Sports

Led by six to eight relay runners and sophomore distance ace Samantha Sharp, Brookfield High School will be involved in eight events – six girls’ and two boys’ – at this Friday’s and Saturday’s Class 2 Missouri State High School Activities Association Track-and-Field Championships at Jefferson City High School’s “Pete” Adkins Stadium. Sharp will have a full plate of state competition, assuming she again is part of Friday’s 3,200-meters relay final, as she was at sectional last Saturday.

Junior high hurdler joined at Jeff City by classmate Schick, senior Ratliff this weekend A year after its 5-events girls’ contingent to the Class 2 state trackand- field meet all earned medals, Marceline High School will be represented by only three individuals in three events at this weekend’s 2023 MSHSAA Championships at Jefferson City High School’s “Pete” Adkins Stadium. As a result of performances in last Saturday’s state-qualifying sectional meet at South Shelby High School, west of Shelbina, junior Caleb Stallo in the 110-meters high hurdles, newly-graduated Connor Ratliff in the javelin throw, and junior Aislinn Schick in the girls’ high jump will carry the MHS black and gold on into state competition Friday and Saturday.

It’s been seven years since Missouri turkey hunters checked in more than 44,000 turkeys during the spring season youth and regular seasons, but they accomplished just that this year during the two spring turkey seasons. Youth-season hunters contributed 2,566 turkeys to the final total, down from 2,841 a year ago, but the regular-season hunters added 41,966 to this year’s total harvest, up more than 8,400 turkeys from a year ago.

With three apiece from Meadville and Mendon: Northwestern and one from Linn County R-1, county and bordering Class 1 schools will have limited involvement in this Friday’s and Saturday’s state track-and-field championships at Jefferson City High School’s “Pete” Adkins Stadium. The highest-qualified of those “lucky” seven are Meadville’s girls’ 1,600-meters relay unit of Kinlee Fletcher, Lexi Bartz, Makayla Scheib, and Madison Carvajal, which posted a 4:27.49, and Northwestern’s 3,200 relay quartet of Lily Willis, Jaden Mauzey, Taylor Fry, and Madi Ostermann, which completed its eight laps in 10:49.67.

Both Brookfield, which early last week clinched its first-ever winning season in the program’s third of existence, and Marceline extended their high school baseball seasons into this week, but the three Linn County (or adjacent) Class 1 teams and one of the two Class 2 clubs had 2023 play close last week with first-round district- tournament defeats. Brookfield wrapped up its regular season early last week with triumphs over Novinger (15-1) and Princeton (5-4) (no specifics on either game were reported, despite a standing request and weekend reminder).

Marceline High School’s golf Tigers are headed to the Class 1 state tournament for team competition for a third year in a row. With half of last year’s Class 1 state runnersup – Braden Lichtenberg and Lance O’Dell – delivering career-best, tournament-best rounds and a teammate also playing 18 holes of competition better than he ever had before, the Tigers came up with a 353 team total from their top scores in Monday’s District 3 tournament, edging Canton for the second and final team-advancement berth for next week’s state tournament at Columbia by one solitary stroke.

Sharp advances to this week’s sectional meet in four events, others in three UNIONVILLE — Scoring in 11 events – all except one of them races and including two points maxouts and a third double-dip, Brookfield High School’s track-and-field Lady Hornets finished second in the team standings and advanced to this week’s state-qualifying sectional meet in nine events as they competed in last Saturday’s Class 2 District 3 meet at the Putnam County High School facility. Distance runners Samantha Sharp and Clara Hoyt swept first and second places, respectively, in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meters runs, providing 36 of the Lady Bulldogs’ 95 team points, which trailed only Ewing: Highland’s 101.

Only one event win between two schools in Cannon, L&C meets last week With only one event win and two second places between them, Marceline’s and Brookfield’s high school track-and-field teams had only scant individual or collective success in the May 1 conference meets in the respective leagues they’ll be departing after next school year. The best event outcome was the victory by Marceline’s girls’ 3,200-meter relay group (individual names not available) in 11:05.

With the Brookfield Bulldogs having entered this final week of the 2023 high school baseball regular season having established a new high-water mark for wins in their third-year program and with a chance to produce their first-ever winning season, the prep teams in or bordering Linn County end the week transitioning to the postseason and hoping to extend their diamond exploits into another week. Hosting (in a site switch) struggling Novinger Monday and Princeton yesterday, the 8-8 ’Dogs had a chance to ensure that inaugural winning mark before their rematch with April 19 1-0 conqueror Jamesport: Tri-County/ Gallatin at Trenton next Monday at 6 p.m.