|
The following information is derived from the Grain Valley Police Department daily calls for service log for the week of September 15-21, 2021.
by Michael Smith Bend but don’t break. That seemed to be the motto for the defense for the Grain Valley football team Friday at Kearney. It appeared it might break late in the fourth quarter when the Eagles had a 14-7 lead. Kearney ahd the ball on its own 9-yard line and after three incomplete passes, it was fourth-and-10. It seemed like Grain Valley was poised to end it there. However, Kearney quarterback Casey Rooney kept on making big-time throws and got his Bulldogs all the way to the Eagles 11 yard line with a chance to tie it. That’s when the Eagles needed someone to step up. That someone was junior defensive back Keagan Hart. He intercepted a pass in the middle of the end zone with 1:06 remaining in the game and that play ended up being the difference in a 14-7 non-conference victory. “I knew I needed to stay with my man, (Grace),” Hart said. “My lineman and linebackers were able to get in the backfield and that helped me get my pick. They made (Rooney) scramble.” Hart jumped the route when Rooney tried to get the ball to wide receiver Zach Grace, who had eight catches for 11 yards. That was one of three times the Grain Valley defense stopped a Kearney drive when the ball was kept in its own territory. After the interception, the Eagles offense was able to run the clock down to 9 seconds. After a Kearney punt return that netted 0 yards, they tried a hook and ladder play, but it failed as multiple Grain Valley players leaped up and down and patted each other following the win. Senior linebacker Gage Forkner credited the success of the defense to the work it puts in after practices. In their three wins, the Eagles (3-2) have held opponents to just 11.3 points per game compared to 30 per game in their two losses. “We come out every day after practice and we have black shirt runs,” said Grain Valley linebacker Gage Forkner, who had four tackles and one for a loss. “Those help us not break at the end. “All the defensive players get on the line after practice, and we get extra runs with the whole defense.” The Grain Valley defense gave up 361 yards to Kearney, with 132 coming on the ground from running back KJ Smith. He scored the first touchdown of the game at the 3:53 mark when he scampered 55-yards for a score after breaking a tackle and making a cut to get around the defense, making it 7-0. The Eagles (3-2), who were missing their No. 1 wide receiver Logan Pratt because of an ankle contusion, responded on the ensuing drive. They marched 90 yards on a drive that was capped by quarterback Caleb Larson lobbing one up for wide receiver Anthony Greco in the front left corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD to tie the game at 7-all. Both teams went into halftime tied before Grain Valley senior defensive back Jordan Jones made the first interception of the day in the third period. Rooney tried a deep pass along the left sideline early in the third quarter, but defensive back Jordan Jones was able to get under it and get his first interception of the season at the Eagle 13. “We have been watching film all week on that route,” Jones said of the interception. “I read it perfectly and turned my head and saw the ball come to me and I did my thing.” Jones has been a lead-by-example type of player for Grain Valley. “He’s kind of the silent assassin for us,” Allie said. “He’s a kid who played last year and got to start a few games. He came back with some experience. He works hard and doesn’t say much at all. He lets his play do the talking and it talks pretty loudly.” That interception led to a go-ahead touchdown from Grain Valley senior running back Jaxon Wyatt. His offensive line opened a huge hole up the middle and he had to make just one cut to score from 30 yards out and give his team a 14-7 lead. “We were able to seal the edge and get outside on runs, which helped us,” Allie said. Midway through the fourth period, Kearney had the ball at the Eagles 13-yard line on fourth-and-7, but Rooney made a bad read and threw the ball right to linebacker Brody Baker for another pick. That interception and the two others were made possible because of the pressure Grain Valley’s front seven had on Rooney. Players like defensive linemen Rhylan Alcanter and Jake Allen along with Forker were in the back field frequently. “Their quarterback was hurried quite a bit,” Allie said. “That affected their passing game. Gage ran downhill and he read the plays well and got tackles for loss.” Eagles defensive back Gabe Storment led the team with seven tackles and Allen had a team-high tow tackles for loss. On offense, Larson was 5 of 7 passing for 65 yards and rushed the ball 14 times for 81 yards. DJ Harris also carried the ball 11 times for 77 yards. From left, senior Gage Forkner, junior Keegan Hart and senior Jordan Jones helped Grain Valley get three takeaways during a 14-7 win Friday at Kearney. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley junior defensive end Rhylan Alcanter chases after Kearney quarterback Casey Rooney. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley quarterback Caleb Larson escapes the pocket and tries to find an open teammate.
Photo credit: Michael Smith Each Tuesday and Thursday at the Grain Valley Community Center, a tight knit family of friends come together in the afternoon to play pickleball. On the court, it’s serious business, but off the court these friends say they’re a family. On Thursday, the group of friends celebrated a special birthday for one of their own. Erika Davis turns 95 on Saturday, and a cake and decorations welcomed her as she arrived ready to play. Davis joked she was actually turning 59. “I was 49 for many years, but now I’m 59,” Davis said. Joe Thomas, who has played pickleball at the Center for many years, said Erika’s family has planned a party for her this weekend, but they felt the need to celebrate as well. “We all said, we’re a family, let’s have one of our own,” Thomas said. Thomas taught his grandson, who is now at West Point, to play pickleball and ping pong. “Now I can’t beat him at either one. He told me, ‘Well, you did too good a job at teaching me’,” Thomas said. As Davis chatted with fellow teammates, Patti Garrett and Michelle Rollins marveled at Davis. Garrett, a retired school bus driver, plays nearly every day at either the Community Center or the Blue Springs Fieldhouse. “She is such an inspiration to all of us. At 70, I want to continue to play pickleball for the next 25 years,” Garrett said. Pickleball’s increasing popularity comes from the quickness in which it can be learned, the fast paced nature of the game, and its accessibility to players of all ages. “It can get very serious, but it is fun. Several of us have had busted wrists, busted heads,” Garrett joked. “But when we do get knocked down, we all come together to take care of each other.” Rollins agreed. “We are like family. When someone is out injured or sick, we all come together. One person says, ‘I’ll come over and take out the trash.’ Another says, ‘I’ll be the one to walk the dog.’ It’s as much about the camaraderie as it is the game.” While it is a tight-knit group, and game time is serious business, both Garrett and Rollins are quick to say that new members are always welcome and everyone there is willing to teach newbies the sport. Pickleball is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00pm – 3:00pm at the Community Center, 713 Main. It is $2 per participant, and free for Silver Sneakers, Silver & Fit, and Renew Active members. For more information on all the senior activities offered at the Community Center, visit www.cityofgrainvalley.org or call 816-847-6230. Erika Davis (center in orange pickleball shirt) is greeted by friends for an impromptu birthday celebration. Davis turns 95 this weekend and plays pickleball at the Community Center twice a week. Photo credit: Valley News staff Erika Davis (fourth from left) celebrates her 95th birthday with her pickleball family on Thursday afternoon. Photo credit: Patti Garrett Davis in the midst of a pickleball game. Photo credit: Patti Garrett
by Michael Smith The Grain Valley girls golf team has had its fair share of struggles this season. Coming into Thursday’s quad dual with Raytown, Truman and Raytown South, the Eagles hadn’t won a dual. That changed at the par-35 Heart of America Golf Course in Kansas City as Grain Valley was led by medalist Seena Tyler, who shot a 42 as her team won with a team score of 191. Truman was second with a 202 and Raytown was third with a 222. Raytown South didn’t have enough players to qualify for a team score. Rounding out the scoring for Grain Valley was Charli Dressen with a 46, Mallory Crane with a 48, Maya Bartlett with a 56 and Italia Haywood with a 61. Tyler shot a season low score but thought she could have played better. “It was definitely a good day, but I definitely could have done better if I put it together quicker,” Tyler said. “My drives were pretty solid, and I had a birdie on Hole 6. “Double chipping is my worst nightmare. That’s what caused a lot of my extra strokes.” It was the first time any of the Grain Valley players played at Heart of America. While the distance to the hole to the tee was short, the course was narrow, which made it challenging for the players to keep the ball inbounds. If it was hit out of bounds, the player could drop the ball on the edge of the fringe and take a one-stroke penalty. “You have to hit the ball straight, if you don’t, there are some penalty areas that can hurt you out there,” Grain Valley girls golf coach Randy Hughes said. “We had a few of those today. Overall, I thought the girls played well. This was our lowest team score of the year. I will take that.” That challenge didn’t seem to keep Dressen from having her best score of the season. “I got a little nervous on the putting but I tried to stay calm today,” she said. “But I got a lot better and kept my head down. It is a mental challenge when the course is narrow. Staying calm and focused worked for me.” “I spoke with my parents and analyzed what I did (in a dual on Wednesday). I got some text messages before the match, and they were very encouraging. I had no expectations coming in and that helped a lot.” Hughes said Dressen has gotten better at being consistent. “She has struggled in her last two matches,” Hughes said. “She’ll have a couple of good shots then she will have some bad ones. But she was really consistent today. She kept it on the green and didn’t have many extra shots.” The course did give Crane, who is Grain Valley’s No. 1 golfer, fits. “I didn’t do very well. I was struggling to focus,” Crane said. “I went out of bounds a lot. If I can keep that under control, I can save a lot of strokes.” Grain Valley No. 4 golfer Maya Bartlett prepares to put on hole No. 9. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley No. 3 golfer Charli Dressen shot a 46 to finish second on the team Thursday at Heart of America Course in Kansas City. Grain Valley won the tri dual against Raytown and Truman with a team score of 192.
Photo credit: Michael Smith by Michael Smith When longtime Grain Valley boys basketball coach Andy Herbert attended the University of Missouri, he thought coaching at the NCAA Division I level would be the route he would take.
He got to work as a student assistant with legendary Mizzou men’s basketball coach Norm Stewart and Quin Synder, the current head coach of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. While it was an invaluable experience for Herbert, he was hesitant to want to go through the grind of recruiting and coaching college basketball players. “I wanted a family,” Herbert said. “I wanted to be able to establish roots and be a part of a community. At the college level, that’s hard to do. “A year and a half into college, I started to realize these guys are on the road all the time. They are on a plane as much as they are in Columbia. That’s just not the way I am wired. Being a college coach is not as flashy and fancy as it looks on TV.” That’s when he started to consult his former high school basketball coach, Grain Valley legend and Missouri Basketball Coaches Association hall of famer Randy Draper. Herbert, who grew up in Camdenton, played for Draper there. They stayed friends after Herbert graduated high school. Draper helped Herbert land a job in the Grain Valley district as a physical education teacher and an assistant boys basketball coach in the year 2000. He also currently serves as the boys golf coach. Herbert started as a physical education teacher at Matthews Elementary School and eventually got the same position at Prairie Branch Elementary School. After that, he was the coordinator at the Sni Valley Academy and is now the A+ Program coordinator at Grain Valley High School. As a coach, he was an assistant under Draper for five years before becoming the head boys basketball coach, a position he’s had for 16 years. Herbert has coached in five different conferences in his tenure at Grain Valley. He’s been with the program when it was regularly playing smaller schools like Lexington and Lafayette County. Now the Eagles are playing against some of the biggest schools in Missouri like Blue Springs and Truman. “I want to coach the kids that are here and do right by them,” Herbert said. “I don’t want to have to go out and get a kid. I want to make an impact with them.” That’s exactly what he has done. Herbert has been a longtime staple with the Grain Valley school district and for the boys basketball team. However, when he first arrived, there was an adjustment period for Herbert. “We love it here,” Herbert said. “Coming from Lake of the Ozarks and Camdenton, this is a very different place because it’s closer to the city. You’re driving on the interstate all the time here instead of lake roads. It’s a very different way of life than what I was used to. “In Camdenton, you spend your summer on boat docks. It was a great place to grow up.” After Herbert left Camdenton to attend the University of Missouri he got to spend one year coaching under Stewart and the rest under Snyder. The experience was invaluable, he said. “If you paid attention, you learned a lot,” Herbert said. “Both of them had very different ways of doing things. I learned how to build a team through toughness from Coach Stewart. Coach Snyder was more of a player development coach. He wanted to work with the best players and make them the best he could through skill development. “All the stories I have while working with them, I could talk about that for hours.” While Stewart and Snyder were influences on Herbert’s coaching career, Draper might have been the biggest influence of them all. Draper and Herbert use a team-oriented approach and both are player-friendly coaches, who seem to remain calm no matter the situation in any game. In fact, if it wasn’t for Draper, Herbert may not have ended up at Grain Valley. “I’ve known Coach Draper since 1987,” Herbert said. “He was my next door neighbor and coach growing up. As far as coaching, mentorship and friendship, he’s as close to me as my own father. He was 1B. The one thing that drew us here was him. He’s the reason we came.” Herbert said he doesn’t plan on going to another district any time soon if ever. Being at the school for as long as he has allowed Herbert got to coach his son Owen for the first time at the high school level. “He was at a district game at O’Hara and he was a few months old at the time,” Herbert said. “One of their players was diving for a loose ball and jumped over our bench and ended up hitting him. “We joke all the time, ‘That you took your first charge when you were three months old.’ Now, he’s almost 17 and playing varsity. It’s been rewarding to see him out there playing.” While Herbert grew up in Camdenton and considers that his hometown, his new home is in Grain Valley, and he hopes it stays that way for the foreseeable future for Owen, his wife and his two other children. “We have raised three kids here and my wife teaches in the district,” Herbert said. “The families and the people in Grain Valley .... it really doesn’t get any better than that. We haven’t found any reason to leave. As long as they keep accepting us, we aren’t going anywhere.” A viral video trend on the social media app TikTok has made its way to the metro area, and this trend has nothing to do with a catchy dance or goofy prank. Tens of thousands of videos have been posted in recent weeks with hashtags such as #deviouslicks and #diabolicallicks, showing serious acts of vandalism to school and park restrooms, teachers’ desks, school lockers, and other school facilities.
Metro area districts have experienced similar acts of vandalism and are taking a variety of measures, including removing access to most restrooms in schools, in an effort to stop the damage. According to Deputy Superintendent, Student and Community Services, Dr. Brad Welle, Grain Valley Schools have not been immune to the issue. “We are experiencing a significant increase in vandalism this fall, especially in our school restrooms. This is happening at every level - elementary, middle school, and high school. (The TikTok challenge) appears to be the driving reason behind this behavior. We are repairing toilets and stalls, and are having to replace soap and towel dispensers. It is getting expensive,” Welle said. “There are consequences, including paying for damages, for anyone determined to have vandalized or stolen school property,” Welle said. Wednesday evening, Grain Valley High School principal Dr. Jeremy Plowman sent an email to students and parents, asking for cooperation in discouraging and reporting these acts. "Over the past two weeks, we have had multiple instances of stolen or damaged bathroom items, food stuffed down toilets, defacing of stalls, mirrors, etc. While we have encountered vandalism in our bathrooms in the past, it has become a daily occurrence at the high school. We have zero tolerance for this. Those that are caught committing vandalism or theft will receive school discipline and will have to reimburse the school for damages or theft. The disrespect these acts show our hard-working and short-staffed custodians and the stellar students and staff in this building does not sit well with me," Plowman said. Oak Grove Parks and Recreation recently posted a photo of damage to a park restroom on their Facebook page, asking anyone with information on the vandalism to contact the parks department or police department with tips. Shannon Davies, Grain Valley Parks and Recreation Director, said Grain Valley park facilities have been spared so far, but his crews and the police department have been vigilant in keeping an eye out for potential problems. “This recent Tik Tok trend has area park departments on notice. Several have closed their park restrooms in response to this. We have kept our restrooms open. Within the past couple of weeks, we have had no vandalism in our parks that would relate to this. Park Maintenance is making routine checks at our restrooms and any other park related amenities several times a day to try and stay ahead of this. If we do start seeing this vandalism, we will entertain the idea of restroom closures. GVPD is also aware and keeping an eye out for us,” Davies said. by Michael Smith The Grain Valley swimming and diving team was tired heading into Saturday’s Independence Invitational at the Henley Aquatics Center.
The Eagles swam in five events in the past two weeks, so head coach Kara Liddle didn’t expect any of her swimmers to have their best times. Her team did have a respectable performance at the meet, however, as the swimmers powered through fatigue. Grain Valley placed fourth with 225 points, and were just 19 points away from earning a plaque as Sedalia Smith-Cotton took third with 244 points. “We had some good swims today being as tired as we are,” Liddle said. “I knew this wasn’t going to be the best meet for getting our best times.” Pembroke Hill won with 430 points. The Eagles are usually at a disadvantage in any meet they are in as the team only has nine competitors on the team. However, even with the low numbers, they were able to finish in the middle of the pack at the Independence Invitational. Isaac Burd led the way for Grain Valley. He entered the 100-meter freestyle as the top seed. He was second as he finished in 55.15 seconds. He also took fifth in the 50 free and finished in 25 seconds. “There were a couple of things that I didn’t do right, but overall, it was a good race,” Burd said. “I need to focus on not breathing as much and working on my flip turns.” Riley Fangman also had a solid meet. He was fourth in the 200 free (2:10.81) and third in the 100 butterfly (1:04.22). “I felt like I did pretty well and I did my best today,” Fangman said. “I dropped 4 seconds in the 200 and I dropped 1 second in my 100, so that was really good. “I haven’t been to state before, but this could be the year.” Liddle added that she was pleased with how Fangman swam. “Riley swam his two best times, so to do that while being tired is awesome,” Liddle said. The Grain Valley relay teams also had top three finishes. The foursome of Evan Reich, Tom Fligg, Landon Gilbert and and Burd took third (1:47.55) in the 200 free relay and Reich, Fangman, Burd and Fligg teamed up to take third (3:59) in the 400 free relay. “It wasn’t our best, but we still swam really good,” Burd said. “I can tell we are all feeling it right now. We have had a lot of meets lately. Liddle said the relays are knocking on the door of making a state cut. “Our relays are our best shot (to qualify for state),” Liddle said. “We are rotating the lineups to see which one works best.” Some other top eight finishes for the Eagles include Matthew Ditzler in the 100 butterfly (sixth, 11:30.27), Reich in the 50 free (seventh, 25.45) and 100 free (fourth, 56.84), Fligg in the 100 free (eighth, 1:01.65) and 100 breaststroke (fifth, 1:23.38) and Mason Enlow in the 100 backstroke (seventh, 1:16.89). The October Senior Citizens’ Luncheon will be held Wednesday, October 6th at the Grain Valley Community Center. To RSVP for the luncheon, call 816-847-6293 or email info@cityofgrainvalley.org.
by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Homecoming at Grain Valley High School was this past weekend. After visiting the alumni tent, attending the game, and enjoying a great breakfast at the high school on Saturday, I could not help but think about previous homecomings.
The University of Missouri claims to have invented homecoming in 1911, when Director of Athletics Chester L. Brewer had the bright idea to invite alumni back to the annual game against the University of Kansas—he further sauced things up with a spirit rally and parade. I don’t know when Grain Valley celebrated their first homecoming, but I did find photographs in some yearbooks from the 1940s. The first homecoming I recall was in the fall of 1952 when I got to ride in the parade. I don’t remember which group sponsored the float but the slogan on the top read, “It’s in the cards!” (Victory). We wore the white uniforms from the first grade Rhythm Band. I was the Queen of Diamonds. Of course, the marching band lead the homecoming parade right down Main Street. Virginia Ruth Tate (senior) was the drum major and Patsy Edie, a third grader, was the mascot. There were only 31 members in the band including Virginia, Patsy and the three majorettes, Janice (Thompson) Butler, junior and Florene (Brown ) Wiggins and Sandra (Temple) Elliott, both 8th graders. In those days the 26 members of the band that played instrument included student from 7th grade through seniors. The 1953 yearbook showed 91 students in the high school and 6 faculty members which included G. E. Temple, the superintendent and history teacher, and William Evans, the principal, history teacher and football coach. I can recall many homecomings during my school years. Some of the most fun of homecoming was designing and building our floats during the week preceding the game. We would work in someone's garage or barn every day (and night) after school throughout the week before the parade. We always had some boys from our class “on guard” so no one saw our float or stole our ideas before the floats were judged at the parade. There were snake dances and bonfires when we burned a dummy representing a football player from the opposing team. Students would begin at the high school and dance and cheer their way down Main Street to the pep rally held at the city park in front of the old train station on Front Street. There were spirit weeks and pep rallies, there were ivy chains, and Homecoming Queens, and let us not forget, there were football games. And after the game, there was a homecoming dance. I’ve always been amazed to talk to the football players years after their high school days were over. They always remember every game, every great tackle they made, and every pass they caught (or threw) that resulted in the winning touchdown. And they can tell you the team they played for homecoming their senior year and if they won (or lost)! For most of us, high school homecomings will forever be a fond memory of our school days! The Historical Society invites you to join us for Coffee with Classmates –the Rock ‘n Roll Years (1950-1970) on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 beginning at 10:00 AM. We will reconnect, reminiscence, and share memorabilia from our days at GVHS, including the big Homecoming Game! I hope you will join us. Grain Valley’s Girls tennis team has been on a winning streak this season, most recently coming in first place at the Excelsior Springs tournament on Wednesday, following a conference win against Truman earlier in the week. In Excelsior Springs, the team won all 5 flights: Kylee Bragaw won A Flight Singles, Emma Thiessen won B Flight Singles, the Doubles team of Laforge-Gorden won A Flight, and the B Flight Doubles win went to Spencer-Barnes. The team will finish a match on Thursday at home with Blue Springs South that was postponed earlier in the week due to rain. The team will travel to Belton next Wednesday and finish out the week away at Pembroke Hill.
|
Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
|
Grain Valley NewsGrain Valley News is a free community news source published weekly online. |
Contact Us |