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CAST YOUR VOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. YOU MUST RANK NO. 1 TO NO. 4 WITH NO. 1 BEING YOUR TOP PICK.
Catholic Boys XC
The Irish captured Class 2 team and individual state championships last fall. Catholic had a trio of all-state runners in the Class 2 meet at Jefferson City, including overall winner Stephen Kielhofner. The sophomore cruised to a 23-second win in a time of 16:13.52. Seniors Austin Rieth (10th, 17:09) and Lachlan Moore (11th, 17:10) were Catholic’s additional all-state finishers. Catholic was dominant at its district meet as well, winning that by placing all seven of its runners in the Top 16.
Glendale Boys Golf
Perfect from start to finish, the Glendale Falcons left no doubt as to whom the Ozarks’ top golf team was in 2016. After winning district and sectional titles, the Falcons captured the third state title in program history with a six-stroke victory over second-place Rockhurst at the Class 4 state tournament held in Bolivar. Led by 2016 1 Awards nominee Sam Holmes and Missouri State signee Christopher Obert, Glendale also claimed team titles at several regular season tournaments, including the Joplin Invitational, MSU Relays and Ozark Conference Tournament. The Falcons’ calling card was depth, as each of Glendale’s five varsity golfers posted the top score among group at least once during the season.
Kickapoo Girls Basketball
Once they got rolling, the Kickapoo Chiefs couldn’t be stopped. After losing to Ft. Smith (Ark.) Northside on December 31 in the finals of the Pink and White Lady Classic, Kickapoo won 21-straight games on its way to capturing the Class 5 state championship. Kickapoo hit another gear in the final eight games of the regular season, scoring 75 or more seven times. Led by do-everything forward Jordan Sanders, SBU signee Laura Vierkant and sophomore standouts Jordan Wersinger and Audrey Warren, Kickapoo beat Republic in sectionals and Hickman in the quarterfinals to reach state. In Columbia, Kickapoo held off Liberty in a thrilling semifinals game, then went 37-for-53 at the free throw line to defeat Kirkwood in the finals.
Mt. Vernon Softball
Injuries put them a step behind Purdy and Strafford in the regular season, but Mt. Vernon delivered when it mattered most, beating both of those teams come playoff time en route to capturing the Class 1 spring softball state championship. The Mountaineers bested Strafford 13-9 in a district finals thriller, before rallying late to beat Purdy 7-6 in sectionals. Mt. Vernon was never scored on again, as it beat Stockton 10-0 in the quarterfinals, Malden 4-0 in the semifinals and Crest Ridge 7-0 in the finals. The Mountaineers’ stacked, veteran roster includes 2016 Softball 1 Awards nominee Maddi Brown, who pitched Mt. Vernon’s final three shutouts.
Mountain Grove Baseball
The state championship drought is over for Mountain Grove thanks to the Panthers’ baseball team. Mtn. Grove gave up just two runs in O’Fallon, defeating Scott City 12-1 and Summit Christian Academy 4-1 to win the Class 3 state title, the school’s first in any sport. The Panthers rode the arm of Missouri State commit Alex Moore to victory. In O’Fallon, he pitched 10 innings (four in relief in the finals) and gave up just one earned run while striking out 16 on 145 pitches. After run-ruling Licking 10-0 in its district title game, Mtn. Grove edged Blair Oaks 7-5 at home in the sectional round. That set up a showdown with Class 3’s No. 2-ranked team, Conway, where the Panthers offense erupted again to post a 10-5 victory.
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