COLUMBIA, Mo. — College Heights Christian’s girls captured the Class 1 crown at Saturday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
It’s the first state title in girls cross country for the school. College Heights has been the runner-up three times and third once, according to the MSHSAA website.
On Saturday, College Heights finished with 91 points and Valle Catholic was second with 109. Harrisburg (116) and Van Buren (118) were third and fourth.
College Heights senior Grace Bishop finished the 5-kilometer race fourth with a time of 20:48. Bishop went to the front early in the race and stayed there until the end.
Also for the Cougars, Klohe Burk was 22nd (22:27), Jayli Johnson finished 32nd (23:00), Madelynn Jordan placed 61st (24:08), Shelbi Post was 62nd (24:10), Madi Carson finished 80th (24:48) and Avery Parker was 92nd (25:09).Jasper’s Olivia Moss was 44th, McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey was 56th, Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished 69th and Liberal’s Abby Barton was 95th.
Blue Eye’s Riley Arnold was the individual medalist with a time of 18:45.
CLASS 1 BOYS
Jasper’s Hunter Hinds was the lone runner from the Joplin region to earn a top-25 finish. A senior, Hinds placed 11th with a time of 17:32.
Liberal had three runners finish in the top 60, as Bryson Overstreet finished 39th, Max Dingman was 47th and Rowdy Myers was 58th.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry finished 51st and College Heights’ Caleb Quade was 76th.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn earned all-state recognition by finishing 18th in Class 5 at Saturday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
A junior, Dunn toured the 5-kilometer course in 19 minutes, 11 seconds.
Dunn got out fast, as she was in sixth place at the 1,000-meter mark. Dunn was in 13th place after 2,000 meters and was in 16th at the 4K mark.
The top 25 runners are recognized as all-state.
Two other girls from Joplin competed.
Freshman Allie Keizer finished 50th with a time of 19:58. Keizer passed eight runners in the final 1,000 meters. Sophomore Sage Mitchell was 124th in 20:58.
Liberty-Wentzville’s Ally Kruger took first in 18:03.
In addition to Dunn, three other runners from the region earned all-state honors. Kickapoo’s Klarie Brown finished 11th (18:51), Republic’s Mihane Nambara took 21st (19:23) and Nixa’s Alicen Ashley was 25th (19:31).
Lafayette (Wildwood) was the team champion with 80 points and Parkway West was second with 89.
CLASS 5 BOYS
Joplin’s boys finished 12th in the Class 5 team standings.
No Joplin-area runners were able to earn all-state honors (top 25).
Joplin sophomore Hobbs Campbell was the top local finisher with a 34th place showing with a time of 16:30.
Also for the Eagles, Evan Matlock was 51st (16:41), Micah Bruggeman was 76th (16:56), Ian Horton took 100th (17:20), Zaben Barnes finished 128th (17:38), Nicholas Horton was 131st (17:43) and Ashton Ventura finished 150th (18:22).
Carthage had two runners compete. Tigers junior Mariques Strickland finished 62nd in 16:46, while senior Malcolm Robertson was 94th (17:14).
Rock Bridge’s Matthew Hauser was the winner in 15:34. Kickapoo’s Tyler Harris took fourth in 15:46.
Rock Bridge won the team championship with 109 points.
Note: Look for a separate story on Saturday’s Class 1 races.
RAYMORE, Mo. — Raymore-Peculiar scored on its first two possessions of the game and held off Joplin for a 28-7 win on Friday in the Class 6 District 3 semifinals.
The Panthers held a 14-0 lead midway through the third quarter before a 1-yard touchdown run by Joplin’s Nathan Glades trimmed the lead to 14-7. Ray-Pec answered with a 99-yard kick return to steal back the momentum before adding a touchdown late to seal the win.
“They came out and scored quick two times on us and executed well,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “Our guys didn’t give up. I told them at halftime that we took two haymakers and were still there standing like Rocky. I told them it was time to start swinging, gentlemen. I thought we took our swings, there’s no doubt about that.”
Joplin finishes the season with a 6-5 record, graduating 12 seniors from this year’s roster.
“It was crazy, stressful and weird all in one,” Jasper said about navigating the 2020 season. “As sad as it is to be done and not being able to wake up tomorrow to coach this specific group again, the fact that we got to play it out—I told them that it may not feel like it, but they were pretty lucky. I couldn’t be more proud of the way they finished it with the effort they gave tonight.”
“Three straight years of playing postseason football, they’ve gotten to play the most games of any senior class since the two high schools combined,” Jasper said of his senior class. “I think that says a lot about them, to be honest with you.”
Joplin senior Trayshawn Thomas embraces a coach after the Eagles’ loss to Ray-Pec on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
After Joplin punted on the opening possession, Ray-Pec needed just two plays to find the end zone when quarterback Conrad Hawley found Weston Ropp for a 29-yard touchdown over the midde to make the score 7-0.
Following a three-and-out by the Eagles, the Panthers used a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a Phillip Fager 4-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-0 with 3:52 left in the first quarter.
Penalties were an issue for the Eagles in the first half, getting flagged eight times for 65 yards. Six of those penalties were while Joplin was on offense, including a holding call on a 50-yard touchdown run by Glades late in the first quarter. Joplin ended the game getting flagged 13 times to Ray-Pec’s seven.
“We’ve been down that road before, and we know what the result is,” Jasper said of his team’s penalties. “Gosh dawgit, we did it again. Part of that was we were facing a good team with a really good defensive line. Part of it is just guys working hard, and part of it is unforced. We have to get that cleaned up as a program.”
After giving up touchdowns on the first two possessions, Joplin’s defense settled in to force Ray-Pec into two punts before Robert Kelly recovered a Panthers’ fumble and Korey Read picked off Hawley’s tipped pass for four consecutive stops to end the first half.
“It was a process this whole year, but from the beginning to the end, that group got a lot better,” Jasper said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them and the defensive staff. Everyone just kept working. Our kids didn’t back down. They kept showing up and working, and I am proud of them.”
Joplin’s defense continued the strong play in the second half, forcing two more turnovers, with the first coming on Dominick Simmons picking off Hawley midway through the third quarter.
Joplin used a reverse pass from Dante Washington to Bruce Wilbert for a 30-yard gain. The Eagles continued to drive deep into Panther territory when it looked like Joplin got on the scoreboard when Always Wright hooked up with Trayshawn Thomas over the middle in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on fourth down from 11 yards out. Unfortunately, for the second time in the game, the touchdown was called back on an illegal-man-downfield penalty. The ensuing fourth-down pass fell incomplete for a turnover on downs.
On the next Panther possession, Donovan Watkins and Jacob Prosser forced Hawley into a fumble, with the Eagles recovering on the 1-yard line. Glades carried the ball in from a yard out to cut the lead to 14-7 with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.
Joplin’s Donovan Watkins (68) and Jacob Prosser (40) force a fumble of Ray-Pec’s Conrad Hawley on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Ray-Pec took the momentum right back on the ensuing kickoff when Jaidyn Doss returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.
“The kickoff return really took the wind out of our sails,” Jasper said.
The Panthers added a touchdown with 4:34 on the clock in the fourth on a 26-yard touchdown by Nick Karr to push the lead to 28-7, sealing the win in the process.
STATS
Joplin ran 53 plays on offense and gained 172 yards of offense. Glades rushed 29 times for 97 yards and a touchdown and added two receptions for 52. Wright was 9-for-16 passing for 76 yards.
Ray-Pec gained 225 yards of offense on 43 plays. Hawley completed 8-of-12 passes for 122 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Fager ran 13 times for 48 yards, while Karr added 53 yards on 13 carries.
SCORING SUMMARY
Joplin 0 0 7 0 — 7
Ray-Pec 14 0 7 7 — 28
FIRST QUARTER
RPHS—Weston Ropp 29 pass from Conrad Hawley (Parker Bowen kick)
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction Bulldogs got off to a slow start before holding nothing back in a 43-6 blowout win over the Hillcrest Hornets on Friday night in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 5 tournament.
The second-seeded Bulldogs will travel to top-seeded West Plains next Friday in the district championship game.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster said. “We started off 1-4, and now here we are at 6-5, so we have only lost one in the last 6-7 games. I am very proud of them. We are 1-0 tonight, and hopefully will be 1-0 after next week. Against West Plains we are going to have to rise to the occasion, and if we can do that, we’ll have a great chance.”
It was the defense that showed up first. Carl Junction was forced to punt on their first drive, and after letting a big 57-yard run from Hornet Dante Sample, the unit tightened up and got a major fourth down stop on their own 30-yard line thanks to a Josh Cory sack. It would be his first of four total sacks in the game.
“It was just playing fast and getting off the ball,” Cory said. “Our defense played well and steady, keeping momentum the entire game. My favorite sack was definitely that last one, and I’m hoping to get more next week.”
After exchanging back-to-back punts, the Bulldogs finally found their rhythm with quarterback Alex Baker throwing a 23-yard touchdown to senior Noah Southern. It would be Baker’s first of five touchdowns, and over 230 yards on the night – most of coming just in the first half. All five touchdowns would end up going to five different receivers as well.
“We were hoping to be able to throw the ball against Hillcrest, and we were able to get touchdowns to all of our receivers,” said Baker. “We’re going to keep preparing this week for West Plains on Friday.”
On the very next play, Konstance Graham kicked a well-placed high arching kick that the Bulldogs were able to rush in and recover. The unintentional but successful onside kick allowed the Bulldogs to quickly strike again with Baker’s second touchdown going for 12 yards to senior Drew Patterson.
Carl Junction led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The sixth-seeded Hornets weren’t out of it yet though, and found some life by taking the ball down to the Bulldog 2-yard line. Looking to score, the Hornets went for it on fourth down with a ‘Philly Special’-esque trick play. Junior Michael Phipps sniffed it out and made a great tackle for loss, securing the defense’s second turnover on downs of the night.
What came next was arguably the best, and most special, play of the night, as after a short run, Baker got his third touchdown on a beautiful 89-yard catch and run from senior Drew Beyer. It was Beyer’s first touchdown of the season, and it had the whole team on fire, as Baker raced down the field to congratulate his teammate.
“This is my first year playing football since my freshman year, so it’s been a while since I scored a touchdown, and it was quite the experience,” said Beyer.
“He hadn’t gotten a touchdown yet this season, so we were really wanting to get him one, and it went for like 90-yards. That was my favorite touchdown of the night,” said Baker.
The Bulldogs opted to go for two, making it 22-0 almost halfway through the second quarter.
The Hornets once again got the ball deep in their own territory where quarterback Mike Floyd was intercepted just a few plays later by Jack Colgin. It was just another highlight for Colgin, who also made the crucial pass break-up on the team’s first fourth down stand.
On the next play, from the Hornet’s own 10-yard line, Baker nabbed his fourth touchdown of the evening by tossing it to senior Cole Stewart. Cory got his second sack to end the Hornet’s following drive and force a punt, but it was blocked by senior Gabe Lyon, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. Two plays later Baker got his fifth touchdown of the night on a 7-yard reception to senior Brady Sims.
The Hornets would go on to score their lone touchdown of the game, but miss the PAT, making the score at halftime 36-6 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Hillcrest opened up the second half with an efficient drive, before Cory got his third sack of the evening on third down in the red zone. On fourth down, the Hornets were sacked again, this time by Hunter Row who also stripped the ball to put it back in Baker’s hands.
The Bulldogs would go on to score on a Sims 6-yard rush with just a few minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The score held for the rest of the game, and on the last play as Hillcrest attempted to put last ditch points on the board, Cory got his fourth sack of the game, ending the game the way he had started it.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — On a night when the Tigers needed their offense to be as close to perfect as possible, Patrick Carlton got his unit dang close.
The senior quarterback combined for six total touchdowns to fend off a Branson Pirates offense that far outperformed its regular season meeting when the Tigers. His night led Carthage (9-0) to a 55-35 win and set up a meeting with the rival Webb City Cardinals in the Class 5 District 6 championship game next week.
As the No. 1 seed, Carthage will host that game, which would be a rematch if not for a mass quarantine that canceled the scheduled regular season matchup between the teams in Week 4.
Despite Carlton’s effort and the three-score margin, the contest was often much closer than it ended as Branson took advantage of a host of Tiger miscues. Early in the second quarter, a mishandled punt return instead wound up a recovery and new set of downs for the Pirates. Carthage had forced Branson into trying a 28-yard field goal when an offsides penalty set up a short conversion and eventually a touchdown by Cristian Berumen to tie the game 14-14.
Later in the quarter, a Branson punt pinned Carthage at its own 1, where sophomore running back Luke Gall lost control of a handoff and a Pirate smothered the ball in the end zone for six more points.
“As many mistakes as we made in the first half, and we made a bunch of ‘em, we still were able to overcome them,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Still were able to bounce back and make some plays afterwards, and that says a lot about the character of the kids.”
In the third quarter, back-to-back Branson scoring drives brought the Pirates within a touchdown. After Berumen’s third score of the game, Carthage was surprised by an onside kick and Branson recovered. Ten plays later, on a fourth-and-5, Pirates quarterback Tristan Pierce hit Ethan Jones for a 10-yard score.
Things looked even more ominous for the Tigers when Carlton was stopped on fourth-and-short for a turnover on downs, still holding a 7-point lead, beginning a Branson drive from the Carthage 44. The Tiger defense held, though, forcing a three-and-out.
“Personally, I wasn’t nervous,” Carlton said. “I don’t think our defense should have been nervous, either. Obviously we had some miscommunications, some problems giving up big plays, which killed us. But that’s just something we’re gonna work on this next week.”
Carthage, though, looked like it was going to gift Branson another chance to tie the game with just 3:33 left in the game. A Carlton pass down the left sideline intended for Hudson Moore was underthrown, and a Branson defender camped under the ball, ready to steal possession until it tipped off his hands and into Moore’s, becoming a 23-yard gain. Five plays later, Carlton had his sixth touchdown and the Tigers didn’t look back.
“No. 2 came off of the fade, we certainly didn’t think he’d come off the fade there but he did,” Guidie said of the near-interception that kept his team’s drive alive. “He came off and jumped a 15-yard out and he should have picked it, it was right in his hands and it tipped and Hudson was alert enough to make that play.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — A week off didn’t slow down Webb City’s momentum.
As a result, area prep football fans will finally get the highly-anticipated showdown they’ve been clamoring for.
Showing no rust after a bye week, Webb City needed just 24 plays to score six touchdowns in a dominant first half, and the second-seeded Cardinals rolled to a 49-28 win over the third-seeded Ozark Tigers on Friday night in a semifinal contest of the Class 5 District 6 tournament.
Webb City (9-1) will travel to top-seeded Carthage (9-0) next Friday in a district championship game between a pair of defending state champions.
“That’s what you play for,” Webb City coach John Roderique said of once again being in a district title game. “You play to have an opportunity in that game. We’ve got an opportunity now.”
Carthage defeated fifth-seeded Branson 55-35 on Friday. Of course, the Cardinals and Tigers did not meet during the regular-season, as Carthage was unable to play that week due to COVID-related issues.
Carthage and Webb City are ranked first and second, respectively, in the Class 5 Missouri Media rankings.
“I can’t wait,” Webb City junior running back Dupree Jackson said. “I cannot wait to play Carthage. We didn’t get to play them earlier in the season, so I’ve been itching for that game.”
DOMINANT FIRST HALF
The Cardinals rode a lopsided first half to their ninth straight win.
Webb City scored 21 unanswered points to start the game and held a comfortable 42-7 halftime advantage.
Scoring quickly throughout the first half, the Cardinals put up 42 points with a time of possession of just 8 minutes, 28 seconds.
Webb City’s longest series of the first half was 1 minute, 51 seconds and consisted of just five plays. The Cardinals had two scoring drives that took just 23 seconds apiece.
“It was a great first half,” Roderique said. “It couldn’t have been better.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City finished with 321 yards of offense, with 208 rushing and 113 passing.
Devrin Weathers ran seven times for 98 yards and one score, while Jackson added 56 rushing yards with two touchdowns while adding an 11-yard touchdown reception.
“I thought Dupree and Devrin both played really well,” Roderique said.
It was Jackson’s first three-TD game.
“It’s pretty exciting, but I couldn’t do it all by myself,” Jackson said. “I always thank my O-line. We’ve got a great O-line.”
In a stellar performance, senior quarterback Cole Gayman completed 5-of-6 passes for 113 yards with three touchdowns. Mekhi Garrard and Cohl Vaden joined Jackson in hauling in touchdown receptions.
Roderique noted expanding the passing game is always a key to overall improvement at this time of the season.
“You’ve got to be able to throw it,” Roderique said. “We probably don’t work near as much early in the season on the passing game. It’s like run first, then we’ll eventually get there (with the pass). I think tonight was a good example that we’ve gotten better at the passing game. When you can throw the ball effectively with what we do offensively, it makes us a lot better.”
Defensively, Treghan Parker and Cooper Crouch made eight tackles apiece, while Matt McDaniel had seven and Jaystin Smith added six stops.
Senior defensive back Shane Noel had two interceptions. Both gave the Cardinals great field position.
“They had a pretty good drive going on the first one and that was a drive-stopper,” Roderique said. “He made a great play. He’s been a great player for us. He was the guy in the right place two times and he made two great plays.”
Ozark (6-5) finished with 386 yards, all rushing, on 61 plays. Tylr Bolin ran 20 times for 153 yards with two scores.
Webb City’s Dupree Jackson (28) attempts to fight off a tackle attempt from Ozark’s Jace Easley (9) and Ethan Pritchard (6) on Friday night. Photo by Derek Livingston.
GAME RECAP
The hosts reached the end zone twice in the first quarter.
Finishing off a three-play drive, Jackson scored the opening touchdown on a 7-yard run after Weathers’ 61-yard punt return gave the Cardinals great field position on the 14.
Next, Weathers sprinted to a 33-yard touchdown run, capping a four-play, 59-yard drive and giving Webb City a 14-0 lead.
Webb City needed just two plays to score after Noel’s interception gave the Cardinals the ball on the 41.
Gayman completed two passes, first a 30-yard bomb to Garrard and then an 11-yard touchdown strike pass to Jackson.
Ozark got on the board when Thomas Rushing scored on a 65-yard run with 8:47 remaining in the second quarter, but the Cardinals responded by scoring in just five plays, with Garrard hauling in a 17-yard touchdown reception to finish the drive.
Noel’s second interception of the half once again gave the Cardinals good field position. Jackson’s 1-yard plunge, his third score of the game, gave Webb City a 35-7 lead at the 5:42 mark of the second quarter.
Webb City added a score with 17 seconds left in the first half when Gayman connected with a wide open Vaden for a nifty 37-yard touchdown strike.
After the break, Gayman scampered into the end zone on an 8-yard keeper to make it 49-7 with 6:50 left in the third period.
Ozark scored three late touchdowns against Webb City’s reserves for the final margin. Bolin scored on runs of five and 74 yards late in the third quarter before Jace Easley added a 33-yard score in the final frame.
Webb City’s Mekhi Gerrard (24) goes up for the reception as Ozark’s Cannon Cox closes in from behind. Photo by Derek Livingston.
WEBB CITY 49, OZARK 28
Ozark 0 7 14 7—28
Webb City 14 28 7 0—49
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
WC: Dupree Jackson 7-yard run (Cameron Clark kick)
WC: Devrin Weathers 33-yard run (Clark kick)
Second Quarter
WC: Jackson 11 pass from Cole Gayman (Clark kick)
OZ: Thomas Rushing 65-yard run (Jace Easley kick)
WC: Mekhi Garrard 17-yard pass from Gayman (Clark kick)
WC: Jackson 1-yard run (Clark kick)
WC: Cohl Vaden 37-yard pass from Gayman (Clark kick)
Third Quarter
WC: Gayman 8-yard run (Clark kick)
OZ: Tylr Bolin 7-yard run (Easley kick)
OZ: Bolin 74-yard run (Easley kick)
Fourth Quarter
OZ: Easley 33-yard run (Easley kick)
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers (9) breaks through an attempted tackle from Ozark’s Tylr Bolin (25) on Friday night. Photo by Derek Livingston.
Webb City’s Cohl Vaden (16) runs to the outside after making a catch against Ozark’s Colton Casteel (35). Photo by Derek Livingston.
