After a record-setting number of signings in 2015-16 the Kickapoo Chiefs are at it again this fall with nine athletes signing to the next level. That included an area best five at the Division-I level.
Basketball and baseball made up the bulk of the signings.
Jared Ridder, a 6-7 forward who earned first team all-state honors as a junior and was recognized as one of the top 100 prospects in the nation, remembers watching his brother Matt sign to SBU two years ago. Wednesday, he saw his college dreams come true when he officially signed to play his college ball at Xavier University.
“The minute coach Mack called me he talked about the family and how their atmosphere is all about family,” said Ridder. “The minute I stepped on campus I realized that and being around the guys I just loved everything about it.”
Ridder and the Chiefs are favorites to bring home a Class 5 state title this season in part because of fellow all-state senior guard Cameron Davis, who is planning on doing much more than basketball for the next four years.
“The reason I chose the United States Naval Academy was for everything but basketball; everything from the leadership classes you take there to the rigorous academic work,” said Davis, who is on track to be valedictorian this upcoming spring and plans to major in nuclear engineering at Navy. “It was just the total package and I fell in love with it right away.”
While the Chiefs made it to last year’s state championship, the Lady Chiefs hold the bragging rights of winning it all.
Forward Jordan Sanders returns for her senior season and is considered one of the top players in the state. Sanders moved around a lot growing up. And while she has called Springfield home since 8th grade, she’s excited to go back to California where she spent part of her childhood.
Sanders signed with the University of California-Irvine, but before heading back west Sanders and company are looking to defend their state title.
“It feels good to be the team that everyone wants to beat, so we’ve just got to go out and play hard every game and prove it to them,” said Sanders.
Sanders’ senior teammate Ari Acuff will be another major factor for the Chiefs on the hardwood this winter. Acuff is also a standout goalkeeper for the soccer Chiefs in the spring, but ultimately the three-time all-state golfer chose the sport of golf in college, where she will join Davis the U.S. Naval Academy.
“It took a lot of not focusing on what I want right now but what I want in the future and what kind of career I want to pursue,” said Acuff. “I want to do cyber operations and hopefully work in an intelligence sector of the Navy.”
The baseball Chiefs are also expecting a big year. A quartet of Chiefs inked their way to the next level, including Adam Link to Drury, Bailey Cantu to Northeast Oklahoma A&M, Michael Barnes to Fort Scott Community College and Robbie Merced to Missouri State, who says he’s looking forward to once again playing with his former teammate Logan Wiley, who transferred to MSU from Kansas State this year.
“I’ve been around all the coaching staff for so long,” said Merced, who also starred as a receiver for the Kickapoo football team this fall. “It just seemed like the perfect fit for me.”
Megan Tiede also signed her way to play softball at Evangel University next year.
