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Despite the recent sting of a season-ending loss, Trevor Mosby had no problem putting things in perspective.

Smithville’s girls basketball coach heaped nothing but praise on his determined team, which staged a courageous run to the district finale before bowing out on its home floor late last month.

Finding an identity might have been the biggest challenge for Smithville’s boys basketball team during the 2009-10 campaign.

Once the Warriors discovered their’s was defensive in nature, however, that didn’t make the rest of their road any easier. If anything, it turned out even more nerve-wracking than expected.

From what he’s seen in his three years at the helm, Smithville wrestling coach Taylor Middleton firmly believed his Warriors were making progress.

He just didn’t realize how dramatic the growth was — until he crunched the numbers.

A break in the weather couldn’t have come at better time for Jeff Cain.

The Smithville baseball coach soaked in the mild weather and the popping of gloves Thursday, March 4, as his team experienced its first outdoor practice of the season. After three days of running drills and conditioning indoors, Cain was thrilled to watch his Warriors play long toss and take advantage of the pleasant conditions.

No matter the situation, Smithville’s Payton Hartman always looks forward to a good challenge.

Maybe that’s why the Warriors’ senior — a relentless competitor — beamed as she discussed the next stride in her already accomplished running career after she inked with McPherson (Kan.) College on Monday, March 8, to compete in cross country and track.

Like so many free throws, Smithville’s girls saw their spectacular run at a district title bounce harmlessly away on their home floor.

Just one night after an emotional, draining victory in the semifinals, the Warriors couldn’t seem to recapture the same spirit and ultimately lost, 50-38, to St. Joseph Benton during the Class 4 District 16 championship game Saturday, Feb. 27, at Smithville High.

Shortly before tipoff, Michelle Stevenson reentered the Smithville locker room and gave herself the kind of personal pep talk only a senior can fully appreciate.

“I knew this could be my last game, and I wasn’t ready for the season to end,” Stevenson said.

Whatever words she used did just the trick.

Sometimes, that’s the only think you can do.

The Warriors showed a similar amount of aggravation on the court Thursday, Feb. 25, during a semifinal loss to Platte County in the Class 4 District 16 tournament. Pirates’ senior Jacob Hardie turned in the hottest-shooting night of his career in the 72-56 drubbing, as he went off for a career-high 39 points and knocked down eight 3-pointers.

Senior guard Alex Olson needed only seven seconds to hit her first attempt from the field – a 3-pointer from the right wing – that sparked the Warriors’ 14-2 run to open the game. Five different Smithville players scored during the early streak to set the tone for a balanced show of domination.

Though he didn’t know it at the time, a cancelled soccer practice and a little peer pressure forever altered the course of Ben Barrows’ athletic career.

As a rail-thin freshman who wasn’t likely to crack the varsity soccer roster, Barrows was swayed to attend a cross country practice by classmates Zach Bargman and Grant Roberts.