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SPRING SPORTS NEWS...
Updated 05/01/2008 Tennis | Baseball | Golf | Track | Girls Soccer | SPA Registration Spring Sports 2006-2007 | Spring Sports Archives | Spring Sports Schedule The following Banquets will be held at the end of the season:
All meals $5.00 each and with a count needed in the office. |
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With winter sports wrapped up, the focus will shift to the school's spring sports, beginning next week, even if the weather seems less than ready for it. Monday, Feb. 25, is the first permissible day for team practices for the spring sports of boys' golf and tennis, baseball, track and field, and girls' soccer. The first permitted date for games, matches, or meets will be Monday, March 17. Chillicothe's head coaching roster for the spring sports has one change this year. Margie Lowe, who served as assistant coach to Jeff Wolfe for the inaugural season of girls' soccer last spring, will head up that second-year program in 2008. Even though he has retired as a CHS teacher, John Musser will remain the head coach of the golf Hornets, who should have a very veteran team with high expectations. Also back at the helm of their respective teams will be Bill Shaffer for boys' track and field, Vickie Garrett for girls' track and field, Dave Mapel for baseball, and volunteer co-coaches Ed Douglas and Ron Keith for tennis. Douglas and Keith were the United States Tennis Association's Missouri Valley region Missouri coaches of the year for the area's outside the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas last year. |
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TENNIS click here for last season... Greenlaw Gets CHS's
Only Tennis Win at Kirksville The Chillicothe Hornets tennis squad traveled to Kirksville to face the Tigers Tuesday afternoon and suffered an 8-1 setback. No. 1 player Cody Greenlaw played well and registered the only victory for the Hornets on the day as he defeated Kirksville's Josh Bowers 10-4. Chillicothe lost the other five singles matches and then were defeated in all three doubles matches. The Hornets record now stands at 4-3 for the year. The Junior Varsity Hornets also took it on the chin at Kirksville suffering a 7-1 defeat. Chillicothe's lone victory came in the doubles match as Kevin Thomschke and Caden Haynes defeated their Tiger opponents 6-2. Tennis Hornets Blow Past THS Bulldogs Tuesday TRENTON - Chillicothe High School's boys' tennis Hornets moved back above .500 for the season for the first time since their second dual match of the season yesterday, posting a 7-2 victory for the 2nd day in a row, this time at Trenton. Chillicothe (3-2) took the top four and five of the six singles sets, then added two wins in doubles. Easily posting their fourth singles victories of 2008 were No. 1 player Morgan Saunders, No. 2 Cody Greenlaw, No. 3 Justin Littrell, and No. 6 Laine Saunders. No. 4 Weston Baker improved his season mark to 3-5 with a triumph. M. Saunders and Greenlaw and the 1st-time pairing of Littrell and Baker won in doubles. Tennis Hornets Square Record With Romp Past Dragons Its regular varsity lineup played only singles, but that was plenty for the Chillicothe High School boys' tennis team to steamroll Cameron in a Midland Empire Conference dual match at home yesterday. The Hornets swept all six singles sets, losing only seven of 67 games, in clinching the team victory over the Dragons. No results on doubles play, in which Chillicothe coaches used some of the Hornets' top junior-varsity players against Cameron's normal varsity doubles pairs, were available at press time. The triumph squared Chillicothe's overall and MEC records. Overall, the Hornets now are 2-2 in dual matches, while they're 1-1 in the league. In singles yesterday, Morgan Saunders played the No. 1 spot for the hosts and shut out Cameron's Jordan Rico 10-0. Fellow senior Cody Greenlaw did the same to Brandon Turner at No. 2. Benton Jumps in
MEC Driver's Seat The long-time perch of the Chillicothe High School Hornets atop the ranks of Midland Empire Conference boys' tennis may have been ceded to the St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals yesterday. Benton, which Chillicothe beat by a deceptive 7-2 count in their MEC dual match last year, swept the lower half of the singles play and then all the doubles to defeat the Hornets 7-2 here. "We knew it was going to be tough," commented CHS co-coach Ed Douglas, who - with volunteer coaching partner Ron Keith - has guided the Hornets to league team titles every year except 2000 since they picked up the reins in 1998. In that 10-year span (through last season), Chillicothe won 49 of 50 conference dual matches. Like last year's victory over Benton, the Hornets' second MEC match loss in their last 51 wasn't as lopsided as the final match score makes it appear. As anticipated, the Cardinals' top player, Luke Talbot, was a dominating winner, blanketing CHS' Cody Greenlaw 10-0 in No. 1 singles. However, the Hornets' Morgan Saunders and Justin Littrell claimed the Nos. 2 and 3 singles sets, respectively. Saunders topped Tyler Deatherage 10-5 and Littrell outlasted Mike Weil 10-7. None of the lower CHS singles players could capture more than five games, though, leaving the Hornets needing a sweep of doubles. They gave it a decent try. M. Saunders and Greenlaw led Talbot and Brandon Rickey 9-6 in No. 1 spot, Douglas reports, but lost the last five games and the set. Littrell and Colton Allen were respectable 10-5 losers an No. 2 spot and Weston Baker and Laine Saunders competitive in a 10-6 No. 3 loss. CHS Tennis Hornets
Struggle Some in Tourney CAMERON - Rained out a week earlier, the Chillicothe High School tennis Hornets found their participation in the 2008 Cameron tournament Friday not worth the wait. Failing to get any entry to the title match and failing to win a singles match, the Hornets generated only 13 team points, placing them seventh among 10 teams in Friday's competition. “We didn't have a good day,” CHS co-coach Ed Douglas commented stoically this morning. The Hornets' best showing came from the expected source, their 2007 state tournament-qualifying doubles team of seniors Morgan Saunders and Cody Greenlaw. However, the duo couldn't live up to its top seeding on this occasion, being beaten 8-5 by the eventual title-winning team of Smith/Barth (first names not available) of Riverside: Park Hill South in the championship semifinals. The Greenlaw/Saunders pair then fell to a Kansas City: Winnetonka duo in the 3rd-place set. Chillicothe's other doubles entry - Justin Littrell and Colton Allen - followed an opening-round bye by posting an 8-6 2nd-round victory over Carpenter/Burford (first names not available) of Park Hill South. Littrell/Allen then fell to Wendt/Taylor (first names not available), the same pair which would top M. Saunders/Greenlaw for 3rd, by a 1-8 count to be knocked into consolation play. Tennis Hornets Battle,
But Lose C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
The Chillicothe High School tennis Hornets gave long-time area power Marshall a battle in nearly half of the individual matches yesterday, but, in the end, the visiting Owls once again claimed a decided victory. CHS senior Cody Greenlaw out-fought Marshall's Taylor Scarff 10-8 in their No. 1 singles set and teamed with Morgan Saunders for a 10-7 triumph over Scarff and Mac Evans in No. 1 doubles, but Marshall captured the decision in tight Nos. 2 and 5 singles play and won the other five matches handily. “Marshall has a very good team,” CHS co-coach Ed Douglas remarked. “Our top two guys (Greenlaw, Saunders) played very well in singles and then played a good doubles match and won 10-7 over a top-flight (doubles) team.” As close as Greenlaw's 10-8 triumph over Scarff in No. 1 singles was, Saunders' No. 2 battle with Mac Evans was even closer. That one went right down to the 20th game before Evans won it 11-9. In No. 5 singles, Hornets junior Colton Allen was tied with MHS' Ross Crawford through 14 games, but the Owl won the last three to prevail 10-7, according to Douglas. While Chillicothe won half of the four tight sets, Marshall was on cruise control in the other five sets. In singles, Chillicothe's Justin Littrell fell to Mac Bildstein 2-10 in No. 3 position, senior Weston Baker was defeated in No. 4 spots 1-10 by John Van, and, in No. 6, Jordan Schneider made his varsity debut, losing 4-10 to Ethan Murphy. Tennis Hornets Face Stern Test to MEC Dominance C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
The trio of annual goals of the Chillicothe High School boys' tennis Hornets - to win the Midland Empire Conference, qualify at least one person for individual state play, and qualify for team state competition have been met nine of the last 10 years under co-coaches Ed Douglas and Ron Keith. They are unchanged this year, but the prospects of achieving all three seem more dicey than at any time in the past decade. Although returning seniors Morgan Saunders and Cody Greenlaw, the 2008 Hornets are minus two of their top three players and, according to Douglas, will face some increasingly-rugged competition at both the conference and district levels. “The MEC is going to be challenging,” comments Douglas - who is doing a lot more of the coaching this year as fellow volunteer coach Keith's work obligations have restricted his availability. “St. Joseph: Benton has everyone back and we barely beat them (in conference dual-match play) last year. It clearly has the best player in the district in Luke Talbot.” In a bad scheduling break for the Hornets, they'll meet Benton in their first league dual April 7. With everyone in the CHS lineup moving up at least one notch in the lineup - and several two or more from 2007, there will be scant opportunity for them to get their feet under them before that test. “A lot of our young guys really have to step up if we're going to hold onto the MEC title” the Hornets have held since 2000, Douglas challenged. Saunders and Greenlaw will be the No. 1 doubles pair after a 27-9 record in that style last year, and figure to play 1-2, respectively, in singles. They were Nos. 2 and 4 in the singles order last year with 4-year letterman Jacob Fellhoelter at No. 1 and Casey Prewitt at No. 3 as seniors. “Hopefully they'll be better,” Douglas said of the top two returnees, “hopefully a lot better.” Two other varsity lineup regulars a year ago are back in junior Justin Littrell (14-7 in '07 singles) and senior Weston Baker (11-3 in singles). However, they've always played Nos. 5 and 6 singles, unless someone above them was absent, so they face a significant upgrade in the caliber of opponents they'll face. Also in contention for varsity lineup spots, according to Douglas, are returnees Colton Allen, Ryan Riggs, Jordan Schneider, and Chris and Jacob Peterson and freshman Laine Saunders. |
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BASEBALL click here for last season... State-Ranked CHS
Baseball It worked once before, but Chillicothe High School's state-ranked baseball Hornets pushed their luck just a tad too far yesterday. Shut out for the first six innings, the Hornets tried to overcome a 2-0 rally in their final at-bat against the visiting Maryville Spoofhounds Tuesday. However, after successfully pulling off - with the indispensable help of an error on a routine pop-up which would have ended the game as a loss - such a last-gasp rally to shade Macon early in the season, Chillicothe's comeback bid came up short as it stranded the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position as it dropped a Midland Empire Conference game to the 'Hounds, 2-1, at “June” Shaffer Memorial Park. With Maryville having scored single runs with the help of CHS defensive misplays in the 3rd and 5th innings, the Hornets were up against it as they came to the plate for the last time. They got the bottom of the seventh off to a promising start when sophomore left fielder Bryce Young singled leading off. Chillicothe (16-5, 3-3 MEC) then caught a bad break as Clint Singleton hit a line drive close enough to the shortstop to be caught for the 1st out, rather than find a hole for back-to-back hits. The lack of runs - a rarity for the Hornets most of the season - made senior right-handed pitcher Zack Dunn a loser despite an excellent outing. Dunn (4-3) yielded only three hits and no earned runs in going the distance. He struck out five - three of them looking - while walking three in a 100-pitch outing. State-Ranked
Baseball Hornets Ride Parker's C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
A perfectly-placed bunt to the first-base side by Cameron's Aaron Earley with two outs in the top of the 2nd inning was all that stood between Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets junior right-handed pitcher Colin Parker and a no-hitter yesterday.
Bouncing back from his first defeat of the 2008 season, Parker improved his personal record to a staff-leading 7-1 with a 91-pitch complete game at Chillicothe's “June” Shaffer Memorial Park as the now-state-ranked Hornets rolled past the Cameron Dragons 6-1 in Midland Empire Conference play. Yesterday after Cameron used a leadoff hit batsman, a throwing error, and two groundouts to score a run in the top of the 2nd inning, Parker slammed the door, retiring 15 of the last 16 batters he faced. The only man to reach after the second was on shortstop Alex Singleton's high throw after making a diving stop of a ground-ball smash to start the Cameron sixth. That runner eventually was retired trying to score from third base when a pitch eluded catcher Austin Harlow as Parker took Harlow's quick-recovery toss. Mapel said the story of the game was Parker's pitching and “excellent infield defense by both teams.” “Our infield played extremely well,” the CHS coach praised. Baseball Hornets Claim 3rd '08
Tourney Title Photo Supplied / Karen Young
KEARNEY - A 4-1 showing in the Kearney Tournament which included the ending of 9-0 run didn't keep Chillicothe High School's sizzling baseball Hornets from improving three for three. A stunning 11-run top of the 1st inning in the championship game against Harrisonville late Saturday night set the stage for a 14-10 Chillicothe victory which gave the Hornets their third regular-season tournament title in three tries this spring. They previously had copped the crowns of the Marshall and Pony Express (St. Joseph) tourneys. Following a 2-1 mark in their tournament pool's round-robin schedule and a 5-4 semifinal conquest of Kansas City: Oak Park earlier Saturday, the Hornets began a new winning streak after a 9-game run had been halted with 10-3 loss to host Kearney Friday night. “I felt we were pretty focused for most of the tournament,” Hornets head coach Dave Mapel assessed. “We had fantastic pitching throughout, which is not easy when you're playing so many games (five) in just (three) days. It really wears on you, but we're fortunate to have so many talented pitchers who have worked so hard at being able to place the ball and keep hitters off-balance.” Mapel added that a hefty measure of the pitchers' success is owed to senior catcher Austin Harlow. “Austin calls pretty much the entire game himself,” the CHS coach related. “He's a very smart catcher and has done a remarkable job of taking care of our pitching staff.” Also supporting the pitching in excellent style has been a quick, ball-hawking outfield of senior center fielder Clint Singleton flanked by senior Correy Miller or junior Jacob Rockhold in right and sophomore Bryce Young in left. “Our outfielders are really fun to watch. Every one of them made fantastic plays in the tournament and throughout the season,” Mapel declared. “They've got quickness and speed and it has allowed them to make fielding attempts (like diving for balls) that you can't normally make because there's no one backing you up. Our guys know their neighbor has the ability to get there in case their extra effort doesn't succeed.” If the infield defense can solidify - “we've had our moments” of great plays, the coach noted, but added, “we're making too many mistakes with our fielding and throwing” - the CHS pitching could become even tougher to solve. Red-Hot Baseball Hornets at
Seven and Counting ST. JOSEPH - The Chillicothe Hornets baseball team continued their winning ways Tuesday evening with a 5-1 win over St. Joe Lafayette. Tuesday's victory is the 7th in a row for the Hornets as they continue to use strong pitching, solid offense and good defense as the cornerstone for their success this season. Zach Dunn got the the start on the mound for the Hornets and threw six strong innings allowing only one run on three hits. "Zach had exceptional control and did a great job of keeping the ball down in the strike
zone," commented Coach Dave Mapel. "We will need Zach to be strong for the upcoming Kearney Tournament so we pulled him after the sixth inning and brought in Alex Singleton to close out the game, as he pitched a one, two, three seventh inning" Hornets Rally,
Reign in Pony Express C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
ST. JOSEPH - At this point, Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets head coach Dave Mapel's stomach may not be churning when he finds his 2008 club trailing a good foe in the middle or latter stages of a game. The Hornets seem to have perfected both the comeback and the close win. For the third time in as many Pony Express Tournament games this week, the Hornets spotted a strong opponent - this time the top-ranked and defending Class 3 state-champion St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals - a multi-run lead yesterday, then overtook the foe to prevail. Behind 4-0 after two innings and, after Austin Harlow's 2-run home run in the top of the sixth tied it, 5-4 after six, the Hornets unleashed a 5-run 7th inning at Hyde Park Field No. 6 to defeat Benton 9-5 and claim the tournament crown. Their record now 10-3, the Hornets have beaten either in come-from-behind fashion and/or in 1-run games six strong programs this spring. That list includes St. Joseph: Central and St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond this week, future district tournament rival Macon, 2007 district champion Pleasant Hill (lost to Benton in state play last year), and Grain Valley. Add in the Hornets' near-miss against Benton on April 1 when they stormed back late from a 10-2 deficit to fall 10-9 and there's plenty of reason for Mapel and his players to stay confident until the last out that they'll find a way to win. "That's a fantastic attribute, but I would like a little rest,” Mapel said, half-jokingly. “Maybe a game here or a game there, it wouldn't be bad to get ahead and stay ahead, if we can do that." Beating a Benton club which has won a couple of state titles in recent years after losing the prior meeting by only a run in a game in which the Hornets committed nine errors should be an additional psychological boost for Chillicothe. "That's always a nice accomplishment,” acknowledge Benton alumnus Mapel. “We felt from the first game we were able to play with Benton this year. "We talked before the game as to (wanting to) play loose and play relaxed and not play intimidated." Another Crack At The King C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
ST. JOSEPH - A second shot at temporarily being “king of the hill” is what Chillicothe High School's baseball Hornets will get today, thanks to another big come-from-behind victory in the Pony Express Tournament. The Hornets (9-3) this afternoon will face the St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals (10-1), the defending Class 3 state champions and currently ranked No. 1 in the state in rankings by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA), for the championship of the 8-team tourney. The Hornets earned their way into the title game with an 8-6 comeback victory over St. Joseph: Central last evening after Benton pounded St. Joseph: Lafayette 19-9 in five innings. Game time for today's championship game was set for 3 p.m. The tournament's original schedule didn't call for the finals to be played until tomorrow, but because of the chance of rain returning Thursday, it was advanced to today. Chillicothe head coach Dave Mapel expects to send junior right-hander Clayton Dahlberg (2-0) to the mound today. He anticipates seeing Benton's ace Jake Kretzer toeing the rubber for the Cardinals after Kretzer threw only three innings in Benton's Monday win over Savannah. The Cardinals edged the Hornets 10-9 on April Fool's Day, erasing a 2-1 deficit after 21/2 innings with a 4-run 3rd and then increasing its lead to 10-2 in the 4th before Chillicothe rallied to make it close at the end. Kretzer started that game for the Cardinals, so Chillicothe has seen him before this season. Dahlberg has not thrown against Benton previously, but is coming off consecutive complete-game victories. The most-recent of those saw him and the Hornets defeat Marshall April 5 in the championship game of the Marshall Invitational tourney, a game in which Dahlberg also hit a pair of home runs. The Hornets got the home run ball from a different and unexpected source yesterday. Trailing St. Joseph: Central's Indians 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th inning after having been behind 5-0 in the top of the 3rd, Chillicothe got a leadoff single from senior Correy Miller, who was hitting 9th in a reshuffled CHS batting order. Leadoff man Clint Singleton followed suit, prompting the Central head coach to visit the mound. While he did so, Mapel gathered his base-runners and next hitter, Alex Singleton, for a strategy conference. The Chillicothe batter turned in on the pitch and rode it deep and over the fence about 320 feet away in right field, suddenly bringing Chillicothe within a run at 5-4. Dunn (1-2), who went the route on the hill to get his first victory of 2008, checked Central on four hits and two runs after a rocky 4-run top of the first. The Chillicothe right-hander finished with nine strikeouts while walking only two. He gave seven hits and only three earned runs. In Tuesday's victory over Central, Chillicothe followed Monday's 17-hit assault on St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond with a 14-hit onslaught. Baseball Hornets Roll in PE Tourney Opener C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
ST. JOSEPH - After a week's enforced idleness, due to bad weather, Chillicothe High School's baseball Hornets needed three innings to knock off the rust yesterday as they began play in the Pony Express Tournament at St. Joseph's Phil Welch Stadium. Once they did, they flashed the form which made them champions of the recent Marshall Tournament. Spotting St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond a 5-0 lead through three innings, the Hornets exploded for six runs on four hits in the top of the 4th and went on to steamroll the Golden Eagles 16-5 in six innings in a 1st-round game. By virtue of the triumph, the Hornets (8-3) moved into today's championship semifinals. They'll square off with St. Joseph: Central in a 6:30 p.m. contest at Hyde Park Field No. 6 in south St. Joseph. Central ripped Maryville 11-1 Monday. The tourney's other championship semifinal, also at Hyde No. 6 today, will pit St. Joseph: Benton, the defending Class 3 state champion and currently ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3 in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings, against St. Joseph: Lafayette. Benton edged past Savannah 11-8 in its 1st-round action yesterday while Lafayette turned back Cameron 4-1. Baseball Hornets Take Marshall
Tourney Title C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
MARSHALL - A Friday loss in the Marshall Tournament to a team they had beaten 18-1 in five innings earlier this season did not deter the Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets this weekend. The Hornets overcame their 8-3 loss to Savannah to win the round-robin-formal tournament's championship on the strength of victories over three strong programs - 2007 state tournament qualifier Pleasant Hill, 2006 state qualifier Marshall, and Grain Valley. In what turned out to be a championship game to close the 2-day tourney at the Marshall High School field, the Hornets got a huge game from junior Clayton Dahlberg to obliterate Marshall's Owls 14-1 in six innings Saturday night. Dahlberg slammed two home runs over the left-center field fence, the second a 3-run shot, and threw a complete-game 2-hitter only three days after throwing 130-plus pitches in going the route in a victory over St. Joseph: Lafayette. Immediately prior to the triumph over Marshall, the Hornets (7-3) had set up that “winner-take-all” clash with the hosts by edging Grain Valley 7-6 on a walkoff passed ball that allowed Colin Parker to score in the bottom of the 7th inning. Chillicothe began its action in the tournament Friday with an 8-inning 5-4 triumph over Pleasant Hill, Parker's squeeze bunt plating Tyson Blattner in the home eighth to win it. “With the exception of the Savannah game, we played well in all facets of the game throughout the tournament,” a pleased CHS head coach Dave Mapel beamed Sunday. “We hit the ball really well Saturday and got great pitching from starters Correy Miller, Colin (Parker), and Clayton (Dahlberg), as well as an outstanding long relief stint from Alex Singleton against Savannah. “I think this weekend showed us we now have five pitchers (including Zach Dunn) we can count on.” Back In The Swing C-T Photo / Paul Sturm Incremental improvement often is the path sports teams follow on their way to impressive success. The 2008 Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets gave another indication yesterday they may be treading that trail. Responding crisply to an error-plagued game against St. Joseph: Benton the day before, the Hornets got right back on the winning track by brushing aside the visiting St. Joseph: Lafayette Fighting Irish 6-2 at “June” Shaffer Memorial Park. “That's why I'm on the kids all the time, because I know there's a good team there,” CHS head coach Dave Mapel commented after the game. "We played a heckuva lot better than we did (Tuesday), so I was real pleased.” The headliners in Chillicothe's fourth victory in six outings thus far this spring were a senior, junior, and sophomore. Senior second baseman and No. 3 hitter Tyson Blattner went three for four with three runs batted in and made a great defensive play which may well have deprived the Irish (2-5) of a lead-taking rally in the fifth inning. Junior right-handed pitcher Clayton Dahlberg, making his varsity debut on the mound, threw the Hornets' third complete game - Colin Parker has the other two - and limited Lafayette to two 3rd-inning runs and five hits. Sophomore left fielder Bryce Young had a perfect day at the dish, going three for three from the No. 9 slot in the lineup, scoring twice and driving in a run. Praised the head coach, “I thought Clayton did a real good job for his first varsity appearance.” Paced by Blattner and Young, Chillicothe scored its six runs - three tallies each in the third and sixth frames - with an 8-hit attack. It had at least one hit in five of the six innings. “I was pleased, for the most part, with our hitting,” Mapel remarked. After games on consecutive days, Chillicothe has today off from game action, but then is slated for back-to-back days of two games in Friday's and Saturday's Marshall Invitational tournament. They're slated to meet Pleasant Hill and Savannah Friday evening with senior right-hander Correy Miller expected to get the ball for the opener, according to Mapel. Either Parker or Zach Dunn, each of whom pitched against Benton Tuesday, projects to start against Savannah with the other probably available for relief in either Friday game. If not needed then, the one not thrown Friday should get the call in one of Saturday's contests. Baseball Hornets Nipped at
SJ: Benton ST. JOSEPH - After spotting the defending Class 3 state champions 10 runs over three error-plagued innings, Chillicothe High School's baseball Cardinals battled back to make it anybody's game late before losing 10-9 at Hyde Park field No 6 yesterday afternoon. Two CHS errors in the 2nd inning allowed Benton to score the game's initial tally. Then, after Chillicothe plated two runs on four hits in the top of the 3rd, three more Hornets miscues in the bottom half turned into four Cardinals runs and four Chillicothe errors in the 4th became five BHS markers and a 10-2 lead for the home team. “It's hard to win any game when you make nine errors,” Chillicothe head coach Dave Mapel reflected. “I have no idea where our defense disappeared to.” “I was very proud of the last three innings we played,” Mapel continued, referring to the Hornets answering Benton's six gift runs in the 4th inning with five tallies in the top of the 5th to close to within 10-7 and then getting another pair in the 6th to move within a run. “We did a great job of not throwing in the towel.” HORNETS: LF Young's
Throw Cut Down Man at Plate, Pitcher Parker Helped Self with Glove Backed against the wall by the Macon Tigers and sharp left-handed pitcher Drew Greiwe Friday, the Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets didn't back down. Instead they produced - with a couple of big breaks - a 3-2 victory on Austin Harlow's 2-out single to left field which could become a turning point in their 2008 season. Coming off a 10-run-rule loss at Platte County two days before in a contest in which they'd been tied 1-1 after 41/2 innings, the Hornets didn't get a batter aboard against Greiwe until Bryce Young walked with two outs in the sixth inning of a 0-0 game. Then, coming to bat for the last time still no-hit and now trailing the tough lefty 2-0 after a couple of soft, but well-placed hits got the Tigers on the board in the top of the seventh, Chillicothe (3-1) strung together 3-consecutive singles up the middle to knock Greiwe out and get within 2-1. A sacrifice put the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position, but an outstanding fielding play by MHS relief pitcher Tyler Walker appeared to save the day for the Tigers (2-1). However, the Hornets' Zach Dunn did what he absolutely had to do - put the ball in play - and the Hornets caught a huge break when Dunn's popup about 30 feet down the 3rd-base line was overrun and missed by the Macon 3rd baseman, allowing the tying run to score. Harlow then ripped a 2-1 pitch on a line through the hole between third and short and the Chillicothe bench erupted with glee at a significant comeback victory over the team which had ended their 2007 season in district-tournament play. “We talked (Thursday) night about our character and the way we kind of let the weather and the conditions help beat us down at Platte County,” CHS head coach Dave Mapel remarked, “so this was a tremendous turnaround. “I owe it all to the guys. They deserve all the credit. This is a group that really is a hard-working group. They were supporting Colin.” CHS Baseball Hornets
Start Crisply C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
The answer to the most-pertinent underlying question heading into yesterday's Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets 2008 season opener came swiftly and decisively, and to the Hornets' benefit. With cold, wet weather during their preseason preparations leaving teams throughout the region rarely able to practice outdoors, the issue as the season gets underway is which clubs are able to execute effectively. Those which play good defense, pitch well, or swing the bats with authority and consistency figure to get off to good starts. Do more than one of those things and not only should a team win, it likely will win big. That's just what happened at Chillicothe's “June” Shaffer Memorial Park on a mostly-sunny, increasingly-mild last official day of winter Wednesday. The host CHS Hornets pitched well against the Savannah Savages, didn't give away outs with their defense, and put the ball in play with their bats with regularity. When the Savages did none of the above, the Hornets claimed an 18-0 season-opening cakewalk in five innings. “I was very pleased with our focus before and during the game,” CHS head coach Dave Mapel commented. “The guys kept talking about the finish and not to be content with what we'd done up to that point. “I thought we were relaxed and played with confidence and determination.” It took no time at all for the answer to the question of which club was more ready, after truncated preparations the past three weeks, to begin game competition. After its leadoff hitter touched Hornets senior starting pitcher Correy Miller (1-0) for a game- and season-opening basehit to left field, Savannah showed its rough edges. The runner at first base barely avoided being picked off by CHS senior catcher Austin Harlow once, even though the receiver hesitated before pegging to first. A few pitches later, the runner wandered way too far off and was easy pickings for Harlow after handling a pitch, ending the top of the first inning with no damage to the Hornets. The Savages then committed errors - three of them throwing errors - on balls put in play by each of the first four Hornets hitters. That led to three runs which would prove to be all Chillicothe would require to win, even though it got five times that many more. Stir-Crazy Diamond Hornets
Hope to Debut Monday C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
Chillicothe High School’s baseball Hornets have spent most of their preseason practices the past 2-plus weeks yearning for the great outdoors. They'll spend this weekend holding their collective breath, hoping the scheduled start of game play isn't fouled up by a long, cold, wet winter the way practices have begin. Prevented by inclement weather or its aftermath - soggy fields - from practicing at their June Shaffer Memorial Park field until this past week, the Hornets are slated to commence game action Monday with a trip to Kirksville. Being that weather and resultant field conditions there and elsewhere across north Missouri have been similar to Chillicothe's, the good news for the Hornets is that their lack of full-fledged practicing outdoors shouldn't leave them at a competitive disadvantage. Everyone else has been in the same boat, forced to improvise indoor practices in gymnasiums or on paved parking lots at their schools. “We were going a little stir crazy,” commented Dave Mapel, the only baseball coach in CHS history, on the lead-up to the start of the Hornets’ 11th season. “We did a little bit of infield work, but you can't do any outfield work (in a gym). We were able to go out on the (Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center at CHS) parking lot maybe twice, but otherwise when it was sunny, it was colder than you know what.” |
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GOLF click here for last season... Gilliland Earns
State Golf Bid C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
LIBERTY - A close call and a near-miss individually and one of the better team showings of the 2008 season were the story threads for the Chillicothe High School Hornets in yesterday's Class 3 District 8 high school boys' golf tournament. CHS senior ace Logan Gilliland didn't have his best day in what Hornets coach John Musser termed “really tough” playing conditions, but he still managed to qualify for this year's state tournament with an 18-hole score of 84. That tied him for 10th place overall and 7th-best among those not from state-qualifying district team champion Kearney. Advancement to the state level is Gilliland's third such occurrence. As a junior last year, when the Hornets went as a team, he tied for 24th individually at state with a 153, only three strokes off a state-medal-earning top-15 finish. While Gilliland does head on to May 12-13 state tournament, CHS junior Cody Graham has the agonizing “what if?” question lingering in his mind after missing state by a single stroke. Continuing his improvement which began around mid-season, Graham shot an 86 yesterday at the Liberty Hills Country Club course. That score tied him for 14th place overall and 11th-best among those not on the state-qualifying team. Unfortunately for Graham and one other player, only the 10 best scorers not on the district championship team get to go on to state. Saving one stroke somewhere along the line during the 18 holes would have been enough for Graham to join Gilliland at state. “I feel sorry for Cody,” Musser remarked, adding sympathy for sophomore Ben Dietz, who missed a chance to go to state for a 2nd time by three strokes after an 88. The fourth Hornets player, Drew Lowrey, posted a respectable 95 in the challenging conditions. “The wind was a factor for most of the players,” pointed out Musser. “The scores were as high as any time I can remember. Rough conditions were bad and anyone who found himself in the rough played a high penalty. “The best golfers had the skills to play the course well and the score shot by the young freshman from Kearney (district champion Ryan Zech, who shot a 72) was amazing, considering the wind and rough. He did what all coaches tell their players - try to hit the fairways and then you have a great chance to hit the greens.” Golf Hornets a Respectable
Sixth CAMERON - Chillicothe High School's golf Hornets are hosting their own annual tournament at Green Hills Golf Course today after a decent showing by the bare-bones team in Friday's Cameron Invitational tourney. About a dozen teams are in town for today's CHS Tournament, which was played under cloudy skies. Today's weather nevertheless is an improvement over that in which the Cameron event was held Friday. “The weather was cold and very wet and the course was pretty soft,” Chillicothe coach John Musser said. “Seventeen teams showed up and play was pretty good considering everything.” The Hornets, with one player earning a spot in the medal-winning ranks, carded a team total of 339, putting them sixth among the 17 teams. Golfers Split Trenton Triangular TRENTON - Chillicothe senior Logan Gilliland was the match medalist with a 38 as the golf Hornets split a double-dual at Trenton yesterday. Gilliland's round, two shots better than Trenton's Jim Weaver and Ryan Ware managed, paced the CHS team score of 172. That total handily beat Putnam County's 195, but trailed Trenton's 167. “The wind was really tough to play in,” commented Chillicothe coach John Musser after his team's overall record remained at .500, 3-3. In addition to Gilliland's round, the Hornets' Ben Dietz and Cody Graham each had a 43 and Drew Lowrey a 48. CHS Golfers'
Putting Troubles Lead To Loss To Cameron, But Maryville Beaten CAMERON - A poor day on the greens nearly was doubly-costly for Chillicothe High School's golf Hornets yesterday afternoon. Playing at Cameron against both the host Dragons and the Maryville Spoofhounds, the Hornets had all four of their players shoot in the 40s, leaving them well behind Cameron, but managing to net a 4-stroke victory over Maryville in the double-dual. Led by match medalist Trent White's 36 and having three players shoot in the 30s, Cameron easily rolled to a 24-stroke victory over the Hornets, 153-177. Maryville finished with a low-4 total of 181, leaving Cameron with two wins for the day and Chillicothe with a split. Chillicothe was led again by senior Logan Gilliland, but he was five strokes over his 9-hole average, carding a 41. Ben Dietz and Cody Graham had matching 44s for CHS and Drew Lowrey a 48. “I think everyone (on the Hornets) was kind of disappointed in their scores at this match,” Chillicothe coach John Musser commented. “Our putting was sub-par and it really cost us. We also had numerous double bogeys. That is pretty uncharacteristic for the squad." CHS Golfers
Improve, Gilliland Takes Second ST. JOSEPH - Chillicothe High School's golf Hornets moved up from almost the bottom to the middle of the team scoring standings in Friday's Lafayette Invitational, compared to their performance in the season-opening Savannah Tournament. The Hornets had Logan Gilliland's usual strong performance - his 1-under-par 71 on the St. Joseph's Fairview Golf Course earned him 2nd place behind medalist Derek Baade of Savannah's sizzling 67 - and got two scores in the 80s and one in the 90s, compared to one each in the 80s, 90s, and 100s at Savannah March 25. No. 3 player Cody Graham chopped 23 strokes off his first 2008 tourney showing by firing an 80. Ben Dietz carded an 87 and Drew Lowrey a 95 rounding out the CHS lineup, leaving the Hornets with a 6th-place team score of 333, one shot ahead of Kearney and five behind 4th-place St. Joseph: Central. "Our goal this season is to continue to try and improve as a team each week and also improve our individual scoring on the course," commented Hornets coach John Musser. Savannah, led by 2007 state co-medalist Baade, edged future Midland Empire Conference member St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond 310-312 with Lawson only three strokes off the team champs' pace. CHS Golf Hornets
Claim Comfortable Win in Opening 2008 Dual C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
Familiar surroundings helped enable the bare-bones 2008 Chillicothe High School boys' golf team to prevail in their first dual match of the season yesterday afternoon. The Hornets, with only four members this spring - the minimum for team scoring - opened their home season with a 164-191 win over the visiting Marshall Owls on Chillicothe's Green Hills Golf Course. On a very brisk, mostly-cloudy day, the Hornets had scoring improvement from everyone, compared to their initial outing of the season, last week's Savannah Invitational tournament. Match medalist was CHS senior Logan Gilliland, who breezily toured the windy GHGC front nine in 2-under-par 34, four strokes better than Marshall's top player, Cody Dusenberry. Gilliland had shot 38-37-75 in the Savannah tourney. Chillicothe's scores in yesterday's competition were a 40 by No. 2 player Ben Dietz, a 43 from No. 3 Cody Graham, and a 47 by No. 4 Drew Lowrey. Because there are only four CHS players, everyone's total counts in compiling the Hornets' team tally. Gilliland Strong,
but CHS Golf Hornets Show Some Rough Edges in 2008 Season Debut SAVANNAH - In what coach John Musser and his team hope won't become a recurring story line for the 2008 Chillicothe Hornets boys' golf season, senior Logan Gilliland of the Chillicothe Hornets did his "thing" in yesterday's season-opening Savannah Invitational tournament, but the team straggled in near the back of the pack. Gilliland tied for fourth individually with a 75 in the 18-hole tourney, but two of the four Hornets were in or near triple digits as Chillicothe finished 6th in the 7-team field, 54 shots back of champion Cameron. While sophomore Ben Dietz got off to a decent start with an 85, fellow 10th grader Drew Lowrey shot a 96 and junior Cody Graham a 103, leaving the Hornets with a team score of 359, ahead of only St. Joseph: Lafayette's 375. "We had a rough day as a team," Chillicothe coach John Musser admitted. "Hopefully we can get back on our course and work out some of our individual little glitches." The Missouri Western State University-bound Gilliland posted in a 38 on the front nine and improved slightly on the back side with a 37. While he played well, that score and the 4th-place finish may have ranked as something of a personal disappointment. The Chillicothe golfer had won the tournament's individual title each of the past two years and carded a 70 at the Duncan Hills Golf Course a year ago. Dietz's 85, including a 41 on the back nine, tied him for 16th among the 34 players competing. Senior
Gilliland headlines golf Hornets' Bare-Minimum Roster Coming off a 2007 season in which, with a lineup always featuring at least four underclassmen, they won both the Midland Empire Conference and district tournaments and finished 7th in the state tournament in their first team appearance there since 1987, the Chillicothe High School golf Hornets' 2008 season seemed set up for another banner season. However, some very surprising developments have the Hornets scrambling even before they hit the course for competition for the first time in today's Savannah Invitational tournament. An 11-member '07 squad which only had two seniors - neither of which played more than four varsity matches - and produced a 11-1 record in dual matches in addition to the aforementioned end-of-season tournament accomplishments startingly has given way to a bare-minimum 4-man turnout, led by senior No. 1 player Logan Gilliland this spring. The other '08 Hornets are junior Cody Graham and sophomores Ben Dietz and Drew Lowrey, each of whom played at least one varsity match last year. "It's really kind of disappointing," veteran coach John Musser commented yesterday on the eve of the season opener, saying he'd been given no advance indication by would-be junior lineup regulars Wade Koehly and Kyle Dosterschill that they would not be out. Not only that, but three others who participated at the junior-varsity level and were part of a 10-2 team are not back either. "It's a voluntary program," Musser acknowledged with reluctance. "Nobody has to participate." However, as he noted, having only four players on the team - the minimum needed to compile a team score in matches and tournaments - "puts a lot of pressure" on that quartet to score well and be healthy enough to compete. Without the luxury of being able to select the best four scores from five varsity lineup members for team scoring purposes, Musser days his players' goal must be "to minimize mistakes" such as poorly-hit shots or misjudgments in club selection or how aggressive to be. "We'll have to avoid big numbers (on a hole) any time we can," he warned. |
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TRACK click here for last season...
C-T File Photo / Butch Shaffer CAPTION - The first Chillicothe High School track and field record to fall during the 2008 season was the long-standing girls' 100-meter dash mark. Sophomore Samantha Fender broke it with a rapid 12.42-seconds clocking in a preliminary heat of the April 15 Cameron Invitational meet. The former record of 12.5 seconds first was set in 1985 by Carla Gray. It had been matched only once in the intervening 23 years - by 200- and 400-meter record-holder Renee Elliott in 1989. Defenders Of The Crown C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
With their second gender-divisions sweep in the span, Chillicothe High School's girls' and boys' track and field teams won the overall title of Friday's annual Mineral Water Classic track and field meet for a third time in the past four years in overwhelming fashion. The Lady Hornets won the girls' division for a 4th-successive year, easily out-distancing runnerup North Kansas City 133-95, while the Hornets were repeating their 2005 boys' title by a 117-91 margin over 2nd-place Kansas City: St. Pius X. Chillicothe's combined points total of an even 250 left it a full 80 points ahead of runnerup Smithville, which had 89 in finishing third among the girls and 81 in placing third among boys. Chillicothe won four boys' events - all individual events and three of them in the field, including Joseph Stull's sweep of the throws - and four girls' events - the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays and the 400-meter dash with sophomore Samantha Fender. Fender's 201/2 points, which included a 3rd place in the 100 and being in the 800- and 3,200-meter relays led the Lady Hornets' scoring. Other Hornets event champions were freshman Josh Rockhold, whose team-best 23 points included being second in the 100 and fourth in the 200, and Casey Pryor in the 1,600. On the Lady Hornets' victorious 400-meter relay unit were Meghan Perry, Carole Myers, Alexis Midgyett, and Ashley Myers. Running the 800 relay for Chillicothe's girls were Perry, both Myerses, and Fender, while the 3,200 relay squad consisted of Holly Williams, Bailey Keith, Leanne Mathew, and Kelsie Sewell. Track and Field Lady Hornets Win C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
CAMERON - Chillicothe High School's track and field Lady Hornets showed yesterday that sometimes you can beat finishing first. At the 15-school Cameron Invitational meet, the Chillicothe girls had only one 1st-place finish in an event, compared to eight by Hamilton, but when the team points were tallied, Chillicothe's greater depth had carried it to the team title by 221/2 points, 138-1151/2. In the boys' division, it was a familiar story for 2008 with the CHS Hornets finishing 2nd to Trenton for the third meet in a row. This time, the Bulldogs accumulated 1511/2 points to the Hornets' 125. Chillicothe did have event wins from Clint Dysart in the pole vault and Casey Pryor in the 1,600-meter run. Both are juniors. While Hamilton's girls were posting event victories eight times even without using stars Jordan Esry in the 3,200-meter run and Lindsay Vollmer in the high jump, Chillicothe using multiple place finishes to approximate or better the 10 team points Hamilton's win were generating several times and also posting numerous 2nd places. The Lady Hornets, winning a large-scale meet for the first time in 2008, had double-digit points in the pole vault (16) - where Samantha Figg provided their lone win by clearing 8 feet, 800-meter run (12), 3,200 (11), high jump (11), and 1,600 (14). While winning only once, Chillicothe had seven runnerup showings and eight other 3rds to carry it to team triumph. Top individual scorer for Chillicothe was senior distance runner Holly Williams, who was second to Esry in both the 800 and 1,600. Including her place on the 2nd-place 3,200-meter relay unit, she contributed 18 points to the winning cause. Samantha Fender was right behind with 171/2. CHS Teams Second in Maryville Relays C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
MARYVILLE - Five days after finishing third in their own Chillicothe Joe Shy Relays, six points behind champion Maryville and two back of runnerup Hamilton, the Chillicothe High School track and field Lady Hornets passed Hamilton in yesterday's Maryville Relays, but could make up only part of the small margin between Maryville and themselves. Meanwhile, the CHS boys again finished second to Trenton, as they did in last week's Relays here, but their margin of difference grew. Maryville's Lady Spoofhounds accumulated 166 points in their own 8-school Relays, four more than CHS' 162 with Hamilton dropping back to 141. In the boys' division, Trenton racked up 1411/2 points, 20 more than the Hornets. In Chillicothe last Friday, the Bulldogs' winning margin was only 13 points. Chillicothe's girls won three events in the big Maryville meet, which was delayed one day because of bad weather Tuesday. Amanda Fender cleared 8'6” to win the pole vault, in which CHS also took 4th and 5th places, and both the 400-meter relay squad of Meghan Perry, Carole Myers, Alexis Midgyett, and Ashley Myers and the 800 relay unit of Perry, C. Myers, A. Myers, and Samantha Fender prevailed. The 400 time was 53.02, the 800 1:49.97. The 400 time was about a quarter-second slower than its winning time at home last Friday, while the 800 time was just over one-third of a second faster. The Hornets had two wins - both in individual events. Junior Casey Pryor took the 1,600-meter run in 4:58.64 with teammate Steven Taylor right behind in 2nd place, two seconds back. Another junior, Clint Dysart, went the highest in the boys' pole vault, clearing 12 feet, with Clayton Allen adding a 3rd. ‘Rerun Relays' C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
Call the 2008 Chillicothe Joe Shy Relays the "Rerun Relays." Friday's edition of the annual big meet at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium saw the same boys' and girls' team champions - Trenton's Bulldogs and Maryville's Lady Spoofhounds - as in 2007. Just like last year, Chillicothe's boys finished second in the team standings and the CHS girls third. Even the Bob Carter Gold Shoe Awards to the top individual male and female point scorers went to a Trenton boy and Hamilton girl again. Yes, the bottom lines were almost exactly the same this year as 12 months earlier, but there were some differences and perhaps the beginning of a likely-unprecedented achievement in the long history of the CHS event. After having more than twice Chillicothe's runner-up points total in '07, Trenton's Bulldogs had only a 93-80 margin over the Hornets Friday. The CHS boys, while not winning any event, scored in 15 of the 18, including multiple top-6 finishes to produce double-digit points in the 1,600-meter run and discus and having five 2nd places. Trenton, meanwhile, rode the Carter award-winning 4-win (long, triple, and high jumps and 400-meter relay) performance of star jumper DéAndre Vandevender and Kyle Hoyt's win in the discus and 2nd place in the shot put to its repeat title. "It went as I expected for Trenton," CHS boys' head coach Bill Shaffer summarized. "I knew they would be very solid. "I thought, for us at home, we did very well. We had some young guys step up and did well in the throwing and, of course, Joseph (Stull) did well in the throwing. Timm did very well in the high jump (with) a good field there to be against. "Our distance corps did a very good job. (Drew) Hinton double places in the hurdles and (we had) some good sprint relay teams; our 4x100 looked really good, the 4x400 had their best time, the 4x800 looks very competitive." CHS Thinclads have
Hoot with Owls C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Confidence, or at least a positive attitude about their chances, shouldn't be a problem for Chillicothe High School's track and field teams when they host their annual Chillicothe Joe Shy Relays Friday. Both the Hornets and Lady Hornets were overwhelming winners over Marshall in a dual meet held yesterday at the scene of Friday's Relays, Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium. The Lady Hornets racked up a 113-28 margin of victory, while the Hornets prevailed 98-43. The CHS girls, with head coach Vickie Garrett continuing to tweak her lineup to find its strongest combination of athletes and events, captured first place in 16 of the 18 events with only seniors Holly Williams (800- and 1,600-meter runs) and Carole Myers (200-meter dash, long jump) taking more than one individually. Also prevailing for the Lady Hornet were Kaley Hayward (300-meter low hurdles), Meghan Perry (triple jump), Konner Ferguson (400-meter dash), Angela Quick (discus), Samantha Fender (100-meter dash), Leanne Mathew (high jump), Samantha Figg (pole vault), and Ashley Myers (100-meter high hurdles). Involved in the CHS girls' sweep of all four relays were Kelsie Sewell, Alexis Midgyett, Bailey Keith, Williams, Perry, Fender, and the Myerses. The Lady Hornets claimed two of the three scoring places in all except three of the individual events - the shot put, discus, and high hurdles - and won two of those events to get five of the nine available team points. They also had the only scorers in five - the triple jump, high jump, pole vault, 1,600, and 800. While not quite as dominant, the Hornets nevertheless cruised to an easy team victory. The CHS boys were victorious in 11 of the 18 events, but built the majority of their spread by getting 17 of the 25 2nd and 3rd places. The Hornets swept all three places in the 1,600-meter run, 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and 200-meter dash and had the only two scorers in the triple jump. CHS Tracksters Plow Ahead C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Chillicothe High School's track and field teams had the usual, but with a twist, yesterday. Hosting St. Joseph: Benton and Savannah in a home triangular in which the visitors don't bring their full squads, Chillicothe posted its standard runaway victories in both the girls' and boys' divisions, but the way it did it had a different element. The Hornets, who rolled up 123 points to Benton's 35 and Savannah's 27, received four of their 15 event triumphs from freshman sprinter/jumper Josh Rockhold and swept all six field events. The Lady Hornets, picking up a dozen event victories out of 18 possible, racked up 107 points to Benton's 44 and Savannah's 24 with fresh faces Brooklyn Reed, Mary Kate Taylor, and Ashley Myers also shining. For the Hornets, Rockhold prevailed in the 100-meter dash (11.33 seconds), the 200 (23.49), the long jump (20'2”), and triple jump (40'2”). Also pacing the non-running dominance by Chillicothe was senior thrower Joseph Stull, who took both the discus (136'1”) and shot put (43'3-1/2”). The other field-event wins by CHS came from pole vaulter Clint Dysart (12') and high jumper Timm Derrickson (6'2”), both juniors. CHS Track and
Field Teams Off to Promising Start C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
Coming off solid, if not spectacular, 2007 seasons and with some state meet qualifiers among the returning talent, Chillicothe High School's track and field squads commenced 2008 competition Saturday with strong showings in the Warrensburg Relays. Coach Vickie Garrett's Lady Hornets claimed second place in the all-relays (combined performances of three entrants in field events) meet, totaling 108 points, 11 back of champion Kansas City: Ruskin, which dominated the races. Bill Shaffer's Hornets took third place, a point back of runnerup Warrensburg's 95 points. Sedalia, capturing first places in five races and four of the six field events, was the runaway winner with 131 points. The CHS boys had one win at Warrensburg - in the throwers' 400-meter relay with Brenda Pagliai, Brad Sensenich, Kellin Ferguson, and Joseph Stull. They also had six runnerup finishes - in the pole vault where junior Clint Dysart started strong by clearing 12'6”, the high jump in which junior Timm Derrickson went 6' in another sharp debut performance, the discus, triple jump, shuttle hurdle relay, and 3,200-meter relay. The Hornets also picked up three thirds, a fourth and a fifth, two sixths and sevenths, and one eighth on the day, demonstrating the potential to be consistent scorers in most events in most meets. “I think we've got a good balance,” Shaffer said of his 2008 team's roster makeup. “We have some good throwers, a good pole vaulter, a good high jumper, (in the) long jump and triple jump we're pretty solid there, too. “We've got a couple of good sprinters and good solid distance corps. “We're pretty well-rounded.” The Lady Hornets also came home triumphant in one event Saturday - the pole vault, where the trio of 2007 state qualifier Samantha Figg, Amanda Fender, and Brooklyn Reed cleared a composite 22 feet even. The CHS girls earned second places in the straight (4 equidistant legs) 6,400-, 3,200-, 800-, and 400-meter races, as well as the discus. They also picked up two thirds, five fourths, four fifths, and one sixth place. |
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GIRLS'
SOCCER click here for last season... Ireland, Soccer Lady Hornets
Blank Lafayette C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer
The Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets soccer team evened their record at 5-5 on Tuesday afternoon with a 3-0 blanking of St. Joe Lafayette. Chillicothe scored its first goal in the 7th minute of play when Meredith Brick found the net to put the Lady Hornets on top 1-0. The CHS offense stayed aggressive and on the attack as Rochelle Gillilan scored the second CHS goal five minutes later in the first half. Lafayette, playing without two of their key players due to injuries couldn't muster anything offensively, taking only five shots on goal during the contest compared to Chillicothe's 21 shots on goal. Chillicothe was able to take advantage of Lafayette being short-handed, by substituting freely, and saving their legs for what will be their 6th game in two weeks on Thursday at Kansas City Truman. Rochelle Gillilan scored her second goal of the game at the 15 minute mark of the second half to seal the win at 3-0. The defensive unit of goalie Amanda Ireland, sweeper Mallory Lowe, and backs Kendra Ballantyne, Annie Steely and Libby Kline played well and kept away any threat of a Lafayette score. Soccer Lady Hornets
Held Down by Benton Girls goalkeeper Morgan Brown allowed only one of Chillicothe's 15 shots on goal to get past her Friday afternoon as Benton posted a 4-1 victory over Chillicothe High School's soccer Lady Hornets. The Benton triumph evened things for the Lady Hornets' 2-1 4-overtime victory at St. Joseph last month. The only Chillicothe goal Friday came from sophomore Madeline Brick. She notched her 5th of the season, according to C-T unofficial statistical tracking, in the second half. She's second on the team in goal scoring to Rochelle Gillilan, who has eight unofficially. Brick's goal cut a 2-0 Benton halftime lead in half, but CHS couldn't come up with an equalizer before the Lady Cardinals' Ivory Baldwin scored to make it a 2-goal game again. Heavin Warner then added a clincher. BHS' Tara Miller and Ashley Denbow scored in the 1st half. Soccer Lady Hornets'
Winning Streak Halted at Maryville Maryville - The 3-game winning streak of the Chillicothe High School soccer Lady Hornets ended yesterday. In windy conditions at Maryville, the Lady Hornets (4-3) dropped a 4-1 match to the Maryville Lady Spoofhounds. Maryville's Emily Vandivert scored off a corner kick in the 2nd minute of play and Chillicothe never caught up. Later in the 1st half, Ashley Blanchard and Abbie Florea also scored for the home team, putting the Lady Hornets in a 3-0 hole at halftime. “The girls were very sluggish,” CHS head coach Margie Lowe commented, “maybe from having back-to-back games.” The Lady Hornets had beaten Cameron at home 5-1 Monday. In the second half yesterday, Chillicothe's Madeline Brick scored on a rebound off the MHS goalie's block of a Rochelle Gillilan attempt to avert the shutout, but Maryville's Malorie Barnett also scored, making the Lady 'Hounds' 3-goal 1st half decisive. Gilliland Hat Trick Paces Kickers C-T Photo / Paul Sturm
Sophomore Rochelle Gillilan's 3-goal “hat trick,” the second in Chillicothe High School soccer Lady Hornets history, highlighted a dominating performance by the 2008 Lady Hornets yesterday as they bested the visiting Cameron Lady Dragons at the Daryl Danner Memorial Park field. “We controlled the game pretty much from the beginning,” Chillicothe 1st-year coach Margie Lowe commented after her team improved its record to 4-2 with a 3rd-straight triumph. Chillicothe kept play on the Cameron half of the field the great majority of the time and pounded 27 shots on goal, compared to 6 for the visitors. Gillilan had 10 of those shots and found the net three times, capping the Chillicothe scoring with the Lady Hornets' only post-intermission tally early in the second half. Her hat trick, boosting her season goals total to a team-high eight unofficially, follows one produced by classmate Meredith Brick in a 5-3 victory over Kansas City: Lutheran during the program's maiden 2007 season. Ireland's 'Keeping, Turner's OT
Kick Give CHS Win ST. JOSEPH - Chillicothe High School's defense and goalkeeper Amanda Ireland stonewalled St. Joseph: Benton for about the last 75 minutes of regulation time and then two 10-minute overtimes before Ellyn Turner scored on the first shot of a second penalty-kicks overtime segment to give the CHS soccer Lady Hornets a 2-1, 4-overtime victory Monday. “The girls played extremely hard in harsh weather conditions,” praised CHS head coach Margie Lowe after her club again squared its record at .500, 2-2. “They never gave up.” Benton scored the 1st - and its only goal of regulation play and two standard overtime sessions - at around the 3-minute mark when Heavin Warren knocked in the rebound a free kick by Heather Reeder which goalie Ireland had turned back. The Lady Hornets tied it 1-1 later in the half when sophomore Rochelle Gillilan came up with the ball after a Chillicothe corner kick. The rest of the game was a defensive game at The Riverside Soccer Complex. “Weather conditions were extremely cold and windy,” coach Lowe reported. Chillicothe did attempt 31 shots on goal, compared to the host Lady Cardinals' 14, but most of its shots were of a non-dangerous variety which were easily saved. Soccer Lady Hornets,
New Coach Get First Win C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
KIRKSVILLE - First-half scoring from their twin sisters act, two more from their “Rock,” and fine goalkeeping by senior Amanda Ireland blended into a 4-1 road victory over the Kirksville Lady Tigers for the Chillicothe High School girls' soccer Lady Hornets yesterday. Playing back-to-back days, the Lady Hornets presented new head coach Margie Lowe with her first varsity head coaching triumph one day after dropping their season opener. “The girls came out very aggressive after their (10-0) loss to Smithville Tuesday,” Lowe commented. “I was happy with the way they rebounded and came out to win.” CHS sophomore Meredith Brick scored after only four minutes of play to put Chillicothe in front for good. In the 33rd minute, twin sister Madeline increased the Lady Hornets' margin to 2-0. Up by that score at halftime, Chillicothe “came out sluggish,” according to its coach, and had a goal scored on it by Katlyn Elam in the 4th minute of the 2nd half. That reawakened the Lady Hornets, who rapidly regained their 2-goal margin when Rochelle “Rock” Gillilan scored in the 8th minute of the second half. As the game began to wind down, Gillilan found the cords again in the 36th minute of play to make the final 4-1.
C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm CAPTION - Chillicothe High School soccer Lady Hornets Kati Jo Ross (9) and Annie Steely (13) converge on a ball to keep it away from Smithville's Kelly Krull during yesterday's CHS season opener at Daryl Danner Memorial Park. CHS' Meredith Brick watches in the background, ready if the ball pops out in her direction. After twice previously being rained out, the soccer Lady Hornets were shut out by the strong Smithville squad. CHS Lady Hornets Get
Their Pre-Season Kicks in Before Monday's Home Opener C-T File Photo / Paul Sturm
One thing is for sure this season, first-year head coach Margie Lowe does not want to see the Lady Hornet soccer team lose due to a lack of conditioning. Despite temperatures and weather conditions that have made outdoor practices less than ideal, Lowe, who was the assistant coach in the inaugural 2007 season of the program before taking over the helm this year, does not want to see leads slip away late because the team is running out of gas. “We were 6-11 in 2007, which is not bad for a first-year program,” said the new head coach. “I just felt that a lack of conditioning contributed to our losses and I don't want that to happen this season.” With 21 on the team - 17 of those either freshmen or sophomores - the success of the program is on the shoulders of underclassmen. But they are underclassmen with experience as seven of the 11 starters return from last season. And, Lowe can already see the team has benefitted from a season of playing together. “We seem to be playing more as a unit is our early practices. There is better communication and better awareness of where everyone is on the field,” said the coach, whoses team opens the season Monday (4:30 p.m.) at Daryl Danner Memorial Park against St. Joseph: Lafayette. That will allow a more aggressive style of play this year than in 2007. “We want to attack this year. I moved some players around in positions to put us in a position to be aggressive. I hope it will help us have a .500 or better season.” |
CAPTION
- Cody Greenlaw, playing No. 1 singles for the Chillicothe High School tennis Hornets, starts a backhand ground stroke during his match against Marshall's Taylor Scarff at Chillicothe's Simpson Park courts yesterday. In a close battle all the way, Greenlaw shaded Scarff 10-8 in singles and then joined with doubles partner Morgan Saunders for a 10-7 No. 1 doubles win.
CAPTION
- Seniors Morgan Saunders (serving) and Cody Greenlaw return for the 2008 Chillicothe High School tennis Hornets after going 27-9 as a doubles team last
year.
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- Chillicothe baseball Hornets pitcher Colin Parker threw a complete-game, 1-hitter in Monday's win.
CAPTION - Chillicothe High School's baseball Hornets continued their excellent 2008 season Saturday night by capturing their 3rd tournament title of the regular season. Flanked by his teammates and coaches Dave Mapel, left, and Jim Wheeler, senior second baseman Tyson Blattner holds the 1st-place plaque from the Kearney Tournament after the Hornets whipped Harrisonville 14-10 in the title game late Saturday night.
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- Austin Harlow's 2-run home run in the 6th inning tied Wednesday's game with St. Joseph: Benton and his 2-run single in the 7th provided key insurance runs as the Chillicothe Hornets won the Pony Express Tournament title, 9-5. Harlow went six for 10 with 10 RBIs in the tourney.
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- Alex Singleton slugged a 3-run homer to ignite a 7-run 5th inning Tuesday that carried the Chillicothe Hornets to an 8-6 comeback victory over St. Joseph: Central in the semifinals of the Pony Express tourney.
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- Chillicothe's Blake Stephens arrives at 3rd base, where he was held up by coach Mike Lewis, while Justin VanHoutan (background) pulls into 2nd after VanHoutan's fly ball to right field was missed during yesterday's home doubleheader against Savannah. Although both would go on to score, CHS lost the winbill 11-5 and 8-0.
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- Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets junior Clayton Dahlberg was a 1-man wrecking crew in Saturday night's de facto championship game of the Marshall Tournament. He slugged a pair of home runs - the second a 3-run shot , drove in four runs with three hits, and scored three times on offense while throwing a complete-game 2-hitter over six innings as the Hornets pasted the host Owls 14-1 to claim the tournament crown.
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- Chillicothe High School Hornets second baseman Tyson Blattner rips a 1st-inning hit against St. Joseph: Lafayette yesterday. This hit - the first of three by the senior - went for a double when the Fighting Irish center fielder failed to make a shoestring catch. Blattner later knocked in the eventual winning run with a suicide squeeze bunt and singled in two insurance runs in a 6-2 win.
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- Chillicothe baseball Hornets senior center fielder Clint Singleton is welcomed home by his teammates after homering over the left field fence at “June” Shaffer Memorial Park in the second inning of yesterday's 2008 season opener. The Hornets whipped error-prone Savannah 18-0 in five innings.
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- Junior infielder/outfielder/pitcher Alex Singleton is among the top returning players for the 2008 Chillicothe High School baseball Hornets. As a hitter, he led last year's team in runs batted in (17), hits (22), batting average (.393), and bases on balls received (12), while, on the mound, the
right-hander had a team-best 2-1 won-lost record and two saves.
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- Logan Gilliland, Chillicothe golf Hornets senior, earned his 3rd trip to the Class 3 state tournament yesterday with a 10th-place-tie finish in the district tournament.
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- Chillicothe junior Cody Graham rolls a putt toward the cup on Green Hills Golf Course hole No. 1 just after the start of yesterday's CHS home dual match with Marshall. Playing No. 3 in the lineup, Graham improved his scoring significantly from last week's season-opening tournament at Savannah, shooting a 43 for nine holes as the Hornets defeated the Owls 164-191.
Kicking It In
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- Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets senior pole vaulter Amanda Fender cleared 9'6” to place second in Friday's Mineral Water Classic track and field meet at Excelsior Springs. The height, which Samantha Figg of Chillicothe also cleared in finishing fourth, was a CHS girls' season-best and was only a half-foot off the school record. The Lady Hornets won the meet for a 4th-consecutive year by a 38-point margin.
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- Senior distance runner Holly Williams, on her way to placing second in the 800-meter run, was the Chillicothe Lady Hornets' top individual scorer in their team win in yesterday's Cameron Invitational track and field meet. She also was second in 1,600 and was on the 2nd-place 3,200-meter relay.
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- Chillicothe Hornets junior pole vaulter Clint Dysart starts his ride into the sky during Wednesday's Maryville Relays. Dysart won the event at 12', helping lead the Hornets to a 2nd-place team finish.
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- Chillicothe track and field Lady Hornets senior Holly Williams leads teammate Mary Kate Taylor by a stride early in Friday's 1,600-meter run during the 2008 Chillicothe Joe Shy Relays. Williams would finish third and Taylor fifth behind Jordan Esry of Hamilton, second from right, who again this year swept the 800-, 1,600-, and 3,200-meter runs in the meet. Williams ended the day as CHS' top individual scorer with 151/2 points.
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- Chillicothe Hornets junior Drew Hinton goes over a hurdle Tuesday on his way to winning the 110-meters high hurdles race in CHS' home dual meet against Marshall. Hinton later added a win in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and took second place in the triple jump to be the Hornets' leading point scorer in the meet with 13.
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- Chillicothe High School Hornets freshman jumper/sprinter Josh Rockhold makes one of his attempts in the long jump during yesterday's home track and field triangular with partial Savannah and St. Joseph: Benton squads. Rockhold won all four events in which he was entered - the long and triple jumps and 100- and 200-meter dashes.
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- Chillicothe Hornets underclassmen Timm Derrickson (right) and Brett Stephens (left) will be among those looked to for
development into solid point producers during this spring's 2008 track and field campaign. Junior Derrickson will be needed to do well in his best event - the high jump - and also helping out in some relay races, while sophomore Stephens will run the intermediate hurdles and perhaps in some relays.
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- Chillicothe Lady Hornets sophomore Rochelle Gillilan, the team's leading scorer in the 2008 season thus far, prepares to fire home one of her two goals during yesterday's 3-1 home victory over St. Joseph: Lafayette at Daryl Danner Memorial Park. Gillilan unofficially now has 10 goals for the year.
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- Chillicothe senior Ellyn Turner tries to make a leaping settle of a teammate's 2nd-half corner kick as it crosses the Cameron goal mouth during yesterday's game. Although Chillicothe didn't get this opportunity in the net, it already led 5-0 at the time and went on to a 5-1 victory, its 3rd-straight.
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- Chillicothe High School soccer Lady Hornets senior goalkeeper Amanda Ireland is focused in and prepared to make a second-half save on a Smithville shot during Tuesday's home game. At Kirksville yesterday, Ireland made eight saves and allowed only one early-2nd-half goal as the Lady Hornets presented new head coach Margie Lowe with her first varsity coaching win, 4-1.
Getting Their Kicks, At Last
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- Rochelle Gillilan (21) is one of a talented sophomore class that return for the Lady Hornet soccer team this season, who are coming off a 6-11 inaugural campaign in 2007.