WINTER SPORTS 2013
A special publication of the Nevada Daily Mail.
2 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013
NEVADA DAILY MAIL
2013 WINTER SPORTS
Nevada wrestling off to strong start By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
The Nevada High School wrestling team has found itself in the midst of a new set of problems head coach Devin White never encountered in his first five years at the helm of the program. With more than 20 total names on this year’s roster, the Tigers will enter the season with a full lineup. “Numbers are up a little bit. I’m always going to want more,” White said. “I’m never going to be satisfied, so to speak.” The Tigers did come close once as they opened the 2008-09 season with 11 weight classes filled in White’s rookie season as the squad’s head coach. That total eventually was cut to 10 that season and the Tigers never were able to get any closer to a full lineup, until now. “We should have a full lineup this year, from 106, all the way up to 285, provided that injuries and things like that, nothing happens there,” White said. “I don’t know as though I’ve ever had a full lineup since I’ve been here.” That full lineup will feature a number of familiar faces, including Dayton Miller, Daxtyn Hiestand, Johnathon Ireland, Scott Swink, Morgan Long and Trey Pritchett. Those returners, along with a strong core of new additions to the program, will give White plenty to be happy about as the new season approaches. “We picked up a couple of new kids this year,” White said. “Anthony Franco moved in from Harrisonville. He’s going to help us out. “We picked up Chaden Brandt, he was a basketball player last year. Clay Regers, basketball player last year. They kind of came our direction and really enjoy having both of those guys in the room.” “Chaden is a hard worker. Strong, strong kid, very athletic, so I’m very
FILE PHOTO
Chaden Brandt is a rising star for the Nevada High School wrestling squad, for whom head coach Devin White has high hopes.
excited to see what he does with a little bit of training.” White said Brandt will compete with either Franco for a spot in the varsity lineup at 160 pounds, or with another strong returning veteran, Johnathon Ireland, at 152. Ireland could also find himself in competition with Morgan Long at 145, while Franco could also move up and compete with Scott Swink at the 170-pound spot. Should Swink decide to move up to 182, he could compete with Jacob Johnson for a varsity spot, unless Johnson elects to compete with Trey Pritchett at 195. Pritchett could move up to 220, however, leaving the 195pound spot open. “It’s exciting to watch these kids come together and push each other because there is competition in the room and they’re pushing each other to get better every day,” White said. “In turn, they’re going to start seeing that success outside the practice room.”
The Tigers will also welcome back a much bigger and stronger Daxtyn Hiestand and Dayton Miller, who have both made substantial improvements. After putting on 15-20 pounds of muscle since last year, Miller will wrestle at 113, while Hiestand is projected to be back at 132. “Dax has been working very hard, he’s looking very, very strong, very, very smooth and just looking like he’s going to be a top dog,” White said. “So, I’m very excited to see what he does. “Dayton’s back in the room, he’s as good as ever. He’s actually improved from last year, he’s a lot bigger.” White said he credits the Nevada High School football coaching staff for a lot of the physical improvements made by all of his athletes. Not only has Miller gotten noticeably bigger, but he and a number of other athletes on this year’s roster have gotten faster and more athletic, overall, thanks to the
weight training program that is now led by Tigers head football coach Erik Yoakam. “A lot of that, I contribute to Coach Beachler from last year and then, Coach Yoakam this year,” White said. “They’re both exceptional weight room instructors and they’re doing an excellent job with the kids and in turn, all athletics are going to benefit from that. “My hat goes off to them. I appreciate everything they’re doing.” Not only have the Tigers been able to make physical improvements and brought in higher numbers than White has ever seen, but this year’s squad has a unique quality to it that coaches always wish for. Though White has always had a number of athletes on every one of his squads who lead by example, this year’s squad features a number of vocal leaders, as well. “This year, we’ve got a couple kids that are kind of stepping up and being more vocal lead-
ers and encouraging each other, you know, in a good aspect,” he said of the leadership members of his team have shown this preseason. “Not in a negative way, but just encouraging kids, staying on top of kids to ensure that they are working as hard as they can and getting everything out of practice that they need to. “It’s great because it gives me a chance to step back and allow the kids to grow as a team. It really develops that team aspect.” That team development has really come to the forefront as preseason workouts come to an end and the season looms. Not having to continually make his team work on the basics of wrestling and the mechanics of the sport has allowed White and his staff to shift their focus in an entirely different direction — building a family. “We’ve been preaching a lot to the kids these last couple of weeks, ‘You’re a family. You know, these are your brothers right
beside you,’” he said. ‘”They step on the mat, you know, they’re going to war right just like you are. You know, up in the practice room, you’ve got to prepare each other for that.’ And they’re doing a great job of it.” Though that growing “brotherhood” mentality has given White a lot to be happy about, there are still several things that remain uncertain. Since wrestling is an individual sport first, White said he couldn’t make many solid predictions about the season, but did expect his squad to finish with a winning record in dual competition. “It’s hard to tell where we’re going to end up as far as an overall team record,” he said. “I do know this will probably be one of the most successful teams I’ve been a part of, whether we win every dual or lose every dual, individually, they’re going to have success because of their work ethic in the room.” Though it wasn’t quite be completely apparent whether or not those expectations would pan out at the beginning of the year before it began, fans were far from disappointed when the season began. The Tigers put on strong performances in their first three outings of the year, splitting a pair of duals at Clinton before placing sixth in the Steve Leslie Invitational tournament at Pleasant Hill High School and posting one of their best performances in recent memory in a 44-30 loss at home to the Liberators of Bolivar High School Monday. “Their heads are in it, they’re buying into the program and it’s really coming around,” White said. “Like I said, it’s been a lot of fun to see this year’s develop and see what’s going to happen through these next few months. “I’m very excited about this group and looking forward to a fun year.”
Nevada High School wrestling chanters
The 2013 Nevada High School wrestling chanters are, from left: Aliecia King, Isabel Serna, Hanna Bates, Silvia Panni and Inji Hwang. RALPH POKORNY/DAILY MAIL
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013 • 3
Defense remains focus for Nevada basketball By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
“I’m sure our kids, in their minds, will be ready. From a coaching standpoint, I do not feel like we’ll be ready, but we have no choice.” Nevada Tigers head coach John McNeley has never really entered a season believing his team was as ready as it could be to play from the start and this year is no exception, but at the same time, he realized heading into the final full week of preseason workouts that he and his squad will have to make do with what they have and get out on the floor, anyway. In the earliest game he can ever remember the Tigers basketball squad playing — even dating back to his days as a player — McNeley’s squad will open the season early next week, still with a number of questions to answer. Despite those questions, however, McNeley has already seen a number of things out of his team with which he is very impressed. “They’ve been going well,” McNeley said of preseason workouts. “We’re making progress.” The biggest question the Tigers will have to answer this season is how they will recover from last year’s graduation, which left the program with a few familiar faces, but very little experience at the varsity level. Because of that lack of experience, the first thing on McNeley’s mind was a warning to fans that the type of game the Tigers will play this season “isn’t going to be pretty to watch,” but should be effective with this year’s group. “We’ll have to start very basic,” McNeley said. “And we’ll be very vanilla, pretty plain, early on in the
year, simply because we’re going to have to be.” Streaky is a word McNeley used often when discussing what his team’s strengths might be this season, but he was more than willing to admit that even though several players could step up and become major contributors, last year’s graduating class left a substantial hole in the program. With the graduation of Silas Smith and Jamin Brandt, the Tigers lost the majority of their offense, leaving McNeley with a unique challenge ahead of him. “We lost a huge percentage of our offense,” he said. “I have not set down and figured it up, (but) I would anticipate, if I did do that, it would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 80-85 percent. So, any time that you’re having to adjust to not having your major point producers, then that’s a difficult challenge.” The first course of action McNeley has been forced to take this year to meet that challenge has been adapting the game plan to one more suited to this year’s talent. That game plan won’t be one of simply making quick perimeter or inside shots and scoring a lot of points like last year’s offense could, but rather, extending possessions and keeping the ball out of the opposition’s hands as much as possible. “When you are not as gifted, offensively, then you have to look at other ways of playing the game,” McNeley said. “You have to extend your possessions and you have to scratch and claw and that’s what this group will have to do if they’re going to be successful. “It’s not going to be pretty to watch, but this group will play hard.
They’ll compete and I think it is a group that will show consistent improvement throughout the season, simply because of who they are. “I mean, it means something to them. I think it’s critical to the success of this team that we have the ball in our hands more than they have it in theirs.” Though the Tigers don’t really have any standout players on the level of Brandt and Smith from last year’s team, McNeley said a number of players have stepped up into new roles and are primed to make a significant impact. At the top of that list is a player who is predicted to be a much more complete threat and the Tigers’ No. 1 offensive producer, Easton Mitchell. “Easton Mitchell is probably the guy that we would look to now, first, offensively,” McNeley said. “He’s a more complete player than what he was a year ago.” Along with Mitchell, the Tigers will have Brandon Barker and Bryant McKinley, who McNeley said should make up a significant portion of the offense. “We’re going to have to make sure that each night, we give Bryant some opportunities because he is streaky, but he can really run off three or four,” McNeley said. “He’s got good range.” Though those three players will mainly present a perimeter threat, the Tigers haven’t lost sight of what McNeley called the “lost art,” of post play. In contrast to many of today’s high school basketball offenses, the Tigers will attempt to set up the perimeter game by establishing a scoring threat in the post with Devion Leavell.
“It’s a pretty big advantage in the post to be lefthanded, so he’ll have that going for him,” McNeley said. “If you’ve got an inside scoring threat, then naturally, that’s going to open things up from the perimeter, as well.” That combination could set the Tigers up for a substantial amount of success, but nothing has given McNeley more confidence this year than the simple fact that despite a lack of varsity experience, the Tigers have no shortage of leadership within the team. “We’ve got some good senior leadership, which I would hate to think of where we would be without the good senior leadership that we have,” he said. “The guys that know how to do it the right way and they provide a good example for our younger guys.” With all of the questions that still remain unanswered, McNeley really hasn’t thought about what he might be able to expect from his team this season, overall. As he usually does before the season starts, McNeley said his primary focus has simply been on making sure his squad has been given all of the tools FILE PHOTO it needs to be successful. “That’s something I Nevada’s Keegan Bell tries for three points during a really haven’t thought Carthage Invitational tournament game against Neosho. about a great deal and I began, it didn’t take long The Tigers were scheddon’t know that I ever do, to see that the offensive uled to play for fifth necessarily, going into the side of the ball was where place in the tournament season,” McNeley said of the Tigers would need Saturday, but that contest his expectations for the the most work, but they was postponed to Dec. 21, season. “But with this had some trouble hold- due to weather. group, the focus has strict- ing opposing offenses in In their final contest up ly got to be on making check. to this point, the Tigers sure that we, as a coachIn their first three games simply couldn’t overcome ing staff, put our kids in of the season, the Tigers a potent Carl Junction a position to where they won one game, dropping a offense, ultimately resultcan take steps forward and 55-50 decision at Monett in ing in a 16-point loss. improve.” the season opener, before That contest dropped their The Tigers have already falling to Joplin by a final record to 1-3 after the seagotten substantial oppor- score of 61-45 and defeat- son’s first four games. tunity to identify what ing Neosho, 35-33, in the Next on the schedule needs to improve and what Carthage Invitational tour- is Friday, when the Tigers might work. As the season nament. host Warrensburg.
Cottey Comets start season even at 5-5 By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
Despite being in just mid-December, the Cottey College Comets have already played 10 games, splitting them evenly. Head coach Dave Ketterman’s squad entered the season as a mere shell of its former self after all but two members of the Comets team that finished last season with a record of 16-4 left the team. Those two players — Kat Zumalt and Cassie Hale — rejoined the Comets this year in the hope that Ketterman could rebuild his program in time for them to enjoy another successful season. The 2012-13 Comets team was 16-3 before losing to St. Louis Community College in the Region XVI postseason tournament, March 2. Joining Zumalt and Hale to complete the 2013-14 roster that hoped to echo that performance are former Webb City Lady Cardinal Casey Heger; Linsey Denney, Everton, Mo.; Emily Allen, Miller, Mo.; Emily Ashley, Pierce City, Mo.; Leiani Tautiepa, Auckland, New
Zealand; and former DeKalb (Mo.) Lady Tiger Alyssa Jones — who was coached last season by former Nevada Lady Tiger and Cottey College Comet Lacy (Leonard) Warren. The Comets opened the season with two games at home, the first of which was against the Lady Red Devils of Allen County Community College. In that contest, the Comets stayed in it until the late going and proved they would have no trouble on the offensive end of the floor, but ultimately fell by a final score of 94-89. Just two days later, the Comets found the win column for the first time as they took down the Missouri Valley junior varsity squad by a final score of 67-60. That was followed by four straight losses before the Comets got back on the winning track with victories over Hesston College and the Missouri Valley JV for a second time. The Comets extended that winning streak to three games with another solid victory on Dec. 3, when they hosted the
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Cottey’s Kat Zumalt is one of two players who returned from last year’s 16-4 Comets squad.
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4 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013
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Hume Lady Hornets open season 3-0 By Eric Wade
said. “We have only one senior, (and) are a very young and inexperienced team.” Among the returners on this year’s Lady Hornets squad are senior point guard Kaitlee Metcalf, junior guard Hope Yarick, sophomore forward Megan Sutcliffe and junior forward Madison Cannon. Joining them will be sophomore guard Brooke Best, freshman forward Michala Lantzberger and freshman guard Brianna Austin. Metcalf, Yarick, Sutcliffe and Cannon all played integral roles in leading the Lady Hornets to the championship in the conference tournament last year, but two of the biggest producers Thompson has had in recent years are no longer with the team, since they graduated with the Class of 2013. One of those players,
Daily Mail Sports Editor
HUME — With the start of the 2013-14 basketball season looming, the defending Golden Valley Vernon County Conference champion Hume Lady Hornets basketball team was sporting a very similar look to what fans got used to seeing last year. Heading into her eighth season at the helm of the Lady Hornets squad, head coach Delanya Thompson has a solid core on which to build her efforts to get the Lady Hornets another conference championship. The problem, however, is the simple fact that though Thompson has four returning letter winners, this year’s squad will be short on overall numbers and will feature just one senior. “We are always short on numbers,” Thompson
Emily Brooks, was one of the most prolific offensive players in the programs history. Despite being sidelined by two devastating knee injuries — one of which kept her off the floor for nearly her entire senior season — Brooks finished her career with 1,035 points. Thompson said her squad’s biggest strength would be the experience of her four returning players. As for weaknesses and how those issues might be resolved, the coach was far more tight-lipped, leaving fans to simply wait and see what might come of the season. The loss of both Brooks and Tori Sears from last year’s team is bound to be among the things that could be cause for concern heading into the season, as those two players not only accounted for a signifi-
cant portion of the Lady Hornets’ offense over the course of their careers, but Thompson also said both players were among the strongest leaders on last year’s squad, on a number of occasions throughout last season. The Lady Hornets have played three games this season, posting an undefeated record through the early portions of the season. The Lady Hornets opened the season with a 55-33 win over Miami and followed that with a 20-point rout of Ballard and a 52-27 drubbing of Sheldon to open the season 3-0. That undefeated streak ended Tuesday, when the Lady Hornets dropped their closest game of the FILE PHOTO season at Appleton City, by just three points to drop After scoring 1,035 points in her illustrious career, Emily their record to 3-1 on the Brooks became one of the most significant losses the season. Hume Lady Hornets suffered after last year’s graduation.
Hume boys greet new coach, new players Hume’s basketball boys’ team has a new coach and, despite four seniors, some new faces on the court as well. New coach Justin Wehar has deep roots in Hume. “I have lived in the Hume area all of my life and graduated from Hume High School in 2006. The coach from last season as well as the A.D. came to me and wanted to know if I would be interested in coaching the high school boys this season.” Wehar said yes, bringing with him a rich playing background at Hume, having excelled in basketball and baseball at the school. He was a baseball allconference selection three years as Hume finished
as baseball conference champs all three years. He was a basketball allconference selection two years, also earning all-district honors as the Hornets wound up district champs. After graduation from Hume, he went on to earn his bachelor of science degree in P.E. with a minor in technology education from Pittsburg State University, and a master’s degree in health, human performance, and recreation, also from PSU. He said his coaching philosophy is simple. “Hard work equals success, both on and off the court.” The new coach has a challenge, finding himself at the helm of a “somewhat inexperienced team with
not a lot of depth. “Even though we have four seniors, we are somewhat inexperienced and with three new players, plus a freshman our team, we have not had the luxury of playing together from elementary up through junior high and into high school. However, as a team we are willing to work hard and do what it takes to continually improve as the season progresses.” Wehar said he expects Sheldon to be the leader in the conference, with Drexel posing a stiff challenge in the district. Working to meet that challenge are returning players in 6-foot, 1-inch senior Rhett Spencer at forward, senior Cain Crawford (5-10) at guard
and Riley Patton (5-10) at guard, all of whom are expected to fill a key role. They will be joined by junior Austin Sullins (6-3) at forward and sophomore Dakota Thornburg (6-1) at guard in the starting rotation. Backup guards will be freshman Chris Ahrens (5-8) and junior Jake Ham (5-10), with senior Billy Thompson (6-3) seeing time at forward. Summing up, the coach said, “A key for this team is learning to play together as a cooperative unit.” The Hornets opened the season with games against Ballard, Miami, SHEILA MORGAN/SPECIAL TO THE DAILY MAIL Sheldon and Appleton City, but those results were Hume’s Cain Crawford shoots for three points during the not made available to the Hornets’ most recent game against Appleton City, Tuesday Daily Mail. night.
Bronaugh boys enjoy early success By Eric Wade
classmen to its 15-man roster. Despite losing so much offense, that veteran leadership should allow Crane’s squad to build upon what last year’s 11-14 team did. “(The) biggest key for us is very simple,” Crane said. “Consistency. (We) have to be able to play our kind of basketball consistently to have success.” Those upper class veterans returning to this year’s team include senior forwards Thomas Kerbs and Chance Wait and senior guard Jacob Hendrix, along with sophomore center Cole Diggins. Joining them on this year’s squad will be a number of players who didn’t see much varsity time last year, including junior guard Bryce Whitworth, junior forward Parker Norman, senior forward Parker Bott, sophomore guard Gabe McEntire, junior guard Reece Mader
Daily Mail Sports Editor
BRONAUGH — The Bronaugh High School boys’ basketball team will enter the 2013-14 season Thursday with similar questions to those faced by a number of other local teams this season. Head coach Sean Crane’s squad may have only lost three players to last year’s graduation — Josh Willis, Patrick Hallam and Blake Hudson — but those three players accounted for approximately 90 percent of the Wildcats’ offensive production throughout the year. “It will be something we will have to get use to playing without them as those three guys contributed to 90 percent of our scoring last season,” Crane said. This year’s Wildcats squad will have a similar look to last season, welcoming back nine upper-
with contests against Montrose, Northeast Arma and Ballard. The Wildcats won their first two contests, defeating Golden City by a final score of 53-47 and Montrose, 60-55. The first loss of the season for Crane’s squad came against Northeast Arma, when the Wildcats dropped a 75-40 decision, before rebounding to beat Ballard, 52-49, to bring their early-season record to 3-1. Jacob Hendrix is the runaway statistical leader for the Wildcats, as he paces the squad in scoring, assists and steals. Cole Diggins leads the Wildcats in rebounds, according to Crane. Next on the schedule for the Wildcats is Thursday, when they host Jasper. The first game on the schedule that night is set to tip off at 6 p.m., at Bronaugh High School.
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and freshman guard Joe Mader. Though Blake Hudson marked a significant loss for the Wildcats from last year’s team, Crane said his brother, Justin, could step up and fill his shoes this year. “Justin Hudson is a very versatile player for us (who) can be a guard or a forward,” Crane said. “He is looking to take a lot of the roles of his older brother, Blake, who graduated last year.” Despite all of the questions facing this year’s Wildcats squad, confidence still runs high as Crane looks to build upon his 20-31 career record as a head basketball coach. The Wildcats and their fans didn’t have to wait long to see if that confidence will turn into success on the court as Crane’s squad got the season under way on Nov. 26, taking on Golden City, then followed that
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2013 WINTER SPORTS
Execution is key for Sheldon basketball By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
SHELDON — Sheldon High School’s boys’ basketball program has created a rich history of dominance in recent years. That, along with the usual pressures of maintaining a quality team at the high school level, has head coach Tyler Judd in a unique position, heading into the 2013-14 season. Judd’s squad finished 13-0 in Golden Valley Vernon County Conference play last season and will return six lettermen from last year’s squad, thus relieving some of the pressure from his shoulders. Among those returning to this year’s squad are senior forwards Corey Baney, Reed Worsley and Zack Enochs, junior guards Micah Swanson and Jacob McCartney and junior forward Cody Hicks. Though the Panthers are bringing back a solid core of offensive talent
this year, the same might not be true on the defensive side of the ball. Taylor Belew, Robbie McCartney and Kasey Jones were a significant portion of a stingy Panthers defense that rarely allowed the opposition to score more than 25 points last season. “We will lose a little on the defensive end but I have faith in our other boys stepping up to fill that void,” Judd said. That faith comes from the fact that the Panthers have simply continued on the path they have been on for the duration of Judd’s time at the helm, along with the addition of a few new faces to the varsity squad. “I am excited to see what Cody Hicks, Trenton Heckadon, and Jacob McCartney give us this year,’ Judd said. “Cody and Jacob both lettered for us last year, but their role will be more significant this year.
“Cody is a phenomenal athlete that is rare to find. Jacob should be a nice compliment to our starting point guard Micah Swanson. “Trenton does everything pretty well. He is an outstanding passer and a good post player for his size.” Judd said the biggest key to his squad’s success this season will be simple — execution. The Panthers will bring a very balanced offensive attack onto the court and will be “tough to defend,” Judd said, making execution of the game plan as it is drawn up the most significant key to success in the coming season. “I would say our biggest strength is the quality of our kids,” Judd said. “These kids have a great work ethic and want to get better everyday. “They are fun to coach. They are also a very talented group with good size
and athleticism. We like to make it tough on teams to score on us with our length and ability to control the glass.” Judd got his opportunity to see just how well his squad will be able to adjust to the new lineup and the absence of last year’s seniors, and to see how much he could add to his 51-28 career record as a coach, as his squad kicked off the season against Montrose. The Panthers had little trouble picking up their first victory of the season in that contest, defeating the Blue Jays by a final score of 59-43. The Panthers went on to pick up their second victory of the season just two days later, dominating the Hornets of Hume High School in a 50-20 victory. Judd’s squad was scheduled to be back in action FILE PHOTO Tuesday, taking on Golden City on the road, but those Sheldon’s Corey Baney anchors a core of six returning results were not available. players on this year’s Sheldon Panthers basketball team.
Sheldon girls struggle early, open 0-2 By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
SHELDON — The Sheldon Lady Panthers basketball team has taken its share of lumps in recent years, putting the program in a state of turmoil and resulting in a second different head coach in as many seasons. Head coach Leon Lowe’s Lady Panthers finished last season with an overall record of 3-21 and won just one of their seven conference games. That forced Sheldon High School principal and athletic director Jason Irwin to take the reigns himself and begin the process of rebuilding the program as the team’s newest head coach. The Lady Panthers struggled all last season with putting points on
the board and the same could be the case this season. Irwin said this year’s squad will have to rely on defense and physicality to be successful this season, thanks to the loss of the inside presence provided by Jessica Rawlings last year and a few other players transferring out of the district. “Our biggest key to success is to control the pace of the game,” Irwin said. “We have to play great defense and control the boards.” Whether or not the Lady Panthers will be able to accomplish Irwin’s goal of controlling the pace of the game is yet to be determined. Though Irwin’s squad will consist of six familiar faces from last year’s roster, Irwin predicted the biggest thorn in
the Lady Panthers’ side to be a lack of experience. Despite being on the team last year and getting some playing time, five of the six players Irwin will have back are just sophomores, who have very little experience competing at the varsity level. Joining senior guard Destiny Shelton on this year’s list of returning players are sophomore forward Logan Lamb, sophomore guard/ forward Lindsey Turner, sophomore guards Kylie Leavell and Dani Hibbitts, and sophomore forward Amy Brzuchowski. In addition to that core of returning players, Irwin has one newcomer who could provide a muchneeded spark to his squad this season. “Melissa Handle, a junior, decided to play this
year,” Irwin said. “She should help us out inside and with rebounding.” Though the beginning of the 2013-14 season came with a lot of questions, Irwin has been able to get a few of those questions answered through the early portions of the year. The Lady Panthers opened the season with an overall record of 0-2, following a 38-13 loss to Montrose in the season opener at home and a 52-27 drubbing at the hands of the Lady Hornets of Hume High School. Next on the schedule for the Lady Panthers is Friday, when they host the Lady Knights of Northeast Vernon County High School. The first game on the schedule that night is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m., at Sheldon High School.
FILE PHOTO
Logan Lamb is one of six returning players on the Lady Panthers team.
Youth dominates Lady Wildcats roster By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
BRONAUGH — Bronaugh Lady Wildcats head basketball coach Sean Crane has found himself quite busy this winter, as he is heading up both the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs. Much like his boys’ squad, Crane’s Bronaugh Lady Wildcats team has taken its share of lumps recently and will be faced with a number of challenges as the 2013-14 season looms. The most significant of those challenges could be recovering from the loss of seniors Susie Hartman and Breanna Householder from last year’s team. “Susie’s leadership is something that we cannot replace and Breanna was an All-Conference and All-
District performer,” Crane said. “You never like to graduate those kinds of players.” The Lady Wildcats are likely to enter the season very well equipped to make up for those losses, however. With a roster that consists of six returning players and a total of 15 girls, Crane expects his squad to bring a significant measure of depth and versatility to the table. “We have a lot of hardworking young ladies that give us the ability to do lots of different things in practices and games,” he said. Those returning players will include junior guard Martell Moore, junior forward Lora Shaw, senior guard/forward Sierra Arens, senior forward Cydnee Piper,
sophomore guard Heather Baker and sophomore forward Amanda Raper. Megan Yokley and Becca Schnedler were part of the program last year, but Crane said both of those players will be placed into much more significant roles in the future, beginning this season. Also in this year’s senior class is guard Courtney Conner, who transferred into the school district this year. Crane said despite being new to the program, Conner will add a significant level of experience and leadership to his squad. The Lady Wildcats will have a strong group of freshmen adding even more to the mix this season, as well. Leading that group will be forward Katey Rider, guards Taylor
Stratford and Bonnie Moore, and guard/forward Mandy Murphy. “(The) biggest key for us is how quickly will we grow up, which sounds odd saying, but 10 of our 15 are underclassmen,” Crane said. “Then, one of (our) upperclassmen is new to our program. So, it will take some time for us to possibly get experience as a group, but we have high expectations for one another as we hope to be a contender in the conference and district races.” The Lady Wildcats opened the season 3-2, posting a 64-22 victory over Golden City, a 43-35 win over Thomas Jefferson and a 51-12 drubbing of Ballard. The two losses came in a 68-43 decision at Montrose and a 47-38 loss to Northeast Arma.
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Bronaugh Lady Wildcats head coach Sean Crane said Susie Hartmann, far left, is going to be the hardest player to replace from last year’s squad.
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NEVADA DAILY MAIL
2013 WINTER SPORTS
Nevada High School JV Cheerleaders
The Nevada High School junior varsity cheerleaders are, front row: Ally Shumaker. Back row: Alecia King, Blair Murry, Isabell Serna, Sarah Byers and Hannah Bond.
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Cottey’s Casey Heger shoots for two points during Tuesday night’s game against Kansas City, Kan., Community College.
Left: Nevada’s Morgan McNeley looks for a passing lane around a Carthage defender in the third-place game of the Carl Junction Classic tournament.
Right: Nevada’s Chloe Bartlett tries for two points during the third-place game of the Carl Junction Classic tournament.
ERIC WADE/DAILY MAIL
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013 • 7
2013 WINTER SPORTS
Knights basketball opens season 0-2 By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
WALKER — Northeast Vernon County Knights head basketball coach Jeremy Barger is entering his first season at the helm of the Knights squad and despite his squad having won just one game last year, hopes are still high heading into the 2013-14 season. “The biggest strength we have as a team is we will never quit,” Barger said. “These boys want to win, so there is no doubt, no matter the score, effort will not be an issue.” Despite the confidence his team’s effort has given him, however, Barger still has some issues to battle this season. The biggest of those issues, Barger said, will be caused by last year’s 1-23 record. Barger is entering his first season at the helm of the Knights program, hoping to expand not only on that, but on his own career coaching record, which currently stands at 15-10. “The boys’ biggest weakness is their confidence,” he said. “A 1-23 season doesn’t exactly give a team confidence. “The team needs to shoot more when they have an open look and attack the rim. If they do
those things, they will see more wins. They have the ability they just have to learn to use it.” The Knights welcomed seven players back from last year’s squad, all of which are poised to make significant contributions to this year’s team. Anchoring that group are junior guard Drue Hoagland, junior guard and power forward Mitchell Longstreth, junior power forward Joel Baer, sophomore guards Trenton Rader and Jayce Vantellman, and sophomore forwards Jacob Hazel and Ty Davis. Hazel and Rader are relative newcomers to the squad, but do have some experience. Though they didn’t see much playing time as freshman, Barger has high hopes for their future potential. “These two sophomores did not see much time as freshmen but have plenty of potential to be good ball players for NEVC in the future,” he said. The Knights lost two players to graduation last year — Dallas Bugg and Jacob Maus — and Barger said those players will be missed. The most significant of those losses was Maus, who played point guard last season. “Jacob Maus contribut-
ed a lot by starting nearly every game at the point guard position — which is a key position on the basketball court — so that will, obviously, have some impact,” Barger said. “But I am excited about these young men and there willingness to learn.” Though the Knights are a young team without a lot of experience this season, hopes are still high. The fact that the Knights don’t have any seniors this year will, however, create some issues, Barger said. Not only will that create a lack of team leadership and put more pressure on Barger’s shoulders, as the coach, but so much youth forces the Knights to put more emphasis on simple things such as learning to play as a team. “Our biggest key for success this year is learning to play together as a team,” Barger said. “When you have zero seniors, leadership can be an issue and this team needs to come together and learn to play together and start winning some ball games. “With the lack of success last year’s squad had, confidence can be hard to find and it becomes very easy to start pointing fingers. As a coach, it is my duty to do my best to make
sure that does not happen.” Through the early portions of the season, Barger’s squad hasn’t seemed to have much trouble keeping those things under control. Through the first two games of the season, the Knights have failed to pick up a victory, but Barger came out of those two games unfazed. “We lost to a wellexperienced and wellcoached Weableau squad,” he said. “Any time you play a school that is bigger in size as Weaubleau is, it is easy to have that ‘deer in the headlight’ look and the boys had that, unfortunately, allowing 38 first-quarter points and not scoring any. “After the first quarter, the boys calmed down and only allowed 24 the rest of the game, while scoring 17, themselves. Against Ballard, the boys played much better, but you have to give credit to Ballard because they shot lights out — shooting a very high percentage from the field — while making nine 3s.” Next on the schedule for the Knights is Friday, when they head back out on the road to take on Sheldon. The first game of the night is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m., at Sheldon High School.
FILE PHOTO
Drue Hoagland is one of seven players returning to the Northeast Vernon County Knights basketball team.
Lady Knights basketball opens 2013-14 season 1-1 By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
WALKER — The Northeast Vernon County Lady Knights basketball team has gotten off to a fast start in the 2013-14 season. In the first two games of the season, head coach Jeremy Barger’s Lady Knights have worked their way to a split, falling to Weaubleau and defeating Ballard. Both of those games were played on the road and though the Weaubleau game could have ended better, Barger was still impressed with his team’s effort. “Weaubleau is much bigger in size and has a lot more experience,” he said. “I lost four starters, so playing Weaubleau that first game was a lot to
ask from my team, but I thought even though they lost, they handled themselves very well. Last Friday, we traveled to Ballard and the girls played a very good game. They executed on offense and defense very well. It did not matter who I had in the game, they played hard. The girls still have some learning and growing to do, but the win was a nice confidence builder for the inexperienced players. Coach Hill, in Ballard, does an excellent job with her players and they never quit, so my girls had to fight the whole game.” Next on the schedule for the Lady Knights is Friday, when they head back out on the road to take on Sheldon. The first
game on the schedule that night is scheduled to tip
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8 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2013
NEVADA DAILY MAIL
2013 WINTER SPORTS
Hopes, numbers high for Nevada swimming
RALPH POKORNY/DAILY MAIL
The 2013 Nevada High School swim team is, front row: Janelle Fraizer, Grace Reichard and Maddi Gordon. Middle row: Coach Amyl Bishop, Savanna Smith, Courtney Smith, Tayler Matthews, Elizabeth Berberbench, Emma Denman, Aly Lunkenheimer, Paige Webb and Virgina Haverstick. Back row: Delene McCullough, Morgan Ernsbarger, Ashton Eador, Mikayla Mohrmann, Melody Reichard, Abby Landoll, Marissa Stephens, Tracy Helms and Jesse Claypool.
By Eric Wade
Daily Mail Sports Editor
Sixth-year Nevada High School head girls’ swimming coach Amyl Bishop has a unique set of circumstances with which to work this season. Not only does she have a team that consists of 20 members — some of the best numbers she has had in her career — but those 20 members have the best wealth of talent she has seen among them. “It’s one thing to have 20 girls, but of those 20 girls, the majority of them have been swimming for years,” Bishop said. “So, that makes my life really easy.” Those 20 swimmers include a fairly even mix of youth and leadership, with a number of newcomers being flanked by a solid core of returning talent. Among those talented returning swimmers are some of the best the program has seen in recent memory, giving Bishop a lot about which to be happy as the beginning of the season nears. “It’s going pretty well,” Bishop said of preseason workouts last week. “It’s probably my best group,
talent-wise.” At the top of that list of talented swimmers is a name that has become very familiar over the last three years, Grace Reichard. Not only is Reichard the top standout on this year’s squad, but has also happily stepped into a leadership role since she is now in her senior year. “She’s been waiting to be a senior, she’s definitely the leader on the team,” Bishop said of her top swimmer. Reichard has been the biggest standout on the Lady Tigers squad throughout her career and this year is no exception. After the time trials Bishop put her team through last week, Reichard picked right back up where she left off last year and was once again tops on the team. Thanks to that effort, hopes are once again very high for a solid showing from Reichard, come state championship time. “We always have high hopes for Grace because she’s really good at what she does,” Bishop said. “You know, she pushes herself.” Though it’s not quite decided what Reichard
will do for the Lady Tigers this year, in terms of the events she will swim, hopes are still high and the possibility is there that she may continue to swim in distance events, as well as her usual, shorter races. “I don’t know if she’ll want to try for a cut in the 500, that is her choice,” Bishop said. “Can she do it? Of course, she did it her freshman year. “She could do it. Is it something she wants to do? Probably not.” Despite having not even started her senior season yet, Bishop said Reichard already has her future plans decided. Reichard has already signed a letter of intent to swim for the Ashland University squad, in Ashland, Ohio, when she completes her high school career. Not far behind Reichard is freshman Ashton Eador, who simply seems to have swimming in her blood. Eador is the younger sister of Nevada Tigers standout Dalton Eador, and is the No. 2 swimmer on Bishop’s squad. “Ashton’s good,” Bishop said. “She’s just as good as her brother.” The No. 3 swimmer in
this year’s time trials is another freshman who is bound to give Eador a run for her money as the season progresses. Mikayla Mohrmann may still be young, but has given Bishop plenty with which to be impressed. “She and Ashton are just neck-and-neck,” Bishop said of Mohrmann. “Their times are phenomenal.” The No. 4 swimmer on this year’s squad has given Bishop a lot with which to be impressed, as well. Junior Abby Landoll was already a solid competitor, but has made substantial improvements this year. “Abby Landoll, she’s a rising star,” Bishop said. “Just in the last year, huge difference in her. She’s learning to have more control over her body and her time is reflecting that.” Right behind Landoll in the fifth spot is Emma Denman, who has surprised nearly everyone this offseason. After taking a year off, it was unknown how Denman might perform, but that break doesn’t seem to have affected her at all, Bishop said. “Emma took a year off last year,” Bishop said.
“So, when we did our first time trials, she was really second-guessing that year off. “You know, we started practice on the 18th and she’s already right back up there. That year off didn’t hurt her.” With those five swimmers and several more who are right on the edge, poised to make substantial improvements as the season begins, the Lady Tigers’ options are wide open, when it comes to relays this season. “I have three solid relays that I’ll be able to take and that’s never happened to me before,” Bishop said. “My first and second, A and B relays, will place and score points for the team. “I’m really excited. I think we’ll do well. I mean, I know we’ll do well.” On top of the relay possibilities and Reichard’s chances at the state level, Bishop has very high hopes for Elizabeth Pruitt. Pruitt will represent the Lady Tigers in individual, long distance events and is poised to make a significant impact for her squad. “Elizabeth Pruitt is my distance girl,” Bishop said.
“I look for big things from her.” Bishop said her ultimate goal is to find success with her relay teams and her squad as a whole, hopefully taking several swimmers to the state championship at the end of the season. With Pruitt’s distance abilities and such a wide variety of relay options, realizing those hopes is far from out of the question. “My hope and dream and goal is to take a relay to state,” she said. “I believe with all of my heart and soul that we can do that with the talent that we have.” The Lady Tigers were scheduled to open the season unofficially on Tuesday, competing in the Springfield All Relays, in what ultimately amounts to a warm-up meet. The first official meet of the season is scheduled for Dec. 17, in Carthage. With the level of camaraderie and leadership her team has show already, Bishop said she has no reason to believe her squad won’t enjoy plenty of success this season. “They all get along really well,” She said. “It’s a nice family atmosphere.”
Nevada High School varsity cheerleaders
RALPH POKORNY/DAILY MAIL
The 2013 Nevada High School varsity cheerleaders are, front row: Marian Sisseck, Lori Lile, Gabby Gire, Lacie Forquer, Lauren Harreld, mascot, Savannah Smith, Jaiden Cherry, Rochelle Magsam and Cara Clow. Back row: Van Celaya, Joseph Gazaway, Hadli White, Amy Shumaker, Quento Jacks, Morgan Ernsbarger, Tavia Meeks, Amadeus Murry and Bryant Wilson.