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.
SENECA, MOUNT VERNON ROLL, WILL MEET IN TITLE GAME
The top-seeded Seneca Indians rolled into the championship game of the Class 2 District 4 tournament by beating the fourth-seeded Hollister Tigers 42-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Seneca (9-1) will host No. 2 Mount Vernon (8-3) at 7 on Friday night.
Seneca’s Gavyn Hoover scored on a 6-yard run with 8:42 in the first quarter to open the scoring. A 17-yard run by Hoover and three touchdown runs from Jackson Marrs made it 35-0 at halftime.
Marrs scored with 4:29 left in the third period to give the Indians a 42-0 lead.
The Mountaineers beat Forsyth 42-15 on Saturday.
Mount Vernon led 35-0 at the half and 42-0 at the end of the third period.
LAMAR 56, STOCKTON 10
No. 1 seed Lamar beat No. 4 Stockton 56-10 in the semifinals of the Class 2 District 5 tournament on Saturday.
Lamar led 42-3 at halftime en route to the lopsided win.
Lamar (9-1) meets Fair Grove (7-4) in Friday’s district title game.
BOLIVAR 21, MCDONALD COUNTY 7
McDonald County’s season came to an end in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 6 tournament on Friday night.
The game was tied at halftime, but the second-seeded Liberators scored a pair of unanswered touchdowns in the second half to upend the sixth-seeded Mustangs.
McDonald County’s touchdown came on a 39-yard pass from Cross Dowd to Jack Parnell.
The Mustangs, who beat Marshfield 7-6 in the district quarterfinals, end the season with a record of 6-5.
The district championship game will feature No. 1 West Plains vs. No. 2 Bolivar on Friday.
NEVADA 43, LINCOLN PREP 7
Third-seeded Nevada advanced to the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 tournament by knocking off second-seeded Lincoln College Prep 43-7 on a rainy Friday night in Kansas City.
Avious Steadman scored four touchdowns for the Tigers, who are now 9-2. Also scoring touchdowns for the Tigers were Jordan Johnson and Henry Campbell.
Nevada is at No. 1 seed KC Center (10-0) next Friday in the district championship game.
Center defeated fifth-seeded Carl Junction 33-6 in the semifinals.
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Nevada’s Emree Cameron was the runner-up at the MSHSAA Class 2 Girls Golf Championships on a chilly Tuesday at Silo Ridge Golf and Country Club.
A sophomore, Cameron finished with a two-day score of 146.
Cameron carded a 1-under-par 71 on Monday. On Tuesday, Cameron shot a 3-over-par 75.
Cameron finished fourth at last year’s event.
Marshfield’s Marlene Edgeman repeated as state champion with a two-day score of 144, carding an even-par 72 in both rounds.
Cassville’s Avery Chappell placed ninth with a 172.
Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal finished 19th (188), Mount Vernon’s Kenadi Killingsworth tied for 27th (193) and Monett’s Clarie Nation tied for 32nd (195).
Mount Vernon’s Madison Phillips tied for 55th (207), Nevada’s Paige Hertzberg was 62nd (212) and Monett’s Katie Geiss and Nevada’s Riley Severance tied for 71st (223).
Mount Vernon’s Madalyn Cook finished 73rd (227) and Cassville’s Maci Barton tied for 78th (236).
Osage was the team champion with a 350. Westminster Christian took second with a 383.
Mount Vernon finished ninth in the standings with a 457.
CLASS 4 TOURNEY CONCLUDLES
St. Joseph’s Academy captured the Class 4 team championship on Tuesday at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club.
The Angels had a four-person score of 640.
Blue Springs (699) and Liberty North (707) were second and third in the team standings.
Blue Springs South’s Maya McVey was the individual state champion with a 146, a 70 on Monday and a 76 on Tuesday.
Springfield Catholic’s Lyla Louderbaugh, St. Joseph Academy’s Rylie Andrews and Rock Bridge’s Tierney Baumstark all tied for second with identical scores of 152.
Ozark’s Josey Roberts took fifth with a 156.
Carthage sophomore Shay Gaddis tied for 36th place with a 183.
The lone Joplin area qualifier, Gaddis shot a 91 on Monday and a 92 on Tuesday.
CLASS 1
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Purdy’s Rosa Schad finished 35th at the Class 1 state golf tournament at Columbia Country Club.
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. — Nevada’s Emree Cameron claimed medalist honors at the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 girls golf tournament on Thursday at Randel-Hinkle Municipal Golf Course.
A sophomore, Cameron shot even-par 70 (34-36). Marshfield’s Marlene Edgeman was the runner-up with a 72.
All three of Nevada’s golfers qualified for state, as Riley Severance and Paige Hertzberg were among the top 12 golfers not on the qualifying teams.
Severance finished 10th overall with a 99 and Hertzberg tied for 14th with a 102.
Nevada coach Brian Leonard noted this is the third straight season that Severance and Hertzberg have advanced to state, while this is Cameron’s second straight state berth. It was also Cameron’s second straight individual district championship.
“I was very proud of these three girls,” Leonard said. “The golf course was shorter than usual, but the greens were very small, undulated…and very fast. There were several hidden swells and breaks, which caused several golfers many headaches on the greens.”
The Tigers’ trio weren’t the only local athletes to advance to state.
Cassville’s Avery Chappell finished fourth with an 84 and Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal placed sixth with an 87.
Monett’s duo of Claire Nation (95) and Katie Geiss (106) and Cassville’s Maci Barton (108) were among the top 12 individuals not on the qualifying teams.
Nation tied for eighth overall, while Geiss was 17th and Barton placed 18th.
The top two teams were Rogersville (397) and Mount Vernon (405).
The Mountaineers were led by Kenadi Killingsworth (92) and Madalyn Cook (95), who placed seventh and eighth overall, respectively. Mount Vernon’s four-person was rounded out by Madison Phillips (101) and Madilynn Schubert (117)
The Class 2 state tournament will be held on Oct. 17-18 at Silo Ridge in Bolivar.
Nevada High School is sending all of three of its golfers to the Class 2 state tournament. Coach Brian Leonard is pictured with Riley Severance, Emree Cameron and Paige Hertzberg.
HOLLISTER, Mo. — A stellar season continues for the East Newton High School boys track and field squad.
With 86 points, the Patriots topped the team standings at the Class 3 Sectional 3 meet at Hollister High School.
Overall, athletes from East Newton, Seneca, Lamar, Cassville, Aurora and Mount Vernon earned state berths by finishing in the top-four of their respective events.
The Class 3 state track meet will be held next weekend in Jefferson City.
EAST NEWTON
The Patriots won the 4×800 relay in 8:28, with Kelton Sorrell, Mason Silva, Robert McFarland and Chase Sorrell competing.
East Newton also won the 4×400 relay, as Gabe Bergen, Chase Sorrell, Michael Crowe and Kelton Sorrell recorded a time of 3:31.
Kelton Sorrell took first in the 800, while Chase Sorrell placed second in the 1600. Chase and Kelton finished second and third, respectively, in the 3200.
Bergen won the 300 hurdles and was third in the 110 hurdles.
Also finishing third in their events for East Newton were Michael Crowe (high jump) and Dominic Shaw (discus).
For the East Newton girls, Alyssa Coffey placed fourth in the discus to advance.
LAMAR
Lamar’s boys won the 4×200-meter relay in 1:31, with Adam Kluhsman, Ian Ngugi, Thomas Gammon and Trace Willhite competing.
The Tigers also won the 4×100 in 43.94 seconds, with Gammon, Ngugi, Kluhsman and Willhite running. Lamar’s boys were third in the 4×400.
Willhite won the discus and was also third in the javelin. Blaine Breshears was the runner-up in the 800, Tyson Williams placed fourth in the discus and Terrill Davis was fourth in the long jump.
The Tigers finished third in the 4×800.
For the Lamar girls, Phajjia Gordon won the shot put and took third in the discus, while Kiersten Potter finished third in the 3200 and was fourth in the 1600.
Lamar’s Marcy Miller was second in the high jump and Elise Ferris placed fourth in the long jump.
The Lamar girls qualified in the 4×200 relay by finishing fourth.
SENECA
For the Seneca girls, Katelyn Fyock placed third in the triple jump, Rylee Darnell finished third in the high jump and Isabella Renfro was third in the shot put.
CASSVILLE
Cassville’s Marianne McCrackin, Annie Moore, Tori Mitchell and Jolie Evans won the 4×800 relay in 10:21.
The team of Sharayah Seymour, Jolie Evans, Moore and Jadyn Williams-Reed took second in the 4×400.
Moore won the pole vault, Riley Morris was the runner-up in the discus and Landry Parnell finished fourth in the javelin.
On the boys side, Cassville’s Bradan Dickinson won the shot put and Caleb Leach was fourth in the 1600.
The Wildcats were fourth in the 4×800 relay.
MOUNT VERNON
Mount Vernon’s Earl Trimble won the boys pole vault and Wyatt Cordray was fourth in the 110 hurdles.
Kadence Krempges tied for second in the girls pole vault to advance.
AURORA
Aurora’s Makena Hall was the sectional champ in the girls 100 hurdles, while Maisie Phillips took third in the 300 hurdles.
That’s what the high school football jamboree between Webb City and Lamar provided for all those in attendance on Friday night inside Cardinal Stadium.
And even if it was only a scrimmage, the event was a welcome sight for players, coaches and fans alike, as all summer long there were concerns over how the coronavirus pandemic would impact the fall season.
“This is the most normal I’ve felt in about five months,” Webb City coach John Roderique said at the conclusion of the jamboree. “I think every kid and every coach would tell you the same thing. We’re still working, practicing and getting ready for a game, so that’s as normal as we’ve been in a long time.”
“There was a time when we didn’t know if we were even going to be able to do this jamboree or even put the pads and uniform on,” Roderique added. “That’s probably the biggest takeaway…just how much you enjoy the opportunity to come out and play. That’s the biggest thing.”
In the annual full-contact dress rehearsal held one week ahead of the season opener, Webb City scored the only two touchdowns of the evening.
Seniors Cole Gayman and Eli Goddard both took turns running Webb City’s first-team offense from the quarterback position. Along with standout senior running back Devrin Weathers, junior Cade Wilson was a featured running back for the Cardinals.
On the hosts’ first offensive series, Weathers capped a 10-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run up the middle. The score was set up by passes to Wilson and senior Jacob Shonk, along with runs from Wilson and Goddard.
The Cardinals also scored on their second drive.
Junior Dupree Jackson and sophomore Colton Gordon had gains on the ground, while Goddard completed a pass to junior Eric Fitch. On the ninth play of the drive, senior Shane Noel scampered into the end zone from 15 yards out for the final score of the scrimmage.
Webb City’s Dupree Jackson (28) carries the ball while Lamar’s Tyler Ansley (21) looks to make the stop during Friday night’s jamboree at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Jason Peake.
Sophomore Landon Johnson saw time under center during the series.
The Cardinals took the field against an opponent for the first time since winning the Class 4 Show-Me Bowl last December in Columbia. As always in this event, the Cardinals rotated lots of players in and out during the scrimmage.
“About like every jamboree, we did some good things and we did some things that weren’t very good,” Roderique said. “The biggest deal is you get to go live against somebody else. That’s something that’s hard to emulate in practice.”
Led by senior quarterback Case Tucker, Lamar threatened on its first drive of the night, but the Tigers were stopped by the Cardinal defense on the 4-yard line on the final play of the series.
Tucker, senior Cade Griffith, juniors Trace Wilhite and Zaide Rice and sophomores Austin Wilkerson and Joel Beshore all had plenty of carries for the Tigers.
The jamboree’s conclusion signaled a reality check to all those involved—it’s time to begin preparing for Week 1 contests.
“We’ve had good practices,” Roderique said. “Camp’s been good. Summertime was good, so we feel pretty good right now. It’s just a matter of trying to work every day and trying to get better. Now it’s time to get better and improve. We talk about that process all the time. Most of our teams have been better at the end of the year than they are at the beginning. It takes daily work.”
Webb City’s Eli Goddard (5) is tackled by a host of Lamar Tigers, including Case Tucker (16). Photo by Jason Peake.
NEW ERA IN LAMAR
First-year Lamar coach Jared Beshore has taken over the reins of the Lamar football program.
A Lamar native and former Tigers standout, Beshore noted the transition to head coach has been a seamless one.
“The transition has been smooth because I have a great support system, the administration takes care of me and I have a great coaching staff around me,” Beshore said. “It’s been easier than it could have been.”
Beshore said he was pleased with his team’s effort against the Cardinals, a perennial state power.
“The takeaway for me is that our kids aren’t scared of anybody and that they’re going to compete,” Beshore said. “They came out here against the top program in the state of Missouri and they competed and showed enthusiasm. Our word this week was ‘believe.’ And I think they truly believe in themselves and they believe in this program.”
Lamar travels to Springfield Catholic next Friday in the season opener.
“We came out healthy tonight, so that makes me happy,” Beshore said. “We’re not satisfied completely. We’ve got some things to clean up, but I know we’ll work through those things.”
PARKER COMMITS
Webb City senior defensive back Treghan Parker has verbally committed to play baseball for Missouri Southern.
Gayman had previously committed to Bryce Darnell’s Lions. Both Parker and Gayman are expected to be key performers for Flave Darnell’s Cardinals in the spring.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City opens the season at Joplin on Friday, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Junge Field.
The matchup will feature the defending Class 4 champion against last year’s Class 6 runner-up.
“You’d probably rather start with somebody else instead of the defending champion in the conference,” Roderique said. “It is what it is. We’re excited to get ready to play Joplin. Their program has really developed over the years, and we know their coaching staff does a great job. That’s the one thing about our league…there’s a lot of really good teams in our conference, so you have to play everybody at some point.”
