NEVADA, Mo. — The top two seeds will meet in the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament.
Top-seeded Nevada pounded fifth-seeded Carl Junction 15-0 in four innings, while second-seeded Webb City defeated third-seeded Belton 6-2 in Saturday’s semifinals at Bushwhacker Field.
Tourney host Nevada (26-7) and Webb City (26-11) will meet at 5:30 on Monday night in the district title game.
WEBB CITY 6, BELTON 2
Webb City pushed across runs in the first three frames to take control early.
The Cardinals scored once in the first, as Abby Sargent doubled and later scored on Alex Maturino’s run-scoring groundout.
Taking advantage of two Webb City errors, the Pirates plated two runs in the second, but Sydney Strickland’s two-run home run to center field gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second.
Kylee Sargent’s two-run bomb gave Webb City a three-run advantage in the third and Maturino’s sac fly extended Webb City’s lead to 6-2 after five frames.
Addie Burns was the winning pitcher. A freshman, Burns scattered 10 hits, struck out four, didn’t walk a batter and didn’t allow an earned run in a complete-game effort.
Belton’s Solana Carpenter took the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits. She struck out seven.
Maturino, Strickland and Kylee Sargent drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinals.
Nevada’s Peyton Eaton was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s semifinal contest against Carl Junction. Photo by Brandi Redman.
NEVADA 15, CARL JUNCTION 0 (4 INNINGS)
Nevada scored two runs in the first, four in the second, five in the third and four in the fourth to earn a run-rule victory in the first semifinal.
Down 2-0, the Bulldogs threatened in the top of the second, but the hosts turned an inning-ending double play.
The Tigers added four runs in the bottom of the second, as Kaniyah Johnson hit an RBI single before Peyton Eaton smacked a two-run home run to left and Ella Heathman followed with a solo homer to center for a 6-0 cushion.
The Tigers added five runs in the third, with Heathman hitting her second home run of the game for an 11-0 lead.
Nevada scored four runs in the fourth to end the game, as Johnson hit an RBI double, Kara Phillips contributed a two-run single and then scored from third on a wild pitch.
Caylee Holcomb and Phillips recorded three hits apiece for the Tigers, while Eaton, Heathman and Johnson added two hits apiece.
Eaton was the winning pitcher. She allowed five hits and one walk in four scoreless innings.
Carl Junction (11-20) received two hits from Ryleigh Palmer.
Kiley Spencer took the loss after allowing 13 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. Spencer struck out five and walked one.
Hannah Cantrell, Izzie Southern and Grace Kirk are Carl Junction’s seniors.
Nevada’s Caylee Holcomb slides safely into home plate against Carl Junction’s Madi Olds during Saturday’s district semifinal contest. Photo by Brandi Redman.
Seneca overcame a halftime deficit with a strong second half on the way to a 38-14 win over McDonald County on Friday night.
The Indians remained undefeated at 8-0, while the Mustangs fell to 4-4.
The Mustangs led 14-12 at halftime, but the Indians scored 26 unanswered points in the second half.
The two teams traded scores in the first two quarters.
Seneca scored on its opening drive, with Jackson Marrs recording the touchdown. The 2-point conversion failed.
McDonald County took a 7-6 lead when Destyn Dowd completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Josh Pacheco.
Ethan Altic hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Gavyn Hoover in the second quarter to give the Indians a 12-7 lead.
The Mustangs went up 14-12 late in the first half after a 7-yard touchdown run from Dowd.
The Indians scored twice in the third quarter, an 8-yard run from Hoover, along with a 2-point conversion, and a 13-yard run by Marrs that made it 26-14.
Roman Miller reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, an 8-yard run and a 2-yard run.
Seneca compiled 467 yards, with 312 rushing and 155 passing.
Marrs ran 21 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while Hoover added 70 rushing yards on 11 carries. Marrs also caught two passes for 115 yards. Hoover passed for 155 yards on three completions.
The Mustangs finished with 146 yards, 133 rushing and 13 passing.
Seneca recorded 22 first downs to Mac County’s nine.
Seneca (8-0) travels to Nevada (7-1) on Friday. The Indians can secure an outright Big 8 West championship with a win.
McDonald County (4-4) hosts East Newton (2-6) in Week 9.
While both teams came into the game with 4-3 records and are not in the hunt for a Central Ozark Conference title like this matchup featured several times in recent memory, the rivalry between Joplin and Carthage carried just as much meaning as ever on Friday at Junge Field.
Joplin (5-3) snapped its first three-game skid under head coach Curtis Jasper last week against Carl Junction and found itself facing a hot Carthage (4-4) team, which had lost its first three games of the season before catching fire winning its last four heading into the matchup with the Eagles.
Joplin’s defense held Carthage off the scoreboard in the first quarter while the offense built up a two-score lead early in the second that the team carried into the intermission. The Eagles continued to play in front in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 28-14 the rest of the way.
“I thought it played about how we wanted it to if we could have written the script,” Jasper said. “We defer, get a stop right off the bat and then go down and score to set the tone. We played with the lead from there and forced them to play from behind. That’s really, with their style, the way we wanted it to happen.”
“We knew how talented and athletic Joplin was coming in,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “We knew it was going to be a big challenge for us defensively. We thought we could move the ball a little bit offensively. It didn’t happen on those first two possessions, but the rest of the night I thought we were pretty good. We didn’t convert on two fourth downs (for turnover-on-downs) and when you add that with the two picks that we had, it’s four turnovers in the game. It doesn’t work very well against a talented team like that.”
Joplin RB Quin Renfro breaks a tackle on the way to a long touchdown run during the Eagles’ win over Carthage on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
RENFRO GOES OFF
Joplin (which gained 393 yards of offense on 39 plays) leaned on its senior ball carrier to carry the load on Senior Night and RB Quin Renfro certainly had a night to remember on the ground for the Eagles. Quin, who is committed to South Dakota State, rushed 18 times for 226 yards and five touchdowns. He had runs of 40, 64, 41, 30 and 31 yards in the win.
“It definitely felt good,” Renfro said of his performance on Senior Night. “It could’ve been my last time playing at Junge Field, so just putting on a performance like that for my family meant a lot to me.”
SENIOR NIGHT
It was a night to remember as the Joplin football program held its Senior Night ceremonies, honoring 22 student-athletes with their families on the field before the game.
“It is a great group,” Jasper said. “A couple of the coaches and I were talking about them today and how much fun they are because of how much they care about this program. We were talking about things we did this summer together and how much they care about their teammates. … They don’t just care about the football team, they care about the community as a whole and that’s awesome. They are a great representation of this program, Joplin High School and the Joplin community.”
DISTRICT UPDATE
Before the win, Joplin (33.76 points) was the third seed in the Class 6 District 5 standings, roughly 10 points behind second-place Kickapoo (42.38) and 10 points ahead of Waynesville (22.76).
Carthage (34.93) is in third place in the Class 5 District 7 standings, behind top-seeded Webb City (44.43) and second-seeded Raytown South (37.24) and in front of fourth-seeded Belton (30.38).
HOW THEY GOT THERE
After Joplin’s defense forced Carthage into a three-and-out punt, the Eagles’ offense marched 79 yards on 13 plays to take the lead. QB Hobbs Gooch, who completed six-of-seven passes for 66 yards, dropped back on fourth and 5 from the CHS 9, rolled to his right and tucked the ball before taking off and diving for the pylon to beat the defender for a 9-yard rushing score and a 7-0 lead with 3:57 left in the opening quarter.
Joplin’s Chavis Coleman tackles Carthage’s Brady Carlton on Friday in Central Ozark Conference action. Photo by Israel Perez.
Joplin’s defense came up big again during its second trip on the field, forcing Carthage into a turnover-on-downs near midfield on a fourth-and-short stop.
“Winning first down the majority of the time and getting those two big stops early, and the two turnovers later were huge,” Jasper said of the defense’s effort.
On the next play with the first quarter winding down, Renfro took the handoff left, hesitated and burst up and broke several tackles on the way to a 40-yard run down inside the CHS 5-yard line. After the quarter change a few plays later, Renfro found paydirt from 5 yards out to give Joplin a 14-0 lead midway through the first half.
“You could see last week that he was starting to look more like himself,” Jasper said of Renfro, who had dealt with injuries earlier in the season. “Tonight was vintage Quin and he looked back to his true self.”
Carthage (which gained 311 yards of offense on 58 plays) used the big play to get on the scoreboard on its third drive. QB Brady Carlton, who rushed 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, found a wide open TE Karson Murray over the middle with no one between him and the end zone for a 52-yard passing score to cut the deficit to 14-7 with less than eight minutes to play in the first half.
“We got down 14-0 and our kids responded with a big drive,” Guidie said. “It got us back in the game and got us a little confidence.”
Carthage’s defense came up with its first stop of the night late in the first half in Joplin’s attempt to answer the Tigers’ score, sacking Gooch on fourth-down inside the red zone to turn a long Eagles’ drive into a turnover-on-downs.
The Tigers used a 27-yard screen from Carlton to RB Landyn Collins to get into plus territory before Carlton was picked off shortly after by Joplin DB Cordell Washington and returned to the 32-yard line for the change in possession.
“We had a nice drive going down seven before we threw that pick,” Guidie said. “That was huge. That could have been a 14-point swing right there. You go into the locker room and it’s hard sometimes to get these guys back up and as intense as they were to start the game.”
Renfro took the ensuing handoff up the middle and broke several tackles on the way to a 64-yard run down inside the 5. On the next play, Renfro crossed the goal line for the second time to give Joplin a 21-7 lead with 36 seconds left in the first half.
“It’s a good two-minute offense when you can just hand it to Quin,” Jasper said with a laugh.
After a nice kick return to start the second half gave Joplin good field position to start the first possession in plus territory, Joplin needed just 54 seconds and two play
Carthage RB Landyn Collins breaks a tackle on the way to a first down for the Tigers. Photo by Israel Perez.
s to get into the end zone thanks to a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Renfro, his third of the game, to give the Eagles a 28-7 advantage.
Carthage responded on the ground, marching its way down the field via the run before Carlton scored on the keeper from 8 yards out to cut Joplin’s lead to 28-14.
After a failed attempt at an onside kick by the Tigers, Joplin took over in plus territory and put on its shortest drive of the game when Renfro carried the ensuing first-down snap 41 yards on the way to touchdown to give the Eagles a 35-14 advantage.
Renfro continued his dominance on Joplin’s next drive, rushing 31 yards on the way to his fifth touchdown of the night to expand the Eagles’ lead to 42-14 with 11:49 left in the game.
Joplin put the exclamation point on the win shortly after when DB Davin Thomas picked off Carlton and took it to the house for a 43-yard pick-6 touchdown, extending the cushion to 49-14.
Carthage’s final score came on a short-yardage score from Carlton in the waning minutes.
UP NEXT
Joplin wraps the regular season with a matchup at Neosho. Carthage closes the regular season hosting Willard on Senior Night.
Joplin senior Kaden Gilmore eyes rushing room during the Eagles’ win over Carthage on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
WILLARD, Mo. — Playing in its first Central Ozark Conference football contest since announcing it was on its way out, the Carl Junction Bulldogs struggled to slow a steady Willard attack and the Tigers held on late Friday night in Willard.
The newly formed league will be made up of of six area schools with similar enrollment numbers—Carl Junction, Bolivar, Branson, Logan-Rogersville, Marshfield and West Plains. The move will officially mark the Bulldogs’ end of an eight-year run in the COC after decades in the Big 8.
But in its second-to-last COC game, and final road COC game at Willard, Carl Junction’s defense initially slowed the Russell Roweton-led Willard offense, creating an interception (via Bentley Rowden, who recorded two picks) and a turnover on downs to keep the home side scoreless for much of the first half.
However, the Tigers registered back-to-back scoring drives on a Roweton 52-yard passing touchdown to Timmy Ruble and a Gary Walker 9-yard rushing touchdown on fourth and 7 at the 9-yard line for a 13-8 lead with 1:14 left in the second quarter.
Bulldogs receiver Ryder Pyles hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dexter Merrell and Merrell ran one in on a 2-point try to give Carl Junction a brief 8-7 lead.
Following a Bulldog punt with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Willard benefited from a big-time Roweton QB scamper which ended with a late hit out of bounds, setting up the Tigers at the Carl Junction 30 with nearly 30 seconds left in the frame.
Two plays later, Roweton found Chaz Amodeo on a 36-yard passing touchdown for a 19-8 Willard lead, which stuck as the halftime score.
The second half consisted of a defensive struggle, a Willard field goal from Jaridan Baugher — a 36-yard make with 5:20 left in the third period — and a late Carl Junction 17-yard touchdown reception from receiver Jaxton Wobkin with 3:24 remaining in the contest to pull the Bulldogs within eight points.
After Carl Junction tried an onside kick that was recovered but later deemed by referees as unsuccessful due to not traveling 10 or more yards, Willard precisely ran the final 3:24 off the scoreboard for a home victory.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Republic next Friday for its final COC contest and Senior Night. Republic (6-2) will come to town after falling to Nixa 31-28 on a game-winning field goal as time expired, which secured an outright COC title for Nixa.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City sent its seniors out on a positive note.
Bouncing back nicely from last week’s setback, Webb City rode a strong fourth quarter to a 37-18 Senior Night victory over Neosho on Friday in Central Ozark Conference action at Cardinal Stadium.
“Sending the seniors out with a win was the goal tonight,” Webb City coach Ryan McFarland said. “They’ve done such a great job for us all year. Everyone always remembers their Senior Night game, so we wanted to make sure we sent them out on a high note.”
On the night the team’s 33 seniors were recognized, Webb City definitely had to earn the win.
The hosts were clinging to a 20-18 advantage in the third quarter against the upset-minded Wildcats. But the Cardinals scored 17 unanswered points in the final frame.
“Hats off to our defense,” McFarland said. “At halftime, everyone was frustrated. Neosho’s Quenton Hughes does a phenomenal job at quarterback and running their offense. But hats off to our defense for getting some stops late in the game.”
The Wildcats were looking for their first win over Webb City since 1999. Despite a solid effort, it wasn’t meant to be.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Neosho coach Brandon Taute said. “They fought really hard. That’s a testament to who our kids are. It’s been a rough year as far as close game after close game after close game. It would’ve been easy for them to check it in at any point, but tonight shows who they are. These kids just keep battling and battling.”
Webb City and Neosho have been assigned to Class 5 District 7, so they could see each other again in the postseason.
Both teams hope to make some noise when the district playoffs arrive.
Taute noted he’s confident his Wildcats still have their best performance ahead.
“I think we’re capable of beating anybody,” Taute said. “If we can clean some things up and put together a full game, I think we’re capable of making a deep run in the playoffs. Playing our best football in Week 10 has been the goal all along.”
McFarland said his team still has work to do if it wants to accomplish its goal of making a deep postseason run.
“We made too many mistakes in the first half, but credit Neosho,” McFarland said. “Neosho’s defense caused us some problems. We’ve got to be better than that moving forward if we want a chance to do something in the postseason. The last two weeks we’ve made too many mental mistakes, and we have to get those things fixed.”
GAME RECAP
Webb City defeated Neosho 37-18 on Friday at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Webb City junior running back Noah Durman got the hosts on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle with nine seconds left in the first quarter, capping an 11-play, 54-yard drive.
Three plays after a Webb City turnover on downs, Neosho junior wide receiver Hudson Williams hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Hughes with 6:55 left in the second quarter. The PAT kick was blocked by Webb City’s Brody Eggleston, keeping the Cardinals in front, 7-6.
On the next series, speedy sophomore Gabe Johnson bounced to the outside and sprinted to a 51-yard touchdown run for the Cardinals, extending the lead to 14-6.
Johnson’s 1-yard QB keeper made it 20-6 with just over 40 seconds remaining in the first half.
The score wouldn’t hold up for long.
Neosho went 68 yards on four plays in just 42 seconds, scoring just before the half when junior Tyrone Harris caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hughes. A 49-yard pass play to Harris set up the score, which trimmed Webb City’s lead to 20-12 at the break.
After intermission, the Wildcats pulled within two after Harris hauled in a 31-yard pass with 4:33 left in the third quarter. The visitors attempted to tie the game, but the 2-point conversion was off the mark.
The Cardinals lost their second fumble of the second half on the next series, but the Wildcats were unable to take advantage, as the Webb City defense forced a key turnover on downs.
Webb City’s Alex Dunne converted a 27-yard field goal with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals some breathing room at 23-18.
“Alex has done a great job all year, and we’re not afraid to kick field goals,” McFarland said.
After a Neosho punt, Webb City extended its lead to 30-18 with 6:51 remaining on a 33-yard touchdown strike to junior Jackson Lucas.
Next, Webb City junior defensive back Andrew Young recorded a 68-yard interception return with 5:38 left for the final exclamation point on the contest. It was Young’s second interception of the night.
“Getting that pick six was obviously big,” McFarland said.
Neosho quarterback Quenton Hughes passed for 273 yards against Webb City on Friday night. The Cardinals won the game 37-18. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked seventh in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 6-2.
Webb City recorded 409 yards of total offense, with 270 rushing and 139 passing.
Junior Andrew Elwell led the Cardinals with 88 rushing yards on 21 carries, while Johnson had 87 yards on nine carries.
Jordan Howard made eight tackles and Brett Korth had six stops for the Webb City defense.
Neosho (1-7) finished with 360 yards, 273 through the air and 87 on the ground.
A senior, Hughes completed 19 of 37 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Harris had 14 receptions for 179 yards and two scores, while Williams caught three passes for 66 yards.
Junior running back Denver Welch led Neosho’s rushing attack with 80 yards on 19 carries.
Cade Spiva was credited with 11 tackles, while Bostyn Patterson had 10 stops.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City concludes the regular season next Friday at Branson (4-4), while Neosho hosts Joplin (5-3) in Week 9.
WEBB CITY 37, NEOSHO 18
Neosho 0 12 6 0 — 18
Webb City 7 13 0 17 —37
SCORING SUMMARY
WC: Noah Durman 4 run (Alex Dunne kick)
NEO: Hudson Williams 26 pass from Quenton Hughes (Kick blocked)
WC: Gabe Johnson 51 run (Dunne kick)
WC: Johnson 1 run (Kick failed)
NEO: Tyrone Harris 7 pass from Hughes (Kick blocked)
NEO: Harris 31 pass from Hughes (Pass failed)
WC: Dunne 27 field goal
WC: Jackson Lucas 33 pass from Johnson (Dunne kick)
WC: Andrew Young 68 interception return (Dunne kick)
