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Friday, May 17, 2013

Vianney Takes Volleyball State Title

Vianney defeated Westminster Christian Academy for the Class 3 championship Friday night.

St. John Vianney High School is a state champion in volleyball for the 17th time, defeating Westminster Christian Academy for the Class 3 title Friday night. The Vianney Griffins won the championship in two sets, played at Maryville University. Westminster lost the first set 27-25, and the second 25-20, according to the school's Twitter feed. Vianney wrapped up the season with a 25-7 record, bidding a grand farewell with a state win to seniors Nick Allen, Brenden Keller, Sam Reynolds and Josh Thum. What do you think? Did you follow the Griffins' season this year? Wish the team congratulations in the comments.

Tony Grasso

8:04 am on Saturday, May 18, 2013

This dynasty continues! Jeff Gabbert might be the best coach of any sport in the St. Louis area...   more ›

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Vianney Volleyball Taking a Shot at State Title

The Griffins prepare to square off against Parkway Central tonight in the State Semifinals.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Vianney's Matt Mueller Takes Part of Golf State Title

The junior at Vianney shares the state championship after a two-day tournament in Springfield.

Vianney High School junior Matt Mueller teed off in the golf Class 4 state championship Monday to conclude the tournament as a co-champion Tuesday. Mueller shares the title with Rockhurst's Patrick Byrne, tying with 146 over the two-round tournament at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo., according to Vianney's website. See other state results at the Missouri High School Athletic Association's website. READ MORE ABOUT VIANNEY ON KIRKWOOD PATCH:   Join Kirkwood Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

St. Joe Cruises Into District Finals With Easy 6-2 Win Over Ursuline

2 goals for Kaley Nieters in the second half. Angels face either Webster or Nerinx in the finals Wednesday,

There are differences between St. Joe and Ursuline Academy soccer teams. For one, St. Joe does not have to play its freshman goal keeper; Ursuline does. Ursuline freshman keeper Jaime Spath was tested early and often and the Angels peppered the Bear nets for a relatively easy 6-2 district semifinal win. The Angels have a fine freshman themselves in Rosie Breheny, but they start with sophomore Kelsey Ponder who has more experience. The win sets up the Angels (15-2) against Webster Groves, 1-0 winner over Nerinx Hall. The Angels-Webster game will be played on the Angels' home turf Wednesday at 4 o’clock. Hot or cold, sunny or not, the Angels keep on rolling. Six different attackers scored in the home win. Kaley Nieters notched a key second-…

Friday, May 10, 2013

'Keep Watching 50': Basketball Tournament Shoots to Remember Kirkwood's Anthony Smith

The Anthony Smith Memorial 3-on-3 basketball tournament is prepping for its 5th year benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other area partners.

Anthony Smith was a graduate of Kirkwood High School in 2001. Anthony Smith played varsity basketball at Kirkwood for four years and went on to play for Loyola University in Chicago. Anthony was also diagnosed with leukemia. After battling for three years, Anthony passed away just before his 25th birthday in 2008. Anthony's twin brother, Antoine, was also a member of both Kirkwood's and Loyola's basketball teams, and has chosen to remember his brother with the Anthony Smith Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. The tournament is entering its 5th year, gearing up for games May 18. "(Antoine) wanted to bring together the divisions in Kirkwood," Lisa Wagner, a tournament organizer who graduated with the Smith brothers, told Patch. "Our goal …

Thursday, May 9, 2013

From Poo to Pro: Kirkwood's Brandon Williams' Odd Training for Baltimore Ravens

Hard work was part of the Ravens rookie's background—including an unusual job that kept him in top condition.

The Baltimore Sun has a nice profile of Kirkwood's Brandon Williams, who was just drafted by the Baltimore Ravens National Football League team as a defensive lineman. And the punchline? Williams spent the last summer hauling and cleaning portable toilets. Here's the money line, prominently featured near the top of the Sun's profile: "Sometimes, you got a little poop on you," Williams told the Sun. "Every time I was doing that, I said to myself, 'I gotta work harder, I'm not doing this the rest of my life.' It motivated me to get better." Williams was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft by the Ravens and was the 94th overall pick in the draft. Growing up in Kirkwood, Mo., Williams was raised by his mother, Shelly Washington. A …

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sportsmanship Wins In Parkway North-Kirkwood Baseball Matchup

The first pitch of the game gave at least one player goosebumps.

The record books will show that Parkway North defeated Kirkwood Tuesday afternoon in a win that clinched a conference championship for the Vikings. While Connor Ladig got credit for the win, the victor for the day may be sportsmanship. Parkway North had Brian Thal, a student manager enrolled in the school's Special Education program, take the mound. As Head Baseball Coach Fred Friedman told Patch Blogger Helga Taylor: A couple of weeks ago, our seniors mentioned they wanted Brian to throw out a first pitch for Senior Day, but we wanted him to have a bigger and better experience.  With the gracious support of Coach Shaw and Kirkwood, we were able to arrange for him to actually be the starting pitcher of record, and for Brian's safety, …

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Kirkwood High Basketball Coach Named Missouri Coach of the Year

Head Boys Basketball Coach Bill Gunn received the honor this year.

The following information was provided by the Kirkwood School District. KHS Basketball Coach Named Missouri Coach of the Year Bill Gunn, Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Kirkwood High School, has been named as the National High School Basketball Coaches Association Missouri Coach of the Year. A committee of members of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) selected Coach Gunn for this honor. He was presented with the award at the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Academic All-State banquet on April 29 at Drury University in Springfield, MO. Coach Gunn has an extensive basketball resume including working as a head coach at Cuba, Hillsboro, Northwest House Springs and currently at Kirkwood High School, where he earned his …

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Skills as Caddie Earn Ursuline Senior Full Ride to Mizzou

Learn about the school's first ever Evans Scholar.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

28 Inducted into Kirkwood School District's Athletic Hall of Fame

The honor recognizes athletes, coaches and members of the community who contributed to sports programs at Kirkwood schools.

The Kirkwood School District inducted 28 former athletes, coaches and community members into the Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this month. At a banquet ceremony April 13, several inductees shared acceptance speeches and memories to a crowd of more than 400, according to the school district. The Hall of Fame Class of 2013 includes: Athletes: The Pioneer Award: Legendary Coaches: What do you think? Were you teammates with or coached by any of these hall of famers? Tell us in the comments. This information was provided by the Kirkwood School District.

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