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Day: September 11, 2021

CROSS COUNTRY: MSHSAA releases class, district assignments

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has released class and district assignments for cross country. 

Joplin, Carthage and Neosho are in Class 5 District 2.  

Local schools who will compete in Class 4 District 2 are Webb City, Carl Junction, McDonald County, Monett and Nevada. 

The Bolivar Municipal Golf Course will host the district meets for Class 5 District 2 and Class 4 District 2.

Class 3 District 2 will feature Aurora, Cassville, East Newton, Lamar, Mount Vernon and Seneca. 

Local schools in Class 2 District 2 are Diamond, Pierce City, Purdy, Sarcoxie and Southwest. College Heights’ girls will also be in Class 2 District 2. Of course, the CHC girls won the Class 1 championship last season.

Class 1 District 2 features McAuley Catholic, Thomas Jefferson, Jasper, Liberal, Wheaton and the College Heights’ boys. 

Clever High School will host the District 2 meets for Class 1-3.

At the district meets, which are scheduled for Oct. 30, the top four teams and the top 30 individuals will advance to their respective state meet in Columbia. 

MILESTONE: Roderique earns win No. 300 as Webb City tops Republic

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a coaching career that’s featured countless accolades, John Roderique added another item to his already-impressive resume on Friday night.

The hall of fame coach of the Webb City football program, Roderique earned victory No. 300 as his Cardinals rolled past Republic 56-20 in Central Ozark Conference action inside Cardinal Stadium.

“All I can do is think about all the guys that have come through this program,” Roderique said. “And all the parents, the administration and all the teachers. And the No. 1 thing, I think about all the great coaches we’ve had in this program. I think it’s more about the program than what I did. I’m just the one who’s been the head coach. I’m just so thankful. I’m really blessed to have the guys in this program, the coaches and players, and all the support we’ve had.” 

Roderique, who has led Webb City to 12 state championships, 21 straight district titles and 10 undefeated seasons, admitted he became emotional when he was recognized with a standing ovation after the milestone victory was official. 

“I figured if I looked up in the crowd I’d start bawling like a baby so I tried not to look up too much,” Roderique said. 

Roderique’s first coaching victory at his alma mater came in Week 1 of the 1997 season, a 28-14 win over Branson. He’s now 300-29 overall.

As far as the game, Webb City used a fast start and a solid overall performance to hand Republic its first loss of the 2021 campaign. 

The Cardinals scored 28 unanswered points to start the game and held a comfortable 49-6 lead early in the second half en route to the lopsided win. 

“Our coaches did a great job getting our kids set up and prepared to play this week from an Xs and Os standpoint, but also mentally,” Roderique said. “Our defense set the tone. To be able to stop them right away, get the ball back and go to work, it couldn’t have been scripted any better for us.”

Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Webb City improved to 2-1 with what was clearly the team’s best showing of the season. 

“Clearly, this is the best we’ve played,” Roderique said. “We had a sense our guys were mentally ready to play. You could tell they were locked in and ready to play. It’s been a good week. We needed to see who we are. We felt like we hadn’t shown who we are yet. Hopefully this is a glimpse of the type of team we can be.” 

The hosts led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-6 at intermission. 

Webb City senior running back Cade Wilson sprinted to a 39-yard touchdown run on the fifth play of Webb City’s opening drive.

Dupree Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown and the ensuing 2-point conversion by Eric Fitch gave Webb City a 14-0 lead with 1:02 remaining in the opening quarter. 

Jackson broke free for a 76-yard touchdown sprint early in the second quarter before adding a 35-yard scamper one series later, the third score of the night for the senior running back. 

Republic’s Avery Moody plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard QB keeper with 2:42 left in the first half.

The hosts responded on their next drive, as senior QB Cohl Vaden connected with William Hayes for a 41-yard touchdown strike, giving the Cardinals a 35-6 advantage. 

Just before the half, Vaden found Trey Roets open over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown. That made it 42-6 at halftime. The Cardinals had nearly 300 yards of offense in the first half alone. 

In the third quarter, Wilson (41 yards) and Vaden (1-yard) both had touchdown runs for the Cardinals, while Moody found the end zone for the visitors. 

Republic’s Kanon Krol scored on a 2-yard run with just over seven minutes remaining in the game for the final margin. 

Republic was coming off wins over Neosho and Willard, but the Tigers were unable to move the football successfully for most of the night. The Tigers punted four times, lost a fumble and had a turnover on downs in the first half. 

“I’m really proud of our defense for setting the tone and for setting our offense up,” Roderique said. 

Webb City is now 22-0 all-time against Republic in football.

Webb City finished with 427 yards of offense, 362 rushing and 65 passing. 

Jackson ran for 161 yards on 10 carries, while Wilson had 105 yards on just six carries. Max Stovern contributed 81 yards on five carries. 

Republic had 225 yards of offense, 168 rushing and 57 passing. 

In what will be a highly-anticipated Week 4 showdown, Webb City (2-1) travels to rival Carthage (3-0) next Friday night. 

 

WEBB CITY 56, REPUBLIC 20

Webb City   14   28   14   0 — 56

Republic        0     6     6     8— 20

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

WC:  Cade Wilson 39 run (Run failed)

WC: Dupree Jackson 11 run (Fitch run)

Second Quarter

WC: Jackson 76 run (Cooper Crouch kick)

WC: Jackson 35 run (Crouch kick)

REP: Avery Moody 1 run (Kick blocked)

WC: William Hayes 41 pass from Cohl Vaden (Crouch kick)

WC: Trey Roets 24 pass from Vaden (Crouch kick)

Third Quarter

WC: Wilson 41 run (Crouch kick)

REP: Moody 2 run (Run failed)

WC: Vaden 1 run (Crouch kick)

Fourth Quarter

REP: Kanon Krol 2 run (Moody run)

 

PREP FOOTBALL: Carthage dominates in road win over Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEOSHO, Mo. — It was all Carthage on Friday night at Bob Anderson Stadium as the visiting Tigers dominated the Neosho Wildcats 71-14.

The Wildcats (0-3) opened the game with a 65-yard return to the Carthage 30-yard line. Unfortunately for Neosho, that was one of very few highlights in the first half. 

Carthage (3-0) stopped the Wildcats on four plays and took over on downs. The Tigers then orchestrated a seven play, 76- yard run heavy drive to take a quick 7-0 lead. 

“The defense came out and bowed up,” said Tigers’ head coach Jon Guidie. “Offensively, we wanted to come out and execute.”

Carthage’s defense smothered the Wildcat offense on the second drive as well, forcing Neosho to go three and out. The Tigers scored the next play on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Caden Kabance to junior Aiden Rogers. 

Carthage’s Luke Gall looks for running room as Neosho’s Noah Reed. Photo by Israel Perez.

Carthage’s dominance continued with heavy pressure up front. Carthage forced Neosho to go three and out on the next three drives while the Tigers scored at will. Carthage scored on three more consecutive drives of 45, 45, and 87 yards. It took a combined total of 11 plays during those three drives to go up 36-0. 

“That was big,” Guidie said of the defensive pressure. “Watching film, that quarterback (Neosho senior Evan Haskins) had a good game last week. We wanted to make sure we kept him in the pocket and pressured him.”

Junior Luke Gall continued to carry the Tiger offense, scoring on a 48-yard option around the right side to put Carthage up 43-0. 

Neosho’s Isaiah Green looks to elude the Carthage defense on Friday night.

Neosho was able to put together some offense in the second quarter. The Wildcats put together a balanced 53-yard drive that was capped off with a touchdown run by Jared Siler. 

Carthage quickly put a stop to allowing the Wildcats to build momentum. Gall, who seemed to score from everywhere on the field, dashed for a 69-yard touchdown run on the Tigers’ next play. 

“He’s (Gall) pretty special,” Guidie said. “He’s one of the hardest working kids. He’s a joy to coach everyday and he deserves everything he gets.”

Carthage added another touchdown for good measure just before the end of the first half with a three yard touchdown run by junior running back Clay Kinder. Carthage led 57-7 at halftime.

Carthage came out and did exactly what Guidie wanted them to. 

“We preached execution all week,” said Guidie. “All the way across the board from our tight ends to our h-back, they did a great job.” 

The Tigers’ defense only allowed three first downs in the first half, overall, a dominating performance. 

Both teams scored in the second half with the final tally favoring the Tigers 71-14. 

Neosho looks to rebound next week with a trip to Branson while Carthage will host rival Webb City.

 

CARTHAGE 71, NEOSHO 14

Carthage 29   28   7    7 —  71

Neosho      0     7    0    7—  14

SCORING SUMMARY

CAR: Gall 6 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Rockers 24 pass from Kabance (Williams pass from Kinder)

CAR: Gall 11 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Kabance 45 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Kabance 6 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Gall 47 run (Mejia kick)

NEO: Siler 12 run (Pastor kick)

CAR: Gall 69 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Kinder 3 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Rose 14 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Tate 31 run (Mejia kick)

NEO: Siler 23 run (Pastor kick)

Neosho’s Evan Haskins picks up a gain on the ground against the Carthage Tigers on Friday night.

 

Carthage QB Caden Kabance looks for an opening against Neosho on Friday night at Bob Anderson Stadium. All photos by Israel Perez.

 

Carthage’s Cale Patrick catches a pass against Neosho’s Aiden Howell.

PREP FOOTBALL: Joplin starts fast on both sides of the ball and rolls through Ozark 42-7

Posted on by Lucas Davis

OZARK, Mo. — Joplin avenged a loss from a year ago by blitzkrieging Ozark for a 42-7 win in Central Ozark Conference play on Friday.

Joplin scored on its first five possessions of the first half while the defense forced a pair of turnovers as well as a turnover on downs to build a 35-7 lead by the intermission. Joplin’s offense added another score in the third quarter to start a running clock while the defense pitched a second-half shutout en route to victory.

“I still think there are some things we need to clean up but all in all, I felt like we started how we needed to start and we finished how we needed to finish,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “We just need to clean up some stuff in the middle and get better, but I think it was a good week.”

With the win, Joplin improves to 3-0 on the season and in the Central Ozark Conference. 

Joplin tight end LT Atherton stretches for the goal line for one of his three touchdown receptions on Friday in the Eagles’ road win over Ozark. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

STATS

Joplin quarterback Always Wright completed 17-of-19 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns, while adding three carries for 23 yards on the ground.

Tight end LT Atherton caught seven passes for a game-high 127 yards and three touchdowns. WR Hudson Moore hauled in four passes for 73 yards and touchdown, while WR Terrance Gibson caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. 

RB Quin Renfro carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards and a touchdown, while Drew VanGilder had six carries for 33 yards.

GAME ACTION

Joplin found its groove on offense early, marching 54 yards on 11 plays — converting two fourth downs in the process — on the opening drive for a score. Wright found Moore on the far left side with Moore spinning away from the defender before sprinting to the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown with 7:53 on the clock to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

“That was the first time this season we started on offense,” Jasper said. “It was nice just to execute, convert a couple of fourth downs and get a score to put pressure on their offense. We talked about it before, but if Ozark can get a lead and take the air out of the ball, they can be difficult to beat.”

After Joplin’s defense forced a three-and-out with the offense taking over at the OHS 38, Wright picked up 22 yards on a scramble before hitting Atherton on a play-action pass over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead in just two plays.

Joplin WR Hudson Moore crosses the goal line on the first drive of the game in the Eagles’ win over Ozark on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“They were showing early that they were going to load the box to force us to throw the ball,” Jasper said. “I feel like we’ve shown we can (run the ball and pass the ball), and we were able to execute through the air and run when we needed to. I felt like that was very effective.”

Ozark cut into the Joplin lead on the Tigers’ ensuing drive when quarterback Jace Easley found room to run from 13 yards out with 1:59 left in the first quarter.

Joplin answered right back on the ensuing possession, needing just five plays to find the end zone for a third straight possession. Wright found Atherton for gains of 19 and 37 yards before Renfro capped the drive with a 2-yard rushing score to put Joplin on top 21-7 with four seconds left in the first quarter. 

Joplin dipped into its back of tricks on the next drive, as Bruce Wilbert connected for a 63-yard halfback pass to Gibson for a touchdown to five the Eagles a 28-7 lead with a little more than nine minutes left in the first half.

“Bruce is a really good athlete who can throw the ball,” Jasper said. “We have been working on that play for a while and had it in our back pocket. We felt like with what Ozark was doing on defense, that was a good time to pull out.”

Joplin’s defense forced a turnover on the ensuing drive as Easley fumbled the snap to DE Joe Jasper, giving the offense the ball at the OHS 42. The Eagles offense took advantage as Wright hit Atherton up the seam for a 19-yard touchdown with 6:32 left to make the score 35-7.

Joplin’s Evan Overstreet picked off an Ozark pass on the following Tigers’ drive for the second forced turnover by the Eagles. The Eagles were forced to punt for the first time in the game on the next drive with 2:30 left in the first half.

Joplin WR Terrance Gibson hauls in a halfback pass from Bruce Wilbert that went for a 63-yard touchdown in the Eagles’ win over Ozark on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

In the first half, the Eagles completed 13-of-14 passes for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns as they gashed the Tigers through the air while gaining more than 300 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. 

Joplin didn’t slow down in the second half as the defense forced a turnover on downs with the offense making the most of it. The Eagles marched 65 yards on eight plays with Wright finding Atherton from 9 yards out for a touchdown, their third pitch-and-catch score of the night, to give Joplin a 42-7 lead with 3:53 left in the third quarter to start the running clock.

“I thought he was really efficient and did a good job of finding guys or using his legs when he needed to,” Jasper said of Wright. “Coach (Jacob) Hewitt saw some things with our tight ends and we executed. Always knew what he was looking for and that led to LT having a big night.”

Ozark threatened to score at the start of the fourth, but the Eagle defense forced the Tigers into another turnover on downs with four stops inside the 5-yard line for a goal-line stand.

UP NEXT

Joplin hosts Carl Junction (2-1) in Week 4 at Junge Field. 

PREP FOOTBALL: Carl Junction shakes off slow start to beat Branson

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — After an up-an-down first quarter where Carl Junction’s defense held Branson at bay, the Bulldog offense settled into a rhythm in the second quarter on the way to picking up a 33-7 win over the Pirates on Friday at Bulldog Stadium.

Branson (1-2) was forced to punt the opening possession only to see Carl Junction (2-1) muff the return over to the Pirates deep in Bulldog territory.

Carl Junction’s defense forced Branson into a turnover on downs before going three-and-out on its first possession of the game. The Bulldog defense rallied again, as Ayden Bard came up with an interception and returned it 35 yards to the house for a touchdown to give Carl Junction a 7-0 lead with 2:04 to play in the first quarter.

Carl Junction opened the game up in the second quarter, getting on the board with an 8-yard touchdown pass from QB Kyler Perry to Shane Diskin with 3:18 to go in the half to make the score 13-0.

With 1:50 left in the half, Branson fumbled deep in their own territory, setting up a Perry 12-yard touchdown pass to Dexter Merrell to make the score 20-0.

After a 50-yard return on the kickoff to start the second half, Perry hit Bard on a deep pass on the first play from scrimmage to set up first and goal on the Pirate 5. Carl Junction’s Tony Stewart rumbled in from 2 yards out with 10:31 to go in the third to extend the lead to 26-0.

A few minutes later, Carter Jenkins got Branson on the scoreboard with a pick-6 with 8:15 to go in the third to trim CJ’s lead to 26-7.

With 3:06 to go in the game, an 8-yard touchdown run by Stewart put the final cap on the game, bringing the score to 33-7.

GIRLS TENNIS: Joplin wins Thomas Jefferson invite; host Cavaliers take second

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Led by first-place showings in both doubles brackets, the Joplin High School girls tennis team won the Thomas Jefferson Invitational on Friday.

The Eagles finished with 22 points, while the host Cavaliers were second with 17. North Kansas City took third with 12 points. Also competing were Carthage (9), Aurora (6.5), College Heights (5.5), Webb City (4.5) and Neosho (1).

“The ladies had a great outing today,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said. “Everyone came prepared and focused, and it really showed. We were able to run through doubles with relative ease and that’s nice to see since that is such a focus for us at practice. When the girls are competitive and feel like they have something to prove then they can play with the best of them. Overall it was a great day and gives us some much-needed confidence going into next week.”

Joplin’s Emma Watts and Astrid Cardenas won the No. 1 doubles bracket by going 3-0. 

The Eagles defeated Neosho’s Jasmine Martinez-Alexandra Olsbo 8-0 in the first round,  North Kansas City’s Adele Merchant-Katreena Dinh 8-1 in the semifinals and Carthage’s Kianna Yates-Daniela Marquez 8-2 in the title match.

“Astrid and Emma came out of the gates swinging in the finals and played a much cleaner game against Carthage,” Perry said. “It was the type of win they knew they could have and wanted to prove it since they had a tougher time on Tuesday.”

Joplin’s No. 2 doubles team of Cloey Blank and Brynn Driver also took first place.

The Eagles defeated North Kansas City’s Esther Ko-Lilly Gerend 8-2 in the first round, handled Webb City’s Kylee Smith-Walker Hoffman 8-2 in the semifinals and then beat Thomas Jefferson’s Emily Ro-Warda Morsy 8-1 in the title match.

“Brynn and Cloey dominated at the net and played very well,” Perry commented. 

Also at No. 2 doubles, Aurora’s Emily Gearhart-Kloey Boyd beat Smith-Hoffman 8-3 for third. Carthage’s Cassidy Whitley-Lynnd Guerra dropped the fifth-place match to Ko-Gerend 8-2.

At No. 1 singles, Joplin’s Abry Stayton took third place. 

Stayton defeated Webb City’s Kirsalyn Hood 8-1, suffered an 8-0 setback to North Kansas City’s Sydney Fuger and then defeated College Heights Christian’s Jem Kionasala 8-3 for third place.

Perry noted Stayton simply ran into a stellar player in the semifinals.

“Abry had a tough opponent in the semis,” Perry said of Fuger. “It’s not everyday you get to play one of the top girls in the country. She battled hard against her and I think it really made her hungry for improvement.”

In the fifth-place match, Webb City’s Hood edged Neosho’s Claudia Martensen 8-6.

Joplin’s Mya Ndedi-Ntepe was the runner-up at No. 2 singles. She defeated Webb City’s Kinzlea Smith 8-3, topped College Heights’ Natalie Brueggemann 8-4 and then lost to Thomas Jefferson’s Jeanna Jeyaraj 8-5.

“Mya had an excellent outing,” Perry said. “I think she felt she had something to prove from last night. She had a decisive victory in the first round against the No. 3 seed. In the second match she had to hustle the whole time to find her victory. She had a lead in the finals, but her luck ran out. By the end she was dripping with sweat because she had to out-work every girl she played. She was a severe underdog going in, but she performed better than I even thought she could at times.”

Carthage’s Katie Barton won the third-place match 8-4 over Brueggemann, while Webb City’s Smith took fifth by beating Neosho’s Lydnsey Doke 8-1.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON RESULTS

Thomas Jefferson’s Jeyaraj won the No. 2 singles bracket for her team’s lone first-place finish. 

After a first-round bye, Jeyaraj defeated Carthage’s Barton 8-1 in the semifinals and Ndedi-Ntepe 8-5 in the title match.

Thomas Jefferson’s Ding was the runner-up in the No. 1 singles bracket. After a first-round bye, Ding defeated College Heights’ Kionasala 8-1. In the title match, North Kansas City’s Fuger defeated Ding 8-0.  

At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang-Jessica Joseph won the fifth-place match by beating College Heights Christian’s Hannah Bass-Avery Baker 8-3. The duo of Ro-Morsy took second at No. 2 doubles. 

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON INVITATIONAL

No. 1 Singles

First round matches

Kionasala (CHC) def. Martensen (NEO) 8-0; Fuger (NKC) def. Lopez (CAR) 8-0; Stayton (JOP) def. Hood (WC) 8-1.

Consolation

Hood def. Lopez 8-4; Hood def. Martensen 8-6.

Semifinals

Ding (TJ) def. Kionasala 8-1; Fuger def. Stayton 8-0.

Third Place

Stayton def. Kionasala 8-3.

Title Match

Fuger def. Ding 8-0.

 

No. 2 Singles

First round matches

Barton (CAR) def. Doke (NEO) 8-1; Brueggemann (CHC) def. Skaggs (NKC) 9-8 (7-5); Ndedi-Ntepe (JOP) def. Smith (WC) 8-3.

Consolation

Smith def. Skaggs 8-6; Smith def. Doke 8-1.

Semifinals

Jeyaraj (TJ) def. Barton 8-2; Ndedi-Ntepe def. Brueggemann 8-4.

Third Place

Barton def. Brueggemann 8-4.

Title Match

Jeyaraj def. Ndedi-Ntepe 8-5.

 

No. 1 Doubles

First round matches

Watts-Cardenas (JOP) def. Martinez-Olsbo (NEO) 8-0; Merchant-Dinh (NKC) def. Bass-Baker (CHC) 8-6; Yates-Marquez (CAR) def. Hollingsworth-Ensminger (WC) 8-0; Ray-Bradley (AUR) def. Yang-Joseph (TJ) 9-8 (11-9).

Consolation Bracket

Bass-Baker def. Martinez-Olsbo 8-2; Yang-Joseph def. Hollingsworth-Ensminger 8-5; Yang-Joseph def. Bass-Baker 8-3.

Semifinals

Watts-Cardenas def. Merchant-Dinh 8-1; Yates-Marquez def. Ray-Bradley 8-1.

Third Place

Merchant-Dinh def. Ray-Bradley 8-4.

Title Match

Watts-Cardenas def. Yates-Marquez 8-2.

 

No. 2 Doubles

First round matches

Gearhart-Boyd (AUR) def. Whitley-Guerra (CAR) 8-4; Ro-Morsy (TJ) def. Keeton-Martensen (NEO) 8-2; Smith-Hoffman (WC) def. Bishop-Smathers (CHC) 9-7; Blank-Driver (JOP) def. Ko-Gerend (NKC) 8-2.

Consolation

Whitley-Guerra def. Keeton-Martensen 8-5; Ko-Gerend def. Bishop-Smathers 8-4; Ko-Gerend def. Whitley-Guerra 8-2.

Semifinals

Ro-Morsy def. Gearhart-Boyd 8-3; Blank-Driver def. Smith-Hoffman 8-2.

Third Place

Gearhart-Boyd def. Smith-Hoffman 8-3.

Title Match

Blank-Driver def. Ro-Morsy 8-1.

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