior Cooper Snodderley is the third-head of the returning skill-player monster and proved to be another versatile weapon — filling in for an injured Cook at quarterback. But his natural position is running back where he had 203 yards and three touchdowns.
“Cooper can go up the middle like anyone can or he can hit the edge and just take off,” Jenkins said. “We can pound the rock either way.”
The Nodaway Valley defensive line may be more menacing than its offensive line with the dynamic duo of Cordell and Carpenter leading it. Cordell had 65 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and seven sacks last season while Carpenter had 57 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
“I think we will have just as good, if not better this year,” Cordell said.
Gray stepped in the lineup partway through the season and was immediately productive as well with 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks.
“Garrett is a top-tier player and he has been really good at D-line,” Jenkins said. “Ben, last year, really stepped up at D-end and Tyler did too. It is just looking real good.”
Carpenter is excited to see what another senior, Dillon Russell can add to the mix this year as well. Russell had 27 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack last season.
“Dillon Russell,” Carpenter said of his breakout prediction. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him play with me.”
That group sets the table for the team’s linebackers with Jenkins’ 94 tackles leading that group. Junior Dylan Walker added 84 tackles while Oren Goff had 53.
The secondary is an area where the Thunder are replacing weapons, but Calfee feels like a holistic defensive mindset will help smooth the transition.
“If those guys up front do their job, it makes the backend’s job a lot easier,” Calfee said.
The Thunder open the season at home with a big test against perennial powerhouse North Andrew on Friday.
“My goal is to take state,” Carpenter said. “I really think that I can do it with the team that we have. I really do.”
FORUM FILE
Nodaway Valley’s Dakota Patterson leaps to haul in a pass last season against Platte Valley in Graham.
Nodaway Valley volleyball has been building towards this season for several years as the six seniors have been earning playing time since they were freshmen.
That group is led by Savanna Marriott, Paige Hanson, Reganne Fast and Paidyn Linville.
“We’ve been playing with this same group of girls since seventh grade,” Marriott said. “I’m pretty excited. We’ve got good chemistry going and are ready for our last year.”
Marriott stepped in as the team’s setter last season and had 365 assists in her first full season.
“I’m getting more com-
fortable with setting,” Marriott said. “Annalee (Livengood) and I are splitting it. As of right now, we are running a 6-2 and I think that it is working pretty well. We are finally getting the chemistry with everyone playing next to each other, so I think that it will be pretty good.”
She’ll have additional help at setter this season with freshman Annalee Livengood giving the team a 2-setter lineup and the ability to diversify the offensive attack. Marriott had 67 kills last season.
“I’m excited to run two setters because I would really like Savanna to get some hits in,” coach Carrie Livengood said. “I think she probably has as much ability to hit as
anybody. She has been running that setter role, which she is a phenomenal setter as well, but I’m excited to see what she can do as a hitter.”
Carrie Livengood takes over as the team’s head coach this season and Payton Walker as the assistant coach.
“It has been going well,” Fast said. “We’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and focusing on the mental side of volleyball, which I think is really huge.”
The team returns its two leaders in kills with Fast in the middle as she had 150 kills and 27 blocks last season. Hanson transitioned from setting to an outside hitter role last season with 96 kills and 154 digs.
“We’ve all known each other forever and we are all really good friends, so I think that just helps,” Fast said.
“We are never really mad at each other. We all just know what each other needs, especially on the court.”
Juniors Emalee Wynn and Bella Walker each had break out seasons last year. Walker had 64 kills and was second on the team with 12 blocks. Wynn had 60 kills.
The back row is led by Linville, who finished second on the team with 193 digs last season. The team is replacing libero Sydney Marriott, who finished with 315 digs.
“I feel like we have a really good bond with everybody, so I am excited to see where
we go,” Linville said. “... I feel like that my role is just to be as loud as I can on the floor, communicate with everybody and keep everyone together as a team.” Hanson had 154 digs while Savanna Marriott had 153. Hanson led the team with 46 aces while Linville had 39 and Savanna Marriott had 32.
“It’s the last one with my girls, so I am just excited to see what we can do,” Hanson said. “We’ve been working pretty hard so I’m excited to see where that takes us.”
The Thunder open the season at South Holt on Tuesday.
“We come in with positive attitudes every day, work hard and try to see how far we can go,” Marriott said.
FORUM
Nodaway Valley volleyball: front from left; Savanna Marriott, Paige Hanson; second row; Ellie Wilmes, Paidyn Linville, Reganne Fast, Ava Graham,
Wynn, coach Payton Walker, Hadley Fast, Bella Walker, Haylee Dawson, Gracie
Hurst, coach Carrie Livengood, Delilah James and Annalee Livengood.