Obituary -- Raymond Earl Nally 1923-2017

Raymond Earl Nally, age 94, passed away on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at the Willow Brook Christian Community, Delaware, Ohio where he had resided since 2004. He is survived by his wife Helen Nally; daughters, Susan Nally, Gayle (Fritz) Reidenbach and son Ennis (Diane) Nally; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Raymond was born July 8, 1923 to Willa Frances (Knowles) Nally and Moses Earl Nally of Sheridan, Missouri. Preceding him in death were brothers, Norvel Nally, Knowles Nally, James Ivan Nally and sister, Ethel Evans.

He served in WWII in the 15th Army Air Force 450th Bomb Group as an Engineer Gunner on a B24 crew. He and part of the crew evaded capture for one month after the aircraft went down and were successfully evacuated to Bari, Italy. In 2013 he was honored as a grand marshal of the Columbus Red, White and Boom Independence Day Parade. Raymond graduated from the Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville and earned an MBA at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. He retired after a long career from Sears Roebuck and Co as Controller in 1987. Raymond was a Charter member of St. Andrew Christian Church.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. The family asks in lieu of flowers a donation be made in his name to WillowBrook Christian Community 100 Willow Brook Way, Delaware, Ohio 43015 or the St. Andrew Christian Church, 1985 Swansford Drive, Dublin Ohio 43016. Arrangements have been entrusted to SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON CHAPEL. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to express condolences.

Shamrocks Unleash Three Hurlers, Run the Table at Albany

North Harrison unleashed three hurlers Saturday at the Bill Hill Memorial Tournament in Albany and ran the table against three quality teams. Any one of the eight teams participating could have won it, but Coach Brandon Craig had the luxury of using three different pitchers, two of whom nobody had seen before this year. They only gave up four runs for the entire tournament. Carly Rinehart, Ashlynn Gilpatrick, and Payton Craig all pitched dominating performances; the scary thing about that is that Rinehart is only a freshman and Gilpatrick is only a sophomore.

North Harrison 6, Albany 1
Seeded second, North Harrison first took on Albany. The Warriors are a tough out for anyone facing them; most of their girls are really small, making for a tiny strike zone and a difficult time for a lot of enemy pitchers. But North Harrison’s freshman hurler Carly Rinehart had no problem locating her pitches; she didn’t walk a single Warrior batter all day. She had strong fielding behind her, and that gave her the confidence to put the ball in play.

Payton Craig had a long battle with Albany’s pitcher Madalyn Rainey and walked to start off the first; she stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Brandi Rivet’s fly ball to center to make it 1-0.

North Harrison added to their lead in the third. Brandi Rivet hit a pop fly that dropped into left field for a base hit. Mason Cracraft successfully bunted her over to second. Emma Craig popped out to Lauryn Shoush at short, but Audrey Briggs doubled to the wall in right center to score Rivet. She tried to stretch a double into a triple, but was thrown out. Photographic evidence shows she was safe at third, but the umpire saw it differently.

In the fourth, a pair of strong defensive plays kept Albany off the board. First, with one out, shortstop Payton Craig tracked down a pop fly hit by Lulu Brown that dropped in a dead spot between the mound and short. That frequently turns into a base hit, but Craig threw a laser to first to get her out by half a step. Then, Gabby Newman hit a triple to left that rolled to the wall, 250 feet away. Newman then got picked off third and into a rundown. It is the well-known “pickle play;” frequently, less disciplined teams struggle with that, especially with an elusive runner like Newman.  But six Shamrock fielders converged on the play and there were six different throws made before Newman was tagged out. Instead of 2-1 or 2-2, North Harrison was still up 2-0.

North Harrison finally broke it open in the fourth. Ashlynn Gilpatrick walked and Sally Briggs turned on a change and shot it into center for a hit. Carly Rinehart grounded into what could have been a force, but Gilpatrick beat it out and the bases were loaded for Payton Craig. That is usually the death knell for opposing teams, and sure enough, Payton Craig shot one into the left field corner for a bases clearing three run triple to make it 5-0. She came home on a wild pitch to make it 6-0.

Albany got some good swings off Rinehart in the fifth and sixth, with nothing to show for it. First, Rainey Fordyce caught a screamer from Riley Houts in right to take away extra bases. Then, in the sixth, after she moved to center, she was there for a running catch to take extra bases away from Amber Davis. Then, Rinehart snagged a line drive from Shoush to take a base hit away from her.
Albany finally made some noise in the seventh when Madalyn Rainey doubled down the right field line, stole third, and came home on Lulu Brown’s groundout. Gabby Newman reached on an error on an uncalled pop fly, then second baseman Mason Cracraft tried to tag Newman on a grounder from Michaela Martin and missed to put runners on first and second. Riley Houts flied out to advance them, but Taylor Bain grounded out to end the threat and the game. To their credit, while North Harrison made a couple of errors in the inning, they didn’t let it snowball on them like in the Platte Valley loss.

North Harrison 12, Gallatin 1
Gallatin has had quality teams for many years. “They have a lot of players who work hard during the summer and play the game the right way,” said Coach Craig. But once again, North Harrison broke through in the fourth inning and broke the game wide open to put the Bulldogs away.

The Bulldogs tried to stop Payton Craig by putting their left fielder next to the wall in the left field corner, but she popped one down the line in left and made it to second anyway to lead off the first. Brandi Rivet struck out – a rare called third strike as she was fooled by a slow change. But Mason Cracraft doubled off the wall in left to bring Craig home. Audry Briggs’ pop fly single dropped in and the throw home kept Cracraft at third – but allowed Briggs to go to second. Emma Craig grounded out to short and Briggs was thrown out at third afterwards, but not before Cracraft crossed the plate to give North Harrison the 2-0 lead after one.

On the other side, Coach Craig sent Ashlynn Gilpatrick to the mound to stop the powerhouse Gallatin team; the sophomore hurler missed all of last year (ACL), but didn’t skip a beat Saturday, keeping the Bulldogs off the board except for the fifth inning. The fielding was solid behind her, and she was able to throw everything for strikes, knowing there were eight other players behind her. The fourth inning particularly pleased Coach Craig, since she retired Gallatin 1-2-3 with just five pitches.

North Harrison had to battle two injuries before and during the Gallatin game. There was a scary moment before the game, when outfielder Hunter Stevens was plunked in the face by a foul ball while warming up during the Princeton-Albany game; she will be OK. The second was in the fifth inning. Mason Cracraft, with a hot bat, singled hard to left and Audrey Briggs singled as well and the left fielder let it get by her. But Cracraft stumbled around second while headed to third and made it there, but was done for the day (hamstring) as Briggs took second.

Emma Craig shot a single up the middle to score Lola Breshears (running for Cracraft); Briggs scored on a wild pitch as Craig took second on the play. Ashlynn Gilpatrick then stretched a single into a double to score Craig to finish Gallatin pitcher Karley Salmon and bring on Caragan Baker for the Bulldogs.

Kami Gibson was hit by a pitch and Olivia Babinski (running for Gilpatrick) beat out a force at third to load the bases as Sally Briggs reached on the fielder’s choice. Carly Rinehart grounded into a force at home, but Payton Craig flied out to score Babinski. Brandi Rivet beat out an infield hit score Gibson; Rainey Fordyce (running for Briggs) was out at home trying to go from second to home on the play, but the damage was done as five runs came home that inning to make it 7-0.

Gallatin got their lone tally in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Maelea Coulson shot a single past short and third and Hannah Miller (running for Coulson) went to second on a wild pitch. She scored on a dropped fly ball, North Harrison’s lone error of the game.

The Gallatin shortstop threw away a grounder to put Lola Breshears on first to start the fifth. Audrey Briggs forced Breshears at second, but then the shortstop dropped a force play at second as Emma Craig reached safely. Ashlynn Gilpatrick singled to right as Briggs scored. The cutoff throw got away, but not far enough and Emma Craig was thrown out at home as Briggs went to third with two outs. But it didn’t matter as the next four Shamrocks got hits. Kami Gibson singled to left to score Olivia Babinski (running for Gilpatrick). Rainey Fordyce, who had helped North Harrison with her glove all day, did so with her bat and her pop fly single put runners on first and second. Carly Rinehart doubled into the gap in left center field to score Gibson, putting runners on second and third.

Once again, it was up to Payton Craig to strike the death blow and she did. She had hit several screamers that game that had all landed just barely foul; apparently, Carlton Fisk was not there to waive them fair like he did back during the 1975 World Series. But this time, she finally landed one fair down the left field line that scored Fordyce and Rinehart to end the game on the 10-run rule.

North Harrison 6, King City 1
King City changed things up as, instead of sending Grace Schottel out against North Harrison, they pitched Abigail Rapp in an effort to keep North Harrison’s vaunted hitting off balance, while North Harrison saved Payton Craig for the final game. They moved the fleet-footed Schottel to left to chase down any long drives Craig or any other Shamrock better would hit out there.

King City’s plans worked for three innings, but once again, the fourth was magic for North Harrison. King City got a two out rally when the umpire started calling a stingy strike zone for Payton Craig and Abigail Rapp walked. She stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Dakota Goucher beat out third baseman Ashlynn Gilpatrick on a grounder to score her. North Harrison trailed for the first time all tournament, 1-0.

It looked like it might stand up; King City, who had beaten favored Stanberry, had a well-oiled machine. In the second, King City had a chance to connect on another two out rally as Victoria Washburn walked and took second on a wild pitch. Payton Craig kept fighting the strike zone and got to 3-2 on Madeline Saunders. But then coach Brandon Craig called timeout and talked to her without any of the fielders coming in. Whatever he said settled her down, as she solved the umpire’s stingy strike zone and didn’t walk another batter the rest of the game.

It looked like it might be in vain despite North Harrison’s best efforts. Kami Gibson hit a screamer in the gap in the second, but Washburn, a freshman, was there to run it down. Grace Schottel was up in the third to lead off for King City and hit a tough grounder to Brandi Rivet at short, but Rivet threw a laser beam to first to get her by half a step. North Harrison tried to make noise in the third as Carli Rinehart singled to right center. But Rainey Fordyce hit a screamer right to Rapp, who doubled off Rinehart for a double play. That loomed up strongly as Payton Craig hit a shot down the right field line – for the first time all year – for a double. Brandi Rivet hit a grounder up the first base line that would have been trouble against a lot of teams. But King City pulled off the 3-4 play, with the second baseman coming over to cover first to end that threat.

In the fourth, Dakota Goucher hit a shot off Gilpatrick’s glove at third to get on safely. Alexia Sweiger ran for her and King City tried to manufacture a run to add to their lead. But then freshman catcher Emma Craig made a big-time play as she shot her down stealing throwing out her crouch to erase the threat. Later, Sage Howard squibbed one down the third base line, but Payton Craig came off the mound, grabbed it, and threw a laser to first for the out.

Once again, it looked like the well-oiled King City machine would keep North Harrison at bay as the 3-4 play got Briggs out at first to start. But all of a sudden, Emma Craig hit a shot right at Rapp on the mound. She stuck her glove up, but somehow, it found its way past Rapp and into center field for a hit. She took second and third on wild pitches with Ashlynn Gilpatrick up.

Gilpatrick hit a grounder for what should have been North Harrison's second out. But the ball took a crazy hop on the second baseman and bounded into right as Craig scored. That opened the floodgates as once again, the fourth inning was big for North Harrison. Kami Gibson shot one up the middle for a hit and Sally Briggs reached on a fielder’s choice as King City tried unsuccessfully to pick Gilpatrick off third. Carly Rinehart hit a shot off the shortstop’s glove that could have been a double play, but instead, bounded into left for a base hit and the tiebreaking run to put North Harrison up 2-1. Rainey Fordyce hit a pop fly into center field, the center fielder couldn’t come up with a shoestring catch, and one more run scored. Payton Craig shot one between third and short to score two more and make it 5-1.

Emma Craig got lucky in the fifth as she swung at strike three in the dirt and reached when it got back to the screen. She stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and Ashlynn Gilpatrick had a long battle with Rapp before grounding out to short to score Craig. “We got better plate discipline as the game progressed,” said Coach Brandon Craig. “We played well and pitched well. One hit just fed off another for us today.”

Tiger Football Downs North Shelby 74-8; Does Nothing to Harm Ranking

Worth County did nothing to harm their ranking in the Missouri Eight Man Coaches Association poll as they took the long trip to North Shelby and came back home from the four hour trip with the 74-8 victory.

They did so despite playing shorthanded, without Isaac Alarcon (arm). Coach Chris Healy inserted Wayde Parman as a blocking back; the Tiger offense continued to click as Parman simply served as an extra blocker for the Tigers, opening up holes for Ryan McClellan and Tevin Cameron. Worth County ran the ball well enough with Parman as a blocking back that the yards were easy to come by. Ryan McClellan and Jacob New both handled the quarterbacking chores for Worth County; the Tigers were able to move through the air as well.

Three early fumbles by North Shelby allowed Worth County to put the game away early. Later, North Shelby came out in some different looks that Worth County hadn’t seen on film and there were a few breakdowns, but Worth County did not let them back in the game. Seven different Tigers scored touchdowns when the night’s work was over.

Other scores from ranked teams:
#1 North Andrew 58, St. Joseph Christian 26 – With a new coach, North Andrew put together a major air blitz as Powelson completed 30 passes in 35 attempts for 327 yards. Patterson caught 11 passes for 216 yards. Christian, who has usually been one of the better teams in eight man football, didn’t score until late in the first half, when the game was already decided. The Lions struggled against Pattonsburg/North Harrison as well in Week One, falling to the upstart Panthers 48-30.

#2 Stanberry 72, Albany 20 – It looked like it would be a track meet between the two Gentry County rivals as Colton Coburn put Albany on his back in the first quarter and the Warriors gave Stanberry all they could handle, leading 20-18 at one point in the opening period. But then Coburn went down (shoulder), and Stanberry pulled away for the victory. This was after Stanberry had gotten off to a slow start against Braymer, only leading 14-8 at the half before pulling away for the 50-20 victory. Coburn scored on runs of 12 and 34 for the Warriors along with a 64 yard return.

#4 Rock Port 74, Platte Valley 0 – Rock Port had little trouble disposing of next week’s opponent for North/West Nodaway. They still have prize quarterback Jace Hughes along with runningback Caden Linthicum; they have a stingy defense to go with it. Rock Port held Platte Valley to 3 for 28 passing for a mere 13 yards. Hughes completed all seven of his passes for 113 yards.

#5 East Atchison 66, North/West Nodaway 20 – The two teams played a close game last year, with East Atchison coming away with the 34-26 victory. But this time, the Wolves had little trouble disposing of North/West Nodaway. Enemy coaches can no longer focus on prize receiver Gage McAdams, as they unleashed Briacin Bywater, a speedy runningback, this year. He had 20 carries for 197 yards Friday night.

#6 Sacred Heart 53, #7 Greenfield 16 – Coaches have been worried by the Sacred Heart team, which easily beat Albany 70-22 this year to start their season and then rolled through Greenfield this week. They made it to the State Semifinals last year before falling to Stanberry.

#8 Mound City 64, Stewartsville 12 – Stewartsville came into the year with one of the top backs in Eight Man Football in Gage Rush returning, along with his brother, Cain Rush. However, Mound City had little trouble disposing of the Cardinals and bringing them back to earth last week.

#10 South/Nodaway Holt 64, #9 Southwest Livingston 16 – Apparently, Worth County is good enough this year that they are making everyone else look bad. After the Spartans could not take care of the ball in week one and fell to Worth County at halftime, it was a completely different game Friday. The teams traded scores in the first quarter and tied it 14-14 before the Spartans took a 28-16 halftime lead and broke it open in the third.

And although North Shelby could only put up eight points against Worth County, Coach Chris Healy said that they would put up a lot of points on the board this year.

The Spartans had to do some major lineup changes due to injuries before the Worth County game. However, they got Cole Alloway, one of their players, back Friday night, and that helped. Wes Williams ran wild over the Southwest Livingston defense, getting 170 yards in nine carries.

OTHER GAMES OF INTEREST
Lafayette 44, Central 42 – Bart Hardy has his Fighting Irish back in the hunt again, and they won an epic barnburner this year over their city rivals.
Maryville 40, St. Pius 20 – St. Pius came out with one of their best teams in a while, but Maryville rushed 60 times for over 450 yards to come away with the victory. They only attempted seven passes all night, they were so dominant on the line of scrimmage.

Pattonsburg 72, Braymer 44 – Stanberry’s coach, Shane Hilton, noted on the radio that his squad scored on a long drive to start the game and Braymer responded with a long drive of their own. Braymer was able to slow down Stanberry by playing at their pace, but this time, Pattonsburg was able to play at their pace and come away with the victory over Worth County’s next opponent.

Hamilton 50, Gallatin 6 – In a performance reminiscent of The Galloping Ghost, Latroy Harper ran wild over Gallatin in this match between former GRC foes. Harper scored on runs of 62, 49, 82, and 83, getting eight carries for 283 yards.

Pickup Stolen in Nodaway County

The Nodaway County Sheriff's Office reported Friday on its Facebook page that a 1998 3/4 ton 4x4 GMC Pickup was stolen sometime between 5 pm August 24th, 2017 and Friday morning, August 25th from the area of Highway 71 and Icon Road. It is maroon with tan wheel covers and a tan stripe on the bottom. There is no tailgate on the truck and it has a maroon tool box in the back of the truck. MO license plate of 30A9CS. Please call the Nodaway County Sheriff's Office if you have any information about this vehicle.

The insurance company GEICO gives the following tips to protect your car from theft:

1. Keep your vehicle locked at all times, even while driving.
2. When parked, never leave your keys in the car. Close all the windows and the sunroof.
3. Never leave your car running and unattended.
4. Avoid leaving valuables inside your vehicle where passersby can see them.
5. Do not leave your vehicle title in the car. Too often a car thief is pulled over and gets away from the police because he or she can produce the auto registration. (If multiple drivers use the vehicle, the best suggestion would be to hide the registration in a secret location in the car that only the owners know.)
6. Know where you’re going. Avoid known high crime areas even if the alternate route takes longer.
7. Install an anti-theft system in your vehicle if it doesn’t have one. Thieves are reluctant to steal vehicles if they know the cars can be recovered quickly. Many insurers offer discounts for the types of systems listed below.
8. Thieves prefer to work in the dark. Be particularly cautious at night about where you park your car. Park it in a well-lit area if possible.
9. Look around. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in garages, parking lots and gas stations.
10. Have your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) etched on each of the windows. Car thieves want to get off cheap. They don’t want to go to the expense of replacing all the glass.
11. On an incline, leave your car in park or in gear with the wheels turned toward the curb or some other obstruction. This makes it harder for thieves to tow your vehicle.
12. If confronted by a carjacker, do not resist. Cars can be replaced; you can’t.

Obituary -- Randall "Randy" Willis 1946-2017

Randall C. “Randy” Willis, 70, of Maryville, MO, passed from this life on August 23, 2017, at his home in Maryville.

Randy was born on October 11, 1946, the youngest of 3 sons of Carol Marie Lesan and Raymond Lee Willis, in Eagleville, MO. His daddy was killed in a hunting accident when Randy was 13 months old. In Eagleville, he was surrounded by family. His mother and two brothers, Nate and Davemoved to Maryville when he was ten. When he was 13, his mother married Paul Mildward and to this union, Randy had two 2 brothers, Kenny and Russ.

Randy served 2 tours in Viet Nam in ’66 and ’68 when he acquired Agent Orange. He received an honorable discharge from the military so that he could come home and take care of this son, Todd Alan Willis who was born to Randy and Stella Roderick Willis on October 23, 1966. That marriage lasted from ’64 to ’68. On October 20, 1972, Randy married Karen Deloris Nail and they had 2 children, Carolyn Lee and Jason Raymond.

Randy was a loving husband and father. He loved Christmas with all the lights and setting off fireworks on the 4th of July. He loved to drive around the countryside in our beautiful part of the country. He loved family get-togethers and he was a great cook. He always fixed the meat(the hard part) for those special meals. He was a good man. Life is too short! I so look forward to being with him in eternity after I see Jesus.

He loved the Lord and gave his heart to Jesus in May of 1972. He was a charter member of the Temple Baptist Church and he and his 3 children were in the first service on May 30, 1979. He loved his church family.

He was a high achiever in whatever he set out to do. He was one of the first six Certified Grounds Managers in the world. He became President of the Professional Grounds Management Society for which he wrote articles and was highly respected, but his family was number One for him. He was a great protector of them.

He leaves behind to greatly mourn his passing, his wife, Karen, of 45 blessed years, Todd (Renee’) Willis, Maryville, Carolyn Willis Rodriguez (Oscar), Lenexa, KS, and Jay (Tabitha) Willis, Beaumont, TX. He leaves grandchildren: Desiree’, Alex, Justin, Alexis, Victoria, Hope, Benjamin,Rachel, Elizabeth, Elimelec and Catalina, as well as great grandchildren: Destiny, Jaxson, and Scarlet. Also, his brothers, Dave (Norma) Willis, Hideaway, TX, Kenny (Kathy) Mildward, Emporia, KS, Russell Mildward, Gridley, KS, and Nathan (Priscilla) Willis, in North Carolina. He has in laws Shirley (Roger) Kjellberg, Ankeny, IA, and Lloyd (Vicki) Nail, West Des Moines, IA, and many nieces and nephews. He has a step sister, Lois Carr, Maryville, MO.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his stepbrother, Don Mildward, in 2004.

Funeral services will be at 3:00 PM, on Saturday, August 26, 2017, at the Bram-Danfelt Funeral Home, Maryville, MO. The minister will be Pastor Roger Cooper from the Temple Baptist Church.

Military Rites will be after the funeral service on Saturday at the funeral home by members of the Missouri Military Honors detail and James Edward Gray, American Legion Post 100, Maryville.

Cremation will follow the services and inurnment will be at a later date in Eagleville, MO
Memorials are suggested to the Temple Baptist Church, N. Main, Maryville, MO 64468.

Ashley Thompson’s Double Allows North Nodaway to Walk Off Against Tigers

Ashley Thompson’s walkoff ground rule double gave North Nodaway a 6-4 win over Worth County, the second straight win over Worth County in as many weeks.

Worth County was up 4-3 going into the bottom of the seventh after a game with some early fireworks settled into a defensive struggle. Audrey Trimble tried to slap her way on for North Nodaway but was out on a close play to start the inning, but Kandace Damgar singled up the middle, as did Shai Dailey. Makayla Cross hit a squib down the first base line and Worth County first baseman Kennedy Galanakis didn’t have a play anywhere.

That loaded the bases for Emma Hart, who flied out to Morgan Beagle in right. She tried to double off Cross, but she was safe and both Cross and Dailey advanced on the ensuing throw home as Damgar scored safely to tie it at 4-4.

Ashley Thompson came up and she hit a deep drive to dead center field. Centerfielder Anna Gladstone was tracking it, but as she tried to make the catch, her foot tangled up in the fence and the ball caromed off her glove over the fence. Officially, it was scored a ground rule double to give North Nodaway the 6-4 victory.

It looked for all the world like Worth County would avenge its loss from the week before. North Nodaway was playing shorthanded, without Alicia Davison (shoulder). In the top of the first, Braidy Hunt walked and Jill Hardy shot one past Shai Dailey at second as Hunt went to third. Hardy stole second and Merrideth Spiers reached on an error as shortstop Kandace Damgar bobbled it to let in a run. Pitcher Keagan O’Riley bobbled Kennedy Galanakis’ squib to load the bases. Hailey Hunt struck out for the second out, but Megan Cassavaugh hit a pop fly single to right to score two runs and make it 3-0.

Worth County added to their lead in the second when Anna Gladstone shot a single into center with one out. Braidy Hunt got a scratch hit, but then Anna Gladstone was thrown out trying to go first to third on the play as Hunt took second. Jill Hardy beat out another scratch hit between first and second as Hunt came home all the way from second to make it 4-0.

Worth County got into a jam in the second, but got out of it. With one out, Ashley Thompson shot one into right past Abbi Caddenhead at second for a single. Keagan O’Riley reached on a dropped fly ball by leftfielder Braidy Hunt, and Kristin Herndon was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But Chloe Schimming grounded into a force at home and Audrey Trimble was barely out at first on a slap hit to pitcher Haley Hunt for the third out.

North Nodaway finally broke through in the third. Kandace Damgar shot a single up the middle, and Shai Dailey beat out a bunt that landed in a dead zone just in front of second. That brought up Makayla Cross, who tripled off the wall in left to score two. That brought up Emma Hart, who grounded out to Jill Hardy at short to score Cross to make it 4-3. Ashley Thompson made it all the way to second on a throwing error, but Anna Gladstone made a running catch of Keagan O’Riley’s pop fly and Kristin Herndon grounded out.

The game settled into a defensive struggle until the final inning. Worth County got two runners on in the fourth as Braidy Hunt and Jill Hardy singled with one out, but Merrideth Spiers and Kennedy Galanakis struck out to end the threat. In the sixth, North Nodaway first baseman Ashley Thompson stretched a long ways to save second baseman Shai Dailey an error on Braidy Hunt’s grounder. That turned out to be a big item as Jill Hardy tripled on the next play when center fielder Audrey Trimble slipped and fell going after the ball and left fielder Emma Hart had to go get it. Worth County stopped potential mischief in the sixth as Hunt made a running catch of Keagan O’Riley’s drive, the second time she had been robbed; Jill Hardy snagged Chloe Schimming’s screamer and doubled off Kristin Herndon off of first later in the inning.

The JV game followed the same script as the varsity game as North Nodaway won 7-5 after Worth County had led 5-1 at one point.

The two teams traded runs in the first as Kaylee McElvain grounded out to score Allison Larison for Worth County and Jadon Dobbins scored on a wild pitch for North Nodaway.

In the second, Morgan Beagle walked and beat out a force to second as Kennedy Galanakis was safe on a fielder’s choice. Kristin New walked, Beagle scored on a wild pitch, and Anna Gladstone hit a three run home run to left field well over the 200 foot fence to make it 5-1.

But then North Nodaway got three back in the bottom of the inning. Ashley Thompson singled and then Jadon Dobbins hit a pop fly that rolled away from everyone for a double; she went to third on an unsuccessful throw home. Emily Dew reached on a scratch hit to short to score Dobbins; later, Taylor Combs grounded out to score Dew. In the third, Shai Dailey got a single and continued on to third on an error that score three more runs to give North Nodaway the 7-5 win.

Shamrock Softball Can’t Get Over the Hump Against Platte Valley; Falls 5-3

Last year, North Harrison came close three times against Platte Valley, but couldn’t get over the hump. They finally fell to them in sectionals last year after beating Worth County in districts. Once again Tuesday night, North Harrison went up against the Eagles, allegedly in rebuilding mode. But once again, Platte Valley reloaded and knocked off North Harrison.

Coach Brandon Craig said he was proud of the hitting and the way they battled the whole game, but that the focus in upcoming games would be on getting more focused and making the routine plays.
The Eagles pitched Payton Craig as well as anyone this year, getting her to fly out right off the bat.
The second inning along with the sixth were the downfall for the Shamrocks. In the second, North Harrison let Josie Deen get on thanks to a throwing error to lead off. The rest of the inning was death by 1,000 cuts as Jefferson only hit two balls out of the infield, yet North Harrison could not get out of the frame until three runs were scored. Ashley Mattson hit the one solid hit that Platte Valley had, putting runners on first and third.

North Harrison nearly caught a break on the next play as Ashley Riley (running for Deen) got caught off third in a double steal situation and was tagged out in a rundown for the first out. Mattson alertly made it all the way to third for Platte Valley, but It looked like they might get out of it.

But the torture by 1,000 cuts was just beginning. Laylin LaMaster hit a pop fly just out of the reach of second baseman Mason Cracraft to score Mattson. Payton Craig, who was a human wall on the mound, fielding a lot of hard-hit balls that might have gone into center field, threw one away, putting runners on first and third. Mikayla Mattson stole second and then LaMaster came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Then, shortstop Brandi Rivet threw one away to score Mattson to make it 3-0.

A lot of times, when you give Platte Valley an inch, they take a mile; however, North Harrison battled back for the rest of the game and hit the ball hard all night long, but right at people. Mason Cracraft doubled one off the left center field wall to start the fourth. Emma Craig popped out, but Audrey Briggs doubled off the right field wall to score Crafraft to make it 3-1. North Harrison would have made it closer, but Ashlynn Gilpatrick’s screamer was hit right at center fielder Mikayla Mattson, and Sally Briggs’ short pop, which normally would have dropped in, was caught again by Mattson.

In the fifth, North Harrison had a great chance to score but couldn’t capitalize. Kami Gibson led off with a fly ball just beyond Kaylin LaMaster’s grasp for a double. Carly Rinehart’s sac bunt moved her over to third, but Payton Craig’s fly ball was not deep enough to bring her home. Gibson tried to come home on a wild pitch, but it didn’t roll far enough away and she was out at the plate to end the inning.

North Harrison finally got a run back when Brandi Rivet walked to lead off the sixth. Mason Cracraft hit a pop fly behind second and a rare Platte Valley miscue happened when nobody called it and a catchable ball dropped in behind second untouched. Rivet was able to scramble to second in time to avoid the force. Emma Craig moved them over to third with a sac bunt, but Audry Briggs popped out to Malia Collins at short for the second out. Ashlynn Gilpatrick shot one up the middle to score one run to make it 3-2 and Sally Briggs hit a screamer that looked headed for extra bases. But the right fielder made a running catch to end the threat.

It looked like North Harrison had all the momentum, but an umpire’s ruling change that. Stephanie Chor popped out and Josie Deen flied out to start. Payton Craig had two strikes on Ashley Mattson and Mattson bit on Craig’s riser for what should have been strike three, as her wrist broke and the bat came across the plate. But the umpire ruled no swing, Mattson was on first instead of the dugout, and Kaylin LaMaster promptly homered to make it 5-2.

North Harrison kept battling in the seventh as Kami Gibson got her second extra base hit, doubling off the left field wall. Rinehart singled just past Malia Collins at short to put runners at first and third. Rinehart took off for second on a first and third play; normally, teams don’t contest that, but Jefferson threw down there and got her out stealing. Payton Craig’s pop fly single dropped in to score and she went to second on a wild pitch. But then Rivet popped out to Collins and Mason Cracraft grounded out.

North Harrison’s JV won the nightcap 7-6, holding on after building a five run lead. Kenna Slaughter singled in Hunter Stevens and Carly Rinehart in the first inning to make it 2-0. They added to it in the second as Olivia Babinski, Rainey Fordyce, Kylie Pottorff, and Lola Breshears all singled to score two runs and Hunter Stevens singled to bring in another.

Platte Valley scored three in the second to make it 5-3, but Breshears grounded out in the fifth to score Babinski and Ashlynn Gilpatrick reached on an error to score Fordyce with some badly needed insurance runs.

Carly Rinehart pitched the first two innings for North Harrison. Ashlynn Gilpatrick pitched the next two, while Emma Craig finished up for North Harrison.

Obituary -- Buddy Jackson 1949-2017

Buddy Lee Jackson, second son of Hale Robert Jackson and Coyla Mae Dehart Jackson was born September 6, 1949 at St. Francis Hospital in Maryville, Missouri. . He departed this life August 18, 2017 at his home in Grant City, Missouri.  . 

      

At the age of 17 he joined the United States Army and spent time in Germany and Vietnam. 

    

In 1970 Buddy married Marilyn Marie Farmer.  To this union two sons were born, Kenneth James Farmer and Timothy Marinus Jackson. 

     

Buddy worked for a time for Herzog  of St. Joseph.  Later he moved to Grant City and worked at Johnson Controls of Albany as a fabricator.  After retiring due to poor health, he spent his remaining years visiting friends and stripping copper wire.  He was found Thursday morning, August 18, at home in his chair with wire still in his hands. 

    

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents, Hale and Coyla Jackson, two brothers Danny and Michael Jackson. 

    

He is survived by two sons, Kenneth Farmer of the home and Timothy Jackson of Maryville, Missouri,  6 grandchildren: Cody, Tyson and Logan Jackson,  Dillon, Patience and Trinity Farmer;  sister Barbara Hale Jackson of Grant City,  other relatives and friends who will miss him.  

    

Memorial Services were held at 1:00 P.M. Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.  Inurnment will be at a later date in the Redding Cemetery, Redding, Iowa.

NEN Softball Wins Opener at East Harrison; Makayla Adwell Homers

The Northeast Nodaway girls softball team invaded East Harrison Tuesday and came away with the 11-3 victory. Makayla Adwell homered over the left fielder’s head for NEN, while Maggie Schmitz, Emily Redden, and Anne Schieber all had triples. Paige West had three hits and two stolen bases, while Jana Walker added two stolen bases.

Anne Schieber’s sac fly drove in Schmitz after she hit her triple in the first and put Northeast up 1-0. Northeast added six more in the third as Paige West singled to left and Maggie Schmitz beat out a bunt hit to open the floodgates and make it 7-0. Northeast scored one in the fourth and one in the fifth before East Harrison scored their lone tallies in the sixth to make it 9-3. Northeast scored two insurance runs in the seventh for the victory.

Maggie Schmitz got the win for Northeast, while Blair Stoll finished up for the Bluejays. Northeast was sharp in the field, only committing one error for the night.

Mustang Volleyball Seeks to Take Flight

11 girls are out for the North Nodaway Volleyball Team that hopes to build a new tradition. They will compete in junior high this year, seek to add some JV games next year, and then start a full season next year unless the school reverses course before then. North Nodaway sought to build a volleyball program five years ago, but dropped it.

Coach Jaclyn Smail has been practicing her charges, teaching the basics and fundamentals of the game, working on technique, hitting, passing, and spiking. Their first game will be at the West Nodaway Tournament on September 9th. Already, some of their players are showing promise, including Saylor Brown and Shalena Adwell as hitters and Jacklyn Cline as a digger. The school has already put in a new floor which can be used for volleyball as well as basketball.

Also coming out for the sport are Mackenzie Titus, Justice Atkison, Sarah Chesnut, Felicia Wyllie, Payton Poppa, Sarah Wray, Danielle Riedel, and Kelsey Barcus. Chesnut, one of the littlest girls on the team, is nonetheless one of the most vocal in cheering on everyone else in practice.

The schedule for the new team is as follows:
September 9th – West Nodaway Tournament
September 12th – at South Page, 4 pm
September 18th – Mound City, 5 pm
September 21st – Sidney (IA), 5 pm
September 28th – at Maryville, 5 pm
October 2nd – at St. Gregory’s, 5 pm

Fatal Teen Wreck Causes Cancellation of King City Football Game

A fatal teen wreck Thursday evening claimed the life of a Union Star football player. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 2011 Ford Escape driven by Zachary Richey (16) of Union Star was westbound on County Road 229 and a 1978 Peterbilt Tractor Trailer driven by Robert Hill (31) of Platte City was northbound on Route M 6 miles northwest of Union Star at around 5:36 pm that evening. The Escape failed to stop at the posted stop sign and struck the towed unit of the Peterbilt in the passenger side. Both vehicles came to rest on Route M and caught fire. Hill was not injured in the accident. Both were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

Richey was a football player on the King City/Union Star football cooperative, and the game with North Andrew that had been scheduled for Friday was canceled and will count as a forfeit win for North Andrew.

Ravenwood Teen Receives Minor Injuries in Wreck

A Ravenwood teen received minor injuries in a one car accident Saturday evening at 10:20 pm. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Taylor Coffelt (17) of Ravenwood was eastbound on 290th Street and Katydid Road four miles southeast of Maryville when she failed to navigate a curve. She traveled off the east side of the roadway, into a field, and came to rest facing east. She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Worth County School Board Hires Two Part-Time Teachers, Three Volunteer Coaches

The Worth County School Board hired three volunteer coaches (who will not receive pay), along with two part-time teachers Thursday at their regular meeting. Named were Derek Fletchall (Football), Mark Terry (Track), and Les New (Girls Basketball). Janet Kinsella was hired as part-time Title I Math Teacher, while Jackie Findley was hired as part-time Title Reading. The board also approved a substitute teacher list for this school year.

Teachers Kelley Ross and Jodi Lawrence gave reports to the board on their work with the Solar Eclipse. Students from 4th through 12th grade went to King City to view it; however, torrential rains and clouds prevented them from seeing most of it. Mrs. Lawrence reported that the lights came on in town, along with the ones at Country Corners and the lighted cross in front of Crossroads Church.
Mrs. Lawrence reported that when the sun reached totality, the students went out to watch. The students from Kindergarten through 3rd grade spent all morning doing projects on the Eclipse, including watching the NASA livestream along with reading.

The Comprehensive School Improvement Plan was rated by Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz as Average. The school will do another one once the new state standards come out, which will be within the next two years. Strengths listed include the fact that the district is making progress on goals and that administration and staff are focusing on student learning. Concerns listed include the need for more district patron input. The school plans to get input from patrons in the district in the near future, putting them in a position to rewrite the plan when the new state standards are published.

The Partnership Library will have its ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, September 8th at 2 pm at the library for the new addition on the north side.

Enrollment this year at Worth County went up to 315, up from 312 last year. This includes 149 for the elementary and 166 for the high school.

Elementary Principal Chuck Borey reported that the students were transitioning over to Eureka Math. He said that it focuses more on critical thinking and would help students on their test scores. Teachers will be working on improving student math scores.

High School Principal Jon Adwell reported that students were focusing on teambuilding exercises during the first three weeks of the new school year. They will work on generating ideas and suggestions for the school. Students will also work on getting to know each other, focusing on sharing unique experiences and activities.

Another point of emphasis at the high school level will be digital citizenship. Students will be taught cybersecurity and how to protect themselves when they sign in to social media.
Adwell thanked the local churches for providing meals during the teacher work days before the first day of school.

Superintendent Dr. Matt Martz reported that the school will be purchasing two trailers and a recycling bin and teach students various tasks as part of their new recycling program. The school received a food services grant to purchase a small milk cooler and a breakfast kiosk, which they hope will increase student achievement; students show that students do better when they have had a breakfast every morning. The school got two vocational grants, which they will use to get desktop computers and technology for their ag program. The $2,500 America’s Farmers Grow grant from Monsanto will be used to purchase items for the girls athletics program. The winning farmer was Pat Hardy. Another Monsanto grant will help the school turn a vacant classroom into a science lab that teachers can use for their elementary students.

WCCC Census Rises to 23 Residents

The Worth County Care & Rehab Center has risen to 23 residents and has stayed there over the last two months, according to reports from Administrator Bev Miller. There were two Medicare Part A's staying there in July and three in the August report, which raises the bottom line even more. As a result, the WCCC turned a profit of around $11,000 last month.

The facility will have its annual Labor Day Picnic on August 31st at 6 pm. The Family Circle Singers will perform.

Leslie Schultze and Emergency Management Director Gene Auten met with the WCCC board to discuss emergency planning. Schultze noted that the WCCC was one of the few places which has a generator; it allows them to sustain themselves for a long time during power outages. The generator is inspected and tested regularly. During the outages associated with the June 28th storms, the facility operated normally. The Fire Department brings water to the facility in the event of an outage.

The board set the tax rate at 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation, unchanged from last time. Estimated revenue for next year will be $110,779.

The facility took four men out fishing, and they caught several fish. The facility has hired Courtney Hayes as Activity/Dietary Manager; she began her duties July 24th.

The WCCC turned in a net profit last year of $54,815.00. This includes $114,000 collected from the 35 cent levy that voters approved in 2007.

Ashton Lewis Hits the Ground Running as Worth County 4th Grade Teacher

Ashton Lewis, the new 4th grade teacher at Worth County, is hitting the ground running. In her first few days of teaching, she has been familiarizing herself with the math curriculum at Worth County; she plans to read the book "Small Steps" by Peg Kehret to her class. It is an autobiography by the children's book author, who is a polio survivor. "I had an uncle who had it," said Lewis. She said that book was a big influence on her when her fourth grade teacher read it to her class at Fairfax.

She said the biggest influence on her life was her parents. "They kept me grounded so I didn't get too crazy," she said. "I've always wanted to be a teacher since 2nd grade. I've always had great teachers in school and in college, and I've learned a lot from them." She is a graduate from Fairfax and Northwest Missouri State.

Rachel Runde, New 5th Grade Teacher, Returning to her Roots

New Worth County 5th grade teacher Rachel Runde said that the reason she came to Worth County was to connect to her roots. A Northeast Nodaway grad, her dad graduated from Worth County in the 1970’s.

“I want to do interactive hands-on learning with my students,” said Runde, who began her first day of school Thursday. “Kids learn that better that way; my plan is to use all available technologies to help them out.”

Hired for her first job out of college, Runde, along with other new teachers, receive mentoring at Worth County from more experienced teachers. “My mentor, Amy Jackson, along with Principal Chuck Borey have been very good in helping me get started,” said Runde.

She said that her favorite teacher at Northeast Nodaway was Mrs. Gabbert, who she said inspired her to get into teaching. She taught 1st grade at Northeast for many years. “She really cared about us, and her love and passion for education helped inspire me,” said Runde.

Runde graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a degree in Elementary Education. She has two brothers, Luke and Cody.

Young North Harrison Shamrocks, Looking to Reload, Win Jamboree & Tournament

North Harrison is looking to reload this year from last year’s district title squad that lost seven seniors. Coach Brandon Craig said that it was a matter of having young players step up and fill roles behind Payton Craig, one of the top pitchers in the area, slugger and shortstop Brandi Rivet, and center fielder Audry Briggs. The scary thing about it for enemy coaches is that there are now two Craig girls to worry about, since Emma Craig is now a freshman and is catching for Payton.

If last week was any indication, North Harrison looks to improve on last year’s 11-6 mark, which includes three losses to Jefferson during the season and one to Stanberry. Five different players can pitch, meaning that Coach Craig can rest Payton Craig when needed. And everyone from the 1st to the 9th batter can get down a hit at any time. The expectations are as high as ever; Coach Craig expects all his starters to be able to get bunts down, move runners over, and set up the big inning. It all translates into winning; the Shamrocks ran the table at both their preseason jamboree and their tournament. He said teams to watch for this year include Worth County, Stanberry, Jefferson, and Albany. “Albany’s got a good young freshman class coming up,” he said.

North Harrison 6, Mercer 1
North Harrison scored in all three of their innings to pull away for the victory. While Payton Craig was striking out the first three Mercer batters, Brandi Rivet beat out a bunt single down the first base line. Audry Briggs struck out, but then Payton Craig helped herself out, hitting a screamer off the wall in left center to score Rivet. She then stole third and came home on a wild pitch. Payton Craig will be one of the main hitters for the Shamrocks this year; enemy coaches frequently put a shift on her by moving their center fielder into left, but she was still finding gaps both Tuesday and Saturday.
In the second, Ashlynn Gilpatrick walked and Carly Rinehart put down a perfect sac bunt. She was out, but Gilpatrick made it all the way to third and was safe on a close play. Brandi Rivet reached on an error as Gilpatrick scored to make it 3-0.

Briggs came in to pitch for North Harrison in the third, and the frame was shaky as they made a couple of errors, leading to Mercer’s lone run. But Briggs struck out Boston Boswell and got Kaylee Duckworth to ground into a force at third to get out of the inning with North Harrison up 3-1.
North Harrison added to their lead in the third as Addie Slaughter shot one past short for a hit and Emma Craig and Olivia Babinski walked to load the bases. Kenna Slaughter doubled to the wall in left to clear the bases to make it 6-0. “Addie and Kenna got some timely hits for us all week,” said Coach Brandon Craig.

North Harrison 4, South Harrison 0
North Harrison went up against a stingy South Harrison squad, but came up with all of their runs in the third after the first two innings were a scoreless tie. Payton Craig pitched the first two innings, working in a devastating change along with her riser and fastball, striking out four of the seven batters she faced.

Finally, with one out in the third, Brandi Rivet reached on a pop fly single to center. Hunter Stevens also singled, and Payton Craig was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Emma Craig was hit to force in Rivet, and Stevens and Payton Craig subsequently came home on wild pitches. Mason Cracraft grounded out to score Emma Craig to round out the scoring.

Carly Rinehart came on to pitch for North Harrison and struck out three of the four batters she faced to preserve the win.

North Harrison 5, Worth County 3
This one featured the two district finalists from last year, and this game took on all the intensity. The two teams also played two close games in basketball last year, with North Harrison winning by two during the regular season and Worth County by four in double overtime in districts.

This time, Payton Craig crushed an offering from Braidy Hunt 250 feet from home plate in front of the scoreboard to spark the Shamrocks in their five run outburst in the first. Brandi Rivet reached on an error and Audry Briggs walked, setting up Emma Craig’s triple to the wall in right, scoring two more. Ashlynn Gilpatrick and Mason Cracraft walked, setting up Carly Rinehart’s double off the wall in right to score two more and trigger the five run rule.

Rinehart pitched for the Shamrocks and held off Worth County with some timely fielding helping out. Emma Craig came on to pitch in the third, and weathered a frantic Worth County rally before getting out of the inning.

North Harrison 7, South Harrison 2
South Harrison was seemingly one of those teams which plays teams tough most of the time, but has one bad inning against good teams. Against North Harrison, that inning was the first. Payton Craig singled down the left field line. Brandi Rivet bunted back to the mound; Payton Craig took off first to third on the play and was safe on a close play. Audry Briggs singled to score Craig, and then Emma Craig shot one off South Harrison pitcher Madison Nichols’ glove to move Briggs to third. Mason Cracraft reached second when the left fielder lost the ball in the sun to score two, and Sally Briggs singled home another runner to make it 4-0.

South Harrison cut the lead in half in the second when pitcher Payton Craig made a rare miscue and threw away a squib to put Emily Starmer on. Josie Hurt tripled to the wall in right and Kierra Shelby grounded out to score Kooper Jennings (running for Hurt) to make it 4-2.

But then North Harrison settled down and got one in the fourth and two in the fifth to pull away. In the fourth, Sally Briggs walked on four pitches and Hunter Stevens beat out an infield hit to put runners on first and second. Addie Slaughter struck out and Kenna Slaughter forced Sally Briggs at third, but Payton Craig shot one down the third base line to drive in one and make it 5-2. She would have circled the bases, but the ball went through the fence for a ground rule double.

The Shamrocks used a two out rally in the fifth to score two runs. Mason Cracraft hit a pop fly single behind first and second and stole second; Sally Briggs got the hardest hit of the day into left, scoring Cracraft. Lola Breshears (running for Briggs) stole second and Hunter Stevens singled her home. Emma Craig threw out Madisyn Lisle stealing in the sixth to prevent any more rallies from South Harrison.

North Harrison 7, North Nodaway 3
North Harrison battled with the Mustangs through three innings and then broke open the game in the fourth and sixth. Payton Craig opened the scoring for the Shamrocks when her pop fly hit a dead spot between pitcher, short, and third and dropped in safely. She stole second and third and Brandi Rivet’s sac fly scored her.

North Nodaway tied the game in the second, but North Harrison scored two in the third to make it 3-1. Addie Slaughter singled to left and once again, Payton Craig hit a screamer to left, this time over Shai Dailey’s head into the corner to put runners on second and third. Brandi Rivet stretched a single into a double as both runners scored to make it 3-1. Alisha Davison scored on a wild pitch and Shai Dailey tripled in a run to tie it at 3, but then North Harrison put in Payton Craig on the mound in the fourth, and she limited North Nodaway to two baserunners and struck out five in three scoreless innings to get the win.

The Shamrocks used a two out rally to get the fourth run of the game; Hunter Stevens showed a burst of speed when she stretched a single into a double with two out, the second time that had happened. Kenna Slaughter reached on an error and Addie Slaughter’s pop fly dropped in front of Audrey Trimble in center for a hit to score one and make it 4-3. It would have been more, but Payton Craig’s screamer was snared by Kandace Damgar at short to prevent any more damage.

North Harrison broke it open in the sixth. Mason Cracraft and Sally Briggs started off with back to back singles as the bottom of the order did the damage. Hunter Stevens popped out, but Kenna Slaughter singled as Briggs barely made it going from first to third as Cracraft scored. Addie Slaughter doubled down the left field line to score two more to make it 7-3.

North Harrison 5, Princeton 0
The championship game featured two of the better pitchers in the area, with Princeton’s Payton Goodin sporting a drop ball that kept everyone off balance, while North Harrison’s Payton Craig featuring a riser that forces batters out of their stance and a nasty changeup to go with her heat. But North Harrison hit the ball well enough that it still went through the gaps.

Payton Craig led off the first with a single, shooting one between third and short. She went to second on a passed ball, and Mason Cracraft, moved to third in the order, moved her to third on a groundout. Emma Craig showed a propensity for turning on high pitches and crushing them; she did so between first and second to bring in Craig and make it 1-0.

While Princeton got some good swings at Craig, they could never string together enough hits to get a big rally going. In the second, Vivian Allen walked with one out, and Katie Milner shot one fair past first to set up first and third with two outs. That was the only time Princeton would get two runners on base all day. In the third, with two outs, Lacie Lewis hit one that looked like trouble, but Hunter Stevens was there to make the basket catch. “She’s been making a lot of good catches for us,” said Coach Brandon Craig.

North Harrison broke it open in the third after Brandi Rivet beat out an infield hit and went to second on a throwing error. Mason Cracraft hit a screamer off the wall in left to score her and Emma Craig hit another to the right field wall to score Cracraft. Audrey Briggs popped out, but Sally Briggs hit a Texas Leaguer that dropped in left for a base hit to score Kylie Pottorff (running for Emma Craig). That made it 4-0.

Princeton was putting the ball in play against Craig, but some timely fielding kept them off the scoreboard. In the fourth, shortstop Brandi Rivet prevented leadoff hitter Lindsey Batson from getting on with a shoestring catch. In the fifth, after Princeton had finally gotten Payton Craig out, they had a runner on second with two outs. Leadoff hitter Kylie Willett hit a shot down the right field line that looked like extra bases with the heart of the order coming up. But second baseman Mason Cracraft showed her range as she came on the dead run to snare it near the foul line and take extra bases away.
North Harrison got an insurance run in the fifth as Emma Craig turned on an pitch even higher than the one in the third inning and hit it even farther. This time, it went all the way to the right field corner and she was able to circle the bases for a home run to make it 5-0.

Coach Brandon Craig said that he was proud of his team for playing through the 90 degree heat to win the tournament. He said that the hitting had improved over the course of the day as his batters were showing better pitch selection.

Two Spectacular Catches Help Mustang Softball Secure Third at North Harrison

North Nodaway showed they can play with anyone and took third at North Harrison Saturday, surviving an injury scare along the way. They had a rough jamboree in Savannah, dropping all three games there, but progressed to the point where they had cleaned up a lot of their mistakes.

North Harrison 7, North Nodaway 3
Pitted against last year’s district champions, North Nodaway gave the Shamrocks all they could handle for three innings before North Harrison finally pulled away for the win.

North Harrison scored in the top of the first, but North Nodaway tied it in the second. Keagan O’Riley hit a pop fly single to left; two errors got her home and a wild pitch put Ashley Thompson on third and Kristin Herndon on second with nobody out. Taylor Combs hit a squib in front of the plate; Shamrock catcher Brandi Rivet threw to first. Ashley Thompson took off for home on the throw, Rivet got a return throw from first, and the two collided as Rivet tagged Thompson out for the double play and landed on her in the process. There was a scary moment as Thompson was injured on the play and the game was delayed. She was done for the day.

Rivet doubled in Payton Craig and Addie Slaughter to make it 3-1 in the third, but North Nodaway got the two runs back in the bottom of the inning. Alicia Davison beat out shortstop Emma Craig’s throw from short and Makayla Cross walked. Emma Hart grounded out to move them over. Keagan O’Riley hit a screamer that Craig made a shoestring catch of to stop anyone from advancing, but Davison scored on a wild pitch and Shai Dailey tripled in Cross to tie it again at 3.

At that point, North Harrison put in Payton Craig behind the mound and pulled away for the rest of the game for the win. “We hadn’t seen that kind of pitching before, “ said coach Kit Meiners. But North Nodaway would get stronger as the day progressed. Once again proving the theory that coaches frequently have sixth senses, Meiners put in Emma Hart, normally an outfielder, at first, where she stepped in and helped anchor the defense.

North Nodaway 6, South Harrison 3
North Nodaway scored six in the first two innings of their second game at North Harrison and made it stand up the rest of the way. In the first, Kandace Damgar walked and Alicia Davison grounded out to move her over. Makayla Cross walked and Emma Hart grounded out, scoring Damgar. Keagan O’Riley doubled down the left field line to score Cross, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on another. Kristin Herndon tripled home Shai Dailey and then pulled off a straight steal of home to put North Nodaway up 5-0.

Cross scored on a wild pitch in the second to make it 6-0, and North Nodaway held off South Harrison the rest of the way. Emily Starmer singled home Madisyn Lisle in the third to make it 6-1, and then South Harrison made some noise in the fourth as Kennedi Virtue and Josie Hurt reached on consecutive North Nodaway errors to bring up the tying run. Maycee Ragan forced Virtue at third, but Kierra Shelby singled home Hurt to make it 6-2. Kooper Jennings reached on a fielder’s choice when Ragan got caught in a rundown between third and home, but made it back to third. She then scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3, putting runners at second and third with one out and the tying run at the plate, but Shai Dailey got a pop fly right behind second and doubled off Shelby to end the threat.

North Nodaway 5, Worth County 4
Once again, North Nodaway got off to a fast start and once again, a timely catch saved the game for the Mustangs. North Nodaway scored two in the top of the first when Alisha Davison beat out a slow roller to Jill Hardy at short. Makayla Cross won a long battle with pitcher Haley Hunt to walk, then Emma Hart reached on an error to load the bases. Keagan O’Riley hit a long foul ball down the left field line, but Tiger left fielder Morgan Beagle caught it and nobody could advance. But Shai Dailey beat out an infield hit and two runs scored on the play to make it 2-0 after one.

North Nodaway added to their lead in the second when Taylor Combs reached on a throwing error and Audrey Trimble reached on a slap hit. They went to second and third on a wild pitch, but it seemed like North Nodaway would be out of the inning when Morgan Beagle made another spectacular catch for Worth County in left and Davison grounded out. But then Makayla Cross tripled to the wall in center to score them both to make it 4-0.

After Worth County broke the shutout in the third, Shai Dailey doubled, went to third, and scored on Kristin Herndon’s groundout to make it 5-1. That turned out to be the winning run as Worth County’s frantic rally in the fourth and fifth innings came up just short. With Tiger runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth and final inning, Kristin Herndon, playing third, snagged Anna Spainhower’s screamer to rob extra bases from her and keep Worth County from getting the lead.

Musket Football Can’t Shed Overtime Curse; Falls to Stewartsville

In 1995, North Nodaway, minus five of their starting players, took on Worth County and gave the eventual state champions all they could handle. The winner would have gone on to districts while the loser would have likely gone home. It was 22-22 after four quarters of play, in which both teams were giving everything they had. P.J. Sanders was the quarterback for Worth County, and he was known for his ability to run and throw. When his final regulation pass to Dustin Lambert squirted out of his grasp in the end zone, it looked like the Mustangs would dodge a bullet. But then Worth County stopped the Mustangs in double overtime, and then Sanders broke through on third and goal from the one and Worth County went on to win 28-22. They would go on to win state; North Nodaway would go on to be supplanted by Stanberry, a rising football power.

Folks at North Nodaway still talk about that game and what might have been. Ever since then, it seems that franchise has been cursed in overtime games. In 2003, Worth County denied the Mustangs’ two point conversion attempt to win 14-12 in overtime; North Nodaway won districts anyway that year when Stanberry beat Worth County 42-6 the following week. It was the last district title North Nodaway won on its own; in 2014, North Nodaway and West Nodaway won districts after forming a cooperative. In 2015, the overtime curse continued; the Muskets had a huge comeback against Albany and had a change to win in regulation with the game tied 54-54. But the Muskets couldn’t convert, and Albany went on to win 62-60 in overtime.

And once again, it happened Friday night. North/West Nodaway did everything they could to win against a loaded Stewartsville squad. They had their chances to win that game, and this time, it went to two extra periods. But once again, North/West Nodaway could not pull it off, falling to the Cardinals 42-36.

It was not for lack of effort or spirit. “I just wanted you all to know, I feel like a dying grandpa after cheering for you guys,” said sophomore Dalton Smyser to his teammates after the game and losing his voice in the process. “I’ve never been more proud of a team I’ve coached than I am of you guys tonight,” said coach Cody Marriott to his team.

Both teams traded blows throughout the first three quarters, with North/West Nodaway leading 24-22. They had one opportunity to add to their lead when Parker Ogle ran back a Cardinal punt to the Stewartsville 18. But a participation penalty, a blocking breakdown, and a pass breakup by Stewartsville’s Gage Rush killed the drive.

The slick field wreaked all sorts of havoc on the playcalling for both sides, and the Cardinals lost the ball on downs after a bad snap, putting North Nodaway in good field position at the Cardinal 36. Once again, they couldn’t convert as a false start set them back. Stewartsville drove as far as the Musket 32, when quarterback Gage Rush dropped back to air it out and Austin Bird missed a sack on him after having him dead in his sights. But somehow, Korbin Koch picked it off at the 8 and Stewartsville missed a chance to go on top.

North/West went three and out and Rush nearly ran back the punt, but Wade Torres made a shoestring tackle on him at the 25 to save a possible score. Isaiah Parker, Stewartsville’s main receiver, was open on one play, but Rush couldn’t connect. Finally, North/West took over on downs at their own 30.

North/West wasted little time getting into the end zone, as Gabe Goff went behind a blue wall for 16 yards to the 34. Korbin Koch then got loose as he swept to the left on a keeper and cut back to the right to get into the end zone with 9:06 left. But with a chance to go up two possessions, North/West could not convert. Koch wrestled and fought with the red shirts, tried to bounce it outside, but was brought down one yard short of the two point conversion that would have made it two possessions. North/West led 30-22 at that point.

The Muskets needed to have a stop on the ensuing kickoff, but Cain Rush got loose after two missed tackles and only Karson Oberhauser’s touchdown-saving tackle stopped them at the 39. A pass to Dusty Jones netted 9 yards to the 32, while Rush stiffarmed his way to the 22. A short pass to Keaton Nelson set up a pass over the middle to Jones with 7:15 left. A controversial play tied it up as Rush ran it in down the left side. The Muskets contended that the ball was coming out before he broke the plane, which would have negated the score. However, the call stood, and the game was tied at 30.
North/West was driving to take the lead again, but another controversial call ended the drive. With the Muskets having first and 10 at the Cardinal 34, Tyler Bix took a handoff and landed on his back. The ball popped out of his grasp as a result of his back hitting the ground, it was ruled a fumble, and Stewartsville ran it back to the Musket 34. The rule is that the ground cannot cause a fumble under any circumstances; however, that is a call that even officials at the NFL level have gotten wrong before.

The Cardinals sought to run out the clock as much as possible. A 15 yard pass to Parker, taller than any of the Musket defenders, put it on the 15. A block in the back wiped out a 14 yard run by Cain Rush, but Parker victimized the Muskets again, catching a 13 yard pass back to the 6. Dalton Martin picked up three more to the 3, but once again, the slick field wreaked havoc at the worst possible times for both teams. A bad snap busted the next play and Gage Rush was driven back to the 12. Martin caught a pass over the middle at the 2, but a hard tackle by one of the Muskets was not to his liking and he shoved the blue shirt after the play. That was a 15 yard penalty, and the ball was moved back to the 17, where the drive stalled.

With time running down for North/West, Korbin Koch scrambled for a first down at the 27 with 1:25 and scrambled for another at the Stewartsville 36 with 35 seconds left; had he not been knocked off balance, he might have gone all the way. But then a pair of delay of game penalties set the ball back to the Musket 34, and then the slick ball wreaked havoc as a bad snap squirted out of Koch’s grasp and the red shirts were on it at the North/West 22 with 24 seconds left.

But then Austin Bird was the man of the hour as he flushed out Gage Rush three times, forcing him to throw prematurely to avoid a sack. Finally, Korbin Koch broke up the final pass of regulation.
North/West got the ball first in the first extra period, and there was a heartstopping moment as they fumbled it on their first play and one of the red shirts pounced on it. But one of the blue shirts wrestled it back, and despite Stewartsville 300-pounder Kyler Holcomb trying to pull it out of the pile, they were able to hang on somehow. Koch took advantage of the break as he got through the first level on a quick hitter and found nothing but daylight to make it 36-30.

But Stewartsville tied it right back up as the taller Isaiah Parker got loose again for an 18 yard pass to the 7. With the Cardinals facing third and goal at the two, they sold a fake handoff perfectly, and Gage Rush was in to make it 36-36. Stewartsville had a chance to win it, but Dylan Carden put a big hit on Rush and dropped him.

Stewartsville got the ball to start, and it looked like North/West might hold after a pass breakup by Parker Ogle left them with third and 10 at the 25. But then Cain Rush came in at quarterback and aired it out to Gage Rush for the 25 yard strike. The extra point pass short-hopped Dusty Jones on a quick slant, which left North/West with a chance to tie or win. But on their first play from scrimmage, Koch tried to air it out, underthrew it, and Gage Rush got the pick to end the game.

Tiger Softball Battles, Takes Split in Two Eagleville Trips

Worth County went 2-1 in their first trip to Eagleville last week, falling only to last year’s district champion North Harrison in the preseason jamboree. The Tigers returned to North Harrison Saturday, won their first game, and then dropped a pair of one-run games to finish fourth at the tournament.

Worth County 3, South Harrison 0
Worth County shut out South Harrison in the first game of the jamboree. In recent years, Worth County has reversed a long trend of losing against the Bulldogs, and the trend continued this year. Two years ago, Worth County needed a three run home run from Dominique Findley in the top of the seventh over the 155 foot sign in Eagleville, but it didn’t matter this time as they tagged South Harrison with three runs in the first.

Braidy Hunt led off the inning by beating out an infield hit. Anna Gladstone single down the third base line and went to second when South Harrison unsuccessfully tried to retire Hunt at third. Kennedy Galanakis reached on a dropped throw by the first baseman, and Anna Gladstone, with her daredevil baserunning style, came all the way home from second without a play as Worth County went up 2-0. Galanakis was out stealing, but Jill Hardy walked and stole a base, Haley Hunt singled to center and stole a base, and Merrideth Spiers reached on a dropped pop fly to score Hardy to make it 3-0.

South Harrison had baserunners on right and left, but couldn’t score them. In the second, Milaynie May reached on a single off the short wall in left, and Kennedi Virtue reached on a scratch hit. Brooklyn Ellis popped out to Kennedy Galanakis at first. Josie Hurt singled, but it wasn’t deep enough to score a run, and the bases were loaded. Jerika Price hit what looked like a base it to score one and maybe two, but Braidy Hunt made a shoestring catch in left to keep anyone from scoring. Brooklyn Virtue hit a grounder that rolled under pitcher Haley Hunt’s legs, but Kristin New was there at second to throw her out for the first out.

Braidy Hunt, pitching the third, walked the bases loaded with two outs, but Ellis grounded out to end the threat.

Worth County 10, Mercer 1
Pitted against the team that thrashed them in districts last year, Worth County exacted revenge even though most of Mercer’s players from that team are gone. Anna Gladstone led off the game with a screamer off the right field wall. Normally, on the short field at Eagleville, that would only be enough for a single. But it didn’t matter with Gladstone running the bases with her speed and daredevil style as she made up her mind to go to third and made it. Worth County manufactured a run as once again, Gladstone defied the odds and came home on a wild pitch. It didn’t matter that the short field at Eagleville also had a short backstop; Gladstone was going and nothing would stop her from scoring to make it 1-0.

Worth County tacked on four more runs in the inning as Braidy Hunt and Jill Hardy walked, Haley reached on a dropped fly ball lost in the sun to load the bases, and Kaylee McElvain walked to score a run. Morgan Beagle, despite being a freshman, showed she was ready for the varsity level as she got one of several solid hits for the Tigers last week; her single scored Hardy. Abbi Caddenhead walked to force in one run and Allison Larison reached on an error to put the Tigers up 5-0 after one. It would have been more, but preseason jamborees are limited to five runs.

The Tigers added five more in the third as Kaylee McElvain started off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Morgan Beagle connected again, singling to left and advancing to second on an error as McElvain scored. Merrideth Spiers walked and Anna Spainhower walked to load the bases for Allison Larison; she hit a slow roller down the third base line that stayed fair; everyone was safe and Beagle scored. Once again, Anna Gladstone struck for the Tigers as she doubled off the right field wall to score two. Braidy Hunt walked and Jill Hardy singled in Gladstone to make it 10-0 after three. Boston Boswell singled home Rayne Kost for the lone Mercer run.

North Harrison 5, Worth County 3
Worth County played last year’s district champs in the nightcap, and it took on all the intensity of last year’s battles between the two squads in both basketball and softball.

All hell threatened to break loose in the top of the first as Payton Craig led off with a home run for North Harrison, and they plated five runs before the run rule ended the inning.

But Worth County was saved by the bell and began battling back the rest of the game. Morgan Beagle tripled to the wall in left center in the second, but was doubled off the bag to end the threat.
Against Emma Craig, Worth County finally got going in the third inning. Braidy Hunt had a good battle with her before finally grounding out; Abbi Caddenhead walked and Jill Hardy was plunked. Megan Cassavaugh reached safely as Caddenhead beat the force attempt at third, loading the bases.

That triggered a conference at the mound, and whatever Shamrocks’ coach Brandon Craig said to his freshman hurler must have settled her down, as she struck out Anna Gladstone on three pitches. Kennedy Galanakis reached on an error to score one and then Haley Hunt hit a screamer fair past first down the right field line. Two runs scored, Galanakis was safe at third, and Hunt took off to second on the throw and was safe on a close play.

It was up to Allison Larison, who got into a 2-2 count with Emma Craig. She hit two hard hit balls, squibbed a high pitch foul, and then finally grounded out to her to end the threat and the game. But Worth County showed their ability to battle strong teams early.

Worth County 6, East Harrison 1
Worth County started off the North Harrison Tournament Saturday with the Bobcats. East Harrison had a strong pitcher and a strong shortstop and neither team could break through until the third inning. Finally, Anna Gladstone, with one out in the third, singled up the middle and stole second. Braidy Hunt doubled off the center field wall and then came home on a pair of wild pitches to put Worth County up 2-0 after three.

The Tigers added to their lead in the fourth when Haley Hunt reached on an error and stole second. Megan Cassavaugh doubled her in to make it 3-0 off the left field wall.

Worth County broke it open in the fifth when Anna Gladstone shot one up the middle for a single and stole second. Braidy Hunt doubled into the right center gap to bring her home. Jill Hardy popped out, but Kennedy Galanakis singled to score Hunt. Haley Hunt beat out an infield hit and Merrideth Spiers whistled a single past short into left for another run. East Harrison scored their lone run in the bottom of the inning when Camie Vaughn hit a home run just fair inside the left field foul pole.

Princeton 2, Worth County 1
Worth County scored one in the bottom of the first, made it stand up for a long time, but couldn’t close out the Blue Tigers in their second game. Anna Gladstone singled up the middle, went to second on a wild pitch, to third on Braidy Hunt’s groundout, and came home on Jill Hardy’s sac fly. But Worth County could not manage another run against the loaded Princeton squad, with six seniors listed in the program. Worth County hit the ball hard all game, but usually right at people.

Worth County made some strong defensive plays of their own in the game. In the third, Kristin New made a sliding catch at second to take a hit away from Kylie Willett. The Tigers had every chance to add to their lead in the fourth, but missed out when Kennedy Galanakis’ blow, which had home run depth, hooked just foul.

The Tigers clung by their fingernails in the fifth and just barely hung on. With one out, Willett walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Lacie Lewis grounded to Megan Cassavaugh at short, and the ball got away for what would have been a run. But the umpire ruled interference, and nobody advanced as Lewis was called out. Lindsey Batson singled to Anna Gladstone in center, but her throw home kept the tying run from scoring before Payton Goodin popped out to end the threat.

Princeton finally broke through in the sixth as Vivian Allen walked. Jasmine Allen struck out, but Katie Milner was hit by a pitch. Megan Hydorn’s drive was just over Anna Gladstone’s head in center, and the tying run came into score, leaving runners at second and third. Lauren Cox, trying to put her team in front, chased a high pitch and struck out, and then Kylie Willett came up again and hit a screamer down the right field line which should have been fair but was called foul before she walked to load the bases. Braidy Hunt caught Lacie Lewis looking to keep the game tied at 1.

Worth County had a chance to get some baserunners in the sixth, but Braidy Hunt’s screamer was right at Lacie Lewis in center, while Jill Hardy’s line drive that could have been extra bases was right at Willett at short.

The Tigers got two runners on base in the seventh, to no avail. Merrideth Spiers and Megan Cassavaugh hit back to back singles and Kaylee McElvain bunted them over to second and third. But Abbi Caddenhead struck out and then Anna Gladstone’s soft line drive up the middle, which looked headed for a base hit, was caught by the second baseman for a shoestring catch to end the inning.

The International Tiebreaker was in effect after that, which means that each team starts with a runner on second to start the inning. Princeton got a run home when Jasmine Allen advanced Katie Milner to third on a bunt single that died in front of the plate with no play. Hydorn grounded out to short; there was no play at the plate, and Princeton went up 2-1. Worth County could not answer with Anna Gladstone on second as Braidy Hunt popped out and Jill Hardy and Kennedy Galanakis grounded out to end the game.

North Nodaway 5, Worth County 4
The third place game was similar to the North Harrison game in that Worth County didn’t really lose, they ran out of time. After they dug themselves into a 4-0 hole after two, Worth County finally got a run back in the third when Braidy Hunt singled to right.

Kennedy Galanakis and Merrideth Spiers walked and Haley Hunt’s Texas Leaguer dropped in to make it 4-1. North Nodaway went up 5-1 after three, but then Kristin New shot one past Kandace Damgar at short to give Worth County a chance in the fourth. Braidy Hunt grounded out to advance her, and Jill Hardy’s single to right brought her in and made it 5-2. Merrideth Spiers doubled off Audrey Trimble after catching a pop fly in the fifth to keep the score there.

Merrideth Spiers shot one up the middle and Haley Hunt hit another Texas Leaguer to bring up Megan Cassavaugh. She flew out to Taylor Combs in right, but both runners advanced on the play. Allison Larison squibbed one in front of the plate; there was no play and the bases were loaded. Abbi Caddenhead hit a pop fly into right that dropped in and two runs scored. Anna Gladstone beat out a squib down the third base line and loaded the bases with one out. But Braidy Hunt grounded into a force at the plate for the second out.

Sometimes, coaches have a good sixth sense of who will do well in a certain situation. Coach Tiffany Bliley sent up freshman Anna Spainhower to try to bring in two runs and put Worth County in front. She did her job, hitting a screamer down the line that looked headed for extra bases. The only problem was, North Nodaway third baseman Kristin Herndon made a game-saving catch that turned out to be the winner.

Worth County looked like they were headed in front after five; North Nodaway got two runners on base via a bad hop single and an error. Shea Dailey, who had hit well for North Nodaway all day, popped to Abbi Caddenhead at second for the second out. But with Kristin Herndon batting, the 90 minute time limit, which was in force for the tournament for all games except for the championship, was called and Worth County had run out of time.

Tigers Rumble for Victory Over Depleted Spartan Squad

Worth County continued to make its case to be the top team in the area, beating South/Nodaway-Holt 56-6 in a halftime game. After Worth County throttled three teams, including Stanberry, at its jamboree, it raised some eyebrows. It certainly made a believer out of longtime assistant Jonn Casey, who called in the game to the radio.

The Spartans were depleted by injuries and gradation, forcing them to play people out of position; the coaches were yelling at the players before the game even started, trying to get them acclimated to their new roles. They have some horses in Westyn Williams and Reagan Morris, but the challenge for them will be to build a team around them for this year and find someone to replace Williams after this year since he is a senior.

Last year, Worth County dug themselves into an early hole in traditionally difficult weather conditions and couldn’t get out of it in a game that was played over two days due to weather. Friday night, the weather was much nicer. It was an inauspicious beginning for the Spartans as they tried an ill-advised fake punt after going three and out on their first possession. It fooled nobody, as Ryan McClellan jumped the pass for a pick-six with 10:57 left. Ryan ran in the extra points behind the blocking of Isaac Alarcon to make it 8-0.

Things started to snowball from there. A bad snap and a false start set up a screen pass to Westyn Williams; however, he fumbled it and McClellan scooped it and returned it to the Spartan 12. From there, Tevin followed a power sweep around the left end to score with 10:17 left. He cut inside on the two point conversion to make it 16-0 as Worth County scored a pair of touchdowns 40 seconds apart.
The snowball effect continued, as the Spartans got a first down to the 34, only for Tevin Cameron to pounce on an option pitch at the 32 to give Worth County another short field. Isaac Alarcon rumbled down the field twice for 13 yards to the 19; that set up a long pass from Ryan McClellan for a score with 8:39 left. Ryan McClellan’s cutback run made it 24-0, and the avalanche wasn’t done yet.

Once again, South/Nodaway-Holt tried to go for it deep in their own territory, at fourth and one at their own 24. But Ryan McClellan tipped a pass, giving Worth County a short field at the 24. This time, the Spartans stiffened on defense and stopped Worth County at the 5. But it didn’t matter as Mason Hawk got a safety on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage, sacking Quinlin in the end zone to make it 26-0 with 5:12 left in the first quarter.

Worth County only needed one play to score after the Spartans kicked it back to them at their own 34. Tevin Cameron broke a tackle, got a block from Colton Wilmes, and took off down the left sideline with 4:54 left. He followed the blocking of Isaac Alarcon and Colton Wilmes to add the extra points to make it 34-0.

Devin Jackson pulled down Williams on the Spartans’ next series by the jersey, stopping him from ever getting going on the next series. Once again, the Spartans could not convert fourth and short as Jackson pressured Quinlin and Isaac Alarcon broke up the pass to give the Tigers a short field at the Spartan 28. Ryan McClellan’s reverse handoff from Alarcon in the Wildkat formation for 19 yards set up McClellan’s sneak with 2:22 left in the first. Tevin Cameron’s counter made it 42-0.

The scoring in the first quarter did not stop as Tevin Cameron recovered a fumble, his second fumble recovery of the night, to set up his cutback run with 18.8 seconds left. Bryant McCord caught a pass as Ryan McClellan led him perfectly to make it 50-0.

Reed McIntyre recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Worth County drove in for its final score of the night. Ryan McClellan sprinted for 18 yards to the 12, and two plays later, his counter fooled everyone as it took it to the house to make it 56-0. The Spartans finally drove down the field and scored on a 15 yard pass from Quinlin to Morris with 8:20 left to make it 56-6, but after Worth County recovered the ensuing onsides kick, that was the last they would get. Mason Hawk and Drake Kinsella had pass breakups for the Tigers, while Brayden Welch had a sack and a tackle for a loss.
Worth County had a short field to work with for most of the night, meaning their stats were not very gaudy. Tevin Cameron had 8 carries for 89 yards. Ryan McClellan had 6 carries for 52 yards, while Jeremy Wimer had 7 carries for 36 yards. Isaac Alarcon had 7 carries for 22 yards, while Nate Adwell had 2 carries for 2 yards. Caleb Parman caught the lone Tiger completion for 19 yards.

South/Nodaway-Holt was held to negative rushing yardage, losing eight yards for the night. Quinlan had 9 completions for 15 attempts for 72 yards, most on their scoring drive in the second when the game was already decided.

Obituary -- Kannon Hughes 2015-2017

Funeral Celebration of Life Services for Kannon Hughes, age 2, of Reeds Spring, Missouri entered into Heaven Monday, August 7, 2017, in Branson, Missouri were held Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the Lake of Three Fires in Taylor County, Iowa. Instead of flowers, the family requests memorials be given in Kannon's name. Memories may be shared with the family at www.ritchiefuneralhome.com under Obituaries. Arrangements were entrusted to the Ritchie Funeral Home of Bedford where we 'Celebrate Life'.

Kannon Chael Hughes was born February 20, 2015, in Branson, Missouri the beautiful son of Kyle Douglas Hughes and Dana Lynn (Walston) Hughes. Kannon was a 'lake-boy' through and through. He loved boating, water sports or any other related lake activity. He even wake-boarded with his babysitter, Dally! In his short life, Kannon had the ability to glean every second out of every day. He loved going to work at Hughes Marine . . . working side-by-side with his dad and the Hughes Marine Crew, Rick, Arthur, Hayden, Bradley and Wade. Whatever they were doing, he wanted to be right there doing it with them! Kannon and his mother held a special bond, whether they were shopping, lining up his play animals or making pizzas together, they seemed to always share a laugh. Somehow, even though he was only two, Kannon had already learned how to 'woo' the ladies into doing whatever he wanted. He would grin that special grin and the next thing you knew, they were out horseback riding, wake-boarding, riding four-wheelers, or anything else HE decided they should do!

Left to cherish Kannon’s memory are his loving parents, Kyle and Dana Hughes of Reeds Spring, Missouri; maternal grandparents, Missy Davison and husband Don of New Market, Iowa; Danny Walston and Alice Johnson of Bedford, Iowa; paternal grandparents, Tony and Lori Hughes of Bedford, Iowa; eight aunts and uncles, Kenton Walston and Michaela Christensen; Jordan Walston, Jenna Walston; Ryan and Lacee Hughes; and Julie and Branislav Vukojevic; three cousins, Arabella, Eliot and Hawkins; maternal great-grandparents, Floyd and Linda Beason; and Bob and Donna Walston; a paternal great-grandmother, Wilma Hughes; his beloved babysitter, Dallas Spragg, and her family; the Hughes Marine Crew, Rick Daniels, Arthur Richtmyre, Hayden Dlouhy, Bradley Williams and Wade Fritts; along with many other family members and friends.

Preceding Kannon in death are his paternal great-grandparents, Glen Hughes; and Wayne and Martha White.

We will forever hold the precious memories of Kannon in our hearts.

He touched each of us with his smile, spunk and tender heart.

Obituary -- Donald Edwin Waldeier 1933-2017

Donald Edwin Waldeier, 84, of Grant City, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Albany, MO on August 16, 2017.

Born August 6, 1933, in Worth, Missouri, to Carl and Neva Waldeier, he graduated from Grant City High School in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956. On April 4, 1958, Don married Ann Hope Schilling in Maryville, MO. Don spent most of his life in Worth County where he logged and farmed with his brother. He was the Hy-Vee Store Manager in Grant City from 1982-1989 before transferring to Mt. Ayr, IA as Store Manager from 1989-1995. He retired from Hy-Vee in 1995 after 30 years of service. He was a member of the Grant City #66 Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M of Missouri.
Don is survived by his two children: Cindy (Mark) Rackers, Jefferson City and son, Donnie Waldeier, Grant City; three grandchildren: Kellen (Morgan) Waldeier, Norwalk, IA; Kelsey Wilkinson, Orlando, FL and Drew (Kelsey) Wilkinson, Columbia, MO; and two great-grandchildren: Reegan Kay Waldeier and Leighton Ann Wilkinson. Also surviving are his brother, Lorace (Virginia) Waldeier, Grant City; sisters, Connie (Mike) Eighmy, St. Joseph; Elaine Downing, Sun City, AZ, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Don was preceded in death by wife, Ann, in March of this year; parents, Carl and Neva Waldeier; infant brother, Duane; infant sister, Delores and brother-in-law, Leslie Norman Downing.

Services: 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home, Grant City, MO with burial immediately following at the Grant City Cemetery.

Visitation: 6:00-7:30 p.m., Monday, August 21, 2017, at Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions can be made to Grant City Lodge #66.

Mustangs Look to Close Out Girls Softball with a Bang

In what could be the last two years of Mustang Softball, new skipper Kit Meiners is hoping her squad will finish out their tradition with a bang. North Nodaway won 16 games last year and looks to be a contender this year despite the loss of Bethany Herndon, Madison Thompson, and Kelsi Oberhauser. Meiners, who was an assistant for the last year and an assistant at Northwest Missouri State for several years before that, will be assisted by Torri Blythe, who was a standout softball player both at Maysville and at Northwest.

She said the strength of this year’s team would be their defense and their attitudes, which she said had been great this year. She said Platte Valley would be a team to watch for. However, North Nodaway brings in an experienced pitcher-catcher duo with Keagan O’Riley and Makayla Cross. Cross, who played baseball last spring, is hoping that hitting a baseball will help her see the softball better.

The Mustangs have a big junior class coming up; other horses on that class include Kristin Herndon, who will anchor down an infield that looks to be solid. Chloe Schimming, a West Nodaway athlete who plays with North Nodaway under a cooperative agreement, is fully healed from a knee injury and knocked O’Riley’s first offering a long ways for a double; she looks to be one of Meiners’ big guns at the plate. Ashley Thompson will provide a big target at first and has really improved her hitting over the summer; she ripped one a long ways in practice. Audrey Trimble, a slap hitter, and Emma Hart will play in the outfield along with Alicia Davison, who can be either a slap hitter or a power hitter at the plate, wherever Meiners needs her. Taylor Combs can hit it a long ways when her bat speed is there. An upperclassman, Bailey Tate, can fill in as well along with Emily Dew.

Among younger players who could get to play, Jaden Dobbins, Shea Dailey, and Kandace Damgar all vied for time on the infield Thursday, with Dailey doing a lot of damage at the plate, hitting a pair of triples Thursday. Karissa Oberhauser, Kelsi’s sister, caught a screamer from Combs and turned a double play; the Mustang freshman has shown some early promise with her glove.

Keagan O’Riley will handle most of the pitching; however, if she goes down or gets tired, Chloe Schimming can step in and pitch; she proved to be capable; Audrey Trimble can pitch as well. Emma Hart can back up Cross behind the plate if necessary.

North Nodaway has already begun the process of phasing out softball and phasing in volleyball; they have hired a new volleyball coach who will oversee a junior high program this year. If the Mustangs are to turn back the clock in softball, the goal will be to give everyone something to talk about and inspire some of the younger students to give softball a try.

They will know right away where they are in softball this weekend, as they will travel to North Harrison to participate in their tournament this weekend. Last year, they lost to Worth County in the championship game. Other tough games on their schedule include Plattsburg, Maryville, two games with Worth County, Savannah, and King City.