Ozark Preps Illustrated February 2011

O zark i l l u s t r at e d February 2011

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O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk I was pleasantly surprised by the response of the ad we placed 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 ed in the December issue of Ozark Preps Illustrated. The magazine O zark was distributedO O zark onzark Friday, and by the very next Monday, we had 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 an opportunity with a new client.

O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed Varsity Contractors, Inc., will definitely advertise in Ozark Preps O zark O zark O zark Illustrated again near What originally an e d i l l u s t r at e d i l lin i lbegan l u s tas u the str r at at future. ed ad to help promote local prep athletes soon turned into a viable O zark O zark O zark rk business I would encourage other owners i l l u s t r at e d illu illustr s t r atopportunity. at ebusiness ed ed d to consider using this advertising platform.

O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark zark rk Robert Rayl,O 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 ed Senior Vice President, Varsity Contractors, Inc. O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r atin i l l u s t r at e d e d this O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed ...

O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk ite d i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at i l l u s t r at e d ed O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed i l l u s t r at e d O zark O zark O zark 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 To reserve ad space, please contact OZARK PREPS ILLUSTRATED at m O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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

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LETTER EDITOR

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Dear Readers,

O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark Editor-In-Chief i l l u s t r at e d bshive@ozarkpreps.com Ozark O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d W Oza P.O. Box 777 illust Bolivar, MO 65613 417.770.0003 O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za www.ozarkpreps.com illust Printer Ozark i l l u s t r at e d Shweiki Media 4954 Space Center Dr. San Antonio, TX 78218Oza illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust O zark i l l u s t r at e d O za illust

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Welcome again to the next issue of Ozark Preps Illustrated! The recent winter snow storms have wreaked havoc across the Ozarks, forcing school closings and the postponement of many games and meets. The weather also hampered the distribution of our January issue, but could not keep us from putting together yet another issue of Ozark Preps Illustrated! The magazine is beginning to develop a monthly following, and we certainly appreciate the positive feedback, encouragement, and loyal fan base.

Before I get to what is included in this issue, I do want to make yet another plea regarding advertising. As you know, this is a FREE magazine, which means that we are entirely dependent upon advertising dollars for revenue. I believe that Ozark Preps Illustrated has very competitive advertising rates, and that we offer, perhaps, the most diverse demographic of any periodical in the region. So, if you like Ozark Preps Illustrated, then please consider advertising in the magazine. If you are not a business owner, then please encourage any business owner you know, or other person in charge of advertising, to contact me regarding advertising opportunities.

The response to our monthly sections and departments has been very positive. Milestones, Photo Finish, and Timeout are once again featured, as well as Chalk Talk, in which Bolivar head wrestling coach Mel Hughes talks about the three-day extravaganza that is the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships. In On the DL, Dr. J.P. Simanis expounds upon the most common types of sports-related injuries, including their care and prevention.

The Rewind section has become one of the most popular sections of the magazine, if reader response is any indication. People love to root for winning teams and for an underdog, and this month’s featured Rewind team—the Bradleyville Eagles—falls into both categories. With a school enrollment of only 105 students from grades K-12, Bradleyville used a combination of talent, toughness, and humility in recording a 64-game winning streak from 1966-68. The winning streak included a pair of Class S state championships, including a four-overtime affair against Howardville in the 1968 title game, which remains the longest championship game in state history. “The Hicks from the Sticks,” as the team came to be known after an upset of powerhouse Parkview in the 1966 Blue & Gold semifinals, profiles these unforgettable teams.

This is the first year for the swimming and diving programs at Logan-Rogersville, and these teams are competing today due to the tireless and determined efforts of a group of parents who wanted another extracurricular option for Logan-Rogersville students. “Preliminary Heat” profiles their remarkable dedication to raising the funds necessary to fund the swimming and diving teams. The Dadeville boys basketball team reached the Class 1 Final Four a year ago, only to be overwhelmed by eventual state champion Scott County Central in the semifinals. The Bearcats finished in 3rd-place last season, but are looking for bigger and better things this time around. “On A Mission” focuses on this talented bunch of Bearcats, and their determination to return to Columbia.

With the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships occurring Feb. 17-19 at Mizzou Arena, several Ozarks-area wrestlers are looking to make their mark in Columbia. The area is filled with talented wrestlers, but who is the “best of the best?” We asked those who could answer that question better than anyone—the area wrestling coaches. Based on anonymous input from the coaches, we compiled our “All-Area Wrestling Team,” which includes the top three wrestlers in each weight class.

Thank you for reading Ozark Preps Illustrated!

Sincerely,

P r a i r i e Wa r b l e r Publishing, LLC

Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Byron Shive Art Director Ty DeClue

Advertising Sales Representative Lisa Rayl Contributing Writers Mel Hughes Scott Puryear Dr. J.P. Simanis

Contributing Photographers Waunetta Howard Linda Patton Lori Taylor

On the Cover Logan-Rogersville’s Savannah Gomez

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.

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.

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.

O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 “The Hicks from the Sticks” 18 Rewind O zark O zark rk From 1966 to 1968, tiny BradleyvilleO won zark 64 games in a row, a state i l l u s t r at e d illustr i l l ualso s twon r at at e ed ed d still stands today. The Eagles record which a pair of Class S state championships, including a four overtime thriller in 1968.

O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk 22 Preliminary Heat i l illustr i l l l u s t r at e d u s t r at at ed e e d d This is the first year for the swimming and diving programs at LoganRogersville after the tireless efforts of a group of dedicated parents in O zark O zark O zark raising the money to fund few i l l u s t r at e d i l l unecesarry ill u s t r at e d s t r at e dthese programs for the next years.

O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed 24 OnDadeville A Mission O zark O zark zark advanced to the Class 1 Final Four a year ago, but O finished 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 in a disapointing third place. The Bearcats return virtually intact for another run at a state title.

O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed All-Area O zark O zark O zark i l l u s26 i l l u s t r at e d i l l u s t r at e d t r at e d Wrestling Rankings Southwest Missouri is loaded with talented wrestlers, but who’s the O zark O zark O zark rk “best asked areaewrestling i l l u s t r at e d illustr illu s t the r at atofethe ed d best?” Ozark Preps Illustrated d coaches to weigh in, and based on their input, presents its All-Area Wrestling Rankings.

O zark O zark O zark 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 O zark O zark O zark rk DEPARTMENTS 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 ed O zark O zark O zark 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 Milestones 4 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed 6 Photo O Finish er Dr. zark O zark 78218Ozark 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 Time Out 12 O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed Chalk Talk 14 O zark O zark O zark Bolivar head Mele Hughes weighs in on the extravaganza that theeMSHSAA i l l u s t r at e d iwrestling illust l l u scoach t r at r is at d d Wrestling Championships.

O zark O zark O zark rk 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 ed OnDr. J.P.The DL 16 Simanis sheds light on the care and prevention of sports injuries.

O zark O zark O zark 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 End Zone 28 O zark O zark rk Scott Puryear spoke with several players who have hit “The Shot,” and how the memoryO andzark 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 ed notoriety has remained with them for the rest of their life.

O zark O zark O zark 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

STARTING LINE-UP

Dadeville’s Dakota Webb

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MILESTONES

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Branson’s Malachi Daniels (Photo by Waunetta Howard)

FOOTBALL Chris Andress, Branson—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Dylan Barnum, Strafford—MSSA Class 2 1stTeam All-State (DB) Robert Booker, Ozark—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Shane Burkhart, Nixa—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Dylan Bussell, Logan-Rogersville—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Fernando Cedeno, Branson—MSSA Class 5 2ndTeam All-State (K) Cameron Chancey, Branson—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Scott Chesbro, Springfield Catholic—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State; MSSA Class 3 1stTeam All-State (DB) Tyler Coonis, Fair Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State Sam Cowherd, Mt. Vernon—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Greg Dalton, Logan-Rogersville—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Malachi Daniels, Branson—MSSA Class 5 1stTeam All-State (RB) John Davidson, Miller—MSSA Class 1 1st-Team All-State (OL) Dylan Duggins, Osceola—MSSA Class 1 2ndTeam All-State (LB) Zach Eaton, Miller—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Nick Esposito, Greenfield—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Derrick Estell, Miller—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Darin Francis, Parkview—MSSA Class 5 2ndTeam All-State (RB) Dalton Freeze, Stockton—MSSA Class 2 2ndTeam All-State (DB) Nick Gori, Springfield Catholic—MFBCA Class 3

Miller’s Tyler Henshaw (Photo by Lori Taylor)

Academic All-State Jared Green, Fair Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest—USA Today 1st-Team All-American; MSSA Class 4 1st-Team All-State (R/E) Dalton Gulick, Miller—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Shelby Harris, Nixa—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Andrew Hastings, Nixa—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Stefan Herron, Kickapoo—MSSA Class 5 2ndTeam All-State (DB) Tyler Hinshaw, Miller—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State; MSSA Class 1 2nd-Team AllState (R/E) Mykalen Huntoon, Parkview—MSSA Class 5 2nd-Team All-State (OL) Justin Jack, Miller—MSSA Class 1 2nd-Team AllState (QB) Mike Joyce, Fair Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State Jake Justis, Ash Grove—MSSA Class 2 2nd-Team All-State (OL) Kirk Kaczmarek, Springfield Catholic—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Zach Keller, Bolivar—MSSA Class 4 2nd-Team All-State (OL) Ben Knuckles, Springfield Catholic—MSSA Class 3 1st-Team All-State (OL) Brandon Kratz, Springfield Catholic—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Cody Leamy, Strafford—MSSA Class 2 2nd-Team All-State (K) Vincent Mays, Nixa—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Cole Michael, Logan-Rogersville—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Jesse Noose, Springfield Catholic—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Nic Overman, Nixa—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Korey Pryer, Mt. Vernon—MFBCA Class 3 Aca-

demic All-State Matthew Quinton, Ozark—MFBCA Class 5 Academic All-State Dillon Rapp, Marionville—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Chase Simmerman, Ash Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State M.J. Swortwood, Mt. Vernon—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State Michael Thomas, Fair Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State Garrett Verheyen, Reeds Spring—MSSA Class 4 2nd-Team All-State (P) Darnell Walker, Bolivar—MSSA Class 4 1st-Team All-State (DB) Jacob Watson, Ash Grove—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State Austin Willis, Fair Groive—MFBCA Class 2 Academic All-State John Zanaboni, Marionville—MFBCA Class 1 Academic All-State Joe Zimmer, Logan-Rogersville—MFBCA Class 3 Academic All-State GIRLS BASKETBALL PINK & WHITE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Emily Akins, Parkview Skyline’s Kara Glor (Staff Photo)

(255.60) Gretchen Stein, Glendale—100 freestyle (55.19); 200 freestyle (1:55.58); 500 freestyle (5:07.39); 100 butterfly (58.01); 200 IM (2:06.94) Merideth Swain, Kickapoo—50 freestyle (25.90); 100 freestyle (55.91); 200 freestyle (2:01.82); 500 freestyle (5:30.36); 100 butterfly (1:00.96); 100 backstroke (1:05.42); 200 IM (2:20.32)

Purdy’s Addy Roller (Photo by Linda Patton)

Bekah Bade, Springfield Catholic Hannah Cook, Ozark Michaela Dapprich, Branson Alexis Edwards, Republic Kara Glor, Skyline Kayla Hickey, Blue Eye Taylor Parham, Hillcrest Addy Roller, Purdy Rana Thomas, Parkview Shelby White, Purdy Melanie Williams, Ozark GIRLS SWIMMING STATE QUALIFIERS (as of 1/19/11) Anna Brinck, Nixa—100 freestyle (56.43); 200 freestyle (2:00.77); 500 freestyle (5:29.08) Central—200 medley relay (2:00.66) Marisa Frazier, Nixa—200 freestyle (2:03.95); 500 freestyle (5:29.12) Glendale—200 medley relay (1:57.51) Jordyn Johnson, Central—100 breaststroke (1:13.19) Kickapoo—200 freestyle relay (1:44.91); 400 freestyle relay (3:52.02); 200 medley relay (2:00.05) Anna Leonard, Glendale—50 freestyle (25.30); 100 freestyle (56.02); 200 freestyle (2:03.27) Emma Metz, Logan-Rogersville—200 freestyle (2:00.56); 500 freestyle (5:23.74); 200 IM (2:19.47) Nixa—400 freestyle relay (3:57.16) Sarah Powell, Glendale—100 breaststroke (1:11.24) Ellie Reichard, Central—1-meter diving

MISCELLANEOUS • Parkview’s Emily Akins scored 18 points in a 57-55 victory over Branson in the consolation semifinals of the Pink & White Tournament on Dec. 29 to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau for her career. Akins, a senior, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play collegiately at Evangel next winter.

• Springfield Catholic’s Bekah Bade scored the 1,000th point of her career in a 55-53 loss to Fair Grove on Dec. 20.

Bade, who scored 21 points in the game, had scored 1,113 career points at press time.

• Hollister junior Lanie Bishop scored the 1,000th point of her career in a 59-31 win over Cassville on Jan. 4. Bishop, who is averaging 24.7 points per game this season, had scored 1,071 points as of press time.

• Standout Wheatland senior Clay Crouch scored the 2,000th point of his illustrious career in a 70-54 loss to Stockton in the first round of the Skyline Tournament on Jan. 12. Crouch, who scored 30 points in the game, had 2,064 career points at press time.

• Branson’s Avery Dingman scored the 1,000th point of his career in a 63-58 victory over Rock Bridge on Jan. 22 at the Camdenton Shootout.

Dingman, a senior, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play collegiately at Creighton next season.

• Stockton senior Robbe Ewing scored the 1,000th point of his career in a 75-58 loss to Marion C. Early on Dec. 21. Ewing scored 14 points in the game, and had 1,144 career points at press time.

• Ozark boys basketball coach Steve Hunter won the 500th game of his career on Dec. 27 with a 68-27 victory over Clever in the first round of play in the Blue Division of the Blue & Gold Tournament.

• Fair Grove senior Kayla Kepler scored 16 points in a 78-53 loss to Hillcrest on Jan. 3 to eclipse 1,000 points for her career. Kepler had 1,068 career points at press time.

• Pleasant Hope standout senior Lauren Mc-

Curry scored the 1,500th point of her career after scoring 18 points in a 62-32 victory over Humansville on Dec. 16. McCurry, who has committed to play basketball next season at Drury, had scored 1,674 career points at press time.

• Hillcrest’s Taylor Parham eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone for her career in an 81-28 victory over Reeds Spring on Dec. 20. Parham had 1,174 career points at press time.

• Greenwood’s Hawken Thieme scored 23 points the 1,000th point of his career against Norwood on Dec. 11. Thieme scored 23 points in that game and had 1,183 points for his career at press time. Thieme averages 25.4 points and 14.6 rebounds per game for the Bluejays.

• Glendale boys basketball coach Sean Williamson won the 350th game of his career in the Falcons’ 76-43 victory over St. Louis Sumner on Jan. 15 at Glendale. The win upped Williamson’s record at Glendale to 132-47, while he previ-

Ozark’s Steve Hunter (Staff Photo)

ously posted records of 71-61 at Conway and 147-89 at Willard.

• Strafford standout Conner Wilson broke the school career scoring record on Jan. 4 in a 58-43 loss to Marshfield. Wilson broke Zach Easterly’s former record of 1,350 points.

Submit Milestones by email at: bshive@ozarkpreps.com 4

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PHOTO FINISH Central’s Jordyn Johnson competes in the 500yard freestyle in a tri-meet with Logan-Rogersville and Marshfield on Jan. 4 at the Foster Natatorium.

Johnson is already a state qualifier in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:13.19. (Staff Photo)

Nixa’s Ben Fisher (R) battles Douglass’ Stephon Clark for a loose ball in the semifinals of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions on Jan. 14 at JQH Arena. Fisher was one of four Eagles in double figures with 12 points, but the Trojans earned a 78-62 victory. Nixa finished in 4th-place in the tournament, while Douglass was the tourney runner-up. (Staff Photo)

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Willard’s Levi Gold fights to prevent Hillcrest’s Cody Tipton from pinning him in the A Pool of the 189-pound division of the Republic Invitational Jan. 15 in the Republic Gymnasium. Tipton succeeded in pinning Gold at 1:34, and finished second overall in the tournament. (Staff Photo)

Kickapoo’s Adam White grapples with Rolla’s Ben Maples in the B Pool of the 130-pound division of the Republic Invitational Jan. 15 in the Republic Gymnasium.

White, who finished in 3rdplace, lost a 15-3 major decision to Maples, who was the meet champion at 130. (Staff Photo)

Branson’s Sam Pugh (#22) skies to alter the shot of Oak Ridge Military Academy’s Chris Jones (#2) in the opening round of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions Jan. 13 at JQH Arena. Branson’s Avery Dingman led all scorers with 28 points, while Pugh added 12, but the Cadets posted a 63-50 victory. (Staff Photo)

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Glendale standout Megan Deines scores on a breakaway lay-up at the end the first quarter to tie the game at 15 in the Lady Falcons’ 61-50 win over Edmond North (OK) in the 3rd-place game of the KTXR Lady Classic on Jan. 29 at the O’Reilly Family Event Center. Deines, who scored 18 points to lead Glendale, was named to the All-Tournament team. (Staff Photo)

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Central’s Steven Cody battles William Chrisman’s Danny Klick in the quarterfinals of the 189-pound division at the 43rd Annual Kinloch Classic Holiday Wrestling Tournament Dec. 30 at Parkview. Cody, the Pool B champion, pinned Klick at 0:43 to advance before finishing in 4th-place overall. (Staff Photo)

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Skyline junior Hannah Wisdom (#2) races up court against the defense of Marshfield’s Alley Bruton (#30), as the Lady Jays’ Kylee Murgel (#3) gives chase, in a consolation bracket game of the 38th Annual Pink & White Tournament Dec. 29 at McDonald Arena. The Lady Tigers won a 53-51 nail biter to advance, as Skyline’s Kara Glor poured in 25 points.

(Staff Photo)

Glendale’s Blake Freedman (#31) goes up and under the defense of Willard’s Kyle Raby (#25) and Tim Huskisson (#22) for two points in the Falcons’ thrilling 92-88 overtime victory over the Tigers in the championship game of the Gold Division of the 65th Annual Blue & Gold Tournament Dec. 30 at JQH Arena. The combined 180 points set a tournament record for most points scored by two teams. The victory also earned Glendale its tenth Blue & Gold title, tying the Falcons with Kickapoo for the most all-time Blue & Gold championships. (Staff Photo)

Parkview’s Taylor Accord (#22) shoots a three-pointer over the outstretched hands of Nixa’s Kameron Bundy (#20) in the Eagles’ 59-44 victory in the championship game of the Blue Division of the 65th Annual Blue & Gold Tournament Dec. 30 at JQH Arena. Nixa jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, as the Eagles made up for a pair of disappointing losses in recent Blue & Gold finals by winning their first tournament title since 2005. (Staff Photo)

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Marshfield’s Jessie Greer competes in the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard Individual Medley in a tri-meet with Logan-Rogersville and Central on Jan. 4 at the Foster Natatorium. (Staff Photo)

Republic senior Payton Rayl (L) nails a three-pointer over a West Plains defender in the Lady Tigers’ 54-49 victory over the Lady Zizzers in the 3rd-place game of the 38th Annual Pink & White Tournament Dec. 30 at JQH Arena. Republic came from behind to post the victory, using suffocating defense to hold West Plains scoreless for a 4:13 span of the fourth quarter. (Staff Photo)

Logan-Rogersville’s Dylan Cole (#30) shoots a jumper over a Willow Springs defender in the consolation game of the Blue Division of the 65th Annual Blue & Gold Tournament Dec. 30 at JQH Arena. Willow Springs knocked off the Wildcats 59-56 despite 16 points from Cole. (Staff Photo)

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Central’s Gracen Candie competes in the 100-yard breaststroke in a tri-meet with Logan-Rogersville and Marshfield on Jan. 4 at the Foster Natatorium. (Staff Photo)

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Blue Eye’s Kayla Hickey goes up for a lay-up in the Lady Bulldogs’ 48-40 win over Willard in the consolation semifinals of the 38th Annual Pink & White Tournament Dec. 29 at McDonald Arena.

(Staff Photo) Purdy’s Audrey Patton goes up for a shot as Ozark’s Melanie Williams (#40) attempts the block in the championship game of the 38th Annual Pink & White Tournament Dec. 30 at JQH Arena. The Lady Tigers won the game 47-40 and with it their second Pink & White title in the past three years. Williams was named to the All-Tournament Team. (Staff Photo)

Halfway’s Olivia Francka (R) shoots a three-pointer over the outstretched hand of Dadeville’s Taylor Grisham (#23) in the Lady Bearcats’ 51-40 victory on Jan. 7 at Halfway. Francka led the Lady Cardinals with 16 points, while Dadeville’s Alisha Thorpe and Mary Bergmann both scored 18 each. (Staff Photo)

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Willard’s Caleb Crook looks to gain the upper hand on Sand Spring’s Hunter Harrington in the 112-pound division at the 43rd Annual Kinloch Classic Holiday Wrestling Tournament Dec. 30 at Parkview. Crook won the match by a 6-3 decision, and went on to finish in 6th-place in the tournament. (Staff Photo)

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No

John Pigford

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Megan Fox

Lamborghini

Football/Wrestling/Track Hillcrest

Mariah Roberts Volleyball/ Soccer Bolivar

I used to, but I The Rugrats don’t believe in that kind of stuff anymore.

I pray.

Jameson McFadden

Robert Pattinson I don’t really know the names of vehicles, so I guess I would have to go with a Mustang.

Ryan Cleous Football/Wrestling/Baseball LoganRogersville

I try and wear the The Boondocks same sports bra Julia Wells and socks, and I Basketball/Track chew two pieces of gum before Glendale every game.

12

A bird, so I could see everything and I could fly.

I want to fly so bad!

A deer, because they’re fast.

Actually, put something all the girls like…like a panda!

Matt Damon

Brand new Mustang

A dolphin, because I’ve always wanted to flip in water.

Megan Fox

2011 GT Shelby Mustang

A wildcat, because it’s my school mascot.

Tyler Perry

Black Range Rover with black powdered rims and interior

A cheetah, because it’s fierce and fearless…get at me!

Soccer Nixa

Not really. I Family Guy never step on the line in baseball, but that’s everybody’s.

A dragon, because they can fly, shoot fire, and they’re big and strong.

Ferrari

I don’t really Adam Sandler have a favorite...

Just put ESPN, I guess.

I always wear my The Flintstones hair in a ponytail Addy Roller during the first Softball/Basket- half and in a bun ball for the second Purdy half.

If yo an u w im er an al w e an im yo a l h a t u b wo e? uld

ho ac is y tor ou or r fa ac vo tre rite ss?

W ha ve t is hic yo le? ur d rea m

W

W ha ca t is rto yo on ur fav ? ori te

Do y su ou h pe rst ave itio an ns y ?

TIME OUT

If yo an u w im er an al w e an im yo a l h a t u b wo e? uld

ho ac is y tor ou or r fa ac vo tre rite ss?

W ha ve t is hic yo le? ur d rea m

W

W ha ca t is rto yo on ur fav ? ori te

Do y su ou h pe rst ave itio an ns y ?

Joshua Tracy

I don’t look at brackets.

Nicolas Cage or Mel Gibson

Dodge Rumblebee

A lion, because I would be king of the jungle.

No…it’s all God! SpongeBob…no, Ashton Kutcher no, no…Word World

1999 Ford X350 with a Cummins in it.

A dolphin, because they are by far the smartest animal, and get to explore under the ocean.

I listen to the I don’t really same song list on have a favorite cartoon. my iPod.

Bugatti

A lion, because he’s the king!

Tom & Jerry

Wrestling Parkview

Bethany Roweton Softball/Cross Country Basketball Weableau

Sean McCorkle

Jessica Alba

Wrestling Marshfield

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CT

CHALK TALK

I am pleased to be offered this opportunity to write the “Chalk Talk” section of the February edition of Ozark Preps Illustrated. For wrestlers, parents and fans of the great sport of wrestling, this month is always a very special time, as the High School State Championships are held in February each year. I would like to discuss a few things about the state championships in general, and also some thoughts about what this event and the sport of wrestling has brought to my life and to the lives of many others I have known through the years.

The 81st Missouri State Wrestling Championships will be held Feb. 17-19, at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. This is one of the premier sporting events of any kind held in our state. If you have never been to “State,” I would encourage you to make the trip for one or more sessions of the three-day competition. From the opening ceremonial march for all of the state qualifiers to the final awards of individual medals and team championships, the arena is abuzz with excitement. With over 30,000 fans attending the state wrestling championships over three days and over 10,000 for the final session alone, it is the most attended of any Missouri High School State Championship event.

The state championships are held now at the Mizzou Arena, which is an awesome facility for this event. Yet my earliest memories of State were when it was held at the Hearnes Center. At the Hearnes Center, it felt like you were sitting literally right above the mats. I first attended the state championships as a high school student in 1975 to watch a close friend compete. He qualified for State but I didn’t. At the time, I thought it was the end of the world for me. Little did I know I would attend every championship for the next 30-plus years, first as a fan and then as a coach. I also had no idea that one day I would have the privilege of coaching my own sons in the state champion-

Mel Hughes Head Wrestling Coach, Bolivar Liberators

ships. My friend did well that year, but not well enough to get the state championship that he and every other wrestler dreams about winning. He and I and many others have learned over the years, though, that there is much more to the experience of the state championships and the sport of wrestling than just winning or losing.

I believe sports in general and particularly wrestling are about relationships. I believe you give everything you have in order to have competitive success, but in that process you will find that you make friends that can last a life time. This isn’t just about the wrestlers either.

I read a post in a wrestling forum recently by a parent that has a child competing in Division I college wrestling. He was discussing back-and-forth with another parent who also had a son competing at a different university.

They both attended the same tournament the weekend before this discussion. They reflected on who would have thought back when they were attending youth league events, so many years ago, that now they would still be spending times in the stands together watching their sons compete at the highest levels.

Thanks to the outstanding coaches I had as a wrestler in both high school and college, I believe that I was well prepared for the technical aspects of coaching wrestling. However, much of what I have learned about winning and losing has come from my experiences with the wrestlers I have coached. I have been fortunate to have been mat-side for many great wins. I have also been there when wrestlers have dealt with the heavy disappointment of defeat. As a coach, I try to help my wrestlers understand that even when they win an important match that their biggest victories in life are still ahead of them. If they lose, I want them to realize that although I would have been happier for them had the match gone their way, I would

not have been one bit more proud. As both a parent and a coach, I know that the pride in what a young athlete has attempted is as great as what they may have accomplished—as long as they gave it their all.

I mentioned earlier about my friend who competed at State in 1975. We lost touch for nearly 20 years. However through the Missouri wrestling webpage (www.missouriwresting.com), he found out where I was coaching and made a call to reconnect. This was the beginning of a renewed friendship and part of that was his presence at every state championship I have coached since that time. It is especially meaningful for me, as he has watched my own sons compete in the state championships. They grew up hearing stories about many of my old wrestling buddies and particularly this friend. My friend and I made some phone calls and before I knew it, about half of my old high school wrestling team (Go Lancers!) started coming to State each year, not only see my sons, but to renew their love for the great sport of wrestling.

Dan Gable, renowned wrestler, NCAA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist and coach of 15 national championship teams at the University of Iowa said, “Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” I deeply believe that. I also believe that once you have made a friend in wrestling that they are almost always a friend for life. If you go to the state championships, you will see many reunions of old teammates, coaches and wrestlers, as they watch the finest wrestlers in the state compete for championships. These moments are as golden as the medals they hang around a champion’s neck.

Finally, I want to wish the best of luck to the wrestlers who will be competing in the upcoming District and State Championships… especially those from Southwest Missouri.

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On the

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DISABLED LIST

What types of sports injuries are most common? Are there differences between the most common types of injuries in children and adults?

The most common type of sports injuries are overuse injuries and strains or sprains. Overuse injuries occur when repetitive activities place too much stress on tendons and bones without an adequate period of recovery. With adequate recovery time, the body typically is able to heal damaged tissues. With the current trend of children and young adults training and competing year around in a single sport, compounding stress to tendons and bones from repetitive activity ultimately leads to an injury that causes an athlete to seek medical attention. Strains and sprains, unlike overuse injuries, tend to occur more suddenly but still involve muscles, tendons and bones.

The most common injuries that I see in the office and in the training room are ankle sprains/ strains, knee pain (typically from either a condition called patellofemoral pain syndrome or patellar tendinosis), low back pain, elbow pain (typically from tennis or golfer’s elbow), and shoulder injuries. Although the most common injuries may affect the same joints in children and adults, the reason or cause of the pain can be very different because children’s cartilage is still developing and their growth plates are still open among other things. As a result, the stresses to the body that children experience during sports or activities often affect them differently. For example, hip pain in a child who has not yet reached puberty may be secondary to disrupted blood flow to the upper part of the thigh bone where as in an older child, it may be the result of slippage of the growth plate in the hip. In a young adult, the pain may be from a stress fracture (a kind of fracture that occurs from overuse) and in an older adult, the pain may be from arthritic changes. Although each patient may present with hip pain, each can have a very different reason for the pain, which would require very different management and treatment.

What can you do to prevent sports injuries? Are there precautions parents can take to help prevent injuries in their children?

I believe that one of the best things a person can do is to maintain a good base of fitness throughout the year and to avoid abruptly starting a new routine or making significant changes to an already existing routine. Following the “rule of 10%” provides a good general guideline to prevent overuse injuries in all ages. The rule suggests that total training (duration, intensity, duration or any combination of these) should not increase more than 10% over a period of time. For example, if you walk 20 miles every week, it would probably be safe to increase to 22 miles the following week if you want to increase your mileage but keep the same pace.

16

Dr. J.P. Simanis M.D., MPH, MSPH

I also strongly advocate well defined periods of rest between set periods of training and to use the down time to cross train (i.e.—taking part in other sports or activities that use and stress different muscles, tendons and bones). There is a reason that all professional sports (MLB, NFL, etc.) have an off season; no one can go 100% in a sport year around without risking injury or reducing their performance. Also, cross training allows a person to maintain a baseline of fitness while reducing the stress to tendons and bones that occur from repetitive activities.

With regards to children, I believe that early sport specialization should be avoided; the focus again should be on general fitness and having fun without too much emphasis on winning. Other guidelines to follow would be to ensure that a child is adequately prepared to play a sport (in other words taking part in activities that are appropriate for their age, ability levels and physical characteristics), to use properly fitting and maintained equipment, to provide adequate supervision of sports/activities by qualified adults, and to avoid overtraining.

Are there certain types of activities in which injuries are more likely to occur? Are there certain times of year when injuries are more likely to occur?

Injuries can occur with any activity in which a person is not adequately prepared to participate.

If somebody has spent their spring on the couch watching baseball on TV and then suddenly becomes inspired to join a local baseball league, mentally they may be prepared to go nine innings, steal home or hit the winning home run, but their body on the other hand may argue otherwise (and more often than not, win the argument). The point is that you have to plan ahead and prepare adequately and gradually, and be realistic about the level of fitness you are starting from. A person who has been active year around will be able to reach a higher level of activity sooner than someone who has basically taken an entire season completely off. Also, someone who has cross-trained in different activities will more easily adapt to a new activity than someone who has only played a specific sport year round.

This being said, I believe we do tend to see an increase in certain injuries in some sports or activities secondary to this “too much too soon” phenomenon. For instance, in the spring, many people often suddenly become inspired to go from “puff and fluff” to “buff and tough,” often with unintended, painful consequences. This also occurs to a degree with the start of any organized sports season. For example, in college football, athletes who have spent their summer lying by the pool or on the beach have a difficult time adjusting to the intense training schedule of two-aday practices with the start of school. Again, the

emphasis should be on year around generalized fitness.

Has the incidence of sports injuries changed over the years?

There does seem to be an increasing trend in the number of younger athletes who are developing overuse injuries. This can be attributed in part, perhaps, to the overall growing number and participation in youth sports across the country, as well as the increasing numbers of school and club programs, summer sport camps and competitive leagues. However, there is data to suggest that the increasing numbers of overuse injuries that are occurring in younger and younger athletes may also be related to the fact that children today seem to be specializing in one sport at an earlier and earlier age, as well as now training year around. Gone are the days when a kid used to take part in one sport in the fall, another in the spring and perhaps even a third in the summer.

The demand to succeed, which I feel is often in part driven by the media coverage of competitions as well as the tremendous salaries that a select few athletes command, pressures athletes to train harder and longer hoping to achieve the celebrity status that only a few athletes will ever achieve but all believe they are capable of (including some parents and coaches).

Do people always recognize when they are injured while playing a sport?

No, not always. Without proper medical training, people may either not know what symptoms to even look for with a particular injury (i.e.—a stress fracture of the back or hip from overuse) or they may misinterpret symptoms that they do recognize and chalk it up to something else (“I thought the pain in my knee was just from getting older.”). That is why I believe a person trained and qualified in sports medicine is a valuable asset in helping to accurately recognize, interpret, diagnose and manage the wide variety of injuries a person or athlete can sustain while taking part in physical activities or participating in sports.

What types of treatments are available for sports injuries?

There is a tremendous variety of treatments available depending on the nature of the injury. It can range from as simple as adjusting an already existing training program to basic physical therapy (such as adding particular stretching/strengthening exercises) to using different modalities such as bracing, ultrasound, or injections, to ultimately surgery involving state of the art techniques such as arthroscopy and so forth. A physician trained in sports medicine would be more aware of the great variety of techniques, methods and equipment available, but would also better understand which intervention would be most appropriate and effective to use and when.

D

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“The Hic

By Byron Shive To say that Bradleyville, Mo., is a bit isolated would not be a stretch. Located at the crossroads of Highways 76 and 125, the tiny hamlet now sits in the middle of the Mark Twain National Forest. In the late 1960s, though, those state highways leading out of Bradleyville were made of gravel and there was not much happening in the town—except for a state-record 64-game winning streak compiled by the Bradleyville Eagles over a two-year stretch of the 1966-67 and 196768 seasons, which included a pair of Class S state championships.

The Bradleyville school had an enrollment of 105 during those years. Not just the high school, but the entire school, which included grades K-12. Prior to the 1961-62 season, Bradleyville had never won a tournament of any kind. The school did not even have a gymnasium until 1952, and had played the majority of their games on the road. All home games at that time were played outdoors on a dirt patch which was often too muddy to dribble on.

Ray Gibson took the reins of the Eagles prior to the 1961-62 campaign and promptly led Bradleyville to an improbable Class S state championship that season. Gibson left following the season

to coach at Waynesville, and was replaced by a wet-behind-the-years 22-year-old named Argil Ellison, who had just graduated from Arkansas Tech and was looking for a job.

“I didn’t know a lot about Bradleyville’s success the previous year,” said Ellison, who had grown up just across Lake Taneycomo in Lead Hill, Ark. “My priority at the time was to find a job. I pretty much got the job before I realized what I was getting myself into.”

Ellison inherited a talented roster, including standout sharpshooter Darrell Paul, who many longtime Ozarks basketball fans consider to be the best pure shooter in the history of the state.

Ellison, who also was responsible for coaching the younger teams, quickly noticed that he had some talented junior high players. “I had to learn on the fly,” said Ellison. “I tried to implement a system that would work for the talent coming down the line.” In addition to being talented, the Eagles also were tough and not intimidated by any situation, and also did not take themselves too seriously. Bradleyville won a lot of games, and had a lot of fun along the way. For many of the Eagles, they would just as soon to have gone ‘coon hunting or fishing as played basketball.

Larry Tidwell, who graduated from Bradleyville in 1966 and served as the team manager, recalled where Ellison developed his 1-3-1 offense, which featured a point guard, two wing players, and a high and low post.

At the time, Exeter was in the midst of what would become a state-record 52-game winning streak.

Tidwell recalled attending an Exeter game with Ellison, who saw something he liked in the 1-3-1 scheme. “He began writing down notes on a napkin, and then went back and began working with the boys when they were

Bradleyville’s Lonnie Combs (#34) drives against a Salem defender in the semifinals of the 1967 Blue & Gold Tournament. The Eagles defeated Salem 61-48 and beat Lebanon the following night to capture their second-straight Blue & Gold championship. (Photo courtesy of Leon Combs, author of Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks)

18

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in the seventh grade,” said Tidwell, who was also the de facto assistant coach.

“You can coach them the way you want as young players,” said Ellison of his junior high team. “You can work on fundamentals, and work on other things that are going to improve their game. When you got them for six years, you can do a lot of coaching and teaching. We pretty much played on the junior high level the way we played at the high school level.”

Ellison’s teams showed marked improvement from year-to-year. His first team posted a 17-11 record in 1962-63. Following the season, Superintendent Omar Gibson (Ray Gibson’s brother) scraped together enough money to install an actual hardwood floor in the Bradleyville gymnasium, which replaced the tile floor which had been in place since 1952. Ellison followed up that first year with seasons of 29-5 in 1963-64 and 28-3 in 1964-65, Paul’s senior year in which he was named a Coach and Athlete Prep AllAmerican. That also marked the freshman year of the batch of seventh graders that Ellison had been coaching up since he arrived.

In the 1965-66 season, Bradleyville posted a 28-2 record, with both losses coming to Greenwood. The first occurred in the Blue & Gold Tournament, with the second ending the Eagles’ season in the Regional. Ellison had been teaching his system for four years, and that coaching was about to pay big dividends.

The 1966-67 Bradleyville Eagles featured a pair of senior starters in point guard Donald Horner and low post player Tommy Martin, as well as talented juniors David Combs at the high post position, and Lonnie Combs (David’s first cousin) and Garlin Pellham on the wings. Duane Maggard (a first cousin of both David and Lonnie Combs), Kenny Newton (a transfer from Gainesville), Tony Stafford, Wade Turner, and Howard Wilson provided the Eagles with depth.

The season started with three wins before a 6865 loss to Sparta in the fourth game of the season.

Ellison was forced to sit David Combs, the Eagles’ star player, after he had been caught ‘coon hunting the night before the game. Bradleyville would not lose again for 64-straight games, a period which included the rest of the 1966-67 season and all of the 1967-68 season.

“I did a lot of ‘coon hunting, almost every night,” said David Combs. “Coach Ellison told me, ‘You’re gonna have to make a choice: you either ‘coon hunt or you play basketball.’ I told him, ‘I have 15 dogs. I don’t have a choice. I’m going to ‘coon hunt.’ He told me, ‘Well, let me rephrase that. Will you at least not ‘coon hunt before a game?’ I agreed and I never went ‘coon hunting the night before a game again.”

Bradleyville reeled off eight straight victories, including an 89-66 victory in the championship game of the Forsyth Tournament. Next up would be the Blue & Gold Tournament, and Bradleyville continued its winning streak with an easy opening round win over Fordland and a quarterfinal victory over Hillcrest. The Eagles would face pe-

icktshferSotmicks” rennial Springfield powerhouse Parkview in the Blue Division semifinals. The Vikings were nearing the end of their Jolly Green Giant heyday, and had been to the Class L state finals the past three seasons, winning the 1965 state championship.

On paper, it was the ultimate mismatch, as the Class S school of 105 students would be facing the undefeated Class L powerhouse with an enrollment of 1,900. Parkview fans certainly were confident, and said as much on radio call-in shows prior to the game. In his book Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks From the Sticks, author Leon Combs (a first cousin of David and Lonnie) chronicled the exchange: “Parkview will beat Bradleyville by 20 points or more. Bradleyville may be pretty good as long as they play the little schools in the boondocks, but the hicks from the sticks meet their match tonight.”

Ellison made sure his players knew about the comment. “Coach Ellison read the comment to us on the bus on the way to the game,” said David Combs. “That just fired us up. We weren’t intimidated. They might beat us, but they hadn’t yet. They were going to have to prove it to us.”

The game did not start well for Bradleyville, as Parkview quickly jumped out to 7-0 and 9-1 leads, which forced Ellison to call a couple of early timeouts. On his way to the bench after the second timeout had been called, David Combs asked Ellison, “Coach, how come you’re callin’ so many timeouts? Me ‘n Rex Maggard’s goin’ ‘coon huntin’ after the game. If you keep callin’ timeouts, we’ll never get out of here.” Ellison proceeded to tell a joke in the huddle, causing the players to laugh hysterically. The exchange was symbolic of the laidback manner of the Bradleyville Eagles.

Bradleyville, behind David Combs’ 32 points, proceeded to beat the three-

time defending Blue & Gold champions by a 63-51 count, as the Eagles shot 50 percent from the field. In his book, Leon Combs recounted a humorous moment in the game’s final seconds.

While a teammate shot free throws in the waning moments, with the outcome no longer in doubt, the Eagles’ Duane Maggard pulled a comb out of his sock and proceeded to comb his dark, wavy hair in front of the Parkview bench. A Parkview player asked him if he always primped during games. “Only when I know we’re goin’ to win and get our pictures took,” responded Maggard.

Bradleyville defeated Houston 62-51 the following night for the Blue Division crown.

“As a coach, I got as much of a thrill out of winning that game as winning either of the state championships,” said Ellison. “Very few people gave us any chance at all of winning that ballgame. When a team’s got desire, you can do a lot of things, though. It was one of my biggest thrills as a coach, in the last two to three minutes of that game, realizing that we were about to beat Parkview.”

The Eagles also were awarded the J.H. “Speedy” Collins Sportsmanship Award. In fact, Bradleyville won the sportsmanship award at nearly every tournament it entered during that time period. “Those meant a lot to us,” said David Combs of the sportsmanship awards. “Coach

really got on to us about acting right, doing right, and being respectful to the officials and our opponent. Winning those was about as good as winning first place.”

Bradleyville rolled through the rest of the regular season undefeated, including Ava Tournament and White River League titles, and entered the Regional Tournament at Mansfield riding a 23-game winning streak. The Eagles dispatched Nixa and Plato with easy wins, and then avenged their only loss of the season with a 72-47 victory over Sparta in the semifinals. A 63-48 victory over Fair Grove in the Regional Championship sent the Eagles to the Sweet Sixteen.

Bradleyville faced Wheaton in the opener, and the Bulldogs brought a 23-game winning streak and a significant height advantage into the match-up. Wheaton led Bradleyville 38-37 with six minutes to play, but did not score another point, as Bradleyville scored the last five points in a 42-38 victory to advance to the state quarterfinals against Skyline and David Cooke, the Tigers’ 6-6 junior center. In a seesaw game that featured 11 ties, Bradleyville once again found itself trailing late, but Bradleyville closed the game on an 8-3 run to win a 45-42 nail biter, and a trip to the Final Four at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo. Bradleyville faced perennial Class S power

Bradleyville and Parkview players battle for a rebound in the semifinals of the 1966 Blue & Gold Tournament. Bradleyville’s “Hicks from the Sticks” defeated the powerhouse Vikings 63-51 en route to the first of two-straight Blue Division championships. “As a coach, I got as much of a thrill out of winning that game as winning either of the state championships,” said head coach Argil Ellison. (Photo courtesy of Leon Combs, author of Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks)

19 17

New Haven in the semifinals. The Shamrocks sported a 31-2 record and had won four straight state titles from 1956-59. New Haven also boasted a tall and talented frontline and speed in the backcourt. Bradleyville jumped out to an early lead, though, and never looked back, as New Haven never got closer than six points in the second half. The 60-55 victory was marred, though, after David Combs twisted his right knee midway through the fourth quarter. The Eagles had advanced to the state championship game to face Archie, but did not know whether their star player would be able to play or not.

“I didn’t think there was any way he would be able to play, but that was the character of that team, and David in particular,” said Ellison. “The whole bunch was determined to win, and David was bound and determined that he was going to play. Even at 50 percent, he was better than a lot of players at 100 percent.”

Archie entered the 1967 state championship game undefeated at 33-0, and boasted an average margin of victory of 26 points. The Whirlwinds featured a devastating fast break offense, and all five starters averaged double figures in scoring. It would be a major test for the Eagles with David Combs at full strength, let alone battling a twisted knee. But Combs, after receiving several whirlpool treatments, did play, and put on one of the more gritty performances in state championship history.

David Combs, limping noticeably and wearing a knee brace, scored nine points in the first six minutes of the game, and Bradleyville led the high-octane Whirlwinds 17-5 after the first quarter of play. Bradleyville, which went with a 1-3-1 zone on defense instead of its usual 2-1-2, controlled the tempo throughout, as Archie was never able to get into its fast-paced attack. The Eagles cruised to a 60-47 victory and the Class S state championship.

Despite playing on a twisted knee, David Combs scored 21 points and Garlin Pellham added 15 as the Eagles finished the season with a

34-1 record and 31-game winning streak. David Combs was named to the All-State team after averaging 22.2 points per game for the season. The team also won the Eddie Matthews Sportsmanship Award.

The Eagles returned a senior nucleus of first cousins in 1967-68 in seniors David Combs, Lonnie Combs, and Duane Maggard, as well as fellow classmate and key contributor Garlin Pellham. Kenny Newton was the lone junior in the starting line-up, and Bradleyville had a wealth of depth off the bench in Jimmy Day, Roger Hodges, Buddy Roberts, Craig Southards, Wade Turner, and Howard Wilson. By then, the group was fine-tuned in Ellison’s system.

“I had some coaches back then who would say that Bradleyville doesn’t play any defense, they just try to outscore you, and maybe they were right,” said Ellison of his coaching philosophy.

“My philosophy was that we have to score more points than our opponent. Whether that’s wrong or not, I don’t know. We just played to win.

“We had a basic offense we ran against manto-man defense,” added Ellison. “We also had a basic zone offense. It was nothing too complicated, but it was very effective. The difference between playing defense and not playing defense is the number of points difference in the final score.

If the final is 85-75, that’s a good victory. If it’s 4535, both are ten-point victories.”

The Eagles were ranked #1 in the preseason media poll, the only Class S school to be ranked, and opened the season with nine-straight victories, including winning the Forsyth Tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The winning streak stood at 40 games heading into a game at undefeated Republic.

With the host Tigers leading by 12 points with about three minutes to play, the winning streak was in doubt. “Then David Combs just went crazy,” said Tidwell. “We tied it up, went into overtime, and then went off and left them.” David Combs, who scored 33 points in the game, stole the ball and drove to the basket with 12 seconds

to play. He missed the shot, but put in a rebound bucket to tie the score and send it into overtime.

Lonnie Combs added 19 points, as the Eagles cruised to an 84-73 overtime victory.

“I had pretty much resigned myself that we were going to lose that game, but we pulled it out,” said Ellison. “Once again, those kids had a determination that they were not going to lose. It was one of the biggest comebacks I’ve ever been associated with in my coaching career.”

Bradleyville carried an 11-0 record and 42game winning streak into the Blue & Gold Tournament, where the Eagles were awarded the top seed in the Blue Division. Bradleyville won its second-consecutive Blue & Gold crown by defeating Lebanon 70-59 in the championship game, and once again earned the sportsmanship award. Bradleyville has never played for another Blue & Gold title since the 1967 championship.

Bradleyville continued to post victory after victory, and broke Exeter’s state record 52-game winning streak with an 85-53 win over Gainesville. In the last home game for the senior class, Ellison gave in to his players’ wishes to play the whole game, instead of his usual custom of substituting from the bench when the game was in hand. The result was a 112-33 victory over Blue Eye, which sent the Eagles into the Regionals with a 25-0 record and riding a state record 56-game winning streak. The Eagles won the Regional by beating Fair Grove 76-57 behind 30 points from David Combs and 20 from Pellham.

In the first round of the state tournament at McDonald Arena, Bradleyville knocked off Lockwood by a 68-49 count, setting up a matchup with Wheaton for a trip to the Final Four. Despite Wheaton’s 6-7 center Marv Lemons—and a Wheaton fan’s sign which read, “61-0, The Hicks Go Down Tonight”—Bradleyville rolled to a 6850 victory and earned a trip to the Final Four at Brewer Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Missouri.

In the state semifinals, the unbeaten Eagles (310) faced Glasgow, which entered game with an unbeaten record of 33-0. The Yellowjackets had won 31 of their games by more than 10 points, and Glasgow coach Jim Phillips had scouted the Eagles at the Mansfield Regional. Ellison, ever the tactician, had noticed the Glasgow coaches in the stands, though. In addition to instructing Pellham to serve as a decoy for the Regional game, Ellison also had another plan in store for Glasgow. Rather than start the state semifinal game in the Eagles’ traditional 2-1-2 zone—which the Glasgow coaches had seen in the Regional— Bradleyville started the game in a man-to-man defense. The Eagles jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, led 33-26 at halftime, and went on to a 64Bradleyville Superintendent 57 victory. DaOmar Gibson (M) and head vid Combs led coach Argil Ellison (R) accept the Eagles with the Eddie Matthews Sports27 points, while manship Award, which the Pellham (the deEagles won three times. Bradcoy in the earlier leyville won the sportsmangame) scored ship award at nearly every 19. tournament it entered during The 1968 its winning streak, which was Class S state something the Eagles took championship pride in. “Winning those was game featured about as good as winning first the unbeaten place,” said David Combs.

Bradleyville (Photo courtesy of Leon Eagles and the Combs, author of Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks)

20

Bradleyville standout David Combs (#50) shoots a jump shot over a Skyline defender as the Eagles’ Tommy Martin (#52) and Duane Maggard (#40) look on in Bradleyville’s 45-42 victory in the 1967 state quarterfinals. The win sent Bradleyville to the Final Four at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo., where the Eagles won the first of two-straight Class S state championships. (Photo courtesy of Leon Combs, author of Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks)

18-6 Howardville Eagles, the only all-black school to play for a state championship during integration. Howardville featured a pair of twin towers in 6-6 offensive force Lewis Little and 6-6 Reuben Marsh, the Hawks’ defensive stopper in the paint. Howardville also had speedy point guard Nathaniel Thomas, who sparked the Hawks’ deadly fast break attack.

Attendance for the game was estimated at 6,500, even though capacity for Brewer Fieldhouse was only 5,000. Those in attendance witnessed 44 minutes of basketball that have been called by many as the greatest championship game in Missouri state history, and by others simply as the greatest game they have ever seen.

In a game that saw numerous lead changes and sways in momentum, neither team could gain an advantage. Howardville led after one quarter 14-13, but David Combs drew the fourth foul on Howardville’s Little in the second quarter, as the Eagles led 29-27 at halftime. Little started the second half, but fouled out just 20 seconds into the third quarter. The Eagles gained some breathing room and led 43-35 with 2:30 left to play in the third. However, the Hawks’ speedy guards swarmed Bradleyville, and the Hawks closed the quarter on an 8-0 run, tying the game at the third quarter buzzer at 43-43.

Bradleyville led 55-50 with just over three minutes remaining in regulation, but the scrappy Hawks rallied once again, and took a 59-57 lead on a breakaway lay-up with just 14 seconds left. David Combs banked in a jumper with four seconds left to send the game into overtime tied at 59. The first overtime saw the same back-andforth game as regulation, with Howardville tying the score at 63 with seven seconds left.

In the second overtime, Bradleyville had a twopoint lead and the ball with 14 seconds left on the clock. However, Howardville’s William Gray stole the ball and drove for the tying lay-up. The teams would enter a third overtime tied at 69. In the third overtime, the Hawks’ other twin tower, Reuben Marsh, fouled out with the score tied at 71. After a missed free throw, though, Howardville hit a jumper for a 73-71 lead. David Combs responded with his patented fall away jumper to knot the score once again at 73. Both teams missed shots in the final seconds, and the teams headed to a fourth overtime tied at 73.

With their two best players having fouled out, Howardville tried to stall on offense. Despite a couple of turnovers and a missed shot by the Hawks, Bradleyville could not gain the lead until David Combs’ rebound put back with 58 seconds left. Duane Maggard hit a late free throw to give Bradleyville a 76-73 lead and the game that would not end mercifully came to a conclusion with the Bradleyville Eagles state champions for the second year in a row. It was also the Eagles’ 64th-straight victory.

“I didn’t think it would ever end,” said Ellison of the marathon four-overtime title game. “That was a classic! You’re drained at the end of it. It appeared at different times that we were going

to lose and at other times that we were going to win. It was just an emotionally-draining game.”

“We didn’t have a real good game, but part of that was due to the competition we were playing,” said David Combs. “We hadn’t played a team that fast and athletic that could jump like that. Their guards were lightning fast, and we didn’t have any guards that fast. They had ‘pickyour-pocket’ guards. I made some crucial baskets in that game, but I didn’t really have a good game. My team won that game. When you have that much adrenaline flowing, you don’t realize how tired you really are. Afterwards, we were just sapped physically and mentally.”

The 1968 Class S state championship game, which took four overtimes to determine a winner, is still the longest state championship game in history. Charlie Spoonhour, who coached Salem at the time and later coached at Southwest Missouri State and St. Louis University, has said that the game was the best he has ever seen.

David Combs scored 31 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, and his 106 points in four state tourney games set a state record which has since been broken. Garlin Pellham added 20 points, while Lonnie Combs poured in 18. David Combs and Lonnie Combs were both named AllState, while Garlin Pellham garnered honorable mention honors. David Combs was also named a Coach and Athlete Prep All-American after averaging 25.2 points and 14 rebounds per game, while shooting 53 percent from the field.

Ellison left Bradleyville for a coaching job at Bowling Green following the 1968 championship, and Bradleyville’s state record 64-game winning streak came to an end with a loss to Fair Grove in the 1968-69 season opener. Bradleyville has not won another Regional title since the 1967-68 season.

Bradleyville’s undefeated 1968 state champions were inducted in 1988 into the inaugural class of the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame.

Both the 1967 and 1968 state champions that compiled the state record 64-game winning streak were inducted into the Missouri Sports

Hall of Fame in 2001.

As with any team’s success in a different era, questions abound as to how the Bradleyville Eagles would fare in today’s game. “We would do all right,” said David Combs. “We’d played so long together that we knew what everyone was going to do before they did it. It was just a team concept.” Ellison recognizes that the game itself has changed. “If those Bradleyville teams had to play in today’s game, they weren’t going to win,” he said, “but if today’s teams had to play in that era, they would not be successful. They would have all fouled out, for one. The game has changed. It’s just a different game today.” Tidwell also has been asked the question. “Basketball has changed,” he said. “I will say this, you might outcoach Ellison in a game, but you’ll never have a team more prepared for a game than his teams.”

The near-decade of success on the hardwood put Bradleyville on the map, and also united the community. “Basketball was our identity,” said David Combs. “The Bradleyville community really pulled together and got behind us. Seeing how much it meant to them made it more important to us.”

“The whole town and community got behind the team,” said Tidwell. “It was just like a family.” Leon Combs, the author, echoed these sentiments. “People followed Bradleyville all over the place,” he said. “And the ones that couldn’t go to the games listened on the radio. I had a Branson state trooper tell me once that he knew Bradleyville was headed to the state finals when he saw all of those pick-ups with rifles in the back window headed north toward Columbia.”

“That was probably the most pleasant coaching experience a coach could ask for,” said Ellison of his years in Bradleyville. “It was a combination of ability and desire, and a group of kids dedicated to winning. I’d like to say that I was the determining force in winning two state championships, but that was not the case. It was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. I certainly will cherish it. It was a once in a lifetime experience.”

21

Competitive swimming is a sport that is measured in seconds. The swimmer who gets from point A to point B the fastest is the winner—regardless of the distance or the stroke employed in a particular race.

So measuring something in terms of years is a foreign concept to the sport.

Preliminary Heat

By Byron Shive

Logan-Rogersville’s Ally Blount competes in the 100-yard backstroke in a Jan. 4 meet against Central and Marshfield. (Staff Photo)

However, when a group of parents sought in early 2009 to have boys and girls swimming and diving added to the list of sports offered at Logan-Rogersville High School, they were faced with a lengthy battle to have their dreams realized. Although the Logan-Rogersville School Board and administrators were supportive of adding the swimming and diving teams, the parents were informed that they would need to raise the funds necessary to fund the program for a two to three year period independent of any school or district funds.

The parents’ first order of business was to incorporate Friends of LR Swimming, Inc., a non-profit created to raise the necessary funding. Jill Metz was installed as President of the group, with Terri Evans, Wade Palmer, Terri Roy, and Mary Taylor serving in other administrative roles.

“Jill Metz just called me one day and said, ‘Hey, let’s see if we can get a swim team at Rogersville,’” said Palmer, whose daughter Mackenzie is a freshman on the girl’s team. “We had to convince the Logan-Rogersville School Board that, first, there was a need, and then we had to address the financial issue. We figured out early on that if we were going to have a swim program, we the parents were going to have to pay for everything…at least for a few years until the economic situation improved.”

Metz, whose daughter Emma is also a freshman on the girl’s team, concurred, saying, “It was very clear in the beginning that there was no school funding for it.”

“Students and parents expressed interest in starting a swim team and made a presentation to the Board,” said Dr. Jeremy Tucker, Superintendent of the Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District. “The Board heard their presentation and was in favor providing another extracurricular activity for students. However, due to budgetary constraints, the activity would only be started on the condition that it be supported through fundraising and not through District funds. So, the parents beat the bushes and raised quite a bit of money.”

Steve Boyce, who coaches boys and girls swimming at Glendale, Ozark and Parkview, served as a consultant throughout the process, and had informed the parents that it would take about $30,000 to fully fund both programs for three years.

The Friends of LR Swimming began its fundraising

t

efforts in early 2009, which included hosting a dance, soliciting sponsorships, appealing to local Rogersville-area parents, and accepting donations. A pair of private donations, each in the amount of $10,000, certainly aided the cause, but still only comprised two-thirds of the stated goal.

In this current economic climate, where budget cuts and limited funding are the norm, the parents were able to raise the $30,000 by July 2010, or about a year-and-a-half after the process began. The Logan-Rogersville boys swimming and diving team completed its firstever season in the fall, and the girls are midway through their inaugural slate of meets. “It just blows my mind the generosity of people,” said Metz. “It is amazing the kindness and generosity of people who knew what we were trying to do and helped to make that happen.”

“It took one-and-a-half years for us to fight the battle,” said Palmer. “I’m very proud, in this economic climate, that we could raise $30,000 so quickly. A lot of people contributed a lot of money.” Dr. Tucker was certainly impressed with the process. “It’s a pretty good example of parents and students working collaboratively with the Board to meet an objective,” he said.

“It’s a good model.”

Although the school was unable to provide the initial funding for the boys and girls swimming and diving teams, that did not mean that administrators were against the proposal. In fact, the exact opposite was true. “Dr. (Jeremy) Tucker, the Superintendent, was super supportive from day one,” said Palmer. “So was (Athletic Director) Rod Gorman. They could have been very anti- to any team, but they told us that if we raise this money, they will back us one thousand percent, and they have.” In addition to Dr. Tucker and Gorman, Metz also mentioned the Logan-Rogersville Booster Club as backing the group’s efforts from the beginning.

Last spring, as it became evident that the Friends of LR Swimming would raise the necessary funds, Wendy Shepard was asked by Springfield Public Schools Athletic Director Mark Fisher if she would be interested in coaching Logan-Rogersville swimming. Shepard, who already coached the boys and girls teams at Central, agreed.

“I was told the only way the team would make it is if the parents raised a certain amount of money to fund the team for three to five years,” said Shepard. “I began having meetings at the middle and high schools to get kids interested in swimming and to help with the fundraising, as well.”

In July, Shepard was notified that the funds had been raised, and planning began for the upcoming seasons. “These are just amazing, determined parents,” said Shepard. “I am so blessed to have such a great group of parents who are so heavily involved in raising the money and making sure their kids, or other kids, have as many opportunities as possible.

“It was difficult at first for me to allow the parents to have so much control, from ordering t-shirts to setting up meetings at the schools,” added Shepard. “It made me feel like I wasn’t doing my job. Then I realized that that is what they are for, to help and support the team. I cannot thank all of the parents enough who have been so instrumental in making this all happen!”

The impetus to start swimming and diving teams at Logan-Rogersville started as one mother’s desire for her daughter to be able to participate in a sport that she loved at the high

school level, but grew into a much larger mission. “It’s great to see Emma has a school sport,” said Metz, “but for girls to have a winter sports option other than basketball is what means the most…and I was a basketball player. Swimming is a lifetime sport that contributes to wellness for life.”

At the Greene County Swim Meet in the summer of 2009, which occurred during the heart of the group’s fundraising efforts, Metz got a visual of the importance of the group’s mission. All of the kids in the summer program who lived in the Logan-Rogersville school district were asked to gather together for a picture. There were 19 kids in the picture, with the youngest just two-years old. “That was very inspiring,” said Metz.

After all of the hard work, from fundraising to planning and everything in between, it came time for the first boys swim meet in the fall. “The greatest moment for me is when I came to the first boys meet in the fall and realized, ‘Wow, we did it,’” said Palmer. The fruit of the group’s labors was not fully harvested until this winter when the girls entered the pool for the first time.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” said Palmer of watching his daughter compete for Logan-Rogersville High School for the first time. “It was a pretty cool deal.”

“The parents have been so amazing,” said Shepard. “Parents of the girls have been to the boy’s meets, and vice-versa. They have even been to the away meets. To me, that is major support.

“I definitely want to thank the LR community for the support that they have given the boys and girls swimming and diving teams,” added Shepard. “These kids are so excited and are doing a wonderful job. Many of these studentathletes probably would not be involved in athletics if this sport had not been made available to them. So, thank you for giving these kids the opportunity to be involved and a part of a sports program, which builds so much character and discipline.”

The hope is that after the initial two- to threeyear period that the boys and girls swimming and diving teams have proven that they deserve permanent status as sports sponsored by LRHS. “The administration will revisit the programs and issues about a year-and-a-half from now to reevaluate,” said Palmer. “My hope is that by then, swimming is a proven, viable sport with a lot of interest. The soccer team at Rogersville started the same way.” Dr. Tucker confirmed the plan, stating that, “We hope to revisit the issue and see whether, at that time, the programs can be supported by District funds.”

Logan-Rogersville’s Lauren Roy competes in the 100-yard breaststroke in a Jan. 4 meet against Central and Marshfield. (Staff Photo)

The primary beneficiaries of the parents’ efforts—the student-athlete swimmers—are very appreciative of having swimming offered as a high school sport. “It’s good for the school,” said freshman Claire Thompson. “There’s a good mix of sports, and swimming is another option available. I’ve heard that a lot more girls will try-out next year.”

Emma Metz, Jill’s daughter and already a state qualifier as a freshman, is also appreciative of her mother’s and the group’s efforts. “I always wished there was a high school swim team,” she said. “I always wanted to go to Glendale because that’s where they had a team, but I’m glad we have one now, because I don’t want to leave. My mom put a lot of work into it. She told me that she didn’t care if I swam or not, because she didn’t do it for only me, but for the entire school. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

As with all first-year programs, the boys and girls swimming teams have experienced some growing pains, which was to be expected. Of course, any negatives have been quickly turned into positives. “I just looked at this as an opportunity to develop a program that Rogersville could be proud of, and an opportunity for students who otherwise would not participate in high school athletics,” said Shepard of the challenges of a first-year program. “As always with a new program, there are many details that have to be ironed out and developed. But with the tremendous help from the parents, they have made this transition easy.”

Another issue is that Logan-Rogersville swimmers must travel to Central for practices, since there is no facility in Rogersville. It is an over 30mile round trip commute. Once again, despite the constant back-and-forth, the parents choose to see the positives in making new friends with the Central parents and athletes. “The Central parents have been very inviting,” said Metz. “It has been a really nice partnership. New friendships are definitely forming.”

“The pool is full,” said Shepard of her twoteam practices. “The Central girls love the fact that we have LR in the water with us. They have made many new friends, and it is almost like we are one large team instead of two teams.”

Thompson agreed, saying, “We enjoy each other’s company.”

That does not mean that the parents are fully content with the current arrangement. “My hope is that someday Rogersville will build a pool,” said Palmer. With this group of parents’ track record, do not be surprised to see a new swimming facility in Rogersville in the near future.

Scott County Central.

Dadeville got off to a slow start, trailing 22-8 at the end of the first quarter, and 53-24 at halftime. Scott County Central, which is currently perched above Dadeville with the No. 1 ranking in Class 1, cruised to an 86-53 victory. The Braves notched their second-straight state championship the following night with a 96-47 demolition

on a

“It was kind of a humbling experience,” said the Bearcats multi-talented Dakota Webb. “We got to play on the big stage and we definitely want to do it again. We prepare every practice for our ultimate goal.”

Heading into the 2010-11 season, optimism was high for Dadeville, but the big question mark was the loss of three seniors who had spearheaded the deep state tourney run. This season, the Bearcats would be without the services of All-State center Brock Toler, as well as starting off guard Cole Long, an All-Conference and All-District player, and the team’s sixth man in 6’5” 250-pound Andrew VanHooser.

“Those guys aren’t replaceable,” said Linehan. “With the loss of them, our team dynamic has changed. Guys like Dakota Webb have to take on new roles. Jacob Goodman was a role player last year, but he has stepped up and is starting this season for us and has brought some added toughness to the Dadeville’s Trent Bergmann (#20) defends against Halfline-up. We won’t be the way’s Nick Drake (#20) in the Bearcats’ 63-22 victory on same team we were last Jan. 7. Bergmann, who keys the Bearcat attack from his year, but we’re every bit point guard position, is one of three tri-captains for the as good as we were last team, along with fellow seniors Zach Medley and Dakota year.”

Webb. (Staff Photo) From the final horn in the third-place game, throughout the summer and into the start of this season, the ultimate team goal has been to not just return to the Final Four, but to win a state title.

“Being there last year and having it go the way it did has just made us more determined,” said Medley, who along with Bergmann and Webb is a team tri-captain. “The goal seems more realistic now. We know it’s possible for a school like us to get there.” Bergof Pilot Grove. mann agrees. “We know what it takes to get “It was a new experience for all of us,” said back,” he said. “We’ve worked hard over the senior point guard Trent Bergmann. “We had summer. We won’t be so overwhelmed this never played in an arena that large before. We time around.” were kind of shell shocked in the first game. I Dadeville participated in basketball camps wish we could have given (Scott County Cenover the summer and played dozens of games, tral) a better game.” many against much larger schools. The Bearcats Dadeville rebounded in the third-place held their own, and that momentum has cargame, though, destroying Braymer by a 62-31 ried over into this season. count. “We got to end the season with a win,” Dadeville features a talented and experisaid senior sharpshooter Zach Medley, an Allenced starting line-up comprised of five seState performer a year ago. “Only two teams niors. Bergmann directs the offense from his in each class can say that. We got to send the point guard position. “He simply makes no seniors out with a victory.” mistakes,” said Linehan of his point guard. “At “The whole experience was a blast,” said the pace we play, it’s rare for a point guard to head coach Mike Linehan, now in his fourth average less than one turnover a game, but season at the helm of the Bearcats. “The bigthat’s what he’s doing.” gest thing was seeing the kids, and how excitMedley, a sharpshooter from the outside, ed they were. The kids gained valuable experiand Jacob Goodman, who Linehan described ence and confidence in getting there. Certainly, as “a tough farm kid,” operate on the wing. The you look back and have regrets about how the 6’4” Webb roams the frontline. “Dakota is an Scott County game started.” athletic playmaker with good court vision,”

mission

By Byron Shive

dadeville bearcats

he game tipped-off just like any other high school boys basketball game on a windy and chilly Friday night in January across the state. Halfway, the opponent of the Dadeville Bearcats, scored the first basket to take an early 2-0 lead on the Cardinals’ home court. After that, though, the Dadeville steamroller kicked into high gear, as the Bearcats used a 29-0 run to lead 19-2 at the end of the first period, and 34-8 at halftime.

Dadeville cruised to yet another blowout victory, this one by a 63-22 count. The Bearcats, who at press time sported a perfect 8-0 record and the No. 2 state ranking in Class 1, are on a mission. Dadeville posted a 30-2 record last season, which included the school’s second trip ever to the Final Four.

However, the Bearcats were shell shocked in the state semifinals by defending champion 24

playing in blowout after blowout.

“The kids are motivated to improve and pick up the slack,” said Linehan. “We try to focus on anything that can be a weakness. In every game, it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we’re trying to get better. We have to learn lessons from every game we play. Whether we win or lose, we have to evaluate our performance and fix any mistakes or weaknesses. I preach that a lot to these kids.”

The Bearcats use each game to focus on at least one aspect of their game. “In every game, Coach gives us one or two things to focus on and get better at,” said Bergmann. “He’s always telling us not to play down to the level of our competition.”

Medley echoed those thoughts. “No matter what the score is, we pretend it’s 0-0,” he said.

“We try to slow things down and execute. We try to get better with everything we do. We want to develop good habits regardless of the level of competition.”

Despite the team’s gaudy record and stats, Webb knows the Bearcats have room for improvement. “We’re a great fast break team, but also a good half court team,” he said. “Sometimes, though, we lack in offensive rhythm. We get over anxious and think we need to score quickly.”

Linehan identified the team’s strengths as hustle, intensity on defense and the ability to get up and down Dadeville’s Zach Medley rises for a shot the floor. However, he said over Halfway’s Jared Kite (#21) in the that the team needs to imBearcats’ 63-22 victory on Jan. 7. Medley, a deadeye shot from the outside, was prove its rebounding, and an All-State performer a year ago. (Staff also needs to slow down Photo) and execute the offense at times.

One of the strengths of the Bearcats is their team chemistry. “We’ve been together since we were all in kindergarten,” said Bergmann, adding that Webb joined the group in sixth grade. “We’ve been playing ball together since we were old enough to throw it in the goal.” The character of the team is also a plus. “It has been an absolute blast coaching these kids,” said Linehan, noting that the team GPA is 3.6. “They are good kids both on the floor and off.”

Another strength is the coaching received from Linehan, who was a twotime all-conference and honorable mention AllAmerican player at Evangel in the mid-1990s. “He’s an incredible coach,” said Webb. “He’s very savvy basketball-wise, and has a very intense mentality that we just thrive off of. He’s a

said Linehan. Ben Dobbins, a 6’4” bruiser, does the dirty work down low. “He’s our garbage man,” said Linehan of Dobbins. “He’s a physical player who’s a good screener and rebounder, and has a soft touch on his shot.”

Dadeville opened the season by manhandling the competition at the Humansville Tournament. The Bearcats defeated Everton 92-36 in the first round, and Hermitage 69-33 in the semifinals, before winning the tournament title with a 95-62 victory over Fair Play.

“We didn’t know how good we’d really be,” said Medley. “We went to camp over the summer and played a lot of games against good competition. Playing so well in the Humansville Tournament was a big confidence booster.”

Dadeville followed up the Humansville Tournament with five more regular season victories over Everton (94-34), Golden City (64-35), Hermitage (80-29), Fair Play (75-52), and Halfway (63-22). The Bearcats are currently averaging 79 points per game, while giving up less than 42 points per contest to their opponents.

Dadeville is beating its opponents by over 41 points per game on average, which leads to the question of how the Bearcats can improve by

Dadeville’s Ben Dobbins posts up in triple threat position in a 63-22 victory at Halfway on Jan. 7.

“He’s our garbage man,” said head coach Mike Linehan of Dobbins. “He’s a physical player who’s a good screener and rebounder, and has a soft touch on his shot.” (Staff Photo)

great guy and an amazing role model for us to look up to.”

At least one alumnus believes The Bearcats have another deep tourney run in them. “These seniors have had the same coach now for the past four years,” said Toler, an All-State senior on last year’s squad. “They’ve been running the same system since their freshman year.

They know exactly what they need to do. They know what Coach Linehan wants, so they just need to fine-tune everything. If they just go out and perform on the floor what they have been taught, then they can get back to State.”

Finally, the support the team has received from the Dadeville community has been outstanding. “We have amazing support from the Dadeville fans,” said Webb. “We’re a very blessed team. God has given each of us great talent, and has surrounded us with amazing family and friends.”

The senior class had posted 73 wins entering this season, meaning that the 100-win plateau is within reach. The Dadeville steamroller is rolling along nicely so far this season, and has its sights set on a return to Columbia and the State finals. “We hope to keep this rolling,” said Bergmann.

25

a e r a l l a wrestlrinagnkings 130 lbnix a Ozark Preps Illustrated

1.Dakota Davis

With the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships slated for Feb. 17-19, the Ozarks are loaded with talent on the mat. Ozark Preps Illustrated sought the input of the area wrestling coaches to determine who’s the “best of the best” in each weight class.

2. Jesse Sherman Bolivar 3. Tyler Ussery Ozark

103 Olbzark 135 lb oz ark 112 lbreeds

1. J.J. Dorrell

1.Dustin McClintock

2.Joe Velliquette 3.Sam Hughes

Nixa Bolivar

1.Devin Graville

Reeds Spring 2. Steve Morey 3. Marshall Phelan Nixa

Jared Harrill (160 lbs.)

spring

Ozark 2. Clint Godfrey 3. Caleb Crook Willard Corey Gingerich Kickapoo

119 lbozark 140 lbozark

1.Dimitry Loftis

1.Josh Shockney

2. Lane Corya 3. Joey Fetty Ty Balty

Reeds Spring 2. Ethan Grinder 3. Michael Cuthbertson Branson

Nixa Parkview Logan-Rogersville

125 lbozark 145 lb ozark

1.Grant Godfrey

1.Trenton Patterson

Republic 2. Dustin Eby 3. Conner Loderhose Willard

2. Lee White 3. Jake Pritchett

Reeds Spring Nixa

Joe Zimmer (189 lbs.)

171 lb bran

son

1.Jonathan Inman

152 lbozark

1.John Oss

2. Tyler White 3. Steeler Seaburn

Reeds Spring Willard

2. Levi Tucker 3. Sawyer Vincent

Ozark Willard

Ozark Republic

189 lbLogan

rogersville

1.Joe Zimmer

160 blboliva

1.Jared Harrill

2. Cody Lindsay 3. Jake Laswell

2. Willy Gray 3. Steven Cody

r

Ozark Central

215 lbbuffa

1.Derick Harris Christian Adams (285 lbs.)

2. Gareth Behr 3. Jesse Ruark

lo

Bolivar Willard

285 lbwilla

1.Christian Adams 2. Jarrett Rogers 3. Lance Gregory Travis Curbow

Ozark Republic Nixa

rd

EZ

END ZONE

You want to know the true, amazing beauty of high school sports?

One normal January Tuesday morning, Luke Denbow wakes up and goes to school as just another solid senior basketball player for the ultra-talented Nixa Eagles this season. Then, over a span of 1.8 seconds that evening, Denbow and teammate Austin Ruder go down in Nixa history as the two Eagles involved in “The Play.” An event that neither will ever forget— nor will a Nixa gym-full of students and parents who saw it happen live. We are talking, of course, about Denbow’s length-of-the-floor baseball pass to a streaking-down-the-sidelines Ruder for a game-winning layup at the buzzer and an 84-82 Nixa win over rival Kickapoo in mid-January.

Short of hearing your numbers called in a mega-millions Powerball drawing, where else outside of sports can you experience such a life-altering event in a matter of seconds…at least, for the better?

Think about it…

Thirty years from now, Denbow and Ruder will still be remembered as the guys who completed “The Play” to beat Kickapoo. Heck, Nixa school officials may bring them both back for Homecoming 2061 to recreate the pass and shot that, quite honestly, is as spectacular of a game-winning play as any we’ve seen in 30 years of living in the Ozarks.

That’s a memory that will never be taken away from them. One for their kids, their grandkids, and their grandkids’ grandkids to tell forever.

Those things don’t just go away, either. Just ask Maggie Arnall.

It was the 2007 Missouri Class 2 state basketball championship game when Arnall sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer—as a Hartville freshman—to lead the Lady Eagles to a 49-48 win over Westran for the title.

Arnall’s only regret?

“I wish it would have happened when I was senior,” she told me last fall with a laugh, adding that she still fields questions about “The Shot” to this day.

I was trying to think back to others who might still be known for one tremendous heave or launch as the signature, defining moment of their Ozarks’ basketball careers.

28

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

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. The one that popped up almost instantly was a nearly three-quarters court launch by Alton senior standout Andy Benson at the buzzer to beat Brent Blevins and Forsyth in the Class 2A state quarterfinals at a jam-packed Kickapoo High School gym, one that propelled the Comets on to a second-place finish at State.

Benson is now 39-years-old and a medical equipment sales rep living in Siloam Springs, Ark., where he played for John Brown University after his Alton prep miracle. Twenty years later, do people still remember “The Shot?”

“Absolutely,” Benson said with a laugh. “Every time I go home to Alton, it never ceases to amaze me how often people will bring it up.

I’ve got a son now (12-year-old Avery) who’s super into basketball, and he’s even gone back and had fun watching it. Of course, we had to convert the VHS to DVD. I don’t know if he gets a bigger kick out of the shot itself or how short our shorts were back then.”

Of course, the only one more thrilled by the shot than Andy was his father and thenAlton head coach, Randy Benson. “I’d always dreamed of hitting that big shot to win a game as a player myself,” Randy said, “but that night, I got to do it through Andy.”

And some folks just had a knack for finding those moments.

Former Parkview High School star and Drury All-American Matt Miller says, “I always believed when you got to that point of the game, it became an easier time to score because the defense was always very nervous. I always felt like at that point, it was going in.”

You think players ever forget those gamewinning moments?

Miller, the all-time leading scorer in Springfield Public Schools history with more than 1,700 points during his career with the Vikings in the mid-1990s, can still tell you today about the circumstances surrounding the game-winner he hit as a PHS freshman to beat Hazelwood Central.

Of course, they all don’t end in storybook fashion.

For every made game-winner, there’s at least as many that don’t go in before the final buzzer.

There are blown assignments defensively that haunt those who let the opposition’s moment

of glory happen.

And there are, well, lots of “almost” moments.

Current Greenwood High School boys’ basketball coach Darren Taylor continues to live one of those. Taylor was a senior standout for Willow Springs High School when—30 years ago this season—the Bears were facing North Pemiscot County in the Class 2A state championship game in Columbia. Down by two points with just six seconds left, the Bears worked the ball down court into Taylor’s hands, where he dropped in a basket from close range at the buzzer to apparently force overtime.

Until an official waved it off.

No basket.

Even though the official was the only one in the building who saw it that way, as game film clearly indicated Taylor’s shot was well out of his hands before the horn sounded.

Nevertheless, game over. Dream squashed.

And a lifetime remaining for Willow Springs fans—and Taylor—to wonder what might have happened if not for one infamous Don Denkinger-like moment a few years before even Don Denkinger made his infamous Cards-Royals 1985 World Series blown call.

“Everybody in the gym knew it was good… their team, our team…everybody but the official who called it,” Taylor recalls with a chuckle.

“I’ll tell you what’s kind of funny about it. Obviously you don’t sit around and think about it or anything, but still today, if you’re ever around any of those guys on the team, it’ll come up quite often.

“Of course, everybody now says ‘If you could have just been a little faster…and I did take one dribble, so who knows, maybe it was my fault,” Taylor added with a laugh. “You talk about a distraught bunch of boys. You think all the times you play around as a kid, you count down ’10, 9, 8…’ and shoot the shot in your driveway to win a state championship. So darned if you don’t get there, you hit the shot and it doesn’t count.”

Lesson to be learned from all of this for today’s athletes?

Every time you step on that field or court, you’re always just one play away from a YouTube moment.

E

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“You simply can’t call yourself a basketball fan without reading this compelling and brilliantly woven chronicle of the legendary Bradleyville ‘Hicks.’ This is a magnificent trip down memory lane for us ‘oldtimers,’ and an articulate insight into those special intangibles which makes ‘hoops’ such an integral facet of our society. While basketball, obviously, is the focal point, James Leon Combs also gives us a glimpse into life in the rural Ozarks, so much a part of the lore and charm of this region we know, love, and call home. Just like those Darrell Paul 30-foot net-searing bombs of so long ago, ‘Hicks From The Sticks’ is a big winner.”

-Ned Reynolds, Sports Director, KY3-TV “I loved this book. Once I began reading it I couldn’t put it down—and I already knew the outcome. I saw and agonized through the four-overtime game with Howardville. I coached against these ‘coon hunters in the Blue and Gold Tournament and ended up one of their victims. It doesn’t get much better than this for an old coach and a fan. But it’s not necessary to be a basketball fan to enjoy the Bradleyville story—just appreciate the excellence.”

-Charlie Spoonhour, former Head Coach, Southwest Missouri State University and St. Louis University

Bradleyville Basketball: The Hicks from the Sticks is available at:

Beaver Creek Publishing • (417) 796-2286