Glenn Adams, the running back who would score the winning touchdowns in the state championship victory months later, still remembers two-a-day practices in August. How could he not? Before the Greenwood Laboratory School 1981 Football Team reached its destiny, it first had to journey through … a Springfield city park. “Coach (Paul) Mullins made us… Read more »
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Category: Teams/Programs
1977-1979 Era Greenwood Laboratory School Girls Track & Field
It’s been more than 40 years since Greenwood Girls Track & Field captured back-to-back state championships in 1978 and 1979. But the achievements of those teams, and the bonds they formed, still stand strong today. Coached by John Charles, the Blue Jays gave everyone a hint of what may lie ahead when they finished fourth… Read more »
Hallsville High School Baseball Program
Just off Highway 63 in Boone County there’s a town called Hallsville. Yes, it has only one stoplight but, if you assume nothing is big here, you’d be wrong. Baseball rules. Has for decades. In fact, over at the post office, a black-and-white framed photo hangs from the wall, depicting a town team in wool… Read more »
Harrisonville High School Football Program
Just a few blocks from the town square, where the clock tower still works atop the historic Cass County courthouse, sits another landmark. Under the Friday night lights of the fall, the football stadium showcases the Harrisonville Wildcats. See the white flags flapping in the wind beyond the north end zone? Those honor that great… Read more »
Helias Catholic High School Baseball Era 1987-1989
In the late 1980s, in the state capitol city of Jefferson City, a group of baseball players from Helias Catholic High School had just about everybody’s attention. And for good reason. The Crusaders had been building toward the elite of prep baseball powers for several years, with the 1985 team reaching the state quarterfinal and… Read more »
Helias Catholic High School Boys Golf Program
You look at all of the success over the decades, and it’s hard not to shake your head in awe. After all, the golfers of Helias Catholic High School helped put their school on the statewide sports map. So, what’s been the secret to the success? There isn’t one, former longtime coach Ray Hentges will… Read more »
Helias High School Wrestling Program
Helias High School had the dominant wrestling program in the state of Missouri in the 1980’s, 90’s and into the new millennium. In one 26 year period, the Crusaders finished in the top three at the State Tournament an incredible 25 times. Altogether, the Crusaders won 12 State Titles, finished in second place six times,… Read more »
Hermann High School Volleyball Program
If ever on I-70, exit off to Highway 19 south down a scenic two-laner, roll over the Missouri River and into one of the most quaint communities in the state of Missouri. Here, the sport of volleyball has held a firm grip for decades. In fact, fans from afar may mistakenly assume that it began… Read more »
1979-1999 Era Hickman High School Girls Swimming
Successful coaches are often measured by the same metric: winning. How many championships do you have? What’s your record? But if you’ve ever spent time in the athletics arena, you know winning is a small notch on the measuring stick of success. And championships alone never tell the entire story. Oh, sure, winning matters. It’s… Read more »
Hickman Mills High School Girls Basketball Era 1977-1980
In late fall of 1976, one year after their high school first fielded a girls basketball team, a group of girls gathered in the Hickman Mills High School gymnasium for the launch of a new season. You could say confidence was high. After all, a majority had played AAU basketball in recent summers, or had… Read more »
Hillcrest High School and American Legion Baseball
Hillcrest High School opened its doors in 1958. That means 55 high school baseball seasons and 54 American Legion seasons. Those 109 seasons have produced 2,432 wins in 3,797 contests, a .641 winning percentage. Multiple generations of families have played on these teams but only four men have coached them. Dick Birmingham started it all, coaching… Read more »
Incarnate Word Academy Basketball Program
So how in the world did the Incarnate Word Academy Basketball Program rise from a little-known school to one of the most respected in Missouri and beyond? For that answer, just ask one of its best players since 2000, Felcia Chester-Wootton. Years before she played in the WNBA – and before that, for DePaul University… Read more »
Jefferson City High School Track and Field Program
For the past quarter decade, the Jefferson City Jays have set a bar of excellence which few programs exceed. the records created by combining their boys and girls teams, boast an impressive 20 undefeated seasons, 40 District Championships and 9 State Championships. During that time, the Jays head coach Dennis Licklider has had a total… Read more »
Jefferson City Jays Football Program
If sports fans from far away think of the Jefferson City Jays Football Program and its rich tradition, the image probably is that of an old brick high school sitting high atop a hill – a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s – and with the football stadium tucked in at the bottom of the… Read more »
Jefferson City High School Cross Country Program
When coach Larry York implemented a summer training program ahead of the inaugural 1972 cross country season, his Jefferson City High School runners challenged themselves. The rugged hills in town? No problem. In fact, the next year, when York convinced the Building Trades teacher to let him borrow the department’s run-down blue Air Force bus… Read more »
2000-2003 Joplin High School Baseball Era
Ask baseball folks about the sport’s history in Joplin, and they’re likely to mention Mickey Mantle and the city’s old minor league clubs. Or maybe they’ll point out the dozen Final Fours of its high school teams. In the early 2000s, all eyes were on the Joplin High School Eagles baseball teams, and what an… Read more »