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Day: February 18, 2022

STATE SWIMMING: Carl Junction takes 6th in Class 1; local athletes earn state hardware

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Led by a pair of silver medalists, and with five trips to the awards podium overall, Carl Junction finished sixth in the Class 1 team standings at the 47th annual MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.

The Bulldogs finished with 114.5 points. Parkway West (220.5), Cape Girardeau Central (187), Clayton (165), Pembroke Hill (129) and Webster Groves (124.5) were the only squads to top the Bulldogs.

“The girls are in good spirits, and I feel really good about how we performed,” Carl Junction coach Stephanie Miller said in a phone interview. “I told them they had to really show up at the prelims and hold on for the finals. And for the most part, they did that. There was one relay that fell short, but we moved on and did really well today. I was happy. Going to the medal stand five times is fun, and two second places is really good.”

Carl Junction sophomore Chloe Miller was the runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle with her time of 24.39 seconds. Rogersville’s Maddie Atwood took first in 23.67.

Miller also finished sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.61.

Carl Junction’s Skyler Sundy placed second in the 100 backstroke in 59.72 seconds. New Covenant’s Maggie Moore took first in 55.74.

A junior, Sundy also placed fifth in the 50 freestyle (24.68).

“For two of them to be top eight in two races was great to see,” Coach Miller said.  

The Bulldogs finished fourth in the 200 medley relay in 1:53, with Sundy, Abigail Wilson, Miller and Alanza Montez competing.

The CJ team of Sundy, Elyanna Dogotch, Montez and Miller finished ninth in the 200 free relay (1:42). 

“I put freshman Elyanna Dogotch on the 200 free relay so Carsyn Smith could get ready for the backstroke, and Elyanna showed up big with a lifetime best time… in the finals at state,” Miller said. “That was one of my favorite swims today because it’s fun to see someone deal with that pressure.”

CJ senior Carsyn Smith placed 12th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02, while Wilson was 16th in the 100 breaststroke (1:11).

The Bulldogs will lose seniors Montez and Smith to graduation, but Carl Junction will return a solid core next winter. 

“It’s always hard to see the seniors go,” Coach Miller said. “We’ve had a solid team all year. And we’re already looking at next year. We’re ready to go and ready to do it again. It’s just so much fun.” 

The Bulldogs weren’t the only local squad to have a nice showing alongside the state’s best. 

The Carthage Tigers and Webb City Cardinals also had state medalists. 

Carthage junior Madison Riley placed fourth in the 100 butterfly in 58.86 to earn state medalist honors. According to Tigers coach Braden McBride, Riley is the first state medalist in program history.

Carthage took 11th in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:44, with senior Cassidy Smith, sophomore Aubree Santillan, senior Hope Fultz and Riley competing.

The Tigers were 12th in the 200 medley relay, as Santillan, Smith, Riley and Fultz recorded a time of 1:57.

Webb City junior Sophia Whitesell placed eighth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:16 to earn a state medal. Whitesell also placed 16th in the 500 freestyle in 5:31.

Cardinals junior Skylar Powell finished 13th in the 50 freestyle (25.64) and 14th in the 100 free (56.64).

Webb City fared well in all three relays. 

The 400 freestyle relay team of Powell, sophomore Avery Mitchell, freshman Alix Davis and Whitesell finished 11th in 3:49.

Webb City’s 200 medley relay team of freshman Camryn Klosterman, senior Makenzie Storm, Whitesell and junior Olivia Honey finished 15th in 2:01. The Cardinals placed 16th in the 200 free relay in 1:46, with Powell, senior Ella Holt, Honey and Mitchell competing.

Like the Bulldogs, Shawn Klosterman’s Cardinals will return a solid core next year.  

Carthage (38) and Webb City (37) were 20th and 21st, respectively, in the team standings.  

Before departing St. Peters for a long bus ride home, Coach Miller noted the Southwest Missouri squads represented the area well at the state championships.

“We see so much great competition in Southwest Missouri with Webb City, Kickapoo and Glendale and everybody,” Miller said. “We all go at it during the season and then it’s fun here at state because we’re all cheering for each other. I love that dynamic. We’re from an area that is so powerful down there in the corner. We all show up here at state and we all care about each other. The area coaches hang out and we look forward to seeing all the area kids compete. It’s been really fun and that’s what I love about this sport.”

 

MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships

Class 1 top 10 teams

Parkway West 220.5, Cape Girardeau Central 187, Clayton 165, Pembroke Hill 129, Webster Groves 124.5, Carl Junction 114.5, Villa Duchesne 104.5, Parkway Central 99.5, Visitation 99, Mehlville 95.

 

FULL RESULTS:  

MSHSAA 2022 Class 1 Girls Results

BOYS HOOPS: Thomas Jefferson builds early lead and holds off McAuley

Posted on by Lucas Davis

Thomas Jefferson built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and added on throughout on the way to a 59-46 win in Ozark 7 Conference and district action on Thursday.

The Cavaliers (18-6, 4-2 Ozark 7) opened the game with a double digit scoring run as the catalyst for Thomas Jefferson’s 11-point lead by the end of the first eight minutes. Thomas Jefferson pushed the lead to 18 by the intermission and past the 10-point mark three minutes into the second half. The Warriors (6-20, 0-6 Ozark 7) made a run at the lead in the fourth, but the Cavaliers held McAuley at bay in the closing minutes to preserve the district road win.

“I thought we played well early, but we obviously didn’t do a good job there down the stretch that last quarter and a half,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “I thought we got a little complacent. We talked about it before this game ever tipped off—McAuley is never going to go away. Coach (Tony) Witt does a great job with them. They battle tooth and nail all the way until the end no matter what the score is. They proved me correct right there because they stayed after it the whole game.”

SENIOR NIGHT

McAuley celebrated Senior Night before the game and held ceremonies for Kevin Tran, Declan Berkstresser, Jacob Bracich and Jeffrey Horinek.

“Those guys have been through some trials and tribulations,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said of his senior class. “When I took the job (two seasons ago), someone’s parent from that senior class told me those kids had a different coach every single year until I arrived. This is the only stretch where they have had some stability in their basketball career. For them to stick it out and keep bearing it, it says a lot about their character. They are absolutely great kids and high-character guys. I just wish I had them for all four years instead of two.”

GAME ACTION

Thomas Jefferson wasted little time taking control of the game, using a 13-0 run out of the game to dictate the pace early. Drew Goodhope and Caden Myers fueled the early surge with six points and five points, respectively. 

“Anytime you can build a lead, you are pretty happy,” Myers said. “I thought we played well in the first half. We just kind of let up right there at the wrong time and things started to get away from us. I thought we reeled it back in and really did a good job down the stretch of finishing.”

Jay Ball finished the first quarter with six points and ended the first half in double figures along with Myers and Goodhope to propel Cavaliers to an 18-point advantage by halftime, 36-18. 

Thomas Jefferson pushed the lead to more than 20 for the first time early in the third quarter after a score on the break by Myers and a pair of makes at the foul line from Ball made the score 42-20 with five minutes to play.

McAuley was able to close the third quarter on a 12-5 run to trim the deficit to 47-32 after a three-point play from Michael Parrigon in the closing seconds of the period.

The Warriors refused to go away down the stretch, cutting the lead down to 12 points, 52-40, off back to back 3-pointers from Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, who missed a significant portion of the season with a wrist injury, near the midway point of the fourth. Noah Black earned a steal for a layup on the break the other way to make the score 55-44 with 2:08 left in regulation, but that would be as close as the Warriors would get to the lead before the sound of the final horn. 

“He is just starting to feel comfortable again,” Witt said of Bazzano-Joseph. “When he first came back, you could tell he was favoring the wrist and trying to figure it out. He had only played four games before getting hurt and came back in mid-January. For him to come out of his shell tonight is really big for us down the stretch. When you have someone like him playing on the side of Noah (Black) and Michael (Parrigon) on the perimeter, it’s—optimistic is the word I would use. It’s very optimistic.”

SCORING LEADERS

Ball finished with a game-high 22 points and added 16 rebounds for a double-double to lead the way for Thomas Jefferson. Myers had two 3-pointers and finished with 15 points, while Goodhope scored 11 points, all of which came in the first half.

Bazzano-Joseph knocked down a game-high five 3-pointers and tied Ball with a game-high 22 points in the loss. Parrigon finished with eight points.

UP NEXT

Thomas Jefferson takes on Bronaugh (5-19) at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in the opening round of the Class 1 District 5 tournament hosted by the Cavaliers.

The McAuley boys take on Sheldon (8-17) at 4:30 on Monday in the opening round of the Class 1 District 5 tournament hosted by Thomas Jefferson.

GIRLS HOOPS: Early defense propels McAuley past Thomas Jefferson on Senior Night

Posted on by Lucas Davis

McAuley Catholic girls basketball used a staunch defensive effort in the second quarter to build a double-digit lead by the intermission, setting the pace in the second half on the way to a 50-27 Ozark 7 Conference win over Thomas Jefferson on Senior Night.

The Warriors (16-10, 4-2 Ozark 7) took a 12-10 lead into the second period before holding the Cavaliers (7-15) scoreless in the period to build an 11-point lead by halftime. McAuley pushed the lead to more than 30 points in the second half on the way to the district win.

“Senior Night is kind of an emotional night because they are playing their final game on the home floor,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said. “You always want to send the girls out on a win. The last few games have not gone our way, so we wanted to come out and focus on defense and make it an emphasis.”

SENIOR NIGHT MEMORIES

The McAuley girls celebrated seniors Kayleigh Teeter, Kennedy DeRuy and Avery Eminger before the tip with Thomas Jefferson.

“They have been playing together since they were little kids,” Howard said. “I just can’t say enough about all three of them. Their work ethic and passion for the game—there are not three other people that work harder than them. I am so proud to be able to send them to a win their last night here on our floor.”

Teeter, who is the third all-time leading scorer in McAuley girls basketball history with 1,383 points, saw her senior year end prematurely after suffering a season-ending knee injury near the midway point of the schedule. Allowing her one more chance to take the court in her team’s final home game of the regular season, Teeter suited for McAuley in her knee brace and was allowed to score the Warriors’ first points of the game on an uncontested layup. 

“I wanted to give her one more chance with everything that has happened,” Howard said of Teeter’s final basket as a Warrior. “(The knee injury) was so unfortunate for her. She is a great kid and the most humble person I have ever met. For a leader and one of our best players, it means a lot to send her out on a positive note and to give her the reception she deserves from the fans. She has meant a world to this team and our community.”

Getting all three seniors involved, Eminger tipped the ball to DeRuy, who dribbled down the court before passing to Teeter for the layup.

“It was a great honor just to go out there one last time with teammates I have played with since third grade,” Teeter said. “I cherished that moment and really tried to enjoy it. It was really meaningful, especially since it was (Kennedy who passed it to me). We’ve played together since third grade, doing travel ball with her. Just having that friendship and chemistry with her over the years is really special.” 

GAME ACTION

McAuley held a two-point lead after the first quarter and pushed the lead to double digits by the intermission thanks in large part to the Warriors’ effort on defense. McAuley held Thomas Jefferson scoreless in the second quarter, using what turned out to be a 9-0 run in the period to push the margin to 21-10 by halftime.

“The first quarter I felt like we were timid and still thinking about Kayleigh’s reception,” Howard said. “We weren’t too focused on playing the game. When the second quarter started, we actually started playing and got back into what we like to do and that is just play good defense.”

Eminger highlighted the scoring in the second quarter. After Lily Black opened the quarter with a bucket inside, Eminger scored the next six points for the Warriors to push the lead to 20-10 with 55 seconds left in the first half. 

McAuley pushed the lead to 19 several times in the third period before DeRuy knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing with less than three minutes to play in the quarter to give the Warriors a 37-16 advantage.

The Warriors outscored the Cavs 8-2 to close out the third quarter, with DeRuy accounting for a score off the drive and a corner 3-pointer to push the lead to 45-18 to start the fourth. Her final two baskets of the quarter pushed DeRuy into fourth place all-time on the McAuley girls career scoring list with 1,323 points.

SCORING LEADERS

DeRuy led the Warriors with 22 points, including a game-high five 3-pointers in the win. Eminger closed with 10 points and Kloee Williamson finished with eight. Black added 10 points.

Thomas Jefferson’s Tannah Grigg and Alexis Stamps finished with a team-high seven points each, while Lannah Grigg scored six.

UP NEXT

The McAuley girls take on Everton (3-17) at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in the first round of the Class 1 District 5 tournament hosted by Thomas Jefferson. 

Thomas Jefferson takes on Bronaugh (14-9) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the opening round of the Class 1 District 5 tournament hosted by the Cavaliers.

STATE SWIMMING: Athletes from Carl Junction, Carthage, Webb City advance to finals

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

ST. PETERS, Mo. — Area squads fared well on the opening day of the 47th annual MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships.

The Class 1 prelims were held on Thursday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex, with the top 16 in each event advancing to Friday’s finals. 

The top eight in each preliminary event qualified for the championship finals, with those who finished 9th through 16th will swim in Friday’s consolation finals. 

 

CARL JUNCTION RESULTS

Carl Junction’s Chloe Miller and Skyler Sundy advanced to the championship finals in two events apiece.

Miller finished second in the 50-yard freestyle prelims with a time of 24.15 seconds and also placed fifth in the 100 freestyle in 53.67 seconds. 

Sundy placed second in the 100 backstroke (59.93) and took sixth in the 50 free (24.63).

Also qualifying to compete in individual events on Friday were Carsyn Smith and Abigail Wilson. 

Smith placed 13th in the 100 backstroke in 1:02, while Wilson finished 14th in the 100 breaststroke (1:10). 

The Bulldogs also advanced in two relays. 

Carl Junction’s 200-yard medley relay team of Sundy, Wilson, Miller and Alanza Montez finished third with a time of 1:52.

The Bulldogs were ninth in the 200 freestyle relay, as Montez, Smith, Sundy and Miller recorded a time of 1:43. 

Carl Junction’s 400 freestyle relay team of Montez, Smith, Elyanna Dogotch and Madeleine Garoutte finished 19th (3:59) and did not advance. 

Montez finished 26th in the 50 free (26.08).

 

CARTHAGE RESULTS

Carthage’s Madison Riley placed fourth in the 100 butterfly prelims with a time of 58.4 seconds to advance to the championship finals. 

Cassidy Smith finished 16th in the 100 freestyle in 56.81.

The Tigers finished 11th in the 200 medley relay in 1:56, with Aubree Santillan, Smith, Riley and Hope Fultz competing. 

Carthage’s 200 freestyle relay team of Riley, Santillan, Fultz and Smith took 12th place in 1:44. 

The Tigers just missed advancing in the 400 free relay, as the team of Riley, Smith, Fultz and Santillan finished 17th in 3:53. 

Also, Santillan took 23rd in the 100 backstroke (1:06) and Ava Lacey finished 32nd in the 200 freestyle (2:13). 

 

WEBB CITY RESULTS

Webb City’s Sophia Whitesell advanced to the championship finals of the 200 individual medley by finishing eighth in 2:14. 

Whitesell also moved on to the “B” finals of the 500 freestyle by finishing ninth (5:24). 

Skylar Powell moved on in two events—the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. 

Powell finished 15th in both events, recording a time of 25.51 in the 50 free and a time of 56.03 in the 100 free. 

The Cardinals advanced to Friday in all three relays.

The team of Powell, Avery Mitchell, Alix Davis and Whitesell finished 12th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:50).

Webb City’s 200 medley relay team of Camryn Klosterman, Makenzie Storm, Whitesell and Olivia Honey finished 16th in 1:59.

Webb City’s 200 freestyle relay team of Powell, Ella Holt, Honey and Mitchell finished 16th with a time of 1:46.

Also for the Cardinals, Mitchell finished 19th in the 50 free (25.68) and 21st in the 100 free (57.4), while Storm took 23rd in the 100 breaststroke (1:14) and Klosterman was 26th in the 200 IM (2:26). 

The Class 1 finals are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday.

 

FULL RESULTS: MSHSAA Class 1 Prelim Results

STATE WRESTLING: Local squads compete alongside state’s best

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The 92nd MSHSAA Boys Wrestling Championships began on Thursday at Mizzou Arena. 

Below is a look at how Joplin area squads fared.

Joplin and Carthage have athletes competing in Class 4, while Carl Junction, Neosho and McDonald County are competing in Class 3. Seneca is competing in Class 2.

The tourney continues on Friday for those still alive in their respective brackets. 

 

JOPLIN RESULTS

Joplin’s Draven VanGilder went 0-2 and saw his season end, while teammate Gunner Price went 1-1.  

Competing at 195 pounds, VanGilder suffered a 4-3 loss to Fort Zumwalt South’s William Pierce in the first round and then fell 9-1 to Jackson’s Tyler Beyatte.

A heavyweight, Price lost by major decision, 8-0, to Blue Springs’ Brock Sullivan in the first round. Price bounced back and won by fall over Fort Zumwalt South’s Joseph Kaufman in the wrestlebacks.

 

CARTHAGE RESULTS

At 138, Eli Sneed earned an 8-3 decision over Northwest-Cedar Hill’s Landon Rogers. 

At 145, Grey Petticrew went 0-2 to end the season. Petticrew suffered a 7-3 loss to Wildwood’s Gavin Shoulders in the first round and then lost by fall to Francis Howell’s Chris Gibson in the wrestlebacks.

At 152, Braxdon Tate won via major decision, 10-2, over Fort Zumwalt South’s Jeric Gumahin.

At 160, Davion King pinned Oak Park’s Karl Knaak.

 

CARL JUNCTION RESULTS

At 106 pounds, Lukas Walker won by fall over Winnetonka’s John Nguyen in the first round.

At 113, Sam Melton pinned Jefferson City’s Tytus Oliver.

At 120, Max Matthews lost by fall to Pacific’s Ethan Flaherty and then defeated Jefferson City’s Dominic Stafford 10-5.

Competing at 170, Tony Stewart won by fall over Vianney’s Westley Kruger.

At 182, Chance Benford suffered a 15-7 loss to Hillsboro’s Dalton Litzsinger, but then pinned Capital City’s Matthew Boyer. 

At 220, Cayden Bollinger lost by fall to Platte County’s Jake Fernandez, but then pinned North Point’s Jimmy Thompson.

At heavyweight, CJ’s Kameron Bennett pinned Grandview’s Derek Joiner.

 

NEOSHO RESULTS

At 113, Fisher Butler pinned Capital City’s Sterling Wheatley.

At 120, Wyatt Black lost by technical fall to Farmington’s Presley Johnson and then won by tech fall over Chaminade’s Massimo Mattina.

At 126, Johnny Chrisco pinned Hazelwood East’s Kamron Watson.

At 132, Hayden Crane won by fall over North Point’s Leo Buchheit.

At 138, Nate Copeland won by fall over Farmington’s Nate Schnur.

Competing at 145, Bostyn Patterson lost by fall to Hillsboro’s Sam Richardson and then lost 10-2 to Whitfield’s Caleb Carter.

At 152, Trent Neece pinned Parkway West’s Tommy Wehrmeister.

At 160, Collyn Kivett won by fall over Platte County’s Ben McDaniel.

At 170, Eli Zar won by fall over Sikeston’s Sam Lancaster.

At 195, Ulysses DeLeon lost by fall to Warrenton’s Jacob Ruff and then defeated Farmington’s Rowdy Vaugh 8-4.

The Wildcats are in third place in the team standings after Day 1 with 31.5 points. Hillsboro is first (34) and Whitfield is second (32).

 

MCDONALD COUNTY RESULTS

At 113, Jose Mendoza Garcia went 0-2, falling by fall to William Chrisman’s Riley Ragan and Washington’s Couper Deckard. 

Blaine Ortiz won by fall over Warrenton’s Nicholas Schulze at 126.

At 152, Levi Smith defeated Whitfield’s Rome Tate 8-4.

At 220, Samuel Murphy pinned Kearney’s Zach Olson.

At heavyweight, Jayce Hitt pinned Smithville’s Mason Crim.

 

SENECA RESULTS

At 106, Caden Thompson won by fall over Pleasant Hill’s Aiden Minor.

Keatin Burleson went 1-1 at 113. Savannah’s Gage Schottel pinned Burleson in the first round. Burleson earned a 9-2 decision over Fulton’s Cameron Cumins.

At 120, Brady Roark pinned Park Hills Central’s Austin Hassell.

At 132, Brayden Thiel defeated Fulton’s Kaden Barnes 6-4. 

Andrew Manley won by tech fall, 18-1, over St. Clair’s Bass Hughes at 138.

At 170, Gabriel Commons pinned Potosi’s Levi Courtney.

At 182, Dane Napier won by fall over Braeden Stotts of St. Mary’s. 

At 220, Nick Stephens lost 5-1 to Oak Grove’s Garrett Hudsepth and lost by fall to Potosi’s Aden Martinez. 

 

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