Your online home for Joplin area sports coverage.

Wrestling: Carthage wins Farmington Duals

 

The Carthage High School wrestling team went 4-0 and took first place at the Farmington Duals on Saturday.
Tigers coach Kenny Brown told SoMo Sports the team was without three key performers, two due to ACT testing and another due to injury.
Carthage defeated Warrenton 66-3
Brett Rockers won by fall at 170 pounds, while Kip Castor (126) and Davion King (145) won decisions. The Tigers won nine matches by forfeit.
Carthage defeated Hannibal 42-22.
Winning matches by fall were Dagan Sappington (132), Eli Sneed (138), King, Kanen Vogt (220) and Malachi Housh (285). Joshua Griffith (106) and Bradyn Tate (113) won decisions.
Carthage beat Farmington 37-30.
Carlos Reyes (120), Grey Petticrew (160), Luke Gall (182) and Vogt (220) all won by fall. King earned a major decision, 12-2, while Gabe Lambeth earned a 4-2 decision at 152.
Carthage defeated Pacific 49-21.
Winning by fall for the Tigers were Sneed, Petticrew, Gall and Vogt.
Reyes earned a 7-2 decision at 120, while Sappington recorded a major decision, 13-3, at 132.
The Tigers are now 7-0 in duals this season.
Carthage hosts Joplin at 6 on Tuesday night.

Area football players named all-state by Missouri Football Coaches Association

The Missouri Football Coaches Association has released its all-state teams for 2020.

CLASS 6
Joplin’s Alex Curry (OL) and Nathan Glades (kick returner) were first-team all-state selections.
Glades was listed on the second-team as a running back.

CLASS 5
Webb City’s Devrin Weathers (RB), Grant Goltra (OL) and Treghan Parker (DB) were first-team picks. Webb City’s Eli Goddard (LB) was a second-team pick, while Gary Clinton (TE) and Zetthew Meister (OL) were third-team selections.
Carthage’s Patrick Carlton (QB) and Aiden Logan (OL) were named to the first-team offense. Luke Gall (LB) and DJ Witt (DB) were on the second-team defense.

CLASS 4
Carl Junction’s Cole Stewart (WR) was a first-team selection, while Jesse Cassatt (DE) was a second-team pick and Noah Southern (LB) was listed on the third team.
Monett’s Harrison Merriman (OL) was a second-team pick, while Nevada’s Jace Lee (LB) was a third-team selection.

CLASS 3
Cassville’s Jericho Farris (RB), Jaiden Reibert (OL), Patrick Dunker (DL), Zach Coenen (LB) and Drake Reese (K) were first-team selections, while Zach Carney (OL) was a third-team pick.
Seneca’s Nick Arrasmith (LB) and Mount Vernon’s Mason Ballay (DB) were second-team picks.

CLASS 2
Lamar’s Case Tucker (QB), Logan Crockett (RB), Mason Gastel (WR), Tucker Torbeck (OL), Blaine Shaw (OL), Rylan Wooldridge (DL), Trace Willhite (DE), Robert Lawrence (LB) and Austin Wilkerson (DB) were all first-team selections. Joel Beshore (DB) was a second-team pick.
East Newton’s Tanner Youngblood (P) was a third-team selection.
Lamar’s Tucker was the Class 2 Offensive Player of the Year, Wooldridge was the Defensive Player of the Year and Jared Beshore was Coach of the Year.

CLASS 1
Lockwood’s Lane Dunlap (LB) was a first-team pick, while Spencer Neal (DL) and Max Schnelle (DB) were second-team selections.
Pierce City’s Chanse Ford (RB) and Cody Hyde (DL) were third-team selections.

Girls Swimming: Carl Junction wins Red Bird invite, host Cardinals take third

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carl Junction captured the team championship at the Red Bird Invitational girls swim meet on Saturday at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
The Bulldogs compiled 288 points to top the team standings, while Rock Bridge took second with 226 and the host Webb City Cardinals were third with 196 points. There were 12 teams in attendance.

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Emma Lacey took first in two events. She won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.71 seconds and touched the wall first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.
Chloe Miller was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly in 1:05. Miller also took third in the 500 freestyle (5:43).
Skyler Sundy was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke (1:06) and also took third in the 200 individual medley (2:30).
Abigail Wilson and Madeleine Garoutte finished second and third in the 100 breaststroke, while Carsyn Smith was third in the 100 backstroke.
Sophia Hensley was sixth in the 100 butterfly and Kiley Brenneis was ninth. Garoutte and Hensley were sixth and seventh in the 200 IM.
Smith, Abigail Holcomb and Kennedy Johnson finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle.
Alanza Montez and Bryn Neria were eighth and 10th in the 50 free, while Montez and Wilson finished eighth and ninth in the 100 free. Holcomb and Johnson were eighth and ninth in the 500 free.
Carl Juntion finished second in all three relays.
Sundy, Wilson, Miller and Lacey competed in the 200 medley relay, while Montez, Smith, Hensley and Wilson competed in the 200 freestyle relay.
Swimming the 400 freestyle relay were Sundy, Miller, Hensley and Lacey.

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Sophia Whitesell finished second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:27. She also finished fourth in the 500 freestyle (5:45).
Skylar Powell finished fourth in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 free.
The team of Hally Philpot, Avery Mitchell, Makenzie Storm and Skylar Powell finished third in the 200 freestyle relay.
The Cardinals were fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Ella Holt, Storm, Whitesell and Mitchell competing.
Webb City’s Kyndie Crockett, Philpot, Powell and Whitesell finished fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Storm and Mitchell were sixth and seventh in the 100 breaststroke, while Holt took seventh in the 100 backstroke
Hannah Ross and Olivia Honey finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle.
Philpot was ninth in the 50 free and 10th in the 100 free. Holt was 10th in the 200 IM.
Nikki Hensley (272.4) and Kyndie Crockett (261.7) took first and second in the diving competition.

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin finished eighth in the standings.
The team of Lily Rakes, Brooklyn Hiller, Megan Walser and Lilly Mills finished sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.
The Eagles finished eighth in the 200 medley relay, with Rakes, Taegen Smith, Ava Perrin and Mya Johnson competing.
Joplin was also eighth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Lilly Mills, Smith, Brooklyn Hiller and Johnson swimming.
Smith was 10th in the 100 breaststroke and Walser was 10th in the 200 free.

 

RED BIRD INVITATIONAL

Final team standings: Carl Junction 288, Rock Bridge 226, Webb City 196, Hickman 160, Tolton Catholic 123, Broken Arrow 93, Lebanon 67, Joplin 45, Greenwood 32, Hillcrest 24, Battle 8, Marshfield 1.

CARTHAGE INVITATIONAL: Host Tigers fall to West Plains late; Leavenworth outlasts Carl Junction; Nixa defeats Ray-Pec in championship game

WEST PLAINS RALLIES TO DEFEAT CARTHAGE

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage built an 11-point third-quarter lead only to see West Plains rally back to earn a 56-54 win in the fifth-place game of the 74th Carthage Invitational on Saturday.

“We played better,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “We executed well in the first few quarters. They were missing a ton of shots early. We decided to switch things up … but they did a great job of adjusting. 

“Even in our losses, we were able to score points in stretches, but then we would go cold. If we can figure out how to put that together for a full basketball game, we’ll be able to put some points up. We’re just not paying attention to all the little details that go into a basketball game right now.”

The Tigers (1-2) held a 35-33 lead with 4:27 to play in the third period before using a 9-0 run to push the lead to 11, closing out the quarter with a 44-35 advantage. Silas Templeman started the run with a score inside before Max Templeman scored four straight for Carthage. Joel Pugh knocked down a 3-pointer to close the run. 

West Plains opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 46-46 with 4:24 to play. Carthage’s Patrick Carlton fouled out at the 5:38 mark before Daegan Green and Taylor Harrison knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to knot things up.

Carthage cut a five-point deficit, 56-51, to two when freshman Justin Ray sank a deep 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left to make the score 56-54. Ray earned his first start of the season and finished with 11 points.

“Justin earned himself his first start today,” Morris said. “He is a kid who does absolutely everything the correct way. If he makes a mistake, he learns from it. He has been around basketball a long time. I am really happy for him. We put him in some tough positions, but hopefully that will pay off down the line for a 14 year old to get that experience.”

West Plains missed two free throws with 3.2 ticks remaining, but the ensuing half-court heave for the Tigers fell short as the final horn sounded.

Pugh scored 14 to lead Carthage, with Max Templeman adding 12. Silas Templeman scored eight and Carlton finished with seven.

Harrison finished with a game-high 18 to lead West Plains, while Bristol Wood finished with 16.

UP NEXT

Carthage travels to Springfield Central for a 7:30 tip on Dec. 15.

 

LEAVENWORTH OUTLASTS CARL JUNCTION

Leavenworth and Carl Junction took a 33-33 tie into the fourth quarter before the Pioneers outscored the Bulldogs 16-13 in the final period to earn a 49-46 win in the seventh-place game of the Carthage Invitational.

Alex Baker led Carl Junction (0-6) with 14 points, while Kyler Perry finished with nine. Josh Cory added eight points and Blake Poorman scored six.

JJ Darthard and Jalen Vaughan each scored 12 to lead Leavenworth, while Eddie McLaughlin scored 11. 

UP NEXT

Carl Junction travels to Seneca for a 7:30 tip on Dec. 15

 

NIXA STARTS FAST TO BEAT RAY-PEC IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Nixa limited Raymore-Peculiar to five points in the first quarter and seven in the second on the way to a 32-12 advantage by halftime. The lead was too large for a Panthers comeback, with the Eagles pulling away to a 52-34 win in the championship game of the Carthage Invitational.

Jason Jones led the way for Nixa with 15 points, while Colin Ruffin and Jaret Nelson each scored 10.

Iryn Allen led Ray-Pec with 14 points.

 

CARTHAGE INVITATIONAL: Nevada holds off Joplin in third-place game

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Nevada earned a third-place finish in the 74th Carthage Invitational after holding on for a 47-39 win over Joplin on Saturday.

The Tigers (4-2) jumped out to an early nine-point lead after the first quarter and remained in front into the intermission with a 22-18 advantage. Joplin’s defensive effort strengthened out of the break, using an early run to gain the lead midway through the third period. Nevada rallied to regain the lead before the start of the fourth, and held on down the stretch to clinch the win.

“It’s a really good tournament with high-quality teams,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. “Anytime you can come away 2-1, you’re happy with that. … It was good to bounce back today and get a win against Joplin.”

Logan Applegate led Nevada with a game-high 25 points, while Ben Hines added eight and Lane McNeley seven.

All Wright led Joplin with 15 points, while Always Wright finished with 14. LT Atherton added six in the loss.

“One bright spot through the whole tournament, and he probably won’t get a lot of credit, is LT Atherton,” Joplin coach Jeff Hafer said. “He is a war horse in there. He became much more of a threat on the block. He can do that, and we have to continue to develop that.”

Nevada opened the contest with the momentum, getting a 3-pointer and a fast-break score from McNeley followed by a 3-pointer from Applegate to jump it to an 8-0 lead and an eventual 12-3 cushion after the first quarter.

“It was big for us to build some confidence after struggling yesterday,” Gray said. “It just goes back to the fact that when you defend at a high level and get stops, it makes the offensive end easier. We want to be a team who hangs our hat on being really tough defensively, and then using those stops to feed us at the other end. I thought we did that well early in the game.”

The Tigers methodically pushed their lead to 10 points, 21-11, through the first five minutes of action in the second.

Joplin (3-2) closed the second period with a 7-1 run, trimming the deficit to 21-18 by halftime. Atherton had a score inside and All Wright knocked down a 3-pointer to fuel the run.

Success at the free-throw line was an issue for Joplin in the first half. The Eagles went to the charity stripe 11 times, but only converted six times.

“This one was really a five to six-point game and we had opportunities at the line, even late, to extend the game more,” Hafer said. “Free throws are crucial.”

The Eagles opened the second half with a strong defensive intensity, holding the Tigers scoreless for the first several possessions before ultimately limiting Nevada to one free throw in the first six minutes of action. During that span, Joplin went on a 7-1 run to take a 25-23 lead. 

“We came out and started face guarding in the second half,” Hafer said. “We defended everywhere else (away from Applegate) much better. We kept guys in front of us and we rebounded. When you do that, you have a chance because we can attack downhill when we can get out in transition. Applegate did a good job of neutralizing that later.

“That’s the (defensive) segment we are going to look at because now they have shown they are capable. Now, it’s ‘how do we do that for four quarters?’”

Always Wright grabbed a defensive board and went coast to coast for a layup on the break to start the run. Atherton grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback score at the 4:48 mark to tie the game at 22-22, and Always Wright drained a 3-pointer moments later to put the Eagles on top 25-23 with three minutes left in the quarter.

Applegate, who accounted for all of Nevada’s 10 points in the second quarter as well as all nine points in the third, closed out the period with a 3-pointer and an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Tigers a 31-27 lead with eight minutes left to play.

“The fact that he can score at all three levels is important,” Gray said. “We talk a lot about not wanting to settle for perimeter shots because we have guys who are good perimeter shooters, and that’s the main part of their game. For Logan, himself, that’s probably one of the biggest strengths of his game as well.  If you want to score by attacking the basket, he is the guy who has to lead the way. He was big for us.”

All Wright drilled a 3-ball to open the fourth, cutting the Nevada lead to 31-30. Both teams traded baskets until the Tigers built a small cushion following a Hines inside score and a 3-pointer from Logan McNeley off the assist from Applegate to put Nevada up 40-33 with three minutes to play. 

Joplin struggled to get many open looks down the stretch in the half-court offense, allowing Nevada to build up a 6-2 run in the waning minutes to clinch the win.

“I think we are still finding our way (offensively),” Hafer said. “We are trying to find that balance. We have different guys getting varsity time now, playing a lot of different kids each night to figure out who can step up. … I was proud of how hard we played.”

UP NEXT

Joplin hits the road for a matchup with Springfield Central on Dec. 18.

Nevada travels to Bishop Miege for a 3:30 matchup on Dec. 19.

 

LADY EAGLE CLASSIC: Mount Vernon tops Carl Junction in title game; Carthage takes third

 

Mount Vernon overcame an early double-digit deficit and rode a big second half to a 47-29 come-from-behind victory over Carl Junction in the championship game of the 24th annual Freeman-Lady Eagle Classic on Saturday afternoon inside Joplin High School’s Kaminsky Gymnasium.

After trailing by 12 early in the game, the Mountaineers finished strong, outscoring the Bulldogs 30-8 in the second half. 

“It was a tale of two halves,” Mount Vernon coach Grant Berendt said. “They’re a very good team. Coach (Brad) Shorter has done an amazing job with that program. They know how to win games. I’m very proud of our kids. I think this is a really big win for us. This is something we can take and build on.”  

In other action, Carthage defeated Leavenworth 71-40 for third place and McDonald County edged Joplin 36-34 for fifth place.

MOUNT VERNON 47, CARL JUNCTION 29

The Bulldogs led 24-17 early in the third quarter, but the Mountaineers finished the game on a 30-5 run.

“I think we ran out of gas,” Carl Junction coach Brad Shorter said. “You could see that we got a little tired. We had a great effort in the first half. We played really hard and we were getting some good looks. We were able to get baskets from our motion offense. We started turning the ball over in the second half and I think our youth showed. And Mount Vernon hit some big shots. They’re a very good basketball team. But I was really proud of our kids’ effort.” 

The Bulldogs got off to a great start, taking a 16-4 lead after Jessa Hylton’s free throws and Kylie Scott’s putback. 

The Mountaineers (4-0) responded with a 13-2 run, capped by a corner trey from Ellie Johnston and a pair of free throws from Missouri Southern recruit Lacy Stokes. 

Destiny Buerge drilled a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 21-17 advantage at intermission. 

Carl Junction led by seven early in the third period when the Mountaineers put together a game-changing 15-0 run.

Johnston hit three 3-pointers during the spurt, including a buzzer-beater to end the frame, while Stokes, Raegen Boswell and Allie Schubert all had hoops during the burst, giving Mount Vernon a 32-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Bulldogs struggled taking care of the ball and also dealt with foul trouble throughout the second half, as Buerge picked up her fourth foul on a charge call late in the third period. 

Johnston’s trey from the right wing pushed Mount Vernon’s lead to 38-27 with 4:15 to play. 

“In the first half, I felt like we didn’t get some shots to fall that we typically do,” Berendt said. “I told them to keep shooting. We needed to be patient offensively, and we got some shots to fall in the third quarter. We rebounded the ball better and got the lead and then extended it.” 

A senior guard, Johnston scored 17 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Mountaineers, while classmate Stokes added 14 points.

Hylton scored 11 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Buerge and Scott finished with eight points apiece. Hannah Lee’s two points rounded out CJ’s scoring. Buerge and Hylton both fouled out in the fourth quarter. 

Carl Junction is now 4-2 after going 2-1 at the event.

“It was a good week for us,” Shorter said. “We picked up a couple of wins. And making it to the championship game was important for us.” 

CARTHAGE 71, LEAVENWORTH 40

Carthage ended the tourney on a high note, as all nine players scored and the Tigers hit 10 treys.

“From 1 to 9, our kids were offensively aggressive,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “Defensively, they were focused and tried to lock in.” 

Three players scored in double figures for the Tigers, as Hailey Fullerton had 18 points, Kianna Yates added 14 and Lauren Wilson chipped in 10. 

Raven Probert just missed double-digits with nine points on three treys, while Sophie Shannon added seven and Brinna Ream added six. 

Aleshia Jones scored 20 points to lead Leavenworth. 

Fullerton’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Carthage a 20-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers took a 32-21 lead into the break. 

After the Pioneers scored the first hoop of the third quarter, Carthage responded with a 17-0 run to take a comfy 49-23 lead. 

Fullerton, Raven Probert and Presley Probert all drained treys in the final frame to put the finishing touches on the convincing win. 

“They actually came out and scored the first basket and then we had a nice run after they scored,” Moore said. “They made adjustments on their press break and it took us some time to figure that out. But our girls are really smart about knowing where they’re supposed to transition and rotate. I’m proud of the fact that once they made an adjustment, our girls immediately responded. We’ve been focusing on answering runs with runs of our own.” 

After winning two out of three at the event, the Tigers are now 5-2.

“It was three good basketball games for us,” Moore said of the week. “I liked our intensity and our scoring output. And we put up 71 on a pretty good team today. We’re pretty proud of our start to the season.” 

MCDONALD COUNTY 36, JOPLIN 34

The tourney finale was deadlocked after three periods of play and went down to the wire. 

Joplin trailed by four with a minute to play, but Brooke Nice hit a 3-pointer and Emma Floyd made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 34 with 48 seconds left.

The two teams then traded turnovers before McDonald County’s Adasyn Leach scored in the paint with four seconds left. Joplin’s last-second heave was off the mark. 

“Our girls did a good job at the end,” Mustangs coach Sean Crane said. “We still have to figure out how to take care of the ball better and make layups. But we did a good job of coming through when it mattered. We had some young ladies step up. This tournament was pretty tough. We played a very good CJ team and a very good Carthage team. And Joplin is always a battle for us.”  

Samara Smith scored 15 points to lead the Mustangs (3-4), while Kristen Penn added seven and Leach had six. 

Brynn Driver led Joplin with 12 points, while Emma Floyd had 10 and Nice added seven. Serafina Auberry scored three points and Isabella Yust had two for the Eagles (3-5). 

 

LADY EAGLE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Aleshia Jones, Leavenworth

Kianna Yates, Carthage

Hailey Fullerton, Carthage

Destiny Buerge, Carl Junction

Jessa Hylton, Carl Junction

Ellie Johnston, Mount Vernon

Lacy Stokes, Mount Vernon