LIBERAL, Mo. — The third-seeded Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers were outscored 30-14 in the first and third quarters, including 19-6 in the third, during a 57-41 loss against No. 2 seed and tournament host Liberal in the Class 1 District 6 semifinals on Thursday evening.
Thomas Jefferson and Liberal played even in the second and fourth quarters, with that third quarter proving to be the difference in what otherwise was a three-point game.
“Honestly, the third quarter, yeah, it was rough,” Thomas Jefferson coach Lindsey Showalter said. “They pressed the dog out of us, and they kept it up consistently throughout the whole game. Unfortunately, we just didn’t take care of the ball. Credit to them and props to them for continuing it and it worked. We didn’t do our job on that side of the floor.”
Thomas Jefferson fell behind 22-11 in the middle of the second quarter after the Bulldogs went on a 15-3 run over the final minute of the first and the first half of the second, erasing Thomas Jefferson’s 8-6 lead.
Liberal started the second half with the first night points and the Bulldogs extended their lead to 43-25 before Gabbi Hiebert’s basket made it a 43-27 score entering the fourth.
Hiebert scored a team-high 22 points to pace the Cavaliers with 10 of her points in the second and eight of her other points in the fourth.
Lannah Grigg finished with 12 points, and she had all eight of the Cavaliers’ points in the first.
Sarah Mueller added three points and Tannah Cassatt and Kiera Onyango each finished with two for the Cavaliers, who ended their season 14-11 overall.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Showalter said. “This is the best season the Thomas Jefferson girls have had since 2004, the most wins since 2004, and first 10-win season since 2008. We were plagued with injuries all year, lost our starting point guard to a broken leg which she actually returned in our first district game against McAuley, and had a few other injuries.
“We’re all proud of the girls for their resiliency to finish the season strong at 14-11. Although we didn’t get the results that we wanted, it’s definitely the start of a tradition and a steppingstone leading into the following years.”
The Cavaliers’ 14 wins this season doubled last season’s win total and matched their four previous seasons combined.
Thomas Jefferson seniors Cassatt, Nico Carlson and Phoenix Wade closed out their high school careers.
“This is my first year coaching and the three seniors have just been incredible leaders for us,” Showalter said. “Nico, she has just improved so much, especially at the end of the season, doing what we need from her being that scrappy defensive player. She’s very durable, very smart, and she’s a big part of our success.
“Phoenix, she is definitely a good role player for us. She knows her role on this team, she’s very coachable, and she always does her job. Tannah, she’s our horse. She brings the fire, she brings the aggression, she’s always up for the challenge, and we’re definitely going to miss those three girls.”
Bailey Couch scored a game-high 24 points to spark the hosts Thursday, highlighted by a dominant third quarter during which she produced 16 of the Bulldogs’ 19 points.
Abby Barton added 11 points, Taylor Swarnes 10, Ellaina LaNear seven, and Laney Simpson five points for the Bulldogs, who improved to 17-11 on the season entering Saturday’s district title game against top-seeded and ninth-ranked in Class 1 Golden City (23-4).
ST. PETERS, Mo. — Athletes from Carl Junction and Webb City secured spots in Saturday’s finals with their respective top-16 performances during Friday’s Class 1 prelims of the 2023 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.
The Carl Junction Bulldogs competed in eight preliminary events on Friday—and they advanced to the championship finals in five events.
Carl Junction junior Chloe Miller finished first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.63 seconds. In the same event, senior Skyler Sundy finished seventh in 24.45 seconds to earn a spot in the championship finals.
Miller finished fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 52.91 seconds and Sundy was fifth in the 100 backstroke in 59.35 seconds.
Carl Junction moved on in two relays.
The Bulldogs finished fourth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41, with Madeleine Garoutte, Sundy, Elyanna Dogotch and Miller competing.
Carl Junction’s 400 freestyle relay advanced by finishing seventh in 3:46. The relay features Garoutte, Sundy, Dogotch and Miller.
In other preliminary events, Carl Junction finished 22nd in the 200 medley relay, with Kennedy Johnson, Abigail Holcomb, Sophia Holcomb and Avari Fifer competing.
Garoutte finished 22nd in the 100 butterfly and 27th in the 200 IM and Dogotch was 30th in both the 50 free and 100 free.
Webb City advanced to the finals in seven events, one in the championship finals and six in the consolation finals.
Webb City’s 400 freestyle relay team of Skylar Powell, Avery Mitchell, Alix Davis and Sophia Whitesell advanced to the championship finals by finishing eighth in 3:47.
The team’s two other relays moved on to the consolation finals.
Webb City’s 200 medley relay team of Norah Klosterman, Whitesell, Camryn Klosterman and Mitchell finished 11th in 1:57 to advance.
Webb City’s 200 freestyle relay team of Powell, Davis, Olivia Honey and Mitchell took 12th in 1:44.
A senior, Whitesell advanced to the consolation finals in two individual events—the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle. Whitesell finished ninth in the IM (2:14) and 12th in the 500 free (5:26).
Powell advanced in the 50 free by finishing 15th, while Davis moved on in the 100 freestyle by placing 16th.
In other preliminary events, Davis finished 18th in the 50 free, Camryn Klosterman was 20th in the 200 IM and 25th in the 100 breaststroke, Powell finished 20th in the 100 free, Mitchell was 26th in the 50 free, Norah Klosterman finished 18th in the 500 free and 30th in the 200 freestyle and Hally Philpot finished 30th in the 100 breaststroke.
Thomas Jefferson sophomore Natalie Carroll finished 18th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:14.
Saturday’s finals are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
College Heights junior Caleb Quade picked up two personal fouls within a matter of a few seconds in the third quarter on Saturday night in the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic against top-seeded and Class 3 state-ranked Greenwood.
Quade went from two to four personals in short time and the Cougars led 41-38 at the moment Quade earned his fourth with 1 minute, 53 seconds remaining in the third.
By the time Quade returned early in the fourth, College Heights trailed 48-43 and the Blue Jays then continued a 10-0 scoring run for a 52-43 lead on their way to a 68-58 win and Mercy/Warrior Classic title.
“We played well,” College Heights coach Eric Johnson said. “We played hard. Playing a good team, I know I said it last night, but you can’t make turnovers against good teams, though. Some of them were unforced turnovers. We made bad passes and bad decisions. Against a good team, you can’t do that because they took advantage of it.
“It took away a lot of scoring for us (Quade’s departure with four fouls). Yeah, a couple silly fouls he made there … with two, you’ve got to be smarter than that. We need him on the floor all the time. That’s a second scorer right there.”
College Heights Christian’s Caleb Quade looks to score inside against Greenwood during the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
Tournament MVP Nicholas Burri led Greenwood with 26 points and his 3-point basket at the third-quarter buzzer gave the Blue Jays a 45-43 lead. Burri scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, mostly on made free throws.
All-tournament selections Collin Clark and Garrett Winslow added 21 and 16 points, respectively, to a total of 63 points from the trio of Burri, Clark, and Winslow.
Chance Rose scored a late old-fashioned three-point play for his three points and Griffin Litherland fashioned a pair of splits at the foul line into his two points.
Greenwood — ranked eighth in Class 3 — improved to 17-6 overall.
“They’re a good team,” Johnson said. “It’s a positive for us, because we played well and played even with a good team. We have to take everything we can positive out of this and get ready for the next one.”
All-tournament selection Quade scored a team-high 22 points for the Cougars, including six points in the fourth after his return and before he fouled out within the final minute.
College Heights cut the deficit to four points on three different occasions in the fourth quarter, but Greenwood scored 12 of the game’s final 18 points in the last couple minutes of regulation.
All-tournament selection Curtis Davenport added 14 points for the Cougars, while Jayce Walker scored 10, Ethan Ukena had four, Ben Thomas and Bo Sitton each scored three and Colsen Dickens rounded out the Cougars’ scoring with two points.
College Heights dropped to 17-5 overall and the Cougars return to action on Tuesday at home against city and Ozark 7 Conference rival Thomas Jefferson.
The Cougars and the Cavaliers battled on Friday night in the Mercy/Warrior Classic, a game the Cougars won 55-47.
College Heights’ four remaining games before districts also include Ozark 7 clashes with McAuley Catholic and Golden City and then a regular season finale against Sarcoxie.
“We’ve got two next week and two the week after that,” Johnson said. “They’re all conference, except for Sarcoxie. We’ve got to not only prepare for districts, but we’ve got three conference games left. That’s important to us. We need to keep getting better. If we can eliminate turnovers, we can play with any Class 2 school.”
College Heights Christian’s Colsen Dickens looks to control a rebound against Greenwood on Saturday night. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
Thomas Jefferson boys 63, Sarcoxie 52
Thomas Jefferson earned third place in the Mercy/Warrior Classic, rebounding from a 55-48 loss against College Heights and reversing the outcome from a 57-32 loss back on Jan. 9 against Sarcoxie.
The Cavaliers turned a tie score at halftime into a 11-point victory Saturday by outscoring the Bears 34-23 in the second half.
“The kids did a nice job of bouncing back less than 24 hours after the tough loss to College Heights last night,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We were able to make a couple of halftime adjustments and did a much better job of executing in the second half.”
All-tournament selections Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard combined for 41 points (Ball 22, Brouhard 19) to lead the way for the Cavaliers and their supporting cast and fellow senior classmates made critical scoring contributions Saturday — Kip Atteberry nine points, Levi Triplett eight, and Tony Touma three more points.
Kohl Thurman rounded out the Cavaliers’ scoring with two points.
Thomas Jefferson persevered in the fourth quarter with both Brouhard and Triplett in serious foul trouble. Brouhard and Triplett each picked up their fourth personal within a short span of each other early in the fourth.
Ball recorded a double-double with his 15 rebounds to go along with his game-high 22 points and the 6-foot-6 post blocked three shots.
Brouhard rounded out his stat line with eight rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, while Thurman grabbed five rebounds and Brouhard, Atteberry, Triplett, and Touma combined for eight 3-point goals with Brouhard at three, Atteberry and Triplett two each, and Touma one.
Thomas Jefferson improved to 15-5 overall and the Cavaliers return to the court Tuesday against College Heights.
Matthew Swayne led Sarcoxie with 20 points, all-tournament selection Jaron Malotte added 16, all-tournament selection Garrett Smith had 11, and Tyler Hirtz added five points.
Providence Academy boys 53, McAuley Catholic 42
Tournament host McAuley Catholic finished sixth, taking a 11-point loss to the Patriots on Saturday after testing both College Heights and Thomas Jefferson in pool games.
On Saturday, 6-foot-4 freshman Alex Bohachick led the Warriors with 12 points, Bradley Wagner and all-tournament selection Noah Black each finished with eight, Rocco Bazzano-Joseph tallied seven, Michael Parrigon added five, and Joe Staton scored two points.
Providence Academy junior Stevens Hunter scored a game-high 23 points.
McAuley Catholic, 6-16 overall, returns home Tuesday for an Ozark 7 Conference game against Golden City.
East Newton girls 43, Thomas Jefferson 27
East Newton built a 16-4 lead after one quarter and never looked back in the consolation game Saturday.
Lannah Grigg led Thomas Jefferson with 10 points, Gabbi Hiebert added eight, Sarah Mueller scored five, and Tannah Cassatt and Nico Carlson each had two points for the Cavaliers.
Shaw Coburn scored 16 points for East Newton, while Brooklyn Blanchard added 11.
Thomas Jefferson dropped to 10-9 overall and the Cavaliers are back on the court Tuesday against their Newman Road rival College Heights.
Greenwood defeated College Heights in the championship game of the Mercy/Warrior Classic on Saturday night at McAuley Catholic High School. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
40th annual Mercy/Warrior Classic
Saturday’s scores
Greenwood boys 68, College Heights 58 (Title game)
Thomas Jefferson boys 63, Sarcoxie 52 (3rd place)
Providence Academy girls 57, Lamar 52 (Title game)
Providence Academy boys 53, McAuley Catholic 42 (5th place)
East Newton girls 43, Thomas Jefferson 27 (5th place)
Greenwood’s Nicholas Burri was the MVP of the Mercy/Warrior Classic.
All-Tournament Selections
Boys
MVP: Nicholas Burri, Greenwood
Collin Clark, Greenwood
Tyler Brouhard, Thomas Jefferson
Curtis Davenport, College Heights
Caleb Quade, College Heights
Jay Ball, Thomas Jefferson
Garrett Smith, Sarcoxie
Noah Black, McAuley Catholic
Cooper Laney, Providence Academy
Jaron Malotte Sarcoxie
Garrett Winslow, Greenwood
Girls
MVP: Karolina Kiraga, Providence Academy
Libby Fanning, College Heights
Zavrie Wiss, Lamar
Lydia Shaddox, Providence Academy
Ava Maner, Providence Academy
Brooklyn Blanchard, East Newton
Kloee Williamson, McAuley Catholic
Payden Blevins, Aurora
Ashlyn Stettler, Lamar
Jaycee Doss, Lamar
Ellie Creasey, Aurora
College Heights Christians Curtis Davenport handles the ball against Greenwood. Photos by Sloan Uebinger.
JASPER, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s boys basketball team improved to 12-4 on the season with a double-digit road win victory over the Jasper Eagles on Tuesday night.
Tyler Brouhard poured in 30 points and Jay Ball added 25, as the TJ duo nearly outscored the Eagles by themselves.
Brouhard hit four 3-pointers and Ball grabbed 10 rebounds.
Also for the Cavaliers, Levi Triplett scored six points and Kip Atteberry had five. Tony Touma (3) and Kohl Thurman (2) rounded out the TJ scoring.
Wyatt Durman scored 21 points for Jasper, while Wyatt Cawyer added 14 and Gage Hall had 13.
The Cavaliers used a 20-9 second quarter to take a 33-19 halftime advantage.
The second half was nearly even, as the Eagles outscored the Cavaliers 40-38 after the break.
“Hats off to Jasper, Skip (Brock) has done a great job with those kids,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “They stepped up, played well, and hit some big shots in the second half. Offensively, I was very pleased. Defensively, we’ve got to be better as we head into conference play and into next week’s Warrior Classic. Overall though, I felt our kids did a good job of doing what they had to do tonight.”
Thomas Jefferson is at Golden City on Thursday night.
Jasper (7-12) is at Liberal on Friday.
THOMAS JEFFERSON GIRLS 49, JASPER 48
JASPER, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson girls earned a close road win.
Thomas Jefferson trailed by two entering the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers outscored the Eagles 13-10 in the final frame to earn the come from behind win.
Gabbi Hiebert scored 20 points for Thomas Jefferson, while Lannah Grigg added 18.
Crystal Smith led Jasper with 10 points and Mercadez Scott had 13.
Thomas Jefferson (9-6) is at Golden City on Thursday.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Led by seven event wins, the hosts captured the team championship at the Red Bird Invitational girls swim meet on Saturday.
Webb City topped the team standings with 397 points. Carl Junction was the runner-up with 300 points and Joplin took third with 151.
There were nine teams in attendance.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
The Cardinals won seven of the 12 events, including all three relays.
Webb City’s 200-yard medley relay team of Norah Klosterman, Sophia Whitesell, Camryn Klosterman and Olivia Honey took first with a time of 2:05.
Webb City’s 200 freestyle relay team of Skylar Powell, Alix Davis, Honey and Avery Mitchell recorded a winning time of 1:50.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Powell, Mitchell, Davis and Whitesell won with a time of 4:02.
Whitsell won a pair of individual events — the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle.
Hally Philpot took first in the 100 breaststroke, while Kelli Tollefson was the top performer in the 1-meter diving competition.
Finishing second in their individual events were Norah Klosterman (200 free, 500 free), Powell (100) and Kiera McDonald (diving).
Taking third place in their respective events were Allie Eggleston (200 free, 500 free), Camryn Klosterman (200 IM, 100 butterfly) and Davis (100 free, 100 backstroke).
Finishing fourth were Honey (200 free) and Mitchell (50 free, 100 free). Powell finished fifth in the 50 free.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
The Bulldogs won four events.
Chloe Miller won two events for the Bulldogs — the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.44 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 58.4 seconds.
Madeleine Garoutte took first in the 100 butterfly in 1:06, while Skyler Sundy won the 100 backstroke in 1:06.
Carl Junction took second in five events, including all three relays.
The 200 medley relay team of Sundy, Abigail Holcomb, Sophia Holcomb and Kennedy Johnson took second in 2:09.
The Bulldogs were second in the 200 free relay, with Garoutte, Elyanna Dogotch, Avari Fifer and Sydney Ward finishing in 1:54.
CJ’s 400 free relay team of Garoutte, Dogotch, Sundy and Sophia Holcomb finished second in 4:08.
Taking second in their individual events were Garoutte (200 IM) and Abigail Holcomb (100 breaststroke).
Sundy was third in the 50 free and Johnson placed fourth in the 500 free, while Abigail Holcomb and Sophia Holcomb were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200 IM.
Finishing fifth in their events were Fifer (200 free), Sophia Holcomb (100 fly), Dogotch (100 free) and Ward (100 breaststroke).
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s 200 medley relay team of Lily Rakes, Taegen Smith, Kiki Thom and Megan Walser finished third.
The JHS 400 freestyle relay team of Thom, Lydia Barwick, Walser and Rakes took third.
The Eagles placed sixth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Barwick, Brooklyn Hiller, Allysun Higdon and Gwen Zamanzadeh competing.
Also for the Eagles, Rakes finished fourth in the 100 backstroke, Thom placed fourth in the 100 butterfly and Smith was fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
Walser and Rakes were fifth and sixth in the 500 freestyle.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson’s Natalie Carroll finished second in two events — the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.
TJ’s Meghan Mueller finished third in the 100 breaststroke.
Greenwood’s Reese Moore won the 200 freestyle. It was the only event that wasn’t won by Webb City or Carl Junction.
Red Bird Invitational
Team standings: Webb City 397, Carl Junction 300, Joplin 151, Marshfield 114, Bolivar 89, Hillcrest 79, Thomas Jefferson 39, Seymour 29, Greenwood 29.
MONETT, Mo. — Girls swim teams from Joplin, Carthage and Thomas Jefferson fared well alongside the host Cubs at the Monett Invitational on Tuesday night.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s 200-yard medley and 200 freestyle relays both finished second. And both recorded state-consideration times.
“The girls swam strong tonight,” Joplin coach Juliana Hughes said. “It is exciting to start out the season with two state consideration times for two out of the three relays. We have a few swimmers close to state times in their individual events, as well.”
Recording a time of 2:02 on the medley relay were senior Lily Rakes, freshman Brylea Smith, junior Kiki Thom and senior Megan Walser. The freestyle relay, which consists of Thom, senior Brooklyn Hiller, Rakes and Walser, finished in 2:00.
Also for the Eagles, Walser took first in the 500 freestyle (6:52) and was fourth in the 200 free.
Rakes placed second in the 100 backstroke and finished third in the 200 free.
Thom was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly and also took third in the 200 IM.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of sophomore Gwen Zamanzadeh, senior Allysun Higdon, Hiller, and sophomore Izzy Zamanzadeh took fourth.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers won six events.
Carthage’s 200 medley relay team of Aubree Santillan, Olivia Manning, Madison Riley and Joey Hettinger took first in 2:02.
The Tigers were first in the 200 free relay in 1:50, with Riley, Santillan, Manning and Hettinger competing.
Carthage’s 400 free relay took second and featured Kamryn Dininger, Brianna Dawson, Alexis Fosdick and Madelyn Kennedy.
Riley won the 200 freestyle in 2:03 and also took first in the 100 butterfly in 1:01.
Santillan took first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:12.
Manning and Victoria Martinez placed first and second in the 200 IM.
Hettinger was the runner-up in both the 50 free and the 100 free, while Manning took second in the 100 breaststroke. Anne Kennedy was third in the 100 fly.
CAROL LEADS CAVALIERS
Thomas Jefferson’s Natalie Carol won two events— the 50 freestyle in 27.49 seconds and the 100 breaststroke in 1:18.
Megan Mueller placed third in the 100 breaststroke.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Sonnie Winfrey won the 100 freestyle in 1:03. Winfrey was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle and Grace Lee took second in the 500 free.
Emma Parrigon was third in the 50 free, Ruby George took third in the 100 free and Katie Geiss placed third in the 100 backstroke.
The Cubs won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:30, with Geiss, Winfrey, Jenna Herald and Elizabeth Snarey competing.
DIAMOND, Mo. — The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers saw their 35-25 lead early in the third quarter turn into a 48-41 deficit entering the fourth on Saturday night against El Dorado Springs in the championship game of the Gem City Classic.
Thomas Jefferson narrowed it down to 52-50, but the Bulldogs had enough free throws and defensive stops late to earn a 58-53 win and the Gem City championship.
“We knew they were going to come out strong in the third quarter,” Thomas Jefferson coach Chris Myers said. “We talked about it at halftime, and we talked about it before we came back out. I thought we weathered the storm and calmed back down and made it a game again. We just couldn’t get any shots to fall there late, which made us come up a little short.”
El Dorado Springs junior guard and tournament MVP Landon Murry heated up in the second half, especially during that third quarter in which the Bulldogs put a 23-8 bite on the Cavaliers, with 16 of his team-high 19 points.
Sophomore guard Joe Gordon scored all nine of his points after halftime, as the Bulldogs’ perimeter attack took control of the contest.
Thomas Jefferson’s senior duo of all-tournament selections Jay Ball and Tyler Brouhard carried the Cavaliers to their 33-25 halftime lead with a combined 26 points (Ball 16, Brouhard 10) in the first 16 minutes.
Thomas Jefferson turned a 13-8 deficit in the first quarter into a 27-17 lead in the second with a 19-4 stretch.
Ultimately, though, it was El Dorado Springs who made the game’s largest run, at one point scoring 15 straight points in the third.
Saturday night’s title tilt more than lived up to the expectations of the top two seeds doing battle in the last game of the Gem City Classic.
“That’s a Class 3 school that won a district championship last year,” Myers said. “They returned a lot or all of their players from last year. They’re big, they’re physical, and playing games like this as a Class 1 school will only make us stronger down the road.”
All-tournament selection Kuliath Kephart added 14 points for the Bulldogs, while senior guard Levi Triplett scored eight for the Cavaliers.
Ball and Brouhard finished with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Ball also had 13 rebounds.
Thomas Jefferson went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating Galena 63-51 in the semifinals Wednesday and conference and district rival McAuley Catholic 45-40 in the quarters Monday.
“It was a great tournament,” Myers said. “It was stacked. There were a lot of great teams in the tournament. There was no off night or however you want to say it. Every team was a good team and had a chance to win. These early-season games really help prepare you for conference and district games down the road.
“McAuley is a very scrappy team. Coach (Tony) Witt does a great job coaching them. We knew they weren’t the seventh seed coming into the tournament. It’s so early you never know. The seeding in early tournaments really doesn’t mean anything. Everybody’s out trying to prove something. We knew that McAuley would be out to prove something, just like every team at this time of the year.”
Thomas Jefferson, 4-1 overall and seventh-ranked in Class 1 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, returns to action on Tuesday on the road against Everton.
Gem City Classic
Title game: El Dorado Springs 58, Thomas Jefferson 53
DIAMOND, Mo. — In a thriller between close rivals, second-seeded Thomas Jefferson upended seventh-seeded McAuley Catholic 45-40 on Monday night in the opening round of the Gem City Classic boys basketball tournament.
The game was deadlocked at 40 when Thomas Jefferson senior guard Kip Atteberry hit a corner trey after an inbounds play with 1:30 to play to give the Cavaliers the lead for good.
After a defensive stop, Thomas Jefferson’s Tony Touma hit two clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Tyler Brouhard scored 17 points with three treys to go along with four assists and three blocked shots to lead Thomas Jefferson, while Jay Ball added 15 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
Atteberry added six points on a pair of 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, who improved to 3-0.
Michael Parrigon and Kable Reichardt scored nine points apiece for McAuley (0-2), while Bradley Wagner contributed eight points.
The Cavaliers led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the game was tied at 20 at intermission. Thomas Jefferson led by two, 34-32, entering the fourth period.
Thomas Jefferson will meet sixth-seeded Galena in the tourney semifinals at 7:30 on Wednesday night.
McAuley plays third-seeded Diamond in the consolation semifinals at 7:30 on Wednesday night at the middle school. Galena topped Diamond 59-56.
In other first round games, top-seeded El Dorado Springs nipped Carthage’s junior varsity squad 44-43 and fourth-seeded Mount Vernon topped fifth-seeded Sarcoxie 40-30.
The girls tournament begins on Tuesday night, with third-seeded College Heights taking on sixth-seeded McAuley at 8:30 p.m.
BRONAUGH, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s girls and boys basketball teams both improved to 2-0 on the season with lopsided victories over Bronaugh on Tuesday night.
The Thomas Jefferson girls handled Bronaugh 55-23.
The Cavaliers were clinging to a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the visitors used a 14-5 second quarter to go up 24-11.
Thomas Jefferson led 42-13 at the end of the third period.
Gabbi Hiebert led Thomas Jefferson with 20 points, while Lannah Grigg scored 16 and Presley Long added 13 points. Hiebert and Long both hit three treys apiece.
Gretchen Barnes scored 12 points for Bronaugh.
The TJ girls return to action next Tuesday at Liberal.
In the boys game, Thomas Jefferson pounded Bronaugh 65-38.
The Cavaliers took a commanding 26-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Thomas Jefferson was up 40-14 at halftime and the Cavaliers held a comfy 61-29 advantage heading into the fourth period.
Jay Ball scored a game-high 27 points for the Cavaliers, while Tyler Brouhard had 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
Also for TJ, Kip Atteberry scored 12 points and had three steals, while Levi Triplett chipped in eight points. Brouhard and Atteberry each knocked down a trio of 3-pointers.
Tucker Duncan and Strauss Banes scored 11 points apiece for Bronaugh (0-1).
Thomas Jefferson’s boys will compete at next week’s Gem City Classic.
EXETER, Mo. —The Thomas Jefferson Independent School basketball teams swept Exeter on Monday night in their respective season openers.
The Thomas Jefferson boys came from behind to beat the Tigers 66-65.
Exeter led 44-42 entering the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers outscored the Tigers 24-21 in the final frame.
Senior post player Jay Ball led the Cavaliers with 24 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots, while senior guard/forward Tyler Brouhard added 15 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
Kohl Thurman scored eight for TJ, while Kip Atteberry and Levi Triplett added seven points apiece. Also for the Cavaliers (1-0), Tony Touma scored three points, Ethan Renger had two.
Kason Nelson scored 16 points and Nathaniel Tackett added 14 to lead Exeter (0-1).
The Thomas Jefferson girls rolled to a 52-26 victory.
The Cavaliers (1-0) got off to a slow start with just eight points in the first quarter, but the visitors erupted for 17 points in the second period.
Thomas Jefferson also finished strong by scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Gabbi Hiebert scored 17 points and hit a 3-pointer to lead the TJ girls.
Sophomore Lannah Grigg scored 19 points for TJ, while sophomore Presley Long added eight points and junior Alexis Stamps had five.
Tannah Grigg, Sarah Mueller and Nico Carlson all contributed four points apiece.
Both Thomas Jefferson squads are at Bronaugh on Tuesday night.
Area athletes from Class 1-3 competed at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Below are photos from SoMo Sports photographer Shawn Fowler.
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry was the runner-up in the Class 1 boys race.
College Heights Christian’s Marla Anderegg is pictured during the Class 2 girls race on Saturday in Columbia.
McAuley’s Kendall Ramsey receives her medal from Darbi Stancell.
McAuley’s Michael Parrigon finished 21st in Class 1, leading the way as the Warriors finished fourth in the team standings.
McAuley Catholic coach Andy Youngworth poses with Trae Veer following the awards ceremony. A freshman, Veer finished 24th in Class 1.
Thomas Jefferson’s London Rodriguez poses with Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan after the awards ceremony. Rodriguez finished 25th in Class 1.
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry concluded his stellar prep cross country career with a trip to the awards podium on Saturday in Columbia. Atteberry was the Class 1 runner-up. All photos by Shawn Fowler/SoMo Sports.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson senior standout Kip Atteberry ended his stellar prep cross country career with a trip to the awards podium.
Atteberry finished as the runner-up in the Class 1 boys race on Saturday at the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Atteberry recorded a time of 17 minutes, 1 second. West Nodaway’s Riley Blay finished in 16:28.
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry poses with Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan during Saturday’s awards ceremony at the state cross country meet. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
Atteberry was in third place at the 4K mark, but he passed Hermitage’s Bennett Mantooth late to take second place.
Atteberry finished fourth at last year’s state meet, so he earned all-state honors for the second straight season.
Three other area boys finished in the top 25 to earn all-state honors.
McAuley sophomore Michael Parrigon finished 21st in 17:56, while McAuley freshman Trae Veer was 24th in 18:02 and Thomas Jefferson freshman London Rodriguez placed 25th with a time of 18:10.
Also of note, Jasper’s Leland Harris finished 54th, TJ’s Braden Honeywell-Lynch was 68th and College Heights Christian’s Colton McMillan finished 121st.
McAuley’s boys finished fourth in the team standings with 147 points to earn a state trophy. The top three teams were Hermitage (51), Van Buren (89) and Oak Ridge (95).
Also competing for McAuley were Phillip Motazedi (53rd), Joe Staton (74th), Drew Zeb (85th), Alex Bohachick (103rd) and Connor Taffner (134th).
In the Class 1 girls race, McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey finished eighth with a time of 21:07 to earn all-state honors. Ramsey, who also played volleyball this fall, was 37th last year.
Liberal’s Taylor Swarnes finished 14th in 21:38. Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller finished 53rd and teammate Samantha Seto was 99th.
McAuley had its full squad competing. Also competing for the Warriors were Marbellie Villanueva (86th), Brooke Righter (141st), Miriam Kramer (150th) and Samantha Perrin (154th). McAuley finished 12th in the team standings.
Stoutland’s Mallory Shaw was the medalist in 20:38 and South Nodaway was the team champion.
McAuley Catholic finished fourth in the boys team standings at the Class 1 state meet. Photo by Shawn Fowler.
CHC GIRLS COMPETE IN CLASS 2
College Heights had its full girls team competing in Class 2.
Pictured is College Heights senior Jayli Johnson.
Senior Jayli Johnson (22:01) and sophomore Marla Anderegg (22:03) led the Cougars by finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively.
Also competing for College Heights were Jesalin Bever (87th), Madelynn Jordan (123rd), Madi Carson (140th), Emily Winters (147th) and Emmy Carson (154th). The Cougars finished 11th in the team standings.
Pierce City’s Emma Hunt placed 13th in 20:34, while Stockton’s Katelyn Chism finished 24th in 21:23. Sarcoxie’s Laney Dorris finished 42nd.
Smithton’s Riley Bryan was the state champ in 19:04 and North Platte was the team champion.
Stockton’s boys won the team championship in Class 2. Braden Postlewait and Max Brown led the Tigers by finishing 20th and 22nd, while Dakota Duncan was 30th.
Steelville’s Conner Diaz was the individual medalist in 16:15.
Pierce City’s Steven Leavitt finished 129th and Diamond’s Wyatt Housh was 147th.
SORRELL TAKES THIRD IN CLASS 3
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell finished third in the Class 3 boys race with a time of 16:12.
Southern Boone standout Connor Burns was the champion in 15:01 and Bowling Green’s Ben Chance was the runner-up in 16:02.
Cassville’s Caleb Leach finished 12th in 16:56.
Also from the region, Lamar’s Cameron Bailey finished 34th and teammate Pierce Heins was 59th. East Newton’s Isaac Bales was 67th, Lamar’s Blaine Breshears was 73rd and East Newton’s Nicholas Shaeffer was 85th.
Father Tolton was the team champion.
In the Class 3 girls race, Lamar senior Kiersten Potter finished ninth in 19:44 and Cassville’s Jolie Evans finished 19th in 20:14.
Also, Cassville’s Dakotah Anderson was 47th, East Newton’s Alonna Eytcheson finished 57th, Cassville’s Kayli Anderson was 64th, East Newton’s Gracie Johnson was 79th, Cassville’s Tori Mitchell finished 80th and Mount Veron’s Rylee Simons was 88th.
Southern Boone’s Alexandra Volkart won the race in 18:40 and St. Charles West was the team champion. Cassville finished seventh in the team standings.
McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey earned all-state honors by finishing eighth in the Class 1 girls race on Saturday in Columbia. All photos by Shawn Fowler/SoMo Sports.
HERMITAGE, Mo. — It was a historic day for the McAuley Catholic cross country program.
By finishing in the top four of the team standings at the Class 1 District 2 meet at Lake Pomme de Terre, McAuley’s boys and girls both advanced full squads to next weekend’s state meet in Columbia.
“It was neat to see,” Warriors coach Andy Youngworth said of both teams celebrating state berths. “When I came to McAuley, my goal was to go to the state meet. I didn’t know what the timetable would be. I didn’t expect it with the girls in the second year. I thought the boys could do it this year because I knew we had some really good pieces. The most important thing is the kids have bought into trusting the process. The kids really had a good summer. I don’t know how we’ll do next week, but we made it to state, so the pressure is off.”
Pictured is the McAuley Catholic boys cross country team. Courtesy photo.
McAuley’s boys finished second in the team standings with 88 points. Hermitage was the team champion with 27 points, while Blue Eye (100) and Galena (103) also advanced full teams by finishing in the top four.
“We have run enough against some of these schools, so I kind of knew where we could be,” Youngworth added. “On paper, we had a chance, but you still have to run the race. Hermitage is a really tough course.”
Sophomore Michael Parrigon led the McAuley boys by finishing 11th with a time of 18:21. Freshman Trae Veer placed 16th (18:50) and senior Phillip Motazedi was 18th (18:55).
McAuley seniors Joe Staton and Drew Zeb finished 32nd and 33rd, respectively. Also competing for the Warriors were Alex Bohachick (55th) and Connor Taffner (65th).
“Michael has been battling a knee injury from soccer, so he’s not where he was before he got hurt,” Youngworth said. “Other teams had better up front runners, but we just had more depth. Michael and Phillip ran well, and Trae has been so consistent. Joe Staton and Drew Zeb both ran great races. I can’t say enough about our seniors, including Kable Reichardt. They’ve all been great leaders.”
The McAuley girls finished third in the team standings with 76 points. Liberal (39), Fordland (48) and Wheatland (96) also qualified full teams.
“The girls race was held first, so our girls team is actually the first team ever in school history to qualify for the state cross country meet,” Youngworth said. “In Class 1, it’s really hard to fill a girls team. This is the first year we’ve had enough girls to field a full girls team. I always thought if we could get five girls who would work really hard, especially with someone as good as Kendall Ramsey is, we could eventually get there.”
McAuley junior Kendall Ramsey finished third with a time of 22:49.
Also for the Warriors, Marbellie Villanueva finished 18th, Brooke Righter was 38th and Samantha Perrin and Miriam Kramer were 41st and 42nd, respectively.
“Kendall ran great,” Youngworth noted. “We had a big surprise with our No. 2 runner (Villanueva). She was the only kid on either team who ran their best time of the year. Where our other three girls (Brooke, Samantha and Miriam) finished was beneficial. None of those girls ran during the summer. We did everything from ground zero, some of our girls played volleyball and missed some time, so I’m really happy for our girls. All of these girls will be back next year, too.”
McAuley Catholic wasn’t the only local school to have athletes qualify for state, as Thomas Jefferson and College Heights also had individuals advance.
Pictured is the McAuley Catholic girls cross country team. Courtesy photo.
ATTEBERRY WINS BOYS RACE
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry used a strong finish to win the Class 1 District 2 boys race. Atteberry toured the 5K course in 16:49 and Hermitage’s Justin Horn was second in 16:54.
In addition to Atteberry, the Cavaliers had two other individual state qualifiers.
Thomas Jefferson freshman London Rodriguez finished ninth in 18:01 and Braden Honeywell-Lynch was 15th in 18:41.
College Heights Christian had one qualifier, as freshman Colton McMillan finished 30th, earning the final state berth.
On the girls side, Thomas Jefferson’s Sarah Mueller and Samantha Seto both advanced to state by finishing eighth and 23rd, respectively.
CHC GIRLS ADVANCE IN CLASS 2
HERMITAGE, Mo. — Competing in Class 2 due to the championship factor related to recent success, the College Heights Christian advanced its full girls team to the state meet by finishing fourth at the district meet.
The qualifying girls teams in Class 2 District 2 were Stockton (61), Mansfield (66), New Covenant (80) and College Heights (83).
College Heights’ Jayli Johnson (21:55) and Marla Anderegg (22:07) placed ninth and 10th, respectively, in the girls race to earn all-district honors.
Also for the Cougars, Madelynn Jordan finished 33rd, Jesalin Bever was 37th, Madi Carson took 50th and Emmy Carson was 55th.
STATE MEET IS NEXT SATURDAY
The MSHSAA Cross Country Championships will be held on Nov. 5 for athletes in Class 1-3 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Thomas Jefferson’s lone dual loss of the season came in the quarterfinal round of the MSHSAA Class 1 state tournament.
With a berth in the state semifinals on the line, Notre Dame de Sion defeated Thomas Jefferson 5-3 on Monday in a girls tennis matchup at Bolivar High School.
The Storm won two of the three doubles matches to begin the quarterfinal matchup.
At No. 1 doubles, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding and Jeanna Jeyaraj defeated Anna McGeeney and Katherine Spenceri 8-5.
But Notre Dame de Sion’s Lauryn Murphy and Elizabeth Vance edged TJ’s Kyla Yang and Mayson Solum 8-6 at No. 2 doubles, while Caroline Weber and Abigail Duethman defeated TJ’s Warda Morsy and Jessica Joseph 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.
The Storm reached the needed five wins with three singles victories.
At No. 1 singles, McGeeney defeated Ding 6-2, 6-4.
The Cavaliers won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, as Jeyaraj beat Spenceri 4-6, 6-0, 10-7 and Yang topped Murphy 6-4, 6-4.
At No. 4 singles, Vance defeated TJ’s Morsy 6-3, 6-0, and Duethman beat Thomas Jefferson’s Solum 7-5, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. The No. 5 singles match was not completed.
Notre Dame de Sion advanced to the semifinals of the state team tournament on Oct. 21, where the Storm will meet Clayton. The other semifinal features Kennett/Holcomb vs. Chillicothe.
Thomas Jefferson advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Bolivar 5-4 in the sectional round on Monday morning.
The Liberators won two of the three doubles matches. All three doubles matches were extremely close.
At No. 1 doubles, Bolivar’s Sophia Vestal and Reagan Hunt edged Ding and Jeyaraj 9-7.
Thomas Jefferson’s Yang and Solum defeated Brynley Waters-Kami Bryan 8-6 at No. 2 doubles, but Bolivar’s Abby Welch-Elizabeth Thomas nipped Morsy-Joseph 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.
The Cavaliers won four of the six singles matches to secure the dual victory.
Ding defeated Vestal 6-2, 6-0, Jeyaraj beat Waters 4-6, 6-1, 10-6, Yang topped Hunt 6-3, 7-5 and Morsy defeated Sofia Smoshey 6-1, 6-2.
In other singles results, Bolivar’s Bryan beat Joseph 6-2, 6-2 and Welch defeated Solum 6-1, 6-2.
The Liberators defeated Thomas Jefferson in this round last year.
In the other sectional match, Notre Dame de Sion defeated Rogersville 5-1.
Tom Brumfield’s Cavaliers went 14-1 in dual matches this fall.
INDIVIDUAL STATE TOURNEY
Although the team portion of the season has concluded for the Cavaliers, Thomas Jefferson singles players Ding and Jeyaraj have qualified for the individual state tournament.
The individual state tournament for single and doubles begins on Friday in Springfield.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Abi Street and Evan Stevens were both all alone as they approached the finish line in their respective races at the 49th annual Carthage Invitational.
The Webb City duo claimed individual championships in convincing fashion on Thursday at the Carthage Golf Course.
The pair of Cardinals cruised to first place finishes in their 5K competitions, as there were no other runners close by when they finished touring the course.
A senior, Street won the girls race in 19 minutes, 40 seconds, nearly two minutes faster than the runner-up, as Rogers’ Olivia Davis crossed the line at 21:23.
“I felt good today and our team did really well as a whole,” Street said. “There’s a lot of good girls here, so I’ll be honest, I was pretty nervous. I stuck with my game plan and I just ran my race. I always hope to do as well as I can. I don’t really realize that I’m all alone at the end because I’m just zoned in. I don’t really pay attention to that. I just try to race my race.”
Webb City’s Abi Street was all alone late in Thursday’s varsity girls race at the Carthage Invitational. Street cruised to a first place finish. Photo by Jason Peake.
Street went to the front early in the race and continued to pull away from the competition.
“Abi had some company for the first kilometer or so and that was great,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “Then she was solo once again by the end of the race. Abi is really fit right now. Hopefully next week at MSSU Abi will get to showcase her skills against some solid girls. I know she’ll be ready to go, so it will be interesting to see how she does there.”
Street is now 2-for-2 this fall, as she cruised to a first place finish at last Saturday’s SWCCCA Invitational in Bolivar in 19:07. She won that race by 20 seconds.
“I’m excited about the start to the season,” said Street, who placed fifth at last year’s Class 4 state meet. “I think our team will be really strong this season. Our freshmen are really stepping up and that’s motivating me, too.”
Street wasn’t the only local runner to perform well on a warm Thursday.
Webb City’s Brooke Hedger finished fifth in 22:31, while Carthage’s Maggie Boyd took sixth in 23:05 and Webb City’s Rachel Miller placed ninth in 23:31.
Carl Junction’s Alexis Carpenter finished 13th, Webb City’s Kristina Bundy placed 15th and Carl Junction’s Audrey Fletcher and Delaney Harris were 16th and 17th.
Webb City’s Holly Capron finished 18th, Carl Junction’s Sadie Burchett placed 20th, Webb City’s Emily Countryman was 21st, CJ’s Klohe Burk took 24th and Carthage’s Katy Witherspoon placed 25th.
There were 50 runners in the girls race.
With four runners in the top 15, Webb City was the girls team champion with 35 points.
“We had three freshmen score for us today and sophomore Rachel Miller PR’d today on this course,” Coach Miller said. “She’s a monster and she has dedicated herself to the training. She has a positive mindset and it shows. Bundy, Hedger and Capron are starting to figure things out, so I’m proud of them. Our girls got out well, which was our big emphasis. We competed well and put ourselves in a position to get the team win. That’s exciting for us.”
Rogers (41) and Carl Junction (68) finished second and third in the team standings. Glendale (107) and Carthage (110) rounded out the standings, as Springfield Central, Hillcrest, Parkview, Willard and Thomas Jefferson did not have full squads competing.
Webb City’s Evan Stevens went to the front early in Thursday’s varsity boys race at Carthage.
STEVENS SHINES
Webb City’s Evan Stevens is off to a great start to his junior season.
Stevens went to the front right away and never looked back on the way to a first place win on Thursday.
Stevens toured the course in 16:46. The runner-up, Willard’s Nolan Hansen, finished in 17:23.
“Overall, I thought I ran all right,” Stevens said. “I went out a little fast and faded on the hills a little bit, but I guess that’s to be expected. I went to the front right away and wanted to make people race me. It feels good to be all alone like that at the end. It makes me feel like I came out and did my job. It’s always awesome to finish first.”
The individual win comes after Stevens placed third overall at last weekend’s SWCCCA invite in Bolivar.
“Evan had a great day,” Miller said. “He’s fit. I’m really excited to see what he can do next week with some top athletes competing at Missouri Southern. We’ll see if he can hang with some of those guys. There were some great athletes competing here today, too.”
After Stevens and Hansen, Webb City’s Mason Hedger finished third in 17:31.
“Mason went out harder than he did last week, and it paid huge dividends for him,” Miller said. “He had a shot at second, but Nolan held him off. I’m really proud of Mason. He’s figuring out how to race.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry was fourth with a time of 17:40, Carthage’s Caleb Fewin finished seventh in 18:11, Carl Junction’s Jack Lawson placed eighth in 18:20 and Carthage’s duo of Miguel Solano (18:23) and Eddy Fuentes (18:25) finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Jack Lawson
Also, Carthage’s Michael Lanyon and Devin Smith finished 17th and 23rd, Webb City’s Dakota Grove was 26th, Carl Junction’s Alexander Allison took 28th and Webb City’s Andrew Dawson was 30th.
There were 73 runners in the boys race.
Carthage (60), Rogers (62) and Webb City (77) were the top three teams. See a related story on Carthage’s team victory.
Willard (84), Glendale (86), Carl Junction (153) and Springfield Central (173) rounded out the top seven.
Miller noted his squad’s finish in the standings will provide extra motivation going forward.
“I was really proud of the way the guys got out,” Miller said. “Our back end, our No. 3-4-5, they got out well but didn’t move up. We had some self-doubt creep in. We didn’t perform well in the last mile and it showed. We deserved to get beat today. It’s unfortunate, but it’s early in the year and we’ll learn, and we’ll be better.”
TJ’S ATTEBERRY FARES WELL IN ’22 DEBUT
Competing against athletes from much larger schools, Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry fared well on Thursday, placing fourth in 17:40.
“I’m always more interested in my time and I wasn’t super happy with it today,” Atteberry said. “This is a tough course. And this is my first 5K of the season. I was unhappy with my time, but I’m very happy with my place. That’s a lot better than I did last year.”
Atteberry finished fourth at last year’s Class 1 state meet and earned all-state honors in three events at last May’s state track meet. With that, Atteberry has the goals set high for his senior campaign.
To Atteberry, Thursday’s performance is a solid starting point.
“It’s a pretty good start to the season,” Atteberry added. “I’m almost a minute faster than I was here last year. And I’m pretty excited about this season. I have big goals in mind.”
Atteberry will be among the local athletes who will compete at the Southern Stampede on Sept. 13 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. Squads from Webb City, Carthage and Carl Junction will also compete at MSSU’s annual event.
One of the state’s top Class 1 distance runners will lead the way for the Thomas Jefferson Independent School cross country program this fall.
After a stellar junior season, returning state medalist Kip Atteberry appears poised to put together a big senior year.
“This will certainly be an exciting season for the high school team,” Cavaliers coach Clayton Carnahan said. “Kip ended the track season on a high note with three state medals, and he has only improved through summer training.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry, pictured during last spring’s track season, is poised for a big senior year. Atteberry finished fourth at last year’s state cross country meet.
Atteberry finished fourth at last year’s Class 1 state cross country championships with a time of 17 minutes, 3 seconds. He was the runner-up at the district event and was the Ozark 7 champion.
Atteberry is coming off a great spring on the track. At last May’s state track meet, Atteberry placed third in the 3,200 (10:14), took fourth in the 1,600 (4:33) and finished seventh in the 800 (2:04), earning all-state honors in all three events.
Carnahan listed sophomores Isa Bin Jeremy and Braden Honeywell-Lynch and freshman James Sheppard as newcomers who are expected to contribute nicely.
Returning state qualifier Sarah Mueller is expected to lead the way for the Thomas Jefferson girls.
A junior, Mueller finished 35th at last year’s state meet. She placed 17th at the district meet and took third at the conference event.
Carnahan expects Mueller to shine this fall.
“Sarah qualified for the Junior Olympics this summer in the 1,500 and had a PR of 5:51.93 during the summer season,” Carnahan said.
The Cavaliers have two other returning starters on the girls side—senior Samantha Seto and sophomore Macie Shifferd.
With a pair of standouts leading the way, Carnahan is confident the Cavaliers can put together a successful season.
“I expect both the high school and middle school teams to outshine previous seasons from the start,” he said. “They’ve already shown more stamina and athleticism through their hard work this season and are ready to grow as athletes quickly. The students on the team care deeply about one another’s success and have created a culture of accountability and excellence.”
Carnahan noted the team’s keys to success are simple.
“Throughout this season, we’ll need to stay focused on our individual and team goals and be willing to change pace when the time demands it,” Carnahan said. “The cross country athletes this season have already started the work they need to do to find success this season. Those keys for success will continue to be their consistency and reliability.”
The Cavaliers will run at Neosho on Aug. 27. Thomas Jefferson will also compete at two local events, the Carthage Invitational on Sept. 8 and the Southern Stampede on Sept. 17.
Tom Brumfield has coached girls tennis for many years.
And if you ask the veteran coach, he’ll tell you this fall’s Thomas Jefferson squad has the potential to be the best girls team he’s ever had.
“This could be the best girls team that I’ve had the pleasure to coach because of the overall depth of the team and the strength at the top,” Brumfield said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what this team will be able to accomplish. The team is very excited about the upcoming season. With everyone back and a strong group of newcomers, the girls are looking forward to the possibilities of the new season.”
Thomas Jefferson has its entire starting lineup back from last year’s squad that went 12-2 in dual matches and advanced to the sectional round of the Class 1 state team tournament.
Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding is coming off a seventh-place finish in singles at the Class 1 state tournament.
Thomas Jefferson’s returning starters are senior Jessica Joseph, juniors Allison Ding and Emalee Ro and sophomores Jeanna Jeyaraj, Kyla Yang, Warda Morsy and Hannah Grundy.
One of the region’s top singles players a season ago, Ding went 25-3 and finished seventh at the Class 1 individual state tournament, earning all-state honors.
“The top spot will be anchored by Allison,” Brumfield said. “She is looking to improve on her state finish from last year. Jeanna Jeyaraj, who finished second at districts last year to Allison, will also be pushing for a top spot on the team. Jessica Joseph, our lone senior, will be in the mix and will help provide the leadership and stability in the lineup as always needed.”
Promising newcomers to the team are sophomores Mayson Solum and Jenna Trimble and freshmen Haley Orr and Jenna Joseph.
“They’ve been looking good in practice and someone or more than one could even become a fixture in the top six,” Brumfield said of his newcomers. “I expect some close matches when we start playing matches to form our rank order.”
The strengths of the Cavaliers will not only be varsity experience, but also depth.
“No doubt our strength is the experienced players that are returning,” Brumfield said. “This will be our deepest girls team that we have had at TJ. We have a strong player at the top followed by a deep group behind her. This is something as a coach you always would love to have.”
Although the team features a number of varsity veterans, Brumfield noted there’s always room for improvement.
“We have some experience coming back from last year’s team, but they are still young,” he said, noting only one senior. “We’re still learning a lot. We’re working to become more confident and putting all areas of the game together. When all areas of the game start clicking it should really be exciting.”
One main key to success for the Cavaliers is to simply avoid injuries throughout the season.
“Everyone staying healthy will be a big key,” Brumfield said. “Having to move lineups and having to change doubles partners always brings challenges.”
The Cavaliers are scheduled to begin the season on Aug. 29 at Joplin.
With high expectations this fall, Brumfield noted the Cavaliers can’t wait to get the season underway.
“I really like the make-up of this year’s team,” Brumfield said. “Having all your starters back is always something that is easy to get excited about. I think it will be a fun and exciting year for the girls. They could very easily put together a very strong year with a strong finish.”
The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers had no seniors on last year’s volleyball roster.
With that, the Cavaliers enter the 2022 season with a veteran lineup and high expectations.
“We are very excited for the upcoming season,” Cavaliers coach Dave Soetaert told SoMo Sports. “Returning a group with good varsity experience and adding two more athletes with good potential has us working even harder than usual.”
Carlson earned first-team all-Ozark 7 honors last season, while Grigg was an honorable mention all-conference performer.
The Cavaliers have two newcomers who Soetaert expects to contribute nicely — junior middle hitter Gabbi Hiebert and sophomore outside hitter Macie Shifferd.
With an experienced and battle-tested roster, and with the promising additions to the team, Soetaert is confident the Cavaliers have the pieces in place to put together a stellar season.
“I expect to compete with everyone,” he said. “Wins and losses will be settled on the court, but our program is now capable of giving everyone a run for their money. We have varsity game experience that we’ll need to transition into better decisions.”
Soetaert added overall team depth is a strength of the Cavaliers this fall.
“We have good balance at all positions,” he said. “We have 10 girls competing for six spots. That will help to push everyone to be their best every day.”
Soetaert noted the team’s key to success is simple.
“The key for us will be how fast we can gel as a group and how fast we can bring the newcomers up to speed,” he said.
The Cavaliers, who hope to top last year’s 13-15-3 record, open the season at the Verona Invitational on Aug. 27.
The team’s first home game is scheduled for Aug. 29 against Purdy.
The Thomas Jefferson girls tennis team defeated Nevada 6-3 on Thursday at the TJ courts.
The Cavaliers improved to 2-0.
In singles action, Thomas Jefferson’s Allison Ding defeated Laura Kimmell 8-3, while Jeanna Jeyaraj beat Hailey Elkinton 8-5 and Kyla Yang topped Susannah Kimmell 8-2.
Carlson earned first-team all-Ozark 7 honors last season, while Grigg was an honorable mention all-conference performer. 