September 2022

Boonville’s Dakota Troost (11) was a handful all night for the Marshall Owls’ defense to try to track down and tackle. Here, Owls’ junior Chris Davis (68) and junior Nick Arnold (58) try to move in and bring him down. Troost accounted for the bulk of the Pirates’ offense, whether it was on the ground or through the air receiving passes from senior quarterback Colby Caton. The Owls will try to get their first win this season when they travel to Richmond to take on the Spartans at 7 p.m. Friday. Hobby King/Democrat-News

Owls fall to Boonville in home opener, drop to 0-2

Junior Dakota Troost is listed as an athlete on Boonville’s football roster, and his athletic ability was on full display Friday, as he led the Pirates to a 42-6 win over the Marshall Owls on Cecil Naylor Field. Troost lined up at several positions on offense and was effective at each one of them. He lined up as tailback in the pistol formation and as the quarterback in the wildcat. He even lined up a few plays as a receiver. Troost was all over the field and stat sheet, scoring four touchdowns- three rushing and one on a swing pass. “They had one player that was pretty darn good,” MHS first-year head coach Ian Verts said. “We prepared for him (Troost) all week, but we didn’t get him on the ground.” On the other side, the Owls had problems moving the ball against Boonville’s defense, not gaining a first down until it was 42-0 and about four minutes left in the game. The Pirates scored half of their points in the first quarter.

Read MoreOwls fall to Boonville in home opener, drop to 0-2

The Shepherd’s Heart Questions

It was one of the late nights, many years ago, when I was playing a lot of music and writing a lot of songs. At around midnight on one rare, quiet Friday night, sitting alone in the basement of my parents’ home in Kansas City, the words to the song I’ve shared below came gushing out. I remember writing them down as quickly as possible before picking up my guitar and putting together the chords and melody. The song was unusual for me, because it started out slowly before the pace picked up for the main verses, and then it slowed back to the slow, melancholy pace of the opening to bring it to an end. It was one of the songs chosen for an album some friends of mine and I put together around 1980. People have always seemed to enjoy it, or to at least be intrigued by the questions it puts forward. Anyway, I hope it speaks to everyone as I continue to share it whenever possible.

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Wildcats lose to Adrian, fall to 1-1

After running roughshod over Midway 38-14 in week one, Christian Audsley was hoping for some type of similar performance from the Slater Wildcats in week two. However, the visiting Adrian Blackhawks scored the first 48 points of the matchup, on their way to a 48-6 Western Missouri Conference victory Friday.

Read MoreWildcats lose to Adrian, fall to 1-1