Below is a look at district football brackets of interest. The district playoffs begin on Friday, Oct. 30.
CLASS 6 DISTRICT 3
In Friday’s quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Joplin will travel to fourth-seeded Rockhurst for a 7 p.m. contest at Dasta Memorial Stadium in Kansas City.
In Friday’s other quarterfinals, No. 1 Raymore-Peculiar hosts No. 8 Lee’s Summit, No. 2 Nixa hosts No. 7 Lee’s Summit North and No. 3 Lee’s Summit West hosts No. 6 Kickapoo.
The Rockhurst-Joplin winner meets the winner of the Raymore-Peculiar-Lee’s Summit game in the semifinals on Nov. 6.
The other semifinal features the winners of Nixa-LSN and LSW-Kickapoo.
The district title game is Nov. 13.
CLASS 5 DISTRICT 6
No. 1 Carthage and No. 2 Webb City have byes this week and won’t play until the semifinals.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, No. 4 Republic hosts No. 5 Branson and No. 3 Ozark hosts No. 6 Neosho.
Carthage awaits the Republic-Branson winner in the semifinals on Nov. 6, while Webb City will host the Ozark-Neosho winner in the semifinals.
The district title game is Nov. 13.
Of course, if the higher seeds win, we would get a Carthage vs. Webb City district championship showdown that would feature two defending state champions.
CLASS 4 DISTRICT 5
This district has seven teams, so No. 1 West Plains gets a bye this week.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, No. 4 McDonald County hosts No. 5 Marshfield, No. 2 Carl Junction hosts No. 7 Monett and No. 3 Logan-Rogersville hosts No. 6 Hillcrest.
The McDonald County-Marshfield winner plays West Plains on Nov. 6. The other quarterfinal winners meet in the other semifinal. The title game is Nov. 13.
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 6
No. 1 Cassville and No. 2 Mount Vernon both have byes.
On Friday, No. 4 Reeds Spring hosts No. 5 Hollister, while No. 3 Aurora hosts No. 6 Seneca.
On Nov. 6, Cassville will host the winner of Reeds Spring-Hollister in the semifinals, while Mount Vernon will host either Aurora or Seneca.
The title game is Nov. 13.
PLATTE CITY, Mo. — A lofty preseason goal has become a reality for the Webb City Cardinals.
Webb City took control early and earned a dominating 10-2 victory over Platte County in a Class 4 softball semifinal on a chilly Saturday at Pirate Park.
As a result, the Cardinals (27-5) advanced to the state title game, where they’ll take on Webster Groves (15-2) at noon on Friday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield. It’s Webb City’s first trip to the championship game since 2013.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” Webb City coach Shauna Friend said. “I’m excited for them. This has been their goal from Day 1. And now they’re there. They’re ready.”
Webb City senior pitcher Haidyn Berry noted one of the team’s biggest goals of the season was to play for a state championship. That goal has now been accomplished.
“We’re overwhelmed in excitement,” Berry said. “We came out here and dominated. There was no stopping us today. That’s the mindset we had. This means everything to us. When we stepped on the field in August, we had a dream. And we’ve had this dream since we were eight years old.”
“This was our goal from the very first practice,” Cardinals junior catcher Kaylyn Gilbert added. “It feels amazing. We’ve been wanting to do this forever.”
A nearly three-hour bus ride didn’t seem to bother the Cardinals, who showed no signs of sluggishness or fatigue. Instead, it was just the opposite, as Webb City scored the game’s first nine runs.
“It was a long bus ride, but with those girls you wouldn’t think it was,” Friend said. “They’re always full of energy. They came ready to play. As soon as we got off the bus, I felt like our girls were ready to dominate. They were full of energy and intensity. We’ve got such good leaders on this team we don’t have to talk about it much. They know what their job is when they get off the bus.”
The Cardinals, who were the home team on the scoreboard, never trailed against the Pirates, who entered the day with just one loss on their record.
Berry struck out the side in the top of the first, and the Cardinals pushed across a run in the bottom half. With two outs, Peyton Hawkins was hit by a pitch before Alyssa Jennings blooped a run-scoring double into shallow center field that fell between a number of Pirates.
Webb City extended its lead with three runs in the third.
Berry doubled to right and pinch runner Ripley Shanks scored when Hawkins ripped an RBI single into left-center. The Cardinals weren’t done. Jennings singled to left and Gilbert followed with a two-run double to right, giving the Cardinals a four-run cushion.
The early run support was more than enough for Berry, who continued to put up zeros inning after inning.
Pictured is Webb City senior Haidyn Berry.
In the fourth, Berry launched a two-run home run over the fence in center, making it 6-0. It was Berry’s 18th blast of the fall, the second-best all-time mark for homers in a season in Missouri.
One inning later, Gilbert reached on an error and later scored from third on a wild pitch for a seven-run lead.
After Shea’lee Key walked and Bri Batson was retired, Emma Welch smacked a two-run double into left-center to give the Cardinals a comfortable 9-0 advantage.
“The girls have done a good job of adjusting to pitching all year long and they were able to find pitches they could get,” Friend said. “They had great pitch selection. It was great to see a lot of hard hit balls and it was good to see us string some hits together. They’re coming together at the right time.”
The Pirates finally broke through against Berry in the sixth when Avery Webster singled and Grace Heater delivered a run-scoring double.
The Cardinals added a single tally in the bottom half of the sixth. Gilbert walked, Emalee Lamar singled and Hannah Wells reached on an infield single. Key then lined an RBI single into left for a 10-1 lead.
Webb City’s Emma Welch runs to first after her bunt as Platte County pitcher Emma Koeneke attempts to field the ball. All photos by Lucas Davis.
Platte County’s Demi Riechers hit an RBI double in the seventh, but Berry retired the side to secure the win. She retired Julianna Knudsen to end the game, setting off a celebration near the circle.
“Haidyn gives her best every single time and we’re doing this for her,” said Gilbert, a junior catcher who drove in two runs and scored twice.
With another stellar performance, Berry (24-5) earned the pitching victory. The right-handed Berry, who chose to wear short sleeves despite temperatures in the mid 40s, scattered six hits and surrendered just two runs in a complete-game gem.
“I just went out there and did what I normally do,” Berry said. “I didn’t think about the cold and just tried to throw my best stuff. And I knew my teammates had my back.”
Berry struck out nine and walked just one. She threw 93 pitches, and she tossed a first-pitch strike to 24 of 27 batters.
“Haidyn had a great game,” Friend said. “She’s such a competitor. She came out ready to dominate whoever is in the box.”
The Webb City defense did not commit an error.
Berry went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Hawkins had two hits and scored twice, while Welch had two RBI.
Kaylyn Gilbert hits a double during Saturday’s Class 4 semifinal.
Platte County’s Emma Koeneke took the loss. She allowed nine runs, eight earned, on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. She struck out seven and walked four. Mackenzie Shields took over in the circle in the fifth. She gave up one run on two hits. The Pirates (21-2) committed two errors in the field.
While one semifinal was a lopsided affair, the other was not, as Webster Groves edged Rockwood Summit 4-3 in nine innings.
For the Cardinals, one more lofty goal remains—winning a state title.
“We look up at the sign that says 2004 and 2007,” Gilbert said, noting the school’s past state softball championships. “We want 2020 to be up there.”
“We’re just ready to go,” Berry said. “I’ve got one game left and I’m going to give it all I’ve got. We want to take home the state title next Friday.”
Class 4 semifinal
Webb City 10, Platte County 2
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WC 103 231 x—10 11 0
Haidyn Berry and Kaylyn Gilbert celebrate after the final out was recorded on Webb City’s 10-2 win over Platte County. All photos by Lucas Davis.
Haidyn Berry jumps into Kaylyn Gilbert’s arms after the final out.
The Cardinals celebrate after a 10-2 win over Platte County.
The Cardinals mob Haidyn Berry after the final out was recorded.
The Carl Junction Bulldogs overcame the Ozark Tigers with a last second goal-line stop in a thrilling regular season finale that came down to the wire. With a 33-28 win, the Bulldogs had everyone on the edge of their seats as they wrapped up their season and head into the playoffs.
The night got started with a dominant performance by Carl Junction who forced an Ozark punt on the first drive of the night, which was punctuated by a tipped ball from sophomore Braxton Dodds. Dodds would go on to have an impressive night, especially on special teams, where he made several big tackles and the tipped punt.
Taking advantage of the short field, Carl Junction leaned on their strong run game to move the ball and scored on a 17-yard reception touchdown by senior Noah Southern. Southern would go on to have two touchdowns on the night. However, the Bulldogs started having kicking troubles early as they missed their first extra point of the night.
The Tigers responded with a strong drive of their own, continuously running the ball with senior quarterback Cannon Cox, and senior running back Tylr Bolin. Without throwing a single pass, the Tigers made it all the way to the Bulldogs’ 4-yard line. The Carl Junction defense held strong for their first goal-line stand of the night, forcing a turnover on downs. It would be a prelude of what was to come.
Despite getting the ball back and preventing a score, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the next drive and had to punt it away.
As the second quarter began, Ozark also was unable to get a drive going and had to punt. The Bulldogs quickly moved down the field and scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown from senior quarterback Alex Baker. This time CJ converted a successful try for two, bringing them to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
“We put in a quarterback sneak this week, and I’ve been waiting for it all year, and we finally called it,” said Baker. “I was very excited.”
Despite an uncharacteristically slow start, Ozark rebounded with a very quick drive down the field and scored a touchdown of their own on a 64-yard catch and run from senior Ethan Pritchard. It would be his first of two long touchdowns on the game. However, the Tigers kicked the ball out of bounds on the following play, putting the ball at the 35-yard line for the Bulldogs with less than three minutes left in the half. Just a few plays later, Baker hit senior Cole Stewart for a 54-yard touchdown. It would be the highlight of the night for Stewart, who finished with over 120 receiving yards.
“Our offense did really well,” said Stewart. “I hope we can have another good week of practice and carry it into the playoffs.”
The Bulldogs once again missed their extra-point try, sending both teams into the half with a 20-7 Bulldog lead. The Bulldogs received the second half kick and once again got the best of Ozark by relying on their ground game to eventually get back on the board with a 1-yard touchdown catch from Southern, his second of the night.
On their first possession of the second half, the Tigers seemed revitalized and quickly scored on back to back drives, forcing a Bulldog punt in between. One score went to Ethan Pritchard, who got a big 36-yard TD, and the other was on a quarterback keeper by Cox. As the third quarter ended, the Tigers were suddenly threatening a comeback down just six points.
Neither team was able to get any traction at the beginning of the final frame, trading back-to-back fourth down stops. The Bulldogs once again turned to their run game to lead them to the end zone, and hit paydirt on a 37-yard end around for a touchdown by senior Brady Sims. Once again, however, the Bulldogs were unable to convert the two-point try.
“It was spur of the moment call, but Cole Stewart had a great block which let me go all the way,” Sims said. “What really made the difference this week was our O-line. They picked up a lot of blitzes, Alex Baker had time in the pocket, and we were able to make a lot of deep plays.”
Sims recorded over 85 rushing yards.
With the game looking seemingly out of reach, and the Bulldogs nursing a 12-point lead with less than six minutes to go, the Tigers were unwilling the give up and stormed down the field thanks to another long catch by Prichard and quickly scored on another quarterback keeper by Cox.
Only needing a couple first downs to put the game away with less than three minutes left, the Bulldogs took over but only managed to convert one first down, giving the ball back to Ozark on a long punt that started their final drive near their own end zone.
With less than two minutes, and with only one timeout, the Tigers made one final bid at a comeback, and nearly succeeded.
With the game on the line, the Tigers once again pulled off several big plays, and smartly used their timeouts and a few spikes to stop the clock. In less than 120 seconds Ozark found themselves inside the Bulldog 5-yard line with less than four seconds left.
A touchdown looked all but certain as the Tigers did a toss out to the right, and as the whole stadium held their breath, the Bulldogs made an open field tackle for their second goal-line stand of the game, preventing a Tiger comeback as the clock hit zero.
“We faced the ultimate adversity right there on the last play of the game, from inside the five. We got it done and made the play,” said Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster. “Earlier in the season, in some games we’ve had trouble overcoming adversity. We did a tremendous job in the first half, and managed to get a couple scores in the second half to help us win it, too. I’m really proud of our kids for hanging in there and overcoming that adversity. It was a big win for us. Ozark is a good football team.”
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Nursing a 14-6 lead with only minutes until halftime, the Carthage Tigers started a drive at their own 8-yard line. The offense advanced the ball to its 30, but faced a fourth-and-1 situation.
Knowing there was minimal time remaining and that his team would receive the opening kickoff of the second half, coach Jon Guidie planned to punt the ball away and hoped to take the one-score advantage into the break. The guys who would have to pave the way for that 1 more yard had another idea.
“(Nixa) called timeout and I went out there and said, ‘Guys, we’re going to have to punt here, we can’t go for it and risk it here,’” he said. “And our offensive line said ‘No, put it on us. Put it on us.’ Right then, man, I knew it was on.”
Senior quarterback Patrick Carlton followed his blockers for a 3-yard run and a new set of downs. Five plays later, Carlton hit Justin Sneed on a play-action pass for 40 yards, down to the 1-yard line, then punched it in for the score that loosened what had been a tight contest and vaulted Carthage to a 35-12 victory over the Nixa Eagles at David Haffner Stadium. The win capped an undefeated regular season for the Tigers at 8-0.
Nixa came into the matchup of COC championship contenders at 7-1, and looked ready to give Carthage a run for its money when the first play from scrimmage was an untouched Ramone Green dash to the end zone from 80 yards out. The Eagles, though, would go on to add only 271 more yards of offense, for a total of 351.
“These guys are a special group,” Guidie said. “We talked all week about ‘Yeah, this is a big game, but we’ve been in big games before. We’ve been there and we’ve done that.’ Champions are going to rise to the occasion, they’re going to overcome adversity. We came out, first play of the game they go 80 yards for a score and our kids didn’t flinch, and they very easily could have. They came right back and got after it. I love this group.”
Carthage flipped the script on a Nixa team that had, for the most part this season, dominated its opponents, allowing an average of only 11 points per game, while racking up more than 36 on offense. The Eagles scored only once more after Green’s long run, and Carlton and his offense pulled away with touchdowns on both of its final two drives.
Carlton totaled four touchdowns, and his usual backfield running mate, sophomore running back Luke Gall, added one for good measure. Carlton had 102 yards on 27 carries, while Gall added 18 attempts for 81 yards. Green finished with 147 rushing yards on 19 carries.
SCORING SUMMARY
CAR714014—35 NIX6060—12
FIRST QUARTER
NIX: Ramone Green 80-yard run. Kaleb James kick failed.
CAR: Patrick Carlton 2-yard run. Caleb Calvin kick.
NEOSHO, Mo. — Heading into the regular season finale while coming off a win against Branson, Joplin coach Curtis Jasper wanted to see his team come up with another strong performance against Neosho to build some momentum heading into the postseason.
The Eagles did just that, blanking the Wildcats 48-0 on Friday night at Bob Anderson Stadium.
It was a night of firsts for Joplin, as the Eagles’ defense pitched its first shutout, while scoring its first touchdown. Joplin (5-4) won back-to-back games for the first time all season, while moving to above .500 for the first time since Week 1. The Eagles forced a running clock for the first time. Sophomore wideout Dante Washington returned from an injury suffered in Week 3 and scored his first rushing touchdown of the year. To top it off, late in the game, freshman quarterback All Wright threw his first-career varsity touchdown pass to freshman Whit Hafer, which was his first-career varsity touchdown reception.
Joplin’s Dante Washington looks for running room with Cayden Auch in pursuit during the Eagles’ win over Neosho on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
“I was really happy with the way we played tonight,” Jasper said. “We had a lot of energy. We hadn’t achieved a turbo clock on anyone this year. We hadn’t won two in a row. We are just looking for consistency. We had a good week of practice, prepared well and did all the little things. It would have been easy to fall into a trap looking ahead to districts, but our leadership did a good job of making sure everyone was focused this week on doing what we needed to do.”
Joplin’s offense gained 374 yards on 57 plays. Nathan Glades carried the ball 18 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while Always Wright completed 10-of-15 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Washington caught two passes for 30 yards and a touchdown and added 44 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Keaton Renfro, Trayshawn Thomas and Bruce Wilbert each had two receptions in the win.
“We came out in all three phases and played our butts off,” Glades said. “I am proud of the way we are playing. I am ready for the playoffs to see if we can continue it.”
Joplin’s defense limited Neosho to 37 yards on 43 plays, which comes out to .86 yards per play for the Wildcats. Drayke Perry had four rushes for 9 yards, while Cayden Auch caught two passes for 28 yards.
“I thought our energy, getting guys to the ball and tackling was really great tonight,” Jasper said of his defense’s performance.
Joplin’s Yael Herrera Wraps up Neosho’s Jared Siler during the Eagles’ win over the Wildcats on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
After both teams traded turnover-on-downs, Joplin got on the board after turning to the ground game. Glades carried the ball nine times in the 12-play drive, crossing the goal line from a yard out to put the Eagles on top 7-0.
Joplin’s defense followed up with its first touchdown of the season after Jayden Holt forced Neosho quarterback Logan Whetzell into a fumble on a third-down pass attempt before scooping the ball up himself and scoring from 18 yards out to extend the Eagles’ lead to 14-0 with 9:58 to play in the first half.
“It was the trifecta,” Jasper said. “He caused the fumble, picked it up and scored. On a production chart, that’s the best you can do. He made plays all night long. He is a great player and he showed that tonight.”
“Coach (Nick) Reid drew up a really good game plan,” Holt said. “We just went out and executed. It was great to get that momentum, especially heading into the playoffs.”
Joplin went up three scores after a 13-play drive on the ensuing possession culminated in a 5-yard touchdown run by Glades, who had 115 rushing yards in the first half alone, to put the Eagles on top 21-0 with 4:24 left in the half.
With time winding down, Neosho was facing a fourth-down look from near midfield that was unsuccessful, giving Joplin possession at the Wildcat 47 with 1:37 left on the half. The Eagles needed just four plays to get into the end zone for the fourth time, with Washington catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Always Wright to make the score 28-0 with 45 seconds left in the half.
“It felt great,” Washington said when asked how it felt to be back on the field. “It was really hard (not being on the field with the team). It is kind of weird watching someone else play your position knowing you can’t play. But, I could cheer, and I made sure I did that part.”
Neosho opened the second half with possession and the Joplin defense forced a three-and-out punt. The low snap went between the punter’s legs and was downed on the 1-yard line for a 33-yard loss. On the next play, Glades took the handoff all the way to the far pylon, evading would-be tacklers on the way, for a touchdown to put Joplin on top 35-0 early in the second half.
On the ensuing JHS possession, Washington ran the ball six straight times, including a 10-yard rushing score to make it a 41-0 lead for Joplin.
“When you get a kid back from injury, you always hold your breath and hope his first game goes well,” Jasper said. “He did a lot of things for us tonight on special teams, offense and defense.”
Joplin freshman Whit Hafer hauls in his first-career varsity touchdown pass in the Eagles’ win over Neosho on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Freshman reserve quarterback All Wright hooked up with freshman Whit Hafer for a 29-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give Joplin a 48-0 lead.
“To get those guys out there, and they did a great job of going out there and scoring, it was a lot of fun to see,” Jasper said when asked about the production from the reserves.
DISTRICT UPDATE
Joplin currently holds the fifth seed with 32.74 points in the Class 6 District 3 standings, with Lee’s Summit West as the fourth seed with 34.54 points. If this holds firm through Saturday night when the official bracket is announced, Joplin will be traveling to open the playoffs.
“The nice thing is, this late in the year, I feel like we are finding our identity,” Jasper said. “Our guys are really enjoying each other and playing for each other. It’s nice, at this time of year, to be having a lot of fun playing football.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Joplin 7 21 13 7 — 48
Neosho 0 0 0 0 — 0
FIRST QUARTER
JHS—Nathan Glades 1 run (Joseph Ipsen kick)
SECOND QUARTER
JHS—Jayden Holt 18 fumble return (Ipsen kick)
JHS—Glades 5 run (Ipsen kick)
JHS—Dante Washington 28 pass from Always Wright (Ipsen kick)
THIRD QUARTER
JHS—Glades 1 run (Ipsen kick)
JHS—Washington 11 run (kick fail)
FOURTH QUARTER
JHS—Whit Hafer 29 pass from All Wright (Logan Beaver kick)
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals are heading into the postseason with plenty of momentum.
The Cardinals extended their winning streak to eight with a dominant 55-0 Central Ozark Conference football win over the Willard Tigers on a cold Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
The Cardinals were superior in every phase of the game in this one, as Webb City led 41-0 at intermission.
“I thought our kids, from the onset, in all phases really competed well,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “I thought our kids were really focused. We talked during the week about focusing on ourselves and getting better. You want to continue to make strides and get better. That’s hard to judge sometimes, but we felt like we did that this week.”
Webb City ends the regular season at 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the COC.
Ranked second in Class 5, the Cardinals locked up the second seed for the District 6 tournament. With only six teams in the district, the top two seeds have a bye next week.
It was Webb City’s third shutout of the 2020 campaign.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City racked up 443 yards on 48 plays, with 414 yards on the ground and 29 through the air.
Senior running back Devrin Weathers ran 11 times for 154 yards and four touchdowns, with all of his carries coming in the first half. Junior Dupree Jackson added 76 yards on seven carries, while senior quarterback Cole Gayman added 54 rushing yards.
Jacob Ott had six tackles, while Gavin Stowell and Treghan Parker had four tackles apiece. Cale Stephens grabbed an interception, while Cohl Vaden, Spencer Lortz, Ott and TJ Boyd all recovered fumbles.
Webb City had 20 first downs, while Willard had eight.
Willard (2-7) committed five turnovers, with four lost fumbles and an interception. The Tigers were limited to 129 yards on 38 plays, with 115 rushing and 14 passing.
Owen Bushnell ran 18 times for 53 yards, while Tyler Janes completed 2-of-5 passes for 14 yards with one interception.
GAME RECAP
Webb City literally took control from the start, as the Cardinals recovered an onside-kick to begin the night.
A Kansas State recruit, Weathers scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter—a 12-yard run and a 43-yard scamper.
Gayman’s 18-yard QB keeper and Vaden’s two-point conversion gave Webb City a 21-0 cushion at the 10:39 mark of the second quarter.
Weathers sprinted to a 28-yard touchdown run at the 9:33 mark of the second period, making a number of defenders miss while changing direction.
With the Webb City offensive line opening up big holes, Jackson scored Webb City’s fifth touchdown of the first half on a 3-yard plunge.
Weathers added a 24-yard touchdown sprint to give the Cardinals a comfortable 41-0 lead with 5:06 left in the first half.
At the break, Webb City had 318 yards while Willard had just 91.
Roderique rested his starters for the entire second half and got many other players into the game.
Freshman David Neal scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, while sophomore Cy Darnell recorded a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“We played our starters just one half and we put a lot of guys in,” Roderique said, estimating about 75-80 different athletes saw time on the field. “We had eight different running backs carry the ball tonight. We tried to do what we should do in that situation. I wish the score wasn’t 55.”
Roderique noted getting that many kids into the game will help them in the future.
“They only have one more JV game, and all of them getting a chance to play really does a lot for the morale and the excitement,” Roderique said. “What I really appreciate is the first one to congratulate a David Neal or a Cy Darnell is Devrin Weathers. Devrin, like a lot of the guys we’ve had here over the years, isn’t concerned with individual stats. He’s worried about winning and he’s worried about the other guys. That’s a selfless guy.”
DISTRICT SEEDS
With Friday’s 35-12 win over Nixa, Carthage edged Webb City for the top seed in Class 5 District 6.
Carthage finished with 48.53 points, while Webb City had 48.17 points.
Ozark (33.63), Republic (26.85), Branson (26.07) and Neosho (14.96) round out the district.
Carthage and Webb City will both have the night off on Friday, Oct. 30.
BYE WEEK
The Cardinals will have a full week of practice next week without a game. Webb City will be in the district semifinals in two weeks against an opponent to be determined.
“It’s a little bit unusual,” Roderique said. “It probably comes at a pretty good time because we’re banged and we’ve lost some guys over the last few weeks. It gives you a chance to get some other guys ready. We’re going to welcome it. It is what it is and we’re going to try to make the most of it. We’ll get to the basics and get back to some fundamentals.”
Platte County softball coach Callie Peoples will see some familiar faces across the field when her Pirates host the Webb City Cardinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday in a semifinal contest of the Class 4 state tournament.
“Kathy Harris was one of my coaches and Shauna Friend was my science teacher in high school,” Peoples said on Friday in a phone conversation with SoMo Sports.
Yes, the Cardinals will be squaring off against a team coached by a former Webb City standout.
A member of the Class of 2011, the former Callie Beaver was a stellar four-year performer for Webb City under then head coach Walter Resa and assistant coach Harris.
During her playing days (2007-10), the Cardinals won a state championship when she was a freshman and took third in both her sophomore and senior years.
“I have nothing but fond memories when I look back on my days at Webb City,” Peoples said. “We went to state every year but my junior year. Coach Resa and Coach Harris made me into the player I was all through high school and the player I became in college. They have shaped a lot of my coaching decisions. They were good mentors as I’ve developed my own coaching techniques and strategies. I still look up to both of them very much.”
As a senior right fielder, Peoples earned all-state, all-district and all-conference recognition after hitting .526 with an on-base percentage of .681. The team’s leadoff batter, Peoples scored 41 runs and stole 35 bases as the Cardinals went 31-2 en route to the third place finish at state.
After her prep career, Peoples played collegiately at Park University. She is married to Richie Peoples, another former Webb City Cardinal, and has been teaching and coaching at Platte County since 2015. She took over as the softball program’s head coach in 2018.
Under Peoples’ guidance, Platte County is having a remarkable season. Ranked fourth in Class 4 by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association, the Pirates defeated Grain Valley 3-1 on Thursday in the quarterfinals to improve to 21-1.
“This season has been great,” Peoples said. “It seems like it has flown by. We have six seniors and most of them have played on varsity for three or four years. Our seniors have put this team on their backs. They want to win state. Our seniors have got the other girls to rally around them for a common goal.”
A player to watch for Platte County is senior pitcher Emma Koeneke, who struck out 10 and surrendered just five hits in the quarterfinals.
“She is totally in control when she’s in the circle and she doesn’t let a lot of things fluster her,” Peoples said. “She wants the ball in big games and I love her for that.”
Senior shortstop Halle Magee sets the table for the Pirates from the leadoff spot. She has also hit six homers.
“She has had a great year,” Peoples said. “She’s stepped up to a new level this year. She just has a way about her. She gets on-base and makes things happen.”
Sophomore first baseman Takayla Lawson hits cleanup.
“When runners are in scoring position, TK just finds a way to get them in,” Peoples said.
Webb City enters Saturday’s showdown with a record of 26-5 and ranked first in Class 4. Peoples said she’s well aware of what type of team her Pirates will be facing.
“My parents (Alan and Elaine Beaver) still live in Webb City so they’ve kept me up to date on how this year’s team is doing,” Peoples said. “I still talk to Coach Harris once in a while. I know they’re having a great season.”
Peoples noted it will be a memorable day for her when she leads her team against her alma mater, especially with a spot in the state title game on the line.
“I think it’s very special that I get to coach against a great team like Webb City,” Peoples said. “Not very often do you get to coach against someone who was your coach in high school, so I’m just excited to get to see Coach Harris and Coach Friend. It will be special to coach against them. I don’t think it adds any pressure, but it just makes it a little more of a unique situation. We’re excited to play them tomorrow.”
Callie Peoples.
SEMIFINAL NOTES
Platte County has announced that the semifinal contest is closed to the general public. Tickets are being limited to family members of the players. Live audio of the game will be broadcast for free at www.kneo.org. MSHSAA is charging $10 to watch the live video broadcast on KNEO’s website.
Saturday’s other Class 4 semifinal features Webster Groves (14-2) at Rockwood Summit (11-3).
The semifinal winners meet in the championship game on Oct. 30 at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
LAST WEEK:Nixa 49, Carl Junction 0; Webb City 48, Ozark 13
LAST YEAR: Carl Junction, 56-20
OUTLOOK:Carl Junction and Ozark are both coming off forgettable losses and will be wanting to head into the postseason with some momentum.
Carl Junction’s Brady Sims rushed 16 times for 45 yards against Nixa, and quarterback Alex Baker completed 12 of 29 passes for 93 yards and four interceptions.
Tylr Bolin led Ozark with 137 yards and touchdown, with a fumble, against Webb City. Cannon Cox also had a rushing touchdown and a fumble to go along with 64 yards on the ground on 13 carries.
LAST WEEK: Carthage 63, Republic 29; Nixa 49, Carl Junction 0
LAST YEAR: Carthage, 35-0
OUTLOOK: Carthage rolled over Republic last week and looks to remain perfect in the regular season finale against Nixa. This game has big COC implications. If Carthage wins, they are conference champs.
Last week, Carthage 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.
Reid Pitts completed 6-of-9 passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Ramone Green led Nixa on the ground with 15 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.
As Joplin heads into its season finale, traveling to Bob Anderson Stadium to take on Neosho, Coach Curtis Jasper is looking for consistency from his Eagles as they look to build on top of last week’s win over Branson before heading into the postseason.
“(Consistency) has been our biggest Achilles’ heel all year long,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “We can have things rolling, and then we can shoot ourselves in the foot. We just have to continue to play smart, minimize the penalties and win the turnover battle. That’s what we need to do to keep building that momentum.”
One of the biggest keys for the Eagles in terms of carrying over the success from last week against the Pirates to this week against the Wildcats will be complimentary football. That aspect showed up in a big way in the middle of the win over Branson.
“When we get a turnover or a big stop defensively, I think that really gets the team going,” said Jasper.
With Joplin leading 13-10 with 3:58 left in the second quarter, the Eagle defense forced Branson into a three-and-out punt, its first of the game, and the Joplin offense rewarded the other side of the ball with a 14-play, 95-yard drive that led to a 1-yard rushing score by Nathan Glades, who finished the night with 250 rushing yards and six touchdowns, with 27 seconds left in the half to push the lead to 20-10.
“If you would have asked me how many yards he had at the end of the game, I wouldn’t have said 250,” Jasper said of Glades’ performance. “It was kind of a quiet 250, if that’s even possible. He had a great game, and we are continuing to look at building that momentum.”
On the next defensive possession, the Eagles again forced the Pirates into a quick punt, and again the Joplin offense crossed the goal line on its ensuing possession with a 1-yard run from Glades to push the lead to 27-10 with 8:06 left in the third.
Joplin took full control of the game with a third straight three-and-out series on defense followed by an offensive drive ending in a 15-yard touchdown run from Glades to put the Eagles on top 33-10 with 5:55 to play in the third.
“I felt like we did a good job of getting better last week defensively,” Jasper said. “We just want to keep building on that. … There are always going to be ups and downs in a game, but if you get out to a good start, it gives you confidence.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEOSHO
Joplin (4-4) is on the road for its final regular season contest of the year, taking on Neosho (0-8) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Neosho is not shy about changing up their offensive look in order to find success on that side of the ball. Knowing they may be facing multiple offensive sets and formations, it will be important for the Joplin defense to find success in its base formation.
“Alignment and assignment, if we get aligned and understand what they are trying to do, I think we can play fast and confidently on defense,” said Jasper. “We have to play our game and focus on what we do in order to get better.”
The Wildcats typically run a 3-3 cover three or 3-4 cover four on the defensive side of the ball. Neosho will blitz, but not nearly as much as the Eagles saw last week in the win over Branson.
“We have to have our eyes up and understand what their responsibilities are out of each look,” Jasper said. “We have to stay true to our zone (blocking scheme) and win the battle up front.”
Of course, heading into the final regular season game of 2020, the Eagles are looking to win consecutive games for the first time all year. As Coach Jasper puts it, he wants his team to put a good on top of a good heading into the postseason.
“We have to come out ready to play from the opening kickoff and set the tone early,” Jasper said. “We haven’t won two games in a row this season, and we desperately need to do that. If we can establish the tone, our pace and our brand of football early, I think that is going to go a long way.”
DISTRICT STANDINGS
Joplin currently holds the fifth seed in the Class 6 District 3 standings, with a road matchup against fourth-seeded Lee’s Summit West currently looming. There is a chance for Joplin to host a home game to open the playoffs, but it would take a solid win over Neosho with some help by other teams in the districts, including Lee’s Summit North defeating Lee’s Summit West this week.
“It would be huge to be able to play at Junge again,” Jasper said. “But honestly, as long as we continue to improve, attack this week the correct way mentally and come out doing the things we need to, it really doesn’t matter to me how districts shake out.”
Neosho holds the sixth seed in the Class 5 District 6 standings, with a matchup against top-seeded Webb City (7-1) on the horizon.
ONE GAME AT A TIME
If you have ever talked with Coach Jasper and asked him about upcoming matchups down the road, you wouldn’t get very far. His focus, as well as his team’s focus, is always on the next game on the schedule. You can be certain Joplin will not look past Neosho, not with so much on the line. The Eagles are playing for back-to-back wins for the first time this season, momentum heading into the postseason and a chance at hosting a district playoff game. When asked if this was the most important game of the season, Coach Jasper didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” Jasper said. “We talked about that with the guys Saturday morning. … I told them to understand what we have in front of us and what the task is at hand. I said everyone in town is going to be talking to you about districts-this and districts-that. We need to take care of business this week to be successful moving forward. We cannot overlook an opponent or start thinking about other things.”
WE MADE IT
At the start of the season, many of the area coaches and their staffs had no idea how long the 2020 season would last. Many thought a game, or maybe a month before COVID-related issues would shut everything down. Yet, here we are in the last week of the regular season. Make no mistake, everyone is appreciative of the opportunity to still be playing football this season.
“If you would have talked to me, especially in April in May, or modified summer stuff, none of us were really sure,” Jasper said. “I remember being on a zoom meeting with the coaches from the Coaches Association, and there were ideas of delaying the start and shortening the season to six games to try to hopefully get to districts. There were guys who wanted to start at the normal time and get as many games as we could. If you would have taken a poll of that Zoom meeting on how many thought we would get to play a full season, it would probably be less than 50 percent.”
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage suffered a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-13) loss to Nixa on Thursday night in Central Ozark Conference volleyball action, but Tigers coach Bradyn Webb was far from disappointed.
Webb noted she was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We played our best volleyball tonight,” Webb said. “Nixa ran the quickest offense we have seen all year and we struggled with that in the first set. This game made us so much better and more prepared for districts. We continue to get better with every game we are playing. Our girls are peaking at the right time.”
Sydnee Dudolski slammed 10 kills and had 10 digs to lead the Tigers, while Chloe Black handed out 21 assists and had seven digs.
Grace Schriever had seven kills, while Grace Pickering had five kills. Rylee Anderson had 11 digs, while Olivia Bourgault contributed nine digs. Sophie Shannon had three solo blocks.
Second-seeded Carthage takes on third-seeded Joplin at 5 on Wednesday in a semifinal contest of the Class 5 District 12 tournament at Carthage High School. In the regular-season meeting, Carthage defeated Joplin 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 27-25).
Wednesday’s semifinal winner advances to meet either No. 1 Lee’s Summit West or No. 4 Raymore-Peculiar at 7 in the championship match.
Though Joplin defeated McDonald County 8-0 during the Joplin Invitational soccer tournament less than two weeks ago, it didn’t deter the Mustangs from challenging the Eagles on Thursday.
Joplin (8-12) and McDonald County (9-8) took a scoreless match into the second half before the Eagles struck in the 48th minute. Joplin added a late goal in stoppage time to seal the 2-0 win over the Mustangs.
“We’ve got another week or so before districts and I think this was the style of play we are wanting to see going into districts,” Joplin coach Josh Thompson said. “It was a good step for us. We didn’t concede any goals and that is something we are trying to work on.”
“We played great,” McDonald County coach Nathan Haikey said. “We played them here two weeks ago in their tournament and they just ran it to us. We were able to regroup, and we are playing better soccer here as we head into districts. We just need to get more shots on target and in the box.”
Joplin played much of the first half on offense, but had little to show for it. It wasn’t from lack of effort or opportunities, though, as McDonald County freshman goalie Tomas De La Cruz had several fantastic saves through the first 40 minutes of action.
“We graduated two senior goalkeepers last year,” Haikey said. “We had two incoming freshmen that we didn’t really know who they were. But, we were fortunate to find them. Tomas had a couple really great saves in the first half.”
“We came into it with the main focus being just how we move as a team, allowing the goals to come,” Thompson said of his team’s play in the first half. “Unfortunately, in the first half, the goals didn’t come just yet. There was some good goalkeeping and some unlucky hits on our end. We had the opportunities we wanted to, but we were forcing some things that weren’t necessarily there. We were happy with how we played in the first half.”
With McDonald County in possession near midfield, Joplin’s Andrew Taylor stole the ball from a Mustang and fought off pressure as he dribbled down the field before firing a shot to the bottom, right corner, finding the back of the net in the eighth minute of the second half to put Joplin up 1-0.
“I love to see that from a team captain,” Thompson said. “We asked him the last game to start out playing defense. It is something we are trying to work with him on because he is used to attacking. We moved him into a more familiar role in the second half, and he got a goal out of it.”
Taylor struck again late in stoppage time, giving himself and the Eagles a pair of goals in the win.
“Our big thing is showing that whenever we are moving together, and we are defending first, goals are still going to happen,” Thompson said. “It was good to see them get that goal there late just because the boys deserved more goals than what the scoreboard showed.”
DISTRICT MATCHUP SET
The Class 4 District 12 matchups are set, with fourth-seeded Joplin taking on top-seeded Nixa at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2.
“We’ve gotten to play Nixa before,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be a lot of film study to see what worked and what didn’t. … We are optimistic going into the district game that we’ve got a pretty good shot to get a win.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Faced with a win-or-go-home scenario, the Webb City Cardinals used painful memories of past postseason exits as extra motivation.
And with plenty of incentive to put the heartbreaking setbacks of years past behind them, the Cardinals simply rose to the occasion in order to keep their stellar season alive.
And now, for the first time in seven years, the Cardinals are in the semifinal round of the Missouri state softball tournament.
With a solid overall performance, Webb City earned a 7-3 win over Bolivar in a Class 4 quarterfinal on a windy Thursday at Webb City High School.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” Cardinals coach Shauna Friend said. “They’ve worked so hard all year to get to the Final Four. I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Cardinals (26-5) advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, where they’ll play at Platte County (21-1), with gametime set for 2 p.m. in Platte City.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be going to the Final Four,” Webb City senior center fielder Alyssa Jennings said. “I couldn’t be any happier. This is what we wanted all year.”
Webb City last advanced to the semifinal round in 2013, a year that saw the Cardinals fall in the championship game to Lee’s Summit.
Webb City fell short of its ultimate goal the past three years, falling in the sectional round last fall, in a district championship game in 2018 and in the quarterfinals in ’17.
This year, the Cardinals got over the hump.
“We fell short the last three years, so winning this game means everything to me,” Webb City senior Haidyn Berry said, noting the extra motivation. “It feels good to win, and it feels even better to win like that. This is what we’ve been working for since August. I’m excited.”
Ranked first in Class 4, Webb City beat sixth-ranked Bolivar 2-1 on Sept. 14. The rematch wasn’t as close, as Webb City scored the game’s first five runs to take control early.
The visitors on the scoreboard, the Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the top of the first inning. Peyton Hawkins reached on an error and then went to third when the Liberators couldn’t corral a hard grounder off the bat off Jennings.
The miscues in the field cost the Liberators, and Hawkins’ aggressive baserunning paid off, as she scored a few pitches later on a passed ball.
“That was excellent baserunning,” Friend said. “She took advantage of a mistake. At this point of the season, you have to take everything you can get.”
Peyton Hawkins scores the first run of the game on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
While Berry kept Bolivar’s bats silent, Webb City added three runs in the game-changing third inning. With one out, Berry launched a solo home run to right field.
The Cardinals weren’t done. Hawkins walked, Jennings singled to left and then Kaylyn Gilbert was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Emalee Lamar recorded a run-scoring ground out and Hannah Wells followed with a sharp two-run single through the right side, giving the Cardinals a comfortable 5-0 lead.
“We put some hits together and did what we needed to do,” Berry said of the big inning.
Bolivar got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth when pitcher Katie Brooks homered to center.
Webb City got the run back in the top of the fifth. Jennings drew a one-out walk and Gilbert reached on an infield single. Lamar then came up big with an RBI single into left, making it 6-1.
“I’m extremely proud of the offense,” Friend said. “They made things happen. The girls did a good job.”
The Liberators pulled within three in the sixth when Brooks reached on an error before Avery McClure smacked a two-run home run over the fence in left.
Webb City added an insurance run in the seventh when Jennings singled and later charged home on Wells’ ground out, giving the hosts a 7-3 cushion.
Bolivar threatened in the bottom of the seventh, as Ashton Lynn singled and Jadyn Hamilton walked, putting two on with no outs. That resulted in a meeting in the circle. Whatever was said worked, as Berry retired the next three batters.
After striking out Shae Smith to end the game, Berry jumped into the arms of her catcher Gilbert and the Cardinals celebrated a historic win in front of a large hometown crowd.
“It’s awesome to get a victory like that,” Berry said. “We came out and we played ball today.”
Berry hiked her pitching record to 24-5. The right-hander scattered four hits, walked one and struck out 11. Berry tossed 81 pitches and threw a first-pitch strike to 24 of 27 batters.
“She’s been on a great run and she’s throwing some of her best stuff right now,” Friend said. “I’m sure she didn’t like giving up those home runs, but she threw a great game against a good team.”
Jennings, Gilbert and Wells had two hits apiece for the Cardinals.Wells drove in three and Lamar had two RBI. Jennings scored three runs.
A right-hander who has committed to play for the Kansas Jayhawks, Brooks was charged with the loss. Brooks, who threw 150 pitches, struck out 14. Bolivar ended the season with a record of 16-7.
Haidyn Berry delivers a pitch to the plate against Bolivar on Thursday during Webb City’s quarterfinal win. Photo by Israel Perez.
CROWD SUPPORT
The Cardinals noted they had amazing crowd support for the contest, as the entire area surrounding the softball field was packed.
“This was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had,” Jennings said. “We had so much support behind us. We wanted to show them that we can go all the way.”
“It was awesome,” Berry added. “We play for the community and we play for the little kids that come out and watch us play. And playing for my family and my teammates and coaches means everything to me.”
“We had a lot of support and this is a great community,” Friend said. “I’m thankful we have so much support.”
ALL ALONE IN SECOND PLACE
The third-inning blast was Berry’s 17th home run of the season. That puts her all alone in second in the state record books for homers in a season. Carlie Sanders of Hillsboro hit 21 in 2017.
As a team, Webb City has now hit 45 homers this season, which is good for second all-time (Hillsboro hit 52 in ’17).
Webb City’s Bri Batson hauls in a pop fly on Thursday against Bolivar. Photo by Israel Perez.
SEMIFINAL IS SATURDAY
Platte County defeated Grain Valley 3-1 to advance.
Saturday’s other semifinal features Webster Groves (14-2) at Rockwood Summit (11-3). The semifinal winners meet in the championship game on Oct. 29 at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
Friend noted her squad will be ready to go on Saturday.
“This group is amazing,” Friend said. “They just need to play with confidence and stay calm. The Final Four is a great place to be. The girls are pretty darn excited about it and the coaches are, too. We’ll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for Saturday.”
Webb City coach Shauna Friend high-fives Peyton Hawkins during Thursday’s game. Photo by Israel Perez.
Webb City senior Alyssa Jennings rounds third base and heads for home during Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Bolivar. Photo by Israel Perez.
Second baseman Shea’lee Key fields a grounder on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Last week: Willard beat Neosho 27-20 in OT; Webb City defeated Ozark 48-13.
Last year: Webb City beat Willard twice in 2019, 49-21 (regular season) and 49-14 (playoffs).
OUTLOOK: Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, the Cardinals will look to end the regular season with an eighth straight victory. A win should also lock up the top seed in the district for the Cardinals.
Last year’s Class 4 state champion, Webb City has outscored its opponents 311-113 this season. The Cardinals average 335 rushing and 66 passing yards per game. Senior running back Devrin Weathers has rushed for 1,074 yards this season, with a 134 per game average. Weathers has scored 17 touchdowns. Dupree Jackson (506 yards) and Cole Gayman (427 yards) are other running threats. A senior QB, Gayman has also passed for 485 yards with four TDs. Senior tight end Gary Clinton caught four passes for 120 yards last week. Cohl Vaden and Mekhi Garrard have hauled in TD passes this fall.
Leaders of the Webb City defense include Treghan Parker (60 tackles, three INT) Lucas Ott (56 tackles), Matt McDaniel (52 tackles, four sacks) and Brayden Hollingsworth (46 tackles, three sacks). Ott left last week’s game with an injury.
Willard picked up its second win of the season last Friday. The Tigers compiled 267 yards of offense against the Wildcats. Owen Bushnell ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while Kanin Keller added 79 rushing yards. Quarterback Tyler Janes completed 6-of-11 passes for 60 yards.
Willard has been outscored 270-120 this season. Webb City coach John Roderique noted he’s reminding his players that Willard defeated Joplin. Of course, the Eagles are the lone team to hand Webb City a loss this season.
In the moments immediately following the varsity boys race at Tuesday’s Central Ozark Conference cross country meet at Nixa’s Inman Elementary School, Webb City coach Dustin Miller was fairly confident his team’s streak of consecutive championships had ended.
But then came the news—Webb City had edged Carthage by just two points, 57-59, for the top spot.
“I thought for sure it was over,” Miller said of the streak. “When we found out we won, there was just a lot of yelling, screaming, hugging and even some crying. It meant that much to them.”
Webb City’s boys program captured a conference crown for the seventh straight season.
“In a season filled with adversity, whether it’s been quarantine, injuries or sickness, and even some self-doubt, the boys put together their best race of the season,” Miller said. “They were able to uphold the tradition and I’m just thrilled for those guys. They’ve added their names to the legacy and they’ve represented our program well. It’s kind of hard to believe it’s seven in-a-row.”
The Cardinals and Tigers each had three runners finish in the top 10.
“We ran our best race of the season, which was a relief, but we still have a ton of room to grow,” Miller said. “I like the way our guys competed. And hats off to the Carthage guys. They really brought it. They out-competed us down the stretch.”
“It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know it was going to be close,” Carthage coach Andy Youngworth said. “We’d beaten Webb City a couple of times, but none of us were at full-strength. Joplin had beaten us. Our top three guys held their own, but Webb City’s back end was just a little better than ours was. The bottom line is we ran great and we very easily could have won the meet.”
Willard’s Thomas Shuster was the individual champion in 16 minutes, 12 seconds and Carthage’s Mariques Strickland took second in 16:25.
“Mariques made a great move in the back half of the race,” Youngworth added. “He really separated in the last mile from almost everybody but the Willard kid. I was really happy with Mariques. I think he broke through the discomfort and got to another level of pain tolerance. He really finished strong and beat some really good guys in our conference.”
Webb City’s Joseph Dawson finished third in 16:26.
“Joseph was quarantined for two weeks,” Miller said. “He hadn’t raced since Carthage in early September. For him to come out and perform well, I think he gained a ton of confidence.”
Neosho’s Kaden Cole took fourth (16:28), while Carthage’s Coltyn Herrera and Malcolm Robertson finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Webb City’s Owen Weller (sixth), Roman Borboa (10th) and Dustin Brockmiller (15th) gave the Cardinals four runners in the top 15.
“Owen had a big time race, Roman struggled a little bit, but I know he’ll grow from that,” Miller said. “Our No. 4 (Brockmiller) really stepped up. He beat Carthage’s No. 4 and he hasn’t done that all year. And our No. 5, Sam Winesburg, ended up right behind Carthage’s No. 5, and he hadn’t done that all year. We got some great performances.”
Carl Junction’s Collin Emmert was 11th, while Joplin’s trio of Hobbs Campbell, Zaben Barnes and Evan Matlock were 12th, 13th and 14th.
Carthage’s duo of Richard Contreras and Miquel Solano finished 18th and 22nd, respectively.
Webb City’s Winesburg took 23rd, Carl Junction’s Logan Carnes was 25th and Carthage’s Joseph Wyrick finished 26th.
“I just feel fortunate that we were able to race at a conference meet,” Youngworth said. “We didn’t know all season if a major issue would come up because of COVID or injuries.”
AREA GIRLS RESULTS
Joplin (43) and Nixa (47) were the top teams on the girls side, while Webb City (70) finished third.
Ozark (103), Neosho (146) and Carl Junction (156) were fourth, fifth and sixth. Rounding out the standings were Branson (163), Carthage (177) and Willard (146).
Led by Jennalee Dunn’s runner-up finish, Joplin had three girls in the top 10 (see related story).
Webb City sophomore Halley Philpot took ninth in 20:23, while classmate Abi Street took 13th and junior Riley Hawkins was 15th. Also for the Cardinals, Izzy Lopez took 20th, Mileah Metcalf was 24th and Velissia Perez was 27th.
“For our girls, that was their best race of the year,” said Miller. “They’ve also had some adversity this year, so I’m just proud. The girls are running more confident and they’re believing in themselves. They stepped up and that’s big for our program.”
Neosho freshman Riley Kemna took 14th, while teammates Bailey Miller and Makenna Davis were 23rd and 31st.
For Carl Junction, Alanza Montez finished 17th, while Hannah Franks was 25th and Riley Briggs was 33rd.
Carthage’s Kimberly Hernandez finished 26th, Lauren Wilson was 29th, Keysli Elias took 42nd and Hadley McBride was 43rd.
“We have four seniors and I thought all of them ran good races,” Youngworth said. “Their times were faster than last year. Our top two probably went out a little too hard, but I’m not going to fault them. They wanted to compete. We’ve had some injuries that have hurt us. We didn’t quite have the depth to overcome those injuries.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Class 4 and Class 5 district meets will be held on Oct. 31 at Nixa.
Webb City, Carl Junction and Neosho are among the schools competing in Class 4. The Cardinals will have the goals set high, Miller said.
“Four of our five guys can run better than they did,” Miller noted. “I think they will and that’s exciting.”
Joplin and Carthage are in Class 5, along with a talented Kickapoo team.
“The district meet will be competitive,” Youngworth said. “They eliminated the sectional. So at the district meet, the top two teams and the top 15 individuals go to state. So there’s not a lot of room for error. We’ll do the best we can.”
“We’re not going to do anything different,” Youngworth added. “I’m not going to make any radical changes because we lost the conference meet by two points. You have to trust the process. The kids are just going to try to be a little bit better next time.”
COC Cross Country
Boys team standings: Webb City 57, Carthage 59, Joplin 76, Branson 132, Nixa 141, Ozark 151, Willard 160, Neosho 197, Carl Junction 202, Republic 260.
Girls team standings: Joplin 43, Nixa 47, Webb City 70, Ozark 103, Neosho 146, Carl Junction 156, Branson 163, Carthage 177, Willard 246.
RELATED STORY: Joplin girls make history at COC championships
For the first time in program history, a cross country team from Joplin High School has secured a conference championship.
Joplin’s girls topped the team standings at the Central Ozark Conference meet on Tuesday at the Inman Elementary School course in Nixa.
With four runners in the top 12, Joplin finished with 43 points. Nixa was a close second with 47 points.
For the Eagles, it was a historic achievement, as no JHS boys or girls team had ever captured a conference title, whether in the Ozark Conference or the COC.
“It was a special night,” Joplin coach Dustin Dixon said. “For the girls to win a championship was really fun. We knew it would be tough to beat Nixa on their own course and we did that. On paper, if you score a virtual meet, it had us ahead by two and a half points. We knew it would be really tight and it ended up that way. Our girls had a great night. The girls came out and executed the game plan very well.”
Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn was the runner-up, as the junior finished the 5,000-meter run in 19 minutes, 16 seconds. Nixa’s Alicen Ashley took first in 19:09.
“We knew the Nixa girl was really good,” Dixon said. “Jennalee really took the race over in the first mile or so and probably made that girl run a little faster than she was planning. And that put a little distance between Jennalee and the rest of the field, which gave her a comfortable second spot.”
Also for the Eagles, freshman Alexandra Carson finished fifth (20:05), while sophomore Sage Mitchell was 10th (20:29) and freshman Allie Keizer took 12th (20:38).
“Alex Carson ran really well,” Dixon said. “She ran really tough. I was pleased. Sage Mitchell had the race of her life. To PR on a wet course on a Tuesday night was really impressive for Sage. And Allie has had a really great year. She did what we needed her to do.”
Dixon noted Mitchell edged Nixa’s Macy Kopp by tenths of a second for 10th place.
“That was a two-point swing and that gave us a little cushion,” Dixon said.
Joplin sophomore Cylee Gilreath was 21st (21:40).
“She’s a first year cross country runner,” Dixon said. “She was around 40th at the mile marker and finished 21st. She just kept coming.”
Also for the Eagles, Mairi Beranek finished 30th (22:11).
BOYS TAKE THIRD
Joplin’s boys finished third with 76 points. Webb City (57) and Carthage (59) were first and second.
“We ran OK,” Dixon said. “I think they’re disappointed. We didn’t run like we expected to run. But give credit to Webb City. They ran really tough. They ran like a team that had won the conference meet six straight years. They ran like a confident team. We didn’t have a great night, and Webb City and Carthage both did. But we’ve never had a year where we could run bad and finish third in the conference, and that’s what our boys did last night. I told the guys, ‘No one remembers the conference meet if you advance to the state meet.’ They’ve got a chance to do that in 10 days.”
Joplin’s pack of Hobbs Campbell, Zaben Barnes and Evan Matlock finished 12th, 13th and 14th, respectively. Also for the Eagles, Ian Horton finished 17th, Kane Brooks took 20th and Nicholas Horton was 29th.
“We race all season on Saturdays,” Dixon said. “Getting them sharp and ready to go on a Tuesday night has been challenging for me. We didn’t look like we were ready to go last night. I promise we will be ready to go next Saturday.”
Dixon noted he was pleased with the effort both teams put forth.
“It’s been a couple of difficult weeks for us,” Dixon said. “We’ve had some COVID quarantines on both varsity teams. I think that affected our morale a little bit, and I didn’t know how our kids would respond. They responded well.”
Dixon added the team’s work is far from over, as the district meet, also in Nixa, is 10 days away on Oct. 31. A trip to the state meet will be up for grabs.
“Now we have to go back there and do it again,” he said. “I think they’ll be ready.”
COC Cross Country
Girls team standings: Joplin 43, Nixa 47, Webb City 70, Ozark 103, Neosho 146, Carl Junction 156, Branson 163, Carthage 177, Willard 246.
Boys team standings: Webb City 57, Carthage 59, Joplin 76, Branson 132, Nixa 141, Ozark 151, Willard 160, Neosho 197, Carl Junction 202, Republic 260.
What: Quarterfinal of the Class 4 state tournament
When: Thursday, 5 p.m.
Where: Webb City High School
Records: Bolivar 16-6, Webb City 25-5.
OUTLOOK: Webb City defeated McDonald County 5-0 in the Class 4 District 6 championship game, as senior Haidyn Berry tossed a no-hitter and struck out 16. Berry is 23-5 in the circle this season with a 2.11 ERA. She’s struck out 206 batters in 172 innings.
Webb City’s leading hitters are Berry (.454 BA, 16 HR, 45 RBI), Peyton Hawkins (.451 BA, 40 runs), Emma Welch (.438 BA, 30 runs, 29 RBI), Emalee Lamar (.418 BA, 27 RBI, 7 HR), Hannah Wells (.417 BA) and Alyssa Jennings (.333 BA, 22 RBI, 9HR). Webb City has hit 44 home runs, which is tied for second all-time in a season in state history. Berry has hit 16 homers, which is tied for second all-time for an individual. Webb City has won two straight district crowns and three in four years.
Bolivar defeated Willard 1-0 in the District 5 title game, with Avery McClure’s solo home run in the sixth inning accounting for the game’s lone tally. Bolivar pitcher Katie Brooks scattered two hits and struck out 13 in the win over the Tigers. Brooks struck out 11 and drove in two runs in her team’s 6-1 win over Rolla in the district semifinals.
The Cardinals are ranked first in Class 4, while the Liberators are ranked sixth.
Webb City beat Bolivar 2-1 on Sept. 14. The two teams have several common opponents. Bolivar suffered losses to McDonald County and Ozark, while Webb City defeated both of those schools.
WHAT’S NEXT? Thursday’s winner advances to Saturday’s semifinals against either Grain Valley (25-4) or Platte County (20-1) at a location to be determined.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — As the final races ended Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center, Webb City cemented victory on their home turf at the second annual Central Ozark Conference boys swimming and diving championships.
The Cardinals finished in the top three in all but one event, ending the night with 338 points. Ozark finished second with 208 points.
The Cardinals got off to a hot start by winning the first event, the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 52 seconds.
“This was the meet we wanted to focus on and I knew they would do well, but they have way outperformed what I imagined,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “To come from behind and win the medley to start off the meet, it changes everything and I think that’s part of the reason everyone else swam so well. They were just so excited about that one. The whole team has earned this one and I’m glad they get a day to celebrate.”
The Cardinals also closed out the evening with consecutive first place finishes. Micah Brouwer finished with a victory in the 100 breaststroke (1:09), and the team finished first in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:45.
Webb City also had three of the top four finishers in the 1-meter diving competition, including first place winner Carson Forcum, who had a score of 390.20.
The Webb City Cardinals pose after winning the COC swim meet on Tuesday. Courtesy photo.
JOPLIN THIRD, CARTHAGE FOURTH
Joplin and Carthage also put in strong performances on the day, with the Eagles narrowly placing third overall with 186 points and the Tigers placing fourth at 181 points.
Joplin had several top-three finishes in multiple events. Joplin was highlighted by a first-place finish from Ben Wardlow in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.21 seconds and a first place finish in the 200 freestyle relay with a finishing time of 1:39. They also finished second in the 200 medley relay. Zane Newman placed second in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:46.
“The boys have worked really hard this week, not a lot of breaks, so they were tired,” Joplin coach Ali Stauffer said. “This pool is also shallow so it slowed our times down a bit, but it was good to see where we are at. I am proud of them and think we are in a good spot with just a few meets to go and then state.”
The Carthage Tigers also had several top-five finishes, highlighted by third place finishes by Ezekiel Ramirez in the 100 freestyle (55.18), and Kellen Frieling in the 100 backstroke (1:03). They also took fourth place in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:53, narrowly being overcome by Ozark for third place by .05 of a second.
“I’m pretty pleased with our team this year. We are very young, we graduated eight seniors last year, but on the other hand it means we have a lot of returners next year,” said Carthage coach Braden McBride. “Anytime you can put three in the top 12 that’s good, and we had a couple of those events we were three deep in, and so that’s good for the future.”
After Webb City, Ozark, Joplin and Carthage, the Republic Tigers finished fifth with 134 points and Nixa rounded out the meet in sixth place with 114 points.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City defeated rival Carthage 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-18) on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference volleyball clash.
Maddy Peeples led Webb City with 18 digs, 16 kills and four aces. Kearston Galardo had 11 kills and Makenzie Storm added seven kills. Anna Hettinger had 23 assists and Avery Westhoven added 13.
Sage Crane had 18 digs, while Kyah Sanborn added 14 digs. Abby Stork contributed six digs and Kate Brownfield had five kills.
Carthage’s statistics were unavailable.
The Cardinals (24-7-1) ended the regular season with the win. Carthage (14-12-1) hosts Nixa at 5:30 on Thursday in the regular season finale.
