Ozark Illustrated

OPI

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2012-13 / FALL 1

GRIDIRON PLAYOFFS GET A MAKEOVER

DATE WITH STATE?

PG 24

PLEASANT HOPE SOFTBALL

PG 20

AFTER A STATE RUNNER-UP FINISH A YEAR AGO, THE

RETURNed INTACT THIS FALLWITH ONE GOAL IN MIND...WIN A STATE TITLE

PLEASANT HOPE LADY PIRATES

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Skyline’s Dalyn Trippe (#2) attempts to elude the tackle of Fair Grove’s Talon Bates (#5) and Dalton Robinson in the Tigers’ 45-7 victory during a driving rainstorm on Aug. 31 at Fair Grove. (Staff Photo)

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LETTERfrom the

eeLL Editor-In-Chief

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PWP r a i r i e Wa r b l e rPubl ishing, LLC

Publisher/Editor-In-ChiefByron Shive

Art DirectorTy DeClue

Contributing Writers

Contributing PhotographersShaundra Ingram, Chuck Nickle Photog-raphy, Kelly Presley, Amy Walker

On the Cover

Ozark Preps Illustrated (OPI) is published bi-monthly by Prairie Warbler Publishing, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. OPI is not respon-sible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography, or manuscripts, and will not be responsible for holding fees or similiar charges. All digital submissions and correspondence will be become property of OPI.

Editorial DisclaimerAll rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the edi-tors. The views of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the policies of OPI, nor that of the publisher.

Advertising DisclaimerAll rights reserved. The views and opinions of OPI advertisers do not reflect those of OPI.

OPI has a clear committment to inviting and publishing cor-rections of fact and clarifying errors of context. Corrections of errors and mistakes are a necessity in obtaining credibility in the magazine.

EDITOR

P.O. Box 777Bolivar, MO 65613

417.770.0003

PrinterShweiki Media4954 Space Center DriveSan Antonio, TX 78218www.shweiki.com

[email protected]

Erin PatersonKen “Joboo” PollreiszDr. J.P. Simanis

www.ozarkpreps.com

Follow OPI on Twitter @OzarkPreps

“Like” OPI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ozarkpreps

Pleasant Hope’s standout senior pitcher Sarah Siegismund hurls a pitch to the plate in the season opener. The Lady Pirates are on a mission to capture the Class 2 state championship that eluded the team a year ago. (Staff Photo)

Dear Readers,

It’s hard to believe that it’s already October, which has always been my favorite month of the year. On a per-sonal level, this particular October is filled with landmark birthdays, as I will turn 40 just two days after my first and only child turns one! (Yes, I realize that I will be the “grandpa” at her high school graduation!) October also means that it’s state tournament time in most of the high school sports, and Ozark Preps Illustrated will have all of the action covered!

District tournament play had already begun when Ozark Preps Illustrated went to press, which means that I hope there isn’t any kind of OPI cover jinx on the Pleasant Hope Lady Pirates softball team. This juggernaut has rolled through the regular season, and after a heartbreaking state championship game loss a year ago—the team’s lone defeat on a 27-1 season—the Lady Pirates are primed for a deep state tournament run this October. “Date With State?” (page 20) chronicles the Lady Pirates’ season and lone team goal: win the state champion-ship that eluded the squad a year ago.

October also marks the start of the newly revised (and improved?) football district tournament format. Gone is the previous “top two teams in the District advance” model, replaced with a system in which every team in the state competes in a District tournament similar to the basketball model. Survive and advance, survive and advance! In “October Madness” (page 24), the ins-and-outs of the new format are explained, along with the thoughts of some local coaches (for better or worse!) on the changes.

This issue also includes many of the usual sections and departments, including another “On The DL” column written by Dr. J.P. Simanis. I also would like to thank Galena softball coach Erin Paterson for writing the monthly “Chalk Talk” column—and for doing so on such short notice! I also would like to thank Ken “Joboo” Pollre-isz for writing yet another stellar “End Zone” column. Many of you have grown to appreciate Joboo and his encyclopedia of knowledge on high school sports in the Ozarks through his work on his OzarksSports.Net site. Joboo has decided to cease and desist with his daily posts and blogging on the site and I, for one, will be very disappointed, since I visited OzarksSports.Net on a daily basis. At least I (and you) will get to read his work as the “End Zone” columnist for OPI!

Last but certainly not least, unfortunately publishing Ozark Preps Illustrated is not a full-time gig for me. I wish it was, but alas, I have to “bring home the bacon” in another field. Publishing this magazine is something that I love to do, though, and as long as it does not lose money, my wife has given me a green light to continue publishing. However, I am in need of some advertisers to help out with this little endeavor. It is a biased opin-ion, but I believe that Ozark Preps Illustrated is a pretty slick-looking, professional quality magazine…a place where your business’s full-color, high gloss advertisement would certainly stand out! Please contact me today to discuss an unbelievably low rate on your next ad in Ozark Preps Illustrated. I’m not giving away ad space, but I may as well be at the rates I plan to offer you when you contact me!

As always, thank you for reading Ozark Preps Illustrated!

Sincerely,

CHECK US OUT ONLINE

4

DEPARTMENTS

DistributionRandy Dale, Roland LaRue, Sterling Roberts

Graphic DesignKale Harbaugh

Buffalo’s Ally Gorman (Photo by Shaundra Ingram)

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20

24

Chalk Talk

Date With State?

October Madness

End Zone

Ozark Preps Illustrated (OPI) is published bi-monthly by Prairie Warbler Publishing, LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. OPI is not respon-sible for the return of unsolicited artwork, photography, or manuscripts, and will not be responsible for holding fees or similiar charges. All digital submissions and correspondence will be become property of OPI.

Editorial DisclaimerAll rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the edi-tors. The views of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the policies of OPI, nor that of the publisher.

Advertising DisclaimerAll rights reserved. The views and opinions of OPI advertisers do not reflect those of OPI.

OPI has a clear committment to inviting and publishing cor-rections of fact and clarifying errors of context. Corrections of errors and mistakes are a necessity in obtaining credibility in the magazine.

Shweiki Media4954 Space Center DriveSan Antonio, TX 78218www.shweiki.com

6

28

featuring

DEPARTMENTS

The Pleasant Hope Lady Pirate softball team entered postsea-son play with one goal in mind: win the Class 2 state champion-ship that eluded the team a year ago.

There is a new distict playoff format in place this season for high school football which features a bracketed district tournament similar to other Missouri prep sports. Is it a good or bad change?

Galena softball coach Erin Paterson writes about the ups and downs of being a “newbie” coach.

Photo Finish8

On The DL7Dr. J.P. Simanis writes about dynamic core stability exercises

“Joboo” looks back on some historical milestones for Ozark prep sports.

Reeds Spring’s Sam Retherford (Staff Photo)

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6 OPI

A wise man once said, “I learned this about coaching: You don’t have to explain vic-tory and you can’t explain defeat.” This wise man was Darrell Royal, who coached foot-ball for the University of Texas at Austin, won three national championships, 11 Southwest Conference titles, and had a record of 167-47-5 in 20 seasons. Now, this coach had a long and successful career in coaching. I see these numbers and I look at myself; I am a third year teacher, a third year coach of both Varsity/JV softball and archery…and (still calling myself) a newbie to the big wide world of coaching. But your third year is better than your first year, and those numbers that I mentioned above, they are attainable, even for a newbie like me.

Coaching has always been a dream of mine. I had some phenomenal coaches throughout my life. Some taught me to be a better player, others a better person and a few coaches taught me both. I have played softball since coach pitch, when the game was more about having fun than competition. Then, I played fast pitch competitive softball in Kansas City until I was 18; travel ball, where we played nearly every day of the summer, mostly out of state, and high school ball. Unfortunately my college ball plans were foiled when I wrecked havoc on both knees my senior year – being a catcher for 11 years will do that to you. Despite having to deal with the injury, some of the best times of my life were on those ball fields.

To me, it seemed like a natural transition to move into coaching after graduating college. After getting certified, I never planned for both teaching and coaching to happen all at once. The summer before my first year, I was asked to be head coach of the softball team. I was ecstatic. I thought to myself “I can get pre-pared for teaching all summer and then spend the school year coaching.” Now, some of you

more seasoned coaches are probably thinking “Silly, newbie.” I truly never imagined how hard it would be to be a full time core-subject teacher and a full time coach.

But the teaching aspect of this is another story for another time. Right now, I’m wear-ing my coach’s whistle. Walking into that first meeting with your players is nothing less than intense. In my mind, they were all looking at me, expecting me to promise district titles and state championships. All I could get out was to tell them my true passion and love for the sport. When practice started, I dipped into my bag of tricks. Don’t get me wrong, this bag of tricks was old and dusty, and probably should have been updated much sooner. I used drills and stated words of encouragement that I remember getting and hearing when I played ball. When a problem arose, I was not ready to fix it immediately. If a player asked what they were doing wrong, I didn’t always have the answers. Throw this together with having to figure out eligibility rosters, practice schedules, PO’s for gear, inventory sheets, and player contracts; I was a complete mess. I remembered it seeming so much easier as a player looking up at my coaches thinking that they had it made and that their jobs were easy. Now as a coach, I realize how naïve I really was. Granted, this confusion and chaos doesn’t last forever. Through time, you will figure out all of the small stuff. You will learn how to be the coach your players need. And does it all happen at once? No. It will defi-nitely take some time.

With this in mind, I wanted to give you some advice from a relatively new coach to other new coaches out there.

1. Be the coach that your players need and not the coach that you remember having. Times have changed and so have your players – adjust accordingly.

2. Always set short term targets for your team, but also for each individual player. It is great to say the team’s goal is to go to the state championship, but you will never get there unless you set the short-term targets first. Plus, these goals will seem more attainable to each and every player.

3. Take advice from other coaches, your principal, your athletic director, and your superintendent. Trust me – they can be true lifesavers!

4. Always be on the lookout for new train-ing aids, techniques, drills, or anything else to keep your athletes. Do not let your players fall behind the competition because you were too busy or too stubborn to change.

5. Be considerate and truthful. Some of your players will not be the player that you once were. Some of your players will need pushed and with other players you will need to learn when to leave well enough alone.

6. A lot of your players will come from dif-ferent backgrounds than you knew growing up. Work with them and be a role model and a mentor. You might be the only one they have.

7. Remember, your players are students first and athletes second. Stay on them about their attendance and have a team policy for bad grades and poor behavior.

8. Most importantly, show your players your love and passion for the sport. Allow them to have fun and truly enjoy the experi-ence at their fingertips.

I feel so blessed to be standing where I am today. I have reached students in my class-room and players on my field. Is it a constant struggle? Yes, but it is worth every step of the way. Enjoy your time while coaching. You never know the coach you are creating inside of one of your players.

CTCHALKTALKErin Paterson

Head Coach, Galena Softball and Archery DDOn the

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Cassville’s Jade Null rises high for a kill in the Lady Wildcats’ loss to East Newton on Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

Hillcrest’s Joseph Adkins competes in the butterfly leg of the 400-yard medley relay at the All-City Relays on Aug. 28 at Foster Natatorium. (Staff Photo)

Strafford’s Reese Johnson (#34) follows the block of Austin Hurrelbrink (#68) as quarterback Jacob Wade (#11) looks on in the Indians’ 44-8 victory over Marionville on Sept. 7. (Photo by Amy Walker)

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Bolivar’s Abbi Porter returns a shot against Bran-son’s Taylor Johnston during #1 singles action at the Kickapoo Invitational Tennis Tournament on Aug. 24 at Gillenwater Park. (Staff Photo)

Crane’s Maggie McMenamy skies upward to hammer home a kill in the Lady Pirates’ loss in the season opener at Marionville on Aug. 30. (Photo by Amy Walker)

Ozark’s Mason Shelor launches a shot which found the back of the net in the Tigers’ season-opening 4-0 victory at Hillcrest on Aug. 24. (Staff Photo)

Marshfield pitcher Paige Taylor crouches down to avoid teammate Ashley Clair’s (#9) throw to first base during the Lady Jays’ 9-4 loss to Marion C. Early on Aug. 24 during first round action at the 17th Annual Marion C. Early Lady Panther Softball Tournament. (Staff Photo)

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on Jan. 10. • The Glendale boys basketball team picked up

the 900th win in program history with an 81-64 victory over Lebanon on Jan. 17. The win upped the Falcons’ all-time record to 900-379, a .704 winning percentage.

• Hillcrest’s Dorial Green-Beckham continues to cap the greatest prep football career in the annals of Ozarks prep sports by piling up postseason awards from all across the country. DGB caught 119 passes for 2,233 yards and 24 touchdowns last fall, and finished his career with a national record 6,353 receiving yards. In addition to the many local and state honors and awards (see above), DGB has also garnered the following national recognition:

o The Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year

o USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year

o 1st-Team USA Today All-American

o 1st-Team ESPNHS All-American

o 1st-Team MaxPreps All-American

o 1st-Team Rivals.com All-American

o 1st-Team Sports Illustrated All-American

o 1st-Team PARADE Magazine All-American

o PARADE Magazine Player of the Year

o U.S. Army All-American

o U.S. Army Player of the Year (Ken Hall Trophy)

o Co-MVP—U.S. Army All-American Game

• Marshfield’s Jared Greenlee scored the 1,000th point of his career after scoring 23 points in the Jays’ 73-43 victory over Ava on Jan. 20.

• Osceola’s Imani Hairston has been a rebound-ing machine this season for the Lady Indians.

The senior has recorded several double-digit rebound games, including the following:

o 18 rebounds v. Lakeland (12/6)

o 17 rebounds v. Fair Play (12/12)

o 16 rebounds v. Kingsville (1/9)

o 16 rebonds v. Leeton (1/14)

• Clever’s Michaela Hanafin scored the 1,000th point of her career after scoring 23 points in the Lady Bluejays’ 65-46 win over Hollister on Dec. 5.

• Blue Eye’s Kayla Hickey scored the 1,000th point of her career in the Lady Bulldogs’ 46-32 win over Cassville on Jan. 5.

• Chadwick’s Dakota Johnson recorded an impressive double-double by scoring 30 points and pulling down 16 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 70-64 win over Hurley on Dec. 19.

• Fair Grove’s Morgan Kensinger pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots in the Lady Eagles’ 45-24 win over Warsaw at the Skyline Tournament on Jan. 7.

• Verona’s Wesley Kissinger surpassed 1,000 points for his career in a 57-35 victory over Marionville during play at the Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27.

• Greenwood’s Tim Looney went over the 1,000-career point plateau after scoring 10 points in the Bluejays’ 49-27 loss to eventual Gold Division champion Republic in the open-ing round of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 26.

• Verona’s Seth Losack continues to stake his claim as one of the area’s best point guards. The Wildcat has several double-digit assist games already this season, including the following:

o 11 assists v. Sarcoxie (12/3)

o 10 assists v. Exeter (12/6)

o 10 assists v. Wheaton (12/9)

o 11 assists v. Southwest (1/10)

o 11 assists v. McAuley (1/13)

o 13 assists v. Blue Eye (1/17)

• Morrisville’s Brandon Martinsen scored 42 points on 10 of 11 accuracy from behind the three-point line in the Panthers’ 87-56 victory over Buffalo on Dec. 6. Martinsen’s .909 per-centage is the second best single game 3-point shooting percentage in state history. The senior also surpassed 1,000 points for his career after scoring 28 points to lead the Panthers’ 51-42 upset of third-seeded Willard in the Blue Divi-sion of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 27.

• Clever’s Clark Petrochilos nailed 10 three-pointers (on 10-of-13 accuracy) in the Bluejays’ 87-49 victory over Bradleyville on Jan. 6.

• Kickapoo’s Ryan Rippee scored the 1,000th point of his career with 29 points against St. Louis Sumner in the Chiefs’ 77-45 victory on Dec. 20.

• Humansville’s Lyndie Routh scored the 1,000th point of her career in the Lady Tigers’ 44-38 win over Lockwood on Jan. 5.

• Reeds Springs’ Austin Selby is having a standout senior season, complete with some impressive statistical feats. Selby pulled down 19 rebounds in a Dec. 1 game against Carl Junction, and grabbed another 19 boards in a victory over Mountain Grove in the consolation bracket of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 27. Selby followed that effort up with nine blocked shots against Hartville in the consolation bracket semifinals of the Blue & Gold on Dec. 28.

• The Springfield Catholic boys basketball team notched the 1,000th win in program history with a season-opening 55-36 win over Moun-tain Grove in the Strafford Tournament.

Marion C. Early’s Meleah Francka connects on a run-scoring triple during the Lady Panthers’ 9-4 victory over Marshfield on Aug. 24 during first round action at the 17th Annual Marion C. Early Lady Panther Softball Tournament. (Staff Photo)

El Dorado Springs’ Tessa Durnell sprints toward the finish line at the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 11 at Southwest Baptist Univer-sity. (Staff Photo)

Glendale’s Nic Bauer (#21) dribbles upfield against the defense of Willard’s Quinton Puckett (#11) in the Falcons’ 3-1 victory in the first round of the 22nd-Annual Kickapoo Shootout on Oct. 5 at KHS. (Staff Photo)

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on Jan. 10. • The Glendale boys basketball team picked up

the 900th win in program history with an 81-64 victory over Lebanon on Jan. 17. The win upped the Falcons’ all-time record to 900-379, a .704 winning percentage.

• Hillcrest’s Dorial Green-Beckham continues to cap the greatest prep football career in the annals of Ozarks prep sports by piling up postseason awards from all across the country. DGB caught 119 passes for 2,233 yards and 24 touchdowns last fall, and finished his career with a national record 6,353 receiving yards. In addition to the many local and state honors and awards (see above), DGB has also garnered the following national recognition:

o The Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year

o USA Today National Offensive Player of the Year

o 1st-Team USA Today All-American

o 1st-Team ESPNHS All-American

o 1st-Team MaxPreps All-American

o 1st-Team Rivals.com All-American

o 1st-Team Sports Illustrated All-American

o 1st-Team PARADE Magazine All-American

o PARADE Magazine Player of the Year

o U.S. Army All-American

o U.S. Army Player of the Year (Ken Hall Trophy)

o Co-MVP—U.S. Army All-American Game

• Marshfield’s Jared Greenlee scored the 1,000th point of his career after scoring 23 points in the Jays’ 73-43 victory over Ava on Jan. 20.

• Osceola’s Imani Hairston has been a rebound-ing machine this season for the Lady Indians.

The senior has recorded several double-digit rebound games, including the following:

o 18 rebounds v. Lakeland (12/6)

o 17 rebounds v. Fair Play (12/12)

o 16 rebounds v. Kingsville (1/9)

o 16 rebonds v. Leeton (1/14)

• Clever’s Michaela Hanafin scored the 1,000th point of her career after scoring 23 points in the Lady Bluejays’ 65-46 win over Hollister on Dec. 5.

• Blue Eye’s Kayla Hickey scored the 1,000th point of her career in the Lady Bulldogs’ 46-32 win over Cassville on Jan. 5.

• Chadwick’s Dakota Johnson recorded an impressive double-double by scoring 30 points and pulling down 16 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 70-64 win over Hurley on Dec. 19.

• Fair Grove’s Morgan Kensinger pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots in the Lady Eagles’ 45-24 win over Warsaw at the Skyline Tournament on Jan. 7.

• Verona’s Wesley Kissinger surpassed 1,000 points for his career in a 57-35 victory over Marionville during play at the Walnut Grove Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27.

• Greenwood’s Tim Looney went over the 1,000-career point plateau after scoring 10 points in the Bluejays’ 49-27 loss to eventual Gold Division champion Republic in the open-ing round of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 26.

• Verona’s Seth Losack continues to stake his claim as one of the area’s best point guards. The Wildcat has several double-digit assist games already this season, including the following:

o 11 assists v. Sarcoxie (12/3)

o 10 assists v. Exeter (12/6)

o 10 assists v. Wheaton (12/9)

o 11 assists v. Southwest (1/10)

o 11 assists v. McAuley (1/13)

o 13 assists v. Blue Eye (1/17)

• Morrisville’s Brandon Martinsen scored 42 points on 10 of 11 accuracy from behind the three-point line in the Panthers’ 87-56 victory over Buffalo on Dec. 6. Martinsen’s .909 per-centage is the second best single game 3-point shooting percentage in state history. The senior also surpassed 1,000 points for his career after scoring 28 points to lead the Panthers’ 51-42 upset of third-seeded Willard in the Blue Divi-sion of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 27.

• Clever’s Clark Petrochilos nailed 10 three-pointers (on 10-of-13 accuracy) in the Bluejays’ 87-49 victory over Bradleyville on Jan. 6.

• Kickapoo’s Ryan Rippee scored the 1,000th point of his career with 29 points against St. Louis Sumner in the Chiefs’ 77-45 victory on Dec. 20.

• Humansville’s Lyndie Routh scored the 1,000th point of her career in the Lady Tigers’ 44-38 win over Lockwood on Jan. 5.

• Reeds Springs’ Austin Selby is having a standout senior season, complete with some impressive statistical feats. Selby pulled down 19 rebounds in a Dec. 1 game against Carl Junction, and grabbed another 19 boards in a victory over Mountain Grove in the consolation bracket of the Blue & Gold Tournament on Dec. 27. Selby followed that effort up with nine blocked shots against Hartville in the consolation bracket semifinals of the Blue & Gold on Dec. 28.

• The Springfield Catholic boys basketball team notched the 1,000th win in program history with a season-opening 55-36 win over Moun-tain Grove in the Strafford Tournament.

Central’s Jackie Pecoraro rips a serve during a doubles match against Lebanon on Aug. 24 at the Cooper Tennis Complex. (Staff Photo)

Republic’s Kerik Crouse (with ball) fights through the tackles of Central’s Joseph Sparks (#19) and Javian King (middle) as the Bull-dogs’ Rashod Anderson (right) closes in. The Tigers won the Aug. 24 game 49-14 in the season opener for both teams. (Staff Photo)

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Aurora’s Baylee Hilton is in defensive position at first base as Cassville base runner Alesha Cousins awaits the pitch in the Lady Wild-cats’ 12-1 win on Sept. 13. (Photo by Amy Walker)

Nixa’s Alex Fjeseth chips onto the #10 green during the Bolivar Invitational Golf Tournament on Sept. 4 at Silo Ridge Country Club. (Staff Photo)

Logan-Rogersville goalkeeper Derek Louderbaugh leaps high in the air to swat away an incoming ball as teammate Nick Hurshman (#1) and Springfield Catho-lic’s Ryan Randell (#20) rush in during the Fightin’ Irish’s victory on Sept. 11. (Staff Photo)

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Hillcrest’s Juwan Johnson (with ball) bursts into the secondary for a long gain as the Hornets rallied for an 18-12 victory over Camdenton on Aug. 24 on the new turf at Shumate Stadium. (Staff Photo)

Logan-Rogersville’s Leslie Clark (#15) looks to get a shot past the block of Kicka-poo’s Kim Thomas (#18), as the Lady Wildcats’ Claire Hutchison (#17) looks on, in the Lady Chiefs’ victory on Aug. 28. (Staff Photo)

Stockton’s Alexis Smith receives a welcome, mid-race shower on a hot and balmy afternoon at the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 11 at Southwest Baptist University. Smith finished in 3rd-place overall to help lead the Lady Tigers to a 3rd-place team finish. (Staff Photo)

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Parkview catcher Kaylee Zuknick awaits the pitch during the Lady Vikings’ loss to West Plains on Aug. 24 during first round action at the 17th Annual Marion C. Early Lady Panther Softball Tournament. (Staff Photo)

Forsyth’s Aggie Combs (#24) attempts to smack a shot through the block attempt of Billings’ Olivia Fabro (L) and Alyssa Young (R) in the Lady Pan-thers’ 2-1 win at Billings on Sept. 6. (Photo by Amy

Willard’s Brady Fitch (#69) stands up Marshfield’s Cole Tucker (with ball) as the Jays’ Brett Diehl (L) and Kaleb Goodpasture (R) block in the Tigers’ 40-20 win over the Jays on Aug. 24. (Staff Photo)

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Republic’s Megan Hergesheimer runs all alone as she puts even more distance between herself and the rest of the field at the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 11 at Southwest Baptist University. Hergesheimer was the meet champion with a time of 20:15.91. (Staff Photo)

Halfway’s David Simpson (#569) leads the pack during the early stages of the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 11 at Southwest Baptist University. Also pictured are (L to R): Buffalo’s Jonathan Murphy, Fair Play’s Lane Rippee (#108) and Republic’s Ryan Way (#281), the eventual meet champion. (Staff Photo)

Republic’s Baylee Rayl lines up a putt during action at the Bolivar Invitational Golf Tournament on Sept. 4 at Silo Ridge Country Club. Rayl shot an 85 to finish in 4th-place individually, while the Lady Tigers finished as the meet runner-up. (Staff Photo)

Forsyth’s Aggie Combs (#24) attempts to smack a shot through the block attempt of Billings’ Olivia Fabro (L) and Alyssa Young (R) in the Lady Pan-thers’ 2-1 win at Billings on Sept. 6. (Photo by Amy

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Miller’s Derric Estell carries the ball as Marionville’s Earvin Morgan (#4) and Ryan White (#7) give chase during the Cardinals’ 53-10 victory on Aug. 24 at Marionville. (Photo by Amy Walker)

Cassville goalkeeper Indy Cole leaps high in the air to defend a corner kick, as Monett’s Jovanny Serrano (#19) and Juan Salas (#4) look for the header on Sept. 4 at Monett. Other Cassville players pictured include Jacob Young, Kendal Branham, and Jacob Young. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

Marion C. Early’s Emily Hinkle (#210) and Reeds Spring’s Darien Mor-ris (513), Bailey Greiner (505) and Jordan Blevins (506) trail Springfield Catholic’s Rachel Sweeney (#354) during the Strafford Invitational on Sept. 1. The Lady Irish captured meet honors by besting 2nd-place Strafford by five points. (Photo by Kelly Presley)

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Cassville goalkeeper Indy Cole leaps high in the air to defend a corner kick, as Monett’s Jovanny Serrano (#19) and Juan Salas (#4) look for the header on Sept. 4 at Monett. Other Cassville players pictured include Jacob Young, Kendal Branham, and Jacob Young. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

Hermitage’s Tyler Vignoe (#168) and Lexi Bergth-old (#160) run in tandem at the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 11 at Southwest Baptist University. (Staff Photo)

Kickapoo’s Haven Arnzen returns a shot during action at the Kickapoo Invitational Tennis Tournament on Aug. 24 at Gillenwa-ter Park. (Staff Photo)

Weaubleau’s Jalisa Poe throws out a Walnut Grove base runner from her knees during the Class 1 District 4 title game on Oct. 6. Walnut Grove won 6-0. (Staff Photo)

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Glendale’s Blaine Hale competes in the breast-stroke leg of the 400-yard medley relay at the All-City Relays on Aug. 28 at Foster Natatorium. (Staff Photo)

Marionville’s Brooke Eshleman (#1) goes up for a kill as Miller’s Whitney Dunnahoe (#13) and Haley Logan (#4) set the block and the Lady Cardinals’ Amber Owens (#23) prepares to dig in the Lady Comets’ three-set victory on Sept. 10. (Photo by Amy Walker)

A host of Ozark defenders, including Seth Wheeler, Blake Long and Pryce Rohde, stuff Nixa’s Jonaton Hukill as the Eagles’ Carney Wilmes (#23) tries to push the pile in the Tigers’ 41-21 victory in the annual Backyard Brawl on Oct. 5 at Ozark. (Staff Photo)

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Republic’s Alex Botkin launches a jump serve during the Lady Tigers’ exciting three-set loss to Kickapoo on Sept. 11 at Kickapoo High School. (Staff Photo)

Dadeville catcher Megan Obert awaits the throw as Marion C. Early’s McKenzie Presley slides into home in a play at the plate during the Lady Bearcats’ 8-7 victory on Aug. 30. (Photo by Kelly Presley)

A host of Ozark defenders, including Seth Wheeler, Blake Long and Pryce Rohde, stuff Nixa’s Jonaton Hukill as the Eagles’ Carney Wilmes (#23) tries to push the pile in the Tigers’ 41-21 victory in the annual Backyard Brawl on Oct. 5 at Ozark. (Staff Photo)

Greenwood’s Raph Freelander throws the ball in play to a teammate in the first half of the Bluejays’ thrilling (but disap-pointing) 2-1, double overtime loss to Sacred Heart during round robin play at the 22nd-Annual Kickapoo Shootout on Oct. 5 at KHS. (Staff Photo)

OPI

DATE WITH STATE?Palmyra 6 Pleasant Hope 2.


by byron shive

It was one game of 28 played last season by the Pleasant Hope Lady Pirates’ softball team, but the loss came in the Class 2 state championship game. It was the Lady Pirates’ only loss of the season. In a season filled with attained goals, personal and team ac-complishments and 27 victories, that one loss is what the Lady Pirate players remem-ber most of all.

This fall, Pleasant Hope returned virtually its entire starting line-up and all key reserves from last season’s state runner-up team, and each of the Lady Pirates has used the mem-ory of the disappointing state championship game loss to fuel another deep October tour-ney run. With District tournament beginning across the state when Ozark Preps Illustrated

went to press, Pleasant Hope will be looking to advance to its third Final Four in the past four seasons after advancing in 2009 and last season.

“We have a ton of experience back,” said head coach Jim Flora, who is in the midst of his ninth season at the helm of the Lady Pirates this fall. “My seniors have now been (to the Final Four) twice. They know what it takes and how hard it is to do. They know the excitement and how it brings the town together. There is no doubt they are moti-vated to experience it again.”

Pleasant Hope features a deep, supremely talented and very experienced line-up. Of-fensively, the Lady Pirates are capable of stringing together hits and runs at any point

in the line-up, while in the field, Pleasant Hope is as sound defensively as any team in the state. It also helps to send dominat-ing senior pitcher Sarah Siegismund to the circle. Siegismund is one of five seniors who returned this season after garnering 1st-Team All-State honors as juniors a year ago. That list of All-Staters includes shortstop Kari Hil-lenburg, third baseman Hailey Richardson, catcher Catlin Evans, and right fielder Lizzy Mosley.

A 27-1 season is remarkable by any standard, but when that lone loss comes in the state championship game, it can make for a very long offseason—and an easy source of motivation. “They are sick of me talking about it,” said Flora of the title game

loss. “Their one goal is to get back there and win it this time. Let’s just say when I men-tion it during conditioning everyone runs a little harder and faster than on the previous sprint.”

With nearly every player returning from a state runner-up team, Pleasant Hope has had a bull’s eye on its back this season. The Lady Pirates know they are going to get every opponent’s best shot. However, the team has not shied away from the challenges, but instead has embraced the opportunity to improve.

“We think every game is the state game,” said Evans, the team’s leadoff hitter. “We are going to have the focus to do everything to the best of our ability. We aren’t going to wish that we could have done this or that

better. We are going to have no regrets. We’re all going to play like every game is our last.” Richardson was a little more succinct when she simply said, “I don’t worry about the other team’s motivation. I focus on what our team is trying to accomplish.”

“It’s really been that way for a couple of years now, so they are pretty used to it,” said Flora of his team’s mindset. “This team is really business-like in their approach. They just try to focus on what they can control. They are very confident in their abilities and they know if they play well they are tough to beat.”

The pressure will increase now that the state playoffs have begun, especially when you consider that in the past three seasons, the team that has defeated Pleasant Hope in the state playoffs has gone on to win a Class 2 state championship. In 2009, the Lady Pirates advanced to the Final Four and cap-tured 3rd-place honors after losing to even-tual state champion Blair Oaks in the state semifinals. In 2010, Pleasant Hope dropped a 1-0 nail biter to eventual state champion Warsaw in the Sectional round. Last season, the team carried a 27-0 record into the state

title game before the disappointing loss to Palmyra.

One thing that is a bit different than in year’s past is the Lady Pirates’ strength of schedule. Pleasant Hope has always played “up in class,” so to speak, by scheduling some local big school powers. However, this season the Lady Pirates have scheduled as many of the big schools as possible. Pleas-ant Hope entered postseason play with an 18-2 record, with wins over Class 4 schools Rolla and Ozark, and Class 3 schools such as Nevada, Aurora, Logan-Rogersville, and Warrensburg. The lone losses were to a pair of Class 4 schools in Nixa and Carthage.

“My main goal was to try and see as much quality pitching as possible,” said Flora of his scheduling rationale. “Last year, the girl from Palmyra really dominated us as a whole. I am hoping that seeing better pitching will help prepare us for the postseason when the pitching can get really tough. When you are playing some of the smaller schools, it can kind of be a detriment, because you might play a girl throwing 58 miles per hour one day and then 48 miles per hour the next day. That can mess with your timing. I am hoping

that facing the better pitching will speed our bats up for the teams that are coming up.

“It should give us a ton of confidence,” added Flora about playing the larger schools. “When you play Class 4 schools, their girls in general are just bigger, stronger and faster throughout their line-up. Then when you come back down and play Class 2 schools, most of the time they just look way less intimidating. I think it gives us a slight mental edge.”

“Playing better teams will only make our team stronger,” said Hillenburg. “We want to play the best so we can be the best. If we make it to the Final Four, we are going to see some of the best pitching in the state, so we need to face good pitching throughout the season.”

Generally speaking, a softball team will go as far as its staff ace will carry it in the post-season. True, there has to be some timely hit-ting and suffocating defense, but oftentimes, a dominating, shut down pitcher can be the key to a deep postseason run. That is even more apparent in the smaller classes where the number of players is limited by enroll-ment figures. Pleasant Hope certainly has its

workhouse in the circle in Siegis-mund, who can befuddle opposing hitters with a variety of nasty stuff. However, the Lady Pirates resemble a larger school in the other aspects of the game, such as timely hitting, extra base hits, playing stellar de-fense, and of course, fundamentals.

“We are a very disciplined and a very fundamentally sound team,” said Evans. “We work hard to be the best team that we can be, and work as a team. We are all good hitters and we are a very fast team. We don’t get down on ourselves quickly like some teams do. We all pick each other up and focus on doing everything right every time.”

“We are all very close and committed to each other and the team,” said Hillenburg. “Our motto this season is ‘One Vision, One Goal, One Team.’ That pretty much sums it up.”

Of course, it is a confidence booster know-ing that Siegismund, one of the best pitchers in the state regardless of class, is taking the ball in the circle each game. “It’s a great feel-ing knowing that Sarah will try her hardest every game and that every single one of our players has a lot of confidence in her,” said Richardson. “She always gets the job done.”

“It is a great feeling knowing that I can trust her,” said Evans, Siegismund’s battery mate behind the plate. “Sarah is great in the circle because she knows her responsibility as a pitcher by knowing what bases to back up and listening on where to throw the ball. She is a great player and pitcher and I am glad she is on my team.”

“I just relax and play the game I know I can play,” said Siegismund of her mindset for each game. “I feel very confident in my team with the players I have behind me, as well as in our line-up. As a team, we just have to relax when we play, and just take one game

20

OPI

DATE WITH STATE?Palmyra 6 Pleasant Hope 2.


by byron shive

It was one game of 28 played last season by the Pleasant Hope Lady Pirates’ softball team, but the loss came in the Class 2 state championship game. It was the Lady Pirates’ only loss of the season. In a season filled with attained goals, personal and team ac-complishments and 27 victories, that one loss is what the Lady Pirate players remem-ber most of all.

This fall, Pleasant Hope returned virtually its entire starting line-up and all key reserves from last season’s state runner-up team, and each of the Lady Pirates has used the mem-ory of the disappointing state championship game loss to fuel another deep October tour-ney run. With District tournament beginning across the state when Ozark Preps Illustrated

went to press, Pleasant Hope will be looking to advance to its third Final Four in the past four seasons after advancing in 2009 and last season.

“We have a ton of experience back,” said head coach Jim Flora, who is in the midst of his ninth season at the helm of the Lady Pirates this fall. “My seniors have now been (to the Final Four) twice. They know what it takes and how hard it is to do. They know the excitement and how it brings the town together. There is no doubt they are moti-vated to experience it again.”

Pleasant Hope features a deep, supremely talented and very experienced line-up. Of-fensively, the Lady Pirates are capable of stringing together hits and runs at any point

in the line-up, while in the field, Pleasant Hope is as sound defensively as any team in the state. It also helps to send dominat-ing senior pitcher Sarah Siegismund to the circle. Siegismund is one of five seniors who returned this season after garnering 1st-Team All-State honors as juniors a year ago. That list of All-Staters includes shortstop Kari Hil-lenburg, third baseman Hailey Richardson, catcher Catlin Evans, and right fielder Lizzy Mosley.

A 27-1 season is remarkable by any standard, but when that lone loss comes in the state championship game, it can make for a very long offseason—and an easy source of motivation. “They are sick of me talking about it,” said Flora of the title game

loss. “Their one goal is to get back there and win it this time. Let’s just say when I men-tion it during conditioning everyone runs a little harder and faster than on the previous sprint.”

With nearly every player returning from a state runner-up team, Pleasant Hope has had a bull’s eye on its back this season. The Lady Pirates know they are going to get every opponent’s best shot. However, the team has not shied away from the challenges, but instead has embraced the opportunity to improve.

“We think every game is the state game,” said Evans, the team’s leadoff hitter. “We are going to have the focus to do everything to the best of our ability. We aren’t going to wish that we could have done this or that

better. We are going to have no regrets. We’re all going to play like every game is our last.” Richardson was a little more succinct when she simply said, “I don’t worry about the other team’s motivation. I focus on what our team is trying to accomplish.”

“It’s really been that way for a couple of years now, so they are pretty used to it,” said Flora of his team’s mindset. “This team is really business-like in their approach. They just try to focus on what they can control. They are very confident in their abilities and they know if they play well they are tough to beat.”

The pressure will increase now that the state playoffs have begun, especially when you consider that in the past three seasons, the team that has defeated Pleasant Hope in the state playoffs has gone on to win a Class 2 state championship. In 2009, the Lady Pirates advanced to the Final Four and cap-tured 3rd-place honors after losing to even-tual state champion Blair Oaks in the state semifinals. In 2010, Pleasant Hope dropped a 1-0 nail biter to eventual state champion Warsaw in the Sectional round. Last season, the team carried a 27-0 record into the state

title game before the disappointing loss to Palmyra.

One thing that is a bit different than in year’s past is the Lady Pirates’ strength of schedule. Pleasant Hope has always played “up in class,” so to speak, by scheduling some local big school powers. However, this season the Lady Pirates have scheduled as many of the big schools as possible. Pleas-ant Hope entered postseason play with an 18-2 record, with wins over Class 4 schools Rolla and Ozark, and Class 3 schools such as Nevada, Aurora, Logan-Rogersville, and Warrensburg. The lone losses were to a pair of Class 4 schools in Nixa and Carthage.

“My main goal was to try and see as much quality pitching as possible,” said Flora of his scheduling rationale. “Last year, the girl from Palmyra really dominated us as a whole. I am hoping that seeing better pitching will help prepare us for the postseason when the pitching can get really tough. When you are playing some of the smaller schools, it can kind of be a detriment, because you might play a girl throwing 58 miles per hour one day and then 48 miles per hour the next day. That can mess with your timing. I am hoping

that facing the better pitching will speed our bats up for the teams that are coming up.

“It should give us a ton of confidence,” added Flora about playing the larger schools. “When you play Class 4 schools, their girls in general are just bigger, stronger and faster throughout their line-up. Then when you come back down and play Class 2 schools, most of the time they just look way less intimidating. I think it gives us a slight mental edge.”

“Playing better teams will only make our team stronger,” said Hillenburg. “We want to play the best so we can be the best. If we make it to the Final Four, we are going to see some of the best pitching in the state, so we need to face good pitching throughout the season.”

Generally speaking, a softball team will go as far as its staff ace will carry it in the post-season. True, there has to be some timely hit-ting and suffocating defense, but oftentimes, a dominating, shut down pitcher can be the key to a deep postseason run. That is even more apparent in the smaller classes where the number of players is limited by enroll-ment figures. Pleasant Hope certainly has its

workhouse in the circle in Siegis-mund, who can befuddle opposing hitters with a variety of nasty stuff. However, the Lady Pirates resemble a larger school in the other aspects of the game, such as timely hitting, extra base hits, playing stellar de-fense, and of course, fundamentals.

“We are a very disciplined and a very fundamentally sound team,” said Evans. “We work hard to be the best team that we can be, and work as a team. We are all good hitters and we are a very fast team. We don’t get down on ourselves quickly like some teams do. We all pick each other up and focus on doing everything right every time.”

“We are all very close and committed to each other and the team,” said Hillenburg. “Our motto this season is ‘One Vision, One Goal, One Team.’ That pretty much sums it up.”

Of course, it is a confidence booster know-ing that Siegismund, one of the best pitchers in the state regardless of class, is taking the ball in the circle each game. “It’s a great feel-ing knowing that Sarah will try her hardest every game and that every single one of our players has a lot of confidence in her,” said Richardson. “She always gets the job done.”

“It is a great feeling knowing that I can trust her,” said Evans, Siegismund’s battery mate behind the plate. “Sarah is great in the circle because she knows her responsibility as a pitcher by knowing what bases to back up and listening on where to throw the ball. She is a great player and pitcher and I am glad she is on my team.”

“I just relax and play the game I know I can play,” said Siegismund of her mindset for each game. “I feel very confident in my team with the players I have behind me, as well as in our line-up. As a team, we just have to relax when we play, and just take one game

21

OPI


at a time. We are playing for a purpose this year.” Through 17 games, Siegismund had posted a 13-1 record with an ERA of 1.51. Pleasant Hope also can hand the ball to Kori Hillenburg to give Siegismund a break. Hil-lenburg is 3-0 on the season and has only surrendered one earned run.

The Lady Pirates also exemplify the cliché coaching mantra of “defense wins champi-onships.” “It all starts for us with pitching and defense,” said Flora. “I would say we have two of the top pitchers in 2A and have one of the best infields in all classifications. Defense is and has been our strength for the past four seasons. We make very few mis-takes and make a ton of difficult plays that a lot of teams would not make. Our infield has been extremely solid.”

The Lady Pirates’ statistics through 17 games are impressive, keyed by Evans in the leadoff spot. The speedy catcher was batting

.509 with a pair of homeruns, as well as three doubles and three triples, and led the team with 35 runs scored. Kari Hillenburg was batting .519, which was tops on the team for regular starters, and led the team with 29 RBI and had also scored 21 runs. Other offensive standouts have included Mosley (.472 BA, 19 RBI, 5 2B, 4 3B), Richardson (.396 BA, 21 RBI, 5 2B, 20 R), Kori Hillenburg (.462 BA, 15 RBI, 22 R), and Madi Freeman (.429 BA).

The Lady Pirates’ speed is yet another weapon that Pleasant Hope unleashes on opponents. The team had swiped 61 bases through 17 games, led by Freeman’s 15, Evans’ 14 and Kari Hillenburg’s 11. The Lady Pirates had only been caught stealing three times all season, meaning that Pleas-ant Hope base stealers were safe over 95 percent of the time.

It makes sense then that the Pleasant

Hope summer league team is called the Stealers, and Pleasant Hope has been as successful in summer ball as it has been in the Class 2 state tournament the past few seasons. In fact, the Pleasant Hope Steal-ers, a team comprised primarily of Pleasant Hope players, finished in 3rd-place at the USSSA 16-Under Fastpitch World Series in July, as Kari Hillenburg was named the tour-nament’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Overall, the Stealers posted a 43-8 record from April to July.

“To finish third at the World Series playing some of the best hand-picked teams, and seeing some of the best pitching, will only benefit us in our run at State,” said Kari Hillenburg. “The goal of our travel team has always been to get better for high school softball.”

For those opponents thinking that Pleasant Hope’s success is due primarily to a par-ticularly talented class that will eventually graduate could not be more wrong. Yes, the senior class at Pleasant Hope is talented, but there is future talent being groomed on ball fields all over the southeast corner of Polk County.

“We have a great summer program at Pleasant Hope,” said Flora. “Last summer, we had 16U, 14U, 10U and 8U teams that all won tournaments. These teams are almost entirely comprised of Pleasant Hope girls. The best thing about the program is that it is all designed around our high school team’s philosophy. They all teach everything

the same way, do the same drills, and even use most of the same signs. This is a huge benefit to our high school team, obviously. We had somewhere around 50 Pleasant Hope girls playing competitive softball last summer.”

With softball basically a year round activity at Pleasant Hope, the Lady Pirates have developed some very strong team chemistry. “Most of us have played together since we were ten years old,” said Kari Hillenburg. “We all have worked very hard and we trust each other on and off the field. These girls really are like my sisters. I spend as much time with them as I do my own family, with all the traveling, practicing, and playing softball.”

“These girls are my best friends and they share my passion for softball,” said Siegismund. “I know they will always have my back. I also feel we have two of the best coaches in the area in Coach Flora and Coach K (assistant coach Kevin McVey). Not only are they good coaches, but good men.”

The success of the Lady Pirate softball team the past several years has put Pleas-ant Hope on the map all across the state. The success of the team is a source of pride for the community, and the black-and-gold faithful are out in force for every game—home or away.

“It’s always good to have the commu-nity support you, and just seeing every-body at a majority of our events really does help,” said Kari Hillenburg. “It really pushes us to do better and make our town proud of what we have done, and what we are hopefully going to do this fall.”

“Our community and families are the best,” said Siegismund. “They not only have been a huge support to us at games, but also in every fundraising effort we’ve done, whether for travel ball or field improvements. We can’t thank them enough and hope to make them proud this season.”

“Softball has become a big deal in Pleasant Hope,” said Flora. “The amount of support at the state title game last season was unbelievable. The crowd was three-fourths black-and-gold. The girls know they are playing for more than just themselves.

“Whether or not we make it back to the Final Four or not, this team is special,” added Flora. “They refuse to lose. They are a special group. They have elevated a very good softball program to elite status. Now when people talk about Pleasant Hope there usually is something in the conversation about softball.”

““““

The Lady Pirates’ speed is yet another weapon that Pleasant Hope unleashes on opponents. The team had swiped 61 bases through 17 games. The Lady Pirates had only been caught stealing three times all season.

With softball basically a year round activity at Pleasant Hope, the Lady Pi-rates have developed some very strong team chemistry. “Most of us have played together since we were ten years old,” said Kari Hillenburg. “We all have worked very hard and we trust each other on and off the field. These girls really are like my sisters. I spend as much time with them as I do my own fam-ily, with all the traveling, practicing, and playing softball.”

OPI

OCTOBER MADNESSANDSurvive

win

one at time. byron shivegame a by:

goor home.

advance.

cassville vs. branson

Football coaches all across the state will be breaking out the clichés soon as every football team in the state will compete in a bracketed District tournament format after the conclusion of the regular season. The new playoff format was unanimously approved by the MSHSAA Board of Directors in April of this year.

Under the previous format, which had been in place since 2008, teams played a 10-game regular season. Each team was assigned to a District, with the majority of Districts across the state comprised of four teams. The final three games of the regular season were played against District opponents, with each District producing a District champion and a runner-up, both of which advanced to the state playoffs.

Under the new playoff format, each team will play a nine-game regular season, with each school scheduling each of these games. The tenth game of the season will be the first round of District play, with every team in the state competing. Each district in Classes 1-4 and Class 6 is comprised of eight teams, and these eight teams are seeded by a complex point system over the course of the regular season. Class 5 (as well as 8-man football) districts will be based on the number of teams in the region.

The District tournament will operate simi-larly to District tournament formats in other MSHSAA sports, with the top seed hosting the #8 seed, the second seed hosting the #7 seed, and so on. After week one of District play, each District will be narrowed to four teams; to two finalists after week two of Districts, with a District champion crowned following the third week. There are eight districts total in Classes 1-5, which means that District champions advance to the state quarterfinals. With only four districts in Class 6, the district champions automatically advance to the state semifinals.

Another unique aspect of the new format involves the financial ramifications of the tenth game. With each school scheduling nine games, some schools will have five home games and four away games, while other schools will play four home games and five away contests, thus losing the gate revenue

from a fifth home game. In order to make the system as fair and equitable as possible, the gate receipts for the tenth game (minus expenses) will be split on a 60/40 basis, with the home team receiving 60 percent of the revenue and the visiting team 40 percent of the gate.

The point system that will be used for district seeding is complex, but does take into account wins and losses, strength of schedule, and point differential, as well as awarding points for playing “up in class” against a larg-er school. The points for WINS AND LOSSES are simple: if you win, you receive 20 points, while a loss is still worth 10 points. If a team loses in overtime, it will receive 15 points. These points are then added up and divided by the total number of games played.

Teams are also awarded 10 bonus points per class for PLAYING UP IN CLASS against an opponent. For example, when Class 3 Cassville hosted Class 5 Branson in the regu-lar season opener, the Wildcats were awarded 20 bonus points for playing a school that was two classes larger. A team is not penalized for playing “down in class,” though, meaning that Branson was not docked any points for playing a smaller school. Each team’s bonus points for this category are also divided by the total number of games played.

The POINT DIFFERENTIAL for each game will also be calculated, with the total for any one game not to exceed plus-13 or minus-13 points. For example, with regard to point differential, Hillcrest received six points for its 18-12 victory over Camdenton on Aug. 24, but only received the maximum 13 points for its 20-0 win over West Plains on Sept. 14. Conversely, the Hornets were deducted five points following their first loss of the season, a 26-21 setback to Kickapoo on Sept. 27. Once again, the total number of points is divided by the total number of games played.

The points awarded for the three categories detailed above are pretty simple to com-pute…just add up the total points for each category and divide by the number of games played. However, the formula used to com-pute each team’s STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE may require an advanced degree in applied statistics, a good understanding of algorithms,

and a computer for good measure. Here is an explanation of the formula taken directly from the MSHSAA press release announcing the new playoff format: “Points from opponent’s schedule by taking the sum of the win/loss record from each team you have played times the points for a win and loss, 10, 20 minus your contribution to the opponent’s record, divided by the total number of games played minus the number of games you played.” Got it?

Regardless of the complexities of the strength of schedule component, for the most part, area football coaches are taking a wait-and-see approach with the new system as a whole. A general consensus is that the coaches would like to have had more input on the new process.

“It will be interesting to see how the formu-la for seeding works out,” said David Large, head coach of perennial Class 3 powerhouse Cassville. “It would have been nice to have had more input on it. It’s hard to comment on it too much when you are not sure how it works. We may end up liking the formula and this procedure after a couple of years.”

“I’m not sure I like this system, but I am curious to see how it goes when we test it and, hopefully, we can work out any kinks with it,” said Lance Gallamore, head coach of Class 2 Pleasant Hope. “I do like the new format and how it now makes the regular season mean more than what it has in past years. For us this format also allows us to play schools that in years past we would not be matched up with due to location. Scheduling will be a huge factor for us because the point system for playing up or down in class can affect your seeding. Bottom line, I think that you still need to play a competitive schedule to prepare you for the districts.”

Most area schools are members of confer-ences, which means that of the nine regular season games, six to seven may already be predetermined due to conference match-ups. That means that these schools will only have the opportunity to schedule a couple of non-conference games each season. Will teams take advantage of these non-conference games to “schedule up” to gain additional bo-nus points, or will teams use these games to

24

OPI

OCTOBER MADNESSANDSurvive

win

one at time. byron shivegame a by:

goor home.

advance.

cassville vs. branson

schedule “winnable” games to add points in that area? “We always try to play teams up, so it really doesn’t change anything,” said Large.

“In my opinion, I think a mixture of both will be the best,” said Gallamore. “Obviously you need to challenge yourself enough to be prepared for Districts. I think a lot of emphasis is on the seeding in districts right now, rather than playing a competitive schedule that will set you up to make a run in the playoffs.“This will not affect our schedule directly near as much, because we tend to play schools that are the same classification,” added Gal-lamore. “Playing a tough team in a class below you, though, can be just as valuable. I think most coaches will take that approach, but in my opinion, as far as seeding for dis-tricts, most coaches will simply worry about their own win-loss record.”

For the larger schools, such as Class 5 power Ozark and its annual gauntlet through COC-Large juggernauts like Webb City, Carthage and Nixa, the need to “schedule up” is not as important as it may be for smaller schools. In fact, the Tigers used their two non-conference games this season to post a

couple of victories over St. Joseph’s Benton and Harrison (Ark.). “It may have a factor in some teams’ scheduling, but it really will not affect us,” said Ozark head coach Mark Bliss. “I truly think that this season will have a wait-and-see effect and see how all things play out in this first year in order to make decisions in the future in scheduling.”

“Scheduling up doesn’t do much if you don’t win,” said Bobby Cornelison, head coach at Springfield Catholic, a perennial Class 3 contender. “You are better off play-ing down a class against schools with good records over scheduling up against teams with poor records. The bottom line is win!”

One key benefit of the new system is that District seeding will be objective. As the saying goes, “the numbers don’t lie.” In many of the other sports, the District coaches meet toward the end of the regular season and vote on the seeds for the District tournament. Regardless of whatever formula (if any) each coach uses to determine District seeding, the human element means that there is a lot of subjectivity at work in the seeding process in those sports.

“Our district is so spread out it would be difficult to get us all together for a seed meet-ing,” said Cornelison. “As a former basketball coach, I also think this will keep someone from stacking the deck in their favor.”

Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the explanation regarding the point differen-tial, the underlying purpose in capping the differential at 13 points seems to be to prevent teams from running up the score on inferior opponents. This is something that the coaches certainly favor. However, suppose a team is leading by a touchdown in the waning mo-ments of a game and has the ball deep in their opponent’s territory. Do you take a knee and run out the clock, or do you try and punch in another score to gain the maximum 13 points?

“I think it is a good rule,” said Large. “No one ever needs to run up the score at the high school level. We will still take a knee. A win is a win regardless of the score. That seven points may affect a seeding or a home field game, but not how you play when you show up for that next game.”

Under the old system, which also factored

Cassville’s Hayden Prater (#33) blasts through a hole behind the block of Chris Dunker (#44) and an unidentified Wildcat lineman as Branson’s Daniel Schoenecke (L) and Nick Turner (#44) try to make the tackle in Cassville’s 48-7 victory over the Pirates on Aug. 24 in the season opener. Cassville, a perennial Class 3 pow-erhouse, earned 20 points for the victory and an additional 20 bonus points for playing the Class 5 Pirates, who received 10 points for the loss under the playoff format. (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

OPI

Hillcrest vs. camdenton

Springf eld catholic vs. mt. view/libertyi

history of missouri playoff format

PF PFwww.whiteriver.org

Learn the basic strength and conditioning training techniques to maximize your abilities and improve your athletic performance.

Camp is held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.

$45 per student For more information and to register, call 417/236-2480.

June 13-30Monett South Park: 10:30 a.m.Republic Community Center: 9 a.m.Mt. Vernon Jr. High School: 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

July 11-28Monett South Park: 9 a.m., 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.Aurora High School: 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

coxhealth.com

Cox Monett

2011 Speed and Conditioning Campfor grades 5–12

Kickapoo’s Stefan Herron (L) makes the ex-change with teammate Cody Anderson (R) after the first leg of the 4x200 meter relay at the All-City Relays on Mar. 31 at JFK Stadium. (Staff Photo)

Marion C. Early shortstop Brandon Martinsen applies the tag to Dadeville’s Zane Medley, who was caught stealing in the third inning of the Panthers’ 10-0 victory on Apr. 8 in the finals of the Halfway bracket of the Halfway/Wheatland Tournament. Morrisville’s Dustin Hargus (#2) watches the play unfold from his second base position. (Staff Photo)

Bolivar base runner Kolby Follis (L) and Stockton shortstop Robbe Ewing (R) react to a pop-fly on the infield during the Liberators’ thrilling 7-5 come-from-behind victory in eight innings over the Tigers in round robin play of the Buf-falo/Bolivar Tournament on Mar. 22 at Bolivar High School. (Staff Photo)

in a point differential, punching in a late touchdown might have been the difference between advancing out of District play to the state playoffs or sitting at home come late October. “It depends on how deep in the sea-son you are,” said Cornelison of whether his Irish would try and tack on a late touchdown under the new system. “Later, when you start number-crunching, you might try to punch it in. I think it will be less of a factor since it is about seeding versus getting in like before.”

There are potential scenarios which could create controversy under the new format. For example, it is entirely plausible that a team can receive a higher District seed than a school with the same overall record which it lost to head-to-head during the regular season.

Another potential area of controversy deals with the competition level in various confer-ences. Some conferences have traditionally been more competitive top-to-bottom than other conferences. With teams playing the majority of their regular season games against conference opponents, the more competi-tive conferences may be at a disadvantage come seeding time after beating up on each other in the regular season. One school may

be seeded higher in Districts after compiling a better won-loss record in a weaker confer-ence, whereas a team from a more competi-tive conference may have more losses against better competition. Of course, with every school now getting a shot at competing in the District tournament, every team will control its own destiny regardless of seeding.

The new playoff format will give every football team in the state a chance to win a state championship—or at least a District title—which seems to be a positive change from the previous format. However, what would a “perfect” playoff format look like? According to Cornelison, there is “no such animal.” More than one coach, though, favors the system in play in Oklahoma, in which each district is comprised of eight teams. The first three weeks of the regular season feature “non-district” games, with the final seven games featuring match-ups with district op-ponents. The top four teams in each district at the end of the regular season advance to the state playoffs and are seeded and cross-brack-eted with the top four teams from another district.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. There is a new playoff format

in place in Missouri high school football, but despite all of the point systems, formulas and other changes, expect to see the traditional powers advancing under the new format.

“I personally don’t think it will be that big of a deal,” said Cornelison, in his final as-sessment of the new playoff format. “It puts us on par with most other team sports. After week 10, though, we will still have the same number of teams left as before. The road you take will still lead through the same tradi-tional powers. More than likely, when you get to the quarterfinals, you will end up with the same eight teams you would have under the old system.

“The bottom line is that you need to play your best ball at the end of the year,” added Cornelison. “If you get hot and or peak at the right time, you can make a deep playoff run. I was fine with the old system, was fine when we took one team out, and don’t see anything in this new system that just jumps out at me that looks great or bad either way.”

Survive and advance. Win or go home. One game at a time.

Hillcrest offensive linemen Michael Orr (#72) and Hunter Williams (#69) open a hole for quarterback Jonah Hill (#9) to run through in the Hornets’ 18-12 season-opening victory on Aug. 24 over visiting Cam-denton. Under the new playoff format, Hillcrest picked up 20 points for the victory, as well as six points for the margin of victory. (Staff Photo)

Carl E. Burnett, Professional Land Surveyor

Providing COMPLETE, ACCURATEand RELIABLE surveys and services.

[email protected](7528)

OPI

Hillcrest vs. camdenton

Springf eld catholic vs. mt. view/libertyi

history of missouri playoff format

PF PFwww.whiteriver.org

Learn the basic strength and conditioning training techniques to maximize your abilities and improve your athletic performance.

Camp is held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.

$45 per student For more information and to register, call 417/236-2480.

June 13-30Monett South Park: 10:30 a.m.Republic Community Center: 9 a.m.Mt. Vernon Jr. High School: 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

July 11-28Monett South Park: 9 a.m., 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.Aurora High School: 1 p.m., 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

coxhealth.com

Cox Monett

2011 Speed and Conditioning Campfor grades 5–12

Kickapoo’s Stefan Herron (L) makes the ex-change with teammate Cody Anderson (R) after the first leg of the 4x200 meter relay at the All-City Relays on Mar. 31 at JFK Stadium. (Staff Photo)

Marion C. Early shortstop Brandon Martinsen applies the tag to Dadeville’s Zane Medley, who was caught stealing in the third inning of the Panthers’ 10-0 victory on Apr. 8 in the finals of the Halfway bracket of the Halfway/Wheatland Tournament. Morrisville’s Dustin Hargus (#2) watches the play unfold from his second base position. (Staff Photo)

Bolivar base runner Kolby Follis (L) and Stockton shortstop Robbe Ewing (R) react to a pop-fly on the infield during the Liberators’ thrilling 7-5 come-from-behind victory in eight innings over the Tigers in round robin play of the Buf-falo/Bolivar Tournament on Mar. 22 at Bolivar High School. (Staff Photo)

There has been some type of playoff format in place for Missouri high school football since 1968. Many of the formats have been quite similar, maybe a tweak here or a tweak there, while some formats have featured a dramatic change from one season to the next.

At the request of Ozark Preps Illustrated, one man has supplied a brief history of the Missouri football playoff formats. Accord-ing to MSHSAA’s Jason West, Bob Bryant is MSHSAA’s “go-to guy for anything historical” related to high school sports in the Show Me State. Therefore, according to Bryant, here is a brief synopsis of the various football playoff formats in play over the past 45 years:

1968-1974: A rather basic mathematical system was used to qualify schools for the state playoffs

• Schools were divided into four classes (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A)

• There were approximately 250 schools playing football in the state during this time period

• Each class was divided into four districts• Each district produced one champion,

which advanced to the state semifinals in each class

• One unique aspect under the system was that there was no overtime in the state cham-pionship game, meaning that co-champions were declared

1975-1979: Same system as before, except a second qualifier from each district was added

• With still only four districts per class, the top two teams in each district advanced to the state quarterfinals

• Additional points were added or de-ducted for such areas as an opponent’s won-loss record (strength of schedule), and bonus points for finishing unbeaten or beating teams with a winning record

1980-1987: Same format as before, except each district produced four state playoff qualifiers instead of two

• With still just four districts in each class, the move to four teams added a Sectional round to the state playoffs

1982: Class 5A was added

1988-2007: A move to 16 four-team districts• A mathematical system was no longer

used to determine qualifiers• Instead, qualifiers were determined on a

head-to-head basis• Each class was divided into 16 four-team

districts• These four teams played a round robin

schedule the last three weeks of the regular season

• Any ties were based on point differential (with a 13-point maximum)

• In addition, 8-man football was added

2002: Class 6 was added, which was com-prised of the largest 32 schools in the state

• In addition, the “A” designation was dropped from each class (Ex.—Class 3 in-stead of Class 3A)

2008-2011: Same structure as had been in place, except each four-team district qualified two teams to the state playoffs

• With the round robin format, it was en-tirely possible for a team to post a 1-2 district record and still advance to the state playoffs

2012: Back to a mathematical system!• Classes 1-4 and Class 6 have been di-

vided into eight-team districts, with the num-ber of teams in each district in Class 5 (and 8-man football) determined by the number of teams in a particular geographic region

• Each team plays a nine-game regular season against opponents of its choice

• Points are awarded throughout the regu-lar season for such things as wins and losses, point differential, and strength of schedule, as well as bonus points for playing “up in class”

• Prior to Week 10, each of the eight teams in each district are seeded based on the num-ber of points compiled throughout the first nine games of the season

• Week 10 features the first round of district play, with the top seed playing host to the #8 seed, the #2 seed hosting the #7 seed, and so forth

The Springfield Catholic offense gets set to run a play in the Class 3 Fightin’ Irish’s 32-16 loss to perennial Class 2 powerhouse Liberty (Mountain View) on Aug. 31. According to Irish head coach Bobby Cornelison, “You are better off playing down a class against schools with good records over scheduling up against teams with poor records.” (L to R): Nick Nussbaumer, Daniel Davis, Ian Hall, Alec O’Reilly, Eric Smith, Nick Perryman, Remington Slama, and Wes Page. (Staff Photo)

Carl E. Burnett, Professional Land Surveyor

Providing COMPLETE, ACCURATEand RELIABLE surveys and services.

[email protected](7528)

OPI28

A new year is upon us. But before we make this year’s memories, let’s take a look back.

90 years ago: MSHSAA doesn’t exist. The organization starts in 1926 with its first sanc-tioned championship being boys basketball in 1927. Springfield Central loses in the state championship game 27-17 to KC Northeast.

70 years ago: Still only one division in state basketball. Conway takes 2nd after fall-ing 30-27 to a much larger St. Louis Beaumont team at Springfield Central High. Greenwood wins the Class C state boys track and field championship, its second in a row. The Bluejays also win their first indoor track and field title in class M.

60 years ago: Central’s Joe Underwood is the individual state cross country champion. Greenwood wins its second Class S indoor boys track and field title in a row.

50 years ago: Exeter goes 35-0 to win the Class S boys basketball title with a 54-43 win over South Iron. Republic wins the Class M title by beating Bernie 78-63. Golden City gets a Class C state title in boys track and field, while Parkview finishes second in Class A. Golden City also wins the indoor state title, and would repeat as champions the next year.

45 years ago: The Bradleyville “Hicks from the Sticks” win their third Class S basketball title in seven years with a 76-73 quadruple overtime win over Howardville—still the longest champi-onship game in Missouri history. Parkview takes 3rd-place in the first-ever MSHSAA state boys tennis championships. And Lockwood wins the state indoor track and field event. Lockwood would get a second championship two years later.

40 years ago: Baseball goes to two divi-sions, A and AA. Forsyth wins the final Class S state basketball title with a 63-60 win over Advance. The Panthers are coached by Charlie Campbell, who turned out to be a somewhat good fisherman. The first girls basketball state championship is played. Parkview wins the state boys tennis championship, one of only two the Ozarks has won. The final MSHSAA indoor track and field championships are held.

35 years ago: Glendale takes its second AA baseball state title in three years by defeating

Fox 6-3. Nixa gets a 2A boys basketball title with a 95-56 win over Lilbourn. Greenfield (1A) and Monett (2A) get state football titles, with Monett defeating Louisiana 21-19 at Monett. The Glendale girls win the first of three consec-utive state golf championships. The Greenwood girls get their first state track and field title in class A. The Lady Bluejays would win their second one the next season. Kerry Speaker of Lebanon wins the second of her three state golf titles.

30 years ago: Baseball moves to four divi-sions, classes 1A-4A. Catholic gets the first state girls basketball title for Springfield in Springfield with a 51-44 win over Winston in the 1A cham-pionship at Hammons Student Center. Parkview wins Springfield’s fourth girls golf title in six years with a 36-stroke victory over Rock Bridge. The Stockton girls take the 2A state track and field title by 3 points over Smithville.

25 years ago: Hillcrest wins its second state baseball title with a 3-2 win over Blue Springs in the 4A championship. Marshfield wins its first of four consecutive 3A state girls basketball titles with a 59-58 win over Duchesne to finish 32-0. The Lady Jays wouldn’t lose a game again until 1991. Seneca and Camdenton go unde-feated to win state football championships in 2A and 4A. West Plains finishes an undefeated season with a straight set win over Kirkwood for the 4A state volleyball title, its fourth in a row. Anthony Peeler of KC Paseo and Todd Day of Memphis Hamilton both put on a show in the 4th Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, as Paseo gets the better of Hamilton in the cham-pionship game.

20 years ago: Catholic wins its second con-secutive 2A girls basketball title with a 40-31 win over Cole Camp. Sarcoxie wins the 1A-2A boys golf title by six strokes over Versailles. Morrisville wins its second state softball title with a 2-1 extra inning win over Putnam County. Sarcoxie ties for the 2A state boys track and field title with Lexington. Mt. Vernon’s Bruce Dial sets the state pole vault record at 16 feet 9 inches, a mark which still stands.

15 years ago: Fordland wins the 1A boys basketball state title 75-43 over KC Bishop Hogan. West Plains wins the 4A girls basketball

title with a 52-36 win over Jackson. Rogersville’s Jason Edwards wins the state 3A cross country title. Callie Sell would make it a clean sweep for Rogersville in 3A by winning the girl’s title. Catholic and Webb City finish 14-0 to win the 2A and 4A state football titles. Parkview junior Jessica Polus wins the state golf title. Ted Dupay of Mariner High and Bolivar’s Scott Brakebill combine to score 100 points in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions 5th-place game.

10 years ago: Sparta wins the first Class 1 state baseball title 5-2 over Oran. State basket-ball titles for the Verona, Ozark, and Kickapoo boys, as well as the Skyline, Stockton, and Kickapoo girls. West Plains wins its 11th overall cross country state title, and third in a row. Monett’s Dusty Kime takes his first of two Class 2 cross country state titles. Ken Bowling of Republic takes the Class 3 race. The Lady Zizzers get their sixth state cham-pionship. The Mt. Vernon girls golf team wins its first state title. The Greenwood and West Plains boys win state track and field titles in Class 1 and 4, respectively. It’s the tenth title for Greenwood, but first since 1960. For West Plains, it’s the Zizzers’ first track and field title. Brett McCulloch of Lamar takes the 50 and 100 free, Jared Osborne of Carthage the 100 fly, and Kickapoo’s Geoff Doran wins the 1-meter diving at the boys state swimming and diving championships.

5 years ago: Jared Essary of Galena wins the Class 1 boys golf championship at Rivercut. Ash Grove takes the Class 2 team title at Silo Ridge in Bolivar, while the Ozarks make a clean sweep in Class 4 with Glendale winning the team title and Daily Young of Hillcrest indi-vidual medalist honors. Bolivar takes the Class 4 state girls basketball championship 47-43 in overtime over Notre Dame de Sion. Skyline wins the Class 3 title 44-43 over South Shelby. Ozark takes the Class 4 baseball title 3-2 over Francis Howell. Webb City takes the Class 3 softball championship 2-1 over North Callaway. T.J. Auner of Greenwood wins two state titles at the state swimming and diving championships by taking both the 100 fly and 100 back finals.

Last year: We all remember this still, right?

END ZONE

EEZZKen “Joboo” Pollreisz

OPI

OPIBolivar’s Peyton Peavey (L) and Emma Samek (R) (Staff Photo)

The Cassville marching band (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

Central’s Courtney Arnold (Staff Photo)

Cassville’s Bailey Street (Photo courtesy of Chuck Nickle Photography)

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The Ozark student section roots on the Tiger “D-Fence” against Nixa on Oct. 5 in the Back-yard Brawl. (Staff Photo)

Skyline’s Danielle Lightfoot (Staff Photo) The

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Springfield Catholic volley-ball fans (Staff Photo)

28

A new year is upon us. But before we make this year’s memories, let’s take a look back.

90 years ago: MSHSAA doesn’t exist. The organization starts in 1926 with its first sanc-tioned championship being boys basketball in 1927. Springfield Central loses in the state championship game 27-17 to KC Northeast.

70 years ago: Still only one division in state basketball. Conway takes 2nd after fall-ing 30-27 to a much larger St. Louis Beaumont team at Springfield Central High. Greenwood wins the Class C state boys track and field championship, its second in a row. The Bluejays also win their first indoor track and field title in class M.

60 years ago: Central’s Joe Underwood is the individual state cross country champion. Greenwood wins its second Class S indoor boys track and field title in a row.

50 years ago: Exeter goes 35-0 to win the Class S boys basketball title with a 54-43 win over South Iron. Republic wins the Class M title by beating Bernie 78-63. Golden City gets a Class C state title in boys track and field, while Parkview finishes second in Class A. Golden City also wins the indoor state title, and would repeat as champions the next year.

45 years ago: The Bradleyville “Hicks from the Sticks” win their third Class S basketball title in seven years with a 76-73 quadruple overtime win over Howardville—still the longest champi-onship game in Missouri history. Parkview takes 3rd-place in the first-ever MSHSAA state boys tennis championships. And Lockwood wins the state indoor track and field event. Lockwood would get a second championship two years later.

40 years ago: Baseball goes to two divi-sions, A and AA. Forsyth wins the final Class S state basketball title with a 63-60 win over Advance. The Panthers are coached by Charlie Campbell, who turned out to be a somewhat good fisherman. The first girls basketball state championship is played. Parkview wins the state boys tennis championship, one of only two the Ozarks has won. The final MSHSAA indoor track and field championships are held.

35 years ago: Glendale takes its second AA baseball state title in three years by defeating

Fox 6-3. Nixa gets a 2A boys basketball title with a 95-56 win over Lilbourn. Greenfield (1A) and Monett (2A) get state football titles, with Monett defeating Louisiana 21-19 at Monett. The Glendale girls win the first of three consec-utive state golf championships. The Greenwood girls get their first state track and field title in class A. The Lady Bluejays would win their second one the next season. Kerry Speaker of Lebanon wins the second of her three state golf titles.

30 years ago: Baseball moves to four divi-sions, classes 1A-4A. Catholic gets the first state girls basketball title for Springfield in Springfield with a 51-44 win over Winston in the 1A cham-pionship at Hammons Student Center. Parkview wins Springfield’s fourth girls golf title in six years with a 36-stroke victory over Rock Bridge. The Stockton girls take the 2A state track and field title by 3 points over Smithville.

25 years ago: Hillcrest wins its second state baseball title with a 3-2 win over Blue Springs in the 4A championship. Marshfield wins its first of four consecutive 3A state girls basketball titles with a 59-58 win over Duchesne to finish 32-0. The Lady Jays wouldn’t lose a game again until 1991. Seneca and Camdenton go unde-feated to win state football championships in 2A and 4A. West Plains finishes an undefeated season with a straight set win over Kirkwood for the 4A state volleyball title, its fourth in a row. Anthony Peeler of KC Paseo and Todd Day of Memphis Hamilton both put on a show in the 4th Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, as Paseo gets the better of Hamilton in the cham-pionship game.

20 years ago: Catholic wins its second con-secutive 2A girls basketball title with a 40-31 win over Cole Camp. Sarcoxie wins the 1A-2A boys golf title by six strokes over Versailles. Morrisville wins its second state softball title with a 2-1 extra inning win over Putnam County. Sarcoxie ties for the 2A state boys track and field title with Lexington. Mt. Vernon’s Bruce Dial sets the state pole vault record at 16 feet 9 inches, a mark which still stands.

15 years ago: Fordland wins the 1A boys basketball state title 75-43 over KC Bishop Hogan. West Plains wins the 4A girls basketball

title with a 52-36 win over Jackson. Rogersville’s Jason Edwards wins the state 3A cross country title. Callie Sell would make it a clean sweep for Rogersville in 3A by winning the girl’s title. Catholic and Webb City finish 14-0 to win the 2A and 4A state football titles. Parkview junior Jessica Polus wins the state golf title. Ted Dupay of Mariner High and Bolivar’s Scott Brakebill combine to score 100 points in the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions 5th-place game.

10 years ago: Sparta wins the first Class 1 state baseball title 5-2 over Oran. State basket-ball titles for the Verona, Ozark, and Kickapoo boys, as well as the Skyline, Stockton, and Kickapoo girls. West Plains wins its 11th overall cross country state title, and third in a row. Monett’s Dusty Kime takes his first of two Class 2 cross country state titles. Ken Bowling of Republic takes the Class 3 race. The Lady Zizzers get their sixth state cham-pionship. The Mt. Vernon girls golf team wins its first state title. The Greenwood and West Plains boys win state track and field titles in Class 1 and 4, respectively. It’s the tenth title for Greenwood, but first since 1960. For West Plains, it’s the Zizzers’ first track and field title. Brett McCulloch of Lamar takes the 50 and 100 free, Jared Osborne of Carthage the 100 fly, and Kickapoo’s Geoff Doran wins the 1-meter diving at the boys state swimming and diving championships.

5 years ago: Jared Essary of Galena wins the Class 1 boys golf championship at Rivercut. Ash Grove takes the Class 2 team title at Silo Ridge in Bolivar, while the Ozarks make a clean sweep in Class 4 with Glendale winning the team title and Daily Young of Hillcrest indi-vidual medalist honors. Bolivar takes the Class 4 state girls basketball championship 47-43 in overtime over Notre Dame de Sion. Skyline wins the Class 3 title 44-43 over South Shelby. Ozark takes the Class 4 baseball title 3-2 over Francis Howell. Webb City takes the Class 3 softball championship 2-1 over North Callaway. T.J. Auner of Greenwood wins two state titles at the state swimming and diving championships by taking both the 100 fly and 100 back finals.

Last year: We all remember this still, right?

END ZONE

EEZZKen “Joboo” Pollreisz

OPI

OPI 9OPI

Dynamic Core Stability & its Multi-Sport Incorporation

School is officially back in session and so are sports! Athletes across southwest Missouri are hitting up the gym after a hot summer break and many of them are looking to have their best sports year yet.

Over the last few months, dynamic core stability exercises have been a hot topic in the area of sports medicine. Specifically, how core stability exercises may be applied to a myriad of sports. The focus of core stability has a great deal to do with the ability of the body to con-trol movement and overall motion.

The Anatomy of Core StabilityWhen considering core stability, under-

standing the anatomy of the core is the first step. The only bony connection between your upper and lower body is the spine. The spine is made up of multiple bony segments (vertebrae) as well as the shock absorbing disc

between each segment (intervertebral discs). These intervertebral discs are attached to the disc above and below, and allow for each bony segment to move a little. The addition of incremental movements at each level allows for the full movement of the spine. The move-ment of each of these segments is controlled by local and global muscles. Global muscles are those not directly attached to the vertebrae and cross more than one segment. The global muscles include your external obliques, among many others. Local stabilizers are attached to the lumbar vertebrae. They control stabiliza-tion segment by segment.

What does all of this mean? Because of the wide variety of movements

that occur with different sports, it is not just a matter of how many sit ups a person can per-form. Sit ups alone are not enough to achieve adequate core strength/stability. New dynamic core stabilizing programs incorporate a wide range of movements including using global and local muscle groups, as well as adding

in-balance training. Examples of dynamic core stability exercises include the Turkish Get-up and fitness ropes. If you sustain a back injury or have back pain, it is important to consider both global and local muscle groups as well as balance training during rehabilitation to achieve adequate core stability so that you may return to your daily activities, work or sports. It does not take much change in the strength of contraction of the local stabilizers, or improved core balance to make a big difference in the stability of the spine. Therefore, working with a qualified athletic trainer or physical therapist to establish a 10-15 minute dynamic core stabi-lizing routine (that may be done once or twice daily) could dramatically improve your sense of well-being or your performance in sporting activities.

If you’re ready to get back to a healthy, active lifestyle, please contact my office today at 417-777-6161. The CMH Sports and Occupational Medicine Clinic is located at 2230 S. Springfield, Suite H – J, Bolivar, Mo.

LLDDOn the

DISABLEDLIST Dr. J.P. Simanis

M.D., MPH, MSPH, FAAFP

On the

with Scott Daniel, MPT

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J.P. Simanis, M.D.2230 S. Springfield, Suite H-JBolivar 417-777-6161www.citizensmemorial.com

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Family Medicine, can provide treatment of sports injuries and

occupational therapy. Dr. Simanis also serves as the sports

physician at the CMH Sports Medicine Center on the campus

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2230 S. Springfield, Bolivar417-777-4800www.citizensmemorial.com

Citizens Memorial Healthcare

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