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DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Joplin sweeps Belton in semifinals to advance to district title game

Second-seeded Joplin made quick work of third-seeded Belton with a 25-21, 26-24 and 25-18 win in the second Class 5 District 12 semifinal matchup of the night inside Kaminsky Gymnasium on Saturday.

“I feel like my girls played really hard tonight,” Joplin coach Desiree Felker said. “We set our sights really high at the beginning of the season. We’ve talked a lot about being all-in. I think that we did a good job of executing where we needed to at the net tonight. We knew Belton was going to do some good things, that they served aggressively and they had some pretty good hitters. I thought that we played pretty well defensively to handle that.”

With the win, the Eagles advance to the district title game where they will face top-seeded Carthage at 6 p.m. on Monday.

“They serve aggressively and they are very aggressive at the net,” Felker said. “We are going to have to bring our A-game defensively to handle that, but I think we are willing to do what it takes to get the job done.”

Joplin (14-11-5) was the first team to gain a cushion in the opening set, pushing a 14-13 lead to 18-13 thanks to a four-point service run by Kaya Cooper that included kills from Emma Floyd and Allie Lawrence.

Floyd earned a kill to make the score 20-15, with Lawrence following suit shortly after to push the lead to 22-17. Logan Bruggeman added a block before Lawrence closed the opening set with a kill.

“I think that she did a really good job tonight,” Felker said of Lawrence. “She plays with a lot of emotion and her teammates respond to that.”

The second set saw the Pirates hold a 12-11 lead before a kill from Bailey Owens forced a sideout before Paisley Parker came out with a four-point run in service to give the Eagles a 16-12 advantage and flip the momentum. Angelina Schramm and Owens each had kills in the run.

“Bailey Owens does a good job for us,” Felker said of her sophomore. “We trust her to put the ball away wherever we give it to her. She has done a really good job with that. … She did a good job tonight of putting the ball away and putting pressure on the other team at the net.”

Joplin didn’t relinquish the lead until a kill by Avery Caskey and a net violation put Belton on top 22-21. The Eagles tied it on a kill from Emma Floyd before a Pirate error and a block by Floyd gave Joplin the 24-22 advantage. Floyd earned a kill and Parker added an ace to close out the second set.

“Sometimes throughout the season, we have been on the other side of that where we didn’t maintain our composure through the adversity,” Felker said. “I think we are at a place right now where we can do that and push through that together.”

Lawrence swung the momentum in favor of the Eagles early in the third set with five points in a service run to make the score 12-6. Schramm added a block to force the sideout, while adding two kills in the run. Abby Edwards also had a pair of kills. 

Joplin held its multi-point lead before pulling away late before Schramm ended the set and match with a kill.

“I think it was huge for our confidence going into Monday,” Felker said about finishing the match in a sweep. “We knew they were going to be tough and I think that we were able to push through that and grind it out was big for our confidence.”

Floyd led Joplin with 10 kills and a block, while Lawrence and Schramm each had nine kills. Schramm added two blocks and two digs, with Lawrence adding nine digs. Owens had six kills, a block and a dig. Cooper had 20 assists and two digs, while Parker had 19 digs and three aces and Jayla Hunter had 17 digs.

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Carl Junction, Webb City advance to title game

 

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — For the third straight year, Carl Junction and Webb City will meet with a district championship on the line.

Top-seeded Carl Junction defeated fourth-seeded McDonald County 3-0 and second-seeded Webb City handled third-seeded Nevada 3-0 in semifinal matches of the Class 4 District 12 volleyball tournament on Saturday at CJHS. 

Both teams earned convincing wins, as the Bulldogs defeated the Mustangs 25-9, 25-9, 25-14 and the Cardinals topped the Tigers 25-13, 25-12, 25-19.

The district championship match is slated for 6 p.m. on Monday at Carl Junction. 

“It’s pretty exciting,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “Our kids have been there before and they have that experience. We don’t have to worry about inexperience, so we like our chances. I think both teams have come to expect to meet in this game. That’s great because it’s always such a great rivalry. We’re ready for Monday. We’ll be ready to go.” 

The Bulldogs beat the Cardinals in last year’s district title game after Webb City topped Carl Junction in the 2019 championship match. 

Now, the rivals will meet again with the season on the line. 

“It’s always exciting to be in the district championship,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “The last few years it’s been us and CJ. We won two years ago and they won last year. So we hope it’s our turn this year. We’ll have to play well to do it. They have a solid team. I hope we play as well as we can.” 

The Bulldogs won two regular-season meetings with the Cardinals this fall. 

It will be the fourth straight season the two programs have met in the postseason, as Carl Junction knocked off Webb City in the district semifinals in ’18.

The Bulldogs are in a district title match for the sixth straight season, with titles in ’20, ’18 and ’17 and losses in ’19 and ’16.

 

CARL JUNCTION 3, MCDONALD COUNTY 0

The Bulldogs (24-10) gained all of the momentum early in each set against the Mustangs. The hosts never relinquished it either.

“I really challenged them to control the level of their play on the court,” Sharples said. “I felt like we were pretty crisp and clean tonight. That’s what we needed to do.”

Sharples noted the Bulldogs are close to peaking at the right time. 

“We’re getting pretty close to doing that,” Sharples said. “We’ve had some changes in our lineup and so we’ve been developing that lately. Now it’s time to peak.”

Junior outside hitter Destiny Buerge recorded 11 kills and eight digs for the Bulldogs, while sophomore middle hitter Kylie Scott added 10 kills. Freshman outside hitter Karissa Chase contributed six kills and two blocks. 

Junior setter Logan Jones handed out 30 assists and also contributed five aces and five kills. Senior libero Olivia Vediz had nine digs and five aces.

In the first set, the Bulldogs led 11-7 when they rattled off 10 straight points. Maggie Brown had three aces during the run.

Three aces from Vediz gave Carl Junction a 12-5 lead in the second set. Later, a pair of kills from Buerge gave the Bulldogs a 20-8 advantage en route to the set victory.

In the third set, the Bulldogs led 15-10 when they closed out the final set and the match on a 10-4 surge. 

Playing their final match for McDonald County (7-23-1) were seniors Lana Yang, Kirklyn Kasischke, Kloe Myers and Abby Wiseman. 

 

WEBB CITY 3, NEVADA 0

Like the Bulldogs, the Cardinals (18-12-2) simply took care of business. 

“We did not play well at Carthage on Tuesday, so it was nice to see us play the way we played today,” Lawrence said. “I’m proud of the way they played. They were a little more meticulous about things.”

Lawrence noted playing in the always-tough Central Ozark Conference pays off in postseason matches against non-conference opponents like Nevada.

“I think that’s obvious,” Lawrence said about being battle-tested. “Unfortunately, a lot of teams in our conference are in the same districts and we beat each other out in the postseason. But our matches in the COC are a notch higher than what some of these teams are used to seeing, and that always helps us this time of the year.” 

In the opening set, Nevada hung tough early, but Webb City led 15-9 and 20-11 en route to victory.

The Cardinals snatched the momentum right away in the second set, leading 15-4.

Webb City scored the first eight points of the third set and never looked back.  

Senior outside hitter Kearston Galardo and junior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence led Webb City’s attack at the net with 10 kills apiece. 

Senior middle hitter Makenzie Storm added nine kills and three blocks, while junior outside hitter Kate Brownfield contributed nine digs, six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Aubree Lassiter chipped in three kills, three digs and two blocks.

Junior setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 32 assists and had seven digs. Sophomore libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 15 digs. 

Seniors Grace Barnes, Hadley Bruce, Macy Cussimanio and Taylor Thompson played their final match for Nevada (12-17-1).

NOTE: The District 12 champion will meet the District 11 champion (Willard or Logan-Rogersville) in the sectional round on Oct. 28.

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Carthage punches ticket to district championship with win over Ray-Pec

Top-seeded Carthage faced plenty of adversity in its Class 5 District 12 semifinal matchup against fourth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar, but the Tigers handled it in stride like the top seed should and earned a 25-23, 25-20, 24-26 and 25-21 win over the Panthers on Saturday.

“I don’t think we played our best, but we came out and knew that we could win,” Carthage coach Bradyn Webb said. “That is something that I have tried to instill in our girls’ minds. If you go out and have the mentality that you’re winning, it’s going to work out for you. I do think that they showed that tonight, so I am really happy with how everything worked out.”

Carthage and second-seeded Joplin will meet in the Class 5 District 12 championship at 6 p.m. on Monday.

“We’re going to play a great team no matter what, either Belton or Joplin,” Webb said after her team’s win to open the day. “We have beat Joplin before, but they are a good team. We played them last year in districts, too. I think that if we play them it will be a great game. Our girls are ready and prepared to play whoever we go up against.”

The Tigers (18-13-1) found themselves trailing the Panthers 23-19 late in the first set before rattling off the final six points to earn the come-from-behind win. Abby Holderbaum started the rally with a kill to force a sideout. Riann Schwartz took service for Carthage, with Sydnee Dudolski earning a kill to trim the lead to two before an ace from Schwartz cut the lead to 23-22. Three straight attack errors on the Panthers closed out the set in favor of the Tigers.

“We took it one point at a time and put the pressure on Ray-Pec,” Webb said. “It worked out in our favor.”

The second set played out much like the first, as neither team gained much separation until a kill by Dudolski and an ace by Olivia Bourgault put Carthage on top 15-11. The Panthers fought their way back to take a 17-16 lead on a kill from Isabel Bowen, but the Tigers responded with three straight points, including a kill from Sophia Shannon, to build a 19-17 advantage. A block from Holderbaum followed by a Panther error pushed the lead to 24-19, with Grace Pickering closing out the second set with a kill moments later.

Carthage trailed 21-17 late in the third set after a kill from Tia Storms and a block by Kylee Harris. An attack error forced a sideout and Carthage answered with a five-point service run by Raven Probert, which included an ace and kills from Holderbaum and Mia Camarillo, giving the Tigers a 23-21 lead. Ray-Pec used three Tigers’ errors to regain the momentum and earned their first set win after consecutive kills from Storms and Avery Lowe.

The Tigers didn’t let the defeat slow down their momentum. Ray-Pec led 13-11 in the fourth set when a kill from Pickering forced a sideout and Ava Bourgault followed with a three-point service run, which included a pair of aces, shifted the momentum with Carthage leading 15-13.

Ray-Pec picked up a point on a sideout before Dudolski hammered down a kill for an immediate sideout. With Pickering in service, Holderbaum earned back to back kills before a net violation put the Tigers on top 19-14.

“We have been working on serving,” Webb said. “We haven’t been very consistent with it in the past. Now, that is our focus—we may not be the most athletic team, but we can get a serve in and it can be aggressive.”

Kills from Dudolski, Shannon and Pickering pushed the lead to 24-19 put the game out of reach, with the Tigers finishing off the win minutes later.

Pickering had 13 kills and four digs, while Dudolski had 12 kills and 16 digs to lead Carthage. Holderbaum had eight kills and three digs. Olivia Bourgault had 16 digs, three aces and two kills, while Ava Bourgault had 12 kills and four aces. Schwartz finished with 11 digs and two aces.

“Abby Holderbaum did a really good job on the right side,” Webb said. “We knew that we could use her a lot against Ray-Pec, and she came to play. … Grace fills a huge role for us … She is a very good utility player that we can go to when someone else is struggling. Sydnee Dudolski probably played the best defensive game I have seen her play this whole year.”

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)

PREP SOFTBALL: Nevada ends season with quarterfinal loss to Platte County

 

NEVADA, Mo. — Platte County earned a 10-0 win over Nevada in five innings in a quarterfinal clash of the Class 4 state softball tournament on Thursday at Bushwhacker Field.

Nevada ends the season at 20-11. 

Platte County (20-9) advanced to the final four, where they’ll take on Washington (30-5) on Oct. 28 in Springfield

The Pirates plated five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Mackenzie Shields.

Platte County added five runs in the fourth, with a two-run homer from Demi Riechers the key blast.

Nevada’s lone hit was a single by Claire Pritchett. Peyton Eaton took the loss in the circle for the Tigers. 

Platte County’s Kallie Hitzelberger was the winning pitcher. She struck out nine and allowed just one hit and one walk in five innings.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Thomas Jefferson tops Bronaugh; Seneca ends season

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON ADVANCES TO DISTRICT SEMIFINALS

Third-seeded Thomas Jefferson defeated sixth-seeded Bronaugh 3-0 (25-8, 25-6, 25-17) on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 1 District 9 tournament.

Thomas Jefferson advanced to play second-seeded Jasper at 6 on Saturday in the semifinals at Jasper High School.

Lannah Grigg recorded 12 kills and four aces to lead Thomas Jefferson. Nico Carlson compiled five kills, five aces and four blocks for the Cavaliers, while Mayson Solum had nine assists and five aces and Yasmina Mokhtar contributed six assists and four aces.

Saturday’s other semifinal features top-seeded College Heights taking on fifth-seeded Liberal at 5 p.m.

Liberal beat fourth-seeded McAuley Catholic 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 27-25).

 

EAST NEWTON TOPS SENECA

Fifth-seeded East Newton defeated fourth-seeded Seneca 3-1 (12-25, 25-23, 30-28, 25-20) in the quarterfinals of the Class 3 District 12 tournament. 

Rylee Darnell had 41 assists for the Indians, while Parker Long had 16 kills. Ellie Barnes contributed nine kills, while Braxton Raulston had 23 digs and Brylee Sage contributed two aces.

The Indians finish the season with a record of 14-16-3.

In a semifinal contest, third-seeded Lamar defeated second-seeded Mount Vernon 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-12, 25-19) on Thursday.

Saturday’s second semifinal features No. 1 El Dorado Springs against East Newton at 6. The championship match is scheduled for 6 on Monday at Mount Vernon. 

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Neosho’s season comes to an end with a loss to Ray-Pec in district opener

Fourth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar earned a 3-0 win over fifth-seeded Neosho to kick off Class 5 District 12 play on Thursday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

The Panthers (14-18-1) took control of the match after earning a 25-14 win in the opening set. The Wildcats jumped out in front of the second set to take a five-point lead midway through before Ray-Pec rallied to earn a 25-20 victory. The Panthers took early control of the final set before closing out the sweep 25-15.

Neosho closes the season with a 6-21-5 record in Jessica Crow’s first season at the helm as head coach. The Wildcats graduate seniors Alexa Laney and Rylee Amato.

Neosho’s Delaynie Kelly earns a kill in the Wildcats’ loss to Ray-Pec on Thursday in the Class 5 District 12 tournament. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“We are very young and I see a bright future for my team, especially our young athletes,” Crow said. “My seniors have been great leaders this year, but I hate that the season ended the way it did for them. I think our culture is changing into something positive.”

“They have been the best,” Crow added about Laney and Amato leaving as seniors. “They have really led this team, putting themselves out there to help the team and rebuild the culture. … They are going to be hard to replace, and our girls were lucky to have them.”

Neosho started the opening set on a 4-1 run backed by a kill from Delaynie Kelly before Ray-Pec used a kill from Tia Storms and a four-point service run from Ava Rann to go up 6-4. The Wildcats battled back to take a 7-6 lead on a block by Karlee Ellick, but back to back kills by Kylee Harris and Storms as part of a four-point run staked the Panthers to a 11-10 advantage. A five-point run in service by Harris, which included an ace, kills from Harris, Storms and Avery Lowe and a block by Lowe, pushed the lead to 20-11, with Ray-Pec finishing the first game shortly after on an ace from Rann.

The Wildcats and Panthers had a tight battle in the early onset of the second game before a six-point service run from Laney gave Neosho a 14-9 advantage, with Miranda Wennhold and Kelly earning a kill. Ray-Pec rallied to take a 21-8 lead fueled by a long service run from McKenzie Marsh, which included consecutive aces, before eventually finishing off the second game moments later.

“We had a lot of bright spots in these matches,” Crow said. “Honestly, we are doing a better job of not giving up when we face adversity. We are still showing the effort to go out and make things happen when we are in a huge hole. I think we just have to work on consistency, and I think it will get better with us being so young and having so many sophomores who have never touched a varsity court before this year. I think getting a taste of that this year will help them grow and will take it head on next season.”

Neosho’s Karlee Ellick earns a kill in the Wildcats’ loss to Ray-Pec in the district opener on Thursday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

Sierra Jett earned three straight aces for the Panthers early in the third set to build a 9-4 lead. Meredith Baldwin recorded three consecutive kills to answer back for Neosho, cutting the lead to 9-7. The Panthers methodically built their lead up 22-10 thanks to eight straight points and went off to finish the sweep shortly after.

STATS

Wennhold led Neosho with seven kills, while Baldwin added five kills and three blocks. Jayley Ackerson had seven digs, while Laney had four digs and two aces.

UP NEXT

Ray-Pec takes on top-seeded Carthage in the district semifinals at 4 p.m. on Saturday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: McDonald County advances to district semifinals with five-set win over Monett

 

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Fourth-seeded McDonald County defeated fifth-seeded Monett 3-2 in a five-set thriller on Thursday in a quarterfinal contest of the Class 4 District 12 volleyball tournament.

The Mustangs topped the Cubs 25-11, 25-11, 22-25, 23-25, 15-12.

McDonald County earned a spot in the semifinals, where they’ll take on top-seeded and host Carl Junction at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

In Thursday’s win over the Cubs, McDonald County’s Savannah Leib had 13 kills and Samara Smith added 12 kills.

Abby Wiseman handed out 44 assists for the Mustangs, while Megan Elwood and Kirklyn Kasischke recorded 30 digs apiece and Lana Yang served five aces. 

Saturday’s other semifinal features second-seeded Webb City against third-seeded Nevada at 2:30.

The semifinal winners meet at 6 on Monday night at Carl Junction High School. 

 

PREP SOFTBALL: Webb City suffers extra-inning loss to Rolla in quarterfinals

ROLLA, Mo. — A second straight trip to the Final Four wasn’t meant to be for the Webb City Cardinals. 

Rolla defeated Webb City 10-9 in nine innings on Thursday in a quarterfinal contest of the MSHSAA Class 4 state softball tournament at Rolla Middle School.

The Bulldogs (30-8) advanced to the semifinals on Oct. 28, where they’ll meet Incarnate Word (17-11) at 2 p.m. at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.

The game was deadlocked when the Bulldogs plated three runs in the top of the ninth inning. The Cardinals, the home team on the scoreboard, got two runs back in the bottom half, but they were unable to tie it up before the final out was recorded. 

Webb City, last year’s Class 4 runner-up, ends the season at 17-13. Shauna Friend’s Cardinals were led by nine seniors. 

Webb City overcame a pair of three-run deficits to force extra innings.

Rolla’s Jessica Mace launched a two-run home run to left in the top of the second before Keira Chrisco’s solo home run to right gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage in the third. 

The Cardinals plated four runs in the bottom half of the third. 

Senior standouts Peyton Hawkins and Emma Welch blasted back-to-back home runs to get the Cardinals on the board. 

After singles from both Hannah Wells and Kaylyn Gilbert, Morgan Brannon reached on an error to load the bases. After two outs, Lauren Hicks delivered a two-run single to right field to give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.

The Bulldogs responded with four runs in the fourth. Riley Wassilak and Mace both hit run-scoring singles. Another run crossed home after a pop up before a sac fly made it 7-4.

But Hawkins smacked a two-run home run to left in the bottom of the fourth, trimming Webb City’s deficit to one with her second long ball of the game.

The Cardinals tied it up in the bottom of the sixth. Hawkins singled, Welch was hit by a pitch and Wells lined a game-tying RBI double to left. 

After Gilbert walked and the runners moved up on a passed ball, Morgan Brannon lifted a fly ball into right field. Pinch runner Sydney Strickland sprinted home, the ball got away from Rolla catcher Chrisco and Gilbert crossed home, too. 

But after an appeal, Strickland was called out for leaving third base too early, eliminating both runs, and the game remained tied at seven.

Webb City stranded two in the eighth before Rolla erupted for three runs in the top of the ninth.

Mckenzie McCarter hit an RBI double, Reagan Reedy added a run-scoring triple and Madison Mace contributed an RBI single to make it 10-7.

Webb City’s Emalee Lamar blasted a two-run homer to right in the bottom of the ninth to make it a one-run game.  

The Cardinals had the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first, but the Bulldogs retired the side to secure the win. 

Rolla’s Madison Hamby was the winning pitcher. She allowed six earned runs on 13 hits while striking out seven. 

Spencer, McCarter, Madison Mace, Jessica Mace and Wassilak had two hits apiece for the Bulldogs. 

Freshman Laney Taylor took the loss. She went all nine innings and gave up seven earned runs on 13 hits with three strikeouts. 

A Missouri Southern recruit, Hawkins went 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Cardinals, while Wells, Gilbert, Lamar, Hicks and Dawsyn Decker all had two hits apiece. 

NOTE: Thursday’s other semifinal will feature Platte County vs. Washington. Platte County defeated Nevada 10-0 in five innings, while Washington beat Farmington 6-1.

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Carthage, Joplin win in season finales; District play on the horizon

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.

BOYS SWIMMING: Webb City repeats as COC champ; Carthage takes second, Joplin fourth

 

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.

 

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: East Newton boys win Big 8 Meet at McDonald County

 

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. 

 

FULL RESULTS: https://mo.milesplit.com/meets/440616-big-8-cc-championship-2021/results

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Joplin boys capture first-ever conference championship; JHS girls take second

 

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.

 

FULL RESULTS: COC XC Championship-2021 2021 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

GIRLS STATE GOLF: Carthage’s Bryant takes 10th to highlight local golfers as state wraps

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.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: College Heights falls to Diamond in five sets

College Heights fell to Diamond in five sets (25-18, 25-17, 23-25, 22-25 and 16-14) to close out the regular season on Tuesday.

The Cougars close the regular season with a 15-13-2, while the Wildcats close the season with an 11-14-3 record.

Addie Lawrence finished with 20 kills and three blocks to lead CHC. Lauren Ukena had 10 kills, 17 digs and 16 service points, while Maddy Colin had 33 assists and 20 service points. Lindsay Griesemer finished with 24 digs, while Ava Masena had 23 digs. Marley Woodford added three blocks.

Top-seeded College Heights takes on the winner of the fourth-seeded McAuley Catholic and fifth-seeded Liberal in the Class 1 District 9 semifinals at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Top-seeded Diamond takes on the winner fourth-seeded Marionville and fifth-seeded Southwest in the Class 2 District 11 tournament at 4 p.m. on Saturday.