Sports

ORRICK – New varsity 8-man football coach Kirk Thacker brings an oldschool, smash-mouth philosophy of offense to Orrick. Thacker plans to run the ball often, as he did during his tenures with Hardin-Central and then the Norborne Hardin-Central co-op.

RICHMOND – Junior Sarah Brungardt praised new varsity volleyball coach Crystal Turner. “She knows how to coach volleyball,” Brungardt said during practice Aug.

RICHMOND – The Spartans cross country program has candidates to fill the void left by 2020 graduates Jude Rumbaugh and Rylee Adams. Rumbaugh placed 124th at state in 2019 and 91st in ’20.

RICHMOND – A crop of first-year high schoolers caused a spike in softball turnout, Spartans varsity coach Staci Maddux said. There were 28 girls in the program when practices started around midnight Aug.

HARDIN – The Bulldogs take a senior-laden squad into their varsity softball season. Of the 11 players on coach and Richmond High School alumna Brandee Doyle’s roster, five are seniors: Sadie Clariday, Morgan Finley, Abby McNelly, Alyssa Rechtermann and Mackenzie Smith.

HARDIN – New Norborne Hardin-Central varsity coach Andrew Watson found reasons to be upbeat about the coming 8-man football season after the Aggies’ preseason jamboree Aug. 20 at Braymer.

HARDIN – Mason Freece knows what would constitute a mic drop for his final cross country season: qualifying for the Class 1 state meet for the third time. Freece placed 93rd in 2019 and 92nd in 2020.