“It was a surprise,” Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said. ”It was a family move. His wife is a pharmacist and she got offered a job she couldn’t turn down.  It was a financial thing; he has two little kids. He wanted to spend more time with his family.”

The move comes very late in the year and leaves McGuffin less than ideal time to find a replacement as jobs for fall coaching positions are usually filled in the early winter months.  Despite the timing, McGuffin doesn’t want to rush a new hire. He plans to meet with the players individually this week and come to a resolution of whether to look internally or search for new candidates from outside of Western.

Frederick compiled a 37-72 record at Western after taking over a team that won only four games in the season before he took over the head coaching position.  The Griffons showed gradual improvement each season under Frederick and went 16-16 last season in one of the most competitive volleyball conferences in Division II.

“He did a good job of progressing each year and this fifth year I was getting ready to see good things,” McGuffin said. “They basically have the whole group back so I think they are going to be pretty good.”

Although he would have liked to know sooner, McGuffin still feels he can find the right candidate to replace Frederick and has already begun receiving phone calls from coaches inquiring about the position.

“I think our jobs are pretty well sought after,” he said.

The players usually sign their scholarships before going home for the summer, which is another reason why the late timing presents a challenge for McGuffin to find the replacement.

Frederick came to Western after winning a men’s national championship at Park University in 2008.  He coached nine All-MIAA selections in his tenure with Western including Stephanie Hattey who has been an all conference team selection in each of her three seasons including winning the Freshman of the Year award in 2010.

It took Shockley less than three seasons to break Javier Martinez’ record of 42 doubles – which stood for 16-years and was accomplished in four seasons – after transferring from Western Iowa Community College after his freshman season.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know I was close to breaking it, but its pretty cool that I will have some tradition with the school now and it means a lot,” Shockley said.

Shockley credits his ability to get so many extra-base hits on his lack of ability to knock the ball completely out of the park. “I just can’t get them over the fence. That extra 10 feet kills me so I end up with doubles.

According to Coach Buzz Verduzco, the reason Shockley has been so successful as a hitter starts with the amount of work that he puts into the game.

“He’s got power and the kid is a worker,” Verduzco said. “He’s always been a weight room kid and does his work in the offseason and during the season to maintain his strength. Any time you have that type of work ethic, it’s going to carry over to the field.”

Verduzco noted that it’s is an unbelievable feat to break such a long-standing record in the timespan that Shockley has been a Griffon.

“It just goes to show what kind of hitter he is and just how tough a hitter he is,” Verduzco said. “He has a superb eye that allows him to go deep into the count. When he’s on, he’s one of the toughest in the league to get out – he’s that good.”

Shockley has the distinction of knowing what it feels like to win a championship as he transferred into Western after his team won the junior college world series at Iowa Western.

“It’s a very similar feeling with the guys we have this year and the guys we had at my JUCO team,” Shockley said. “We’ve got guys that can hit the ball good. We get big hits when we need them so it’s just a good feeling going into the postseason.”

Nothing would make him happier than to win another championship in his final season of college baseball, this time as a Griffon. And he has full confidence that his team can accomplish the goal.

“Having a senior year like this is all you can ask for,” Shockley said. “Just putting yourself in a good position as a team and making a championship happen. If we play like we can play and if we get our timely hits and the pitchers keep throwing like they do, then good things will happen.”

“There are milestones you have in your career and it’s pretty neat, but when you look at milestones like that there is a lot that goes into those wins,” Bagley said.

When Bagley thinks over her new achievement, she thinks about the dedication and hard work put in by everyone involved with the program, especially her assistant coaches.

The Griffons swept Pittsburg State 5-2,4-0 and Missouri Southern 3-1, 4-3 on Friday and Saturday.

It was the solid pitching of Jackie Bishop and Janie Smith that only allowed two total runs in the first doubleheader. Freshman Smith had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning before it was broken up and she pitched the first shutout of her career.

Homerun hitting carried Western through the second doubleheader with Southern as Tiffany Gillaspy and Maegan Roemmich hit one while Keri Lorbert hit two over the fence. Lorbert is two homers shy of breaking the all-time career record at Western.

“We don’t purposely coach to hit home runs,” Bagley said. “I don’t plan a game thinking that someone will hit one, they are just bonuses.”

This season’s Griffons have utilized scoring runs with one swing of the bat more than teams from the past.

“The whole team is hitting the ball more solid this year and the ball is going over the fence a lot more,” Lorbert said. “It’s good to have runners on base when we do that and they are doing a good job at being on base.”

The homerun ball provides excitement in the dugout and helps to reenergize the players with adrenaline.

“It helps to keep us excited and on our toes during the game,” Gillaspy said.

The Griffons improved to 24-8 on the season after winning 12 consecutive games.

“I don’t think we’ve reached our peak yet,” Lorbert said. “I’m a firm believer that there’s always room for improvement and we come to practice every day trying to become better.”

Midway through her junior season, Jackie Bishop is already the most dominant pitcher to ever step on the mound for Griffon softball.

Within the last week she became the all-time leader in strikeouts and wins at Western.

“When I’m playing, I don’t think about records,” Bishop said. “So that’s just the hard work and the part that pays off.”

Although Bishop is honored to be in the history books, she noted that individual accolades are of little importance compared to team success.

“Records are just meant to be broken and that happens along the way,” Bishop said. “Team wins are way more important than any records.”

Coach Jen Bagley says the records will bring a lot of respect to her program and that despite Bishop’s greatness, there is still plenty for her to accomplish in her final year and a half in terms of team goals like making a deep postseason run.

“I don’t think there was a bone in Jackie’s body that was hungry for that record; she’s hungry to win a conference championship,” Bagley said.

Bishop boasts a win record of 61-14 with a career 1.46 earned run average and has struck out 595 batters. She dominated right from the start of her freshman season, being named MIAA freshman of the year and throwing a no-hitter at the first ever game at the Spring Sports Complex. Bishop credits strong senior leadership for helping her transition to college and Bagley for her coaching her.

“Jonnelle Belger helped shape me into the person and pitcher that I am,” Bishop said. “Learning from her was great and I couldn’t have had a better leader when I first came in and coach Bagley helps me continue to improve by telling me what I’m doing right and wrong.”

There was no drop-off in production as Bishop returned for her sophomore season as she was named the first Griffon to win MIAA pitcher of the year in the 12 years that Bagley has been head coach. She was also named South Central Region pitcher of the year and a second team Darktronics All-American.

So far in her junior season, Bishop is off to a 12-3 record with a 1.78 earned run average while striking out 128 batters.

“There’s always room for improvement and there’s a whole bunch of other goals to set,” Bishop said. “I will just keep continuing to do the best that I can. I’m just here to win as many games as I possibly can.”

Brett Weiberg gets his first head coaching opportunity  at a four-year university with Western.

Brett Weiberg plans to bring back the winning tradition that once saw the Western men’s basketball program as a perennial contender under Tom Smith, but there are things that he won’t sacrifice to get there.

“It will be a little bit of a process, but I’m willing to be patient,” Weiberg said of a turnaround after three straight losing seasons. “What we wont be patient with is effort and character and trying to do the best we can do.  Above everything else, we want to do it with good people and develop a culture of just competing.”

The 38-year-old Weiberg’s only head coaching experience is the last seven years at Northern Oklahoma, where he racked up 125 wins including a 27-4 record and a conference championship this past season. However, his experience in basketball goes far beyond what his resume shows.

Weiberg spent his entire life around basketball and took over the Northern Oklahoma program from his legendary father after serving five years under him as an assistant. He’s taking over for a legend once again at Western as Tom Smith held the head coaching position for the past 25 years.

“I’m just looking forward to continuing the winning tradition that he’s established,” Weiberg said. “It’s been done here and been done here for a long time. He will be someone that I will lean on greatly and I’m hoping that will be just fine with him.”

Although Smith built the program into a perennial winner in the past, the team has suffered through three consecutive losing seasons including a 10-17 mark this past season. Weiberg believes he can get the program back to its winning ways by finding the right mix of talent and character.

“We are going to play hard, we will play with passion, we will play together and we are going to have fun doing it,” Weiberg said. “I am a competitor, It’s part of who I am and how I was raised and we are going to have young men in here that will compete every single night.”

Weiberg stated that he will not sacrifice character and integrity when recruiting players. While Smith chose to only get his players from the junior college ranks, Weiberg plans to build a base of players straight out of high school and add transfers to push them over the top.

At Northern Oklahoma, he graduated 80 percent of players with an associates degree and will place heavy importance on making sure his teams graduate at Western.

“It’s the promise that I make every single mom and dad when I recruit them,” Weiberg said. “If they are willing to put the effort in then we are going to get them out of here with a degree. That’s going to be a challenge and something that we are going to do and really push these young men.”

The hire is Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin’s second during his time at Western. The first was women’s coach Rob Edmisson, who took the program from nine to 16 wins in his first season. McGuffin has known Weiberg and his family for eight years.

“They stand for everything I think all of us should stand for in athletics and that’s character, integrity and work ethic,” McGuffin said. “We’re going to get a guy who has been in it, grew up with it. He was born to coach in my opinion, he followed his dad around to many different spots and lived the game.”

Weiberg says his team will play mostly man-to-man defense and will play it tough. His team at Northern Oklahoma led the country in opponent field goal percentage and 3-point percentage last season.   Offensively, the Griffons will run a motion offense tweaked to fit the individual talent on the team.

“The way we play gives you a chance to win on the road too,” Weiberg said. “It gives you an opportunity to get physical, be solid and take great shots and really make it difficult for the other team to score. Those are recipes to win anywhere but especially on the road.”

Michael Hill recieves a pass during the NFL Pro-day on Friday March 22. Tevin Harris | Photo Editor

Possibly getting Hill and Bass to the next level is a big achievement for coach Jerry Partridge and his staff. While Zuerlein only spent one season kicking at Western, Bass and Hill were program players who each spent five years as Griffons. Both players were largely unrecruited by other universities coming out of high school, redshirted their freshman seasons and made strides in performance every year.

Bass, a 6-4 262 pound defensive end, came to Western weighing in at only 200 pounds and added 60 to his frame in the weight room. He started for four straight years and broke the all-time Western sack record with 39.5 for his career.

“He looks the part,” Partridge said of scouts looking at Bass after he broke the record. “His measurements are good, he just needs to put some numbers up and he’s already done that throughout his career.”

Scouts got a look at Bass already at the NFL combine and in the East West Shrine Bowl where he competed alongside top FBS Division I prospects and showed promise.

“Bass has room to refine his pass rush moves to be more effective, but he flashed in practice why he was able to be so productive in college,” said Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com.

Bass projects is projected to be drafted sometime in between rounds four and seven.

Hill’s future in the NFL is considered less of a sure thing, but the 5-10 204 pound halfback’s stock has been on a steady rise, which should be no surprise to those who have seen him play.

Hill broke the all-time and single season rushing record at Western and carried for 4,601 yards as a Griffon. He led the entire nation in rushing yards as a senior and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill trophy, awarded to the nation’s best Division II player.

He was a power runner at Western who would hit defenses just as hard as they hit him. He would routinely send corners and safeties from opposing defenses out with injury from hitting them when they were supposed to be punishing him.

Hill dominated at the Raycom College All-Star Classic, which also featured 22 players from the SEC – widely considered the best football conference in the nation at any level. Hill put himself on the map with two long runs for 45 and 54 yards with two touchdowns.

Even if he doesn’t hear his name called in the draft, Hill is likely to be invited to a pro camp and have an opportunity to make a team.

Arian Foster, who went undrafted in 2009, but eventually made the NFL as a free agent and is a three time all-pro. Hill hopes to be a diamond in the rough for any team that takes a chance on him.

“We are starting to put the pieces all together and feel really good about where we are,” Coach Jen Bagley said. “But I don’t feel really good about the fact that we have snow on our field again.”

Western was scheduled to play several more games, but snow forced the cancellation of the Missouri Western Softball Classic and the Griffons were only able to reschedule four.

The Griffons defeat Lincoln University 8-3

After entering the third inning down by a run, the Griffon offense exploded for five runs in the bottom half. Tiffany Gillaspy scored after she hit a triple that drove in two runs and Michelle Stevenson hit a home run.

Western tacked on two more runs as the game went on when Bree Fleschner stole home and Kendall Sorensen hit a triple and then made her way home after an error from the second basemen.

Pitcher Janie Smith got the win after pitching all seven innings and allowing just two earned runs and seven hits. Smith is off to a 9-3 start to her freshman season.

Western edges Emporia State University 4-2

The Griffons pulled away in the fourth inning after three scoreless innings in this non-conference game between two of the top teams in the MIAA.

In the bottom of the fourth, Sorensen hit a double that scored Gillaspy. Taylor Anding and Maegan Roemmich both singled to drive in runs and push the Griffons lead to 3-0.

Emporia fired back with a two-run sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough as Western added another run off of a Roemmich double in the bottom half of the inning.

Jackie Bishop pitched all seven innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters.

“I felt really good about the way we approached the plate offensively,” Bagley said. “Their pitching is always among top in the league and we really made it seems easy. It was good it see. All of those things came together and showed us what type of things we are capable of.”

Western outscores Northern University 11-6, Bishop breaks record

Western’s bats warmed up in game one of a double-header as the Griffons put two runs on the board in the first inning when Michelle Stevenson hit a double that scored Gillaspy and Fleschner.

Northern responded and tied the game after a throwing error from the Griffons. Western took control of the game in the third inning with four runs off of four hits to make the score 7-2.

Kat Steponovich and Fleschner added home runs to extend the lead.

Jackie Bishop went all seven innings for the win, which put her in the history books ahead of Cheri Kemp as Western’s all-time win leader. Bishop is only in her junior season and is 10-3 on the year.

“Ever since I’ve been here people ask me if I know who Cheri Kemp is,” Bagley said. “To be able to take a record form her is something that Jackie should be very, very proud of because those records and her name have stuck with this program for many years.”

Bishop is now just one win away from the becoming the all-time wins leader.

Griffons blowout Nothern University 15-1 in game two of doubleheader

Fleschner continued her hot hitting by blasting a homer to right field to open up a 2-0 lead in the first inning. The Griffons scored six more runs in the first inning to make it 8-2 and the route was on.

Smith pitched her way to her second win of the weekend by going all seven innings.

Fleschner had four of the 12 hits for the game for Western and finished the two games against Northern hitting a perfect 8-for-8 with six runs batted in.

“What we need is confidence and consistency and I think we are starting to achieve that,” Bagley said.

Weather hasn’t been kind to the Griffons so far this spring and they are forced to try and keep their momentum from the eight game winning-steak while practicing in the GISC.

“You go into the indoor and we are grateful to have it, but it isn’t the surface we play on,” Bagley said. “Everything looks different when you have the roof on you. Taking the momentum of us being able to practice on the field is something I’m concerned about.”

Western returns to action on Friday, March 29 at Missouri Southern.

Missouri Western Men’s basketball facing the 20 points lost against Northwest. Gilbert Imbiri | Asst. Photo Editor

The Bearcats came out hot right from the opening tip, getting out to a 8-0 lead. The Griffons tried to fight back, but everything was falling for Northwest as it extended the lead out to 25-6.

“It’s incredibly hard to come back,” Jordan Yurth said. “You really have to come together as a team — even when you do that — it’s still hard to come back. We really weren’t hitting shots like we were supposed.”

The Griffons went into the halftime break down 35-14. Northwest guard Alex Sullivan outscored the Griffons by himself in the first half 18-14.

Western was forced to abandoned their zone defense in the second half, but it was Northwest who came out hot once again to start the second half. The Bearcats pushed the lead out to an insurmountable 41-14.

Western never gave up and continued to battle, going on a 9-0 run to make the score 40-23. However, that was the closest the Griffons got to the Bearcats in this one-sided affair.

“It was tough to come back from how they were shooting in the first half,” Dylan Frantz said. “It felt like they had all the confidence and momentum in the world every time they shot it. They were on our throats from the beginning and it was tough.”

The Griffons shot just 4-for-20 from 3-point distance while the Bearcats hit a scorching 15-for-29.  Western turned the ball over 13 times to Northwest’s six.

Cedric Clinkscales and Reed Mells were the only players to score in double-figures for the Griffons with 10 points each.  Dzenan Mrkaljevic added six points and four rebounds, but couldn’t connect on either of his attempts from distance.

The Bearcats were led by Sullivan who scored 27 points on 8-for-16 from 3-point distance and DeAngelo Hailey who went for 21 points and six rebounds including 5-for-7 from distance.  Northwest shot 44 percent for the game and 51.7 percent from 3-point range.

An obnoxious Northwest crowd of over two thousand people played a factor in helping the Bearcats sustain momentum and worked to disrupt the Griffons.

“Just when they are making shots, they feel the momentum,” Frantz said. “If we would have made some shots, it would have quieted them down, but it didn’t happen tonight.”

Junior Cedric Clinkscales goes up for a layup aginst the defenders from Nebraska-Kearney. JQ Dever | Staff Writer

The 6-7 230-pound big-man leads the Griffons in points and rebounds while being the only member of the team to make the Dean’s Honor Roll, which requires a 3.5 grade point average or better.

“It’s big for me,” Clinkscales said. “That’s the first time it’s ever happened. It’s just showing that I’m trying to be committed to school for real this time. I’m serious about it.”

In the past, basketball was his main focus and he didn’t put as much emphasis on academics. It was fatherhood and time away from the game that transformed his outlook to classroom first.

Clinkscales, father of two, put his basketball career on hold when his first son was born. He knew he needed to work and be there for support. Once he was able to save up some money, he gave school and basketball another try. He came back a much more mature person than before.

“I have kids that are going to look up to me now so I have to set a good example,” Clinkscales said. “When I had my son, I noticed how much he looked up to me so I didn’t want him to see me doing anything bad.”

Clinkscales hails from Anderson, South Carolina, which is a very small town. He attended T.L. Hanna High School, which is famous for being the setting for the movie Radio. He played at Roane State Community College last season in Tennessee and averaged 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while being an all-conference selection. He was recruited by Western assistant coach Mike Nicholson and committed after taking a visit because he liked the people and the campus.

“We thought we had a pretty good player and several other coaches in the league felt like we got a pretty good player,” coach Tom Smith said.

According to Smith, some coaches won’t recruit players with children of their own, but that issue isn’t of any importance to him when looking for prospective athletes. That policy is paying off for Smith with Clinkscales as he’s shown to be very reliable in doing the things he’s supposed to do.

“I think having kids changes the outlook on things and puts things in perspective for what you focus on,” Smith said. “Some guys in college fool around and have a good time. I don’t think that’s Cedric.”

Clinkscales has been the big man in the paint for the Griffons this season, averaging 13.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and impacts the game defensively with steals and blocks. His great spin move and soft touch around the basket often result in him getting double-teamed by the opposition.

“It’s all about trust, my teammates trusting me and getting me the ball in a position to where I can make some plays,” Clinkscales said.

Smith knows that Clinkscales is going to have to come up big if the Griffons are going to get hot at the end of a losing season.

“He’s shown that he’s as good as big man as there is in the league,” Smith said. “The only thing that has affected his overall performance a little has been some injuries.”

Clinkscales is the only Griffon to start all 25 games so far, but he’s played through several injuries including a hurt hand, shoulder and a sprained ankle that kept him out of action during part of the first half of Saturday’s game. He came back and fought through the injury to finish out the game and relies on trainer Myron Unzicker to help him be at his best physically.

“Myron is my lifeline,” Clinkscales said. “I go to him for everything and he helps me stay on the court. Myron is my best friend right now.”

Clinkscales has learned that MIAA competition is tough and any team in the league is capable of fighting for a win on any given night. He’s seen some pretty good big men this season, but none that he’s scared of.

He plans to earn his degree in Sports Management with hopes that it opens up the door for him to pursue a coaching career in basketball. Until then, he plans to finish out this season strong with a tournament appearance.

“I was really relieved and it felt petty good,” Smith said. “I just felt like I was in the dentist chair all game. I thought we had some pretty good possessions at the end and it was good to win this last game. I tried to tell myself it didn’t mean anything, but it does.”

The win also guaranteed Smith would get to coach at least one more game as it clinched the final seed  in the 12-team MIAA postseason tournament. Western improved to 10-16 overall and 6-12 in conference play.

Fans stayed in their seats after the game to pay tribute to Smith as he took the mic and thanked everybody in an emotional moment. A large group of ex-players made the trip to Saint Joseph to celebrate with their coach.

“The teary eyed stuff isnt because I’m leaving necessarily, but from seeing all of the players here,” Smith said. “It means a lot because we are talking about kids who don’t have a lot of money and everything else.”

The Griffons have played at a higher level on the road than at home this season, with a 1-6 record coming into the game.  Smith stressed to his team before the game to ignore all the hoopla and celebration of his career and focus on the outcome of the game.

“He wanted us to come out here and just play,” guard Kalvin Balque said. “Amongst all the stuff that was going on today, he just wanted us to come out and get the win.  If we would have lost, it would have hurt him.”

The Griffons wasted no time taking control of the game as they were up 22-11 after a Balque dunk, one of three on the afternoon.  Western went into halftime with a 33-19 lead.

Southwest Baptist was able to close the gap after some cold shooting from the Griffons, and cut it to 47-42 with five minutes to play. The Griffons got their focus back and made some big plays down the stretch to pull away for the win including two highlight-reel worthy alley-oops flushed home by Balque.

“I get real amped after catching the oop and it gets the crowd and my teammates into it,” Balque said. “I know I can go get it and dunk it, so that’s what I do. Coaches want me to show off my athleticism.”

Cedric Clinkscales posted a double-double for the Griffons with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.  Clinkscales was named an honorable mention on the MIAA all-conference team.

“Again, it’s my teammates,” Clinkscales said. “Once they seen that I was scoring then they kept getting it to me.  Baptist wasn’t playing me as aggersiive as some of the other teams in the conference has. They were on their heels.”

Balque added 17 points off the bench on 7-for-9 shooting and stole the ball two times.

The game was also the last home game for seniors Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe, Dylan Frantz.  Both seniors made some strong hustle plays on the offensive glass and impacted the game on their final night at the Fieldhouse after spending two years in a Griffon uniform.

“We always felt like we were the team that could beat other teams in this league,” Clinkscales said.  “It just wasn’t happeneing for us, but now we need to seize this momentum going into the tournament.”

Junior Cedric Clinkscales goes up for a layup aginst the defenders from Nebraska-Kearney. Photo by JaQuitta Dever

Western men’s basketball fell victim to hot three-point shooting by Nebraska-Kearney in the second half as they were defeated 75-70 at the MWSU Fieldhouse on Military Appreciation Day.

The Griffons fell to 9-15 on the season and 5-11 in MIAA conference play.

“Kearney played well and im not taking anything away from them, but in 25 years here this ranks as one of my toughest losses,” coach Tom Smith said. “I’m really taken back by this. We just gave a team life that didn’t think they had any life.”

Nebraska-Kearney hit 15 shots from 3-point distance including 9-for-16 in the second half.  The Griffons went into the halftime break with a 32-27 lead, but two consecutive 3′s by guard Thomas Cooper near the beginning of the second half gave the Lopers a 44-41 lead and never gave the lead back to Western.

The Griffons have not had good results playing at home as their record at the MWSU Fieldhouse is just 1-6 in conference play.  According the Smith, this is the first team in 25 years that doesn’t play well at home.  In the past, even in bad years, the fieldhouse has provided a home-court advantage for the Griffons.

“This team cannot play at home,” Smith said. “They can’t take all the people and they cant take the hoopla. They couldn’t take it. This is pathetic when we come out and give this kind of effort in front of this kind of crowd. We are actually intimidated by our own fans.”

Cedric Clinkscales led the Griffons with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting and added 10 rebounds.  Clinkscales twisted his knee in the first half and was forced to sit out the last seven minutes before coming back to start the second half.

“We got players who can step up and do their job, but it may have hurt us,” Clinkscales said. “We have to defend their shooters. They got a lot of open 3′s in the second half and then we gave up a lot of rebounds too.  We have to execute,make shots and get defensive stops.”

Dylan Frantz scored 13 points on 5-for-9 from the field and added three assists while Reed Mells scored 10 points and dished out six assists.  Kalvin Balque scored seven points while providing the highlight of the night when he dunked home a lob pass from Mells. Alfreeman Flowers scored eight points and added five rebounds.

Western shot 51 percent from the field and 9-for-22 from 3-point distance.  They struggled at the free-throw line, connecting on just three out of eight attempts.

There are only two games left in the regular season for the Griffons and Smith in his final season as head coach.  The final is a home game next Saturday against Southwest Baptist University at 3:30 p.m.

The Griffons are currently in No. 11 out of the 12-team field for the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, but could need a win in one of these last two games to guarantee their invite.

Denise Chiao played the most competitive match of the Griffons, falling to Ivana Belajova 6-2, 6-3.

Northeastern improved to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.  The Griffons next match is Feb. 22 against Lincoln University and Maryville University at the St. Joseph Tennis and Swim Club with a start time of 9:30 a.m.

Softball went 5-1 over the weekend to improve its record to 7-3 on the season.  Pitcher Janie Smith has four wins, while Jackie Bishop has won three games this season.  Sarah Elliott leads the team in batting average with .517 on the season.

Baseball swept a three-game series against Emporia State on the road over the weekend to improve to 4-3 on the season after starting 1-4.  Pitcher Brandon Simmons is off to a 2-0 start to the season and is on pace to break the all-time wins record at Western in the next few games.

“It’s been a long-standing program expectation to finish in the top of the conference and make it to the NCAA Tournament,” Bagley said. “That’s definitely something we aim for every year and I don’t see any reason why our talent level or anything would make us question that goal this year. If we can get ourselves into a position to be there then I feel good about our chances to continue and go deep.”

The Griffons have been successful in making the NCAA tournament for the last two seasons, but haven’t been able to make a deep run once they got there.  That’s a fact that catcher Keri Lorbert believes will inspire them on the field.

“It makes us have that much more of a hunger for the postseason when we have all had a taste of it,” Lorbert said.

Western returns eight players who hit over .300 last season including Senior Maegan Roemmich who led the team with a .347 batting average.  She knows that expectations are high, but that they can play better than their 7-3 start to the season.

“I think we have as much if not more potential than any year that I’ve been here,” Roemmich said. “Our team chemistry is really good and we know eachothers personalities and how to work as a team, we just need to come together.  These past two weekends we’ve seen that there are things that we still need to put together.”

Pitcher Jackie Bishop returns as the ace of the pitching staff after going 24-5 last season and winning the MIAA Pitcher of the Year award and setting the single season strikeout record with 243.  Besides working on her own game, Bishop has served as somewhat of a mentor to freshman Janie Smith.  Smith is the only freshman on the team and has already racked up a perfect 4-0 record to the start of her career at Western.

“Jackie’s main focus besides herself is helping Janie develop too and showing her what to expect in MIAA competition,” Bagley said. “It will be interesting to see how that progresses. I think she has had a great teacher in how to be that person in Jonnelle Belger.”

The homerun ball has been a strength for the Griffons in the early season.  Lorbert leads the team with four while first basemen Tiffany Gillaspie has three.  Third basemen Sarah Elliott has also contributed a pair of homers.

“We are excited by the power that we have been seeing,” Bagley said.  ”Sarah Elliott, who doesn’t usually generate that kind of power normally, is seeing the ball big right now and taking good aggressive hacks. So that’s fun.”‘

Its a trend that Bagley isn’t sure will continue or not.  ”It’s early and when it’s early it means that everyone is a little more hungry,” Bagley said. “The other thing is pitchers aren’t usualy as sharp. Teams that we have played against don’t have a lot of footage on us.”

It was a road game at Central Oklahoma where the Griffons found themselves down by double digits at halftime. Yurth did his best to motivate the team and contribute with the minutes he got and the team came back and won. He’s been part of the rotation ever since.

“One of the things I talk about is toughness and I feel like Jordan helps us there,” Smith said. “He’s a tough kid that’s willing to take charges and stick his nose in there. His playing time has gone up as he’s gone along.”

Yurth, a 6’4 swingman, was an all-city player in high school out of Lincoln, Neb. If it was playing time that he valued the most, he would have went to one of the NAIA schools that recruited him.

Instead, he was more excited about playing for a hall of fame coach, even if he had to earn every minute he gets.

“I feel like at the NAIA’s, I could have gotten more playing time, but I like Saint Joe and the people here. I like the coaching staff,” Yurth said. “This is a higher level and I knew that coming in. I knew that my opportunities would be harder to get but I looked at it like a challenge.”

According to Smith, it is increasingly rare in this day and age to find a player willing to work hard in practice every day without any guarantee of playing time.

In his experience, most of the time, a player will leave or decide that it’s not worth the daily grind of being a college basketball player with no reward. Yurth has been the exception to that.

“I’ve just always tried to be there for the team off or on the court,” Yurth said. “I practice hard, try to get the guys motivated by me playing hard. This year, it’s nice to get some minutes because I know I can contribute.”

When Smith took over making the substitutions from his assistant coach this year, he remembered Gary Hooper. Hooper’s dad was a star player while his son was less talented.

The father told Smith that he could do what he wanted with his son, but that any kid that can practice with you day in and day out against your team, and you think your team is decent, can certainly play for a few minutes. That’s something that Smith always had in the back of his mind when figuring out his substitution patterns.

Aside from a good-looking jump shot, Smith commends Yurth for always keeping his morale high. He’s had kids who sulk when they don’t see the type of playing time they want, whereas Yurth does the opposite.

“When he doesn’t get minutes, he’s supportive of the people playing,” Smith said. “He’s helping and he’s talking to them and that’s another reason why he needs to be rewarded. Guys sitting there and just caring about themselves don’t need to be rewarded. Jordan needs to be rewarded.”

When Yurth’s opportunities come, he does his best to seize them and is willing to help the Griffons win in any capacity.

“I always feel confident when I go in, whether that’s playing defense or shooting the ball,” Yurth said. “I’m out there to make sure we do the best job possible on the court, to help out rebounding or whatever we need.”

Smith first saw Yurth at a camp where he felt that he had the most potential of any player who wanted to try out. Yurth has shown steady improvement over his years at Western, practicing against some very talented players everyday.

“I feel like what he has done over the last couple of years is he has practiced against enough good players that he’s become a better player,” Smith said.

He might never play 25 minutes per night, but he continues to have a positive impact on the program in many ways.

“I do it just for the love of the game,” Yurth said. “You don’t have to be the best player, but I like being around players and playing the game a lot.”

Yurth is working on a double major at Western in management and marketing. Afterwards, he plans to pursue a master’s degree. He isn’t sure what he will do after that, but his plans displays the same work ethic and selflessness that he’s become known for at Western.

The Griffons lost a close on to Henderson State 4-3 before putting on a display of dominance in a 12-1 win over Southern Nazarene.  Keri Lorbert went 3-for-4 at the plate with six runs batted in during the win while Michelle Stevenson went 3-for-3.  Pitcher Jackie Bishop picked up her first win of the season after taking a rare loss in the first game.

The third game was a 9-4 loss against SouthEast Oklahoma State and Western bounced back in game No. 4 with a 5-4 win over Cameron.

Sarah Elliott led the Griffons in average, going 7-for-12 to start the season.

Smith added an influx of new players and believes the versatility of his new post players could be the strength of this year’s team.

Junior college transfers 6-foot-5-inch Alfreeman Flowers, 6-foot-8-inch Dzenan Mrkaljevic and 6-foot-7-inch Cedric Clinkscales give the Griffons a revamped group of post players. Smith considered last year’s big men very one-dimensional and believes that Flowers and Mrkaljevic can score on the block or step out and create points from the perimeter.

“I’ve always liked inside guys who can go to the perimeter and create matchup problems,” Smith said. “That’s something that I’ve been looking for the last couple of years and haven’t found.”

The Griffons also feature a deep guard rotation that features returning players James Harris, Dylan Frantz, Reed Mells and newcomer Adarius Fulton.

Harris averaged 11.6 points per game last season as a junior while Mells averaged 5.5 as a true freshman.  Shooting guard Frantz provided hustle and very good defense before being sidelined for the last part of the season with a thumb injury.  Fulton has stepped in as the starting point guard, which gives Harris and Mells and chance to come in and provide instant firepower off the bench.

“Taking Reed and James and bringing them off the bench right now is probably a good sign,” Smith said. “It just shows that we are a little deeper at the guard position than we were last year and allows them to concentrate more on scoring.”

The small forward position features returning sharp shooter Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe with depth from strong athletes Tevin Harris and Kalvin Balque.

The Griffons were picked No. 12 in the preseason MIAA coaches poll and No. 13 by the media, but are confident in their ability to far exceed the expectations.

“I think we are top three,” James said. “I just think our chemistry is way better.  It’s not a one man team, it’s five people playing as a team.”

“I don’t think winning is going to be a surprise, because I’m expecting to win,” Mells said. ”If you think the Griffons are going to be bad this year, then you will be surprised, but I won’t be surprised.”

Flowers believes that the physicality of the MIAA conference plays to the strengths of the current team.

“I heard it’s a very physical conference and we are a very physical team,” Flowers said. “We are playing each other tough so it’s second nature come game time.”

One thing that concerns Smith is the lack of experience at this level with the newcomers. He doesn’t want his players to underestimate the conference strength.

“The good thing is that we have more talent,” Smith said.  “One bad thing is they haven’t gone through the MIAA, and through the caliber of competition, they will see at Division II. So many times kids find out that the athleticism at DII is pretty good.”

As a senior leader, James is trying to prepare his team for the close fought battles to come.

“It’s a very physical conference and you can’t play by the refs,” James said. “Play for your team, sometimes the refs don’t be on your side.  We have to compete for the full 40 minutes.”

The Griffons are 1-1 in two exhibition games this season. The first coming in a tightly contested loss to Division I Missouri State 81-67 while the win came by way of a 112-73 game against Livin’ the Dream.

“Everybody on this team can play ball,” Flowers said. “If there’s someone who needs to come out, we have the players that can come in and put the ball in the hole.”

Griffon running back Michael Hill needs 57 yards rushing this weekend at Fort Hays State to become Western’s all-time career rushing leader.  The current record stands at 3,396 and Hill has ran for 3,340 on 683 carries.  Hill ranks third in the country in rushing on the season with 179.67 yards per-game and is averaging 8.2 yards per-carry.  Hill has ran for 539 yards on 66 carries in the Griffons first three games.

Former Griffon kicker Greg Zuerlein has hit a perfect 6-for-6 field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points in the first two games of his NFL career for the Rams. Zuerlein’s six fields goals are tie for the NFL lead and three of the fields goals were from over 40 yards, with the longest being 48.

Katie Kempf has scored four of the seven goals for Griffons soccer after six games including two game-winners.

Stephanie Hattey leads the Griffons volleyball in kills with 82 and assists with 223.  Sarah Faubel has a team best 124 digs.

Griffons Women’s Golf finished sixth out of 16 at the Wildwood Invitational. Freshman Callie Wilson finished in a tie for seventh with a score of 155, while Natalie Bird tied for tenth, finishing with a 158.

Cedric Clinkscales goes up strong for two of his nine points in the paint. *Photo by Evan Roberts

Western men’s basketball lost an overtime thriller 56-52 to Washburn University at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Washburn had revenge on its mind after being upset by the Griffons in Topeka last Wednesday, but it was Western dominating the early part of the game.

Guard Reed Mells came out hot and was responsible for scoring the first five points of the game and seven of the first nine points for the Griffons, who were up 9-4.  Western had a 13-point lead off an Alfreeman Flowers layup, but was unable extend the lead further despite an extremely cold shooting display by Washburn.

The Ichabods shot just 26 percent in the first half and managed to score only 16 points. The Griffons struggled to create offense, but their defense allowed them to go into halftime with a 27-16 lead.

“I think the game was decided by us not making anything while the sun shined in the first half,” coach Tom Smith said. “We had every opportunity to be up by 15 or 20 in the first half and we couldn’t take advantage of it. Poor shot selection and turnovers hurt us.”

While the Griffons had problems turning the ball over to start the second half, Washburn was finding its shooting stroke. The Ichabods went on a 11-0 run early in the half to take a 31-29 lead.

The teams traded buckets right down to the end of the fourth quarter. With one minute to play, the Griffon defense forced a travel. On the offensive end, Kalvin Balque grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with 2.3 seconds left to play. He missed the first free throw, but made the second to force overtime.

Washburn big man Bobby Chipman hit a basket inside and then hit two free throws give the Ichabods a four point lead to start the overtime period and the Griffons couldn’t respond on the offensive end.

“I think we are getting better, just not closing out games,” Mells said. “We have a lot of talent and guys who want to play hard, but we are just inconsistent. It happens, but we can’t afford it.”

Western couldn’t find its shot and hit at just 35 percent from the field for the game, a mark that Smith says will not win him very many games.

“We should have won that game,” Smith said. “We were at home with every bit equal talent and they won the game. The tougher of the two teams won this game. They played tougher and with more confidence than we did tonight.”

Mells led the Griffons in scoring with 12 points including two from 3-point distance while Alfreeman Flowers put in 10 points, including nearly hitting a full court shot at the buzzer of regulation that would have ended it. Dzenan Mrkaljevic was all over the glass for 15 rebounds as Western out-rebounded Washburn 43-34.

“That was not two great teams out there tonight,” Smith said. “I felt like we played great at Topeka and as well as any team in the league, but we didn’t tonight.”

The Griffons are down to their last four regulation games before the MIAA tournament.

Cedric Clinkscales, Junior, pushes the Washburn defense to stay on their toes. The Griffons come up short 56-52 in overtime. Evan Roberts | Photo Editor

Cedric Clinkscales gets two of his nine points in the paint, he added seven rebounds. Evan Roberts | Photo Editor

Cedric Clinkscales, Junior goes up for a rebound. The Griffons come up short 56-52 in overtime. Evan Roberts | Photo Editor.

Adarius Fulton, Junior, spins around Washburn defense to score a lay-up. The Griffons come up short 56-52 in overtime. Evan Roberts | Photo Editor

“For us to be serious, I think we need another win against one of the contenders and beat Kearney(Nebraska) and Southern Baptist,” coach Tom Smith said.

With four games left to play, the Griffons find themselves clinging to the last spot in the tournament with a one-game lead over Truman State University.

The Griffons will play in a hostile environment against rival Northwest Missouri State in Maryville on Feb. 20.  The Bearcats are currently locked in to a three way tie  for the No. 5 seed in the tournament and hold a three game lead over Western.  However, Western holds a 1-0 record against this season as they pulled off an 71-58 upset over the Bearcats at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Western will return home on Feb. 23 to play Nebraska-Kearney who has only won three games in the conference this season and sit at second to last.  Western also beat Kearney the only time that the two schools met this season 74-66.

A tough road contest lies on Feb. 27 when the Griffons travel to Hays, Kan. to play Fort Hays State who is tied for first place in the conference.  The Griffons played them tough in the first contest against Hays, but fell 84-74 in overtime.

Seeding should be on the line for the last game of the season when Southwest Baptist comes to play at the MWSU Fieldhouse on March 2.  Baptist holds only a one game lead over Western in the MIAA standings and the two teams haven’t met up at all this season.

The MIAA only has one team ranked in the top-25 nationally and none of the teams appear to be unbeatable heading into the final stretch of the season.

“I can’t ever recall this league not having one or two teams in the top-25,” Smith said. “No one is just completely dominant and can go out there and overpower everybody. No matter what happens — no matter where you go — you have a chance and you may or may not play well but you have a chance.”

Smith has cut his rotation down to seven or eight players in preparation of the post season.  For the players part, they don’t want to be the team that didn’t give Smith the opportunity to coach in one last postseason tournament before he retires after the season.

“That’s not how he wants to go out and we don’t want the season to end like that,” guard Reed Mells said. “We missed it last year and we all felt pretty bad about that so we don’t want to miss it again. We just need to win as many gaems as we can. I think it’s doable to make the tournament and we are more talented than our record shows, but this point in the season you are who you are so we just need to get in and try to be dangerous.”

The Griffons have struggled with consistency, but have shown  improvement over the course of the season and are aiming to play their best basketball down the stretch.

“Consistency is our biggest issue,” Mells said.  ”I think we have games and practices where we take steps back or we don’t get better which you can’t afford, especially now, but overall I think weve been getting better.”

Sophomore guard Reed Mells coordinating teamates in the the contest against Washburn University | JQ Dever Staff Writer

Western men’s basketball put on its best shooting display of the season in a 79-74 upset win over No. 17-ranked Washburn University in Topeka, Kan.

The Griffons shot a season-high in 3-point and field goal percentage, hitting 50 percent from deep and 57.8 percent overall. Six players registered double-figure scoring for the first time this season.

“It’s unbelievable for us,” coach Tom Smith said. “Everything just kind of went right. We got a lot better shots than we’ve been getting too. We moved the ball better and had a lot better rhythm in what we did. We kept talking about giving ourselves a chance to win and we did.”

Point guard Reed Mells came up clutch by making six straight free throws down the stretch to seal up the victory. Mells had a breakout game scoring 18 points, dishing out seven assists, grabbing four rebounds and stole the ball three times on the defensive end.

“Reed sparked us and fueled us taking over the point guard role,” Smith said. “He’s had trouble with that responsibility and he did it.”

One of the biggest transitions for sophomore Mells at the college level has been learning to impact every aspect of the game, not just focus on scoring the basketball. He plans to continue to make the type of all-around contributions that he displayed against Washburn.

“To be a really good or great player you have to be able to affect the game in multiple areas and passing is an area where I think that I can help the team,” Mells said.

After a tightly contested first half, the Griffons fell down 58-49 midway through the second half but never lost their composure facing the deficit.

“We really did a good job of keeping the tempo the way we needed it,” Smith said. “We went down by nine and never hit the panic button.”

Dzenan Mrkaljevic scored 16 points in just 21 minutes by hitting 6-for-7 from the field including 3-for-4 from 3-point distance. Dylan Frantz and Alfreeman Flowers score 12 points each while Cedric Clinkscales scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. Kalvin Balque added 10 points including 2-for-3 from 3-point distance.

“Late in the game, we just executed very well and played a more physical game than they probably thought we could play,” Balque said. “We started to execute and it was hard to stop us.”

Western withstood 32 points from Martin Mitchell and 16 from Will McNeil, a scoring output from two players that would usually result in a loss if not for the hot shooting. Western’s post players out-scored the Ichabod big men.

“I thought our ball movement was really good,” Smith said. “We moved the ball well and our 3′s had a lot of rhythm to them. It was just boom,boom, boom in rhythm.”

Western was more efficient from the 3-point line, connecting on 10-for-20 from 3-point distance while Washburn manage to hit only 8-for-24.

With the win, Western improved to 9-12 on the season and 5-8 in MIAA conference play.

Dylan Frantz looks for the open man against Northeastern State. He led the Griffons with five assists.  Photo by Jason Brown

Western men (8-12, 4-8) started hot, but it didn’t last as Northeastern State University (15-5, 8-4) got warmed up and handed the Griffons their second consecutive loss at the MWSU Fieldhouse 73-61.

Alex Tuluka-Pfumupembe got things going early with back-to-back 3-pointers which gave the Griffons a 6-0 lead.  Reed Mells added a 3 and a Cedric Clinkscales layup put the Griffons up 11-3 early.

“You could tell the energy level wasn’t good for us after the first eight minutes,” coach Tom Smith said. “The thing that bothers me the most is it’s the first time I can say that we didn’t give much effort.”

It was all Northeastern State for the rest of the game.  More specifically, it was all point guard Bryton Hobbs.  Hobbs penetrated the Western zone defense when he had a man in his face and made open shots when the defense backed off.  He finished with 32 points on 10-for-17 from the field and added nine rebounds and three assists.

“Hobbs did everything,” Smith said. “All around he was just the best player on the floor and one of the smallest.  We knew he was good coming in.”

Western shot just 41 percent from the field and wasn’t getting the type of shots in the offense that they wanted.  When they got good looks, they couldn’t put enough of them down to keep the game close.

“We are just  settling for shots that we can always get,” Dylan Frantz said.  “We just got to get it figured out, we have to dig in as a team and be smart get the best shots that we can.”

“I just feel like we all just need to have confidence in ourselves and play together more,” Frantz said. “We have to want it; we have to come with more focus and intensity and maybe our shots will start falling.”

Part of the reason for the loss is that the Griffons were beat on the glass 39-24.

Cedric Clinkscales led the Griffons in scoring with 13 points while Dzenan Mrkaljevic added 12.  Frantz added seven points and five assists.

The Griffons will now try and refocus to avoid missing the MIAA post-season tournament where 12 out of the 15 teams in the conference get in. Western is currently sitting at No. 12.

“It’s all about practice,” Tuluka-Mfumupembe said. “We need to go harder and come with a lot of energy. We are playing like we are on the top of the league and we aren’t and I don’t understand that. Every game we need to come harder and be some dogs out here.”

The Griffons will get a boost in leadership and defense with the return of point guard Adarius Fulton who has missed the last two games with concussion-like symptoms.  Western return to action Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Washburn in Topeka, Kan.

The Griffons improved to 8-10 overall and 4-6 in MIAA conference play.

“It was a play coming out of the timeout. They set up a pick and roll for me,” Mrkaljevic said. “Coach told me not to pass the ball and take that shot. He was feeling confident in me and I appreciate that when my coach and teammates feel confidence in me to take a shot like that.”

Mrkaljevic also scored a career-high 17 points that included hitting 3-for-5 from 3-point distance. The game-winning shot was his first experience in that type of situation and has given him a boost in confidence going forward.

Coach Tom Smith felt the game against Lincoln was a must-win for keeping the Griffons MIAA tournament hopes alive.

“Had we not won at Lincoln it would have been a really uphill battle to get in the tournament at all,” Smith said. “It still is because of our remaining eight games, six of them are against dynamite teams.”

Lincoln’s record sits at 3-17 and 2-8 in MIAA, but Smith knew that could be deceiving. He saw how they beat Northwest Missouri State in Maryville and knew that they couldn’t accomplish that with no talent.

Point guard Adarius Fulton, who scored 17 points, didn’t expect Lincoln to be as tough as they were, but is glad to move forward with a win nonetheless.

“I think it was a good win, a hard fought win,” Fulton said. “Lincoln had some great shooters and they were a better team than we probably thought, but I think it was a good win for our team.”

Earlier in the week, the Griffons fell to Central Missouri University in Warrensburg 72-60.

Coach Smith was honored before the game as he started off his hall of fame coaching career with the Mules.

“I didn’t feel like we played all that poorly in a tough environment,” Smith said. “I thought we were a little intimidated in the beginning with the crowd and all the festivities around me.”

Cedric Clinkscales paced the Griffons with 21 points and six rebounds while Fulton added 17.

The Griffons were beat on the boards 37-33 and failed to execute when the opportunity to cut into the lead presented itself.

“We missed three huge shots that would have cut the deficit down to six,” Smith said. “We had three wide open 3’s to cut it from nine to six and two times it went from nine to 12.”

Central Missouri is one of the top teams in the conference with a record of 13-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play.

“I thought we played okay at Central,” Smith said. “We were never really in the game and we were never really out of it.”

Reed Mells attempting one of his four assists in transition. Photo by Evan Roberts.

Western (8-11, 4-7) played  at the pace it wanted, but came up short in the final moments 57-56 against Pittsburg State (12-5, 5-4) in physical game  at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

“I’m not going to sit here and fault the players,” Coach Tom Smith said.  “We made the effort, lost by one and had complete control of the tempo best for us. I thought we did what we needed to do to keep the game slow and used our timeouts and sets.”

The Griffons had a chance to make the go-ahead basket, but a missed shot rolled nearly all the way to the other end of the court taking precious seconds off the clock.  Pittsburg State tracked the ball down and went to the free throw line where Kaleb Porter missed two free-throws.

Western had one last chance with 2.5 left on the clock and down by one point, but they had to go the entire distance which wasn’t possible. Dzenan Mrkaljevic was forced to throw up a 3-point shot that was far too deep to stand a chance to at going in and the game ended.

“A lot of people like to talk about what happened throughout the game, but this came down to the last minute and a half,” Smith said.  “At least three times we had a chances to come up with the rebound and give us possession back with a chance to score. Whether we would have or not, I don’t know. But it would have given us the opportunity.”

Great work on the defensive end allowed the Griffons to stay control the action for most of the night despite shooting just 32 percent from the field for the game while the Gorillas hit at 41.7 percent and getting out-rebounded 42-33.  Western was also without it’s leading backcourt scorer, point guard Adarius Fulton because of concussion symptoms.

“We just try not to give up baseline,” Kalvin Balque said. “On film, they were just getting baseline and the big guys were scoring all their points.  We tried to keep them off baseline and we did that.”

Cedric Clinkscales led the Griffons in scoring with 15 points and added eight rebounds while Balque added an efficient 11 points in 15 minutes of action on 3-for-4 from the field including hitting his only 3-point attempt and was perfect in four attempts from the foul line.

Balque’s seven point spurt in the first half was a big spark in taking a 27-23 lead into the halftime break.  He provided some excitement for the crowd when he was able to dunk in a lob in transition that appeared to be heading for the bleachers.

After scoring a career-high 17 points last game, Mrkaljevic had a rough outing from the field hitting on 2-for-14 from the field and 2-for-8 from 3-point distance. However, he led the Griffons in rebounds by pulling down nine.  Western made just 7-for-24 from 3-point distance.

The Griffons return to action against Northeastern University at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.  Western will need to come up with some wins in this brutal stretch of top MIAA competition to keep post-seasons hopes alive.

“There’s a little more pressure on us now,” Balque said. “We really need these wins. We are just going to come in tomorrow and get better.”

Gilbert Imbiri | Asst. Photo Editor" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-14783" /> Kalvin Balque (2) shooting free throw for the griffon. Griffon men lost the game against Lindenwood 78-69 Gilbert Imbiri | Asst. Photo Editor

“Players have to make shots,” coach Tom Smith said. “You can do all you want, but the players have to make the shots and we certainly didn’t make any key shots down the stretch today.”

The Griffons gave up 78 points, more than they are accustomed to allowing the opponent to score at home.  Smith said that one of his rules is to never give up the baseline and there were a couple of instances late in the game where Lindenwood was able to drive baseline and score.

“We’re just going to work on our defese when we get back to practice,” guard Kalvin Balque said. “The offensive execution was bad tonight, but it’s usually not bad. We have to work on defense.”

The Griffons try to run their offense through post man Cedric Clinkscales, but Lindenwood made it difficult to get the ball inside as they were double-teaming the Griffon big.  Clinkscales finished with a team-high 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

“That’s our game plan most of the time,” guard Reed Mells said. “We haven’t seen anyone who could stop Ced yet, so we have to get him the ball. Sometimes we don’t really do a great job getting him the ball where he is really effective and I think tonight was one of those nights.”

The high point of the night for Western came in the form of two highlight reel dunks from Alfreeman Flowers in traffic and one from Balque as he posterized a Lindenwood player on a fast break.  However, the Griffons were unable to sustain the momentum from these plays as Lindenwood kept focus and responded with baskets of their own.

“I thought Lindenwood did a great job of not reacting to our big plays,” Smith said. “They were really good about not letting that affect them.”

Guard Adarius Fulton didn’t have his best game scoring the ball (six points), but make some very good  plays coming away with four steals and five assists.  Fulton ranks near the very top of the MIAA in steals per game and has become a master a forcing the opposition to turn the ball over this season.

“He just has a great nose for the ball and that’s really helped us,” Smith said.

Western was dominated on the glass, getting out-rebounded 38-to-24.  Lindenwood committed 13 more turnovers than did Western, but it wasn’t enough to come away with the win.

“I know we can play better,” Mells said. “We played better against Northwest; this was kind of a bad loss for us. Lindenwood is a good team, but we shouldn’t have lost.”

The Griffons were without senior guard James Harris for the first time as he is no longer with the team due to disciplinary reasons.  Harris was averaging 8 points per game in 24 minutes.

Western returns to action on Saturday  against Emporia State University.  Tip off is set for 3:30 p.m in Emporia, Kan.

Western’s all-time leading rusher Michael Hill will play in the Raycom College Football All-Star Classic in Montgomery, Ala. on Saturday, January 19.  His team will be coached by ex-NFL head coach Dan Reeves.  The practices are open to the public.

Travis Partridge, Michael Hill, Macon Allen, and David Bass were selected to the first team Don Hanson All Super Region 3 team. Ben Pister and Shane Simpson were honored by being selected to the third-team all defense.

Griffons baseball held its first practice of the highly anticipated season.  The Griffons start the season with high expectations as Collegiate Baseball Lineup ranked them No. 25 in their preseason poll.

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tom Smith leans in as he watches his team play. Jason Brown | Submitted Photo

It’s a game where even the legends are often forced out early. According to Smith, the reason for being able to survive at one place while most others can’t all boils down to his ability to get along with people.

“I haven’t had more than two or three meetings with an athletic director or a president,” Smith said. “So I’ve never been in their office asking for anything or fought with them. I think that has made it possible to survive six athletic directors and three presidents.”

“That’s the most difficult thing to do is can you get along with six different personalities that come in here and are the boss and three different presidents that all may have different ideas,” Smith said.

That’s a luxury that he didn’t have when coaching at his alma matter Division I Valparaiso, a place where he played basketball and was elected into the Hall of Fame last season.

The school was D-I in classification only as the team traveled by van and had very little money to spend on trips recruiting the type of talent that it takes to build a winner.

Smith’s passion was coaching basketball and he was tired of fighting for so many things that didn’t have to do with playing the game to get the program up to the standards that would allow it to be successful at the D-I level.

“When I came here one of the things I made my mind up about is I was not going to fight those things,” Smith said. “I wanted to coach my players. I wanted to have the relationship with my players that I think I’ve had over the last 25 years. I didn’t want to fight administration. I took what I had and didn’t get into the other things.”

Smith became the third ever head coach at Western in 1988 when the school was in its last season in the NAIA. The success started immediately as the Griffons made it all the way to the finals of the District 16 playoffs.

The very next season in the school’s first year as a member of Division II, Smith led the Griffons to the MIAA regular season and tournament championship and a birth in the NCAA tournament. He has coached the Griffons to 11 NCAA tournaments, five MIAA regular season titles and four MIAA postseason championships as well as being named MIAA Coach of the Year three times.  12 times he coached Western to a 20 plus win season.

Besides a few exceptions, Smith always went to the junior college ranks to find his players. He credits his three assistant coaches for recruiting the players over the years.

He built a reputation for being able to lose key players off of good teams while finding a way to keep winning with new talent who had no prior experience on the court together.

“I think most coaches and people would say the ability to change my team and bring in four or five new guys every year and still be successful,” Smith said. “I think that was probably my biggest attribute.”

He had athletic  players and gave them the freedom to do what they could do as opposed to always running a set offense. Something that he thinks most people have a bit of a misperception about.

“Its kind of funny because I’ve read so many things that we are a real uptempo team and we’re not,” Smith said. “Freedom is one thing and I’ve been successful here many years giving a lot of freedom.”

“We aren’t really a great fast break team even in the good years,” Smith said. “The thing that surprises most people is that we are a lot more disciplined than fans think we are. Some of that is stereotyped into the type of players we have.

This is something that Smith admits hasn’t brought the same type of success the last six or seven years as it once did even though his teams have still been competitive. Senior guard James Harris wants to do everything he can to send Smith off on a winning note in his season coaching the game that’s been a part of his life since day one.

“We are trying to get him a ring before he leaves and we want one just as bad as he does,” Harris said. “He’s a real cool guy. He gets on you, but all he’s doing is trying to challenge you as a man. I respect him as an individual and as a coach.”

When Smith came to Western, he never imagined that it would be the last job he would take in his career. He thought that he would bounce back up to D-I. He was offered head coaching jobs there quickly after winning right away at Western.

But each time he thought about leaving and making the jump, he started to see all the same red flags that he saw while running the Valparaiso program for eight years. That and he had a good thing going.

“I enjoy the quality of life that goes along with Division II,” Smith said. “Just the freedom to be able to do what I wanted to do – to coach — and I didn’t have to teach a lot or do a lot of fund raising. There were not a lot of other demands on me other than my coaching.”

Athletic Direct Kurt McGuffin believes that Smith has made the job an attractive one for whoever takes over and expects there to be plenty of candidates to choose from.

“You may see it at the very top levels, but you don’t see it this level much and to do that is pretty special,” McGuffin said. “He’s won a lot of games and has a lot of players that come back and he’s a neat guy. He’s done everything I’ve ever asked and that anybody before me has asked.”

As for his retirement, Smith doesn’t know exactly what he’s going to do yet. Basketball has always been his thing and he doesn’t hunt, fish, play much golf or have any hobbies. His love for the game won’t change and he will enjoy watching MIAA games more than the stress of coaching them.

“I would really like to be able to watch games without a dog in the hunt,” Smith said. “I think it will be more fun with some popcorn and a coke and just watch the game and enjoy it.”

“We just came out knowing that they were the top dogs in the league,” Kalvin Balque said. “We just wanted to come and show everybody that we can be one of those teams too and that we are just underrated.”

Balque provided a spark off the bench for the Griffons with 13 points including two big makes from 3-point distance when the game was close.  Coach Tom Smith gave him credit for raising his level of play against a tough team despite inconsistent playing time earlier in the season.

“Not only did he have a good performance, but he has taken a lot of criticism from me for stepping up and being the type of player that we know he’s capable of being,” Smith said. “There’s been games where he didn’t get to play much and some where he didn’t get to play at all. To come back from that to stand up and play like that against the toughest team of the year is pretty good.”

The Griffons got off to a fast start by taking a 6-0 lead before the Bearcats got on the scoreboard.  Smith said he stressed that the team play on an even keel as he has seen even some of his greatest teams use up their energy early in the intense rivalry game against Northwest.

Northwest battled back and went into the halftime break with a 33-31 lead, but the Griffons locked down defensively and only allowed 25 points in the second half while scoring 40.

“We just played hard,” James Harris said. “Our confidence level is high right now. They are just another team in the MIAA, we don’t look at anyone different just because of their record. We just come in and play every game as one.”

The Griffons had five players score in double-figures, something that has been missing during the losses and that Smith would love to continue to see.  Harris led the team with 14 points while Balque added 13.  Dzenan Mrkaljevic scored 11 points, including 3-for-4 from 3-point distance and added 10 rebounds and Adarius Fulton scored 11 points with six assists.  Cedric Clinkscales scored seven points and pulled down 10 boards.

Alfreeman Flowers scored 10 points including a huge dunk where he jumped up and flushed a lob pass from Harris, which was the undisputed most exciting play of the night and possibly the season sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Smith thought that Northwest would be more prepared to play in the zone after having no games last week, but the defense forced the Bearcats to shoot just 7-for-29 from 3-point distance and 4-for-20 from deep in the second half.

“We did things that no other Western team has done and nobody can take that away from us,” senior safety Shane Simpson said.  “We had fun and created a lot of good memories.”

Travis Partridge running the ball into the end-zone to score against Washburn. The griffons demolished the Icabods in this contest

The Griffons went 9-1 in the extremely competitive MIAA, including a 21-20 comeback victory over rival Northwest Missouri State in the championship game in Maryville.  Western gained sole possession of the MIAA championship for the first time.

Western looked to expose defenses on the ground with a potent rushing attack.  Senior running back Michael Hill led the way, rushing for 2,168 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Hill ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards per game with 154.  Quarterback Travis Partridge rushed for 451 yards and a school record 18 touchdowns on the ground.  Raphael Spencer spelled Hill and added 608 yards and five touchdowns.

“Western in my mind will always be home, this is the place and only place that showed interest in my abilities and has helped me grow as a player and a person,” Hill said. “Knowing that I have accomplished a lot while here is an awesome feeling. I’ve worked my tail off, although I couldn’t have gotten all of the awards or accomplishments with out my teammates, it shows hard work pays off.”

Partridge showed vast improvement as a passer in his second season as the starting quarterback.  He threw for 2,706 yards and connected with his receivers for 30 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions.  He set a new career-high for passing in the playoff game against Minnesota-Duluth with 319 yards.

The Griffons featured a deep core of receivers.  Kyle Knox led the team in receiving with 602 yards and added 2 touchdowns while Tarrell Downing added 508 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Ty’ron Crockom used his speed and elusiveness to gain 465 yards and scored seven touchdowns, often the result of a screen pass or reverse.  Tight end Reggie Jordan proved to be a valuable red zone weapon, scoring 11 touchdowns on the season while gaining 233 yards.

The defensive front proved to be a big strength for the Griffons.  Senior defensive ends David Bass and Ben Pister caused mayhem for opposing offenses all season.  Bass led the team in sacks with 11.5 and set the all-time career sack record with 36 while Pister sacked the quarterback eight times with a record 22.5 tackles for loss.  Austin Baska added 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Freshman Michael Jordan starred at cornerback with four interceptions while Simpson, Bass, Ben Jackson and Stephen Juergens came away with two each.  Juergens led the team with 95 tackles including 44 solo.

The Griffons only allowed teams to gain 383 yards per game while the offense powered its way to 458 yards per game.

Kicker Taylor Anderson made a record 80-straight extra point attempts.

After a 6-0 start, Western lost to Missouri Southern 31-30 on homecoming and responded to the adversity in a major way.  Western traveled to Pittsburg, Kan., and handed the defending champions their worst home loss in history, a 63-14 blowout.  Western continued to dominate ranked opponents for the next two weeks to secure their spot in the playoffs, beating No. 15 Emporia State 57-28 and No. 25 Washburn 56-28.

Western has some big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball next season after graduating 22 seniors.

“We aren’t satisfied because we know that this team isn’t close to playing as well as we can play,” Edmisson said. “So we still have room for a lot of improvement; this team can get better .”

The Griffons jumped out to a 19-10 lead early, but Rockhurst battled back to tie the game at 20 and then took a 25-20 lead.  Western responded and went into the halftime break with 36-33 lead.

Heather Howard made a 3-pointer on one possession and then a layup the next possession to give Western its biggest lead of the night at 51-40.  Western saw the lead collapse as they struggled to convert from the free throw line, shooting just 10-for-32 including 3-f0r-20 in the second half while trying to put Rockhurst away. Despite the struggles from the free throw line, the Griffons held on for victory.

“A big part of that was we were so innept at the free throw line; that game shouldn’t have been close,” Edmisson said. “We probably should have won that game by 15 or 20 points if we make our free throws.”

The season is young, but Edmisson’s team has already been in several close battles that weren’t decided until the final stretch of the game.  He believes that the experience of having to win in crunch time will help the Griffons in the long run and has faith in them to come out on top like they did against Rockhurst.

“We told our kids ‘we’ve been there before’,” Edmisson said. “We know what to do and that it’s time to lock down.”

Jalisa Lewis led the Griffons in scoring with 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and added six rebounds while sister Sharniece Lewis added 11 points including three 3-pointers and four rebounds.  Heather Howard notched a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and added two blocks, two steals, and two assists.  Alicia Bell chipped in with eight points.

Western won the turnover battle 23-to-13 and forced 12 steals.

The Griffons start MIAA conference play on Wed. against Truman State.  Despite a revamped roster with only a few players that have experience playing in the MIAA, Edmisson has confidence in the talent that he brought in.

“That’s a tough thing,” Edmisson said. “This is one of the best conferences in the country.  The physicalness and the intensity in these conference games will be an adjustment. The good thing is that most of these kids that came in from winning programs so they are accustomed to being on teams that win and have success.”

Missouri Western guard James Harris drives the ball as the Griffons pull away from Illinios-Springfield. The Griffons defeated the Praire Stars with the final score of 61-50.
submited photo: Jason Brown

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball avoided a late comeback attempt to defeat Illinois-Springfield 61-50 on Saturday, Dec. 1, at MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons improved to 4-2 on the season.

“I think this was a good solid win, not a great win, but a good solid win going forward,” coach Tom Smith said.

The Griffons were up 54-38 with eight minutes to play when Illinois-Springfield went on a run to cut the lead down to 55-50 over the next four minutes. Western responded with physical defense and points in the paint to finish the game.

“That’s just what you are going to go through in basketball,” junior Cedric Clinkscales said. “We just had to stay composed and keep going.”

Western’s zone defense forced Illinois-Springfield to shoot and miss from outside for most of the night. The Prairie Stars shot just 3-for-18 from 3-point distance and were held to 38 percent from the field.

“We were closing out on them with every shot they took,” forward Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe said. “The most important thing is that we keep the ball out of the middle because when it’s in the middle then it’s easy for them to find people on the wing.”

A key to Western’s success is winning the battle of turnovers. The Griffons turned the ball over eight times while the Prairie Stars committed 17 turnovers.

“Anytime you keep your turnovers in single digits, that’s good,” Smith said. “It’s hard to do; it means we are taking care of the ball.”

Smith was happy with the defensive effort, but concerned by the lack of execution on offense and feels that his team will need to score more than 61 points at home in the future.

“I thought when they made the run we forgot about Cedric down low,” Smith said. “You could feel the momentum change a little bit.”

Clinkscales paced the Griffons with 18 points on 9-for-15 shooting and pulled down six rebounds. Tuluka-Mfumupembe scored 12 points, including two from 3-point distance. Point guard Adarius Fulton added nine points, five rebounds, and three assists while forward Alfreeman Flowers dropped in eight points on 2-for-3 shooting.

Western converted on 10-for-15 free throw attempts and shot 41.1 percent from the field. The Griffons defense accounted for seven blocks and four steals.

The Griffons return to action on Dec. 5 against Truman State, which will be the start of MIAA conference play.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I think we are ready for conference play,” Tuluka-Mfumupembe said. “Everyone is excited about that.”

James Harris dropped 18 points and added 4 steals in the win over Rockhurst University. *Photo by Jason Brown

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball improved to 2-1 after defeating Rockhurst University 60-45 in the Hillyard Classic at MWSU Fieldhouse on Nov. 17.

The Griffons started slow on offense as Rockhurst took a 31-26 lead into halftime yet only allowed 14 points in the entire second half.

“I want performance and I want accountability,” coach Tom Smith said. “I thought the guys in the second half gave us that accountability.”

A 3-point shot by Adarius Fulton and then old fashioned 3-point play by Cedric Clinkscales tied the game at 42 and the Griffons didn’t look back. Rockhurst was stuck on 42 points for the next six minutes while Western continued to score, pushing the lead to 53-42.

“One thing coach keeps preaching is moving the ball and playing as a team,” guard James Harris said. “We just get easier buckets when we play together.”

Harris led the Griffons in scoring with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting off the bench. He also provided a big spark on defense with his four momentum-changing steals.

“The best thing about James has been his attitude of coming off the bench,” Smith said. “I don’t think he’s sulked about it and he’s just relished it. Coming off the bench, he feels that he can give us some offense.”

Point guard Adarius Fulton added 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting and also impacted the game with eight rebounds and four assists. Smith trusts Fulton to make the right basketball play down the stretch.

“I’m different than a lot of coaches,” Smith said. “I’m old school and I play the people that I trust on the floor.”

Big man Cedric Clinkscales score 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting in 20 minutes. Foul trouble kept him out for a large stretch in the first half.

The Griffons kept their poise and bounced back from a disappointing loss on Nov. 16 against William Jewell.

“We wanted to do it for the home crowd,” Clinkscales said. “They came out and show support and we felt like we let them down last night. We wanted to set the tone and win tonight.”

Smith felt that Rockhurst could have been worn out from facing a physical Northwest Missouri State team on Nov. 16 and expects to see a different version of the team when the Griffons travel to Kansas City on Nov. 24.

“We were so close to sitting here crying and asking why and now we get to play again,” said Coach Jerry Partridge. “I’m just so proud of what we have done the last two weeks with the pressure when games could go either way against great teams.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge led the Griffons with seven total touchdowns. He threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns while running for 24 yards and 4 touchdowns and connected with Reggie Jordan for the game-winning 2-point conversion.

“We’ve been in close games and there’s no panic at all,” Partridge said. “It’s just ‘OK we have to do our jobs’. It’s been crunch time for about four weeks now.”

Mike Hill ran for 194 yards and a touchdown and Tarrell Downing had a break-out game catching the ball for the second straight week. Although he wasn’t one of the Griffons wideouts that got into the endzone, Downing hauled in six catches for 144 yards including some clutch catches in crunch time.

“The wide receivers just try to make plays when our numbers have been called and that’s what we’ve done,” Downing said. “With our depth at receiver it’s pick your poison.”

Duluth quarterback Chase Vogler threw an interception to Marc Harrison on the first play of the game. The Griffon offense capitalized on the turnover when quarterback Travis Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 21-yard touchdown to make the score 7-0.

The Griffon defense allowed Duluth to move the ball down the field, but forced them to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Andrew Brees to make the score 7-3. The Griffons marched down field and Partridge found tight end Reggie Jordan for a spectacular catch in the corner of the endzone to make the score 14-3 Griffons. Duluth added another field goal to make it 14-6.

As it appeared that the Griffons would score again, Partridge threw an interception in the endzone. Duluth got their running game going and Vogler and Austin Sikorski both ran in touchdowns. The Griffons went into halftime trailing 20-14.

“They got momentum going but the next couple of drives, we came out,” Hill said. “After that interception, we came out and got the ball and from then out it was just a stalemate battle between both teams.”

Western came out and took a 21-20 lead after Partridge connected with Kyle Knox from 18-yards out for his third passing touchdown of the day. Duluth’s offense responded with a long drive and a 1-yard touchdown run by Vogler and a successful 2-point conversion to take a 28-21 lead.

Western’s offense did the same thing and Partridge ran in a 9-yard touchdown to tie the game. Duluth scored on a 1-yard run from Sikorski to take a 35-28 lead. The Griffon offense responded with a long drive and a 1-yard touchdown run from Partridge. The defense held tough and the game went to overtime.

Neither team would give an inch as Michael Hill started off the scoring in overtime with a 7-yard touchdown run. Duluth responded two straight Sikorski rushing touchdowns and the Griffons answered with a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Partridge to make the score 49-49 after two overtimes.

In the third overtime, it’s a rule that each team must attempt 2-point conversions after scoring a touchdown. The Griffons scored with another 1-yard dive from Partridge and connected with Reggie Jordan for a successful 2-point conversion to give the Griffons 57-49 lead.

Duluth responded with Sikorski’s fifth rushing touchdown of the afternoon, but could not convert the 2-point conversion after Vogler tripped on a designed bootleg play.

“I don’t think we even had a chance to get fatigued because the game was on the line,” defensive end David Bass said. “For the most part, I think we just wanted to have the best players on the field. Everyone was able to put aside their tiredness to get the job done.”

The Griffons defense gave up 408 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

“So many times on pass plays, I don’t know if they had the intention of throwing, he just scrambled around,” coach Partridge said. “That kid was one of the very best quarterbacks I have ever coached against, that’s why he won a national title a couple years ago.”

Partridge will continue on the quest to try and win his first national championship, taking on No. 2 seed Henderson State in the second round in Arkadelphia, Ark. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Cedric Clinkscales came away with a double-double in the loss to William-Jewell. *Photo by Jason Brown

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball couldn’t create enough offense to overcome William Jewell’s 3-point shooting.  William Jewell made 10 3-pointers, downing the Griffons 76-60 in the first game of the Hillyard Classic at MWSU Fieldhouse on Nov. 16.

Western dropped to 1-1 on the season after going 2-for-17 from 3-point distance.

“I just felt we got manhandled,” coach Tom Smith said. “It was offense tonight. You aren’t going to win games scoring 60 points at home.”

Cedric Clinkscales led the Griffons with 21 points and also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Clinkscales provided the lone bright spot for Western’s offense.

The Griffons were down by 10 at halftime but couldn’t make a serious run in the second half as the long distance shot was not going in.

“As soon as they punched us a little bit in the first half, our answer was ‘let’s shoot another 3,’” Smith said. “We’ve got Ced in there dominating; we would have been very content to just stay inside and get the ball inside.”

Western cut the lead down to 56-50 with just over seven minutes to play but couldn’t cut into the lead further. William Jewell ran the score out to 66-51 over the next three minutes and the Griffons never got close again.

Western’s guards were not able to add much scoring and struggled from the field. James Harris went 1-for-6 while Reed Mells shot 0-for-5. Adarius Fulton and Dylan Frantz, who started the game, shot a combined 4-for-9.

William Jewell had four players register double figures in scoring; Dillon Deck had 15 points and 9 rebounds; Taylor John scored 13 points and added seven rebounds, Ricky Tisdale scored 11 points; and Devonte Bell dropped in 10 points.

“Lack of execution, that’s what it was for us tonight,” Clinkscales said. “We were rushing shots. I think we tried to match them 3-for-3 and it wasn’t working for us tonight. We have to do better.”

The Griffons were beat on the boards 34-30 and lost the turnover battle 16-to-13. Smith expects the physicality to continue as the season goes on.

“I don’t think that William Jewell is MIAA level,” Smith said. “We will see a lot of teams more physical than them.”

Western will have a chance to bounce back from the home loss Saturday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. as they take on Rockhurst University at the MWSU Fieldhouse in the second night of the Hillyard Classic.

“We will come back in the morning and reassess ourselves tomorrow and hopefully get it done,” Clinkscales said. “I tried to stay positive the whole time. It’s just one of those nights and we just got to regroup.”

Griffon Forward Dzenan Mrkaljevic goes up for a shot. The 6’8 big man led the team to victory with 17 rebounds and 10 points.

Missouri Western Men’s Basketball won its regular season opener with a 75-44 blowout of Sterling College at MWSU Fieldhouse on Nov. 13.

The Griffons played lock-down defense, holding Sterling to 4-for-21 from 3-point distance and 36 percent from the field while creating 13 steals.

“Defensively there are still things we need to work on, but a lot of effort was given tonight,” guard Dylan Frantz said. “We can crash the boards better, but we are still working on it and we’ll get better.”

The Griffons out-rebounded the smaller Sterling team 45-to-29 with Dzenan Mrkaljevic grabbing 17 rebounds, one shy of the school record. Mrkaljevic showed his versatility by stepping out and hitting two 3-pointers.

“I think he did a great job today,” coach Tom Smith said. “We need him to rebound. They weren’t very big and size had a lot to do with it. The question is will he rebound like that way against bigger people.”

James Harris led all scorers with 13 points off the bench while forward Cedric Clinkscales added 12. Mrkaljevic and Frantz scored 10 points each while Reed Mells poured in nine off of three 3-point shots.

Smith hopes to rely on Harris and Mells to continue to give the Griffons instant offense off the bench.

“I really like the feeling that I can bring them off the bench and get a little firepower in there,” Smith said. “They are more offensive minded by far than our others guards.”

On defense it was Adarius Fulton and Freddie Manyawu disrupting the passing lanes and creating four steals each while Tevin Harris was credited with two. Manyawu is a sophomore that didn’t see much time last season, but could make an impact this year.

“He gives us length for the defense in the zone,” Smith said. “He really has a high basketball IQ.”

The Western bench outscored Sterling’s second unit 35-to-12 and the Griffons were up 34-to-19 at the halftime break.  The large lead allowed Smith to play 12 players which is more than usual.

“You earn your time out here,” Smith said. “I think we can go nine or 10 deep and get some minutes out of people.”

Clinkscales was bigger and stronger than anybody Sterling had to go up against him in the post.  He dominated the smaller NAIA big men today, but feels like that will continue into MIAA conference play.

“Being physical, I’m built for that,” Clinkscales said. “MIAA, I’m coming. We’re going to make some noise this year.”

No. 11 Missouri Western overcame a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter to defeat rival No. 4 Northwest Missouri State 21-20 in Maryville to win sole possession of the MIAA championship for the first time in school history.

“This is why we signed here, for this exact game, this scenario” said defensive end Ben Pister, who came away with four tackles and a sack on a crucial down in the fourth quarter. “This outcome is amazing. I feel invincible. After what we did today, this is our year.”

The Griffons offense struggled to get anything going in the first half with two punts, an interception thrown by quarterback Travis Partridge and a missed field goal attempt into harsh wind.

Northwest capitalized on the turnover as quarterback Trevor Adams connected with Tyler Shaw to put the Bearcats on the board up 7-0 in the second quarter. Jordan Simmons ran the ball into the endzone from two yards out for a touchdown after a long drive and Todd Adolf hit a 22-yard field goal to give Northwest a 17-0 lead at halftime.

“We just regrouped in the locker room,” Pister said. “We had a lot of pregame jitters and emotion. We had to get rid of it. We had a lot of anger toward this team and we just had to relax and play our game.”

The Griffons came out and gained momentum in the second half as Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 19-yard touchdown to put the Griffons on the scoreboard 17-7.

“There was never a doubt that we were going to make a run,” Partridge said. “In that locker room there was no panic. Everybody was looking in each others’ eyes knowing that we can do this. We had to calm down and play our brand of football and we did that.”

Northwest was able to drive the ball down the field again, but the Griffons defense stood tall forcing them to a field goal, which made the score 20-7 with just over seven minutes to play.

Partridge connected with Tarrell Downing over the middle for a 38-yard touchdown that put the Griffons back in the game. After Taylor Anderson made the extra point, the score was 20-14.

“I was thinking after I caught the ball that it has to be a touchdown. I have to get into the endzone,” Downing said. “This win has been four years in the making really and it feels great.”

The Griffon defense forced a punt on the Bearcats next possession, which gave them a chance to win the game.

Partridge got the ball back with just over three minutes to play and moved it right up the field with a series of short plays until running back Michael Hill busted off a 13-yard run to get it down to the Bearcats two yard line. Partridge then ran it in the endzone for the two yard score. Anderson knocked in the extra point which put the Griffons on top 21-20.

“I couldn’t have done it alone,” Partridge said. “The offensive line was battling and it was a total team effort. If there’s ever a total team effort, today was it.”

Northwest had one final chance with around a minute left, but turned the ball over on downs.  Partridge took a knee and the Griffons fans stormed onto Bearcat Field.

Partridge finished 19-for-26 passing with two touchdowns and gained 31 yards and a touchdown on the ground.  Hill gained 121 yards on 19 carries and caught one pass for six yards.

The Griffons improved to 10-1 on the season, a new school record for wins.

This victory sealed up a home playoff game for Western. The Griffons will find out who they play tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the watch party in the Fulkerson Center.

“It’s a special thing to host a playoff game and everyone in this program deserves one,” Partridge said. “These fans deserve one. It’s big for the program and big for the city.”

After two dominant road performances, the No. 11 Griffons return to Spratt Stadium at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, to take on No. 25 Washburn in a pivotal MIAA contest on senior day.

Washburn is 7-2, but Northwest Missouri State beat them 56-6 last week on their home field.

“Washburn is a good football team,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”They have had a very good year. They had a tough week last week, but I don’t think they were themselves that week. They are always physical, well-coached and do the fundamental things right.  They play well in all phases. Offensively they can run the ball and make plays throwing the football, and defensively their linebackers are very athletic and they have size in the front.”

The Griffons are on a roll lately, defeating two of the top-ranked teams in the MIAA — and the country — on the road when they played Pittsburg State and Emporia State.  This week the Griffons are back playing at Spratt Stadium, where they took a one-point loss to Southern the last time they played.

“We’ve been playing pretty well at home, too,” Partridge said. “I think we’ve been playing well all year long, but to me the last two weeks we’ve played are best.”

The Griffons have gained 982 yards on offense in the last two games with seven different players scoring touchdowns while the defense has only allowed 42 points, most of which came with Western’s starters sitting on the bench.

Washburrn is led by quarterback Mitch Buhler, who has thrown for 1,692 yards on the season with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has several main targets to throw to with Matt Kobbeman gaining 435 yards and four touchdowns, Tore’ Hurst has 324 yards and three touchdowns, Jordan Hart has 307 yards and four touchdowns, and Ryan Mertz catches passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

“I think they are a good ball club,” defensive end David Bass said.  ”Ever since I’ve been here, they have done what they had to do to win.  They are a 7-2 program so I’m no sleeping on them.”

Hayden Groves leads the Washburn rushing attack with 593 yards and six touchdowns on the season for an average of 4.3 yards per carry.

The Griffons aren’t going to overlook Washburn despite its big loss last week because they know how it feels to bounce back from a loss.

“They are still a tough team,” running back Michael Hill said. “They got beat pretty bad against Northwest, but look at us, when we got beat and came back and were ready to go and did some damage on Pitt.  We just have to prepare for this like any other tough MIAA game.”

Both Hill and Bass have been four-year players at Western, and they want to come away with a victory on their senior night.

“I have 22 other brothers out here with me, and I want to go out with a win, not for myself, just for them,” Bass said.  ”It’s our last time at Spratt in the regular season, so we want to make it perfect.”

“It’s definitely going to mean a lot,” Hill said. “‘For all these guys in the class and the coaches and everyone a part of Mo West,  It makes you think back – and it goes fast – and just cherish it. “

“I try to talk to everybody on D (defense) and try to keep everybody’s spirits high,” Fulton said. “When things are going right in the game I can pick everybody up and let them know we have to be mentally tough.”

Fulton has claimed the starting point guard position and impressed in his first two exhibition games.  He scored 20 points against Division I Missouri State on 6-for-7 from 3-point range and 7-for-9 from the field and added three assists and dropped 18 points with four assists and three steals against Livin’ the Dream.

“I love the system, as far as the offense goes,” Fulton said. “Coach [Tom] Smith kind of lets you play to your strengths.  It’s nothing like ‘go shoot threes’ or ‘go ball hog.’  Everybody passes the ball — sometimes people overpass. He lets you do what you can do but not get carried away.”

Smith sees Fulton as a pure point guard who stays under control and tries to make the smart play. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, he has good size for the point guard position.

“Teammates say I’m kind of slow with the ball, so I do the best that I can to speed it up,” Fulton said.  “I’m composed, and I like to speed it up a little bit and slow it down if I don’t have something.”

Fulton hails from Lithonia, Ga., and played two seasons at St. Johns River State College. He made first team All-Mid Florida Conference in 2011 and 2012 and was also named All-Region in 2012.   His team won enough games to finish third in the conference during his freshman season, but he is coming off of a losing season due to a depleted roster as a sophomore.

Fulton hasn’t experienced what playing against MIAA competition is like, but is very confident that the Griffons can fly under the radar and be a winning team.

“In my mind we are number one already,” Fulton said. “We just have to have that attitude that we are number one.  I’ve heard the league is very physical, but we are physical too so I think we can be number one in the conference.”

If there’s one thing that matters to Fulton, it’s keeping great team chemistry and sticking together through any rough times throughout the season.

“Things are going to get bad, maybe the ref makes a bad call, or teams jump on us and we just have to stay together as a family,” he said. “Listen to coach Smith most of all and just play hard.”

Besides having the conference championship on the line, there are also post-season implications. The winner will host a home playoff game while the loser will likely be forced to play on the road.

“It’s going to be two good football teams battling it out and that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” quarterback Travis Partridge said.  “We are all just looking forward to the whole scenario. It’s going to be a blast,”

This is the 18^th time the Griffons and Bearcats have played in Maryville, and Northwest has won the last five straight.  The last time Western won against Northwest on the road was in 2001.

The Griffons and Bearcats split games last season with Northwest winning a playoff game 35-29 and ending the Griffons season at Spratt Stadium.  The Northwest fans proceeded to storm the field in celebration.

“It was a big win for them and a big playoff win so I expected them to storm the field,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “They’ve done enough things over the last decade and a half to fuel my fire, I’m not going to let one incident do that.”

Both schools have been blowing out high-quality MIAA teams over the last few weeks.  Western has defeated Pittsburg State 63-14, Emporia State 57-28 and Washburn 56-28 while Northwest has taken down Missouri Southern 38-14, Emporia State 55-10 and Washburn 56-6.

Travis Partridge is used to preparing for tough MIAA teams on a weekly basis.  He is motivated by the things the Griffons can gain by winning and has confidence in his team to get the job done.

“We’ve had three big football games in a row and we’ve had our backs against the wall and we’ve responded,” Partridge said.  “They are a good football team but they are human just like everyone else.”

The biggest games freshman cornerback Michael Jordan has played in was a pair of state championship games in high school, but he said he’s ready to become part of this rivalry.

“I’ve heard a lot about the rivalry and that it will be real rowdy,” Jordan said.  “I’m looking forward to it honestly. A lot of people around the town are talking about it like it’s the biggest game, and I know what’s at stake, but for me it’s just another game.”

Jordan will have his hands full with talented wide-outs Jordan Simmons and Tyler Shaw, but believes he can shut them down.

Travis Partridge said the hostile Northwest crowd won’t intimidate the Griffons.

“We’ve played in front of 12,000 at Pitt, and that was about as loud of a crowd as you can get,” Partridge said. “If you are a competitor, you look forward to this.”

Coach Jerry Partridge gives a couple Griffon football players a pep talk during their game against the Emporia State Hornets. The Griffons triumphed 57-28.

Griffon Football looked ferocious on Thursday, Oct. 25, serving No. 20 Emporia State its first loss of the season with a 57-28 blowout at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kan. The Griffons improved to 8-1 while the Hornets dropped to 8-1.

The Hornets came into the game with the top ranked offense in the MIAA, but the physical Griffon defense allowed only one first down in the entire first half and no points.

“We played Emporia well and obviously we are starting to reach our expectations,” defensive end David Bass said.  ”It’s ideal and I know it’s not going to happen every week, but we are going to go out and try to make it happen.”

Kicker Taylor Anderson made a field goal to put the Griffons on top 3-0; then running back Michael Hill went to work. Hill ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter, both from three yards out as the Griffons took at 17-0 lead.

“We pretty much came out and wanted to carry over what we had the week before at Pitt,” Hill said. “We didn’t run too many different plays, a lot of inside zone and kept shoving it down their throat. I don’t know how many times we passed, but we smashed them in the trenches.”

Anderson hit another field goal to make the score 20-0 at the start of the second quarter. Quarterback Travis Partridge connected with the elusive Tyron Crockom on a screen pass for a 19-yard touchdown and then ran the ball in from eight yards out to give the Griffons a commanding 26-0 lead at the halftime break.

“Tyron is just a good football player,” Coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”He catches the ball and has ran reverses. The wealth has been spread around pretty evenly  on offense for us.”

The second half started with another highlight play from the Griffons, this time it was on defense.  Cornerback Michael Jordan intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback Tyler Eckenrode and returned it for a 91-yard touchdown that put the Griffons on top 33-0.

“Michael Jordan is going to be one of the very best corners we have ever had here,” Partridge said. “He’s solid as it gets with good speed, good agility, good hands, and he’ll tackle you.”

Hill had 185 yards and two touchdowns after the first half and was able to rest for the second half with the large lead. Reserve backs Dominic Thomas and Raphael Spencer took over rushing the ball and found success, showing the depth that the Griffons are working with at the position.

“We’ve done that a lot this year, and the running backs behind me can come in and do the things that I did,” Hill said. “It feels good, but also I want to be out there at the same time.  Whenever you are out of the game, you know that your team did their part to get you there.”

The Griffons rushing attack was responsible for 382 net yards and five touchdowns. Thomas gained 53 yards and scored on an 11-yard touchdown run while Spencer gained 96 yards and scored on a seven yard touchdown run that put the Griffons on top 47-0.

Emporia scored 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters as the Griffons reserves got into the game, but it was too late as the Griffons already had an insurmountable lead.  The Griffons forced the Hornets to punt eight times on the day and held Eckenrode to 24-for-48 passing and forced two interceptions.

“We’ve got a lot of kids playing time in two games where they shouldn’t have gotten the playing time,” Partridge said. “It was good to play a lot of kids and hopefully we are going to be healthy enough now for this pivotal stretch run.”

“Great, great win,” Coach Jerry Partridge said. “I  think we played very well and it was fun to watch it all come together like that and play at that level.”

The Gorillas struck first with a pass from Anthony Abenoja to John Brown that gave them a 7-0 lead.  However, those would be the only points that the Griffon defense would allow all afternoon.

Defensive coordinator Regi Trotter wasn’t happy with the Gorillas success on their first possession, but was proud of the way the defense responded.

“We really buckled down and stuck to our plan,” Trotter said “We played very well.”

The Griffon offense scored 56 unanswered points, leaving the crowd of nearly 12,000 stunned and heading for the exits as Pittsburg State took only its 13th loss in history at Carnie Smith Stadium.

“We were surprised because we always go in expecting a war,” Safety Shane Simpson said. “It’s just a blessing and you love those days.  Everybody just played good, we did all the little things.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge threw for four touchdown passes and 213 yards on only 14 passing attempts.  Partridge connected for touchdowns with Derek Libby for 64 yards, Brandon Wright for 35 yards, Reggie Jordan from seven yards out, and found Michael Hill in the flat on a fake reverse play for a 48-yard score.

Partridge was happy with the way the offense played and felt like it was a very complete performance by everybody.

Hill scored three more touchdowns on the ground as he ran the ball into the end-zone from two, five, and 10 yards out.  Hill finished with 116 yards on the ground on 17 carries for an average of 6.8 yards per carry.  Hill got to rest early after totaling 180 all-purpose yards with the big lead as reserve backs Dominic Thomas and Raphael Spencer showed off their talents.  Thomas finished with 59 yards while Spencer ran for 64.

Defensive end David Bass had a huge game, coming away with 2.5 sacks and an interception that he took back 55 yards for a touchdown.  Ben Pister was also wreaking havoc from the other end position with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks.  Pister recorded 2.5 tackles for a loss, a category in which he leads the MIAA.  Bass and Pister are seniors playing in their final season at Western.

“It’s been fun watching those guys grow up,” Trotter said.  ”When you have two seniors that care so much about this program and have been dominant forces for four years now, it’s good to watch those guys do some damage.”

Defensive back Michael Jordan led the Griffons with nine tackles while safety Shane Simpson intercepted a pass in his first game back from a high ankle sprain that sidelined him for two weeks.

“Shane Simpson is that senior leader back there and we really needed him,” Trotter said. “He really stepped up for us when he came back in.”

Before the game, Western was ranked No. 16 in Division II football while Pittsburg was ranked No. 7.  After the game the Griffons moved up four spots to No. 12 while the Gorillas fell to No. 20 in the AFCA coaches poll.

The game will be televised on the MIAA network, channel 19 on Suddenlink Cable in St. Joseph.

The Hornets are a perfect 8-0, but have only faced one team with a winning record — Lindenwood. Their closest game came in a 19-15 win over 1-7 Southwest Baptist three weeks ago, and in the last two games, Emporia defeated Lindenwood 13-0 and 4-4 Truman State 52-26.

“Emporia is very, very dangerous and very confident right now,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “They really believe in themselves and there will be a lot of emotion on Thursday night.  We’re going to get their best shot.”

Emporia ranks first in the MIAA in total offense with 484 yards per game, while Western ranks second with 467 yards per game.

“We approach this just like any other week,” quarterback Travis Partridge said.  ”We are going to do what we do offensively and distribute the ball. Our experience level is going to carry us.”

The Hornets rely heavily on the passing game to move the ball down the field.  Quarterback Tyler Eckenrode has thrown for 2,518 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

“Their offense is very good,” defensive coordinator Regi Trotter said. “They have a stable of good running backs, but they really throw the ball well.  Those guys really do a good job.”

Wide receiver Shjuan Richardson has proven to be the main weapon for the Hornets’ offense, catching 59 passes for 973 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.  He’s averaging 121 receiving yards per game. Ray Ray Davis has also heavily contributed to Emporia’s success through the air with 634 yards and five touchdowns.

“We just need to carry this momentum from the Pitt State-win into Thursday,” safety Shane Simpson said. “It’s not going to be easy.”

The Hornets use a balanced rushing attack to supplement the passing game.  Derwin Hall has rushed for 393 yards and five touchdowns while gaining 4.6 yards per carry, Dozie Iwuagwa has gained 331 yards and six touchdowns with a 4.5 yards per carry average, and Jordan Tice has rushed for 287 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry.

Playing a top-20 team on the road with a short week is a challenge, but the Griffons feel like they are well-prepared.

“The front end is very difficult,” coach Partridge said. “I’ll enjoy the back end of it if we win the game and get the weekend off, but its very difficult right now.”

Emporia’s defense ranks fourth in the MIAA in total yards per game, allowing 335 yards per game, while Western ranks fifth, giving up 348 yards per game.

The Griffons have won the last three games at Emporia.

It will be no easy task for the 6-1 Griffons as reining national champion 5-1 Pittsburg is also looking for redemption from its first loss of the season, a 31-21 defeat by Northwest Missouri.

“Pitt is good and they are going to be hungry,” Coach Jerry Partridge said.  “We’re planning on going to Pittsburg and getting a win and I think we are very capable of doing it.”

Gorillas quarterback Anthony Abenoja has thrown for 1663 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Abenoja’s main target this season has been John Brown, who has caught 39 passes for 627 yards and six touchdowns.   The Griffons should be well-aware of Brown as he gained 70 yards receiving and ran a punt back 84 yards for a touchdown last season when Pittsburg came to Spratt Stadium and won 34-7 last season.  Brown has also returned one punt for a touchdown this season and is averaging 219 all-purpose yards per game.

Pittsburg’s leading rusher is Briceton Wilson has ran for 327 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.  Jason Spradling  also had success running the ball, he’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has ran for 251 yards and a touchdown this season.

Linebacker Nate Dreiling anchors the Gorilla defense with a team-leading 36 tackles and five pass breakups while defensive end Gus Toca has sacked opposing quarterbacks five times on the season.  The Gorillas lead the MIAA in defense, allowing 307 total yards per game.

The Griffons defense is banged up, dealing with injuries to several star players. Linebacker Yomi Alli is out with a knee injury suffered on Sept. 15.  Defensive tackle, Austin Baska hurt both ankles against Southern and defensive end Ben Pister is dealing with a shoulder injury.  Safety Shane Simpson missed the last two games with a hurt ankle, but should provide a boost when he makes his return this week.

“I can’t wait to get back on the field,” Simpson said. “Pitt State is a good team.  We need to play our best and limit mistakes.  If we do that, I’m sure we will be happy with the outcome.”

Griffons running back Michael Hill will be looking to bounce back from his lowest rushing total of the season, 54 yards.  Hill is averaging 161 yards per game, which leads the MIAA by a wide margin with the second leading rusher averaging 94 yards per game.

“We can still do everything we wanted to do,” Hill said “One loss doesn’t even put a dent in our goals.”

The Griffons and the Gorillas both have high-powered offenses.  The Gorillas average 39.5 points per game while the Griffons get 39 points each contest.  The Griffons lead the MIAA in total offense per game with 469 yards per game while the Gorillas come in second with 466 yards per game.

Coach Partridge wants his team to keep their confidence despite having the deal with defeat for the first time this season.

“We have to keep the outside influences from affecting us and understand that we are still good enough and go get it done,” Partridge said. “We’re still a very good football team.”

Dom Thomas makes a run against Missouri Southern in the Homecoming Game on Saturday Oct. 13

Missouri Western football suffered its first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion as Missouri Southern upset the Griffons 31-30 on Homecoming at Spratt Stadium.  The Griffons are 6-1 on the season.

“We outplayed them really and probably should have had them put away in the first half,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  ”We didn’t make enough plays obviously to win.”

The game was delayed for nearly and hour by lightning with 3 minutes and 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Griffons leading 30-24 and Southern in possession of the ball at its own 37-yard line.

When play resumed, the Lions put together a scoring drive which ended in a 1-yard run by JJ Jones.  The extra point put Southern ahead by one point.

“We needed to step up and make a stop,” said linebacker Stephen Juergens, who led the Griffons with 11 tackles. “I can blame myself; I missed a tackle on that last drive.”

Western got the ball back with two minutes left on the clock, but turned the ball over on a fumbled exchange.  The Griffons stopped the Lions on the next three plays and forced a punt, then used all of their timeouts to stop the clock, which gave the offense 40 seconds to try and put together one last game-winning drive.

It wasn’t meant to be as quarterback Travis Partridge threw his only interception of the day, and Southern ran out the clock for the one-point win.

“We do it all the time, and we felt like we could get it done,” receiver Kyle Knox said about failing to score on the final two possessions.  The Griffons six-point lead in the fourth quarter came from two Taylor Anderson field goals.  Knox felt Southern gained momentum when the Griffons were unable to score a touchdown on those two drives.

Coach Partridge felt there were several instances where there was error on the part of the officials and was arguing with them in the first half.

“It was difficult to deal with,” Partridge said. “Anybody that has been a part of sports; this happens.  You just have to deal with it and pick up the pieces and play.”

The Griffons offense outgained Southern 493 yards to 374 and was only forced to punt once. Partridge threw for 233 yards, connecting on 20 of 27 attempted passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Reggie Jordan in the first quarter.  Partridge also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown as part of the Griffon ground game that netted 260 yards.

Michael Hill was held to 53 yards rushing on 14 attempts and kept out of the end zone.  Despite the loss, Hill is staying optimistic about this season.

“I’ve lost games like this before,” Hill said.  ”Things happen and it’s better off that we know that we aren’t going to roll over people.  Now we can move on with more focus and work our butts off.”

Jordan scored his second touchdown of the day as he ran a fake punt 86 yards for the score in the second quarter.

Knox led the Griffons in receiving with 103 yards on five catches. Derek Libby hauled in three catches for 41 yards while Tyron Crockom caught five for 33 yards.

Anderson made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 53-yard kick that sailed through the uprights.

The Griffons will try and bounce back against No. 7 Pittsburg State at 2 p.m. next Saturday, Oc. 20, in Pittsburg, Kan.

(Above) Greg Zuerlein kicks a field goal for the St. Louis Rams.

Only five games into his rookie season, former Missouri Western kicker Greg Zuerlein has already proven to be one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL.

Zuerlein is a perfect 13-for-13 field goals for the season, including breaking a Rams franchise record 58-yard kick in week four, and then broke his own record a quarter later by nailing one from 60 yards. Zuerlein is 5-of-5 from beyond 50 yards this season and last year at Western, he hit a perfect 9-for-9 from over 50.  He hasn’t missed a field goal from over 50 yards since playing for Nebraska-Omaha in 2009.

For his display of leg strength in week four, Zuerlein was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week as he became the only player in NFL history to make a 50- and 60-yard field goal in the same game.  In the week before that, his 56-yard make at Soldier Field in Chicago is the longest field goal ever made in the historical stadium.  In short, Zuerlein’s NFL career has been completely perfect up to this point.

More than 27 million people are playing fantasy football this season in the United States, and the ones who have Zuerlein are winning.  In the first week of the season, Zuerlein was only started by 6 percent of all owners and in week five, was in 89 percent of all starting lineups.  His 13 field goals on the year ties him for the league lead and he ranks No. 7 in points scored in the NFL this season.  The only reason why he isn’t first on that list is because the Rams aren’t scoring as many touchdowns as the other teams limiting Zuerlein’s extra point attempts.

“I’m not at all surprised,” Western quarterback and former teammate Travis Partridge said.  ”We expected it, honestly.  We kind of laughed at people who didn’t, because we saw it all season last year.”

It’s hard for an NFL kicker to draw enough attention to garner a nickname, but Zuerlein has several as the nation has taken notice of his extremely powerful leg. Western takes credit for the original, Greg “The Leg”; Rams nation calls him “Young G.Z.,” like the platinum selling rapper Young Jeezy; and Bill Simmons, also known as “The Sports Guy” on ESPN, has named him “Legatron,” a play-on the leader of the Decepticons in “Transformers.”

Zuerlein’s success has prompted some high praise from running back and perennial team-leader Steven Jackson when he said that Zuerlein is the team’s most valuable player this season. Coach Jeff Fisher has confidence in Zuerlein any time that the offense crosses mid-field.

Not-so-coincidentally the Rams are off to their best start in recent memory at 3-2.

“Homecoming is a special time and it’s a great event for any universities campus life, but I don’t think we treat it any differently,” coach Jerry Partridge said.  “Our crowd is always pretty good anyways.”

The Griffon defense will take on the task of stopping quarterback Kellen Cox and the triple option offense.  The 5-foot-10-inch 160-pound former wide receiver ranks third in the MIAA in rushing at 94.3 yards per-game with eight touchdowns.

“He’s the key guy, the cog,” coach Partridge said. “They will try to run the ball with him. We have to stop him and obviously we have to stop all phases of the triple option.”

Cox numbers through the air are much less flattering than on the ground.  He’s completed only 20-for-44 passes with eight interceptions and two touchdowns.  Defensive end David Bass expects to deal with a heavy dose of Southern’s running game.

“The triple option is usually a difficult offense to play,” Bass said, “but with the seniors and experience that we’ve got, I think we’ll be able to handle it.”

Western has been very good defensively all season ranking No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 14 in the country allowing 16.7 points per-game, but Bass believes there’s room for improvement.

“We aren’t where we want to be,” Bass said.  “The entire defense messed up on some assignments and responsibilities last week.  As long as we stick together and trust one another then we are going to be good.”

One of Southern’s strengths is their ability to stop the run, however, Griffons running back Michael Hill is no ordinary runner as he leads the nation in rushing.  Quarterback Travis Partridge also has the ability to gain big yards on the ground.

“I’m sure running the ball is going to be very difficult,” coach Partridge said. “They have given up some passing yards, and we are going to have to take advantage of that.”

Opposing receivers have been torching the Lions’ pass defense all season as they are giving up 244 yards per-game while only gaining an average of 77 yards themselves.

Travis Partridge is going to stick to the game plan, but is more than willing to make the necessary adjustments and burn the Lions through the air.

“Every week we go in with a game plan and we try to establish the run first,” Partridge said. “We just kind of take what the defensive is giving us, so if they’re giving us yards through the air then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Every game is huge in football, but it’s hard not to look forward to next week when the Griffons travel to Pittsburg, Kan., to face the No. 1 ranked and reigning national champion Pittsburg State.

Bass isn’t looking forward as he knows that Southern will prove to be a formidable opponent.

“No, never,” Bass said.  “This is my senior year. Every week is crucial to me, so I can leave on a good note and have fun while I’m doing it.”

“We been doing this for a while so we’re kind of used to it now,” Reggie said.  “I’m not at all surprised; all of this was expected.”

Freshman cornerback Michael and junior tight-end Reggie have been playing football together since Reggie was a seventh grader and Michael was playing on the team as a fifth grader.

“No one really played football in our household, we were the first ones, but our family is behind us 100 percent in what we’re doing,” Reggie said.

Reggie has turned into a lethal weapon in the red zone as he leads the Griffons with four touchdown receptions in five games, a total that tops the production from his first two seasons combined.

“With my size, I’m actually a threat so it’s easy to just throw the ball up to me when we get near the end zone,” Reggie said.

Coach Jerry Partridge predicted Reggie would have a breakout year in ’12 before the season started.

“Reggie started making his impact last year, he did a good job and made some big catches,” Partridge said. “He’s started to become the tight end we thought he could be.”

Coming to Western wasn’t easy for Reggie because he started off buried on the depth chart as the fifth string tight end.  He didn’t let it discourage him and worked his way to the top of the depth chart.

“I just think coach really trusts me now,” Reggie said. “That’s obviously the thing now.  He’s really bringing tight ends into the offense.  The last couple of years we weren’t such a big deal, but now he’s really trying to get me the ball.”

Playing on different sides of the ball gives the Jordan brothers a chance to watch each other play and show support.

“I go crazy when he makes a big catch or a touchdown,” Michael said. “I’m the first one to congratulate him.”

Michael has wasted no time showing off his skill set. In his redshirt freshman season, the cornerback leads the Griffons in interceptions with two, including one at the end of the Central Oklahoma game that he took back 42 yards for a touchdown.  He also has 23 tackles, which ranks third on the team.

“Size is a strength, I feel like I can dominate receivers off the line,” Michael said. “Looking at me, a lot of receivers will get intimidated and with me being able to move just as good as a small guy is a plus, it’s hard to for them to go over the top.”

Michael’s played offense and defense in high school, but his main position was receiver.  Playing defense was something that the coaches chose for him and it’s paying off.

“We are fortunate that Reggie came here because his brother Mike followed and he’s going to be a very good corner,” Partridge said.  “He has size, speed, hands, he can tackle, he can do everything.”

The Jordan brothers won a championship at powerhouse Hazlewood High School during Reggie’s senior year and hope to have a similar ending to this season with the Griffons.

Reggie Jordan receives a touchdown pass against the UCO Bronchos.

Missouri Western football avoided a second-half comeback attempt to defeat Central Oklahoma 45-23 at Spratt Stadium to improve its record to 5-0 for the first time under coach Jerry Partridge.

“We just have better football players,” Partridge said. “Their program is just trying to get off the ground right now.”

The Griffons build up a 28-0 lead before Central Oklahoma was finally able to get on the board in the third quarter.

“We dominated the first half,” Partridge said. “We didn’t play very good defense in the second half, that’s for sure.”

Central Oklahoma attempted a comeback in the second half after scoring three straight touchdowns and narrowing the lead to 31-23 with 1:35 left in the game.

“We had several chances to throw a knockout punch and we’ve been pretty good with that,but we didn’t do it today,” Partridge said.

After a failed onside kick attempt, the nation’s leading rusher Michael Hill busted off a 30-yard touchdown run with around a minute left in the game.  Michael Jordan then intercepted Adrian Nelson and ran it back 42-yards for a touchdown with two seconds left in the game.

Quarterback Travis Partridge threw for 224 yards and a touchdown and found success running the ball, gaining 87 yards on 10 carries. He had two touchdown runs including outrunning the defense for a 45-yard scramble.

Hill led the Griffons in rushing with 143 yards on 22 carries, including his clutch fourth quarter touchdown run and caught two passes for 27 yards.

Kyle Knox had a breakout performance, leading the Griffon receivers with 108 yards on seven catches.

“It’s a great feeling, I love helping the team out to win,” Knox said. “Travis throws a perfect ball that hits me in the chest every time.”

Coach Partridge has nothing but positive things to say about Knox.

“Kyle is a gritty veteran and a tough kid,” Partridge said. “He’s done his time and he’s come in and made some plays. Anybody that knows Kyle Knox likes him a lot.”

Tarrell Downing caught five passes for 42 yards. Reggie Jordan caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Partridge to give him four touchdown catches on the season.

“It’s a weapon having a 6-4, 250 (pound) receiver,” quarterback Partridge said of Jordan. “He’s definitely a red-zone weapon, but he can block and do other things, too.”

The Griffon offense utilized nine different receivers in the passing game.

“We are never going to have a go to player unless it’s in the red zone,” coach Partridge said. “It’s just not what we do.”

The most electric highlight of the day might have been the first score of the game when Tyron Crockum took a reverse hand off and turned the corner out-running everybody for a 22-yard touchdown.

Stephen Juergens led the Griffons with nine tackles including five solo while Ben Pister had seven tackles including five solo plus a sack and a forced fumbled.

“They didn’t quit fighting and we knew that they wouldn’t because they have outscored their opponents in the second half all year,” Pister said.

Austin Baska brought the quarterback down for two sacks while Davis Bass recorded one as the Griffon defense allowed nothing in the first half and gave up all their points late. As the quarterback, Partridge knows how strong the defense is.

“We play against them every day, so we know what they can do,”Partridge said. “They are a great defense. As an offense, it kind of relaxes you a little bit.”

The Griffons return to action on Saturday in Tahlequah, Okla., against MIAA opponent Northeastern State.

“Fort Hays played their best football all year,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I don’t think we played our best football, but I wouldn’t say we played poorly. If you’ve been to Fort Hays, you know it’s not the funnest trip to take. It’s a long bus ride.”

Quarterback Travis Partridge put on a good performance on his 22^nd birthday as he threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Partridge connected with Kyle Knox on a 19-yard pass to put the Griffons on the board in the first quarter after the defense forced a punt.

Hays scored their only points of the day on a field goal in the second quarter that made it a 7-3 game. On the next Griffon possession, Partridge connected with Tarrell Downing for a 17-yard score to push the lead out to 14-3.

Despite the Griffons turning the ball over twice on an interception and fumble and dealing with some penalties, Hays was unable to capitalize, and the score remained 14-3 at the half.

“We got a win, that’s all that really matters,” Michael Hill said.  “They came out there and fought and battled. They have seniors and players that want a ‘W,’ too.

We killed ourselves a little with penalties and minor mistakes, but we got the win.”

Michael Hill became Western’s all-time career rushing leader in the second quarter and added to the total with 198 yards on the game.  Hill leads the entire country in rushing with 184 yards per game.

The offensive line has been dominant this season as the Western ball carriers are averaging an outstanding 6.6 yards per-carry.

The Griffon defense was relentless all afternoon, sacking quarterback Tarean Austin three times and forcing three fumbles which were recovered by Western.

David Bass sacked and took the ball from Austin in spectacular fashion and ran it back 47 yards before fumbling himself and giving it back to Hays. Bass finished with three tackles and a sack.

Ben Pister provided pressure from the other end of the defensive line as he made three solo tackles for a loss of yards, had one sack, and one fumble recovery. Sean Tray Bryson also got to the quarterback for a sack.

Defensive back Michael Jordan led the Griffons on tackles with six solo and Dan Ritter recorded five solo tackles.

Despite making 16 first downs, Hays never made it in to the red zone for a chance to score a touchdown.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, Sept. 29, against Central Oklahoma at Spartt Stadium.

(Left) Michael Hill stiff arms an opponent and breaks a tackle versus Nebraska-Kearney earlier this season.

Michael Hill ran into the Griffon history books on Saturday at Fort Hays when he broke Western’s 15-year-old all-time leading career rushing record.

“I’m just lucky to be in the position that I am,” the running back from St. Joseph said.  “I’m honored to have the record and I’ve just been around great players and coaches the entire time I’ve been here. Every player here made me get it, it’s not just mine.”

Hill ran for 198 yards at Hays and needed just 56 yards to become Western’s career-rushing king.  Hill has rushed for 3,538 in his career and his 709 attempts also sets the all-time mark for carries.

Hill has ran for 743 yards so far in his senior season for an average of 184.2 yards-per-game which leads the entire nation in rushing. Hill was third on the list before his near 200-yard outburst at Hays.

“It’s pretty big, but we’re only in game four,” Hill said. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us and that’s awesome that we got to this point, but you have to strive for more.”

Although Hill has proven to be the Griffons’ and the country’s most dangerous weapon, he isn’t worried about teams stacking the box and focusing solely on stopping him.

“If they do, then we are going to throw the ball down the field, and they will have to cover that, too,” Hill said. “Travis is a good thrower, and we have good receivers, too, that will catch the ball.”

Hill wasn’t recruited highly coming out of Central High School by other teams besides Western.  That’s a fact that coach Jerry Partridge still doesn’t understand to this day.

“I was amazed every time I talked to him that somebody else wasn’t talking to him,” Partridge said. “I thought the 1-AA teams were going to get on him.  I never understood why the MIAA wasn’t recruiting him.”

Despite not being at the top of everyone’s list coming out of high school, Hill doesn’t walk around with a chip on shoulder or use it for motivation. He just takes care of business.

“I really don’t care,” Hill said. “I’m happy that I’m here, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. “

Hill is an all-around back that shows no weaknesses in his game.  He is big, strong, fast, and can do damage on the ground or as a receiver.  Offensive coordinator Tyler Fenwick has noticed the improvement in Hill, even from last season when he led the MIAA in rushing.

“You’ve seen him run away from people this year. I think he’s gotten faster than last year, he’s breaking a lot more longer runs,” Fenwick said.

Fenwick credits Hill’s understanding of the game and work ethic in the film room for a lot of his improvement over his time at Western.

“I think he really understands all the little things about being a running back,” Fenwick said. “Over the years, the more carries he gets, he learns and studies himself on film to make himself better.  He’s just so strong and explosive and just a good kid. He works hard.”

According to Hill, the people around him deserve a lot of credit for getting him into the record books, including being mentored by starter Thomas Hodges during his redshirt freshman season.

“It goes way back to when I was splitting carries with Hodges and him being a great role model for me,” Hill said.  “He did a great job teaching me and helping me out with the plays and stuff.”

One would think that Hill’s success as a Griffon would have him thinking about the next level, but that’s not something that has his focus right now.

“I would love to play after this year, and that’s every player’s dream, but I can’t look ahead at all,” Hill said.  “You can’t afford to let up or be satisfied, especially in week four with seven other games to play.”

Katie Kempf scored two goals, including the game-winner, in the Griffons 2-1 overtime victory against Lindenwood.

Wide Receiver Tyron Crockom runs the football for a touchdown. The Griffons won with a score of 38-14.

Patriotism was in the air as the Missouri Western football team improved its record to 3-0 by defeating Nebraska-Kearney 38-14 on Military Appreciation Night at Spratt Stadium.

“It was a gritty win,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “I think we did some things early to keep them in the ball game, had some penalties and a turnover.”

Travis Partridge made up for an early interception by throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes to four different targets.

“As an offense we have so many weapons,” the quarterback said. “That’s what we expect. Our receiving core is so deep. It’s fun to be me and distribute and watch them work.”

Partridge connected with Reggie Jordan, Michael Hill, Tyron Crockom, and Derek Libby for scores through the air and showed his own versatility by running in a 27-yard touchdown run. He finished the day with 198 passing yards and 78 rushing yards.

Crockom scored his touchdown in spectacular fashion as he caught a short pass on the left side of the field and took the ball all the way across to the right side, turned the corner and out-ran the defense.

“I just let my feet do the work,” Crockum said. “I saw three dudes coming, and I didn’t want to get smacked by them.”

Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season in as many games and has become one of the Griffons go-to guys in the red zone.

“He’s a threat,” coach Partridge said. “He’s a tough match-up for people and catches the ball really well.”

Hill ran for 165 yards on 24 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per carry and caught a short pass that he turned into a 19-yard touchdown.  Hill has rushed for 539 yards in the Griffons three games this season which ranks first in the MIAA and third in the nation.

“I thought he ran the ball really well,” coach Partridge said. “He is the very best back in the MIAA, I believe that. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

The Griffon defense was burned for a 58-yard touchdown run from Tommy Flanagan after calling a blitz on fourth down, which led to the game being close at the half with Western up 14-7.

“We sent the blitz to the weak side and it was an excellent play call by them,” defensive end David Bass said.

The Lopers only other score of the day came on a trick play that ended in a 43-yard touchdown pass after the Griffons already had a commanding lead.

Western’s defense was solid all day, but suffered a huge loss as standout Yomi Alli suffered a serious knee injury that will keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.

Alli is the Griffons season leading tackler with 13 assisted and 10 solo and also grabbed an interception before the knee injury. Coach Partridge is disappointed Alli’s season is going to ge cut short, and the players aren’t too happy, either.

“That’s terrible,” Bass said. “The player that he is with his attitude and the energy he brings to this team, I’m hurt that he’s out.”

Bass recorded his third sack of the season while Ben Pister and Austin Baska were both credited with a half sack. Defensive back Michael Jordan intercepted a deep pass thrown by Eric Kaiser in the second quarter.

The Griffons are off to a 3-0 start for the fourth time under coach Partridge.

“Going 3-0 is definitely a great confidence booster for our program,” Bass said. “It will just allow us to stay hungry and keep getting better week by week.”

The Griffons go on the road for the first time this season on Saturday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Hays, Kan. to face Fort Hays State.

“He’s a great player, great person, and a great leader,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “If he stays healthy he will have many, many more. He’s meant a lot to us, and I’m happy for him.”

Bass’ ability to sack the quarterback has caught the eye of NFL teams, whose scouts have been visiting Western to get a look at the 6-5, 275-pound athletic pass rusher.

“Twelve of the 32 NFL teams have been through so far,” Partridge said. “He looks the part. His measurements are good, he just needs to put some numbers up and he’s already done that throughout his career.”

According to Bass, breaking the record isn’t what scouts will be focused on when evaluating him.  It’s about his entire body of work — especially during his senior season.

“It will just show I’ve been producing throughout my years,” Bass said. “I don’t think they will look at the record, they will look at how many sacks I have this season. It’s a lot of motivation for the program, myself and my family, and I’m thankful to have that.”

The Griffons have played two games this season, and Bass has recorded one sack in each game. Despite breaking the record, Bass has higher goals for his sack total.

“I want to get to 20 this season,” Bass said. “My goal coming into the season was two sacks per game, right now I only have 2, so I’m not reaching my goals right now.”

The only way for an opposing team to stop Bass from getting to their quarterback is to block him with two players, which frees up other Griffon defensive linemen to get sacks of their own.

“If I don’t  reach my goal, I know it’s going to be successful for us as a defensive line — if they slide my way it will free the other guys up,” said Bass. “As long as we win and as long as everyone is eating, I’m not going to be selfish as long as we reach our team goal.”

Despite the success he’s had at Western, Bass did not was not at the top of the list of many recruiters after coming out of University City High School in St. Louis.

“He should have been recruited heavy, but he wasn’t,” Partridge said. “There’s some teams that dabbled in him, but I don’t think there was anyone that was incredibly serious.”

Bass took a redshirt during his true freshman season.

“We attempt to redshirt all of our freshmen because it grows them into fifth year seniors that we are seeing right now — men,” Partridge said. “A lot of them are not quite ready to go strength and size-wise, and it gives them a year to put on something.”

Bass only weighed 200 pounds during his redshirt season and has transformed into a 275-pound-force four years later.

His sack total has improved every season as he took down the quarterback 6.5 times as a freshman, 8 times as a sophomore  and led the conference with 14.5 as a junior which earned him first-team All-American honors.

Bass needs 15 more sacks this season to tie Colorado School of Mines’ Marc Schiechl’s all-time Division II record for sacks with 46, set in 2010.

“As far as the record I was happy to get it, but I was more concerned with us just winning,” Bass said. “I’m fortunate enough to have a good enough defense where they could help me out to get the record.”

Running back Michael Hill started off the scoring for the Griffons by breaking a 52-yard run for a touchdown less than a minute into the game. Hill later scored on a 26-yard reception and finished off his day by running past everyone for a 92-yard touchdown. He finished with 210 yards on just 14 carries for an average of 15 yards per-carry.  Hill has five touchdowns in the first two games of the season.

“Michael Hill had a nice day,” coach Partridge said. “He’s got electric ability. He’s pretty good.”

“It was pretty easy actually,” Hill said. “If I get an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it. I just try to do my best.”

Western showed its depth at the running back position behind Hill as explosive redshirt freshman Raphael Spencer ran for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Dominic Thomas took fives carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Reggie Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season on an outstanding 11-yard reception midway through the first quarter. It was the first of two touchdown passes by quarterback Travis Partridge, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Western’s total offense was 539 yards with the rushing attack responsible for 398 yards.  The Griffons were up 35-0 at halftime and never looked back.

“We’ve been pretty accurate so far with a high percentage,” Jerry Partridge said. “I think we do a good job of managing football games here. It’s good to get a l ot of guys playing time and any time you pitch a shutout.”

“[William Jewell] competed pretty good from the mid-first quarter to the early second quarter. I think we’re good, but every week I’ll take a victory however we can get it.”

Yomi Alli led the Griffons with 10 tackles including two tackles for a loss of a yards. Jeremy Weston and Kirk Resseguie both made interceptions with William Jewell deep in Griffon territory threatening to score.

Backup quarterback Zach Hibbits came in during the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run and connected with Andrew Molloy on a 12-yard touchdown.

“We expect to take care of business every week,” left tackle Colt Schulte said. “We’re definitely excited to move on to MIAA play next week. I think we have a pretty good team and we want to keep it rolling.”

The Griffons return to MIAA action against conference opponent Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. Saturday at Spratt Stadium.

Defensive Line David Bass attempts to sack the opposing William Jewell quarterback.

Missouri Western improved to 2-0 after a dominant 56-0 performance against William Jewell at Spratt Stadium in its only non-conference game of the season.

Defensive end David Bass broke the Western all-time record for career sacks with 31 when he brought down Sean Shelton in the second quarter. It was Bass’ second sack of the season.

“As far as the record I was happy to get it, but I was more concerned with us just winning,” Bass said. “I’m fortunate enough to have a good enough defense where they could help me out to get the record.”

Running back Michael Hill started off the scoring for the Griffons by breaking a 52-yard run for a touchdown less than a minute into the game. Hill later scored on a 26-yard reception and finished off his day by running past everyone for a 92-yard touchdown. He finished with 210 yards on 14 carries for an average of 15 yards per-carry. Hill has scored five touchdowns in two games this season.

“Michael Hill had a nice day,” coach Partridge said. “He’s got electric ability. He’s pretty good.”

“It was pretty easy actually,” Hill said. “If I get an opportunity I’m going to take advantage of it. I just try to do my best.”

Western showed its depth at the running back position behind Hill as explosive redshirt freshman Raphael Spencer ran for 81 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Dominic Thomas took five carries for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Tight end Reggie Jordan scored his third touchdown of the season on an outstanding 11-yard reception midway through the first quarter. It was the first touchdown pass by quarterback Travis Partridge, who threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Western’s total offense was 539 yards with the rushing attack responsible for 398 yards. The Griffons were up 35-0 at halftime and never looked back.

“We’ve been pretty accurate so far with a high percentage,” Jerry Partridge said. “I think we do a good job of managing football games here.

“[William Jewell] competed pretty good from the mid-first quarter to the early second quarter. I think we’re good, but every week I’ll take a victory however we can get it.”

Yomi Alli led the Griffons with 10 tackles including two tackles for a loss of a yards. Jeremy Weston and Kirk Resseguie both made interceptions with William Jewell deep in Griffon territory threatening to score.

Backup quarterback Zach Hibbits came in during the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, and scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run and connected with Andrew Molloy on a 12-yard touchdown.

“We expect to take care of business every week,” left tackle Colt Schulte said. “We’re definitely excited to move on to MIAA play next week. I think we have a pretty good team and we want to keep it rolling.”

The Griffons return to MIAA action against conference opponent Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. Saturday at Spratt Stadium.

Travis Partridge looking for the open man.

Missouri Western Football has high expectations for this season after being picked No. 18 in the preseason AFCA Coaches’ Poll and picked to finish third in the MIAA conference by the coaches and media.

“Honestly our goal isn’t to come in third,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We didn’t come in third last year, we tied for second. We got picked lower so in a way we slipped. People are congratulating us for our high ranking, but we want to be higher than that.”

Western returns a lot of the talent on both sides of the ball that led to a 9-3 season that ended in the playoffs and went 7-2 in MIAA conference play.

“I don’t think they are taking anything for granted,” Partridge said. “They are putting the work in and understanding that this team hasn’t won one game yet.”

At this time last year, quarterback Travis Partridge was preparing to be the starter for the first time. He returns this season confident with a year of starting experience on his resume.

“A year of experience can do wonders,” the second-year starter said. “It feels completely different than last year and having everybody back offensively bring us a lot of confidence.”

Coach Partridge also recognizes that a year of experience going through the MIAA battles has helped the quarterback better prepare for the upcoming season.

“The game is slower for him and he’s more comfortable now. If he stays healthy, he will have a nice year.”

The Griffon offense also returns first team all-MIAA running back Michael Hill, who rushed for 1,305 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

“Having a back like Mike is huge for an offense because he’s a bruiser that can get himself yards inside the tackles, he’s fast enough to get them outside the tackles and he can catch the ball,” Travis Partridge said.

Partridge proved he could be an effective runner last season as he also rushed for eight touchdowns last season. Hill and Partridge make up a dangerous threat on the ground, but the Griffons also have the capability to throw the ball down field.

“Our success all came off of just game planning and we don’t always depend on the run,” Hill said. “It just depends on the defense, when they do pack the box then we will throw it.”

Coach Partridge is sticking to his philosophy that he is going to take what the defense gives him and is confident in the Griffons ability to gain yards on the ground or in the passing game.

“We’ll scratch what itches,” coach Partridge said. “To be the level of football team we want to be, I believe we will throw the ball for a lot more yards this year.”

Western returns receivers Tarrell Downing, T.J. Fannin, Kyle Knox, Derek Libby, Reggie Jordan and more only losing Adam Clausen from last years receiving corps.

“Our receivers are really deep. There’s seven or eight receivers that can play and play well at this level,” Travis Partridge said. “As a quarterback that’s exciting. As an offense it’s exciting to have that flexibility.”

The talent doesn’t stop on the offense as Western brings back several defensive standouts from last season including all-MIAA first-team defensive lineman David Bass, who led the Griffons with 14 1/2 sacks last season. The defense also returns Ben Pister, who was second team all-MIAA with eight 1/2 sacks last season.

“We’ve had some very good d-lines in the past and this one stacks up with all of them and it might be the best one,” coach Partridge said. “David Bass is a great player and probably one of the more under sung guys is Austin Baska. Talent wise he’s a mix, physical like Pister and athletic like Bass. He’s a great player in his own right.”

St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein led Western with 107 points last season and gave the offense a dangerous weapon in the kicking. Coach Partridge is confident that the team has a solid replacement in Taylor Anderson.

“Taylor is definitely capable or going 52 or 53 yards. I think he’s within ten yards of what we had last season,” coach Partridge said.

Western starts with conference opponent Central Missouri on August 30 at Spratt Stadium. Central also received votes for the top 25 and is a tough opening contest.

“I’d rather not have to start with those type of teams,” coach Partridge said. “They are hungry to beat us, there’s no doubt about it. I know they will be a difficult opponent.”

Western went to the playoffs last season but were beat in the first game by rival Northwest Missouri State in a close game. The goal is higher this season.

“A success is conference championship first and then a national championship,” Hill said while Partridge felt the same way.

“I think expectations are very, very high,” said Partridge. “We take it upon ourselves that we are going to achieve more than we did last year and anything less would be a disappointment.”

Last season Zuerlein hit 23-for-24 and a record 21 straight field goals — including nine from over 50 yards — in his lone season at Western. He was drafted in the sixth round with pick No. 171 and the team immediately released its veteran kicker Josh Brown. Zuerlein has started both of the Rams preseason games and has hit both of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yard kick against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Greg is a great representative of Missouri Western,” Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said. “He only spent one year here, and I think he fell in love with the place. It’s great to have a guy that’s going to be a starter on an NFL team.”

Anyone that has witnessed Zuerlein kick knows that he has a powerful leg. He recently told a reporter that he hit one from 74 yards in a warmup for Western last season with help from a huge wind in his favor. In a Rams scrimmage, he hit field goals from 39, 44, 49, 54 and 59 yards before missing form 64 yards, although he had the distance. The NFL record is 63 yards and it won’t surprise anyone from Western if Zuerlein soon breaks that record playing indoors in St. Louis.

“In time, if Greg stays healthy – the guy has an unbelievable leg — I think he can do that in a heartbeat inside,” McGuffin said. “I think they are very happy with him. Hearing the things that Rams coach Jeff Fisher has said about him makes you proud. It sets a tone where we can have kids that go to the NFL from Mo West and we may have more in the future.”

There are signs that there could be more to come soon. The nation’s premiere all-star game for college seniors to show off their talent, the Senior Bowl, just released the first ever Senior Bowl Watch List of potential candidates for the game. On that list is Western defensive end David Bass, who led the Griffons in sacks last season. There are only 29 players who aren’t from Division I FBS out of 309 which means Bass is a top prospect.

“Anytime a Division II school can have a player in the NFL and be productive it’s good for the university,” Trevor Berneking, director of Athletic Media Relations said. “It’s Good for D-II football in general that they can produce those players. Anytime you get someone from your league it’s good. I think you will start to see more and more Division II people in the NFL.”

Chiefs camp gives Western the opportunity to make money through $5 parking and charging $5 to attend family fun day and a joint practice between the Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals, who were also on campus for part of their camp.

“If you just take the gates, the parking and the two paid days, we made about $22,000 more than we did the previous year on the paid stuff,” Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin said. “That doesn’t include sponsorships or anything like that, which is our other source of revenue.”

It takes a large amount of people working together to prepare the campus for the type of large crowds that the Chiefs can draw. The main issues that the staff faces is making sure the parking and traffic flow is efficient and that they can take on large crowds of people.

“The folks on the campus all work well together, there’s a lot of people with a lot of roles,” said Brett Esely, Western assistant director of athletics. “I think the operation went very well. We had 6,500 people at night practice, 7,000 for Family Fun Day and just under 3,000 for Cardinals practice. I think anybody that came, we were ready for them.”

The attendance was up for camp this year as opposed to last year. The job Western did in accommodating the Cardinals may have opened its eyes as they are now looking for a new place to hold their training camp in the future other than Arizona.

“They expect a sense of quality, and we gave it to them,” McGuffin said. “We provided shade for people because it was hot. Hy-Vee told me it was up in their concessions and that’s good.”

Chiefs training camp is guaranteed to be on the Western campus for the next two years and in the state of Missouri for five more after that. McGuffin plans to start negotiations to keep the team at Western for the next five years they will spend preparing for the season in Missouri after next summer.

With the Chiefs on campus, coach Jerry Partridge’s football team has a chance to see how the professionals prepare for a season.

“I think anytime you can watch a higher level practice then it’s always good to see what it takes and what people are made of,” Partridge said. “There’s a lot to be gained in watching the designs of the practices and the work ethic.

Although the camp was considered a success this year, McGuffin would like to fine-tune some things in order to keep making each year a special for the fans.

“Now we are going to be in year four next year and everything has kind of been the same for the first three years. Now what do we do to get people to continue to come back. Maybe it’s fireworks or a concert so we can have something that’s an added bonus.”

Travis Partridge (12) hands the ball off to Michael Hill (22) for an attempt to gain yards.

Missouri Western football took care of business in its season opener defeating conference opponent Central Missouri 38-26 at Spratt Stadium.

“I thought we played really well,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We looked really impressive for the first quarter and a half. We played good against a good football team.”

The Griffons got out to a commanding 28-0 lead in the second quarter displaying their ability to score on the ground and through the air.

“We should feel good that we were in that position to throw a knockout punch on a really good football team,” coach Partridge said.

Tight end Reggie Jordan made two spectacular catches on the first scoring drive. The first was a 24-yard leaping catch in traffic and the second was an 8-yard diving touchdown reception from quarterback Travis Partridge that gave Western a 7-0 lead.

“Great catches. I’ve been singing his praises, I think he’s a real good football player. I think the best is still yet to come with Reggie Jordan,” coach Partridge said.

The next two Griffon scores came on the ground by running back Michael Hill. He broke off a 21-yard touchdown run to put Western up 14-0 and a 17-yard touchdown run to push the score to 21-0.

“Michael Hill was the warrior that he is,” coach Partridge said. “He played great.”

Hill finished the game with 169 yards rushing with an average of 6 yards per-carry and never carried the ball for a loss of yards.

“All I did was just run straight,” Hill said after his impressive game. “With the offensive line and receivers blocking down field, I didn’t have to put in much effort.”

Partridge found Alex Ferbet in the endzone from five yards out to give the Griffons a 28-0 lead. Partridge threw for 126 yards and three touchdowns on the day while only being sacked one time and throwing zero interceptions. He added 27 yards on the ground.

“I really feel like he played well,” coach Partridge said. “He made some plays that helped put us up.”

The Griffon defense forced turnovers and didn’t allow much of anything until the second half. Yomi Alli, Shane Simpson, and Marcus Thompson all came away with interceptions. Linebacker Stephen Juergens led the team with 11 tackles and a sack while Alli added 10 tackles to go along with his interception.

“We were in the right spots early on forcing pressure and forcing turnovers,” Alli said. “As a defense you never like giving up points at all.”

Elliott Arbanas sacked the quarterback two times while Davis Bass got to him once. Bass is now a half a sack away from breaking the Western record for most in a career.

Central got their first score late in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass and went into halftime down 28-7.

Partridge connected with Tyron Crockom for a 6-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to put the Griffons up 35-7. Partridge was sacked and fumbled at the end of the third quarter and a Central player picked it up and ran it for 52-yards and a touchdown to make the score 35-13. The extra point was blocked by Aaron Jamieson.

Kicker Taylor Anderson connected on his only field goal attempt of the day from 20 yards to give Western 38. Central tried to stage a comeback by scoring two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get the lead down to 38-26, but it was too little too late as the Griffons were able to run out the clock and get the win.

“We are starting this dangerous habit of playing well in game one and not being able to score in game two,” coach Jen Bagley said. “Those are some of the things we are talking about how to fix going into the conference tournament.”

Pitcher Jackie Bishop allowed just six hits and two runs as she improved her record to 22-2 on the season as the Griffons got the 3-2 win in game one.

“UCO has firepower, and I thought Jackie did a great job,” Bagley said. “Kat Steponovich who has caught every game for Jackie did great job calling the game behind the plate.”

Blair Stalder went 2-for-4 including two crucial RBIs in the fifth inning to put the Griffons in the lead.

Game two didn’t go as well as the first one as Western was blanked 5-0, unable to produce runs with Annalee Rubio on the mound.

“Rubio has pitched only allowing a couple runs and we haven’t been able to score runs,” Bagley said. “It’s more symptomatic of game two than it is that we have a different mentality with Bishop or Rubio on the mound.”

“We had a game plan, we executed it and we felt great,” Bagley said. “The problem was we felt great and we didn’t maintain that intensity in the second game.”

Despite an extremely successful season, Bagley believes there are some adjustments to be made in order to ensure the Griffons’ post-season success.

“Some adjustments we are going to have to make involve how we are handling our time off in between games,” Bagley said. “There’s a saying that the patterns that you are in that get you to the end of the year aren’t the same as the things that you have to do to do well once you get to the postseason.”

The Griffons are matched up with their rival, Northwest Missouri State, in the first round of the MIAA Tournament April 26 in Overland Park, Kan.

“We are excited going into the conference tournament and we feel really good about our chances against our conference opponents.” Bagley said. “We know we have to do and what it takes to do it so we aren’t in desperation mode, we just have to do it.”

“Our guys did a great job of improving the intensity and improving the production so from that standpoint it’s been good,” coach Buzz Verduzco said.

Things started out great for the Griffons as pitcher Brandon Simmons allowed no runs, eight hits, and struck out eight in nine complete innings on the mound in game one.  Western won the game 5-0 which included a homer and two runs batted in from Michael Schulze.  Simmons improved his record to 9-2 on the season.

The second game was a low-scoring affair where the Griffons got their only score off an unearned run and fell 2-1 as pitcher Matt Bergin took the loss in relief.  Truman was able to get a string of three hits off Bergin in the fifth inning and that was all that it needed to seal up the victory.  The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Western, its longest of the season.

“I challenge the team that you can’t always count on those pitchers being perfect all the time,” Verduzco said. “You can only win when you score.  The more we can keep the excitement in the dugout because our offense is staying aggressive, the better chance we have to keep winning.”

Western bounced back with an offensive explosion in the third game of the series.  With the game tied 1-to-1 in the fourth inning, the Griffons were able to score eight runs on six hits.  Shawn Egge hit a three-run shot in the inning and Western lead 9-1 after four.

Western went on to win 11-1 as pitcher Nik Jurado improved his record to 7-0 on the season by pitching six innings and only giving up three hits and one earned run.

“Our starting pitching has been great most of the year, but right now we are in a position where relief pitching is really struggling.” Verduzco said.

It looked as if the Griffons would escape with a 3-1 series victory after taking a three-run lead into the bottom of the ninth of game four, but it wasn’t meant to be. Reliever Jake Jones took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in the bottom of the last inning.

“He couldn’t find the strike zone,” Verduzco said. “Games like that you really can’t let slip away so from the relief standpoint that’s something we really have to fix and improve.  Whatever we have to do we have to improve that is what we are going to do.”

Nate Ramler finished out the series by going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in while Tony Loeffler went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Spencer Shockley went 3-for-5 with two runs scored.

Western returns to its home field to play Southern Baptist at the Spring Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday.

“His leadership ability is the biggest thing we will miss,” Coach Buzz Verduzco said. “Trying to get the new catcher for next year to do what he does is going to be the biggest task. Not just his catching ability but his leadership ability.”

Loeffler has done a very good job of managing the pitching staff, something that Verduzco hasn’t always had in past years.

“He’s been with us two years, and his background in baseball and his approach to the game with his way of being able to positively handle the pitching staff, especially the upperclassmen,” Verduzco said. “He knows when to push the buttons at the right time, he knows how to back off, he knows how to encourage, and he knows how to call a game.”

“Managing this pitching staff is pretty easy because everybody on the staff is smart, has a lot of knowledge for the game, and knows what they are doing out there,” Loeffler said. “I just go with what they do best and tell them what I think and if they like it they do it.”

Loeffler has went through some early struggles at the plate and is batting .235 on the season with 14 runs batted in, but remained an extremely valuable part of the pitching staff’s success.

“Sometimes with baseball you go through streaks and slumps, and I was struggling pretty bad at the beginning,” Loeffler said. “I was just trying to help the team win any way that I can. I’m feeling a little better at the plate and seeing the ball well now, and hopefully I can keep it going through the end of the year,”

Loeffler wasn’t alone in struggling out of the gate and the rest of the Griffons had trouble getting the bats going as well. Recently the team as a whole has been hitting the ball much better and, in Loeffler’s case, Verduzco has an idea of why.

“Tony always says he’s a warm weather player and, sure enough, it’s here and, sure enough, he has been a big part of the offensive surge for the last few weeks,” Verduzco said.

Loeffler will celebrate his senior day along with seven other seniors including pitcher Nik Jurado, who he has been the catcher for in high school, junior college and during his Western career.

“It always helps when you have some familiarity with the guys on the mound,” Verduzco said. “Nik wouldn’t want anybody else to catch him.”

Both players made the journey from California to Missouri to play their last two years of college baseball. Loeffler doesn’t quite know what to make of the whole senior day experience.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet because I haven’t really put a lot of thought into it,” Loeffler said. “I’m sure when we get out there on Saturday it’s going to feel a lot more real.”

Loeffler has his focus set on extending his career for a few more games with the Griffons making a post-season run.

“It’s going to be a success either way, but I want to go as far as possible in the playoffs,” Loeffler said. “I personally think a success would be going to the regional and winning.”

“They have been our two work horses,” Coach Buzz Verduzco said. “Having them on the mound you just kind of know you will get a solid outing, you are always going to be in the game.”

Simmons has a record of 9-2 on the season with a 1.51 earned run average and 53 strikeouts. He was an honorable mention All-MIAA pitcher for the last two seasons for Western and is just a junior.

“I have really grown to like my fastball this year,” Simmons said. “I got it up to about 88 miles per hour, and I’ve been working hard on getting a good slider to go with it.”

Simmons credits the solid defense behind him for allowing him to focus solely on his pitches and location without having to worry about errors being made.

“Brandon is our number one guy, and he sets the tone for the weekend,” Jurado said. “We basically are the same pitchers with the same kind of stuff. He goes out there and shoves and it gives me confidence that I can do the same thing. I think he sets the tone for the whole pitching staff.”

Jurado boasts a unblemished 7-0 record with a 1.96 earned run average and has also struck out 53 batters on the season. He was an honorable mention All-MIAA pitcher last season and has improved his numbers this year.

“I don’t really think I have changed anything from last year, I’m just maybe a little more consistent with every single pitch,” Jurado said.

What makes the Griffons’ two lead pitchers success this season even more impressive is that they continued to give Western an opportunity to win early in the season when they weren’t getting much run support from the hitters.

“They always gave us a chance to really win and kept us in it,” Verduzco said. “The next thing you know we get a late-inning base hit and a late-inning run and win. That’s how a lot of those victories at home happened.”

The tide has turned and now the hitters are producing runs at a much higher rate than they were during the struggles, but the approach is still the same from the pitching staff.

“We knew the bats were going to come around sooner or later,” Jurado said. “We just have a goal to keep every game at five runs or less. Do that and our offense will eventually come around like it has been. They have been amazing the last couple of weeks.”

The Griffons feel good about their post-season chances with the pair of dominant pitchers on the mound, a luxury that not many teams have.

“Having Nik and Brandon is like having two aces going every week,” catcher Tony Loeffler said. “Most teams only have one top guy and we have two of them, so every time they step on the mound we have a really good chance at winning the game.”

Verduzco says that their success hasn’t necessarily come from having overpowering pitches, but from buying into the Western system and doing the little things right.

“Number one, they are competitors and they understand what we do here as a staff and buy into our philosophies,” Verduzco said. “They are exceptional at holding runners and maybe that is what sets them apart from the rest of the staff.”

“The theme for our spring parallels what our program has been, just a gradual improvement,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “There’s not any spot on our team or any group or individual that didn’t improve.”

The game didn’t offer any live hitting by the defense. That might not be the format that the fans want to see, but coach Partridge is glad that the Griffons made it though the camp without suffering any serious injuries.

“Certainly we have a a team with enough experience that we don’t need to prove anything in the spring,” coach Partridge said. “Michael Hill doesn’t need to be tackled until August 30. I just think you don’t want to lose players at practice.”

Even if the defense was allowed to tackle running back Hill, it’s not clear if they would’ve been able to.  Hill broke off a 50-yard run that led to a touchdown and a 40-yard run in for the score.

Hill will be a major part of the Griffons’ plan on offense again this season after rushing for 1384 yards with a 4.9 yards-per-carry average and scoring eight touchdowns on the ground. He showed his versatility out of the backfield by gaining 257 receiving yards including four touchdown catches.

Dual-threat quarterback Travis Partridge will look to build on a successful first season as a starter and has plenty of weapons to work with on the outside as well as tight end Reggie Jordan.

“I think it’s going to be exciting to watch Reggie play,” Partridge said. “I think he’s an all-conference caliber tight-end that you are going to see utilized more often this season.”

Cornerback Jeremy Weston intercepted Partridge in the scrimmage and makes up part of a talented secondary along with Ben Jackson and safety Shane Simpson.

“I don’t know if there’s a better combo of corners in the league, and we are really excited about all those guys on the back end,” defensive coordinator Regi Trotter said.

The defensive line includes pass rushers Ben Pister, Austin Baska and David Bass, who combined for 29 sacks last season.

“It’s good any time you can put pressure on the other team’s quarterback,” Trotter said. “When that 19-, 20- or 21-year-old young man has to think about getting hit, and he’s not used to it.”

The Griffons return most of the starters on both sides of the ball from a 9-3 team that hosted a home playoff game last season.

“We are very deep right now, and this is probably the deepest team I’ve been around since I’ve been back here,” Trotter said. “We’ve had a lot of good football players in the past, but as many good players as we have on the team right now is definitely an advantage.”

The Griffons were beaten badly by eventual national champion Pittsburg State in their first game last season, and coach Partridge has his focus on avoiding a similar start in the fall against Central Missouri.

“We have to be ready, and it’s going to be difficult,” coach Partridge said. “They are interested in throwing about 60 percent of the time, and we hope that trend continues because that’s what we are preparing for.”

Another reason the Griffons must win coming out of the gate is because of the strength of schedule at the end of the season. The last four games will be against Pitt State, Emporia State, Washburn and Northwest Missouri State.

“The schedule closes with a fury, so we have to be ready from the start,” coach Partridge said. “It’s good to have this kind of football team back. It’s good to have that kind of confidence and knowledge of what to expect out of a team more so than last year.”

“Basketball is second only to God and my family in my life,” Mells said. “It’s the only thing I am really passionate about outside of those two things. I love playing and whatever is going on in my head whenever I step on the court is gone, all I can think about is ball.”

With his father coaching the team, Mells started running the point at the age of five. He still carries the same values today that his father instilled in him back then.

“He always told me if you are going to do something then try to be great at it,” Mells said. “Just be as good as you can be, and I really just took that to heart.”

Unlike most 18-year-old freshmen, Mells doesn’t hesitate when asked what he wants to do with his life and the direction he wants it to go. He plans to use his time at Western as a vehicle to a professional career.

“I want to play as long as I can at the highest level that I can,” Mells said. “Whether that’s professionally in the NBA or oversees or wherever, I just want to keep playing.”

Mells feels like he is right where he is supposed to be and is happy with his decision to choose to play at Western for coach Tom Smith. It wasn’t easy for Mells to get a scholarship offer to play college basketball because of his 5-10, 165 pound frame and because of his location.

Mells hails from Des Moines, Iowa, which is not known as a hot bed for major basketball talent. Harrison Barnes, who will be a top-5 pick in June’s NBA Draft, was that guy who garnered all of the attention in Iowa. Outside of Barnes, most players from the area are often overlooked by the power houses.

“I went to a really small school and there was always doubts about whether I was going to be tall enough or strong enough to play at this level or any other level,” Mells said. “It was really hard, but Coach Smith had a lot of confidence in me.”

As a senior in high school, Mells was part of a team that won 18 straight games and beat three of the top-ranked teams in the state playoffs. He averaged 20.5 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, 3.8 steals per game and 5.0 rebounds per game while leading his team to a district championship. He once lit up 45 points in a game on the road.

“Being a small guard, my game is being able to get around people and get shots for myself and my teammates so being quick and being fast is a huge part of my game,” Mells said.

Rarely do freshman step in and contribute at a four-year school right away, but Mells was given his opportunity with Western struggling to accumulate wins and having injury problems.  He showed no fear of the moment and stepped into the starting lineup; his impact was felt immediately on the offense end.  Mells started the last nine games of the season and dropped 17 points against Washburn.

Mells has his focus on doing his part to make sure Western is a winner next season.

“Coach Smith gave me a lot of confidence. He told me that he thought I was ready and that he thought I deserved some more minutes and he was going to give them to me and see how I responded,” said Mells.

Mells credits some of the success of his transition to college basketball to unselfish upperclassmen Deionta Mitchell and James Harris, who play the same point guard position.

“The older guys, just being point guards, were definitely really encouraging,” Mells said. “They would pick me up; they would also instruct me on how to do it the right way. It meant a lot that guys you would consider your brothers would really have your back like that.”

Western finished the season at a disappointing 9-17 overall and 4-16 in MIAA conference play and struggled down the stretch of the season, failing to make the conference tournament.  Mells will do everything in his power to ensure that next season isn’t a repeat performance.

“This has been the worst year of my life as far as basketball has gone,” Mells said. “I can’t really blame anybody but the 14 of us in uniform. This was our season and we made it what it was, and now it’s a new team, a new year, and we have to make it what we want it to be.”

Mells has learned that playing in the MIAA conference is every bit as tough as Coach Smith claimed it would be.

“I don’t know if DII basketball, especially this league, gets the respect it deserves,” Mells said. “There are a lot of great players in this league.”

It’s the off-season right now, but Mells knows what he needs to improve on and add to his game in order to turn his team into a winner next season.

“I have to work a lot on my physical strength,” Mells said. “To help me get in the lane and find open guys so I don’t get stripped so much. That’s the next step. Coach Smith and I were talking a couple times and he said I need to become more of a true point guard especially when I keep playing this game longer because you don’t see a lot of 5-10 guards averaging 20 points per game.”

This summer, Mells will be fine tuning his skills in the Capitol City League in Des Moines against Iowa State players and other college ballers that play in the Iowa area.

Mells’ goal is to spend four years turning Western into a winner and earn All-American status while continuing to prove that he can play the game that he loves at a high level.

“Hopefully at the end of this four years, we have some banners hanging up.” Mells said. “I want them to say: ‘This kid from Western, he could really go.’”

Seniors Blair Stalder (left) and Leah Steele (right) talk after their last game at Griffon Spring Sports Complex. Photo by Jason Brown.

Stalder went 4-for-6 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Steele was walked twice, but took advantage of her third at-bat by blasting a two-run homer to left center in game two.

Steele finished the day with two hits and two RBIs.

“It felt really good, especially on senior day, because I kind of struggled before and then hitting the home run kind of made my day,” Steele said.  “The walks had me getting frustrated. My parents and grandparents were excited.”

In their two years as the starting right side of the infield, second baseman Stalder and first baseman Steele have been a part of 76 wins and only 21 losses.  Coach Jen Bagley knows that the pair won’t easily be replaced.

“Every year, seniors go out and you think ‘How am I going to replace those kids?’ And this year is no different,” Bagley said.  “It’s always a bittersweet thing. You are sad to see them go, yet you are so proud of what they have accomplished while they were here, and you feel good about the experiences that they have had,  and in the end that’s what it’s all about.”

Steele came to Missouri Western out of high school and has been with the program for four years.  She has been an unsung hero that has always found her way into the lineup and showed improvement every season.

“Leah has improved not only from a physical standpoint, but from a maturity standpoint,” Bagley said.  “Her work ethic has always been good and her attitude has always been great, but physically she is at a point now where she can produce to what her potential is and it’s exciting.”

Steele is batting .329 with 39 hits, 24 RBIs and three home runs in her senior season. The Kansas City native was nominated for Student Athlete of the Year for the softball team. The award will be announced Monday at the St. Joseph News-Press 13th Annual Student Banquet.

“I have improved every single year, my stats and everything have gone up,” Steele said. “You kind of learn and get to know the teams and get the hang of stuff.  I’m ready to be done with school, but school comes a lot easier as you go on.”

Stalder spent two years at Garden City Community College before she came to Western and became an immediate starter.

“Blair came in and made her impact right away,” Bagley said.  “There’s nothing that she does that is flashy, but she is probably one of the most heady players that we have had.”

Stalder is batting .338 with 45 hits and only six strikeouts in her senior season, and is very methodical with every at-bat.

“I just feel like she is capable of getting a hit when she wants to,” Bagley said.  “Early on we weren’t looking at her to be starting in the lineup last year, but after putting her in situations where she had to perform and produce, she just never gets out.

“She gets the bat on the ball, and she’s smart with her at-bats,” Bagley said. “She purposely falls off pitches that she doesn’t want.  Her hand-eye coordination is ridiculous.”

It’s clear that Stalder enjoys her time out on the field while remaining fiercely competitive.

“There is probably not a single player on our team that enjoys being out on the field more than Blair,” Bagley said. “She literally has a smile on her face in the batters box during games.”

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Stalder said.  “I want to be hitting .400 even though that’s way above average. My main goal is just to get on base every time.”

Even more than all the wins and great moments on the field, the two seniors will remember the fun times and long road trips with their teammates and friends the most.

“‘I’ll miss being part of the team, having people there all the time, constantly being with your friends, all the fun memories and the fun times and bus rides.” Steele said.

“I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to cope with not playing yet,” Stalder said.

Brandon Simmons improved his record to 8-2 on the season by only giving up four hits and zero earned runs in game one of the series.  The Griffons won 12-1 as Simmons pitched all seven innings.

Grant Fink hit a two-run homer in the game and produced three RBI’s, while Kyle Peterson and Michael Schulze batted in two runners each.  The Griffons scored eight runs in the first three innings, while the Gorillas’ only run came off of a throwing error in the second inning.

The hot bats continued as the Griffons took the second game 15-1.  Nik Jurado only allowed two hits and zero earned runs in five innings to improve his record to a perfect 6-0 on the season.

Fink, Nate Ramler and  Egge all hit homers while Michael Schulze went 4-for-5 with a triple.  Fink produced five runs batted in while Egge had four.  Kyle Peterson batted in three runners and came up with three hits in the game.

Ethan Ward took the mound in game three and, despite giving up five earned runs, still earned the victory to improve to 5-2 on the season whiles striking out six batters.  Western won game three 13-5 in what was the closest game of the series.

Schulze and Egge went yard and each batted in three runners while hitting 3-for-4.  Western hit seven doubles and two triples to go along with the two home runs.

The fourth game was no different than the first three. It ended with Western getting the blowout win.  The Griffons’ offensive explosion yielded 17 hits and 11 RBIs in the final game of the series as Western took the game 17-6.

Fink, Egge, Jimmy Smelcer and Bubba Dotson all hit homers while Peterson ran out another triple.  Oliver Kady improved his record to 2-1 on the season by giving up four earned runs in six innings and striking out eight batters.

Western had 71 hits that amounted to 57 runs scored over the weekend.

The Griffons will try to keep the hot bats going this weekend against Truman State in a four-game series which starts at 4 p.m., Friday, in Kirksville.

“We seem to have a little trouble in game two of the double header typically,” Coach Buzz Verduzco said. “That’s been our deal for most of the year, which is tough because you leave the park not feeling real good and you have to pick it up next time.”

Brandon Simmons and Nik Jurado earned wins.  Simmons pitched a complete game and improved his record to 7-2 on the season while striking out six batters and allowing only one run as the Griffons won 2-0.  Jurado gave up five earned runs on nine hits and needed some help from the offense to get the win, but the Griffons won 7-5.  Jurado improved his record to 5-0 on the season.

“Two guys that have been lights out for us is Nik Jurado and Brandon Simmons,” Verduzco said. “They really give us a chance to win on the road.  If you can split on the road, people say it’s a victory.”

The two games that Western lost were lopsided on the scoreboard.  In game two of Friday’s doubleheader, Western was defeated 9-1 after Northwest scored five runs in the second inning and five more in the seventh.  In the second game on Saturday, the Griffons were outscored 11-1 and took the run rule in the eighth inning.

“The most difficult thing for us so far is to try and get our offense going,” Verduzco said. “We have been taking a lot of the pitches we should be hitting and swinging at a lot of the ones we shouldn’t be. We just have to be able to turn that around.”

Western’s lone offensive outburst of the weekend came in the first game on Saturday.  The Griffons scored seven runs off of 12 hits.  Grant Fink was 2-for-2 with two RBI’s and Nate Ramler went 3-for-4 with three RBI’s.  Tony Loeffler went 1-for-2 with the hit being a home run.

“We just didn’t play with any energy,” Verduzco said. “You can’t do that against your rival.  It was a battle, at the beginning of the series we knew it was going to be a battle.”

Despite the fact that the Griffons were able to split on the road, Verduzco has warned his team about the pitfalls of relying on solid pitching and not being able to produce runs at a high rate.

“I told the team that offensively we are playing with fire right now,” Verduzco said. “After a while you have to start putting up the numbers offensively or we aren’t going to have a chance to win close games as the year goes on and the pitching gets tired.”

Nate Ramler started the scoring in the third inning of game one with a two run homerun that scored Spencer Shockley, who singled to left center earlier in the inning.  The hit was Ramler’s sixth homerun of the season.  The score stayed 2-0 for the next five innings.

A double by Jimmy Smelcer in the top of the sixth inning scored Grant Fink and then Kyle Peterson hit a sacrifice fly that scored Ramler to make the score 4-0.   Ethan Ward shut down the Hornets offense through the first six innings, allowing only three hits and no runs.

Just when it looked like Western had the win sealed up, Emporia finally got to Ward in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring four runs off of a series of singles to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shawn Egge pinch hit for Peterson and hit a single that scored pinch runner Jack Bond.  Egge’s RBI and only at bat of the game was the game-winner as it put the Griffons on top 5-4.

Jake Jones gave up a couple of hits in the bottom of the eighth inning, but fought through it to pick up his sixth save of the season.

The Griffons got on the board in the first inning of game two as a Shockley single scored Grant Fink.  Emporia responded with two runs in the second inning to make the score 2-1.

In the top of the third inning, Michael Schulze singled up the middle and Bubba Dotson singled after him to put runner on first and second.  Fink was hit by a pitch to load the bases up with one out.  A wild pitch scored Schulze and a Shockley fielder’s choice RBI scored Dotson to make the score 3-2 Western.

Oliver Kady shut down the Hornets offense in the bottom of the third and the Griffons got a big burst of offense from Egge in the top of the fourth.  Egge hit a three-run homerun that scored Tony Loeffler and  Smelcer.  The Griffons led 6-2 after the blast and it was all they needed to win as Emporia wasn’t able to produce anymore runs for the rest of the game.

Kady got his first victory of the season, pitching five innings and only giving up four hits.  Matt Bergin pitched two innings in relief and struck out three batters.

Egge had two hits and four RBI’s on the day including his first home run of the season and a game-winning single.  The Griffons are now only one game behind Emporia, who sits in second place in the MIAA standings.

Western will return to action in a four-game series against Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas on Saturday and Sunday.  The Griffons won’t play in St. Joseph until April 27th as their next eight games are on the road.

“I don’t know that there’s things we want to get accomplished, but we get 15 opportunities to practice football, and everyday we go out there we want to be as good and as sharp as we can be,” coach Jerry Partridge said.

The Griffons return a plethora of experience on both sides of the ball from last season’s 9-3 playoff team.

“We’ve always had guys coming back; I think our program is built that way where we generally have a lot of guys back,” Partridge said. “At least half our starters are back every year it seems like, but there’s a unique amount this time.”

Western returns senior running back Michael Hill, who was the featured ball carrier last season rushing for 1,384 yards with a 4.8 yards-per carry average and eight touchdowns. Despite his success, Hill treats spring practices like he has a spot to earn.

“There’s always room to get better, and that’s what I try to do every time I go out there,” Hill said. “It doesn’t matter that I started last year, my spot can get taken. We have a lot of good backs.”

The Griffons return junior quarterback Travis Partridge, who now has a full season as a starter under his belt. This is a luxury that coach Partridge didn’t have at this time last season when the spot was vacant.

“Last year was an aberration in that category,” coach Partridge said. “A lot of times we have had kids that have started multiple years in their career, so last year was a weird spring not having a starting quarterback returning.”

Partridge threw for 1,697 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions last season and did major damage on the ground, rushing for 731 yards and eight touchdowns.

The offensive line returns seven seniors and, according to coach Partridge, any position is open for competition.

Spring practices are a little different for the heavy hitters on the defensive side of the ball.

“We don’t go real live and physical,” coach Partridge said. “We call it thud which is contact, but we don’t take people to the ground and finish off.”

The defensive line features David Bass and Ben Pister, who combined for 23 sacks last season.

Safety Shane Simpson is back after interception five passes last season, but coach Partridge will be looking to fill the other safety spot that opened up with the graduation of Jack Long.

There’s a competition to see who replaces NFL-bound All-American kicker Greg Zuerlein between Taylor Anderson and John Schmiemeier.

“It’s exciting to get back out here I’ve been ready for it for a long time now,” Hill said. “It’s important for us to get more chemistry, we just have to be more united. Nothing is going to be handed to us because we are all back.”

The Griffons bounced back and won four straight after losing back-to-back games at Emporia State, their only MIAA losses of the season.

“Bouncing back from Emporia was really important for us from a momentum standpoint,” coach Jen Bagley said. “The loss to Emporia took a lot of wind out of our sail, and it stung for quite a few days but it doesn’t sting as bad anymore. That’s what we needed to do.”

Sophomore Jackie Bishop allowed just three hits and pitched two complete games in her two starts to improve her record to 15-2 on the season.

Along with Annalee Rubio, each delievered a shut-out game this past weekend.

“She continues to be successful for us. Of all the athletes on this team, she is no different and that sting from Emporia really poked the bear,” Bagley said. “How she came out to play today and yesterday is evidence of that and I hope that will continue from here on out.”

Bishop struck out 12 and only allowed one hit in game one against Hays, but Western was still down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Blair Stalder hit a sacrifice to score Kim Robinson and tie the game. Keri Lorbert then hit a two-run double to give the Griffons the 3-1 victory.

“All of the sudden, you could tell the team was like we cannot lose,” Bagley said. “If we would have lost that, it would have been devastating. When you have momentum on your side that’s pretty powerful, and if we would have lost this game, it would have taken a lot to get it back.”

The Griffons opened up the second game against Hays with four straight hits, including a three-run home run by Lorbert. Western had a 4-0 lead after the first inning.

Rubio pitched a complete game shutout and improved her record to 11-4 on the season while striking out six batters as the Griffons run-ruled the Tigers in the sixth inning and won 8-0.

Bishop took the mound in the first game Saturday against Washburn and struck out six batters while only allowing two hits and pitching her fifth shutout of the season. The Griffons won 8-0 in six innings for the second game in a row.

“I’ve just been trying to go out there and focus on hitting my corners,” Bishop said. “It’s great to have a great team behind me, and I always have them backing me up.”

Western finished with 14 hits in the game including 3-for-3 from Stalder.

The Griffons had an 8-2 lead in the second game of the double-header against Washburn after three innings, but the Lady Blues wouldn’t go away.

Washburn cut the lead to 8-7 in the fourth inning by hitting a grand slam home run and a solo home run. Emily Moe relieved Rubio on the mound, stopped the run, and prevented Washburn from scoring in the final three innings.

The Griffons added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Erin Widrig scored on a error and won 9-7. They head to Pittsburg, Kan. Friday to play the Gorillas in a double header before going to Joplin, Mo. Saturday to play another two-game series, this one against Missouri Southern.

“We just weren’t really that prepared mentally to play today and that cost us,” coach Buzz Verduzco said.

The Griffons got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one as Spencer Shockley singled in David Chew and Nate Rambler, but couldn’t get any more runs for the rest of the game.

“When we get runners on we have to come up with big hits that fall in the gaps and we just aren’t really getting it done right now,” Shockley said. “We just got to go to work and practice and figure out ways to score runners.”

Oliver Kadey pitched five solid innings in his first start of the season, giving up five hits and one earned run. Western was up 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning before a walk, hit and an error gave Emporia the 3-2 lead. The Griffons couldn’t get any offense in the bottom of the seventh and Hornets relief pitcher Brandon Faulkner picked up the save.

Western pitcher Brandon Simmons took the loss and his record fell to 5-2 on the season after the heart-breaking loss.

“We have a chance to win and if you can’t close it out with our best guy on the mound then maybe we don’t deserve to win it,” Verduzco said.

Mason Queen started game two, but was taken out after two innings and replaced by Matt Bergin after giving up a run in the first and struggling in the second.

“I think the tempo was kind of set because we had trouble throwing strikes,” Verduzco said. “We had to make the change and Bergin came in and did a great job.”

Bergin was solid in relief, but the Hornets scored three runs in the fifth inning and it was all they needed as the Griffons were never able to get the bats going.

Michael Schulze scored the Griffons lone run of the game in the first inning. The Griffons came up with seven hits, but weren’t able to advance the runners into scoring position.

“We couldn’t string any hits together,” Verduzco said. “Primarily our record speaks for itself because of what the pitching staff has done. We haven’t been as offensive as we need to be up to this point, so we are going to try to make some moves and give some other kids a chance to play and try to produce some runs where we can.”

Western was on a 10-game winning streak that included a four-game sweep over conference opponent No. 11 ranked Missouri Southern before dropping its last three games.

“When we were winning we had good intensity,” Shockley said. “Here the last couple days our intensity hasn’t been where it needs to be and we have to figure out that too.”

The Griffons will look to get back on the winning track in a four game series against Washburn at the GSSC over the weekend.

“Hopefully we can come back out and play at the top of our game and get where we need to be in the conference so we can make the regional,” Shockley said. “We just have to get back on track.”

“Every player had their chance to perform, and I felt like today was a good day for me,” Zuerlein said. “This is for your future and something that you have looked forward to doing your whole life. It’s a little nerve-wracking, but it’s better to be in this situation and have the opportunity that I have instead of not.”

The scouts already know about Zuerlein’s strong leg as he nailed an NCAA record 9-for-9 field goals from 50-plus yards, including two 58-yard field goals. The only variable that remains is how Zuerlein will perform in front of NFL-sized crowds of 60,000-plus compared to MIAA crowds of around 6,000 fans.

“For me as a kicker, I don’t think it matters from Division I to Division II or NAIA for that matter,” Zuerlein said. “Kicking is kicking. The field goal posts are the same, and you aren’t going up against any harder competition. It’s you versus the goal post.”

Zuerlein connected on all but one of his field-goal attempts, missing one from 48 yards. The deepest kick he made was 52 yards, and he didn’t attempt to kick from longer than that. He was very impressive warming up before the show started, nailing no-step and one-step kicks from deep straight through the uprights.

“As a kicking coach, I like to hear the football,” special teams coach Jay White said. “He has the sound, the explosive live foot, that ball explodes off of his leg. It’s up quick, that leg speed where the ball explodes and goes straight up through the uprights is definitely something that he has over a lot of other kickers.”

The workout concluded with Zuerlein practicing kickoffs from the 35-yard-line, where he sent an impressive 12 out of 16 into the back of the end zone. Three of his kickoffs were so high that they got caught in the ceiling and never came down.

“We have a 70 foot ceiling in here, and he’s kicking it up into the rafters; that’s all good stuff,” White said. “I think they were very pleased with him.”

The Vikings special team coordinator watched Zuerlein kick in a one-on-one workout a couple of weeks back and described it as the most impressive kick off workout that he has been a part of, according to White.

Zuerlein is projected by several sources as one of the top two kickers available in the ’12 NFL draft along with Georgia’s Blair Walsh. ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. projects Zuerlein as the best kicker in the draft. The chances of him getting drafted as a late-round selection are high.

“I don’t know if I will get drafted. If I do great, if not, hopefully I have an opportunity to kick at some point or at least be brought in a show what I can do,” Zuerlein said.

The Griffons bats came out hot in game one as Nate Ramler hit an RBI single that scored Michael Schulze in the first inning.

In the top of the fourth inning, Bubba Dotson and Grant Fink led off with back-to-back homeruns. Spencer Shockley hit an inside-the-park homerun that put the Griffons on top 4-0 after four innings.

The Griffons added three more runs in the fifth inning as Dotson, Kyle Simpson and Shockley all crossed home plate to put Western up 7-0.

Pitcher Ethan Ward shut the Mules down until the fifth inning, when he gave up three hits and two runs. Central’s attempt at a comeback fell short as Ward improve to 1-1 on the season, striking out four batters and pitching seven innings. Western won game one 8-2.

The Mules bounced back in game two with hot bats, defeating the Griffons 11-0.

Pitcher Brandon Simmons’ record fell to 2-1 on the season as he gave up five runs in five innings. The Griffons offense totaled five this for the game.

In game three, Shockley and Dotson hit doubles in the second inning while Simpson hit a single and the Mules made two errors to put the Griffons up 4-0.

Homeruns by Fink and Ramler increased the lead to 6-0 after the top of the sixth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Western committed two errors of its own and Central scored seven runs highlighted by a three-run homerun by Jon Cotter. Central led 7-6 after six innings.

Ramler got a single in the seventh to give Western the 8-7 lead, but it wasn’t enough as the Mules got a bases loaded single to win the game 9-8 in the bottom half of the inning.

The Griffons got out to a 1-0 lead in game four, but Central responded with two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead. The Mules never looked back and went on the win the game 7-2.

Western fell to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in MIAA Conference play after facing some very tough early competition.

Jackie Bishop came into the first game with a record of 8-0 and held the Hawks scoreless in the first three innings including striking out the first four batters.

Quincy’s Ashleigh Roscetti singled two runners home, and an Emma Topps single batted in another in the fourth inning.  Those three runs were all Quincy needed as the Griffons failed to get on the scoreboard.

“Francis pitched really well and the thing that we didn’t do to match that today was make the small adjustments early enough in the ballgame to make a difference,” Coach Jen Bagley said. “That ugly momentum thing played more in that dugout than ours because we just didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

Francis only gave up three hits and struck out nine batters while shutting the Griffons out in the 3-0 Quincy victory. Bishop struck out 10 batters and only gave up four hits, but it wasn’t enough to prevent her from taking her first loss of the season.

“This team is going to be a lot more of a team that hits for average and not home-runs,” Bagley said. “I don’t consider that a problem, but we have to get a couple hits in a row and live on that momentum bug. Today we didn’t have it.”

Annalee Rubio pitched a stong game too. Rubio improved her record to 5-3 on the season after only giving up three hits, striking out five batters and giving up only one earned run.

“If those two pitchers show up and throw the way they did today and we show up on the other side of the ball, then you can’t ask for more,” Bagley said.

With the game on the line and Kendall Sorensen on third, Quincy elected to intentionally walk Keri Lorbert to face Maegan Roemmich, who made them pay for the decision.

“I got excited when I saw that I was going to get the chance to bat,” Roemmich said. “I have a lot of confidence in Keri, but I was ready for my turn.”

Roemmich hit a double to right center that scored Sorensen and broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Hawks couldn’t answer in the seventh inning and the Griffons pulled out the 2-1 victory.

Quincy is off to a 5-10 start to its season, but has been consistently been good over the years.

“Quincy is a very good team. I scheduled them because they are a good opponent and we need to play good teams,” Bagley said. “I told the team that you got to respect the game and you can’t take anybody lightly. Until you get your 21 outs, anyone beats you if you look to the big picture and don’t pay attention to the small stuff.”

The Griffon bats only totaled six hits off of Francis, who pitched all of both games.

“We just need to hit the ball better ,” Roemmich said. “We went out there thinking too much and guessing at the pitcher instead of being aggressive and swinging the bat.”

Western starts its MIAA conference season against Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., on March 9.

The outside shot was going in early as Jessica Koch hit three 3-pointers, Kallie Schoonover hit one and the Griffons got out to a 18-7 lead. Abby Stone protected the basket by blocking four shots in the first four minutes.

Washburn got things turned around in a hurry, going on a 23-0 run that included a string of six 3-point makes to give the Lady Blues a 30-18 lead. Western fought back and went into the halftime break trailing 43-34.

“Any run that they had was going to be deflating,” Koch said. “We wanted to be with them the whole game.”

Western cut the lead down to eight midway through the second half, but were unable to get within striking distance as Washburn extended the lead.

“Early in the second half, we continued to fall back,” coach Lynn Plett said. “They just got too many second chance points.”

Koch, the MIAA’s leading scorer, put in 25 points including 6-for-10 from 3-point range and had four assists in her last game as a Griffon.  She finished her career as Western’s all-time leading scorer with 1,776 points.

“It wasn’t a negative year, it was a very positive year,” Koch said. “Even though we lost today, it was a great year for us, and I love Missouri Western.”

The Griffons were defeated two times during conference play by the Lady Blues, but up-tempo guard Ashleigh Curry missed both games. Washburn held her to 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting and limited her from getting out and scoring in transition.

“It frustrated me, but I had to keep my head and get back in the ball game,” Curry said. “I was just frustrated.”

Schoonover was the third player who scored in double-figures for the Griffons as she hit 4-for-8 from the field, putting in 11 points.

Western couldn’t overcome the size of Washburn, getting out-rebounded 46-to-21 and 20-to-13 on the offensive glass. Washburn post players Dana Elliott and Cassie Lombardino pulled down 11 and 10 rebounds while the leading rebounder for the Griffons was Curry with seven.

“I think a lot of it came down to the rebounding, and they were getting to the free throw line,” Schoonover said. “The balls were falling to them, and they were attacking.”

The Griffons attempted just two free throws to Washburn’s 15 attempts in the first half of play. The Lady Blues shot 50 percent from 3-point range on the day. Western finished its season at 7-20.

“I thought it was a really special day in a lot of ways,” coach Lynn Plett said. “We have 5 seniors on the team, and all five seniors played great throughout the entire ball game.”

After losing 11 of its past 12 games, Western needed this win to keep its season alive.

“This is the time of year when everyone is playing for the next day and if you lose you go home,” Plett said. “We are the underdog, and we need to understand that, and it’s a positive really.”

The Griffons jumped out to a 20-9 start after seniors Jessica Koch, Brittany Casady and Ashleigh Curry all hit early 3-point shots. The score was extended to 42-19 on another 3-pointer by Casady and then 44-19 on a layup by Alex Noble. Western was up 50-26 after a jumper by Koch and never looked back.

Koch led the Griffons in scoring with 24 points on 6-for-16 shooting and became the Griffons all-time leading scorer. She also grabbed nine rebounds and stole the ball six times.

Curry scored 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting and dished out three assists while Casady scored a career-high 18 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point distance and dished out three assists.

Now that there is no chance of missing the conference tournament, a weight has been lifted.

“I don’t think I realized how much pressure there really was,” Koch said. “I was losing some sleep just worried about getting to the tournament. Now we can just go out and play our game the best that we can.”

The Griffons will face Washburn in Kansas City, Mo., on March 1 in the first round of the MIAA tournament.

Western dropped the last game between the two schools 60-55 but hopes that the momentum from senior night will push them over the top in the tournament. The Griffons sit at 7-19 on the season

“We haven’t won as much, but I think we are going to start peaking in the tournament,” Koch said.

“We need to really go in relaxed,” Plett said. “I thought we played really loose; if we can maintain that kind of confidence with the intensity, then anything can happen in this tournament.”

“Since freshman year I just wanted to help in any way that I could,” Koch said. “Every summer I wanted to come back better than the year before, and that kind of evolved into my role of trying to put the ball in the bucket.”

Koch broke the record on senior night while snapping a six-game losing streak for the Griffons with the season on the line. The win on Saturday guaranteed the Griffons a spot in the upcoming MIAA tournament in Kansas City, while a loss would have ended the season.

“I’m not sure anyone could have written a script any better than what it was,” coach Lynn Plett said. “As much we wanted it to get out of the way before the last game of the regular season, it ended up being a good thing because she could do it at home with all of the support and everything here.”

“Our main concern was making it to the tournament,” Koch said. “The scoring record was just in the back of my mind. If that didn’t happen, I wasn’t going to be concerned as long as we made it to the tournament.”

Koch is a versatile scorer, capable of scoring from the inside or outside, but scoring isn’t all she can do on the court. She has filled the stat sheet up in every statistical category while improving her numbers in every season of her career as Griffon.

After taking a medical redshirt because of a season-ending knee injury in ’07-’08, Koch was an impact player right away. She bounced back from the injury to win MIAA Freshman of the year in ’08-’09 while starting in all 27 games and leading the team in six statistical categories, including points per game with 12.

Koch’s sophomore season saw her scoring increase to 14.3 points per game while netting a season-high 26 points against Quincy and being selected as an honorable mention all-MIAA performer. She also hit the glass, averaging 7.3 rebounds per game.

As a junior she was selected as a second-team all-MIAA performer after she averaged 16.6 points per game, scoring in double figures in every game but one. She also led the team in steals, assists, and rebounds. She scored a season-high 31 points against Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 9, 2011.

Koch has upped her scoring average once again as a senior, scoring 21.9 points per game and being named first-team all-MIAA. She also leads the Griffons in rebounds, steals, blocks and assists and put in a career-high 38 points at Southwest Baptist, scored 33 at Emporia State, 31 at No. 13 Arkansas Tech and 30 at Nebraska-Omaha.

“Every single time I step on to the floor my thing is that I need to play hard,” Koch said. “The scoring just kind of goes with that. As long as you play hard other stuff is going to come. Some nights you might not be scoring as well as other nights and that happens, but as long as you play hard it’s going to be a good game.”

Koch is relieved to have the pressure of breaking the scoring record and getting to the tournament off her back. She is ready to lead her team into battle on March 1 against Washburn in Kansas City, Mo.

Zuerlein throws the ball before the Northwest Missouri game at Spratt Stadium. Griffons won 31-28. Photo by Jason Brown

In his one season at Western, Zuerlein hit an unprecedented 9-for-9 field goals from over 50 yards, including two 58-yard field goals. He led the nation in fields goals per game with 2.6 and the MIAA in scoring with 10.6 points per game. The strong-legged kicker was a First-Team NCAA All-American.

“It’s just his natural ability,” said Jay White, Western special teams coach. “He’s not a big guy, he’s just a lean guy. His initial leg swing is quick and gets the ball up right away compared to someone that’s a lot bigger. The ball just jumps off his leg, and it’s gone.”

According to Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN NFL Draft expert for 24 years, Zuerlein is the top-ranked kicker in the entire draft.

“You haven’t seen Zuerlein, but he banged home 21 straight field goals this year and showed off range out to 60 yards. He looks like a good one,” Kiper said.

The only unanswered question is how Zuerlein will perform under the pressure that comes with having to hit game-deciding or sometimes season-deciding field goals in front of NFL crowds. The attendance record at Spratt Stadium is 10,727, while 105,121 people crammed into Dallas Stadium to watch the Cowboys in ’09. White has no doubt in his mind that Zuerlein has the mental makeup to succeed under the most pressure-filled situations.

“Hands down, I would say he’s a professional,” White said. “Every kick is a pressure kick with him, and he wants to make everything, and he’s shown that this year with us.”

Zuerlein spent three years at Nebraska-Omaha, where he was an all-American before sustaining a hip injury that forced him to take a medical redshirt during the 2010 season.

UNO closed down its football program and went Division I in all of its remaining sports. Zuerlein had offers from Nebraska, UCLA, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Minnesota to play his senior season before the NCAA denied him eligibility due to the five year rule at the Division I level, according to the World-Herald. Division II does not have a set amount of time for eligibility.

After coming to Western, Zuerlein hit new career highs in every statistical category and bounced back from the injury, kicking longer and more accurate than he ever had before.  He was selected to the East-West shrine game featuring the best seniors in college football and made his only field goal attempt, a 35-yarder.

“I was very happy with our starting pitching and very happy with the way we played defense,” Coach Buzz Verduzco said.  “I think we still have to find ourselves when it comes to the bullpen as far as how we are going to use each guy in what situation.  We still have some unanswered questions as far as the relief goes.”

Pitcher Brandon Simmons led the Griffons to a 4-1 victory in the opening game of the series.  Simmons went seven innings and gave up only one earned run while striking out six batters and giving up six hits.

Grant Fink hit 2-for-3 for the Griffons and singled in Spencer Shockley to give the Griffons a 1-0 lead in the second inning.  David Chew hit a RBI single to score Michael Schulze to give the Griffons a 2-0 lead. Fink scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to give the Griffons a 3-0 cushion.  Bubba Dotson added a solo home run in the eighth inning to seal up the victory for Western.

“Hitting was a little disapointing.  We took too many pitches and we weren’t as aggressive as we tried to be before we got off the bus,” Verduzco said.  “We struck out way too many times looking with too many guys on base.  We just overall kind of let the pitcher and the umpire dictate the strike zone and didn’t really change things by our aggressiveness.”

North Alabama got the bats going in game two with Matt Bergin on the mound as the Griffons lost 7-2. Bergin went four innings and gave up five hits.

Fink put the Griffons on the board and tied the game at 1-1 after scoring on a sacrifice fly in the third inning.  The game was tied until the fifth when North Alabama scored three runs in the fifth inning.

Western countered with a run as Chew singled in Jake Graham in the sixth, but North Alabama scored three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal up the 7-2 victory.  The Griffons only totaled four hits in game two of the series.

“If you notice who got all the hits and who were the productive offensive guys, it was the guys who were aggressive.” Verduzco said.

Pitcher Nik Jarudo went 7.1 innings for the Griffons and struck out nine batters while only giving up five hits, but it wasn’t enough as North Alabama took the final game of the series 5-3 to improve to 7-2 on the season.

The Griffons got out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning as Chew and Schulze crossed home plate.  Chew doubled in Schulze and Fink batted in Chew with a single.

Jarudo gave up his first run in the fourth inning off a sacrifice fly, but the Griffons still held a 3-1 lead after Graham batted in Tony Loeffller with a double.

The North Alabama bats came alive in the eighth inning as the Lions scored four runs on three hits after taking advantage of an error by the Griffons.

The Griffons tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth inning with a pair of singles with two out, but it wasn’t enough. Pitcher Ethan Ward took the loss in relief after giving up a run.

“I was happy with our energy.  I felt like we were ready to play so all those were positives and now we just have to learn to do that on a consistent basis whether we are home or away.”  Verduzco said.

“We are who we are, our record is what it is. We have to win every game,” coach Tom Smith said. “We have four left, two on the road, and all four teams have beaten us. In order for us to make the tournament we would have to win all four of them.”

The next contest will be in Jefferson City against Lincoln on Feb. 15, who sits one place ahead of the Griffons in the MIAA standings at 3-13 in conference play and 3-19 overall. Western dropped the first game between the two 66-63 in the final moments at MWSU Fieldhouse and will be looking for revenge against the Blue Tigers, who have lost eight straight games.

“I would be surprised if we don’t go to Jefferson City on Wednesday and play pretty well,” Smith said.

The second must-win on Feb. 18 will feature the Griffons traveling to Kirksville to battle Truman State, who is 4-12 in conference play and 6-17 overall. Truman won the first contest 87-86 in overtime at MWSU Fieldhouse and is on a three-game losing streak.

The Griffons will finish the season with Central Missouri on Feb. 22 and Southwest Baptist on Feb. 25. Western dropped a close one in the first game against Southern Baptist 64-61 and were beat 64-48 in Warrensburg by Central.

“I think we all feel like the can go to Lincoln and win, we all feel like we can go to Truman and win, and we all feel like we can come home and beat Central Missouri and Baptist,” Smith said. “The difference is what we have to do to do it. There’s not going to be any more talking about it because it has to get done.”

The Griffons confidence comes from being in nearly every game down to the final buzzer. Western has lost eight games by six points or less.

“I think our kids feel like they can win every game,” Smith said. “It’s been tough on them to give the kind of effort that they have given and not be particularly successful.”

The game at Northwest was another one of those games where the Griffons were close but just couldn’t get the win. The Bearcats were forced to hit free throws to avoid Western from winning the game with a late run.

“We haven’t rolled over and played dead for anybody,” Smith said. “Northwest felt like they were going to have a pretty easy time on Saturday, they didn’t. We were down 3 with 16 seconds but we just couldn’t quite get that big stop or a free-throw miss that would have made the difference.”

Lavonte Douglas led the Griffons in scoring with 14 points, and also pulled down 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, while T.J. Johnson and James Harris scored 13 each.

The Griffons can point to offense and not a lack of defensive intensity as the main cause of their losing record. Western ranks fifth in the conference, giving up 67 points per game.

“We are as good defensively as we have been in 10 years, I don’t care what anybody says,” Smith said. “Unfortunately we are a little short offensively and that’s been our downfall; there’s no question. We would have won a lot of games in the past if we could hold teams in the 60s.”

Missouri Western baseball leaves to face North Alabama on February 18. Photo by Jason Brown

“We think we are ready to play, and we think we have our lineup set as far as who we are going to start opening day,” coach Buzz Verduzco said. “Two out of three starting pitchers they haven’t seen yet, so that’s a positive. We’ve seen two of their pitchers that will open up for them.”

North Alabama was ranked No. 20 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll and was also ranked ninth nationally by College Baseball Lineup heading into the season after making the NCAA tournament last season. The Griffons have high expectations of their own, being picked to finish third in the MIAA preseason coaches poll.

The Griffons are looking forward to getting out on the field after being stuck practicing inside.

“They have been outside, and they’ve been practicing everyday outside, so that makes a little bit of a difference,” Verduzco said. “We’re kind of field-housed out now, we’re ready to play. Our guys are getting antsy. We’re tired of being inside and just want to play somebody else; we’re excited about it.”

Verduzco is looking for the Griffons bullpen to keep the game close with the offense produces after the starters come out.

“Our bullpen is going to have to do a job. Very rarely are you going to have a kid go six or seven innings on opening day and have it be okay,” Verduzco said. “The first team that flinches starting pitching wise is probably going to lose the game.”

The Griffons will be looking for offense from their returning leader in batting average and home runs, first basemen Spencer Shockley. JUCO transfers Bubba Dotson and Shawn Egge will be counted on to play the outfield and provide offense.

“I think Egge is going to be a really good one,” Verduzco said. “He’s physical and can run, almost like a pro-type player.”

Sophomore outfielder David Chew, junior shortstop Michael Shulze and infielder Kyle Simpson will also be counted on for the Griffons.

“Simpson is very good defensively, and we will see how he hits,” Verduzco said. “We feel pretty comfortable with what we are going to send out there.”

The Griffons will play their first game of the season at the Spring Sports Complex Feb. 24-26 in a four-game series against Nebraska-Kearney.

“Is there really one?” Bishop said. “I’d like to think there wasn’t. I’ve never heard of one; hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

Bishop accumulated a 26-5 record as a freshman with a 1.22 earned run average and struck out 224 batters, holding teams to a .198 batting average. She was named MIAA player of the week three times, MIAA Freshman of the Year and was named First Team All-MIAA after the season. She threw two no hitters, including one in the first ever game played at the Spring Sports Complex. Coach Jen Bagley expects her super-sophomore to build on the great start to her Missouri Western career.

“I need Jackie to do at the very minimum what she did last year,” Bagley said. “It’s difficult being a freshman and coming back for your sophomore year as a pitcher because now everybody in our conference has a scouting report on what she throws. Everybody is trying to figure out how to pick her lock.”

Bishop’s strongest pitches are her rise ball and curve ball, but she has been focusing on adding pitches to her repertoire to make sure that she isn’t predictable to hitters that she saw last season. She knows that she won’t surprise anyone this season.

“Since everyone faced me last year, I’m going to have to mix my pitches up better and throw some extra pitches, throw lower since I threw a lot of high stuff last year,” Bishop said. “Just a better pitch selection.”

The Griffons lost senior starting pitcher Jonnelle Belger off last season’s team. Belger played a big role in showing Bishop the ropes and countering her on the mound.

“She is probably one of the best mentors a person could have coming into their freshman year,” Bishop said. “She really is one of my best friends; she was a great pitcher and a great leader. She helped me out a lot.”

Despite the loss of Belger, Bagley expects the additions of junior college transfers Emily Moe and Annalee Rubio to help take the pressure off of Bishop.

“I think she feels more pressure. I don’t feel like we need to put more pressure on her because she is surrounded by two other strong pitchers,” Bagley said. “I hope she feels some comfort in that and doesn’t feel like the needs to be the one. We don’t need her to be the one, we need her to be Jackie, and we will make sure we do our job on the other side of the ball and score enough runs. “

Bishop’s team goals for the season are for the team to win the MIAA conference and make regionals.

“For myself, I just want to stay positive out on the field and help my team get as many wins as we can get,” Bishop said.

Northwest sits at 17-3 overall and 11-3 in MIAA conference play while Western has dropped 13 of its last 15 games and has a record of 7-14 overall and 2-13 in conference play.

Western will have to stop the pair of Northwest guards that hurt them the first time around. DeShaun Cooper scored 21 points and dished out five assists, while Kyle Haake went for 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Although both guards for the Bearcats went off for 20 points, Northwest still only managed to score 64. Western lost the game because they couldn’t produce enough offense, even though their defense was solid.

For the Griffons, James Harris scores 13 points per game, while Lavonte Douglas scores 12.4, and T.J. Johnson adds 12. All three players were held in single-digit scoring during the first contest. Coach Tom Smith will need more from his big three on Saturday. Harris is coming off of a career-high 28 points at Southern Missouri.

The Griffons are fighting for a spot in the MIAA tournament. Only the top eight teams out of 11 in the conference get a spot in the tournament in Kansas City, Mo. Lincoln is 3-11, Truman is 4-11, and Emporia State is 4-10. The last team in will be decided on the court as Western still has Lincoln and Truman on the schedule.

“It’s a compliment from the league,” coach Buzz Verduzco said. “The league is tough regardless of where you start out. I think the little bit of experience that we have coming back, in addition to some new guys are going to make for a little better of a season.”

The Griffons finished last season with a record of 26-25 and went 24-19 in MIAA conference play. The Griffons are returning three starting pitchers and some key relief. Matt Bergin went 10-6 last season with a team-low 2.54 earned run average. Oliver Kadey went 4-5 after appearing in 13 games with 10 starts accumulating a 5.58 ERA and Nick Jarudo went 7-3 with a 5.94 ERA. Tyler Riddle had a 4.31 ERA in 19 relief appearances. All four players are returning this season.

“We are excited about the experience coming back, but you have to perform,” Verduzco said. “We have some guys who have been through it, and that sometimes helps.”

On offense, Western will have to make up for the loss of power hitter Isaac Rome, who led the team with nine home runs and was tied for the lead in runs batted in with 42.

“I feel like we lost a big power stick, but this year I feel like we are going to have more consistent power throughout the whole lineup,” Spencer Shockley said.

Shockley is the returning team-leader in home runs with five and RBIs with 42. He’s also the returning team-leader in average, hitting at .319 last season.

Outfielders Shawn Egge and Bubba Dotson, both JUCO transfers, are players that are expected to add power to the lineup.

According to Verdasco, the strength of the team is its overall balance on both sides of the ball.

“I think our offense is going to balance with some returning pitching that will be a little bit experienced,” Verduzco said. “Hopefully the run production will allow our pitching staff to pitch more freely and aggressively than in the past. Knowing that we could potentially score more runs than we did last year is going to boost their confidence as a staff.”

The team returns Honorable Mention All-MIAA catcher Tony Loeffler, who is confident that his senior season will be a good one.

“I think this team can be one of the best teams that Western has ever had and I’ve ever played on, so the expectations are really high,” Loeffler said. “We talk about how we expect to be good a lot. We try and stay humble, go out there with the right mentality and play as hard as we can.”

Western baseball starts its season at North Alabama, who went 37-14 last season with a NCAA Regional appearance. Its first home appearance is at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24 against Nebraska-Kearney.

“They hit some big shots, no question,” coach Tom Smith said. “It’s one of those years. I’m sure you get a little snakebite, and when you’re snakebite, people make those plays on you, and they are making the plays while we aren’t making the plays, and that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

The Griffons came out with a sense of urgency and held the Tigers to 8-for-32 shooting in the first half. Western went into the locker room with a 31-21 lead at the half-time break behind 11 first-half points from freshman guard Reed Mells. Western also held the advantage on the boards, out-rebounding Hays 22-14 in the first half.

“We just want to win. We are going to play high-energy defense, focus on finishing plays, and getting other people involved,” Lavonte Douglas said. “That’s our main focus and something we’ve got to do. We have to keep it up both halves.”

Hays guard Moses Dayee hit two 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second-half to get it going for the Tigers.

With the Griffons up 43-36, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run over four minutes to grab their first lead of the game at the 10 minute mark in the second half. Hays extended its lead to 46-43 before Douglas tied the game up with a 3-point-play after making a lay-up and drawing the foul.

Dayee hit another 3-point shot with two minutes left to push the Tigers out to a 57-52 lead. Douglas hit a free-throw to make the score 57-53 before James Harris hit a 3-pointer to get the Griffons to within one point with 45 seconds left.

The next trip down the floor, Dayee hit a 3-point dagger from the left corner that sealed up the 62-58 victory for Hays. Missed free-throws hurt the Griffons down the stretch.

“I think it boils down to the free-throws,” Douglas said. “I shot bad from the line tonight, and that’s something I have to get back in my game. Lately I’ve been out there like Dwight Howard.”

Hays shot 25 percent in the first half and heated up in the second, shooting 56 percent. The Griffons have lost 10 of their last 11 games but are holding teams to under 70 points and showing improvement.

“We just got to find a way to get over the hump, and I think when we do that we will be fine,” Mells said. “We just got to keep playing together. The most frustrating part that it’s just one or two little mistakes that ends up losing it for us.”

Douglas, who led all scorers with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting, pulled down six rebounds and stole the ball two times. Mells added 13 points, including 8-for-8 at the foul line and dished out three assists. Harris went for 13 points and five assists.

The Griffons go on a four-game road trip, starting on Feb. 4 at Southern Missouri. Western has two remaining home games, Feb. 22 and 25 against Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist.

With 1:36 left on the clock and down 56-55, Western forced guard Will McNeill to shoot a long-distance 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. McNeill buried the shot and closed the door on the Griffon’s chances for a win.

“When he hit the 3 was the biggest play of the game,” coach Tom Smith said. “We did a great job, we were sound defensively, forced him into taking the bad shot and he hits it. Good players make good plays, and that’s basically what we ran into.”

McNeill scored a game-high 26 points and hit 13-for-16 from the free-throw line. For the Griffons, it was freshman Reed Mells who led the way with a career-high 17 points and hit five 3-pointers. Mells was in the starting line-up for the second straight game with senior guard Deionta Mitchell sidelined with an injury.

“Deionta is a big part of our team, and he’s the heart and sole of the back-court,” Mells said. “When he went down, somebody had to step up and coach Smith called my number, so I didn’t want to disappoint him, my teammates or the Missouri Western family.”

Senior big man Lavonte Douglas scored 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked a shot.

The Griffons two leading scorers on the season are T.J Johnson and James Harris, but Washburn was able to contain both players. Johnson scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting before fouling out with five minutes to play, while Harris struggled to find his jump shot against the zone defense, going 1-for-10 from the field for four points.  The Griffons were unable to hit the shots in the second half, going 8-for-24, and connected on just 6-for-22 from 3-point distance for the game.

“If our guys were on, it wouldn’t have been a close game,” Douglas said. “They made up and played solid defense for them being off on offense, so I appreciate the effort with everyone staying together.”

The Griffons gave up 18 offensive rebounds to their 11, and were called for 29 fouls compared to Washburn’s 15. The Western fans didn’t like the officiating and a chant of ‘awful’ broke out late in the game.

Western has fallen to 7-12 overall and 2-11 in MIAA conference play after losing nine of it’s last ten games. Smith said that you can be miserable during a losing season, but he’s not because of the collective attitude of the team.

“I’ve had successful teams over my years that I haven’t liked more than this group,” Smtih said. “I feel bad because as a coach I cannot complain ever about what they have given to me every day.”

The Griffons will travel to Bolivar to play Southwest Baptist on Jan. 17. The Bearcats are 10-6 overall and 3-6 in MIAA conference play. After dropping five straight to start league play, Southwest Baptist got things turned around winning four out of it’s last five including quality wins against Fort Hays State and Washburn.

The Bearcats were beat by 23 points against Northwest Missouri State in Maryville the last time out. The Griffons will look to stop the four players that score in double-figures for Southwest Baptist. 5-11 senior guard Ryan Dogherty leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game and is shooting 44% from the field. Guard Preston Guiot is scoring 13.3 points per game while guard Kyle Sloan is scoring 13.2. 6-6 225 Robson Memnon is scoring 11.4 points per game and pulling down 7.4 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field on the season. The Griffons will look to stop Memnon inside with big men Lavonte Douglas and Justin Reid.

On Jan. 21 the Griffons will come back to St. Joseph to play Pittsburg State in the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Gorillas record is 10-6 and 6-4 in conference play.

Western and Pitt. State played in Pittsburg on Nov. 30 and the Gorillas came away for a 77-71 victory in a hard fought game. Pitt State was led by 17 points from JaVon McGee, Drake Green, and Eric Ray. Andra also added 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Griffons had four players in double-figures in the game and the Gorillas defense is giving up the most points in the MIAA at 72 per game. The Griffons will have to keep the Gorillas off of the boards as they were out-rebounded by 20 as a team in the last meeting.

Western scored a season-low 48 points in the last contest at Central Missouri and will need to find some offense. T.J. Johnson leads the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game, James Harris scores 11.9, and Lavonte Douglas adds 11.6 and seven rebounds.

“I thought defensively we weren’t too bad,” coach Tom Smith said. “You give up 64 points at home and you have a chance to win most games. Northwest did a good job and they are good defensively, but we didn’t shoot it very well.”

James Harris hit a jumper to put the Griffons up 2-0 but the next five minutes was all Bearcats as DeShaun Cooper and Kyle Haake couldn’t miss from deep and put Northwest up 14-2.

“We have to play better defense to start the game off,” guard Reed Mells said. “We just have to hold teams until we can pick it up on the offensive end.”

Mells and Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe came off the bench and each hit a 3-pointer to get some offense going for the Griffons. Western cut into the lead with buckets from big men Lavonte Douglas and Justin Reid before Mells hit another 3-pointer on an assist from T.J. Johnson that cut the Bearcats lead to 23-22. Haake answered with a 3-pointer to give Northwest a 26-22 lead at the half.

Western fell down 32-41 in the second half before consecutive shots from 3-point range by Tuluka-Mfumupembe, Harris, and Johnson cut the Bearcats lead to 41-45. The two teams traded baskets and the score was 50-45 with seven minutes remaining.

Cooper hit five straight points off of consecutive Griffon misses and hit four free-throws in the final minutes to seal the game for Northwest.

“They are much more experienced than we are,” Smith said. “They have five or six kids that have been through the league three years now, and I think that showed tonight.”

The Griffons were unable to stop the scoring of Haake and Cooper who led the Bearcats with 21 and 22 points. The two shot a combined 12-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point distance.

Tuluka-Mfumupembe led the Griffons in scoring with 12 points, going 4-for-5 from beyond the 3-point line. Mells added 10 points including 2-for-3 from 3point range.

The Griffons shot 18-for-53 from the field and were beat on the boards, getting out-rebounded 35-23. The starting five shot a combined 10-for-38 including the three leading scorers Harris, Johnson and Douglas shot a combined 5-for-25 from the field.

“Our key kids have got to step up and play,” Smith said. “We’re not going to be able to survive when they don’t give us more offensive production.”