By AMY STROTH and BRANDON FOSTERsports@ColumbiaMissourian.com

As a member of the Rock Bridge football team and the Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit,

Shelby Wilson is no stranger to mak-ing tackles.

Whether it's a 200-pound calf or a 200-pound running back, Wilson knows how to bring them down.

As a safety for the Bruins, he

is the last line of defense on the field. Wilson has the second-most solo tackles and leads the team in deflected passes with six.

The position seems a natural fit for Wilson, who has been participating in rodeos since he was 5 years old. He also has experience as a wrestler.

He has this uncan-ny balance of being able to clamp onto guys and get them down without throw-ing himself into their legs and hurting them, Rock Bridge coach A.J. Ofodile said. Its pretty impressive to see. I dont know if its something he does purposefully or if its innate, but its happened too many times for it to be coincidence.

Ofodile noted Wilsons experience taking down cattle is evident when hes wrapping up ball carriers.

That kids gotta have the stron-

gest grip, pound for pound, of any kid weve ever had in the program, Ofodile said. When he gets his hands on you, youre not gonna shake him loose.

That strong grip comes in handy when Wilson competes in his main rodeo event, calf roping.

In the event, a calf is released from a holding pen and a rider must chase it down, lasso it and tie it up as quickly as possible.

"I have to pick up evenly with both hands and drive my knee into the calfs ribcage in order to

lift the calf off of the ground," Wil-son said, describing his actions after he lassos the animal. "And then, using my knee, make it horizontal with the ground, ultimately throw-ing it on its side."

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONSCall Sports Editor Greg Bowers:

573-882-5729 or send email to:

bowersg@missouri.eduor fax us: 573-882-5702

Visit us on the Web: www.ColumbiaMissourian.com/sports

SECTION B, Friday & Saturday, October 5-6, 2012

INSIDE TODAY:

SOFTBALLKey home run helps Hickman edge Rock Bridge in Class 4, District 9 Tournament. Page 3B

ROPE EM IN

Shelby Wilson breaks up a pass during Rock Bridge football practice.

Photos by AMY STROTH/Missourian

Shelby Wilson wrestles a 200-pound calf to the ground during a rodeo practice in his backyard arena in late September. In addition to competing in the Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit, Wilson is a captain and plays safety for the Rock Bridge High School football team.

Doesnt matter if its a calf or running back, Shelby Wilson will take it down

Todays gameRock Hurst (4-1) vs. Rock Bridge (4-2)When: 7 p.m.Where: Rock Bridge football stadium at Rock Bridge High School

Radio: KTGR/1580 AMFor video of Wilson go to ColumbiaMissourian.com

Please see ROCK BRIDGE, page 2B

Wild-card change puts Cardinals in familiar spot

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Senior transfer making noise for HickmanBy MATTHEW FAIRBURNsports@ColumbiaMissourian.com

When Hickman had its first foot-ball practice of the season, Eric Wise didnt say much.

The senior defensive back had just transferred from Edgewood High School in Orlando, Fla., and was adjusting to life at Hickman High School. His coaches were forgiving of his mental mistakes since he was still new to the defense.

The first couple days were rough, Im not going to lie to you, Wise said.

But in his second week of practice, Wise began to feel more comfort-able. Wise started to feel the sense of community among his teammates, and coach Arnel Monroe noticed his seniors entertaining personality beginning to shine through.

He vivacious, hes a great team-mate, hes funny, Monroe said. But when it comes to play, all that goes to the side.

Wise transferred to Hickman to be closer to his family. His mother and grandfather both graduated from Hickman, and Wise wanted to carry on the tradition. Wise is also cousins with Monroe and has noticed a family atmosphere around the program.

People here arent individuals,

Wise said. They all want to be successful together as a team, as a group and as a unit.

Down in Florida, I was strug-gling because they only wanted to play for themselves. They didnt care about the fans or anything.

They just wanted to get themselves into college and didnt care about anybody else. Thats why I like it here a lot better.

The Kewpies defense has enjoyed his presence as well.

Wise has made an instant impact

on the team with his high-energy style of play and knack for causing turnovers.

In Hickmans Week 2, 18-7 victory against Wentzville-Holt, Wise inter-cepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown. Last week, Wise sealed Hickmans win over then-No. 2 Jefferson City with an interception late in the fourth quarter.

His level of play speaks for itself, Monroe said. He came in here supercharged and ready to go.

Wises impact comes predomi-nantly on defense. But when the Kewpies are on offense, Wise can be found pacing back and forth on the Hickman sideline, encouraging teammates and eagerly waiting for the defense to take the field.

Thats an adrenaline rush, Wise said. Its just my love for the game and my love to be out there with the defense. Its crazy. Thats what I look forward to.

The nerves of the first few days of practice are a distant memory for Wise now. Hickman enters its bye week with a 6-0 record, and Wise says he has enjoyed a special bond with his teammates.

Theyve been awesome, Wise said. Theyve been the greatest players Ive ever played with.

BRIDGET MURPHY/MissourianEric Wise, senior football player for Hickman High School, smiles at teammates on the sideline during practice on Wednesday. He said he feels he is a leader on the field, which he said is a good experience to help him in the future.

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VS.

(88-74)(94-68)

4:07 p.m. today Turner Field

TBS

Cardinals get another chance at playoff run because of new, two team wild-card formatBy PAUL NEWBERRYThe Associated Press

ATLANTA Break out the pea-nut butter and honey. Kris Medlen is ready for another start.

Only this time, its the biggest game of his career.

The diminutive right-hander, who didn't even start the season in Atlanta's rotation, will deliver the first pitch in the inaugural wild-card playoff against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves couldn't have asked for anyone better in the winner-take-all format, considering they haven't lost a start by Medlen (10-1, 1.57 ERA) in more than two years.

Just stop reminding him about it.Its not me by myself, said Medlen,

who always snacks on a peanut butter and honey sandwich before his starts. Ive given up four or five runs in a start, and guys pull it out for me. My name is in the books or whatever, but it's a team thing. I didn't do it all by myself, thats for sure.

The Braves have won 23 con-secutive starts by Medlen a mod-ern big league record. He eclipsed the mark held by a pair of Hall of Famers, Carl Hubbell and Whitey Ford.

You cant help but notice when someones hav-ing the amount of success that hes had, said Kyle Lohse, who will start for the Cardinals. Its impressive what hes done. Obvi-ously, the team plays very well behind him, and to be that con-sistently good to keep your team in games or win games says a lot about what kind of pitcher he is.

I expect him to keep doing what he's been doing out there, and my job is to do the same thing that he's doing go out there and shut down their team, Lohse said.

No one is quite sure what to expect from the one-game format, which was added this year when Major League Baseball expanded the play-off field by adding a second wild-card team in each league.

One-and-done may be the norm in football. But this is a whole new ballgame for the big leagues.

We know the necessity to make it like a Game 7, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. You do things differently. Weve been anticipating it, but I also want these guys to know we just want to go out and play the game weve been playing.

Starting pitchersATLANTAKris Medlen

(10-1)138.0 IP1.57 ERA

120 K23 BB

ST. LOUISKyle Loshe

(16-3)211.0 IP2.86 ERA

143 K38 BB

I expect him to keep doing what he's been doing out there, and

my job is to do the same thing that

he's doing go out there

and shut down their

team.KYLE LOHSE

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher on Braves

starter Kris Medlen

Please see CARDINALS, page 2B

ground and crossing and rop-ing three of its legs (all in about 10 seconds), Wilson lifts both arms above his head to signal that he is finished and stop the timer.

Keeping it in the familyIn the arena behind his

house, Wilson sits on his chestnut horse Be My Shining Alibi, or Alibi for short. He is wearing a red checkered shirt tucked into a pair of straight-legged blue jeans, secured by a brass oval buckle. With narrow-toed boots on his feet, the iconic western ensemble would be complete if not for the brown baseball cap on his head. He's a third-generation cowboy, and he looks the part.

His grandfather Dale Wil-son participated in amateur and professional rodeo cir-cuits and still rides at the age of 89. His father, Dane Wil-son, carried on the tradition. He still competes occasion-ally, though he joked hes now more of a groomer and driver. His brother Brady Wilson is currently a member of the rodeo team at Missouri Valley College, and his sister Whitley Wilson barrel raced at Vernon College.

Shelby Wilson said being able to participate in a sport with his entire family makes the experience all the more memorable. He recalled a summer when he was 14 years old and his entire family spent 10 consecutive days on the road, touring from rodeo to rodeo.

That made it pretty spe-cial, unlike a football game where your family comes out and they watch you one night a week, Shelby Wilson said.

Its not hard to see that Shel-by Wilson has had a strong upbringing. In addition to

offering up sirs and maams like they were glasses of his mothers locally-famous extra sweet tea, he repeat-edly expressed gratitude to his family for supporting his interests, which also include playing center field on the Rock Bridge baseball team.

"I have wonderful parents, Shelby Wilson said. Thats why Im blessed enough to get to do this. No other kids I know can say they play two 6-A high school sports and participate in rodeo like I do because I have such a stable background.

The Wilsons' rodeo facili-ties make practicing much more convenient for the fam-ily. Before the Wilsons moved to the outskirts of the city, they would have to drive to Wilsons grandparents house to access their horses. For the past seven years, however, theyve been able to practice in their own backyard.

And theyre not the only ones. Shelby Wilson said he sees how rodeo appeals to oth-ers who have visited his fam-ilys arena, which has become a hotspot of sorts for those curious about the sport.

A lot of others have picked it up just because its right here and its kind of interest-ing, Shelby Wilson said. Peo-ple will start off just coming over and helping with chutes and hanging out. Before too long, their dad is buying them a horse.

Taking one for the team

With summer and fall occu-pied by football and spring filled with baseball, Shelby Wilsons lone opportunity to compete in rodeo is the Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association summer circuit. Because most high schoolers participate in the fall/spring

high school rodeo circuit, Wilson faces cowboys signifi-cantly above his age group in the summer circuit.

Thats hardly the only sacri-fice he has to make to balance the three activities.

Really there is no off-sea-son for me because Im always in a different sport, Shelby Wilson said. While others are stressing on one sport, Im hopping into a new one. You could say it puts me at a disad-vantage because I cant really be really good at one sport, but I can play around in all of them. I really enjoy all of them, so I dont wanna give any of them up.

This summer, Shelby Wilson qualified for the year end finals at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. However, after missing about one summer football practice per week for the amateur circuit, he felt obligated to forgo the state finals for two-a-day football practices.

Neither Ofodile nor fellow Bruins safety West Wilson were aware that Shelby Wil-son had skipped the rodeo final for football practice, but they werent particularly surprised.

I didnt have a clue, Ofodile said. I wouldve told him to go. If he worked that hard and did all that stuff, I wouldve let him miss a day of practice for that. But thats the kind of kid he is. Hes a team guy. He didnt even ask.

Ofodile said its that kind of commitment that led to

Shelby Wilson being named a team captain this year. West Wilson agreed.

That probably shows more about him that he didnt even tell anyone that he skipped (state finals), West Wilson said. And thats a huge deal. The fact that he didnt tell anyone is the bigger deal Id say.

For Shelby Wilson, it doesnt seem to be a matter of foot-ball taking pre-cedence over rodeo. In fact, he is consider-ing continuing rodeo into col-lege. More than anything, it appears to be a dutiful sense of responsibility to his teammates.

I wasnt about to let my entire team down, Shelby Wilson said. Thats a pretty big prac-tice to miss for what would be my own selfish wants to partici-

pate in the state final. But then on the other side, all the other people I compete with in rodeo, they couldnt believe I would skip something like that to go to a football prac-tice.

Shelby Wilsons life is a con-stant balancing act between his athletic endeavors. With a level head and the support of his family, friends and coaches, Wilson is managing to juggle it all.

Sitting on the back porch with a dog underfoot and a glass of his mothers sweet tea in hand, Wilson sums it up with ease.

You just gotta get your priorities right.

COLUMBIA MISSOURIANPage 2B FRIDAY & SATURDAY, October 5-6, 2012

ROCK BRIDGE from page 1B

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

POSTSEASON SCHEDULEWILD CARD, today

St. Louis (Lohse 16-3) at Atlanta (Medlen 10-1), 4:07 p.m. (TBS)

Baltimore (Saunders 9-13) at Texas (Darvish 16-9), 7:37 p.m. (TBS)

DIVISION SERIES(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)

American LeagueOakland vs. Detroit

Saturday: Oakland at Detroit (Verlander 17-8), 5:07 p.m. (TBS)

Sunday: Oakland at Detroit (TBS or MLB)Tuesday: Detroit at Oakland (TBS)Wednesday: Detroit at Oakland (TBS or MLB,

if necessary)Thursday: Detroit at Oakland (TBS, if neces-

sary)

New York vs. Baltimore-Texas winnerSunday: New York at Baltimore-Texas winner

(TBS or MLB)Monday: New York at Baltimore-Texas winner

(TBS)Wednesday: Baltimore-Texas winner at New

York (TBS or MLB)Thursday: Baltimore-Texas winner at New York

(TBS, if necessary)Friday, Oct. 12: Baltimore-Texas winner at New

York (TBS, if necessary)

National LeagueCincinnati vs. San Francisco

Saturday: Cincinnati (Cueto 19-9) at San Fran-cisco (Cain 16-5), 8:37 p.m. (TBS)

Sunday: Cincinnati (Arroyo 12-10) at San Fran-cisco (Bumgarner 16-11) (TBS or MLB)

Tuesday: San Francisco at Cincinnati (Latos 14-4) (TBS)

Wednesday: San Francisco at Cincinnati (Bai-ley 13-10) (TBS or MLB, if necessary)

Thursday: San Francisco at Cincinnati (TBS, if necessary)

Washington vs. Atlanta-St. Louis winnerSunday: Washington (Gonzalez 21-8) at St.

Louis-Atlanta winner (TBS or MLB)Monday: Washington (Zimmermann 12-8) at

St. Louis-Atlanta winner (TBS)Wednesday: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at Wash-

ington (TBS or MLB)Thursday: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at Washing-

ton (TBS, if necessary)Friday, Oct. 12: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at

Washington (TBS, if necessary)

NFLAMERICAN CONFERENCE

East W L T Pct PF PAN.Y. Jets 2 2 0 .500 81 109New England 2 2 0 .500 134 92Buffalo 2 2 0 .500 115 131Miami 1 3 0 .250 86 90

South W L T Pct PF PAHouston 4 0 0 1.000 126 56Indianapolis 1 2 0 .333 61 83Jacksonville 1 3 0 .250 62 97Tennessee 1 3 0 .250 81 151

North W L T Pct PF PABaltimore 3 1 0 .750 121 83Cincinnati 3 1 0 .750 112 112Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333 77 75Cleveland 0 4 0 .000 73 98

West W L T Pct PF PASan Diego 3 1 0 .750 100 71Denver 2 2 0 .500 114 83Kansas City 1 3 0 .250 88 136Oakland 1 3 0 .250 67 125

NATIONAL CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PAPhiladelphia 3 1 0 .750 66 83Dallas 2 2 0 .500 65 88Washington 2 2 0 .500 123 123N.Y. Giants 2 2 0 .500 111 84

South W L T Pct PF PAAtlanta 4 0 0 1.000 124 76Tampa Bay 1 3 0 .250 82 91Carolina 1 3 0 .250 80 109New Orleans 0 4 0 .000 110 130

North W L T Pct PF PAMinnesota 3 1 0 .750 90 72Chicago 3 1 0 .750 108 68Green Bay 2 2 0 .500 85 81Detroit 1 3 0 .250 100 114

West W L T Pct PF PAArizona 4 1 0 .800 94 78San Francisco 3 1 0 .750 104 65St. Louis 3 2 0 .600 96 94Seattle 2 2 0 .500 70 58

Thursdays resultSt. Louis 17, Arizona 3

Sundays gamesBaltimore at Kansas City, noonAtlanta at Washington, noonPhiladelphia at Pittsburgh, noonGreen Bay at Indianapolis, noonCleveland at N.Y. Giants, noonMiami at Cincinnati, noonSeattle at Carolina, 3:05 p.m.Chicago at Jacksonville, 3:05 p.m.Buffalo at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.Tennessee at Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.Denver at New England, 3:25 p.m.San Diego at New Orleans, 7:20 p.m.

RAMS 17, CARDINALS 3Arizona 3 0 0 0 3 St. Louis 7 3 0 7 17

First quarterStLKendricks 7 pass from Bradford (Zuerlein

kick), 12:39.AriFG Feely 35, 3:15.

Second quarterStLFG Zuerlein 53, 10:45.

Fourth quarterStLGivens 51 pass from Bradford (Zuerlein

kick), 11:49.

A54,653. Ari StLFirst downs 20 12Total Net Yards 282 242Rushes-yards 17-45 32-111Passing 237 131Punt Returns 5-76 4-36Kickoff Returns 0-0 1-36Interceptions Ret. 1-0 0-0Comp-Att-Int 28-50-0 7-21-1Sacked-Yards Lost 9-52 1-10Punts 7-45.7 7-56.9Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0Penalties-Yards 5-35 7-60Time of Possession 34:22 25:38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRUSHINGArizona, R.Williams 14-33, Powell

1-7, Roberts 1-3, Kolb 1-2. St. Louis, Jackson 18-76, D.Richardson 9-35, Bradford 5-0.

PASSINGArizona, Kolb 28-50-0-289. St. Louis, Bradford 7-21-1-141.

RECEIVINGArizona, Fitzgerald 8-92, Rob-erts 5-39, Housler 3-45, Doucet 3-29, Powell 3-20, Sherman 2-25, Floyd 1-17, Smith 1-13, R.Williams 1-5, King 1-4. St. Louis, Gibson 3-33, Givens 1-51, Amendola 1-44, Kendricks 1-7, Pettis 1-6.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALLMISSOURI PREP RANKINGS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Statewide high school rankings, as compiled by a 14-member panel of Missouri sportswriters and broadcasters:

CLASS 6Rank, team Rec. Pts. LW1. CBC (14) 6-0 140 12. Blue Springs 5-1 113 33. Lafayette 6-0 104 44. Rockhurst 4-2 85 55. Francis Howell 6-0 84 66. Hickman 6-0 79 97. Jefferson City 5-1 62 28. Raymore-Peculiar 5-1 45 79. De Smet 4-2 24 810. Blue Springs South 4-2 18 10

Also receiving votes: Parkway South (6-0) 13, Rock Bridge (4-2) 3.

COLLEGE FOOTBALLSOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

EAST Conference All Games W L PF PA W L PF PAGeorgia 3 0 140 67 5 0 241 110South Carolina 3 0 86 40 5 0 183 56Florida 3 0 95 37 4 0 122 51Missouri 0 2 30 72 3 2 137 118Tennessee 0 2 64 88 3 2 197 148Vanderbilt 0 2 16 65 1 3 87 88Kentucky 0 2 17 76 1 4 109 154

WEST Conference All Games W L PF PA W L PF PAAlabama 2 0 85 14 5 0 201 35LSU 1 0 12 10 5 0 195 63Mississippi St. 1 0 28 10 4 0 144 53Texas A&M 1 1 75 30 3 1 193 47Mississippi 0 1 14 33 3 2 161 136Auburn 0 2 20 40 1 3 70 94Arkansas 0 2 10 110 1 4 116 203

Saturdays gamesArkansas at Auburn, 11 a.m.Mississippi St. at Kentucky, 11:21 a.m.LSU at Florida, 2:30 p.m.Vanderbilt at Missouri, 6 p.m.Georgia at South Carolina, 6 p.m.Texas A&M at Mississippi, 6 p.m.

MISSOURIS SCHEDULE62 SE Louisiana 1020 Georgia 4124 Arizona St. 2010 South Carolina 3121 UCF 16Saturday Vanderbilt 6 p.m.Oct. 13 Alabama 2:30 p.m.Oct. 27 Kentucky TBANov. 3 at Florida TBANov. 10 at Tennessee TBANov. 17 Syracuse TBANov. 24 at Texas A&M TBA

SPORTS ON THE AIRMAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLTODAY4 p.m., TBS National League, wild

card, St. Louis at Atlanta7:30 p.m., TBS American League,

wild card, Baltimore at Texas

WNBA PLAYOFFSTODAY7 p.m., ESPN2 Eastern Conference !nals, game 1, Indiana at Connecti-cut

CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUETODAY8 p.m., NBCSN Hamilton at

Edmon ton

COLLEGE FOOTBALLTODAY6 p.m., ESPN Pittsburgh at

Syracuse9:15 p.m., ESPN Utah St. at BYUSATURDAY10:30 a.m., CBS National cover-

age, Navy at Air Force11 a.m., ESPN Northwestern at

Penn St.11 a.m., ESPN2 Arkansas at

Auburn11 a.m., FSN Boise St. at

Southern Miss.11 a.m., FX Kansas at Kansas St.Noon, NBCSN Towson at James

Madison2 p.m., FOX Arizona at Stanford2:30 p.m., ABC Regional coverage,

Illinois at Wisconsin or Oklahoma at Texas Tech

2:30 p.m., CBS National coverage, LSU at Florida

2:30 p.m., ESPN Georgia Tech at Clemson

2:30 p.m., ESPN2 Regional cover-age, Oklahoma at Texas Tech or Illinois at Wisconsin

2:30 p.m., FSN Iowa St. at TCU6 p.m., ESPN Georgia at South

Carolina6 p.m., FOX West Virginia at Texas6:30 p.m., NBC Miami vs. Notre

Dame, at Chicago7 p.m., ESPN2 Florida St. at NC

State7:07 p.m., ABC National coverage,

Nebraska at Ohio St.9:30 p.m., ESPN Washington at

Oregon

GOLFTODAY7:30 a.m., TGC European PGA Tour,

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, second round, at Kingsbarns, Angus, and St. Andrews, Scotland

12:30 p.m., TGC Champions Tour, SAS Championship, !rst round, at Cary, N.C.

3 p.m., TGC PGA Tour, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, second round, at Las Vegas

6:30 p.m., TGC Web.com Tour, Neediest Kids Championship, second round, at Potomac, Md. (same-day tape)

SATURDAY7:30 a.m., TGC European PGA Tour,

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, third round, at Kingsbarns, Angus, and St. Andrews, Scotland

12:30 p.m., TGC Champions Tour, SAS Championship, second round, at Cary, N.C.

3 p.m., TGC PGA Tour, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, third round, at Las Vegas

6:30 p.m., TGC Web.com Tour, Neediest Kids Championship, third round, at Potomac, Md. (same-day tape)

AUTO RACINGTODAY1:30 p.m., SPEED NASCAR,

Sprint Cup, practice for Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, at Talladega, Ala.

3 p.m., SPEED NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Happy Hour Series, !nal practice for Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, at Talladega, Ala.

4 p.m., SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series, pole qualifying for Coca-Cola 250, at Talladega, Ala.

Midnight, SPEED Formula One, qualifying for Grand Prix of Japan, at Suzuka, Japan

SATURDAY11 a.m., SPEED NASCAR, Sprint

Cup, pole qualifying for Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, at Talladega, Ala.

3 p.m., SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series, Coca-Cola 250, at Talladega, Ala.

12:30 a.m., SPEED Formula One, Grand Prix of Japan, at Suzuka, Japan

SOCCERSATURDAY6:30 a.m., ESPN2 Premier League,

Sunderland at Manchester City2:30 p.m., NBC MLS, Chicago at

New York8 p.m., NBCSN MLS, Salt Lake at

Los Angeles

Wilson puts teams interests above his own

That probably shows more about him that he didnt even tell anyone that he skipped

(state finals). And thats a huge deal. The fact that he didnt tell anyone is the bigger deal

Id say.WEST WILSON

Rock Bridge safety on teammate Shelby Wilson

FROM THE SPORTS FRONT

Besides, St. Louis knows its just fortunate to have a chance to win another title. The Cardinals finished six games behind Atlanta in the wild-card standings. If not for the new system, they would be watching from home.

Were exceptionally happy about the format, Matheny said with a smile.

Despite losing Albert Pujols last winter in free agency, the Cardinals have a chance to pull off another magical postseason run. A year ago, they trailed the Braves by 10 games in late August, but Atlanta col-lapsed over the final month, and St. Louis pulled out the wild card on a frenetic final day. That momentum carried right into the playoffs, where the Redbirds pulled off three straight upsets, including another stunning rally against Texas in the World Series.

Pujols may be gone, but theres plenty of holdovers from the title team, including Lohse (16-3, 2.86).

A lot of guys with me in that clubhouse, they experi-

enced last year from being 10 back and a lot of people kind of saying, Go get em next year, he said. It helped us mature a lot and grow a lot as individuals and learn how to handle big situations like the one thats coming up.

The winner advances to face NL East champion Wash-ington in the divisional round.

The Braves would love to get another crack at the Nationals, having chased them futilely all summer and coming up four games short in the divisional race. But Atlan-ta will have to do something it hasnt done in more than a decade win a playoff round. The Braves have dropped six straight series since winning a divisional playoff in 2001, including an 0-5 mark in elim-ination games at Turner Field.

They dont want to go out like that again, not with 40-year-old Chipper Jones planning to retire as soon as the season is over.

You dont have that many opportunities in your career to play in the playoffs or to play in whatever this is called, but especially for him, Medlen

said.If the Braves needed any

more motivation, they could turn to the words of Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright.

No disrespect to what they did, but I think were going to save the big pop for after we beat Atlanta, he said.

That little sound bite has made the rounds in the Braves clubhouse, providing some extra fire. But, overlook-ing the one-game format, this isnt the gridiron. Bulletin-board fodder only goes so far.

Its not like football where we post it and I want to rip his head off, said Braves catcher David Ross, noting that Wain-wright wont even be on the 25-man roster for this game. But it is one of those things, you wonder why guys com-ment about other teams. I feel like, as a player, I wouldnt make a comment about anoth-er team in a negative light to a media outlet. I just feel like Im better than that.

No one has been better than Medlen over the past two months.

Forced into the rotation by injuries and ineffective

performances, he suddenly became baseballs hottest pitcher. He hardly looks the part, generously listed at 5-foot-10 with a fastball that struggles to reach 90 mph. But he is especially bedevil-ing with his changeup, a pitch the organization ordered him to throw coming up through the minors.

In 12 starts this season, Medlen is 9-0 with an 0.97 ERA. He struck out 13 hitters in one game, 12 in another. In six of those appearances, he didnt give up an earned run.

Away from the field, its hard to take Medlen seriously. He is a bundle of nervous energy, which he copes with by deliv-ering a constant string of jokes and one-liners. As manager Fredi Gonzalez finished up his time at the podium Thursday, Medlen stood against the wall, clapping slowly.

When asked about his pre-game routine, Medlen made it clear he doesnt have one.

Except for the peanut butter and honey.

Its a light meal. Its good energy, he said. Its not like Im going to eat fried chicken.

Cardinals inspired by past playoff successCARDINALS from page 1B

Rams take down undefeated Cardinals

L.G. PATTERSON/The Associated Press

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Chris Givens catches a 51-yard pass for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals.

On the strength of two Sam Bradford touchdown passes, the St. Louis Rams gave the Arizona Cardinals their first loss of the season.

SETH PERLMAN/The Associated Press

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is stopped by Rams cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan (31) and Bradley Fletcher (32) during the first quarter.

COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN FRIDAY & SATURDAY, October 5-6, 2012 Page 3B

Missouri gymnast turns to diving MU player balances volleyball with work as volunteer

Hickman beats Rock Bridge in district semifinal

By JOVONA TAYLORsports@columbiamissourian.com

Hearnes Center was quiet and the volleyball court dimly lit Wednesday afternoon. Lydia Ely, a middle blocker for Missouri, rested with her legs stretched out on the east side of the floor waiting for practice to begin.

Now, since the season has started, Ive been in twice maybe, Ely said. At first it was difficult (to not play), but I know now that I am a freshman, and I need to keep remembering that. But I wouldnt change the lineup. The best lineup is out there right now, and Im really proud of all the girls.

The Tigers are 12-4 this season and 4-2 so far in their first year in the Southeast-ern Conference heading into Fridays 6 p.m. match at Ten-nessee. Missouri beat the Vol-unteers 3-2 in its SEC opener on Sept. 12.

With two-time SEC Defen-sive Player of Week Whit-ney Little starting at middle blocker, Ely is using her time to learn from Little, a sopho-more.

Ely, a St. Louis native from Rosati-Kain High School, was ranked the No. 4 top recruit in the state by ESPN and played for St. Louis High Per-formance along with fellow Tigers freshman Regan Pel-tier.

My first impression of Lydia was in eighth grade, and Im like dang that girl is tall, said Peltier about Ely, who is listed at 6 feet, 6 inches tall on the Missouri roster.

Now as a college student and athlete, Ely has learned how to manage her time and knows that in order to play for a team like Missouri she must show that she is the best.

Volleyball has always basi-cally been my life, Ely said. My last year at home really prepared me to deal with this year.

During her senior year of high school, Ely coached two youth volleyball teams and worked out every day besides playing on her high school and club teams. Along with volleyball, Ely volun-teered at Ranken Jordan, a pediatric specialty hospital in Maryland Heights, dur-ing her junior and senior years and says it was one of the best experiences of her life.

I always thought that I was going to go there to help the kids lives, Ely said. But I would leave Ranken Jordan so happy, just seeing those smiles on the kids faces. It really helped me grow as a person.

After volunteering at Ran-ken Jordon, Ely says she is more appreciative of her fam-ily and all of things she has in her life. Ely, a physical therapy major at MU, said she thought she wanted to work with athletes after she graduated, but if she could get a job at Ranken Jordan instead, she would take it in a heartbeat.

As a volunteer at Ranken Jordan, Ely played with the children in the hospital dur-ing their break times and tried to take their minds off of the health issues they faced. She said one of her her most memorable experiences came working with a boy who had been feeling particularly bad.

I had been working with him all day, and he was just in a really bad mood, Ely said. I remember before I left, he was sitting on my lap, and he was like Lydia dont leave, and just seeing his expression really impacted me.

Ely has also volunteered at a food kitchen and cleaned a park with her high school volleyball team. She plans on finding other volunteer opportunities in Columbia during the off-season. Ely said volunteering at Ranken Jordan was a life-changing experience and plans on going back during winter break.

I just loved it, Ely said. It was an awesome experience, and everyone who works there is so blessed. Theyre changing so many peoples lives.

By MATTHEW FAIRBURNsports@columbiamissourian.com

Early in 2011, Missouri gymnas-tics coach Rob Drass made a phone call to Tigers diving coach James Sweeney. The topic of the conversa-tion was Alex Skinner.

Drass recruited Skinner out of Plano, Texas, but in her freshman season with the gymnastics team, the surgical reconstruction of the ACL in Skinners knee that was done when she was in high school started to fail, ending her season. The injury required another surgery the fifth surgery of her gymnastics career. The doctor told Skinner that her gymnastics career was over.

I think she went through some withdrawal from gymnastics, Drass said. She was kind of crushed a little bit.

But Skinner wasnt ready to stop athletic competition completely. Thats when Drass put in the call to Sweeney about the possibility of Skinner becoming a diver.

Jamie and I talked for a while, Drass said. I told him shes hard working, a dream to coach and a great student. I see no reason why she couldnt learn diving.

Thats when Sweeneys new proj-ect began. Skinner had never dived before in her life, but her athletic ability was immediately evident from her gymnastics training.

The technique between the two sports is drastically different, though, Sweeney said.

She is so strong, insanely explo-sive and powerful, Sweeney said. I love the strength she has, but all I do all day long in coaching her is force her out of gymnastics technique and into diving technique.

Skinner took a redshirt year as a sophomore, spending the season dedicating herself to a new sport and getting her knee back to full strength.

Now a junior in school but a sopho-more eligibility-wise, Skinner is catching up to the rest of the team and is ready to start competing.

The transition continues to be a daily grind. On some days, Skinner looks like the most gifted diver in the pool. On other days, her inexpe-rience shines through, Sweeney said.

Shes amazing compared to where she was a year ago, but Rome wasnt built in a day, Sweeney said. Some days shes amazing, some days she struggles.

Each practice consists of more than two hours of dives, all off the springboards, because Skinners knee cant handle the platform dives.

With each dive, Skinner emerges from the water and immediately turns to Sweeney, who is hollering technical corrections her way, while sprinkling in the encouragement that has helped Skinner adjust to diving.

It was hard giving up a sport, Skinner said. But it was great com-ing onto this team. Theyve really made it fun for me, especially when I felt like I was behind. Its been a great transition.

On Friday, Skinner will dive in her first collegiate meet. It wont be her first time diving competitively, though. During the spring of Skin-ners redshirt season, Sweeney, who

also coaches youth divers, had Skin-ner participate in a meet with 12 year-olds.

Oh, it was an experience, for sure, Sweeney said. What I did notice is she gets really, really intense. She doesnt just stay chill.

That intensity, combined with her consistently positive attitude, has helped Skinner in the long road back from injury. Ryan Jackson, Skinners strength coach during her gymnastics and diving careers, said hes never seen Skinner get too low despite the mental grind of numer-ous knee injuries.

Shes always had a great attitude, since day one of working with her as a gymnast, Jackson said. Shes always been positive, always has a smile on her face, and Ive really never seen her too upset before.

Skinners resolve will be tested Friday when the Tigers participate in the Show-Me Showdown, and she steps to the board for the first time. All of the preparation and work she has put in will help calm the nerves, Skinner said, reassuring herself.

I think Im ready, she said.

Five knee surgeries forced Alex Skinner to retire from gynmnastics but her athletic career is just beginning in diving.

Todays meetSHOW-ME SHOWDOWN

TEAMS: Missouri, Drury, Lindenwood, Missouri State, Missouri S&T (men only), Truman State, Washington University and William Jewell.

WHEN: 3 p.m. WHERE: Mizzou Rec Center

KAYLA KAUFFMAN/Missourian

Alex Skinner dives off the one-meter springboard at the MU Aquatic Center. The Texan was recruited as a gymnast but crossed over to diving after multiple knee surgeries.

Photos by STUART PALLEY/Missourian

Kewpies center fielder Sydney Washington runs to second base during the district semifinal game against the Rock Bridge Bruins on Thursday. The seniors home run gave Hickman a 4-3 victory.

Rock Bridges Shelbie Atwell, left, and Lindsey Grant talk at home plate during Thursdays district semifinal against Hickman.

By ELI MOGULsports@columbiamissourian.com

Hickman center fielder Sydney Washington had already doubled and scored for the Kewpies in Thurs-day nights Class 4, District 9 semifinal softball game against host Rock Bridge.

But by the bottom of the sixth inning Hickman still trailed the Bruins 3-1. Washington wasnt finished though.

Kewpies second baseman Autumn McCoy was on sec-ond after hitting a double and Jayda Shepherd was on third as a pinch runner for Tay-lor Patton, who had singled. But Bruins pitcher Conner Logsdon struck out the next two Hickman batters and was almost out of the jam.

Then Washington, one of just two seniors on the Kew-pies team, stepped to the plate.

She swung on the very first pitch, connecting and sending

a long fly ball over the 200-feet marker on center field wall.

When I hit the ball I was just thinking go! Washington said. Words cant describe how I felt when I saw it go out.

The shot gave Hickman a 4-3 victory over Rock Bridge, advancing the Kewpies to Fridays district champion-ship against Jefferson City.

The game is set for 5 p.m. at Rock Bridge.

The Hickman team ran from the dugout to crowd home plate and congratulate Wash-ington on her achievement.

Washington went on to make a key catch in the sev-enth inning running down and snaring a long fly ball from the Bruins Shelbie Atwell at the wall. The final out came on a strikeout by sophomore pitcher Shannon Greene.

Rock Bridge had scored once in the third inning on singles from Atwell and Logs-don, then tacked on another run in the fourth when senior Krista Blomenkamp doubled and made it home on an error.

Hickman scored in the fifth when Riley Wilsons double sent in Washington. Then Rock Bridge responded in the top of the sixth when Lindsey Grant hit a triple and scored off a single from Kris-ta Blomenkamp.

Rock Bridge coach Janel Twehous let her team know they played an amazing game.

It was a heartbreaking loss, Twehous said. I let the team know that one game does not define the entire sea-son, and it was a great season for this team.

The Kewpies trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth but suceeded in turning things around. Sydney Washingtons home run gave Hickman a 4-3 win to advance to the district finals.

Districtchampionship

Hickman High vs. Jefferson City

WHEN: Today at 5 p.m.WHERE: Rock Bridge High School

Words cant describe how I felt when I saw

it go out.SYDNEY WASHINGTON

On her game winning home run

By MATTHEW SCHACHTsports@columbiamissourian.com

Few situations will force a rugby player off the field against her will but being pregnant is one of them.

Chuelo Arias, who has been play-ing rugby for eight years, stood on the sidelines during her teams evening practice Monday at Rock Quarry Park. Wearing a baggy gray T-shirt, she watched her teammates locked in a scrummage, rugbys ver-sion of a scrimmage.

Asked why she was not playing, Arias patted her belly and smiled. She is about six months pregnant.

Several of the players have chil-dren, she said. The kids attend games and watch their mothers run and tackle.

We havent had any major inju-ries yet, she said, only some broken noses and dislocated fingers. A major injury is getting hauled off in an ambulance or profuse bleed-ing.

On the field, her teammates laughed and joked and shared advice on how to run the ball through defenders.

We all just want to play, Arias said.

Holly Ramey, 24, will play her first game for the Mid-Mo Womens Rugby Club on Saturday. Save for evening practices, she has never played a rugby game in her life.

There are a few maneuvers that I dont quite get, but once I see it played, I think it will make sense, she said.

Ramey has been learning how to receive a tackle. If an opponent is charging at you and you see them coming in your field of vision, she said, you turn your body to face them and ... she clenches her fists, her eyes sparkle.

Ramey hopes to play a half in Saturdays game against Kansas State.

Penny Coder, a 10-year rugby vet-eran, said the club has had a new

player at nearly every game this season.

Coder plays strong-side flanker, a position that allows her to tackle.

She said shes never hurt someone permanently. Once, she acciden-tally took another player out the game and did not know it until she watched the video replay.

When I play within the rules of the game, Im OK with hitting someone hard, said Coder, an MU veterinarian student who would like a career in animal public policy to promote humane treatment of ani-mals.

Alisa Liggett, 22, has played rugby since her freshman year of college at Truman State five years ago. She said the Mid-Mo team is collecting experienced players from across the nation, individuals who cannot play collegiate rugby because their eligi-bility has expired.

We have seven players from Tru-man State, she said, as well as indi-viduals who have played for Texas A&M and Missouri. Others have played for clubs in Alaska, Massa-chusetts and Arkansas.

The Mid-Mo Rugby Club, nick-named the Black Sheep, once played against high school teams. A college team would crush us at that time, Coder said.

The competition has grown more difficult. Last weekend, the Black Sheep played back-to-back games against teams from Texas Tech and the University of Oklahoma at the War of the Roses Tournament in Norman, Okla.

Only 16 Mid-Mo players made the

trip (15 are needed to field a team), and after an injury sidelined Coder, the Black Sheep became worn down and lost both games.

In twilight, the woman continue to practice formations at Rock Quarry Park. Arias cheered when a short, spry teammate weaves through the other sides defending line.

Arias clutched a rugby ball in her hands and yelled, Go! Go! Go!

Twenty or so more weeks and she can return to the field as a player and a mother.

COLUMBIA MISSOURIANPage 4B FRIDAY & SATURDAY, October 5-6, 2012

ITS A WHOLE NEW BALLGAMENew conference. New schools. New teams. New towns. New stadiums. It all changes for the Tigers and their fans this football season.

To properly introduce you to this season of change, the Missourian dispatched reporters to every Southeast Conference city to bring back the nitty gritty. The result is a 32-page special section that will get you up to speed on our new rivals, and have you primed and ready for Mizzous first season in the SEC.

Get your copy of this full-color section for just $3 at the Missourian Circulation Dept. or by calling 573.882.5700. The Missourians SEC Road Trip dont leave home without it!

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Q SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1908 Q

$3

Mid-Mo Womens Rugby hits hard

By IRA PODELLThe Associated Press

NEW YORK What seemed inevitable for the NHL has now become reality. The league canceled the first two weeks of the regular sea-wson on Thursday, the second time games have been lost because of a lockout in seven years.

The initial announcement was made in a two-paragraph statement from the league. It isnt clear if those games will be made up, allowing for a complete 82-game regular season, if a deal can be struck soon with the locked-out play-ers.

Unable to work out how to split up $3 billion in hock-ey-related revenues with the players association, the NHL wiped out 82 games from Oct. 11 through Oct. 24 begin-ning with four next Thursday, which would have been the leagues opening night.

We were extremely dis-appointed to have to make todays announcement, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. The game deserves better, the fans deserve better, and the people who derive income from their connection to the NHL deserve better.

We remain committed to doing everything in our power to forge an agreement that is fair to the players, fair to the teams, and good for our fans. This is not about win-ning or losing a negotiation. This is about finding a solu-tion that preserves the long-term health and stability of the league and the game. We are committed to getting this done.

The union countered Thurs-day by saying the NHL forced the lockout onto the players instead of letting the season go on as planned.

The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners, NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr said in a statement. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they

would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations con-tinue.

A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort, he added. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock out the players in an effort to secure massive con-cessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the par-ties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner.

Although there have been negotiations between the league and players in recent days unlike a three-month break at the start of the 2004-05 lockout that forced the can-cellation of the entire season the two sides havent gotten any closer to a deal on core economic issues.

Obviously, (cancellations) might have been expected but its also disappointing because we set out to negotiate, New York Rangers goalie Martin Biron said in a telephone inter-view. We wanted to get a deal and wanted to avoid a work stoppage or any cancellations.

Were still working hard to find a solution and find a way to get the core economic stuff figured out with the league and getting a deal that is fair for everybody and lasts.

In the previous lockout, the NHL and the union didnt get together between early Sep-tember and early December.

Back then, the key words in the negotiations were sal-ary cap, linkage and cost cer-tainty. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners were committed to getting a deal that linked team costs to rev-enues, so each club would know exactly how much it had to spend on payroll and what number it couldnt exceed.

Thus a salary cap was born for the first time in NHL his-tory. The league produced record revenue during the seven years of that deal, which turned out much better for the players than expected.

NHL cancels two weeks of games

MATT SCHACHT/Missourian

A Kansas City player charges into Mid-Mo Rugby Clubs defensive line. Mid-Mos players have competed for Truman State, Texas A&M and Missouri as well as for clubs in Alaska, Massachusetts and Arkansas.

The club team practices twice a week at Rock Quarry Park. Made up of both veterans and newcomers, the women have been facing difficult competition.

Season finaleKansas State (0-2) at Mid-Mo Rugby (0-3)

WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday (rain or shine)

WHERE: Rock Quarry Park

When I play within the rules of the game, Im OK with

hitting someone hard.PENNY CODEROn playing rugby

By BRETT MARTELThe Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS In a blur of pink, white and blue, riding as fast as 180 miles per hour, Elena Myers aims to prove a woman can race with the best on two wheels.

The 5-foot-3 18-year-old has put herself in position to become the most successful female in the history of motor-cycle road racing. She is the only woman ever to win an AMA Pro Racing event, hav-ing done so twice, most recent-ly at Daytona earlier this year.

Young girls come up to me all the time at the racetrack and say, Oh, youre my hero, and theyre just so excited about it, Myers said. Danica Patricks a household name and thats kind of what I want to become. Indy Car and NAS-CAR have been helped by her being in the series and I want to do the same thing in AMA.

Myers will conclude what could be her final season in the AMA SuperSport class this weekend in the Triumph Big Kahuna Nationals at the NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans. Her goal is to move next to the Daytona SportBike series.

She will need to demonstrate continued success at higher lev-els to get the kind of sponsor-ships she needs to sustain her career while reaching for her ultimate goal of racing world-wide in MotoGP, the motorcy-cle equivalent of Formula 1.

Obviously I want to get a ride (at higher levels) based on the fact I deserve that ride, not because Im a girl, Myers said. I think it will certainly help me, being a girl, to get oppor-tunities ... but ultimately its not going to help me race MotoGP if Im not fast enough.

Female racer making impact

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