ANDERSON, Mo. — Farmington (Arkansas) started fast and never looked back in an 80-34 lopsided win over Carl Junction in the opening round of the Lady Mustang Classic hosted by McDonald County on Monday.
The returning Class 4A state champion Cardinals got hot from 3-point land early and used their prowess from range as the catalyst in the win over the Bulldogs.
Farmington sank six 3-pointers in the first quarter, including three triples from Reese Shirey and two from Hannah Moss, and finished the opening stanza on a 10-0 run to take a 28-13 lead into the second period.
Farmington limited CJ to four points in the second quarter, with the Cardinals closing the first half on a 20-0 run to push the advantage to 50-17.
Opening the second half, Farmington started with three straight makes from the perimeter—two from Moss and one from Zoey Bershers—to make the score 59-17, kicking off its cruise of the second half.
Shirey led Farmington with 13 points, while Moss had 12. Kaycee McCumber finished with 10 and Marin Adams had nine.
Kylie Scott, an Oral Roberts signee, led Carl Junction in scoring with 16 points, while DeShaye Buerge closed with seven.
Farmington takes on Springdale (Arkansas) in the second round at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, while Carl Junction battles Webb City at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in consolation play.
Recording eight wins by fall, Carl Junction defeated Joplin 51-30 in a boys wrestling dual on Thursday night inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
At 106 pounds, Joplin’s Lucas Allen won by forfeit.
Joplin’s Gabriel Kabutha won by fall over CJ’s Jayden Kean at 113.
The Bulldogs won three straight matches by pinfall, as Carter Fogleson pinned Chance Blobaum at 120, Drake Richardson won by fall over Dylan Houston at 126 and Max Matthews pinned Andrew Burke at 132.
Joplin’s Freddy Cerrato-Martinez won by fall over Cole Beezley at 138.
Carl Junction reeled off six wins in a row.
Carl Junction’s Brenden Berry won by fall over Toryn Jones at 144, Kale Trosper earned a 9-7 decision over Ben Hedrick at 150 and Aaron Dillingham pinned Johnathon Burke at 157 pounds.
Next, Carl Junction’s Dexter Merrell won by fall over James Clemens at 165, Marcus Lopez-Durman pinned Andrew Esterline at 175 and Tony Stewart won by fall over Ethan Bentz at 190.
The Eagles won two straight to end the dual.
Joplin’s Johnny Williams won by forfeit at 215 before teammate Josiah Hazelwood won by fall over Blake Starks at heavyweight.
Note: Carl Junction won a girls dual over Joplin, 19-18. Match by match results were unavailable at time of publication.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction finished strong on the way to a 42-34 dual victory over Carthage on Tuesday afternoon in the Bulldogs’ annual school assembly dual.
Carthage held a 19-point lead after seven bouts, but the Bulldogs won six of the final seven matches to earn the dual victory over their COC rival.
At 106 pounds, Carthage’s Tanner Putt won by fall over Zane Gunnett.
Carthage’s Caden Groom won by forfeit at 113.
At 120, Carl Junction’s Carter Foglesong pinned Danny Lopez-Elias and teammate Drake Richardson earned a 7-6 decision over Wyatt Hole at 126.
Carthage’s Aydan Nye claimed a major decision, 14-2, over Camdon Kunkle at 132 pounds.
The Tigers won the next two matches by fall, as Bradyn Tate pinned Cole Beezley at 138 and Dylan Huntley won by fall over Brenden Berry at 144.
Those wins gave Carthage a 28-9 lead on the scoreboard.
But the Bulldogs recorded four straight wins by fall, as Kale Trosper pinned Joseph Justice at 150, Aaron Dillingham won by fall over Cole Tournear at 157, Dexter Merrell pinned Lenny Teo at 165 and Marcus Lopez-Durman won by fall over Kenneth Pickering-Cornett at 175.
Those points gave Carl Junction a 33-28 lead.
Carthage’s Alexander Salas-Marquez won by fall over Josh Cassatt at 190, pushing the Tigers back in front on the scoreboard, 34-33.
At 215, Carl Junction’s Tony Stewart defeated Carthage’s David Recinos 6-1 and Carl Junction’s Blake Starks won the heavyweight bout by forfeit, as the Tigers were open.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — After trailing much of the first half, shorthanded Carl Junction rallied back to take the lead late in the third quarter behind the strong play from senior F Kylie Scott and never relinquished it on the way to a 40-34 win over Neosho in the opening round of Pool A action in the 47th Annual CJ Classic basketball tournament on Monday.
The season-opening win was also the first as the Carl Junction head coach for Ryan Odaffer.
“It feels great,” Odaffer said with a smile. “The girls came out and played hard in the first half, we just couldn’t get anything to fall. We had lots of open looks, we just couldn’t get the ball in the hoop. But, that’s part of basketball. At halftime, I just told them to stick with it and they will start falling, and they did.
“We started attacking the basket more in the second half and got to the free-throw line to give ourselves a chance. It was great not to see them hang their heads at the half.”
The Bulldogs (1-0) went into the second half trailing 15-13 and were down five before keeping the Wildcats (1-2) scoreless over the last two and a half minutes of the third quarter, closing the period on a 9-0 run to take a 28-24 lead into the final eight minutes of play.
“A lot of it came down to this being our first game and their third game,” Odaffer said about his team rallying in the third quarter. “I felt like we came out kind of nervous and not real confident because we had a lot of girls playing varsity for the first time. It took some time to get comfortable. In the second half, we came out much more calmly and played to our game plan. It wasn’t really one play, but we just slowed things down, took our time and ran our offense. We were going too fast in the first half. It was one pass and a shot. In the second half, we were getting three, four or five passes and then a layup or a foul. We were a lot more patient as a team.”
Senior F Anna Burch knocked down three of four free throws to start the run before Scott came up with a steal and a coast-to-coast layup on the other end to tie the game at 24-24.
Scott came up with another steal with less than a minute to play in the quarter and turned it into a pair of free throws the other way to give her team the lead for the final time.
With her team on her back, Scott, an Oral Roberts signee, closed the third quarter with a basket in the paint off the assist from Burch to send Carl Junction into the fourth quarter with a four-point cushion.
“Kylie just took over the game,” Odaffer said of his senior down the stretch. “She asserted her presence as the best player on the floor. … It is different this year for her. She has to take more of that leadership role and has to take over games like she did tonight for us to win. That’s not a role she’s had for three years.
“It’s time for her to step up and be our go-to player and she will figure that out more and more as the season progresses. You could really start to see her figure out in the third quarter and it was fun to watch. As the season goes on, I am interested to see her grow into that leadership role.”
Defensively, after keeping Neosho off the scoreboard for the final two and a half minutes of the third, the Bulldogs limited the Wildcats to one field goal during the first five and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 10-3 in the process to build a 38-27 advantage.
“We wouldn’t have won without it,” Odaffer said when asked about his team’s defense to close the third and open the fourth quarters. “We just did a much better job of pressuring and getting up and guarding. Instead of letting them have opening passing lanes and open driving lanes, we got up and pressured the ball to make things more difficult, and then we just rebounded the heck out of the ball.”
Scott came up with six points during the run.
Neosho outscored Carl Junction 7-2 in the final two and a half minutes, but there wasn’t enough time for the Wildcats to make a serious run at the lead.
“We were ready to come out and play some basketball in the first half,” first-year Neosho coach Tyler Chaney said. “In the second half, our inexperience showed up and that might be a recurrence all year, which is to be expected. We will get better as the season goes on.”
Neosho took the early advantage and wound up leading for nearly the entire first half. The Wildcats used a 3-pointer from junior Reagan Williams to take the initial lead before sophomore Jazmyn Washington scored inside for a 5-0 lead with 4:25 on the clock in the opening period.
Carl Junction got a basket off the break from DeShaye Buerge to get on the board before Scott grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback with two minutes left to trim the Wildcats’ advantage to 5-4 at the first break.
The Bulldogs took their first lead, a brief one, two minutes into the second period when junior Kenna Ellison scored on the inside for a 6-5 advantage.
Washington got a bucket on the next trip down the floor to give Neosho the lead again, 7-6, before Scott tied the game at 7-7 with a make at the charity stripe at the 3:25 mark.
The banks were open for junior Beclynn Garrett’s 3-ball from the wing to put Neosho up 10-7 at the five-minute mark.
Buerge tied the game up at 10s with a triple with three and a half minutes to play before an inside score from Washington and a corner 3-pointer from Garrett pushed the Wildcats’ advantage to 15-10.
Scott grabbed an offensive rebound for a bucket to wrap the first-half scoring with Neosho up 15-12 at the intermission.
SCORING LEADERS
Scott scored a game-high 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half, to lead Carl Junction. Ellison finished with seven and Buerge added four.
“She had an unbelievable game,” Odaffer said of Ellison. “Everytime she came in, she did something positive. I tell all of our girls coming off the bench to come in and do something good so I can’t take you off the floor. That’s how you get more playing time. Kenna did that tonight. She played under control with poise and played solid on defense.”
Garrett had 15, including four 3-pointers, to lead Neosho, while Williams added three triples on the way to 11 points. Washington finished with eight in the loss.
“Reagan has been great for us,” Chaney said. “You can tell she’s put in a lot of hours in the offseason. It doesn’t surprise me the success that she’s having shooting the ball for us.”
SHORTHANDED
Carl Junction was without junior starting G/F Dezi Williams because of an injury, but she is expected back in the lineup as soon as next week.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Parkview at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the second day of action in the CJ Classic.
Neosho takes on Parkview on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the third day of pool play action.
While Carl Junction lost several key contributors from last season to graduation, the cupboard is far from bare as the Bulldogs look to continue their winning ways while under new management for the upcoming season.
Carl Junction is without SG Destiny Buerge (Pittsburg State), G Klohe Burk, G Hali Shorter and G Allie Wrestler after graduation and the Bulldogs are no longer under the tutelage of head coach Brad Shorter.
Now, CJHS is under the leadership of Ryan Odaffer and he has a large group of upperclassmen and a pair of starters coming back to the team in his first season as head coach.
“I am extremely excited to get back into coaching,” Odaffer said. “This is a great bunch of girls on and off the floor, which makes coaching fun. The girls are ready to compete in the COC and the postseason again this year.”
Leading the list of returners for Bulldogs is 6-foot-3 senior F Kylie Scott, an all-Central Ozark Conference performer and Oral Roberts commit who averaged 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a junior, and junior G/F Dezi Williams, who averaged 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals a season ago.
“If she’s not the best, she is one of the best all-around players in the area,” Odaffer said of his returning anchors. “I am looking forward to Kylie taking over a leadership role this year. It’s going to be exciting to watch her show off her potential this season.
“Dezi is loaded with talent and can take over a game on either end of the floor. This is the season Dezi will get to take her to another level if she wants to.”
Also back on the varsity squad for Coach Odaffer is senior Anna Burch, junior Shaye Buerge and sophomore Jadyn Howard.
New to the varsity level this year will be junior Delaney Harris, junior Kenna Ellison and sophomore Madison Hembree.
“We have a few girls with a lot of experience and then a lot that are going to have to fill some big voids,” Odaffer said. “They understand that it will have to be a team effort if we are going to win games. They have been working extremely hard to uphold the standard of the past 10 years for the Lady Bulldogs.”
After more than 70 wins as a program over the last three seasons, including a 30-2 campaign a year ago that ended in a second-place finish in all of Class 5, the Bulldogs may be in for a slower start this season, but that is common when a team is in transition. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean CJ can’t be where they want to be by the season’s end—competing for a state title—but to do that, they will be relying heavily on the production and leadership of Scott and Williams while the inexperienced players get used to playing at the varsity level.
“Our two returning starters Kylie Scott and Dezi Williams will have to set the tone and lead our team,” Odaffer said. “If they can be the force on both ends, we have several other players ready to step in and follow their lead. It might take some time to adjust to the new players and system, but we hope to see improvement each game and each week throughout the season.
“We are very inexperienced and the only way you get that is by playing. So, I believe we will be a different team by the end of the year. The kids just have to buy in and work hard. If they do that, the results will take care of themselves.”
Carl Junction opens the season with three tournaments, hosting the CJ Classic from Nov. 27-30 before taking part in the Freeman Lady Eagle Classic (Dec 7-9) and then the Lady Mustang Classic (Dec. 11-13).
NEVADA, Mo. — A 25-year district championship drought was vanquished on Friday night at Logan Field.
Utilizing a potent rushing attack, the top-seeded Nevada Tigers cruised past the third-seeded Carl Junction Bulldogs 33-13 to secure the program’s first district crown since 1998.
The victory propels the Tigers (9-2) to the MSHSAA Class 4 quarterfinals and a matchup with host Kearney (10-2) at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
Nevada coach Wes Beachler, who has reversed the fortunes of several prep programs during his nearly three-decade coaching career, called his squad “a special group,” adding that Friday night’s Class 4 District 7 triumph was the culmination of several years of hard work.
“This is about the three and four year guys that have been dedicated to the program and have done all the little things right,” he said.
Beachler said that the experience of having played in a third consecutive district title game paid dividends.
“You can’t simulate that in practice,” he said. “We’ve been here three years in a row, and they knew that they couldn’t treat this game special and do more than they’re supposed to do. You just have to play football and do your job — and they did that really well tonight.”
For Carl Junction, turnover woes were compounded by an inability to contain star tailback Jack Cheaney, who entered the contest averaging 182 yards per game on 10.5 yards a carry. Cheaney concluded the title tilt with 193 yards on 32 carries, to go along with four rushing touchdowns.
Nevada junior tailback Jack Cheaney breaks off a big gain during Friday night’s victory over visiting Carl Junction. Courtesy photo by Brandi Redman.
A fumble recovery on the game’s opening kickoff had the Tigers in business deep in Carl Junction territory. Cheaney plowed in from a yard out to punctuate the five-play scoring drive —and after coming up short on the 2-point play, the Tigers led 6-0.
Nevada stretched its advantage to 19-0 late in the first half after Cheaney found paydirt on runs of 3 and 11 yards.
With under a minute remaining in the half, Carl Junction suddenly found success in the passing game. A quick scoring drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Dexter Merrell, trimmed the deficit to 19-7.
The Bulldogs were again marching downfield early in the second half, but momentum swung back in Nevada’s favor when a holding penalty on a 27-yard run snuffed out the potential scoring drive.
Nevada put the contest out of reach in the fourth quarter via touchdowns from Cheaney and Tyler Longobardi, swelling the Tigers’ lead to 33-7.
Carl Junction tacked on a late touchdown when Merrell connected with Tony Stewart for a 55-yard touchdown strike.
Carl Junction sophomore running back Marcus Lopez-Durman rushes for a big gain on Friday night against Nevada. Photo by Brandi Redman.
Beachler said that he anticipated a “grind-it-out type game,” adding that they would have to match the Bulldogs’ physicality and move the ball consistently — and do so in racking up 373 yards on the ground to Carl Junction’s 115.
Cheaney not only eclipsed the program’s single-season rushing record, previously held by Avious Steadman, but also went over 2,000 yards on the season.
“Jack is a ‘once every five or 10 years’ type guy,” Beachler said. “He’s a very talented open-field runner and sees the field as well as any back I’ve ever coached.”
Nevada senior tackle Talan Chandler, who has inked with NCAA D1 Colorado, said that the Tigers’ “ultimate goal” is to advance to the state title game.
“And this victory is a stepping stone that we haven’t been able to accomplish,” he said.
Cheaney credited Nevada’s dominant offensive line for his sparkling campaign.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this, and will give (credit) to the O-line too,” he said. “It’s just awesome.”
Carl Junction coach Todd Hafner said he was proud of his club’s performance.
“We played through a tough conference schedule and have prepared to win every single week,” he said, “and that preparation led us to where we were tonight. We got beat by a very good football team.”
Merrell finished 8-of-19 for 165 yards through the air, but the number of passing attempts deviated from the Bulldogs’ game-plan.
“We threw the ball a little more than we wanted to,” Hafner said. “It’s not really who we are, but we can do it. In the end, we had to try anything we could to score as fast as we could.”
Carl Junction concludes the season with a record of 3-9. The Bulldogs were in a district title game for the first time since 2020.
The Nevada Tigers strike a pose after dispatching the Carl Junction Bulldogs in Friday night’s Class 4 District 7 title game at Logan Field. Photo by Matt Resnick.
Nevada senior running back Dezmon Robinson (9) bolts through an open running lane Friday night. Photo by Brandi Redman.
NIXA, Mo. — The Carl Junction High School boys cross country team advanced to state after finishing fourth at the Class 4 District 2 meet on Saturday at the Inman Elementary School course.
At the district meet, the top four teams and the top 30 individuals advanced to the state meet.
The top four boys teams were West Plains (38), Bolivar (78), Helias Catholic (141) and Carl Junction (170).
Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson placed eighth in 16:27, while Isaac Willoughby was 12th in 16:39 and Luke Battagler finished 25th in 17:00.
Also competing for the Bulldogs were Nikash Yeary (60th), Alexander Allison (65th), Chance Golden (71st) and Jacob Garrett (83rd).
Marshfield’s Zach Mitchell was the medalist in 16:04.
Again, the top 30 runners advanced. McDonald County’s Caleb Garvin finished 33rd and Monett’s Kash Adams was 39th.
The Carl Junction girls had two individual state qualifiers, as Madilyn Dalton finished 27th in 21:07 and Marissa Newman placed 30th in 21:13.
Monett’s Mary Jastal just missed advancing after finishing 33rd. Carl Junction’s Delaney Harris finished 37th and teammate Audrey Fletcher was 40th. McDonald County’s top performer was Kate Cheney (48th).
Fulton’s Emery Mayfield was the district champ in 18:12.
The top four girls teams were Bolivar (46), West Plains (60), Jefferson City (114) and Fulton (121).
The MSHSAA Class 4 Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Nov. 4 at Gans Creek in Columbia.
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.
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
WILLARD, Mo. — Playing in its first Central Ozark Conference football contest since announcing it was on its way out, the Carl Junction Bulldogs struggled to slow a steady Willard attack and the Tigers held on late Friday night in Willard.
The newly formed league will be made up of of six area schools with similar enrollment numbers—Carl Junction, Bolivar, Branson, Logan-Rogersville, Marshfield and West Plains. The move will officially mark the Bulldogs’ end of an eight-year run in the COC after decades in the Big 8.
But in its second-to-last COC game, and final road COC game at Willard, Carl Junction’s defense initially slowed the Russell Roweton-led Willard offense, creating an interception (via Bentley Rowden, who recorded two picks) and a turnover on downs to keep the home side scoreless for much of the first half.
However, the Tigers registered back-to-back scoring drives on a Roweton 52-yard passing touchdown to Timmy Ruble and a Gary Walker 9-yard rushing touchdown on fourth and 7 at the 9-yard line for a 13-8 lead with 1:14 left in the second quarter.
Bulldogs receiver Ryder Pyles hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dexter Merrell and Merrell ran one in on a 2-point try to give Carl Junction a brief 8-7 lead.
Following a Bulldog punt with less than two minutes remaining in the half, Willard benefited from a big-time Roweton QB scamper which ended with a late hit out of bounds, setting up the Tigers at the Carl Junction 30 with nearly 30 seconds left in the frame.
Two plays later, Roweton found Chaz Amodeo on a 36-yard passing touchdown for a 19-8 Willard lead, which stuck as the halftime score.
The second half consisted of a defensive struggle, a Willard field goal from Jaridan Baugher — a 36-yard make with 5:20 left in the third period — and a late Carl Junction 17-yard touchdown reception from receiver Jaxton Wobkin with 3:24 remaining in the contest to pull the Bulldogs within eight points.
After Carl Junction tried an onside kick that was recovered but later deemed by referees as unsuccessful due to not traveling 10 or more yards, Willard precisely ran the final 3:24 off the scoreboard for a home victory.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction hosts Republic next Friday for its final COC contest and Senior Night. Republic (6-2) will come to town after falling to Nixa 31-28 on a game-winning field goal as time expired, which secured an outright COC title for Nixa.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carl Junction’s doubles team of Naiyah Wurdeman and Jenna Besperat and Thomas Jefferson singles player Allison Ding kept their respective seasons alive with their performances on the opening day of the MSHSAA Class 2 Girls Tennis Championships on Thursday at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
In doubles, Carl Junction’s duo of Wurdeman and Besperat went 2-0 and advanced to Friday’s semifinals.
In the opening round, the Bulldogs defeated the St. Pius X duo of Chloe Kronlage and Brooke Madden 6-0, 6-0.
In the quarterfinal round, Wurdeman and Besperat topped Grain Valley’s Brooklyn Spencer and Emma Thiessen 4-6, 6-2, 10-7.
The Bulldogs will meet Parkway North’s Yvonne Shannon-Emily Koo in the semifinals. The other semifinal features Springfield Catholic’s Hannah Lee-Britney Ung vs. Villa Duchesne’s Alexandra Todorovich-Katherine Todorovich.
In singles, Ding went 2-1.
Ding defeated Holt’s Jennifer Nelson 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round.
In the quarterfinal round, MICDS’ Rachel Li topped Ding 6-0, 6-0.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Ding edged St. Pius X’s Kiera Dunn 6-1, 4-6, 11-9.
Ding will meet Springfield Catholic’s Caroline Nelson on Friday in the consolation semifinals.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — On a night where a pair of seniors were honored for career milestones as well with it being Pinkout, Carl Junction ended its home portion of the schedule on a high note after defeating Carthage 25-19, 25-22 and 25-21 in a Central Ozark Conference sweep on Tuesday night.
Carl Junction setter Miya Carnes earns an assist in the Bulldogs’ win over Carthage on Tuesday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
“I thought we struggled at times, but we found a way to win,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said after the victory. “That’s what good teams do, so I am proud of them for fighting through that. There were a lot of distractions tonight and I think we lacked a little bit of focus, but at times we did some really good things.”
RECOGNIZING HISTORY
Before the start of the varsity match between the Bulldogs and the Tigers, Carl Junction senior OH/MB Kylie Scott and senior S/RS Miya Carnes were presented with golden volleyballs after each entered hallowed grounds over the weekend in the Lebanon Pinkfest. Helping the Bulldogs to a second-place finish against some of the stiffest competition in the state, Scott surpassed 1,000-career kills and Carnes surpassed 1,000-career assists.
“I am really excited for those kids,” Sharples said. “It’s hard to get 1,000 kills, and you know Miya really only has one full season as our setter under her belt, and to get to 1,000 career assists is pretty amazing.”
GAME ACTION
Carl Junction took control early in the first set and maintained the momentum throughout thanks to its work at the service line. The Bulldogs had service runs of three points or more from senior OH/DS Abigail Wilson, sophomore S/OH Jadyn Howard and Carnes, with Carnes’ run that included a pair of blocks from junior S/RS Karissa Chase—who totaled 12 kills and three blocks in the win—giving CJ a 17-11 advantage.
“I thought we served really well in the first set,” Sharples said. “We were hitting spots and going after the people we wanted to go after. We kept ourselves in system well and sided out quickly. We just didn’t let them keep going.”
Carl Junction senior Kylie Scott serves up an ace during the win over Carthage on Tuesday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Carl Junction pushed the lead to 22-16 later in the set on back to back kills by Scott, but a sideout kill from junior Carthage S/RS Jaidyn Brunnert, a block from freshman M London Shepherd and an ace by sophomore S/RS Sadie Comer cut the CJ advantage to 22-19.
The Bulldogs earned service after a Tigers’ serving error and ended the opening set with a block from Scott and a kill by Howard.
The second stanza was a back-and-forth affair, as Carthage tied the game at 11-11 before each team traded sideouts for nine straight points until CJ used a pair of Tiger errors to build an 18-15 advantage.
Shepherd earned a sideout kill for Carthage before Scott answered with a tip kill to force a sideout. Scott, who finished with 11 kills, 17 digs and a pair of aces, followed up with a three-point service run that included an ace and a block by senior MH Acadia Badgley to give CJ a 22-16 lead.
Carthage used a sideout and three straight attacking errors by the Bulldogs to jump back within two and ultimately cut the lead to one, 23-22, on a kill from Shepherd and a block by junior M Millie Templeman.
The Bulldogs responded with a kill from senior OH Aubreigh Fowler to force a sideout and finished off the set with an ace from Wilson.
Carthage’s Peyton Ray (9) and London Shepherd (19) share a block during the Tigers’ match with Carl Junction on Tuesday.
Mimicking the second game, the final set was evenly matched, with Carthage even holding a 20-19 lead late and looking to force a fourth set. Carl Junction closed out the match by scoring six of the last seven points.
The Bulldogs used a kill and an ace from Carnes, who finished with 31 assists and two aces, to regain the lead 21-20 before a kill from junior OH/RS Peyton Ray tied things back up at 21-all with a kill.
Fowler swung through a kill to force a sideout for CJ, who used a three-point service run from Wilson, who closed the night with 19 digs and two aces, to seal the sweep, which ended with kills from Chase and Fowler.
“That is something I feel like we are doing much better at—focusing on the process and not the score,” Sharples said of her team’s response to adversity in the second and third set.
UP NEXT
Carthage (13-15) is at Republic on Thursday to close out the regular season.
Carl Junction (23-7-2) is on the road in its regular season finale, visiting the COC champion Ozark Tigers (23-3) on Thursday.
“I want to see us come out and be competitive,” Sharples said of what she wants to see from her team as they close the regular season. “We kind of have a little saying—play hard, stay tough and never give up. That is what we are focusing on in every situation.”
Carl Junction’s Aubreigh Fowler earns a kill during the Bulldogs’ matchup with Carthage on Tuesday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Joplin defeated Carl Junction 3-0 on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference clash at the JHS Athletic Complex.
Zeka Ajruloski notched the game’s first goal in the 20th minute, assisted by Ely Montanez.
Adam Badr’s goal in the 42nd minute gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead before Andy Cordova’s goal in the 57th minute accounted for the final margin.
Montanez assisted on all three Joplin goals.
The Eagles took 20 shots, with 11 shots on goal. Carl Junction managed two shots on goal.
Joplin goalkeeper Brayden Anderson was credited with two saves. Carl Junction goalie Blake Miller made eight saves.
Joplin will host College Heights (with McAuley Catholic) on Thursday.
Carl Junction hosts Neosho on Oct. 17.
OZARK 4, CARTHAGE 3 (OT)
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Ozark’s Caleb Lepant recorded the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in overtime on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference showdown at David Haffner Stadium.
All three of Carthage’s goals were scored by Welle Welle, with the goals coming in the 11th, 48th and 58th minutes.
Alex Williams scored Ozark’s first two goals, with Lepant scoring a game-tying goal late in regulation.
Both teams entered the night undefeated in the COC.
Ozark is now 15-2-2 and 7-0 in the COC, while Carthage fell to 16-2 and 6-1 in the COC.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Joplin’s first three-game skid in the Curtis Jasper era didn’t reach four games as the Eagles got back on track against Carl Junction with a 37-13 win over the Bulldogs on Friday at Bulldog Stadium.
Joplin (4-3) scored on its first three possessions of the first half to build a 20-7 lead over Carl Junction (1-6) by the intermission. The Eagles’ defense held the Bulldogs’ offense off the scoreboard in the second half as the Joplin offense held the pace to get back into the win column.
“I just felt like our preparation during this week in practice—and really our demeanor as a whole—was better,” Jasper said after his team’s win. “The guys made a concerted effort to do the little things much better this week. They wanted this streak to end and they made it happen. All the credit to them.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Joplin RB Quin Renfro breaks a tackle for a big gain during the Eagles’ win over Carl Junction on Friday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Joplin took the opening possession and marched down the field before RB Quin Renfro broke a pair of tackles on the way to a 5-yard touchdown run on second-and-goal for a 7-0 lead with 7:50 on the clock in the first quarter.
Carl Junction converted on third and fourth down several times while orchestrating a methodical drive in response that culminated in RB Johnny Starks finding the end zone from 3 yards out to cap a 16-play drive that ate up the last seven-plus minutes of the first quarter and the first several minutes of the second period, tying the game at 7-7 early in the second period.
“I thought early on when our kids were full of energy, we were getting off the ball and picking up their blitzes,” Carl Junction coach Todd Hafner said of his team’s opening drive. “As the game went on, we just weren’t doing those things. Once the blitzes started working, they started doing them more and we just weren’t picking them up.
“I think maybe, as the head coach and play caller, maybe we’re doing a little too much. We might need to dial it back and get back to the basics a little bit. We will look at it and see where we are at, and hopefully we will put our kids in a better spot to be successful.”
Joplin struck for the big play on the ensuing possession when WR Davin Thomas took the touch pass around the end, made a move outside before cutting back inside away from would-be tacklers on the way to a 36-yard touchdown with 6:37 left in the first half.
After a CJ punt on the Bulldogs’ second possession, the Eagles went back to work on offense, going to the air early with a 20-yard completion from QB Hobbs Gooch to WR Aidan Sampson and a 10-yard reception from Gooch to Thomas. The drive ultimately ended on the ground when Renfro crossed the goal line from 10 yards out with 2:12 left in the second period for a 20-7 lead.
Joplin and Carl Junction traded turnovers before the end of the half when Carl Junction QB Dexter Merrell was picked off in plus territory by Joplin DB Chavis Coleman before Gooch was picked off by Starks on the very next play to give the Bulldogs the ball near midfield with less than a minute to play.
The Bulldogs were supposed to have the first possession of the second half, but the Eagles recovered a squib kick to start the third quarter to give Joplin the ball at the CJHS 35-yard line.
Joplin turned the extra possession into three points after kicker Toby Ipsen converted from 35 yards out to push the lead to 23-7 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.
Joplin WR Davin Thomas fights for the ball with CJHS DB Will Coats during the Eagles’ win over the Bulldogs on Friday. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
“I thought special teams were huge tonight,” Jasper said. “Not only getting the squib kick and the field goal, but CJ has come up huge on special teams, especially Starks, who has six blocked kicks this year. … I thought we did a good job of covering well.”
Joplin’s second turnover of the game came late in the third quarter with the Eagles in plus territory when the snap went through Gooch’s hands, with CJ’s Starks picking up the loose ball and sprinting to the end zone for a 65-yard scoop-and-score touchdown to trim JHS’ lead to 23-13 with less than four minutes on the clock.
“The kid is amazing,” Hafner said of Starks. “He is an outstanding football player. And that is what he is—a football player. That play gave our whole team a shot in the arm. The plays that he’s made like blocking kicks and punts earlier in the season as well as the plays he makes on a weekly basis are amazing. He is just a great football player.”
Joplin atoned for the giveaway on the next drive, though,punching it in when Gooch found Renfro for a 6-yard touchdown reception with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter to push the lead up to 30-13.
“Credit to the kids there,” Jasper said. “They still want to have a really good year, and for us to do that, they knew they needed to answer back right away and they did that.”
Joplin and Carl Junction again traded turnovers early in the fourth quarter when Gooch was intercepted on a tipped pass before Merrell was picked off on a deep ball on the next play by DB Cordell Washington.
“Outside of that first drive, I thought we did a really good job of tackling,” Jasper said of his defense pitching a second-half shutout. “The defense did a good job of responding, flying to the football and causing turnovers. They really played well.”
Joplin put the game out of reach when Thomas caught a pass from Gooch in the flat and crossed the goal line for a 3-yard touchdown to make the score 37-13 with 8:14 left in regulation.
BY THE NUMBERS
Joplin gained 465 yards of offense on 59 plays (7.9 yards per play), with 276 of those yards coming on the ground. Gooch completed 13-of-18 passes for 189 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing three times for 15 yards and a fumble. Renfro rushed 25 times for 187 yards and scored three total touchdowns (one receiving), while Thomas caught eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Jones rushed nine times for 57 yards.
Carl Junction, which won the turnover battle 3-2, gained 199 yards off offense on 49 plays (4.1 YPP). Merrell completed 9-of-18 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions, while carrying the ball 15 times for 33 yards. Starks had six carries for 27 yards and two total touchdowns (one defensive).
Thomas Jefferson and Carl Junction had state qualifiers at Friday’s Class 2 District 7 girls tennis tournament.
The top two singles players and the top two doubles teams advanced to the individual state tournament.
Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding was the runner-up in the singles bracket.
After a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed, Ding defeated Carl Junction’s Isabel Read 2-6, 6-2, 10-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Ding defeated Barstow’s Sofia Shkuta 2-6, 6-1, 10-8.
In the championship match, Notre Dame de Sioni’s Anna McGeeney edged Ding 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.
McGeeney beat Thomas Jefferson’s Jeanna Jeyaraj 7-5, 6-0 in the semifinals.
In addition to Jeyaraj and Read, other local singles players unable to advance were Webb City’s Bethany Brumit and Adeline Ragsdale and Carl Junction’s Brooklin Leggett.
Of note, Jeyaraj won the bracket’s third-place match over Shkuta.
Carl Junction’s duo of Naiyah Wurdeman and Jenna Besperat won the doubles bracket.
The Bulldogs defeated Webb City’s Ally Ansley-Ayla McDaniel 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals and then topped Thomas Jefferson’s Kyla Yang-Esther Yang 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals.
In the championship match, Wurdeman and Besperat defeated Willard’s Alyssa Flynn-Evelyn Sly 6-2, 6-0.
Thomas Jefferson’s Mayson Solum-Warda Morsy, Webb City’s Averey Terry-Maecy Beverlin and CJ’s Emiliy Rice-Brooke Jasperson also competed in the doubles bracket.
The team district tournament begins at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at Thomas Jefferson.
Fourth-seeded Willard meets fifth-seeded Barstow, second-seeded Carl Junction takes on seventh-seeded Webb City and third-seeded Notre Dame de Sion matches up with sixth-seeded Belton.
Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson (11-0) has a first-round bye and will meet the Willard-Barstow winner at 3:30 on Tuesday in the semifinals.
The other semifinal will also begin at 3:30 on Tuesday. The district title match is scheduled for 3:30 on Wednesday.
NIXA, Mo. — Nixa held Carl Junction out of the end zone early and built a three-score lead by halftime on the way to a 47-0 win over the Bulldogs on Friday at Eagle Stadium.
Carl Junction (1-5) got into the red zone three times in the first half against the Nixa (6-0) with nothing to show for it. In turn, the Eagles reached paydirt three times in the first half and pulled away in the second half on the way to the shutout win.
Carl Junction drove the opening possession down inside the red zone before a series of penalties forced the Bulldogs into a turnover on downs after facing a fourth-down-and-20.
Nixa responded with a couple of big plays through the air from QB Nate Uber to WR Rylan Michel led to a 1-yard touchdown run from RB Dylan Rebura on a fourth-and-goal carry to make the score 7-0 with 1:17 left in the first quarter.
Nixa went up 14-0 in the second quarter with 6:03 on the clock when RB Malachi Rider found paydirt from a yard out.
The Eagles forced the Bulldogs into a fumble to kill a CJ drive on its ensuing possession and made the most of the extra possession when WR Wyatt Vincent broke off a 75-yard touchdown run on the jet sweep with 49 seconds left in the first half for a 21-0 advantage.
Uber used play action for a big gain to Michel on the first possession of the first half that built to a 4-yard score from Rebura to push the lead to 28-0 with 10:15 left in the third quarter.
Uber hooked up with TE Lane Meltabarger for the first time all game on a third-down pass up the seam for a 23-yard touchdown to push the Nixa lead to 34-0 with 7:03 left in the third quarter.
The Eagles extended their cushion to 40-0 when Rebura capped a drive with a short-yardage score with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
Nixa added another score on a 30-yard McCoy Sullivan pick-6 touchdown to make the score 47-0 near the end of the third quarter.
Carl Junction is back at home next week, hosting Joplin (3-3).
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — It is only fitting that the final match on a grueling day filled with nearly 12 hours of volleyball should go three sets, with that final set reaching extra points.
Unfortunately for Carl Junction, it was Rogers, Arkansas, with its hand raised after the dust settled in the Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic title game, with the Mounties earning a 25-19, 24-26 and 27-25 victory over the host Bulldogs on Saturday.
“I thought we competed really hard and did some great things,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “We can take that and build from just being on either side of that—learning how to fight through it when things aren’t necessarily going your way and getting tough. I feel like we just take this and build on it. (Rogers) is a great team. So, if you have to lose, you want it to be to a good team like that. But, we also get better by playing teams like that. That was great volleyball, right there.”
After beating West Plains in the semifinals of the Gold Bracket, Carl Junction traded points in the opening set with Rogers, who took down Webb City in the other semifinal matchup. It wasn’t until the Mounties scored the final five points of the set—with Bella Jones earning a block, while Macey Tauai and Brooklynn Weaver earned kills—that either team held an advantage.
Carl Junction responded by jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the second set thanks to a pair of kills from Karissa Chase and a block by Kylie Scott before Scott earned another kill shortly after and added two points in service to give CJ a seven-point lead at 16-9.
The Bulldogs’ lead was trimmed to one, 20-19, late in the second set when Rogers used a service error to force a sideout before Weaver went on a four-point run. Dahana Tuomala had a kill and a block, while Dyllan Chandler and Olyvia Hall filled out the run with blocks as well.
Rogers proceeded to score five of the next seven points, with Scott earning sideout kills twice for CJ, to take a 24-22 lead.
Facing elimination, Chase earned a block to give Abigail Wilson service. Wilson ripped off the final three points, which included an ace and a kill by Chase, to rally the Bulldogs back for a second-set win to force a winner-takes-all third set.
“(Karissa Chase) really came on in that match and they didn’t have an answer for her and she just kept banging,” Sharples said. “I was excited for her to take over a match like that.”
Rogers jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the final set before a kill from Scott and a four-point run in service by Miya Carnes—filled out with kills from Chase and Aubreigh Fowler as well as an ace—rallied the Bulldogs back to a 10-9 advantage.
The lead went back and forth before Carl Junction used a 6-1 run, including three straight kills by Scott, to put the Bulldogs on top 19-17.
Carl Junction led 22-19 before a sideout led to a three points in service from Hall, with Jones earning two kills, giving the Mounties a 23-22 lead.
A service error on Rogers and a kill from Chase put CJ back in front, with Tauai and Chase then trading kills to make the score 25-24 in favor of Carl Junction.
Tauai forced another sideout with a kill and added a block on the next point to give Rogers the lead, with the Mounties finishing off the set and match moments later.
“This is a good test for the middle of the season,” Sharples said about hosting the all-day tournament. “It is good for us to have to be mentally tough in situations and I feel like today is a day that makes you mentally tougher,”
Carl Junction is 16-4 on the season and hosts Neosho on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference action.
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — When the clock hit zeroes Friday night in Carl Junction, Bulldogs head coach Todd Hafner and his brother, Branson head coach Aaron Hafner, shared the same feeling.
“I’m glad this game is over,” Aaron Hafner said after the game, “We’re really, really close. Neither one of us were looking forward to this game, I’m going to be honest with you—but at the end of the day, it’s about our kids. It’s not about us.”
“I mean it’s just hard,” CJ coach Todd Hafner said, “It’s hard. I feel terrible for our kids, and I know he feels terrible that I feel terrible. I’m sad for our kids, but it took a well-played game to win. Neither team was going to give this one away.”
The Branson defense stifled Carl Junction all night, spoiling the Bulldogs’ homecoming game 21-7 Friday.
“It was a really physical game. I knew it was going to be,” Aaron Hafner said, “Our kids played really well as far as assignment football, and being physical at the point of attack. When you do that, you have a chance to do some good things.”
After a Carl Junction punt on their first possession of the game, Branson drove 53 yards for a touchdown on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Bulldogs were aiming to respond on the ensuing drive, but that series ended with Branson’s Zyere Fair intercepting a pass by CJ QB Dexter Merrell inside the 5-yard line and keeping the score at 7-0 Pirates heading to the second quarter.
Carl Junction found their first points in the second quarter, with a clutch throw from Merrell to WR Jett Mills. Merrell connected with Mills in the end zone on fourth-down-and-3 from the 15 to knot the score at 7s with less than eight minutes remaining until halftime.
Branson quickly found its way into the red zone on the next drive, but Carl Junction’s Aidan Beachner recovered a Pirate fumble to halt the drive and give the home team their first chance to take the lead.
The Bulldogs put together a solid drive following the turnover but ultimately turned it over on downs deep in Branson territory to keep the game tied 7-7 at the break.
Branson dipped into the bag of tricks late in the third. On fourth-down-and-5 from the Carl Junction 34-yard line, QB Luke McCormick tossed it out to RB Gage Depee, who pulled up and threw to a wide open WR Teagan Asbury behind the defense for a 34-yard touchdown strike.
“We didn’t want to kick a field goal in that spot and we didn’t want to punt,” Aaron Hafner said of the play call, “Our kids executed, and obviously, that was a big play in the game.”
After a missed PAT, the Pirates were back in front 13-7 going to the final period
Early in the fourth quarter, Branson added to its leads with another touchdown—this one on the ground. Javen Finkbone scored from 8 yards away and the Pirates converted on a 2-point try to push the lead to 21-7 with 8:46 remaining in the game.
Carl Junction had a chance to pull within one score on their next drive but Branson stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down inside the 10, with a pass from Merrell to Jaxton Wobken being ruled incomplete in the end zone.
“Offensively, we weren’t great tonight. We really weren’t,” Todd Hafner said, “We missed a couple open plays. I don’t want to take anything away from Branson, but I don’t think we executed well on offense tonight.”
The Pirates took over possession and ran out the clock to secure the 14-point victory.
UP NEXT
Branson (2-3) hosts Neosho, while Carl Junction (1-4) hits the road for a COC matchup against Nixa.
“Todd and I are ready to move forward with our seasons,” Aaron Hafner said, “They have a nice ball club. He’s done a heck of a job in year one. They’re not playing like a team that’s in year one under a new head coach. I’m looking forward to watching them and rooting for them the rest of the season.”
CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — It is always entertaining when Carl Junction and Webb City meet on the volleyball court and Tuesday’s matchup was no different.
Carl Junction’s Kylie Scott earns a kill in the Bulldogs’ win over rival Webb City on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
No. 10 Carl Junction went on the road and earned a 25-23, 22-25, 26-24 and 25-23 win in four sets against conference, district and area rival No. 3 Webb City on Tuesday inside the Cardinal Dome.
“We haven’t beaten them in two years, so this was a good step forward for us and, simply, the mentality of our kids,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “I was really proud of our kids. They had a game plan, stuck to it and executed the things we needed to.”
“We definitely were not playing up to our potential,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “We allowed them to cause us to make errors, and that’s what it comes down to. In volleyball, you’re trying to make the other team screw up and (Carl Junction) did a great job of that. We didn’t execute on offense or defense the way we had planned on and were not playing like we can. If you are not going to show up playing your best against a rival team, you’re going to lose every time.”
Carl Junction took early control in the first set and never relinquished it. The Bulldogs started on a 5-1 advantage thanks to two kills and a block from Karissa Chase as well as an ace from Aubreigh Fowler.
Playing with the lead, Carl Junction rode the striking prowess of senior Kylie Scott, who tallied six kills and a block on the way to giving the Bulldogs a 21-16 advantage late.
“Our bigs were really key,” Sharples said of the first set. “Both Rissa and Kylie had a good game, but I was really proud of Aubreigh Fowler, who came around and had a nice game for us. Our middles were working hard. We need to figure out how to get them a little more offensively involved, but every kid was out there working hard for us.”
Webb City’s Jaeli Rutledge earns a kill during the Cardinals’ matchup with rival Carl Junction on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
Webb City got consecutive kills from Jaeli Rutledge and Mia Lenker to trim the deficit to two, 23-21.
After both teams traded sideouts, Carl Junction’s Jocelyn Wengert earned a kill from the back, middle to seal the first-set win in favor of the Bulldogs.
It was neck and neck in the second set until a sideout kill from Jadyn Howard followed by a three-point service run from Scott gave CJ the first five-point lead of the set, with the Bulldogs up 19-14.
Webb City rallied hard, using a sideout kill from Kirra Long and four points in service from Aubree Lassiter to tie things up at 19s. Scott and Makayla Mayes traded sideout kills before Rutledge added a block and a kill to give the Cardinals their first real advantage, 22-20.
Webb City didn’t waver in the final moments of the second set to tie it up at 1-1.
The third set was filled with unforced errors on both sides that saw Carl Junction take an early lead that turned into a 16-12 advantage off a kill from Abigail Wilson.
Carl Junction’s Aubreigh Fowler earns a tip kill during the Bulldogs’ win over the Cardinals on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
A kill from Lassiter gave Webb City service, with Long ripping off seven straight points to rally the Cardinals all the way back to a 20-16 advantage. Lenker had three kills in the run, which also featured a pair of aces by Long.
Scott earned a kill to force a sideout and added a block and another kill during Howard’s service run to tie things up at 20-all.
After the Cardinals went up two, Carl Junction scored six of the last eight points, including a kill from Fowler and an ace by Miya Carnes to clinch the 26-24 win.
“There was just a lot of grit,” Sharples said of her team’s play in the third set. “They refocused on the process of the game, the fundamentals, and how to get things done.”
“I felt like we walked right back out there in the fourth set and had a lot of confidence like, ‘we’re going to win this.’ I felt like that was our mentality throughout that entire fourth set. They believed they were going to win it, and they were ready to fight for it.”
Carl Junction took advantage of a three-point service run from Scott to build an 11-5 lead in the fourth and final set. Scott, Fowler and Sara Buchele all had kills in the run.
Webb City’s Kirra Long strikes the ball during the Cardinals’ loss to Carl Junction. Photo by Israel Perez.
A four-point run in service later in the set by Wilson that featured an ace put Carl Junction on top 17-9 before Webb City countered with a four-point service run from Jadyn Catterson to trim the deficit to 18-15.
After trading sideouts, Carl Junction took a 22-16 lead on Howard’s serve, which saw a kill from Scott before a sideout kill from Lassiter and three service points from Savannah Crane cut the Cardinals’ deficit to 22-20.
Both teams traded sideouts until Fowler’s kill was followed by an attack error on Webb City to end the set and match.
STATS
Scott finished with 20 kills, 12 digs and three blocks, while Chase had 10 kills, four blocks and three digs. Miya Carnes finished with 41 assists and 13 digs, with Wilson leading the team with 21 digs.
Rutledge finished with 12 kills, three digs and two blocks, while Lassiter had 10 kills, 11 digs and three blocks. Sophia Crane led the team with 22 digs, while Savannah Crane led Webb City with 23 assists.
UP NEXT
Carl Junction (10-2, 2-0 COC) hosts Nixa on Thursday.
Webb City (9-2, 1-1 COC) hosts Willard on Thursday.
Joplin used a nine-run inning as the catalyst to an 11-6 win over Carl Junction in Central Ozark Conference action at the JHS Athletic Complex on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs scored a run in the first, three in the second and another in the top of the third inning to lead 5-0 before the Eagles flipped the script with nine runs touching him in the last of the third frame to give JHS a commanding 9-5 lead. Joplin added a single tally in the fourth and both teams traded runs in the fifth to wrap the scoring.
Caelyn Bobski earned the win after allowing six runs, three earned, on seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts in four innings. Ava Wolf pitched three scoreless relief innings on a hit, one walk and a strikeout.
Hannah Cole took the loss after allowing nine runs, three earned, on seven hits, two walks and a strikeout in 2 2/3 innings. Kiley Spencer allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits, two walks on 3 1/3 innings of relief.
Carl Junction took the early lead with an RBI double from Kadence Hunt in the first inning before Ryleigh Palmer had an RBI single and Madi Olds came up with a two-run single in the second frame for a 3-0 advantage. Spencer homered to center field to lead off the third inning for a four-run lead.
Joplin rallied in a big way in the bottom of the third inning with nine runs touching the plate. Bailey Ledford started the scoring with an RBI single up the middle to bring home a run before Abby Lowery followed up with a solo home run to left to trim the deficit to 5-3. Riley Kelly plated a run with a single and Wolf drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 5-5. Maria Loum added an RBI on an infield hit to give Joplin the lead before Ledford tripled in two runs for her second hit in the inning. The scoring wrapped with the final run crossing on a wild pitch.
Ledford finished the game with three hits, including a triple, four RBI and two runs scored, while Lowery had two hits, including a homer, two RBI and a run scored. Kelly had three hits, scored a run and drove in one. Loum had a hit, drove in one and scored three times.
Joplin (11-8, 3-2 COC) hosts Willard on Thursday.
Carl Junction (6-12, 0-5 COC) hosts Branson on Thursday.
