Obituary -- Gerald "Jerry" Morlock 1951-2017

Gerald A. “Jerry” Morlock, 65, of Maryville, MO, passed away on Sunday, April 16, 2017, at his home with his family and friends at his side.

Jerry was born on June 24, 1951, in St. Joseph, MO, to Alic and Georgia (Wickman) Morlock, they preceded him in death. He was also preceded by grandparents; his son Jerry, Jr. in 1999; his brothers, Ronnie, Donnie, Kenny, and Michael, and his sisters, Marcia and Becky.

Jerry had lived in the Sedalia, MO, area before moving to Skidmore, MO in 1970, he moved to Maryville, in 1971. He retired in 2016 after 21 years at Robbins Lightning, Maryville. He had previously worked Turner Concrete Products, and from 1975 to 1987 he worked at the Maryville Packing Co. He loved to fish and was an avid deer hunter. He was of the Baptist Faith.

On September 17, 1971, in Maryville, Jerry was united in marriage to Patricia P. “Patty” Ebrecht, and she survives of the home in Maryville.

Other survivors include his daughter, April Dawn (Joshua) Miller, with daughter, Brylee, Clarksville, TN, his siblings, Carol Miller, Lowry City, MO, Judy Bennett, Hopkins, MO, and Steve (Loretta) Proffit, Sedalia, MO; 4 grandchildren, Jerald (Amy) Morlock, Dakota Morlock, Cheyenne Morlock, and Kelli (Austin) WieBerg; and numerous special nieces and nephews.

Mr. Morlock has been cremated under the direction of the Bram-Danfelt Funeral Home, Maryville, MO.

Memorial services will be held at a later date, and will be announced on Facebook.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family to help with final expenses. Send to Patty Morlock, 906 E. Cooper, Maryville, MO, 64468.

For online condolences and guest book, visit www.bramfuneralhome.com

Mustangs Hopes Fade as Northeast Nodaway Nearing 4th Straight Conference Title

The fortunes of the top two teams of the 275 Conference flipped on a dime this week. Two weeks ago, Northeast Nodaway was still looking for their first win as North Nodaway’s fortunes, behind the arm and bat of Peyton Coleman, were riding high. But the fortunes of the two teams flipped on a dime this week.

Northeast had battled back into position to contention with twinbill victories over Platte Valley and an 18-3 thrashing of expansion DeKalb. They beat a bigger school in Trenton last weekend 8-4; they did not let a 17-1 thrashing at the hands of Mid-Buchanan at the Mid-Buchanan tournament faze them as they turned around and beat East Atchison in another twinbill, thrashing them 18-2 and pulling out a 3-1 squeaker. That set up a walkoff 5-4 victory over West Nodaway Tuesday in Ravenwood to put them in position to take the title again with one conference loss.

In the meantime, North Nodaway, after a promising start, completely reversed their fortunes, falling hard, 23-13 to West Nodaway. Out of the conference race, the Rockets have nonetheless won two of their four games, one in a non-conference tournament game, at the expense of the Mustangs. That put North Nodaway in a must win showdown with Platte Valley Thursday.

Coach Jake Shipman sent out Peyton Coleman to face the Longhorns in an effort to save their chance at a title in the first game of a double header, to no avail. Platte Valley began timing and crushing Coleman in the first inning as Tristan Freemyer and Koby Stoll singled, sandwiched around a dropped force throw by shortstop Arron Coleman that fueled the inning as Nate Jermain reached safely. Stoll’s single scored Freemyer, Trey Farnan grounded out to Arron Coleman to score Jermain, and Clayton Wilmes grounded out to Makayla Cross at second to score Stoll to make it 3-0 in Platte Valley’s favor.

With the game slipping away, North Nodaway tried making plays that weren’t there as Peyton Coleman continued to battle baserunners all evening. Koby Stoll whistled a single past second to start the third, Trey Farnan walked, and that brought up Clayton Wilmes. He singled to center, shortstop Arron Coleman tried to throw out Stoll at third, and threw it away, scoring Stoll and putting Farnan at third and Wilmes at second. Regan Meyer grounded out to score courtesy runner Logan Harlan before Peyton Coleman stopped the bleeding by striking out Cameron Watson and getting Taylar Freemyer to squib one in front of the plate for the final out.

North Nodaway trailed 5-0 at that point, but got new life in the bottom of the third when Platte Valley pitcher Trey Farnan, who had sailed through the first two innings, walked the number nine hitter, Makayla Cross, to start off the third. Dakota Smyser singled past short and they went to second and third on a wild pitch when the catcher couldn’t dig out a wild pitch. Peyton Coleman hit a shot up the middle that nearly hit the umpire, but that bounded into center for a hit, scoring both Cross and Smyser. Coleman stole second when the throw hit the high mound and took third on a wild pitch. Tyler Bix popped out, but Arron Coleman took a pitch up and in and singled it to the opposite field between first and second to score Coleman. Ryan Riley walked on a 3-2 pitch that was just low and the tying run was on base, but Logan Keho was called out to strikes to leave Platte Valley up 5-3.

North Nodaway ran into some more trouble in the fourth. Spencer McQueen was called out on strikes on a 3-2 pitch and Peyton Coleman got to 0-2 on leadoff hitter Tristan Freemyer. He tried to overpower Freemyer for strike three, but he hit a towering fly ball into right that Garrett Torres misjudged and it fell in for three bases. Nate Jermain reached as third baseman Logan Keho bobbled a grounder to score a run. Koby Stoll walked and Trey Farnan doubled to left center field to score Freemyer and Jermain to make it 8-3.

North Nodaway got a run back in the fifth, but it could have been a lot more. Dalton Smyser hit a Texas Leaguer that dropped in for a single to start the inning. Peyton Coleman popped out, but Tyler Bix singled up the middle and Arron Coleman singled as well to score Smyser. But Bix was out trying to go from first to third on the play and Farnan froze Ryan Riley for strike three to get out of the inning with his team still up 8-4.

Koby Stoll tripled to right and Trey Farnan grounded out to score him to put the Longhorns up 9-4. Once again North Nodaway got a run back in the sixth, and once again it could have been more. The bottom of the order was coming up, but Logan Keho reached safely when a grounder up the first base line took a bad hop and he reached safely. Jordan Snyder forced him at second, Austin Bird came in to run for Snyder, and Makayla Cross put down a perfect bunt down the third base line to advance Bird. He went to third on a passed ball and scored on an error when Dakota Smyser’s grounder went under the shortstop’s legs to make it 9-5.

Smyser, with two outs, was nearly picked off at first but got back there after a rundown. He stole second when the shortstop missed the tag and then tried to take third on a pickoff play, something he had done successfully in the past. But he was out this time on a close play; frustration set in and coach Jake Shipman went out to argue, to no avail as another rally had been quashed.

The bottom of the order came up for Platte Valley and went 1-2-3 in the seventh and North Nodaway still had a chance to come back since the heart of their order was coming up. It looked like it would go for nothing as Dalton Smyser reached on an error, but Spencer McQueen ran down two well hit balls in right from Peyton Coleman and Tyler Bix. North Nodaway was down to their final out, but Arron Coleman’s pop fly between pitcher and second base dropped in and North Nodaway was still alive. Ryan Riley singled to left and went to second on a futile throw home, putting runners on second and third, making it 9-6, and finishing Trey Farnan. All of a sudden, anything could happen.

Logan Keho greeted Cameron Watson with a grounder to Koby Stoll at second that should have ended the game. But Stoll misplayed and threw it away, allowing two runs to score and making it 9-8. Austin Bird was up next, and he and Watson battled it out to a full count. Finally, Watson threw one that was just low and the winning run was on for Makayla Cross. But she struck out swinging to end the game.

Things looked promising for North Nodaway in the second game against Watson as they started off the scoring in the second with a hard hit double by Ryan Riley over the center fielder’s head; it was one of several monstrous blasts by the freshman for North Nodaway, a rare bright spot in the game. Logan Keho hit a slow roller into right for a base hit that was not deep enough to score Riley. Garrett Torres struck out and Makayla Cross hit a fly ball to shallow right field that was not deep enough to score Riley. But Dakota Smyser singled them both in and North Nodaway was up 2-0.

But then all hell broke loose in the second inning as pitcher Tyler Bix walked five batters in the inning before coach Jake Shipman had seen enough and pulled him with Platte Valley up 3-2 and put Ryan Riley on the mound. But that didn’t help as Riley walked the two batters he faced before Dakota Smyser came on in relief. He walked another batter, forcing in another run, before getting out of the inning; when the dust had settled, North Nodaway was down 6-2.

Desperate to save their title, North Nodaway fought back as Riley hit a screamer into the gap in left center to plate Peyton Coleman to make it 6-3. Garrett Torres led off the fourth with a single down the right field line, and pinch runner Austin Bird stole second. Makayla Cross walked and they stole second and third. Dakota Smyser popped out to short, but Dalton Smyser grounded out and scored Bird, while Peyton Coleman doubled down the right field line to score Cross and make it 6-5.

But then all hell broke loose again in the fourth as Dakota Smyser brushed Trey Farnan with a pitch and then Platte Valley started teeing off on him when he wasn’t missing the strike zone. Seven straight Longhorn batters reached safely at one point, and three walks, four hits, and one error later, eight runs were in and the Mustangs trailed 14-5. The carnage was completed in the fifth when Tristan Freemyer beat out a grounder to Peyton Coleman at short to score Dalton Luke to end the game on the ten run rule at 15-5.

Playing in their last home game for the Mustangs were Dakota Smyser, Peyton Coleman, Jordan Snyder, and Garrett Torres. While they did not get the outcome they wanted for North Nodaway that day, the team has set several milestones this year. This was the first group of players to play four years of baseball at North Nodaway. The team set a school record for wins last year with seven and made it to the district finals; they broke that mark this year with nine wins. In addition, North Nodaway has mathematically clinched a winning season, their first in school history, despite their recent slump; they are at 9-6 with only one regular season game and at least one district game left.

North Nodaway still has a remote chance to catch Northeast Nodaway for the conference title since they are at three conference losses. They must win Friday at Northeast Nodaway and hope Northeast drops at least one more game. Northeast has not clinched a title yet as they have one conference loss and games with North Nodaway, at DeKalb, and at West Nodaway still left to play. Platte Valley can clinch at least a share of the conference title if they win games with DeKalb and East Atchison and Northeast Nodaway drops at least two conference games.

Two Tiger Golfers Place High at GRC Meet

Two Worth County athletes placed high at the Grand River Conference Golf Tournament that was held Wednesday, April 26th in Chillicothe. While Worth County could not have a team score since they only have two players out, their athletes could still compete individually.

Seth Brown posted a score of 88, which was good enough for 13th at the event. Ryan McClellan was right behind him with a score of 90, good enough for 14th.

As a team, Gallatin won the meet with a score of 312. Trenton had 323, while Stanberry was third with 342.

Sheridan Raises $8,200+ for Wildfire Relief

A group of area farmers raised $6,700 on Friday, April 15th to benefit farmers in Kansas who lost everything to massive wildfires that hit the area. Other people donated another $1,500 to the cause, bring the total amount raised to $8,200. Fencing equipment was purchased at the Sheridan MFA, meaning that all the money raised stayed in Worth County. Convoys from as far away as Michigan have come to Kansas to aid relief efforts.

Bids Opened for Sheridan $1.3 Million Water Line

Snyder & Associates opened bids for the $1.3 million water line project for the City of Sheridan. There were five contractors who bid. The tentative low bidder was Great Plains Contractor, which had a slightly higher base bid that M.B. Construction, but submitted lower bids for the four different options for the project. The total bid was $1,028,928 for Great Plains. Snyder will now go through all of the bids and make sure the numbers add up. In 60-90 days, Snyder will make recommendations to the Sheridan City Council. Then, there will be a preconstruction meeting, in which the winning bidder will put together performance and bid bonds.

The bid came in slightly over the estimate of $1,010,000. The cost figures includes the base bid involving putting in a new water main for Sheridan. Other options included in the estimate include painting the inside of the water tower, overcoating the exterior of the tower, sandblasting the exterior, and installing an automatic meter reading system.

Parnell Woman Killed in Wreck

A Parnell woman was killed in a wreck south of Parnell Monday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 2001 Chevy Tahoe driven by Virginia Burns (60) of Parnell was southbound on 46 and a 2011 Case IH Steiger driven by Marlin Meyer (71) of Ravenwood pulling a farm implement was northbound at around 5:40 am that morning. The Patrol says the farm implement being pulled by Meyer crossed the center line of the roadway and the Burns vehicle struck the farm implement. The Burns vehicle came to rest in the southbound land facing south. Meyer was not injured in the accident. Burns was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. She was taken to the Bram-Danfelt Funeral Home in Maryville.

Obituary -- Virginia Burns 1956-2017

Virginia Carol Burns, 60, of Parnell, MO, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, April 24, 2017.

Virginia was born on May 22, 1956, in Maryville, MO, to James Philip and Austina Faye (Calfee) Spire.  She was preceded in death by her father, her father in law Bobby Gene Burns, and her sister in law Delores Spire.

Virginia had worked the past 19 years at Kawasaki Motors in Maryville.  She was the mayor of Parnell, and active in the Ladies Auxiliary of Curry-Richardson-Sparks-Waldeier American Legion Post 528, Parnell.  She had her B.S. in Elementary Education.

On April 15, 1978, at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Parnell, Virginia was united in marriage to Terry Eugene Burns.  He survives of the home.

Other survivors include her children, Jeffery (Jennifer) Burns, Natisha Burns, Jeremy (Heather) Burns, Jarrold (Ciara) Burns, James Burns, and fiancée Autumn Fisher, all of Parnell, MO, her mother, Austina, Parnell, 6 grandchildren, Jalyn Burns, Khloe Burns, Cameron Staples, Krista Staples,
Jace Burns, and Jaxson Burns; her siblings, Twyilla (Bill) Stiens, Skidmore, MO, Paul (Gina) Spire, Graham, NC, Harold (Diana) Spire, Maryville, MO, Willis (Martha) Spire, Parnell, Ronald (Pam) Spire, Parnell; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 AM, on Friday, April 28, 2017, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Parnell, MO.  The burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Parnell, MO.

The parish and family Rosary will be at 5:30 PM, Thursday, April 27, 2017, at the church, with visitation to follow until 8:00 PM.

The Bram-Danfelt Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorials can be given to the family to help with expenses.

One Injured in Teen Motorcycle Wreck in Hopkins

A Hopkins teen was seriously injured in a motorcycle wreck in Hopkins Saturday afternoon. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 2000 Yamaha Motorcycle driven by Dalton Peve (17) was eastbound on the 600 block of East Barnard Street in Hopkins at around 3:08 pm. Peve lost control, struck a curb, and was ejected, causing him to strike a utility pole guide wire. The motorcycle came to rest off the south side of the street. Peve was not wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. He was taken by Ambulance to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.

One Injured in Wreck Near Maryville

A Pickering man was involved in a wreck near Maryville Friday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that a 2006 Toyota Highlander driven by Tiffany Moore (49) of Kansas City was stopped on 148 north of Route CC one mile north of Maryville at around 5:34 pm while traffic in front was turning left. A 2002 Dodge Intrepid driven by  Mitchell Bowers (24) of Pickering attempted to break and struck the rear of the Highlander. Moore received moderate injuries and was taken to St. Francis. Both drivers were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

Norma Jean Green 1931-2017

Norma Jean (Wildt) Green was born in Elm Creek, Nebraska to Hershel Hirum Wildt and Freada Joesphine Lundsford Wildt on November 5, 1931. She departed this life on April 23^rd at the Bedford Nursing and Rehab Center in Bedford, Iowa surrounded by her loving family. She started school in Elm Creek, Nebraska and in 1938 her family moved to a farm near Nodaway, Iowa where she attended country school. They later moved to a farm near Blockton, Iowa where she graduated in 1950. Norma attended Northwest Missouri University in 1950-51 earning 60 hours of college credit to be a teacher. She loved teaching at Gay #8 north of Blockton 2 years and later at Nodaway Frog Pond Gay #4 country schools. Years later she was invited to a school reunion of her country school students. She was queen for a day.

On February 7, 1954 she was united in marriage to Gerald William Green and they made their home on a farm west of Athelstan, Iowa. To this union 3 children were born, Jerry, Sherry and Terry. In later years they became licensed foster parents. The door was always open and many nieces and nephews spent many summer hours at their house where there were many special memories made.

Norma loved to sew and many family members wore the clothes she made including many red cowboy shirts with white fringe. Also many cowboy shirts for parades along with assorted wedding attire and prom dresses. She passed that love on to her daughter and other young ladies by teaching sewing as a 4-H leader. She also taught cooking classes as a 4-H leader and later taught Sherry how to make her famous raspberry jam along with her crabapple and apple butter. When she started having grandchildren and great-grandchildren they received many of her homemade clothes, blankets, and afghans. She loved crocheting bead socks. Another specialty was giving home permanents. Many Sunday afternoons were spent with various family members getting perms.

When her children were older she returned to her love of helping children learn as a teachers aide and substitute teachers with the Sheridan and Worth County schools. Upon retirement she became a full-time go-fer, helping move from field to field, going for parts and taking lunches to the field. Her crocheting was the main stay in the truck as she never knew how long she would be at the field with her guys.

Norma was a member of the Blockton Christian Church.

She was preceded in death by her son Jerry; brother Robert; parents: Hershel and Freada; in-laws; Jacob and Neva Green; brothers-in-law Buddy White, Leland Loghry, Donald Green and Dick Green; sister-in-law Roberta Green.

Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband Gerald of 63 years; daughter Sherry Skinner; son Terry (Lori) Green; 6 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren; brother Laverne Wildt; sisters-in-law Irene White, Evelyn Loghry, Joanne Green; brothers-in-law Junior (Marvel) Green, Norman (Barb) Green, Gordon Green, many nieces, nephews and friends.

Her smile and generous ways will live in our hearts forever.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 P.M. Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Blockton Christian Church. Interment will be in the Athelstan Cemetery near Blockton. Visitation will be 6:00-8:00 P.M. Wednesday at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.

Obituary -- Donna Marie Thompson 1934-2017

Donna Marie Thompson, 83, LaVerne, California died Thursday, April 13, 2017 at Pamona Valley Hospital in Pamona, California.

She was born March 4, 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to John and Mary Groff.

Donna was united in marriage on June 25, 1973 to Gene Thompson. She, Gene and family moved to Baldwin Park, California in 1978 where she lived until Gene’s passing in 2007. Donna moved to Germantown, Wisconsin for 2 years, then moved back to LaVerne, California. She worked for McDonnel Douglas for 11 years and retired in 1996.

Surviving are her children: John Runke and wife Debbie of Joplin, Missouri, Steve Runke of Union Grove, Wisconsin, Bob Ratajczyk and wife Corinna of Tuscon, Arizona, Tom Ratajczyk and wife Joanne of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dan Ratajczyk of Fontana, California, Lisa Colby and husband Chris of Germantown, Wisconsin, Kerry Griego and husband Jon of LaVerne, California, 17 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, a brother and sister, her husband Gene in 2007 and her daughter Theresa in 2002.

Donna fought a courageous battle with cancer for 2 years. She will be sadly missed by family, friends, relatives and a host of friends.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 P.M. Saturday, April 29, 2017 at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, Missouri. Interment in Kirk Cemetery in Allendale, Missouri. Visitation one hour prior to service.

Obituary -- Dorothy Jane Fountain 1932-2017

Dorothy was the seventh of nine children born to James and Ella (Roach) Thurman near Hatfield, MO on January 26 1932. She got her name from her two older sisters. Pearl, age 11, who was reading the book “The Wizard of Oz”, and Viola, age 6, who was learning to read the book “Dick and Jane”. She was a beautiful but shy young lady. As a teenager she was a baby sitter to nieces, nephews and various neighbors in the area. At the age of seventeen she worked at Big Smith’s Blue Jean Factory in St. Joseph, Missouri.

She was united in marriage to Kenneth Fountain on June 8, 1950 in Grant City, MO by justice of the peace, Judge Kibbe. Unto this union five children were born; Danny, Wesley, Stephen, Becky and Billy. In addition, throughout many stages of her life, she would also take care of various nieces and nephews for extended periods of time. She lived in the Northwest Missouri region most of her life.

When the three older boys were younger Kenneth worked in St. Joseph during the week.  Dorothy stayed behind on the farm where she grew a garden, raised chickens and milked cows. In addition she hunted squirrel to put meat on the table. Years later when Becky was an infant, Dorothy’s cow milking days ended when she slipped and fell while breaking ice for the cows and broke her arm. They made the decision to sell the milk cows. Eventually the family settled on the current farm in 1967.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents: James and Ella; her husband, Kenneth; son, Stephen; sisters: Pearl Morrison, Viola Knight and Maxine Burton; brothers: Archie, Paul, Marion, John and David.

Her family was everything to her. She was a loving wife, mother, aunt, mother-in-law and grandmother. She befriended almost anyone who walked through her door. Dorothy could not pass up a garage sale. She always found a spot in her home for a pretty bowl or an unusual clock. Another passion she had was cooking. No matter if it crawled, walked, flew or swam, if it could be caught she would cook it. She cooked three meals a day. Many came at dinner or supper time, knowing that they would be fed an amazing meal. In Dorothy’s home no one would go away hungry.

Her pride and joy was her grandchildren and their husbands: Karen and Adam Grimes and Lindsey and Travis Claycomb. She thought the world of her son-in-law Kirby Landes. She enjoyed the special bond and never lost touch of her former daughter-in-law Rose Hunt. She welcomed the company of daughter-in-law Jane, step-grandchildren: Scott, Ronald, Ray, Hallah and Joshua and step-great grandchildren: Nathan, Rachelle, Tyler, Tristen and Sarai, Micah and Zephaniah, and two step-great-great-grandchildren: Alivia Nicole and Amerah Rose.

Dorothy’s easy going personality made it easy to talk and confide in her. No matter what age (young or old) or nationality, when you came to Dorothy’s you got a fresh cup of coffee, wonderful meal or dessert, and usually a funny story. Although her life ended on this earth, her real life began when she met her Lord on April 22.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, Missouri. Interment will be in the Kirk Cemetery in Allendale, Missouri. Visitation one hour prior to service.

Tiger Teams Second at Warrior Relays

Both Tiger teams were edged out at the Warrior Relays Thursday. The girls scored a season high 152 team points, but were edged out by a bigger school, East Buchanan, who ran away with the meet with 188 points. Stanberry had 117.5, South Harrison 71, Osborn 36, Gilman City 32, Gallatin 22, East Harrison 17, Princeton 17, Albany 12, Pattonsburg 9.5, Northeast Nodaway 8, Newtown-Harris 4, and Mercer 4.

For the boys, South Harrison had 121, Worth County 107, East Buchanan 81, Stanberry 79, Gallatin 75, Pattonsburg 55, Osborn 33, Princeton 33, Albany 29, Northeast Nodaway 19, Newtown-Harris 16, Winston 13, Gilman City 9, North Harrison 8, and East Harrison 1.

For the girls, Payton Adwell was second in the 100 with a time of 13.55. She was edged out by Josie Fortney (East Buchanan), with a time of 12.90. Adwell beat Fortney in the 200 with a time of 28.08 to Fortney’s 28.60.

Bailee Walker placed in the 800 for the first time this year with a time of 3:25.03.

Kristen New placed in both the distance events. She was fourth in the 1600, where she got a time of 6:39.79. She then got second in the 3200, where she got a time of 14:24.76.

Anna Gladstone ran away with both hurdle events. She beat her personal best by .32 of a second and won by 2.37 seconds in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 16.63. She had just as little competition in the 300, where she won by over 4 seconds with a time of 51.85.

The 4x100 team of Payton Adwell, Regan Allee, Jessi Badell, and Nevada Hoff was second with a time of 56.37 to South Harrison’s 56.25. The 4x200 team of Payton Adwell, Regan Allee, Jessi Badell, and Nevada Hoff was sixth with a time of 2:10.38. The 4x400 team of Regan Allee, Jessi Badell, Sophia Obermuller, and Abbi Caddenhead was second in the 4x400 with a time of 5:19.47. And the 4x800 team of Sophia Obermuller, Kristen New, Abbi Caddenhead, and Bailee Walker was third with a time of 13.08.21.

Anna Gladstone grabbed her third win in the High Jump and the Tigers were 1-2 in that event. Gladstone got a height of 5 feet, while Liz Lyle was second with a height of 4’10”.

The Tigers were also 1-2 in the Pole Vault. Regan Allee won with a height of 8’6”. Jessi Badell matched a personal best and got second with a height of 8 feet.

Anna Gladstone did not quite get a hat trick as she was second to Josie Fortney (East Buchanan) in the Long Jump. But she still had a good jump of 15’5½”. Liz Lyle was third with a jump of 15’2½”.  Fortney won the event by over two feet, getting a jump of 17’9”.

Liz Lyle was second in the Triple Jump with a jump of 32’11”.

Kaylee McElvain was sixth in the Shot Put with a throw of 29’3”. She posted her best result of the year in Discus, where she was fourth with a throw of 92’2½”.

The Tigers placed two in the Javelin. Payton Adwell was third with a throw of 92’10½”. Rachael Gardner was eighth with a throw of 68’3”.

For the boys, Alec Summers was fifth in the 400 with a time of 1:00.96.

Daniel Craven was fourth in the 3200 with a time of 12:10.38.

In one of the best races of the afternoon, Bryant McCord won the 110 Hurdles with a time of 17.44 to 17.46 for Seth Calvert (East Buchanan). Jaxon Anderson was fourth with a time of 19.73. McCord edged out Trevor Ireland in the 300 Hurdles, winning with a time of 47.40 to Ireland’s 48.00.

The Tigers were second in the 4x100 as the team of Caleb Parman, Drake Kinsella, Jaxon Anderson, and Alec Summers posted a time of 49.31. The 4x200 team of Caleb Parman, Drake Kinsella, Jaxon Anderson, and Alec Summers was third with a time of 1:44.93.

Daniel Craven won the Pole Vault with a height of 9 feet.

Caleb Parman was fourth in the Long Jump with a leap of 17’8”.

The boys placed two in the Triple Jump; Caleb Parman was second with a jump of 38’9½”. Jaxon Anderson was fourth with a jump of 34’9¾”.

Drake Kinsella won the Shot Put with a throw of 42’10”. Mason Hawk was third with a throw of 37’1”. In the Discus, Kinsella was second with a throw of 112’11”. Mason Hawk was fourth with a throw of 105’7”.

Jacob New was seventh in the Javelin with a throw of 108’4”.

Tish Warner Named President as Worth County School Board Reorganizes

The Worth County School Board reorganized at their regular Board of Education Meeting Thursday. New board member Amber Monticue was sworn in along with returning board members Jeff Andrews and Tyler Steele. Tish Warner was named Board President. Tyler Steele was named Vice President, Jeff Andrews as Treasurer, and Kandi Hughes was returned as Board Secretary.

The Curriculum Program was rated as Above Average by Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz. Strengths listed including the fact that staff was working on updating and aligning curriculum. The district is seeking additional revenue streams to support curriculum material acquisition. Concerns listed include the fact that hardback textbooks were not as current as they could be, the expense of replacing textbooks, and the expense of materials based on a limited budget. Dr. Martz recommended that the school go to Open Education Resources, which are freely accessible, openly licensed, and useful for teaching, learning and assessing according to Dr. Martz. The effort would require additional professional development from the staff.

The Instructional Program was rated as Above Average. Strengths listed include the fact that teachers are familiar with and use a variety of teaching strategies that are research based. Teachers are using more technology in junior high and high school, which helps prepare students for careers and college. Concerns listed include the fact that the district no longer offers a “gifted and talented” program. The other one listed was the lack of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) resources. Recommendations include continuing to provide hands-on learning opportunities, especially in science; working to integrate STEM into current curriculum, working towards enriching all students’ learning, and encouraging students’ growth mindsets.

Elementary Principal Chuck Borey reported that physicals for the 2017-2018 school year will be held on May 17th. Sports physicals for all prospective Worth County athletes starting with 6th graders at 9:00 and going up to the juniors. Northwest Medical Center will be doing the Physicals and will donate money paid back to the Athletic Department. All junior high and high school athletes must have physicals before practicing or competing in school sports.

Character Superstars for March include Camden Gray & Kennedy Murphy (Kindergarten), Avah Knight & Bentley Frisch (1st), Keira Hardy & Garrett Troutwine (2nd), Jace Cameron & Wyatt Hill (3rd), Ina Knight & Bridgette Hightshoe (4th), Mitzie Gillespie (5th), and Hailey Adwell & Lance Abplanalp (6th). These students participated in minute to win it games and enjoyed a snack with Mr. Borey and Mrs. Pottorff.

The school started with MAP testing on April 20th and will finish on April 28th.

Brandon Lyddon of the Missouri Department of Conservation came in to talk with 5th graders about fishing safety and different types of fish. They will be doing a fishing clinic with the MDC on May 9th.

The Tri-County Health Department came on April 25th to do water safety with Kindergarten. They talked about water safety and gave kids in the class books.

Kindergarten VIP will be on May 2nd from 8:15 to 11:45. Next year’s Kindergarteners will come and spend the morning in Kindergarten and eat lunch. At 11:15, there will be a parent meeting to get all paperwork filled out and ready to go for the fall. There will be 30 students enrolled in Kindergarten for next year. Screenings for next year’s Kindergarten students will be on May 3rd.

Grandparent’s Day will be on May 5th from 8:30 to 11:30 am.

The Ned Show, a Character Assembly, will be held on May 8th.

Parents as Teachers will be hosting a Parent Involvement Night for the kids from 5:30 - 7:00.

On May 9th, K-3 will be attending the Des Moines Zoo. On May 15th, 4th to 6th graders will be going to the Omaha Zoo. Elementary Spring Concert will be May 11th at 7 pm at the High School Gym. Elementary Track Day will be May 12th. The Blood Drive will be May 16th. 24 students this year participated in the Backpack Buddies program.

Principal Jon Adwell reported that the Junior High Academic Bowl had an undefeated regular season. The High School was 3-12, but made it to the semi-final round at districts. Ian Hargrave was All-Conference 2nd team, while Regan Drury was Honorable Mention. Hargrave was named All-District.
State qualifiers in FFA were the Livestock (5th in Districts), Horses (3rd), and Dairy Cattle teams. Victoria Moore and Kristen Ross qualified to nationals for the FBLA. Qualifying for FCCLA Nationals were Kristen Ross, Payton Adwell, Drew Martell, Abbi Caddenhead, Kennedy Galanakis, Lauren Moore, Jenna Miller, and Nevada Hoff. At Vo-Tech Skills Competition, Alyssa Fletchall was 7th (Courtesy Corp) at Vo-Tech Skills Competition.

The Mixed Chorus and Ladies Choir both received Division I ratings and State Large Ensemble Contest. The Band also received a Division I rating. Receiving District I ratings were Dora Martz (vocal solo), Trent Gabriel (vocal solo), Merrideth Spiers (french horn solo), the Mixed Sextet of Dominique Findley, Jacob Wimer, Jeremy Wimer, Justina Wimer, Lauren Moore, and Keelin Engel, and the Ladies Sextet of Dora Martz, Lauren Moore, Victoria Moore, Kristen Ross, Merrideth Spiers, and Keelin Engel.

The board passed a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazardous Mitigation Plan for disaster planning purposes and to get future funding for mitigation projects from FEMA.

The board selected Midwest Data for the technology bid to install a firewall. It will be partially paid for by e-rate funding. Three other bidders offered bids; however, Midwest Data was selected based on the fact that they were local, included all items requested in the bid, offered longer service, and offered a better deal on installation and configuration.

The board voted to authorize Director of Building and Grounds, Loren Jackson, to spend up to $2,000 to find a replacement engine for the snow plow truck. Money that had been budgeted for a school bus purchase will be used, since the board elected not to purchase a school bus this year.

The board will hold a summer school for the purpose of credit recovery from June 5th to June 16th this year. Students identified for this program will attend classes from 8:00 to 3:00 daily during these dates. Meals will not be served; students will need to bring a sack lunch.

All non-certified staff were rehired by the board by a 4-0-2 vote, with Tyler Steele and Rodney Brown abstaining. All athletic coaches from last year were rehired for the upcoming school year on a 5-0-1 vote, with board member Les New abstaining. Les New will coach the girls basketball team on a volunteer basis, since he is also on the school board.

The board voted on a 5-0-1 vote to hire Rachel Runde on a probationary teacher contract for the 2017-2018 school year contingent on approved background check. Board member Tyler Steele abstained.

The board unanimously accepted the retirement notices of Lora Kemery (cook), Teena Stephenson (paraprofessional), and the resignation of Stephanie Schofield (5th grade). Schofield will take a job in Maryville to be closer to her family. Stephenson had been employed by the school for the last 32 years.

Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz reported that he and board member Tish Warner will attend a seminar in Savannah on bullying prevention. Dr. Martz reported that the library expansion is nearly done and that furniture has been ordered. The school and the library will move in during June and hold an open house in July.

Dr. Martz reported that the state was seeking to fully fund the state formula in its budget this year. He reported that he was expecting less Title I and Title II money from the federal government, but that he was expecting more Title IV money, which he said would give the school a wide choice of where to spend it.

Obituary -- Mary Jo Guard 1937-2017

Mary Jo Guard was born February 9, 1937 in Maryville, Missouri. She passed away April 21, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri at age of 80.

Mary Jo was united in marriage to Ed Guard on April 28, 1964 in Bremen, Indiana.

She enjoyed helping Ed in his cabinet shop in Grant City. She loved her dogs, you would see her in the yard playing with them and taking them for walks. Ed preceded her in death in 2010.

Also preceding Mary Jo in death were her parents: Philip and Mildred (Boedeker) Kerwin and sister-in-law Arda Kerwin.

She is survived by brothers: Martin Kerwin of Ravenwood, Missouri, Robert (Pat) Kerwin of Houston, Texas and James (Carol Ann) Kerwin of Grant City, Missouri and nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, Missouri. Interment will be in the Grant City Cemetery. 

Obituary -- Pat Mercer 1935-2017

Patsy Jo (Pat) Hoech Mercer, 82, was born February 11, 1935 in Warren County, MO and passed away April 19, 2017 at Mosaic Hospital in St. Joseph, MO.

She was the daughter of Howard Harry Hoech and Kathryn Walker Lovelace.

She graduated from Warrenton High School in 1953. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1957 with a BS degree majoring in Vocational Home Economics Education.

On August 18, 1957 she married Marvin Lee Mercer in Warrenton, Missouri. To this union three sons and one daughter were born.

Pat is survived by her husband Marvin, sons, Richard Mercer of Blockton, IA, David (Nancy) Mercer of Lee’s Summit, MO, Kent Mercer of Claycomo, MO and daughter Anita (Mike) Henggeler of Ravenwood, MO

Also surviving are five grandchildren, Kari Mercer of Lee’s Summit, MO, Kevin (Jordon) Mercer of Kansas City, MO, Alyssa Mercer of Camdenton, MO, Jessica (Anthony) Simpson of Maryville, MO and Jason Henggeler of Ravenwood, MO.

Pat taught Home Economics for a short time at Prairie Home, MO before she spent many years as a 4-H leader and later as Youth Education Assistant for University of Missouri Extension Service in Worth County in charge of the 4-H programs for several years as well.

She enjoyed cooking, sewing, camping and nearly always with a smile and few complaints even with the pain she endured in later years. Pat always enjoyed visiting with friends she worked with and was in the Jolly Janes Extension Club until her death.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Grant City, MO and was active in many activities including church secretary, pianist, UMW and several other activities there during her life.

Visitation will be held Sunday, from 4-6 PM at the funeral home.

Services will be held on Monday, April 24^th at 10:00 AM at the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.

Burial will be at the Grant City Cemetery following the service.

Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Church of Grant City and sent to the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, 200 S. Front Street, Grant City, MO 64456

Obituary -- Lane Michael McDonald 2014-2017

Lane Michael McDonald was born August 22, 2014 in Maryville, Missouri. He passed away April 18, 2017 in Grant City, Missouri.

Lane Michael was the most spirited little guy in the world. Everywhere he went he always made some kind of lasting impression or a new friend. He had the most beautiful smile and contagious laugh.

He loved running. His favorite thing to do was to feed cows at the farm with his mom. He loved helping his grandma and tractor rides with his grandpa. He was a very smart little boy and could do anything he put his mind to. Lane loved his brother and sisters, mom and Big Daddy Warren more than anything in the world.

“I love you Lane Michael”.

Surviving are his mom, Danelle Head, step-dad, Warren Davis, father, Joe McDonald, grandparents: Jane and Rich Wolf,  Mickey Davis, Tammy Head, Clayton and Kathy McDonald, great-grandparents, Thelma Head, Ron & Peggie Wolf,  brothers, Jace Cousatte and Clayton McDonald, sisters, Lanie and Autumn Cousette, uncles: Merle Head, Daniel Wolf, David Perssons, Jason Head, Ryan Hannon, John Walls, Chuck Rholf, Nathan and Brian McDonald,  aunts; Jamie Jackson, Sam Perssons, Jean Hannon, Sandy Blosser, Jackie Rholf,  Karla Walls and Michelle McDonald and many many cousins.

Preceding Lane in death were grandpa Merle Gene Head; great-grandparents, Doris & Jim Allmaras,  aunts, Leona Walls and Cindy Boudreaux, and  uncle, Jermiah Johnson.

Daddy Joe and family will love and miss you forever.

Memorial  services will be 2:00 P.M. Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City, Missouri. Visitation will be from 1:00 P.M. to service time.

Grant City Council Begins New Term

Three elected officers for the City of Grant City, Mayor Debbie Roach, Councilwoman Cathy James, and Councilman Michael Chapman were sworn in at the regular Grant City Council meeting Wednesday. They were reelected unopposed in the recent municipal election.

Lifeguards along with Pool Manager Gina McNeese came to discuss rules and expectations for the upcoming pool season. Tentative opening day for the pool, weather permitting, will be Memorial Day Weekend from May 27th to 29th. The goal this year is to have the concession stand open whenever the pool is open. McNeese said that she was thankful for the lifeguard staff and that three pools in the area still didn’t have lifeguards for this year. Numbers, pool passes, and swimming lesson participants were all up from last year. There were many positive comments on the baby pool. Rules were hashed out at the meeting, and the city will publish the rules shortly.

Student Council Representative Dora Martz invited members to the Prom. She reported that students from the school did service projects in Grant City and the other towns, and that they had pulled weeds, picked up trash, and did other manual labor projects. She is a senior this year and will be attending Graceland, meaning a new representative will be picked next year.

The council gave permission for the Worth County Fire Auxiliary to hold a fun day at the Pool Park on July 29th and agreed to have a free swim that day. There will be a 1 mile and 5K run, an ice cream social, BBQ, and a sand volleyball tournament.

The city will meet with Snyder to discuss the Preliminary Engineering Report for the city’s wastewater project before submitting it to USDA for state approval. A special meeting will be held on a date to be determined. The council must select one of the options that was presented by Snyder.

Public Works Director Carl Staton reported that city crews were doing potholes, mowing, brush cutting, and helping with the sewer. The council gave permission for the area 4-H to plant a Liberty Tree on the section of the Nature Trail near the ball diamond. The 4-H got a grant for the project. The council voted to replace a tube at the lagoon that was collapsing at a cost of up to $5,800; it is a 5x60 tube.

Water Superintendent Caleb Moyer reported that the old firehouse needed tuckpointing, especially the north wall.

The city discussed sewer ordinances. If sewer services are available to a customer, that customer must hook on to the city sewer service. This is not just a city rule, but a DNR rule as well.

The city reported two of the dog owners sent letters of violation last month came into compliance. One moved a problem dog out of town, while another got rid of all but three of their dogs. People living in city limits are allowed to have up to three adult dogs.

Citywide spring cleanup was set for June 3rd this year. Household waste must be separated from metal and appliances; large items must be placed in boxes or other containers and left by the curb by 7 am. No wood, yard waste, shingles, tires, paint, used motor oil, batteries, or other hazardous materials are allowed. No remodeling debris will be picked up.

Citywide brush cleanup will be from June 1st through 2nd at noon this year. Brush must be in four foot lengths, bundled, and stacked parallel to the road by 7 am on the first. To schedule a brush pickup, call 564-3369. The brush site will be open May 29th to June 3rd for free.

Tiger Girls Edged Out by Rock Port at Tiger Relays; Boys Fourth

The Worth County girls were edged out by Rock Port at the Tiger Relays Thursday, while South/Nodaway-Holt ran away with the boys side of the meet. For the girls, Rock Port won with 97, followed by Worth County with 87, Stanberry 80, Platte Valley 75, King City 62, South/Nodaway-Holt 40, Maysville 35, Princeton 32, East Atchison 23, North Harrison 17, North/West Nodaway 15, Albany 10, East Harrison 8, North Andrew 6, and Tri-County 1. For the boys, South/Nodaway Holt had 108 points, followed by Princeton with 70, North Andrew 65, Worth County 64.5, King City 58.5, Gallatin 41, Maysville 36, Stanberry 31, Northeast Nodaway 28, East Atchison 28, Platte Valley 24, Union Star 9, Albany 8, Newtown-Harris 8, East Harrison 7, and Rock Port 3.

Payton Adwell was fourth in the 100 with a time of 14.36. She was also fourth in the 200 with a time of 29.23.

Kristen New was fourth in the 3200 with a time of 14:34.06.

Anna Gladstone won a cliffhanger in the 100 hurdles, beating out Megan Stevens (Rock Port) by .07 of a second. Gladstone had a time of 17.40, while Stevens had 17.47. Gladstone posted a personal best in the 300 hurdles and finished second to Stevens with a time of 50.74 to Stevens' 50.07.

The 4x100 team of Payton Adwell, Regan Allee, Nevada Hoff, and Liz Lyle was fifth with a time of 56.39.

Liz Lyle was second in the High Jump with a jump of 4'10". Anna Gladstone tied for fifth with a jump of 4'6".

The Tigers were 1-2 in the Pole Vault. Regan Allee won with a height of 8'6". Jessi Badell posted a personal best and finished second with a height of 8 feet.

The girls placed two in the Long Jump. Anna Gladstone was third with a jump of 15'4". Liz Lyle was fourth with a jump of 15'3".

Liz Lyle was fourth in the Triple Jump with a jump of 32'2".

Merrideth Spiers was fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 32'7". She won the Discus with a throw of 116'4".

For the boys, Bryant McCord was second in the 110 hurdles with a time of 17.53.

The 4x100 team of Tevin Cameron, Bryant McCord, Jaxon Anderson, and Ryan McClellan was fourth with a time of 48.14. The 4x200 team of Tevin Cameron, Bryant McCord, Drake Kinsella, and Ryan McClellan was fifth with a time of 1:42.15.

Bryant McCord was tied for fifth in the High Jump with a leap of 5'6".

Caleb Parman was second in the Long Jump with a leap of 20'1".

The boys placed two in the Triple Jump. Caleb Parman was second with a leap of 40'2 1/2". Jaxon Anderson was fifth with a jump of 36'10".

Drake Kinsella posted a personal best in the Shot Put and won with a throw of 45'2". Mason Hawk was sixth with a throw of 38'1 1/2". Mason Hawk showed that his 130 foot throw in Rock Port was no accident as he won the Discus with a throw of 129'5". Drake Kinsella posted a personal best and got second with a throw of 113'8".

Jacob New was fifth in the Javelin with a throw of 111'3".

Junior High Girls Gain Separation from Albany; Both Teams Sweep at Stanberry

Both junior high Tiger teams won at Stanberry last Thursday, as the girls gained separation from Albany at that event. On the girls side, Worth County won with 90 points to 68 for Albany; the Warriors beat out Worth County at the Early Bird, but Worth County has won every meeting since between the two teams. Rock Port had 58, Platte Valley 54, Northeast Nodaway 38, Gallatin 37, Princeton 27, North Harrison 20, Stanberry 18, Braymer 14, Stewartsville 13, and King City 11. On the boys side, Worth County ran away with the meet with 103 points. Albany had 68, Pattonsburg 60, Rock Port 53, Stewartsville 37, Platte Valley 36, Princeton 35, Gallatin 32, North Harrison 16, Northeast Nodaway 14, Stanberry 6, Braymer 3, and East Harrison 1.

For the girls, Anna Spainhower was sixth in the 200 with a time of 30.8, which was a personal best for her. Megan Cassavaugh was fourth in the 400 with a time of 1:08.7. Braidy Hunt was fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:43.8, another personal best. Two Tigers posted personal bests in the 100 Hurdles. Morgan Beagle won the event with a time of 18.0, knocking off .78 of a second off her previous best and edging out Paige West (Northeast Nodaway) by .03 of a second. Jill Hardy also posted a personal best as she got third with a time of 19.6.

The 4x100 team of Megan Cassavaugh, Morgan Beagle, Keelin Engel, and Anna Spainhower knocked nearly a second off their time and finished second with a time of 58.7 to Albany. The 4x200 team of Megan Cassavaugh, Morgan Beagle, Braidy Hunt, and Anna Spainhower came close to a personal best and was second with a time of 2:05.7. The 4x400 team of Jill Hardy, Aivry Griffin, Keelin Engel, and Allison Larison shaved 16 seconds off their time and finished third with a time of 4:50.3.

Anna Spainhower matched a personal best in the High Jump and tied for first with a height of 4’4”. Aivry Griffin set a personal best and was sixth with a height of 4’2”. Keelin Engel continued to excel in the Pole Vault and won with a height of 7’6”. Aivry Griffin was fifth and improved her height by a foot, getting 6 feet.

Megan Cassavaugh was fifth in the Long Jump with a jump of 13’4”. The Tigers were 1-2 in the Triple Jump, with both setting personal bests. Jill Hardy improved her distance by over 3 feet and won with a jump of 30’6”. Braidy Hunt improved her distance by a foot and finished second with a jump of 29’8”.

Maddie Taute was sixth in the Shot Put, coming close to a personal best with a throw of 27’6”. Emilee Brown and Olivia Kanak tied for fourth in the Discus with throws of 61’3”. Both throws were personal bests.

Andrew Alarcon knocked .79 of a second off his time in the 100 and finished third with a time of 12.0 for the boys. Alarcon set another personal best in the 200, knocking a second and a half off his time and finishing second with a time of 25.7. Alarcon won the 400 with a time of 1:01, while Nate Adwell was third with a time of 1:04.37, a personal best by over 2 seconds. Josh Freed knocked almost four seconds off his time in the 800 and was sixth with a time of 2:36.3. Jace Cousatte won the 1600, posting his first victory of the year with a time of 5:51.8. Cousatte matched a personal best in the 100 Hurdles and finished third with a time of 19.0 seconds. Aydan Gladstone was fifth with a time of 19.6.

The 4x200 team of Aydan Gladstone, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell knocked .19 of a second off their time and finished second with a time of 1:55.4. The 4x400 team of Jace Cousatte, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell was the surprise winner of the event. Seeded behind two other teams, they nonetheless knocked nearly nine seconds off their time and won with a time of 4:25.2.

Reid Gabriel set a personal best in the High Jump and placed fifth with a height of 4’10”. Nate Adwell continued to dominate the Pole Vault, winning with a vault of 10 feet. Aydan Gladstone was fourth with a vault of 6’6”.

Alex Rinehart matched a personal best in the Long Jump and finished fourth with a jump of 15’6”. Rinehart also beat his mark in the Triple Jump by nearly 4 feet and finished third with a leap of 32’11”. Josh Freed improved his distance by nearly 2 feet and finished sixth with a jump of 28’4½”.
Andrew Alarcon came close to a personal best in the Shot Put and finished sixth with a throw of 29’11”. Reid Gabriel was second in the Discus with a throw of 102’3½”.

Wild Pitch From Mustangs Caroms Off Bat, Snuffs Out Wolves’ Rally; Mustangs Sweep Double Header

North Nodaway was clinging to a 9-8 lead in the second half of a double header with East Atchison. It was the bottom of the seventh, since this was a makeup game. Gus Hurst had already reached on a dropped third strike to start the inning. Dakota Smyser was pitching for North Nodaway, when his pitch to Zachary Garrison got away and looked like it would be a carbon copy of Andrew Freemyer’s pitch that hit Logan Keho in the helmet a few days before that won the game for the Mustangs. But this time, Smyser’s errant pitch hit Garrison’s bat and caromed into fair territory after the plate umpire had called it foul. Alertly realizing what had just happened, Smyser ran over to the ball and threw out Garrison at first. Despite plenty of squawking from the East Atchison fans and dugout, the call stood and Hurst was on second with one out.

Smyser and the Mustangs were not out of the woods yet. Shae DeRosier struck out and Hurst, with the tying run, took third as Tyler Bix threw out DeRosier on a dropped third strike. Tyler Brown was the number 9 hitter for the Wolves; had he reached safely, anything could have happened with the top of the order coming up. Brown hit a pop fly and Smyser tripped over the rubber as he backed off the high mound and lost track of the ball. But he recovered in time to make the catch and North Nodaway had gotten another 9-8 win over the Wolves and their frustrated coaches and players.

East Atchison had every reason to be disappointed in the game. Their coaches, Casey Martin, Michael Hollingsworth, and Bryant Hummel were upset about the last game as they felt that they had wasted a gem thrown by Brody Cooper. “Who wants to step up,” they asked. “Your attitude has got to change.”

North Nodaway started off the game well as they got some good swings off Wolves’ pitcher Gage McAdams. Dakota Smyser had a long out to center, but Dalton singled to right and Peyton Coleman walked. Tyler Bix, the hero of the last game, got called out on strikes, but Arron Coleman singled. As the throw came in, the ball got away from Keaton Williams as Dalton Smyser scored safely. Peyton Coleman tried to score as well when the ball got away, but was out at the plate as Williams recovered in time.  There was a rhubarb after the play as Martin tried to get the run wiped out, saying Smyser had failed to slide. But the run counted and North Nodaway was up 1-0.

But the Wolves were determined to give a better accounting of themselves than last time. Colin Joesting and Jake McEnaney grounded out, but Brody Cooper beat out a slow roller to Arron Coleman at short and Gage McAdams reached as rightfielder Austin Bird dropped a fly as Cooper took third. Cooper scored on a wild pitch and Keaton Williams singled to make it 2-1.

It looked like the Wolves’ rally in the first would be an empty gesture as North Nodaway pitcher Tyler Bix began shutting down the Wolves. In the third, Dalton Smyser doubled over center fielder Gus Hurst’s head and Peyton Coleman singled to Hurst. Hurst threw the cutoff to Brody Cooper at short; Cooper’s throw home was wild as Coleman took second. Tyler Bix grounded out, but Arron Coleman’s pop fly dropped in before left fielder Shae DeRosier could get to it, and Peyton Coleman came home to make it 3-2.

North Nodaway added to their lead in the fourth. Jordan Snyder walked and Austin Bird, running for him, successfully stole second when shortstop Brody Cooper dropped the throw. Garrett Torres struck out, as did Dakota Smyser. But the ball got away from catcher Keaton Williams and Bird took third. Dalton Smyser hit a grounder for what would have been the third out of the inning. But first baseman Max Hopkins bobbled and dropped it, Bird scored on the play, and Smyser was safe.

Dalton Smyser then stole second and Peyton Coleman walked; on the play, the ball got away once again and Smyser took third. Tyler Bix faked a bunt, Coleman took off for second, and shortstop Cooper tried to cut off a throw from the catcher to retire Dalton Smyser, who had taken off for home. But Cooper threw it away and Coleman made it to third. The Tarkio coach called timeout and got agitated during the conference, but Tyler Bix singled up the middle to score Coleman and make it 6-2.

North Nodaway looked like they were in control, but they missed two chances to add to it. The first was when Bix successfully beat the throw to second on a steal, but overslid the bag and was tagged out to end the fourth. Then, Arron Coleman missed extra bases in the fifth when he hit a monster shot down the left field line near the goalposts that landed just foul.

Bix tired out to start the fifth; the object of any team facing the Wolves is to get the first two batters out so Cooper would not have a chance to drive in a run. But Colin Joesting singled through third and short, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Jake McEnaney’s single. McEnaney took second on another wild pitch, bringing up Cooper. Cooper hit a grounder to Arron Coleman, who bobbled the ball, had no play on Cooper at first, tried to pick off McEnaney who had wandered off the bag at second, and threw it away. That put Cooper on second and McEnaney on third. Gage McAdams took full advantage as he doubled into the right center gap to score Cooper and McEnaney and make it 6-5.

Gage McAdams stole third and Keaton Williams walked on four pitches, and that finished Bix and brought in Dakota Smyser. Gus Hurst grounded out to Smyser, but Keaton Williams made it all the way to third on the play with just one out as McAdams scored to tie it at 6-6. But then Smyser settled down and stranded the lead run at third by striking out Max Hopkins and Shae DeRosier.

Jake McEnaney came on to relieve Gage McAdams for the Wolves and Makayla Cross struck out to start the Mustang sixth, but Dakota Smyser reached on a pop fly that first baseman Max Hopkins lost in the lights. Dakota stole second, took third base, and scored when Dalton Smyser singled just over second baseman Colin Joesting’s glove to make it 7-6 and put North Nodaway back in front. Peyton Coleman hit a grounder to third baseman Gage McAdams, who threw to second for a force, but Joesting dropped the throw and everyone was safe. With runners on first and second, Tyler Bix hit a grounder to third. McAdams stepped on the bag to retire Dalton Smyser, but threw away the attempt to get the double play at first, allowing Coleman to score. Arron Coleman reached when Joesting got played by a hop at second to score Bix to make it 9-6.

East Atchison had one last gasp in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Brown and Colin Joesting walked to start off the inning and went to second and third on a wild pitch. Jake McEnaney, with the tying run, grounded to Arron Coleman at short; he threw the ball away and Brown and Joesting scored on the play as the tying run went to second. Brody Cooper greeted Dakota Smyser with the longest hit of the night, around 350 feet from home plate. But Peyton Coleman, stationed in center, was positioned perfectly in left center. The blast would have been over the fence in many other parks, but it was simply a long out at Hopkins and McEnaney couldn’t advance. McAdams struck out and Keaton Williams popped out to Arron Coleman as North Nodaway clung to a one run lead going into the seventh and the final fireworks.

Peyton Coleman Pitches 1-0 Pitching Gem Against Wolves

North Nodaway clung by their fingernails in a pitching duel featuring two of the best pitchers in the area in Peyton Coleman and Brody Cooper. In the end, North Nodaway finally broke through in the sixth inning and held on to win 1-0 against the Wolves as the first part of a double header.

It looked like a long day for the Mustangs at first when Jake McEnaney reached on third baseman Logan Keho’s dropped pop fly in the first. But then he was erased stealing, which meant the bases were empty for one of the top hitters in the area in Cooper. Cooper singled up the middle and a fly ball into right field from Gage McAdams looked like potential trouble for right fielder Austin Bird. But he was able to track it down to get the third out.

Cooper looked much more sharp in the early going; he froze Dalton Smyser and Tyler Bix on called third strikes. And Peyton Coleman started fighting the strike zone, walking two batters on eight pitches in the second before striking out Zachary Garrison to get out of the second.

North Nodaway finally had a chance to break through in the third as Makayla Cross walked and Dakota Smyser caught a hard fast ball from Cooper and hit it even harder up the middle to put runners on first and second. But then Dalton Smyser’s bunt attempt went into the air, Brody Cooper caught it, and doubled Cross off second to squelch the threat.

Keaton Williams hit one into left center that looked like trouble, but Dakota Smyser was there for the catch to start the fourth. That meant that the bases were empty for Gus Hurst’s single that dropped in front of Smyser. Peyton Coleman struck out Max Hopkins and Shae DeRosier to get out of the fourth.

Once again in the fourth, North Nodaway had a golden chance to break through against Cooper. Tyler Bix hit a pop fly single down the right field line that dropped in and he made it safely on a steal past Gage McAdams’ diving tag attempt. But Arron Coleman hit a soft liner that Bix thought was dropping in, but was snagged by McAdams who doubled off Bix.

The two pitchers were getting stronger as the night progressed, but finally, Gage McAdams took an 0-2 breaking ball with one out and deposited it down the left field line for a double in the Wolves’ sixth. Keaton Williams struck out, but then McAdams went to third on a wild pitch and Gus Hurst walked. Coleman started from the windup, stepped back as Hurst took off, but Hurst was safe anyway as Max Hopkins came to the plate. But then Coleman caught Max Hopkins chasing after a high pitch for the final out to end the sixth with the game still scoreless.

The heart of the order was coming up for the Mustangs, and it started off promising as Dakota Smyser singled up the middle to lead off. But then Dalton Smyser popped out behind second. Smyser stole second after nearly being picked off by Cooper, but it looked like the Mustang sixth would come and go with nothing to show as Cooper froze Coleman on an outside pitch for the second out. But then Tyler Bix hit a screamer down the right field line and into the gap for a double as Smyser scored for the lone run of the game.

Shae DeRosier and Zachary Garrison struck out to start the seventh, but then Jolin Joesting walked on four pitches to bring up Jake McEnaney. If he reached safely, it would bring up Cooper with runners on base, and strike three got away from Tyler Bix. But Bix recovered in time to throw out McEnaney to end the game.

Musket Boys 7th at Squaw Creek

The North/West Nodaway Boys posted a seventh place finish at Squaw Creek (Mound City) last Monday with 32 team points, while the girls posted 12 team points.

For the girls, Felicia Poppa was third in the 400 with a personal best time of 1:12.20.

The 4x100 team of Mackenzie Stuart, Jadon Dobbins, Saylor Brown, and Abbi Marsh was fifth with a time of 1:01.48. The 4x200 team of Mackenzie Stuart, Karissa Oberhauser, Saylor Brown, and Felicia Poppa was third with a time of 2:10.28.

Jadon Dobbins posted a personal best in the Triple Jump, where she finished fifth with a throw of 25 feet.

Karissa Oberhauser was sixth in the Shot Put with a personal best time of 26'1", beating her previous best by over 2 feet.

On the boys side, Grant Adkins was sixth in the 100 and posted a personal best time of 13.48.

Bryan Hyatt was third in the 200 with a time of 29.07.

Cody Cline came close to a personal best in the 400 and finished fifth with a time of 1:07.17.

Duke Ingraham knocked five seconds off his time in the 800 and finished third with a time of 2:35.60. He also finished fourth in the 1600 with a time of 5:45.09.

Grant Adkins took .36 of a time off his previous best and posted third in the 100 Hurdles with a time of 18.25.

The 4x100 team of Grant Adkins, Karson Oberhauser, Bryan Hyatt, and Gabe Goff was sixth with a time of 56.68. The 4x400 team of Karson Oberhauser, Will Cordell, Cody Cline, and Preston Bateman was third with a time of 4:38.66.

Blair Stoll Wins in Discus; Paige West Wins 100 Hurdles at Squaw Creek

Northeast Nodaway's girls finished seventh with 33 team points as Paige West and Blair Stoll posted firsts at the Squaw Creek Invitational last Monday. The boys collected 8 team points for the day.

Paige West tried her hand at the 100 and finished sixth with a time of 14.86.

West won the 100 Hurdles handily by almost 1.3 seconds. She got a personal best as she knocked off over half a second off her time and won with a time of 18.45.

The 4x200 team of Anne Schieber, Angela Standiford, Victoria Moran, and Saige Kohlleppel tried their hand and finished sixth with a time of 2:12.93.

Saige Kohlleppel was sixth in the High Jump with a leap of 4 feet.

Paige West was fourth in the Long Jump with a leap of 13'8.5".

Blair Stoll was third in the Shot Put with a throw of 28'6.5". She then won the Discus with a throw of 79'6".

For the boys, Chase Atkins was fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 32'10". Atkins also placed fourth in the Discus, getting a throw of 88'8".

Tiger Girls Edged Out by Mound City at Rock Port; Boys Fourth as Mason Hawk has Monster Throw in Discus

Worth County's girls came close to defending state champion Mound City at Rock Port last Tuesday, coming 2 1/2 points short of the Panthers. Mound City won with 122.5 points, followed by Worth County with 120. Rock Port had 90, Platte Valley 60, Stewartsville 47, St. Joseph Christian 32, Stanberry 29.5, South Holt 27, Tarkio 24, South Harrison 13, North/West Nodaway 12, Albany 6, and North Andrew 6. On the boys side, South Holt won with 117.5 points. Stewartsville had 79, Mound City 74.5, Worth County 69.5, North Andrew 57, St. Joseph Christian 44, South Harrison 44, Stanberry 32.4, Tarkio 31, Platte Valley 11.5, Rock Port 11.5, Northeast Nodaway 8, and Union Star 8.

Drake Kinsella started off the Shot Put throwing in the high 30's, and has now progressed to 42 feet. He was second at Rock Port with a throw of 42'0.5" to Denton Yager (Stewartsville), who threw 44'8". Mason Hawk was fourth with a throw of 38'1.25". For the girls Merrideth Spiers was second, but got a personal best throw of 33'10.25". Alexis Baucom (Rock Port) won with a throw of 38'0.25".

Merrideth Spiers showed that her throw of 117'2" at the Early Bird in the Discus was no accident. She won at Rock Port with a throw of 108'8", which was over 12 feet ahead of her nearest competitor. Kennedy Galanakis was third with a throw of 95 feet. The highlight of the day for the boys came from Mason Hawk. He had not thrown 100 feet this year in competition, but he had a throw that was 30 better than his previous best at Rock Port, winning with a throw of 130'5". Drake Kinsella was sixth with a throw of 104'10", also a personal best.

Bryant McCord matched a personal best in the High Jump, getting a fourth place finish with a height of 5'6". Anna Gladstone got a personal best in the High Jump. She had reached 5 feet at the end of last year. At Rock Port, she got a personal best of 5'2" before being edged out by Allyson Kauth (Stewartsville). Liz Lyle finished right behind her with a third place jump of 4'10".

Liz Lyle came close to a personal best in the Triple Jump, getting fourth with a jump of 31'4". On the boys side, the Tigers placed two. Caleb Parman was third with a jump of 38 feet. Ryan McClellan was fourth with a jump of 37'4".

The Tigers dominated the Long Jump on both sides of the ledger. Tevin Cameron won on the boys side with a jump of 18'9.24". Caleb Parman was fourth with a jump of 18'5.75". The girls finished 1-2 in the High Jump. Anna Gladstone had a sensational performance, topping her previous best by over 8 inches and winning with a jump of 16'6.25". Liz Lyle was second with a jump of 15'4.75", also a personal best.

The girls matched two personal bests in the Pole Vault. Regan Allee was second with a vault of 8'6", while Jessi Badell was third with a vault of 7'6". On the boys side, Daniel Craven got a personal best, beating his previous best by a foot as he finished sixth with a vault of 9 feet.

The girls 4x800 team of Abbi Caddenhead, Kristen New, Sophia Obermuller, and Bailee Walker was sixth with a personal best time of 12:43.72. They beat their previous best by 45 seconds.

Bryant McCord was fourth in the 110 Hurdles with a time of 17.49. Anna Gladstone got another personal best in the 100. She knocked .45 of a second off her previous best time and edged out Megan Stevens (Rock Port) with a time of 17 seconds to Stevens' 17.15.

Payton Adwell got a personal best in the 100 with a time of 13.76, getting second place. Adwell then knocked four tenths of a second off her previous best time in the 200 by winning with a time of 27.81. She edged out Adrienne Messer (Mound City), who was second with a time of 27.95.

The girls 4x100 team of Payton Adwell, Regan Allee, Liz Lyle, and Nevada Hoff knocked 2.4 seconds off their previous best and finished fourth with a time of 55.93. On the boys side, the team of Tevin Cameron, Bryant McCord, Jaxon Anderson, and Ryan McClellan was also fourth with a time of 48.53.

Anna Gladstone knocked .08 of a second off her previous best time in the 300 Hurdles and finished fourth with a time of 51.86. On the boys side, Tevin Cameron came close to a personal best and finished third with a time of 44.26.

Kristen New took 13 seconds off her time in the 3200 and finished second with a time of 14.03.48. Daniel Craven was fifth for the boys with a time of 12:26.38.

The girls 4x400 team of Regan Allee, Jessi Badell, Abbi Caddenhead, and Nevada Hoff took 17 seconds off their previous best time and finished sixth with a time of 4:57.67. The boys team of Tevin Cameron, Ryan McClellan, Drake Kinsella, and Bryant McCord was fifth with a time of 3:59.09.

Northeast Breaks Open Game Late; Sweeps Platte Valley in Doubleheader

Northeast Nodaway got to Platte Valley's pitching to break open the game late and pulled away for a 7-2 win, completing a double header sweep of the Longhorns. The win put Northeast back into the 275 title hunt at 2-1, something that came as a big relief for Coach Vance Proffitt after the Bluejays had dropped their first three games, two by close margins. He said that they were able to build on their strong finish against North Nodaway, had a good practice Wednesday, and came out ready to play in both game. "It's not the easiest thing to maintain your focus for 14 innings, but everyone did their part today," he said.

Platte Valley was also looking for their first win of the year, and they were determined to give a better accounting of themselves than the first time. Northeast threatened in the first, but a 6-4-3 double play from the Longhorns fired them up and quashed the threat. Platte Valley got their first two runners on base as shortstop Spencer Weir airmailed a throw to first and Koby Stoll got a single just under his glove. But freshman pitcher Ethan Adwell, facing the heart of the order, froze Trey Farnan for a called third strike, got Reagan Meyer to pop up to Weir behind second, and Andrew Freemyer leaped over Tristan Freemyer to force him at third for the final out.

Northeast tried to manufacture a run in the second as Ethan Adwell walked, Spencer Gray walked, but Adwell was shot down at third trying to steal by catcher Nate Jermain. Platte Valley finally broke through in the second as Dalton Luke came home from second when Rowdy West threw away a throw to third after a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

Northeast wasted little time erasing the lead in the third as Spencer Weir, who narrowly missed a home run in the first game, gave another one a long ride but well foul. Frequently, batters don't get another chance after nearly missing one, but this time, Weir caught hold of another offering from Tanner Davis and his blast barely cleared the center field wall to tie it at 1. Northeast moved ahead when Chet Spire walked, stole second, and scored on groundouts from Andrew Freemyer and Rowdy West.

Platte Valley tied it up in the bottom of the third when Tristan Freemyer walked, stole second, went to third on Trey Farnan's groundout, and scored on Reagan Meyer's groundout. Neither side could score in the fourth as Northeast had Spencer Gray picked off and Reed McIntyre thrown out stealing; Platte Valley got Nate Jermain on with one out thanks to Spencer Weir's bobble and he took second on a wild pitch. A long single could put Platte Valley ahead, but Clayton Wilmes chased at a pitch out of the zone for strike three and Ethan Adwell got out of the inning by getting Dalton Luke to ground out to the mound.

It looked like Northeast would go down quietly in the fifth as Spencer Weir flied out and Chet Spire grounded out, but Andrew Freemyer kept Northeast alive with a walk. Rowdy West singled past a diving Tristan Freemyer at short and freshman Ethan Adwell doubled through the hole between third and short to score two to break the tie and put Northeast up 4-2.

Logan Harlan, the #9 batter for Platte Valley, walked to start the bottom of the fifth as Andrew Freemyer came on to try to close out the Longhorns. It didn't bode well at first as the top of the order was coming up. Tristan Freemyer followed with a pop fly single to center, but then Andrew Freemyer settled down against the heart of the order. He struck out Koby Stoll chasing a low and outside pitch for the first out. Facing Trey Farnan, he got him to chase an outside pitch and then froze him with a high fastball for strike three; he simply overpowered Reagan Meyer to get out of the inning with no damage done.

#17 led off the Platte Valley sixth with a walk as Freemyer started off shaky in the sixth. He threw a wild pitch that got away from Rowdy West, but he recovered and threw out pinch runner Taylar Freemyer stealing for the first out. That seemed to settle down Freemyer, who struck out Nate Jermain. Clayton Wilmes finally got a solid shot off Freemyer, a drive up the middle that Freemyer tried to barehand, but couldn't. But somehow, Spencer Weir made a diving grab for it, came up with the carom, and threw from the ground just in time for the third out.

Northeast was looking for some insurance in the top of the seventh and they got to reliever Cade Henggeler, who walked the first three batters he faced. Ethan Adwell struck out, but then Brayden Welch hit a grounder to Koby Stoll at second. Stoll bobbled the ball and threw it away, allowing Chet Spire and Andrew Freemyer to score. Rowdy West was picked off third on the play as he came around too far, but the damage was done and Northeast was up 6-2. Spencer Gray hit a shot that shortstop Tristan Freemyer knocked down, but had no play on. Welch took off for third on a wild pitch and came home went catcher Nate Jermain's errant throw got away, allowing him to score and make it 7-2. Andrew Freemyer retired the side in order for the save.

Brayden Welch's Grand Slam Puts NEN Baseball on Winning Track

Northeast Nodaway posted its first win of the year as Brayden Welch hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first and the Bluejays, behind a complete game from Spencer Weir, cruised to a 7-1 victory over Platte Valley Thursday. The game was the first of a double header thanks to a series of rainouts.

Northeast started off by getting some good swings off Longhorn pitcher Cameron Watson as Spencer Weir singled to left and stole second. Chet Spire hit a grounder that caromed off third base and into left field for a double as Weir scored after having stolen second. Andrew Freemyer nearly lined into a double play as Longhorn shortstop Tristan Freemyer, Andrew's cousin, snagged a screamer and Chet Spire had to scramble to get back in time.

Platte Valley had a play on where their shortstop and then second baseman would both cut in behind the runner on second for most of the game. It backfired on the next play as Rowdy West singled through the vacated spot at shortstop, moving Chet Spire to third. Ethan Adwell hit a slow roller to third; Spire froze third baseman Trey Farnan by faking a move home, and everyone was safe. That set up Brayden Welch's grand slam; it was a towering blast to dead center that landed around 350 feet away from home plate to make it 5-0.

From there, Spencer Weir pitched strongly; in the second, he froze Tanner Davis on a pitch the clipped the outside corner and overpowered Nate Jermain. Northeast added to their lead in the third when Brayden Welch singled down the left field line, stole second, went to third on Chance Barber's groundout to first, and came home on Reed McIntyre's groundout to short.

Platte Valley got their lone run in the fourth when Reagan Meyer reached on an error when NEN first baseman Reed McIntyre dropped a throw. Spencer Weir rung up Tanner Davis at the knees after recovering from a wild pitch that sent Meyer to second. Nate Jermain threw a comebacker to the mound; Meyer took off for third too soon and was out in a rundown as Jermain reached safely on a fielder's choice. Clayton Wilmes hit a shot into the right center gap; Brayden Welch was on the run, but came up just short as it dropped in for a single as Jermain went to third. Logan Harlan, running for Wilmes, took off for second; Northeast tried to retire him for the third out, but Harlan was safe and Jermain took off for home on the throw for the successful double steal attempt for Platte Valley's only run of the game to make it 6-1. It could have been more without the rundown out.

Northeast got the run back when Rowdy West hit one of the hardest line drives hit around the area; he got hold of a pitch right down the middle and just a second later, it crashed hard off the scoreboard for a home run as Northeast went in front 7-1.

Logan Keho Plunked as Mustang Baseball Keeps NEN Winless

Northeast Nodaway has won or shared the last three conference titles, but they were in an unfamiliar position after falling 7-6 to North Nodaway Tuesday -- at 0-3 and still searching for their first win in the newly-formed Highway 275 Baseball Conference. They fell into a 6-1 hole against the Mustangs, now guided by Jake Shipman. They came all the way back to tie it, showing the form that had brought them their last three titles. But then, Andrew Freemyer plunked Logan Keho right in the helmet with the bases loaded and two out and North Nodaway walked off with the victory.

Everything looked so good at first for Northeast through the first 2 1/2 innings. Rowdy West took the mound for Northeast and pitched like a seasoned pro; he got out of a first inning jam when a dropped third strike that catcher Andrew Freemyer threw away put Dakota Smyser on third with nobody out. But, facing the heart of the order, he struck out Dalton Smyser, Peyton Coleman, and Tyler Bix to get out of the inning with no damage done.

Mustang pitcher Peyton Coleman was just as effective through two, but with two outs in the third, he started fighting the strike zone and walked Andrew Freemyer and Chet Spire. That brought up West, who singled between third baseman Logan Keho and shortstop Arron Coleman to bring home Freemyer and put Northeast up 1-0.

But that lead disappeared in a hurry after pitcher Rowdy West walked Garrett Torres to start the bottom of the third. Austin Bird ran for him, and West threw away Makayla Cross' bunt attempt, putting runners on first and third. A dropped throw scored Bird, and then Dakota Smyser brought up the top of the order and walked. They took second and third on a wild pitch with nobody out. Northeast nearly got out of the inning as second baseman Chance Barber caught a screamer from Dalton Smyser and West struck out Peyton Coleman. But North Nodaway was just getting started.

Tyler Bix walked and Northeast dropped a fly ball, allowing two runs to score and putting runners on first and third. Arron Coleman stole second and Logan Keho's bad hop single brought in Coleman and Bix to make it 5-1. Makayla Cross singled and Dakota Smyser tripled to the gap in right center to bring her in to make it 6-1 in the fourth.

Trailing 6-1 against the likes of Peyton Coleman seemed like a thankless task, but Northeast began its comeback in the fifth when Spencer Gray shot a screamer between right and center; Dakota Smyser made a great play to stop the ball and hold him to a single, but Andrew Freemyer singled down the left field line and Chet Spire whisted a single past MaKayla Cross at second to score Gray. Rowdy West drew an intentional walk, and then Ethan Adwell flied out to score Freemyer to make it 6-3.

With Northeast down to its final three outs, Andrew Freemyer attempted a desperation head first slide on a squib hit that died right behind Peyton Coleman, but to no avail. But Chet Spire walked and Coleman ran out of pitches, bringing in Dakota Smyser to the mound. Peyton Coleman moved to center. Dylan Mildfeldt, running for Chet Spire, stole second and Rowdy West greeted Smyser with a ground rule double under the bleachers in left center to score Mildfeldt. A wild pitch sent West to third, and Ethan Adwell and Dakota Smyser battled until Adwell got a walk on a 3-2 county. That brought up Brayden Welch, who doubled down the third base line to score two and tie it up. Reed McIntyre battled Smyser to a 3-2 count and walked on a low pitch. Maverick Price grounded out, but Chance Barber walked to load the bases for Spencer Gray. Gray hit a screamer, but it was right at Peyton Coleman and North Nodaway got out of the inning with the score still tied at 6-6.

Dakota Smyser tried unsuccessfully to dig out a low pitch and grounded out to Reed McIntyre at first, but Dalton Smyser hit what looked like a routine grounder that caromed off the mound and into center for a base hit. Peyton Coleman whistled a single down the left field pine, they advanced to second and third, and Tyler Bix walked to load the bases with one out. NEN coach Vance Proffitt turned to Andrew Freemyer, and there was a heartstopping moment as he nearly plunked Arron Coleman on his first pitch, as North Nodaway coach Jake Shipman lobbied unsuccessfully for a hit batter, which would have ended it right there. Arron Coleman didn't mean to do it, but he went around on a 3-2 pitch that was out of the strike zone, and that was the second out of the inning and NEN was seemingly out of the woods. But then Freemyer plunked Logan Keho, and Dalton Smyser trotted home with the winning run.

Rachael Gardner Signs to Attend Missouri Western.

Rachael Gardner signed Wednesday to go to Missouri Western. She will play for the Griffon’s track team throwing the javelin; she will major in criminal justice. She was a standout softball athlete at Worth County and also competed with the track team this year. She is active in FBLA at Worth County.

Junior High Tigers Sweep at Albany

The Worth County Junior High track teams swept the Albany Invitational Friday in a busy week of track for the two squads.

The girls edged out Albany again, winning with 96 team points to 84 for Albany. Rock Port had 80, Platte Valley 69, Maysville 52, Gallatin 43.5, South Harrison 32, North Harrison 24, Gilman City 22, Union Star 22, Stanberry 21, Stewartsville 20.5, King City 12, Pattonsburg 4, and Winston 1.

On the boys side, South Harrison had run away with the Early Bird a few weeks before. But in Albany, the script totally flipped as Worth County won with 96 points to 87 for South Harrison. Albany had 67, Rock Port 57.5, Maysville 43, Pattonsburg 42, Platte Valley 41, Gallatin 38.5, Winston 30.5, Stewartsville 29, North Harrison 23, Union Star 15.5, Stanberry 10, King City 2, and Gilman City 1.

For the girls, Megan Cassavaugh was third in the 400 with a time of 1:08.79.

Braidy Hunt was sixth in the 800 with a time of 3:00.43. Hunt was third in the 1600 with a time of 6:18.64.

Morgan Beagle won the 100 Hurdles with a time of 18.78. Jill Hardy was fourth with a time of 20.30.
The 4x100 team of Megan Cassavaugh, Morgan Beagle, Keelin Engel, and Anna Spainhower was second with a time of 59.62. The 4x200 team of Jill Hardy, Aivry Griffin, Keelin Engel, and Morgan Beagle was third with a time of 2:10.25. The 4x400 team of Megan Cassavaugh, Allison Larison, Jill Hardy, and Braidy Hunt was fifth with a time of 5:06.

Anna Spainhower won the High Jump with a height of 4’4”. Aivry Griffin was fourth with a height of 4 feet.

Keelin Engel won the Pole Vault with a height of 8 feet. Aivry Griffin was seventh with a height of 5 feet.

The girls placed two in the Long Jump. Megan Cassavaugh was third with a jump of 13’6½”. Allison Larison was seventh with a jump of 12’9”.

The girls placed two in the Triple Jump. Braidy Hunt was fourth with a jump of 28’½”. Jill Hardy was right behind with a jump of 27’2”.

Maddie Taute was fifth in the Shot Put with a throw of 28’3”.

On the boys side, Andrew Alarcon was second in the 200 with a time of 26.83.

Nate Adwell was seventh in the 400 with a time of 1:04.48.

Josh Freed was fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:44.34.

Jace Cousatte was eighth in the 1600 with a time of 5:58.83.

Two Tigers placed in the 100 Hurdles. Jace Cousatte was third with a time of 19.13. Aydan Gladstone was right behind with a time of 19.63.

The 4x100 team of Aydan Gladstone, Lucas Wake, Alex Rinehart, and Reid Gabriel was fifth with a time of 57.24. The 4x200 team of Aydan Gladstone, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell was fourth with a time of 1:57.49. The 4x400 team of Jace Cousatte, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell won the 4x400 with a time of 4:27.66.

Lucas Wake was fifth in the High Jump with a height of 4’8”.

Nate Adwell won the High Jump with a height of 9’6”. Aydan Gladstone was fourth with a height of 7 feet.

Andrew Alarcon was tied for third in the Long Jump with a jump of 16’5”. Alex Rinehart was tied for fifth with a jump of 15’8½”.

Two Tigers placed in the Triple Jump. Joshua Freed was fourth with a jump of 27’2¾”. Jeshua Blaine was fifth with a jump of 26’9½”.

Reid Gabriel was second in the Discus with a throw of 109’10”.

Junior High Tiger Teams Second to Trenton at Bethany

Both Worth County Junior High teams went to Bethany Monday and came up second against Trenton in a battle that featured many of the teams of the newly expanded GRC.

On the girls side, Trenton won with 91, followed by 82 for Worth County. Hamilton had 80, Albany 73, Lawson 38.5, Gallatin 36, Maysville 30.5, South Harrison 30, Braymer 28, Princeton 27, Polo 23, North Harrison 19, King City 14, Gilman City 12, and Newtown-Harris 1.

On the boys side, Trenton won with 93 points followed by 86 for Worth County. South Harrison had 85; Worth County was able to edge them out after losing to them at the Junior High Early Bird earlier this week. Polo had 66.5, Hamilton 47, Albany 43.5, Gallatin 43, Lawson 39.5, Maysville 32, Princeton 29, North Harrison 19, Braymer 1, and East Harrison 0.5.

For the girls, Anna Spainhower was 7th in the 200 with a time of 32.10.

Megan Cassavaugh was third in the 400 with a time of 1:11.57.

Braidy Hunt was third in the 800 with a time of 2:52.02.

The girls placed two in the 100 Hurdles. Morgan Beagle was second with a time of 19.15. Jill Hardy was 8th with a time of 20.71.

The 4x100 team of Megan Cassavaugh, Morgan Beagle, Keelin Engel, and Anna Spainhower was fourth with a time of 59.90. The 4x200 team also placed fourth; the team of Megan Cassavaugh, Morgan Beagle, Braidy Hunt, and Anna Spainhower got a time of 2:07.03. The 4x400 team of Jill Hardy, Aivry Griffin, Keelin Engel, and Allison Larison was fourth with a time of 5:07.59.

The girls placed two in the High Jump. Anna Spainhower won with a height of 4’4”. Aivry Griffin was fifth with a height of 4’2”.

The Tigers also got a win in the Pole Vault. Keelin Engel won with a height of 7’6”. Aivry Griffin was fourth with a personal best height of 6 feet.

Megan Cassavaugh was 8th in the Long Jump with a jump of 12 feet.

The girls placed two in the Triple Jump. Braidy Hunt was fourth with a jump of 26’8½”. Jill Hardy was fifth with a jump of 26’5.

EmiLee Brown improved her distance in the Discus and placed fourth with a throw of 62’9”.

For the boys, Andrew Alarcon edged out Thomas Kepler (Polo) to win the 100 with a time of 12.80 to Kepler’s 12.96. Alarcon also won the 200, this time with a much more comfortable margin, getting a personal best time of 26.73. Alarcon was edged out in the 100, placing second to Camdyn Leeper (Trenton). However, he posted a personal best time of 1:00.09. Nate Adwell was sixth with a time of 1:04.37, also a personal best.

Jace Cousatte improved on his time in the 100 Hurdles and finished fourth with a time of 19.01. Aydan Gladstone was sixth with a time of 19.82.

The 4x100 team of Aydan Gladstone, Lucas Wake, Alex Rinehart, and Reid Gabriel was third with a time of 56.44. The 4x200 team of Aydan Gladstone, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell was also third, getting a time of 1:57.89. The 4x400 team of Jace Cousatte, Reid Gabriel, Alex Rinehart, and Nate Adwell shaved three seconds off their time and was third with a time of 4:31.
Nate Adwell won the Pole Vault with a height of 10’6. Aydan Gladstone was fifth with a height of 7 feet.

Alex Rinehart was third in the Triple Jump with a jump of 30’4; he improved on his previous best by a foot.

Andrew Alarcon was 8th in the Shot Put with a throw of 30’2½.

The boys placed two in the Discus. Reid Gabriel was fourth with a throw of 94’10”. Jackson Runde was sixth with a throw of 86’7”.