Madison Rust
Grain Valley girls basketball 1. Who would you want to be by your side if there was a zombie apocalypse? My teammates, they're warriors. 2. Favorite movie: Christmas Vacation 3. Dream vacation? Alaska 4. Craziest teammate? Cam Kelly 5. Favorite snack? Beef Sticks Chomps
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by Bill Althaus
Whenever University of Missouri guard Grace Slaughter has the opportunity to return to home to be with her family and watch coach Randy Draper's Eagles basketball team, she hops in her car and makes a beeline to Grain Valley. The former Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year and four-time Examiner Player of the Year, attended a recent girls game and the gym was buzzing when she arrived. She made her way from section to section, greeting both old and new friends, during the game. Slaughter enjoyed a solid freshman campaign at Missouri last season in which she started 29 of 30 games and averaged 11.5 points per game while scoring in double figures in 21 contests. This season she is one of the most prolific shooters in the country, averaging 51% shooting from the field, including 51.9% from 3-point range. She is also shooting 85.1% from the free throw line. “I don’t know how many people notice this, but my coach and my parents have noticed that I have become a more physical player,” Slaughter said. “You have to be physical when you play in the SEC. I found out last year, and was happy with my freshman season, but I knew I had to get stronger before the start of this season. I worked on getting stronger and my mid-range (shooting) game.” And that hard work has paid off for the only 2,000-point scorer in the history of Grain Valley High School and just the second in Eastern Jackson County (Tonya Swoffer, 2,533 from 1984-1987 for Blue Springs). She grew up in a family that had strong ties with the University of Missouri and her longtime wish came true when she signed with the Tigers. “Missouri was the only college I wanted to attend, and I have dreamed about playing for the Tigers,” Slaughter said. “I love everything about MU and the Tigers. I love my teammates and I love that my family can come to every home game (Slaughter has her own cheering section across from the Tigers bench). It’s close to home, and now it is my home.” And she recently earned a page in the Tigers record book as she hit a buzzer beater, to end a 375-game SEC victory drought, that resulted in a moment she will cherish forever. Following a steal, Slaughter picked up the loose ball and sprinted down the court. "I heard the clock ticking and knew it was time to go," Slaughter said. The ball hit slipped through the basket as time expired giving the Tigers a 78-76 SEC win over Mississippi State as Missouri's 18-game SEC losing streak came to an end. Slaughter finished with a career-high 31 points, six rebounds and a steal. She went 10-for-21 from the field, 3-for-9 from beyond 3-point arc and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Following the shot, Slaughter was mobbed by her teammates, but they had to all wait for a final decision from the officials as the game winner was reviewed. "I will never forget that moment, when the officials said the shot was good," Slaughter said. "Celebrating with my teammates was one of the coolest moments of my life." Missouri's last SEC win came Jan. 18, 2024 when the Tigers defeated Georgia 69-57. Slaughter said that one of the best things about playing at Missouri is the close proximity to her home in Grain Valley as he parents Becky and Bryan Slaughter, attend most of her games and her sister Olivia, a junior softball standout at Grain Valley, attends as many games as she can. "It's a blessing to be able to watch Grace play," said Becky, a former standout guard at Truman High School. "We're so proud of her - and not just for her accomplishments in basketball. We're blessed to have two wonderful daughters who make us so proud." by Bill Althaus The mood was upbeat in the Grain Valley High School boys locker room following a 76-68 conference victory over the visiting Raytown Blue Jays. "I was driving home from practice the other day and thought, 'What is going to take to win a big game this season?'" asked guard Aaron Barr, who teamed with Sam Pendergrass and the always reliable Eli Herbert as the offensive standouts of the game. "Tonight, we found out. We finally got a big boy win, and it feels so good." But the victory didn't come without its challenges as the Eagles led 23-9 after one quarter and 38-27 at halftime. But coach Cody Buford's Blue Jays opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to see the momentum from the first half swing the way of the visitors. "Now, we can talk about that run as a good thing," a smiling Eagles coach Andy Herbert said, after his team improved to 9-7 and 6-0 in conference. "We gave up the lead, which was not good, but the way our guys responded the rest of the game was great. "We buckled down, regained the lead and won the game. That's what I've been waiting to see all season." So has his son Eli, who is second in the metro area in scoring with a 23-plus points per game average. There have been many games where Eli received little offensive help from his teammates. That was not the case against the Blue Jays. Eli led the way with 26 points - including four free throws in the final 53 seconds of the fourth quarter, while Barr scored 25 points - on a free throw and six 3-pointers, and Sam Pendergrass owned the paint, with a season-high 19 points and 12 boards. "Sam was great, and Aaron and Eli knew he was having a great game so they kept looking for him inside," said Coach Herbert, Eli's father. "Cody does a great job with his kids, and they are tenacious. We needed all three of those guys to get some points and everyone else did plenty of good things when they were in the game." Pendergrass praised his coaches and his teammates following the victory. "Everyone contributed, and I was glad to be one of those players," the 6-foot-6 center said. "I haven't been an important member of the offense this season, and I hope tonight changes all of that. Now, I know I can have an impact inside, and I want to keep doing that to help us win." That was great news for the Eagles guard combo. "We were looking for Sam inside and he really came through," Eli said, "and Aaron was hitting all his 3-point shots. We've wanted to win a really big game this season. They just won the Lee's Summit Invitational, and they beat a lot of good teams, and now we know if we settle down and do what we need to do - and don't get used out there - this could be the start of something big for our team." Barr added, "When Sam plays like he did tonight, we're a different team. I just keep thinking how big this win was, and what a great game it was - for our team and our fans." Eli scored seven and Barr and Pendergrass scored six points each in the first quarter. Eli added seven in the second quarter and the Eagles had the double-digit lead. But five 3-point baskets in the third quarter played a big role in the Jays 12-2 run. Once the Eagles offense came to life, Pendergrass had scored eight points and Grain Valley led 53-50 in what turned out to be a thrilling fourth quarter. The game was tied 58-58 at 4:51 of the final eight minutes of action Barr scored 13 points and he and Herbert each hit key free throws at the end of the game. Ramelo Smith, who finished with 20 points, hit four 3-pointers in the second half. Photo credit: David Rainey, Grain Valley News
by Bill Althaus Following a recent practice session Grain Valley High School girls basketball coach Randy Draper turned to his assistant Brock Tieffenbrun and said, "I'd pay to watch our team play." And it was easy to see why the veteran coach made that comment following a 78-31 mercy-rule victory over Raytown Monday night on the Eagles home court. The score was tied 7-7 at the 3:26 mark of the first quarter when the Eagles went on a 12-0 run to finish with a 23-9 lead after the first quarter. "We corrected a couple of things early in the game - that's why it was 7-7 - and then, we started playing some pretty darned good basketball," Draper said. "I just love the way we're playing right now. They're a fun, exciting group to watch." Addy Seyfert finished with 19 points in less than three quarters and her running mate Madison Rust added 14 before Draper brought every Eagles player off the bench. A total of 16 players competed for the Eagles and everyone scored at least one point. "It's so much fun to play, especially when our starters are cheering for us from the bench," senior guard Pyper Hartigan said. "I tore my ACL last June at a camp at Pitt State, and our girls have been so supportive. We've had some close teams since I've been playing here, but I think this might be the closest team I've played for." With reserves playing most of the second half, Eagles starters like Rust, Seyfert, Cam Kelly, Aspen Reed and Bella Bollinger looked like they were catapulted off the bench whenever a teammate scored. "It's as much fun cheering for our girls who come off the bench as it is playing," Seyfert said. "We want to cheer as loud as we can so they know how much we appreciate them. We're so proud when they play because they work as hard as we do and they deserve the playing time." The Eagles stingy defense allowed just six second-half points as Grain Valley led 48-15 at the half. With most of the starters out of the game, Grain Valley scored 19 points in the third quarter and finished with the 47-point victory. "I took some notes tonight," Draper said, "because there is always room for improvement. But we're playing really well right now and need to keep playing like this the rest of the season." A'lurea Atkinson led the Blue Jays with 10 points. Grain Valley's leading scorer Addy Seyfert hits a long 3-pointer early in the Eagles' 78-31 victory over visiting Raytown. Seyfert finished with 19 points in less than three quarters of play. Photo credit: Bill Althaus Members of the Grain Valley High School basketball team, from left, Chloe Hernandez, Cara McHardie, Avery Lunn, Melanie Marcum and Malaina Green came off the bench and saw plenty of action Monday night as the Eagles defeated Raytown 78-31. With starters playing less than three quarters of the game, coach Randy Draper used 16 players in the victory and each of them scored at least one point. Photo credit: Bill Althaus
by Bill Althaus Perhaps no player in the history of the storied Grain Valley High School boys basketball program has earned more respect from opposing players than junior guard Eli Herbert. He set an all-time single-game scoring record with a 44-point performance in a Grain Valley Invitational semifinal win over Fort Osage, and attracted a lot of attention from Jaguar defenders in a 67-57 loss to Blue Springs South in Friday night's championship game. South guard Chris Ellis asked coach Josh Smith for the assignment of guarding Eli, who finished with 24 hard-earned points. "Man, Eli scored 24 and I feel like I did a great job guarding him," Ellis said, grinning. "He's a baller. He can play and he can shoot, but I made him work hard for every point he got tonight." After the game, Ellis was greeted by Eagles coach Andy Herbert, who is Eli's father. "Now that's class," Ellis said. "For their coach to come over and congratulate me on our win, that is pure class." As Ellis talked, his teammate Jesiah Fisher stood behind him and mouthed, 'The best!'" And then gave his teammate a thumb's up." Eli always draws an opponent's top defender, and he had to work hard just to get the ball against the Jaguars. "Chris played great defense tonight and they all played a great game," Eli said after his team fell to 8-7 on the season. "It was a physical game, and they collapsed on me. The biggest difference tonight was they played tougher than we did. "We had too many turnovers and weren't tough enough when we needed to be." Smith was thrilled with his team's overall performance as the Jaguars improved to 14-3. "We just gave Chris a shout out in our locker room," Smith said. "He had a heckuva game. Eli is an unbelievable player. He scored his points - he always does - but we made him work for all of them. Chris just locked him down all night." Another marquee player for the Jaguars was all-state football star Blayne Marshall, who is quickly becoming an all-state basketball candidate. "Blayne is a great football player and a great basketball player - he's just a great athlete," the coach added. "We knew Andy's players would make a run at us - which they did - and we always had an answer." The Jaguars led 33-27 at the half, and then had to deal with Eli's 13-point third quarter, as Grain Valley went into the fourth quarter trailing 48-44. "You don't stop Eli," Ellis said, "you slow him down, and we able to slow him down in the fourth quarter." Eli did not score a point in the fourth quarter, and didn't receive much offensive support as no other Eagle scored in double figures. "We need to get more offense going," Coach Herbert said, "it's something we've worked on all season." Marshall scored 11 points in the first quarter, foreshadowing his 21-point night. "Let's talk about Chris," Marshall said, pointing to his teammate. "He wanted that matchup, he wanted to guard Eli, and that set the tone for everyone. We saw how hard he was working, how hard Eli was working, and we knew we had to match their work ethic. This has turned into a great rivalry and we're excited to win the championship for the second year in a row." Sully Mohamed, South's always-smiling 6-foot-8 center, had his hands full all night going against the Eagles' Kevin Johnson and Sam Pendergrass. "You better be willing to play hard for 40 minutes when you play Grain Valley," said Mohamed, who scored 10 points and added 11 boards. "Everyone knows what a great player Eli is, and everyone should know what a great player Blayne is. There was a lot of talent on the court tonight and it's cool to win our second consecutive championship. Cooper Callahan also scored 10 points for the Jaguars. Photo credit: David Rainey, Grain Valley News
by Bill Althaus Revenge wasn't on the minds of the Grain Valley Eagles girls basketball team as they headed into Friday night's Grain Valley Invitational championship game against defending champion Chillicothe. "We weren't really thinking about revenge, we just wanted to win the game," said guard Madison Rust, who led the Eagles with 19 points in a 57-38 win over the Hornets. "And I think we played our best game of the season. Everyone contributed. It's a good night to be an Eagle." Coach Randy Draper agreed after his team improved to 16-1. "Easily our best game of the season," Draper said. "Our inside/out game was outstanding and I want to credit everyone who was out there. Everyone contributed tonight." While Rust was cutting through the Hornets defense in the paint, Addy Seyfert his six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points. "This is a big win," Seyfert said. "There was a great atmosphere tonight and we really wanted to win this game. I think one of the keys to our win was our inside/out game. And we played great defense. After coming up short in the championship game last season, it's great to win tonight." Aspen Reed, who joined Rust and Seyfert on the all-tournament game, said chemistry also played a role in the victory. "When everyone contributes and plays like we did tonight, chemistry is so important," Reed said. "They're one of the best teams we've played this season and I think we showed everyone how well we can play when we play as a team." Seyfert (9) and Rust (4) combined for 13 points in the first quarter as the Eagles led 13-9 after the first eight minutes of play. Rust added nine points in the second quarter as the Eagles took a 29-19 lead into the half. Reed scored all eight of her points in the third quarter as Grain Valley led 43-28 going into the final stanza. "We just kept playing better and better as the game went on," Seyfert said. "We need to keep playing like we did tonight the rest of the season." The 15-4 Hornets never scored more than 10 points in a quarter, and Draper lauded his team for its defensive effort. "That's the way to play defense," Draper said. "We really played well in this tournament." Photo credit: David Rainey
by Bill Althaus Justin MacPherson had a question for Kansas City Mavericks director of public relations Ben DeLaForrest after skating off the ice Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. The Mavericks defender had just scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 overtime victory and had been selected the No. 1 star of the game; and he wasn't sure where he should sign a specialty shirt that he would throw to fans who waited after the game. The efficient DeLaForest had a t-shirt and Sharpie ready; MacPherson signed the shirt and returned to the ice where he was greeted by the sold-out crowd of 5,643 on Scout Night. "This is pretty cool," said MacPherson, who was assisted by David Cotton on the game winner just 2:03 into the overtime period. "It's the first time I've gone back on the ice with our fans. The crowd was great with all the Scouts in the building, and it was a back-and-forth kind of game and I'm so happy we were able to keep winning." The win completed a three-game sweep of the Knight Monsters, who are in a neck-and-neck race with the Mavericks for leadership in the Mountain Division. First-place Kansas City is now 27-11-3-1 (58 points) while second-place Tahoe is 25-15-3-1 (54). Scout Night started with a bang and finished with MacPherson's goal that gave the younsters and members of the Orange Army plenty to cheer about. Scouts received a special Mavericks patch before the game, took shots on the ice and met Mavericks players Logan Neaton and Luke Loheit during an autograph session. The excitement from the pregame festivities sat the stage for the overtime thriller. The Mavericks scored early in the first period, with Jackson Berezowski netting his 17th goal of the season at 2:23, assisted by Landon McCallum and Cotton. Tahoe quickly answered back at 5:19, with Troy Loggins slipping the puck past Victor Ostman. In the second period, the Knight Monsters took a 2-1 lead at 10:41 on a goal by Sloan Stanick, but the Comets answered in a hurry as Cam Morrison tied the game at 1:59 off assists from MacPherson and Marcus Crawford. Tahoe reclaimed the lead at 7:48 of the third period when Jake Johnson scored for the Knight Monsters. But reliable Max Andreev sent the game into overtime when he scored at 8:37 off assists from Casey Carreau and Damien Giroux. That was Giroux's 100th career professional point. "I look at a three-game series like this the same way I look at a three-game postgame series," Mavericks coach Tad O'Had said. "This is the kind of exciting win you want with a full house. The Scouts were all excited, and our guys fed off that positive energy. "We get six points and stay atop the Mountain Division. This series the guys really came to play and it's huge to get Ostman back (from the team's AHL affiliate Coachella). "Jack (Lafontaine) was amazing in our first two wins. He made 52 saves in those two wins, and it was nice to give him the night off and get Ostman back in the net." Ostman stopped 33 of 36 shots to earn the victory. The Knight Monsters outshot Kansas City 36-33. The Mavericks hit the road this week for games in Cincinnati Friday and Indianapolis Saturday. "These last three games have been so big," MacPherson added. "We got great goalkeeping from Jack and Victor comes back from Coachella and is big in the net tonight. This is the time of the season you want to play your best hockey and that's what we're doing right now." Kansas City defenseman Justin MacPherson celebrates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal at Cable Dahmer Arena. The Comets won 5-4 and swept the Knight Monsters to stay in first place in the ECHL's Mountain Division. Photo credit: Kansas City Mavericks
by Bill Althaus There were several new players in the Kansas City Comets lineup Sunday night, but a trio of familiar faces played a big role in the MASL team's 7-3 victory over the Harrisburg Heat at Cable Dahmer Arena. All-star goaltender Nicolau Neto, who has battled a series of lower body injuries this week, picked up his first win as a starter, Ramone Palmer scored two goals and Rian Marques finished with five points on three goals and two assists as coach Stefan Stokic's team improved to 8-1-2. "Personal stats mean nothing to me," said Marques, who leads the MASL with 30 points and 14 assists, "the only stat I pay attention to is winning, and we were able to win a couple of close games this past week and play more like we are capable of playing tonight. "This was a big win. It was big to get Neto back in the net and it was big to get everyone involved. Stef made some changes, and they worked tonight. Now, we just have to get everyone healthy for the rest of the season." Daniel Malhue, Erik Pereira, Eduardo Alejo, Joe Wainright and Leonel Palma all took their turns in offensive and defensive rotations, and Stokic was pleased with what he saw. "We're missing so many key players to injuries like (Lucas) Sousa and Mikey (Lenis), (Zach) Reget is playing high-caliber soccer but it still deal with that high ankle sprain and it was good to get Neto back in the net," Stokic said. "I was not happy with our last performance. "We should not need three goals in the final minutes to beat a team like Dallas. It's been addressed, and I liked what I saw from everyone tonight." Palmer scored two of the first three goals Sunday night, and like his coach, was pleased with the team's performance. "This was an awesome game, we came out strong and played consistent soccer most of the night," Palmer said. "We were coming off a tough game, but it was a tough game and we found a way to win. Tonight, we led from the start, had a lot of new faces on the field and won in front of our fans - which is always great." After a scoreless first quarter, Palmer scored just 24 seconds into the second quarter, with Marquez adding two goals to make it a 3-0 game at the half. Palmer scored his second at 4:41 of the third quarter before the Heat's Joey Tavernese scored off a restart to make it a 4-1 game. Marques then picked up his hat trick to make it 5-1 before a late Heat goal cut Harrisburg's deficit to three heading into the final eight minutes of play. Reget, who now affects from the ankle sprain, scored to make it 6-2. But the Heat weren't about to let up as Jack Shearer found the back of the net to make the score 6-3. Captain Nacho Flores, who scored two goals in the last two minutes of the come-from-behind win at Dallas, wrapped up the Comets offense with a goal at 3:13. "Neto's back, some new guys got some time on the field and we won a game we should have won," Flores said. "This is the type of soccer we need to play the remainder of the season." After he was congratulated by his teammates, Neto said, "It's great to be back. I this this team and our fans and I can't tell you how great it was to get back in the net today." Editor's note: Look for a feature story on Nicolau Neto and goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu later this week in The Grain Valley News. Nicolau Neto stands ready in the goal. Photo credit: David Rainey Rian Marques works the ball against the Heat defense. Photo credit: David Rainey
by Bill Althaus
DALLAS, Texas - Kansas City Comets forward Zach Reget, who has been playing with a high ankle sprain this season, appreciated his team's 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Sidekicks Thursday night at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center. But a lackluster team performance over the first three quarters left both Reget and coach Stefan Stokic wondering what happened. The 7-1-2 Comets scored three goals in the final 2:35 of the fourth quarter to top the 3-9-0 Sidekicks, who entered the game undefeated at home. Nacho Flores scored two of the three goals, including the game-winner with 31 seconds left to play. Reget scored the game-tying goal. "We have set a high standard for ourselves this season, and we didn't reach it tonight," Reget said. "We had plenty of chances, but we weren't able to put the ball in the back of the net and that's frustrating and irritating. "But something clicked late in the game and we're coming home with three points. It's hard to win on the road in this league, but we need to put four good quarters together." After a scoreless first quarter, the Sidekicks opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the second frame. Colin O’Keefe found a loose ball on the doorstep of the goal and tapped it in for his third goal of the season. The Sidekicks led 1-0 with 14:35 to play in the first half.Less than a minute later, Dallas’ Renato Torquato redirected a pass intended for Comets keeper Phillip Ejimadu for a 2-0 Sidekicks lead with 13:41 on the clock. Kansas City’s first opportunity to score was a Rian Marques shootout attempt which was turned away following a blue card to Sidekicks keeper Parker Lackland. Dallas was not able to stop a Comets power play though, as Leo Acosta rifled a shot just under the crossbar to cut the Sidekicks lead to 2-1 with 11:50 remaining. In the final minute of the half, Junior Kazeem capitalized on a Dallas turnover to tie the game at 2-2 with 11:27 on the clock. Then David Texeira scored for the Sidekicks giving Dallas a 3-2 lead at the break. The third quarter was a story of official reviews and Nathan Durdle goals for the Comets. With 8:10 to play in the third, Durdle scored an apparent goal which held up under an extended review to tie the game at 3-3.The second occurrence came with 2:50 to go when a Durdle shot went in under the crossbar but was not called a goal during play. The Comets challenged and Durdle was awarded his second goal of the game and Kansas City took a 4-3 lead into the final 15 minutes of play. The Comets and Sidekicks used runs and rallies to make the final 15 minutes unforgettable. The Sidekicks scored the first three goals of the final frame and held a 6-4 lead with 3:22 to play in the game. That's when Flores scored twice and Reget once give Stokic a little peace of mind. "Right now, I am exhausted," Stokic said. "But why did we play so poorly for so long? Was it my preparation? That is something I am going to have to reevaluate. We were coming off our biggest win of the season (5-2 against a back-to-back league championship Chihuahua team that had never lost to Kansas City) and we come out and play like we did tonight? "Unacceptable." He was thrilled with the play of Durdle, a rookie who also had a goal in the victory against Chihuahua. "I asked him, 'How do you do it?'" Stokic said. "He's locked in. He does not look like a rookie out there. He's focused and ready for any challenge." Stokic also praised Flores and goalkeeper Nicolau Neto, who played the final three minutes of the game when Ejimadu was given a yellow card, which placed him in the penalty box. Neto, an MASL all-star, has not played much this season because of a nagging lower body injury. "Nacho and Neto are veteran leaders who proved tonight why they are so valuable to our team," Stokic said. "Nacho's goals were huge and Neto, who has been sidelined much of the season, went into the game and didn't allow a goal. In those last few minutes I saw our mentality shift, and we got the win." Bill Althaus sat down recently with GVHS boys basketball player Aaron Barr for his 5 Questions series:
Favorite snack? Flavor Blasted Cheetos Hero? My dad Chris Favorite vacation? Beach - Bahamas or Puerto Rico Favorite athlete? Michael Jordan Why is basketball your sport? I love to play defense. And I love shooting when my shot is going in the net like it did tonight. by Bill Althaus Kevin Johnson was more than a bit nervous before Grain Valley's semifinal matchup with his former team, KC East Christian, in the Grain Valley Invitational. Johnson had a big game, scoring 14 points off the bench, while blocking four shots and grabbing five rebounds as the Eagles defeated the Lions 76-36. The win sets up a Grain Valley vs. Blue Springs South matchup in the 8:30 p.m. Friday championship game in the school's main field house. "Kevin had a great game," Eagles coach Andy Herbert said after his team improved to 8-6. "You could tell early on that he was a bit nervous. I'm sure he knew all the guys on East because he'd played with them, and I'm sure they weren't that excited to leave the team to play here. But he handled it well and made us proud of his performance." Johnson, a lifetime resident of Grain Valley played on East's home schooled team for three years, before making the decision to attend school and play basketball in his own back yard. "It was a tough decision to no longer play with my former team, but I got really serious about basketball and wanted the chance to play some better competition to see if I could get a scholarship," Johnson said. Ironically, a coach from Central Methodist was waiting to visit with the senior center after the victory. "I wanted to play well tonight, and it took me a while to play my kind of game," Johnson added. We didn't play well the first half, we heard about it at halftime, and we had a great second half. All I wanted to do was attack and help my team win." Eagles leading scorer Eli Herbert said that's exactly what his teammate accomplished. "You could tell he was worried during warmups and then he plays a great game - especially in the second half (scoring 12 of his 14 points). He has been a big part of our success this season. This is the first time he's played with us, but he fit right in and makes an impact when he comes off the bench." Eli scored 23 points in just three quarters. "I got a lot of offensive help tonight," said Eli, who was coming off a school-record 44-point performance in a win against Fort Osage. "Our third quarter might have been the best quarter we've played all season." The Eagles had a 31-20 lead at the half. Following a "butt chewing," from Coach Herbert at the half, they scored 34 points coming out of the halftime locker room. "Coach really gave us a butt chewing - which we deserved," said guard Aaron Barr, who finished with 13 points. "We were like a new team in the third quarter. We hadn't played that well, and Coach let us know that he expected more from us. And it made an impact." Eli scored 11 third-quarter points, Barr added 11 and Johnson 6. "We all know we're going to have to play a lot better than we did tonight," Coach Herbert added. "There is going to be a great environment with a lot of fans from Grain Valley and South coming to the game. We're all excited to play Friday night in the championship game." Members of the Grain Valley boys basket team, from left, Owen Hames, Tucker Hughes, Evan Colson, Kevin Johnson and Bennett Omstead go after a rebound in the Eagles' 76-36 semifinal win over KC East Christian in a semifinal game of the Grain Valley Invitational. The Eagles and Blue Springs South Jaguars will play in the title game at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the high school's main field house. Photo credit: Bill Althaus Grain Valley coach Andy Herbert talks with his Eagles during a time out of Thursday night's 76-36 victory over KC East Christian in a semifinal game at the Grain Valley Invitational. In what promises to be a marquee matchup Grain Valley will play Blue Springs South in the 8:30 p.m. championship game Friday night. Photo credit: Bill Althaus
by Michael Smith
Grain Valley grad Cole Keller had a tumultuous start to his college football career. After redshirting his first season at Washburn University in 2021, he played eight games in 2022 before he tore his patellar tendon in his right knee, which caused him to have surgery in February 2023. He attempted to return for Washburn’s fall camp, and he tore the same ligament in August. He had a platelet-rich plasma injection in that knee in in, which occurred a few months after another surgery. Keller was then able to start lifting weights about a month before the season started on Aug. 29. He didn’t get a lot of playing time, Keller said, and while he was originally supposed to play tight end for the Ichabods, he was moved to slot receiver because he was coming off an injury and didn’t have enough time to build enough strength to block linemen. During the 2024 season, he caught 15 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. “I was fine with my knee, but I only lifted for a month before the start of the season,” Keller said. “I came off a year and eight months of rehab essentially. I didn’t squat, deadlift nothing. I just felt weak. Not being able to prepare and be a football player is tough.” Following the season, Keller entered the transfer portal and originally committed to the University of Central Oklahoma in early December before switching his commitment and signing to play for Division I FCS East Tennessee State University on Dec. 29. Now, the former Eagle will get a chance to start his college career after an injury-plagued tenure at Washburn. Keller was a three-year starter at quarterback for the Grain Valley and totaled 2,700 all-purpose yards and scoring 36 touchdowns during his senior season. He was a four-sport athlete with the Eagles, excelling at basketball, track and field and baseball, too. He then committed to Washburn University, and after four years there, Keller said it was time to move on. “I got enough on film,” Keller said. “I was scared when going into the transfer portal as you know, it’s a pretty tough landscape at the moment. Some coaches were interested. I had a few colleges that wanted me. “I couldn’t lift weights but not enough to play the tight end position (before his sophomore season at Washburn). They started me at receiver. I didn’t play very much for a lot of reasons.” Keller originally committed to the NCAA Division II University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos because he was guaranteed a starting spot at tight end by the coaches. A couple weeks afterward, ETSU had to talk Keller into take a visit of the campus at Johnson City, Tenn. He eventually accepted and liked what he saw. At the time, the Buccaneers didn’t have any tight ends on scholarship. Keller was looking for a team in which he would get guaranteed playing time but would also have other tight ends challenge him for snaps. After he committed to ETSU, the team signed three other tight ends, but Keller said he expects to play at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps for the Buccs. “That was one thing I talked to them about was I let them know I already has a spot somewhere else and playing time was important to me. I was saying, ‘Don’t waste my time if you’re not going to play me.’ They were very adamant that I was going to see the field a lot and that I was going to be one of their guys.” “At Central Oklahoma, the big thing with them, I was going to be their guy. They didn’t have anybody else. They had one other dude, but I was the starter without having to step on the field. But I don’t think that’s necessarily healthy. I want competition. I want people there to push me.” His decision was aided by the atmosphere on campus at ETSU and Johnson City itself. “I went there and liked it a lot,” Keller said. “Johnson City is a mountain city of about 80,000 to 100,000 and everyone there supports the football program. They average 8,000 to 10,000 fans per home game.” Keller, who currently weighs 230 pounds, said his goal is to put on 15 pounds of muscle before the start of his junior season, so he will be big and strong enough to block defensive ends. “This the first season I have had that I’ve been 100 percent healthy, and I have been able to do intense workout with zero pain,” Keller said. “I feel like I am going to make a big jump this season. “I need to put on that extra 15 pounds and be able to block in the box every single play. Route running and catching the ball will come naturally to me.” Keller, who will be working under offensive coordinator Cam Aiken and head coach Will Healy, anticipates that he will be utilized in one- and two-tight end sets in the offense. The Buccaneers run a fast-paced offense, which Keller said he will be a good fit for. “I think if I put on the right amount of weight and do everything that I think I can, I think I can do anything for the team. Since they run a high-tempo offense, and they don’t stop a whole lot, I think I can step in there and be (an all-around tight end). “They really liked what I had to offer. So hopefully I can get in there work hard and do what they ask of me.” Playing Division I football is not the end goal for Keller. Part of the reason he went to ETSU was so the coaching staff with the program would develop him into a professional-level football player by the end of his career. Keller’s dream is to play in the National Football League. “The goal is to get to the next level,” Keller said. “I have been injured for such a long time; I am taking it one day at a time. Making a pro league would be sick. Playing at ETSU is the first step in achieving that. “That was one of the first things I talked about with the coaches. I need to be developed. I told them, ‘You guys need to have same goals for me that I have for myself.’ They have no doubts I can get to the next level as long as I put the work in.” by Michael Smith Going into Wednesday’s Suburban White Conference tri dual against Truman and Ruskin, the Grain Valley boys wrestling team had some of their best wrestlers out of the lineup. Zac Bleess, Colston Parks, Gavin Barker, Brody Braa, Kobe Hughes, and Sjoeren Aumua were all held out of the lineup, but that didn’t stop the Eagles from dominating. Some junior varsity wrestlers like freshmen Jett Parks, Dalton Burch and Aiden Schaaf; and juniors Aidan Larson and Timmy Harris had their chance to show what they could do at the varsity level. And they didn’t disappoint as all of them won at least one match as Grain Valley didn’t miss a beat. Defeating Ruskin 66-18 and Truman 60-21 at Truman High School. Harris (215 pounds) went 2-0 on the day as he pinned Truman’s Nate Reece and won by forfeit against Ruskin. He said it was a valuable experience to go against varsity wrestlers as it will prepare him to go against that kind of competition next season. In the match against Reece, he said he surprised himself with how well he did. “I thought that match was going to go way worse,” Harris said. “I was nervous. I didn’t really know what to do. I was like ‘I will work through what I usually do and do that.’ The kid tried to hip toss me, but I sunk under it and pinned him.” Burch (157), like Harris, also went 2-0 on the day as he pinned Truman’s Jonathan Ruiz and won by forfeit against Ruskin. Parks (132) finished the day unbeaten as he had two forfeit wins. Schaaf (144) and Larson (138) each finished 1-1, with both getting a pin against Ruskin’s Quadarrius Williams and Elijah Clark, respectively. Those normally in the lineup stepped up for Grain Valley to ensure victory. Junior Tyler Jones (120), who missed making weight in a dual against Platte County the week before. He made sure he was able to wrestle at 120 this time around as he worked with his mother to get his weight down. “For me, it was just about getting my water down and being smart with what I am eating,” Jones said. “I had to take a salt bath for the first time. My mom put me in a hot tub for 30 minutes. It drained all the water out of me and shocked me.” He made that hard work count as he pinned Ruskin’s Roshan Khan and won by forfeit against the Patriots. “I got to my ties pretty easily,” Jones said. “I need some work on top. I kind of struggled to turn him, but I ended up getting him.” Junior Chase Brenner (150), who is a first-year varsity wrestler, also had a big day for his squad. He pinned Ruskin’s Elias Medina and got an upset win over Truman senior Caden Deeney by fall. While he had a good day result wise, he said there is still plenty of room for improvement. “I wrestled pretty good in neutral, but I just need to work on my conditioning,” Brenner said. “I wrestle a little bit differently than I used to. I am getting used to it.” Others to finish 2-0 for the Eagles were Justin King (126), Brady Jones (113) and Kaeler Byrd (106). Girls The Grain Valley girls wrestling team split a pair of duals, defeating Ruskin 48-30 but fell to Truman 42-39. Junior Jayden Moehle (235) pinned Truman’s Majesty Harrison and won by forfeit over Ruskin. Senior Evie Wyatt (170) won two matches due to opens and freshman Ella Hay (190) pinned Truman’s A’Nyla Davis and won by forfeit against Ruskin. Sophomore Valerie Bleess (120) had a productive day as she won by fall in the third period over Ruskin’s Cali Vaughn and she edged Truman’s Liliana Buri Trou 12-9. Junior Addison Cross (145), sophomore Lucy Dampf (140) and senior Makenzie Davis (125) finished 2-0, as well. Grain Valley junior Justin King, left, looks for a takedown against Ruskin's Asad Shakeeb during a trip dual against Ruskin and Truman. King finished the day 2-0 including a pin over Shakeeb. Grain Valley defeated Truman 60-21 and beat Ruskin 66-18. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Bill Althaus The Grain Valley High School girls basketball team ran off to a 16-2 lead against Blue Springs South in a Wednesday night Grain Valley Invitational semifinal game. The Eagles closed with a 17-3 advantage and finished with a 47-28 victory that displayed opportunistic scoring and solid defense by the winners. The Eagles will take a 15-1 record into Friday's 7 p.m. championship with an opponent yet to be determined. Two young ladies who made an impact in the game - along with usual suspects like Madison Rust (12 points), Addy Seyfert (10) and Cam Kelly (6) - were sophomore guard Bella Bollinger and junior guard/forward Aspen Reed, who did all the little things that result in big wins. Bollinger was part of the 16-point first quarter as she scored four of her six points and Reed scored six consecutive points in the fourth quarter on two layups and two free throws, to give the Eagles a 39-25 lead with 4:04 left in the game. "Bella and Aspen have improved every game this season," coach Randy Draper said after his team improved to 15-1. "They have made some great strides this season, and have earned their spots in the starting lineup. And tonight was a game with a lot of different games - we played really well in the first and fourth quarters and our defense kept us in the game the second and third quarters. "There are a lot of areas where we can improve, but we're happy with the win. At this point of the season, you'll take a win any way you can get it." Seyfert, who leads the Eagles in scoring, scored seven of her 10 points in the first quarter. Blue Springs South's outstanding senior guard Eva Uhrmacher scored the lone Jaguars' bucket with a buzzer-beating jump shot as the quarter came to an end. "We need to find a way to win," Uhrmacher said, after South fell to 4-13. "We play hard, I love the girls on our team, but we need to play strong for four quarters and we didn't do that tonight." Uhrmacher added eight points in the second quarter as the Eagles went into the halftime locker room with a 24-14 lead. "Grain Valley didn't do anything different than they did last week when we played them," Jaguars coach Kory Lower said. "We just couldn't score, and when we kept them from scoring, we played them close (leading the Eagles 18-14 in the second and third quarters). The Jaguars went through a streak where they missed six layups. "They're a great team, and they proved why they are a great tonight," the coach added. "Their big scorers put some points up, but this was a team win for Randy's kids. Everyone contributed." Bollinger and Reed sported ear-to-ear grins after the semifinal victory. "Playing as a team leads to success," Bollinger said. "We've seen our confidence grow all season. And we didn't play that well in the second and third quarters but we got off to the big lead early and kept them from scoring at the end of the game." Reed added, "I loved how we came out and got that (16-2) lead. We need to find a way to keep going offensively when we have a lead like that. Even though we had the lead in the first quarter, our defense played a big role in our win. And I know everyone is talking about it, but we play so well as a team. "No one cares about their personal statistics, we just want to win." Photo credit: David Rainey, Grain Valley News
by Bill Althaus Eli Herbert enjoyed the greatest single-game scoring performance in Grain Valley High School basketball history Tuesday night, and the Eagles needed each of his 44 points to top Fort Osage 64-58 at the Grain Valley Invitational. "The best thing about Eli's performance tonight," said coach Andy Herbert, Eli's father, "is that we needed those points to beat Fort Osage. It was a gritty game, and both teams played well. And when we needed a big shot, someone came through for us." Eli finished with eight 3-pointers and broke the single-game scoring record that was established in 1978. "I was born in 1978," Coach Herbert quipped, "so I know that is an old record!" One of Eli's biggest baskets of the night came with 3:51 left in the fourth quarter. Grain Valley trailed 52-49 when the junior guard connected on a long-range 3-pointer and was fouled. He hit the free throw to make the score 53-52. But the Indians tank was still full as Jax Navarro hit a layup and Isaac Woodward followed with an offensive rebound and basket to give the Indians a 56-53 lead. That's when - who else? - Herbert hit his second consecutive 3-pointer and that set the tone for a roller-coaster-ride of the final two minutes of play. Fort Osage's Jon Ross hit two free throws to tie the game at 58-58. Herbert then hit a basket and two free throws and Aaron Barr hit both of his free throws at :09 to seal the win. "It was a heckuva game, two teams really going after each other," Indians coach Josh Wilson said. "Even though we lost I can appreciate all we did, and you have to take your hat off to Eli. That is one of the greatest shooting performance's I've ever seen. And I have so much respect for Andy and his kids. Win or lose, it was a great night for high school basketball." Dom Soto and Isaac Woodward finished tied for the team high with 17 points. Woodward, going against the Eagles' two-headed-monster in the paint - Sam Pendergrass and Kevin Johnson - added 14 boards. "This is the first time since I've been on the team we've played them close," Soto said. "Eli never seemed to miss tonight, and I was so proud of all our team. We'd take a lead, then they'd take it back - mostly because of Eli." Woodward added, "This was a great game. I wish we would have won, but we worked hard and made a game of it. And Eli always seemed to have a hand in his face, and he still made all his shots. He's such a great kid and a great player." Navarro added 13 points for the 7-10 Indians. "We've had this conversation many times," Coach Herbert said, "and I don't want to put added pressure on Eli or take away from all the things the rest of the guys did to help us win tonight. But there were moments when he'd hit one of those long 3-pointers and I'd look over at our student section and they'd just be looking, like, 'What did we just see?' "I kind of felt the same way." Photos by David Rainey, Grain Valley News
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