The Springfield Tipoff Club handed out its annual senior awards Monday afternoon at the Elks Lodge. The top honor went to a pair of Queen City hoops standouts. Kickapoo’s Jared Ridder and Greenwood’s Julius Walker were named co-MVPs for just the third time in the club’s half-century history.
“It means a lot because there’s a lot of seniors that are really good in Springfield and he (Walker) is one them,” said Ridder, who broke Kickapoo’s career scoring record Friday night. “We have a lot of good players on my team, but not just my team, everywhere in Springfield.”
Ridder and the Chiefs are the top seed in Class 5 District 11, beginning Monday night at Hammons Student Center. Walker, also Greenwood’s all-time leading scorer, has his Bluejays in the Class 2 sectionals, and like the boys soccer team, is looking for a Final Four run.
“I’m looking forward to being in the state tournament, trying to show that Springfield can go far in this tournament,” said Walker.
The Eddie Matthews Sportsmanship Award went to the Catholic boys, despite having no seniors on this year’s team.
Parkview’s Landon Cornish was named the Jack Roberts Coach of the Year after turning the Vikings around in just his second season at the helm.
