Sports
Page 7
Rain, Turnovers, and Mistakes Lead to Eagles First Loss of the Year by John Unrein
Both Grain Valley and Smithville headed into their Blue Division Suburban Conference debuts undefeated at 2-0, but Smithville’s 29-0 win does not tell the whole story of the evening. The Eagles were plagued by turnovers throughout the night as well as miscommunication in their offensive backfield that led to negative yardage plays. However, there were bright spots to build on from the game that Grain Valley can use moving forward. Just as the skies opened and the rain came down, the 1st quarter ended in a 0-0 tie. Both teams struggled to move the ball consistently. Grain Valley’s defense was stingy, coming up with key stops at times, including Smithville turning the ball over on downs
early in the game. The defensive line was consistently able to get pressure on Smithville’s quarterback during the first half. This was apparent on Smithville’s opening score during the second quarter when quarterback Kellen Simoncic, narrowly escaping a Grain Valley rusher, threw a long scoring pass to tight end Jake Fisher. The ensuing extra point was good, and as Smithville staked the early lead 7-0. Smithville later added a 35-yard field goal to lead 10-0. Grain Valley’s defense stopped Smithville on three consecutive downs with 4 minutes left to go in the second quarter. The Warriors went to a toss sweep on 4th down that led to a 36-yard touchdown run by running back Isaac Miller. A
Muddy Victory in St. Louis
botched extra point snap kept Smithville’s lead at 16-0. The first half ended with Grain Valley unable to build momentum. Quarterback Cole Keller completed a pass to running back Ethan Gasher prior to a backside screen to running back Trent Flake that went for a first down. The drive ultimately stalled as Keller’s pass went incomplete on 4th and 7 prior to halftime. The second half for the Eagles was defined by Flake’s offensive efforts. He opened the 3rd quarter with a 29-yard run. The junior running back went on to add offensive gains throughout the second half on toss sweeps, a swing pass, and isolation runs. Flake was consistently tough to bring down gaining yards after
contact. He also completed his only pass of the night in the 4th quarter on a toss pass to wide receiver Gavin Oyler. The completion was good for 51 yards through the air and moved Grain Valley to the Warriors’ 18-yard line before the drive stalled on an interception. Grain Valley came to close to breaking up the shutout on the next to last play of the game when a touchdown reception from Keller to Oyler was called back due to penalty. The Eagles battled all night trying to overcome the rain, turnovers, and mistakes to no avail. Grain Valley will look to bounce back as they host their next conference opponent in the Platte County Pirates. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Friday, September 14 at Grain Valley.
Little Eagle Cheer & Dance Clinic Grain Valley High School Spirit programs will host their annual Little Eagles Cheer and Dance Clinic on Monday, September 24th at Grain Valley High School. The clinic is open to all interested Kindergarten through 5th grade students. The program will be held from 6:30pm—8:30pm at the high school. Participants will learn a cheer, a chant, and a dance, and perform them live at the September 28th Grain Valley High School football game.
The cost to participate is $25 and includes the clinic, a t-shirt, and two guest passes to the 9/28 football game. A discount of $5 is offered for additional siblings. Funds raised through the program support the high school’s Spirit programs, including travel costs to competitions. Interested participants can email dcarlson@gvr5.net for a registration form. The deadline to register is September 19th.
Photo courtesy Nick Small, GVHS
Grain Valley Cross Country had an outstanding showing at the Forest Park Invitational in St. Louis last weekend. Freshman Ella Casey won first place with a time of 21:22.70. Alaina Valverde came in at 18th place at 23:04.10. Junior Royce Fisher was first for the Boys with a time of 18:27.60. Collin Clemens finished 10th at 18:48.30. Coach Nick Small said the team did well adjusting to adverse
conditions. “I was very proud of the team in their approach to last Saturday. The weather had made course conditions pretty bad. However, the team focused on what they could control and attacked the course with determination and togetherness. They really fought for each other and our team,” Small said.
Football: Varsity vs. Platte County
Softball: Varsity Tournament
Softball: Varsity Game
Tennis: Girls Varsity
Tennis: Girls Varsity @ Marshall
Golf: Girls Varsity @ Adams Pointe Golf Course
Swimming: Boys Varsity Meet
Volleyball: Girls Varsity
The Week Ahead @GVHS 9/14 @ 7:00pm.
@ Marshall 9/15 @ 8:00am
vs. Ozark @ Nixa High School @ 10:30am
9/17 @ 8:00am
Photo credit: Diana Luppens, Switch Focus Photography
GVHS vs. Smithville, @ Grain Valley. 9/117 @ 4:00pm GVHS vs. BSS, @ BS YMCA, 9/18 @ 4:00pm
GVHS vs. Winnetonka @ Winnetonka, 9/18 @ 4:00pm
GVHS vs. Platte County @ Grain Valley, 9/18 @ 7:00pm
