Month: January 2019

Its always a special day when a local athlete signs a letter of intent to continue their athletic career at the next level.  It happened again today at Hollister.

Craigon Bradley made her decision offical, she will take her running talents to Baldwin City, Kansas and compete for Baker University.  She signed her award letter today, at the Hollister High School Library, in front of family and friends.

Coach Scott Wenger told the crowd about her hard work and how happy he was to have had the chance to work with her.  She represented the Lady Tigers at the State Meet his past fall.

Baker University is part of the Heart of America Conference and competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

BradleySigning (click on link to hear interview with Bradley)

When preparing  a scouting report to play the Reeds Spring girls basketball team, number one on the list is FIND # 13.  Its not hard, she will, most likely, be the one with the ball, pushing the offense.

That number 13 is Kalena Asbill.  She is the little 5 foot 3 inch dynamo that makes the Lady Wolves go.  Earlier this season she reached rare air, for Reeds Spring Lady Wolves basketball by entering the 1,000 point club.  Yesterday, she joined another club.  She signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her basketball and academic career at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.

Coach Mike Power is happy to land Asbill.  He thinks that her ball handling ability and ability to score can help them right away.  He made the trip down from Sioux City to be present at the signing.

Asbill has the season and career steals records for Reeds Spring and continues her climb up the career scoring chart.

Briar Cliff is part of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (G-PAC)

AsbillSigning  (Click on link to hear interview with Kalena)

Its time for what I deem as the number one local sports story of 2018.

After looking at it time and time again, I kept coming up with the same answer…… BRIAN MOLER.

You may ask how an assistant coach stepping down could be the number one story of the year.  Well, Brian Moler is not just any assistant coach.

The man who is responsible for making Reeds Spring football relevant has decided to leave the sidelines and devote his full attention to his administrative duties.

When Moler came to Reeds Spring the football program was a mess.  Jeremy Hays had finished two tough years.  The Wolves were 2-18 under his leadership and lacked direction.

Moler took over the head coaching duties, and while winning did not happen immediately, you could start to see a change.  Focus and Direction improved.  Off-Season became more of a priority. By 2012, the turnaround was revealed on the field; seven wins for the first time in 15 years.  And it just took off from there.

But, to me its not just about the wins.  Its how he did it.  He surrounded himself with a great staff.  He did a great job of mentoring some young coaches and brought in some great experience to mix in with it.   You add the hiring of Lance Gosch to it and the the program was ready to reach heights it had never seen.  And, it has improved even more with more additions.

When he moved into the assistant principal role, he gave up head coaching duties and became part of Coach Gosch’s staff.  For many that could be tough, but the two of them were great with the transition and the program has continued to thrive.

But most important of all, is the influence on the lives of countless young men and women he has had as a coach and school leader.

Just like everyone I love to win.  But, for me, the best job a coach can do is to help students become better future spouses and parents.  In my opinion, there is no doubt that Brian Moler has done that, from the start.  Whether it was Reeds Spring, Aurora, Strafford, or Hillcrest, Moler has left a big impact everywhere he has been.

Finally, I would me remiss to not mention his biggest supporter, his wife Amy.  She has been by his side every step of the way.  Her love and support have been a huge reason that Brian has been able to do the job he has done.  Together, they have build a family that is a shining example for everyone.