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| FALL SPORTS NEWS 2006-2007... | ||||
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Football | Homecoming | Softball | Cross Country | Golf | Volleyball | Tennis | Swim Team Fall Sports Archives | Fall Sports 2006-2007 | Other Sports News |
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 Caption:
People of all ages turned out for the annual CHS intrasquad scrimmage held at the Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium Friday
night, August 18, 2006.
Although conditions were rainy, the lightning from thunderstorms in the Chillicothe vicinity held off long enough for the football team to get in some much needed practice time as part of the annual “Meet the Hornets” event for CHS fall sports teams. C-T Photo/Butch Shaffer First Competitions of CHS
Fall Sports Seasons Nearing
With practices underway as of this week, focus begins shifting to the start of interscholastic competition for the seven 2006 Chillicothe High School fall sports programs. The very first CHS action against another school's team will be the junior-varsity softball team's home game against Princeton at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 21, the first date allowed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association for games, matches, or meets this year. The varsity softball Lady Hornets will begin game competition the following day with a trip to Bethany to face South Harrison at 5:30 p.m. Head coach Stan Baldwin and assistant Jim Radel have 21 players out this season as the Lady Hornets seek to defend their Midland Empire Conference and Class 3 district titles.
Also defending conference and district championships are the Lady Hornets' golf and tennis teams under coaches Vickie Garrett and Amy Baker, respectively. With only one returning varsity lineup regular from last year among the nine out, the golf Lady Hornets will face a significant challenge to repeating those 2005 titles. They'll start competition with a home match against Trenton Tuesday, Aug. 22. The tennis Lady Hornets, surprise district titlists a year ago with freshmen in the top three spots in their singles lineup, now appear to be well-positioned to continue their long-running dominance of the MEC and enjoy even more success on the district level. They'll get their first taste of match action against another school Tuesday, Aug. 22, also as Trenton visits. The fourth CHS fall sport team to get into competition this season will be the second-year boys' swimming program, which MSHSAA has shifted from a winter sport to fall. After having three team members in the program's inaugural year, coach Paulette Crawford has twice that many this year. The group will hit the water against outside foes Thursday, Aug. 24, when the Hornets host a home meet for the first time. That will be at the Grand River Area Family YMCA pool at 4 p.m. The 28-strong volleyball Lady Hornets, with the only new head coach in CHS fall roster, will have their first match at St. Joseph: LeBlond Thursday, Aug. 31. Karen Jackson, top assistant coach the past couple of years after a couple of years guiding the freshman squad, has ascended to the head coach's chair as Pam Gabel, head coach since the program began in 1994, has stepped down from the high school program to coach the Chillicothe Middle School team. The varsity football Hornets, with about 35 upperclassemen out at present, will go next, opening their regular season with a visit to Maryville Sept. 1. The previous Friday, they'll participate in an interschool scrimmage at Excelsior Springs again, facing Smithville, Richmond, and Knob Noster. That scrimmage is set for a 4:30 p.m. start. The last CHS fall sports team to get into competition this year again will be the cross country teams. Jill Watkins' squads are to open by hosting an invitational meet Tuesday, Sept. 5, at the Green Hills Golf Course. A “Meet the Hornets' event at which all CHS fall sports teams will be introduced is slated for Friday, Aug. 18, at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium. Introductions will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by an intrasquad football scrimmage. Food will be served at the stadium, starting at 5 p.m. Those attending are asked by CHS athletics director, to bring soap or bath towels.
CHS Pigskin Trio
All-District Three 2006 Chillicothe football Hornets - from left, offensive guard Phillip Earley (59), junior running back Clint Singleton (30), and defensive tackles Michael Smith (52) - today were named all-northwest district by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
Senior linemen Phillip Earley and Michael Smith and junior running back Clint Singleton represent the 2006 district-champion Chillicothe High School Hornets on this year's Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (MSSA) northwest district combined Classes 3-5 all-district football team announced this morning. For defensive tackle Smith and offensive guard Earley, it is a repeat selection, while Singleton is honored for the first time by the media group, which met Nov. 16 to make its annual selections. All three Hornets garnered their second postseason honors. Last week, Midland Empire Conference coaches were unanimous in naming Smith all-conference at his defensive spot and Singleton was a first-team selection, as well. Earley was second-team all-MEC at both guard and defensive end. Smith, a two-year starter on the defensive side who also started on the offensive line this year, had as outstanding a season as any Hornets defensive lineman has produced in many years. In a rare, noteworthy accomplishment for a defensive lineman, he led Chillicothe in both overall tackles (83) and unassisted stops (30). The quick 5'11”, 220-pounder also was far and away the team's leading pass rusher, producing nine quarterback sacks among an estimated two dozen or so tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to his productivity between the snap and whistle, Smith also was the team's emotional leader, his fire and zeal and vocal encouragement a constant for all his teammates to rally around. Earley, 6' and 195 pounds, was the clear-cut ratings leader among Chillicothe offensive linemen under the grading system used by the coaching staff, CHS head coach Phil Willard informed the C-T. His blocking for the run helped the Hornets produce a pair of 500-yards-plus ballcarriers in Singleton (844) and sophomore Kyle Dosterschill (557) and a more-active passing game which, even with starting quarterback Austin Sloan missing nearly three full games, generated nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. His season's work was made more impressive by the fact that an early-season illness kept him out of a couple of games and led to an 18-pound weight loss that he had to overcome. Singleton is the latest in the long line of multipurpose threats. A tough runner unafraid of taking the ball into the hole between the tackles despite his 5'9”, 170-pound physique, Singleton handled the ball from scrimmage more (146 times) than any other player. Of those 146 touches, 128 came on runs which gained an average of 6.6 yards and seven touchdowns, the longest scoring jaunt being a 52-yarder against St. Joseph: Benton. With speed to go with his toughness, he also was Chillicothe's deep threat in the passing game, making 18 catches for a team-leading 307 yards. His four receiving touchdowns came from distances of 40 (twice), 42, and 59 yards, the latter at Boonville in the district title-clinching win being the Hornets' longest play of the year. Singleton played full-time both ways, just as Earley and Smith did, and was the Hornets' top man in pass coverage at cornerback. Although it didn't factor into his district selection, he tied for the team lead in interceptions with two, returning one for a touchdown. District champ football Hornets honored Friday
CAPTION: Honored at Friday night's annual Chillicothe football Hornets postseason awards program with either the Coaches' Award or as the top player in their position group were, from left: senior Casey Prewitt and sophomore Tyler Trammell, co-top wide receiver; senior Brooks Stephens, co-Coaches' Award; senior Michael Smith, top defensive lineman and Shawn M. Trager Memorial Scholarship recipient; senior Austin Sloan, co-Coaches' Award and top linebacker/defensive back and special teams; junior Clint Singleton, top offensive back; and senior Phillip Earley, top offensive lineman.
Eleven varsity lettermen shared in 11 special awards presented Friday night during a postseason recognition event for the 2006 Chillicothe High School football Hornets with heavy focus on the players and little reflection on the team's overall performance. The awards portion of the event, held in the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center for the first time following a Hy-Vee-catered meal in the CHS commons (a conflicting event necessitated the commons being cleared as early as possible Friday evening), saw Hornets head coach Phil Willard and assistant coaches Bill Shaffer, Jeff Staton, and Chad Snyder (Dave Mapel had a prior commitment and was not present) introduce and make specific remarks about every player on the varsity or junior-varsity level - a couple of which were freshmen - who earned either a full (25) or provisional (7) varsity letter for 2006. Of the 25 full lettermen, 10 were seniors and one was a freshman. Following letter presentations and remarks and the presentation of summer weightlifting session pins to about 15 or 16 player, Willard announced the recipients of this year's special awards. Co-recipients of the Coaches' Award for overall dedication and contribution to the team were seniors Brooks Stephens and Austin Sloan. Named best at their positions in 2006 were: Offensive back - junior running back Clint Singleton; Offensive line - senior guard Phillip Earley; Receiver - (shared) senior wide receivers Casey Prewitt and sophomore Tyler Trammell; Defensive lineman - senior tackle Michael Smith; Linebacker/Defensive Back - linebacker Sloan; and Special Teams - placekicker/punter Sloan. Tabbed most improved in their position groups were: Defensive lineman - junior tackle Nathan Followwill; Defensive back - junior strong safety (monster) Tyson Blattner; Offensive lineman - sophomore guard Cory Lowe; and Offensive Back - sophomore Kyle Dosterschill. A final highlight of the proceedings was the announcement of Smith as the recipient of the third-annual Shawn M. Trager Memorial Scholarship for the 2006-07 school year. The scholarship, named for the late Hornets football standout, consists of a $1,000 award and plaque, both of which will be officially presented at the Seniors Awards Assembly next May. Making the announcement and presentation on behalf of the Trager family and the scholarship committee was Shawn's father, Matt. Grain Valley Harvests Sectional Win
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer It worked once, but not quite a second time. The Chillicothe football Hornets fell behind a Missouri River Valley Conference opponent at home, allowing three touchdowns and trailing by 12 points at halftime, in the opening week of Class 3 District 14 play back on Oct. 20, then rallied to pull out a last-second 22-19 victory over Odessa. Last night, in the opening round of the state playoffs, another MRVC squad - the co-champion Grain Valley Eagles - built a 21-0 lead after three quarters at Chillicothe's Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium before the Hornets came buzzing back. As they did against Odessa, the Hornets scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, but that still left them one short as Grain Valley (10-1) rode away with a 21-13 triumph. The defeat ended Chillicothe's season with a 5-6 record, the first time in 14 years the Hornets have not been at or above .500 at season's end. It is only CHS' third losing campaign since 1961. Despite an uphill battle, the Hornets didn't go without a fight. They nearly had a chance at a miraculous comeback after narrowing the gap to 21-13 on a 10-yard Austin Sloan-to-Tyler Trammell touchdown pass with 1:16 remaining, but the subsequent onside kick was ruled to have been touched by a Chillicothe player first before going the required 10 yards, giving the Eagles the ball where it was illegally touched. Chillicothe partisans and at least one neutral observer perceived the bouncing ball as first having glanced off a Grain Valley player's leg, which would have made it a free ball and Chillicothe's covering of it legal. When the call stood in the visitors' favor, they ran out the clock, converting one first down to do so, and secured their berth in the state quarterfinals at Kansas City against St. Pius X on Monday. Pius, in an ironic balancing of the scales, edged previously-undefeated Midland Empire Conference champion Platte County 17-14 at Platte City on a late field goal. Last year, a controversial penalty call against SPX gave Platte County a second attempt at a winning field goal in the last seconds and the Pirates capitalized to win. “Our kids - it's typical of all year - didn't give up and got back in the football game,” CHS head coach Phil Willard lauded. He later added, “We don't like ending this way, but, at the same time, we're proud of our kids.” Statistically, the defense-controlled game played out remarkably evenly aside from the punt return.
Chillicothe used 90 second-half passing yards to end up with 182 total yards, while Grain Valley's 150 ground yards keyed a 195-yard output. With Grain Valley daring the Hornets to pass the first three periods, Chillicothe's ground game was overwhelmed, managing only 72 yards in 32 carries. Junior Clint Singleton's team-best 51 yards on 12 rushes brought him to just over 840 yards for the year.
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer
Hornets Up Where They Belong With Boonville crowding the line of scrimmage to defend Chillicothe's running game, the Hornets took to the air for a season-high 161 yards and three touchdowns while pirating three Pirates passes and limiting Boonville to four completions and 14 yards in 23 attempts. With its defense stymieing the home team at every turn - Boonville had only 69 total yards prior to a 41-yard run on the game's second-to-last play, Chillicothe used its ability to strike through the air to easily complete a three-game sweep of Class 3 District 14 play this season. As a result, the 5-5 Hornets will enter the state playoffs for the 23rd time in their history - and first time in three years - next Wednesday when they host the 9-1 Grain Valley Eagles in a 7 p.m. sectional game. Grain Valley wrapped up the District 13 championship Thursday night, as well, waxing Oak Grove 34-6. Chillicothe senior quarterback Austin Sloan clearly had the best game, statistically, of his two-year tenure as starting quarterback. Among his eight completions in 16 attempts were a 59-yard scoring hookup with running back Clint Singleton in the first quarter, a 27-yard TD strike to end Casey Prewitt in the third, and a 12-yard connection with Tyler Trammell in the fourth. He now has nine touchdown passes in 2006, despite missing two full games and most of another. Sharing the spotlight with Sloan was the CHS defense, which posted its second-consecutive district shutout and now has not allowed any points in the last 10 periods. The victory was Chillicothe's third in a row after going only 2-5 during Midland Empire Conference play. Statistically, the numbers put up by Sloan and the three receivers he hooked up with were the offensive highlights. Sloan finished eight of 16 for 161 yards with the three scores and no interceptions, one of the most impressive CHS passing performances in several years. Trammell had four catches for 49 yards, giving him now 15 receptions on the year, even though he played nearly 2-1/2 games at quarterback. The two grabs each by Prewitt and Singleton increased their season totals for 17 apiece. Singleton still has the most yardage with 308. At stake for the Hornets in next week's playoff opener not only will be advancement in the playoffs - probably to a road rematch with MEC champion Platte County, but also making certain this season doesn't produce Chillicothe's first losing record since the 1992 club finished 4-6 a year after the most recent of CHS' five state championships. Decked By Dysart
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer RICHMOND - The winless Richmond Spartans undoubtedly had junior Clint Singleton, the Chillicothe Hornets' leading ballcarrier and pass receiver, in their sights Friday night as they took the field, hoping to spring an upset. They never saw another Clint coming. CHS sophomore Clint Dysart, nicked up at various times this season and therefore only sparingly worked into the Hornets' offensive lineup, galloped for 143 yards on only six carries, scoring from both 47 and 49 yards in the second period, to help power the Hornets past the host Spartans 41-0. “We've certainly been wanting to make more use of Clint,” Phil Willard, Chillicothe head coach, said of the sophomore. “Unfortunately, between playing in (junior-varsity) games and practice, we couldn't keep him healthy long enough.” Dysart, a somewhat-more-powerful back than the Hornets' top tandem of Singleton and sophomore fullback Kyle Dosterschill, made his first impact for the varsity Hornets in short-yardage-situation carries in week seven at Cameron. His running there helped Chillicothe establish some offensive momentum after falling behind 21-0 in that eventual 28-13 loss, but he also got his bell rung in the fourth quarter. He completely missed the close district-opening win over Odessa while still recovering from his concussion, but was back in uniform for his offensive and special-teams duties at Richmond and made his presence felt. With the Chillicothe defense having limited the Spartans to six yards of total offense in the opening period, the Hornets still were on top only 7-0 four minutes into the second quarter when Dysart was inserted and got his first carry on a first-and-10 from the Hornets' 37. He gained 16 yards, using a nice cutback read to find a crease, to move the yardsticks, then burst off left guard off the strong side of the Hornets' unbalanced set and went all the way to make it 13-0 at the 7-minute mark of the quarter. Less than two minutes later, after senior cornerback A.J. Kohl's interception of an overthrown pass and return - he made it to the end zone, but a blocking penalty during the runback spotted the ball at the RHS 16, Dosterschill made it 20-0 in three-consecutive runs. After forcing David Arnold's fifth of six first-half punts - Richmond managed only two first downs and 27 total yards in 26 offensive plays before halftime, the Hornets took possession at their own 30. Given Richmond's inability to move the ball against the CHS defenders, Michael Smith's 21/2 sacks and Kohl's pick highlighting the opening-half play of the Hornets' ‘D,' the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion at that point and proved to be. After Richmond tried and failed to convert a fourth-and-1 at its own 29 on the subsequent possession, the Hornets cashed in for the game's last points. After Dysart picked up 16 on the first play, they overcame a five-yard penalty with seven more runs, senior Brett Marriott getting his first touchdown of his varsity career from a yard out on the second snap of the fourth period. That closed the scoring. Held to 52 total yards through three stanzas, Richmond tacked on another 41 in the last quarter against the CHS reserves to finish with 91 total yards on 45 plays. Chillicothe rushed 32 times for 226 yards (7.1 per carry) while getting all 55 net passing yards on the early TD pass to produce a modest 281 total yards. Given the stingy defense and the effective rate of gain on the ground, Willard proclaimed the critical district win “a total team effort.”
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer With Odessa having mauled Boonville 39-7 Friday, the Hornets have undisputed possession of the district lead at 2-0, but their requirement for capturing the title this week is little changed. Rather than this being a winner-take-all showdown, as it would have been had Boonville also improved to 2-0, the Hornets have the slightest bit of “wiggle room”, should they fall at Boonville. Their only sure bet, however, is to prevail Thursday night.
CAPTION: Chillicothe quarterback Austin Sloan prepares to launch the long third-down pass which ignited the Hornets' game-winning field goal drive in Friday's 22-19 victory over Odessa. Sloan's third-and-12 aerial connected with Tyler Trammell for 34 yards - the last of the sophomore receiver's four catches for 72 yards - to move the ball into Odessa territory in the final 65 seconds of the game. Chillicothe eventually got the ball to the Odessa 5, from where Sloan kicked the winning field goal with 3.8 seconds to go. C-T photo / Paul Sturm Somehow, it's not quite fitting that the winning points of the Chillicothe-Odessa football game Friday night came on a placekick, but you won't find Chillicothe's Hornets kicking about it. Eleven plays after Odessa came up empty playing to win in regulation time, rather than improving its chances of going to overtime, Hornets senior Austin Sloan sneaked a 23-field goal attempt from the middle of the field just inside the left upright to give Chillicothe (3-5) a 22-19 comeback victory at home in the first week of Class 3 District 14 action for 2006. The field goal, with 3.8 seconds left on the clock when it was whistled good, completed a rally from a first-half deficit of 13-0 and a 19-7 halftime hole. It concluded a 64-yard, 11-play CHS march after Odessa (4-4) threw an incompletion on a bold fourth-and-7 gamble at the Hornets' 31 with 1:46 remaining. Instead of being 80 yards away from the end zone had Odessa done nothing more than punt the ball across the CHS goal line and potentially farther if the punt could be downed inside the 20, Chillicothe had both less distance to cover to get into possible field goal range and the emotional boost of the fourth-down stop. The winning drive looked unlikely when the Bulldogs stopped Sloan for a 2-yard loss on first down and forced him to throw the ball away on a second-down rollout. However, on third-and-12 from the 29, instead of playing it safe himself and running the ball to, at least, either force OHS to use its last timeout or get the clock well below a minute before a fourth-down punt, Chillicothe head coach Phil Willard and offensive coordinator Dave Mapel agreed to let it all hang out. They called for a long pass, a fade route to sophomore wide receiver Tyler Trammell down the CHS sideline, and it proved to be a golden call. Sloan - having shown signs of rust as he returned from a nearly-three-week absence with an injury to his passing hand - uncorked probably his finest pass of the night, arching the ball past midfield and just inside the sideline. Trammell, who had been able to drive the cornerback inside some, was able to get separation as he then faded toward out of bounds and cradled the ball just before going out of bounds for a stunning 34-yard gain to the Odessa 37. With still 1:05 to go, Chillicothe was within probably 15-17 yards of the strong-legged Sloan's field goal range since the Hornets were going into a southerly wind. After taking its last timeout, Odessa once more tried to make a stand, only to give up a big third-down conversion as Chillicothe created a massive chasm up the middle on a third-and-12 draw play. Sophomore Kyle Dosterschill, whose 4-yard run had tied the game at 19-19 with 4:35 remaining, used the big hole to pick up 14 to the 25, earning another set of downs. Sticking with a hot hand, Chillicothe sent Dosterschill forward for six and then popped him free for another 13 to the 6. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, a 1-yard Dosterschill gain off the left side positioned the ball right in front of the goalposts. After a timeout, Sloan's kick angled left, but was ruled to have been inside the upright. Statistically, it was a game of two distinct halves. Chillicothe outgained its visitors 187-73 in the second half after Odessa had an even-bigger 207-69 advantage in the first two quarters. Hooper, already over 1,000 yards for the season before the game, had 64 of the 80 rushing yards on his team's game-opening scoring drive and, as mentioned previously, finished with 146 on 29 carries. Harvey tacked on another 96 yards as Odessa unofficially ran for 248, but threw for only 32. Dosterschill ran for 77 yards on 18 attempts with one TD to lead a 165-yard CHS ground game. Trammell had four catches for 72 yards and a score as Sloan was going seven of 18 for 91 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Having snapped a four-game losing streak and with a win in its district opener, Chillicothe will travel to Richmond next Friday to face the winless Spartans. Richmond was thrashed by Boonville 40-19 Friday.
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer Football Hornets Build
Momentum for District in Loss at Cameron CAMERON - The Chillicothe football Hornets seemingly scored a victory within a loss Friday night. The Hornets tumbled to 2-5 on the season and finished Midland Empire Conference play 2-5 with a 28-13 defeat at Cameron, but in the process seemed to create positive momentum for themselves heading into a very winnable Class 3 District 14 schedule next week. Cameron held a 21-0 lead barely 13 minutes into the contest at Dave Goodwin Field, but the Hornets bowed their necks and at least played the 6-1 Dragons to a standoff overall the rest of the way, including outscoring them 13-7. Against a Cameron defense generally regarded as quite strong, Phil Willard's Hornets - even with senior quarterback Austin Sloan again unavailable due to a nerve injury in his throwing arm - generated significant offense over the last three periods. Junior running back Clint Singleton unofficially rushed for 139 yards on 19 carries with scoring runs of eight and 31 yards. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Trammell, although still bedeviled by ballhandling demons - he fumbled the ball away twice and recovered his own drop a third time - made a number of on-target passes as the game wore on, suggesting the Hornets may be able to have some run-pass balance even if Sloan is unable to return. Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Dragons had what it took to cash in quickly on short fields three times and added a blocked punt they recovered in the CHS end zone for their four TDs. The first of two 4-yard scoring runs by Cameron sophomore quarterback Sean Skilling came on the fourth play of a 45-yard drive that followed a short Sloan punt and 10-yard return. In the final minute of the first quarter, Sloan's second punt attempt from about his own goal line was knocked back by Jordan Tharp and fallen on by Tyler Reese just inside the back line of the end zone. With Brent Seifert's second PAT, it was 14-0, Cameron. Reese's interception and return plus an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Hornets quickly gave the Dragons the ball again and, after starting at the CHS 35, they scored in three plays - Skilling hitting Jeff Rooney on a square-out route from the 9 for the TD. With 10:58 left before halftime, the Dragons were in front 21-0. After Chillicothe didn't move again, Cameron started in Hornets territory again at the 49, but were stopped for a 1-yard gain on a fourth-and-2 play at the 30, junior tackle Nathan Followwill making the stop on Seifert. That seemed to turn the game as the Hornets sprung Singleton for a 19-yard run two plays later and, a bit later, followed a Trammell-to-A.J. Kohl 12-yard pass play on third-and-4 with a 29-yard trek by Singleton to get the ball to the Dragons' 5. After two short runs and a procedure penalty, the Hornets beautifully executed a pitch sweep with Singleton out of the triple-stack "I," the ball carrier going around left end to pay dirt from eight yards away on a third-down play. The Hornets moved the yardsticks three times in the last two minutes before finally trying a 32-yard field goal on the last play of the half. Although he had plenty of distance, Sloan saw his boot go wide left and Chillicothe had to settle for being down by 14, rather than 21-10. A Trammell fumble gave Cameron the ball at the Hornets 30 about three minutes into the third period and, three plays later, Skilling again squirmed in on a keeper from four yards away. After an exchange of possessions, Chillicothe started at its own 25 midway through the third quarter and went "to the house" in 10 plays. Just after crossing midfield, Trammell found Singleton for an 18-yard pickup to the 31. On the subsequent snap, the Hornets again had outstanding execution on a wide play to the left, flanked back Brett Marriott coming in motion toward the ball to provide an early seal block and two linemen and another back leading Singleton around the corner where he turned upfield and went the 31 yards to the end zone standing up. With 4:40 left in the third quarter, Chillicothe was back to within two touchdowns of the heavily-favored Dragons, although Sloan's extra-point kick was blocked. Chillicothe then marched from its 20 to Cameron 19 before losing the ball on downs. When Cameron didn't move the sticks, Seifert punted in the final minute of the game, a low, tumbling kick right between the Hornets' twin deep men, one of whom muffed the catch, allowing the Dragons to recover. After one kneeldown, Cameron had its somewhat-shaky 28-13 win. For Chillicothe, the way it gave as good as it got the final 33 minutes of the game against the defending Class 2 state champs portends well for their ability to compete with and beat their upcoming district foes - Odessa at home next Friday in the home finale and then winless Richmond and Boonville on the road. None of those three have distinguished themselves thus far this season in a jumbled Missouri River Valley Conference. If Chillicothe can solve its giveaways problems, it has a reasonable chance to getting back to the .500 mark by the end of the regular season, which would coincide with winning its district and reaching the state playoffs after a two-year absence. Smithville Holds
On for First-Ever Grid Win Over Chillicothe With two first-quarter touchdowns in less than two minutes after Chillicothe turnovers, the unbeaten Smithville Warriors looked ready to run the Hornets out of their own Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium Friday night. However, the Hornets steadied themselves and didn't give the Warriors a chance to heave a sigh of relief that the Midland Empire Conference victory was clinched until the final two minutes when, down 20-14 and with only one timeout left, Chillicothe lost the ball on downs at its own 29. The game saw a multitude of turnovers - the Hornets (2-4, 2-4 MEC) committing four giveaways via a pair of fumbles and two interceptions and the Warriors (6-0, 3-0) handing the ball over three times on a fumble and two pickoffs. The eventual difference in the game was that all three Smithville touchdowns - Zach Welch's 3-yard runs and Andrew Jones' 8-yard catch - came after CHS turnovers, while Chillicothe cashed in after only one of its three takeaways. Smithville drew first blood with 4:56 remaining in the opening quarter when Welch capped a six-play, 62-yard drive with his 3-yard run. The key play of the possession was a 40-yard completion from Zach Frerichs to wide receiver Nathan Daraban on a quick slant that took the ball to the CHS 20. After Welch's score, quick penetration by an SHS defensive lineman jarred the ball loose as Trammell tried to hand off on a second-and-10 play at the Hornets 10. Recovering at their own 3, the Hornets threw a short pass to Singleton on the next play, but cornerback Daraban came up to make a strong hit a second later and jarred the ball free. Jones recovered at the 8 and caught a high Frerichs toss across the middle on the next play for a touchdown and a 14-0 Smithville lead. Shaken, the Hornets finally stirred in the second period. The defense twice coming up with interceptions, the CHS offense used the momentum shift to spark to life. After Clint Singleton gained five, senior Brett Marriott burst through a hole off left guard and dashed 29 yards across midfield. Next play, Singleton went 29 yards off left guard on a counter play and the Hornets were first-and-goal at the Smithville 7. After picking up another five on two runs and then being penalized five, the Hornets got on the scoreboard when Singleton found an angle to the right corner of the end zone at the 5:37 mark of the second stanza. An athletic, leaping, one-handed interception by 6'6" defensive end Jones at the CHS 13 set up the Warriors with a very short field again in the third quarter and, three plays later, Welch lugged it to make the score 20-7, Smithville. Given another chance to feel sorry for itself and give up, Chillicothe fired back instead. Starting from its 34, it picked up a couple of first down, the first set up by another nice Marriott carry and the other on a 13-yard Singleton gain. On the next play, from the SHS 40, Singleton motioned out of the backfield and ran the Hornets' pet deep pass play, a post pattern. Once more it worked and sophomore quarterback Tyler Trammell led his back perfectly for a 40-yard touchdown that, with Austin Sloan's conversion kick, brought Chillicothe to within six with 1:36 to go in the third period. The Hornets got the ball back in good field position and advanced it to the SHS 30 with still more than seven minutes to go, but got no further. Savannah ran some time off on its next possession and punted Chillicothe deep into its own end of the field with less than three minutes to go. When the Hornets couldn't move the sticks, the Warriors took over on downs and ran out the clock. The visitors ended up with a slight advantage in total offense (234-214) and had the extra takeaway. The Warriors might have sustained their early advantage more easily had it not been for Daraban suffering an ankle injury while being tackled at the end of an 18-yard catch-and-run on a second-and-19 play in the second quarter. That catch had been his third of the night for 72 yards. Jones finished with five catches for 49 yards and the one score. Welch ran 28 times for 90 yards and Frerichs was nine of 16 throwing for 129 yards with one TD and two interceptions. For Chillicothe, Singleton again was the big weapon, gaining 145 yards on 24 rushes and catching both of Trammell's completions for 45 yards. He also scored both CHS touchdowns. The Hornets played without senior quarterback/linebacker Austin Sloan, aside from his two extra-point kicks and one punt. A timetable for his return to offensive and defensive duty remains uncertain as he tries to get over an injury to his ulna nerve suffered in last week's Savannah loss. Hornets
Fall to Savannah in Homecoming '06
C-T Photo / Catherine Stortz Ripley The stands at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium were nearly filled to capacity as the Chillicothe Hornets hosted the Savannah Savages for the 88th annual Chillicothe High School homecoming Friday night. Beneath mostly clear skies with just a hint of fall chill, senior Tara Jeffries was crowned homecoming queen and Austin Sloan was crowned king. The coronation followed the game which saw Savannah beat Chillicothe 21-7. With the CHS Marching Hornets and flag corps members uniformly positioned on the football field, each member of the homecoming royalty was escorted down the 50-yard line. The student body had voted on the king and queen earlier in the week but the winners were not announced until during the coronation ceremony. Jeffries is the daughter of Doug and Michelle Jeffries. Sloan is the son of Bob and Carol Sloan. The king and queen both were presented with gifts donated by Sensenich Jewelers. Jeffries is a member of the Spanish Club, Key Club, FFA, and girls “C” Club. She participates in softball, is on the honor roll, and was a freshman homecoming attendant. She is a member of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church and plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and major in elementary education. Sloan is a member of the student council, Spanish Club, National Honor Society, and boys “C” club. He plays basketball and football, and has earned All-Conference awards in both sports, as well as being nominated for the All-District football team and KMZU Dream Team. Sloan serves as the senior class vice president, is on the honor roll, and has earned an academic letter. He is an FCA captain, and also attends the United Methodist Church and Christ for Life youth group. He plans to attend college and pursue a career in financial planning. In addition to Jeffries, queen candidates were Meagan Scott, Alison Critten, Kristen Jeschke, and Sierra McCown. In addition to Sloan, this year's king candidates were Cole Minnis, Carter Lindley, Matt Oleson, and Phillip Earley. Platte County Pummelling C-T photo / Butch Shaffer PLATTE CITY - Outstanding offensive diversity the Chillicothe Hornets once again could not match led to another Platte County Pirates victory Friday night. Running with effectiveness inside and out and exploiting Chillicothe's season-long difficulty defending the long pass, the Pirates improved to 12-1 all-time against Chillicothe with a 35-10 home romp in PCHS' Midland Empire Conference opener Friday night. "We're happy," Platte County head coach Chip Sherman reflected after having suggested, "Šif we played 'em again tomorrow, I bet you we couldn't do this." "Anytime you can beat Chillicothe (2-2, 2-2 MEC), it's a good day," Sherman said. Platte County (4-0, 1-0 MEC) unofficially rolled up 237 rushing yards on 45 carries and quarterback Jake Crawford hit on 11 of 14 throws for another 204 yards and two touchdowns. Not only was Platte County balanced offensively on the ground and in the air, it also was relatively equally efficient in each half. It unofficially gained 245 yards in the first half and another 196 in the second. Chillicothe unofficially finished with 167 yards of total offense - 98 in the air and 69 on the ground. It had the only two turnovers of the game, both on interceptions thrown by Sloan. "It was a disappointing night, the way we played," the Hornets coach remarked. "There were some good things. I felt like our defensive line, at times, fought their rear ends off. Offensively, we've just got to get a lot more consistent." Chillicothe will have its 2006 Homecoming game next Friday against Savannah. Platte County, which has lost only once to Chillicothe ever, will be at St. Joseph: Benton next week. Ground Roast C-T photo / Butch Shaffer The oldie was still a goodie for the Chillicothe football Hornets Friday night. Over the years, the Hornets have used a punishing, relentless running game to dominate their games with St. Joseph: Lafayette. Even though this year's Hornets are seeking to diversify their attack, when it came to playing the Fighting Irish, they prospered by living in the past. Sophomore fullback Kyle Dosterschill not only enjoyed the first 100-yard game of his career, he surpassed 200 - carrying 22 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns as Chillicothe ground down Lafayette 42-13 in Midland Empire Conference play at CHS' Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium Friday. Not only did Dosterschill reach triple digits on the ground, so did junior halfback Clint Singleton, whose 151 yards from scrimmage included 109 and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Singleton tacked on a 42-yard touchdown pass reception early in the second half which set the "running clock" rule into effect for all but the last 1:40. The running success was more impressive because it was built on the work of a reconfigured offensive line, which was without senior guard Phillip Earley. He missed the contest because of illness, the C-T was told. “(Senior tackle) Michael Smith made a big move inside to guard,” related Willard. “That was big for us. I know he wasn't feeling real well tonight either. Then (sophomore) Justin Followwill filled in at tackle.” On defense, despite being somewhat under the weather, Smith produced the Hornets' two quarterback sacks, giving him the team lead now with 21/2. Senior Brett Marriott took Earley's end spot and filled in nicely, including making one tackle for a loss and another for no gain in the first quarter. The No. 1 defense's shining moment came in the last half of the second quarter, stopping an Irish drive that began at the Chillicothe 45 at the CHS 1. Chillicothe had the game's only takeaway, a first-quarter pass theft by senior safety Casey Prewitt that set up the short field which resulted in Dosterschill's 5-yard score that made it 21-0. Alec Thurmon, CHS' 300-pound nose tackle also appeared to intercept a shovel pass in the second quarter, but it was ruled the ball hit the ground, although Thurmon said it was just pinned between his arm and body. “We had some pretty good, solid defensive line play,” said the Chillicothe head coach, who - in the absence of offensive coordinator Dave Mapel - for one night added the offensive play-calling chores to his usual work as defensive coordinator. Mapel was at the funeral visitation for his father, who died last Wednesday morning. “Our secondary made some plays - Casey made a nice interception. That was good, to get an interception finally.” St. Joseph: Benton Picks Way Past Hornets Again
C-T photo / Paul Sturm For the second year in a row, a budding Chillicothe football Hornets drive for go-ahead points against the St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals was turned on its head and instead propelled the Cardinals to a Midland Empire Conference victory. With Friday's game in Chillicothe tied 7-7 and the Hornets in possession near midfield, Benton junior free safety Ashton Noland cut in front of intended CHS receiver Casey Prewitt on a post pattern, made the pick of Austin Sloan's pass, and raced about 65 yards unfettered to the south end zone to give the Cardinals a lead they'd not relinquish in an eventual 21-14 victory. In the first half, sophomore strong safety Jake Kretzer played zone coverage perfectly and took down a Sloan pass for a lengthy return. That one didn't become points, but it did keep the Cardinals in early control of field position. After Noland's pickoff and TD, Benton (1-0, 1-0 MEC) scored what would be the decisive touchdown on a long, but quick, drive later in the third quarter. Back-to-back lob passes on fade routes to Kyle Cline from Bryce Schoenfelder combined to produce 71 yards and put the ball on the CHS 4 less than two minutes after Benton took over on its 13. The 87-yard scoring drive ended on its sixth snap when Noland darted in from four yards away. A two-point conversion pass from Schoenfelder to Cline made it 21-7. Instead of being spooked, however, Chillicothe (1-1, 1-1) struck back even more quickly. It covered 81 yards in four plays and 1:43, junior Clint Singleton slipping through a hole on the right side, making a slight cutback, and then racing away to the end zone on a 52-yard run. With the conversion kick, Chillicothe was back to within one score, 21-14, with a minute left in the third period. However, neither team could score in the fourth. Benton held onto the ball for 14 plays on its ensuing possession before turning it over on downs at the Chillicothe 38. The loss took the shine off Singleton's big night. He unofficially rushed 12 times for 105 yards, the first 100-yard game of his career, and he caught three throws for another 75 yards. He had a touchdown each way. The opposing quarterbacks had very similar numbers, except for the two interceptions Benton made. Sloan unofficially finished 11 of 23 for 147 yards with a TD and two picks. Schoenfelder, a surprising second-team All-State choice last year, was nine of 19 for 145 yards. He had no scoring passes and no interceptions. Chillicothe will host the conference's other St. Joseph member, Lafayette, next Friday at 7 p.m. Lafayette was ripped by Maryville in its regular-season opener Friday. Opportunistic Hornets
Claim 2006 Season Opener at Maryville 30-14
(C-T file photo / Paul Sturm) MARYVILLE - The 2006 high school football season is off on the right foot for the Chillicothe Hornets, thanks to opportunism and good special teams play. Chillicothe took advantage of "short" fields four times to score touchdowns, including a pivotal, lightning-strike 54-yard, five-play dash in the last 41 seconds of the first half that gave them a 16-7 intermission lead, to defeat the Maryville Spoofhounds 30-14 in a Midland Empire Conference game. Chillicothe never trailed after getting on the scoreboard before they even touched the ball. After failing to gain a first down on the game's initial series of downs, Maryville put itself behind the eight-ball when, from its 28, the punt snap went way over punter Tyler Oglesby's head. To prevent a Hornets recovery for a touchdown or possession inside the MHS 5, Oglesby swatted the ball out the back of the end zone and the Hornets were ahead 2-0 94 seconds after the opening kickoff. Four minutes into the second quarter, the CHS defense helped force a botched handoff in the Spoofhounds backfield and 6'7", 300-pound defensive tackle Alec Thurmon fell on the ball at the MHS 45.
On first down, sophomore Tyler Trammell showed great hand-eye coordination in tracking Austin Sloan's high-arching pass which came directly over his head rather than over a shoulder as he angled toward the east sideline. The catch went for 28 yards to the 17 and five plays later Kyle Dosterschill slammed into the end zone from a yard away. With sophomore Colin Parker's extra-point, Chillicothe was on top 9-0 midway through the second quarter. Maryville answered with a 14-play, 80-yard drive culminated by a fourth-and-1 18-yard touchdown pass from Andy Walter to Tanner Archer with only 42 seconds remaining in the half. In a misunderstanding, according to MHS head coach Chris Holt, his placekicker onside kicked rather than squibbing it farther downfield. Chillicothe alertly had reserve quarterback and strong safety Tyson Blattner in the front line and he covered the ball at the CHS 46.
An inside reverse run by Trammell gained 17 yards on first down and, two plays later, another long fade route for Trammell resulted in a first down at the 14 with 14 seconds left. A short completion that went out of bounds and an incompletion left 5.8 ticks on the clock with a third-and-6 situation from the 10.
Maryville needed only one offensive play to get those seven back following halftime. After the Hornets fumbled the ball away at their 37 a couple of minutes into the third period, the 'Hounds went for the halfback option pass and, when Chillicothe's safety bit, Malcom Swinford's pass was gathered in by a wide-open Archer at about the 15 and he darted into the end zone. Once more gaining possession near midfield or in Maryville territory, the Hornets put themselves in much-better position with an eight-play scoring drive highlighted by Clint Singleton's 22-yard run off right tackle behind pulling guard Cory Lowe's block. Singleton got the eventual payoff, going in from 5 yards out with 2:11 to go. With another Parker PAT, it was a more-comfortable 30-14 margin which held up. Singleton quietly finished, by C-T unofficial count, with 92 yards on 17 carries for the Hornets. Sloan was six of nine through the air for 58 yards in the first half before finishing seven for 12 for 70 yards with the one TD and no interceptions. Chillicothe had 157 yards rushing for 227 yards of total offense. Maryville outdistanced the Hornets with 177 yards through the air and another 123 on the ground for an even 300 total. The difference was field position, which Chillicothe taking advantage of its four chances where it started beyond its own 45. Maryville's best field position, outside of the time it cashed in from the Chillicothe 37 with the halfback pass, was its own 36. It started at its 20 or worse six times. With a 16-point road win in the season opener under its belt, Chillicothe will have its home opener next Friday against highly-regarded St. Joseph: Benton. By PAUL STURM,
C-T Sports Editor August 21, 2006
Football
Hornets' Will Hit Road A Half-Dozen Times in 2006 Season The 2006 Chillicothe football Hornets will open their season Friday, Sept. 1, with a trip to Maryville, the first of six away games the Hornets will play next regular season. The Hornets' schedules for the 2006-07 scheduling cycle were set by CHS head coach and athletics director Phil Willard Thursday following the Missouri State High School Activities Association's release that morning of the classification/district assignments for the next two seasons. Assigned by MSHSAA to Class 3 District 14 with three Missouri River Valley Conference members again, the 2006 CHS schedule will be the same as in 2004. In week eight, the Hornets will host Odessa, followed by trips to Richmond and Boonville. Richmond probably will have the most returning starters and may be considered the district favorite. If it works out that way, perhaps not so ironically, it will be the third year in a row that Chillicothe will have to play the district favorite on the road. In 2004, favored Richmond edged the Hornets at home and went on to take the district crown, just as Odessa did last fall. Prior to district competition, the Hornets will play their seven-game MEC schedule with four road games and three at home. MEC play will include, for the second-straight year, a trip to Platte County - in week four (Sept. 22). Although it would not have affected conference play, Platte County remained in Class 3 for 2006 and 2007 by the slimmest of margins. Its official enrollment total for classification purposes was 800, which turned out to be the largest enrollment of any Class 3 school. The smallest Class 4 school is St. Louis: Soldan with 801. Had it not been for three schools - Hardin Central, Norborne, and Hughesville: Northwest - abandoning 11-man play for eight-man ball the next two years, Platte County would have been pushed up into Class 4. Any one of those staying in Class 1 would have bumped PCHS up to Class 4. In addition to visiting Platte County, the Hornets' conference finale will be at Cameron in week seven (Oct. 13). During conference play, Chillicothe will have home games with St. Joseph: Benton (week two), Savannah (week five), and Smithville (week six). The 2007 schedule will be just the opposite - in terms of home and away games - of the 2006 slate, meaning six Hornets home games in '07. Football Hornets'
District the Same COLUMBIA - The Chillicothe football Hornets - for the first time in a while - will have the same 10 opponents four years in a row. The new enrollment-based classifications and district assignments for the 2006-07 football seasons in Missouri were revealed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association this (Thursday) morning and Chillicothe's remained unchanged from the 2004-05 schedule cycle. As in the past two years, the Hornets will contend against three Missouri River Valley Conference schools to their south - Richmond, Odessa, and Boonville - in Class 3 District 14. Phil Willard, Chillicothe High football head coach and athletics director, was in Kansas City at a meeting with all other Midland Empire Conference school representatives, those from the West Central Conference, and a few independent schools, this morning to receive the new assignments and hammer out the pigskin schedules for 2006 and 2007. For Chillicothe, it is possible those slates will be ordered exactly as they have been the past two years, but other MEC schools may have to switch theirs around some, impacting when they could play CHS. While the Hornets' situation is effectively unchanged from the past two years, Cameron, which won the 2005 Class 2 state title after being runnerup in 2004 with an outstanding team, is shifted up to Class 3 the next two years. It has been grouped in District 16 with fellow MEC schools Platte County, Smithville, and Savannah. Maryville is now the lone Class 2 school in the MEC. St. Joseph's Benton and Lafayette stay in Class 4. |
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Best-Ever CHS
Softball Year Celebrated
Chillicothe Lady Hornets softball had success written all over it in 2006. Advancing farther in state play than any of their predecessors, compiling the most wins ever in the program's 11-year history, and producing the highest team batting average ever, this year's Lady Hornets were no diamond in the rough on the diamond. They were well-polished with many sparkling facets to admire. This year's team was feted last Tuesday night at the program's annual postseason awards dinner, held in the Chillicothe High School commons. Head coach Stan Baldwin, whose fifth season at the helm saw the team's final and most memorable victory - a 7-5 victory over defending state champion Kearney in a state tournament sectional-round game at Chillicothe's Daryl Danner Memorial Park - stand as the 100th of his tenure, presided over the festivities. He presented letters to the varsity team, announced five special award winners, briefly spoke of the season, and presented each team member with a specially-selected “gag” gift. Selected to receive special awards for their performance and demeanor during the 2006 season were:
As part of his introduction of the individual varsity players, Baldwin cited any postseason honors they had received to date, with the Missouri Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association yet to have announced its All-State team. Cook, Lowe, and junior right fielder Carole Myers were selected to the all-region team. Chosen to the all-district tournament squad were sophomore catcher Chelsea Sturguess, Jeffries, Cook, Lowe, Mathew, and Myers. Tabbed all-Midland Empire Conference were first-teamers Cook, Myers, and Sally Baldwin (utility player), second-teamers Lowe, Sturguess, Mathew, and Jeffries, and honorable mention choices Heather Doss, the sophomore third baseman, and Brock. Baldwin noted that he felt Lowe, who had the pitching decision in every game of the teams' 21-5 season, deserved first-team pitcher on the all-MEC team. Chillicothe shared the league crown with Platte County, each at 6-1. It was CHS' fourth-straight year of winning the MEC title either outright or as co-champion. The 21 victories earned by the 2006 Lady Hornets equaled the team record set in 2003. Percentage-wise, the 21-5 mark also was the best in team annals, just better than the 21-6 mark of 2003. The Class 3 district crown was Chillicothe's second-straight and third in four years, but their sectional victory over Kearney was a first, advancing them to the state quarterfinals. There, they lost 11-7 to Harrisonville, which went on to capture the Class 3 state championship. It was the second year in a row which Chillicothe was eliminated in state play by the eventual champion. Coach Baldwin also pointed out that this year's team batting average of .332 far surpassed the prior CHS record mark of .313. He attributed their unparalleled success to their dedication to team play. “I've said it several times, beginning early in the year, that this was the best group of ‘team' ballplayers I've ever coached,” the coach related. “ŠI truly enjoyed working with them.” Fourteen girls received varsity letters, two of them provisional. Of those 14, only three were seniors - Brock, Jeffries, and Cook. Each of those three was a four-year letter winner, having been part of teams which fashioned a composite record of 79-24. Chillicothe assistant coach Jim Radel, who leads the junior-varsity team in its games, introduced all of those players and related statistics and observations about each as he did so. “It's fair to say the junior-varsity ladies had a great season,” he said of the group which won 16 of 20 games, batted a composite .377, and outscored its opponents 133-65 overall. Nine Softball Lady Hornets
Get All-MEC, District or Region Kudos Nine members of the 2006 Chillicothe High School softball Lady Hornets - all of their regular starters - have received some degree of postseason recognition after the club was co-champion of the Midland Empire Conference, won the Class 3 District 16 tournament title, and advanced to the state tournament quarterfinals. With the Missouri Softball Coaches Association's (MSCA) All-State teams yet to be announced, the Lady Hornets already have had three players chosen all-region, six all-district, and three first-team all-MEC with nine Chillicothe players overall earning some level of all-conference honors. Senior shortstop Kerri Cook - a second-team MSCA All-State pitcher last year, junior pitcher Mallory Lowe, and junior outfielder Carole Myers were picked to the all-region team, chosen from among the four teams in the quarter of the state tournament bracket in which Chillicothe participated. Selected to the all-district tournament team were those three players, senior outfielder Tara Jeffries, junior first baseman Sara Mathew, and sophomore catcher Chelsea Sturguess. Earning first-team all-MEC laurels were Cook on the infield, Myers in the outfield, and, as a utility player, junior outfielder Sally Baldwin. Second-team all-conference choices from the Lady Hornets were pitcher Lowe, catcher Sturguess, infielder Mathew, and outfielder Jeffries. Given honorable mention on the all-MEC squad were senior second baseman Mandi Brock and sophomore third baseman Heather Doss. The honors follow a season in which the Lady Hornets:
Cook could become the first CHS player ever to be a two-time All-Stater, doing so at a different position. She led the team in numerous offensive categories - runs batted in (23), home runs (two), triples (five), doubles (11), extra-base hits (18), runs scored (26), total bases (62), and slugging percentage (.756), and OBSP [on-base percentage plus slugging percentage] (1.240). Myers was the team's speedy, lefthanded-swinging, leadoff hitter and filled the role well, leading the team's regulars in batting average (.489), hits (45), and on-base percentage (.495). Her 25 runs scored were one less than Cook's team-high total. Moved from shortstop to right field this year, she was a weapon there with her speed, her range taking away basehits and her throwing arm a deterrent to baserunners. Her defensive impact was never more apparent than in the 2-0 district tournament championship win over St. Joseph: Lafayette when she charged in to field a would-be ground-ball basehit and throw Lafayette's leadoff batter out at first, and - to end the game - raced in to snare the same hitter's sinking line drive bid for a hit at her shoetops. Lowe pitched nearly every varsity inning for the Lady Hornets and earned the decision in all 26 games. She used control and change of speeds to keep opposing hitters off balance, allowing only 124 hits in 1721/3 innings pitched with a 2.07 earned run average. Mathew's four RBIs in CHS' district semifinal victory and her two key bunts in the district championship win played a pivotal role in getting the Lady Hornets to state, while Sturguess and Jeffries made impacts both offensively and defensively to earn their district recognition. Sally Baldwin was a pesky hitter in the bottom third of the CHS lineup, drawing a team-high 11 bases on balls to help produce a .381 on-base percentage which was third-best on the team. Lady Hornets' Finishing Kick Too Late
C-T photo / Paul Sturm
C-T photo / Paul Sturm INDEPENDENCE - The Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets put on a terrific, noble finishing kick in their Class 3 state quarterfinal game against Harrisonville Saturday. Unfortunately, they had seen the Lady Wildcats get too far in front of them. "That's just the way it goes," CHS head coach Stan Baldwin commented for the C-T as he sat in the bleachers shortly after the game. "The girls got their heads up and came back and made a real respectable game out of it." Both teams played well enough to have had reasonable claim to having earned the victory. With one key break, Harrisonville simply capitalized a bit more fully on its offensive opportunities it both earned and was given. The Lady Wildcats received five walks and had one batter reach on an error to go with their 10 basehits. Chillicothe ended up out-hitting Harrisonville 11-10 and also had a batter reach to start a scoring inning, but received two less bases on balls (three). The difference was Chillicothe stranded seven - five in the final two innings as it attempted to make a huge rally - and Harrisonville only three. Statistically, Chillicothe's 11-hit attack was highlighted by Tara Jeffries' three-hit, two-RBI, two-runs-scored game and Sally Baldwin's two hits and two driven in. Eight of the nine Lady Hornets had hits. For Chillicothe, the defeat concluded their accomplished 2006 season short of its ultimate goal of a state title, but not short of noteworthy accomplishments, including its farthest advancement ever in state play and repeat Midland Empire Conference and district titles among 21 victories which tie the 2003 team for the most ever by a CHS club in its 11-year history. This year's 21-5 record is the best ever, one loss better than the 2003 squad's 21-6 mark. This year's team included only three - second baseman Mandi Brock, shortstop Kerri Cook, and center fielder Jeffries. With the junior-varsity team guided by Jim Radel having had a terrific season, the 2007 Lady Hornets should have a real chance to follow through on coach Baldwin's assertion that good and greater things lie within reach.
C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Last Gasp Revives
Lady Hornets
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm ST. JOSEPH - What loomed as a frustrating loss was first salvaged and then eradicated by the Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets yesterday. Two-out singles by the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters in its order - Chelsea Sturguess, who went four for five, and Sara Mathew - catapulted Chillicothe into a 3-3 tie with host St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond in the seventh inning. After neither team scored further until the 11th, the Lady Hornets scored what proved to be the winning run on a Tara Jeffries leadoff triple to right field and winning pitcher Mallory Lowe's double to right-center. After giving herself the lead, Lowe (17-3) worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 11th, fielding a comebacker for the final out after coaxing a couple of infield popups. “My girls never gave up,” a pleased and proud CHS coach Stan Baldwin commented. “Lowe pitched a fine game (11 innings, six hits, three earned runs, four walks, four strikeouts) and the defense was good. “We hit the ball hard all night, but didn't put it together until the seventh.” The victory improved Chillicothe's record to 17-3 with two regular-season games remaining next week before the start of the district tournament. For the Lady Hornets, Myers, Jeffries, and Doss each chipped in two hits to go with Sturguess' 4-for-5 game. The varsity Lady Hornets will observe “Senior Day” Monday when they host Trenton. Miscues, Silent
Bats Thwart Perfect MEC Diamond Mark SMITHVILLE - The Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets are Midland Empire Conference champions for a fourth-straight year. They may even be undisputed champs for a third-consecutive time (although full information on the league standings could not be ascertained before press time Wednesday). They just won't be undefeated league champs for a third year in a row. The Smithville Lady Warriors took advantage of a second-straight game of limited hitting and fielding and throwing difficulties to stun the visiting Lady Hornets 7-2 yesterday (Tuesday). It was Chillicothe's first MEC defeat since 2003 and ended their league-games winning streak at 21. “Errors really hurt us and our bats were dead,” assessed Stan Baldwin, Chillicothe head coach, after his team suffered a second loss in as many days following its capture of the title in the Chillicothe Invitational tournament last Saturday. It is thought either Platte County or St. Joseph: Benton might have only one conference (to Chillicothe) and could share the league crown with the Lady Hornets, but C-T attempts to find out those clubs' MEC record before press time were unsuccessful. It may turn out that everyone else has lost at least twice in conference play and Chillicothe still would be outright champ. Tuesday's game with Smithville was still up for grabs until the Lady Warriors put four runs on the scoreboard in the home half of the sixth inning to convert a narrow 3-2 edge into a comfortable margin. The Lady Hornets could not muster a threat against winning pitcher Adrienne Ballor in the seventh, going down in order to drop to 15-3 overall this fall. They finish league play 6-1. Smithville, which entered the action with at least two MEC losses and therefore no chance of catching Chillicothe in the final standings, improved to 11-6 overall. Chillicothe did lead early in the game, but not for long. Tara Jeffries doubled leading off the top of the second inning. With one out, Lowe reached on an infield hit and, with two down, Heather Doss drove home both with a hit to right-center. After that, the Chillicothe bats went almost totally silent. The only subsequent Lady Hornets hit was Kerri Cook's two-out double to center in the third. Ballor retired the last nine batters she faced in succession. Hamilton Surprises
Softball Lady Hornets The Hamilton Lady Hornets were in a perfect position yesterday (Monday) and took full advantage of it in handing the Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets only their second loss in 17 games this fall, 9-4, at Danner Park in Chillicothe. Chillicothe had played and won four times Saturday to win its own tournament for the first time ever. That included an intense battle with 2005 Class 3 state champion Kearney. With CHS having its final Midland Empire Conference game today with a fourth-straight league title there for the taking, Hamilton - regularly a very solid program and again that way this season, was “sandwiched” between on the Chillicothe schedule and indeed caught the Lady Hornets emotionally off-balance. “We had one of those down days,” CHS coach Stan Baldwin said of his team's performance. “We didn't hit our best, had (three) errors that really hurt, and (pitcher Mallory) Lowe was a little tired Š (after) four games Saturday.” Monday's game saw Chillicothe jump in front 2-0 after one inning and regain the lead 4-3 after two. It was still a 4-4 game after five before Hamilton produced its second three-run inning in the sixth with the help of two errors and then two in the seventh. Hamilton's Jessica Woody had a game-tying solo home run over the center field fence in the third and also singled. Lacey Jones had a double and single and Danielle Leeper two singles for Hamilton. Molly Schieber was the winning pitcher. For Chillicothe (15-2), Kerri Cook went two for three with two runs batted in and Mandi Brock had a double, single, and RBI. In the junior-varsity game, Hamilton also prevailed 6-4 when it scored five runs in the top of the final inning. Jaryn Black had a two-run single and Lindy Scott a double for CHS. Softball Lady Hornets Run Table, Win Own Tourney Photo supplied / Paul Sturm For the first time ever, the Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets reign as champions of their own tournament. And it didn't come easily. Winning twice by one run and twice in games when they could never quite shake a seemingly-overmatched foe. When, with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle, Mallory Lowe retired a Richmond batter on a ground ball to third baseman Heather Doss, the squeeze of the throw by first baseman Sara Mathew allowed the Lady Hornets and their fans to erupt in celebration of earning the title of the 2006 Chillicothe Invitational tournament. “A great day for CHS softball!!” rightfully proclaimed Chillicothe head coach Stan Baldwin. It is the first time since the inaugural event in 1998 that CHS has kept the crown home, C-T research determined Monday. Baldwin's Lady Hornets not only captured the tournament title with a 4-0 mark, including a 5-4 victory over the defending Class 3 state champion Kearney Lady Bulldogs, but raised their season record to 15-1. After hosting a solid Hamilton team Monday, Chillicothe will have a chance to sew up a third-consecutive outright Midland Empire Conference championship and fourth-straight MEC title overall Tuesday when it visits Smithville. The Lady Hornets are 6-0 in MEC action to date. Chillicothe finished with 10 hits in the game, led by left fielder Sally Baldwin's 3-for-4 showing. Shearer, Lowe, and Cook each drove home a couple. State tournament sectional opponents at Kearney last October, with the Lady Bulldogs prevailing 5-0 as the first step toward its state title, Chillicothe and Kearney figured to have a “battle royal” when they met in the first of the round-robin games between first-place teams from pool play. They did. After Kearney posted a couple of unearned runs in the first inning, singles by Lowe and Doss in the top of the second gave Chillicothe a scoring chance it cashed in as No. 9 hitter S. Mathew poked an RBI hit to right. Chillicothe tied it in the top of the third and almost took the lead. Stupendous defense by Chillicothe junior center fielder Tara Jeffries enhanced the Lady Hornets' momentum in the bottom of the third. First, she dashed almost straight back to reach high and catch Kristen Hessel's drive a step from the center field fence. Then Brittany Johnson laced a drive toward the wall in right-center, only to have Jeffries flash over and make a running, leaping snag only a couple of strides from the barrier. It stayed 2-2 until the top of the sixth when back-to-back errors put Sally Baldwin and Doss aboard. S. Mathew reached on a fielder's choice without Kearney getting an out. With one down, Brock's second hit of the game was a huge two-run double to right-center, giving Chillicothe the lead. Cook then hit a fly to center to score S. Mathew. With the time limit expiring, meaning its at-bat would be its last, Kearney got close on Ashley Hudson's one-out, two-run single. After another hit, Lowe got No. 3 hitter Hessel on a fly to Jeffries and cleanup girl Johnson on a popup to Brock to end it. “We finally beat
Kearney,” coach Baldwin commented. “We had too many errors (six), but we
hit well (10 hits) and hung in there and won.” Brock, Mathew, Myers, and
Lowe each had two-hit games against Kearney. Photo supplied / Paul Sturm Second-Straight
No-Hitter for CHS' Lowe C-T photo / Paul Sturm Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets junior pitcher Mallory Lowe made it two in a row and four in a row yesterday. Righthander Lowe threw a second-consecutive no-hitter - this time allowing five baserunners after being perfect against Savannah last Thursday - and her fourth-straight shutout as the Lady Hornets bested the visiting Marceline Lady Tigers 4-0 at Chillicothe's Daryl Danner Memorial Park. “She hit her spots very well,” CHS coach Stan Baldwin remarked. “(Third baseman Heather) Doss and (shortstop Kerri) Cook helped her out,” having either an assist or putout on 11 of the 21 Marceline outs. Lowe struck out another five. Lowe (9-1) issued a pair of walks and hit one batter and Cook had a pair of errors to account for the Lady Tigers' five baserunners. Marceline never had more than one aboard in any inning. Chillicothe (9-1) scored twice in the bottom of the first inning of the non-conference game. Leadoff hitter Carole Myers drew a leadoff base on balls from losing pitcher Kensie Cavanah. Batting second in a rearranged lineup with center fielder and cleanup hitter Tara Jeffries not in action, Sara Mathew also drew a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Mandi Brock, a wild pitch scored Myers and moved Mathew to third. Walks to Cook and Chelsea Sturguess loaded the bases and a fifth free pass, to Lowe, forced home Mathew. Only a line drive double play off a sizzler hit by Sally Baldwin prevented a monster inning and kept it 2-0. A two-out, bases-empty free pass to Sturguess in the Chillicothe third led to the next run. Courtesy runner Samantha Fender dashed to third base as Lowe singled to right and Baldwin got the RBI with a two-out hit to center. The game's final tally came in the CHS fifth. After leaving the bases loaded in the fourth, the Lady Hornets got the leadoff girl aboard next inning as Lowe grounded one into right field for her second hit. Sally Baldwin bunted her to second and Doss' roller to shortstop got her to third with two outs. After a walk to Brooklyn Shearer, who started in right field with Myers shifting to center, the speedy Myers tapped one to the first baseman. Her overhand throw back to first caused the second baseman covering there to be back on her heels. As a result, she dropped the short toss as Lowe scored. Defending champion Chillicothe stands 4-0 in league action to date.
C-T photo / Paul Sturm Mallory Lowers Boom
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm SAVANNAH - Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets junior pitcher Mallory Lowe wasn't just very good against the visiting Savannah Lady Savages Thursday. With help from an adjusted defense, she was perfect. The righthander set down all 15 batters she faced, recording four strikeouts while her defense ably handled the rest in a 13-0 five-inning road blowout. The team's defensive performance was all the more impressive because senior shortstop Kerri Cook missed the game with an injury, according to CHS coach Stan Baldwin. Her replacement, sophomore Heather Doss, who moved over from third base, saved Lowe's gem with a great catch in the fourth inning, the coach marvelled. On top of that, versatile junior Brooklyn Shearer took Doss' spot at the hot corner and “also had a great defensive game,” Baldwin reported. Shearer handled three consecutive ground balls in the second and third innings without incident. Offensively, it was a late eruption which allowed the Lady Hornets (8-1, 4-0 MEC) to win by the 10-run-lead rule in five. They led only 1-0 through three innings, but poured across eight runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth. What ended up as a 16-hit CHS onslaught included a 3-for-4 game for leadoff hitter Carole Myers and two-hit games each for Mandi Brock, Tara Jeffries, Chelsea Sturguess, Lowe, Sally Baldwin, and Doss - the Nos. 3-8 batters. Brock, filling in in Cook's No. 3 spot, drove in four runs, while Sturguess, transplanted from the No. 8 spot to No. 5, plated three runs. Doss drove in a couple. The CHS jayvees improved to 6-1 with a 7-2 victory. CHS Softball Lady Hornets
Pound Out Rout of Cameron It wasn't quite a perfectly-played game, but it came satisfyingly close. “We are playing well!” enthused head coach Stan Baldwin after his Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets disposed of the Cameron Lady Dragons 10-0 in six innings at Chillicothe's Daryl Danner Memorial Park yesterday. Improving to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the Midland Empire Conference, the Lady Hornets ripped 14 hits Tuesday while playing errorless defense behind junior pitcher Mallory Lowe, who gave up only three hits while walking two in the shutout. Chillicothe put a hammerlock on the game in the bottom of the third inning. Scoreless to that point, the contest turned the Lady Hornets' way with a seven-hit, seven-run torrent. The bottom of the batting order got things going as sophomore catcher Chelsea Sturguess drew a leadoff base on balls. Courtesy runner Samantha Fender stole second and continued on to third when the catcher's throw got away. Sara Mathew's bunt single made it 1-0. The top of the order now up, Chillicothe poured it on. Carole Myers bunted for a hit and Mandi Brock doubled in Mathew. A Kerri Cook hit plated Myers and Tara Jeffries' groundout to second brought in Brock for a 4-0 lead. A wild throw to first on Heather Doss' RBI grounder to shortstop was followed by a double by Lowe. Then, on a passed ball, both Doss and Lowe scored for a 7-0 cushion. Mathew singled home Sally Baldwin and Fender in the fifth after Baldwin doubled and Sturguess singled and Fender, courtesy running again, stole second. The Lady Hornets then ended it a bit early in the sixth when Doss reached on a dropped third strike, stole second, moved to third on Lowe's grounder to second, and scored on a wild pitch. Myers finished the day three for four, while Brock, Mathew, and Lowe each collected a pair of hits. Mathew drove in three runs. In the junior-varsity game, freshmen Caitlin Mitchell and Leanne Mathew combined on a one-hitter in a 5-0 five-inning win. Chillicothe (5-1) had 12 hits in that game, L. Mathew and Lindy Scott collecting three each and Fender two. One Big Inning,
Defense, Strong Pitching Do Job
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The formula Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets head coach Stan Baldwin hopes his team will put into action to produce another very successful season this fall was displayed, front and center, Tuesday afternoon at Daryl Danner Memorial Park in Chillicothe. Very good pitching backed by solid defense and supported by timely hitting and small-ball execution is the way Baldwin envisions the 2006 Lady Hornets and that's the way they defeated the visiting St. Joseph: Lafayette Lady Irish 5-1 in a non-Midland Empire Conference meeting. “Great defense,” enthused the coach, noting Mandi Brock's two great plays at second base and another standout stab by shortstop Kerri Cook. With their big plays and error-free work by the rest of the defense, Lowe kept the Lady Irish in good check. Lowe (3-0) allowed three hits and her first earned run in three games this year. She was a bit wilder than she has been, issuing four bases on balls to match her strikeouts total. Ahead 1-0 through 4-1/2 innings, the Lady Hornets (3-0) turned three hits, a couple of Lafayette errors, and a passed ball on a third strike into four runs that put them in full charge in the fifth. Left fielder Sally Baldwin singled to center leading off and sped all the way to third when the ball got by the center fielder for an error. Sophomore catcher Chelsea Sturguess immediately delivered her with an RBI double to left. The next batter, Sara Mathew, swung and missed strike three, but the ball eluded the Lady Irish catcher, allowing Mathew to reach first and Sturguess to move to third. The next two batters were retired without the runners moving, but Cook, the No. 3 stick in the CHS lineup, came through with a clutch hit. Her two-out single drove home both runs, making it 4-0. After an error let her take second, Cook darted in on Tara Jeffries' two-out hit to right. “Our bats came alive,” coach Baldwin said with relief. The Lady Hornets' initial run, scored in the second, came from a Jeffries leadoff single, a Heather Doss sacrifice bunt, and a missed throw by the LHS first baseman on S. Baldwin's would-be inning-ending grounder. Jeffries and Sturguess had 2-for-3 days to lead Chillicothe's seven-hit game. CHS Diamond
Girls Eyeing More Gold
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm Coming off both Midland Empire Conference and Class 3 district championships for the second time in three years, the 2006 Chillicothe High School softball Lady Hornets - with Missouri High School Fast-Pitch Coaches Association (MHSFCA) Class 3 second-team All-State pitcher Kerri Cook back in the circle - have their sights on duplicating that and more. “All these girls were here last year when we won districts, so they know what it's about,” head coach Stan Baldwin commented to the C-T Wednesday evening right before an intrasquad scrimmage that ended their twice-a-day practice schedule. With teacher's in-service time starting today, the squad tapers back to one session now. “They got a taste of it and they don't want anything but that,” he continued. “(To) accomplish that, it means everybody's got to play as a unit, because we don't have any superstars. We've just got a lot of girls that have played some ball. “If we can play together and stay together and keep as a unit, then we can play some ball,” Baldwin predicts. Cook's 15-4 won-lost pitching record and 0.98 earned run average (per seven innings) were a big part of a 19-5 season for the 2005 diamond Lady Hornets. She threw two no-hitters, including a perfect game against Savannah. However, this year, she'll probably be utilized quite a bit at shortstop with junior Mallory Lowe, another righthander, gaining added experience pitching in preparation for 2007. Baldwin says he's fully confident of success with either one throwing. “If they're on, we're going to play pretty good, because both of them can pitch,” he declared. When Cook pitches, either Lowe or incumbent junior Carole Myers will play shortstop with the other in right field, Baldwin indicated. The Lady Hornets are without a couple of graduated outstanding veterans, but Baldwin feels good about the chances of still being able to score sufficiently, either with pure hitting or small-ball execution and speed. “We've got some pretty good speed," the coach related. "If we put the ball in play, I think we're going to make things happen.” Taking first crack at filling graduated catcher Andrea Walter's big shoes will be sophomore Chelsea Sturguess, who brings some good defensive and offensive skills to the challenge. “She's young. She's going to make some mistakes, there's no doubt,” Baldwin acknowledges candidly. “She's got a heck of an arm. If she's on, they're not going to steal on her. She does a good job, usually, blocking the (pitch in the dirt).” “She's just got to get some games under her belt. I think she's going to be a dandy catcher when she does,” he said. Taking over for graduated Angel Maxwell at third will be another sophomore, Heather Doss, on whom Baldwin is quite high. She's the only starter without any previous varsity game experience. With either the very swift Carole Myers or Lowe in right field, junior Sally Baldwin in left, and senior Tara Jeffries in center, the outer defense is well set. On the infield, rock-steady second sacker Mandi Brock is back for her senior year and junior Sara Mathew moves in alongside at first. “We've got a great (defensive) first baseman, I feel, this year,” enthused coach Baldwin. “She's got some range and going to help us out a lot.” In the conference, Baldwin pegs St. Joseph: Benton, which has a returning pitcher in junior Megan Osteen, as the Lady Hornets' top challenger with Platte County and Maryville also potentially having a say. “You've really just got to go into it knowing you have to play (well) every game,” the Lady Hornets coach said. “ŠIf you don't come out playing your game, you can blow a game real easily.” The district tournament field likely will be mostly conference teams, too, so regular-season MEC play will give a preview of postseason chances. As for regular-season tourneys, the Lady Hornets will be in their own Sept. 16 invitational (which will have nine teams, rather than 12, this year), the Aug. 26 Cameron tourney, and the Putnam County Invitational Sept. 2. “The Putnam County tournament, we see some of those east side of the state teams and they're good ball teams,” coach Baldwin pointed out. “It will be a tough one.” The CHS Invitational field again will include defending Class 3 state champ Kearney, which defeated CHS 5-0 in last year's state tournament sectional game. Read our Fall Sports Archives too! |
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State Swim Meet Showing
Leaves CHS' Franke Blue ST. PETERS, Mo. - As a returning consolation finals qualifier, Chillicothe Hornets sophomore swimmer Stephan Franke was hoping to climb into the championship race as one of the 551 swimmers at the 2006 Missouri high school state championships this past weekend, but it didn't pan out. Franke didn't post a top-16 time in the Friday's preliminaries in his two events - the 200-meter individual medley (IM) and 100-meter backstroke, preventing him from advancing to either the consolation or championship races on Saturday. "He was disappointed with his performance, Hornets coach Paulette Crawford reports. “In an individual sport, losing your focus - even if just for a moment - can be the difference between a good race and a poor race." Franke, who earned All-State honorable mention status in the 200 IM as a freshman last February (the boys' swimming season was shifted from a winter schedule to fall this season) by finishing second in the consolation race (the eight fastest swimmers in prelims advance to the championship race, the eight next-fastest to the consolation final). Friday, however, his time of 2:08.17 in the race was only 34th-fastest. He swam a 2:01.61 in last season's consolation finals at the state meet. In his backstroke race Friday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex, his time of 58.62 seconds was 27th-fastest, again denying him advancement to the finals. "The good thing for Stephan is that he is just a sophomore and will have other opportunities to reach his goals," Crawford noted. Swim Hornets' Improvement
Saluted
Improvement in turnout, improvement in team success, and, by and large, improvement in individual performances highlighted Chillicothe High School's 2006 boys' swimming season, which was reviewed and celebrated at the second-year program's postseason awards dinner event last night. Coach Paulette Crawford presented the season review and handed out varsity letters to all seven team members - seniors Charles Greenlaw, Spencer Whiteside, and Jacob Fellhoelter, junior Joey Stagg, sophomore Stephan Franke, and freshmen Jacob Stull and Ari Coleman. In addition to presenting all swimmers with statistical review sheets of their personal performances during the season and the top times turned in by the Hornets in each event during the course of the season, the coach also announced the recipients of four special awards. Selected to receive the Coach's Award for both individual performance and dedication to the betterment of the team was Franke, who qualified for the state meet for the second-straight year. In addition to working on his own performance, Crawford related, Franke - a veteran competitive swimmer - was always willing to assist the squad's novice swimmers in developing their own technical skills. Chosen “rookie of the year” was freshman Ari Coleman, who swam at least once in every event possible, the coach noted. Earning an award for reducing his time the most from the start of the season to his best time was another frosh, Jacob Stull. Junior Joey Stagg was honored by the coach as having improved his technique the most during 2006. During the event held at the Royal Inn Café, Crawford thanked the team members' parents for organizing the dinner/awards ceremony, those who assisted in organizing and running the team's first-ever home meet Oct. 2, and others, including her husband, Ed, for handling team publicity for her. Thanks also were expressed to community businesses and professional offices which contributed money to help supplement the program's 2006 season budget. More than $2,000 was raised to help pay for equipment, suits, swimming caps, etc. It also was She pointed out the program's second year produced several “firsts.” They included, in addition to the first home meet held at the Grand River Area Family YMCA, the Hornets' first-ever meet win (the home meet), the first time the team had enough members (four or more) to enter a team in relay events, and the first win in a relay race. It also had its first senior class, after then-underclassmen Whiteside, Greenlaw, and Franke comprised the inaugural team during the 2005-06 season last winter. The first CHS students to exhaust their swimming eligibility were returnees Whiteside and Greenlaw and newcomer Fellhoelter. Each was thanked by the coach. Five Medalists for
CHS Swim Team in Season Finale
Photo by Cheryle Greenlaw KANSAS CITY - The Chillicothe High School swim team concluded the regular season with a splash, notching three individual and two relay medals at the Independent League Championships held Friday and Saturday at Kansas City Central High School. The championships, which are open to teams not in a swimming conference, drew eight high schools. The Hornets finished in fourth, losing out to Rockhurst, Platte County and Pembroke Hill, who have a larger team than the seven-member Hornet contingent and were able to pull in more points. But that didn't disappoint Chillicothe coach Paulette Crawford on her Hornets' performance. “We performed at our best level of the year, which is just what you want to do. Peak at the end of the season. We continued to have swimmers cutting times and posting personal bests all the way to this final meet,” she noted. As for the team competition, just being in the running after having a three-member squad last year, is an accomplishment all its own. “We tied with St. Pius X for fourth and lost out to the three larger teams at the championships,” Crawford explained. “While many people look at swimming as an individual sport, having seven swimmers this season gave us the opportunity to push each other and support each other as a team in the individual events. It also allowed us to have enough swimmers to compete in relays and earn more team points.” Individually, Stephan Franke led the way with a pair of firsts, winning both the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, where he posted season-best times. The Hornets sophomore, the only Chillicothe swimmer to earn a state-qualifying time this season, will continue on to the Missouri Swimming Championships on Nov. 10-11 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex near St. Louis. While qualifying in six events, by rule, Franke is allowed to only swim in two. He will compete in the pair of events where he medaled and took first this weekend. He finished 10th in the 200 individual medley in 2005 and was All-State honorable mention. Also medaling in an individual event Saturday was CHS freshman Ari Coleman with a fifth-place finish in the 200 freestyle. Two Hornets relay teams also captured medals at the non-conference-aligned championships. The 200 freestyle relay team of seniors Charles Greenlaw and Jacob Fellhoelter, Coleman, and Franke posted a third-place finish and their best time of the season at the meet. The same quartet notched season-best times in the 400 freestyle relay as well, which was good enough for fourth. Sixth State-Qualifying
Event for Swim Hornets' Franke
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer SEDALIA - Sophomore Stephan Franke of the Chillicothe swimming Hornets posted a state-qualifying time in a sixth event to highlight the Hornets' participation in a dual meet at Sedalia yesterday. Franke won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:53.35, exceeding the state-qualifying standard for that race. He and coach Paulette Crawford soon will decide which two of the six events he'll opt to participate in at state. "Stephan had a goal to earn a state qualifying time in the 200 freestyle and made it,” the CHS coach remarked. Competing only against Sedalia - “it surprised us that this was just a dual (meet),” Crawford acknowledged - Franke's win in the 200 freestyle was one of five events captured by a red-and-black swimmer. Senior Jacob Fellhoelter, a first-year member of the second-year CHS team, earned his first event win of his career when he took the 100-yard freestyle in a career-fastest 1:02.66. Classmate Charles Greenlaw was the winner of the 50-yard freestyle in a personal-best 26 seconds flat. Franke completed a sweep of his individual events, capturing the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.77, and the CHS 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Franke, Spencer Whiteside, Ari Coleman, and Greenlaw prevailed in 4:11.74. Another Chillicothe personal-best time produced yesterday came from freshman Jacob Stull, who cut 14 seconds off his time in the 500-yard freestyle. "I was pleased that in our final small meet, we were still posting personal best times among several swimmers and in several events," stated Crawford. The water Hornets' next action will be Saturday in the Independence Invitational meet at the Henley Aquatic Center there. They'll spend the next week preparing for the Independent Schools Championships meet at Kansas City's Central High School on Saturday, Oct. 28. Hornet
Swimmers Battle in Greater KC Invitational INDEPENDENCE - Despite being one of the smallest schools in the Greater Kansas City Invitational, Chillicothe advanced two relay teams through Friday's preliminaries and into Saturday's finals and Stephan Franke placed in two individual events. Franke, a Hornets sophomore, finished with a third in the 200-yard individual medley, posting his best time of the season in the event. He finished just behind a pair of seniors from Lee's Summit North and Park Hill South in the competition with a time of 2:03.70, bettering his preliminary time of 2:05.34. He also notched his fifth state-qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke with a fourth place finish time of 1:06.01. He moved from his preliminary seed of seventh to finish fourth in the finals. He has previously qualified in the 200 IM, 500 Free-style, 100 Backstroke and 100 Butterfly. “Stephan has worked hard to return to the state competition in November,” said CHS coach Paulette Crawford. “Now that he has qualified in several events, we will concentrate on the two that he will compete in at state and work harder in those areas the final weeks of the regular season.” Franke was not alone at the finals held at the Henley Aquatic Center in Independence, as two Chillicothe Hornet relay teams made it through the preliminary competition and into the second day finals. The top 16 relay teams and top 24 individuals in each event from the preliminaries moved into Saturday's finals. The Hornets' 200-yard medley relay of freshman Ari Coleman, senior Jacob Fellhoelter, Franke and senior Charles Greenlaw posted a 2:00.82 in the finals, bettering their preliminary time of 2:02.39. The finish was good for 14th, improving their seed one place. The same quartet competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and despite maintaining a 15th place finish in the finals and preliminaries, the team improved its times from 1:45.23 to 1:41.96 over the two-day event. “This was a tough meet with several good swim teams competing,” said Crawford. “It is good to see each swimmer making strides each meet.” The invitational drew nearly 300 swimmers and in several individual preliminaries there were as many as 80 swimmers competing. Teams joining Chillicothe at the meet included Blue Springs, Blue Springs: South, Columbia: Hickman, Columbia: Rock Bridge, Lee's Summit: North, Lee's Summit: West, Liberty, Oak Park, Ozark, Park Hill, Park Hill South, Raytown, St. Joseph: Central, St. Joseph: LeBlond, Springfield: Kickapoo, Truman and William Chrisman. Swimming
Hornets Get Two Wins, Six Personal Bests in Meet at Kearney LIBERTY - Chillicothe's Stephan Franke won both of his individual events and four teammates combined for six personal-best times as the Chillicothe swimming Hornets competed in a five-school meet hosted by Kearney at William Jewell College's pool Wednesday. Franke won the 100-meter freestyle in 58.67 seconds and the 200 freestyle in 2:07.21, coach Paulette Crawford reports. Notching their fastest-ever times in an event were senior Jacob Fellhoelter (50- and 100-meter freestyles), Joey Stagg (100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke), Jacob Stull in the 100 freestyle, and senior Charles Greenlaw in the 200 freestyle. However, the highest finish any of them achieved was Greenlaw's seventh place in the 200 freestyle. Aside from Franke's wins, the next-best Chillicothe finish was the fourth place of Ari Coleman in the 500-meter freestyle. Coleman's time was 7:00.43.
"Despite working on some other events, I was pleased with our performance. It is promising when several swimmers had their personal best times in events they don't often swim." No team point totals or standings were available, due to computer problems, according to the Chillicothe coach. Other school competing were Platte County, Kearney, and Kansas City's Archbishop O'Hara and St. Pius X.
Squish, Splash
C-T photo / Paul Sturm After Monday, the Chillicothe swimming Hornets won't dispute that at all. The second-year program hosted a meet for the first time ever on Monday, earned their first-ever meet win, and had time to be at home for supper. Not a bad day. Hosting Marshall and St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond in a meet at the Grand River Area Family YMCA, coach Paulette Crawford's Hornets won half of the 10 races, including double individual triumphs by Charles Greenlaw and Stephan Franke, and nabbed five seconds to earn 86 team points. That was good for a 12-point margin over Marshall with LeBlond netting 27. Chillicothe had seven swimmers competing, Marshall six, and LeBlond four. "I am very proud of our swimmers,” Crawford commented. “They were nervous with this being our first and only home meet, but they stepped up and performed well." Franke, a long-time competitive swimmer privately and 2005-06 state meet finalist, won the 100-yard breaststroke in his season-best time of 1:07.97 and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:08.29. Greenlaw, who had not been a competitive swimmer until going out for the new CHS program last year, gained his first-ever victory when he touched the wall first in the 50-yard freestyle (one length, down-and-back, of the YMCA pool) in a time of 26.19 seconds. He didn't wait long to make it two, following the mid-meet “halftime” with a victory in the 100-yard freestyle in 59.98 seconds. The Hornets' 200-yard free-style relay unit of seniors Spencer Whiteside, Jacob Fellhoelter, and Greenlaw and Franke also claimed victory with a time of 1:48.49. Individually, the CHS coach reports, six of the seven Hornets had at least one personal-best for 2006 time in the meet and Whiteside and Greenlaw had two each. "We placed our swimmers in their best events in an effort to score as many points as possible since Marshall is the same size team,” coach Crawford explained. “Our swimmers came through and we were able to win as a team." Jacob Stull had his best time in the 50-yard freestyle, Joey Stagg in the 100-yard backstroke, Ari Coleman in the 100-yard backstroke, and Franke in the 100-yard breaststroke. Coleman, a freshman, finished with second places in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke and was on the second-place 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays. "We had several swimmers cut time because they have been working on specific elements of their races,” reported Crawford. “In our next meet Wednesday (in a Kearney-hosted meet at William Jewell College in Liberty), we will swim other events so that we will be fresh when we swim our strong events in Saturday's invitational at Raytown." Crawford expressed her appreciation to the Grand River Area Family YMCA, where the CHS team also practices. "I want to thank the parents, school staff and friends of the swimmers, who came out and supported the team,” she remarked. “They assisted in running the meet as well. “It takes several people to help a meet run smoothly, and their volunteer efforts are appreciated by myself and the boys." Swimming Hornets Continue to
Cut Times Against Tough Foe
Photo supplied / Ken Stull KANSAS CITY - The Chillicothe swimming Hornets generally continued to improve their event times while finishing 11th among 15 schools in Saturday's Park Hill / Park Hill South Invitational meet held at Park Hill High School. "I am still pleased with where we are as a team and as individual swimmers,” coach Paulette Crawford of the second-year Chillicothe program commented. “We are still cutting time and seeing small improvements in our races, which is good at this point of the season." Despite the faster times, the Hornets couldn't translate that into a top-half finish in the team standings, due to the caliber of competition, according to their coach. "Our swimmers were more prepared for this type of meet after last weekend” when they competed in a large meet hosted by Kansas City: Archbishop O'Hara, observed Crawford. “However, this meet was tougher due to the level of competition. Teams such as Park Hill, Park Hill South, Rockhurst and Oak Park have many upper-level swimmers, making it a big step up from our first invitational." Chillicothe's best finishes in any event were the seventh places earned by Stephan Franke in the 100-yard backstroke and butterfly. The 200-yard relay team of Charles Greenlaw, Ari Coleman, Jacob Fellhoelter, and Franke took ninth. CHS
Swimmers Gain New Experiences During Meet at Harrisonville Tuesday
With coach Paulette Crawford expanding the competitive horizons of her seven-member squad by having each compete in an event in which they had not previously competed this fall, the Hornets placed fourth in the five-team standings. Sedalia was first, followed by Marshall, Belton, the Hornets, and Harrisonville. "We took a different approach at this meet, asking each swimmer to race in one new event,” Crawford related. “I wanted to expand their comfort level and not have them burn out by swimming the same event weekdays and weekends. “It was a good meet to try some new things." Using that approach sacrificed some points the Hornets might otherwise have scored, as Crawford expected. "We did not get as many points as we could have, but it was a good meet early in the season to try some new things,” the coach related. “The same was true in the relays where we used some different combinations." Chillicothe's highest finish in any race was Stephan Franke's win in the 100-yard freestyle in 52.51 seconds. The sophomore, already qualified for the state meet in a couple of events, finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Hornets had three third-place finishes: Charles Greenlaw in the 100 freestyle, Ari Coleman in the 200 freestyle, and the 400 freestyle relay group of Greenlaw, Jacob Stull, Spencer Whiteside, and Coleman. In an apparent first in the second-year team's history, the Hornets had a couple of racers get disqualified for failing to touch the wall on their turns. Hornet
Swimmers Improve in First Invitational RAYTOWN - The 2006 Chillicothe Hornets swimming team competed in its first large meet of the season Sophomore Stephan Franke led the Hornets contingent with a first and second place in his two individual events, posting state meet-qualifying times in both. As a team, the seven-member Hornets squad finished 11th out of 20 schools. Competing in the invitational, held at the Raytown YMCA, were O'Hara, Raytown, Raytown South, Raymore-Peculiar, Blue Springs, Lee's Summit West, Winnetonka, North Kansas City, KC: St. Pius X, Pembroke Hill, and Barstow, St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond and Central, Lee's Summit, Kearney, Sedalia, Harrisonville, Platte County, Marshall, and Chillicothe. “This was an eye-opening experience for many of our first-year swimmers,” said CHS coach Paulette Crawford. “These invitational meets have many schools and hundreds of swimmers. It is a different atmosphere than the smaller events we attend.” In some individual events, as many as 65 swimmers were competing in just one event. The change of scenery did not hamper the Hornets, however, as five CHS swimmers posted personal bests in their individual events. And both relays also notched best times of the season. Franke, an All-State honorable mention swimmer last season, guaranteed himself a return trip to state in 2006 with qualifying times in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. He took first in the IM (2:04.67) and was second in the butterfly (56.75 seconds). “Stephan was looking forward to the competition this type of meet to help him push for state qualifying times,” said the Hornets coach. “His performance guarantees him a return to the state championships in November.” In the relay competitions, the CHS 400-yard freestyle relay team of Franke, seniors Spencer Whiteside and Charles Greenlaw, and freshman Ari Coleman posted a ninth-place finish with a time of 4:07.61. The 200-yard medley relay team of Coleman, Franke, Greenlaw and senior Jacob Fellhoelter finished 10th in 2:01.66. Coleman posted the next-highest finishes for the Hornets with a 15th place in the 100-yard butterfly (1:11.32) and a 19th in the 200-yard individual medley (2:35.24). He notched a personal-best time in the butterfly, bettering his previous standard by nearly six seconds. “Although it was a new environment, we were able to relax and focus on our own race, and that resulted in several personal-best times,” noted Crawford. In the 50-yard freestyle, four Hornets swimmers improved their times. Greenlaw finished 27th (27.31), Fellhoelter was 37th (29.28), junior Joey Stagg was 44th (30.81), and freshman Jacob Stull was 51st (33.36). In the 100-yard freestyle, both Greenlaw, who finished 22nd (1:00.67), and Whiteside, who finished 38th (1:12.52), posted personal bests. Whiteside also posted a personal best with a 27th-place finish (1:23.81) in the 100-yard backstroke. Stagg was 32nd in that event. Fellhoelter notched a 31st-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:24.28) and Stull finished 44th (1:37.49). Again, both were personal bests. Swim Hornets Create
Ripple of Optimism in Opener HARRISONVILLE - With the growth of the team's roster from three to seven members from the program's inaugural season last winter, the Chillicothe Hornets' boys' swimming team made its debut in relay races during last Thursday's fall 2006 season-opening meet at the Harrisonville Community Center. “It was our first opportunity to compete in relays,” coach Paulette Crawford of the Hornets noted. Chillicothe entered four-swimmer teams in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter medley races, second in the former and fourth in the latter. The combination of Spencer Whiteside, Stephan Franke, Ari Coleman, and Charles Greenlaw swam a time of 2:08.89 in the medley (each swimmer doing a different stroke). In the freestyle, Franke, Jacob Stull, Joey Stagg, and Jacob Fellhoelter posted a time of 1:56.91. “Our swimmers got their first taste of team competition, which was good,” stated the Chillicothe coach. With each swimmer limited to no more than two individual and two relay races, the addition of four swimmers gave Chillicothe more chances to score points, including the relays for which it didn't have enough to enter a year ago. The Hornets ended up third in the four-team standings for the meet, which included about 40 boys. The team champion was Raymore-Peculiar, followed by Kansas City: Archbishop O'Hara, Chillicothe, and Harrisonville. “I was pleased with the excitement our swimmers showed in getting the season started,” remarked Crawford. “Their performances were optimistic for a good season.” Swimming USA veteran Franke, an honorable-mention high school All-Stater as a freshman, opened his 2006 season by winning his two individual events. He took the 100-meter backstroke in 1:00.36 and the 200-meter freestyle in 1:55.6. With his two relay-race finishes, the sophomore tied for meet high-point honors with swimmers from Ray-Pec and Harrisonville. His times in the individual races were each within one second of state-meet qualifying standards. Returning Hornets Charles Greenlaw and Spencer Whiteside, a couple of seniors, demonstrated improvement from a year ago. Greenlaw nabbed second place in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 1:01:52, along with sixth in the 100-meter breaststroke. Whiteside was fifth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 50 freestyle. The four newcomers to the team left a smile on Crawford's face. Freshman Coleman, who was a Swimming USA competitor while living in Utah and California, according to Crawford, but had been out of competition and training for a year or two, took third in the 100-meter butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke. He was 10th in the high-point standings. Senior Jacob Fellhoelter had a pair of seventh places in the 100-meter breaststroke and 50 freestyle. Junior Joey Stagg took 11th in the 50 free while freshman Jacob Stull was 12th in the 50 free and nine in the 100-meter breaststroke. “I believe the competitive nature of several of the athletes came out in this first meet,” Crawford stated with pride. “Several of them exceeded what I expected of them, based on their practice times.” “Our first-year swimmers learned quickly how important the techniques and details we work on in practice can affect their times in a race,” the coach continued. “It was a learning experience for them.” The water Hornets are to compete in a four-team meet at the St. Joseph YMCA today St. Joseph: Central and Bishop LeBlond and Harrisonville.
2006 Swimming Hornets
Have 233 Percent Larger Roster The Chillicothe swimming Hornets experienced exponential growth in their roster size from their inaugural 2005-06 season to the new 2006 campaign which starts for them Thursday with a meet at Harrisonville. Coach Paulette Crawford has seven swimmers with which to work as the sport switches from the winter season to fall this school year. Of those seven, three are the young men who comprised the first-ever water Hornets - now-seniors Spencer Whiteside and Charles Greenlaw and now-sophomore Stephan Franke, who earned All-State honorable mention status last February with a 10th-place finish in the 200-meter individual medley at the state championships at St. Peters. Joining them as newcomers are senior Jacob Fellhoelter, junior Joey Stagg, and freshmen Jacob Stull and Ari Coleman. Of the four neophytes, there is good news - Coleman has competitive swimming experience. Like Franke, he has been involved in non-school swimming through the Swimming USA organization in Utah and California, according to Crawford, although he has not the past year or two. “He'll need to build his endurance and strength back up,” the coach says of the youngster. She admits the other three new Hornets are “pretty raw,” having to go through the basic competitive swimming skills (turns, starts, etc.) Greenlaw and Whiteside had to learn last year. As for her two returning seniors, Crawford reports, “They're looking forward to the season. They feel they're better than they were last year because they have the basics down better.” Those two have been able to focus more on building up their endurance and speed more quickly this year. Early in the season, Whiteside and Greenlaw likely will swim mostly the same events in which they were involved last year, in order “to see where they are, compared to last year,” the coach reported last night. “They both feel they can try some new events this year.” Franke, coached by Crawford during his spring and summer Swimming USA action, had mixed results during that this year, the coach noted, improving his times on some occasions, but not as consistently as in his previous years. Moving up to an older level in Swimming USA and having seen older competitors in high school last year, Franke also is learning he needs to work even more. “He's found out you have to put in more work, including outside the pool,” Crawford stated. She anticipates Franke again will have no trouble posting the necessary times in regular-season meets to qualify for the state meet in numerous events again. Chillicothe will host a meet this year, Oct. 2 at the
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CHS Cross Country
Team Coming on Fast
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The Chillicothe High School boys' cross country team had its greatest accomplishments in years this fall, but it is what the future holds which lent an even-greater sense of excitement to the distance running program's annual postseason awards event Tuesday. Running either six or seven underclassmen on its varsity unit all season, Chillicothe had three meet runnerup finishes and was a strong fourth in both the Midland Empire Conference and Class 3 district meets, coach Jill Watkins recapitulated for the assembled group of athletes, their families, and other supporters of the cross country program. Twenty runners - 19 boys and one girl - were honored guests at the event, held in the CHS media center (library). Each of the team members was introduced by Watkins, who recounted some of their performance highlights of the season as well as sharing insights and anecdotes about them. The event concluded with Watkins announcing her choices for two special awards. Getting the Coach's Award symbolic of being the program's most outstanding runner was sophomore Casey Pryor, who medaled in every meet except the state meet, where he finished a solid 72nd out of over 170 entrants. Pryor had the team's fastest race time of the season during the St. Joseph: Benton Invitational meet Sept. 19, when he ran the 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) in 17:42. He also produced one of his three sub-18-minute times at state when he ran a 17:59. The Most Improved Award, recognizing advancement from the previous season to this one, went to another sophomore, Ben Griffin. He medaled in three races. Those who ran at least one meet in the CHS varsity lineup this season included Pryor, Griffin, Steven Taylor, Drew Hinton, Jeremiah Leonard, Ben Nibarger, Parker Leatherman, Tim Derrickson, Daniel Riekena, Chase Whiteside, Chris Rogers, and Weston Baker. Of those dozen, only Rogers, Nibarger, and Leonard are seniors. Most are sophomores. With that youthful nucleus, Watkins believes the Hornets could challenge for meet victories in 2007 and beyond. During the season, Chillicothe had three runnerup finishes as a team - in its own season-opening meet, at Benton, and at the St. Joseph: Lafayette Invitational. Receiving special praise during Watkins' comments was the only female runner Chillicothe had - junior Brittanee Jacobs. It was her second-straight year with that distinction. Running at the varsity level in all but one race this season, Jacobs consistently improved her performance, capping her year with her best time - 24:12 at the district meet. Pryor is CHS' Only '06
State Cross Country Qualifier
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm KEARNEY - Sophomore Casey Pryor, the Chillicothe Hornets' top cross country runner all season, on Saturday became the lone 2006 Hornet to qualify for next week's state meet, finishing seventh in the Class 3 District 8 meet at Kearney's Jesse James Park. Pryor, who earned all-district status, ran an 18:03, 1:05 behind winner Dalton Moberly of Kearney, but right in the middle of the top-15 group which qualified for this Saturday's 10:10 a.m. state race at Jefferson City. “Casey was focused and ran one of his best races of the season,” praised CHS coach Jill Watkins, whose team produced a strong overall performance to earn fourth among eight participating schools. “The district race is a high-stakes race because cross country runners' aspirations for advancing to state depend on one day, one race, one course, and one time,” the coach explained. “Due to this, runners face tremendous stress and anxiety. “All of our runners were very nervous. However, they all used that nervous energy to spur their adrenaline levels. I was proud of their efforts and accomplishments.” Five other Hornets underclassmen finished between 18th and 26th place. Sophomore Ben Griffin was 18th in 18:58, sophomore Chase Whiteside 20th in a personal-best 19:02, sophomore Steven Taylor 21st in 19:12, freshman Daniel Riekena 25th in 19:30, and sophomore Tim Derrickson 26th in 19:43. Rounding out the CHS lineup at district was senior Chris Rogers, who took 33rd in 20:02. Chillicothe's lone girl runner, junior Brittanee Jacobs, was 31st in 24:12. Ashton Stubbs of Platte County won the girls' race in 20:20. Pryor, who will make his first trip to state, was able to withstand a hot early pace and, while holding steady, time-wise, move up as others started wilting, Watkins reported. “He started extremely fast (just over the 5-minutes-per-mile mark),” the coach said. “However, he actually ran the first mile between 10th and 15th place. That just proves how fast the pack was running at the start. “However, Casey did an excellent job of maintaining his race pace while many in the pack fell back. He worked his way to the ninth spot by the two-mile markŠ (and) stayed mentally focused and worked up to a seventh-place finish.” kearney won the boys' team title with 30 points, followed by St. Joseph: Benton with 74, Platte County with 85, and Chillicothe with 90. Hornets Harriers Eighth
Among 36 Teams at Richmond
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm RICHMOND - With more than 100 runners from 36 schools participating, the Chillicothe cross country Hornets finished eighth in their final meet of the regular season, the Richmond Invitational, yesterday. The varsity and junior-varsity Hornets each had one medalist (top-20 finish). Sophomore Casey Pryor posted a time of 18:10 as he finished 12th in the varsity boys' 3.1-mile trek and classmate Drew Hinton ran a 20:09 to take 18th in the junior-varsity event, also over a course of five kilometers. “Each of these runners had excellent starts in his respective race,” Chillicothe coach Jill Watkins related, “which was critical due to the number of runners in each race. There were 36 schools participating in the meet and over 100 runners in each race. “This makes for a chaotic start, so is was imperative that the runners get out fast in order to avoid being tripped and to avoid congestion on the course at early stages of the race which could slow runners down.” Team-wise, the varsity Hornets totaled 171 points, only three behind seventh-place Lawson. Next across the line behind Pryor for Chillicothe was Tim Derrickson in 36th place, with Ben Griffin and Steven Taylor in tandem in 46th and 47th, Daniel Riekena 56th, Chase Whiteside 66th, and senior Chris Rogers 69th. Senior Rogers and freshman Riekena are the only non-sophomores among that septet, all of whom eclipsed 20 minutes. “Chris's success at this meet was due to his change of strategy,” the CHS coach explained. “He realized at the last meet that a faster time and an improved overall finish is possible if you race competitively from the gun. Usually Chris hangs back the first mile or so, pacing himself so that he has a strong finish. This strategy works if you are just trying to finish; however, the strategy is not effective when trying to compete for a top finish. “While Chris's overall placement was not high enough to earn him an individual medal, his approach and attack of the race allowed him to easily secure a personal best time.” Chillicothe's lone girl cross country runner, junior Brittanee Jacobs, was 83rd in the varsity girls division, running a 24:52. On the junior-varsity level, sophomore Parker Leatherman missed a medal by one spot, placing 21st in 20:13, only four seconds behind Hinton. “I'm so proud of all of these runners,” Watkins praised. “Some of these guys ran this year for the first time. However, their improvement is unbelievable. “Running is one of those sports that take mental toughness, tenacity, and I'm proud of each one of these runners for challenging himself at each race to do the best he could.” The varsity Hornets will run in the Class 3 District 8 meet at Kearney's Jesse James Park next Saturday. Cross
Country Hornets Take Fourth in MEC Meet PLATTE CITY - Sophomore Casey Pryor of the Chillicothe Hornets took eighth place in the Midland Empire Conference cross country meet Tuesday, giving the Hornets one conference meet medalist for the second year in a row. Pryor, the Hornets' top runner all season and a potential state qualifier in the Oct. 28 Class 3 district meet, ran the 3.1 miles over the Platte Ridge Park layout in 18:37. That was 51 seconds behind the 2006 MEC champion, Andrew Kennedy of St. Joseph: Benton. Two teammates of Pryor narrowly missed being medalists. Ben Griffin was 15th and Steven Taylor 16th, but only the top 14 were awarded medals. As a team, the Hornets scored 72 points, putting them fourth behind champion Benton (44), Smithville (52), and Platte County (62). Chillicothe took third last year and, based on some of their meets this year, had hoped to be much closer to Benton and perhaps secure second place Tuesday. “We'll just have to work hard in practice over the next week, stay focused, support each other, and get ready for districts next week,” remarked CHS coach Jill Watkins. “This wasn't Casey's best time of the season, but he still ran a strong race,” Watkins assessed. “Casey stayed in the top ten spots throughout the entire race. He started at a conservative pace and ran most of the race in eighth spot.” The day had some disappointment for Griffin, Taylor, and Tim Derrickson of the Hornets, the coach admitted. “Ben, Steven, and Timmy ran good races,” she commented, “However, on this day, (none of them) ran as well as they would have liked to. Their times were still respectable (19:00 for Griffin, 19:12 for Taylor, and 19:24 for Derrickson). Unfortunately in cross country, conference honors are based on one race on one day. Even though these three runners beat many of the runners that finished ahead of them (Tuesday) in previous races this year, today they finished just outside the medal hunt.” Rounding out the Hornets' varsity lineup at conference were freshman Daniel Riekena (22nd in 19:39), Chase Whiteside (25th in 19:46), and Parker Leatherman (35th in 21:00). Of the seven Chillicothe varsity lineup members, all are sophomores except for freshman Riekena. “ Daniel Riekena and Chase Whiteside ran competitive races, as well,” noted Watkins. Pryor and Griffin were in the CHS varsity lineup last year for the MEC meet Chillicothe hosted. Pryor placed 21st and Griffin 25th in a race which saw then-senior Brett Dowell be the only Hornets medalist with a fifth-place finish. Chillicothe's lone female runner yesterday, junior Brittanee Jacobs, was 26th in 24:39. Although no team standings were kept at the junior-varsity level, Chillicothe was very strong with five of the top nine (in fact, sweeping fifth through ninth). Senior Chris Rogers led the JV Hornets with a 20:41 time, followed in order in the top 10 by senior Ben Nibarger, sophomore Drew Hinton, and juniors Weston Baker and Ryan Riggs. Cross country Hornets bounce back at Excelsior Springs EXCELSIOR SPRINGS - Neither the heat nor a strong, huge field could keep the Chillicothe cross country Hornets from bouncing back strong Tuesday from their disappointing showing this past Saturday. "Mentally, the runners were prepared. We had a terrible race Saturday, and it was critical that we had solid performances today. Every varsity runner ran a strong race." The third-place team finish earned all of Chillicothe's varsity runners a team medal. "Earning team medals at this meet (a first-time occurrence) was a huge step for our program," the coach declared. "I'm so proud of these runners. Cross country is a tough sport. Practice is demanding and the competition is stiff. However, our team is proving that hard work and team unity can create positive results. We've been working for the last four years to develop a competitive team and this year we¹re seeing results."
"Casey was thrilled with his race, as he should be," Watkins said. "He ran the first mile of the race in 16th place and looked extremely relaxed. Then he started running faster and faster, and before he hit the 2-mile marker, he had moved up to (11th)." "The biggest difference I see in Casey¹s running this season is that he runs with confidence. When he¹s on the line at the start of the race, he¹s confident. His stride is strong and his focus never wavers." Also breaking 20 minutes for the Hornets on the tough layout were sophomores Tim Derrickson (19:34) and Ben Griffin (19:38) with sophomore Steven Taylor and freshman Daniel Riekena just over 20 minutes. Due to the record heat (Chillicothe had a high of 94 Tuesday), the junior-varsity races were trimmed to 3,200 meters from 5,000. Watkins put the only girl in the CHS program Brittannee Jacobs in that race, due to the many large schools on hand, and she finished 37th. On the boys¹ side, Jeremiah Leonard had the best finish 50th with John Riekena right behind. Cameron Lollar, Chillicothe¹s only entrant in the 2-mile freshman boys¹ division, placed 26th. CHS Cross Country
Boys Second at Benton Meet ST. JOSEPH - With a pair of sophomores leading the way with medal-earning runs, the Chillicothe Hornets cross country team finished second in Tuesday's Benton Invitational meet, its best finish in a meet (outside of its small-scale own meet) during the four-year tenure of current coach Jill Watkins and at least a year before that. “I knew that this meet posed an opportunity for our runners,” Watkins remarked. “Based on our team score at (last week's) Platte County meet, I realized it was possible for our team to place in the top two at Benton. “I kept telling the runners every place counted and that it was critical for each runner to run his best in order to give our team a shot at a top finish.” Chillicothe's top-five team scoring total was 89 points, 30 behind host and champion Benton. St. Joseph: Central was a close third with 95. “Earning first or second place at a meet was one of our pre-season goals as a team,” related the CHS coach. “I knew our team had the talent; however, making sure each runner followed through with a solid performance was something we had struggled with in the past. (Tuesday), however, the top six varsity runners ran personal-best times, which enabled us to lower our team score to a competitive (total).” By placing second in the team standings, all seven Chillicothe varsity runners - Casey Pryor, Steven Taylor, Tim Derrickson, Ben Griffin, Daniel Riekena, Chase Whiteside, and Parker Leatherman - earned team medals. Pryor ran a blazing 17:42 to nab third place individually, with Taylor 50 seconds back of him in 15th. “Casey set out with two goals this meet - to medal and to break his personal-best time (18:42), which he set at this meet a year ago,” Watkins reported. “I haven't had a runner post a time this fast in the last four years.” Additionally, Pryor was the first varsity boys runner in Watkins' four years of coaching to medal in the top three places in the Benton Invitational. He improved on his best finish last year of seventh. Hornets Harriers Home Show
C-T photo / Paul Sturm On a splendid day for it, the third-annual Chillicothe Invitation high school cross country meet took place on its third different course Tuesday. After being on the front nine holes of the Green Hills Golf Course in 2004 and GHGC's back nine last year, yesterday's four-school (CHS, Kirksville, St. Joseph: Lafayette, Fulton) event was run over a winding route through virtually every nook and cranny of the city's heavily-shaded Simpson Park. Kirksville's boys' and girls' teams earned the team titles in both varsity divisions, but Chillicothe's varsity boys had four medalists (top 10 finishers) in their opening 2006 meet and the JV Hornets, led by winner Tim Derrickson, put all six team members in the top nine in pacing their division. CHS freshman Daniel Riekena won that division with a great time. The Kirksville boys' team score was 27 points, 10 better than Chillicothe's 37. The KHS Lady Tigers had a 26 score, 15 ahead of runnerup Fulton. Chillicothe does not have a girls' team - only one runner, Brittanee Jacobs. Not every school had a team or even entries in every race. “This was our third Chillicothe Invitational and our third course change,” CHS coach Jill Watkins reflected. “This year we ran in Simpson Park, and the course was challenging. “The course included many hills, including “Armory Hill,” the steep incline from near Walnut Street to the west side of the National Guard Armory building. “Many spectators questioned if the course was long, but it was exactly 3.1 miles. The times, however, seemed slow due to the hilly terrain,” Watkins stated. Because some lacked the state-required minimum number of practices, not all 23 (a CHS record) Chillicothe team members (22 boys, one girl) were able to participate in the home meet, which - aside from a starting gun malfunction after one race - came off seemingly without a hitch. The boys' varsity race was the last of the four events run (the freshman boys' and junior-varsity girls' races were run simultaneously, followed by the JV boys', varsity girls', and varsity boys' races). It saw Kirksville prevail, but saw the Hornets match it in the number of medalists. For Chillicothe, sophomore Casey Pryor was first across the finish line, taking third overall in 20:27. Ben Griffin was fourth in 20:46, Steven Taylor sixth inn 21:20, and Drew Hinton 10th in 22:03 to also take home medals. “The team ran extremely well,” the always-positive Watkins commented. “I was impressed with our efforts and our potential. Even though our varsity team took second, the guys ran very hard, and each runner tried to improve his place/position throughout the race in order to give our team the best chance possible at winning our own meet.” Near the end of the 5-kilometer boys' race, Watkins said three first-time runners responded to a challenge she gave them. “Throughout the last stretch of 200 meters, I told three of our runners that each one had to pass at least one Kirksville runner in order to give our team a chance at the team win,” she related afterward. “All three (Taylor, Hinton, and Jeremiah Leonard) rose to the challenge and sprinted up the last hill to the finish chute. All three passed at least one Kirksville runner. This effort did make a difference in our overall score; however, their tenacity and focus impressed me more than anything. “Each runner on the varsity team knew how important each position was, and they ran with heart, not only for individual medals but, more importantly, for the team.” Pryor, although only a sophomore, bears a team leadership role this year, the coach said. He opened with a solid race, surpassing his best varsity finish (fourth) of his freshman year. “He's learning how to run fast individual times and lead a team by setting a competitive pace,” the coach revealed. Griffin also ran strongly. “Ben has improved so much between last year and this year that he almost runs like a different runner,” says the coach. “He has figured out that part of cross country is strategy and he knows how to find a solid pace and keep it. By running this way, Ben was able to run consistent mile split times. He also has a strong kick at the end of the race.” The lone Lady Hornet, Jacobs, earned 15th place with a time of 28:57, a finish and time she indicated left her disappointed.
Riekena's younger brother, Daniel, produced possibly the most remarkable performance of the day, running a 21:19 in the freshman race. That was Chillicothe's third-best overall time from any division.” “He ran an extremely fast first mile, probably one of the fastest mile times he's ever run,” the CHS coach noted. “He had a competitor on his heels for the first mile and a half, but then Daniel just kept putting distance between himself and the second-place runner. “Daniel ran a strong, impressive race. I don't think he even realizes how well he ran.” If he can continue to post cmparable times, he'll likely join Derrickson in dashing into the varsity lineup. The cross country Hornets' next action will be at Platte County Thursday, Sept. 14. Coach Watkins expressed her appreciation to those who played a role in executing the hosting of Tuesday's races, the first of which began at 4 p.m. and the last of which didn't conclude until about 6:30. “I would like to thank, for their support and assistance, Ed Crawford and the Chillicothe Parks and Recreation, the Chillicothe Country Club, Sonja Griesbach, Patti and Dan Leatherman, Terry and Julie Nibarger, Gary Hinton, Tom Gatson, Becky Griffin, Tim and Tammy Riekena, Marty Rogers, Phil Willard, The Cresset yearbook staff, Bev and Garry Croy, Wes Watkins, and managers Carter Lindley and Greg Griesbach,” she listed. A small portion of the race course extended onto the southwest corner of the country club's golf course. Read our Fall Sports Archives. |
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Young Lady Hornets
Golfers Encouraged to Devote Time
Hit the course between now and then to maximize your potential was the overriding message Chillicothe girls' golf coach Vickie Garrett imparted to her 2006 team members at last Wednesday's annual postseason awards dinner, held at Royal Inn Café. With a roster which included only one senior - Betsy Brick - and a varsity lineup virtually exclusively comprised of underclassmen all season, Garrett repeatedly reminder the team members as she introduced them to spend more time playing during the spring and summer in order to enhance their performance with the Lady Hornets in 2007. “You've heard it before,” the coach reiterated. “You don't become a good golfer between August and October (the course of the school season). You have to do it between now and next August.” Garrett indicated she'll be making the prospective returnees aware of many opportunities to play in non-school tournaments next summer and encouraged them to enter as many as possible. “That way, we'll be over the jitters and ready to play right from the start of the season next year,” she said. The Chillicothe coach noted that Chillicothe's home Green Hills Golf Course will be the site of next year's state-qualifying district tournament, an extra incentive to play it as often as the players can during the spring and summer. This year's team - despite losing three players from the 2005 state runnerup team to graduation and a fourth to another sport this fall - produced, in terms of dual-match wins and losses, a remarkably-successful season nonetheless. Chillicothe went 12-2 in dual matches, losing only to Marceline and Cameron. The Lady Hornets got the better of Marceline in a subsequent dual. In tournament play, their best outing was a strong runnerup finish to Savannah in the Midland Empire Conference tournament at Cameron. Three Lady Hornets - repeat state qualifier Katelin Gann, Shelby Wayman, and Chloie Allen - each earned all-conference status. Gann's 14th-place finish in the district tournament earned her all-district laurels again and a second-straight chance to play in the state tournament. At Springfield, in a tourney reduced from 36 to 18 holes because of rain, Gann improved her final standing from a year ago, moving up eight spots to 81st place among 119 golfers. She also improved her state score. Gann and partner Melissa Cooper also provided a season highlight by winning the first-place medal in the “alternate shot” portion of the Platte County Tournament, the CHS coach related. “I feel this was a successful season, for this young, inexperienced team,” Garrett told the players, families, and supporters gathered for the awards event. The coach presented one special award for the season. Freshman Allen earned it by having the lowest scoring average, 29.77 strokes per nine holes. She also had the team's overall lowest nine-hole round of the 2006 season, shooting a 42 in a dual against Platte County. Seven of the 10 players on this year's CHS team were presented varsity letters. They included senior Brick, juniors Wayman and Gann, sophomores Melissa Cooper, Maddie Anderson, and Vanessa Jones, and freshman Allen. Gann Improves at
State Golf
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm SPRINGFIELD - Junior Katelin Gann of the Chillicothe Lady Hornets shot a 53-58-111 Tuesday to place 81st in the abbreviated 2006 Class 1 high school girls' golf state tournament at Fremont Hills Country Club. Because of a cancellation due to rain Monday, the tournament was only 18 holes this year, rather than 36. For Gann, who was making a second-straight appearance in the state tourney, the showing was an improvement over her 2005 performance. Last year, she was tied for 102nd place after a first-day 111 before improving to a 105 on the second day to be 89th. “With a two-day tournament, most of the players play and get the jitters out the first day and come back and score better the second day,” Chillicothe coach Vickie Garrett commented, “so not playing Monday was a disadvantage for all the girls.” As for Gann, the CHS coach assessed, “Her short game still needs work. That's been (her trouble spot) all year. She has a pretty good driving game.” The Midland Empire Conference had one player medal. Freshman Kate Gallagher of Savannah was 11th with an 84. Gann Can
C-T photo / Paul Sturm CAMERON - Katelin Gann of the Chillicothe Lady Hornets is going back to the state golf tournament. By the narrowest of margins, freshman teammate Chloie Allen won't be. Junior Gann, who earned a trip to the 2005 state tourney and also was part of last year's team which finished second in the state, shot a 104 at the Cameron Country Club yesterday to tie for 12th place and net one of the last two individual state berths. Allen was right behind Gann with a 105, but that single-stroke difference was enough to keep her on the outside, looking in, at the Oct. 16-17 state tourney on Springfield's Fremont Hills Golf Course. Allen and Taylor Cox of Trenton, who also shot 105, tied for 14th overall, meaning they receive all-district recognition, but shared the 11th-best score among players not on the district's team champion, Hamilton. Unfortunately for those two, only the top 10 scores aside from those on the Hamilton team get the chance to move on to state. As a team, Chillicothe's Lady Hornets - who had won four-straight district team titles before having a nearly-full turnover of personnel this season - posted a 428 low-four team score, good for fifth place among the 10 teams. Added to Gann's and Allen's scores to tabulate the senior-less CHS team total were the 106 of junior Shelby Wayman and sophomore Melissa Cooper's 113. Wayman finished 16th, right behind Allen and Cox, while Cooper was 26th. Chillicothe's Maddie Anderson fired a 116, good for 28th. By nabbing the final qualifying spot, Gann extends Chillicothe's string of consecutive years with a state tournament qualifier to 16. The only time in the last 23 years CHS has hadn't at least one player at state was 1990. As a sophomore last year, Gann shot 220 for 36 holes at the Silo Ridge Golf & Country Club at Bolivar, placing 89th out of 121 players. Golf Lady Hornets
Best Marceline, Brookfield BROOKFIELD - Utilizing some of its most-balanced scoring of the 2006 season, the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets picked up a pair of close dual-match victories yesterday. At the par-40 Brookfield Country Club course, Chillicothe posted a low-four team score of 202, nipping Marceline by a shot and host Brookfield by seven. Leading the way as CHS improved to 9-2 on the season in duals was junior Katelin Gann. Her 48 was the day's second-best round, behind the 45 of Rosalee Forbes of Brookfield. Gann had three teammates not far behind. Chloie Allen, who just moved back past Gann into the No. 1 slot in the Lady Hornets lineup this week, posted a 50. Shelby Wayman was another stroke back at 51, and fellow sophomore Melissa Cooper had a 53. While Forbes, No. 1 in the BHS lineup, had a three-stroke advantage over the next-best round, her supporting cast had difficulty. Brookfield's second-best scores were 54s by Dana Stauffer and Brooke Herrington. Marceline had balance virtually identical to Chillicothe's. The only difference between the two teams' low-four scores was Gann was one shot better than Marceline's No. 1 golfer, Adrienne Taylor, who posted a 49. The junior-varsity match, with each team having a full five-player complement, went to Marceline by eight strokes over Brookfield, 241-249. It had a 26-shot margin over Chillicothe. The CHS jayvees' best round came from Vanessa Jones, who had a 62. The overall best JV total was the 55 by Brittany Porter of Marceline. With the district tournament at Cameron next week, the golf Lady Hornets are slated for a rare 2006 home match Monday, hosting Savannah. It's the last of only four home appearances for the CHS golf girls this season and their first since Sept. 7. Golf Lady Hornets
Best Smithville SMITHVILLE - Despite lineup-wide struggles, the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets nevertheless notched another dual-match victory Monday in their first competition in seven days. Rounds that added a half-stroke to a stroke to nearly everyone's average still were enough for the Lady Hornets to improve to 6-1 in duals with a 228-247 win over Smithville. Chillicothe was led by No. 1 player Katelin Gann, whose 53 inched her average just back of 50 shots per nine holes. Chloie Allen and Maddie Anderson each had 58s, Shelby Wayman a 59, and Melissa Cooper a 60 for Chillicothe. Cooper's total was dropped to figure the Lady Hornets' low-four team score. Smithville's top player, Emily Purdue, was match medalist with a 52. Smithville does not have a junior-varsity team. The golf Lady Hornets' next action is due to be Thursday in the Brookfield Invitational tournament. It's due to begin at 8:30 a.m. Golf Lady Hornets
Improve Scores in Tough Sedalia Tourney Monday SEDALIA - Facing a very strong 23-team field in yesterday's Sedalia Smith-Cotton Invitational tournament, the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets improved their low-four team score by 30 strokes from last week's also-strong Richmond Invitational while finishing in 13th place again. After no Lady Hornet got below triple digits at Richmond, two were in the 90s Monday as Chillicothe registered a 398 team score, only three shots away from 11th place. Leading the way for the Lady Hornets was No. 1 player Katelin Gann. The junior, a 2005 state tournament qualifier, carded a 49-47-94 at the Sedalia Country Club course. Two shots behind Gann was freshman No. 2 player Chloie Allen, who matched Gann's 47 on her second nine holes after going out in 51. Shelby Wayman also shot better on her second nine, going 51-50-101, to have the team's third-best score. Completing the Lady Hornets' low-four group was No. 3 player Melissa Cooper with a 50-53-103. That's the same scoring No. 4 player Maddie Anderson had. In such a case, the higher-slotted player's score is counted. The tournament included a number of the same schools which participated in last Wednesday's Richmond event, with the top two teams there finishing in the same order at Sedalia. Defending Class 1 state champion Kansas City: Pembroke Hill won the team title with a 316, this time only five shots ahead of KC: Notre Dame de Sion. At Richmond, Notre Dame de Sion was 40 shots in arrears of Pembroke Hill's 319 winning total. Allen, Wayman lead
CHS golfers Well-timed career-best rounds by three Chillicothe Lady Hornets golfers carried CHS to a varsity and junior-varsity matches sweep of Platte County yesterday at Chillicothe's Green Hills Golf Course. Freshman Chloie Allen and junior Shelby Wayman had their best competition scores ever - a 42 and 46, respectively, to lift the Lady Hornets past Platte County 189-191. On the junior-varsity level, Betsy Brick, the only senior on this year's Chillicothe roster, enjoyed her own career-low round, firing a 46 as Chillicothe bested Platte County 229-248. In addition to match medalist Allen's 42 and Wayman's 46, the Lady Hornets' No. 1 player, Katelin Gann, also was in the 40s with a 49. That was enough to fend off the Lady Pirates, who also had three scorers in the 40s. Rounding out Chillicothe's low-four scoring list was No. 3 Melissa Cooper's 52. Maddie Anderson also carded a 52. Playing a third-consecutive day, the golf Lady Hornets improved their dual-match record to a very good 5-1. They'll play in the Sedalia tourney Monday. Gann Paces CHS
Golfers to Two Wins in Quad Match Katelin Gann became the first Chillicothe Lady Hornets golfer to post a second sub-50 round yesterday (Tuesday), shooting a 45 to lead CHS to two victories in a quadrangular home match with Marceline, St. Joseph: Lafayette, and St. Joseph: Benton. Marceline had the day's best low-four score, a 194, at Green Hills Golf Course. Chillicothe was right behind at 196, followed distantly by Lafayette's 241 and Benton's 270. Firing the team's best round to date this fall - one stroke better than her own 46 in the season opener, junior Gann improved her average to 47.7 through 27 holes this young season. Joining her in the 40s was sophomore Melissa Cooper, who fired a 49. Completing Chillicothe's team count were Maddie Anderson with a 50 and Vanessa Jones with a 52. That's Jones' best yet this year. Not included in the CHS team scoring was the 55 by freshman Chloie Allen. The varsity match medalist was Adrienne Taylor of Marceline, who had a 42. Inexperienced
Links Lady Hornets Face Big ‘Challenge'
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm For the past four years, the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets have ridden high, mainly on the strength of the talents of a trio of classmates headed by record-setting, four-time state medalist Madison Marcolla. That wave of success reached its crest last October when the Lady Hornets, with Marcolla, fellow state medalist Sarah Sivill, and state 25th-place finisher Maggie Weldon leading the way, cowabungaed to a second-place finish in the Class 1 state tournament at Bolivar. However, even while that run of excellence was in progress, there was the realization that, come 2006, those standouts would no longer be around. That is now. CHS coach Vickie Garrett's 2006 team has only a few players who were even part of last year's program and only one varsity regular, Katelin Gann, both an all-MEC and all-district player as a sophomore. Gann and fellow junior Shelby Wayman battled for the No. 5 varsity spot as sophomores a year ago before Gann settled in. With Mollie Marcolla, who played No. 4 in 2005, opting to play tennis this year, those two will be needed to use their experience to become solid varsity contributors in 2006. “This is a rebuilding season for us,” understates Garrett, who has guided the Lady Hornets to not only five-consecutive conference championships, but also five-successive appearances in state play. Helping to meet the challenge of rebuilding apparently will be a freshman. Heading into the final few days of preseason practice, the coach reports, ninth grader Chloie Allen is challenging for the No. 1 spot in the lineup. The other members of the 10-player golf squad are holdovers Betsy Brick, the only senior out, junior newcomer Stephanie Wiedmier, sophomore returnees Vanessa Jones, Maddie Anderson, Melissa Cooper, and freshmen Lauren Crawford and Amber Kieffer. “We're going to be a very young, inexperienced team, but they're very motivated,” Garrett says. Garrett sees Platte County and Savannah as top 2006 challengers to the Lady Hornets' status as conference champions. “We're really going to have to be motivated and focused,” the coach admits. “We've got quite a challenge ahead. “ Read our Fall Sports Archives too! |
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Volleyball Lady Hornets
Showed Guts, Battling Back From Slow Start A season which could have deteriorated into something very ugly, results-wise, was salvaged by a determined group of Chillicothe varsity volleyball players, head coach Karen Jackson shared with those attending the program's postseason awards event in the Chillicothe High School commons last night. The first-year head coach saw her club drop its first 11 matches, but didn't fold. Instead, she related with pride, the Lady Hornets played over .500 ball the last two-thirds of their season, winning 10 of the last 18 matches to finish 10-19. They also posted victories in their last two Midland Empire Conference matches to assure, with a 2-5 record, that they would not be relegated to the league basement. Jackson disclosed that senior Natalie Hughes was honored with selection to the all-MEC and all-district tournament teams chosen by coaches. Receiving honorable mention on the all-conference team was junior Holly Williams. The coach also announced three special team award recipients. Receiving the Coaches' Award for overall team contributions and dedication was senior Megan Sharp. In statistical awards, Hughes earned the serving percentage honor with 96 percent accuracy on her serves during the year and the award for most defensive digs went to Williams with 126. In addition to the season turnaround Jackson cited, she also pointed out the second-place finish in the Carrollton Quad and a fifth-place finish in the Northland Tournament at Smithville as other highlights of the Lady Hornets' 2006 season. The coach presented her eight varsity players and letter winners, recapping briefly some of their statistical accomplishments. There were five seniors among the eight - Cally Gannan, Xan Colvin, Claire Constant, Hughes, and Sharp. Hughes topped the club in kills (95) in addition to serve percentage, while Gannan led in serve attempts (210) and Constant - a newcomer to the sport this year - paced the team in blocks (77). Colvin was second on the team in assists. The other three letter winners were juniors Heidi McCoy, Meghan Perry, and Williams. Perry led the Lady Hornets in assists (316), Williams led in digs (126), and McCoy was second in both kills and digs. Also presented a letter was varsity team manager Kendra Ballantyne. Jackson expressed her thanks to a number of individuals - parents, school officials, and others - who supported the program in a variety of ways. Junior-varsity coach Jim Wheeler introduced the players from the team he guided and Jackson introduced the freshman team members. Volleyball Lady Hornets
End Season With District Defeat
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm ST. JOSEPH - In meeting the St. Joseph: Lafayette Lady Irish for a third time in 2006, the Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets tried a different approach in an attempt to avoid duplicating their previous two losses to Lafayette. It didn't work. Once again last Monday, the Lady Hornets spikers and Lady Irish needed a third game to decide their match - this one in the first round of the six-team Class 3 district tournament hosted by Benton High School in St. Joseph. Once again, it was the Lady Irish who emerged victorious, this time ending Chillicothe's season. Third-seeded Lafayette dominated the decisive game Monday, advancing to tonight's semifinals against second-seeded Cameron with a 25-17, 16-25, 25-10 verdict. The outcome ended the Lady Hornets season with a 10-19 record in their first year under the tutelage of Karen Jackson, who'd been the assistant to Pam Gabel for a couple of years. Having played improved volleyball the last month, going 10-8 after losing their first 11 matches, the Lady Hornets hoped to ride their growing confidence, proficiency, and momentum- they had won four of their last five matches - to a district upset or two. However, that didn't pan out. Two of the losses prior to last night had come at the hands of Lafayette in matches - one at home and one at Lafayette's gym - in which Chillicothe had won a very close first game, then faltered to lose each of the last two games by clear-cut and sometimes large margins. Chillicothe dropped the first game, but rebounded with a strong second game to win by a decisive, nine-point margin. If the Lady Hornets could sustain their advantage through the third game, they'd have a good chance at pulling off the surprise, but it wasn't to be. Instead, Lafayette took control and ran off and hid, posting an easy 15-point win to ring the curtain down on the CHS spikers' 2006 campaign. Statistically, the Lady Hornets had double-digit performances from three individuals in four categories and nearly had twin figures by someone in each area. Senior Claire Constant, who played the sport only this season, had a team season-high in blocks for a single match with 10. Both her and the team's previous best was six. In net offense, another senior, Natalie Hughes, led Chillicothe with nine kills, again a team-high for 2006. Junior setter Meghan Perry led the CHS serving with 11 points won on her serve and also topped the ball distribution with 15 assists. Fellow junior Holly Williams paced the rally defense with 10 digs, with classmate Heidi McCoy getting six. Cally Gannan, a senior, was the second-leading server with eight points won, while, at the net, senior Megan Sharp made five blocks and Constant added five kills to her blocking. CHS Spikers Claim
Win at Benton ST. JOSEPH - It may or may not translate into something good regarding their upcoming postseason play, but the Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets continue to lift their game. The Lady Hornets, once 0-11, posted their 10th victory of 2006 with a 25-8, 18-25, 25-11 road triumph at St. Joseph: Benton Thursday night. The CHS squad, 10-18 heading into the Class 3 district tournament at St. Joseph: Lafayette next week as the lowest (No. 6) seed, had “a great team effort,” coach Karen Jackson remarked. “All the players contributed.” The balanced team effort, which gave the Lady Hornets a 2-5 final record in Midland Empire Conference play, is reflected in the CHS statistics from the match. Junior Meghan Perry was sharp and accurate with her sets, earning 21 assists, while the lefthanded serve of Megan Sharp was on, producing 19 points won. Heidi McCoy had one of the team's better hitting nights with eight kills, while the defense was strong - Claire Constant producing six blocks and Holly Williams and McCoy 12 and 10 digs, respectively. Williams also served 12 points won by Chillicothe. “We played a smart match against a talented Benton team,” saluted Jackson, “using our strengths, finding the open spots, and putting the ball there at the right time.” Benton had won a non-league match in Chillicothe in early September in three games, but the varsity Lady Hornets turned the tables this time to win for the 10th time in its last 17 regular-season matches. Chillicothe begins district play Monday with a 6 p.m. match against third-seeded host Lafayette. The winner of that match would face No. 2 seed Cameron Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. In junior-varsity action last night, Benton dropped Chillicothe to a final 5-18 mark with a 25-23, 25-21 win. In ninth grade action, Benton outlasted the Lady Hornets 25-21, 26-28, 25-19, ending the CHS freshmen's year with a 2-16 record. Volleyball Lady Hornets
Drop ‘Close' Sweep Last night's Chillicothe-Cameron volleyball action was about as closely-contested as could be and still be a straight-games sweep of the varsity, junior-varsity, and freshman matches. In five of the six games played, the losing team topped 20 points, a handful of points or less away from victory. However, getting those final precious points was never quite in Chillicothe's Lady Hornets. Visiting Cameron took all three hard-fought matches - the varsity action the closest at 28-26, 25-21, the JV play by a 26-24, 25-20 count, and the ninth grade competition 25-15, 25-22. The varsity outcome left Chillicothe still winless in Midland Empire Conference outings at 0-4 and dropped it to 2-12 overall. Chillicothe had some strong performances, including 10 points won while Xan Colvin was serving, 11 hustling digs by Heidi McCoy, 12 Meghan Perry assists, and Natalie Hughes' eight kills, which tied the team's season high she'd previously established. Meghan Sharp's three blocks paced the Lady Hornets' net defense while Cally Gannan joined McCoy in providing some deep saves with seven digs. Up front, Holly Williams registered four kills. The volleyball Lady Hornets will host Trenton Monday in what now is a varsity/junior-varsity doubleheader only, according to Phil Willard, CHS athletics director. It still will begin at 5 p.m. Volleyball Lady Hornets
Win During Loss
The Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets came oh-so-close to a match victory at home Monday, but, fading at the end, had to settle for at least winning their first '06 game. The Lady Hornet were nip-and-tuck with St. Joseph: Benton's Lady Cardinals in the first game before going into the equivalent of overtime, tied 24-24. With the first team to gain a two-point lead to prevail, Benton won the next two points and the game. Their confidence enhanced, the Lady Hornets pulled ahead midway through the second game and maintained a lead of several points the rest of the way before closing it out victoriously with Heidi McCoy serving the last few points in a 25-21 win. Chillicothe jumped ahead 4-0 in the decisive third game, but Benton rallied and - with the Lady Hornets suddenly struggling with the receipt of serve - steadily drew farther and farther in front before winning the game 25-11 and the match 2-1. Xan Colvin and McCoy each served nine winning points for CHS. Meghan Perry provided eight assists while, at net, Natalie Hughes made four kills and Claire Constant five blocks. Defensively, Holly Williams and McCoy each had four digs and Hughes three. Benton swept the junior-varsity and freshman action in straight games. Chillicothe's jayvees won their first match of the season this past weekend during the Benton Tournament. The JV Lady Hornets fell to Maryville 14-25, 22-25 in its first pool-play action before whipping Mid-Buchanan 25-10, 25-15. Benton then defeated Chillicothe 4-25, 15-25 to make it the No. 3 team from its pool for seeding the single-elimination bracket competition of the tourney. In its first bracket match, Chillicothe lost to Platte County for a second time this season, 11-25, 6-25, to be eliminated.
C-T photo / Paul Sturm
CHS Spikers
Improve, But Fall SMITHVILLE - The Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets improved noticeably Thursday night, but not enough for it to translate into their first victory. The 2006 CHS squad (0-3, 0-1 MEC) lost in straight games at Smithville, 25-12, 25-23. “We rebounded well from how we performed as a team Tuesday,” CHS coach Karen Jackson assessed. “Tonight, our focus was much better. “The team looked like they were having fun. Playing without a lot of tension is a key,” the coach remarked. Statistically, Chillicothe was led by eight Meghan Perry service points won and her eight assist, Holly Williams' nine digs, Heidi McCoy's four kills, and two blocks by Claire Constant. Reserve Xan Colvin added six service points won and three assists and sub Cally Gannan came in to get six digs. McCoy also served five winning points. Mistakes Cost CHS
Volleyball Girls The Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets, their 2006 schedule front-loaded with perennially-tough opponents, found out last (Tuesday) night there's little margin for error against such foes. Long-time Midland Empire Conference power Savannah visited the Chillicothe High School gymnasium last night and rode off into the night with a straight-games sweep of varsity, junior-varsity, and freshman matches. The Lady Savages varsity recorded a 25-11, 25-15 victory in a match which does not count toward the conference standings. That match will be played at Savannah on Oct. 5. “Too many unforced errors” is what Chillicothe first-year head coach Karen Jackson attributed her team's inability to force the match to at least the three-game limit to. “Our own mistakes cost us.” Chillicothe's best individual statistical performances against Savannah were the eight assists by Meghan Perry and Holly Williams' eight digs. Williams also led the way in kills with four. Heidi McCoy and Claire Constant had three apiece as the Lady Hornets' varsity record dipped to 0-2. Chillicothe nearly took the junior-varsity match, taking the opening game into “overtime” before losing it 27-25. Savannah then captured game two 25-13 to claim the win. In freshman action which started Tuesday's tripleheader, Savannah registered a 25-12, 25-6 triumph. No individual statistics for Chillicothe were reported on the lower-level matches. All three CHS volleyball teams now stand 0-2 heading into a Thursday visit to Smithville. That will be the varsity team's MEC opener. Read our Fall Sports Archives. |
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Continued CHS
Girls' Tennis Excellence Celebrated
Another season of outstanding achievement by the Chillicothe Lady Hornets tennis team was recounted and celebrated last night at the program's annual postseason awards dinner and program at the Chillicothe High School commons. Coach Amy Baker recapped the season, which saw the team repeat as team champions in the district tournament, advance to the sectional round of the state team tournament by beating Maryville in a rare night-time regional match, send three players to the individuals state tournament, have both the Midland Empire Conference tournament's singles and doubles champions, and produce an 8-5 dual-match record with virtually all five losses being to outstanding, state tournament-caliber teams. In many ways, this season mirrored last year's, in that everything started coming together for us about the time the (St. Joseph) Benton/Savannah tournament rolled around,” the coach remarked. “As a coach, you always hope to peak around district tournament time and fortunately that happened again for us this year. “It's not that the beginning of our season was bad,” she continued. “It just took us a while to get experience and to realize what it takes to win.” Near the program's conclusion, Baker announced the recipients of her lone special award for this season. The Coaches' Award, jointly considered by Baker and assistant Leann Polen, was shared by the team's three sophomore state qualifiers - Jaimie Baker, Ellyn Turner, and Lily Pyrtle. The coach presented letters to five first-timers - Mary Bonnette, Madeline and Meredith Brick, Mollie Marcolla, and Montana Vinson, eight second-year letterwinners - Meagan Scott, Amanda Ireland, Jessica Boyer, Camie Griffin, Megan Moore, Pyrtle, J. Baker, and Turner, and one third-timer - Kate Lindley. The only senior on the team was Scott. Moore missed the second half of the season with tendinitis. Baker gave words of thanks to a number of people and groups who helped and supported the team in any number of ways this year. State
Play Ends on First Day for Chillicothe Entries
SPRINGFIELD - The stay in the Class 1 high school girls' tennis tournament may have been short and not so sweet for the Chillicothe High Lady Hornets entries Friday, but it was not totally sour. Neither the CHS doubles entry of Lily Pyrtle and Jaimie Baker nor the singles participant, Ellyn Turner, was able to survive to Saturday's second day of the two-day tournament at the Cooper Tennis Center in Springfield. However, there was one victorious moment to their participation. At state for the first time, the Baker/Pyrtle tandem - the District 7 champions - opened state play Friday morning with a tough, three-set victory over Audrey Buckland and Melissa Gratton of Webb City, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, the CHS duo had another three-setter with favored Erin Bleakley and Kiersten Goza of Kansas City power Pembroke Hill, a match which ironically produced the same 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 final score, but this time against Pyrtle/Baker. Dropped into the consolation bracket's second round for a third match of the day, the fatigued Lady Hornets tandem were distinctly at a freshness disadvantage and fell to Jean Ochs and Havliah Noll of Kirksville in straight sets, 2-6, 0-6. Entering that match, the CHS girls already had played 58 games on the day, while the Kirksville pair had played only 32, having lost in straight sets in the first round and then won in straights in its first consolation match. While classmates Baker and Pyrtle at least tasted the sweet fruit of victory briefly Friday, sophomore Turner couldn't overcome a pair of strong opponents. The Chillicothe player was blized by Corinne Walther of St. Louis: Visitation Academy 0-6, 0-6 in her opening match and then fell to Kelsey Franklin of Marshall 3-6, 0-6 to be eliminated. It was Turner's second-consecutive trip to state singles play. She dropped both matches as a freshman, as well, but, like Baker and Pyrtle, will have the opportunity to make one or two more future appearances. With their state results, Baker/Pyrtle finished 21-6 as a doubles team. Turner wound up 16-8, slightly better - percentage-wise - than her 17-10 freshman-year ledger.
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm KANSAS CITY - The odds against the Chillicothe tennis Lady Hornets winning their Class 1 state tournament sectional match against perennial power Kansas City: Pembroke Hill were long, but that didn't keep coach Amy Baker's young troops from putting up a fight this morning. With the final two singles position matches concluding at nearly the same time, Pembroke Hill did score a sweep, winning all six. Technically, the state probably will consider it a 5-0 victory, since play is supposed to be halted as soon as one team or another clinches by winning a fifth individual match. While Chillicothe didn't win an individual match or even a set in the best-of-three-sets format, it lost only one set at love and one player - sophomore No. 6 player Montana Vinson - won five games in her second set, Baker reported by phone at 11 a.m. after the match at the Country Club Plaza courts had come to a conclusion. In No. 1 singles, state-bound CHS sophomore Ellyn Turner was defeated 1-6, 2-6. She'll play singles in the individuals state tournament at Springfield next Friday and, hopefully, Saturday. Also not yet finished playing, despite the team's elimination today, are sophomores Jaimie Baker and Lily Pyrtle. They'll be in next weekend's state tournament doubles after winning both the Midland Empire Conference and district crowns. Today in team sectionals, Baker fell in the No. 2 singles spot 2-6, 2-6, while Pyrtle won one more game in a 2-6, 3-6 defeat in No. 3. CHS junior Kate Lindley was defeated 2-6, 1-6 in No. 4 play and sophomore Camie Griffin fell 2-6, 0-6 in No. 5. Vinson was beaten 1-6, 5-7 in No. 6 singles. With today's loss, seniorless Chillicothe ends its team duals season with an 11-5 mark, even after losing its season-starting No. 4 player, Megan Moore, to an injury early on. With her presumably able to be back next year, the Lady Hornets have the makings of an even-stronger squad in 2007. Putaway
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm ST. JOSEPH - The Chillicothe Lady Hornets had the defending singles champion in the Midland Empire Conference girls' tennis tournament yesterday, but they didn't have the top seed. Neither did they have the No. 1 seed in the doubles division. It didn't matter. For the first time in at least five years, long-time conference power Chillicothe had both the singles and doubles champs Wednesday in a trio of sophomores - Ellyn Turner and the duo of Jaimie Baker and Lily Pyrtle. In an unusually-tense match, defending champion Turner rallied from 3-1 deficits in each set to defeat previously-unbeaten Heather Miner of St. Joseph: Lafayette in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to retain the crown. Miner had been part of the last two years' doubles champs with since-graduated Lauren Shroyer and had defeated Turner 9-7 when they met in the team's dual match in Chillicothe Sept. 5, a match Lafayette won on its way to a second-straight MEC team title. In doubles, surprisingly, there was little drama as Chillicothe's top pair - Pyrtle and Baker - cruised past No. 1-seeded Kelsay Mahlandt and Meryl McCampbell of Savannah 6-2, 6-0. The doubles finalists were meeting for a third time in six days, having split the prior two. Mahlandt/McCampbell had won 8-6 Monday after losing to Baker/Pyrtle 11-10 (3) in last Friday's Benton/Savannah Invitational tournament. Making it an all-around good day and giving the team confidence it has a good crack at repeating its CAPTION: Chillicothe's Ellyn Turner won her second-consecutive Midland Empire Conference tennis tournament singles title Wednesday, battling back to defeat top-seeded and previously-unbeaten Heather Miner of St. Joseph: Lafayette 6-4, 6-4 in the finals. C-T file photo / Paul Sturm Tennis Lady Hornets
Shut Out St. Joseph: Benton 9-0 However, at No. 3 doubles, Chillicothe's Camie Griffin and Montana Vinson were forced to a tiebreaker by the Lady Cardinals' Karyn Hein and Emily Bunge. Even that tiebreaker was so tight it went beyond its normal length, but, in the end, Griffin and Vinson won the last two of the 20 points played to win 9-8 (9). Griffin and Vinson improved to 2-0 together. Vinson, newly-elevated to the varsity lineup, in part because of the season-ending tendinitis of former No. 4 singles player Megan Moore, also won her second No. 6 singles set in as many tries. One singles set was a close one, too, but the Lady Hornets' Kate Lindley held off Hillary Chilcote-Crawford 9-7. Tennis Lady Hornets
Get Back to .500 by Beating Cameron C-T photo / Paul Sturm After eradicating a three-match losing streak in their most recent action 11 days earlier, Chillicothe's tennis Lady Hornets won a second time in a row to reach the .500 mark yesterday, firing past visiting Cameron 8-1 at the Daryl Danner Memorial Park courts. Chillicothe, 4-4 in all duals, squared its Midland Empire Conference dual matches mark at 1-1. Sophomore No. 2 singles player Jaimie Baker won for a team-leading sixth time, dispatching Kylie Parks 8-2, the same score by which Lady Hornets No. 1 player Ellyn Turner, also a 10th grader, bested Emily Funk of the Lady Dragons. A net cord forehand that sneaked over for a winner provided a key point for Turner with her match even at 2-2. She went on to win that game and the next five, as well, to close out the win. Baker and doubles partner Lily Pyrtle, another sophomore, earned their team-best fifth victory with an 8-4 triumph over Funk and Parks in No. 1 spot. Chillicothe Sophomore Montana Vinson made a successful varsity debut, winning both her No. 6 singles and, with Camie Griffin, No. 3 doubles sets. In a shuffling of the Chillicothe lineup as the result of challenge matches, Griffin moved up a spot to No. 5 singles in place of Jessica Boyer and outfought Amber Nelson 9-7. Kate Lindley and Pyrtle also won their singles sets. The lone Cameron win came in No. 2 doubles. Tennis Lady Hornets
Can't Keep Up With Kirksville
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm The Kirksville Lady Tigers dominated the Chillicothe tennis Lady Hornets 8-1 yesterday in a dual match at the Daryl Danner Memorial Park courts. The Lady Hornets, losing a third-consecutive match for probably the first time in many years, prevailed in only one set. The duo of sophomore Ellyn Turner and junior Kate Lindley battled its way to a 9-8 victory in No. 2 doubles by winning the 12-point tiebreaker 7-5. It was Lindley and Turner's second victory in three doubles sets together this season. Aside from that, the Lady Hornets (2-4) were never closer than 8-3 in any set. Each of the top three singles sets ended with that score, including Amy Ochs defeating Turner in No. 1 position, dropping Turner to 2-4 on the still-young season. The Nos. 4-6 singles saw Kirksville shutouts. In No. 1 doubles, Chillicothe sophomores Lily Pyrtle and Jaimie Baker suffered their third-consecutive loss after opening the season 3-0. They fell to Jean Ochs and Havilah Noll 8-3. In keeping with the match's pattern, the No. 3 doubles set was another KHS whitewash. The visiting Lady Tigers' dominance Tuesday was not limited to the varsity-level action. It swept all nine junior-varsity sets, as well. Chillicothe is slated to play on the road next, visiting Trenton for a dual on Thursday. The Lady Hornets opened the season with a 6-3 home victory over the Lady Bulldogs. Chillicothe was due to play in the Trenton Quad this past Saturday, but that event was not held, due to rain. Tennis Lady Hornets
Gain Non-League Win at Cameron CAMERON - The Chillicothe tennis Lady Hornets got back in the win column yesterday with a 6-3 non-conference road victory over fellow Midland Empire Conference member Cameron. The Lady Hornets dominated the singles play, winning five of six sets, including junior Kate Lindley getting her first-ever varsity singles win. Lindley, playing in the No. 5 spot in the CHS singles lineup, outlasted Amber Nelson 8-6 in the set which clinched the match win for her team. Chillicothe improved to 2-1. Sophomore Jessica Boyer also played impressively at No. 6 singles, registering an 8-0 shutout of Simone Dishman. Lady Hornets sophomore Jaimie Baker remained undefeated, both in singles and doubles, in the early season. She won her singles set over Kylie Parks 8-2 and teamed with classmate Lily Pyrtle for a decisive 8-2 No. 1 doubles triumph. Baker improved to 3-0 in both styles. No. 1 player Ellyn Turner posted an 8-0 whitewash of Emily Funk in singles and Pyrtle dispatched Holly Fenton 8-1. In doubles, coach Amy Baker changed up her lineup a bit, pairing Turner with Boyer and Megan Moore with Lindley for the first time this year. Both lost in competitive sets. With Young Base,
Tennis Lady Hornets Look Strong
C-T file photo / Paul Sturm You couldn't blame the rest of the girls' tennis teams in the Midland Empire Conference for thinking now that their only chance at preventing a Chillicothe sweep of the MEC tennis titles for the entire first decade (2000-09) of the new century may be their last. With a new high school girls' tennis season set to be served up, starting a week from today, the CHS Lady Hornets' string of outright or shared league titles remains intact and shows great promise for being extended for several more years. After turning what projected as a rebuilding or transitional year into another championship season in 2005, long-time coach Amy Baker has a 14-player squad currently at work for its season opener at home against Trenton a week from today. The cause for despair among the MEC ranks and beyond stems from the return of Chillicothe's top three players - Ellyn Turner, Jaimie Baker, and Lily Pyrtle - from the '05 conference and Class 1 district championship team to play only their sophomore seasons. With that trio back and currently in the same lineup positions (district singles champ Turner No. 1, Baker No. 2, and Pyrtle No. 3) and several underclasswomen who got a little bit of varsity exposure last fall clamoring to fill spots in the bottom half of the varsity lineup, the CHS “beat” figures to go on for the foreseeable future. “We should be pretty comparable to last year,” coach Baker acknowledges. “It's about the same scenario except those top three have a year (of experience) under their belts.” Heading into the opener, juniors Megan Moore and Kate Lindley appear to have the Nos. 4 and 5 singles spots in hand, at least initially. Contending for the No. 6 position are sophomores Camie Griffin and Jessica Boyer and some freshmen. While the talent and young depth of the Lady Hornets should position them for continued contention for league and postseason honors, coach Baker doesn't expect anything to be handed to them. Within the conference, St. Joseph: Lafayette - which beat CHS in their dual match last year and ended up as co-champs - has back “really strong” No. 1 player Heather Miner and some depth and Savannah “is always tough,” in the coach's words. Read our Fall Sports Archives too! |
The 14-member Chillicothe High Lady Hornets tennis squad continued first-week preparations for its upcoming season today at the Daryl Danner Memorial Park courts. (C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
CAPTION:
Chosen most improved Chillicothe football Hornets at their positions in 2006 were, from left: sophomore Kyle Dosterschill, offensive back; sophomore Cory Lowe, offensive line; and junior Nathan Followwill, defensive line. Unable to be present for the photo was junior Tyson Blattner, most improved defensive back.
C-T photo / Paul
Sturm
CAPTION: Grain Valley senior Billy Creason (22) has a crease up the sidelines as he returns a first-quarter punt during last night's Class 3 state playoffs sectional game in Chillicothe. Having taken Austin Sloan's punt at his own 42, Creason made a couple of nice cuts and received several good blocks to break free for a hugely-important 58-yard touchdown return that not only provided the game's first points, but ultimately was the difference in the Eagles' 21-13 victory over Chillicothe's Hornets. Seen in vain pursuit of Creason for Chillicothe are sophomores Cory Lowe and Kyle
Dosterschill.
CAPTION: Chillicothe senior end Casey Prewitt makes a clutch catch for a 28-yard fourth-quarter gain to set up the Hornets' second and last touchdown in Wednesday's state playoffs game against Grain Valley. Prewitt had six receptions for 66 yards on the night.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe sophomore running back Clint Dysart is all by himself on his way to his first touchdown Friday.
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As Richmond defensive back Jordan Adkins watches as he falls, Chillicothe sophomore receiver Tyler Trammell makes a juggling catch of an early pass from Austin Sloan Friday at Richmond. After securing the ball, Trammell completed a 55-yard touchdown play.
Barely-Good Field Goal Keeps Chillicothe Kicking In District
CAPTION:
Senior quarterback Austin Sloan (3) is slated to rejoin 675-yard rusher Clint Singleton (30) and the rest of the Chillicothe Hornets offensive lineup Friday night when the Hornets host the Odessa Bulldogs in the first game of the Class 3 District 14 playoffs. Also a third-year starting linebacker Sloan has not played either offense or defense the last 23/4 games, due to an injury, but - barring a late-developing problem - is expected to be back in both of his normal roles Friday.
CAPTION: Tara Jeffries, daughter of Doug and Michelle Jeffries, was crowned queen of the Chillicothe High School Homecoming. Austin Sloan, son of Bob and Carol Sloan, was crowned king. The coronation was held following the football game against Savannah Friday night at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium.
CAPTION:
One of Chillicothe's two highlight plays of Friday evening's 35-10 loss at Platte County was this 37-yard Tyler Trammell reception of an Austin Sloan pass. The completion moved the ball from the Pirates' 46 to their 9, but the Hornets couldn't push it in the rest of the way, settling for a 26-yard Colin Parker field goal that made it 14-3.
CAPTION:
Thanks to blocking like this by the Chillicothe Hornets linemen and lead backs, Hornets sophomore running back Kyle Dosterschill (7) was able to gain 212 yards on 22 carries and teammate Clint Singleton 109 yards on 13 rushing attempts Friday night as the Hornets steamrolled visiting St. Joseph: Lafayette 42-13 at Litton Stadium.
Caption:
Chillicothe Hornets senior quarterback Austin Sloan is congratulated by Jack Willard, son of the Hornets head coach, after his 40-yard touchdown pass to Clint Singleton tied Friday's game 7-7 in the third quarter. St. Joseph: Benton went on to prevail 21-14.
CAPTION:
Despite battling leg cramps in the second half, senior defensive tackle Michael Smith was a repeatedly noticeable presence in the Chillicothe football Hornets' 2006 season-opening 30-14 victory at Maryville Friday, including having at least half a sack.
The lightning from thunderstorms in the Chillicothe vicinity Friday evening,
August 18, 2006, held off long enough for the inexperienced Chillicothe High School football Hornets to get in some much-needed intrasquad scrimmage time as part of the annual “Meet The Hornets” event for CHS fall sports teams at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium. Although the
varsity/junior-varsity group didn't get in as many snaps as the coaching staff would have liked, it did get in 15-20 following an
approximately 10-play freshman team workout. The gridiron action followed a hot dogs-and-fixins' meal provided free of charge by the
Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets special award recipients for the 2006 season were announced by head coach Stan Baldwin during last Tuesday's annual postseason awards
dinner: senior shortstop Kerri Cook was named outstanding offensive player, junior pitcher Mallory Lowe most valuable player, senior center field Tara Jeffries most improved player, senior second baseman Mandi Brock outstanding defensive player, and junior first baseman Sara Mathew Coaches' Award winner.
C-T photo / Paul
Sturm
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Lady Hornets second baseman Mandi Brock gets the out at first base on a close play on a sacrifice bunt by Harrisonville's Heather Tracy during the top of the second inning of Saturday's Class 3 high school girls' state softball tournament quarterfinal game at Independence's Adair Park. CHS pitcher Mallory Lowe had fielded Tracy's bunt and made the throw to first. At right, Lady Hornets first baseman Sara Mathew has hit one knee to get out of the line of fire on Lowe's throw. Despite a gallant late comeback, Chillicothe lost to Harrisonville 11-7.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe senior center fielder Tara Jeffries slides safely into third base on her fourth-inning triple that drove in the team's first run.
A trip to the state quarterfinals and the 100th win of their coach's career are reasons to celebrate for Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets softball team members and their coach, Stan Baldwin. The girls won 7-5 over Kearney during sectional play at Daryl Danner Memorial Park Wednesday night. The team travels to Independence on Saturday to play either Harrisonville or Boonville in the second round of state playoffs.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Lady Hornets sophomore catcher Chelsea Sturguess ripped four hits Thursday, including one with two outs in the seventh inning which scored the second run of CHS' three-run inning that sent their game at St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond to extra innings. Chillicothe won in 11, 4-3.
CAPTION: Making her second great catch in as many batters, Chillicothe Lady Hornets center fielder Tara Jeffries makes a leaping, running catch of a fly ball just in front of the fence in right-center field during the third inning of Saturday's game against defending Class 3 state champion Kearney. The batter before, Jeffries had raced back to within a step of the fence just to the left field side of straightaway center to pull in a drive that would have gone for extra bases. Buoyed by those plays, which came right after CHS had tied the game 2-2, Chillicothe went on to win 5-4 and eventually capture the title in its own tournament.
CAPTION:
The Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets won their own tournament for the
first time in nine-year history Saturday, wrapping up the title in
undefeated fashion with a 14-8 victory over Richmond. Team members include,
from left: Front row - Mandi Brock, Kerri Cook, Tara Jeffries; Middle row -
Sara Mathew, Mallory Lowe, Carole Myers, Brooklyn Shearer, Sally Baldwin;
Back row - head coach Stan Baldwin, Chelsea Stuguess, Leanne Mathew,
Samantha Fender, Lindy Scott, Heather Doss, and assistant coach Jim Radel.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Lady Hornets junior outfielder Carole Myers hits a sixth-inning ground ball to the first baseman. When the throw to first was dropped, Myers was safe at first, allowing the last of Chillicothe's runs to score in its 4-0 victory over Marceline Monday. Lady Hornets pitcher Mallory Lowe had a no-hitter in the victory.
Caption:
Chillicothe Lady Hornets sophomore third baseman Heather Doss snares a sharp fifth-inning grounder off the bat of Marceline cleanup hitter Casey Gladbach. Doss made an on-target throw to first to retire the side, helping preserve Mallory Lowe's second-straight no-hitter. Doss was busy at the hot corner, handling six chances - five grounders and a line drive - flawlessly in Monday's 4-0 Chillicothe victory.
Caption:
Chillicothe softball Lady Hornets junior pitcher Mallory Lowe retired all 15 Savannah batters she faced Thursday, her perfect game paving the way for a 13-0 CHS five-inning road victory.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Lady Hornets pitcher Mallory Lowe tosses the ball a short distance to first baseman Sara Mathew to retire St. Joseph: Lafayette's Calyn Cook for the final out of Chillicothe's 6-1 home victory Tuesday afternoon. Lowe picked up her and the team's third win.
CAPTION:
Kerri Cook, a second-team 2005 All-State pitcher, is back to anchor the CHS pitching staff, in addition to playing shortstop some, as a senior. A year ago, she threw two no-hitters - including a perfect game - and had a 15-4 record with a 0.95 earned run average.
CAPTION:
Recipients of special awards for the 2006 Chillicothe Hornets swimming season were, from left: Ari Coleman, Rookie of the Year; Jacob Stull, most time cut during the season in any event; Stephan Franke, Coach's Award for achievement and dedication to the team's betterment; and Joey Stagg, most improved technique.
(C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
Caption:
Chillicothe Hornets 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay teams medaled Saturday at the Independent Schools Championships swim meet in Kansas City.
Jacob Stull was first alternate for the 500-yard Freestyle, but did not get
to participate in the final.
CAPTION:
Jacob Fellhoelter swims for the Chillicothe Hornets in the 200-yard medley relay Tuesday in a dual meet at Sedalia. The senior had his first-ever win in the meet, taking the 100-yard freestyle.
"We used this as a warm-up meet for this weekend's Raytown Invitational,” reported Crawford. “We swam some 'off'' events because this is our second of three meets this week. The swimmers will return to their stronger events on Saturday.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Hornets freshman Ari Coleman swims the anchor leg of the team's 400-yard freestyle relay which took second place Monday. Coleman had four second-place finishes in the CHS meet win.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe Hornets swimmers (from left) Spencer Whiteside, Ari Coleman, Jacob Fellhoelter, and Jacob Stull discuss things between races Saturday.
HARRISONVILLE - Making a repeat trip to Harrisonville yesterday didn't mean the Chillicothe swimming Hornets had the same experience they did a couple of weeks earlier.
Saturday and posted several personal bests in the 20-team Kansas City: O'Hara Invitational.
CAPTION:
Sophomores Casey Pryor and Ben Griffin received the 2006 season special awards presented by Chillicothe High School cross country coach Jill Watkins during Tuesday evening's annual postseason awards dinner and program. State meet qualifier Pryor was given the Coach's Award as the team's outstanding runner after medaling in every 2006 race. Griffin was tabbed by the coach as the runner who most improved from 2005 to 2006.
CAPTION:
Cheered on by coach Jill Watkins during the team's home meet earlier this year, Chillicothe Hornets freshman Daniel Riekena gave her more reason to cheer Saturday, finishing a solid 25th in the Class 3 District 8 meet at Kearney in a time of 19:30.
CAPTION:
Chillicothe's Casey Pryor took eighth place in the Midland Empire Conference cross country meet at Platte City Tuesday, making the sophomore all-conference and a meet medalist. He followed with a medal-winning 18th-place finish among over 100 runners in Thursday's Richmond Invitational.
Leading underclassman-dominated Chillicothe again was sophomore Casey Pryor, who medaled in the small-school division with a 10th-place finish, the best ever by a Hornet in the Excelsior Springs meet. His time was 18:23 on the course over the Excelsior Springs Golf Club.
CAPTION:
Anguish is evident as Chillicothe Hornets sophomore Casey Pryor takes his last stride of yesterday's boys' varsity cross country race during the Chillicothe Invitational at Simpson Park. Pryor, considered a potential state qualifier this year, had his highest varsity finish ever, taking third place in the team's best time of the day, 20:27. He was one of four CHS varsity medalists, the others being Ben Griffin (fourth), Steven Taylor (sixth), and Drew Hinton (10th).
On the junior-varsity level, the lanky Derrickson got to the front immediately and steadily pulled away with his long stride, probably earning a move up to the varsity lineup with his win in 21:49, which would have been CHS' fourth-best varsity time.
“Timmy ran his first cross country race and really didn't have any competition to push him to his full potential.,” Watkins commented. “Timmy ran very relaxed and didn't even seem to be laboring at any part of the race. To look at him, you would have thought he was out for a Sunday jog.
“Timmy is one of those runners that has no idea how fast he really is. If we could just get him to feel his true speed once, he could be a huge force in our conference and district. It will be exciting to see Timmy race with kids that will challenge him.”
Chris Rogers used a strong finishing kick to take second in the JV boys' race, albeit nearly 80 seconds behind Derrickson. Weston Baker was fourth, Colton Allen sixth, John Riekena seventh, and Justin Littrell ninth.
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Freshman Chloie Allen earned the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets' best scoring average award for 2006 with season's average of 49.77 strokes per nine holes. She was presented a plaque by coach Vickie Garrett at the team's annual postseason awards dinner last Wednesday night at Royal Inn Café.
C-T photo / Paul
Sturm
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Chillicothe's Katelin Gann finished around the middle of the pack during the abbreviated Class 1 high school girls' golf state tournament at Springfield's Fremont Hills Country Club Tuesday. Gann, playing at state a second-consecutive year, shot a 111 to finish 81st. Last year, she had finished tied for 102nd with a 115.
CAPTION:
Katelin Gann chips onto the first green Monday on her way to a career-best 44 in Chillicothe's win.
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2005 all-Midland Empire Conference and all-district player Katelin Gann, now a junior, is the only returning member of the Chillicothe golf Lady Hornets lineup which produced a second-place finish in last year's Class 1 state tournament.
CAPTION:
Junior Meghan Perry, seen setting against Lafayette earlier this season, had 15 assists and 11 service points won during last Monday's season-ending loss to Lafayette in the district tournament.
CAPTION:
Natalie Hughes (center) and Claire Constant (right) of the Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets provide an efffective blocking wall to reject a St. Joseph: Benton kill attempt and win the point for CHS in the first game of Monday's match in Chillicothe. Benton eventually won the match in three games.
CAPTION: Junior Heidi McCoy slams home a kill during the third game of Monday's Chillicothe volleyball Lady Hornets home match with St. Joseph: Benton. The Chillicothe girls forced a match to the three-game limit for the first time this year, winning the second game. However, they dropped the third game 25-11 and lost the non-conference match.
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Tri-recipients of the Coaches' Award last night for the Chillicothe tennis Lady Hornets' 2006 season were the team's three state tournament qualifiers - sophomores Lily Pyrtle (right), Ellyn Turner (left), and Jaimie Baker (second from right). Presenting the award at the team's annual postseason awards event were head coach Amy Baker (center) and Leann Polen (second from left).
Photo supplied / Laurie
Marcolla
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Chillicothe's entries in the Class 1 high school girls' tennis state tournament at Springfield were eliminated on the first day Friday. The doubles team (above) of Lily Pyrtle and Jaimie Baker won its first match in three sets, then lost by the exact same score in the quarterfinals before being defeated in straight sets in the second round of consolation play. CHS singles entry Ellyn Turner lost both of her matches in straight sets.
C-T file photo / Paul
Sturm
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Chillicothe sophomore Jaimie Baker lost her team sectional No. 2 singles match this morning 2-6, 2-6, but will play doubles with partner Lily Pyrtle at the state tournament next weekend.
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Chillicothe sophomores Lily Pyrtle and Jaimie Baker captured the Midland Empire Conference tennis tournament's doubles title Wednesday. The second-seeded Lady Hornets dominated top-seeded Kelsay Mahlandt and Meryl McCampbell of Savannah 6-2, 6-0 in the title match at St. Joseph.
Class 1 district team title Saturday at the same site - St. Joseph's Noyes Tennis Center - Chillicothe's other singles and doubles entries each reached the consolation semifinals in splitting four matches. Junior Kate Lindley and sophomore Camie Griffin were paired up, while sophomore Montana Vinson was in singles.
CAPTION: Chillicothe's Lily Pyrtle makes a lunging backhand lob that landed just inside the baseline corner, helping her win a point in her singles match victory over Cameron's Kelsey Salmons Monday. Pyrtle prevailed 8-4.
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Chillicothe's Kate Lindley (pictured) and doubles partner Ellyn Turner toughed out a 9-8 (5) tiebreaker victory over Amy Ochs and Courtney McCartney of Kirksville in the No. 2 doubles set of Tuesday's match in Chillicothe. It was Chillicothe's only set victory in an 8-1 defeat.
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Class 1 district and Midland Empire Conference tennis singles champion as a freshman in 2005, Ellyn Turner is back to try to help lead the Chillicothe Lady Hornets toward another MEC and district title.