MSHSAA All Access Podcast

MSHSAA All-Access Podcast: Missouri Fall Coaches of the Year (2025–2026 Recognition) This MSHSAA All-Access Podcast episode recognizes Missouri’s 2025–2026 (last year’s) Fall Coaches of the Year as part of the NFHS Coach of the Year program pathway from state to section and national honors. Honorees include John Plankers (Raymore-Peculiar girls golf) for the school’s first state title; Chris Salav...

2026/27 Fall Softball State Championships Preview | Back at Killian Sports Complex Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Assistant Executive Director Daryl Bradley preview the Missouri State High School Activities Association Fall Softball Championships, returning to the Killian Sports Complex in Springfield after time at Meador Park while turf was installed. They highlight the benefits of the upgraded all-tur...

Previewing the 2026 MSHSAA Girls Tennis Championships | Dates, Format & Cooper Tennis Complex Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Associate Executive Director James Melton preview the 2026 MSHSAA Girls Tennis Championships, outlining the sport’s unique setup with separate individual (singles and doubles) and team state tournaments. They share that championships will be held at the Cooper Tennis Complex i...

2026 MSHSAA Girls Golf Championships: Dates, Venues, Qualifying & Live Scoring Coach Matt Frey on Eldon Girls Golf’s Class 2 State Title and Building a Championship Program The episode kicks off the MSHSL’s 2026 championship year and fall season by previewing the girls’ golf postseason with Assistant Executive Director, Doug Fessler. They outline key dates, with district tournaments beginning...

Officials Appreciation Week: Soccer Referee Gaou Boukari on Officiating, Preparation, and Getting Started In this MSHSAA All-Access Podcast episode for Officials Appreciation Week, Dr. Jennifer Rukstad talks with soccer official Gahou Boukari and Assistant Executive Director Alex Huck about officiating in Missouri high school soccer and beyond. Boukari, an IT professional at the University of Miss...

Officials Appreciation Week: Celebrating Missouri Fall Sports Officials | MSHSAA All-Access Podcast During Officials Appreciation Week, Dr. Jennifer Rukstad hosts the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast highlighting volleyball with Associate Director Toni Hill and veteran Missouri officials Dixie Wescott and Cathy Viets. Wescott, a Kansas City/NW Missouri official in her 20th year and former assistant princ...

MSHSAA TV Announces New Fall Postseason Pricing: One Pass Per Round + Final Site Options On the MSHSAA All Access podcast, CFO/COO Craig Long and Communications Director Andrew Kauffman announce a new MSHSAA TV pricing structure for fall postseason championships. Previously $10 bought one individual postseason game; now football is $10 per round for access to all games statewide that weekend, whil...

MSHSAA Championship Venue Updates (Through 2031) + How the RFP Process Works | Craig Long On the MSHSAA All Access Podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and CFO/COO Craig Long explain how MSHSAA selects championship venues through a competitive RFP process and why the association is shifting from multiple staggered five-year cycles to a consolidated, shorter three-year approach, with th...

Rock Bridge’s Two-Sport Star: Nicholas Timbrook Balances Soccer & Football, Scores Big, Commits to South Dakota State In this MSHSAA All-Access Podcast episode, Rock Bridge High School senior Nicholas Timbrook and head football coach Matt Perkins discuss how Nick simultaneously plays varsity boys soccer and football in the same season. Nick, a lifelong soccer player and first-time football wid...

MSHSAA All-Access Podcast: Board Members Reflect on Appeals, Leadership, and Strategic Planning Following the September MSHSAA board meeting, the All-Access Podcast features board members Craig Gibbs (Southeast District, principal at Valle Catholic), Dr. Lori Wilson (new member, Southwest District, superintendent of Ozark School District), and Dr. Josh Hoener (South Central District, superintenden...

How Emerging Sports Become MSHSAA Championship Activities (and What’s Next for Girls Flag Football & Esports) Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, explains how “emerging” sports and activities are recognized and what it takes for them to become fully interscholastic with MSHSAA-sponsored championships and services. She outlines the...

Unified Track & Field in Missouri: MSHSAA Partners with Special Olympics Missouri On the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Dr. Jennifer Rukstad is joined by Luke Lamb and Ben Johnson of Special Olympics Missouri to discuss Unified Champion Schools and the launch of Unified Track and Field as an emerging MSHSAA sport. They explain Unified Sports as teams made up of roughly a 50/50 mix of students with...

Inside MSHSAA’s New Medals: Design, History & the Partnership with Collegiate Awards On the MSHSAA All Access podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and CFO/COO Craig Long welcome Frank Boster of Collegiate Awards to discuss the history and scale of MSHSAA trophies and medals and reveal the association’s newly redesigned medals. They explain MSHSAA’s long-standing bidding process and...

Building Student Leaders: Lee’s Summit North’s Student Activities Advisory Council (SAC) In this MSHSAA All-Access episode, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad interviews Lee’s Summit North Athletic/Activities Director Mike McGurk about the school’s Student Activities Advisory Council (SAC). McGurk explains how the program evolved over the past 13 years from a liaison group into a leadership d...

MSHSAA Annual Membership Update: Transfer Exceptions, Coaching Requirements, Championship Factor & 2027–28 District Changes This episode explains MSHSAA’s annual membership updates required for member-school principals and activities administrators, held in early September across eight board districts, and previews key topics for the new school year. It covers by-law changes including new tran...

Athlete Wellness Beyond Injuries: Athletic Trainers on Mental Health, Identity & Support Teams On the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, executive director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad welcomes Sports Medicine Advisory Committee athletic trainers Brent Holtgrewe (Greater St. Louis) and Jason Pyrah (southwest Missouri) to discuss athlete wellness as fall sports begin. They describe how athletic trainers suppor...

MSHSAA Myths: How Class & District Assignments Are Determined (2.0 Differential, Enrollment & Geography) On the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer uekstad continues the MSHSAA Myths series by explaining how class and district assignments are created before the championship factor is applied. Assistant Executive Directors Lou Mazzocco and Doug Fessler describe how th...

MSHSAA All Access Storyteller Series: Rylee Allred Chases History in Missouri Girls Golf In this MSHSAA All-Access podcast episode, Andrew Kaufman launches a new storyteller series by interviewing Ash Grove senior golfer Rylee Allred and her coach, Grant Williamson. Allred shares how she started golf at age nine, her competitive drive, and how she’s helped grow the girls golf roster at Ash Grove f...

Missouri Students Reflect on the NFHS National Student Leadership Summit In this All-Access Podcast episode, MSHSAA leaders and Student Advisory Committee members Keely Gorman (Licking HS) and Blayde Lindsay (Brookfield HS) recap their experience attending the NFHS National Student Leadership Summit in Indianapolis, alongside Associate Executive Director James Melton and Dr. Jennifer Rukstad. They...

MSHSAA Myths: How the Appeals Process Really Works (Transfers, Hardships & Eligibility) On the MSHSAA All-Access podcast, Associate Executive Directors Toni Hill and James Melton explain MSHSAA's multi-level appeals process - often used for student transfer eligibility - to address the myth that the association has ultimate rule. They outline how a receiving school submits a transfer form, the...

MSHSAA Myth Series: How the Championship Factor Works (2026–27 Changes Explained) On the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Assistant Executive Director Lou Mazzocco explain Missouri’s championship factor and the board-approved changes taking effect in 2026–27. They describe the shift from a static six-year point system to a depreciating model that weights recen...

First Day of Fall Practice: How an AD/Head Coach Prepares & Why Engagement Matters Dr. Jennifer Rukstad opens the 2026–2027 MSHSAA All-Access Podcast season on the first allowable day of fall practices and interviews Will Christian, athletic director at Lebanon High School and head football coach, about managing both roles. Christian emphasizes the importance of a strong support team, summer p...

2026 MSHSAA Girls Soccer Championships Recap | Class 1–4 Results & Highlights Dr. Jennifer Rukstad is joined by Alex Huck and Scott Lunte to recap the 2026 MSHSAA Girls Soccer Championships held at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in St. Louis during the first weekend of June. They review each classification: Class 1 saw Pembroke Hill win its first girls soccer title, defeating Duchesne 3-1 a...

MSHSAA All-Access Podcast: 2026 Baseball Championships Recap (Classes 1–6) In this MSHSAA All-Access Podcast episode, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad is joined by Assistant Executive Director Daryl Bradley and Communications Director Andrew Kauffman to recap the 2026 MSHSAA Baseball Championships held over six straight days at Ozark Mountain Sports Complex in Ozark, Missouri. They review r...

Recap: 2026 MSHSAA Boys Volleyball Championships (First Year of Two Classes) In this MSHSAA All-Access Podcast episode, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad is joined by Associate Executive Director Toni Hill and communications assistant Scott Lunte to recap the 2026 Boys Volleyball Championships held at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau during a busy spring championship week and the first y...