Area Sports and Education

The Varsity Wildcats defeated the Mountain View/Liberty Eagles in the first round of the Mountain Grove Tournament on Monday, January 23. Varsity score was 67-65, with a three-point shot at the buzzer to go ahead of the Eagles. Licking scorers were led by Austin James with 17 points; 14 points apiece were scored by Carter…

The Lady ‘Cats wrapped up their week Thursday, Jan. 19, with a tough contest against the Fatima Comets. Both JV and Varsity teams fell to the Class 4 Comets, with the final score 53-60 for the Varsity ‘Cats. Coach Steve Rissler was recognized for his 300th career win, which occurred on December 27, 2022, when…

With the resignation of Elementary Principal Mrs. Julianna Thrasher mid-school year, and with Elementary Academic Services Principal Mrs. Telena Haneline’s move to the superintendent position for the next school year, the position of elementary principal was vacant for Licking’s next school year. The Licking R-VIII School Board wrapped up the interview process for the position…

The Licking Wildcats faced the Mountain Grove Panthers in a home game Tuesday, then hit the road to end their week in Laquey on Friday. Licking added two more wins to their record, bringing it up to 13-4 (4-0 conference), in two close contests, with three- and two-point victories, respectively. Despite trailing Mountain Grove until…

By Coach Steve Rissler Licking traveled to Laquey to battle the 14-2 Lady Hornets last Thursday. The JV started off the night with a nip and tuck, 34 – 28 victory over the host Lady Hornets. The varsity game was a carnival of turnovers and missed opportunities for the Lady ’Cats. Laquey led at the…

By Lisa Steelman Texas County is proud to be sending our sixth and seventh shotgun shooters in seven years to 4H Nationals as members of the Missouri State Shotgun team. Ben Steelman and Roy “Tres” Warner competed in tryouts to make the Missouri state team. National competition is held in Grand Island, Neb., where teams…

By Coach Steve Rissler The Licking Lady Wildcats started off the new year on Monday, January 2, with a 55-40 victory at home over the MASSIVE Iberia Lady Rangers. The two seniors led us in this one, with Abbie Sullins netting 28 points on eight three-pointers and Kaida Cook chipping in 14 points and nine…

The Licking Wildcats basketball team was on the road last week for two games. They started the week on Tuesday, January 4, at Willow Springs, and brought home a narrow victory, 71-68. The week ended in Mountain View on Friday, January 6, with another close game, this one a loss, 65-73, to the Liberty Eagles.…

By Shari Harris, Publisher The Licking Lady ’Cats entered the Mtn. Grove Holiday Tournament on Monday, December 26, as the first seed, followed by Chadwick, Mansfield and Mtn. View/Liberty. The sixteen team double-elimination tournament saw games played for four consecutive days, with the final round on Thursday, December 29. Licking faced #16 Summersville in the…

By Shari Harris, Publisher The Licking Wildcats finished fourth in the Cabool Holiday Tournament, going 2-2. Licking junior Keyton Cook was named to the All-Tournament team. In the first round game, Licking defeated Viola, Ark., 72-52. The Wildcats trailed at the end of one, 16-19, but turned it around in the second quarter, taking a…