NIXA, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys track and field squad finished fifth in the team standings at Tuesday’s Nixa Invitational.
The top five teams were Waynesville (138), Nixa (101), Kickapoo (90), Ozark (67) and Neosho (65). There were 13 full teams competing.
Neosho’s Tyrese Hill won the 200-meter dash in 22.3 seconds, while Izaiah Hill took first in the 400 with a time of 49.93 seconds.
The Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:31 and Jared Siler won the high jump by clearing 6-4.75.
Neosho’s Collyn Kivett was the runner-up in the javelin with a school record toss of 156-0.
Also for the Wildcats, Isaiah Green finished third in the long jump, Tyrone Harris took fourth in the triple jump, Konnor Siler and Jared Siler finished seventh and eighth in the 100-meter dash, while Isaiah Keezer and Green finished seventh and eighth in the 400.
For the Neosho girls, Madilyn Ebbinghaus finished eighth in the 200.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Konner Poynter won the 100 in 11.48 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 40.26 seconds. A senior, Poynter took second in two events, the 200 and the 110 hurdles.
EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. — College Heights Christian was among the schools competing at the El Dorado Springs Relays on Tuesday.
The College Heights girls finished fifth in the team standings, while the CHC boys were 13th.
For the College Heights girls, Jayli Johnson was the runner-up in the 400, Lauren Ukena took second in the 200 and Maddy Colin placed third in the discus and fifth in the high jump.
CHC’s Marla Anderegg placed third in the 1600 and sixth in the 800, Bailey Peoples finished fourth in the triple jump and Jesalin Bever took fourth in both hurdle races. Ukena was sixth in the 300 hurdles.
CHC’s 4×400 relay of Bever, Amelia Hagale, Johnson and Ukena took second. The CHS girls finished third in the 4×200 relay, with Johnson, Bever, Amelia Hagale and Ukena competing.
College Heights’ Caleb Quade won the boys high jump by clearing 5-11.75. Quade also placed fourth in the triple jump.
Also for the Cougars, Steven Calandro was seventh in the 110 hurdles and Colton McMillan finished eighth in the 1600.
The Cougars were seventh in the 4×200 relay, with Zach Beaty, Derek Bowman, Colsen Dickens and Levi Durling competing. The 4×800 relay took seventh, with Beaty, Calandro, Ian Edwards and Jace Edwards running.
Jasper’s Noah Neher won the boys discus (137-2.5). On the girls side, Jasper’s Crystal Smith won the 200, the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the high jump.
The Joplin Eagles’ aggressiveness on the offensive end finally paid dividends with three second-half goals on their way to a 4-1 win against the visiting Neosho Wildcats in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday at Joplin High School.
Joplin senior midfielder Paisley Parker scored all four Eagle goals for a haul (a lesser known relative of the hat trick), while Neosho junior Eva Maldonado scored her first goal of the season and the Wildcats’ only goal Tuesday on a penalty kick that cut Neosho’s deficit to 2-1 with 33 minutes and 25 seconds remaining in regulation.
“We for sure put a lot of pressure on goal,” Joplin coach Josh Thompson said. “Their keeper made some good saves, and we did a good job of giving ourselves scoring opportunities tonight. … Our halftime talk was I think what we’re doing is working, we’ve got to be persistent and keep firing off shots and we’re going to be able to get some of those in.”
“We made improvements in every area that we talked with them about making improvements on,” Neosho coach Steve Schnackenberg said. “We had some breakdowns, and the Joplin girls took advantage of them. We were in the game right until the end. I thought we played hard, and they capitalized on a few of our mistakes. The improvements are coming, and that’s what we can do. We’ve got girls playing next to each other that haven’t played before together, so we’re still getting that stuff sorted out and the more opportunities that we have the better we’re going to see them play.”
Parker became the center of the post-win celebration for the Eagles on Tuesday.
“I brought out a hat I owed her for hat tricks in the past,” Thompson said. “Maybe it was good motivation tonight and so maybe that’s our good luck charm, I’ll start bringing hat trick hats.”
Neosho sophomore goalkeeper Yaretzl Parker and the Wildcats defense limited Joplin to a 1-0 halftime lead and Paisley Parker’s first goal occurred in the first three minutes of the match.
“We just had a really hard time getting the ball out on defense,” Schnackenberg said. “Yaretzl did a nice job in goal and made some great saves. I thought our defense was pretty solid. We just couldn’t get the ball out, so I think we’ve got an idea of what we can do to take care of it.”
Maldonado’s goal provided the Wildcats their greatest moment for hope on Tuesday.
“It was a good moment,” Schnackenberg said. “It was her first PK, I know that, and she hit it well. She’s been hitting them in practice really well. It was good to get her on the score sheet.”
Joplin improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 COC, and the Eagles are back in action Friday and Saturday in the Branson Invitational.
“First conference win and then a district win for us as well,” Thompson said. “It ought to be good motivation for us going forward and it helps us at the end of the season.”
Neosho dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-1 COC, and the Wildcats hit the road Thursday for a conference match with Ozark and then play Friday and Saturday in the Willard Tournament.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Trailing 3-2 with a pair of runners on and one out in the bottom of the seventh, Carl Junction’s Lucas Vanlanduit doubled to center field to bring both runs home for a walk-off win over Carthage in Central Ozark Conference action on Tuesday.
Carl Junction (5-7, 1-1 COC) trailed 3-0 heading into the sixth before an RBI double from Jacob Ford and an RBI single from Cody Hollingsworth cut the Tigers’ lead to one.
The Tigers (3-11, 0-2 COC) used RBI singles from Austin Mitchell, Langston Morgan and Brady Carlton in the top of the third to take the initial advantage.
Logan Eck started and took a no-decision after starting and allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits, a walk and four strikeouts in six innings for CJ. Vanlanduit earned the win in relief, striking out one and walking two in an inning of work.
Landon Bland started and took a no-decision for Carthage after pitched three scoreless innings on four walks and five strikeouts. Brodie Cole allowed two runs on three hits, a walk and three strikeouts in three relief innings. Bradyn Tate took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning.
Vanlanduit had a hit and two RBI for CJ at the plate, while Ford had a hit, scored a run and drove in one.
Carl Junction hosts Willard on Thursday.
Carthage hosts Branson on Thursday.
GREENWOOD 11, MCAULEY 1
GREENWOOD, Mo. — Greenwood used a four-run first and a four-run fifth to fuel a win over McAuley Catholic on Tuesday.
Greenwood (4-3) also added two runs in the second inning and scored a single tally in the sixth.
Carson Little earned the win after allowing one unearned run on three hits, a walk and four strikeouts in six innings.
Rocco Bazzano-Joseph took the loss for the Warriors (3-6) after allowing 10 runs, four earned, on eight hits, six strikeouts and six walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Little had two hits and two RBI, while Chance Rose had two hits, two RBI and three runs scored for Greenfield.
Noah Black, Bradley Wagner, and Kable Reichardt all had hits for McAuley, with Wagner garnering the lone RBI.
NEOSHO, Mo. — With runners on first and second and one out in the last of the eighth inning, Neosho’s Eli Zar came up clutch, delivering a sharp line drive to center field that was misplayed to plate Finn Versluis, who was the runner for Colton Southern after he singled to lead off the inning, and send the Wildcats to a 1-0 walk-off Central Ozark Conference win over Joplin at Roy B. Shaver Field on Tuesday.
Neosho’s Kael Smith delivers to home during the Wildcats’ conference win in extra innings over Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“Everytime I step in the box, I know it’s just me and the pitcher and nobody else,” Zar said after the win. “I just want to put the ball in play as hard as I can. … I was thinking either offspeed, something middle away, or fastball and just take it right up the middle and I did just that.”
Neosho’s hot start to the 2023 season continues with the win as the Wildcats improve to 11-3, 1-1 in conference play.
“This win is massive,” Neosho coach Bo Helsel said. “These kids have grinded for two years, preparing to win these big conference games. Last year, we couldn’t get any of them. We were in a lot of them. This year, this is how the team is. The mentality has flipped. We expect to win. We scored when we needed to and Kael threw a hell of a game. And of course, Eli, Mr. Clutch, comes through for us again. … He just takes good swings. He hits it hard and on a line and is able to see pitches really well. He is the one guy I want up there with the game on the line and he came through for us today.”
With the loss, Joplin falls to 4-9, 1-1 in the COC.
“That was a tough one to swallow,” Joplin coach Kyle Wolf said after the loss. “We did so many things right throughout the course of that game to put ourselves in a position to tack on some runs throughout the game and just not get to that point. … We just needed a ball put in play a couple of times to give ourselves an opportunity to score some runs and didn’t get it done. We have to find a way to scratch some runs across when we have chances.”
It was a conference pitcher’s duel in every sense of the phrase between Neosho’s Kael Smith and Joplin’s Justin McReynolds, who each ultimately took a no-decision.
Smith dazzled on the bump, allowing two hits, a pair of walks while striking out seven in 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
“Kael should be discussed with the top of the pitchers in the conference,” Helsel said. “Game in and game out, he is a grinder for us. He didn’t have his offspeed as well as he has had in the past, but he filled it up. That’s what he does. He doesn’t walk a lot of guys and keeps his pitch count low so he can go 6 2/3 innings. … He just competes for us. It showed today and it will show the rest of the year, I have no doubt.”
The only time Smith found himself under duress came in the top of the fourth inning when Joplin used a leadoff single from Byler Reither and a walk from McReynolds to eventually put runners on second and third with one out after a sacrifice bunt from Landon Maples. Smith promptly got out of the jam with a strikeout before inducing a fly out to end the inning.
“I honestly don’t really worry too much with runners on with him,” Helsel said. “His mentality doesn’t change. He expects to get every hitter out. He doesn’t really fall behind in counts and that helped him today.”
Joplin’s Justin McReynolds delivers to home during the Eagles’ extra-inning loss to Neosho in conference action on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
For the Eagles, McReynolds’ string of dominant starts continued as he allowed three hits, walked one and struck out eight over seven innings of scoreless baseball.
“Justin, all year long, has been great and consistent,” Wolf said. “When he is on the mound, we know we have an opportunity to win a game and he gave us another one today. He pitched through a little traffic in the middle innings, but you felt like he was in control of the game the entire time. When you have him on the mound, finding a way to score one run is probably the difference. It has been twice. He gave us every opportunity and was really, really good for us.”
Joplin had the first chance to get on the scoreboard in the extra frame, loading the bases with one out after a walk from Brock Waghorn, an infield hit from Brady Mails and a walk by Caden Shoemaker.
Neosho’s River Brill ended the threat there, earning back-to-back strikeouts to send the game into the bottom half of the eighth.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about all year,” Wolf said when asked what he wants to see in his team’s approach at the plate in run-scoring opportunities. “We’ve put different things in in practice to get comfortable in those situations. Your approach just has to be to put a good swing on a ball and not try to do too much. I just felt like we were trying to do too much. In a lot of cases, just a ball in play was going to be a run. Just shorten it up and focus on getting the ball in play to give us an opportunity to score a run. In that game, that one run loomed really large.
“I feel bad for the guys because I know they’re trying. We just have to understand when we have those opportunities, we don’t have to do too much. We just have to do enough.”
Brill earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and walking two with a pair of strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
“River is our closer,” Helsel said. “He has the best velo on the team and it’s perfect for him to come in late because I don’t want to throw my shortstop in starts. He came in and struggled a little bit, but I don’t worry because he has been consistent all year. He will have a walk here or there, but he is a strikeout machine. His curveball was on today and they weren’t touching him.”
Reither took the loss in relief for Joplin after allowing one run on two hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning.
Zar had two hits for Neosho, including a double in the fourth to go along with his walk-off single in the eighth. Southern had a hit and scored a run. Carter Fenske and Brody Crane registered hits for Neosho.
Maples doubled for Joplin, while Mails and Reither collected the other two hits.
DAY OFF
Zar got the rare day off behind the plate as the Wildcats’ mainstay at catcher. Sophomore Kanten Smith got the start behind the dish, catching his older brother, Kael, a senior, at the varsity level.
“It was spectacular to see,” Zar said. “I have worked with him for two years now and there is never a dull moment. It was really cool (for him to catch his brother). I know his mom really enjoyed that and his dad thought it was pretty cool.”
UP NEXT
Neosho hosts Ozark in conference play on Thursday, while Joplin hosts Nixa.
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. —Thomas Jefferson’s boys tennis team improved to 6-0 this spring by sweeping all three doubles matches and all six singles contests against the Mountaineers on Tuesday.
In doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Tyler Moore-Gabriel Newman 8-2, while Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue beat Malachi Hennum-Austin Robison 8-0 and Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis topped Payton West-Charles Robins 8-3.
In singles, TJ’s Nagarajan beat Moore 8-0, Murali defeated Newman 8-1, Qian topped Hennum 8-2, Goodhue beat Robison 8-0, Li defeated West 8-1 and Curtis edged Robins 9-8 (7-5).
The Cavaliers will host an invite on Friday, with the action beginning at 9 a.m., with singles matches being held at Millennium Family Fitness and doubles being played at the TJ courts.
CARL JUNCTION 6, NEOSHO 3
Neosho held a 2-1 advantage after doubles play, but Carl Junction won five of the six singles matches to secure a COC win on Tuesday.
At No. 1 doubles, Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson-Daniel Hodson edged Christian Williams-Willis Jarvis 9-7.
Neosho’s Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams defeated Jordan Markham-Benjamin Morey 8-6 at No. 2 doubles and Neosho’s Breckin McAffrey-Wes Williams beat William Russell-Jayden Wolf 8-5 at No. 3 doubles.
At No. 1 singles, CJ’s Wilkerson defeated Christian Williams 8-3, while Markham beat Jarvis 8-2 at No. 2 and Hodson topped Snyder 8-3 at No. 3.
Neosho’s Peyton Williams edged Morey 8-6 at No. 4 singles, but the Bulldogs won at No. 5 and No. 6. Russell defeated McAffrey 8-5 and Wolf topped Wes Williams 8-5.
Both teams have COC road matches on Thursday, as Neosho is at Willard and Carl Junction is at Branson.
REPUBLIC 9, JOPLIN 0
REPUBLIC, Mo. —The Joplin Eagles suffered a Central Ozark Conference setback to the Republic Tigers on Tuesday.
“As a team, we won three more games this year than in our previous match with Republic,” Eagles coach Aaron Stump said.
In doubles, Republic’s Chase Elder-Gavin Collyott defeated Josiah Hazlewood and Adam Badr 8-4, while Garrett Carpenter and Austin Hardcastle beat Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 8-3.
“Garrett, the top-ranked player for Republic, had a strong net game and was able to poach the ball,” Stump noted.
At No. 3 doubles, Republic’s Caleb Long-Cooper Choate defeated Leif Garrity and Roman Venturella 8-3.
At No. 1 singles, Joplin’s Badr suffered an 8-6 setback to Carpenter.
“Adam started out behind but fought back to 6-4 at one point in the match,” Stump said. “He was playing a good game but overplayed a few key shots, which cost him the match.”
Elder defeated Hazlewood 8-4 at No. 2 singles.
“Last year, Josiah lost to Chase 0-8,” Stump noted. “He played a much more competitive match this year.”
In other singles matches, Republic’s Jonathan Cole beat Garrity 8-4, Collyott topped Chapel Braman 8-2, Long defeated Merkley 8-2 and Cooper Davis defeated Venturella 8-0.
McAuley Catholic senior Evan D’Amour earned medalist honors and Thomas Jefferson had the best team score at a boys golf triangular on Tuesday at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club.
Thomas Jefferson had a four-person score of 205, while College Heights Christian had a 208 and McAuley Catholic finished with a 215.
McAuley’s D’Amour shot a 46 to win individual honors.
Thomas Jefferson’s Tony Touma and College Heights’ Corbin Cronenwett both carded 47 to tie for second place.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jack Tyrrell shot 48 and teammate Beck McKinney had a 49.
Also competing for the Cavaliers were Thomas Harrold (61) and Teo Chevillard (62).
In addition to Cronenwett, College Heights Christian featured Logan Decker (50), Anderson Smith (55), Gavin Doll (56) and Michael Peters (64).
Also competing for McAuley were Trey Martinez (50), Liam Buerge (57), Jadyn LaFerla (62) and Nic Svec (63).
