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Tag: Seneca Indians

BOYS HOOPS: Strong third quarter sparks Neosho in win over Seneca

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — Early in the second half Friday night, Seneca senior guard Cooper Long made a pair of mid-range jump shots for a 31-28 score against the Indians’ Newton County rival Neosho.

Over the final 5 minutes, 26 seconds of the third, Neosho scored 16 unanswered points on a series of transition baskets, second-chance opportunities, and other easy baskets while Seneca had only a pair of missed free throws and otherwise empty possessions, resulting in a 47-28 lead for the Wildcats entering the fourth.

Neosho and Seneca each scored 25 points in the fourth, but it was that 16-0 stretch to end the third that went a long way toward producing a 19-point win for Neosho, 72-53.

“We were scoring it good all night, but at halftime we challenged them defensively,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “We don’t mind if the other team scores, but it has to be tough shots. We only gave up four points in the third quarter. That fueled our offense, and we put it pretty much out of reach.”

“We talked with our guys about how you can’t get into those dry spells,” Seneca coach Cort Hardy said. “You’ve got to find a way to score the ball in those situations. We’ve got to find the loose balls and get the putbacks, but the third quarter was the difference in the game. We just couldn’t find a way to score.”

Neosho scored at least 15 points in each quarter and eight Wildcat players found the scoring column with three of them reaching double figures.

Isaiah Green scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Wildcats, Carter Baslee and Carter Fenske combined for 23 more points with Baslee at 12 and Fenske 11, Collier Hendricks and Jared Siler each produced eight points, Kael Smith had six, and Brock Franklin and Michael Day each contributed three points.

The Wildcats scored 41 points after halftime.

“Any time a team speeds us up, it maybe throws us out of whack defensively, but it plays to our strength with Isaiah Green and Collier Hendricks playing great and now Jared Siler’s back,” Culp said. “He can run in transition. Our bigs run in transition really good too, with Baslee and Kael. That plays to our advantage. They scored more in that fourth quarter, but it felt we were going to score every time down anyway.”

Green recorded a double-double with his 10 rebounds and Hendricks came off the bench to produce seven rebounds and six assists to go with his eight points.

Neosho improved to 5-1 overall in the early season and the Wildcats play their final game before Christmas on the road Monday against winless Aurora.

“There’s always things you can work on,” Culp said. “Sometimes we have lapses in games where we’re careless with the ball when the other team isn’t even pressing us and unforced errors where we’re trying to make plays. A lot of that is because we’re so unselfish, trying to find plays for teammates so you can live with some of that. We get that cleaned up … I think we will be a formidable team to play.”

Meanwhile, eight Seneca players scored on Friday: Gavyn Hoover led with 16, Jace Schulte added 10, Hayden Gaines had eight, Zane Grotjohn netted seven, Long added six, and Ethan Altic, Morgan Vaughn, and Blake Hurn scored two each.

The Indians dropped to 4-5 on the season and one number Hardy mentioned Friday was five, representing the total of practices so far with the entire Seneca boys basketball team.

Seneca’s football team reached the Class 2 state semifinal — as a result, the Indians’ football season ended Nov. 26 and their basketball season officially began Nov. 29 with their season opener against Jasper.

“We go to Crane on Tuesday,” Hardy said. “We play a historic program with a storied coach. That will be our last test going into Christmas, then we come back and get some practices in over Christmas break and then come back ready to roll for conference play.

“Through the whole program, we have 10 football guys. On the varsity, we have five football guys. That’s the majority of the varsity players right there. I think you saw some things tonight that we’re starting to slowly get our legs and improve some things we didn’t do very good on early in the year.”

STATE FOOTBALL: Lamar advances to state title game with 56-14 win over Seneca

Posted on by Lucas Davis

LAMAR, Mo. — Lamar eliminated the turnovers and miscues that cost the Tigers in a loss to Seneca back in September. As a result, the Tigers are returning to the Class 2 state title game for the 10th time in 12 seasons.

Jared Beshore’s team raced out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back, avenging the 36-33 loss at Seneca with a 56-14 win over the Indians in Saturday’s Class 2 state semifinal at Thomas M. O’Sullivan Stadium.

Lamar quarterback Joel Beshore runs for a touchdown in the Tigers’ win over Lamar in the state semifinals on Saturday. Courtesy Photo

“We were very physical on both sides of the football. Our kids were ready to play,” said Beshore, whose team will square off with Blair Oaks Friday. The Falcons (13-0) defeated Bowling Green 66-48 to stamp their ticket to the title game.

Lamar took the opening kickoff and orchestrated a five-play drive that covered 63 yards and culminated in a 48-yard scoring run by senior quarterback Joel Beshore, Jared’s younger brother.

“Our offensive line played really well. The kids bought into what we were trying to do,” said Coach Beshore.

Following a three-and-out by the Indians, Lamar set up shop at their own 31-yard line and on the first play from scrimmage, senior Ty Willhite broke loose on a jet sweep around the right end dashing 69-yards to paydirt.

Seneca junior passer Gavyn Hoover was under duress much of the afternoon. A third-down sack by Cameron Sturgell on Seneca’s next possession forced a punt. Three plays later Lamar was in the end zone again, this time on a pass from Beshore to Sturgell that covered 9 yards.

Lamar senior Austin Wilkerson demonstrated why he was the Class 2 Defensive Player of the Year last fall by picking off a pass on Seneca’s ensuing possession. He returned it for a touchdown and then early in the second quarter he showed that he could get it done on the offensive side of the ball too. The Tigers called a play-action pass and Beshore connected with Wilkerson who was all alone in the middle of the field. The 62-yard scoring strike put the home team up 35-0.

Despite the deficit, second year coach Cody Hilburn’s Indians showed resiliency. Seneca mounted a 15-play drive and worked the ball deep into Lamar territory. Junior running back Jackson Marrs picked up a third-and-5 and then a fourth-and-2 on the ground. Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Lamar 33-yard line, Hoover powered his way to a first down. They turned the ball over on downs when Lamar’s Rourke Dillion made a tackle for no gain on a fourth and five at the Tigers’ 25-yard line.

Lamar led 35-0 at the half.

Seneca came out of the locker room swinging, taking the second half kickoff and marching into Lamar territory. However, a deep pass on fourth and long from Hoover to Conner Ackerson was broken-up by Beshore.

Hilburn wasn’t surprised that his team continued to fight.

“We have high character kids in Seneca. We never have to coach attitude or effort,” he said.

For much of Lamar’s championship run over the last decade-plus, they have been a run-heavy team. However, since Beshore took over the helm of the program from Scott Bailey, the Tigers have incorporated a more balanced attack. They went to the air again late in the third quarter. Joel Beshore dropped a perfect spiral into the outstretched arms of Wilkerson who raced into the end zone from 30 yards out.

Hoover put a pass on the money to junior Blake Hurn for a 35-yard touchdown to put the Indians on the board late in the quarter.

Seneca’s Gavyn Hoover throws for a first down in the Indians’ loss to Lamar in the state semifinals on Saturday. Courtesy Photo

Lamar got fourth quarter scoring runs from Cooper Haun and Logan Kish and with just over a minute to play in the contest, Hoover scored on a 3-yard carry to set the final score.

Following the game, Hilburn praised his seniors:

“They bought in with every change. They never asked why, they just did it,” he said, adding, “And because of that, we were able to make it one step further than we did last year.”

Last season, the Indians reached the quarterfinal in Class 3.

They will bring back an experienced and talented group in 2023.

“Last year, we went right back to work after the season. These kids (that are returning) are going to have put in the time. We’re going to have to get bigger, stronger, faster,” said Hilburn, who says he believes the Big 8 Conference, which both schools are longtime members of, is the best small school conference in the state of Missouri.

Lamar defensive coordinator Chris Wilkerson echoed those sentiments.

“We had to beat a very good football team today. Our kids up front and playing in the box (on defense) played a hell of a football game,” he said.

Seneca finished with 129 yards on the ground. Hoover was good on 8-of-21 pass attempts for 110 yards. The Tigers were led in tackles by Willhite who had seven solo stops. Wilkerson had seven total tackles to go with his interception. His brother, sophomore Alex Wilkerson, picked off a pass in the second half.

Beshore was 5-of-7 passing for 150 yards. The Tigers (12-1) racked up 330 yards rushing. 

Lamar will be looking to earn the program’s ninth state title when they take Faurot Field on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia on Friday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

STATE FOOTBALL: Title game berths on the line Saturday

Posted on by Jason Peake

Three local prep football teams will look to secure a spot in a state championship game on Saturday. 

 

CARTHAGE VS. FRANCIS HOWELL

In a clash between the top-ranked squads in Class 5, Carthage (11-1) entertains Francis Howell (12-0) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a semifinal clash at David Haffner Stadium. 

No. 1 in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Carthage advanced to the semifinals with last Saturday’s convincing 35-14 win at Lebanon. 

Carthage is in the semifinals for the first time since 2019, the year the Tigers won a state title. 

The Tigers, who are led by senior running back Luke Gall and senior QB Cooper Jadwin, are averaging 41 points per game. Jon Guidie’s Tigers allow 15 points per game.

No. 2 Francis Howell handled Timberland 49-18 in their quarterfinal contest. 

The undefeated Vikings, who moved down from Class 6 this season, are averaging 49 points per game while giving up 14 per contest.

The other Class 5 semifinal features Fort Osage (10-2) vs. Cape Girardeau Central (10-3).

The Class 5 state title game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 2 at Faurot Field in Columbia.  

 

HOW TO WATCH: MSHSAA TV

 

SENECA AT LAMAR

This highly-anticipated rematch between Big 8 rivals will determine who plays for a state championship.

Lamar (11-1) hosts Seneca (11-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday at O’Sullivan Stadium. 

Of course, Seneca defeated Lamar 36-33 back in Week 4. 

Since that loss, Lamar has reeled off eight straight wins, including last week’s dominant 54-0 victory over Holden in the quarterfinals.

The Tigers are averaging 47 points per game and allowing nine. 

Seneca advanced to the semifinals with last week’s 28-14 win over Liberty. 

Seneca is averaging 41.5 points per game and allowing 19 per contest. Seneca’s lone loss came to Nevada on Oct. 21 (49-14). Lamar beat Nevada 47-26.

The Indians are in the semifinals for the first time since 2013, while the Tigers are in this round for the third straight season.

The Lamar-Seneca winner will meet either Bowling Green (12-0) or Blair Oaks (12-0) in the Class 2 title game at 3 p.m. on Dec. 2 in Columbia. 

Blair Oaks is the top-ranked team in Class 2, with Lamar third, Seneca fourth and Bowling Green sixth.

 

HOW TO WATCH: https://www.mshsaa.tv/?B=470999

 

GIRLS HOOPS: Seneca outlasts Neosho for a season-opening win

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEOSHO, Mo. — The Seneca Indians opened their season with a 66-63 win Monday night over their Newton County rival Neosho Wildcats.

Seneca heated up from 3-point range early on and built a 24-12 lead after one quarter. Neosho outscored Seneca 32-19 in the second and third quarters to enter the fourth ahead by a 44-43 score. 

Neosho fell behind seven early in the fourth but righted the ship and earned a 61-all score on a Meredith Baldwin trifecta in the final minute, but Seneca’s sensational sophomore Hazley Grotjohn scored four straight points to give the Indians a 65-61 lead with 13.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

Neosho’s Beclynn Garrett goes up for a layup against Seneca’s Hazley Grotjohn and Samarah Mittag. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Grotjohn fouled out less than four seconds later, but not before scoring a game-high 35 points with 30 of them produced in the second half. At one point in the third and early in the fourth, Grotjohn had scored 16 straight Seneca points.

“We did not come out with the type of energy that we want to, and so it took a little while for us to get started,” Neosho coach Daniel Durst said. “Once we did, unfortunately we had dug ourselves a little bit of a hole that we had to fight out from and that’s always tough and it takes a lot of energy. You can tell that we were struggling through it, but I’m proud that we fought back and now it’s just onto the next step where we finish these types of games where they’re super close.

“We have got to get to the point where we can finish. Unfortunately, we haven’t been in a ton of these situations, so this was a great learning experience for us. I keep trying to tell them that every game before Christmas is a stepping stone and we learn something. Next time we’re in this situation, we’ll be a little bit better at it.”

Senior post Karlee Ellick led Neosho with 23 points, sophomore Beclynn Garrett added 17 with 12 of them in the second half, senior Baldwin scored all eight of her points in the fourth, junior Courtney Thomason added five, freshman Autumn Kinnaird four, and seniors Reagan McInturff and Maelynn Garrett three each.

Neosho dropped to 1-1 on the season, and the Wildcats return to action Tuesday on the road against Clinton.

“The biggest thing is the fight we had,” Durst said. “We never gave up. Not once. That was a huge point coming into the season, that we’re going to play hard each and every minute.

“We scored quite a few points tonight, which is something that we struggled with last year. Everybody was looking to score and to attack, and that’s something we’ve pushed hard. I’m proud of them for that.

“Defensively, Grotjohn’s a tough matchup and I thought we guarded her well. It wasn’t perfect all the time, but I feel like we worked hard guarding her so I’m proud of that as well.”

Seneca, 1-0 on the season, does not return to action until after Thanksgiving break with play in the CJ Classic next Monday against Parkview.

In the opener against Neosho, senior Parker Long scored 10 of her 14 points in the first quarter, junior Samarah Mittag added seven, senior Daylin McKnight six, and junior Sydnee Staley four.

The Indians made 10 3-point baskets Monday with half of them in the first quarter.

 

Neosho’s student section cheers on the girls basketball team on Monday during the Wildcats’ game with Seneca. Photo by Derek Livingston.

 

Neosho’s bench celebrates after a made 3-pointer on Monday night. Neosho suffered a 66-63 loss to Seneca. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Neosho’s Karlee Ellick shoots over Seneca’s Makenzie French during Monday’s game at Neosho High School. Photo by Derek Livingston.

BOYS HOOPS PREVIEW: Hardy takes over at Seneca, Indians return entire roster

Posted on by Jason Peake

Cort Hardy is the new man in charge of the Seneca High School boys basketball program.

A former assistant at Webb City, Hardy takes over a Seneca program that returns each and every member of last year’s roster.

With that, there’s excitement in the air in Seneca. 

“The guys are very excited for this upcoming season,” Hardy told SoMo Sports. “We had a good first summer together and won some games, so I think that kind of enhanced that excitement. They enjoy the style that I want us to play so the buy in has been great to start practice. Both the coaching staff and players have high expectations for this year.” 

Returning seniors are forwards Cooper Long and Conner Ackerson and guard Hayden Gaines. All three started last season. Long earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season after averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. 

The team’s returning juniors are guards Gavyn Hoover, Ethan Altic and Jace Wilson and forwards Blake Hurn and Morgan Vaughn. All five players are expected to play key roles this winter. Sophomore guard Zane Grotjohn also returns with prior varsity experience.

Top newcomers are juniors Ayden Corcoran (F) and Cedar Starchman (G) and sophomore guard Jace Schulte.

Strengths of the Indians will be speed, guard play and overall team depth. 

“This will be a very deep and quick team,” Hardy said. “We do not have a ton of size, but we are very athletic, and we plan to use that to our advantage. We’ll get after people defensively and try to push the pace in transition when the opportunities arise.”

The Indians will look to improve upon last year’s 9-18 record, and the keys to doing that aren’t complicated to Hardy. 

“The keys for us to be successful are to rebound the ball well, create turnovers defensively and play unselfish basketball on the offensive side of the ball,” Hardy said. “We have multiple guys that can score the ball well, so it will come down to getting the best shot we can get and try to get layups in transition off a made or missed basket.”

Of course, many of Seneca’s basketball players are still playing football. The Indians are in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.

“With this being my first year here it will take some time for the players to adjust to a new system,” Hardy noted. “We have multiple key players that are also stars on the football team, so with them making a deep run in the playoffs it will be a challenge to start the year installing everything and knocking off some rust.”

Hardy noted he has the expectations set high.

“We expect to be competing for conference and district titles,” Hardy said. “We return everyone from a team that really started to put it together late in the year for Coach (Will) King last year. They got a taste of winning a district and conference championship in football and I think they are eager for more.” 

Seneca is scheduled to begin the season at the Dennis Cornish Classic in Lockwood on Nov. 28. The Indians will host their annual invite from Dec. 8-10. 

FOOTBALL: Carthage, Seneca, Lamar set for quarterfinal matchups

Posted on by Jason Peake

Three local prep football teams will compete in the quarterfinal round of their respective state tournaments on Saturday. 

Final Four berths will be up for grabs for Carthage, Seneca and Lamar.

Below is a quick look at each quarterfinal game of local interest. 

 

CARTHAGE AT LEBANON

Carthage travels to Lebanon for a Class 5 quarterfinal. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Lebanon High School.

Ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Carthage is now 10-1 after beating Republic 28-14 in the District 6 championship game. 

Carthage is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, the year the Tigers won a state championship. 

The Tigers are averaging 41.5 points per game and allowing 15. 

Ranked fifth, Lebanon (11-1) beat Camdenton 55-14 in the District 5 title game. 

The Yellowjackets are scoring 46 points per game and allowing 15.

These two teams have one common opponent, as both squads earned wins over Branson. 

Lebanon is in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. The Yellowjackets lost to Webb City in the quarterfinals in both ’21 and ’20. 

The Carthage-Lebanon winner will advance to the semifinals, where they’ll play either Francis Howell or Timberland on Nov. 26.

 

WATCH ONLINE: MSHSAA TV

 

SENECA VS. LIBERTY

In a Class 2 quarterfinal, Seneca (10-1) hosts undefeated Liberty (Mountain View) at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Tom Hodge Field/Earl Campbell Stadium. 

Seneca defeated Mount Vernon 25-21 in last weeks’ district championship game, while Liberty beat Mountain Grove 42-6 to improve to 11-0. 

Seneca is averaging 43 points per game while allowing 19.5. The Eagles average 47 points and allow just nine per game.

Seneca suffered a loss to Mexico in this round last year in Class 3.  

The winner of this game will advance to the semifinals, where they’ll meet either Lamar or Holden on Nov. 26.

 

WATCH ONLINE: MSHSAA TV

 

LAMAR AT HOLDEN

In another Class 2 quarterfinal featuring an area squad, Lamar (10-1) travels to Holden (8-3) for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. 

Lamar blasted Fair Grove 56-6 in the district championship game, while Holden knocked off Pembroke Hill 32-25 to advance.

The Tigers, last year’s state runner-up, are averaging 46 points per contest and allowing just 10 points per game. The Eagles score 33 per game and allow 19 per contest.

Lamar is no stranger to this round. In fact, the Tigers are in the quarterfinals for the 14th straight season. 

The Lamar-Holden winner meets the Seneca-Liberty winner in the semifinals.  

 

WATCH ONLINE: MSHSAA TV

DISTRICT FOOTBALL: Seneca overcomes early deficit to defeat Mount Vernon for district repeat

Posted on by Jason Peake

SENECA, Mo. — The Seneca Indians fell into a 14-0 hole only 5 minutes, 10 seconds into their Class 2 District 4 championship game Friday night against the Mount Vernon Mountaineers at Tom Hodge Field / Earl Campbell Stadium.

Rather than panic and depart their game plan, the Indians held Mount Vernon off the scoreboard for the final three quarters with a dominant defensive performance and their offense scored 18 unanswered points to earn a 25-21 victory over a rival they have played six times in the postseason since 2012.

Seneca, now 10-1 on the season, will host unbeaten and District 3 champion Liberty-Mountain View (11-0) in the Class 2 state quarterfinals at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

“We settled in,” Seneca coach Cody Hilburn said. “Credit to Coach (Matt) Crane and our defensive staff. They did some good stuff at halftime, settled us down and we came out and looked good in the second half.

“Our identity and everything we do…we’ve got to be physical in the run game so you can win games. When the temperatures drop, you’ve got to run the ball. We did that tonight, and we did a good job passing.

“It means a ton. Last year was special, but to repeat it and sustain this momentum we’ve got, it’s hard to do. Credit our kids for what they did in the offseason to get ourselves back here and find a way to win tonight.”

Down 21-7 after one quarter, the Indians cut their deficit to 21-13 at halftime after piecing together an 11-play, 87-yard scoring drive that ate 4:46 off the clock in the second quarter. Junior quarterback Gavyn Hoover connected with senior receiver Conner Ackerson three times on the drive, including a 28-yard play that set up Seneca with first-and-goal at the Mountaineer 10. Hoover capped off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

Seneca scored all 12 points in the second half with a pair of Jackson Marrs short-yardage direct-snap TD runs on fourth-and-goal.

Marrs’ 2-yard run at 5:49 in the third made it a 21-19 score and the outstanding junior running back’s 3-yard run at 7:44 in the fourth closed out the scoring.

Defensively, Seneca held Mount Vernon to three first downs in the final three quarters and the Mountaineers’ last seven possessions resulted in punt, interception, punt, turnover-on-downs, interception, punt, and turnover-on-downs after their first three all produced touchdowns.

“We could easily have gotten out of our offensive game plan and start doing some stuff that’s not us,” Hilburn said. “We didn’t, and credit our defense for allowing that not to happen. They allowed us to stick to our game of running the football. We got ourselves back in it and found a way to win it.

“When we finally got a stop, we settled into what we were doing. We were all over the place early on. We just settled down and trusted what we’ve been taught to do. We played really well in the second half.”

The Indians started the game very shaky with bad snaps on the first two plays and a lost fumble on the second play that gave the Mountaineers the 41-yard line for the starting point of their first possession.

Two plays later, Mount Vernon sophomore quarterback Gavin Johnston broke loose for a 37-yard touchdown run.

The Indians turned it over on downs on their second possession, giving the Mountaineers an even shorter field at the Seneca 31.

Five plays later, on a fourth-and-goal, sophomore running back Braden Dodson’s 3-yard TD run made it 14-0 with 6:50 remaining in the first.

The Indians and the Mountaineers exchanged scoring drives in the latter half of the first.

Seneca’s first points came from a 34-yard touchdown pass from Hoover to fellow junior Ethan Altic at 5:04.

Mount Vernon (8-4) then put together a 9-play, 98-yard scoring drive in 3:16, highlighted by a Cody Downing 27-yard first-down run and a 43-yard first-down pass from Johnston to junior receiver Layton Pendleton.

Seneca’s performance in the final three quarters called to mind the Indians’ 13-12 district semifinal victory last season against district top seed Aurora. In that game, Seneca trailed 12-0 at halftime and scored all 13 second-half points for a thrilling, comeback victory.

The Indians are repeat district champions, and they host a state quarterfinal for the second year in a row.

FOOTBALL: Area teams set for district title games

Posted on by Jason Peake

Five area high school football teams will play for a district championship on Friday night.

All of Friday’s games are scheduled for 7 p.m.

District champions advance to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. 

 

CARTHAGE VS. REPUBLIC

Top-seeded Carthage (9-1) will host third-seeded Republic (8-3) in the championship game of the Class 5 District 6 tournament at David Haffner Stadium. 

In the semifinals, Carthage defeated No. 5 Willard 41-21, while Republic upset No. 2 Webb City 30-21. It was Republic’s first-ever win over Webb City.

Ranked first in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Carthage is scoring 43 points per game and allowing just 15. Republic is averaging 38 points per game, while giving up 29. 

The two teams met way back on Aug. 26 in the season opener, with Carthage claiming a 56-26 win. 

After falling to Webb City in district title games in both ’21 and ’20, Carthage is looking to capture a district title for the first time since 2019, a year the Tigers went on to win a state championship.

Jon Guidie’s Tigers are looking to win a district championship for the seventh time in nine years.

The Carthage-Republic winner will meet either Lebanon or Camdenton in the quarterfinals on Nov. 19.

 

NEVADA AT CENTER

In the title game of Class 4 District 7, third-seeded Nevada (9-2) travels to Kansas City to take on top-seeded Center (10-0).

Center defeated No. 5 Carl Junction 33-6 in the semifinals, while Nevada knocked off No. 2 Lincoln College Prep 43-7.

The Tigers, who beat No. 6 Harrisonville 42-21 in the quarterfinals, are scoring 45 points per game and allowing just 15. 

The Yellowjackets score 52 points a game and give up just 14.

Center is ranked fourth in Class 4, while Nevada is ranked ninth. 

The winner of this game meets either Kearney or Smithville in the quarterfinals on Nov. 19.

 

LAMAR VS. FAIR GROVE

Top-seeded Lamar (9-1) is hosting third-seeded Fair Grove (7-4) for the Class 2 District 5 crown at Thomas M. O’Sullivan Stadium.

Lamar beat No. 4 Stockton 56-10 in the semifinals, while Fair Grove knocked off No. 2 Warsaw 22-14.

Ranked third in Class 2, Lamar is scoring 45 points per game and allowing 10.5. Fair Grove scores 37 points a game and gives up 25.

Lamar, last year’s state runner-up, has won six straight games since their lone loss, a 36-33 setback at Seneca on Sept. 16.

The Lamar-Fair Grove winner takes on either Pembroke Hill or Holden in the quarterfinals. 

 

MOUNT VERNON AT SENECA

The top-seeded Indians (9-1) and second-seeded Mountaineers (8-3) will clash for the Class 2 District 4 championship on Friday night at Tom Hodge Field in Seneca.

Seneca pounded No. 4 Hollister 42-0 in last week’s semifinals, while Mount Vernon beat No. 3 Forsyth 42-15.

Ranked fourth in Class 2, the Indians are averaging 44.5 points per game and allowing 19. Mount Vernon scores 33 a game and allows 14.5. 

As far as common opponents, both teams have defeated Aurora, Hollister, McDonald County, Monett and Springfield Catholic this season. 

Seneca defeated Reeds Spring 63-49, while Mount Vernon suffered a 35-34 loss to the Wolves.

Both teams suffered a loss to Nevada. That’s Seneca’s lone setback. 

Mount Vernon and Seneca did not meet during the regular season. 

The Indians are looking to capture a district title for the second straight season. Mount Vernon last won a district championship in 2018. 

The winner of this district meets either Liberty (Mountain View) or Mountain Grove in the quarterfinals on Nov. 19. 

 

WATCH DISTRICT TITLE GAMES ONLINE: MSHSAA TV

DISTRICT FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Seneca, Lamar, Mount Vernon, Nevada all earn wins, season ends for Mac County

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

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. 

 

STATE VOLLEYBALL: Seneca falls to Eldon in quarterfinal round

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SENECA, Mo. — This historic season for Seneca volleyball came to an end on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3 state tournament after suffering a 3-1 loss to Eldon.

The Indians opened the contest with an opening-set win before the Mustangs rattled off victories in the following three sets to knock off Seneca 27-29, 25-20, 25-10 and 25-18.

“I thought that we played very, very well,” Seneca coach Rachel Ayo said. “This deep into the postseason, you’re not going to see a bad team. Eldon is a very good team. We played really well in the first set. But, in the second, third and fourth set, we just made a lot of errors. A lot of errors that we normally don’t make. Honestly, that is what decided the match tonight—who errored more than the other team.”

Seneca’s season ends with a 23-12-1 record, with the Indians accomplishing a lot of firsts in a year they finished as one of the eight best teams in Class 3.

“They won the program’s first conference title since 1976, won the first district title ever and was the first team to make it out of the sectional round,” Ayo said. “They just continued to make history. It would have been nice to go to Cape Girardeau and continue that history, but I told the girls in the locker room that there is nothing to hang your heads about. We worked our butts off this year and did what no other team here has been able to accomplish in the past. They need to hold their heads high because they had a great season.”

The Indians graduate five seniors from this year’s team—Brylee Sage, Tatum White, Parker Long, Braxton Raulston and Amber Garrison.

“We will definitely miss them,” Ayo said. “We had five great seniors this year who were great leaders on the floor. Those are going to be some big roles to fill and not just the volleyball skill level.”

Eldon moves on to the Class 3 Final Four with a matchup against Blair Oaks (31-3-1) on Thursday in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Long finished with 20 kills and 20 digs to lead Seneca, while Raulston added 11 kills, 11 digs and five aces in service. Sage had 44 assists, while Jera Jameson closed with 13 kills and Ella Graham finished with nine digs.

The opening set started in favor of Seneca after a seven-point service run from Raulston, which included three aces as well as two kills from Jameson and a kill from Long, gave SHS an 11-3 advantage. Eldon scored 12 of the next 18 points to trim the lead to two, 17-15, off the back of a kill from Audrey Dinwiddie and a block by Hannah Opie. Long earned kills on six of the next seven points for the Indians to push the lead back to 24-20. The Mustangs rallied hard on Dinwiddie’s service, scoring four straight to take a 25-24 lead. Seneca took the advantage on a kill from Raulston followed by a kill from Jameson to go up 27-26 before closing it out off a kill from Jameson and an attack error.

Opie went on an early five-point run in service early in the second set to give the Mustangs a 7-2 advantage. Seneca chipped away at the lead before tying things up at 12s on an ace from Raulston, gaining the lead on a Mustangs’ error and building a 14-12 advantage on another ace by Raulston. Eldon scored the next five points to go up 17-14 and held onto the lead through the remainder of the set.

Seneca trailed 9-8 in the third set after a kill from Garrison and an ace from White, but a six-point service run from Dinwiddie followed up by an eight-point run from Haley Henderson ended the third set abruptly with the Mustangs taking a 2-1 advantage. Emily Davis had three kills to fill out Henderson’s run.

The Indians held a 7-4 lead in the fourth set after an ace from Jameson, but a sideout kill from Jaci Mueller sent Mueller to the service line for a three-point run filled out by a kill from Dinwiddie, an ace and a kill from Corin Davis to give Eldon the 8-7 advantage. The Mustangs were up four before a kill from Jameson and a kill from Long ultimately trimmed the deficit to one, 16-15. That was as close as Seneca got to the lead, with Mueller adding a kill and an ace, and a tip kill from Dinwiddie, to push the lead back to four, 19-15. Eldon scored nine of the last 12 to clinch the win in advance.

SECTIONAL VOLLEYBALL: Seneca sweeps Mountain Grove in state sectionals to keep historic season alive

Posted on by Lucas Davis

SENECA, Mo. — Playing with the underdog mentality in front of the home crowd, Seneca added to its historical season as the Indians hosted 29-win Mountain Grove and walked away with a 26-24, 25-22 and 25-12 sweep over the Panthers in the sectional round of the Class 3 state tournament on Thursday.

Seneca seniors Brylee Sage and Amber Garrison defend the net in the Indians’ win over Mountain Grove in the Class 3 sectional round. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Seneca and Mountain Grove (29-8) played a seesaw first set that saw the Indians rally late to go up 1-0. Seneca jumped out to strong starts in the second and third sets, holding off Mountain Grove in the second set before pulling away down the stretch of the third and final set to clinch the first sectional win in program history.

“I don’t even know how much this means to the program because it’s never happened before,” Seneca coach Rachel Ayo said with a smile after the win. “We came in as the underdog. Mountain Grove came in probably thinking they were going to have an easy win because of what they have done this year, but we came out and played well all the way around the board. I wish this team would have shown up and played like this all season because we could have been undefeated.”

THE RIDE CONTINUES

With the win, the Indians’ record improves to 23-11-1 on the season. Seneca again will play hosts in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3 state tournament as the Indians welcome Eldon—who defeated Sullivan in the sectional round—at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

STATS

Senior Brylee Sage finished with 32 assists, three blocks and three aces, while senior Parker Long had 16 kills and 10 digs. Junior Jera Jameson had 12 kills and two aces, while junior Ella Graham had 10 digs and senior Braxton Raulson had nine.

“It means everything to us,” Long said after the win. “We love all of the support our community has given us so far. I can only hope that we keep on going and keep on winning. … This is amazing. I haven’t done anything like this before. It feels great to be the first team in school history to do this. The support our home crowd showed us tonight was phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

THE SWEEP

Seneca senior Parker Long earns a kill with a tip over the defense in the Indians’ win over Mountain Grove on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.

The opening set was a back-and-forth affair from the first serve, with Seneca playing in front by a slim margin for much of the time. The Indians used a three-point service run from senior Tatum White, which was fueled by a kill from senior Amber Garrison and a block from Sage, and a three-point run in service from Long, which included an ace, to build a 13-9 advantage.

“This is the best she has pressed at the net,” Ayo said of Sage’s defensive play up front as the team’s setter. “We have been working with her on it in practice, getting her to press her block, and she showed tonight that she is able to press her block. It was such a huge momentum swing every time she was able to get her blocks.”

Mountain Grove scored eight of the next 11 points to rally all the way back for a 17-16 lead on a kill from junior Jozey MacPherson. Seneca responded with five of the next six points to take a 21-18 lead, but sophomore Raylee Stenzel earned three kills and a block and junior Kaily Wake added a kill over the next seven points to put the Panthers on top 24-22.

A sideout kill from Garrison gave Seneca the serve trailing one, with an attack error, a block by Sage and another attack error on Graham’s service clinching the set win for the Indians.

“That was huge because you want to use the momentum from the first set moving forward into the second and third,” Ayo said. “Being able to win that first set, and doing so on such a positive note, was huge for the momentum. We came out swinging in the start of the second set because of that.”

Seneca junior Jera Jameson earns a kill in the Indians’ win over Mountain Grove on Thursday. Photo by Derek Livingston.

Seneca jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set on the back of Sage’s service and ultimately took a 15-8 on back-to-back kills from Garrison and Jameson. After two points from the Panthers, Jameson swung for two more kills for a 17-10 lead and later made the score 18-12 with a sideout kill.

“Jera can dominate at the net in the middle whenever she is on,” Ayo said. “And when she is on, you want to feed her the ball because she is a big threat. She is very hard to defend.”

Raulston followed with five points in service, which included an ace, a kill from Raulston and kills from Jameson and Long, to push the lead to 23-12.

Facing set point following a Long kill, Mountain Grove refused to go down without a fight by rattling off seven straight points to trim the lead to two before another kill by Long ended the second set for the Indians.

“Parker is a great offensive threat and is able to get kills on balls that should have been hit into the net or out of bounds,” Ayo said. “She can strategically place the ball and find the holes in the court.”

The third set was controlled by Seneca from the onset. The Indians jumped out to an 11-3 advantage early with Sage and Jameson picked up aces and Long, Raulston and Jameson earning kills during the stretch. 

MacPherson used a three-point run in service to cut the lead to four, but that would be the closest Mountain Grove would get to the lead, as the Indians scored seven of the next eight points to take a commanding 19-9 lead. Long, Garrison and Raulston recorded kills, while Graham had an ace.

Seneca finished off the match shortly after, with Jameson scoring the final three points in service, capping off the Indians’ first-ever sectional victory with an ace.

“This is something new to this school and to this program,” Ayo said about her team continuing on in the state tournament. “I just want the girls to go out and enjoy it. I want them to have a great experience and I am excited to see what we get to do on Saturday. This was 100 percent the best atmosphere I have seen in this gym for volleyball and it had a huge effect on the game tonight.”

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Seneca beats Mount Vernon for program’s first district title

Posted on by Lucas Davis

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Seneca volleyball has been in the hunt for its first district title in program history for quite some time.

On Tuesday, the second-seeded Indians accomplished that goal after earning a 18-25, 25-23, 25-20 and 25-16 win over fourth-seeded Mount Vernon (17-14-2) in the Class 3 District 12 title match to earn the right to be called district champions.

“It means a lot to this program,” Seneca coach Rachel Ayo said. “These girls have worked their butts off all season. They knew they were capable of doing great things this year. To see them come out and actually accomplish those things—honestly, it’s every coach’s dream. You want your program to do well and to succeed, and I can’t imagine a better group of girls to lead this program to its first district title for Seneca.”

WHAT’S NEXT

With the district title under their belts, the Indians (17-9-1) now play in the sectional round of the Class 3 state tournament. To make it an even more memorable experience, Seneca is hosting its first ever game in the state tournament. The Indians welcome Mountain Grove (27-7) for a 6:30 p.m. matchup on Thursday at Seneca High School.

“It is just crazy to think about,” Ayo said with a big smile. “I just don’t know. It’s just crazy. It’s crazy.”

GAME ACTION

Seneca jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the opening set after a five-point service run from senior Braxton Raultson—which included an ace, two kills from senior Parker Long and a kill each from Raulston and senior Amber Garrison—but the Mountaineers answered right back with a seven-point run in service from freshman Averee Swillum that was highlighted by an ace and two kills from freshman Hali Stokes to give MVHS a 13-9 advantage. Mount Vernon stayed in front and pushed the lead to 21-14 on a kill from sophomore Cheyenne Bieber, who added two more kills as each team traded sideouts until the Mountaineers closed out the first set.

Despite the opening-set loss, Coach Ayo had full confidence her team would respond because of the experience the Indians have had playing extended matches this season. Four of Seneca’s first five wins came in five sets to start the season, with several four and five-set matches sprinkled in along the way.

“Knowing that our team has the stamina and determination to finish out those long matches—and I may not want to go into those long matches—but I at least know if it comes to that point, we can step up, finish and get the job done instead of rolling over and not finishing the match.”

The second set saw Seneca jump out to a 12-5 lead after a Garrison block, Raulston kill and Long ace but Mount Vernon used several errors on the Indians coupled with kills from senior Jordan Duncan and Stokes and an ace from Swillum to tie the game at 17s. Raulston added three kills and junior Jera Jameson had two more down the stretch to send SHS to the win.

Seneca and Mount Vernon started the third set much like they ended the final set, a back-and-forth contest that saw the Indians holding a 14-12 lead before scoring the next eight out of 11 points to go up 22-15. Jameson had a kill, while senior Brylee Sage added a kill and a block. Jameson finished off the third-set win with a block to give Seneca a 2-1 advantage.

The Indians started fast in the fourth set, building a 6-1 initial lead on a five-point service run from Raulston—with an ace, two kills from Long and a kill from Jameson included—before going up 9-2. 

Mount Vernon used a 7-2 run to trim the lead to 11-9, but Seneca didn’t waver—scoring seven of the next nine points to push its lead back up, 17-10. Long had two aces and a kill, while junior Louzella Graham also added an ace to highlight that stretch of play. Jameson and Long added back-to-back kills for a 20-14 lead before two more kills by Long pushed the advantage to 22-16. Seneca clinched the final set on consecutive blocks from Jameson and Garrison.

“It was nice to have a lead because volleyball is such a mental game,” Ayo said about jumping out in front. “If you can start out leading and can hold onto that lead, that is a huge mental advantage to your team. I think that was huge.”

STATS

Sage finished the night with 41 assists and two blocks, while Long closed with 17 kills, 16 digs and three aces. Jameson added 16 kills and two blocks, while Raulston had 20 digs and three aces.

“These girls mean a lot,” Ayo said. “This is my third year here and I have had them since they were sophomores or younger. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to coach. It is going to be sad to see them go whenever the season ends, but I am ready to go out with a bang, though. I think we have a good chance to do some great things.”

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Webb City, CJ advance to district finals matchup; Seneca tops Nevada in five sets; Diamond beats Lamar

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY AND CARL JUNCTION TO FACE FOR DISTRICT TITLE

WILLARD, Mo. — Familiar foes will once again meet for a district championship. 

Top-seeded Webb City defeated fourth-seeded Glendale 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-14) and second-seeded Carl Junction beat third-seeded Branson 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-18) in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 6 volleyball tournament on Monday night at Willard High School.

The Cardinals (30-4-2) and Bulldogs (22-10-2) will square off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday for the district championship.

It’s the fourth straight season the Cardinals and Bulldogs have met for a district title.

Webb City won last year’s meeting and the matchup in 2019, while Carl Junction won the clash in ’20.  

In Monday’s straight set win over the Falcons, Webb City’s Aubree Lassiter recorded 10 kills, nine digs, four aces and two blocks, while Kate Brownfield added nine kills and eight digs.

Jaeli Rutledge contributed nine kills and three blocks, while Brenda Lawrence added seven kills and five digs.

Webb City setter Kyah Sanborn had 29 assists and 13 digs, while Sophia Crane recorded a team-high 25 digs from the libero position. Jenna Noel contributed eight digs, while Kirra Long chipped in two kills. 

With Monday’s win, Carl Junction advanced to a district title match for the seventh straight season. 

Kylie Scott finished with 13 kills and seven digs for the Bulldogs, while Destiny Buerge had 12 kills, 12 digs and two blocks. Lo Jones added 32 assists, seven digs and two blocks. Jocelyn Brown finished with 11 digs, while Sara Buchele had four aces and Adia Kennedy closed with three blocks.

 

SENECA SURVIVES AGAINST NEVADA IN SEMIFINALS

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — It was a true back-and-forth match with Seneca surviving against Nevadan 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 15-25 and 15-7 in the Class 3 District 12 semifinal action on Monday.

With the win, the second-seeded Indians (16-9-1) advance to the district championship with a matchup against the host and fourth seed, Mount Vernon (17-13-2) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Parker Long had 16 kills, 12 digs and four aces, while Brylee Sage finished with 33 assists and two aces to lead Seneca. Jera Jameson added nine kills and five blocks, with Braxton Raulston adding 11 digs and eight kills. Tatum White finished with 10 kills and two aces, while Ella Graham closed with 11 digs.

 

DIAMOND TOPS LAMAR FOR DISTRICT TITLE

GRANBY, Mo. — Second-seeded Diamond rallied from a two-set deficit and knocked off top-seeded Lamar 3-2 in the championship match of the Class 2 District 11 tournament on Monday at East Newton High School.

The Wildcats beat the Tigers 13-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-9, 15-10.

Diamond (23-9-4) will meet either Fair Grove or El Dorado Springs on Thursday in the quarterfinals. 

 

  

 

STATE SOFTBALL: Seneca falls to powerhouse Fatima in quarterfinals

Posted on by Jason Peake

SENECA, Mo. — The Seneca Indians’ deepest run in softball since 2006 came to an end with a 9-0 loss against the 31-win Fatima Comets in the Class 3 state quarterfinals on Thursday night within the Seneca Athletic Complex.

Fatima scored five runs in the second inning and four in the fourth, while Fatima pitcher Taylor Baumhoer retired 19 straight Indians to end the game after Callie Rhoades’ double in the first. Baumhoer struck out seven straight from the fourth through the sixth.

Fatima’s Kinzey Woody hit a two-run double in the second and a three-run homer in the fourth.

Seneca’s Abby Jamros delivers a pitch to the plate against Fatima on Thursday in the Class 3 quarterfinals. Photo by Israel Perez.

Fatima tallied a combined 10 hits in the second and fourth and three in the other five innings.

Meanwhile, Rhoades proved to be Seneca’s lone runner against Baumhoer and the Comets.

Baumhoer struck out 14 Seneca hitters with two in the first, one in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth, three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.

“They’re a very good team, and I thought our girls battled and competed,” Seneca coach Jeff Sill said. “They’re ranked No. 1 in the state for a reason. We saw that, but I’m proud of the way that we played.

“I wish that we put more balls in play, of course. We didn’t collapse after that big inning they had, and we scrapped and fought. I’m proud of that.”

Seneca finished the season 12-19 overall, but please keep in mind the Indians started their season with 11 straight losses against predominantly Class 4 and Class 5 opponents like Joplin, Carthage, McDonald County, Webb City and Carl Junction.

The Indians were 12-8 over their final 20 games.

Seneca went on a hot streak in the district tournament, defeating Logan-Rogersville 13-3 in the quarters, Versailles 11-6 in the semifinals and Cassville 1-0 for the district title. That same Cassville team defeated Seneca 8-2 only eight days before their rematch.

“We got to play in the district title game, and won that,” Sill said. “We got to face this Fatima team. They stuck together through the year. It was a tough schedule to start the year, playing in the Joplin tournament and playing some tough teams and our conference (Big 8) is tough. That sets us up to play games like this.”

Seneca seniors Maci Brown, Liberty Cornell, Bailey Lannon and Daylin McKnight played their final high school game Thursday.

“We’ve got four good seniors,” Sill said. “They all love the game, play the game hard, and they’re not going to do anything flashy. They just do what they’re asked to do, play smart softball, and they’re just a good group to coach. I’m proud of what they gave the team throughout their career, their four years here, and their leadership.”

The Indians’ roster also featured younger players like sophomores Rhoades and Kahli Fields and freshman Abby Jamros. Rhoades earned all-conference and all-district first team on the infield, Fields all-district first team and all-conference second team in the outfield and Jamros all-district first team at pitcher.

“We’ve got some underclassmen that got to experience this, and know how it works,” Sill said. “We can still do it, if we start off 0-11 or whatever, it’s how we’re playing at the end. It was a good season for them.”

Fatima improved to 31-3 on the season, and the Comets will play Westminster Christian Academy (20-6) in the semifinals Friday, Oct. 28, at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.

 

Seneca’s Bailey Waddell takes a cut against Fatima on Thursday night. All photos by Israel Perez.

 

Callie Rhoades hauls in a pop-up against Fatima. Seneca suffered a season-ending 9-0 loss to the top-ranked Comets on Thursday.

 

Seneca’s Maci Brown attempts to secure chopper during Thursday’s game against Fatima. All photos by Israel Perez.

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: CJ sweeps Willard; McAuley, Senenca and TJ fall

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CARL JUNCTION SWEEPS WILLARD

WILLARD, Mo. — Carl Junction closed out the regular season with a 25-22, 25-12 and 25-20 road sweep over Willard on Tuesday. 

The win sends the Bulldogs into the postseason with a 20-10-2 record. Kylie Scott had 13 kills, two aces and two blocks, while Destiny Buerge had nine kills and 17 digs for Carl Junction. Lo Jones had 43 assists, five kills and two aces. Karissa Chase closed with 12 kills and two aces, while Jocelyn Brown added 10 digs.

Carl Junction is the second seed in the Class 4 District 6 tournament and will take on seventh-seeded McDonald County at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Willard High School.

 

SENECA FALLS IN FOUR

ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Seneca fell 25-21, 25-11, 24-26 and 25-11 to Rogersville on Tuesday to wrap up the regular season.

The Indians head into the postseason with a 20-11-1 record and open the Class 3 District 12 tournament as the No. 2 seed. Seneca takes on the winner of third-seeded Nevada and sixth-seeded Monett at 6:15 p.m. on Monday at Mount Vernon High School.

Parker Long had 16 kills and 12 digs, while Jera Jameson had 12 digs and four blocks for Seneca. Brylee Sage added 22 assists, while Ella Graham finished with 10 digs. Braxton Raulson had 10 digs and two aces.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON FALLS TO GOLDEN CITY

Thomas Jefferson was on the wrong end of a 25-17, 25-16 and 25-20 sweep by Golden City on Tuesday.

Mary Nguyen finished with seven digs, five kills and five assists, while Nico Carlson had six higs, five kills, three assists, a block and a kill. Gabbi Hiebert finished with eight kills, five digs and three assists, while Lannah Grigg added 12 digs, six kills, four aces in service and three blocks. Macie Shiffer had four digs, three kills and an assist, with Marley Flanagan finishing with eight digs. Alexis Stamps added nine digs, four assists, an ace and a kill, and Maggie Sutton finished with 12 digs.

Thomas Jefferson is the fifth seed and takes on fourth-seeded Liberal at 5:30 pm. on Friday in the Class 1 District 11 tournament hosted by the Cavaliers.

 

MCAULEY FALLS TO PIERCE CITY

McAuley Catholic was swept by Pierce City 25-19, 25-16 and 25-16 on Tuesday. 

No other information was available.

McAuley is the third seed and takes on sixth-seeded Sheldon at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the Class 1 District 11 tournament hosted by Thomas Jefferson.

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Lo Jones recognized for career milestone in CJ win; Seneca and McAuley earn sweeps; Mustangs victorious

Posted on by Lucas Davis

JONES HONORED FOR 3,000 CAREER ASSISTS IN BULLDOG WIN

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — On a night where senior Lo Jones was honored with surpassing 3,000 career assists, Carl Junction (13-7-1, 2-2 COC) made the night even more memorable with a 25-20, 20-25, 25-21 and 25-16 Central Ozark Conference win over Republic on Thursday.

Jones, an Arkansas volleyball commit, surpassed 3,000 career assists during the Dr. Jeffrey Knutzen CJ Classic on Saturday. 

“What a great accomplishment for Lo,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “She does a great job running an offense and creating successful opportunities for her hitters. 

“The best part was that she didn’t even know she had reached 3,000.”

Jones added 34 assists in the win over the Tigers, while Destiny Buerge finished with 14 digs. Karissa Chase had 11 kills, five aces and three blocks. Jocelyn Brown finished with 20 digs.

Carl Junction hosts Joplin on Tuesday.

 

SENECA SWEEPS NEVADA

Seneca earned its 11th win of the season after defeating Nevada 25-17, 25-21 and 25-20 in Big 8 Conference action on Thursday.

The Indians improve to 11-5-1 and are 3-0 in conference play.

Brylee Sage had 26 assists and four aces, while Parker Long finished with 15 kills, four aces and a block. Jera Jameson had six kills, while Braxton Raulston finished with eight kills and four digs.

Seneca takes part in the Neosho Tournament on Saturday.

 

MCAULEY SWEEPS VERONA

McAuley Catholic volleyball improved to 18-10-2, 4-0 in the Ozark 7, after sweeping Verona 25-11, 25-20 and 26-24 on Thursday.

“We worked with a different lineup this evening and I think that’s what allowed Verona to score more than we wanted,” McAuley coach Sarah Nangle said. “But, overall, I am still proud that we were able to win in three games.”

Kloee Williamson and Lily Black each had five kills to lead the Warriors, while Kaitlyn Bates had four aces. JoJo Wheeler finished with 10 digs.

McAuley hosts Golden City on Tuesday.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY TOPS MONETT

MONETT, Mo. — McDonald County defeated Monett 25-17, 25-19, 25-16 in a Big 8 matchup. 

Savannah Leib had nine kills and five aces to lead the Mustangs, while Megan Elwood and Carlie Martin added five kills apiece.

Jayden Forcum handed out 22 assists and Elwood had a team-high 24 digs. Hay Nay Way added 18 digs. 

The Mustangs will compete at Mount Vernon’s tournament on Saturday.

 

CARTHAGE EARNS COC WIN

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage defeated Willard 25-15, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18 on Thursday in a COC contest.

The Tigers (7-15-2, 1-3 COC) are at Bentonville (Ark.) on Monday.

FOOTBALL: No. 5 Seneca stuns No. 1 Lamar in Big 8 thriller

Posted on by Jason Peake

SENECA, Mo. — In a back and forth thriller between state-ranked teams, Seneca stunned Lamar 36-33 on Friday night in a highly-anticipated Big 8 West showdown at Earl Campbell Stadium’s Tom Hodge Field.

Lamar took a 33-28 lead with 2:33 remaining, but the Indians responded on the ensuing drive.

Seneca quarterback Gavyn Hoover completed a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown strike to Ethan Altic with just 56 seconds left. The Indians completed the 2-point conversion for a 36-33 advantage.

The Seneca defense came up with a late defensive stand to secure a statement victory. 

Both teams entered the night 3-0. Lamar is currently ranked first in Class 2 by the Missouri Media, while Seneca is ranked fifth.

The host Indians had to come from behind in this one.

The Tigers marched 64 yards on 11 plays on the game’s opening drive, capped by Ty Willhite’s 17-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the first quarter.

Seneca’s first drive stalled after three costly penalties. 

A 1-yard touchdown run by Austin Wilkerson gave Lamar a 14-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter. 

Seneca got on the board with 6:22 left in the first half on Hoover’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Conner Ackerson. The score finished off a 12-play, 65-yard drive.

After recovering a Lamar fumble with good field position, Seneca pulled within one after Jackson Marrs charged into the end zone from 17-yards. 

The PAT kick was off the mark, however, keeping the Tigers in front, 14-13, with 3:33 left in the first half.

The score held up at the half. 

Seneca took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. After the Tigers were forced to punt, a bad snap resulted in the ball rolling near the goal line. Seneca’s Marrs recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. A 2-point conversion gave Seneca a 21-14 lead with 6:49 left in the third period. 

Lamar responded on the ensuing drive, as QB Joel Beshore sprinted to a 33-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 21 with 5:09 left in the third quarter. 

Seneca scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Hoover completed a short pass to Marrs, who then sprinted past the defense for a 43-yard TD just 11 seconds into the final frame.

Lamar answered on the next drive, as the Tigers turned a fake punt into a 48-yard touchdown pass from Wilkerson to Cameron Sturgell. The PAT failed, allowing Seneca to stay in front, 28-27, with just over nine minutes to play.

The Tigers took the lead with 2:33 left when Beshore scampered into the end zone from 10 yards out on a QB keeper. The 2-point try failed, however, giving Lamar a 33-28 lead. 

Seneca’s game-winning drive nearly stalled, but the Indians were able to pick up a first down after a pass interference call on Lamar on a key fourth down play. 

On the following play after the penalty kept the drive going, Hoover completed a 36-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Altic with 56 seconds left. After hauling in the pass, Altic avoided a defender on his way to the end zone. 

The Indians went for two and the pass to Ackerson was good for a three-point lead.

Lamar took over with just under a minute to play, but the Tigers couldn’t get closer than the 45-yard line before time expired.

Lamar finished with 325 yards of total offense, with 248 rushing and 77 passing. 

Seneca had 250 yards of total offense, 145 through the air and 105 on the ground. Seneca last beat Lamar in 2019. 

Seneca (4-0) is at Monett (0-4) next Friday, while Lamar (3-1) hosts East Newton (0-4) in Week 5.

VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: College Heights sweeps Marionville; Seneca tops Crane; TJ, Carthage suffer losses

Posted on by Lucas Davis

CHC SWEEPS MARIONVILLE

MARIONVILLE, Mo. — College Heights improved to 8-1-1 on the season after sweeping Marionville 25-18, 25-22 and 25-16 for a road win on Monday.

The Cougars were led by Maddie Colin’s 19 service points, including five aces, and 27 assists, while Addie Lawrence contributed a team-high 19 kills. Lauren Ukena had eight digs and 14 service points, while Ava Masena added a team-high 22 digs. Libby Fanny had four kills and two blocks.

 

SENECA SWEEPS CRANE

CRANE, Mo. — Seneca volleyball stayed perfect on the season after a three-game sweep of Crane 26-24, 25-19 and 25-22 on the road Monday.

Braxton Raulston led the way with 13 kills and a block kill for Seneca, while Brylee Sage added 28 assists. Park Long had nine kills, nine digs and one block kill. Ella Graham had seven digs and two aces, while Tatum White had three aces.

Seneca hosts Webb City on Tuesday.

 

TJ FALLS TO LOCKWOOD IN FIVE SETS

LOCKWOOD, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson suffered a five-set loss to Lockwood 25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 23-25 and 15-11 on Monday to fall to 4-6 on the season.

Gabbi Hiebert had nine kills, four digs and two blocks, while Nico Carlson had five kills, six assists and a block. Mary Nguyen had two aces, three kills and four digs. Alexis Stamps finished with four kills, while Lannah Grigg had four aces, three digs, four kills and five blocks. Leah Studer added three aces and six assists, while Macie Shifferd finished with two aces, two kills and four digs.

Thomas Jefferson hosts Wheaton on Thursday.

 

CARTHAGE FALLS TO SHILOH CHRISTIAN

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage suffered a 3-0 setback to Shiloh Christian on Tuesday. The Saints defeated the Tigers 25-23, 25-15, 25-21.

Abby Holderbaum and Brielle Cartwright recorded eight kills apiece for the Tigers, while Raven Probert had 18 digs and 10 assists, both team-highs.

Riann Schwartz and Kailyn Schultz contributed 11 digs apiece, while Jaidyn Brunnert had nine assists. 

Carthage (3-6) is at Cassville on Tuesday night. 

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Webb City rolls past Rolla; CJ pulls away from Seneca; Neosho downs McDonald County

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY 10, ROLLA 2

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City used an eight-run fourth inning to fuel a win over Rolla on Monday.

The win is the fifth straight for the Cardinals, who are now 5-5 on the season.

The Cardinals trailed 1-0 in the fourth inning when Lily Hall scored on an error to tie the game. Alex Maturino followed with a single up the middle to score Sydney Strickland, who doubled in the previous at-bat, for a 2-1 Webb City advantage. Kylee Sargen added a two-out, two-run double later in the inning to make it 4-1. Dawsyn Decker doubled to right in the next at-bat to plate another run and push the lead to 5-1. Liz Rhuems made it three straight run-scoring hits with two outs in the inning, singling to center to score Decker for a 6-1 lead. Webb City added a seventh run later in the inning on an error before Strickland stepped back up to the plate and wrapped the scoring with an RBI double to right for an 8-1 lead.

Jensyn Pickett picked up an RBI on a run-scoring single to right in the last of the sixth, with Maturino adding a two-out RBI double to left later in the frame to cap the scoring in the win.

Laney Taylor earned the win in the circle for Webb City after allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits, a walk and three strikeouts in a complete seven innings of work.

Madison Hamby took the loss after allowing eight runs, six earned, on 11 hits, two walks and four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Maturino had three hits, including a double, two RBI and scored a run to lead the Cardinals at the plate. Sargent (two RBI, a run scored), Decker (one run and one RBI), Rhuems (two runs and an RBI), Hall (three runs scored) and Strickland (one RBI and run scored) all had two hits for Webb City. Decker, Hall, Sargent and Strickland, who had two doubles, all had extra-base hits.

Webb City is at Carthage on Tuesday. 

 

CARL JUNCTION 13, SENECA 2

SENECA, Mo. — Carl Junction broke open a scoreless game after three innings with 13 runs in the final four trips to the plate in a win over Seneca on Monday.

The Bulldogs (4-5) scored twice in the second to take the lead on an RBI groundout by Kylie Spencer before Dezi Williams scored on a passed ball later in the frame. 

Seneca’s Callie Rhoades hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead in half, but CJ answered back with an RBI single to right by Ryleigh Palmer for a 3-1 lead. Sammie Sims followed with a triple to right to score Palmer for a three-run cushion. Izzie Southern added an RBI single to right to wrap the three-run fifth. 

Palmer added a two-run double to center in the sixth inning before Sims followed with an RBI single to center. Two runs scored on errors and one one a passed ball in the seventh inning for CJ to go along with RBI singles from Alivia Haase and Sims. 

Spencer earned the win in the circle after allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts in seven complete innings.

Abigail Jamros took the loss after allowing 13 runs, seven earned, on 14 hits, three walks and three strikeouts in seven innings.

Sims had four hits, three RBI and scored a run, while Palmer had two hits, three RBI and two runs scored. Hannah Cantrell had two hits and scored twice for Carl Junction, while Madi Olds had two hits and scored a run and Southern finished with two hits, an RBI and a run scored.

Rhoades doubled and homered to go along with an RBI and a run scored, while Jamros added two hits for Seneca.

Carl Junction is at Neosho on Tuesday.

Seneca hosts McDonald County on Tuesday.

 

NEOSHO 3, MCDONALD COUNTY 1

ANDERSON, Mo. — Neosho broke a 1-1 tie with single runs crossing the plate in each the sixth and seventh innings to beat McDonald County on Monday.

Neosho’s McKaylie Forrest doubled to left with two outs and a runner on third to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning. Beclynn Garrett added a two-out RBI single to left to score Baylie Bowers in the seventh inning for insurance and a 3-1 advantage.

Olivia Emery allowed one run on three hits, two walks and 13 strikeouts in a complete-game win in seven innings of work.

Nevaeh Dodson took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits, three walks and eight strikeouts in seven complete innings.

Dodson had a hit and an RBI, while Analisa Ramirez tripled and scored a run.

Autumn Kinnaird had two hits and scored a run, while Garrett had two hits, two RBI and scored a run. Grace Johnson also had two hits for Neosho.

Neosho hosts Carl Junction on Tuesday.

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Joplin cruises by Seneca; Cassville holds off Carl Junction

Posted on by Lucas Davis

JOPLIN CRUISES PAST SENECA FOR ROAD WIN

SENECA, Mo. — Joplin scored five runs in the middle innings and built an eight-run lead on the way to a 9-1 win over Seneca on Wednesday.

The Eagles’ winning streak is at six games with Joplin’s record standing at 12-2. 

Jill McDaniel earned the win in the circle for Joplin after pitching six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, three walks and striking out 14. Caelyn Bobski allowed one run on two hits in one relief inning.

Abigail Jamros took the loss after allowing nine runs, five earned, on 10 hits, four walks and four strikeouts in seven innings.

Joplin reached the scoreboard in the second inning with a single tally scoring on a Seneca error before adding three more runs in the third frame on another Indians’ error, a bases-loaded walk by Izzy Yust and an RBI groundout from Kirsten McMillen to push the lead to 4-0. Jadyn Pankow added a run with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning for a 5-0 lead.

Joplin put the game out of reach in the sixth inning with Libby Munn driving in a run with a single to center field before McMillen followed with a two-run single to right for an 8-0 cushion. 

Pankow added a run-scoring single to left in the top of the seventh and Seneca got on the scoreboard with an RBI groundout from Callie Rhoades.

Joplin is at Branson on Thursday.

 

CASSVILLE HOLDS OFF CARL JUNCTION

CASSVILLE, Mo. — Cassville broke a 5-5 tie with two runs scoring in the fifth inning and held off Carl Junction for a 7-6 win on Wednesday. 

The Bulldogs (3-4) trailed 4-1 early before a four-run fourth inning gave CJ a 5-4 advantage. The Wildcats tied the game up with a run in the bottom of the fourth before scoring twice in the fifth for a 7-5 lead. Carl Junction rallied for a run in the top of the seventh inning but the final out was made before the tying run could score.

Stoufer earned the win after allowing six runs, five earned, on 11 hits and four strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

Kiley Spencer took the loss for CJ after allowing seven runs, four earned, on eight hits and three strikeouts in four innings of work. Hannah Cole pitched two scoreless innings in relief and allowed two hits. 

Madi Olds, Izzie Southern and Dezi Williams all had two hits for Carl Junction. Olds, Southern, Cole and Ryleigh Palmer all doubled, while Sammie Sims recorded a triple. Olds, Spencer and Southern all finished with one RBI, while Olds scored a pair of runs. Spencer, Sims, Southern and Williams all scored a run.

Carl Junction is at Nixa on Thursday.

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