Football | Homecoming | Softball | Cross Country | Golf | Volleyball | Tennis | Boys Soccer

Fall Sports News 2007-2008 | Fall Sports 2006-2007 | More Fall Sports Archives
Other Sports News | Fall Sports Schedule

The 2008-2009 fall sports season brings one change for CHS and one major one statewide. At CHS, after three years of existence, the boys' swimming program has been terminated due to the lack of outside-donor funds necessary to support it. Also, different this fall is that an additional round of football playoffs will be included on a 2-year trial basis. Second-place teams from each classification's districts will qualify for those playoffs.

FOOTBALL (Phil Willard, head coach) - 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. (due to an FCA event that evening) on Monday, August 11; 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. August 12-15 and 18-22 at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium.

SOFTBALL (Stan Baldwin, head coach) - 8-11 a.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. Players should come dressed in appropriate practice attire and should bring a water/cold drink jug with them.

CROSS COUNTRY (Tim Riekena, coach) - 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at west shelter house in Simpson Park. Twice-daily practices the first two Mondays and Tuesdays. All other practices will be at 7 a.m. Practices will last about 1 1/2 hours.

BOYS' SOCCER (Bill Allison, coach) - 4:00-5:15 p.m. (due to FCA event) August 11 at Danner Park field; August 12-15, 5:00-6:30 p.m. and 7:30 - 8 p.m.; Saturday, August 16, 7:30-9:30 a.m.; August 18-20, 5:00-6:30 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m.; August 21, 5-7 p.m. Bring plenty of water or sports drink. Call 816-294-9068 with questions.

GIRLS' GOLF (Vickie Garrett, coach) - 8 a.m. at Green Hills Golf Course. Call CHS office or coach with questions.

GIRLS' TENNIS (Amy Baker, coach) - 8 a.m. at Danner Park courts. A meeting will be held in the adjacent shelter house if it is raining. Bring an unopened tube of tennis balls and drinking water.

VOLLEYBALL (Karen Jackson, head coach) - 9 a.m. at CHS gym.

FOOTBALL
Football Mom's information...

Hornets Push Snooze Button, Put Roosters To Sleep
Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

CAPTION: Having split three defenders anticipating another Chillicothe running play, Hornets senior tight end Colin Parker pulls in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Trammell to boost CHS to a 16-7 second-quarter lead at Pleasant Hill Saturday. Chillicothe went on to post a 29-13 victory in the Class 3 state playoffs quarterfinals, hiking its record to 13-0.

C-T photo / Butch Shaffer

With their offensive and defensive lines establishing the upper hand early – albeit not as dominant a control as they have against most prior opponents, senior running back Clint Dysart providing a potent alter ego to dynamic, but targeted, backfield mate Bryce Young, and junior linebacker Brett Stephens helping establish a strong defensive tempo early, the Chillicothe Hornets gave the Pleasant Hill Roosters no chance to crow Saturday afternoon.

Their offensive line allowing them to move the ball consistently, the defensive front putting unwelcome heat on PHHS quarterback Cody Todd right from the start while not yielding much on the ground, and Dysart and Stephens repeatedly making solid plays, the Hornets scored 23 unanswered points from late in the first quarter until late in the fourth and extended their 2008 winning streak to 13 games with a 29-13 Class 3 state playoffs quarterfinal triumph at Pleasant Hill. "It's a big win because it's been 1997 since we've been back (to the state semifinals, in which the Hornets will visit 10-3 Cassville next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.)," CHS head coach Phil Willard stated after the win on a blustery, cold, cloudy afternoon.

The Hornets scored first on a long touchdown pass from Tyler Trammell to Young on their second possession, but fell behind for one of the few times this season when Pleasant Hill answered with a good drive it culminated with a 45-yard Matt Hertzog run on a trick play. With Bubby Smith's conversion kick, Pleasant Hill was up 7-6. Less than 2-1/2 minutes later, Chillicothe regained the lead for keeps when, with the wind at their backs, Colin Parker sneaked a high, slicing field goal from 35 yards away just inside the right upright with 1:10 remaining in the opening stanza. By halftime, the CHS margin had become 16-7 as Trammell, the Hornets senior quarterback who has really matured as a passer and field general this season, hit Parker with a 16-yard scoring strike and Connor Lindley split the uprights with the PAT kick. "They're good up front," he saluted Chillicothe's offensive and defensive lines, which featured two-way players Lowe, Hargrave, Brenden Pagliai, and Clayton Dahlberg, offensive linemen Justin Followwill and Lambert Eller, Parker at tight end, and Dysart at D-end. "They're really good up front."

Behind strong offensive line play which consistently allowed the Hornets to gouge out hard-running yardage, mostly in more-modest chunks, Chillicothe unofficially had Dysart gain about 170 rushing yards as part of a team performance of again around 300 yards. Dysart's offensive heroics – and he played well on defense, too – came on the heels of a spectacular performance in the sectional round. Last Monday, he returned two blocked punts – one of which he swatted down himself – for touchdowns and ran for another TD. "He has got unbelievable balance," Willard said of the quiet senior, who continues to make significant yardage on his runs after first hits by the defense. "I just can't say enough about what he has meant to our football team this year. In addition to the time-chomping rushing attack, Trammell once more topped 100 yards through the air as CHS had over 400 yards of total offense.

Defensively, aside of Hertzog's TD run on the trick, fake-fumble play, and a couple of isolated short-double-digits runs, Pleasant Hill's running game rarely produced any noteworthy gains and CHS pass rushers had Todd wary most times he dropped back to throw. The Hornets sacked him four times for 30 lost yards, that tone set early when Lowe blazed through for a 14-yard loss on a first-down play on the Roosters' game-opening possession. Other quarterback sacks came from Pagliai, Dahlberg, and Dosterschill. Also setting an early tone was Stephens at linebacker. He unofficially was either a solo tackler or in on five stops in the opening quarter alone. "Brett had a big game at linebacker for us," Willard concurred. "…He is really starting to learn that linebacker position. He's coming on now at the right time."

Now Chillicothe will take the four-hours-plus trip to Cassville, about 10 air miles from the Arkansas state line, southwest of Springfield, to face a Wildcats team which defeated Logan-Rogersville at home 26-14 on Saturday. While the Hornets will go into that contest a perfect 13-0 as both Midland Empire Conference and District 16 champions, Cassville has reached the semifinal round after finishing third in its conference (Big 8) and second in District 12. The Wildcats won at District 11 champion Mount Vernon – a fellow member of the Big 8 it had beaten during the regular season and which entered the postseason 5-5 – to start the playoffs. It then avenged a close district loss to Monett by beating the previously-perfect Cubs in a sectional-round rematch before beating District 10 runner-up Logan-Rogersville.

As for how to deal with the lengthy journey for Saturday's semifinal game, Willard – who expects to take his team to southwest Missouri Friday in time to get in a practice on a field there that afternoon – says he'll simply consult his old mentor who went down the playoff road so often, legendary CHS coach Bob Fairchild. Recalling that, when he was on Fairchild's staff, the 1991 Hornets went and stayed at Springfield and practiced there prior to their semifinal win over Mount Vernon and title-game victory over Herculaneum, Willard said, "Coach Fairchild's been there so many times that he gives you a pattern to go by. We'll probably go by his lead."

Holiday Events To Go On As Planned
Published: Monday, November 17, 2008, C-T

CAPTION: Outdoor temperatures were cold but a large delegation of Chillicotheans were running a high Hornet fever as they traveled to Pleasant Hill to support the undefeated Chillicothe Hornet football team as they played for in the state Class 3A quarterfinal game. The Hornets will head to Cassville Saturday to play in the state semifinal game, the first time to the semifinals since 1997.

C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer

Despite Chillicothe High School’s scheduled appearance in the Class 3 Missouri football semifinal playoff game — their first since 1997 — on Saturday in Cassville, Mo., this weekend’s holiday events in Chillicothe will go on as planned. Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce officials confirmed to the Constitution-Tribune today (Monday) that the 62nd annual Holiday Parade will remain at 10 a.m. this Saturday. “We did consider rescheduling the parade; however, there were just too many conflicts with other dates and, therefore, we have decided to go ahead as scheduled,” said Natalie Bone, administrative assistant for the Chamber of Commerce.

There are 101 entries in the parade with special appearances planned by KC Wolf, Slugger, the Kansas City Marching Falcons Drill Team, and the Missouri Western State University Gold Griffon’s Marching Drumline. The parade will be led by honorary grand marshal Dave Goodwin, longtime high school instrumental music instructor. He will be accompanied by the Chillicothe Marching Hornets.

The Chillicothe High School Football Hornets will travel south to play Cassville after having won Saturday at Pleasant Hill. Game time is 1:30 p.m. “The Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce would like to wish the Chillicothe Hornets football team good luck and a big congratulations as they battle their way toward the Missouri state championship, Bone said.

Also on tap Saturday is the annual Constitution-Tribune Holiday Bazaar which will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Chillicothe High School. There are 79 vendors registered and the event lasts until 4 p.m. Also Saturday, Bishop Hogan will have its annual Cookie Bazaar and Chili and Soup Luncheon and the Masonic Lodge will have its chili luncheon. That afternoon, the Kids Christmas will be held as planned at the courthouse to give youngsters an opportunity to shop for gifts for their parents. Sleigh rides will also be given from 4 until 6 p.m. and the Community Christmas Tree Lighting will be at 6 p.m. at the courthouse plaza.

Return to Top

Many Weapons
Published: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

For the second time in 11 days, the Chillicothe High School football Hornets had much more than the Smithville Warriors could cope with Monday. A ferocious two-way effort by senior Tommy Hargrave, the pinpoint passing accuracy of senior Tyler Trammell, stingy defense, and two huge plays by their punt return unit more than offset the relative success Smithville had in neutralizing the big-play running game Chillicothe used Oct. 30 in claiming the Class 3 District 16 title.

With senior Clint Dysart returning two blocked punts for short touchdowns, Hargrave alertly out-racing two Smithville players to a teammate’s fumble in the end zone for a CHS TD, and Trammell’s 10-of-13 throwing for 162 yards, Chillicothe easily out-flanked Smithville’s “pick your poison” defensive game plan to hang a season-ending 40-0 loss on the visiting Warriors in Class 3 state playoffs sectional-round play. "There's always things we can improve on, but I was very pleased with the overall effort," said CHS head coach Phil Willard. The triumph kept the 12-0 Hornets going in 2008, but couldn’t keep them at home. District 13 runner-up Pleasant Hill’s 33-7 thumping of District 13 champion Holden last night meant Chillicothe would not get to play a third-straight home playoff game. Instead, the Hornets will journey southeast of Kansas City to Cass County Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. state quarterfinals clash with Pleasant Hill’s Roosters.

At the same time, circumstances conspired against the Hornets – who entered Monday’s action with a chance to stay at home all through the four-round lead up to the Show-Me Bowl in St. Louis – to make last night’s contest their final at their Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium home this fall. Because both Logan-Rogersville and Cassville – runners-up in Districts 10 and 12, respectively – also won in the sectional round, whichever wins their quarterfinal contest Saturday would host Chillicothe in the semifinals, if the Hornets get that far. That’s because the first factor in deciding the home team for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds is if there is a disparity in the number of games the clubs already have hosted. While Chillicothe’s been home twice, Pleasant Hill, Logan-Rogersville, and Cassville each have been on the road exclusively to this point. If Pleasant Hill and Cassville were to reach the semifinals, Pleasant Hill would get to stay home a second-straight week. A Roosters vs. Logan-Rogersville game would take place at Rogersville, about eight southeast of Springfield.

Chillicothe secured its first chance to play a daytime game since winning at Kansas City: O’Hara early in the 2003 regular season by smothering the one-dimensional Smithville attack while ultra-efficiently executing an offensive game plan which correctly anticipated a Warriors commitment to negating the outside running game with the Hornets tortured Smithville last time. Having yielded 142 rushing yards to Bryce Young and 120 to Dysart on 12 carries each in the prior meeting, Smithville set its defensive scheme to be on the perimeter with its linebackers and defensive backs. Anticipating it might do that, Chillicothe’s coaching staff was ready from the start to both pound away between the tackles and to throw down the seams of the defensive secondary as the Warriors defensive backs advanced to provide early run support. "We did so many things to hit them on the perimeter (in the Oct. 30 game) that we felt like we were going to have to do something a little different to be able to move the ball and we were able to do that," Willard confirmed.

Return to Top

Chillicothe 11-0 After Beginning State Playoffs With First 2008 Shutout
Published: Sunday, November 9, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T Sports Editor

CAPTION: Amid strong winds and heavy rains, the Chillicothe Hornets battle Kansas City Pembroke Hill in the regional playoff game Wednesday at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium. But it was lightning which came at the start of the third quarter which ultimately postponed the game until tonight (Thursday). The two teams will pick up at 7 p.m. where they left off with 7:37 remaining in the third quarter and Chillicothe ahead with a score of 28-0.

C-T Photo/ Butch Shafer

Having given themselves a head start to victory the night before, the Chillicothe High School football Hornets wrapped up their first state playoffs victory in five years quickly Thursday night, needing only a half-hour to out-score visiting Kansas City: Pembroke Hill 14-0 over the final 19-plus minutes of game time and hang up a 42-0 Class 3 regional-round triumph. Improving their 2008 record to 11-0 by posting their first shutout of the year, the Hornets earned the right to host a familiar opponent – fellow Midland Empire Conference and District 16 member Smithville – Monday in the sectional round of the five-tier playoffs.

Chillicothe handled 8-3 Smithville 34-3 at home Oct. 30. "I was pleased we were able to get them eventually stopped and get the ball in the end zone and get the clock running and get some other kids in,” Chillicothe head coach Phil Willard said of Thursday’s denouement. “That was big, especially having a short time now to get ready for Monday."

Last night’s conclusion to the action begun Wednesday, but interrupted and then halted by persistent lightning, effectively was perfunctory. Pembroke Hill had little realistic hope of making a comeback to even get in contention, but it chose to make the trip from the city a second day in a row to find out. The Raiders (7-4) did manage to mount a decent drive when play recommenced Thursday, but the possession was halted just inside the CHS 40 and PHHS punted.

On its first offensive play of the night, Chillicothe put the ball in the hands of its big-play maker Bryce Young and, with a huge hole opened by his blockers, he dashed 73 yards to the PHHS 5. Two plays later, Kyle Dosterschill’s 5-yard run for his second TD of the game and Connor Lindley’s PAT kick put the “running clock” rule into effect with the lead up to 35-0. Stephen Quinn recovered a fumbled snap at the Pembroke Hill 3 about three minutes into the fourth quarter and Clint Dysart bashed into the end zone one play later for the final TD. Lindley added the final point, giving him an even 50 PATs on the year. He broke Michael Holder’s 10-year-old record of 40 in a season during last week’s victory over Smithville. "That's been huge, to be able to have that consistency. That's what you've got to have," saluted CHS coach Phil Willard.

Finishing the night with 226 rushing yards on nine carries, Young now unofficially has 1,652 yards on the season, 374 shy of David Macoubrie’s CHS record of 2,024 set 30 years ago.

Return to Top

CHS Football Hornets Finish Regular Season Perfect 10-0
Published: Friday, October 31, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

CAPTION: Chillicothe football Hornets junior Connor Lindley booted field goals of 32 and 29 yards and was four of four on extra-point kicks Thursday night as the Hornets whipped Smithville 34-3.

C-T photo / Butch Shaffer

After their defense bailed out a turnover-prone offense in the first quarter, the Chillicothe High School football Hornets seized control with a 17-point second quarter and went on to a convincing 34-3 triumph over the visiting Smithville Warriors Thursday night at Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium.

Completing their 2008 regular season 10-0, including a title-winning 7-0 mark in Midland Empire Conference, the Hornets now will enter the Class 3 state playoffs next Wednesday. The District 16 champions will do so at home with a 7 p.m. game against 8-2 Kansas City: Pembroke Hill, runner-up from District 15.

Thursday's triumph saw Kyle Dosterschill score on two short runs, Bryce Young dash 80 yards for another score, Clint Dysart tally once, and junior placekicker Connor Lindley hit two of three field goal attempts and all four points after Chillicothe touchdowns. Young (142) and Dysart (120) both topped the 100-yard mark in rushing yardage while averaging 10 yards or more a carry. It was Young's eighth such game this season as he surpassed 1,400 yards for the regular season.

While the offense eventually racked up impressive numbers in points and yards (nearly 450 total yards), it was the defense which made that prosperity possible. CHS defenders prevented Smithville from capitalizing on two fumble recoveries in the first quarter and never let the Warriors (7-3) inside the Chillicothe 14. The only Smithville points came on a Drew Sperry field goal in the third quarter which made the score 27-3.

C-T photos / Butch Shaffer

CAPTION: Instead of their CHS Marching Hornets uniforms, members of the band were allowed to perform in Halloween costumes last (Thursday) night at the football game. The Hornets beat the Smithville Warriors 34-3 and maintained their unbeaten record.

Return to Top

Oh, To Be Young
Published: Friday, October 24, 2008, by Paul Sturm, C-T

CAMERON — The one-win Cameron Dragons were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time Friday night, even if it was their home turf. The visiting Chillicothe High School Hornets, recapturing the fire and intensity which had been diminished the previous couple of games, provided paths to daylight which junior running back Bryce Young fully exploited. Young returned the game's opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, added TD runs of 92 and 93 yards in each of the first two periods, and also caught a 19-yard scoring pass as Chillicothe pulverized Cameron 49-14 on the ersatz grass at Dave Goodwin Field. The triumph by the Hornets kept them unbeaten at 9-0, clinched at least a share of the Midland Empire Conference football crown – their first in a dozen years, and – when combined with Smithville's 24-13 decision over Savannah – advanced them to postseason play (for the 23rd time) next month.

The winner of next Thursday's Smithville-Chillicothe clash in Chillicothe will take the Class 3 District 16 crown and earn the right to host the new regional (first-)-round state playoffs game Wednesday, Nov. 5. Next Thursday's loser will have to play on the road in the regional round.

Behind a rejuvenated offensive line of senior tackles Justin Followwill and Clayton Dahlberg, guards Cory Lowe, another senior, and junior Brenden Pagliai, junior center Lambert Eller, and senior ends Tommy Hargrave and Colin Parker, Young, who entered the game with 1,079 rushing yards and a per-carry average of 13 yards, unofficially racked up 205 yards on the ground on only six carries at Cameron. In his seventh ’08 game of triple-digit rushing yardage, he topped 200 for the second time in three weeks – without touching the ball on offense in the second half and even with one would-be 38-yard scoring jaunt negated by a downfield holding penalty. With his four TDs, he now has 21 on the year – 13 rushing, seven receiving, and one on a kick return.

Young was far from the only Hornet to show well in the game. The first-string defense didn't allow any points, including turning Cameron away from a first-and-goal at the Chillicothe 3 late in the first half. After quarterback sacks by nose guard Dahlberg and tackle Hargrave forced Cameron to turn the ball over on downs at the 8, Young galloped nearly the length of the fake-grass gridiron on the first subsequent Hornets play to give Chillicothe the 35-0 halftime lead necessary to initiate use of the "running clock" at the outset of the third quarter. Young's 92-yard trek also included a devastating, if probably superfluous, downfield peel-back block by Parker which leveled and briefly stunned one Cameron defender who was trying to head Young off.

Trammell hit all three passes he attempted for 64 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 11 TD throws for the year, the most by a Hornets quarterback in Phil Willard's 11-year tenure as head coach and the most since Burt Dickinson had 14 (in 13 games) for the 1997 state semifinalists.

After Dysart's TD made the score 42-0 four minutes into the final half, Chillicothe used only reserves on its offensive and defensive units the rest of the night. Cameron scored a touchdown against the Hornets backups in both of the last two periods to briefly interrupt the running clock, but Chillicothe's backup offense responded with a six-play, 54-yard drive capped by Nick Plummer's 1-yard run to re-inflate the lead to the required 35 points with 3:35 left to play.

Return to Top

Wide Screen Ignites Final-Quarter Comeback in 29-19 Hornets Victory
Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008, by Paul Sturm, C-T

CAPTION: Having scored on an 11-yard run to put his team ahead 23-19 less than two minutes earlier, Chillicothe Hornets senior fullback Kyle Dosterschill uses the lead block of running back Clint Dysart (33), the cutoff block of back Bryce Young (3), and the downfield block of senior center Lambert Eller (upper right) to find an alley for a 32-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left to clinch Friday's hard-earned 29-19 Midland Empire Conference and Class 3 District 16 home victory over Savannah.

C-T Photo / Butch Shaffer

Stymied on the scoreboard by poor field position, an excellent, multiple-look Savannah defensive game plan, and their own mistakes through three quarters, the undefeated Chillicothe High School football Hornets gaped into the maw of looming defeat Friday night. As they did two weeks before at Maryville, they refused to yield to despair.

Held to only 10 points through three quarters and having seen a partially-blocked punt and a disputed pass interception create field position Savannah converted into two touchdowns and a nine-point lead entering the final quarter, Chillicothe was reeling and in danger of absorbing a knockout blow. However, with one thunderous punch of their own, the host Hornets turned the tide of their Class 3 District 16 heavyweights clash with the visiting Savages and reversed pending defeat into a pulsating 29-19 triumph. Trailing 19-10 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game and facing a third-and-17 play at their own 32-yard line, Hornets running back/wide receiver Bryce Young took Tyler Trammell's quick wide-receiver screen pass and, somehow making three would-be tacklers miss, turned it into a game-changing 68-yard touchdown play.

Electrified by the stunning run after the catch, Chillicothe held Savannah's offense to a six-play subsequent possession and forced a punt which rolled dead at the Hornets 28 with just under seven minutes left. With plenty of time to score the go-ahead points if they made that possession count, but facing a daunting task if they failed and had to make a second try in the final minute or two, the Hornets accomplished twin goals – score a touchdown and use up a chunk of clock.

The offensive line suddenly firing off the ball and Savannah's defense rocked back on its heels by the sudden turn in fortunes, Young carried the first four times for 34 total yards before having to duck out following a hard tackle which drove his face and facemask into the Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium turf. When he left, the CHS running-back-by-committee approach filled the void.

Kyle Dosterschill, previously having managed only 38 yards on nine carries, ran for three yards and a first down at the SHS 35. Young's replacement, sophomore speedster Josh Rockhold, took a delayed handoff around right end for nine and Dosterschill powered off right guard behind an unbalanced line to that side to make it first-and-10 and SHS 16 with just under four minutes remaining. Clint Dysart, whose first-half fumble on a similar carry had been followed by a 14-play Savages touchdown march that started the game's scoring, waited and cut inside a block on the right edge for a pickup of five. From the 11, Chillicothe went back to the right side with Dosterschill, this time slanting the hard-charging senior fullback off tackle. He got to the second level, broke an attempted arm tackle at about the 8, and motored his way into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 2:54 left to play. Even with the conversion kick missing, Chillicothe was up by four and Savannah needed a touchdown to get the victory which had looked like its for the celebrating at the final quarter's start.

Feeding off the energy of the offense and aided by Colin Parker's north-wind-aided kickoffs that reached the end zone for touchbacks and forced SHS to start again at its own 20, the Hornets defense held up its end of the bargain. Free safety Parker came across nicely to knock a deep-out pass away from top Savages receiver Lee McFadden near midfield. Speedy tackle Brenden Pagliai sniffed out a short pass in the middle to hold it to a one-yard gain on third down. Then, on fourth-and-10, senior tackle Tommy Hargrave – gutting it out despite feeling ill most of the day, according to CHS coaches – chased and pressured Savannah quarterback Travis Partridge, forcing him to unload on the run and underthrow intended target Jordan Greer. With 1:13 left and Savannah owning only one more timeout, Chillicothe could have knelt down with the ball three times and used up the remaining time. However, because it was a district game and the winning margin – up to 13 points – could be a tiebreaking factor down the road, the Hornets instead used a power run with Dosterschill. Slipping an arm tackle at the point of attack, the senior burst free and dashed 32 yards to the end zone, his third TD run of the night, to make it a 10-point victory.

The CHS triumph not only started it off on the right foot in district play and kept its perfect record – now 8-0 – intact, but also moved it closer to its first Midland Empire Conference title since 1996. Chillicothe is 5-0 in the league and needs one more MEC victory to secure at least a piece of the 2008 loop title.

Return to Top

Homecoming Hornets Live Young, Rout SJ: Lafayette 49-7
By Paul Sturm, Constitution-Tribune, Sat Oct 11, 2008

Photo by C-T photo / Butch Shaffer

CAPTION: The football flies free as Chillicothe's Josh Rockhold tackles St. Joseph: Lafayette's Tyrai Skeen on a kickoff return in the second quarter of Friday night's 49-7 Chillicothe Homecoming victory. Brett Stephens recovered the ball for the host Hornets, who improved to 7-0.

Facing an opponent featuring, in quarterback Bryston Williams, a player many in the Midland Empire Conference might consider the league’s most lethal offensive weapon, the Chillicothe Hornets unleashed their own big-play specialist Friday night.

With St. Joseph:Lafayette scheming defensively to neutralize the Hornets’ inside running attack, CHS junior running back Bryce Young took most of the fight out of the Irish with touchdown end runs of 68, 47, and 67 yards in a stretch of three-straight first- and second-period toss sweeps, sending the unbeaten Hornets soaring toward an eventual 49-7 victory on Homecoming night. “Bryce has just been amazing, the cutback ability he has and the vision he has,” CHS head coach Phil Willard complimented after the Hornets’ leading ball carrier racked up 255 yards on only 10 carries and, for good measure, threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Colin Parker. “That was a big difference for us early.”

The 255 rushing yards – about 50 shy of David Gabrielson’s single-game team record – not only included the three long scoring runs, but also another 41-yard trek. His 25.5-yards average gain per carry is even more startling considering he had two runs on which Lafayette threw him for losses totaling seven yards.
For the season, Young unofficially now has 970 yards in only 68 rushes, a dazzling average of 14.3 yards. He also now has 11 rushing touchdowns and 16 overall.

While Young – courtesy of his offensive linemen and lead blocking backs – got the huge statistics, he wasn’t the only Hornet who had productive performances as CHS moved to 7-0 overall and a league-leading 4-0 in the MEC. Fullback Kyle Dosterschill ran for 67 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, moving near the 500-yard mark for the season, and also intercepted and returned a deflected pass 54 yards. Senior quarterback Tyler Trammell only threw four times, but was on target with three of them for 91 yards, including a big 49-yarder to tight end Tommy Hargrave and a 36-yarder to Colin Parker. His only incompletion appeared deserving of being negated by a penalty as intended target Bryce Young’s uniform shirt was grabbed by a beaten defensive back as Young tracked a first-quarter pass, but no flag flew. Another senior, Clint Dysart, not only averaged more than eight yards a carry, but also caused and recovered a fumble, while junior Brett Stephens, Dosterschill’s running mate at linebacker and his understudy at fullback, also recovered a fumble and ran 27 yards for the early fourth-quarter touchdown which put the “running clock” rule into effect.

When everything wrapped up, Chillicothe had amassed a season-high 494 yards of total offense, including an even 400 on only 35 runs.

Meanwhile the Hornets’ defense held Lafayette and Williams to less than 200 yards of total offense. Williams managed only 67 yards on 15 carries and hit on only six of his 16 passes for 60 yards and the one pick.

Now alone in first place in the MEC as a result of previously-undefeated Savannah’s 21-0 loss to Maryville Friday, the Hornets will host Savannah next Friday in the opening game of Class 3 District 16 play.

Return to Top

Football Hornets Hold On At Maryville, Now 6-0
Published: Saturday, October 4, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

CAPTION: End Colin Parker of the Chillicothe Hornets gathers in a Tyler Trammell pass at the 5-yard line as part of a 33-yard touchdown play in the first quarter of Friday's 28-27 Hornets victory at Maryville.

C-T photo / Paul Sturm

MARYVILLE — A duel of unbeaten Midland Empire Conference high school football which was a shootout in the first half was settled by a big play on a normally-routine attempt to score one point Friday. Chillicothe Hornets senior lineman Tommy Hargrave wedged through a space on the left side of Maryville's line and blocked Adam Mattson's would-be game-tying extra-point kick late in the third quarter. It not only preserved the Hornets' 28-27 lead, but provided the margin of victory as a scoreless fourth period allowed CHS to win by that score and remain unbeaten.

The Hornets, hopeful of earning their first MEC title since 1996 and more, improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the league. Maryville, the 2007 conference champ, slipped to 5-1 with a 4-1 MEC mark. With all conference games remaining the final four weeks of the regular season, Chillicothe still has a long way to go before it can secure the league crown, but it cleared what projected as the biggest hurdle with Friday's narrow road victory. Despite the significant reduction in his team's prospects of repeating as MEC champions, the game left MHS head coach Chris Holt far from disappointed. "How can you not be happy?" he asked rhetorically afterward. "You had two good football teams one extra point away from having something really special go on here."

The razor-thin final margin didn't look likely when Chillicothe twice established two-touchdown leads in the first half. However, the Spoofhounds had things square at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter and then put up another pair of touchdowns in the third stanza after CHS had scored twice in the second. "I'm very proud of our kids for hanging in there, but you have to give Maryville a lot of credit," said Hornets head coach Phil Willard. "They made some adjustments at halftime, came out in an unbalanced set, and went to the shotgun and they were tough to stop."

Early, it looked like – against the odds – the battle between the highly-regarded squads would be a Chillicothe runaway. On the opening possession of the game, consecutive gallops of 44 yards by Dysart and 42 by Bryce Young put the Hornets on top 6-0 after only 69 seconds of play. Maryville then fumbled the ball away on its second offensive play, but the MHS defense denied Chillicothe, whose Cory Lowe had covered the ball at the MHS 39.

Maryville opened the second half with a nine-play, 59-yard scoring drive completed with Farmer's 24-yard sweep around left end. After Chillicothe punted the ball away again after advancing it to the MHS 44, the ’Hounds went 83 yards in three plays to score again. A 66-yard hookup from Jasinski to Mitch Gallagher on the first play was something of a lucky break. Young came across with a bead on an interception, but was distracted by a teammate trying to stay with Chadwick. As the leaping Young reached for the ball while trying to avoid crashing into his fellow defender, it glanced off his hands and right into the arms of intended target Gallagher at about the MHS 45. Gallagher raced on to the CHS 17 before Josh Rockhold ran him down and tackled him. Mattson then ran for seven and 10 yards and Maryville was virtually tied, only to have Hargrave spoil things.

Aside from that missed pickoff, Young had a spectacular game. The junior running back not only had the 42-yard TD run and 30-yard scoring catch in the first half, but finished the night with a game-best 149 rushing yards on 15 attempts, four receptions for 93 yards, and a 27-yard pass completion to Rockhold on the option play. That's 269 yards of multi-purpose total yardage from scrimmage. "That kid's pretty special," Maryville's coach praised.

Many other players on both teams had outstanding nights, too. Mattson rushed for 123 yards, Trammell threw for 126 and two scores with no interceptions, Farmer had 91 yards in receptions, Hargrave blocked the kick, and Dysart both ran for 68 yards on only eight carries, but averaged just over 37 yards per punt with no return yardage and four of the five putting Maryville inside its own 20.

Chillicothe now will turn its focus to its Homecoming game, its pre-district finale next Friday against St. Joseph: Lafayette. The 2-4 Fighting Irish stormed back from a 29-7 first-half deficit to beat Cameron 33-29 Friday night behind quarterback Bryston Williams' approximately 260 rushing yards and four TDs.

Return to Top

Hornets Roll Benton 37-6
Published: Friday, September 26, 2008, C-T

The Chillicothe Hornets improved to 5-0 with an impressive victory at St. Joseph Benton on Friday night. The Hornets scored on their first 3 possessions of the ballgame and held a 30-0 advantage at the half. Chillicothe also scored on their first offensive possession of the second half to open up a 37-0 lead before a late Benton score.

Return to Top

CHS Football Hornets Blow Past Bishop LeBlond 49-14
Published: Saturday, September 20, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

By Butch Shaffer / C-T photo

CAPTION: Chillicothe Hornets junior reserve fullback Brett Stephens cuts behind the downfield block of teammate Bryce Young on his way to a 31-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of Friday's 49-14 rout of St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond.

The mismatch between an unbeaten and unchallenged Chillicothe High School Hornets football team and a St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond Golden Eagles club representing a school with about one-third of Chillicothe’s enrollment developed pretty much as most observers anticipated Friday night. Giving every indication of being a team to be reckoned with, should they reach the Class 3 state playoffs, the Hornets reeled off a 42-0 lead in the game’s first 17 minutes before settling for a 49-14 triumph in their 2008 Midland Empire Conference opener.

Chillicothe improved its record to 4-0 overall. LeBlond is 0-3 in its return to the MEC and 1-3 overall. The Hornets scored in the 40s for the fourth-straight week, their final total surpassing the previous season-high 48 points they’d produced against Marshall and Grain Valley. Chillicothe now is averaging 46.25 points per contest. The CHS defensive starters once more concluded their night having not allowed any points. LeBlond tallied its first six points on a 100-yard return of an intercepted pass late in the first half and its other six came in the late going against Hornets second- and third-stringers.

Offensively, while Chillicothe’s total yardage wasn’t overwhelming at 386 yards, that had more to do with the field position with which it worked most of the night. The Hornets set that advantageous field position tone right from the opening seconds when Bryce Young returned a short opening kickoff 43 yards to the Bishop LeBlond 42. Next time, it got the ball at the St. Joseph Catholic school’s 38, followed by a start at the Hornets’ own 43, the LeBlond 11 and then the Golden Eagles’ 39.

Chillicothe touchdowns resulted from each of those possessions and put the Hornets in command 35-0 after one quarter. That is believed to be the most by a Hornets team in any quarter since they rang up 46 in their ill-advised district playoffs matchup with since-closed Tarkio Academy on Oct. 23, 1998. All told, 17 of CHS’ 37 offensive plays gained twin-figure yardage as the team continued its thunderbolt assault thus far in 2008. It entered Friday’s game averaging a stunning 10.6 yards per snap and virtually matched that (10.4 yards vs. LeBlond) – despite the short fields and the use of reserves for the most part over the last two-plus quarters.

In addition to Young netting 105 yards on four carries and catching two passes for another 43 with a touchdown each way, Chillicothe had senior quarterback Tyler Trammell go six of nine through the air for 105 yards. He did suffer his first interception of the season, one which LeBlond free safety Pat Lawhon picked off at his own goal line and returned the length of the field. Due to Chillicothe 36-point lead at halftime, the second half was played entirely under the “running clock” rule.

Defensively, the Hornets throttled LeBlond on 29 first-half yards – 17 rushing on 11 carries and 12 through the air on 3-of-9 accuracy. As if the offensive and defense dominance wasn’t total enough, the Hornets also had big plays from special teams units. After his lengthy kickoff return to open the game set up the first score, Young zipped in to block a punt later in the first quarter. That set up Dysart’s touchdown dash from the 14. Chillicothe will head back on the road next Friday, visiting 2-2 St. Joseph: Benton. Benton squeezed by Cameron in week four Friday.

Return to Top

Hornets Hang Another Lopsided Loss On Non-League Foe
Published: Saturday, September 13, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

GRAIN VALLEY - Their first-string offense and defense continuing to be almost-totally dominant, the Chillicothe High School football Hornets concluded an unexpected thrashing of their three 2008 non-conference opponents Friday night, pummeling the Grain Valley Eagles 48-16. Just as they had in romping past Marshall and Odessa, two other normally-strong teams expected to give the veteran Chillicothe squad tests, but unable to, the Hornets’ starting offense scored touchdowns on every possession it had.

Spearheading the CHS attack this time were junior Bryce Young, who had his third-straight 100-yards rushing game (seven carries for 174 yards and touchdowns of 25, 45, and 71 yards), and senior Clint Dysart, who had his first 100-yards game of the season with 107 on 13 carries. Chillicothe made it 21-0 after one period when senior quarterback Tyler Trammell, starting to scramble, niftily picked out end Colin Parker on the left side for a short pass which Parker converted into a 37-yard touchdown with a fine run after the catch. At the end of one period, Chillicothe already had 221 yards of total offense and 10 first downs.

Taking the opening possession of the second half, Grain Valley marched 71 yards in 15 plays to get on the board as Chillicothe played a more-conservative defense as time drained off the running clock. By the time the Eagles scored, only 2:01 remained in the third stanza. Just to make sure there was no doubt as to who’d win, Chillicothe took only five plays to move 69 yards to paydirt, Kyle Dosterschill rambling 18 yards off the left side to push the score to 41-8.

While running for well over 300 yards, the Hornets still showed a sharp passing game in limited exposure. Trammell hit on all three of his throws for 63 yards and one TD. He has only two incompletions and no interceptions in 14 throws this season. Now 3-0, Chillicothe will spend the rest of the regular season in Midland Empire Conference action, beginning next Friday at home against 0-3 St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond.

Return to Top

Hornets Bring The Sting, Whip Odessa 40-9
Published: Saturday, September 6, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

C-T photo/Butch Shaffer

CAPTION: Chillicothe High School Hornets junior running back Bryce Young heads for the left flank as fullback and lead blocker Kyle Dosterschill (7) gets ready to take on and take out an Odessa Bulldogs defender Friday night. Young would get around the corner and down the sideline for a 54-yard scoring scamper which gave the Hornets a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter of Friday's 40-9 CHS victory. Young rushed for 111 yards and two scores and caught two passes for another 94 yards and another TD.

Everywhere they turned Friday night, the visiting Odessa Bulldogs were being stung by Hornets Friday night at Chillicothe's Jerry Litton Memorial Stadium. Chillicothe High School football Hornets, that is. Producing a second-straight dominating performance against squads expected to give them strong early-season challenges, the Hornets instead made it two routs in as many games in 2008, stinging Odessa 40-9 to improve to 2-0. "I was very proud of our kids, the way they did execute," CHS head coach Phil Willard complimented. "A lot of good things happened for us."

Perhaps the most vital of those good things, at least in the long term, was the gutsy performance given by senior quarterback Tyler Trammell. In the face of an Odessa sell-out defense which rocketed nine or 10 men to the line of scrimmage in an attempt to outnumber blockers and stop runs or pressure the occasional pass attempt, Trammell made fearless play-calling by CHS offensive coordinator Dave Mapel pay off. He had a 7-for-9 passing night for 174 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Bryce Young for a 63-yard score in the first quarter and Colin Parker for 26 yards and a 27-3 lead late in the opening half. "We had a lot of people who stepped up their play – Tyler Trammell for one, who had some heat on him several times and was able to get the ball off and made some good throws," Willard praised, "and, of course, we made the catches." The operative word in that last phrase is "we." In going a combined nine of 11 in the air, Trammell and junior backup Jared McCauslin made connections with eight separate teammates. That's one shy of the 1968 team record for most CHS players with receptions in a game, as researched by KCHI Radio sports director and Hornets historical stats guru Randy Dean. In 1968, nine Hornets caught throws in a game against Milan. Friday's eight involved receivers matched the total from the 1977 season finale against Kirksville.

While Trammell was delivering strikes, even when under duress, it helped on the touchdown throws that there wasn't an Odessa defender anywhere in the vicinity of Young and Parker. While Trammell was having the best passing night of his career, Young was posting his second-straight 100-yards rushing game, gaining 111 on only 10 carries. The bulk of that real estate came on two scoring runs – a 54-yarder down the CHS sideline early in the second quarter which upped the Chillicothe lead to 21-3 and a 34-yard jaunt again down the Chillicothe side, although this time around the right side, late in the third to conclude the Hornets' scoring. Adding a 31-yard jump-ball catch in the second period to his long TD reception, Young had 205 yards from scrimmage, nearly surpassing the century mark in receiving yardage, too. The other Chillicothe touchdowns came on a Trammell sneak from a yard out which erased Odessa's early 3-0 lead, and sophomore back Josh Rockhold's 17-yard dart around left end in the third quarter.

Odessa never took possession of the ball beyond its own 30 until late in the third quarter when the "running clock" already was in use, the Hornets' "D" yielded only two pass plays of more than 20 yards after the opening possession while sacking the quarterback six times, by C-T count. Clayton Dahlberg had two of the sacks, Cory Lowe and Brenden Pagliai each 1.5, and Tommy Hargrave one. "I've really got to credit our defensive line and linebackers for keeping the heat on their quarterback, the CHS head coach and defensive coordinator saluted, also throwing a kudo the way of defensive line coach Jeff Staton. Like most teams learning the spread for the first time, Odessa was mostly one-dimensional, getting only 29 total rushing yards in 20 carries. That includes the 25 yards lost on the quarterback sacks. Odessa's new head coach, Lee "Par" Pitts, wasn't upset after the game, owing to the realization of the steep learning curve he knows his offensive unit faces and the quality and experience of the 2008 Hornets.

Having outscored their foes 85-23, the Hornets will make their first-ever trip to 2-0 Grain Valley next Friday to face the 2-0 Eagles. GVHS faced Marshall, Chillicothe's opening-week 45-14 victim, Friday and posted a 34-14 win. Chillicothe and Grain Valley, a Class 3 state semifinalist last year which now is in Class 4, have met only once before, that in Chillicothe two years ago in the state playoffs. Grain Valley won that one 21-13.

Return to Top

Hornets Maul Marshall 48-14 in Grid Opener Friday
Published: Saturday, August 30, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

C-T photo/Butch Shaffer

CAPTION: Three abreast, Chillicothe football Hornets senior fullback Kyle Dosterschill, flanked by blockers Clint Dysart to his left and Justin Followwill to his right, heads for the Marshall end zone and the first touchdown of the 2008 season Friday night at Marshall. Dosterschill scored from six yards away on this first-quarter run and from a yard out in the third quarter and rushed for a game-high 121 yards on only 13 carries in CHS' 48-14 season-opening romp.

The Chillicothe High School football Hornets began their 2008 season quite impressively against the Marshall Owls Friday night. The Hornets scored touchdowns on all seven possessions their first-string offense played while the top defensive unit was holding the inexperienced Owls to less than 50 total yards and no points as Chillicothe romped to a 48-14 non-conference triumph.

Chillicothe had over 350 yards of rushing yards with both senior fullback Kyle Dosterschill and junior Bryce Young surpassing the century mark while averaging around 10 yards a carry. Dosterschill gained 121 yards on 13 attempts, Young 115 on 10 rushes. Each scored two touchdowns, Dosterschill's on runs of six yards and one yard while Young had a 33-yarder on the ground and a 53-yard TD reception from Tyler Trammell for the last CHS score in the third quarter. Also finding paydirt on runs for the Hornets were Clint Dysart (11 yards), Josh Rockhold (48), and Trammell (1).

Marshall trailed 41-0 at Cecil Naylor Field before getting on the board against the CHS second-string defense late in the third stanza on Matt Jacobs' 6-yard run and against the third or fourth string on a 64-yard blast up the middle by its starting fullback, Cody Hodges, in the final seven minutes.

In the first half of the program's renewal of a rivalry dormant for 19 years, Chillicothe piled up 265 yards on 26 rushes while choking off the Owls on 49 yards on 20 carries. With a season-opening road win under their belts, the Hornets will make their home debut next Friday against the team which beat them out for last year's district title, Odessa.

Return to Top

Rivalry Renewed
Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

C-T photo / Butch Shaffer

CAPTION: Chillicothe Hornets senior linebacker Kyle Dosterschill, left, and junior defensive tackle Brenden Pagliai have the forward progress of a Knob Noster ballcarrier stopped as senior strong safety Stephen Quinn (34) moves in to help with bringing him down during last Friday’s jamboree scrimmages at Smithville. The Hornets, a very veteran team – although some veterans are in new positions now, will call on the Marshall Owls for the 2008 season opener Friday night. Marshall is trying to rebound from a 4-6 2007 campaign. Chillicothe was 6-4 last season.

Two old rivals which haven’t met in nearly a generation, but with many a long-standing connection, renew acquaintances on the football field tomorrow (Friday) night. The Chillicothe Hornets, coming off a 6-4 season from which a large majority of their starters return, will call on the Marshall Owls, 4-6 in 2007 and returning only five starters, in the 26th meeting of the programs, but the first since 1989. Game time will be 7 p.m. at the Marshall High School’s Naylor Stadium. While the Hornets and Owls ended last season with opposite records, they head into the new campaign with similar aspirations – contend for their league’s titles, a berth in the expanded state playoffs, and recapture some of the glory of their storied programs’ past.

On paper, Chillicothe seems to have the best chance of doing that – with players with extensive starting experience filling eight offensive positions and seven defensive posts, compared to the Owls having three on offense and two on defense. "We're really going to find out Friday night how good we are," assured Marshall head coach Paul Thomas in looking ahead to the opener of his ninth season as the pigskin Owls’ boss. "Physical up front,” he characterized the Hornets. “They've got great skill guys. Defensively, they fly around to the football. "There's no weak spots."

However, Thomas’ MHS club will have some impressive physical specimens – two offensive linemen in excess of 300 pounds, North Central Missouri Conference 100-meter dash champion Matt Buford at wide receiver and quick, shifty tailback Matt Jacobs – it will throw at the smaller Hornets, who hope to rely on precision and execution which makes the most of its own generous supply of talent and athleticism.
Willard lauds the Owls’ physical attributes, "They've got the combination a lot of people like – size and speed. That's something that's going to be interesting for us to deal with, to see if we can handled size and not wear down against it and be able to take the angles we need to be able to handle their speed and be able to contain them."

The probable starter at quarterback for Marshall Friday is expected to be senior Marty Kays, a converted wide receiver who figures to run the ball more often than throw it. The Owls do have a 6’6” sophomore, Lucas Hart, who may be a better thrower and might have to be used if Marshall falls behind and needs to throw more, “but I think they've made that move with Kays for a reason, to be able to run that option," Willard said. Willard came away from last week’s “jamboree” scrimmages at Smithville thankful for avoidance of injury and pleased with the way his players performed against opposition obviously not as formidable as what Marshall will be tomorrow. "I felt pretty good, the way we played, the effort we had. I felt like we were in pretty good physical shape and we're going to need to be to fight the big people we're going to fight every week."

Barring injury in the final pre-game practice tonight or other illness or mishap tomorrow, Willard indicated the first string units the Hornets showed at Smithville will be the starters at Marshall. On defense, that’s Cory Lowe and Clint Dysart at ends, Tommy Hargrave and Brenden Pagliai at tackles, and Clayton Dahlberg at nose guard on the line, Kyle Dosterschill and Brett Stephens at linebacker, and All-State cornerback Bryce Young, Colin Parker, Stephen Quinn and Josh Rockhold in the secondary. Rockhold is this year’s only sophomore starter. On offense, senior Tyler Trammell will quarterback with Dosterschill, Dysart, and Young the setbacks behind him. On the line, Hargrave and Parker are the ends, while the blocking wall will consist of Lambert Eller at center, Lowe and Pagliai at guards, and Justin followwill and Dahlberg at tackles.

Return to Top

Football Hornets Look Sharp Against Smaller Schools in Jamboree
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

SMITHVILLE - For what it was, the Chillicothe High School football Hornets couldn’t have done much more than they did in Friday evening’s preseason scrimmage “jamboree.” Both the offense and the defense played effectively in both the varsity and junior-varsity segments and, most critically, none of the Hornets seemed to come out of the exercise the worse for wear physically. “I saw a lot of good things - the hustle was good, the hitting was good,” CHS head coach Phil Willard commented immediately after addressing his squad following the controlled scrimmages. “Naturally there were some first-time mistakes with some aspects. but overall I was satisfied.”

Chillicothe’s varsity squared off for 24-snap sessions (evenly split between offensive and defensive series) against Richmond and Knob Noster, smaller schools hoping to rebuild their gridiron fortunes some in 2008 after several “down” years. The CHS junior-varsity went two dozen plays against the jayvees of fellow Midland Empire Conference member and host Smithville. When the final whistle blew, Chillicothe’s varsity offense had amassed five touchdowns - two rushing and three passing - while its defense had yielded only one.

The junior-varsity Hornets were virtually equally effective in their lone action, scoring two TDs - one on a short run, followed immediately by a long pass - against the host JV Warriors while preventing any first downs and taking the ball away once defensively. “There was a lot of good hustle and good execution of the offense,” Willard praised his veteran squad.

Return to Top

BOYS SOCCER

CHS' Boys' Soccer, Cross Country Honored
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

Members of Chillicothe High School’s 2008 cross country and boys’ soccer programs were recognized and honored last night with the traditional postseason awards dinner and program at the school. Head coaches Tim Riekena and Bill Allison of the cross country and soccer squads, respectively, presided over the concurrent recognition ceremonies – the soccer event in the commons and cross country event in the library. All three teams – the girls’ and boys’ cross country units and soccer club – had notable success in their recently-ended seasons.

C-T photo / Paul Sturm

The Hornets harriers won the school’s first-ever conference championship, nosing out Smithville in the Midland Empire Conference meet, to achieve one of their major goals for the year. Each member of the varsity squad for that meet received a plaque in honor of that unprecedented achievement. They also sent two runners – seniors Steven Taylor and Ben Griffin – to the Class 3 state meet for the first time in four years. S. Taylor was the first CHS boy to qualify in consecutive years since Brett Dowell in 2004-05.
Mary Kate Taylor, CHS’ only girls’ harrier, was all-Midland Empire Conference and all-district, both with third-place finishes. She then had the highest finish at state of any of the three CHS qualifiers, placing 53rd out of about 160 runners.

Riekena, in his second year as coach, said earlier this week of this year’s senior-laden team, “It’s been a joy to work with all the cross country athletes.” He made special note of the hours and hours and miles and miles of summer training (weight training and running) most of the squad – especially the seniors – devoted themselves to in pursuit of their twin team goals of a conference title and team advancement to the state meet. The second goal was narrowly missed, quite likely only because ill-timed illness hampered the race of 2006 state qualifier Casey Pryor, one of their top runners, at district. Had Pryor had his “normal” time and finish, that probably would have boosted Chillicothe past Warrensburg into the second state-qualifying spot.

On the pitch, the soccer Hornets came close – in only their second year of existence – to finishing with a non-losing record, standing 7-7 through 14 matches before losing their last three. Most impressively, while finishing 7-10 overall, the CHS booters posted a 4-3 record in MEC competition, tied for second-best mark in the league. According to Allison, a league tiebreaker system (for computing “conference supremacy” standings) left Chillicothe technically in fourth place. “I thought we had good results,” Allison shared with the C-T. “There were three more games in there that we could have won, but overall everything improved. Players individually showed good improvement and the team as a whole improved. “I was pretty pleased with the way things turned out.”

On their way to hiking their record from 4-11 in their first season to 7-10 this fall, the soccer Hornets had a winning percentage below .500 for only one game each only three times before the final two losses moved them two and three under. As to the top area in which this year’s still-inexperienced squad made important strides, Allison reflected, “I would say their combination play up front where they knew that they had to pass (the ball) out (to the wings) and then bring it back in (to the center of the field), instead of just trying to take it down the middle.” As for what he would advise the underclassmen to work on prior to next fall, the Hornets coach stated, “They’ve got to improve their ball skills and, several of them, just a general knowledge of the game.” “The biggest problem we have is we try to pass it to someone all the time, instead of passing it to a space,” he added. “And learning how to run ‘off’ the ball instead of always ‘with’ the ball. Movement off the ball is one thing they have to start ‘seeing.’”

In addition to reviewing their respective seasons, the coaches also presented a variety of individual and/or team-related awards.

CAPTION: Six 2008 Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets received special award plaques during last night's postseason awards dinner event and program in the high school commons. From left, they were: Mahonri Reyes - co-Coaches' Award; Jacob Rockhold - Golden Boot (leading goal scorer); Brady Sensenich - Leadership Award; Chris Kleinschmidt - Most Improved Player; Clark Allen - co-Coaches' Award; and Caleb Buckmaster - 110 Percent Award. C-T photo / Ken Stull

In cross country, the members of the MEC boys’ championship squad got the aforementioned plaques. They were Parker Leatherman, Daniel Riekena, Casey Pryor, Thomas Cassity, Timm Derrickson, Griffin, and S. Taylor, along with manager Greg Griesbach. Of those, Griffin, Pryor, and S. Taylor were all-conference. Given the special awards for performance and team contributions were Mary Kate Taylor – Outstanding Athlete, Derrickson – Coach’s Award, and sophomore Travis Henry – Most Improved. Henry’s best time this year was over six minutes faster than his best 2007 time, the coach noted. In soccer, Allison presented an extensive variety of special awards - some statistics-based.

Return to Top

Hornets Booters Improved Against Owls
Published: Monday, November 3, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

MOBERLY — The Chillicothe Hornets ended their second season Saturday, lost 10-3 to the Marshall Owls in district tournament first-round play at Moberly. Having lost to Marshall 10-0 earlier in the season, the Hornets knew they had a tough task ahead of them to upset third-seeded Marshall, but were determined to show the Owls that they came to play. The Hornets held their own for 22 minutes in the first half before Marshall found the net for its first goal. Then came a torrent.

Undermanned some, due to illness and other conflicts, the Hornets seemed to get a little run down, in the view of head coach Bill Allison, and made a couple mistakes on the defensive side to open the floodgates. Marshall went on to score four more times in the first half while only allowing the Hornets to get two shots on goal – by Brady Sensenich and Colton Allen. Even so, the Hornets were able to pressure the ball on offense enough that they kept the Owls on their heels a good bit of the time.

The Hornets started off strong in the second half, stunning the MHS defense when they scored in the first 40 seconds of the half. Laine Saunders brought the ball down the left side and made a beautiful cross pass to the feet of top scorer Jacob Rockhold, who buried it in the back of the net.

The goal and assist marked another few milestones in the Hornets’ very brief history. It was their first goal and first assist in district competition and also put senior Rockhold at the 25-goal mark for the season.

Return to Top

Savannah Brings Curtin Down On Soccer Hornets
Savannah gets game-winner early in second OT Thursday
Published: Friday, October 24, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

In one of those games you hate to see either team lose, the Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets were the ones left trudging off the muddy, slipper Daryl Danner Memorial Park field early last evening, having dropped their 2008 home finale 2-1 to Savannah in two overtimes. The visiting Savages’ Quaid Curtin rang down the curtain on the game when he turned a seemingly-innocuous rush into the game-winning goal with a perfectly-placed shot along the ground which just eluded CHS goalkeeper Caleb Buckmaster and sneaked just inside the left goalpost in the game’s 92nd minute.

The loss denied Chillicothe’s second-year program a .500 final record for its regular season. It now stands 7-9 overall heading into district tournament play a week from tomorrow at Moberly. The Hornets will face a monumental challenge there, taking on Marshall – a team which clobbered them 10-0 last Saturday – in the first round.

Yesterday’s contest was the second time in the Hornets’ brief history – both of them this season – they’ve played through regulation and into overtime to decide the winner. Both times they’ve ended on the short end of the final score, their previous OT game going into a sudden-death penalty-kick shootout. CHS head coach Bill Allison said he felt yesterday’s game was in the hands of the Hornets from the start, but “we could not take advantage of our opportunities on a very wet and slick field.”

The Hornets controlled much of the play and came within inches of scoring the first goal of the game several times, but did not. That distinction went to the Savages’ Cameron Vulgamott off a Curlin setup 16 minutes into the contest.

Return to Top

Spoofhounds Nip CHS Booters
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

C-T Photo

The Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets played a good game last night, according to their head coach, but came up a little short of victory. The visiting Maryville Spoofhounds rode Jon Rogers’ two post-intermission goals and a second-half blanking of the Hornets to a 3-2 Midland Empire Conference victory at the Daryl Danner Memorial Park field.

Chillicothe nearly had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the final couple of minutes when Rogers collided with CHS top scorer Jacob Rockhold in the penalty area in front of the MHS goal. Unfortunately, while the Hornets’ fans, coaches, and players anticipated a penalty kick being awarded to Rockhold, the official’s ruling was that the Hornet – who scored both CHS goals – had been guilty of the foul.

Despite their dismay over that decision, the Hornets kept pressuring and had another chance to even it up, but their shot sailed just over the crossbar. Moments later, the final whistle blew and the Chillicothe record had dipped to 7-8 overall and 4-2 in the conference. “The Hornets, as always, played hard from the starting whistle to the last whistle,” Allison summarized.

Return to Top

CHS Soccor Loses to Marshall
Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, by Paul Sturm, C-T

MARSHALL — It seemed as if the Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets were playing the Smithville Warriors again on Saturday afternoon. Instead it was a very stout Marshall Owls team with much of the same skill and talent as the Hornets’ 10-0 conqueror two days before. Just as Smithville did, the Owls struck early and often as the Hornets found themselves behind in only the second minute and never were able to bounce back as they again lost 10-0. “This game seemed to wear on all the players after seeing the same thing happen to them against Fulton and Smithville all in seven days,” CHS head coach Bill Allison reflected. “The only bright spot in there was beating Maur Hill on Tuesday."

Marshall, like the other two programs, has been around (in soccer competition) for several years and it showed. All of its players were very soccer-savvy and had good ball skills. “Like Smithville, (Marshall) too had very good off-the-ball runs, which open up space to allow passing lanes to be created,” the coach continued. “This is one part of the game the Hornets have struggled with a little all season, but are starting to see why a team needs constant movement, even when the ball is not at their feet. "All of these are growing pains of a young program. The most-successful high school programs experienced many of these problems in their early years, so it is nothing new as the program grows.”

Return to Top

Hornets Soccor Shut Out Maur Hill on Road
Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

ATCHISON, Kan. — With efficient team defense in front of him, senior goalkeeper Caleb Buckmaster of the Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets needed to make only four saves yesterday as the Hornets went on the road and shut out Atchison, Kan.’s Maur Hill-Mount Accademy Ravens 4-0. “The team felt good from having a good practice on Monday and came out ready to play with something to prove against a team which had beaten them three times in as many previous meetings over the two years of our existence,” CHS head coach Bill Allison related.

Prove something the Hornets did, not only shutting the Ravens out, but generally controlling the action. Maur Hill was limited to only four shots on goal – all stopped by the Chillicothe goalkeeper – while firing 14 at Ravens’ ’keeper Michael Minnis, three of which by senior Jacob Rockhold beat him. The other goal came from Colton Whiteside. “We were extremely proud of the way the whole team played, and everyone played a role in the game whether they started or came off the bench,” Allison stated on behalf of himself and assistant Lance Harvey.

After some early pressure by the Hornets failed to get a ball into the net, Allison made a couple of tactical adjustments were made and saw quick results. Chillicothe’s first goal came in the ninth minute as Levi Barton sent a pass to Connor Ruoff, who turned and split two defenders with a good pass that found Rockhold for his 17th goal of the year. A couple of minutes later, Chris Kleinschmidt’s steal led to a quick transition that ended with Rockhold’s second goal in two minutes.

With the Hornets defense, led by Mahonri Reyes, Brady Sensenich, Clayton Allen and Chris Kleinschmidt, keeping the clamps on the MH-MA attackers while playing all 80-plus minutes, the early 2-0 lead would have stood up. The CHS defense worked well with the midfielders in thwarting Maur Hill’s attempts at generating offensive pressure and Buckmaster made a good save late in each half – in the final half, he was tracking the ball going one direction and had to twist back to stop a shot fired back the other way to preserve the shutout, CHS’ second of the year.

Return to Top

CHS Booters Keep MEC Mark Perfect
Hornets 3-0 in league play after edging Lafayette 2-1 Tuesday on Rockhold’s 14th
Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

Playing their second game in as many nights and appearing to their head coach a little sluggish and heavy-legged, the Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets nevertheless posted their third Midland Empire Conference triumph in as many chances yesterday, shading the St. Joseph: Lafayette Fighting Irish 2-1 in a hard-fought game at Daryl Danner Memorial Park.

The scoring came off three major mistakes between the two teams, according to Hornets coach Bill Allison. The last of those was a foul against Chillicothe’s top scorer, Jacob Rockhold, in the penalty area midway through the second half with the score knotted 1-1. The infraction gave Rockhold a 1-on-1 chance against Irish goalkeeper Micah Carr and the CHS scoring ace capitalized, blasting a shot which Carr got a piece of, but couldn’t keep from sailing into the back of the net at the 61-minute mark.

Lafayette didn’t manage another serious scoring chance as Chillicothe managed to blank a second-straight foe in the second half. It had kept St. Joseph: Bishop LeBlond off the board after intermission Monday to score a 5-4 comeback win.

Return to Top

Soccer Hornets Lose to Hannibal
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

When the more-experienced Hannibal Pirates traveled to Chillicothe Monday, the Hornets had more offensive success than when the teams met last fall in a first-round district tournament game. However, the outcome and margin of victory in the teams’ second-ever meeting nevertheless was the same as Hannibal prevailed 6-3.

“We stressed to each of the players at halftime not to get their heads down and the need to battle for each and every ball, both offensively and defensively,” Chillicothe head coach Bill Allison related. “We said we did not want to see the melt down that occurred in the second half of the Maur Hill game.”

Behind 4-1 at the break, the Hornets did maintain their effort in the second half, playing the visiting Pirates to a 2-2 standoff for a three-goal defeat.

Return to Top

Benton Lives "Rocky Horror" Show
Published: Thursday, September 18, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

Battling for every ball and, behind their most-potent force, capitalizing on many of their scoring chances, the Chillicothe soccer Hornets yesterday afternoon were successful at several things they have been working on in practice, according to head coach Bill Allison. As a result, they earned their second Midland Empire Conference victory in as many tries, whipping the visiting St. Joseph: Benton Cardinals 5-1.

Behind four Jacob Rockhold goals and senior goalkeeper Caleb Buckmaster’s 12 saves, Chillicothe improved to 2-1 overall on the season. “As with any sport, there are the ones that make the headlines and the ones that help make these headlines,” Allison commented, “and that is exactly the kind of players this Hornets team is made of,” reeling off the names of Clayton Allen, Brady Sensenich, defender Chris Kleinschmidt and Mahonri Reyes, midfielders Colton Allen, Chase Bonderer, Laine Saunders, and Levi Barton, and Colton Whiteside and Connor Ruoff (who split time between forward and midfielder) as having strong games which helped make Rockhold’s and Buckmaster’s more-notable statistical performances possible.

Chillicothe wasted no time getting going in the match, Ruoff’s corner kick in the second minute finding its way to Rockhold, who buried it for a 1-0 lead. Rockhold’s second goal was scored in the 10th minute as he received a great ball from Clayton Allen, Allison reported. Although Chillicothe beat Cardinals ’keeper Blake Davis twice early, Benton didn’t back down. On its way to peppering Buckmaster with eight shots he’d have to try to save in the opening half, Benton got one past him in the 14th minute. Anthony Ortega slipped one past the CHS defense and Buckmaster and Alejandro Castillo chased it down and put it in the vacated net. Making some adjustments on the defensive side, the Hornets shut down a lot of the BHS threat the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Cardinals couldn’t silence Rockhold. In the 31st minute, as the first half started to wind down, a cross from Saunders barely found the head of Rockhold before it was his third goal of the game, his first “hat trick” of ’08.

Although up 3-1 at the half, coaches Allison and Lance Harvey warned their Hornets not to let down, stressing that, if not for the great job of minding the net by Buckmaster, the Hornets could have found them themselves down 3-1 instead, Allison related. “Caleb had an excellent night,” stressed Allison. “He kept the Cardinals offense at bay with 12 saves, several of them clutch saves.” “This was a perfect example of what has been coached all season,” praised Allision. “That is for the players to be able to see the whole field while they are playing.” While Rockhold’s goal scoring for the day was over, his offense was not as, having drawn Davis and defenders’ attention, he passed back to Colton Whiteside, who ripped the shot home in the 76th minute to wrap up the scoring.

Return to Top

Maur Hill Ravens Mar Soccer Hornets’ ’08 Debut
Published: Wednesday, September 03, 2008, C-T

CAPTION: Chillicothe soccer senior forward Jacob Rockhold makes a run with the ball as a Maur Hill-Mount Academy Raven tries to chase him down during yesterday’s action in Chillicothe. Rockhold scored two goals, but that was all the Hornets managed as they lost 7-2.

C-T Photo/Butch Shaffer

Beaten 6-3 and 6-2 by Atchison, Kan.’s Maur Hill-Mount Academy Ravens last year, the 2008 Chillicothe High School soccer Hornets hoped the opening game of the second year of their existence would offer some quantitative evidence of their improvement against a repeat foe. Instead, continuation of the expansion of the Ravens’ measurable edge over the Hornets was in evidence Tuesday afternoon as Maur Hill rang up a 7-2 victory in a weather-abbreviated match in Chillicothe’s Daryl Danner Memorial Park.

Trailing only 3-2 at halftime after an early flurry of three Ravens goals, the Hornets once again were victimized by more Maur Hill intensity and focus when play resumed in the final half. Two quick goals returned the margin to its original spread before two more MHMA tallies expanded it before lightning and a resumption of rain forced a permanent halt to play.

Having dropped its season opener, Chillicothe will get a bit of extra time to prepare for its next action, at St. Joseph: Lafayette, at 5 p.m. next Monday. Because of a student’s death there, Hannibal asked for a postponement of its scheduled game here Thursday. According to CHS athletics director Matt Brownsberger, that game has been switched to Monday, Sept. 22. Naturally, with the rainout, the scheduled invaluable, experience-gaining junior-varsity game was not played.

Return to Top

CHS Soccer Hornets Commence Second Season
Published: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

CT Photo, Paul Sturm, Sports Editor 2008

Chillicothe High School’s soccer Hornets booted up their second season Tuesday as they hosted Maur Hill-Mount Academy of Atchison, Kan. Returning CHS head coach Bill Allison has 10 returning lettermen, including seven regular starters, back from the 2007 team which debuted the sport at CHS to the tune of a 4-11 overall record. The ’07 Hornets were 3-4 in the Midland Empire Conference. The starters returning include goalkeeper Caleb Buckmaster, leading scorer Jacob Rockhold, Levi Barton, Colton Allen, Mahonri Reyes, Chase Bonderer and Brady Sensenich. Part-time starters back include Colton Whiteside, Jarek Schmidt and Chris Kleinschmidt, who is returning from a broken leg suffered in the Platte County JV game. Bringing additional experience will be Clayton Allen and Jarek Schmidt. Cl. Allen came on strong at the end of last year, Allison reports, while Schmidt should give the Hornets needed experience in the central midfield.

At season’s start, Allison has moved only one of the returning players to a new position, although additional changes may occur along the way. “We are looking to switch Levi Barton to the defensive side as opposed to midfield where he put in considerable time last season,” the coach reports. Rockhold scored a team-high 15 goals a year ago and had four assists. Buckmaster had one shutout and 123 saves in 14 games, according to Allison. Colton Allen was a stable figure in the central part of the midfield and earned first-team all-district honors at the end of last season, the coach points out, while Sensenich logged the most minutes in 2007 and once again will be a big part on the defense and wherever else he is needed, the coach points out. Whiteside will be up front alongside Rockhold to provide the main scoring threats. Barton’s midfield experience should help push the ball up from the back line, enabling quicker transitions from defense to offense. His position change also should allow him to log more minutes, Allison notes.

Among newcomers, the CHS coach has three he thinks could make a noticeable impact on the ’08 club.
“I think we will have great things coming from (sophomore) Laine Saunders, who is new to the soccer scene, but has come on strong and is one of the hardest working players we have,” Allison informed the C-T. “Connor Ruoff coming is as a freshman will get a lot of time and will be a major role player in the midfield. Clark Allen, also a freshman, will get a lot of valuable time and add some experience from the club level to the mix.”

What does Allision feel are the keys to this year's team progressing from the level of last year's? “Just a year under a lot of their belts and gaining that (2007) game time will be a major plus,” he anticipates. “The coaching staff will also come into the season knowing what to expect from the first season.”

Injuries already have impacted the 2008 Hornets kickers even before the season opener. Zach Colvin, a would-be returning starter, sustained an injury while pole vaulting in last spring’s track and field season and is not available, the coach disclosed. Also, Luke Mendenhall, who will be playing mainly on the junior-varsity level, recently was diagnosed with a stress fracture to his leg, so he will be out for awhile.
“Other than that, just a few sore and aching muscles from the process of getting back into shape,” Allison summarized the health status of his team. Should injury, illness, or other reason make Buckmaster unavailable, Allison is looking at freshman Allen or Austin Ireland to fill the important role of backup goalkeeper.

Due to various factors, the Hornets coach says he doesn’t know what to expect from the other MEC teams. “That is a hard one to call, as I know three schools will not be able to field a JV team, so that says a little about numbers,” reported Allison. “I am sure that Smithville will be a team to really have to adjust to. “(St. Joseph:) Bishop LeBlond is a newcomer to the conference and a bit of an unknown. It had a good season last year, but I believe lost a good portion of their starters. As far as the other teams, I am unsure what they lost as seniors last season.”

Allison has a new assistant coach this year, Lance Harvey.

Return to Top

SOFTBALL

CHS' Baldwin Captures All State Honors
Published: Monday, November 10, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

Four C-T-area softball players – Chillicothe freshman pitcher Sarah Baldwin, Tina-Avalon junior shortstop Darcy Jenkins, Hamilton junior shortstop Eileen Greenwood, and Trenton junior pitcher Aubrey Utley – have been voted to the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association’s 2008 All-State teams.
All four area players were included on the second team in their respective classifications – Baldwin Class 3, Greenwood and Utley Class 2, and Jenkins Class 1 – after helping their teams to successful seasons.

Baldwin, expected to make a big impact as a freshman after several years of summer-ball success across the midwest as part of Kansas City-area traveling teams, didn’t disappoint in throwing all except four innings of Chillicothe’s 21-4 year. She threw four no-hitters – at home against Cameron, Polo, and Hamilton and at Savannah – and just missed a couple of others in the last inning.

Perhaps most impressively, in the crucible of postseason play, the ninth grader held St. Joseph: Benton and Maryville to one run each in district tournament action – with Benton’s run unearned and eventual state champion Platte County to three hits and three runs – none of them earned – in the state tournament sectional contest. Once past Baldwin and Chillicothe, Platte County put up 12 runs against Harrisonville in the quarterfinals, two (both earned) against Republic in the semifinals, and seven in the championship game against Cape Girardeau: Notre Dame. She also shut out probably the second-best Class 4 team in the state – Webb City – for seven innings in the semifinals of the Sports World Classic tournament at Carthage before the Lady Cardinals squeaked out a 1-0 win in eight innings under the international tiebreaker procedure which puts a runner at second base to begin every extra inning.

Not only was the talented and tested righthander – the daughter of CHS head coach Stan Baldwin – tough to score or or hit safely against, she was flat hard to make contact on. In her workhorse 168 innings over 25 games, she struck out exactly 300 batters while issuing only 26 walks. She yielded only 56 hits – exactly one each three innings on average – and threw 14 shutouts.

Return to Top

Postseason Awards Banquet for CHS Lady softball Hornets Held
Published: Wednesday, November 5, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

C-T photo/ Paul Sturm

The most-successful season (in terms of winning percentage) in 13 years of Chillicothe High School girls’ softball was celebrated and the players who made it happen honored last night at the annual postseason awards banquet. The 2008 Lady Hornets posted a 21-4 won-lost record this fall, matching the program’s previous standard for most wins in a season, reached both in 2003 and 2006, and had the highest winning percentage ever at .840. Both the ’03 club and the ’06 state quarterfinalists lost six times for a winning percentage of .778. Given that the 2006 Lady Hornets not only won the district title and advanced to state play, as this year’s did, but also was the only CHS club to reach the state quarterfinals and also was the Midland Empire Conference champion, it probably still qualifies for the more-imprecise designation of “most successful” Lady Hornets diamond club ever.

This year’s team was right there with it, however, and – but for having to face the eventual state champions in the first round of the state tournament – might have claimed the distinction for itself. "We had a great season, probably better than most people thought at the beginning of the year,” CHS head coach Stan Baldwin summarized for the C-T at last night’s event. "We faced a buzzsaw in (Class 3 state champion) Platte County (in the sectional round of state play) and they're just a tough team. They pretty handily handled everybody else all the way through state.” "We'd have had to be at the top of our game to beat Platte County," acknowledged the CHS coach. After downing the Lady Hornets 3-0 here, Platte County’s Lady Pirates went on to whip Harrisonville 12-3 in the quarterfinals, hold off Republic 2-0 in the semifinals, and finally Cape Girardeau: Notre Dame 7-1 in the state title game.

"We've done that five times in the last seven years,” noted Baldwin of the roadblocks Chillicothe has run up against in northwest or western Missouri before they had a chance to play at the state’s highest postseason levels. “We’ve lost to three state champions and one runnerup and one third or fourth place. “We're close. It's just getting over that hurdle."

To get to state, Chillicothe had to survive a tough district tournament, claiming the district crown for a fourth-successive year and fifth time overall in Baldwin’s seven years at the helm. Under the current coach’s guidance, the softball Lady Hornets have won 137 of 180 games. This year’s team not only had to battle the extremely-tough Platte County squad during postseason, but also faced and defeated the fourth-place finisher in the Class 3 state tournament (Kirksville) and lost 1-0 in extra innings to the No. 3 team in Class 4, Webb City.

After presenting this year’s team’s letter-earners with those, the Chillicothe coach announced the winners of the four special awards he presents. Named most valuable player, as expected, was Lady Hornets freshman pitching phenom Sarah Baldwin, the coach’s daughter. She started every game as pitcher and threw all except four of the season’s 172 innings. Her 21-4 record mirrored the team’s mark. On her way to fashioning that record, she threw four no-hitters, struck out an average of 12 1⁄2 batters while walking one per game, and yielded an average of exactly one hit every three innings. Her earned run average was a microscopic 0.29 per seven innings. All of those numbers or their corresponding season totals (300 strikeouts, 26 bases on balls) represent team records. In addition to her pitching exploits, Sarah Baldwin batted cleanup all season, hitting a team-leading .438 with a slugging percentage of .700. Her 35 hits, 13 extra-base hits, and 35 runs batted in far and away topped the club. Her three home runs tied classmate Annie Turbyfill for not only most on this year’s team, but the program’s single-season record.

The Coaches' Award went to senior catcher Chelsea Sturguess, whose two home runs, combined with the six Turbyfill and Sarah Baldwin split, obliterate the previous team record for roundtrippers in a season. The eight home runs probably were close to the entire total of home runs Chillicothe had hit in its first 12 seasons put together. Receiving the Most Improved award was junior outfielder Rochelle Gillilan, whose .342 batting average ended up being third on the team. Hustle Award recipient Leanne Mathew, another junior, was second on this year’s team with a .365 batting average. This year’s four senior players – Heather Doss, Lindy Scott, Whitney Hoyt, and Sturguess – also were recognized and honored.

Return to Top

CHS Softball Team Wins District Crown
Published: Monday, October 13, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

ST. JOSEPH - The Chillicothe High School softball Lady Hornets have a heritage of winning at Heritage Park in northwest St. Joseph, a stone's throw from the banks of the Missouri River. They hope to be back there in just under two weeks to try to continue it. Using the tried and true formula of great pitching, solid defense, and timely hitting, the Lady Hornets won a fourth-successive Class 3 District 16 tournament title there Saturday morning, caging the Maryville Lady Spoofhounds 8-1. "The girls were ready to play," CHS head coach summarized succinctly after his club won for the 21st time in 24 games this season, including handing Maryville its only two setbacks.

The triumph moves the Lady Hornets into state tournament play once again, beginning at home at Daryl Danner Memorial Park against Platte County (26-3) Wednesday at 6 p.m. That will be a rematch of last year's state sectional-round game, won by Platte County 10-8 on its field. "I do believe we could go all the way (and win the state championship) or we could lose the next one," the Chillicothe coach assessed. "I'm totally 100 percent convinced that we're as good as anybody in the state if we put everything together."

Saturday's district title game with Maryville was a rematch of a mid-September contest which was scoreless for 10 innings before Maryville scored once in the 11th, only to make two bad throws on one Chillicothe steal attempt in the bottom of the 11th to give CHS a 2-1 win.

Return to Top

Lady Irish Blank Hornets
Published: Friday, October 3, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

Next week’s Class 3 District 16 softball tournament became a lot more intriguing yesterday and could get even more so before it arrives. The Chillicothe High School Lady Hornets, the top seed for that tournament, sustained only their second loss of the 2008 season Thursday when they were shut out by the visiting St. Joseph: Lafayette Lady Irish 2-0 in a game postponed due to rain and a wet field exactly a month earlier.

“We did not hit,” CHS head coach Stan Baldwin summarized, referring to only a four-hit attack spread through four separate players across four separate innings. “Lafayette hit pretty well (six hits) or, at least, at the right time.” Lafayette has been seeded third for the district tourney, so it will have to play a first- (quarterfinal-) round game, while second-seeded Maryville and Chillicothe have byes.

Chillicothe (16-2) needed 11 innings to edge Maryville 2-1, so, despite the outstanding season the Lady Hornets have had, they figure to have a challenge winning another district title. However, with Maryville and Lafayette (16-3) on the same side of the bracket and opposite CHS, the Lady Hornets will have to beat only one of them, not both, should it reach the finals. Should Chillicothe and Lafayette make the district finals, it may well be the third time they’ve squared off in 10 days. Having made up the Sept. 2 rainout yesterday, the teams are slated to meet again on Tuesday, this time at St. Joseph.

Return to Top

Errors, Lack of Big Hit Lead to First CHS Softball Loss of 2008
Published: Friday, September 26, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

SMITHVILLE - They didn’t have chances galore, but the Chillicothe High School softball Lady Hornets did have several scoring opportunities yesterday. When they didn’t cash them in, an uncharacteristically difficult day defensively dove-tailed with facing a strong Smithville team into the Lady Hornets’ first loss of the season after 15 victories, a 3-0 road defeat.

The loss gives the Lady Warriors an advantage in the Midland Empire Conference race, but it will face additional hurdles over the next couple of weeks which could get the Lady Hornets back on even terms in the title chase if they take care of their own business. “Our hits did not come at the right time and errors hurt us,” CHS head coach Stan Baldwin summarized the defeat.

Chillicothe out-hit Smithville 7-2, but did not getting any runs out of those hits. That made three Chillicothe errors and other defensive shortcomings which factored heavily into all three SHS runs decisive.

Return to Top

Softball Hornets Back on Track
Sarah Baldwin’s one-hitter, 11-hit attack too much for Macon
Published: Friday, September 26, 2008 by Paul Sturm, C-T

CT Photo, Paul Sturm, Sports Editor 2008

MACON - Chillicothe High School’s softball Lady Hornets responded authoritatively Thursday to their first loss of the 2008 season two days before. Freshman pitcher Sarah Baldwin throttled the host Macon Tiger-ettes on one hit and she and her teammates roped 11 hits around the yard as Chillicothe put together a decisive 8-0 road victory. “We hit the ball a lot better,” CHS head coach Stan Baldwin remarked, comparing yesterday’s performance in which CHS scored in six of the seven innings to Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at Smithville in which the Lady Hornets couldn’t get the clutch hit with runners on base.

Senior second baseman Lindy Scott continued her offensive flowering with two more hits, an RBI, a run scored, and a walk, all out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order. In the heart of the lineup, senior catcher Chelsea Sturguess went three for four with an RBI, cleanup hitter Sarah Baldwin was two for three with a ribbie, and, near the top, junior Rochelle Gillilan also continued to blossom with the bat, going two for four with a run batted in.

In addition to limiting Macon on one hit, Sarah Baldwin walked only one and struck out 13 Tigerettes. In junior-varsity action Thursday, Chillicothe’s four-run second was good enough for a 4-2 four-inning victory.

Return to Top

Baldwin's Fourth No-Hitter Bests Hamilton