MEMPHIS, Mo.- The Hometown Radio Sports Network hosted its 2024 Hawkins-Harrison Insurance Player of the Week/ Player of the Year awards ceremony Wednesday night, December 18th, at the First Baptist Church in Memphis.  This annual program is presented by Hawkins-Harrison Insurance, with special support from Pepsi-Cola Memphis, Tommy Benner and the Charleston Board of Trade restaurant near Donnellson, and KayeRay & Co Custom Goods in Bloomfield.  

Following the welcome and a catered meal, the group was entertained by the featured speaker Mike Gundy, a member of the first football team at Memphis High School known affectionately as "The Dirty Thirty".  After the introduction of station staff/ broadcast crews and remarks from the coaches, the Player of the Week winners were recognized and presented with an engraved plaque.  The complete list of weekly winners can be viewed here.

Scotland County Tigers senior tailback Beau Triplett took home the top honor of the night.  Hometown Radio Group General Manager Corey Stott presented Triplett with the Hawkins-Harrison Insurance Player of the Year award.  Triplett was also the week 1 award winner for Player of the Week after his season-opening game at Louisiana.

Scotland County senior tailback Beau Triplett (center) was selected as the 2024 Hawkins-Harrison Insurance Player of the Year.  He is pictured with Tiger head coach Kirk Stott (L) and Hometown Radio Group GM Corey Stott (R).

Player of the Week winners were recognized.  Pictured (L-R):  Terry Ogden- Knox Co., Oren Vanskike- North Shelby, Angstrom Watt- Putnam Co., Hometown Radio Group GM Corey Stott, Beau Triplett- Scotland Co., Brody Weaver- Knox Co., Cooper Clair- Knox Co.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo.- Coach Dave Stuckey and his North Shelby Raiders capped off a tremendous season with an appearance in the MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl 8-Man Football Championship game.  The Raiders faced a tough challenge in the defending, undefeated state champs, the Archie Whirlwinds.  This was a game that featured the smallest school in 8-man football in terms of enrollment, North Shelby, versus the largest school enrollment in Archie. 

North Shelby went toe to toe and blow for blow with the defending state champions for the better part of three quarters.  But in the end, Archie showed why they have enjoyed their long-running win streak and went on to become back-to-back state champions by a final score of 48-20. 

The game was much closer than the score indicates.  Archie led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter, while North Shelby led 20-16 at the half.  Archie scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter, and again in the fourth.

After the game, Coach Dave Stuckey talked with Hometown Radio Sports Director Corey Stott and gave his analysis of how the game unfolded.

Coach Stuckey said that he felt like his team was facing a mirror image of itself on Saturday, only faster.

The Raiders will lose four seniors to graduation this spring.  Coach Stuckey gushed about how much his seniors had meant to his program.

It has been a whirlwind of emotions over the past several weeks as the Raiders made their playoff run to state.  Stuckey said it meant the world to the community as well as the school.

Stuckey has made it known that he plans to retire after this year.  He reflected on his career and what the future might hold for him.

Following the game, Stott had the chance to talk to the four seniors on the Raider squad:  offensive lineman Louis Launius, offensive/defensive lineman Sam Schwanke, offensive/defensive lineman Oren Vanskike and quarterback/linebacker Jade Daniel.

Stott asked each senior what the season had meant to them.

Launius:

Schwanke:

Vanskike:

Daniel:

Stott also asked each senior what their favorite memory of the season was.

Launius:

Schwanke:

Vanskike:

Daniel:

The Raiders finish their season with a 9-5 mark and a second place finish in Missouri State 8-Man Football.

The North Shelby Raiders took home second place in 2024 MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl 8-Man Football.  At the press conference following the game are (L-R):  Louis Launius, Sam Schwanke, Head Coach Dave Stuckey, Jade Daniel and Oren Vanskike.

The North Shelby Raiders defeated the Braymer Bobcats in an exciting finish in a Missouri State 8-Man Football Semi-Final on Saturday at Raider Field.  After starting quarterback Jade Daniel went down with an injury, Bo Bacon came in to lead the final drive to win the game with some last second heroics on a connection to Gannon Bowen.  Here's Hometown Radio Group Sports Director Corey Stott with the call of that final play:

After the game, Raider Head Coach Dave Stuckey spoke with Stott about the game:

The Raiders will be in action at 1 pm this Saturday at Spratt Memorial Stadium on the campus of Missouri Western State University taking on Archie for the State 8-Man Football Championship.  Corey Stott and Dave Sharp will have the live play by play on 100.5 KMEM and streaming live at KMEMFM.com starting at 12:45 pm.