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Day: December 2, 2020

UNSUNG HERO: Cameron Clark played key role for Webb City Cardinals

Posted on by Jason Peake

Cameron Clark may not be large in stature, but his contribution to the Webb City football team has been huge. 

A 5-foot-5, 135-pound senior, Clark played a key role over the past several seasons as the Cardinals’ reliable placekicker.

In 2020, Clark knocked in 62-of-68 PAT kicks and made both of his field goal attempts. With that, Clark scored 68 points for the team this fall. 

“Cameron is an unsung hero,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “He’s a kid that doesn’t get a whole lot of credit, but he’s been doing this for us for four years. He’s been phenomenal. He’s scored a lot of points for us.” 

Clark was perfect on extra-point kicks in eight games this season.

In fact, Clark went 22-for-22 on PATs the last four weeks of the season as the Cardinals made a deep postseason, as he made all three attempts against Platte County in the Class 5 semifinals, all six against Lebanon in the quarterfinals, all six against Carthage in the district championship game and all seven against Ozark in the district semifinals. 

As a junior, Clark made 79-of-87 PAT kicks and converted his lone field goal attempt for the Class 4 state champion Cardinals. As a sophomore, Clark converted 52-of-58 PAT kicks for a team that went 13-1 and reached the semifinals. 

Of course, a placekicker must be mentally prepared to charge onto the field at any moment and perform with the pressure on. Clark excelled in that role for the Cardinals. 

“He always has to be ready to run out there and kick,” Roderique said. “You have to have the right mindset. He’s been so consistent for us through the years. The only time anybody notices is when he actually misses one.”

With Clark’s prep football career now concluded, Roderique noted his reliable placekicker will be remembered as an unsung hero. 

“Cameron’s a special kid,” Roderique said. “I owe him a lot because he’s been so steady for us. He’s done a lot for our program.” 

 

Pictured is Webb City kicker Cameron Clark. Photos by Israel Perez.

Webb City football had stellar 2020 season

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Webb City Cardinals put together a stellar 2020 football season.

With the coronavirus pandemic lingering over the fall campaign, Webb City finished 11-2 and reached the state semifinals. 

The Cardinals, who bumped up to Class 5, captured a district championship for the 21st straight season and reached the state semifinals for the 19th time in 24 years. 

“It’s hard to think about the 2020 season without thinking about the pandemic and all the challenges that everybody faced,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “We’re thankful we had the opportunity to play. That’s the main thing. There were so many questions going into the season. Looking around the country and even in some areas of our own state, teams weren’t playing or had limited opportunities to play. I feel like we were fortunate here. 

“I’m really thankful for our kids, our parents and everybody involved in our program,” Roderique added. “It wasn’t perfect, but we did the things we needed to do to give us the opportunity to play.”

The Cardinals dropped the season opener at Joplin 41-40 but then got on a roll, winning 11 straight games. 

Along the way, Webb City handed Class 6 Nixa its first loss, 28-0, and later won the district championship by beating defending Class 5 state champion and previously undefeated Carthage 42-21.

A 42-14 quarterfinal win over Lebanon put the Cardinals one win away from playing for a championship. But it wasn’t meant to be, as Platte County handed Webb City a 24-21 loss in the semifinals. 

Webb City’s two losses came by a combined four points. Overall, the Cardinals outscored their opponents 520-200.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Roderique said. “We had a lot of question marks going into the season in terms of replacing so many guys. We lost the 41-40 game at Joplin to start the season, and it could have gone two ways. You can get to work and try to get better or you could go the other way. I was really proud of where we got to as a team and how much we progressed as a football team. We battled injuries, quarantine and weekly and daily things, but we were still able to win a district title. I wouldn’t say we played our best game in the semifinal. But we grew into a really good football team this year.” 

Webb City averaged 40 points per game. The Cardinals averaged 267 rushing yards and 61 passing yards per game. 

Senior running back Devrin Weathers was named the COC Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,782 yards with 29 total touchdowns. A Kansas State recruit, Weathers averaged nearly 10 yards per carry. A three-year starter, Weathers finished with 2,069 all-purpose yards this fall. 

Junior Cade Wilson started the season in the backfield and ran for 305 yards and six scores in six games before an injury cut his season short. Junior Dupree Jackson replaced Wilson in the lineup and rushed for 836 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Senior quarterback Cole Gayman passed for 875 yards on 45 completions with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Gayman, a Missouri Southern baseball recruit, also rushed for 542 yards with eight touchdowns. 

Gayman completed passes to nine different players. Junior Cohl Vaden was the team’s leading receiver, as he hauled in 11 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns. 

Senior tight end Gary Clinton, an Arkansas State recruit, had 12 catches for 224 yards and senior Mekhi Garrard had 218 receiving yards on 12 receptions.  

Webb City’s defense allowed just 15 points per game.

Senior safety Treghan Parker was named the COC Defensive Player of the Year after he recorded 106 tackles and four interceptions.

Other leaders in tackles were Matt McDaniel (78), Brayden Hollingsworth (75), Jaystin Smith (59), Lucas Ott (56), Brentan Wilson (52), Cooper Crouch (48), Roger Carranco (41), Jacob Ott (36), Cale Stephens (35), Eli Goddard (34), Gavin Stowell (30), Kaylor Darnell (29), Billy Wolfe (25), Shane Noel (24), Christian Kinney (23) and Brody German (21).

McDaniel had four sacks, while Hollingsworth had three. The Cardinals had 15 interceptions, with Parker, Noel and Goddard grabbing four apiece. Stephens had two and Crouch had one.

This year’s senior class played a big role on last year’s Class 4 championship squad. Webb City went 53-4 the last four seasons, with titles in both ’19 and ’17 and semifinal appearances in ’18 and ’20.  

“We had a lot of kids who were three-year starters and just great players,” said Roderique, this year’s COC Coach of the Year. 

With the entire season in mind, and the challenges that were faced along the way, Roderique had one final thought. 

“There’s a lot of things to celebrate this year,” he said.  

 

The Webb City Cardinals had a lot to celebrate during the 2020 season.

Missouri Southern parts ways with head football coach Jeff Sims

Posted on by Jason Peake

Missouri Southern State University has made a change in the leadership of its football program. Director of Athletics Jared Bruggeman announced Tuesday morning that Jeff Sims, head football coach, has been relieved of his duties.
Assistant coach Joe Bettasso will serve as interim head coach through the upcoming spring football season, which begins in February.
“We have every confidence in Coach Bettasso that he will be committed to growing a successful program, leading with integrity, and putting our student-athletes first,” Bruggeman said in a press release. “Bettasso has served as interim head coach before and we feel he is the right person to step in as we search for a new leader for Southern football.”
Missouri Southern President Dean Van Galen and Bruggeman will meet with football student-athletes this week regarding the change.
A national search for a new head coach will begin soon.
“We will be looking for someone who has built a winning program, is high-energy, and has strong organizational skills,” Bruggeman said. “A healthy athletics program is vital to the college experience and we are looking forward to the upward momentum of the program for all of our Lion community.”
Sims went 2-9 in 2019, his lone season at the helm.

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP: McAuley boys fall to Purdy

Posted on by Jason Peake

WARRIORS FALL TO TOP SEED 

DIAMOND, Mo. — The eighth-seeded McAuley Catholic boys basketball team suffered a 59-47 loss to top-seeded Purdy on Tuesday at the Gem City Classic. 

“I’m proud of the effort our guys showed tonight,” Warriors coach Tony Witt told SoMo Sports. “There were a ton of positives that we took away from tonight. We had some costly mistakes at crucial times that hurt us down the stretch. We can’t hang our heads, though. We lost to a good ball club tonight.”

McAuley’s Daniel Wagner scored 14 points and Thomas Black added 12. Matthew Dohmen scored seven and Joe Staton had six. Rounding out the scoring for the Warriors were Cade Englert (five points) and Rocco Bazzano-Joseph (three points).

Osiel Aldava scored 25 points for Purdy. 

 

FORSYTH HANDS CARL JUNCTION LOSS

FORSYTH, Mo. — Carl Junction fell behind early on the way to a 79-48 loss to the hosts in the Forsyth Tournament on Tuesday.

Forsyth jumped out to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter and built the lead up to 28 points to start the fourth quarter.

Kyler Perry and Alex Baker led Carl Junction with 11 points each. Sincere Williams finished with nine points, while Mylas Derfelt added eight.

 

Joplin, Webb City begin wrestling season amid pandemic

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

A high school wrestling season that will certainly be like no other before it—one impacted by the coronavirus—officially kicked off on Tuesday night for the Joplin Eagles and Webb City Cardinals. 

Joplin defeated Webb City 54-22 inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

The head coaches of both programs noted they’re simply thrilled a wrestling season is happening.

“We’ve got a season and I know our kids are grateful for that,” Joplin coach Jeremy Finley said. “We’re going to do the best we can this season. The kids wrestled hard tonight and that was great to see. It was really nice to see them enjoy the victory together.” 

“We’re excited about having a season and we were excited to get on the mat tonight,” Webb City coach Larron Hurst said. “We got to see a lot of young kids out there. Tonight, we had 10 freshmen or sophomores in the lineup. We saw some good things. The score doesn’t show it, but I was pleased. I’m proud of the kids. We’ll keep working.” 

By outward appearances, Tuesday’s dual looked similar to those from the past, with a few notable exceptions. 

Fans are still being allowed in the gymnasiums, unlike the state of Kansas, but masks are required at JHS. Athletes are still shaking hands at the conclusion of each match, but the referee is not raising the hand of each match’s winner. Wrestlers and coaches are wearing masks on the bench. 

With safety concerns in mind, teams have largely altered their practice routines with new protocols and even eliminated traveling to large, out-of-the-area tournaments. 

“It’s really impacted the way we do things,” Finley said of the pandemic. “We’ve got to run two different practices. We can only have so many kids in the wrestling room. We have to keep track of who’s practicing with who. It’s affected how we do everything, but we have to make the best of it. That’s the way we’re going to go about it everyday.” 

“We’ve changed practices up,” Hurst said. “We’re spreading them out more in our room. We have a handful of guys go into a side of the gym. Right now, knock on wood, we’ve been healthy. And I think the kids have done a good job of adapting to working with just one partner or in groups of three. We’re on track with everything and we’ll keep doing what we can.” 

JOPLIN 54, WEBB CITY 22

Joplin’s Sam Melton won by forfeit at 106 pounds before Webb City’s Colt Taylor earned a 9-0 major decision over Alex Short at 113 pounds.

The Eagles won the next three matches by fall, as Trace Sargent pinned Bobby Pearish at 120, Rocky Walker pinned Aiden Moore at 126 and Josiah Vaughn pinned Cody Herndon at 132. 

Those wins gave the Eagles a 24-4 lead. 

At 138, Webb City’s Brenden Berry won by fall over Kole Gandy and teammate Rafe Mackey pinned Reese Macios at 145. 

Joplin’s Jack Stanley pinned Aiden Rose at 152, while Brendon Mynatt won by fall over Webb City’s Cooper Heilbrun at 160.

At 170, Joplin’s Drew VanGilder earned a 6-5 decision over Jackson Ward. VanGilder recorded a reversal late in the third period to take the lead, and Ward was unable to earn an escape in the final seconds. 

Draven VanGilder won by fall over Webb City’s Brayden Waggoner at 182 and Joplin’s Aiden Short pinned Gabe McDonald at 195 in a match he led 5-3 after two periods.

Joplin’s Scott Lowe wrestles Webb City’s Liam Taylor during Tuesday’s dual inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

At 220, Joplin’s Scott Lowe defeated Liam Taylor 4-2. Lowe recorded a takedown with 15 seconds left to earn the close decision.

In the heavyweight bout, Webb City’s Kole Carr overcame an 8-3 deficit and pinned Gunner Price. 

With no seniors on last year’s roster, the Eagles suffered some growing pains last season with such a young lineup. 

Now in his second year in charge of the program, Finley noted the program has heightened expectations. Tuesday’s win over the Cardinals was a good way to start the season, Finley said. 

“It was a good team effort,” Finley said. “The team as a whole performed well. We’ve been young and we’re starting to see last year’s freshmen and sophomores mature. That’s been great to see.” 

Coach Hurst noted he is still waiting for several football players to join the squad. 

“The football guys won’t be in the room until next week,” Hurst said. “We’ve got six varsity kids out. We’re still trying to get the rust off overall. We have a good foundation to build on.”   

Joplin’s Aiden Scott controls Webb City’s Gabe McDonald. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

 

HISTORY MADE

Freshman Erika Washom made history on Tuesday night, becoming the first female from Joplin High School to compete in a wrestling match.

Wrestling at 127 pounds, Washom pinned Webb City’s Hannah McDonald in the lone bout that was contested on the girls side. 

“That was pretty cool,” Finley said. “That was definitely a highlight of the night.”  

Joplin’s Erika Washom made history on Tuesday, becoming the first female to compete for the JHS wrestling team. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Joplin is at Carl Junction on Thursday, while Webb City is at Nevada next Tuesday. 

 

GIRLS HOOPS: Carl Junction uses early run to beat Joplin in CJ Classic semifinals

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION — Joplin and Carl Junction traded baskets early before the host Bulldogs went on a sizable run midway through the first half to build an overwhelming lead on the way to a 53-35 win over the Eagles on Tuesday in the CJ Classic semifinals.

“We played better,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “I think Joplin is much improved. I thought our kids settled in more tonight, and that is going to be big for us—just relax and play. We need to understand we are going to make mistakes. It’s going to happen. We just need to play hard and good things will happen.”

“We talked about it after the game, but if we play good defense, it is going to give us a chance,” Joplin coach Luke Floyd said. “We have played four games and this is our first loss. We are trending in the right direction. It is just going to take time. I told them not to get frustrated, we just have to learn from it.”

Carl Junction (2-0) scored the first five points of the game and Joplin (3-1) answered with the next six to hold an early 6-5 advantage. The Bulldogs responded with an 18-0 run that went from the end of the first quarter through the start of the second to regain the lead 23-6 and the momentum for good.

“That was big for us, especially with a young team,” Shorter said. “Every game is going to be a dogfight for us. To go on that run, it was a big piece for us going forward and giving us confidence. … I thought we moved the ball a little bit better. When we move the ball well, good things happen.”

“Turnovers were hurting us,” Coach Floyd said when asked about Carl Junction’s game-changing run. “So were plays that we were almost making. There were a few times where we missed a bunny underneath and they made a layup the other way for a four-point swing. Defensively, the girls are battling and we are doing good things. Offensively, it just isn’t there yet. We have to learn to take care of the ball better and try to learn the system we are trying to run. It is just a work in progress.”

Despite falling in the early hole, Joplin, which suited up with just seven players because of injuries and COVID quarantines, played Carl Junction even in the second half, 24-24.

“The girls are getting more confident,” Floyd said. “From the first half to the second half, we improved on turnovers and things. We just have to start the game taking care of the ball better.

“The girls are willing to learn and get better. They went on that 18-0 run and my fear as a coach was that we were just going to drop our heads and mail it in. They didn’t. We fought back and the girls didn’t stop playing hard. That is a very good sign, in my opinion.”

Carl Junction squares off against Nixa in the CJ Classic championship game at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“It’s an opportunity for us, like a litmus paper test, to see where we are at,” Shorter said. “But at the same time, it gives us a chance to understand the physical play that we are going to see in the COC. … It will be exciting to see where we are.”

Destiny Buerge led Carl Junction with a game-high 20 points, while Hali Shorter scored 13 and Jessa Hylton finished with 10 to give the Bulldogs three players in double figures. Kylie Scott added eight.

Joplin was led in scoring by Brynn Driver’s 19 points. Emma Floyd was second in scoring with eight.

Joplin matchups with Neosho in the third-place game at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

 

NIXA’S DEFENSE STIFLES NEOSHO IN SEMIFINALS

Nixa started the game on a 13-0 run and used a late run in the second quarter to build an insurmountable lead on the way to a 73-21 win over Neosho on Tuesday in the semifinals of the CJ Classic.

“They switched everything, which we worked zero minutes of any practice,” Neosho coach Ryan Madison said. “We haven’t seen much of that, and we haven’t seen much man-to-man, actually. We will get better at that. … That is my fault. Being a new coach here and trying to get things put in, that was not very high on my list. … We will get better at that as the year goes on.” 

The Eagles took the momentum right away with the game’s first 13 points, with Macie Conway accounting for seven. 

Neosho got on the board with a pair of free throws by Olivia Hixon with five seconds left in the opening period. Rhianna Gibbons knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Eagles into the second quarter with a 15-2 advantage.

Neosho found rhythm on offense early in the second quarter with Reagan McInturff scoring inside and Hixon following with a triple from the top of the key to cut the lead to 17-7. 

With the lead still at 10, Nixa used another 13-0 run late in the second quarter to swing the momentum for the final time, going into the half with a 39-14 lead. 

“Ironically, I think their press helped us a little bit because they kept fouling us,” Madison said of his team’s play early in the second quarter. “I felt like we did a good job of hanging in there. I think we just got worn out on that (second) run a little bit. Defensively, we were not in the gaps like we should be, and a lot of little things like that. We will need to defend better and take care of the ball better this year if we are going to win some games.”

The Eagles pushed the lead to 30-plus points early in the second half, cruising to the win and a spot in the championship game against Carl Junction.

Neosho takes on Joplin in the third-place game of the CJ Classic at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

 

McDONALD COUNTY UPENDS NEVADA IN OVERTIME

McDonald County and Nevada were tied 32-32 at the end of regulation and the Mustangs outscored the Bulldogs 7-0 in the extra period for a 39-32 win in the consolation round of the CJ Classic on Tuesday.

Sydney Killian scored 10 points, while Adasyn Leach finished with nine points. 

Tylin Heathman led Nevada with 13 points, while Clara Swearingen added seven.

 

SENECA EARNS STRONG WIN AGAINST CJ JV

Seneca outscored the Carl Junction JV squad 28-10 in the first period and pushed the lead to more than 30 by the intermission on the way to the 71-39 win in the consolation semifinals on Tuesday afternoon.

MaKayla French led Seneca with 25 points, including three 3-pointers. Aliya Grotjohn finished with 16 points, while Zoei Dodson scored 13 to give the Indians three players in double figures. Parker Long added eight points.

Hailey Merwin led the Bulldogs JV team with 11 points.

GIRLS SWIMMING: Bulldogs, Cardinals, Eagles begin season at Webb City invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carl Junction and Webb City both had impressive showings in the first girls swim meet of the season on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.

The Bulldogs won all their head to head matchups, scoring 105 to Webb City’s 74 points, 106 to Monett’s 72 points, and 127 to Joplin’s 26 points. Their stellar showing was highlighted by first place wins in nine of the 12 events.
“I think they did fantastic,” Carl Junction coach Stephanie Miller said. “Our goal today was just to have fun and make it through the first set of events with nobody missing and nobody getting hurt. The 200 IM and the 500 races really stuck out to me, including the close race between Miller and Whitesell. I love a good race, and it was all exciting.”
Carl Junction’s Chloe Miller led the way in the water with wins in the 200-yard freestyle (2:07), the 500 freestyle (5:41), and was part of the 400 freestyle relay first place team (4:13).
Other CJ winners included Emma Lacey (100 butterfly, 1:07), Sophia Hensley (100 freestyle, 1:03), Kennedy Johnson (100 backstroke, 1:20) and Skyler Sundy (100 breaststroke, 1:20).

The Bulldogs also had numerous second and third place finishes.
“A lot of the girls did secondary races today just to get in the groove,” Coach Miller said. “We have a big meet on Saturday that we are looking forward to.”
Webb City won their head-to-head matchups with Joplin (139-29) and Monett (94-90). The Cardinals were led by Sophia Whitesell and Skylar Powell. Whitesell took first in the 200 individual medley (2:24) and Powell took first in the 50 freestyle (27.34).

In the relays, the Cardinals placed third in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle, as well as placing fourth in the 200 medley.
“For it being our first meet back, a lot of the girls were surprisingly close to where they were last year,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “It’s been nine months since they raced, but it’s going really well. We have a lot of new fish that are showing some talent. We have our returning swimmers who really want to do well at COC and want to try and get relays qualified (for state). It’s just a matter of how much do they want it and what kind of shape they can get in to do it.”
Despite not winning any of their head-to-head matchups, Joplin showed promising signs going forward.

Joplin’s Allie Lawrence took fifth in the 100 freestyle (1:11), while Taegan Smith was eighth in both the 200 IM (3:12) and the 100 breaststroke (1:33).
“We only had six competing today, and all of them improved in their times,” Joplin coach Juliana Hughes said. “Our medley relay was really strong, considering it was our first meet of the season. We have a couple first-time swimmers that did really amazing. I hope to improve on our relay times and for all of our swimmers to lower their individual times.”
Monett won their matchup against Joplin (132-33).

Webb City Invitational Dual Scores
Webb City 94, Monett 90
Webb City 139, Joplin 29
Carl Junction 105, Webb City 74
Carl Junction 106, Monett 72
Carl Junction 127, Joplin 26
Monett 132, Joplin 33

WRESTLING: Carthage tops Carl Junction in season opener

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARTHAGE, Mo. — In the season opener for both teams, Carthage defeated Carl Junction 61-12 in a prep wrestling dual on Tuesday.
Carthage’s Joshua Griffith won by forfeit at 106 pounds.
At 113, Carthage’s Bradyn Tate earned a 6-0 decision over Lukas Walker. Carthage’s Carlos Reyes won by forfeit at 120.
Kip Castor pinned Carl Junction’s Dylan Frazier at 126, while Dagan Sappington won by fall over Samuel Cory at 132.
At 138, Carthage’s Brayden Benefiel won by fall over Chris Zbranek and teammate Eli Sneed pinned Mekhi McGarry at 145.
Also for the Tigers, Davion King won by fall over Lucas Watkins at 152, Braxdon Tate earned a 4-2 decision over Cole Stewart at 160 and Brett Rockers won by fall over Chance Benford at 170.
At 182, Carthage’s Luke Gall earned a major decision, 11-1, over Javon White.
Carl Junction’s Jesse Cassatt pinned Carthage’s Obed Gonzalez at 195, Carthage’s Alexis Vasquez earned a 7-4 decision over Reese Bonjour at 220 and Carl Junction’s Brennan Carey won by fall over Kanen Vogt at heavyweight.

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