Odessa cheerleaders won the Kansas City Regional Championship Friday at Lee's Summit North High School in the Class 4 Small division.

Event was sponsored by the Missouri Cheer Coaches Association. The top five finishing teams qualify for the state championships in November. Odessa won the regional title by defeating Harrisonville, who placed second, and third-place finisher St. Joseph Lafayette.

Odessa rebounded from last year's disappointing fifth place finish at the regional competition to win their second championship in the last three years. In 2008, Odessa parlayed their regional championship into a state crown three months later. Read more in The Odessan.

Post 379's stay in the Zone 2 East Tournament was anything but pleasant last weekend. Oak Grove lasted only two games in the double-elimination tournament, dropping both games by a combined score of 32-12.

Oak Grove opened first round play against Higginsville Post 223 on July 16 at Hidden Valley in Blue Springs. Game reached the top of the third when the clouds opened up and forced tournament officials to cancel the rest of the night's activities. Higginsville led 2-0.

Game was resumed at 9 a.m. on July 17 in Sedalia. The change of venues was already part of the plan, but the early start was not. Hi-Style woke up its bats and loaded the bases in the bottom of the third thanks to two errors and a walk. But a flyout to center ended the inning and left the bases juiced.

Oak Grove loaded the bases again in the fourth with one out, and again squandered the opportunity with back-to-back flyouts to center. Hi- Style would strand nine runners over the final seven innings, and it would cost them.

Still leading 2-0 entering the top of the ninth, Higginsville finally got to starter Tyler Johnson. A hard-hit double off the wall in left began the inning. Nine batters later, Post 223 took the field with a 7-0 lead. That would be the final. Read more in The Odessan.

Kelsey Hilbrenner, a 2010 graduate of Odessa High School, played for the KC Freeze, an 18-and-under USSSA softball team this summer. Hilbrenner helped the Freeze win the USSSA Softball World Series July 24 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The Freeze wrapped up the title with a 4-0 win over the Central Pennsylvania Eagles to finish 7-0 in the weeklong tournament.

Jackie Prater, Nixa High School, struck out 10 batters and finished with four RBIs to lead the Freeze to victory. An RBI double in the top of the first got the scoring started. A solo home run in the top of the fourth made it a 2-0 contest. Then in the top of the sixth, Prater struck again for a two-run homer.

Eagles brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but Prater sat her down on three straight pitches to secure the national title.

Hilbrenner finished the game one-for-three with an infield hit that ricocheted off the Eagles' pitcher. Read more in The Odessan.

Twenty-one members of the Wellington-Napoleon FFA Chapter attended the State FFA Leadership Camp July 5-9, sponsored by the Missouri FFA Association. Event was held at Camp Rising Sun in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Each week of FFA camp has an elected set of officers for that week. The officers are elected by a committee of students attending. There are only six spots available and the Wellington-Napoleon Chapter was fortunate enough to have Benjamin Niendick selected as vice president, and Paige Childs selected as reporter. Avery Bowling, Taylor West, Niendick, Blaine Beissenherz, Dalton Lohsandt, Dillon Gower, Morgan Mitchell, Bobbi Uptegrove, Shelby Ward, Childs, Taylor Garrison, Megan Beckemeyer and Jordan Schuster received a State Leadership Medal for participating in several selected leadership activities throughout the week. Read more in The Odessan.

Lafayette County 4-H/FFA Fair was held July 10-20 at Fairground Park in Higginsville.

Area results are:

Showmanship - Quarter Type/any size, 8-10: Hailey Martin, Bates City, blue, champion; Rachel Wilkerson, Bates City, Sumer Laskoske, Independence, red; Allie Dowell, Oak Grove, white, Oak Grove Glory Riders.

Showmanship - Saddle Type/any size, 8-10: Emma Mannery, Bates City, blue, champion, Oak Grove Glory Riders; Christian Chapman, Independence, Caitlin Niendick, Wellington, Napoleon Cloverleaf, Hannahmaye Doster, Higginsville, Odessa Young Riders, red; Aryanna Sparks, Bates City, Mighty MO, white.

Showmanship - Quarter Type/any size, 11-13: Jamieson Crockett, Oak Grove, Katelyn Wilkinson, Lee's Summit, Oak Grove Glory Riders, Serra Crowley, Odessa, Young Riders, blue; Faith Fenton, Lone Jack, Oak Grove Glory Riders, blue, champion; Skyler Nichols, Lone Jack, Miranda Strickland, Josie Felden, Oak Grove, Oak Grove Glory Riders, Amber Steinwachs, Blue Springs, Sundowners, red; Danielle Varner, Tyrel Wagner, Odessa, Mighty MO, Samantha Cheney, Odessa, Young Riders, white.

Showmanship - Saddle Type/any size, 11-13: Fenton, blue, champion; Serra Crowley, Miranda Berry, Young Riders, red. Read more in The Odessan.