Your online home for Joplin area sports coverage.

CROSS COUNTRY: Athletes from McAuley, Carl Junction fare well at Aurora invite

 

AURORA, Mo. — Athletes from McAuley Catholic and Carl Junction fared well at the Aurora Hot Dawg Invitational cross country meet on Thursday.

McAuley’s boys finished third in the team standings with a team score of 75. Cassville (43) and McDonald County (64) were the top two teams.

The top three girls teams were Carl Junction (23), Cassville (40) and McDonald County (65).  

 

BOYS RESULTS

Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson won the varsity boys race in 18:11, while Cassville’s Caleb Leach, Purdy’s Bryce Ozbun and Aurora Christian Academy’s Edward Clark rounded out the top four. 

McAuley had three medalists in the varsity boys race, as Michael Parrigon finished fifth (18:44), Phillip Motazedi placed 17th (20:46) and Armando Alberto was 19th (20:52).

Finishing sixth through 10th were Cassville’s Ethan Bohmke and Jacob Martinez, Sarcoxie’s Dugan Pogue, McDonald County’s Lane Pratt and Marionville’s Gabe Whitman. 

Carl Junction’s Caleb Graham finished 21st and McAuley’s Aidrian Keefer was 22nd.

  

GIRLS RESULTS

Aurora’s Kaci Singer crossed the line first in the varsity girls race with a time of 20:56.

Cassville’s Jolie Evans was the runner-up in 21:53, while Carl Junction’s duo of Alanza Montez (22:04) and Hannah Franks (22:27) finished third and fourth, respectively.

Finishing fifth through 10th were Cassville’s Annie Moore, Carl Junction’s Alexis Carpenter, Aurora’s Destiny Jaramillo, Carl Junction’s Sadie Burchett, Hollister’s Katherine Schaefer and Carl Junction’s Riley Briggs.

McDonald County’s top finisher was Madison Burton, who placed 12th. 

McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey finished 13th.

 

Hot Dawg Invitational

Boys team scores: Cassville 43, McDonald County 64, McAuley Catholic 75, Aurora Christian 86, Aurora 92, Carl Junction 108.

Girls team scores: Carl Junction 23, Cassville 40, McDonald County 65. 

FOOTBALL WEEK 2: WEBB CITY AT NEOSHO

 

WEBB CITY AT NEOSHO

Records: Webb City 0-1; Neosho 0-1. 

Last week: Webb City lost to Joplin 41-40; Neosho lost to Republic 47-12

Last year’s meeting: Webb City def. Neosho 45-0

OUTLOOK: Both teams are looking to bounce back from Week 1 losses in the always-tough Central Ozark Conference. 

Neosho is making its home debut at Bob Anderson Stadium under first-year head coach Brandon Taute. The Wildcats scored twice late in the game, as Jared Siler scored on a 19-yard run and Isaiah Green hauled in a touchdown pass from Evan Haskins.

A junior, Siler ran 17 times for 87 yards. A senior QB, Haskins completed four passes for 37 yards and also ran 15 times for 30 yards. Marcus Duncan (15 tackles) and Andrew Rupert (13 tackles) led the Neosho defense against Republic. 

Webb City features a solid 1-2 punch at running back in Dupree Jackson and Cade Wilson. Jackson ran for 131 yards last week, while Wilson recorded 92 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. 

Senior QB Cohl Vaden ran 13 times for 66 yards and completed 7 of 9 passes for 84 yards in his first varsity start under center. 

According to Webb City’s statistics, three players recorded double-digit tackles in Week 1. Cooper Crouch had 14 tackles, Kaylor Darnell made 11 stops and Lucas Ott had 10 tackles. 

Both of these teams are in Class 5 District 6, so they could meet again in the postseason.

 

HOW TO WATCH: https://www.kneo.org/sports.html

 

FOOTBALL WEEK 2: CARL JUNCTION AT CARTHAGE

 

CARL JUNCTION AT CARTHAGE

Records: Carl Junction 1-0; Carthage 1-0

Last week: Carl Junction beat Willard 39-13; Carthage beat Ozark 49-14

Last year’s meeting: Carthage def. Carl Junction 21-20

OUTLOOK: Last year’s game was a nail-biter. Will history repeat itself? We’ll find out tonight. 

In Week 1, Carl Junction recorded 343 yards of total offense, with 216 passing and 127 rushing. CJ QB Kyler Perry passed for 107 yards.

The Bulldogs limited Willard to 192 yards, 137 rushing and 55 passing. 

Carthage rolled in its opener. 

Carthage racked up 453 yards of offense, with 368 rushing and 85 passing. Ozark had 329 yards, 171 rushing and 158 passing. 

CHS quarterback Caden Kabance scored four touchdowns and passed for 85 yards. Carthage running back Luke Gall recorded 141 rushing yards.

 

HOW TO WATCH: http://www.citylinktv.com/channel/carl-junction-tv/ or 

https://boxcast.tv/channel/j3s1xvixjxtgxliszrlf

FOOTBALL WEEK 2: NIXA AT JOPLIN

NIXA AT JOPLIN

Records: Nixa 1-0, Joplin 1-0

Last week: Nixa defeated Branson 42-6; Joplin defeated Webb City 41-40

Last year’s meeting: Nixa def. Joplin 35-34

OUTLOOK: Joplin and Nixa both head into Week 2 after starting the season in the win column, and both teams come into the matchup ranked in the top 10 in Class 6. Joplin is ranked fourth, while Nixa enters the game ranked sixth.

It is the home opener for Joplin, which will be debuting a new state-of-the-art video board at Junge Stadium. Fans are encouraged to show up early for a ribbon cutting ceremony prior to kickoff. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Nixa will be hitting the road for the first time this season in its matchup with Joplin.

Last season’s meeting was a nail-batier, as Joplin fell behind by two scores in the fourth quarter before rallying late. The comeback bid came up short as Joplin’s final attempt to reach the end zone was picked off just short of the goal line.

Nixa had over 400 yards of offense last week against Branson, with 310 of those yards coming on the ground. Ramone Green scored three touchdowns, including two from more than 60 yards out.  

In the win over Webb City to open the season, Joplin quarterback Always Wright completed 26-of-34 passes for 272 yards and four touchdowns, adding eight rushes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Running back Drew VanGilder finished with 11 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. Joplin kicker Joseph Ipsen connected from 42 yards out as time expired to send the Eagles past Webb City.

HOW TO WATCH: https://foxsportsjoplin.com/

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Joplin starts the season 2-0 with win over Cassville

CASSVILLE, Mo. — Joplin volleyball started the season 2-0 after earning a 3-0 win over Cassville on Thursday.

The Eagles started the night with a 25-12 opening-set win before moving up 2-0 with a 25-19 win. Joplin finished off the sweep in the third set by the score of 25-22.

Allie Lawrence led Joplin with 11 kills, three aces and three digs, while Emma Floyd had 10 kills and a block. Abby Edwards had five kills and four digs, while Angelina Schramm had four kills and seven digs. Bailey Owens had three kills and a block. Kaya Cooper had three kills, nine digs and led Joplin with 28 assists, while Paisley Parker had one kill, two aces, three assists and led the Eagles with 24 digs.

Joplin hosts Springfield Central on Tuesday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Southern falls in opener to UNK

KEARNY, Neb. — The Missouri Southern football team had waited 672 days and a few hours more to play its first MIAA football game in nearly two years, but the Lions came out on the wrong side of a 38-0 loss at Nebraska-Kearney in the 2021 season opener.

Both teams had to wait through a 2:21 lightning and rain delay to start the game as kickoff occurred at 9:21 pm.

“We have to be better,” said Southern head coach Atiba Bradley. “That’s an MIAA team. We’re going to see that type of team 10 more times this season. We’re going to go back, we’re going to learn a lot, this team is going to learn from it and next week we’ll be better.”

Neither team scored in the first quarter, but both teams had their chances. Southern (0-1, 0-1 MIAA) took the opening kickoff and drove to the UNK (1-0, 1-0 MIAA) 41-yard line and the drive ended in a good punt by Dawson Herl to the UNK 4-yard line.

The Lopers then took the ball and drove nearly the length of the field before the Southern defense came up strong and a tackle by Coleman Booker and Malachi Broadnax stopped the UNK drive and gave the Lions the ball at their own 3-yard line.

Southern got a pass from Herl to Chris Boudreaux for 9 yards and a first down, while Nathan Glades added another first-down on a 12-yard rush in that drive. The quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

The Lopers added a pair of scores in the second quarter to lead 14-0 at halftime and a field goal made the score 17-0 after three. UNK added 21 points in the fourth quarter to provide the final tally.

Glades had 18 carries for 63 yards, while Herl went 8-for-16 for 60 yards through the air. Boudreaux had two catches for 14 yards, while Jaedon Stoshak had one catch for 17 yards (a diving one-handed grab in the first quarter).

Defensively, Booker led the way with 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss. Richard Jordan Jr. had 11 tackles, seven solo, including a tackle for a loss, while Colton Winder had ten stops.

Nick Williams had seven punts on the night, including a long of 49 for a total of 285 yards and 40.7 per punt. Five punts resulted in a fair catch, while two were inside the 20-yard line.

The Lions will be back in action next Saturday, as Southern plays host to Northeastern State. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is set for 2 p.m.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Carthage wins home match with St. Mary’s Colgan

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage High School volleyball team had a little extra motivation as they took the court on Thursday night.

For starters, it was the team’s home opener. The Tigers were also seeking a little payback. 

Carthage knocked off St. Mary’s Colgan 3-0 in a non-conference matchup. The Tigers defeated the Panthers 25-21, 25-17, 25-16.

“Colgan beat us last year and I think our girls were ready to show how hard they have been working,” Carthage coach Bradyn Webb told SoMo Sports. “We did not start strong, but we came back and rallied. It was nice to come out with our first home game and be able to sweep.”

The Tigers were led by Sydnee Dudolski’s 18 kills. Grace Pickering added eight kills, while Abby Holderbaum chipped in five kills.

Raven Probert had seven assists and three aces, while Tess Schrader contributed four digs. Olivia Bourgault had three digs, while Riann Schwartz served four aces and Sophie Shannon had four blocks. 

Carthage defeated McDonald County 25-9, 25-14 on Tuesday. 

Dudolski had 10 kills, Probert handed out 10 assists and Bourgault was credited with three digs. 

Carthage is at Shiloh Christian on Tuesday. 

PREP VOLLEYBALL: College Heights opens the season with a win over Lockwood

LOCKWOOD, Mo. — College Heights opened the season on the road and couldn’t have asked for a better result—a three-set win over Lockwood.

The Cougars opened with a 25-13 win before adding a 25-22 victory in the second game. The final game was tight, but College Heights completed the sweep with a 27-25 match-clinching win.

Lauren Ukena had 11 kills, 11 service points and four aces for College Heights, while Maddy Colin finished with 26 assists, nine service points and 16 digs defensively. Addie Lawrence was the kill lead with 12 to go along with three blocks and eight service points. Ava Masena had 10 digs and 10 service points, while Lindsay Griesemer had seven kills and seven service points. Maddy Garman added eight points in service. 

College Heights is at Pierce City on Tuesday.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Webb City captures road win at Harrisonville

 

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — Webb City earned a straight-set victory over Harrisonville on Thursday night in non-conference prep volleyball action.

The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 25-12, 25-19, 25-12.

Webb City (2-0) received eight kills from Kearston Galardo and six kills from Brenda Lawrence. Aubree Lassiter and Kyah Sanborn had three kills apiece, while Makenzie Storm had five blocks and two kills. 

Sanborn, a junior setter, handed out 18 assists. Sophomore defensive specialist Sophia Crane had 19 digs. 

Kate Brownfield added eight digs, while Storm had six and Jenna Noel and Sanborn contributed five digs apiece. 

The Cardinals recorded 11 aces in the match, with Brownfield serving five. 

Webb City is at Rogers Heritage on Monday.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Seneca suffers first loss

REEDS SPRING, Mo. — Seneca fell in three sets (25-12, 25-21 and 25-23) to Reeds Spring on Thursday. 

The loss was the first of the season for the Indians, who sit with a 1-1 record.

Braxton Raulston led Seneca with eight kills, 13 digs and four aces, while Parker Long had six kills and 11 digs. Rylee Darnell had five kills, eight digs and an ace. Ellie Barnes finished with five kills and seven digs, while Jera Jameson and Tatum White each had four kills. Jameson also had 12 digs.

Seneca is in action next against Mount Vernon on Tuesday.

BOYS SOCCER: Garrido’s hat trick leads Carthage past College Heights

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Senior forward Adrian Garrido scored three goals to lead Carthage to a 7-1 win over College Heights Christian on Thursday in boys soccer action at David Haffner Stadium.

The Tigers led 5-0 in the non-conference matchup. 

Garrido scored two goals in the first half, one in the 16th minute and another in the 31st minute. 

Also scoring goals in the first half for the Tigers were Clismer Lopez, George Laytham and Silas Laytham.

College Heights (1-1) got on the board when Maxton Sitton recorded a goal in the 40th minute. 

Garrido added a goal in the 48th minute, while Silas Laytham’s goal in the 74th minute finished off the scoring.

Lopez also had two assists, while Jorge Mendez-Lopez and Keneth Paxtor had one assist apiece. 

Carthage (2-0) is at Joplin on Tuesday night. College Heights, a 3-2 winner over Laquey last Saturday, hosts McDonald County on Sept. 7. 

GIRLS TENNIS: Cavaliers improve to 2-0 with win over Nevada

 

The Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team defeated Nevada 6-3 on Thursday at the TJ courts. 

The Cavaliers improved to 2-0.

In singles action, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding defeated Laura Kimmell 8-3, while Jeanna Jeyaraj beat Hailey Elkinton 8-5 and Kyla Yang topped Susannah Kimmell 8-2.

Nevada’s Alissa Stutesman edged Jessica Joseph 9-7, TJ’s Warda Morsy defeated Abbigale Baldwin 8-6 and Nevada’s Kourtnee Vestal topped Emalee Ro 8-3.

In doubles, Ding-Jeyaraj defeated Elkinton-S. Kimmell 8-2, while Yang-Joseph beat L. Kimmell-Baldwin 9-8 (7-4). Nevada’s Stutesman-Vestal edged Morsy-Ro 9-7. 

Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers will take on College Heights at 4:30 on Tuesday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

GIRLS TENNIS: Despite solid effort, Joplin suffers close loss to Branson

Emma Watts returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact in doubles, but the Joplin Eagles suffered a 5-4 setback to Branson on Thursday at the JHS courts. 

A junior returning state-qualifier, Watts has missed the team’s previous early-season action due to an injury. 

On Thursday, Watts teamed up with senior Astrid Cardenas in No. 1 doubles. The Eagles’ duo defeated Branson’s Andrea Fuentes and Madelyn Volz 8-0. 

“This was Emma’s first match back, we just played her in doubles to ease her in and it went great,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said.   

The Pirates won the other two doubles matches.  

Branson’s Chase Carlin and Sylvie Barbour defeated Abry Stayton and Brynn Driver 8-3 at No. 2 doubles, while Brooklyn Buxton and Avery Webber topped Mya Ndedi-Ntepe and Madi Corl 8-4 at No. 3 doubles.  

Joplin won three singles matches. 

At No. 1 singles, Cardenas defeated Fuentez 8-4. 

“Astrid had to battle hard in her singles match, but was able to pull ahead after a back-and-forth start,” Perry noted. 

At No. 2 singles, Joplin’s Stayton edged Volz 9-7.  

“Abry was behind the whole match until the very end where she was able to find an opening and take it,” Perry said of the sophomore.  

At No. 3 singles, Ndedi-Ntepe earned a 9-8 (7-2 tie-breaker) win over Carlin. 

“Mya played fantastic in a tough match where she had to play two spots higher,” Perry noted. “She had a match point against her but was able to turn on the heat when the pressure mounted. Once she got in the tie-breaker she went off and was able to cruise to an easy 7-2 finish.” 

In other singles matches, Branson’s Barbour topped Driver 8-3, Buxton defeated Corl 8-4 and Webber beat Alex Carson 8-0. 

Perry said he and head coach Jeff Williams were definitely pleased with the team’s effort. 

“I’m very proud about how hard the girls are fighting while down multiple players,” Perry said, noting that Cloey Blank was out sick on Thursday. “When we all get healthy, I think we will be a scary team.” 

Joplin is hosting an invite on Friday. Webb City, College Heights and Springfield Central are also competing at the event, which begins at 10 a.m. at the JHS athletic complex. 

PREP TENNIS: Willard defeats Neosho 9-0

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho girls tennis fell 9-0 to Willard on Thursday.

In No. 1 singles, Willard’s Jungeon Go defeated Neosho’s Claudia Martensen 8-0, while Ana Chunn defeated Jasmine Martinez 8-0 in No. 2 singles action.

Alyssa Flynn defeated Alex Olsbo 8-1 in No. 3 singles match, with Kaytlen Obarra Saucedo earned an 8-2 win over Cadence Martensen in No. 4 singles play. In No. 5 singles, Evelyn Sly defeated Keely Keeton 8-1. Wrapping up action in singles, Madeline Sams defeated Sydnee Minton 8-1.

In doubles action, Go and Chunn defeated Claudia Martensen and Olsbo 8-0 in No. 1 doubles. Martinez and Cadence Martensen lost to Flynn and Ibarra Saucedo 8-2 in No. 2 doubles. Sly and Sams wrapped up doubles play with an 8-1 win over Keeton and Minton.

Neosho travels to Carl Junction on Tuesday.

PREP SOFTBALL: McDaniel tosses one-hit gem in Joplin’s 2-0 win in home opener

Junior pitcher Jill McDaniel dazzled in the circle as Joplin defeated Cassville 2-0 in the Eagles’ home opener on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

“She commanded the zone and threw strikes,” Joplin coach Manny Flores said. “I said from the beginning that when she does that, she is one of the toughest pitchers in our area to face. She showed that today with a one-hit shutout and 10 Ks. She did exactly what we needed her to do.”

McDaniel allowed just one hit over seven innings to earn the complete-game shutout win. She walked just one batter and struck out 10 on 79 pitches.

“It felt pretty good,” McDaniel said about her outing. “I knew my defense had my back and I was feeling good today. … (My changeup) was on. My curveball was rough, which is usually the first pitch I go to, but my changeup was on.”

With the win, Joplin moves to 5-1 to start the season.

“They are starting to gel together as a team,” Flores said. “The scary part is I don’t think we’ve played our best softball yet. We have a great blend of returning experience … and we have a bunch of freshmen out here just competing and having fun.”

Alyssa Whisenhunt took the loss in the circle after allowing two runs on six hits, a walk and a strikeout in six innings for the Wildcats.

Neither team mustered much offense through the first two and a half innings of play but in the bottom of the third inning, the Eagles found a little one-out momentum. Freshman Abby Lowery started things off with a bunt for a hit before sophomore Bailey Ledford followed with a sharp single to left field. Freshman Jadyn Pankow made it three straight hits with a single to right, scoring Lowery to give Joplin a 1-0 advantage. 

“It was the second time through the lineup and I think we did a good job of adjusting right there,” Flores said. “We just had a couple of baserunning miscues that took us out a couple of innings, but we did what we needed to do that inning to scratch one across.”

Joplin added to its lead an inning later when freshman Libby Munn singled to right field with a pair of runners on to plate a run and make the score 2-0.

“Our freshmen are not scared of the big moment right now,” Flores said. “They are being aggressive early and making plays for us defensively. Offensively, they’re doing the little things right and it speaks volume to the work they are putting in.”

Munn had two hits and an RBI to lead the Eagles at the plate, while Pankow had a hit and an RBI. Lowery had a hit and scored a run. Ledford and Maria Loum also recorded base hits in the win.

Cassville loaded the bases on an error, a catcher’s interference and a walk in the top of the fifth before McDaniel induced a groundout to get out of the jam. Ashlynn Bryan had the lone hit for the Wildcats, a one-out double down the third-base line in the top of the sixth inning. McDaniel escaped with a lineout and a strikeout looking to end the threat.

“She is a captain for a reason,” Flores said. “She has done things the right way and put herself in a spot to have success. She has earned that. She stepped up and did exactly what we needed her to do today.”

“I just kept the mindset of my defense having my back,” McDaniel said about getting out of the late inning traffic.

Joplin hosts the Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Eagles kick off action with a matchup against Kickapoo at 10 a.m. on Friday.

“It’s a great tournament and we have a lot of good teams coming in,” Flores said. “It’s one of my favorite tournaments just because of the good softball that will be played this weekend.”

PREP SOFTBALL: Webb City earns run-rule win over Monett

WEBB CITY, Mo. — A pair of big innings propelled Webb City to a 16-6 victory over Monett on Thursday in a non-conference softball clash at Chuck Barnes Field. 

A seven-run first inning got things started for the Cardinals before a six-run fourth put the finishing touches on the run-rule win.  

The hosts, who batted around in both of those big frames, improved to 2-0 on the season. 

Webb City plated seven runs on just two hits in the opening frame.  

Senior shortstop Peyton Hawkins homered to lead off the bottom of the first. A walk and back-to-back errors gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Morgan Brannon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

Kaylyn Gilbert came home on a fielder’s choice, Ripley Shanks contributed a sacrifice fly to right field and then Hawkins delivered a two-run double to left for a seven-run cushion. 

Monett scored three runs in the second, as Maddie Metlach smacked a two-run home run to center and Natalie Rivera later scored on a fielder’s choice.  

The Cardinals added a single tally in the second when Hannah Wells charged home after a dropped third strike, making it 8-3. 

The Cubs pushed across three runs in the third to trim their deficit to two runs, but Emma Welch and Wells both hit run-scoring singles in the bottom half to give the Cardinals a 10-6 lead. 

In the big fourth, Emalee Lamar blasted a three-run homer to left to extend Webb City’s advantage to 13-6. Welch added a sac fly before Wells launched a two-run bomb to left for a 10-run cushion. 

The game ended after the Cubs failed to score in the fifth.  

Webb City scored its 16 runs on 11 hits.  

Hawkins had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and single. She scored three runs and drove in three. 

Wells and Lamar had three RBI apiece, while Welch drove in two runs.   

Wells crossed home three times, while Shelby Gardner, Morgan Brannon and Welch all scored two runs apiece.  

Freshman Laney Taylor was the winning pitcher. She allowed four earned runs on 11 hits and struck out one. 

Monett’s Abby Inman was charged with the loss. Inman allowed 10 earned runs on 11 hits. 

Halle Schoen, Jayden Hohensee, Metlach and Poole all had two hits apiece for the Cubs (0-3). 

The Cardinals will be among the teams competing at this weekend’s Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Softball Tournament at the Joplin Athletic Complex.  

Webb City plays Seneca at 10 a.m. on Friday to begin tourney play.