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Day: May 4, 2023

BASEBALL: Webb City falls short in COC showdown with Willard

Posted on by Jason Peake

WILLARD, Mo. — With a share of the conference championship on the line, Willard defeated Webb City 3-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Willard and Republic finished as COC co-champs after going 8-1 in conference play.

Webb City and Nixa finished 7-2 in COC play. 

Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Willard improved to 22-8 overall after an 11th straight win.

Webb City fell to 16-10 overall. 

As expected, the game was a good one.

The Tigers pushed across a single tally in the bottom of the third inning after Owen Bushnell doubled to left before Klayton Kiser delivered an RBI single into right.

Webb City junior Christian Brock launched a game-tying home run over the fence in left field in the top of the fifth inning. 

The game wasn’t deadlocked for long.

The Tigers re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kiser homered to right-center to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage.

The Cardinals tied it up in the sixth when Kenley Hood was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

The visitors were unable to do further damage in the frame, however, as they stranded the bases loaded. And that proved key.

Willard went back ahead in the bottom of the sixth on Cameron Jennings’ RBI single into right. 

The Cardinals threatened in the seventh, as Gage Chapman reached on an error and Cy Darnell singled with two outs. But the Tigers retired the side to secure the win.

Webb City was limited to three hits, singles by Shaun Hunt and Cy Darnell and Brock’s homer.

Drew Vonder Haar started on the mound for the Cardinals. He went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits.

Gage Chapman and Walker Sweet pitched in relief. Chapman allowed a run on two hits in the sixth. Sweet recorded the final two outs of the sixth.

Willard left-hander Hayden Larson was the winning pitcher. He tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief. Larson allowed one hit and struck out two.

Willard southpaw Chris Massey started and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits while striking out nine. 

Webb City has a pair of non-conference games in Arkansas on Saturday, as the Cardinals take on Springdale Har-Ber at noon and Fayetteville at 3 p.m.

BOYS GOLF: Set of local golfers qualify for Class 5 state tournament

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Two Carthage Tigers and one Joplin Eagle will be playing for a chance at a state title following the conclusion of the Class 5 District 3 tournament at Rivercut Golf Course on Thursday.

Joplin’s Harry Satterlee was the top local finisher, taking eighth place with a one-over-par 73 to qualify for the Class 5 State Tournament at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club in Bolivar on May 15-16.

Also qualifying for the state tournament were Carthage’s Owen Derryberry and Britt Coy. Derryberry finished in a tie for ninth with a two-over 74, while Coy closed in a tie for 16th after carding a five-over 77.

Helias Catholic (292) and Nixa (294) took the top two spots to qualify both teams. Kickapoo (303), Carthage (311) and Lebanon (315) round out the top five team scores.

Other notable scores for Carthage include Max Templeman (79), Ben Nicholas (81) and Colson Brust (82).

Also scoring for Joplin were Ian Surbrugg (84), Hobbs Campbell (86), Dylan Bozarth (89) and Cash Tyson (100).

Neosho was represented by Collier Hendricks (83), Colby Shadwick (88), Camp Ramsey (99), River Feagans (106) and Nickolas Reiboldt (111).

BOYS TRACK & FIELD: Neosho makes history by capturing first COC title

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Neosho High School boys track and field team made history on Wednesday night.

The Wildcats captured the team championship at the 2023 Central Ozark Conference Track Meet at Ozark High School.

It’s Neosho’s first conference title in boys track as a member of the COC. 

Neosho’s boys track program last won a conference title in 2005 as a member of the Southwest Conference.

With that, it’s safe to say Wednesday night was a memorable one for the Wildcats.

“This year our team motto has been ‘Victory Takes Payment in Advance’ and we have fully embraced that motto,” Neosho coach Randy Mustain said. “I am extremely proud of the boys and the way they competed as a team and the way they supported each other throughout the competition.”

The conference meet ended in thrilling fashion for the Wildcats. 

Neosho was in second place in the team standings behind Webb City ahead of the 4×400-meter relay, the night’s final event. 

Coming up big, Neosho’s 4×400 relay team of Isaiah Keezer, Will Ebbinghaus, Isaiah Green and Izaiah Hill won the race with a time of 3:26. 

The 10 points for the event victory pushed Neosho past Webb City (129.33 to 123) for the top spot in the final team standings, giving the Wildcats the championship plaque.

Mustain noted the Wildcats were not favored to win the meet.

“Going into the meet we were projected to finish second behind Nixa by four points,” Mustain said. “We challenged our kids in some areas that we were showing weakness and they rose to the occasion.”

In a stellar showing, Neosho won seven events and took second in two others. 

Overall, the Wildcats recorded 20 top-eight performances. 

“We were confident in our big points contributors and they did their jobs in delivering those points in the jumps, sprints and relays,” Mustain said. “Our kids in the distance group and throws have been working extremely hard improving every week knowing they will continue to play a big role in our championship season success.”  

Senior sprinter Tyrese Hill won a pair of individual events, the 100-meter dash (10.87 seconds) and the 200 (22.37).

Also winning individual events for the Wildcats were junior Izaiah Hill (400), senior Jared Siler (long jump) and fellow senior Green (triple jump).

Neosho won two relays. 

In addition to the 4×400, the Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:30, with Tyrese Hill, Izaiah Hill, Keezer and Tyrone Harris competing.

The 4×100 relay team of Brock Franklin, Tyrese Hill, Siler and Harris finished second in 43.46 seconds.

The 4×800 relay featuring Carson Newell, Gabe Mabrey, Ebbinghaus and Brock Pyle finished fifth.

Green finished second in the long jump and was eighth in the 400, while Jared Siler was third in both the triple jump and high jump.

Also for the Wildcats, Izaiah Hill placed fourth in the 200, Konnor Siler was fourth in the 100, Newell finished fourth in the 800, Keezer took fifth in the 400, Carter Baslee finished sixth in the discus and eighth in the shot put and Collyn Kivett was sixth in the javelin.

Neosho will be among the teams competing at the Class 5 District 6 meet on May 13 at Carthage High School.

Mustain noted his team’s work is far from over, as there are plenty of goals still to reach.

“We’re looking forward to a very exciting finish to our season, as we now gear up to attack a 42-year-old drought between district championships,” he said.

 

RELATED STORY: TRACK & FIELD: Neosho boys win COC Meet, Webb City takes 2nd – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)

BOYS GOLF: Trio of local golfers qualify for Class 4 state tournament

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

MARSHFIELD, Mo. — A pair of Webb City golfers and one member of the Carl Junction squad advanced to the state tournament after wrapping up Class 4 District 3 action at Whispering Oaks Golf Course play on Thursday.

Webb City’s Levi Lassiter finished in a tie for seventh after carding a four-over-par 74, qualifying for the Class 4 State Tournament at the Sedalia Country Club on May 15-16 as the top local finisher. 

Carl Junction’s Jack Spencer also qualified for the state tournament after finishing in a tie for 12th with a five-over 75.

Joining Lassiter at the state tournament for the Cardinals is Braxten Cahoon, who finished in a tie for 17th with a seven-over-par 77.

Glendale (292) and Rolla (295) finished first and second in the team scores. Willard (306), Branson (310) and Webb City (314) rounded out the top five team scores.

Additional local scores for Carl Junction: Logan Lowry (79),  Austin Baker (81), Jacob Teeter (82) and Thomas Walker (82). 

Additional local scores for Webb City: Cooper Forth (80), Braden McKee (83) and Jackson Lucas (89).

 

BASEBALL: Ozark rallies past Joplin with crooked number

Posted on by Lucas Davis

OZARK, Mo. — Joplin took an early lead before Ozark rallied with a six-run second inning on the way to a 6-2 Central Ozark Conference win on Wednesday.

The Eagles (6-17, 2-7 COC) took a brief 2-0 lead in the first inning when Layten Copher homered to center to score Byler Reither in the process.

The Tigers rallied with six runs in the second inning, highlighted by an RBI triple from Gage Depee, run-scoring singles from Andrew Bauer and Brady Dodd and a two-run single from Brock Sundlie.

Brady Dodd earned the complete-game win after allowing two runs on two hits, five walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.

Kutler Schwarting took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits and a strikeout in two innings.

Brock Dodd had three hits and scored a run, while Brady Dodd had two hits and an RBI.

Joplin travels to Branson on Thursday.

BASEBALL: McAuley Catholic run-rules NEVC in midweek game

Posted on by Jason Peake

WALKER, Mo. — The McAuley Catholic Warriors scored nine runs in the first inning and 10 more in the fifth on their way to a 22-4 run-rule win in five innings against the host Northeast Vernon County Knights on Wednesday.

The Warriors accumulated 14 hits, highlighted by nine doubles, and capitalized on 10 Northeast Vernon County errors.

McAuley Catholic pitchers Tripp Miller, Trey Martinez, and Kable Reichardt split mound time with each pitcher on a pitch count of 30 because the Warriors are slated to return to action, weather permitting, Thursday against Liberal.

“Our kids came out ready to play and hit,” McAuley Catholic coach Bryan Jones said. “That’s one thing we talk about is having a good approach. They gave us some extra opportunities and our kids took advantage of it.

“Being that we have so many games together right before districts, we had everybody on a pitch count. That’s why we had three guys. We possibly could have got the game over with quicker. We did barrel some balls that went right to people. Otherwise, we keep hitting in those other innings, but that’s the way it works.

“These guys, at this age, they get up a little bit and it is easy for them to think ‘Oh, we got this.’ We had to refocus them and say, ‘Let’s get our job done.’ Being that we are on pitch counts, we need to make sure that we do our job on offense as well as defense. They did a good job of staying focused.”

McAuley Catholic scored three runs in the second and the Warriors failed to score in the third and fourth innings as they only sent seven batters to the plate during a game in which they batted around in two innings.

Joe Staton led the Warriors’ 14-hit attack with three and Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, Noah Black, Michael Parrigon and Brek Sickman each had two, while Case Richards, Kendall Jones, and Chase Gardner each added one hit to the collective tally.

Staton, Black, and Parrigon each doubled twice and Bazzano-Joseph, Richards and Sickman each reached second base once on a hard-hit baseball.

The Warriors ran at will on the bases against Northeast Vernon County with 22 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

Staton, Bazzano-Joseph, Black, Richards and courtesy runner Dylan Taffner each scored three runs and Staton had four steals, Bazzano-Joseph had three, and Richards, Jones and Parrigon each had two.

Bradley Wagner reached base twice on a hit-by-pitch and a third time working a walk.

Miller earned the win and allowed two runs (both earned) on two hits over two innings with two strikeouts and one walk, Martinez allowed two runs (both unearned) on five hits over 2 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and no walks and Reichardt pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks.

Both Martinez and Reichardt earned the distinction of their first pitch being good for a strikeout — as Martinez entered on a 3-2 count and Reichardt on a 0-2 count.

McAuley Catholic enters the game Thursday against Liberal with a 8-10 overall record, including three straight wins and wins in five of the last seven.

The Bulldogs of Liberal, meanwhile, have won 9 of their last 10 with their only loss coming against an unbeaten Frontenac (Kansas) team.

“They are a good team and hopefully we can get the game in due to weather,” Jones said. “It looks like we might have some weather coming in, but yeah, they’re in a different district than we’re in … typically, though, it’s a battle. Look forward to hopefully getting our game in.”

TRACK & FIELD: Neosho boys win COC Meet, Webb City takes 2nd

Posted on by Jason Peake

OZARK, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats definitely finished strong on Wednesday night.

Neosho’s boys were trailing Webb City in the team standings by a slim margin when the final event of the Central Ozark Conference track and field championships arrived.

However, the Wildcats won the 4×400-meter relay, Webb City finished sixth, and with that, Neosho captured the team championship at the 2023 COC Meet at Ozark High School.

Neosho finished with 129.33 points to Webb City’s 123. 

Nixa (106.33), Joplin (92) and Ozark (68) rounded out the top five teams. Branson (63), Willard (58.33), Carthage (50), Republic (43) and Carl Junction (7) finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

The top five girls teams were Republic (129), Ozark (118.5), Nixa (105), Webb City (85) and Joplin (79).

Rounding out the girls team standings were Carthage (67.66), Carl Junction (60), Willard (47), Branson (26.5) and Neosho (20.33).

 

NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS

Neosho won seven events and took second in two others. Overall, the Wildcats recorded 18 top-six performances. 

The Wildcats had a strong showing in the sprints, relays and jumps.

Neosho’s Jared Siler (22-2.25) and Isaiah Green (21-6.75) took first and second in the long jump. 

Green won the triple jump (44-5.25) and Siler was third (43-8.5). Siler also finished third in the high jump.

Tyrese Hill won the 100-meter dash in 10.87 seconds, and teammate Konnor Siler was fourth in 11.31. Hill also won the 200 in 22.37 seconds.

Izaiah Hill took first in the 400 with a time of 50.34 seconds. Teammate Isaiah Keezer was fifth. Izaiah Hill also placed fourth in the 200.

In addition to winning the 4×400 relay in 3:26, the Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:30, were second in the 4×100 and placed fifth in the 4×800.

Also for the Wildcats, Carson Newell finished fourth in the 800, Carter Baslee finished sixth in the discus and Collyn Kivett was sixth in the javelin.

For the Neosho girls, Miranda Wennhold (triple jump) and Rylyn Moritz (200) both finished fourth. 

 

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Webb City’s boys won four events and took second in five others. The Cardinals recorded 17 top-six performances.

Winning individual events for the Webb City boys were Grayson Smith (pole vault), Trey Roets (javelin) and Evan Stevens (3200).

Smith cleared 15 feet in the pole vault, while Roets recorded a toss of 174-9 and Stevens crossed the line at 9:21.

Stevens was also the runner-up in the 1600. 

William Wolfe (11.04) and Jordan Thornburg (11.22) finished second and third in the 100-meter dash. Wolfe took second in the 200.

Justin Allen (pole vault), Malique McCarter (javelin) both finished third, Tucker Liberatore (javelin) was fourth and Jadon Brisco (pole vault) and Mason Hedger (800) both placed fifth.

Joseph DeGraffenreid took sixth in the high jump. 

Webb City won the 4×100 relay in 43.12 seconds and finished second in both the 4×200 and 4×800 relays before finishing sixth in the 4×400. 

Winning individual events for the Webb City girls were Chase Stilley (high jump), Dawsyn Decker (javelin) and Abi Street (3200).

Stilley cleared 5-1.75, while Decker recorded a toss of 133-10 and Street crossed the line at 11:14.

Street was second in the 1600, while teammate Brooke Hedger finished third in the 800 and fourth in the 1600.

Aubree Lassiter placed third in the discus, Essence Robinson took fifth in the 400 and Jaeli Rutledge and Kylee Sargent placed sixth and seventh in the shot put.

Webb City’s girls finished third in the 4×100 relay, third in the 4×400 and fourth in the 4×800 relay.

 

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell won two events and finished second in another.

Campbell won the 1600 in 4:20. The Eagles had three of the top seven in the event, as Ian Horton was sixth and Grey Edwards took seventh.

A future Kansas Jayhawk, Campbell won the 800 in 1:55. Campbell was the runner-up in the 3200 in 9:34.

Drew VanGilder took second in the javelin, Orion Norris placed third in the 200 and Cordell Washington (high jump) and Horton (3200) both finished fourth.

Finishing fifth were Davin Thomas (100), Neil Barstow (discus), Dontrell Holt (shot put) and Chance Tindall (3200). Avarus Kuhn-Wofford finished sixth in the 300 hurdles.

The Eagles took third in the 4×100 relay.

The Joplin girls also had a stellar showing.

Featuring Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland, the Joplin girls won the 4×100 relay in a school record time of 49.6 seconds. 

Joplin finished third in the 4×200 relay.

Brylee Strickland won the 400-meter dash in 59.51 seconds and also took second in two other events, the 100 and the 200.

Kiki Thom was the runner-up in the 300 hurdles and Vogel took second in the 200.

Maria Loum placed third in the pole vault, Micah Holden was third in the 100 hurdles, Aubrey Strickland finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and Ava Werberger-Doll finished fifth in the 3200.

 

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Carthage’s Miguel Solano was the runner-up in the 800, while Daryl Martin finished third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles.

Micah Lindsey placed third in the shot put and Trenton Yates finished fourth in the triple jump.

Carthage’s boys finished fourth in both the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.

For the Carthage girls, Chasity Straw won the discus with a toss of 109-12. Straw was fourth in the shot put. 

Finishing second were Ada Roughton (triple jump) and Karlie Nichols (shot put), while Lexa Youngblood finished third in both the 200 and the 400.

Joey Hettinger placed fourth in the long jump and Maggie Boyd was sixth in the 800.

The CHS girls were fifth in the 4×400 relay.

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction’s Sydney Ward won a pair of events in the girls meet, the 100-meter dash in 12.12 seconds and the 200 in 25.23. Both times are conference meet records.

The CJ girls won the 4×200 relay in 1:47. They were sixth in the 4×100.

Carl Junction’s Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson finished fourth and fifth in the pole vault.

Zoie Weibel (400) and Madilyn Olds (javelin) both finished fourth, while Hannah Cantrell (triple jump) and Izzy Southern (shot put) placed fifth in their respective events. 

Carl Junction’s Ryder Pyles finished fifth in the boys long jump and Braxton Dodds was eighth in the javelin.

 

Note: The names of those who competed in relays were unavailable at time of publication. 

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson completes undefeated regular season

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Thomas Jefferson boys tennis team completed an undefeated regular season by beating Clever 9-0 on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers are 11-0 ahead of postseason play.

In doubles, TJ’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Jase Whiles-Dylan Dodds 8-4, while Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue beat Kaden Smith-Kalib Butts 8-0 and Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis topped Cade Clements-Triston Keithley 8-1.

In singles play, Nagarajan defeated Whiles 8-1, Murali beat Dodds 8-2, Qian topped Smith 8-3, Tyler Brouhard beat Clements 8-1, Goodhue handled Keithley 8-0 and Li defeated Butts 8-0.

Thomas Jefferson will host the Class 2 District 7 individual tournament on Friday. The action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

Also competing in District 7 are Barstow, Belton, Neosho, Ruskin and Webb City.

BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Republic rallies past Neosho; College Heights falls to Marionville

Posted on by Lucas Davis

 

 

REPUBLIC 3, NEOSHO 1

REPUBLIC, Mo. — Republic answered a late comeback from Neosho with a pair of runs on the way to a Central Ozark Conference win on Wednesday.

After River Brill led off the fifth inning for the Wildcats (14-13, 2-7 COC) with a single before coming around to score on an Eli Zar groundout to the game at 1-1, the Tigers took the lead back in their next at-bat with a run-scoring single from Gunner Ellison.

Republic added an insurance run an inning later on an RBI double to left by Garrett Lester.

Caide White earned the win after allowing one run on three hits, two walks and nine strikeouts in six innings. Trace Harrington earned the save with one strikeout in a scoreless relief inning.

Carter Fenske took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits, five walks and three strikeouts in six innings.

Lester had three hits, including a double, to lead Republic at the plate.

Brill had a hit and scored, while Brody Crane and Quenton Hughes also recorded hits.

Neosho hosts East Newton on Monday.

 

MARIONVILLE 7, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 0

Marionville took the lead early and never looked back in a win over College Heights on Wednesday.

Marionville scored twice in the first inning and added single tallies in the third and fifth frames before capping the win with a three-run seventh.

Blane Young earned the win after scattering two hits and striking out 12 in a complete-game effort of seven innings.

Ben Thomas took the loss after allowing four runs, one earned, on five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

College Heights (7-11) hosts Diamond on Monday.

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