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Day: August 12, 2022

VOLLEYBALL: Thomas Jefferson returns entire roster in ’22

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers had no seniors on last year’s volleyball roster.

With that, the Cavaliers enter the 2022 season with a veteran lineup and high expectations. 

“We are very excited for the upcoming season,” Cavaliers coach Dave Soetaert told SoMo Sports. “Returning a group with good varsity experience and adding two more athletes with good potential has us working even harder than usual.”

Thomas Jefferson’s returning players are senior middle hitter/outside hitter Nico Carlson, senior defensive specialist Yasmina Mokhtar, junior setter Mary Nguyen, junior outside hitter Alexis Stamps, junior defensive specialist Nayab Rehman, sophomore middle blocker/middle hitter Lannah Grigg, sophomore setter Leah Studer and sophomore outside hitter Maggie Sutton.

Carlson earned first-team all-Ozark 7 honors last season, while Grigg was an honorable mention all-conference performer. 

The Cavaliers have two newcomers who Soetaert expects to contribute nicely — junior middle hitter Gabbi Hiebert and sophomore outside hitter Macie Shifferd. 

With an experienced and battle-tested roster, and with the promising additions to the team, Soetaert is confident the Cavaliers have the pieces in place to put together a stellar season.

“I expect to compete with everyone,” he said. “Wins and losses will be settled on the court, but our program is now capable of giving everyone a run for their money. We have varsity game experience that we’ll need to transition into better decisions.”

Soetaert added overall team depth is a strength of the Cavaliers this fall.

“We have good balance at all positions,” he said. “We have 10 girls competing for six spots. That will help to push everyone to be their best every day.”

Soetaert noted the team’s key to success is simple. 

“The key for us will be how fast we can gel as a group and how fast we can bring the newcomers up to speed,” he said. 

The Cavaliers, who hope to top last year’s 13-15-3 record, open the season at the Verona Invitational on Aug. 27. 

The team’s first home game is scheduled for Aug. 29 against Purdy. 

GIRLS GOLF: Webb City returns trio with experience, must replace three state qualifiers

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Following the graduation of three standouts, the Webb City High School girls golf team will be led by new faces in 2022. 

The Cardinals must overcome the loss of the graduated Sydney French, Laya McAllister and Sophia Coulson after the trio concluded the 2021 season at the Class 3 state tournament.

The three players were also the team’s top finishers at the conference and district tournaments. With that, the Cardinals will have a new look this fall. 

“We have a very young and inexperienced team and I believe we’ll be playing our best when we get to our conference and district tournaments after we’ve completed our regular season,” Webb City coach Jackson Boyer said. 

Webb City has three returning golfers with prior varsity experience—senior Jacie Crouch, junior Langlee Walker and sophomore Emerson Boulware. Crouch finished 33rd at last season’s Central Ozark Conference tourney. 

The Cardinals also have five newcomers on the roster this fall—senior Farryn Holcomb, juniors Avry Hodson and Libby Allen and sophomores Aly Byrd and Isabella Manes. 

Despite the lack of varsity experience, Boyer noted there’s a lot to like about his team.

“The strength of our team so far is the hard work and dedication I’ve seen,” he said. “We have a great group of athletes that are going to get better as the season progresses and we have a lot of competition on the team for the five varsity spots.” 

Boyer is confident his Cardinals can put together a solid season if they improve in all facets of the game as the season progresses. 

“Ultimately, we’re going to need to improve our ball striking off the tee,” Boyer said. “We’re working on having a simple approach to the game and improving consistency through the course. 

“We are going to put a lot of focus on our short game,” he added. “The team is working very hard on pitching, chipping and putting. Another key to success will be each player building confidence in themselves and each other as the season progresses.”  

Webb City will be among the teams competing at the Joplin Lady Eagle Invitational on Aug. 30 at Schifferdecker Golf Course. 

“The team is extremely excited to get going and see how we stack up against area schools,” Boyer said. “This is a great group that comes to practice each day very focused on improving their game. I’m looking forward to getting the season started and watching them compete at each tournament.” 

CROSS COUNTRY: Returning state qualifiers Street, Stevens will lead Webb City

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Returning state qualifiers Abi Street and Evan Stevens are expected to lead the way for the Webb City girls and boys cross country teams this fall.

“We have one really good runner on both sides, so it will be exciting to watch them at the front of most races,” Cardinals coach Dustin Miller said of Street and Stevens. 

A senior, Street placed fifth at last year’s Class 4 state cross country meet with a time of 18 minutes, 44 seconds. She finished fifth at the Central Ozark Conference championships and took third at the district meet.

Webb City’s Abi Street is pictured at last May’s state track meet. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

According to MileSplit Missouri, Street holds the third fastest time (18:44) in the state among returning Class 4 athletes.

Street put together a stellar spring track season, finishing 12th in the 3,200 at the state meet. 

Also back with prior varsity experience for the Webb City girls squad is senior Hally Philpot. 

Miller listed freshmen Brooke Hedger and Kristina Bundy as the team’s top newcomers. 

A junior, Stevens is the top returning runner for Webb City’s boys. 

In ’21, Stevens placed 12th at the conference meet, eighth at the district meet and 36th at state.

According to MileSplit Missouri, Stevens owns the 13th fastest time in the state (16:32) among returning Class 4 runners.

Like Street, Stevens is coming off a solid track season, as he finished seventh in the 3,200 at the Class 4 state track meet. 

Also back for the Webb City boys is junior Mason Hedger. Hedger finished 34th at last year’s conference race and placed 36th at the district championships. 

Top newcomers for the Webb City boys are freshman Andrew Dawson and junior Dakota Grove. 

Webb City took full squads to the state meet last fall, as both teams finished second at the district meets in Bolivar. At last year’s state meet, Webb City’s boys finished fifth in the team standings, while the girls placed sixth. 

While Webb City has a pair of standouts back in Street and Stevens, both programs must overcome the loss of some talented seniors, including Riley Hawkins and Alanna Bundy on the girls side and Roman Borboa and Dustin Brockmiller on the boys side.

Evan Stevens is pictured at last May’s state track meet. File photo by Shawn Fowler.  

With only a couple of experienced performers on the roster at the start of the season, the goal for the Cardinals will simply be to make steady progress throughout the fall. 

“We are young and inexperienced at the varsity level, so we expect to make significant improvements throughout the season,” Miller said. 

Miller said the main key to success this season will be to develop gritty, consistent varsity athletes. If that happens, the Cardinals will have the pieces in place to put together a memorable campaign. 

 “Our lack of varsity experience will give us opportunities to learn how to control our emotions and focus on the game plan in order to be our best,” he said. 

Miller noted his athletes put in the time and effort during the offseason. And he’s confident that commitment will pay off.

“Our kids have been very dedicated this summer,” Miller said. “We’ve learned a lot and made big steps towards achieving our max potential.” 

Webb City will participate in Joplin’s warm-up meet on Aug. 27. The Cardinals will compete at the SWCCCA Meet in Bolivar on Sept. 3. 

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