CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage ended the regular season on a high note thanks to a strong fourth quarter in a 28-14 win over Willard on Friday at David Hafner Stadium.
Carthage’s Noah Norbury (24) lines up the tackle against Willard’s Gary Walker (5) on Friday. Photo by Tyler Wade.
After a scoreless opening stanza, Carthage and Willard traded touchdowns in the second quarter, but WHS went into the intermission on top 7-6. Both teams traded touchdowns again in the third period, but Carthage converted a 2-point try to send the game into the fourth quarter tied at 14-14. Carthage blanked Willard in the final 12 minutes while finding the end zone twice to secure the victory in the season finale.
Carthage wraps the regular season with a 5-4 record and are the third-seed in the Class 5 District 7 tournament. Carthage hosts (6) Smith-Cotton (2-7) at 7 p.m. on Friday in the opening round.
Carthage QB Brady Carlton broke a scoreless tie with 9:02 to play in the second quarter when he found the end zone from 7 yards out on a keeper for a 6-0 lead following a missed point-after try.
Willard answered on its ensuing possession when QB Russell Roweton kept the ball up the middle on second-and-long for 69 yards before following up with a 10-yard rush to get to the goal line and finding paydirt on the next play to give his Tigers a 7-6 lead over Carthage at the 7:34 mark.
Carthage’s Jordan Brunnert (23) tackles Willard’s Johnathon Huskisson (20) by the legs from behind on Friday. Photo by Tyler Wade.
Willard struck for a big play again midway through the third quarter when Roweton faked the handoff, dropped back in play action on second down and found Timothy Ruble streaking up the seam for a 42-yard passing score and a 14-6 lead with 5:42 on the clock.
Carthage knotted things up late in the third when RB Landyn Collins took the shotgun handoff up the middle, breaking tackles into the second level before sprinting his way to a 50-yard touchdown. CHS tied the game at 14-14 on a 2-point conversion when Carlton found WR Jackson Hettinger.
Carthage jumped in front in the fourth quarter after Collins broke free for a 33-yard run down to the Willard 5, with Carlton crossing the goal line from a yard out two plays later for a 21-14 lead with 10:25 left in regulation.
Carthage’s defense forced Willard into a turnover-on-downs in negative territory, with CHS taking over at the WHS 33. Carthage drove the short field and punched it in on a 5-yard run from Collins to ice the game with 4:15 left to play.
Second-seeded Carthage suffered a 25-9, 25-11, 25-19 loss to sixth-seeded Lee’s Summit in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 7 volleyball tournament on Saturday at Lee’s Summit North High School.
The Tigers finished the season with a record of 14-17.
Carthage’s seniors are Ava Bourgault and Riann Schwartz.
Lee’s Summit will meet top-seeded Lee’s Summit West in the district title game on Tuesday.
Joplin High School junior Nathan Wardlow shattered a pair of school records at Saturday’s Springfield Invitational.
Wardlow set school records in the 500-yard freestyle and the 200 IM at the meet. Wardlow recorded a time of 4:50.01 in the 500 free and 2:01.06 in the 200 IM.
The previous JHS record for the 500 free was 4:53.92 and was set by Andrew Chesney in 2015. The previous record for the 200 IM was 2:01.82 and was set by Alex Crawford in 2019.
On Saturday, Wardlow won the 500 free and he finished third in the 200 IM.
The JHS 200 medley relay team finished seventh in 1:47 and featured Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Parker Hinman and Ian Vermillion.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Wardlow, Vermillion, Isaiah Thom and Hinman finished eighth in 3:41.
In other highlights of Saturday’s meet, Hinman placed eighth in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 200 IM, while Vermillion was 18th in the 100 butterfly and 20th in the 500 free and Jackson Mordica took 20th in the 100 breaststroke.
The Eagles finished 19th in the 200 freestyle relay.
Joplin finished eighth in the team standings. There were 23 full squads competing.
Rockhurst, Lafayette, Rock Bridge and Glendale were the top four teams.
Also of note, Monett’s Ryan Goodson finished seventh in the 50 freestyle and Nevada’s Kolton Evans took seventh in the 100 backstroke.
ANDERSON, Mo. — Few things feel better for a team than righting the wrongs from a loss earlier in the season by winning the rematch with a district title on the line.
That is exactly what second-seeded Webb City did on Saturday after rallying from an early deficit to defeat longtime rival and top-seeded Carl Junction 23-25, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-14 in the Class 4 District 6 championship at McDonald County High School.
Webb City’s Aubree Lassiter swings through a kill in the Cardinals’ win over Carl Junction in the district title game on Saturday. Courtesy photo.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “We have kind of been struggling in recent games and have been messing with our rhythm and chemistry. We have been kind of stop and start, but today we were very smooth and played together. They’ve melded a little more over the last couple of weeks and I am so proud of them because we had to fight for every point.
“CJ is a top opponent. You have to love this type of volleyball, with the top two teams in the area in a great match. I was very proud of my girls for stepping up and I think our experience in these situations helped us make an adjustment when we had to. We had kids step up into big shoes and make big strides, putting the ball where we needed to to score, working together, for each other and trusting the game plan. It was a great team effort.”
MOVING ON
The district title is the third straight for Webb City (27-6), which advances to the quarterfinal round of the Class 4 state tournament.
Last year, the Cardinals made a run to the semifinal round before ultimately finishing fourth in the state. Webb City,which is ranked eighth in Class 4 entering the postseason, is relying on that experience as it attempts to duplicate and surpass the success from the postseason a year ago.
“Having the success of the last couple of years makes you more comfortable in these situations,” Lawrence said. “It has helped us everyday this year, driving us to propel further and bringing the young ones up with us. I felt like we kind of stalled a couple of weeks ago and then they realized how well they can play together. That belief in each other—showing that and proving that is helping us get the job done in tight situations. We can rely on each other because we are battle tested. We fight and work hard.”
SAYING GOODBYE
Carl Junction’s Miya Carnes earns an assist in the district title game against Webb City on Saturday. Courtesy photo.
With the loss, Carl Junction ends its season with a 25-9-2 record. The Bulldogs, which entered the district tournament as the No.11 team in Class 4, have won 20 games or more for five straight seasons.
“I thought our kids came out ready to battle,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “Then, some things started going the other way and we just couldn’t climb out of that hole. But they continued to battle all the way through and I am proud of them for that.
“We had a lot of big holes at the beginning of the season. There were a lot of ‘what ifs’. We had kids really step up in a lot of different positions and even learn new positions for us. We’ve had a great season and I am super proud of them.”
Carl Junction graduates seniors Acadia Badgley, Sara Buchele, Miya Carnes, Aubreigh Fowler, Abigail Wilson and Kylie Scott.
“Some of them have been on the varsity court since they were freshmen, contributing from the very beginning,” Sharples said. “Those of them that weren’t were still contributing to our program, namely helping to build the atmosphere and the culture of our program. That was their number one goal this year—to create a great culture around the team. They did that.”
BETWEEN THE LINES
Carl Junction opened the first set with momentum, building an early 9-4 advantage off a three-point service run from Buchele that featured a kill from Fowler and a block by DeShaye Buerge. Buchele came up with a four-point run in service later in the set, which featured an ace, after a sideout kill from Scott to push the CJ lead to 21-13.
After back to back kills from Scott made the score 23-15 moments later, Webb City scored eight of the next nine points to put on a furious rally and trail 24-23. Aubree Lassiter had a block and three kills to highlight the surge. The game ended on the next point with an attack error going in favor of the Bulldogs.
Webb City started off slowly and ultimately dropped the first set, but the Cardinals changed their fortune in the second set. After a serving error by CJ forced a sideout, Mia Lenker went on a four-point service run that had kills from Jaeli Rutledge and Lenker that gave the Cardinals a 10-5 advantage.
Webb City’s Kirra Long swings through a kill against Carl Junction in the district title game on Saturday. Courtesy photo.
“I think we really just got off to a bad start,” Lawrence said of her team’s ability to rebound after dropping the first set. “The first 10 points of the game we weren’t playing like we can, but we really turned it around (near the end of the first set) and started playing better, but we had already given them too many points. We just took that momentum from the last half of the first set into the second set.”
Both teams traded back and forth until Carl Junction scored seven of eight points—with kills from Carnes, Fowler and Scott, who also had a block—to give the Bulldogs a 19-17 lead. Each team traded sideout kills for the next seven points to bring the score to 22-21 in favor of CJ with Webb City serving. Savannah Crane delivered with an ace to tie the set at 22s, a kill from Lenker and an attack error on CJ put the Cardinals in front 24-22. Fowler earned a kill for CJ to force a sideout before Lenker answered back with another sideout kill to send Webb City to the win while tying things up at 1-1.
“Mentally, that was huge for us,” Lawrence said of her team staving off CJ late in the second set. “That was a momentum swing, which is a big factor in volleyball. … That just solidified that they were capable of doing this and gave them even more confidence.”
The Bulldogs and Cardinals traded swings in the early portions of the first set. Webb City initially built a 7-3 lead highlighted by kills from Makayla Mayes and Lenker and a block from Kirra Long before Carl Junction scored six of the next nine, with Scott earning three kills and Fowler one, to trim the deficit to 10-9.
Webb City took the momentum permanently thanks to back to back four-point service runs from Lenker—which featured an ace and two kills from Rutledge—and Jaylee Van Beceleare, who aced three times, to build a 20-11 cushion on the way to the go-ahead win.
“They’re both very skilled in their serving as far as placement,” Lawrence said. “And, they have a lot of heat behind their serves, so it’s hard to pass. Anytime you can serve aggressively and keep them out of their system, they can’t get it to their big hitters as well. That helps our defense to stay alive and gives our hitters a chance to get a hold of it back at them.”
The Cardinals jumped in front of the final set early, using a sideout kill from Mayes to build a 5-2 lead before Lenker ripped off four points in service to push the lead to 9-2. Lenker had an ace, while Mayes and Rutledge had kills.
CJ’s Karissa Chase earned a sideout kill which was matched by a kill from Rutledge before a block by Crane and an error on the Bulldogs pushed Webb City’s lead to 12-3.
The Cardinals shook off an error and gained service back on a kill from Long before Crane scored four straight points in service, with Lassiter earning a kill before an ace closed the run with an 18-5 lead intact.
The closest Carl Junction got to the lead was 10 points before Webb City finished off the win.
STATS
Rutledge had 18 kills and two blocks, while Lassiter finished with 17 kills, three aces and three blocks. Mayes had six kills, while Long had four and added seven digs. Savannah Crane finished with 38 assists and two aces, while Sophia Crane finished with 19 digs and two aces.
Carnes led Carl Junction with 33 assists, including an impressive one-handed assist, and three aces. Scott had 15 kills and 12 digs, while Fowler finished in double-digit kills with 10. Chase finished with nine kills, while Wilson led the team in digs with 18.
A dramatic late-game scoring drive propelled the Seneca Indians to a 40-36 victory over the Nevada Tigers, while in the process, also locking up the outright Big 8 West division championship Friday night at Nevada High School’s Logan Field.
The stakes were high for Seneca (9-0, 6-0) in a matchup that pitted state-ranked squads, as a loss would have relegated the Indians to a three-way share of the Big 8 West title with Nevada and Lamar.
The Indians’ normally reliable run defense was flattened by Nevada running backs Jack Cheaney and Dezmon Robinson in the first half, as the tandem racked up a combined 252 yards on the ground, with Cheaney accounting for 205.
Nevada junior tailback Jack Cheaney detonates for a 99-yard touchdown run late in the first half of Friday night’s loss to visiting Seneca. Photo by Bill Wynn.
Cheaney detonated for a 75-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, while closing out the first half with a 99-yard romp to paydirt. In between, Robinson’s 37-yard scamper to the end zone helped the Tigers to a 21-14 halftime lead.
The Tigers (7-2, 4-2) capitalized on an Indians’ miscue early in the second half, with a short scoring drive capped by Cheaney’s 30-yard touchdown run.
Trailing 28-14, the Indians replied with a quick-strike drive that was punctuated by Ethan Altic’s six-yard rushing score on a reverse pitch — but the Indians trailed 28-20 after an unsuccessful two-point play.
Early in the fourth, and back in possession, quarterback Gavyn Hoover’s 45-yard run down the left sideline was followed by Jackson Marrs’ five-yard rushing score. Marrs then powered in from two yards out on the 2-point play, knotting the contest at 28.
Looking to make another big play, Cheaney was unable to secure the catch on the ensuing kickoff, turning the ball over deep in Nevada territory. Three plays later, Marrs gained the right edge en route to a 14-yard rushing score. A failed 2-point conversion left the Indians with a 34-28 lead near the midpoint of the fourth.
Seneca quarterback Gavyn Hoover runs for a big play during Friday night’s road victory over Nevada. Photo by Brandi Redman.
After yielding 20 unanswered points, the Tigers needed only a few plays to find the end zone, with Robinson’s elusiveness paying dividends on a 41-yard touchdown run — followed by Grady Stewart’s quarterback sneak on the 2-point play for a 36-34 Nevada lead.
Seneca saved its best for last, chewing up more than six minutes of clock on a methodical 15-play scoring drive.
With 19 seconds remaining, Hoover rolled to his right and connected with junior wide-out Hagen Ginger in the corner of the end zone, accounting for the final margin.
On the game’s final play, Gabe Smith’s pass attempt deep downfield fell incomplete.
Cheaney, meanwhile, rushed for 283 yards on 16 carries, to go along with three touchdowns — giving him 24 for the season.
For Seneca, Marrs also finished the night with three touchdown runs.
Second-ranked Seneca will be the No. 1 seed for the Class 3 District 6 tournament and have a first-round bye.
Seventh-ranked Nevada will be the No. 1 seed for the Class 4 District 7 tournament and the Tigers will also have a bye next Friday.
Nevada running back Dezmon Robinson finds room to run on a 37-yard rushing touchdown Friday night. Photo by Brandi Redman.
NEOSHO, Mo. — Joplin ended the regular season in the win column after starting fast and never looking back against Neosho on the way to a 56-24 win on Friday in Week 9.
Riding another big night from running back Quin Renfro, the Eagles built a three-score lead by the intermission and traded scores with Neosho early in the second half before Joplin’s continued dominance on the ground and the defense’s pressure in the backfield put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.
Joplin RB Quin Renfro picks up a big gain on the ground during the Eagles’ win over Neosho on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“I was pretty happy overall,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “I thought there were still some things we need to work on, but we got off to a good start and executed well. Quin had another big night. Great job by the offensive line. The tight ends and skill guys did a great job blocking downfield. We were efficient in the pass game, really good on special teams and 100 percent on PATs and had good coverage on kickoffs. Defensively, other than the touchdown right before the half, I thought we played really well.”
DISTRICT UPDATE
Joplin wraps the regular season with a 6-3 record and is entrenched as the third seed in the Class 6 District 5 standings. The Eagles will have an off week before traveling to take on second-seeded Kickapoo (8-1).
“We are in a pretty good spot and will appreciate the bye week to get a little more healthy,” Jasper said. “Having the 2-3 matchup, we already know who we are going to play, so we get a little bit longer to prepare. We will start on that and get rolling with it.”
Neosho closes with a 1-8 record. The Wildcats are the seventh-seed in the Class 5 District 7 standings and will travel to take on second-seeded Raytown South next week.
Neosho’s Tyrone Harris is tackled after hauling in a pass for a chunk gain in Neosho’s loss to Joplin on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“That is a really good football team that is getting healthy down the stretch, and they are going to be a tough matchup for anyone,” Neosho coach Brandon Taute said after the loss. “I thought our kids did a great job of battling all game long. There were a lot of points in that game where we could have just rolled over and called it a night, but they kept clawing to make it a game for four quarters.”
STATS
Joplin’s offense gained 565 yards on 61 plays (9.3 yards per play). Renfro rushed 33 times for 334 yards and scored five times in the win. QB Hobbs Gooch ran six times for 42 yards and a touchdown, while completing 7-of-12 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. WR Jett Beal finished with two receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.
“You could feel it building, starting with the CJ game and then these last two weeks,” Jasper said of Renfro’s effort. “He just keeps getting better and better. We just want to continue that through the playoffs.”
Neosho gained 356 yards of offense on 68 plays (5.3 ypp). QB Quenton Hughes completed 16-of-30 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. RB Keisean Rhone rushed 19 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. WR Tyrone Harris caught five passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, while WR Hudson Williams caught nine passes for 88 yards.
GAME ACTION
Joplin TE Whit Hafer hauls in a pass during the Eagles’ win over Neosho on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
After Joplin’s defense forced Neosho into a turnover-on-downs to open the game, the Eagles’ offense gave the Wildcats a heavy dose of Renfro on their first drive. Renfro took the first handoff of the possession 27 yards before adding a 29-yard run later in the series to set up a goal-line touchdown and a 7-0 lead over Neosho with 7:26 on the clock.
Neosho came up empty on its second series and Joplin put on another lengthy drive, milking the rest of the first quarter off the clock before Renfro punched it in from 2 yards out with 11:45 to play in the second period for a 14-0 lead.
Neosho used a long hookup from Hughes to Williams to get into the red zone for the first time midway through the second quarter with Juan Blancarte converting on a 31-yard field goal to cap the drive and cut Joplin’s lead to 14-3.
Joplin needed just two plays to answer in its ensuing possession, using a 62-yard pass from Gooch to Beal up the sideline for a 21-3 lead with 5:25 left in the first half.
“The nice thing about having weapons like Davin (Thomas), Aidan (Sampson), Whit (Hafer), Neil (Barstow) and Jett is they can’t just load up to stop Quin or we can throw it to those other options,” Jasper said. “Hobbs is also doing a nice job of being a threat in the run game and moving the chains when he needs to.”
Joplin got into the end zone for a fourth time in the first half when Renfro took a first-and-goal handoff from the 6 and looked for his opening before sprinting right past the goal line for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 28-3 lead with 1:09 left in the first half.
Neosho responded with a long passing score of its own when Hughes found Harris in the flat, with Harris taking the ball 48 yards to the house for a touchdown to cut the Wildcats’ deficit to 28-10 with six seconds to play before halftime.
Neosho QB Quenton Hughes evades the rush during the Wildcats’ loss to Joplin on Friday. Photo by Israel Perez.
“Joplin did a good job of bringing blitzes and pressuring (Quenton) through the first quarter and a half,” Taute said. “Once we were able to see it better and start picking those things up, we started settling in and Q started doing what he does at quarterback. Tyrone Harris and Hudson Williams both played outstanding and were unguardable at times. If we can continue to do that down the stretch in districts, then we are going to be in good shape.”
Joplin took possession to start the second half and used a 41-yard rush from Renfro to set himself up for a 3-yard touchdown to make the score 35-10 with 10:34 to play in the third quarter.
Neosho answered back with a 51-yard deep ball from Hughes to Harris to set up a 1-yard rushing score from WR Brody Crane to trim Joplin’s lead to 35-17 with 9:15 on the clock.
A 20-yard run from Renfro on Joplin’s next possession set up a 6-yard rushing score on a keeper by Gooch to put Joplin on top 42-17 with 5:55 left in the third.
Neosho drove down inside the 15 on its next drive before Hughes was stopped short of the first-down marker on a fourth-down scramble to turn the ball over on downs.
Joplin responded and ultimately put the game out of reach after Renfro picked up gains of 16, 24, 17 and 19 yards to get a drive that started at the Joplin 5-yard line down inside the red zone at the other end of the field. Renfro finished off the drive later after taking the wildcat snap across the goal line from a yard out to make the score 49-17 with 9:53 left in the game.
Neosho added a late touchdown on a short-yardage run from Rhone before Joplin’s final score came in the form of a 2-yard rush from RB Kaden Gilmore.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction lost its final game in the Central Ozark Conference after Republic built an early multi-score lead and never relinquished it en route to a 26-0 win over the Bulldogs on Friday.
Republic blanked Carl Junction in the first half while putting the ball into the end zone three times after converting on a pair of long, time-consuming drives before punching it in with a passing score right before the half to lead 19-0 at the intermission.
Republic played keep away from the Bulldogs in the second half to preserve the shutout on the way to the win.
Carl Junction closes the regular season with a 1-8 record and finishes as the third seed in the Class 4 District 7 standings.
Republic took the opening series and marched down the field before RB Kanon Kroll carried the ball across the goal line from a yard out with 6:33 to play for a 7-0 lead.
Kroll added another short-yardage touchdown to cap a methodical drive to push the lead to 13-0 in the back half of the second quarter.
Republic went to the air late in the first half to find points, as QB Wyatt Woods found TE James Rexroat for a 21-yard touchdown pass on a fade with one second left in the half to take a 19-0 advantage into the intermission.
Republic scored one more time late when Caide White scored from 2 yards out to push the lead to 26-0 with 5:22 left in the game.
BRANSON, Mo. — Webb City concluded the regular season with a 20-0 victory over Branson on Friday night.
The Cardinals improved to 7-2, while the Pirates fell to 4-5.
Andrew Elwell’s 5-yard touchdown plunge with 52 seconds left in the first quarter gave Webb City a 6-0 lead and was the lone score of the opening frame.
The Cardinals extended their lead to 13-0 with 8:45 left in the second quarter when Gabe Johnson hauled in a 37-yard touchdown strike from Jackson Lucas.
The Pirates threatened late in the first half, but the Webb City defense came up with a goal line stand for a turnover on downs to secure the 13-0 lead at halftime.
Neither team was able to score in the third period.
Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run, along with Alex Dunne’s PAT kick with 8:11 remaining in the game, made it 20-0. The score capped a 10-play, 91-yard drive.
Ranked fifth in Class 5, Webb City finished with 367 yards, 208 rushing and 159 passing.
A sophomore, Johnson ran for 105 yards on 13 carries and also passed for 122 yards on six completions.
Drew Vonder Haar had three catches for 64 yards, while Joseph DeGraffenreid had 42 receiving yards on two receptions.
Christian Brock had 12 tackles for the Cardinals.
Webb City’s defense limited Branson to 209 yards, 129 rushing and 80 passing.
Luke McCormick completed 7 of 12 passes for 80 yards. Kyler Lankton recorded two catches for 50 yards. Gage Depee ran 17 yards for 53 yards and McCormick had 53 rushing yards on 20 carries. Depee made 11 tackles.
Friday’s matchup was the final COC meeting between Webb City and Branson, as the Pirates will be among the schools joining the new Ozark Mountain Conference next fall.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Ranked fifth in Class 5, Webb City locked up the No. 1 seed for the Class 5 District 7 tournament.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Concluding the 2023 season alongside the state’s best, Thomas Jefferson finished fourth at the MSHSAA Class 2 Girls Tennis Championships on Friday night at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
In the third-place match, Webster Groves defeated Thomas Jefferson 5-4.
Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers finished the season with a record of 14-2.
In the season finale, the Cavaliers won all three doubles matches in close fashion to start the dual on a positive note.
At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding and Jeanna Jeyaraj edged Addison Simpson-Margaret Nakatani 9-8 (9), while Esther Yang and Kyla Yang beat Elena King-Regan Matteotti 8-6 at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 3 doubles, TJ’s Warda Morsy and Mayson Solum nipped Katherine Dirks-Milly Benkelman 9-7.
But Webster Groves (16-1) won five of the six singles matches to secure third place. Most of the singles matches were extremely close.
At No. 1 singles, Simpson defeated Ding 6-4, 7-5, while King edged Jeyaraj 4-6, 6-1, 12-10 at No. 2 singles.
Webster Groves’ Dirks defeated Esther Yang 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles, Nakatani beat Morsy 6-1, 7-5 at No. 4 singles and Benkelman topped Solum 6-7 (3), 6-3, 10-6 at No. 5.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang edged Hannah Sweeney 2-6, 6-2, 10-7 at No. 6 singles.
The Cavaliers played for third after suffering a semifinal setback to Grain Valley earlier on Friday.
SEMIFINAL SETBACK
In Friday morning’s semifinals, Grain Valley defeated Thomas Jefferson 5-0.
In doubles, Grain Valley’s Finley LaForge and Kylee Bragaw edged TJ’s Ding-Jeyaraj 9-7, while Emma Thiessen-Brooklyn Spencer beat Yang-Yang 8-2. At No. 3 doubles, Grain Valley’s Catherine Barnes-Delaney Thurn topped Morsy-Solum 8-5.
In completed singles matches, Thiessen defeated Esther Yang 6-4, 6-0, Bragaw beat Jeyaraj 6-1, 6-1 and Spencer topped Morsy 6-0, 6-2.
The match officially concluded when the Eagles reached five wins, but two of the singles matches ended nearly simultaneously, resulting in six recorded wins for Grain Valley.
NOTES: Ding was the lone senior competing for the Cavaliers on Friday. Individually, Ding finished her prep tennis career as a three-time medalist in singles.
The rest of the Cavaliers who competed on Friday will return next fall, as Jeyaraj, Kyla Yang, Morsy and Solum are juniors and Esther Yang is a freshman.
Ladue beat Webster Groves 5-0 in the other semifinal.
In the state title match, Ladue beat Grain Valley 5-1.
The McAuley Catholic cross country program had a historic day.
McAuley Catholic’s boys and girls both captured the team championships at the 2023 Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday night at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course at Missouri Southern State University.
“I was extremely pleased with the efforts of both teams, and of our middle school kids,” McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth said. “We were able to win all four divisions, quite an accomplishment for the kids and coaches! It was a hot, sunny day, but I thought our kids handled it well. I was very proud of our student body who came out and cheered us on today.”
College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan (5), McAuley’s Trae Veer (38) and Thomas Jefferson’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch (74) are pictured during the Ozark 7 Meet. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The McAuley boys repeated as conference champs with 31 points. College Heights was second with 38 and Thomas Jefferson (55) was the third team with a full squad competing.
“Our boys team had some pressure on them this year, as we were the defending conference champion,” Youngworth said. “College Heights and Thomas Jefferson have some very good runners, and I knew we would have to run a great race in order to win.”
McAuley junior Michael Parrigon was the individual conference champion, as he crossed the line at 16:41, more than a minute faster than the runner-up.
College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan took second in 17:46, McAuley’s Trae Veer was third in 17:48, Thomas Jefferson’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch took fourth in 17:54 and CHC’s Connor Jordan placed fifth in 18:32.
Finishing sixth through 10th were McAuley’s Will Mollnow, Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook, CHC’s Owen Horton, McAuley’s Connor Taffner and CHC’s Caleb Quade.
Rounding out the top 15 were TJ’s Spencer Long, McAuley’s Alex Bohachick, CHC’s Steven Calandro, Wheaton’s Jayson Peterson and CHC’s Drew Sawkins.
McAuley’s Cliff Nolan, TJ’s duo of Ashan Appuhamy and Jack Twiss, McAuley’s Max Anreder and Exeter’s Josue Alcaraz completed the top 20.
Youngworth, who noted the Ozark 7 schools appreciate MSSU allowing the meet to be held on campus at the Rutledge course, said his boys team performed well overall.
“Michael Parrigon continues to run well, racing alone for the bulk of the meet,” Youngworth said. “Trae Veer finished third, beating some good kids. Trae continues to improve each week, and just runs very smart races. Will Mollnow earned all-conference recognition, as did Connor Taffner. Alex Bohachick finished as our No. 5 and continues to improve after a long illness kept him out of competition for a few weeks. Cliff Nolan ran a solid race as our No. 6 and dropped 45 seconds from last year. Max Anreder rounded out our top seven.”
McAuley Catholic freshman Olivia Parrigon won the girls race at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet.
The postseason awaits for the Warriors.
“We will face a very tough Hermitage at districts next weekend, they are the defending Class 1 state champions,” Youngworth said. “We will have to have great races from all of our kids in order to challenge them.”
GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
McAuley’s girls edged defending champion College Heights Christian by just three points, 26-29. The Warriors had four top-10 finishers, while the Cougars had three runners in the top five.
“I think the surprise of the day was our girls defeating College Heights, our first-ever girls conference championship,” Youngworth said. “They are very well-coached and were the defending conference champions, but I challenged the girls a little bit this week, telling them they had nothing to lose by being aggressive and running to win.”
McAuley freshman Olivia Parrigon was the conference champion with a time of 21:07.
College Heights Christian junior Marla Anderegg was the runner-up in 21:37 and McAuley senior Kendall Ramsey took third in 21:59.
CHC’s Jesalin Bever and Lilly Royer finished fourth and fifth, while Thomas Jefferson’s duo of Macie Shifferd and Sarah Mueller were sixth and seventh.
Exeter’s Kaylyn Weiser finished eighth and McAuley’s tandem of Riley Sears and Marbellie Villanueva finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Also of note, College Heights’ Madi Carson finished 13th, McAuley’s Samantha Perrin was 14th, CHC’s Katie Moss placed 17th, CHC’s Lilly Lackey took 19th and McAuley’s Genevieve Billings finished 20th.
Youngworth noted he was proud of how the girls team performed.
“Olivia Parrigon is our first-ever conference champion, and she ran most of the race with Kendall Ramsey and was able to pull away in the last 800 meters,” Youngworth said. “I think the key to our win though was the work of our No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 runners. Riley Sears ran a career PR and earned all-conference honors, as did Marbellie Villanueva, who ran a PR for the season. Our No. 5 was Samantha Perrin, who finished 14th, but dropped over three minutes from last year’s race. We are starting to run with more confidence, and I look forward to the opportunity to see them compete at districts next week.”
OZARK 7 CONFERENCE MEET
Boys team standings: McAuley Catholic 31, College Heights Christian 38, Thomas Jefferson 55.
Girls team standings: McAuley Catholic 26, College Heights 29.
McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey (42) and Olivia Parrigon (40) and a number of College Heights runners, including Marla Anderegg (11) are pictured during the Ozark 7 Conference Meet at MSSU’s Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. McAuley swept the team titles. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook and McAuley’s Will Mollnow head to the finish line during Friday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet at Missouri Southern. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
Thomas Jefferson’s Ringo Snow (83) and Ashan Appuhamy (69) compete at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday.
College Heights Christian’s Jesalin Bever finished fourth in the girls race at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday.
Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished seventh at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet.
McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey finished third at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday at MSSU. McAuley Catholic swept both team titles at the meet. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
McAuley Catholic’s girls cross country team won the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday. From left to right, are Samantha Perrin, Riley Sears, Kendall Ramsey, Olivia Parrigon and Marbellie Villanueva. Not pictured: Genevieve Billings. Courtesy photo.
The McAuley Catholic boys cross country team poses after winning the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday at MSSU. Courtesy photo.
According to republictigersports.com, current Ozark Conference members Kickapoo High School and Glendale High School have been extended invitations to join the Central Ozark Conference.
The departure of Carl Junction and Branson to the Ozark Mountain Conference left an opening in the COC—Joplin, Carthage, Webb City, Neosho, Nixa, Ozark, Republic and Willard—and if the Chiefs and Falcons accept membership, it will round out the conference with 10 teams once again.
“The remaining COC superintendents decided we have a really nice conference, and we want to keep it together. We’d like to replace the schools that left with two schools who are more similar to us than different, and they’re in our own backyard,” Republic superintendent Matt Pearce said to republictigersports.com. “Instead of waiting for people to leave, we wanted to change the narrative and see who wanted to join.”
According to the report, there is no timetable for a decision by Kickapoo and Glendale.
VERONA, Mo. — Second-seeded College Heights Christian started its postseason with a convincing sweep over Exeter 25-13, 25-7 and 25-5 in the Class 1 District 10 tournament on Thursday.
The Cougars (15-12-4) advance to play McAuley Catholic and Wheaton in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Maddy Colin led CHC with 24 assists and six kills, while Bailey Peeples had 15 kills. Toryn Fink finished with six kills, while Lilly Plassman had 11 digs. Katie Moss added 10 digs and three aces.
LEE’S SUMMIT WEST 3, JOPLIN 0
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Top-seeded Lee’s Summit West defeated eighth-seeded Joplin 25-18, 25-10, 25-15 in the quarterfinals of the Class 5 District 7 tournament on Thursday night at Lee’s Summit North High School.
Joplin coach Staci Saunders, who led the team this season in an interim role, said she was proud of her team’s effort against the district’s top seed.
Bailey Owens led the Eagles with eight kills, six digs and two blocks, while Raelin Calderon added eight kills. Janiah Vaughn contributed five kills and four digs, while Adalynn Noirfalise compiled 22 assists and six digs and Phia Vogel recorded seven digs.
Suiting up for the final time were JHS seniors Owens, Vaughn, Calderon, Abigail Eckert and Avery Bermudez.
CARTHAGE 3, NEOSHO 0
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Second-seeded Carthage knocked off seventh-seeded Neosho 25-15, 25-12, 25-15 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 5 District 7 tournament.
“We played a solid match,” Carthage coach Chloe Allmoslecher said. “Collectively as a team, everyone showed up tonight and it was a blast to watch.”
The Tigers received solid contributions from up and down the lineup.
Millie Templeman recorded 11 kills, while Jaidyn Brunnert compiled 25 assists, nine kills, seven digs and two aces.
Sadie Comer contributed 16 assists, 10 digs and nine kills, while Ava Bourgault had eight kills and six digs and Peyton Ray added seven kills.
Riann Schwartz had 20 digs, Ella Schwartz contributed five digs and three aces and London Shepherd had two kills and two blocks.
Carthage (14-16) will meet sixth-seeded Lee’s Summit (10-11) in the semifinals at 4:30 on Saturday at Lee’s Summit North High School.
NEVADA 3, SENECA 0
MONETT, Mo. — Top-seeded Nevada advanced to the Class 3 District 12 title game after defeating fifth-seeded Seneca 25-18, 25-15 and 25-10 in the semifinals on Thursday.
The loss ends Seneca’s season with an 8-18-5 record, graduating seniors Valencia Araujo, Ella Graham, Jera Jameson, Madelyn Burtrum and Danessa Macy.
Nevada improves to 23-9 and takes on second-seeded Mount Vernon in the district title game at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Monett High School.
Jameson led Seneca with 17 digs and 17 kills, while Anna Adkins finished with 23 assists and nine digs. Graham also added 12 digs.
BRANSON, Mo. — Carl Junction and Webb City will meet with the season on the line.
Top-seeded Carl Junction defeated fourth-seeded Springfield Catholic 3-0 and second-seeded Webb City got past third-seeded Branson 3-2 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 6 volleyball tournament at Branson High School.
The Bulldogs (25-8-2) and Cardinals (26-6) will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday for the district championship.
It’s the fifth straight year that Carl Junction and Webb City will meet in a district title match.
CARL JUNCTION 3, CATHOLIC 0
The Bulldogs defeated the Irish 25-16, 25-19, 25-19 in Wednesday’s first semifinal.
Aubreigh Fowler led the Bulldogs with 14 kills, while Kylie Scott added 12 kills, 10 digs and two blocks.
Miya Carnes recorded 32 assists and three aces, while Abigail Wilson contributed 18 digs and four aces. Acadia Badgley had two blocks, while Karissa Chase chipped in six kills and two blocks.
WEBB CITY 3, BRANSON 2
The Cardinals needed five sets, but beat the Pirates 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-12, 15-9.
Jaeli Rutledge led the Cardinals with 23 kills, while Aubree Lassiter contributed 15 kills and seven digs.
Savannah Crane handed out 38 assists from the setter position. Sophia Crane recorded a team-high 30 digs, while Jaylee Van Becelaere had nine digs and Jadyn Catterson added eight digs. Mia Lenker, Sophia Crane and Savannah Crane each served three aces.
In Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Parkview, Lassiter had 11 kills and Rutledge added eight kills, while Savannah Crane had 14 assists, Khloe Rhuems had 10 assists and Van Becelaere had five digs.
UPDATE: On Thursday afternoon, SoMo Sports was informed that Carl Junction and Webb City have agreed to play the district title match at McDonald County High School. The match will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with doors open to the public at noon.
RECENT DISTRICT TITLE MATCHES
2022—Webb City def. Carl Junction 3-0
2021—Webb City def. Carl Junction 3-2
2020—Carl Junction def. Webb City 3-0
2019—Webb City def. Carl Junction 2-1
BRANSON, Mo. — Top-seeded Carl Junction made quick work of eight-seeded McDonald County with a 25-12, 27-25 and 25-9 win in the opening round of the Class 4 District 6 tournament on Tuesday.
The win advances the Bulldogs to the semifinals, where they will take on the winner of (4) Springfield Catholic and (5) Willard at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Branson High School.
Kylie Scott led Carl Junction over the Mustangs with 11 kills, while Aubreigh Fowler was right behind with 10 kills. Karissa Chase had six kills and two blocks, while Miya Carnes had 30 assists and three aces and three blocks. Abigail Wilson had 12 digs and three aces, while Sara Buchele finished with 10 digs.
JOPLIN 3, RUSKIN 0
LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Eighth-seeded Joplin started its postseason on a high note after sweeping ninth-seeded Ruskin 25-16, 25-17 and 25-4 in the sectional round of the Class 5 District 7 volleyball tournament on Tuesday.
Joplin improves to 6-17-1 on the year with the win and takes on top-seeded Lee’s Summit West (23-8) in the quarterfinal round at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Bailey Owens finished with 15 kills, three digs and two blocks, while Raelin Calderon had nine kills, four aces, three digs and two blocks. Adalynn Noirfalise had 27 assists, four digs, three aces and two kills. Janiah Vaughn closed with five kills, four aces and three digs. Amy Kessler had three jills, a block and a dig, while Aiyana Kroll added two blocks, two kills and two digs.
SENECA 3, EAST NEWTON 0
MONETT, Mo. — Fifth-seeded Seneca earned a first-round sweep over fourth-seeded East Newton in the Class 3 District 12 volleyball tournament on Tuesday.
With the win, Seneca improves to 8-14-3 and takes on top-seeded Nevada (22-9) at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Monett High School.
Jera Jameson led the Indians with 20 kills and two blocks, while Anna Adkins added 24 assists. Ella Graham had 28 digs and five aces, while Maddy Hembree finished with four aces.
WEBB CITY 3, PARKVIEW 0
BRANSON, Mo. — Second-seeded Webb City earned a 25-7, 25-5 and 25-16 sweep over seventh-seeded Parkview in the opening round of the Class 4 District 6 tournament.
The Cardinals improve to 25-6 and take on third-seeded Branson (14-4-4) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the district semifinals.
No other information was made available at the time of publication.
Nevada junior Emree Cameron parlayed back-to-back dominant rounds into a record-setting 10-under-par state title performance at the MSHSAA Class 3 Girls Golf Championships in Farmington on Tuesday.
Cameron sank 16 birdies, accentuated by a 20-foot putt on the final hole of the tournament, while firing a 5-five-under-par 67 on both days en route to the runaway victory.
“It was mind-blowing,” Cameron said of her performance at Crown Pointe Golf Club in eastern Missouri. “I was stoked to win state.”
Cameron notched a second-place finish in Class 2 last year when she was edged out by Marshfield’s Marlee Edgeman.
The two were expected to again battle it out in a sequel, however, Parkway West’s Kylie Secrest crashed the party with an opening round 68.
“After seeing scores from other district tournaments, I knew that there were other girls out there that were up to beat me,” Cameron said.
Nevada’s Emree Cameron poses with Coach Brian Leonard after winning the Class 3 championship on Tuesday. Courtesy photo.
Despite the narrow lead over Secrest, Cameron said that she was “calm as a cucumber” heading into the second round.
“My plan was to just go out and play par golf and let the birdies fall,” she said, “and if I have a bogey, I can always make up for it with a birdie. I was just really calm and knew I didn’t have to stress over it or be nervous.”
Cameron added that during a discussion with her father Eric on Monday night, she was informed that a Round 2 score of even-par or better would set a new state record.
“I was like, ‘What? I didn’t even know that,’” Cameron recounted, adding that she didn’t feel any added pressure. “What I was really thinking about was just playing my game and staying ahead of my competition.”
In the end, Cameron coasted to a decisive 7-stroke win with her two-day score of 134.
In the run-up to the tournament, Cameron said that she was focused on improving in the areas of flighted-wedge shots and putting.
“If I would have hit some flighted shots during state last year, I would not have been short so many times,” she said. “So me and my dad went out on the course every night last week and practiced those shots from 100 yards and in so that I would be dialed in.”
Cameron added that those types of shots came into play Monday, with the colder temperatures and 13 to 14-mile-per-hour wind gusts.
Fresh off of victory, Cameron said that she is already excited about the prospect of repeating as state champion next year.
“It’s awesome to leave my footprint with Nevada High School,” said Cameron, who became the first female athlete in the history of the program to win a state championship. “I’m so excited and cannot wait for the next chapter.”
Nevada junior Emree Cameron captured the Class 3 championship in record-setting fashion on Tuesday in Farmington.
Nevada coach Brian Leonard is also eagerly anticipating the next chapter.
“Emree has worked so hard to get here and she so deserves it,” he said. “This sure makes a golf coach proud.”
D-1 commitment
Cameron has been on cloud nine of late, having also recently committed to the University of Louisville golf program.
While also drawing heavy interest from several other NCAA Division I schools, Cameron said that she was blown away on her official visit to Louisville.
“I haven’t seen better facilities out there,” she said, “and I can’t wait to be practicing on them every day. I can see myself just getting better and better.”
Cameron said that it also felt like a family atmosphere on the recruiting trip.
“As soon as I stepped on campus it felt like home,” she said.
Helping matters, Cameron’s good friend and fellow Missouri prep golf star Bailey Burkett, committed to Louisville. Florida-native Madison Moman, another friend of Cameron’s, also inked with Louisville.
“I’m so excited to go and play college golf with them,” Cameron said.
Nevada junior Emree Cameron’s scorecard from her record-setting performance at the Missouri Class 3 Girls Golf Championships.
Nevada junior Emree Cameron, pictured above earlier this season, earned medalist honors at the Missouri Class 3 Girls Golf Championships.
CASSVILLE, Mo. — In a pair of repeats, Lamar’s boys captured the team championship and East Newton’s Chase Sorrell was the medalist at Tuesday’s Big 8 Conference Cross Country Championships at the Cassville Aquatic Center.
Lamar had three runners finish in the top nine, and the Tigers repeated as team champions. Lamar finished with 78 points and Rogersville was a distant second with 99.
A senior standout at East Newton, Sorrell won the boys 5K in 16 minutes, 26 seconds. He repeated as the Big 8’s individual champ.
Marshfield’s Zach Mitchell was the runner-up in 17:02, with Lamar’s tandem of Cameron Bailey (17:48) and Ryder Friend (18:02) finishing third and fourth.
Cassville’s Ethan Bohmke took eighth, Lamar’s Pierce Heins was ninth, East Newton’s Nicholas Schaeffer finished 12th and Nevada’s Aidan Ryan took 14th.
Aurora’s Carsen Gillam finished 17th, McDonald County’s Caleb Garvin took 18th, Cassville’s Trever Garnett was 20th, Monett’s Kash Adams placed 21st, Mac County’s Lane Pratt finished 23rd and Nevada’s duo of Montgomery Gumm Palmer and Anthony Pizzano finished 24th and 25th, respectively.
Seneca’s top performer was Brock Short (66th).
On the girls side, Springfield Catholic (40) and Lamar (59) were the top two teams.
Catholic’s Emma Belk was the medalist with a time of 21:09.
Cassville’s Jadyn Williams-Reed took second in 21:30, East Newton’s Brooklyn Blanchard finished third in 21:44, Lamar’s Abigail Diggs placed fourth in 21:50 and Mount Vernon’s Rylee Simons was fifth in 22:02.
Finishing seventh through 10th were McDonald County’s Kate Cheney, Nevada’s Brynley Hedges and Lamar’s Carly Dunham and LeiLani Toves.
Monett’s Mary Jastal finished 15th, Mac County’s Kenzie Horton was 19th, Lamar’s Mikayla Madison took 20th, Aurora’s Avery Miller placed 22nd and Cassville’s tandem of Kayli Anderson and Tori Mitchell were 24th and 25th.
2023 Big 8 Conference Meet
Boys team standings: Lamar 78, Rogersville 99, Springfield Catholic 119, Marshfield 126, McDonald County 134, Nevada 135, Cassville 143, Reeds Spring 170, East Newton 182, Aurora 233, Monett 246.
Girls team standings: Springfield Catholic 40, Lamar 59, Cassville 83, McDonald County 87, Rogersville 89, Monett 161.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — For the second straight year, the Carthage Tigers were celebrating at the conclusion of the Central Ozark Conference boys swimming and diving championships.
Led by seven event wins, Carthage repeated as COC champs on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center on the campus of Webb City High School. The Tigers topped the team standings with 324 points.
“Last year was the first year we’d ever won it, and we graduated four seniors and lost a couple of other kids,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “So this really came as a surprise. Joplin has the best swimmer in the conference in Nathan Wardlow. Ozark has Steve Boyce as their coach and he’s won state championships. And I’ve learned so much from Shawn Klosterman. The fact that we won this year’s meet is awesome. It’s not just the guys who earn the medals and get on the podium, we’ve got a lot of guys scoring points. Those guys scoring the seventh, eighth and ninth place points really matter and are big for our program.”
Host Webb City was second in the team standings with 233 points and Joplin took third with 205.
“I’m pretty happy, we had some good swims,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “We had some guys move up and that’s what you always look for. It’s always an inspired meet. Carthage is loaded, so they’re pretty untouchable this year. Joplin has some studs this year, and I thought they were going to get us. We pulled off second place, so we’re happy with that.”
“Overall, I think there were a couple of events where we could have done a little better, but the guys performed well,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “If we had diving, we would have been closer to second overall. Webb City has that advantage on us. But I’m happy with how the guys performed tonight.”
Nixa (180), Ozark (93) and Republic (92) rounded out the team standings.
Carthage’s Kellen Frieling won the 100-yard backstroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Will Wright won the breaststroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet.
The Tigers won two of the three relays and also took first in five individual events.
“Our boys competed well and they did everything we thought they’d need to do tonight,” Coach McBride said. “It was a great night.”
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first with a time of 1:47.
The Tigers won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:34, with Braxton McBride, Frieling, Aydan Nye and Wright competing.
Carthage finished second in the 200 freestyle, as Allphin, Daryl Martin, Ben Rogers and Nye recorded a time of 1:42.
Braxton McBride and Frieling each won two individual events.
A junior, McBride won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.15 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 51.71 seconds.
A senior, Frieling took first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.46 seconds and also captured gold in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.69 seconds.
A sophomore, Wright won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05. Wright also finished second in the 200 IM.
The Tigers received big points in several other events. Allphin finished third in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 free, while Martin took fourth in the 100 free and Noah Blackford finished fourth in the 100 backstroke.
Also, Ryan Steinbach took sixth in the both the 200 IM and the 500 free, Emerson Ixcol took sixth in the 100 backstroke, Carter Yost finished seventh in the 200 IM and Rogers took seventh in the 500 free.
“Kellen, Braxton and Will have committed to being year-round swimmers,” Coach McBride said. “They lead us, but they’ve got a lot of other guys with them. It was a total team victory.”
Webb City’s Dagan Chacon is pictured during the COC Swim Meet.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City fared well in the relays.
The 200 medley relay team of Cole Dalton, Micah Brouwer, Dalton Spence and Aiden Patterson finished third in 1:54.
Webb City was also third in the 200 freestyle relay, as Steve Kenlee, Spence, Brouwer and Adrien Black recorded a time of 1:43.
The Cardinals were fourth in the 400 freestyle relay, with Black, Kenlee, Dalton and Patterson competing.
Black was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:28, while Brouwer placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07 and third in the 200 IM in 2:16.
Black and Kenlee took fourth and sixth in the 200 freestyle, while Kenlee and Patterson were fifth and seventh in the 100 butterfly.
Also for the Cardinals, Spence was fifth in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, Dalton was fifth in the 100 free, Patterson placed fifth in the 500 free, Cole was fifth in the 100 backstroke and Dagan Chacon finished seventh in the 50 free.
Webb City’s Grant Humphrey won the 1-meter diving competition, besting Nixa’s Keegan Sandgren for the top spot.
“Adrien had a big meet and our 200 free relay moved up from fifth to third, so I was proud of that,” Klosterman said. “Aiden had a season-best in the 500, so that was big. Grant Humphrey had a great day. He’s a new kid, but he’s proven to be very competitive.
“I’m also glad we got to have a Senior Night, too,” Klosterman said. “And it’s always nice to host this meet. It’s a hectic day, but it’s really nice to have it here.”
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won two events at the COC Swim Meet on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin was led by the standout performance of junior Nathan Wardlow.
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow reacts to his time in the 500-yard freestyle, which broke a pool record set in 1984.
Wardlow was the COC champion in two events, as he won the 200 individual medley in 2:02 and took first in the 500 freestyle with a record-breaking time of 4:53.
Wardlow set a meet and pool record in the 500 freestyle. The previous pool record (4:55) was set in 1984 by Sean Garretson of Jenks, Oklahoma. The COC record (4:57) was set by Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann in 2022.
“Nathan has been impressive all year,” Stump said. “I see a lot of drive from him. I saw him kick it into another gear tonight. For him to get that time in the 500 free here, I couldn’t be more impressed.”
The Eagles had a top-five finish in all three relays.
Joplin’s 200 medley relay team of Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Parker Hinman and Ian Vermillion finished second in 1:50.
The JHS team of Wardlow, Isaiah Thom, Vermillion and Hinman took second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:40.
The Eagles placed fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Owen Mordica, Jackson Mordica, Jordan Goins and Thom competing.
A junior, Hinman was the runner-up in two events, the 100 fly in 59.71 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:00.
Vermillion and Thom finished third and sixth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle, while Jackson Mordica took fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
Also for the Eagles, Vermillion was sixth in the 100 fly, Thom took seventh in the 100 free and Owen Mordica placed seventh in the 100 backstroke.
CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team standings: Carthage 324, Webb City 233, Joplin 205, Nixa 180, Ozark 93, Republic 92.
Carthage’s Carter Yost is pictured during Tuesday’s Central Ozark Conference swimming and diving championships. Photo by Israel Perez.
Jackson Mordica competes for the Joplin Eagles on Tuesday night in Webb City. Joplin finished third in the team standings at this year’s COC Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Carthage Tigers pose on Tuesday night after winning the Central Ozark Conference Championships for the second straight season. Photo by Jason Peake.
Neither team was able to score in the third period.
