Backyard Horseshoe Club members participate in Missouri State Horseshoe Tournament

From left: Martin Williams, MOHPA Junior Boys Champion; Tori Vandeven, Junior Girls Champion; and Wesley Stoverink, Boy Division A second place.

Several local residents recently represented the Backyard Horseshoe Club and Southeast Missouri by participating in the Missouri State Horseshoe Pitchers Championships Sept. 4 through 7 in Wentzville, Mo., at the Quail Ridge Horseshoe Club. This is also the home of the newly-constructed National Horseshoe Pitchers Association Hall of Fame.

A total of 18 Backyard Horseshoe Club members participated in the tournament, several of whom did quite well. A total of 12 of the 18 who participated came back with trophies and cash prizes.

In the Juniors Championship Division, Bollinger County did excellent, bringing home two Junior Championship Division traveling trophies.

The Junior Boys Championship Division was won by Grassy, Mo., resident Martin Ross Williams. He is the 16-year-old on of Danny and Melody William of Glen Allen, who are the owners of Backyard Horseshoe Club in Grassy. Martin is the grandson of Jackie and Gene Mart in and David Williams of Scott City, Mo., and Lois Ross of Murphysboro, Ill. He is a junior at Woodland High School in Marble Hill.

The Junior Girls Championship Division was won by Leopold resident Tori Vandeven, daughter of Dawn and Keith Morrow of Leopold and the granddaughter of Daryl and Carolyn Vandeven of Leopold. She is a junior at Leopold High School.

Another Leopold youth, Wesley Stoverink, won second place in the Boys Youth Division A. Wesley is the son of Cori and Edgar Stoverink of Leopold, and a junior high school student at Leopold.