Before conference play arrives next week, the Carl Junction volleyball team gained valuable experience at the always-tough Springfield Classic on Saturday.
The Bulldogs went 1-3-1 at the event, which is hosted by Kickapoo.
Ozark defeated Carl Junction 25-13, 25-18.
Kickapoo topped the Bulldogs 25-13, 25-22.
Carl Junction split a pair of sets with Rogersville, 25-18 and 18-25.
Fort Smith Southside edged Carl Junction 25-20, 25-19.
Carl Junction defeated Glendale 20-25, 25-10, 25-20.
For the tournament, Kylie Scott compiled 32 kills and 18 digs, while Destiny Buerge had 27 kills, 26 digs and four aces.
Miya Carnes had 65 assists for the tourney, while Aubrey Fowler had seven blocks and Sara Buchele contributed six aces.
Carl Junction opens Central Ozark Conference play on Tuesday with a home match against rival Webb City. Tuesday’s varsity match is slated for 7 p.m.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a final tune-up before conference play begins on Tuesday, the Webb City High School volleyball team swept a pair of non-conference home matches on Saturday inside the Cardinal Dome.
Webb City defeated El Dorado Springs 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-19).
Against the Bulldogs, Webb City’s Brenda Lawrence compiled 12 kills and six digs, while Kate Brownfield contributed 10 kills and eight digs.
Aubree Lassiter recorded seven kills and six digs for the Cardinals.
Kyah Sanborn had a team-high 26 assists, while Sophia Crane recorded a team-high 10 digs.
Jenna Noel added eight digs, while Jaeli Rutledge chipped in four kills.
Webb City defeated Nevada 3-0, as the Cardinals beat the Tigers 25-15, 25-12, 25-15.
In the win over the Tigers, Lawrence recorded 14 kills and three aces, Lassister had 10 kills and Brownfield added eight kills and 10 digs.
Kirra Long added five kills and Rutledge contributed four kills.
Sanborn handed out 35 assists from the setter position, while Crane had 19 digs and four aces from the libero position. Noel added six digs.
Webb City is now 10-2-1 on the season.
In other action, Nevada defeated St. Mary’s Colgan 24-26, 25-12, 25-17, 25-22.
Webb City is at Carl Junction on Tuesday in the COC opener.
Led by performances from Gidieon Kimutai and Ryan Riddle, the eighth-ranked Missouri Southern men’s cross country team placed five runners in the top 23 spots and the Lions took home the team title today at the 33rd running of the Southern Stampede held at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
Kimutai and Riddle took first and second place individually as Kimutai won his second career Stampede (2019) with a time of 23:37.21. Riddle, last year’s champion, crossed the 8k finish line in a time of 23:53.69.
JP Rutledge placed eighth with a time of 24:38.72, while Riley Simpson was 19th at 25:16.90. Clayton Whitehead was 23rd in a time of 25:26.07. Jaden Deaton finished 38th in a time of 25:42.44, while Zachary Finley was 45th (25:52.72) and Kelton Sorrell placed 47th in a time of 25:56.46.
Geordan Patrylak (65th – 26:13.02), Gabe McClain (73rd – 26:22.93), Joseph Loth (118th – 27:04.92), Landon Fatino (123rd – 27:09.35), Evan Matlock (142nd – 27:28.02), Nicholas Horton (149th – 27:33.64), Santiago Granados (169th – 28:00.49) and Zaben Barnes (28:02.47) round out the Lions’ scores.
Southern took home the team title with 48 team points. Washburn was second with 88 points, followed by East Central, Central Missouri, St. Mary (Kan.), Missouri Western, Pittsburg State, New Mexico Highlands, Fort Hays State and Emporia State to round out the top-ten team scores.
The Lions will be back in action on September 30 as Southern will compete in the Chile Pepper Festival hosted by the University of Arkansas.
REPUBLIC, Mo. — Neosho fell into a first-half hole too great to climb out of as the Wildcats fell 63-48 to the Tigers on Friday.
With the loss, Neosho, who came into the contest averaging 52 points per game, falls to 2-2 and the Tigers improve to 2-2.
The first drive looked like it would be a precursor to another strong night by the Wildcats after they opened with a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quenton Hughes to WR Isaiah Green on third-down and 9 for a 7-0 lead.
It was a lead that would not last long.
The Tigers’ first drive lasted two plays, with quarterback Wyatt Woods busting loose for a 51-yard run into the endzone to trim the lead to 7-6.
After a three-and-out from Neosho, Republic’s Connor Sandridge rumbled in from 2 yards out with 5:37 to go in the first quarter to put the Tigers in front 13-7.
A series of penalties on Republic’s third drive pinned had the Tigers facing a third and 17 with 1:41 in the first period. However, a deep-pass reception was fumbled and looked to have been recovered by Neosho, but the receiver was ruled down to allow Republic to keep possession. Two plays later, Woods punched into the endzone and with 11:19 left in the first half to make the score 21-7 Republic after a two-point conversion.
Neosho answered back on the first play of its next drive with a deep touchdown pass from Hughes to Green with 11:02 in the half for a 21-13 score.
Republic built the lead up to 28-13 with less than four minutes to go in the first half after Kanon Krol rumbled in from 1 yard out with 3:45 to go in the half before Woods ran it in from 9 yards out with 22 seconds before halftime to push the margin to 35-13.
Neosho opened the second half with an onside kick, which they recovered on the Republic 48, and Jared Siler blasted a 48-yard run for a score to time the Wildcats’ deficit to 35-20.
Both teams traded blows in the second half until Republic’s final score came with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter, as Sandridge broke off a 21-yard touchdown run to wrap the scoring for the Tigers. Neosho added a 30-yard touchdown run from Siler with 1:55 to go.
Neosho hits the road for a matchup at Carthage on Friday.
College Heights Christian held the lead at halftime, but Liberal used a strong fourth quarter to earn a 54-38 win over the Cougars on Friday night in an 8-man football contest.
College Heights was up 38-32 at halftime, but after neither team scored in the third period, the Bulldogs put up 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
“We played the best quarter and a half that we’ve played all year,” College Heights coach Travis Burk said on Saturday morning. “We had a real good first half. And we played better defense last night. Our effort was good. The kids played hard, but we just fell short.”
The Cougars scored twice in the first quarter — a 6-yard run by Logan Decker and an 11-yard TD pass from Decker to Bo Sitton.
Liberal led 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Decker recorded a 39-yard touchdown run and completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Quade, giving the Cougars a 30-24 lead with 6:30 remaining in the first half.
Decker found Quade for a 65-yard strike, and the 2-point conversion gave CHC a 38-24 advantage.
The Bulldogs answered just before the break, cutting College Heights’ lead to 38-32 at intermission.
“We were up 14 in the second quarter, and I felt like if we could have gotten the ball back, we would have had a good chance to go up 21 there,” Burk said. “But they scored right before halftime. They cut our lead to six and they had the momentum coming out of halftime. That was big.”
There was no scoring in the third period.
Liberal scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 4-yard run, a 10-yard run and an 11-yard run, for the final margin.
“Liberal was bigger than us, and we definitely have to get more physical, on both offense and defense,” Burk said. “The teams that block well, run the ball hard and tackle well are the teams that are hard to beat. We didn’t tackle well in the second half and I didn’t think we ran our routes well in the second half either. We got banged up a little bit, too. But we’ll get back at it and we’ll work hard this week in practice.”
A sophomore, Decker completed 13-of-29 passes for 175 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Decker ran 24 times for 215 yards with two touchdowns.
“He had a good game,” Burk said. “I wouldn’t say he was 100 percent last night. He’d been sick for a couple of days…I’m not making excuses. I thought he played really well for how he was feeling.”
Derrick McMillan ran twice for 17 yards.
Quade hauled in six passes for 102 yards with two TD, while Cannon Miller had five receptions for 47 yards and Sitton caught two passes for 26 yards.
Quade was credited with 11 tackles and had an interception, while McMillan made 10 tackles and Levi Durling had nine stops.
College Heights (1-3) hosts Appleton City (2-2) on Friday. Appleton City has wins over Greenfield and Rich Hill and losses to Archie and Drexel.
Class 6 eighth-ranked Joplin’s defense forced Class 5 second-ranked Webb City into four turnovers and three turnover-on-downs to fuel a 24-8 Central Ozark Conference win over the Cardinals on Friday at Junge Stadium.
Joplin’s Chavis Coleman (34) and Draven Van Gilder (58) make a tackle during the Eagles’ win over Webb City on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
The win for Joplin is the fourth straight to start the season and the fourth consecutive win over Webb City. The Eagles’ record improves to 4-0.
“I don’t think you can say enough about the defense—the defensive staff, the effort, the adjustments and the defensive line,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “The defensive line, after I felt like we struggled at times against Ozark (last week), came to practice all week long and worked their tails off. I couldn’t be more proud of the defense as a whole, but especially the defensive line and everything they were able to accomplish tonight.”
The loss is Webb City’s first since falling to state-ranked Class 6 Nixa in the season opener. The Cardinals are 2-2 on the season.
“Not to take anything away (from Joplin), but I felt like we matched up really well with them,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “I don’t think our guys—in the first half on offense—played as well as we could. I thought we got outplayed. When you get the ball down (in opponent territory) and you turn it over or don’t make plays you need to make at the most crucial time, whether it be a pass, a handoff, a carry, a block or a tackle on the defensive side—we just aren’t making the plays we need to to finish drives.”
“We probably need to look at personnel and make sure we have the right guys playing the amount of plays they should,” Roderique added when asked what the teaching moment was for his team after the loss. “It’s not a complex situation. It’s pretty simple. It’s about what kind of pride the kids have and if they are willing to work. We have some great kids in our program and I am sure they will bounce back and be ready to work on Monday.”
TEAM STATS
Webb City’s Breckin Galardo looks for running room during the Cardinals’ loss to Joplin on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Joplin’s offense picked up 274 yards of offense on 43 plays (6.4 yards per play) and had 11 first downs in the win, drawing five penalties for 43 yards. Webb City gained 371 yards on 68 plays (5.5 YPP), picked up 20 first downs and held a 28:36 to 19:24 advantage in time of possession, but the Cardinals lost the turnover battle 4-0.
“I bet we had quite a few yards tonight,” Roderique said. “But those don’t matter until you get the ball across the goal line. … I feel like in Week 4, you shouldn’t be making the mistakes we were making tonight. Certainly, that had a lot to do with our lack of success.”
STAT LEADERS
Joplin RB Quin Renfro carried 16 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while RB Drew VanGilder gained 97 yards and a score on six carries. TE Whit Hafer caught two passes for 20 yards, while WR Terrance Gibson caught two passes for 15 yards. QB Hobbs Gooch completed 7-of-13 passes for 63 yards.
Defensively, LB Jonathan Williams unofficially had nine tackles, while LB Draven VanGilder finished with eight tackles. DE Blake Farmer and DB Bennett Dall each came up with two turnovers.
“We really had to prepare this week,” Farmer said when asked his thoughts on Joplin’s defensive effort in the win over Webb City. “It was kind of a different game plan and something we’ve never really run down before. We had to switch up a couple of our alignment stunts and our linebackers did a phenomenal job filling.”
Webb City RB Breckin Galardo carried the ball 29 times for 167 yards and a touchdown, while QB Landon Johnson gained 28 yards on nine carries and completed 11-of-17 passes for 127 yards and an interception. WR William Hayes caught six passes for 86 yards, with TE Trey Roets hauling in four passes for 35 yards.
Joplin’s Quin Renfro makes a would-be tackler miss to convert on fourth down during the Eagles’ win over Webb City on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
GAME ACTION
Joplin deferred after winning the coin toss and Webb City took the opening possession at its own 23 and marched down to the Joplin 9-yard line on 11-plays, chewing more than five minutes of game clock up before a fumbled exchange on the first-and-goal snap went for the game’s first turnover as Farmer fell on the ball for Joplin.
“It was a huge moment,” Farmer said. “It really gave us some momentum for the rest of the night.”
The Eagles took possession at their own 10-yard line with a high snap on second-down and 10 sailing over the head of Gooch, who chased the ball to the back of the end zone before scooping it out for a safety to avoid a defensive touchdown.
Joplin’s defense forced back-to-back turnover-on-downs and the offense found rhythm on its third drive, marching 69-yards on nine plays with Renfro taking a handoff left, planting his foot in the turf and cut upfield for a 16-yard touchdown with 7:40 left in the first half for a 7-2 lead.
“Our guys didn’t flinch when we got down, just like at Ozark when we weren’t playing well,” Jasper said about his team’s ability to fight the early adversity. “You obviously don’t want to start this game giving them a safety and giving them the ball right back, but our guys didn’t flinch. They just kept playing hard and playing together. It is so much fun to coach this group and watch them work and play together.”
Webb City’s Landon Johnson completes a pass during the Cardinals’ loss to Joplin on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
After a Webb City punt, the Eagles took possession on their own 27 and Drew VanGilder took his first carry of the night up the middle for a 73-yard touchdown, high-stepping his way out of a tackle at the 15-yard line before rumbling across the goal line to give Joplin a 14-2 lead with 5:46 left in the first half.
Needing points before the half, Webb City once again orchestrated a nice drive that went for 13 plays, 65 yards and nearly five and a half minutes of clock. The Cardinals drove down inside the Eagles’ 1-yard line with 20 seconds left in the quarter and were looking at a third-down and goal before a second fumbled exchange on the snap allowed Farmer to drop on the loose ball once again for his second fumble recovery of the game, which allowed Joplin to hold onto a 14-2 lead into the intermission.
Joplin went three-and-out on the opening possession of the third quarter, giving Webb City an opportunity to strike first in the second half—an opportunity they ran with. Galardo broke loose for a 31-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession to trim the Eagles’ lead to 14-8 with less than nine minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Eagles answered back with points, getting a 25-yard field goal from PK Joseph Ipsen, who made a game-winning 42-yard field goal last season against Webb City, to push the lead back to two possessions, 17-8, with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
“The field goal to go up by two scores from Ipsen was a big deal,” Jasper said. “The cool part about it was (everyone on the team) knew, and obviously we wanted to punch it in, but once we got within field-goal range, if it came down to it on fourth down, we were going to kick the field goal because of the situation. … He just drilled it. Great snap, great hold, great blocking and Ipsen did it again.”
Webb City took the next possession and drove down to the Joplin 5-yard line looking at first-down and goal to go before the Eagles’ defense came up big once again. The Eagles stopped the Cardinals on four straight plays, including a touchdown-saving tackle at the goal line by Draven VanGilder on a fourth-and-goal-from-the-2 run up the middle by Galardo for a third turnover-on-downs.
“They are gigantic, game-changing,” Farmer said about his defense constantly making impactful plays all game long. “It can change the entire momentum of the game. It throws your opponent off and gives you a chance to solidify a ‘W’.”
The Cardinals gained possession after a quick Joplin punt and were driving near midfield when Johnson was picked off by Dall, who added a second interception later in the win, for the third forced turnover of the game.
On the very next play, Renfro ripped off a 37-yard touchdown to ice the Eagles’ fourth win over the Cardinals in as many years, making the score 24-8.
“Honestly, we were wanting to run some more clock off,” Jasper said with a smile. “But Quin is an explosive player and we were ecstatic he could take it to the house. … We just continued to play complimentary football in all three phases of the game.”
UP NEXT
Webb City is back on the road with a matchup against Ozark on Friday before returning home for a matchup against Willards on Sept. 30.
Joplin is on the road with a matchup against Class 6 fourth-ranked Nixa (4-0) in a battle of the lone unbeaten teams in the Central Ozark Conference.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers scored all 21 second-half points and rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 48-12 win Friday over Central Ozark Conference rival Carl Junction at Bulldog Stadium.
Carthage senior running back Luke Gall rushed for more than 320 yards and scored six touchdowns on 29 carries with his final carry a 75-yard scoring run that put the game into running-clock mode for the final 11 minutes.
The Tiger defense did not surrender an offensive touchdown all night and the Bulldogs’ second-half offensive possessions read turnover-on-downs, interception, and three punts.
Carthage standout Luke Gall picks up a big gain on the ground against Carl Junction on Friday night at Bulldog Stadium. Photos by Israel Perez.
Carl Junction, though, made it a dogfight in the first half and jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after a Xavier Perkins 31-yard field goal on the opening drive and a Kayden Bolinger 9-yard fumble return for touchdown on a disastrous punt with a bad snap followed by a fumble.
The Tigers rattled off 27 unanswered points before Perkins ended the first half on a 38-yard field goal.
“We didn’t come out as clean as we wanted to, obviously,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Penalties were huge. We had the miscue on the punt, and I was afraid after last week’s game (a 22-21 loss at home against Nixa) that we might come out and not be ready right away. Certainly, it seemed to be the case, but we got some things figured out at halftime and came out, made a couple adjustments, and got rolling a little bit. Defense was fantastic.”
Half of Gall’s six touchdown runs Friday were longer than 50 yards, and his last play proved to be an epic grand finale.
“Golly, what he did that last touchdown run, that last carry, I think that was his 29th carry, to be able to do that after what all he did offensively and he made a ton of plays defensively,” Guidie said. “I mean, that’s Luke Gall. That’s what he brings to the table.”
The Tigers eventually wore down the Carl Junction defense in the second half.
“We got after our offensive line and tight ends at halftime,” Guidie said. “They weren’t very good the first half. They just weren’t and we didn’t do a very good job. That second half, it was much cleaner and more physical, and I thought they really got after it.
Carl Junction’s Ryder Pyles is tackled by a host of Tigers, including Davion King (9) and Mason Frisinger (5) during Friday’s game against Carthage.
Carthage’s other touchdown came on a 13-yard pass from senior quarterback Cooper Jadwin to senior receiver Hudson Moore.
“He’s such a good receiver that he’s going to draw everybody’s best defender every week and he’s going to get doubled like he was most of tonight,” Guidie said. “They’re not only going to have their best guy on him, they’ll double him especially on passing downs. It’s kind of rough going sometimes, finding him and getting him the football, but he made a great catch there on that touchdown. He’s a threat every time. If he takes two out of the box, that’s good for us.”
Carthage’s defense played strong all night, but especially in the second half.
“We gave up two field goals defensively,” Guidie said. “They’re so multiple offensively, they do a lot of different motions and shifts and get the ball to a lot of different people. I’m really proud of those guys on the defensive side. They hung in there and got a couple turnovers late.”
Carthage, 3-1 overall and COC, welcomes conference and district rival Neosho to David Haffner Stadium for the Tigers’ Homecoming in Week 5.
The Wildcats stand at 2-2 overall after their 63-48 loss Friday night against Republic. Neosho surpassed 200 points on the season, but the Wildcats have surrendered 229 with three opponents exceeding 60 points on the Wildcats.
Carthage dominated Neosho last season 71-14.
Carl Junction, 1-3 overall and COC, will attempt to avoid a four-game losing streak when the Bulldogs head to Branson (1-3) in Week 5.
Carthage’s Cooper Jadwin is tackled by Carl Junction’s Bentley Rowden and Kyler Stewart.
Carl Junction’s Malakhi Moore is tackled by Carthage’s Mason Frisinger on Friday night. Photo by Israel Perez.
Carthage’s Hudson Moore is pictured during Friday’s game with Carl Junction.
SENECA, Mo. — In a back and forth thriller between state-ranked teams, Seneca stunned Lamar 36-33 on Friday night in a highly-anticipated Big 8 West showdown at Earl Campbell Stadium’s Tom Hodge Field.
Lamar took a 33-28 lead with 2:33 remaining, but the Indians responded on the ensuing drive.
Seneca quarterback Gavyn Hoover completed a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown strike to Ethan Altic with just 56 seconds left. The Indians completed the 2-point conversion for a 36-33 advantage.
The Seneca defense came up with a late defensive stand to secure a statement victory.
Both teams entered the night 3-0. Lamar is currently ranked first in Class 2 by the Missouri Media, while Seneca is ranked fifth.
The host Indians had to come from behind in this one.
The Tigers marched 64 yards on 11 plays on the game’s opening drive, capped by Ty Willhite’s 17-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the first quarter.
Seneca’s first drive stalled after three costly penalties.
A 1-yard touchdown run by Austin Wilkerson gave Lamar a 14-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
Seneca got on the board with 6:22 left in the first half on Hoover’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Conner Ackerson. The score finished off a 12-play, 65-yard drive.
After recovering a Lamar fumble with good field position, Seneca pulled within one after Jackson Marrs charged into the end zone from 17-yards.
The PAT kick was off the mark, however, keeping the Tigers in front, 14-13, with 3:33 left in the first half.
The score held up at the half.
Seneca took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. After the Tigers were forced to punt, a bad snap resulted in the ball rolling near the goal line. Seneca’s Marrs recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. A 2-point conversion gave Seneca a 21-14 lead with 6:49 left in the third period.
Lamar responded on the ensuing drive, as QB Joel Beshore sprinted to a 33-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 21 with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
Seneca scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Hoover completed a short pass to Marrs, who then sprinted past the defense for a 43-yard TD just 11 seconds into the final frame.
Lamar answered on the next drive, as the Tigers turned a fake punt into a 48-yard touchdown pass from Wilkerson to Cameron Sturgell. The PAT failed, allowing Seneca to stay in front, 28-27, with just over nine minutes to play.
The Tigers took the lead with 2:33 left when Beshore scampered into the end zone from 10 yards out on a QB keeper. The 2-point try failed, however, giving Lamar a 33-28 lead.
Seneca’s game-winning drive nearly stalled, but the Indians were able to pick up a first down after a pass interference call on Lamar on a key fourth down play.
On the following play after the penalty kept the drive going, Hoover completed a 36-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Altic with 56 seconds left. After hauling in the pass, Altic avoided a defender on his way to the end zone.
The Indians went for two and the pass to Ackerson was good for a three-point lead.
Lamar took over with just under a minute to play, but the Tigers couldn’t get closer than the 45-yard line before time expired.
Lamar finished with 325 yards of total offense, with 248 rushing and 77 passing.
Seneca had 250 yards of total offense, 145 through the air and 105 on the ground. Seneca last beat Lamar in 2019.
Seneca (4-0) is at Monett (0-4) next Friday, while Lamar (3-1) hosts East Newton (0-4) in Week 5.
