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BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Joplin, Neosho suffer COC setbacks

Posted on by Jason Peake

Boys tennis squads from Joplin and Neosho suffered Central Ozark Conference setbacks on Thursday. 

 

OZARK 8, JOPLIN 1

OZARK, Mo. — Joplin coach Aaron Stump noted his team continues to make positive strides.

“Last year against Ozark, we didn’t win any matches and won a total of 16 games,” Stump said. “This year, we won a match at No. 3 singles and got 42 games on their team. We’re having stronger matches as our season progresses, especially when compared to last year, and I’m proud of the development I’m seeing in our players.”

Joplin’s lone win came at No. 3 singles, where Leif Garrity defeated Nathaniel Bottarel 8-6.

“Leif had an impressive match,” Stump said. “He played long rallies on repeat, keeping the ball in play until he won the point.”

At No. 1 singles, Ozark’s Connor Kitchin defeated Adam Badr 8-5, while Stephen Metcalf topped Josiah Hazlewood 8-1 at No. 2 singles.

At No. 4 singles, Ozark’s Ethan Fast edged Hunter Merkley 8-6.

“Hunter held steady most of his match,” Stump commented. “He played some really good points and kept pace throughout the match.”

At No. 5 singles, Benjamin Romano defeated Joplin’s Roman Venturella 8-5 and Coltyn Boyer beat Chapel Braman 8-3 at No. 6 singles.

In doubles, Kitchin-Metcalf defeated Badr-Hazlewood 8-4, Bottarel-Romano beat Michael Mancipe-Merkley 8-3 and Fast-Boyer edged Garrity-Venturella 9-7.

“Our No. 3 doubles team started off strong, but lost their momentum later in the match,” Stump noted.

Joplin is at the Truman Tournament on Saturday.

 

WILLARD 9, NEOSHO 0

WILLARD, Mo. — Willard swept all six singles matches and all three doubles matches against the Wildcats.

In singles, Willard’s Caden Lingenfelser beat Christian Williams 8-0, Dawson Amstutz topped Willis Jarvis 8-2, Seth Miller beat Reid Snyder 8-3, Gabriel Hernandez defeated Peyton Williams 8-2, Christian Ryan beat Breckin McAffrey 8-3 and Jonathan Lupescu topped Noah Schade 8-0.

In doubles, Amstutz-Miller defeated C. Williams-Schade 8-0, Lingenfelser-Luke Taylor beat Jarvis-McAffrey 8-0 and Lupescu-Ryan edged Snyder-P. Williams 8-6.

Neosho (2-7) hosts Aurora on Monday and Nixa on Tuesday.

BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Thomas Jefferson, Carl Junction earn wins; Joplin, Neosho suffer losses

Posted on by Jason Peake

THOMAS JEFFERSON 9, MOUNT VERNON 0

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. —Thomas Jefferson’s boys tennis team improved to 6-0 this spring by sweeping all three doubles matches and all six singles contests against the Mountaineers on Tuesday.

In doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Tyler Moore-Gabriel Newman 8-2, while Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue beat Malachi Hennum-Austin Robison 8-0 and Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis topped Payton West-Charles Robins 8-3.

In singles, TJ’s Nagarajan beat Moore 8-0, Murali defeated Newman 8-1, Qian topped Hennum 8-2, Goodhue beat Robison 8-0, Li defeated West 8-1 and Curtis edged Robins 9-8 (7-5).

The Cavaliers will host an invite on Friday, with the action beginning at 9 a.m., with singles matches being held at Millennium Family Fitness and doubles being played at the TJ courts.

 

CARL JUNCTION 6, NEOSHO 3

Neosho held a 2-1 advantage after doubles play, but Carl Junction won five of the six singles matches to secure a COC win on Tuesday. 

At No. 1 doubles, Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson-Daniel Hodson edged Christian Williams-Willis Jarvis 9-7.

Neosho’s Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams defeated Jordan Markham-Benjamin Morey 8-6 at No. 2 doubles and Neosho’s Breckin McAffrey-Wes Williams beat William Russell-Jayden Wolf 8-5 at No. 3 doubles.

At No. 1 singles, CJ’s Wilkerson defeated Christian Williams 8-3, while Markham beat Jarvis 8-2 at No. 2 and Hodson topped Snyder 8-3 at No. 3.

Neosho’s Peyton Williams edged Morey 8-6 at No. 4 singles, but the Bulldogs won at No. 5 and No. 6. Russell defeated McAffrey 8-5 and Wolf topped Wes Williams 8-5.

Both teams have COC road matches on Thursday, as Neosho is at Willard and Carl Junction is at Branson.

 

REPUBLIC 9, JOPLIN 0

REPUBLIC, Mo. —The Joplin Eagles suffered a Central Ozark Conference setback to the Republic Tigers on Tuesday.

“As a team, we won three more games this year than in our previous match with Republic,” Eagles coach Aaron Stump said.

In doubles, Republic’s Chase Elder-Gavin Collyott defeated Josiah Hazlewood and Adam Badr 8-4, while Garrett Carpenter and Austin Hardcastle beat Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 8-3.

“Garrett, the top-ranked player for Republic, had a strong net game and was able to poach the ball,” Stump noted.

At No. 3 doubles, Republic’s Caleb Long-Cooper Choate defeated Leif Garrity and Roman Venturella 8-3.

At No. 1 singles, Joplin’s Badr suffered an 8-6 setback to Carpenter.

“Adam started out behind but fought back to 6-4 at one point in the match,” Stump said. “He was playing a good game but overplayed a few key shots, which cost him the match.”

Elder defeated Hazlewood 8-4 at No. 2 singles.

“Last year, Josiah lost to Chase 0-8,” Stump noted. “He played a much more competitive match this year.”

In other singles matches, Republic’s Jonathan Cole beat Garrity 8-4, Collyott topped Chapel Braman 8-2, Long defeated Merkley 8-2 and Cooper Davis defeated Venturella 8-0.

Joplin is at Ozark on Thursday.

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson tops Neosho to remain undefeated

Posted on by Jason Peake

Thomas Jefferson defeated Neosho 8-1 on Monday in a non-conference boys tennis dual at the TJ courts.

Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers improved to 5-0 in dual matches this season with the victory. 

The Cavaliers won two of the three doubles matches.

At No. 1 doubles, TJ’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Neosho’s Christian Williams-Reid Snyder 8-2.

Thomas Jefferson’s Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue defeated Willis Jarvis-Breckin McAffrey 8-0 at No. 2 doubles.

Neosho’s No. 3 doubles team of Peyton Williams and Noah Schade edged TJ’s Sam Li-Nathaniel Curtis 9-8 (7-5).

The Cavaliers won all six singles matches.

Nagarajan beat Christian Williams 8-0, Murali topped Jarvis 8-0, Qian defeated Snyder 8-2, Goodhue beat Peyton Williams 8-1, Li defeated McAffrey 8-3 and Curtis topped Schade 8-4.

Thomas Jefferson is at Mount Vernon on Tuesday. Neosho (2-5) takes on Carl Junction on Tuesday. 

TENNIS ROUNDUP: Joplin, Neosho suffer COC losses; Thomas Jefferson beats Monett

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NIXA 8, JOPLIN 1

Joplin’s boys tennis team suffered a Central Ozark Conference setback to the Nixa Eagles on Thursday at the JHS Athletic Complex.

“Even though we lost the match, the improvement compared to last year is significant,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “We went from winning 10 games total last season to 38 games, including a match win for Leif Garrity at No. 3 singles. With Nixa’s top eight players being seniors, we’re going in the right direction.”

As Stump noted, Joplin’s lone win of the dual came at No. 3 singles, where Garrity defeated Nixa’s James Harris 8-5.

“Leif consistently kept the ball in play and took advantage of short shots from his opponent to close out points,” Stump said. 

At No. 1 singles, Nixa’s Carson Palmer edged Joplin’s Adam Badr 8-6.

“Adam started off strong, but was outplayed in a few key points,” Stump said. 

In other singles matches, Nixa’s Mason Murray defeated Josiah Hazlewood 8-4, Liam Dalton beat Chapel Braman 8-1, Tyler Upton-Rowley topped Hunter Merkley 8-2 and Tyler Neal edged Roman Venturella 8-6.

“Roman played a great match,” Stump commented. “When he kept the ball deep in play, he was winning games.”

At No. 1 doubles, Palmer-Murray defeated Badr-Hazlewood 8-4, while Harris-Dalton beat Michael Mancipe-Merkley 8-2 and Upton-Rowley-Neal defeated Garrity-Venturella 8-5.

“We changed up our No. 3 doubles team for this match,” Stump noted. “This duo communicated well and played quite a few good points.”

Joplin will compete in Branson on Friday.

 

OZARK 8, NEOSHO 1

NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats suffered a COC loss to the Ozark Tigers on Thursday.

Neosho’s lone win of the match came at No. 4 singles, where Peyton Williams defeated Ben Romano 8-6.

In other singles matches, Ozark’s Connor Kitchin beat Christian Williams 8-4, Stephen Metcalf topped Willis Jarvis 8-1, Ethan Fast edged Reid Snyder 8-6, Coltyn Boyer handled Breckin McAffrey 8-1 and Luke Morris edged Wes Williams 8-6.

In doubles, Neosho’s Christian Williams and Peyton Williams suffered an 8-0 loss to Kitchin-Metcalf, Jarvis-McAffrey fell short, 8-6, to Fast-Boyer and Snyder-Noah Schade lost 8-3 to Romano-Nicholas Psarev 8-3.

Neosho is at Thomas Jefferson on Monday.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON 6, MONETT 3

MONETT, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers improved to 4-0 by beating Monett on Thursday.

The Cavaliers won all three doubles matches.

Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Tyler Brouhard beat Ethan Kutz-Heisman Welch 8-4, while Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue defeated Elijah Ridenour-Logan Kutz 8-5 and Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis topped Caden Szydloski-Riley Dierker 8-4.

In singles, TJ’s Nagarajan beat Ethan Kutz 8-4, Qian edged Welch 9-7 and Goodhue defeated Logan Kutz 8-3.

Monett’s Ridenour earned the win over Brouhard by default.

Szydloski defeated Li 8-4 and Dierker edged Curtis 8-6.

Thomas Jefferson hosts Neosho at 4:30 on Monday.

BOYS TENNIS: Joplin edges Neosho in COC action

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — Rallying after dropping two of three doubles matches, Joplin’s boys tennis team earned a 5-4 win over Neosho on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference action. 

“Our doubles matches were close,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “We were up in all three but fell behind late. The guys regrouped going into singles competition to fight back and win the match with their consistent play. It’s a great start for our season to begin conference matchups with a win this year.”

The Wildcats won two of three doubles matches to start the dual.

Neosho’s Christian Williams and Reid Snyder edged Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood 9-8 (8-6) and Willis Jarvis and Peyton Williams nipped Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 9-7.

Joplin’s duo of Leif Garrity-Chapel Braman defeated Breckin McAffrey-Wes Williams 8-5.

The Eagles won four of the six singles matches.

Badr defeated Christian Williams 8-1, Garrity beat Snyder 8-4, Merkley topped McAffrey 8-5 and Roman Venturella defeated Wes Williams 8-3.

“Adam’s singles play demonstrates how much he’s developed since last season,” Stump said. “Lief showed grit, coming from behind to clinch the dual with his singles match win. Hunter hit his serves in pretty well today and had good rallies in his match.”

Neosho’s Jarvis beat Hazlewood 8-6 and Peyton Williams edged Braman 8-6.

Joplin (1-1) hosts Nixa on Thursday. 

Neosho (2-3) takes on Ozark on Thursday.

BOYS TENNIS: Neosho suffers loss to Mount Vernon

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys tennis team suffered a 7-2 loss to Mount Vernon on Thursday.

The Wildcats are now 2-2 on the season.

Neosho’s Christian Williams and Peyton Williams defeated Tyler Moore and Gabriel Newman 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.

Mount Vernon’s Malachi Hennum-Austin Robison beat Willis Jarvis-Reid Snyder 8-4 at No. 2 doubles, while Payton West-Charles Robins edged Neosho’s Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade 9-7 at No. 3 doubles.

In singles, Neosho’s lone win came at No. 4, as Peyton Williams defeated Robison 9-8 (7-3).

In other singles matches, Mount Vernon’s Moore defeated Christian Williams 8-6, Newman beat Jarvis 8-5, Hennum edged Snyder 8-6, West topped McAffrey 8-5 and Robins beat Schade 8-3.

Neosho hosts Joplin on Tuesday.

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson tops Carl Junction

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Thomas Jefferson Independent School boys tennis team defeated Carl Junction 8-1 on Wednesday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

The Cavaliers are now 2-0 this season after earning a dual victory for the second straight night. 

Thomas Jefferson won five of the six singles matches.

At No. 1 singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan defeated Blaine Wilkerson 8-2, while Devan Murali beat Jordan Markham 8-0 at No. 2.

At No. 3 singles, Chengle Qian defeated CJ’s Daniel Hodson 8-1 and TJ’s Jack Goodhue beat Ben Morey 8-2 at No. 4.

Carl Junction’s William Russell edged TJ’s Sam Li 9-7 at No. 5 singles for the Bulldogs’ lone win of the dual. 

At No. 6, Thomas Jefferson’s Nathaniel Curtis beat Jayden Wolf 8-3.

The Cavaliers swept all three doubles matches.

TJ’s Nagarajan-Qian defeated Wilkerson-Markham 8-2, while Murali-Goodhue beat Hodson-Russell 8-2 and Li-Curtis topped Morey-Wolf 8-4.

Thomas Jefferson (2-0) hosts Carthage at 4:30 on Monday.

Carl Junction (0-1) will host Carthage on Tuesday.

BOYS TENNIS: Neosho suffers setback to Monett

Posted on by Jason Peake

MONETT, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys tennis team suffered an 8-1 loss to Monett on Tuesday. 

The Cubs swept all three doubles matches.

At No. 1 doubles, Monett’s Ethan Kutz-Heisman Welch defeated Christian Williams-Willis Jarvis 8-4. Elijah Ridenour-Logan Kutz edged Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams 8-6 at No. 2 doubles and Caden Szydloski-Riley Dierker nipped Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.

Neosho’s Schade defeated Dierker 8-6 at No. 6 singles.

In other singles matches, Monett’s Ethan Kutz defeated Christian Williams 8-0, Welch beat Jarvis 8-1, Ridenour topped Snyder 8-5, Logan Kutz defeated Peyton Williams 8-2 and Szydloski beat McAffrey 8-1.

Neosho (2-1) hosts Mount Vernon on Thursday. 

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson tops Joplin in ’23 opener

Posted on by Jason Peake

In the 2023 opener for both schools, Thomas Jefferson defeated Joplin 9-0 on Tuesday in a boys tennis dual at the JHS courts. 

Despite the loss, Joplin coach Aaron Stump said he saw several positives from his squad.

“Our young group showed quite a bit of improvement compared to last year’s matchup against Thomas Jefferson,” Stump said. “In last year’s dual, we won a total of eight games in the match. We almost doubled that count year with 15 games won. We had three first-year players step up to play varsity today (Leif Garrity, Roman Venturella, and Oscar Kienzle), and these guys have shown a lot of potential. I’m excited to see where they’ll be once they gain a little more match experience.” 

Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan hits a forehand during No. 1 doubles play against Joplin on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.

At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali defeated Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood 8-0.

“Our No. 1 doubles team just started playing tennis last year, and they played some good points in today’s match,” Stump said.

At No. 2 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue defeated Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Roman Venturella 8-1.

“Roman filled in for senior Hunter Merkley during today’s match, so he and Michael hadn’t played together before today,” Stump noted.

Thomas Jefferson’s duo of Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis edged Leif Garrity and Chapel Braman 8-6 in the No. 3 doubles match.

“This new doubles team started out behind but was able to keep pace after the first few games,” Stump said. 

At No. 1 singles, Thomas Jefferson’s Nagarajan beat Badr 8-0. Nagarajan is a returning state qualifier for Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers.

Murali defeated Hazlewood 8-0 at No. 2 singles before Qian beat Garrity 8-3 at No. 3 singles and Goodhue topped Braman 8-1 at No. 4 singles.

“Josiah, Leif and Chapel all moved up in rank to fill in for Michael Mancipe, who is our No. 2 singles player,” Stump noted.

TJ’s Li defeated Venturella 8-0 at No. 5 singles and Curtis topped Oscar Kienzle 8-4 at No. 6 singles.

Stump noted both Venturella and Kienzle played up in rank due to Merkley’s absence. 

Thomas Jefferson takes on Carl Junction at 4:30 on Wednesday at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

Joplin is at Neosho next Tuesday.

 

Joplin’s Adam Badr is pictured during Tuesday’s match with Thomas Jefferson. The Cavaliers defeated the Eagles 9-0 in the opener of the 2023 season. Photos by Israel Perez.

 

Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood attempts to return a serve during his match against Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday at the JHS courts. The Cavaliers beat the Eagles 9-0.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Devan Murali lunges for a backhand during Tuesday’s match with Joplin at the JHS courts. All photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.

BOYS TENNIS: Neosho begins ’23 season with two victories

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Neosho High School boys tennis team earned a pair of victories on Monday at the Perry Courts.

Neosho defeated Parkview 6-3 and Hillcrest 5-0.

In the match with Parkview, the Wildcats won five singles matches and one doubles contest.

At No. 1 singles, Parkview’s Iosif Musiyenko defeated Christian Williams 8-6.

Neosho’s Willis Jarvis defeated Ralph Johnson 8-2, Reid Snyder beat Joseph Woods 8-6, Peyton Williams topped Gavin Stevenson-Compton 8-2, Breckin McAffrey edged Christopher Rubio 8-6 and Noah Schade defeated Kirven Moon 9-7.

In doubles, Parkview’s Musieynko-Rubio edged Williams-Williams 9-7, while Johnson-Moon defeated Jarvis-Snyder 8-3.

At No. 3 doubles, Neosho’s McAffrey-Schade defeated Woods-Stevenson-Compton 9-7.

The dual with Hillcrest ended after the Wildcats reached five wins due to the fact the Hornets forfeited at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles.

In doubles, Neosho’s Christian Williams-Willis Jarvis defeated Ting Juan and Luke Collier 8-1, while Snyder and Peyton Williams beat Eli Birman and Parker Elkin 8-1.

In singles, Neosho’s McAffrey defeated Chris Meyer 8-0.

Neosho (2-0) is at Monett on Tuesday.

BOYS TENNIS: Numbers, enthusiasm on the rise for Joplin

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Joplin High School boys tennis team’s roster has doubled overall in total numbers, and they return five players with varsity experience from last season in sophomore Adam Badr, junior Chapel Braman, sophomore Josiah Hazlewood, senior Michael Mancipe and senior Hunter Markley.

“Our primary goals for the season are to continue to develop players and improve our record from last year,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “Our strength is in the improved athleticism and mindset of the team. We have clear leaders and guys who will make the season exciting. Our weakness is in experience. Of the 27 players on our roster, we have only three seniors. The majority of our group is either a freshman or a sophomore. A continued growth mindset, where the players reflect on matches and work on to improve in areas of weakness, will help us be more successful this year.”

Joplin finished 2-9 overall and 2-7 in the Central Ozark Conference last season, and the Eagles’ season ended with a 5-0 loss against Lee’s Summit West in Class 3 District 6.

The Eagles are 4-19 overall their past two seasons since they were 18-5 and fourth place in Class 2 in 2019 and 21-1 and district champions in 2018.

Joplin won district titles in five seasons, three straight from 2012-14 and back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.

“The atmosphere has improved significantly,” Stump said. “The energy and excitement remind me of the team we had in 2016-17, which developed into conference champions in subsequent school years.

“Adam Badr has taken on the role of captain and frequently works to develop newer players. We have quite a few guys to watch for this season. We’ve had some surprises in our challenge matches already, and I anticipate a few more before our season begins. With this many new players all developing skills, improved serves or groundstrokes can change the outcome of many of our challenge matches.”

Freshman Nicolas Brady, senior Jaxson Cloud, sophomore Leif Garrity, sophomore Jordan Goins, freshman Gavin Goodman, sophomore Parker Hinman, sophomore Connor Intessimone, sophomore Samuel Ipock, sophomore Griffan Keller, sophomore Oscar Kienzle, sophomore Elijah Knight, freshman Grady Obermiller, freshman Dylan Rodriguez, sophomore Cade Sinclair, sophomore Gideon Speer, sophomore Roman Venturella, sophomore Jaydon Walton, freshman Landon White, freshman Zekir Ajruloski, freshman Kye Adams, freshman Cooper Burrow and freshman Fletcher Ledford complete Joplin’s 27-player roster.

The Eagles open their season March 28 against Thomas Jefferson, they have duals at home against Nixa (April 6), Willard (April 20), and Carl Junction (May 2) and on the road against Neosho (April 4), Republic (April 11), Ozark (April 13), Webb City (April 25), and Branson (April 27) before competition in conference, district, and possibly state.

Joplin also plays in the Branson Doubles Classic (April 7) and the Truman Tournament (April 15) and hosts the Joplin Invitational (April 21). Neosho hosts the conference tournament May 3 at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

BOYS TENNIS: Neosho features several returners, newcomers for ‘23 season

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Neosho High School boys tennis team returns seven players from last season’s squad that finished 0-13 overall and 0-9 in Central Ozark Conference competition.

Neosho won only 10 matches in their 13 duals last season and the Wildcats’ season ended on a 5-0 loss to West Plains in the Class 2 District 6 tournament.

The Wildcats’ returning players are Christian Williams, Peyton Williams, Noah Schade, Wes Williams, Omar Lemus, Wes McKay and Aidan Long.

“We would like to pick up some victories,” Neosho coach Nick Hays said. “For this season, we have a lot of depth and experience. We did not graduate many players, so hopefully this will help in our efforts this year. I believe if we play with some confidence, then that should help us build our skills to have some more success this season.

“We have added some good, new players that will be contributing on varsity. This will be exciting to see if this will lead to some out of conference victories and some in conference as well.”

Hays said the new varsity contributors this season will be senior Willis Jarvis, junior Breckin McAffrey and junior Reid Snyder. Jarvis and Snyder are slated for the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup.

The Wildcats will build around one of their three Williams on the team.

“Christian Williams was our No. 1 last year and is again this year,” Hays said. “He has done a great job with helping other players get better in the offseason and being a role model during the season in terms of effort and attitude.”

Neosho opens the season March 27 against Parkview and Hillcrest, and the Wildcats’ schedule features away duals against Monett (March 28), Thomas Jefferson (April 10), Carl Junction (April 11), Willard (April 13), Carthage (April 25), and Republic (April 27) and home against Mount Vernon (March 30), Joplin (April 4), Ozark (April 6), Aurora (April 17), Nixa (April 18), Branson (April 20), and Webb City (May 2).

The Wildcats also have the Republic Invitational (April 28) and they are the host school for the conference tournament played May 3 at the Joplin Athletic Complex.

BOYS TENNIS: Carl Junction sees roster triple for new head coach

Posted on by Jason Peake

The numbers are definitely up for the Carl Junction boys tennis program and first-year head coach Craig Fox heading into the 2023 season.

The Bulldogs have tripled their roster size from last season.

“We went from eight players with no seniors or freshmen to 24 players this year, so there is a lot of excitement for the season,” Fox said. “Most have never played tennis before, so it will be a season of learning, but we are looking forward to improving our tennis skills and building toward the future.”

The Bulldogs’ returning players are juniors Blaine Wilkerson, Dan Hodson, Jayden Wolf, Sam Cory and Mayan Gandhi and seniors Ben Morey, Will Russell and Cameron Ball, while their newcomers are senior Keaton Amos, freshman Cameron Anderson, junior Luke Battagler, freshman Seth Brown, freshman Ethan Conklin, senior Brock Feken, freshman Joshua Frakes, sophomore Jake Garrett, senior Ethan Hughes, junior Jack Lawson, senior Jordan Markham, senior Elliott Parker, freshman Daniel Rice, freshman Alexz Schneickert, senior Rowan Stamper and freshman Hayden Wilkerson.

“Our strength will be in numbers and growing our program from the ground up,” Fox said. “It will take time, but the future looks bright for the Carl Junction boys tennis program. Blaine Wilkerson, Dan Hodson, Ben Morey and Jordan Markham have been having a strong preseason so hopefully that will translate to a solid start to our regular season. We also have a couple freshmen that show great potential.

“Lack of experience is certainly a concern. Those who are returning are also young tennis players but have a lot of skill and show great leadership. We will struggle through growing pains but will be better for it. Through perseverance, we will be much stronger as the season progresses.”

Not only do some of the younger players have the chance to crack the varsity lineup, but so do some of the upperclassmen.

“The other boys who played last year, Will Russell, Jayden Wolf, Cameron Ball, Sam Cory and Mayan Gandhi have an opportunity to play varsity this year so it will be exciting to see who steps up and grabs those positions,” Fox said. “Their experience will certainly help them in our preseason competitions.”

The Bulldogs finished 2-10 overall in dual competition the past two seasons and last season ended on a 5-0 loss against Webb City in Class 2 District 7 competition.

Carl Junction, who practice and play home matches at the Joplin Athletic Complex, opens the new season March 29 against Thomas Jefferson.
The Bulldogs’ other home duals are Carthage (April 4), Willard (April 6), Neosho (April 11), Republic (April 20), and Ozark (April 25), while the Bulldogs play on the road against Clever (April 10), Branson (April 13), Webb City (April 18), Nixa (April 27), and then Joplin (May 2) to close out the regular season.

Conference, districts (both team and individual), and possibly state competition begin in early May following the dual against Joplin.

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson takes third at Joplin invite, host Eagles finish fifth

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers finished third and the host Eagles were fifth at the Joplin Invitational boys tennis tournament on Friday at the JHS athletic complex.

Branson went 5-0 in duals to claim the invite championship, while Willard went 4-1 to take second. Thomas Jefferson went 3-2, Glendale finished 1-3-1, Joplin went 0-3-2 and Clever finished 0-4-1.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON RESULTS

Willard defeated Thomas Jefferson 3-1. 

At No. 1 singles, Caden Lingenfelser defeated Prithvi Nagarajan 6-1, while Alex Crawford beat Lala Chengle 6-2 at No. 2 singles.

At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding and Tyler Brouhard defeated Dawson Amstutz-Brigham Thedell 6-1. At No. 2 doubles, Willard’s Seth Miller-Parker Solum edged TJ’s Devan Murali-Jack Goodhue 7-6 (7-3 tie-breaker). 

Branson defeated Thomas Jefferson 3-1. 

In singles, Branson’s Nate Bartram defeated Nagarajan 7-6 (7-2) and Hayes Stark topped Chengle 6-3.

Ding-Brouhard defeated Garrett Beckham-Jacob Decker 6-2 at No. 1 doubles, while Branson’s Wyatt Carlson-Josh Bartram defeated Murali-Goodhue 6-4 at No. 2 doubles. 

Thomas Jefferson defeated Glendale 4-0.

In singles, Nagarajan beat Eli Hancock 6-1 and Chengle topped Tommaso Nobis 6-0.

Ding-Brouhard defeated Carson Johnson-Jack Barnes 6-0 and Murali-Goodhue beat Eli Thomas-Colin Harris 6-0.

The Cavaliers defeated Joplin 4-0. 

In singles, Nagarajan defeated Aidan Kester 6-0 and Chengle beat Chapel Braman 6-1.

Ding-Brouhard beat Adam Badr-Josiah Hazlewood 6-1 and Murali-Goodhue defeated Michael Mancipe-Hunter Merkley 6-1.

The Cavaliers defeated Clever 4-0.

In singles, Nagarajan defeated Cole Waisner and Chengle beat Jase Whiles. In doubles, Ding-Brouhard beat Dylan Dodds-Anthony Dodds and Murali-Goodhue defeated Cade Clements-Kaden Smith.

 

JOPLIN RESULTS

The Eagles tied Clever 2-2.

Clever’s Waisner and Whiles earned 6-0 wins over Kester and Braman in singles. 

The Eagles won the doubles matches, as Badr-Hazlewood beat Dodds-Dodds 6-0 and Mancipe-Merkley defeated Clements-Smith 6-1.

Joplin tied Glendale 2-2. 

The Falcons won singles matches, while the Eagles won both doubles matches. 

Joplin suffered 4-0 losses to both Branson and Willard. 

Against the Pirates, the Eagles dropped the singles matches and the No. 1 doubles match by 6-0 scores. The Pirates beat the Eagles 6-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Willard won the singles matches against Joplin 6-0 and 6-1, respectively. The Tigers beat the Eagles 6-3 at No. 1 doubles and 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. 

In what turned out to be the de facto championship dual, Branson defeated Willard 3-1. 

 

BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson remains undefeated with win over Joplin

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Eight matches. Eight clean sweeps.

That’s how the Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers have begun the 2022 spring tennis season.

Thomas Jefferson kept its record unblemished with a 9-0 win over Joplin on Monday at the TJ courts.

Last year’s Class 2 runner-up, Thomas Jefferson has not dropped a singles or doubles match in any of the eight dual victories. 

“The start to the season has been fantastic,” Cavaliers coach Tom Brumfield said. “You can’t do much better than what we’ve been doing, so it’s been great. Our lineup is solid from top to bottom. I’m very pleased with the whole group right now. At the start of the year I thought we’d be all right. But the younger guys have really done a great job. They’ve vastly improved.”

Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding hits a forehand winner against Joplin during Monday’s contest at the TJ courts. Ding and the Cavaliers won the match 9-0 to stay undefeated. All photos by Jason Peake.

The Cavaliers swept all three doubles matches to start the dual.

At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding and Tyler Brouhard defeated Adam Badr and Josiah Hazlewood 8-0, while Prithvi Nagarajan and Lala Qian beat Joplin’s Michael Mancipe and Hunter Merkley 8-1 at No. 2 doubles. 

TJ’s Hari Nagarajan and Jack Goodhue defeated Aidan Kester and Chapel Braman 8-3 in the No. 3 doubles match.

At No. 1 singles, Ding defeated Badr 8-2, while Prithvi Nagarajan defeated Mancipe 8-0 at No. 2 singles and Brouhard won the No. 3 singles match 8-2 over Hazlewood. 

Joplin’s Adam Badr lines up a backhand during No. 1 singles play against Thomas Jefferson.

In other singles matches, Qian defeated Merkley 8-0, Hari Nagarajan beat Kester 8-0 and Goodhue topped Braman 8-0.

 “We were short our No. 1 player again today, Joseph Graham, but we hope to have him return to competition soon,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “Everyone on the team played up a rank, which made for a difficult matchup against Thomas Jefferson.

“Ian Ding is a great player, and I was impressed to see Adam get two games on him in singles today,” Stump added. “Josiah was able to recognize errors in his play and adapt to win two games in his singles match, as well. Our No. 3 doubles team of Aidan Kester and Chapel Braman won the most games for our varsity team, earning three games in their doubles match.”

Joplin (0-5) hosts Ozark on Tuesday, while Thomas Jefferson meets Greenwood in Springfield on Thursday. The Cavaliers will be among the teams competing at Joplin’s invite on Friday.

“We’re going to see some tough teams coming up,” Brumfield said. “It will be interesting to see how we compare to them.” 

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Brouhard lunges for a volley at the net during No. 1 doubles play against Joplin.

 

Joplin’s Josiah Hazlewood serves against Thomas Jefferson during the No. 1 doubles match on Monday.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan lines up a forehand during Monday’s match against Joplin.

 

Thomas Jefferson defeated Joplin 9-0 in a boys tennis dual on Monday at the TJ courts. The Cavaliers are now 8-0 in dual matches. All photos by Jason Peake/SoMo Sports.

 

Joplin’s Adam Badr serves during the No. 1 singles match against Thomas Jefferson on Monday.

 

Thomas Jefferson southpaw Ian Ding smacks a forehand winner during the No. 1 singles match against Joplin on Monday.

 

BOYS TENNIS ROUNDUP: Joplin falls to Carthage; Thomas Jefferson remains undefeated; Carl Junction tops Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE 9, JOPLIN 0

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The host Carthage Tigers earned a clean sweep over the Joplin Eagles in a Central Ozark Conference boys tennis dual on Tuesday at CHS.

“We had some close matches this afternoon against Carthage, particularly in singles,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “Joseph Graham and Adam Badr lost close games after reaching deuce. Hunter Merkley had a strong showing, starting out even with his opponent before falling behind late in the match. Wind played a big factor in the matches, with gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.”

At No. 1 doubles, Carthage’s Charles Snow and Silas Laytham defeated Joplin’s Graham and Badr 8-3.

Carthage’s Danilo Lopez-Gramajo and William Wallace beat Michael Mancipe and Merkley 8-3 at No. 2 doubles.

At No. 3 doubles, Carthage’s Rolman Paxtor-Elias and Eli Scott defeated Josiah Hazlewood and Aidan Kester 8-1.

In singles, Snow defeated Graham 8-5 at No. 1 and Laytham edged Badr 9-7 at No. 2.

Lopez-Gramajo beat Mancipe 8-2, Tyler Howard defeated Hazlewood 8-3, Wallace beat Merkley 8-4 and Paxtor-Elias topped Kester 8-2.

Joplin is scheduled to compete at the Springfield Invitational on Wednesday. 

Carthage is at Republic on Thursday. 

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON 9, MOUNT VERNON 0

The Cavaliers improved to 6-0 this season with yet another clean sweep, this one coming against the visiting Mountaineers.

In singles matches played at the TJ courts, Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding beat Curtis Meyer 8-0, Prithvi Nagarajan defeated Alvin Reid 8-2, Tyler Brouhard topped Isaac Burks 8-0, Lala Qian beat Tyler Moore 8-3, Hari Nagarajan defeated Gabriel Newman 8-0 and Devan Murali knocked off Ben McKay 8-1.

In doubles, Ding-Brouhard beat Meyer-Reid 8-0, P. Nagarajan-Qian defeated Burks-Newman 8-0 and H. Nagarajan-Murali topped Moore-McKay 8-1.

The Cavaliers will host Clever on Thursday. 

 

CARL JUNCTION 7, NEOSHO 2

The Bulldogs won two of three doubles matches and all but one of the singles matches against the Wildcats on Tuesday in a Central Ozark Conference clash.

Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson and Dan Hodson defeated Christian Williams and Chandler Weber 8-2 at No. 1 doubles, while Cameron Ball and Jayden Wolf edged Wesley Williams and Aryan Arora 8-6 at No. 3.

At No. 2 doubles, Neosho’s Peyton Williams and Jacob Leibham beat Benjamin Morey and William Russell 8-4.

The Bulldogs won five of the six singles matches.

Wilkerson defeated Christian Williams 8-2, Hodson beat Weber 8-2, Morey topped Peyton Williams 8-4, Russell defeated Leibham 8-2 and Wolf beat Arora 8-1. Neosho’s Wesley Williams defeated Ball 9-7.

Carl Junction is at the Springfield Invitational on Wednesday, while Neosho is at Ozark on Thursday. 

 

The Joplin Eagles competed at Carthage High School on Tuesday. The Tigers defeated the Eagles 9-0. Joplin’s Joseph Graham is pictured. Courtesy photo.

BOYS TENNIS: Wildcats fall to Mountaineers

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Neosho’s boys tennis team suffered a 7-2 loss to Mount Vernon on Wednesday.

Neosho’s wins came in singles play.

Neosho’s Christian Williams defeated Curtis Meyer 9-7 at No. 1 singles and teammate Chandler Weber beat Isaac Burks 8-3 at No. 3.

At No. 2 singles, Mount Vernon’s Alvin Reid beat Ryno Lee 8-3, while Tyler Moore defeated Peyton Williams 8-4 at No. 4.

Mount Vernon’s Gabriel Newman topped Jacob Leibham 8-2 at No. 5 singles and Benjamin McKay defeated Wesley Williams 8-6.

In doubles, Meyer-Moore beat C. Williams-Weber 8-3, Burks-Newman defeated Lee-P. Williams 8-2 and McKay-Austin Robison edged Leibham-W. Williams 8-6.

Neosho (0-3) hosts Willard on Thursday. 

STATE TENNIS: TJ’s Ding advances to semifinals; Cavaliers, Cardinals advance to Friday

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s Ian Ding advanced to the semifinals of the singles bracket at the MSHSAA Class 2 state boys tennis tournament on Thursday at the Cooper Tennis Complex.

Ding was one of five local athletes competing, with three players from Thomas Jefferson Independent and two from Webb City.

All of the local entries survived and advanced the double elimination format on Thursday and will compete again on Friday. 

Thomas Jefferson junior Ian Ding hits a forehand winner during his singles match against Branson’s Gavin Brown at the Class 2 state tennis tournament on Thursday in Springfield. Photo by Jason Peake.

THOMAS JEFFERSON RESULTS

Thomas Jefferson’s Noah Hamlett serves with teammate Tyler Brouhard near the net on Thursday at the Class 2 state tennis tournament at Cooper Tennis Complex.

In the Class 2 singles bracket, Ding went 2-0 and advanced to Friday’s semifinals. 

In the first round, Ding defeated Parkway Central’s Ayush Negi 6-1, 6-1. In the quarterfinals, Ding beat Branson’s Gavin Brown 6-2, 6-0.

A junior, Ding will meet Ladue’s Max Chen in Friday’s semifinal round. 

The other semifinal features Priory’s Preston Achter against Ladue’s Amit Kadan.  

In doubles action, Thomas Jefferson’s team of Noah Hamlett and Tyler Brouhard went 2-1.

In the first round, the Cavaliers suffered a 6-1, 6-0 loss to Priory’s Sean Finnie and Christian Djavaherian.

Hamlett and Brouhard bounced back by beating St. Pius X’s Paul Borrego and Blake Dobey 6-1, 6-2.

In the consolation quarterfinals, in a win or go home situation, Hamlett-Brouhard beat Helias Catholic’s Justin Francka and Andrew Dowden 6-3, 6-2.

Hamlett and Brouhard will take on Grain Valley’s Carter Compton-Kade Compton on Friday morning in the consolation semifinals.

 

 

WEBB CITY RESULTS

Webb City’s doubles team of Trenton Hayes and Cale Stephens went 2-1 and will return to compete again on Friday. 

In the opening round, Kearney’s Kolby Smothers-Grant Woltkamp defeated Hayes-Stephens 6-2, 7-6.

The Cardinals’ senior duo stayed alive in the bracket by earning a 6-0, 6-0 win over Farmington’s Colton Woody and Maddox Waller-Brenneke in consolation action.

In the do-or-die consolation quarterfinals, Hayes-Stephens edged Smith-Cotton’s Andrew Matz-Michael Cho 6-4, 7-5.

The Cardinals will meet Ladue’s Mason Chyu-Weston Williams in Friday’s consolation semifinals. 

The championship semifinals of the doubles bracket will feature Priory’s Finne-Djavaherian vs. Ladue’s Brian Tokarczyk-David Ju and Priory’s Peter Khoukaz-John Newell vs. Kearney’s Smothers-Woltkamp.

 

Webb City’s Trenton Hayes hits a volley at the net during a doubles match against Kearney at the Class 2 state tennis tournament. Photo by Jason Peake.

Webb City senior Cale Stephens hits a backhand volley against Kearney on Thursday at the Class 2 state tennis tournament. Photo by Jason Peake.

PREP TENNIS: Webb City duo wins doubles crown at COC tourney

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Joplin High School played host to the Central Ozark Conference boys tennis tournament on Wednesday. 

In the main local highlight, Webb City’s Trenton Hayes and Cale Stephens won the No. 1 doubles crown. 

Below is a look at each bracket of singles and doubles. No team scores are kept at the conference tourney. 

Webb City’s Trenton Hayes lunges for a forehand during the championship match of the No. 1 doubles bracket at Wednesday’s COC tournament at Joplin High School. Photo by Jason Peake.

 

NO. 1 DOUBLES

Webb City’s Hayes and Stephens defeated Carthage’s Charlie Snow and Ryan Phillips 8-2 and then beat Branson’s Caleb Buxton-Benjamin Stark 8-4 in the semifinals. 

In the bracket’s title match, Hayes-Stephens beat Nixa’s Isaac Forbis-Benjamin Mills 8-2.

Willard’s Luke Christensen and Brayden Roth beat Branson 8-2 for third and Ozark’s duo of Orion Lewis-Major Cardin defeated Carthage’s Snow-Phillips 6-3 for fifth place.

Joplin’s Logan Merkley-Jeffrey Evenson lost to Branson 8-0 in the first round and then suffered a 6-2 setback to Carthage.

Carl Junction’s Connor Sztamenits-Easton Sztamenits lost to Carthage 8-2, while Neosho’s Christian Williams-Melvin Lopez lost to Ozark 8-3.

 

Webb City’s Cale Stephens hits a forehand winner against Nixa during the championship match of the No. 1 doubles bracket of the COC tourney. Photo by Jason Peake.

NO. 2 DOUBLES

Branson’s Garrett Beckham and Jacob Decker defeated Willard’s Austin Long-Seth Miller 8-3 in the championship match.

Nixa beat Ozark 8-5 for third place, while Republic’s Garrett Carpenter and Markus Mitchell defeated Carl Junction’s Josecito Figueroa-Jordan Markham 6-4 for fifth.

Webb City’s Caiden Johnson-Tyler Wade lost to Republic 8-5 in the play-in match, while Carthage’s Silas Laytham-Danilo Lopez lost to Carl Junction 8-2.

Joplin’s Ben Wardlow-Colin Vermillion lost to Nixa 8-2 and then suffered a 6-2 setback to Republic. 

Neosho’s Blaze McKay and Caden Kelly lost to Ozark 8-1 and then dropped a 6-2 decision to Carl Junction.

 

NO. 1 SINGLES

Willard’s Caden Lingenfelser defeated Branson’s Gavin Brown 8-4 for the No. 1 singles crown. 

Ozark’s Gavin Reese defeated Carl Junction’s Blaine Wilkerson 6-0 for third place, while Carthage’s Silas Smith won the fifth-place match 6-3 over Nixa’s Dallin Attwooll.

In other local results from the No. 1 singles bracket, Webb City’s Jackson Dill defeated Neosho’s Ryno Lee 8-3, Nixa’s Attwooll beat Joplin’s Joshua Yarnall 8-3 and Carl Junction’s Wilkerson defeated Carthage’s Smith 8-3. 

Dill lost to Lingenfelser 8-0 and Carthage’s Smith edged Dill 7-5.

 

NO. 2 SINGLES 

In the title match at No. 2 singles, Branson’s Nathan Bartram defeated Willard’s Alex Crawford 8-4. 

Nixa’s Mason Murray edged Republic’s Scott Parker 7-6 (7-5) for third place, while Webb City’s Drake Miller defeated Carthage’s Colby Tandy 6-2 for fifth.

In other local results, Joplin’s Michael Mancipe defeated Neosho’s Brandt Gonzales 8-1, Webb City’s Miller topped Carl Junction’s Dan Hodson 8-1, Nixa’s Murray beat Tandy 9-7, Willard’s Crawford topped Miller 8-0, Tandy beat Mancipe 7-5 and Miller topped Ozark’s Nathaniel Bottarel 6-1.

 

 

PREP TENNIS: Webb City tops Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Webb City earned a 9-0 win over Neosho on Tuesday in boys tennis action at Millennium Family Fitness.

In doubles action, Webb City’s Trenton Hayes and Cale Stephens defeated Kuhio Sohl and Landon Austin 8-0, while Jackson Dill-Drake Miller beat Christian Williams-Melvin Lopez 8-1 and Caiden Johnson-Tyler Wade topped Ryno Lee-Blaze McKay 8-0.

Neosho coach Nick Hays told SoMo Sports that the singles matches were shortened due to the threat of bad weather.

Webb City’s Hayes beat Sohl 6-1 at No. 1 singles, while Stephens defeated Austin 6-0 at No. 2.

In other singles matches, Dill beat Williams 6-3, Miller topped Lopez 6-1, Johnson defeated Lee 6-0 and Wade beat McKay 6-0. 

Neosho hosts Nixa on Thursday, while Webb City is scheduled to compete at Wednesday’s Monett Invitational.

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