Sports

TRENTON — In the only game action for a Linn County Class 1 high school basketball team since the middle of last week, a career-best scoring night for sophomore first-year starter Kinlee Fletcher, a pair of “double-doubles,” and four scorers – and nearly a fifth – in twin numerals highlighted the defending state-champ Meadville Lady Eagles’ lone “High School Holiday Hoops” appearance a week ago.While 2022-23 All-Staters Madison Carvajal and Korrie Holcer were generating double digits in points and rebounding, sophomore Kinlee Fletcher was tallying a career best-to-date 14 points for Meadville’s girls (9-0).Tenth grader M.

UNIONVILLE — With by far their heftiest scoring output of the season to date, the Marceline High School basketball Lady Tigers bade 2023 adieu Dec.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comAll but two county high school basketball teams will wrap up the 2023 portion early this coming week.Two will be involved in special holiday-break cage events around the region, but only Meadville will see any game action between Christmas and New Year’s.Both Meadville and Brookfield have their girls’ and boys’ teams entered in the nearing-two-decades-old North Central Missouri College Foundation-hosted “High School Holiday Hoops” event at the college in Trenton.Meadville will follow that with back-to-back appearances by its teams in the wide-ranging, 3-years-old “Twelve Courts of Christmas” extravaganza at Kansas City’s Hy-Vee Arena that will bring in teams from about a half-dozen states.Linn County R-1, Marceline and Bucklin/Macon County R-4 conclude 2023 action this coming Tuesday, while Mendon: Northwestern will finish its tonight when it hosts Hardin-Central.While Brookfield’s teams will participate in the “Holiday Hoops” shootout-format event at Trenton, they’ll actually be the second-earliest finisher of ’23 competition.

MARCELINE — Capping a busy week last week, three Marceline High School wrestling Tigers – Reece Stufflebean, Scout Gooch and Conner Quinn – earned top finishes in the Versailles Invitational tournament last Saturday.Having defeated Carrollton and Macon in dual matches a week ago Tuesday and losing to Kearney the following night, most Tigers who went to the tournament had solid days or better.At 106 pounds, Stufflebean (9-3) won all five of his bouts by fall, the longest lasting only 2:17.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comThe Brookfield High School varsity basketball teams nearly both carried winning streaks into tonight’s home games against Gallatin, but, despite a major comeback, the boys couldn’t hold up their end of that bargain Tuesday night at Hamilton.After the Lady ’Dogs won for a third-straight time, closing the game on a 9-2 run to prevail 44-37 over host Penney High, the Bulldogs plunged into a 15-points hole halfway through the second period, filled that up to level ground late in the third, and then cratered again over the next five minutes of what ended as a 57-46 loss to the Hornets.The Brookfield girls elevated their mark to 6-3 at the expense of the 1-5 Lady Hornets.

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By BILL WEHRLELCL Outdoors Sports EditorWe’ve had so many firearms deer seasons this fall that it’s hard to keep track of what’s still open or soon will be and which season{s) are left.It’s getting a lot simpler now, with the closing of the late antlerless season Dec.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comThe 2023-23 high school wrestling season is upon us and should see continued high levels of performance and accomplishment from the county’s two schools that participate.A year ago, Brookfield had both the boys’ and girls’ team runnersup in the Class 1 state tournaments for the respective genders, while Marceline’s boys took ninth and its girls 20th at state.This year, each has either state champions or very high-placing state medalists around which to construct another outstanding campaign.Drew Passley, starting his 10th season in charge of the BHS boys and now about half that many working with a separate girls’ program, has the luxury of being able to put two returning boys’ champions – juniors Peyton Parn (126 pounds last year) and Devan Parn (175 last winter) – and one girls’ title-winner – junior Jayden Keller – on his lineup sheet, as well as 150-pounds runnerup Colton Parn, now a senior.Two other state-medal-earning Bulldogs – junior Kendrell Carter (third at 165) and Trayce Switzer (fifth at 106 last year) – also return, as do third-place finisher (at 145 pounds) and second-time medalist Riley Howell and fourth-place finisher Mya Sackrey (at 140).Of those high-end talents, Passley indicated there could be some inevitable upward shift in weight divisions for them.“We have the normal growth that happens over the summer, so we’ll see how the weight classes all turn out,” the coach notes.Around that core, he’ll draw from more than two dozen boys and 10 more girls to fill out the blue-and-white lineups.“We have several wrestlers that were junior-varsity last year that got some varsity matches that are going to be looking to fill (lineup vacancies), and we have several freshmen on the boys’ and girls’ teams,” Passley tells the LCL, “so – with the numbers we have this year – I expect to have a full lineup on the boys’ team and close to a full lineup on the girls’ team.”That should translate to a lot of regular-season dual-match triumphs for BHS and potentially tournament crowns along the way, as well, although he cautions, “There are a lot of things still to be sorted out.”To be ready to excel in the postseason, Brookfield will travel its usual rugged schedule, including having the defending boys’ Class 1 state champ, Centralia, both in its district and – for one final time – conference.“We are fortunate in that we get to see a lot of good competition,” Passley proclaims.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comThis Sunday, the University of Missouri-Columbia football Tigers are expected to be selected to play in one of the “New Year’s Six” bowl games for the first time ever and one of only a few times in program history.Having ravaged Arkansas 48-14 behind Cody Schrader’s 200-plus rushing yards and strong defense in the annual “Battle Line Rivalry” clash at Fayetteville last Friday afternoon to complete a 10-2 regular season, the Tigers (10-2) should be in line to be paired against a strong opponent in either the Orange, Peach, Fiesta or Cotton bowl games, Even though those four games are grouped with the Sugar and Rose bowl games under the heading of “New Year’s Six,” since they are the games the College Football Playoffs contests are rotated through, only the Fiesta will be played on Jan.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comNine high school football players from the two Linn County programs located within the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association’s northeast district boundaries were announced late last week as members of the group’s all-district team.The 6-5 Brookfield Bulldogs’ picks for the Class 2 all-district squads were senior running back-linebacker Colton Parn, junior wide receiver-defensive back Peyton Parn, junior defensive lineman Devan Parn, and junior quarterback Trayce Switzer.