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2017 Year in Review: Tiger golf team shines, Hinton no-hits Clinton
Among the most impressive team feats of the 2017 calendar year, was the Nevada Tigers third-place finish at the Missouri Class 3 State Golf Tournament — culminating three seasons of dominance on the links. The marquee event was held May 15-16 at Sedalia Country Club.
Nevada initially finished in a second-place tie with Priory, but settled for third after losing the tiebreaker — making it the second consecutive season the Tigers came away with a third-place state tournament finish.
Patrick Ferry led the charge for Nevada, as the 6-foot-3 senior carded a two-day score of 147, earning a second-place individual finish.
Dealing with 25-30 mph winds, Ferry said the two-day event was likely the best golf he had ever played.
“Definitely, especially the second day,” Ferry told the Daily Mail, adding that he was able to consistently keep the ball in the fairway while battling the fierce wind.
Ferry said he couldn’t have scripted a better ending to his prep career.
“I was hitting the ball well and expected to do well — but second-place is more than I could ask for,” he said. “It’s exciting to be able to cap my high school career like this. It’s perfect, there’s no other way I can describe it.”
Individually, Ferry finished in a second-place tie with Brayden Watts of Southern Boone. Ferry and Watts shared runner-up honors, as individual scores do not go to a tiebreaker. Cassville’s Dylan Garner took home the top prize with a two-day score of 146, edging out Ferry and Watts by a stroke.
Ferry came tantalizing close to earning a share of first place, or even winning the championship outright, narrowly missing birdies on both 17 and 18. Ferry nearly knocked in a 20-foot birdie on 17, and then came within three-feet of sinking a 30-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 18th.
“I really thought Patrick had it, I thought he had won the championship,” said Nevada High School golf coach, Brian Leonard.
For Nevada, its senior core of Ferry, John Quitno and Jacob Hammontree qualified for the state tournament all four years of their prep careers, with Quitno finishing in third-place in 2015. In addition, Hammontree collected all-state honors last season with a top 15 finish. Leonard said the departing seniors will be impossible to replace.
“All three seniors have won a tournament this year, and all three seniors have earned all-state honors during their careers,” said an emotional Leonard. “It’s going to be tough losing these guys. They’ve been a great stable to have. You couldn’t ask for three greater kids in the world. They’re polite, respectful and I just love them.”
Hammontree went on to sign a national letter-of-intent to attend school and play golf at William Jewell College, a private NAIA school in Liberty; while Quitno continued his academic career at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Hinton tosses no-no
Nevada High School then-junior, Braeden Hinton, achieved something that hadn’t been done in 10 years by an NHS pitcher — tossing a no-hitter.
Hinton, who took the mound at 11 a.m. on May 6 in Clinton, held the Cardinals hitless through seven innings as Nevada came away with a 10-1 West Central Conference victory.
Hinton issued a pair of walks in the first, with Clinton leadoff hitter Trey Miller scoring on an error. Hinton then retired the final 19 batters he faced, striking out nine.
“My fastball was moving really well for me. I was able to keep it down with command, go in-and-out (of the zone) and that’s what was really helping me,” said Hinton.
Hinton said that his teammates and coaches were keenly aware of one of baseball’s most long-standing superstitions: do not talk to a pitcher in the dugout while he’s in the midst of a no-hitter.
“Nobody said a word to me in the dugout between innings,” Hinton said with a wry smile.
Hinton also received a little help from his friends, as the 6-foot-2 right-hander praised Nevada’s defense for helping preserve the no-no. The defensive highlight of the day came courtesy of second baseman Jarrett Owen, who made a diving play with one out in the bottom of the seventh, to keep the no-hitter intact.
“I knew it was a hard hit ball,” recounted Hinton. “And I saw (Jarrett) had a bead on it, and I felt like he was going to make the play.”
After quickly bouncing back to his feet Owen fired to first, nipping the runner by a half-step on a bang-bang play. “It was just the way the day was going for me,” noted Hinton. “I had confidence, my defense had been behind me all day.”
Hinton said that entering the seventh he knew that closing out the no-hitter hinged on his ability to negotiate the heart of the order, Clinton’s three, four, and five hitters. On top of his fastball, Hinton’s arsenal includes a curveball and change-up.
“We had to go through the middle of the order, so I knew that I needed to keep the ball down,” said Hinton. “That’s the main thing that was going through my head — keep the ball down, and keep getting ground balls.”
In addition, Nevada head coach Danny Penn said senior catcher Tyler Ketterman did a phenomenal job behind the plate.
“Tyler called a great game,” noted Penn. “He and Braeden worked together well, changing speeds and locations to keep Clinton off balance.”
Added Hinton: “We decided we were going to stick with the fastball — it had been working.”
Penn said Hinton wasn’t trying to be perfect, he was “just having fun and playing baseball.”
“We scored four in the first, which is such a great benefit to a pitcher. “It removes the burden of him having to be perfect. It’s even better when his defense is making plays behind him.”
Penn Continued: “Dalton (Gayman) made a couple of nice plays in center, Logan Armstrong had three assists from third, and Jarrett made the diving stop in the seventh to preserve the no-no. Braeden led the charge today, but it was a total team effort.”
Hinton said that later that night his father treated him to a new pair of Nike’s and a meal at Buffalo Wild Wings in Joplin.
“This is a game that I will definitely remember for a long time,” said Hinton.
In addition, Hinton, along with then-freshman Calli Beshore, were the recipients of the prestigious Kelly Bradham Memorial Award for the 2016-17 school year. The award is voted on by NHS head coaches, and then presented to the male and female student-athletes who have made the most significant contribution as a first-time letter winner on any varsity team — with the ceremony held in May.
Sommer inks with Missouri Baptist
High-octane Nevada High School point guard Matthew Sommer signed on the dotted line on May 9 — making it official that the then-senior student-athlete would continue his basketball and academic careers with Missouri Baptist University.
Missouri Baptist, located in Western St. Louis County, is a private evangelical Christian university. The school is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and is affiliated with the 12-team American Midwest Conference.
“This (signing) was a lot of hard work that’s paid off for me,” Sommer told the Daily Mail. “I just love being around the game, ever since I was a little kid. This game of basketball has brought joy and happiness to my life.”
Sommer continued: “I’ve known since a young age that I wanted to be around the game for a long time. So putting the pen to paper just makes me realize that I have another four years to be around the game that I love, so that’s a good feeling.”
Sommer has been Nevada’s starting point guard the past three seasons, helping lead the Tigers to the Class 4 District 12 championship game in early-March.
Sommer, who averaged 14 points and 6.5 assists a game his senior campaign, was named to the All-West Central Conference team as well as the 4-State Basketball Coaches Association All-Area Second-Team. In addition, Sommer garnered team accolades that included Co-Most Valuable Player while also receiving the Patrick Quest Award.
Sommer concluded his prep basketball career with 1,257 points, ranking him No. 8 on the Nevada boys’ all-time scoring list.
Faith plays a big role in Sommer’s life, as he taught Bible study class for local middle school students once a week at the Green Room.
“Matthew understands why he is here,” said NHS athletic director, John McNeley. “He knows the purpose for why God placed him on the earth. To be 18-years-old and to understand your purpose, is pretty remarkable.”
During the signing ceremony at the NHS Media Center, McNeley addressed the audience, telling them Sommer is like a son to him.
“He lives life the right way — the same way he plays the game of basketball, unselfishly, putting others first,” said McNeley. “His faith comes before everything else and that approach has laid the groundwork for future success in life. He has a zest and passion for life that is contagious.”
Entering his senior season, Sommer wasn’t sold on continuing his basketball career at the college level.
“Late this season Matthew expressed a newfound interest in playing basketball collegiately,” said NHS head boys’ varsity coach, Shaun Gray.
“Though pretty late in the process, we knew that we could find a good fit for him. He did not want to play at just any school, he wanted to go somewhere that would fit his needs academically and athletically.”
Gray, McNeley and NHS boys’ assistant coach Kyle Talley reached out to various schools through e-mail, video, and phone communication on Sommer’s behalf, and found several suitors.
It was second-year Missouri Baptist head coach Matt Brock, however, who had the highest level of interest after seeing film on Sommer. Brock is the son of Carl Junction head basketball coach, Skip Brock.
“I chose to pick this school because of the relationship I have with the coach,” said Sommer. “And academically it’s a school I want to be at. I believe I will fit well into their program and style of play. Not only that, but I will be close to family who live in the area.”
Sommer declined the initial scholarship offer made by MBU. The school then came back a few days later and sweetened the offer. Sommer then accepted what is considered a “half-ride scholarship,” of approximately $18,000 a year, topping the original offer of $12,000 a year.
Gray said that Sommer, who is a four-year letterman, has left a big imprint on the Tigers’ basketball program.
“Matthew is one of the best guards to ever put on a Nevada Tiger Jersey,” said Gray, now in his fourth season as Nevada’s head coach, and fifth overall at Nevada.
“He has been a leader both on and off the court for our program. Matthew has not only set a great example on the court, but even more so off the court. He excels in the classroom and most importantly in the game of life, he aspires to go into the ministry field in the future and will be very successful at whatever he does.”
“It will be hard to replace his scoring, passing and overall production,” said Gray. “But it will be even harder to replace his example of unselfishness, brotherhood and love for his team.
Concluded Gray: “Matt is one of the finest players and young men I have ever had the privilege to coach.”