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Banquet Tuesday, February 27, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. |
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Boys Basketball
CHS' Kerri Cook First-Team
all-MEC CAMERON - Senior guard Kerri Cook of the Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets has been chosen to the 10-member all-Midland Empire Conference girls' basketball first team for the recently-ended 2006-07 season. Cook joins three members of undefeated Class 4 state champion St. Joseph: Benton - seniors Alicia Bell and Melissa McIntosh and sophomore Holly Switzer - on the all-league first squad, as well as Morgan Johnson, Platte County's tall sophomore center, senior guard Krysten Leas and junior post player Vanessa VanBleisem of Smithville, freshman Kate Gallagher and junior Beth Reine of Savannah, and senior Heather Henderson of St. Joseph: Lafayette. Cook is one of four CHS players to receive some level of all-conference recognition for this past season. Junior teammate Carole Myers and Hornets Jacob Fellhoelter and Bryce Young all were given honorable mention. Cook led the Lady Hornets in scoring at 13 points per game and was second to Myers in rebounds. Cook was second on the team in steals and assists, too. Myers led in steals and shooting percentage while scoring seven points a night. Senior 6'4” post man Fellhoelter shared the team lead in rebounds and was tops in shooting percentage while scoring an average of six points per game. Freshman 5'7” guard Young started all 25 games for the 6-19 Hornets and led the team in scoring with an average of 10.1 points a contest. He shot a team-best 41.3 percent from 3-point range, led in steals, and was second in assists. The 2006-07 all-MEC boys' first team is comprised of junior Johnny Coy and seniors Jarred Holt and Kyle Cline of champion and state tournament quarterfinalist St. Joseph: Benton, junior center Andrew Jones and senior forward Ian Calder of Smithville, senior center Bryant Holl of Platte County, junior guard Brent Seifert and senior forward Aaron Fritz of Cameron, junior guard Andy Walter of Maryville, and senior guard Dan Curry of Savannah. CHS Basketball
Teams Honored After Tough Seasons
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The 2006-07 seasons for the varsity basketball teams of Chillicothe High School didn't produce the scoreboard results the players, coaches, or fans would have desired, but that didn't come from a lack of effort or continued determination on the part of the players, the CHS head coaches reiterated last night during the annual postseason awards banquet for the CHS roundball programs. While both the Lady Hornets and Hornets finished far south of .500, the players continued to dedicate themselves to winning right through the final game, proud coaches Karen Jackson and Chad Snyder, respectively, told the crowd gathered in the CHS commons for the meal and awards ceremony. The Hornets' 6-19 final record “wasn't exactly what we anticipated,” Snyder said of the win total which matched the lowest in more than 30 years for the Chillicothe boys. “I would have bet any amount of money I don't have that we'd win a lot more than six games,” he remarked. Even as the team's losses mounted, Snyder said his squad continued to pursue improvement and victory. “They fought hard the entire season,” he said. Even with the expectation of experienced observers that their season would be a difficult one, given a relative lack of prior experience, the Lady Hornets managed only three triumphs in 23 outings, a smaller number than Jackson acknowledged she had hoped. “I do feel we improved this season,” she told the audience. The problem was a simple one to identify, but proved highly difficult to solve, she recounted. The Lady Hornets never could consistently score. “We just had trouble putting the brown thing (ball) in the round thing (through the rim),” she stated. When the ball did go in the basket, such as in the first three quarters of their near-upset of state-ranked St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond and in their runaway win at Maryville, the Lady Hornets were capable of being a formidable team. However, those occasions proved far too few. Jackson said her players' work ethic wasn't just something she observed. “I had many coaches comment on how hard they played,” she reported with justifiable pride. Following the introduction of each of the girls' and boys' players from each level (varsity, junior-varsity, and freshman) of the programs and the presentation of varsity letters to those earning them and certificates of participation to all the others, the head coaches announced their special award honorees. With the boys' seasons being recapped first this year, Snyder presented his four awards first. The Woody's Auto Coaches' Award was given to senior Austin Sloan, who earlier had shared the Constitution-Tribune/Chillicothe Ford Rebounding Award with classmate Jacob Fellhoelter. Junior Correy Miller was given the Barnes Baker Hustle Award. Freshman Bryce Young received the KCHI Radio Free-Throw Accuracy Award he earned. Later, Jackson took her turn presenting the Lady Hornets' special awards. Senior Claire Constant picked up the Woody's Auto Coaches' Award, while classmate Kerri Cook earned the KCHI Radio Free Throw Accuracy Award. Junior Holly Williams reaped the Hometown Pharmacy Hustle Award and Carole Myers, another 11th grader, earned the Constitution-Tribune Rebounding Award. Chillicothe Boys
Seeded Fifth, Girls Sixth in District Tournament The Chillicothe High School varsity basketball Hornets have been seeded fifth and the Lady Hornets sixth in next week's Class 4 district tournament at St. Joseph: Benton. The Lady Hornets will have to take on third seed Smithville at 7 p.m. Feb. 19. That winner will face second-seeded Savannah in the semifinals. The CHS boys will open against fourth-seeded Savannah Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 5:30 p.m. with the winner moving into the semifinals against No. 1 seed St. Joseph: Benton. Hornets Take Care of
Ball, Trenton with 26-point Second Quarter
There have been nights this 2006-07 season that the Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets have struggled to score 24 points. You can imagine how good it felt for the players and coach Chad Snyder when they made 24 field goals last night. Shooting less than a half-percentage point less than their season high (44.4 percent) and highlighted by an 8-of-11 effort that produced a 26-point second period, the Hornets played like the Hornets of old in rejecting the visiting Trenton Bulldogs 65-45 Thursday at the CHS gym. “We did play well,” Snyder commented after his club climbed to 4-9 on the season. “It was one of our better games of putting four (good) quarters together.” On a night of numerous positives for the Hornets, who will visit Maryville for a 5 p.m. Midland Empire Conference tripleheader tonight (Friday), perhaps the most significant was a 23-11 advantage in turnovers. Of the 23 Trenton giveaways, 15 were CHS steals, led by Sloan's four. “That's huge,” Snyder enthused. “That's giving us 12 more shots (at scoring). If you do that, that's definitely going to improve your chances of winning.” Just like the CHS girls in the preceding game, the Hornets never trailed, although Trenton (4-8) did forge one deadlock in the boys' contest - Kyle Hoyt's basket tied it 2-2 before Bryce Young's 3-point shot off Austin Sloan's pass put Chillicothe ahead for good only 22 seconds later. “I was very proud of the way the kids came out (to start the game),” Snyder reflected, noting he'd had concern that the four-day absence of school this week would have the players way off their routine. “They came out focused.” A 5-0 run on Correy Miller's three-point play on a spinning shot in the lane in transition and Cody Greenlaw's muscled-up shot off the right block gave the Hornets a 13-6 lead after one stanza. Finding its stride, Chillicothe extended its run to 16-4 by the time two minutes of the second period had been played, starting the hosts on their way to 26-11 dominance of quarter No. 2 and a 39-17 halftime hold. Junior reserve guard Logan Gilliland, who has worked his way solidly into Snyder's expanded player rotation since the first of January, nailed the first of his two 3-pointers and Greenlaw, who would not miss any of his five shots in a 10-point night, scored on a lay-in to make it 20-8, Chillicothe, barely a minute into the second period. After a THS bucket, another sub, forward Casey Prewitt, found the twine off the left side and Miller, who also had 10 points, collected a loose ball under the CHS bucket and scored to make it 24-10 at the 5:23 mark.
The Hornets put a fitting finish on the big quarter when guard Tyson Blattner, yet another backup who's making a growing impact, swished a right-wing trey and freshman starter Bryce Young converted his steal into a transition layup to make it 39-17. For a fourth-consecutive game, frosh Young led or tied for the team lead in scoring, his 11 against Trenton pacing eight CHS players who tallied five or more points. Miller and Greenlaw, as noted previously, joined him in double digits. “Correy hustles every night, every day in practice,” Snyder said, happy to see the junior guard get some results to show for it. CAPTION: Junior reserve guard Logan Gilliland of the Chillicothe Hornets is spun around after a Trenton player rushed back to deny him a fast-break layup in the fourth quarter Thursday. Gilliland made one of his two free throws and was two of three from the 3-point line for seven points as the Hornets downed the visiting Bulldogs with ease, 65-45. (C-T photo / Paul Sturm) Hornets Tumble from
Tightrope, Drop MEC Opener
PLATTE CITY - For a third-straight game and fourth time in their last five, the Chillicothe basketball Hornets saw the outcome in doubt right to the final second last night. After, following losses the first two times, seeing opponents' last-gasp shots miss each of the prior two, preserving Chillicothe victories, the Hornets went back to the wrong side of the fence. A 3-point shot with five seconds left which would have given CHS a one-point lead over the Platte County Pirates missed and another desperation heave at the final buzzer which would have forced overtime came up short, as did the Hornets, 48-45, in their Midland Empire Conference opener. The defeat lowered Chillicothe's record to 3-7 and improved Platte County's to 3-8. It was the Pirates' 2006-07 league debut, too. The game matched two teams plagued by inconsistency thus far this season and it showed. The teams fired in 17 points each in the first period, then could hardly find the bottom of the basket in the second, combining for only 14 points as the home team nudged in front 25-23 at halftime. Holl was the individual poster boy for the teams' up-and-down penchants. He scored Platte County's first nine points, then had only two more until his late tiebreaking play which left him with a game-high 14 points. With Holl using his height advantage to dominate the boards, grabbing 16 for a double-double, the Pirates had a 42-32 rebounding edge. Statistically, Chillicothe's scoring was balanced, but not prolific, as the team failed to reach the 50-point level for a sixth time in 10 games. Young and Jacob Fellhoelter each tallied nine points to lead CHS with Sloan netting seven and Tyler Trammell six. As per their customs this season, neither team shot well from the field. Chillicothe made only 26 percent of its attempts - hitting only 12 baskets all night, while Platte County knocked down just under 33 percent. The Hornets were only seven of 32 from the floor (22 percent) the last three periods. The varsity Hornets will have several chances to practice before their next game. They'll return to the game court Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Oak Grove in the first round of the Bulldog Classic at Kearney High School. The Hornets are seeded only seventh in the tourney, while Oak Grove (5-3) is No. 2, but Oak Grove was beaten by Marshall - an early-season victim of Chillicothe - 69-53 Thursday night. Youngsters
Carry Hornets to Second Win of Season
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer TRENTON - Riding the combined 34 points of a sophomore and freshman, the 2006-07 Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets ended 2006 as winners Friday. Barely. Although they led the final 18-plus minutes, Chad Snyder's Hornets claimed victory No. 2 in eight 2006 starts, 62-59 over Monroe City, in the North Central Missouri College Foundation High School Holiday Shootout only after a would-be tying Panthers shot from beyond mid-court fell well short at the final buzzer. "We probably played about 25 or 26 good minutes of basketball and there were about five or six minutes that were pretty poor on our part," commented the CHS coach. "I feel very fortunate that the half-court shot didn't go" after four CHS free throws missed in the game's final five seconds, he admitted. "Normally when you let teams hang around and claw back at you like we did, usually that kind of stuff goes in. "We're very fortunate, but we're very happy with the win, too." The victory, featuring five 3-pointers and a career-best 21 points by CHS sophomore forward Colin Parker and 13 more by frosh guard Bryce Young, ended a five-game Hornets losing streak and marked their best offensive output of the season to date. Their previous high-point total had been 57 points in a loss at Macon. "Looking at our statistics (sheet), we had 18 field goals and 14 assists, so that means you're scoring off one of your teammates passing you the ball, which means we're looking for our teammates. If there is anything positive from this game, that's definitely a positive. Ahead 14-12 after one period, Chillicothe sustained its offensive momentum and, with a strong last three minutes, advanced its lead to eight points at halftime. Senior reserve Casey Prewitt gave his team the lead for good with a layup off Young's pass, then set up Young for a trey. Junior backup guard Tyson Blattner pulled up from 15 feet on the right baseline to nail a jumper with 1:11 to go and Miller made two of three charity tosses with 26 ticks remaining to make int 35-27 at the break. Although cooling down a bit offensively after their 21-point second period, the Hornets maintained control the entire third quarter. At the 2:46 mark, a patient approach awaiting a close shot paid off when Young got the ball to Sloan underneath for a 44-34 Hornets lead. When Greenlaw hit two of three foul shots with a second to go in the period, Chillicothe carried a 50-41 margin into the fourth. Statistically, Parker's shooting was an anomaly as he shot 71 percent from beyond the 19-foot arc, but hit only one of six inside it. He was a perfect four of four at the free throw line to round out his 21 points. Young also had better touch from long range than closer and was perfect at the stripe. He hit two of four 3-point tries while going two of five the rest of the time. He dished off three assists and, defensively, made a team-high four of the Hornets' 13 steals. Junior guard Miller had his best scoring totals of the season thus far, like Young and Parker. He went four of five at the foul line in an 8-point night. With junior Greenlaw also going four of five at the line, Chillicothe's underclassmen were a composite 18 of 21, while its seniors were zero of six. Midgets Accept Hornets'
Holiday Season Charity (C-T photo / Butch Shaffer) TRENTON - The Chillicothe basketball Hornets didn't find their shooting touch under the tree Christmas morning. As a result, there was no holiday cheer to be found in the aftermath of their game against Putnam County Wednesday in the North Central Missouri College Foundation's High School Holiday Shootout. Although they and the Midgets each connected at 31 percent of their shots from the field, Putnam County shot a perfect 12 of 12 at the free-throw line in the first half and eventually outscored the Hornets 25-12 at the stripe in a 54-45 Midgets victory. "We're not shooting the ball very well still,” CHS head coach Chad Snyder commented. “We shot 31 percent and I don't care who you play, you're not going to beat anybody shooting like that." Sloppy ball handling in routine situations also continued to plague Chillicothe, which dropped to 1-6 on the 2006-07 season. The team's statistical crew had the Hornets making a relatively-respectable 13 turnovers, but it was the type of giveaways which concerned Snyder. "Our turnovers, I think, were better, but a lot of our turnovers are unforced,” he summarized. “They're just turnovers (on which) we're dribbling the ball out of bounds or we're not catching the ball in the paint whenever we get open inside." After trailing by a half-dozen points three times in the first 2-1/2 minutes of the second half, Chillicothe went on a 9-1 run stick its nose back in front, albeit for less than 20 seconds. Jacob Fellhoelter and Bryce Young combined for three free throws and, after a Brady Fleshmen charity, Austin Sloan scored on a putback and Young hit two free throws to tie at the 2:06 mark. Even though it was within two points, Chillicothe never had a fourth-quarter possession with a chance to tie things after Fowler banked in a short shot from right of the lane on the initial possession. For Chillicothe, Fellhoelter was one rebound shy of a double-double as he scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and grabbed nine boards. It was the 6'4” senior center's second-straight game of shooting well. He'd gone four of five in the Dec. 15 home loss to Savannah. Also scoring in twin figures for Chillicothe was Young, who hit seven of nine free throws and tallied 12 points overall. The remainder of the Hornets were a composite five of 12 at the foul stripe. Coy No Joy For Hornets C-T photo / Paul Sturm
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The Chillicothe High School basketball Hornets asked no quarter in their 2006-07 season opener last night. The visiting St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals and 6'7" junior standout Johnny Coy certainly gave none. Fully aware that one of their biggest rivals and traditional season-opening opponent had a scarcity of experience in its backcourt, Benton came out pressing full-court to great effect and rolled past the Hornets 88-56 at the CHS gymnasium. “I'll take a little bit of the blame for that,” Chillicothe head coach Chad Snyder observed. “I really wasn't anticipating them to press us the way they did. I figured they would do some run-and-jump on us and we did practice against that, but I felt like our guards (could) handle the pressure. “I think our youth did show a little bit tonight. It actually showed a lot.” Bigger, faster, stronger, and seemingly more savvy, Benton's pressure defense not only led to a boatload of Chillicothe turnovers, it also savaged the Hornets' hopes of generating positive offensive flow in the opener. “We're just not up to where they're at yet. Benton's got an excellent ball club and we knew that,” commented Snyder. In addition to Coy's 26 points, Cardinals senior guard Jared Holt scored 21 and junior forward Luke Talbot 15. Benton was listed as shooting 55 percent from the field for the game, getting many unguarded shots in close. Chillicothe's 56 points - more than they tallied in all except three games a season ago - included 13 by senior forward Sloan, who was five of eight from the field, but only two of six from the charity stripe, where the Hornets were a poor nine of 17 altogether. “I think our offense is fine,” Snyder said. “I think we were nervous at the beginning. The first quarter, we scored four points, so that means 54 for the rest of the game. “Obviously our offense is a little better than it was last year, but our defense is a lot worse.” Season
Nears for Chillicothe Hoopsters The Chillicothe High School basketball season for the 2006-07 school year will tip off at the freshman level next Monday and Tuesday with a four-team tournament, but neither the boys' nor girls' varsity teams will hit the floor for game action until after Thanksgiving. Veteran boys' head coach Chad Snyder will be trying to lead his team to a comeback season after the 2005-06 campaign resulted in CHS' first losing record (13-14) in his eight-year tenure. The Hornets' schedule has one notable change from the past 10-12 years. They are not entered in this year's Bank Midwest/William Jewell Classic holiday tournament at Liberty between Christmas and New Year's days. Instead, they'll play twice - the opponents and days are not yet firmed up - in the second-annual North Central Missouri College Shootout at Trenton Dec. 27-29. In another change from the last couple of years, the Hornets will not be part of the MFA Oil/Break Time Shootout at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Mizzou Arena in early January. Close This Window |
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Girls
Basketball
CHS Basketball
Teams Honored After Tough Seasons
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The 2006-07 seasons for the varsity basketball teams of Chillicothe High School didn't produce the scoreboard results the players, coaches, or fans would have desired, but that didn't come from a lack of effort or continued determination on the part of the players, the CHS head coaches reiterated last night during the annual postseason awards banquet for the CHS roundball programs. While both the Lady Hornets and Hornets finished far south of .500, the players continued to dedicate themselves to winning right through the final game, proud coaches Karen Jackson and Chad Snyder, respectively, told the crowd gathered in the CHS commons for the meal and awards ceremony. The Hornets' 6-19 final record “wasn't exactly what we anticipated,” Snyder said of the win total which matched the lowest in more than 30 years for the Chillicothe boys. “I would have bet any amount of money I don't have that we'd win a lot more than six games,” he remarked. Even as the team's losses mounted, Snyder said his squad continued to pursue improvement and victory. “They fought hard the entire season,” he said. Even with the expectation of experienced observers that their season would be a difficult one, given a relative lack of prior experience, the Lady Hornets managed only three triumphs in 23 outings, a smaller number than Jackson acknowledged she had hoped. “I do feel we improved this season,” she told the audience. The problem was a simple one to identify, but proved highly difficult to solve, she recounted. The Lady Hornets never could consistently score. “We just had trouble putting the brown thing (ball) in the round thing (through the rim),” she stated. When the ball did go in the basket, such as in the first three quarters of their near-upset of state-ranked St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond and in their runaway win at Maryville, the Lady Hornets were capable of being a formidable team. However, those occasions proved far too few. Jackson said her players' work ethic wasn't just something she observed. “I had many coaches comment on how hard they played,” she reported with justifiable pride. Following the introduction of each of the girls' and boys' players from each level (varsity, junior-varsity, and freshman) of the programs and the presentation of varsity letters to those earning them and certificates of participation to all the others, the head coaches announced their special award honorees. With the boys' seasons being recapped first this year, Snyder presented his four awards first. The Woody's Auto Coaches' Award was given to senior Austin Sloan, who earlier had shared the Constitution-Tribune/Chillicothe Ford Rebounding Award with classmate Jacob Fellhoelter. Junior Correy Miller was given the Barnes Baker Hustle Award. Freshman Bryce Young received the KCHI Radio Free-Throw Accuracy Award he earned. Later, Jackson took her turn presenting the Lady Hornets' special awards. Senior Claire Constant picked up the Woody's Auto Coaches' Award, while classmate Kerri Cook earned the KCHI Radio Free Throw Accuracy Award. Junior Holly Williams reaped the Hometown Pharmacy Hustle Award and Carole Myers, another 11th grader, earned the Constitution-Tribune Rebounding Award. The Little Team That Did MARYVILLE - For one night this season, the pieces all fit together for the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets and the "little team that thought it could" did. After working hard and almost, but not quite, getting over the hump several times recently, the Lady Hornets were able to change their mantra last night against the Maryville Lady Spoof-hounds. Instead of "We think we can, we think we can," they could proudly proclaim, "We thought we could, we thought we could." Taking the lead for good less than two minutes into the game on a Holly Williams 3-pointer, the Lady Hornets earned their third victory in 18 outings this season, blowing out Maryville on the road, 59-36. The triumph, which snapped Chillicothe¹s losing streak at five games, also was their first in four Midland Empire Conference contests this season. Maryville dropped to 2-16 overall and stayed winless in four tries in the MEC. The game saw several aspects of unprecedented (for this season) offensive consistency by the Lady Hornets. They scored between 14 and 16 points in each quarter and out-pointed the Lady Hounds every stanza. They had three scorers reach double digits. Nine of the 10 CHS players who played scored. The good karma flowed almost from the opening tipoff. Chillicothe won it, but failed to score and Maryville drew first blood as Megan Watkins hit. Once Williams, the older of Jackson¹s two daughters, popped in the lead-grabbing trey off Kerri Cook¹s pass, it was virtually all Lady Hornets. Senior post player Claire Constant followed a short time later with a putback of a Cook miss, the first of two Constant buckets in the first quarter, making it 5-2. Maryville inched within a point three times later in the stanza, but Cook¹s free throws and Carole Myers¹ three-point play in the late going made it 14-8, Chillicothe, after one. The Lady Hornets were on their way. After Myers hit, reserve guard Sara Mathew drove and scored to make it nine-consecutive CHS points and a 10-point lead early in the second segment. Maryville twice cut it back to eight, but was never any closer. On top 29-20 at halftime, the Chillicothe girls blew the game wide open with another 8-0 run to open post-intermission play. Taking out a season¹s worth of frustrations, Chillicothe kept up the onslaught, eventually putting up 16 of the first 17 points on the third quarter to take its largest lead of the night, 45-21, on backup center Morgan Quinn¹s short-range cash-in of Cook¹s feed. Maryville scored the last four points of the the quarter, but there would be no Chillicothe collapse this night, a point Williams underlined with her third trifecta early in the fourth stanza to provide the 23-point spread which would eventually be the Lady Hornets¹ margin of victory. Statistically, Williams finished with a career-high 16 points one more than she scored in the team's last win, over Trenton on Jan. 16. She hit three of eight from 3-point land. She was followed in the CHS points parade by Cook¹s 14 11 of which came before halftime and Myers' 10 on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. Hitting all three of her shots, junior Mallory Lowe added six off the bench. The Lady Hornets canned just under 45 percent of their field-goal tries, barely off their 45 percent plus in a home loss to St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond. Sara Mathew, Williams, Myers, and Cook each made three of the team's 24 steals. Myers' seven rebounds topped the club. Maryville had Leah Wilmes with 14 points and Jaclyn Guess with 12. The junior-varsity game went to Maryville handily, 40-19. Chillicothe (1-10), which shot only 17 percent, had seven points by Jaimie Baker. Due to the length of the trip, there was no freshman play. That's More Like It
For one night, the puzzle pieces fit for the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets. As a result, they earned their second victory. Scoring first and never letting the visiting Trenton Lady Bulldogs catch up, despite several attempts, Karen Jackson's Lady Hornets produced probably their best overall performance of the 2006-07 season to date in a 50-44 triumph last night. “Hopefully we can build from this,” commented Jackson after her squad improved to 2-10. An immediate, yet very difficult, chance to build on the positives of Thursday night will present itself tonight when the Lady Hornets will play at home against Class 3 state No. 7-ranked St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond (10-2). The first game of a freshman/JV/varsity triple-bill will tip off at 5 p.m. Last night's triumph may be traceable, to a degree, to the fact that they were eliminated so quickly from last week's Bulldog Classic tournament at Kearney. Ousted on Wednesday, they had seven idle days on which to polish and refine what they'd done well in that loss and drill on what they'd done more poorly. Jackson said the Lady Hornets' creation of and conversion on good shooting opportunities against Trenton, highlighted by junior Holly Williams making three of eight 3-pointers, was a carryover from their workouts. “Yesterday (in practice) we did a good job of penetrating and kicking the ball out,” the coach revealed. “(Williams) was able to make a couple early (against Trenton) and that helps your confidence.” Having often had difficulty hitting even close-in shots this season, Chillicothe shot 32 percent from the field against Trenton - a modest percentage for many clubs, but one of CHS' best of the year. That translated to not only more points, but more chances to press and dictate the game's pace. “That's big,” explained Jackson. “Even last Wednesday (in a tournament loss to Odessa at Kearney), we were able to score and get into our press.” The Lady Hornets produced the game's first five points as Kerri Cook sandwiched a Carole Myers free throw with an 18-footer from right of the key and a layup after her own steal in the first 2-1/2 minutes. Williams' first of two opening-half treys made it 8-2, CHS, before Trenton had its best stretch. Kari Shiflett's three-point play and Trisha Ireland's top-of-the-key 3-ball from behind a screen bookended an 8-3 Lady Bulldogs stretch which narrowed the visitors' deficit to a single tally. However, Chillicothe's defensive pressure denied Trenton any further scoring for the next six minutes and the home team ran its advantage up to nine points. After closing the first quarter on a 6-0 run with a transition putback by junior backup post player Morgan Quinn and fast-break layups by Sara Mathew and Cook, Myers' putback of a Williams miss 45 seconds into the second stanza made it 19-10. Williams' second 3-pointer moved the margin to double digits for the first time at the 3:52 mark and Cook's 8-footer from right of the lane gave CHS a 24-14 halftime cushion. The story of the second half was Trenton's making a couple of charges and Chillicothe's ability - despite some anxious moments - to again repel them. Chillicothe gained its largest lead at 41-28 as, on the fourth-quarter-opening inbounds pass from midcourt went to Cook in the left corner and she drove for a layup and Mandi Brock converted Claire Constant's pass into a 14-footer from the left side at the 6:45 mark. In a span of 1:16, Trenton's Brittany Lynch would net a free throw, Aimee Gutshall would make a steal and drive from the CHS free throw line for a layup, Trisha Ireland would hit four-straight free throws, and Gutshall would score again on a putback after a Lady Bulldogs steal. The net result was a Chillicothe lead slashed to 44-42 with still 2:24 to go. Having wilted, the Lady Hornets refused to wither and die. After draining 45 seconds from the clock, they got a huge shot from a wide-open Williams on the 3-point arc line in the right corner at the 1:30 mark. Two Shiflett charity tosses narrowed it to two again with 1:08 to play, but Mathew came up huge at the foul stripe at the 46-second mark. Constant then sealed Chillicothe's second victory with two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Statistically, Chillicothe's respectable 32 percent field-goal shooting, scoring from eight players, a 21-12 advantage in turnovers, and a 39-39 split in rebounds against a much-taller Trenton team were most notable. Williams popped in a career-best 15 points, matching Cook for game honors. She made three of eight from 3-point land and also grabbed six rebounds with three steals. “She's been staying late after practice to work on her shooting,” Williams' coach and mother related. “It was good to see her excel after all that work.” Idled by foul trouble a good part of the second half, Myers nevertheless approached a rare non-scoring double-double with game highs of 10 boards and eight steals. Mathew's 4-of-4 free-throw accuracy led to her 6-point night with Myers totaling five. Out With A Win
(C-T photo / Butch Shaffer TRENTON - A victory over a 1-5 team from a smaller school rarely is cause for celebration, unless you're in the position in which the Chillicothe High School basketball Lady Hornets found themselves Friday. Seeking to avoid concluding the 2006 portion of their 2006-07 season without a triumph, the Lady Hornets spurted to an early lead over the Higginsville Lady Huskers and by halftime had enough points to win the game. Eventually, the final score in the last girls' game of this year's North Central Missouri College Foundation High School Holiday Shootout would read Chillicothe 45, Higginsville 18. That allowed the Lady Hornets to enter 2007 on a winning note, albeit with only a 1-7 mark, and with back-to-back positive performances, including last Wednesday's double-overtime loss to a Putnam County team which had previously lost only once. While improving their offensive output was a focus for the Lady Hornets in the pair of games at Trenton - they had not reached even 40 points in their first six games before doing so both times at NCMC, it didn't come at the expense of their defense. They held Higginsville to 23 percent shooting (although making only 30 percent themselves) and throttled the Lady Huskers on only six second-half points to pull away from a 20-12 halftime gap. Myers racked up 10 of Chillicothe's 32 steals. In addition to her double-double in points and steals, Myers wasn't far from a triple-double, hauling down a team-high seven rebounds. Although Cook, who entered averaging around 15 points per game, had shooting troubles Friday, she was strong in other facets. She made seven steals and a team-leading four assists. Even though Myers was the Lady Hornets' only double-digit scorer with her 14, six others had between four and eight points, topped by Mathew's eight. Brock had six, Williams five, and Quinn, Cook, and Constant four each. Chillicothe made 32 steals, had a 23-7 edge in offensive rebounds, and was guilty of a season-low 11 turnovers, according to team statisticians. Double Disappointment
(C-T photo / Butch Shaffer) TRENTON - The Chillicothe basketball Lady Hornets showed greater offensive proficiency and variety Wednesday as they faced the Putnam County Lady Midgets in the North Central Missouri College Foundation's High School Holiday Shootout. Next, they'll hope to build on that and earn their first victory of the 2006-07 season. “That was probably our best game, as a whole,” CHS head coach Karen Jackson said in the aftermath of her team's 59-55 double-overtime loss at NCMC's Ketcham Community Center. "We still had four or five minutes of times where we didn't do things very well, but we fought through those times and still we had the opportunity to win the game there at the end of the first overtime.” Chillicothe (0-7) actually had the ball with the game tied in the final minute of both the fourth quarter and first overtime, but didn't get a shot attempt either time. Fortunately, after turning the ball over in both instances, their defense was good enough to force the Lady Midgets (5-1) into rushed, last-second shots that missed. However, Putnam County - which had trailed 20-7 early in the second quarter and 42-32 just over two minutes into the fourth - gained only its second lead of the game early in the second overtime, built it to eight points, and then held on. “You can't fault their effort, even there in that second overtime,” Jackson said of her players. “We got down seven and the kids didn't quit. We cut it to two with 40 seconds left. You've got to give it to Putnam County; they made their free throws down the stretch.” The Lady Midgets outscored Chillicothe 20-11 at the foul line, even though they shot only 57 percent overall. It alsohelped itself get extra scoring chances with a 23-15 advantage in offensive rebounds and had five fewer turnovers (33-28), according to the chart kept by CHS statisticians. Jackson saw her team's performance as a clear-cut step in the right direction. “We got some outside scoring from some other people, which was good,” sher reflected. “Tonight was the first night we've been able to score over 40 points, so that was another very good plus. “Probably the biggest negative was our turnovers. We had way too many of those, but overall I could see a lot of progress in a lot of different areas. Hopefully, we can build upon this and continue to improve.” Statistically, Chillicothe's Carole Myers, hitting half of her field-goal attempts, finished with a career-high 19 points, a total Kerri Cook matched with her eight points in the second overtime. Myers nearly double-doubled, snaring nine rebounds, and she led the team with six steals. The Lady Hornets' Holly Williams' three treys gave her a career-best nine points. Chillicothe's surpassing the 40-point level was not its only season “first.” Its 36 percent field goal shooting was its first time over 30 percent. Close This Window CHS Girls Snooze and
Lose
C-T photo / Paul Sturm The Chillicothe
basketball Lady Hornets' last chance to earn their first 2006-07 victory
before Christmas probably was their best, facing at home a St. Joseph:
Lafayette team which had won only once in five games and was missing two key
seniors with injuries. It didn't matter. CAPTION: Chillicothe senior Kerri Cook scores two of her 18 first-half points in close in the second quarter Tuesday night. She finished with a career-high 25 points in the Lady Hornets' 51-39 home loss to St. Joseph: Lafayette. C-T photo / Paul Sturm Season Nears for Chillicothe
Hoopsters Girls' head coach Karen Jackson begins her fifth season at the CHS helm trying to sustain and enhance the success of recent years. Three of her four prior teams have finished just above .500. Jackson's team, which also will debut for the new year at home with a Monday, Dec. 4, contest against Moberly, has no returning starters, but includes three extensively-used reserves in guards Kerri Cook and Mandi Brock and post player Claire Constant. The Lady Hornets will be in the NCMC Shootout once again Dec. 26-27. Added to this year's slate is a February 9 home game against fellow district team Kearney. Green Lady Hornets With no returning full-time starters, the 2006-07 Chillicothe basketball Lady Hornets certainly have some growing pains ahead of them, but they're not bereft of experience. In seeking to produce the program's third-consecutive winning season for the first time since the mid-1990s, this year's team will lean heavily on senior guards Kerri Cook and Mandi Brock and post player Claire Constant early in the season while a potentially-promising group of athletic younger players get their legs under them on the varsity level. “As a senior, their confidence is always there much more than it was last year,” Chillicothe coach Karen Jackson, starting her fifth season leading the program, commented for the C-T Wednesday. “Out of them, we're looking for a lot of leadership and so far in practice it's been very good. They mix very well with that junior class we've got, so hopefully we'll see some good things.” Although starting only one game as a junior, Cook logged the third-most minutes of playing time, nearly averaged in double figures in scoring (9.3, second-best on the team), led in both overall (40) and 3-point (30) shooting percentages, and tied for second on the team in rebounds (3.6 per game). For those performances, she received inclusion on the honorable mention list in the all-Midland Empire Conference voting by league coaches. Brock's and Constant's contributions to the modest success of last year's team were much less extensive, although each displayed potential which will have to bloom fully this year for the team to make a run at .500. Brock displayed some 3-point shooting ability, particularly early in last season, but was ineffective inside the arc, making only 13 of 40 non-3s. If she can become more than a 3-point spot shooter and cut down on her turnovers (third-most on the team last year), she'll greatly heighten her impact this season. The 5'10” Constant split time with then-senior Maggie Weldon as the team's post player last year, but combined they averaged barely five points and five rebounds per game. Having played volleyball instead of softball this fall, Constant's jumping muscles should be better trained, which hopefully will translate to more effectiveness in rebounding and jump shooting in the post area. If she can be more authoritative on the boards and convert a couple of offensive grabs a game into baskets, she'll give the team at least some inside presence, a real necessity in the MEC. Once past the Cook-Brock-Constant trio, Jackson has precious little in the way of varsity experience on which to call. Juniors Holly Williams, Sara Mathew and Carole Myers saw limited time in 15 and 10 games, respectively, and a couple others less than that. Combined, that group scored 28 points all season. “They're all going to have to contribute for us to be successful,” acknowledges the CHS coach. “Every one of them has been working after practice on their shot or whatever it is they need to work on. “Hopefully, we will see good contributions from everybody.” Rounding out the group of 10 figuring to be dressed out for most games are juniors Mallory Lowe, Meghan Perry, Brooklyn Shearer, and Morgan Quinn. The Lady Hornets must very diligent as a team in hitting the defensive boards and use their quickness to win a majority of the loose-ball battles. The Lady Hornets will open their season at home Monday with a varsity/freshman doubleheader against Moberly, starting at 6 p.m. at the CHS gym. Close This Window |
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Wrestling
Wrestling Hornets
Celebrate Strong Finish
An ending to remember and celebrate after a regular-season hamstrung by injuries was the story line recapped by Chillicothe High School wrestling Hornets head coach Dave Kinen Tuesday night at the team's annual postseason awards banquet. The event had a poignant highlight with the announcement of co-recipients of the first-ever Christopher M. Earley Memorial Scholarship presented by Earley's family. 2007 CHS seniors Bobby Crabtree and Preston Mathews will share the scholarship this year, it was announced. The scholarship was established following the accidental death of Earley, a CHS two-time state-qualifying wrestler (2003 and 2004), in late February 2006. Other special awards for team members also were presented during Tuesday night's event in the CHS commons. Kinen announced Crabtree, who capped a career which leaves him second on the all-time CHS wins list with the 119-pound state title in Class 2, as the recipient of this year's “Coaches' Award.” Another senior, 135-pound state runnerup Dustin Murray, was given the “Most Ideal Wrestler” award by the coaches. The distinction of being the “most improved” 2006-07 Hornet was Mathews', like Murray and Crabtree a state qualifier in his final Red-and-Black season. Kinen also disclosed that Murray was the first-team all-Midland Empire Conference grappler at 135 pounds this year, while Mathews (160) and sophomore Stephen Quinn (145), the Hornets' fourth and final state qualifier, were second-team all-MEC. He presented them with certificates denoting that status. Ironically, even though he lost only one bout all season - his first one of the year - and won the state title, Crabtree was neither first- nor second-team all-conference. That is because he missed several conference dual matches, due to shoulder and knee injuries. The all-league teams are based on wrestlers' records in MEC duals. Special attention was given to the senior trio of Crabtree, Murray, and Mathews, since it could be argued Chillicothe has never had three such accomplished seniors concluding their careers. They completed their prep eligibility as the second- (Crabtree), fourth- (Mathews), and tied-for-sixth- (Murray) leading winners in Hornets history. Despite injuries which hampered him his sophomore, junior, and senior years, but which couldn't keep him from medaling at state all three years, Crabtree put together a career record of 117-22, second only to former two-time state champion Wyatt Pickering. His 84 percent winning percentage for his career also is second only to Pickering's 94. Mathews' 95 career wins (with 41 losses) rank him behind only that duo and Denny Albertson. Mathews went to state twice. Murray went 92-44 in his CHS career, qualifying for state all four years and coming within a whisker of being a state champion himself last month. That wins total matches that of Lendy Copple, although Copple wrestled 14 fewer overall bouts. In between that pair and Mathews on the CHS list is Robbie Doupe, who won 93 times. Murray also established a new CHS record for most “escapes” in a career (125). That was the only new Hornets mark set this season. Mathews, Murray, and Crabtree all won district titles, Murray and Crabtree their second. The 2006-07 Hornets' other seniors - Trevor Sherrow, Dylan Fantazia, and Cody England - also were bade a fond farewell Tuesday. Fantazia and Sherrow were regulars in the varsity Hornets' lineup this past season and England got in eight bouts. Individual statistical highlights for the Hornets this season, according to statistics compiled and provided by Kinen, included Quinn (20), Crabtree (23), Murray (29), and Mathews (29) all being in the ��-wins club,” Murray, Mathews, and Crabtree being joined by sophomore 140-pounder James “Bubba” Maxwell in having 10 or more wins by fall, and those four, Quinn, and sophomores Cory Lowe and Clayton Dahlberg registering 20 or more takedowns during the season. Mathews led with 75 takedowns. As noted earlier, the Hornets' team success in dual matches lagged this year, in part because injuries contributed too often to open weight classes and “freebie” points for opponents. “If we hadn't been so injured (with Crabtree and Lowe missing the most time), we would have won more duals,” Kinen suggested after his squad finished 3-7 (not including tournament duals) overall and 2-5 in the MEC. Kinen said he didn't think the new weight-management regulations instituted by the Missouri State High School Activities Association this year as a health-preservation measure had much impact on his ability to shuffle his lineup to try to avoid some of those costly “open” classes. In tournaments, Chillicothe's matmen had three fourth places and two fifths during the year before Crabtree's and Murray's outstanding state performances propelled the Hornets to 16th place in the final team standings there. Looking ahead to next season, with 17 prospective returnees - 10 of those juniors-to-be, Kinen indicated he believes offseason dedication to improvement through added experience could make the Hornets more successful as a team in 2007-08. “We need to keep (guys) wrestling through the spring and summer in tournaments and camps,” he related the gist of his awards event message. “The guys need to get as much mat time in as possible so we can compete next year for maybe a top-10 finish at state.” Of the 17 would-be returnees next season, 14 had at least one varsity bout this season and the majority were regulars in the CHS varsity lineup. Crabtree, Murray secure state mat medals
COLUMBIA - Two Chillicothe High School senior wrestlers - Bobby Crabtree at 119 pounds and Dustin Murray at 135 - officially clinched 2007 state tournament medals this (Friday) morning with quarterfinal-round victories. However, a third Hornets senior, Preston Mathews, was heartbreakingly denied the same status when he lost in double-overtime this morning, although he still would win a medal with a couple more victories. With their victories - both by mid-second-period falls - this morning, Murray and Crabtree advanced to the championship semifinals Friday evening and assured themselves of no worse than a sixth-place finish. The top six finishers in each weight class at state earn medals. Both the championship semifinals and third-round wrestlebacks will take place tonight with the fourth-round wrestlebacks (losers' bracket semifinals) Saturday morning, the third- and fifth-place bouts in a noon Saturday session, and the championship bouts at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. In the semifinals, Murray will take on Micah Phillips (33-10) of Savannah and Crabtree will face Chris McKenney (30-11) of likely state champion Platte County. Murray decisioned Phillips 10-3 in their Jan. 2 regular-season meeting. Crabtree did not wrestle against Platte County in either of CHS' duals with the Pirates during the regular season. With his loss this morning, Mathews joined sophomore teammate Stephen Quinn (145 pounds) in the second round of consolation wrestlebacks which were ongoing at mid-day at Mizzou Arena. There, Mathews (29-5) registered a 12-0 major decision over Chris Rojewski of St. Louis: Westminster Christian. He will wrestle again tonight with a victory then giving him a state medal, too. He could still finish as high as third. Quinn, who won his first-round wrestleback yesterday with a 3-1 overtime win over Johnathan Eggert of Grain Valley, was ousted from the tourney when Willie Williams of Berkeley: McCluer South pinned him in 1:35. That finished Quinn's season with a 20-14 record. He also went to state last year. According to Chillicothe head coach Dave Kinen, with whom the C-T spoke by phone after this morning's quarterfinals, Crabtree and Murray “both did real well.” Crabtree (21-1), ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 2 by www.missouriwrestling.com, pinned junior Robert Rohland of Bolivar at 3:17. Murray (28-7) put down Kyle Spackler, a Clinton senior, in 3:05. Mathews nearly joined them in the championship semifinals and medal ranks. He was facing Dustin Williams of St. Joseph: Benton, with whom he had been tied 6-6 in the third period of their recent regular-season bout before Mathews got a win by fall. This match proved just as close. After gaining the first takedown in the first period, according to Kinen, Mathews had Williams escape. Up 2-1, Mathews then fell prey to a quick “throw” (takedown to his back), the coach reported, resulting in five more Williams points and a 6-2 deficit for the Hornet. In the third period, Mathews battled back to forge a tie and sent the bout to overtime. In the one-minute “sudden death” first overtime, neither wrestler could get a takedown and no penalty points were called, so they went to the second, non-”sudden death” overtime split into two 30-second segments. In the first half-minute period, Mathews got a takedown from the neutral position to gain the lead, but Williams reversed to tie it again. In the second half-minute segment of the second OT, with Mathews in the “up” position, Williams escaped for a point and Mathews couldn't get him down again. Williams' 3-2 edge in the second overtime scoring gave him the bout by a 7-6 count. Hornets
Start Well at State Wrestling
COLUMBIA - Three Chillicothe Hornet wrestlers were victorious and one lost, in first-round matches in the Class 2 state wrestling tournament Thursday morning and early afternoon. Winners this morning were Preston Mathews at 160 pounds, Bobby Crabtree at 119 pounds and Dustin Murray at 135. Mathews earned a second-period pin, while Crabtree and Murray won by decision. At 145, Stephen Quinn was pinned in his match. CHS 160-pounder Preston Mathews had not yet wrestled at press time. Two-time state medalist Crabtree (20-1) was in charge of his first-round bout throughout, as expected. He took down Andy Shumake of Savannah (28-15) in the second minute to lead 2-0 after one period. After being unable to turn Shumake into a vulnerable position from the “up” spot in the second period, Crabtree essentially let Shumake escape for the only point the Savage would get. In the last 10 seconds of the second period, Crabtree garnered his second takedown for a 4-1 advantage entering the third period. There, the Hornet senior escaped for another point, got his third take down, and briefly put Shumake's shoulders down for a 2-point near-fall that wrapped up the scoring in a 9-1 triumph. Crabtree will meet junior Robert Rohland of Bolivar (16-11) in Friday morning's quarterfinals. Roland won by a third-period pin in the first round. Murray (27-7) avenged his regular-season loss by fall to St. Joseph: Benton's Cody Gilmore with a 3-1 decision today. After a scoreless first period, Murray escaped early in the second to take the lead. He added a takedown with about 35 seconds to go in the period to lead 3-0 after two. Gilmore (18-17) escaped 45 seconds into the last segment to get on the board, but Murray fended him off the last 1:15 to open with a win for the second-straight year. Murray will face senior Kyle Spackler of Clinton (24-11) Friday morning in the quarterfinals. Spackler was a 4-1 winner today. Quinn, as a fourth-place finisher at district last week, the Hornets' only first-round underdog, couldn't handle his aggressive 145-pound foe, Adam Johnson of Ste. Genevieve. Senior Johnson, who took third at 135 last year, had the Hornet down three times and released him twice in the first period. A low charge by Johnson dropped Quinn again about 35 seconds into the second period and Johnson earned the fall at 3:05. Mathews (28-4) built a 6-3 lead after the first period. He reversed Michael Fyock of Seneca 10 seconds into the second period and got the pin with a figure-4 a short time later. Stellar Seniors
C-T photo / Paul Sturm MARSHALL - The Chillicothe High School wrestling Hornets followed the script right down the line in Saturday's Class 2 District 2 tournament. The Hornets who, based on their careers and their performances this season, were considered very likely qualifiers for this week's state tournament did indeed advance. An others earned some wins, but finished one short of the top-four finish needed to qualify for state. A couple earned one win before bowing out and the rest came up empty. When all was said and done at the Marshall High School gym Saturday evening, three Chillicothe seniors - Dustin Murray (135 pounds), Preston Mathews (160), and Bobby Crabtree (119) - not only were headed on to state, but carried the distinction of being 2006-07 district champions. Moving on, as well, was CHS' only other grappler with state-tournament experience, sophomore Stephen Quinn (145), who finished fourth. That quartet will carry the red-and-black school colors into action beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. in the University of Missouri-Columbia's Mizzou Arena. The number of qualifiers is two less than Chillicothe had at state a year ago, but the three district champions ties for the most since the 1983 team had four champs. “I was hoping for three or four more,” Chillicothe head coach Dave Kinen commented Sunday about the overall number of Hornets headed to state. “Looking at the brackets, there were some possibilities that could have happened, but we didn't get the breaks.” In the finals, with state berths already safely tucked away and only a theoretically-better place on the state bracket in the balance, Chillicothe's highlight bout was Mathews. Facing Garrett Jones of Odessa, who took second at state in the 152-pound class last February, Mathews was at his best, his coach reported. "He did well. Preston took him down three times and let him up a couple of times,” Kinen recounted Mathews' 7-4 victory, his 27th in 31 bouts this season. Murray had a tougher time, but showed great composure and skillful knowledge in overcoming taller, seemingly-stronger, and previously-unbeaten Anthony Smith of Berkeley: McCluer South 13-8 to earn his second district championship, but first since 2004. Although Murray never trailed, the match was even 8-8 when Smith intentionally let him up on a restart, giving the Hornet the lead a third time. For a second time in three such situations, Murray thwarted the Berkeley wrestler's plan, getting in for a takedown in the final minute to go in front 11-8. Murray then clinched his fourth appearance at state in as many chances by getting Smith to his back enough to earn two more near-fall points that gave him an insurmountable lead. Crabtree, a two-time state medalist, capped his day with a quick pin over Lucas Clark, like Jones also of Odessa, in his finals bout. Kinen said he has
confidence each of the four state-bound Hornets will acquit themselves well
there, especially since all have previous experience there. “They've all
been down there for high school state. They've all been down there for kids
(club wrestling) state, too,” he pointed out. Not only should all of them
be competitive, but having at least three medalists for the first time since
1994 is a real possibility. Hornets Set for
District Wrestling Saturday
(C-T file photo / Paul Sturm) A two-time state medalist, a pair of wrestlers who have gone to state every chance they've had, and an “on a mission” senior who didn't make it back to state last year after going as a sophomore headline the anticipated lineup of the Chillicothe High School Hornets for this weekend's state-qualifying Class 2 District 2 tournament. Senior Bobby Crabtree, who placed fourth in Class 2 at 119 pounds last year after being fifth in Class 1 at 112 as a sophomore, will be a strong contender to advance to state for a fourth-consecutive year by placing among the top four at 119 in the action at Marshall High School Friday night (6 p.m. start) and Saturday (10 a.m.). Ranking right with him, in terms of state-qualification prospects, figures to be classmate Preston Mathews in the 160-pound weight class. A 2005 state tournament participant, Mathews fell one district-tourney victory short last year and seemingly has taken it out on his opponents throughout this season. After losing his first two bouts (at 171 pounds) in the tough season-opening Park Hill Invitational tournament, Mathews has gone 23-2 since. Chillicothe also has very high hopes for senior Dustin Murray (135 pounds) and sophomore Stephen Quinn (145), each of whom has advanced to state competition every year of his high school career. Rounding out head coach Dave Kinen's projected district lineup (always subject to alteration, due to last-minute injury or illness or failure to make weight) are a couple more seniors - Trevor Sherrow (6-8 record) at 130 pounds and Dylan Fantazia (4-15) at 112, five more sophomores - Cory Lowe (8-7) at 189, Clayton Dahlberg (9-19) at 171, James “Bubba” Maxwell (16-16) at 140, Blake Briner (11-13) at 103, and Jake Hightower (3-11) at 215, and a couple of freshmen - Jon Black (2-9) at 125 and Tyler Skipper (2-0) at 152. Of the 13-member CHS lineup - the Hornets will not have an entry in the 285-pound (heavyweight) class, the four prior state qualifiers clearly are the best bets to return to Columbia. However, Lowe should be in the mix, too, after falling one win short of state at 171 in 2006. Sherrow is the only other member of this year's Chillicothe district lineup who was in the lineup a year ago. He could be a factor, as well. Maxwell's break-even record to date means he also has the potential to make a bid for one of the top four spots which carry a state berth with them. Lineup Holes Doom
Mat Hornets
SMITHVILLE - With a lineup piecemealed together by head coach Dave Kinen and assistant Ken Stull, it wouldn't have been surprising for the Chillicothe High School wrestling Hornets to come home from Smithville with a decisive loss last night. Although they did come home without a team victory on the scoreboard, the Hornnets at least showed they weren't about to toss in the towel. Fighting the odds of four open weight classes which would provide the host Warriors with 24 gift points, Chillicothe made a strong bid for a surprising triumph before falling to Smithville 39-28 in Midland Empire Conference action. “We came close tonight,” Kinen said with pride in the effort and performance he received from a makeshift lineup. “We had some junior-varsity kids (Travis Boyles, Cody England, Tyler Skipper, and Blake Brose) step up and do well on the varsity level” as the Hornets competed without second-all-time-leading winner Bobby Crabtree, seniors Dylan Fantazia and Trevor Sherrow, and sophomores Clayton Dahlberg “Bubba” Maxwell and Lloyd Jamison. In point of fact, three of the reserves not only acquitted themselves well, they posted victories, as did Jon Black at 125. Freshman Boyles stepped into the 130-pound class where Sherrow was absent and gained the second-fastest pin of the night, sticking Marc Brooks at 2:45. Skipper, another ninth grader, not only climbed into the varsity lineup for a night, but also wrestled a weight class higher (160) than he's been in. Nevertheless, he overcame a 2-0 deficit after one period with a couple of second-period 3-point near-falls and then finished off a major-decision win with a reversal and another 3-point near-fall in the third for an 11-2 triumph over Christian Shelly. England, a senior, was in the 152-pound spot usually occupied by Jamison and also shined. He took down Smithville's Aaron Petty to start the scoring in the first period and soon produced a rare 4-point near-fall for a 6-0 lead. After Petty rallied in the second period to close to within 7-5 and then took an 8-7 lead in the third on a penalty, England reasserted himself with a tying escape and, after another penalty point game Petty the lead again, a takedown and 3-point near-fall for a 13-9 victory. “Everyone wrestled well,” Kinen said of his team, which dipped to 5-11 in dual matches this season, 1-4 in the MEC.
C-T photo / Paul Sturm Wrestling Hornets
Blanked by Pirates
C-T photo / Butch Shaffer PLATTE CITY - Even in the best of circumstances, the Chillicothe wrestling Hornets' chances of defeating the defending Class 2 state champion Platte County Pirates might well be rated slim and none. Facing the Pirates on the PCHS mats without the Hornets' best wrestler and with two open weight classes probably eliminated the former of those two possibilities. Taking half of the 12 bouts wrestled by fall and winning four of the remaining six by major decision, Platte County shut out the visiting Hornets 70-0 in a Midland Empire Conference dual match last night. The CHS defeat was its seventh in eight duals this season and kept them winless in three MEC outings. The Hornets will grapple at home for just the second time this season next Tuesday when Maryville comes calling. The Spoofhounds won over St. Joseph: Lafayette 50-30 Thursday night. The nearest the Hornets came to putting some team points on their side of the scoreboard at Platte City came in the fourth bout wrestled. Chillicothe sophomore 140-pounder James “Bubba” Maxwell got the first takedown of his match with Ethan McLean in the opening period and hiked his lead to 5-0 with a 3-point near-fall in the second. However, McLean got off his back and, after trailing 5-1 after two periods and 7-1 early in the final segment, twice recorded reversals and 3-point near-falls to pull out a dramatic 11-9 win. The Hornets also had a chance to win at 189 pounds as sophomore Cory Lowe led 12-10 briefly in the third period after an escape, takedown, and 3-point near-fall. However, Jake Guthier did the same to come back and win, 16-12. The Hornets again wrestled without two-time state medalist Bobby Crabtree, who is injured. He told the C-T today he hopes to be able to return to action next week. Chillicothe did get two wins out of seven junior-varsity bouts at Platte County. Jon Black won by fall at CAPTION: Trevor Sherrow of the Chillicothe Hornets tries to get free of the hold of Platte County's Chris Evans during the 130-pound bout Thursday. Evans won 11-3 and Platte County won 70-0. C-T photo / Butch Shaffer New Weight Rules
Will Make Early '06-'07 Wrestling an Adventure The 2006-07 high school wrestling season could produce some unusual early-season results as wrestlers and their coaches get a handle on the new weight-certification and reduction rules initiated by the National Federation of High School Associations and adopted by the Missouri State High School Activities Association. As a result of the new requirements, coaches - including Chillicothe's Dave Kinen - figure to do a lot of lineup juggling through the first month or more of the season. “Right now, we've got a new weight certification process we're going through. It's brand new and everybody's going to be working the kinks out,” admits Kinen, starting his seventh year at the CHS helm when the Hornets visit Marshall at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow. The new rules, aimed at limiting health risks from wrestlers “drying out” by losing water weight to make a lower weight class, require coaches to certify a season-starting base weight for each wrestler with the athlete fully hydrated. Then the wrestler's body fat is measured at that weight. The new state and national rules then limit a wrestler from competing in a lower weight class beyond the poundage lost by the reduction of 1.5 percent of their body fat a week. “If somebody weighs 100 pounds and they have 20 percent body fat, they've got 20 pounds of fat on them,” Kinen gave a simple example. “They can lose 1.5 percent (pounds) of that a week.” The lower the amount of body fat - as would be more likely among smaller wrestlers, the less poundage they'd be allowed to shed per week. “It's going to be quite a process, a lot of paperwork,” Kinen acknowledged. With wrestlers - especially at the light and middle weights - limited in being able to lower their weight through sweating more and drinking less, the likelihood of teams with no one to fill a particular weight class figures to increase, especially for teams with relatively-limited rosters. Kinen thinks that will be the case for the Hornets in December, but anticipates being able to overcome it. Chillicothe sent four underclassmen and two seniors to last year's Class 2 state tournament, but one of the non-seniors no longer is in school here, according to Kinen. Back, however, is two-time state medalist Bobby Crabtree, who followed a fifth-place showing as a sophomore with a fourth place at 119 pounds as a junior a year ago. Also returning as state qualifiers are sophomore Stephen Quinn, who went at 125 pounds last February, and senior Dustin Murray, who made his second state trip at 130 pounds. Others back for CHS in 2006-07 are Clayton Dahlberg, Cody England, Dylan Fantazia, Jacob Hightower, Lloyd Jamison, Wade Key, Deryck Koenig, Cody Lowe, Preston Mathews, James “Bubba” Maxwell, Dustin Murray, and Kevin Sherrow. Senior Mathews is a former state qualifier, too, having gone as a sophomore. A former junior-high wrestler who didn't go out as a freshman last year, Justin Followwill, is out and figures to fill the heavyweight (275 pounds) slot. Barring last-minute injury, illness, or failure to make weight, Chillicothe's season-opening lineup at Saturday's Park Hill tournament in Kansas City is projected by the coach to look like this: 103 pounds - Blake Briner; 112 - open; 119 - Fantazia; 125 - Key; 130 - Crabtree; 135 - Koenig; 140 - Murray; 145 - Maxwell; 152 - Quinn; 160 - Macon England; 171 - Mathews; 189 - Lowe; 215 - open; 285 - Followwill. The Hornets' prospects in the Midland Empire Conference have the usual glass ceiling with Platte County still around. The Pirates, last year's Class 2 state champs, will be favored to win the league crown once again. As if that wasn't enough, Cameron won the Class 1 state title and has good prospects with some promising newcomers this year, the Hornets coach relates. Chillicothe finished third behind those two a year ago and the Hornets' coach hopes it can repeat that. He foresees Savannah and Smithville as top threats to his team's status. Close This Window |
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Special award recipients for the 2006-07 seasons of the Chillicothe High School varsity basketball teams were announced by Hornets head coach Chad Snyder and Lady Hornets head coach Karen Jackson during last night's annual postseason awards event. For the Lady Hornets, special award winners were, from left: junior Holly Williams, Hometown Pharmacy Hustle Award; senior Kerri Cook, KCHI Radio Free Throw Accuracy Award; senior Claire Constant, Woody's Auto Coaches' Award; and junior Carole Myers, Constitution-Tribune Rebounding Award. For the Hornets, from left, award recipients were: freshman Bryce Young, KCHI Radio Free Throw Accuracy Award; senior Austin Sloan, Woody's Auto Coaches' Award and co-winner Constitution-Tribune Rebounding Award; senior Jacob Fellhoelter, Constitution-Tribune Rebounding Award; and junior Correy Miller, Barnes Baker Hustle Award.
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Senior center Jacob Fellhoelter of the Chillicothe Hornets finishes off a surprising quick power drive between the two Trenton Bulldogs at right with a layup during the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 65-45 CHS home victory. (C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
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Chillicothe Hornets guards Logan Gilliland (right) and Tyler Trammell battle for possession of a rebound Thursday night at Platte County.
C-T photo / Butch
Shaffer
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Chillicothe Hornets sophomore Colin Parker tries to score over a Monroe City defender from close-in Friday. Parker had much more success spotting up outside the 3-point arc, hitting five treys in seven tries on his way to 21 points in the Hornets' second win of the season, 62-59 over Monroe City, Friday afternoon at North Central Missouri College.
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Chillicothe senior center Jacob Fellhoelter goes up for an inside shot attempt against Putnam County 6'5” senior center David Fowler during Wednesday's game in the North Central Missouri College Foundation's High School Holiday Shootout at Trenton. Although Fowler blocked several of his shots, Fellhoelter hit six of his 10 attempts from the field and scored a team-high 14 points. However, Putnam County won the game, 54-45.
CAPTION: 40-40 PROPOSITION: Chillicothe Hornets sophomore forward Colin Parker hits a jump hook in the lane over his St. Joseph: Benton numerical counterpart, Kyle Cline, during the second period of last night's game in Chillicothe. Parker was about the brightest spot for the Hornets, hitting three 3-pointers and four of his five shots as he totaled 11 points coming off the bench. That wasn't nearly enough, however, to deny Benton a victory, 88-56.
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Junior guard Holly Williams lets fly with a second-quarter 3-pointer that found nothing except net during Chillicothe's 50-44 victory over Trenton Thursday night. Williams enjoyed the best offensive night of her varsity career to date, hitting a trio of treys and tallying 15 points to share game scoring honors with teammate Kerri Cook. (C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
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Chillicothe Lady Hornets seniors Mandi Brock (left) and Kerri Cook harrass a Higginsville player on the press during Friday's 45-18 CHS victory, its first of the season.
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Chillicothe junior Carole Myers drives hard to the basket for two of her career-high 19 points in Wednesday's 59-55 double-overtime loss to Putnam County.
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Hustle by speedy CHS junior Carole Myers gets her back on defense just in time to block the fourth-quarter fast-break layup attempt of St. Joseph: Lafayette's Terri Cooper last night. Myers scored seven points and had that many rebounds, too, but Chillicothe still lost to the Lady Irish, 51-39.
tracked for 21 turnovers by their stats crew, while forcing 15 Lafayette
miscues.
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Chillicothe Hornets seniors Preston Mathews (left) and Dustin Murray (center) and sophomore Stephen Quinn were all-Midland Empire Conference first- or second-team wrestlers for the 2006-07 season, based on their records in bouts during conference duals. Murray was the first-team all-MEC 135-pounder on his way to a runnerup finish in the Class 2 state tournament. During the Feb. 27 annual postseason awards banquet for the CHS team, he also received the “Ideal Wrestler” award, as selected by head coach Dave Kinen and assistant Ken Stull. Mathews and Quinn were second-team all-conference, Mathews at 160 pounds and Quinn at 145. Both also were state qualifiers, but fell short of medals at Columbia. Mathews got the “Most Improved Wrestler” at Tuesday's event.
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Hornets seniors Bobby Crabtree (left) and Mathews were announced as co-recipients of the Christopher M. Earley Memorial Scholarship at the awards banquet/ceremony. The scholarship is presented in the name of the former CHS two-time state qualifier who died almost exactly a year ago. Crabtree, 119-pound Class 2 state champion, also was presented the “Coaches' Award” by head coach Dave Kinen and assistant coach Ken Stull.
(Photos supplied / Kevin
Sherrow)
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Wrestling smartly in his style, Dustin Murray of the Chillicothe Hornets has St.Joseph: Benton's Andy Gilmore down and under control during their first-round bout in the Class 2 state tournament at Columbia Thursday. Having lost by fall to Gilmore during the regular season when he made a mistake, Murray used his countering approach to defeat him 3-1 this time. Murray followed that up with a quarterfinal-round pin of Kyle Spackler of Clinton today to clinch a medal. (C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
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Bobby Crabtree of the Chillicothe Hornets has Andy Shumake of Savannah down during Crabtree's 9-1 first-round victory in the Class 2 state wrestling tournament at Mizzou Arena Thursday. Crabtree, ranked No. 1 in the state at 119 pounds by www.missouriwrestling.com, posted a quarterfinal-round pin of Robert Rohland of Bolivar this morning to clinch his third-straight state medal.
(C-T photo / Paul Sturm)
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The hand of official Barb Brummett comes up after slapping the mat to
signify Chillicothe's Preston Mathews (left) had pinned Michael Fyock of
Seneca in the second period of their first-round bout in the Class 2 state
wrestling tournament at Columbia Thursday. (C-T
photo / Paul Sturm)
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Chillicothe senior 119-pounder Bobby Crabtree has Odessa's Lucas Clark down on his way to a second-period pin in the championship bout of this past weekend's Class 2 District 2 tournament at Marshall. By winning the district title, Crabtree, 19-1, positioned himself as best he could for a run at a third-straight state medal during the Class 2 state tournament which will begin at Columbia this Thursday morning.
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Chillicothe Hornets sophomore Cory Lowe, putting a hurt on Maryville's Frank Roberts during his win by fall in 1:41 on Jan. 12, may be, among those Hornets who haven't qualified for state previously, Chillicothe's top threat to place in the top four in this weekend's Class 2 district tournament and advance to next week's state tournament.
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Chillicothe senior 135-pound wrestler Dustin Murray holds the upper hand on his way to a 6-3 victory over Smithville's tough Brandon Perkins Thursday night. (Photo supplied)
Preston Mathews (farthest from camera), Chillicothe Hornets senior 160-pound wrestler, works to get Brock Wine of Brookfield from his shoulder to his back during their bout at the Chillicothe Middle School fieldhouse Thursday night. Mathews was not able to get Wine down for the count, but nevertheless dominated in an 11-1 major decision victory, his 13th win in a row since starting the 2006-07 season 0-2. Brookfield easily claimed the team dual, however, 52-19.
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Chillicothe Hornets sophomore wrestler James “Bubba” Maxwell came the
closest to registering a victory during last night's 70-0 loss to defending
Class 2 state champion Platte County. Maxwell lost to Ethan McLean by an
11-9 decision in the 140-pound weight class.
130 pounds and Tyler Skipper at 160.