Thursday, Jan.

4, 2018 Jefferson County Leader 29

The
County
Line
Blackcats, Hawks both 12-0
Russell
Korando Herky girls, Hillsboro boys capture tournament titles
By Russell Korando
Jeffco head coach For the Leader

picking up pieces Herculaneum’s girls basketball

after disheartening team improved to 12-0 after beat-
ing Jefferson 80-59 on Friday in the
loss to former team championship of the Kingston Holiday
Invitational.

T
hey embraced tightly.
Iowa Western College head coach
Lindsey Vande Hoef and Jeffer-
son College head coach Ashley McGee
met at half court right after the Reivers
demolished and embarrassed the Vi-
kings 93-31 on Dec. 19 at the Jefferson
College Field House in Hillsboro. I
could tell as they hugged there wasn’t
any animosity between the two coaches
despite the one-sided score.
“Ashley’s part of my family,” said
Vande Hoef, who guided the Reivers to
the NJCAA Division I tournament last
season. “We’re very close. I’m rooting for
her and what she’s trying to do here and
what kind of culture and program she’s
going to create. It’s going to take some
time to get there. She’s very passionate
about what she’s doing. She has to stay
focused and believe in the process.”
McGee left Iowa Western as Vande
Hoef’s assistant last spring to take the
See MCGEE, Page 33
Leader
Athlete
of the
Week
Michael Schmidt
Windsor boys basketball
The 6-6 senior forward averaged
13.3 points and 12.6 rebounds in the
three games the Owls (5-8) played in
the Affton Holiday Tournament last
week. Schmidt also blocked 12 shots
during the tournament and grabbed
19 rebounds against Lift for Life.
For the season, Schmidt averages
12.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and four
blocks per game. “He does a lot of
different things for us and we need a
lot out of him because he’s our only
senior,” Windsor head coach Todd
Dutton said.
Check out the Athlete of the Week
every Sunday after 6 p.m. at our
website, myleaderpaper.com.
The Blackcats have scored 80 or more
points in their last three games and led the
Blue Jays (6-6) by a 9-0 score in the early
minutes. After Jef-
ferson crept back
to 9-7, Hercula-
neum went on a
14-0 run and never
looked back.
“The big
thing is we’re
pushing the ball
in transition and
Riley Blair getting easy
buckets,” Hercu-
laneum head coach Riley Blair said.
Senior Emily Fischer led the Black-
cats the past two games with 28 points
in an 84-55 win over Viburnum on Dec.
28 and scored 21 more against Jefferson.
“She’s gotten a lot of layups in
transition the last two days,” Blair said.
The Blackcats are at Grandview
on Jan. 4 in their first game of the new
year. Herky beat the Eagles 38-36 in the
championship of the Doe Run Black and
Red Classic on Dec. 8.
Herky senior starters Ashley Lodike
and Lauren Partney both missed the
Hillsboro senior Micheal Keller makes
a layup during the Bob Sechrest Jr.
tournament last week.
Jefferson’s Emma Vaughn and Herculaneum’s Emily Fischer battle for a rebound
in the championship of the Kingston Holiday Invitational. To see more photos, go
to myleaderpaper.com.
Kingston tournament with illnesses. In
their place, Blair has turned to freshman
swing player Paige Fowler, who’s scored
11 and 18 points in the last two games.
“She was able to get great position
off offensive rebounds,” Blair said.
“(Grandview) is going to be ready
Budding rivalry brews
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
The Bob Sechrest Jr. Christmas
Tournament just concluded its 62nd year.
The Hillsboro Hawks are the boys
champions for the
very first time.
Wi t h a b o u t
every inch of the
T.J. Foulon Field
House at Park Hills
Central packed
with bodies in the
seats and surround-
ing the court for
the championship Gaven Pinkley
game that pitted
the Hawks and defending tournament
champion Farmington, the two teams
renewed their tense but expertly played
rivalry.
Exactly one year ago to the day,
the Knights beat the Hawks 49-45 for
Ted Howell photos
to go and fired up after we beat them.
Hopefully we’ll get everybody healthy
before then,” Blair said.
Jefferson head coach Brandon
Joines said his team’s 66-62 victory
See UNBEATEN, Page 30
the title, but Hillsboro won a rematch
last February, 63-55, then threw down
the defensive gauntlet at home with a
39-38 victory in the Class 4 District 2
championship.
Sikeston ended the Hawks’ season
in the sectional round, but Hillsboro
hasn’t lost since and will enter 2018
with a gleaming 12-0 record after beat-
ing Farmington 65-54. Both teams have
plenty of players who can get hot and
post 10 or more points, but this game
was all about star power.
Hillsboro senior Gaven Pinkley
scored 20 points, and junior Michael
Brewer poured in 26 points, which was
one more than Farmington senior Tycen
Gray’s 25. Knight senior Brendan Hardy
launched many shots from well outside
the 3-point arc and found his mark five
times from there and had 23 points.
The historic moment did not escape
Pinkley or senior guard Micheal Keller,
See SECHREST, Page 32
30 Jefferson County Leader
Young Owls need to turn it up after halftime
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
Windsor boys basketball head coach
Todd Dutton often doesn’t quite know
how his young Owls will come out of the
locker room and play – at the opening tip
or, in particular, after halftime.
The Owls (5-8) are a young team
that starts three sophomores, a junior and
a senior. They finished 1-2 at the Affton
Holiday Tourna-
ment last week af-
ter losing 71-58 to
Lift for Life, beat-
ing Affton 62-59
and falling 53-48
to University City
in the consolation
final.
In the loss to
Todd Dutton Lift for Life, Wind-
sor won the third
quarter 21-12, but in the next two games,
the Owls were outscored in that quarter
by a combined 42-14.
“I’ve got a fairly young team so it’s
hard to know how they’re going to come
out,” Dutton said. “We always tell them,
‘You have to win the first four minutes
of both halves.’
Blue Jays finish third at Valle Catholic tournament
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
Despite the uncertainty surrounding
who will coach the Jefferson boys bas-
ketball team for the rest of the season,
the Blue Jays have won six of their last
seven games and finished in third place
at Valle Catholic’s Warrior Classic on
Friday.
Nic Zenker, the Blue Jays’ head
coach since 2012, last piloted Jefferson
against Kingston on Dec. 7. Jefferson
athletic director Jason Dreyer has
coached every game since then except
the Warrior Classic semifinal loss to host
Valle, 57-50. He missed that Dec. 28
Unbeaten: Jefferson’s Hearst finds scoring touch at Kingston
Ted Howell photos
Jefferson’s Gracie Fish gets a rebound
in the Blue Jays’ loss to Herculaneum.
Sports
“That first half against Affton, I
wrote on the chalkboard, ‘Who is this
team?’ They put everything together
in that first half against Affton. We let
(our kids) go a little in the second half
and when things got tough we let them
figure it out.
“At some point the coaches can’t do
everything for the players on the court.”
Four Owls scored in double figures
against Affton. Junior Connor Hartmann
led Windsor with 16 points and made four
3-point baskets. Senior Michael Schmidt
had 15 points, eight rebounds and four
blocked shots. Sophomore twins Ethan
and Evan Worley scored 15 and 11 points
respectively.
The Owls racked up a torrid 48 points
against the Cougars in the first half, but
were held to just 14 in the second half.
“We were really hitting our shots in
the first half,” Dutton said. “Give Affton
credit, they got hot and the momentum
changed.”
The 6-6 Schmidt has increased his
points-per- game total by four to 12.8
this season. He’s one of those big men
who’s just as comfortable shooting from
the outside and he routinely will bring
the ball up the court to start the offense.
He had 19 rebounds against Lift for Life.
contest at Ste. Genevieve due to family
obligations.
Dreyer was back on the bench Friday
when the Blue Jays
beat Zalma 84-73
in the third-place
game.
The Leader
has made several
requests to Clint
Johnston, the su-
perintendent at
the Jefferson R-7
Daniel McWhorter School District, to
clarify Zenker ’s
status as coach. Johnston said he can’t
comment because it’s a personnel matter.
Continued from Page 29
against Valley of Caledonia the day be-
fore the game against the Blackcats took
a lot out of his team.
“We had a lot of energy and came out
ready to play and fight,” Joines said about
his team’s play early against Herky. “We
struggle with close games sometimes and
we couldn’t get over that hump today.
(The Blackcats) have their system, they
run and gun, and they’re good at it. If you
don’t give 100 percent, it’s going to be a
long night.”
Before the loss to Herky, the Blue
Jays had won four of their last five
games and Joines said the team’s se-
nior leadership provided by Hannah
Becherer, Hanna Floyd and Meghan
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018
“Michael has done a great job in a lot
of departments,” Dutton said. “He’s my
most trusted guy with the ball. The best
part of his game is his passing ability. I
got compliments from four or five coach-
es at the tournament about his passing.”
Hartmann leads the Owls with a
dozen 3-pointers and is being challenged
as the team’s best pure shooter by his
younger brother, Pierce Hartmann, who’s
played in eight games this season.
The Worley brothers are just starting
to understand their potential on the court,
Dutton said. Ethan (8.7) is averaging one
point more per game and is second to
Schmidt with 45 assists. Evan is averag-
ing 5.8 rebounds.
“Ethan and Evan both have a great
deal of potential,” Dutton said. “Any
talented young guys have high expecta-
tions for themselves. When it gets to
game time, it’s not that easy because
coaches on other teams try to take away
their strengths. Ethan has been scoring
more and playing more confidently lately.
They’re becoming more comfortable with
the speed of the game.”
Windsor returns to the hardwood on
Friday, hosting a Jefferson County Ac- Ron Rigdon photo
tivities Association large schools contest Windsor junior Connor Hartmann leads
against Festus (6-4). the team with 12 3-point baskets.
Dreyer said he assumes he’ll still be the the coach noted.
coach when the Blue Jays (8-5) travel to Dreyer said Null, the returning Jef-
Arcadia Valley on Friday. ferson County Activities Association
Sophomore Jon Weik and junior small schools most valuable player, has
Easton Null were named to the Warrior been on a roll the last two weeks.
Classic all-tournament team. Against “We keep preaching to him to keep
Valma, Null scored 24 points, junior attacking,” Dreyer said.
Daniel McWhorter pumped in 17 points “We played really good defense all
and Weik added 14. The Blue Jays led week,” he added. “We’ve been focusing
Valma by 20 points at halftime. on rebounding, but we’ve got a lot of
“We came out knowing they wanted work to do on the glass.”
to run and gun so we tried to slow them Behind Colton McAnally’s 29
down on the offensive end,” Dreyer said. points, Grandview (4-9) broke an eight-
Many of McWhorter’s points were game losing streak and crushed St. Paul
scored off of dribble penetration. Lutheran 92-33 for seventh place at
“He had some great assists. It’s the Valle. The Eagles tip off 2018 with a
best game I’ve seen him play all year,” game at St. Pius X on Friday.
Boulicault has been strong all season.
Floyd scored 45 points in the three
games of the tournament, including 20
against Herky.
“Hanna Floyd has been shooting
incredibly well lately and is becoming
the player she is capable of being,”
Joines said. “Hannah Becherer is the
stopper and she’s finding her shot again.
Megan Boulicault is doing her job in the
middle.”
Junior Heidi Hearst made four
3-point baskets and scored 15 points
against the Blackcats. Hearst scored 19
against Valley of Caledonia.
“Her efforts are being noticed and
that’s huge because of where she’s come
Herculaneum’s Jordan Allen pulls down
from the last two years,” Joines said.
a rebound against Jefferson last week.
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018
Hillsboro senior was among state’s best last fall
In their own words
Hillsboro senior Kevin Koester
outpaced a field of 115 runners during
cross country season last fall at the Stan
Nelson Invitational with a first-place
time of 15:53.26, which set the meet
record.He finished second at the Cross
Country Classic at Arnold City Park and
won the Webster Groves Invitational.
Koester also won the Jefferson County
Activities Association championship in
October and came in 19th in the Class 4
state meet in November. He will compete
on the cross country team on scholarship
at Missouri Southern State University in
Joplin next fall.
By Kevin Koester
For the Leader
Cross country can arguably be con-
sidered the toughest high school sport.
Weekly competition requires athletes to
push their bodies to the limit nonstop
for more than 15 minutes.
There are no halftimes, no time-
outs, no sending in a sub when you are
at the point of exhaustion.
For some weird reason, this is what
I love about the sport. Pushing your
body to this extreme requires you to be
mentally tough, self-disciplined and a
little quirky. Luckily, I’ve been blessed
with a good balance of all three. I’m the
type of athlete who not only enjoys rac-
ing, but also all the training that comes
along with it. I don’t mind training in
the rain, snow, freezing temperatures or
even steamy 100-degree days. I’m also
one of those crazy runners you’ll see
running circles around my vehicle at
the end of a run, because I can’t stand
to end a 10-mile workout at 9.99 miles.
Richey headed to Springfield
Windsor senior Taylor Richey signed a letter of intent to compete in track and
field at Missouri State University in Springfield. Seated with Richey, center, are
her parents, Michael and Tonia Richey. In the back are Windsor track coaches
Stephany Dueker and Jeff Stoffey.
Sports
Gordon Bess photo
Hillsboro senior Kevin Koester had a
breakout season in 2017.
The combination of hard work and
quirkiness has made me the runner I am.
I will never forget my senior cross
country season. I was proud of every-
thing I had achieved so far in my career,
but after a disappointing junior track
season riddled with injury and illness,
I was excited to begin my senior cross
country season.
I worked extremely hard in the
off-season, and based on our schedule,
I thought I had the chance to win a
handful of meets. Never in my wildest
dreams did I imagine the season would
turn out the way it did. With lots of
Jefferson County Leader
hard work and probably a little bit of
luck, I went on a streak of nine consec-
utive wins, including Jefferson County
Activities Association and district
championships, before the streak ended
with a runner-up finish at sectionals.
And at the Class 4 state champion-
ships at the Oak Hills Golf Center in
Jefferson City, I earned all-state honors
for the second time after finishing 19th.
I couldn’t have asked for much more
than that.
There are two races that will al-
ways be the most memorable to me.
The first one was my win early in
the season at the Stan Nelson Invita-
tional, hosted by Northwest. This race
stands out to me because it was my
first time running below the 16- minute
barrier and I also broke the meet record.
That was a big deal to me because that
meet has been run for more than 50
years. This gave me a lot of confidence
for the rest of the season. No doubt my
most exciting race of the year was at
the JCAA conference meet at West City
Park in Festus. If you were there, you
know what I mean. The race started off
with (Festus junior) Max McDaniel, the
defending champion, and myself run-
ning out ahead of the pack.
Max and I jostled for position for
the next 3.1 miles. We ran the entire
race side by side before I edged him out
with a last-second surge to win the race
by 0.3 seconds. That is the only race
in my whole career that I’ve run side
by side an opponent for an entire race.
I wish all my races could be like that.
The fierce competition and excitement
Sanders signs with Boston College
Hillsboro senior Carlie Sanders signed a letter of intent to play softball at Boston
College. Seated with Sanders is her father, Jeff Sanders. In the back row, from left,
are Hillsboro head coach Kevin Lucas and assistant coach Tish Naeger.
31
from the crowd was so fun. It’s a race I
will never forget.
I cannot take all the credit for my
success. There are many people who
have contributed to my success, but
there are a few I’d like to recognize and
thank personally.
Aaron Dugan is my former team-
mate, and he taught me the type of
dedication needed to be a successful
runner. My 2015 cross country team-
mates helped make this a special season
where we became the first team in
school history to win a district champi-
onship and qualify as a team for state.
Coach Tom Gordon always believed in
me, even before I was on his high school
team. Coach Todd Medley continuously
encouraged me to have high expecta-
tions. Coach Joe McCraith stood out in
the cold after the rest of the team had
already gone inside, just so I could do
a few more laps around the track. My
brother Alan has had to endure six years
of pre-race pasta dinners, even though
he hates pasta. My sister, Kelly, is my
biggest cheerleader and the best poster
maker ever. My parents and grandpar-
ents have always been my biggest sup-
porters and taught me the values of hard
work and always being humble.
While my high school cross country
career has come to an end, I’m excited
for the next four years. I’ll be running
cross country and track at Missouri
Southern State University in Joplin,
where I will major in accounting. Mis-
souri Southern has a long history of
being a successful distance program, so
I’m excited to see what the future holds.
32 Jefferson County Leader
Sechrest: De Soto finishes 3-1, wins consolation championship
Continued from Page 29
who sank a pair of 3-pointers a minute
into the second half to give the Hawks
some breathing room at 33-28.
“We came in here to do this,” Keller
said about winning the tournament.
“It’s great to take the big gold ball
back to Hillsboro,” said Pinkley, partially
describing the trophy the winning team
is given.
Hillsboro was the top seed in the 16-
team tournament and the Hawks played
like it all the way through. They beat
Crystal City 62-27, Potosi 75-38 and Park
Hills Central 73-36. The running clock
was started in all three of those games.
Gray sank a trey and Pinkley made a
bucket to end the scoring in the first quar-
ter of the championship game to force a
13-13 tie. Hardy began the second with
a 3-point field goal but Brewer tied the
game 16-16 with an old-fashioned 3-point
play. Gray, Brewer and Hardy did all of
the scoring until 1:15 remained before
halftime.
Pinkley scored with 30 seconds left
in the second but Hardy connected for 3
with 2.9 seconds to play and the Hawks
led 27-26 at the break.
“(Hardy) is a great player, a great
shooter and a great guy. I have a lot of
respect for him,” Keller said.
“I played with Brendan over the
summer and he’s a great kid to play with
and against,” Pinkley said. “You have to
get a hand up in front of him all the time.
He’s going to make tough shots. You just
have to be OK with it.”
Hillsboro held onto a slim lead early
in the third quarter. Keller has played as
well defensively this season on the court
as he did running the ball to most valuable
player honors on the gridiron last fall.
There’s just one stipulation about when
Keller can shoot, he said.
“When I’m wide open,” he said pok-
ing fun at himself. “If I’m not open, I pass
because I’m not the best shooter.”
Gray stripped Pinkley and dished to
senior Cameron Friend, who was fouled.
Friend made one of two free throws but
Brewer had the answer again with a bas-
ket to give the Hawks a 35-31 edge with
4:57 to play in the third.
Hardy’s 3-pointer cut the Hillsboro
lead to a point but junior Ben Lampkins
threaded the twine from long range and
Brewer did the same about a minute later
as the lead swelled to 43-36. Lampkins then
stole the Knights’ inbound pass and scored
again to stretch the lead to nine points.
Jackson Schrum was the only Farm-
ington player not named Hardy or Gray
to score in the fourth and Schrum’s basket
with 51 seconds left would be the last.
The Hawks and Knights meet again
Feb. 16 in Farmington and are again in
District 2, so this fantastic matchup is
only getting started this season.
“We knew we had to come out with
our A-game. But it’s always the same
game plan,” said Pinkley, who scored
74 points in the four tournament games.
North County outlasted the host
Rebels 70-67 for third place in the boys
bracket and Park Hills Central captured
Sports
Hillsboro junior Michael Brewer looks to score against Potosi in last week’s Bob
Sechrest Jr. tournament.
the girls title with a thrilling 79-68 win in
double overtime over Steelville.
De Soto wins consolation final
The De Soto boys trounced Fred-
ericktown 73-39 on Saturday for the
consolation title. The Dragons finished
3-1 at the tournament.
De Soto built a 43-26 lead by half-
time and outscored the Blackcats 12-1
in the fourth quarter. De Soto senior
guard Austin West scored a game-high
32 points.
Senior Trevor Johnson notched 30
points in the Dragons’ 74-59 win against
Crystal City and West was the leader in
points with 24 points in De Soto’s 67-59
win over West County in losers’ bracket
games.
After falling
to Potosi 83-74 on
Tuesday in the first
round of the tour-
nament, De Soto
head coach Zeb
Hammond seques-
tered his Dragons
in the locker room
for a long time. The
Dragons seemed Zeb Hammond
to have responded
to their coach’s talk for the rest of the
tournament.
Hammond emerged from the post-
game speech with an unvarnished report
after De Soto fell to 6-7.
“I let them know that everything we
Ted Howell photos
did tonight was selfish,” Hammond said.
“We didn’t play hard defensively and
when you let teams pass the ball around
and do what they want, you’re not going
to win any games. It’s frustrating because
we don’t practice like that and we don’t
teach that.”
Just two weeks earlier, the Dragons
beat the Trojans 70-59 behind 21 points
by West and 18 points by senior post
player Aaron Perren. West, junior Clay-
ton Snudden and Johnson all scored 16
points in the rematch. Potosi junior Noah
Jacobsen led all scorers with 30 points.
“We beat this team already and we
didn’t run our offense at all tonight,”
Hammond said. “We made two post
entries in the first three quarters. At the
end of the game we did that and got some
easy baskets.”
The Dragons and Trojans were tied
36-36 at halftime, but the Trojans had
a 10-point run in the third quarter and
12-point run in the fourth as they led most
of the second half.
Sophomore Corey Gibbs opened
the scoring in the fourth with a basket
for De Soto. After a field goal by Potosi
sophomore Kaleb Coffman, Johnson sank
a 3-pointer. West made a basket, then
grabbed a defensive rebound on the next
Potosi possession, and connected with
Johnson with a pass the length of the
court. Johnson scored to tie the game
59-59 with 5:38 to play.
The Trojans scored the next 12 points
to take a 71-59 lead. Potosi committed
just one foul in the third quarter.
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018
Hammond said Johnson is capable of
being one of the Dragons’ leading scorers.
“When he takes good shots, he’s
one of our better shooters, but when he
forces shots, he hasn’t come to that happy
medium of what good shots to take,”
Hammond said.
Hammond said Jacobsen is one of the
better players in the tournament.
“He was a man on a mission tonight
and we didn’t have anyone who wanted
to step up and compete with him,” Ham-
mond said. “When he wanted to get to
the rim, he did. We never rotated over to
stop him.”
Festus finishes sixth
Before Festus lost 67-57 to the Pan-
thers in Saturday’s fifth-place contest,
senior Daniel Portell scored 27 points
in the Tigers’ 76-72 win against Potosi.
Festus finished 2-2 in the tournament.
Festus defeated Park Hills Central
earlier in December but lost the rematch
57-51 on Thursday in the second round
of the tournament.
Behind Portell’s 24 points, the Tigers
(6-4) had beaten the Rebels 54-53 on Dec.
1. In the rematch, Festus led Central 16-
12 after the first quarter and by a point at
halftime. The game was tied 37-37 with
2:04 to play in the third and after senior
Brennan Pryor made a pair of free throws.
“I was worried about our start be-
cause we had beaten them here last time
and I thought they would start out hot,”
Festus head coach Jason Therrell said.
“But we came out hot and unfortunately
we couldn’t sustain that offensive rhythm
the whole game.
“We had some stretches where we
got the ball to the rim and if we’d had a
couple more plays like that, it might have
been a different outcome.”
But the Rebels took charge when
senior Wade Scherffius sank a basket
and sophomore Brevan McMullen made
a 3-pointer and they led 50-45.
Festus had a few chances to catch
up, but senior guard Owen Horsley was
whistled for travelling and junior Savez
Thomas missed a field goal attempt on
back-to-back possessions.
After Portell missed a 3-point attempt,
McMullen made two free throws with 1:02
to play to give Central a 53-45 advantage.
Thomas then missed two free throws. The
frustration the Tigers and their coaches felt
was apparent after the game.
“We came up short, so that doesn’t
matter,” Thomas said of his fast start
offensively. “I started the game well but
we’ve got to keep on going the whole
game. It’s all about mental toughness.”
Herky drops both games
The Blackcats (2-9) were the 16th
seed in the tournament and lost 77-42 to
North County in the first round and then
fell 83-52 to Arcadia Valley in the los-
ers’ bracket quarterfinals. Herculaneum
has lost its last six games and hosts
Crossroads College Prep tonight (Jan.
4) at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018
Cold weather brings big birds south for the winter
A
s frigid temperatures bear down,
an extra effort is needed for the
benefit of backyard birds. Mak-
ing sure your feeders stay filled will
help our feathered friends weather the
worst that winter can dish out, but the
dropping temperatures also mean the
chance to see birds that are not always
in our neighborhoods.
Reports of snowy owls have been
on the rise in Missouri as the big arctic
dwellers have been forced south by
a lack of food in their home range.
Snowy owls are large predators with
wing spans up to 4 feet wide. Adult
males are mostly white. Females and
younger owls can have black and white
feathers as well.
The maps at eBird.org, a coop-
erative online effort by birders and
researchers to track sightings for all
species, show several reports of snowy
owls across Missouri. A male snowy
owl arrived at the Riverlands Migra-
tory Bird Sanctuary near the Mississippi
River north of St. Louis on Nov. 9, said
Ken Buchholz, director for the Audubon
McGee: New Jefferson College coach wasn’t hired until June
Continued from Page 29
job at Jefferson College. McGee came
to Hillsboro after watching the Vikings
play their best game in years last Febru-
ary in a shocking 70-68 upset over the
Reivers in Council Bluffs.
When the two teams met this sea-
son, the Vikings were in free fall from
the opening tip and would have been
shut out in the fourth quarter without
sophomore Izzy Ringling’s basket with
16 seconds left in the game. And despite
playing their bench players throughout
most of the fourth, Vande Hoef kept the
fast-break offense going and the Reivers
poured in 23 more points.
It took me more than a week to
reach McGee following the loss. I was
at the game that day but McGee un-
derstandably didn’t want to talk to the
press. With the Vikings off until Jan. 9,
she was visiting family in Milwaukee.
She said she’s had plenty of time to
reflect on the loss.
“Going into the game, we knew it
would be a battle,” said McGee, who
was Vande Hoef’s assistant for two
years. “We knew (Iowa Western) had
a chip on their shoulders from last sea-
son. Coach Lindsey has a lot of talent
on her team and she’s a great coach.”
Coaches always look better when
they have talent. With a freshman-dom-
inated roster last season, this season’s
Reivers are sophomore heavy and those
players were out for blood when they
got to Jefferson College last month. The
difference in talent between the two
teams was staggering. Iowa Western
sophomore forward Jazza Johns (6-0)
led all scorers with 19 points and was
named the Iowa Community College
Athletic Conference player of the week.
But even when Vande Hoef took out
her starters, the reserves kept scoring.
Outdoor News/Sports
Outdoor
Outlook
John J.
Winkelman
Center at Riverlands. A female appeared
during the Thanksgiving holiday week.
Snowy owls feed primarily on
arctic rodents called lemmings. When
lemming populations are high, snowy
owl populations rise. The owls move
south when lemming populations crash.
In Missouri, they prefer grasslands as
habitat and may eat rodents, rabbits,
squirrels, waterfowl and other birds.
The last time the snowy owls were
spotted in great numbers in the state
was in the winter of 2011-2012. Many
of them died because of their inability
to find enough food and the stress of
having to travel such a great distance to
find adequate sustenance.
The other big birds that have been
and will continue to make an appear-
First-year Jefferson College basketball
coach Ashley McGee gives instructions
to Iowa Western College as their assistant
coach last season.
Not many other JUCO teams can bring
a 6-3 freshman off the bench. Julia Ra-
flund of Malmo, Sweden, kept running
the fast break until the final seconds and
made five of six shots from the field.
McGee said she knew why Vande
Hoef kept applying the pressure even
though the game had been long decided.
“Lindsey is extremely competitive
and I didn’t expect her to let up because
we were playing each other,” McGee
said. “We talked about this since I got
the job. I have to recruit like crazy if
we’re going to be competitive with a
team like Iowa Western.”
“I didn’t want to press the whole game
– we just needed to get some freshmen
some work.”
Lindsey Vande Hoef
Iowa Western College head coach
Jefferson County Leader
ance here throughout the winter are the
bald eagles, which come south looking
for open water on the Mississippi River.
Special events such as the annual Eagle
Days Festival at the Chain of Rocks,
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 13-14, will
offer up-close encounters and spotting
scope views of the big birds in action.
The historic Old Chain of Rocks
Bridge in north St. Louis County is
part of the Mississippi Greenway, also
known as the Riverfront Trail. The
World Bird Sanctuary will present an
educational program featuring a live
bald eagle, repeated every 20 minutes
from 10 a.m. until 2:40 p.m.
The days’ activities will include a
hands-on exhibit of local birds pre-
sented by St. Louis Audubon, a full-size
replica of an eagle’s nest, and warming
tent activities, including children’s art
projects. Lewis and Clark living history
demonstrations will show how the early
river explorers and their crew lived,
cooked and traveled more than 200
years ago.
During the winter, the Mississippi
“I didn’t want to press the whole
game – we just needed to get some
freshmen some work,” Vande Hoef said.
McGee helped Vande Hoef recruit
some of the players who played a part
in the Vikings’ destruction. What I
quickly noticed when comparing the
Vikings and Reivers was how fast Iowa
Western was playing. Jefferson Col-
lege’s players simply couldn’t keep up.
That’s not McGee’s fault – yet. In
her defense, she wasn’t hired by Jeffer-
son College until June. That didn’t give
her enough time to recruit the type of
players she’d coached at Iowa Western.
The only three players on the Vikings’
roster McGee brought in are fresh-
men Dy’aire Adams, Tyla Bishop and
Morgan Wilborn, who has been the best
player on the Vikings this season and
leads them with 13.5 points per game.
It’s only fair to give McGee a couple
of recruiting classes before we judge her
coaching. By this time next year, there
needs to be progress though. While the
soccer, baseball and softball teams at Jef-
ferson College are annual threats to win
Region 16 titles, the basketball program
has been mired in a five-year slide with a
record of 51-92 (.357).
What’s disconcerting is the Iowa
Western loss was the second blowout
defeat in the Vikings’ last three games.
They lost 102-50 to Wabash Valley on
Dec. 13. Jefferson College entered the
33
River hosts one of North America’s
largest concentrations of bald eagles.
They are drawn to areas of open water
in search of fish, their preferred food.
The Chain of Rocks rapids to the south
of the bridge create open waters that are
ideal fishing waters for eagles.
This is a unique opportunity to
watch bald eagles fish, ride ice floes,
soar overhead and roost in nearby trees
while having access to an educational
program featuring a live eagle.
Parking at the Missouri Bridge
entrance costs $5, but free parking is
available at two satellite lots at the St.
Louis Welcome Center at Riverview
and I-270 and North Riverfront Park,
off Riverview south of the waterworks.
A free shuttle will be available from
both locations. Free parking is also
available at the Illinois Bridge entrance.
John J. Winkelman is community
relations manager at Mercy Hospital
Jefferson. If you have news for the
Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail
ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can fol-
low John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.
break on a four-game losing skid.
McGee had success at Iowa West-
ern and Cardinal Stritch University in
Milwaukee, where she met Vande Hoef.
McGee said she’s not used to losing.
“I’m looking for impact players who
can make a huge difference,” she said.
“We need some size and I’m looking for
players who will get into class and suc-
ceed there, too. I have a couple of girls
I’ve offered to that can fit those roles.”
Toward the end of the blowout loss,
I watched as Vande Hoef kept coach-
ing, while a resigned McGee sat silently
on her bench. It’s tough to watch your
former boss beat the stuffing out of you
on your home court.
If getting beat by 62 points isn’t a
wake-up call, the Vikings will slumber
through the rest of the winter.
62ND ANNUAL BOB SECHREST JR.
CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT
At Park Hills Central, Dec. 26-30
BOYS
Seeds: 1. Hillsboro; 2. North County;
3. Farmington; 4. Park Hills Central; 5.
Festus; 6. Perryville; 7. Ste. Genevieve; 8.
De Soto; 9. Potosi; 10. Arcadia Valley; 11.
South Iron; 12. West County; 13. Viburnum;
14. Fredericktown; 15. Herculaneum; 16.
Crystal City.
Dec. 26: Hillsboro 62, Crystal City 27;
Potosi 83, De Soto 74; Park Hills Central 92,
Viburnum 52; Festus 56, West County 44
Dec. 27: De Soto 74, Crystal City
59; West County 95, Viburnum 63; North
County 77, Herculaneum 42; Ste. Genevieve
66, Arcadia Valley 58; Farmington 64,
Fredericktown 24; South Iron 66, Perryville 54
Dec. 28: Hillsboro 75, Potosi 38; Park
Hills Central 57, Festus 51; North County 64,
Ste. Genevieve 49; Farmington 82, South
Iron 42; Arcadia Valley 83, Herculaneum 52;
Fredericktown 56, Perryville 50
Dec. 29: De Soto 67, West County 59;
Fredericktown 58, Arcadia Valley 53; Hillsboro
73, Park Hills Central 36; Farmington 51,
North County 50
Dec. 30: (Consolation championship)
De Soto 73, Fredericktown 39; (Fifth place)
South Iron 67, Festus 57; (Third place)
North County 70, Park Hills Central 67;
(Championship) Hillsboro 65, Farmington 54
24 Jefferson County Leader Sports Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018

I-55 Conference Football Previews

Valle sets roadblock on I-55

County schools have hard time competing with Warriors
title, the Warriors have gone 34 games
The without a loss against Crystal City,
County Herky, Jefferson, Grandview, St. Pius
Line X and St. Vincent. Valle has won those
Russell games by an average score of 56-7.
Korando Myth: Players don’t learn the
Valle “system” by the time they’re old

I
went to Ste. Genevieve last week to
try to separate myth from fact sur-
rounding the Valle Catholic football
team.
My fact-finding mission sought
to root out the fundamental reasons
why the Class 1 powerhouse, tied with
Webb City (Class 4) for the most state
championships (14) among all teams
in Missouri, is so much better than the
larger schools they compete against in
the I-55 Conference.
Myth: Not every boy at Valle plays
football. While that may have been
closer to the case a generation ago,
head coach Judd Naeger said 33 of the
65 boys at the school are out for the
Warriors this season.
Fact: Since Herculaneum beat Val-
le 41-39 in 2012 to win the conference
Leader
enough to walk and continue running it
through their senior years. In fact, Nae-
ger said, he doesn’t get the players until
they’re freshmen because Valle doesn’t
have a junior high program.
Fact: Naeger is one of the most
decorated coaches in the state, having
guided Valle to five state titles and three
undefeated seasons. But the Warriors
lost 12-7 to Monroe City in last year’s
state championship and only reached
the semifinals in 2016.
I got a very good first impression
when I met with Naeger in the team’s
fieldhouse. Wearing a heavy beard,
Naeger talked about why the Warriors
are annually able to challenge for a
state crown.
“We’ve got really good kids and
outstanding parents, and when you have
those two things working for you, you
have a good chance to win,” said Nae-
ger, who won two state championships
as a player at Valle and has been the
team’s head coach for 15 seasons.

Athlete
of the
Week
Jaycee Foeller
Missouri wrestling
The De Soto sophomore captured
the 180-pound championship at
the United States Marine Corps
Cadet/Junior Freestyle National
Championships last month in Fargo,
N.D. After a 3-2 win in overtime
in the semifinals against Brianna
Staebler of Wisconsin, Foeller won
the title with a 7-0 decision over
Adelina Parra of California. Foeller
wrestled for the Dragons’ boys last
season, but will be among the first
class of female wrestlers in the state
to compete within their own gender
this school year.
Check out the Athlete of the Week
every Sunday after 6 p.m. at our
website, myleaderpaper.com.
“We don’t have the luxury to just
coach the best kids; we’ve got to coach
up all of the kids. We’ve had a lot of
kids over the years who may have been
overlooked when they were younger
and they ended up as solid players by
the time they were seniors.”
Valle was at the height of its power
in 2014 and 2015, when the Warriors
won all 30 games and captured back-to-
back Class 1 titles.
Former quarterback Connor Basler
threw eight touchdown passes com-
Valle Catholic football players practice
last week in Ste. Genevieve.
Valle Catholic football head coach Judd Naeger has led the Warriors to five Class 1
state championships. Valle has won 14 state titles in its history.
bined in the two final games. Mason
Skaggs took over for Basler at QB in
2016 and had a record of 23-4.
As much as 80 percent of the play-
ers on Valle this year are legacies of
dads, uncles and grandfathers who also
played football on the Warriors. Naeger
said each generation strives not to let
the last one down and that inspires them
to a higher level of play in about every
game.
“When they hear it from their
dads, grandpas and uncles it becomes
ingrained in them, but the last few years
there’s been undue pressure on them,”
Naeger said. “They’re not able to be
just high school football players. They
have expectations on them that are not
fair and at times unreal.
“The last two years, one play here
Russell Korando photos
or there, and we’re able to win a state
championship. But that changes how
they’re perceived when they don’t win
it and that’s unfair because they worked
just as hard as any teams that did win.”
High school coaches usually are
given leniency when their teams go
through losing seasons. And even though
Naeger’s credentials are impeccable and
unquestioned, anything short of a state
title at Valle is considered subpar.
“The outside perception isn’t close
to reality,” Naeger said. “There’s been
years we’ve won a state championship
that if you’d seen those kids when they
were freshmen you would have said,
‘No way.’ But the kids worked hard and
the parents are involved.”
See VALLE, Page 25
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018
Valle: Jefferson looks to be closest in league at stopping Warriors
Continued from Page 24
Like other coaches at small schools,
Naeger said he is forced to play his
charges on both sides of the ball.
“When we have an injury, we have
to move four kids around to get our best
11 on the field,” he said. “The last three
or four years ,75 percent of our starters
have gone both ways and this year it’s
80 percent or higher.”
In most of the I-55 games, the
Warriors have such a comfortable lead
by halftime they’re able to substitute
for their starters for most of the last two
quarters. That leads to more playing
time for the second string, who take
that experience to the field the next year
when their numbers are called.
Combine that with the fact that
Valle plays almost another half of a sea-
son in playoff games while the rest of
the I-55 sits idle, the progression feeds
upon itself from year to year.
“They play 15 games a year,” said
St. Pius X head coach Jerry Woods,
whose Lancers were beaten 62-0 by
the Warriors last year. “When they go
deep into the playoffs they’re getting all
those extra reps and practices. That’s to
their credit.
“They have a great coaching staff.
They have great buy-in by the parents
and players. Sometimes we struggle
with getting young men to come in to
get lifts and runs in. It seems Valle gets
better push from their parents.”
Since Valle doesn’t have boys soc-
cer, it doesn’t have to compete for play-
ers. St. Vincent, a small Catholic school
in Perryville, plays football in the I-55
and has boys soccer.
St. Pius X is the only I-55 team
from the county that has to compete for
players with its school’s boys soccer
team. The Lancers were about evenly
split in players (about 40 apiece) be-
tween the football and soccer programs
when practice began Aug. 6. Woods
only has to peek at the soccer practice
field to see potential talent he could use.
“I look over there and see defensive
backs and receivers we could use, and
the soccer team looks at us and thinks the
same thing,” Woods said. “It’s hard for
small schools to field successful soc-
cer and football teams at the same time.
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Mason Skaggs, right, helps run drills at quarterback for Valle Catholic last week. Skaggs
graduated from Valle this spring.
We’ve done it in the past and we think
this year will be one of those years.”
If any team is going to end Valle’s
stranglehold on the I-55 this year, it’s
going to be Jefferson, who are as close
in talent to the Warriors as any team
has been since the 2012 Blackcats. But
Valle has beaten Jefferson by a com-
bined score of 51-16.5 the past two
years, so the gap hasn’t closed yet.
Herky used a heavy ground game
behind running back Dustin Johnson to
beat the Warriors six years ago. Watch-
ing the Blue Jays’ top offensive linemen
work out last week and knowing An-
drew Graves’ rebuilt knee is sturdy and
Russell Korando photo
ready to propel him past 5,000 career
yards, they might be built to truck the
Warriors.
Jefferson head coach Alex Roug-
gly is well versed in Valle football.
Rouggly played for Herky in the late
1990s and never suited up against the
Warriors, but he knows all about their
tradition.
“You think of tradition and com-
munity when you think of (Ste. Gen
and Valle),” Rouggly said. “And the
other thing is, Judd does a hell of a job.
You know they will be well coached.
He’s got great assistants. He’s got the
old timers who volunteer. That all goes
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Jefferson County Leader 25
hand-in-hand with tradition. They have
a commitment of excellence.
“Those kids don’t want to let the
team or their community down. They
have a true powerful tradition down
there. They believe they can win every
game.”
It’s Rouggly’s job to make sure the
Blue Jays feel that way, too.
“(Valle’s) a team that if you’re un-
disciplined in any facet of your game,
they will expose it,” he said. “They
have tall receivers and have had some
really good quarterbacks. I know Judd
will have them ready to go. We talk
quite a bit on the phone, and I’ve told
him they make us better. We’re trying
as a football program to make them bet-
ter as well. Our kids firmly believe that
they’re going to give them everything
they’ve got this year.”
After that 2012 title, the Blackcats
have had their ups but mostly downs.
They finished 1-9 last year and Dave
Cook stepped aside after the season was
over. The low point in their rivalry was in
2015, when Valle beat Herky 78-8, and
the Warriors have trounced the Blackcats
the last two years to the tune of 113-0.
Cody Hunter is the new head coach
at Herculaneum and he’ll get his first
crack at Valle when the teams meet in
Ste. Genevieve on Oct. 12.
“They don’t have to be big.
They’re really aggressive,” Hunter said.
“They’re coached very well. That’s
where I want to get. Herky does have
pride and tradition, just like Valle. We
were dominant for a very long time. I’d
like to take a page out of Valle’s book
by getting our alumni back on the side-
lines and the community to rally around
Herculaneum football.”
Despite the lopsided final scores,
Naeger said the conference is competi-
tive and his team never tries to embar-
rass an opponent.
“We’ve always had an outstanding
relationship with the other coaches in
the conference,” Naeger said. “Anytime
you’re on a football field on Friday
night, when you wear the white helmet
with the blue V we hope something in
our players changes a little bit.”
It does. The Warriors almost always
change the V to a W.
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26 Jefferson County Leader Sports Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018

I-55 Conference Football Previews

Rebuilding project begins with new coach

Crystal City Hornets

By Russell Korando
For the Leader

Dan Fox just isn’t coaching a football

team.
The first-year head coach is rebuilding
a Crystal City football program that hit
rock bottom last year with a record of 0-10,
being outscored 428-65 in the process.
The former Hillsboro assistant got
used to winning over the years with the
Hawks, who had a turbo-charged offense
in 2016 and 2017 and won a district
championship last fall.
But there aren’t any Micheal Kellers
on the Hornets’ roster. So Fox has to build
Crystal City through a newly renovated
weight room and with the 25 players who
showed up to play this fall. The Hornets
have dipped below 20 healthy players the
past two years when injuries piled up.
Fox ran his charges through special
teams drills on Friday, and at first glance,
the Hornets have plenty to improve on
before they kick off the season Aug. 24
at Chaffee.
“I think it went fairly well,” Fox said
about the first week of practice. “The Russell Korando photo
rumor out there is I’m not the most opti- Seniors on this year’s Crystal City football team, front row from left: Ethan Holst, Philip Harrison, Jason Loveless and Mason Wood.
mistic guy, but I’m happy with our effort. Back row: Clark Johns, Griffin Morris, Dylan Beekman, Hunter Blackwell and Connor Lowe.
We’re sharpening things up on offense
and defense and if we make the same more sound. I want them to understand turn the program around.
Crystal City Hornets their responsibilities and formations. I “Dylan gives you effort all the time
strides the rest of the way, we could be a Aug. 24 at Chaffee
team to worry about this year.” Aug. 31 at Kelly want them to communicate better. I want and the kids respect him and look up to
Fox will have to live without Chris Sept. 7 Principia 11 guys to the ball on every play.” him,” Fox said.
Eisenbeis, who graduated in the spring Sept. 14 Valle Catholic Blackwell, Holst and junior Riley Johns transferred from Ste. Gen-
Sept. 21 Jefferson Stephens form the defensive line, with evieve to Crystal City this year.
after doing everything for the Hornets. Sept. 28 at St. Vincent
Eisenbeis played quarterback and inside Oct. 5 at Herculaneum Beekman, Wood and senior Connor “He’s hungry for success and ready
linebacker and never took a play off. Oct. 12 St. Pius X Lowe on the ends. Litton, Rivera, Love- to help lead the team,” Fox said.
In his place, senior Griffin Morris Oct. 19 at Grandview less, Johns and Smith form the inside Morris and Blackwell have also
2017 record: 0-10
steps under center and is the first person linebacking corps. Harrison, Eisenbeis, proven to be team leaders.
other than Eisenbeis to take a snap since Moyer and junior Mike White are outside “In my opinion, I couldn’t have asked
2015. Morris was much more effective as Mills and sophomore Jason Moyer. linebackers. In the secondary are Craig, for a better group of seniors,” Fox said.
a receiver last year than he was running the “There will be a rotation in the back- Morris, Dashner, Mills and sophomore “They’re smart and knowledgeable, but
ball. He caught 35 passes for 291 yards, field,” Fox said. Chase Coleman. they haven’t won in awhile and my goal is
while averaging 2 yards on 34 carries. Catching passes from Morris will be At the end of Friday’s practice, the to add pressure to their lives. I want them
“He’s very well balanced,” Fox said freshmen Ta’Shon Riney and Calloway Hornets sprinted from sideline to sideline to win a game. They deserve it.
of Morris. “When you apply pressure Dashner. 10 times. As the sprints went on, Beek- “We’ve got 25 guys and right now
to him, he’s very calm and relaxed. You Blocking for the skill players are man and Johns went full bore, clapping they need to learn their names might be
can’t teach a kid to be that way. offensive linemen Hunter Blackwell, and trying to motivate their teammates. called at any moment, so we’ve got to
“I don’t know what a passing game Mason Wood, Dylan Beekman, Ethan That’s the kind of players Fox needs to coach them up.”
is. We’re going to focus on running the Holst – all seniors – and junior Evan
ball. Ideally, I’d like to be balanced. Litton. Sophomore Julian Rivera lines
We’ll run basic pass routes. We can do a up at tight end.
myriad of things in the passing game if “We put in a new offense but kept
we feel like it.” mostly the defense they had last year,”
The running back position is deep Fox said. “I tried to meld the terminology
with seniors Philip Harrison, Clark Johns they used from previous years so every-
and Jason Loveless, juniors Blake Eisen- thing isn’t new. Defensively speaking,
beis, Mike Craig, Sam Smith and Adam I’m asking them to do more so we’re

“When you apply pressure to (Morris),

he’s very calm and relaxed. You can’t The Twin City 9-year-old baseball team last month won the District 13 championship,
advanced to the state tournament and finished third. Team members, front row,
teach a kid to be that way.” from left: Conner Johnson-Besore, Wes Braddy, Tristen Deimund, Shayne Scurlock,
Dan Fox Henry Brown and Logan Neckermann. Middle row, from left: Camden Walton, Nolan
Chilton, Trent Eisenbeis, Wyatt Gray, Noah Tiepelman and Braydon Wilkes. In the
Crystal City football head coach back, from left: coaches Ron Braddy, Terence Wilkes and Bobby Gray.
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018
Eagles return to varsity with plenty of bodies
Grandview Eagles
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
The rebirth of the Grandview varsity
football team is almost complete.
When the Eagles host Scott City on
Aug. 24, the resurrection from the abyss
of the 2016 season, which ended pre-
maturely because there weren’t enough
players to compete, will unfold.
Dave Dallas was hired in 2017 to
breathe new life into the program. He
coached the Eagles during their self-
imposed junior varsity campaign last fall.
Dallas addressed the crowd Saturday
during the school’s introduction of its
2018 fall sports teams. The long line of
players standing on the track with him
was a testament to the progress that’s
been made. Dallas has 37 players to start
the new season.
“I think we have kids who have
been around our system and know what
to expect,” Dallas said. “We’re biting
the bullet to compete against somebody
else. What I’m most excited about is
the knowledge base we’ve gained in the
last year. I’m not getting that dead look
when I talk about certain things. We’re
still growing. Knowing how to go about
things sometimes is a struggle. The most
exciting thing about this group is they
don’t make the same mistakes. They’re
very coachable.”
Grandview will primarily run a one-
back spread offense with sophomore
Jakob Brand at quarterback. Freshman
Clayton Riddle will serve as Brand’s
backup. Dallas said Riddle probably has
the best arm on the team and Brand has
developed into an efficient thrower.
“Jakob has taken his game to another
level with his secondary reads,” Dallas
said. “If he sees a linebacker blitz, he
knows what to do.”
Brand has several weapons at his
disposal, in seniors Bryan Martinez and
Travis Love flanked outside at receiver
and sophomore David Creath and senior
Ely Moore charging out of the backfield.
“Being able to read the blocking
schemes is the key thing for (Creath and
Moore),” Dallas said. “Ely is more of a
downhill runner. David’s good at planting
that foot and changing directions.”
Martinez and Moore are the only
two players left from 2016. Love is the
school’s top boys hurdler and qualified for
the pole vault at the Class 3 state track and
field championships in May. Junior Dylan
Barker and sophomore Alex Massey will
“What I’m most excited about is the
knowledge base we’ve gained in the
last year.”
Dave Dallas
Grandview football head coach
Sports
I-55 Conference Football Previews
The juniors and seniors on this year’s Grandview football team, front row, from left, are Bryan Martinez, Jake Turner, Franklin
Greenman, Kris Ledbetter, Dustin Shoemaker, Dylan Barker and Jakob Tharp. In the back, from left, are Chris Garrison, Trenton
Kostro, Ely Moore, Drew Litviak, Jared Lattimore and Brice Haverstick.
Grandview Eagles
Aug. 24 Scott City
Aug. 31 Portageville
Sept. 7 at St. Pius X
Sept. 14 Cuba
Sept. 21 at Valle Catholic
Sept. 28 at Herculaneum
Oct. 5 Jefferson
Oct. 12 at St. Vincent
Oct. 19 at Crystal City
2017 record: Played junior varsity
line up at wide receiver.
“We feel like we have five good ath-
letes we have to have on the field at all
times,” Dallas said.
Blocking will be center Trenton
Kostro (senior), right guard Kris Led-
better (junior), right tackle Drew Litviak
(junior), left guard Dustin Shoemaker (ju-
nior) and left tackle Jake Turner (senior).
Turner transferred from Windsor and
is a fullback turned lineman. Ledbetter
and Litviak played in every JV game
last year.
“(Turner) has really bought into what
we’re doing,” Dallas said. “He’s never
played offensive line and he’s really come
along.”
Sophomore Dawson Milner and
juniors Franklin Greenman and Jared Lat-
timore provide depth on the offensive line.
On the Eagles’ defensive front are
Lattimore, Litviak, Milner, juniors Dustin
Shoemaker and Brice Haverstick and
senior Chris Garrison. Dallas said all of
those players weigh 220-plus pounds.
Jefferson County Leader 27
Russell Korando photos
Kostro and junior Kris Ledbetter are the The Missouri State High School Activi-
defensive ends. ties Association will determine that this
Creath, Martinez, Moore and Turner week. Dallas said the Eagles are “a little
form a solid quartet at linebacker. Brand, ahead” of where he expected to be when
Barker and Massey are the defensive he was hired.
backs. “There’s a lot of excitement and buzz
Creath will handle all of the kicking and I’m excited for the kids,” Dallas said.
duties and Dallas said he’s made some “ Last year was a positive experience.”
field goals from 40 yards this summer.
Moore will use his strong leg to punt for
the Eagles.
With new head coaches at Crystal
City and Herculaneum, it’s a good time
for the Eagles to relaunch their varsity
program. The other teams in the I-55
Conference, St. Vincent, Jefferson and
Valle Catholic, are the top contenders
for the league title. The 14-time state
champion Warriors have won the I-55
the last five years.
“Over the years, Coach (Jefferson
head coach Alex Rouggly) has done a
great job,” Dallas said. I think (the Blue
Jays) are right behind Valle and the rest
of the teams are at that third level.”
Dallas isn’t sure what class or district Bryan Martinez is one of two Grandview
Grandview will be assigned to this year. players who were on the 2016 team.
Freshman Clayton Riddle takes a snap during Grandview’s practice Saturday.
28 Jefferson County Leader Sports Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018

I-55 Conference Football Previews

New Herculaneum coach pins hopes on QB

Herculaneum Blackcats

By Russell Korando
For the Leader

Herculaneum used three quarter-

backs – Ethan Coy, Jason Harden and
Blake Leathers – last year and the end
result was a 1-9 campaign.
None of them will be under center
this fall, as Harden and Leathers will have
other roles in the offense and Coy did not
return to the team.
This fall, junior Jordan Duncan will
call the signals. Duncan is a talented
three-sport athlete who excels at baseball
and basketball.
“When you give him the playbook,
he’s one of those kids who takes it upon
himself to learn it,” said new head coach
Cody Hunter, who played at Hercula-
neum High. He assumes the reigns from
Dave Cook. “He’s a team leader. From the
first day, he was telling people where to
line up. To have him out there is a huge
advantage for us as a program.”
A shortstop and pitcher, Duncan was
on the Festus American Legion baseball
team that won the junior state champion-
ship this summer. His coach there, Zac
Bone, who also coaches the Blackcats
baseball team, is joining Hunter’s staff
as a junior high coach.
Duncan didn’t play football last year,
but Hunter said he’s excited to tap into
his raw skills.
“He’s a versatile kid who can run
and has a very strong arm,” Hunter said.
“More than that, he’s smart. When you
put that talent and leadership together,
you have a special kid. We’re going to be
able to attack in different ways.”
Under Hunter, the Blackcats run
plays from a shotgun formation and use
the run-pass option, but also will show
opponents some wishbone plays.
Hunter said Herky football is known
for using a heavy dose of running the ball
and controlling the clock.
“I like hard-nosed football, but we
have skill kids we haven’t had in the past
few years,” Hunter said.
Junior Austin Huson led the Black-
cats with 458 yards rushing last season
and returns to the starting offensive
backfield. Seniors Jason Harden and
Trevor Smith, junior Nick Horner and
sophomore Nick Miles provide depth and
Hunter said he’ll parcel out the carries as
evenly as possible.
“We have some options to go to a
couple different offensive sets,” Hunter
said.
Seniors Zack Barnaby (center) and
Russell Korando photo
Seniors on this year’s Herculaneum football team, front row from left: Jason Harden, John Derque, Austin Petri and Dylan Landholt.
Middle row: Drew Gibson, Zack Barnaby, Dylan Beranek, Charles Tolle and Justin Montgomery. Back: Moreno Ragan, Blake Leathers,
Trevor Smith, Noah Northcutt and Colby Wilfong.
phases of the game.” kick off 2018. The Missouri State High
Herculaneum Blackcats
Aug. 24 at Cuba Teague and Horner are at defensive School Activities Association could issue
Aug. 31 at Fredericktown ends and Miles plays on the interior de- district and class assignments on Friday.
Sept. 7 Jefferson fensive line. Senior Moreno Ragan, junior The Blackcats were in Class 2 District 2
Sept. 14 at St. Vincent
Tyler Ruder, Leathers and Harden are the last season.
Sept. 21 at St. Pius X
Sept. 28 at Grandview starters in the secondary. The Blackcats are the only Jefferson
Oct. 5 Crystal City “From what I understand, they didn’t County team with an I-55 Conference
Oct. 12 at Valle Catholic have a lot of depth in the secondary last championship banner on the wall. Herky
Oct. 19 Charleston
year and had to play people who maybe beat Valle Catholic in 2012, but the War-
2017 record: 1-9
shouldn’t have been there,” Hunter said. riors haven’t lost a conference game since
Duncan could end up performing that day.
John Derque (right guard) and junior all of the kicking duties, but Huson is “Beating Valle is doable,” Hunter
Lane Story (left guard) are returning start- returning after serving as the placekicker said. “We have to play our best game
ers along the offensive line. Barnaby has last year. The two could share the duties and our coaching staff has to get our
been on the varsity for four years. Junior this season. kids to play at a higher level. We have to
Luke Teague and senior Dylan Landholt “I don’t see us kicking a lot of field execute, tackle people and don’t give up
are the tight ends. goals, but I want to finish touchdown the big play. A lot of people are intimi-
“We’ve got strong kids and depth on drives with (a PAT) or pin people deep,” dated by Valle and they should be, but
the line,” Hunter said. “We’d like to have Hunter said. at the same time we have to be ready to
our linemen playing on one side of the After starting the season the last two beat anybody we play. We don’t go into
ball to stay fresh. Barnaby’s a super-smart years against Confluence Academy, Her- the season saying these are guaranteed
kid who I wish was a little more vocal as a culaneum travels to Cuba on Aug. 24 to wins and losses.”
leader, but I think he will be eventually.”
Hunter will deploy a 4-4 base defense
and at times show different looks to keep
offenses guessing. Huson will run the
defense from the Sam linebacker position.
“He’s everything you could ask for as
a coach,” Hunter said. “He reminds me a
lot of the Herky kids I played with. He’s
the real deal and will help us in all three

“I like hard-nosed football, but we have

skill kids we haven’t had in the past few
years.”
Cody Hunter
Ted Howell photo
Herculaneum football head coach
Jason Harden hands off to Austin Huson in a game last season.
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018
Healthy again, Blue Jays take aim at Valle
Jefferson Blue Jays
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
Jefferson was knee deep in injuries
last fall.
Junior quarterback Brandon Perry
and career rushing leader Andrew Graves,
a senior, both succumbed to knee inju-
ries that required surgery. Junior kicker
Lucas Vaughn injured his knee and wide
receiver Collin Gosnell suffered a horrific
broken leg. Adding to last year’s injury
report that wasn’t related to a leg, offen-
sive lineman Brock Hill was lost for the
season on Sept. 8 after suffering a major
shoulder injury against St. Pius X.
Everyone but Gosnell returned to the
first practice the Blue Jays held on Aug. 6.
Head coach Alex Rouggly said Perry
is the Blue Jays’ best signal caller since
Austin Graves and Andrew Graves is
poised to surpass 5,000 career rushing
yards. Vaughn was kicking at an all-I-55
Conference level before his injury.
“Health is a big word among small
schools,” said Rouggly who’s guided
Jefferson to a 13-7 record over the last
two seasons. “Bigger schools are maybe
three or four deep at some positions, but
we’re two deep. Injuries happen, but we
want to be prepared and not have our feet
in cement.”
Cement might be the only thing that
can slow down Graves, who will wear a
brace on the injured knee this year. He’s
rushed for 4,978 yards and scored 71
touchdown his first three seasons, but he
hasn’t been able to complete a schedule
since his freshman year. Graves had a
splendid spring running the 100-meter
dash for the school’s track and field team.
Rouggly said Graves started doing yoga
over the summer to improve his flexibility
and to help avoid injuries.
“Before track season, I would have
thought Andrew’s lateral movement and
straight ahead speed would have been
compromised, but after he won the Fes-
After injuring his knee last season, Brandon Perry is back under center as Jefferson’s
starting quarterback this fall.
Sports
I-55 Conference Football Previews
Returning starters on this year’s Jefferson football team, front row from left: Hadyn Wagner, Tanner Davis, Andrew Graves, Brock
Hill, Daniel McWhorter, Ben Breeze and Colby Ott. Back row: Brandon Perry, Lucas Vaughn, Jon Mudd, Tommy Moon, Erik Eisenbeis,
Brandon Floyd, Connor Surratt and Steve Stephens.
Jefferson Blue Jays
Aug. 24 at DuBourg/Hancock
Aug. 31 Roosevelt/Cleveland
Sept. 7 at Herculaneum
Sept. 14 St. Pius X
Sept. 21 at Crystal City
Sept. 28 Valle Catholic
Oct. 5 at Grandview
Oct. 12 Chaffee
Oct. 19 St. Vincent
2017 record: 7-3
tus Early Bird (in March) wearing that
brace, anything you put in front of him,
he knocks it down,” Rouggly said. “He
has done every little thing to prepare for
his senior year.”
Left-hander Tommy Moon, a senior,
stepped in for Perry last year and played
in seven games. Perry was averaging 13
yards per carry and had scored three TDs
before getting hurt, and is much more
mobile than Moon. Rouggly said having
Moon back up Perry again this year helps
him sleep at night.
“Brandon is about as close a QB to
Austin Graves as we’ve had since I’ve
been here,” Rouggly said. “He can run
the option very well. He throws the ball
fairly well. Tommy can run the option,
but he’s not as mobile as Brandon. Each
has different attributes, but having two
Russell Korando photo
Jefferson County Leader
Ted Howell photo
Jefferson running back Tanner Davis tries
to break away from Herculaneum tacklers
in a game last season.
quality quarterbacks who know our of-
fense is a huge bonus for our program.”
The Blue Jays have plenty of depth
in the backfield with seniors Tanner Da-
vis and Ben Breeze, Vaughn (fullback),
sophomore Colby Ott, junior Dylan Dun-
can and sophomore twins Will and Dylan
Schnitzler. Davis ran for 803 yards and
scored 13 touchdowns last season. Breeze
transferred from St. Pius X in 2016 and
sat out last year.
Senior Erik Eisenbeis, junior Hadyn
Wagner and Cole Holdinghausen are the
top wide receivers. None of them caught
a pass for the Blue Jays last year.
“This is the most depth at the skill
positions we’ve had since I’ve been
here,” Rouggly said.
Anchoring the offensive line is se-
nior left tackle Brandon Floyd (6-3, 305
pounds). Floyd is joined on the top unit
“Brandon is about as close a QB to
Austin Graves as we’ve had since I’ve
been here.”
Alex Rouggly
Jefferson football head coach
29
Russell Korando photo
by senior Daniel McWhorter, a converted
tight end turned center, sophomore Steve
Stephens (left guard), Hill (right guard)
and junior Connor Surratt (right tackle).
Sophomores Corey Robinson and Ethan
Deal are the two top backups on the line.
Senior Jon Mudd returns at tight end.
“We’re not as tall as we’ve been in
years past,” Rouggly said of the line.
The Blue Jays’ biggest loss to gradu-
ation was two-way starter Dakota Jak-
oubek, who led the team with 123 tackles,
three sacks, three fumble recoveries and
three interceptions.
“Losing him is like losing two or
three players,” Rouggly said.
Rouggly said he’s impressed with the
team speed on his defense, which will line
up in 4-4 and 3-4 schemes.
“I’m a big believer to get as much
speed on defense as possible,” Rouggly
said.
Floyd, Vaughn, Surratt, Hill, Robin-
son and Deal are part of a six-man rota-
tion along the defensive line designed to
keep them all fresh for the fourth quarter.
Replacing Jakoubek at inside linebacker
is McWhorter, a thickly built, tough
player. Mudd and sophomores Dawson
Jakoubek and Reese Taylor also play
inside linebacker. Graves, Moon, Breeze
and sophomore Dalton Travica line up on
the outside. Perry and Eisenbeis are the
starting cornerbacks, and are backed up
by Will Schnitzler and Wagner.
Vaughn and Breeze are vying for the
kicking and punting duties.
Jefferson has finished 8-3 in confer-
ence games the past two seasons and
could be on the verge of ending Valle
Catholic’s five-year reign atop the I-55.
The two teams meet at Jefferson on Sept.
28.
30 Jefferson County Leader
Lancers boast skill in backfield, receiver
St. Pius X Lancers
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
The intensity is there. The turnout
has been good. And the execution still
needs tweaking.
St. Pius X didn’t experience a full
contact, fully padded practice until Mon-
day, as the Lancers instead focused on
tweaking the fundamentals of footwork
and hand placement.
Head coach Jerry Woods has more
than 40 players to fill out his varsity
lineup.
“A lot of spots, we had three guys
filling two spots,” Woods said of last
year’s team that finished 4-6. “In our eyes,
they’re all starters.
“Being a small school, we have sev-
eral two-way players so we preach three
guys to earn two spots. Since we’ve done
that in the past, a lot of players get varsity
time and we’re excited about this year.”
That excitement is warranted, given
the skill the Lancers possess at running
back, quarterback and wide receiver.
Seniors Dustin Burch and Jalen Thornton
and juniors Carson Fischer and Riley
Naeger give St. Pius as talented a four-
some as any team in the I-55 Conference.
Burch runs with fury on the baseball
diamond and football field. He rushed for
493 yards, caught 18 passes for 217 yards
and tied with Thornton, a wide receiver,
for the team lead with seven touchdowns.
Thornton caught 51 passes for 711 yards.
“They are athletic guys who are fast
and have good hands, they run good routes
and are aggressive,” Woods said. “They’re
both like (1980s TV action hero) Mac-
Ted Howell photo
St. Pius X receiver Jalen Thornton caught
51 passes for 711 yards and seven
touchdowns in 2017.
Sports
I-55 Conference Football Previews
Returning starters on this year’s St. Pius X football team, front row from left: Luke Johns, Jarrett Kort, Jalen Thornton, Dustin
Burch and Conner Krodinger. Second row: Adam Eimer, Daniel Draves, Ryan Loveless and Josh Ruble. Third row: Patrick Argana,
Marcus Argana, Luke Comparato and Noah Lampros. Back row: Michael VonderHaar, Jonathan Lehn, Dre Townsend, Carson
Fischer, Riley Naeger and Michael Bollinger.
Gyver, like a Swiss Army knife. They’ve
picked up the offense through the years
so we can move them around. We can put
them in the backfield, wing or wide out.
We’re blessed with those two.”
Thornton is one of the county’s
purest athletes and also excels on the
basketball court at St. Pius. Woods said
he could catch 60 to 70 passes and getting
him into space with the ball is dangerous
to a defense.
Fischer’s older brother, Elliot Fischer,
was the Lancers starting QB in 2017. But
Elliot admittedly was calling signals for the
good of the team and not really committed
to it. Carson is eager to be the Lancers’
signal caller after starting all of the junior
varsity games at QB last year. Carson also
played outside linebacker on the varsity.
“As soon as last season was over, he
was picking my brain and watching film.
He went to some QB camps and has really
put in the time,” Woods said.
“The first obvious thing is he wants to
be a quarterback, where Elliot wanted to be
a receiver. We needed Elliot to be our QB.
We’re letting him audible as he sees it in
practice. We’re giving him some freedom.”
Naeger is 6-6 and has gained almost
40 pounds in the last year, boosting his
weight to 195. He can provide a true mis-
match against smaller defensive backs.
Get him near the goal line and the jump
ball looks to be a play St. Pius can use
to score touchdowns with their rangy
receiver. Naeger caught 19 passes for 180
yards and two scores last year.
“We preach the lifting and the eat-
ing, but that doesn’t mean they do it,”
Woods said of his players. “Sometimes
they drink the Kool-Aid and do that from
Day 1. Sometimes they wait until they’re
sophomores or juniors. Or they’re gone.
We’re blessed (Naeger) figured it out as
a junior.
“He likes getting the ball thrown to
him. He’s not afraid to do anything. It’s
nice to have an athletic, 6-6 receiver who
wants the ball.”
Junior Dre Townsend caught 11 pass-
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018
Russell Korando photo
St. Pius X Lancers
Aug. 24 Windsor
Sept. 1 at Bayless
Sept. 7 Grandview
Sept. 14 at Jefferson
Sept. 21 Herculaneum
Sept. 28 at Cuba
Oct. 5 St. Vincent
Oct. 12 at Crystal City
Oct. 19 Valle Catholic
2017 record: 4-6
es for 107 yards a year ago and Townsend
has top-flight speed on the edge that can
help turn Burch or Thornton loose. Senior
Jarrett Kort (29 rushes, 142 yards in 2017)
and sophomore Michael Bollinger join
Burch in the backfield.
The offensive line consists of four
seniors and two returning starters in se-
niors Luke Comparato (tackle) and Ryan
Russell Korando photo
Loveless (guard). Senior Daniel Draves
Senior Dustin Burch catches a pass in
starts at center and senior Adam Eimer practice last week.
is at guard. Junior Patrick Argana is a
returning starter at tackle. Junior Noah 2 or Class 3 this year – the Missouri State
Lampros starts at tight end. High School Activities Association deter-
On the defensive side of the ball, mines that this week – Woods scheduled
Lampros, Eimer and Patrick Argana play the Lancers’ jamboree in Ste. Genevieve
on the edge, with Comparato, Loveless on Friday against the Dragons, Class
and Draves on the interior. Burch and 1 powerhouse Valle Catholic and Park
Krodinger play outside linebacker, with Hills Central, a Class 3 district champion
Marcus Argana and Kort on the inside. last fall.
All four linebackers are seniors. Thornton “We jumped into a more competitive
and junior Josh Ruble start at cornerback jamboree just in case we go to Class 3,”
and Townsend is a quality safety. Woods said. “By the end of the season,
A pair of freshmen kickers, Michael we’ve played tougher teams and bigger
Argana and Logan Jacobsen, are work- schools so we’re not shell-shocked.”
ing to keep the Lancers from attempt- For the second straight year, St. Pius
ing two-point conversions after scoring travels to Imperial to kick off the season
touchdowns. Fischer and Michael Argana against Windsor. The Lancers shut out the
are working out at punter. Owls 28-0 last year.
Not knowing if St. Pius will be Class
“We’re letting (Fischer) audible as he
sees it in practice. We’re giving him
some freedom.”
Jerry Woods
St. Pius X football head coach
Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018
Owl researcher returns with updated program
T
here are several owls in the
woods behind my house. I know
this because I hear them fre-
quently, and sometimes they are so
loud, it seems like they are just outside
the bedroom window. But I have never
seen one back there.
I’ve gone searching for the big
birds or any sign of them, but I really
don’t know what I’m looking for. I
could get some answers this weekend
at a program scheduled for noon on
Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Festus Public
Library.
Mark Glenshaw will make his third
visit to the city to talk about the great
horned owls he has been monitoring
and documenting at Forest Park. This
year’s program is titled, “How to find
an owl in your neighborhood.”
Without giving away all the secrets,
I asked Glenshaw in advance for a few
tips and tricks to tracking these apex
predators of the avian world.
“In the winter when the deciduous
trees have dropped their leaves, owls
will often perch and roost in conifers,
including pines, cypresses and fir
trees,” Glenshaw said. “In the summer,
owls will use any type of tree that offers
them concealment.”
De Soto community rallies to support ailing coach
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
A vigil was held on Aug. 8 for
De Soto football assistant coach John
Ames after Ames aspirated at home on
Aug. 5 and was rushed to Barnes-Jewish
Hospital in St. Louis.
Ames’ mother, Janet Weiss, was at
the vigil held at J.C. Culwell Stadium.
She was joined by several dozen people,
many of whom are athletes and coaches
at the high school.
Ames, 36,
lives in Bismarck
with Weiss and just
began his second
year with the Drag-
ons.
“He brought
me here last
year and drove
me around and
showed me where
he taught school
and he said he was
Janet Weiss
looking forward
to a great football
year,” Weiss said.
Weiss said she visited her son the
day of the vigil and his eyes were open,
but he was unable to communicate. She
said she fears her son might have suffered
brain damage after having a heart attack
and aspirating.
“He’s just staring off into space,”
she said. “He’s not functioning yet. The
doctors said he’s in for a long recovery.
The nurses are telling me to not give up
on him because they’ve seen other people
Outdoor News/Sports
Outdoor
Outlook
John J.
Winkelman
The best time of day to search for
owls is just before sunset when they are
waking up for a night of hunting and
eating.
“They wake up much like we do:
stretching, grooming, sometimes hitting
the snooze alarm, and eventually vocal-
ize and go to work,” he said.
Seeing those movements and
listening for their hooting calls are the
best clues.
“Head in the direction from which
you hear them and estimate the dis-
tance,” Glenshaw said. Moving slowly
and quietly, wearing camouflage or
subdued colors are the keys to getting
close, but he recommends not trying
to get too near if you want to sit and
observe them for any length of time.
“I even wrap my keys in a rag so
that they do not jangle as I move. I
move slowly and quietly, picking my
path carefully and most of all respect
Dalton Daugherty speaks to the crowd at a vigil for John Ames on Aug. 8 at De Soto High. Ames is an assistant coach on the
school’s football team. Daugherty’s teammates, from left, are Ethan Koch, Trystan Hendrix, Mitchell Appleton and Landon Porter.
come out of it.”
Weiss said Ames has had two MRIs
of his brain.
“The brain stem is in good shape,” she
said. “The problem is on top of his brain.”
A tearful Weiss was presented a foot-
ball signed by some of De Soto’s players.
She hugged each one and thanked them
for thinking of her son.
Weiss had a message for those pray-
ing for Ames.
“Please don’t give up on my son,”
she said. “His message was always, ‘Keep
your eyes open and hit them hard.’ I pray
a lot and I’ve never been so scared in my
entire life.”
Jefferson County Leader
Mark Glenshaw will talk about owls
Saturday at the Festus Public Library.
that I am in the birds’ homes, and I need
to be a good guest,” he said.
“Dark, muted shades of black,
brown, grey and green work well for
camo. Make sure that your clothes keep
you dry and warm in the cold, and dry
and cool in the heat. If you are comfort-
able, you will enjoy your time more and
be able to spend more time.”
Building your owl prowling ward-
robe might be similar to establishing
your pile of equipment for tracking the
birds and other wildlife. Glenshaw has
built his arsenal of cameras and video
equipment from a simple starting point.
“Binoculars and camouflaged
clothing are hugely helpful but do not
feel that you need to go out and spend
big bucks,” he said. “Start with what
De Soto Superintendent Josh Isaac-
son said Friday he could not comment on
Ames’ current condition because of the
district’s personnel policy.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with
the family,” Isaacson said.
Ames coached at Grandview under
Mike Genge, now an assistant coach at
De Soto.
“John’s a good friend and we’re all
hurting right now and we’re hoping for
the best,” Genge said on Friday.
Genge said everybody is pitching in
to assume Ames’ duties.
“We’re doing well. We’ve adjusted and
are making do the best we can,” Genge said.
31
you have and as you get more serious
and involved, progress accordingly with
your equipment. I started with a $50
pair of binos, moved up to a pair that
cost $80 to $100 and now use a pair
that costs $250 to $300.”
In addition to trying to spot the
owls, they also may leave signs on the
ground including droppings and unique
calling cards commonly known as owl
pellets that they spit out.
“Owl pellets are round to tubular
concentrations of all the things they
cannot digest: fur, bones, feathers, in-
sect exoskeletons, even the undigested
seeds found within the animals they
ate,” he said.
Glenshaw presents his owl research
throughout the St. Louis area, and he
delivers the information in a light and
entertaining program. I attended the
2017 talk and recommend the show. To
learn more about his work, check out
his blog at forestparkowls.blogspot.
com.
John J. Winkelman is community
relations manager at Mercy Hospital
Jefferson. If you have news for the
Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail
ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can fol-
low John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.
Ted Howell photos
Head coach Chris Johnson said at the
vigil that the school’s football players had
sent Ames messages on audio files so he
could hear their voices.
“They did a lot of positive things.
When it’s family, it makes it a lot harder,”
Johnson said speaking to the crowd.
Ethan Koch, a tackle for the Dragons,
told the crowd, “Coach Ames has done
a lot for us and we’re praying for him
every day.”
Another tackle for De Soto, Mitch-
ell Appleton, spoke at the vigil, saying,
“I’m praying for him every day and we
love him very much and are hoping for
a swift recovery.”
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 Jefferson County Leader 43A

The Class 3 Softball Quarterfinals

County
Line
Russell
Korando

First-round playoff
beatdowns serve
no purpose

C
rystal City won its first game in
more than two years on Friday.
Whatever good feelings the Hor-
nets’ fans, players and coaches felt last
weekend will be short-lived, though.
That’s because Crystal City has to
make the long drive to Hayti on Friday
to play in the first round of the Class 1
District 1 playoffs.
In its current format for prep foot-
ball playoffs, the Missouri State High
School Activities Association doesn’t
do anybody any favors by sending a
wobbly 1-8 team to get crushed by an
undefeated powerhouse.
All Crystal City head coach Dan
Fox can try to do is prepare his team
for the onslaught in the Bootheel after
the Hornets won their first game of the
season with a 27-20 victory against
winless Grandview (0-9).
“I don’t know any 1-8 upsets that Russell Korando photos
have happened in a long time,” Fox The Hillsboro softball team erupts in celebration at home plate after junior Julianna Johnson hit a grand slam in the first inning against
said. “Typically those games are 49-or- Notre Dame St. Louis in the Class 3 state quarterfinals on Saturday in St. Louis. To see more photos, go to myleaderpaper.com.
more to nothing. But we’ll build on this
game. I want my kids to know what it’s
like to be a winning program. Facing
a team like Hayti will expose them to
Heavy-hitting Hawks crush Rebels
that. On the backside of that, can we
By Russell Korando
Class 3 state championships
See PLAYOFFS, Page 46A For the Leader Oct. 26-27 at Killian Sports Complex,
Springfield
Hillsboro slugged its way to Spring- Friday: (Semifinals) Hillsboro (21-9) vs.
Leader field and the Class 3 final four with a 12-0 Oak Grove (23-3), 10 a.m.; Mexico (25-4) vs.
Sullivan (27-4), 10 a.m.; (Third-place game),
Athlete shutout in the state quarterfinals at Notre
Dame St. Louis on a brilliant, windy Sat-
1 p.m.
Saturday: Championship, 10 a.m.

of the urday afternoon.

Week
Joe Noah
Northwest soccer
The junior forward notched a hat
trick (three goals in one game) and
assist in the Lions’ 6-1 victory over
Fox on Oct. 18. Noah has scored
32 goals this season, which breaks
the school record of 31, set by Gino
Bono in 2012. Northwest (14-7) has
won three straight games and Noah
has nine goals and four assists in
that span.
Check out the Athlete of the Week
every Sunday after 6 p.m. at our
website, myleaderpaper.com.
Seniors Emily
Mudd and Emma
Nichols (in the Dis-
trict 2 final against
De Soto) and
Nichols and senior
Reagan Short (in
the sectional game
Julianna Johnson against Perryville)
homered in the last two playoff games for
the Hawks and junior Julianna Johnson
bashed a grand slam in the first inning
against the Rebels in the five-inning game
shortened by the mercy rule.
Johnson picked up the signs from the
Rebels’ dugout to their catcher and knew
what pitches were going to be thrown.
“I knew what a 4 was and I knew
what a 2 was,” Johnson said of the signs
for the type of pitch to be thrown. “Out
of the corner of my eye, I saw the 4 sign
Hillsboro senior Emma Nichols has
pitched three straight shutouts.
flashed (to the Notre Dame catcher) and
I knew it was coming down the middle.
All three of my hits today came from 4s.”
Hillsboro head coach Kevin Lucas
continues to insist the Hawks (21-9)
aren’t a team that desires to hit the long
ball.
“We don’t like to live and die by the
home run,” said Lucas, who’s guiding the
Hawks to the semifinals for the first time
in school history. “It didn’t help us much
last year, especially in the postseason.
But we get them at big times. Jules’ was
huge. We always want to score first and
see what happens and it worked great
today. Jules’ (grand slam) got out of here
in a hurry.”
Nichols pitched her third consecutive
shutout and limited Notre Dame (12-12-
1) to two hits. She hasn’t walked a batter
in the last three games and has struck out
27. Nichols ended the quarterfinal with a
called third strike on sophomore Rachel
Schultes.
The Hawks scored nine runs in the
first inning to take command. Leadoff
batter Bailey Shuman walked and scored
See SOFTBALL, Page 47A
44A Jefferson County Leader
Valiant comeback falls short against Valle
By Russell Korando
For the Leader
After senior Tyler Blum scored on
a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarter-
back Chase Dunlap with 3:22 left in the
first half, Valle Catholic led St. Pius X
28-0 on Friday night.
It seemed the Warriors would roll
to yet another I-55 Conference blowout
and claim their sixth straight league title.
But the Lancers had other plans. St.
Pius outscored Valle 26-6 in the second
half, falling 34-26 and narrowly missing
upsetting the 14-time state champions.
“In the second quarter we got flus-
tered,” St. Pius head coach Jerry Woods
said. “Valle was executing well. At
halftime, we said, ‘Who cares what the
scoreboard says? Go out and play the
first quarter, where we were rock solid.’”
The Lancers forced three Warrior
turnovers in the first half, but couldn’t
generate any offense against the sturdy
Valle defense. Dre Townsend had a fum-
ble recovery and Josh Ruble intercepted
Dunlap in the first quarter.
But the Warriors scored on four
straight possessions to take control.
St. Pius ran between the tackles
and established its ground game to start
the third quarter. The Lancers’ 11-play,
60-yard drive was capped by a 15-yard
touchdown run by senior Dustin Burch,
who carried the ball 11 times for 46 yards.
Ruble intercepted Dunlap for the
second time and gave the Lancers a short
field. Six plays later, Burch scored from 1
yard with 3:38 to play in the third. Fresh-
man Logan Jacobson kicked the two extra
points and Valle’s lead was pared to 28-14.
“Now we’ve got the confidence,”
Woods said.
The wild and crazy third saw both
teams combine to force four fumbles and
intercept two passes.
“People were hitting,” Woods said.
Tight end Riley Naeger caught a 38-
yard touchdown pass from quarterback
Carson Fischer with 1:11 left in the third,
the PAT failed and the Lancers trailed 28-
20. Naeger caught four passes for 88 yards.
The Lancers didn’t convert on
fourth-and-8 from midfield in the fourth
and Valle senior Carter Roth scored a
touchdown on the ensuing drive to put the
Warriors back up by two scores.
St. Pius again closed the gap to a
TD when Fischer fired a 12-yard scoring
strike to senior Jalen Thornton with 3:17
to play.
Valle maintained possession of the
ball on the following drive and ran out
the clock, but Woods said he was happy
with what he saw.
“We proved we can play with any-
body,” he said.
For Festus, bigger opponent
was only slightly better
Festus began the season playing
up by an enrollment class against Fox,
a Class 5 school. The Tigers wrapped
Sports
Prep Football Notebook
St. Pius X ballcarrier Dre Townsend runs a sweep while being escorted by teammates,
from left, Michael Bollinger, Dustin Burch and Nate Ruble during Friday’s I-55
Conference game against Valle Catholic. To see more photos, go to myleaderpaper.com.
St. Pius quarterback Carson Fischer
passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns
against Valle.
up their regular season by hosting Troy
Buchanan, which is in Class 6, where the
state’s largest schools play.
Festus head coach Russ Schmidt,
whose team plays at the Class 4 level,
said he added larger schools to the Tigers’
schedule because factors used to deter-
mine district standings provide incentives
for playing larger schools. Strength of
schedule also is factored in, and Troy
(7-2) and Fox (8-1) are having their best
seasons in more than a decade.
And while the Tigers lost to both
larger schools, their 39-38 defeat to the
Trojans on Oct. 18, coupled with North
County’s loss to John Burroughs on Sat-
urday, means Festus (5-4) remains the No.
3 seed in Class 4 District 1.
Ted Howell photos
West Plains (9-0) and Farmington (6-
3) are the top two seeds. The Tigers host
De Soto (5-4) on Friday in the first round.
With less than 10 minutes left in the
game against Troy, the Tigers led 38-25,
and their running game seemed almost
unstoppable in the second half. But Troy
quarterback Kendall Hutchison scored
touchdowns on runs of 41 and 2 yards in
the final nine minutes for the comeback
win.
“I told the kids how proud I was of
them,” Schmidt said. “We took a big
school to the brink. We just didn’t finish
the game.”
Troy scored the first touchdown and
the last one, but the Tigers moved the
ball at will in between and ran for 410
yards with their multifaceted ground
game. Trailing 17-7 at halftime, Festus
outscored the Trojans 23-8 in the third
quarter.
“We made some adjustments. Every-
body has instant replay now,” Schmidt
said. “We saw some things in the second
quarter that we could adjust to. We got the
ball in the second half and I told the kids
that the defining moment in any game is
the first possession in the second half. We
came out and made a statement and kept
doing that until we were up by 13 points.”
Junior Chalmer Brickhaus scored for
the Tigers in the first half on a 2-yard run.
Brickhaus carried the ball 14 times for
64 yards. Sophomore Austin Anderson
started the second-half scoring with a
62-yard TD romp. Anderson gained 70
yards on four carries.
Junior Jaden Rystrom followed An-
derson with a 76-yard scoring run. Rys-
trom averaged 20 yards on seven carries
and has five TD runs of 40 or more yards
this season. He ended the third quarter
with a TD run of 33 yards.
“With our offense, the more you
practice and become more comfortable,
the small play can become a big play be-
cause of the vision of the running back,”
Schmidt said. “Our kids started to figure
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018
that out before the Borgia game. Our kids
are making people miss in the open field
by putting their foot in the ground and
making cuts.”
Junior Jack Robinson scored the
Tigers’ final TD on a 9-yard run and then
converted the two-point play. Robinson
had 131 yards on 22 carries.
Schmidt said he thought Fox fullback
Bob Neibert was a load to stop before
Troy’s Collin Nichols (6-1, 225) came
to town and rolled up 268 yards and a
touchdown. A Nichols fumble in the
Festus end zone in the second half led to
one of the Tigers’ TDs.
“There wasn’t a bunch of blown as-
signments. We missed tackles and their
kids made better plays,” Schmidt said.
Dragons score in fourth
quarter to beat Potosi
Despite scoring just seven points in a
7-3 victory over Potosi, De Soto moved
the ball at will against the Trojans. But
turnovers in the red zone kept the Drag-
ons from scoring more often on Friday in
their regular-sea-
son finale at home.
Junior quarter-
back Briar Fischer
tossed a 12-yard
touchdown pass
to his favorite tar-
get, senior Clay-
ton Snudden, in the
fourth quarter for
the game-winning
Clayton Snudden
points. Snudden
caught seven passes for 144 yards, but
fumbled at the Potosi 1-yard line on
De Soto’s first drive. The Dragons’ re-
ceivers also dropped two passes in the end
zone. Fischer lost his grip on the ball and
fumbled backward in a play De Soto head
coach Chris Johnson said looked like a
scene from “Bad News Bears.”
“It was the epitome of get inside the
See FOOTBALL, Page 45A
Ron Rigdon photo
Festus running back Jaden Rystrom led
the Tigers with 141 yards against Troy.
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018
Football: Crystal City wins battle of 0-8 teams, first victory in two seasons
Continued from Page 44A
10 and do something stupid,” De Soto
head coach Chris Johnson said.
“When you get that much offense,
you need to score more than seven points.
We’re moving the
football. We’ve
only punted four or
five times the last
four or five games.
We don’t have the
explosive kids to
outrun everybody.
We have to execute
all the way into the
Chris Johnson
end zone. That’s
who we are and
how we have to try to win games.”
Luckily for Johnson, the De Soto de-
fense has been stingy in October, allow-
ing just 25 points in the last three games.
The Dragons forced three turnovers.
Snudden had two interceptions and senior
inside linebacker Dominic DeMarco had
a forced fumble and recovery at his own
goal line to snuff out a Potosi threat.
DeMarco has been a starter at line-
backer for three years. Defensive coach
Mike Genge blitzed DeMarco through the
A-gap on his fumble recovery. He leads
the team with 90 tackles. In his first start
as a sophomore against Perryville, De-
Marco grabbed the ball out of a running
back’s hands and scored a touchdown.
“He’s got the weight and bulk to take
on any block you throw at him,” Johnson
said. “If he was 20 pounds bigger and
three inches taller, some (college) pro-
grams might be looking at him. He’s got
all of the intangibles that you want out of
his position.”
Running game powers
Hornets past Eagles
Clark Johns had never carried the
football before this year.
The Crystal City senior had never
scored a touchdown going into this sea-
son, either.
A converted offensive lineman,
Johns scored three rushing touchdowns
at Grandview in Friday’s I-55 Conference
game and the Hornets broke a two-year
losing streak with a 27-20 victory.
“It felt amazing and I couldn’t have
done it without my teammates,” Johns
said.
Crystal City was awarded a win by
forfeit against the Eagles in 2016 after
Grandview suspended its varsity program
earlier that season, but their last win on
the field came on Sept. 2, 2016, against
Principia.
Crystal City head coach Dan Fox
brought a power running game that
worked so well at Hillsboro to the Hor-
nets (1-8 overall, 1-5 conference) in the
hopes of similar success. When Crystal
City was shut out in four of its first five
games this season, Fox moved Johns and
center Dylan Beekman to the backfield.
Beekman scored the other touch-
down against Grandview.
“In the back of my mind, if we
weren’t successful offensively, I was go-
Sports
Crystal City quarterback Chase Coleman hands off to running back Mason Wood
against Herculaneum this season.
ing to move (Beekman),” Fox said. “He
works hard and deserves this. Clark Johns
has been banged up all year. Both guys
were offensive linemen their whole lives
but they’re two of our better athletes. We
had nothing to lose.”
Neither did the Eagles (0-9, 0-6),
who lost running back Ely Moore in
the first half when he hurt his knee on a
kickoff. Even without Moore, quarter-
back Jakob Brand (15 rushes, 186 yards)
and running back David Creath (15-118)
generated enough offense to allow Grand-
view to move the football.
“I thought we played hard tonight.
Our quarterback play was pretty good,”
said Grandview head coach Dave Dallas.
Creath fumbled near the Hornets’
goal line in the first half and Crystal City
recovered the ball in the end zone.
The Hornets led the Eagles 14-6 at
the half, but Grandview marched down
the field in the third quarter and drew to
within two points when Brand scored on
a 1-yard run with 2:04 to play. The two-
point conversion failed and Crystal City
led 14-12.
Johns gained four yards needing six
on fourth down and the Eagles took over
at their 35-yard line with six seconds
elapsed in the fourth quarter. Brand made
a brilliant 12-yard run on third-and-7
when he reversed field and went from
sideline to sideline. But the Hornets stiff-
ened on fourth down later in the drive and
the Eagles turned the ball over on downs
on the Crystal City 23.
Beekman carried the ball four straight
times on the next series and quarterback
Chase Coleman ran for 11 yards as the
Hornets marched down the field. Johns
capped the drive with a 32-yard gallop
with 3:30 to play. Jason Loveless kicked
the extra point and Crystal City had a
two-possession lead at 21-12.
Coleman replaced senior Griffin
Morris as the starting QB after Morris
went down with a knee injury against
Principia on Sept. 6.
“Chase was probably thrust into the
starting role a year too soon, but he’s been
working every week and maintaining his
composure,” Fox said. “We don’t throw
the ball much, but he had a big game
tonight with his legs.”
As did his counterpart. Brand broke
off a 15-yard run on third-and-7 as the
Eagles tried to keep pace in the waning
Jefferson County Leader 45A
Ted Howell photo
moments. Creath ripped off a 42-yard
scoring run on the next play and Brand
ran in the conversion and with 1:30 left
to play, the Hornets led 21-20.
Crystal City recovered the onside
kick and, after it converted a first down
on the next drive, Dallas had just one op-
tion left: Let the Hornets score. With 55
seconds on the clock, Johns ran through
the line and the Eagles defenders swatted
at the ball but didn’t try to tackle him and
he scored from 31 yards.
The run failed on the conversion, so
Crystal City led 27-20. The Eagles had a
chance at tying the game.
“I probably called that five plays too
late,” Dallas said about letting the Hor-
nets score. “I should have let them score
right out of the gate. I would have had
my three timeouts and two minutes left.”
Instead, Brand had 50 seconds to
work his magic and good field position
at his own 42. On third down, junior
linebacker Evan Litton buried Brand for
a 20-yard loss and most likely any hopes
the Eagles would have at winning a game
in their first year back as a varsity squad.
“It’s overwhelming for the kids and
I’m happy for them and the community,”
said Fox, holding his 2-year-old son,
Finn, after the victory. “I’m happy for all
of the kids and seniors who stuck it out
and continued to grind.”
Johns said he never lost hope as the
losses mounted.
“After the fourth or fifth game we
lost, I didn’t lose hope, but you could see
Ted Howell photo
Jefferson quarterback Tommy Moon
threw two TDs on Friday.
it fading away,” Johns said. “But I knew
as long as we stayed strong and executed
every single play, we’d come out on top.”
Grandview is at Lutheran North (6-3)
on Friday in the first round of the Class
2 District 2 tournament. The Eagles are
the No. 8 seed and the Crusaders are the
top seed and have won six straight games.
Lutheran North is the defending district
champion and reached the state semifinals
in 2017.
Crystal City has an even bigger chal-
lenge in Class 1 District 1. The Hornets
(No. 8 seed) travel 180 miles south to the
bottom of the Bootheel to play unbeaten
Hayti (9-0, No. 1 seed) on Friday. The
Indians beat Crystal City 58-0 in the same
round last season.
Graves moves up TD charts
Senior Andrew Graves scored three
touchdowns and rushed for 159 yards on
21 carries and moved into a fourth-place
tie for career TDs in the state.
The Blue Jays (8-1) needed every one
of Graves’ 18 points and the three extra
points Lucas Vaughn provided to hold
off their I-55 Conference rivals from Per-
ryville in a 21-20 victory on Friday night.
First the record: If Graves scores one
more touchdown, he’ll have scored 109,
more in his four-year varsity career than
all but three other players. He’s currently
tied with Patrick Cashmore (St. Pius X
Kansas City) and Lee Flood (Marion-
ville). Penney’s Kellen Overstreet holds
the state mark with 168.
Now the St. Vincent comeback:
Tyler Wibbenmeyer caught his second
touchdown pass of the game for the
Indians with five seconds to play against
Jefferson. Trailing by a point on the road,
St. Vincent decided to go for the win and
failed on the two-point conversion. With
the win, the Blue Jays finished second in
the conference at 5-1. Valle Catholic’s
win over St. Pius clinched the I-55 crown
for the sixth straight season.
Jefferson hurt itself with 11 penalties
for 105 yards, and the Blue Jays racked
up 55 yards in penalties on St. Vincent’s
last drive.
“You’re lucky to win football games
when that happens,” Jefferson head coach
Alex Rouggly said.
Quarterback Tommy Moon com-
pleted three passes against the Indians and
two went for TDs to Graves in the first
half as the Blue Jays led 14-0 at the break.
Defensively, Rouggly said Jefferson
played “lights out” football until St. Vin-
cent’s penalty-aided final march down
the field.
As has been the case most of the
season, linebacker Dawson Jakoubek
led the Blue Jays with nine tackles, one
for a loss. Defensive back Erik Eisenbeis
broke up six passes to continue his strong
play. Colby Ott had an interception and
Brandon Floyd registered two sacks.
The Blue Jays are the second seed in
Class 2 District 1 and host Malden (2-7,
No. 7) on Friday in the first round of the
tournament. Charleston (8-1) moved into
the No. 1 seed after winning by more than
13 points last week.
46A Jefferson County Leader
Class 1 District 4
at Bismarck
Seeds: 1. Valle Catholic; 2. Viburnum;
3. Crystal City; 4. Valley of Caledonia; 5.
St. Paul Lutheran (Farmington); 6. Bis-
marck
Oct. 22: St. Paul def. Valley 25-17,
18-25, 25-22 ; Crystal City def. Bismarck
25-15. 25-22
Oct. 23: Valle vs. St. Paul; Viburnum
vs. Crystal City; Championship
Class 2 District 3
at Jefferson
Seeds: 1. Arcadia Valley; 2. Jef-
Playoffs: De Soto-Festus rematch will be in first round of district playoffs
Continued from Page 43A
stay healthy? I don’t want kids get-
ting hurt. Basketball season is around
the corner. Most of our kids play other
sports. I want to make sure they can
continue to help Crystal City athletics.”
Fox’s concerns about injuries in
what on paper looks to be a one-sided
affair has merit. Football isn’t a sport
where you can “take it easy” on an oppo-
nent. Players get injured trying to do that.
Just what are the Hornets facing?
Well, the Indians beat Charleston 70-8
on Aug. 31. The Blue Jays (8-1) are a
Class 2 school and the No. 1 seed in
District 1. The closest any team has
gotten to beating the Indians was Ca-
ruthersville, which lost 32-6.
Fox had to move two of his best
athletes from the offensive line to the
backfield to generate offense this year.
“Hayti will be the best opponent
we’ve seen all year,” Fox said. “They
beat up on a Caruthersville team that beat
Valle (Catholic) this season. The numbers
aren’t in our favor, but our kids are going
to fight and learn from the game and it
2018 Football District Tournaments
Class 1 District 1
Seeds: 1. Hayti (9-0); 2. Valle Catho-
lic (7-2); 3. Scott City (7-2); 4. Brentwood
(3-5); 5. St. Vincent (4-5); 6. Portageville
(4-5); 7. Chaffee (2-7); 8. Crystal City
(1-8)
Friday: Crystal City vs. Hayti; Brent-
wood vs. St. Vincent; Valle vs. Chaffee;
Scott City vs. Portageville
Class 2 District 1
Seeds: 1. Charleston (8-1); 2. Jef-
ferson (8-1); 3. Caruthersville (7-2); 4.
St. Pius X (7-2); 5. Kelly (6-3); 6. New
Madrid Central (4-5); 7. Malden (2-7); 8.
East Prairie (3-6)
Friday: Charleston vs. East Prairie;
St. Pius vs. Kelly; Jefferson vs. Malden;
Caruthersville vs. New Madrid
Class 2 District 2
Seeds: 1. Lutheran North (6-3); 2.
Lift for Life Academy (8-1); 3. Principia
(4-3); 4. Carnahan (0-9); 5. Duchesne
(1-8); 6. Herculaneum (3-6); 7. Cuba (2-
7); 8. Grandview (0-9)
Friday: Lutheran North vs. Grand-
view; Carnahan vs. Duchesne; Lift for
Life vs. Cuba; Principia vs. Herculane-
um
Class 4 District 1
Seeds: 1. West Plains (9-0); 2.
Sports
2018 Volleyball District Tournaments
ferson; 3. St. Pius X; 4. St. Vincent; 5.
Grandview; 6. West County; 7. Kingston
Oct. 22: St. Vincent def. Grandview
25-15, 25-22; Jefferson def. Kingston 25-
11, 25-10; St. Pius def. West County 25-
16, 25-19
Oct. 24: Arcadia Valley vs. St. Vincent;
Jefferson vs. St. Pius; Championship
Class 3 District 2
at Park Hills Central
Seeds: 1. Festus; 2. Park Hills Cen-
tral; 3. Windsor; 4. North County; 5.
De Soto; 6. Herculaneum; 7. Potosi
Oct. 22: North County def. De Soto,
Ted Howell photo
Crystal City junior Mike Craig carries the
ball against Herculaneum this season.
will provide them motivation to get in the
weight room in the offseason.”
All of the weight training in the
world can’t diffuse this bomb of a play-
off system, though.
Grandview is one season removed
from competing on the junior varsity
Farmington (6-3); 3. Festus (5-4); 4.
North County (5-4); 5. Sikeston (4-5);
6. De Soto (5-4); 7. Hillsboro (4-5); 8.
Cape Girardeau Central (1-8)
Friday: West Plains vs. Central;
North County vs. Sikeston; Farmington
vs. Hillsboro; De Soto vs. Festus
Class 4 District 2
Seeds: 1. Ladue (9-0); 2. Rockwood
Summit (4-5); 3. Roosevelt (7-2); 4. St.
Mary’s (4-5); 5. Affton (4-5); 6. DuBourg
(3-6); 7. Gateway (3-6); 8. Windsor (2-7)
Friday: Ladue vs. Windsor; St.
Mary’s vs. Affton; Summit vs. Gateway;
Roosevelt vs. DuBourg
Class 5 District 1
Seeds: 1. Jackson (9-0); 2. Fox (8-
1); 3. Seckman (6-3); 4. Poplar Bluff (4-
5); 5. Oakville (1-8)
Friday: Poplar Bluff vs. Oakville
Nov. 2: Jackson vs. Poplar Bluff/
Oakville; Fox vs. Seckman
Class 6 District 3
Seeds: 1. Eureka (8-1); 2. Joplin (7-
2); 3. Lindbergh (6-3); 4. Kirkwood (5-3);
5. Lafayette (3-6); 6. Northwest (5-4); 7.
Springfield Kickapoo (2-7); 8. Ozark (1-8)
Friday: Eureka vs. Ozark; Kirk-
wood vs. Lafayette; Joplin vs. Kickapoo;
Northwest vs. Lindbergh
22-25, 25-16, 25-22 ; Park Hills Central
def. Potosi 25-17, 25-11; Windsor def.
Herculaneum, 25-23, 25-22
Oct. 23: Festus vs. North County;
Park Hills Central vs. Windsor; Champi-
onship
Class 4 District 1
at Jackson
Seeds: 1. Jackson; 2. Farmington;
3. Hillsboro; 4. Poplar Bluff; 5. Cape Gi-
rardeau Central; 6. Sikeston
Oct. 22: Poplar Bluff def. Cape Central
26-24, 25-12; Hillsboro def. Sikeston, 25-
12, 25-7
level and, for its first-round foe, it’s drawn
Lutheran North, which has won five state
championships in its rich history.
Jefferson was the top seed in Class
2 District 1 until Friday, when Charles-
ton beat Herculaneum 52-6. One of
the criteria for district seeding is point
differential. Winning by more than 13
points lifted Charleston over Jefferson
after Jefferson beat St. Vincent 21-20
on Friday. The Indians could have beat-
en Jefferson but failed on the two-point
conversion after their last touchdown.
Three teams from Jefferson County
– De Soto, Festus and Hillsboro – are
part of Class 4 District 1. The Hawks
have played in the district champion-
ship the last two seasons and won it last
year. The only change to the district this
year was the most significant. Perryville
was replaced by West Plains, which at
9-0 is the top seed.
Hillsboro (4-5) hasn’t been the
same after losing a boatload of talent
the past two years, but the Hawks beat
Farmington – their first-round opponent
– 36-34 earlier this year on Hayden
Voyles’ fourth-quarter touchdown.
The most intriguing matchup on
Friday is between De Soto and Festus.
The Mississippi Area Football Confer-
ence Red Division rivals will play in
the Tigers’ newly remodeled stadium
in what should be a very entertaining
game. Head coaches Russ Schmidt
(Festus) and Chris Johnson (De Soto)
know each other well and Johnson is
pining to break a losing streak to the
Tigers that goes back two decades.
In the first meeting on Sept. 21,
Festus beat De Soto 28-18. The Ti-
gers gashed the Dragons’ formidable
defensive front seven for more than
400 yards on the ground, while De Soto
could only manage 18 rushing yards.
So how did the Dragons stay close?
One of the best matchups this
week will be De Soto senior wide
receiver Clayton Snudden going up
against Festus senior defensive back
“I don’t want kids getting hurt.
Basketball season is around the corner.
Most of our kids play other sports. ”
Dan Fox
Crystal City football head coach
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018
Oct. 24: Jackson vs. Poplar Bluff;
Farmington vs. Hillsboro; Champion-
ship
Class 4 District 2
at Cor Jesu Academy
Seeds: 1. Cor Jesu Academy; 2. Rock-
wood Summit; 3. Oakville; 4. Mehlville; 5.
Seckman; 6. Lindbergh; 7. Fox
Oct. 22: Mehlville def. Seckman 25-
16, 25-21; Summit def. Fox 25-13, 25-19;
Oakville def. Lindbergh 26-24, 25-17
Oct. 23: Cor Jesu vs. Mehlville; Sum-
mit vs.Lindbergh
Oct. 24: Championship
Jaylan Watson. Both players were just
selected to the all-MAFC Red first
team at their positions.
Snudden doesn’t have blazing speed,
but he’s quarterback Briar Fischer’s
favorite target and has caught a team-high
53 passes for 902 yards and seven touch-
downs. Fischer’s having a great season
too, completing 54 percent of his passes
for 1,953 yards and 16 TDs.
Watson is just 5-foot-5, but he has
coverage skills most players lack at his
level. At the coaches’ meeting to select
the all-conference teams, Johnson said
he voted for Watson to be on the first
team based on his performance against
Snudden.
“They have five or six explosive
kids who can score from anywhere if
you miss a tackle,” Johnson said. “We
have to match their physical play up
front. This is a chance to end that stupid
streak. What a way to end that to beat
them at Festus.
“If we play the way we can and
don’t make mistakes, we think we can
play as well as anybody.”
One of the things Johnson did this
year to improve his team’s viability for
districts was to drop DuBourg from
the schedule and add Mehlville. The
Cavaliers are a Class 4 team with a 3-6
record, while the Panthers are 7-2 and
the No. 1 seed in their Class 5 district.
“As a program we want to be at
the top of our district and host playoff
games,” Johnson said. “You can’t do that
by scheduling lesser opponents. We’re
picking up Poplar Bluff next year. You
see a lot of Class 4 schools trying to pick
up higher classes. I’m relatively com-
fortable with (the current format).”
The other county matchup in the
district playoffs is Seckman at Fox on
Nov. 2 in the Class 5 District 1 tourna-
ment. The Warriors (No. 2) and Jaguars
(No. 3) received byes this week in the
five-team district, where unbeaten Jack-
son (9-0) is the top seed.
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018
Hootenanny is among the fall fun activities
F
all is a terrific time for those of us
who love the great outdoors. Even
those who rue the coming of win-
ter appreciate the beauty of the autumn
colors that our hillsides of hardwood
forests offer as a reward for enduring
shorter days and cooler nights.
Fishing can be fantastic in the
fall. Since the really nice days for
sitting on the river bank or riding in
the boat are going to be in a limited
supply for the next few months, any
good days to be out on the water are a
treasure. Plus, the fish get cooperative
as the water temperatures drop. Once
it gets downright cold, that action will
slow.
Just about every hunting oppor-
tunity is nearing its peak. Currently
in season are bullfrogs, coyotes, deer
(archery), groundhogs, rabbits, rails,
snipes, squirrels, turkeys and wood-
cocks.
Quail, pheasant and crow seasons
begin Nov. 1, and most waterfowl hunt-
ing will begin in November with dates
determined by zone.
Young hunters ages 6-15 get the
first of the firearms deer hunting season
this weekend. They also can hunt for
quail and pheasants in a special youth-
Softball: Leadoff batter Shuman enjoys hitting ahead of Nichols
Continued from Page 43A
in her first at-bat of the inning and then
reached on an error and scored again later
in the first. Nichols doubled and scored on
a bases-loaded walk to freshman Hailey
Genge. Senior Kelsey Boyd walked and
Mudd singled before Genge reached.
Johnson wiped the bases clean with her
grand slam to give the Hawks a 6-0 lead.
But the damage wasn’t done yet.
Short and Nichols singled and scored
around Shuman’s second run in the inning
to make it 9-0.
The Hawks had already beaten
De Soto and Perryville before they met
them in the postseason, but the Rebels
were sort of a mystery. Johnson said her
team has done a good job of not being too
overconfident despite its robust power.
“We didn’t expect anything,” John-
son said. “We didn’t know anything about
this team except what their record was.
We knew we had to step up.”
Hillsboro scored two more runs in
the third when Johnson led off with a
single and Short singled with one out.
Both came home on a single by Nichols.
Notre Dame threatened to end Nich-
ols’ shutout streak in the fourth when
sophomore Allison Kaiser and senior
Maeve McDonough led the inning off
with singles. But Kaiser was thrown out
at third base and Nichols left McDonough
standing at third base when she struck
out junior Kaitlyn Masidonski to end
the inning.
In the Hillsboro fourth, Genge sin-
gled with one out and gave the Hawks a
12-0 lead when Johnson doubled for her
third hit of the day.
Genge is the daughter of Mike
Outdoor News/Sports
Outdoor
Outlook
John J.
Winkelman
only season for those species on Satur-
day and Sunday.
A couple of fun activities that
don’t involve hooks or bullets are
also planned at nearby state parks.
The Friends of Washington State Park
organization is planning an event called
“Halloween Hootenanny” starting at
4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, in the
park campground.
A chili and hotdog fundraiser will
be served until 6:30 p.m. in support of
the group. Trick-or-treating for kids will
take place among the campsites from
6:30-8 p.m.
Washington State Park is 10 miles
south of De Soto on Hwy. 21. For more
information about the event, call the
park office at 636-586-5768.
A little further south near the inter-
section of Hwy. 67 and Hwy. 32 in Park
Hills, the Missouri Mines State Historic
Site is hosting the 14th annual Fall
Genge, who is the assistant football and
head track and field coach at De Soto. The
Dragons play Friday on the gridiron in the
first round of districts. Mike Genge said
he’d be at both games on Friday.
“Coach (Lucas) has told us all year,
‘We’re not about home runs, I want line
drives down the middle,’” Johnson said.
After the final out, Hillsboro’s play-
ers gathered in a tight circle but weren’t
overly excited. There wasn’t a dog pile
in the middle of the infield. Lucas wasn’t
soaked with a bath from a water cooler.
“They are a different bunch. As
coaches, we reacted more than they did,”
Lucas said. “Maybe it’s because they’re
still not satisfied. Maybe they’re saving
the dog pile for state.”
That will start Friday at 10 a.m. at
the Killian Sports Complex against Oak
Grove (23-3). Mexico (25-4) and Sulli-
van (27-4) are playing in the other Class
3 semifinal on Friday. None of the final
four teams in Class 3 were there last year.
Of all the talented teams Lucas has
coached the last three seasons, he became
emotional when he talked about this
year’s squad.
“They don’t give up and they have
a lot of heart. The last three games is
the most focused I’ve seen us all year,”
he said.
Hillsboro employs long ball
Let’s face it: The Hillsboro softball
team wins using the long ball.
For the past two years, the Hawks
have crashed the fences 73 times.
Emma Nichols and Reagan Short
smacked two more to lift Hillsboro to a
Jefferson County Leader 47A
Rocks event from 5-8 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 27.
The free, family-fun and education-
al event is sponsored by the state and
the Doe Run Co. Designed for elemen-
tary students, the whole family can
learn about geology, mineral resources
and mining by participating in fun,
hands-on games and activities.
Admission to the museum will be
free during the event, and refreshments
will be available.
Among the educational and fun
activities will be hard-hat decorating,
cookie mining, rock and mineral iden-
tification games, a mineral resources
challenge and bicycle safety training.
The historic site preserves and
interprets the important buildings and
structural elements of the former St. Joe
Mineral Co.’s largest mine-mill com-
plex.
The museum features restored
underground mining equipment, a large
display of mineral specimens, exhibits
on mining history and a video on lead
mining and milling.
For more information about the
event, call the site at 573-431-6226.
Another weekend event is even
further away, but its uniqueness and
Russell Korando photo
Hillsboro freshman Hailey Genge
connects for a base hit in the quarterfinals.
5-0 shutout over visiting Perryville in a
Class 3 sectional on Oct. 17.
Head coach Kevin Lucas said he’d
prefer to see line drives hit to the gap for
extra bases, but he’s coming around to
the idea his Hawks are feared for their
home run power.
“I do love them when we hit them,”
he said with a big smile after his team
dispatched the Pirates.
It’s the second straight game Nichols
has hit a homer – she slugged one against
De Soto in the District 2 final last week
– and pitched a complete game. After the
one-hit performance against the Dragons,
Nichols allowed the Pirates (9-14) five
hits and she struck out 12, including senior
Kylee Rhyne on the final out of the game.
“They’re a scrappy team and put the
ball in play,” Lucas said of Perryville.
“It was cold tonight and you could see
(Nichols) shaking her arm. I thought she
did a great job.”
The Hawks last played in the quar-
terfinals in 1999 against Eureka and have
commitment to conservation could
make it worth the drive.
The Legends in Conservation
organization will present a one-man
play called “The Art of Conservation, A
Visit With Ding Darling” at 2 p.m. on
Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Runge Nature
Center in Jefferson City.
Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling was
one of the designers of Missouri’s
Amendment 4, which created the Con-
servation Department in 1937. He also
won two Pulitzer prizes as an editorial
cartoonist and is considered one of the
most influential members of the modern
conservation movement.
Darling helped create the Wild-
life Restoration Act and founded the
National Wildlife Federation. He led
the U.S Biological Survey, reformed the
National Wildlife Refuge system and
created the federal duck stamp program.
For more information on the show
or organization, visit legendsofconser-
vation.com.
John J. Winkelman is community
relations manager at Mercy Hospital
Jefferson. If you have news for the
Leader’s Outdoor News page, e-mail
ogmjohnw@aol.com and you can fol-
low John on Twitter at @johnjwink99.
never made it to the semifinals. The Pi-
rates hadn’t won a district championship
since 2001 and lost to Hillsboro by the
same score as the sectional on Sept. 6.
Junior Bailey Shuman led the bottom
of the first off with a double off of Per-
ryville pitcher Makayla Brown and came
in to score on Nichols’ team-leading 10th
home run of the season.
“I’m always confident if I get on
base, Emma will drive me in,” Shuman
said. “I’m fast and I can usually get
around the bases.
“I saw it go into the gap and I just
hoped I’d make it (to second).”
Shuman led off the Hawks’ fifth with
a single and scored on Emily Mudd’s
two-out hit to give Hillsboro a 3-0 edge.
Shuman has batted in front of Nichols all
season and has scored 34 runs this year.
With two outs in the sixth, senior Jen-
sen Knudtson singled and Short blasted
Brown’s pitch over the fence in center
field for a 5-0 lead.
“We talked about wanting to get on
them early,” Lucas said. “They’re a young
team and they’re not afraid. They held us
scoreless for a few innings until we got
some insurance runs with (Short’s home
run), which helped us relax a little bit.”
Despite beating the Pirates earlier in
the season, Lucas wanted to make sure
the Hawks avoided repeating their fate
in 2016 when a dream team of Nichols,
Kelsey Boyd, Carlie Sanders and Lexi
Close was bounced by Farmington in
the district semifinals after they beat the
Knights 16-0 earlier that season.
“I was very worried about it,” Lucas
said. “It’s been in my head since it hap-
pened and it still hurts.”