MARSHFIELD, Mo. — With a strong second half, the Seneca Indians overcame a 14-point deficit and earned a 34-30 win over Marshfield on Friday night in the 2020 prep football season opener.
The Bluejays led 14-0 in the first quarter before Seneca’s Sebastian Middick returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
The hosts responded and led 20-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Seneca’s Jaxson Graham scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second period, but the Bluejays answered to take a 27-14 halftime advantage.
Graham scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter. The second TD was set up by a 35-yard pass play from Lance Stephens to Zane Cotten.
With the pair of scores, the Indians led 28-27 entering the fourth period.
Marshfield recorded a field goal to briefly re-take the lead at 30-28 with just over four minutes remaining in the game.
But Seneca’s Conner Ackerson caught a touchdown pass from Dillon Myers about a minute later, giving the Indians a 34-30 lead.
The Seneca defense came up with a huge defensive stop with just over a minute to play to secure the come-from-behind road win.
Seneca (1-0) hosts Logan-Rogersville (0-1) in Week 2.
The Wildcats suffered a 38-26 setback to Nevada in Week 1. Nevada snapped a 16-game losing streak with the win.
After earning all-conference recognition a year ago, senior outside hitters Lainey Lett and Catie Secker are expected to lead the way for the College Heights Christian volleyball team this fall.
Lett was a first-team All-Ozark 7 Conference selection a year, while Secker earned second-team honors. The pair were CHC’s leaders in kills a season ago.
“Everyone loves the power that Lainey and Catie bring,” Cougars coach Mary Colin said. “That’s really fun. Catie and Lainey will be our power on the outside again. They’ve been there for a couple years now, so we’re used to seeing them on the outside.”
Senior liberos Avery Good and Kaynahn Burk also have plenty of varsity experience. Colin said sophomore Ava Masena is another candidate at the position.
“All three are really great players,” she said of the libero group.
Seniors Layne Jackson and Emma Woodford are middle blockers/middle hitters who should play key roles.
Sophomore Lauren Ukena is a player who can play right side hitter or defensive specialist.
“She can do just about anything,” Colin commented.
Colin noted starting positions are still up for grabs. The veteran coach used three different starting lineups during a jamboree on Thursday against Clever at Ozark Christian College.
“I have 14 athletes who compete well in the gym,” Colin said, noting five sophomores and a freshman are in the mix with eight seniors for varsity playing time.
Colin noted the group is an enjoyable one to coach.
“The team’s chemistry is really good,” Colin said. “They’re really nice kids. They are sweet and fun and they cheer each other on. If someone subs in, they encourage their teammates. They’re aggressive, they like getting better and they are fun to coach. We’ll see how they improve all season.”
College Heights is coming off a stellar 2019 season. It was the one that saw the Cougars go 31-2-1. CHC fell to Diamond in the championship match of the Class 2 District 11 tourney.
The Cougars must overcome the loss of standout Emmy Colin, last year’s conference player of the year.
“It’s a little quieter in here now,” Coach Colin joked. “Emmy was a great communicator and she knew the game well. She was a great role model.”
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Joplin girls tennis team dropped four duals at the Kickapoo Invitational on Friday.
Kickapoo defeated Joplin 6-0.
The closest match came at No. 1 doubles, where Kickapoo’s Esther Cole and Brynley Brotherton defeated Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts 7-5.
In No. 2 doubles, Marissa Scott-Jadyn Wersinger beat Joplin’s Kennedy Schwartz-Jensen Vowels 6-0 and Kickapoo’s Ashley McCurry-Ava Billue topped Lauren Laird-Patience Adams 6-0 at No. 3.
In completed singles matches, Scott defeated Schwartz 6-0 at No. 3, while Wersinger beat Vowels 6-0 at No. 4.
Ozark defeated Joplin 5-4.
Cardenas defeated Hannah Metcalf 6-0 at No. 1 singles, while Watts beat Madison Tourville 6-1 at No. 2 singles.
Cardenas-Watts topped Metcalf-Tourville 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, while Vowels-Laird beat Savannah Goodwin-Isabella Montileone 6-4 at No. 3 doubles.
Ozark’s Paige Chrastina topped Schwartz 6-4 at No. 3 singles, while Miller Bennett beat Vowels 6-2 at No. 4 and Goodwin edged Laird 7-5 at No. 5. Montileone beat Adams 6-1 at No. 6.
Ozark’s No. 2 doubles team beat Joplin 6-2.
Springfield Central defeated Joplin 7-0.
In singles play, Allie German topped Cardenas 6-1, Brett Boney beat Watts 6-2 and Elana Hadi defeated Schwartz 6-1.
Central won three doubles matches by identical 6-1 scores.
Springfield Catholic beat Joplin 5-0.
In two singles matches, Zabelle Brown beat Laird 6-1 and Alex Hamilton topped Adams 6-0.
Catholic won the No. 1 doubles match 6-2, the No. 2 doubles match 6-1 and No. 3 6-1.
Joplin will host Thomas Jefferson at 4:30 on Monday.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — In their first game since being crowned Class 5 football state champions last December, the Carthage Tigers played like a championship team — if one seeing its first game-speed action in nearly nine months.
A seemingly unstoppable Luke Gall, sophomore running back, helped Carthage (1-0, 1-0 COC) — which did not participate in a traditional preseason jamboree due to recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic — overcome four turnovers, three of which came in the red zone. Gall scored all five of his team’s touchdowns to help Carthage beat the Ozark Tigers (0-1, 0-1 COC) 35-14 at David Haffner Stadium on Friday night.
“A big part was the offensive line, the holes were giant,” Gall said. “Just (kept) running my feet, just run hard, that’s pretty much it. I was getting pretty gassed, I’m going to start working on my conditioning.”
He could be forgiven for some fatigue: In just his second varsity start, Gall racked up 259 rushing yards — including an 84-yard dash to the end zone — on 19 carries with the five scores. He continued that conditioning work in-game by also playing extensively at linebacker for the Carthage defense.
“Luke played really, really well,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “You know, he’s a 15-year-old kid. Just a sophomore … I thought he had a great night, he had several carries, several big runs and it’s really great to see because he’s a kid that works his butt off throughout the week and in the weight room. For him to come out and have that type of game to start out with, I’m really proud of him.”
Twice, well within striking distance of a touchdown, Ozark recovered a Carthage fumble, denying the Tigers chances at padding their lead. Carthage’s last drive of the first half ended when Patrick Carlton threw an interception in the end zone. The other turnover came on a low snap that eluded Carlton. Even so, Ozark was limited to two scoring drives and Carthage rode Gall to an offensive outburst.
“That’s stuff that you can clean up and fix,” Guidie said. “And good teams will do that. I thought we were really good last year at ball security and we’ll go back and iron that stuff out. That was Gavin (VanGilder)’s first start, too, at center. And the way these guys play, the fronts they gave us and the stunts they gave us, that’s huge for Gavin to navigate through that stuff, so he’ll continue to grow and get better.”
Carthage will follow up its season-opening win next week with a road matchup with the Carl Junction Bulldogs
Joplin coach Curtis Jasper preaches a one-game mentality to his team, and in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic a concern all over the country, that mentality has never been more accurate.
Like every team, the Eagles don’t know how many games they will get to play this season, but one thing is certain — the returning Class 6 runner-ups start the 2020 season 1-0 after Joplin defeated the reigning Class 4 state champion Webb City Cardinals 41-40 on Friday night at Junge Field.
“That is what we talked about all summer long,” Jasper said. “Let’s work our tails off and pray to God we get to Game 1. If we get (the first game), we better be 1-0, and we are 1-0.”
“This was a great way to start off the season, especially against a great team like Webb City,” said Joplin junior quarterback Always Wright, who made his first-career start. “Right now, we just need to have fun for tonight, but we need to get back to work tomorrow, improving on things we can improve on.”
Joplin came out of the locker room at the half with a two-point, 27-25, advantage. And after the first half saw scores on 8-of-10 drives combined between both teams, Webb City’s opening possession ended in a punt, the only one all game, and Joplin followed with a turnover on downs. Joplin’s defense again came up big after forcing Webb City to turn the ball over on downs, giving the offense a chance to strike first in the second half.
“I am super proud of our guys and I told them at halftime that there is going to be adversity,” Jasper said. “And there was. But we had to keep battling, keep chopping wood and keep believing in each other, and the best team would win. I told them I felt like we were the better team tonight, and they went out and proved me right.”
Joplin’s second possession of the second half only lasted two plays, with Wright faking a handoff and completing a pass to the flat to sophomore wideout Dante Washington, who sprinted upfield past everyone up the sideline on the way to a 49-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up two scores, 34-25, with 25.1 seconds left in the third quarter.
Joplin wide receiver Dante Washington sprints to the goal line in Joplin’s 41-40 win over Webb City on Friday night at Junge Field. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“Keaton Renfro and Bruce (Wilbert) blocked their tails off that play, so you have to give them credit there,” Jasper said. “That was a great read on our RPO (run-pass option) and (Always) made a nice throw. Dante has a different gear, so he went and hit it.”
“As soon as I saw him over there by himself, I knew he was going to make a play,” Wright said. “He is great in space, he is fast and he really deserves a lot of the credit for our win tonight.”
Webb City senior running back Devrin Weathers, a Kansas State commit, showed off his speed as well, ripping off a 29-yard score on the ensuing drive to trim Joplin’s lead to 34-32 with 9:28 to play in the game.
Joplin drove the ball deep into Cardinal territory when a pass from Wright to senior WR Renfro was fumbled and recovered by the Cardinals at their own 8-yard line.
Six plays into the Cardinals’ following drive saw Webb City give the ball right back to the Eagles following an option pitch by Webb City quarterback Cole Gayman that found the turf, with Joplin’s Korey Read falling on it for the turnover.
Joplin made the most of the takeaway, again needing just two plays to find paydirt when senior running back Nathan Glades ripped off a 41-yard touchdown run, his fourth score of the night, to put the Eagles back up by two possessions, 41-32, with 3:43 left in the game.
“I was proud of my guys,” Jasper said. “They didn’t hang their head, complain or worry about (the turnover). They went and lined up and played the next play.”
Webb City refused to go down without a fight, as Cade Wilson capped a 12-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to cut Joplin’s lead to 41-40 with 43 seconds left in regulation.
Joplin recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, and closed out the win in victory formation.
“Obviously, we would have liked to not let the score there at the end, that would have saved me some years of my life,” Jasper said with a laugh. “But, again, we battled and made them take most of the clock to finally score. When they did, we made the play we needed to on the onside kick. … We’ve played in great games like this against great teams, and we found a way to win. We did that again tonight.”
FIRST-HALF FIREWORKS
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with Webb City and Joplin trading touchdowns to go into halftime with the Eagles leading 27-25.
Weathers got the fireworks started to open the game with a 55-yard touchdown run to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead with 7:42 to play in the opening period.
Joplin responded with a 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive that saw Glades carry the ball into the end zone from 2 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter.
It didn’t take long for Webb City to respond, as Weathers took the ensuing kickoff back 97 yards to the house for a score, putting the Cardinals back on top 13-7.
Again, Joplin’s offense went on a lengthy scoring drive that went 54 yards on nine plays, culminating with Glades scoring from 5 yards out to give Joplin a 14-13 lead with 1:14 left in the first quarter.
Webb City answered back with an 11-play drive, which ended with quarterback Gayman scoring from 9 yards out. The Cardinal’ two-point conversion attempt was no good, giving Webb City a 19-14 advantage.
Joplin got in on the special teams scoring fun when Glades fielded the ensuing kickoff before finding daylight on the way to a 92-yard touchdown return to put the Eagles up 20-19 with 7:12 left in the half.
Webb City regained the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by Weathers to cap an 11-play drive to make the score 25-20 with 1:33 seconds left before the intermission.
Working with little time left on the clock, Joplin took possession near midfield after a strong return by Bruce Wilbert. Following a 9-yard run by Glades with a facemask penalty on the Cardinals tacked on, Wright threw a deep ball up the right sideline, finding senior wideout Trayshawn Thomas for a 28-yard touchdown to send the Eagles into the locker room with a 27-25 lead.
Joplin quarterback Always Wright completes a pass during the Eagles’ 41-40 win over Webb City on Friday night at Junge Field. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
JOPLIN STATS
Joplin finished with 353 yards in total offense, with Glades scoring four total touchdowns while finishing with 161 rushing yards on 26 carries to lead the charge.
“He is just such a competitor and so hard to tackle,” Jasper said. “He never gives up. The line did a great job providing some holes, and he did a great job finishing off every run he had.”
“I am proud of this offense,” Glades said. “We did good things, and we did bad things. What I am most proud of is we can still get better. The O-line killed it … and I just can’t thank them enough. The wide receivers are physical on the perimeter, and if they aren’t blocking, the running game isn’t anything. Always was calm and composed all game, and I was proud of him.”
Wright completed 15-of-19 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Washington hauled in six passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, while Thomas, who had a score, and Renfro each caught three passes for 43 yards. Wilbert added two receptions for 19 yards.
UP NEXT
Joplin hits the road to face Nixa (1-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.
WILLARD, Mo. — The outcome of the game was never really in doubt, with Carl Junction striking early and often to dominate the Willard Tigers 29-12 in the season opener Friday night.
Coming off a 4-6 record in the 2019 season, Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster’s Bulldogs, dominated the Tigers, scoring early and, despite a few early season jitters, put the hammer down and never looked back.
With just 1:15 to go in the first quarter a 45-yard pass from Alex Baker to Drew Patterson put the Bulldogs on top 7-0.
The Bulldogs struck again with 6:20 to go in the second on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Baker to Brady Sims, who ended the night with eight yards receiving and 108 rushing yards to go along with two touchdowns. The score put the Bulldogs up 14-0.
Willard tried to make a game of it, scoring with 4:29 to go in the half, taking advantage of blown coverage by Carl Junction. The point-after kick was missed, however, leaving Carl Junction with a 14-6 advantage.
After a block-in-the-back penalty on the ensuing kickoff, the Bulldogs started the next drive on their own 5-yard line. A few plays later, a 42-yard pass from Baker to Patterson, who finished the night with seven receptions for 141 yards, put the Bulldogs deep in Tiger territory in waning minutes of the half. Another quick pass to Patterson gave Carl Junction a first-and-goal look from the Tiger 4, with Sims punching it in with just 1:41 left in the half. A successful two-point conversion gave Carl Junction a 22-6 lead at halftime.
Willard’s Evan Hancock scored on a 50-yard touchdown pass after a broken tackle ato cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 22-12.
Carl Junction went to work, however and another long touchdown pass — 47 yards from Baker to Noah Southern — with 7:53 left in the game put the Bulldogs up for good, 29-12.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts the No. 6-ranked Carthage Tigers at 7 p.m. on Sept. 4.
REEDS SPRING, Mo. — What a way to begin a new season.
Carl Junction blasted Reeds Spring 27-3 in a prep softball opener on Friday.
Yes, that score is correct.
The Bulldogs plated seven runs in the first inning before adding 12 in a huge second inning. The hosts pushed across three in the second, but Carl Junction’s eight-run third inning accounted for the final score.
The game ended after the third inning due to the run rule.
Carl Junction received two hits apiece from Kaitlyn Nease and Kacie Ford, while Addie Brock drove in five runs and scored four times. Brock hit a grand slam.
Ford had three RBI, while Saedra Allen, Nease and Hannah Cantrell all had two RBI apiece.
Kalyssa Hagston and Brock scored four times apiece, while Sammie Sims, Dalaynie Hallacy and Cantrell crossed the plate three times apiece. Ford, Bryn Neria, Jamie Fabozzi all scored twice apiece.
Allen was the winning pitcher. She allowed three runs on three hits and struck out two.
Carl Junction (1-0) travels to Cassville on Monday.
Missed opportunities on extra point conversions and a lack of defensive stops doomed the Webb City Cardinals in a 41-40 Central Ozark Conference setback to the Joplin Eagles on Friday night in the 2020 season opener at Junge Field.
The Cardinals missed a PAT kick in the first quarter and then failed to convert a pair of two-point conversions in the second period in a hard-to-swallow one-point loss.
“There’s a lot you can attribute to the first game, but they were better than we were tonight,” Webb City coach John Roderique said of the Eagles. “We missed that extra point. Maybe we should have kicked another one…you question yourself. You hate to chase points, that’s the toughest thing. That’s why the kicking game is so important. We obviously didn’t do a great job in some areas. We were down nine, so I’m really proud of our kids for battling.”
The Webb City defense was unable to contain Joplin’s high-powered offense throughout the rivalry clash. The Eagles recorded 353 yards of total offense, with 187 passing and 166 rushing. At key points, the Cardinal defense was unable to get off the field.
“Defensively, it will be disappointing to see how many missed tackles we had,” Roderique said. “Our kickoff coverage seemed poor. Our tackling, I thought, was not very good. We’ll find those things out. We’ll have a lot of great film to watch. There’s a lot of good things we can take from this to build on. We just need to improve. There’s only three things we need to get better at—offense, defense and the kicking game.”
Webb City totaled 423 yards of offense, 390 rushing and 33 passing.
STANDOUTS
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers and Joplin’s Nathan Glades showed all those in attendance that they should be regarded among the COC’s top running backs.
A Kansas State recruit, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Weathers scored four touchdowns and ran for 150 yards on 23 carries.
The 5-10, 180-pound Glades had a breakout performance for the Eagles, scoring four touchdowns and running for 161 yards on 26 carries. The two seniors both had impressive kick returns as well.
“I tell you what, they were both outstanding,” Roderique said. “No question. I was very impressed with the Glades kid. We knew he was outstanding and he was certainly that way tonight. Devrin busted the first one and then had the kickoff return.”
Roderique noted Weathers dealt with some cramping issues.
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers sprints past Joplin’s Donovyn Fowler during Friday’s game at Junge Field. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
NAMES AND NUMBERS
Making his first varsity start at quarterback, Webb City senior Cole Gayman ran 20 times for 115 yards with one score. Junior Cade Wilson also totaled 115 yards on the ground on 18 carries. Senior QB Eli Goddard completed one pass, a 33-yard strike to tight end Gary Clinton.
Safety Treghan Parker made eight tackles for Webb City, while linebacker Jaystin Smith had seven. Webb City wide receivers Mekhi Garrard and Cohl Vaden both missed the game due to injuries.
The Cardinals were flagged eight times for 60 yards and Joplin was penalized four times for 20 yards. Webb City had 23 first downs to Joplin’s 17.
Webb City quarterback Cole Gayman is brought down by Joplin’s Yael Herrera. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME RECAP
The clash between last year’s Class 4 state champion and last year’s Class 6 runner-up was entertaining from the start on a steamy night.
After Parker intercepted an Always Wright pass on the first series of the night, the Cardinals needed just four plays to score after the takeaway, as Weathers sprinted 55 yards up the middle to the end zone.
The Eagles tied the game with a 2-yard run by Glades, but Weathers sprinted 97 yards to the house on the ensuing kickoff. The PAT kick failed, however.
Joplin led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter after a 5-yard run by Glades, along with the kick by Keaton Huff.
Gayman scampered into the end zone from 9 yards out to give the visitors a 19-14 lead with 7:27 left in the second quarter, but the two-point conversion failed. Glades answered with a touchdown on a 92-yard kick return.
Weathers’ third TD of the game, a 10-yard run at the 1:33 mark of the second period, gave the Cardinals a 25-20 lead. Again, the two-point try was no good.
The Eagles responded once again, as Wright completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Trayshawn Thomas to give the hosts a slim halftime advantage at 27-25.
The lone score of the third period came when Joplin’s Dante Washington hauled in a 49-yard TD pass.
Weathers sprinted to a 29-yard score with 9:28 left in the game, but the Eagles answered back when Glades broke free for a 41-yard touchdown sprint.
After the teams traded turnovers, Webb City’s Wilson scored on a 2-yard plunge with 43 seconds remaining. It was too little, too late.
The Eagles fell on the short kickoff and ran out the clock.
Webb City’s Treghan Parker tackles Joplin’s Nathan Glades on Friday night. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
LIMITED CAPACITY
The crowd size was limited to 2,000 fans due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
Face coverings were mandatory and social distancing was encouraged. Both student sections were much smaller than normal, but it was a small price to pay in order to have a marquee matchup.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City hosts Neosho next Friday at Cardinal Stadium.
NEOSHO, Mo. — Republic earned a 21-0 win over Neosho on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference prep football action at Bob Anderson Stadium.
The Wildcats played on their new turf field for the first time, but the visiting Tigers spoiled the celebration.
After an early Neosho turnover, Republic’s Avery Moody scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:54 remaining in the opening frame.
A pair of passes from QB Gavyn Beckner set up the score, including a 39-yard strike to Landon Porter.
The Wildcats turned the ball over on their second possession, as well, as Republic’s Connor Sandridge grabbed an interception.
The Tigers took a 14-0 lead when Moody scored on a 14-yard run.
The Wildcats threatened late in the second quarter, but the Tigers came up with a key stop, as Neosho turned the ball over on downs.
The hosts recovered a fumble in the third, resulting in good field position. But the Wildcats failed to score, as a key penalty and a tackle for loss halted the drive.
Next, Republic’s Moody scored from 6 yards out for the final score.
Neosho compiled 142 yards of offense, with 118 rushing and 24 passing. Republic had 310 yards of offense, 210 rushing and 100 passing.
