CARTHAGE BEATS WEBB CITY IN FOUR SETS TO CLOSE REGULAR SEASON
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage closed out the regular season with a four-set win over Webb City 27-29, 25-21, 25-23 and 25-19 on Tuesday.
Carthage finishes the regular season with a 17-13-1 record and is the No. 1 seed in the Class 5 District 12 tournament hosted by Joplin. The Tigers take on the winner of fourth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar and fifth-seeded Neosho at 4 p.m. on Saturday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Webb City finishes the season with a 17-12-2 record and is the second seed in the Class 4 District 12 quarterfinals, where the Cardinals will face third-seeded Nevada at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Carl Junction High School.
Sydnee Dudolski led Carthage with 23 kills and 23 digs. Mia Camarillo had 12 kills, with Grace Pickering finishing with 10 kills, five digs and four blocks. Raven Probert had 28 assists and 14 digs, and Olivia Bougault had 32 digs.
JOPLIN ENDS REGULAR SEASON WITH WIN OVER NEOSHO
NEOSHO, Mo. — Joplin ended the regular season on a high note after earning a 25-22, 25-10 and 25-14 win over Neosho on Tuesday.
The Eagles finish the regular season with a 13-11-5 record and play as the second seed in the Class 5 District 12 tournament. Joplin hosts third-seeded Belton (14-14-3) in the semifinals at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Fifth-seeded Neosho (6-19-5) takes on fourth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar (10-15-1) at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the opening round of Class 5 District 12 play inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
In the win over the Wildcats, Angelina Schramm and Emma Floyd each had 11 kills to lead the Eagles. Schramm added two aces and three digs, while had a block and block assist. Abby Edwards added nine kills and two digs, while Allie Lawrence and Bailey Owens each added seven kills. Lawrence had 15 digs and an ace. Paisley Parker had 30 digs and three assists. Kaya Cooper had 25 assists and four digs, while Abby Hembree had 17 assists and six digs.
CARL JUNCTION FALLS TO NIXA IN FINALE
NIXA, Mo. — Carl Junction closed the regular season with a 25-21, 25-21 and 25-17 defeat against Nixa on Tuesday in the regular season finale.
The Bulldogs end the regular season with a 23-10 record and is the top seed in the Class 4 District 12 tournament. Carl Junction hosts the winner of fourth-seeded McDonald County (5-20) and fifth-seeded Monett (4-20-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Destiny Buerge led Carl Junction with 13 kills and 10 digs against the Eagles. Logan Jones had 26 assists and three blocks, while Olivia Vediz added 13 digs and three aces. Maggie Brown had 12 digs.
THOMAS JEFFERSON FALLS TO GOLDEN CITY
GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson closed out the regular season in a three-game defeat against Golden City 25-19, 25-13 and 25-12 on Tuesday.
Third-seeded Thomas Jefferson battles sixth-seeded Bronaugh in the opening round of the Class 1 District 9 tournament on Thursday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Shawn Klosterman called it a great night.
It would be hard to argue with the veteran coach’s assessment.
With a solid overall showing, Klosterman’s Webb City boys swimming and diving team repeated as Central Ozark Conference champions on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
Webb City finished on top of the team standings with 307 points. Carthage was second with 226, while Ozark was third (201) and Joplin was fourth (178). Nixa (144) and Republic (65) rounded out the team standings.
“Pulling off the repeat feels really good,” Klosterman said. “I was a little nervous because only one of our divers got to compete today. That’s usually a big event for us. And you never know if your swimmers are on that day until you see the first race. Our guys lit it up in that first race and I knew the rest of the meet would go well. It was an inspired night. Everybody mattered tonight for us. It was just a great night.”
Webb City’s Emiliano Vasquez competes during Tuesday’s COC Championships. Photos by Israel Perez.
The Cardinals recorded a top-three finish in 10 of 12 events, including four first-place showings.
“It was awesome to see some lifetime bests and we had a lot of them,” Klosterman added. “Steve Kenlee dropped a lot of time tonight. All of our relays were fantastic. Across the board, I can’t think of any swims that were lackadaisical or slow.”
The annual conference meet began on a positive note for the Cardinals, as Webb City’s 200-yard medley relay team of Judah Ritchie, Micah Brouwer, Zion Wood and Ethan Shipley took first with a state-consideration time of 1:48.
Aiden Patterson competes for the Webb City Cardinals during the COC Championships on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
Webb City also won the final event of the night, as Cody Herndon, Emiliano Vasquez, Steve Kenlee and Shipley took first in the 400 freestyle relay with a consideration time of 3:39.
The Cardinals were second in the 200 freestyle relay with a consideration time of 1:40, with Wood, Herndon, Brouwer and Vasquez competing.
Brouwer finished first in two events, winning the 200 individual medley in 2:12 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.
Vasquez finished second in the 50 freestyle in 24.75 seconds, while Shipley was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle (53.08) and Wood took second in the 100 breaststroke (1:07).
Steve Kenlee finished third in both the 100 butterfly and the 500 free, while Wood placed third in the 200 IM.
Shipley finished fourth in the 200 freestyle, while Herndon was fourth in the 50 free and Ritchie was fifth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 IM.
Herndon also placed sixth in the 100 freestyle, while Aidan Patterson finished seventh in the 500 free and Vasquez was seventh in the 100 fly.
In the 1-meter diving competition, Webb City’s Eric Keeling was the runner-up with a score of 301.45.
Carson Forcum was the defending diving champion, but he was out sick on Tuesday, Klosterman said.
Carthage’s Noah Blackford is pictured at the COC Meet. Blackford finished eighth in the 200 IM.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a state-consideration time of 1:40, with Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Eli Cox and Ezekiel Ramirez competing.
The Tigers were third in the 200 medley relay, with Frieling, McBride, Will Wallace and Ramirez competing. Carthage placed fifth in the 400 freestyle relay, with Cox, Landon White, Trey Nye and Wallace swimming.
McBride placed third in the 50 freestyle (24.97) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:14), while Frieling finished third in the 100 backstroke (1:00).
Carthage’s Aydan Nye competes at the COC Championships.
Also for the Tigers, Wallace placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 500 freestyle, while Ramirez finished fourth in the 100 freestyle.
White finished fourth in the 100 butterfly and seventh in the 50 free. Ramirez and Frieling finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200 freestyle. Cox was sixth in the 100 fly and seventh in the 100 free.
Noah Blackford finished eighth in the 200 IM.
Carthage coach Braden McBride was pleased with his team’s showing.
“We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish and I’m happy for the boys,” Coach McBride said. “Last year, we finished fourth at this meet and we were looking for improvement this year. Last year, we had no swimmers on the podium. This year, we saw lots of improvements and had several boys on the podium. I’m happy with how tonight went. And we’ll have everyone back next year besides Ezekiel. So we’re excited about the future.”
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s Zane Newman won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.71 seconds. Newman placed third in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.7.
Nathan Wardlow finished second in the 500 freestyle with a consideration time of 5:11. Just a freshman, Wardlow finished fifth in the 200 freestyle in a consideration time of 1:58.
Ian Vermillion competes for the Joplin Eagles on Tuesday night at the COC Championships.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Jacob Glenn, Ian Vermillion, Wardlow and Newman finished second with a consideration time of 3:43.
The Eagles placed fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Glenn, Wyatt Satterlee, Newman and Wardlow competing.
The JHS team of Parker Hinman, Jordan Goins, Jackson Mordica and Oliver Bortz finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:52.
Glenn took fifth in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 backstroke.
Hinman was fifth in the 200 IM in 2:24, while Mordica placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Vermillion finished eighth in the 200 free and Satterlee took eighth in the 100 breaststroke.
“I thought we did well tonight,” Joplin coach Ali Stauffer said. “Nathan had an awesome time in both of his events. Zane swam really well and I thought our relays did well. I think the boys are excited. We only have two meets left. The boys have been working hard in practice, and hopefully we can continue to drop times.”
OTHER EVENT WINNERS
Other event winners were Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann (200 freestyle, 500 free), Republic’s Brady Lewis (100 fly) and Bryce Martin (100 free) and Nixa’s Kai Brownlee (100 backstroke) and Finnley Bertholdi (diving). Eisenmann set COC records in both events, while Brownlee’s time was also a conference record.
Central Ozark Conference Championships
Team standings: Webb City 307, Carthage 226, Ozark 201, Joplin 178, Nixa 144, Republic 65.
Joplin’s Jacob Glenn is pictured during Tuesday’s COC Championships in Webb City. All photos by Israel Perez for SoMo Sports.
ANDERSON, Mo. — East Newton’s boys and Logan-Rogersville’s girls captured team championships at the Big 8 Conference Meet on Tuesday.
McDonald County High School was the host for the event.
BOYS
East Newton finished with 27 points and Lamar was second with 48. Cassville (96) and Nevada (131) were third and fourth, with the host Mustangs (143) fifth.
Rounding out the standings were Springfield Catholic (150), Logan-Rogersville (150), Aurora (183), Marshfield (224) and Reeds Spring (295).
East Newton had the top three finishers—Kelton Sorrell (16:50), Gabe Bergen (16:52) and Chase Sorrell (16:52).
Rounding out the top 10 were Monett’s Julio Cruz, Marshfield’s Zach Mitchell, Lamar’s Blaine Breshears, Cassville’s Caleb Leach, East Newton’s Isaac Bales, Nevada’s Kaden Padgett and Monett’s Victor Salas.
GIRLS
Logan-Rogersville (52), Nevada (62) and East Newton (63) were the top three teams.
Rounding out the field were Cassville (96), Monett (112), McDonald County (145) and Springfield Catholic (155).
Lamar’s Kiersten Potter (19:57) and Aurora’s Kaci Singer (20:43) were the top two individuals.
Completing the top 10 runners were East Newton’s Alonna Eytcheson, Cassville’s Jolie Evans, Nevada’s Allie Rains and Avery Morris, Logan-Rogersville’s Anna Snodderly, Cassville’s Annie Moore, East Newton’s Elizabeth Barratt and Hollister’s Katherine Schaefer.
Dustin Dixon and the members of the Joplin High School boys cross country team set a number of lofty goals at the beginning of the 2021 season.
Dixon’s Eagles achieved one of those goals on Tuesday night in Nixa.
And for the first time in program history, a boys cross country team from JHS has captured a conference championship.
With four runners finishing in the top 14, Joplin won the Central Ozark Conference Championships at Inman Elementary School.
Joplin finished on top of the standings with 58 points. Branson (89) and Willard (92) were a distant second and third, with Nixa (97) and Webb City (101) next in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
“We set a lot of goals at the start of the season and winning a conference championship was one of them,” Dixon said. “This is the first conference championship in program history of any kind, whether Ozark Conference or COC. We came into tonight pretty confident given how we had run this season. This was our fourth team win of the season and it’s just a testament to the work these boys have done. They had a really great track season last spring and we came into the season with the expectation of winning this meet and contending for a state championship. That’s still the goal. Tonight was the first step in the championship season.”
Webb City had won seven straight conference championships entering the season. But this year, the Eagles would not be denied, as five JHS runners finished in the top 23.
“Our boys ran great,” Dixon said. “The difficulty of winning this conference is a testament to the teams in it. Beating a team like Webb City is no easy task. But we knew we had the pieces this year. We came out and ran well. And they did it tonight. But now we look forward to next weekend’s district championship and state. We’ll see what we can do.”
Joplin was led by Hobbs Campbell’s second place finish. Campbell crossed the line at 15 minutes, 50 seconds. Neosho’s Kaden Cole took first in 15:49, just nipping Campbell for the individual medalist.
Also for the Eagles, Nicholas Horton finished eighth (16:33), while Zaben Barnes took 11th (16:41), Chance Tindall finished 14th (16:52) and Ian Horton was 23rd (17:16).
“Chance stepped up huge and had the race of his life,” Dixon said of the freshman. “We needed him and he showed up.”
Webb City’s Roman Borboa (16:21) and Dustin Brockmiller (16:23) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while Evan Stevens was 12th (16:45).
Carthage’s Mariques Strickland finished 27th, while Carl Junction’s Collin Emmert and Brock Feken took 30th and 31st.
Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson was 33rd and Webb City’s Mason Hedger finished 34th.
Neosho’s Carson Newell finished 37th and teammate Connor Jordon was 40th.
DUNN LEADS JHS GIRLS TO RUNNER-UP SHOWING
Republic claimed the girls championship with 74 points, followed by Joplin (82), Nixa (87) and Webb City (90).
Dixon was pleased with his team’s showing.
“The girls team has been so disjointed all year,” Dixon said. “We’ve been missing kids at various meets for various reasons. On paper, we were projected to be anywhere from fourth to seventh and they got second place. They nearly defended last year’s title. They ran great.”
Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn was the runner-up with a time of 18:57. Nixa’s Alicen Ashley took first in 18:50.
“Jennalee ran awesome tonight and lowered her school record again,” Dixon said.
Webb City’s duo of Riley Hawkins and Abi Street finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Hawkins crossed the line at 19:10, with Street finishing in 19:37.
Neosho’s Riley Kemna placed eighth in 19:54, while Joplin’s Allie Keizer finished 11th in 20:15.
Webb City’s Alanna Bundy finished 13th, Joplin’s Sage Mitchell was 15th and Neosho’s Chloe Wood took 16th.
Carl Junction’s Alexis Carpenter finished 18th and her teammates Hannah Franks and Sadie Burchett were 21st and 22nd.
Neosho’s Bailey Miller was 23rd, Joplin’s Mairi Beranek finished 24th, Webb City’s Isabelle Lopez took 28th and Joplin’s Averi Burks was 30th.
Carthage’s Katelyn Witherspoon finished 31st and Carl Junction’s Ally Montez was 34th.
Carl Junction’s Bailey Feken placed 38th and Webb City’s Emily Countryman took 40th.
District meets are scheduled for Oct. 30.
COC Cross Country Championships
Boys team standings: Joplin 58, Branson 89, Willard 92, Nixa 97, Webb City 101, Ozark 145, Neosho 172, Republic 190, Carthage 211, Carl Junction 223.
Girls team standings: Republic 74, Joplin 82, Nixa 87, Webb City 90, Ozark 111, Carl Junction 133, Neosho 143, Branson 176, Willard 221, Carthage 261.
Joplin’s boys cross country team made history on Tuesday, capturing a conference championship for the first time in program history. Submitted photo.
NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — Carthage senior Hailey Bryant wrapped up her final tournament as a Tiger with a 10th place finish at the Class 3 state tournament on Tuesday at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club to highlight a bevy of local competitors in action.
Bryant closed her high school career with an 85 on Tuesday to finish the two-day state tournament with an 82-85—167 to finish in 10th place, earning all-state honors in the process.
Springfield Catholic’s Regan Zibilski carded a second-round 73 to couple with her opening round 66 to take medalist honors with a 139. Father Tolton Regional Catholic’s Audrey Rischer (71-74—145) took second, while Springfield Catholic’s Lyla Louderbaugh (77-72—149) and Kyleigh Pfitzner (76-78—154) placed third and fourth. Smith-Cotton’s Kiser Pannier wrapped the top-five scoring with a 79-76—155. Also earning all-state was Webster Groves’ Jenna Clark (sixth; 77-80—757), FTRC’s Katherine Ryan (seventh; 82-81—163), Rolla’s Abby Hobbs (tied for eighth; 81-83—164) and Parkway West’s Kylie Secrest (tied for eighth; 77-87—164).
Also competing locally, Webb City’s Sydney French finished in a tie for 51st after scoring a second-day 103 to fish with a 202. Laya McAllister matched her first-day score on Day 2 with a 103 to finish in 61st with a 206, Sophia Coulson scored a 108 to finish in 75th with a 218 for the Cardinals.
Carthage’s Ava Lacey closed her second round with a 106 to finish in a tie for 62nd with a 208.
NEVADA’S CAMERON TAKES FOURTH
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Nevada freshman Emree Cameron ended her first high school state tournament on a high note, earning a fourth-place finish at the Class 2 girls state tournament on Tuesday at the Columbia Country Club.
Cameron matched her opening-round 80 with another 80 on the second day to close with a 160 to earn all-state honors.
Marshfield’s Marlene Edgeman shot a 79 on the second day to take medalist honors with a 72-79—151, while Osage’s Hanna Maschhoff (74-81—155) took second and Westminster Christian Academy’s Elizabeth Johnson (80-77—157) took third.
Cassville’s Avery Chappell earned all-state honors after tying for 10th place with an 87-84—171. Alyzea Myers finished in 78th place for the Wildcats after shooting a 128-125—253. Monett’s Claire Nation placed in a tie for 56th with a 101-114—215, while Seneca’s Britany Adcock placed 61st with a 111-109—220. Madison Babbitt took 64th for the Indians with a 118-107—225.
Nevada’s Kate Pennington (114-113—227) tied for 65th, while Paige Hertzberg (114-119—233) tied for 72nd and Riley Severance (120-121—241) took 76th.
KILLINGSWORTH TAKES SEVENTH
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Mount Vernon’s Kenadi Killingsworth finished in seventh place in the Class 1 girls state golf tournament on Tuesday at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club.
Killingsworth shot a 97 on the second day after scoring a 93 in the opening round to close with a 190.
New Covenant’s Savannah Thessing took medalist honors after shooting a two-day 86-86—172.
