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Month: September 2021

PREP FOOTBALL: Missouri Media releases latest football rankings

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Below are the Missouri Media statewide high school football rankings, as compiled by a 10-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. 

Joplin (4-0) is ranked third in Class 6, while Carthage (4-0) is ranked second in Class 5. Webb City (2-2) is now ranked fifth in Class 5. 

Lamar (4-0) remains on top of the Class 2 poll. 

The Missouri Media panel is made up of Dion Clisso, PrepsKC; Cody Thorn, The Examiner; Dave Kvidahl, STLHighschoolsports.com; Tom Rackers, Jefferson City News-Tribune; Chris Parker, Ozone Sports; Brandon Zenner, The St. Joseph News-Press; J.B. Connoley, KRES radio; Matt King, The Daily Journal; Jason Peake, SoMo-Sports.com; Brian Rosener, Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic.

First-place votes in parenthesis.

 

CLASS 6

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. CBC (5), 3-1, 95, 1 
  2. Liberty North (4), 2-1, 93, 2 
  3. Joplin (1), 4-0, 78, 3
  4. DeSmet, 2-2, 66, 5 
  5. Lee’s Summit North, 4-0, 54, 8
  6. Francis Howell, 4-0, 51, 6
  7. Nixa, 3-1, 38, 7
  8. Hazelwood Central, 4-0, 23, 9
  9. Park Hill South, 4-0, 21, 10
  10. Kirkwood, 4-0, 17, NR

Dropped out: No. 4 Raymore-Peculiar

Also receiving votes: Raymore-Peculiar (2-2), 14

 

CLASS 5

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Jackson (9), 4-0, 99, 1
  2. Carthage (1), 4-0, 84, 5  
  3. Raytown, 2-0, 80, 3
  4. Holt, 4-0, 76, 4
  5. Webb City, 2-2, 57, 2
  6. Lebanon, 4-0, 44, 7 
  7. Platte County, 3-1, 29, NR
  8. Fort Osage, 3-1, 22, 9 
  9. Jefferson City Helias, 3-1, 21, 10
  10. Ladue, 3-1, 18, 8

Dropped out: No. 6 North Kansas City

Also receiving votes: Rockwood Summit (4-0), 10; North Kansas City (2-2), 8; Battle (2-1), 1; Springfield Glendale (3-0), 1

 

CLASS 4

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Smithville (8), 4-0, 98, 1
  2. West Plains (1), 4-0, 86, 2
  3. MICDS (1), 4-0, 83, 3 
  4. Hannibal, 4-0, 73, 4
  5. Union, 4-0, 53, 7 
  6. Harrisonville, 3-1, 41, 9 
  7. St. Dominic, 3-1, 29, 5
  8. Lincoln College Prep, 4-0, 27, NR 
  9. McCluer, 3-1, 22, 8
  10. Warrensburg, 3-1, 18, 6 

Dropped out: No. 10 Vashon

Also receiving votes: Vashon (4-0), 13; St. Joseph Lafayette (4-0), 6; Nevada (3-1), 1 

 

CLASS 3

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Odessa (10), 4-0, 100, 2  
  2. St. Mary’s, 2-1, 88, 3
  3. Valle Catholic, 4-0, 79, 4
  4. St. Pius X, 4-0, 68, 5
  5. Lutheran North, 2-2, 52, 6
  6. Boonville, 3-1, 48, NR
  7. Blair Oaks, 3-1, 43, 1 
  8. Mexico, 4-0, 32, 8
  9. Cardinal Ritter, 2-2, 22, 7 
  10. Park Hills Central, 3-1, 12, 10

Dropped out: No. 8 Summit Christian Academy

Also receiving votes: Kennett (4-0), 4; Buffalo (3-1), 1; Summit Christian (3-1), 1

 

CLASS 2

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Lamar (10), 4-0, 100, 1
  2. Fair Grove, 4-0, 85, 2 
  3. Lutheran St. Charles, 3-1, 73, 4 
  4. Hallsville, 4-0, 71, 3
  5. Richmond, 4-0, 57, 7 
  6. Butler, 4-0, 43, 9 
  7. Ava, 4-0, 41, 8  
  8. Duchesne, 2-2, 32, 5 
  9. Jefferson, 3-1, 21, 6
  10. Bowling Green. 3-0, 13, NR

Dropped out: No. 10 Maryville

Also receiving votes: Lafayette County (3-1), 10; Maryville (1-3), 2; North Callaway (3-0) 1; Palmyra (2-2), 1  

 

CLASS 1

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Windsor (9), 4-0, 97, 1
  2. Monroe City, 4-0, 87, 2
  3. Mid Buchanan (1), 4-0, 80, 3
  4. Hayti, 3-0, 65, 4
  5. Marionville, 4-0, 60, 5
  6. East Buchanan, 4-0, 50, 7 
  7. Harrisburg, 4-0, 35, 8
  8. Thayer, 3-1, 30, 9
  9. Hamilton-Penney, 3-1, 26, 6
  10. Skyline, 2-2, 12, NR

Dropped out: No. 10 Westran

Also receiving votes: Marceline (3-1), 6; Sarcoxie (4-0), 1: Westran (2-2), 1 

GIRLS GOLF: Carthage wins third straight invite; Cameron, Bryant finish 1-2

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE, Mo.  — In just a week’s time, the Carthage High School girls golf team has won three straight tournaments. 

The host Tigers claimed the team championship at the 11th annual eCarthage.com Invitational on Monday at the Carthage Golf Course. 

Carthage finished with a team score of 371, six strokes better than runner-up Nevada. 

“I feel really good about how they performed today,” Carthage coach James Newman said. “They played up to their own expectations. It was windy, and it was kind of a challenging day out there, so I was proud of them for meeting that challenge.”

Carthage is off to a stellar start to the 2021 season. The Tigers won two events last week, the Carl Junction Invitational at Briarbrook and the Joplin Invitational at Schifferdecker. 

In addition to a runner-up finish at Seneca, Carthage also claimed top honors in the two-day Papa John’s Challenge. 

“Some of them played in some junior tournaments over the summer and that’s helped,” Newman said. “They put positive pressure on each other in practice, which is good. And they’re very encouraging to each other in practice.” 

Nevada finished second to Carthage on Monday with a 377 after edging the Tigers earlier this month at the Seneca Invitational.  

“I told the girls if they can all shoot below 100 we’ll win tournaments,” Nevada coach Brian Leonard said. “If we would have done that today we would have won here. But I was really pleased with how they played today.” 

Pictured is Nevada freshman Emree Cameron.

Nevada freshman Emree Cameron earned individual medalist honors by carding a 1-over-par 72. Cameron made par on nine holes, and she had three birdies to go along with an eagle on No. 13. 

Cameron, who also finished on top of the leaderboard at Seneca and Joplin, was 2-over on the front nine and 1-under on the back nine. 

“She’s been playing really well,” Leonard said of Cameron. “She played really well all summer and she’s carried that over into the season. She’s got a long tee ball. Her distance is incredible. We’re working on getting her short game dialed in. And I was really pleased with Riley Severance’s 95 today, too.”

Carthage senior Hailey Bryant was the tourney’s runner-up with a 4-over-par 75. 

Bryant, who was 2-over on both the front and back nine, made par on nine holes and had four birdies.

Bryant was the top finisher at the season-opening Papa John’s Challenge and was also the medalist at last week’s Carl Junction invite. She finished second at Seneca’s tournament and took third at Joplin’s invite.

It’s safe to say the returning state-qualifier is off to a solid start to the fall campaign. 

“She’s gotten better in every tournament,” Newman said of Bryant. “She just shot her best ever score today of 75. She keeps climbing the hill. She’s not allowing herself to plateau. We’re moving closer to conference, districts and state, and I know she wants to be peaking at the right time of the season.” 

Cassville’s Avery Chappell placed third with an 81, Webb City’s Sydney French finished fourth with a 91 and Nevada’s Severance was fifth with a 95.

Carthage’s Aubri Fisher shot a 96 to take sixth place, while teammate Caitlin Derryberry carded 97 to finish seventh to give the hosts three of the top seven scores. 

McDonald County’s Kyla Moore shot a 97 to place eighth, while Joplin’s Lindsey Belnap finished ninth with a 98. Belnap had an eagle on hole No. 11. Monett’s Claire Nation (99) rounded out the top 10.

Webb City’s Laya McAllister took 12th (100) and Joplin’s Drew Yockey was 13th (101). Nevada’s Paige Hertzberg finished 14th (102) and Carthage’s Ava Lacey was 15th (103). Seneca’s Madison Babbitt shot a 103 to finish 16th and Carl Junction’s Anna Burch was 17th (108).

There were 10 teams in attendance.

Local golf teams will compete in Nevada on Friday at the Frank E. Peters Golf Course. 

 

e.Carthage.com Invitational

CARTHAGE (371) — Hailey Bryant 75, Aubri Fisher 96, Caitlin Derryberry 97, Ava Lacey 103, Shay Gaddis 114. 

NEVADA (377) — Emree Cameron 72, Riley Severance 95, Paige Hertzberg 102, Libby Barrett 108, Katie Pennington 109.

WEBB CITY (415) — Sydney French 91, Laya McAllister 100, Jacie Crouch 111, Sophia Coulson 113, Langlee Walker 125. 

JOPLIN (417) — Lindsey Belnap 98, Drew Yockey 101, Sophia Schwartz 109, Kenna Haley 109, Chloe Friend 125. 

MOUNT VERNON (435) — Kenadi Killingsworth 100, Reese Barrett 109, Madi Phillips 112, Madalyn Cook 114.

MCDONALD COUNTY (441) — Kyla Moore 97, Fayth Ogden 110, Lundyn Trudeau 116, Jolie Stipp 118, Kelsie Lilly 119. 

CARL JUNCTION (448) — Anna Burch 108, Rylee Sprague 111, Chloe Mitchell 114, Olivia Teeter 115, Alex Teeter 121. 

MONETT (483) — Claire Nation 99, Alondra Areolla 119, Katie Geiss 128, Anna Krueger 137.

CASSVILLE — Avery Chappell 81, Gracie Harrison 119, Riley Morris 123.  

INDIVIDUALS — Madison Babbitt 103, Britany Adcock 116, Maddie Schubert 125, Courtnee Bishop 128, ZZ Huertas-Zevaleta 131.

 

The Carthage Tigers pose after winning their own eCarthage.com Invitational on Monday at the Carthage Golf Course. Submitted photo.

 

The Nevada Tigers took second at Monday’s eCarthage.com Invitational. Submitted photo.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: CJ takes 5th at Springfield Classic; Webb City sweeps triangular; TJ takes 3rd as hosts

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Carl Junction takes fifth at Springfield Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carl Junction finished with a 3-2 record on the way to a fifth-place finish at the Springfield Classic volleyball tournament on Saturday.

Carl Junction (8-4) opened pool play with a 25-21, 25-18 win over Bentonville West before defeating Oak Park 25-20, 25-12. The Bulldogs suffered their first loss to Kickapoo 25-21, 25-22 to close out pool play with a second-place standing. 

Carl Junction opened bracket play with a 25-10, 25-19 loss to Nixa before closing the day with a three-set win over Olathe East 25-20, 23-25 and 29-27.

Jessa Hylton led the Bulldogs with a total of 50 kills, 32 digs and eight aces in the tournament. Logan Jones accumulated 121 assists, 24 digs and 12 kills, while Kylie Scott added 26 kills and 11 blocks. Destiny Buerge added 47 digs to go along with 23 kills.

Carl Junction hosts Carthage on Tuesday.

 

Webb City earns wins against El Dorado and St. Mary’s Colgan

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City hosted El Dorado Springs and St. Mary’s Colgan in a triangular tournament on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome and walked away with a pair of wins.

The Cardinals (8-4-1) opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of Colgan, beating the Panthers 25-18, 25-18 and 25-16. 

Kearston Galardo led Webb City in kills with 10, eight digs and an ace. Brenda Lawrence had nine kills and two digs, while Kyah Sanborn had 22 assists and eight digs. Jenna Noel had seven digs, with Kenzie Storm had five digs, four kills, a block and an assist. Kate Brownfield had six aces, three digs, two kills and a block.

The Cardinals went to four sets with the Bulldogs, earning a 25-21, 14-25, 25-18 and 25-21 victory.

Webb City had three players finish with double digit kills, with Brownfield’s 15 leading the way. Brownfield added four digs, two aces and an assist. Lawrence had 12 kills, three digs, a block and an ace, while Galardo had 10 kills, six aces and nine digs. Storm had 10 digs, nine kills and a block. Sophia Crane had 24 digs, one assist and an ace, while Sanborn totaled 40 assists, 12 digs, three kills and an ace.

Webb City hosts Joplin on Tuesday.

 

Thomas Jefferson takes third at own tourney

The host Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers finished third in their own volleyball tournament on Saturday. 

Galena (Mo.) was the tourney champion, while Golden City took second, with the Cavaliers third. 

Scores from the invite are listed below. 

 

Thomas Jefferson Invitational

Gold Pool results

Golden City 25-25, Exeter 15-15

McAuley 22-25, Exeter 25-23

Golden City 25-25, McAuley 11-14

 

Purple Pool results

Galena 25-25, Sheldon 16-16

Galena 26-25, Thomas Jefferson 24-20

Thomas Jefferson 25-25, Sheldon 16-13

 

Bracket play results

Golden City and Galena had byes

Thomas Jefferson 25-25, McAuley 19-19

Exeter 25-25, Sheldon 20-13

Semifinals

Golden City 25-25, Thomas Jefferson 19-21

Galena 25-25, Exeter 5-11

Title match: Galena 28-25, Golden City 26-18

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Defense, late heroics lift Lions over UCO

Posted on by Jason Peake

EDMOND, Okla. — A 54-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from Dawson Herl to Brian Boyd Jr. inside the final minute, as well as a pair of interceptions from Dylan Bolden helped lead the Missouri Southern football team to a 14-10 road win at Central Oklahoma tonight.

The Lions (1-2, 1-2 MIAA) win for the first time over the Bronchos since 2013 and stop a six-game skid against UCO (1-2, 1-2 MIAA). Southern forced three takeaways on the night, including Bolden’s two interceptions, one of which was returned 27 yards for a score.

“This is an MIAA game,” said head coach Atiba Bradley. “You went and you saw the teams go back and forth all night. They scored, we answered. This was a great effort.”

Herl went 8-of-18 for 146 yards, but none were bigger than the 54-yards he got on the touchdown pass to Boyd. Boyd picked up two receptions for 71 yards and a score, while Nathan Glades had 18 carries for 73 yards. Akeem Gilmore, Keandre Bledsoe and Glades had a reception each.

Defensively, the Lions shined today. The team forced three takeaways, including Bolden’s two interceptions and a fumble recovery from Jerod Alton. Malachi Broadnax had eight tackles including seven solo, while Colton Winder had seven stops of his own.

Richard Jordan Jr. had six stops, a sack and two tackles for a loss, while Coleman Booker had six stops of his own. Jordan Jr. went over 200 tackles in his career and now has 202 for the Green and Gold.

Bolden started the scoring for the Lions in the first quarter as he recorded a pick-six, taking an interception 27 yards for the score to put the Lions up 7-0 after the PAT. It was the first interception returned for a touchdown since the 2019 season when Jaylon Alexander had a 55-yarder against Northwest Missouri.

“He (Bolden) was in a cover-two look and staring at the quarterback and he threw him the ball. He made a play and I’m so happy for the guys to get to see their hard work pay off. I couldn’t be happier for them.”

The Bronchos tied the score with 8:44 left in the second quarter with a rushing touchdown from Tucker Pawley and a 26-yard field goal with ten seconds to go before halftime gave UCO a 10-7 lead at the break.

Neither team scored in the third quarter and Southern had a chance to put some points on the board midway through the fourth but a field goal attempt for Nick Williams was no good.

“I went right over to him and told him to pick his head up,” Bradley said. “I told him he’s going to make a game-winner for us sometime, I guarantee it. That kid is good and has a really short memory.”

After forcing another punt, the Southern offense came back on the field with 2:50 to go in the game. Southern got a third-down conversion from Glades with a three-yard carry to the Southern 36-yard line and picked up a short pass from Herl to Jaedon Stoshak setting up what would be the game-winner. On 4th and three from their own 46-yard line, Herl hooked up with Boyd for a 54-yarder to go ahead 14-10 after the PAT from Williams.

Southern had 115 yards on the ground tonight and 153 through the air to out-gain the Bronchos 268 to 249.

Southern will be back in action next Saturday when the Lions host Fort Hays State for Homecoming. Kickoff from Fred G. Hughes Stadium is slated for 2 pm.

PREP SOFTBALL: Late runs lift Liberty North past Webb City; Cardinals hold off Warrensburg

Posted on by Lucas Davis

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Liberty North pulled away from Webb City for a 7-3 win after out-scoring the Cardinals 5-1 over the final three innings of play in the Park Hill softball tournament on Saturday. 

Laney Taylor delivers a pitch to the plate for Webb City this past weekend at the Park Hill tourney. Photo by Cody Thorn. 

The Cardinals (8-5) scored seven runs in the first inning and held off Warrensburg 9-8 in four innings in the second game.

LIBERTY NORTH 7, WEBB CITY 3

Liberty North pushed across two runs in the top of the first before Webb City matched with a two-run bottom of the second. The Eagles broke the tie in the fifth inning after touching home twice. Liberty North added another two spot in the sixth, with Webb City rallying for a single tally in the bottom half, before each team traded a run in the seventh inning. 

Sabrina Rogers earned the win for the Eagles after allowing four runs on seven hits, a walk and two strikeouts in seven complete innings. 

Laney Taylor took the loss for the Cardinals after allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits and a strikeout in five innings. Peyton Hawkins allowed three unearned runs on four hits in two innings of work. 

Kiana McDowell led Liberty North with two hits and three RBI, while Kayley Lenger added a hit, two RBI and scored a run. 

Lauren Hicks led Webb City with a pair of home runs, a team-high three RBI and two runs scored. Kaylyn Gilbert doubled and had two hits while scoring a run. 

 

CARDINALS 9, TIGERS 8

Webb City scored seven runs in the first inning and two more in the second to build an early 9-3 lead before Warrensburg rallied with two runs in the third and three more in the fourth before the final out was made. 

Trailing 1-0, Hawkins got the scoring started in the last of the first with a two-run home run to center to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. Ripley Shanks added a two-run single and Morgan Brannon also picked up an RBI base hit. Hawkins reached on an error in her second at-bat of the inning to allow the seven run to score.

Emalee Lamar doubled home Gilbert and Shanks singled up the middle to score Lamar in the second inning.

Warrensburg’s Molly Nicas hit a two-run home run in the third, while Kayla Bloom had a two-run double and Emma Kreisel had an RBI single in the fourth. The Tigers had the tying run on second in the fourth before Nicas lined out to end the threat.

Hawkins started and earned the win after allowing three unearned runs on two hits, a walk and a strikeout in two innings. Taylor allowed five runs on six hits, a walk and a strikeout in two relief innings.

Kreisel started and took the loss after allowing nine runs, seven earned, on nine hits and two strikeouts in one inning. Brookelynn Becker allowed six hits and struck out two in three scoreless innings.

Webb City is at Carl Junction on Tuesday.

PREP SOFTBALL: Carl Junction notches first two wins of the season 

Posted on by Lucas Davis

REEDS SPRING, Mo. — Carl Junction earned its first two wins of the season after beating Seymour 9-8 and following it up with a 10-7 win over Reeds Spring on Saturday.

CARL JUNCTION 9, SEYMOUR 8

Carl Junction scored four runs in the top of the first inning before Seymour rallied to take a 8-5 behind a five-run fifth. The Bulldogs added four runs in the sixth to rally back for the win.

DaLaynie Hallacy doubled home a run, with Dezi Williams adding a two-run single to highlight the scoring in the first inning. Alivia Haase doubled home Williams in the fifth inning to push the lead to 5-3. 

Seymour’s first three runs of the sixth inning came home on Carl Junction errors before Aubrie Fann wrapped the inning with an RBI single for an 8-5 lead.

Allison Plumlee cut the CJ deficit to 8-6 with a run-scoring single to left to start the rally in the top of the sixth inning. Hallacy added a one-out RBI single before Williams scored Hannah Cantrell and Evalyn Wade on a sac fly to right to give the Bulldogs a 9-8 lead.

Hannah Cole earned the win after allowing eight runs, two earned, on 11 hits, a walk and three strikeouts in six innings of work for Carl Junction.

Hannah Clark took the loss after allowing nine runs, two earned, on 11 hits, two walks and five strikeouts in six innings.

Williams doubled twice and finished with three hits, four RBI and a run scored, while Hallacy doubled for one of her three hits. She added two RBI and scored a run. Addie Brock had two hits and scored two runs. 

 

BULLDOGS 10, WOLVES 7

Carl Junction scored a run in the top of the first to gain the lead and took complete control over Reeds Spring with an eight-run second inning on the way to the win in the second game.

Plumlee singled home Madi Olds in the first inning to give the Bulldogs the advantage. The first two runs of the second came in one a bases-loaded walk and hit-by-pitch in consecutive at-bats before Olds scored on a passed ball two batters later to make the score 4-0. Cole followed with a two-run double, Hallacy and RBI single and Williams a run-scoring triple to give CJ a commanding 8-0 lead.

Olds closed the Bulldog scoring with an RBI double in the sixth inning.

Cole earned the win in the circle after allowing seven runs, three earned, on five hits, a walk and two strikeouts in six innings.

Alexis Baskins took the loss after surrendering 10 runs, three earned, on nine hits, four walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

Olds had a double for one her two hits, while scoring twice and driving in one. Plumlee had one hit and two RBI, while Izzie Southern also registered a pair of hits. Williams had a hit, scored three times and drove in a run. Cole had a double and drove in two.

Carl Junction is at Monett on Monday.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Joplin, Webb City finish 4th, 5th at Southern Stampede; Neosho’s Cole, TJ’s Atteberry earn medals

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Conference rivals Joplin and Webb City finished fourth and fifth in the team standings, and Neosho’s Kaden Cole was the top local finisher in the boys Green Division at the 31st annual Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. 

With three runners in the top 10, Kickapoo was the team champion with 61 points. Liberty North (78) and Rogers Heritage (163) finished second and third, with Joplin (166) and Webb City (261) rounding out the top five squads.

The Green Division, featuring larger schools, featured 30 full teams and 262 runners.

Joplin had four runners finish in the top 29. With that, Eagles coach Dustin Dixon was pleased with his team’s showing.  

“We had a great day,” Dixon said. “All five of the boys who scored today PR’d. We ran great. We feel really good. We came into the year with big time goals and we ran like it today. Some really good Class 5 teams beat us today, but we feel like we had them at the two-mile mark. We just have to finish. My No. 5 (Nicholas Horton) didn’t finish. He collapsed, but he’s going to be fine. We competed really well today, so I’m pleased. We had a good day.”  

Neosho’s Cole crossed the line fifth in a personal best time of 15:37.

Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell finished ninth in 15:53, while Carl Junction’s Collin Emmert was 11th in 15:57. 

Joplin’s Evan Matlock finished 14th (16:03), while Webb City’s Dustin Brockmiller (16:07) and Roman Borboa (16:17) placed 15th and 18th, respectively. 

East Newton’s Kelton Sorrell was 19th (16:18) and Joplin’s Ian Horton took 21st (16:19). 

The top 25 runners were medalists. 

Also, Joplin’s Zaben Barnes finished 29th, East Newton’s Gabe Bergen was 30th, Carthage’s Mariques Strickland placed 35th and East Newton’s Chase Sorrell was 45th. Webb City’s Evan Stevens was 55th and Carthage’s Miquel Solano was 57th. 

Webb City coach Dustin Miller was pleased with his team’s showing. The Cardinals had two runners in the top 18. 

“To come out and finish fifth in a big meet like this is great,” Miller said. “I’m really proud of the guys. We came out and competed well. It’s still early. Our training has gone well and we’ve had guys run really good races in bits and pieces. We haven’t put together a team performance yet, but we’re getting there.”

Miller noted his team continues to make progress, with peaking at the end of the season the ultimate goal. 

“Dustin Brockmiller is just so consistent,” Miller added. “Roman is starting to come around. He looked good and looked focused. Evan Stevens struggled a little bit, but he’ll figure it out. Mason Hedger (93rd) stepped up as our No. 4. He’s starting to believe he’s as good as we tell him he is. And Blake Vaughan (99th) is nails. We can’t ask for any more than he gives us.” 

 

Joplin runners are pictured at the start of Saturday’s Southern Stampede. Photo by Jason Peake.

NEOSHO’S COLE TAKES FIFTH WITH NEW PR

A senior at Neosho, Cole definitely had a day to remember as the top local finisher. He also shattered his previous personal best time. 

Neosho’s Kaden Cole is pictured during Saturday’s Southern Stampede.

“I felt really solid,” Cole said. “I really just wanted to get out there, execute a plan and get a good time. I wanted to get out and not get boxed in and hold that position the whole race.” 

Cole noted finishing fifth in such a stellar field will give him a confidence boost as the season progresses. 

“It’s definitely a big confidence boost for me,” Cole said. “I had a PR by almost 40 seconds. The competition level was a big part of it. Getting a goal for the end of the season really sparks your mood for this race.”

El Dorado Springs standout Daelen Ackley won the race with a time of 15:10. Liberty’s North’s Sage Wilde was second (15:22), with Rolla’s Nathanael Pohlsander (15:30) taking third and Kickapoo’s Tyler Harris (15:32) placing fourth. 

 

ATTEBERRY EARNS MEDAL IN GOLD DIVISION

The area’s smaller schools competed in the Gold Division (Class 1-3 schools in Missouri).

Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry finished 17th with a time of 17:30 to earn the bragging rights as the area’s top finisher. 

“I was surprised a little bit by my time,” Atteberry said, noting a PR. “I didn’t feel like I was going that fast. This meet is three times bigger than the meets I’m used to, so it was great. When you come to these big meets, there’s always runners who compete at a really high level. So it’s just nice to be able to run with them. I’m pretty happy.”

There were 19 full teams and 175 runners in the Gold Division. New Bloomfield’s Nathan Hinrichs won the race in 16:12.

Smithville (45), Metro Christian Academy (92) and Union (98) were the top three teams. McAuley Catholic finished 18th in the standings.

Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry crosses the finish line on Saturday at MSSU.

MCAULEY GAINS EXPERIENCE

Despite being short-handed due to injuries, McAuley Catholic’s young team gained valuable experience, Warriors coach Andy Youngworth noted. 

“I don’t think I did a very good job of preparing the kids for being in a race with nearly 200 kids in,” Youngworth said. “This is a new experience for some of them. But when I saw our times, probably in the worst conditions of the season due to the heat, I think we did OK. I’m not disappointed. I was pleased with the effort. Our finish is what it is. If we would have had our top guys, we might have made a little bit of a move up. But, there weren’t many full squads of Class 1 schools. We’re still running against really good teams.” 

McAuley’s Drew Zeb finished 106th and Armando Alberto was 113th. The Warriors without their No. 1 runner Michael Parrigon and No. 2 runner Kevin Tran.

“We dealt with some injury issues that kept us from fielding a full team,” Youngworth said. “But there was great competition, I think we learned some things and I know I can prepare them better.” 

 

MEET NOTES: The annual event featured 10 races and more than 2,000 runners. 

Competing in the University/Open Men’s Division, Webb City High School graduate Ryan Riddle of Missouri Southern won the 8K race in 24:14.  

Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern were the top two men’s teams. 

 

College results: https://mssulions.com/sports/2021/9/16/2021-missouri-southern-stampede.aspx

 

High school results

http://results.tfmeetpro.com/Dennis_Weber/Missouri_Southern_Stampede/#event6

 

 

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Webb City duo lead area contingent at Southern Stampede

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Competing against the region’s best distance runners in a championship environment, Webb City’s dynamic duo of Abi Street and Riley Hawkins were the top local finishers in the Green Division at the 31st annual Missouri Southern Stampede on Saturday morning at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

The area’s larger high schools competed in the Green Division, while the smaller schools were entered in the Gold Division.

Webb City’s Abi Street (1900) runs with a pack on Saturday at the Southern Stampede.

GREEN DIVISION

There were 27 full squads and 234 runners in the Green Division. The top 25 runners were medalists.

Webb City’s Street finished 17th with a time of 19:23, while Hawkins placed 28th in 19:56. 

“I was really proud of Abi,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “Riley struggled some today, but I think overall we’re getting better as a team.”

Webb City’s girls finished 14th in the final team standings. 

“Our No. 3 runner, Alanna Bundy (109th), struggled some today, but she’s been sick all week,” Miller noted. “So I’m just proud of her for coming out and competing. I thought Izzy Lopez (103rd) and Lauren Kuechler (132nd) had big days for us. We’re going to be a force in a month. Our training has been great.”

Neosho’s Chloe Wood.

As far as other top performers from local schools, Neosho’s Chloe Wood finished 38th in 20:20, while teammate Riley Kemna crossed the line 50th in 20:44. 

Carthage’s Maggie Boyd finished 61st (20:57), Nevada’s Allie Rains was 73rd (21:18) and Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn crossed the line 76th (21:22). 

Carl Junction’s Ally Montez (21:35) and Hannah Franks (21:42) finished 82nd and 85th, respectively. 

The top five teams were Cor Jesu Academy (84), West Plains (105), Eureka (165), Moore (197) and Farmington (219). 

Neosho was 18th, Carl Junction took 20th and Joplin was 21st. 

“We had good performances from the girls, but Jennalee’s been sick all week,” Joplin coach Dustin Dixon said, noting the team was also without its No. 2 runner Allie Keizer. “Our other girls all had season-bests. We’re making steps. A day like today is just about finishing and trying to tough it out. It’s really about competing against other kids who are suffering in the heat with you.”

Bixby’s Cayden Dawson was the individual champion in 17:28, more than a minute faster than runner-up Frances Luna of Cor Jesu Academy (18:47).  

Finishing third through fifth were Kickapoo’s Klarie Brown (18:47), Cor Jesu Academy’s Adrienne Luna (18:56) and Eureka’s Leah Kleekamp (19:00). 

Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn is among a large pack of runners during the early stages of Saturday’s Southern Stampede. Photo by Jason Peake.

GOLD DIVISION

Pictured is Aurora’s Kaci Singer.

The top local finisher in the smaller school division was Aurora’s Kaci Singer, who crossed the line fourth in a time of 20:18. 

Springdale’s Esperanza Trejo (19:57), Owensville’s Ilene Limberg (20:03) and Smithville’s Naomi Hunter (20:11) were the top three finishers. 

East Newton’s Alonna Eytcheson finished seventh in 21:01 to earn medalist honors. 

Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd finished 42nd (23:28), while teammate Sarah Mueller was 89th (26:41). 

McAuley coach Andy Youngworth noted his program’s lone female runner, Kendall Ramsey, was unable to compete due to an injury.

El Dorado Springs (103) and Smithville (108) were the top two teams. 

There were 12 full teams and 119 runners in the Gold Division.

 

Webb City’s Riley Hawkins competes during Saturday’s Southern Stampede.

PREP FOOTBALL: No. 3 Joplin upends Carl Junction 44-6 to remain unbeaten at 4-0

Posted on by Lucas Davis

No. 3 Joplin was dominant on both sides of the ball en route to a 44-6 win over Carl Junction on Friday at Junge Field in Central Ozark Conference action.

The Eagles’ defense limited the Bulldogs to two field goals and 74 yards of offense in the first half while the offense built a 24-6 lead by the intermission to take control. Joplin’s defense one-upped themselves in the second half by pitching a shutout in the final two quarters, with the offense scoring on its first two possessions of the second half before adding a score late to put the game out of reach.

“CJ is a good football team,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “They made us work for everything tonight. At halftime, I told our guys we still have a long way to go. In the second half, they made us earn everything again. I thought we did a good job of staying focused, not getting frustrated, taking what was there and executing all night.”

Joplin’s Donovahn Watkins (68) and Draven VanGilder (58) corral the Carl Junction ball carrier in the Eagles’ win over the Bulldogs on Friday at Junge Field. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

In total, Joplin’s defense forced Carl Junction into six total punts, a turnover on downs and also forced two turnovers on interceptions by Luke Vieselmeyer and Gustavo Onate, while limiting the Bulldogs to 168 total yards of offense in the win.

“Obviously the players are executing at a high level and you have to tip your hat to the defensive staff—Coach (Nick) Reid as the DC, Coach (Alan) Linden as the defensive line coach with Coach (Parker) Howard and Coach (Michael) Juergens taking care of the secondary,” Jasper said. “I thought our practice this week was really good and I thought our game plan this week was really good. The kids did a good job of studying film, practicing hard and executing in the game.”

“We are creating a family this year on defense,” Vieselmeyer said. “We have had mistakes here and there, but we are all doing our job and getting everybody to the ball. Eleven hats to the ball is our thing. It’s a team effort.”

With the win, the Class 6 third-ranked Eagles improve to 4-0 on the season, while Carl Junction falls to 2-2.

GAME ACTION

Joplin’s defense forced a three-and-out to open the game and the offense rewarded the stop with an eight-play scoring drive that went for 54 yards. 

Joplin QB Always Wright had completions of 6, 12 and 5 yards, while picking up gains of 5 and 4 yards on the ground. Running back Quinton Renfro took the first-and-goal handoff from the 5-yard line right and broke several tackles before crossing the goal line to put Joplin on top 7-0 with 8:37 left in the opening quarter.

“It’s amazing,” Vieselmeyer said when asked about watching the offense complement the defense each week. “Putting in all that hard work and effort and then watching the offense do the same thing, it’s a win-win for us. Both sides are competing and both sides are busting their butts.”

Carl Junction benefited from Joplin getting penalized for roughing the kicker as well as a horse collar penalty on the ensuing Bulldog drive that ended with Xavier Perkins connecting on a 32-yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-3 with three minutes left in the first quarter. CJ quarterback Nathan Planchon — who was starting for injured QB Kyler Perry (hand) — had completions of 5, 11 and 8 yards to Dexter Merrell, while also completing a 10-yard pass to Dalton Mills to help fuel the drive.

On the first play of the second quarter, Wright found Renfro on the wheel route for a 25-yard gain that set up a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Wright on the RPO to give Joplin a 14-3 lead over Carl Junction at the 11:42 mark of the first half.

Joplin tight end LT Atherton hauls in a touchdown pass from Always Wright in the Eagles’ win over Carl Junction on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

Joplin pushed the lead to 17-3 when Joseph Ipsen connected for a 25-yard field goal with 7:04 left in the second quarter. Renfro set up the field goal with a 57-yard run down to the 8-yard line.

Carl Junction’s ensuing drive, which went 11 plays, started with a pass interference on Joplin to get the Bulldogs to midfield and ended with Perkins connecting on a 40-yard field goal to cut the Eagle lead to 17-6 with 2:44 to play in the first half. Planchon had a 9-yard completion to Ayden Bard, who had an interception earlier in the second quarter, and added a 7-yard run to highlight the possession.

Joplin took possession on the 40 with 2:30 left in the first half after a 58-yard return from Bruce Wilbert and needed seven plays to find the end zone again before halftime. Wright found Jack Stanley for 14 yards to start the drive and back-to-back positive gains from Renfro put the Eagles in the red zone. Facing a fourth-down and goal from the 3-yard line, Wright capped the drive by rolling right and throwing back left to a wide open LT Atherton in the end zone to put Joplin on top 24-6 heading into the break.

The Eagles started the second half as fast as they closed the first, taking the opening possession 65 yards for a score. Renfro picked up over 30 yards rushing on the drive, while Wright kept the ball to the right to cap the drive with a 15-yard rushing score.

“When you can score going into the half and score again out of the half without their offense taking the field, that is a huge momentum swing,” Jasper said. “Especially from a mental standpoint, that can be tough to come back from.”

Carl Junction drove deep into Joplin territory via the pass on the next drive before Planchon went down with an injury. Two plays later, Mills — the third-string QB for CJ — was picked off by Vieselmeyer to end the scoring threat. 

The Joplin offense needed just two plays to reward the defense for the turnover, as Wright hit Wilbert for a 16-yard gain before the two connected again when Wilbert got behind the defense on a post route for a 71-yard touchdown to push the lead to 37-6 at the 6:49 mark.

“Right before we broke the huddle, Always told me he was just going to let it rip,” Wilbert said. “He told me to go get it and that is kind of what happened.”

Joplin started the running clock when Chavis Coleman ripped off a 33-yard rushing score with 7:34 left to play to push the Eagles’ lead to 44-6.

Joplin defensive end Brayden Thomas wraps up Carl Junction quarterback Nathan Planchon during the Eagles’ win over the Bulldogs on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

STAT LEADERS

Joplin gained 483 yards of total offense, with Wright completing 16-of-24 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and rushing six times for 43 yards and two more touchdowns to lead the Eagles. 

“Personally, my QB comparison to Always is Patty Mahomes,” Wilbert said with a smile. “He is pretty great. If you force him out of the pocket, I think he might be better than when he is in the pocket. It is great to have a QB who you never know how he is going to make a play but you know he will make a play and give you 100 percent.”

Wilbert caught three passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Atherton had four catches for 12 yards and a score. Terrance Gibson caught two passes for 50 yards.

“There are lots of toys in the toy box on offense, or chess pieces if you will,” Jasper said. “The offense, led by Coach (Jacob) Hewitt (offensive coordinator), who does a really good job of finding different ways to make the defense lineup for us to figure out what our reads are and where we’re going. That makes it difficult on defenses if you are unpredictable on offense.”

Planchon completed 12-of-28 passes for 94 yards, while adding 23 rushing yards on three carries. Tony Stewart had seven carries for 29 yards to lead CJ in rushing.

UP NEXT

Joplin hosts Willard (4-0) on Friday, while Carl Junction hosts Webb City (2-2).

PREP FOOTBALL: Carthage starts fast, rolls past Webb City

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — From the first plays of the game, it was obvious that the Carthage Tigers were going to put up an intense fight Friday night. 

“Fired up, or focused or prepared, whatever it is, they have something kind of special,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “I enjoy coaching this group.” 

That was to be expected in a matchup with longtime rival Webb City, especially in a rematch of the 2020 district championship game, when the Cardinals took a 42-21 victory. 

What was perhaps not so predictable was the response from Webb City, holders of seven Missouri state championships in the past decade. 

The Cardinals committed six turnovers and rarely had an answer for the Tigers’ two-pronged ground attack of running back Luke Gall and quarterback Caden Kabance. 

All of that added up to a 42-14 Carthage win to move to 4-0, while Webb City (2-2) lost a second regular season game for the first time since 2016. 

Carthage’s Luke Gall tackles Webb City’s Cade Wilson during Friday’s game at David Haffner Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals 42-14.  All photos by Israel Perez.

“Sometimes you get hit in the mouth and you bow up, and it didn’t feel like we did that very much tonight,” said Cardinals coach John Roderique. “They kind of set the tone it looked like to me. We were not good on offense, really struggled offensively and on defense we struggled. … They played a much more physical game than we did.” 

If punches were thrown, Gall landed the first trio of blows in a flurry. After Webb City stalled in Carthage territory on the game’s opening drive, the Cardinals went for it on fourth-and-2, but came up short. On just Carthage’s second play from scrimmage, Gall broke a 59-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. 

After only two more plays, the Cardinals lost a fumble, setting the Tigers up at the Cardinal 37. After Carthage succeeded in converting a short fourth down play, Gall had his second touchdown of the game, this time from 13 yards out.

“It’s hard to put into words, to be honest,” Guidie said. “That’s a game, they’re so good and so well-coached that you just have to stay in the fight, constantly. There’s so much pressure, every single play is critical, and you just have to stay in the fight on both sides of the ball. And I thought our kids did that, the character that they showed tonight was unbelievable.”

Already down two touchdowns, Webb City again gave the ball away on a fumble, this time on the drive’s first play. Again set up in enemy territory, Gall scored just three plays later.

Webb City quarterback Cohl Vaden got the Cardinals on the board on the first play of the second quarter, taking from Gall’s playbook by reeling off a 45-yard touchdown run. 

Webb City’s Dante Washington tackles Carthage’s Caden Kabance on Friday night.

That pulled the Cardinals within two scores as the first half ended with a score of 21-7. Gall finished the half with three touchdowns and 171 yards on 11 carries. Then Kabance decided he wanted in on the fun. 

The senior quarterback took the first snap of the second half and scampered for an 83-yard touchdown, extending the Tigers’ lead to 28-7. Vaden again answered, though, just three plays after Kabance’s run, with a 62-yard score. 

The theme of the game continued from there as another Kabance touchdown was set up by a Cardinal turnover on downs, and the final score of the contest, a 2-yard run by Gall, came after the Tigers tipped a pass from Vaden and Cale Patrick, a senior defensive back, made a diving play to come down with an interception. 

“You have turnovers and you have no momentum,” Roderique said. “When you have adversity is when you kind of find out what you are and tonight we weren’t very good. We didn’t handle any adversity very well tonight. Offense turns the ball over, defense you want to hold them and get a stop and those things didn’t happen, either. It was a tough night for us.” 

Gall finished with 224 yards on 21 carries and four touchdowns, while Kabance added his two scores and 221 yards on 22 rushes. Vaden totaled 132 yards on 10 of 15 passing attempts and added 136 rushing yards on 11 carries. 

Both teams have road games next week as Carthage travels to face Branson, while Webb City will be hosted by Carl Junction.

 

Carthage’s Zach Lansford looks to bring down Webb City’s Eric Fitch.

 

CARTHAGE 42, WEBB CITY 14

Webb City  0   7   7   0 —  14

Carthage   21   0   7  14 — 42

SCORING SUMMARY

CAR: Luke Gall 59 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Gall 13 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Gall 5 run (Mejia kick)

WC: Cohl Vaden 45 run (Crouch kick)

CAR: Caden Kabance 83 run (Mejia kick)

WC: Vaden 62 run (kick good)

CAR: Kabance 13 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Gall 2 run (Mejia kick)

 

Carthage’s Luke Gall looks to elude the Webb City defense. A junior running back and linebacker, Gall scored four touchdowns in Carthage’s win over rival Webb City.

 

Webb City senior quarterback Cohl Vaden heads to the end zone during Friday’s game at Carthage.

 

 

The Carthage defense, including Max Williams and Zach Lansford, attempt to bring down Webb City’s Dupree Jackson on Friday night.

 

Luke Galls carries the ball as Webb City’s Kaylor Darnell attempts to make the tackle.

PREP FOOTBALL: Neosho falls short at Branson

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

BRANSON, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats struck first, but the Branson Pirates responded again and again.

After trailing early in the game, Branson took control with a strong first half en route to a convincing 58-28 win over Neosho on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference action at Pirate Stadium.

The Wildcats fell to 0-4. The Pirates, who were celebrating homecoming, evened their record at 2-2. 

After Neosho scored on the third play of the game, Branson scored on six of seven possessions in the first half to take a comfortable 41-14 halftime lead.

A high-scoring first quarter that took 45 minutes to complete ended with Branson up 27-14.

Three plays into the game, Neosho junior running back Jared Siler sprinted to a 62-yard touchdown run. 

But the Pirates responded with three unanswered scores.

Cade Grimm scored on a 6-yard touchdown plunge, Tayshaune Hill had a 9-yard TD run before David Hadaller’s 17-yard touchdown sprint gave the hosts a 20-7 advantage with 3:34 left in the first quarter.

Siler broke free for an 79-yard touchdown run for the Wildcats, but Hill added a 15-yard scamper for the Pirates. 

In the second quarter, Hadaller scored a pair of touchdowns to give the Pirates a 41-14 advantage at the break. The Pirates rushed for 315 yards in the first half, with Hadaller accounting for 200 yards.

Neosho’s Brock Franklin hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions from Evan Haskins during the third quarter, a 19-yard strike and a 15-yard pass.

Neosho outscored Branson 14-10 in the third period, but the Pirates led 51-28 entering the fourth quarter. 

The hosts added a score in the fourth period for the final margin.

Siler finished with 164 rushing yards to lead the Wildcats. Hadaller scored four touchdowns to lead the Pirates. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Branson will host Carthage (4-0) next Friday, while Neosho will host Nixa (3-1) next Saturday. 

The Neosho-Nixa game was moved from Friday to Saturday due to a shortage of officials. Game time remains at 7 p.m. 

 

BRANSON 58, NEOSHO 28

Neosho    14    0   14    0 — 28

Branson   27  14   10    7 — 58

SCORING SUMMARY

NEO: Jared Siler 62 run (Pablo Pastor kick)

BRAN: Cade Grimm 6 run (Dane Efrid kick)

BRAN: Tayshaune Hill 9 run (Kick failed)

BRAN: David Hadaller 17 run (Efrid kick)

NEO: Siler 79 run (Pastor kick)

BRAN: Hill 15 run (Efrid kick) 

BRAN: Hadaller 2 run (Efrid kick)

BRAN: Hadaller 5 run (Efrid kick)

BRAN: Hadaller 18 run (Efrid kick)

NEO: Brock Franklin 19 pass from Evan Haskins (Pastor kick)

BRAN:  Efrid 25 FG

NEO: Franklin 15 pass from Haskins (Pastor kick)

BRAN: Cooper Saxton 17 pass from Tristan Pierce (Efrid kick)

 

GIRLS TENNIS: Joplin wins 10-team Bird-Dog Classic; Cavaliers claim singles titles

Posted on by Jason Peake

With a top-five showing in all four divisions, including a first-place finish at No. 1 doubles, the Joplin High School girls tennis team captured the team championship at the Bird-Dog Classic on Friday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

There were 10 teams in attendance at the event. Joplin finished with 17.5 points to take first, while Staley was the runner-up with 17. Willard (15) finished third, while Thomas Jefferson was fourth (14.5) and Carl Junction (12.5) finished fifth. 

Joplin’s Astrid Cardenas and Emma Watts won the No. 1 doubles bracket, while teammates Cloey Blank and Brynn Driver finished third at No. 2 doubles.

Joplin’s Abry Stayton placed third at No. 1 singles, while Mya Ndedi-Ntepe finished fifth at No. 2 singles.

“Today was a great day for the Lady Eagles,” Joplin assistant coach Richard Perry said. “There was some tough competition and the girls played their hearts out. Overall, the team did amazing and it’s nice to get these victories going into an important week with some tough conference matches.”

Thomas Jefferson crowned champions in both singles brackets, as Allison Ding won the No. 1 singles bracket and Jeanna Jeyaraj was the champ at No. 2 singles.

Joplin’s Emma Watts hits a forehand winner during doubles play on Friday at the Bird-Dog Classic. Watts and Astrid Cardenas won the No. 1 doubles bracket. Photo by Jason Peake.

NO. 1 DOUBLES

Joplin’s Astrid Cardenas hits a volley at the net during doubles action on Friday.

Joplin’s duo of Cardenas and Watts did not drop a game in three matches. 

After a first-round bye, the Eagles defeated Webb City’s Kinzlea Smith and Kirsalyn Hood 8-0 and then beat Mount Vernon’s Bella Mosley and Vicki Moore 8-0 in the semifinals. 

In the title match, Cardenas and Watts defeated Carl Junction’s Jenna Besperat and Nicole Sherwood 8-0.

“Astrid and Emma tore through their doubles bracket,” Perry said. “They have really been in a groove since last week and have played near flawless doubles in all of their matches this week.”

CJ’s Besperat and Sherwood beat Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang and Jessica Joseph 8-3 and topped Staley’s Carli Hurtt and Kaitlyn Montemayor 8-4 in the semifinals. 

Mount Vernon’s Mosley and Moore took third place. Carthage’s Kianna Yates and Daniela Marquez won the fifth-place match 6-3 over Willard’s Kaytelyn Ibarra and Kristen Flynn.

 

NO. 2 DOUBLES

Staley’s Breanne Garstang and Serena Dalton won the No. 2 doubles bracket by beating Mount Vernon’s Jessa Anderson and Molly Burk 8-6.

In the third-place match, Joplin’s Blank and Driver defeated Willard’s Evie Sly and Alyssa Flynn 7-5.

“Brynn and Cloey also had an important match for third against Willard that would have been a two-point swing,” Perry said. “They battled hard in a back and forth bout to earn a solid victory.”

Blank and Driver defeated Carthage’s Anayansi Lopez and Beverly Garcia 8-5 and then came up short, 9-7, in the semifinals to Staley. 

College Heights’ Ella Bishop and Jeanna Smathers took fifth place by beating Carl Junction’s Emmy Higgins and Alyssa Graves 6-3.

 

NO. 1 SINGLES

Thomas Jefferson’s Ding defeated Mount Vernon’s Allie Schubert 8-1 and then topped Carl Junction’s Naiyah Wurdeman 8-1 in the semifinals. 

Ding knocked off Willard’s Alice Go 8-5 in the title match. 

Joplin’s Stayton defeated Monett’s Meagan Hull 8-1 and then suffered an 8-3 setback to Willard’s Go in the semifinals. 

For third-place, Stayton defeated CJ’s Wurdeman 6-3.

“Abry played in the toughest bracket of the day and came out with a medal,” Perry said. “She had a tough loss the night before but has decided to rise up to the challenge and has played like she has something to prove.”

Wurdeman edged College Heights’ Jem Kionasala 9-7 to advance to the semifinals. 

Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding hits a forehand during singles play at the Bird-Dog Classic. Ding won the No. 1 singles bracket. Photo by Jason Peake.

NO. 2 SINGLES

Thomas Jefferson’s Jeyaraj defeated Ndedi-Ntepe 8-0 and College Heights’ Natalie Brueggemann in the semifinals. Jeyaraj topped Staley’s Bree Keavene 8-2 in the title match. 

Ndedi-Ntepe defeated Monett’s Sofia Semerad 6-1 for fifth-place. 

“Mya got the team some much needed wins, going through the consolation bracket to get the team the points it needed to take home the trophy,” Perry noted. 

 

BIRD DOG INVITATIONAL 

Team standings: Joplin 17.5, Staley 17, Willard 15, Thomas Jefferson 14.5, Carl Junction 12.5, Mount Vernon 12, College Heights 11.5, Monett 6.5, Webb City 5.5, Carthage 5.

 

Carl Junction’s Naiyah Wurdeman prepares to hit a backhand during her match against Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding on Friday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding won the No. 1 singles bracket on Friday at the Bird-Dog Classic at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

 

Joplin’s Emma Watts serves during doubles action on Friday at the Bird-Dog Classic.

 

 

The Joplin Eagles pose with the championship trophy after winning the Bird-Dog Classic. Pictured from left to right are Mya Ndedi-Ntepe, Brynn Driver, Astrid Cardenas, Emma Watts, Cloey Blank and Abry Stayton. The Eagles are coached by Jeff Williams and Richard Perry.

PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 4: Carl Junction at Joplin

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION AT JOPLIN

Records: Carl Junction 2-1, Joplin 3-0

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.

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

PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 4: WEBB CITY AT CARTHAGE

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY AT CARTHAGE

Records: Webb City 2-1, Carthage 3-0

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.

 

HOW TO WATCH: https://www.kneo.org/sports.html or https://boxcast.tv/channel/j3s1xvixjxtgxliszrlf

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Cavaliers suffer loss to Wheaton

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Wheaton outlasted Thomas Jefferson 3-2 (25-8, 21-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-5) on Thursday in a back and forth prep volleyball clash.

The Cavaliers fell to 4-6-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action.

Thomas Jefferson’s Lannah Grigg had six kills and three aces, while Alexis Stamps recorded five kills. 

Nico Carlson had five kills and two blocks for the Cavaliers, while Mary Nguyen contributed six assists and two kills. 

Mayson Solum handed out seven assists.

Thomas Jefferson will host a tournament on Saturday. 

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Seneca earns three-set win over College Heights

Posted on by Lucas Davis

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. 

GIRLS TENNIS: Joplin drops COC match to Republic

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

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.

 

PREP SOFTBALL: Fast start leads McDonald County to 12-1 win over Cassville

Posted on by Lucas Davis

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.

McDonald County is at Nixa on Monday.

PREP SOFTBALL: Krans’ two-run home run lifts Nixa past Joplin

Posted on by Lucas Davis

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.

CAREER MILESTONE: Cheryl Sharples earns career win No. 500 as Carl Junction volleyball sweeps McDonald County

Posted on by Lucas Davis

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.

 

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