The Mules Booster Club has named soccer player Shelbey Johnson and baseball standout Ronin Rice the Poplar Bluff High School Athletes for March and soccer player Sophie Rowland and golfer Nathan Woolard Athletes for April.
Rice, a senior, holds a .381 batting average with seven singles, one double, 3 RBIs and a .458 on-base percentage. As a pitcher, he has 14 strikeouts, one walk and an ERA of 1.000, with one win and a loss. In the classroom he has maintained straight As, while taking AP and college courses.
"He excels in everything he does by leading from the front," said Steven Edwards, his coach. "Ronin takes on challenges and maintains his positive demeanor, always being a true ambassador."
Johnson, a junior, scored 16 goals and one assist in seven games, with a 4.1 GPA to boot, at the time of this nomination submission. One of the captains of the team, she has been playing soccer since she was 3 or 4 years old, she recalled.
"She has really matured this season," coach Rusty Crafton said. "(She has) stepped up to be a leader on and off the field."
Woolard, a junior, was a medalist for best score in the Jackson Invitational and Conference Championship, which he helped win along with the Notre Dame and Poplar Bluff Invitationals, according to his coach Billy Pyland. Woolard also qualified to play in the Class 4 State Golf Tournament.
Rowland, a sophomore, has broken last year's record with 18 assists this season. She also has scored six goals.
Academically, she is first in her class with an 11.4286 GPA, according to Crafton, who says she is a great leader on and off the field. "(Sophie) wants to get better each day," he stated.