by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 

The Grain Valley swimming and diving team is on the rise.
 
Head coach Julie Reilly said the team has had more members than it ever had in 2025 with 17 swimmers.
 
The Eagles have also experienced a lot of success this season as they qualified eight competitors in seven different events for the Missouri State High School Swimming and Diving Championships beginning Thursday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.
 
Senior Gage Wright, junior Morgan Brown and freshman Colton English all qualified in the 1-meter diving event; senior Haden Harshman will be competing in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events; Connor Osburn made it to state in the 200-meter individual medley; and Grain Valley qualified its 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free relay teams for the state event.
 
Wright is leading the way for Grain Valley as he is a returning state champion in the 1-meter diving event and he could also possibly compete in the 200 and 400 free relay events.
 
Last season, he won the state diving event with a score of 409.15. This season, he’s even made a bigger leap.
 
Wright broke his own school record and the all-time Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference 11-dive event at the Suburban Conference Championships on Oct. 29 with a score of 546. He also had the highest score of anyone in the state at the Class 1 District 4 diving event with a score of 496.60.
 
Earlier this season, he broke the school 6-dive record on Senior Night in a dual against Blue Springs South with a score of 296.6.
 
“It wasn’t really on my goal sheets,” Wright said of breaking the conference record. “It’s a really cool record to see fall. I am focused on individual technique and improvement.
 
Wright and head coach Julie Reilly said the work the senior has put in year round has led to his success. He works at the Blue Springs South Aquatics Center and works on his diving whenever he has a chance. He also dives for his club team in the offseason.
 
“He’s so committed to his diving,” Reilly said. He works here, so when he is on a break, he is diving. The degree of difficulty for the dives he does has gone up 10 fold since last year. He has some dives that are amazing.”
 
Some of those new dives include the inward 2 ½ and my reverse 1 ½ twist. Increasing the difficulty of his dives have led to even higher scores than Wright had last season.
 
“I went to a new swimming and diving club and I have focused a lot on improving my technique,” Wright said. “I have worked on improving lines and making everything look cleaner and smoother. That has really helped with consistency and improving my (personal record).”
 
Wright also has helped other divers improve, too. He’s been a mentor to English, who qualified for the state diving event by finishing in fourth place at districts with a score of 338.45. He also helped Brown qualify as he finished seventh at districts with a score of 258.45.
 
“I think he’s in a really good spot to make finals,” Wright said of English. “I have been working with him since the start of the year. It was really nice to see him come in as a freshman and have a really good foundation. I have been working with him since the start of the year. We have been working on takeoffs and head position.”
 
Added Reilly: “Colton English is a Gage in the making. He practices all the time. He’s been diving outside just for the team. He is probably a little bit in a better position than Gage was in his freshman year.”
 
Harshman has led the way for the swimmers as he set personal bests in almost every swimming event, including the 50 and 100 free. He will also be competing in the 200 and 400 free relay teams with Wright, Osburn and sophomore Rush Buxton.
 
The 200 free relay team has the best chance of earning an all-state honor, which is earned by the top 16 finishers. The team is currently seeded 18th with a time of 1:35.09.
 
Harshman also has a good chance of earning all-state honors (given to the top 16 finishers in each event) for the first time in his high school career in the 50 and 100 free as he is currently seeded 10th and 15th, respectively.
 
“I feel like I improved a lot more than I did last year and I am excited to see what I can do at state. My kick under water is a lot better,” Harshman said. “Going into this season, we didn’t know how well our relays would do. We lost one of our sprinters from last year – Asa Kiem. We got some new kids and they have really pulled through.”
 
Osburn will be competing in his first individual event at state as he is seeded 22nd in the 200 IM with a time of 2:08.04.
 
“I couldn’t even get a state consideration time last year,” Osburn said. “This year I qualified for the 200 IM. I had to lose 25 pounds. Swimming has really put me into shape.”
 
The preliminary swimming events will start at noon on Thursday and the diving event will be at 4:30 p.m. the same day.
 

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

It was a homecoming of sorts for the Herbert family, before a recent Grain Valley High School practice session.

Owen, a junior at the University of Missouri and a manager on the Tigers' men's basketball team, made the trip from Columbia to visit his family.

Eli, a senior who was the Suburban White Conference Co-Player of the Year last season, has become one of the most dominating players in Eastern Jackson County.

And Isaac, a freshman, who has been a part of the program many years at the team scorekeeper, is now a freshman member of the team.

"Owen was the first of the three brothers to play, and there was so much talk about me playing him because he is my son," Coach Herbert said. "It became apparent very soon that he was playing because he earned that spot on the team.

"And, as it turned out, he was a senior when Eli was a freshman. "And no one I've ever been around has worked as hard as Eli to enjoy his success. He really is one of the best players in the metro area."

Eli finished last season averaging 24.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks for the 16-9 Eagles, who claimed the Suburban White title with a 13-1 record and two wins over Raytown.

"The best thing about coaching Eli is that he only cares about winning. His hard work has paid off with individual success on the court. But even if he didn't score a point in the game, he'd be smiling after the game was over."

Isaac, who became such a respected scorekeeper that his scorebook was often used to decide scoring questions, is excited about his chance to be a part of the team Eli's senior year.

"Eli had Owen when Owen was a senior and I'm going to have Eli my freshman year, and I'm excited about that. And we are all so fortunate to play for our dad.

"He's a great coach and a great dad. We're lucky to be a part of our family."

Eli nodded in agreement.

"I look at this kid over here (his brother Isaac) and get so excited having him be a part of our team my senior year," Eli said. "I was excited when I was a freshman, and Owen was a senior.

"And playing for our dad makes it even more special. Sometimes, I just stop and think about how lucky we are all - including our mom (Natasha), who's the best."
​

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

One by one, members of the Grain Valley High School softball team walked off their charter bus late Thursday night.

A season that had provided a lifetime memories had come to an end. 

The clock finally struck midnight on a Cinderella-like season for the Grain Valley High School softball team.

The Eagles lost to Columbia Rock Bridge 8-6 in the semifinal game and were then no-hit by Marlee Steiner in the third-place game as Lindbergh picked up a 5-0 victory Thursday at Meador Park in Springfield, Mo.

Grain Valley finished with a 30-8 record. 

Rock Bridge scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-4 lead. The Eagles' late-inning magic never materialized as Grain Valley scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, to cut its deficit to 8-6.

Sydnee Wagner had an RBI single and Morgan Hart walked with the bases loaded to account for the first two runs.

The Eagles had the bases loaded and one out when Hayden Bush was called in from the bullpen.

Earlier in the game she hit a three-run homer off Jones and added an RBI single in the top of the seventh.

She retired the next two Eagles on a strikeout and ground out to second base to save the win for starter  Lauren Christ.

"We've had so many late-inning rallies, and I expected one today, too," said Jones, after unloading her suitcase off the team bus. "But it didn't happen.

"It was a good bus ride home. A lot of tears, but we spent a lot of time reminiscing. It's going to be a while before the sting goes away because our group of girls are special."

Long after his team had departed from the high school, coach Flip Courter compared the semifinal loss to the meeting between the two teams during the regular season.

"We got them (8-7 in eight innings) early in the season, and that game was similar to today," Courter said. "They hit a two-run homer in the first inning in both games, and then we came back to take a 3-2 lead in each game."

Rock Bridge's Ava Bush hit the two-run homer Friday in the top of the first.

In the bottom of the inning, Kenzie Rust lead off with her first out-of-the park home run and Jones later hit a two-run double to give The Eagles a 3-2 lead.

"But after that, we made two many mistakes to beat a good team like (26-10) Rock Bridge," the coach added. "We made a couple of mistakes and Rock Bridge took advantage of them to score three big runs in the top of the seventh.

"Then, we score two runs and have the bases loaded, but just didn't get the big hit we needed.

"I'll be honest with you, today was tough. This is such a special team, and there were a lot of tears. Our girls were still crying in the dugout when we were playing Lindbergh."

The 6-foot-4 Steiner stood tall in the spotlight in the third-place game as she struck out 10 and was three-for-three with two RBI at the plate.

"She pretty much did it all for them," Courter said. "As great as she is in softball, she's going to Missouri to play volleyball. She's just a great athlete."

Madison Rust reached first base on an error against Steiner. Rust was the only Eagles player to reach first base."
​

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
Disaster struck for Grain Valley head softball coach Flip Courter.
 
Earlier in the morning before his team’s big Class 5 state quarterfinal game against Liberty North, he had to go to an emergency room at a local hospital due to a painful kidney stone.
 
He wasn’t about to let that keep him from missing the Eagles’ biggest game in years, though, as he managed to get to Grain Valley High School 20 minutes before the 1 p.m. start time.
 
Courter was there to help coach his team, while his assistant coaches Kylie Boehmer, Katie Kelly and Brian Driskell helped set up the field and get the team through pregame warmups.
 
His Eagles came through as senior Addie Wright came through with the go-ahead, run-scoring hit and junior starting pitcher Molly Jones spun another gem in a 2-1 victory in nine innings vs. Liberty North, which sent the team to its first state final four since 2012.
 
“It doesn’t hurt near as bad after a win,” Courter said of the kidney stone. “We have such an outstanding staff with Coach Boehmer, Coach Kelly and Coach Driskell. They were able to help out and pick up the slack this morning.
 
“As long as the emergency room wasn’t taking too long, there was no way I was missing this game. I am glad they were able to cooperate with us. This was an experience I won’t forget.”
 
Grain Valley will take on Columbia Rock Bridge in the state semifinals at noon on Oct. 30 at Meador Park in Springfield.
 
Grain Valley (30-6) ran into some bad luck against Liberty North starting pitcher Hunter Anderson-Jones as they hit the ball hard multiple times throughout the game but oftentimes resulted in a lineout right at an opposing infielder or a sparkling defensive play by the visitors.
 
Boehmer kept her team encouraged despite the bad luck on hard-hit balls.
 
“Coach Boehmer is the most supportive coach I have ever had,” Wright said. “We were hitting the ball hard and she told us, ‘It’s going to fall.’”
 
The team finally broke through in the top of the ninth inning. Senior designated player Morgan Hart, who struck out in her last two at bats, nearly hit a home run as she drilled an opposite field double off the right field fence.
 
Courter had senior Ava Rosetti pinch run for Hart before senior catcher Olivia Slaughter hit a pop fly out.
 
“If she’s not our fastest runner, she’s in the top two,” Courter said of Rosetti. “We hold onto her for those types of situations. We were going to wave her around no matter what on a hit.”
 
With one out, senior third baseman Addie Wright came up with the biggest hit of her career when she hit a ground ball single up the middle to score Rosetti from second base to put her team up by one run.
 
After the big hit, she turned toward her teammates in the dugout and raised her arms and clinched her fists multiple times in celebration.
 
“I’ve been in a pretty big slump these past few games so that was huge,” said Wright, who got her second hit of the postseason. “I was excited when I saw the center fielder bobbling the ball. I knew that we got it after that.”
 
Senior Ashlynn McConnell later singled to put runners at second and first with one out but Kenzie Rust lined into a double play caught by Kinley Johnson, which was the third of the game for Grain Valley.
 
With how well Jones was pitching for Grain Valley, the bad luck at the dish for her squad didn’t matter. Earlier in the contest, she surrendered a two-out double Johnson in the bottom of the seventh to set up a walk-off opportunity for the visiting Eagles, but induced a flyout to center field off the bat of Peyton Cleary to get out of it.
 
Jones then pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and ninth inning and got the game-sealing strikeout, getting Anderson-Jones to chase a rise ball out of the strike zone. That sent her team into a frenzy as her teammates met her in the circle as the Eagles put their arms around each other and jumped up and down and were screaming in jubilation.
 
Jones pitched a complete game and allowed one run, which came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Avary Sharpnack in the sixth inning. She gave up five hits, walked one and struck out five. Jones also had a run-scoring single in the first inning to give Grain Valley an early lead.
 
At times in the game, Jones was smiling in the circle, as she said she is at her best when she’s in a cheerful mood.
 
“Sometimes these pressure situations are the best moments,” Jones said. “I have my entire defense behind me, and they are going to do whatever it takes to not let a ball drop. I have an amazing catcher that helps calm me down. I wouldn’t want any other team in a stressful situation.”
 
Added Courter: “(Jones) smiles a lot and is goofy at times, but beneath that smile and goofy facade, there’s a stone-faced assassin in the circle. I don’t know if there’s too many people around that want to win as badly as she does.”

​

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
​
The Grain Valley football team is banged up.
 
Starting running back Sjoeren Aumua has been out the past few weeks with a broken collarbone and starting linebacker Lucas Jurgensmeyer has been out most of the season with a leg injury.
 
Following Friday’s regular-season finale Truman, the Eagles added a pair of injuries to the list. Starting quarterback exited in the second quarter with an injured shoulder and senior wide receiver Bentley Carver suffered a concussion.
 
However, the Eagles earned a much-needed bye week as they locked up the No. 1 seed in the Class 5 District 7 following a 65-6 blowout of Truman at Moody Murry Memorial Field.
 
Grain Valley (6-3) will be able to rest and won’t play until Nov. 7 at home and will play the winner of the Ruskin-Belton first round game in the semifinals.
 
“That week off helps us recover,” Allie said. “Nine games doesn’t seem like a lot but there is a lot of wear and tear there. It’s going to be nice to get a little time off.”
 
The front seven for the Eagles dominated the Patriots as they totaled a season-high five sacks against Truman quarterback Donovan Toese, with junior defensive end Max Allen earning 2.5 of those. Coming into the game, Allie said the Eagles aimed to dominate the line of scrimmage and that’s exactly what they did.
 
“We wanted to be physical where we could,” Allie said. “They weren’t a very physical team. We decided to send a lot of pressure.”
 
Added senior Chase Kitsmiller: “We all played well and stuck to our assignments. We knew if we pressured them, they’d fold.”
 
Grain Valley’s defense once again has had a strong season, giving up just 17.6 points per game. Against the Patriots, the Eagles only gave up 213 yards and senior safety Brody Jones also had an interception Toese.
 
“I'm pretty happy with where we are at as a whole,” Allie said of the defense.
 
Truman’s lone score came on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Toese to senior wide receiver Maxwell Kerby at the 4:49 mark in the second period.
 
On offense, the Grain Valley offensive line, which Allie said would be the biggest strength for his team coming into the season, continued to be as good as advertised. Sophomore running back Dawson Head continued his breakout season as he had 229 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. His highlight came on an 80-yard TD run with 1:48 in the first half where he found a huge hole behind left tackle Will Page and left tackle Logan Bennett.
 
“They are as physical as any offensive line we have had,” Allie said. “They’re smart and they get off the ball.”
 
Backup running back Brody Davis had 116 yards and two TDs on seven carries in the second half. As they have for most of the season, the Eagles dominated the ground game with 452 yards rushing.
 
Neer added 30 yards rushing and scored on a 12-yard run as he deked three would-be tacklers. Third-string quarterback DJ Pechar scored on a 12-yard run himself late in the fourth quarter. Senior place kicker Colton Clyman added a 23-yard field goal and Terrell King returned a punt 31 yards for a score early in the first.