Sports
Aced by the Irish Ava drops season opener to Springfield Catholic
By Jason Hoekema Freelance Journalist SPRINGFIELD – At the end of three sets the Ava Lady Bears were left with a goose egg following a 3-0 loss to the Lady Fighting Irish of Springfield Catholic High. Outgunned by arms killing play the Lady Bears fell 9-25 in the first set. It started with a red…
Read MoreAnother for the Count – Jr. High runner medals in Willow Springs
Melissa Dalton XC Coach The Ava High School Bears and Lady Bears and Junior High runners competed at the Steve Waggoner Invitational in Willow Springs on September 9, 2021. All runners competed in 1.5 mile races. Ava had one runner medal at the meet, Junior High runner, Jessie Shrable. To medal in the Junior High…
Read MoreAva Cross-Country adds to medal count
Melissa Dalton XC Coach The Ava Bears and Lady Bears competed in the Fellows Lake 5000 Strafford XC Invitational this past Saturday, September 4th. Ava had 6 athletes compete in the High School races. For the Bears, Maddox Wade and Zach Scrivner competed in the Junior Varsity race, which was a 5K (3.1 mile) race. …
Read MorePlaying it by ear Ava makes trek the win
Jason Hoekema Freelance Journalist HUMBOLDT, KANSAS – If you drove up to the stadium last Friday looking for a football game you probably found an empty field at CE Harlan Stadium. The Ava Bears had to make a quick swap of opponents as the Strafford team was unable to compete because of COVID-19 quarantines and…
Read MoreFootball Preview: Do Your Job
Approaching the practice field Tuesday, from a distance one could hear Head Coach Dan Swofford yell, “What is your job!?” The statement is a staple in many coaches’ book of hard-hitting questions and challenges for their players, but in Ava it means more than just what the players leave on the turf. “We aren’t just…
Read MoreHannah Evans All-State in Two Events
By Doug Berger Hannah Evans set Ava Bears track history with her efforts at the state track meet. She is reported to be the only female athlete in Ava Bears track history to be All-State in two individual events, and only the second in track program history. In state competition she placed fourth in the…
Read MoreLocal Athletes Get State Level Attention
Ava Baseball Pitcher Zach Richards received all-state honors in for baseball. Richards was listed as an honorable mention on the 2021 MHSBCA Class 4 All State Team for his pitching abilities. Bryse Dodson and Payton Evans have been elected as nominees for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. The duo has fished competitively for…
Read More2021 Cat/Dog League
2021 Cat/Dog League Results for June 3, 2021 Score D Duckworth / R Flemming 35 M Collins / T Webster 36 Bob & Sis Green 37 Burrely & Penny Loftin 38 D Hudson / C Hetherington 38 Fred & Connie Bacorn 39 David & Rhonda Williams 39 Dave…
Read MoreBears Fall 7-6 in District Game
by Doug Berger On a rain-soaked field last Wednesday afternoon, the Ava Bears made a run at Springfield Catholic in the final inning of the Class 4 District 10 Tournament championship. The Bears couldn’t make up the full four run deficit, and fell 7-6. In a game where the pitchers had a tough time getting…
Read MoreAva Bears Track Results
Hannah Evans brought home four first place finishes in the Class 3 District 5 track and field competition. Top ten individual finishes at the district meet for Ava were: Girls’ competition 300 Meter Hurdles-Celia Fossett, fifth. 4×100 Meter Relay-Ava, seventh. 4×200 Meter Relay-Ava, fifth. 4×400 Meter Relay-Ava, eighth. 4×800 Meter Relay-Ava fifth. High Jump-Hannah Evans,…
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