North Harrison celebrated the hard work of its sports teams Thursday as they recognized the players and people behind the scenes who contributed to a successful program this year. At the start of the school year, nobody knew if they were going to be able to complete their seasons, or even if they would have a sport season at all. Just a few months before, Iowa was the only team playing anything that resembled a high school sport season as they played an abbreviated baseball and softball season.
Among people that principal Alan Koch honored at the start of the program were Danny Lisle, Susie Lacey, Lisa Cracraft, Kelly Claycomb, Brandon and Lori Craig, Ed Hale, Nicole Robins, Aaron Long, and Todd Willhite, who was in his last week as North Harrison’s superintendent.
Koch recognized the Pattonsburg junior high football team, which went 3-2 that year. They had five North Harrison students. They were Owan Roberson, Ethan Henson, Andrew Craig, Isaiah Laytham, and Dustin Hamilton.
Outgoing Pattonsburg coach Scott Cavin recognized the North Harrison players on his football squad. He said that from the moment he got here, he knew that North Harrison was a special place, and that his program wouldn’t have gotten to where it is at without their kids. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. Recognized for playing on the football team this year were Dillon Hartschen, Skyler Todd, Tyson Gibson, Cooper Cracraft, Brett Emig, Collin Briggs, and Brandon Hamilton. “I came back just for our seniors,” said Cavin. Emig was recognized for his honors; he was an All District Linebacker and Wide Receiver. He is all over the state recordbook at Pattonsburg with 21 catches in a game (4th in state), five touchdown catches in a game (tied for 5th and 6th), and receptions per game throughout his career with 6.7 (5th in the state).
Coach Jessica Wallace recognized the junior high softball squad. There were 10 players, and there was a lot of growth both on and off the field. They were quiet, but she said they were a good group to work with. Defensive Player of the Year was Andi Nail, who pitched and played first base. Offensive Player of the Year was Carmon Fordyce. The Shamrock Award went to one of the quietest players on the team, but one who always gave 220% in Kayka Wilson.
Brandon Craig recognized the varsity softball team next. They completed a streak in which they won 56 straight HDC games, including 22 straight with the outgoing group of seniors. They were also undefeated in HDC Tournament play. Offensive Player of the Year was Emma Craig, who batted .500 for the year with 39 hits and 14 doubles. Defensive Players of the Year were Rainey Fordyce, who had a .950 fielding percentage with one error, and Carly Rinehart, who also only made one error. Rinehart had a banner year on the mound with 181 strikeouts, 27 walks, a 16-5 record, with an ERA of 1.82. This includes 11 shutouts, including one of a 3A school and three 2A schools. The Most Improved were Jaci Davis and Ruby Heintz, while the Hustle Award, given to the girl who was always first in running drills, was Camden Castleberry. The Coaches Award went to Jayliegh Robins, who was the leading home run hitter for the Shamrocks, while the Shamrock Award went to all five of the seniors, Emma Craig, Carly Rinehart, Kami Gibson, Rainey Fordyce, and Lola Breshears. They were a combined 73-31 with four district championships, one Final Four, and two district titles.
Recognized for winning All HDC were Camden Castleberry, Kami Gibson, Carli Rinehart, Jayliegh Robins, Rainey Fordyce, and Emma Craig. They were also recognized All District. Kami Gibson, Carly Rinehart, Jayliegh Robins, Rainey Fordyce, and Emma Craig were All-Region, while Carly Rinehart, Jayliegh Robins, Rainey Fordyce, and Emma Craig were All-State.
This year, the Missouri Fast Pitch Coaches Association named six Shamrocks to their Academic All-State squad. They were Carly Rinehart, Lola Breshears, Rainey Fordyce, Camden Castleberry, Trendi Johnson, and Jayliegh Robins.
At the end of the presentation, Craig recognized his long-time assistant, Danny Lisle, who has been his assistant for 16 years. He has been an institution at North Harrison for as long as we can remember; Craig recalled having a lot of respect for him while growing up.
Coach Aaron Long recognized the girls and boys junior high squads next. For the junior high girls, Offensive Player of the Year went to Jaci Davis. Defensive Player of the Year was Ruby Heintz, while Most Improved went to Carmon Fordyce. For the boys, Offensive Player of the Year went to Keygun Johnson, Defensive Player of the Year went to Kolton Graham. Most Improved went to Ethan Henson.
Both girls golf players were recognized. Karley Koch was named Most Improved; she nearly went to state last fall. Halle Morgan got the Shamrock Award.
For the Junior High Boys Track Squad, Kolton Graham got the Shamrock Award. He emerged as a versatile athlete who was willing to go wherever he was needed. Owan Roberson got the Thrower Award; he established himself this year as one of the better throwers in the area at the junior high level. Evan Schreiber got the Speed Award, getting better every single time in the running events. Kyler Kimbrough got the Distance Award; he volunteered to run them. Andrew Craig got the Perseverance Award; he was another athlete who could go wherever he was needed, and was always found cheering on his teammates when he was not competing himself. Kayson Sims was recognized for his unselfishness during the season.
On the girls side, Kira Roberson got the Toughness Award; she stuck with the hurdles even after getting in a scary accident. Stella Rinehart got the Jumper award; she got some good scores in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Brooklyn Laine got the Shamrock Award; she was always willing to run, even when she was hurt. Andi Nail showed a lot of improvement in the 200 this year.
Kynsleigh Utley was recognized as the Manager for the squad, for always going above and beyond the call of duty.
For the cheerleaders, Lily Shovick got the Toughness Award. She always cheered her heart out and always helped the other cheerleaders out. Kira Roberson was one of the quietest girls on the squad, but always nailed her jumps. Erin Virtue got the Best Smile Award. She was always prepared, always learned new cheers in minutes, and always willing to jump in. Karley Koch got the Compassionate Award. She brought in a lot of new cheers and ideas from her old squad, and was always trying to make the cheerleaders a better squad. To her own surprise, Halle Morgan got the Extra Mile Award. She was always entertaining and helpful and always helping to put the cheers and routines together for the squad. The Dedication Award went to Hailey Claycomb; she eats, sleeps, and breathes cheerleading and always gave her best efforts in practice. The Voice Award went to Annabelle Owens, who always had the loudest voice of the squad. The Super Effort Award went to Stella Rinehart, who always worked hard every practice. The Outstanding Award went to Abby Clawson; she would always take home cheer videos and learn from them, and went out of her way to put together the Homecoming dance.
The girls basketball squad only had eight players, but Coach Aaron Long said they were one of the best oiled teams he had coached. They got off to a bad start, dropping their first three games, but then won 11 of their next 13 games and won 15 games for the year as they committed to each other. They were 8-2 in four different tournaments, with their only losses being to Mercer and Tri-County. They were 11-5 against HDC squads. The turning point of their season was the Winston loss, in which they gave up a last second 3-pointer to lose by one. They beat three different teams that had beaten them before.
At the end of the season, they made the District Finals. Camden Castleberry was 2nd Team All Conference and All District. Emma Craig was Unanimous 1st Team All Conference, All Conference Defensive Team, and All District. Jayliegh Robins was 2nd Team All Conference, All Conference Defensive Team, and All District.
The Most Improved went to Kami Gibson, who got more confident as the season went on and had more and more impact deeper into the season. The Offensive Award went to Emma Craig, who became a constant double double threat for the Shamrocks. The Defensive Award went to Jayliegh Robins, who led the team in tips, steals, and was one of the top rebounders; she was usually put on the other team’s best player. The Shamrock Award went to Camden Castleberry, who was always getting into the gym to work on her game.
New coach J.W. Brandt said that he didn’t know what to expect when he took on the job of coaching the boys basketball team. On the first day, he was wondering what he had gotten into. But he discovered that out of all the squads he has coached, this was one of the most coachable squads he has had. Like the girls, they got off to a bad start, starting off at 3-6, with their low point coming in the loss to Northeast Nodaway. But then they fought back to get a winning season, getting all the way to the District Finals.
The Most Improved were Tyson Gibson and Kamden Robertson. Tyson got a key steal that turned the Nodaway-Holt game around, while Kamden earned more and more playing time as the season progressed, getting the ball to open players. The Toughness Award went to Brett Emig. He played two games in the football season in a cast, injured his eye and needed stitches at the South Harrison Tournament, reinjured it two weeks later, and kept right on playing. The Hustle Award went to Grant Claycomb, who was always one of the first players down the court when the Shamrocks got the ball on offense. The Cheerleader Award went to Cooper Cracraft, who was always into the game whether he was on the floor or on the bench. The Dynamic Duo award went to Brandon Hamilton and Nick Babinski, who copied each other in everything they did. The Shooter Award went to Wade Briggs, who has gotten to where he can hit anything from 30 feet in.
The Shamrock Award went to Brett Emig. Brandt said that he had no idea where North Harrison was, and that this was his eighth school. He had been told a lot of times about different players, but that Emig was the first player who lived up to the hype. The day after Jerry Armstrong passed away, Brett put up the kind of numbers Jerry would have been proud of, putting up 41 points and 16 boards against Mercer.
Emig got Unanimous First Team All Conference and was All District. Wade Briggs was 2nd Team All Conference. Both Brett Emig and Emma Craig were honored Thursday for scoring 1,000+ career points. Their names will be on the wall in future Shamrock displays.
The Boys Golf Team, started up this year, showed a lot of improvement and started beating teams as the season progressed. They spent time losing a few golf balls, but finding some as well. The Most Improved went to Cole Kampman, who greatly improved his putting game this year. The Low Average went to Wade Briggs, who was the only person on the squad with golf experience, and who would have qualified for state had he not been doing baseball as well.
The baseball team is in the middle of a record season, with school records of a .370 batting average and 179 runs through 16 games, over ten per game. All of them were putting the ball in play. Coach Rob Claycomb recognized Josh Gilpatrick, the new PA announcer, Lori Craig, Billy Briggs, and his assistant, Aaron Long, along with Principal Alan Koch and managers Hailey Claycomb, Dustin Hamilton, Kyler Kimbrough, and Ruby Heintz.
The Most Improved went to Aaron Lundy. After never having a varsity at bat and stuck behind Logan Craig, Lundy stepped up in a big way and earned the first base slot, helping with both his bat and his glove. The Pitching Award went to Matthew Heintz, who has 35 innings pitched, 21 hits, 14 walks, 52 strikeouts, and an ERA of 0.98. The Silver Slugger Award went to Brett Emig, who has a 2.044 OPS, regularly stretches singles into doubles, and bats .591 with seven home runs.
The Golden Glove Award went to Grant Claycomb, who has made some sparkling plays at both pitcher and shortstop while only making three errors. He has turned two double plays this year. He also got the Shamrock Award, the first ever by the team. The MVP, as voted on by the players and coaches, went to Brett Emig. In another first for the team, the Shamrocks got their first ever Academic All-State Awards as Grant Claycomb, Cooper Cracraft, and Matthew Heintz were named.
The Girls Track Team only had three out this year, but placed third in the HDC this year. Lily Shovick got the Thrower Award; she placed in all three throwing events at the HDC Meet. Halle Morgan got the Runner Award; she has competed in the Triple Jump, Long Jump, Javelin, and the 400, winning the 400 at the HDC Meet with a broken hand. Camden Castleberry competed in the 100 and 300 Hurdles this year, the 800, and the Long Jump, qualifying for Sectionals this year.
The Boys Track Team took second in the HDC Meet this year. Brett Emig got the Speed Award; he started off slowly, but worked on his form and improved in the 100, getting better as the season progressed. The Distance Award went to Grant Claycomb, who had never run before this year, but ran in the 400, the 800, and the 1600. The Jumper Award went to Tyson Gibson, who improved in the Long Jump from 17 feet in junior high to 19 feet this year, breaking the 20 foot barrier late. He also got 40 feet in the Triple Jump and has qualified for Sectionals. The Shamrock Award went to Grant Claycomb, who worked hard in practice, never complained, and practiced track on his own after baseball practices.
At the HDC Meet, the 4x200 team of Matthew Heintz, Tyson Gibson, Brandon Hamilton, and Brett Emig broke the school record for the event despite never having run a relay race before this year.
Two sportsmanship awards were presented at the end of the program. The MSHSAA Award of Excellence went to Carly Rinehart and Brett Emig. The Tom Hutton Sportsmanship Award went to Emma Craig and Brett Emig.
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