Grain Valley golfer Owen Herbert had to be on his game.
     Throughout Day 2 of the Class 4 Missouri State High School Boys Golf Championships Tuesday at Meadow Lake Acres, the junior said it was in the back of his mind that he was in contention for an all-state honor.
     “When I looked up at the scores, I saw my name shoot up the leaderboard,” Herbert said. “It was pretty cool when I saw that.”
     He went from 18th place after shooting a 78 on Monday, to jumping all the way up to 11th after notching a 76 on Tuesday for a total score of 154, making him the first Eagles golfer to earn all-state honors since Shane Collins did in 2005 (the top 15 golfers in each Class earn all-state honors).
     “When they called me up to the front with everyone watching, it was a pretty surreal moment,” Herbert said of when he got his state medal.
     Herbert and the rest of his squad finished seventh out of eight teams with a team score of
671. Jaiden Wilson was 63rd after shooting a two-day score of 171, Charles Aldred was 68th with a 173 and Connor Nadeau was also 68th with a 173.
     “It was a great experience and three of the guys who competed will be back next year,” Grain Valley head boys golf coach Andy Herbert said. “The experience was invaluable for them. To see your team score up there when only eight teams from the state in your class get there is a special thing.”
     “The guys played well the first day and the second day wasn’t as good. But Day 2 is a different animal, and you wouldn’t know why unless you experience it. Any time there it’s championship day, there is just a different feel to it.”
     Owen Herbert had some challenges on his way to becoming all-state, but he was able to overcome them. On Hole 13, he drove a shot into the trees on the right and on his second shot he kept it in the trees. He ended up getting a bogey from there to help maintain his pace for a good score on a hole that could have kept him out of the top 15.
     “If I could have dropped the ball (and taken a one-stroke penalty), I would have lost a lot of momentum.” the junior said. “I made a long putt from the green to save bogey. That jump started my round and I played well from there.”
     Overall, Owen Herbert was consistent throughout the tournament.
     “Day 1 was a scramble day,” he said. “I wasn’t driving the ball great, but I was able to make some key puts to keep my head in the round. Day 2, I hit the ball a lot better. My wedge and my putter were key for me and I made some big puts here and there and really kept the momentum going.”
     And while earning all-state honors was a big moment for him, that wasn’t Owen Herbert’s favorite part of the state tournament. It was about having fun with his teammates.
     “My dad has been the coach of the program for a long time and I have been around the program for a long time,” Owen Hebert said. “Just to be a part of it with four other guys that love golf as much as I do was pretty cool.
     “We go out and practice and they love to do it. The golf was great, but hanging out in the hotel and eating on the way home was probably the best part, hanging out with the guys.”
     And that is camaraderie that Andy Herbert said is not common in a sport like golf.
     “This is the closest team I have ever been a part of,” Andy Herbert said. ”They practice and play together and on the weekends they got play as a group. It’s fun to see them reap the benefits of their work and do it together.” 

​Matthew Adams
Jackeline Alvarado
Chase Ambrose
Benjamin Anderson
Caleb Arnold
Mikaila Arnold
Alexis Arreguin
Elijah Arreguin
Jayleigh Askew
Ma'Kahia Askew
Allysiah Ayers
Konner Bachtel
Gage Baier
Ashton Barker
Genevieve Barker
Ethan Barnett
Maya Bartlett
Jason Bassett
Elizabeth Battles
Erin Battles
Addison Baumgartner
Kassidy Beal
Jack Beeding
Jacob Bennett
Jadien Bergstrand
McKenzie Beske
Aiden Bestgen
Brady Blankenship
Isaac Bledsoe
Anthony Boland
Paige Bopp
Caleb Bowles
Kooper Boyer
Ella Boyle
Kami Bradfield
Sterling Branson
Cylas Brewer
Alexander Brooks
Conner Brunk
Brendon Bryan
Ava Bunton
Isaac Burd
Kaylee Butler
Emma Carico
Ella Casey
Elijah Castle
Preston Castle
Mikayla Chairez
Collin Chambers
Isaac Charpie
Jacob Collins
Carter Compton
Kade Compton
Kaitlyn Conner
Sarah Cook
Jada Cooper
Madisyn Coppedge
Sky Crabtree
Brycen Crandall
Jason Crank
Sheldon Croan
Aleksandria Crocker
Tyler Cromley
David Crosley
Zachary Cross
Taylar Crume
Dawson Darby
Morgan Darling
Aubrey Davies
Adelynn Dedrick
Ryan DeHaan
Benjamin DeMonbrun
Cooper Dieckhoff
Aydan Doneyson
Cole Doolin
Hailey Downs
Charlsie Dressen
Joshua Duett
Sophia Durst
Olivia Duvall
Allison Esterley
Riley Fangman
Krista Farnsworth
Sawyer Farris
Dominic Ferrante
Tyler Fisher
Elijah Fischer
Thomas Fligg
Lillian Ford
Gage Forkner
Joh'Don Frazier
O'thaniel Frederick
Jenna Geib
Dominic Genari
Aden Gillette
Jaedha Godwin
Grace Gomez
Derek Gonzalez
Lilliana Gonzalez
Kamara Gorbet
Chelsea Gorden
Katelyn Greer
Hailey Griffitts
Zachary Habib
Hayden Hake
Cruz Haley
Seth Haley
Samantha Hall
Calvin Hamilton
Ja'Niya Hamilton
Rian Handy
Alyssa Hanenkratt
August Hansen
Kaden Harris
Jenny Hattey
Gracie Havard
Claire Hawkins
Cassidy Hayes
Emma Heagy
Morgan Heard
Summer Heinrich
Philip Helphrey
Kacey Henderson
Elizeck Hendricks
Autumn Hensley
Celeste Hernandez
Jenavieve Hernandez
Peyton Heyer
Emilee Hieronymus
Jillian Hight
Logan Hill
Olivia Hinton
Nicholas Hooper
Fisher Howell
Jordan Huber
Abigail Hudspeth
Avery Huffman
Dakota Hunter
Jasmine Hurst
Lauren Huston
Chloe Ireland-Killday
Darrin Jefferson II
Kaden Jeffries
Zachary Jenkins
Bailey Jinkens
Damien Johnson
Samantha Johnson
Jordan Jones
Madalyn Jones
Tucker Jones
Elizabeth Kamstra
Jaxon Kaylor
Ruthie Keats
Easton Knight
Emily Knowles
Joseph Kohne
Noah Krueger
Forest Kruse
Taylor Lackey
Tristan LaFoe
Dalton Larry
Samuel Laws
Caleb Lehmann
Michael Leonard
Dexter Letterman
Gage Levell
Ashlee Limbach
Sydney Lindley
Payton Lingle
Tomas Lopez Martinez
Morgan Manade
Cayden Marcum
Alexandra Martin
John Martin
Ian Mashburn
Caleb Matthews
Cora Mayernik
Noah McAnerney
Mason McCain
Jayden McConnell
Kennedi McCord
Caleb McCormick
TyCiah McDonald
TyMiah McDonald
Hayden Meyer
Jacob Mickelson
Katelyn Mitchell
Nicholas Mobley
Aneysha Molina
Ciara Monahan
Carlos Montez
Levi Moon
Ava Moore
Elijah Moore
Hunter Morales
Emily Moreno
Archie Morgan
Connor Morgan
Jacob Moriarty
Kyerstin Morris
Kyra Mueller
Giordan Mulvey
Raymond Myers
Lily Nabors
Connor Nadeau
Abigail Neer
Lillian Novich
Emma Oerly
Kellie Overturf
Joel Palecek
Lauren Parker
Skylar Pasley
Mackenzie Patton
Tanner Pendleton
Kilah Pennington
Jenna Peoples
Owen Perkins
Morgan Perry
Chloe Peterson
Trenton Peterson-Wyatt
Cambria Phillips
Jason Pittman
Kira Potter
Tristin Pouncil
Mia Powell
Logan Pratt
Ashton Qualkinbush
Jude Quick
Joseph Redfern
Bailey Reed
Eric Rhymes
Daishana Rice
Aonna-May Richards
Kaylan Richardson
Makayla Robinson
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Luke Rohr
Hayden Rowland
Jackson Rucinski
Steele Russell
Andrew Rutledge
Elena Sanchez
Hannah Sanders
Ethan Schaaf
Andie Scott
Clayton Sharp
Meghan Shelton
Micah Siems
BriLeigh Sims
Taylor Slack
Jaxson Slater
Bryce Smith
Olivia Smith
Tanner Spooner
Ayanna Staine
Colin Starr
Hudson Stephenson
Trevor Stone
Alexcis Stowe
Alexis Summers
Savannah Sweeney
Elorah Taylor
Thomas Taylor
Sterling Temple
Jackson Temples
Cooper Terry
Abigail Testa
Ryley Thompson
Jonathan Tipton
Cecil Torres
Emma Trowbridge
Robert Turnage
Isabella Turney
Grace Unruh
Gabriella Valverde
Kaitlin Vestal
Braden Walter
Grant Ward
Ethan Waters
Holly Weatherford
Trent Weber
Lauren Weidt
Jarrett Weigel
Delaney Wendleton
Jonah Werges
Erin White
Bailee Williams
Calvin Williams
Jackson Williams
Olivia Williams
Hope Wolfe
Jaston Wolfe
Kameryn Wolfe
Jenna Worthington
Molly Wright
Jaxon Wyatt
Lauren Yarber
Connor Yeagle
Evan Zimmerman

​Julian Allred
Mi'Kylah Blackmon
Jamel Bozeman
Richard Canon
Shelby Crall
Dominic Crook
Carson Dodson
Sean Eberhart
Jordin Epperson
Andrew Gann
Ezra Giffen
Nicholas Godden
Jacob Hampton
Breanna Hill
Derrick Hopkins
Audrey Hudspeth
Hunter Kelly-Zogg
Kacie Kubis
Kathryn Kudrin
Ryan McKeel
Mateo Medrano
Phoebe Michalski
Adam Milam
Adam Murphy
Grace Myres
Kal Nay
Colby Nielson
Makenna Rock
Gabriel Salgado
Dain Salsbury
Taryn Shiflett
Kaylee Spicer
Tiffany Sylvan
Santino Tauiliili
Alyssa Tarantola
Riley Tompkins
Kaden Valdez
Michael Weaver Jr.
Zachary Yearout

by Michael Smith
 
     Grain Valley assistant coach girls soccer coach Blake Desselle said he knew the path to making a deep playoff run would be more difficult this season.
     That’s because the Eagles were playing in Class 4 for the first time beginning with Blue Springs in the first round of the Class 4 District 6 Tournament.
     Grain Valley easily defeated Blue Springs earlier in the season 6-0 and were the favorites as it came into a game 14-4-1 record and the Wildcats were 1-18 coming in.
     The game on Monday turned out to be a tough one for the Eagles. Blue Springs Junior Cadence Cowick broke a 2-2 deadlock in overtime on a counterattack and put a perfect shot from 30 yards under the crossbar and into the upper 90. of the net to stun Grain Valley in a 3-2 loss at Larry Stewart Memorial Stadium at Blue Springs South High School.
     “Props to their girls, those were three great finishes,” Desselle said of Blue Springs’ goals. “Sometimes you have to tip your cap and say good job. When they scored early, that put us on our back foot a little bit. They were very organized defensively, so it was hard for us to break them down and play how we like to.
     “When you move up to Class 4, you’re going to have to bring it every day. These are the kind of teams Grain Valley is going to have to play. We’re not playing Oak Grove or any of those teams anymore. We’re with the big dogs now.”
     The Wildcats appeared to change their strategy from the matchup earlier in the season and it worked.
     “They figured out a way to stop us,” Grain Valley sophomore Emma Thiessen said. “They were trying to control me and Annabelle Totta and tried to make sure we didn’t go anywhere with the ball. They were playing really defensive and that was a big part (in the loss).”
     Blue Springs fared much better this time against Grain Valley as it had equal possession with the Eagles and created a good amount of chances. Earlier in the first half, Blue Springs took a 1-0 lead when freshman Samantha Davis scored against Grain Valley goalkeeper Camhile Williams.
     Thiessen got the equalizer with 7:50 remaining in the first half when she punched in a penalty kick inside the right post. However, Blue Springs came right back to make a PK of their own in the 37th minute when sophomore Gracyn Austin put one into the upper 90 to make it 2-1 going into halftime.
     Grain Valley created multiple chances to score against a Wildcat team that was committing most of its players to the defensive third of the field. Despite that the Eagles had multiple chances to score but couldn’t bury one. Sophomore Meghan Knust had a shot that appeared it would sneak under the crossbar but goalkeeper Mikayla Dolby made a leaping save.
     Dolby also stopped a close-range rebound attempt from sophomore Annabelle Totta. However, the sophomore finally broke through in the 74th minute when a long free kick from Knust ricocheted off a Blue Springs player and Totta was able to put in the rebound to tie the game at 2-2 and send it to overtime.
     In overtime, the Wildcats controlled possession and Cowick ended a stellar Grain Valley season that saw the Eagles finish undefeated in the Suburban White Conference.
     “I am proud of this team and how they played,” Thiessen said. “Our two seniors Rian Handy and Lexi Arreguin are just unbelievable players, people and leaders. We are going to miss them. We are going to have to figure out how to work around losing them but I think we are going to come back stronger next season.”

     For the first time in the history of the program, the Grain Valley boys golf team will compete in the Class 2 Missouri State High School Boys Golf Championships.
     The event will begin Monday and will be at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield.
     While Grain Valley has sent one or two golfers to state during some seasons, this is the first time the Eagles have qualified for the state tournament as a team.
     That’s because the team is well balanced. Its No. 1 through 4 golfers can be the team’s leading scorer on any given day, head coach Andy Herbert said.
     “We have taken a lot of individuals before but now we have a chance to have a team score at state,” Herbert said. “To be able to compete for a state title is pretty exciting.”
     “It doesn’t matter if you’re (No. 1 or No. 5), your score adds the same. It doesn’t matter what number you are, on any given day, any of these guys are capable of shooting a good score. Those guys have taken turns to be the guy that carried us.”
     That was the role Owen Herbert and Connor Nadeau played for the Eagles last Monday in the Class 2 District 4 Tournament at Drumm Farm Golf Club.
     Both shot an 82 to lead the team to a second place finish with a team score of 348, just two strokes behind first-place Sedalia Smith-Cotton.
     Jaiden Wilson shot a 91 and Charles Aldred had a 93 to help the Eagles advance.
     “It was something we set as a goal to start the year was to go to state as a team,” Owen Herbert said. “It’s pretty cool we did it all together. And this guy (Nadeau) stepped up in a big moment. It’s just pretty cool.”
     Nadeau gets to make his first trip to state after missing the state cut by one stroke last season.
     “I was confident because we have been playing well all season,” Nadeau said. “I knew my team was doing well so I knew I needed to step up and I ended up doing well on the back nine.”
     “I am having more fun this year and not worrying about the score. I care a lot less about each hole and go out there and have fun.” 
     Andy Herbert also noted that his golfers putting in the work in the offseason was a big reason for the breakthrough year.
     “We’ve built a culture of working hard and being in tournaments over the summer,”  Andy Herbert said. “They bought into it. They have gotten better every year.”
     Grain Valley will practice on the course before the tournament starts on Monday and finishes on Tuesday. The golfers will play 18 holes on each day on the challenging course.
     “The greens are fair, but they are tough,” Herbert said. “Getting yourself in the right position on the green to give yourself a chance to make birdie putts is key on any course, but especially there. If you get it in the wrong place, you might have to three-put on a hole.”
     For the Eagles, the goal is clear.
     “I think the top four earn a trophy,” Owen Herbert said of the top four teams earning a state plaque. “That is a goal for us. But the pressure is all off. We already made it.”
     “We will have to shoot two of our best scores of the year. I think we have it in us if we all go out there and focus and play. We have the talent for sure.” 

     The Class 2 District 8 championship was hanging in the balance.
     With the match tied at 4-4, the winner was going to be decided in the game between Grain Valley’s Kade Compton and Platte County’s Jack Forrest at No. 2 singles.
     Eagles head coach Randy Draper said he was perfectly OK with that.
     The coach’s confidence in his No. 2 singles player was justified as Compton overcame Forrest scoring four consecutive points in the tiebreaker and came up clutch late to win 6-6 (7-4 tiebreaker), 2-6, (10-6 tiebreaker) to propel his team to a 5-4 victory, earning the program’s first district title ever.
     The Eagles advance to the state tournament quarterfinals were they will play undefeated Branson Monday at Branson High School.
     “I trusted him to come through,” Draper said, “and he showed you why. He wobbled a little when Jack went up 6-5, and he was tremendous.”
     After Forrest hit the ball over the back line to give Compton the winning points, Kade’s teammates rushed the court to mob the senior with high fives and pats on the back. His brother, Carter, poured a bottle of water on him on a 90 degree day.
     It was a feel-good moment for the senior, who lost to Forrest earlier in the season.
     “I knew the pressure was on me,” Kade Compton said. “I have been in situations like this in my life. My goal was to get my team another match to play and we deserved that this whole season. We said at the beginning of the season we would win districts and we did that. It was on me to bring the district title home to us.”
     During the match, there were a handful of times in which Compton hit the net, giving Forrest points. He said he just had to focus.
     “I was frustrating myself and I just needed to calm down and get back to the basics of what tennis is,” he said. “You have to get that forehand in. You have to get that backhand in. You have to get that serve in and keep the ball in play. Once I started thinking about that, I succeeded.”
     Kade also teamed with his brother Carter  in the No. 1 doubles  match to defeat Nicholas Gavin and Forrest 8-5.
     No. 4 singles player Ben Drinkwater also came up huge as he won his singles match with Nathan Vanek 6-4, 6-3 and joined Ethan Miller to win the No. 2 doubles match 8-6 against Shane Duggan and Jack Bralley.
     “I tried to do everything Draper had told me throughout the year, which is get the ball in,” Drinkwater said, “and use my best weapon which is my forehand. It just paid off today.”
     “(The hot weather) wasn’t as bad for me because I play soccer, and I think I was able to outlast my opponent in doubles as well as singles.”
     No. 5 singles player Micah Siems also won his singles match as he topped Bralley 6-4, 6-2.
 
     “Ethan (Miller) and Ben were disappointed in the close matches at individual districts and they came up big at (No. 2) doubles today,” Draper said, “and Siems has been almost automatic. Him and Drink, we count on them.”

     Dom Giangrasso always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps since he was child.
     His father, Charlie, was a longtime college football coach, making stops at multiple NCAA Division II and Division III teams around the nation as an assistant and head coach.
    That was always Giangrosso’s dream to be a coach. His path to that goal was through becoming an educator.
     “Watching my dad be around players and watching him interact with the kids and seeing the relationships he was able to build made me want to become a coach,” Giangrosso said. “I never really branched out to anything else. Coaching is always what I wanted to do.”
      “My dad was a huge influence on me. He was coaching me up without knowing that he was coaching me up.”
     After spending 11 years as a football and baseball coach and a social studies teacher, he’s going in a different direction as he’s stepping away from coaching to become the assistant principal at Grain Valley High School, replacing the retiring Mike Tarrants. 
     Giangrosso graduated from Winfield, Kansas, but did a lot of moving around during his childhood as his father got new coaching jobs periodically. He played baseball and studied at a community college in Kansas for two years before going to West Virginia University for a semester and getting his degree at Missouri Valley College.
     He started out as a baseball and football coach for two years at Marshall High School before coming to Grain Valley High School in 2012. He said he had three interviews with the school before he was hired.
     Giangrosso met his wife, Marissa, in Chillicothe and she ended up moving to Blue Springs. Once they got married, they decided they wanted to be in the Eastern Jackson County area.
     “It didn’t take me long to figure out that this was home for me,” Giangrosso said of the city. “I heard a lot of good things about Grain Valley.”
      Giangrosso was a special teams coordinator and an assistant for the baseball team for nine years, and he said he’s built special relationships with the players. 
     Now, he’ll be helping students in a different way as an assistant principal and he noted that he has some big shoes to fill.
     “Following Mike is going to be hard because he’s such a presence,” Giangrosso said. “He’s had a huge influence on me as a coach and a teacher. Him and Coach (David) Allie are the ones who opened my eyes and they told me, ‘You need to be a school leader. You need to be one not only coaching wide, but academically and instructionally.”
     “Being able to follow Mike has been great. There are a lot of aspects in which I want to be a lot like him. I will take it as a big honor to be in his place.”
     In recent years, Tarrants has given Giangrosso more opportunities to take on administration-type tasks, and the 11-year educator thrived at it.
     “I always saw myself more as a coach,” Giangrosso said. “Mike started giving me more responsibilities and opportunities to be in front of people, and I realized, ‘Hey, I am pretty good at coaching teachers, too and developing a culture with the student body.’
     “I was a little hesitant because I always identified myself with sports and now I get to coach 1,400 kids instead of just a small number of kids at your position. My No. 1 goal is to build relationships with the student body. But part of my responsibility is discipline and there will be times I will have to be a hard-nosed, Mike Tarrants type.” 
     He said he will definitely miss coaching but is looking forward to a new opportunity. That doesn’t mean he still won’t be involved with sports, though.
     “The part I love the most about coaching is building relationships with the kids,” Giangrosso said. “I will still be there, and I will see them in the hallways and I will be at every game.
     “I will probably be in Coach Allie’s office a couple of times a week and we will talk about football. I will find a way to make it work.” 

​     Grain Valley senior pitcher Joel Palecek had to hurry to get to the ball after Truman’s Toby Bingham hit a dribbler down the third-base line.
     He quickly picked up the ball and fired it to first baseman Kaden Jeffries to get the final out of the sixth inning in a game in which he had only allowed one unearned run up until that point.
     As Palecek walked toward the dugout he got hugs and high fives from his teammates. It was a moment the senior may never forget.
     He pitched for the first time since his brother, Weston Covell, passed away on May 3. Through all the emotions and grief, Palecek gave up only five hits and struck out four in a 11-1 mercy-rule victory in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Patriots Monday at Truman High School. Grain Valley won Game 1 6-1 earlier in the day.
     “Being with my teammates takes my mind off of it,” Palecek said. “I relied on God to get through it and prayed. Being on the mound, I just focused on the game.”
     Palecek took a few days away from baseball to mourn the loss of his brother, and had the full support of his team as it went to Covell’s celebration of life last Saturday.
     “These guys are like family to me,” Palecek said. “I love them all so much. They have been there for me whenever I needed them. I love them and the coaches.”
     Grain Valley head coach reciprocated those same feelings toward Palecek.
     “He’s a strong kid,” Driskell said. “We’re in a situation in this world where people are dealing with a lot of stuff. I think sometimes we got kids like Joel who never ceased to impress me with stuff that doesn’t have anything to do with baseball. We coach because we want to impact kids.”
     “We don’t necessarily think about the kids impacting us back. Joel has done that. He’s impacted this team. HIs teammates love him and he loves them back. That’s why this group is as close-knit as it is.”
     And when Driskell told the team that Palecek was coming back to pitch on Monday, the Eagles got fired up.
     “Whenever I told the team that Joel was coming back (to play on Monday), you would have thought I told them I was going to give them $100. They were ecstatic. I am a huge fan of Joel Palecek.”
     Palecek, through all the emotions, kept the Patriots off balance. The only unearned run he gave up was in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI groundout from Toby Bingham.
     He got plenty of help from left fielder Keagan Hart who made a couple of diving catches. He saved two runs from scoring as he laid out to make a diving catch in left center field on a line drive from Bingham when Truman had runners at the corners in the second inning.
     He also made a similar catch on a line drive hit by Kane Braxton down the left-field line in the fourth when Truman had a runner on second and two outs.
     “He’s saved my life a few times,” Palecek said. “That was awesome.”
     Added Hart: “I made a couple of those this year. It’s not something you see every day. They are always fun to me. Having the experience of reading it off the bat helps.”
     The Eagles got three runs in the bottom of the third when Jeffries had a two-run single that he drilled off the center field fence. Nick Hooper used a safety squeeze bunt to score Jace Weems from third to make it 3-0.
     Grain Valley blew it open with a six-run fifth, which included RBI singles from catcher Brody Baker and right fielder Jake Allen. Hart also had a two-run, opposite field hit in the inning.
     The Eagles went into the sixth up 9-1 and ended it on a mercy rule when shortstop Brek Sloan drew a bases-loaded walk and a ground ball from Allen bounced off the glove of Truman third baseman Anthony Locke.
     “I think we played a whole complete game,” Hart said. “We were able to play as a team and played clean baseball. We made them make plays by putting the ball in play and we played well in the field.”

     The Grain Valley girls soccer team had a chance to take the driver’s seat in the Suburban White Conference Monday.
     The Eagles faced off against William Chrisman, which was 1 ½ games behind them in the conference standings. The game started two and half hours early as both teams were trying to avoid forecasted early evening thunderstorms.
     The Eagles were able to adjust to the early start time and wet field conditions as sophomore Emma Thiessen led the way with four goals in a 5-0 victory against William Chrisman.
     “Emma is a fantastic finisher and has scored a ton of goals this season,” Grain Valley coach Brett Lewis said. “It’s just what Emma does.”
     Thiessen scored her goals off three assists from fellow sophomore Annabella Totta and one from senior Rian Handy. Two goals came from the top of the penalty box and the others were tap-ins right at the goal.
     She got some help from her teammates. Sophomore Annabelle Totta, who was awarded the game ball afterward, had a team-high three assists, all to Thiessen. Senior Rian Handy also had an assist. Sophomore Meghan Knust was also a big part of the Eagles’ offense.
     “We played our normal game, playing through Meghan (Knust),” Thiessen said. “We always play at our best when we find Meghan in some scenarios and when we are able to finish our chances. Meghan helps us build our attack.”
     Freshman Mia Cole also contributed, scoring a goal on a penalty kick early in the second half for her second goal of the season.
     “I really wanted to get a scoring opportunity because I had a few shots that missed,” Cole said. “When I got fouled, I didn’t know I was getting a PK at first. It was good to get a goal.”
     “We played well as a team. We were good with our passing and first touches.”
     Thiessen said she has been impressed with the freshman this season.
     “She’s definitely a big aspect to our team and our starting 11,” Thiessen said. “She brings finishing skills and she’s fast. I definitely think she’s made a big impact on this team.”
     The Eagles (10-4-1, 7-0) were able to adjust to the early start time and wet field conditions as they dominated possession throughout.
     “It is tough to leave school, go home and get your stuff and be back here at 3:20,” Lewis said. “Chrisman arrived late and didn’t get here until 3:40. Both teams only had a few minutes to warm up. It’s something that both teams had to deal with.”
     The game time change came at noon that day, which gave both teams short notice.
     “The goal is to come out and play our game no matter what,” Thiessen said. “Even if it’s wet and rainy we figure it out and play our game.”
     “When I am at school, I should have time to go home and come back after the game. But on a day like today, you don’t have too much time to get warmed up or get ready. It definitely changes things.”

     Grain Valley was in for a fight.
     Six games into the Suburban White Conference schedule, the Eagles were seriously challenged for the first time in Thursday’s game against Fort Osage.
     In the first matchup with the Indians, Grain Valley cruised to a 4-0 victory. The second game was a dog fight as both teams went into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
     Grain Valley took a 2-1 lead after a goal in the 58th minute, but about 9 minutes later, Fort Osage threatened to tie the game again.
     Senior Emma Le was fouled by Grain Valley in the penalty box as she was awarded a penalty kick. The Fort senior tried to fake out Eagles goalkeeper Camihle Williams, but the junior made a sliding kick save and saved the ensuing rebound attempt by Le.
     That ended up being the turning point in Grain Valley’s 4-1 victory at Fort Osage High School.
     “We could have made it 2-2 and the game flipped on its head after that moment,” Indians head coach Michael Brown said. “They punished us after that.”
     Williams said she knew exactly where to be on the penalty kick.
     “I knew she was going to fake like she was going right the whole time,” Williams said. “I didn’t fall for it. I knew she was going to aim for the middle. It takes a few years to get used to anticipating fakes, but I can spot it most of the time.”
     Grain Valley did make Fort Osage pay for not tying the game at that moment. That was the last shot on goal by the Indians as sophomore Emma Thiessen scored after chasing down a loose ball in the penalty box in the 72nd minute; and sophomore Annabelle Totta made a penalty kick after being fouled in the box with a little more than 5 minutes left to seal it.
    While the Eagles ended up winning by three goals, head coach Brett Lewis admitted the game was far from the best performance his team has had this season.
     “We had a hard time connecting on eight to 10 yard passes,” Lewis said. “We didn’t finish very well in the first half. We had a couple of opportunities we usually bury. If we make those, this game isn’t close.”
      But when it was close, Williams came up with two huge saves. She had four total in the second half and was given the game ball by Lewis after the game.
      “Camihle knows what she is going,” Lewis said. “She’s good at PKs and she prides herself on being able to stop them. She will admit it wasn’t her best game, but she made a big save and that gave us the momentum to score two more goals.”
     In the first half, sophomore Meghan Knust scored on a give-and-go play in which she got an assist from Thiessen. Fort Osage tied it late in the first half after senior Madison Smith scored on a corner kick.
     Knust broke the tie in the 58th minute with another give-and-go where Thiessen got another assist.
     “We definitely had a rough start,” Knust said. “We played a new position, which messed us up a little bit. We just power through it.”
     “The physicality frustrated us at first because we weren’t used to it, but we got used to it later.”
 
 
 

     Grain Valley Schools found itself at the center of a firestorm of controversy this week following an email to district parents and patrons on Monday, April 25th regarding a directive from the Board of Education for district teachers to remove “Safe Space for all” stickers and cards.
     The School Board met April 21st for its regularly scheduled board meeting, breaking to executive session to discuss seven actions, none of which indicate a topic to include a discussion of materials or signage in classrooms.
     According to Dr. Brad Welle, Deputy Superintendent of School and Community Services, at least one board member heard from one individual with a concern about the display of cards and stickers by some teachers at Grain Valley High School (GVHS), stating students could feel safe approaching them regarding personal LGBTQ questions. Following a discussion, the board directed administration to have the cards and stickers removed.
     Welle stated there was no vote, but was an “administrative decision made based on input by the board”.
     Welle could not enumerate the number of complaints, where they originated, who specifically received them, or the breakdown of which board members were in agreement with the directive.
     As the discussion was held in executive session, these details were not publicly available. Welle spoke to the general nature of discussions that happen in such sessions.
     “Typically what happens is all perspectives are discussed. The Board is typically interested in the implications of the decisions that are made,” Welle said.
     What became clear over the next 24 hours was that the implications of the decision played out in public, attracting regional attention from local radio and television stations, metro area politicians, and in heated debates on social media.
     Welle shared the following text of an email sent to GVHS staff from administration on Monday morning at approximately 9:00am which touched off the ensuing coverage:
 
     “Recently, we had a PD (professional development) session where we made available stickers for teachers to put up outside their rooms. Some were uncomfortable with how those stickers were rolled out and communicated. Therefore, I am asking teachers to take down the stickers from outside their room. Please come talk to me if you have questions or concerns.”
 
     According to three staff members who spoke with Valley News, the email was not well received. Several staff took to social media with messages of love and support for all students, and reiterating their classrooms were safe and welcoming spaces for all.
     According to one staff member who spoke with Valley News, “I had heard rumors that something was coming down, but I was disappointed to receive the email.”
     Once word got out regarding the directive sent on Monday morning to GVHS staff, the district issued a statement in the afternoon via email to district parents and patrons. The statement read:
     “The School Board recently received a concern about the display of cards and stickers by some high school teachers to signal students could feel safe approaching them regarding personal LGBTQ questions. The Board directed the administration to have the cards and stickers removed.
 
Our goal is for every classroom to be a safe place for all students, not just in classrooms where teachers choose to display a particular sign.
 
We remain committed to providing professional development to help our staff create a safe, collaborative, and inclusive environment, consistent with our core beliefs, where each student feels a sense of belonging. The use of these cards, however, is determined to not be an appropriate step at this time.”
 
     As the spotlight on the district continued from local television and print media as well as social media, the district sent the following follow-up email to district patrons on April 26th:
     “We appreciate the comments we have received since communicating the decision to remove safe place cards and stickers from high school classrooms. The feedback will help us be better.
 
An inclusive environment is essential, including for our student LGBTQ community. We recognize there is important work ahead of us to ensure an inclusive school environment.
 
In the upcoming weeks, we will host listening sessions for our community stakeholders, so our students, families, and staff have an opportunity for dialogue. School board members and the administration will participate. We will use this input to drive the action that will follow so that together we become the school district our community expects.”
 
     According to a staff member at the high school who spoke with Valley News, the stickers have been posted in several classrooms for longer than this school year. A supply of the “Safe Space for all” stickers were made available to staff during a professional development event in March, and several teachers put them up in their classrooms or on their doors.
     “I’ve had the sticker in my room since January. Other teachers have had similar stickers in their rooms for literally years,” another staff member shared.
     The topic of the professional development (PD) event was just one in a series centered around topics resulting from student satisfaction surveys that, according to one of the teachers who spoke with Valley News, “indicated the majority of our minority students did not feel safe”.
     “This has been a three-year process of PD blocks, and optional lunch and learn programs, with very specific topics on how to support students who fall into a number of minority categories, including gender, race, LGBTQ, and socioeconomic status. The focus has been to explore how we are not creating a space for them and gain knowledge on how to best support students so learning can take place.”
     The staff member praised the work of the school’s diversity committee. “I am very proud of the work of our diversity committee. They have been so thorough.”
     According to another staff member, the school also works with student focus groups to get their input.
     “It is a mixed bag of students: various grades, various backgrounds, various experiences. The goal is to make sure we are meeting the needs of all students.”
     Two staff members Valley News spoke with stated they had never heard a complaint or concern from a student, parent, or staff member regarding the cards and stickers before this week. Another staff member stated they had two follow up clarification conversations with teachers regarding topics covered in PD sessions, but “I believe it’s been proceeding very well culturally. There have been some real world events recently that stimulated good conversation as a whole.”
     One of the PD topics discussed at the March training where the cards and stickers in question were offered related to inappropriate and offensive language between students. Asked if language is an issue regularly, all staff members interviewed said yes.
      “Just today, I had to correct a student for calling another student a “n----". Another student called a student a “slut”, and another student called a fellow student a “pussy”, one staff member shared.
     “This is part of what our ongoing PD explores – helping students take accountability for the words that fly out of their mouth. Asking them to think about the word they just used and making sure they reflect and think about how their words impact others.”
     “Inappropriate language as a whole is a problem in education. This is nothing new with teens who are influenced by media and pop culture, and trying to fit in. What I think is different is awareness is up, and our ability to call out that behavior is probably more acceptable now. To me it is a positive thing about the culture we are trying to establish here,” one staff member stated.
     “People think that when they see ‘safe space’ as it relates to LGBTQ, that students are coming to teachers to talk about sex. That could not be further from the truth. They come to me to talk about specific instances where someone has used inappropriate language or bullying language or behavior and they know I will help them address the situation. Students must first feel they are loved and safe in a building before learning can take place.”
     “That is why professional development on how to address these issues is so important. This is no different than going through active shooter training, where I practice jumping in front of a bullet for my students. Safety is safety no matter what form it comes in.”
     “I will tell you that the stickers or signs have not impacted the climate or culture of the building or created a distraction to learning. What was a non-issue five days ago has taken an inclusive and loving culture that we have tried to build and now completely blowing it up, and during a week where we are trying to focus on end-of-course exams.”
     According to staff Valley News spoke with, very few if any of the teachers have removed the stickers per the board’s directive.
     When asked about the sticker on their door, one staff member said, “I can tell you one thing for sure. I will not be taking down my sticker.”
     Two of the staff members Valley News spoke with indicated they have had several conversations with students since the controversy erupted earlier this week, and many express concerns regarding their safety at school.
     “Several students have talked to me about their concerns. Many feel scared and unsafe.”
     Another staff member indicated the directive from the board has caused them to reconsider the profession and their future at Grain Valley.
     “It is getting harder to fight the good fight. We have the best administrative team at GVHS, and I do not want to give up on my kids. But it is getting harder.”
     “What I do know is the decision of seven individuals does not reflect the culture in the building or the majority of our community. I am a member of this community and a parent in this district. I love this community, and the decision that was made is not a reflection of the majority of our populace.”
     How those seven board members received and communicated complaints and the decision making behind the directive that followed remains out of reach in terms of public record.
     Grain Valley resident Dennis Ellsworth is executive director of the Missouri Sunshine Coalition, which promotes awareness of the state’s landmark law protecting the public’s access to the meetings, deliberations, and records of public governmental bodies. He said at times officials must be reminded of their responsibilities under the law; “knowing” or “purposeful” violations can result in civil fines.
     Absent new information, Ellsworth said, it seems clear the school board violated the Sunshine Law when it made the decision to prohibit teachers from posting LGBTQ “safe space” signs in their classrooms. He said the law makes no provision for such policy discussions and decisions to be made behind closed doors, and even if it did, the law would require prior notice of the impending discussion and action and a recorded roll call vote that would be made public.
     The school district said in an email to families that the board made its decision after receiving a complaint. Later news reporting established that the discussion occurred in a closed board meeting and that the directive was reached without a formal vote.
     “All of these things contribute to public mistrust, which is what the Sunshine Law seeks to combat,” Ellsworth said. “The public did not know this decision was coming and was not afforded an opportunity to be heard, or even to observe the discussion. No one in the public knows for sure who on the board might have opposed the decision.”
     “It would be best to start over with total transparency about how this became an issue in the first place. And by all means, the district needs to closely follow the requirements of the Sunshine Law.”