Wentworth Athletics in Full Swing

By Cadet Taylor Jones

School is off to a good start and the athletics program is going strong. Teams are conditioning and practicing for their games. This season in the college we have soccer, volleyball, baseball, and cross country.  On the high school side, there is football, volleyball, and the Raider team. All of the teams have struggled early on, but improvement has been seen and victories are not far off! 

    There have been quite a few games played over the past month.The college soccer team started their preseason out on August 8.  They played against Benedictine College JV at home.  They lost that game, but learned a lot about where improvements needed to be made.  The soccer team played on August 27 in Independence, MO at the Blue River Community College,  August 30 in St. Charles, MO at the St. Charles Community College, September 3 against the Missouri Valley College at home, and September 6 against Benedictine College, this time in Atchison, MO. After four games, the soccer team was not able to get a win…...until September 9th.  The Red Dragons got their first win in Springfield, MO against Baptist Bible College, with a score of 8-0!  They will continue to train and practice to better their 1-4 start to the season. The soccer team is coached by CPT Andy Commins.

    The Lady Dragons college volleyball team also had a slow start.  Their first outing was on August 22-23 at the Ft. Scott Invitational Tournament in Ft. Scott, KS.  The ladies played hard, but came up short.  On August 27, the Lady Dragons played at home against MCC-Longview College. They had a home tri-match on August 29 against Cottey College and Stephens College.  On September 2, the Central Methodist University JV came to town and on September 4 it was Coffeyville College. At this point, the Lady Dragons were still looking for their first win. That weekend Coach Phillip Bennett and the team went on the road to Lamoni, IA, for the Graceland Invitational. It was here that they won their first match 25-23 and 25-18. Back at home on September 8, the Lady Dragons were ready to take on the Red Devils of Allen College. Many fans came out and supported Wentworth.  It was a close match-up with the Lady Dragons falling just short of a win.

    College baseball started out the season on September 9 in Trenton, MO against North Central Missouri College. This was the first outing for both teams.  This wasn’t a regulation game, more of a scrimmage. The Red Dragons got a chance to see where their strengths lie and which areas need work.  Coach Troy Katen and the Red Dragons play again this weekend.

    The college cross country team, coached by COL Tim Casey, started their season on August 30, at the Eagle Invitational (Central Methodist University) in Fayette, MO. They ran well, but improved at their next meet on September 6 at the Maple Leaf Invitational (Baker University) in Baldwin City, KS.  “An historic event took place on Saturday, September 6, as Wentworth's first ever women's College Cross Country Team competed in the Maple Leaf Invitational at Baker University. The team placed 10th overall and was led by Cadet Emma Lindberg who ran 17:06 through the 4 kilometer course and finished 19th overall. The men's team also finished 10th and was led by Cadet Jeff Austin who finished the 5 kilometer race in18:04. All the Wentworth runners made significant improvements in their times from the previous week's competition. The men's cross country team will compete next in the University of Central Missouri Mule Run on September 13”, said Coach Casey.

    High school football started their season on September 5, at home against the Southwest Early College Academy. It was a tough 70-0 loss against a very large team. Coach Mike McClafferty and the Red Dragons continue to work very hard in practice to get ready for their matchup against Sweet Springs on Friday night, September 12.

    High school girls' volleyball had their first match on September 2 in LaMonte, MO. This was a tri-match with LaMonte and Chilhowee.  The Lady Dragons lost both matches 2-0,  but they worked very hard and played well.  They continued their season with a road trip to Malta Bend on September 4. The girls lost, but made improvements and did a great job at working together. The high school girls are now 0-3 and still practicing everyday, working hard, and looking for that first win. The Lady Dragons are coached by CPT Becky Mueller.