A big thanks!

This blog has been a blast to put together and see turn into what I hope was a useful resource for Blue Springs area high school athletics, but it looks as though I will have to cut short my updates as the season winds down.

This was not my intention - I obviously wanted to go into the postseason for all sports - but it also wasn't my intention that my first son would be born 3 1/2 weeks early, but that's what happened!

I told myself I would do this blog until he arrived - which was supposed to be early June - but since he's here now, I'm turning my full attention to him.

So thanks to everyone who read. Thanks to everyone who gave feedback.

And as I stated in the 'About' tab, I hope this is a precursor for a more in-depth site starting with the next school year. There's no guarantee, but I would love to hear any feedback from people, what they liked about the blog, didn't like and would like to see. This was just a part of what the eventual site would be, but it was something to give people a taste.

Thanks again for the support!

Blue Springs-Blue Springs South soccer photos

More photos are now posted from Thursday night's Suburban Big Six Conference girls soccer game between Blue Springs and Blue Springs South. Please follow the link below to see them all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77979516@N02/

As always, if you would like to order any photos, please contact me at stephen.bubalo@yahoo.com. Listed below are the prices.

5x7 - $7

8x10 - $10

11x14 - $15

Value package: 1 5x7 and 1 8x10 - $15

Daily Scores

Aside from tonight's Blue Springs-Blue Springs South soccer game, the Blue Springs baseball team was the only other team in action. Check the Wildcats' tab for full details on their win over Raytown.

Scholl, Blue Springs girls soccer team outlasts South in epic game

Blue Springs' Gabi Severns hugs teammate Alyssa Scholl after the Wildcats won a shootout to defeat Blue Springs
South 2-1 Thursday night. 

This is what a rivalry is all about.

Two teams giving every ounce of energy they have, putting their bodies on the line every play and leaving fans on the edge of their seats.

Sure, it all sounds pretty cliché, but that’s what happened Thursday night when the Blue Springs and Blue Springs South girls soccer teams staged an epic battle in the two teams’ regular season finale – a game that included a cancer fundraiser for the Jennifer Ireland Foundation in honor of the former Blue Springs student and soccer player – and the Wildcats held of their cross-town rivals in penalty kicks for a 2-1 win.

“It’s your cross-town rival, so you want to go in and win,” Wildcat goalkeeper Alyssa Scholl said. “We wanted this victory. We wanted bragging rights.”

Added South head coach Todd Findley, who lost its sixth conference game by one goal, “Both teams gave remarkable effort. It was a great crowd and a fun atmosphere. Both teams gave 100 great minutes of effort. That’s what a rivalry is.”

With all the extra things surround the game, it seemed destined for more than just 80 minutes of play.

The two teams went into the half knotted at 1-all, as South got on the board first with a goal by Emily Griffin and an assist to Brooke Howe in the 17th minute. With 10 minutes to go until halftime the Wildcats knotted the score when Gabi Severns scored off a nice cross from Lindsey Davis.

From that point on, it was a battle. South controlled a little more of the play and had a handful of good looks, including three that went off the crossbar.

“I love my crossbar,” Scholl said with a smile. “It was my friend for the night.”

Blue Springs South's Natalie Mandina, left, tries
to keep possession with Blue Springs' Brittany
AuBuchon draped on her during Thursday's
game.

And by the time the game got to a shootout, even those five kicks weren’t enough, thanks in large part to the play of Scholl.

“I used to hate them as a kid. I never won,” Scholl said of shootouts. “I always worked as hard as I could on them. I told the girls to get it to a shootout and I had confidence in them.”

With both teams having made three of the first four kicks, Scholl, in a move not seen often, came out from goal and had the fifth and final kick, which she sailed high.

Scholl then had to turn right around, go back into goal and try and save the game by stopping the shot of South’s Alexis Shuker.

And she did just that.

“You guess,” Scholl said with a laugh of her shootout strategy in goal. “You look for little signs as to which way they might go, any kind of ticks they show.

“The odds are against me. I’m not supposed to get those saves.”

Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan said that save showed a lot about Scholl.

“She misses and now you’re asking her to come back and make a save when she’s mentally distorted,” he said. “One of two things can happen: she gives up the goal and feels like she lost the game or she makes the save and avenges her miss. She came back and made the save and that shows a lot about her character.”

That set the table for Katelyn Wakefield to make the eventual game-winning kick. It became official when South’s Sierra Bray sailed her game-tying attempt high.

“I don’t know if she wanted to (kick),” McLagan said of Wakefield. “She was originally the No. 5 before Alyssa stepped in. We came back to her and she took care of business.”

The loss was a devastating one for South – now 6-15 – a team that has failed to win close games all year. Add in those three shots off the crossbar and it was even tougher to swallow.

“It was one of those games,” Findley said. “We have to fight and scrap for every chance. We did that tonight and we still didn’t get those goals. … When you hit the framing three times chances are one has to go in. I’m really proud of the girls and the energy and passion they showed.”

The win for Blue Springs (7-10-1) came on a night when it was its third game of the week, they were without standout Bailey Hensley and there was the emotion of the fundraising event, which has been dubbed the Cancer Battler Cup.

“She was an awesome kid. You mention her and I can see her face,” McLagan said of Ireland. “It was an exciting game. There was a big crowd and it was a great event.”

It won’t be long before the two teams see each other again, as they square off in the first round of the Class 3, District 14 tournament at Raytown High School Monday at 4:30 p.m.

“Monday is the one that counts,” McLagan said.

But there’s no doubt Thursday is the one no one will forget. 

Daily Scores

It was a light night of action in the area. To go along with the Blue Springs South boys tennis team winning the district title (story below), both area baseball teams picked up wins. Check out each tab for full results and stats.

Blue Springs South boys tennis team captures second straight district title

Blue Springs South's Paul Province hits a backhand during his doubles match with
partner Alec Barber against Truman during Wednesday's Class 2, District 14 final. The
Jaguars won 5-3. 

The Blue Springs South boys tennis team had Truman in a familiar position during Wednesday’s Class 2, District 14 title match, but it wasn’t a spot the Patriots weren’t used to or couldn’t overcome.

The Jaguars had taken a 4-2 lead in singles, meaning they needed just one doubles win for their second straight district championship.

It was a familiar spot for Truman because they had rallied from a 4-2 deficit the night before against Lee’s Summit North by winning all three doubles matches to advance. And while they notched the first doubles win to make it 4-3, South’s Paul Province and Alec Barber fought back from a set down to win the clinching match.

“We were kind of witnessing the drama on the court next to us,” Barber said of seeing teammates Alex and Jared Martin losing a tough three set match. “We thought the team might be in trouble, but we had come this far and weren’t going to let anything stop us. We kicked it into gear.”

The duo came out a little lackadaisical in the first set, losing 3-6 despite the fact that they had just beaten the two players they were playing in singles just moments ago.

“We were tentative at first and a little nervous,” Province said. “We both beat those guys in our singles matches so there was no reason we couldn’t do it in doubles.”

Province simply said they each “started to hit our shots,” and the momentum of the match clearly turned after a 7-5 win in the second set.

“After the second set we knew we had it,” Barber said.

Added Province, “We went from the lowest low to our best performance in a while.”

Blue Springs South senior Alex Martin hits a backhand during his
doubles match with brother Jared in Wednesday's district final match
against Truman.

Province and Barber didn’t start the season as the teams No. 1 doubles team but since they’ve taken over that role they have been getting better each time out.

“About a quarter of the way through the season we had to move them up to No. 1. It’s been great for them. They’ve had to play better teams,” South head coach Sheri Rehmer said. “They are emotional. They feed off each other. Paul turns it into another gear. They work really well together.”

While Province and Barber combined for three points, the district title, as always, was a team effort, with plenty of help coming from the bottom of the lineup.

Brent Henderson and John Duffey, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, both picked up crucial singles wins, with Duffey’s coming in three sets.

South's No. 6 singles player John Duffey hits
an overhead smash in his three-set singles win.

Duffey has been playing doubles only for most of the season after Henderson beat him out for the No. 6 spot, but with No. 1 player Chris Hammond out with an illness again, Duffey stepped in and got the job done for the third time in the last two weeks.

“Talk about an experienced guy stepping in. I’m thrilled for John to step back in and make an impact as a senior,” Rehmer said. “He is very solid. He lost to Brent (for the sixth spot) but he took it, didn’t sulk and he stepped in and he was ready.

“And Brent’s been on fire. He just keeps winning. A lot of credit goes to the bottom of the lineup.”

Henderson hasn’t been the only one to show progress down the stretch, as Rehmer has seen a different team as of late.

“The last three weeks we’ve really started to realize our potential more,” she said. “The three seniors have stepped up and the younger guys, they’re just setting the plate for next year. They’re extremely competitive and that’s what you want as a coach.”

While Rehmer admits last year’s district title was “a shock” as she put it, this one was different with the entire team returning.

But with an experience group comes expectations, and the Jaguars did their best to live up to those.

“This year we had more of a target on our backs and a team like Truman, they had five seniors,” Rehmer said. “We still had to go out there and prove it. No one was going to roll over and die for us. I’m really proud of them going out every night. We hope to go as far as we can. Right now, they can say they’re in the top 16 in the state.”

Added Barber, unable to contain his excitement, “It’s so special. This is great. This is as good as it’s ever been.”

Daily Scores

To go along with the cross-town rivals facing off in district tennis and the Blue Springs girls soccer team playing Liberty, both area baseball teams were also in action but struggled with their conference opponents. Meanwhile, the Blue Springs South girls soccer team picked up another easy win over Ruskin. Check out full results in the tab for each school.

Also, stories and photos of tonight's district tennis showdown and Blue Springs girls soccer match are now posted below.