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A fruitful spring for Vernon County sports
NHS golf team captures Neosho Tournament
* Early-April
The Nevada Tigers golf team took the first-place team trophy in the Neosho Kick-Off Tournament, with a final team score of 298.
The tournament was played in teams of six, with two players competing in an individual tournament, two playing best ball and the other two playing a scramble format. Nevada's best ball team of Patrick Ferry and Jacob Hammontree finished first with a final score of 75, while the scramble team of Keegan Bell and Andrew Quitno finished second at 71.
Levi Palmer finished second in the individual competition with a 76, while John Quitno was third, also at 76. The scorecard playoff system was used to break the tie and Palmer ultimately came out on top after both players shot par on the sixth hole and Palmer won No. 11 with a second par to Quitno's bogey.
The tournament was the third the Tigers had won to that point in the season.
* Early-April
NHS tennis topples Fort Scott
* Early-April
After losing to Thomas Jefferson two days earlier, the Nevada High School tennis team returned home, downing Fort Scott, 5-4.
In doubles competition, Skyler Laning and Anthony Do defeated Gage Addington and Alex Combs, 8-4, while Gabriel Garcia and Myles Coffer beat Raifen Cruse and Jacob Bailey by the same score. In singles, Do earned an 8-6 victory over Combs, Garcia beat Quinton Parsons, 8-5, and Coffer capped off the evening with an 8-0 shutout victory over Bailey.
NHS baseball wins eighth straight
* Late-April
The Nevada Tigers extended their winning streak to eight games after hammering the El Dorado Springs Bulldogs 9-1, April 24 at home.
With the victory, NHS improved to 10-2.
Pitching for Nevada was Andrew Heathman, who was given his first start of the season.
Heathman was nearly lights out until the fourth inning, when the Bulldogs opened the frame with a pair of hits by Riley Boyd and Schwalm, before Boyd came around to score on James Dubois' sacrifice fly.
That was all the offense El Dorado Springs was able to muster against Heathman, as he settled back in and never lost control of the contest. By the time his day concluded, Heathman had allowed just one earned run on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work to earn the victory.
Gray named as NHS boys basketball coach
* Early-May
Nevada's new boys head basketball coach, Shaun Gray, graduated from Bronaugh High School in 2005, after helping the Wildcats to two district championships and an appearance in the Sectional game his senior year.
During his high school playing career under then-head coach Tim Judd, Gray realized his true calling ---- coaching basketball.
"It's been a goal of mine to be a head basketball coach since I was 16 or 17 years old, in high school," Gray said. "I've passed up a few opportunities to maybe go to smaller schools, or to maybe go to schools that were desperate for a head coach and to go places that wouldn't have been a great situation. This is a situation I've always wanted to be in and when they offered it to me, it was somewhat emotional."
Sanderson signs
* Mid-May
The third of eight members of the winningest senior class in Nevada High School baseball history announced his plans to continue his playing career at the college level, May 16.
Cole Sanderson has played what could be argued as one of the most influential and vital roles on the Nevada Tigers baseball squad throughout his high school career. As the Tigers' everyday catcher, Sanderson was one of the most influential leaders on a team that featured the winningest senior class in school history and either tied or broke the school's single-season wins record in each of the last three seasons.
As a hitter, Sanderson entered the final game of the 2014 regular season with a .371 batting average, three home runs, 26 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 17 strikeouts and nine walks. However, those numbers further improved after he finished the Tigers' victory over Ash Grove with three hits ---- including a double and two RBIs ---- in four at-bats.
Last season, Sanderson hit .329 with one home run, 24 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 17 walks and 13 strikeouts. In 2012, he finished with a .388 batting average, 22 RBIs, 12 runs scored, 13 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Sanderson's talents don't just lie at or behind the plate, however. Throughout his high school career, he has also shown substantial pitching prowess.
Sanderson won four of five decisions with a 2.46 ERA, 24 strikeouts and just six walks in 33 2/3 innings on the mound this season. Last year, he finished 4-2 with a 3.62 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 17 walks in 48 1/3 innings and in 2012, he was 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA, 19 strikeouts and 13 walks in 29 innings of work.
That body of work caught the attention of head coach John Martin and the rest of the coaching staff at Coffeyville Community College, who ultimately offered Sanderson a spot on the Red Ravens roster. Sanderson made his acceptance of that offer official, as he gathered with friends, family and coaches to sign his letter of intent to play for Coffeyville next year.
Late-May
NEVC's Camille Buttorff signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the Lady Pirates of North Central Missouri College (Trenton, Mo.) May 22. NHS track qualifies for state
* Late-May
One Nevada Lady Tiger and two Nevada Tigers qualified for the 2014 MSHSAA Class 3 State Track and Field Championships, in Jefferson City.
Sophomore Reagan Bradley finished fourth in the 200-meter dash last Saturday, in the sectional meet, at Eldon. Her time ---- 27.2 seconds ---- was her best in the event this season. Chaden Brandt and Justin Marley joined Bradley in the state meet. Brandt placed fourth in the 100-meter dash in 11.64 and Marley was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.42 ---- a second and a half better than his best previous time this season.
The Lady Tigers' 4x100-meter relay team of Bradley, Kelsey McCall, Chloe Bartlett and Carsten Warner just missed qualifying for the state meet with a fifth-place finish by 9/100 of a second. Marley finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles and Brooklynn Vincent placed fifth in the discus.
Bradley, McCall, Bartlett and Warner finished sixth in the 4x200 meter relay with a season-best time of 1:53.21, Megan Hold placed sixth in the long jump and Vincent was sixth in the shot put with a season's best distance of 35 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Brandt, Michael Brown, Austin Deer and Ryan Ferris placed seventh in the 4x200 relay; Brandt, Chance Mays, Deer and Ferris finished eighth in the 4x100 relay; Bradley was eight in the 100-meter dash and Connor West placed eighth in the triple jump.
Panthers win district championship
* May
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Sheldon Panthers baseball team and head coach Jason Irwin can finally call themselves district champions. Despite being a heavy underdog, the Panthers brought an end to a 19-year drought, May 20, defeating the Drexel Bobcats by a final score of 5-1 to take the Class 1, District 7 championship.
The last time the Panthers won the district title was in 1995, when Irwin was still in his playing days.
"I was in high school, playing against Sheldon, when they were winning the district championship," Irwin said.
Griffons win opener
* Late-May
The Nevada Griffons won their May 29 season opener, defeating the Midwest Nationals Blue team, 8-2 at Lyons Stadium.
By the time all was said and done, both squads finished the night with five hits, but the Griffons took advantage of six walks and three hit batters in the contest to produce the majority of their runs.