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Day: October 30, 2021

CROSS COUNTRY: Joplin boys qualify full squad to state; Joplin, Neosho girls advance

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

BOLIVAR, Mo. — For the second straight season, Joplin High School is taking a full boys team to the state cross country championships. 

The Eagles finished third in the team standings at the MSHSAA Class 5 District 2 meet on Saturday at the Bolivar Municipal Golf Course. 

At the district meet, the top four teams and the top 30 individuals advanced to the state meet. The top four boys teams were Kickapoo (46), Raymore-Peculiar (75), Joplin (79) and Nixa (115). 

“Today was just a business day for our boys,” Joplin coach Dustin Dixon said. “We didn’t run spectacular, but we didn’t run bad. Last year, we put a lot of emphasis on districts. We didn’t do that this year. We knew we were good enough to get through and so first is the same as fourth here. The state championships are only six days away. It’s hard to have your team at its best twice in a span of seven days. But today we took care of business.” 

Joplin’s boys are in the midst of a special season, as the Eagles captured the Central Ozark Conference crown last week and advanced a full squad to state this week.

Joplin’s boys take off during the early stages of the Class 5 District 2 meet in Bolivar on Saturday morning. Carthage’s Mariques Strickland is also pictured. Photo by Jason Peake.

“We were 12th last year at state and we’re looking to build on that this year,” Dixon said. 

Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell crossed the line fourth with a time of 16 minutes, 32 seconds. 

“I feel good about my race, but I think I could have gotten a better place,” Campbell said. “I went to the front right away. I always try to go out hard and see if I can hold on. But all that matters in this race is advancing. It means a lot for our team to go back to state. The environment there is amazing and the course is so nice.” 

A junior, Campbell finished 34th at last year’s state meet.

Kickapoo’s Tyler Harris was the individual medalist with a time of 15:58. Raymore-Peculiar’s Luke Voelker (16:19) and Ozark’s Gabriel Bauer (16:23) were second and third, respectively.

Neosho senior Kaden Cole finished sixth in 16:42 to earn his third straight trip to state. 

Cole was the lone non-Joplin runner to advance from our coverage area in Class 5. 

Cole took 14th at last year’s state meet and also qualified as a sophomore. 

Also for Joplin, Ian Horton was 14th, Zaben Barnes took 18th, Chance Tindall was 20th, Nicholas Horton finished 23rd, Evan Matlock was 44th and Grey Edwards finished 55th.

Carthage’s Mariques Strickland finished 42nd and teammates Eddy Fuentes and Caleb Fewin were 53rd and 60th, respectively. 

Neosho’s Carson Newell finished 56th, while teammates Bryce Hall and Connor Jordon were 59th and 66th, respectively.  

 

GIRLS: JOPLIN, NEOSHO ADVANCE INDIVIDUALS

Joplin’s Jennalee Dunn and Allie Keizer are pictured during Saturday’s district meet in Bolivar.

Joplin and Neosho had two girls apiece advance to state as individuals with top-30 finishes.

Joplin senior Jennalee Dunn finished fifth with a time of 19:43. Dunn is heading to state for the fourth straight season. She was 18th last season.

Dunn wasn’t the only Eagle to advance, as sophomore Allie Keizer secured a trip to state by finishing 14th in 20:30.

Dixon noted he was proud of both girls for getting the job done and advancing. 

Also competing for Joplin were Sage Mitchell (40th), Mairi Beranek (44th), Cylee Gilreath (47th), Averi Burks (49th) and Meridyth Mai (61st). 

Joplin finished sixth in the standings with 150 points. 

“It’s hard to have a team run great two weeks in a row,” Dixon said. “We ran so well last weekend. We knew today would be an uphill climb, but our girls competed. We were a little behind at the midway point of this race. We made up a lot of ground in the second half of the race last week, but in these sloppy conditions, it’s hard to make up ground.”

Like Joplin, Neosho had two girls advance, as Chloe Wood finished 10th in 20:09 and Riley Kemna was 13th in 20:25. 

Wood is a freshman for Wildcats coach Emily Abell. A sophomore, Kemna will run at state for the second straight season for the Wildcats, who bumped up from Class 4 this year. 

Dunn, Keizer, Wood and Kemna were the only local girls to qualify in Class 5. 

Neosho’s Bailey Miller finished 39th, while Carthage’s top finisher was Katelyn Witherspoon, who crossed the line 50th. 

The top four teams were Raymore-Peculiar (56), Kickapoo (84), Lee’s Summit West (120) and Nixa (120). Neosho was seventh with 195.

Lee’s Summit West’s Makayla Clark was the individual champion in 19:04 and Kickapoo’s Klarie Brown was the runner-up (19:14). 

 

NOTES: The 47th MSHSAA Cross Country Championships begin on Friday in Columbia.

The Class 5 boys race is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The Class 5 girls race is slated for noon.

 

FULL RESULTS: MSHSAA Class 5 – District 2 2021 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

Neosho’s Kaden Cole is pictured during Saturday’s district meet in Bolivar. Cole qualified for state by finishing sixth overall.

 

Neosho’s Riley Kemna qualified for the state meet with her performance on Saturday at the district meet in Bolivar.

 

Joplin’s boys cross country team advanced its full squad to the state meet with its performance on Saturday in Bolivar. All photos by Jason Peake.

 

CROSS COUNTRY: Webb City taking full squads to state; Carl Junction runners advance

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

BOLIVAR, Mo. — On another successful and memorable day for the program, Webb City’s boys and girls cross country teams both finished second at the Class 4 District 2 meet on Saturday morning at the Bolivar Municipal Golf Course. 

With the runner-up finishes, both Webb City squads punched their respective tickets to the state meet.

It’s the second straight season Webb City is taking two full squads to the state championships in Columbia. 

“It was just a really good day overall for us,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “I was really proud of the way we competed. I’m proud of both teams for battling some adversity and being ready for today. And just getting through is the main thing.” 

At the district meet, the top four teams and the top 30 individuals advanced to the state meet. 

The top four boys teams were Willard (74), Webb City (79), West Plains (91) and Bolivar (116). 

“I was really proud of the guys,” Miller said. “We battled some adversity this week. Our No. 1 runner (Roman Borboa) got sick with a stomach bug and battled that all week. He’s still not 100 percent. Our No. 4, Mason Hedger, was throwing up and had migraine headaches this week. We were just praying to keep the wheels on. Hats off to Willard. I mean it stinks to lose, but that’s a little extra motivation for next week when it really matters.”

Webb City’s Evan Stevens (645), Roman Borboa (640) and Dustin Brockmiller (641) are pictured during the early stages on Saturday’s Class 4 District 2 meet in Bolivar. Photo by Jason Peake.

Webb City’s Dustin Brockmiller, Roman Borboa and Evan Stevens finished fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively. 

Brockmiller crossed the line at 16:47, while Borboa’s time was 16:57 and Stevens finished in 16:58. 

Also for the Cardinals, Jose Banda-Antillon was 28th, Blake Vaughan took 33rd and Mason Hedger finished 36th. 

Of course, Webb City finished as the runner-up in Class 4 a year ago. 

 

LOCAL INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS

Advancing to state with a top-30 finish were Carl Junction senior Collin Emmert and Monett junior Julio Cruz. Emmert finished 10th in 17:08, while Cruz was 11th in 17:09. 

Emmert finished 18th at last year’s state meet. 

Also of note, Carl Junction’s Brock Feken finished 38th, while Monett’s Victor Salas was 41st and McDonald County’s Hunter Leach finished 49th.

Webb City’s Abi Street and Riley Hawkins race with three West Plains runners on Saturday at the district meet in Bolivar.

STREET, HAWKINS LEAD WEBB CITY GIRLS 

The top four girls teams were West Plains (31), Webb City (85), Bolivar (120) and Rolla (121). Carl Junction’s girls were fifth (147). 

Webb City’s Abi Street and Riley Hawkins finished third and fourth, respectively, in the girls race. 

A junior, Street crossed the line at 19:48. A senior, Hawkins recorded a time of 19:55. 

Also competing for the Cardinals were Alanna Bundy (18th), Isabelle Lopez (31st), Emily Countryman (36th), Lauren Kuechler (64th) and Elliett Capron (71st). 

“Our girls had some injuries this week and faced some adversity this week,” Miller said. “Emily Countryman really stepped up for us.

“The race went out really slow,” Miller added. “West Plains and us had the same strategy—sit on each other. But our girls pulled away from some really quality opponents and that shows how fit they are. I think there were seven of the top 10 or top 15 runners in the state here at this meet today. We battled some good teams today. That shows us that we have a shot to go to state and steal a plaque. It would be pretty nice to drive home with two trophies next weekend.”

 

TWO BULLDOGS ADVANCE 

Carl Junction had two girls finish in the top 30, as Alexis Carpenter was 22nd in 21:37 and Hannah Franks finished 29th in 22:00. 

Nevada’s Allie Rains also qualified for state by finishing 23rd. 

Also of note, Carl Junction’s Sadie Burchett finished 34th and teammate Ally Montez was 37th. 

 

NOTES: The 47th MSHSAA Cross Country Championships begin on Friday in Columbia.

The Class 4 boys race is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday  at Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The Class 4 girls race is slated for 9:45.

 

FULL RESULTS: MSHSAA Class 4 – District 2 2021 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

Carl Junction’s Collin Emmert competes during Saturday’s district cross country meet in Bolivar. Behind Emmert are Webb City’s Roman Borboa and Dustin Brockmiller.

 

Carl Junction’s Alexis Carpenter (436) and Sadie Burchett (434) are pictured during the Class 4 girls race on Saturday in Bolivar. CJ’s Hannah Franks is pictured in back of the pack. All photos by Jason Peake.

 

Webb City’s Riley Hawkins and Abi Street are among the runners pictured during the early stages of Saturday’s district meet in Bolivar. Photo by Jason Peake.

PREP FOOTBALL: Turnovers cost Carl Junction in loss to Hillcrest to open district play

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Turnovers sealed Carl Junction’s fate in the first round of Class 4 District 6 play Friday night.

The Bulldogs committed eight turnovers—four of them interceptions, including one on their final play of the game—and the Hillcrest Hornets made sure to capitalize on the way to upsetting the Carl Junction 24-14.

With the win, Hillcrest improves to 2-8, and advances to the second round of district play, while the Bulldogs’ season ends at 3-7.

Hillcrest went three-and-out on its first series and a bad punt put CJ in excellent field position. However, a few plays later on fourth-down-and-8 deep in Hillcrest territory, the Bulldogs threw their first interception of the night. Fortunately, the Hornets were unable to capitalize after turning the ball over on downs, but a few minutes later, a high snap and fumble with 7:42 to go in the half was the second turnover of the night for Carl Junction.

Hillcrest turned the second turnover into points with a 25-yard field goal with 5:05 to go in the half put the Hornets on top 3-0.

With 53 seconds in the half, what looked like a 14-yard run for a touchdown was called back on a holding penalty, but a few seconds later, Kyler Stewart grabbed a pass for a 14-yard touchdown from Nathan Planchon to give Carl Junction a 7-3 lead with 41 seconds left in the half.

The Bulldogs’ defense forced another three-and-out, with the special teams unit recording a blocked punt with seven seconds left that gave Carl Junction the ball deep in Hillcrest territory. CJ suffered its second interception of the game trying for the end zone before the half.

The Bulldogs broke loose for a huge return but a fumbled gave Hillcrest the possession, and less than three minutes later, the Hornets took the lead with a 42-yard touchdown pass with 9:36 left in the third to make the score was 10-7 in favor Hillcrest.

Hillcrest later took possession on the Bulldog 20-yard line following an interception by Carl Junction followed by a 15-yard penalty and eventually punched it in from 8 yards out to push the lead to 17-7.

Carl Junction connected on a 72-yard bomb from Planchon to Jordan Woodruff to trim the lead to 17-14.

With 5:58 to go in the game, the Bulldogs turned it over for the seventh time in the game with a fumble that ultimately led to another Hornet score with 2:20 left to play to push the lead to 24-14.

PREP FOOTBALL: Short-handed Joplin wins district opener against Lee’s Summit in double overtime

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Despite playing severely short-handed, second-seeded Joplin overcame the adversity on the way to a 24-21 win over seventh-seeded Lee’s Summit in double overtime in the Class 6 District 3 opener on Friday at Junge Field.

Joplin held 15 players out of the district opener for disciplinary reasons, including seven starters who predominantly played on offense, but the Eagles used a true next-man up mentality in order to earn the win.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said after the win. “It speaks to the offseason and how hard the guys worked and in-season with how hard they practiced to be able to have that many players step up when it was their time.”

ON THE HORIZON

With the win, Joplin advances to the district semifinals with a matchup against third-seeded Nixa at Junge Field on Friday.

GAME SUMMARY

After a scoreless first quarter, Joplin took possession at its own 1-yard line following a punt from Lee’s Summit and fumbled at the goal line on the first play of the drive with Lee’s Summit’s David Wang falling on it in the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 7-0 with 11:16 on the clock in the second period.

It didn’t take long for Joplin to respond, as Donovyn Fowler returned the ensuing kickoff to the house to a 97-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:06 left in the first half.

Joplin DB Donovyn Fowler returns a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit on Friday in the opening round of district play. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“I cannot explain how important that kickoff return was, especially with how short-handed we were on offense,” Jasper said. “Donovyn is a Division I athlete in track, and he definitely showed his speed there.”

Joplin took its first lead of the game with five minutes left in the first half after Hobbs Gooch, starting at quarterback for Always Wright, found Terrance Gibson in stride in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-7.

“I’ll have Terrance again next season, and just building that chemistry with him—he is a great player,” Gooch said about relying on Gibson in the passing game. “We just connected tonight.”

Lee’s Summit quarterback Alex Benassi picked up enough yards to move the chains on third-down-and-6 of the following drive before fumbling the ball over to Joplin, with Joe Jasper recovering it.

Joplin made the most of the turnover, with Gooch finding Gibson over the middle for a 4-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the first half to give the Eagles a 21-7 lead into the locker room. 

“He did everything we asked him to do,” Jasper said of Gooch stepping in at quarterback. “He is super coachable and a great young man. I couldn’t be happier for him and what he was able to do tonight.”

“Terrance came up huge in the first half,” Jasper added about his top wideout in the win. “In the second half, they were having to double coverage him the entire time, which pulled a guy out of the box and allowed Drew (VanGilder) to get a few more yards here and there. Terrance was huge.”

After Joplin punted the opening possession of the second half, Lee’s Summit’s Landon Shepard hauled in a tipped pass for a 73-yard touchdown to trim the Eagles’ lead to 21-14 with 7:36 to play in the third quarter.

Lee’s Summit scored the game-tying touchdown with 5:07 left in regulation when Benassi found Devin Andrews in the far flat, with Andrews taking the ball to paydirt to tie the game at 21-all.

Joplin quarterback Hobbs Gooch eyes running room in the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit in the Class 6 District 3 opener on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

In the first overtime with both teams getting a possession from the 25-yard line, Joplin took the ball first and fumbled the ball over to Lee’s Summit on the third play from scrimmage. The Tigers took the next possession and missed a potential game-winning field goal from 33 yards out.

Joplin took possession first in the second overtime, with place kicker Joseph Ipsen converting from 28-yards out on fourth down to give the Eagles a 24-21 advantage.

“That man is amazing,” VanGilder said of Ipsen. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without him. He has really stepped up a lot for us.”

Joplin’s defense stiffened up in return, forcing an incomplete pass on a fourth-down heave into the end zone to preserve the win.

“All of the guys who had to step up came together, and we just played our hearts out,” Gooch said. “We worked together as a team and won as a team.”

STATS

Gooch was 8-for-16 passing for 92 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the win, while Gibson caught three passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns for Joplin, which gained 237 yards of offense in the win.

Joplin wideout Terrance Gibson hauls in a touchdown pass during the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

VanGilder carried the ball 33 times for 121 yards to lead the Eagles in rushing.

“I think everybody in the stadium knew he was going to get the ball most of the night and he still battled and fought for every inch he could possibly get,” Jasper said of VanGilder. “And all of those inches mattered in the end.”

“I am so glad that using every last bit of my energy was completely worth it,” VanGilder said. “I knew I wasn’t going to make it easy for Lee’s Summit.”

Benassi completed 17-of-22 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns to lead Lee’s Summit, which finished with 306 yards of offense. Andrews carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards and caught four passes for 24 yards and a score. Shepard caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

PREP FOOTBALL: Neosho suffers season-ending loss to Willard; Taute proud of his team’s effort

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. —  Moments after a disheartening loss ended the 2021 campaign, Brandon Taute made sure his Neosho Wildcats understood one simple message. 

“I just let everybody know that I love them,” Taute said. “And that doesn’t change based on the outcome of a football game. I’m here for them for the rest of their lives. We have a lifetime commitment to each other.”

Taute’s fourth-seeded Neosho Wildcats suffered a 56-35 loss to the fifth-seeded Willard Tigers on Friday night in a quarterfinal matchup of the Class 5 District 6 football tournament at Bob Anderson Stadium. 

The Tigers (1-9) earned a date with top-seeded Carthage (9-0) next Friday in the district semifinals, while the Wildcats (1-9) saw the season come to an abrupt end.

Neosho defeated Willard 21-14 just two weeks ago, but the Tigers simply had more firepower this time around. 

“They had a couple guys back that we knew were going to help them offensively and defensively,” Taute said of the Tigers. “Hats off to them. They had a good gameplan and they executed it really well.” 

Neosho’s Jared Siler looks for running room against Willard on Friday night at Bob Anderson Stadium. Photos by Israel Perez.

Willard’s highest scoring output prior to Friday night was 21 points in a loss to Republic. 

After surrendering an early touchdown, Willard scored 28 unanswered points to take control.

The Wildcats didn’t quit, as the hosts pulled within 14 at the end of the third period. But the Tigers would not be denied, as the visitors recorded three unanswered scores to start the final frame to put the game out of reach. 

Neosho junior running back Jared Siler scored on a 2-yard touchdown run at the 10:15 mark of the opening quarter to give the Wildcats an early advantage. A 54-yard pass from sophomore Quenton Hughes to junior Isaiah Green set up the score.

Willard tied it up with 4:52 remaining in the first quarter on Owen Bushnell’s 10-yard TD run. 

The Tigers took a 14-7 lead on Bushnell’s 22-yard touchdown run with 5:18 left in the second quarter.

The Wildcats had two promising drives halted late in the second half, one on an interception in the end zone and another on a turnover on downs.

Willard went up 21-7 with 37 seconds left in the first half on a Russell Roweton QB keeper. 

Bushnell’s third touchdown of the night, a 1-yard plunge, extended Willard’s lead to 28-7 at the 7:45 mark of the third quarter. 

The Wildcats trimmed their deficit to 28-14 after Siler’s 2-yard TD run with 4:43 remaining in the third period. A pass to junior Brock Franklin set up the score.

Willard took a 35-14 lead, but Neosho answered when Hughes connected with Green on a 45-yard TD pass. 

With three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Willard held a 56-21 lead.

Neosho’s Franklin scored on a 50-yard pass play and Siler added a 66-yard touchdown run with just under a minute to play for the final margin. 

Taute noted he was pleased with his team’s effort. 

“We were able to chip away in the second half and our kids kept fighting,” Taute said. “I’m extremely proud of them. Some kids would fold in that situation and ours absolutely didn’t. They kept fighting until the end.” 

Taute noted his 17 seniors will be missed. 

“They’re great, high-character kids,” Taute said. “As great as you can get…the kids you want your son to grow up to be like. I love them to death. For our other kids, it’s time to get better.” 

Next Friday’s other district semifinal will feature No. 3 Republic traveling to No. 2 Webb City. Republic upended No. 6 Parkview 54-0 on Friday.

 

Neosho’s Brock Franklin looks to avoid a Willard defensive back after hauling in a pass on Friday night.

 

Isaiah Green heads to the end zone during Friday’s playoff game against Willard. All photos by Israel Perez.

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