Wednesday, Feb. 2, was signing day for student athletes that are planning to play NCAA football. Meaning, that is, that it was the first day that the kids could sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) declaring their intention to attend and play football at a specific school. For the Missouri Tigers, it was a pretty good day overall. A total of 17 kids committed to go to Columbia to play football, and on Wednesday morning rivals.com had the class rated as 28th best with regard to average stars of its signees. Mizzou head coach Gary Pinkel is pleased with the way things are going in Tiger …

 McCluer North star forward B.J. Young was suspended for two games this week, causing him to miss a pair of huge Suburban North Conference basketball games against Hazelwood West and Hazelwood Central. As part of one of the top teams in the state, this isn’t good at all.  The suspension was a result of Young being ejected from a game for the second time this season, and it’s not the first time he’s been suspended this year. But this article isn’t about B.J. Young, it was just inspired by his suspension. It’s actually about your kids. And mine. And all the kids throughout Wentzville that play …

At this time of year, kids all across Wentzville are on occasion hit with a snow day or two, just as they were last week in just about every district in the entire region.  Now, I’m quick to admit (loudly, if necessary) that I am not in any way a fan of the snow, of cold weather, or of anything about winter. That said, I’m still interested in what kids around Wentzville like to do with their days off of school. Just because I’m inside hiding doesn’t mean everyone is. For that matter, there was a time when I was happy to get out and enjoy a snow day by doing something other than complaining …

If anyone ever doubted the importance of game-action versus practices, they need not look further than the first quarter of Monday night’s BCS Championship Game between Oregon and Auburn.  In the first 15 minutes of play, the teams showed more than enough rust, combining for three turnovers in what can at best be described as a sloppy mess – and that had nothing to do with the condition of the field. Yes, in the end Auburn’s last-second win was exciting. Yes, the teams started to play better as the night went along. But that first quarter… it reminded me of peewee football but a bit less …

When Mizzou junior Blaine Gabbert announced earlier this week that he had decided to enter the 2011 NFL Draft, Tigers fans near and far offered a wide variety of opinions – both positive and negative. After a remarkable performance in the Insight Bowl, during which Gabbert completed 41-of-57 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown but also threw a deadly interception that was returned for the game-winning touchdown in Iowa's 27-24 win, Gabbert officially decided he was ready to turn pro. "This is definitely a bittersweet day for me, I was really looking forward to having a chance to do some …

Over the past few years, one of the tasks on my plate has been to work as a judge for a major national high school awards program. It's no ordinary award, as it takes into account much more than the numbers put up by athletes across the nation. This award also considers grades, peer comments, leadership qualities, community service, character, and other factors. There are countless children across the nation that averaged 300 yards and five touchdowns a night, or somehow had triple-doubles every time their team hit the hardwood. Kids everywhere are hitting .550 with two home runs a game and …

By the time you've reached this column, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the Wentzville Patch. We're local. We're online. We're your town. We're your schools. But what about sports? What types of things are you going to see, you may ask? Well, that's partly up to you. It's unlikely you'll get a lot of chatter around these parts about the Cardinals, the Rams, the Blues, Mizzou or SLU (though not a guarantee!) Instead, we plan to deliver the same types of things in our sports department as we deliver in our news department – local news. You're get as much prep …