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Posted on Wed, Nov. 19, 2008 10:15 PM
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Jeff City legend still following his boys

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W hen the Jefferson City Jays’ caravan rolls into town on Friday for the Missouri Class 6 semifinals playoff game against the Blue Springs South Jaguars, expect their No. 1 fan to be front and center.

Pete Adkins. How can you not remember him? He’s only won more games than any other coach in state history with a 405-60-4 record, which also ranks him fourth in the nation. The last we saw of Adkins, he was starring in a Melissa Etheridge music video — got a lot of play on VH1 — but he’s kept busy with new hobbies and has a newly shot 8-point buck to prove it.

“Like most retirees it’s a tough call, but I’m an outdoorsman now,” said Adkins, 84, who then joked: “My wife says I have a hard life.”

Still, old habits die hard. Adkins can’t stay away from football, so he helps with raising money for his beloved team. He still roots for those boys, traveling wherever the Jays are playing, and sits in the stands plotting out ways to stop those darned spread offenses.

The young faces have changed, but some last names are familiar. Adkins remembers coaching the father of this year’s starting quarterback, Brad Allen.

“When you’ve been in it like I was for 44 years,” Adkins said, “that’s a lot of time on a football field and enjoying the game. It never gets out of your system. I wish I was doing it again.”

Border War

Another fascinating Metro Sports production is on the horizon.

Now that “CityBall” premiered last week, it’s time for “Border War,” a full-length documentary detailing the roots of the Kansas-Missouri rivalry.

“Border War,” the brainchild of producer Erik Ashel, premieres next Wednesday on Time Warner Cable at 7 p.m. The documentary plays up the pre-Civil War history behind today’s hatred, which helps explain why the politically correct term used now cheapens this great rivalry.

“When they started calling this a ‘showdown’ instead of a ‘war’ it bothered me,” Ashel said. “If there’s any rivalry that deserves to be called a war, it’s this one.”

In full disclosure, Ashel is a KU grad, but he includes appearances from Tiger and Jayhawk fans, students, former players and coaches. But no matter which side you fall on, you’ll find former KU football coach Don Fambrough, the living, breathing sound bite, awesomely entertaining.

The two documentaries will run continually all day on Thanksgiving.

Lights out

Former Blue Valley standout Taylor Hanson just may be a better shot than Adkins.

On Tuesday, Hanson, now a freshman guard at the University of Central Missouri, smashed a Jennies record by hitting 10 three-pointers. She finished with 35 points against Graceland (Iowa), tying a freshman scoring record.

Last year as a senior, Hanson led Blue Valley to a 21-2 record.

To reach Candace Buckner, reporter at The Star, call 816-234-4389 or e-mail cbuckner@kcstar.com

Posted on Wed, Nov. 19, 2008 10:15 PM
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