Beginning his volleyball career in third grade, 8-year-old Murphy Troy, now a U.S. Volleyball Olympian, said he never imagined he would receive a bronze medal representing his country. Troy grew up in Glendale and attended Mary Queen Of Peace Catholic School for primary school until high school at St. Louis University High School (SLUH).

“I was just a kid playing recreationally,” Troy said. “I played [most sports]: baseball, soccer, swimming. I didn’t get serious about volleyball until I was in high school, around sophomore or junior year.”

Photo courtesy of Murphy Troy
Troy and teammates celebrate a match win in Rio.

After attending SLUH for four years, Troy went to the University of Southern California (USC) on a college volleyball scholarship. While playing in college, Troy received more national recognition, which led to his worldwide success.

“I like [volleyball] because it’s such a fast-paced game,” Troy said. “It’s something that’s really hard to master; there’s always skill changes you need to make.”

Troy always dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He realized he could achieve that dream when he was a senior at SLUH playing on the U.S. Youth National Team, one year before he devoted himself to his career even further at USC.

“He got a volleyball and academic scholarship to USC,” Sally Miller, mother of Troy and retired Robinson Elementary School counselor, said. “50 percent volleyball and 50 percent academic because that was all that was available.”

Once he graduated, Troy went across the Atlantic Ocean to continue his career in western Europe. According to Troy, volleyball gets minimal recognition in the U.S., while European volleyball is the equivalent to U.S. football.

Photo courtesy of Murphy Troy
Troy and his mother, Sally Miller, at a hotel in Rio.

“Since I graduated college, I’ve been playing professionally in Europe because [there are] really no leagues in the U.S. and you can’t play just

national team [all of the time because] the national league is only in the summer,” Troy said. “So everyone [plays] in the professional leagues throughout Europe during the rest of the year. [I’ve] played for two years in Italy, one year in France and two years in Poland.”

On top of traveling to another continent to play professional sports, Troy and his teammates spend up to eight hours per day in the gym, working with weights and training on the court in game scenarios. They also watch video footage of their games to analyze their previous performances and how to improve for future games.

“I have no problem with it,” Miller said. “They are also great places to visit, I’ve been to Paris, Italy and Poland.”

After years of preparation, Troy finally got his chance in the Olympics when he was 27 years old. He went to Rio as a backup opposite, which means he would sit on the bench until he got called into play. An opposite meant he would be on the counter side to the setter, or server, and call out plays. When he was put into the games, he left not only as a bronze medalist but as a completely different player and person, Troy said.

Photo courtesy of Murphy Troy
Troy holding up an American flag after winning the bronze medal in Rio.

“It was an amazing experience and something everyone tells you how great it is,” Troy said. “I don’t think you can ever really prepare for it before you go just because the magnitude of everything is so great, and you see all these great athletes from all around the world. Walking in the opening ceremony was amazing and [playing in the tournament]. It’s just such a high pressure tournament. It’s all the best teams in the world. It’s so competitive [but] I think it helps elevate everyone’s game. For us especially, I think we were playing our best volleyball we’ve ever played together.”

Troy aided his U.S. team in earning the bronze medal, defeating Russia in the last three of their five sets. With their loss in the first two, he said it was difficult to come back, especially in this case because of all the extra pressure.

“I always say, it takes a village to raise a volleyball player,” Miller said. “Murphy was blessed with a lot of people that supported him. He loves to learn, he’s willing to ask for help, he understands that mistakes are his best learning tool. and I think for him that’s what made him a successful athlete.”

In Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger. Now, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick is taking a stand against racial injustices by kneeling during the national anthem. Though he was not jailed for his protest like Parks, the public took to Facebook and Twitter to post obscene and racist comments about him. Some blew the protest off as a publicity stunt, but others viewed it as an attack on individual rights and on our nation.

In America, standing for the national anthem is considered a sign of respect for our nation’s flag. But our country’s news is dominated by stories of police officers shooting innocent black men based on stereotypes or because of racial bias. Philando Castile was shot for doing what the officers asked him to. Alton Sterling was selling CDs outside a convenience store. Just last weekend Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by police sparking mass protest and nationwide outrage. It’s no wonder Kaepernick is kneeling.

And Kaepernick is not the only one. Other athletes have followed in Kaepernick’s footsteps by taking a knee during the anthem to protest racial injustice. Megan Rapinoe, a player on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, three Virginia Tech volleyball players, and many other athletes have joined in the protest.

Numerous high school students have also protested by sitting for the anthem. Mike Oppong, a student at Doherty Memorial High School in Worchester, Mass., was almost suspended for a game for kneeling during the anthem, but because of public backlash and because it is unconstitutional for a public school to force a student to stand for the anthem, his suspension was revoked.

San Francisco’s Mission High School’s entire team took a knee during the anthem at a game. A teen was sent home from work at a Kroger grocery store in Springfield, Ohio for wearing a Kaepernick jersey on Jersey Day. A New Jersey private school district even sent a letter to all student athletes stating that sitting or kneeling during the national anthem would result in a 2 game suspension which, though not unconstitutional in private schools, is immoral and unjust to anyone who doesn’t wish to stand during the anthem.

The Beaumont Bulls, a football team of 11 and 12 year olds located in the Bay Area, California, even received threats of death and lynching for a majority of their team kneeling during their games. It’s ironic that an Alabama high school football announcer and Pastor threatened to shoot Kaepernick, a half-black man, for protesting black men being shot and killed unjustly.

It’s pathetic that people say racist things on the internet about Kaepernick because he peacefully protests racism in a way they don’t like. And it’s shameful that people use Kaepernick practicing his civil rights as an excuse to take away those of others.

Though some don’t agree with Kaepernick and those joining his movement, it is not necessary for others steal the rights of people expressing their political freedom in a way that they do not agree with. In a country where the constitution is held so near and dear to so many people, we should be protecting constitutional rights, not attacking them. It makes no sense that Kaepernick is attacked for protesting racism in America and its government, even if it is considered disrespectful toward the flag, because he is standing up for what he believes in and and is abiding by the constitution. Rosa Parks didn’t back down when she received hatred and racism for standing up for what she believed in and Colin Kaepernick shouldn’t either.

In Houston April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be taken to Vietnam to participate in a war he didn’t believe in. The Greatest was stripped of his boxing title and his license to box, and he went all the way to the Supreme Court to argue why it was wrong for him to be forced to fight across the globe when there were racial injustices in his hometown of Louisville, Ky.

Now, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand and salute the American flag before each game during the national anthem. But there’s a clear difference between the actions of Ali and Kaepernick. Ali wouldn’t fight for his country overseas because his country wouldn’t fight for him at home. Kaepernick won’t respect those who have died to preserve his rights because of… police brutality and racial injustice? This doesn’t add up.

Police brutality exists and is a real problem in the U.S. Some police officers perform heinous acts and never suffer the consequences. But disrespecting the quintessential representation of freedom has nothing to do with a miniscule and misrepresentative portion of the police force that does its best to protect us.

This leads to the question of why, all of a sudden, Kaepernick is kneeling during the national anthem. In 2012, the unseasoned 25-year-old led San Francisco to Super Bowl 47 in only his second year in the NFL. In 2013, he piloted the Niners to a 12-4 record as one of the most versatile and athletic quarterbacks in football. In 2014, he set his career high in passing yards, but the team had a .500 season. In 2015, he was a shell of his former self.

The professional quarterback is one of the most highly revered positions not only in sports, but in American pop culture. In reality, each team has at least one built-in celebrity. So it comes as no surprise that when one of the most electric players in the NFL suddenly tanks, he finds a way to sponge up all the attention he can get from the bench. Is Kaepernick passionate in his protest against police violence? Of course he is. Is it right that a recognizable star in our society speaks out against an injustice? Of course it is. Is it right for him to perform this stunt on the football field? During the national anthem? Of course not.

Don’t get me wrong; I couldn’t be more proud to live in a country where we have the right to protest against the flag. But that doesn’t make it right to do so. When Kaepernick sits during the national anthem, his goal is to protest police brutality, but that’s not what he achieves. In reality, Kaepernick sits for those dying overseas so he and all other Americans have rights much of the world doesn’t have, such as the right to disrespect the American flag and everything it stands for.

Kaepernick sits during the national anthem with good intentions, but while he means to peacefully protest police brutality, he disrespects our nation’s troops fighting and dying overseas, and he disrespects the rights and freedoms we so often take for granted in the U.S. So go ahead Kaepernick, protest all you want. This isn’t Vietnam. This is football.

Girls’ cross country had its conference meet at McNair Park Oct. 8. Varsity placed 3rd overall and 1st in suburban 12, JV placed 7th in the JV – Gold race, and freshman placed 6th overall.  “My favorite part [of the conference meet] was running as a team,” Ally Gooden, freshman, said. “Claire Bradfield, Molly Hooks, and I, we all ran together. Just the three of us. We all ended up getting a big PR and it was just really cool and helped me become a better runner.”

From the Sunday gridiron to the Madhouse on Madison, more than 2,000 sports teams with names and logos associated with Native Americans have spread across the U.S. Despite strong backlash by some of the groups they represent, teams such as the Washington Redskins are trying their best to hold on to the past.

Due to the extensive history of discrimination and intolerance of Native American tribes and culture, logos and names of sports teams are seemingly one of the few aspects still relevant in American pop culture. And while I am not a Native American, nor could I possibly fully relate to the prejudice they face, there is a positive light which can be shined upon this seemingly one-sided topic of corporate appropriation.

Five Native Americans, in a 2013 hearing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), argued trademarks of Washington Redskins logos violated a code of the Trademark Act of 1946. According to the USPTO ruling, “these registrations must be canceled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered.” The Redskins later applied for an appeal to the ruling of having six of their patents cancelled, but it was denied.

Redskins lawyers attempted to bring to light other trademarks protected by the USPTO they deemed disparaging. Whether it be “Gringo Style Salsa” or “Dumb Blonde” hair products, the lawyers exposed there are thousands of other offensive trademarks.

It is ludicrous the Redskins are comparing the level of offensiveness of their trademark instead of arguing their logo isn’t offensive whatsoever; Redskins lawyers obviously have a notion of the backlash and are trying their best to cover their tracks. However, if the USPTO started regulating the perceived offensiveness of every single trademark, that’d be a slippery slope that could easily end up as a violation of First Amendment rights.

A similar group, from the California Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, expressed their discontent through a TV advertisement during the 2014 NBA Finals. The ad, called “Proud To Be,” shows Native American tribes and famous figures from around the country. Near the end it says, “Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they don’t…” showing an image of a Redskins helmet.

The Florida State University Seminoles have seen a much different side. The Seminole Tribe and FSU are in good relations, unlike what has been happening with the Redskins. According to FSU, they consider it an honor to represent a group of people whose courage and spirit they admire and respect. The administration has made it clear the university will not engage in any activity that does not have the approval of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The tribe does not just give a stamp of approval from afar — they are full participants in the activities of the university. Leaders of the Seminole Tribe have publicly stated that they feel the FSU family is part of their family.

The positive, multi-beneficial relationship of FSU and the Seminole Tribe should be one to follow in example. Teams should listen and learn to understand the Native American peoples they represent and follow paths moving toward honor of the deep history, rather than shame and mortification through continued stubborn efforts to resist change.

TKC staffers Christian Heutel and Maisie Bradley reflect on past presidents and candidate’s athletic careers prior to working in politics.

1. Before Gerald Ford entered the oval office, his name was already known because of his athletic accomplishments. As a teenager, Ford was a center on his high school football team and became one of the best in Nebraska. He continued his career at the University of Michigan and was named most valuable player his senior year. Ford received offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, but turned them down to go to law school. However, that did not mean leaving football in the past. Ford was offered a coaching job at Yale University that helped him pay off his debts from law school.

Audrey Allison

2. Ronald Reagan graduated from Dixon High School in 1928 and participated in football, basketball and track during his high school career. After high school, Reagan enrolled in Eureka College where he was on the track, football and swim teams and worked as a sports announcer on several regional radio stations after graduation in 1932.  During his acting career with Warner Brothers, the 40th President portrayed George Gipp, a Notre Dame football star in the 1940 film Knute Rockne, All American.

Bridget Killian

3. Growing up, John F. Kennedy and his family were incredibly involved in any and every sport, including golf, swimming, sailing and tennis. But the most important sport to them was football, as all four Kennedy brothers played football at Harvard University, and later the Kennedy family, including its female members, enjoyed playing touch football together. JFK played on the JV football team only during his freshman year because of illness and injury.

Paria Darafshan

4. After serving in World War II as a member of the U.S. Navy, George H. W. Bush attended Yale University where he was captain of the baseball team. He played first base and competed in the first two College World Series in 1947-48, in which his team received second place. Although he did not have much of an athletic career after this, he enjoys playing golf in his free time.

Bridget Killian

5. While growing up in Park Ridge, Ill., Hillary Clinton participated in basketball, softball and swimming. Clinton also won a mixed-doubles tennis tournament in Arkansas later in life.  When she was Secretary of State, she was involved in the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative. As a part of the initiative, Clinton invited 16 track and field athletes from the Caribbean to the White House and delivered a speech on the importance of sports, as well as the unity and equality they promote.

Erica Miget

6. The 44th President of the United States has never hidden his love for the game of basketball. Barack Obama graduated from Punahou High School in Hawaii, which has more state championships than any school in the nation. He played basketball at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and led the team in points in 1979. Obama even added basketball courts to the White House so he could continue to stay in shape and play the sport he grew up with. But since entering office, he has traded in the basketball for golf clubs.

Lizzie Stobbe

7. Besides being on the penny, Abraham Lincoln is also in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame after receiving the “Outstanding American” honor. As a young man, Lincoln was a successful wrestler and smack-talker in the ring. Out of approximately 300 matches, the 16th President of the United States only lost once. According to Carl Sandburg’s biography on Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: The War Years, after one of his many wins, he reportedly taunted the crowd by stating, “I’m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.”

Bridget Killian

8. Donald Trump is a wealthy businessman, reality TV star and Republican U.S. presidential candidate. In high school, Trump was a three-sport athlete, participating in varsity baseball, football and soccer at New York Military Academy. According to Ted Levine, former high school classmate, Trump was good enough to go pro, but never did. Currently, Trump’s only athletic ties are his membership in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame.

Erica Miget

9. Baseball was always a large part of Woodrow Wilson’s life, starting in the late 1860s when he helped establish the “Lightfoot Baseball Club,” a youth neighborhood baseball club. The 28th President of the United States played second base during his freshman year at Davidson College. During his presidency, he attended many baseball games and paid for each ticket without using the Presidential Pass. In 1915 Wilson became the first president to attend a World Series game and threw out the first pitch.

Erica Miget

10. George W. Bush attended Phillips Academy, an all-male boarding school in Andover, Mass., where he played baseball and was the head cheerleader. He then went on to Yale University where he continued his cheerleading career and joined the rugby union. Later in life, he decided to reconnect with his baseball career and became the general manager of the Texas Rangers. At the age of 43, Bush participated in his first marathon and years later he was running under seven-minute miles.

Bridget Killian

Seven KHS seniors signed letters of intent to participate in intercollegiate athletics Nov. 9 outside the Holley Gym.

Molly Jozwiakowski

School: Southern Utah University

Sport: Gymnastics

• Qualified and competed for Regionals (seven Midwest states) for the past seven years
• Qualified and competed for the last two years in the Junior Olympic National Gymnastics Championships, finishing 17th in the nation in the uneven bars in 2016, and 31st in the nation in the All-Around in 2015
• Finished 7th in the All-Around Region 4 in 2015-16
• Finished 2nd All-Around in the State of Missouri Championships in 2015

Izzy Marten

School: Drury University

Sport: Golf

• 4-time State Qualifier
• Member of 2nd place state team 2014
• 2015 All-Conference
• 2016 Conference Player of the Year
• 2016 All-State, finished 14th

Lauryn Miller

School: University of California-Los Angeles

Sport: Basketball

• #16 Overall Prospect/#2 Prospect at her position
• 2013-14 Conference Newcomer of the Year
• 2 Time All-Conference
• 2 Time All-District
• 2014-15 All-Metro
• 2015-16 All-State
• Naismith Watch List
• 9th/10th Grade Adidas All-American
• 2015 U16 Team USA Member Bronze Medal Winner
• 1,000 point club

Hava Turner

School: Academy of Art University in San Francisco

Sport: Track/Field

• 8-time All-State Track/Field
• 4×200 State Champions-2015
• 4-time Medal Winner at the Southwest Classic Track/Field Meet
  • 4×100
  • 4×200
  • 4×400

Sadie Wise

School: St. Louis University

Sport: Softball

• Conference Newcomer of the Year
• 4-time 1st Team All-Conference
• Conference Player of the Year
• 4-time All-District
• 4-time All-Region
• 3-time Academic All-State
• 2-time All-Metro
• 2-time 1st Team All-State
• Missouri Career Doubles Record

Katie Woodruff

School: Davidson College

Sport: Lacrosse

• 2015 All-State
• 2015 2nd Team All-Metro
• 2015 Scholar of Distinction by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association

Sophie Zlatarich

School: Colorado Mesa University

Sport: Lacrosse

• 2015 All-PSLA Honorable Mention

The KHS varsity football team will make its way back to the state championship game to take on Blue Springs (11-2) at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo., Friday, Nov. 18. The Pioneers advanced to state defeating Rockhurst 24-17 in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 11. The Pioneers have gone 11-1 overall in their 2016 season and currently stand as the number one team in the state according to MaxPreps. The Pioneers won the state championship in 2012 defeating Fort Osage 31-7 at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.

Common Opponent: Rockhurst

KHS beat Rockhurst  24-17

Blue Springs beat Rockhurst 24-7

Vanessa Gonzalez

Head Coaches:

KHS Farrell Shelton, 2 years

Blue Springs Kelly Donohoe, 16 years

KHS Seniors:

Reece Goddard, quarterback

Perry Jones, wide receiver

Joseph Jordan, wide receiver

Vashon Amison, wide receiver

Luke Moore, defensive tackle

Cevon Seymour, quarterback

Jack Ford, defensive back

Maeve Bradfield

Antonio Phillips, defensive back

Isaac Moye, defensive back

Tyrie Wiley, defensive tackle

Howard Hayden, defensive tackle

Ivan Barnett, linebacker

Jeffery Hill, defensive end

Spencer Raymond, offensive line

Gavin DeBoor, offensive line

Matt Capriglione, offensive line

Tyreese Norris, offensive line

Caleb Beasley, offensive line

Vanessa Gonzalez

KHS stats:

– Joseph Jordan is the only 1,000 yard receiver not named Jeremy Maclin in KHS history (1,026 yards as of Nov. 11)

– Reece Goddard is now the career passing record holder with 4,531 yards, after passing 2005 KHS grad Matt Krapfl with 4,379 yards

– Joseph Jordan has become only the second KHS player to ever catch 9 passes in a game; other player was Lion Boykin on Sept. 25, 2010

– Thru 12 games, Kirkwood has trailed at half once (vs. Chaminade) and been negative in turnover differential once (vs. Lafayette)

– The Pioneers at +18 in turnover differential & have allowed two 1st quarter touchdowns in 12 games. Opposing QBs have 5TD & 13INT

– Ranked number one in the state

– Ranked number 103 in the nation

– The Pioneers only loss was against Chaminade, 22-14

Maeve Bradfield

Blue Springs Seniors:

Stephen Benson, cornerback

Tim Berg, quarterback

Jackson Blauw, defensive back

Tyler Bronston, linebacker

Dylan Cowling, quarterback

Mason Dunn, safety

Forrest Dodge, right guard

Josh Fox, linebacker

Jake Spencer, offensive line

Spencer Johnson, cornerback

Tyree King, wide receiver

Taylor Kriessler, defensive back

Holden Liptak, linebacker

Maeve Bradfield

Keith McFarlane, defensive back

Johnnie Middleton, defensive line

Mohammad Alkhateeb, defensive end

Vincent Reyes, defensive line

Quinten Rice, defensive back

Ronnell Shelby, tight end

Connor Skinker, kicker

Tristin Williams, kicker

Joey Janes, wide receiver

Tanner Taula, wide receiver

Blue Springs Stats:

– 7-2 overall

– 5-1 conference play

– 5-time state champions: ‘92, ‘01, ‘03, ‘12, ‘13

– 2016 Suburban Gold Conference

– Class 6-District 3 champions

Maeve Bradfield

– Ranked number two in the state

– Ranked number 108 in the nation

– Blue Springs two losses are to Ray-Pec, 21-26 and at Fayettville, AR, 21-26

Boys’ freshman basketball practiced, Monday, Nov. 14,  from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The boys said they were anxious as the season started. “We play Webster the first game of the season, so that will be fun, but also kinda scary, because it’s a big deal to beat Webster,” Aidan McGee, freshman, said.

Two outs. Runner on first. Bottom of the 10th inning. The Chicago Cubs lead the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the World Series. Michael Martinez hit a slow ground ball rolls to Cubs third basemen Kris Bryant. He fields the ball with ease for the final out, and the Chicago Cubs are the 2016 World Series champions. This accomplishment has not been realized by the Cubs since their last World Series title in 1908.

Starting off the series, things looked shaky for the Cubs, as they trailed the Indians 3-1 after four games. In order for the Cubs to win, they needed to win the last three games, two of which took place in Cleveland. However, the Cubs forced a Game 7 and won the 10-inning slugfest to become World Series champions.

The exciting finale to the 2016 World Series ended the longest title drought in MLB history: one hundred and eight years. Along with significant history, the Cubs shared some bad luck along the way. From being cursed by a goat to losing a trip to the World Series by a reach of a hand, here is the timeline of the Cubs’ misfortunes in 108 title-less years.

Every Thursday during the fall, KHS’s varsity football team arrives at Lyons Stadium at 6 a.m. for practice. With great anticipation for the game the next day, the boys spend time going over various plays and final details for their upcoming opponent. Even as mornings grew colder, the boys continued to show up in hopes of pushing through to the state championship. When it comes to their focus, “We work to keep it as normal as possible,” Antonio Phillips, senior, said. “We want to treat it as a regular practice despite it being so early in the day.”

Varsity girls’ basketball started their season Nov. 7, and are preparing for their first game of the season. “Being a freshman on varsity is tough,” Natalie Bruns, freshman, said. “I definitely feel some pressure because I’m playing with girls that have such a high level of talent, but [I’m] excited to play with such great coaches and teammates.”

For the first time since 2012, the KHS football team won the MSHSAA Football State Championship. KHS students traveled to Mizzou’s Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Nov. 18 to watch the Pioneers play against the Blue Springs Wildcats in the Class 6 11-Man Championship game.

Sixty-five players loaded on two buses at noon and arrived in Columbia roughly two hours later to explore Faurot Field. Kirkwood also had two pep buses going to the game. Once all of the buses arrived in Columbia, the game began at 7 p.m.

Joseph Jordan, senior, made the first touchdown in the first quarter. Kirkwood then made another touchdown later in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Kirkwood lead 14-0. Kirkwood scored another touchdown with 10:02 left in the first half and lead 21-0. Blue Springs came back with their own touchdown and left the score 21-7 at halftime.

After a halftime performance from the KHS band and varsity dance team, the third quarter began. Pioneers lead in the end of the third quarter with a score of 28-14. In fourth quarter Kirkwood made a field goal with 4:30 left in the game. The game ended with a score of 31-14.

“When the buzzer rang at the end we had nothing else to prove,” Tyreese Norris, senior, said, “We were just doing what we [had to] do, and we won.  There are no words to describe how I felt [when we won].”

With a chili cook-off, community pep rally and football game, Thanksgiving week is full of Pioneer pride. This year, KHS celebrated their win at the Missouri Class 6A Football State Championship, Nov. 18 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. And hopefully this week they will have another reason to celebrate. The Turkey Day Game will be held at Webster Community Center Thursday, Nov. 24 at 12 p.m. As of 2015, Webster Groves leads the all-time series 53–45–5. But the Pioneers are coming off a 2016 record of 12-1, while the Statesmen struggled this year with a record of 3-6. This is also the first opportunity for the varsity team to win both the State Championship and the Turkey Day Game, since the state game was a week earlier than usual this year.

Top 10 Reasons Kirkwood Will Win…

10. Has Coach Ice melted on the hot seat yet?

9. Webster wanted the Cubs to win the World Series. At least the Cubs could end their drought, but the Statesmen…

8. Couldn’t get enough of Jeremy Maclin? Don’t worry, we have another one. Have fun with Jay for three more years (you won’t).

7. Last year, The Echo said “Webster players are real men who play on a grass field.” With a whopping ONE home win this year, that didn’t turn out too well, did it?

6. When we heard there were clowns roaming the streets, we went out and looked for Webster’s offense.

5. The Pioneers defeated Lafayette, Pattonville and Ritenour by a combined score of 105-45 this year. The Statesmen lost to the same three teams by a combined score of 85-46.

4. Webster’s September: L, L, L and L. Kirkwood’s September: W, W, W and W.

3. Webster played a real thriller in their first round loss to Pattonville 30-28. In our first playoff game we thought we’d have some fun too, so we won 58-6.

2. Kirkwood’s Class of 2017 has routed Webster’s in the past three Turkey Day games, with a combined score of 113-19.

1. Oh, yeah, and Kirkwood is the Missouri Class 6A Football State Champion. Need we say more?

Coaches:

KHS Farrell Shelton, 2 years

2016 Record: 12-1

Webster Groves Cliff Ice, 12 years

2016 Record: 3-6

2015 Turkey Day Game:

KHS defeated Webster Groves 42-13

KHS Seniors:

Reece Goddard, quarterback

Perry Jones, wide receiver

Joseph Jordan, wide receiver

Vashon Amison, wide receiver

Luke Moore, defensive tackle

Cevon Seymour, quarterback

Jack Ford, defensive back

Antonio Phillips, defensive back

Isaac Moye, defensive back

Tyrie Wiley, defensive tackle

Howard Hayden, defensive tackle

Ivan Barnett, linebacker

Jeffery Hill, defensive end

Spencer Raymond, offensive line

Gavin DeBoor, offensive line

Matt Capriglione, offensive line

Tyresse Norris, offensive line

Caleb Beasley, offensive line

Webster Groves Seniors:

Donovan Daniels, running back

Tamir Caldwell, free safety

Kron Richardson, cornerback

Josh Johnson, wide receiver

Jack Joedicke

Noah Perkins, outside linebacker

Marcell Jones, outside linebacker

Treshon Wagner, middle linebacker

Austin Rodriguez, middle linebacker

Esque Ewing, defensive tackle

Aaron Arnold

Robert Burns

Taran Barber, outside linebacker

Tyron Fantroy

The Pioneers practice for their first game Nov. 21. Courtnay Terry, freshman, is looking forward to being able to play in a game. “I am excited because I played last year and I want to improve my skills by being on this team,” Terry said.

For their first game of the 2016 season, KHS boys’ varsity and JV basketball teams are playing against Reavis High School in Burbank, Ill. The two teams departed from KHS on a charter bus at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 and will return to KHS by 8 p.m. Dec. 3. JV plays at 5 p.m. and varsity plays at 6:30 p.m. Varsity beat Reavis last year 74-57 when they played at KHS. They are also planning on touring Chicago when they arrive. The teams plan to go to Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue to shop and explore.

“This is a good way to start the season because we all get to bond and get to know each other more [on the trip],” Malik Griffin, senior, said.