Waynesville’s Katie Pritchard was the finest female prep athlete in the Ozarks during the 2007-08 school year.
So says the Springfield News-Leader.
If you get a chance to get on-line and check out the News-Leader website, take a look at the Monday, June 23 sports edition. The paper selected Pritchard – Waynesville’s record-setting, two-sport all-stater – as the Ozark’s 2007-08 Female Prep Athlete of the Year. Accompanying a fine story, explaining how Pritchard’s athletic role model was former Missouri State All-America basketball player Jackie Stiles, are several interesting photos of Pritchard as both a basketball and soccer player.
Pritchard was named all-state in basketball as a Lady Tiger senior, helping WHS win a second straight district tournament championship and advancing to the ’07-08 Class 5 Quarterfinals.
She was also a four-year Missouri Class 2 All-State selection in soccer and helped the Lady Tigers win back-to-back Ozark Conference titles. Pritchard’s 171 career goals set an all-time Missouri Class 2 record.
For college Pritchard decided on basketball and has already moved to Springfield, where she will be a member of the Drury University women’s basketball squad.
It’s a nice honor for Pritchard. Then again, we here in Waynesville have known she’s the best female athlete in the Ozarks for some time now.
—-
Area Presence At MU
As the Mizzou Tiger football program appears on the verge of building a national power, there will be several ex-Ozark Conference players on the roster the next couple of years.
Last week’s announcement that Lebanon offensive lineman Justin Britt (6-5, 270) has made a verbal commitment to Mizzou ups the number of area players who will eventually be in the Tiger system the next couple of years.
A pair of Ozark Conference seniors for the 2008 season have already made verbal commitments to MU – Britt and Springfield Glendale wide receiver Alex Sanders. Sanders (6-5, 205) caught 71 passes for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior in 2007. Mizzou’s spread offense appeals to him.
Verbal commitments are not binding. The first day NCAA football programs can sign prep recruits will be Feb. 4, 2009.
Currently on the Mizzou roster is Springfield Hillcrest graduate Chris Earnhardt (6-5, 240), who will be a redshirt freshman defensive end this coming fall, and Rolla graduate Levi Hamilton (5-10, 192), a transfer from Westminster College who is listed as a junior tight end.
In addition, former Houston (Mo.) High School all-stater Jeff Gettys (6-3, 225) is a linebacker for Mizzou. Gettys helped the Houston Tigers advance to the Missouri Class 2 Semifinals a couple of seasons.
Houston is a member of the South-Central Association (SCA) conference.
- —
