Baseball:
Blue Springs South 10, Olathe East 3
Notes and stats: The Jaguars outhit Olathe East 14-4, while using five different pitchers to get the job done. Gehrig Hudson went 4-for-4 with two RBI and Jared Ginter had three hits. Matt Olsen picked up the win on the mound. South finished the regular season with an 18-6 record.
South head coach Ben Baier: "We ended the regular season on a good note tonight. Now we have to get our mentality ready for the postseason and hopefully play our best baseball of the season."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, May 8
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs South 10, Ruskin 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars had no trouble with Ruskin in improving to 6-14, needing just one half of soccer for the easy win. Beth Landon and Emily Griffin led the way with two goals apiece. Also scoring were Lexi Meyer, Sarah Smedley, Jen Kaberline, Erica Mason, Kelly Voigt and Kylie Young.
South head coach Todd Findley: "We got in a lot of good attacking work. It was good to play some opponents we could get some good attacks going heading into Thursday’s game against Blue Springs and district play. We hope to finish the season strong. I’ve been coaching 14 years and it’s always a tough match against the cross-town opponent. Balancing emotions, nervous energy and just going out and playing your best is the key. We’re confident with where we are. We know it’s going to be a tough battle. I know the girls will be fired up and ready to roll."
Baseball:
Ray-Pec 5, Blue Springs South 0
South head coach Ben Baier: "We didn't compete tonight and that was disappointing to see. We had our opportunities, but we left 11 runners on base. You can't do that against good teams."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, May 7
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs South 7, Truman 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars got the benefit of an own goal to start the game and never looked back against the Patriots. Kelly Voigt scored a pair of goals for South, while Michelle Pace, Emily Griffin, Beth Landon and Jordan McNamara each scored one goal apiece. South improved to 5-14 overall.
South head coach Todd Findley: "It was a good night for scoring. We really dominated possession and finished some of our looks. We had a lot of quality looks on goal. To see all of that hard work and perseverance pay off from some close conference games, hopefully we build our confidence some. We were able to see a lot of stuff tonight. We were able to work on a lot of things."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, May 3
Girls Soccer:
Liberty 6, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The seventh-ranked Liberty Blue Jays didn't give the Jaguars a chance to hang around like they did in the first meeting, jumping out to a 3-0 halftime lead and cruising to a win from there. South fell to 4-14 on the season.
South head coach Todd Findley: "We lost 1-0 to them at home and played really well (in the first meeting). And we probably shouldn’t have given up the one. That kind of hurt us (tonight). I don’t think the girls realized how good they were. I don’t know if they’re rested now, it was Senior night, they were on their home field, we’d been playing a lot and it was just two totally different teams. We couldn’t keep up with their speed. They were just flying past our backs. We knocked in an own goal. They were just deadly tonight. We didn’t have the energy. We’re going to try and pick up the pieces … and come back and get after it Monday (against Truman)."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, May 2
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 9, Oak Park 8
Notes and stats: The Jaguars won in thrilling fashion with four runs in the bottom of the seventh on unusual plays. The tying run came on a passed ball, while the winning run scored on a balk by the Northmen pitcher. Chad Worman picked up the win in relief. Taylor Sprague had three hits. Gehrig Hudson, Nate Goff and Austin Holland all had two hits apiece. South is now 15-5 overall.
South head coach Ben Baier: "Taylor Sprague made a great slide to get the run in (on the passed ball). It was a great come-from-behind win on Senior night. The kids put themselves in position to win it late in the game and the breaks fell our way tonight. We need to clean some things up before districts roll around, so we can be as prepared for the tough competition that we will see down the road."
Boys Tennis: Park Hill Doubles Tournament
'A' flight doubles - Paul Province/Alex Martin - 2-2, 4th place
'A' flight doubles - Chris Hammond/John Duffey - 4-1, 5th
'B' flight doubles - Jose Garchitorena/Jared Martin - 2-2, 4th
'B' flight doubles - Brent Henderson/lake Kinzel - 4-1, 5th
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We were so tired after last night’s match (against Blue Springs). It was just a fun tournament. It was good because you have to do stuff at the net, be more aggressive and play some good competition. Today was a good day."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 30
Baseball:
Liberty 3, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars collected eight hits and left 11 runners on base. Jeffrey Lemberger went 4 2/3 innings, taking the tough loss, and Taylor Sprague had three hits. South drops to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in conference.
South head coach Ben Baier: "It was a good game against a great team. We did a lot of good things tonight but just never got the timely hit we needed. Hopefully, we can learn and get better from this loss as we head into the final weeks of the season."
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit 2, Blue Springs South 1 (Lee's Summit won 5-3 in penalty kicks after two overtimes)
Notes and stats: The Jaguars got on the scoreboard first in the ninth minute when Beth Landon found Emily Griffin for a goal. Lee's Summit tied the score in the 28th minute. The two teams played scoreless soccer for the entire second half and two overtimes and the Tigers got the upper hand when South missed its second penalty kick in the shootout. South is now 4-12 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
South head coach Todd Findley: "It’s always tough. It’s so pressure-filled and emotional for everyone during the penalty kicks. I tried to remind the girls how well they played for the 80 minutes of regulation and two overtimes. It was some of our best play of the year to get to that point. To take Lee's Summit to penalty kicks is a good step for our program. I keep telling the girls we’re going to knock one of these dominant teams off and tonight was very close. I feel like we’re really putting it together. It’d be one thing if we bunkered in the back and held on for dear life, got a lucky break, but we played them straight up and we did a great job. That’s just how it ended up. We outshot them 10-6 and we had three corners to their two corners. We had some great looks."
DAILY SCORES: Friday, April 27
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 5, Lee's Summit North 1
Notes and stats: The Jaguars got another strong pitching performance, this time from Matt Olsen, who went five innings and allowed just one hit and one run. Landon Mason was South's hitting star with two hits and three RBI. South is now 14-4 and 4-3 in conference.
South head coach Ben Baier: "We got a great effort today on the mound from Matt and C.J. (Egelston), and that is what really set the tone for the game. We only gave up two hits and kept them off the bases most of the night. They did threaten a couple of times, but our defense was solid and limited them to only one run. I'm very proud of the effort tonight. Winning conference games on the road is always hard, but the kids did a great job of putting it together tonight for the win."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 26
Boys Tennis:
Lee's Summit West 6, Blue Springs South 3 (See pictures in 'Photo Galleries' tab)
Singles wins: Alex Martin (0-6, 6-3, 10-3), Jared Martin (6-3, 3-6, 10-4) and Brent Henderson (7-6 (7-5), 7-5).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "They just took it to us in doubles. They’re a very good team. Last year we lost 9-0, so we made improvement. I would have liked to have seen a little better showing in doubles. We had four singles matches that were extremely close. It was fun to watch all the courts tonight.
"It would have been nice to get a victory on Senior Night. Senior Chris Hammond is our most seasoned player. He likes going out there and competing. He’s out there having a good time. He puts his heart and soul into it."
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 6, Rockhurst 2
Notes and stats: The Jaguar offense only managed two singles in the entire game but were able to scrape together runs thanks to some solid fundamentals and help from the Hawklets. Jeff Smetana was strong on the mound, throwing five innings for the win. South - ranked No. 8 in the latest poll - is now 13-4 on the year.
South head coach Ben Baier: "Today was a very good example to our team that good pitching and playing defense will win you games, even when don't necessarily hit the ball a ton. While we managed only two hits against a good team like Rockhurst, we were able to take advantage of their mistakes by moving runners and getting them into scoring position."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 25
Boys Golf: Class 4, District 8 Tournament at Fred Arbanas Golf Course
J.P. Derksen - 76
Blair Sanders - 76
Joe Hanes - 85
Blake Windsor - 86
Zack Kurth - 89
Team score: 323, 3rd place (All five players qualified for Class 4, Sectional 4 Tournament)
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit North 4, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: After allowing just one goal to Oklahoma State-signee Allie Stephenson in their first meeting, the Bronco senior tallied three goals Wednesday night against the Jaguars. South dropped to 3-11 on the season and 0-7 in conference.
South head coach Todd Findley: "They were way too tough. Allie’s just a fantastic player. She’s too much for us to handle. That’s why she’s a Division I player. They’re well coached, they’re a fantastic possession team and you can feel like you’re playing them pretty well and she gets loose and it’s a goal. They’re just a very efficient, very possessive-skilled team."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 24
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 9, Ruskin 0
Singles wins: Alex Martin (10-1), Jared Martin (10-0), Brent Henderson (10-1), John Duffey (10-1), Lake Kinzel (10-1) and Jon Hower (10-0).
Doubles wins: Jared Martin/Kinzel (10-2), Henderson/Hower (10-1) and Austin Woody/Alex Fox (10-6).
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 23
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 4, Lee's Summit 1
Notes and stats: Jeffrey Lemberger was in top form on the mound, throwing six scoreless innings for his third win. The Jaguars got their runs early, with two in the first and second innings. Jared Ginter had two hits, a run scored and an RBI.
South head coach Ben Baier: "It was a good, fundamental ballgame by both teams. Their pitcher (Jordan Knutson) did a great job of shutting us down after the second innings, and we did a good job of taking them out of their offense as well. We executed on the bases and played small ball very well tonight, which led to our win."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Kearney 3
Singles wins: Paul Province (8-2), Alec Barber (8-3), Brent Henderson (8-2) and John Duffey (8-4).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (9-7) and Duffey/Alex Martin (8-5).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We had six matches last week … so I gave a couple of guys the night off. It was a good victory. They got off to a little bit of a slow start. Friday and Saturday were long days (at the Mid-Missouri Invitational). Three matches in less than 24 hours is a lot.
"... Brent is really consistent for us at No. 6. He has a pretty good deep ball that a lot of guys can’t handle."
Boys Tennis: Mid-Missouri Invitational
Blue Springs South 8, Columbia Hickman 1
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (6-1, 6-2), Paul Province (6-3, 6-2), Alex Martin (7-6 (7-2), 6-4), Alec Barber (6-3, 6-4), Jared Martin (6-3, 3-6, 10-7) and Brent Henderson (6-0, 6-1).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (8-5) and Lake Kinzel/Jose Garchitorena (8-3).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "It was a really good match. We were happy to come away with a convincing win and finish the tournament with a 2-1 record."
DAILY SCORES: Friday, April 20
Boys Tennis: Mid-Missouri Invitational
Rock Bridge 9, Blue Springs South 0
Blue Springs South 5, Springfield Central 4
Singles wins: Paul Province (4-6, 6-4, 10-7), Alec Barber (6-3, 5-7, 10-7), Jared Martin (6-4, 6-2) and Brent Henderson (6-0, 6-0).
Doubles wins: Lake Kinzel/Jose Garchitorena (8-5).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We were down (heading into the Springfield Central match), we were tired and it was cold. Only winning one to start in doubles was not good. Chris lost in a third set tiebreaker after getting down 0-4 in his first set. Paul was down 1-4 in his second set and won the second, winning five games in a row to get to a tiebreaker. Chris and Paul both fought back. It was nice for Jared and Brent to have some easier matches and get them back on track. It ended up being a huge motivator and a big win."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 19
Boys Track & Field: Lee's Summit North Two-Hour Invitational
Top finishers: (Team took first place)
Tyler Blair - 1st, 110-meter hurdles
Steven Sullivan - 1st, 100-meter dash; 1st, 200
Bret Harvel - 1st, 400
Mason Harwell - 1st, 1,600
Syrell Fuel - 1st, high jump, 6 feet
3,200-meter relay - 1st
Ethan Smith - 2nd, 1,600
Josh Watson - 2nd, discus
400 and 800 relays - 2nd
Hunter Stoll - 3rd, 110 hurdles
1,600 relay - 3rd
South head coach Troy Harding: "The meet is kind of watered down because a lot of people are taking guys to KU (Relays), but we had some good performances. We decided to skip that because of some injuries, but this was good for us. We need a weekend off to get healthy.
"Syrell is slowly making progress. He cleared 5-8 his first couple of meets and today he won with 6 feet for the first time. This was Tyler’s PR in the hurdles. He’s really been doing well. He’s been making some progress this year. Steven had season bests in both races, but for him, he’s had a couple of weeks where he was struggling with his times and I think today he kind of came around a little bit.
"On all our relays, we probably didn’t run
most guys that will be there in the end but we ran well with the fringe guys.
We’re trying to see who is ready to step up to that next phase or be a fourth
leg. We’re trying to learn a little bit as the season wraps up."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 7, Liberty North 2
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (10-6), Paul Province (10-4), Alex Martin (10-7) and Alec Barber (10-3).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (10-6), Hammond/John Duffy (10-7) and Alex/Jared Martin (10-5).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "All the matches were 4-5 or 5-4 and all of a sudden we kind
of took off. It was a really good match. There were a lot of good ball
exchanges and good points. ... We get to play the state champs, Rock Bridge (in the first round of the Mid-Mo Invitational Friday), but we’ll go in
there and it should be a good weekend. Whether you lose early or not you’re
going to play another good match. We’re excited to go down and play some good
teams."
Girls Soccer: Blue Springs South Tournament
Park Hill South 2, Blue Springs South 1
Notes and stats: The Jaguars trailed 1-0 at the half and got behind 2-0 before Beth Landon got them on the scoreboard in the final 5 minutes. South fell to 3-9 on the season.
South head coach Todd Findley: "It seemed like we were probably done and late in the game Jordan (McNamara) played Beth one through and we got one back. We made a mad rush at the end but
couldn’t get the equalizer. I thought we hung around. It was back to the same
story. We just couldn’t get enough midfield possession. It’s an easy story if
you don’t have midfield possession. You can’t play dangerous balls through and
score goals. We didn’t have their keeper under pressure enough. Park Hill South is just a well coached, well-rounded team. We couldn’t string more than two or three
passes together and a lot of it is them."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 18
Baseball: Eastern Jackson County TournamentBlue Springs South 6, Raytown 4
Notes and stats: Chad Worman picked up the win for the Jaguars, going five innings, with Gehrig Hudson picking up the save with two scoreless innings. Nate Goff had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense.
South head coach Ben Baier: "It was a good win. Their pitcher did a good job of keeping us off balance tonight and we did a good job to scrape for every run we got. I was happy with our approach. We will need to play a solid game in all aspects against Truman if we hope to win this tournament."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 17
 |
| Blue Springs South's Joe Hanes putts on hole No. 5 at Lakewood Golf Course during Tuesday's dual against Lee's Summit West. Hanes shot a 42. |
Lee's Summit West 152, Blue Springs South 161
J.P. Derksen - 37
Zack Kurth - 41
Braden Curd - 41
Joe Hanes - 42
Blair Sanders - 42
South assistant head coach Ted Linke: "They had a couple of bad holes that ruined their day. We keep plugging and keep working hard to get ready for conference next week."
Baseball: Eastern Jackson County Tournament
Blue Springs South 19, William Chrisman 5 - 5 innings
Notes and stats: South erupted for 15 runs in the fourth innings to put the game away. Reece Eddins led a 15-hit attack with four, including two doubles and four RBI. Jeff Smetana picked up the win on the mound.
South head coach Ben Baier: "The guys did a better job of competing tonight, however we still need to improve tomorrow if we want to beat a quality Raytown team. Our goal is to win this tournament, and we have put ourselves in position to do so."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Liberty 3
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (6-3, 6-2), Paul Province (6-3, 6-0) and Alec Barber (6-2, 6-2).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (6-2, 7-6 (9-7)), Hammond/John Duffy (6-3, 6-3) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3))
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "That assures us of at least a tie in conference. It was a really big match. So many courts were close. Even when the doubles started it was really close at first. It was exciting. The kids were pumped up. They knew the stakes.
"Our No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams both won their first sets and took command. I didn’t tell Paul and Alec but the team they beat had beaten the No. 1 from Rockhurst the night before. They just blistered them the first set. Those two doubles teams are my most seasoned. They’re just getting a lot confidence."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 16
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 7, Staley 2
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (10-5), Paul Province (11-9), Alec Barber (11-10, 7-1) and Brent Henderson (10-1).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (11-9), Hammond/John Duffy (10-7) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (10-7).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "There were several matches that you couldn’t tell which way it was going to go. It was key getting that fourth singles victory and only needing one doubles win. They’re (Staley) not used to being down either, so I wasn’t sure how they would respond. We lost to them last year so it was nice to avenge that. It gets us rolling for a big conference match with Liberty (Tuesday). Barber’s match was really good. He was down 9-8 and double match point but he tied it at 9. That’s a big confidence builder right there to blister your opponent in the tiebreak, 7-1."
Baseball: Eastern Jackson County Tournament
Blue Springs South 9, O'Hara 6
Notes and stats: Kyle Roberts picked up the win for South, with Brett Valentine getting the save. Jared Ginter led the offense, collecting four hits and an RBI.
South head coach Ben Baier: "We were not really sharp in any aspect of the game tonight, including the mental part. We must come out tomorrow and be focused on our job of winning a ball game. We did a good job of taking advantage of their mistakes and turning them into runs, which turned out to be the difference in the game."
Girls Soccer: Blue Springs South Tournament
Kearney 3, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars trailed 1-0 at the half when Kearney standout Alex Massey got behind the defense. South had trouble mustering much on offense, getting off just five shots, as they fell to 2-8.
South head coach Todd Findley: "We played a good first half. We just ran out of gas in the second half. Alex Massey for Kearney, she’s a big-time player. She scored on a counter when we got too high and she just ran by us. We chose not to mark her but she’s dangerous. We made a couple of mistakes and she scores on you. She’s that good. We lost our legs late. It was the same old story – we had trouble with our attack. We only got five shots and that’s not enough. We have to work on our possession and attack."
DAILY SCORES: Friday, April 13
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 4, Rock Bridge 3
Notes and stats: The Jaguars overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first two innings to earn the home win and improve to 8-2. Logan Taylor picked up the win behind five strong innings, and Matt Olsen claimed the save. Austin Simms had a two-run single to tie the game and Kyle Roberts put South ahead with a run-scoring single. Colton Pogue finished with three hits, two of them doubles.
South head coach Ben Baier: "I was proud of the way we bounced back from our loss to Blue Springs earlier in the week. This was a good come-from-behind win tonight and I liked the way we fought all game long. We play a tough schedule on purpose, and we feel games like this one will help us reach our team goals that we have set for the season."
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs South 3, Raytown South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars were able to overcome a slow start, as neither team scored in the first half. Senior Kelly Voigt made her presence known on Senior Night, scoring two goals and getting an assist. Emily Griffin scored the other goal for South (2-7).
South head coach Todd Findley: "Raytown South played really good defense (in the first half). They put a lot of people in the back. It was an intensity thing. We were in a fog. I challenged them at halftime, for our senior leaders to step up and amp up the intensity and we did it. It was fun to get a win for the seniors. They’ve meant a lot to the program for four years."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 12
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs South 8, Winnetonka 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars (1-7) got the offensive explosion they were looking for, as they scored five first-half goals to help them cruise to their first win of the season. Senior Jordan McNamara led the scoring with three goals to go along with two assists. Kelly Voigt added two goals, while Kelsie Howe, Beth Landon and Sarah Smedley all scored one goal apiece.
South head coach Todd Findley: "It was fun. We played so many big teams for a long stretch of games, so it’s good to see our hard work pay off. It was a nice game to work on our attack, get a lot of corners and see a lot of shots. It’s nice for the girls. I'm happy for them.
" ... Jordan is so versatile on the field. Marisa Findley tore her ACL and Jordan, against some really good opponents, had to come play in the back, which took away some of our attack. Tonight, I was able to push Jordan and Kelly up, which really helped us a lot. I’m going to have to find ways to get Jordan more in the attack. She’s a really athletic player, a real nice weapon for us. Tonight it paid off having her up."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 10
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 8, Lee's Summit 1
Singles wins: Paul Province (6-0, 6-2), Alex Martin (6-1, 6-0), Alec Barber (6-3, 6-3), Jared Martin (6-0, 6-0) and John Duffy (6-1, 6-1).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (8-3), Duffy/Joey Garchiporena (8-2) and Martin/Martin (8-2).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We’re pretty experienced and they’re quite inexperience and it played out that way. It puts us at 3-0 in conference, so we feel pretty good about that. In a match like this you have to learn to be patient enough to make the shot where you can put it away. It’s hard to be patient. You want to hit it hard, hit it hard, hit it hard, and sometimes you’re going to hit one out and miss the point. You have to be patient."
Girls Soccer:
Liberty 1, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: Kaitlin Clark scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute and that would be all Liberty would need. South fell to 0-7 thanks in part to a tough schedule that has also include Lee's Summit, Lee's Summit North, Ray-Pec and Raytown.
South head coach Todd Findley: "It's easy to get frustrated because we're struggling to score goals, but on the positive side, and it's hard to say for an 0-7 team, but our competition has been good and we've been right in games. It comes down to scoring goals now. We fended them off, played really good defense, but we just didn't get enough opportunities at goal. We couldn't have done this in the past, play them to 1-0. We just have to get more looks.
"These are the top teams in the area and they make it tough on you. We've improved our work rate, our possession, and now it's just a matter of when we get in the attacking third, we just need some of our girls to step up and finish chances."
Boys Golf: Blue Springs South Tournament
Joe Hanes - 74 - Tie for 1st, took 2nd on scorecard playoff
Blake Windsor - 75 - 3rd
J.P. Derksen - 80
Blair Sanders - 85
Team score: 314, 1st place
South head coach Mike McGown: "Joe was an awesome surprise. He’s been on the verge of shooting a good number. We've been working on his putting because that's been giving him trouble, and he said he had a bunch of putts drop and that was the difference. That’s not surprising because I’ve watched him play and he’s hit the ball well, but I’ve watch him four-putt and three-putt. He also got up and down a lot more than usual. We've been talking about golf being an individual sports but what we do is a team effort. It gives you an opportunity to lean on the team, not put pressure on yourself and know your teammates are behind you if you have a bad day."
WEEKEND SCORES: Friday, April 6 - Saturday, April 7
Baseball: Springfield Red/Blue Classic
Blue Springs South 10, Republic 0 (6 innings) - Jeffrey Lemberger picked up the win, dominating Republic with 6 shutout innings on just 68 pitches.
Blue Springs South 6, Hillcrest 4 - Landon Mason smashed a three-run homer in the second inning for a 5-1 lead. Chad Worman picked up the win in relief.
Blue Springs South 7, Nixa 6 - After giving up four unearned runs early in the game, the Jaguars overcame a 6-5 deficit in the seventh for the win. An RBI double by Nate Goff and a Jared Ginter single, which was followed by a throwing error to first to allow Goff to score, provided the winning runs.
South head coach Ben Baier: "Overall, it was a good weekend for us. While we weren't sharp all the time, especially in the field, we managed to grind out a couple of hard fought wins. I thought our pitching was pretty decent in the tournament, which always gives you a chance to win."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 5
Boys track and field: Springfield Hillcrest Invitational
Top 8 finishers:
200 - Steven Sullivan, 4th
100 - Dylan Hernandez, 6th; Sullivan, 7th
300 hurdles - Hunter Stoll, 5th
High jump - Syrell Sewell, 5th
Discus - Josh Watkins, 6th
Long jump - Ben Harvel, 6th
Triple jump - Hernandez, 7th
4x100 - 2nd
4x200 - 7th
4x800 - 4th
South head coach Troy Harding: "We had some good things. Ben in the long jump, he had a hamstring that was getting tight, so we scratched him from the rest of the meet. That weakened us a little bit in the relays. I was pretty pleased that the 4x100 of Trey Ervin, Dylan Hernandez, Ethan Grumke and Steven Sullivan was able to run strong enough with that late switch (of Harvel not running). Syrell Sewell, I was pleased with him. This was his first real varsity meet in his first year out for track.
"It was pretty cool and it was misty for the first third of the meet. This was our first experience to have that kind of weather. It was good for them to go through this."
Boys Golf: Park Hill Tournament
J.P. Derksen - 71, Tied for 1st, won on scorecard playoff
Blake Windsor - 73
Blair Sanders - 82
Joe Hanes - 82
Team score: 308
South head coach Mike McGown: "We like to put him (Derksen) with the better players. That competition drives him. Blake and J.P. drive each other. They were just striking it, hitting the ball well and putting well. Not a whole lot of things were going wrong. Right now we're just trying to keep a laid back atmosphere and keep them having fun. We don’t want them to take it too seriously. I can tell they’re having fun, relaxing and enjoying it."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Lee's Summit North 3
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (7-5, 6-2), Paul Province (6-1, 6-0), Alec Barber (7-5, 2-6, 10-8) and John Duffy (6-1, 6-4).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (6-3, 6-3) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (5-7, 6-1, 11-9).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We won two of the three matches that went to three sets. I think their confidence was big (in those matches). The Martin brothers started out bad, but they’re getting confidence that no matter what happens in the beginning they can come back. The two that we won were both really close. It was nice to see them tough it out and not fold. Paul just dominated his match. He’s looking good. It’s just fun to see kids get better."
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit 1, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars were on the short end of another close game, as Lee's Summit Gabby Fleck scored the lone goal of the game about 12 minutes into the second half.
South head coach Todd Findley: "They’re (Lee's Summit) a deep team with a lot of speed and some really dangerous weapons. The girls battled, worked hard, did everything I asked them to do, we just can’t find that goal. Freshman Alex Carpenter had a fantastic night in goal. Jordan (McNamara) and Lexi (Meyer) did a good job in back. We just didn’t get enough chances. Last year they beat us 4-1 and 3-0, so it’s still a loss, but we feel like we’re getting better. We need to find those two or three girls to put us on their backs and score some goals.”
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 4
Boys Tennis: St. Joseph Central Tournament
No. 1 singles - Chris Hammond - 2-1, 2nd place
No. 2 singles - Alec Barber - 1-2, 7th place
No. 1 doubles - John Duffy/Paul Province - 2-1, 3rd place
No. 2 doubles - Alex Martin/Jared Martin - 2-1, 2nd place
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "I’m really pleased. Traditionally, there are some strong teams there. I thought we came out and played really well. A couple of them got down early in their matches and came back and won, building them some confidence. I’ve never played Paul and John together and they ended up playing really well together. Jared and Alex are just getting better every time they play together."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 3
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit North 2, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars were able to stick close with one of the top teams in the state but were unable to break through with a goal. The Broncos took a 1-0 lead at the half with an early goal on a corner kick and with 12 minutes to play in the game Oklahoma State-signee Allie Stephenson got loose for the second goal.
South head coach Todd Findley: "We marked Stephenson and did a great job. She just got 1 yard of space in the second half and does what she does and laced a shot to the top shelf. We sat back in a good defensive shape and the girls did a really good job with it. We had a few good looks at goal and played relatively good defense, they're just that good."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 2
Boys Golf:
Blue Springs South 151, Pembroke Hill 157
Blake Windsor - 35, medalist
J.P. Derksen - 37
Joe Hanes - 37
Zack Kurth - 42
South head coach Mike McGown: "We've worked real hard at the end of last week with him (Hanes) and Kurth on their short game, getting up and down, chipping and putting, and hopefully, that paid off because they played much better. I think the team is in a really good place right now. They're all comfortable and confident. I just hope their confidence level stays where it is and they keep bringing their scores down."
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 17, Lee's Summit North 7
Notes and stats: Chad Worman picked up his first win of the season on the mound and got plenty of run support. The Jaguars scored at least one run in every inning behind several offensive stars. Dallas Herrmann hit a three-run homer, his first of the year, and added five RBI. Jared Ginter was 4-for-4 and Cale Benson went 3-for-5.
South head coach Ben Baier: "It's always good to get a conference win. I thought we played pretty solid for most of the game, but we had trouble in the fifth and sixth innings in terms of pitching and playing defense. We will need to clean that up if we want to be successful down the road. I thought the kids did a nice job at the plate today."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, March 29
Girls Soccer:
Ray-Pec 2, Blue Springs South 1
Notes: A pair of goals in the first 25 minutes by the Panthers forced the Jaguars to play from behind most of the night. A goal from long range by Beth Landon cut the deficit in half but despite having the wind in its favor and a handful of opportunities the rest of the half, South was never able to tie the game.
South head coach Todd Findley: "I'm pretty happy as far as losses go with how we played. I felt like we really followed the game plan well, got some chances, won a few corners and we even threw a third forward up late in the game. With a minute or two left to play we had a corner kick and a ball roll right across the box and had a good chance at it. I feel like we keep making strides."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 9, Ray-Pec 0
Singles wins: Paul Province (6-1, 7-5), Alex Martin (6-4, 6-2), Alec Barber (6-1, 6-1), John Duffy (6-3, 6-4), Jared Martin (6-0, 6-0) and Brent Henderson (6-3, 6-0).
Doubles wins: Chris Hammond/Duffy (6-2, 6-3), Province/Barber (6-1, 6-2) and Jose Garchitorena/Lake Kinzel (6-2, 7-6 (7-0))
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "It was a great way to open our conference season. The guys played really strong. I had a few guys on that varsity-JV bubble and they got to come up and get their first varsity win. That was fun for them."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, March 28
Boys Golf: Longview Golf Course (Par 36)
Blue Springs South 146, Lee's Summit West 151
Blake Windsor - 36
Blair Sanders - 36
J.P. Derksen - 37
Zack Kurth - 37
South head coach Mike McGown: "They did an awesome job. It doesn’t get much better. We’re trying to get the boys comfortable with that course for districts and get them as much knowledge as we can. (The key) was fairways and greens. We checked their stats when they got done. When you hit that many greens and fairways that doesn’t make it as difficult. All you have to do is two-putt."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Truman 3
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (10-1), Paul Province (10-0), John Duffy (10-7) and Jared Martin (10-1).
Doubles wins: Province/Alec Barber (10-4) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (10-1).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "It’s a team we lost to last year the first time we played them. We came out and Chris and Paul just got off to really great starts, and so did Jared. It felt great. It feels really good, especially against a district opponent."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, March 27
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 9, Lawrence 7
Notes and stats: The Jaguars defeated Baseball America's No. 25-ranked team in the country with a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning. The Jaguars had fallen behind 7-6 when Lawrence posted a four-run bottom of the sixth. Brett Valentine picked up the win in relief, while Colton Pogue and Dallas Herrmann each had three hits. All of Pogue's hits were doubles, as he drove in three runs.
South head coach Ben Baier: "I was happy to see how the guys responded tonight. After falling behind twice to a team like this, it would have been easy to roll over, but they didn't. Even going into the last inning, the guys believed they could get it done and they executed well. I was proud of the effort tonight."
Girls Soccer:
Staley 4, Blue Springs South 1
Notes and stats: The Jaguars stayed close with the Falcons for 70 minutes before Staley was able to notch two goals in the final 10 minutes for a closer-than-it-finished victory. Freshman Emily Griffin tied the game at 1-all in the 34th minute for South, but the Falcons took a 2-1 halftime lead with a goal just before the break.
South head coach Todd Findley: "Our goal from Emily put us back in it. We're not a great, dynamic goal-scoring team and that was positive. That goal before half hurt us. But I thought we bounced back. We came out in the second half and improved our work rate and really worked hard. It was a nip-and-tuck game until the 70th minute when we had a little defensive breakdown and they had a nice finish."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, March 26
Boys Golf: Klint Andrews Invitational at Longview Golf Course
J.P. Derksen – 72
Blake Windsor – 75
Baseball:
Monday, March 19
South soccer comeback falls short
The Blue Springs South girls soccer team had a roller-coaster of a ride in its season-opener Friday at home against Raytown before falling short, 3-2.
It started poorly, as the Jaguars fell behind 2-0 in the first half when the Blue Jays scored two goals in the final eight minutes of the half.
"In the first half, against a strong wind, we did a great job of defending and possessing, but they have a talented scorer (Jessica Herrman) that was a handful for our backs," South head coach Todd Findley said. "Even with two or three defenders on her, Jessica is so skilled and fast that she was able to create a goal and score the other."
Things started to look better in the second half, though, for South, as they got two goals from Kelly Voigt in a 15-minute span - one on an assist from Jordan McNamara - to tie the game at 2-all.
Findley said his team controlled play in the second half.
"We won most every goal kick and punt and put a lot of pressure on them," he said.
Despite controlling the play for most of the half, Herrman was able to get loose in the 71st minute for the game-changing play.
"Momentum was in our favor when a foul in the box allowed Herrman to hit a penalty kick and put us away," Findley said.
South (0-1) will return to action Tuesday at Staley.
Joe Hanes - 74 - Tie for 1st, took 2nd on scorecard playoff
Blake Windsor - 75 - 3rd
J.P. Derksen - 80
Blair Sanders - 85
Team score: 314, 1st place
South head coach Mike McGown: "Joe was an awesome surprise. He’s been on the verge of shooting a good number. We've been working on his putting because that's been giving him trouble, and he said he had a bunch of putts drop and that was the difference. That’s not surprising because I’ve watched him play and he’s hit the ball well, but I’ve watch him four-putt and three-putt. He also got up and down a lot more than usual. We've been talking about golf being an individual sports but what we do is a team effort. It gives you an opportunity to lean on the team, not put pressure on yourself and know your teammates are behind you if you have a bad day."
WEEKEND SCORES: Friday, April 6 - Saturday, April 7
Baseball: Springfield Red/Blue Classic
Blue Springs South 10, Republic 0 (6 innings) - Jeffrey Lemberger picked up the win, dominating Republic with 6 shutout innings on just 68 pitches.
Blue Springs South 6, Hillcrest 4 - Landon Mason smashed a three-run homer in the second inning for a 5-1 lead. Chad Worman picked up the win in relief.
Blue Springs South 7, Nixa 6 - After giving up four unearned runs early in the game, the Jaguars overcame a 6-5 deficit in the seventh for the win. An RBI double by Nate Goff and a Jared Ginter single, which was followed by a throwing error to first to allow Goff to score, provided the winning runs.
South head coach Ben Baier: "Overall, it was a good weekend for us. While we weren't sharp all the time, especially in the field, we managed to grind out a couple of hard fought wins. I thought our pitching was pretty decent in the tournament, which always gives you a chance to win."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 5
Boys track and field: Springfield Hillcrest Invitational
Top 8 finishers:
200 - Steven Sullivan, 4th
100 - Dylan Hernandez, 6th; Sullivan, 7th
300 hurdles - Hunter Stoll, 5th
High jump - Syrell Sewell, 5th
Discus - Josh Watkins, 6th
Long jump - Ben Harvel, 6th
Triple jump - Hernandez, 7th
4x100 - 2nd
4x200 - 7th
4x800 - 4th
South head coach Troy Harding: "We had some good things. Ben in the long jump, he had a hamstring that was getting tight, so we scratched him from the rest of the meet. That weakened us a little bit in the relays. I was pretty pleased that the 4x100 of Trey Ervin, Dylan Hernandez, Ethan Grumke and Steven Sullivan was able to run strong enough with that late switch (of Harvel not running). Syrell Sewell, I was pleased with him. This was his first real varsity meet in his first year out for track.
"It was pretty cool and it was misty for the first third of the meet. This was our first experience to have that kind of weather. It was good for them to go through this."
Boys Golf: Park Hill Tournament
J.P. Derksen - 71, Tied for 1st, won on scorecard playoff
Blake Windsor - 73
Blair Sanders - 82
Joe Hanes - 82
Team score: 308
South head coach Mike McGown: "We like to put him (Derksen) with the better players. That competition drives him. Blake and J.P. drive each other. They were just striking it, hitting the ball well and putting well. Not a whole lot of things were going wrong. Right now we're just trying to keep a laid back atmosphere and keep them having fun. We don’t want them to take it too seriously. I can tell they’re having fun, relaxing and enjoying it."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Lee's Summit North 3
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (7-5, 6-2), Paul Province (6-1, 6-0), Alec Barber (7-5, 2-6, 10-8) and John Duffy (6-1, 6-4).
Doubles wins: Province/Barber (6-3, 6-3) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (5-7, 6-1, 11-9).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "We won two of the three matches that went to three sets. I think their confidence was big (in those matches). The Martin brothers started out bad, but they’re getting confidence that no matter what happens in the beginning they can come back. The two that we won were both really close. It was nice to see them tough it out and not fold. Paul just dominated his match. He’s looking good. It’s just fun to see kids get better."
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit 1, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars were on the short end of another close game, as Lee's Summit Gabby Fleck scored the lone goal of the game about 12 minutes into the second half.
South head coach Todd Findley: "They’re (Lee's Summit) a deep team with a lot of speed and some really dangerous weapons. The girls battled, worked hard, did everything I asked them to do, we just can’t find that goal. Freshman Alex Carpenter had a fantastic night in goal. Jordan (McNamara) and Lexi (Meyer) did a good job in back. We just didn’t get enough chances. Last year they beat us 4-1 and 3-0, so it’s still a loss, but we feel like we’re getting better. We need to find those two or three girls to put us on their backs and score some goals.”
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 4
Boys Tennis: St. Joseph Central Tournament
No. 1 singles - Chris Hammond - 2-1, 2nd place
No. 2 singles - Alec Barber - 1-2, 7th place
No. 1 doubles - John Duffy/Paul Province - 2-1, 3rd place
No. 2 doubles - Alex Martin/Jared Martin - 2-1, 2nd place
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "I’m really pleased. Traditionally, there are some strong teams there. I thought we came out and played really well. A couple of them got down early in their matches and came back and won, building them some confidence. I’ve never played Paul and John together and they ended up playing really well together. Jared and Alex are just getting better every time they play together."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 3
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit North 2, Blue Springs South 0
Notes and stats: The Jaguars were able to stick close with one of the top teams in the state but were unable to break through with a goal. The Broncos took a 1-0 lead at the half with an early goal on a corner kick and with 12 minutes to play in the game Oklahoma State-signee Allie Stephenson got loose for the second goal.
South head coach Todd Findley: "We marked Stephenson and did a great job. She just got 1 yard of space in the second half and does what she does and laced a shot to the top shelf. We sat back in a good defensive shape and the girls did a really good job with it. We had a few good looks at goal and played relatively good defense, they're just that good."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 2
Boys Golf:
Blue Springs South 151, Pembroke Hill 157
Blake Windsor - 35, medalist
J.P. Derksen - 37
Joe Hanes - 37
Zack Kurth - 42
South head coach Mike McGown: "We've worked real hard at the end of last week with him (Hanes) and Kurth on their short game, getting up and down, chipping and putting, and hopefully, that paid off because they played much better. I think the team is in a really good place right now. They're all comfortable and confident. I just hope their confidence level stays where it is and they keep bringing their scores down."
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 17, Lee's Summit North 7
Notes and stats: Chad Worman picked up his first win of the season on the mound and got plenty of run support. The Jaguars scored at least one run in every inning behind several offensive stars. Dallas Herrmann hit a three-run homer, his first of the year, and added five RBI. Jared Ginter was 4-for-4 and Cale Benson went 3-for-5.
South head coach Ben Baier: "It's always good to get a conference win. I thought we played pretty solid for most of the game, but we had trouble in the fifth and sixth innings in terms of pitching and playing defense. We will need to clean that up if we want to be successful down the road. I thought the kids did a nice job at the plate today."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, March 29
Girls Soccer:
Ray-Pec 2, Blue Springs South 1
Notes: A pair of goals in the first 25 minutes by the Panthers forced the Jaguars to play from behind most of the night. A goal from long range by Beth Landon cut the deficit in half but despite having the wind in its favor and a handful of opportunities the rest of the half, South was never able to tie the game.
South head coach Todd Findley: "I'm pretty happy as far as losses go with how we played. I felt like we really followed the game plan well, got some chances, won a few corners and we even threw a third forward up late in the game. With a minute or two left to play we had a corner kick and a ball roll right across the box and had a good chance at it. I feel like we keep making strides."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 9, Ray-Pec 0
Singles wins: Paul Province (6-1, 7-5), Alex Martin (6-4, 6-2), Alec Barber (6-1, 6-1), John Duffy (6-3, 6-4), Jared Martin (6-0, 6-0) and Brent Henderson (6-3, 6-0).
Doubles wins: Chris Hammond/Duffy (6-2, 6-3), Province/Barber (6-1, 6-2) and Jose Garchitorena/Lake Kinzel (6-2, 7-6 (7-0))
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "It was a great way to open our conference season. The guys played really strong. I had a few guys on that varsity-JV bubble and they got to come up and get their first varsity win. That was fun for them."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, March 28
Boys Golf: Longview Golf Course (Par 36)
Blue Springs South 146, Lee's Summit West 151
Blake Windsor - 36
Blair Sanders - 36
J.P. Derksen - 37
Zack Kurth - 37
South head coach Mike McGown: "They did an awesome job. It doesn’t get much better. We’re trying to get the boys comfortable with that course for districts and get them as much knowledge as we can. (The key) was fairways and greens. We checked their stats when they got done. When you hit that many greens and fairways that doesn’t make it as difficult. All you have to do is two-putt."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs South 6, Truman 3
Singles wins: Chris Hammond (10-1), Paul Province (10-0), John Duffy (10-7) and Jared Martin (10-1).
Doubles wins: Province/Alec Barber (10-4) and Jared Martin/Alex Martin (10-1).
South head coach Sheri Rehmer: "It’s a team we lost to last year the first time we played them. We came out and Chris and Paul just got off to really great starts, and so did Jared. It felt great. It feels really good, especially against a district opponent."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, March 27
Baseball:
Blue Springs South 9, Lawrence 7
Notes and stats: The Jaguars defeated Baseball America's No. 25-ranked team in the country with a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning. The Jaguars had fallen behind 7-6 when Lawrence posted a four-run bottom of the sixth. Brett Valentine picked up the win in relief, while Colton Pogue and Dallas Herrmann each had three hits. All of Pogue's hits were doubles, as he drove in three runs.
South head coach Ben Baier: "I was happy to see how the guys responded tonight. After falling behind twice to a team like this, it would have been easy to roll over, but they didn't. Even going into the last inning, the guys believed they could get it done and they executed well. I was proud of the effort tonight."
Girls Soccer:
Staley 4, Blue Springs South 1
Notes and stats: The Jaguars stayed close with the Falcons for 70 minutes before Staley was able to notch two goals in the final 10 minutes for a closer-than-it-finished victory. Freshman Emily Griffin tied the game at 1-all in the 34th minute for South, but the Falcons took a 2-1 halftime lead with a goal just before the break.
South head coach Todd Findley: "Our goal from Emily put us back in it. We're not a great, dynamic goal-scoring team and that was positive. That goal before half hurt us. But I thought we bounced back. We came out in the second half and improved our work rate and really worked hard. It was a nip-and-tuck game until the 70th minute when we had a little defensive breakdown and they had a nice finish."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, March 26
Boys Golf: Klint Andrews Invitational at Longview Golf Course
J.P. Derksen – 72
Blake Windsor – 75
Blair Sanders – 81
Zack Kurth – 83
Team score: 311 – Second place
South head coach Mike McGown: “I was happy with J.P. He’s been here, there and everywhere, was away during spring break, had other commitments, so I'm happy with his score. Blake is starting to come around after basketball. … Basically what I’m looking for is consistency. I found it in most of them. Our putts per round are coming down. We want to keep them on an even keel and keep big numbers off the scorecard. It’s all about damage control.”
 |
Blue Springs South's Brett Valentine throws a pitch in the
top of the seventh inning of Monday's game against
Liberty. The Blue Jays pulled out a 12-9 win.
|
Liberty 12,
Blue Springs South 9
Notes and stats: Liberty broke an 8-all tie in the top of the seventh with four runs for the win. South finished with 11 hits, including home runs from sophomores Colton Pogue and Cale Benson.
South head coach Ben Baier: "We didn't pitch as well as we hope to tonight. I thought we did a pretty decent job of swinging the bats and competing in the field, but we didn't get it done on the bump. It's tough to beat a good team like Liberty when you are constantly pitching from behind in the count. We will learn from this and move forward.”
Monday, March 19
South soccer comeback falls short
The Blue Springs South girls soccer team had a roller-coaster of a ride in its season-opener Friday at home against Raytown before falling short, 3-2.
It started poorly, as the Jaguars fell behind 2-0 in the first half when the Blue Jays scored two goals in the final eight minutes of the half.
"In the first half, against a strong wind, we did a great job of defending and possessing, but they have a talented scorer (Jessica Herrman) that was a handful for our backs," South head coach Todd Findley said. "Even with two or three defenders on her, Jessica is so skilled and fast that she was able to create a goal and score the other."
Things started to look better in the second half, though, for South, as they got two goals from Kelly Voigt in a 15-minute span - one on an assist from Jordan McNamara - to tie the game at 2-all.
Findley said his team controlled play in the second half.
"We won most every goal kick and punt and put a lot of pressure on them," he said.
Despite controlling the play for most of the half, Herrman was able to get loose in the 71st minute for the game-changing play.
"Momentum was in our favor when a foul in the box allowed Herrman to hit a penalty kick and put us away," Findley said.
South (0-1) will return to action Tuesday at Staley.
