The Joplin Eagles captured the first set in impressive fashion, but visiting Raymore-Peculiar rallied for a 3-1 victory over the hosts on Saturday in a non-conference volleyball contest inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
In a clash between district foes, the Panthers defeated the Eagles 12-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-22.
Playing at home for the first time this season, the Eagles got off to a great start before the Panthers took the momentum in the second set and never relinquished it.
“The first set was the best set we’ve played all year,” Eagles coach Staci Saunders said. “We played great and I’m really proud of how we played in the first set. I felt like we were stagnant in the second and third sets. We just weren’t playing the way we’re capable of playing.”
Senior outside hitter/right side hitter Bailey Owens led Joplin with 12 kills, six digs and five blocks before departing with an injury.
Junior setter Adalynn Noirfalise compiled 25 assists, nine digs and seven kills, while junior libero Phia Vogel contributed nine digs and four kills.
Also for the Eagles, senior outside hitter Raelin Calderon had five kills, five digs, two blocks and two aces, while junior defensive specialist Lucy Erisman had seven digs and junior middle blocker Amy Kessler recorded four kills.
Owens went down with an apparent ankle injury in the third set, so the Eagles had to go with a different lineup in the fourth set.
Trailing on the scoreboard, Joplin put together a nice rally late in the set, but the Panthers were able to regroup and end the match in four sets.
“I’m proud of how the girls played in the fourth set without Bailey,” Saunders said. “They rallied around her and made the adjustments. I’m proud of these kids. They know how to overcome adversity.”
These two teams could see each other again, as both have been assigned to Class 5 District 7.
Joplin (1-2) hosts Springfield Central (1-2) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Area cross country teams opened the 2023 season by competing at the annual SWCCCA Richard Clark Invitational on Saturday at the Bolivar City Municipal Golf Course.
The Joplin Eagles had the top local finisher in both races, while the Webb City girls had the top overall team finish, regardless of classification, among area squads.
BOYS
Joplin senior Ian Horton crossed the line third in the varsity boys race with a time of 15 minutes, 53 seconds. Finishing ahead of Horton were Nixa’s Aaron Ashley (15:31) and Rolla’s Cameron Martensen (15:47).
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell took fourth in 15:54, while Joplin’s Grey Edwards finished 12th (16:15), Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson was 13th (16:20) and Webb City’s Evan Stevens placed 15th (16:23). Lawson and Stevens were fifth and sixth among Class 4 runners.
McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon finished 25th (16:38) and Webb City’s Andrew Dawson was 30th (16:44).
Monett’s Victor Salas finished 43rd, Carthage’s Eddy Fuentes took 45th, Carl Junction’s Isaac Willoughby was 54th, Webb City’s Mason Hedger took 58th and Webb City’s Spencer Kendall was 66th. College Heights was led by Colton McMillan (77th).
College Heights’ second finisher was Owen Horton (101st) and McAuley’s second finisher was Trae Veer (106th).
Parrigon, who ran a personal-best time by 50 seconds, was the first Class 1 finisher, and McAuley was the second-place team among Class 1 schools behind Hermitage. The CHC boys were third in Class 1.
There were 338 runners in the varsity boys race, with 35 full teams.
The top four teams were Nixa (61), West Plains (97), Mountain Home (145) and Glendale (174). Webb City was sixth (221) and Joplin was 11th (359).
GIRLS
The top four girls teams were Ozark (90), Webb City (99), Bolivar (101) and Nixa (120).
Joplin senior Katherine Schaefer finished second in the girls race with a time of 19:24 and Webb City sophomore Brooke Hedger placed fourth in 19:31. Republic’s Gracie Troester was the girls champion with a time of 18:37.
Webb City’s Emily Countryman finished 12th (20:05), Liberal’s Ally Barton was 23rd (20:24), Lamar’s Abigail Diggs took 28th (20:37) and Webb City’s Amelia Antillon (20:50) and Olivia Klotz (20:56) finished 31st and 33rd, respectively.
Hedger and Countryman were second and fourth among Class 4 runners.
Also, Webb City’s Emma McKinzie finished 38th, Joplin’s Kyrie Britton and Averi Burks were 39th and 40th, Carthage’s Maggie Boyd took 42nd and teammate Jennifer Rodas-Gomez was 51st, while Webb City’s Brooke Collard took 54th.
Carl Junction’s top finishers were Delaney Harris (61st) and Marissa Newman (65th).
McAuley Catholic was led by Kendall Ramsey (67th) and College Heights was led by the duo of Marla Anderegg (106th) and Jesalin Bever (115th).
Ramsey was fifth among Class 1 runners. CHC’s Anderegg, Bever and Lilly Royer finished fifth, seventh and eighth among Class 2 runners.
There were 215 runners in the varsity girls race, with 21 full teams.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage dropped its home opener to the visiting Branson Pirates 28-14 on Friday, with costly turnovers hurting the Tigers throughout the night.
“That’s a big win for our program. I think it was 42-0 at halftime against these guys last year,” said Branson head coach Aaron Hafner. “To get a road win in the COC is great, period.”
Branson was first on the board, opening the game with a quick six-play scoring drive—finished off by a Daniel Giles 12-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers responded with a methodical drive on their first possession, holding the ball for nearly eight minutes on a 13-play, 56-yard drive. However, they came up empty after being stopped on fourth-down-and-2 at the Branson 21-yard line.
The first quarter ended with the visiting Pirates holding a 7-0 lead.
After forcing a Branson punt early in the second quarter, Carthage came up with its first points of the night.
The Tigers drove 66 yards on eight plays midway through the second quarter, with Brady Carlton hitting a wide open Karson Murray down the middle for a 24-yard touchdown connection.
The Tigers appeared to be on their way to taking their first lead later in the second quarter. They forced a three-and-out on the following Branson possession, with Landon Bland getting a big tackle-for-loss on third down. After a short punt, Carthage took over at the Branson 43-yard line.
Carthage lost that momentum moments later, as Gage Depee stepped in front of a Carlton pass for an interception and returned it all the way to the Tigers’ 6-yard line. The Pirates punched it in on the very next play to take a 14-7 lead.
Branson stopped Carthage on downs on the following possession and took over on their own 43-yard line with 1:05 remaining before halftime. With just one second remaining on the clock, Branson quarterback Luke McCormick heaved a last second pass into the front right corner of the end zone. Junior wide receiver Tegan Asbury fought through double coverage to haul it in and give the Pirates a 21-7 lead at the break.
“It was just an unbelievable catch by Tegan,” Hafner said. “He does that all the time in practice, but to see it in a game obviously was super cool. Tegan to me is a star in the making.”
“That was deflating,” said Carthage head coach Jon Guidie, “We were right there to make a play. We were in position to make a play, and we just didn’t make a play.”
The Tigers’ misfortune continued early in the third quarter. Branson’s defense forced and recovered a Carthage fumble on the very first play of the second half. One play later, Depee took a handoff and busted through an open lane 32 yards for a touchdown to give the Pirates a 28-7 lead just 17 seconds into the third quarter.
Turnovers continued to haunt Carthage on its next offensive possession. On a tipped Carlton pass, Javen Finkbone came up with an interception for Branson’s third forced turnover of the game.
The Tigers showed signs of life late in the third quarter, putting together their second scoring drive of the night. The drive ended with Carlton floating a pass down the right sideline to Jackson Hettinger for a 27-yard touchdown. Carlton’s second touchdown pass of the night brought Carthage within 14 heading to the fourth quarter.
Carthage continued to battle in the final period. They had a chance to make it a one-possession game with a little more than four minutes remaining. With the ball at the Branson 10-yard line, Carlton targeted Karson Murray in the end zone—but another tipped ball resulted in a third Branson interception by Ryder Schroeder.
The Pirates forced four turnovers defensively Friday night.
“Our number one key for this week was ball security,” Guidie said. “You can blame that tonight, but we have a lot of areas to row. We’re just not there yet.”
“I thought our kids did an excellent job of running to the football, and open-field tackling,” Hafner added. “I thought they rallied to the ball well and in clutch situations, came up with big plays.”
After the Tiger defense forced a quick three-and-out, the Tigers got one more chance to cut into the Pirates’ lead. Once again, the Branson defense came up with a stop—swatting down a Carlton pass on fourth-down-and-11 in the red zone to secure their 28-14 victory.
Branson improves to 1-1 with the victory, while Carthage has an 0-2 record for the first time since 2017.
“There’s only one way to go from here, and that’s up. The conference championship is out of our minds right now,” Guidie said. “It’s just, can we get better through the next several weeks and hopefully make a run in districts? That’s a tall order because our conference is loaded, but that’s really where we’re at.”
After a one-win campaign in College Heights Christian’s inaugural season a year ago, the Cougar football program has already surpassed last season’s win total with a 2-0 start to 2023 following a thrilling 66-60 victory over Orrick in 8-man action on Friday at Joplin High School.
“This is a huge win for us,” first-year CHC head coach John Lucas said. “Was it perfect? No, by no means. Talking to the kids, I told them we are raising the bar and I feel like that is what we’ve done. We still need to clean up the mistakes and play a little bit more sound football, but I honestly believe in these kids, their abilities and their love for each other. They love each other and they love Christ. I don’t think there is a ceiling for this team.”
“We are just building on what we started last year,” Lucas, who was an assistant last year, added. “Our kids hadn’t been in the weight room, and that was one of the big things. We got into the weight room (this offseason) and got stronger. You have to give credit to the kids because they didn’t know what a weight program was last year. This year, we’ve closed that gap a little bit on how physical and how strong we are compared to everybody else.”
The Cougars, trailing 44-36 at the intermission, took possession out of the locker room and tied the game up promptly when junior QB Logan Decker found senior Colsen Dickens for a 60-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the third quarter to make the score 44-44.
“That was huge,” Lucas said about tying it early in the second half. “I told them there was going to be some adversity. There was, and it went back and forth. I really believe that these kids are just as good as (Orrick), we just needed to minimize the mistakes. We did that in the second half.”
Orrick went back up on a 3-yard keeper from senior QB Jonathon Harris before pushing the lead to 60-44 on an 11-yard score by Miller.
Decker found room after evading the rush in the backfield and ripped off a 66-yard rushing score to trim the lead to one possession again, 60-52, with 10:48 left in the game.
College Heights’ defense came up big in the second half, forcing the Bearcats into a punt early before back-to-back turnover-on-downs late in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars’ offense a chance at the tie.
“The defense was awesome,” Lucas said. “We knew (Orrick) was bigger than us, so we had to play team football. We had to get three or four guys to the ball on every play, and that’s what we did.”
College Heights tied the game back up for the first time since the first play of the second half when Decker heaved a pass downfield to senior Caleb Quade, who made a circus grab on a jump ball before turning up field and galloping for a 54-yard passing score with 2:45 left in regulation to make the score 60-60. Sophomore Cannon Miller completed the 2-point conversion pass to Decker on some throwback trickeration.
“He was awesome,” Lucas said of Quade’s catch late. “He is just a natural athlete but he also works hard. It is cool to see someone who works as hard as he does come out and have the success he does because he deserves it.”
After the defense came up clutch once more by forcing another Bearcat punt, College Heights took possession for the final time with 1:06 to play.
Decker found Miller for a 25-yard completion to get the Cougars in rhythm before the two hooked again shortly after for another big play, only in the opposite fashion.
Like the 2-point conversion earlier that tied things up, Miller took a handoff and stalled in the backfield, allowing Decker to get downfield as a receiver. Miller heaved a pass down the near sideline with Decker reaching out and making a fingertip catch before sprinting his way to the end zone for a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds left to put CHC on top for good.
“It was just athletes making plays,” Lucas said of the throwback pass. “It really is a testament to how hard (Logan) works. He pays attention to the details in everything he does, from the weight room to the practice field to the game field.”
College Heights and Orrick spent the first half putting points up in bunches.
The Cougars scored on all but two possessions, with the Bearcats converting for points on every possession but one. While the score was 44-36 at the midway point, it was obvious each possession was critical in a one-score game.
For Orrick, Harris had a 29-yard passing score to senior Lucas Walker in the first half, while Jaxon Miller highlighted the first two quarters for the Bearcats with a 19-yard rushing score, a 5-yard score on the ground and a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Junior Jeff Rohde added a 14-yard rushing touchdown and a kick-return touchdown.
Decker threw a 20-yard touchdown to Quade early in the first half before the two hooked up for a 55-yard touchdown late in the first half to trim the lead to the halftime score. Decker added a 51-yard touchdown after avoiding the initial rush and finding the edge. Junior Levi Durling added a 4-yard rushing score and senior Matt Williams, who also had a key sack on the defensive end during Orrick’s lone empty possession, had a 55-yard touchdown to wrap the Cougars’ first-half scoring.
College Heights is at Greenfield for its Week 3 matchup.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Seneca Indians continued their sizzling start to the season Friday night, amassing over 400 yards of offense en route to a decisive 62-0 victory over the host Springfield Catholic Irish.
Seneca (2-0) has now outscored its first two opponents by a combined 99-0.
The Indians found paydirt on all six of their first half possessions, beginning with senior signal-caller Gavyn Hoover’s 53-yard touchdown strike to Blake Hurn.
It wasn’t all offense though, as Nolan Napier’s blocked punt was scooped up by Ryan Owens and returned to the Irish 1-yard line — with senior tailback Jackson Marrs eluding tacklers for the score. Following a 5-yard penalty, Marrs went untouched from the 8-yard line to convert the 2-point play and push the lead to 16-0.
Late in the opening frame, Ethan Attick’s 41-yard scamper on an end-around had the Indians setting up shop deep in Irish territory. Marrs did the heavy lifting, punching it in from the 2.
After failing to garner a single target in last week’s season-opener, Morgan Vaughn experienced a reversal of fortune on his 18th birthday Friday, hauling in a 61-yard touchdown reception. Once again Seneca converted the 2-point play for a 30-0 lead.
After tacking on two more touchdowns, the Indians held a commanding 42-0 halftime advantage. With the starters resting and the running clock activated, Seneca continued its onslaught, finding the end zone three more times.
Marrs finished with three rushing scores, while Hoover passed for two and rushed for one.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Indians host Big 8 foe Cassville, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. next Friday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ryan McFarland has been on the sidelines of countless Webb City home football games over the years, first as a player and then as an assistant coach.
But Friday night’s contest inside Cardinal Stadium was a new experience — it was McFarland’s home debut as the storied program’s head football coach.
In the first home game since 1996 without John Roderique leading the team, Webb City earned a hard-fought 47-28 win over Carl Junction in Week 2 of the 2023 prep football season.
Ryan McFarland
McFarland noted it was a special moment to lead the Cardinals down the hill onto what is now John Roderique Field.
“It was a surreal feeling,” said McFarland, who played football at Webb City before assisting Roderique for several years on the sidelines. “Coach Roderique and I talked several times today and I think we were both kind of lost because we’re in different roles. This is a great community with great players. To lead the team down the hill tonight was a blessing for sure.”
McFarland was handed the game ball after recording his first head coaching victory at Webb City.
“The most special part of getting win No. 1 is it was able to happen here,” McFarland said. “We would have loved to win last week, but to be able to have my first game on John Roderique Field and be able to get the win was great. Our kids played well, so it was a special night.”
After coming up short at Nixa in Week 1, Webb City never trailed in Friday’s matchup with the Bulldogs.
However, the Cardinals were clinging to a slim 21-14 halftime advantage before outscoring the Bulldogs 26-14 in the second half.
Simply put, the Bulldogs made the Cardinals earn the win.
“We were kind of frustrated at halftime because we only had three possessions,” McFarland said. “We only ran 11 plays and didn’t get the chance to get into a groove in the first half. Offensively, we really wanted to open up the playbook tonight. We made some adjustments in the second half. We got on a roll there, and I feel really good about it.”
Webb City football coach Ryan McFarland is pictured during Friday’s home opener against Carl Junction. McFarland earned win No. 1 as Webb City’s head coach, as the Cardinals beat the Bulldogs 47-28. Photo by Israel Perez.
HAFNER PLEASED WITH BULLDOGS’ EFFORT
Despite the loss, Carl Junction coach Todd Hafner noted he was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” Hafner said. “Our kids played their guts out. We got better from Week 1 to Week 2. That’s all we ask. We asked the kids to give us everything they had tonight, and I don’t think they could have given us anymore.
“Our kids bought in during this last week of practice,” he added. “They understand now what we’re trying to get out of them. The scoreboard isn’t what we wanted, but our kids got better and I think they trust what we’re telling them.”
Of course, Hafner is back leading the Bulldogs for the second time in his coaching career.
“It’s been fantastic,” Hafner said of his return to CJ. “I can’t really put into words how fun it is right now to coach these kids. The community and school are awesome. The administration has been fantastic. These kids have bought in… I can’t be any happier.”
Webb City’s Gabe Johnson picks up a big gain on the ground against Carl Junction. Photo by Israel Perez.
GAME RECAP
Webb City’s Brody Eggleston picked off a pass on the third play of the night, giving Webb City great field position on the 37. Four plays later, sophomore Gabe Johnson took a reverse and ran 20-yards to the end zone with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.
Marching 74 yards on 14 plays, the Bulldogs tied it up with 2:08 left in the opening frame when senior QB Dexter Merrell connected with junior wide receiver Jaxton Wobken for a 9-yard touchdown strike.
The game wasn’t deadlocked long, as the speedy Johnson took the ensuing kickoff and sprinted 94 yards to the house to give the hosts a 14-7 lead.
A 2-yard touchdown plunge by Carl Junction senior running back Johnny Starks, along with the PAT kick by Gavin Cowger, made it 14-14 with 3:40 remaining in the first half. A 34-yard pass from Merrell to junior Ryder Pyles set up the game-tying score.
Webb City senior quarterback Braden McKee charged into the end zone from 3 yards out with 43 seconds left in the first half, and Alex Dunne’s PAT kick gave the Cardinals a 21-14 cushion at the break.
The Cardinals outscored the Bulldogs 13-7 in both the third and fourth quarters for the final margin.
Carl Junction’s Johnny Starks takes a handoff from Dexter Merrell during Friday’s game at Webb City.
Senior running back Omari Jackson ripped off a 42-yard touchdown run early in the second half, but Carl Junction responded when Merrell scored on a 3-yard QB keeper.
The Cardinals separated with two unanswered touchdowns—a 49-yard run by Galardo and a 37-yard pass from McKee to junior Drew Vonder Haar that made it 40-21.
The two teams traded scores late in the fourth quarter, as Merrell connected with Wobken on a 7-yard strike before Webb City’s Johnson completed a 72-yard TD pass to junior Joseph DeGraffenreid in what was a final exclamation point on the win.
NAMES & NUMBERS
The total offense was nearly identical in this one, as Carl Junction recorded 349 yards (177 rushing and 172 passing), while Webb City had 346 yards (186 rushing and 160 passing).
The Bulldogs, who had 18 first downs to Webb City’s 12, ran 73 offensive plays to the Cardinals’ 32. Carl Junction’s time of possession was 34:28 to Webb City’s 13:32.
“We played better up front this week,” Hafner said. “Last week’s game really helped us prepare our kids for what we were looking for.”
Merrell completed 13 of 23 passes for 172 yards and also ran for 80 yards on 23 carries. Starks finished with 87 rushing yards on 17 carries. Starks was also credited with 10 tackles.
Webb City’s Galardo ran for 94 yards on just eight carries, while Jackson added 48 yards and Johnson had 38.
Johnson completed both of his pass attempts for 82 yards, while McKee was 4 for 7 passing for 78 yards.
Senior linebacker Christian Brock led Webb City’s defense with 10 tackles, while Eggleston and senior linebacker Jordan Howard had nine tackles apiece and senior defensive back Conner Gayman had eight.
McFarland noted his team still has work to do.
“I know our defense got frustrated because CJ was able to hang on to the ball and get first downs,” McFarland said. “They did to us what we wanted to do to Nixa last week…they kept our offense off the field. We’ll watch the film and I’m sure we’ll see some areas we need to get fixed. And I’m sure we’ll get those things fixed moving forward.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Carl Junction (0-2) hosts Neosho (0-2) next Friday at Bulldog Stadium.
Webb City (1-1) travels to Republic (2-0) in Week 3. Of course, the Tigers ended Webb City’s 2022 season in the district semifinals.
“They beat us for the first time in school history to end our season last year,” McFarland said. “They’re proving they’re one of the best teams in the conference. We should be fired up to get work on Monday. I’m excited. It should be a good test for us and it will show us where we’re at as a team.”
Webb City’s Breckin Galardo attempts to elude Carl Junction’s Jaxton Wobken.
