Can’t keep new mom/coach Smith off the sidelines

ST. JAMES – If the players from the St. James High School girls’ soccer team needs an example of toughness and dedication, they need only to look to their own sidelines.

Lady Tiger head coach Casey Smith has proven to be about a tough as they come over the last few days.

It’s the most important time of the season for the Lady Tigers, who are the No. 1 seed for this week’s Missouri Class 1 District 11 Tournament being held at Sullivan.

And Smith is not going to let a little thing like child birth get in the way.

Last week Smith was on the sidelines like she has been all season long – extremely pregnant – for the Lady Tigers’ Senior Night game at the Boys Town soccer field. St. James was battling Four Rivers Conference rival Pacific and ended up suffering just its fourth defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss in double-overtime.

During that game Smith began going into labor, and had to leave the field early.

While in the hospital and prepping for the birth of her child Smith – ever the coach – had her husband, Josh, call in the results from the Pacific game.

"You’re where?" the reporter exclaimed. "And you’re calling in your game score? Now, that’s the kind of coach I like dealing with!"

After reporting the game score Casey and Josh went to work having their baby. And at 12:18 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7 a baby boy – Easton Thomas Smith – was delivered to the couple.

Easton – "Like the baseball bat," Josh says – weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces and was 21 ½ inches long at birth.

Just days after giving birth Coach Casey Smith was back with her team, directing the Lady Tigers to a 3-0 shutout win over Belle on Monday, May 12 in the first round of the district tournament. Senior Heather Cain had one goal while freshman Amanda White netted two goals for the Lady Tigers, now 14-4. Senior Eden Welch got the shutout in goal.

In other first-round games on Monday Sullivan defeated Fatima in overtime while Laquey beat St. Clair 4-1.

St. James was to play fifth-seeded Sullivan on Tuesday, May 13 in the semifinals. The district title game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14 in Sullivan.

If the Lady Tigers repeat as district champions this week, a game ball probably should be presented to Coach Smith. She has certainly earned it. And as the Lady Tigers progress in the playoffs, one can bet that little Easton won’t be too far away.

One gets the feeling sports is going to play a big role in his life.

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Tiger baseball falls in first round of district

ST. JAMES – The eighth-seeded St. James High School baseball team saw its season come to a close on Monday, May 12, as the Tigers were shut out by top-seeded Sullivan 17-0 in the first round of the Missouri Class 3 District 3 Tournament.

Monday’s first-round games between St. James-Sullivan and Union-Salem were held at St. James’ Nelson Hart Park. The tourney is scheduled for Sullivan but the first-round games were moved due to field conditions. The rest of the first-round games were held in Owensville.

Union defeated Salem 3-1 in the other first-round game at St. James.

District semifinal games are slated for Wednesday, May 14 at Sullivan and the tournament title game is scheduled for Friday, May 16.

St. James ends its season with a 2-16 record.

On Monday Sullivan scored three runs in the first inning, five in each of the second and third frames and four in the fourth.

St. James was limited to one hit, which came from Tommy Auxier. Ryan Parker was the losing pitcher, working the first 1 1/3 innings.

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Lady Tiger soccer moves to 13-3

WESTPHALIA – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team improved its overall record to 13-3 on Monday, May 5 by shutting out Fatima 2-0.

Freshman Amanda White tallied a goal in each half for the Lady Tigers’ scoring.

Eden Welch recorded her eighth shutout in goal for St. James.

The junior varsity game finished in a scoreless tie. Rachel Fetters was in goal for the jayvee Lady Tigers.

On Friday, May 2 at the Boys’ and Girls’ Town soccer field in St. James the host Lady Tigers shut out St. Clair 2-0 in a make-up Four Rivers Conference game. White and Marilyn Hughes got the goals for St. James. Welch was again in goal. St. James won half a jayvee game 1-0.

On Thursday, May 1 St. James hosted Union and lost in conference contest 2-0. Union led 1-0 at halftime. Welch was in goal for St. James Union also won the junior varsity game 3-0.

On Tuesday, April 29 in St. James the Lady Tigers shut out Sullivan 3-0 in league play. White tallied all three goals for St. James. Welch was in goal. Sullivan won the jayvee game 1-0.

On Monday, April 28 at St. Clair the Lady Tigers posted a 3-0 league victory. Welch got the shutout in goal. Hughes tallied a pair of goals and Kate Rapp added the other for the winners. No jayvee game was held.

St. James had been scheduled to host Pacific Tuesday, May 6 in the Lady Tigers’ Senior Night.

No. 1 Seed

St. James has been seeded No. 1 for next week’s Missouri Class 1 District 11 Tournament, to be held at Sullivan may 12-14.

St. James is the No. 1 seed in the eight-team district tournament while Laquey has been seeded No. 2.

The Lady Tigers will meet No. 8-seed Belle at 2 p.m. on May 12 in first-round action.

The St. James-Belle winner will meet the Sullivan-Fatima winner at 4:30 p.m. in semifinal action may 13.

The district title game is scheduled for May 14.

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Brown pitches Tigers to win

CUBA – Justin Brown went the distance on the mound, pitching the St. James High School baseball team to a 6-3 non-conference victory over Cuba on Monday.

Brown scattered 10 hits and walked just one batter while fanning 10 as St. James improved to 2-13.

St. James got solo runs in the first and second innings. In the first frame Carson Hunter scored on a RBI single by Ryan Parker. And in the second inning courtesy runner Tyler Craft stole a base and scored on Larry Karnes’ RBI double.

The Tigers added two runs in the fourth inning, as Karnes reached base on a fielder’s choice, Drew Carter walked and Parker smacked a two-run double.

In the seventh inning the Tigers got two more runs, as Kaleb Stowers walked ahead of Aaron Carson’s RBI triple. Ryan Dautenhahn followed with an RBI single.

Dautenhahn was 3-for-4 at the plate while Parker was 2-for-4 and three RBI and Karnes and Carson both were 2-for-4.

In the junior varsity game freshman right-hander Wes Persicke fired a five-inning no-hitter, leading the Tigers to a 7-0 victory. Persicke was just two base-runners from a perfect game – as he hit a batter and another runner reached on an error.

On Wednesday, April 30 St. James were beaten by Licking 13-5 at Nelson Hart Park. Parker was the losing pitcher for St. James. Karnes went 3-for-3 at the plate. The St. James jayvee squad won 6-0.

St. James was scheduled to play in Springfield against Stoutland on Tuesday, May 6; at Union on Wednesday, May 7, and at Crocker on Thursday, May 8.

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Karnes signs to play at Central Methodist

Larry Karnes had trouble staying on the field for the St. James High School football team due to injuries.

When he was playing, however, Central Methodist University liked what it saw.

Karnes, a senior receiver/defensive back for St. James, has signed to attend and play football at Central Methodist, a NAIA school located in Fayetteville, Mo.

"I really like the school," Karnes said of Central Methodist. "They have a very good science department, and I want to become a science teacher."

Karnes was expected to be a big key for the St. James Tigers on both offense as a wide receiver and on defense in the secondary.

However, early in the campaign Karnes suffered a chipped bone in his shoulder. He was out for four weeks with the injury. However, when he played he was impressive, enough to be selected All-Four Rivers Conference Honorable Mention as defensive back despite the limited snaps.

St. James head coach Greg Harlan says he expects Karnes to play in the secondary for Central Methodist.

Karnes had surgery on the shoulder after the season and says he is now, "100 percent; or close to it,"

"I’ve had injuries the past couple of seasons," Karnes said. "I’m just glad to have the opportunity to play at Central Methodist and show what I can do when I’m 100 percent."

"When he played for us he had some injuries in his high school career," Harlan said of Karnes. "When he was healthy he played pretty well for us. I think if he can avoid injuries he can contribute (in college)."

When Karnes gets to Fayetteville for preseason practice, he’ll see a familiar face. One of his future Central Methodist teammates will be former St. James teammate Nick Olivas, who was a freshman wide receiver in college during the 2007 season.

"Nick told me about halfway through the season that he thought I could play at Central Methodist," Karnes said. "I brought them a highlight tape and they were really excited to have me."

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Four Rivers track results

OWENSVILLE – The St. James High School boys’ track team finished seventh while the Lady Tigers were eighth in the Four Rivers Conference Track and Field Meet, held last week.

In the boys’ league meet St. Clair easily took first place, with 215.5 points and winning 12 of the 18 events.

Owensville was second in the boys’ standings with 154.5 points while Sullivan was third with 80 points, Union and Pacific tied for fourth with 72 points, Hermann sixth with 59, St. James seventh with 27 and New Haven eighth with 10.

In the girls’ meet Sullivan won with 177.66 points, Pacific second with 145.33, St. Clair third with 123, Union fourth with 78.5, Owensville fifth with 62.5, Hermann sixth with 62, New Haven seventh with 38 and St. James eighth with five.

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St. James’ Tucker advances to state meet

WASHINGTON – Drew Tucker of the St. James High School golf team advanced to the Missouri Class 3 State Tournament during Class 3 District 2 District Tournament action, held Monday, April 28 at the Franklin County Country Club .

The top finishing team as well as the other top 10 finishing individuals advance from the district meet to the Missouri Class 3 State Tournament.

St. Francis Borgia won the team district title to advance to the state tourney as a full squad. Borgia shot 342 to win.

Second place was Festus with 344 followed by Owensville with 351, Sullivan 357, St. James 360, Windsor 368, Pacific 378, St. Clair 379, Union 386, DeSoto 395 and Salem 506.

Tucker placed third in the individual medalist race, firing 8-over-par 37-42–49. Tucker and the rest of the district qualifiers now advance to the Missouri Class 3 State Tournament, to be held at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield May 12-13.

Kyle Wallen of Festus and Cameron Crow of Windsor tied for medalist honors with 77.

Also for the St. James golfers Jon Connell shot 48-41–89, Kevin Ahart 44-49–93, Ely Wright 47-52–99 and Dusty Wilson 57-50–107.

The St. James golfers placed fourth in the Four Rivers Conference Meet, held Friday, April 25 at Meramac Lakes Golf Course.

Owensville won the conference title with 326 while Pacific was second with 330, Sullivan third with 331, St. James fourth with 335, Hermann fifth with 342, St. Clair sixth with 349 and Union seventh with 365.

Rob Jackson of Pacific won medalist honors with 7-over-par 78.

Connell placed second in the league with 41-38–79. Also for St. James Tucker shot 45-38–83, Wright 43-41–84, Ahart 44-45–89 and Wilson 49-49–98.

Tucker was a unanimous all-conference choice. Others on the all-league first team were Alec Wickey of Sullivan, Cy Moritz of Owensville, David Schallenberg of St. Clair and Wyatt Pettus of Pacific.

Honorable mention all-conference included Lee Songer of Sullivan, Hayden Brown of Owensville and Rob Jackson of Pacific.

Hermann won the junior varsity conference meet with 359 while Owensville was second with 361, Pacific 409, St. Clair 432, St. James 451 and Union 466.

Owensville’s Tyler Griffith was the jayvee medalist with 88.

For the St. James jayvee squad Kyler Nappier shot 108, Bubba Cunningham 111, Ryan Roberts 114, Grant Mueller 118 and Tyler Voss 123.

Senior J.D. Nash of the Newburg High School golf team won meet medalist honors and Belle captured the team title during the St. James Tiger Classic, held Tuesday, April 22 at the St. James Golf Course.

Belle easily won the team title with 312 followed by Sullivan with 336, St. James 339, Owensville 346, Union 354, Pacific 354, St. Clair 366, Fatima 372, Newburg 373, Salem 439, Cuba 446 and Steelville 491.

Nash fired 2-under-par 37-33–70 to capture medalist honors – five strokes better than runner-up Arthur Hance of Belle, who shot 75.

Other scores for Newburg included Cameron Smith with 95, Shane Lewis 101, Drew DeLong 107 and Tyler Sander 108.

For St. James Connell shot 38-41–79, Tucker shot 38-42–80, Ahart 47-42–89, Wright 43-48–91 and Wilson 50-47–97.

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Tiger baseball records first win

ST. JAMES – The St. James High School baseball team recorded its first victory of the season on Thursday, April 24, stopping Steelville 7-1 at Nelson Hart Park.

St. James had one of its best offensive showings of the season, pounding out nine hits.

The Tigers tallied solo runs in the bottom of the first and second innings and led the rest of the way. After Steelville plated its lone run in the top of the fourth off an error, St. James responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame and added a final run in the fifth.

Larry Karnes was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base for the Tigers while Kaleb Stowers was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two stolen bases and Keith Miller was 2-for-3.

Miller was the winning pitcher, going the distance and allowing five hits and two walks while fanning six.

No junior varsity game was played.

On Monday, April 28 St. James lost to Waynesville 16-0 in non-league action at Nelson Hart Park.

Waynesville got four runs in each of the first and third innings and eight in the fifth.

St. James was outhit 16-4.

Justin Brown was the starting and losing pitcher for St. James, now 1-13, while Brett Damewood came on in the fourth in relief.

Brown had a double and Aaron Carson, Shane Conaway and Drew Carter all singled for St. James.

St. James won the junior varsity game 10-6. Kyle Rosenow was the winning pitcher for the WHS jayvee squad, now 8-2.

St. James was to host Licking on Wednesday, April 30.

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Newburg’s Nash wins Tiger Classic

ST. JAMES – Senior J.D. Nash of the Newburg High School golf team won meet medalist honors and Belle captured the team title during the St. James Tiger Classic, held Tuesday, April 22 at the St. James Golf Course.

Belle easily won the team title with 312 followed by Sullivan with 336, St. James 339, Owensville 346, Union 354, Pacific 354, St. Clair 366, Fatima 372, Newburg 373, Salem 439, Cuba 446 and Steelville 491.

Nash fired 2-under-par 37-33–70 to capture medalist honors – five strokes better than runner-up Arthur Hance of Belle, who shot 75.

Other scores for Newburg included Cameron Smith with 95, Shane Lewis 101, Drew DeLong 107 and Tyler Sander 108.

For St. James Jon Connell shot 38-41–79, Drew Tucker shot 38-42–80, Kevin Ahart 47-42–89, Ely Wright 43-48–91 and Dusty Wilson 50-47–97.

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Lady Tiger soccer improves to 8-2

DIXON – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team improved its record to 8-2 overall by clipping Dixon 2-1 in non-league action on Monday, April 21.

After a scoreless first half the Lady Tigers got second-half goals from senior Heather Cain, assisted by freshman Amanda White, and from White unassisted.

Senior Eden Welch was in goal for St. James.

The junior varsity game ended in a scoreless tie. Rachel Fetters was in goal for the St. James jayvee squad.

On Thursday, April 17 at Union, St. James was shut out by the Union Lady Wildcats 3-0. Union held a 1-0 halftime edge. Welch was in goal for St. James, which fell to 1-2 in league play. Union also won the jayvee game 7-0.

On Tuesday, April 15 at the Boys and Girls Town Field St. James clipped Fatima 1-0. The game ended scoreless after regulation and overtime play, forcing penalty kicks. White’s penalty kick proved to be the game-winner for St. James. Welch got the shutout in goal.

St. James also won the junior varsity game 1-0, as sophomore Courtney Hoffstetter had the goal. Fetters was the Lady Tiger jayvee goal-keeper.

St. James was scheduled to host Belle on Tuesday, April 22 and is to play at Mountain View on Thursday, April 24 against Liberty/Birch Tree.

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Tiger golfers third at Sullivan

SULLIVAN – The St. James High School golf team placed third in a quadrangular meet held Thursday, April 17 at the Sullivan Country Club.

Host Sullivan won with 162 followed by Owensville with 176, St. James with 182 and Hermann with 191.

It was a Four Rivers Conference meet for both Sullivan and St. James, with the host Eagles getting the league point.

Sullivan’s Alex Wickey was the meet medalist with even-par 36.

Here are the varsity scores:

St. James (182) – Drew Tucker 42, Ely Wright 43, Dusty Wilson 48, Jon Connell 49, Kevin Ahart 50.

Sullivan (162) – Alex Wickey 36, Lee Songer 39, Luke Strauser 43, Cody Philpot 44, R.J. Brown 47.

Owensville (176) – Cy Mornitz 41, Hayden Brown 44, Anthony Hamman 44, Ethan Biles 47, Dustin DeBrock 49.

Hermann (191) – Greg Wright 45, Tobe Schmidt 47, Jerry Streed 48, J.T. Leicht 51, Brady Ruediger 51.

Sullivan also won the junior varsity meet with 194, followed by Owensville with 204, Hermann 205 and St. James 235.

For the St. James jayvee golfers Broc Adelsberger shot 57, Kyler Nappier 58, Grant Mueller 59, Ryan Roberts 61 and Bubba Cunningham 64.

On Wednesday, April 16 at the Birchcreek Country Club in Union, St. Clair won a triangular meet over St. James and Union. St. Clair shot 171 followed by St. James with 185 and Union 187. It was a league meet for both St. James and Union, with St. James getting the league point.

Tucker was the meet medalist for St. James, shooting 3-over-par 39.

Here are the varsity scores from Wednesday:

St. James (185) – Drew Tucker 39, Ely Wright 45, Jon Connell 50, Dusty Wilson 51, Kevin Ahart 54.

St. Clair (171) – David Schallenberg 41, Jesse York 42, Steven Meyer 43, Luke Pridemore 45, Drew Haanpaa 47.

Union (187) – Drew Towell 43, Dan King 44, Beau Metcalf 50, Devin Arand 51, Andrew Rich 56.

Union won the junior varsity meet with 171 followed by St. Clair with 211 and St. James 229. Nappier shot 54 for the St. James jayvee golfers while Mueller shot 56, Cunningham 59, Roberts 60 and Tyler Voss 61.

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Hermann too much for St. James baseball

Falling to 0-12 overall, the St. James High School baseball team was beaten by Hermann 19-1 Monday, April 22 in Four Rivers Conference play at Nelson Hart Park.

Hermann took an 8-0 lead after the top of the first inning and also scored seven runs in the second inning, two in the third and two in the fourth.

St. James was outhit 16-1.

The Tigers’ lone run came in the fourth, as Larry Kearnes reached on an error and, after two passed balls, scored on Brett Damewood’s sacrifice fly.

Kearnes had the lone hit for St. James. Ryan Parker was the losing hurler for the Tigers.

St. James won the junior varsity game 8-3. Aaron Carson was the winning pitcher for the jayvee Tigers, now 7-2.

In conference game Thursday, April 22 at Nelson Hart Park St. James lost to Owensville 10-0. The Dutchmen tallied four runs in the top of the fourth inning, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

St. James had three hits – singles by Carson Hunter, Tyler Kearnes and Parker.

Keith Miller was the losing pitcher for the Tigers.

St. James won the jayvee game 5-4, as Damewood was the winning jayvee pitcher.

In a league home league game Wednesday, April 23 at Nelson Hart Park the Tigers were beaten by St. Clair 11-1.

The St. Clair Bulldogs tallied one run in the top of the first inning, two in each of the second and third frames and six more in the sixth.

St. James got its run in the second inning, as Tyler Kearnes reached on an error, stole second base and later scored on Douglas Baker’s sacrifice fly.

Hunter and Miller had hits for the Tigers. Justin Brown was the starting and losing pitcher, getting relief help from Collin Rosenow.

The Tigers were scheduled to host Steelville on Tuesday, April 22 and to play at Union on Thursday, April 24.

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St. James golfers down Sullivan

ST. JAMES – The St. James High School golf team defeated Sullivan 178-180 in a non-conference dual meet Tuesday, April 15 at the St. James Golf Course.

Drew Tucker won meet medalist honors for the Tiger golfers with 4-over-par 40. Also for St. James Ely Wright shot 43, Jon Connell 47, Kevin Ahart 48 and Dusty Wilson 49.

The Tigers were scheduled to meet Union Wednesday, April 16 at Birch Creek Country Club, play at Sullivan on Thursday, April 17, and host St. Clair in a varsity-only match Friday, April 18.

Here are the scores:

St. James (178) – Drew Tucker 40, Ely Wright 43, Jon Connell 47, Kevin Ahart 48, Dusty Wilson 49.

Sullivan (180) – Luke Strauser 41, Alex Wickey 43, Cody Philpot 45, Lee Songer 47, R.J. Brown 51.

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Former St. James coach Jacky Payne going to Skyline

STOUTLAND – Former St. James High School boys’ basketball head coach Jacky Payne last week agreed to return to his hometown of Urbana, Mo. to coach at his alma mater, Skyline High School.

Payne has retired from his teaching duties as well as resigned as boys’ basketball head coach at Stoutland High School at the end of the current school year. He had been at Stoutland the past three school years.

Payne was hired as Skyline High School boys’ basketball head coach. He will have no teaching duties at Skyline; just his head coaching position.

"I’m actually retiring from teaching," Payne said. "The Skyline position is only a coaching position. It was a tough decision…I wasn’t looking to leave Stoutland.

"I’m going back to where I played basketball and have a lot of family still there. My mom and dad, brother and sister are there. And our oldest son lives down there. And my mom has been battling health issues. This has all worked out well for me."

Payne replaces Brandon Shelby as Skyline boys’ basketball head coach. Shelby, a long-time football assistant at the school, takes over as Skyline’s football head coach in the 2008-09 school year.

Skyline’s boys’ basketball team finished 18-8 last season and returns All-Mid-Lakes Conference standout Cameron Yates. Payne’s son, Seth, a 6-2 senior, also figures to play a key role for Skyline next season.

Jacky Payne was a two-time former all-state guard at Skyline High School before leaving for college and later beginning his tour as a teacher/coach.

Payne has 29 years of experience as a high school head coach.

St. James was his first coaching stop, as he coached the Tigers from the 1978-79 season through 1984-85. His St. James teams were Four Rivers Conference powers, and one season his St. James Tigers finished the regular-season as an unbeaten, No. 1-ranked team in the state poll.

Payne left St. James to become Marshfield head coach, where he served for nine seasons. He later went to Lebanon, where he coached for 11 seasons and had a 156-135 record, including a state quarterfinal berth in the 1996-97 campaign.

After his Lebanon stint, Payne has been the coach at Stoutland the past three seasons, posting a 48-29 mark during that time, including a 14-10 record this past season.

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St. James golfers 10^th in Potosi Tourney

POTOSI – The St. James High School golf team placed 10^th in the 15-team Potosi Tournament, held Monday, April 14 at Fourche Valley Golf Club.

Arcadia Valley won the team title with 339 followed by Farmington and Sullivan with 346 each, Hillsboro 358, Potosi and St. Clair with 359 each, Windsor 364, Park Hills Central 373, DeSoto 378, St. James 384, Fredericktown 385, Valle 415, North County 419, Herculaneum 420 and Ste. Genevieve 450. Farmington took second place on a scorecard playoff.

Jordan McLaurin of Arcadia Valley won meet medalist honors by seven strokes with his even-par 72 while Sullivan’s Lee Songer and Alex Wickey tied with North County’s Chris Spitzmiller as runner-up with 79.

For St. James, Drew Tucker led the way with 48-44–92 while Jon Connell shot 48-46–94, Dusty Wilson shot 48-50–98, Kevin Ahart 49-51–100 and Ely Wright 51-50–101.

The Tiger golfers were schedule to have a busy week this week, as they were to host Sullivan on April 15, play at Union on April 16, play at Sullivan April 17 and play at St. Clair on April 18.

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St. James girls’ soccer suffers first defeat

PACIFIC – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team suffered its first defeat of the season on Monday, April 14, falling to Four Rivers Conference foe Pacific 2-0.

It was a scoreless tie at halftime. However, shortly after the second half began Pacific scored two quick goals, which proved to be enough.

Eden Welch was in goal for the Lady Tigers, now 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Pacific also won the junior varsity game 8-0. Rachel Fetters was in goal for the Lady Tiger jayvee squad.

St. James was scheduled to host Fatima Tuesday, April 15.

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Sullivan no-hits Tiger baseball

SULLIVAN – Junior right-hander Zack Mesey of the Sullivan High School baseball team tossed a no-hitter at the St. James Tigers on Monday, April 14.

Mesey was nearly perfect on Monday, giving up no hits and no walks while fanning 16 batters in a six-inning 10-0 Four Rivers Conference win over St. James.

An error resulted in the lone baserunner on the night for St. James, now 0-9 overall.

Sullivan, ranked No. 2 in the current Missouri Class 3 state poll, got three runs in the bottom of the first inning, three in the second, one in the fourth and three more in the sixth to end the game on the run rule.

The Sullivan Eagles had 13 hits.

Ryan Parker was the starting and losing pitcher for St. James.

Sullivan rallied for a 6-5 win in the junior varsity game.

St. James had been scheduled to compete in the Salem Tournament on April 11-12 but that tourney was rained out.

The Tigers are scheduled to host St. Clair on Wednesday, April 16 and Owensville on April 17 in a pair of conference games at Nelson Hart Park.

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State champs knock off St. James, 6-2

NEW HAVEN – The St. James High School baseball team was beaten by defending Class 1 state champion New Haven 6-2 in Four Rivers Conference action on Wednesday, April 9.

New Haven senior pitcher Blaine Abbott limited St. James to just three hits while fanning 14. Tigers who got hits were Justin Brown, Aaron Carson and Matt Offerman. Offerman’s hit plated courtesy runners Tyler Craft and Tyler Karnes in the top of the seventh inning for the Tigers. Craft and Karnes were running for Brown and Carson, who also reached with hits.

Brown was the losing hurler for St. James, now 0-8.

St. James is scheduled to compete in the Salem Tournament over the weekend, playing Iberia on Friday, April 11 and facing Salem and Licking on Saturday, April 12.

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Tiger baseball falls to 0-7

BOURBON – The St. James High School baseball team fell to 0-7 by losing to Bourbon 2-0 in non-conference action Monday, April 7.

Bourbon got solo runs in the first and sixth innings. St. James was shut out on four hits. Carson Hunter had two hits while Keith Miller and Justin Brown each had one.

Miller was the hard-luck losing hurler for the Tigers, allowing just two hits.

St. James won the junior varsity game 4-1. Spencer Vanbibber was the winning jayvee pitcher.

Last week St. James opened Four Rivers Conference play by losing to Pacific 13-1 in five innings at Pacific. Pacific tallied two runs in the first inning, eight in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth.

The Tigers scored a run in the second inning by Larry Karnes. Aaron Carson and Karnes each had a double for the Tigers while Hunter also had a hit. Ryan Parker was the losing hurler.

For the season Hunter is batting .487.

The Tigers are scheduled to play Wednesday, April 9, against New Haven in league action. St. James is to compete in the Salem Tournament Friday and Saturday, April 11-12. On Friday the Tigers are to play Iberia at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday they are to play Salem at 9:30 a.m. and Licking at noon.

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Lady Tiger soccer coasts in conference opener

SULLIVAN – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team opened Four Rivers Conference play by shutting out Sullivan 4-0 on Monday, April 7.

The victory pushed the Lady Tigers’ overall record to 5-0.

On Monday St. James bolted to a 2-0 halftime lead, as senior Kate Rapp scored two unassisted goals before intermission to put the Lady Tigers in control.

In the second half freshman Brittany Ragland added a goal, off Rapp’s assist, while senior Heather Cain tallied a goal, assisted by freshman Amanda White.

Eden Welch was in goal for St. James.

The junior varsity game ended in a scoreless tie. Freshman Rachel Fetters was in goal for the Lady Tiger jayvee squad.

St. James was scheduled to host Dixon Tuesday, April 8, and to travel to North County on Thursday, April 10.

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Tiger golfers stop Hermann

ST. JAMES – The St. James golf team captured a Four Rivers Conference dual meet Monday, April 7, defeating Hermann 166-183 at the St. James Golf Course.

The Tigers’ Drew Tucker won medalist honors with 1-under-par 35.

Hermann won the junior varsity meet 177-237.

St. James is scheduled to play at St. Clair on Thursday, April 10.

Here are the scores:

St. James (166) – Drew Tucker 35, Ely Wright 38, Kevin Ahart 45, Jon Connell 48, Dusty Wilson 52.

Hermann (183) – J.J. Leicht 44, Ethen Schnieder 45, Jerry Streed 45, Tobe Schmidt 47, Greg Wright 50.

St. James (237) – Grant Mueller 56, Kyle Nappier 58, Bubba Cunningham 59, Tyler Voss 64, Ryan Roberts 65.

Hermann (177) – Brady Ruediger 40, Spencer Puchta 44, Will Toedtmann 47, Blake Hart 50, Kallie Leicht 50.

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Lady Tiger soccer moves to 4-0

ST. JAMES – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team moved its record to 4-0 by winning a pair of games last week.

On Friday, April 4 the Lady Tigers defeated Southern Boone 2-1 at the Boys and Girls Town Fields.

Freshman Amanda White scored a goal off a corner kick by senior Kate Rapp in the first half for St. James, as the game was tied 1-1 at intermission.

Junior Tiffany Hauck scored unassisted in the second half for the Lady Tigers.

Senior Eden Welch was in goal for St. James.

No junior varsity game was played.

On Tuesday, April 1 at the Boys and Girls Town Fields St. James clipped Winfield 1-0. White scored the lone goal in the second half off a Rapp assist.

Welch was again in goal. St. James dominated play, getting 46 shots-on-goal.

In St. James’ junior varsity season opener Winfield won 2-0. Freshman Rachel Fetters was in goal for the jayvee Lady Tigers.

On Thursday, March 27 at Belle St. James rolled to a 7-0 win over the Belle Lady Tigers. Welch got the shutout in goal.

White scored the hat trick, getting three goals for St. James while Rapp had two goals and junior Marilyn Hughes and freshman Brittany Ragland each had one goal. No jayvee game was held.

The Lady Tigers are scheduled to compete again on Monday, April 7 at Sullivan.

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St. James golfers 3^rd in Salem; 5^th in Pacific

SALEM – Despite cold, soggy conditions, the St. James High School golf team placed third in the Salem Tournament, held Thursday, April 3 at the Salem Golf and Country Club.

Willow Springs and Mountain Grove tied for first place with 356, with Willow Springs winning on a scorecard playoff. St. James was third at 370 while Cabool was fourth with 427, Salem fifth with 464, Mountain View/Birch Tree Liberty sixth with 482 and Steelville seventh with 488.

J. Hicks of Willow Springs and Rance Williams of Mountain Grove tied for first place in the individual medalist race, with Hicks winning the playoff.

St. James’ Drew Tucker placed fourth overall with 43-44--87.

Also for St. James Kevin Ahart shot 48-42–90, Ely Wright 48-47–95, Dusty Wilson 47-51–98 and Grant Mueller 58-53–111.

On Wednesday, April 2 St. James finished fifth in the Pacific Tournament.

Sullivan won with 312 followed by St. Clair with 327, Pacific 336, Union 352 and St. James 360.

In the tourney format each team had a 2-man scramble team, 2-man best-ball team and 2-man shamble team. In the shamble format both players tee off, use the best drive of the two, then play their own ball the rest of the hole.

Tucker had the tournament’s best shamble score with 75.

Sullivan won the team scramble with 82 while David Schallenberg, of St. Clair, had the top best-ball score at 79.

St. James’ scramble duo shot 108, its best-ball duo 92 and the other shamble player, Wright, shot 85. Also for the Tigers Wilson shot 99 and Ahart 100.

The Tiger golfers are scheduled to host Hermann in a dual meet Monday, April 7 at the St. James Golf Course.

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St. James golfers finally open season

OWENSVILLE – Finally avoiding bad weather to open its season, the St. James High School golf team placed third in a triangular meet held Friday, March 28 at the Owensville Golf Course.

Belle won the event with a 147 total while Owensville had 158 and St. James 182.

Tucker Gehlert of Belle was the meet medalist with 1-over-par 33 while Owensville’s Cy Moritz was runner-up with 36.

Here are the scores:

St. James (182) – Drew Tucker 41, Kevin Ahart 44, Brent Buschman 48, Dusty Wilson 49, Ely Wright 49.

Belle (147) – Tucker Gehlert 33, Seth Perkins 37, Jesse Maples 38, Arthur Hance 39, Andrew Maples 41.

Owensville (158) – Cy Moritz 36, Dustin Debroeck 39, Hayden Brown 40, Anthony Hamann 43, Ethan Biles 47.

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Newburg baseball knocks off St. James

NEWBURG – The St. James High School baseball team doubled Newburg in hits on Tuesday, March 25.

However, the Newburg Wolves made theirs count more.

Newburg tallied five runs on just five hits and defeated St. James 5-3 in non-league play at the Newburg Field.

Newburg tallied three runs in the bottom of the second inning and added solo runs in the fifth and sixth frames. St. James got two runs in the third and one in the fifth.

The Tigers outhit Newburg 10-5.

Andrew Lott was 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI for Newburg while Jon Mudd and Brett Williams each had a hit and Josh Williams and Ryan Reagan each had an RBI.

Senior Aaron Gideon was the winning pitcher, working 4 1/3 innings and allowing seven hits and three runs before being relieved by Lott, who got the save.

St. James won the junior varsity game 16-2.

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Lady Tiger soccer wins opener, 3-2

LAQUEY – The St. James High School girls’ soccer team opened its season with a 3-2 victory over Laquey on Tuesday, March 25.

The score was tied 1-1 at intermission, with St. James’ goal coming on an own-goal.

In the second half freshman Amanda White netted a pair of goals for what proved to be the difference. White scored unassisted and later took an assist from senior Heather Cain for another goal.

Eden Welch was in goal for the Lady Tigers.

No junior varsity game was played.

The Lady Tigers were scheduled to play again Thursday, March 27 at Belle.

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Lady Tiger soccer wants to exceed expectations

ST. JAMES – Now that the team has expectations, the St. James High School girls’ soccer team would like to surpass them in 2008.

The Lady Tigers enjoyed the finest season in their young history last spring. St. James finished 12-6 and captured the district tournament championship, losing to state power Springfield Catholic in the sectional round of the playoffs.

Back from that squad is eight starters.

"We actually have some expectations," said St. James girls’ soccer head coach Kacey Smith. "That’s something we haven’t had before."

Back in goal for the Lady Tigers is senior Eden Welch, who recorded eight shutouts last season.

The sweeper back is sophomore Ashley Hoener while sophomore Jordan Bowen is the stopper.

At left defender is junior Sam Hussey and at right defender is freshman Kaylea Pogue.

Competing at the center midfield positions are senior Kate Rapp and sophomore Tiffany Hauck. At right midfield is junior Stesha Abemeyer and at left midfield is junior Kinsey Alexander.

Freshman Amanda White and senior Heather Cain are at forward.

Smith has four freshman on her varsity roster this season.

Hauck is the top scorer back, with 12 goals.

"We want to take what we did last year and build on that," Smith said. "We have a pretty good defensive line and we’ve got some girls who hit the ball pretty well up top, too.

"I think it’s pretty balanced. We have a lot of girls who can score goals."

St. James’ 2008 schedule:

March 18...at Sullivan

March 20...Mtn. View Liberty.

March 25...at Laquey

March 27...at Belle, 4:30 p.m.

March 31...at Fatima, 4:30 p.m.

April 1...Winfield, 4:30 p.m.

April 3...St. Clair, 4:30 p.m.

April 4...Southern Boone, 4:30 p.m.

April 8...Dixon, 4:30 p.m.

April 10...at North County, 4:30 p.m.

April 14...at Pacific, 5 p.m.

April 15...Fatima, 4:30 p.m.

April 17...at Union, 5 p.m.

April 18-19...Waynesville Jayvee Tourney, tba

April 21...at Dixon, 4:30 p.m.

April 22...Belle, 4:30 p.m.

April 24...at Mtn. View Liberty, 4:30 p.m.

April 28...at St. Clair, 4:30 p.m.

April 29...Sullivan, 4:30 p.m.

May 1...Union, 4:30 p.m.

May 6...Pacific, 4:30 p.m.

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Several area players all-district

Several area players have been selected to the 2007-08 Central Missouri All-District Basketball Team, it was announced on Wednesday, March 19.

The all-district team was selected by the Missouri Sportswriters/Sportscasters Association.

In Class 5, 5-11 junior Tyler Sinnott of the Rolla High School boys’ basketball team and 5-5 senior Kaitlin Bramel of the RHS girls’ squad were named all-district.

Sinnott averaged 17 points per game to help the Bulldogs finish with a 12-14 record. Bramel averaged 12 points as the Lady Bulldogs finished 11-15.

In Class 4 the Four Rivers Conference champion St. James High School girls had two players selected – 5-9 freshman Rachel Connell and 5-9 junior Brittany Herode. Connell averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.5 steals while Herode averaged 7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and shot 52 percent from the field. The St. James girls finished 21-6.

Named all-district for the St. James boys was 6-1 senior Damon Thomas, who averaged 11 points and eight rebounds per game as the Tigers finished 11-14.

The Newburg girls, which finished 14-12 and won the district tournament championship, had three players named to the Class 2 All-District Team. They were 5-11 senior Shayla Ellzey to the first team and 5-5 senior Kaitlin DeLong and 5-5 junior Jerrica Lair to the second team. Ellzey averaged 13.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.5 steals and 3.1 assists while DeLong averaged 10.7 points and 2.7 assists and Lair averaged 10.2 points, 1.3 steals and 2.3 assists.

For the Newburg boys 6-2 senior Aaron Gideon was named to the all-district second team. Gideon averaged 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 80 percent from the free throw line for the Wolves, who finished 11-13.

The Vienna boys, 17-8 this season, had two players named to the Class 2 squad. Pat Havens, a 6-6 senior who was named the Gasconade Valley Conference Player of the Year, was chosen to the first team while 6-3 senior Jesse Jones was named to the second team. Havens averaged 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and shot 61 percent from the field. Jones averaged 14.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and shot 56 percent from the field.

For the Vienna girls, which finished 15-9, 5-10 senior Kaylynn Kleffner was named to the all-district first team. Kleffner, the Gasconade Valley Conference Player of the Year, averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and blocked 54 shots this season.

Here is the 2007-08 Central Missouri All-District Team:

Jordan Dressler, 6-8, jr., Rock Bridge

L.J. Fort, 6-2, sr., Waynesville

Eric Franklin, 5-9, jr., Hickman

Jason Haslag, 6-4, sr., Helias

Ricky Kreklow, 6-5, soph., Rock Bridge

Dominique Long, 6-5, sr., Waynesville

Roland Mitchell, 6-1, sr., Jefferson City

Matt Morris, 6-3, sr., Jefferson City

Mike Petrik, 6-0, sr., Rock Bridge

B.J. Ray 6-3, jr., Waynesville

Chris Rebuck, 6-5, sr., Waynesville

Kyle Simpson, 6-1, jr., Camdenton

Nick Thompson, 6-6, sr., Smith-Cotton

Skylar Tolson, 6-0, jr., Rock Bridge

Coach of the Year – Tom Bildner, Waynesville

Yvonne Anderson, 5-7, sr., Hickman

Jayme Chapman, 6-0, jr., Jefferson City

Sydney Crafton, 5-10, jr., Jefferson City

Erica Groose, 6-1, sr., Helias

Lindsey Hale, 6-1, sr., Camdenton

Katherine Harry, 6-3, jr., Rock Bridge

Chasity Prince, 5-10, jr., Hickman

Katie Pritchard, 5-8, sr., Waynesville

Claire Schaeperkoetter, 5-9, sr., Rock Bridge

Andrea Seabaugh, 5-5, sr., Rock Bridge

Cristian Sharp, 5-6, soph., Smith-Cotton

Simone Sullivan, 5-9, sr., Waynesville

Amaya Williams, 5-7, soph, Rock Bridge

Melissa Young, 5-9, sr., Helias

Coach of the Year – Jill Nagel, Rock Bridge

Matt Angell, 5-10, sr., Owensville

Stephen Cotten, 6-7, jr., Eldon

Dustin DeBroeck 5-8, sr., Owensville

Verdis Lee, 5-11, soph., Fulton

Kaharri Ray, 6-0, sr., Fulton

Logan Salisbury, 6-2, sr., Eldon

Coach of the Year – Greg Williams, Owensville

Rachel Breshears, 5-10, jr., Fulton

Mazie Dowdy, 5-9, sr., Eldon

Jessica Harriman, 6-1, jr., Marshall

Courtney Henley, 5-11, sr., Marshall

Chastity Porter, 5-9, jr., Fulton

Dea Dea Sieckmann 5-5, sr., Owensville

Kristin Willer, 6-3, jr., Fulton

Coach of the Year – Heather Helsel, Fulton

Dylan Lange, 6-1, jr., Belle

Andrew Pointer, 6-4, sr., Blair Oaks

Adam Chesser, 6-3, jr., California

Dustin Cook, 5-10, jr., California

Kelsey Weymuth, 6-5, sr., Cole Camp

Josh Nix, 6-0, sr., Cuba

Jose King, 6-3, sr., Dixon

Evan Kempker, 6-2, sr., Eugene

Jordan Morris, 6-2, sr., Eugene

Jake Bax, 6-1, jr., Fatima

Jayme Donnelly, 6-2, jr., Linn

Michael Reinkemeyer, 6-7, jr., Linn

Jordan Sallin, 6-1, sr., Linn

Trevor White, 6-1, jr., South Callaway

Steve Hille, 6-5, sr., Steelville

Justin Eiken, 6-1, jr., Blair Oaks

Brandon Otto, 5-11, sr., Blair Oaks

Martez Callaway, 5-9, sr., Boonville

Matt Harris, 6-2, jr., Bourbon

Jardyn Angell, 5-10, sr., Centralia

Garrett Gilbert, 5-9, jr., Cole Camp

Charlie Brockway, 6-3, sr., Cuba

Phil Sharp, 6-6, jr., Dixon

Adrian Russell, 5-10, jr., Eugene

Clayton Stuecken, 6-0, sr., Fatima

Blake Berkbuegler, 6-1, jr., Hallsville

Danny Mundwiller, 5-10, jr., Hermann

Jacob White, 6-2, sr., Southern Boone

Isaiah Rhine, 6-10, sr., Versailles

Korey Sheets, 6-0, jr., Versailles

Coach of the Year – Ryan Robertson, Linn

Linsay Henke, 6-4, sr., Blair Oaks

Bethany Walkenhorst, 5-8, sr., Blair Oaks

Tori Gehlert, 5-7, jr., Belle

Leigh Ann Lutz, 5-5, soph., California

Erin Rice, 6-2, jr., Cole Camp

Haley Yoakum, 5-6, jr., Dixon

Kelsey Schulte, 5-8, sr., Eugene

Liz Fick, 5-11, sr., Fatima

Samantha Mullings, 5-7, sr., Hallsville

Chelsea Winkelman, 5-8, sr., Hermann

Shelby Winkelman, 5-7, sr., Hermann

Samantha Heck, 6-1, jr., North Callaway

Danielle Harper, 5-11, sr., Osage

Courtney Branch, 5-10, sr., Southern Boone

Julie Teeple, 5-11, sr., Versailles

Chenae Marble, 5-11, sr., Blair Oaks

Erin VanMaanen, 5-7, sr., Centralia

Felicia McCann, 5-8, jr., Centralia

Shaya Kinsey, 5-5, soph., Belle

Kaitlyn Bowles, 5-7, jr., Boonville

Heather English, 5-8, soph., Boonville

Spenser Deeken, 5-7, soph., California

Shannon Hewkin, 5-9, sr., Cuba

Lisa Vengels, 6-2, sr., Dixon

Kate Stegeman, 5-10, sr., Fatima

Shelby Grindstaff, 5-11, jr., Hallsville

Jennifer Lubbers, 5-10, jr., North Callaway

Megan Distler, 5-10, sr., Osage

Raven Woods, 5-9, soph., Versailles

Simone Woods, 5-9, sr., Versailles

Coach of the Year – Todd Anderson, Hermann

Nathan Rigsby, 6-2, sr., Crocker

Andrew Lowe, 6-0, soph., Crocker

Cameron Scott, 5-9, sr., Douglass

Taylor Perrigo, 6-1, sr., Harrisburg

Cory Via, 6-4, jr., Harrisburg

Micah Mayle, 6-3, jr., Laquey

Jordan Hubbard, 6-3, jr., Laquey

Brett Bryant, 6-2, sr., Lincoln

Taylor Bedsworth, 5-10, sr., New Bloomfield

Blake Kimrey, 6-2, sr., Plato

Jaron Lucchesi, 6-0, sr., Sacred Heart

Tyler Wilson, 5-11, soph., Stover

Trey Hicks, 6-0, sr., Sturgeon

Roscoe Robinson, 6-3, jr., Westran

Brett Shoop, 6-2, jr., Green Ridge

Luke Skidmore, 5-8, sr., Green Ridge

Josh Taylor, 6-3, jr., Harrisburg

Kortez Britt, 5-9, jr., Laquey

Jason Culpepper, 5-11, jr., Lincoln

Tyler Rogers, 6-6, jr., New Bloomfield

Andrew Earls, 6-2, sr., Russellville

Ben McMullin, 6-0, sr., Sacred Heart

Aric Falls, 6-0, sr., Slater

Cody Williams, 6-0, sr., Smithton

Seth Burns, 6-0, jr., Stoutland

Frederick Franken, 6-8, sr., Tipton

Trey Allison, 5-11, sr., Tipton

Co-Coach of the Year – Bill Blanton, Laquey; Steve Combs, Harrisburg

Kaitlyn Bogle, 5-10, jr., Crocker

Catherine Kyle, 5-8, sr., Fayette

Shelbee Cowart, 5-4, jr., Laquey

Jessica Murray, 5-8, sr., Richland

Cassy Nicolay, 5-9, soph., Salisbury

Laura McMullin, 6-0, jr., Sacred Heart

Heather Letourneau, 5-8, sr., Smithton

Alina Voronenko, 6-2, sr., Smithton

Jill Stephens, 5-7, sr., Stoutland

Candace Garr, 5-10, jr., Stover

Rachel Backes, 5-1, sr., Tipton

Kayla Rice, 5-9, sr., Westran

Becca Schemmer, 5-10, jr., Westran

Ashley Fisher, 5-10, soph., Harrisburg

Jessi Zink, 5-6, jr., Iberia

Jennie Boyd, 5-6, sr., Laquey

Tyler Brock, 5-10, fr., Laquey

Trisha Cook, 5-8, jr., Lincoln

Meredith Norfleet, 5-7, soph., Northwest

Couri Braithwait, 5-9, jr., Richland

Miranda Loesch, 6-2, sr., Russellville

Morgan Vetter, 5-7, fr., Salisbury

Shannon Smith, 5-7, sr., Stoutland

Mallory Embree, 5-6, soph., Sturgeon

Laura Keesaer, 5-6, sr., Sweet Springs

Chelsey Hainen, 5-7, jr., Tipton

Coach of the Year – Gary Dresback, Westran

Blake Shrout, 6-0, sr., Bunceton

Jake Ragdale, 6-4, sr., Cairo

Cody Hemeyer, 6-6, sr., Chamois

Austin Lietzow, 5-9, jr., Chamois

J.T. Hatmaker, 5-10, sr., Climax Springs

Jay Lee, 6-0, sr., Glasgow

Ben Meyer, 6-4, soph., Glasgow

Philip Starks, 6-3, sr., Higbee

Tyler Wills, 6-2, sr., Macks Creek

Trey Schibi, 6-4, jr., Pilot Grove

Jordan Williams, 6-1, sr., Pilot Grove

Derek Holtmeyer, 6-4, sr., St. Elizabeth

Marshall Humphreys, 6-0, sr., Tuscumbia

Aaron Smith, 6-2, sr., Brunswick

Mason Cary, 6-4, jr., Bunceton

Blake Wilson, 5-10, sr., Cairo

Spencer Wood, 5-11, sr., Cairo

J.D. Morgan, 5-10, sr., Climax Springs

Billy Wallace, 6-1, sr., Climax Springs

Chris Wells, 6-1, jr., Glasgow

Ryan Armstrong, 5-10, jr., Malta Bend

Kaleb Gaskell, 6-3, sr., Otterville

Tyler Ellerbracht, 6-4, sr., Pilot Grove

Zach Glenn, 6-2, soph., Prairie Home

Tyler Holtmeyer, 6-0, jr., St. Elizabeth

Chris Wilde, 6-2, jr., St. Elizabeth

Coach of the Year – Mick Cropp, Glasgow

Brandie Roberts, 6-0, sr., Cairo

Megan Mehmert, 5-9, sr., Chamois

Kay Dee Hammond, 5-5, jr., Climax Springs

Arin Simmons, 5-6, sr., Jamestown

Heidi Koehl, 5-10, jr., Keytesville

Stacy Rhodes, 5-8, sr., Macks Creek

Kyla Rice, 5-7, sr., Macks Creek

Courtney Wilmsmeyer, 5-11, sr., New Franklin

Marci Simmons, 5-5, sr., Otterville

Kayla Thomas, 6-0, sr., Pilot Grove

Jamie Schwartze, 5-10, sr., St. Elizabeth

Whitney Lawson, 5-7, jr., Tuscumbia

Kirsten Patterson, 5-6, soph., Tuscumbia

Courtney Held, 5-7, soph., Bunceton

Hillary Kahle, 5-8, sr., Bunceton

Daris King, 5-11, soph., Cairo

Darlene King, 5-10, sr., Cairo

Caitlin Starke, 5-6, jr., Chamois

Trisha Becker, 5-10, sr., Glasgow

Kasaundra Gatewood, 5-2, jr., Glasgow

Lyndsey Hees, 5-8, jr., Jamestown

Toria Blecher, 5-6, sr., Macks Creek

Heather Brown, 5-2, sr., Macks Creek

Katie Chitwood, 5-6, jr., New Franklin

Kelsea McClellan, 5-7, soph., New Franklin

Tierney Webb, 5-8, jr., Tuscumbia

Co-Coach of the Year – Colleen Griswold, Tuscumbia; Bob Roberts, Cairo

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Youngsters will be key in Tiger golf attack

ST. JAMES – With a sophomore and freshman at the top of the lineup – and some experienced seniors backing them up -- the St. James High School golf team has high hopes for this spring, as well as a few to come.

The Tiger golfers are scheduled to open their season on Thursday, March 20 by hosting Pacific at the St. James Golf Course (4 p.m.).

Lost from the top of the St. James lineup are Zane Garr and Matt Wools, now members of the William Woods University golf squad.

However, a strong foursome may have emerged for the Tigers. Leading the way so far in practice has been sophomore Jon Connell and freshman newcomer Drew Tucker.

Also in the top four are returning seniors Ely Wright and Dusty Wilson.

There is a battle for the No. 5 varsity spot between junior Kevin Ahart and senior Brent Buschman.

In all Wright, Connell and Wilson are returning varsity lettermen. There are 12 players on the Tiger roster this spring.

"Right now Connell is No. 1 and Drew No. 2," said St. James golf coach Kevin Conway. "Tucker, from watching him the last few years he is definitely one of the better golfers in the whole St. James club. He’s hitting the ball really well and that’s what it takes to be one of the top golfers in the Four Rivers Conference. Connell has shown a