This week of the NFL Draft, there are several football-like scores...close games decided on a play or two( the many different ways this KEY play occurs)...THE game of the week in MO....coaching carousel continues to go around.

While the Rams went LONG in their draft, many of our games were long due to the prolific scores. Take a look…LONG ballgames....

It took 8 innings to end the 13-11 slugfest between the victorious Harrisonville Wildcats (5-3)and the Belton Pirates(8-6). This game was a classic for the fans. The lead kept swinging back and forth, depending upon which team had batted last! The highlight was the 4th inning. Trailing 5-3, the Wildcats use the HR poke of Delby Hannah to grab an 8-5 lead. In the bottom half, Belton crossed the plate 8 times! The 'Cats scored 3 to tie at 11-11 the game in the 6th. Scoreless 7th, (maybe the batters were tired from running the bases so often!). In the 8th, with 2 outs, no one on base, Hannah started the winning rally with a base hit. Harrisonville pushed across the winning two runs to end this thriller!

The 6th inning was THE inning of this game. After Hannibal scored 6 runs in the top of the 6th to take a 9-8 lead, Jefferson City Jays scored 2 runs in the bottom of 6th to snatch a 10-9 win over the Hannibal Pirates.

Belton was in yet another wild 8 inning affair this week. The pitching stats for the Pirate staff probably leaped this week with these scores. Belton held leads of 10-2, 12-5 and 14-8 at various times of the game against Oak Grove(10-4) . The Panthers kept banging out hits (15) and plated 5 runs to narrow lead to 14-13 in the 6th. Ryan Amone drove home the tying run in the 7th to send it into extra innings. The winning run scored for the Panthers in the 8th on a defensive error!

SLUH had to withstand a furious 7th inning rally by the Parkway North Vikings to ice a victory this week. Trailing 9-3 entering the final inning, the Vikings crossed the plate 4 times to put some pressure on the Jr Bills at 9-7. Finally, SLUH ended this flurry to record the win. Sasha Kuebel had 6 RBI's for the Jr. Bills.

GAME OF THE WEEK IN MISSOURI..

John Burroughs was gliding along with a 10-4 lead at the halfway point of the game against the Clayton Greyhounds. Clayton touches the plate 3 times in the 4th and 5th innings to tie the game at 10. Scoreless 6th was followed by Burroughs scoring a run, seemed like the winning run, in the top half of 7th. The Greyhounds answered with a run of their own to send game into  extra innings. Despite 22 runs in 7 innings, it took until the 10th inning for another run to score! It was the Bombers that crossed the plate and won a thriller 12-11 in this non-league contest that saw 25 hits along the way.

Winning tight ones in a myriad of ways...

Somehow, good teams win key tight games. A wide variety of means are used to put one in the LEFT (WIN) column.  Take a look...

Rolla Bulldogs (13-2) won their 8th consecutive win by whipping Joplin 7-3.  Ross Parker drove home 2 runs with a sharp single in the 5th. That alone isn't new or unusual but Parker, after going 0-2 at the plate, fouled off several pitches after forcing the count full on his 3rd at-bat prior to smashing it through the infield for the game winning hit.  Earlier, Parker committed a couple defensive errors that opened the gates for the Eagle runs.  How many players go from goat to hero in one at bat ? This is the longest winning streak for the Bulldogs since 1999, maybe even longer according to Coach Jason Swearingen (who arrived in 99)! Good teams DO get big plays from everyone to win games!

The always hotly contested battle between Lee Summit Tigers and Lee Summit Bronchos was decided on a bang-bang play at home. This game saw each team score single runs back and forth until Lee Summit was batting in the 5th. Trailing 4-2 entering the inning, the Tigers scored a run as the rain clouds moved overhead. On 2nd base pinch runner, Stephen Carpenter was cut down trying to score on a single. The play was very, very close. Some thought the ball was jarred loose but after the dust settled, Carpenter was called out and North hung onto the 4-3 lead just as the rains came down in a downpour to end the game. Yes...good teams DO make the defensive plays from the outfield!

Bell City’s (7-4) Nick Niemczyk blasted a 2 run dinger over the boards in the top half of the 7th to give the Cubs a 6-4 win over Advance. If that names rings a bell (pardon the pun), Niemczyk was an All-State basketball for the Cubs for the last 2 years.  Yes... sometimes good teams DO win on a big blast.

Another big blast was the difference as Josh Keatts led the Kickapoo Chiefs with 4 RBI's including a HR that broke open the game. The Chiefs upended the Lebanon Yellowjackets 11-5 as they erupted for 6 runs in the 6th after the Keatts blast. Yes, good teams sense when they are going for the jugular to win !

A sacrifice bunt that was perfectly executed by Tyler George pushed two runners into scoring position in the 5th inning. Both runners scored on Derek Kelton's 2 run-single that gave the Grain Valley Eagles a 7-5 win over Higginsville. Good team can definitely play SMALL ball to win!

New names listed in Coaching positions...

Ronnie Cookson, legendary long time basketball coach at Scott County Central,  will have his successor assisting him in his last years. Kenyon Wright has been named the successor to Coach Cookson when Coach hangs up his whistle.

Bolivar will have two new basketball coaches next year. Girls Coach Gary Keeling stepped down after winning STATE (why not?).Darin Archer will assume the duties as Head Girls Coach (after assisting Coach Keeling for four years) and Robbie Hoegh was named Head Boys Coach for the Liberators. 

Jim May has signed on as Head Football Coach at Perryville HS. May had been an Asst Coach in 04 and 05 for the Pirates then assisted at Chaffee last year. Coach May looks to upgrade the running game in his offense.