Semoball Awards finalists demonstrated the good in sports

Perhaps Perryville boys soccer player Pablo Mattingly was simply in the right place at the right time, but one photograph illustrated a myriad of positive reactions following the Pirates' Class 2 state championship victory last fall.

Perryville had just shut out Soldan International Studies in a 7-0 decision, and rather than immediately rejoicing in celebration, Mattingly stopped to embrace Soldan's Fabian Yabwana, a moment displaying sportsmanship in its finest form.

"At the time, I just thought to myself, 'Good, boy,'" said Perryville coach Jerry Fulton, who witnessed Mattingly's gesture in person. "Those are the things we have talked about. Those are the things that we have practiced. It's the type of attitude and things we want to be known for as a soccer team."

Mattingly will be joined by Kennett's BJ Carr, Advance's Hannah Clark, Woodland's Landon Johnson and Notre Dame's Thomas Himmelberg as finalists for the Sportsmanship Award at the second annual Semoball Awards, which will take place July 11 at the Southeast Missouri State River Campus. The awards show is presented by SoutheastHEALTH, and First Midwest Bank returns as the Official Bank Sponsor. Harry Blackwell Family of Dealerships, Athlon Sports, the St. Louis Cardinals and SEMO ESPN Radio are also title sponsors of the event.

"The Sportsmanship Award, the Comeback Player of the Year and the scholar-athletes all get to the heart of why we do the Semoball Awards," event manager Lucas Presson said. "We look for the best of the best, not just for statistics but for how they play the game and how they impact their schools, their colleagues, their peers and their community."

Fulton believes the photo exemplifies how he expects his players to carry themselves and said it wasn't the first time the Pirates had shown sportsmanship during the season.

Luke Schlicting, a boys soccer finalist at the Semoball Awards, drew some attention following Perryville's 3-2 win over St. Pius X (Kansas City) in the state semifinals. Schlicting was the first of several players to console St. Pius' star player, Trevor Cissell, who was overcome with emotion following his team's loss.

Mike Cissell, Trevor's grandfather, sent en e-mail to Fulton praising the Pirates' sportsmanship.

"I'd like to recognize you for a quality that means far more than a State Championship," Cissell stated in the e-mail. "Your team is a team in the true sense. ... Trevor gets hacked, kicked, held and punched in a typical game. Your team played him hard, but clean and within the spirit of the game. After the game Trevor said, 'I want Perryville to win. They are a group of great guys who play for each other.' He never has praised another team following a loss. Perryville is the State Champion. Your team feels fulfilled about WHAT they did. You should be proud of HOW they did it. Congrats!"

Fulton believes Mattingly's actions reiterated the same sense of sportsmanship his team displayed throughout the 2014 campaign, during which it finished the season 28-1.

"I'm very proud of Pablo," Fulton said. "I'm very proud of all my boys, but it's exactly what we work on as a team and as a program to instill in these guys that it's not all about winning, winning, winning. At the end of the day, we're all still human beings, so let's show some compassion."

BJ Carr, Kennett

After Carr was sidelined by a severe concussion in the final weeks of his junior season, symptoms continued to linger into his senior year.

Carr was forced to watch from the sidelines but never missed a practice or workout. His passion for football continued, whether it was throwing footballs in drills, teaching technique or encouraging his teammates to get better.

"I'd never really ever had to stand on the sidelines before. I've always been playing, so that was one of the hardest things I had to deal with," Carr said about the experience. "My teammates were supportive. They always told me that they always appreciated what I was doing. The younger kids would always come up to me and ask me for advice, and I'd help them. I was helping kids at practice do stuff.

"I went from being one of the main guys on the field to having to be kind of like a coach."

Carr is the son of 32-year Kennett Middle School football coach Brent Carr and was a three-year letterman in football. He also competed for Kennett in baseball and golf for one year.

A passion for football drove Carr to continue helping the football team in any way possible, but the excitement surrounding football coach Aaron Pixley had Carr eager to remain actively involved with the program.

"I knew with Coach Pixley coming in and the coaching staff we had that something good was about to happen, and I definitely wanted to be a part of it," Carr said. "I wasn't going to be up in the stands with all the talent we had on the field, especially with Coach Pixley and his brother, Arlen, kind of leading the way. I was ready to be a part of it."

Now a graduate of Kennett, Carr was humbled to be among the finalists.

"It means a lot to be voted in by whoever voted," Carr said. "I really don't know what to say. It means the world to me, so I really don't have words for that."

Hannah Clark, Advance

Clark was the Stoddard County Athletic Association Conference softball player of the year and also earned second-team all-conference honors in volleyball.

Advance softball coach Sarah Wilson believes a love for the game has helped Clark mature into becoming an ideal team player.

"She's really competitive. I think the most important thing is that Hannah does a really good job at looking at hindsight and realizing that it takes a whole team," Wilson said. "She's really tough on herself, so a lot of the time, she tries to put all the blame on her shoulders. But she does an excellent job of not criticizing. Kind of what you have to do is bite your tongue and get through it, and she's always trying to give the girls positive words of encouragement.

"I think she's done a lot this year with her mental game."

Clark batted .581 her senior year with 29 RBIs and 17 extra-base hits. She finished 14-3 in the circle with a 2.44 ERA and 118 strikeouts.

She plans on attending the University of Missouri and was valedictorian of her senior class with a 4.33 GPA, earning 21 college credit hours in addition to her athletic endeavors.

"I'm excited about it," Clark said about being named a finalist. "... I always say that I'm my own worst critic. I hold myself to a really high standard to be a leader and just help all my teammates out at all times, really get them to try to reach to a higher level."

Landon Johnson, Woodland

Johnson has set an example of sportsmanship that many at Woodland will aspire to for years to come.

Whether in the classroom, on the field or on the court, Johnson has been a consummate teammate and done so with a positive attitude.

"It's a blessing, no doubt," Johnson said about being named a finalist. "It just really makes me feel good about myself, just knowing that I represent myself and my teams in the right way. ... You've got to be able to communicate with your teammates and understand to kind of take the backseat, really just do what you can to help the team out."

Johnson helped the Cardinals on the baseball field, where he batted over .600 on the season and helped guide Woodland to a 12-10 season. He was also a member of the Cardinals' basketball team, which advanced to the district championship and wrapped up its season with a 21-8 mark.

Now a graduate of Woodland, Johnson credits his freshman basketball coach, Robert Stein, who now coaches the Cardinals' girls basketball team, for helping him understand the value of sportsmanship.

"He really instilled [sportsmanship] in me," Johnson said. "He told us we needed somebody, at least one person, to be that, not necessarily a leader on the court or the best player but someone that'll set that example. I really just try to step up for my players and show good sportsmanship all the way around to both teams."

Thomas Himmelberg, Notre Dame

Himmelberg was most recognized for his sportsmanship during the Bulldogs' Class 4 state championship game.

With his team holding a commanding lead over Sullivan, Himmelberg suggested to coach Jeff Graviett about giving up an at-bat to allow senior Derek Hulshof, who missed the season due to an ACL tear, to get a chance to hit.

"He came to me early on in the third or fourth inning willing to give up his spot," Graviett said about Himmelberg. "... He's just that type of kid willing to do whatever he needs to do for the kid right next to him. He just really solidifies what we're all about here at Notre Dame."

Himmelberg was a three-sport athlete for the Bulldogs and was the recipient of the Bulldog Award, which is given annually to the Notre Dame student-athlete displaying utmost excellence.

"We really try to break it down into three areas," Graviett said about the Bulldog Award. "You've got your academic end, which he's been a high-end kid, a real model in the classroom. You've got your athletic end, which he's one of the few three-sport athletes we've had around here on the male side. The other is service in Christianity, and he's just the type of kid that'll do anything for anybody, whether you're a coach, a kid or a teacher. Anybody in the building, he's willing to help."

Hulshof got an opportunity to bat in the Bulldogs' final offensive inning of the season and capped his high school career with an RBI single.

"Derek had just been working so hard since he went down in basketball season, and I'd kind of been there by his side through it all," Himmelberg said. "Our relationship has gotten so much better from basketball season into baseball season. I really wanted to see that moment for him, but I don't think anybody expected him to get a base hit and drive in a run. That was just incredible."