Baseball:
Blue Springs 7, Raytown 2
Notes and stats: The Wildcats took the lead from the start, scoring three runs in the first with the help of a Nick Dorman two-run single. Kyle Reed finished with two hits and two RBI, while sophomore Brett Barbeck got the win, throwing six innings.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "We only had six hits but we got them in some key situations. Brett has been a spot starter for us and this was his best outing of the year. He threw the ball well. ... This was a good confidence builder and now we have a good Grain Valley team Saturday in districts. We have to be ready. There are no easy games from the first round to the finals. We'll see a quality opponent every step of the way."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, May 9
Baseball:
Blue Springs 9, Truman 5
Notes and stats: The Wildcats busted out their big bats Wednesday, clubbing four homers, including two in the sixth inning to extend their 6-5 lead to 9-5. Kyle Reed had two solo homers, including one in the sixth. David Stober hit his two-run shot in the sixth and Nick Gulotta added a two-run homer as well. Gulotta and Reed each finished with four hits. Stober also went six innings on the mound for the win, as Blue Springs improved to 13-9 overall.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "Those three guys (Reed, Stober and Gulotta) drove in eight runs. We hit the ball well. I’m glad we came back strong tonight (after losing to Lee's Summit North Monday). The wind wasn’t really blowing much … but the homers we hit, they were going to be gone no matter what. They popped them pretty good."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, May 8
Baseball:
Lee's Summit North 8, Blue Springs 3
Notes and stats: The Broncos turned a 4-3 game going into the seventh into a more comfortable win with a four-run seventh. Corban Hare had a pair of doubles for the Wildcats, who fell to 12-9 overall and 6-4 in conference.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "They hit a home run and then bunched together a few hits (in the seventh) and the next thing you know they had four runs. The seventh got away from us. We made a few mistakes here or there that cost us. We left too many runners on base and only had six hits. It’s hard to win when you’re not hitting."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, May 7
Boys Tennis: Class 2, District 14 quarterfinals
Blue Springs 5, Lee's Summit 1
Singles wins: Max Martell (7-5, 6-2), Dan Noud (6-1, 2-6, 7-5), Ashton Rhodes (6-2, 6-1), Chad Stohlman (6-0, 6-2) and Andy Anderson (6-0, 6-3).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "We were up 4-1 and Dan got down 2-5 in the third set, and the kid he was playing was always coming to the net. He had to try passing shots and lobs. I told him to keep lobbing the guy and to get him off the net. He started winning points and pretty soon points turned into games. Once he got it to 5-5 you could see the momentum shift. He played every point like it was his last. ... After the match we talked about strategy and things we need to do against (Blue Springs) South tomorrow. I told them they just have to leave it all out there."
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs 4, Raytown South 0
Notes and stats: The Wildcats got three goals from senior Bailey Hensley to lead them to a win and improve to 6-9-1 overall.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "I think we’ve got a chance to give Liberty a game tomorrow. It’s a big week to get through with no injuries. If we can take another win I’ll take one."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, May 1
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs 3, Pembroke Hill 1
Notes and stats: The Wildcats waited until the end but they were finally able to break free of the Raiders late in the second half, breaking a 1-all halftime tie with two goals in the final 5 minutes for the win. Kailey Micek had the first goal for Blue Springs. Freshman Beka Lowrey had the game-winner on an assist from Bailey Hensley, who had the third and final goal. The Wildcats are now 5-8-1 on the season.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "The whole game was a struggle. We didn’t put things together. I don’t know if we were looking past the game or what, but the girls were very slack tonight. We had been creating stuff; we just couldn’t finish. They were man-marking Bailey. She was able to get behind them late and cross it and Beka had a great finish in the upper 90. Bailey finally got free. I think we just took them a little lightly but we can’t do that against Lee’s Summit North (Thursday)."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 30
Baseball:
Blue Springs 3, Lee's Summit North 2
Notes and stats: The Wildcats got another strong pitching performance, this time from David Stober, as he pitched a complete game to pick up the win. He also worked out of two big james. Blue Springs went ahead 2-0 in the first inning but ended up needing game-winning RBI single from Nick Dorman in the top of the sixth to improve to 11-7 overall and 5-2 in conference.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "Stober got stronger as the game went on. They had the bases loaded in the bottom of the third and Stober picked off a guy at first to end the inning. In the sixth they had runners on second and third with no outs and he got a strikeout, fly ball and a grounder to first, so he worked out of that jam. We made some plays when we needed them.The pitching is coming around. Hopefully, it can continue."
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs 8, Platte County 1
Singles wins: Max Martell (10-7), Dan Noud (10-8), Chad Stohlman (10-8), Ashton Rhodes (10-0) and Andy Anderson (10-5).
Doubles wins: Martell/Mitchell Wilhoit (10-7), Noud/Anderson (11-10 (7-2)) and Stohlamn/Rhodes (10-2).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "We were always up one game, but it was important for our guys to close it out. It was a good lead-in to get some confidence before we play South tomorrow. Mitchell Wilhoit got to step up (from JV) and play doubles with Max. Mitchell has always been a good doubles player and is quick at the net. I was very pleased with his performance."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 26
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs 2, Notre Dame De Sion 0 (See pictures in 'Photo Galleries' tab)
Notes and stats: The Wildcats led 1-0 at the half thanks to a goal from Brittany AuBuchon that went through the goalkeepers hands. Senior Bailey Hensley added the second goal late in the second half to put the game away. Blue Springs is now 4-8-1.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "It (the first goal) was a gift. The keeper made an error and we got lucky. Bailey got the ball on her goal at midfield and dribbled all the way through and put it away. It’s a little bit of belief (with the team now). We’ve been in a lot of games … now we’ve been in them and we’ve won a couple. At least they know they can stay in games."
Baseball:
Columbia Hickman 8, Blue Springs 2
Notes and stats: Blue Springs was unable to get much going on offense and Corban Hare took the loss on the mound to drop the Wildcats to 10-7, as they were unable to keep their hot streak going.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "I'm a little disappointed in the way we played. We had a great week going and then we laid an egg tonight. We just weren't ready to play baseball."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 25
Boys Golf: Class 4, District 8 Tournament at Fred Arbanas Golf Course
Christian Balmer - 86 (Qualified for Class 4, Sectional 4 Tournament)
Josh Whitt - 88 (Qualified)
Taylor Schick - 89 (Qualified)
Zac Clark - 94
Nathan Podjenski - 94
Team score: 357, 5th place
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "They (Christian, Josh and Taylor) were very excited. It’s been kind of a struggle this year and to come up in the biggest tournament they’ve played in so far and play well enough to advance I’m sure is gratifying for them. Relatively, these (scores) were a little bit better. I think the course played hard. I told them before they went out that they can’t have a pre-conceived number. The number (to qualify) is always higher than people think. They made some mistakes along the way but they hung in there and snuck through."
Baseball:
Blue Springs 7, Lee's Summit 3
Notes and stats: The Wildcats got down 2-0 in the first inning but didn't stay down long, scoring four runs in the second inning and tacking on three more in the fourth. Kyle Reed and Corban Hare each had two-run doubles and David Stober added an RBI single. Jay Corwin pitched a complete game for the win. Blue Springs is now 10-6 overall and 4-2 in conference.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "Right now we’re playing good baseball. It’s gratifying. We’re clicking. That’s two complete games (on the mound) in two days. Jay gave up nine hits but he didn’t walk anybody, and after the first he only gave up four hits. After the first inning he settled down and he only needed 69 pitches. He was pretty efficient."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 24
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs 1, Lee's Summit 0
Notes and stats: The Wildcat defense was able to hold off the Tigers long enough for Gabi Severns to notch her first high school goal in the 70th minute for the game-winner. Blue Springs improved to 3-8-1.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "It was a nice finish (by Gabi). She got through and with two or three touches she scored it. It was a really nice goal. They probably had a little bit more of the play than we did. We played a little more defensive in the first half and opened up in the second half a little more. The defense was stellar. I can’t remember the last time we beat Lee's Summit, especially at their place. We’ve been in games like Lee's Summit North and Ray-Pec but not won any of the big games, so we talked about how before the season ended we wanted to win a big game and we did that tonight. That’s a stellar win."
Baseball:
Blue Springs 8, Liberty North 2
Notes and stats: The Wildcats made a late rally, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 2-1 deficit. After a walk and one-out double, an infield single that was followed by a throwing error gave Blue Springs the lead. David Stober followed with an RBI single and Brian Burasco scored two with a double to seal the win. Stober also went the distance on the mound for the win. The Wildcats improved to 9-6.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "We got some good pitching and timely hitting. Stober was just throwing strikes. He kept the ball down and we played good defense behind him. He was pretty efficient in his pitches. The guys bounced back tonight from the loss to Blue Valley North Saturday. We're looking for consistency."
Boys Tennis:
Liberty 6, Blue Springs 3
Singles wins: Max Martell (7-5, 6-1) and Dan Noud (6-3, 6-7, 6-2).
Doubles wins: Tyler Casey/Martell (6-4, 6-1).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "We couldn't come around in doubles. We're all watching Dan Noud fight so we can be competitive in doubles (and only be down 4-2). He's done this three times for us. He came back and won it while we're all watching. I'm very proud of him. He's a clutch player. Tyler and Max played one of the best doubles matches I've seen him them play. They played the net well and hit some good groundstrokes."
Baseball: River City Festival
Blue Springs 16, Shawnee Mission West 6
Notes and stats: The Wildcats erased an early 5-2 deficit with a six-run fourth and a five-run fifth to take control of the game. David Stober led a 20-hit attack with three singles. Brian Burasco, Kyle Reed, Nick Gulotta, Corban Hare and Matt Morrison all had two hits apiece. Bill Slivinski picked up the win in relief.
Blue Valley North 14, Blue Springs 12
Notes and stats: Blue Springs fell behind 8-3 before scoring eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead 11-8. Blue Valley North battled right back in the sixth with five runs, which would be enough for the win. The Wildcats finished with four errors. Reed had four hits, including three doubles. They are now 8-6 on the season.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "It was a good weekend. We played well in the first two games. I was disappointed in our focus for the first four innings against Blue Valley North and it ended up costing us at the end of the game."
DAILY SCORES: Friday, April 20
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs 9, Kearney 0
Singles wins: Tyler Casey (8-2), Max Martell (8-0), Dan Noud (8-6), Ashton Rhodes (9-7), Chad Stohlman (8-3) and Andy Anderson (8-4).
Doubles wins: Casey/Martell (8-6), Noud/Anderson (8-2) and Rhodes/Stohlman (8-2).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "It was a good confidence builder for our guys. They all played well. I think they can take away from this that they just need to walk onto a court with confidence and believe they can hit and play with everyone. ... We talked with them a little bit about handling choking. You can’t get in their head and make them relax. Mental skills a big part of the game and we’re getting them to welcome and embrace the pressure. Ashton got a little tight in his singles match but he was able to fight through it. He left it all on the court."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 19
Boys Track & Field: Lee's Summit North Two-Hour Invite
Top finishers:
Jacob Peister - 1st, triple jump, 43 feet, 1 inch
Danny Thompson - 3rd, pole vault, 12-6
Dominic Piccinini - 3rd, 400-meter dash
1,600-meter relay - 2nd
Wildcats head coach Joe Cusack: "We held out quite a few guys for KU (Relays) this weekend. This meet showed us we have a little more depth in our relays. We now feel we’re a solid six-deep (in the 1,600), maybe even seven if we need to."
Baseball: River City Festival
Blue Springs 5, Shawnee Mission East 3
Notes and stats: Kyle Reed put the Wildcats in front 2-0 in the first with a homer and started a three-run rally in the sixth that broke a 2-all tie with a double. David Stober had an RBI single in the inning and Nick Dorman provided a two-run double. Jay Corwin got the win with six solid innings and Taylor Cross picked up the save. Blue Springs is now 7-5.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "We finally started hitting the ball with runners in scoring position and two outs. We got a couple of key hits. It was a good win for us. ... That’s one thing about this group, they don’t quit (when teams come back). They keep coming at you. That’s a good quality to have."
Girls Soccer:
Ray-Pec 2, Blue Springs 1
Notes and stats: The Wildcats trailed 1-0 at the half but tied things up in the second half with a Bailey Hensley goal. The Panthers would eventually pick up the game-winner with about 6 minutes to play. Blue Springs is now 2-8-1.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "We played defensively most of the game and halfway through the second half we opened it up and got the tying goal. The last 7 minutes I said, 'let’s go for it.' We decided we were on a roll at the time. I think it (the game-winner) was a corner that bounced in the box three or four times and they had someone side foot it in the upper 90. She just got to it first and put it away. It was just a loose ball. We came down with a couple of chances in the final minutes with a similar situation but couldn’t get it in. We’re a little smarter and more mature (since the first meeting). We bounced back. We’re starting to get a little bit more confidence in our ability."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 18
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| Blue Springs' Nathan Podjenski hits his tee shot on hole No. 17 at the Blue Springs Country Club during Wednesday's 18-hole match against Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit. Podjenski shot an 86. |
Lee's Summit North 314
Blue Springs 346
Lee's Summit 356
Christian Balmer - 84
Nathan Podjenski - 86
Kyle Finley - 88
Zac Clark - 88
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "This might have been the first time we've had four guys shoot in the 80's. We're improving but within each nine holes we'll have a 41 and a 47. If we can shoot two 41's and everyone does it, then you're competitive. On the bad nine we usually have a couple of bad holes. We're doing some better things."
Boys Tennis:
Barstow 5, Blue Springs 4
Singles wins: Max Martell (10-7), Chad Stohlman (10-7) and Andy Anderson (10-3).
Doubles wins: Stohlman/Ashton Rhodes (8-4).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "The kids played really good tennis. After you get beat you tend to want to make up for that loss and play harder. Max Martell played exceptionally well. He came back with a vengeance (after being sick Monday). It was a hard-hitting, a lot of coming to the net and long points. Max prevailed in some of the key points."
DAILY SCORES: Monday, April 16
Girls Soccer:
Blue Springs 2, Truman 0
Notes and stats: Blue Springs led 1-0 at the half on a goal from Beka Lowrey. Bailey Hensley all but put the game away with a goal in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "I thought we could have been up more at the half. We had a lot of chances and didn’t put them away. They (Truman) stepped up their game in the second half. I still felt like we were in control, and our second goal was with about 13 minutes left. ... If we can we’d like two, three, four more goal scorers. Right now Bailey has nine of our 12 goals, so it’s good that Beka stepped up. It was a bomb from 30 yards out. It’s always nice when other people score."
Baseball:
Blue Springs 22, Ray-Pec 2 - 5 innings
Notes and stats: The Wildcats offense was on fire early and often, as they scored eight runs in the first, seven in the second and six in the third. Nick Dorman had the games big hit, crushing a grand slam. Kyle Reed had three hits and five RBI. Eight different Wildcat hitters had at least two hits, as they finished with 20 as a team. Corban Hare got the win on the mound.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "They walked a few in the first inning and we got some timely hits. Everybody in the lineup had at least one hit. We got on a roll and took it to them. We've got a pretty decent hitting team. We just have to be more consistent."
WEEKEND SCORES: Saturday, April 14
Boys Tennis: Truman Tournament
First place - Barstow, 34 points
Second place - Blue Springs, 25 points
Third place - Truman, 23 1/2 points
A singles - Tyler Casey - 2-1, 3rd
B singles - Max Martell - 3-0, 1st
A doubles - Andy Anderson/Dan Noud - 1-2, 4th
B doubles - Chad Stohlman/Ashton Rhodes - 2-1, 3rd
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "We were close to finishing fourth, but Tyler Casey earned enough points for us in the last match by finishing third to get us a second-place trophy. It was a good day despite the weather being a bit unsettling in the beginning. Max Martell was behind in his second match ... but he preserved to win that match and played outstanding in his final match against Zach Felz from Truman."
DAILY SCORES: Friday, April 13
Baseball:
Lee's Summit West 5, Blue Springs 1
Notes and stats: The Wildcats struggled to get much offense going against West's Matt Hall, as they could muster just four hits. Blue Springs moved to 5-5 overall.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "We had a couple of good opportunities and Hall did a good job pitching out of it. We had the bases loaded with no outs in the third down 2-0 and grounded into a 3-2-3 double play and ended up not scoring that inning. We need to keep battling and we will be fine."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 12
Boys Golf: Liberty Tournament
Kyle Finley - 80
Zac Clark - 87
Nathan Podjenski - 93
Christian Balmer - 96
Team score: 356
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "He (Kyle) had a good day. I felt like he left a couple shots out there, but the attitude is encouraging in the sense that he felt like he could have done better. I'd like to see us continue to improve (in our two matches next week). We play a good course Monday in the Kansas City Country Club, and then we're back home Wednesday before we have a couple of days of practice to get ready for conference. Everybody is improving a little bit. That's all you can ask for."
DAILY SCORES: Wednesday, April 11
Boys Golf:
Pembroke Hill 165, Blue Springs 168
Nathan Podjenski - 38
Christian Balmer - 41
Josh Whitt - 44
Kyle Finley - 45
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "We played a little bit better. Nate played good with a 38. That was nice to see. I think we’re improving. We need to make some pretty big strides in the next week or two. Hopefully, we can have everybody play good on the same day at the Liberty Tournament (Thursday) and see where we’re at. It’d be nice to see two or three kids below 85. If we can get down somewhere near 330 (as a team), I think that would be a pretty good day for us."
DAILY SCORES: Tuesday, April 10
Boys Tennis:
North Kansas City 6, Blue Springs 3
Singles wins: Dan Noud (11-9), Chad Stohlman (10-5) and Andy Anderson (10-1).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "Dan fought hard. There were match points for both players more than one time. Everybody was off the court except for Dan and we were really hoping to get that third singles win to take the pressure off our doubles teams. He pulled it out. I'm really proud of him. We had our opportunities (to win the match). We were up the whole match in two singles matches that we lost and our No. 1 doubles team was up 7-4 at one point. We need to work on our volleying and net play. We have to get off the baseline. We have to focus on being mentally tough."
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit North 3, Blue Springs 2
Notes and stats: Blue Springs' Bailey Hensley gave her team leads of 1-0 and 2-1 against the Broncos but they were unable to hold either lead. The Broncos tied the game at 2-all by halftime and scored the game-winner midway through the second half. The Wildcats are now 1-7-1.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "They knock it around, so you go for long periods where you don’t see the ball. They didn’t create many chances. I was very pleased with our performance to keep them that way. They got a penalty kick and a set piece, so they really only created one goal. They got a dubious PK and a questionable free kick on top of the box. We defended most of the game but Bailey got two opportunities. On the first one she ran at the defense and just beat three or four players."
No. 1 singles - Tyler Casey - 1-1, 2nd place
No. 2 singles - Max Martell - 2-0, 1st place
No. 1 doubles - Dan Noud/Andy Anderson - 2-0, 1st place
No. 2 doubles - Ashton Rhodes/Chad Stohlman - 2-0, 1st place
Team finish: 1st, 23 points
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "It’s a good warm-up match for North Kansas City (Tuesday). We got medals and a team plaque, so it was a good day. Tyler had a close match with Travis Hopkins of Ray-Pec. He lost 2-6 in the first set but rallied back to 5-5 in the second set before losing 5-7. He’s definitely improving. He almost likes it better when there is more pressure. He’s working on his mental game and getting his first serve in. My doubles teams are building a record, getting confidence, figuring out where they should be on the court, and that definitely helps."
Boys Golf: Blue Springs South Tournament
Zac Clark - 81
Kyle Finley - 87
Nathan Podjenski - 87
Taylor Schick - 90
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "Zac played well and actually, Kyle and Nate played a little bit better. They had some bad holes but there (front and back) 9s were consistent. That’s in the right direction. Those other guys need to get around 81 and then you get competitive. He (Clark) had a rough stretch in the middle and just kept battling and turned it around. He played his last five holes one-under. They’re starting to understand what it takes. If you have a couple of bad holes you can’t give up, especially in an 18-hole tournament."
Baseball:
Liberty 6, Blue Springs 1
Notes and stats: The Wildcats got off to a good start with a run in the first inning but the Blue Jays came right back with three of their own. From there, the team struggled to get anything going at the plate, only tallying six hits for the game.
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "We only had six hits and we couldn’t bunch anything together. We had three in the first, so we only had three in the last six innings. That made it tough to get anything going. We couldn’t get the big base hit. We held them to six hits but we had a few walks, so they had people on base when they got their hits. I didn’t feel we had a lot energy."
Baseball: Jefferson City Tournament
Eureka 12, Blue Springs 2
Blue Springs 11, Jefferson City Helias 5
Wildcats head coach Marc Hines: "Eureka, they were 6-1 or 7-1 coming into the game and their No. 2 starting pitcher we faced is going to Missouri State. And they hit the ball real well. Nine of their 13 hits were for extra bases. I was really pleased with Saturday. We ended up with 17 hits."
DAILY SCORES: Thursday, April 5
Boys Golf: Park Hill Tournament
Nathan Podjenski - 85
Kyle Finley - 87
Taylor Schick - 92
Zac Clark - 98
Team score: 362
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "They (Podjenski and Finley) played a little bit better, so hopefully, they turned the corner. Kyle shoots 47-40. If he can shoot two 40s he’s in pretty good shape. But he had three holes on one side that killed him. Hopefully, we’ll get better."
Boys Tennis:
Liberty North 6, Blue Springs 3
Singles wins: Max Martell (10-7), Dan Noud (11-9) and Ashton Rhodes (10-7).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "It was a little closer than the score indicates. It came down to doubles. We need to work on our net game a little bit more. It was close but it was the team at the net that eventually won the point. That’s what it comes down to in doubles. It’s really hard to teach, especially to a guy who loves to sit on the baseline and hit balls. They need to work on getting their first. We learned a lot today."
Girls Soccer:
Platte County 5, Blue Springs 2
Notes and stats: Bailey Hensley notched both goals for the Wildcats, now 1-6-1, as they trailed just 2-1 at halftime before Platte County scored two goals in the first 5 minutes of the second half to make it 4-1. Hensley's second goal made it 4-2 but the Wildcats never got any closer.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "We had a good five or six chances when it was 4-2 but couldn’t put them away. We’ve played better. We came out a little more offensive minded because I thought we could handle the game. We just didn’t put things together. It was just a broken performance."
DAILY SCORES - Tuesday, April 3
Baseball:
Blue Springs 4, Park Hill 1
Notes and stats: Jay Corwin shut down the Trojan offense, throwing six solid innings and striking out seven, while Taylor Cross picked up the save. Offensively, Wylson Lamb had three hits and two stolen bases to lead the way. The Wildcats are now 2-2 overall.
Boys Tennis:
Lee's Summit West 8, Blue Springs 1
Doubles wins: Dan Noud/Andy Anderson (10-8).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "Noud and Anderson are quickly becoming a team that is thinking alike, they know where the other is on the court and they're learning to play the net well. They just play their hearts out. It was an exciting match to watch. Lee's Summit West is probably the toughest opponent we'll play all season. We showed a lot of spunk and fight. The scores were indicative of a lot of good play and perseverance."
DAILY SCORES - Monday, April 2
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs 8, Ray-Pec 1
Singles wins: Tyler Casey (10-1), Max Martell (10-1), Ashton Rhodes (10-3), Chad Stohlman (10-2) and Andy Anderson (10-2).
Doubles wins: Casey/Martell (8-6), Dan Noud/Anderson (8-5) and Rhodes/Stohlman (8-2).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "Our doubles have improved on a daily basis. We're getting a lot better on our first serves, which is key, and our net play is better. Casey and Martell were down 2-5 and found a way to come back. It was a great win and a good confidence builder. Dan Noud and Anderson were down 1-4 and they came back as well."
DAILY SCORES - Thursday, March 29
Boys Tennis:
Blue Springs 7, Lee's Summit 2
Singles wins: Max Martell (6-2, 6-2), Dan Noud (6-1, 6-1), Ashton Rhodes (6-0, 6-0), Chad Stohlman (6-2, 7-6 (7-5)) and Andy Anderson (6-4, 6-3).
Doubles wins: Noud/Anderson (8-4) and Rhodes/Stohlman (8-4).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "This was an excellent conference win. Our top three are getting lots of match experience, especially our No. 1 doubles team who is learning to play the net better and get more aggressive. Ashton Rhodes, ever since the (Mo-Kan) Tournament, he's caught on fire. He's on a mission this season."
Girls Soccer:
Lee's Summit 3, Blue Springs 1
Notes and stats: The Wildcats trailed 2-0 at halftime but just like Tuesday's loss to Ray-Pec, it could have been just 1-0. The Tigers scored a goal with 4 minutes left in the first half - just like Tuesday - and were never able to catch all the way up. Bailey Hensley got the Wildcats on the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 2-1 before the Tigers put the game away in the final minutes with another goal.
Wildcats head coach Doug McLagan: "If it was 1-0 at halftime, maybe the second half could have been interesting. We played really well in the second half. It was a much better performance. They could have folded after Tuesday's game, especially after going down 2-0 the same way. We made some adjustments and were more offensive-minded in the second half."
DAILY SCORES - Wednesday, March 28
Boys Golf: Swope Memorial Golf Course
Rockhurst 314, Lee's Summit North 330, Lee's Summit 367, Blue Springs 370
Christian Balmer - 91
Nathan Podjenski - 91
Kyle Finley - 93
Josh Whitt - 95
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: "The golf course played a little harder than Monday at Longview. The rough was really deep. We didn’t do a very good job of keeping it in the fairway. Consequently, those add up fast. That’s the problem right now. If they can eliminate that they’ll be a little more competitive."
DAILY SCORES - Tuesday, March 27
Boys Tennis: Blue Springs 8, Ray-Pec 1
Singles wins: Max Martell (10-1), Dan Noud (10-6), Ashton Rhodes (10-8), Chad Stohlman (10-1), Andy Anderson (10-2).
Doubles wins: Tyler Casey/Martell (10-7), Noud/Anderson (10-4), Rhodes/Stohlman (10-0).
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: "I think that really helped them (playing Monday). This was Ray-Pec’s first match. We got a lot of the jitters out yesterday and we learned a lot. I’m especially proud of our No. 1 doubles team. They had their hands full yesterday. We worked on getting them more aggressive and coming to the net. They were down 0-3 and a light came on. They started to pump each other up more and came back and won. Now they know they can do it."
DAILY SCORES - Monday, March 26
Boys Tennis: Mo-Kan Invitational
Blue Springs 5, Bishop Miege 4
Blue Springs 8, Blue Valley Southwest 1
Blue Springs 7, St. James Academy 2
Blue Springs 7, North Kansas City 2
Notes: Ashton Rhodes and Chad Stohlman were perfect on the
day. Rhodes was 4-0 at No. 4 singles, while Stohlman had the same record at No.
5. The two also combined to go 4-0 in doubles.
Wildcats head coach Jody McClain: “The boys got match-tough
today. It was a good team effort, especially the lower part of the team in
singles and doubles. There were some jitters and the mental game really kicks
in. Until you are in that pressure of match play it’s hard to simulate that.
They got tough by the end of the day.”
Boys Golf: Klint Andrews Invitational at Longview Golf Course
Zac Clark – 87
Christian Balmer – 88
Josh Whitt – 88
Kyle Finley – 97
Team score: 359
Wildcats head coach Tom Round: “It’s hard to evaluate right
now. We get back after spring break when we had a couple of people gone and the
weather was really bad last week, so we didn't get to practice much. At the same time there were an awful lot of
good scores today. We just have to improve. I watched various players at
various points and we just give away too many shots. We’re in position to make
pars or bogeys and we’re making doubles and triples. We need to get rid of all those
loose shots.”
Monday, March 19
Wildcat track teams start season with six firsts
Both the boys and girls track and field teams for Blue Springs High School claimed three first place performances Monday, as they opened the season at the University of Central Missouri Indoor Meet.
Deiondre Hall and Simon Belete appeared to be in midseason form Monday, wiping away their competition.
Belete won the two-mile with a time of 9 minutes, 44 seconds, winning by 27 seconds. Hall won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 7 inches, eclipsing second place by 2 inches. He was also third in the long jump with a distance of 23-3.
In the 4x440-meter relay, the team of Chris Clark, Jacob Belke, Kaleb Prewett and Erron Holley took first with a time of 3:39.33.
Other solid performances were Holley taking second in the 55-meter dash, James Barnett and Stephen Mugeche taking second and third, respectively, in the mile, and Belke finishing fourth in the 400-meter dash.
For the girls, Megan Wright picked up where she left off last season, winning the pole vault by clearing 11 feet, while freshman Gabby Hall made her first high school meet one to remember by winning the 400 with a time of 1:00.19.
In the relays, the sprint team of Ronay Coleman, Hall, Re'yven Lawrence and Jessica Lawson won the 4x220 with a time of 1:51.69. The 4x440 team of Stephanie Burasco, LIzzy Wendell, Shannon Danaher and Elizabeth Reynolds took third.
Cali Bissell was just behind Wright in the pole vault, taking second, Lawrence was third in the 55-meter dash, Megan Walker was fourth in the long jump and the Wildcats had a plethora of fifth-place finishes including Tyra Bickham (shot put), Corinne Rinne (mile), Danaher (800) and Julia Montgomery (two-mile).
Both teams will be back in action Friday when they travel to Liberty for the Ron Ives Invitational.
