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CROSS COUNTRY: Area athletes named to all-region teams

 

A large group of local athletes were named to the Southwest Cross Country Coaches Association’s all-region teams.

Listed below are the Joplin area athletes who were recognized in each class.

 

CLASS 5

Joplin’s Chance Tindall and Ian Horton and Webb City’s Evan Stevens were named all-region first-team for Class 5.

Webb City’s Mason Hedger, Spencer Kendall and Andrew Dawson and Joplin’s Grey Edwards were second-team selections.

Carthage’s Eddy Fuentes and Webb City’s Noah Lankard were honorable mention picks. 

On the girls side, Webb City’s Brooke Hedger and Joplin’s Katherine Schaefer were named second-team all-region.

Named to the honorable mention team were Webb City’s Emma McKinzie, Olivia Klotz, Amelia Antillon and Emily Countryman. 

 

CLASS 4

Carl Junction’s Isaac Willoughby was named to the first-team all-region squad in Class 4.

On the second-team were Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson and Luke Battagler. McDonald County’s Caleb Garvin was an honorable mention selection.

On the girls side, Carl Junction’s Madilyn Dalton and Marissa Newman were second-team selections.

Named to the honorable mention team were Carl Junction’s Delaney Harris and Audrey Fletcher, McDonald County’s Kate Cheney, Monett’s Mary Jastal and Nevada’s Brynley Hedges.

 

CLASS 3

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell was the region’s Class 3 boys runner of the year. 

Sorrell and Lamar’s duo of Cameron Bailey and Ryder Friend were first-team picks. 

Honorable mention selections were Cassville’s Ethan Bohmke, Aurora’s Carsen Gillam, Lamar’s Pierce Heins and East Newton’s Nicholas Schaeffer.

On the girls side, Lamar’s Abigail Diggs and Cassville’s Jadyn Williams-Reed were first-team picks.

Mount Vernon’s Rylee Simons was selected to the second team.

College Heights Christian’s Marla Anderegg and Jesalin Bever were honorable mention selections, along with East Newton’s Brooklyn Blanchard and Lamar’s Carly Durham and Leilani Toves.

 

CLASS 2 

College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan was a first-team pick in Class 2.

Diamond’s Wyatt Housh was listed on the second team, while CHC’s Owen Horton and Connor Jordan, Purdy’s Jayden Griffis and Logan Manwarren were selected to the honorable mention team.

Pierce City’s Emma Hunt was a first-team selection on the girls team.

Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris, Pierce City’s Lauren Blackburn and Purdy’s Courtney Patterson were honorable mention picks. 

 

CLASS 1

McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon was a first-team all-region selection in Class 1.

Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook and Braden Honeywell-Lynch, McAuley’s Trae Veer and Will Mollnow and Jasper’s Leland Harris were listed on the second team.

McAuley’s Olivia Parrigon and Kendall Ramsey were first-team selections on the girls side, along with Liberal’s Ally Barton and Taylor Swarnes.

Second-team picks were Liberal’s Abby Barton and Bailey Couch and Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd.

Honorable mention picks were Liberal’s Jordan Goodell, Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller and McAuley’s Riley Sears.

GIRLS HOOPS PREVIEW: CHC replacing several key contributors for upcoming season

College Heights Christian girls basketball graduated a trio of integral seniors last year, tasking John Blankenship with replacing that production while continuing the successful run his program has had as he enters his 25th year as a head coach.

The Cougars are coming off a 17-12 campaign that saw CHC finish with a 5-1 record in the Ozark 7 Conference. However, College Heights lost several key pieces from last season—PG Jayli Johnson, G Lauren Ukena and G/F Addie Lawrence.

“We lost three great seniors last year,” Blankenship said. “They will be hard to replace. We will be young at the guard position. There will be a period of growth, but each of them are very athletic, quick and ready to work hard. If we stay healthy, I think we will surprise several teams this year. I believe we will create the necessary team chemistry quickly and will be very competitive this year.”

Fortunately, the Cougars return plenty of varsity minutes to help the transition to the younger players stepping into larger roles.

Leading the list of lettermen coming back for CHC are returning starters Maddy Colin (F/G), co-Ozark 7 Conference Player of the Year Libby Fanning (F) and Ava Lett (G).

Colin is a senior, while Fanning and Lett are juniors. 

“Maddy is a strong post player that provides rebounding on both ends of the court,” Blankenship said. “She has a strong offensive post presence, but also has the ability to play on the perimeter and give us another 3-point shooter.

“Libby is a 6-foot post player who averaged double-digit points and rebounds last year. She is an outstanding post player who can also step out and hit 3-point shots. She will be a tough matchup for teams.

“Ava is our shooting guard, and she continues to get better every year. She has the potential to be one of the best 3-point shooters in our conference. We are hoping she can extend defenses further on the perimeter with her shooting and open things up inside for Libby and our other post players.”

Of course, with that much experience returning to the paint, it’s no surprise that is where the strength will be for College Heights. Their size and skill inside will be a mismatch for teams.

Also returning with varsity experience is senior Avery Schumaker (F), juniors Kinley Marsh (F) and Molly Long (F), and sophomores Jesalin Bever (PG), Karly Dorris (G) and Allie Stout (G/F).

“We have very good height and strength with our post players, and great quickness with our guards,” Blankenship said when asked about his team’s prospects this season. “I’ve had success the last several years of getting players to buy into the vision. I fully expect this group to do the same. Additionally, they will be unified, they will work hard, and they will play and practice with integrity. 

“Integrity, work ethic, being a presence that sets a tone, being mentally tough, and being coachable are critical to any team’s success. Integrity binds all of those characteristics together and creates layers of trust and team growth. We have those traits in place. If we can develop our skills quickly, the potential for a great season is there even after losing three awesome seniors last year.”

Of course, with a bit of a youth movement going on this season for College Heights, the Cougars who are getting their first real taste of heavy varsity minutes will need time to get comfortable with the change of pace. Coach Blankenship believes when the cohesiveness arrives, consistent play and wins will follow.

“Staying healthy, being able to adjust to new offensive and defensive systems, and having athletes that didn’t see a lot of playing time last year able to learn quickly,” Blankenship said when asked the keys to success for CHC this season. “These are athletic players that are so coachable. I think we will do pretty well this year.”

College Heights opens the season on Nov. 21 against Rush. 

CROSS COUNTRY: Local runners named to Class 1 all-region team

 

Athletes from McAuley Catholic and Thomas Jefferson were named to the SWCCCA Class 1 all-region team.

In addition to the Joplin-based schools, Jasper and Liberal also had athletes recognized.

The entire Class 1 all-region team is listed below.

 

SWCCCA Class 1 All-Region Team

GIRLS

Runner of the Year: Mallory Shaw, Stoutland

Coach of the Year: Jenny Gardner, Chadwick

 

FIRST TEAM

Ally Barton, Liberal

Jadyn Chambers, Norwood

Emily Landry, Chadwick

Macy Landry, Chadwick

Raeleigh Little, Chadwick

Isabelle Martin, Dora

Olivia Parrigon, McAuley Catholic

Kendall Ramsey, McAuley Catholic

Mallory Shaw, Stoutland

Taylor Swarnes, Liberal

 

SECOND TEAM

Gracelynn Antle, Hermitage

Abby Barton, Liberal

Miya Bess, Marion C. Early

Bailey Couch, Liberal

Gretchen House, Chadwick

Ella Howard, SOTO

Alexis Loveland, Chadwick

Kinley Luna, Dora

Emma Martin, Dora

Macie Shifferd, Thomas Jefferson

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Quana Alaimo, Greenwood

Kara Anderson, Dora

Yesenia Diaz, Crane

Cali Frogley, Hurley

Jordan Goodell, Liberal

Sarah Mueller, Thomas Jefferson

Macy Pearson, Wheatland

Addison Ratliff, Macks Creek

Madeline Sallee, Chadwick

Riley Sears, McAuley Catholic

 

BOYS 

Runner of the Year: Landon Duchscherer, Marion C. Early

Coach of the Year: Mark Sabala, Hermitage

 

FIRST TEAM

DeJuan Chambers, Hermitage

Landon Duchscherer, Marion C. Early

Calen Faucett, Crane

Nathan Inman, Walnut Grove

Bennett Mantooth, Hermitage

Cade Nold, Dora

Joshua Nold, Dora

Michael Parrigon, McAuley Catholic

Caleb Phillips, Macks Creek

Justus Yates, Hermitage

 

SECOND TEAM

Liam Cook, Thomas Jefferson

Leland Harris, Jasper

Ethan Howard, SOTO

Braden Honeywell-Lynch, Thomas Jefferson

Aidan Jarman, Dadeville

Carson Little, Greenwood

Will Mollnow, McAuley Catholic

Oliver Mutrux, SOTO

Trae Veer, McAuley Catholic

Jaxon Wheeler, Hermitage

 

HONORABLE MENTION

Aaron Franklin, Stoutland

Joseph Gordon, Humansville

Cody Henderson, Fair Play

Isaac Ingram, Halfway

Michael Kincaid, Stoutland

Mason Phillips, Blue Eye

Ben Smith, Norwood

Isaac Todd, SOTO

Daniel Tomlinson, Dora

Cash Turner, Hermitage