Fall practices for Missouri high school athletes begin on Aug. 6.

That means in eight days, the summer "vacation" of this high school sportswriter is officially over. Where has the summer gone?

I must admit it wasn’t a very productive one on my end. The golf game started promisingly before deteriorating to another new low; I never got around to tackling those landscape projects around the house; I only caught one of the moles that have been destroying my yard; and, after a month of debate, I still haven’t been given a clear directive on where the Tribune’s high school coverage area extends.

Maybe things will all come together this week as I head out of town for my final days of freedom.

Until then, here are some notes to dig into like the furry, blind rodents that continue to make mountains out of molehills.

● CALLING ALL PARENTS: Rock Bridge has scheduled a meeting for all parents of fall athletes for 6:30 p.m. next Sunday at the high school performing arts center.

The parents should be familiar with this year’s coaches, because for the first time in recent memory, Rock Bridge will begin the school year with the same head coaches that it ended with last year. Now if we could only get the Bruins’ athletic directors to stick around.

Three Hickman programs will have new faces in charge this spring. Besides Larry Thornburg taking over the boys soccer program, Carol Kyd will coach girls golf, and boys tennis Coach Andy Materer will add girls tennis to his coaching duties.

● ALL-STAR FOOTBALL: A couple of recent Hickman graduates starred for the winning team during the Missouri Lions Club East-West All-Star Football Game held July 21 on the campus of Central Missouri University in Warrensburg.

Byron Bundy and Derrick Smith both caught touchdown passes to help the East to a 31-28 victory.

Bundy led the East with 87 yards on six catches, including an 18-yard touchdown reception with 22 seconds left in the first half that helped the East close to within 14-7 at halftime. The 6-foot-4 receiver also hauled in a 42-yard reception.

Smith intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards to end the first half and then added a 10-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to help the East take a 28-20 lead. Smith also made five tackles on defense.

Moberly’s Brian Williams also played for the East, collecting three tackles.

● WALKING THE WALK: Recent Rock Bridge graduate Brandon Gerau wanted to play at the highest level in college.

So despite a scholarship offer to play football at Division I-AA Missouri State and a handful of offers to play baseball at smaller colleges, the speedy 6-foot, 170-pound receiver has decided to walk on to the Missouri football program.

Gerau has been enrolled at MU this summer and hopes to land a spot on the Tigers’ roster in the fall. The three-year starter in football and baseball graduated from Rock Bridge as the Bruins’ all-time leader in reception yards with 1,758.

● CHANGE OF PLANS: Lindsey McDaniel, another 2007 Rock Bridge graduate, took a different approach to continuing her athletic career in college.

The volleyball standout actually graduated early from high school so she could enroll at Missouri this spring in an attempt to join the Tigers volleyball team as a walk-on. By the end of the summer, McDaniel had accepted a scholarship … to Northern Colorado.

● FIELDS OF DREAMS: It appears Hickman and Rock Bridge got their money’s worth out of the Field Turf that was installed last summer on both of the schools’ primary athletic fields.

According to schedule logs kept by the athletic directors of both schools, Hickman used its field 1,250 hours this past year compared to 101 hours the previous year when it was natural grass. Rock Bridge’s books didn’t include some activities outside of football and soccer, but the Bruins still used its field 985 hours compared to 96 the year before.

The school district also saved approximately a million gallons in water per field.

● MINOR-ITY REPORT: Here’s another rundown of how former area stars are doing in minor league baseball:

● Sold by the St. Joe Blacksnakes to the Joliet, Ill., JackHammers this month, Jake Whitesides (Hickman ’00) made an impressive home debut this week by going 3 for 3 with two triples and five RBI in an 11-8 win.

The five RBI tied a professional high for Whitesides, who has returned to the outfield and was batting .348 (8 for 23) through his first six games with the independent Northern League squad. Whitesides was batting .279 with two home runs and 24 RBI in his second year at St. Joseph.

● Inserted into the closer’s role, Chad Thall (Centralia ’04) has thrived in his second season of professional ball.

Pitching for the Delmarva Shorebirds, a Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, Thall’s 17 saves rank fourth in the South Atlantic League. In 36 games, the left-handed hurler has compiled a 1-3 mark and 4.20 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 491/3 innings.

● Returning from a stint on the disabled list, Sam Lecure (Helias ’02) is having a solid season for the Chattanooga, Tenn., Lookouts. Making 14 starts for the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in the Southern League, the right-hander has a 6-2 record with a 3.95 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 702/3 innings.

● Playing shortstop for the Casper, Wyo., Rockies, a rookie affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the Pioneer League, Shane Lowe (New Bloomfield ’06) was batting .241 with a home run and four RBI through Thursday. Making contact in his first season of professional ball has been an issue for the switch-hitter. He’s struck out 40 times in 79 at-bats.

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