It was a great night at the Fourth Annual 1 Awards. Get caught up with all of the winners below.
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FALL SPORTS
Best Football Player: Malachi Stout, Kickapoo
He helped Kickapoo reach the Class 6 state semifinals, rushing for 1,474 yards and 33 touchdowns on 250 carries, including eight 100-yard games. Stout was a weapon in the passing game as well, turning 21 receptions into 379 yards and seven touchdowns. Stout amassed 3,539 all-purpose yards and 57 touchdowns after missing much of his sophomore season with a torn ACL.
Best Volleyball Player: Chloe Rear, Strafford
She led Strafford to a Class 2 runner-up finish with 287 kills, 236 digs, 389 assists, 53 aces and 41 blocks. Rear’s a two-time all-state selection and has committed to play at Missouri State.
Best Boys' Soccer Player: Jason Puente, Monett
He was the only freshman named first-team all-state across the four Classes, and it’s easy to see why. He had 41 goals and 23 assists, leading Monett to its fourth-straight district title and first state quarterfinals appearance. He’s the first freshman in MHS history to lead the Cubs in goals in a single season.
Best Softball Player: Tabitha Francka, Morrisville
The Drury commit can hit for power and average. She combined a .667 batting average with a 1.362 slugging percentage. She led Morrisville in doubles (20), triples (8) and home runs (4), doing all of that in 69 official at-bats.
Best Boys' Cross Country Runner: Stephen Kielhofner, Springfield Catholic
The sophomore had the best performance of any local runner at state last fall, turning in a 16:13 performance to win the Class 2 meet and help the Irish claim the team title. He ran 16:19 to win his district meet. Kielhofner followed up his strong fall season by winning the Class 3 1600 and anchoring Catholic’s first-place 4×800 relay team at the state track and field championships in the spring.
Best Girls' Cross Country Runner: Tabitha Weber, Marshfield
The Marshfield junior maintained her streak of Top 10 finishes at state, placing 7th in Class 3 last fall with a time of 19:36. Weber, a junior who plays basketball in the winter and runs track in the spring, took first at her district meet with a 19:24 performance.
Best Girls' Golfer: Ari Acuff, Kickapoo
A 2016 Female Athlete of the Year finalist, Acuff finished second at the Class 2 state tournament at Rivercut following a late Day 2 rally. She placed in the top five at sectionals, runner-up at districts and won the Ozark Conference Tournament. Acuff also received all-state golf honors as a sophomore in 2014. In the winter, she was the top reserve for Kickapoo’s state championship basketball team. Acuff is also a three-year starter at goalkeeper for the Chiefs’ soccer team.
Best Girls' Tennis Player: Rachel Dwyer, Glendale
Continuing Glendale’s strong tennis tradition, she finished the Class 2 state singles tournament with an eighth-place medal. Dwyer ended her junior season with a record of 25-7.
Best Boys' Swimmer/Diver: Samuel Senn, Kickapoo
The 2015 1 Awards winner in this category, Senn was the state champion in the 100 Freestyle this year with a time of 45.41. He finished runner-up in the 200 Freestyle and was a part of Kickapoo's seventh-place 200 Freestyle relay.
WINTER SPORTS
Best Boys' Basketball Player: D.J. McNew, Mountain Grove
He sparked Mountain Grove’s first final four appearance since 2004. The two-time SCA Player of the Year averaged 21 points and six rebounds per game as the Panthers finished 28-5 overall and third in Class 3. McNew exploded for 16 first-quarter points against defending state champion Barstow in Mountain Grove’s state semifinal game. He was an all-state selection in Class 3.
Best Girls' Basketball Player: Lexie Vaught, Crane
She impacted the game in countless ways, leading Crane to its fourth-consecutive Class 2 state title and posting five triple-doubles along the way. For the season, Vaught averaged around 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals and 6 assists per game. She finishes her preps career third all-time in state history with 727 steals. During Vaught’s tenure, Crane went 123-7 overall. Vaught will play college basketball at Drury University.
Best Girls' Swimmer/Diver: Krista Shimizu, Summit Prep
The senior’s background in gymnastics propelled her to taking fifth place in diving at the state meet with a score of 352.85, a major improvement from a 14th-place finish in 2015.
Best Wrestler: Niko Chavez, Willard
He earned his first career state championship by prevailing in an ultimate tiebreaker match in the 138-pound division against Belton freshman Robert Weber. Chavez finished 51-3 on the season, with his individual state championship helping Willard take 6th overall in the Class 3 team standings. A three-time state qualifier, Chavez finished the 2015-16 season with 215 takedowns, 27 pins and 7 technical falls. For his high school career, Chavez – who wrestled at 106 as a freshman and was at 126 as a sophomore – owns an overall record of 138-12.
SPRING SPORTS
Best Baseball Player: Hunter Dame, Conway
Now a two-time 1 Awards winner for this category, Dame was 9-1 when taking the mound this past season, striking out a whopping 132 batters in just 69 2/3 innings pitched to go with a 1.11 ERA. He also posted a .371 batting average with 44 RBIs at the plate. Conway finished with a 28-4 record after falling to the eventual Class 3 state champs Mountain Grove in the quarterfinals. Dame’s headed to play at Missouri State.
Best Girls' Soccer Player: Alyson Reinold, Kickapoo
The former midfielder predominantly played forward for the Chiefs in 2016, where she contributed 17 goals and eight assists. She had an integral role during restarts, taking free kicks, set pieces and corner kicks for the Chiefs. Kickapoo posted a final record of 21-4-2, including regular season wins over Nixa, Ozark, Catholic and state-ranked teams Jefferson City and Nerinx Hall.
Best Boys' Track and Field Athlete: Daylan Quinn, MV-BT/Liberty
He added three more state medals to his resume this year, winning the 800, taking second in the 1600 and 7th in the 3200 – all in the same day. Quinn owned the area’s best time for the 800 this season. For his career, Quinn finishes with five state gold medals and six more all-state performances.
Best Girls' Track and Field Athlete: Ariel Okorie, Waynesville
She capped a decorated track and field career with four all-state finishes in Class 5. She was fourth in the high jump (5’4”), second in the long jump (18’5.75”) and second in the 300 hurdles (42.87) while recording a time of 14.19 to win the 100 hurdles. For her career, the Kansas State-bound Okorie posted 11 all-state performances at Waynesville.
Best Boys' Tennis Player: Jason Nayar, Springfield Catholic
He was a huge contributor to Catholic’s successes in 2016. Aside from placing sixth at the Class 1 singles tournament, the sophomore helped the Irish to winning a district title and getting them to their first final four appearance in 13 years.
Best Boys' Golfer: Taylor Haltom, Ava
Continuing in older brother Tristan Haltom’s path, Taylor Haltom posted his third-consecutive all-state finish this past spring. He shot 73-76—149 at the two-day Class 2 state tournament to finish alone in fifth place. Haltom won his district meet by eight strokes and placed fifth at sectionals. He placed first in seven tournaments during the 2016 spring season.
Female Athlete of the Year: Claire Workman, Summit Prep/New Covenant Academy
The area’s most decorated distance runner began a great 2015-16 athletics year by winning the Class 1 state cross country race (19:21). Along with a second-place finish from Katie McCune and a third-place finish from Claire McCune, Summit Prep placed second in the Class 1 team standings. Swimming in the winter, Workman was the second leg on Summit Prep’s fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team. Workman went out with a bang in the spring, sweeping the Class 1 state track and field distance races (800, 1600, 3200) and also anchoring New Covenant’s first-place 4×800 relay team. Workman goes into her senior year owning Class 1’s best times for the 800 (2:16.85), the 1600 (5:01.09) and the 3200 (10:53.38). She has 13 gold medals across between cross country and track.
Male Athlete of the Year: Chase Allen, Nixa
He was a first team all-state selection for a Nixa football team that won a district title. He led the Eagles in receiving, tallying 33 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. He was also a force defensively, with a team-high 92 tackles (11 for loss). In the winter, he averaged about 13 points and six rebounds per game for Nixa’s basketball tean. He owns Nixa’s all-time field goal percentage record at 71 percent, which is the second highest in state history. Dabbling in track and field in the spring, Allen won the Class 5 javelin exhibition with a throw of 181’07”. He also owned a top-time 10 area time for the 100 hurdles (15.34). Allen will continue his football career at FBS school and Big 12 member Iowa State.
Large School Team of the Year: Mountain Grove Baseball
The Baseball Panthers ended the school’s state championship drought. Mtn. Grove gave up just two runs in O’Fallon, defeating Scott City 12-1 and Summit Christian Academy 4-1 to win the Class 3 state title, the school's first in any sport. The Panthers rode the arm of Missouri State commit Alex Moore to victory. In O’Fallon, he pitched 10 innings (four in relief in the finals) and gave up just one earned run while striking out 16 on 145 pitches. After run-ruling Licking 10-0 in its district title game, Mtn. Grove edged Blair Oaks 7-5 at home in the sectional round. That set up a showdown with Class 3’s No. 2-ranked team, Conway, where the Panthers offense erupted again to post a 10-5 victory.
Small School Team of the Year: Strafford Girls Basketball
A great year for Strafford girls’ sports was highlighted by the basketball team winning the Class 3 state championship. Led by 2016 1 Awards nominee Hayley Frank, Strafford defeated St. Pius X (Kansas City) and Saxony Lutheran in Columbia to claim the school’s first state in any sport. Strafford faced a stacked non-conference schedule throughout the season; two of its three losses were to eventual state champions in Class 2 Crane and Class 5 Kickapoo. The Indians had notable wins over the likes of Lebanon, Skyline, Fair Grove, Marshfield and Branson during the regular season.
Best Band
The 2016 1 Award for Best Band goes to Parkview High School. The Parkview Viking Band has a rich tradition of high standards of excellence. The primary goal of the band has always been to produce not only great musicians but also great future adult citizens. Over the years, the band has had numerous awards and high ratings. Currently, the program has a marching band of 150-plus members, two concert bands, jazz band, pep band for basketball season, mini-marching band for special community and school functions, color-guard, drumline, percussion orchestra, as well as many students who participate in the MSHSAA District and State competitions and festivals.
Best Dance
The 2016 1 Award for Best Dance Team goes to Kickapoo High School. The “Golden Girls” have been recognized at both the regional and state levels. In addition to their dance at football and basketball games they won the Class 5 Prop Category at the Sugar Bears Invitational while finishing 2nd in the Mix Category. They also captured the MDTA State Championship in the Prop category, adding a 4th place finish in Mix.
Best Cheer
The 2016 1 Award for Best Cheer Team goes to Republic High School. The Republic Cheer program had another outstanding year led off by earning camp champions and the leadership award at the UCA Stunt and Performance Camp at the University of Oklahoma.  They followed that up by winning the Missouri Cheer Coaches Association 4A Small regional competition in the All-Girl and Large Coed divisions.  Three members of the squad are continuing their cheerleading careers at the college level; Kristen Stockdale (Avila), Lindsey Stander (Pitt State) and Brendan Bice (LSU).  
Best Athletic Director: Will Christian, Lebanon
The 2016 1 Award for Best Athletic Director goes to Lebanon High School’s Will Christian. Despite just two years in the administrative role, Christian won the fan vote for “Best Athletic Director.” In 11 years as head football coach he has turned the Yellowjackets into a perennial contender in the Ozark Conference.  Now, his winning attitude is spreading to all the Lebanon programs.
Inspiration: Jacob Luebbering, Ava
The 2016 1 Award for Most Inspirational Athlete goes to Ava’s Jacob Luebbering. The Ava junior, despite undergoing chemo treatments for Lupus over the summer, still competed on the course for Ava last fall. He practiced regularly during the school, despite suffering from a 104-degree fever and blood pressure reading of 60/30 just months before. Before his junior season, Luebbering was a two-time state qualifier for Ava’s cross country team.
