FOR LOVE OF THE GAME: HIDEOUS OUTFITS, DIPSY-DO SHOTS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

The high school sports year is officially over and it would be a perfect time to reflect on some of the more memorable moments.

Of course the most memorable memory is also the most recent. Unfortunately.

Ryan Brown's game-deciding bad throw to the pitcher in the Class 1A state championship game Thursday was something I wish would not have happened. But it did and it was the most unusual, heart-breaking finish to a baseball game I have ever seen.

I felt so bad for Brown. This kid is a winner. A gamer. A really good catcher. And from my perspective, a really good kid.

It was unfortunate that his high school career ended with a mistake.

But he was such a sport about it.

He was man enough to talk about it after the game. Most athletes wouldn't have done that. Trust me, I know.

No one is disappointed in Brown except himself. He helped carry the St. Vincent athletic program for the last four years. He was an all-state football and baseball player and a participant on at least five teams which finished in the top four at state.

Keep your head up, kid.

Here are my top 25 memorable moments of the 2000-01 school year, in random order. All these things I witnessed in person, except for the last one.

* Brown's fully extended diving catch against Adrian in the Class 1A football semifinals. Brown, a tight end/wide receiver, had three touchdown catches that day and all were outstanding plays.

* Jackson running back Mario Whitney shifting into his "fifth gear" and splitting two Dyersburg, Tenn. defenders. The two defenders nearly ran into each other.

* Deana McCormick's dipsy-do, under-handed flip-shot thing in the HealthSouth Holiday Tournament. While it may not have been a game-winning shot, I'm still not sure how the Notre Dame center got that thing to go in.

* Monroe Hicks' 100-yard interception return in the waning seconds of Cape Central's 17-0 district championship victory over Farmington. It truly was heavenly, Monroe.

* Ray Goodson's dominance in the district wrestling tournament. Goodson literally tossed his 215-pound opponents like rag dolls. He wound up going undefeated on his way to the state title.

* Matt Stroup's pitching performance against Sikeston in the SEMO Conference Baseball Tournament. Stroup dominated a team that wound up in the 3A final four.

* Jenna Leet's performance against Poplar Bluff in the district championship game. The sophomore scored 18 points, while her all-state teammate Andrea Koeper was held to just four. Koeper, once fully recovered from mono, resumed her leadership role all the way to the Final Four. But they wouldn't have been there without Leet.

* Advance's Garrett Sherman stunning performance in the U-High championship game. Sherman, a 5-9 guard, seemingly came from nowhere to score 21 points and led fifth-seeded Advance to a U-High championship victory over Jackson.

* Whitney's 82-yard touchdown run against Parkway North. It was much like many of his other spectacular plays of the season, only this one came after an 80-yard run that was called back on a holding penalty.

* Mark Wade's three blocked punts in Jackson's victory over Sikeston.

* Ricky Keller's buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Scott City's championship win over Kelly in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament title game.

* Derek Kutz's kicking. Whether it was a kickoff, field goal or extra point, nobody put more flair into a kick than St. Vincent's kicker. And nobody put more work into it, either.

* McCormick's domination against Twin Rivers in the 2A basketball sectionals.

* ND's Ashley Millham's maturation as a player throughout the Lady Bulldogs' Final Four run. As the games got bigger, she got better.

* Cape Central's determination in its four-overtime victory over Notre Dame. Chris Cole, T.J. Erlacker, Justin Welker and the rest of the Tigers refused to lose that night.

* Cape Central's student section in the Tigers' four-overtime victory over Notre Dame. The suits and ties, the golf clapping ... that was classic.

* O.J. Turner's performance against Jackson in the Indians' win over the Tigers. No. 22 was almost unstoppable that night, making one tackle after another.

* Cape Central athletic director Terry Kitchen introducing Derek McCord as the new head basketball coach. McCord is now a "fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuullllllllll-blooded Tiger!"

* New Madrid County Central point guard Dereke Tipler's unorthodox shots. Forget squaring up. An off-balance, fade-away, flip shot is what beat Dexter time after time in the Class 3A, District 1 championship game.

* Ricky Ogles' two interceptions against Farmington. And the ridiculously hideous orange and black outfits he wore to Cape Central basketball games.

* Stroup's knack for scoring points in the U-High Christmas Tournament. Too bad one mistake cost him his season.

* Tyler Wengert's one-man basketball show against Scott City. St. Vincent lost the game by a large margin -- partly because most of the team consisted of football players who had only two basketball practices -- but Wengert was a joy to watch.

* Justin Welker's attitude. Not many athletes can break an ankle and play a football game three weeks later. He gave all he had to Cape Central.

* And last but not least, my little brother Rusty's grand slam in a little league game.

Thanks, everybody, for the memories.

Bob Miller is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian