McAuley senior basketball player Kennedy DeRuy is getting an opportunity to continue her basketball career while setting up her future beyond the game at the same time.
On Tuesday, DeRuy signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Hunter College in New York City.
“It honestly means the world to me,” DeRuy said to SoMo Sports. “I’ve been visiting New York City since I was 7 years old and ever since then, I’ve always pictured myself there. The connections Hunter has to offer for my future career is unbelievable. The athletic program is filled with great people including my head coach, Coach Garrett. This college has everything I’ve been looking for to take my talents to the next level.”
DeRuy has been a standout basketball player at McAuley for the last several seasons, including this past senior year when she averaged 16 points, nearly six rebounds and four assists to go along with four steals per game in the way to earning Ozark 7 Player of the Year honors. She is the fourth all-time scoring lead in McAuley history with 1,379 points.
Of Course, the main attraction of Hunter College for DeRuy was the media studies program. DeRuy, who plans to be a broadcast journalist, believes she will have unlimited opportunities while attending Hunter College.
“Hunter is located in the middle of Manhattan, so there are many job opportunities dealing with broadcast journalism,” DeRuy said. “Internships can allow me to get a foot in the door and that’s all I need. I love the city around me too. Everyone is hustling around me and that makes me more motivated than ever.”
And while DeRuy is anxious to get to New York City after she graduates, that doesn’t mean she isn’t appreciative of what McAuley has done for her leading up to the point in life. In fact, she credits her time at McAuley for the student-athlete she is today.
“High school basketball obviously got me to this point,” DeRuy said. “Having a dream to play in college gave me the motivation to get better during my high school years. I’ve put in a lot of hours in this McAuley gym. When I’m off in New York, I’ll never forget where I came from. I was taught not to be selfish. I was taught to be a leader, not a follower.”
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City trailed 5-0 early before rallying in front with crooked numbers on the scoreboard throughout the middle innings only for Class 6 second-ranked Nixa to push across three runs in the sixth inning to regain the lead for good on the way to the Central Ozark Conference and district win on Wednesday.
Webb City’s Kolton Eilenstein rounds third in the Cardinals’ loss to Nixa on Wednesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Eagles (24-1, 6-0 COC) scored five times on five hits in the top of the seventh inning to take a commanding lead before the Cardinals (11-13, 4-4 COC) trimmed the deficit to 5-2 after a pair of runs crossed home in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a sacrifice fly from Cy Darnell.
Webb City’s Kolton Eilenstein came up with an RBI single and it was followed by a two-run double by William Hayes in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 5-5. Eric Fitch tripled to right field in the next at-bat to bring the go-ahead run in the form of Hayes to give the Cardinals the advantage, 6-5, after a four-run frame.
Wyatt Vincent doubled to left-center in the top of the fourth to score Caeden Cloud to tie the game once again, but Webb City responded once more with three runs in the bottom half of the inning with Eilenstein driving home the go-ahead runs with a two-run single up the middle to go up 9-6.
Nixa cut the Cardinals’ lead to 9-8 with two runs in the fifth inning before taking the lead for the final time with a three-run sixth inning. Jaret Nelson had a two-run single before coming around to score later on a fielder’s choice.
Webb City’s Kaylor Darnell delivers a pitch to home plate during the Cardinals’ loss to Nixa on Wednesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Rylan Evans earned the win in relief after allowing three unearned runs on three hits and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Hardy Dougan started and took a no-decision after allowing six runs, four earned, on four hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings.
Walker Sweet took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Kaylor Darnell started and earned a no-decision after allowing six runs on eight hits, a walk and a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings. Gage Chapman pitched two scoreless innings in relief, walking two and striking out two.
Nelson had four hits, including a double, three RBI and scored twice, while Rylan Michel had two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored to lead Nixa at the plate. Sam Russo, Tanner Grant and Cloud all had two hits for the Eagles. Russo and Cloud scored twice, while Grant had an RBI and two runs scored.
Eilenstein finished with two hits, three RBI and two runs scored, while Fitch had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI. Hayes had a double, two RBI and scored a run. Kenley Hood also registered a hit for Webb City.
CARL JUNCTION 3, OZARK 2
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction trailed 2-0 after two innings before using a three-run fourth inning as the catalyst on the way to a Central Ozark Conference win on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (7-12, 2-4 COC) trailed by a pair of runs entering the fourth inning when back to back one-out walks followed by an Ozark error allowed the first Carl Junction run to cross the plate. Logan Eck singled to center field to pick up an RBI in the next at-bat to tie the game at 2-2. A fielder’s choice by Arlen Wakefield later in the inning brought home the go-ahead run.
Brody Baumann singled home a run in the first inning and Alex Nimmo singled home a run in the second inning to account for Ozark’s offense.
Kyler Perry earned the win on the mound after allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits, four walks and four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Lucas Vanlanduit earned the save after recording the final out of the game.
Brady Dodd took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits, four walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Gage Depee surrendered one hit and struck out one in 1 2/3 relief innings.
Cole Wilson had two hits and scored a run to lead CJ at the plate, while Eck had a hit and an RBI.
REPUBLIC 3, JOPLIN 0
REPUBLIC, Mo. — Republic took the lead with a first-inning run and added insurance in the fourth and sixth frames on the way to a shutout win over Joplin in Central Ozark Conference action on Wednesday.
Three straight batters reached with one out via a walk, hit-by-pitch and walk before a fielder’s choice by Trace Harrington gave the Tigers (12-10, 5-2 COC) a 1-0 lead over the Eagles (10-11, 5-2 COC). Gavyn Beckner pushed the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the fourth before he added another RBI single in the sixth to make the score 3-0.
Beckner also pitched a complete-game shutout to earn the win on the mound, scattering four hits, walking two and striking out four in seven innings.
Ethan Guilford took the loss after allowing three runs on eight hits, three walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
Byler Reither, Kyler Stokes, Jackson Queen and Landon Maples all had hits for Joplin.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS 12, JASPER 9
JASPER, Mo. — College Heights used a five-run first inning and a four-run fifth inning to build an insurmountable lead in a win over Jasper on Wednesday.
The Cougars (4-9) took control in the top first when Kelton Welch singled with the bases loaded and Smoke Ezell followed with a bases-loaded walk to make the score 2-0. The first-inning scoring was capped with two runs coming home on a Jasper error.
CHC added single tallies in the second and third innings on an RBI single from Welch and an RBI single from Austin Miller.
Ben Thomas started the four-run fifth inning with a two-run double to center before Welch singled home two runs in the next at-bat on a ground ball through the left side to push the lead to 11-2.
Jasper scored six runs in the sixth inning to cut the lead to two before the Cougars added insurance in the seventh.
Nicholas Brueggemann earned the win after allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts in five innings. Thomas earned the save after allowing two runs on three hits, two walks and a strikeout in two relief innings.
Braden Rush took the loss after allowing six runs, four earned, on four walks, two hits and two strikeouts in two innings. Clay Brown allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits, eight walks and four strikeouts in five relief innings.
Welch had four hits, four RBI and a run scored to lead CHC at the plate. Thomas had a hit, two RBI and a run scored.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS SOFTBALL 3, PIERCE CITY 2
College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) softball trailed 2-1 heading into the sixth before tying the game before walking off in the bottom of the seventh on the way to the win over Pierce City on Wednesday.
Addie Lawrence doubled to lead off the sixth inning for the Cougars (18-2) before coming around to score two batters later on an RBI single to right field by Aaliyah Perez to tie the game at 2-2.
Jayli Johnson singled with one out in the seventh before stealing second and coming around to score the winning run in walk-off fashion on an RBI double to center by Kloee Williamson.
Maddy Colin earned the complete-game win after allowing two runs on seven hits and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Mollie Beeson took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits, a walk and six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Johnson had four hits and scored a run to lead CHC at the plate, while Williamson had two hits and an RBI. Perez had a hit and an RBI, while Lawrence had a hit and scored a run.
Juli Lowe and Jilian Mack each had hits and drove in a run for Pierce City (13-8).
That’s all that separated Thomas Jefferson from College Heights Christian for the top spot in the team standings at the 2022 Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet on Wednesday at the J. P. Humphreys Track & Field Complex.
With their overall team depth on full display, Thomas Jefferson’s girls edged College Heights 223-220 for first place.
When a long day concluded, Thomas Jefferson’s girls were hoisting the conference championship plaque into the air.
“It’s been a long time coming for our girls program,” Thomas Jefferson coach Junior Joseph said. “I think 2018 was the last time they won the conference. It was a great day to be a Cav.”
The Cavaliers scored big points in nearly every event. In all, Thomas Jefferson had 25 top-four finishes.
“We have girls scoring points in distance, throws, short sprints and jumps,” Joseph said. “It took a little brain work to put the pieces together to pull it off. It’s a strategic game at times, especially as a smaller school. You have to shuffle people around and get them in the right events. It was a whole team effort today.”
College Heights Christian’s repeat bid fell just short.
“We won the events we were expected to win, but we just didn’t have enough girls,” College Heights coach Daniel Lewis said. “It was close…three points. There were multiple events where we just didn’t have another girl in that event. I don’t know if we could have done much differently with the limited number of kids we had. And TJ did a great job of figuring out where to put kids and what events to put them in. They did well in the field events. You have to give credit where credit is due. They did a fantastic job today. Their fifths, sixths and sevenths killed us.”
Wheaton (69), McAuley Catholic (45) and Verona (2) rounded out the girls standings.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
The Thomas Jefferson girls track team won the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Wednesday, edging defending champion College Heights by three points for the top spot in the standings.
Thomas Jefferson won five events and finished second in nine events. The hosts were third in five events and fourth in six events.
The Cavaliers won the 4×100 relay in 56.9 seconds, with Nico Carlson, Gabbi Hiebert, Avery Hocker and Alivia Beard competing.
Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd, Samantha Seto, Mia Grubbs and Sarah Mueller won the 4×800 relay in 11:57. Thomas Jefferson was the runner-up in the 4×200 and 4×400 relays.
The Cavaliers fared extremely well in the field events.
Carlson and Hiebert finished first and second in the high jump, while Hocker and Hiebert took first and second in the triple jump. Hocker and Carlson were second and third in the long jump.
Alexis Stamps and Lannah Grigg were the top two finishers in the discus.
Phoenix Wade placed fourth in the shot put and Grigg was fifth in the javelin.
On the track, Mueller crossed the line second in the 800-meter run in 2:49. Mueller also finished third in both the 1600 and the 3200.
Beard was the runner-up in the 100 (13.86) and also placed fourth in the 200 (29.24).
Hiebert placed second in the 300 hurdles and Stamps finished third in the 100 hurdles.
Carlson placed third in the 400-meter run, with teammate Shifferd fifth in the same event. Shifferd took fourth in the 800 and Natalie Carroll was fifth.
Shifferd and Seto placed fourth and fifth in the 1600, while Grubbs and Seto took fourth and fifth in the 3200. Grubbs and Seto also placed fourth and fifth in the 300 hurdles.
“Alivia Beard is our only senior,” Joseph said. “The first year she came out we had 26 people on the team and ended up with 12 by the end of that season. She’s the one senior that stuck it out. For Alivia and Elias Rincker, our other senior, to come out and have phenomenal days, it just means a lot. It was just a great day.”
COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
The defending Class 1 state champion College Heights girls won nine events.
College Heights Christian’s Addie Lawrence and Jayli Johnson were the top two finishers in the 400-meter run.
College Heights standout Addie Lawrence won four individual events for the Cougars.
A junior, Lawrence won the 100-meter dash in 13.4 seconds and took first in the 200 in 27.9 seconds. Lawrence crossed the line first in the 400 with a time of 1:01 and also placed first in the long jump (4.8 meters).
College Heights’ Lauren Ukena won both hurdle races. Ukena recorded a winning time of 19.9 seconds in the 100 hurdles and clocked a 54.2 in the 300 hurdles.
CHC’s Emily Winters won the 800 with a time of 2:44.
College Heights won the 4×200 and 4×400 relays and finished second in both the 4×100 and 4×800 relays.
Jayli Johnson was the runner-up in three events, the 200, the 400 and the javelin. Ukena and Johnson finished third and fourth in the 100, while Ukena also placed third in the 200.
Also for the Cougars, Marla Anderegg finished second in the 1600 and third in the 800, while Isabella Maninges took second in the 100 hurdles.
Maddy Colin finished third in three events—the 300 hurdles, the high jump and the discus. Colin was fourth in the javelin.
Isabelle Clevenger and Lindsay Griesemer placed third and fourth in the triple jump, Katie Moss was fourth in the 400 and Madelynn Jordan was sixth in both the 1600 and 3200.
Coach Lewis noted CHC was without Libby Fanning, who usually scores big points in the shot put and discus. Fanning suffered an injury during a recent softball game.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
Kendall Ramsey won two events for the Warriors.
A sophomore, Ramsey took first in the 1600 with a time of 6:18 and also won the 3200 in 14:20.
McAuley’s Avery Eminger placed third in both the javelin and the shot put and also took fourth in the discus. Kaitlyn Bates took fifth in the shot put.
“We need to improve our numbers on the girls’ side,” Warriors coach Andy Youngworth said. “But last year we only had one girl and just a handful of boys. And I’m really excited about our middle school programs.”
The Cavaliers, Cougars and Warriors won all but two events, as Wheaton’s Monica Hinojosa won the shot put and the javelin.
The Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet was held at Thomas Jefferson Independent School on Wednesday. All photos by Jason Peake.
For the second straight year, College Heights Christian’s boys captured the team championship at the Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet.
Competing on Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson Independent School’s J. P. Humphreys Track & Field Complex, the College Heights boys compiled 183 points.
When the meet concluded, the Cougars were posing for photos with the conference championship plaque.
“Our boys ran well and we’re very pleased,” College Heights coach Daniel Lewis said. “We ran last night at Monett, so I was really pleased to see them come back and run well today. I was very proud we were able to get three of the four conference titles today (boys, two middle school). We wanted all four, but we’ll set our sights on districts next week.”
Thomas Jefferson (131.5) and McAuley Catholic (126) were second and third, respectively, in the team standings.
“Our boys had a great day,” Cavaliers coach Junior Joseph said. “We’re smaller in numbers. Elias Rincker practiced triple jump for a week and finished second today. Jay Ball is primarily a basketball player, and he comes out and wins the discus and takes fourth in the shot put. And everybody knows what Kip Atteberry can do…he takes first in everything. He’s definitely our anchor.”
“Today exceeded my expectations,” McAuley coach Andy Youngworth said. “We knew College Heights had the numbers game. Our goal was to be second and then try to be a spoiler by taking away as many points from other teams as we could. Our boys were only five points behind Thomas Jefferson for second place. We just need more numbers. We’re trying to do things right. Our goal is to build something like College Heights has. You’re always looking to raise your level of competition to the best in the conference.”
Verona (63), Wheaton (48), Exeter (38.5) and Golden City (25) rounded out the team standings.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
College Heights Christian’s boys won the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Wednesday at Thomas Jefferson. McAuley Catholic finished third. Photos by Jason Peake.
The Cougars won eight events.
Sophomore Ethan Ukena won three events for the Cougars. Ukena crossed the line first in the 400-meter run in 53.88 seconds and also won the long jump (5.59m) and the triple jump (11.5m).
Caleb Quade placed first in the high jump (1.77m), with Ukena third.
Colsen Dickens won the javelin (27.16m). In a busy day for the sophomore, Dickens also placed second in the 400, fourth in the 200 and sixth in the 100.
CHC’s Matt Williams won the 200-meter dash in 24.75 seconds and also took fourth in the 100.
Gavin Doll was the runner-up in the shot put, while Quade finished third in the 1600.
Quade and Derrick McMillan placed third and fourth in the 800, while Brayden Youngberg was third in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles.
Andrew Williams finished fourth in the javelin, while Elijah Moss finished fifth in the 3200.
CHC’s boys won the 4×200 and 4×800 relays and took second in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry won the 1600 and the 800 at Wednesday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet. McAuley’s Michael Parrigon was the runner-up in the 1600 and the champion in the 3200.
The host Cavaliers won four events.
Junior standout Kip Atteberry won two events for the Cavaliers. Atteberry won the 800-meter run in 2:09 and crossed the line first in the 1600 with a school record time of 4:42.
Elias Rincker was first in the 300 hurdles in 45.8 seconds. Rincker finished second in the triple jump, third in the high jump and fifth in the 100.
Jay Ball (28.85m) and Benjamin Carroll (26.38m) took first and second in the discus. Joseph said Ball set a school record in the discus.
The duo also finished fourth and fifth in the shot put, while Carroll also took second in the javelin.
TJ’s Levi Triplett and Sheraz Anis took second and third in the 110 hurdles, while Layton Green was fourth in the 400, Sheraz Anis was fifth in the 300 hurdles and Shayaan Anis took sixth in the javelin.
The Cavaliers were third in the 4×100, fourth in the 4×200 and fourth in the 4×400.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
The Warriors won three events, including two relays.
McAuley freshman Michael Parrigon won the 3200-meter run in 11:28. Parrigon was also the runner-up in both the 800 (2:10) and 1600 (4:52).
Jacob Bracich was second in three events, the 100-meter dash (12.21), the 200 (24.85) and the long jump (5.57m).
Jack Jones took second in the high jump after clearing 1.58m.
Jake Higginbotham finished third in the 400, while Drew Zeb and Armando Alberto placed third and fourth, respectively, in the 3200.
Joe Staton placed fourth in the 300 hurdles and Phillip Motazedi took fifth in the 800.
The Warriors won the 4×100 relay in 48.6 seconds, with Ethan Staab, Bracich, Dylan Taffner and Higginbotham competing.
McAuley also won the 4×400 in 3:55, with Jones, Taffner, Higginbotham and Parrigon competing. McAuley was second in the 4×800 relay and third in the 4×200.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Other event winners in the boys meet were Verona’s Isaac Alvarado (100) and Marco Castillo (shot put) and Wheaton’s Fernando Gonzalez (110 H).
Thomas Jefferson hosted the Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet on Wednesday. Photos by Jason Peake/SoMo Sports.
Phoenix Wade placed fourth in the shot put and Grigg was fifth in the javelin. 
McAuley freshman Michael Parrigon won the 3200-meter run in 11:28. Parrigon was also the runner-up in both the 800 (2:10) and 1600 (4:52).
