Morgan Young got her college decision out of the way before school even started.
The Park Hill senior soccer player announced her decision to play soccer at University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kan., on social media.
Being able to stay close to home was a big plus for Young, who was part of the Class 4 state championship team in the spring.
“It is a big weight off my shoulders,” said Young, who plays club soccer for KC Athletic.
She moved into the starting lineup midway through her sophomore season and was an outside back for the Trojans last year, when she earned Class 4 District 16 honorable mention honors.
“Morgan is a converted midfielder into an outside back, who did an excellent job for us in our possession and becoming a very strong 1v1 defender as the season progress,” Park Hill coach Brandt Bell said. “She’s got a great worth rate and is a consummate team player.”
Playing on the back row, she and the other defenders — as well as goalkeeper Kelby Emerson— faced a lot of pressure as Lee’s Summit West attacked in the second half of the state championship game, trimming a 3-0 deficit to 3-2.
The Trojans withstood the late barrage and won the school’s first state soccer title.
“I take a lot of pride in the win,” Young said “The last couple of games, I couldn’t imagine not winning. Everyone is a family and we work so well. Everyone is excited for everyone’s success. It’s great.”
Keeping on playing
Missouri Western’s football team will play in the Agent Barry Live United Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 1 in Texarkana, Ark.
The Griffons, 6-5 overall, will matchup with the Southern Arkansas Muleriders, who are 8-3, at noon at Razorback Stadium. The first trip to the postseason since 2012 will include two local players suiting up for the Griffons: Platte County’s Kobe Cummings and Park Hill South’s Tyler Baska.
A sophomore, Baska earned All-MIAA second-team honors recently. The former Panther had 3 ½ sacks, 7 ½ tackles for loss and tallied 41 tackles, sixth on the team.
Cummings, a true freshman, has recorded 74 tackles, had one fumble recoveries, one interception and a touchdown. He finished third on the team in tackles.
Wrestling news
In a battle of top-10 ranked teams, Missouri topped Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 16 in Columbia, Mo. Park Hill product John Erneste, ranked No. 10 in 133-pound class, posted a 6-2 win over No. 16-ranked Korbin Myers.
Erneste is 2-0 on the young season, winning in the first dual of the year against Illinois, winning 13-0 against Abdullah Assaf.
Missouri takes its dual winning streak of 23 in a row — dating back to the 2016-17 season — into a Dec. 9 at home against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Tigers also feature Park Hill products Canten Marriott and Weston DiBlasi on the roster and Alan Waters on the coaching staff.
Erneste’s high school teammate, Ke’Shawn Hayes, is having a good year at Ohio State.
Competing for the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes, Hayes opened the year with a win against Navy’s Connor Prince by a 7-5 decision, part of a 7-0 start for Hayes,
Ranked No. 5 in the 157-pound class, Hayes most recently beat Arizona State’s Christian Pagdilao, 4-3, getting a go-ahead takedown in the final seconds. He also added a championship in the Ohio Intercollegiate Open’s gold division earlier this month.
Commit season
In recent days, a few area players have pledged intentions to play sports at the next level.
Park Hill wide receiver Joseph Webb tweeted on Wednesday, Nov. 14, that he will go to Northwest Missouri State to play. That same day, Platte County baseball player Colby Sneed announced he will go to Bolivar to play for Southwest Baptist, soon-to-be a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Golf honors
As the fall golf season concluded, West Platte’s Lucas Horseman was honored by the MIAA.
He was the co-athlete of the week for the first time in his three years at Missouri Western after a strong showing in the Holiday Inn Express Classic in St. Joseph, Mo.
The former Bluejays multi-sport athlete won his first career tournament and guided the Griffons to a second-place finish.
He shot a 4-under 67 to break his previous best score of 70. On par 3 holes, Horseman shot 3-under par and was the only golfer in the field with two eagles.
West Platte doesn’t offer boys golf in the spring so Horseman played baseball. He was an all-conference pick for the Bluejays and helped West Platte reach the state semifinals in 2015, where the team finished in a tie for third after a rainout.