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STATE CROSS COUNTRY: McAuley Catholic, College Heights runners earn all-state honors

COLUMBIA, Mo. — McAuley Catholic junior Michael Parrigon finished fourth in Class 1 to lead a strong area contingent at the 49th MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Friday morning at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.

Parrigon toured the 5K course in 16 minutes, 28 seconds.

Finishing ahead of Parrigon were West Nodaway’s Riley Blay (15:48), Marion C. Early’s Landon Duchscherer (15:55) and Dora’s Cade Nold (16:26). Blay won for the third straight season. 

Parrigon’s showing is the best state finish in program history for the McAuley boys. Max Ostmeyer finished 17th in 2016 and Parrigon was 21st last year.

“I thought he could be in the top five,” McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth said. “The kid from Dora is really good. And I’m not going to use this as an excuse, but it’s a fact that Michael played two soccer matches this week, including last night. Max Anreder also had to deal with that. Both ran well. I thought Michael was in a good position for most of the race.”

McAuley Catholic junior Michael Parrigon finished fourth in Class 1 at the state cross country championships on Friday. It’s the best finish in the history of the McAuley cross country program. Photo by Chris Auckley.

In addition to Parrigon, three other Joplin area runners finished in the top 30 to earn all-state honors in the Class 1 boys race. 

Jasper junior Leland Harris placed 20th in 17:40, while McAuley’s duo of Trae Veer (17:42) and Will Mollnow (17:43) finished 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Veer is a sophomore and Mollnow is just a freshman.

 “Will passed 11 or 12 guys in the last 400 meters to medal,” Youngworth noted.  “He had a great finish.”

Thomas Jefferson had two athletes competing — freshman Liam Cook finished 34th in 18:03 and junior Braden Honeywell-Lynch was 45th in 18:12.

Also competing for McAuley were Alex Bohachick (102nd), Connor Taffner (111th), Cliff Nolan (137th) and Max Anreder (141st).

The Warriors finished fifth out of 15 teams in the Class 1 standings with 136 points. The top four teams take home a trophy. 

For the Warriors, it was a memorable day.

“We had three state medalists and that’s the first time that’s happened in school history,” Youngworth said. “Last year we had two medalists and that was the first time that had happened. I’m really pleased.

“I think the boys were disappointed we took fifth. We were six points away from fourth and nine points away from third. Going in, I felt like there were three or four schools that could finish anywhere from third to sixth. But I thought our kids ran well. We worked really hard this year, from August 7th to today. And that doesn’t include the time in the summer. We put in a lot of time and effort and I think it showed.”

Of note, all of McAuley’s boys will return next season, as there are no seniors on the roster. 

Hermitage (74), Van Buren (97), Oak Ridge (127) and Vienna (130) were the top four teams.

There were 170 runners in the boys race.

 

CLASS 1 GIRLS

Liberal freshman Ally Barton finished third in the Class 1 girls race with a time of 20:17, leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the team standings.

South Nodaway’s Mya Wray was the Class 1 champion in 19:11 and Stoutland’s Mallory Shaw was the runner-up in 20:15.

Earning all-state recognition with their respective top-30 showings, McAuley Catholic senior Kendall Ramsey finished ninth in 20:46, while Liberal junior Taylor Swarnes was 10th in 20:53 and McAuley freshman Olivia Parrigon placed 11th in 20:56 to give the Warriors five all-state performances on the day. 

Liberal’s Abby Barton finished 30th and teammate Bailey Couch was 34th, while Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd finished 40th and teammate Sarah Mueller was 52nd. 

Also competing for McAuley were Riley Sears (69th), Marbellie Villanueva (91st) and Samantha Perrin (129th).

The top four teams were Chadwick (60), Liberal (98), East Carter (112) and Paris (130). 

The runner-up showing is the best state finish in school history for the Liberal girls, who were fourth in 2017.

McAuley finished eighth in the standings with 169 points.  

“Our girls really had a great meet,” Youngworth said. “We went from 13th last year to eighth this year. Olivia finishing 11th as a freshman is great. It was Kendall’s fourth state appearance and second medal. She actually ran faster this year than last year but finished one place lower this year. There are a lot of good runners in Class 1. I’m proud of all of our girls. Riley Sears had a good day. That’s another freshman who put together some really good workouts and those translated into faster times at the meets. Marbellie and Sam ran well and will both be back. Kendall is our only senior. You can’t replace her. She’s a great kid.” 

There were 143 runners and 13 full teams.

McAuley Catholic’s Olivia Parrigon (174) and Kendall Ramsey (176) are pictured during Friday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships. Both earned all-state honors, as Ramsey finished ninth and Parrigon was 11th. Photo by Chris Auckley/Special to SoMo Sports.

CLASS 2 BOYS

College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan finished 28th in the Class 2 race, earning all-state recognition.

Competing in Class 2 on Friday, College Heights Christian sophomore Colton McMillan finished 28th in 17:25 to earn all-state honors. McMillan was the lone area product to earn all-state recognition in the Class 2 boys race. 

Also competing for CHC were sophomore Owen Horton (101st) and freshman Connor Jordan (106th).

Diamond’s Wyatt Housh (88th), Purdy’s duo of Jayden Griffis (104th) and Logan Manwarren (105th) and Pierce City’s Joseph Leavitt (132nd) also competed.

Woodland’s Reed Layton was the Class 2 champion in 16:25.

The top four teams were Woodland (96), KC Lutheran (137), New Covenant (168) and North Platte (175).

There were 169 runners and 16 full teams.

 

CLASS 2 GIRLS

Pierce City sophomore Emma Hunt finished 12th in the Class 2 girls race with a time of 20:16. Hunt was the lone local runner to earn a top-30 finish in the Class 2 girls race. 

Also competing from the region were Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris (72nd), Pierce City’s Lauren Blackburn (83rd), Purdy’s Courtney Patterson (86th), Sarcoxie’s Ariel Wilson (95th), Pierce City’s Ginger Leavitt (102nd), Sarcoxie’s trio of Lily Garrison (124th), Jordyn Misner (139th) and Natasha Garcia (149th) and Pierce City’s Emily Haasse (154th). 

Brentwood’s Kensington Curd was the Class 2 champion in 19:24.

The top four teams were Lafayette County (111), Woodland (138), Hermann (142) and Stockton (143).

There were 157 runners and 16 teams.

 

Notes: College Heights Christian will have girls competing in Saturday’s Class 3 race at 9:45 a.m.

The Class 4-5 races are also scheduled to be held on Saturday, with local schools Carl Junction, Webb City and Joplin set to compete. 

McAuley’s Trae Veer (338) and Will Mollnow (334) are pictured during the Class 1 state cross country meet. Both finished in the top 30 to earn all-state honors. Photos by Chris Auckley.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook (418) is pictured during Friday’s MSHSAA Cross Country Championships. A freshman, Cook finished 34th in Class 1. Photos by Chris Auckley.

 

McAuley Catholic senior Kendall Ramsey finished her prep cross country career as a four-time state qualifier and a two-time state medalist. All photos by Chris Auckley.

DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY: McAuley Catholic advances both teams to state; area individuals qualify

LAMAR, Mo. — McAuley Catholic is taking two full squads to the state cross country championships. 

McAuley Catholic’s boys finished second and the girls placed third at the Class 1 District 2 meet on Saturday at Jeremy’s Creek Golf 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 Hermitage (35), McAuley Catholic (74), School of the Ozarks (111) and Dadeville (117). Of course, the Warriors finished fourth in Class 1 last season. 

“It is a great accomplishment to return to state,” McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth said. “Last year was our first time qualifying for state, and I thought we handled the pressure of expecting to qualify this year very well.”

Marion C. Early’s Landon Duchscherer and McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon were the top two finishers in the Class 1 boys race at Saturday’s district meet in Lamar. Courtesy photo.

On a chilly Saturday morning, McAuley junior Michael Parrigon was the district runner-up with a time of 16:35. Marion C. Early’s Landon Duchscherer took first in 15:59.

McAuley sophomore Trae Veer finished eighth in 17:45, while Jasper junior Leland Harris placed 14th in 17:55 and McAuley freshman Will Mollnow finished 17th in 18:03.

Thomas Jefferson had two individual state qualifiers, as junior Braden Honeywell-Lynch placed 19th (18:14) and freshman Liam Cook finished 29th (18:39).

Also for McAuley, Connor Taffner finished 31st, Alex Bohachick was 41st, Cliff Nolan placed 59th and Max Anreder was 62nd.

“We really had a few kids step up,” Youngworth said of his team’s performance. “Michael had a good early battle with the runner from Marion C. Early, but fell back a bit, forcing him to run alone most of the meet on a cold, windy day. All of our boys ran tough. Will Mollnow finished 17th. It was his best race of the year. Connor Taffner also ran well, as did Alex Bohachick, who benefitted from the cold conditions. Cliff Nolan and Max Anreder rounded out our top seven and were able to put together solid races in their first championship meet.”

Also competing for Thomas Jefferson were Spencer Long (32nd), Jack Twiss (34th), Ashan Appuhamy (57th), Ringo Snow (58th) and James Sheppard (76th).

McAuley’s girls also qualified its full team to state.

The top four girls teams were Chadwick (33), Liberal (47), McAuley Catholic (78) and School of the Ozarks (104).

Liberal freshman Ally Barton was the district medalist with a time of 20:11. 

McAuley Catholic senior Kendall Ramsey placed fifth in 21:00, while freshman Olivia Parrigon was sixth in 21:12 and freshman Riley Sears took 27th in 23:30.

Also scoring points for McAuley were Marbellie Villanueva (41st) and Samantha Perrin (49th).

“Kendall Ramsey and Olivia Parrigon ran as expected, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, and really had nice races,” Youngworth said. “Riley Sears ran her best race of the year, running almost a 90 second PR, and was key to our finish. Marbellie Villanueva struggled a bit in the middle of the race but finished well. Sam Perrin ran another good race and continues to gain confidence.”

Thomas Jefferson had a pair of qualifiers, as junior Macie Shifferd (22:40) and senior Sarah Mueller (22:53) finished 14th and 15th, respectively. 

The McAuley Catholic girls cross country team poses after finishing third at the Class 1 District 2 meet in Lamar on Saturday. Courtesy photo.

CLASS 2

The College Heights Christian boys had three individual state qualifiers in Class 2, as Colton McMillan finished 11th in 18:27, Owen Horton placed 19th in 19:11 and Connor Jordan took 21st in 19:17. 

Other local qualifiers were Diamond’s Wyatt Housh (14th), Purdy’s Logan Manwarren (16th) and Jayden Griffis (22nd) and Pierce City’s Joseph Leavitt (29th).

The top four boys teams were New Covenant (57), Mansfield (83), Alton (85) and Southwest (106). College Heights finished sixth with 133 points.

In the Class 2 girls race, Pierce City’s Emma Hunt placed third with a time of 20:28. New Covenant’s Clara Trent (19:29) and Ash Grove’s Millison Sapp (20:09) were the only runners to finish ahead of Hunt.

Also advancing with their top 30 finishes were Pierce City’s Lauren Blackburn (12th), Purdy’s Courtney Patterson (13th), Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris (16th), Pierce City’s Ginger Leavitt (17th) and Sarcoxie’s duo of Lily Garrison (21st) and Ariel Wilson (22nd).

The qualifying girls teams were Sparta (39), Pierce City (59), Sarcoxie (73) and Mansfield (87).

 

CLASS 3

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell was the runner-up in the Class 3 boys race with a time of 16:02, as El Dorado Springs’ Wyatt Klaiber took first in 15:45.

Lamar’s Cameron Bailey and Ryder Friend finished sixth and seventh, while Aurora’s Carsen Gillam was 15th. East Newton’s Nicholas Shaeffer finished 18th and Pierce City’s Pierce Heins was 19th. Cassville’s Ethan Bohmke (21st), Michael Butts (25th) and Trever Garnett (28th) all advanced. 

The top four boys teams were El Dorado Springs (35), Springfield Catholic (101), Lamar (118) and Strafford (143).

In the Class 3 girls race, Lamar’s Abigail Diggs finished third in 20:33 and Cassville’s Jadyn Williams-Reed placed fourth in 20:34.

Mount Vernon’s Rylee Simons took ninth, Lamar’s duo of LeiLani Toves and Carly Dunham were 13th and 16th and East Newton’s Brooklyn Blanchard finished 21st.

College Heights Christian’s Marla Anderegg finished 22nd and teammate Jesalin Bever was 27th to advance. Aurora’s Drew Mayes finished 23rd and Cassville’s Tori Mitchell took 29th.

Fair Grove’s Katrina Cantwell took first in 19:57.

The top four teams were Osage (94), Lamar (103), Clever (112) and Springfield Catholic (113).

 

NOTE: The MSHSAA Cross Country Championships for Class 1-2 is Nov. 3 at Gans Creek in Columbia, while the Class 3-5 races are scheduled for Nov. 4. 

The McAuley Catholic boys cross country team took second in the team standings at the Class 1 District 2 meet on Saturday in Lamar. The top four teams advanced to the state championships in Columbia. Courtesy photo.

 

Jasper’s Leland Harris and McAuley’s Trae Veer are among the runners pictured competing at Saturday’s Class 1 District 2 meet in Lamar.

Class 1 District 2 Meet

Boys team standings: Hermitage 35, McAuley Catholic 74, School of the Ozarks 111, Dadeville 117, Thomas Jefferson 125, Blue Eye 168, Stoutland 178, Walnut Grove 198, Gloria Deo 223, Fair Play 231, Humansville 259.

Girls team standings: Chadwick 33, Liberal 47, McAuley Catholic 78, School of the Ozarks 104, Blue Eye 106, Hermitage 135, Gloria Deo 162.

 

FULL RESULTS: MileSplit Live Results

CROSS COUNTRY: McAuley Catholic sweeps Ozark 7 titles

 

The McAuley Catholic cross country program had a historic day. 

McAuley Catholic’s boys and girls both captured the team championships at the 2023 Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday night at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course at Missouri Southern State University.

“I was extremely pleased with the efforts of both teams, and of our middle school kids,” McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth said. “We were able to win all four divisions, quite an accomplishment for the kids and coaches! It was a hot, sunny day, but I thought our kids handled it well. I was very proud of our student body who came out and cheered us on today.”

College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan (5), McAuley’s Trae Veer (38) and Thomas Jefferson’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch (74) are pictured during the Ozark 7 Meet. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

The McAuley boys repeated as conference champs with 31 points. College Heights was second with 38 and Thomas Jefferson (55) was the third team with a full squad competing.

“Our boys team had some pressure on them this year, as we were the defending conference champion,” Youngworth said. “College Heights and Thomas Jefferson have some very good runners, and I knew we would have to run a great race in order to win.”

McAuley junior Michael Parrigon was the individual conference champion, as he crossed the line at 16:41, more than a minute faster than the runner-up. 

College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan took second in 17:46, McAuley’s Trae Veer was third in 17:48, Thomas Jefferson’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch took fourth in 17:54 and CHC’s Connor Jordan placed fifth in 18:32.

Finishing sixth through 10th were McAuley’s Will Mollnow, Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook, CHC’s Owen Horton, McAuley’s Connor Taffner and CHC’s Caleb Quade.

Rounding out the top 15 were TJ’s Spencer Long, McAuley’s Alex Bohachick, CHC’s Steven Calandro, Wheaton’s Jayson Peterson and CHC’s Drew Sawkins.

McAuley’s Cliff Nolan, TJ’s duo of Ashan Appuhamy and Jack Twiss, McAuley’s Max Anreder and Exeter’s Josue Alcaraz completed the top 20.

Youngworth, who noted the Ozark 7 schools appreciate MSSU allowing the meet to be held on campus at the Rutledge course, said his boys team performed well overall. 

“Michael Parrigon continues to run well, racing alone for the bulk of the meet,” Youngworth said. “Trae Veer finished third, beating some good kids. Trae continues to improve each week, and just runs very smart races. Will Mollnow earned all-conference recognition, as did Connor Taffner. Alex Bohachick finished as our No. 5 and continues to improve after a long illness kept him out of competition for a few weeks. Cliff Nolan ran a solid race as our No. 6 and dropped 45 seconds from last year. Max Anreder rounded out our top seven.”

McAuley Catholic freshman Olivia Parrigon won the girls race at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet.

The postseason awaits for the Warriors.

“We will face a very tough Hermitage at districts next weekend, they are the defending Class 1 state champions,” Youngworth said. “We will have to have great races from all of our kids in order to challenge them.”

 

GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS

McAuley’s girls edged defending champion College Heights Christian by just three points, 26-29. The Warriors had four top-10 finishers, while the Cougars had three runners in the top five.

“I think the surprise of the day was our girls defeating College Heights, our first-ever girls conference championship,” Youngworth said. “They are very well-coached and were the defending conference champions, but I challenged the girls a little bit this week, telling them they had nothing to lose by being aggressive and running to win.”

McAuley freshman Olivia Parrigon was the conference champion with a time of 21:07.

College Heights Christian junior Marla Anderegg was the runner-up in 21:37 and McAuley senior Kendall Ramsey took third in 21:59.

CHC’s Jesalin Bever and Lilly Royer finished fourth and fifth, while Thomas Jefferson’s duo of Macie Shifferd and Sarah Mueller were sixth and seventh.

Exeter’s Kaylyn Weiser finished eighth and McAuley’s tandem of Riley Sears and Marbellie Villanueva finished ninth and 10th, respectively. 

Also of note, College Heights’ Madi Carson finished 13th, McAuley’s Samantha Perrin was 14th, CHC’s Katie Moss placed 17th, CHC’s Lilly Lackey took 19th and McAuley’s Genevieve Billings finished 20th. 

Youngworth noted he was proud of how the girls team performed. 

“Olivia Parrigon is our first-ever conference champion, and she ran most of the race with Kendall Ramsey and was able to pull away in the last 800 meters,” Youngworth said. “I think the key to our win though was the work of our No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 runners. Riley Sears ran a career PR and earned all-conference honors, as did Marbellie Villanueva, who ran a PR for the season.  Our No. 5 was Samantha Perrin, who finished 14th, but dropped over three minutes from last year’s race. We are starting to run with more confidence, and I look forward to the opportunity to see them compete at districts next week.”

 

OZARK 7 CONFERENCE MEET

Boys team standings: McAuley Catholic 31, College Heights Christian 38, Thomas Jefferson 55.

Girls team standings: McAuley Catholic 26, College Heights 29.

 

FULL RESULTS: Ozark 7 Conference Meet 2023 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

 

McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey (42) and Olivia Parrigon (40) and a number of College Heights runners, including Marla Anderegg (11) are pictured during the Ozark 7 Conference Meet at MSSU’s Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. McAuley swept the team titles. Photos by Jessica Greninger.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Liam Cook and McAuley’s Will Mollnow head to the finish line during Friday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet at Missouri Southern. Photos by Jessica Greninger.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Ringo Snow (83) and Ashan Appuhamy (69) compete at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday.

 

College Heights Christian’s Jesalin Bever finished fourth in the girls race at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday.

 

Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished seventh at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet.

 

McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey finished third at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday at MSSU. McAuley Catholic swept both team titles at the meet. Photos by Jessica Greninger.

 

McAuley Catholic’s girls cross country team won the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday. From left to right, are Samantha Perrin, Riley Sears, Kendall Ramsey, Olivia Parrigon and Marbellie Villanueva. Not pictured: Genevieve Billings. Courtesy photo.

 

The McAuley Catholic boys cross country team poses after winning the Ozark 7 Conference Meet on Friday at MSSU. Courtesy photo.

GIRLS TENNIS: College Heights captures district title

Third-seeded College Heights Christian defeated top-seeded Mount Vernon 5-4 in the championship match of the Class 1 District 10 girls tennis tournament on Thursday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

The Cougars started off the dual strong by winning two of the three doubles matches.

College Heights received singles wins from senior Jeanna Smathers and junior Londyn Eidson.

The match was deadlocked 4-4 and came down to the final singles match.

College Heights freshman Lilly Cummins battled back after dropping the first set against Mount Vernon’s Raegan Pendleton, winning the second set with a 7-3 tie-breaker and the third set 10-7.

This is College Heights’ first district championship in girls tennis since 2019.

College Heights will next meet Rogersville on Monday in the sectional round of the state tournament.

 

INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT

Monett’s Elizabeth Smith and College Heights Christian’s Natalie Brueggemann were the top two singles players at the individual district tournament.

The advancing doubles teams were both from Mount Vernon, Audrey Bittle and Molly Burk and Adelynn Hall and Raegan Pendleton.

 

GIRLS TENNIS: Thomas Jefferson, College Heights advance to district title matches

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON TO PLAY FOR DISTRICT TITLE

Top-seeded Thomas Jefferson will meet third-seeded Notre Dame de Sion in the championship match of the Class 2 District 7 girls tennis tournament on Wednesday.

In Tuesday’s semifinals, Thomas Jefferson defeated fourth-seeded Willard 5-1 and Notre Dame de Sion knocked off second-seeded Carl Junction 5-3.

The Cavaliers won two of the three doubles matches.

At No. 1 doubles, Willard’s Alyssa Flynn-Evelyn Sly edged Allison Ding and Jeanna Jeyaraj 8-6.

Thomas Jefferson’s Esther Yang and Kyla Yang beat Jacey Wilson-Madeline Polites 8-3 and Warda Morsy and Mayson Solum defeated Allyson Essary-Briana Mauschbaugh 8-4.

In completed singles matches, Morsy beat Katelyn Long 6-2, 6-0, while Solum topped Essary 6-0, 6-3 and Kyla Yang beat Mauschbaugh 6-1, 6-2.

The results of Carl Junction’s match with Notre Dame de Sion were not submitted to SoMo Sports. 

The district title match is slated for 3:30 Wednesday at the TJ courts.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS ADVANCES

Third-seeded College Heights Christian upset second-seeded Monett 5-0 in the semifinals of the Class 1 District 10 tournament.

No other information was available to SoMo Sports at the time of publication.

College Heights will meet top-seeded Mount Vernon at 4:30 on Wednesday. 

 

DISTRICT TOURNAMENT GLANCE

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 7

Monday’s results

(4) Willard 5, (5) Barstow 0

(2) Carl Junction 5, (7) Webb City 0

(3) Notre Dame de Sion 5, (6) Belton 0

 

Tuesday’s semifinals

(1) Thomas Jefferson 5, Willard 1

Notre Dame de Sion 5, Carl Junction 3

 

Wednesday’s title match

Thomas Jefferson vs. Notre Dame de Sion, 3:30

 

CLASS 1 DISTRICT 10

Monday’s result 

(4) Clever 5, (5) Aurora 1

 

Tuesday’s semifinals

(1) Mount Vernon 5, Clever 0

(3) College Heights 5, (2) Monett 0 

 

Wednesday’s title match

Mount Vernon vs. College Heights, 4:30

BOYS SOCCER: Carthage tops College Heights

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage boys soccer team scored four goals in each half to earn an 8-0 victory over College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) on Thursday at David Haffner Stadium. 

The Tigers improved to 2-0.

Henry Hernandez opened the scoring in the seventh minute, with Aldo Sanchez-Cancinos assisting.

Welle Welle’s goal in the 11th minute made it 2-0 before Sanchez-Cancinos gave the Tigers a 3-0 advantage in the 15th minute.

Carthage went up 4-0 when Silas Laytham recorded a goal in the 35th minute. 

Laytham, Welle, Israel Perez and Reece Horton scored goals in the second half.

Carthage is at Willard on Tuesday.

College Heights (0-2) hosts McDonald County on Tuesday.

FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Under new head coach, College Heights looks to make progress in Year 2

John Lucas is now in charge of the College Heights Christian School football program as it enters its second year of existence.

An assistant coach last season, Lucas took charge of the program this summer after Travis Burk stepped down after leading the Cougars through Year 1.

“My interests in the position grew from witnessing the efforts and how much progress and the successes this group of young men accomplished in just one year,” Lucas said. “Also, the support from the school board, superintendent, athletic director, faculty and parents is unique and unrivaled. All of whom have a love for Jesus and each other.” 

In 2022, College Heights recorded one win in its inaugural season of 8-man football. 

“Being a first-year program, the kids learned a ton about the game of football, how to play the game and how to compete,” Lucas said. “There are many challenges when starting a first-year football program. These athletes had limited exposure to a sustained weight lifting program. The physicality of football was the biggest challenge.”

Logan Decker will once again be a key performer for the College Heights football team.

The Cougars have a large group of returning two-way starters in 2023, all of whom gained valuable experience last fall.

With that, Lucas expects the Cougars to take a big step forward in Year 2. 

“Our football knowledge has improved,” Lucas said. “We’re not a big, physical team, but we do have some speed at the skill positions.”

Dual threat junior quarterback Logan Decker returns after passing for 2,160 yards and rushing for 888 yards as a sophomore. An all-district performer, the 6-foot Decker passed for 33 touchdowns and ran for another 12 in ’22. 

Coach Lucas noted Decker will be an improved player in ’23.

“The two areas Logan has improved are confidence in his abilities at QB and physical strength,” Lucas said. “These will improve his on-field leadership in running the offense, vocal command and his overall game management.” 

Senior wide receiver Caleb Quade (6-4, 180) is back after recording 957 receiving yards with 16 touchdowns last season on the way to earning all-district recognition. 

Also back at wide receiver are sophomore Cannon Miller, senior Colsen Dickens and junior Levi Durling.

Another all-district performer, the 5-11 Miller had 745 receiving yards with nine touchdowns to go along with 227 rushing yards. Dickens had 147 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Senior Matt Williams, Miller, Durling and Dickens are running threats.

Other possible receivers are sophomores Corbin Cronenwett, Jadon Smith, Jace Bowen and Nick Pfeffer.

Senior Kye Miller, juniors Tate Angel, Kaleb Kennedy and Caleb Hipple and freshman Max Long are offensive linemen. 

The Cougars return a solid group on defense.

Williams, Durling, Decker, Cronenwett, Bowen and Dickens are linebackers. 

Quade, Dickens, Cannon Miller, Brodrick Burns, Jadon Smith, Anderson Smith and Aiden Cummins are defensive backs.

Freshman Hunter Marsh joins the above mentioned offensive linemen on the D-line. 

Coach Lucas said seniors Quade, Dickens, Williams and Kye Miller have taken on leadership roles.

“These men lead by example by doing things the right way, both on and off the field,” he said. “Everything they do, from their christian service, academically in the classroom and setting the example in the weight room, are exceptional examples in leading. These qualities will translate to the field in making us a fundamentally sound and improved football team.” 

As far as keys to success, Lucas said they’re simple. 

“For us to be successful, we must improve our play up front on both sides of the football,” Lucas said. “The O-line and D-line must be fundamentally sound and disciplined in their techniques. We must improve our physical play, both offensively and defensively. Offensively, we need to be able to run the football. Defensively, we need to improve our tackling techniques, plus be physcial through contact.” 

Coach Lucas is confident the Cougars have the pieces in place to have a solid season.

He added the goals for the season are clear.

“We’ll use football as a platform to honor Jesus in all aspects of our program,” Lucas said. “Our hope is for people to bump into Jesus through our conduct, both on and off the football field. We’ll honor him by competing, playing to our highest potential and through our best efforts plus having fun playing the game.” 

 

WEEK 1 IS HERE

College Heights will begin the ’23 season on Friday at Rich Hill.

 

CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW: College Heights features returning state-qualifiers, promising newcomers

Phillip Jordan sees a lot of potential in this year’s College Heights Christian cross country team.

It’s not hard to see why.

College Heights returns state-qualifiers on both squads to go along with a mixture of varsity veterans and promising newcomers.

“Our kids have put in a lot of work in the summer,” Coach Jordan said. “And I can’t wait to see how they progress with daily practices and when we get to compete in meets this fall. I see a lot of potential with both the boys and girls teams. 

“I have high expectations for the girls team,” Jordan added. “We’ll look to defend our Ozark 7 Conference championship and should be in the mix to qualify for a team spot at state. We have a very young boys team with only freshmen and sophomores. Our top four runners have a chance to be very solid. Finding a No. 5 runner who can run a competitive time will be important if we are going to have success as a team.” 

In 2022, the College Heights girls captured a conference championship and took a full squad to the Class 2 state championships. 

Seniors Madelynn Jordan and Madi Carson, junior Marla Anderegg and sophomore Jesalin Bever return with varsity experience.

As a sophomore, Anderegg finished 38th at the state meet after placing 10th at the district meet and second at the conference meet.

“Marla is a part-time runner, as she also plays tennis, but has a natural gift as a runner,” Jordan said. “She is smooth and seems to never get tired. I expect Marla to be our No. 1 or No. 2 runner this year. Once she joins the team full-time in October, she will compete for top conference honors and should compete in the top 5-10 of our district.”

Bever (fourth), Jordan (fifth) and Carson (10th) all earned all-conference honors last year while also gaining state meet experience.

“Jesalin is an athlete,” Jordan said. “She has grit and toughness and I expect her to have a big year. She will compete with Marla for our No. 1 runner position. She had a good freshman year and I expect year two to be even better. 

“Madelynn has been consistent and steady over her career. She has put in more time this summer and made improvements that will set her up for a great senior year. 

“Madi has also been consistent and has grown in confidence in herself as a runner. I expect Madi to have her best year as she helps lead the girls team.”

Coach Jordan expects sophomore Amelia Hagale to be a key performer this season.

“Amelia also has natural ability but has dealt with injuries so far in her high school career,” Jordan said. “She was unable to compete as a freshman, but with full health she will push to be in our top five.” 

Freshmen Lilly Royer and Lily Lackey are other athletes who could contribute at the varsity meets.

“Lilly just transferred from Neosho but appears to be a hard worker and has some natural talent,” Jordan said. “I expect Lilly to compete for a top five position. She will be a great addition to our team. Lily Lackey is a part-time runner for us, also playing volleyball. Lily has been consistent running with the team over the summer and will have to put in extra time on her own to compete for a top five position on our team.” 

BOYS OUTLOOK

Senior Steven Calandro and sophomore Colton McMillan return with prior varsity experience for the College Heights boys.

McMillan was the boys team’s lone state-qualifier in ’22.

McMillan took ninth at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet, with Calandro finishing 12th.

“Colton has improved with his offseason training and I expect him to have an even better year than last,” Jordan said. “Steven plays soccer full-time but has a natural gift for running. He is tough and can help our team if he can get in good physical condition through soccer and running on his own.”

Sophomore Will Porter is another possible varsity performer.

“Will has dealt with a knee injury that has held him back, but his effort is always there,” Jordan said. “If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to have a nice year.”

The Cougars will feature several promising newcomers — sophomores Owen Horton and Layden Shaffer and freshmen Connor Jordan, Drew Sawkins and Spencer Jackson.

“Owen is a gifted runner who transferred to CHC from Joplin in February,” Coach Jordan said. “Owen will have a chance to compete with Colton as our No. 1 runner. He is a hard worker and has high expectations for himself. HIs leadership will be key in helping our team have success. 

“Layden is a great kid who hasn’t run cross country before,” Jordan said. “He’ll need to continue to push himself to be the best runner he can be. 

“Connor was very successful in our junior high program,” Coach Jordan said. “He will compete for our No. 3 spot in the order. If he can improve his toughness, he has the chance to have a nice freshman season. 

“Drew is a strong and very tough runner. He has the grit and will to compete with anyone. Drew has become a much-improved runner from his eighth-grade year. I expect Drew to compete with Connor for our No. 3 position.

“Spencer is a full-time soccer player who can help us if he puts time in on his own to get into cross country shape.” 

Coach Jordan said he’s confident both squads can have solid seasons.

“Our culture is very strong, the kids enjoy being a part of our team and understand the work that it takes to compete at a high level,” he said. “Our experienced runners have done a good job of leading and teaching our younger kids what it takes to achieve our goals.” 

Lack of numbers is a main area of concern for both the CHC girls and boys.

“With only seven or eight runners on each team, if we have any injuries there is nobody behind them to take that spot,” Jordan noted. “The kids must take care of themselves with good health habits and trusting our system to stay healthy so we can compete at a high level.”

With preseason practices underway, Coach Jordan said the keys to success for the Cougars are not complicated. 

“Trust the system, continue to buy-in to the culture we have established, and put in the work it takes to have success,” he said.

The College Heights cross country team is scheduled to begin the ’23 season at the SWCCCA Meet in Bolivar on Sept. 2.

STATE TRACK & FIELD: Area athletes earn medals on Day 1

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Joplin area fared extremely well at the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships on Friday.

Lamar and East Newton both had individual state champions, while Joplin, Neosho, Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction and Nevada all had athletes earn all-state recognition at Adkins Stadium on the campus of Jefferson City High School.

Below is a recap of Day 1 action for local athletes competing in classes 3-5. The state track meet concludes on Saturday.

 

CLASS 5

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell was the runner-up in the Class 5 1600-meter run on Friday, finishing in 4:13.01. Rock Bridge’s Andrew Hauser won the race in 4:12.79. Campbell also finished second to Hauser at last year’s state meet.

A future Kansas Jayhawk, Campbell also finished fifth in the 800 on Friday with a time of 1:55, giving the JHS standout a pair of medals.

Campbell will finish his prep career on Saturday by running the 3200. 

Joplin’s other medalist on Friday was freshman Cordell Washington, who tied Ozark’s Peyton Ligon  for sixth place in the high jump by clearing 6-5.5. 

In other events, Eagles senior Drew VanGilder finished 10th in the javelin (153-11) and senior Orion Norris finished 15th in the prelims of the 200 (22.59).

Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Quinton Renfro, Tayshawn Palmer, Norris and Davin Thomas finished 11th in the prelims in 43.11 seconds and did not advance to the finals. 

The top eight in each preliminary event advance to Saturday’s finals and the top eight in field events/running finals are state medalists.

On the girls side, Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland finished seventh in 48.95 seconds to advance to the finals. 

A freshman, Strickland had a busy day. In Friday’s prelims, Strickland finished ninth in the 400-meter run (1:00), 10th in the 100-meter dash (12.33 seconds) and 11th in the 200 (25.78).

 

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Tigers senior Micah Lindsey earned a spot on the awards podium after placing fifth in the shot put (57-9).

A Pittsburg State football recruit, Lindsey is a two-time medalist, as he finished seventh in the event last year.

Carthage senior Miguel Solano placed ninth in the 800 with a time of 1:56.36, just missing a spot on the awards stand. The eighth place finisher, Grayson Tapp of Liberty North, recorded a time of 1:56.14.

Tigers junior Daryl Martin finished 12th in the 300 hurdles prelims with a time of 40.99 seconds.

For the Carthage girls, freshman Chasity Straw finished 11th in the discus (118-5).

 

NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS

Neosho senior Collyn Kivett earned a medal by finishing fifth in the Class 5 javelin. Kivett recorded a heave of 169-7.

Wildcats senior Tyrese Hill advanced to the finals of the 200-meter dash by finishing fourth in Friday’s prelims in 21.73 seconds. Hill was also 10th in the prelims of the 100 (10.86).

Neosho senior Jared Siler finished 10th in both of his individual events, the long jump (21-4) and the high jump (6-3.5).

Izaiah Hill finished 16th in the prelims of the 400 (51.29).

 

CLASS 4

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Webb City had four all-state performances on Friday, three on the boys side. 

Webb City senior Trey Roets closed out his prep career on the awards podium after placing third in the javelin with a toss of 179-11. 

Roets, who will compete in football and track at William Jewell, was also third in the event last year.

The Cardinals had two medalists in the javelin, as junior Tucker Liberatore placed sixth with a toss of 171-4.

Webb City’s third medalist of the day was junior Evan Stevens, who placed fifth in the 1600 with a time of 4:21. Stevens will run the 3200 on Saturday.

In other events, Webb City sophomore Eric Lathan finished 13th in the shot put with a toss of 48-5.5 and Cardinals junior Ryan Reid competed in the high jump, but did not clear the opening height.

Webb City’s 4×400 relay team of Gabe Johnson, Noah Moss, Joshua White and Jordan Thornburg finished 16th in the prelims.

Of note, Webb City senior Grayson Smith will attempt to repeat as Class 4 pole vault champion on Saturday.

On the girls side, senior Abi Street finished third in the 3200 with a time of 10:59 to earn all-state honors. Street will compete in the 1600 on Saturday.

Webb City’s 4×100 relay team of Kylie Jennings, Chase Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Essence Robinson finished ninth in 50.03 seconds, just missing a spot in the finals.

Webb City junior Aubree Lassiter finished 11th in the discus (111-0).

 

CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS

Carl Junction junior Acadia Badgley finished sixth in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet even, earning all-state recognition.

Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward advanced to the finals in two events. 

In Friday’s prelims, Ward finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.08 seconds) and fifth in the 200 (25.1). Ward will compete in the finals of both events on Saturday. She was a medalist in both events last year as a freshman. 

The CJ girls finished 15th in the prelims of the 4×200 relay, as Olivia Battagler, Destiny Buerge, Dezi Williams and Ward recorded a time of 1:48.7.

Freshman Bella Montez was 12th in the prelims of the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.39 seconds.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS

McDonald County’s 4×100 relay team of Sam Barton, Esteban Martinez-Olvera, Dominic Cervantes and Josh Pacheco finished 15th in the prelims.

The Mustangs finished ninth in the 4×400 prelims, with Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Pacheco competing.

The Mac County girls finished 15th in the 4×400 prelims, with Clara Horton, Corina Holland, Ireona Nirka and Anna Price competing.

 

NEVADA HIGHLIGHTS

Nevada senior Drew Beachler was the runner-up in the Class 4 long jump after recording a leap of 23-2.

He’ll compete in the triple jump on Saturday.

 

CLASS 3

COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS

The College Heights girls finished ninth in the prelims of the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:48.87, with Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout, Lauren Ukena and Jesalin Bever competing. 

The Cougars were nipped at the finish line for the final spot in the finals by Maryville (1:48.86).

The CHC girls were 10th in the 4×400 prelims, as Bever, Johnson, Stout and Ukena recorded a time of 4:15.

A senior, Johnson finished 11th in the prelims of the 400 with a time of 1:01.

 

OTHER CLASS 3 HIGHLIGHTS

Two regional athletes won state titles in Class 3.

Lamar junior Trace Wooldridge won the shot put with a toss of 55-0.25.

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell crossed the line first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:53. 

A junior, Sorrell also finished second in the 1600 with a time of 4:17 to earn two medals on the day.

East Newton had two other medalists, as Michael Crowe was the runner-up in the high jump (6-4) and Eden Enlow finished seventh in the javelin (149-10).

On the girls side in Class 3, Lamar’s Kiersten Potter finished third in the 3200 (11:18), Aurora’s Makena Hall placed fifth in the pole vault (10-3.5) and Cassville’s Jolie Evans was fifth in the 3200 (11:36).

Cassville’s 4×800 relay team of Marianne McCrackin, Tori Mitchell, Jadyn Williams-Reed and Jolie Evans finished fourth with a time of 10:03.

SECTIONAL TRACK & FIELD: College Heights girls advance to state in Class 3; Lamar boys win team title

WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The College Heights Christian girls track team advanced to state in three events at Saturday’s Class 3 Sectional 3 meet at West Plains High School.

The top four finishers in each event advanced to next weekend’s state meet in Jefferson City.

College Heights Christian’s 4×400-meter relay team of Jesalin Bever, Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout and Lauren Ukena finished third in 4:15.

The CHC 4×200 relay team of Johnson, Stout, Ukena and Bever finished fourth with a time of 1:48.

A senior, Johnson finished fourth in the 400 with a time of 1:01.

In other events, Bever finished seventh in the 100 hurdles and Ukena was eighth in the 200. 

The CHC girls finished eighth in the 4×100 relay, with Johnson, Stout, Ukena and Addison Lawrence competing.

 

LAMAR BOYS WIN TEAM TITLE

Lamar’s boys won the team title with 109 points. East Newton was second with 72.5, while Fair Grove was third with 69 and Owensville was fourth with 67.

Lamar’s boys won the 4×100, took second in the 4×800 and finished third in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays.

Lamar’s Tyson Williams won the discus (149-9) and took second in the shot put (48-4.25).

Pierce Heins was the runner-up in the 400 and Jase Dillon was second in the high jump.

Also for the Tigers, Trace Wooldridge was third in the shot put, Ian Ngugi finished third in both the 100 and 200, Carson Sturgell took third in the pole vault, Cameron Sturgell was third in the javelin, Terrill Davis finished third in the long jump and Blaine Breshears was fourth in the 400.

 

OTHER CLASS 3 HIGHLIGHTS

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell won the 800 in 1:58 and took first in the 1600 with a time of 4:31. A junior, Sorrell was fourth in the 3200.

East Newton’s Michael Crowe won the high jump (6-1.25), Eden Enlow took first in the javelin (153-3) and Dominic Shaw won the shot put (48-9.75) and took second in the discus (148-11).

For the Cassville boys, Matteo Lumetta took third in the 3200, Caleb Leach finished fourth in the 800, Ashton Wheeler was fourth in the long jump and Charles Elliott took fourth in the 300 hurdles. Cassville won the boys 4×800 relay.

Mount Vernon’s Jacob Erpelding was fourth in the 110 hurdles and Aurora’s Daunte Floyd finished third in the triple jump.

On the girls side, Seneca’s Isabella Renfro won the shot put with a toss of 39-2.75.

Lamar’s Kiersten Potter won the 3200 in 11:33 and took second in the 1600 in 5:20, while Elise Ferris won the long jump (16-10) and Audra Lloyd finished third in the discus.

Mount Vernon’s Camryn Cornell was third in the high jump, Nina Cowherd placed fourth in the 100 and Kadence Krempges took fourth in the pole vault. Mount Vernon’s girls finished third in two relays, the 4×100 and the 4×200.

Cassville’s Jolie Evans finished third in the 800 and fourth in the 3200, while teammate Aaliyah Franklin took fourth in the discus.

Aurora’s Makena Hall won the 100 hurdles and the pole vault and took third in the long jump, while teammate Maisie Phillips was fourth in the 100 hurdles.

East Newton’s Brooke White finished third in the shot put.

Seneca’s Cambry Long just missed qualifying in the 400 after finishing fifth.

STATE TRACK & FIELD: TJ’s Atteberry earns pair of medals on Day 1

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry earned medalist honors in two events at the 2023 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Adkins Stadium.

Competing in Class 1, Atteberry finished fourth in the 1600 with a time of 4 minutes, 33 seconds to earn medalist honors. 

Atteberry also finished fifth in the 800 in 2:02 to earn a second trip to the podium. 

Atteberry will compete in the 3200 on Saturday, where he’ll look to earn a third medal.

Thomas Jefferson senior Tyler Brouhard finished 13th in the prelims of the 200-meter dash (24.57) and 15th in the prelims of the 100-meter dash (11.93). The top eight moved on to the finals. 

For the Thomas Jefferson girls, Macie Shifferd took 13th in the 3200 (13:13) and Nico Carlson placed 13th in the high jump (4-9). Gabriella Hiebert finished 14th in two events, the long jump (15-2.75) and the high jump (4-7).

McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey finished ninth in the 3200 with a time of 12:23, just missing medalist honors.

A junior, Ramsey will compete in the 1600 on Saturday.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS COMPETES IN CLASS 2

The College Heights boys are competing in Class 2.

The Cougars finished 12th in the prelims of the 4×200 relay in 1:35, with Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade and Colsen Dickens competing.

Quade finished 10th in the long jump (19-8.25).

Also in Class 2, Sarcoxie’s Jaron Malotte finished fifth in the boys pole vault (13-0.25).

Pierce City’s Hayden Kramer finished third in the girls discus (122-5) and teammate Emma Hunt was fifth in the girls 3200 (11:45).

The state meet will conclude on Saturday.

 

BASEBALL: All-Ozark 7 Conference team released

The All-Ozark 7 Conference Baseball Team for 2023 has been released.

 

ALL-OZARK 7 CONFERENCE TEAM

Player of the Year: Kason Nelson, Exeter

Coach of the Year: Matt Tripp, Exeter

 

FIRST TEAM

Ben Thomas, College Heights Christian

Kelton Welch, College Heights Christian

Joe Staton, McAuley Catholic

Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, McAuley Catholic

Westin Shrum, Verona

Derek Mayne, Verona

Jayce Walker, College Heights Christian

Zachary Lee, Exeter

Wyatt Lemons, Exeter

 

SECOND TEAM

Devin Bateman, Wheaton

Fernando Gonzalez, Wheaton

Smoke Ezell, College Heights Christian

Levi Gautney, Exeter

Cason Antle, Exeter

Noah Black, McAuley Catholic

Bradley Wagner, McAuley Catholic

Michael Parrigon, McAuley Catholic

Noah Freiburger, Verona

 

DISTRICT TRACK & FIELD: College Heights girls, area athletes advance to Class 3 sectional

HOLLISTER, Mo. — The College Heights Christian School girls were among the teams competing at the Class 3 District 6 track meet on Saturday at Hollister High School.

The top four finishers in each event advanced to next Saturday’s sectional meet in West Plains.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

The team of Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout, Lauren Ukena and Jesalin Bever won the 4×200-meter relay with a time of 1:48.

The CHC girls were third in the 4×100 relay, with Johnson, Stout, Ukena and Addison Lawrence competing.

The team of Bever, Johnson, Stout and Ukena took fourth in the 4×400.

Also for the CHC girls, Ukena took second in the 200, Johnson took fourth in the 400 and Bever finished fourth in both the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

 

SENECA HIGHLIGHTS

Seneca’s Isabella Renfro placed second in the shot put with a toss of 35-0.75, while Cambry Long took third in two events, the 200 (27.87 seconds) and the 400 (1:01).

Seneca’s girls finished fourth in the 4×200, with Savannah Johnson, Addyson Jones, Anna Adkins and Long competing.

Seneca’s 4×200 relay team of Jackson Marrs, Ethan Altic, Blake Hurn, Brodie Probert just missed qualifying after finishing fifth. 

Grant Landers finished fifth in the triple jump and the Indians were sixth in the 4×100.

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Lamar’s boys and Clever’s girls were the team champions. 

Winning events for the Lamar boys were Tyson Williams (discus), Trace Wooldridge (shot put), Carson Sturgell (pole vault) and Ian Ngugi (100).

East Newton’s Chase Sorrell won three events, the 800, 1600 and 3200. East Newton’s Michael Crowe won the high jump.

Cassville’s Charles Elliott (300 H) and Ashton Wheeler (long jump) were district champs.

Winning individual events in the girls meet were Aurora’s Makena Hall (pole vault, 100 hurdles) and Lamar’s Elise Ferris (long jump), Addison Brown (discus) and Kiersten Potter (3200).

 

SECTIONAL TRACK & FIELD: College Heights, Thomas Jefferson, McAuley athletes advance to state meet

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — College Heights Christian, Thomas Jefferson and McAuley Catholic had athletes qualify for the state track meet with their performances at their respective sectional meets on Saturday at School of the Ozarks. 

College Heights’ boys were among the teams competing at the Class 2 Sectional 3 meet, while Thomas Jefferson and McAuley competed in Class 1.

The top four finishers in each event advanced to the state meet.

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

The College Heights boys won the Class 2 4×200-meter relay in 1:35, with Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade and Colsen Dickens competing.

A junior, Quade advanced to state in two individual events, as he was the runner-up in both the triple jump (12.16m) and the long jump (6.03m).

Also of note, the CHC girls competed at a Class 3 district meet on Saturday. See a related story.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS

Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry advanced to the Class 1 state meet in three individual events—the 800, 1600 and 3200.

Atteberry finished fourth in all three events. He recorded a time of 2;03 in the 800 in 2:03, finished the 1600 in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:41.

Tyler Brouhard advanced in two events, as the senior was fourth in both the 100-meter dash (11.87) and the 200 (23.93 seconds).

TJ’s Jay Ball just missed advancing in both the discus (fifth) and shot put (sixth). 

Like the TJ boys, Thomas Jefferson’s girls advanced in five events.

The Cavaliers fared well in the field events. Nico Carlson won the high jump (1.48m), Gabriella Hiebert took second in the long jump (4.63m) and tied for second in the high jump (1.4m), while Lannah Grigg placed third in the discus (29.96m) and Avery Hocker finished fourth in the triple jump (9.52m).

Also advancing was Macie Shifferd, who was second in the 3200 (13:59).

The TJ girls just missed qualifying in the 4×800 after finishing fifth. The Cavaliers were also sixth in the 4×100.

Thomas Jefferson’s girls finished fourth in the team standings, while the TJ boys were sixth. 

 

MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS

McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey won two events in the girls meet, the 3200 in 12:27 and the 1600 in 5:50. 

On the boys side, McAuley senior Joe Staton finished fourth in the pole vault (2.87m) and sophomore Roscoe Miller placed fourth in the javelin (36.06m) to give the Warriors a pair of individual qualifiers.

McAuley’s boys finished fifth in three relays, as the 4×100, the 4×400 and the 4×800 all just missed qualifying. Also, Michael Parrigon just missed advancing in two events, as he was fifth in the 1600 and sixth in the 800.

McAuley’s boys were 11th in the standings and the McAuley girls were 13th.

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

The Class 1 team champions were the Appleton City girls and Hermitage boys.

Sarcoxie’s girls and Stockton’s boys won the team titles in Class 2.

In Class 2, Diamond’s Zachary Roughton won the 300 hurdles and was the runner-up in the 110 hurdles.

Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four girls events in Class 2 — the 200, the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the high jump.

Winning events for Sarcoxie were Ariel Wilson (girls 400) and Jaron Malotte (boys 110 hurdles).

 

DISTRICT BASEBALL: College Heights suffers season-ending loss to Miller

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The College Heights Christian Cougars dug themselves an 8-0 hole after three innings during their Class 2 District 12 quarterfinal game on Friday night against the third-seeded Miller Cardinals at Chuck Barnes Field.

College Heights’ bats came alive in the sixth and seventh innings with two runs in the sixth and the seventh erasing half of the Cougars’ deficit and resulting in a season-ending 8-4 loss.

“Yeah, it’s tough to dig yourself in such a big hole, especially against a very good baseball team,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “I’m very proud of the guys for not calling it a night. We fought and had a couple good innings there. The ball bounces a different way, maybe we’re making it a little more competitive, but the guys never quit and in a situation like that, that’s what you want to see.”

College Heights pitchers Ben Thomas, Jayce Walker and Josh Anderson combined to allow two hits against the Cardinals, but they also combined for 12 walks and two hit batters that allowed Miller scoring opportunities despite being outhit 10-2 on the night.

The Cardinals scored four in the first and their first hit did not produce a run, a single by starting pitcher Garrett Stewart.

Miller scored one in the second and three more in the third without a hit in either inning, as the Cardinals did not get their second hit until an infield single in the fifth.

“It was uncharacteristic with walks tonight,” Jordan said. “We’re typically in the zone pretty well … I don’t know … we didn’t throw strikes and that’s why we lost the game. Obviously, like you said, we outhit them … we had a few errors … but, at the same time, you can’t walk 12-13 guys and expect to win a baseball game.”

Thomas, Smoke Ezell and Caleb Evans sparked College Heights’ rally with consecutive singles to load the bases in the sixth.

College Heights’ first run scored on a double play turned by Miller and Phillip Thompson hit an RBI double for an 8-2 score.

In the last chance seventh, College Heights again loaded the bases to start with a Walker single, a walk by Anderson, and a Kelton Welch hit by pitch.

The Cougars managed two more runs to close out the scoring, before the game and their season ended on an Austin Miller groundout to Miller first baseman Owen Pritchett.

College Heights, who defeated Miller 6-4 back on April 10, ends the season 7-13 overall and Cougar seniors Thomas and Bo Sitton played their final games in a College Heights uniform.

“Bo is a team player,” Jordan said. “He’s a selfless player. He brings a lot of joy and excitement to the team. He works hard.

“Ben loves baseball more than any kid I’ve ever coached and he’s also very selfless and plays the game the right way. He’s a kid that I hope the younger guys on our team look up to and try to emulate as they continue their high school career. If they do that, we’ll see lots of good things.”

More than half of the Cougars’ starting lineup this season were sophomores.

“Experience is a great teacher,” Jordan said. “We’ve had some great experiences … learned some great lessons and maybe not great experiences. We’ve lost a lot of baseball games the last two years. Yeah, you hope as we get older, now that sophomores and juniors are juniors and seniors, that’s when you hope to see good things happen and some of those close losses turn into wins. Hopefully, next year, we’ll be able to put a good season together.”

Miller improved to 16-10 overall and the Cardinals advance to the semifinals on Monday against second-seeded and eighth-ranked in Class 2 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Marion C. Early (21-6).

Top-seeded and top-ranked Ash Grove (19-0) plays fifth-seeded Pierce City (9-12) in the other semifinal Monday. Pierce City defeated Jasper 6-3 in the first quarterfinal Friday.

TRACK & FIELD: McAuley boys pass TJ for district title in final event; CHC boys advance to sectional

MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. — The McAuley Catholic Warriors, behind the strength of three event wins and 33 overall points from their four relays, earned a team championship in Class 1 District 5 Saturday at Mountain Grove High School, beating out crosstown and Ozark 7 Conference rival Thomas Jefferson by a single point, 94-93.

Lockwood finished third with 90 points, Billings fourth with 83, Dora fifth with 79, and Crane sixth with 68, while the other nine schools finished well behind the top six with seventh place Walnut Grove compiling 26 points.

The district title was determined in rather dramatic fashion.

The Warriors’ 4×400 relay team of Alex Bohachick, Dylan Taffner, Jack Jones, and Michael Parrigon recorded a winning time of 3 minutes and 41 seconds, and their win put the Warriors in first place in the team standings after the final event.

The Warriors’ 4×800 of Bohachick, Connor Taffner, Drew Zeb, and Trae Veer took first in 9:18, their 4×100 of Ethan Stabb, Jones, Dylan Taffner, and Bohachick finished second in 49.93, and their 4×200 of Stabb, Staton, Dylan Taffner, and Tripp Miller placed fourth in 1:49 during a great day in relays for McAuley Catholic.

Also for the Warriors, Joe Staton won the pole vault with a clearance of 11-4.5.

Parrigon finished second in the 1600 in 4:47 and third in the 800 in 2:06, while Bohachick finished third in the 400 in 54.39 and Veer placed fourth in the 3200 in 11:14.

The Warriors had two of the top four in the javelin, as Roscoe Miller was the runner-up (113-8) and Max Anreder was fourth (108-10).

Thomas Jefferson senior Jay Ball won the discus with a heave of 117-9 and placed fourth in the shot put at 34-7.

Fellow senior Tyler Brouhard finished second in the 100-meter dash in 11.59 seconds and second in the 200 in 23.65.

Fellow senior Kip Atteberry won the 1600 in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:52 and finished second in the 800 in 2:04.

Sheraz Anis finished third in the 110 hurdles in 18.10 and placed fourth in the 300 hurdles in 45.07.

Thomas Jefferson’s 4×800 of James Wisdom, Trenton Farley, Eann Espinoza, and Braden Honeywell-Lynch finished third in 10:12.

On the girls side, Thomas Jefferson finished third with 81 points and McAuley Catholic finished seventh with 33 points.

Thomas Jefferson senior Nico Carlson won a district title with a clearance 4-11 in the high jump and sophomore Lannah Grigg won the discus with a winning toss of the implement at 103-8.

Macie Shifferd finished second in the 3200 in 13:40, while Gabriella Hiebert finished second in the long jump with a leap of 15-1.5 and third in the high jump at 4-7 and Avery Hocker placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in 19.85.

Thomas Jefferson’s 4×800 of Samantha Seto, Sarah Mueller, Carlson, and Shifferd finished third in 11:24.

The Cavaliers’ 4×100 of Carlson, Hiebert, Hocker, and Haley Orr finished third in 56.24.

McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey won district titles in the 1600 in 5:47 and the 3200 in 13:08 and finished second in the 800 in 2:42.

The top four finishers in each event Saturday qualified for the Class 1 Sectional 3 hosted Saturday, May 13, by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.

The District 5 qualifiers will compete against each other and the District 6 qualifiers for the right to earn their spot in the 98th edition of the boys and the 50th of the girls MSHSAA Track & Field Championships on May 19-20 in Jefferson City.

Class 1 and 2 compete May 19-20 and then Class 3-5 take over host site Adkins Stadium on May 26-27.

 

College Heights boys advance in five events, tie Jasper for third place

BOLIVAR, Mo. — The College Heights Christian boys finished in a tie for third with 67 points Saturday at the Class 2 District 6 meet hosted by Southwest Baptist University.

Stockton ran away from the field of 15 schools with 162 points and Sarcoxie finished a distant second with 77 points. Like CHC, Jasper also had 67 points.

The College Heights 4×200 of Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade, and Colsen Dickens won a district title in 1:35.71 and the 4×800 of Steven Calandro, Ian Edwards, Jace Edwards, and Derrick McMillan finished second in 9:04.

Quade finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 40-11.75 and second in the long jump at 20-1.25.

Calandro placed fourth in the 110 hurdles in 18.37.

As far as other highlights, Diamond’s Zachary Roughton won two events, the 110 hurdles (15.83 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (42.56), while Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four events in the girls meet, the 100-hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 200-meter dash and the high jump.

The top four finishers in each event Saturday qualified for the Class 2 Sectional 3 hosted next Saturday by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.

Meanwhile, the College Heights girls compete next Saturday in the Class 3 District 6 meet hosted by Big 8 Conference member Hollister and also featuring Aurora, Cassville, Clever, East Newton, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove, Lamar, Mount Vernon, New Covenant, Seneca, Springfield Catholic, and Strafford.

DISTRICT SOFTBALL: College Heights ends season with loss to Pierce City; Mount Vernon, Sarcoxie, Diamond earn wins

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Fourth-seeded College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) suffered a season-ending 5-0 setback to fifth-seeded Pierce City on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the Class 2 District 6 softball tournament at Spirit of 76 Park.

Pierce City (14-9) advanced to Monday’s semifinals, where the Eagles will take on top-seeded Mount Vernon (32-1) at 5 p.m.

Mount Vernon pounded eighth-seeded Southwest (Washburn) 17-2 in four innings. 

In other quarterfinal action, third-seeded Sarcoxie topped sixth-seeded East Newton 12-3 and second-seeded Diamond edged seventh-seeded Lamar 1-0. 

Diamond (26-9-1) and Sarcoxie (14-9) will meet in the second semifinal at 6:45 on Monday night. 

 

PIERCE CITY 5, COLLEGE HEIGHTS 0

The game was scoreless until Pierce City scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Claudia Crowell delivered a two-run single before Abby O’Hara followed with an RBI single.

The Eagles pushed across a single tally in the fourth to extend their lead, as Trinity Witt reached on an error, took third on Hailey Gripka’s single and then scored on a CHC error.

Pierce City added an insurance run in the seventh after a single and three CHC errors.

Gripka and O’Hara had two hits apiece for the Eagles.

The Cougars simply couldn’t generate much offense, as they were limited to four hits by Crowell.

Crowell struck out nine and walked three in the shutout victory.

Jayli Johnson had two hits for the Cougars, including a triple, while Kloee Williamson and Aaliyah Perez added one hit apiece. Perez doubled.

Maddy Colin took the loss, but she didn’t allow an earned run. Colin struck out 14 and allowed seven hits and one walk. 

The Cougars committed six errors in the field.

College Heights ends the season with a record of 18-6-1. The Cougars captured a third straight Ozark 7 Conference championship this season. 

 

MOUNT VERNON 17, SOUTHWEST 2 

The Mountaineers rode two big innings, a seven-run second and an eight-run fourth, to a convincing run-rule victory.

The tourney hosts scored their 17 runs on 16 hits in just four innings.

Payge Evans and Allie Schubert had three hits apiece, while Harley Daniels, Rae Downing, Cheyenne Bieber and Ava Bellis contributed two hits apiece.

Daniels drove in four runs, while Evans had three RBI and scored three runs. 

Daniels earned the pitching victory. In four innings, Daniels struck out 10 and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks. Also of note, Daniels recorded her 600th career strikeout.

Southwest (8-12) scored both of its runs in the second on Kaleigh Tull’s two-run double.

Mount Vernon coach Matt Schubert earned career win No. 200.

The Mountaineers have won 24 straight games ahead of the semifinals. 

 

SARCOXIE 12, EAST NEWTON 3

Up 3-0, Sarcoxie scored five runs in the third to take a commanding 8-0 lead.

East Newton got on the board with three runs in the fifth, but the Bears added one run in the fifth and three more in the sixth for the final margin.

Sarcoxie’s Kylee Walters was the winning pitcher. She gave up three runs on six hits and struck out 14 in the complete-game effort. 

Jocelyn Benito and Walters had three hits apiece for the Bears, while Emma Plybon, Kaydence Flynn, Breann Shumake and Emma Parrigon all contributed two hits apiece.

East Newton’s Gracie Ford took the loss after surrendering 11 earned runs on 17 hits. She struck out five.

Josie Guinn had two hits for the Patriots, including a double. Shaw Coburn tripled, while Ava Periman and Coburn had one RBI apiece.

The Patriots finished the season with a record of 8-13.

 

DIAMOND 1, LAMAR 0

Defending state champion Diamond survived and advanced.

The game was scoreless when the Wildcats broke through with a single tally in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Emilee Shallenburger was hit by a pitch. She went to second on Kabrie Parmley’s sac bunt and took third on a wild pitch. 

Grace Frazier’s sac fly to center allowed Shallenburger to score the game’s lone run. 

Diamond’s Caitlyn Suhrie tossed a complete-game shutout. She allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out 10.

Helping her own cause, Suhrie had two of Diamond’s four hits.

Lamar’s Lilly Weber took the loss, but she only gave up one run on four hits and a walk while striking out six.

Recording hits for the Tigers were Jaycee Doss and Ashlyn Stettler.

Lamar closes the season at 13-17.

 

Class 2 District 6 tournament
(At Spirit of 76 Park)
Saturday’s scores
(1) Mount Vernon 17, (8) Southwest 2
(5) Pierce City 5, (4) College Heights/McAuley 0
(3) Sarcoxie 12, (6) East Newton 3
(2) Diamond 1, (7) Lamar 0

Monday’s semifinals
5 p.m. — Mount Vernon vs. Pierce City
6:45 — Diamond vs. Sarcoxie

SOFTBALL: College Heights, Diamond end in a draw before districts

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Two days before the start of the Class 2 District 6 softball tournament, College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) and Diamond ended in an 8-all draw in five innings of driving rain Thursday at Webb City High School.

College Heights took a 4-1 lead after three runs in the first and one in the second, Diamond went ahead 7-4 after pushing across six in the fourth, Diamond scored one in the fifth and College Heights scored two in the fourth and fifth before agreeing to call it a day.

At the end of the day, both teams came out winners in the sense that nobody got hurt and two good teams competed against each other two days before the start of the postseason.

“We talked earlier today about the pros and the cons of playing this game,” College Heights coach Mike Howard said. “The pros are that you’re playing a really good team that’s going to prepare you for districts. The cons are somebody gets hurt, and we definitely don’t want that going into districts.

“You know, it was just barely raining earlier in the day and so we thought we could come out here and play a little bit. I’m super proud of the way our girls came out and played with intensity from the very get-go. The girls were in it the whole entire time against a really good Diamond team. I’m just proud of our effort offensively, defensively … you take away one inning there and we have a really good game on our hands.”

“I feel like we both got good reps,” Diamond coach Kelsey Parrish said. “We both hit the ball well and I think going into districts it was a good game for both of us. Our district’s tough, so both teams needed as much confidence as possible … I think it just worked in our favor.”

The challenge of playing in driving rain conditions was especially felt Thursday by College Heights junior pitcher Maddy Colin and senior catcher Jayli Johnson and Diamond junior pitcher Caitlyn Suhrie and junior catcher Grace Frazier.

Colin and Suhrie combined for 14 walks over 10 half-innings, but they also combined to strike out 16 batters.

“It’s very, very difficult conditions to pitch in,” Howard said. “I wanted to get them to get the feel of pitching in this (weather). Maddy, she only had 18 walks the entire year and that goes to show how difficult it is to pitch in these types of conditions, especially against a really good hitting team. The umpire’s strike zone was pretty tight, so that makes it even more difficult. Hats off to her though for settling in and bearing down there at the end and limiting their runs.”

Parrish brought her experience working on getting her pitcher a dry softball from last Friday’s game against Mount Vernon at Neosho High School, when it rained for at least the first half of the third battle this season of the two top-ranked teams in Class 2.

“I thought both pitchers worked extremely hard and threw well,” Parrish said. “They couldn’t grip the ball well, so I was very proud of all four girls.”

College Heights’ Kloee Williamson led off the home first with an infield single, Johnson and Allie Stout each worked a walk, and they each scored a run to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead after one.

Williamson reached second on an error in the second and scored on a Colin RBI single.

Williamson led off the fourth with an infield single and scored on Johnson’s RBI triple. Johnson scored to cut the Cougars’ deficit to 7-6 after four.

Johnson delivered the final score in the fifth with a two-out, two-run double bringing home pinch runner Ava Lett and Williamson.

“I can’t say enough about our girls and their offense tonight,” Howard said. “How they hit the ball with timely hits scoring runs. We’re just super positive headed into districts right now.”

The Wildcats benefited from drawing four of their walks Thursday during their six-run fourth, including three straight walks with Frazier and Suhrie working consecutive bases-loaded walks for two of their six runs. Emilee Shallenburger hit a RBI single for the first run and Lauren Turner delivered a bases-clearing hit to close out the six runs.

Sara Roszell hit a RBI single in the second and Marrisa DeJager singled and came around to score the Wildcats’ final run in the fifth.

College Heights ends the regular season 18-5-1 and the fourth-seeded Cougars take on the fifth-seeded Pierce City in the district quarterfinals at 12:45 on Saturday at Spirit of ’76 Park in Mount Vernon.

Keep in mind Pierce City upended two of the top three seeds in last year’s district tournament, beating No. 3 seed Sarcoxie 12-0 in the quarters and No. 2 College Heights 7-5 in the semis before their 15-5 loss in the district championship against eventual state champion Diamond.

Diamond enters the postseason 25-9-1 and the second-seeded Wildcats play Lamar in the fourth and final game of the day at approximately 4:15 on Saturday.

Top-seeded and tournament host Mount Vernon and (8) Southwest open the day at 11 a.m. and they are followed by College Heights-Pierce City, (3) Sarcoxie vs. (6) East Newton at 2:30 and Diamond-Lamar.

Rain forced last year’s quarterfinals to be played on the all-turf surface in Neosho.

TRACK & FIELD: College Heights sweeps Ozark 7 titles; TJ, McAuley finish second, third

The College Heights Christian, Thomas Jefferson, and McAuley Catholic boys and girls track and field squads each finished in the top three teams in the high school divisions Wednesday of the Ozark 7 Conference at Thomas Jefferson’s J.P. Humphreys Track and Field Complex.

College Heights finished with 232 points on the girls side, while Thomas Jefferson took second at 157.5 points and McAuley Catholic finished third with 62 points.

College Heights posted 199 points to win the Ozark 7 on the boys side, while Thomas Jefferson finished second with 145 points and McAuley Catholic third with 97 points.

Athletes from College Heights Christian, McAuley Catholic and Thomas Jefferson compete in the 4×200 relay at the conference meet on Wednesday. Photo by Jason Peake.

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

Behind a pair of outstanding individual performers, as well as points in every facet Wednesday, both the College Heights boys and girls defended their conference titles.

“I was very pleased with the kids and their performances today,” College Heights coach Daniel Lewis said. “We’ve been battling a lot of injuries and we had a couple kids who this was their first day back, and they weren’t able to perform to the level they’re used to, but they helped us get the points that we needed. We had another kid get hurt during the meet and wasn’t able to finish the events. We relied on our sprinters a lot today.

“The highlights would be Jayli Johnson on the girls side. She won the 100, 200, and 400. On the boys side, Caleb Quade won the long jump, triple jump, and high jump, and ran on the winning 4×2. Obviously, they contributed a lot.

“We’ve got a bunch of good kids. Our three fastest boys sprinters have been injured and on the girls side, our fastest girl (Addie Lawrence) has been injured. She hasn’t run all year, either. For the position we’re in and how many injuries we’ve had, I’ve been very pleased with what we’ve done.”

College Heights senior Jayli Johnson runs to a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash at Wednesday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet at Thomas Jefferson. Photo by Jason Peake.

On the girls side, Johnson won the 100-meter dash in 13.87 seconds, the 200 in 27.90, the 400 in 1:07.06, and the javelin with a toss of 69 feet, 5 inches, earning the Cougars 40 of their points alone from her four individual event victories.

Lauren Ukena placed second and Amelia Hagale fourth in the 100, Ukena finished second and Jesalin Bever third in the 200, Marla Anderegg finished second and Lilly Lackey fifth in the 800, Anderegg finished second in the 1600 and third in the 3200, and Bever won the 100 and 300 hurdles and Ukena placed second in both events.

College Heights finished second in the 4×100, won the 4×200, took second in the 4×400, and won the 4×800.

In the field events, Maddy Colin won gold and Bailey Peoples tied for third in the high jump, Allie Stout and Peoples finished second and third in the long jump, Peoples won the triple jump while Isabelle Clevenger and Lindsay Griesemer finished third and fourth, Peoples placed fourth in the shot put, Colin finished second and Lackey fifth in the discus, and Colin took second in the javelin.

On the boys side, jumpin’ junior Quade swept the long, triple, and high jump for 30 points and contributed to another 10 points by running the second leg on the winning 4×200 relay.

Steven Calandro, Ian Edwards and Jace Edwards finished third through fifth in the 110 hurdles, Logan Decker, Colsen Dickens and Derek Bowman finished second, fourth and fifth in the 100, Colton McMillan and Josiah Thomas placed fifth and sixth in the 1600, Ethan Ukena won the 400 and Levi Durling and Dickens finished third and fourth, Calandro took second, Ian Edwards fourth and Jace Edwards fifth in the 300 hurdles, Derrick McMillan and Quade finished third and fourth in the 800, Decker placed second in the 200, and Thomas finished second and Jace Edwards sixth in the 3200.

Out in the field, Decker finished second in the high jump and the long jump, Ukena placed second in the triple jump, Bowman took fourth in the long jump and the triple jump, Gavin Doll finished fifth in the shot put and discus, and Dickens took fifth in the javelin.

The 4×100 won first and both the 4×400 and the 4×800 finished second.

The Cougars have district and sectional competition ahead in the next month.

“We’re putting together some relays that I think can get us to state,” Lewis said. “We have a good opportunity there. Caleb Quade can probably make it in the jumps. Of course, the girls are up to Class 3 because we won Class 1 two years ago. Both the 4×200 and the 4×400 are probably going to go and then Jayli in the 4 has a good chance to go to state.”

Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry and McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon were the top two finishers in both the 1600 and the 3200 at Wednesday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet at TJ. Photo by Jason Peake.

THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS

Thomas Jefferson had a series of solid individual and team performances to finish second on both the boys and girls side of the Ozark 7.

“I’m just proud of our team overall,” Thomas Jefferson coach Clayton Carnahan said. “Every one of our athletes gave 100 percent today and did their absolute best for themselves and their team. We saw a lot of personal records, we had at least one school record, and so I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance of the kids.

“I think all of our relay teams worked very well together and we’ve got a lot of good long-distance kids in eighth grade and coming up the line. I’m proud of their work.”

Pictured is Thomas Jefferson’s Tyler Brouhard.

On the boys side, Thomas Jefferson senior Jay Ball won the discus with a school record of 111-7, finished third in the discus, and placed fourth in the javelin.

Kip Atteberry won the 800, the 1600 and the 3200, Tyler Brouhard won the 100 and the 200, Benji Carroll took second in the discus and fourth in the shot, Sheraz Anis finished second in the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles, and the Cavaliers’ 4×100 placed fourth, 4×200 second, 4×400 third, and 4×800 third.

On the girls side, meanwhile, the 4×100 and 4×400 relays won conference titles.

In the field events, Gabriella Hiebert and Nico Carlson finished second and third in the high jump, Hiebert won the long jump and Avery Hocker finished third in the long jump, Hocker placed second in the triple jump, Lannah Grigg finished second and Macie Shifferd fifth in the shot, and Grigg won the discus and finished third in the javelin.

Hocker placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, Carlson third in the 100, Sarah Mueller, Shifferd and Samantha Seto third through fifth in the 1600, Leah Studer third and Jenna Joseph fifth in the 400, Hiebert and Seto third and fourth in the 300 hurdles, Mueller and Joseph third and fourth in the 800, Haley Orr fifth and Studer sixth in the 200, and Shifferd second, Seto fourth and Mueller fifth in the 3200.

Postseason competition looms ahead for the Cavaliers and the rest of the state.

“We’ve done everything that we can at this point in the season,” Carnahan said. “There’s a little bit more grit before we get to districts and state, but we’re looking at taking the most amount of people to state that we ever have. I’m very happy with that.”

 

MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS

The Warriors’ day Wednesday included three conference titles on the boys side and a three-event conference champion on the girls side, as both teams finished third behind fellow Joplin schools College Heights and Thomas Jefferson.

“I am really proud of our effort and performances on such a windy day,” McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth said. “We still have a long way to go to close the gap on College Heights and Thomas Jefferson, but I feel we took a step forward despite the point differential. We only had 11 (boys) athletes compete today and it is hard to cover all 19 events.

“(Our girls) finished fourth last year and our goal was to move up one place. Again, we lack the depth to compete against College Heights and Thomas Jefferson, but I am proud of their efforts as well.”

Individual winner Tripp Miller set a new school record in the javelin with a toss of 107-6, while the 4×400 and the 4×800 both won conference titles.

Michael Parrigon finished second in the 800, 1600, and 3200 behind Thomas Jefferson standout Kip Atteberry.

On the girls side, Kendall Ramsey won titles in the 800, 1600, and 3200, with times close to her PR or a little better, according to Youngworth, on a very windy day.

 

Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet

(At J.P. Humphreys Track and Field Complex)

Boys team scores: College Heights 199, Thomas Jefferson 145, McAuley Catholic 97, Wheaton 52, Verona 30, Exeter 16.

Girls team scores: College Heights 232, Thomas Jefferson 157.5, McAuley Catholic 62, Exeter 25, Wheaton 21, Verona 17, Golden City 0.5.

 

McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey, College Heights’ Marla Anderegg and Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller were the top three finishers in the girls 1600 at Wednesday’s Ozark 7 Conference Meet. Photo by Jason Peake.
Athletes from College Heights Christian and Thomas Jefferson compete in the 4×200 relay on Wednesday at the Ozark 7 Conference Track Meet at Thomas Jefferson.

 

 

BOYS GOLF: Thomas Jefferson wins match at Twin Hills

The Thomas Jefferson high school boys golf team hosted College Heights Christian, Sarcoxie and Purdy in a nine-hole match at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club on Tuesday. 

Thomas Jefferson posted the low team score of 195, followed closely by Sarcoxie with a 199 and College Heights with a 207. Purdy did not field a complete team.

Individually, College Heights Christian’s Gavin Doll and Sarcoxie’s Matt Swayne both fired 43 to tie for first place.

Thomas Jefferson’s Beck McKinney, who shot 45, claimed second place honors and teammate Jack Tyrrell carded a 47 for third place.

Also competing for the Cavaliers were Tony Touma (48), Thomas Harrold (55) and Ethan Renger (58).

Also competing for CHC were Logan Decker (54), Corbin Cronenwett (55), Hudson Clevenger (55) and Anderson Smith (63). 

Sarcoxie’s Eli Ellis carded 48 and Grant Caddick shot a 51. Purdy’s top performer was Weston Roden with a 61.