State vote keeps Eagle Ridge on the road

Over the past month, it's been good news and bad news for Eagle Ridge Christian Academy in its quest to enter the arena of mainstream athletics in Missouri.

The good news: In April, Eagle Ridge received its long sought-after accreditation from the North Central Accrediting Association, which clears the way for it to join the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).

The bad news: The MSHSAA member schools failed to pass a proposal earlier this month that would have allowed affiliate membership for non-member schools like Eagle Ridge.

The bad news isn't devastating in nature for Eagle Ridge, but it is a setback of sorts since the school does not plan to join the MSHSAA in the immediate future.

"We were really disappointed," Eagle Ridge principal Janice Margrabe said. "Because everybody had told us, 'Oh, it's gonna pass, it's gonna pass.'"

The amendment, the only one among 14 proposals that failed, would have allowed affiliates to play members in athletic events. It needed two-thirds approval by MSHSAA members, but the vote fell short at 64 percent. Fourteen more yes votes on the 464 ballots would have created affiliate membership. In that case, Eagle Ridge would only have had to pay a registration fee to add MSHSAA members to its schedule next school year. Approval would have provided a gradual crossover for Eagle Ridge instead of the sudden full-body plunge into the MSHSAA.

Margrabe said Eagle Ridge, which had boys and girls basketball and volleyball this school year, is working toward adding boys soccer in the fall as well as softball and baseball in the spring. She said joining the MSHSAA at this point of the year wouldn't allow time to schedule opponents.

It looks like at least one more high-mileage year for the school, which routinely travels to Illinois and to St. Louis for competition.

"As of right now we're staying in the Missouri Christian Athletic Association," Margrabe said. "We'll make that determination again around the end of the year. We are eligible to join MSHSAA, and we're definitely going to do that at some point. I don't know if it will be in the next year or so, but that's our goal. It will limit our travel. We travel many, many miles."

In the meantime, Margrabe said the school is trying to bring the Missouri Christian Athletic Association basketball finals to Cape Girardeau next year. Joplin is the site of MCAA championships in all sports.

"That would be good," Margrabe said. "We get tired of traveling."

Area basketball players selected for all-star team

Several area seniors have been selected to play in the St. John's Midwest Medicine Missouri Basketball All-Star Games on July 11 at the Hammons Center in Springfield.

Jenna Leet of Jackson and Ashley Millham of Notre Dame are on the Class 4-5 girls roster. Rebecca Below of Delta is on the Class 1-3 girls roster.

Young guns show the way in state golf tournament

Youth was served at the Missouri state golf championships held Monday and Tuesday. Of the individual state champions crowned in the four classes, only one was a senior. It's further proof of the talent being cultivated at the youth levels.

Sophomore Zach Pranger of Chaminade won the Class 4 title with a two-day, 3-under-par total, while juniors Dean Merrill of Pembroke Hill and Kyle Marcolla of Chillicothe won the Class 2 and 3 titles, respectively.

In Class 1, Aaron Vandegraff of Belle was the lone senior state champion. Even then, Vandegraff had to overtake a sophomore first-day leader in Salisbury's Brandon Stolle. Stolle's sophomore teammate Gabe George finished second to Vandegraff.