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Month: September 2022

GIRLS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Thomas Jefferson tops Carl Junction; Neosho falls to Lamar

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON 6, CARL JUNCTION 3

The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers kept their dual record unblemished with a non-conference win over the Carl Junction Bulldogs on Monday.

Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers are now 10-0 in dual matches this fall.

Carl Junction took two of three doubles matches to start the night.

At No. 1 doubles, CJ’s Jenna Besperat and Naiyah Wurdeman defeated TJ’s Allison Ding and Jeanna Jeyaraj 8-3, while Isabel Read and Alyssa Graves edged Kyla Yang and Mayson Solum 8-6 at No. 2 doubles.

At No. 3 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Warda Morsy and Jessica Joseph beat Emily Rice and Emily Higgins 8-4.

The Cavaliers won five of the six singles matches.

At No. 1 singles, Carl Junction’s Besperat edged TJ’s Ding 8-6.

Thomas Jefferson’s Jeyaraj beat Wurdeman 8-2, Yang defeated Read 8-4, Morsy topped Graves 8-2, Joseph edged Rice 9-7 and Solum beat Higgins 8-4.

Thomas Jefferson hosts Lamar on Tuesday, while Carl Junction hosts Willard on Tuesday night.

LAMAR 8, NEOSHO 1

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho’s lone win came at No. 5 singles, as Claire Burghart defeated Erica McCaslin 8-6.

In other singles matches, Lamar’s Cora Pittsenbarger defeated Lyndsey Doke 8-0, Kiersten Kinney beat Georgia Housh 8-0, Veronica Ogden topped Keely Keeton 8-5, Chelsey O’Sullivan beat Sydnee Minton 8-0 and Elliana Griffith defeated Emma VanDorn 8-2.

Lamar swept all three doubles matches.

Pittsenbarger-O’Sullivan beat Doke-Housh 8-1, Kinney-Ogden edged Keeton-Minton 9-7 and McCaslin-Griffith defeated Burghart-VanDorn 8-5.

Neosho is at Carthage on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Neosho’s offense erupts early in win; Carthage knocks off Nevada; Joplin, Webb City fall

Posted on by Lucas Davis

NEOSHO 10, CASSVILLE 0

CASSVILLE, Mo. — Neosho scored seven runs in the first inning and three runs in the second inning on the way to a five-inning win over Cassville on Monday.

The seven-run first inning by the Wildcats (17-5) was highlighted by RBI triples from Beclynn Garrett, McKaylie Forrest and Autumn Kinnaird and RBI singles by Abbie Carpenter, Grace Johnson and Baylie Bowers.

The Wildcats added a trio of runs in the second inning thanks to a two-out, three-run home run from Chloe Patterson to push the lead to 10-0.

Patterson also earned the complete-game shutout win after scattering two hits over five innings, while walking two and striking out four.

Alyssa Whisenhunt took the loss for Cassville after allowing 10 runs, three earned, on 11 hits, two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

Neosho is at Joplin on Tuesday.

 

CARTHAGE 6, NEVADA 2

NEVADA, Mo. — Carthage jumped out in front early with four runs in the first inning and never looked back in a win over Nevada on Monday.

Alexis Smith highlighted the first-inning scoring with a two-run double.

Skyler Burns had an RBI single for Nevada in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Carthage (13-12) added two more runs in the seventh inning to seal the win on an RBI double from Landry Cochran and an RBI single from Lexa Youngblood.

Ashlynn Jackson earned the win after allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Peyton Eaton took the loss after allowing 

Jenna Calhoon had two hits and scored twice, while Cochran had two hits, scored twice and drove in one. Youngblood tallied two hits, drove in one and scored a run. Smith had a hit, drove in a pair and scored a run.

Burns had two hits and drove in one for Nevada, while Kara Phillips and Teresa Dawn had added a base hit.

Carthage hosts Carl Junction on Tuesday.

 

KICKAPOO 10, JOPLIN 7

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Kickapoo rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to fuel a come-from-behind win over Joplin on Monday.

Allison Scott earned the win after allowing seven runs, one earned, on nine hits, a walk and six strikeouts in seven innings.

Jill McDaniel took the loss for Joplin (20-7) after allowing 10 runs, six earned, on nine hits, four walks and six strikeouts in six innings.

Taryn Hagardt, Karlie Facklam, Callie Muldoon and Kaylee Henderson each had two hits for Kickapoo. Hagardt scored three times and drove in one, while Henderson doubled twice and drove in three. Facklam doubled, scored twice and had two RBI, while Muldoon drove in one.

Abby Lowery had three hits, including a double, and scored a run, while Maria Loum doubled on the way to two hits and two runs scored. Riley Kelly had three RBI, while Jadyn Pankow had a hit, two RBI and scored a run. Bailey Ledford had a hit and scored two runs, while Kirsten McMillin had a hit and drove in one.

Joplin hosts Neosho on Tuesday.

 

LEBANON 6, WEBB CITY 3

LEBANON, Mo. — Lebanon built a 3-0 lead and held off Webb City for the win on Monday.

The Yellowjackets scored twice in the first inning and once in the third to gain a 3-0 advantage before both teams traded three runs in the fourth inning, with Lebanon holding the Cardinals (12-12) scoreless the rest of the way.

Kamryn Luthy earned the win after allowing three runs on six hits, a walk and six strikeouts in seven innings.

Laney Taylor took the loss after allowing six runs on 13 hits, a walk and a strikeout in four innings.

Raegan McCowan homered on the way to three hits, three runs scored and an RBI for Lebanon, while Makayla Dawson had a triple in three hits to go along with three RBI. Gracie Waterman had two hits, scored a run and drove in two.

Elizabeth Rhuems had a hit and scored a run for Webb City, while Lily Hall had a double and drove in one. Sydney Strickland also had a hit and an RBI.

VOLLEYBALL: CHC falls in five set to Golden City; Colin recognized for career milestone

Posted on by Lucas Davis

The College Heights Cougars nearly rallied all the way back from a two-set deficit in their Ozark 7 Conference match Monday against the visiting Golden City Eagles.

College Heights’ Lindsay Griesemer returns a serve during the Cougars’ match with Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

Golden City broke a 5-all tie in the deciding fifth set and scored nine unanswered points to build a 14-5 lead on the way to a thrilling 3-2 win (25-22, 25-19, 14-25, 22-25, 15-7).

The Cougars played without their outstanding senior and four-sport star Addie Lawrence.

“Tonight was our first night without Addie Lawrence,” College Heights coach Mary Colin said. “We didn’t find out until midday, so we had about five hours to mentally prepare. The cool thing about this team is that they were sadder about missing their teammate than they were about her kills, because we all know that she can really kill the ball. They were sad about her not being out there.

“Then, with a new lineup, it took us a couple sets to get a rhythm and they just started playing their hearts out. Addie was on the sideline cheering them on the entire time, which I thought was cool, and I thought Lauren (Ukena) had a great night hitting well. She hit some spots, and she hit with some power. Lindsay (Griesemer) came up and would crank the line and mix it up. I thought Ava (Masena) covered the floor well, and she hit the ground a lot. Then, I thought Maddy (Colin) had a great night.

“The match came down to ball control and when that happens, it goes across the net multiple times. She’s (Maddy Colin) having to work hard to get the ball multiple times. It was a fun, competitive match.

CHC’s Ava Masena returns a serve against Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“Golden City’s good. I think it was like in the third set and I turned to the bench and said that’s their first error. They do have great ball control. They put it where they want to, and they’re hard to defend. It makes for an aggressive match.”

Golden City started the match strong with five of the first six points, College Heights went on a 6-0 run to go ahead 7-5, and Golden City’s 9-0 run in the second half of the set turned a 12-10 deficit into a 19-12 advantage. The Eagles built a big enough lead to fend off a late College Heights charge and earned a couple side-outs to win the first set 25-22.

Golden City used three different 3-0 scoring runs late in the second set to take it 25-19 after the foes were even at 16.

After breaking an 8-all tie in the third set, the Cougars put together their best volleyball of the night by scoring 17 of the final 23 points for a 25-14 third set.

CHC’s Libby Fanning raises up for a kill against Golden City on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

College Heights overtook Golden City in the fourth and forced a fifth set behind a 5-0 run to erase a deficit and a 4-0 run that built a four-point lead after Golden City tied it up at 15.

College Heights dropped to 15-4-1 overall and 1-1 in Ozark 7 play, and the Cougars return to action Tuesday at home against Big 8 Conference opponent East Newton.

Lauren Ukena led the Cougars with 22 kills Monday, and she added five aces and nine digs to her line. Maddy Colin tallied 44 assists, five aces, and 11 digs. Ava Masena added 18 digs, 15 service points, and four aces, while Lindsay Griesemer had 12 kills and four aces and Marley Woodford also had 12 kills.

The Cougars do not know when Lawrence will return to the lineup from her injury.

“Her senior teammates were so sad, and they said we have been playing alongside her our entire lives, like every match they’ve played at College Heights has been with her,” Coach Colin said. “She’s greatly missed.”

 

COLIN RECOGNIZED FOR CAREER MILESTONE

CHC’s Maddy Colin earns an assist during the Cougars’ match with Golden City on Monday. Colin was recognized for recently surpassing 1,000 career assists. Photo by Shawn Fowler

Junior setter Maddy Colin was recognized after the match Monday for her recently surpassing 1,000 assists during her high school volleyball career.

She’s already nearly one-fifth of the way to her next thousand assists in just the week since reaching the 1,000-assist milestone.

“Maddy’s a very unselfish player,” Coach Colin said. “She just gives the ball and gives the ball. She could be an offensive threat. In fact, sometimes I want her to be more of an offensive threat, but that just means that she’s dishing it out and not being selfish. She has really good court awareness. I’ll reference her as the quarterback, because she puts the ball in the right place at the right time.

“She works her tail off to get to it, and there are balls that she probably shouldn’t go for but she’s going for them. She had a good serving night (Monday) and was aggressive on the service line. I’m really proud of her.”

Maddy Colin received a standing ovation from College Heights fans and her schoolmates.

“She was totally surprised,” Coach Colin said. “She had no clue. She would never have thought anything was about her or her assists or recognition for her. She was touched, which is cool, but it was also cool to see all the people rally around her in support. They know how hard she works, and they know that she’s super unselfish.”

VOLLEYBALL: Seneca suffers road loss

Posted on by Jason Peake

GRAVETTE, Ark. — The Seneca High School volleyball team suffered a four-set loss to Gravette on Monday, as the Lions beat the Indians 14-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.

Seneca’s Parker Long compiled 20 digs, 10 kills and seven aces, while Jera Jameson contributed 11 kills, three aces and three blocks.

Braxton Raulston had a team-high 13 kills, while Amber Garrison added eight kills and a block.

Brylee Sage handed out 38 assists.

Seneca (9-5-1) is at Cassville on Tuesday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Southern upends Fort Hays State

Posted on by Lucas Davis

HAYS, Kan. – A 3-yard touchdown pass from Dawson Herl to Trace Willhite, followed by a clutch forced fumble from Jalen Dennis and a recovery from Coleman Booker helped lift the Missouri Southern football team over Fort Hays State, 25-24 inside Lewis Field Stadium tonight.

With the win, the Lions (3-1, 3-1 MIAA) stop an eight-game losing streak to the Tigers (1-3, 1-3 MIAA), and win for the first time in Hays since 2010. Southern also is in a four-way tie for second place in the MIAA standings.

Herl was 18-of-29 for 201 yards and a touchdown, while Nathan Glades had 24 carries for 112 yards and a score. Ezekiel Lang caught a touchdown pass from Luke Sampson for the first TD pass of Sampson’s career, while Willhite added his first collegiate touchdown reception on his only catch of the night.

Chris Boudreaux caught six passes for 78 yards, while Jaedon Stoshak had five catches for 48 yards. Dmitri Lloyd had three big catches for 43 yards.

Defensively the Lions forced seven fumbles on the night with five recoveries. Richard Jordan Jr. had a pair of forced fumbles as well as nine tackles on the night. The two forced fumbles give Jordan 11 on his career, setting a new MSSU school record, breaking Hall of Famers Ron Burton and Richard Jordan’s mark of ten.

Dennis had seven tackles with a forced fumble and a recovery, while Colton Winder had ten tackles. Solomon Garcia had five tackles, including two sacks for a loss of eight yards, while Solomona Fetuao had four tackles, a pass break up and a sack for a loss of nine yards. Zach Bergmann and Jordan Henderson had a fumble recovery each, while Booker had seven tackles, a forced fumble and a pair of recoveries.

Nick Williams had a 24-yard field goal and averaged 45.2 yards on four punts, including a long of 55 yards.

As a team, the Lions were 10-of-18 on third down chances and had 231 yards passing and 178 yards on the ground.

Southern started the scoring in the first when the Lions’ defense sacked Jack Dawson to start the drive then forced a three-and-out, setting up a punt from the 19-yard line. The punt went out of the endzone for a safety to put the Lions up 2-0 early.

After a forced fumble from Jordan and a recovery from Booker, the Lions wasted no time and Sampson hit Lang for a 30-yard passing touchdown to give Southern a 9-0 lead with 7:51 to go in the first.

The Tigers came back and got a score to get within two (9-7) and went up 14-9 with 9:47 left in the second quarter. The score was 21-9 FHSU with 8:54 to go in the first half when the Lions got a 24-yard field goal from Nick Williams to make the score 21-12 with five to go.

On the ensuing drive, the Southern defense came up big again, this time Booker forcing the fumble and Dennis recovering, to give the Lions the ball back on the FHSU 37-yard line. Glades would cap the drive with a one-yard plunge into the endzone to make the score 21-19.

A field goal as time expired in the half, gave the Tigers a 24-19 lead at the break.

The second half was all Lions. Southern held the Tigers scoreless and despite FHSU gaining 209 yards in the half, the Lions came up big and forced turnovers and held their ground when asked. After another defensive forced turnover, this time Jordan forcing and Henderson recovering, Herl hit Willhite to go up and the defensive heroics as the Tigers were driving sealed the win.

The Lions will be back in action next Saturday when Southern travels to Pittsburg State to take on the Gorillas in the 2022 Miners Bowl. Kickoff from Carnie Smith Stadium is set for 3 p.m.

FOOTBALL: Latest Missouri Media rankings released

Posted on by Jason Peake

Listed below are the latest statewide high school football rankings, as compiled by a 10-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The panel is made up of Dion Clisso, PrepsKC; Cole Young, PrepsKC; Dave Kvidahl, STLHighschoolsports.com; Tom Rackers, Jefferson City News-Tribune; Chris Parker, Ozone Sports; Joe Andrews, Warrensburg Star Journal; Tommy Rezac, KFEQ St. Joseph; J.B. Connoley, KRES radio; JC Reeves, Southeast Missourian/semoball.com; Jason Peake, Somo-sports.com.

 

MISSOURI MEDIA RANKINGS
First-place votes in parenthesis.

CLASS 6
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Liberty North (8), 5-0, 98, 1
2. CBC (1), 4-1, 89, 2
3. Lee’s Summit North, 4-1, 77, 3
4. Nixa (1), 5-0, 76, 4
5. De Smet, 2-3, 53, 5
6. Joplin, 4-1, 46, 6
7. Troy, 3-2, 41, 7
8. Raymore-Peculiar, 4-1, 31, 9
9. Marquette, 4-1, 22, 10
10. Blue Springs South, 3-2, 16, 8
Also receiving votes: Seckman (4-1), 1

CLASS 5
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Carthage (8), 4-1, 98, 1
2. Francis Howell (2), 5-0, 92, 2
3. MICDS, 5-0, 76, 3
4. Lebanon, 5-0, 68, 4
5. Webb City, 3-2, 59, 5
6. Camdenton, 5-0, 48, 7
7. Holt, 4-1, 46, 6
8. Timberland, 5-0, 31, 8
9. Eureka, 5-0, 16, 10
10. Oak Park, 5-0, 11, NR
Dropped out: No. 9 Jefferson City Helias
Also receiving votes: Jefferson City Helias (3-2), 3; Glendale (4-1), 2

CLASS 4
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. St. Mary’s (10), 4-1, 100, 1
2. Kearney, 5-0, 90, 2
3. Smithville, 4-1, 78, 4
T4. Center, 5-0, 64, 5
T4. Union, 5-0, 64, 4
6. Hillsboro, 5-0, 52, 6
7. Hannibal, 3-2, 38, 9
8. Nevada, 4-1, 25, 8
9. McDonald County, 4-1, 18, 10
10. West Plains, 4-1, 15, 8
Also receiving votes: Rockwood Summit (4-1), 6

CLASS 3
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Cardinal Ritter (10), 5-0, 100, 1
2. Pleasant Hill, 5-0, 85, 4
3. Valle Catholic, 5-0, 79, 5
4. Lutheran St. Charles, 3-2, 72, 3
5. St. Pius X, 4-1, 53, 2
6. Kennett, 5-0, 48, 6
7. Lutheran North, 3-2, 35, 7
T8. Maryville, 3-2, 24, 8
T8. Park Hills Central, 5-0, 24, 9
10. Reeds Spring, 4-1, 16, 10
Also receiving votes: Savannah (5-0), 14

CLASS 2
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Blair Oaks (10), 5-0, 100, 1
2. Lafayette County, 5-0, 84, T2
3. Seneca, 5-0, 82, T2
4. Lamar, 4-1, 70, 4
5. Richmond, 4-1, 54, 5
6. Bowling Green, 5-0, 46, 7
7. Macon, 5-0, 33, 8
8. Centralia, 4-1, 29, 6
9. MV-Liberty, 5-0, 28, 9
10. Lift for Life, 4-1, 11, NR
Dropped out: No. 10 Mountain Grove
Also receiving votes: Mountain Grove (4-1), 10; Trenton (5-0), 3

CLASS 1
Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW
1. Monroe City (6), 5-0, 96, 1
2. East Buchanan (4), 4-1, 93, 2
3. Mid Buchanan, 5-0, 79, 3
4. Marionville, 5-0, 69, 4
5. Gallatin, 5-0, 61, 6
6. Lincoln, 4-1, 34, NR
7. Scott City, 4-1, 31, T8
8. Cole Camp, 5-0, 26, T8
9. Adrian, 4-1, 24, 5
10. St. Vincent, 4-1, 16, 7
Dropped out: No. 10 Portageville
Also receiving votes: Portageville (4-1), 12; South Shelby (4-1), 4; Sarcoxie (5-0), 3; Butler (4-1), 2.

BOYS SOCCER: College Heights wins Greenwood tourney

Posted on by Jason Peake

The College Heights Christian School boys soccer team won the Greenwood Tournament on Saturday.

In the opening round, the Cougars defeated Cassville 1-0. 

The lone goal of the match was scored by Zach Beaty, with Ian Edwards assisting.

In the championship match, College Heights beat Greenwood 3-2. 

Corban Thomas scored CHC’s first goal, with Hudson Clevenger getting the assist. 

Thomas scored College Heights’ second goal, with Adam Stanton assisting. 

Clevenger knocked in the final goal, with Bo Sitton assisting on the play. 

College Heights (6-3) plays Aurora on Tuesday. 

 

BOYS SWIMMING: Carthage wins Monett invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

Carthage captured the team championship at the Monett Invitational boys swim meet on Saturday. 

The Tigers finished on top of the team standings with 428.5 points. West Plains was a distant second with 322 and Monett finished third with 199.5. 

There were 11 teams in attendance. 

The Tigers took first in the 200-yard medley relay, as Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, William Wright and Eli Cox recorded a time of 1:49.

Carthage was second in the 400 freestyle relay, as McBride, Cox, Frieling and Will Wallace recorded a time of 3:44.

The Tigers placed third in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43, with Trey Nye, Landon White, Wright and Wallace competing.

Frieling won the 100 backstroke with a time of 58.69.

McBride took second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.03 seconds. A sophomore, McBride also placed fourth in the 100 free (53.99). 

Wright and Wallace finished second and fourth, respectively, in the 200 IM. Wright recorded a time of 2:14, while Wallace finished in 2:17.

Wright, Wallace and Aydan Nye placed third through fifth in the 500 freestyle. 

Frieling finished fifth in the 200 freestyle, while Noah Blackford was fifth in both the 200 IM and the 100 backstroke.

Finishing sixth in their events were Ryan Steinbach (200 IM), Trey Nye (50 free) and Cox (100 fly).

Monett’s Matthew Fillinger won the 200 freestyle in 1:53, while teammate Jayden Apostle finished second in the 100 breaststroke (1:08).

The Cubs were second in the 200 medley relay, with Ryan Goodson, Apostle, Spencer Hurt and Lincoln Johnson competing. 

Nevada’s Kolton Evans finished second in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:31 and Trace Gould was third in the 100 breaststroke (1:10). 

Nevada finished third in two relays, the 200 medley and the 400 freestyle.

Carthage will be among the teams competing at the Springfield Duals on Tuesday. 

 

The Carthage High School boys swim poses with the championship plaque after winning the Monett Invitational. Courtesy photo.

VOLLEYBALL: Webb City wins CJ Classic, host Bulldogs take second place

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — After roughly 12 hours of volleyball, it was a familiar pairing in the Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic volleyball tournament Gold Bracket Championship round with hosts Carl Junction taking on area rival Webb City.

Webb City’s Kate Brownfield earns a kill on a tip during pool play of the CJ Classic. Photo by Israel Perez.

In the end, it was the Cardinals (19-2-1) left standing when the smoke cleared as they went on to defeat the Bulldogs 25-19 and 25-17 in straight sets to win the CJ Classic while snapping the hosts’ two-year winning streak in the tournament at the same time.

“It made for a very long day because the games were stretched out so we would have enough time to rest in between,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “Mentally, we were still getting up and ready to play. It was like they were excited to play again, to keep going and pushing to get to this championship game. They stayed mentally focused and took care of what they needed to to get it done.”

THE RIVALRY CONTINUES

Less than a week after Webb City defeated Carl Junction in COC action, the Cardinals faced off against the Bulldogs in the Gold Bracket Championship for the fourth straight year. Webb City won the CJ Classic in 2019 before the Bulldogs won back to back CJ Classic titles in 2020 and 2021.

“We had to do a lot of work as far as fixing things they hurt us on earlier in the week,” Coach Lawrence added about the win over CJ in the finals match. “They showed us some glaring weaknesses, so we had to work on it and throughout the week and I felt like we stepped it up and made those adjustments knowing that Lo (Jones) would be back for this one. … We stayed focused and knew where we needed to put the ball to score, who we needed to stay away from and the girls executed the game plan. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The championship match played out much like it does every time these two teams have faced off against each other in recent memory—evenly-matched games against two area rivals who know each other’s tendencies. 

In the opening set, Webb City built an early 13-6 lead on a block from Aubree Lassiter before Carl Junction (11-7-1) scored eight of the next 11 points—with Kylie Scott earning three kills and a block in the process—to trim the lead to 16-14. Webb City answered with a sideout on a kill from Kate Brownfield and added the next two points to push the lead to 19-14, with the Cardinals essentially playing with that cushion as they traded with the Bulldogs before clinching the win.

Webb City’s Brenda Lawrence raises up for a kill during pool play at the CJ Classic on Saturday. Photo by Israel Perez.

The second game opened with a four-point service run from CJ’s Destiney Buerge before Webb City came back to tie the set at 8-8. Multiple kills from Brenda Lawrence and strong play from Lassiter, Kyah Sanborn and Jaeli Rutledge helped lead the Cardinals to an 18-13 advantage down the stretch.

Carl Junction’s Aubreigh Fowler registered a block before the Bulldogs cut the lead to 19-16 with a kill from Karissa Chase.

Webb City came up with the final haymaker, using a kill from Lassiter to force a sideout before she followed with a four-point run behind the service line that included an ace and a kill from Brownfield to push the lead to 24-16.

After Scott forced a Bulldogs’ sideout with a kill, Brownfield clinched the championship win for the Cardinals with a kill of her own.

“When we get five in a row that late in the game, you can see the writing on the wall,” Coach Lawrence said when asked how crucial the late service run by Lassiter was. “We had to stay mentally tough and keep going after them because you can’t let up on them and let them breathe, they are going to come back, and that is a team that can come back and hurt you.” 

CARDINALS PERFECT THROUGHOUT CLASSIC 

While it wasn’t always easy sledding, Webb City went through the 13-hour gauntlet unblemished, not even dropping a set. In pool play, the Cardinals defeated McDonald County (25-9, 25-7), Siloam Springs (25-17, 25-8), Springfield Central (25-17, 26-24) and Rogers (25-8, 25-15) to earn first place in the Red Pool.

Carl Junction’s Lo Jones passes the ball during pool play of the CJ Classic on Saturday. Photo by Israel Perez.

In tournament play, the Cardinals opened with a 25-14, 25-13 win over Nevada in the quarterfinals before matching up with Harrisonville in the semifinals, where it looked like Webb City might drop its first set of the tournament. After winning the opening set without much resistance, 25-10, the Cardinals fell into a 17-8 hole in the second set before a furious rally gave Webb City a 26-24 win for a trip to the finals against the Cardinals for the fourth straight season.

BULLDOGS TAKE SECOND-PLACE FINISH WITH RETURN OF JONES

While Carl Junction came up just shy of clinching a CJ Classic title for a third straight season, a second-place finish against a quality program like Webb City isn’t anything to hang your head about. Especially when you consider the importance of Carl Junction welcoming back senior setter Lo Jones, an Akansas commit, to the court for limited action after she missed the team’s previous 14 sets leading up to CJ Classic with an injury.

Carl Junction’s Kylie Scott swings through a kill during pool play on Saturday at the CJ Classic. Photo by Israel Perez.

“We used her off and on in pool play just to get her back in game mode and into a rhythm,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “It was huge to get her back. I think we only get better from here with her on the court.”

Just like their counterpart in the finals, the Bulldogs also finished with an unblemished record in pool play—with 2-0 wins over Neosho, Heritage (Rogers, Arkansas), Pittsburg, Kansas and Siloam Springs—and all the way through the Gold Bracket by beating Siloam Springs in the quarters and Rogers (Arkansas) High School in the semifinals before meeting the Cardinals in the finals. 

“Overall, I thought we played really well today,” Sharples said. “I felt like we did some things better against Webb City than the first time we played them [on Sept. 20] that we have kind of been working on. They had a couple runs in each set that separated them from us. We just have to learn to take care of that and prevent those runs from happening.”

STATS

Webb City’s Brenda Lawrence had 43 kills, five aces, 21 digs, a block and an assist to lead the Cardinals through 14 total sets. Lassiter had 39 kills, 11 aces, 13 digs, six blocks and two assists, while Brownfield also had 39 kills to go along with three aces, 28 digs and three blocks. Sanborn finished with 132 assists, 23 digs, 14 kills, five aces and two blocks. Rutledge had 21 kills, 13 blocks and eight digs, with Kirra Long adding 13 kills, nine blocks and four digs.

Scott had 44 kills and 14 aces, while Buerge had 47 kills and eight aces for Carl Junction. Jones had 111 assists in limited action during 11 sets. Chase finished with 27 kills and four blocks, while Adia Kennedy closed with 11 kills and eight blocks.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AND MVP

Below is the 2022 Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic All-Tournament Team as well as the tournament MVP:

Destiny Buerge, Carl Junction

Logan Jones, Carl Junction

Meghan Grone, Springfield Central

Kennedy Smalley, Harrisonville

Bailey Owens, Joplin

Meredith Baldwin, Neosho

Delaney Hope, Nevada

Jacy Thomasson, Riverton

Malia Fosse, Rogers

Trinity Collette, Siloam Springs

Kate Brownfield, Webb City

Kyah Sanborn, Webb City

MVP—Aubree Lassiter, Webb City

UP NEXT

Webb City travels to Carthage on Tuesday.

Carl Junction travels to Neosho on Tuesday.

VOLLEYBALL: Joplin, Neosho reach quarterfinals in CJ Classic

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Joplin Eagles won their pool and reached the Gold Bracket quarterfinals on Saturday in the Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic.

EAGLES FINISH 4-1, FALL IN BRACKET PLAY

Joplin’s Bailey Owens earns a kill during the Eagles’ pool play of the CJ Classic on Saturday. Photo by Israel Perez.

Joplin defeated Nevada 2-0 (25-18, 25-21), Hillcrest 2-0 (27-25, 25-12), Hollister 2-0 (25-5, 26-24), and Aurora 2-0 (25-12, 25-17) before taking a two-set loss against Rogers, Arkansas.

“I thought we had a really strong start to the day,” Joplin coach Desiree Felker said. “We did a lot of things really well throughout pool play. We busted our butt all day and unfortunately, our first game in bracket play, things just didn’t go our way. We had a few serving errors, a couple hitting errors, serve receive wasn’t quite where we usually are, and that was the difference between how we started our day and how our day ended.

“We started playing really well at the end (against Rogers). We were making things happen, I just think the way we started the set versus how we ended the set made a difference. The hole we dug ourselves in at the beginning didn’t allow us to get all the way out of it. I’m proud of the girls for the way they dug in and they fought. We just have to clean things up earlier to win those kinds of games.”

Bailey Owens earned all-tournament honors, and she tallied 45 kills, 15 digs, and five blocks on the day.

Paisley Parker added 24 kills and 33 digs, Abby Hembree seven kills, eight aces, 26 digs and 86 assists, Serafina Auberry 10 kills and 11 digs, Adalynn Noirfalise 12 kills and 30 digs, Abigail Edwards 18 digs and nine aces, Jayla Hunter 51 digs, and Raelin Calderon eight kills and seven blocks.

Joplin moved to 12-7-1 overall this season and the Eagles return to action Tuesday at home against Central Ozark Conference foe Republic (20-7, 2-0 COC).

“The rest of our season is going to be tough,” Felker said. “We have conference games the rest of the way, then we have a tournament (Oct. 14-15) in Ozark. I think the CJ Classic does a good job of preparing us for that. We know what we need to get back to doing on Monday, and that’s what we’re here for.”

NEOSHO NETS 2-2-1 MARK ON SATURDAY

The Neosho Wildcats finished second in their pool and reached the Gold Bracket quarterfinals in the CJ Classic.

Neosho lost against tournament host Carl Junction 2-0 (13-25, 9-25) to start the day on a rough note, defeated pool opponents Pittsburg, Kan. 2-0 (25-9, 25-18) and Rogers Heritage, Ark. 2-0 (27-26, 25-21), tied Springfield Central (25-22, 16-25), and lost to Harrisonville 2-0 (18-25, 16-25) in the quarters.

“Overall, it was good,” Neosho coach Jessica Walton said. “We started out really rough having our only setter that was able to play in the first set getting hit in the face and she had a concussion, she just got cleared. We came back, once we got our setter cleared, and we beat Pittsburg and Heritage. That’s good.

“I’m proud of them. This year, we made it to the Gold Bracket, and we ended up placing second in our pool. We’ve already beaten our wins record from last year, so overall I think we’re on the right track. We’re improving. We’re getting a lot of bad setbacks right now.”

Neosho senior Meredith Baldwin earned all-tournament honors, but she left the quarterfinal match and did not return against Harrisonville.

“She’s just been an awesome competitor,” Walton said. “She’s been so aggressive. I’ve never seen our two senior middles (Baldwin, Karlee Ellick) hit as hard as they have. They’re just rocking the front row.

“We were tied in the first set, and she went up for the block. The girl was in the net, and she landed on her foot, and there it went. We’re praying that it’s just a sprain and not a fracture, but at the end of the day, we just hope that she’s healthy and we’ll do what’s best for her.”

Neosho, 7-6-1 overall, returns to action Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference play at home against Carl Junction.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AND MVP

Below is the 2022 Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic All-Tournament Team as well as the tournament MVP:

Destiny Buerge, Carl Junction

Logan Jones, Carl Junction

Meghan Grone, Springfield Central

Kennedy Smalley, Harrisonville

Bailey Owens, Joplin

Meredith Baldwin, Neosho

Delaney Hope, Nevada

Jacy Thomasson, Riverton

Malia Fosse, Rogers

Trinity Collette, Siloam Springs

Kate Brownfield, Webb City

Kyah Sanborn, Webb City

MVP—Aubree Lassiter, Webb City

Joplin’s Serafina Auberry raises up for a tip during an Eagles’ pool match at the CJ Classic on Saturday. Photo by Israel Perez.

SOFTBALL: Webb City goes 2-2 at UCM tourney

Posted on by Jason Peake

WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Webb City split four games at the UCM Tournament.

After going 0-2 in pool play on Friday, Webb City ended the tourney on a high note by winning both of its games on Saturday.

In Saturday’s consolation semifinals, Webb City defeated Knob Noster 9-0.

The Cardinals led 2-0 when they scored three runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth.

Lily Hall drove in three runs on two hits, while Liz Rhuems had two hits and scored three runs. Kenzie Wynn had two hits, while Kylee Sargent drove in two runs.

Laney Taylor was the winning pitcher. She tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. Karsyn Cahoon pitched a scoreless inning in relief, striking out two of the three batters she faced.

In the tourney finale, Webb City beat Putnam County 15-7.

The Cardinals led 4-3 when they plated five runs in the fourth and six in the fifth. Putnam County scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth for the final margin.

Webb City recorded 16 hits, with 10 players contributing. 

Rhuems had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, five RBI and three runs scored. 

Dawsyn Decker, Maddie Barchak and Sargent contributed two hits apiece, while Jensyn Pickett and Barchak drove in two runs apiece.

Rylynn McFarland, Sydney Strickland and Hall also drove in runs. 

Cahoon was the winning pitcher. She allowed four runs on five hits in three innings. Taylor pitched two innings and gave up one earned run on four hits. 

On Friday, Belton defeated Webb City 6-0 and Holden beat the Cardinals 11-0.

The Cardinals managed just one hit against Belton, a single off the bat off Hall. 

Taylor took the loss, but she allowed only three earned runs in seven innings in the circle while striking out seven. 

Holden used a pair of five-run innings to beat the Cardinals in five innings.

Webb City’s lone hit against Holden was a double by Rhuems. 

Cahoon and Jo Jarmin handled the pitching duties, with Cahoon taking the loss. She allowed six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings while striking out five. 

Webb City (12-11) travels to Lebanon on Monday.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY SPLITS 

McDonald County split four games at the tourney. 

On Saturday, the Mustangs defeated Belton 9-8 and suffered a 2-1 setback to Blair Oaks. 

On Friday, McDonald County beat Knob Noster 17-1 and suffered a 1-0 loss to Sherwood.

Blair Oaks went on to win the tournament championship with a win over Sherwood.

 

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Carl Junction falls to Glendale; Carthage splits non-conference twinbill

Posted on by Jason Peake

GLENDALE 3, CARL JUNCTION 1

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Glendale rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn a 3-1 win at Carl Junction on Saturday afternoon.

After the Falcons scored a run in the second, Madi Olds drove in CJ’s lone run in the third inning. 

In the top of the seventh, with the game deadlocked, Glendale’s Raegan Randall singled and then went to second on a sac bunt. 

Two errors in the field allowed the go-ahead run to score before a wild pitch gave Glendale a 3-1 lead. 

The Bulldogs were unable to rally in the bottom half of the seventh. 

The Bulldogs were limited to five hits. Sammie Sims went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Hannah Cantrell, Olds and Georgia Arnold had one hit apiece.

Kiley Spencer was charged with the loss, but she allowed just one earned run on six hits while striking out six. 

Zoe Denny earned the pitching win after limiting the Bulldogs to one run on five hits and two walks. She struck out two.

Carl Junction (7-10) is at Carthage on Tuesday. 

 

CARTHAGE SPLITS TWINBILL

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers split a pair of non-conference games on Saturday at Logan-Rogersville High School.

Carthage beat Rogersville 17-0 in four innings and the Tigers suffered a 7-2 loss to Camdenton.

Against Rogersville, Carthage scored eight runs in the first inning, six in the third and three more in the fourth.

Jenna Calhoon drove in four runs on three hits, including a homer, while Ashlyn Brust and Alexis Smith had two hits and two RBI apiece.

Aven Willis and Brust scored three runs apiece, while Calhoon, Landry Cochran, Lexa Youngblood, Smith and Shelby Hegwer all scored two runs apiece.

Camdenton defeated Carthage 7-2.

The Tigers managed single tallies in the first and fourth innings. Carthage had five hits, one apiece by Brust, Calhoon, Youngblood, Avery Smith and Brooklyn Dolon-Main.

Addison Wallace went 6 1/3 innings in the circle, allowing seven runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts.

Ashlynn Jackson recorded two outs, striking out one.

Camdenton’s Cayden VonSande was the winning pitcher. She struck out 11 and walked three in seven frames. 

Carthage (12-12) is at Nevada at 5 on Monday night.

CROSS COUNTRY ROUNDUP: Area athletes fare well at Gans Creek, East Newton; CHC girls win team title at Hermitage; Warriors compete at Rim Rock Farm

Posted on by Jason Peake

GANS CREEK CLASSIC

COLUMBIA, Mo.  — Athletes from Joplin, Webb City, Carthage and Monett performed well at the Gans Creek Classic on Saturday.

The meet is held at the site of the MSHSAA state championships. 

Webb City’s Evan Stevens placed eighth in the Gold Division’s boys race with a time of 15:41.

Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell finished 11th with a time of 15:49. 

Joplin’s Ian Horton (16:06) and Chance Tindall (16:07) finished 23rd and 24th, respectively. 

Webb City’s Mason Hedger finished 75th and Joplin’s Grey Edwards was 76th. 

There were 311 runners in the Gold Division’s boys race.

Joplin’s boys finished eighth in the team standings.

Southern Boone’s Connor Burns won the race in 14:57, Liberty North’s Sage Wilde was second in 15:01 and Kickapoo’s Tyler Harris placed third in 15:16.

In the Gold Division’s girls race, Webb City’s Abi Street finished 13th with a time of 19:26.

Joplin’s Allie Keizer finished 35th in 20:10.

Webb City’s second finisher was Brooke Hedger (111th), while Joplin’s second finisher was Averi Burks (147th). 

There were 318 girls in the Gold Division race.

Rock Bridge’s Carolyn Ford took first in 18:00. 

Carthage’s Eddy Fuentes finished 20th in the Blue Division’s boys race with a time of 17:16. 

Carthage’s Miguel Solano placed 28th (17:24), while Caleb Fewin was 35th (17:36) and Devin Smith finished 44th (17:44).

The Tigers finished second in the team standings with 175 points. Father Tolton was first with 141.

In the Blue Division’s girls race, Carthage’s Maggie Boyd finished 28th in 21:31, while teammate Katy Witherspoon was 55th (22:29). 

Monett’s Julio Cruz finished third in the White Division race with a time of 17:02. 

West Platte’s Charlie Kinslow won in 16:33 and St. Michael the Archangel’s Sam Rosenberg took second in 17:00. 

In the White Division’s girls race, Monett’s Sadie Camp placed 17th in 21:45, while teammate Mary Jastal was 22nd in 21:53.

The Monett girls were fourth in the team standings.

 

FULL RESULTS: Gans Creek Classic 2022 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

EAST NEWTON INVITATIONAL 

GRANBY, Mo. — Athletes from Neosho, McDonald County, Webb City, McAuley Catholic and Seneca competed at the East Newton Invitational on Saturday. 

McDonald County (46) claimed the boys team championship, with Neosho (53) second and East Newton (56) third. There were 15 teams in attendance.

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell won the boys race in 16:17, and Neosho’s Carson Newell was the runner-up in 17:32.

McDonald County’s Hunter Leach finished third in 17:43, East Newton’s Isaac Bales was fourth in 17:50 and Neosho’s Gabriel Mabrey took fifth in 18:25.

East Newton’s Nicholas Shaeffer was eighth and McDonald County’s Caleb Garvin placed 10th.

Mac County’s Blaine Ortiz and Lane Pratt finished 13th and 14th, while Neosho’s Adam Farrell was 15th.

Webb City’s top finisher was Ricardo Arrieta (25th). 

Neosho’s girls claimed the team championship with 34 points. East Newton (51) and McDonald County (55) finished second and third in the standings.

Spokane’s Lily Hunsucker won the girls race with a time of 19:21.

Neosho’s Chloe Wood was the runner-up in 19:56, while Pierce City’s Emma Hunt took third in 20:24. Neosho’s Riley Kemna finished fourth in 20:34 and East Newton’s Alonna Eytcheson placed fifth in 21:37.

Mount Vernon’s Rylee Simons finished sixth, East Newton’s Gracie Johnson was seventh and Riverton’s Matilyn Wammack took eighth.

Neosho’s Lakyn Prough and Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris rounded out the top 10. 

McDonald County’s Kate Cheney and Anna Price finished 11th and 12th, while Webb City’s Brooke Collard took 14th. Purdy’s Courtney Patterson and Webb City’s Aspen White placed 15th and 16th. Neosho’s Makenna Davis finished 18th and Mac County’s Clara Horton took 23rd.

Seneca’s top performer was Dalisia Reed, who placed 30th. 

Competing for McAuley Catholic were Marbellie Villanueva (38th), Miriam Kramer (46th) and Samantha Perrin (48th). 

 

FULL RESULTS: East Newton Invitational 2022 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

HERMITAGE DAM INVITATIONAL 

The College Heights Christian girls won the team title in the Purple Division at the Hermitage Dam Invitational on Saturday with 55 points. Calvary Lutheran was second with 68.

It was the second consecutive team championship for the CHC girls. 

CHC’s Jayli Johnson finished sixth in 22:55, while Marla Angeregg was 12th in 23:55. 

Also for CHC, Jesalin Bever finished 19th, Madelynn Jordan was 36th and Madi Carson was 36th. 

There were 99 runners in the girls race. 

In the boys race, College Heights’ Colton McMillan finished 54th, Josiah Thomas was 74th and Will Porter was 152nd. 

There were 168 runners in the boys race. 

 

FULL RESULTS: Hermitage Cross Country Dam Invitational 2022 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

RIM ROCK FARM CLASSIC

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The McAuley Catholic cross country program made the trip to the Rim Rock Farm Classic on Saturday.

In the Blue Division’s girls race, McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey finished 62nd with a time of 22:59. 

There were 292 runners in the race.

In the Blue Division’s boys race, McAuley’s Trae Veer finished 116th (19:34). 

Also competing for the Warriors were Joe Staton (143rd), Drew Zeb (149th), Alex Bohachick (195th), Connor Taffner (269th), Kable Reichardt (275th) and Cliff Nolan (320th).

There were 350 runners in the boys race. 

FOOTBALL: College Heights drops home game to Appleton City

Posted on by Jason Peake

The College Heights Cougars found themselves in a 14-0 hole early on Friday night in their 8-man football game against the visiting Appleton City Bulldogs at Joplin High School.

College Heights outscored Appleton City 44-24 after that 14-point deficit to take a 44-38 lead with 7 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But the Cougars’ first and only lead lasted 15 seconds, as the Bulldogs responded with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

Appleton City scored 36 unanswered points to come away with a 74-44 win, helped by a series of defensive stops and scoring plays with the game on the line.

“I thought our kids played hard in the first half,” College Heights coach Travis Burk said. “We stayed in the game. It just comes down to blocking and tackling. Once we learn how to tackle right, those games I think we’ll be fine. We don’t have a really solid running game, so that makes it tough, and I’ve got my quarterback running around with his head cut off sometimes. They did a good job defending us, I know we still scored quite a few points, and we should have four more touchdowns on them. We missed some balls, a couple other times we couldn’t punch it in. In the end, it hurt.

“Our hardest thing is, we’re still teaching how to form tackle, how to do those little things with kids who haven’t done that since grade school. We’d like to run power ball, but like I told them, I’d love to run it, but we just don’t have the boys yet. We’ve got to get bigger, stronger, and faster.”

Just five plays into the game, College Heights fell behind 8-0 after Appleton City’s Judd Koshko intercepted a Logan Decker pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.

College Heights Christian’s Logan Decker eludes the Appleton City defense on Friday night. Photo by Israel Perez.

Down two scores, College Heights first got on the board with 2:18 left in the first quarter on a 4-yard pass from Decker to Caleb Quade, a combination that gave Appleton City fits most of the night.

Decker’s 2-yard TD run and a 4-yard pass from Decker to Cannon Miller earned College Heights a 22-all score early in the second quarter.

Appleton City went back ahead 38-22 after the first two scoring runs from freshman running back Cash Anderson, who especially proved to be money in the second half.

College Heights trailed 38-30 at halftime thanks to a 20-yard TD pass from Decker to Quade late in the half.

Decker came up with a fumble recovery and an interception early in the second half, turnovers which College Heights cashed in for 14 points and that 44-38 advantage after Bo Sitton and Quade hauled in touchdown receptions. 

Appleton City went back in the lead for good on a 55-yard scoring pass late in the third and then Anderson rattled off three scoring runs in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.

According to College Heights’ stats, the Cougars had 398 yards of total offense, with 273 passing and 125 rushing.

Decker completed 34 of 60 pass attempts for 273 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Quade caught 18 passes for 137 yards with three touchdowns. Durling had nine receptions for 60 yards, while Miller caught five passes for 52 yards and Sitton had three receptions for 32 yards. 

On the ground, Decker ran 25 times for 86 yards and one score. Miller had 25 rushing yards and Levi Durling had 14 yards.

The first-year College Heights football program dropped to 1-4 on the season and the Cougars return to action in Week 6 at home against the Norborne Pirates.

“There’s a lot of teaching going on,” Burk said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t look like we’ve been teaching very good, but we just keep working hard and getting better. I feel like we’re in the games. Every game so far, I feel like we’re right there. Third and fourth quarter (Friday), we’re right there. A few plays go our way, it changes everything and momentum switches.

“Our kids, I told them that I’m going to work them hard Monday. We’re going to go out and get a little bit tougher. When you lose a game like this, it’s going to hurt. If it doesn’t hurt, that means we’re not working hard.”

 

Caleb Quade is pictured during Friday’s game with Appleton City. Photos by Israel Perez.

 

Levi Durling is pictured during Friday’s 8-man football game at Joplin High School. 

 

Cannon Miller is pictured during Friday’s game. 

FOOTBALL: Carl Junction bounces back with win over Branson

Posted on by Lucas Davis

BRANSON, Mo. — Carl Junction, fresh off a 48-12 loss to Carthage, came into Branson Friday night firing on all cylinders to earn a 32-7 bounce-back win over the Pirates on Friday.

On the first play from scrimmage, Carl Junction quarterback Dexter Merrell fired an 80-yard pass to WR Malakhi Moore for a touchdown and the Bulldogs never looked back, improving to 2-3 on the season with Branson falling to 1-4.

The Pirates tried to answer back the quick score, putting together a long drive, only for CJ to force a turnover on a pitch play at the Bulldogs’ 9-yard line with 7:03 left in the first quarter.

Carl Junction started with good field position after the second Branson drive, and Merrell  took advantage shortly after with a 10-yard keeper for a touchdown to push the lead to 13-0 with 8:01 to go in the half.

Merrell later connected with TE Quin Kennedy from 15 yards out for a touchdown to push the Bulldog lead to 20-0 with 5:35 left in the half.

After a Branson turnover, the Bulldogs scored again with 2:06 to go in the half on a 15-yard run RB Arlen Wakefield for a 26-0 lead by the half.

The Pirates reached the scoreboard the only time with 7:15 to go in the third quarter on an 8-yard run from Will Thornton to cut the lead to 26-7.

RB Johnny Starks added a 4-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs with 4:12 to go extend the lead to 32-7 and the game was out of reach.

Carl Junction hosts Nixa on Friday.

FOOTBALL: Defensive stops lead Carthage to rout of Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Four times the Carthage defense was asked to make a fourth-down stop, two of those times from within their own 10-yard line. They were a perfect four-for-four. So, too, was the Tigers’ offense in turning those extra chances into touchdowns. 

It all added up to a 47-7 drubbing of the Neosho Wildcats (2-3) at David Haffner Stadium for Carthage (4-1). 

Neosho came into the game averaging more than 50 points per game, but was limited to one score, a 50-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jared Siler. 

“Defensively, we played fantastic,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Everybody told us what a big shootout it was going to be and all that, and our guys stepped up to the challenge tonight and defended a very, very explosive offense … When it was time to bow up a little bit, our guys did and we kept them out of the end zone, so I can’t say enough about (assistant) coach (Chris) Edwards and the defensive staff, those guys prepared this week, and that’s not an easy offense to prepare for.”

Outside of the four turnovers on downs and Siler’s touchdown, Neosho was forced to punt three times in its nine total drives.

Carthage defeated Neosho 47-7 on Friday night in COC action.

The Tigers’ offense was essentially the reverse experience as it found the end zone every time it touched the ball, with the exception of a fourth-quarter interception by senior quarterback and first-year starter Cooper Jadwin. 

Two-way standout Luke Gall had four total touchdowns, three on the ground and one reception and totaled 152 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Tigers called significantly more pass plays than in previous games this season as Jadwin completed seven-of-12 attempts for 163 yards through the air, including three consecutive completions of 7, 27 and 34 yards on the Tigers’ first drive of the second half. 

The last of those throws was hauled in by senior receiver Hudson Moore on a well-placed jump ball that set up a Jadwin TD run on the very next play. The second was the touchdown pass to Gall.

“Maybe a little bit of both,” Guidie said, asked if the increased passing attack was a specific plan for Neosho or a wrinkle that could be incorporated in the offense more often in the future. “(Jadwin) threw a couple really nice balls, nice fade to ‘Hud,’ threw a curl route, but I know Cooper, and I know he’s probably upset with himself on some of those other decisions and balls that were thrown and he’s a kid that’s going to come back to work and do everything he can to try and fix those things.”

Both teams are at home next week as the Tigers host Ozark and Neosho welcomes Branson in Week 6.

 

Carthage’s Luke Gall runs past Neosho’s Trey Hardin on Friday night at David Haffner Stadium. Photos by Jessica Greninger.

 

FOOTBALL: No. 4 Nixa hands No. 6 Joplin first loss of the season 49-35

Posted on by Lucas Davis

NIXA, Mo. — Class 6 fourth-ranked Nixa handed sixth-ranked Joplin its first loss of the season after jumping out to a multi-score cushion early and keeping pace in the second half en route to a 49-35 win on Friday in Central Ozark Conference and district action.

Nixa (5-0) opened the game with the first three touchdowns before Joplin (4-1) rallied to trim the lead to 28-21 by the intermission, with JHS scoring on its final three possessions of the opening half. Joplin failed to put the ball in the end zone on the opening drive of the third quarter, with Nixa taking the opportunity to stretch the lead to two scores and never letting JHS get closer than seven points the rest of the way. 

Nixa scored on all but two drives in the first half—a missed field goal and having possession of the football when the clock ran out in the half—and notched touchdowns on every possession of the second half. 

STATS

Nixa had 465 yards of offense on 51 plays, with senior RB Ramone Green putting the team on his back with 35 carries for 297 yards and five touchdowns in the win. Senior QB Connor Knactal completed 11-of-15 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Senior WR Kael Combs had three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. 

Joplin’s offense ran 71 plays for 507 yards. Junior QB Hobbs Gooch rushed seven times for 10 yards and a touchdown and a fumble, while completing 14-of-23 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Junior RB Quin Renfro carried the ball 24 times for 156 yards and a touchdown, while senior RB Drew VanGilder had 17 carries for 75 yards. Senior WR Terrance Gibson had six receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore WR Davin Thomas had four grabs for 89 yards and a score.

GAME ACTION

Nixa built a 21-0 lead on Joplin after NHS scored on its first two drives with a 21-yard rushing scored on a reverse by junior WR/DB Spencer Ward before Combs hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Knatcal on third and 6 with 4:34 left in the first quarter. Joplin, after a punt on its first possession, turned it over on the third play of its second drive on a low snap to Gooch, with Nixa recovering. It was the third fumble of the game to that point for Joplin, the first one lost. With Nixa gaining possession in the red zone, it took four plays to find the end zone when senior Green scored from a yard out for a 21-0 lead with 2:31 to play in the first quarter.

Joplin’s offense found a rhythm in the second quarter and marched 80 yards on 10 plays with Renfro taking a handoff left and making several tacklers miss before finding paydirt with 11:03 on the clock, trimming the deficit to 21-7.

Joplin held Nixa to a 29-yard field-goal attempt on the next drive, which hit the upright and was no good to give JHS possession at its own 20. Joplin once again put together an 80-yard drive, this time with Gooch keeping the ball left and finding the far pylon for his first rushing score of the season to cut Nixa’s lead to 21-14 with 6:13 left in the half.

Nixa responded with a fourth scoring drive in the first half after Green found the end zone from 3 yards out to push the lead back to two scores, 28-14, with four minutes before the intermission.

Joplin went with the hurry up and had rushing gains of 13 and 11 yards by VanGilder as well as gains of 8, 20 and 7 yards by Renfro to set up a 26-yard passing touchdown from Gooch, who took off out of the pocket before looking up field and firing on the run to Gibson, who caught the ball crossing the field at the 5-yard line before continuing across the goal line for a touchdown to make the score 28-21—the score at halftime.

Joplin gained four first downs on the opening drive of the second half before stalling with a turnover on downs after an incomplete pass on fourth down, giving Nixa the ball at its own 28. 

Nixa quickly drove down the field and scored on a 19-yard rushing score from Green, who broke several tackles on the way to his third touchdown of the game.

Joplin answered back with 1:08 left in the third quarter when Thomas hauled in a 17-yard touchdown reception from Gooch to trim the lead back to one score, 35-28.

Nixa kept pace offensively with Green finding crossing the goal line for the fourth time on an 8-yard run to push the margin back out to 42-28 with 10:51 left in the third quarter.

Joplin’s offense worked its way down the field in response before junior TE Whit Hafer won a jump ball in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown reception from Gooch on third-down and go to go to make the score 42-35 with 5:57 left in regulation.

Green continued to carry the load for Nixa, scoring his fifth touchdown on the ensuing drive after breaking loose from 41 yards to make the score 49-35 with less than three minutes left in the game to ice the win.

UP NEXT

Joplin returns home for a matchup with Republic (3-2) on Friday.

FOOTBALL: Webb City rides big second half to win over Ozark

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

OZARK, Mo. — After being held to two scores in the first half, Webb City erupted for 41 points after the break en route to a 55-40 Central Ozark Conference victory over Ozark on Friday night.

Ranked fifth in Class 5, Webb City improved to 3-2. Class 6 Ozark fell to 1-4. 

The Cardinals had three costly turnovers in the first half, and the game was deadlocked at 14 at intermission.

Ozark went up 20-14 before Webb City took the lead for good with 20 unanswered points. The two teams combined for 67 second half points in what turned into a shootout.

The Cardinals grabbed the momentum early by recovering an onside kick to begin the night. Eight plays later, senior quarterback Landon Johnson scored on a 4-yard plunge to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead. 

But the Cardinals lost a fumble on their second drive, with the Tigers recovering on the 6-yard line.

Ozark made the most of the turnover. Two plays after the fumble recovery, Jacob Kronebusch scored on a game-tying 3-yard TD run with 6:14 remaining in the opening frame. 

Webb City turned it over again on the next series, as a Johnson pass was picked off near the goal line by the Tigers. 

The Cardinals forced a punt, but the Tigers recovered a loose ball after the visitors failed to corral the kick. 

A 1-yard run by Brady Dodd gave Ozark a 14-7 lead with 11:16 left in the second quarter. 

Max Stovern’s 5-yard touchdown run, along with the PAT kick by Trey Roets, tied the game at 14 with just over two minutes to play in the first half. 

After Webb City’s fourth turnover of the night, Ozark took a 20-14 lead in the third quarter after a 26-yard touchdown pass from Dodd to Ethan Sutherland. 

Breckin Galardo’s 32-yard touchdown tied the game at 20 with 6:20 remaining in the third period.

Two plays after recovering an Ozark fumble, the Cardinals took the lead for good on Stovern’s 37-yard touchdown sprint.

Webb City extended its lead to 34-20 early in the fourth quarter when Johnson completed a 17-yard touchdown strike to Roets on fourth down. 

The Tigers responded on the next series with a long TD pass to Sutherland, trimming Webb City’s lead to seven with 9:31 left.

Galardo broke free for a 75-yard touchdown sprint, but Ozark’s Kronebusch answered with a 61-yard TD on the first play of the ensuing drive to keep it a one-score game. 

Stovern’s 10-yard touchdown run gave Webb City a 14-point cushion with 6:52 left before freshman QB Gabe Johnson scored on a 29-yard sprint to extend Webb City’s lead to 55-34.

Ozark’s Sutherland had a 66-yard TD reception with just over three minutes to play for the final margin.

Webb City hosts Willard next Friday night. 

GIRLS GOLF: Joplin captures team championship at Nevada, Cameron shoots low score

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEVADA, Mo. — For the fourth time this season, the Joplin High School girls golf team left a tournament with a first-place plaque. 

And for the fourth time this fall, Nevada’s Emree Cameron captured medalist honors at a local event.

Joplin won the team championship at the 18th Nevada Lady Tiger Invitational girls golf tournament on Friday at Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course.

The Eagles had the best four-person score with a 385. Carl Junction (408) and Webb City (416) finished second and third in the team standings. Rounding out the team standings were Lamar (427), Butler (437) and Frontenac (437). 

A sophomore at Nevada, Cameron had the low score on her home course. Cameron carded an impressive 7-under-par 65.

“Emree had another outstanding day,” Nevada coach Brian Leonard said. “Emree won her fourth tournament championship of the season. She finished the course, a par 72 (36-36) layout, with a 7-under 65. This was the Emree’s personal record on her home course.”

Cameron carded six birdies, one chip-in eagle and one bogey. Leonard noted Cameron’s score is a new Nevada High School record for an 18-hole event.   

“Emree’s score of 65 on a par 72 course also places her in second place for the MSHSAA state records,” Leonard noted.

Carthage’s Shay Gaddis was the tourney’s individual runner-up with an 86, while Joplin’s Lindsey Belnap and Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal tied for third place with identical scores of 87.

Carthage’s Addie Foust took fifth with a 92, while Joplin’s Drew Yockey, Webb City’s duo of Jacie Crouch and Avry Hodson and Nevada’s Riley Severance tied for sixth place with scores of 96.

Joplin’s Kenna Haley finished 10th with a 97, while Carl Junction’s Olivia Teeter, Nevada’s Paige Hertzberg and El Dorado Springs’ Laney Wolfe tied for 11th place, as three carded 98.

Rounding out the top 15 were Carl Junction’s Rylee Sprague (100) and El Dorado Springs’ Skylynn Gibbs, Carl Junction’s Jasmine Woerner and Frontenac’s Addie Josephson. All three shot 101.

Webb City’s Langlee Walker finished tied for 20th, Joplin’s Taylor Colson was 23rd and Carl Junction’s tandem of Anna Burch and Alex Teeter tied for 27th.

There were 43 golfers competing.

 

The JHS girls golf team poses with the first-place plaque after winning the Nevada Invitational on Friday. Courtesy photo.

 

The Carl Junction Bulldogs finished second in the team standings at Friday’s tourney in Nevada. Courtesy photo.

 

Pictured are the top five individuals from the Nevada Lady Tiger Invitational. From left to right, are Nevada’s Emree Cameron, Carthage’s Shay Gaddis, Joplin’s Lindsey Belnap, Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal and Carthage’s Addie Foust. Courtesy photo.

GIRLS TENNIS: Neosho competes at Nixa tourney

Posted on by Jason Peake

NIXA, Mo. — The Neosho High School girls tennis team competed at the Nixa Invitational on Friday. 

Neosho’s Keely Keeton and Emma VanDorn took fourth place at No. 2 doubles.

The Wildcats defeated Aurora’s Libby Sawyers-Adeline Patillo 8-4 and then suffered an 8-1 loss to Nixa’s Emily Peterson-Jocelyn Cosgrove in the semifinals.

In the third-place match, Ozark’s Olivia Carpenter-Ella Scott defeated Keeton-VanDorn 8-1.

Neosho’s No. 1 doubles team of Claudia Martensen and Claire Burghart finished in sixth place.

The Wildcats lost 8-1 to Willow Springs’ McKylie Cox-Madison Perkins. Martensen and Burghart beat Aurora’s Kloey Boyd-Emily Gearhart 6-4, but then dropped the fifth-place match 6-2 to Republic’s Matilyn Carpenter-Mari Davidson.

Neosho’s singles players, Sydnee Minton and Lauren Nageotte, both finished eighth in their respective brackets.

At No. 1 singles, Minton suffered an 8-0 loss to Ozark’s Lilli Roeder and fell 6-1 to Willow Springs’ Claire Clarkston. For seventh-place, Forsyth’s Alie Jones defeated Minton 6-0.

At No. 2 singles, Nageotte suffered an 8-0 setback to Nixa’s Ellie Sorgenfrei, lost 6-1 to Aurora’s McKenna Bradley and fell 6-1 to Ozark’s Morgan Sutton in the seventh-place match.

Also of note, Neosho suffered a 9-0 setback at Willard on Thursday.

Neosho hosts Lamar on Monday.

 

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