WCCC Up to 25 Residents

The Worth County Convalescent Center is now back up to 25 residents, reversing a decline that happened over the last few years at least temporarily. Administrator Bev Miller said that the facility has done what they have always done, which is to take care of its residents. "People are seeing the changes that we are making and that could be contributing," she said. The facility is planning to celebrate Homecoming this week with the rest of the community. They will be having a Halloween Party in which staff and residents will participate. Trick or Treaters will be invited to stop by and residents will hand out treats. They are also planning for their annual Holiday Dinner as well.

Alicia Smith Powers NEN to Rare Win over Stewartsville

Alicia Smith used her bat Thursday evening to power Northeast Nodaway's softball team to a rare win over Stewartsville, the first win over the Cards in four years and only the second in six. Northeast got their second road win of the year, downing the Cardinals 11-7. Alicia was 2 for 4 with a double and a triple as the Bluejay freshman saw all her hard work on the game pay off in a big way. She had been playing summer softball and traveling softball for the last year and she has not looked like a freshman at all when stepping to the plate. Claudia Wiederholt, Jenny Seipel, and Jill Spire also hit the ball well for Northeast in the win.

Northeast threatened to end the game on the 10-run rule by the fifth inning, leading the game 10-0. But the Cardinals, a dangerous hitting team with a tall girl who can hit it to the fence at will, fought back and got to within 10-6. The teams traded runs in the sixth and then Stewartsville got the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 7th and the tying run at the plate. But third baseman Talina Nelson made a game-saving play when she caught a screaming line drive that looked like it would be headed for extra bases and stepped on third for the double play, leaving Stewartsville's big hitter stranded on the on-deck circle.

The win was their second conference win and their 5th win of the year after getting one last year and none the year before that. In Tuesday's action, Northeast lost to South Nodaway 11-7 after wasting a 4-0 lead. Coach Hilary Loe said that the focus of the next week would be stopping momentum-changing plays from happening. They finally were able to tag Longhorn pitcher Allison Hilsabeck with some hits after struggling at the plate in the first two meetings with South Nodaway.

On Saturday, the Bluejays completed their action in the North Andrew Tournament. In the first consolation round, Northeast came from behind to beat North Nodaway 8-6. It was the third win for NEN over the Mustangs this year. They dug themselves into a 5-2 hole after one inning, but fought back with strong pitching from Dallis Coffelt and some timely hitting and baserunning to get the win. The Bluejays failed to get consolation as they went the distance and played well, but lost 9-2 to South Nodaway.

Andrew Mullock Returns, Wyatt Rush gets 279 Yards; Tigers Beat Mustangs 72-54

Worth County beat North Nodaway 72-54 as Andrew Mullock made his return and Wyatt Rush ran 36 times for 279 yards in another track meet. When the two teams met in JV a few years ago, the players were similar and the Tigers lost a similar track meet to North Nodaway. But when the players moved to varsity roles, the tables were turned; Worth County was able to turn around and win at North Nodaway. They overcame a slew of miscues including six bad snaps and a shanked kickoff that led to an easy score. They were able to keep their penalties down for two weeks in a row. North Nodaway's miscues were more serious as they turned the ball over four times and got untracked too late. These included a goal line fumble and a pick thrown into the end zone that killed two drives.

The first quarter was not indicative of the remainder of the struggle as it started out like a defensive struggle. North Nodaway was shooting their linebackers through and guessing right every single time in that first quarter while Worth County wasted two chances to score after getting the ball in Mustang territory. North Nodaway elected to try a squib kick and Lane Craven returned it to the Mustang 38. But Worth County could not convert thanks to a bad snap on fourth down. North Nodaway returned the favor thanks to a bad snap of their own, pounced on by Truman Moore at the Mustang 36. Lane Craven caught a pass for 13 to the 23 and Andrew Mullock ran for 8 more to the 15. Worth County got all the way down to the 5 on fourth down, but then Wyatt Rush was stopped a yard short.

Worth County twice failed to convert from deep in Mustang territory. That led the Mustang players to believe that they could play with the Tigers. They drove right down the field and got to the 1 yard line before Wyatt Rush recovered a fumble at the 1 to keep the game scoreless. But then another bad snap cost the Tigers as on fourth down, Wyatt was snowed under at the one and North Nodaway capitalized with a six yard pass from Koby Reynolds to Dakota Chestnut with 3:36 left. Reynolds ran in the extra points to make it 8-0.

It looked like it might be another long night for Worth County as the blocking broke down and they could get nowhere on two plays. But an offsides penalty made it a more manageable third and six situation from the 35 and then Ben Badell took yet another bad snap and somehow managed to convert it for a first down to give the Tigers new life. Ben showed a lot of development as a quarterback as he has learned to run with the ball effectively as a quarterback and was able to get some good ones when it counted.

North Nodaway's blitzing tactics finally backfired as Andrew Mullock burned them with a quick hitter for 15 yards down to the 21. The Tigers were once again shorthanded without Brevyn Ross (collarbone), stretching them thin at the corner position. But Andrew's return was timely as he was able to make some critical plays on both offense and defense. Ben Badell once again got a key carry for the Tigers, muscling his way just short of the first down at the one to set up fourth down. Wyatt Rush took it the rest of the way as once again North Nodaway overextended and Worth County got on the board with 12.1 seconds left, trailing 8-6.

Wyatt Rush had two pass breakups on the next series and North Nodaway struggled with their long snapping game as well as they were forced to punt. Wyatt got a big surge from the line and took it 45 yards to the house with 11:36 left in the second to make it 12-8. But North Nodaway got it right back as there were too many defensive breakdowns on the next series and Dakota Smyser caught a 23 yard pass from Reynolds to put North Nodaway back up 14-12 with 9:10 left.

North Nodaway threatened to take control of the game following another bad snap from the Tigers and another three and out. They drove all the way down to the Tiger 5; however, Nate Pointer picked off a pass in the end zone to keep North Nodaway off the board. A score could have made it a two possession game in North Nodaway's favor.

From there, Wyatt Rush broke a host of tackles to the 26 and then weaved his way to the Tiger 38. He took the third straight handoff, hurdled two defenders, and ran to the 11 for 31 more yards.A six yard keeper from Ben Badell and two more cracks from Wyatt put the Tigers up to stay and Wyatt ran in the extra points to make it 20-14.

Ben Badell got a pick to put the Tigers in good field position at their own 35. That was North Nodaway's fourth turnover of the game. Two plays later, Wyatt was off to the races again, ripping off 45 more yards for a score with 3:18 left to put the Tigers up 26-14.

North Nodaway buried themselves with a holding penalty on the next series. Shadow Briner had a quarterback hurry on the series and Lane Craven partially blocked a punt that set up the Tigers on their own 35 with plenty of time to make it three possessions. Wyatt Rush ripped off 33 more yards to the 12 behind a block from Austin Carlson and then picked up three more to the 9. Ben Badell took it the rest of the way to put Worth County up three possessions at 32-14 with 36.1 seconds left. Ben managed the clock perfectly on the series, directing the Tigers down the field while leaving North Nodaway with too little time to score again right before the half. North Nodaway made it into Tiger territory, but Nate Pointer got a sack to kill the drive.

By the half, Wyatt Rush had 225 yards on 27 carries. But with North Nodaway keying on Wyatt in the second, Nate Pointer got the bulk of the carries although Wyatt was constantly a threat. North Nodaway had four turnovers to prevent them from answering effectively.

But the Mustangs got new life in the second half thanks to a botched kickoff that barely rolled off the tee. By rule the ball is spotted where it lands if it does not travel the required 10 yards. North Nodaway took full advantage of the momentum-changing play, cutting it to 32-22 and it was a track meet between the two teams for the rest of the game.

North Nodaway returned the favor on the next kickoff and Worth County got the ball on the Mustang 32. They took full advantage of the gift. With Wyatt Rush and Nate Pointer carrying the load, the Tigers moved down to the 9, where Andrew Mullock got a 9 yard touchdown following a Wyatt Rush block to make it 38-22 with 9:03 left.

North Nodaway could get nowhere on their next series as Truman Moore got a sack and they were forced to punt. Andrew Mullock made a touchdown saving tackle as he made a shoestring grab of Reynolds trying to scramble for yardage; had he not made the play, Reynolds would have been gone. The ensuing punt came under a heavy rush and it was shanked, giving Worth County a short field to work with at the Mustang 35. With everyone keying on Wyatt, nobody was covering Mullock, who caught a perfect swing pass from Ben Badell for a 31 yard score that made it 46-22 with 6:09 left in the third. It was similar to the swing pass against Stanberry that broke their backs last year.

Neither team could get anything else going for the rest of the quarter, but a roughing the passer call against Worth County gave North Nodaway new life, which they converted into a score with 10:56 left in the fourth quarter to make it 46-28. Ben Badell had a key pass breakup on the extra point that kept it a three possession game.

North Nodaway, at this point, went to their onside kick. There was method to their strategy besides trying to get the ball back; the short field meant that Worth County would take less time off the clock to score instead of taking a long time off from, say, their own 15. Jacob Hardy pounced on this one at the 39, and Ben Badell's keeper behind a Truman Moore block got 26 yards down to the Mustang 8. Three cracks from Wyatt got only to the one; however, Ben Badell, who really wanted the ball on the series, converted a fourth down sneak to put the Tigers up as Josh Warner pushed him into the end zone. That is one of those actions that is illegal and is frequently done, yet is rarely called by the officials. Wyatt Rush and Lane Craven formed a perfect wall for Ben Badell to run in the extra points to put Worth County up 54-28.

North Nodaway went to the long bomb and they used a 53 yard pass to Dakota Smyser to set up a five yard run from Reynolds to make it 54-34 with 8:09 left. But this time, the onside kick backfired as Lane Craven scooped it up and returned it to the Mustang 25, nearly breaking one in the process. Worth County only needed one play to answer as Nate Pointer got a Wyatt Rush block and got 25 yards to make it 60-34 with 7:55 left.

This time, kickoff coverage turned out to be an area in need of improvement as the Tigers gave up the first of two long runbacks. Fred Rios ran back the kickoff to the Tiger 22 and Dakota Chestnut caught a long pass with 6:47 left to make it 60-40. The onside kick was fumbled around until Wyatt pounced on it at the Mustang 36; a few plays later, Ben Badell threw a long strike to Chris Alarcon from 24 yards out with 4:49 to make it 66-40. Another breakdown on kickoff coverage led to another Rios runback, this time to the 9. That set up a pass to Chestnut that made it 66-48 with 3:48 left. Wyatt Rush broke his final run of the evening, bouncing outside and getting a 32 yard score to make it 72-48. North Nodaway used some trickery to get their final score of the night, a reverse pass from Dakota Smyser to Dakota Chestnut from 38 yards out to make it 72-54 with 1:12 left before Worth County was finally able to run out the clock for the win.

Randall Evans Convicted of First Degree Murder

Randall Evans was convicted Friday morning of the murder of Danny Wolf in 2011 by a Worth County jury. The trial lasted four days. Jury selection took place on Tuesday while the trial took place on Wednesday and Thursday. The jury took most of the morning to consider the verdict before returning with the conviction just before noon. The case had been moved to Worth County from Gentry County on a change of venue.

Gentry County Prosecutor Jerry Biggs was the prosecutor for the case, assisted by Tim Anderson and Lauren Barnett from the Missouri Attorney General's Office. Janet Wake Larison was the attorney for the defendant. Biggs said after the trial was over that it was a just verdict and that he was sorry for the tragedy to both families. Larison's office declined to comment.

Information filed by the Gentry County Prosecutor's office alleged that Evans shot Wolf in Evans' kitchen back in 2011. The St. Joseph News-Press reported in their online edition that Biggs' case pointed to ballistics evidence, blood stains, and witness testimony that he said established the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Larison, according to the News-Press story, argued that Wolf had disappeared because of a marriage proposal that was turned down and that the blood in question may have come from processing deer. The body of Mr. Wolf was never found.

The case was the first murder trial in Worth County since 1990. Security was tight at the trial, with the east entrance of the Courthouse blocked off. All persons going to the second floor of the Courthouse were required to undergo a security scan before going upstairs during the trial. Security was tight at the 1990 murder trial as well. Security measures for jury trials are decided on a case by case basis.

Sentencing for Mr. Evans has been set for November 7th.

Grace Schottel Fans 12 Mustang Batters

Grace Schottel struck out 12 North Nodaway batters Wednesday evening and the Worth County Junior High softball team won the second of back to back encounters, 14-3. They played the third game in three nights in a row Thursday night, traveling to Maysville.

Worth County gave Grace all the runs she would need in the first inning and Schottel helped herself out with a hit. Grace McElvain added another single and a series of walks and wild pitches put Worth County up 2-0. Haley Hunt got a third run on a delayed steal of home and Jessi Badell's single plated McElvain and Emily Thomas to make it 5-0.

North Nodaway got two back as #20 crushed one to center field to bring in two and make it 5-2, but from there, Grace got stronger as the game progressed. She was changing speeds throughout the game, throwing her change at any time in the count and adjusting to the umpire's strike zone after the first inning.

Mollie Blaine hit a chopper off the pitcher's glove into center field to score Abbi Caddenhead and later came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 7-2. The backstop was playing havoc with the Mustang catchers all night. The backstop is wooden and the caroms off of it are very unpredictable; some will bounce right back to the catcher and some will bounce 30 feet away. Worth County catcher Haley Hunt did the best thing one can do in that situation; she was able to keep the ball from getting to the backstop and Grace Schottel did her part by throwing strikes for the most part. When Haley Hunt came out after a collision at first, Grace McElvain stepped in and caught in the 4th and 5th.

Grace Schottel struck out her 4th and 5th batters in the second and Emily Thomas caught a pop fly at third, putting both hands on the ball to do so.

Worth County scored six more and batted around in the third as this time, North Nodaway could not blame the crazy backstop as most of their wounds were self-inflicted. Emily Thomas beat out a slow chopper that the third baseman threw away, moving her to second. Emily went to third on a passed ball and Jessi Badell walked and stole. That put runners on second and third. That was when the havoc started. Kennedy Galanakis reached on a dropped third strike and Emily Thomas broke for home and was safe as Badell toook third. Then, Kennedy Galanakis took off for second while the catcher still had the ball and nobody covered second or talked as the throw hit Kennedy as Badell scored on the play. Two walks and a groundout from Mollie Blaine scored Kennedy and then Grace Schottel reached on a dropped throw that rolled away for a two-base error as Abbi Caddenhead and Mollie Blaine scored on the play.

Grace Schottel wreaked her own havoc on the basepaths, constantly getting huge leads off base and daring the pitcher and catcher to throw her out; she finally got a delayed steal of third as the ball was being returned to the pitcher. She then did the same thing from third and drew several throws but it didn't matter as she scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-2. Grace walked in a run in the fourth for Worth County's final run as Mattie Downing scored.

Junior High Girls Fall Short to King City in Extra Innings

Worth County's Junior High girls have been playing much better than their record. However, pitted against tough opposition all year, they have dropped a lot of close games this year, including a 10-6 loss to King City in extra innings. Time for the game expired in the 5th inning; however, the teams needed two extra innings to complete the game.

Worth County fell into an early 3-0 hole to King City. The first meeting between the two teams had been a 3-0 pitching duel won by the Wildkats. However, this game was much higher scoring as the hitting for both teams had improved since the first meeting. Worth County got one run back off an illegal pitch when King City's pitcher started and stopped her motion. It is the equivalent of a balk in baseball; Grace McElvain came across the plate to score.

Grace McElvain caught two fly balls in right field and catcher Haley Hunt picked two runners off third and caught two pop flies. Emily Thomas added a catch at third.

Mollie Blaine singled and later scored on Grace Schottel's single to make it 3-2. But it all seemed for naught when King City scored two in the fifth to make it 5-2.

But Grace McElvain grounded out to second and both Haley Hunt and Grace Schottel scored on the play to make it 5-4 as King City tried to trade a run for an out and wound up giving up two. Emily Thomas grounded out, but Jessi Badell singled and stole second to restart Worth County's inning and Kennedy Galanakis reached on an error by the pitcher as Jessi scored to tie it at 5.

Worth County loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth but could not score thanks to a called third strike and a popup to end the inning. All hell broke loose in the 7th as King City timed and crushed the ball on their way to five runs in the frame. It would have been worse had it not been for Haley Hunt's pickoff of a King City runner. Worth County got one back when Kennedy Galanakis bunted out to the catcher to score Jessi Badell.

"I'm proud of how you battled back when nobody expected us to do so," said Coach April Healy to her players after the game.

The B team lost 6-3 in the nightcap in two innings. Darbi Weddle caught a fly ball in right. Sadie Dye scored two runs for the reserves, both on dropped third strikes that were thrown away. Ashlyn Barnett reached on an infield single to drive in the other run.

'Lil Tigers Drop Two in Bedford

Both 'Lil Tiger teams were scored on for the first time this year and dropped games in Bedford this year. The A team lost to Bedford 25-0 while the B team lost to Creston 25-18.

The B team game was close all the way. Creston had a back, #5, who was too quick for the Tigers to catch; he broke loose for a 65 yard touchdown on the first play of the game. That put them up 6-0. From there, Worth County played catchup the rest of the way although they almost made up a two possession deficit in the second half. But the Tigers had too many penalties on the afternoon and it got to the point where the officials were looking for something wrong.

Worth County marched right back down the field as Aydan Gladstone ripped off an 11 yard gain and Alex Rinehart broke a host of tackles to get a 21 yard gain to the Creston 33. Rinehart converted a fourth and one to the 18 and that set up a Rinehart touchdown with 2:59 left in the first quarter to tie it up at 6. But once again, #5 got loose again and the speedy Creston back got loose for a 32 yard score to put the Panthers up for good at 13-6. Creston threatened to score again before half, but consecutive tackles for loss by Cooper Simmons thwarted the drive and it was still one possession.

But Creston threatened to take control of the game in the third quarter as they took their first possession in for a score as #5 got loose again for the Panthers with 8:41. But then Alex Rinehart made the play of the day. He was seemingly stood up after a short gain, but the whistle never blew and Rinehart broke free for a 50 yard score that put the Tigers right back in the game at 19-12 with 6:35 left.

Creston fumbled the ball right back to the Tigers as Nathan Adwell got the recovery for the Tigers. Worth County took advantage as a short sneak play by Aydan Gladstone turned into a 16 yard touchdown scamper with 2:45 left in the third. But Rinehart was stopped short of the goal line on the tying extra point play and Creston still led 19-18.

A horsecollar penalty on Creston moved the ball to midfield for the Tigers, but a block in the back penalty wiped out a long run that could have put the Tigers ahead and they gave the ball back on downs. #5 scored on yet another long scamper, a 52 yard run in the closing minutes and then got a pick to help Creston run out the clock.

The A team fumbled on their first play from scrimmage and lost 25-0 to Bedford. The Bulldogs scored on the ensuing series and the game settled into a defensive struggle as both teams were stymied by stingy defenses and an officiating crew that was calling everything on both teams. John Mancuso had an interception that stopped a Bedford drive in the first half and kept it at 6-0. But the offense could not make any headway against a team that was much bigger and quicker and they could only muster one first down in the half.

Bedford made a momentum changing play at the end of the first half when they scored on the last play of the half to make it 13-0 and then got the ball to start the second half and scored on the opening drive to make it 19-0.

Worth County finally started finding success as Hayden Holmes ripped off a first down run for 10 yards and the Tigers finally crossed into Bedford territory. Hayden added a 35-yard scamper early in the fourth. But Bedford added another score with 5:30 left to make it 25-0. Chance Barber caught a 15 yard pass in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

Obituary -- Patricia Auffert 1941-2013

Patricia Ann Auffert, 72 of Parnell, Missouri died on Tuesday, September 17, 2013, at St Francis Hospital in Maryville, Missouri.
Patricia was born June 2, 1941 in Kent, Iowa, the daughter of the late Dennis and Theola (Baker) Bradley.
Patricia was a graduate of Afton High School, Afton, Iowa and had attended Northwest State Teachers College, Maryville.
She married Philip J. Auffert on July 17, 1965 in Afton.
Patricia was a homemaker and had been an elementary teacher at the former St. Patrick's and St. Mary's Schools, Maryville and did substitute teaching at Northeast Nodaway School in Ravenwood, Missouri..
Patricia was a member of the St. Joseph's Catholic Church, St. Ann's Altar Society and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 528, all of Parnell.
Her survivors include: husband Philip of the home, two daughters Catherine and Lynette Auffert, both of Parnell, two sons Timothy (Richard Webb),Raytown, Damian (Dana), Parnell, four grandchildren Jesse, Dalton, Dakota, and Dalanie Auffert, three sisters Marietta (Ruben) Baltz, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Kathy (Ken) Waller, Johnston, Iowa, Diane (Monty) Ide, Shannon City, Iowa, four brothers Joe (Dorothy) Bradley, Algona, Iowa, Jim (Sherry) Bradley, Arispe,Iowa, Steve (Sandy) Bradley, Oelwein, Iowa, and Phillip (Patty) Bradley, Afton, Iowa, several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 AM, Saturday, September 21, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Parnell. A family rosary will be held Thursday, September 19 at 6 PM, and Friday, September 20, a parish rosary at 5 PM followed by a family visitation. Both rosaries will be held at the Church in Parnell. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Parnell.

Bluejay Softball Picks Up Two More Wins

Northeast Nodaway's softball team picked up two more wins last week and played some tough teams close this week as they are now up to three wins for the year.

The Bluejays needed to lick their wounds and regroup following last Tuesday's 18-2 loss to Jefferson; Jenny Seipel's triple in the fourth accounted for Northeast's only two tallies of the game. They bounced right back from that loss to beat North Nodaway 10-5. "We've improved so much since the beginning of the year," said Coach Hilary Loe. "Now, we need to keep getting better." Playing with a makeshift lineup, they were able to come away with their second win of the year and picked up a conference win as well.

Last weekend, Northeast traveled to Stanberry to play in the Stanberry Tournament. They went the distance against the highly touted Stanberry squad, but then got run-ruled against North Andrew. "We didn't quit and we kept our heads up, but we let them play their game instead of playing our game," said Loe. But Northeast picked up their third win of the year, a 10-6 win over Stanberry JV. She said that it was their best hitting performance of the year as they were able to get hitting up and down the lineup.

On Monday, Northeast traveled to Pattonsburg and lost 3-2 to a solid team. Dallis Coffelt pitched the game and only walked two batters. Defense was solid again Wednesday despite a 4-3 loss to Plattsburg, a much bigger school. That was an opening round loss in the North Andrew Tournament. "Dallis is not the fastest pitcher in the conference, but she is one of the most consistent and the other teams now have to earn their bases," said Coach Loe.

Grant City Legion to Sponsor Cub Scouts

The Grant City American Legion met for its regular monthly meeting Thursday, September 5^th.

The American Legion is back doing veteran funerals by family requests. Andrew Pickering and Joe Marshall are coordinators for all veteran funerals. 

The Legion is also sponsoring Cub Scout Pack 62. The Baptist Church dropped sponsorship of the Scouts because the national organization is now accepting gay scouts. At the request of the pack, the American Legion unanimously agreed to sponsor them. The Legion had sponsored Pack 62 as early as 1919 for many years. 

The scouts will now meet at the Scout Cabin north of the Baptist Church that the Legion built for them several years ago. The Scouts will rebuild the inside of the Cabin at a future date as an activity.

School Makes Changes to Homecoming Despite Student Petition

The Worth County School is making changes to their Homecoming celebration this year in response to complaints received by parents following last year's celebrations. Before, during Homecoming celebrations, students were released from school following the coronation which happened on the Square. However, school officials said that led to students being unsupervised and creating a safety issue. Now, every student will ride a float, return to the school on the float, and disembark at the school following the celebrations. This was done despite a student petition delivered to board member Sherri Runde and presented at Thursday night's regular board of education meeting.

There will now be a community pep rally at the football field at 7:00 Thursday night, where athletes and participants in fall activities will be recognized and the royalty will be named and crowned. The traditional pregame Homecoming ceremony, with fathers escorting royalty onto the field, as well as the student pep rally on Friday morning will remain the same. Royalty will peel off from the parade when it reaches the Square and have their pictures taken and there will be a reception for them afterwards at the Worth County Senior Center..

Board member Richard Mullock said that the safety of students was the top priority. "If we continue as usual and something ugly happens, then how can we defend our position?" he asked.

Principal Jon Adwell reported that if the student body gets below 20% D's and F's, then students will be allowed to use cell phones during lunch period. Currently, that rate is 26.9%. Last year, it was 34%.

Assistant Principal Chuck Borey reported that there was a sharp drop in disciplinary referrals to his office this year. He said that it was a combination of teachers using different classroom management skills, strong disciplinary measures, and the walls being completed resulting in less background noise and more ability to focus on tasks. He reported that staff has been attending trainings regarding the new state evaluation system. Attendance this year is 97.66% for K-6 and a similar figure for the high school. This is above state average.

During the recent hot weather, there were no early dismissals. That is due to the school putting in new air conditioning throughout the building. Other schools in the area have been letting out early frequently due to the excessive heat.

Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz reported that there were now opportunities for ag students to earn math or science credits towards graduation while taking ag classes. That had not been the case previously. This will make it easier for ag students to graduate and still have a strong ag background. Martz also reported that under tentative state plans, the school would not be accredited with distinction despite scoring 94% on the state standards. Under the tentative plans, the state is seeking to require schools to have a pre-high school foreign language component and a talented and gifted program, two areas which Worth County and many other rural schools do not offer. Martz agreed with Board President Jeff Andrews that it constituted discrimination against rural schools.

Martz reported on followup work that he did with the capital improvements projects discussed at July's board meeting. He added another project to the list in response to citizen feedback, fixing the stairwell leading from the band room to the football field. Other proposed projects include fixing the east steps and stopping the leaks into the girls locker room, recoating the ag roof, fixing the bleachers by the football field, and security doors and a security system. Martz said that a citizens committee will be formed to prioritize the projects. Possible ways of financing include extending the bond levy (which would not require a tax increase), doing a lease-purchase agreement, or using capital improvement funds. Currently, Martz said that the school has money in the budget to do small projects, but not all of them.

Obituary -- Shirley Calhoon 1949-2013

Shirley L. (Lassen) Calhoon, 64, Allendale, Missouri passed from this life on Monday, September 16, 2013 at her home.  Shirley was born on March 22, 1949 the daughter of LaVeta (Pete) and Robert (Bob) Lassen.  Shirley graduated from Savannah High School in 1966 and spent her childhood and youth on the family farm near Savannah.  Shirley retired from American Family Insurance of St. Joseph, Mo. On August 22, 1998 she was united in marriage to William (Bill) Calhoon who survives of the home. 

Shirley and Bill have lived in Allendale for the past 15 years, where she was an active member and volunteer of the Allendale community and the Grant City Lions Club. She was serving as the current president of Mission Possible.  She also gave her time to many children in the area when she served as the preschool teacher. 

Shirley loved spending time with her friends and family and loved to have fun whether she was working or playing. She was an active grandmother and cherished the time she spent with them. She was an avid volunteer and spent many hours of her time giving to help others. She will be remembered for her loving spirit and sense of humor.     

She was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include sons, Ross Hailey, Oak, Mo.; Mike Hall (Carol), Allendale; Terry Calhoon (Dana) St. Joseph, Mo.; daughters, Holly Crouse (Kendall) King City, Mo.; Lisa Grider (Chris) Lee’s Summit, Mo.; nine grandchildren, Brian Hall, David Hall, Hailey Murphy, Levi Murphy, Chloe Hailey, Daniel Hailey, Bradley Hailey, Madeline Grider, and Olivia Grider; and brother Roger Lassen (Audrey) Fillmore, Mo.

Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.  Visitation will be held on Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. The interment will be at the Allendale Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Grant City Mission Possible or Grant City Lions Club.

Sheridan Fire Department Extinguishes Trash Fire

The Sheridan Fire Department put out a trash fire near Roy Allee's place Wednesday September 18th. Although three inches of rain has fallen on the area since the 15th, a county burn ban is still in effect. Fire Chief Butch Thomas said that since the fire was too close to the house, the fire department put it out. The burn ban is in effect for 30 days from the passage of the ordinance. The ban was passed by a vote of the Worth County Commission.

Girls Softball Wins First Trophy in Last Few Years

It was a tough weekend for the Worth County girls softball team as they played three tough opponents and won one of them. First, they hung with King City for a while, trailing by only two runs until the fourth inning in the King City Tournament. Then, King City scored a bunch of runs in the fourth to put the game away.

The Tigers recovered and took a 5-3 win over South Nodaway to take the third place trophy in the King City Tournament. Playing against a strong pitcher, they played their best game of the year to get the win. Payton Adwell and Claire Andrews both hit the ball well in that game.

In their third game in three days, the Tigers lost 21-1 to Jefferson in a game that almost anything that could have went wrong did go wrong. Claire Andrews was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers in the loss and continued to hit the ball hard. The Tigers lost catcher Quinci Schottel as she broke a finger in her throwing hand. With Victoria Moore also injured, the Tigers will use either Taylor Raymond or Katie Mullock at catcher.

Coach Dave Gilland said that he wasn't going to yell and scream following a lopsided loss. "We were actually trying too hard against Jefferson," he said. "We don't expect them to be perfect, just play hard and do the best they can." He said that Claire had earned a higher spot in the lineup with her strong hitting against some of the best pitching around.

Junior High, JV Salvage Respect with Wins over Panthers

Worth County's Junior High and JV teams salvaged some respect with a pair of blowout wins against Mound City last Monday night. The focus of the games was on getting some respect back following the 58-10 drubbing handed out to the varsity by Mound City. The Junior High did their part with a 46-0 halftime win over Mound City. It started with the entire front line. Dakota Gross started for the group for the first time this year and played strongly along with Issac Alarcon, Cade Allee, and Drake Kinsella. On the other side of the ball, Cade Allee threw a long touchdown strike to Tevin Cameron while Drake Simmons played strongly on both sides of the ball. Jayden Mancuso scored the great bulk of the touchdowns for the Junior High while Jordan Huntsman scored with 20 seconds left in the half to trigger the 45-point rule. Tevin Cameron added a punt return for a touchdown while Cade Allee ran for another.

The JV finished off the nightcap with a 56-10 win that was a near-reversal of the varsity loss. Chris Alarcon started at quarterback and his speed was the key for the Tigers as his legs set up everything else. Tristan Miller played well up front for the Tigers. Nate Pointer, Wade Rush, Chris Alarcon all rushed for touchdowns in the win. Chris Alarcon added two touchdowns through the air, one to Johnny Carlson and one to Andrew Freemeyer, who also caught an extra point pass.

Girls Golf Gets First Win in Last Few Years

The Worth County girls golf team has won its first meet of the year. Last Wednesday, September 11th, the girls traveled to Mozingo where they beat out Rock Port and West Nodaway. Taylor Causey finished as top medalist while Kaitlyn Davidson finished second in the meet. It was the first win for the girls golf team in the last few years.

On Tuesday, September 10th, the girls traveled to Albany where they placed third as a team. Kaitlyn Davidson broke into the 50's for the first time all year while Causey, Dora Martz, Tess Andrews, and Erin Colvin all had scores in the 60's.

On September 12th, the girls traveled to Gallatin where they finished third in a four team meet with a score of 233. Taylor Causey had her lowest score of the year and placed third overall with a score of 49. Kaitlyn Davidson tied for fourth overall with a score of 53.

On Tuesday, September 17th, the Tigers traveled to Gallatin again for a 10 team match that was shortened from 18 holes to 9 holes due to the rain. Worth County was 6th out of 10 teams with a team score of 269. Taylor Causey shot a 59, Kaitlyn Davidson followed with 66, Tess Andrews followed with a 17, Dora Martz shot a 73, and Erin Colvin shot an 86.

'Lil Tigers Open Season with Wins

The Worth County 'Lil Tigers opened their season this year with wins on the road. The A team won 34-0 over Bethany. Hayden Holmes, who had been playing defense the last two years, moved over to runningback this year and scored four touchdowns. Justin Dye was a force on defense while Seth Brown was strong on the line. Austin Welch was all over the field on defense while Evan Funk had a fumble recovery. The main area of improvement is penalties as the Tigers had three scores called back by penalties.

The B team beat Bedford 25-0 as Alex Rinehart and Haydan Gladstone scored two touchdowns each. The defense bent but didn't break, holding Bedford out of the end zone. Jackson Runde and Cooper Simmons along with Chance Jacobs and Nate Adwell played strong on defense. Wyatt Abplanalp and Reid Gabriel opened some big holes as guards.

Tiger Softball Picks Up Forfeit Win, Falls to Polo

Worth County's softball girls dropped a close one to Polo 4-3 Tuesday, but then picked up a forfeit win over Albany Thursday as Albany did not have enough players to compete. Softball players may finish with fewer players, but must start with 9. Worth County was able to pick up their second GRC win without even taking the field. Albany has forfeited all their games this week and next week. However, Coach Dave Gilland said that he was not happy with the situation. "Our players were really looking forward to playing this game," he said. Albany had beaten Worth County earlier this year 8-7. Worth County now stands at 2-1 in the GRC and 3-5 overall.

Earlier, the Tigers fell behind 4-0 to Polo, but came back to score three runs in the top of the seventh at Polo before falling 4-3. The Tigers had winning runs on second and third when Quinci Schottel hit a hard-hit ball right at the third baseman for the final out of the game. Brooklyn White played two defensive innings at first place as she was showing a lot of improvement and starting to earn varsity playing time. Sidney Troutwine continued her hot hitting and played excellent defense at shortstop. Katie Mullock and Adrian Fletchall started off the rally in the 7th with hits. Rachel Gardner made an outstanding defensive play when she backed up a throw to the pitcher that got away on a wild pitch situation and threw to Rikky Hunt to get her out at the plate.

The JV lost 4-0 to Polo in the nightcap as Polo broke up a tight defensive struggle with four in the third.

Junior High Tigers Shut Out South Nodaway

Worth County’s Junior High team began their quest for two straight undefeated seasons with a 46-0 win over South Nodaway Monday night. The focus of the game was on winning the battle up front and they did, forcing tackles for loss and fumbles on defense and opening holes for the backs on offense. The pressure up front got to South Nodaway early as Drake Kinsella had consecutive tackles for loss on their first play from scrimmage. On the third play, Issac Alarcon got pressure up the middle and Dylan Mildfeldt scooped up a fumble and scored with 6:48 left in the first to put Worth County up. Jayden Mancuso ran in the extra points to make it 8-0.

Cade Henggeler of South Nodaway met a wall of black shirts, Issac Alarcon got pressure up the middle, and Drake Kinsella got his third tackle for a loss back to the 17. Scott Davidson’s school record of six sacks in a single game against South Harrison in 1981 could be in jeopardy by the time these two get to high school. On fourth down, Worth County got a big rush off and South Nodaway shanked the kick, putting Worth County in good field position at the Longhorn 27. Cade Allee threw a 13 yard pass with 1:49 left in the first quarter to Tevin Cameron and Mancuso got a block from Cameron to score the extra points to put the Tigers in front 16-0.

Things went from bad to worse for South Nodaway as Issac Alarcon blew up a handoff and had two more tackles for loss on the series; a pair of false starts also moved them back. Drake Kinsella and Issac Alarcon blocked a punt and Worth County recovered on the Longhorn 7. They needed one play to get in as Mancuso scored again, aided by a kickout block from Tevin Cameron.

Ryan McClellan picked off a pass and returned it to the South Nodaway 9 to set up another short field for Worth County. A block in the back moved them back, but Cade Allee scrambled for 20 yards down the tightrope for a score and Mancuso got a block from Issac Alarcon to make it 30-0 with six minutes left in the second.

Dylan Mildfeldt got a sack on the next play as South Nodaway could get nowhere and the kicking woes continued, giving Worth County another short field to work with at the Longhorn 33. Jayden Mancuso provided the highlight of the night as he started right, stopped, and reversed his field to the left for 15 yards down to the 18. That set up a five yard touchdown from Mancuso with 2:38 left to put Worth County up 38-0.

Worth County finally triggered the running clock with 6:25 left in the third quarter as Jayden Mancuso, on fourth and one at the two, got a surge from the line and a block from Drake Kinsella to get into the end zone. He ran in the extra points to put Worth County up 46-0 and Coach Josh Smith subbed freely for the rest of the game. The Longhorns did not get a first down until the running clock was triggered.

The 2nd string was able to keep South Nodaway out of the end zone. Dakota Gross had three tackles for a loss during the stretch while Jacob New added one for the reserves.

Girls Softball Searching for Consistency

The Worth County softball team found itself searching for consistency over the weekend. Following wins in their first two games, they were no-hit by powerhouse Stanberry and fell 10-0 in five innings. Seemingly reeling from that game, they dropped the opening round game to King City 14-1. Against North Harrison, they gave up 10 runs in the first inning but nearly came back before falling 12-8. Then, they lost a back and forth game 8-7 to Albany to close out the tournament.

The team did get some personal bests during the tournament. Victoria Moore got her first varsity hit against King City before leaving with an ankle sprain. Worth County may have found a new slugger to compliment Jacklyn Brooks as Adrian Fletchall saw her first varsity action at the tournament and had two hits and three RBI’s against Albany. Sidney Troutwine also came alive with two hits in that game.

The JV won 12-10 against Stanberry. Kenna LaFollette had three infield hits while Taylor Causey added two hits for the Tigers.

JV Holds Longhorns with Goal Line Stand

A last-second goal line stand helped the JV hold on to win 26-22 Monday night against South Nodaway to even their record at 1-1. They were able to bounce back from a 26-0 loss at Rock Port the week before. The focus in future games will be on cutting back on penalties, especially two critical ones that could have cost them down the stretch in the fourth quarter. For assistant Coach Mark Fletcher, it was almost like the 1996 Fairfax game in reverse. In that game, the Tigers came back from three possessions down and beat Fairfax in the closing seconds on the road as Ben Fletcher broke the plane of the end zone on the last play of the game. South Nodaway nearly pulled off the same accomplishment, but this time, a wall of black shirts denied the Longhorns at the end.
The games Monday were moved back and shortened due to the 100 degree heat that has been hitting the area. Worth County scored right off the bat when Dalton Auffert recovered a fumble and Nate Pointer scored on Worth County’s first play from scrimmage to put the Tigers up 6-0 with 9:35 left.
But Tristan Freemyer shot through a big hole for 33 yards to set up a 15 yard scamper by Regan Myer and Grant Beggs caught the extra point pass to put South Nodaway back up 8-6.
Worth County answered with a promising drive as Chris Alarcon took a sprint option 21 yards to the Longhorn 23. But a false start, one of numerous penalties, backed the Tigers up and they gave the ball up on downs at the 16.
South Nodaway drove the ball deep into Tiger territory on their next series and looked like they were about to score and possibly make it a two possession game in their favor, but a momentum changing play occurred when Chris Alarcon picked off a pass and took it the other way for a score with 1:25 left in the first. Nate Pointer scored on a sweep to put Worth County back in front 14-8; it was a lead they would not relinquish although South Nodaway kept it close for the rest of the game.
South Nodaway once again began driving, getting as far as the Tiger 22. But once again the Tiger defense stiffened and held as Nate Pointer got a sack and the Tigers held on downs. Worth County took full advantage as Nate Pointer scored from 40 yards out with 7:20 left in the first half to put Worth County up 20-8.
It looked like the fireworks of the West Nodaway varsity game from the previous weekend would repeat themselves as South Nodaway used a 40 yard screen pass to set up a quarterback sneak from Trent McGeorge with 2:27 left in the second that made it 20-14 at the half.
But then the game settled into a long defensive struggle after a holding penalty wiped out a long touchdown run by Chris Alarcon that would have put Worth County in front by two scores. South Nodaway recovered a fumble at the Tiger three, but a sack by Harley Charles set them back to the 10, Nate Pointer broke up a pass, and a pass into traffic in the end zone fluttered harmlessly onto the ground. Coach Chris Healy has been doing a lot of drills for defensive backs in practice this year and the hard work started to pay off as the Tigers had three picks in the game.
Although Coach Fletcher’s duties are mainly with the defense, his fingerprints were evident on the next drive. With the Tigers backed up fourth and three at their own 17, they went for it and quarterback Chris Alarcon converted it to the 22 for a first down. This was similar to Fletcher’s very first game as head coach of the Tigers against Mound City when he gambled with a fake punt deep in his own territory with the Tigers nursing a 38-22 lead and trying to run out the clock. Quarterback Derek Lambert threw a strike to Andy Welch for a measured first down and the Tigers were able to run out the clock for a victory that game on Mound City’s field. The Tigers gambled once again fourth and one from their own 30 and converted again as Chris Alarcon took a sweep and broke tackle after tackle to the Longhorn 30. The Tigers stalled there and were forced to punt, but Colton Straight picked off a pass and ran it back to the 20 to give the Tigers new life. This time, they would not be denied as Chris Alarcon ran the sprint option into the end zone to make it 26-14 with 32 seconds left in the period.
South Nodaway drove right down to the Tiger 25, using a quick hitter to get much of the yardage. But then Wade Rush got a sack and then Nate Pointer picked off a pass in the end zone. It should have went for a score, but a block in the back penalty moved it back to the Tiger 18 and the Tigers fumbled it away to the Longhorns at the Tiger 22 a few plays later. This time, they tempted fate one too many times and Regan Meyer scampered into the end zone from 20 yards out with 5 minutes left and McGeorge ran in the extra points to make it 26-22.
Worth County got off to a good start in running out the clock as Nate Pointer ripped off 16 yards and  Wade Rush ripped off 8 more. But a delay of game penalty cost them and Wade Rush was stopped one yard short of the first down with 1:09 left at the Longhorn 35, still plenty of time.
A long pass to Tristan Freemyer moved it down to the 20 and South Nodaway went to the sweep again, going to Regan Meyer, who was apparently in the clear for the go-ahead score. But a desperation dive by Gavin Hawk stopped the Longhorns at the five for first and goal with 42 seconds left. Meyer got two more yards to the three and an offsides penalty put it on the one. But then Freemyer was denied with 20 seconds and the Longhorns, out of timeouts, lined up without a huddle and ran a quarterback sneak with McGeorge. South Nodaway got an initial surge from the line, but McGeorge ran into a wall of black shirts. As the referees were unpiling the players to see if he had gotten in, time expired and he came up just short of the end zone.

King City Man Injured in Stanberry Accident

Donald Combe, 50, of King City received moderate injuries in a one vehicle accident near Stanberry Thursday afternoon. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 1999 International Dump Truck driven by Combe was southbound on Route F four miles east of Stanberry at around 3:00 pm when he lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned. The vehicle came to rest in a cornfield facing west. Combe was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. He was taken to the Northwest Medical Center in Albany.

Collision at 169 and 136 Injures One

A collision at 169 and 136 injured one Thursday evening. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 2007 Ford F250 driven by Shawn Johnson of St. Louis was turning from 169 into eastbound 136 when pulled into a path of a 2005 Toyota headed westbound on 136. The Toyota struck the F250 in the driver's side front. Both vehicles came to rest in the intersection. Johnson received minor injuries and was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Albany. Both drivers were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Fatal Accident Near Stanberry

A fatal accident occurred Friday morning on 169 just south of Stanberry at around 7:25. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 1994 Kenworth driven by Donald West of Albany was southbound on 169 when it crossed the center line, and off the east side of the roadway. The vehicle continued around 400 feet along 169 before entering a cornfield. The vehicle then traveled 900 feet into the cornfield before coming to rest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:36 that morning. He was transported to the Roberson-Polley Funeral Home.

Austin Carlson, Offensive Line Carry Tigers Past Rockets

Austin Carlson and the rest of the Worth County offensive line came into their own despite losing Truman Moore (ankle) and Josh Warner (knee) for the game in the second half, carrying the Tigers past West Nodaway 88-68 Friday night. Worth County built up a big lead against West Nodaway. But they have always had trouble playing at the Rocket football field regardless of the record of the Rockets and West Nodaway came back to within 10 points in the second half. But then the Tiger offensive line carried the team over the end zone several times to put Worth County back in control and they set a state record for most combined points in an eight man game. Worth County came within six points of the school record for most points scored in a game. Defensively, Worth County gave up the most points in school history in a win. Previously, the Tigers had given up 52 points against Stanberry in 2005 and still won the game, 68-52 as Austin Findley broke the single game rushing record that game with 375 yards. They also gave up 52 points in a win over Mound City last year. The school record for points scored is 94 against South Holt three years ago; the Knights scored 48 in that game.

Brevyn Ross started off the Tigers in good field position, running back a kickoff to the Rocket 30. From there, a long pass from Ben Badell to Chris Alarcon put the Tigers into the end zone and Wyatt Rush ran in the extra points. Ben Badell was much more accurate this week. He completed some long passes early, which helped set up the running game later on, right when the Tigers needed it the most.

Part of the reason the game was so high-scoring was that West Nodaway, under a new coach, put in a no-huddle offense in which the team starts the play when the official blows his whistle and signals the ball ready for play. That made it much more difficult for Worth County to substitute players in and out without drawing an illegal substitution penalty. On the other hand, that puts pressure on the defense, which does not have as much time to rest as on a conventional offense. That seemed to wear them down in the third and fourth quarters right as they needed to get some stops.

West Nodaway had a strong runningback in Trevor Meyer, who had 17 carries for 233 yards against CFX in West Nodaway's week one win over the Hornets. He was every bit as good as advertised, putting up similar numbers against Worth County. They also had a strong sophomore quarterback in Jaden Gillenwater and a big play receiver in sophomore Jakob Cordell, whose size and speed created matchup problems for the Tiger defense.Meyer was off to the races on West Nodaway's second play from scrimmage, cutting Worth County's lead to 8-6 before the Tigers stopped him short on the end zone. There were two scores in the first 36 seconds of play and there were many more to come.

Worth County wasted another long kickoff return from Brevyn Ross as they struggled with their snapping game in that series and Wyatt Rush was stopped inches short of the first down at the Rocket 22. But the Tigers got the ball right back deep in Rocket territory as they held West Nodaway on defense and Lane Craven blocked a punt and fell on it at the 13. This time, Wyatt Rush took a counter into the end zone to put the Tigers up 14-6. But then two Worth County players got blown out on kickoff coverage and Worth County gave off a kickoff return to Colt McIntyre and Cordell caught a pass in the end zone to tie it at 14 with 6:13 left.

This time, West Nodaway kicked it away from Brevyn, who ran a long ways and took the kickoff anyways and was bottled up this time after bobbling it for a long time. West Nodaway threatened to follow Rock Port's lead and have Johnathon Madere, a defensive end, feast in the Tiger backfield as he dropped Brevyn for consecutive losses back to the Tiger 14. But Worth County called timeout to talk things over and they protected Ben Badell well enough to throw a 25 yard strike to Wade Rush for a first down at the 39. On the next play, Brevyn Ross took a sweep and simply outran Madere around the corner and took it 41 yards for a score with 4:25 left.

Penalties were a big issue for Worth County last week against Rock Port, but with the exception of a stretch during the middle of the game, they cleaned up their penalties for much of the game. On the other hand, West Nodaway was bitten by the penalty bug for much of the evening, including a holding penalty that killed their next drive. Josh Warner got a sack and a false start pinned West Nodaway back to the 9, where they were forced to punt again. They got off a great kick to the Tiger 20, but it didn't matter. Worth County once again got backed up third and long as this time, they let Trevor Meyer into the backfield on consecutive plays for losses. But once again, they adjusted and blocked well on the next play to get out of third and long. Brevyn Ross took the snap under center, faked the sweep to the right side that burned the Rockets earlier, and turned around and threw a screen to Lane Craven, who rumbled 44 yards down the field to the Rocket 18. Brevyn Ross took it to the house on a counter and ran in the extra points to make it 28-14 with 30 seconds left in the quarter.

Once again, West Nodaway could get nowhere as they picked up two holding penalties on their next series and Cordell dropped a pass which would have been a sure touchdown. Wyatt Rush on the next play showed a lot more explosiveness to his game as he took a sweep down the right side 21 yards and then dragged defenders 10 yards for another 16 yards to the Rocket 14. Brevyn Ross scored again for the Tigers on a sweep as Josh Warner knocked down a defender on the play and ran in the extra points to make it 36-14.

Consecutive sacks by Truman Moore after the Rockets had moved into Tiger territory seemed to stop them again, but this time, they threw a screen pass to Trevor Meyer for a long touchdown to make it 36-20. But Worth County answered right back as Brevyn Ross took the ensuing kickoff to the house down the right side to make it 42-20.

Things went from bad to worse as the Tigers got a sack on the first play from scrimmage and recovered a fumble at the Rocket 5; Brevyn Ross only needed one play to score behind a block from Shadow Briner. Brevyn dove into the end zone for the extra points despite Rocket players grabbing at his facemask to make it 50-20.

Cordell dropped another pass that would have been a score and West Nodaway was forced to punt again following a bad snap by the Rockets. After the one earlier in the game, Worth County did much better at snapping the ball this time; on the other hand, West Nodaway had trouble with the center-quarterback exchange all night. The Rockets were forced to punt and Worth County was driving for another score, but a momentum-changing play happened when Jonathon Madere stripped Brevyn of the ball as he was fighting for yardage and returned it to the Rocket 31. That was similar to a play that happened a few years ago when Kyler Hiatt was stripped from behind for a score that would have put Worth County up 50-6, West Nodaway returned it a long ways to set up a score, and there were some anxious moments in that game before the Tigers finally won 64-42.

West Nodaway was able to capitalize on the Tiger miscue as Meyer took a short pass and converted it into a long run. Gillenwater scrambled into the end zone and the Rockets were right back in the game at 50-28. Brevyn Ross was shaken up on the series and had to come out for a few plays. The game really tested both teams' depth, but Worth County found themselves another runningback in Nate Pointer, who took a sweep 58 yards to the Rocket 5 to set up a Wyatt Rush score that made it 56-28. But then Meyer caught another long pass for a score which made it 56-34 with 2:39 left in the half.

At that point, Worth County started losing their composure and Brevyn Ross was flagged during the next series for protesting a non-call and came out of the game for the rest of the half. The Tigers were forced to punt and made a defensive miscue, coming off of Cordell during a quarterback scramble situation. This time, Cordell caught the ball for a long run down to the 1 and Meyer dove in on the next play to make it 56-40 with 44 seconds left in the half, too little time for Worth County to get another score.

West Nodaway had a chance to make it one possession, but Worth County recovered a fumble during the initial kickoff and had a chance to convert from the Rocket 26. But they could get nowhere on their next series and West Nodaway got the ball back on downs and started marching down the field. The Tigers had obviously not regained their composure yet as Lane Craven was flagged for a late hit during the series. Cordell finally caught a 1 yard pass to make it 56-46 with 7:51 left. But Wyatt Rush made a perfect one on one tackle on Meyer to deny them a one possession game and Worth County was still two scores up. That was the defensive play that began to swing the momentum back to the Tigers.

After that, Worth County regained their composure and control of the game. Nate Pointer made a heads-up play when he ran back a squib kick all the way back to the Tiger 37 to give them good field position. Brevyn Ross ripped off two good gains down to the Rocket 25 and then Wyatt Rush took it to the house to put Worth County back up. Rush ran in the extra points to make it 64-46. Another momentum changing play happened the next series when Lane Craven rung Gillenwater's bell and knocked him out of the game, hitting him as he was throwing a pass. Gillenwater is just as important a part of the Rocket offense as Meyer is; the Rockets were frequently lost on offense without him. He did not get back into the game until it was already decided in Worth County's favor. Coach Chris Healy made some adjustments during the next stretch, changing the coverage scheme so their backs would not have to chase Meyer all over the field and putting more pressure on the quarterback in the backfield. He said that the players picked up their effort for the next stretch as well.

West Nodaway scored to cut it to 64-52, and then Truman Moore and Josh Warner were hurt on consecutive plays on the next offensive series. But then center Austin Carlson started taking over, blowing back his man five yards at will and opening up huge holes for the Tiger backs. Wyatt Rush ripped off a gain of 18 and Brevyn Ross got 10 more before being shaken up down to the Rocket 25. But Nate Pointer followed the block of Austin Carlson for five, got six more off a block from Wyatt Rush, and got into the end zone off blocks from Carlson and Lane Craven. Brevyn Ross came back and ran in the extra points to make it 72-52 with 2:30 left.

West Nodaway fumbled the ball on the ensuing possession and Austin Carlson pounced on it at the Rocket 15. Wyatt Rush scored on one play from there, following the blocking of Austin Carlson and Wade Rush. Tristan Miller, who came in when Josh Warner went down, showed some of the best blocking of his varsity career, carving up a hole with Carlson for Wyatt Rush to run in the extra points to put Worth County up 80-52 and finally give them some breathing space.

West Nodaway could not get anywhere on their next possession as the big hits were fast and furious. Wyatt Rush did a WWF body slam on Meyer on one play and a false start penalty hurt the Rockets as well. On fourth and 10, the Rockets lined up to punt, but a bad snap forced punter Blake Sanders to scramble and Shadow Briner rung his bell at the Rocket 20. Worth County overcame a substitution infraction penalty on the next play as Wyatt Rush followed Tristan Miller's blocking eight yards to the 17. A busted play was blown up for a short loss, but then Lane Craven knocked down a defender as Ross got down to the 11 for fourth and one. Tristan Miller then opened a big hole for Nate Pointer for eight yards to the 3 and then Wyatt Rush scored on the next play despite some helmet to helmet contact from the Rocket defenders. Nate Pointer ran in the extra points to make it 88-52 early in the fourth before Coach Chris Healy subbed freely for the remainder of the game.

Wyatt Rush had a career night for the Tigers rushing, running for 184 yards on 20 carries. For West Nodaway, Gillenwater threw for 342 yards, completing 17 passes on 33 attempts. Trevor Meyer caught seven passes for 265 yards and ran for 79 more. This game was an echo of a 1992 game between Worth County and West Nodaway played on the same field; in that game, P.J. Sanders threw for 400 yards, but the Tigers still lost 62-54. Steve Hartman, who coached the Rockets that game and who later coached girls basketball and softball and assisted with football, did the commentary for KNIM during Friday night's game. Mark Fletcher, who coached the Tigers in that game, is now an assistant for Coach Chris Healy.

Dallis Coffelt Gains First Varsity Win in 100 Degree Heat

Pitcher Dallis Coffelt gained her first varsity win as a Northeast Nodaway Bluejay in 100 degree heat Saturday afternoon at the Northeast Nodaway Tournament. The Bluejays picked up just their second win in two years, beating North Nodaway 8-3.

Earlier, Northeast had lost 6-2 to South Nodaway in four innings after the game was called due to the time limit. Northeast made some outstanding defensive plays early as Coffelt, playing shortstop, made a running catch behind the pitcher's mound in the first inning. That area is a dead spot since the pitcher is leaning forward from delivering her pitch and the shortstop is frequently guarding the hole. But Dallis made a running catch to help hold South Nodaway to one run in an inning that threatened to get away. She also snagged a soft line drive to end the inning. The Longhorns scored their lone run on a dropped third strike that got away.

The focus of the tournament was on capitalizing on chances at the plate. Northeast had lost 8-1 to a solid North Andrew team that they had lost by the 10 run rule to the last two years. But they were able to go the distance against them this time; however, their hitting needed to improve. They didn't score in the first two innings, but they did have some hard outs, always a good sign.

With two outs in the top of the second, pitcher Claudia Wiederholt threw 12 straight balls, walking the bases loaded and bringing in Coffelt to put out the fire. Allison Hilsabeck hit a screamer to Bailey Judd in left field that was sinking hard and looked like extra bases and three runs since the runner on first was going on contact with two outs. But Bailey caught the line drive to end the inning.

That meant that Northeast was able to take the lead in the third when Jill Spire hit a triple into the left field gap that scored Talina Nelson and Kerrigan Adwell to put Northeast up 2-1.

But South Nodaway went right back up 3-2 after a hit batter led off the inning. Northeast showed that they still needed to work on defending against the bunt as there were too many breakdowns in communication and blown assignments in the inning. Northeast also showed that they needed to work on two-strike situations as they had two called third strikes that killed any rally chances in the fourth. They had five called third strikes in the game. South Nodaway pitcher Allison Hilsabeck was hitting the outside corner at will with two strikes, knowing that Northeast Nodaway's players would not swing at that pitch and knowing she would get the call. Coach Hilary Loe said that she wanted her team to be more aggressive at the plate in the future. "If the umpire wants you to swing at those pitches, then you have to swing," said Loe.

Another walk carousel in the fourth along with a two run single by Sydney Murphy finished Northeast before the game was called due to the time limit. "We had too many breakdowns in communication," said Loe to her team. "The bad news is, we can't get that one back. The good news is, we have another game to play." She told her players to get that game out of their minds and focus on the next one.

As the morning progressed, the temperature shot up to 100 degrees as North Nodaway and South Nodaway played a tough battle won 8-4 by the Longhorns. North Nodaway used up both of their pitchers in that game, Cambry Schluter and Breann O'Riley, prompting them to start a freshman, Madison Thompson, for the Northeast Nodaway game and seeking to rest their two main pitchers. The team that was able to maintain the most focus despite the adverse playing conditions would be the winner. Coach Loe said that she was expecting her players to work things out for themselves more this year instead of her telling them everything. The idea is to help them to develop the softball instincts necessary to compete. Before the season, Loe said that one of her main goals was for the team to be more focused in practices and games.

Another breakdown in a bunt situation threatened to break it open for North Nodaway before the Bluejays even had a chance to bat, as they fell behind 3-0 as Taylor Adwell's double scored two runs. But Northeast threw out Schluter at the plate during the play to end the inning. This seemed to be a momentum-changing play as North Nodaway would not make a serious scoring threat for the rest of the game.

In the meantime, Thompson was throwing fast and wild, hitting the backstop regularly with her pitches. Northeast got two runners on with walks, but they had two outs as Kerrigan Adwell was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to third. But then Thompson could not get out of the inning as she proceeded to walk the next seven batters to make it 6-3. Talina Nelson appeared to strike out swinging, but catcher's interference was called following a conference and Nelson reached first safely to bring home another run. Nelson's swing had hit the catcher's glove. It is obstruction when the catcher or another defensive player hinders or prevents the batter from hitting the ball. The batter is awarded first base with runners advancing if forced. Jill Spire was hit by a pitch, finishing Thompson and bringing in O'Riley.

North Nodaway tried to rally in the top of the third, but Bailey Judd, who was catching, threw out a runner at the plate on a passed ball situation to keep them off the board. Dallis Coffelt, who pitched stronger as the game progressed, struck out the last five Mustang batters to pick up the win.

Mercy One Crew Conducts Sheridan EMS Training

The Mercy One Crew came to Sheridan Thursday evening to conduct a training for local EMS crews on how to work with each other during an emergency and to facilitate communication. The pilot is Marty Iske, an Army veteran of 14 years; of those 14 years, 10 of them were spent flying a Black Hawk. He said that when he left the Army, his present job opened up and it worked out perfectly for him since he is from Clarinda. Other members of the crew were Wes Skarda, Flight Nurse and A. Qualseth, Paramedic.

Skarda said that the main two things they wanted to know when going into a situation were the weight of the person and where they were headed. Iske said that he wanted to know where any obstacles were in the landing area such as trees, buildings, and power lines. "Just get us to a safe landing zone," said Skarden. Once they get the call, it takes them 5-10 minutes in optimal conditions to get off the ground safely and another 15 minutes to get from Clarinda to Sheridan. It could be 10 minutes more in the event of bad weather.

Iske had never been to Sheridan before a few weeks ago; however, his Army training helped him as he knew where Hopkins was and he knew to follow 246. One paradox is that it is easier to find a scene during the night; he said that during a clear night, he can see the scene once they get airborne at 2,000 feet. It is more of a challenge during daytime.

Contrary to popular belief, the strangers hanging around with Fire Chief Butch Thomas were not SWAT team members trying to protect everyone during the drama of the prisoner escape. Instead, it was the Mercy One crew members picking out a landing site for Thursday night's meeting. Mercy One crew members are not First Responders; it is the job of the local EMS crews to get the victims stabilized and onto cots so that they can be transported. From Sheridan, Mercy One typically goes to St. Joseph since it is closer; however, they can go to Des Monies as well.

One of the most important things in life flight rescue situations is crowd control. Either one of the crew members or a Fire Department member stands near the helicopter to make sure that people stay away from the back of the helicopter. The rudder can hit someone and cause death or serious physical injury if someone gets too close while the craft is running. "Don't worry about equipment falling off; your only job is to keep people away from the back of the helicopter," said Skarda. He said that on occasion, he has had to tackle someone who had gotten too close to the craft. They don't mind people watching; however, they ask that people stay away from the craft. If a piece of EMS-owned equipment winds up at the hospital in St. Joseph or Des Moines, one of the jobs of the crew members during rainy days is to sort through it and mail it back to people on days in which there is nothing else to do.

Qualseth said that they were partners with the local crews. He said that there was no need for people to scatter too far, although people should stay at least 100 feet away from the craft for their own safety. The job of crews is to keep working even as the craft arrives. "We'll work around any situation we encounter," he said. When they arrive, the Mercy One crew will figure out what happened and conduct a head to toe assessment of the victims. They will ask for people with different skills to help. Sometimes, all they need is for someone to do light tasks for them like open packages so that they can concentrate on their work. The job of the EMS and the Mercy One crew is to stabilize the victim so that they can be transported to the hospital.

Skarda said that it was better to pull the trigger too quickly on calling the Mercy One crew instead of waiting until it was too late. He said that in that event, the only thing they lost was the fuel on the craft. It is routine for them to get a call and then halfway there, find out that the situation was not as serious as initially believed.

Crew members showed EMS personnel how to help load a patient on the craft. The craft is running at that point as the pilot wants to take off as fast as possible in order to get the patient to the hospital; therefore, it is not possible to communicate verbally due to the noise of the craft. In that event, it is essential for the crew members to communicate with taps and hand signals and for local EMS crews to understand those signals.

One of the questions the crew got was on transporting people who weighed a lot. They actually turn down more patients for being too big than being overweight. The crew is licensed to fly with so much weight; if they have to, they can fly around until they've used up enough fuel so that they can fit the patient into the craft. The only time they have had to turn someone away for weight was on an occasion when a victim weighed around 400 pounds. They have flown people close to 300 pounds. On the other hand, if they fly someone who is too big, their feet will be on the pilot's controls, which creates a hazard to the entire crew. "We don't blindly turn anyone away; we come to the scene and we try to make it work," said Iske.

Obituary -- Michael David Sielaff 1937-2013

Michael David Sielaff, son of Herman and  Marie Sielaff, was born December 17, 1937 in Iowa Falls, Iowa.  He attended school and graduated High School from Iowa Falls.  After graduation, he joined the Air Force.  After his term of duty he lived and worked in Las Vegas, Nevada for three years.  Upon the death of his father he returned to Iowa, where he secured a job with the United States Postal service.

     On November 22, 1975 he was united in marriage to Ona Marie Stickelman.  On September 6, 1977 they were blessed with a daughter, Michelle Leann.  In 1988, Mike, his wife and daughter moved to Breckenridge, Colorado where he continued to work in the Postal system.  After working the maximum time for retirement, he and his family moved back to Des Moines, Iowa.  

     In 2008 Mike and Ona Marie moved to Antioch, Tennessee where their daughter Michelle Leann lived and worked.  

      Preceeding him in death were both sets of grandparents, his father and mother.

     Leaving to mourn his death is his wife, Ona Marie Sielaff, his daughter Michelle Leann Sielaff, sister-in-law Betty Bennett, nephew Jim Harrell, Linda Harrell, and cousins Tresa and Rob Thornhill, Cheri Nix, Ashlyn Nix, and the families of Hugh and Kay Rowen, Richard and Carolyn Rowen  and Henry Dell Rowen Sr. 

     Michael died peacefully in his sleep at home August 31, 2013.

     Funeral Services will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, September 5, 2013 at the Sheridan  Christian Church, Sheridan, Missouri with interment in the Isadora Cemetery near Grant City, Missouri.  .  Arrangements are under the direction of Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, Grant City, Missouri.