Ozark Preps Illustrated December 2010

ozark i l l u s t r at e d December 2010

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i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d To reserve ad space, please contact OZARK PREPS ILLUSTRATED at i l l u s t r at e d i417.770.0003 i l l u s t r at e d l l u s t r at e d or email at sales@ozarkpreps.com

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LETTER EDITOR

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from the

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Editor-In-Chief

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the second issue of Ozark Preps Illustrated. I knew that the Ozarks were filled with high school sports fans, but I have been blown away by the overwhelming response to our first issue! From the many phone calls, e-mails, text messages and conversations, it has been made clear that people all over—from students and parents, to alumni and other fans—are appreciative of what we are trying to do with this magazine, which is simply to provide as much well-rounded coverage as possible of high school sports—both boys and girls, and from both small and large schools—in the Ozarks.

In this issue, we will be taking our coverage to a new level, with the expansion of “Photo Finish” and its full-color action photography to seven pages, and the introduction of some new features and departments. In “Rewind,” we will focus on one of the area’s most decorated historical teams each month. In this issue, we feature the Parkview “Jolly Green Giants,” who went 81-4 from 1964-66 and won the 1965 Class L state championship and finished runner-up in both 1964 and 1966. We also introduce “Time Out,” a monthly department which will focus on area athletes’ likes and dislikes when they are not competing, and “Milestones,” a monthly department which will focus on the accomplishments and accolades of area athletes, coaches, and teams. In our monthly “Chalk Talk” column, Glendale boys head basketball coach Sean Williamson talks about the life lessons he is able to impart through coaching basketball.

I also want to welcome Scott Puryear to Ozark Preps Illustrated. Scott is a co-host on The Sports Reporters on JOCK 98.7 each weekday morning, and spent 21 years in the newspaper business as a sportswriter and columnist for The News Leader. Scott will write the monthly “End Zone” column for Ozark Preps Illustrated, and I know that our readers will be as excited as I am to read his columns each month.

December is holiday basketball tournament time in the Ozarks, with three top-notch tournaments scheduled for the week between Christmas and the New Year. The Blue & Gold and Pink & White Tournaments are steeped in tradition and history, and our two companion pieces on these respective tournaments focus on the illustrious history of both tournaments. The KTXR Lady Classic has brought some of the best teams in the area, region, and nation to Springfield each December for the past 18 years, and we offer a preview of the eight teams in this year’s tournament.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for reading Ozark Preps Illustrated, and encourage you to spread the word to other high school sports fans in the Ozarks. Look for Ozark Preps Illustrated on Facebook in the near future, as well as a completely overhauled, user-friendly website. As always, if you have action photos you would like to be considered for publication, story ideas, or would like to submit a Letter to the Editor, please send me an e-mail at the address listed on this page. Finally, this is a FREE magazine supported entirely by advertising revenue, so if you are a business owner, please contact me to discuss our extremely reasonable advertising rates.

Thanks for reading Ozark Preps Illustrated!

Sincerely,

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bshive@ozarkpreps.com

PW

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i l l u s t r at e d P r a i r i e Wa r b l e r Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 777 Bolivar, MO 65613 417.770.0003

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i l l u s t r at e d

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Byron Shive Graphic Design/Photo Editing Ty DeClue

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Contributing i lWriters l u s t r at e d Scott Puryear Sean Williamson Contributing Photographers

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Brianna Blackwell, Susan Clingan, Leon Combs, Patrick Dailey, Mike i l l u s t r at e d Downing, Keith Haley, Waunetta Howard, Dan Leonard, Duane Moses, Parkview High School, Kanillust dace Prewitt, Brenda Putman, Mary Pyles, Catalina Richard, Jesse Scheve Stephanie Shade, Marty Studer, Lori i l l u s t r at e d Taylor

Cover Photos illust Jamie Carney, Leon Combs, GlendaleBasketball.com, Jesse Scheve

Printer

i l l u s t r at e d Shweiki Media 4954 Space Center Dr. San Antonio, TX 78218i l l u s t

Ozark Preps Illustrated (OPI) is published monthly by Prairie Warbler Publishing LLC. Reproductions in whole or in part without permission are prohibited. OPI is not responsible 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.

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Editorial Disclaimer All rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the editors. The views of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the policies of OPI, nor that of the publisher.

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

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

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STARTING LINE-UP

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The Parkview “Jolly Green Giants” went 81-4 from 1963i l l u s t r at e d 66, and won the 1965 Class L state championship, while finishing runner-up in both 1964 and 1966. i l l u s t r at e d

The Blue & Gold

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Over the past 65 years, the Blue & Gold Tournament has become an institution in the Ozarks, a tourney steeped in i l drama, i l l u s t r at e d l u s thistory, r at eand d tradition. excitement,

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Rewind - The “Jolly Green Giants”

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The Pink & White

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Bradleyville’s David Combs in r at e d ill ust 1967 Blue & Gold final

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In the past 38 years, the annual Pink & White Tournament i l lofu s t r at e d l u its st r at e d has growni lfrom modest beginnings to become one the most prominent girls basketball tournaments in the state. i l l u s t r at e d illustr i l l u s t r at e d at e d

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The KTXR Lady Classic

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Glendale’s Elise Munroe

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The KTXR Lady Classic has become one of the most an, ke prestigious i l l u s t r at e d illustr i l l u s tinrthe at e d girls basketball tournaments atcountry, ed ed a featuring some of the best teams in the state and country.

MoThis year’s 18th version of the Classic is no different. i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d Mary cheve Lori i l l u s t r at e d

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DEPARTMENTS

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Milestones 4 i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d Glendale’s Luke Snow, Mitch6 Photo Finish andeJack i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d i l lell u Allphin, s t r at ed d Snow Time Out 13 i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d Chalk Talk 14 i l l u s t r at e d

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End Zone

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Scott Puryear offers his insights on the local high school sports scene

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BOYS CROSS COUNTRY (STATE MEET) CLASS 1 Andrew Bumgarner, Sparta—15th (17:32.25); All-State Dakota Shoemaker, Humansville—26th (17:39.55) Joey Brown, Humansville—29th (18:09.24) Collin Ault, Spokane—30th (18:11.79) Thomas Chabrecek, Crane—33rd (18:17.06) Jacob Brown, Humansville—34th (18:18.49) Dakota Johnson, Sparta—36th (18:20.51) Jacob Loveland, Sparta—39th (18:28.38) Landon Grimes, Sparta—50th (18:42.18) CLASS 2 Austin Slagle, Ash Grove—4th (16:46.49); All-State Jesse Snow, Strafford—17th (17:28.84); All-State Austin Wenger, Hollister—18th (17:29.82); All-State Zach Cobb, Strafford—22nd (17:42.13); All-State Dustin Pate, Stockton—29th (18:03.02) Will Lee, Strafford—31st (18:06.75) Josh Avers, Strafford—43rd (18:17.97) CLASS 3 Donnie Wise, Buffalo—46th (17:42.84) CLASS 4 Brandon Brott, Branson—11th (16:12.60); All-State Austin Gott, Kickapoo—33rd (16:39.13) Adrian Todd, Kickapoo—49th (16:51.19) GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY (STATE MEET) CLASS 1 Olivia Francka, Halfway—2nd (19:58.52); All-State Oana Opris, Marion C. Early—15th (22:07.78); All-State Shayla Cross, Humansville—26th (22:28.98) Haley Hurt, Spokane—44th (23:20.05) Lakin Grimes, Sparta—46th (23:22.28) CLASS 2 Natalie Smid, Springfield Catholic—7th (20:18.49); All-State Courtney Devlin, Springfield Catholic— 8th (20:19.65); All-State Kelly Devlin, Springfield Catholic—12th (20:37.75); All-State Lydia Holtmann, Springfield Catholic— 15th (20:42.55); All-State Sara Larson, Springfield Catholic—29th (21:14.88) Lindsey Hutchinson, Strafford—33rd (21:24.18) Rachel Wheeler, Stockton—34th (21:28.11) Hannah Bruggeman, El Dorado Springs—35th (21:32.29 Caroline Ukena, Springfield Catholic— 39th (21:42.12) Ashley Wilks, Strafford—42nd (21:46.55)

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MILESTONES

INDIVIDUAL POSTSEASON ACCOLADES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Janissa Wilson, Pleasant Hope—46th (21:50.99) Arnica Zitting, Stockton—47th (21:51.60) CLASS 3 Sierra Wells, Bolivar—43rd (20:56.65) CLASS 4 Bridget Caruthers, Branson—6th (18:54.19; All-State Liz Reida, Kickapoo—17th (19:23.99; All-State Briana Morrow, Branson—44th (19:56.72) GIRLS GOLF CLASS 1 Amelia R. Bramer, Mt. Vernon—22nd (88-92-180) Kristen Bergen, Greenwood—40th (9395-188) Izzy Mersch, Bolivar—40th (95-93-188) CLASS 2 Payton Rayl, Republic—11th (79-80159); All-State Meg Alumno, Kickapoo—23rd (81-88169) Bridgette Kelley Wells, Kickapoo—28th (89-82-171) Allison J. Quigley, Republic—37th (8890-178) BOYS SOCCER Thomas Ashe, Hillcrest (defender)— 2nd-team All-Ozark Conference Joe Aubuchon, Glendale (midfielder)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Caleb Boston, Hillcrest (keeper)—Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Matt Call, Glendale (defender)—Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Reece Conner, Glendale (keeper)—2ndteam All-Ozark Conference Dylan Corbett, Kickapoo (defender)— 1st-team All-Ozark Conference; Conference Defensive Player of the Year Hunter Durham, Kickapoo (forward)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Evan Garrad, Glendale (defender)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Keenan Gore, Hillcrest (defender)—1stteam All-Ozark Conference Austin Hart, Glendale (forward)—2ndteam All-Ozark Conference Phil Hodge, Kickapoo—Ozark Conference Coach of the Year Jordan Houseman, Parkview (midfielder)—2nd-team All-Ozark Conference Nathan Lavoy, Kickapoo (defender)— 1st-team All-Ozark Conference Alec Martinez, Glendale (forward)—1stteam All-Ozark Conference; Conference Player of the Year Josh McCutcheon, Kickapoo (midfielder)—2nd-team All-Ozark Conference Tyler Moses, Kickapoo (keeper)—1stteam All-Ozark Conference; Conference Keeper of the Year

Jake Nedoma, Kickapoo (midfielder)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Brian Otradovec, Parkview (forward)— 1st-team All-Ozark Conference Lukas Rickenbacher, Glendale (defender)—1st-team All-Ozark Conference Devan Selsor, Kickapoo (midfielder)— 2nd-team All-Ozark Conference Aaron Strunk, Kickapoo (forward)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Louis Taylor, Parkview (forward)—Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Blake White, Parkview (midfielder)— Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference Elliott Williams, Kickapoo (midfielder)—2nd-team All-Ozark Conference SOFTBALL Payton Appleberry, Republic (infielder)—Class 4 2nd-team All-State, 1st-team All-COC Large Carlie Campbell, Republic—2nd-team All-COC Large Nikki Cox, Nixa—2nd-team All-COC Large Sam Dexter, Ozark—2nd-team All-COC Large Stephanie Eckhoff, Republic—Honorable Mention All-COC Large Ashley Graves, Weaubleau (infielder)— All-District; All-Polk County League; Class 1 1st-team All-State Dana Graves, Weaubleau (catcher)—AllDistrict; All-Polk County League; Class 1 1st-team All-State Hannah Harmon, Walnut Grove (pitcher)—Class 1 1st-team All-State Marley Harmon, Reeds Spring (catcher)—Class 3 2nd-team All-State Keely Hill, Reeds Spring (outfielder)— Class 3 2nd-team All-State Hannah Johnson, Branson—2nd-team All-COC Large Ashley Kenig, Weableau—All-District; All-Polk County League Becca Kerr, Nixa—2nd-team All-COC Large Emily King, Nixa—Honorable Mention All-COC Large Kelli Koehler, Weaubleau (infielder)— All-District; All-Polk County League; Class 1 2nd-team All-State Kelsay Leingang, Logan-Rogersville (infielder)—Class 3 2nd-team All-State Alex Leonhart, Nixa—Honorable Mention All-COC Large Emily Lutton, Ozark—Honorable Mention All-COC Large Christine Nevins, Branson—Honorable Mention All-COC Large Jakki Prater, Nixa—1st-team All-COC Large Carlie Rose, Nixa (catcher)—Class 4 1stteam All-State, 1st-team All-COC Large, Co-COC Player of the Year Lyndie Routh, Humansville (pitcher)—

Class 1 2nd-team All-State Amanda Smith, Willard—2nd-team AllCOC Large Mariah Stewart, Weableau—All-Polk County League Andrea Studer, Reeds Spring (pitcher)— Class 3 2nd-team All-State Jackie Wacha, Ozark—1st-team AllCOC Large Callie Weant, Weaubleau (pitcher)—AllDistrict; All-Polk County League ; Class 1 1st-team All-State BOYS SWIMMING (STATE MEET) Mitchell Allphin, Glendale—3rd, 50yard Freestyle (21.34); 6th, 100-yard Freestyle (47.24) Niklas Brinck, Nixa—STATE CHAMPION, 100-yard Backstroke (51.00); 2nd, 100-yard Freestyle (45.24) Aaron Dennis, Greenwood—STATE CHAMPION, 100-yard Breaststroke (57.87); 4th, 200-yard Individual Medley (1:55.66) Garrett Estebo, Kickapoo—8th, 100-yard Backstroke (55.03) GLENDALE—2nd, 200-yard Freestyle Relay (Mitchell Allphin/Wilson Mace/ Jack Snow/Luke Snow) (1:27.24); 2nd, 400-yard Freestyle Relay (Mitchell Allphin/Jack Snow/Luke Snow/Chris Stein) (3:11.73) Joelee Graves, Glendale—9th, 1-meter Diving (368.45) KICKAPOO—3rd, 200-yard Medley Relay (Garrett Estebo/Ryan McFall/ Daniel Senn/Mason White) (1:37.95); 3rd, 200-yard Freestyle Relay (Garrett Estebo/Ryan McFall/Daniel Senn/Mason White) Ryan McFall, Kickapoo—STATE CHAMPION, 100-yard Butterfly (49.70); 2nd, 50-yard Freestyle (20.72) Jack Snow, Glendale—7th, 50-yard Freestyle (21.79); 6th, 100-yard Backstroke (54.03) Luke Snow, Glendale—2nd, 200-yard Freestyle (1:41.11); 4th, 100-yard Freestyle (46.71) GIRLS TENNIS Danielle Emma Benson, Kickapoo— State runner-up, singles (Class 2) Breanna Feemster, Hillcrest—State semifinalist, singles (Class 1) Lucy Givens/Taylor Johnston, Branson—State quarterfinalists, doubles (Class 2) Elle Prewitt, Greenwood—State quarterfinalist, singles (Class 1) Rebecca Claire Mayus/Rachel Ann Scott, Springfield Catholic—State quarterfinalists, doubles (Class 1) Emma Samek/Hannah Smashey, Bolivar—State quarterfinalists, doubles (Class 1) VOLLEYBALL Kate Barnett, Sparta—2nd-team AllSWCL Maddie Baumann, Clever—1st-team All-SWCL Courtney Bishop, Spokane—Honorable

Mention All-SWCL Olivia Brand, Glendale—Class 4 1stteam All-State, 1st-team All-Ozark Conference, All-District, Academic All-State, Academic All-Conference Olivia Braschler, Forsyth—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Kailey Chapman, Spokane—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Alyssa Chastain, Crane—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Sydney Coleman, Bolivar—2nd-team All-Region Cortney Conrad, Hurley—Class 1 2ndteam All-State Presley Cozort, Forsyth—1st-team AllSWCL Kaitlin Cramer, Stockton—Class 2 2ndteam All-State Micah Cribbs, Bolivar—1st-team AllCentral Ozarks Conference; 1st-team All-District; 1st-team All-Region Sara Evans, Clever—2nd-team AllSWCL Jordan Farmer, Clever—2nd-team AllSWCL Payton Graves, Glendale—2nd-team AllOzark Conference, All-Region Kate Frazier, Glendale—1st-team All-Ozark Conference, All-District, AllRegion, Academic All-State, Academic All-Conference Nicole Hallam, Republic—Class 4 Honorable Mention All-State Michaela Hanafin, Clever—1st-team AllSWCL, SWCL Most Valuable Player; Class 2 Honorable Mention All-State Teresa Hanafin, Clever—SWCL Coach of the Year Mikalah Hardcastle, Sparta—2nd-team All-SWCL Jade Hayes, Ozark—Class 4 1st-team All-State Kristin Hedrick, Billings—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Erica Heim, Logan-Rogersville—Class 3 1st-team All-State Paige Herbert, Bolivar—2nd-team AllDistrict Kayla Hickey, Blue Eye—1st-team All-SWCL Hailey Hogue, Logan-Rogersville— Class 3 Honorable Mention All-State Tara Humble, Sparta—1st-team AllSWCL; Class 1 2nd-team All-State Jonna Hyatt, Sparta—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Caryli Ingles, Forsyth—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Kaitlin Johnson, Miller—Class 1 Honorable Mention All-State Kayla Kepler, Fair Grove—Class 2 1stteam All-State Katie Linson, Blue Eye—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Kinsey McCarter, Kickapoo—Class 4 Honorable Mention All-State Maggie McMenamy, Crane—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Alexis Mitchell, Blue Eye—2nd-team All-SWCL Terisa Moya, Billings—2nd-team AllSWCL Emily Mulkey—Class 2 Honorable Mention All-State Elise Munroe, Glendale—1st-team

All-Ozark Conference, 2nd-team AllDistrict, All-Region Alix Opfer, Glendale—2nd-team AllOzark Conference, All-Region, Academic All-State, Academic All-Conference Kurstine Owens, Miller—Class 1 Honorable Mention All-State Regan Peltier, Nixa—Class 4 2nd-team All-State Ashton Porter, Blue Eye—Honorable Mention All-SWCL Claire Quinn, Glendale—Honorable Mention All-Ozark Conference, Academic All-State, Academic All-Conference Majesti Rash, Bolivar—Honorable Mention All-Central Ozarks Conference Maddie Redfern, Logan-Rogersville— Class 3 1st-team All-State Leah Sawyer, Bolivar—2nd-team AllCentral Ozarks Conference; 2nd-team All-Region Jacy Shaw, Fair Grove—Class 2 Honorable Mention All-State Meghan Stacy, Ozark—Class 4 2nd-team All-State Katie Thomas, Fair Grove—Class 2 2ndteam All-State Haley Thompson, Nixa—Class 4 Honorable Mention All-State Kendra Vernatti, Spokane—1st-team All-SWCL Kailie Weinreis, Ash Grove—Class 2 1st-team All-State Caitlin Whitman, Billings—2nd-team All-SWCL Kenzie Williams, Mt. Vernon—Class 3 2nd-team All-State Tara Williams, Blue Eye—2nd-team All-SWCL Kayla Wilson, Springfield Catholic— Class 2 2nd-team All-State Jenna Zaggy, Sparta—1st-team AllSWCL

POSTSEASON TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY Bolivar—14th (Class 3) Branson—9th (Class 4) Buffalo—13th (Class 3) Humansville—4th (Class 1) Sparta—3rd (Class 1) Stockton—10th (Class 2) Strafford—2nd (Class 2) GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Bolivar—9th (Class 3) El Dorado Springs—14th (Class 2) Fair Grove—16th (Class 2) Humansville—9th (Class 1) Nixa—16th (Class 4) Sparta—14th (Class 1) Springfield Catholic—STATE CHAMPIONS (Class 2) Strafford—6th (Class 2) FOOTBALL Bolivar—Class 4 District 12 runner-up Branson—Class 5 District 8 champion Greenfield—Class 1 District 4 champion Hillcrest—Class 4 District 10 champion Hollister—Class 2 District 6 runner-up Logan-Rogersville—Class 3 District 9 champion; Sectional champion; State quarterfinals Miller—Class 1 District 3 champion; Sectional champion; State quarterfinals Mt. Vernon—Class 3 District 10 runner-

up Nixa—Class 5 District 8 runner-up Parkview—Class 5 District 7 runner-up Springfield Catholic—Class 3 District 10 champion Stockton—Class 2 District 8 runner-up Strafford—Class 2 District 6 champion GIRLS GOLF Kickapoo—5th (Class 2) Mt. Vernon—9th (Class 1) BOYS SOCCER Bolivar—Class 2 District 9 champions; Sectional champion; State quarterfinals Glendale—Class 3 District 11 champion Springfield Catholic—Class 1 District 10 champion; Sectional champion NOTE: The Fightin’ Irish were to play Whitfield for the Class 1 state championship on Nov. 20 when Ozark Preps Illustrated went to press.

SOFTBALL Crane—Class 2 District 9 champions Nixa—Class 4 District 11 champions Pleasant Hope—Class 2 District 11 champions Reed Spring—Class 3 District 10 champions; Sectional champions Walnut Grove—Class 1 District 3 champions Weableau—Class 1 District 5 champions; Sectional champions; 4th-place (Class 1) BOYS SWIMMING Glendale—2nd (State Meet) Kickapoo—8th (State Meet) GIRLS TENNIS Bolivar—3rd (Class 1) Glendale—State quarterfinals (Class 2) VOLLEYBALL Fair Grove—Class 2 District 9 champions; Regional champions Greenfield—Class 1 District 8 champions Hollister—Class 2 District 10 champions Logan-Rogersville—Class 3 District 10 champions; Regional champions; Sectional champions; 3rd-place (Class 3) Miller—Class 1 District 7 champions Nixa—Class 4 District 12 champions Ozark—Class 4 District 11 champions; Regional champions; Sectional champions; 3rd-place (Class 4) Sparta—Class 1 District 6 champions; Regional champions Stockton—Class 2 District 12 champions

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

BASEBALL Mike Compton, Branson (Florida State) Darin Francis, Parkview (Missouri State) BOYS BASKETBALL Avery Dingman, Branson (Creighton) Tim Huskisson, Willard (Northern Colorado) Christian Kirk, Kickapoo (Missouri State) Sam Pugh, Branson (Pittsburg State) GIRLS BASKETBALL Emily Akins, Parkview (Evangel) Kaitlin Cramer, Stockton (Southwest Baptist) Ciara Eastwood, Fair Grove (Evangel) Erin Gavin, Mt. Vernon (Southwest Baptist) Lauren McCurry, Pleasant Hope (Drury) Molly O’Brien, Spokane (Wichita State)

Kenzie Williams, Mt. Vernon (Missouri State) FOOTBALL Kolton Peavey, Bolivar (South Alabama) GIRLS GOLF Meg Alumno, Kickapoo (Drury) Payton Rayl, Republic (Drury) SOFTBALL Jakki Prater, Nixa (Central Missouri) BOYS SWIMMING Niklas Brinck, Nixa (Minnesota) GIRLS SWIMMING Merideth Swain, Kickapoo (Missouri State) BOYS TENNIS Paul Nahon, Glendale (Richmond) VOLLEYBALL Olivia Brand, Glendale (Missouri State) Brooke Foster, Nixa (Drury) Jade Hayes, Ozark (Missouri) Sydney Wheeler, Ozark (Missouri S & T) Jackie Zellmer, Nixa (Missouri S & T)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Parkview senior running back/linebacker, Darin Francis, became the Springfield Public Schools’ all-time touchdown leader with 52 touchdowns. Francis, a two-time All-Ozark Conference running back, had 46 rushing and six receiving touchdowns in his career.

• Willard’s Bailey Hession set a new school record in cross country with a time of 19:19.

• Jay Osborne, head boys basketball coach at Nixa, has 396 career coaching victories entering this season, and should reach the 400 win plateau early this season.

• The Willard boys soccer team set a school record for wins in a season with 17.

• Bolivar senior soccer player, Matt Magana, ended his career ranked second all-time in state history in career assists.

Magana assisted on 86 goals in his four seasons at the varsity level for the Liberators.

• Bolivar senior soccer players Jacob Hampton, Matt Magana, and Sterling Roberts ended their career as the winningest class in Bolivar history, with 83 wins in four seasons.

• Weaubleau softball coach Ryan Bilby reached the Class 1 Final Four in his first year at the helm of the Lady Tigers, where Weaubleau finished in 4th-place.

• Reeds Spring sophomore Johnathon Locke was named All-COC, All-District, and All-Southwest Area Class 2 2ndteam • Reeds Spring junior Samantha Akromis and sophomore Josie Kibbe were both named Honorable Mention Southwest District Class 2 • Republic senior golfer Payton Rayl qualified for the Class 2 State Golf Championships for the fourth consecutive season. Rayl, an All-Stater who had a tournament scoring average of 78.5 this season, was the District 5 champion and also captured medalist honors at the Ozark Invitational and Central Ozarks Conference Championships.

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PHOTO FINISH

Buffalo senior Paydn Davis leads a pack of runners at the Class 3 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 6 at Oak Hill Golf Center in Jefferson City. (Photo by Stephanie Shade)

Springfield Catholic’s Courtney Devlin (L) and Natalie Smid (R) lead the pack at the Bolivar Invitational Sept. 14 at Southwest Baptist. Smid was named the Class 2 Cross Country Athlete of the Year by a vote of area coaches after finishing first at the Missouri State Invitational, and Central Ozarks Conference and District 5 meets. Smid finished in 7th-place at the Class 2 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships, with Devlin finishing in 8th-place, to lead the Fightin’ Irish to a state championship. (Photo by Keith Haley)

6

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Greenwood junior Elle Prewitt makes a backhand return in her state singles quarterfinal match on Oct. 22. Prewitt, who posted a 21-6 record in singles matches this season, is ranked 37th in the girls 18 singles division of the USTA Missouri Valley Section. (Photo by Kandace Prewitt)

Nixa’s make t 6-5 aft 8, end

Glendale senior Lukas Rickenbacher dribbles up field in the Falcons’ 1-0 victory over Rolla on Oct. 12. The Falcons posted a record of 16-9-1 on the season and were the District 11 champions. Rickenbacher and fellow classmate Alec Martinez were named 1st-team All-Ozark Conference, with Martinez also named the Player of the Year in the conference. (Photo by Brianna Blackwell)

Fair Grove senior Kayla Kepler (#4) goes up for a kill in the Lady Eagles’ District championship victory over Ash Grove on Oct. 26. Fair Grove (31-5-2) advanced to the state quarterfinals. Kepler was named Class 2 1st-team AllState, with fellow classmates Katie Thomas (2nd-team) and Jacy Shaw (honorable mention) also receiving All-State recognition. (Photo by Mike Downing)

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Nixa’s Josh Liles (#20) follows the blocks of Derek Fisher (#62) and Andrew Hastings, as Branson’s Isaac Johnston (#37) and Austin Burke (#13) move in to make the tackle in the Pirates’ thrilling 41-35 victory over the Eagles Oct. 28 at Nixa, which earned Branson the District 8 title. Nixa ended its season at 6-5 after a Regional loss to Lee’s Summit on Nov. 3. Branson had its seven-game winning streak snapped in the Sectional round by Lee’s Summit on Nov. 8, ending the Pirates’ season at 7-4. (Photo by Waunetta Howard)

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Miller running back Daniel Parscal splits a pair of Valle Catholic defenders in the Cardinals’ Class 1 state quarterfinal loss on Nov. 13, which ended the Cardinals’ season at 11-2. Parscal carried 112 times for 1,250 yards on the season for a gaudy 11.16 yards per carry average. Parscal, who scored 22 rushing and four receiving touchdowns on the season for Miller’s high-powered offense, was a unanimous 1st-team All-Spring River Valley Conference selection. (Photo by Lori Taylor / LABreedlove Photography)

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(TOP): Weaubleau’s Ashley Richard bats in the Lady Tigers’ heartbreaking 3-2 marathon 12-inning loss to Jefferson in the state semifinals Oct. 22 at Killian Sports Complex. (Photo by Catalina Richard); (L): Weaubleau senior shortstop Ashley Graves, a 1st-team All-State performer, trots home after her game-tying home run against Jefferson in the Class 1 state semifinals on Oct. 22. (Photo by Byron Shive); (R): Weaubleau’s Callie Weant delivers a pitch in the Lady Tigers’ loss to Jefferson in the Class 1 state semifinals on Oct. 22. Weant, who went the distance in the 12-inning game, was named 1st-team All-State. (Photo by Catalina Richard)

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Reeds S Sulliva

Kickapoo senior Ryan McFall competes in the finals of the 100-yard Butterfly at the 2010 MSHSAA Boys State Swimming Championships on Nov. 13 at the Rec Plex in St. Peters. McFall won the race—and a state championship—with a time of 49.70. McFall also placed second in the 50-yard Fresstyle at the state meet. (Photo by Susan Clingan)

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Reeds Spring senior Shailyn Brown slides safely into home as teammate Keely Hill (#16) looks on in the Lady Wolves’ thrilling 4-3 Sectional victory over Sullivan on Oct. 13 at Reeds Spring. The Lady Wolves finished the season with a 26-4 record. (Photo by Marty Studer)

Glendale’s Luke Snow (second from left, Lane #6) and Mitchell Allphin (third from left, Lane #7) dive into the pool for the finals of the 100-yard Freestyle at the MSHSAA Boys State Swimming Championships on Nov. 13 at the St. Peters Rec Plex. Snow finished in fourth-place in the race, with Allphin finishing in sixth-place. (Photo by Dan Leonard)

Springfield Catholic’s Nick Cofron goes up for a header between Bolivar’s Timothy Armstrong (#13) and Mitchell Waters (#2) on Sept. 21 in Catholic’s 4-0 regular season victory at Springfield Catholic. The Fightin’ Irish finished the regular season ranked #2 in Class 1. (Photo

by Duane Moses)

Ash Grove senior Austin Slagle competes in the Class 2 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 6 at Oak Hill Golf Center in Jefferson City.

Slagle placed fourth in the race with a time of 16:46.49, and was named to the Class 2 All-State team. (Photo by Mary Pyles)

Greenwood senior Aaron Dennis competes in a preliminary heat of the 100-yard Breaststroke at the MSHSAA Boys State Swimming Championships on Nov. 12 at the St. Peters Rec Plex. Dennis would go on to win a state championship in the event the following day. (Photo by Susan Clingan)

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Hillcrest’s Breanna Feemster returns a serve in the Sectional round of the state singles tournament. Feemster advanced to the state semifinals before bowing out of the tournament. (Photo by Brenda Putman)

TO Kaitlin Johnson Volleyball/Girls Basketball Miller

Hawken Thieme

W ha pla t is y th iPo ed s e mo d? ong ston yo ur If y ou to- co u h ath ead ld go a le g h be te, w ains ead ? ho t an wo y If a uld mo it ab ou vie w ac t yo as to u m pla r/act r life ade y y res , w ou s w hat in ou W the ld ha t mo pe is vie t p yo ee ur ? ve big ? ge st

W ha mo t is vie you r fa ? vo rite

TIME OUT

“For Love of the This week? It changes every Game” week, but right now I would have to say “Sound of Madness” by Shinedown.

Kerri Walsh

Taylor Swift (even Laziness though she isn’t an established actress)

“Remember the Titans”

LeBron James

Matthew McCon- People that aughey don’t try, but are handed or given things.

“Love & Basket- “I’m Ballin’” (Soulja Boy) ball”

Candace Parker

Sanaa Lathan I don’t really (“Love & Basket- have any...maybe ball”) freshman not following directions.

“8 Seconds”

Albert Pujols

Clint Eastwood

People who act stupid.

My all-time “Stronger’” favorite movie is (Kanye West) “The Breakfast Club”...classic!

Michael Jordan, because it would be such an awesome experience to learn from and play against one of the world’s greatest athletes.

Rachel McAdams because she seems so laid back but also very goal-oriented, and I feel that she could portray my personality very well.

I’m a very competitive person, so I would have to say my biggest pet peeve is losing.

“The Lion King” This week? It changes every week, but right now I would have to say “To Know Your Name” (Hillsong).

Denard Robinson Brad Pitt

“Not Afraid” (Eminem)

Boys Basketball Greenwood

Brittany McClelland Girls Basketball Central

Thomas Hylton

I don’t have an iPod.

Baseball Miller

Kayla Kepler Volleyball Fair Grove

Justin Atchison Football Willard

I hate drama!

13

CT

CHALK TALK

Sean Williamson Head Basketball Coach, Glendale Falcons

change, or with simplicity and execution.

Life is no different. The key is to find the right style to provide for happiness and success. Basketball is played with rules, regulations, team rules and policies. Life has the laws of the land, work policies and procedures that have to be known and respected.

Basketball is filled with highs and lows, the times when all the three pointers go in and the times when the free throws bounce out. Life is filled with sunny, seventy-five degree days, pay raises, flat tires and house payments. Handling the good and the bad are lessons that can be taught through the game of basketball. Basketball teaches hard work, persistence, communication, teamwork and respect for authority.

I know as you read this article you can think of a thousand basketball situations that can be directly compared to life without the reality that adults have to deal with. Basketball is my tool to help teach life lessons to young people, as well as develop a relationship that can last a lifetime.

My challenge and encouragement for coaches, at all levels, is to use the game of basketball as a tool to teach young people the lessons that can prepare them to be successful in their personal lives and productive members of our society.

The 2010-11 basketball season will be a great journey filled with fantastic games, great plays, competition, and champions. I only hope that we remember the true measure Coach Sean Williamson goes over late game adjustments during a timeout at the 2008 Blue & Gold of success will be the life lessons Tournament. (Photo by Patrick Dailey) learned in the process.

Good luck to everyone this season and God Bless.

I have been blessed and honored to call basketball coaching my livelihood for more than twenty years. Although the majority of my salary has come from being an outstanding physical educator, the schools that have employed me (Conway, Willard, and Glendale) have hired me as basketball coach. I learned a long time ago from my coaching mentors (the late Ruben Berry, football coach, and current College of the Ozarks women’s coach, George Wilson) that my success as a coach would not be measured by the

14

wins and losses or the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of a game. My success would be measured by the life lessons that I teach through the game of basketball and the relationships that would be made along the way.

At the youth and high school level, sports are an outstanding opportunity to teach life lessons to student athletes.

Take basketball as an example: it is life in a protective capsule called a game.

The game can be played fast and furiously, conservatively, with surprise and

C

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“From the valley of t n a i G n ee r G … o H , o Ho, H

T

his popular advertising jingle for canned green beans from the mid-1960s became a regular rallying cry at Parkview High School for one of the most successful three-year runs in state basketball history.

From the fall of 1963 to the spring of 1966, the Parkview “Jolly Green Giants”—as the team became affectionately known— went 81-4 and won the 1965 Class L state championship, while finishing runner-up in both 1964 and 1966. The Jolly Green Giants simply overwhelmed teams with a combination of athleticism, sound fundamentals, and depth, as the Parkview roster was stocked full of players who would earn All-State honors throughout the dominating three-year run.

The run of success was keyed by the man in charge of the team, Bill Harding, whose first season at Parkview was the 1962-63 campaign. “Coach Harding set the tempo and the attitude,” said Virgle Fredrick, one of two players to play on all three of the Jolly Green Giant teams. “He was a fierce competitor. He was absolutely able to get the most out of every player.”

“Harding was, of course, an excellent coach,” said Gail Fredrick, Virgle’s older brother who played all three of his varsity seasons at Parkview under Harding’s tutelage. “He not only taught us fundamentals, but he pushed us as individuals. His practices were often three hours long. He made sure he pushed us. He would use whatever technique was necessary to get the most out of us. He demanded a lot out of us. If we didn’t give full effort and do the job right, we knew we weren’t going to play.”

“He (Harding) was a disciplinarian with everyone,” said Larry O’Reilly, a member of the 1963-64 Jolly Green Giants

16

squad. “He taught fundamentals that you don’t see today. We were really good basketball players, but our fundamentals were exceptional.”

Harding deflected any praise for his teams’ accomplishments to his players, though. “When I went to Parkview, I laid out my philosophy and idea of what a program should be,” said Harding, who currently resides in Nixa. “It was based on being good citizens, good people, hard work, and fundamentals. The young men bought into it, and we began to assemble what we thought would make us a winner.” Harding guided the Vikings to a 22-5 record his first season, setting the stage and laying the groundwork for the run of success to come.

The 1963-64 season was one of big change—at Parkview and in the area.

Glendale High School opened its doors for the first time, and welcomed some former Parkview players through its doors in the process. However, Parkview welcomed O’Reilly to its school and team that year, as well. O’Reilly, who had led the city in scoring while a junior at St. Agnes (now Springfield Catholic), had lived in the Parkview district his entire life, and now would be joining forces with players he had grown up playing basketball with on area playgrounds.

“It was tough to leave St. Agnes, but going to Parkview was a little bit like a homecoming,” said O’Reilly. “Coach Harding took the talent we had and blended a team together. For example, I was left-handed and could consistently knock down a 10to 15-foot jump shot. Coach Harding created an offense around my addition to the team. My skills complemented everyone else’s skills. That team had great chemistry, the best of any team I’d been around.”

The 1963-64 team finished 27-2, with an average margin of victory of 21 points.

The Vikings lost in the championship game of the Tournament of Champions to Joplin, which was a major player in high school boys basketball in the mid-1960s.

Parkview played Joplin a total of five times during the 1963-64 season, and won the other four match-ups, two of which were for Blue & Gold and Regional championships.

After the early season loss to Joplin, Parkview rolled through Ozark Conference play undefeated at 10-0. It was during this dominating stretch that Marty Eddlemon, the longtime sportswriter at the News-Leader, first referred to the team in print as the Jolly Green Giants. “It was a combination of things,” said Gail Fredrick, a starter for the first two Jolly Green Giant teams and an All-State performer for the 1965 state titlists. “Our warm-ups were green on top and bottom. Plus, we were a pretty good sized team. We had a tall starting five, and our bench was pretty tall, too. The nickname kind of stuck with us throughout that season (1963-64) and the following years.”

The 1963-64 team rolled through the state playoffs behind a starting five that featured 1st-team All-Stater Steve Grace and Steve Cash at guard, and O’Reilly, Gail Fredrick and Jim McAlear (an honorable mention All-State player) along the frontline. The Vikings entered the semifinals of the state tournament with a 26-1 record, where Parkview would face top-ranked Maplewood-Richmond Heights at Washington University Fieldhouse in St. Louis.

“Maplewood was big, strong, and very physical, and had mowed down everyone all season,” said O’Reilly. Parkview played a strong first half, though, and jumped out to a 16-point lead at halftime. In the halftime locker room, though, Coach Harding was less than pleased, and perhaps a bit too into the game. “Coach Harding starts

y of the Jolly… iant”

in on us about miss- game locker room. “Coach Bennington ing screens and block- came in and told us that we had played a ing out,” said O’Reilly. great game, and that he had scouted Ni“I said, ‘Well, Coach, emann since junior high,” said O’Reilly. we’re up by 16 points.’ “He told us that that was, by far, the best Coach Harding said, ‘No, we’re not. We’re game he’s ever played in his life. He (Niup six points.’ He then turned to an assis- emann) was just unconscious. The basket tant coach, who confirmed that we were must have looked like a swimming pool actually up by 16 points. He had gotten to him.” Coach Harding, though, blamed so into the game that he didn’t realize we himself for Niemann’s scoring outburst. were up by 16.” Parkview would go on to “I’ve always called it bad coaching on my dispose of Maplewood by a 71-64 score, part that we let a 7’2” center get 52 points advancing to the state championship in the final.” game to face St. Louis Bishop DuBourg, The upset loss ended Parkview’s seawhich had upset second-ranked Kansas son at 27-2, and provided motivation for a City Central in the other semifinal. state championship run the following year.

Bishop DuBourg rode an all-time per- “It definitely motivated us,” said Gail Freformance by seven-footer Rich Niemann drick, who still resides in Springfield and to a shocking 62-52 upset of Parkview in is a partner with the law firm of Fredrick, the state championship game. Niemann, Rogers & Vaughn, P.C. “First, it gave us a who would go on to star at St. Louis Uni- taste of being in the final game playing for versity and later play four years in the a state championship. Finishing second NBA and ABA, scored 40 points in the was not acceptable. It gave us motivation state championship game, after averaging to work hard the next season.”

26.48 points per game during the regular Parkview had to replace four starters season. To the members of the Jolly Green from the state runner-up team, with Gail Giants, though, the sting of defeat and the Fredrick the lone returning starter. Howevsands of time have caused the point total er, the Vikings’ bench in 1963-64 was loadto grow to legendary status in the years ed with talent ready to step-up since the disappointing defeat. into “He (Niemann) could have closed his eyes and hit a shot from anywhere eston (#44) rkview’s John W on the court,” remem- Pa for a jump shot, as the rises bered Virgle Fredrick, who x (#22) and Vikings’ Jack Co ) look on 52 (# remembered correctly k Gail Fredric 5 regular seathat Niemann scored 40 during a 1964-6 lly Green Gipoints. “He was just unson game. The Jo season with at conscious.” Gail Fredrick ants ended th and the Class a 27-1 record concurred with his youngonship. FreL state champi er brother, saying, “We n were both to drick and Wes simply had no answer for All-State and named 1st-team him.” O’Reilly, who reament team, to the All-Tourn g named the called Niemann scoring in with Weston be tournament. te sta 43 points in the game, reMVP of the of Parkview members a visit by John (Photo courtesy Bennington—the St. Louis High School) University men’s basketball coach at the time—to Parkview’s somber post-

more prominent roles in time for the 1964-65 season. In fact, the depth on the Jolly Green Giants was seemingly endless, which meant daily battles in practice.

“We had good players, and backed up behind them, we had more good players,” said Harding. “The second unit was very strong, and sometimes in practice they would handle the first team, so you can imagine what kind of practices we had.”

“We had such tremendous depth throughout the line-up,” said Virgle Fredrick, who now resides in Mansfield, Texas. “The guys who came in off the bench had tremendous talent. Most of them could have started for other teams in the area. Some of our best battles occurred every day in practice.” Once again, the Fredrick brothers concur. “Our second team was very good, very talented,” said Gail Fredrick. “They pushed us hard every day in practice. Frankly, our second team would have been one of the strongest teams around.”

O’Reilly recalled the competitive practices, as well as the techniques Harding used in practice to better prepare his team for actual games. “You’d better be just as ready to play in practice as you were in a game,” he said. O’Reilly recalled one of Coach Harding’s favorite

17

rebounding drills, which required placing a ring around the basket to force missed shots. “We had to block someone out,” said O’Reilly, who is a former President and Chief Operating Officer and current Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of his family-owned O’Reilly Auto Parts. “It didn’t matter where we were on the court.

When the ball went up and bounced off the rim, we had to put an elbow in someone’s gut and square it around. We had to do it the right way. Those drills were just brutal.”

Parkview opened the 1964-65 season with four wins before the Vikings suffered their first loss at Ft. Smith, Ark., which would go on to win the Arkansas state championship that season. “They held the ball on us,” said Harding of Ft. Smith’s deliberate, pre-shot clock offense. “We were not as good at playing a slow game as we were playing fast. We just couldn’t get the ball from them. It was good coaching on their part.”

The loss merely served as added motivation for the remainder of the season. The Jolly Green Giants began piling up wins in the regular season, which included a perfect Ozark Conference record, a victory over Glendale to capture the Tournament of Champions, and a 51-45 overtime victory over small-school power Buffalo to win the Blue & Gold Tournament.

Parkview unleashed its devastating full-court press on opponents, which resulted in easy basket after easy basket. The Vikings brought wave after wave of fresh players in off their talented bench. “We did everything that was necessary to win ballgames,” said Harding. “We pressed full court, we pressed half court. It was an up-and-down game that we tried to press you into.” Once again, O’Reilly remembered how Harding’s practices prepared his teams for games. “We used to run full court practices,” he said. “Coach Harding would run the JV kids in and out against the starters, so that we were constantly facing fresh opposition. It certainly made the games easier.”

The Vikings used their smothering press to mount leads and then knew when to attack and when to hold off while protecting those leads in the fourth quarter.

“If we got a lead at any point in the fourth

18

quarter, we had young men who knew achievement,” said Harding. “Those kind when to go after you and when to pull it of high points in one’s career are always back out,” said Harding. “We didn’t lose hard to explain. I’m still extremely proud many leads. In fact, we didn’t lose any.” of those young men. They are the ones Parkview finished the regular season that did it.” with only the loss at Ft. Smith, although Once again, the Jolly Green Giants the Vikings survived some Ozark Confer- lost a lot of talent to graduation following ence battles along the way. “Our toughest the state championship season, but simply competition was right there in the Ozark reloaded for another state tournament run Conference,” said Virgle Fredrick of teams in 1965-66. However, the Vikings would like Springfield Central, Glendale and have to navigate the title defense withJoplin. “Once we got out of our confer- out their trusty leader. Coach Harding left ence, things got a lot easier. A couple of Parkview following the 1964-65 season to teams in our conference could have won become the men’s head basketball coach State that year if they could have just got- at Drury University. ten by us.”

The number of former Jolly Green The Jolly Green Giants entered the Giants who made the decision to follow Sectional round of the 1964-65 state tour- Harding to Drury after their prep careers nament with a 23-1 record, where the Vi- serves as a testament to Harding’s impact kings faced off against a familiar opponent as a coach and as a man. “Coach Hardin Glendale at McDonald Arena. “Our ing was the reason we made the choice biggest worry was the local teams,” said we did,” said Gail Fredrick of his decision Harding. “Glendale just played the stuff- to play collegiately at Drury. “We knew ing out of us in the Sectional. Once we got he would have a good program.” Drury away from Springfield, things got easier for effectively became us.” Parkview won the hard-fought game Parkview North, over Glendale by a 47-38 count, and ad- as no less than 10 vanced to the state quarterfinals, where former Jolly Green the Vikings defeated Columbia Hickman Giants also became 61-40 to return to the Final Four at Kiel Drury Panthers unAuditorium in St. Louis. der the coaching of After a 59-38 semifinal win over St. Bill Harding. “I used Louis Southwest, the Jolly Green Giants to wonder how they claimed the 1965 Class L state champion- could put up with ship with a dominating 67-50 victory over me,” said Harding. previously-undefeated Kansas City Center, “We had a bond as which featured high school All-American players and coachBruce Sloan. “Gail Fredrick handled him,” es. I demanded a lot said Harding of Sloan, who would later out of those young star at the University of Kansas. “Gail al- men. My philosoways guarded the other team’s best player. phy was, when you It didn’t matter if the other player was Parkview’s John Weston shoots a guard, forward or center.” over a Maplewood-Richmond The Jolly Green Giants ended the Heights defender—with Larry 1964-65 campaign with a 27-1 record O’Reilly (L) and Larry Carand the Class L state championship, penter (R) looking on—in which remains Parkview’s only state the semifinals of the 1964 Washchampionship in boys basketball. state tournament at use dho sity Fiel Gail Fredrick and John Weston were ington Univer en Gre y Joll The is. both named 1st-team All-State and to in St. Lou eated top-ranked def Giants the All-Tournament team, with Weston Maplewood to advance to the being named the MVP of the state tour- championship game, where nament. Ray Snelling also was named Parkview was upset by Bishop honorable mention All-State. “Winning DuBourg. (Photo courtesy of the state title was certainly quite an Parkview High School)

left, I didn’t want anyone saying, ‘I wish he would have pushed me more.’ I cared so much about those boys as players and as individuals. In spite of my shortcomings, I think they cared for me, too.”

Harding was replaced by Bob Brown, who would amass 367 victories at Parkview from 1965-86, on his way to a Hall of Fame coaching career. The Jolly Green Giants ran the table in the regular season and, coupled with the 23-game winning streak to end the 1964-65 season, entered the Regional round of the 1965-66 state playoffs riding a 46-game winning streak.

The unbeaten regular season, which once again included Ozark Conference, Tournament of Champions and Blue & Gold Tournament titles, remains the only undefeated boys basketball regular season by a Springfield R-12 school.

In the Regional round, Parkview survived a scare by Joplin, escaping to the Sectional round with a 56-55 victory at McDonald Arena. The Vikings knocked

off Glendale 48-41 in Sectional action, and survived another scare by Mexico in the state quarterfinals, winning 64-62 to make yet another trip to St. Louis for the Final Four.

In the state semifinals at Kiel Auditorium, the Jolly Green Giants dominated St. Louis Lindbergh by a score of 76-44, and carried a 50-game winning streak into the state championship game against Kansas City Central, a team the Vikings had already beaten by 21 points earlier in the regular season. However, Central ended the Vikings’ winning streak at 50 games and, more importantly, denied Parkview a second-straight state championship with a stunning 52-48 upset.

“We went into the game way overconfident,” said Virgle Fredrick, who was named 1st-team All-State that season. “We were a team that ran a full court press and played tough, pressure defense. We didn’t start the game in the full court press, though. You think in retrospect…who knows? The bottom line is we didn’t play up to our potential. We expected to win every night, and not being able to complete the deal left a bittersweet taste.” Steve Hutchinson and Ray Snelling joined Fredrick on the All-State team, with both receiving honorable mention honors.

Although Parkview would win back-toback Regional titles in 1967-68, the Vikings lost in Sectional play both seasons. In fact, Parkview has only advanced to the state quarterfinals three times since the days of the Jolly Green Giants, and have only reached the Final Four once, finishing in third-place at the end of the 1980-81 season. The three-year run by the Jolly Green Giants, which included a

record of 81-4, a state championship and two state runner-up finishes, leaves some wondering how those teams would fare in today’s game.

“I’m asked that question a lot,” said Virgle Fredrick. “Athletes today are bigger and stronger. We were unusually tall throughout the line-up, though, and we played with a lot of heart. If we were playing in today’s game, we would do whatever it took to be a winner. To compare teams from different generations is impossible, but one thing that is consistent with winning teams is that they play with a lot of heart and intensity. I think we would hold our own in today’s game.”

Harding has no doubt that the Jolly Green Giants could compete—and be successful—in today’s game. “It wouldn’t matter,” he said of his Parkview teams.

“They could play any way you want to play, because they were so fundamentally sound. They could play slow, or play fast. They were tough inside, too. Anyone could play any position. We didn’t have any positions. It was just five interchangeable men who could play anywhere on the floor. It would take a pretty good team to do anything with them.”

Although 44 years have passed since the 1966 state championship game ended, signaling the end of the three-year Jolly Green Giant era, those teams are gone but certainly not forgotten. “It’s not unusual to be out somewhere in Springfield and have someone mention the Jolly Green Giants,” said Gail Fredrick. “It’s really kind of a neat feeling to think that people still remember the Jolly Green Giants.” O’Reilly regularly encounters nostalgic fans when he attends events like the Blue & Gold Tournament or college games. “It is not surprising to run into someone in their 50s or 60s who remembers us,” he said. “We were thought of highly, I guess.”

When Virgle Fredrick returns home to Springfield, he also frequently gets asked about his high school basketball days.

“Every time I go back home, I see people who were a part of that experience,” he said. “Almost always, someone will mention the Jolly Green Giants. It’s humbling and gratifying at the same time. It was a great experience.”

Great, indeed.

1919

blue& gold

By Byron Shive

The holiday season in the Ozarks is an eventful time of year filled with annual traditions, including family get-togethers and activities, Christmas pageants, programs and Nativities, Christmas shopping and tree-trimming and, for sports fans and nonfans alike, the annual Blue & Gold Tournament. Since 1947, the unofficial colors for the month of December in the Ozarks have not been red and white—or even red and green—but rather blue and gold.

Long before the movie “Hoosiers” became the inspiration for small schools everywhere, and decades before March Madness and its “the slipper still fits” homage to Cinderella became a multi-billion dollar boom for the NCAA, the Blue & Gold Tournament has been providing small schools all over the Ozarks with an opportunity to test their skills against the big schools in a unique double-bracketed, holiday tournament setting.

“The Blue & Gold has always been a tournament which gives small schools

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For the past 65 years, the Blue & Gold Tournament has been an Ozarks institution, a tourney steeped in excitement, drama, history, and tradition

the opportunity to upset a bigger school,” said Larry Atwood, who served as the Tournament Director for the longest period of time, having directed the Blue & Gold from 1969-89. “That’s probably the major draw. It’s one of the oldest tournaments in the state. The Blue & Gold is a part of Christmas, and has been for years.

People return every year, from families and groups, to old buddies and old teams. It’s a tremendous tradition. You may see certain people only one time all year and it’s at the Blue & Gold.”

“The Blue & Gold began as a ‘big versus small’ tournament,” said Kent Hedgpeth, who has been the Tournament Director of the Blue & Gold since 2003.

Hedgpeth is also the head coach of the girls basketball team at Greenwood Laboratory School, which has served as the official host school of the Blue & Gold since the tourney’s inception in 1947. “The Blue & Gold started as a tournament which allowed the smaller schools in the area to

get a chance to play some of the bigger schools,” said Hedgpeth. “We currently have a waiting list of schools to get in the tournament. If someone goes out of the tournament that’s smaller, which is what usually happens, we try to replace them with someone smaller. We try to keep the field balanced between the smaller and bigger schools.”

“The Blue & Gold is just a great tournament,” said Mark Fisher, the current Athletic Director of the Springfield Public Schools, and the Tournament Director of the Blue & Gold from 1990-2002. “Over the years, it has allowed smaller schools a chance to compete against larger schools.

That’s what has kept the tournament at the level it’s at today. Families schedule their holiday plans around the Blue & Gold.”

“It’s just the holiday spirit of it all,” said Jim Vaughn, who has refereed at the Blue & Gold Tournament for 34 years. “It’s the small schools and the big schools. It’s the thing to do over the holidays . . . you

ars, ent on, ent,

Members of Branson’s 2009 Blue Division champions pose with the trophy following the Pirates’ 66-51 victory over top-seeded Nixa. Branson, which has now won seven Blue & Gold titles, will seek to become the first school to win four consecutive Blue & Gold titles in this season’s Blue & Gold Tournament. (Photo by Jesse Scheve)

go to the Blue & Gold. It’s just a great tournament.”

The tournament was not called the Blue & Gold when it began, nor was it a holiday tournament. Instead, the first tournament was called the Greenwood High Invitational Basketball Tournament, and was held Feb. 13-15, 1947, at “the spacious SMS fieldhouse,” as the iconic McDonald Arena was described in newspaper clippings from the day. J. H. “Speedy” Collins, the boys basketball coach at Greenwood at the time, began the tournament and served as the Tournament Director from the tourney’s inception in 1947 until 1961. The tournament was played in February in both 1947 and 1948, and moved permanently to the month of December in the 1948-49 school year (hence the reason there are two sets of champions for the calendar year 1948).

The first tournament was divided into two, eight-team divisions. The “A” Division included Ava, Carthage, Joplin, Lebanon, Neosho, Nevada, Monett, and Webb City, while the “B” Division included Aurora, Bolivar, Buffalo, Greenfield, Greenwood, Mount Vernon, Ozark, and Rogersville. All games were played at McDonald Arena on the campus of Southwest Missouri State University. Buffalo squared off against Greenfield in the first game of the tournament that year, with the Bison

posting a 40-36 victory in the first game of the Blue & Gold Tournament’s 65-year history.

At the time, the premier basketball tournament in the region was the annual Tournament of Champions, the precursor to today’s multi-state invitational tournament, which was hosted by Senior High School (now Central). “Perhaps Speedy Collins isn’t interested in stealing any thunder from the Senior High [S]chool’s annual tournament of basketball champions, but he has a wonderful opportunity to do just that in the next few years,” opined Perry E. Smith, the Sports Editor of The News and Leader at the time, in an editorial written prior to the first tournament. “Looking at the tournament on a long-range basis, however, we view the possibilities of it replacing the SHS meet in the interest of teams and fans.

“It would take careful planning and astute ballyhoo by Collins to build a tournament rivaling the SHS classic—and he has never indicated that he’s interested in such a thing,” continued Smith in his column. “Neither has the Greenwood coach evidenced interest in selecting teams on the basis of won-lost records . . . a factor which keys up considerable interest in the tournament of champions. Collins says he prefers to keep his tournament strictly a district affair, on a first-come, first-ac-

cepted basis. There are some angles, however, he might capitalize on—such as a 32-team bracket, equally divided among A and B schools.”

While Smith, the sports columnist, might not have been confident in Collins’ direction for the Greenwood tournament, the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. Eventually, the tournament did grow to a 32-team tournament, with two separate 16-team brackets, as had been suggested by Smith. However, even though the number of teams in the tournament grew, the tournament did not lose its “small school versus big school” pairings, which has become the Blue & Gold’s calling card over the years.

That first Greenwood tournament featured the first Cinderella in tournament history in Ava, one of a handful of small schools in the 1947 tournament.

In the first round of play in the “A” Division of the tournament, the Bears were pitted against powerhouse Joplin, which featured one of the area’s best players in center Bill Nolan. “Joplin had monopolized the whole area,” recalled Jim Norman, a member of that 1947 Ava Bears team. “I’m sure they were overconfident, but we played well over our heads. Nolan was so frustrated during the first half that he just went to pieces.” Ava soundly defeated Joplin 44-31 to advance to the second round. “We were labeled ‘giant killers,’” said Norman.

In the second round, Ava faced off against another seeded team in Webb City, the champions of the Big Eight Conference the year before. Ava staged a dramatic last-second victory, which set off a wild scene inside McDonald Arena. “We had a very dignified, sophisticated teach-

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er who was proper in all her airs, who was sitting in the front row courtside,” said Norman. “After the game-winning basket, they said she cleared the rail separating the court just like a cowboy to get to the floor to congratulate us.”

Although Ava fell short in the “A” Division championship game, losing 53-45 to Lebanon, the Bears laid the foundation for the Blue & Gold becoming a tournament of upsets, a place where small schools would get their chance against the bigger schools. “For a small school, we were very, very excited,” recalled Norman.

“We should have felt intimidated going up against the bigger schools, but we didn’t.

For some reason, when we got to McDonald Arena, we just played well.”

Ava was not finished, though. Just in case anyone thought the Bears’ performance in 1947 was a fluke, Ava laid those thoughts to rest the following year by upsetting Central in the first round, before avenging the 1947 championship game loss to Lebanon in the second round. “We got our revenge,” said Norman. Ava finished as runner-up once again, though, after losing a 40-39 nail biter to Joplin in the 1948 championship game.

Looking back over the years, Norman remains a fan of the Blue & Gold Tournament. “It gives some of the small schools a chance to go up against some of the bigger schools,” he said. “It’s an encour-

22

agement to these small schools. The small schools have everything to gain, and the bigger schools everything to lose.”

The third tournament, which would be played 10 months following Ava’s second runner-up finish, was the first to be played in the month of December, and the first to have Blue and Gold Divisions. The tournament has been played in the month of December with Blue and Gold Divisions continuously since 1948, except for a three-year stretch from 1976-78. Due to a state regulation enacted prior to the 1976 tournament which prevented the format of the Blue & Gold Tournament, the tourney was played for three years as just a single division tourney. “They finally came to their senses and changed the rule, which let us go back to the Blue & Gold format,” said Hedgpeth.

There have been many changes for the Blue & Gold over the years. One of the biggest was moving games from McDonald Arena to the Hammons Student Center shortly after it opened for the 197677 school year. With the opening of JQH Arena, there will be eight opening round games played this year at Hammons Student Center, with the other eight games to be played at JQH Arena. The rest of the tournament will be played at Hammons Student Center.

“The tournament grew tremendously once it was moved from McDonald Arena to Hammons,” said Atwood, who oversaw the move as Tournament Director at the time. “The crowds simply outgrew the facilities at McDonald Arena, which only has one restroom. Now, moving it to JQH Arena will allow it to grow even more.”

One change that the Blue & Gold Tournament has no control over is the tremendous population growth in Southwest Bradleyville’s David Combs (#50) shoots over a Salem defender in the semifinals of the 1967 Blue & Gold Tournament at McDonald Arena.

Bradleyville, which finished the season as 33-0 Class S state champions, won its second-straight Blue & Gold title the following day with a 70-59 victory over Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of Leon Combs / The Hicks from the Sticks)

Missouri since the tournament’s inception. The shift upward in population, from Springfield to the outlying towns and communities, means that there simply are not as many small schools as there used to be.

“The size of communities in Southwest Missouri has grown,” said Fisher, who was the head coach at Greenwood in 1991 when the Bluejays lost a thrilling 51-50 contest to Kickapoo in the Gold Division final. “There are not as many Class 1 and Class 2 schools as there used to be.

I miss that, but we have no control over it.

Instead of half the field being comprised of the smaller schools, now maybe onefourth of the field is Class 1.”

The overwhelming majority of former high school basketball players all over the Ozarks have memories of playing in the Blue & Gold Tournament. Some of the memories are of victories and success, while others are more bittersweet. For some, their memories of the Blue & Gold Tournament fall into both camps.

“I have a lot of fond memories of the Blue & Gold, although they are bittersweet since we finished second three years in a row,” said Jasen Fronabarger, who starred

Ozark’s Tom Ligon (#35) shoots between Hillcrest’s Dorial Green-Beckham (#32) and Luke Thompson (#5) in the Gold Division Championship game of the 2009 Blue & Gold Tournament at JQH Arena. The Tigers won the game 65-58 and their ninth Blue & Gold Tournament title overall. (Photo by Jesse Scheve).

at Aurora from 1991-94 and is the all-time leading scorer in Blue & Gold Tournament history. “I got my first playing time as a freshman at the Blue & Gold. In the end, though, I would have given the record up for a championship.

“The Blue & Gold is a great tournament, though,” he added. “The great thing about it is that you get those match-ups of small schools versus big schools. With the classifications, it’s nice for the so-called underdogs and Cinderella teams to get a shot.”

Many coaches in the area have had the opportunity to experience the Blue & Gold from both the small and big school camps, including Jay Osborne, who has coached Pleasant Hope to a Gold Division title in 1990 and Nixa to a Blue Division championship in 2005 in his 21 years as a high school basketball coach.

“Our kids at Pleasant Hope loved the opportunity and challenge of playing in the Blue & Gold,” said Osborne. “We were a 2A school at the time. All of our players had attended the Blue & Gold their entire lives. Playing in it was very special to them all.”

The Pirates’ path to the 1990 Gold Division championship was symbolic of the Blue & Gold’s underdog allure, as Pleasant Hope defeated Bolivar in a close game in the first round, before knocking off Nixa in overtime in the second round.

The Pirates overcame a double-digit deficit in the semifinals to defeat Camdenton, before defeating Hartville 78-63 in the final. “All four wins were quality wins versus very good teams,” said Osborne.

“We had to play four really good games on consecutive days. That’s tough to do at any level.”

Osborne moved from Pleasant Hope to Nixa following the 1990 champion-

ship, and has guided the Eagles to the championship round on six different occasions. However, Nixa has only the 2005 Blue Division title, losing the other five matchups. The Eagles suffered three-straight Gold Division championship setbacks from 1997-99, and lost last season’s Gold Division final to Branson in a 39-38 thriller.

“We have won a lot of games in the tournament, but only have one title to show for it,” said Osborne of his Nixa teams. “Honestly, this tournament has provided this coach with a lot of heartache and disappointment, but in the grand scheme of it all, I love coaching in it and embrace the challenge each season.”

With the 65th Blue & Gold Tournament set to be played Dec. 27-30, hundreds and hundreds of games have already Nixa’s Kameron Bundy (#32) goes up for a finger roll in the lane in the been played thus far in Pirates’ 66-51 victory in the Blue Division finals of the 2009 Blue & the tournament’s illustri- Gold Tournament at Hammons Student Center. Looking on are Nixa’s ous history. From Alton Jalen Norman (#5), Branson’s Avery Dingman (#12) and Nixa’s Jordan to Winona, the list of all- Keeney (#3). (Photo by Jesse Scheve) time Blue & Gold Tournament participants includes 124 schools compiled records over the years, which in all. The list includes several schools can be used to determine team and inthat appeared in only one Blue & Gold dividual record holders. Kickapoo has Tournament, including: Birch Tree (1-1 in appeared in the Blue & Gold a total of 1950); Carterville (0-1 in 1951); Granby 18 times since opening its doors for the (0-1 in 1954); Leeton (0-1 in 1973); Pin- 1971-72 school year, and has won the eville (which lost the “B” Division final in most Blue & Gold titles with 10, the last of its only tournament appearance in 1948); which was a Blue Division title in 2007.

Central High School and Glendale both and Summersville (0-1 in 1958).

On the other end of the spectrum are have captured nine titles each, and Ozark the seemingly annual participants, those tied those programs with nine total titles schools that have made regular appear- by winning last season’s Gold Division. ances in the tournament. Greenwood Branson’s third-straight Blue & Gold title heads the list, having played in all 64 Blue last season gave it seven overall.

Over the past 65 years, the Blue & & Gold Tournaments, which is not surprising since the Bluejays are the tournament Gold Tournament has become a Southwest host. However, Buffalo—a former small Missouri institution, a tourney steeped in school power which won six Blue & Gold excitement, drama, history, and tradition. titles and finished runner-up six other It’s the small school versus the big school, times from 1947-64—has appeared in 63 the community pride, a smorgasbord of tournaments to date. basketball over four days. “It’s not just a Bob Sheppard, the longtime histo- tournament, it’s a happening,” said Fisher. rian for the tournament, has painstakingly “It’s an event.”

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pink& white In the past 38 years, the annual Pink &WhiteTournament has grown from its modest beginnings to become one of the most prestigious girls basketball tournaments in the state. From its humble beginnings struggling to fill teams into an eight-team tournament in its first year, the Pink & White now boasts a 16-team, double elimination tournament bracket—with a waiting list of teams awaiting their opportunity to play in the tournament.

The Pink & White Tournament originally began as a response to enactment of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, with one of its stated purposes to create the same opportunity and quality of treatment for female athletes as is afforded male athletes. At the time the law was enacted, though, there were very few schools in the area that even had girls basketball teams, and there certainly were no holiday tournaments to showcase the area girls talent.

One man’s vision and determination to demonstrate compliance with Title IX, though, laid the foundation for what has become an annual tradition in the Ozarks.

“Our responsibility was to demonstrate to the public what was right and best in education,” said Dr. James Jester, who was the Director of the Greenwood Laboratory School when Title IX was enacted.

“We needed to demonstrate compliance with Title IX. At the time, we didn’t have a girls basketball team at Greenwood. In fact, most of the schools in the area did

28 24

not have a girls team.”

First, Dr. Jester made sure Greenwood was taking the necessary steps to comply with Title IX, including organizing a girls basketball team.

Next, Dr. Jester set-up, organized, and directed the first Pink & White Tournament, which was played in December of 1973 at McDonald Arena. The first tournament was set-up to have an eight-team bracket.

However, Dr. Jester was only able to get six teams for the tournament—and one of those came down from Kansas City.

Parkview defeated Sherwood for the first Pink & White Tournament title.

“I’ve been criticized by some for calling the tournament the Pink & White,” said Dr. Jester. “They said it was too feminine.

My response is that it should have been called the Black & Blue. The skill level that first year was very low. There were constant fouls and turnovers. The quality of basketball was just not good that first year. Boyfriends and parents were the only people in the stands. We definitely lost money the first year.”

It did not take long, though, for things

By Byron Shive

to improve. More schools in the area began fielding girls basketball teams—as well as other girls sports—and the more the girls played, the more talented they became.

The quality of girls basketball play in the Ozarks seemingly improved overnight, though in reality, it took slightly longer.

By the second year of the Pink & White Tournament, there were a few more teams competing—enough to fill the bracket.

By the third tournament, though, college coaches were attending the Pink & White Tournament to scout players. The rest, as the saying goes, is Pink & White history. “It says a lot about Dr. Jester and Greenwood being a visionary and cutting edge,” said Kent Hedgpeth, the current Pink & White Tournament Director, as well as the head girls basketball coach at Greenwood—the tournament’s official host.

“The Pink & White Tournament demonstrated to the girls that there was a place for them to play,” said Dr. Jester. “The girls could have a holiday tournament, too. It definitely helped stimulate interest in girls basketball. I recognized the need for a girls tournament, and it has really taken off and has done well.”

Today’s players have grown up with the Pink & White, from attending the games as children to now playing in the tournament each year. Many coaches in the area who guide their teams annu-

e

ally in the Pink & White also played in the tournament during their prep careers.

Jeni Hopkins, who is the current head girls basketball coach at Hillcrest, played in the Pink & White for Greenwood from 1986-89, and later served as the Tournament Director from 1994-2000. “Playing in the Pink & White Tournament was very special,” she said. “Not only was it ‘our’ tournament at Greenwood, but it was a chance to see a variety of competition from the area. We were the smallest school in the tournament and it was always nice to ‘test the waters’ against larger schools, and schools we did not typically see on our schedule.”

Hopkins returned to Greenwood to coach after her college days, and also served as the Assistant Director of the Pink & White from 1992-93 before becoming Tournament Director for seven seasons. As Tournament Director and coach, Hopkins’ double-duty taught her lessons in multitasking. “It is so funny, because you were running this large tournament and trying to keep the hospitality room happy, the officials organized, teams and coaches coordinated, and have your workers there,” she said. “Then, on top of all of that, you had to coach. I remember an assistant coach from another school coming up to me in the middle of a game and tapping me on the shoulder to tell me that the hospitality room was out of cups! Really?!? I am trying to coach!”

Like the Blue & Gold Tournament, the Pink & White also provides small schools a chance to test their skills against bigger schools that they would not normally face in the regular season. “When I was coaching at Greenwood, we used to take the same attitude I had as a player,” said Hopkins. “I would tell my team that this is the best tournament in the state, and we have the best competition in Southwest Missouri, so here is your chance to prove yourselves with the cream of the crop. We had some strong years of talented teams, so it was great to play the larger schools and be challenged every single game, and also take a good, old-fashioned, humbling butt-whooping on occasion.”

“You often get into a close game, and the conditions mirror those of the state tournament,” said Hedgpeth of the competition at the Pink & White. “If you lose, it’s probably going to be to a good team. The Pink & White is nothing but a good thing for your kids. It’s played at a good venue.

There are a lot of small school coaches that feel that the Pink & White is a way to challenge their kids.”

As the quality of play has improved and the style of play has quickened over the years, the Pink & White Tournament has evolved with the changes. For example, the tournament has gone to the use of three officials per game to better referee the action. “The fact that we needed to go to three-person crews shows that the quality of basketball has improved,” said Linda Maune, who has refereed at the Pink & White for more years than she cares to remember. “Southwest Missouri has got some good girls basketball.”

Over the years, the Pink & White Tournament games were all played at McDonald Arena, but continued community support for the tournament has led tournament officials to move the finals to JQH Arena this season for the first time. “It’s huge for the girls to get to play in the larger facility,” said Maune. Another change involves the number of games guaranteed to each participating school, which used to be just two. However, as the quality of play has improved and interest in the tournament has increased, the Pink & White moved to a full double elimination tournament in 1996, added more games, and also began implementing an All-Tournament Team and naming a Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

The quality of play and stiff competition of the Pink & White Tournament has also aided in the rise of girls basketball powers from year-to-year. The tournament also provides a convenient means for college coaches and recruiters to scout local talent. “The Pink & White has been a staple in the area for girls basketball,” said Hopkins. “The Pink & White is the true tournament that has that small school-big school feel—it is for bragging rights in the area. I feel that it has been a great stage for many teams in the area, and has elevated programs due to their participation in it.

It is also a great showcase for collegiate coaches, and gives them an opportunity to see several players play against great competition in just a few days.” Hopkins recalled her second season as head coach at Hillcrest, when the Lady Hornets captured the consolation bracket. “It was the first trophy that Hillcrest had ever won at the Pink & White, and it did a lot for our program and pride because of the caliber of play in the tournament,” said Hopkins.

Just like its big brother, the Blue & Gold Tournament, the Pink & White also has former players and coaches, fans, volunteers, and workers return each year for the next edition of the tournament. In fact, according to Hedgpeth , he “could prob-

ably get a lot of people to work the Pink & White for free.”

“Another aspect of the tournament is the amount of former players that always visit the Pink & White,” said Hopkins. “It helps that it is during the holidays, but I love to look down under the West goal, and I always see a line of former Greenwood players there still enjoying the tournament.”

Another annual returnee is Maune, who currently referees and umpires for girls basketball, volleyball and softball, and has spent her career involved in various other aspects of girls prep sports. “The Pink & White is a tradition that’s just really, really cool,” she said. “The girls are getting the opportunity and are taking advantage of it. The overall quality of the tournament, from the coaches to the players, the style of play, and even the behind-the-scenes part of the tournament, is just outstanding.

It’s funny, because I’ve been around this tournament long enough that I’m now seeing girls that played in the tournament that are now coaching in it.”

While the on-court competition at the Pink & White is fierce and the style of play outstanding, the holiday atmosphere in the packed stands is more laidback. “It’s phenomenal, because you see these people who are so relaxed,” said Maune. “In the regular season, it may be a Monday night, and people are so stressed thinking about all they have to do when they get home. At the Pink & White, though, they just come and sit there all day long, and get to watch game after game.”

Area coaches seed the top eight teams of the 16-team tournament field each year, with the remaining eight teams drawn out of a hat. “The first round match-ups are so good, because if you are a high seed, you may not want to play the 15 seed,” said Hedgpeth. “There are a lot of upsets that first day, because there is so much parity in the area. There is a nice mix of small schools, which move in and out of the tournament as they cycle talent-wise.”

From the poor quality of play and struggling to field teams and fill the stands at its inception, to today’s high quality of players, teams, coaches, and style of play, the Pink & White Tournament has become an annual rite for girls basketball fans in the Ozarks.

Looking back, Dr. Jester is pleased to see what has become of his decision to do what was right in 1972. “I have fond memories when I think about how the teams improved so quickly,” he said. “If you give the girls an opportunity, they’ll take advantage of it, and grow with the opportunity.”

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Now entering its 18th season, the KTXR Lady Classic has become one of the most prestigious girls basketball tournaments in the country, with nationally-ranked and other highly-regarded squads making the December trek to Springfield each year for three days of highly competitive basketball. This year’s tournament, which will be played Dec. 27-29 in its entirety at the new O’Reilly Family Events Center, is no different, with a talented eight-team field which features three defending state champions and three state finalists from a year ago.

“We are bringing in some quality teams and quality programs,” said Mark Fisher, Athletic Director for the Springfield Public Schools and the Tournament Director of the KTXR Lady Classic. “We have programs that have star power, and are filled with kids that are going to be playing at the next level. We want our fans in Springfield and Southwest Missouri to be excited. Our fans locally understand good Edmond North Lady Huskies Edmond, OK The Lady Huskies (23-4 last season) were an Oklahoma Class 6A state semifinalist a year ago. Edmond North, ranked #2 in Oklahoma, features a seniordominated line-up which has posted a 46-7 record over the past two seasons.

All-everything senior post player Elizabeth Donohoe (20.2 ppg/10.3 rpg) leads the way, with power forward TaNita Dewberry (10.5 ppg/7.7 rpg) and versatile Anna Kimsey (8.6 ppg) both key contributors. Seniors Kayla Anderson and Ella Voss also start. Edmond North has a deep and experienced bench.

“This tournament features a high level of competition,” said head coach Kevin Korstjens.

“We’ll have our hands full.

We’ll be away from home, so we’ll need to see if we can make adjustments—not just in games, but day-to-day.”

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basketball, and we think they will be entertained with this year’s field of teams.”

Southwest Missouri will be well represented in the KTXR Lady Classic, with five of the eight teams calling the region home.

Kickapoo, which finished in third-place in Class 5 a year ago, has appeared in every KTXR Lady Classic, with six titles to show for their efforts. Glendale, the second Springfield Public School in the tournament, will be making its tenth appearance in the tourney, and is a former tournament champion (1994). Stockton, which returns all five starters from last season’s 25-5 Sectional title team, will be making its fifth appearance, but first since 2003.

“The competition in the KTXR Lady Classic is tremendous,” said Jim Pendergrass, head coach at Kickapoo. “Mark Fisher does an outstanding job putting together a competitive tournament field.”

Renee Temple, head coach at Glendale, is excited about her Lady Falcons’ chances in Glendale Lady Falcons Springfield, MO

Glendale makes its 11th appearance in the KTXR Lady Classic, and are a past champion of the event (1994). Glendale is led by 6’1” point guard Megan Deines (15 ppg) and Anna Clark (10 ppg) in the backcourt, along with defensive stopper Katie Harold. Julia Wells (10 ppg/6.5 rpg) anchors the frontline, with 6’0” Kate Frazier a key down low. Emily Cline, a 5’8” point guard, missed last season due to injury.

The Lady Falcons’ deep bench includes Kaylee Frazier, transfer Anna James, and Kimmie Deines in the backcourt, and Payton Graves and Monica Ocarz providing frontline depth.

“In order to be successful, we have to be attacking right from the tip-off, and setting the tone and tempo early in the game,” said head coach Jeni Hopkins.

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the tournament. “We are excited to play in a tournament of this caliber, and look forward to competing with some of the best teams in the state and region,” she said. “I think it will be a great tournament, with all eight teams being able to compete on any given night. I feel very confident about our team representing Southwest Missouri. We have kids that will play hard every game and will represent this area very well.”

“We’re very honored that the KTXR Lady Classic thought enough of our program, and the talent that we have, to invite us to play,” said Richard Driscoll, head coach of the Stockton Lady Tigers. “Our girls are excited to represent our community, and to play the elite competition that the KTXR Lady Classic brings in. I think the KTXR Lady Classic is a great event and it is an honor to be a part of a tournament that promotes girls basketball in Southwest Missouri. They do a wonderful job bringing highly qualified girls basketball teams

Kickapoo Lady Chiefs Springfield, MO Kickapoo (25-6) has appeared in all 18 KTXR Lady Classics, and are a six-time champion of the event. The Lady Chiefs finished in thirdplace in Class 5 a year ago.

Kickapoo’s top returning scorer, Jordan Graham (10.2 ppg), is questionable for the KTXR Lady Classic due to an ACL injury suffered in the summer. The Lady Chiefs do have 5’8” junior sharpshooter Annie Armstrong (43.4% 3pt), ballhawking Liz Reida, and a pair of 5’7” fundamentally sound juniors in Zoe Allen and Rachel Schroff.

“There aren’t many tournaments where every team has a legitimate chance to win,” said head coach Jim Pendergrass.

“The Kickapoo Lady Chiefs have been in this tournament every year since its inception, and we look forward to facing these great teams.”

Midwest City Lady Bombers Midwest City, OK Midwest City (26-2), the 2008 KTXR Lady Classic champions, makes its third-straight appearance in the tournament after posting a 26-2 record last season en route to the Oklahoma Class 6A state championship.

Oklahoma’s top-ranked team features senior Kaylon Williams (11.4 ppg/7.9 rpg), a 6’3” forward and Oklahoma signee, leads the way for Midwest City.

Senior Marisha Wallace will be a key down low, while 5’11” Ashley Clark (8.8 ppg/4.1 rpg) and Adrianna White run the Lady Bomber backcourt. Midwest City also has a deep and talented bench.

“The keys to our success are going to be limiting our turnovers, defense, and rebounding,” said head coach Art Bode. “Our defense and transition game are our strengths, so we’ll need to do those well.”

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in from out of state to make a great tournament to play in.”

Southwest Missouri will also be represented by a pair of defending state champions in Webb City and Mt. Vernon. The Lady Cardinals, last season’s Class 4 state champions, will be appearing for the second time, and will look to improve on last season’s disappointing third-place finish.

Mt. Vernon, which won the Class 3 state championship last season, will be making its first appearance in the KTXR Lady Classic.

“We feel it is an honor to be a part of this field,” said Brad Shorter, head coach at Webb City. “The KTXR Lady Classic is one of the top tournaments in the Midwest region—if not the entire country. The quality of teams is exceptional, and we could very easily lose three games and still feel like we played well and got better. The Southwest Missouri area is a girls basketball mecca, and we are excited to play our brand of hard-nosed basketball in front of such great fans.”

“The field of teams in this year’s tournament is definitely very talented,” said Doug Hepler, head coach of the Mt. Vernon Lady Mountaineers. “The teams invited to play in the tournament have shown that they Morristown-Hamblen West Lady Trojans Morristown, TN Morristown-Hamblen West (34-2) was the Tennessee Class AAA state runner-up a year ago, ending the year ranked #47 in the final ESPN Rise rankings.

The Lady Trojans are keyed by shooting guard Kelley Smith (10 ppg/38% 3pt) and power forward Allison Jones (11 ppg / 6rpg). Sierra Lyons, a 6’1” center, anchors the frontline. The Lady Trojans will be looking for key contributions from sophomore shooting guard Lindsey Wild, and freshmen guard Whitney Donaldson and Jecca Simerly, a 6’1” post player.

“We are a young team with a few talented returners from last year’s team,” said head coach Johnny Galyon. “ This team will need experience, but has a lot of potential. We will have to get our young kids ready early, as they will be asked to play big minutes against some quality competition.”

are some of the best teams in their state— regardless of class. This will be a good test for each team each and every night. This tournament is full of great players. It is a tremendous experience to be able to play so many high caliber teams that have had lots of success.”

“This is one of the best high school girls tournaments around the country,” added Hepler. “The tournament is run very well, and the people involved in setting up this tournament have made this a very prestigious event that is run with class.”

The out-of-state contingent includes a pair of Oklahoma juggernauts in Midwest City and Edmond North, and a perennial Tennessee power in Morristown-Hamblen West. Midwest City, which is the defending Class 6A state champion in Oklahoma, will be making its third-straight appearance in the tournament, and won the 2008 KTXR Lady Classic. The Lady Bombers, who went 26-2 last season with both losses coming to eventual Missouri state champions in Webb City and Incarnate Word Academy, finished last season ranked 24th nationally in the final ESPN Rise rankings.

Edmond North, 23-4 a year ago and a Class 6A Oklahoma state semifinalist after losing to Midwest City, will be making Mt. Vernon Lady Mountaineers Mt. Vernon, MO

Mt. Vernon (30-3), the defending Class 3 state champion, makes its KTXR Lady Classic debut this season after being a mainstay at the annual Pink & White Tournament.

All-everything senior Kenzie Williams (17.6 ppg), a Missouri State commit, leads Mt. Vernon, with Danielle Goodman (10 ppg), Amelia Bramer (9.3 ppg), and Monica Senninger playing key roles. Senior Addy Campbell and 6’1” junior Jenna Kleine are both back after missing last season with ACL injuries. Sally Cowherd, Madison Hadlock, Tamiaya Henderson, and transfers Erin Gavin and Audrey LaSalle provide Mt. Vernon with quality depth.

“We need to come ready to play well, and all aspects of our game need to be strong,” said head coach Doug Hepler. “We want to test our abilities against some great competition.”

its KTXR Lady Classic debut this year. The Lady Huskies, who have posted a 46-7 record over the past two seasons, will bring a senior-dominated line-up to Springfield.

“The more and more I learn about the KTXR Lady Classic, from the teams that have played in it in the past to the teams that are in it this year, the more I realize that this tournament is really loaded,” said Kevin Korstjens, head coach at Edmond North. “Midwest City won state last year, and is the favorite to win it again this year, and they didn’t even win the KTXR last year, so the quality of teams is obvious.

We’re going to have our hands full.”

Morristown-Hamblen West went 34-2 a year ago and was the Tennessee Class 3A state runner-up. The Lady Trojans, who finished last season ranked 47th nationally in the final ESPN Rise rankings, will also be making their KTXR Lady Classic debut.

“This is a very competitive tournament from what we know,” said head coach Johnny Galyon. “We look forward to exposing our program to some of the best teams in the nation. This tournament will give our kids some recruiting exposure. We feel very honored to have been invited, and look forward to representing our school, city, and state in a great way.”

Stockton Lady Tigers Stockton, MO Stockton (25-5), which returns all five starters from last season’s District and Sectional champions, will be making its fifth appearance in the KTXR Lady Classic, but first since a runner-up finish in 2003.

The Lady Tigers are led by seniors Kaitlan Cramer (15.9 ppg) and Chayla Rutledge (15.8 ppg), and juniors Garrett Burton (11.3 ppg) and Ashli Burton (10.3 ppg). Senior Amber Thomas returns after missing most of last season with a broken leg.

“We try to play hard every night, and we play every game with the mindset of winning that game,” said head coach Richard Driscoll. “We understand that we will be playing tough competition, but we feel that we are a tough opponent as well. We will play our game and see where that leaves us at the end of the tournament.”

Webb City Lady Cardinals Webb City, MO The Lady Cardinals (301) make their second-straight appearance in the KTXR Lady Classic, and return all five starters from last season’s Missouri Class 4 state champions.

Webb City is led by a trio of All-State players in Kaitlin Jaeger (17.8 ppg) / 6.6 rpg), Hailey Roderique (15 ppg/6 rpg), and Kyndal Clark (12.5 ppg).

Seniors Breanna Baker and Sharenda Campbell are also returning starters. Sammy Stroud, Jordan Williams, and Gabbie Gannaway provide Webb City with quality depth.

“This tournament was a large reason in our winning a state championship last year,“ said head coach Brad Shorter.

“This tournament will be a great gauge of where we are at. We’ll have to play great defense, take care of the basketball, limit our turnovers, and take quality shots.”

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Scott Puryear has been a part of the Springfield media scene since 1985 as both a sports writer/columnist for the Springfield News-Leader and in his current role as co-host of The Sports Reporters Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m. on JOCK 98.7 FM. First let me say I’m honored to have been asked to fill what I consider the “Rick Reilly” spot in this exciting new publication . . . seeing as when Rick Reilly was the back page columnist for Sports Illustrated, that’s the first place I turned, and then worked my way from back to front.

I’m not suggesting you do the same . . . especially when this publication is destined to wow you with cool cover shots and action photos throughout each month, like the inaugural cover of multi-sport Hillcrest High standout Dorial Green-Beckham.

This is a mag that I believe will fit nicely into our total package of Ozarks’ prep coverage with that provided by other folks, from our hard-working local TV stations, to my former employer (The News-Leader), to Jeff Saddler’s prep preview publications and Tom Mast’s Big Sports mag. They all do a great job of telling the many stories throughout the Ozarks in their special way, and with the interest in prep sports in this region, there’s certainly plenty of room for all.

What I hope to accomplish in this space each month is throw out some opinions, maybe highlight some of the key figures in Southwest Missouri and basically—as was my goal with the old paper gig—sometimes make you chuckle, make you mad occasionally, make you reminisce, but most of all, make you think.

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Scott Puryear Co-Host, The Sports Reporters (JOCK 98.7)

Our inaugural offering . . .

• I must admit, I was a whole lotta bummed out when first Branson, then Camdenton, were eliminated from the state football playoffs in early November.

Why? I’m a lifelong, big fan of coaches Steve Hancock and Bob Shore.

And not just because both are class guys who run their programs the right way.

There’s something awfully refreshing about a pair of guys who’ve stayed put for 25 or more years in the same place and refused to buy into the “grass is always greener” concept that’s seemingly so prevalent in young coaches these days.

Same with Gary Murphy of the Marshfield Lady Jays, John Roderique of Webb City football, the late Jim Pearson of Kickapoo football lore, guys like Jim Vaughan (Hillcrest track) and Bob Kinloch (Central wrestling) . . . the list goes on and on. All, undoubtedly, folks who’ve had or had opportunities to explore other jobs.

Hats off to those coaches who found a comfy situation, settled in and enjoyed it for decades. Because I have a feeling that, with each one of those coaches, one of the greatest rewards has been the chance to stay put and watch their former athletes grow into productive, responsible and talented adults in and around their communities . . . and then get the opportunity to coach those athletes’ kids and in some cases, grandchildren.

Sometimes, that’s worth a whole lot more than chasing a bigger paycheck.

• At press time, Springfield Catholic’s Fightin’ Irish were preparing to play for a Class 1 boys’ soccer state championship in Fenton, having outlasted traditional power

Pembroke Hill in a penalty-kick shootout in the state semifinals.

This is Exhibit A that we’re that much closer to being able to proclaim that soccer has arrived on the high school level in the Ozarks, a point made stronger when you consider that Catholic just started its boys’ program four years ago (and Joe Kofron was a noted club level coach before accepting the Irish coaching job).

That’s a tribute to the quality of club soccer programs that now have turned the sport into a full-time gig for many in southwest Missouri, something they’ve been doing for decades in St. Louis.

Of course, we’ve seen plenty of warning signs along these lines for years.

It started back in the ‘90s when Jackie Jewsbury went on from Kickapoo High to later star at Saint Louis University and maintain his current role as a regular for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.

And look at the recent strong men’s soccer squads at Missouri State and Drury for more proof, where the Bears rely on standouts like former Kickapoo star Heath Melugin for goals and the Panthers have been one of the top D-II programs in the region behind the likes of former Glendale standouts Steve Wilczewski and Stephen Conner, both All-America selections and both instrumental in Drury’s run to a 21-2 record and national No. 2 ranking in 2009.

So next time you drive by that overstuffed parking lot at the Y or Lake Country Soccer on a Saturday morning, realize that you might be seeing some pretty darn good high school program under construction at that time.

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