winter sports 2015-2016

Previews of the Lebanon Yellowjackets, Conway Bears and Stoutland Tigers

Winter Sports BuzzWinter Sports Buzz

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Winter 2015 edition

LEBANON DAILY RECORD 2FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

STOUTLAND LOOKS TO TAKE BIG STEP FORWARD

Team builds around Missouri State signee Alexa WillardBy Israel Potoczny The Daily [email protected]

STOUTLAND — After start-ing last season 2-7, the Stoutland Lady Tigers are hoping a strong start to last season will carry over to the 2015-16 season as Stoutland finished the 2014-15 campaign by winning 10 of its final 16 games.

Stoutland has a win under its belt already over Macks Creek, 63-31, and opened play at the Frisco League Tournament as the No. 5 seed and defeated No. 4 seeded Iberia, 69-54.

“I saw progress from year one to last year, and then I’ve seen prog-ress from last year to this year,” Stoutland head coach Jacky Payne said. “I am pleased with our start and we have gotten out of the gate the right way. The kids are playing good team basketball. The funda-mentals have improved and it is

showing.”Stoutland was slated to play No.

1 seeded Crocker in the semifinals at the Frisco League Tournament on Thursday and the finals will be played on Saturday.

Leading the way will be 6-foot-1 senior Alexa Willard, who recently signed an NCAA letter-of-intent to play at Missouri State University. Willard enters her senior season at Stoutland with 1,623 career points (21.9/game) and 694 rebounds (9.4/game).

Willard opened the season strong with 30 points, 12 rebounds, five blocked shots and four assists in the opener against Macks Creek and followed with 28 points and 14 rebounds against Iberia.

Also leading the way is senior Kayla Brown, a 5-7 guard, Elli Gil-bert, a 5-6 senior, and junior Tekera

photo courtesy Marc Fisher

Stoutland senior Alexa Willard returns after signing an NCAA letter-of-intent to play at Missouri State University next season. Willard enters her senior season at Stoutland with 1,623 career points (21.9/game) and 694 rebounds (9.4/game).

see ‘Stoutland’/page 3

STOUTLAND GIRLSBASKETBALL SCHEDULEDate Time Opponet Location12/7-12/12 TBA NCA Tourney Away12/18 4:30 Richland Away12/21 5:30 Halfway Home1/4-1/9 TBA Stover Tourney Away1/04 6:00 Plato Away1/11 6:00 Plesant Hope Home1/19 5:00 Bourbon Away1/21 6:00 Laquey Home1/25 6:00 Iberia Home1/26 6:00 Vienna Away1/28 6:00 Crocker Home2/02 5:00 Climax Springs Home2/04 6:00 Licking Away2/08 6:00 Mansfield Away2/11 6:00 Fordland Away2/15 6:00 Newburg Home2/18 6:00 Dixon Home

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Photo courtesy Dixon PilotPictured is the Stoutland High School girls’ basketball team. In the first row, from left, are Kelsea Stradt, Elli Gilbert, Ahreanna Shultz. Becca Looney and Haley Leazott. Second row, are coach Jacky Payne, Kayla Brown, Tekera Stradt, Alexa Willard, Bailey Morrow and Yazmin Mundy.


STOUTLANDStradt, a 5-10 forward who has been

named a team captain. Brown hit six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points against Iberia, while Stradt had 14 points and eight rebounds.

“We have gotten good leadership and that is really helping us,” Payne said. “We haven’t arrived yet and it is like a ladder and we are stepping our way up. We want to keep improving in practice every day and keep improv-ing in each game.”

Also in the mix are freshmen Becca Looney, who scored 17 points in the Tigers’ season opener, and Yazmin Mundy, a 5-11 forward.

“We are getting good balance from everybody and that is what we would like to have,” Payne said. “We have a lot of potential. It is a good group of girls with good leadership and they are working hard and continuing to improve.”

Future looks bright for Stoutland boys

One year after graduating two start-ers and a senior off the bench from a team that went 5-16, Stoutland head coach Wesley Shaw is optimistic about a program that appears headed in the right direction.

The Tigers will feature four seniors this season, led by Jessie Hubbs, Braydon Allee, Kane Mathews and Michael Gray as well as starter Hunter Barclay.

Hubbs and Barclay were both All-

Frisco League selections last season.“We have eight or nine guys and we

can go to our bench when we need to,” Shaw said. “We have a lot of size and length that will hopefully give some teams diffi culty.”

Stoutland (2-1) opened the season with an 80-66 win over Macks Creek on Nov. 24, then opened the Frisco League Tournament as the No. 7 seed and fell to No. 2 seeded Licking, 65-37. Stout-land rallied to beat Laquey, 67-32, in the consolation bracket on Tuesday and will face Plato in the consolation fi nale on Saturday.

“Our goal for the conference tourna-ment was to fi nish out better than we started and we are trying to win out on the consolation side,” Shaw said. “Lick-ing is a good team with some good play-ers and they are well coached.

“Our goal now is to be a contender at the end of the year in February and be a contender in our district.”

Defensively, the Tigers have a lot of length and Shaw said the team has been working on creating defl ections in prac-tice within its zone defense.

“We still have a lot to work on, but it’s getting there,” he said. “We have some young players playing some big roles and I expect us to be a lot better after Christ-mas once we get some experience.

“The future here looks pretty bright — we have some underclassmen that will be splitting time and will be able to move up and fi ll roles.”

LDR file photo/Israel Potoczny

Stoutland senior Jessie Hubbs returns after being named an All-Frisco League performer last season as a junior.

from page 2

2015 2016STOUTLAND BOYSBASKETBALL TEAM

PROUD SUPPORTEROF AREA SCHOOLS

Photo courtesy Dixon PilotPictured is the 2015-16 Stoutland High School boys’ basketball team. In the first row, from left, are Colton Shepherd, Michael Gray, Dylan Fry, Kane Mathews and Austin Benavidez. Second row, are Jake Pendergrass, Hunter Barclay, Evan Mathews, Lane Frederick, Jessie Hubbs and Braydon Allee.

• Driveways • Roads• Parking Lots

Date Time Opponet Location

12/8 6:00 Crocker Home

12/11 6:00 Newburg Home

12/14 5:30 Tuscumbia Away

12/18 4:30 Richland Away

12/21 5:30 Halfway Home

1/08 6:00 Licking Home

1/12 6:00 Iberia Away

1/15 6:00 Dixon Home

1/19 5:00 Bourbon Away

1/22 6:00 Calvary Lutheran Home

2/01 6:00 New Covenant Academy Home

2/02 5:00 Climax Springs Home

2/05 6:00 Laquey Away

2/09 6:00 Plato Away

2/12 6:00 Fordland Home

4 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015 LEBANON DAILY RECORD 4FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015

LHS LOOKS TO TAKE STEP FORWARDYellowjackets look to big senior class for leadership

By Israel Potoczny The Daily [email protected]

In his third year, Lebanon head coach Adam Thornhill is hoping an experienced backcourt and a balanced offensive attack can help the Yellowjackets take a big step forward after winning seven games a year ago.

Lebanon, 7-20 and 2-7 in the Ozark Conference last season, will feature guards Jack Ehrhardt, Con-nor Hicks and Trent Millsap - all returning starters.

“Our strength is the expe-rience we have in our back-court this year,” Thornhill

said. “Ehrhardt, Hicks and Millsap have been play-ing varsity basketball for awhile so they know what to expect.”

A 5-9 senior, Hicks is a three-year starter who averaged a little more than seven points per game last season.

“He sees the floor really well, and had a great sum-mer facilitating things for our team,” Thornhill said. “He is a great defender and a pass-first point guard.”

A 6-0 junior, Ehrhardt averaged 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season. He

burst on the varsity scene as a freshman two years ago and averaged 10 points as a ninth grader.

“He is just now coming into his own,” Thornhill said. “He’s matured physi-cally, and teams have a hard time keeping him in front of themselves. He ac-celerates well to the hole and finishes really good.”

Millsap, a 6-0 senior, is a standout perimeter shooter who has worked on becom-ing a more complete player. He averaged 8.6 points and made 50 3-pointers last season.

“He is one of the best

s h o o t e r s i n t h e a re a , ” Thornhill said. “He’s do-ing a better job of getting himself open more and being able to shoot off the dribble. He’s worked hard on his ball handling and being able to get the hole as well.”

From there, Lebanon will be looking to five players who played almost exclu-sively at the junior varsity level last season. Perhaps the ‘Jackets’ most impor-tant varsity newcomer is 6-1 senior Cooper Lowe, who will be counted on to defend the post.

“He is going to do have

to do a lot for us,” Thorn-hill said. “We are going to depend on him for re-bounding purposes. He is a great defender for someone who isn’t used to playing defense in the post.”

Also in the mix is 6-1 se-nior guard Anthony Taylor who led the JV in scoring last season at 13.4 points per game.

“He is one of our more a t h l e t i c g u y s w h o h a s worked hard to earn the spot he’s in right now,” Thornhill said. “He has bought into our system,

LDR photo/Israel Potoczny

Lebanon senior Trent Millsap handles the ball during the Yellowjackets season opener against the Waynesville Tigers on Tuesday at Boswell Auditorium. Lebanon fell to Waynesville, 78-71.

see “LHS boys’/page 6


LHS LOOKS TO BUILD ON 16-WIN SEASONYellowjackets hope to take another big step forward this season

By Israel Potoczny and Aaron JenningsThe Daily [email protected]

Armed with one of the area’s premier players in j u n i o r M i z z o u c o m m i t Kelsey Winfrey, the Leba-non girls’ basketball team is looking to take another step forward after going 16-10 overall and 6-3 in the Ozark Conference.

Although the‘Jackets will be replacing five seniors, and 6-1 junior forward Faith Alwardt, who was lost to an ACL injury last summer and is likely out for an extended time, Leba-non head coach Brendan Kelley said many of their

core players return. That list starts with Winfrey, the do-everything athlete that is coming off an All-Ozark Conference season.

“She is someone we hang out hat on day in and day out because she is so con-sistent,” Kelley said. “You know what we are going to get from her every single day, whether it is at practice or in a game she is going to give you 100 percent.

“She is one of those kids who leads with her style of play—she doesn’t have to talk a whole lot. She earns the respect because of the way she carries herself and the way that she plays. We

are looking for big things from her.”

A 5-8 guard, Winfrey is coming off a sophomore season that saw her average 17.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 4.0 steals per game.

“We are looking to con-tinue to see her numbers go up each year she is in the program as she heads off to Mizzou after she graduates,” Kelley said. “She is the type of kid any coach would want to have … because she works hard and doesn’t have to be told to do things. She does them on her own.”

Lebanon will also lean on senior forward Mikalyn Callahan this year for pro-duction. At 5-9, Callahan can play inside or outside and is coming off a junior season that saw her average 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and shoot 53 percent from the field.

“To be successful this year, we are going to have to get consistent perfor-mances from her day in and day out, simply to help carry some of that scoring load and make sure we are scoring enough points to stay in ball games,” Kel-ley said. “When she really wants to play on defense,

she is very physical and very strong.”

Also returning is 5-8 ju-nior guard Jaiden Offutt. She played in every game last season and averaged 4.8 points. Kelley said Of-futt has become more ag-gressive taking the ball to the basket.

“At times at the begin-ning of the summer and dur ing the season las t year she fell in love with that outside shot, and she would continue to take it even when it wasn’t fall-ing,” Kelley said. “We have really worked with her a lot

Photo by Nick Mebruer / Courtesy MebruerActionPhotography.com

Lebanon junior Jaiden Offutt attempts to break up a pass during the Yellowjackets’ season opener on Nov. 24 at Strafford. Lebanon lost the season opener to the Lady Indians, 51-50.

see “LHS girls’/page 6


LHS GIRLSwith getting to the rim. It has been our thought process that even if she doesn’t make the layup at the rim, there is a good chance there will be contact, and she is going to get to go to the free throw line.

“That has added a whole new element to her game because she is driving to the rim much more and she is not shying away from that contact. She has also worked a tremendous amount on her ball handling, espe-cially with her weak hand.”

Junior Maddie O’Connor, a 5-10 wing player, will likely earn a start-ing spot this season. She played var-sity minutes last season in a reserve role.

“She is going to be split (between) a post position and a three guard simply because of the (Alwardt in-jury),” Kelley said. “She is going to see dual job opportunities. She has been working a lot on her shooting and jump shot. Her mid-range game can help us out a lot. She is also a very

scrappy defensive player who gives everything she has all the time.”

Kelley said the fi nal starting spot is up in the air with several players fi ghting for time. Kamryn Mack, 5-6, freshman, Alyssa Wright, 5-8 sopho-more, Mel Myers, 5-8 sophomore, Carson Bowman, 5-7 sophomore, Cheyenne Black. 5-6 senior guard and Morgan Anderson are in the mix for varsity action.

Kelley said there are high expecta-tions from the Lebanon community for the upcoming season, but is cau-tious about the win-loss record with an improved schedule (LHS has revamped its home tournament and will be playing at a tournament in Jefferson City).

“I feel like I have heard more from other people than I have in the past two years I have been here, about what they think will happen this year and it has all been positive,” Kelley said. “I think that can be frightening because any time you place expecta-

tions on a program like that, there is a certain level of pressure that comes with it. I think our kids feel that a little bit too because they hear what other people are saying.

“I am really going to stress this year not focussing on wins and losses, but rather the process of getting there. …”

from page 5

LHS BOYS from page 4

and a majority of his points will come in attacking the rim in tran-sition.”

Sophomore Will Richardson, a 6-1 guard, was second on the Lebanon JV in scoring last season averaging 12.8 points. He is a versatile offensive player who can score in a variety of ways.

“He understands the game re-ally well and knows how to read defenses,” Thornhill said. “He is a good shooter and will have a good year for us.”

Senior Harrison Carr is an ath-letic 6-1 forward who averaged 7.5 points last season for the JV.

“He is explosive and has a really nice shot. He is capable of doing a lot of things,” Thornhill said.

Also in the mix is 6-2 junior Keon Carter who has the ability

to play above the rim at both ends of the floor.

“He is an incredible athlete,” Thornhill said. “He does things you can’t teach and will do things that impact things for us.”

Thornhill said the ‘Jackets are emphasizing taking care of the ball and getting quality shots, and have a much improved team chemistry.

“These guys play well together. Our summer was enjoyable and our season will be enjoyable,” he said. “They enjoy each other, and that is a huge part of a team.

“We are emphasizing to take care of the basketball and taking great shots. We will be patient of-fensively and take what we can get.”

LDR photo/Israel Potoczny

Lebanon senior Cooper Lowe lookes to pass the ball during the Yellowjackets season opener against the Waynesville Tigers on Tuesday at Boswell Auditorium.

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CONWAY HOPES TO BUILD

PROGRAMLady Bears

looking to senior Riley Luallin and talented

sophomore class in 2015-16


CONWAY — A year removed from suffering through a five-win season, Conway head coach Michael Lewis has high hopes for a young Conway basketball team.

Last year, the Lady Bears featured a handful of upperclassmen and junior Riley Luallin, but the remaining roster was all freshmen. Conway suffered 14 losses against teams that were either state ranked or went on to play for a district title.

“We were a really young team and we suffered a lot of injuries on top of that, and girls’ basketball in this part of the state is pretty good,” Lewis said. “It was pretty rough. To go through that much adversity was a learning experience for those freshmen.”

This year, however, Conway re-turns Luallin, and the freshmen are now sophomores. A 5-foot-10 senior forward that can play inside or out-side, Luallin averaged 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and made 22 3-pointers last season. She scored a season-high 36 points in an early season win over Niangua.

“She is a great kid that really works hard,” Lewis said. “She can shoot a little and can score in the post and does it from the inside and outside. She is the centerpiece of our offense and the leader of our team, and all the girls look up to her.”

From there, the Bears will look to sophomores Maddie Archer, Olivia Dill, Emma Bailey, Alizabeth Don-aldson and Tessa Vaughn for produc-tion.

Archer, a 5-6 guard, and Dill, a 5-8 forward, have the most playing expe-

rience from last season. Archer aver-aged 4.7 points while Dill averaged 5.8 points and was second on the team in rebounding at 8.0 per game.

“They have taken a leadership role in that group and they both were ada-mant about going to point guard col-lege camp this summer,” Lewis said. “They have really become athletes and I have seen a lot of improvement from them.”

Lewis said Bailey, a 5-4 guard, is a hard worker who is involved in a wide variety of sports and activities at Conway. She will help Archer with ballhandling duties after playing in all 22 games last season as a freshman.

“She is the lead person in the play, in choir and a straight A student,” Lewis said.

Vaughn is an athletic 5-6 wing who can play in the post or on the perim-eter.

“She is a really good on-ball de-fender,” Lewis said. “If she decides she is going to stop somebody, she is really good at doing that. She is one of our better options at doing that.”

Also in the mix is Janessa Jensen and transfer Lindsey Gaddy. Jensen is a 5-5 forward who saw varsity ac-tion last season, while Gaddy is a 5-10 sophomore forward that will give the Lady Bears some size in the post.

Lewis said a handful of freshmen could also fight for varsity time, in-cluding Haley Tucker, a 5-2 guard.

“She is going to be a player one day and it will be interesting to see how far she can come along this season,” Lewis said. “She is a great kid and is definitely one of the ones that when the gym is open, she’s here.”

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LDR photo/Aaron JenningsPictured is the 2015-16 Lebanon High School boys’ basketball team. From left, are Harrison

Carr, Cooper Lowe, Trent Millsap, Jack Ehrhardt, Anthony Taylor, Connor Hicks, Will Richardson

and Keon Carter.

Choosing Where To Bank Is A Slam Dunk!

Date Time Opponet Location12/1 6:30 Springfield Catholic Away 12/3-12/4 8:00 Fair Grove Away 12/15 8:00 Bolivar Away 12/16 TBD Ozark Away (JV)12/17 7:30 Marshfield Away12/19 TBD Ozark Away (JV)12/28-12/30 TBD TBD Away01/04 TBD TBD Away (JV)01/06 TBD Waynesvile Away (JV)01/07 7:30 Kickapoo LHS (JV)01/09 TBD Waynesvile Away (JV)01/11 7:30 Glendale Away01/15 7:30 Willard LHS01/18 7:30 Ava Away01/21 7:30 Waynesville Away01/28-01/30 TBD TBD LHS02/1 7:30 Fair Grove LHS02/4 7:30 Joplin LHS02/8 7:30 West Plains Away02/11 7:30 Hillcrest LHS02/15 7:30 Camdenton Away02/18 7:30 Parkview LHS02/22 7:30 Rolla LHS02/25 7:30 Springfield LHS

Date Time Opponet Location12/1 7:30 Waynesville LHS12/5 TBD Nixa Nixa (JV)12/8 7:30 Marshfield LHS12/14 7:30 Joplin Joplin12/17 7:30 Bolivar LHS12/26 TBD TBD JQH12/27 TBD TBD JQH01/4 8:00 Republic Away01/7-01/9 TBD Springfield Catholic Away01/15 7;30 Neosho LHS01/19 7:30 Glendale Away01/22 7:30 Smith-Cotton Away01/26 8:00 Webb City Away

Date Time Opponet Location01/28-30 TBD Eldon Away02/1 TBD Helias Catholic Away (JV)02/2 7:30 Rolla Away02/3 TBD Helias Catholic Away (JV)02/5 7:30 Kickapoo LHS02/6 TBD Helias Catholic Away (JV)02/9 7:30 West Plains LHS02/12 7:30 Hillcrest Away02/15 TBD Ozark Away (JV)02/16 7:30 Jefferson City LHS02/17-18 TBD Tournament Ozark (JV)02/19 7:30 Parkview Away02/23 7:30 Camdenton LHS

LHS BOYS VARSITY/JV Schedule

LHS Girls VARSITY/JV Schedule

LDR photo/Aaron Jennings

Pictured is the 2015-16 Lebanon High School girls’ basketball team. In the first row,

from left, are Cheyenne Black, Mel Myers, Alyssa Wright and Carsyn Bowman. Second

row, are Morgan Andersen, Mikalyn Callahan, Jaiden Offutt, Kelsey Winfrey and Maddie

O’Connor.


HIGH EXPECTATIONS

FOR BEARSConway returns four starters and adds key players to team after winning 20 games

last season


CONWAY – One year after seeing its season come to a disappointing end in the Class 3 District 11 semi-finals, expectations are high for a veteran Conway team.

The Bears return four starters and add several key pieces to a team that won 20 games a year ago.

“We feel like we have all the pieces in place to make a run at a district title,” head coach Jeff Cope said. “It is going to take a lot of work and effort in practice and preparation to make that hap-pen. ...”

A three-year starter, Conway senior Andrew Huckaby is clos-ing in on 1,000 career points and is coming off a junior season that saw him average 16.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds.

“He was our leading scorer, sec-ond-leading rebounder and was third on the team with steals with more than 50,” Cope said. “He is great from the 3-point line and at attacking the rim. He is a difficult matchup for most teams and is go-

ing to draw the other team’s best defender every night. The thing that most people don’t realize about Andrew that the coaches see every day is that he is one of the best leaders I’ve ever had.

“He is a great lead-by-example kid. He had a great summer and his shot from the 3-point looks as good as it’s looked in the three years that I’ve had him.”

Huckaby led the team with 57 3-pointers last season, and Cope said he expects it to reach close to 90 this season.

Chris Terry is a quick, 5-foot-9 point guard who is also a three-year starter. He was third on the team in scoring last season (9.1), led the team in assists (4.0) and shot 62 percent from the field.

“He got a lot of experience over the summer playing against better competition both in the games and in practices,” Cope said. “That has paid off for his confidence. He has worked on his shot over the sum-mer and he is somebody who is going to take a big step forward in the evolution of his game. If there

see “Conway boys’/page 11

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LDR photo/Aaron JenningsPictured is the 2015-16 Conway High School boys’ basketball team. From left, are Chris Vavruska, Tayler Simpson, Andrew Huckaby, Austin Chastain, Johnathan Lucas, Tanner Pippins, Cody Delcour, Gunnar Burger and Dylan Dampier.

boys

NOW DOING FRONTEND ALIGNMENTS!

Date Opponent Home/Away Time11/30-12-05 Warsaw/Tourney Away TBA12/07 Niangua Home 6:0012/10 Laquey Home 6:0012/15 Warsaw Away 6:0012/17 Mountain Grove Away 6:0001/05 Dallas Co. Away 6:0001/7-01/09 Sparta/Tourney Away TBA01/11 Strafford Home 6:0001/14 Seymour Home 6:0001/18 Marion Away 6:00

Date Opponent Home/Away Time01/21 Ava Home 6:0001/25-30 Mansfield Tourney Away TBA02/01 Fordland Away 6:0002/04 Norwood Away 6:0002/08 Dixon Away 6:0002/11 Mansfield Home 6:0002/15 Hartville Home 6:0002/18 Gainsville Home 6:00

Date Opponent Home/Away Time11/30-12/05 Strafford/Tourney Away TBA12/10 Mt. Grove Away 6:0012/12-12/15 Glendale/Tourney Away TBA12/15 Fordland Home 6:0012/18 Strafford Away 6:0012/26-30 Blue & Gold Away TBA01/05 Fair Grove Home 6:0001/09 Dalllas Co. Home 2:0001/11-01/16 Richland/Tourney Away TBA

Date Opponent Home/Away Time01/12 Ava Home 6:0001/15 Seymour Away 6:0001/19 Gainsville Away 6:0001/21 Hollister Away 6:0002/02 Marion Away 6:0002/05 Mansfield Home 6:0002/09 Hartville Home 6:0002/13 Crane Home 1:0002/19 Norwood Away 6:00

Submitted photo:Pictured is the 2015-16 Conway High School girls’ basketball team. In the first row, from left, are Tessa Vaughn, Halee Tucker, Aizea Bidaurrazaga and Alondra Sanchez. Second row, are Emmi Bailey, Riley Luallin, Lindsey Caddy, Olivia Dill and Maddie Archer


CONWAY BOYSis somebody better at the point guard spot at attack-ing the rim than Chris Terry, I’m not sure who it is.

“He is pretty lethal when it comes to attacking the basket. He shot over 70 percent from the field last season (from 2) and it was because he was shooting a lot of layups.”

Austin Chastain is a 6-foot-4 senior forward who brings a versatile skill set to the basketball court. He averaged 7 points and 4.9 rebounds last season, but Cope expects those numbers to improve this season.

“Each year I have been around Austin I have seen

nice growth in him, matu-rity wise as much as being a basketball player,” Cope said. “This year I think we are going to see Austin be the kind of player he is capable of. He has a great skill set for a kid his size and I think this year is the year he puts it out there for people to see.”

Conway returns junior Taylor Simpson, a 5-foot-10 guard who saw extensive varsity action last season as a sophomore. He averaged 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season.

“His play was a little overshadowed by Terry and Huckaby,” Cope said.

“He is at his best when he can get his shoulders and hips squared and headed to the basket. He is going to have to prove to our opponents that he can be consistent from the 3-point line.”

The Bears also add a pair of junior transfers in Johnathan Lucas and Dylan Dampier. Lucas is a 6-foot-4 forward transfer from Amarillo, Texas.

“He is a kid with a lot of skill, but hasn’t played in two years,” Cope said. “He has 3-point range and moves very well without the ball and is very athletic.”

Dampier is a 6-foot-4 junior forward who brings

size to the program and is expected to compete for a reserve role.

Cope said he expects sophomores Cody Delcour, Tanner Pippins and Gunnar Berger to all compete for playing time this season.

“Cody is a 6-3 sopho-more that led us in 3-point percentage last year,” Cope said. “He is long and ath-letic and has the ability to shoot the 3 and stretch the floor for us.

“The kid that really has my interest piqued is Pip-pins, a 6-3 sophomore that has a big frame and is a le-git back-to-the-basket post player. Tanner is a load on the offensive end ... “

Berger is a 6-2 sopho-more combo guard who has a nice skill set.

“There just aren’t a lot of minutes out there with the returners that we have, but he has really closed the gap this summer,” Cope said. “He is a little older and stronger.”

OUTLOOK: “It’s no secret that there

are high expectations for our basketball team, and they are definitely war-ranted,” Cope said. “We know going in that we have a tough district and our season is preparation for one week at the end of February.

LDR file photo/Israel Potoczny

Conway senior Chris Vavruska handles the ball during the 2015 Blue and Gold Tournament. Expectations are high for the Bears this season. Conway opens the season as the No. 1 seed at the Strafford Tournament this week.

from page 10


SWIM TEAM READY FOR FIRST SEASON

see ‘Swim/page 13

Yellowjackets transitioning from club team to MSHSAA sanctioned sportBy Israel Potoczny and Aaron JenningsThe Daily [email protected]

The Lebanon High School girls’ swim team has 11 members in its first sea-son as an official Missouri State High School Activi-ties sanctioned sport.

After coaching the first-ever boys’ swim team in the fall at LHS, head coach Jeff Plake is back to coach the girls’ team.

The team, which previ-ously operated at LHS as a club team, was formally introduced as a Missouri State High School Activi-ties Association sanctioned sport earlier this summer,

and Plake was recently hired to take over the pro-

gram after leading the boys program in the fall.

Out for the team this season are Courtney Rog-

ers, Katie Patterson, Payne Jackson, Emily Gronhoff, Madison Stevens, Saman-tha Burgess, Hailey Bean and Mackenzie Quick.

“The biggest problem right now is finding what their niche is,” Plake said.


Pictured is the 2015-16 Lebanon High School girls’ swim team. In the fi rst row, from left, are Katie Patterson, Emily Gronhoff, Samantha Burgess and Mackenzie Quick. Second row, are Courtney Rogers, Payne Jackson, Madison Stevens and Hailey Bean.

LEBANON YELLOWJACKETS

2015-16 scheduleDec. 1 at CentralDec. 4 at GlendaleDec. 8 at MonettDec. 11 at HillcrestJan. 12 at CentralJan. 14 at ParkviewJan. 19 at CentralJan. 22 at KickapooFeb. 4 at KickapooFeb. 11 at KickapooFeb. 13 at KickapooFeb. 19 State TournamentFeb. 20 State Tournament

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SWIM“I am at present not try-

ing to teach all strokes be-cause the most important thing to learn is the free style stroke. It is overall, a stroke to use in all swim-ming events.”

Lebanon and it will fea-ture 12 relay events and will not feature any open events.

Plake said he will put to-gether several relay teams and the swimmers wil l have an opportunity to compete for fun.

Plake said he is taking the same methodology this winter with a new girls’ team as he did during the fall with a new boys’ team.

“I’m not worried about

how fast they swim in each meet, as long as they swim faster than they did the meet before,” he said. “The

neatest thing to see since pract ice s tarted is how much better the girls have gotten in a week.

“I am really concentrat-ing my efforts teaching how to breathe properly and how to use hands and

feet in the appropriate man-ner and how to jump off the block to start the race.”

Plake said leaving the block to start a race can often be the most difficult obstacle to overcome for those who are new to com-petitive swimming.

Plake said it is a program that is in its infancy that in-cludes two swimmers who are new to swimming.

“The challenge for me is to work with those who have minimal experience in the pool and have a separate workout with those who do have expe-rience,” Plake said.

The swim season will have hol iday break for Christmas and will con-tinue through Feb. 20.

from page 12


Pictured is 2015-16 Lebanon High School swim team member Courtney Rogers during a recent practice at the Kenneth E. Cowan Civic Center.

FLYERSGONNAFLY

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WE❤OURYELLOWJACKETCHEERLEADERS!

FLYFLYFLY

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LHS Junior Varsity Cheerleaders: (Back Row Left to Right) Haley Jones, Courtney Lindeman, Morgan Lowrance, Ali Cuglietta, Shayna Lewis and Lena Ahatyeva and Keyane Mobley (Middle Row Left to Right) Becca DiMeo, Makenzie Ergle, Cassi Fortner, Lexie Alford, Lexi Mitchell and Mykalia Stearns. (Front RowLeft to Right) Karley Rumfelt, Reagan Fowler, Victoria Lefler and Madison Fowler.

LHS Varsity Cheerleaders: (Back Row Left to Right) Tim McNett, Destiny

Landry, Lorrin Travis, Jamye Glendenning, Anna Webb, Kelsee Davis, Katelynn

Miller, Ariana Landry and Domminic Davis. (Middle Row Left to Right) Jumoke

Cunningham, Olivia Burtin, Courtney Rogers, Wynter Nekola, Angel Edwards,

Kirsten Snow, Liz Christil, Tatyanna Pese and Matthew Fohn. (Front Row Left

to Right) Madison Perkins, Paige Dorris, Mackenzie Roberts and Kamber Dallas.

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LHS OPENS SEASON AT JEFF CITY

see ‘Wrestling’/page 15

Head coach Randy Roark: Lebanon Yellowjackets feature deep lineup in 2015-16


Pictured are the 2015-16 Lebanon High School wrestling team seniors. In the fi rst row, from left, are Austin McDonald, John Henson, Brandon Horsley and Adrian Palmer. Second row, are Devan Mitchel, Justin Shepherd, Matt Hicks, Wesley James and Isaiah Cole.

By Israel Potoczny and Aaron JenningsThe Daily [email protected]

The Lebanon wrestling team opened the season with a tough loss on the road against one of the state’s premier programs on Monday as the ‘Jackets fell at Jefferson City, 48-14.

Despite the loss, Lebanon got wins from Hunter Lewis, at 106 pounds, Hogan Fisher at 113 pounds, Logan Bueshausen at 145 pounds and Wyatt Stone at 285 pounds.

“We have a solid group, it didn’t look like it against Jeffer-son City, but they will probably win state this year,” Roark said. “From 126-pounds and up, they are loaded. They have lots of re-turning state qualifi ers and state medalists. I think they have nine returning medals on their team.

“They beat us on our feet and they dominated us on their feet. Hopefully the boys will pick it up in drilling time and get bet-ter.”

Roark gave the Daily Record the run down of the team’s var-sity line-up and roster during practice this week.

At 106 pounds, freshman Hunter Lewis is stepping into a varsity role for the fi rst time. The younger brother of Braxton Lewis, who wrestles at 152, Hunter Lewis is a veteran of youth wrestling. Also in the mix at 106 pounds are Blake Rauchwater, freshman, and

Gage Heisz, freshman.“I bet (Lewis) has wrestled

for eight years,” Roark said. “He is a solid 106 pounder.”

At 113 pounds, freshman Hogan Fisher is moving up from the junior high and youth wres-tling program and into a varsity role. Fisher won his fi rst varsity match on Monday at Jefferson City. Also in the mix at 113 pounds are Kaeli Neely, junior, and Connor Thorn, freshman.

“(Fisher) has four or five years experience and is a solid little wrestler,” Roark said.

Roark said Fisher narrowly beat Neely in wrestle-offs to claim the varsity spot.

“That wrestle-off could go either way,” Roark said.

At 120 pounds, junior Kyle Johnson is moving up from 106 pounds, where he wrestled last season. Also in the mix at 120 pounds are Duncan Gillenwa-ter, freshman, and Roy West, freshman.

“(Johnson) grew some and he has a lot of varsity experience,” Roark said.

Freshman Daniel Hansen opened the season as the starter at 126 pounds, but Roark said freshman Caleb Shields and Gabe Blaine, sophomore, will likely be in the mix for a starting spot this season. Both weighed three pounds over during hy-dration testing.

Also in the mix at 126 pounds are freshmen Grant Zeigenbein and Paul Dailey.

At 132 pounds, Andrew Young returns after winning 30 varsity matches last season.

“He is a solid wrestler,” Roark said.

Also in the mix at 132 pounds are freshman Jayden Ivey and sophomore Kaleb Hooper.

Junior Christian Watson opens the season as the var-sity starter at 138 pounds. He is taking over for Dylan Burns, who was a four year varsity

wrestler.“He probably has 10 years

experience,” Roark said. “Burns finally graduated and he has found his way to the varsity mat.”

Also in the mix at 138 are Reagan Mowery, freshman, Robert Beville, senior, Matt Hicks, senior, and Jediah Oliver, sophomore.

Roark said Mowery lost by a point to Watson in wrestle-offs,

then won by a point in wrestle-offs over Hicks.

“We have three kids right there that are all within a point of each other,” Roark said.

Senior Logan Beushausen re-turns at 145 pounds this season after missing much of his junior season to injury. Beushausen was a state qualifi er two years ago.

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WRESTLINGAlso in the mix at 145 are

Ty Glendenning, freshman, Gavin Price, junior, Bry-an White, freshman, Noah Houston, sophomore, Ru-ben Moreno, freshman, Aus-ton Moore, senior, Kaden Church, junior, and Austin Nelson, freshman.

At 152 is junior Braxton Lewis, who won 30 matches last season.

“He is another one that has a lot of experience,” Roark said.

Also in the mix are Jerico Marquez, freshman, Logan Hart, junior, Austin Mc-Donald, senior, and Reid Anthony, freshman.

J u n i o r B r o c k R e e v e s opened the season as the ‘ J a c k e t s s t a r t e r a t 1 6 0 pounds, but Roark said ju-nior Dakota Shockley will l ikely wrestle 160 in the future.

Also in the mix at 160 are Bart Sandoval, sophomore, Bryce Angst, sophomore, Jaylan Miller, junior, Chris Sandoval, freshman, and Isiah Howe, junior.

Dakota Shockley opened the season at 170 pounds against Jefferson City, but Roark said senior Brandon Horsley will return after being a state qualifier last season.

“He (Horsley) is a tough kid,” Roark said.

Also in the mix are Caleb Brown, sophomore, Kam-eron Heinrichs, sophomore, Cordell Snow, freshman, Jon Berry, freshman, Ben Arl, freshman, Adam Slavens, senior, Cody Smith, soph-omore, and Tony Gould, sophomore.

Senior Adrian Palmer is a state championship con-tender at 182 pounds and is entering the wrestling season healthy for the first time this season. Palmer was a state medalist two years ago and a state qualifier last season.

Also in the mix are Max-well Shelton, junior, Dalton Shaddy, f reshman, John Berry, sophomore, and Jus-tin Shepherd, senior.

“We have quite a few guys right there,” Roark said. “Shelton had a winning re-cord at varsity last year, he’s solid, but at a weight we are super deep.”

At 195 pounds is senior John Henson, who weighs 175 pounds but is wrestling up this season with the lower weights blocked by Horsley and Palmer. Henson won 30 varsity matches a year ago.

Also in the mix are Tay-lor Kaffenberger, freshman, Noah Simmons, freshman, and Race Cottongin, fresh-man.

At 220 pounds is junior Elliot Byrd who is wrestling varsity for the first time this season. Byrd was 30-5 on the junior varsity last season. Also in the mix are Dil-lon Wagoner, junior, Ethan Denny, f reshman, Blake Jones, sophomore, and Eli-jah Denny, freshman.

“Wagoner weighs 195 and is wrestling up at 220 because we are so deep, but he can compete for a spot,”

Roark said.Byrd beat Wagoner in

wrestle-offs for the varsity spot, but it wasn’t easy as the pair went four overtimes before Byrd pulled out a one-point win.

At heavy weight is sopho-more Wyatt Stone who was a 220-pound wrestler on the junior varsity last season.

“He is wrestling up and had a really good record last year on junior varsity,”

Roark said.Also in the mix at heavy

weight are Wesley James, senior, Devan Mitchell, se-nior, Isaiah Cole, senior, and Rodney Welch, freshman.

“James has never wres-tled before, but is an athletic big kid,” Roark said. “The longer the season goes, the better he’ll get. Everything is new to him right now. He’ll be competing for a heavy weight spot.”

from page 14


Lebanon senior Adrian Palmer is a two-time state qualifi er and earned a medal two years ago. He is competing at 182 pounds this season.

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Date Time Opponet Location V/JV12/3/15 6:00PM Kickapoo Kickapoo High School V/JV12/5/15 9:00AM Neosho Neosho High School V 12/8/15 6:00PM Ozark LHS V/JV12/11/15 TBD Helias Catholic Helias Catholic V12/12/15 TBD Helias Catholic Helias Catholic V12/15/15 2:00PM Camdenton LHS V/JV12/19/15 9:00AM TBD LHS JV1/9/16 8:00AM TBD CBC High School, St. Louis V 1/9/16 9:00AM Smith-Cotton, TBD Smith-Cotton High School JV

1/9/16 9:00AM Marshall Marshall High School JV1/14/16 5:00PM Springfield Central, Willard Willard High School V/JV 1/15/16 TBD Jefferson City Jefferson City High School V/JV1/16/16 TBD Jefferson City Jefferson City High School V/JV1/19/16 5:30PM Glendale, Rolla Rolla High School V/JV 1/22/16 3:00PM TBD Parsons High School V1/25/16 1:15PM Waynesville Waynesville High School V/JV 1/28/16 5:30PM Nixa Lebanon Senior High School V/JV2/2/16 6:00PM Away vs. Parkview, Branson Branson High School V/JV 2/6/16 10:30AM Ozark Conference Tourney TBD Hillcrest High School V/JV

winter sports 2015-2016

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