A Grand Entrance
Members of the Missouri State Bears football team exit the tunnel and prepare to run onto the field prior to the start of their game against the University of Northern Iowa Panthers at the Plaster Sports Complex on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, September 26, 2009. The UNI Panthers defeated the MSU Bears 35-7.
Taking the Field
Springfield Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma exits the dugout and runs onto the baseball diamond prior to the start of their game against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, Tuesday, April 27, 2010. The Northwest Arkansas Naturals defeated the Springfield Cardinals 6-2.
Queen City Twilight Criterium
Cyclists round a corner on East Commercial Street while competing in the Men 3/4 category of the Queen City Twilight Criterium in Springfield, Missouri, July 26, 2008.
Quick
Johnny Gray, better known to the Central High School community as “Quick,” is a super athlete trapped in a small body. He has transcended Central’s sports program from dormant to elite. Best known as a basketball player – who also qualified for state in two track events – Gray helped Central reach the state basketball rankings for the first time in a decade. “Quick” used his quick first step and crazy jumping ability to change the way people looked at Central’s basketball and track programs.
Faz Forward
Parkview High School senior quarterback Cory Faz returns for his third year as starter for the Vikings. Parkview runs a run-first offense based on timing, making his experience an asset.
Ferocious
Steph Anderson is the goalkeeper for the Missouri State University field hockey team. Although only a freshman, and the shortest player on the Bears squad, she has a ferocious defensive presence that makes it difficult for opposing teams to score.
The Pride
Missouri State University football quarterback Cody Kirby poses for a portrait in front of a background that reads “The Pride” in the fan section of the Plaster Sports Complex on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri, Wednesday, August 27, 2008. Cody Kirby’s lifetime ambition has been to be a football quarterback. His family scouted schools before he started 7th grade to find the right fit for him so he could maximize his skills. Only a sophomore, the older players hold him in high esteem, voting him a team co-captain with four seniors.
The Sage
Brock Shaffer once got teased for being too old to play high school basketball. He is now in his fourth year of varsity basketball, a rarity in high school sports. He is the old man, the sage on a very talented team. He is the cerebral leader of Hillcrest’s basketball renaissance.
Discus Throw
Jordan Gardner, a junior with Hillcrest High School, participates in the boy’s discus throw at the All-City Track Meet at JFK Stadium in Springfield, Missouri, Thursday, April 1, 2010. Gardner placed first in the event with a distance of 116 feet 7 inches.
High School Athlete of the Year
Tee Helsel was a three-sport standout for Branson High School, leading the football, basketball and baseball teams to successful seasons this year. The shortstop will play baseball at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.
Paying a Heavy Price
Missouri State University Bears wide receiver Jared Emery, center, pays a heavy price for leaping into the air and catching a high pass while Indiana State University Sycamores defensive back Donye McCleskey, right, unloads on him with a heavy hit as Sycamores defensive back Andrew Blackmon, left, runs in their direction during the first quarter of their football game at the Plaster Sports Complex on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, November 7, 2009. Emery held onto the ball, despite being drilled, and the Missouri State University Bears defeated the Indiana State University Sycamores 31-7.
A Better View of the Ballgame
Anna McNay, 8, of Springfield, top, bounces atop a giant trampoline positioned beyond the right-center field fence as the Midland RockHounds play against the Springfield Cardinals in a Texas League AA minor league baseball game at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, Sunday, April 18, 2010. The Springfield Cardinals defeated the Midland RockHounds 13-0.
A Diving Catch
Springfield Cardinals shortstop Mike Folli makes a diving catch of a sharply hit ground ball during the top of the seventh inning of their minor league baseball game against the Frisco RoughRiders at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, April 11, 2009. The Springfield Cardinals are the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals major-league club.
Bucked Off
Ross Coleman, of Molalla, Oregon is bucked off Wrapped with Envy during the Professional Bull Riders pfiwestern.com Invitational presented by Bass Pro Shops at the JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, 19, 2009.
Parade
Charlie Short, left, and Larry Skidmore, right, Dixie Stampede riders dressed as U.S. Civil War soldiers, parade along the center field warning track of Hammons Field before the start of the Arkansas Travelers versus Springfield Cardinals AA minor league baseball game in Springfield, Missouri, May 17, 2010.
Backhand Volley
Springfield Lasers tennis player Rik De Voest hits a backhand volley during his singles match against Alex Domijan of the New York Buzz at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, July 17, 2010.
An Emphatic Slam Dunk
Missouri State Bears guard Jermaine Mallett, top center, electrifies the crowd with an emphatic slam dunk in final seconds of the second half of their basketball game against the Southern Illinois Salukis at the JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield, Missouri, Wednesday, February 10, 2010.
Razorbacks Roar
University of Arkansas forward Glenn Bryant celebrates after the Razorbacks go on a scoring run during the first half of their college basketball game against the Missouri State University Bears at Bud Walton Arena on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Tuesday, December 22, 2009. The Arkansas Razorbacks won the game 66-62 in overtime handing the Missouri State Bears their first defeat of the season after a 10-0 start.
Earning Respect
Missouri State University defensive tackle Chris Brehemer has earned the respect of his teammates and the distinction of captain by always being the first player to practice and the last one to leave.
Trimble Pride
Left tackle Chuck Dunlevy, 17, left, pounds on the locker room wall with his fists as he and the rest of the Trimble High School Tomcats prepare for their football game with rival Federal Hocking High School in the village of Glouster, Ohio, Friday, October 6, 2006.
Fumble
Evangel University defensive lineman Ryan Chaffin, right, sacks William Jewell College quarterback Drew Witman, left, and causes him to fumble the football into his own end zone resulting in an Evangel safety during the second quarter of their football game at J.F.K. Stadium in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, September 6, 2008.
Heartbreak and Happiness
Nixa High School Eagles defensive lineman Ryan Hansen, center, expresses his disappointment as he kneels dejectedly on the football field after he and his teammates are defeated on the final play of the game on a touchdown run by the Raytown South High School Cardinals who celebrate their victory during the fourth quarter of their Missouri State High School Activities Association [MSHSAA] Class 5 quarterfinal football game at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, Saturday, November 14, 2009. The Raytown South Cardinals defeated the Nixa Eages 21-15.
