The College Heights Christian Cougars scored at least one run every inning during their 11-1 run-rule victory in five innings Thursday against Ozark 7 Conference opponent Verona.
The Cougars plated five runs in the first, one in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the fifth to end it on a Ben Thomas RBI single bringing home Kelton Welch from third, while Verona scored one in the fourth on a Kayden Cornelison single.
Sophomore pitcher Smoke Ezell claimed the win with one run (earned) allowed on six hits over five innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. Meanwhile, at the plate, Ezell collected two hits, both doubles, and drove in two runs during a big day overall for College Heights’ normally starting catcher.
The Cougars have won three of their last four games and they scored 40 runs over that stretch with three 10-run performances, including 12 runs in a 14-12 loss against Pierce City.
Unlike an earlier game on April 4, when College Heights won 11-5 against conference and crosstown rival McAuley Catholic, the Cougars maintained a scoring pace for the entire game and earned the run-rule victory rather than having to play all seven innings.
“We started off fast with the bats and I felt like we hit the ball hard tonight and put the pressure on Verona,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “They made a few mistakes, and we were able to take advantage. Then, our pitcher Smoke did a really nice job of just being efficient and staying in the strike zone. Unlike the way that we had played the last few games, defensively we played really well. Of course, that makes a big difference.”
College Heights improved to 4-5 overall and the Cougars won both of their games this week, following Monday’s 6-4 win over Miller at historic Joe Becker Stadium. Miller was ninth in Class 2 in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association rankings released April 4.
“We were 2-0 this week, and you can’t ask for a better week when you win all your games,” Jordan said. “We still have a lot to play and we’re not going to be satisfied. We’re still working to get better, and we know that we have got some tough ones next week.”
College Heights returns to action Monday on the road against Lockwood and the Cougars also play Liberal on the road Thursday and Billings on the road Saturday. In fact, with Mount Vernon and Riverton next week also on the road, College Heights could play five consecutive road games.
On Thursday, Austin Miller joined Ezell with two hits and Jayce Walker, Josh Anderson, Kelton Welch, Caleb Evans, Thomas, and Phillip Thompson each had one.
Anderson and Welch each scored two runs and Evans and Thomas each drove in two, while Anderson, Miller, and Thompson each picked up one RBI.
Anderson, Welch, and Miller each stole two bases and Walker, Evans, and Thomas had steals as College Heights finished with nine for the game.
College Heights also worked five walks and was hit by three pitches from Verona pitchers Asher Freiburger and Cornelison.
Cornelison led Verona with two hits and Westin Shrum, Noah Freiburger, Alced Jimenez, and Tristan Reed rounded out Verona’s six-hit attack with one each.
SENECA, Mo. — Seneca’s girls and Jasper’s boys captured the team championships at the inaugural Bordertown Relays on a warm and windy Monday at the Seneca Schools Athletic Complex.
Seneca’s girls compiled 186 points to top the team standings, while Pierce City was second with 171.
Rounding out the girls team standings were Jasper (109), Wyandotte (83), Fairland (76), College Heights Christian (48) and McAuley Catholic (16).
The top three boys teams were Jasper (136), College Heights (130) and Seneca (128.5).
Also competing were Pierce City (99), McAuley Catholic (67.5), Fairland (56), Wyandotte (54) and Ketchum (34).
McAuley Catholic’s Kendall Ramsey, Seneca’s Dalisia Reed and College Heights Christian’s Marla Anderegg are among the athletes competing in the 1600 on Monday. Photos by Jason Peake.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
Seneca’s Addyson Jones competes in the 4×200 relay on Monday at the Bordertown Relays.
Seneca’s girls won six events en route to capturing the team championship at their new facility.
Seneca won the girls 4×200 relay in 1:59, with Anna Adkins, Addyson Jones, Olivia Leonard and Savannah Johnson competing.
The team of Adkins, Cambry Long, Riley Hamilton and Johnson took first in the 4×400 with a time of 4:40.
The Indians were second in the 4×100, with Johnson, Jaycie Graham, Parker Long and Leonard competing.
Winning individual events for the Seneca girls were Cambry Long (400, triple jump), Isabella Renfro (shot put) and Amber Garrison (javelin).
Taking second for the Seneca girls were Jones (high jump), Garrison (shot put) and Harley Lankford (discus).
Finishing third in their respective events were Parker Long (javelin), Jaime Eitemiller (discus), Grace Elliott (pole vault), Johnson (100), Dalisia Reed (800) and Cambry Long (200).
Seneca’s boys won the 4×100 relay in 46.42 seconds, with Morgan Vaughn, Brodie Probert, Jackson Marrs and Blake Hurn competing.
The Indians were second in the 4×200 relay, with Ethan Altic, Canaan Miller, Probert and Hurn competing. Seneca’s 4×400 team of Nash Crane, Gavyn Hoover, Jude King and Miller finished fourth.
Seneca’s Grant Landers won two individual events, the long jump (19-7) and the triple jump (40-0.75).
Seneca’s Brock Pendergraft won the javelin (119-4).
Probert was the runner-up in the 400, while Altic (triple jump, 800), King (javelin), Pendergraft (discus), Hurn (100) and Miller (300 H) all finished third in their events.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
Pictured is CHC’s Colsen Dickens.
College Heights’ boys won the 4×200 relay in 1:38, with Colsen Dickens, Caleb Quade, Ethan Ukena and Logan Decker competing.
The Cougars also won the 4×400 in 3:44, with Ukena, Levi Durling, Quade and Dickens competing.
The CHC boys were second in the 4×800, with Ian Edwards, Jace Edwards, Zach Beaty and Steven Calandro running.
The team of Dickens, Durling, Ukena and Decker finished third in the 4×100.
College Heights’ Calandro and Ian Edwards took first and second in the 110 hurdles. Calandro crossed the line at 19.8 seconds, with Edwards finishing in 20.09.
A junior, Calandro also won the 300 hurdles in 47.1 seconds.
Ukena was the runner-up in the triple jump, Quade took second in the high jump, while Durling and Quade placed third and fourth in the 200.
Also for the Cougars, Josiah Thomas took third in the 3200, Derek Bowman was fourth in the long jump, with Calandro fifth, Layden Shaffer finished fourth in the discus, Jace Edwards took fifth in the 300 hurdles, Bowman placed sixth in the triple jump, Dickens was sixth in the 100, Ian Edwards was sixth in the 300 hurdles and Derrick McMillan was sixth in the 1600.
On the girls side, College Heights sophomore Marla Anderegg won the 800-meter run in 2:44 and also took second in the 1600 in 6:04.
CHC’s Bailey Peoples was the runner-up in both the long jump and triple jump and was also seventh in the high jump, while Amelia Hagale took fourth in the 200 and seventh in the 100.
McAuley Catholic’s Michael Parrigon is among the athletes competing in the 1600 on Monday at the Bordertown Relays.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
McAuley’s boys won the 4×800 relay in 9:25, with Michael Parrigon, Connor Taffner, Drew Zeb and Alex Bohachick competing.
The Warriors took third in the 4×400, with Parrigon, Dylan Taffner, Bohachick and Jack Jones running.
Parrigon was the runner-up in two events, the 1600 and the 800, while McAuley’s Trae Veer finished second in the 3200, fourth in the 1600 and fourth in the triple jump.
Zeb placed fourth in the 3200, while Jones took sixth in the long jump and Ethan Stabb placed seventh in the 300 hurdles.
For the McAuley girls, Kendall Ramsey was the runner-up in the 3200 and also finished third in the 1600.
OTHER LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
In the girls meet, Jasper sophomore Crystal Smith won four events—the high jump (5-1.5), the 100 hurdles (15.48 seconds), the 300 hurdles (47.36) and the 200-meter dash (26.82). Jasper’s Chandler Spear won the pole vault.
Winning individual events for Pierce City’s girls were Hayden Kramer (discus), Liliana Lasker (100) and Emma Hunt (1600, 3200).
Pierce City’s Clayten O’Hara won three events in the boys meet, the 100, 200 and 400.
Other individual event winners in the boys meet were Jasper’s Wyatt Durman (3200) Austin Taylor (shot put) and Noah Neher (discus) and Pierce City’s Austin Beaty (high jump) and Lincoln Johnson (pole vault).
Second place finishers for the Jasper boys were Durman (javelin), Taylor (discus), Juan Rivera (pole vault), Neher (300 H) and Mitchel Avalos (200).
Jasper’s Crystal Smith took first place in the 100-meter hurdles on Monday at the Bordertown Relays in Seneca. Smith won four events for the Eagles.
Athletes compete in the 4×200 relay on Monday at the Bordertown Relays in Seneca.
Athletes compete in the 100-meter dash on Monday at the Bordertown Relays at the Seneca Schools Athletic Complex.
That’s how the College Heights Christian (with McAuley Catholic) softball team has started the 2023 season.
College Heights improved to 3-0 by beating Wheaton 13-0 in five innings on Wednesday at the CHC Athletic Complex.
“Overall, I’m very proud of the start to the season,” Cougars coach Mike Howard said. “Our bats have been better than what I thought they’d be at this point of the season. We’ve faced a couple of good pitchers and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with our bats. Lauren Ukena is leading the team in average right now and she only played a handful of games last year, so it’s been nice to see her hitting the ball well. Maddy Colin is hitting the ball well and pitching well. Several girls are hitting well. And we’ve got some younger girls who have stepped up.”
For the Cougars, their second game at their new home field was much like their first—a one-sided affair.
Kloee Williamson makes contact during Wednesday’s game against Wheaton.
One day after a dominant 15-0 win over Exeter, College Heights recorded a second straight run-rule win.
The Cougars scored twice in the first inning, five times in the second and then erupted for six more runs in the fourth.
Wheaton managed just one hit against Colin, CHC’s standout junior pitcher.
Colin had a stellar outing in the circle, as she struck out 16 and allowed just one hit and one walk in five scoreless innings.
“Maddy pitched a beautiful game,” Howard said. “Through three innings, she hadn’t thrown a ball. She was very consistent today and she was very efficient with her pitches today. And I think she was throwing with more velocity today than she did yesterday. She did a wonderful job.”
The Cougars scored their 13 runs on 12 hits.
Junior shortstop Kloee Williamson and senior second baseman Aaliyah Perez each recorded three hits and two RBI. Perez scored three runs, while Williamson crossed home twice.
Senior third baseman Lauren Ukena drove in two runs on two hits, while Colin had three RBI.
Sophomore outfielder Kallie Spencer and senior first baseman Emma Angel contributed one RBI apiece, while senior catcher Jayli Johnson and Spencer scored two runs apiece.
Perez and Ukena drove in runs with base hits in the bottom of the first frame.
In the second, Colin hit a bases-loaded double and then scored on an error. Ukena’s RBI single made it 7-0.
College Heights had five hits in the fourth and also took advantage of two errors and a wild pitch to take a 13-0 advantage.
The game between Ozark 7 Conference rivals ended after the top of the fifth due to the run-rule. Colin struck out the final six batters she faced.
“Our first inning wasn’t that great, but after that, we put some things together,” Howard said of scoring multiple runs in three innings. “We played how we’re supposed to play. We had lots of traffic. We were able to get our younger girls some experience today and we always like to do that. I’m proud of those younger girls for stepping in and handling themselves like they should.”
The CHC/McAuley softball team is now playing its home games at the CHC Athletic Complex.
“It’s very nice and it took a lot to get the field game ready, so we’re thankful for the parents and players who helped get it ready,” Howard said. “We appreciate all the help.”
Howard noted the team’s home games at the facility will start at 4 p.m. due to the lack of working lights at the field.
College Heights hosts Miller on Monday.
College Heights junior Maddy Colin delivers a pitch to the plate against Wheaton on Wednesday. Colin struck out 16 and allowed just one hit and one walk in a stellar performance in the circle. College Heights (with McAuley Catholic) defeated Wheaton 13-0. Photos by Jason Peake.
College Heights senior catcher Jayli Johnson slides in safely to third base against Wheaton on Wednesday afternoon at the CHC Athletic Complex. The Cougars won the game 13-0.
The College Heights Christian Cougars fell 4-0 to the visiting Exeter Tigers during their Ozark 7 Conference opener on Tuesday at historic Joe Becker Stadium.
Exeter pushed across two runs in the first and one each in the second and fourth, while College Heights did not get a hit against Exeter sophomore pitcher Wyatt Lemons until the fourth when College Heights junior shortstop Kelton Welch reached on an infield single.
The damage on the scoreboard could have been significantly worse for College Heights since Exeter left 12 runners on base — two in the first, two in the second, three in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the sixth, and two in the seventh.
The Cougars finished with three hits against Lemons, who recorded nine strikeouts during his complete game shutout performance. Josh Anderson reached on an infield single in the sixth and Bo Sitton, one of only two seniors on the College Heights roster, hit a two-out double to right in the seventh.
Anderson pitched three scoreless innings of relief after coming on for senior Ben Thomas and the sophomore picked up four strikeouts to help maintain Exeter’s lead at four runs.
“Our pitchers did a good job of keeping us in it,” College Heights coach Phillip Jordan said. “Our defense, we didn’t come to play today. We have to do better. Against good teams, you’ve got to make plays and we did not. Credit to Exeter. They took advantage of our mistakes and won a baseball game.
“Lemons did a great job keeping us off-balance. He was in the zone. He was confident. We knew he was going to throw a lot of junk, he did, and we struggled. It’s just confidence. Our guys are thinking too much and we’re just at a point when we’ve got to settle down and play baseball instead of thinking about not making mistakes.”
Exeter’s Cason Antle and Joseph Hatfield each worked two-out walks against Thomas in the first, then Lemons and Levi Gautney made College Heights pay a 2-0 deficit with consecutive RBI singles.
Exeter worked the bases loaded in the second with a Kason Nelson infield single wedged in between two College Heights errors, but the Cougars limited it to a single run after left fielder Philip Thompson forced out an Exeter runner at third because he was slow to start on a ball that he thought might have been caught by Thompson and Thomas struck out Hatfield.
An error, an infield single, and two walks in the fourth produced a 4-0 Exeter advantage.
College Heights, 1-2 overall and 0-1 Ozark 7, returns to action Friday at home against the Ash Grove Pirates, who are ranked 10th in the Class 2 preseason poll from the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association.
“We’re young and still learning who we are,” Jordan said. “We’ve still got a lot of baseball left to play. Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes and build on what we’re doing well and start winning some games.”
VERONA, Mo. — A third straight district championship wasn’t meant to be for the College Heights Christian School boys basketball team.
Top-seeded Marionville finished strong for a 52-38 victory over second-seeded College Heights on Friday night in the championship game of the Class 2 District 12 tournament at Verona High School.
College Heights trailed by just four with five minutes to play, but Marionville closed the game on a 15-5 run to capture the district title.
Ranked sixth in Class 2 by the MBCA, Marionville improved to 26-2 and the Comets extended their winning streak to 16.
College Heights ends the season with a record of 23-6.
College Heights was looking to capture a third straight district championship. The Cougars beat Verona in last year’s title game after topping Liberal for the crown in ’21.
The Cougars got off to a great start, as the lower seed took a 10-4 lead. Senior forward Curtis Davenport scored eight of those 10 points, with classmate Ben Thomas adding one hoop.
But Marionville put together a 13-0 run to pull away for a 17-10 advantage. During the surge, Wil Carlton, Blane Young and Gage Guerin all hit 3-pointers for the Comets.
CHC’s Colsen Dickens knocked down a trey from the right corner to trim his team’s deficit to four at the end of the first quarter, 17-13.
The Comets outscored the Cougars 9-5 in the low-scoring second period. College Heights managed just two made field goals in the second quarter, a 3-pointer from Dickens and a short jumper from junior Caleb Quade, who battled foul trouble.
Marionville held a 26-18 cushion at halftime.
College Heights put together a 7-0 run in the third period, as Logan Decker made two free throws, Jayce Walker contributed a hoop and Thomas buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
The two teams traded buckets before a hoop from Carlton gave the Comets a 33-27 lead.
There was a key swing in momentum at the end of the third quarter. Down six, College Heights missed a 3-pointer before Marionville’s Guerin banked in a buzzer-beating trey for a 36-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars kept coming. Hoops from Quade, Davenport and Decker cut CHC’s deficit to four, 37-33, with 5:10 to play.
That’s when Marionville put together its game-ending 15-5 surge.
Young converted an old-fashioned 3-point play before Guerin made a trio of 3-pointers for a 49-36 advantage.
College Heights got hoops from Thomas and Quade, but free throws from Young accounted for the final score.
The 6-5 Davenport scored 11 points in his final outing for CHC. Also for the Cougars, Thomas scored seven, while Quade, Dickens and Decker added six points apiece. Walker rounded out the scoring with two points.
Three players scored all 52 of Marionville’s points.
A senior guard, Carlton scored a game-high 21 points for the Comets. A junior guard, Guerin scored 18 points on six 3-pointers. A senior guard, Taylor added 13 points.
With Friday’s win, Marionville advances to the sectional round of the Class 2 state tournament. The Comets will meet Crane at 6 p.m. on Monday at Carthage High School.
VERONA, Mo. — Second-seeded College Heights defeated seventh-seeded Wheaton 63-40 on Monday night in the opening-round of the Class 2 District 12 tournament.
College Heights (22-5) advanced to the district semifinals, where they’ll take on third-seeded Purdy (17-10) at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Verona High School.
Purdy beat sixth-seeded Miller 56-40.
The other semifinal features No. 1 Marionville vs. No. 5 Verona at 6.
Verona defeated No. 4 Pierce City 65-63 and Marionville had a first-round bye at the top seed.
No other information on CHC’s win was available to SoMo Sports.
SHELDON BOYS 54, MCAULEY CATHOLIC 40
GOLDEN CITY, Mo. — Fifth-seeded McAuley Catholic saw its season come to an end on Monday night against fourth-seeded Sheldon in the opening-round of the Class 1 District 7 tournament.
The Panthers led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter, 28-23 at half and 43-33 by the end of the third period.
The Warriors were unable to come from behind in the fourth quarter.
Rocco Bazzano-Joseph led McAuley with 16 points. He hit four treys. Michael Parrigon added seven points and Bradley Wagner scored six.
The Warriors went 7-20 this season.
Sheldon’s William Chapman scored 16 points and Shon Bogart added 14.
Sheldon will meet No. 1 seed Thomas Jefferson at 6 on Wednesday in the district semifinals at Golden City High School.
The College Heights Christian School girls basketball team finished the regular season on a high note by beating Sarcoxie on Thursday night.
“We had another great team effort tonight with very balanced scoring,” College Heights coach John Blankenship told SoMo Sports. “We shot 54 percent from 3-point range, with four players hitting from the 3-point line. Other than a couple of short stretches, we played well tonight. It was a great way for our seniors to finish out the regular season.”
Libby Fanning led the Cougars with 12 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Jayli Johnson compiled 11 points, five assists and three steals.
Also for the Cougars, Maddy Colin had 10 points, Addie Lawrence scored eight, Kinley Marsh added six and Ava Lett scored five points to go with three assists. Allie Stout contributed four points and Jesalin Bever had two.
“Lauren Ukena played her normal great defense with seven steals and several deflections,” Blankenship noted.
The Cougars are now 15-11 ahead of the postseason.
College Heights is the top seed and the host for the Class 2 District 12 tournament. The Cougars will meet either fourth-seeded Wheaton or fifth-seeded Purdy in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Feb. 23 at their athletic complex gymnasium.
NIXA GIRLS 74, WEBB CITY 42
NIXA, Mo. — Webb City fell to 15-9 overall and 5-3 in the Central Ozark Conference with Thursday’s setback against Class 6 No. 7 Nixa.
After a close first half, Nixa outscored Webb City 42-17 after the break.
Webb City got a boost from its bench in the first quarter, as Malorie Stanley hit a pair of 3-pointers and Dawsyn Decker scored two hoops inside to give the Cardinals a 17-12 lead at the end of the first period.
The Eagles outscored the Cardinals 20-8 in the second period for a 32-25 halftime advantage.
The Cardinals were plagued by empty possessions and turnovers in the third period and the hosts took a double-digit lead.
Webb City received hoops from Sami Mancini, Kirra Long, Decker and Stanley late in the third quarter, cutting the visitors’ deficit to 10. But Nixa scored the final seven points of the frame, five at the foul line, to take a 55-38 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Eagles won the final period 19-4 for the final margin.
Nixa improved to 18-6 and 5-2 in the conference. Laila Grant led the Eagles with 19 points and Norah Clark added 16.
Stanley scored nine points for the Cardinals, while Kate Brownfield and Mancini added seven points apiece. Decker scored six points, while Long and Izzy Lopez added five points apiece and Mia Robbins had three.
There were 52 fouls called and the two teams combined to shoot 69 free throws. Nixa went 32-for-45 at the foul line, while Webb City made 12-of-24 at the charity stripe.
Webb City hosts Class 5 No. 1 Carl Junction on Monday night in the regular season finale for both squads.
BRANSON GIRLS 68, JOPLIN 34
BRANSON, Mo. — Branson took control in the second quarter on the way to a Central Ozark Conference win over Joplin on Thursday.
The Pirates held a seven-point lead heading into the second quarter before outscoring the Eagles 21-7 to build a 22-point lead by halftime. Branson put the game out of reach in the third period.
Alissa Owens had 18 points to lead Joplin in scoring. Izzy Yust added five in the loss.
Joplin is at McDonald County on Tuesday.
EL DORADO SPRINGS GIRLS 61, NEVADA 54
NEVADA, Mo. — Ranked first in Class 3, El Dorado Springs hiked its record to 21-5 with a close road win over the Tigers inside Wynn Gymnasium.
Nevada ends the regular season with a record of 19-6.
Maddy Majors led the Tigers with 20 points and Clara Swearingen added 17 points.
Macie Mays scored 21 points to lead the Bulldogs and Neely Schaaf added 17.
El Dorado Springs led 30-25 at halftime and Nevada was up 43-42 at the end of the third period.
The visitors outscored the hosts 19-11 in the fourth quarter.
Nevada will compete at the Class 4 District 13 tournament in Pleasant Hill.
NEVADA BOYS 53, EL DORADO SPRINGS 49
NEVADA, Mo. — Nevada held an 18-point lead in the third quarter before El Dorado Springs pulled within two late in the game.
But the Tigers held on late, as Cade Beshore and Jack Cheaney both connected on key free throws in the final minute for the hosts.
Beshore and Cheaney scored 11 points apiece for the Tigers (13-13), while Drew Beachler added 10.
Landon Murry scored 18 points for Class 3 No. 10 El Dorado Springs (20-5), with 16 coming in the fourth period.
In the regular season finale, the Tigers held a 32-14 halftime advantage, and the hosts were up 37-28 at the end of the third period.
Nevada will compete at the Class 4 District 13 tournament in Pleasant Hill.
College Heights junior Caleb Quade picked up two personal fouls within a matter of a few seconds in the third quarter on Saturday night in the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic against top-seeded and Class 3 state-ranked Greenwood.
Quade went from two to four personals in short time and the Cougars led 41-38 at the moment Quade earned his fourth with 1 minute, 53 seconds remaining in the third.
By the time Quade returned early in the fourth, College Heights trailed 48-43 and the Blue Jays then continued a 10-0 scoring run for a 52-43 lead on their way to a 68-58 win and Mercy/Warrior Classic title.
“We played well,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “We played hard. Playing a good team, I know I said it last night, but you can’t make turnovers against good teams, though. Some of them were unforced turnovers. We made bad passes and bad decisions. Against a good team, you can’t do that because they took advantage of it.
“It took away a lot of scoring for us (Quade’s departure with four fouls). Yeah, a couple silly fouls he made there … with two, you’ve got to be smarter than that. We need him on the floor all the time. That’s a second scorer right there.”
College Heights Christian’s Caleb Quade looks to score inside against Greenwood during the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
Tournament MVP Nicholas Burri led Greenwood with 26 points and his 3-point basket at the third-quarter buzzer gave the Blue Jays a 45-43 lead. Burri scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, mostly on made free throws.
All-tournament selections Collin Clark and Garrett Winslow added 21 and 16 points, respectively, to a total of 63 points from the trio of Burri, Clark, and Winslow.
Chance Rose scored a late old-fashioned three-point play for his three points and Griffin Litherland fashioned a pair of splits at the foul line into his two points.
Greenwood — ranked eighth in Class 3 — improved to 17-6 overall.
“They’re a good team,” Johnson said. “It’s a positive for us, because we played well and played even with a good team. We have to take everything we can positive out of this and get ready for the next one.”
All-tournament selection Quade scored a team-high 22 points for the Cougars, including six points in the fourth after his return and before he fouled out within the final minute.
College Heights cut the deficit to four points on three different occasions in the fourth quarter, but Greenwood scored 12 of the game’s final 18 points in the last couple minutes of regulation.
All-tournament selection Curtis Davenport added 14 points for the Cougars, while Jayce Walker scored 10, Ethan Ukena had four, Ben Thomas and Bo Sitton each scored three and Colsen Dickens rounded out the Cougars’ scoring with two points.
College Heights dropped to 17-5 overall and the Cougars return to action on Tuesday at home against city and Ozark 7 Conference rival Thomas Jefferson.
The Cougars and the Cavaliers battled on Friday night in the Mercy/Warrior Classic, a game the Cougars won 55-47.
College Heights’ four remaining games before districts also include Ozark 7 clashes with McAuley Catholic and Golden City and then a regular season finale against Sarcoxie.
“We’ve got two next week and two the week after that,” Johnson said. “They’re all conference, except for Sarcoxie. We’ve got to not only prepare for districts, but we’ve got three conference games left. That’s important to us. We need to keep getting better. If we can eliminate turnovers, we can play with any Class 2 school.”
College Heights Christian’s Colsen Dickens looks to control a rebound against Greenwood on Saturday night. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
Thomas Jefferson boys 63, Sarcoxie 52
Thomas Jefferson earned third place in the Mercy/Warrior Classic, rebounding from a 55-48 loss against College Heights and reversing the outcome from a 57-32 loss back on Jan. 9 against Sarcoxie.
The Cavaliers turned a tie score at halftime into a 11-point victory Saturday by outscoring the Bears 34-23 in the second half.
“The kids did a nice job of bouncing back less than 24 hours after the tough loss to College Heights last night,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We were able to make a couple of halftime adjustments and did a much better job of executing in the second half.”
All-tournament selections Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard combined for 41 points (Ball 22, Brouhard 19) to lead the way for the Cavaliers and their supporting cast and fellow senior classmates made critical scoring contributions Saturday — Kip Atteberry nine points, Levi Triplett eight, and Tony Touma three more points.
Kohl Thurman rounded out the Cavaliers’ scoring with two points.
Thomas Jefferson persevered in the fourth quarter with both Brouhard and Triplett in serious foul trouble. Brouhard and Triplett each picked up their fourth personal within a short span of each other early in the fourth.
Ball recorded a double-double with his 15 rebounds to go along with his game-high 22 points and the 6-foot-6 post blocked three shots.
Brouhard rounded out his stat line with eight rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, while Thurman grabbed five rebounds and Brouhard, Atteberry, Triplett, and Touma combined for eight 3-point goals with Brouhard at three, Atteberry and Triplett two each, and Touma one.
Thomas Jefferson improved to 15-5 overall and the Cavaliers return to the court Tuesday against College Heights.
Matthew Swayne led Sarcoxie with 20 points, all-tournament selection Jaron Malotte added 16, all-tournament selection Garrett Smith had 11, and Tyler Hirtz added five points.
Providence Academy boys 53, McAuley Catholic 42
Tournament host McAuley Catholic finished sixth, taking a 11-point loss to the Patriots on Saturday after testing both College Heights and Thomas Jefferson in pool games.
On Saturday, 6-foot-4 freshman Alex Bohachick led the Warriors with 12 points, Bradley Wagner and all-tournament selection Noah Black each finished with eight, Rocco Bazzano-Joseph tallied seven, Michael Parrigon added five, and Joe Staton scored two points.
Providence Academy junior Stevens Hunter scored a game-high 23 points.
McAuley Catholic, 6-16 overall, returns home Tuesday for an Ozark 7 Conference game against Golden City.
East Newton girls 43, Thomas Jefferson 27
East Newton built a 16-4 lead after one quarter and never looked back in the consolation game Saturday.
Lannah Grigg led Thomas Jefferson with 10 points, Gabbi Hiebert added eight, Sarah Mueller scored five, and Tannah Cassatt and Nico Carlson each had two points for the Cavaliers.
Shaw Coburn scored 16 points for East Newton, while Brooklyn Blanchard added 11.
Thomas Jefferson dropped to 10-9 overall and the Cavaliers are back on the court Tuesday against their Newman Road rival College Heights.
Greenwood defeated College Heights in the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic on Saturday night at McAuley Catholic High School. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
40th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic
Saturday’s scores
Greenwood boys 68, College Heights 58 (Title game)
Thomas Jefferson boys 63, Sarcoxie 52 (3rd place)
Providence Academy girls 57, Lamar 52 (Title game)
Providence Academy boys 53, McAuley Catholic 42 (5th place)
East Newton girls 43, Thomas Jefferson 27 (5th place)
Greenwood’s Nicholas Burri was the MVP of the Mercy/Warrior Classic.
All-Tournament Selections
Boys
MVP: Nicholas Burri, Greenwood
Collin Clark, Greenwood
Tyler Brouhard, Thomas Jefferson
Curtis Davenport, College Heights
Caleb Quade, College Heights
Jay Ball, Thomas Jefferson
Garrett Smith, Sarcoxie
Noah Black, McAuley Catholic
Cooper Laney, Providence Academy
Jaron Malotte Sarcoxie
Garrett Winslow, Greenwood
Girls
MVP: Karolina Kiraga, Providence Academy
Libby Fanning, College Heights
Zavrie Wiss, Lamar
Lydia Shaddox, Providence Academy
Ava Maner, Providence Academy
Brooklyn Blanchard, East Newton
Kloee Williamson, McAuley Catholic
Payden Blevins, Aurora
Ashlyn Stettler, Lamar
Jaycee Doss, Lamar
Ellie Creasey, Aurora
College Heights Christians Curtis Davenport handles the ball against Greenwood. Photos by Sloan Uebinger.
A large number of local athletes were recognized as all-region performers by the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association.
In Class 6, Joplin’s Draven VanGilder (LB) and Kickapoo’s Andrew Link (DE) were the Co-Defensive Players of the Year.
In Class 5, Carthage senior running back and linebacker Luke Gall was the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. Carthage’s Jon Guidie was the Class 5 Coach of the Year.
Nevada’s Case Sanderson was the Defensive Player of the Year in Class 4.
In Class 2, Lamar’s Joel Beshore was the Offensive Player of the Year, Austin Wilkerson was the Defensive Player of the Year and Jared Beshore was named Coach of the Year.
Full teams by class are posted below. Click on the link of each class to see the full all-region team.
DIAMOND, Mo. — College Heights Christian’s girls basketball team rolled to a 52-10 victory over McAuley Catholic on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Gem City Classic at Diamond High School.
“Our defensive pressure was key in the first quarter,” CHC coach John Blankenship said. “I was very pleased with our rotations out of our traps and reading into the passing lanes. When we create turnovers, it allows us to get into our transition game.”
Jayli Johnson finished with 12 points and five steals for the Cougars, while Maddy Colin also had 12 points to go along with six rebounds.
Also for CHC, Libby Fanning contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Ava Lett had eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
Third-seeded College Heights (1-1) will play second-seeded Miller at 7:30 on Thursday night at the event.
Miller beat Sarcoxie 47-11.
Sixth-seeded McAuley meets seventh-seeded Sarcoxie at 7:30 on Thursday at Diamond’s middle school.
In other action, East Newton edged Greenfield 46-44.
The College Heights Christian boys basketball team opened the season with a 64-51 win Tuesday night over Arkansas school Providence Academy at the College Heights Athletic Complex.
The game proved to be a showcase for Providence Academy’s perimeter shooting against College Heights’ interior tandem of senior Curtis Davenport and junior Caleb Quade.
Providence Academy made 11 3-point baskets in the contest, while College Heights received a combined 53 points from Davenport and Quade, most of them inside the paint.
Davenport provided the Cougars with their lone 3-point basket of the evening.
College Heights closed the game out strong after Providence Academy made it a 48-44 game early in the fourth quarter.
College Heights rattled off 14 unanswered to push it back to 62-44 in the final minute.
“We played hard,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “We made a lot of mistakes, but we did enough things right to offset those mistakes. I was pleased. They got within four and we made a good run to change that. We got the ball inside to Curtis, even though they were trying to take it away from him, and some of the others stepped up and did some good things.
“Right now, we’re not an outside-shooting team,” Johnson added. “We can be or maybe will be later, but that’s alright. We’ll just stay inside…a little better percentage. Defensive wise, we played good defense most of the time. We had some breakdowns getting back on defense and losing their shooters. Overall, for the first game, it was a good win.”
College Heights never trailed Tuesday, coming straight out of the gate with the game’s first 11 points, and the Cougars held Providence Academy scoreless for three long stretches of the game — the first 4 minutes and 25 seconds of the game, the first 5:39 of the second quarter, and that chunk of the fourth that saw College Heights extend the lead to 18 points.
Davenport and Quade scored 29 straight College Heights points from the first through third quarters, a streak broken with senior Ben Thomas’ first two points of the season.
Davenport led all scorers with 32 points, 22 of them scored in the second half, and Quade added 21 points.
Ethan Ukena finished with seven points and stepped in defensively to take a pair of player control fouls against Providence Academy and sophomore point guard Jayce Walker, making his first varsity start, hit both free throws for his first two points of the season.
Senior sharpshooter Carter Keen heated up in the second half to lead Providence Academy with 16 points and freshman guard Stiles Hunter scored all 11 of his points in the first half.
College Heights, 1-0 overall, returns to the court after Thanksgiving break next Tuesday in the Pierce City Invitational against the seventh seed and tournament host Pierce City. The Cougars are defending tournament champions.
Providence Academy girls 51, College Heights 34
Like the varsity boys nightcap, Providence Academy never trailed in the varsity girls contest.
“Providence is a very good team,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “They have size and strength inside and very good perimeter shooters. They were a tough matchup for us, especially for our first game of the season. They exposed some weaknesses that we can address in practice that will make us a better team. We competed much better in the second half only being outscored by four points. I was proud of our effort in the second half. We can build off of that. This young group will improve quickly. They have a strong work ethic and a desire to learn and get better.”
The Patriots built their first double-digit lead after scoring the first eight points of the second quarter and kept it at double-digits the rest of the night except for once at 33-24 following the Cougars’ biggest scoring run of the game with their own eight straight points.
Providence Academy pushed it back out to 42-26 entering the fourth, though, as turnovers came back to plague College Heights as they had most of the game.
The Patriots received 47 of their points from the quartet of Lydia Shaddox (15), Karolina Karaga (13), Ava Maner (10), and Anna Imbo (9).
College Heights’ Libby Fanning opened her sophomore season with a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Maddy Colin added six points and five boards. Senior Jayli Johnson scored four, freshman Allie Stout and sophomore Ava Lett three each, sophomore Kinley Marsh two, and sophomore Molly Long one.
The Cougars, 0-1 on the season, will look for their first win of the season when they return to action Nov. 28 in the Diamond Wildcats’ Gem City Classic. College Heights will play McAuley Catholic at 8:30 p.m.
The College Heights Christian girls basketball team has the good fortune this season to return every player from last season’s 15-11 overall and district runner-up squad.
Three of the returning starters earned all-Ozark 7 Conference honors last season — senior point guard Jayli Johnson, sophomore post Libby Fanning, and senior Addie Lawrence, with Johnson and Fanning first and Lawrence second team.
Johnson averaged 11 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.7 steals in her floor general role, while Fanning averaged a double-double her freshman season with 10.5 points and 10.3 rebounds and Lawrence averaged 10 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
“We have eight returning lettermen,” College Heights coach John Blankenship said. “We’ve got two out injured right now, but we have everybody coming back from last year.”
The two injured players on the eve of the season are Lawrence and sophomore Kinley Marsh.
“She’s had ongoing knee issues,” Blankenship said of Lawrence. “She’s going to be out for a while. Kinley’s had a hip issue from cross country, but she’s getting close to being ready to return.”
Lawrence battled through a midseason injury during her senior volleyball season.
On the basketball court, the College Heights girls have played for a district title four straight seasons and they won one during a 26-3 overall season in 2020.
“We have high expectations,” Blankenship said at the preseason jamboree hosted by rival McAuley Catholic. “We’re a young team. We have three seniors that will be good leaders for us. With Addie back into the nucleus of things, that will give us more depth, more speed, and more athleticism on the floor. We’re playing a lot of freshmen right now trying to get them some game experience before the season actually starts. Our rotation looked different tonight than what it might normally during the season. We’re confident and we’re looking forward to the season.”
College Heights will start Johnson, Fanning, senior Lauren Ukena, junior Maddy Colin, and either sophomore Ava Lett or fellow sophomore Molly Long to begin the season with Lawrence not available.
“They both provide something different,” Blankenship said. “We need more height; we may go with Molly. We need more guards out on the floor, we’ll go with Ava.”
The Cougars have averaged 19 wins over their past five winning seasons.
“Our speed and our conditioning will probably be our strengths,” Blankenship said. “We’ve got to work on our ballhandling. We didn’t do really well against presses tonight, but again we had some people in there we were rotating through to see how they would do. I think we will be fine there, but we’ve got to be stronger with the basketball.”
At the jamboree, College Heights faced a larger school in Carthage (Class 6 in basketball previous two seasons) and a defending Class 3 district champion in Clever.
“We had the lead after the first quarter and had about a two-minute spurt in the second quarter where we just lost our poise and turned the ball over (against Carthage),” Blankenship said. “We gave them some easy baskets. Take those two minutes away, we’re right in there until the end.
“Clever played really well. They’re physical, they’re quick, and they’re strong. We could have played better against them, but I like where we are at this point in the season.”
Jamborees, scrimmages for two six-minute quarters in basketball, afford teams an opportunity for a dress rehearsal before the first game of the season.
“Jamborees give us a chance to get a feel for our athletes, where we can plug them in, and where their strengths are,” Blankenship said. “It gives us some ideas of things we need to work a little harder on in practice. You go against your second string in practice, and you come here in a varsity game and the defense is just a lot quicker and a lot stronger. Getting our young kids used to playing at that pace will be a big step for us, but when we get there, we’ll be pretty successful.”
College Heights opens the season Nov. 22 at home against Providence Academy, an Arkansas school in Rogers that will already be four games deep into the season before playing College Heights.
The Cougars play in the Gem City Classic (Nov. 28-Dec. 3), the Lancer Classic (Jan. 16-21), and the Mercy/Warrior Classic (Jan. 30-Feb. 4) in addition to their slate of regular season games from November through mid-February.
The College Heights Christian boys basketball program enjoyed historic success the past two seasons with a combined 41-15 overall record, the program’s first two district titles, and the program’s first trip to the Class 2 state quarterfinals, where the Cougars lost 53-48 to the eventual state champions Norwood, highlighted a 24-5 campaign last season.
College Heights graduated most of their talent from those historic seasons, but senior and lone returning starter Curtis Davenport and junior and last year’s sixth man Caleb Quade are back and seniors Ben Thomas, Noah Hipple, and Bo Sitton get their opportunity to be more in the spotlight this season.
“We return one starter (Davenport) and it’s his fourth year starting for us,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “Caleb Quade started a couple games last year and he was our sixth man off the bench. He’s improved and he’s grown. Curtis is 6-foot-5 and Caleb’s 6-4, and that gives us some inside people.
“Our other seniors played some last year, but their best learning experience was playing against the group of seniors we had last year every day in practice. Those guys have improved and they’re ready to get their opportunity. They’ve made the best of it so far.”
Davenport, behind 62 percent shooting from the floor, averaged 13 points and eight rebounds during his junior season. He earned all-Ozark 7 Conference second team last season and all-conference honorable mention and all-district his sophomore year.
Hipple and junior Colsen Dickens both played on the inaugural College Heights varsity football team this year, and they both were injured during the season.
“We have two kids that are hurt from varsity football,” Johnson said. “It will be a few more weeks before they’re back.”
The Cougars’ four new starters will include a sophomore floor general.
“Jayce Walker will be our point guard,” Johnson said. “He played mostly JV last year. It will be a lot to learn going against varsity kids all the time. We’re giving him as much playing time as we can, just to see if he can do everything.”
The Cougars will attempt to add the newest chapter to their saga of success that numbers five consecutive seasons with at least 16 wins.
College Heights made the jump last season from 17 to 24 wins behind a great senior group.
“We had a good year last year,” Johnson said. “Obviously, these kids are wanting to do the same thing this year. Early, we may have some turnovers and things from trying to do too much. We’ll find out that we have a target on our back. We beat a lot of teams the last couple years and are learning to play together. Chemistry is the main thing.
“We’ve also expanded our defense a little bit. With the big kids last year, we could hang around inside the 3-point line and deflect a lot of shots. Now, we figure we’ll have to get after it from halfcourt and change it up on defense. So far, the kids have bought into it and hopefully, it will pay off.”
The Cougars open this season Nov. 22 at home against Providence Academy, an Arkansas school that will already be five games into the season before playing College Heights.
College Heights, defending Pierce City Invitational champions, open as the second seed in this year’s edition and will face tournament host Pierce City in the opening round Nov. 29.
The Cougars play nine games in December, do not open conference play until January, face a tough non-conference game Jan. 5 against Springfield Catholic, and play in the Lancer Classic and Mercy/Warrior Classic tournaments in January before getting into the heart of their season in February.
“We get in there against some good teams, our weaknesses will be exposed,” Johnson said. “That just gives you something to work on the next day in practice, trying to solve all that. It could be one of those years, hopefully, where by December we’ll be alright and by February, we’ll be a good team playing our best basketball.
“Last year, we felt like we were playing well from the start and didn’t have a whole lot of room to get better because we were already there by December. This might take a few more weeks, a little bit longer, but, hey, it’s how you finish and not how you start.”
Area athletes from Class 1-3 competed at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Below are photos from SoMo Sports photographer Shawn Fowler.
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry was the runner-up in the Class 1 boys race.
College Heights Christian’s Marla Anderegg is pictured during the Class 2 girls race on Saturday in Columbia.
McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey receives her medal from Darbi Stancell.
McAuley’s Michael Parrigon finished 21st in Class 1, leading the way as the Warriors finished fourth in the team standings.
McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth poses with Trae Veer following the awards ceremony. A freshman, Veer finished 24th in Class 1.
Thomas Jefferson’s London Rodriguez poses with Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan after the awards ceremony. Rodriguez finished 25th in Class 1.
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry concluded his stellar prep cross country career with a trip to the awards podium on Saturday in Columbia. Atteberry was the Class 1 runner-up. All photos by Shawn Fowler/SoMo Sports.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson senior standout Kip Atteberry ended his stellar prep cross country career with a trip to the awards podium.
Atteberry finished as the runner-up in the Class 1 boys race on Saturday at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Atteberry recorded a time of 17 minutes, 1 second. West Nodaway’s Riley Blay finished in 16:28.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry poses with Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan during Saturday’s awards ceremony at the state cross country meet. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Atteberry was in third place at the 4K mark, but he passed Hermitage’s Bennett Mantooth late to take second place.
Atteberry finished fourth at last year’s state meet, so he earned all-state honors for the second straight season.
Three other area boys finished in the top 25 to earn all-state honors.
McAuley sophomore Michael Parrigon finished 21st in 17:56, while McAuley freshman Trae Veer was 24th in 18:02 and Thomas Jefferson freshman London Rodriguez placed 25th with a time of 18:10.
Also of note, Jasper’s Leland Harris finished 54th, TJ’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch was 68th and College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan finished 121st.
McAuley’s boys finished fourth in the team standings with 147 points to earn a state trophy. The top three teams were Hermitage (51), Van Buren (89) and Oak Ridge (95).
Also competing for McAuley were Phillip Motazedi (53rd), Joe Staton (74th), Drew Zeb (85th), Alex Bohachick (103rd) and Connor Taffner (134th).
In the Class 1 girls race, McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey finished eighth with a time of 21:07 to earn all-state honors. Ramsey, who also played volleyball this fall, was 37th last year.
Liberal’s Taylor Swarnes finished 14th in 21:38. Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished 53rd and teammate Samantha Seto was 99th.
McAuley had its full squad competing. Also competing for the Warriors were Marbellie Villanueva (86th), Brooke Righter (141st), Miriam Kramer (150th) and Samantha Perrin (154th). McAuley finished 12th in the team standings.
Stoutland’s Mallory Shaw was the medalist in 20:38 and South Nodaway was the team champion.
McAuley Catholic finished fourth in the boys team standings at the Class 1 state meet. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CHC GIRLS COMPETE IN CLASS 2
College Heights had its full girls team competing in Class 2.
Pictured is College Heights senior Jayli Johnson.
Senior Jayli Johnson (22:01) and sophomore Marla Anderegg (22:03) led the Cougars by finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively.
Also competing for College Heights were Jesalin Bever (87th), Madelynn Jordan (123rd), Madi Carson (140th), Emily Winters (147th) and Emmy Carson (154th). The Cougars finished 11th in the team standings.
Pierce City’s Emma Hunt placed 13th in 20:34, while Stockton’s Katelyn Chism finished 24th in 21:23. Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris finished 42nd.
Smithton’s Riley Bryan was the state champ in 19:04 and North Platte was the team champion.
Stockton’s boys won the team championship in Class 2. Braden Postlewait and Max Brown led the Tigers by finishing 20th and 22nd, while Dakota Duncan was 30th.
Steelville’s Conner Diaz was the individual medalist in 16:15.
Pierce City’s Steven Leavitt finished 129th and Diamond’s Wyatt Housh was 147th.
SORRELL TAKES THIRD IN CLASS 3
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell finished third in the Class 3 boys race with a time of 16:12.
Southern Boone standout Connor Burns was the champion in 15:01 and Bowling Green’s Ben Chance was the runner-up in 16:02.
Cassville’s Caleb Leach finished 12th in 16:56.
Also from the region, Lamar’s Cameron Bailey finished 34th and teammate Pierce Heins was 59th. East Newton’s Isaac Bales was 67th, Lamar’s Blaine Breshears was 73rd and East Newton’s Nicholas Shaeffer was 85th.
Father Tolton was the team champion.
In the Class 3 girls race, Lamar senior Kiersten Potter finished ninth in 19:44 and Cassville’s Jolie Evans finished 19th in 20:14.
Also, Cassville’s Dakotah Anderson was 47th, East Newton’s Alonna Eytcheson finished 57th, Cassville’s Kayli Anderson was 64th, East Newton’s Gracie Johnson was 79th, Cassville’s Tori Mitchell finished 80th and Mount Veron’s Rylee Simons was 88th.
Southern Boone’s Alexandra Volkart won the race in 18:40 and St. Charles West was the team champion. Cassville finished seventh in the team standings.
McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey earned all-state honors by finishing eighth in the Class 1 girls race on Saturday in Columbia. All photos by Shawn Fowler/SoMo Sports.
HERMITAGE, Mo. — It was a historic day for the McAuley Catholic cross country program.
By finishing in the top four of the team standings at the Class 1 District 2 meet at Lake Pomme de Terre, McAuley’s boys and girls both advanced full squads to next weekend’s state meet in Columbia.
“It was neat to see,” Warriors coach Andy Youngworth said of both teams celebrating state berths. “When I came to McAuley, my goal was to go to the state meet. I didn’t know what the timetable would be. I didn’t expect it with the girls in the second year. I thought the boys could do it this year because I knew we had some really good pieces. The most important thing is the kids have bought into trusting the process. The kids really had a good summer. I don’t know how we’ll do next week, but we made it to state, so the pressure is off.”
Pictured is the McAuley Catholic boys cross country team. Courtesy photo.
McAuley’s boys finished second in the team standings with 88 points. Hermitage was the team champion with 27 points, while Blue Eye (100) and Galena (103) also advanced full teams by finishing in the top four.
“We have run enough against some of these schools, so I kind of knew where we could be,” Youngworth added. “On paper, we had a chance, but you still have to run the race. Hermitage is a really tough course.”
Sophomore Michael Parrigon led the McAuley boys by finishing 11th with a time of 18:21. Freshman Trae Veer placed 16th (18:50) and senior Phillip Motazedi was 18th (18:55).
McAuley seniors Joe Staton and Drew Zeb finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. Also competing for the Warriors were Alex Bohachick (55th) and Connor Taffner (65th).
“Michael has been battling a knee injury from soccer, so he’s not where he was before he got hurt,” Youngworth said. “Other teams had better up front runners, but we just had more depth. Michael and Phillip ran well, and Trae has been so consistent. Joe Staton and Drew Zeb both ran great races. I can’t say enough about our seniors, including Kable Reichardt. They’ve all been great leaders.”
The McAuley girls finished third in the team standings with 76 points. Liberal (39), Fordland (48) and Wheatland (96) also qualified full teams.
“The girls race was held first, so our girls team is actually the first team ever in school history to qualify for the state cross country meet,” Youngworth said. “In Class 1, it’s really hard to fill a girls team. This is the first year we’ve had enough girls to field a full girls team. I always thought if we could get five girls who would work really hard, especially with someone as good as Kendall Ramsey is, we could eventually get there.”
McAuley junior Kendall Ramsey finished third with a time of 22:49.
Also for the Warriors, Marbellie Villanueva finished 18th, Brooke Righter was 38th and Samantha Perrin and Miriam Kramer were 41st and 42nd, respectively.
“Kendall ran great,” Youngworth noted. “We had a big surprise with our No. 2 runner (Villanueva). She was the only kid on either team who ran their best time of the year. Where our other three girls (Brooke, Samantha and Miriam) finished was beneficial. None of those girls ran during the summer. We did everything from ground zero, some of our girls played volleyball and missed some time, so I’m really happy for our girls. All of these girls will be back next year, too.”
McAuley Catholic wasn’t the only local school to have athletes qualify for state, as Thomas Jefferson and College Heights also had individuals advance.
Pictured is the McAuley Catholic girls cross country team. Courtesy photo.
ATTEBERRY WINS BOYS RACE
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry used a strong finish to win the Class 1 District 2 boys race. Atteberry toured the 5K course in 16:49 and Hermitage’s Justin Horn was second in 16:54.
In addition to Atteberry, the Cavaliers had two other individual state qualifiers.
Thomas Jefferson freshman London Rodriguez finished ninth in 18:01 and Braden Honeywell-Lynch was 15th in 18:41.
College Heights Christian had one qualifier, as freshman Colton McMillan finished 30th, earning the final state berth.
On the girls side, Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller and Samantha Seto both advanced to state by finishing eighth and 23rd, respectively.
CHC GIRLS ADVANCE IN CLASS 2
HERMITAGE, Mo. — Competing in Class 2 due to the championship factor related to recent success, the College Heights Christian advanced its full girls team to the state meet by finishing fourth at the district meet.
The qualifying girls teams in Class 2 District 2 were Stockton (61), Mansfield (66), New Covenant (80) and College Heights (83).
College Heights’ Jayli Johnson (21:55) and Marla Anderegg (22:07) placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the girls race to earn all-district honors.
Also for the Cougars, Madelynn Jordan finished 33rd, Jesalin Bever was 37th, Madi Carson took 50th and Emmy Carson was 55th.
STATE MEET IS NEXT SATURDAY
The MSHSAA Cross Country Championships will be held on Nov. 5 for athletes in Class 1-3 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.
A postseason victory was within striking distance for the College Heights Christian Cougars.
But it slipped away.
College Heights Christian suffered a 53-44 setback to Osceola on Friday night in an 8-man football playoff game at Joplin High School.
College Heights’ inaugural season ends at 1-8.
The back-and-forth game was tied at 22 at halftime and the Indians led 37-36 at the end of the third quarter.
Osceola outscored the Cougars 16-8 in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
In the first quarter, CHC’s Logan Decker completed a pair of touchdown passes to Caleb Quade, a 27-yard strike and a 50-yard completion.
Decker’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Quade in the second period, along with a 2-point conversion, allowed the Cougars to tie the game at 22 late in the first half.
The Indians scored the first two touchdowns of the third period, but the Cougars responded with a pair of scores of their own, as Decker scored on a 15-yard run and Cannon Miller hauled in a 13-yard TD pass.
Osceola took a 45-36 lead in the final frame, but Decker completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Quade, cutting his team’s deficit to 45-44.
But the Indians scored on a 3-yard run late in the game.
The Cougars had 374 yards of offense, 311 passing and 63 rushing.
A sophomore, Decker completed 18-of-30 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns.
Quade caught eight passes for 156 yards and three scores, while Miller had eight receptions for 133 yards and a TD. Bo Sitton and Levi Durling also had receptions.
Decker ran for 34 yards on four attempts, while Miller ran four times for 18 yards and Durling had two carries for 11 yards.
Osceola (2-8) meets Drexel/Miami (8-1) next Friday in a district quarterfinal.
College Heights ends the season with a record of 23-6.
