#6 Kelly Newton Destroys Reeds Spring Football Records…

The #6 story of the year takes us to the Perry Phillips Broadcasting Reeds Spring Football Player of the Year….  Kelly Newton had the most explosive offensive season in Wolves Football history.

Newton made the move from halfback to fullback in the offseason and took full advantage of it.  He set the tone early and never looked back.  He crushed the single season rushing record by nearly 500 yards and also got into the endzone more than any Wolf in history.

The senior, speedster had big game after big game, rarely playing much past the half and averaging nearly 11 yards per carry on the season.  And, in true selfless fashion always have credit for his success to his teammates, most notably the offensive line.

When all was said in done he had rushed for 1940 yards and 21 touchdowns, earning him all-state honors.  He led his team to the district championship game, falling to Mount Vernon, in the most competitive game the Mountaineers had on their road to the state title game.

photo courtesy of Ozarks Sports Zone

#7 Varsity Football Comes to Forsyth

The #7 story in this years countdown is the first year of Varsity football in Forsyth.

The Panthers kicked things off this season for the first time at the varsity level.  Since, they came in mid-cycle in the MSHSAA calendar it made scheduling a little difficult and made for some out of area opponents.

Despite it being their first season at this level, the Panthers proved to be competitive.  Most first year schools are happy if they can win a single game.  But, Forsyth was much better than that, falling only one game short of .500, finishing 4-5 on the year.  Along the way, they picked up wins over Northeast (Kansas City), Diamond, Rich Hill, and Santa Fe.

Scheduling will get a lot easier next year as the Panthers move into the Mid-Lakes Conference for football.  It looks like that might be a short stay as various school movements will have the Panthers, with a group that is partially different in the 2020 season.

#8 New Faces in New Places……

# 8 on the countdown this year are the new coaches in the area.  None of the changes garnered more attention than the arrival of Anthony Hays to take over the Branson Football Program.  And, no sport saw more of a shakeup than did volleyball, nearly every school had a change there.  It was also nice to welcome a very familiar face to the coaching reins, as Chris Larson started the golf program at College of the Ozarks.

Here is a look at the changes this past year….

School

old coach > new coach

Branson

Volleyball

Becky Lipasek  > Lauren Dorris

Football

Dan Henderson > Anthony Hays

Boys Basketball

Kirk Hanson  > Mike Linehan

Reeds Spring

Volleyball

Jennifer Nichols > Molly Illum

Golf

Justin Drake > Barry Yocom

Hollister

Volleyball

Cindy Swatek > Alexis Mitchell

Forsyth

Baseball

Jim Jullian > Byron Richardson

Blue Eye

Volleyball

Amanda Reagan > Taylor Pierce

School of the Ozarks

Girls Basketball

Andrea Martin > Keaundrea Scott

Galena

Boys Basketball

Derek Wilson > David Sherer

Baseball

Byron Richardson > Tim Townsend

Volleyball

Hannah Fondrist > Becky Justis

College of the Ozarks

Golf

New Sport > Chris Larson

 

#9 College of the Ozarks Volleyball

Checking in at number nine on this years countdown is the College of the Ozarks Volleyball team

The Lady Cats started the year blazing hot winning their first ten matches and were undefeated through Labor Day.  But that was just the start of what ended up being a very successful campaign for Coach Stacy Muckenthaler’s team.

They would end up posting a 30-7 record before all was said and done and once again qualified for the National Championships, losing to Ottawa on the Braves home floor.  The record goes down as the best winning percentage in school history. (at least since team records are available)

Danielle Curnes and Rielly Dobbs received All-America honors.  Curnes was also named Academic ALL-American.

2017 Top Stories Countdown is Underway….

Its time to start my annual countdown of the top area sports stories of the year.  As is the case every year its strictly a matter of opinion and I do not go back and pour over stories, I work mainly from memory….so, there will be stories that you could easily make an argument for being on this list that may not show up….  with that being said I will start with #10 today and reveal one story a day leading to the top story of the year being revealed on New Years Day.

Number 10 is a story of a team that is the picture of consistency.

The College of the Ozarks women’s basketball team started a new era after the folding of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference.  And, the results were pretty much the same.  More often than not they dominated whoever they played.   They posted a 28-5 record before falling to St Xavier in the National Quarterfinals.

Along the way they won the Association of Independent Institutions Tournament Championship.

Kelsie Cleeton and Cassidy Johnson received NAIA All-American honors.

photo courtesy of naia

 

Wolves End up 10th in Final Poll..

The final sportswriters football poll has finally been released for the season.  And, Reeds Spring shows up at #10.

The Wolves finished the season 9-3.  They won 9 straight games before falling to Mount Vernon in the District Championship Game.  The Mountaineers would go on the play for the State Title.

Here is a look at the final rankings, teams from SW Missouri at in bold print.

CLASS 6

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. CBC (15), 13-1, 150, 1
2. Blue Springs, 11-3, 133, 3
3. Eureka, 12-1, 111, 2
4. Park Hill, 10-3, 104, 5
5. Rockhurst, 8-4, 64, 10
6. Hazelwood Central, 10-2, 59, 9
7. Lindbergh, 10-2, 55, 8
8. Kirkwood, 9-2, 49, 4
9. Lee’s Summit West, 8-3, 45, 7
10. Blue Springs South, 5-7, 27, NR
Dropped out: No. 6 Rock Bridge
Also receiving votes: Rock Bridge (9-2), 21; Ft. Zumwalt West (8-3), 3; Lafayette (7-4), 3; Joplin (8-2), 1

CLASS 5

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Staley (15), 14-0, 150, 1
2. Pattonville, 9-4, 135, 5
3. Fort Zumwalt North, 12-1, 108, 3
4. Vianney, 10-2, 103, 2
5. Fort Osage, 9-3, 92, 4
6. Carthage, 9-4, 82, 10 
7. Liberty, 8-3, 47, 6
8. Battle, 8-4, 44, 8
9. Lebanon, 8-4, 21, NR 
10. Jackson, 8-3, 20, NR
Dropped out: No. 7 Poplar Bluff, No. 9 Sedalia Smith-Cotton
Also receiving votes: Poplar Bluff (9-1), 11; William Chrisman (7-4), 5; Sedalia Smith-Cotton (9-1), 3; Ozark (7-5), 2 Webster Groves (5-5), 1

CLASS 4

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Webb City (15), 15-0, 150, 1 
2. Ladue, 12-3, 131, 5
3. Platte County, 11-3, 120, 3
4. Parkway Central, 12-2, 98, 4
5. Carl Junction, 10-2, 88, 2 
6. Moberly, 10-3, 52, NR
7. Harrisonville, 9-4, 47, NR
8. Hillsboro, 9-4, 39, NR
9. Rolla, 7-6, 27, NR 
10. St. Francis Borgia, 11-1, 19, 7
Dropped out: No. T4 Kearney, No. 8 Smithville, No. 9 MICDS, No. 10 Camdenton
Also receiving votes: Kearney (8-3), 17; St. Joseph Lafayette (9-3), 13; Smithville (9-2), 10; MICDS (9-3), 9; Grain Valley (9-3), 2; Camdenton (8-3), 1; Jefferson City Helias (6-6), 1; West Plains (8-3), 1

CLASS 3

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Maryville (15), 13-2, 54, 7
T2. Blair Oaks, 13-1, 120, 2
T2. Mt. Vernon, 10-5, 120, NR 
4. Center, 8-3, 90, 8
5. Lutheran South, 9-4, 75, NR
6. McCluer South-Berkeley, 10-1, 73, 1
7. Chillicothe, 10-2, 66, 4
8. Park Hills Central, 12-1, 58, 3
9. Eldon, 11-2, 47, 6
10. Reeds Spring, 9-3, 13, NR 
Dropped out: No. 5 Seneca, No. 9 Hogan Prep Academy, No. 10 Mexico
Also receiving votes: Mexico (8-4), 6; Seneca (9-2), 3; Owensville (8-4), 2; Pleasant Hill (5-7), 1; Hogan Prep Academy (10-1), 1

CLASS 2

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Lamar (15), 14-0, 150, 1
2. Lutheran North, 12-1, 126, 3
3. Lafayette County, 14-1, 122, 6
4. Trinity, 9-1, 95, 2
5. Ava, 12-1, 90, 4 
6. Clark County, 9-5, 84, NR
7. North Callaway, 11-2, 42, 7
8. Cardinal Ritter, 9-2, 31, 5
9. Caruthersville, 9-3, 25, NR
10. Palmyra, 9-3, 18, 9
Dropped out: No. 8 Lexington, No. 9 Palmyra, No. 10 South Callaway
Also receiving votes: Holden (5-7), 13; Lathrop (9-3), 13; Malden (10-2), 6; South Callaway (10-2), 5; Mtn. Grove (7-5), 2

CLASS 1

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Monroe City (15), 15-0, 150, 1
2. Valle Catholic, 12-2, 135, 3
3. East Buchanan, 11-3, 113, NR
4. Lockwood, 11-3, 98, NR 
5. Lincoln, 11-1, 65, 5 
6. Westran, 10-3, 60, NR
T7. Princeton, 12-1, 55, 8
T7. Thayer, 9-4, 55, NR
9. Marceline, 11-1, 38, 2
10. Hamilton-Penney, 10-2, 26, 4
Dropped out: No. 6 Pierce City, No. 7 Fayette, No. 9 Hayti, No. 10 Sarcoxie
Also receiving votes: Hayti (9-3), 12; Pierce City (11-1), 10; South Shelby (6-6), 4; Plattsburg (7-5), 2; Sarcoxie (9-2), 2; Adrian (10-2), 1; Crest Ridge (10-2), 1

Branson, Reeds Spring, and Hollister get Blue and Gold Opponents

The brackets were released today for the 2017 version of the Blue and Gold Tournament.  Three local teams will be taking part.

Reeds Spring will get the early wakeup call.  The Wolves drew the first game of the Tournament for the second year in a row.  This year they are the unseeded team.  They will face #8 Stockton at 9:30 AM  on 12/26 at Hammons Student Center on the campus of Missouri State University.

Branson will join the Wolves in the Blue Division but instead of the early game, they get the late, late, show.  The Pirates will take on #3 Strafford in a game that is scheduled to tip at 9:30 PM

Hollister will try their luck in the Gold Division and get to play their first round game at JQH Arena.  They tip at 11:00 and draw the Number One seed: Coach Mark Schweitzer and the Ozark Tigers

The tournament takes place December 26th through 29th

Blue Division

9:30  Reeds Spring vs #8 Stockton

11:00  Skyline vs #1 Nixa

12:30 Lebanon vs #5 Mt Vernon

2:00  Camdenton vs #4 Hartville

5:00 Willow Springs vs #7 Marshfield

6:30 Buffalo vs #2 Mountain Grove

8:00 Ava vs #6 Kickapoo

9:30  Branson vs #3 Strafford

 

Gold Division

9:30  Greenwood vs #8 Clever

11:00  Hollister vs #1 Ozark

12:30 West Plains vs #5 Mansfield

2:00 Hillcrest vs #4 Republic

5:00 Aurora vs #7 Willard

6:30 Crane vs #2 Catholic

8:00 Bolivar vs #6 Fair Grove

9:30 Spokane vs #3 Rogersville

Branson and Blue Eye Girls in State Rankings

The Statewide Basketball rankings are out and a couple of local schools are getting recognition.  The Branson Lady Pirates are up to the number TWO spot in the latest Class 5 poll.  Blue Eye makes an appearance as well.  Coach Ken Elfrink’s team has grabbed the #9 spot in Class 2.

Here is a look at the poll.  SW Missouri teams are in bold print…

Class 1

1 Walnut Grove 2-1
2 Wheatland 2-0
3 Southwest (Livingston County) 1-0
4 Norborne 1-0
5 South Iron 3-1
6 Mound City 4-0
7 Leeton 2-0
8 Madison 4-1
9 Higbee 5-0
10 Jefferson 3-1

Class 2

1 Skyline 3-0
2 Oran 2-0
3 Neelyville 2-1
4 Thayer 4-0
5 Mid Buchanan 2-0
6 Scotland County 2-1
7 New Haven 3-1
8 New Bloomfield 4-1
9 Blue Eye 4-0
10 New Haven 3-1

Class 3

1 Strafford 3-0
2 Trenton 4-0
3 Hermann 4-0
4 Whitfield 1-1
5 California 3-0
6 Lutheran North 3-0
7 Monroe City 2-0
8 Fair Grove 4-0
9 Licking 4-0
10 Central (Park Hills) 1-0

Class 4

1 Incarnate Word 3-0
2 Parkway North 3-0
3 Dexter 3-1
4 Lincoln Prep 4-1
5 Carl Junction 3-0
6 Pacific 4-0
7 Sullivan 4-0
8 St. Dominic 4-0
9 Lutheran South 2-1
10 Osage 3-1

Class 5

1 Kirkwood 3-0
2 Branson 4-0
3 Jackson 5-1
4 Rock Bridge 1-1
5 Lee’s Summit West 2-1
6 Lee’s Summit North 2-1
7 Kickapoo 2-1
8 Washington 1-1
9 Jefferson City 2-2
10 Lee’s Summit 1-1

 

Newton garners Player of the Year

Running Back Kelly Newton has been named the Perry Phillips Broadcasting-Reeds Spring Football Player of the Year for 2017.

Newton had an incredible season rushing for 1930 yards (nearly 11 yards per carry) and crushed the school record by nearly 500 yards.  He also set a new Wolves mark for touchdowns, finding the endzone 21 times on the year.  He was always a big play waiting to happen. Twenty-Six Times he had carries for more than 20 yards; Eleven of those were for more than 40.

The senior garnered 1st Team All-COC honors, where he was the Co-Offensive Player of the Year.  He was also All-District, All-Area, and 3rd team All-State.

Defensively, he was in on 28 tackles, 21 of them solo.  He picked off three passes and returned one of those for a score.

He helped lead the Wolves to a 9-3 mark and a birth in the District Championship Game.

photo courtesy of Michelle Nordin

Forsyth Tournament results and All-Tournament Team

The 57th annual Forsyth Tournament proved to be as competitive as expected.  It was a good week of basketball the ended with the home team taking the Championship for the first time since 2002.

With the final days results, the teams finished as follows..

  1. Forsyth
  2. Strafford
  3. Blue Eye
  4. Reeds Spring
  5. Marshfield
  6. Berryville
  7. Hollister
  8. School of the Ozarks.

All-Tournament Team

Jarrett Ray – Berryville

Payton Webber – Hollister

Lane Carroll – Reeds Spring

Ryan Reagan – Blue Eye

Andrew Mitchell – Blue Eye

Triston Letterman – Marshfield

Weston Boswell – Strafford

Riley Oberbeck –  Strafford

Anthony Stanford – Forsyth

*Micaiah Rocha – Forsyth   TOURNAMENT MVP