Show Me Spotlight: Janes helping guide Pirates to continued success on pitch

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Thomas Janes understood his role when the season began, and it had far less to do with creating or denying scoring opportunities than it did with keeping the Hannibal boys soccer team on course.

Graysen Crabill found himself in the same situation.

The two senior defenders are the only upperclassmen on a roster filled with sophomores and juniors, which means the leadership responsibilities fall squarely on their shoulders.

“I know the upperclassmen play a key role in keeping the team close and staying focused in practice,” Janes said. “Staying on the same path working toward the same goal is a big part of what we do.”

It’s kept the Pirates on the path to success. Hannibal ended the regular season with an 18-4-1 record and a 10-0 mark in the North Central Missouri Conference — the Pirates’ first undefeated run through the league since 2017. It’s put them in position to challenge for a district championship.

Second-seeded Hannibal will face seventh-seeded Warrenton at 5 p.m. Monday at Fort Zumwalt South. The remainder of the Class 3 District 4 tournament will be played at Fort Zumwalt East with the championship game set for 7 p.m. Nov. 3.

The growth of the underclassmen and the leadership of the seniors has been critical to the consistent play of the Pirates.

“Underclassmen are the future of our team,” Janes said. “It’s our job to help them get there.”

Janes took time to chat with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to discuss his role, his dad’s bacon-wrapped filets and a future in the medical field for this week’s installment of the Show Me Spotlight, brought to you by Sleep Tight.

Q: What have you enjoyed about this season?

A: I’ve had the most fun being with this new group of guys. As you know, we lost a lot of seniors from last year, but I’ve been playing with this group of guys for several years now and I knew a lot of them going into high school. So having a lot of fun with them has been the best part. The Camdenton tournament was a lot of fun because we always stay the night down there and go out to eat as a team. That’s always a good time.

Q: Where did you go out to eat?

A: We went to an Italian restaurant and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Q: Did you prefer the Italian or the wings?

A: I’m more of a wings guy myself, but the Italian was also good.

Q: Do you have a favorite wings flavor?

A: I don’t do very well with spicy, so I’d say honey BBQ is definitely my favorite.

Q: You like wings, but do you have a favorite food or favorite cuisine?

A: My favorite food is my dad’s bacon-wrapped filets.We usually have a side of mac’n cheese and rolls and sweet corn. So that’s always my favorite meal on a holiday or anytime.

Q: How do you like your filet cooked?

A: Growing up, I was always like a medium-rare kind of guy. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve leaned more away from the red and more to the pink center. So medium is where I like my meat cooked.

Q: And I take it dad is pretty good at hitting the temperature right?

A: Oh, yeah, he’s a good cook. He loves to BBQ.

Q: There isn’t much better than the smell coming from a grill or a smoker.

A: I love eating ribs and pulled pork and stuff like that. It’s the best.

Q: Have you ever had the chance to eat BBQ from Memphis or Kansas City or one of the BBQ hotbeds?

A: The one place that comes to mind where I’ve enjoyed BBQ outside of Hannibal is Rock & Brews in St. Louis. I love their ribs there. Those are some pretty good ribs.

Q: Back on the soccer topic, what has impressed you about this team and the way it has played?

A: Mostly I’ve been impressed by the junior class for stepping up. They’ve helped fill the roles left by all the seniors we lost. They make up the majority of our team. I truly Graysen and I have done a pretty good job of being senior leaders. We lost some firepower on the offensive end, but the younger guys have done a good job of stepping up and putting the ball in the back of the net.

Q: I know Hannibal coach Eric Hill had concerns over depth. With the younger players emerging, did depth become less of an issue?

A: At the beginning of the season, it was one of our main worries. As the year has progressed, we were able to get guys some experience, especially some freshmen like Brody (Wilson) and Quinn (Mastin). They get a lot of minutes and they are good subs for us. As they have gotten used to how we play and adjusted to the varsity level, they’ve done a great job stepping in and subbing wherever we need them.

Q: What gives this team confidence going into districts?

A: I know how much it matters to everyone. I know Graysen and I don’t want our season to end. We are dialing in this week in practice, hopefully for several games ahead of us. We’re hoping for as far as we can go.

Q: Everyone believes this team is capable of that, right?

A: We 100-percent believe we can. We have a lot of competition and our district is quite tough. Once you get past districts, anything can happen from there.

Q: Throughout your career, you’ve been able to watch the transformation of the Veterans Field complex. What’s it like to play on a turf field in a special facility?

A: It’s pretty surreal, honestly. PLaying under those lights at night time, seeing the whole field lit up by those LED lights, it creates this exciting feeling. We are lucky to have such an amazing sports complex now. We like playing on the grass, but the turf is hard to compare to. It’s a pretty awesome field.

Q: The people of Hannibal have gotten behind their athletics, haven’t they?

A: The athletes I know appreciate it. Playing on a nice field elevates their game and lets them perform better and hopefully succeed at the next level. Having the opportunities we do is just great for all of the student-athletes at Hannibal.

Q: What does it mean to be able to represent Hannibal?

A: I take pride playing for the Hannibal soccer team and just representing Hannibal in general. I’ve lived here my whole life, so I have a connection to the small town. It’s what has helped shape me into who I am today, which is why I take pride in our team and town.

Q: Senior years leads to graduation and deciding what’s next. Do you know what’s next?

A: I plan on going to Mizzou for my undergraduate degree. I’m either going to be majoring in biology or health sciences pre-professional. After that, I’m trying to figure out if I want to go to either medical or dental school.

Q: Does Coach Hill, who is a Kansas fan, give you grief for choosing Mizzou?

A: He hasn’t yet, but I’m waiting for him to text me one day while I’m there and Mizzou is playing Kansas. I 100-percent expect it.

Q: What are you looking forward to about the college experience?

A: I look forward to taking on some new responsibilities and living on my own. Honestly, it’s about furthering my education and moving closer to my career goals and what I’m aspiring to do. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was a little kid. Every year I get closer and closer to that goal is pretty exciting.

Q: Have you given thought to where you might want to practice one day?

A: I haven’t thought much about it because you never know who you might match into for your residency if you go to med school. So I could end up basically anywhere. If I was a dentist, I would consider opening up my own practice and maybe even moving back to Hannibal. But I’d also like to explore other parts of our country. I’ve always had an interest in Tennessee, so I think I’d have to check out Tennessee before I settle down somewhere.

Q: Why Tennessee?

A: I like it because it is still in the Midwest somewhat. I also like the idea of living near mountains. Also, there is the culture of Nashville and Memphis is intriguing. Living close to those big cities seems pretty neat because there are a lot experiences you can have and a lot of different places to eat.

Q: You play soccer and basketball, but what do you do outside of sports for enjoyment?

A: My life is pretty much consumed with school and sports right now, but I have a job I do on the side with my brother. So we work on the weekends. I like to hang out with my friends. We like to go to YMCA and play pickup games. And I love to paint.

Q: Like watercolor portraits?

A: I use acrylics most of the time. I also like working with soft pastels, too.

Q: You mentioned working on the weekends. What kind of job do you do?

A: We are working for one of my dad’s cousins. We are working on clearing a bunch of trees and brush. He is working on putting a fence around his property. He has about a 1,200-foot perimeter. So we’re chopping up trees, moving things out of the way and getting the area ready for the fences to be built.

Q: And it’s always good to be outdoors, right?

A: It’s good. It’s challenging, but it’s fun to be outdoors and doing that kind of work. It gives you a sense of fulfillment