The McAuley Catholic volleyball team was the runner-up at Saturday’s Jasper Invitational Volleyball Tournament.
New Covenant defeated McAuley 21-25, 25-20, 25-20 in the invite’s championship match.
McAuley beat Golden City 25-27, 25-21, 25-21 in the tourney semifinals.
The Warriors also beat Sheldon 25-7, 25-13 and Thomas Jefferson 25-15, 26-24 on Saturday.
The Warriors are now 4-2. McAuley hosts Rich Hill on Thursday night.
Webb City’s performance in the championship game of the Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Joplin High School Softball Tournament was a microcosm of the team’s entire weekend.
Stellar pitching. Timely hitting. Solid defense. Good baserunning.
All of those components proved key as Webb City earned a 9-3 win over Nevada in the 16th annual event’s title game on a warm Saturday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
The victory over the Tigers capped a 5-0 showing at the two-day tourney, which is sponsored in part by the Joplin Sports Authority.
“I was really proud of everyone,” Webb City coach Shauna Friend said. “It’s early in the season and it was good to see them come out and play good ball. We have a lot of things to work on, but I’m real proud of them. It seemed like every game we started out a little slow with our hitting, but we finally got some runs on the board. Our defense was pretty solid all around.”
Before heading home, the Cardinals posed with the championship plaque.
“It’s really exciting because we’ve been working really hard,” Webb City senior pitcher Haidyn Berry said of claiming the tourney title. “It’s good to start the season with a big win. And we’re thankful we get to come out here and play ball.”
Berry played a big role in the win. Last year’s Central Ozark Conference player of the year earned the pitching victory after limiting the Tigers to two earned runs on four hits while striking out six.
“KG (Kaylyn Gilbert) called a great game behind the plate,” Berry said of her catcher. “I’m really thankful for her and the intensity she brings every game.”
The team’s defense played well behind Berry, making only one error. The team’s outfielders, Brynna Cupp, Alyssa Jennings and Emma Welch, made some key catches.
“The outfield is going to be stellar this year and I’m really proud of the work they’ve put in,” Berry said. “Our whole defense is great.”
Berry also drove in five runs at the plate with a three-run home run and a two-run single.
“I thought Haidyn did a great job in the circle and at the plate,” Friend said. “She was a true senior leader for us this weekend and I expect that to continue throughout the season.”
Peyton Hawkins and Brynna Cupp contributed two hits apiece, while Welch scored three runs and Jennings scored twice. Playing center field, Jennings robbed Nevada’s Abby Harder of a home run in the sixth inning.
Kristin Buck drove in two runs for the Tigers, while Bailey Ast doubled. Harder took the loss after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits.
The Cardinals scored a run in the first when Welch came home on Gilbert’s grounder.
Nevada’s Buck delivered a two-run single in the top of the third, briefly giving the Tigers a lead.
But Berry connected on a changeup for a go-ahead three-run bomb to left field in the bottom half.
“It was coming right down the pipe and I took it for a ride,” Berry said.
The Tigers pushed across an unearned in the fourth, but Webb City’s Hawkins hit an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
The Cardinals added four runs in the sixth.
Shea’lee Key doubled, Jennings walked and then Cupp delivered a run-scoring single into right-center. A fielder’s choice brought another run home before Berry followed with a two-run single into left-center.
The Cardinals made a number of nice defensive plays in the field late in the game to halt any Nevada rally.
Nevada coach Danny Penn noted he was proud of his team’s effort.
“It was really solid softball in the first few innings by both sides,” Penn said. “We came out and battled hard. Abby competed in the circle. We made plays defensively. As the game progressed, they (Webb City) came up with some big hits. They had some bloops that fell in and they piled on. Overall, I thought it was a good game and I’m happy with how we competed.”
In Saturday’s Gold Bracket semifinals, Webb City beat Carthage 7-4 and Nevada edged Monett 10-9.
SATURDAY’S OTHER RESULTS
In the third-place game, Monett defeated Carthage 6-5. Neosho beat Carl Junction 6-2 for fifth place, while Joplin defeated Seneca 4-3 for seventh place.
Check www.somo-sports.com later for a separate story on the other tourney games.
BOLIVAR, Mo. — In a cross country meet featuring more than 30 teams, Joplin’s boys finished second and the girls were third in the final team standings at the season opening Richard Clark SWCCCA Invitational on Saturday.
Joplin coach Dustin Dixon noted it was a good day for his program, as the Eagles finished ahead of every other Central Ozark Conference team in both divisions.
Other local teams also kicked off the season at the event.
In the 31-team boys race, Kickapoo (75), Joplin (123) and Carthage (140) were the top three teams. Webb City finished seventh, Lamar was eighth and Carl Junction was 13th.
Daelen Ackley of El Dorado Springs crossed the line first in 15 minutes, 45 seconds. Ackley, last year’s Class 2 state champion, also won this race last year.
Webb City’s Roman Borboa finished sixth in 16:28 to pace area runners, while Lamar’s Joe Kremp took eighth (16:29), East Newton’s Kelton Sorrell was 11th (16:37), Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell finished 12th (16:41) and Carthage’s Mariques Strickland placed 16th (16:48).
Also for the Eagles, Nicholas Horton was 22nd, Evan Matlock finished 34th, Ian Horton took 36th, Zaben Barnes was 37th and Ashton Ventura took 77th.
For Carthage, Miquel Solano was 28th, Malcolm Robertson was 32nd, with Joseph Wyrick 35th and Richard Contreras 48th, Coltyn Herrera 51st and Ty Lewis 76th.
Carl Junction was led by Collin Emmert and Logan Carnes, who finished 40th and 41st, respectively.
Webb City’s Dustin McLallen was 42nd and Samuel Winesburg finished 55th.
Derrick McMillan led College Heights with a 93rd place finish.
There were 293 runners in the boys race.
RESULTS BY CLASS
The race’s results were also broken up by classification.
In boys results, Joplin’s Campbell was the sixth finisher in from Class 5, with Carthage’s Strickland eighth and Joplin’s Horton 10th. Carthage’s Miquel Solano was 13th and teammate Malcolm Robertson was 15th. Joplin’s Matlock was 17th, Carthage’s Wyrick 18th and Joplin’s Horton and Barnes 19th and 20th. Carthage’s Contreras was 25th. In the Class 5 team standings, Kickapoo, Joplin and Carthage were the top three teams.
Webb City’s Borboa was the second Class 4 finisher, while CJ’s Emmert and Carnes were seventh and eighth, respectively. Webb City’s McLallen was ninth, Monett’s Julio Cruz was 10th and Winesburg was 11th. Webb City was the second team in the Class 4 standings behind Bolivar. Carl Junction was third.
Shane Winters of Webb City was 20th in Class 4, with Jack Lawson of Carl Junction 21st. Webb City’s Blake Vaughn and Drake Miller were 25th and 26th.
In Class 3, Kremp was second, Sorrell was third, Lamar’s Ethan Pittsenbarger was fourth and East Newton’s Gabe Bergen took fifth.
CHC’s McMillan was 11th in Class 2 and teammate Lincoln Martin was 15th. Jasper’s Hunter Hinds was second in Class 1, with Liberal’s Bryson Overstreet third.
On the girls side, West Plains (45), Kickapoo (64), Joplin (138) and Webb City (163) were the top four teams.
Carthage was 11th and Carl Junction took 14th.
Blue Eye’s Riley Arnold won the girls race in 18:21. Arnold is the defending Class 1 state champion.
Joplin had the top two local finishers, as Jennalee Dunn took 12th in 20:11 and teammate Alexandra Carson was 13th in 20:15.
Lamar’s Kiersten Potter finished 17th (20:34), while Webb City’s Hally Philpot took 24th (21:01) and teammate Riley Hawkins was 29th (21:29).
Also, Webb City’s Abi Street finished 32nd, Joplin’s Allie Keizer was 34th, Carl Junction’s Alanza Montez took 40th, East Newton’s Ellie Hicks was 43rd, Joplin’s Sage Mitchell finished 45th and Carthage’s Kimberly Hernandez placed 48th.
Nevada’s Avery Morris was 54th, Webb City’s Isabelle Lopez took 55th and teammate Elliett Capron was 57th.
Carthage’s Lauren Wilson was 63rd, Joplin’s Cylee Gilreath was 64th, Carthage’s Hadley McBride took 71st, Joplin’s Mairi Beranek was 72nd and Carthage’s Keysli Elias was 74th. Klohe Burk led College Heights, finishing 102nd.
There were 213 girls in the race.
RESULTS BY CLASS
Joplin’s Dunn and Carson were fifth and sixth, respectively, in Class 5, with Keizer 13th and Mitchell 19th. Carthage’s Hernandez was 22nd and Wilson was 27th. The Eagles were second in the Class 5 team standings.
In Class 4, Webb City’s Philpot was 11th, Hawkins was 13th and Street 16th. CJ’s Montez was 17th, while Webb City’s Lopez and Capron took 22nd and 23rd. The Cardinals were the second place team in Class 4 behind West Plains.
Lamar’s Potter was the top finisher in Class 3, with East Newton’s Hicks fourth and Nevada’s Morris fifth. Lamar’s Kara Morey was 10th.
In Class 2, CHC’s Burk was 11th, Victoria Davis was 14th and Sophia Moore took 16th. Sarcoxie’s Annette Ramirez was 12th.
Jasper’s Olivia Moss was third in Class 1, with Liberal’s Cora James fifth.
Richard Clark SWCCCA Invitational
At Bolivar
BOYS
Top 10 teams overall
Kickapoo 75, Joplin 123, Carthage 140, Bolivar 216, East Newton 220, Nixa 233, Webb City 262, Lamar 262, Ozark 278, El Dorado Springs 286.
Top 10 runners overall
1, Daelen Ackley, El Dorado Springs, 15:45; 2, Riley Simpson, West Plains, 15:48; 3, Tyler Harris, Kickapoo, 16:04; 4, Sam Shuman, Spokane, 16:16; 5, Gabriel Bauer, Ozark, 16:24; 6, Roman Borboa, Webb City, 16:28; 7, Brooklyn Creehan, Kickapoo, 16:29; 8, Joe Kremp, Lamar, 16:29; 9, Wes Hatman, Nixa, 16:33; 10, Colby Garner, Kickapoo, 16:36.
GIRLS
Top 10 teams overall
West Plains 45, Kickapoo 64, Joplin 138, Webb City 163, Nixa 197, Lebanon 206, Ozark 211, Rolla 271, Bolivar 272, Camdenton 286.
Top 10 runners overall
1, Riley Arnold, Blue Eye, 18:21; 2, Klarie Brown, Kickapoo, 19:14; 3, Alicen Ashley, Nixa, 19:18; 4, Brayden Kantola, West Plains, 19:18; 5, Sally Cybulski, Kickapoo, 19:32; 6, Jordan Kantola, West Plains, 19:41; 7, Jayna Gunter, West Plains, 19:43; 8, Alexis Workman, Summit Prep, 19:51; 9, Mihane Nambara, Republic, 19:59; 10, Kaylee Lambe, West Plains, 20:04.
FULL RESULTS
Girls results from the Richard Clark Invitational
Boys results from the Richard Clark Invitational
RESULTS BY CLASS
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Late in the third quarter, Patrick Carlton had already thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles. His entire offense had struggled, but the Carthage Tigers trailed by just a touchdown. For one drive, though, the senior quarterback put everything together.
Carlton orchestrated a 16-play, 68-yard march to the end zone, twice converting on fourth down, including the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 8 yard line. With 5:53 to play, Carlton found Hudson Moore in the front corner of the end zone to lift Carthage (2-0) to a 21-20 victory over the Carl Junction Bulldogs (1-1) on Friday night.
“He kept his head in the game tonight,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “He showed a lot of poise and a lot of leadership in the huddle, on the sideline. And then when the game was on the line, this kid wanted the football. That throw he made on fourth down and goal, that throw was a big-time throw. Hell, he threw it from the right hash, threw a 12-yard out over there in the (left) corner. That was huge, that says a lot about Patrick right there.”
The lead that throw gave the Tigers was their first of the game as the Bulldogs looked willing and able to hand the defending Class 5 state champions their first loss of the season, even into the final minute.
On its final drive of the game, Carl Junction was in Carthage’s territory within three plays, thanks to back-to-back first-down passes by senior quarterback Alex Baker. Baker, though, was pressured and sacked by sophomore linebacker Eli Sneed, moving the Bulldogs back nearer midfield than the end zone. Three incomplete passes later, CJ had turned the ball over on downs and Carthage bled the final 53 seconds out of the clock.
“They continued to control the ball the entire third quarter,” Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster said. “We may have had, maybe, I don’t know, eight or nine, 10 snaps the entire third quarter. But the difference was we were defending the heck out of their run game for the most part, and we put them in those third-and-longs and fourth-and-longs, and then we gave up first downs.”
Carl Junction jumped out to a 13-0 lead on back-to-back pass touchdowns from Baker to Drew Patterson and Cole Stewart. Carthage fumbled the kickoff return after Patterson’s score, and Baker hit Stewart for a 37-yard touchdown on the very next play. The two teams then traded another score each, but Carthage held Carl Junction down and managed 14 unanswered points to escape with the win.
For the second straight week, the Tigers notched a victory despite giving their opponent multiple extra possessions. The kickoff return fumble combined with Carlton’s miscues added up to a five-turnover night. In a 35-14 win over Ozark last week, Carthage gave the ball away four times.
“As a coach, you’re always frustrated and disappointed that your team’s doing this stuff, but at the same time, they’re finding a way to overcome it,” Guidie said. “And so it is negative, but hopefully that becomes a positive later on down the road.”
Carthage will host Neosho next week, while Carl Junction travels to Branson.
(At the Joplin Athletic Complex)
Friday’s scores
Pool A
Carthage 6, Monett 0
Carl Junction 7, Joplin 1
Carthage 4, Joplin 3
Monett 4, Carl Junction 0
Monett 10, Joplin 0
Carl Junction 7, Carthage 5
Pool B
Webb City 6, Neosho 5
Nevada 5, Seneca 0
Nevada 10, Neosho 5
Webb City 13, Seneca 1
Neosho 11, Seneca 0
Webb City 9, Nevada 4
Saturday’s schedule
Gold Bracket
10 a.m.—Monett vs. Nevada (Field 1); Webb City vs. Carthage (Field 2)
11:45—Third place (Field 2); Championship (Field 1)
Silver Bracket
10—Carl Junction vs. Seneca (Field 3); Neosho vs. Joplin (Field 4)
11:45—Seventh place (Field 4); Fifth place (Field 3).
NIXA, Mo. — After falling behind by two scores late in the second half, the Joplin Eagles rallied but came up short in a 35-34 loss to the Nixa Eagles on Friday.
The loss ends Joplin’s 16-game regular-season winning streak dating back to Sept. 14 of the 2018 season. Joplin moves to 1-1 on the season and in the Central Ozark Conference.
“Hats off to Nixa,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “We saw them on film and we knew they looked good on film. They outplayed us tonight, and obviously I need to do a better job coaching. They were the better team tonight.
“We didn’t click in our normal rhythm. … This one is on me. I have to have them better prepared. It comes down to the little things. We have to do the little things better.”
Tied at 21 at the intermission, Nixa took the advantage in the second half after quarterback Austin McCracken, who came in early in relief of injured starter Reid Potts, scored from 4 yards out on a keeper with 5:06 to play in the third quarter to give NHS a 28-21 lead.
“He is a gutsy kid,” Jasper said of McCracken. “He makes plays with his feet and his arm. He did a really good job.”
Joplin took the ball near midfield after a strong return from Dante Washington and drove deep into Nixa territory looking for a chance to tie the game before quarterback Always Wright was picked off in the end zone by Nixa’s Ben Mills.
Nixa started at its own 20 and marched down the field on a long drive that lasted 13 plays before Joplin forced a fourth-down-and-5 at its own 17. It appeared the Eagle defense forced an incomplete pass for a turnover-on-downs, but a flag was thrown for defensive pass interference, keeping the Nixa drive alive. On the next play, Ramone Green found the edge and scored from 9 yards out to put Nixa on top 35-21 with 7:46 to play.
Joplin responded with a 21-yard scoring strike from Wright to Washington up the far sideline to trim Nixa’s lead to 35-28 with 6:21 left.
“Obviously, our kids are resilient, and we have seen that over and over again,” Jasper said. “It was nice to see at the end of the game, I wish I had them ready to do that earlier.”
Joplin’s defense forced Nixa into a punt situation, with the ball sailing over the punter’s head into Nixa territory, with Joplin taking possession with 2:25 to play and less than 40 yards to paydirt.
It took one play for Joplin to find the end zone, as Wright found Washington in the far flat, with the sophomore wide receiver reversing the field and outrunning everyone on the way to the goal line for a 37-yard touchdown with 2:11 to play. Joplin lined up for the two-point conversion, with Nixa’s defense stopping Nathan Glades on a run up the middle to preserve the lead, 35-34.
Joplin’s defense came up big again, forcing Nixa into a three-and-out, using all three timeouts to stop the clock in the process. The punt again sailed over the head of the Nixa punter, but he was able to recover, kicking the ball to the JHS 35.
Glades ripped off a 23-yard run before adding a 10-yard gain to get Joplin into Nixa territory. On second-down-and-9, Wright heaved a pass over the middle that was tipped and picked off by Clayton Uber at the 3-yard line to end Joplin’s chance at a comeback bid.
Nixa took the lead early after quarterback Reid Potts found a wide open Michael Sportsman over the middle for a 41-yard touchdown reception with 6:48 left in the opening quarter.
After Joplin went three-and-out on the ensuing drive, Nixa’s first play on the following possession was a turnover, as Joplin’s Luke Vieselmeyer picked off McCracken for his second interception of the game.
Joplin’s offense took the takeaway and marched down the field with Glades carrying the ball in from 4 yards out to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:47 to play in the first quarter.
Jayden Holt picked off McCracken and took the ball down inside the NHS 10 before Glades scored from 9 yards out two plays later with 8:34 left in the first half to give Joplin a 14-7 lead.
“We got some turnovers in the first half, but I was hoping we could get more out of them,” Jasper said. “It just didn’t happen. Those turnovers were huge, we just didn’t capitalize on them as much as I would have liked.”
Nixa answered right back with a score on its following drive after McCracken found Steven Ward II in the flat, who looked to be stopped at the line of scrimmage before breaking free for a 53-yard touchdown with 5:11 left in the half to tie the game at 14-14.
Joplin turned the ball over on downs and Nixa responded with a seven-play drive that culminated in McCracken hitting Nate Nixon at the back pylon for a 15-yard touchdown to give NHS a 21-14 advantage with 1:17 to play.
In need of a lift with 1:09 left in the opening half, Joplin took possession near midfield after a strong return from Washington and drove 53 yards on eight plays with Wright faking a handoff before finding Washington over the middle for a 3-yard touchdown with less than 10 seconds to play to send the game into the intermission tied at 21-21.
“That was huge,” Jasper said. “We deferred before the game and were trying to get a two-for-one there to score right before the half and then come back out after the half and score again. We just stalled out (to open the second half) and didn’t finish that drive.”
Joplin hosts Ozark at 7 p.m. at Junge Field. With COVID concerns in terms of the length of the season, Week 3 will be Joplin’s Senior Night game.
“We have to do a better job out of the gate, and again, that is on me,” Jasper said. “I am happy we get to have a Senior Night. We are going to recognize the seniors and do a good job of playing for them.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Coming off a hard-fought setback in the season opener, the Webb City Cardinals needed to get well in Week 2.
There’s no doubt they did just that.
Webb City rolled from the start en route to a commanding 45-0 victory over Neosho on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference football action at Cardinal Stadium.
“Each day we’re blessed to be playing and we’re thankful for the opportunity,” Webb City coach John Roderique said after the game. “We’ve been telling our kids that they need to make the most of every day that they have playing this game because there are a lot of guys that aren’t about to do that right now.”
Roderique noted it was satisfying to see his squad rebound well from last week’s loss at Joplin.
“That’s exactly what you want to see,” Roderique said. “You want to have a dominating performance after a loss. I felt like the kids did that.”
Ignited by an early blocked punt, the Cardinals (1-1) led 31-0 at halftime.
Webb City racked up 329 yards of offense for the game, with 276 on the ground and 53 through the air.
“I felt like our guys up front played really well,” Roderique said.
Senior running back Devrin Weathers once again showed why he’s a Kansas State recruit. The speedy Weathers ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries.
Senior quarterback Cole Gayman completed one pass for 53 yards to Asa Morgan and also ran for a touchdown. In all, 10 different players had carries out of the backfield for the hosts.
Webb City’s defense limited Neosho (0-2) to just 79 total yards, with 40 rushing and 39 passing.
Jaystin Smith, Roger Carranco, Brentan Wilson and Brody German all made tackles for loss for the Cardinals.
“I feel like our defense was a week better for sure,” Roderique said.
Neosho’s Drayke Perry ran seven times for 32 yards, while quarterback Logan Whetzell completed 2-of-7 passes for 39 yards. Perry had one reception for 27 yards.
Playing on their home turf for the first time since last season’s semifinal win over Ladue, the Cardinals blocked Neosho’s punt attempt on the opening series, with senior defensive back Shane Noel scoring on the 16-yard return.
The Cardinals never looked back after the early game-changing play.
“That gave us the momentum and we talk about those things all the time,” Roderique said. “Those special teams plays are huge. And that play was certainly huge at that time of the game.”
Gayman’s 2-yard touchdown run and Cameron Clark’s 22-yard field goal made it 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. Eli Goddard’s interception set up the final score of the opening frame.
Weathers then scored the next three touchdowns for the Cardinals, with a pair of TDs in the second period. Weathers first scored on a 2-yard run before he broke free for a 64-yard sprint, giving the hosts a comfortable 31-point cushion at intermission.
The Cardinals got the ball to start the second half, and on the first play from scrimmage, Weathers ran past the Neosho defense for a 59-yard touchdown.
Roderique got his reserves plenty of playing time the rest of the way.
Sophomore Colton Gordon scored on a 1-yard run with 3:09 left in the third quarter, and there was no scoring in the final frame.
Webb City is at Republic in Week 3, while Neosho is at Carthage next Friday.
WEBB CITY 45, NEOSHO 0
Neosho 0 0 0 0—0
Webb City 17 14 14 0—45
Scoring summary
WC: Shane Noel 16 yard return after blocked punt. (Cameron Clark kick)
WC: Cole Gayman 2 yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Clark 22 yard field goal
WC: Devrin Weathers 2 yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Weathers 64 yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Weathers 59 yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Colton Gordon 1 yard run (Clark kick)
Records: Webb City 1-1, Neosho 0-2.
The McDonald County Mustangs earned a 35-19 win over Springfield Catholic on Friday night.
The Mustangs are now 1-1.
Bailey Lewis ran 24 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Mustangs.
Quarterback Cole Martin completed 5 of 10 passes for 94 yards with three touchdowns. Trent Alik hauled in two touchdown passes and had 50 receiving yards.
Catholic’s Will Squibb passed for 192 yards on 16 completions. Matthew Schmittling had 49 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards. Liam O’Reilly had eight catches for 93 yards.
McDonald County will host Lamar next Friday.
MCDONALD COUNTY 35, SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC 19
Springfield Catholic 0 7 6 6 — 19
McDonald County 0 14 14 7 — 35
MC: Trent Alik 22 yard pass from Cole Martin (Jared Mora kick)
CATH: Matthew Schmittling 3 yard pass from Will Squibb (J.D. Bilger kick)
MC: Alik 23 yard pass from Martin (Mora kick)
CATH: Schmittling 17 yard run (Kick fail)
MC: Bailey Lewis 15 yard run (Mora kick)
MC: Lewis 11 yard run (Mora kick)
CATH: Squibb 1 yard run (Pass fail)
MC: Levi Malone 32 yard pass from Martin (Mora kick)
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