by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
 
SEDALIA, Mo. – The Blue Springs girls soccer team consistently plays physical.
 
That’s why Grain Valley head coach and his No. 2-seeded Eagles knew they needed to match the Wildcats’ physicality in the first round of the Class 4 District 6 Tournament Tuesday at Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School.
 
Back line players like juniors Aubrie Henson, Avery Stumpenhaus and Taylor Nicholson; and senior Isabel Lopez played a physical style of defense and had numbers behind the ball throughout the contest, which made it difficult for Blue Springs to generate scoring opportunities.
 
The Eagles’ hard-nosed defense and a goal from senior Ally Gilbert was enough to help the team advance and take a 1-0 victory.
 
Grain Valley will take on No. 3 seed Columbia Rock Bridge, who defeated Columbia Hickman 4-2 in their first-round game, in the semifinals at 6 p.m. today at Smith-Cotton High School.
 
“We showed a lot of effort and grit,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said. “I thought we were really tough to get by. They moved Hazel (Trotman) up and she’s a really good player and really dynamic. I thought we defended her really well and some of their other players with speed really well.
 
“I thought we were more physical this time than the last time we played them.”
 
Grain Valley’s defense made things a little easier on goalkeeper Alayna Maybell, who had five saves, with most of them being hit right at her.
 
The defense was especially important in the second half when Blue Springs had a strong wind behind their back. The Wildcats’ last best shot to score came midway through the second half when sophomore Adelyn Karst blasted a 35-yarder, but Maybell was in the perfect position to make a save.
 
“We were really calm and collected,” Lopez said. “We didn’t let them turn and made sure we knew where they were going. We made sure to mark the high target so they couldn’t get past us.”
 
Following the game, Lewis awarded Lopez with the bedazzled “Most Valuable Player” soccer ball for her toughness.
 
“Izzy has a really high IQ and she knows where to be,” Lewis said. “She’s super athletic. She’s fast and recovers really well. Her close-down speed is really fast. And she does a good job using her body to shield people off.”
 
Gilbert scored the lone goal in the 14th minute when she received a diagonal pass from junior Radleigh Childers. With her back to the goal, she turned and fired a shot past goalkeeper Mary Cates.
 
“I took a touch, I had to shield it, and I turned and scored,” Gilbert said.
 
The Eagles had other opportunities to score, including a couple of shots that were within 5 feet of the Blue Springs’ goal, but the attempts were pushed just wide.
 
“I felt like we deserved another goal.” Lewis said. “We got shots near the goal, we just couldn’t get that final touch on it.”

​Grain Valley senior Ally Gilbert fires in a goal after receiving a pass from junior Radleigh Childers for the team's only goal in a 1-0 win over Blue Springs in the first round of the Class 4 District 6 girls soccer tournament. Photo credit: Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
​

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
Grain Valley sophomore Madison Rust is a standout athlete.
 
She is a starter for the Grain Valley softball and basketball teams and is emerging as one of the best javelin throwers for the girls track and field team.
 
She started participating in the javelin last season as now graduate McKenah Sears and javelin coach Flip Courter were a big influence for her excelling in the event. She proved she was one of the best at it during the Class 5 District 7 meet Saturday at Lee’s Summit North.
 
Rust won the event with a personal-record throw of 42.98 meters as she qualified for the sectional meet. Her teammate, sophomore Molly Jones, also qualified by second place with a throw of 38 meters.
 
The top four finishers in each event qualified for the Class 5 Sectional 4 meet, which will take place Saturday at Blue Springs High School’s Peve Stadium.
 
“In the prelims, my first throw was 39 meters and I kept going up from there,” Rust said. “Once I made it to the finals, I already knew I had first place, so I knew it was the time to get up and get a bigger (personal record) so I could have a better spot at sectionals.”
 
She credits Sears and Courter for her success.
 
“I was around (Sears) and Coach Courter a lot last year,” Rust said. “They said ‘Come on out.’ They asked me to try throwing the javelin while I was playing softball. I already had that strong arm and footwork that you need for javelin.
 
“Mckenah taught me a lot of things to get me off to a good start and Courter took it from there.”
 
Senior Alyssa Carver, like Rust, is seeing tremendous success in her field event. At districts, she got a personal-best height of 3.78 meters in the pole vault and won the event to punch her ticket to sectionals.
 
“I felt really good today, so I am glad I lived up to how I felt,” said Carver, a two-time, all-state pole vaulter. “I guess I have been wanting to get this personal record ever since I got my last one. I am glad to have some momentum to get into sectional and state.”
 
Carver said going against competition like Miller Wood of Lee’s Summit West and Jayden Herl of Truman has helped push her to get her personal record.
 
“I am really close with them and consider them some of my best friends,” Carver said. “It’s so fun to compete with them and we push each other.”
 
Other Eagles girls to qualify for sectionals were senior Izzie Salsman in the high jump (second, 1.55 meters), senior Bailey Mason in the shot put (fourth, 33.86 meters) and sophomore  Melanie Marcum in the long jump (fourth, 5.38 meters).
 
The girls tied Lee’s Summit for fifth place as a team with 76 points. Blue Springs won with 137 points.
 
On the boys side, senior Asa Keim led the way by qualifying for sectionals in two events. He took second in the pole vault with a height of 4.34 meters and was second in the javelin with a throw of 52.93 meters.
 
Senior Drake Ford punched his ticket to sectionals in the triple jump as he took second with a distance of 13.34 meters.
 
The Grain Valley boys finished seventh as a team with 59 points. Lee’s Summit West and Rockhurst tied for first place with 152 points.

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News


TOLEDO, Ohio — Despite losing the first two games of the ECHL's Western Conference Finals best-of-seven series, Kansas City made the road trip to Toledo, where the Mavericks claimed a 5-2 win that was highlighted by special teams play and the goaltending of Jack LaFontaine.

"I have always enjoyed playing on the road," said Mavericks forward Max Andreev, who had a goal and assist in the victory. "There are no distractions. We're a close team so there is a lot of time to eat out and to bond with each other.

"This team is as close as any team I've played for, and I just sensed we would get a win tonight."
Casey Carreau scored the Mavericks first goal with just 23 seconds left in the first period.

"That was huge," coach Tad O'Had said. "The Huntington Center is a tough place to play. We had to take their fans out of the game early, and we were able to do that in the second period."

Kansas City's Luke Loheit, Cam Morrison and Landon McCallum all scored goals to give the Mavericks a 4-0 lead going into the final 20 minutes of play.

"This was about as complete a 60-minute game as we've played in the series," the coach added. "We scored three power-play goals, they were just one-for-five on their power plays and, as always, Jack was outstanding in the net.

"We weren't thinking about pushing the panic button, because we're such a good team on the road. We had so much confidence going into this game. You could just sense it in the locker room."

Andreev scored Kansas City's fifth goal. 

Toledo's Billy Moskal and Carson Bantle scored late in the third period, but it was too little, too late for the Walleye.

LaFontaine was solid once again in net, turning away 33 of 35 shots to record his ninth win of the postseason.

"Jack has been so great," Andreev said. "You know what to expect from his every time he's in the net. He gave us another great performance tonight and with a win Thursday, the series is tied."
O'Had said he wants his team focusing on Thursday's game.

​"They you beat a monster is from the ground up," O'Had said. "We're taking it one period, one game at a time. We're focusing on Thursday night. We're in great shape, we're focused, five-on-five play, power play and penalty kill teams are doing great. We're looking to have another solid 60 minutes of hockey."

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News


The Kansas City Mavericks have quite a mountain to climb when their Western Conference Championship Finals series resumes Tuesday night in Toledo. 

The Mavericks dug quite a hole at home, losing both games to the Walleye.

Toledo blanked the Mavericks 2-0 Thursday night and used an early 2-0 first-period lead Saturday night to hold on for a 4-3 victory.

Games 3 and 4 – and 5 if needed – will played on the road, where O'Had's Mavericks thrived this season.

“It's not a two-game series,” an upbeat O'Had said, following Saturday night's loss. “It's a best-of-seven series, and we need to get a win Tuesday night at Toledo.

“Our guys like playing on the road. There is a lot of camaraderie and time to bond. Right now, the most important game in this series is the next one.

“They took that early 2-0 lead and we came right back and tied it 2-2 (on Max Andreev's power-play goal).
“And we had a lot of (scoring) opportunities we didn't take advantage of. Our guys know what we have to do Tuesday, and I believe we can make this a 2-1 series.”

Toledo's Mitchell Lewandowski opened the scoring at 1:49 of the first period, followed by a Jalen Smereck goal at 4:07. 

Kansas City answered back, as Charlie Wright ripped home a goal at 7:34, and Andreev tied it at 12:15. “We know what we have to do Tuesday, and we're ready,” Wright said. “Our special teams were amazing tonight (two power-play goals and the penalty kill unit did not allow a goal when Toledo was on four power plays).

“We're going to face a big challenge and we're ready for it.”

Trenton Bliss  scored the Walleyes' third first-period goal to make it a 3-2 game going into the second 20 minutes of play.

Kansas City tied the game again at 1:21 of the second period when Casey Carreau scored the Mavericks' second power-play goal of the game.

Then, with just 6:16 left in regulation, Colby Ambrosio delivered the game winner.

Following his goal, he skated to mid ice and bowed to Mavericks fans, who did not appreciate the Toledo forward's brash celebration.

Kansas City's Jack LaFontaine, who entered the game with an 8-3 playoff record and 1.34 goals against average, stopped 25 of 29 shots.

Carter Gylander stopped 24 shots to earn the win for Toledo.

by Michael Smith


It appeared the Grain Valley girls soccer team’s chances of winning a Suburban White Conference title were slipping away.

With a win, Grain Valley would clinch at least a share of the conference title with Platte County, who also had a 12-1 record coming into Thursday.

The Eagles were in a battle with Truman, who held a 2-1 lead going into the final 30 minutes of the game. Up until that point, Grain Valley had several opportunities to score but shots were going over or wide of the Truman goal.

It desperately needed a goal. Senior Mia Cole stepped up to provide it. A long throw in from junior Radleigh Childers bounced a couple of times and ended up in front of the Truman net. The ball bounced high enough for Cole to knock in a header with 14 minutes and 30 seconds left to tie the game.

That jump started a scoring spurt of three goals for the Eagles as they overcame a deficit to win 4-2 at Moody Murray Memorial Field and clinched a share of the conference title.

“That was huge because we were in a rut,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said of Cole’s goal. “Everything was going over, at the keeper or wide. We were allergic to the goal today.”

Cole credited Childers for the opportunity at the goal. The junior specializes the long throw ins in the attacking third of the field.

“Rad had a great throw in,” Cole said. “She has had a ton of those this year. We knew we had to score. It wasn’t only to win conference, but it was also Senior Night. We needed to boost out confidence before districts.”

Childers scored the go-ahead goal with 8:24 remaining as a direct free kick from senior Ally Gilbert hit off the chest of Truman goalkeeper Camren Pennington. The ball leaked out to Childers, who had her back to the goal. She turned a fired in a close-range shot to give her team the lead for good at 3-2.

Junior Avery Stumpenhaus added an insurance goal about four minutes later when she received a cross from Childers and she made a tap in near the left side of the net for a two-goal lead.

“She has mostly played defense this year, but there are times I slide her up and she has made things happen,” Lewis said of Stumpenhaus.

Before Grain Valley’s three goals in the final 15 minutes, Truman’s defense made it difficult for Grain Valley to get clean looks inside the 18-yard box. The Patriots packed the middle of the field and focused on stopping Childers, which helped force several missed shots from the Eagles (17-2, 13-1 conference).

The Eagles struck first when Childers received a through ball from Cole and slipped a shot past a challenging Pennington and into the net in the 11th minute for a 1-0 lead.

However, about three minutes later, Truman freshman Kadyn Roady stole the ball from an Eagles’ ball handler and put in a breakaway attempt to tie it at 1-1.

Patriots junior Breia Lowry scored in a similar fashion in the 51st minute when she started a counterattack after stealing the ball and she scored on a breakaway to put Truman ahead 2-1 before Grain Valley started its comeback.

“They played really well today,” Stumpenhaus said of Truman. “We didn’t expect it to be this close. We beat them 8-0 last time, so we thought it would be an easy game. They came out and smacked us in the face.”

The Eagles will now turn their attention to the Class 4 District 6 tournament as they will be the No. 2 seed and will face Blue Springs (3-15) on May 20 at Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School. The Eagles defeated the Wildcats earlier in the season 2-1 after winning a shootout.

​“Blue Springs is the best No. 7 seed in the state,” Lewis said. “It was unfortunate how the seeding worked. We didn’t have a Zoom meeting, we filled out a Google form and voted. I think people looked at their record and thought they weren’t very good but didn’t see the actual results. They only lost by one goal in their losses against really good teams. They’re a good team. We have to be ready to fight and battle.”

Reprinted with permission of Ottawa University

Salina, KAN. - The Ottawa men's and women's track & field teams concluded their season at the KCAC Championships held at Kansas Wesleyan University, and to say they made history would be an understatement.

The women's team, after finishing second the past two years, finally achieved the impossible. In the closest finish in women's KCAC history, they were able to outlast the University of St. Mary to win the first outdoor conference championship in program history.  Along the way, they set two KCAC Championship records, six more school records, and recorded a total 10 NAIA national championship qualifying standards.

The women were led by KCAC Athlete of the Year Jayonna Perry, a junior from Grain Valley, who contributed 40.5 of the 165 total points, as well as senior Jordyn Weems, also from Grain Valley, who contributed 35.

Perry's two days of action resulted in (not including preliminary rounds):

• High jump: 2nd place—1.66m (5' 5.25").  NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• Long jump: 1st place—5.8m (19' ½").  NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 100m hurdles: 1st place—14.26 seconds.  School record & NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 400m: 3rd place—56.66
• 400m hurdles: 1st place—1:03.17. NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 4x400m relay: 1st place—3:52.02. KCAC championship record, school record, NAIA national championship qualifying standard

Weems' results over the two-day meet weren't much different.  Her two-day resume (not including preliminary rounds) resulted in:

• Long jump: 3rd place—5.75m (18' 10.5"). NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 4x100m relay: 1st place—46.65. KCAC Championship record, school record, NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 100m: 3rd place—11.79. School record & NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 400m: 2nd place—56.61. NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 200m: 1st place—24.3. School record & NAIA national championship qualifying standard
• 4x400m relay: 1st place—3:52.02. KCAC championship record, school record, NAIA national championship qualifying standard

The women's team was projected to finish no higher than second place.  Even the KCAC's website, in a meet-preview article released last week, projected them to finish fifth. In order achieve the impossible, it was going to require more than just Weems and Perry to perform their best—it was going to take a true team effort—and this team rose to the occasion.  The women's team recorded a total of 26 lifetime-best performances, many of which contributed to the team's overall score:

• Jah-Nisha Campbell took 5th in the 200 (25.12-PR), 5th in long jump (5.59m-PR), 8th in the 400 (1:00.08-PR), tied for 5th in high jump (1.56m) and was a member of both the 4x100 and 4x400m relays.
• Tanzania Barnes placed 4th in the 400 (57.76-PR), 4th in the 400m hurdles (1:06.83-PR) and was a member of the 4x400m relay.
• Roy'Janae Brown was 5th in the 100 (12.06-PR), 3rd in the 200 (24.85-PR), and was a member of the 4x100m relay.
• Saraiah Ervin tied for 5th in the high jump with a lifetime best of 1.56m and placed 8th in the javelin with a throw of 33.65m.
• Aba Sam placed 4th in long jump (5.74m-PR) 2nd in the triple jump (12.02m-PR & school record), and was a member of the 4x100m relay team.
• Kena Leonard took 4th in the shot put with a throw of 11.96m.
• Ciera Hutton-Spieker placed second in the discus with a personal-record throw of 39.93m.
• Zoie Means-Thomas finished 6th in discuss with a personal-record throw of 37.62m.
• Rian Boub placed 4th in the javelin with a throw of 39.95m.

Coach Whittaker had this to say about the teams' massive performances: "I'm still at a loss for words.  I tell our team every year that the training plan is designed so that we are performing our best at the most important time of the year, but I've never seen anything like this. When it comes to the number of PR's, the clutch moments, the response to adversity, and the ability to handle the most high-pressure situation of their entire careers (particularly knowing that we had to win the 4x400 to win the championship), Friday was the single greatest day of track and field I've ever witnessed—not just from teams I've coached—from any team.  I can't believe I get to be the one they share it with." 

JayOnna Perry was named the KCAC Athlete of the Meet and Coach Whittaker was named the Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year.

The men's team didn't win a team title, instead finishing in 6th place overall, but their competition wasn't without some major fireworks of their own.

While the women's team had 26 lifetime best performances, the men had another 14 of their own, with the most heart-pounding highlight coming in the men's 100m final:  

Domonic Atkinstall, the defending KCAC 100m champion, had not run a fast enough time yet this season to be ranked in the top 10 in the conference.  Atkinstall, however, is used to being the underdog.  He has won the last 3 short-sprint titles (2024 indoor 60m, 2024 outdoor 100m, and 2025 indoor 60m), yet he was never the favorite. At this year's outdoor championship, the outcome of the 100m final was expected to be different, as there were now two other athletes ranked ahead of him who had both run faster than Domonic's lifetime best.  None of it mattered.  In a photo finish, Atkinstall somehow crossed the line before everyone else, defending his title and scoring 10 points for the team. 

Other scoring highlights from the men's competition include:

• Domonic Atkinstall finished 3rd in the 200 (21.33-PR)
• Jaden Thatcher finished 8th in the 110m hurdles (15.4-PR)
• The men's 4x100m relay team of Daniel Campbell, Domonic Atkinstall, Casey Evink, and Isaiah Schell finished 3rd with a time of 41.83.
• The 4x400m relay team of Daniel Blount, Chase Hight, Matthias Bessey, and Isaiah Schell finished 7th with a time of 3:28.79.
• Daniel Blount took second in the high jump (2.01m) and 5th in triple jump (14.16-PR).
• Hadyn Bieling placed 5th in long jump (7.12m-PR).
• Chase Hight finished 5th in javelin with a throw of 57.03m.

The Braves will officially conclude their season at the NAIA outdoor championships at Indiana Wesleyan University May 21-23. 

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

The Kansas City Comets are still trying to cope with a 2024-2025 season that started with so much promise, yet abruptly ended in the first game of the MASL Ron Newman Cup playoffs.

The Comets limped into postseason play without some key players, while others played despite injuries and illness.

The Comets finished in fourth place during the regular season with a  15-7-2 record and lost to longtime rival Milwaukee 11-7 in the playoffs.

"Injuries and illness were too much for us to overcome at the end of the season," said defender Lucas Sousa, who joined coach Stefan Stokic and many of his teammates Wednesday night at the Independence Slim Chickens, in the final meet-and-greet of the year.

"We had a good run early, then the injuries took over, and we couldn't recover. I missed so many games. We had guys who played with injuries all season and both our goalkeepers were playing with injuries at the end of the season.

"It was a sad way for our season to end. It was like, 'It's over. What do we do now?"

Sousa had a ready replay, adding, "We work hard, get ready for the next season and work hard to avoid the injuries that were impossible to overcome late in the season."

One of the bright spots of a lost season was the play of MASL veteran Guerrero Pino, who finished fourth in the league with 49 blocked shots.

"The best way to deal with the past is to work hard this offseason and be ready for our next season," Pino said. "Coach will have us prepared. He did an amazing job getting us into the playoffs with all the things our team had to deal with.

"We have some exciting young players on the team and I hope our core of veteran players will be back next season. I can't wait for it to begin."

Neither can one of those exciting newcomers, midfielder Henry Ramirez.

"We want to stay healthy and play hard for Coach Stokic next season," Ramirez said. "My first year was the COVID year, then I tore my ACL and missed that season, and missed the following season (because of rehab).

"This past season, I was able to practice with the guys in preseason and managed to play (in 15 games). 

"It's great getting back with the guys tonight, because we're all talking about the same thing - winning a championship next season."

That has always been the goal of Stokic, who was a player when the Comets won the MISL championship back in 2013-2014.

"I have always believed a team I coach could win a championship," said Stokic, who is in the last year of his contract with the Comets. "That's why last year was so frustrating and disappointing.

"We played so well when we were healthy, and then, we had so many players who were injured or dealing with health issues.

"We wanted to head into the playoffs with a lot of momentum, and that didn't happen, and all of a sudden, our season came to an end.

"It just ended. And now, it is time to get ready for next season."

Stokic is going to be working with his staff once a week heading into the preseason. He is working on a 3-month program for his players and he is taking a new attitude into 2025.

"I will only play a player if he is 100 percent healthy," the coach said. "If he is not 100 percent healthy, he is out of the picture. I want to win every game, but it is not worth playing someone who is not ready to play because of an injury."

Mikey Lenis, a midfielder whose star continues to rise, said he in for the long haul with the Comets.

"I love this team, I love my teammates and my coaches and I just bought a house in Kansas City," Lenis said.

"No one is happy with the way last season ended and we feel like we have unfinished business to take care of.

"It's great to visit with our fans tonight, because they are so encouraging.

​"Now, I am doing everything I can to stay in shape and get ready for the 2025 season. We're all ready - we can't wait!"

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News


Grain Valley junior John Malicoat had a stiff challenge on his hands.

He was the starting pitcher in Monday’s Suburban White Conference game against Belton, and he matched up with Cooper Shrum, an NCAA Division I commit to the University of Tennessee.

Last time Shrum faced the Eagles, he tossed a complete-game shutout and allowed just three hits and struck out nine. On Monday, there was a scout in attendance at Grain Valley High School to watch Shrum.

Malicoat knew runs would be hard to come by in the matchup, so he brought his A game and allowed just one unearned run on four hits, walked three and struck out six in a complete-game effort, outdueling Shrum in a 2-1 victory.

“He did a great job working ahead,” Grain Valley head coach Brian Driskell said of Malicoat. “He would even tell you where some at bats are he wishes he had back. He allowed his defense to help him out.”

Malicoat stranded six runners and escaped a tough jam in the top of the third inning when the Pirates had runners at third and first base with two outs. Shrum was at the dish and drilled a pitch to center field but it was right at Carson Lundquist for the third out.

He also got some help from catcher Hunter Nally, who threw out two runners at second base trying to steal. Belton’s only run came in the sixth when Connor Gooding lined an RBI single to left, scoring Thomas Abate from second base.

The junior used his slider and curve ball to keep the Pirates off balance and was able to throw his breaking pitches for first-pitch strikes.

“I was feeling it,” Malicoat said. “The breaking pitches felt good in warmups. I was able to throw first-pitch fastballs to the bottom of their lineup. I expanded the zone and got a lot of Ks.”

The Eagles (18-11-1) got both of their runs in the bottom of the third. Freshman Brady Meyer and senior Aaron Barr led off the frame with back-to-back singles and advanced to third and second, respectively, on a sacrifice bunt from junior Carson Lundquist.

Senior Kaden Crandall followed with a safety squeeze bunt that allowed Mayer to score from third and Barr to advance. Barr crossed home on a ground out from junior Logan Bennett. That ended up being all the runs Grain Valley needed as Shrum was dominant, allowing two runs on four hits and he struck out 10 in seven innings.

“We talked a lot about it that we were going to have to win this game 1-0, 2-1 or 3-2,” Driskell said. “We had to find a way to scratch some runs across. They did a good job executing.”

Barr had the most success at the plate as he went 2-for-2 with a run scored. One of his hits was a few feet short of a home run as he doubled to deep left field in the fifth.

“Coach Driskell gave me some crap about it,” Barr said of the double. “He said the ball bounced 40 feet from the wall. I thought I hit it pretty well. I got it off the hands.”
​

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - Coming off a near-perfect 6-0 victory at Lake Tahoe Saturday night – which earned Kansas City a place in the ECHL's Western Conference championship series for the second year in a row – coach Tad O'Had's team is confident, excited and looking forward to the series opener.

Toledo, the team Kansas City beat 4-2 in the conference championship last season, travels to Cable Dahmer Arena Thursday night for a 7:05 p.m. matchup.

“In the playoffs, you're most important game is always your next game,” said goaltender Jack LaFontaine, who picked up his fourth playoff shutout in Saturday's win over the Knight Monsters.

“There's some added intrigue to the game because we did not play Toledo in the regular season. But we defeated them 4-2 in last season's championship series.

“They have a great offense and defense and solid goaltending. It should be another exciting series.”
The Walleye bring an 8-2 postseason record to Cable Dahmer Arena after beating Fort Wayne 4-2 in their semifinal series.

“Our series against Tahoe was a complete series,” O'Had said. “They did not score an even-strength goal in the series. We outscored them 17-4 and Jack was so responsible in the net.

"Our defense was a great – Tahoe was 0-for-5 on the power play Saturday night. Our guys did a great job playing in front of Jack, and getting that first goal was so big because it gave us momentum that we held onto the entire game.”

Max Andreev opened the scoring just 1:42 into the first period and added a second goal early in the third to pace the Mavericks’ offense. 

Cade Borchardt and Jackson Berezowski also scored in the opening frame, helping Kansas City take a commanding 3-0 lead after twenty minutes.

"That was so big," O'Had said. "We got the lead early and we were never challenged by Tahoe. You could see our guys' confidence grow throughout the game, and we need to take that momentum in Thursday night's game."

While O'Had has taken a moment to reflect on his team's postseason play, he and associate coach Riley Weselowski have been burning the midnight oil, to make sure their team knows as much about Toldeo as any opponent they have faced this season.

"Our coaches do such a great job getting us prepared for every opponent we face," said LaFontaine, who has a microscopic 1.28 goals against average in the playoffs. "You know we're going to be ready Thursday. Starting the series at home is so cool. Our fans have been an important part of our success."Damien Giroux added to the lead just 21 seconds into the second period, and the Mavericks never looked back. Jake McLaughlin scored the final goal midway through the third, assisted by Zack Trott.

LaFontaine stopped all 25 shots on goal and improved to 8-2, as he has started all 10 playoff games.

"I'm ready for anything in the playoffs," LaFontaine added. "Each series has been short and all the guys are playing banged up. I feel great. I want to be in the net - especially Thursday night. Heck, it's the biggest game of the season!"
​

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News

It took three days to complete Grain Valley High School's baseball game at Fort Osage - but the wait was worth it for the Eagles.

The Tuesday afternoon game was delayed in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Eagles held a 6-4 lead, but the Indians had runners on second and third base with no outs.

The Indians' Nico Burt hit an RBI single and Steven Thomas followed with a two-run double to give Fort Osage a 7-6 lead.

The Eagles did not score in the top of the sixth inning, and it appeared the Indians would blow the game open as Blake Overbeck opened the bottom of the inning with a walk.

That's when Grain Valley coach Brian Driskell called upon reliever Jonah Doering to put out the fire.

The thinking man's reliever walked the first two batters, to load the bases with no outs.

"I had the bases loaded, and the first thing I did was look to see where my infielder's were playing," Doering said. "I saw they were playing in, so I knew if the ball was hit back to me, I had to throw home."

The ball was hit back to the lanky reliever who threw home to force the runner at third.

"We got that first out and I knew Brody (Wilp, the Eagles catcher) would get the runner at first," Doering said. "We were down a run and we didn't want them score again, so that double play was big. But in a way, I was expecting the 1-2-3 double play to happen, so there weren't any surprises."

Doering then got a strikeout to end the inning.

That's when the Eagles bats went to work. Grain Valley scored five runs in the top of the seventh with Brady Meyer, Michael Wilkey, Doering and Wilp driving home runs. The fifth run scored on an Indians error.

"It felt great driving in that run and seeing all the excitement in our dugout," Meyer said. "When we tied the game, we knew we were going to win. We had all the momentum and we were all psyched after Jonah pitched out of that bases-loaded jam and didn't allow a run. This is a big win.

"Fort Osage took the lead, Jonah came in and got the job done in relief and we scored five runs (in the top of the fifth inning).

Wilp turned in another defensive gem in the bottom of the seventh inning when he picked off an Indians base runner at third base.

"He called for an outside fastball," Doering said, "and I was about to call him off, when I noticed the runner at third was taking a big lead. I threw the pitch right where Brody wanted it, and he did the rest."

Wilp said the pitch from Doering played a key role in the pickoff.

"I got the pitch right where I wanted it and I threw the ball to third and we got the out. Everything worked like we wanted it to."

Driskell was pleased after his team improved to 17-10 overall and 7-4 in Suburban White Conference play.

"Jonah pitched out of that bases-loaded jam in the sixth and that got all the guys excited in the dugout," Driskell said. "It was a big comeback win after they took the lead. But once we got the momentum, we weren't going to lose it."
​

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 

The Grain Valley girls soccer team needed one of its best defensive performances of the season.

That’s because the Eagles matched up with Platte County, a Suburban White Conference rival. Grain Valley trailed the Pirates by one game in the conference standings and could put themselves in a tie with them with a win.

Having a strong defense was important for Grain Valley as Platte County came in averaging 4.82 goals per game and had only been shut out once all season.

The Eagles defense, led by goalkeeper Alayna Maybell and center backs Taylor Nicholson and Isabel Lopez, helped shutout the Pirates as they did enough to earn a 1-0 victory Tuesday at Moody Murray Memorial Field, putting themselves in a first-place tie with Platte County in the White Conference standings.

“I definitely feel like we stepped it up a lot,” Maybell said. “We did have some times we had the ball bounce in front of us but we recovered very well. If our midfielders made a mistake, our defenders were there to cover for everyone.”

Grain Valley was tasked with slow down Platte County’s two speedy forwards – seniors Lilly Kytasaari and Rylee Burris. The duo had a pair of golden opportunities in the second half. Kytasaari had a breakaway shot and tried to slip one inside the right post, but Maybell made a diving save. Burris had a breakaway attempt late in the half, but a challenge from Maybell caused the Platte County senior to push the shot just wide left of the goal.

“They have two really potent forwards and we were really focusing on being physical and not giving them time and space,” Grain Valley head girls soccer coach Brett Lewis said. “We did a good job of that. We limited their opportunities. The times we got close was self-inflicted mistakes on our end like letting the ball bounce over our head.”

Sophomore Josie Larry put in the lone goal for Grain Valley (14-2, 10-1 conference). In the 27th minutes, junior Radleigh Childers through the ball in near the 18-yard box. Senior Mia Cole tapped the ball toward Larry, and she blasted the ball inside the left post.

It was a much needed goal for Larry who had been on a scoring drought.

“It was really big,” Larry said. “I was really down on myself because I felt like I hadn’t stepped up like I did in the Platte County Tournament and against Truman earlier in the year. This was a confidence boost to help my team get a win.”

Added Lewis: “Josie hadn’t scored in a while, but she’s had opportunities. She’s been a little down on herself. We just wanted to let her know she has been making an impact on the game. That was a really good moment for her.”
​