Sports

JEFFERSON CITY — While the number of Linn County or neighboring school track-and-field athletes competing in last weekend’s 2023 Class 1 Missouri State High School Activities Association Championships was pretty limited, it did not keep them from turning in a few medal-earning performances. With only seven state entries from Meadville, Linn County R-1, or Mendon: Northwestern in the meet at Jefferson City High School’s “Pete” Adkins Stadium last Friday and Saturday, the odds of county small schools being blanked at the state meet – Bucklin/Macon County R-4 did not get anyone through to state – were not low, but they were beaten, albeit in modest manner.

A week from last night, the 21st season of Chillicothe Mudcats college-level summer baseball is due to begin. In their third season under the onfield leadership of head coach Tyler Hudlow, the 2023 Mudcats are scheduled to have a game at second-year MINK League member Carroll, Iowa, for the season opener Tuesday, May 30, at 7 p.m.

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.

Lady Tigers to Saturday’s sectional meet in five events, Tigers in four UNIONVILLE — With a pair of event triumphs mixed in, nine Marceline High School track-and-field entries in last Saturday’s Class 2 District 3 meet at Putnam County High School extended their 2023 season by at least a week. Tigers Connor Ratliff and Caleb Stallo were the winners of the javelin throw and 110-meters high hurdles race, respectively, to pace the MHS district showing.