Sidelines: Josh Scott hired as Waynesville AD

One of Rolla’s losses continues to be one of Waynesville’s gains.

The Waynesville Board of Education last week hired former RHS assistant soccer coach Josh Scott as its new athletic director.

Scott, age 29, will replace the highly-effective John Morrison as the Tiger AD. Morrison, who has been the Waynesville Athletic Director for the past seven seasons, is retiring.

Scott has done a solid job as the Waynesville High School boys’ and girls’ head coach the past two school years. However, he cut his coaching teeth at Rolla High, where he served for five years as an assistant under the Bulldogs’ outstanding head coach Mike Howard.

Josh’s wife, Keely, is a teacher in the Rolla School District.

Josh Scott has been one of the top young coaches in the area. Look for him to be one of the top youth sports administrators in the area starting next year. He just seems to have the makeup to be a really good one.

And in addition to coaching under a future hall-of-famer in Howard, Scott has worked for some exceptional athletic directors – Kevin Garner and Kelly Hinshaw in Rolla and Morrison in Waynesville.

Unfortunately for Rolla High sports fans, Scott will do an outstanding job with arch-rival Waynesville.

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Can it be, as I slip and slide to my car in the driveway, that spring season is here?

It’s about time.

Nothing against the winter season...I love basketball and wrestling. But there is nothing more pleasant to hear than the phrase, "Pitchers and catchers report..."

On the local front, that is indeed the case. Spring sports for Missouri schools officially open on Monday, Feb. 25, the first day those programs can practice.

The problem...it’ll be hard to practice on a baseball field, or a soccer field or on a track that is covered with ice.

But be patient...the ice will melt and the sun will shine.

That’s what keeps us going after a long, long winter season. At least, that’s what keeps me going.

—

And don’t forget, with the annual turning of the sports seasons also comes the start of the Missouri trout season.

And this season the first day of trout season, always March 1, will be on a Saturday.

So with any cooperation by the weatherman that could be a very busy day indeed at the trout parks around the state – Maramec Spring Park near St. James as well as state parks Montauk Spring, Bennett Spring and Roaring River.

As for me, I have told myself that I will slow down a bit, get a fishing license, buy a rod and reel and do a little fishing this year. I don’t want a bass boat or anything. Not even a john boat. I just want a pole, a bobber, a sandwich and a lawn chair at the edge of a pond or lake.

I don’t even care if there is bait on the hook. Heck, I don’t even care if there’s a hook.

Just have the urge to stare at a floating bobber for a few hours. Ever been there?

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Several RHS soccer players all-district

Junior forward Tyler Sinnott of the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team has been named the Offensive Player of the Year for the Missouri Class 3 All-District 11 Team, it was announced this week.

Sinnott was the district’s goal-scoring leader and helped the Bulldogs finish with a 20-6 record. The Bulldogs lost to Springfield Glendale in the district championship game.

Also for Rolla Richard McNulty was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year along with Glendale’s Ryan Squires.

Glendale’s Devon Newport was the district’s Player of the Year while Glendale’s Patrick McCarthy was Goal Keeper of the Year and Waynesville head coach Josh Scott was named Coach of the Year.

In all three Bulldogs were named to the all-district first-team, four to the second team and three named honorable mention.

Here is the Class 3 All-District 11 Team:

Michael Davis, 12, Waynesville Grant Bollig, 11, Lebanon Bryce Collier, 11, Hillcrest Devon Newport, 11, Glendale Ryan Squires, 11, Glendale Justin Rogers, 12, Glendale Tyler McElroy, 12, Glendale Carter McKay, 12, Central Tyler Sinnott, 11, Rolla Kam Maddy, 12, Rolla Richard McNulty, 12, Rolla Patrick McCarthy, 12, Glendale, GK

Eric Smith, 12, Waynesville Kyle Varner, 10, Waynesville Rory Osborn, 12, Lebanon Kyle Strief, 11, Lebanon Adam Strong, 12, Lebanon Adam Hammons, 12, Glendale Tucker Downs, 12, Glendale Shaun Morris, 12, Glendale Ian Newport, 11, Glendale Will Palmer, 10, Glendale Graham Basecke, 11, Glendale Jordan Salvato, 9, Central Chamal Samaranayake, 12, Rolla Garret Fester, 12, Rolla Cody Martin, 10, Rolla Andrew Chism, 11, Rolla

Josh Dent, 12, Waynesville Jeremy Rutledge, 11, Waynesville Brandon Kilthau, 11, Waynesville Giovanni Hansen, 11, Lebanon Brett Chaffin, 10, Lebanon Michael Freeman, Hillcrest Ryan Partch, 11, Glendale Nathan Hamilton, 12, Glendale Nick Henderson, 12, Central Kelsey Garnett, 9, Central Richard Frock, 12, Rolla Raj Mishra, 12, Rolla Adam Daily, 12, Rolla

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RHS boys’ soccer falls in district finals

WAYNESVILLE – The top-seeded Rolla High School boys’ soccer team threw nothing but blanks in its previous several games.

In the championship game of the Missouri Class 3 District 11 Tournament Thursday, Nov. 1 in Waynesville, however, the Bulldogs were on the other end of the shutout.

The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs saw their fine season come to a close with a 2-0 defeat to No. 2-seeded Springfield Glendale in Thursday’s district tourney title game.

Rolla ends with one of its best-ever records, 20-6.

Glendale, 18-3 and ranked No. 14 in the latest Missouri Class 3 state poll, will play District 12 champion Springfield Kickapoo Wednesday, Nov. 6 in sectional action at the Cooper Soccer Complex in Springfield.

The Glendale-Kickapoo winner will advance to Class 3 Quarterfinal action Nov. 10 in Rolla.

On Thursday the Glendale Falcons put Rolla in an early hole, scoring both goals in the first half.

Rolla, which defeated Glendale in Ozark Conference play last month, had a few scoring opportunities in the second half but couldn’t dent the Falcon defense for a goal.

It was the 14^th time in the last 15 years the Bulldogs have participated in a district tourney championship game.

In semifinal games on Tuesday, Oct. 30 Rolla dominated fourth-seeded Lebanon 6-0 while Glendale shut out third-seeded Waynesville 4-0. In the first round on Monday, Oct. 29 Waynesville topped Springfield Central 6-0 and Lebanon whipped Springfield Hillcrest 6-0.

Rolla tallied four goals over the first 22 minutes of play to roll over the Lebanon Yellow Jackets.

Lebanon finishes with a 11-15 overall record.

Chamal Samaranyake scored the first goal 1:30 into the game. Junior Tyler Sinnott hit the net for three of the next four RHS goals to gain the hat trick. Richard Frock added the other RHS first-half goal and it was 4-0 at intermission.

Hishem Belarbi got the final Rolla goal late in the game.

Garrett Fester had two assists and Jason Howard, Samaranayke and Frock all had one assist for the Rolla Bulldogs.

The Waynesville Tigers ended their season with a 13-14-1 record, but gave the Falcons a scare before finally falling on Tuesday.

Waynesville and Glendale were in a battle much tighter than the final score indicated. After a scoreless first-half, Glendale got the first goal seven minutes into the second half.

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RHS boys’ soccer ends regular season in a rush

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team finishes the regular season in a shutout rush.

The Bulldogs ended their regular season on Thursday, Oct. 25 by shutting out Columbia Rock Bridge 4-0 at the Bray Sportsplex.

It was Senior Night for the Bulldogs. It was also the fourth shutout in seven days for RHS.

Rolla ends the regular season with a 19-5 record. The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs are scheduled to compete in the Missouri Class 3 District 11 Tournament next week at Waynesville. Rolla will meet Monday’s winner of the Springfield Hillcrest-Lebanon first-round game at 5 p.m. Tuesday in semifinal action.

On Thursday junior forward Tyler Sinnott netted three goals while Richard Frock had one for the Bulldogs. Chamal Samaranayake and Frock each recorded an assist.

Ray Mishra earned the shutout in goal.

Rock Bridge won the junior varsity game 5-1. Jason Howard had the lone goal on Matt Threadgill’s assist for the jayvee Bulldogs, who finish the season 6-5-2.

On Tuesday, Oct. 23 the Bulldogs shut out Jefferson City 1-0. Andrew Chism scored the game-winner on a Garret Fester throw-in 12 minutes into the game.

Mishra got the shutout.

Rolla and the Jays played to a 1-1 tie in the junior varsity game. Kory Carter scored the RHS jayvee goal.

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Host ‘Dogs 2-0 in Whitefield Classic

ROLLA – The host Rolla High School boys’ soccer team finished 2-0 in the Thomas Whitefield Classic, held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 19-20 at Kiwanis Field in the Bray Sportsplex.

On Saturday morning Rolla shut out St. Paul Lutheran 2-0. Tyler Sinnott and Hishem Belarbi scored goals for the Bulldogs, now 17-5, while Kam Maddy had an assist. Raj Mishra and Stephen Moorkamp shared the shutout in goal for RHS.

On Friday RHS shut out William Chrisman 5-0. Maddy scored twice for the Bulldogs while Tyler Sinnott, Chamal Samaranayake and Garrett Fester all had one goal. Mishra and Moorkamp again shared the shutout.

"We played well all weekend," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "We just ran out of steam Saturday morning after three tough games. We did the things Saturday morning we needed to do to win the game. We would like to thank Phil and Barb Whitefield for helping us start a classic that hopefully will continue for years to come."

The fourth team in the classic format was Waynesville.

On Thursday, Oct. 18 Rolla ended its Ozark Conference schedule by falling to league-leading Springfield Kickapoo 4-0. RHS ends league play with an 8-1 record.

Rolla won the junior varsity game on Thursday 4-1 to improve to 6-4-1. Kyle Keebey had two goals and Blayne Shockley and Kory Carter also scored one goal for the jayvee Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Jefferson City on Tuesday, Oct. 23 to meet the Jefferson City Jays.

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RHS boys’ soccer No. 1 district seed

WAYNESVILLE – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team has been seeded No. 1 for the Missouri Class 3 District 11 Soccer Tournament, to be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Waynesville’s Anderson Field.

Springfield Glendale is seeded No. 2, Waynesville No. 3, Lebanon No. 4, Springfield Hillcrest No. 5 and Springfield Central No. 6.

At the time of the district seeding meeting Rolla had a 14-4 overall record while Glendale was 14-2, Waynesville 8-9-1, Lebanon 5-10, Hillcrest 1-16 and Central 1-13.

Rolla and Glendale received first-round byes.

In first-round pairings on Monday, Oct. 29, Lebanon meets Hillcrest at 5 p.m. while Waynesville takes on Central at 6:30 p.m.

In semifinal games on Oct. 30 Rolla will meet the Lebanon-Hillcrest winner at 5 p.m. while Glendale meets the Waynesville-Central winner at 6:30 p.m.

The district championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1.

The District 11 champion will go on the meet the District 12 champion in Class 3 Sectional action Nov. 6 at Cooper Soccer Park in Springfield.

The survivor of the sectional matchup will then advance to the Class 3 Quarterfinals, to be held at 1 p.m. Nov. 10 in Rolla.

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Bulldog boys’ soccer keeps on rolling

WASHINGTON – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team continued its red-hot ways on Thursday, Oct. 11, whipping St. Francis Borgia 6-1.

Rolla has now won 10 of its last 11 games and is 14-4 overall.

Garrett Fester and Andrew Chism each scored two goals for the Bulldogs while Kam Maddy and Cody Martin had single goals. Chism, Fester and Richard Frock had assists.

Raj Mishra and Stephen Moorkamp were in goal for the Bulldogs.

Rolla also won the junior varsity game 5-0.

Kory Carter and Kyle Keebey each scored two goals for the Rolla jayvee squad, now 5-4, while Jesse Zamazanuk got the other goal. David Drewniak and Joel Laney each had two assists. Zach Barnes was in goal for the jayvee Bulldogs.

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RHS boys’ soccer stays perfect in league

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team stayed unbeaten in Ozark Conference play by knocking off state-ranked Springfield Glendale 3-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Bray Sportsplex.

Rolla is now 13-4 overall and 7-0 in the league. Glendale entered the game ranked No. 12 in the Missouri Class 2 state poll.

Chamal Samaranayke got the first Bulldog goal six minutes into the game on an assist by Tyler Sinnott.

The Falcons tied the game at the 34-minute mark and it was 1-1 at intermission.

In the second half Adam Daily gave RHS the lead for good 15 minutes in on a corner kick from Andrew Chism. Rolla’s final goal came from Richard Frock with five minutes left on an assist from Garrett Fester.

In the final minutes of play Sinnott, a junior forward and Rolla’s leading scorer, went down with an apparent ankle injury. He had to be helped from the field.

Glendale won the junior varsity game 3-1. Blayne Shockley got the jayvee goal for Rolla.

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RHS soccer smashes Hillcrest, 10-0

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team hammered Springfield Hillcrest 10-0 in Ozark Conference action Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Bray Sportsplex.

Rolla improves to 11-4 overall and 5-0 in the conference.

Tyler Sinnott opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game and by the 18-minute mark he had the hat trick with his third goal and the Bulldogs had a 5-0 lead. The half would end with Rolla up 8-0.

Kam Maddy and Chamal Samaranayke each had two goals while Kyle Smith, Blayne Shockley and Kyle Keebey all had one goal. Hishem Belarbi and Maddy each had two assists while Samaranayke, Sinnott, Richard Frock, Raj Mishra and Jason Howard all had assists.

Mishra and Stephen Moorkamp shared time in goal for Rolla’s eighth shutout. RHS has had six shutouts in the last eight games.

No junior varsity game was played.

The Bulldogs will travel to Waynesville on Thursday for another conference game, with jayvee action starting at 4:30 p.m.

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Bulldog soccer shut out by Helias

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday, Sept. 27, as the Bulldogs were shut out by Jefferson City Helias 2-0 at the Bray Sportsplex.

It was the first time this season that RHS was shut out. It evened the season series between the two schools. Rolla, now 10-4, had beaten Helias 3-0 in the semifinals of the Jefferson City Tournament.

On Thursday Collin Grunstrum scored at the nine-minute mark and Jonathon Our scored at the 18-minute mark to give Helias a 2-0 halftime edge.

"I knew it would be difficult for our players to match the intensity of Helias after we had such an easy time of it on Saturday (in the tournament)," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "I am proud of our players, the effort that they gave and the composure that they played with under some difficult circumstances. We made a mistake in back on the first goal, something we had been doing a good job of eliminating. It allowed them to play with some confidence and the second goal was a real cracker, great shot."

Helias also won the junior varsity game 1-0. The Rolla jayvee squad falls to 4-2.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Springfield Hillcrest in Ozark Conference action on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Bray Sportsplex. The jayvee game is to begin at 5 p.m. with the varsity game to follow.

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RHS boys’ soccer pounds Lebanon

LEBANON – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team improved to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the Ozark Conference by pounding Lebanon 7-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The game had been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 25, but was moved back due to weather.

RHS led 6-0 at halftime. Tyler Sinnott scored three goals for the Bulldogs while Richard Frock, Garrett Fester, Andrew Chism and Justin Schubring all added one goal. Chism got two assists while Fester, Sinnott, Cody Martin and Blayne Shockley all had one.

Raj Mishra and Stephen Moorkamp shared time in goal for RHS.

Rolla also won the junior varsity game 2-0. Jason Howard and Kyle Keebey each had a goal for the Bulldog jayvee squad, now 4-1. Shockley and Matt Beasley each had an assist and Zach Barnes was in goal for the Bulldog jayvee squad.

Rolla is scheduled to play again Thursday, Sept. 27 by hosting Jefferson City Helias. The jayvee game is to begin at 5 p.m. with the varsity contest to follow.

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RHS soccer wins Jefferson City Tournament

JEFFERSON CITY – Posting three consecutive shutouts, the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team captured the championship of the Jefferson City Tournament, held over the weekend.

In the first round Rolla shut out Missouri Military Academy 1-0. Tyler Sinnott got the lone goal with two minutes left in the game, assisted by Kam Maddy. Raj Mishra and Stephen Moorkamp shared time in goal.

Rolla then shut out Jefferson City Helias 3-0. Sinnott got the hat trick, scoring all three goals. Maddy had two assists and Richard Frock one. Mishra got the shutout in goal.

In the tournament final Rolla shut out Ozark Conference rival Joplin 3-0. Joplin is now 9-2, with both losses coming to RHS. Sinnott got two goals and Frock one for the Bulldogs, with Maddy, Garrett Fester and Chamal Samaranayake getting the assists. Mishra and Moorkamp shared time in goal.

The Bulldogs, now 9-3, are on a five-game winning streak.

"The boys played very well all weekend," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "We really controlled the ball and the flow of each and every game. Two years ago these guys were freshmen and sophomores and finished 0-3 for eighth-place."

In other first-round games it was Joplin 2, Jefferson City 1; Raymore-Peculiar 2, Camdenton 0, and Helias 2, Farmington 1.

In the championship semifinals, it was Joplin 2, Pay-Pac 1. In the consolation semifinals, it was Jefferson City 2, Camdenton 0 and Farmington 1, MMA 0.

In the seventh-place game Camdenton beat MMA 5-0. In the fifth-place game Jefferson City topped Farmington 4-1. And in the third-place game Helias clipped Ray-Pec 2-1.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to play again Tuesday at Lebanon in Ozark Conference action.

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RHS boys’ soccer knocks off No. 7 Zizzers

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team knocked off state-ranked West Plains 3-2 on Tuesday, Sept. 18 in Ozark Conference action.

Rolla, now 6-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference, got goals from Adam Daily, Hishem Belarbi and Chamal Samaranayke. Andrew Chism had two assists.

West Plains entered the game ranked No. 7 in the Missouri Class 1 state poll.

Rolla also won the junior varsity game 10-0. Kyle Keebey scored twice for the jayvee Bulldogs, now 3-1, while Blayne Shockley, Matt Threadgill, Kory Carter, Jason Howard, Mason McDaniel, Joel Laney, Matt Beasley and Chris Sanders all scored one goal.

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RHS boys’ soccer clips Parkview

Senior Adam Daily’s goal midway through the first half proved to be the game-winner for the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team on Tuesday, Sept. 11, as the Bulldogs clipped Springfield Parkview 1-0 in Ozark Conference play at Kiwanis Field.

Rolla improves to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the league while the Parkview Vikings fall to 1-3 and 1-2.

Junior Tyler Sinnott got the assist on Daily’s goal. Senior Raj Mishra recorded the shutout in goal.

"The only positives to take from this game were a win and a shutout," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "Other than that it is a game I would just as soon forget. We had better get back to playing some good soccer or it will be a long weekend."

Rolla easily won the junior varsity contest 6-0. Freshmen Kory Carter and Jason Howard each had two goals for the Rolla jayvee squad, now 2-1, while Kyle Keebey had another. The sixth goal was an own-goal by Parkview. Blayne Shockley had three assists while Howard, Keebey and Mason McDaniel had one each. Zack Barnes was in goal for the RHS jayvee squad.

Rolla is scheduled to compete in the Parkway Tournament over the weekend. On Friday, Sept. 14 RHS faces Parkway Central at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 15 Rolla takes on Parkway North at noon and Parkway West at 4 p.m.

The Bulldogs are ranked No. 3 in the first Southwest Missouri Region Class 3 poll.

Springfield Glendale (3-0) is ranked No. 1 followed by Springfield Kickapoo (4-1) No. 2, Rolla No. 3, Joplin (4-1) No. 4 and Ozark (4-1) No. 5.

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RHS soccer falls in title game of Rolla Invitational

ROLLA – The Rolla High School boys’ soccer team finished second in the annual Rolla Invitational over the weekend.

In the championship game Springfield Kickapoo clipped Rolla 3-2 Saturday, Sept. 8 in the weather-delayed event.

The Friday games were backed up due to the stormy weather.

In semifinal action on Saturday Rolla shut out Alta Vista 10-0 while Kickapoo shut out Dixon 11-0.

For Rolla in the semifinals Richard Frock had three goals while Kam Maddy and Tyler Sinnott each had two and Jason Howard, Kyle Keebey and Adam Daily each had one. Andrew Chism had three assists while Matt Bleckman had two and Maddy, Hishm Belarbi, Blayne Shockley, Chamal Samaranayke and Howard all had one.

In the title game Ryan Moses scored for Kickapoo two minutes into the game and Skylar Russell put the Chiefs up 2-0 at the 20-minute mark. Sinnott narrowed it to 2-1 just five minutes later on a pass from Maddy. Maddy tied the game with a penalty kick with nine minutes remaining in the half.

Zack Hay scored the game-winner for Kickapoo off a corner kick with 22 minutes remaining.

Dixon beat Alta Vista 6-1 in the third-place game.

"I’m not much for moral victories; we played hard and we did some good things," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "Bottom line is, we didn’t win. We made some mistakes that Kickapoo capitalized on and they are mistakes we can correct, but mistakes you can’t make against good teams. I am proud, however, of the way that this team competes. We have been down by two goals twice this season to come back and tie the game up or take the lead. It’s a great trait and shows the leadership that we have on the field this year."

Rolla is scheduled to host Springfield Parkview in Ozark Conference action Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Kiwanis Club Field.

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2^nd-half rally lifts Bulldog soccer past Joplin

ROLLA – A big second half allowed the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team to open play in the Ozark Conference by whipping Joplin 5-2 on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at Kiwanis Field.

Rolla improves to 2-0 overall while Joplin falls to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the league.

Joplin held a 2-0 halftime lead, on goals by Max Duncan at the two-minute mark and Victor Poroj at the 23-minute mark.

Rolla rebounded to score three goals in the first six minutes of the second half. Tyler Sinnott scored just two minutes into the second half after receiving a serve from Chamal Samaranayke. Two minutes later RHS tied the game when Cody Martin scored off of a Kam Maddy header. And two minutes later Rolla took the lead for good when Richard McNulty scored off a long serve just inside the far post.

Sinnott and Maddy added goals at the 68- and 70-minute mark.

Raj Mishra played the first half and Stephen Moorkamp the second half in goal for the Bulldogs.

"We couldn’t have played any worse in the first half," said RHS head coach Mike Howard. "But give credit to Joplin for that. They came out and put us on our heels. By the same token, we played a much inspired second half and got the win against a good Joplin team to open conference play."

Rolla also won the junior varsity game 6-2 to improve to 1-1 on the season.

Kory Carter scored two RHS jayvee goals while David Drewniak, Blayne Shockley, Daniel McCadden and Jason Howard all had one. Shockley had two assists while Howard, Matt Beasley, Chris Sanders and Ben Elliott each had one.

Zack Barnes was in goal for the RHS jayvee squad.

Rolla is scheduled to host the Rolla Tournament on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8. RHS is to play Alta Vista at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The Rolla jayvee squad is to play in the Waynesville Jayvee Tournament over the weekend.

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Forget the past; Rolla soccer tops Hickman

ROLLA – Domination?

What domination?

Over the years the Columbia Hickman Kewpies have been one of the biggest thorns in the sides of the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team.

The Bulldogs were 1-16-3 in the overall series against their non-conference rival Kewpies.

Until Thursday night, Aug. 30.

On Thursday the Bulldogs forgot about the past and doubled up Hickman, 4-2, in their season-opener at the Kiwanis Soccer Field.

Junior Tyler Sinnott scored the first two goals, the first assisted by Richard Frock and the second by Andrew Chism.

Frock added the third goal on an assist from Justin Schubring and the final goal came from Chamal Samaranayke off a Sinnott shot.

Raj Mishra was in goal for RHS.

Hickman won the junior varsity game 2-0. Zack Barnes was in goal for the Rolla jayvee squad.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to play again on Tuesday, Sept. 4, hosting Joplin in Ozark Conference action, with the jayvee game starting at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity contest to follow.

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RHS boys’ soccer has experience to build on in ‘07

ROLLA – The past couple of years the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team has suffered through some growing pains with a very young team.

Not this year.

The Bulldogs are now a veteran bunch striving to return to the post-season success that has marked the program’s history.

"Anytime you have some experience and leadership it’s a positive thing," said Mike Howard, entering his 17^th season as RHS boys’ soccer head coach. "For most of these kids it’s the third year of playing varsity.

"We haven’t had a district championship since 2004, and this group is determined to get back to where we used to be."

Howard is building on nine returning starters and 14 returning lettermen who made steady improvement in 2006 and ended up finishing 13-10-3 overall and advanced to the district tournament championship game before falling to Springfield Glendale.

The Bulldogs’ first week of practice was last week, and the squad had to take it slow, as the coaching staff had tryouts.

Howard kept 34 players on the roster – 20 on the varsity squad.

"The first week was just evaluation for us," Howard said. "We made cuts and the last two days divided up into junior varsity and varsity. Now we’ll actually try to get some things done."

What the Bulldogs will build on is a potentially powerful offensive attack. Rolla is led by forwards Tyler Sinnott, a junior and Kam Maddy, a senior. Sinnott was one of the top goal-scorers in the area last season, finishing with 31 goals and eight assists. Maddy had 11 goals and 15 assists a year ago.

Other starters back for the Bulldogs include junior Andrew Chism, senior Chamal Samaranayke and senior Garrett Fester at midfield; senior Richard McNulty, senior Adam Daily and sophomore Nathan Fraley in the backfield and senior Raj Mishra in goal.

"I think there is no doubt we’ll be able to score," Howard said. "With Sinnott and Maddy...we had 42 goals between them last year. And Raj is an experienced keeper. The potential is there for us to have a very good season.

"I think tactically we’re okay. Last year I think we were so young we would lose concentration. We’re hoping another year of experience will make a difference. I like the blend of this team; I think it has nice balance."

BULLDOG NOTES – Howard’s assistant coach this season is Jeremy Jamison, who is also RHS wrestling head coach.

Howard reports no injuries after the first week of practice.

The Bulldog varsity squad will have six straight home games to open the season. RHS starts by hosting non-conference rival Columbia Hickman at the Kiwanis Soccer Field in the Bray Sports Complex. That is followed by the Ozark Conference opener against Joplin on Sept. 4, the Rolla Invitational on Sept. 7-8 and another league game against Springfield Parkview Sept. 11.

Rolla will hold its annual maroon/white scrimmage and then boys’ and girls’ alumni games on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Kiwanis Soccer Field. The event begins at noon with the maroon/white scrimmage. At 1 p.m. the RHS boys’ alumni game will begin followed by the RHS girls’ alumni game at 2:30 p.m. A sports drink as a donation for entry into the scrimmage is encouraged. A $10 fee to play in the alumni game is required. Each player in the alumni game will receive a T-shirt that will be used as a team uniform.

Here is the Bulldogs’ 2007 schedule (in non-tournament action the junior varsity game begins first followed by the varsity contest) :

Aug. 30...Columbia Hickman, 5 p.m.

Sept. 4...Joplin, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 7-8...Rolla Invitational (6:30 p.m. vs. Alta Vista Sept. 7; 10:45 a.m. vs. Springfield Kickapoo Sept. 8; 2:45 p.m. vs. Dixon Sept. 8)

Sept. 7-8...Waynesville Jayvee Tourney, tba

Sept. 11...Springfield Parkview, 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 14-15...Parkway Tournament in St. Louis (6:30 p.m. vs. Parkway Central Sept. 14; noon vs. Parkway North Sept. 15; 4 p.m. vs. Parkway West Sept. 15)

Sept. 18...at West Plains, 5 p.m.

Sept. 21-22...Capital City Tourney at Jeff. City, tba

Sept. 25...at Lebanon, 5 p.m.

Sept. 27...J.C. Helias, 5 p.m.

Oct. 2...Springfield Hillcrest, 5 p.m.

Oct. 4...at Waynesville, 4:30 p.m.

Oct. 9...Springfield Glendale, 5 p.m.

Oct. 11...at St. Francis Borgia, 5 p.m.

Oct. 16...at Camdenton, 5 p.m.

Oct. 18...at Springfield Kickapoo, 5 p.m.

Oct. 19-20...Thomas Whitefield Classic (5 p.m. vs. William Chrisman Oct. 19; noon vs. St. Paul Lutheran Oct. 20)

Oct. 23...at Jefferson City, 5 p.m.

Oct. 25...Columbia Rock Bridge, 5 p.m.

Oct. 27-Nov. 3...District Tourney, tba

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