Herkenhoff molds himself, finds Bell City is a good fit

Editor's note: The spelling of Quinton Herkenhoff's name has been corrected in this story.

Bell City senior Quinton Herkenhoff knows about turnarounds.

He and the Cubs baseball team have come a long way since his freshman year.

"My freshman year, we went 2-18," Herkenhoff said. "We started off with two wins, and then we lost 18 straight."

Three years later, the Cubs are 23-3 and will be playing Northwest (Hughesville) on Tuesday in the school's first Class 1 final four appearance in baseball.

"It's a great way to end," said Herkenhoff, one of two seniors on the team. "Most seniors would love the opportunity to end their season on a high note. You can't get any higher than state."

Herkenhoff recently graduated as Bell City's valedictorian, topping his 19-student class with a 4.25 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. It's been a transformative four years for the 6-foot-2, 270-pound senior, who moved down from the St. Louis area as a 400-pound-plus freshman looking for a new start.

His playing role never has been a big one in his four years of baseball and basketball at Bell City, although he started at first base most of his first two years with the Cubs. An influx of talented underclassmen the past couple of years has reduced his role to a part-time designated hitter and pinch-hitter.

However, he's put his brain and dedication to work for Cubs coach Justin Simpher, becoming a player with a keen eye, helping align players in the field based on hitters' tendencies and trying to pick up on opponents' signs, all while keeping the scorebook and younger players in line.

"He's kind of a backbone," sophomore pitching ace Austin Hicks said. "If we're ever goofing off in practice, which don't happen much because, trust me, coach doesn't let much get past him, but if coach doesn't see it and Quenton sees it, he's the first one to tell us to straighten up. He's just a senior. He's been here and been through it."

Under the surface is respect developed for Herkenhoff over the years. Younger players use words like "motivator" and "inspirational" when talking about their teammate.

"He's been a blessing to the school and to the team," junior Nate Finney said. "He's just one of those kids that's bright. He's unbelievable and amazing what he can do in the classroom and for the team. He just works so well with his teammates and helps bring everybody together. He's good to have."

Herkenhoff arrived at Bell City as a 15-year-old with a 54-inch waist at a weight that remains a bit of a mystery.

"Our scales at the school didn't go high enough," Herkenhoff said.

He was sent to the local Bell-Mo Seed Seed Company, where the scale read 358 pounds.

"That was two months into school, but I had already lost quite a bit," Herkenhoff said.

Herkenhoff, whose parents divorced when he was young, had made the move down from Hazelwood, Missouri, a suburb north of St. Louis, to live with his older brother Jarrod Herkenhoff and his wife, Melissa, who is a teacher at Bell City High School. Herkenhoff had been home-schooled for a year after finishing eighth grade in Hazelwood but decided he wanted to return to the public education system. He opted for a move to Bell City, a place he often visited for a week at a time.

"It was more of a new start," Herkenhoff said. "I've never really been a city person. I don't like the big cities. I'd always come down here, and it was always more comfortable, smaller, slower paced."

He saw the small Class 1 school, with an enrollment of around 60, as more of an opportunity to get involved in athletics. Had he stayed in the St. Louis area, he would have attended Hazelwood West, a school that has an enrollment of more than 2,100 students.

"If I went to high school up in St. Louis, tryouts, I wouldn't have been able to," Herkenhoff said. "But [Bell City] gave me the opportunity to play. Everyone can play."

He had played baseball and basketball until sixth grade but had not participated on an organized team for three years.

"I wasn't happy with my weight any more," said Herkenhoff, who said the issue always had been a problem for him. "I just wanted to try something new, so I joined the sports team."

He entered Bell City as a freshman and began conditioning for basketball season in the fall.

"Looking at the guy, you never would have thought he'd try out for basketball and baseball, and he did, and it helped him out a lot," sophomore pitcher Bobby Wright said.

The pounds came off Herkenhoff, but not without pain.

"Starting off, it was hard adjusting. The weight killed me," Herkenhoff said. "The body hurt. It was a little bit harder than what it normally would be."

Herkenhoff said he started on the JV team but noted the team had only five players.

"I was playing regardless," Herkenhoff said with a smile.

With the relentless running involved in games and grueling practices, Herkenhoff's weight dropped to 330 pounds by the end of the season.

"We ran enough where it didn't matter what I ate or how much, I'd still see weight loss," Herkenhoff said.

By the end of his freshman baseball season, his weight was down to 300.

"I think he wanted to play baseball and change some things, obviously his weight, and it was wise," said Simpher, who was in his first year at Bell City, serving as an assistant on the baseball team. "He made a big change over a year's time."

As more talent began to enter the high-school doors, Herkenhoff's role diminished in basketball and baseball despite putting in the work. Line drills, which he struggled with mightily with during basketball practices, were not rewarded on game day.

"The last three years have been rough in basketball, not much playing time really," Herkenhoff said.

The Cubs again struggled in baseball during his sophomore season, although promise arrived with the addition of freshmen such as Peyton Maddox, Tyler Evans and Brandon Abner. Further improvement came last season with a crop of freshmen that included Cole Nichols, Jesse Smith, Hicks and Wright.

Their roles on the field have expanded while Herkenhoff's has diminished. But all have witnessed his relentless spirit in baseball and basketball.

"He'a a total inspiration," Nichols said. "Somebody that doesn't give up on you no matter what. He's going to be with you through it all. Even if he can't do it, he's there."

Herkenhoff embodies a mantra Simpher constantly preaches to his players.

"We've had a quote about hard work paying off, and he's just been a true testament to the team," Simpher said. "Right there in front of you is an example, 'Yeah, there are times when things are going to be tough and you're going to do things you don't want to, but keep working hard, and somewhere, it's going to pay off.' That's kind of what we always talk about. You can never go wrong working hard. You're only going to get better in all areas of your lives in general, and they've definitely seen the transformation from the hard work he's put in and where he's been and where he's come to now, as a player and as an individual."

Maddox has had a prominent role with the Cubs, batting cleanup in the lineup and leading in RBIs, but he appreciates the effort -- witnessing him trying to keep pace in some heated basketball practices over the past three years -- and contribution made by Herkenhoff,

"It's definitely made me respect him," Maddox said."Somebody that gets out there and does it. He could have given up any time, but he just really kept going with it. We helped push him and kept on him about it. But it's really been all him."

As for Herkenhoff, he's content with the decision he made four years ago and with his role of helping in any area he can as the Cubs press for an historic state title.

Regardless of the outcome, he realizes it's been a winning situation for him.

He plans to attend Southeast Missouri State next year to pursue a degree in biochemistry with the intention of becoming an anesthesiologist one day.

"He's really smart," Nichols said. "He's going to help a lot of people whenever he gets older."

Herkenhoff credits his involvement in sports at Bell City with helping him with weight loss and finding acceptance at a new school.

"It helped tremendously, because the guys I played sports with for the past years are now like family," Herkenhoff said.