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by Michael Smith Grain Valley head girls track and field coach Nick Small mentioned that his team made some jokes during the annual team banquet. “We joked at the banquet that we’re are a field and track team this year,” Small said. The joke makes sense as the Eagles have had a lot of success in field events on both the boys and girls side. The boys qualified seven different events, with five of those being field events; while the girls qualified for six events for the Class 5 Sectional 2 meet, which will take place tomorrow at Mexico High School. The top four finishers in each event at the Class 5 District 4 meet advanced to sectionals. For Grain Valley, a large chunk of those qualifiers competed in field events. One of those such athletes was junior Blayden Pruett, who is the No. 1-ranked javelin thrower among boys in Missouri. During last weekend’s district meet, he took first with a throw of 184 feet. “My goal was to be No. 1 going into districts, sectionals and state,” Pruett said. “The season is going really well.” Pruett, who was all-state in javelin last season, has made some huge strides in the event by working on improving his flexibility. Last season, he had a groin issue and said that he was tight sometimes. Now that his flexibility has improved, he’s throwing the javelin much farther and has broken the school record in the process. “My body has been feeling great this season,” Pruett said. “I am always ready to throw. It’s been a lot of stretching a muscle building.” Senior Stylz Blackmon has been another boys athlete who has excelled in the field events. At districts, he qualified for sectionals in the shot put with a throw of 52 feet, 1 inch as he won the event. The key to his success, according to boys head coach Erik Stone, has been focusing on just one style of throwing the shot put and it’s worked out. He was working with the spin (shot put throwing technique) and couldn’t get it down,” Stone said. “Coach (David) Allie said, ‘Ok. Let’s just focus on the glide and he’s taken off since that was the main focus. He broke the school record at Fort Osage in three throws.” Other boys who will compete in field events tomorrow include junior Asa Keim in the pole vault (finished third at district with a height of 13 feet, 5.75 inches) and junior Tyler Melton in the triple jump (42 feet-2.25 inches, fourth place). Outside of the field events, the boys qualified two relays. The 4x800-meter relay team of senior Rylan Smith, junior Landon Barnes, Melton and Daniel Dent was second at districts with a time of 7:59.12. Smith, Barnes, Chase Anderson and Dent also punched their ticket to sectionals in the 4x400 following a fourth-place finish at 3:29.10. Smith also qualified in the 800-meter run after finishing third at districts at 1:57.90. The key for the Eagles relay teams has been its strong chemistry and continuity. “We have been running every day together,” Smith said. “We spend a lot of time together throughout the season and we work on our handoffs.” On the girls’ side, like Pruett, junior Alyssa Carver has a good shot at winning a state championship as she is ranked second in the pole vault with a height of 11 feet, 11.75 inches, which netted her first place at districts. “At districts, I hit my goal for the season,” Carver said. “It’s nice to see your hard work pay off. I didn’t think I was going to get it. I was surprised. I didn’t think I made it. But when I hit the mat, I saw the bar was still on. I got excited and started jumping up and down and clapping.” Senior McKenah Sears who had been one of the favorites to win the javelin event as a sophomore, will have one more crack at it this season. She will have to make it through sectionals first. She has the No. 3- and No. 6-ranked javelin throwers in the national in her district and sectional, so she has stiff competition on her way to state. She finished third at districts with a distance of 147 feet, 11.50 inches. She had missed her entire junior season due to a meniscus tear, and while her right knee is still not at 100 percent, her goal is still to win a state title. “My meniscus is still recovering,” Sears said. “It’s not as strong as I would like it to be. That’s what I am really working on is strengthening call the muscles in my knee. It took a long time to build a little bit of muscle. I am still working on that.” Other Eagles girls competing at sectionals are Izzie Salsman in the high jump (5 feet, 1 inch, third place at districts), Neveah Clausen in the 100-meter hurdles (16.89 seconds, third), Izabella west in the long jump (17 feet, 3 inches, fourth) and triple jump (36 feet, 5 inches, second) and Jaslynn Myers in the triple jump (33 feet, 5 inches, fourth). “Neveah is really on that line,” Small said of Claussen possible qualifying for state. “She really popped off this week and really put herself in this position. “We have a lot of interesting kids. Jazlynn Myers is a freshman, and I say this tongue in cheek, but she still doesn’t know what she’s doing. She came into that event a little later. We had some kids try new things. We put her in that event and she has taken it in stride.” Grain Valley junior Blayden Pruett, left, and senior McKenah Sears both qualified in the javelin event for the Class 5 Sectional 2 meet that will take place Saturday at Mexico High School. Pruett is ranked No. 1 in Missouri for the boys and Sears is ranked No. 3 on the girls' side. Photo credit; Michael Smith
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by Michael Smith
Grain Valley couldn’t have asked for a better start. The Eagles girls soccer game had their biggest game of the season in the Class 4 District 6 championship contest against Blue Springs South. Well, they came out swinging. Senior Emma Thiessen made a free kick near the sideline on a cross that snuck inside the far post to give the Eagles a 1-0 edge during the 1st minute. From there, it was all Blue Springs South as it scored three unanswered goals as Grain Valley’s stellar season came to an end in a 3-1 loss Thursday at the Blue Springs High School soccer field. For the Eagles, it was all about missed opportunities following Thiessen’s score. There were a pair of open shots from Thiessen and sophomore Radleigh Childers inside the South penalty box in the second half. Thiessen didn’t get enough power on her shot, which led to an easy save from goalkeeper Siman Loethen. Childers didn’t get enough umph behind a header attempt late in the second half, which also resulted in a routine save for Loethen. There were also a pair of times Loethen came off her line, leaving an empty net behind her, but the Eagles couldn’t get a shot on frame. “South defends really well, but we had our opportunities,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said. “When you play a team as athletic as South, you have to finish your opportunities and the ball didn’t bounce our way tonight.” South (15-4-1) controlled possession more a good chunk of the game and it didn’t take long to regain the lead. Early in the first half, junior Norah Oyler scored two goals. She had one off a rebound after her header was blocked by the Grain Valley defense. The other came on an unassisted goal in which she dribbled inside the top of the 18-yard box and fired past Eagles goalkeeper Alayna Maybell. “We gave up two really quick that was uncharacteristic of our defense,” Lewis said. South sophomore Mary Hoffman then all but dashed the hopes of a Grain Valley comeback in the 64th minute when she buried a shot inside the far past from the right sideline to give her team a two-score advantage. The loss ended the high school soccer careers of one of the best senior classes in the history of the girls soccer program. The Eagles (20-5) will lose five seniors to graduation, including Thiessen, a multi-time, all-state selection, and team captain who will play soccer at Truman State University next spring. “Our senior class is so special to me,” Lewis said. “When I first started here at Grain Valley was their freshman year. They just elevated our program so much. Emma was a leader her sophomore year, she was a captain. “Emma, (Meghan) Knust, Sophia (Giuliano) and that whole senior group was a fantastic group. They worked their tails off and I am so proud of them.” by Michael Smith It was just moments earlier when junior Ally Gilbert barely missed a game-winning shot. Her Grain Valley girls soccer team was in a 1-1 deadlock in overtime with Blue Springs in the Class 4 District 6 semifinals Tuesday on the road and she had an opportunity to send her team to the district title game. She had a close-range header at the goal that bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and bounced away from the goal. Head coach Brett Lewis was visibly in disbelief because it appeared the Eagles had a chance to end it on that attempt. However, Gilbert later got her redemption. The junior blasted a shot from the left sideline with a little more than 5 minutes left in the first overtime period. Blue Springs goalkeeper Mary Cates ranged over to her left to try and corral the shot, but Gilbert perfect placed the ball inside the far post for the game winner as her goal gave Grain Valley a 2-1 victory. The Eagles (18-4) punched their ticket to the district championship game where they will take on Blue Springs South (14-4-1) at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Jaguars beat Columbia Hickman 2-0 in their semifinal contest. Gilbert’s goal sent everyone on her team into celebration mode as her teammates surrounded her screaming in jubilation. It was a moment Gilbert will likely never forget. “Everyone was about to cry and were in tears,” Gilbert said. “We never thought we were going to lose. We knew we were going to win. We had that game-winning mindset. “I am so proud of these girls; they worked their butts off this whole game. They scored in the last minute of the game, and we didn’t give up.” The shot was a difficult one but it’s not one Gilbert hasn’t taken before. Lewis said he felt confident that his junior could make it. “We have done so many finishing drills and Ally has probably taken that exact shot over 1,000 times this season in practice,” Lewis said. “I knew if she got a little bit of space and time to shoot it, I was going to trust that she could get the ball in frame. She hit it as well as you can.” While Gilbert knocked in the game winner, her senior teammate, Sevi Aumua, made that moment possible with her rock-solid defense. She made several critical tackles and stops on her team’s side of the field. Perhaps her most impactful play came in the 75th minute when Blue Springs senior midfielder Caitlin Lagemann had a wide-open lane to the goal from the left wing. It appeared Lagemann was going to get an open shot right at the goal, but Aumua sprinted to greet her and made a solid tackle, stole the ball and cleared it toward the right sideline. “Sevi does so much for us. Sometimes people don’t see how great she is defensively,” Lewis said. “She is always there in recovery when someone gets beat.” Aumua, who was the heart and soul of the defense, contributed in another impactful way, as well. She knocked in a header off a corner kick from senior Emma Thiessen in the 33rd minute to put her team up 1-0. The senior appeared to have a shocked look on her face after making the shot. “I am always surprised when I score or even get a touch on the ball,” Aumua said. “I am just a defender in the back. Usually coming up I think, ‘What am I doing?’ When I get up there I have the motivation to not just get it for me, but my team.” In the second, half Blue Springs dominated possession but had a hard time getting a shot on goal. The Wildcats (9-10) finally did at the most opportune time. Junior Hazel Trotman beat two Grain Valley defenders to the back line, sent a cross to Lagemann and the senior buried a point-blank shot with just 57 seconds left for the equalizer. However, Gilbert prevented what could have been a troubling scenario for Grain Valley after it seemed the Wildcats gained all the momentum. The Eagles will now turn their attention to South, who defeated Grain Valley 1-0 after winning a shootout on May 2. Lewis said he feels his team has a shot at winning districts. “I think we can beat them but we certainly have to be a lot better than we were tonight,” Lewis said. “I feel like we have the girls to do it.” Grain Valley senior Sevi Aumua, left, and Ally Gilbert each scored a goal to help Grain Valley win 2-1 in overtime against Blue Springs in the Class 4 District 6 semifinals. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith The Grain Valley girls soccer team got a key player back just in time. This week, sophomore Radleigh Childers made her return in a Monday game against William Chrisman after missing two games due to a right knee injury she suffered during a 1-0 win against Blue Springs on April 23. She made an immediate impact upon her return as she helped the team beat Chrisman 8-0 on Monday and Platte County 6-1 Wednesday. She appeared to be 100 percent in the Eagles’ regular-season finale against Raytown on Thursday as she had two goals and two assists as Grain Valley cruised to a 9-0 victory on the road. “I was just easing back into games this week and the knee felt fine,” Childers said. Childers provides Grain Valley speed and athleticism at the forward possession, and she forms a dynamic goal-scoring duo with senior Emma Thiessen. “It’s huge,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said of getting his star forward back. “She gives us a log of speed at the forward or wing position. She gives us a big boost in terms of attacking power.” Sophomore goalkeeper Alayna Maybell is another Eagle who has been dealing with an injury as she has a bruised rib that she sustained in a 1-0 loss to Blue Springs South on May 2. Lewis said he anticipates she will be ready to play by the time his team plays Fort Osage on Monday in the first round of the Class 4 District 6 Tournament. “She’s good. She played against Platte County. This is precautionary,” Lewis said. “We want her to have a rest. Hopefully things feel better next week.” Even without Maybell the Eagles were able to shut out Raytown and have some fun doing it. Lewis allowed back line players to play up top as forwards and wings, while those who were normally in those positions were dropped to the back line. Childers was one of them as she played as a right back late in the game and senior Sevi Aumua, a defender, played as a forward and scored a goal with 12 seconds left. “I promised Sevi and some of the defenders if we get a certain amount of a lead, I will try them at forward and have a little bit of fun,” Lewis said. Added Aumua: “Playing up top was definitely weird. I didn’t know where to go. I was yelling at Emma (Thiessen) and Meghan (Knust) ‘Where do I stand?’ Scoring felt good, I thought I was going to kick it over the top.” Joining Aumua and Childers in the scoring were Thiessen, junior Ally GIlbert, senior Sophia Guiliano, sophomore Avery Stumpenhaus and junior Josie Daniels, who each had a goal. Correction: Corrected name of Radleigh Childers from original version. 5/11/2024 8:00pm Grain Valley senior Sevi Aumua, left, and sophomore Radleigh Childers got to try playing new positions during their team's 9-0 win against Raytown Thursday on the road. Childers had two goals and two assists and Aumua had a score. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith Right before the football season of his senior year, disaster struck for Brody Baker. In August of 2023, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament completely in half. He also suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. “It was a pretty crazy injury, it’s one you see very often,” Baker said. He ended up having surgery and started rehab for three days a week right after. His initial timeline was 9-12 months before he could play sports again. Well, he came back at the earliest part of that projection as he played in his first baseball game in nine months Monday at home against Raytown on Senior Night. It was an emotional moment for the senior as all the Grain Valley fans in the stands were on their feet cheering him on during his first at bat and he didn’t miss a beat. He was 2-for-2 at the plate with three RBIs as he helped the Eagles cruise to a 12-0 mercy rule victory in five innings. “I haven’t seen a live arm since last fall,” said Baker, who will play for Crowder College in the fall. “When I got into the box, I was a little nervous for how I was going to see. I was able to see it well today.” During his rehab process, he started out just moving his leg on his own as he lifted it and bent it some. He eventually progressed to doing lunges and squats. He worked on getting the mobility and strength back in his hamstring. After that, he started running. Baker was restricted to being a designated hitter and when he reached base, head coach Brian Driskell had a pinch runner replace him. He said he still has some issues running but he can still hit, which he proved on Monday. According to Baker and Driskell, it’s up in the air if he will be available to play in the team’s remaining two regular season games and the postseason. But even if he can’t, he still got to have a special Senior Night moment. “This is my first time on the new field, and I had a lot people out here to watch me,” Baker said. “I am embraced it all that’s for sure. “It’s going to be up to my (physical therapist) if I can play again this season. I will see if I can do what I did today. I think it’s just the base running that’s holding me back from being able to do something aside from being the DH.” When asked what it meant to him to have Baker return to the team with just three regular season game left, it was hard for Driskell to come up with the words to describe it. “To give him the opportunity to get out there and celebrate (his recovery), it’s indescribable,” Baker said. “He’s worked so hard just to get a chance to do some things. He’s got a way to go before he’s cleared for the fall. He’s an awesome human being. That’s why his teammates love him. “It’s a possibility he plays again this season. We must take it one day at a time and see how he’s doing tomorrow.” Driskell said he was impressed by Baker’s performance in his first game back. Baker had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, had a leadoff double in the third and had a two-run single in the fourth. “It surprises but at the same time, it really doesn’t” Driskell said. “He prepares himself or better than anybody. The kid (Raytown) had on the mound had a good arm. That makes it even more impressive what (Baker) did.” There were some other special moments for other seniors, including Luke Andorfer, who hit his first home run of the season on a line drive over the left-field wall for two runs. “It felt pretty good, especially to do that on Senior Night,” Andorfer said. “It was great to get to do this with my fellow seniors and go out and have some fun today.” Senior Shane Barnett also got some loud cheers from his teammate when he took the mound in the fifth inning. He accomplished a rare feat as he had an immaculate inning, which is when a pitcher strikes out the side in just nine pitches. What made his accomplishment even more eye-opening is that appearance was his first ever at the high school level. “I think he surprised himself,” Driskell said. “We might let him pitch again later this week. We’ll see.” Senior Landon Jaynes was the winning pitcher as he allowed just one hit and struck out six in four shutout innings. Senior Brek Sloan was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI and senior Ian Kamstra was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. Grain Valley senior Brody Baker played in his first game since tearing his ACL and MCL last August and went 2-for-2 with three RBIs to help the Grain Valley baseball team thump Raytown 12-0 Monday at home on Senior Night. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith
The Grain Valley boys tennis team played its best in the past two weeks. That what head coach Randy Draper said he thought coming into Tuesday’s Class 2 District 8 semifinal matchup against William Chrisman. After all, Grain Valley came into the contest on a 3-game winning streak, which included a 9-0 win against the Bears. Chrisman put up a stronger fight this time around, but the Eagles continued their last season momentum and converted it into a 5-1 victory at home. Grain Valley now will play against Platte County in the district championship game at 4 p.m. today at Platte County High School. The Eagles lost to the Pirates earlier in the season 8-1. “Our team is a lot different than at the beginning of the year,” Draper said. “It’s because we have been playing a lot of matches. You don’t have a choice; you have to be a lot better.” Senior Ben Drinkwater match at No. 1 singles ended the contest as he took down Brandon Keltner 6-0, 7-5. He teamed with junior Trace Compton in No. 1 doubles and won 8-3. Despite winning both of his matches, Drinkwater was critical of his own performance. “I wish for my own personal goals, that I would have carried over how I played in the first set into the second,” Drinkwater said. “He figured out how to play me in that second set, so it was a lot closer. I always have goals. I am happy and unhappy at the same time.” While he was not completely satisfied with his singles match, he said he felt good about his chemistry with Compton as they dominated their match. “We played well. We have been on a hot streak for the past couple of weeks,” he said. “We are ready for Platte. We are ready to see if we can clinch a district championship.” Junior John Cassidy is another Eagle who has been playing well as of late. On Tuesday, he dominated. He beat Jeremy Campos at No. 4 singles and 6-2, 6-1 and he joined senior Carter Williams at No. 2 doubles in a 8-1 rout over Keltner and Giuseppe D’angelo. “Last time we played against this team, we won 9-7 in a close match in doubles,” Cassidy said. “This time it was 8-1. We pulled it together today and came in clutch." “We started out doing what we did last time to beat them and we did that from the get-go. We really focused on keeping the ball in play. Last week we struggled with double faults.” Williams won the Eagles other match at No. 2 doubles as he topped John Eppert 7-5, 6-1. The Eagles have been playing well as of late, but they will have a tall mountain to climb against Platte County. Drinkwater said the Pirates have an elite player at No. 1 singles so it may take a strong effort from some of players at the bottom of the lineup for Grain Valley to pull off the upset. “It’s going to take everyone best,” Drinkwater said. “We have to win two and three doubles and three through six doubles. Those guys have to come through clutch.” by Michael Smith
The Grain Valley girls soccer team had a golden opportunity. The Eagles faced off against Blue Springs South in a non-conference matchup Thursday at home and the match had major playoff implications. Because both teams will be Class 4 District 6 Tournament, and had the two best in the district, it was likely that the winner would be the No. 1 seed, especially since head-to-head records are typically a major factor in where teams seeded. Grain Valley just missed out on that opportunity. The contest came down to a shootout and the Jaguars won it 4-2 as the Eagles fell 1-0 at Moody Murry Memorial Field. Because of the loss, South nabbed the No. 1 seed in the district and Grain Valley is No. 2. The Eagles will face off against Fort Osage in the first round of districts at 6 p.m. May 3 at the Blue Springs soccer field across the street from the district’s Freshman Center. South Seniors Gwen Maggard, Mary Hoffman and Avery Ringgenberg along with sophomore Haley Cramer made their penalty kicks against backup goalkeeper Emma Thiessen. For Grain Valley, Thiessen and junior Ally Gilbert made their PKs but South goalkeeper Siman Loethen came up with a diving stop on an attempt from junior Mia Cole and an attempt from Sophia Giuliano sailed over the net to give the Jaguars the win. South controlled possession about 60 percent of the time, but the Eagles had their fair share of chances to score. Loethen came up with five saves with her biggest one coming on a shot from Cole late in the second half. Cole rocketed a shot from 29 feet out that appeared to be headed inside the right post but the Jaguar keeper made a diving stop to keep the game scoreless. Thiessen also had an open shot from the left side of the penalty box after a give-and-go with Gilbert, but Loethen stopped her shot. South had about a 60-40 advantage on time of possession, but played excellent defense whenever Grain Valley got the ball into the final third. The Jaguars (10-4-1) man-marked Thiessen, who played forward for most of the game. The physicality on South’s tackles on Thiessen led to turnovers on a few occasions. “In the final third, we were a little bit sloppier than I wanted to be. We were really close to get some really good opportunities,” Lewis said. “Mia had a great shot. Emma had a couple opportunities where she was one more touch to the left or one pass that was a little bit too far to the right. It’s just about polishing those things up. But I am proud of our effort. We pushed South to the brink.” The Eagles also were missing sophomore forward Radleigh Childers, who was out with a knee injury. She is a big part of their offense and could have helped her team put some chances away. “I wanted to help Radleigh out as a precaution because she tweaked her knee. We want her ready for the playoffs,” Lewis said. “We didn’t have a lot of speed going forward but we found ways to connect on passes. I hoping we get an opportunity to play South again.” by Michael Smith The Grain Valley boys tennis team will go into next week’s Class 2 District 8 Tournament with a little bit of momentum. The Eagles played in their regular season finale against William Chrisman Wednesday at home, and head coach Randy Draper said his team is playing some of the best tennis it has all season. That reflected in the Eagles 9-0 victory over William Chrisman. Senior Ben Drinkwater and Draper noted that the team’s early season schedule, which featured a bevy of good teams in the Kansas City area, helped prepare them for the postseason. “It hurts your feelings some when you don’t win as much,” Draper said, “but we get over our feelings and just get better. We have gotten a lot better. We must keep our foot on the gas, or it won’t matter.” Added Drinkwater: “We play some teams that are tough at the beginning. As we kept going, we played some of our conference opponents and got to see how much better we’ve gotten. Playing tough teams early because it doesn’t give us a false sense of reality if we don’t play teams that aren’t as good.” The Eagles will attempt to have a lead foot and push down on the gas when they take on Winnetonka Monday in the first round of the districts. “Chrisman will be a tough match and Platte County is really good,” Draper said of the district tournament. “I love the way we’re playing, though. This is the time to do it.” Drinkwater was one of those who played well on Wednesday as he teamed up with junior Trace Compton in the No. 1 doubles match as they topped John Eppert and Jeremy Campos 8-3. He also won his singles match with Brandon Keltner 8-3. He said he was able to figure out his opponent’s weaknesses, which contributed to his success. “I was able to put the ball where I was supposed to put it,” Drinkwater said. “I was able to figure out what he wasn’t good at. He kept leaving the ball short and in the middle of the court. As long as I put pace on the ball in the middle of the court, I was going to be fine.” Senior Campbell Childers has been on a roll since being inserted into the lineup for singles. He dominated Emerson Rensing in the No. 6 match 8-0. In the No. 3 doubles match, he joined sophomore Riley Spencer in an 8-5 win over Noah Guldner and Trevor Jolley. “We were down early to start,” Spencer said, “but we figured out a way to win the last three games. Our motto this year is to see the ball and keep it in play. That’s worked really well for us.” Added Childers: “We have really great chemistry, and it shows on and off the court.” Grain Valley’s No. 2 doubles team of senior Carter Williams and junior John Cassidy edged Keltner and Giuseppe D’angelo 9-7. Williams took down Eppert 8-2 at No. 2 singles, Compton defeated Guldner 8-5 at No. 3, Cassidy cruised to an 8-1 win over Campos at No. 4 and No. 5 Blake Galvan beat Jolley 9-7. Senior Campbell Childers, left, and sophomore Riley Spencer teamed up at No. 3 doubles to win 8-5, helping the Grain Valley boys tennis team cruise to a 9-0 victory over William Chrisman Wednesday at home. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith Grain Valley senior Wes Moon isn’t someone who typically gets a lot of playing time for the boys volleyball team. He got his chance in Thursday’s matchup with Winnetonka on Senior Night at home. Moon took advantage of his opportunity by rattling off 11 consecutive service points in the first set and he notched a team-high five aces as his performance highlighted a 25-10, 25-11, 25-15 victory against the Griffins. Each time Moon got an ace, he drew loud cheers and excitement from his teammates. His success fueled the Eagles’ excitement as head coach Tori Squiers noted the team had an overall fun night. “That’s what Senior Night is all about, having fun,” Squiers said. “At one point, we had all five seniors on the court. It was a lot of fun to watch.” “That just shows the talent that is on this team. Someone who is on the bench a little bit more can still go out there and score five aces. It was fun to watch everyone celebrate his success.” Moon’s performance took fellow senior Lane Olivarez by surprise. “I didn’t know he had that in him,” Olivarez said. “I think he has more aces than me now.” Moon said he was thankful for the opportunity. “I normally don’t get to play that much, so getting to start was a different experience,” Moon said. “I have been getting a lot better at practice with serving.” Olivarez joined in on the fun as he led the team in assists as the setter on Thursday. He even used an unorthodox move in the third set when he used the top of his head to hit the volleyball over the net, which eventually led to a point for Grain Valley (15-7). He got the idea from a TikTok video that he watched. Squiers subbed him out of the game afterward. “I thought it was funny and I tried to do it,” Olivarez said. “I always do it during our peppering sessions.” Seniors Nolan Hessenius, Will Lindley and Josiah Oehlke were a part of the senior festivities, as well. Hessenius, the team’s libero, had multiple digs and even got to play at the net for the first time against the Griffins. Oehlke was second on the team with five kills and the 6-foot-6 Lindley had a game-high 15 kills. Lindley is currently second on the team in kills on the season. He provides a strong presence for the Eagles (15-7) as a blocker and a striker at the net. He said he has turned up his intensity after the Missouri State High School Activities Association sanctioned boys volleyball. “There has definitely been a lot of improvement and I have taken it a lot more seriously,” Lindley said. “Before we were playing as a club team. With this year being official, it’s a big difference and I love it.” Having Lindley at the net has made the job of Grain Valley’s setters easier, Olivarez said. “He can hit any ball because he has such long arms,” Olivarez said. “He is just insane.” From left, seniors will Will Lindley, Nolan Hessenius and Wes Moon all made major contributions in a 25-10, 25-11, 25-15 win over Winnetonka Thursday on Senior Night. Photo credit: Michael Smith
by Michael Smith The Grain Valley girls soccer team was shorthanded. The Eagles came into Tuesday’s non-conference game with Blue Springs missing center back Taylor Nicholson due to an illness. Junior Mia Cole and sophomore Radleigh Childers also didn’t play as many minutes as normal due to injuries suffered during the contest. This could have been problematic for an Eagles squad that lacks depth. However, Grain Valley managed to score a goal against a strong Blue Springs defense and switched to a defense-heavy scheme in the second half, which resulted the team hanging on to a 1-0 win on the road. “With Mia coming off because of her blood issue, we had to make some tactical adjustments,” Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis said. “We didn’t attack nearly as much as I wanted to in the second half. We did what we had to do to get a goal and we defended well enough to win.” The Wildcats (6-5) came into the game on a four-game winning streak, all shutouts, including a 1-0 win against then No. 1-ranked Blue Springs South. So, Grain Valley had a tough challenge to score. The Eagles (12-3) got their lone goal in the 23rd minute when sophomore defender Avery Stumpenhaus sent a perfect cross in front of the Blue Springs goal line, and senior midfielder Meghan Knust made a sliding tap in shot. “That was definitely a great ball by Avery,” Knust said. “She had a couple of good, dangerous balls for us.” After seeing his Eagles were struggling to generate chances following the score, Lewis elected to have his team focus more on defense in the second half. “It was a gritty game,” Knust said. “We tried to play defense as much as we could. We were focusing on clearing the ball out.” They appeared to have a bend but don’t break mentality in the final 40 minutes as Blue Springs generated multiple shot attempts but were unable to get one to go into the back of the net. Following Knust’s goal, Blue Springs freshman midfielder Adelyn Karst had an open shot from the left side of the 18-yard box, but Grain Valley goalkeeper Alayna Maybell ranged over to make the save. Later in the first half, senior Brooke Alsup had an open shot right in front of the Grain Valley goal, but she barely nicked the ball, and it resulted in a slow rolling shot and an easy save for Maybell. In the second half, junior Hazel Trotman had a wide-open shot from the right wing in the penalty box, but it hit the crossbar. Her team created other chances, as well, but Maybell seemed to consistently be in the right place at the right time, totaling seven saves. “I am really working on reading (shots) more,” Maybell said. “The coaches have been working with me to become a goalie again.” Added Lewis: “She is good at reading the ball and seeing where it’s going to go. I thought she played well. She keeps getting better and better at the saves she should make.” Grain Valley is now on a seven-game winning streak and the key for this current run, according to Lewis, has been the defense. The Eagles have allowed just six goals in that span and have five shutouts. “We’re getting more defensively disciplined in this final stretch of the season,” Lewis said. “We’re not giving up goals and we are making the other teams earn everything.” Grain Valley senior Meghan Knust, left, scored her team's only goal while goalkeeper Alayna Maybell had seven saves during a 1-0 victory over Blue Springs Tuesday on the road. Photo credit: Michael Smith
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