Springfield, Missouri – Dexter’s Ethan Flowers and Noah Kronk finished the best in several years at Dexter High School earning medals for their efforts.
They won their round of 16 match against Osage's Jordan Wilson and Adam Schoening 6-2, 6-4.
They then lost their quarterfinal to Knob Noster's Kyl Zimmerschied and Cole Lankford 6-2, 7-5.
Kronk and Flowers followed with an 8-5 victory over Chillicothe's Garrett Peterson and Steven Ketchmark in the fifth place bracket.
The tennis duo then suffered a loss to Pembroke Hill’s Sam Kramer and Cormac Chester and finally lost to John Burrough’s Ben Remis and Louis Rodgers 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday.
“Ethan has really grown into an outstanding tennis player over the past few year,” commented Dexter head tennis coach Kurt Lovelady. “He has quick hands, is athletic, and has a desire to always be better tan he currently is and he has put in a lot of time at the courts. This season has shown that!”
Flowers will return next season as a senior. As for Noah Kronk he graduated in May at Dexter High School.
“Noah has finished his tennis career at DHS with his best season ever,” continued Lovelady. “His leadership on the court and role he plays for the younger tennis players is something they all look up to. He will be greatly missed next year on the courts!”
Ethan and Noah finish their season with an impressive 17 wins, 6 losses finishing 8th in the state of Missouri in doubles.
The Squirrels were formed in 2005. They have 7 Missouri State Titles, 8 Regional Berths, 3 Regional Championships, and 3 trips to the World Series.
Playing on the 17u team are Alex Guzman, Braxton Housman, Will Biggs, Dillon Mize, Wyatt Pratt, Austin Autry, Dalton Coots, Will Pratt, Max Ault, Jacob Pedigo, Stephen Christian, Jason Jarrell, Trey Kirkpatrick, Brandon Grimes, Seph Kesselring, McKenzie Worth, Jackie Jenkins, and Sam Wallace.
Playing on the 19u team are Colton Hampton, Hunter Cook, Chandler Youn, Bruce Simmons, Cameron Clark, Jason Mattison, Blake Simmons, Austin Aldridge, Ty Householder, Brady Bibbs, Colton Averett, Blake Wolferding, Chase Urhahn, Andrew Thompson, Tim Fox, Adam Pope, Corson Crosnoe, and Luke Harris.
| Date | Team | Time | Location |
| 5/30 | 17U Squirrels (Round Robin) |
2 p.m. | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 6/1 | at Cape Girardeau Legion | 6 p.m. | Capaha Park/Cape Girardeau |
| 6/2 | at Sikeston Legion | 6 p.m. | VFW Stadium/Sikeston |
| 6/4 | at Mayfield, Ky. | 6 p.m. | Graves County High/Mayfield |
| 6/8 | at Dexter Babe Ruth | 6 p.m. | Dexter City Park |
| 6/9 | vs. SEMO Pirates | 6 p.m. | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 6/11 | at Blytheville Legion | 5:30 p.m. | Blytheville Complex |
| 6/12-13 | Fighting Squirrel Classic | TBA | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 6/14 | Charleston Riverdogs | 2 p.m. | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 6/15 | at Jackson Legion | 6 p.m. | Legion Field/Jackson |
| 6/16 | at Sikeston Legion | 6 p.m | VFW Stadium/Sikeston |
| 6/17 | at Riverbend Ducks | 6 p.m. | New Madrid City Park |
| 6/18 | at Pemiscot County Legion | 6 p.m. | Caruthersville |
| 6/19-20 | Bleacher Bum Invite | TBA | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 6/22 | at Paducah Legion | 6 p.m. | Brooks Stadium/Paducah |
| 6/25 | St. Louis Stars | TBA | St. Louis |
| 6/26 | DeSoto | 8 p.m. | Jefferson High/Festus |
| 6/27 | Jefferson City Legion | 12:30 | Jefferson College/Hillsboro |
| 6/27 | Festus Legion | 3 p.m. | Jefferson College/Hillsboro |
| 6/28 | Tupelo, Mississippi | 12 p.m. | West City Park/Festus |
| 6/30 | Wayne County Lumberjacks | 6 p.m. | Clearwater High/Piedmont |
| 7/7 | Poplar Bluff | 6 p.m. | Poplar Bluff High/Poplar Bluff |
| 7/9 | at Paducah Legion | 6 p.m. | Brooks Stadium/Paducah |
| 7/10-19 | Babe Ruth State Tournament | TBA | Hillhouse Park/Charleston |
| 7/23-27 | Babe Ruth Regional Tournament | TBA | Lyons, Kansas |
| 8/8-8/15 | Babe Ruth World Series | TBA | Klamath Falls, Oregon |
Noah Kronk, Dylan Bazarian, and Drake Mitchell of Dexter, Missouri were selected to play on the Lions All-Star Football Team
The 39th Annual Missouri Lions All-Star Football Game will be played at the University of Central Missouri (UCM) Campus, Warrensburg, MO on Saturday, July 18th. The game features outstanding 2015 graduated high school football players from around the state to play one last game with and against their peers before entering the world of college or other careers.
The game is divided into Blue and Gold Teams. Heading this year’s Blue squad will be Coach Mark Barousse from Poplar Bluff High, and the Gold team will be led by Coach Matt Webb from Maryville High School.
The annual event was created in order to benefit the youth of Missouri and to raise funds for the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation (MLERF), including Heartland Lions Eye Banks, and has raised over $200,000 for this statewide Lions project.
The players and coaches will spend the week getting acquainted, learning plays and two-a-day practice sessions, and opportunities to volunteer in the local area.
On Saturday, the pre-game festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with kick-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Walton Stadium/Vernon Kennedy Field on the University of Central Missouri (UCM) Campus, Warrensburg, MO.
Game tickets are $7 in advance (or $10 at the gate) and are available by contacting me or through the Missouri Lions State Office at (573) 635-1773. Children 5 & under will be free, and Student Tickets (1st grade thru college) will be $3.00 in advance ($5.00 at the gate). This year the Missouri Lions State Athletic Committee has once again voted to allow any “youth” football player wearing their jersey, free admission to the game when accompanied by a paid adult.
The Lions of Missouri invite you to come enjoy one of the best High School football games you will ever see.
Waldner took first place in the 300m hurdles winning by nearly a full second. Her time 42.89.
She finished second in the 100m hurdles at 15.44. Constance Jackson of North Technical won in 15.25.
She finished second in the 200 just .72 of a second from the winner. Her time 25.92.
She jumped for 5th place in the long jump at 16 feet, 11.5 inches on her final attempt. This was a sport she did not spend much time practicing as she felt she was more of a runner.
Waldner is not new to the scene at state level competitions. She earned two medals in 2014 in the 100m and 300m hurdles.
Her brother, Trevor Waldner,sent her a text right after the 100m hurdles and told her, “I didn’t know we celebrated 2nd place as a family and she better win the 300m hurdles.” What brotherly love!! That really put things into perspective for Waldner and she wanted the win.
When asked of MaKayla about her wins over the weekend, "It feels amazing to know that all my hard work as finally paid off. The countless hours I have spent training and preparing for the State Meet really paid off for me. I couldn't thank my mom or coaches enough for it."
"I went into this season with my own goals," continued MaKayla, "And I tackled them every step. I wanted a state championship and I got that. I've just realized if I set out to have a goal nothing is going to stop me except for the excuses I find."
This is Kim Waldner's first year as the head Track and Field Coach for Dexter High School. She just so happens to be MaKayla's mom as well. She is both proud as a coach and as a parent!“I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend for her,” stated head track coach and mother, Kim Waldner. “We were both disappointed in her long jump performance, but she said ‘oh well maybe next year. I should practice that event.”
“Kevin Ellis her AAU coach told her that she wouldn’t run a 42 in hurdles because the track was wet and rainy,” continued Coach Waldner. “She wanted it and went out and got it!”
She single-handedly gave the Dexter Bearcats Track and Field Team a score of 30 points to put the team in sixth place, missing out on a team trophy by just 1 point."We didn't realize how close she was to a team trophy," continued Coach Waldner. "I think next year she will go after one."
Way to go MaKayla! The Dexter community is extremely proud of your accomplishments!
The Richland students participated in the Spring Break ’Em Tournament on April 11th at the Poplar Bluff Gun Club. This was the second meet that the Rebels had competed in and interest in the program is so large that they had to split the team into A and B squads for the tournament.
“I am very proud of this team,” stated head coach Jarrot Basler. “We have learned and grown vastly together since our first practice in September. With us having all freshmen and sophomore athletes this year will be bringing an even more competitive team for the 2015-2016 school year.”
Josh Shidler finished second overall out of 66 participants while shooting in the Spring Break ’Em Tournament. It was only the second time Shidler had ever competed in a competition.
“Josh picked up a shotgun for the first time in September at our first practice,” said Basler. “He was at the middle to low end of the squad at first. He improved his form and set the goal of being the top shot. Through hard work and determination he saw his goal come to fruition.”
Shown in the photo are front row from left to right: Ben Pearce, Josh Shidler, Megan Cullum, Garet Phillips, and Lane Brown. Back row from left to right are Clayton Harriel, Gerlynn Grossius, Josh Boyet, Shawn Knox, and Luke Rhodes.
