ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Seneca’s softball season ended on Saturday after a 16-1 setback to Logan-Rogersville in the championship game of the Class 3 District 4 tournament.
Rogersville (27-6) advanced to play Sullivan (18-9) in the quarterfinals on Oct. 21.
Top-seeded Rogersville pushed across three runs in the first and then erupted for 10 runs in the second inning.
Seventh-seeded Seneca scored once in the third, as Kayla French singled to right, stole second and scored Emily Askren’s RBI single into right.
Unfortunately for the Indians, those singles were the team’s only hits of the game.
The Wildcats added three more runs in the bottom of the third to end the game early due to the run-rule.
Sierra Lannon was charged with the loss. She allowed six earned runs. The Indians committed six errors.
Meghan Hager drove in four runs on two hits for Rogersville, while Cassidy Coambes hit two home runs. Halle Miles was the winning pitcher. She struck out seven and gave up just the two hits.
Seneca advanced to the district title game by beating third-seeded Ava 8-5 on Friday night.
French, Askren and Lannon had two hits apiece, while Kaydin McKnight drove in two runs. Maci Brown doubled.
Lannon earned the pitching victory, striking out four and scattering six hits.
Day: October 17, 2020
Webb City volleyball earns win at Colgan
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Webb City earned a hard-fought 3-1 win over St. Mary’s Colgan in a prep volleyball match on Saturday.
The Cardinals topped the Panthers 25-20, 14-25, 25-23, 27-25.
Maddy Peeples slammed 13 kills and had nine digs to lead the Cardinals, while Sage Crane had 16 digs.
Kearston Galardo had 10 kills and four aces, while Anna Hettinger handed out 25 assists and served four aces. Avery Westhoven added 11 assists.
Kenzie Storm contributed eight kills and four blocks, while Kyah Sanborn had 13 digs, five kills and three aces. Kate Brownfield added five kills.
Webb City hosts Carthage at 6:30 on Tuesday in the regular season finale.
FOOTBALL: Nixa cruises past Carl Junction 49-0
NIXA, Mo. — Coming off a stinging shutout against Webb City last week, the Nixa Eagles (7-1) came into the final regular season home game angry — and it showed — as they earned a shutout 49-0 win over Carl Junction Bulldogs on Friday.
It didn’t start well for the Bulldogs (3-5), who elected to receive, and stepped out of bounds on the initial kick off, pinning themselves on approximately the 10-yard line.
With 10:38 to go in the first, the Bulldogs threw what would be the first of four interceptions in the first half, giving Nixa the ball on the Bulldog 21.
With 9:17 left in the first quarter, Steven Ward, who had two interceptions in the win, punched it in from the 7-yard line to put Nixa up 7-0.
Nixa struck again in the first, on a 7-yard pass from senior quarterback Reid Potts to Michael Sportsman with 3:17 left in the period to push the lead to 14-0.
Nixa added to its lead with less than a minute into the first quarter when Potts hit Sportsman for a 43-yard touchdown pass to go up three scores, 21-0.
The Eagles added to the lead with 7:32 left in the half when Sportsman punched in from 2 yards out to make it 28-0.
Potts hit Jerris Thornton for a 14-yard pass to put Nixa on top of Carl Junction 35-0 with 5:32 in the opening half.
On the ensuing kickoff, a botched lateral led to a fumble recovery by the Eagles, who rumbled in from just a few yards out with 5:26 on the clock to make score 42-0.
With 2:58 left in the first half, Carl Junction turned the ball over again on the second interception of the night, with Nixa’s Ramone Green punching it in from 2 yards out with 2:54 to play in the half for the last score of the half — and the game — making it 49-0.
FOOTBALL: Glades’ career night of six touchdowns and over 250 rushing yards leads Joplin past Branson, 45-24
In what could be his final game at Junge Field, Joplin senior running back Nathan Glades had a career night, and gave the home crowd a performance they will always remember.
Glades finished with six total touchdowns and 255 yards rushing on 31 carries on the way to leading the Eagles (4-4) back to .500 with a 45-24 win over Branson on Friday.
“I love the coaches, I love everybody on this team,” Glades said about his time with the Joplin football program. “I am proud of the way that we’ve shown up in practice all week. We’ve bounced back from being selfish to being a family again, and I am very proud of that. I hope we keep on doing it the family way.
“All week in practice, I made sure to do the little things right. This week, I made sure that I did everything I possibly could to help the team be where we need to be. That is what showed up on the field tonight.”
Glades, who suffered a knee sprain earlier in the season and fought his way back to the starting lineup, averaged an eye-popping 8.2 yards-per-carry on the evening. He scored twice in the second quarter, three times in the third and rounded out his night with another rushing score in the fourth.
“I am honestly excited about the way my knee has responded to the rehab,” Glades said. “That was a big maturity moment for me to see if I was going to be a good football player, or a great football player. I was proud of the way I matured and rehabbed the way I needed to instead of cutting corners.”
“I don’t know who is more dynamic in Southwest Missouri, or in much of the state,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “He is doing it not even at 100 percent. Just the heart that he has, and I know he gives all the credit to the guys up front because they work their tails off, he is definitely a dynamic player.”
“(Branson head coach Anthony) Hays was trying to talk me into resting him for districts before the game,” Jasper continued with a smile. “I told him, we have to get on a roll here, man. We have to get things going. We took the first step tonight.”
Joplin opened the game with possession and made the most of it, driving 58 yards on six plays that led to a 12-yard touchdown pass from Always Wright to Quinton Renfro on the wheel route to put the Eagles up 6-0 with 9:55 left in the first quarter.
“They came out in a defense that we hadn’t seen them run since we played them two years ago,” Jasper said. “I thought our offensive line did a real good job of handling that and making adjustments. Then, (Branson) went back to what we thought they were going to run, and we did a good job of handling that, too. I am really proud of the offensive line, the players and the offensive coaches as well for having our guys prepared.”
Glades had a 21-yard gain on fourth-down-and-1 and added a 14-yard gain on the next play to set up the score.
Branson followed with a long drive that ended up in a goal-to-go situation, but Jopin limited Branson to a 22-yard field goal by Cristian Berumen to trim the lead to 6-3 with less than two minutes left in the opening period.
“We just have to give 100 percent every play, every down,” senior linebacker Marcelino Puente said of the defensive effort in the win. “We can’t give up or let them get momentum. … (Tonight) was awesome. We needed this as a confidence boost. Now, we just have to keep it up.”
“We did a lot better job tonight of getting a lot of hats to the football, pushing the pile back and not letting their power and counter game get going,” Jasper said. “I think that was a big boost in this game.”
The first turnover of the game came shortly into the second quarter. Joplin’s defense forced the Pirates into a punt, which was misplayed on the other end by Glades and recovered by Branson. The Pirates took the lead, 10-7, after a 12-yard touchdown run by Tristan Pierce with 8:34 left in the second quarter.
“One big play can change the whole game,” Glades said of his miscue on the punt. “I decided not to let it get in my head. I let it make me mad, and use that as my fuel to get better. I am happy that I did that, but in practice this week, I am going to practice all week catching punts until I am so tired that I can’t anymore.”
Glades atoned for his special teams mistake, scoring from 9 yards out on the ensuing drive to put Joplin back on top 13-10 with 5:58 left in the half.
“That is one thing the offense has been really good at all year,” Jasper said. “Being able to come back from adversity to answer the bell. They did it again tonight, and did a really good job.”
Joplin’s defense earned a three-and-out stop, forcing the Pirates into a punt and the Eagles closed the second quarter with their best drive of the half. Taking possession at its own 5-yard line, Joplin marched 95 yards on 14 plays that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run out of the tank formation by Glades with 27 seconds on the clock to put Joplin up 20-10 at the intermission.
“I am so proud of the way the defense played tonight,” Glades said. “Coaching was unbelievable, and the players were very coachable. I am proud of the way everyone was giving 100 percent effort, no matter what.”
The Eagles started the second half as hot as they finished the first, with the defense forcing a three-and-out and the offense complementing it with an eight-play drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Glades to push the lead to 27-10
“That was huge,” Jasper said of his team’s start to the second half. “We talked to them about that at halftime. The advantage to getting the ball first (to start the game) is you get some momentum. The disadvantage is you don’t get the ball coming out of halftime. We told them getting that stop out of halftime is going to be huge. We were able to convert it on the offensive side, and we felt that put pressure on them to go to the pass game more. Once they did that, Coach (Nick) Reid did a good job of making adjustments and bringing pressure from different spots. We were able to hit home on a lot of them.”
Glades found the end zone for the fourth time on a 15-yard run with 5:55 to play in the third, and after Branson answered with a 16-yard passing touchdown pass from Pierce to Colton Cooper, Glades picked up a head of steam from 8 yards out and finished off the run with a Superman dive into paydirt, surpassing the 200 rushing yards in the process, to give his Eagles a 39-17 advantage with 2:20 to play in the third.
“I thought every time that (Branson) fought back to find some life, we were able to come back and answer that and come back offensively,” Jasper said. “That is the sign of a good team. You need to close the door when you have the opportunity. I thought we were able to do that.”
Pierce scored from a yard out with 9:14 to play to cut Branson’s deficit to 39-24.
Matching the number he wears on his chest, Glades found the end zone for the sixth and final time on a 2-yard score, sealing the Joplin win, with 7:08 left in the fourth to wrap the scoring.
“A lot of teams, when they win the first half, they get into their head and think we have this game won,” Glades said of his team’s performance in the second half. “We still had 24 minutes left in the second half. We couldn’t let that happen. I am proud of the way we came out and responded in the second half by playing smash mouth football.”
STATS
Joplin gained 424 yards of offense on 63 carries. Wright completed 14-of-19 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, and added three carries for 39 yards. Keaton Renfro caught three passes for 33 yards, while Trayshawn Thomas added three receptions for 46 yards. Landen Atherton led Joplin in receiving with four receptions for nine yards.
Branson gained 208 yards of offense on 58 plays. Pierce completed 15-of-24 passes for 194 yards. Berumen carried six times for seven yards, while Cooper caught three passes for 34 yards and a score. Brady Blackwell caught eight passes for 74 yards.
UP NEXT
Joplin wraps up the regular season with a road game at Neosho (0-8).
SCORING SUMMARY
Branson 3 7 7 7 — 24
Joplin 6 14 19 6 — 45
FIRST QUARTER
JHS—Quinton Renfro 12 pass from Always Wright (kick fail)
BHS—22 field goal from Cristian Berumen
SECOND QUARTER
BHS—Tristan Pierce 12 run (Berumen kick)
JHS—Nathan Glades 9 run (Keaton Huff kick)
JHS—Glades 1 run (Huff kick)
THIRD QUARTER
JHS—Glades 1 run (Huff kick)
JHS—Glades 15 run (kick fail)
BHS—Colton Cooper 16 pass from Pierce (Berumen kick)
JHS—Glades 8 run (run fail)
FOURTH QUARTER
BHS—Pierce 1 run (Berumen kick)
JHS—Glades 2 run (run fail)
Tennis: Cavaliers compete at state tourney
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s doubles team of Juliana Joseph and Sydney Stamps competed at the Class 1 state tennis tournament on Friday at Cooper Tennis Complex.
The Cavaliers went 1-2.
In the opening round, the Cavaliers defeated Odessa’s Olivia Stucker-Shelby Brown 6-1, 6-1.
Bolivar’s Megan Roberts-Alexis Berry defeated Joseph-Stamps 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
In the consolation quarterfinals, North County’s Lauren Politte-Hanna Politte defeated the Cavaliers 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Offensive explosion helps Carthage overcome Republic’s big plays
REPUBLIC, Mo. — The Republic Tigers scored on plays of 61, 72 and 80 yards in the first half. In the entire game, they had only six other plays go for 10 or more yards.
At one point, it looked like those long, quick-strike scoring plays were going to keep them alive in a matchup with the Carthage Tigers on Friday night, but the offense of the Tigers wearing blue and white just refused to stop. Carthage eventually turned what looked like a back-and-forth track meet of a game into a 63-29 rout to stay undefeated at 7-0, while Republic dropped to 2-6.
“Really, defensively, it was what we thought it might be,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “We watched them on film and a lot of their big plays come from broken plays where the quarterback is scrambling around, buying time and we lose coverage on the back end and he finds somebody wide open down there.
“That’s pretty much what happened on some of those big plays they got,” he said. “But other than that, I thought our defense played really solid, really well, it was just a few broken plays.”
The first quarter ended 21-7 in favor of Carthage, and the margin would stay no greater than two scores as the teams traded touchdowns until a 68-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Luke Gall sparked a run of 35 unanswered points. With 8:14 to play in the first half, the score was 28-14 in favor of Carthage. The Tigers took a 49-21 advantage into halftime.
On a near flawless night for the Carthage offense, they racked up 598 yards of total offense, with 530 of those coming on the ground. Gall finished with 177 rushing yards on 15 carries, while senior quarterback Patrick Carlton added 18 carries for 224 yards, on top of six-of-eight passing attempts for 68 yards. The pair each accounted for four touchdowns.
“We kept coming offensively, never really got slowed down, to be honest,” Guidie said. “I thought our offensive line did a tremendous job … All that happens because of those guys up front and the pride they have in themselves is amazing.”
Guidie said he was pleased with this team’s performance, but acknowledged that Republic keeping itself in the game with its big plays — despite Carthage’s successes in all other facets — kept the feel of the game tight.
“It’s always tense for me,” he said with a slight laugh. “But yeah, you feel like you’re kind of in control of things, I think we went up 21-7 early in the first quarter and then they hit a big play and pulled back within seven. At that point you feel like ‘We’re going to have to outscore these dudes, we’re going to have to score every time we touch the ball.’”
With the exception of the drive in which the clock hit 0:00 in the fourth quarter, that’s exactly what the Tigers did. The effort sets up a showdown with 7-1 Nixa at David Haffner Stadium in Carthage next week in the teams’ regular season finale.
MEMORABLE NIGHT: Berry’s no-hitter, Gilbert’s homer propel Webb City to district championship
MONETT, Mo. — Haidyn Berry and Kaylyn Gilbert will likely never forget Friday, October 16 of 2020.
For the Webb City batterymates, it was definitely a night to remember.
Berry tossed a no-hitter and Gilbert broke a scoreless tie with a no-doubt home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, as the duo led the top-seeded Webb City Cardinals to a 5-0 victory over the second-seeded McDonald County Mustangs in the championship game of the Class 4 District 6 softball tournament at North Park.
The Cardinals (25-5) advance to the quarterfinal round, where they’ll host District 5 champion Bolivar (16-6) on Oct. 22.
“I’m just really excited for this group of girls,” Webb City coach Shauna Friend said. “They’ve worked so hard. This was their goal and to watch them achieve it is really something special.”
During the postgame celebration, Gilbert hoisted Berry into the air and carried her for several feet as the team’s ace pitcher lifted the district championship plaque above her head.
“This is awesome,” said Gilbert, a junior catcher. “This is what we’ve been waiting for. It feels awesome to get that win…we’re doing it for our seniors.”
“It’s overwhelming,” said Berry, a senior who struck out 16 and walked just one batter. “We took care of business today. That’s what we wanted to do, so this means a lot.”
With the top two teams in Class 4 facing off with the season on the line, and with a pair of dominant aces in the circle, it wasn’t hard to predict this one would be an epic showdown.
The Cardinals entered the night ranked first in Class 4 by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association, with the Mustangs ranked second.
Of course, Webb City edged McDonald County 1-0 during the regular season. This one was eerily similar until the sixth inning.
Facing McDonald County’s Madeline McCall, the Cardinals stranded runners in scoring position in the first five innings without breaking through.
On the other hand, Berry dazzled from the start in what could be called an unforgettable performance.
McDonald County’s only baserunners came in the fourth inning, as Carlee Cooper reached on an error and McCall walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. Berry struck out Reagan Myrick looking to end the threat.
“I got a little flustered, but I knew I could get out of it because I know my teammates have my back,” Berry said. “That’s what is special about this team. We’re together all the time.”
Webb City finally got on the board in the game-changing bottom of the sixth.
Alyssa Jennings and Emalee Lamar both drew walks to start the frame, and the runners moved over on a wild pitch.
In the biggest at-bat of the game, Gilbert smacked a 2-1 fastball over the fence in center field. The drive was estimated to go at least 220 feet.
“I was looking for one in my zone,” Gilbert said. “It was right in the middle and a little higher. Luckily I got a bat on it.”
Gilbert noted it was hard to contain her excitement as she rounded the bases after driving in the game’s first runs.
“I couldn’t slow down,” Gilbert said. “I was so excited to get to my teammates. It was just awesome to get back to the team and celebrate.”
It was Gilbert’s second homer of the season, with her first coming in the fourth game of the season against Neosho.
“Watching KG, that was just pure determination up there,” Friend said. “I’m just really proud of her for coming through when the team needed her.”
In an odd scene, Webb City’s Lamar was called out on the play for not touching home plate while her teammates were awaiting Gilbert’s arrival. With that, a three-run bomb turned into a two-run shot.
However, the Cardinals weren’t done.
Hannah Wells singled, with Maggie Crossley pinch-running. After Shea’lee Key walked, Crossley scored on a throwing error when the toss back to McCall ended up in shallow center field.
After Bri Batson was retired, Emma Welch and Berry both walked, with Berry’s free pass an intentional one.
Coming through in the clutch, Peyton Hawkins lifted a two-run bloop single into center, making it 5-0.
“We just had to string some hits together and we finally got it done,” Friend said.
The Mustangs finally got out of the inning, but the damage had been done.
“It was a pitcher’s duel again, but Webb City was able to break through there in the sixth,” Mustangs coach Heath Alumbaugh said. “Hats off to them. The Webb hitters had great plate discipline and they made Madeline work. They were able to lay off pitches that we get a lot of hitters to bite at. They came through with a big hit. That’s what great teams do. They make their own luck. That’s exactly what Webb did tonight. They were better and they deserved the win tonight.”
Berry, who threw 88 pitches, struck out the final two batters in the top of the seventh to secure not only a district championship, but also a no-hitter.
“I was throwing everything I had and mixing it up,” Berry said. “I wanted to keep them off-balance by switching things up. I just had to get the job done.”
Last year’s Central Ozark Conference Player of the Year, Berry threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of 23 batters.
“Haidyn threw her best against a really good team,” Friend said. “I’m just super proud of her night in the circle and her leadership with this team. The defense didn’t have to do a whole lot, but when they were called upon, they did their job.”
Webb City had eight hits. Berry and Wells had two hits apiece, while Lamar, Welch, Gilbert and Hawkins had one hit apiece. Berry doubled and Wells tripled.
A junior, McCall took the loss. She struck out eight, walked six and gave up eight hits one night after she struck out 17 in the semifinals against Neosho.
The Mustangs, who were going for a third straight district title, end the season at 21-4.
It’s Webb City’s second straight district crown and third in four years.
Ranked sixth in Class 4, Bolivar beat Willard 1-0 in the District 5 title game. Webb City topped Bolivar 2-1 on Sept. 14.
The rematch will determine who advances to the Final Four.
“We’ll have another tough one ahead of us, but I think these girls are up for the challenge,” Friend said.
“It’s go time,” Berry added. “We’re going to give it all we’ve got and we’re excited.”
Softball: Carthage falls in district title game
REPUBLIC, Mo. — Top-seeded Kickapoo came from behind to beat third-seeded Carthage 3-2 in the championship game of the Class 5 District 6 softball tournament on Friday night at Bervin White Memorial Softball Complex.
The loss ended Carthage’s season. Stephanie Ray’s Tigers finished with a record of 19-12.
Kickapoo (23-3) advanced to play Lee’s Summit West (17-10) on Oct. 22 in the quarterfinals.
Kickapoo scored in the bottom of the first on Kate Pierce’s RBI double to right.
Carthage plated two runs in the second. Makayla Jennings singled to center and Presley Probert singled to left before Kate Potter’s sacrifice moved the runners over.
Jordyn Jones then hit an RBI single to center. Jensyn Elder gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead when the Chiefs couldn’t corral her line drive, with Probert scoring on the error.
Kickapoo took the lead for good in the sixth inning.
Chloe Merced doubled to right field, and after an out, Ellie Facklam hit a go-ahead home run to right.
Carthage’s Mary Grace Richmond singled to lead off the seventh. Landry Cochran’s sac bunt moved the tying run into scoring position.
But Facklam retired Katie Crowe and Natalie Rodriguez to end the game.
Jennings had two hits for the Tigers. Elder was charged with the loss. She gave up three runs, all earned, on five hits and one walk. Elder struck out six.
In addition to hitting the game-winning homer, Facklam was the winning pitcher. She scattered six hits, struck out three and gave up one earned run.
Football: Webb City rolls to seventh straight win
OZARK, Mo. — Webb City extended its winning streak to seven with a convincing 48-13 Central Ozark Conference football victory over the Ozark Tigers on Friday night.
The Cardinals hiked their record to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the COC. Ozark fell to 5-3.
The Cardinals, who led 21-7 at the half, recorded 462 yards, with 339 rushing and 123 passing.
Webb City’s Dupree Jackson ran 14 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while Devrin Weathers added 87 yards on 10 carries with two scores. Weathers went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season.
Cole Gayman ran 12 times for 73 yards and also scored a pair of touchdowns. Gayman completed 6-of-7 passes for 123 yards with one interception. Gary Clinton hauled in four passes for 120 yards, while Mekhi Garrard had two receptions for three yards.
Brayden Hollingsworth led the Webb City defense with nine tackles, while Treghan Parker made seven stops. Jacob Ott and Jaystin Smith were credited with six tackles apiece. Shane Noel had an interception.
Ozark finished with 273 yards, with 269 rushing and just four passing.
Tylr Bolin led Ozark’s ground attack with 126 yards on 21 carries with one score. Cannon Cox ran 18 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. Cox completed 1-of-3 passes. Jace Easley made 10 tackles.
Weathers scored on a 7-yard run with 6:05 left in the first quarter before Gayman and Jackson scored on runs of 8 and 13 yards, respectively, in the second quarter to give the visitors a 21-0 advantage. Gayman’s TD capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive, while Jackson’s score finished off a nine-play, 74-yard drive.
Bolin got Ozark on the board with five seconds left in the first half on a 6-yard run.
Jackson’s 6-yard touchdown run with 9:20 remaining in the third period pushed Webb City’s lead to 28-7.
“Our offense needed to come out and have a good drive to start the second half,” Webb City coach John Roderique told KNEO radio in a postgame interview. “You feel like you need to answer that score they had right before halftime and I thought that was big for us.”
Ozark’s Cox scored from 6 yards out on a QB keeper just over two minutes later, but Weathers sprinted to a 5-yard score, capping a 64-yard drive on seven plays, to extend Webb City’s lead to 35-13.
In the fourth quarter, a 30-yard touchdown run by Gayman and David Neal’s 19-yard run finished off the scoring.
The Tigers lost three fumbles and also threw an interception in the game, while Webb City had just one turnover.
“There’s one stat that is the biggest determining factor between winning and losing and that’s turnovers,” Roderique told KNEO. “Obviously, when you get turnovers, it’s great and when you give them up it’s the worst thing that can happen to you. I thought that was huge. When your offense is scoring and then you’re getting some short fields from those turnovers that’s a bonus for your guys.”
Webb City hosts Willard (2-6) next Friday in the regular season finale. Willard edged Neosho 27-20 in overtime on Friday night.
WEBB CITY 48, OZARK 13
WC 7 14 14 13—48
Ozark 0 7 6 0—13
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
WC: Devrin Weathers 7-yard run (Cameron Clark kick)
Second Quarter
WC: Cole Gayman 8-yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Dupree Jackson 13-yard run (Clark kick)
OZ: Tylr Bolin 6-yard run (Jace Easley kick)
Third Quarter
WC: Jackson 6-yard run (Clark kick)
OZ: Cannon Cox 6-yard run (Pass failed)
WC: Weathers 5-yard run (Clark kick)
Fourth Quarter
WC: Gayman 30-yard run (Clark kick) 42-13, 9:28 left
WC: David Neal 19-yard run (Kick failed)
