Truman State University
25 episodes listed below
Kirksville sports, from the coach’s chair.
Reigning Cats & Dogs follows the people steering Kirksville High School and Truman State University athletics. The conversations move from recent games and postseason stakes to offseason work, program culture, recruiting, facilities, and community support.
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Reigning Cats & Dogs is a Kirksville-centered sports interview show built around the people doing the daily work behind local teams. Henry Jansen keeps the format straightforward. Each episode usually begins with the current moment: a postseason game, a conference weekend, spring football, an indoor season ending, or a team trying to reset after a rough stretch. From there, the conversations move into the details that matter to coaches. Guests talk about roster youth, transfer recruiting, fundamentals, facilities, canceled meets, summer camps, new staff roles, and the less visible duties that fill an offseason. Truman State University is a major thread. Kirksville High School is just as present. The show moves comfortably across sports, with football, basketball, wrestling, golf, swimming, softball, baseball, track and field, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and girls wrestling all appearing in the recent run. It also treats the wider school-sports ecosystem as part of the story. A band director can matter because halftime and pep band shape game nights. An athletic trainer can matter because sidelines and spring football preparation are part of the season, too. Speech and debate shows up through the language of coaching, competition, state qualification, and keeping students focused while other spring obligations pile up. The style is not polished from a distance. It is close to the ground. Jansen asks practical follow-ups, circles back to development, and gives guests room to explain how they see their programs. The strongest stretches feel like a coach talking through the next week’s work in real time. There are records and opponents, but the show is rarely just scoreboard talk. It is more interested in why a team is improving, what a new coach inherited, how a room is being taught, and where a program wants to go. For listeners who follow Kirksville and Truman athletics closely, that makes it useful. For casual local fans, it supplies context before the next game. Reigning Cats & Dogs is at its best when it turns a familiar local sports update into a fuller look at preparation, culture, and the people keeping the programs moving.
Made for: Built for Kirksville and Truman State followers who want more than scores. It suits local sports fans, families, alumni, and athletes who care about coaches, program direction, and what is coming next.
What sets it apart: The show’s edge is its practical local access: coaches are asked to explain the work behind the week, not just recap the result. It covers both games and the surrounding school-sports culture that shapes them.
Hosted by Kirksville Daily Express sports editor Henry Janssen, Reigning Cats & Dogs is your weekly deep dive into local sports in Kirksville, Missouri. Each episode features conversations with coaches from Truman State University and Kirksville High School, exploring their journeys in coaching, reflections on recent games, and insights into what lies ahead for their teams. From strategy and leadership to community and competition, this show offers an inside look at the people driving success in Northeast Missouri athletics.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Reigning Cats & Dogs makes Kirksville sports legible through practical conversations with the coaches and community figures who sustain its programs.
Henry Janssen builds Reigning Cats & Dogs around direct conversations with the people running sports in Kirksville. College and high school coaches explain what occupies them during playoff pushes, spring practice and the offseason, while guests such as an athletic trainer and…
Henry Jansen turns Kirksville's sidelines into a coaches' office hour.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A steady local sports check-in centered on offseason coaching work and program transitions.
The episode keeps its attention on offseason coaching work and local team transitions. Henry Jansen opens with Kirksville men's wrestling coach James Alter, who discusses re-evaluating the coaching staff and going over the season one-on-one with wrestlers.
A warm local-sports listen built from the people and routines behind the teams.
This episode stays close to the people behind local sports and school life. Henry Jantz talks with head athletic trainer Michelle Boyd about spring football and how it helps younger players settle into positions or reset others, then moves to Elizabeth Anderson on speech,…
A local sports hour that begins with Brad Hudson and settles into Truman State football's spring work.
Reigning Cats & Dogs opens with Kirksville High School band director Brad Hudson before easing into Truman State football's spring work and the additions of Dominic Stoneking and Mike Glass.
A clear walk through Truman and Kirksville's postseason map.
Reigning Cats & Dogs follows Theo Dean's GLVC quarterfinal against Drury into Duke Cochran's early look at the 2026 campaign, then into Aaron Coons' district week, and its main strength is the clean way it keeps the schedule in view.
A local sports hour centered on Cruz Lewis, the Aquadogs, and Truman State's playoff push.
Reigning Cats & Dogs keeps its attention on three local sports threads: Cruz Lewis and Kirksville's new baseball coach, the Aquadogs program, and Truman State men's basketball coach Mike Worley.
Daily Cardinals roster radar.
Kirksville volleyball coach Missy Dempsey describes volleyball as a “game of screw ups,” where opponents’ errors and momentum swings shape points.
Henry Jansen opens the show and frames the afternoon around a few coaches on very different calendars.
Host Henry Jantz interviews head athletic trainer Michelle Boyd about spring football preparations and injury prevention at Kirksville High School.
The episode opens by placing Truman State football in springtime and mentioning new staff additions Dominic Stoneking and Mike Glass.
Host Henry Jansen interviews Truman State softball coach Ron Farrell about the team's recent games and performance.
Sports talk show covering Kirksville High School girls' basketball sectional win and an interview with Truman State track and field coach Leslie Hardesty about their indoor season and upcoming outdoor season.
It opens on a Wednesday afternoon with Truman women's basketball coach Theo Dean.
Henry Jansen opens Reigning Cats & Dogs with a rainy hello and a local sports rundown.
The host thanks listeners for the first semester and previews interviews with three coaches: Truman State football coach Kellen Nesbitt, Kirksville tennis coach Lee Riley, and Truman State volleyball coach Dave Gannon.
Sports writer Henry Jansen interviews Truman Women's Head Basketball Coach Theo Dean about reaching 100 wins and his coaching journey.
Coach Tommy Whitaker discusses Truman State's cross country season and previews indoor track.
A sports talk show previewing Truman State University volleyball's GLVC tournament appearance and other local sports updates.
Sports talk show host Henry Jansen interviews Kirksville boys soccer coach Sean Mice about the team's successful 16-6 season and their cohesive playing style.