Sports

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.

MENDON — With all four Linn County and overlapping Class 1 high schools having their basketball teams entered in this week’s Northwestern Invitational tournament, almost inevitably there figured to be mixed results, and so it was in Monday’s and Tuesday’s first-round play.With the Meadville girls’ highly-probable opening triumph over Keytesville becoming an absolute certainty ahead of time when KHS ended up not having enough girls for a squad – leaving the Lady Eagles with a bye into last night’s championship semifinals, the eight county or adjacent squads evenly went separate ways – four to the championship side of the bracket and four to the consolation side.Joining the MHS girls on the title side were Meadville’s boys and both host school squads.

MARCELINE — After junior guard Natalee Pennington led the host Marceline Lady Tigers to a 47-6 romp in their 2023-24 high school basketball season opener at home this past Monday, Alex and Aiden McNeil led a Bucklin/Macon County R-4 66-41 thumping of MHS’ Tigers in those teams’ first outings.Pennington was one of three Lady Tigers to single-handedly outscore the Lady Bulldogs, netting 19 points in Jared Best’s debut as MHS girls’ head coach.

Even with one-third of its returning nucleus still feeling some effect from the state-semifinals injury she gamely battled through to help the team complete its perfect pursuit of the 2022-23 Class 1 state title last March, the Meadville High School basketball Lady Eagles scavenged host Glasgow last Friday night as the MHS girls took their first tiny step in pursuit of back-to-back state crowns.Senior Korrie Holcer and sophomore Madison Carvajal, All-State guards for the Lady Eagles last year, picked up where they left off, combining for 54 points and 10 steals, as the purple and white romped to a 76-17 non-conference road win.Holcer swished eight 3-pointers and had four of the thefts.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comBrookfield High School’s basketball Lady Bulldogs didn’t let a poor finish to their first game of 2023-24 mushroom into something more troubling in their home debut the next night.

By PAUL STURMLCL Sports Editorpsturm@cherryroad.comWhile the banged-up University of Missouri-Columbia Tigers have a tough assignment tomorrow in trying to bounce back from their highly-competitive road loss to unbeaten Georgia last Saturday, two Kansas City “football” teams can sit back and rest this weekend and bask in important victories, one gaining initial bragging rights in a new, quasi-cross-state rivalry.Mizzou (7-2) will be right back on a national telecast (CBS) at mid-afternoon (3:30) tomorrow when it welcomes tough Tennesse and former Tigers assistant coach Josh Heupel to Memorial Stadium’s Faurot Field.However, it again will be without standout starting linebacker Chad Bailey, who now has been ruled out for the season with injury, head coach Eli Drinkwitz disclosed early this week.Additionally, star wide receiver Luther Burden III is questionable after briefly going down in last Saturday’s 30-21 loss at Georgia.

After winning girls’ years and lackluster boys’ campaigns for both schools in 2022-23, a new season of high school basketball for Brookfield and Marceline is not far away – probably coming too fast for “new” Marceline boys’ head coach Kirsten Ewigman, who has conducted her first two weeks of practices with less than 10 players while the expected bulk of the varsity squad was continuing its football pursuits.

GOWER — There were few illusions for the Brookfield High School football Bulldogs as they journeyed westward for their Class 2 District 8 semifinal game last Friday.

Beckman, Sackreys first-team all-district plus all-conference notice; Wilbeck, Littrell second-team all-district Login to continue reading Login Sign up for complimentary access Sign Up Now Close