Area athletes in Class 4-5 competed at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Below are photos from SoMo Sports photographer Shawn Fowler.
PHOTO GALLERY: STATE CROSS COUNTRY DAY 1
Day: November 4, 2022
STATE CROSS COUNTRY: Joplin’s Campbell, Webb City’s Street lead area athletes at state meet
COLUMBIA, Mo. — In the final races of their stellar prep cross country careers, Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell and Webb City’s Abigail Street both delivered outstanding performances at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
CLASS 5: CAMPBELL LEADS EAGLES
A senior at Joplin, Campbell finished fifth in the Class 5 boys race with a time of 15 minutes, 42 seconds. He was seeded fifth going into the race.
Campbell placed 14th at last year’s state meet, so he earned all-state recognition again this season.
Finishing first through fourth were Liberty North’s Sage Wilde (15:05), Rock Bridge’s Ian Kemey (15:12), Kickapoo’s Tyler Harris (15:22) and Rock Bridge’s Andrew Hauser (15:36).
Joplin junior Ian Horton also earned all-state honors by finishing 16th with a time of 15:59. Eagles sophomore Chance Tindall finished 32nd in 16:24.
Also competing for Joplin were sophomore Grey Edwards (64th), junior Parker Durham (112th), junior Aidan Koch (129th) and sophomore Coby Sampson (150th).
With three runners in the top 32, Joplin finished sixth in the team standings with 173 points.
The top five teams were Liberty North (77), Rock Bridge (89), Kickapoo (106), Jackson (154) and Raymore-Peculiar (154).
Five Joplin area girls competed in Class 5.
Neosho sophomore Chloe Wood finished 42nd, Joplin junior Allie Keizer was 65th, Neosho junior Riley Kemna finished 81st, Carthage sophomore Maggie Boyd was 84th and Joplin senior Cylee Gilreath finished 95th.
The Class 5 girls medalist was Lafayette’s Grace Tyson (18:10). The top four teams were Lafayette-Wildwood (50), Raymore-Peculiar (80), Blue Springs South (118) and Cor Jesu Academy (120).
CLASS 4: STREET SHINES FOR CARDINALS
A senior at Webb City, Street finished third in the Class 4 girls race with a time of 19 minutes, 6 seconds.
Street finished fifth at last year’s event, so she concludes her prep career as a two-time all-state performer. The third place showing is the highest place ever by a Webb City female.
Also competing for Webb City at Friday’s state meet were freshman Brooke Hedger (67th), sophomore Rachel Miller (77th), junior Emily Countryman (82nd), freshman Kristina Bundy (92nd), freshman Holly Capron (106th) and junior Aspen White (132nd).
In a 16-team field, Webb City’s girls finished eighth.
Father Tolton (109) was the team champion, followed by Rockwood Summit (111) and Clayton (112).
MICDS standout and University of Tennessee commit Julia Ray was the Class 4 champion with a time of 18:14. Washington’s Julia Donnelly was second in 18:52.
Nevada’s Avery Morris finished 57th and her teammate Allie Rains was 101st. Monett’s Mary Jastal finished 151st.
In the Class 4 boys race, Webb City junior Evan Stevens finished 11th with a time of 16:24. According to Webb City coach Dustin Miller, Stevens is the seventh male athlete from Webb City to earn a state medal.
Two other local runners earned all-state honors. Monett senior Julio Cruz placed 16th in 16:36 and Webb City junior Mason Hedger finished 20th in 16:45. Hedger is the eighth Webb City male to earn a state medal.
Also competing for the Cardinals were sophomore Spencer Kendall (67th), freshman Andrew Dawson (127th), junior Ricardo Arrieta (134th) and freshman Noah Lankard (136th).
The Cardinals finished 12th in the team standings.
Hillsboro (35), Festus (78) and West Plains (161) were the top three teams. Hillsboro’s Josh Allison was the state champ with a time of 15:38.
Also from the region, Monett’s Victor Salas finished 75th, McDonald County’s Hunter Leach placed 96th and Carl Junction’s Isaac Willoughby was 106th.
STATE VOLLEYBALL: Webb City finishes fourth in Class 4
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Rhonda Lawrence called it a heartbreaking end to an incredible season.
It would be hard to argue with that assessment.
In the finale of the 2022 season, Webb City suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to Platte County on Thursday night in the third-place game of the MSHSAA Class 4 Volleyball Championships inside the Show Me Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University.
In a back-and-forth marathon match that started just after 9:30 p.m. and didn’t conclude until nearly midnight, the Pirates defeated the Cardinals 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 31-29, 15-11.
“We got so close, but that’s a super heartbreaker,” Lawrence told SoMo Sports after sharing postgame hugs with her players and assistant coaches. “Our girls did the best they could, but Platte County got a spurt of energy at the end that we just couldn’t quite match. But we’re in the top four of the state, so that’s nothing to sneeze at by any means. We’re heartbroken because we really wanted at least third place…of course we wanted the championship. But I’m super proud of my team.”
For the Cardinals, it was an agonizing way to conclude a stellar season.
After dropping the opening set, the Cardinals won the second and third sets and appeared to have all of the momentum. Webb City had three set and match points in the fourth set before a season-ending victory slipped away.
The Pirates (27-10) took control of the deciding fifth set right away and the Cardinals settled for the fourth-place trophy.
Webb City ended the season with a record of 32-6-2.
“I’m so proud of my teammates,” Webb City senior outside hitter Kate Brownfield said. “Making the Final Four this year shows how hard we’ve worked and it shows how hard our past teams have worked. And it sets an example and sets an expectation for our future teams.”
Brownfield added this season was an unforgettable one.
“Coming to the state tournament will be at the top of the list,” she said of the memories she and her teammates made together. “I’ll always remember the relationships that we’ve developed. We’re going to be friends for life.”
MATCH RECAP
After dropping their respective semifinal matches on Thursday afternoon, Webb City and Platte County battled for the state’s third place trophy late Thursday night.
The opening set was tied at 23 when the Pirates reeled off two straight points.
The Cardinals stormed back in the second set, leading 16-8.
After Brownfield served an ace, senior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence recorded back-to-back solo blocks to give Webb City a 23-15 advantage. After the two teams traded points, Webb City ended the second set on senior Kyah Sanborn’s setter dump.
There were 17 ties in the third set, the last coming at 20-all. Webb City finished strong, as Brenda Lawrence slammed a kill at the net and then served an ace. Late kills from Lawrence, Brownfield and junior outside hitter Aubree Lassiter gave the set to the Cardinals.
Up two sets to one, the Cardinals nearly finished the match in four sets.
The fourth set featured 21 ties, and the Cardinals held set and match points at 24-23, 25-24 and 27-26. Each time, however, the Pirates staved off elimination. The final tie of the arduous set was at 29-29. That’s when the Pirates scored two straight to force a fifth set.
Platte County led 4-0 right away in the fifth set. Webb City tied it up at 7-all, but the Pirates wouldn’t be denied, as they reeled off three straight points, never surrendering the lead en route to victory.
“Our girls played hard,” Coach Lawrence said. “It was a grudge match. It’s hard when you’ve already played three hard sets and then you have to turn around and play as late as it was. We’ve been up too many hours. This was our first appearance and I think the time schedule was rough for us.”
Brownfield had 19 digs and 15 kills, while Brenda Lawrence recorded 17 kills and 16 digs. Freshman middle hitter Jaeli Rutledge added 10 kills and four solo blocks. Lassiter had nine kills.
Sanborn handed out 48 assists and she finished her senior season with more than 2,000 career assists. Junior libero Sophia Crane had 24 digs.
A STELLAR SEASON
It was a memorable fall campaign for Webb City. The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals for the first time in school history after winning a district championship for the second straight season and for the third time in four years.
Webb City’s historic and magical postseason run culminated with a trophy presentation at the state tournament. No other Webb City volleyball team had accomplished that feat.
Webb City also surpassed 30 wins for the first time in program history.
“We had a great season,” Coach Lawrence said. “We’ve never had this many wins. In the district tournament and in the quarterfinals, they stepped up and kept playing better and better each game.”
Coach Lawrence noted her seniors — Brenda Lawrence, Jenna Noel, Sanborn and Brownfield — played a key role in leading the program to new heights.
“I’m super proud of my seniors and all they’ve invested into the program,” Coach Lawrence said. “They’ve invested in this since they were young kids. Their goal was to get to state. They did that and they were in the top four of the whole state of Missouri, so I’m super proud of them. I love each one of my kids and I love my staff. The parents and the community have been very supportive. We have a lot to be proud of.”
THEY’LL BE BACK
Webb City will return a solid core next fall. Lassiter, Crane and Rutledge will return with starting experience, while sophomore middle Kirra Long also gained significant varsity playing time this season.
“I think it will be motivating for them,” Coach Lawrence said of this year’s state trip. “They got the experience of being on this floor at this level. They’ll be used to the time schedule. They’ll be used to the details of being in the Final Four. I think this year will make those girls more hungry next year. The next step will be to do better next time.”
DISTRICT SOCCER: Webb City rallies past Belton for first district title since ’99
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals are district champions in boys soccer for the first time since 1999 after their 5-3 win on Thursday over the Belton Pirates in the Class 3 District 6 championship match at Cardinal Stadium.
Webb City outscored Belton 4-1 in the second half behind second-half three goals from outstanding senior forward Alex Flores and strong defense, particularly from senior goalkeeper Connor Black.
The Cardinals fell into a 2-0 hole, before Flores scored a goal 1 minute, 16 seconds before the half that gave the home team some momentum headed into the next 40 minutes.
“It’s long overdue,” Webb City coach Nick Harmon said. “We’ve been chipping away at it for the last few years, and we’ve just been so close with some of the past groups of players. We felt confident from the get-go this year. Just like throughout the season, we faced adversity and were able to overcome it in the game, going down 2-nil and battling back in it and winning by two goals. It shows how strong their character is and how mentally tough we were tonight.”
“It’s just the best feeling ever, man,” Flores said. “I’m just proud of my team. I had faith in them. It’s great.”
Webb City tied it up nearly two minutes in the second half, then scored the final three goals after the Pirates took their final lead at 3-2.
The Cardinals scored their third and fourth goals over a 48-second period with a free kick from Flores and a goal from junior Josh White at 23:05 and 22:17, respectively.
Flores netted a critical insurance goal with 8:01 remaining in regulation.
“He did what Alex does,” Harmon said. “He’s been massive for us all year. Even all day in class, he was telling me that he was ready. (He) doesn’t feel any pressure and he certainly proved it tonight.”
The second half proved to be nearly all Webb City, and the Cardinals celebrated their district title like they had not won one since 1999, with their fans and parents joining in on the field.
“It was a little bit of adjustment,” Harmon said. “Honestly, we knew what they were going to do, and we felt like we had a good plan. It was just a matter of finding the nuances in the game and our guys growing into it and working together on the field. The goal there before halftime boosted the confidence, and at halftime the discussion was centered around how we think we can do it.
“It was tough to go down 2-0, but I don’t think our guys were fazed in the slightest. They showed tremendous mental toughness tonight and demonstrated the ability to overcome a seemingly insurmountable deficit.”
Webb City, 13-11 overall, will now face District 5 champion Glendale (23-4) in a Class 3 state quarterfinal match Saturday, Nov. 12.
“I’m extremely proud of these boys,” Harmon said. “They set this goal at the start of the season for themselves and worked every day for the last four months extremely hard to make it happen. They earned it.”
The Falcons enter the quarters having won 19 of their last 20 matches, and they are coming off a third-place finish last season in Class 3.
