Southwest

Pink Out celebrates quindecennial
The Hmen Sisters, Olivia and Abi, help decorate the gym in advance of Pink Out 15 at Southwest High School. The event marked the 15th season the Lady Trojans have celebrated breast cancer awareness with a special event.

41 years of digs and kills
Southwest’s Laura Henry (No. 10) sets teammate Marissa Freeman for a kill attempt in a matchup with Pierce City Saturday at Southwest’s Volleyfest, the 41st year of the tournament.

Lady Trojans turning things up a notch
Accomplishing a double-digit win total last year, the Southwest volleyball team — led by four experienced seniors and one junior — aims to take it up a notch this season. Finishing 10-19-3 last season and winning 7 of their final 10, Coach Steve Voyak said the sky is the limit as the 2024 campaign is underway.

Southwest shooters earn national titles
Two Southwest trap shooters have won first-place awards at the 2024 AIM Grand National Championships, held in late July in Sparta, Ill. Riley Phillips earned a first-place finish at nationals, and Dakota Cotton took first in High All-Around for his combined singles, doubles and handicap scores.

Southwest grad gets rootEd scholarship
Jordan Long, of Washburn, a 2024 Southwest High School graduate, was recently named as a recipient of the rootEd Undergraduate Scholarship. The root-Ed Undergraduate Scholarship offers students attending a 4-year University up to $12,000 a year for five years.
Southwest Volleyball Practice Begins Aug. 12
Southwest Volleyball Coach Steve Voyak has announced volleyball practice at Southwest starts Aug. 12.

Shooting for fun(ds)
John Wolf, of Seligman, takes aim at a target during his 50-round shoot at the Southwest Shootout on Saturday at Southwest’s new trap field.

Southwest FFA competes at Nationals
After a fifth-place finish at State, with Saige Miller placing ninth individually, the Southwest FFA Soils Team qualified to compete at the National Level. The National FFA Land and Range Judging Contest was held in El Reno, Okla. The students arrived in El Reno, on April 30 to prepare for the National Land and Range Judging Contest on May 2. All FFA members were tasked with judging the land and soil at four different sites. Participants judged the limitations and advantages of the land and soil. The following day, on May 3, the team received their placing. As a team, Southwest placed 16th out of 99 teams.

3 Southwest seniors awarded Hagan Scholarship
Three Southwest High School Class of 2024 graduates will avoid student debt in coming years, as each has been awarded the Hagan Scholarship, worth up to $60,000 over four years. Scholarships were awarded to Lilly Wolf, who is planning to attend the University of Idaho to study Wildlife Resource Management; Faith Outhouse, who is planning to attend Missouri State University to study Nursing; and Kameron Kelley, who is planning to attend Drury University to study Architecture.

Trojans trudge through .500 season
Finishing at exactly .500, the Southwest baseball team had many highlights this season, but one-run games and untimely hitting hampered the Trojans through the spring. Derek Mann, Southwest baseball coach, said while the team ultimately fell short of its goals, it was able to accomplish plenty at 14-14.