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SPRING SPORTS
ARCHIVES...
Enjoy these spring sports articles from 2004-2005. For more, visit these additional seasons... |
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CHS
Fellhoelter Second in MEC Tennis Singles C-T article 05 06 2005, Paul Sturm
ST. JOSEPH - Chillicothe Hornets sophomore Jacob Fellhoelter finished second in singles in the Midland Empire Conference boys' tennis tournament Thursday. Chillicothe's other varsity entry was the doubles team of Brandon Merrill and Blake Shearer, which earned a "love, love" first-round victory over Stephen Goss and Brent Cross of St. Joseph: Benton before falling to eventual runnersup Erik Schrader and Cody Sloan of Cameron 3-6, 1-6. |
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'05
Net Hornets Defied Odds Defended Conference Championship Despite Extensive Inexperience C-T article 05 04 2005, Paul Sturm The 2005 CHS tennis Hornets had what co-coaches Ed Douglas and Ron Keith called "an outstanding year" in which the team "greatly exceeded everyone's expectations." After losing the top five players of their 2004 district champion, state quarterfinalist team to graduation, the '05 Hornets were faced with what could be called "extreme rebuilding." The No. 6 player from last year moved to the No. 1 position, the No. 10 man moved to No. 2, and No. 11 moved to No. 3, which is "a long way to go for players in one year." Chillicothe wrapped up its 7th MEC championship in eight years in undefeated fashion with a convincing 9-1 win over Maryville. The Hornets had a combined record of 39-1 in conference matches during that 8-year period. In addition to their conference wins, the Hornets played better as the year went on and finished with a very respectable 9-5 match record. They placed second in the 8-team Savannah/Benton tournament late in the year. In other season highlights, Fellhoelter finished second in the MEC singles tournament. Although the team did not qualify for state, they finished a very respectable fourth in the 12-team district tournament. The year's squad of 23 players was Chillicothe's largest in the 8 years volunteer coaches Keith and Douglas have been coaching the program. Earning their second varsity letters were Fellhoelter and Hardie. Yeomans, Lollar, Merrill, Shearer, Saunders, and Prewitt received their first tennis letters. Accorded special award recognition were...
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The Hornet Team, under the direction of coaches Ron Keith and Ed Douglas, works to continue a tradition of excellence that includes in the last eight years...
For many years, the Chillicothe team played District #8 in St. Joseph. In the spring of 2003, the Hornets were moved to a different District, which includes Mexico, Moberly, Kirksville, Macon, Hannibal, Mexico Military, Marshall, and others. |
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Baseball Buzz Chillicothe Hornets set for first state tourney game ever; St. Joseph: Benton meet improving Chillicothe in Class 3 sectional game here C-T article by Paul Sturm, Sports Editor, Wednesday, May 25, 2005
When the Chillicothe Hornets and St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals take the "June" Shaffer Memorial Park field Thursday evening for the Hornets' first-ever high school baseball state tournament appearance, they won't quite be David facing Goliath, but their task will be formidable, to say the least. The Hornets, at 13-14, bring the only sub-.500 record into the Class 3 state tournament among the 16 participants. Benton, whose school year isn't yet over because it didn't start classes until after last Labor Day, comes in with the best mark, 22-1. Chillicothe head coach Dave Mapel, who has guided the team since the sport's inception at CHS in 1997, acknowledges his club probably couldn't be facing a tougher opponent. However, that makes the opportunity even more tantalizing with little pressure. "Absolutely," he remarked to the C-T Tuesday after practice. "The idea is to just play our game and let what happens, happen. They always say it's tough to beat a team three times in a row. Well, maybe so, maybe not. "Without a doubt, Benton is a solid team, but we've been rolling and playing our kind of baseball. "These (Hornets players) are very positive. We let a couple of things get us down, but, for the most part this year, we've come back and won a few games, especially down the stretch," he saluted. "These guys know how to stay positive, they know how not to put undue pressure on themselves and worry about trying to get it all back in one swing. They know how to take it one base at a time." Chillicothe and fellow Midland Empire Conference member Benton squared off twice during the regular season, with the Cardinals prevailing 8-5 in St. Joseph early in the season and then 15-4 in five innings here on May 5.
"Anything can happen," Mapel reminds. "A testament to that is last year when we played Benton. We got down, I think it was 9-2, near the end of the game and we ended up beating them 12-10." (C-T file photo / Paul Sturm)
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CHS
Baseball Banquet Honors District Champs C-T article by Paul Sturm, Sports Editor, Wednesday, May 25, 2005 For a sub-.500 team which once had a 4-11 record, the 2005 Chillicothe baseball Hornets will always occupy a special place in the program's annals. This year's Hornets shined brightest late in the season, culminating with a brilliant dash through the Class 3 District 15 tournament and into state play for the first time in CHS' nine-year baseball history. The team's season ended with a 5-3 loss to now-state semi-finalist St. Joseph: Benton in the first round of the state tourney. Special award recipients for their contributions to the 2005 Chillicothe baseball Hornets were:
For a sub-.500 team which once had a 4-11 record, the 2005 Chillicothe baseball Hornets will always occupy a special place in the program's annals. This year's Hornets shined brightest late in the season, culminating with a brilliant dash through the Class 3 District 15 tournament and into state play for the first time in CHS' nine-year baseball history. The team's season ended with a 5-3 loss to now-state semi-finalist St. Joseph: Benton in the first round of the state tourney. The 2004 season was the first winning season for the 8-year program. The Hornets concluded with a 13-11 record and posted a 6-1 record against MEC foes to share the conference championship with Smithville and Platte County. The Coaches' Award was given to senior Drew Lollar and sophomore Andrew Campbell. Named most improved were senior Jacob Haynes and junior Jeff Eller. Best Pitcher was Jacob Hicks, Matt Radel was Best Offensive Infielder, and Campbell was Best Offensive Outfielder. Radel was also Best Defensive Infielder and Lollar Best Defensive Outfielder. Senior 2nd baseman Matt Radel and sophomore utility player Andrew Campbell were named to the all-Midland Empire Conference baseball team's first team. Five other Hornets - seniors Drew Lollar, Jacob Haynes, and Josh Gannan, and juniors Jacob Hicks and Craig Putnam - were tabbed either second team all-MEC or honorable mention. In the past, CHS has been in the St. Joseph/MEC District, but in spring, 2003, CHS was moved to District #15 with Kirksville, Macon, Moberly, Mexico, Booneville, and Marshall. District #16 includes Benton, Lafayette, Maryville, Savannah, Platte County, Cameron, Smithville, and Kearney. Coaches are Dave Mapel, Head Coach; Jim Radel, Varsity and JV Coach; Hayes Martens, Volunteer Pitching Coach and Frosh Coach; and Eric Ledesma and Mike Lewis, Volunteer Frosh Coaches. |
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 MEC
Champion Golf Hornets' Season Celebrated at BanquetPaul Sturm, CT Sports Editor, May 23, 2005 Coach's award shared by seniors Shannon and McCauslin Another outstanding season of Chillicothe Hornets golf - one which featured the Midland Empire Conference tournament title, a near-miss of a district team title, and three players qualifying individually for the state tournament - was celebrated last (Thursday) night at the high school during the annual postseason awards/recognition banquet. Following the meal, coach John Musser recounted the season and the team's accomplishments, which included a 12-2 record in dual matches and a championship in the Savannah Invitational tournament. Following his presentation of varsity letters and certificates of participation to the nearly-20-player squad, Musser announced the recipients of the lone special award he
gives. He presented his "Coach's Award" jointly to seniors Scott Shannon and Mitch
McCauslin. "Both of these guys had periods this season where they dropped out of the varsity spots they have played for several seasons and could have quit," Musser related. "They didn't, and they showed a lot of class to eventually get back in the top-five spots. During his remarks as he introduced each team member, Musser disclosed that freshman Logan Gilliland finished the season with the team's lowest scoring average per nine holes. Gilliland averaged 39 strokes per nine holes, including a low round of 34 that matched junior Clint Macoubrie for the best of the spring. Macoubrie, Shannon, and sophomore Spencer Whiteside represented the Hornets in the state tournament earlier this week, CHS' largest contingent in quite a few years. Whiteside played the best and finished in a tie for 40th place. Those three earned all-district status with their district tournament performances which earned them the right to play at state. Subsequent to that, in the Midland Empire Conference tournament, Gilliland, Whiteside, and Shannon earned all-MEC laurels with top-10 finishes.
Past Seasons... Kyle Marcolla became the first CHS golfer ever to win an individual state title when he captured the Class 3 high school boys' state golf title in 2003. To read all about it and see Kyle's photo, click here. In 2002-03, the team was 5th in Conference. |
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Chillicothe Rolls Seven For State C-T article Paul Sturm Monday, May 23, 2005 KEARNEY - Saturday's Class 3 sectional track and field meet for the Chillicothe Hornets produced two new school records, three event wins, and qualification for state competition in seven events by 11 CHS athletes. Those numbers are just about what were projected for the Chillicothe squads to accomplish at a meet where the level of competition from qualifiers from the previous Saturday's district meets at Excelsior Springs and Warrensburg proved to be as formidable as Chillicothe's coaches had projected. "We knew it was going to be tough," reported Hornets head coach Bill Shaffer, whose team will have three participants - Drew Frizzell in the shot put and discus and the 1,600-meter relay team - in this coming Friday and Saturday's state meet at Jefferson City. "We knew the teams from there had a lot of speed." "It went real well," Lady Hornets coach Vickie Garrett remarked. Her team will be in four state events - defending state champion Amber Parker in the 800, Meghann Gilliland in the 100-meter high hurdles, April Gillilan in the high jump, and the 3,200-meter relay unit. "We qualified who we thought we might," she continued. "We knew going into it that it was going to take great efforts to get through (to state). "We thought the (1,600 relay team) had a chance and they gave it everything they had, but were fifth." Although the size of its combined state meet contingent will be relatively small, Chillicothe will have several prime opportunities at high-finish medals and possibly one or two state champions. The best odds surely are with Parker, who won the state 800 as a junior in 2:16.46 and took Saturday's sectional race in 2:21.79. The senior standout has already been All-State in track her first three years. Also in the mix for a state championship should be junior Drew Frizzell in the shot put. He won that event at sectional by breaking the Chillicothe record of 55'4" he set in early April with a heave of 57'4" on his final attempt. At state, the CHS junior will try to improve on his medal-winning eighth-place toss of 50'1-1/2" from a year ago. Frizzell later made it two wins for the day when he unleashed a discus throw of 155'6" on his initial attempt and it stood up. |
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Track Hornets Went Fast, Far Chillicothe boys won eight meets, two state medals; Two CHS records were broken, one equaled during 2005 season C-T article by Paul Sturm, Sports Editor, Wednesday, June 1, 2005 One of the most outstanding Chillicothe Hornets track and field seasons in years concluded Saturday with junior Drew Frizzell bringing home a pair of state meet medals, including the first-place medal in the shot put, the CHS boys' first state champion since 1999.
The Hornets' strong state meet performances - Frizzell also took third in the discus throw and the 1,600-meter relay team of Michael Marriott, Zach Morgan, Jimmy Griesbach, and Cody Ramsey posted CHS' second-fastest time ever in narrowly missing a medal - provided a satisfying denouement to a great season of team and individual success. The senior-strong Hornets won eight of their 11 meets, were second twice - including at district, and a very-close third in a tight three-team battle in the Midland Empire Conference meet. Individually, the squad led by head coach Bill Shaffer and assistants Ken Stull and Mike Jones produced not just three state meet entrants, but 10 sectional qualifiers in eight events, a meet-high six district champions, a league-best five MEC event champions, and two new school records (some broken more than once during the season) and one CHS mark equaled. "We had a very successful season," Shaffer summarized for the C-T Monday. On the school records front, Frizzell, a state medalist in the shot put a year ago, was as good as projected at season's beginning, perhaps better. He began to make his case for being the school's best weight thrower ever when he blew away his year-old record in the shot put by two full feet, tossing the 16-pound ball 55'4", in CHS' own Joe Shy Relays in early April. His next time out, in the Maryville Invitational, he bettered former CHS state medalist Wade Smith's discus record with a season-best throw of 166'1", a distance more than three feet longer than what would win the Class 3 state title. After solidly advancing through the district meet - the first of two steps for state qualification, Frizzell reset his shot put mark another two feet farther to 157'4" during the sectional meet. At state, he dominated the shot put event, each of his five tosses being longer than the eventual runnerup's best try. The Hornet essentially put the state title on ice with his very first attempt, another new CHS record of 58'2-1/2". The other 2005 entry onto the CHS boys' record board came from surprising senior Jordan
Cassity. He ran strong as a sprinter all season, including winning the MEC and district titles, but never faster than at Excelsior Springs' Mineral Water Classic April 22 when he blazed 100 meters in 10.9 seconds to tie Brad Schuler's 1992 school record. Track and Field 2005 Special Award Recipients included:
Past Boys Track Seasons In 2005, the senior-strong Hornets won eight of their 11 meets, were second twice - including at district, and a very-close third in a tight three-team battle in the Midland Empire Conference meet. Individually, the squad led by head coach Bill Shaffer and assistants Ken Stull and Mike Jones produced not just three state meet entrants, but 10 sectional qualifiers in eight events, a meet-high six district champions, a league-best five MEC event champions, and two new school records (some broken more than once during the season) and one CHS mark equaled. In 2002-03, the boys track team was second in Conference and third in District. At State, they qualified in six events. |
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Lady
Hornets Tore Up Track Once More in '05 CHS girls repeated MEC, district titles, had repeat state champion; special awards to Parker, Gilliland C-T article by Paul Sturm, Sports Editor, June 3, 2005
The W.L. "June" Shaffer Memorial Award, presented to a four-year team member who showed dedication and hard work both in the sport and classroom, was presented to Parker, a 4-year All-State performer who went on about a week later to finish her prep career with a CHS record six state medals. Parker also took the High Point Award for the fourth time with 268 3/4 points this season. Gilliland was awarded the Coaches' Award. It honors an individuals hard work, team loyalty, team spirit, improvement, and attitude. Gilliland broke Rachel Lowe's 300-meter low hurdles school record with a time of 48.5 seconds in the MEC meet.
Another spectacularly successful season capped by a state championship individual performance for a second straight year was celebrated at the Lady Hornets track and field team's 2005 awards banquet May 19. The just-ended campaign was marked not only by senior Amber Parker's repeat state title and a state medal-winning performance produced with the efforts of three freshmen, but also by the setting of new CHS records by senior hurdler and state meet qualifier Meghann Gilliland, a trip to state for junior high jumper April Gillilan, a 5th-straight team championship in the district meet, and 8th-consecutive MEC crown, 10 team titles in 11 overall meets, and much more. Special award recipients for the 2004 CHS track and field season included for the Lady Hornets, senior Sharla Fender - Coaches' Award, junior Amber Parker, High Point Award for the third successive year, and senior Candice Taylor, the W.L. June Shaffer Award for dedication and her work in the classroom and in the sport; for the Hornets, sophomore Drew Frizzell was given the Most Improved Award, junior Michael Marriott the W.L. Butch Shaffer Award, and Zach Morgan, Coaches' Award. The girls team was the Conference champion in 2002-03, as well as District champs. At State, they qualified in four events. |
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Chillicothe sophomore Jacob Fellhoelter took second place in singles in the Midland Empire Conference tournament at St. Joseph yesterday. (C-T file photo / Paul Sturm)
Chillicothe Hornets baseball head coach Dave Mapel (left) talks with his four most-veteran players - Brett Grozinger (46), Andrew Campbell (2), Jeff Eller (30), and Jacob Hicks (right) - during an opposing team's conference on the mound during a game earlier this year. With the development of less-experienced during the course of the 2005 season, the Hornets have developed into a solid club, winning nine of their last 12 games prior to starting the Class 3 state tournament at home against St. Joseph: Benton Thursday at 6 p.m.
(C-T file photo / Paul Sturm)
Junior Clayton Spears' development as a catcher has allowed Chillicothe to use starting catcher Jeff Eller as a pitcher more late in the season.
Another
spectacularly successful season capped by a state championship individual
performance for a second straight year was celebrated at the Lady Hornets
track and field team's 2005 awards banquet May 19. The just-ended campaign
was marked not only by senior Amber Parker's repeat state title and a state
medal-winning performance produced with the efforts of three freshmen, but
also by the setting of new CHS records by senior hurdler and state meet
qualifier Meghann Gilliland, a trip to state for junior high jumper April
Gillilan, a 5th-straight team championship in the district meet, and
8th-consecutive MEC crown, 10 team titles in 11 overall meets, and much
more.