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PREP FOOTBALL: Ozark hands Carl Junction a loss in the season finale

For most of the first quarter it looked like the Carl Junction Bulldogs were in control of the game — and then a series of penalties and turnovers flipped the momentum and the Ozark Tigers quickly capitalized, taking the lead — and then the game, 37-16, to close out the regular season.

Currently, Carl Junction is the third seed in the Class 4 District 6 with a 3-6 record. The Bulldogs would host sixth-seeded Hillcrest (1-8) in the district opener.

Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and a horse collar put a stake in three drives, and two interceptions and a fumble in the first half alone, allowed Ozark (3-6) to take a lead they would not surrender.

Ozark started the game with a short kick and on the first play from scrimmage, Carl Junction’s Dexter Merrell busted loose for 28 yards to get the ball deep into Ozark territory.

However, an unsportsmanlike conduct call shortly after left the Bulldogs with second-down-and-25, effectively puttting a stake in the drive.

The ensuing punt was a booming and pinned the Tigers on their own 1-ard line. On Ozark’s second play of the game, a sack in the end zone gave the Bulldogs the early 2-0 lead on a safety and a free possession with 9:35 left in the quarter.

Just a few short minutes later, Merrell hammered out a 20-yard touchdown run with 6:20 left in the first quarter to make the score 9-0.

It was the last time the Bulldogs would see the end zone until the end of the fourth.

Ozark struck for the first time with 9:35 left in the first half, on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Brady Dodd to Will Scheer to cut the lead to 9-7.

With 7:36 to go, and driving, the Bulldogs fumbled deep in Ozark territory. The Tigers proceeded to break loose for an open field run that would have put them on the CJ 28, but a horse-collar penalty moved the ball to the CJ 13, and with 5:57 left in the half Jake Beets rumbled in from the 9 and left the score 14-9.

The Bulldogs threw an interception with 5:36 left in the half, and a few minutes later, with 2:27 left in the period, Dodd would dash into the end zone on a 9-ard run to extend the lead to 21-9 in favor of Ozark.

The woes continued in the second half. After forcing a quick three-and-out on Ozark, the Bulldogs blocked the ensuing punt with about 9:50 to go in the quarter, but were unable to capitalize, throwing a second interception in the red zone of the game, and Ozark returned the ball to the CJ 31.

CJ held the Tigers to a 37-yard field near the end of the third quarter.

A 25-yard pass from Dodd to Scheer pushed the Ozark lead to 31-9 with just 35 seconds left in the third.

Just seven seconds later, the Bulldogs turned the ball over again on a fumble — this time on their own 15 — and on the next play, Beets scored from 3yards out to bring the score to 38-9 with 10:43 left in the game.

Carl Junction was able to get into the end zone again with 40 seconds left in the game, on an 8-yard run by Chance Benford.

PREP FOOTBALL: Joplin sends seniors out in a big way, defeating Neosho 63-0 in the season finale

Joplin scored on its first nine drives of the game while the Eagles defense pitched their first shutout of the season on the way to a 63-0 win over Neosho on Senior Night to wrap the regular season on Friday at Junge Field.

“It is a fun group and they work hard,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said of his senior class. “I am really proud of them and was happy to be able to come out and do what we needed to do on Senior Night.”

The Eagles built a 49-0 lead by halftime to start a running clock by the second half, with several starters exiting the game to start the third quarter.

Joplin running back Drew VanGilder reaches the ball over the goal line for a touchdown in the Eagles’ win over Neosho on Friday in the season finale. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

In the first half alone, Joplin picked up over 400 yards of offense on the way to seven touchdowns while the Eagle defense shut out Neosho in the first two quarters and limited the Wildcats to 82 yards of offense and two first downs in the first two quarters.

“Obviously, I am not very happy that we had some bonehead penalties, which is still something we need to clean up,” Jasper said. “But as far as executing, blocking, catching, passing and running the ball on offense, I thought we did a really good job. Defensively, we did a good job of alignment assignment and tackling, that sort of thing.”

Joplin gained nearly 200 yards rushing in the first half, with junior RB Drew VanGilder leading the way with nine carries for 93 yards and a score. Sophomore Quinton Renfro also gained 74 yards on nine carries before intermission.

“I thought (Quin and Drew) were back to complementing themselves like they were earlier in the year when they were both healthy,” Jasper said. “They finished runs, we kept them fresh and the guys up front did a good job of blocking.”

Senior QB Always Wright completed 15-of-22 passes for 206 yards and five touchdowns in the first half, with senior tight end LT Atherton hauling in three of those touchdowns alone.

Joplin QB Always Wright evades pressure while completing a pass in the Eagles’ win over Neosho in the season finale. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

DISTRICT UPDATE

Joplin, which came into the contest as the No. 3 team (40.41 points) in the Class 6 District 3 standings, finishes the season with an 8-1 record. With Carthage’s 49-14 win over Nixa (7-2) on Friday, it appears that Nixa will fall from the top seed to the third seed, while Lee’s Summit North (8-1) takes over at the top spot and Joplin moves up to No. 2. If that is the case, Joplin will host Lee’s Summit in the district opener.

“The main thing was coming out tonight and taking care of business, and we were able to do that,” Jasper said. “Now, we just have to see how everything falls. But that looks the way it is going to fall and if that is the case, we will enjoy the home-field advantage.”

Neosho (1-8) will be the fourth seed in the Class 5 District 6 tournament and will host fifth-seeded Willard (0-9) in the district opener.

GAME ACTION

After stopping Neosho on the first possession of the game, Joplin needed just three plays to find the scoreboard when Wright found senior WR Terrance Gibson on his first pass of the game on an out and up deep down the sideline for a 37-yard touchdown pass at the 9:39 mark to make the score 7-0.

Joplin went on top 14-0 after capping off a sizable drive with a little trickeration, as Wright took a third-down-and-2 snap from the 3-yard line and rolled right before throwing a lateral back to the flat to sophomore LT Dontrell Holt (yes you read that correctly). Holt caught the lateral and fought his way past the goal line for a touchdown with 5:13 left in the opening period.

Joplin’s Jett Beal hauls in his first varsity touchdown reception of the season during the second half of Joplin’s 63-0 win over Neosho in the season finale. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

The big play showed up again for Joplin just a few minutes later when Wright found a wide-open Atherton for a 58-yard touchdown with 3:39 on the clock to extend the lead to 21-0. 

Joplin scored its fourth touchdown of the first quarter when Wright and Atherton hooked up again with 55 seconds left. Capping off another drive inside the 10-yard line, the Eagles went to play action on third-down with 2 yards to gain as Wright faked the handoff and immediately threw a jump pass to Atherton over the middle for a 6-yard touchdown to push the lead to 28-0.

The Eagles made it five straight drives with a score on their ensuing possession when senior TE Jack Stanley made a one-handed grab over the middle on first-down-and-goal from the 3-yard line with 7:17 left in the first half for Wright’s fifth touchdown pass of the first half.

Despite rushing up and down the field in the first half, Joplin didn’t get its first score on the ground until VanGilder found paydirt from a yard out with 3:52 to play in the second quarter to make the score 42-0. 

Wright finished off the Eagles’ perfect first half in scoring with his sixth touchdown pass and third to Atherton, this time an 8-yard connection, to push the lead to 49-0 with 13 seconds left in the opening half.

Junior RB Clayton Culie got in on the scoring fun after capping off the opening possession of the second half with a 3-yard touchdown run to make the score 56-0 with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Sophomore QB Hobbs Gooch connected with sophomore WR Jett Beal for a 22-yard touchdown to make the score 63-0 with 9:49 left in the game.

Sophomore DB All Wright came up with an interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the shutout with less than four minutes to play.

Joplin’s only drive of the game that didn’t end in a score was the Eagles’ last possession of the game, which ended in a punt. 

PREP FOOTBALL: Seneca tops Monett in regular season finale

 

SENECA, Mo. — Seneca earned a 26-21 win over Monett on Friday night to end the regular season on a high note. 

The Indians end the regular season with a 5-4 record. 

After an 85-yard kickoff return from Jackson Marrs, a 2-yard touchdown run by Jaxson Graham gave the Indians an early lead.

Monett got on the board with just over two minutes remaining in the first half on a 10-yard run by Konner Poynter.

Marrs scored on a 32-yard run with 57 seconds remaining in the first half to give Seneca a 14-6 halftime lead. 

Monett tied it up with 2:17 left in the third quarter on Poynter’s 64-yard TD reception and the 2-point conversion. 

Ethan Fritchey’s 6-yard touchdown gave Seneca a 20-14 lead with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.

Fritchey added a 5-yard QB keeper with 2:07 remaining in the game for a 26-14 advantage. 

Monett scored with just 37 seconds left on Ethan Umfleet’s 41-yard reception.

Both teams open district tournament play next Friday against opponents to be determined.

 

PREP FOOTBALL: Carthage overwhelms Nixa to claim COC crown

 

The Carthage Tigers are the 2021 Central Ozark Conference champions. 

The game was widely expected to be a marquee matchup between two teams with a combined 15-1 record this season. 

Instead, it ended under MSHSAA’s accelerated clock, as Carthage romped to a 49-14 win over the Nixa Eagles. 

The win caps off an undefeated regular season for the Tigers at 9-0, and secured their first outright COC title since 2016. 

“I feel really happy for our players and our coaches, and certainly our school and community,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Just so proud of our players, man, they just show up every single week and despite who we play or what’s on the line, they just go out and play so hard and with great attitudes and great effort.”

Guidie said he expressed that same pride and appreciation to his team after the regular season-ending win. 

“I just told them, you know, you didn’t get here by accident,” he said. “You need to feel very good about what we were able to accomplish in this first season, but we don’t just play one season here any more, we’ve got to gear up and get ready for a new season next week. Enjoy this one for a couple of days and get back to it.” 

All year, the Carthage offense has ridden senior quarterback Caden Kabance and junior running back Luke Gall. That was no different in this one, but senior Cale Patrick also got in on the action, finishing with two touchdowns and 93 yards on six carries.

“Cale had a great night,” Guidie said. “He’s one of our best blocking receivers, for sure, which never gets noticed, but we do. But we were able to get him the ball tonight on some jet sweeps and he had some really, really nice runs at opportune times.”

For their part, Kabance and Gall did what they’ve done all season, with maybe even a little extra. In addition to 127 yards on 13 carries, Kabance completed 6-of-7 passes for 87 yards, including two eye-opening passes, one for a score and one that set the Tigers up at the Eagle 1. In the first quarter, he hit tight end Tyler Willis down the right sideline for a 31-yard play before punching it into the end zone himself on the next play. Just before halftime, junior wide receiver Hudson Moore ran an out route just inside the end zone, and Kabance led his receiver perfectly for a score in the corner. 

Gall, for the second week in a row, was called on to execute a halfback pass. Last week, it was a touchdown to Kabance. Friday night, it was a 37-yard gain to Moore, down to the 3-yard line. The junior running back, who this past Saturday tweeted photos of a visit to the University of Kansas, finished 170 yards rushing on 18 carries. 

The other constant for Carthage all year has been a defense that has suffocated opponents, allowing an average of just 12.4 points. Nixa came into Friday night’s matchup averaging 39.5 points per game.

“It starts with defense for sure, we came out and got a stop right off the bat. They’re a tough team to defend. They score 40 points a game and have some really good, really talented athletes. For our guys to be able to step up and cover them, I thought they were outstanding.”

 

CARTHAGE 49, NIXA 14

Carthage   14      21    14     0—49

Nixa             0      14       0    0—14

SCORING SUMMARY

CAR: Cale Patrick 44 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Caden Kabance 1 run (Mejia kick)

NIX: Jordyn Turner 35 pass from Connor Knatcal (Messenger kick)

CAR: Luke Gall 48 run (Mejia kick)

CAR: Kabance 1 run (Mejia kick)

NIX: Austin McCracken 57 run (Messenger kick)

CAR: Hudson Moore 5 pass from Kabance (Mejia kick)

CAR: Patrick 34 run (Kick blocked)

CAR: Gall 3 run (Patrick run)

 

PREP FOOTBALL: Webb City ends regular season with dominating road win

 

WILLARD, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals ended the regular season with a dominant performance.

Led by a strong first half, Webb City rolled to a 55-0 victory at Willard on Friday night in the regular season finale of the 2021 prep football season.

The Cardinals held a commanding 48-0 lead at halftime and took advantage of seven Willard turnovers.

“I thought our kids really played well,” Webb City coach John Roderique told KNEO radio during a postgame interview. “I’m just really pleased with our guys and how they approached this week. I thought we had a little more attention to detail and a sense of urgency. We told the kids this our last week where it’s not an elimination week. Every game from here on out will be an elimination game. We’ll show up to practice and work hard every day to get better.”

Ranked fourth in Class 5, Webb City finishes the regular season with a record of 6-3. The Cardinals will be the No. 2 seed for the Class 5 District 6 tournament and have a first-round bye next Friday. 

The Cardinals recorded 426 yards of offense, with 292 rushing and 134 passing. 

Cade Wilson had 68 rushing yards, while Max Stovern added 67 yards and Dupree Jackson had 58. 

In his return to action, senior quarterback Cohl Vaden completed 8 of 11 passes for 125 yards. Dante Washington had three receptions for 50 yards.

Willard (0-9) finished with 113 yards, 107 through the air and just six on the ground.  

Willard’s opening possession ended when Webb City’s Washington grabbed an interception at the 3-yard line and ran 77 yards.

On Webb City’s first offensive play, Vaden passed to William Hayes, who pitched the ball to Wilson, who then ran into the end zone.

Wilson’s 2-yard touchdown plunge gave the Cardinals a 13-0 cushion at the 3:52 mark of the first quarter.

The Cardinals erupted for 35 points in the second quarter.

Washington and Kaden Turner both hauled in touchdown passes in the period before touchdown runs by Dupree Jackson and Omari Jackson made it 41-0.

After Willard’s third turnover of the first half, Stovern’s 3-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals a comfortable 48-0 advantage.

Roderique got his subs lots of playing time in the second half. 

Webb City’s Gage Chapman scored on a 5-yard QB keeper in the third quarter for the final TD of the night. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

After a bye week, Webb City will host either Republic or Parkview in the district semifinals on Nov. 5.

 

WEBB CITY 55, WILLARD 0

Webb City  13    35    7   0—55

Willard         0      0     0    0—0

SCORING SUMMARY

WC: Cade Wilson 10 run (Dante Washington kick)

WC: Wilson 2 run (Kick failed)

WC: Washington 23 pass from Cohl Vaden (Washington kick)

WC: Kaden Turner 21 pass from Vaden (Washington kick)

WC: Dupree Jackson 5 run (Washington kick)

WC: Omari Jackson 1 run (Washington kick)

WC: Max Stovern 3 run (Washington kick)

WC: Gage Chapman 5 run (Washington kick)

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: College Heights claims Ozark 7 titles; TJ’s Atteberry, CHC’s Johnson are medalists

 

College Heights Christian’s boys and girls cross country teams were crowned team champions at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday at Missouri Southern’s Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. 

With three of the top five runners, and with five in the top 10, the College Heights boys had 30 points.

McAuley Catholic was second in the standings with 48 points, while Wheaton (78) and Thomas Jefferson (83) finished third and fourth.

Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry was the individual medalist in 17 minutes flat. 

McAuley’s Michael Parrigon took second in 18:16, while College Heights’ Caleb Quade (18:27), Rolen Sanderson (18:29) and Derrick McMillan (18:43) rounded out the top five.

Finishing sixth through 10th were Wheaton’s Blake Morgan, McAuley’s Phillip Motazedi, CHC’s Jace Edwards, Wheaton’s Camren Brattin and CHC’s Corbin Thomas.

College Heights’ Brayden Youngberg was 11th, while McAuley’s foursome of Armando Alberto, Drew Zeb, Kable Reichardt and Kevin Tran finished 12th through 15th, respectively.

McAuley’s Cliff Nolan and Grant Horinek were 17th and 19th. Thomas Jefferson’s Eann Espinoza, Jack Goodhue, Sheraz Anis and Lincoln Miller were 22nd through 25th.

The College Heights girls finished with a team score of 15, as the Cougars fielded the only full squad.

College Heights’ Jayli Johnson was the top finisher in the girls race, as she crossed the line at 21:54.

McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey was the runner-up in 22:30. Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished third in 22:54, while Wheaton’s Lakeisha Wise was fourth in 23:39.

CHC’s Madi Carson took fifth, while Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd was sixth and CHC’s Sophia Moore took seventh.

Rounding out the top 13 were Wheaton’s Lori McNeill, TJ’s Mia Grubbs, CHC’s Katie Moss and Stella Moore, TJ’s Julianne Wachtel and Wheaton’s Kauseng Hang. 

Local squads will compete at district meets on Oct. 30.  

 

FULL RESULTS: Ozark 7 Conference Meet 2021 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)