Last week: Carl Junction def. Branson 33-7; Joplin def. Ozark 42-7
Last year’s meeting: Joplin def. Carl Junction 49-28
OUTLOOK: Joplin enters Week 4 with a 3-0 record and moved up to third in the Class 6 media rankings. The Eagles square off against Carl Junction, which is the first of two consecutive weeks at Junge Field for JHS. Joplin’s offense is rolling right now, averaging 37 points per game under new OC Jacob Hewitt. Last week, QB Always Wright completed 17-of-19 passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns. 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 and WR Terrance Gibson caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. The JHS defense will look to continue its strong work from last week where it pitched a shutout the final three quarters against the Tigers and forced a pair of turnovers in the win.
Carl Junction bounced back from a Week 2 loss to Carthage with a dominating win over Branson. The Bulldogs’ defense carried the team over the first quarter of action while the offense gained its footing, with Ayden Bard coming up with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown to give CJ the initial lead. After that, QB Kyler Perry had passing scores to Shane Diskin and Dexter Merrell before Tony Stewart found paydirt from 2 yards out to make the score 26-0. Stewart added a second TD run late to seal the win.
Joplin currently sits in a tie atop the Central Ozark Conference with Carthage, with both schools sporting a 3-0 record. Republic, Carl Junction, Nixa and Webb City are all 2-1.
Last week: Webb City def. Republic 56-20; Carthage def. Neosho 71-14
Last year’s meeting: Webb City defeated Carthage 42-21 in the district championship game. There was no regular season meeting.
OUTLOOK: This rivalry clash between last year’s Central Ozark Conference co-champions has significant conference and district implications, with the possibility of deciding home field advantage in the postseason.
Webb City is ranked second in Class 5, while Carthage is ranked fifth.
In last week’s win over Republic, Webb City racked up 427 yards of offense, with 362 on the ground. Senior RB Dupree Jackson has now ran for 458 yards with seven touchdowns and classmate Cade Wilson has reached the end zone six times. Senior QB Cohl Vaden has completed four touchdown passes, with William Hayes his top target (7 receptions, 2TD).
Webb City has outscored its opponents 145-81, while Carthage has outscored the opposition 148-28.
Led by QB Caden Kabance, Carthage recorded just under 600 yards of offense last week, with 524 rushing. Junior RB Luke Gall scored four more touchdowns last Friday and now has nine on the season.
Carthage’s 71 points last week was not a school record. The Tigers scored 80 against Marshfield on Oct. 30 of 2013 and 77 against McDonald County in 2006.
Seneca moved above .500 on the season after earning a 25-23, 25-14 and 25-19 sweep of College Heights on Thursday.
The Indians improved their record to 4-3 with the win, while the Cougars fell to 3-3.
Parker Long finished with 12 kills, 11 digs, two blocks and three aces to lead Seneca, while Ellie Barnes had eight kills, eight digs and two aces. Jera Jameson had six kills, six aces, nine digs and a block, while Braxton Raulston had six kills and three aces. Rylee Darnell had seven digs, two aces and a block, and Tatum White had two kills. Brylee Sage and Darnell also combined for 28 total assists.
Leading the way for College Heights was Addie Lawrence, who finished with 15 kills. Ava Mesena had 17 digs, while Maddy Colin had 21 assists and 10 points in serve. Lauren Ukena had 11 service points, while Marley Woodford added nine.
Seneca is at McDonald County on Tuesday, while College Heights takes part in a tournament at Lamar on Saturday.
A solid Republic squad handed Joplin an 8-1 loss on Thursday night in a Central Ozark Conference girls tennis dual at the JHS Athletic Complex.
Joplin’s lone win came at No. 1 doubles, as Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts defeated Elsie Crawford and Mia Stan 8-1.
At No. 2 doubles, Republic’s Abigail McCord and Morgan Lewis defeated Abry Stayton and Mya Ndedi-Ntepe 8-2, while Jasmine Howard and Isabelle Wells topped Cloey Blank and Brynn Driver 8-3 in the No. 3 doubles match.
In singles play, Crawford defeated Cardenas 8-2, Howard beat Watts 8-3 and McCord edged Stayton 9-7.
Lewis defeated Ndedi-Ntepe 8-4, Stan topped Blank 8-2 and Ashlyn Leonard nipped Driver 9-7.
“We had a tough match against a tough team,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said. “Astrid and Emma did a great job getting their win tonight. Abry played hard in a close loss. She played some of the best tennis I’ve seen her play, doing a really good job raising her level to keep the match close. Brynn was the last match done and she played well under the pressure of a big crowd. Each point was hard-fought and intense. Now we have to get over this loss and move on to our tournament tomorrow.”
The Eagles will compete at the Bird-Dog Classic on Friday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.
CASSVILLE, Mo. — McDonald County pushed across five runs in the first inning on the way to a 12-1 win in six innings over Cassville on Thursday.
After the five-run first frame, the Mustangs (9-2) added a run in the second before scoring twice in the fourth to push the lead to 8-1. McDonald County closed the game out early after scoring four runs in the sixth inning.
Madeline McCall earned the complete-game win after allowing one unearned run on three hits, a walk and 15 strikeouts over six innings.
Alyssa Whisenhunt took the loss after allowing 12 runs, eight earned, on 10 hits, three walks and four strikeouts over six innings.
Reagan Myrick led McDonald County at the plate with two hits, including a double, and tied for a team-high in RBI with three to go along with a run scored. Katelynn Townsend had one hit and three RBI, while Nevaeh Dodson had a team-high three hits, including a double, and scored a team-high four runs. Adasyn Leach also had a hit and scored a run, while driving in two.
Nixa used a go-ahead two-run home run from Chloe Krans in the top of the fifth inning to earn a 2-1 win over Joplin in Central Ozark Conference action on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.
Joplin (7-8, 0-4 COC) got the scoring started in the bottom of the first after Izzy Yust led off the inning with an infield hit before coming around to score later in the inning on an RBI groundout from Jadyn Pankow for a 1-0 lead.
After a quiet four innings at the plate, Nixa (9-4, 4-0 COC) found life with the bats in the fifth inning. Sara Sweaney started the inning off with an extended at-bat before reaching base on a single. Krans fell down in an 0-2 count before ripping a ball over the wall in left field to give Nixa a 2-1 advantage.
Joplin had the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first with one out in the bottom of the seventh before a strikeout and groundout ended the threat and the game.
Maddy Meierer earned the win in the circle after allowing one run on three hits and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Jill McDaniel took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits and five strikeouts in seven innings.
Joplin takes part in the Branson Lady Pirate Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The moment Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples graduated from college, she set a lofty goal for herself as she headed into her career as an educator and volleyball coach.
Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples (right) embraces Destiny Buerge after Sharples earned her 500th career win against McDonald County on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“A long time ago, as a kid, I kind of said, ‘I think I want to win 500 games,’” Sharples said with a smile. “So, that was kind of the goal coming out of college.”
On Thursday, Sharples reached that career milestone, notching her 500th win as a head coach when her Bulldogs defeated McDonald County 25-8, 25-11 and 25-6 in front of a standing ovation from the home crowd.
“It means I have coached a lot of volleyball games, for sure,” Sharples said with a smile when asked what the 500th win means to her. “Most importantly, (I cherish) the relationships and the people I’ve met through volleyball. … It’s amazing. I have been very blessed to have some really great teams and great kids who bought into my program and kept it successful.”
Sharples started her volleyball coaching career at Purdy (1997-2002) before stops at Odessa (2002-04), Diamond (2005-10) and Carthage (2010-2016) ultimately led her to Carl Junction. In her career, Sharples has coached nine district championship teams and four Elite Eight squads.
“I love the game of volleyball,” Sharples said when asked about her passion for coaching. “I really do. It’s just an amazing game and a great team game. I fell in love with it a long time ago and just kept that passion.
“It’s the kids, too. It really is. I have been so lucky to coach such great kids. Watching them grow as players is always really exciting for me.”
WIN NO. 500
Carl Junction Maisen McCluney rips a kill in the Bulldogs’ win over McDonald County. Photo by Israel Perez.
Carl Junction started the night in control and never wavered. The Bulldogs went to work in service early and built a suffocating 16-3 lead off a kill from Destiny Buerge. The momentum carried on through the first set with Jessa Hylton ending the game with an ace in service.
The second set was closer in the onset, as the Mustangs built an 8-6 lead with seven of those points coming on CJ errors. The Bulldogs used a seven-point service run Kylie Scott to regain the momentum and the lead, 12-8. Abigale Wilson highlighted the run with two kills, while Hylton added a kill and Scott added an ace.
A three-point run by Delani Mertens in service pushed the lead to 18-10, with Logan Jones and Hylton earning kills before Mertens delivered an ace. After a pair of sideouts, CJ rattled off six straight points with Hylton in service. Hylton had two aces, with Scott and Maisen McCluney earning kills.
“We just really encouraged them going into the third game to stay really disciplined in what we do,” Sharples said. “We can’t let what is happening on the other side of the net affect that.”
Carl Junction’s Jessa Hylton earns a kill in the Bulldogs’ win over McDonald County on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set on the back of a five-point service run from Hylton that featured an ace and kills from Scott and Jones. After building a 23-6 lead, Mertens finished off Sharples’ 500th win with back to back aces.
STATS
Hylton led Carl Junction with nine kills and seven aces, while Scott added five kills and five aces. Buerge had eight digs and four kills, while Jones added four kills, a team-high 20 assists and three aces in service. Maggie Brown added six aces.
WHAT’S NEXT?
With Coach Sharples and her Bulldogs set to square off against Carthage on Tuesday, she was asked what the new number was for career wins she wanted to reach. After a laugh, a quick ponder and with a smile on her face, Sharples replied, “Well, we won’t set one of those just yet.”
Additional Photographs
On Thursday night, Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples earned her 500th career win as a volleyball coach. She has coached nine district championship teams and four Elite Eight teams in her storied career that includes stops at Purdy, Odessa, Diamond, Carthage and Carl Junction. Photo by Israel Perez.
Carl Junction’s Olivia Vediz digs a ball during the Bulldogs’ win over McDonald County on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Carl Junction’s Logan Jones redirects the ball in the Bulldogs’ win over McDonald County on Thursday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team defeated Webb City 8-1 on Thursday at the Millennium Family Fitness courts.
The Cavaliers improved to 6-0.
In singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding defeated Kirsalyn Hood 8-1, while Jeanna Jeyaraj beat Kinzlea Smith 8-2 and Kyla Yang topped Shelby Ensminger 8-2.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jessica Joseph defeated Brynlee Hollingsworth 8-1, while Warda Morsy edged Ally Ansley 8-6 and Emalee Ro beat Walker Hoffman 8-5.
In doubles, TJ’s Ding and Jeyaraj defeated Hood and Smith 8-6, while Webb City’s Ensminger and Hollingsworth beat Yang and Ro 8-3. The Cavaliers won the No. 3 doubles match, as Joseph-Morsy defeated Ansley-Hoffman 8-3.
Utilizing a balanced attack at the net, the Joplin High School volleyball team earned a 3-0 non-conference victory over Aurora on Thursday night inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
The Eagles defeated the Houn’ Dawgs 25-10, 25-16, 25-22.
“We took care of business when we needed to,” Eagles coach Desiree Felker said. “We did a pretty good job of mixing up what we were trying to do. That’s something we’ve been working on…not just taking big swings all the time. We’ve been working on finding holes on the court and I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight.”
Joplin improved its record to 5-2-2.
Eight different players recorded a kill in the win.
“It’s a strength that we have,” Felker said of the depth at the net. “We can move the ball around to a lot of girls. If someone is struggling, we can get the ball to someone else. We have a lot of girls willing to step up. We have the numbers to get it done. We’re also doing a good job of mixing up our sets. “
Senior middle hitter Emma Floyd led the Eagles with 11 kills, while junior outside hitter Abby Edwards added 10 kills. Senior outside hitters Angelina Schramm and Allie Lawrence contributed seven and six kills, respectively, while sophomore middle hitter Bailey Owens chipped in five kills.
Junior setter Kaya Cooper handed out 23 assists, while classmate Abby Hembree had 12 assists.
Junior defensive specialist Paisley Parker had a team-high 18 digs. Lawrence added eight digs, while Edwards had six and Cooper had five.
After a quick Joplin victory in the first set, the visitors hung tough in the second set.
The set was deadlocked at seven when Joplin gained the momentum for good. The Eagles rattled off 15 of the next 20 points en route to victory.
In the third set, Joplin led 8-0 after an ace from Lawrence and soon had built a comfortable 11-2 advantage following a kill from Floyd and an ace from Hembree.
A block from Logan Bruggeman, a kill from Lawrence and an ace from Cooper gave the Eagles a 19-10 cushion.
Later in the set, Floyd and Owens had kills and Parker served an ace. Joplin led 20-11, but Aurora fought back.
The Houn’ Dawgs pulled within two points late in the set before the hosts finished off the sweep.
Felker noted she’s been pleased with her team’s tenacity early in the season.
“We’re willing to out-work our opponents and dig in,” Felker said. “They fight when they have to. If we can keep building on that it could take us a long way this season.”
Joplin is at Webb City on Tuesday night. Of course, Felker was an assistant at Webb City just last season.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a game that featured plenty of offense, Webb City earned a 10-8 victory over Branson on Thursday in Central Ozark Conference softball action at Chuck Barnes Field.
The two teams combined for 28 hits, 18 runs and 10 errors.
Snapping a three-game skid, Webb City improved to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the COC. Branson fell to 5-6 and 1-3 in the conference.
Webb City had 16 hits in the game. Dawsyn Decker went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Morgan Brannon, Peyton Hawkins, Hannah Wells, Kaylyn Gilbert and Shelby Gardner all had two hits apiece.
Hawkins drove in three runs, while Wells had two RBI.
Laney Taylor started in the circle and allowed three earned runs on nine hits in four innings. Hawkins pitched the final three innings and did not allow an earned run.
Branson’s Peyton Bonsey took the loss after giving up 10 runs, five earned, on 16 hits. The Pirates had six errors, while the Cardinals committed four.
Langley Miller and Bonsey had three hits apiece for the Pirates.
Webb City stranded 10 runners, while Branson left seven on.
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Gilbert’s RBI single up the middle.
Webb City extended its lead by plating four runs in the second. Ripley Shanks and Decker both singled to lead off the inning. Shanks scored from third on a double steal and Decker came home on a Branson error.
Hawkins and Wells both delivered run-scoring ground outs to make it 5-0 before Jocelyn McQueen’s two-run single got the Pirates on the board in the third.
The Cardinals pushed across two runs in the fourth.
Gardner singled and later scored after a bunt and a Branson error. Hawkins singled and later came home when Wells smacked an RBI single through the left side, giving the hosts a 7-2 advantage.
The Pirates scored three runs in the fifth, two on a Bonsey single, to cut their deficit to 7-5.
The Cardinals responded with three runs in the bottom half. Hawkins lined a two-run single into left and later scored on an error for a five-run cushion.
Taking advantage of a pair of Webb City errors, Branson plated three runs in the sixth.
Webb City will compete at the Park Hill Tournament this weekend.
