In my latest installment of the “Getting to Know” series, I chat with new Hannibal-LaGrange University women’s basketball coach Caleb Harrison.We talk about how the New Zealander arrived in America, which style of basketball he prefers — NBA or international; and what goals he has for the Lady Trojans this winter.
To read more about his team, check out this feature I did on two NCAA Division I transfers who should make a big impact on HLGU this season.
This week, I had a chat with Quincy University sophomore defensive end Cory Connolly for the latest edition of “Getting to Know.”
We talked about the difference in playing at Flinn Stadium as opposed to QU-Stadium; who Connolly roots for in the NFL; what the transition was like from living in Aurora to living in Quincy; and if Connolly is ever going to cut his hair.
In the latest installment of Getting to Know, I break it down with Quincy University women’s soccer player Jaclyn Mastroianni. One of many St. Louis products on the Lady Hawks’ roster, I chat with her about what it’s like to be playing alongside so many products from the Gateway City; what the Lady Hawks’ goals are for the season; who her favorite players are; and what she’d be doing if she wasn’t playing soccer.
In this week’s edition of “Getting to Know,” I break it down with Hannibal-LaGrange University women’s soccer player Fernanda Miaci. The junior from Brazil is rewriting the school’s record book. She already owns the school’s scoring record and will be HLGU’s all-time leader in goals with her next tally.
We talk about what it’s like coming from a big family — she’s has seven brothers and sisters. We also touch on what soccer is like in Brazil, especially on the days that the men’s teams plays in the World Cup, why she chose to come to HLGU and how much she knows about Mark Twain.
In the latest installment of “Getting to Know,” I chat with Quincy University senior men’s soccer player Grant Ellison. Ellison talks about how tough ending last season in the NCAA Tournament was for the Hawks, why he loves to fly, airplane food, and if the U.S. men’s national soccer team will ever win the World Cup.
In this latest edition of “Getting to Know,” I sit down with first-year Culver-Stockton College football coach Jeff Duvendeck.
Hired by the school in July, Duvendeck has hit the ground running, including a 35-10 victory over Graceland last week in his debut.
We talk about how he celebrated his first win as a head coach, who he tries to pattern his coaching style after and who his favorite football team is.
In this week’s edition, we chat about the games of the week on the prep football scene, get Matt Schuckman’s take on the Quincy soccer scene and ask Blake Toppmeyer when (or if) the Quincy High School girls volleyball team is going to lose a match.
The Wildcats won their first season-opener since 2005, giving Jeff Duvendeck a win in his first game as the Wildcats’ head coach.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s stars from Ellison Poulton Stadium:
1. Marcus Maas
The true freshman from Tinley Park will never forget his first college football game. He scooped up a Graceland fumble at the 1-yard line and dove into the end zone for a third-quarter score. He added another TD in the fourth quarter when he pounced on a blocked punt in the end zone to help drive one of the final nails in the Yellowjackets’ coffin. He added a monster sack of Graceland quarterback Matt Fink just for good measure.
2. Dontay McGaffie
Making his return to the C-SC lineup after sitting out last season, McGaffie was too much for the Yellowjackets’ defense to handle. The senior wide receiver made six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He caught scoring passes of 47 and 14 yards from Jacob Harnacke, who was also back after redshirting last season. McGaffie gives the Wildcats something they haven’t had in their passing game for a while — a legitmate deep threat.
3. Jeff Duvendeck
You have to wonder if he’s even had time to unpack his house. Hired in July after Cam Keller resigned to join the staff at Winona State, Duvendeck managed to craft a winner in his first game out. The Wildcats looked better all the way around — offense, defense and special teams. When Keller left, he said he knew that this team was going to win some games. Duvendeck may be cooking with the groceries that Keller bought him, but it doesn’t appear to be a fluke that the Wildcats tore apart Graceland. And don’t be surprised if its now two straight wins when the Wildcats head to Peru State next week. Don’t print the playoff tickets yet, but the days of the Cats being the laughingstock of the Heart of America Athletic Conference may be ending soon.
DOBservations
The Wildcats’ last season-opening win also came in the first game for a C-SC skipper as Christian Guenther won his first-ever game when the Cats upset Lindenwood. … The game resembled a baseball score for much of the first half thanks to a C-SC field goal and a safety and a Graceland field goal. … The Wildcats seemed to be much more hard-hitting. Dylan Braden, a sophomore defensive back, had a couple of nice pops. … C-SC also pulled off what has to be the worst fake punt in the history of fake punts. C-SC punter Greg Kindle tried to fake out Graceland on an attempt near midfield by tossing the ball up underhanded about 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The ball fell to the ground as both teams tried to catch the ball. It was pretty ugly. … C-SC had a nice pregame ceremony for the late Max Zumwalt, who died outside of LaGrange, Mo., in a January car accident. … As you’ll see from the video below, the few C-SC students who made it to the game were happy about the win. Sadly, no one went for the goal posts. … Saturday marked the first time since Oct. 20, 2007 — which was the Cats’ last home win — that C-SC and Quincy University’s football teams won on the same day.
Last school year, DOBservations entered the video realm with the introduction of the “Getting To Know” series. After sporadic appearances, the feature is here to stay. Every Saturday during the school year, I’ll hit the various college campuses in the area and help you get to know some of the coaches and athletes a bit better.
Up first is Quincy University quarterback Bobby Brenneisen. He’ll be behind center tonight as the Hawks try to snap an 11-game losing streak when they open the season at Flinn Stadium against Iowa Wesleyan.
For years, the SportsWriters Show as a staple on CGEM cable TV in Quincy. The show won its time slot year after year after year until the plug was pulled on it a few years back.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, we’ve been able to bring back the old show. Each week during the high school sports season, I’ll break it down with Sports Writer Matt Schuckman and Blake Toppmeyer about what’s going on. The 8- to 10-minute chats will be about local sports. We’ll run the gamut, too.
Enjoy.
