KMAland stories by Trevor Maeder

This spring season, Atchison County had an outstanding showing with high school athletes breaking records and making a name for themselves on several platforms. KMAland in Shenandoah, Iowa, recently recognized a few of them:

BOYS’ GOLF

KMAland Golf Coach of the Year

Rock Port’s enjoyable season earned KMAland Golf Coach of the Year and KMAland Missouri Boys’ Golfer of the Year honors for Shawn Shineman and Tayden Cook. The latest accolades go to head golf coach Shineman and golfer Cook after the Blue Jay golf team cracked the top five at the Class 1 State Boys’ Golf Tournament.

“Enjoyable is the first word that comes to my mind,” Shineman said. “This was a great group of young men. They made coaching them easy. It was a very enjoyable season this year.”

Shineman knew from the first day that his team had a chance to do special things. “When we finished 2023, we had the expectation to place high at districts, qualify at state and compete well. They had the mindset and mentality that they were going to compete. And they did so.”

The Blue Jays hit the ground running and never looked back. “I saw the amount of time they put in over the summer,” Shineman said. “We went to the Stanberry Tournament. When we won that tournament, I thought we had the pieces to finish strong.”

KMAland Missouri Boys’ Golfer of the Year Tayden Cook led the Blue Jays’ lineup, while Tarver Muntz, Aricin Weber, Carter Gebhards and Ryland Garst made up the Blue Jays’ state-qualifying rotation. Rock Port ultimately qualified for state with a runner-up finish in their district. The Blue Jays then put together a stellar two-day showing at the Class 1 State Tournament in Joplin, carding a 717 team score to take fifth out of eight teams.

“We were pretty excited,” Shineman said. “We got down there and Tayden taking 10th place was huge. I think Ryland Garst shot the best round of golf he shot all year. Carter Gebhards improved his average and Tarver and Aricin played well, too. They wanted to compete down there. We just tried to get better and worked on ourselves. The guys did great.”

There’s a good chance the Blue Jays will contend for a state tournament bid again next year as Cook, Weber and Garst are all returning. “We’re looking to see who can step in,” Shineman said. “I know the older guys will show them the ropes. I hope we continue to build what we have going right now and keep playing good golf.”

 

KMAland Missouri Boys’ Golfer of the Year

Rock Port’s Tayden Cook balanced dual sporting in baseball and golf to claim KMAland’s Missouri Golfer of the Year honors. Cook spent the majority of the spring swinging something, whether that be a golf club or baseball bat and he had success on both the baseball diamond and golf course. However, his showing on the latter earned him this KMAland recognition.

Cook was a state medalist and the leader on a Rock Port team that finished fifth at the Class 1 State Boys’ Golf Tournament. “We set a goal at the start of the season to earn a district title,” Cook said. “We fell short of that, but it was a great season for our team.”

While this is an individual award, Cook is quick to give credit to his teammates for helping make the season so memorable. “We had great chemistry,” Cook said. “We had a great bond. There was a lot of depth on our team. State was a different animal. We got there and the nerves set it.”

Cook led the Blue Jays to their fifth-place team state finish as he took 10th in the individual standings with a two-day score of 160. “After day one, I had to be an attacker,” he said. “The goal for myself was top 10 because that was something Rock Port had never done. I had a rough day one. I came out hot on day two, played a great round and got my end goal. I felt it could have been better, but it was a good performance.”

Cook made up for his first day by relying on what got him there — his short game. “Throughout the year, I worked on my short game,” he said. “That’s where I made up most of my strokes.”

When Cook wasn’t starring on the golf course, he helped the Rock Port baseball team earn an 11-8 record by hitting .305 with 13 RBIs. “It’s always a challenge, but I love both sports,” Cook said. “I love the spring season because it’s fun to get to do both.”

Cook, who will be a junior next year, looks forward to dabbling in both sports next spring. And he has bigger goals in mind for the golf season. “I like to set hard goals for myself,” he said. “Eventually, I want to be a state champion.”

GIRLS’ TRACK

KMAland Track & Field Coach of the Year

Rock Port’s girls’ track dominant title run landed Thomas Herron as KMAland Track & Field Coach of the Year. The Rock Port Lady Blue Jays experienced championship glory at state.

To the victor goes the spoils and those spoils included the Lady Jays flexing their muscles throughout the year with one stellar team performance after another, culminating in the program’s first state title in 16 years. “The community really rallied around the track team this year,” Herron said. “It was a great thing. We weren’t just built around one coach or one athlete. It was exciting to see them perform this year.”

Coach Herron knew early on that he had a special team on his hands. “Our first true meet was down in Lathrop,” he said. “We thought we had a winning formula. We scored 102 points to beat several Class 2 schools. I kind of knew at that point that we might have something special.”

The Lady Jays continued that early momentum with strong regular-season showings at the Blue Jay Relays, Indian Relays and 275 Conference Meet. “Those meets stuck out to me,” Herron said. “We put girls in different events and scored across the board. It took everybody to accomplish that.”

The girls, with a team of only 12 runners, averaged an astonishing 104 points per meet throughout the 2024 season. They tallied 71 points at the state meet to capture the program’s sixth title. The Blue Jays were versatile en route to the championship title. Ella Meyerkorth (300 meter hurdles) and Rylee Jenkins (discus) set state records and won titles. Meyerkorth was also the runner-up in the 100 meter hurdles and both Meyerkorth and Jenkins medaled in the javelin. Norah Watkins took third in the 3200 meter run and seventh in the 1600 meter run. Avery Meyerkorth was second in the 800 meter run and fourth in the long jump. Landry Kelly placed 6th in the pole vault. The 4×400 and 4×800 meter relays also scored points with their 3rd and 2nd place finishes.

“Command and conquer,” Herron said. “We had 12 events. We scored in all events. We had the mentality of doing the best we could. At the end of the day, that’s all you can control. As long as you give your best, the results will happen. At the state meet, our girls gave it everything they had, and it worked out well.”

The 2024 Rock Port team joins the rich lore of Rock Port track & field teams, such as the 2008 team that is now a member of the KMA Sports Hall of Fame and the many teams led by recent KMA Sports Hall of Fame inductee Del Stoltenberg. “To bring it back means a lot for Rock Port,” Herron said. “It’s rewarding to see the kids can have that same feeling.”

The Lady Blue Jays’ winning seasons might continue. They had only one senior this year. While that senior – KMAland Missouri Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year Rylee Jenkins – played a big role, the cupboard is far from bare. The rest of the lineup returns, and they’ll bring in a strong freshman class. “Rylee was a phenomenal athlete,” Herron said. “We’ve got a good group of juniors coming back, and this eighth-grade class is a large class that had dominance in junior high. Having that experience will pay dividends.”

Herron is the second consecutive Atchison County coach to claim this honor after a state championship season. East Atchison’s Joe Unternahrer was the 2023 KMAland Track & Field Coach of the Year.

KMAland Missouri Girls’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year

The lone senior on Rock Port’s state championship girls’ track squad and a 3-time state champion is the 2024 KMAland Missouri Girls’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Rylee Jenkins set the tone for the young Lady Blue Jay track squad, shining in both relays and throwing events, shattering a state record and capturing another state title, all while leading the Lady Jays to their first state title in 16 years.

“We worked really hard all year,” Jenkins said. “Our goal all year was to be state champs. We accomplished that. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Jenkins did a little bit of everything, collecting four state medals at the Missouri State Track & Field Championship. She was part of 4×800 and 4×400 meter relay teams that finished second and third. Jenkins also claimed a state championship in the discus and finished fifth in the javelin.

“I’m very versatile,” Jenkins said. “I didn’t start throwing discus until halfway through seventh grade. I’ve been in love with both (running and field events). Running isn’t something I’m the best at, but I do well at both. With the amount of girls we have, we use them in any way possible to score as many points as possible.”

Jenkins has been a staple in the 800 meter races throughout her career. Hence, her presence in the 4×800 meter relay. “It’s not a fun race,” she said. “But the team aspect of it makes it fun. It really pushes you to run the best for them.”

Jenkins’ presence in the javelin has been a recent addition to her repertoire. The Oklahoma State signee picked up the event last year and quickly caught on. “I started out pretty slow,” she said. “There are a lot of small technical details. I’ve figured it out and hope to continue doing it throughout college.”

The discus, meanwhile, has been Jenkins’ bread and butter throughout her career. She captured three state titles in that event, the latest of which came in May with a state-record throw of 44.58 meters (146-03.00). “I’ve worked all year to hit my goal of 150,” she said. “I hit that at sectionals. My other goal was to hit the state record. Almost every one of my throws was over the state record. That was my big goal. It’s exciting. This is something I never would have imagined during my freshman year. To have the opportunity to be a three-time state champion is exciting.”

Both the discus and javelin require precise technique. However, Jenkins embraced the challenge that came with that. “They’re both technical events that have little details,” she said. “Messing up one is the difference between a PR and an average throw. Your power comes from your hip rotation. That is similar. In some aspects, the discus has helped me with the javelin.”

Perhaps even more important than Jenkins’ dominance in her events was the leadership role she took on for Rock Port’s talented, but young lineup. “Being the oldest on the team, I had the most experience,” she said. “I helped everybody get to where they needed. It was fun helping everybody.”

Jenkins undoubtedly helped put the Rock Port program in a better place than it was when she hit high school in 2021. “It’s exciting,” Jenkins said. “I’ve loved watching all the girls grow and improve. We worked super hard. The whole team deserved this. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do in the next couple of years.”

All-KMAland Girls’ Track & Field Team

Jenkins also joined fellow teammate Ella Meyerkorth and East Atchison’s Tommi Martin and Lizzie Schlueter as members of the All-KMAland Girls’ Track & Field Team.

For Meyerkorth, her hurdle runs usually edged out the competition. Sophomore Meyerkorth emerged as a rising star in KMAland track this year setting a state record in the 300 meter hurdles and finishing second in the 100 meter hurdles. She also took sixth place in the javelin.

For East Atchison’s Tommi Martin, the future as a Missouri State Bear is a bright one. Martin won the state title in the javelin, took third in the 800 meter run, and contributed to top-three-medaling 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams.

East Atchison’s Lizzie Schlueter was another versatile piece to a really good Lady Wolves’ team. Schlueter won the state title in the 100 meter hurdles, finished third in the 300 meter hurdles and contributed to the 4×400 and 4×200 teams that medaled with second and fourth place finishes, respectively. She will be a tough one to beat as a senior next year.