CASSVILLE, Mo. — Marcus Young tossed an eight-inning no-hitter as top-seeded Monett defeated third-seeded Seneca 1-0 in the championship game of the Class 4 District 11 tournament on Thursday.
The Cubs scored the game’s lone run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk.
A Missouri Southern recruit, Young walked two, struck out five and did not allow a hit in a masterful performance.
Seneca’s Grant Houchin did not allow a run in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven. Lincoln Renfro took the loss after allowing a run in the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth, Young was hit by a pitch, Aidan Clapper sacrificed, Evan Witt was intentionally walked and Joshua Wallace singled to load the bases. Miles Young drew a walk to end the game in walk-off fashion.
Seneca ends the season with a record of 18-13.
Monett (16-8) will host Nevada (19-9) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the sectional round of the state tournament.
NEOSHO, Mo. — For the second straight season, Monett’s Jaxon Bailey captured medalist honors at the Big 8 Conference Boys Golf Tournament.
Monett’s Jaxon Bailey
On Monday, Bailey and Marshfield’s Michael Alves both turned in identical scores of 74 after 18 holes at the Neosho Municipal Golf Course.
Bailey won a playoff hole to capture the individual conference championship for the second straight year. A sophomore, Bailey has now won five tournaments this season.
Monett finished second in the team standings with a four-person score of 317, just one stroke back of Rogersville’s 316.
The top 20 individuals were recognized as all-conference performers.
After Bailey and Alves, Rogersville’s Cole Goff (75) and Bryce Marshall (76) were third and fourth.
Seneca’s Eli Olson finished fifth with a 77, while Hollister’s Garrett Snyder placed sixth with a 78.
Monett’s Jake Hoyt (80) and David Southard (81) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, followed by Aurora’s Ross Baker (82), Rogersville’s Ben Roche (82) and Monett’s Clay Butterworth (82).
Tying for 12th place with scores of 83 were Rogersville’s Stewart McDonald, Seneca’s Jeremy Haase and Catholic’s Jack Griesemer.
Finishing 15th through 20th were Rogersville’s Tyler Davis (85), Catholic’s Jake Beykirch (85), Monett’s Cal Butterworth (86), Reeds Spring’s C.J. Merritt (86)and Tucker Blevins (87) and Catholic’s Gage Vehr (87).
2023 Big 8 Conference Boys Golf Tournament
Team standings: Rogersville 316, Monett 317, Springfield Catholic 343, Marshfield 343, Seneca 348, Hollister 362, Reeds Spring 364, Mount Vernon 375, Lamar 378, Aurora 381, Nevada 393, Cassville 416.
MONETT, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers captured the team championship at the Monett Invitational boys tennis tournament on Wednesday.
Thomas Jefferson finished with 18 points, while Monett was the runner-up with 13 points. Carthage and New Covenant tied for third with 11 points.
Rounding out the field were Webb City (6), Mount Vernon (3.5), Aurora (2.5) and Clever (1).
The Cavaliers won two of the four brackets, No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles.
At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan and Devan Murali went 3-0.
The Cavaliers defeated Aurora’s Greysen Boettler-Mario Jimenez 8-0 in the quarterfinals and topped Monett’s Elijah Ridenour-Logan Kutz 8-4 in the semifinals.
In the bracket’s title match, Nagarajan-Murali beat New Covenant’s Brody Bennett-Aidan Henderson 8-5.
Thomas Jefferson’s Jack Goodhue won the No. 2 singles bracket.
Goodhue beat Clever’s Kaden Smith 8-1 and Carthage’s Eli Scott 8-3 to advance to the title match. Goodhue defeated Monett’s Heisman Welch 9-8 (7-5) in the bracket’s championship match.
Thomas Jefferson’s Lele Qian was the runner-up at No. 1 singles.
Qian beat Mount Vernon’s Peyton West 8-0 and topped Aurora’s Landon Boatwright 8-4. In the title match, Monett’s Ethan Kutz edged Qian 9-8 (11-9).
Thomas Jefferson’s Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis finished fourth at No. 2 doubles. They dropped the bracket’s third-place match to Mount Vernon’s Malachi Hennum-Austin Robison 8-4.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s Jacob McDonald and Tristan Lynch took third place at No. 1 doubles.
Webb City’s Felipe Perez finished fourth at No. 2 singles and Trevor Peterson won the fifth-place match at No. 1 singles. Webb City’s Zachary Stump-Lucas Lowery went 0-2 at No. 2 doubles.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s duo of Silas Laytham and Danilo Lopez took second at No. 2 doubles. They fell to New Covenant, 8-5, in the title match.
Carthage’s Josh Rivera finished third at No. 1 singles and Eli Scott took third at No. 2 singles.
Carthage’s No. 1 doubles team of Charlie Snow and Will Wallace won the fifth-place match.
ST. PETERS, Mo. — The Carthage Tigers advanced to the finals in three events at the MSHSAA Class 1 Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.
In Friday’s prelims, the top eight in each event moved on to the championship finals and those who finished ninth through 16th advanced to the consolation finals.
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, William Wright and Eli Cox finished 16th in 1:43 to advance.
The Tigers also advanced in the 400 freestyle relay, as McBride, Cox, Wright and Frieling took 16th in 3:26.
A junior, Frieling advanced to the finals of the 100-yard backstroke by finishing 16th in 55.69 seconds. Frieling also finished 32nd in the 200 freestyle.
A sophomore, McBride finished 25th in the 50 freestyle and 28th in the 100 free.
Monett senior Matthew Fillinger advanced to the finals of the 200 freestyle by finishing 12th in 1:48. Fillinger also finished 17th in the 100 butterfly.
The Cubs were 20th in the 200 free relay, 28th in the 400 free relay and 31st in the 200 medley relay. Monett’s Ryan Goodson finished 20th in the 50 freestyle and 23rd in the 100 free.
Webb City’s Micah Brouwer finished 18th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03, missing a trip to the finals by two spots.
The Cardinals finished 24th in the 200 medley relay in 1:46, with Judah Ritchie, Micah Brouwer, Emiliano Vasquez and Cody Herndon swimming.
Webb City finished 31st in the 400 free relay, as Vasquez, Steve Kenlee, Brouwer and Herndon recorded a time of 3:43.
Webb City’s Maddox Wood will compete in the diving competition on Saturday.
Monett’s Jaxon Bailey earned medalist honors at the 2022 Big 8 Conference Golf Tournament on Tuesday at Horton Smith Golf Course in Springfield.
Just a freshman, Bailey carded a 1-under-par 69 to claim the conference championship.
Rogersville’s Tyler Davis was the runner-up with a 72 and Nevada’s Owen Swearingen placed third with a 73. Swearingen is a Missouri State signee.
Springfield Catholic’s Tyler Han took fourth with a 75, while Marshfield’s duo of Luke Gardner and Wyatt Davis tied for fifth place with identical scores of 77.
Rounding out the top 10 were Monett’s Jake Hoyt (78), Rogersville’s Bryce Marshall (78), Seneca’s Eli Olson (78), Reeds Spring’s Ty Cooper (79), Hollister’s Garrett Snyder (79) and Rogersville’s Stewart McDonald (79).
Lamar’s Victoria O’Neal and Reeds Spring’s Reece McMurdo both carded 81 to tie for 13th place. Aurora’s Sage Welch placed 15th with an 82.
Mount Vernon’s Carter Meirick and Springfield Catholic’s Jack Griesmer tied for 16th with 83s, while Monett’s Clay Butterworth, Marshfield’s Michael Alves, Aurora’s Dalton Brisco, Marshfield’s Merlin Dennis and Rogersville’s Cole Goff all carded 84 to tie for 18th place.
Rogersville was the team champion with a 313. Monett (319), Marshfield (322), Springfield Catholic (335) and Reeds Spring (340) rounded out the top five teams.
Big 8 Conference Golf Tournament
Team standings: Rogersville 313, Monett 319, Marshfield 322, Springfield Catholic 335, Reeds Spring 340, Aurora 345, Hollister 350, Seneca 351, Lamar 363, Mount Vernon 389, Cassville 413, McDonald County 473.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage jumped out to a big lead early and staved off Monett late before pulling away to a 17-7 six-inning win to open the second day of the Bill O’Dell Tournament.
The Tigers (2-5) scored seven runs in the first two innings on the way to an 8-1 lead through four complete. The Cubs (4-6) rallied with six unanswered runs with three in the fifth and three in the sixth to trim CHS’ lead to 8-7. Carthage ended the game early with nine runs in the bottom of the sixth to invoke the run rule.
“It was really nice to see our bats get going a little bit and smack seven up there in the first two innings,” Carthage coach Luke Bordewick said. “In the middle innings, we got complacent and let them get back in it. Credit to Monett, they did what they needed to do to make it close. I just think they ran out of pitching there at the end … and we took advantage of it. It was really nice to see.”
ON THE MOUND
Kaden Arr earned the win after allowing four runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
“I think he got a little fatigued at the end,” Bordewick said. “He was locating well early before losing it a little late, which is when he got into trouble. Overall, It was a really solid start from him.”
Zach Geter allowed three runs on three hits, one walk and a strikeout in one inning. Wil McCombs pitched 1/3 of a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.
Doss Nation took the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits, a walk and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 of an inning. Alex Huntress allowed six runs, five earned, on five hits, four walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. Carlos Valenciano and Harrison Merriman combined to allow four runs on four hits and two walks without recording an out.
GAME ACTION
The Tigers blanked the Cubs over the first two innings while crossing home seven times in the process. After back-to-back one-out singles in the first inning from Nate Norbury and Kaden Kralicek, Kanen Vogt smacked a line drive to the gap in left center for a two-run double to give the Tigers the initial lead.
An inning later, Sylas Browning doubled to left field with one out before coming around to score on a Monett fielding error to give Carthage a three-run lead. With two outs and the bases full later in the frame, Vogt came up clutch again with a three-run double to left to double the Tigers’ lead, 6-0.
“Those were two big-time doubles that really set the tone for us,” Bordewick said of Vogt’s early doubles. “Those first two innings set the tone for us. He jumped on a fastball early in a hitter’s count on the first one, and the second one was a curveball that he really stuck with and kept his bat speed on it. It was cool to see him get fired up for his team because he is an even-keeled kid.”
Grant Collier got in on the offensive burst after a pitching change, ripping his own RBI double to left field to plate Vogt and push the lead to seven to wrap the scoring in the inning.
Monett’s Marcus Young singled up the middle to lead off the third before coming around later in the inning to score on a wild pitch to get the Cubs on the board.
Kralicek reached on an infield hit in the last of the fourth and promptly stole second and third base before scoring on a groundout by Collier to make the score 8-1.
Young singled to lead off the fifth and scored on an error. With two outs in the inning, Estin McBroom yanked a ball over the wall to left for a two-run home run to bring the Cubs within four of the lead, 8-4.
Young again led off with a single in the top of the six before coming around to score on a wild pitch. Monett then used a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch all with two outs to load the bases. Josh Wallace brought one run home with a single too left to trim the deficit to 8-6. After a pitching change, Daniel Geiss cut the Tiger lead to one with a bases-loaded walk.
Carthage’s Wil McCombs got out of the jam without allowing the tying run to score by striking out Cole Davis looking.
The Tigers put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with nine runs crossing the board. Norbury led the inning off with a double to left before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from Kralicek, which he beat out for a hit. Norbury scored on a sac fly from Vogt, and Kralicek touched home after scoring on a first-and-third delayed steal when the pickoff throw went to second. Two batters later, Logan Carmickle doubled to center to score a run and push the lead to 11-7. A bases-loaded walk from Caden Kabance was followed by a two-run single through the left side by McCombs, with a third run coming around to score on a Monett error, to push the lead to 15-7. Kralicek and Collier each had RBI singles to end the game with one out in the sixth.
“I was just playing for one run,” Bordewick said with a smile. “It was nice to see our kids finish a game.”
AT THE PLATE
Vogt led Carthage with two doubles and a game-high six RBI at the plate. Norbury and Kralicek each had four hits, and RBI and scored four times. Collier had two hits, including a double, three RBI and scored a run. Carmickle had two hits, drove in one and scored one.
McBroom homered and had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored for Monett. Young had three hits and three runs scored.
NEOSHO, Mo. — In a perfect world, the Neosho boys basketball team prefers to play at a fast pace, using the transition game to fuel the offense.
On Monday in the Class 5 District 11 semifinals against third-seeded Monett (7-17), the second-seeded Wildcats (13-12) were forced to play the opposite style, using a stalwart defensive effort that held the Cubs to one field goal in the second half to go along with senior Landon Austin putting his team on his back down the stretch to earn a 46-35 win.
“I told the guys at halftime, we are going to score better (in the second half), so if you just play the same defense, or even better, we are going to win,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “That is kind of what we’ve had to do all year. We aren’t a high-powered offense, and defense has been our calling card. It showed up at the right time in a win-or-go-home game.”
DEFENSIVE MINDSET
How good was the defensive effort from the Wildcats in the second half? Neosho, which trailed 22-18 at the intermission, limited Monett’s scoring to one 3-pointer and one free throw in the third quarter on the way to building a 28-26 advantage with one period to play.
In the final eight minutes, the Wildcats held the Cubs to 9-of-14 shooting from the free-throw line, without allowing Monett to convert from the field.
“That was really big,” Culp noted about holding Monett to free throws in the fourth quarter. “It’s a double-edged sword. Free throws stop the clock, but if they’re making shots from the field, running back to get on defense and then trying to score in transition, they can go on a little run. But, it’s hard to keep that intensity (when the game stops) for free throws. Then, we can walk the ball up the floor to waste a little more time, and it makes it hard for them to get in their press.”
HEAVY LIFTING
With the Wildcats imposing their will on the defensive end, Austin was doing the same for Neosho on the offensive end. The 6-foot senior guard scored the final 20 points for the Wildcats, including all 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“You couldn’t be more proud of a kid like that,” Culp said. “He’s been our go-to guy for the last two years. … For him to step up tonight in the second half when we really needed scoring because we could not score in the second half, you can’t say anything more about his effort.”
“It was a little too close for me heading into the fourth quarter,” Austin said with a smile. “It was kill or be killed. That was my mindset going into the fourth quarter.”
Neosho’s Dalton Brodie looks for room inside during the Wildcats’ win over Monett in the Class 5 District 11 semifinals on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
Neosho advanced to the district finals for the third straight season with the win over the Cubs. The Wildcats will travel to face top-seeded Rogersville (19-5) for a 7 p.m. tip on Wednesday in the Class 5 District 11 title game.
“It’s going to be an absolute battle,” Culp said. “Rogersville is really good, they have a D1 player. But, if we just come out and play defense like we did tonight and take it one possession at a time … I think anything can happen. … There isn’t anything quite like district final games, and we are excited for the opportunity.”
HOW THEY GOT THERE
Neosho started the game with all of the momentum, using an elbow jumper and a driving score from Austin as well as two free throws from Chase Flynn to build an early 6-0 lead over the first three minutes of the first quarter.
Monett came storming back, as Blaine Salsman knocked down two 3-pointers sandwiched around a single free throw by the Cubs to give MHS a 7-6 advantage at the 1:35 mark of the opening quarter.
Carter Fenske answered back with a 3-ball for Neosho to regain the lead before the Cubs converted from the field inside the final minute to send the game into the second period tied at 9-9.
Monett took control of the momentum with a 10-2 start to the second quarter. Cameron George scored inside before Tyler Waterman splashed a perimeter shot from the corner. Waterman followed up with a driving score to push the Cubs’ lead to 16-9.
Austin scored on the break before Salsman buried a catch-and-shoot trey from the wing to make the score 19-11 with 2:30 to play in the first half, prompting Culp to call a timeout.
Neosho’s Brock Franklin fires from the perimeter in the Wildcats’ win over Monett on Monday in the district tournament. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
The message during the timeout proved fruitful as the Wildcats closed the first half with buckets in the paint off turnovers by Brock Franklin and Isaiah Green before Franklin closed the half with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to trim the margin to 22-18 at the intermission.
Down five early in the third, Neosho scored seven straight points to take its first lead of the game since the 1:17 mark of the first quarter. Dalton Brodie started the run with an inside score before he followed up with a 3-pointer off the assist from Austin. Franklin splashed a 3-ball off another assist from Austin to put the Wildcats on top 26-23 with 2:08 left in the third period.
A 3-pointer from Salsman tied the game up, only for Austin to close the quarter by grabbing an offensive rebound for a putback score while drawing contact for a chance at a three-point play with 52.3 ticks on the clock. The and-one free throw was good, igniting Austin’s scoring spree to close the game while giving Neosho a 29-26 margin heading into the final eight minutes.
Following a floater and a baseline drive by Austin, the senior forced a steal at the Monett 3-point line and hit Green with an outlet pass in transition. Green was blocked at the rim but Austin, who was in the midst of getting back on defense before changing course, grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback to give Neosho a 35-29 advantage with 5:12 to play.
“It was an athletic, gritty play,” Culp said. “That play showed how good the culture on our team is. Isaiah was laughing on the way back down the court. He didn’t care, he was just glad we scored. That was a fun moment we will all remember.”
Neosho’s Landon Austin knocks down an elbow jumper in the Wildcats’ win over Monett on Monday. Photos by Shawn Fowler.
Austin knocked down an elbow jumper off the ball screen on the next trip down the floor to make it an eight-point ball game.
Neosho pushed the lead to double digits, 44-33, with 1:17 left in regulation off a pair of makes at the charity stripe from Austin to all but seal the win.
“We were really focused in practice the last couple of days heading into this game,” Austin said. We were ready for this game. … We were communicating a lot of the defensive end, making sure everybody bought in to block out our man and crash the rebounds. I think that played a key part in this win.”
SCORING LEADERS
Austin led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, 20 coming in the second half. Franklin added eight, while Brodie finished with five.
Salsman led Monett with 15 points, including four makes from the perimeter, while Waterman and George each finished with seven in the loss.
Monett scored midway through the first half and added two more goals in the second half to defeat Joplin 3-0 on Thursday at the JHS Sports Complex.
“We were missing some guys, so we had to think creatively and adjust our gameplan a bit,” Joplin coach Josh Thompson said. “We tried to be more defensive, and I think we did play a lot better on defense. … Going down in the first half, it altered plans a little bit. We had to take a look at halftime to see what we wanted to do.The early goal changed the way that we were looking at the rest of the game.”
Joplin celebrated four representatives in Senior Night ceremonies — Connor Simon, Josh Yarnall, Preston Stockton and Brady Carter.
“Those guys have been with us and contributing for a while,” Thompson said. “I had Connor in middle school, so it is weird seeing him out here (on Senior Night). Josh has been a consummate pro his last four years. Brady was here his freshman year and came back for his senior year. He has done an excellent job on the field, and is really making a big impact in his last year. For Preston, this is his first time back and being eligible from injuries. This was the first time he got to take the field this season, and again, he is one of those guys we have been working with for so long. … They have meant a lot to the program, and we are really glad they are here.”
Monett took the advantage in the 18th minute of action when Roberto Perez found the back of the net to put the Cubs on top 1-0 in the only goal of the first half.
“It was good to get that momentum and find that goal,” Monett coach Cristobal Villa said. “Obviously, we want to score first because it gives us the opportunity to control the pace of the game. It takes the pressure off, and we are not worried about scoring. We did that. We were organized, we were disciplined and we managed it from there on.”
In the 18th minute of the second half, Monett pushed its lead to 2-0 on a goal from Alexis Ramirez. Monett put the game out of reach as time waned in the 37th minute with a goal from Alejandro Garcia to make the score 3-0.
“We talked at halftime and I told the boys they were moving the ball well, but we only had one goal,” Villa said. “We needed to be a little bit more disciplined and organized (in the second half). I wanted them to have a vision of how to move the ball, ‘Where is it going? Who are we sending it to and what are our options?’ And obviously, we needed to find the net. I think they picked up on that a lot better, and we found those two goals in the second half that was able to secure the win.”
Monett improves to 4-2 on the season, while Joplin falls to 3-4.
UP NEXT
Monett hosts Marshfield in a 6 p.m. contest on Monday.
Joplin is at Willard for a 6 p.m. matchup on Tuesday.
