T. J. White Is MVP in O'Hara's Double Overtime Win

TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR _____ _____ _____ _____ _____One year ago, a lane violation cost O'Hara a last second victory but this time it took a double overtime game, and the Celtics came away with an exciting 71-70 Championship in the Patterson Division of the William Jewell Basketbal Classic. _____ Teamwork and talented individual efforts paid off for O'Hara who led much of the way before the game went into overtime. _____ It appeared the Columbia Rock Bridge Bruins would take the game in the first overtime period when they went up by five points, but eventually T. J. White tied the contest with a layup and the game proceeded into the second overtime. _____ The Bruins' Ricky Kreklow had two seconds on the clock when his shot missed and the game went to the Celtics. _____ O'Hara was off to a great start in the first quarter picking up 17 points while holding Rock Bridge to 9. They outscored the Bruins 19-12 in the next quarter as well. _____ To tie up the game in regulation time, the Bruins put defensive pressure on the Celtics and managed to outscore them by five third quarter points and ten fourth quarter points. The score was 61-61 going into the overtimes. _____ Top scorer in the game was Justin Miller for the Bruins who had 23. Ricky Kreklow who had three three-pointers and Travis Jorgenson each had 13 for Rock Bridge. _____ O'Hara's Josh Rupprecht was O'Hara's leading scorer with 17 followed by T. J. White with 15. Junior Jevon Lyle contributed 10 points. _____ In addition to O'Hara taking the Championship with Rock Bridge as the runner-up, Park Hill won the battle for third place with a 66-49 win over Lincoln Prep. Winner of the Consolation bracket was Grandview topping Lee's Summit West 67-56.

O'HARA ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WITH 80-55 WIN

In the Bank Midwest/William Jewell Holiday Basketball Classic on December 29, the O'Hara Celtics Dealt the Trojans of Park Hill an 80-55 loss to advance to the tournament championship game the following evening. _____ The first sixteen points were scored by the Celtics and the Trojans didn't get onto the scoreboard until the second quarter. _____ A tight defense leading to turnovers and rushed shots along with 8 first quarter points provided by T. J. White gave O'Hara a margin that the Trojans couldn't dent. ______ After the two teams played evenly for the second and third quarters, the Celtics pulled way ahead in the final quarter outpointing the Trojans 27 to 18. _____ T. J. White led the O'Hara squad with 18 points. Andre Jordan added 11 and Josh Rupprecht had 10 as ten O'Hara players tallied points in the fast paced game.

O'Hara Wins First Round of the HOLIDAY BASKETBALL CLASSIC

On December 26, the O'Hara Celtics won their first round game of the 30th Annual Holiday Basketball Classic at William Jewell 85-59. They faced the Blue Springs Wildcats and moved on to the December 29 game to play Park Hill, the 70-59 winner of the Grandview-Park Hill contest. _____ D. J. Jackson got the Celtics off to a good start with five points while O'Hara carved out a 12-3 lead. _____ A bit later in the first quarter, the Celtics led 17-11 and then scored the next eleven points for a 28-11 bulge. Jevon Lyle, T. J. White, D. J. Jackson, and Josh Ruppprecht contributed to the run. _____ The Wildcats were outscored in each of the ensuing quarters by more modest margins. _____ Josh Rupprecht was O'Hara's scoring leader with twenty points, all of which were done within the first three periods. _____ T. J. White added 12, D. J. Jackson had 11, and both Andre Jordan and Ronnie Miller pumped in 10 apiece.

O'HARA 98 WARRENSBURG 81

Had the O'Hara basketball team maintained their torrid scoring for more than each of the first three quarters of their West Central Conference game with Warrensburg on December 22, they would have reached the century mark. The Celtics poured in 98 points as the Tigers answered with 81. _____ D. J. Jackson and Josh Rupprecht each scored four of O'Hara's initial points to give the home team an 8-0 lead, and the Celtics led the whole game. _____ Ruppecht scored 8 of his 16 total in the first quarter as O'Hara pulled ahead by ten 28-18. _____ Bringing the halftime score to 54-41, T. J. White scored 7 of his 17 total in the second period. _____ Four other O'Hara players made double figures by the time the game ended. D. J. Jackson had 15, Daniel Hurtt had 14, Aaron Stubblefield had 12, and Andre Jordan had 12. _____ The closest the Tigers could get was by a margin of four points when the score was 22-18 but the next twelve points were Celtic points. _____ For Warrensburg, Tyler Schmidt led all scorers with 27 points, 18 of which were in the first half before the Celtics slowed down his production. _____ O'Hara went up by 77-50 in the third quarter which was their largest lead in the game. _____ The Celtics are 3-0 in the WWC.

O'Hara to Play in Holiday Basketball Classic

O'HARA IS SEEDED SECOND IN TOURNAMENT _____ The Archbishop O'Hara High School basketball team is seeded 2nd in the Bank Midwest/William Jewell Holiday Basketball Classic which is to run between December 26 and December 30. _____ Last year the Celtics nearly took the Championship in their Division but the apparent winning basket by T. J. White was disallowed due to a lane violation. _____ The team is entered in the Patterson Division and scheduled to play seventh seeded Blue Springs at noon on Saturday, December 26. _____ The winner of this game will have a noon game on Tuesday, December 29 against the winner of the Park Hill-Grandview contest. _____ The winner of the bracket will face the survivor of the other bracket consisting of Lee's Summit West, William Chrisman, Rock Bridge, and Lincoln Prep and is scheduled for 7:30 PM on Wednesday, December 30.

THIRTEEN SENIORS HONORED AT O'HARA FOOTBALL AWARDS

On Decemeber 20, at the Archbishop O'Hara Football Awards Ceremony, the thirteen senior players who played on the team that took Third Place State 3-A with a 12-2 record were given special recognition. ____ They were T. J. White, Joe Melchior, Louis Golden, Aaron Stubblefield, Ted Dujakovich, Tyler Houser, Matt Falke, Nick Coatney, Anthony Liggett, Terrell Johnson, Keon Young, Keenen Wilkins, and Damon Larmond. _____ Varsity players from the underclasses were presented with their letters too. These were juniors Raphael Spencer, Andre Jordan, Jimmy Clark, and Logan Halil along with sophomores Brett Coatney, Jorge Belcher, Jake Fortin, Julian Gidley, Tanner Hull, and Josh Snow. Provisional varsity, junior varsity and freshman football players also got their letters. _____ At the ceremony, T. J. White was the recipient of the "Red Zone Player of the Year" plaque. _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ TEAM MILESTONES OF 2009 FOR O’HARA: Most O’Hara points in a season: 502; previous high was 440 in 2000. Highest average O’Hara points per game in a season: 35.9; previous high was 356 in 1999. Most points for both teams in a season: 774; previous high was 575 in 2008. Most points for both teams in a game: 99 [with Pleasant Hill]; previous high was 82 which happened twice. Most touchdowns in a season: 74; previous high was 61 in 2000. Most touchdowns per game in a season: 5.3; previous high was 5.0 in 1999. Most total rushing and passing yards in a season: 4,909; previous high was 4,439 in 2000. Most pass attempts in a season: 187; previous high was 186 in 1998. Most passing touchdowns in a season: 19; previous high was 16 in 2008. Most kickoffs in a season: 87; previous high was 81 in 2000. Most defensive unassisted tackles in a season: 349; previous high was 277 in 2007. O’HARA TEAM WAS SECOND IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 49; record is 50 in 2000. Most completions in a season: 89; record is 93 in 2008. Highest completion percentage in a season: 47.6; record is 58.1 in 2008. Most net passing yards in a season: 1,567; record is 1,939 in 2008. Highest completion percentage in a game: 58.3 [vs Savannah]; record is 72.7 in 2008 [vs Smithville]. Most kickoff yards in a season: 3,298; record is 4,067 in 2000. INDIVIDUAL O’HARA SCHOOL RECORDS SET IN 2009: Career Top Passer: T. J. White completed 240 out of 475 for 4,587 yards and 45 touchdowns. Season Top Receiver: Aaron Stubblefield (tied with Matt Morrison 1998) with 35 receptions. AMONG TOP TEN O’HARA SCHOOL RECORDS SET IN 2009: Season second place in Top Ten Passing: T. J. White; 88 out of 181 for 1,545 yards and 19 touchdowns. Career second place in Top Ten receivers: Aaron Stubblefield with 53 for 1,254 yards and 10 touchdowns. Season fifth place in Top Ten Rushing yards: Raphael Spencer with 1,454 yards and 22 touchdowns. Season sixth place in most extra points kicked: Julian Gidley with 29 (tied with two others). Career eighth place in Top Ten Rushing yards: Raphael Spencer with 1,642 yards and 24 touchdowns. Career eighth place in Top Ten receivers: Joe Melchior with 31 for 428 yards and 7 touchdowns. Season tenth place in Top Ten receivers: Joe Melchior with 22 for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns.

O'Hara in the Hy-Vee Shootout

The O'Hara boys team lost to Miege by a close 58-56 score and the girls team dropped a 62-42 decision to Shawnee Mission West over the weekend. _____ With a few seconds left to the boys contest, a three point shot that could have won the game for the Celtics bounced off the rim. _____ O'Hara had led by two points after the first quarter and then by as much as four until Miege pulled ahead 24-22 midway through the second period. _____ Aaron Stubblefield got the Celtics back on top with a layup at 33-32 during the third quarter, but then the Stags retook the lead and held on the remainder of the game. _____ Within the last half minute of playing time, Miege had a seven point advantage at 58-51 and it appeared they would hold on with ease. Not so however. Ronnie Miller scored a three-pointer and Josh Rupprecht scored an inside shot when the Celtics stole the inbound pass. _____ Trevor Releford scored 25 points and Rodney Givens had 14 for Miege, but the Celtic defense kept all but three other Stags from scoring. _____ O'Hara, with a deeper bench, had had eight players contributing to the scoring. They were led by Ronnie Miller with 15, T. J. White with 12, and D. J. Jackson with 11. With the Stags using a zone defense, five of the Celtics' baskets were three-pointers. _____ O'Hara's record went to 5-1 while Miege went to 3-0. _____ The Lady Celtics fell behind by four in the first quarter of their game with the Vikings 11-7 and could not stay with their opponent the rest of the way. Alex Smith led the O'Hara attack with 15 points.

ALL WCC SOCCER

From O'Hara, the West Central Conference Soccer First Team included Matt Shelton and Jerry Rellihan and the Second Team had Pat Berney and John Tyler.

Lady Celtics Have Easy Time with Clinton Cardinals

O'HARA 69 CLINTON 21 _____ On December 16th, the O'Hara girls basketball team held the Clinton Cardinals to 12 points over three quarters while scoring 54 points during the first half alone on their way to a 69-21 win. ______Alex Smith, Hailey Houser, Cameron Randle, and Ashley Clark poured in a total of 52 points. _____ The game ended with a running clock and provided the Celtics with ample opportunity for the entire bench to gain experience.

O'HARA BASKETBALL GO TO 4-0 WITH WIN OVER CENTER

O'HARA 73 CENTER 66 _____ The O'Hara boys basketball team outscored Center by twelve points in the second quarter to lift the team to a seven point victory on December 15th at Center. _____ The top scorer in the game was Center's Mark Braden who played his last three years at O'Hara before transferring schools. He had 25 points. _____ Anthony Rule had 18 points for the Yellowjackets but the rest of Center's team only came through with 23 points. _____ The Celtics, with a more balanced attack, had four players in double figures. D. J. Jackson and Jevon Lyle each ended up with 14 points. Daniel Hurtt and T. J. White also were in double figures.

Lady Celtics Win by Ten Over Smith-Cotton Tigers

After a slow start, the O'Hara Lady Celtics won on December 14th at Smith-Cotton 50-40. _____ At halftime, the Celtics were trailing 24-18, but managed to whittle the score down to one point to start the fourth quarter at 36-35. _____ A three-point shot by Cameron Randle tied the game at 40-40 with three minutes remaining in the game. _____ Ashley Clark followed with another three-pointer to give O'Hara the lead. _____ The Tigers were forced to foul and the Celtics took advantage with seven free throws on eight attempts to seal the victory. _____ 18 of O'Hara's total came from three point range although the team did have the advantage of height with Hailey Houser and Tori Hurtt under the basket. _____ Costly turnovers forced by the Celtic defense and missed layups worked against the Tigers. _____ At one time the Tigers led by a 15-9 score. _____ O'Hara took a temporary 35-32 lead inside of the third quarter when Ashley Clark hit on a trey along her way to 14 total points in the game. _____ Cameron Randle and Alex Smith had 13 game points each. _____

PIUS FALLS TO O'HARA 80-47

Taking over early, the O'Hara boys basketball team jumped to a 17-4 lead against Saint Pius X within the first quarter. They led 22-8 going into the second quarter on their way to an 80-47 West Central Conference victory on December 14th. _____ Five Celtics achieved double figures in the game. _____ T. J. White, Josh Rupprecht, and Jevon Lyle each had 12 points or more, and they were followed by Daniel Hurtt and Keenan Wilkins-Hemphill with 10 apiece. _____ After reaching a 40-26 halftime score, O'Hara scored 20 points in each of the final two quarters. _____ In the fourth quarter the Saint Pius Warriors were held to 5 total points. The closest Saint Pius could come was nine points when they closed the gap to 42-33, but the Celtics easily controlled the remainder of the game. _____ The Celtics are 3-0 for the early season. _____ Prior to the varsity game, the O'Hara JV team won 58-42.

Girls Basketball in Kickapoo Tournament

The O'Hara Lady Celtics competed in the Kickapoo Basketball Tournament on December 10, 11, & 12 against some very tough competition. _____ The Celtics did not manage a win but had two games in which they stayed close before the final buzzer. _____ Nixa was the Tournament winner going undefeated: 49-38 over Kickapoo, 50-42 over O'Hara, and 50-40 over Liberty. _____ Liberty came through with two victories over O'Hara 61-54 and Kickapoo 44-40 to take the runner-up spot. _____ O'Hara lost to Kickapoo 73-43.

O'HARA OVER SAINT JAMES BY ELEVEN

Saint James Academy got 17 of their 38 points from 6'6" Clint McCullough, but the O'Hara Celtics used a fast paced offense and full court defense to win on December 11th 49-38. _____ Ahead by three points after the first quarter, the Celtics increased their lead to 24-17 by halftime, limiting the Thunder to just five points in the second quarter. _____ The Thunder tied the score at 25-25 within the third quarter to tighten up the game and actually held a brief lead before D. J. Jackson lifted the Celtics to a three point lead on a three-point shot to end the third quarter. _____ O'Hara kept coming on in the fourth period and scored eight more points than the Saint James squad for the victory. _____ In the low scoring game, the Celtics held their opponent to an average of less than ten points per quarter. _____ In double figures, T. J. White and Aaron Stubblefield had 11 points each. Just missing double figures, D. J. Jackson and Jevon Lyle had 9 points apiece.

Travis Peter Adds Another Wrestling Win

Although the O'Hara wrestling team did not fare very well against Warrensburg on December 10th, Travis Peter won his 130 lb match with a pin. In the first period he built up a 6-2 advantage with three take-downs to two escapes. The match ended in the second period after Travis picked up six more points via an escape, take-down, and near-fall prior to the actual pin.

ALL STATE FOOTBALL HONORS

The Following O'Hara Students have been selected to the Missouri Football Coaches Association 2009 All State Football Team: 1st Team: Matt Falke; Offensive Line _____ 2nd Team: Raphael Spencer; Running Back, Aaron Stubblefield; Receiver _____ 3rd Team: T. J. White; Quarterback, Louis Golden; Defensive End, Raphael Spencer; Returner _____

Lady Celtics Win Conference Game 73-25

Lady Celtics 73 Yellowjackets 25 _____ On December 8th, the Archbishop O'Hara High School girls basketball team won a WCC home game 73-25 with the Center Yellowjackets. _____ Holding Center to two baskets and two free throws for six points for the first quarter, the Celtics poured on 20 points with nine coming from Cameron Randle. _____ By halftime, the Celtics were up 47-15 with seven players combining for 27 points in the second quarter. _____ The first 17 points of the third quarter were scored by O'Hara, eight of which were scored by Ashley Clark. _____ The fourth quarter was played with a running clock and a number of less experienced players got to see action. _____ Ashley Clark had 16 points in the game followed by Cameron Randle with 15 for the scoring honors.

TRAVIS PETER LEADS O'HARA WRESTLERS

At the December 5th Grain Valley Wrestling Invitational, Travis Peter won all five of his matches to take First Place in the 130 lb weight class. _____ Teamwise, the O'Hara Celtics were 8th among the 14 participating schools. _____ Jake Fortin won 3rd place in his weight class, Miles Womack was 4th, and Danijo Adams took 5th. _____ Winning the first two matches of their careers, Jimmy Clark and Jeremy Ambrose each came in 6th.

O'Hara Wins 59-29 In Second Basketball Game

The Pembroke Hill Raiders couldn't keep pace with the O'Hara Celtics in the December 4th basketball game at Pembroke Hill. _____ After falling behind by six points in the initial quarter, the Raiders were only able to come up with two more points until halftime as the Celtics poured in sixteen for a 30-10 lead. ____ Eventually the game ended 59-29 with D. J. Jackson leading the way in double figures with 15 points. _____ O'Hara only cashed in on 9 free throws in 23 attempts but the game did not hinge on points from the free throw line. _____ D. J. Jackson, Jevon Lyle, and Ronnie Miller contributed three-point shots in the game.

IMPRESSIVE BASKETBALL OPENER FOR O'HARA

O'Hara Tops Smithville 81-54 _____ The O'Hara boys varsity basketball team opened their 2009-2010 season with an exclamation point on December 1st. ______ Scoring 31 of their 81 points in the second period alone, the Celtics reached a 50-22 halftime score as eleven players contributed to the scoring. _____ Led by D. J. Jackson with 20 points and Jevon Lyle's 14 points, the team benefitted from nine three-pointers along the way (five of which were by Jackson and Lyle). _____ In the first quarter, the Celtics had surged ahead by eight points and were able stretch the advantage until letting up in the fourth quarter.