Marking the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, McAuley Catholic senior distance runner Kendall Ramsey signed a letter of intent on Monday to join the Pittsburg State University cross country and track and field programs.
“It’s very special and bittersweet because of all the time I’ve put in running and how all of the accomplishments came together,” Ramsey said of making her college decision official. “There were some happy tears today. I’ve had a lot of support from my family, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Kendall Ramsey
Ramsey said Pittsburg State was her choice for several reasons.
“Their program has had a lot of success,” Ramsey said. “Their running program is great. My brother went to Pitt State, and I liked the environment there. I’m going to be majoring in biology and their biology program stood out to me. I want to do their pre-dental program and then go to dental school.”
As Warriors coach Andy Youngworth pointed out to the school’s student body ahead of the signing ceremony, Ramsey has definitely left her mark on McAuley’s cross country and track programs.
Ramsey is the school record-holder in the 5K (20:46), the 1600 (5:39) and the 3200 (12:23).
In cross country, Ramsey advanced to the state meet all four years of high school, earning all-state honors as a junior and senior. Ramsey finished eighth and ninth in Class 1 the last two years.
Ramsey was listed on the Southwest Missouri Coaches Association’s all-region team in three straight seasons.
On the track, Ramsey is a two-time state qualifier and one-time state medalist who has also earned multiple conference, district and sectional championships in her signature events, the 1600 and the 3200.
Ramsey finished sixth in the 1600 and ninth in the 3200 at last May’s state track meet.
Of course, Ramsey still has her senior season of track ahead of her this spring.
Ramsey noted she hopes to finish her prep career on a high note.
“I want to qualify for the state meet again,” she said. “It’s going to be hard because we have some really fast girls in our district and sectional. I want to PR one last time. And if I can make it to the state meet, I want to medal. I’m going to work hard to try and accomplish my goals.”
On Monday, McAuley Catholic senior Kendall Ramsey signed to run track and cross country for Pittsburg State University.
After securing district and sectional championships in back-to-back weeks, the Webb City High School boys track and field squad concluded its stellar 2023 season by finishing fifth in the Class 4 team standings on Saturday at the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City.
Webb City compiled 40 points, just one point behind Hazelwood East for the final state plaque.
“I feel pretty good overall,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “Anytime you’re fifth it’s pretty heartbreaking, especially by one point. It was kind of a mixed bag. We had some things we didn’t take care of business on and then we had some things that we did really well on. Overall, it was a good showing. We had some kids put together some heroic performances to give us a shot at a trophy.
“On paper, we were supposed to be the sixth-place team and we were supposed to score 32 points. So I’m proud we got to 40 points.”
The Cardinals were sitting in fourth place ahead of the meet’s final event. Hazelwood East came from behind to win the 4×400 relay. And those points were enough to edge past Webb City for the final team trophy.
“We knew we’d be the fourth-place team if Hazelwood East didn’t win the 4×400,” Miller said. “They were in second place before the final leg. The state champ in the 400 is their anchor, so Ladue’s three second lead wasn’t enough. That’s how it goes.”
Although a team trophy eluded them, it’s safe to say the Cardinals finished the season strong, as the boys team recorded seven all-state performances, including two state champions.
Grayson Smith
Webb City senior Grayson Smith closed out his outstanding prep career with his second state title in the pole vault, as he cleared a height of 15 feet and 5.75 inches.
“I was really proud of Grayson,” Miller said. “He didn’t have the greatest day to his standards. He looked a little flat. But for him to go out on an average day and win a state title easily speaks volumes about who he is as an athlete. And he overcame a lot of adversity just to be able to compete. I’m really proud of him.”
Smith was able to repeat as state champ after overcoming a leg injury he suffered during the football season. A Pittsburg State signee, Smith won his first Class 4 state title last year with the same 15-5.75 mark.
Smith wasn’t Webb City’s only state champ.
Junior distance runner Evan Stevens won a state title in the 3200 on Saturday and also placed fifth in the 1600 on Friday.
“Evan ran a good 1600,” Miller said. “I was proud of him for hanging in there and getting fifth. That’s where he was supposed to be. In the 3200, we knew the other guys were tired and that Evan would have a chance to win a state title if he went out and stayed aggressive. And he did. It was just a really impressive performance, not just winning, but the way he won. He led the whole way. By lap six, Evan was 11 seconds ahead. The last lap was a little nerve-racking.”
Evan Stevens
Stevens finished in 9:18, four seconds ahead of Festus’ Ian Schram, who won the 1600.
“It’s huge for Evan’s confidence,” Miller said. “He showed he can run with the best athletes in the state. Now, we just have to make sure he stays humble and keeps working hard.”
Webb City senior Trey Roets closed out his prep career on the awards podium after placing third in the javelin with a toss of 179-11.
“Trey did not look good in the prelims, but he snuck into the finals,” Miller said. “Trey relaxed and threw well in the finals. It was good to see him end his career like that.”
Roets, who will compete in football and track at William Jewell, was also third in the event last year.
The Cardinals had two medalists in the javelin, as junior Tucker Liberatore placed sixth with a toss of 171-4.
“Tucker wasn’t even supposed to get out of sectionals, but he was very consistent,” Miller noted. “He had an impressive day.”
Junior thrower Nate Miller finished third in the discus with a toss of 163-11.
“He was in sixth place and on his last throw he stepped up with a big throw to take third,” Coach Miller said. “That put us in a position to get a team plaque.”
Cardinals junior Jadon Brisco joined Smith as a medalist in the pole vault, as his clearance of 12-4 earned him eighth place.
Also gaining state experience were junior Ryan Reid (high jump) and sophomore Eric Lathan (shot put).
Also competing was Webb City’s 4×400 relay team of Gabe Johnson, Noah Moss, Joshua White and Jordan Thornburg and the 4×800 relay team of Mason Hedger, Dakota Grove, Noah Lankard and Stevens.
Ahead of their postseason success, Webb City’s boys were a close second to Neosho at the Central Ozark Conference Meet.
“It was a great season and I’m excited about the guys we’ll have back,” Miller said.
DECKER, STREET LEAD WEBB CITY GIRLS
The Webb City girls had four all-state performances, including one state champ.
Dawsyn Decker
Cardinals junior Dawsyn Decker won a state title in the javelin with a toss of 139-10, out-throwing Savannah’s Rhyan Schrick by nearly nine feet.
“Seeing Dawsyn win was pretty neat,” Miller commented. “She was not the top seed. Her PR was her last throw of the season. She’s worked hard all season. She was in control of the competition from the get-go. I don’t think anyone challenged her. For her to keep climbing the whole way was impressive.”
Decker, a multisport athlete who placed fourth her sophomore year, will look to repeat next spring.
Ending her prep career on a high note, senior distance runner Abi Street earned a pair of medals by finishing third in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600.
“Abi ran a good race in the 3200,” Miller said. “The 1600 is not her strength, but I think she ran the best race of her career. It was really impressive what she did. It was a great way to end her career. It was a good day for our distance squad for sure.”
Street is headed to the University of Kansas to continue her academic and track and field career.
Just a freshman, Brooke Hedger finished fourth in the 800 in 2:19.
“Brooke positioned herself pretty well,” Miller said. “The race went out really slow. She ran a really good race. I’m proud of her and that should be a big confidence boost for her going into next year.”
The Webb City girls just missed a medal in the 4×100, as Kylie Jennings, Alyssa Moreno, Chase Stilley and Essence Robinson finished ninth. Also, junior Aubree Lassiter finished 11th in the discus.
The Webb City girls finished 11th in the Class 4 team standings with 26 points.
Also of note, Jeremy Butler has officially stepped down as Webb City’s girls track and field coach. Butler spent more than two decades coaching track at Webb City.
Coach Miller will be in charge of both programs next year.
“I look forward to seeing if we can get more talented athletes to come out for the sport,” he said.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Joplin area fared extremely well at the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships on Friday.
Lamar and East Newton both had individual state champions, while Joplin, Neosho, Carthage, Webb City, Carl Junction and Nevada all had athletes earn all-state recognition at Adkins Stadium on the campus of Jefferson City High School.
Below is a recap of Day 1 action for local athletes competing in classes 3-5. The state track meet concludes on Saturday.
CLASS 5
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell was the runner-up in the Class 5 1600-meter run on Friday, finishing in 4:13.01. Rock Bridge’s Andrew Hauser won the race in 4:12.79. Campbell also finished second to Hauser at last year’s state meet.
A future Kansas Jayhawk, Campbell also finished fifth in the 800 on Friday with a time of 1:55, giving the JHS standout a pair of medals.
Campbell will finish his prep career on Saturday by running the 3200.
Joplin’s other medalist on Friday was freshman Cordell Washington, who tied Ozark’s Peyton Ligon for sixth place in the high jump by clearing 6-5.5.
In other events, Eagles senior Drew VanGilder finished 10th in the javelin (153-11) and senior Orion Norris finished 15th in the prelims of the 200 (22.59).
Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Quinton Renfro, Tayshawn Palmer, Norris and Davin Thomas finished 11th in the prelims in 43.11 seconds and did not advance to the finals.
The top eight in each preliminary event advance to Saturday’s finals and the top eight in field events/running finals are state medalists.
On the girls side, Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland finished seventh in 48.95 seconds to advance to the finals.
A freshman, Strickland had a busy day. In Friday’s prelims, Strickland finished ninth in the 400-meter run (1:00), 10th in the 100-meter dash (12.33 seconds) and 11th in the 200 (25.78).
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Tigers senior Micah Lindsey earned a spot on the awards podium after placing fifth in the shot put (57-9).
A Pittsburg State football recruit, Lindsey is a two-time medalist, as he finished seventh in the event last year.
Carthage senior Miguel Solano placed ninth in the 800 with a time of 1:56.36, just missing a spot on the awards stand. The eighth place finisher, Grayson Tapp of Liberty North, recorded a time of 1:56.14.
Tigers junior Daryl Martin finished 12th in the 300 hurdles prelims with a time of 40.99 seconds.
For the Carthage girls, freshman Chasity Straw finished 11th in the discus (118-5).
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho senior Collyn Kivett earned a medal by finishing fifth in the Class 5 javelin. Kivett recorded a heave of 169-7.
Wildcats senior Tyrese Hill advanced to the finals of the 200-meter dash by finishing fourth in Friday’s prelims in 21.73 seconds. Hill was also 10th in the prelims of the 100 (10.86).
Neosho senior Jared Siler finished 10th in both of his individual events, the long jump (21-4) and the high jump (6-3.5).
Izaiah Hill finished 16th in the prelims of the 400 (51.29).
CLASS 4
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City had four all-state performances on Friday, three on the boys side.
Webb City senior Trey Roets closed out his prep career on the awards podium after placing third in the javelin with a toss of 179-11.
Roets, who will compete in football and track at William Jewell, was also third in the event last year.
The Cardinals had two medalists in the javelin, as junior Tucker Liberatore placed sixth with a toss of 171-4.
Webb City’s third medalist of the day was junior Evan Stevens, who placed fifth in the 1600 with a time of 4:21. Stevens will run the 3200 on Saturday.
In other events, Webb City sophomore Eric Lathan finished 13th in the shot put with a toss of 48-5.5 and Cardinals junior Ryan Reid competed in the high jump, but did not clear the opening height.
Webb City’s 4×400 relay team of Gabe Johnson, Noah Moss, Joshua White and Jordan Thornburg finished 16th in the prelims.
Of note, Webb City senior Grayson Smith will attempt to repeat as Class 4 pole vault champion on Saturday.
On the girls side, senior Abi Street finished third in the 3200 with a time of 10:59 to earn all-state honors. Street will compete in the 1600 on Saturday.
Webb City’s 4×100 relay team of Kylie Jennings, Chase Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Essence Robinson finished ninth in 50.03 seconds, just missing a spot in the finals.
Webb City junior Aubree Lassiter finished 11th in the discus (111-0).
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction junior Acadia Badgley finished sixth in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet even, earning all-state recognition.
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward advanced to the finals in two events.
In Friday’s prelims, Ward finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.08 seconds) and fifth in the 200 (25.1). Ward will compete in the finals of both events on Saturday. She was a medalist in both events last year as a freshman.
The CJ girls finished 15th in the prelims of the 4×200 relay, as Olivia Battagler, Destiny Buerge, Dezi Williams and Ward recorded a time of 1:48.7.
Freshman Bella Montez was 12th in the prelims of the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.39 seconds.
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s 4×100 relay team of Sam Barton, Esteban Martinez-Olvera, Dominic Cervantes and Josh Pacheco finished 15th in the prelims.
The Mustangs finished ninth in the 4×400 prelims, with Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Pacheco competing.
The Mac County girls finished 15th in the 4×400 prelims, with Clara Horton, Corina Holland, Ireona Nirka and Anna Price competing.
NEVADA HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada senior Drew Beachler was the runner-up in the Class 4 long jump after recording a leap of 23-2.
He’ll compete in the triple jump on Saturday.
CLASS 3
COLLEGE HEIGHTS GIRLS
The College Heights girls finished ninth in the prelims of the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:48.87, with Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout, Lauren Ukena and Jesalin Bever competing.
The Cougars were nipped at the finish line for the final spot in the finals by Maryville (1:48.86).
The CHC girls were 10th in the 4×400 prelims, as Bever, Johnson, Stout and Ukena recorded a time of 4:15.
A senior, Johnson finished 11th in the prelims of the 400 with a time of 1:01.
OTHER CLASS 3 HIGHLIGHTS
Two regional athletes won state titles in Class 3.
Lamar junior Trace Wooldridge won the shot put with a toss of 55-0.25.
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell crossed the line first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:53.
A junior, Sorrell also finished second in the 1600 with a time of 4:17 to earn two medals on the day.
East Newton had two other medalists, as Michael Crowe was the runner-up in the high jump (6-4) and Eden Enlow finished seventh in the javelin (149-10).
On the girls side in Class 3, Lamar’s Kiersten Potter finished third in the 3200 (11:18), Aurora’s Makena Hall placed fifth in the pole vault (10-3.5) and Cassville’s Jolie Evans was fifth in the 3200 (11:36).
Cassville’s 4×800 relay team of Marianne McCrackin, Tori Mitchell, Jadyn Williams-Reed and Jolie Evans finished fourth with a time of 10:03.
WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Webb City, Carl Junction and McDonald County all had multiple state qualifiers at Saturday’s Class 4 sectional 3 meet at West Plains High School.
The top four in each event advanced to next weekend’s state meet in Jefferson City.
One week after capturing a district championship, Webb City’s boys topped the final team standings at the sectional meet with 111 points. Marshfield was second with 95, while West Plains (94) and Rolla (74) were third and fourth.
Webb City’s girls were fifth in the team standings with 64 points.
The top four teams were Marshfield (108), Rockwood Summit (92), West Plains (78) and Washington (69).
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys advanced 13 entries to state in 11 events. The team had two qualifiers in two events, the pole vault and javelin.
The Cardinals won five events and finished second in two others to go along with four third-place finishes and two fourth-place showings.
Junior distance runner Evan Stevens was the sectional champion in two events. Stevens took first in the 1600 with a time of 4:25 and also won the 3200 in 9:47.
Cardinals senior Grayson Smith won the pole vault by clearing 15-11.75. Of course, Smith is the defending state champ in the event.
Webb City junior Nate Miller won the discus with a toss of 157-4 and junior Tucker Liberatore won the javelin with a toss of 171-7.
Sophomore Ryan Reid took second in the high jump (6-0), while junior Jadon Brisco was the runner-up to his teammate in the pole vault after clearing 14 feet.
Senior Trey Roets was third in the javelin (162-3), sophomore Eric Lathan took third in the shot put (50-10.75) and senior Jordan Thornburg finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.26).
The Cardinals advanced to state in three relays, as the 4×200 and 4×800 were third and the 4×400 finished fourth.
Mason Hedger, Dakota Grove, Noah Lankard and Stevens ran the 4×800.
The 4×400 featured Noah Moss, Gabe Johnson, Mason Hedger and Josh White.
Webb City’s 4×200 consisted of Thornburg, Gabe Johnson, William Headrick and White.
Webb City’s girls advanced to state in six events.
The Cardinals had two sectional champs, as junior Dawsyn Decker won the javelin with a toss of 139-3 and freshman Brooke Hedger won the 800 in 2:18.
Cardinals senior Abi Street was the runner-up in two events — the 1600 in 5:19 and the 3200 in 11:22.
Junior Aubree Lassiter finished fourth in the discus with a toss of 107-1.
Webb City’s girls finished third in the 4×100 relay in 50.34 seconds, with Kylie Jennings, Chase Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Essence Robinson competing.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward was the sectional champion in two events — the 100-meter dash (12.31 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (24.92 seconds).
Carl Junction’s girls had three other individual qualifiers, as junior Acadia Badgley was the runner-up in the pole vault (10-0.5), sophomore Madilyn Olds finished third in the javelin (121-0) and freshman Bella Montez took fourth in the 300 hurdles (49.1).
Carl Junction’s 4×200 relay team of Olivia Battagler, Destiny Buerge, Dezi Williams and Ward advanced by finishing fourth.
For the Carl Junction boys, senior Donnie Keith advanced by finishing fourth in the discus (137-4).
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s boys advanced in three events.
The Mustangs finished second in the 4×400 relay in 3:29, with Dominic Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Josh Pacheco running.
The team of Sam Barton, Esteban Martinez-Olvera, Cervantes and Pacheco finished third in the 4×100 relay in 43.69 seconds.
Mac County’s Toby Moore placed third in the discus (141-8) to give the Mustangs an individual qualifier.
McDonald County’s girls 4×400 relay team of Ireona Nirka, Clara Horton, Anna Price and Corina Holland finished fourth in 4:13.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Konner Poynter won the 300 hurdles in 39.98 seconds. A senior, Poynter was the runner-up in two events, the 200 and the 110 hurdles.
Monett’s Vayla Smith took second in the girls 400.
BEACHLER WINS TWO EVENTS FOR NEVADA
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Nevada senior Drew Beachler claimed a pair of sectional titles at the Class 4 Sectional 4 meet.
Beachler won the long jump with a leap of 22-0.25. He also won the triple jump with a mark of 44-1.25.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats boys track and field squad made history for the third meet in a row, winning their first sectional title Saturday with 73 points in Class 5 Sectional 3 competition at Parkview High School’s JFK Stadium.
The Wildcats’ first sectional title follows their first district title since 1979 and their first Central Ozark Conference title, both of which Neosho earned in the final event, the 4×400 relay.
On Saturday, Neosho overtook the lead earlier on and held off second place Lafayette (Wildwood) and Waynesville, who each compiled 70 points.
Nixa placed fourth with 67 points, followed by Camdenton (59), Capital City (57), Joplin (57), Eureka (54), Kickapoo (48), Carthage (34), Republic (32), Willard (28), Ozark (25), Branson (22), Parkview (13), Lebanon (11), Glendale (4), and Springfield Central (4).
On the girls side, meanwhile, Lafayette tallied 92 points to earn the sectional crown, followed by Republic (82), Capital City (71), Kickapoo (69), Glendale (55), Ozark (54), Nixa (47), Eureka (41), Joplin (37), Willard (35), Lebanon (33), Camdenton (29), Northwest (21), Carthage (19), Branson (15), Waynesville (14), Parkview (11), and Springfield Central (7).
The top four finishers in each event Saturday qualified for the state track and field championships May 26-27 in Jefferson City.
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
The Wildcats have already earned the right to call their season historic, but they have one more chapter to write next week in Jefferson City with their six state qualifiers.
Izaiah Hill and Collyn Kivett not only won sectional titles Saturday, but they also established school records in their respective events (Isaiah Hill 400-meter dash and Kivett javelin).
Hill won the 400 in 49.41 seconds and Kivett won the javelin with a toss of 173 feet, 5 inches.
Tyrese Hill finished second in both the 100 in 11.04 and the 200 in 21.84, and his time in the 200 established a school record.
The Hills combined for 26 points in three sprinting events.
Jared Siler claimed a sectional title with a clearance of 6-5 in the high jump and he earned a second qualification for state with a second in the long jump at 22-6.
Isaiah Green and Carter Baslee finished just short of state in three events (Green fifth in triple jump and sixth in long jump; Baslee fifth in discus), but their points in their respective events helped Neosho stay atop the team standings Saturday.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
The Eagles qualified for state in 11 events Saturday with senior distance runner Hobbs Campbell leading the boys in three events and freshman sprinter Brylee Strickland sparking the girls in four events.
Campbell won the 1600 in 4:16 and finished third in the 3200 in 9:48 and the 800 in 1:54, while Strickland placed second in the 400 in 58.94, third in the 200 in 25.58, fourth in the 100 in 12.57, and she ran the anchor leg for the 4×100 that finished third in 49.14.
Strickland was the lone freshman runner among those who qualified in the 100, 200, and 400 on the girls side.
Back on the boys side, senior Orion Norris placed fourth in the 200 in 22.53, the 4×100 finished third in 42.85, freshman Cordell Washington finished third in the high jump at 6-4 and senior Drew VanGilder finished third in the javelin at 167-7.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers qualified for state in six events, four on the boys and two on the girls side.
On the boys side, Carthage senior Miguel Solano won a sectional title in the 800, leading a field where the top four finishers were separated by a mere .58.
Solano won with a time of 1:54.49, besting Waynesville’s Tyrell Phinn (1:54.73), Campbell (1:54.78), and Capital City’s Keion Grieve (1:55.07).
Trent Yates placed fourth in the triple jump with a personal record of 43-9 getting the sophomore to state as the youngest qualifier from Class 5 Sectional 3.
Solano’s fellow senior Micah Lindsey placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 57-6.
Junior hurdler Daryl Martin placed fourth in the 300 hurdles in 41.00 and just missed on another state qualification with a fifth in the 110 hurdles in 15.65.
On the girls side, freshman Chasity Straw earned her first state qualification with a third in the discus at 114-6.
Sophomore thrower Karlie Nichols placed fourth in the shot put at 34-7.
Senior Joey Hettinger just missed qualifying after finishing fifth in the high jump.
For the first time since 2019, McAuley Catholic High School will have boys competing at the state track meet.
Two members of the team, senior Joe Staton and sophomore Tripp Miller, punched their respective tickets to the state championships by finishing in the top four of their events at this past Saturday’s Class 1 Sectional 3 meet in Point Lookout.
The pair will join the school’s lone female state qualifier, Kendall Ramsey, at the state meet on Friday in Jefferson City.
“I was really pleased with our effort,” McAuley coach Andy Youngworth said of the sectional showing. “The district we were competing against was very competitive. I’m disappointed for the kids that didn’t make it, but I’m really excited for the three kids who are moving on.”
The McAuley track program has made steady progress under Youngworth.
In 2019, McAuley’s boys track team was represented at the Class 1 state meet by the 4×200-meter relay team of Jacob Price, Nathan Taylor, Joseph Lupicki and Jake Staton.
There was no state track meet in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
McAuley’s track program had no state qualifiers in ’21.
In ’22, none of the team’s boys were able to advance.
This year, the Warriors broke through and ended the drought. One week after winning the program’s first district title, the Warriors had a pair of boys advance to state.
“Two years ago, only one boy and one girl qualified for sectionals,” Youngworth noted. “Last year, we had one girl in an event and five boys events at the sectional and none of the boys made it to state. So, to me, that’s something we’ve accomplished this year. It’s nice to be able to have a couple of kids going to state this year.”
At the sectional meet, Staton finished fourth in the pole vault (9-5) and Miller was fourth in the javelin (118-4).
“Joe and Tripp keep getting better every day,” Youngworth said. “They have their work cut out for them if they want to medal at state, but stranger things have happened.”
Ahead of the sectional, Staton was the district champion in the pole vault, while Miller took second at the district event.
Staton and Miller are also members of McAuley’s baseball team. The two had a late Friday night with the baseball team before getting up early on Saturday to head to the track meet.
The third-seeded McAuley baseball team meets second-seeded Exeter at 6:15 on Tuesday in a district semifinal.
With a win, the baseball team would play for a district title on Wednesday night. The state track meet begins on Friday in Jefferson City.
“Hopefully those guys will get the chance to compete for a district championship in baseball and compete at the state track meet in the same week,” Youngworth said of Staton and Miller.
As far as other events at Saturday’s sectional, McAuley’s boys just missed qualifying in three relays after finishing fifth in the 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800.
“Our 4×8 dropped 16 seconds but didn’t get out,” Youngworth said. “Our 4×1 was very close to making it to state. Our 4×4 just didn’t run as well as it did at districts. I was disappointed for our relays. They worked hard.”
Junior Michael Parrigon just missed advancing in the two events after finishing fifth in the 1600 and sixth in the 800.
“That’s just life,” Youngworth said. “Not everything is going to fall your way.”
Youngworth noted those disappointments should provide extra motivation next season.
“We’ll have a lot of our kids back next year,” he said. “This season was a great learning experience. We just have to get better. That’s the bottom line. We have to train harder.”
On the girls side, McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey was the sectional champ in two events — the 1600-meter run (5:50) and the 3200 (13:27).
“Kendall ran really well,” Youngworth said. “She went out in the 1600 and 3200 and just controlled the race early on. I know she can run faster than her times from Saturday. She didn’t have to run really hard just to get out. I’m happy for her.”
Ramsey is no stranger to state competition.
McAuley’s lone state qualifier in ’22, Ramsey finished 10th in the 3200 at last May’s state track meet. She placed eighth at this past fall’s state cross country championships.
Youngworth noted that Ramsey has the potential to earn a spot on the awards podium in both events this weekend.
“I think she can get on the podium,” he said. “She’s matured a lot as a runner. If she runs her personal best in both events she’s got a chance to medal.”
The MSHSAA Class 1 Track and Field Championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.
Webb City High School boys track and field coach Dustin Miller was pleased overall, but not completely satisfied with his team’s performance at Saturday’s Class 4 District 6 meet in Hollister.
Miller’s Cardinals compiled 169 points and captured the team championship. Marshfield was second with 144 points.
Led by six event wins and four runner-up finishes, Webb City advanced 19 entries in 15 events to Saturday’s sectional meet in West Plains.
“It was a good showing to have qualifiers in 15 out of 19 events,” Miller said. “We did a lot of good things. We had some guys perform well. It was a successful day. But, where we were trending and moving towards, our performance wasn’t quite to those expectations.”
Webb City’s individual district champions were seniors Grayson Smith (pole vault) and Trey Roets (javelin) and junior Evan Stevens (1600, 3200).
“They’ve been extremely consistent all season,” Miller said of the standout trio. “They’re dedicated and focused.”
Webb City’s boys advanced to the sectional in all four relays after winning the 4×100 and 4×800, taking second in the 4×200 and finishing third in the 4×400.
“Our 4×100 ran without Billy Wolfe on the end,” Miller said, noting Wolfe suffered an injury. “To run the time it did to beat a quality Marshfield team, I’m extremely proud of them. Same with the 4×2…we ran a solid time without Billy.”
Finishing second in their events were Jordan Thornburg (100), Mason Hedger (800) and Nate Miller (discus). Taking third in their respective events were Ryan Reid (high jump), Tucker Liberatore (javelin), Jadon Brisco (pole vault) and Noah Moss (400, 110 hurdles).
Eric Lathan (shot put), Atticus Luzadder (1600) and Jace Jones (110 H) all finished fourth.
Miller noted the performances of Reid, Luzzader and Lathan were pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, as is the case in postseason events, there were also some disappointments.
Senior Justin Allen, ranked second in the state behind his teammate Smith, failed to advance in the pole vault.
The team also had a few fifth-place finishers who just missed advancing—Dakota Grove in the 800, Joseph DeGraffenreid in the high jump and Devin Turner in the discus.
Next, the Cardinals will compete at the sectional meet on Saturday in West Plains, where state berths will be up for grabs.
Miller said the goals for Saturday are simple.
“Our stud athletes who are expected to score state points have to get through sectionals,” Miller said. “No exceptions. No excuses. We have to get our big point-scorers to the state meet. We’d like to get as many kids to state as possible. I just want to see them compete well on Saturday. Attitude and effort is what we’ve been preaching all year, so we need to get back on track with the way we were competing.
“We’ve got the talent to finish on the state podium this year,” Miller added. “That’s what we’re going to strive for. We have to take care of business, keep working hard and not get complacent. It’s the time of the year where we’re either going to man up and get it done or we’re not going to get it done. That’s where we’re at.”
WEBB CITY GIRLS ADVANCE IN 11 EVENTS
At Saturday’s district meet, Webb City’s girls won five events and advanced to the sectional in 11 events.
Jeremy Butler’s Webb City girls were second in the team standings with 140 points. Marshfield was first with 168.
Winning individual events at the district meet were senior Abi Street (1600, 3200), junior Dawsyn Decker (javelin) and freshman Brooke Hedger (800).
The team’s 4×400 took first, while the Cardinals were second in both the 4×100 and 4×800.
Taking second in their events were Street (800), Hedger (1600), Essence Robinson (400) and Lily McCaw (pole vault). Finishing third were Emily Countryman (3200), Chase Stilley (high jump) and Aubree Lassiter (discus).
“We had a good meet on the girls side, too,” Miller said. “I think our girls team has a chance to get quite a few to the state meet. The girls are really rounding into form and looking pretty solid.”
Saturday’s Class 4 Sectional 3 Meet in West Plains will feature the qualifiers from District 5 and District 6.
The top four in each event at the sectional will advance to the state meet in Jefferson City.
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats boys track and field team made history for the second meet in a row.
On May 4, at Ozark High School, the Neosho boys won their first Central Ozark Conference team title in program history.
On Saturday, trailing Nixa entering the final event of the 4×400, Neosho’s relay of freshman William Ebbinghaus, sophomore Isaiah Keezer, senior Isaiah Green and junior Izaiah Hill rallied past the field down the back stretch with a winning time of 3 minutes and 26 seconds and secured the program’s first district track title since 1979.
Neosho won with 127 points and Nixa finished second with 121. Joplin was third with 107, Kickapoo fourth at 97, Ozark fifth at 68, Republic sixth at 64, Branson seventh at 59, Carthage eighth at 58 and Parkview ninth at 38.
“Super exciting,” Neosho boys coach Randy Mustain said. “We had a similar situation last week at the conference championship, which we won for the first time in program history being in the COC. We were down one point to Webb City, and we came in and competed and the kids just had an awesome night PR’d in the 4×4 and came back tonight. …
“We’re tired. You know, some of those guys ran four or five events tonight and came back and battled hard and pulled through for us. I’m super proud of them. To be able to come back and win that event to cap it off tonight, there’s nothing more sweet.”
The excitement around the final event could be felt and heard around Carthage’s David Haffner Stadium, especially as the anchor legs cranked up their engines and hit their accelerators for that final push toward the finish line.
Neosho senior Tyrese Hill looks to the scoreboard while finishing the 200-meter dash on Saturday at David Haffner Stadium in Carthage. Hill took first in the finals with a time of 22.46 seconds. Photo by Brennan Stebbins.
The excitement continued for Neosho after the race, as they celebrated like it was 1979, culminating in Mustain being surrounded and given the customary Gatorade shower.
“We’ve got a great group of guys on the 4×4,” Mustain said. “We’re pretty young there at the start of the race. We start off with a sophomore and a freshman who are coming on strong and training well for us. Then, you roll into a senior (Green). We use the term ‘dog’ in our program, and he’s a dog. He just absolutely goes after it and battles, and he did everything he could to give Izaiah a chance. I knew he could do that. We were super excited for him.
“I told Izaiah before the race, Izaiah Hill, our anchor leg, I said, I wouldn’t want it in anybody else’s hands. I’m super proud of him, and he handled himself very well.”
Neosho senior Tyrese Hill won the 100 in 10.81 and the 200 in 22.46, while Izaiah Hill won the 400 in 49.99.
The 4×200 of Tyrese Hill, Izaiah Hill, Keezer, and Tyrone Harris finished third in 1:31 and the 4×100 of Brock Franklin, Tyrese Hill, Jared Siler, and Harris placed fourth in 43.53.
Green won the triple jump at 44 feet and 11 inches and Siler placed fourth at 42-9.75. Green and Siler finished third and fourth in the long jump at 21-8.75 and 21-7.25 respectively, while Siler placed fourth in the high jump at 6-2.75.
Collyn Kivett won the javelin with a toss of 164-1 and Carter Baslee finished third in the discus with a mark of 150-6.
Neosho qualified in all these events for next Saturday’s Class 5 Sectional 3 meet hosted by Parkview, and the top four sectional finishers advance to the state meet the last weekend in May in Jefferson City.
“Those guys, they have known that they can do something special from the beginning,” Mustain said. “We’ve continued to preach that. We started this season off with a plywood state plaque we cut out and we put ‘Victory takes payment in advance’ in front of that and on the back, we put every team we were going to face at conference and districts. We said that this is what we want, and this is what our program is striving for.
“It’s the first time in 44 years the Neosho boys track and field program has won a district title. We’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.
“This is Year Six for me as the head coach of this program. We’ve seen it grow every year, and that’s not a testament to me, it’s a testament to the kids coming into the weight room. Coach (Brandon) Taute does a great job with them in the weight room. Just having him in there driving those kids helps a lot.
“I have awesome assistant coaches that … at the beginning of the year, we were looking at districts and we were scheduled to get zero points in the throws. We came out today and I think we scored 22 points in the throws. I’m extremely proud of our kids there. All of our coaches do a great job, they’ve got our kids bought in, we’re a family, we love each other, they know that, and they’ll go to battle for each other all the time.”
Mustain’s assistants are Drew Harmon, Frank Hebert, Desmond Williams, and Josh Yarnell.
Carthage senior Miguel Solano leads the pack in the 800 on Saturday at the district meet hosted by the Tigers. Photo by Brennan Stebbins.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The host Carthage Tigers finished eighth Saturday in the overall standings and qualified for sectionals in six different events.
Miguel Solano won the 800 in 1:58.88, just .07 ahead of Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell, and Daryl Martin finished third in both the 110 hurdles in 15.73 and the 300 hurdles in 40.66.
The 4×800 of Trey Nye, Solano, Caleb Fewin, and Michael Lanyon finished third in 8:19 and the 4×400 of Braxton McBride, Solano, Nye, and Joseph Childs also finished third in 3:27.
Trent Yates placed second in the triple jump at 43-1.5 and Micah Lindsey also finished second in the shot put at 54-7.5.
“I think we came out and competed,” Carthage boys coach Logan Wilson said. “At the very start of the day I told them, ‘Hey, go get another PR and we’ll see how we fall.’ That’s what we did. We got PRs across the board, and a couple of our teams were lucky to be fast enough to move on. We had a shot putter go through, we had a triple jumper go through, and our hurdler got through at 110 and 300. We told them at the beginning of the year to come out and get better every day and that’s exactly what they did.”
District 6 qualifiers and District 5 qualifiers from schools Camdenton, Capital City, Eureka, Glendale, Lafayette (Wildwood), Lebanon, Northwest (Cedar Hill), Springfield Central, Waynesville, and Willard meet at sectionals.
“It’s hard,” Wilson said. “When you’re going to a Class 5 sectional, it’s hard. You’ve got kids that are top ranked in the state in every event. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to go there with the same mentality. We’re going to compete, and where the chips fall is where they’re going to fall. We’ve got two guys ranked at the top of sectionals right now, so we like our odds. At the end of the day, we just want a chance to compete, and we earned that today.”
Joplin sophomore Tayshaun Palmer takes the baton from junior Quinton Renfro during the 4×100 relay at Saturday’s Class 5 District 6 meet. Joplin won the event in 42.95 seconds.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
The Joplin Eagles finished third on the boys side Saturday and qualified in 11 events for sectionals at Parkview.
Senior distance standout Hobbs Campbell won the 1600 in 4:18 and finished second in the 800 in 1:58 and the 3200 in 9:48, while Orion Norris raced to fourth in the 200 in 23.03.
The 4×100 of Quinton Renfro, Tayshaun Palmer, Norris, and Davin Thomas won in 42.95 and the 4×200 of Palmer, Aiden Scourten, Norris, and Davin Thomas finished second in 1:31.
Renfro took second in the long jump with a leap of 21-10, freshman high jumper Cordell Washington finished third at 6-3.5, freshman Neil Barstow’s heave of 146-10 earned him fourth in the discus (three of the four sectional qualifiers in the discus are freshmen), Dontrell Holt placed fourth in the shot put at 49-6.5, and Drew VanGilder also placed fourth in the javelin at 152-7.
Joplin junior Kiki Thom won the 300-meter hurdles in 47.48 seconds at Saturday’s Class 5 District 6 meet in Carthage. Photo by Brennan Stebbins/Special to SoMo Sports.
GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
On the girls side, the Joplin Eagles finished fifth with 83 points and qualified in nine events for sectionals next Saturday at Parkview.
Joplin freshman Brylee Strickland especially proved to be fleet of foot Saturday, qualifying for sectionals in three individual sprinting events and one sprint relay.
Strickland sprinted to second in the 100 in 12.53, won the 200 in 26.30, and finished third in the 400 in 1:01.
Strickland also ran the anchor leg on the second place 4×100 relay with their 49.52 time. Sophomore sprinters Phia Vogel and Abigayle Lowery, along with junior Abigail Eckert, joined Strickland on the relay.
Junior hurdler Kiki Thom won a district title in the 300 hurdles in 47.48, Vogel placed fourth in the 100 in 12.81, and Lowery also placed fourth in the 200 in 26.79.
Maria Loum finished third in the pole vault at 10-0 and Kendall Nyarango also finished third in the long jump at 17-4.75.
The host Carthage Tigers tallied 64 points to finish sixth and qualified in five events for sectionals.
Carthage senior Joey Hettinger won a district title with a high clearance of 5-2.25 in the high jump, and she was the lone athlete in her event to clear 5-0 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, freshman Chasity Straw finished second in the discus with a heave of 104-9 and Lilly Holmes and Karlie Nichols finished second and third in the shot at 35-0.25 and 34-9.5.
Lexa Youngblood placed fourth in the 400 in 1:03 and the 4×400 of Aven Willis, Evelyn Carrol, Maggie Boyd, and Youngblood also placed fourth in 4:16.
The Neosho Wildcats totaled 26.5 points to take ninth in the standings and qualified in one event for sectionals, as freshman Jazmyn Washington finished second in the 100 hurdles in 16.01.
Joplin sophomore Davin Thomas finished fourth in the 100-meter dash to earn a spot in next weekend’s sectional meet.
HOLLISTER, Mo. — The College Heights Christian School girls were among the teams competing at the Class 3 District 6 track meet on Saturday at Hollister High School.
The top four finishers in each event advanced to next Saturday’s sectional meet in West Plains.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
The team of Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout, Lauren Ukena and Jesalin Bever won the 4×200-meter relay with a time of 1:48.
The CHC girls were third in the 4×100 relay, with Johnson, Stout, Ukena and Addison Lawrence competing.
The team of Bever, Johnson, Stout and Ukena took fourth in the 4×400.
Also for the CHC girls, Ukena took second in the 200, Johnson took fourth in the 400 and Bever finished fourth in both the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
Seneca’s Isabella Renfro placed second in the shot put with a toss of 35-0.75, while Cambry Long took third in two events, the 200 (27.87 seconds) and the 400 (1:01).
Seneca’s girls finished fourth in the 4×200, with Savannah Johnson, Addyson Jones, Anna Adkins and Long competing.
Seneca’s 4×200 relay team of Jackson Marrs, Ethan Altic, Blake Hurn, Brodie Probert just missed qualifying after finishing fifth.
Grant Landers finished fifth in the triple jump and the Indians were sixth in the 4×100.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Lamar’s boys and Clever’s girls were the team champions.
Winning events for the Lamar boys were Tyson Williams (discus), Trace Wooldridge (shot put), Carson Sturgell (pole vault) and Ian Ngugi (100).
East Newton’s Chase Sorrell won three events, the 800, 1600 and 3200. East Newton’s Michael Crowe won the high jump.
Cassville’s Charles Elliott (300 H) and Ashton Wheeler (long jump) were district champs.
Winning individual events in the girls meet were Aurora’s Makena Hall (pole vault, 100 hurdles) and Lamar’s Elise Ferris (long jump), Addison Brown (discus) and Kiersten Potter (3200).
HOLLISTER, Mo. — Webb City’s boys track and field squad captured the Class 4 District 6 championship on Saturday at Hollister High School.
The Cardinals compiled 169 points and Marshfield was second with 144.
The Webb City girls were second in the team standings with 140 points. Marshfield was first with 168.
At the district meet, the top four finishers in each event advanced to next Saturday’s sectional meet in West Plains.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys won six events and took second in four events.
Overall, Webb City advanced 19 entries to the sectional in 15 events. The Cardinals had two qualifiers in four different events (javelin, pole vault, 110 hurdles, 1600).
Defending state champion Grayson Smith was the district champ in the pole vault after clearing 15-7 and senior Trey Roets won the javelin with a toss of 177-3.
Webb City junior Evan Stevens won a pair of individual events, the 1600 in 4:38 and the 3200 in 10:06.
Nate Miller was the runner-up in the discus (145-4), Jordan Thornburg took second in the 100-meter dash (11.15 seconds) and Mason Hedger was second in the 800 (2:03).
Ryan Reid placed third in the high jump, Tucker Liberatore was third in the javelin, Jadon Brisco took third in the pole vault and Noah Moss finished third in two events, the 400 and the 110 hurdles.
Eric Lathan (shot put), Atticus Luzadder (1600) and Jace Jones (110 H) all finished fourth.
Webb City’s boys advanced in all four relays.
The Cardinals won the 4×800 relay in 8:26, with Hedger, Dakota Grove, Noah Lankford and Stevens competing.
Webb City’s 4×100 team took first in 43.24 seconds and Webb City was second in the 4×200.
The Cardinals placed third in the 4×400.
Webb City’s girls won five events and advanced to the sectional in 11 events.
Webb City senior standout Abi Street won two individual events and finished second in another.
A Kansas signee, Street won the 1600 in 5:43 and also crossed the line first in the 3200 in 12:30.
Street was the runner-up in the 800 with a time of 2:25, as her teammate Brooke Hedger took first in 2:21. A freshman, Hedger took second to her teammate Street in the 1600.
Cardinals junior Dawsyn Decker won the javelin with a toss of 131-2.
Also, Lily McCaw was the runner-up in the pole vault, Essence Robinson took second in the 400, Chase Stilley placed third in the high jump, Emily Countryman was third in the 3200 and Aubree Lassiter placed third in the discus.
The Webb City girls also fared well in the relays.
Featuring Robinson, Stilley, Aspen White and Hedger, Webb City’s girls won the 4×400 relay in 4:14.
The team of White, Kristina Bundy, Countryman and Street finished second in the 4×800 relay.
The Cardinals were also second in the 4×100, with Kylie Jennings, Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Robinson running.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward won two events, the 100-meter dash in 12.33 seconds and the 200 in 25.91.
Also for the CJ girls, Bella Montez crossed the line first in the 300 hurdles in 49.59 seconds, while Acadia Badgley won the pole vault by clearing 10 feet even.
Madilyn Olds finished fourth in the javelin.
Carl Junction’s 4×200 relay team of Olivia Battagler, Destiny Buerge, Dezi Williams and Ward took third.
The Bulldogs were third in the 4×100, with Battagler, Buerge, Bella Montez and Ward competing.
For the Carl Junction boys, Donnie Keith placed third in the discus, Braxton Dodds was fourth in the javelin and Dexter Merrell finished fourth in the 300 hurdles.
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s 4×400 relay team of Dominic Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Josh Pacheco took first in 3:30.
The Mustangs were third in the 4×800 relay, with Tyler Rothrock, McClain, Miguel Mora and Leach competing.
The Mustangs also finished third in the 4×100 relay, with Samuel Barton, Esteban Martinez-Olvera, Cervantes and Josh Pacheco running.
Pacheco took third in the triple jump, while Leach was third in the 800, Toby Moore finished third in the shot put and fourth in the discus and Cervantes placed fourth in the 400.
The Mac County girls took second in the 4×400 relay, with Clara Horton, Corina Holland, Ireona Nirka and Anna Price competing.
The team’s 4×800 relay finished fourth, with Horton, Kate Cheney, Dallie Racher and Price competing.
Holland placed third in the 400 and Lacey Nix finished fourth in the pole vault.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Konner Poynter won three events, the 110 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the 200-meter dash. He was also fourth in the 100.
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — College Heights Christian, Thomas Jefferson and McAuley Catholic had athletes qualify for the state track meet with their performances at their respective sectional meets on Saturday at School of the Ozarks.
College Heights’ boys were among the teams competing at the Class 2 Sectional 3 meet, while Thomas Jefferson and McAuley competed in Class 1.
The top four finishers in each event advanced to the state meet.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
The College Heights boys won the Class 2 4×200-meter relay in 1:35, with Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade and Colsen Dickens competing.
A junior, Quade advanced to state in two individual events, as he was the runner-up in both the triple jump (12.16m) and the long jump (6.03m).
Also of note, the CHC girls competed at a Class 3 district meet on Saturday. See a related story.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry advanced to the Class 1 state meet in three individual events—the 800, 1600 and 3200.
Atteberry finished fourth in all three events. He recorded a time of 2;03 in the 800 in 2:03, finished the 1600 in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:41.
Tyler Brouhard advanced in two events, as the senior was fourth in both the 100-meter dash (11.87) and the 200 (23.93 seconds).
TJ’s Jay Ball just missed advancing in both the discus (fifth) and shot put (sixth).
Like the TJ boys, Thomas Jefferson’s girls advanced in five events.
The Cavaliers fared well in the field events. Nico Carlson won the high jump (1.48m), Gabriella Hiebert took second in the long jump (4.63m) and tied for second in the high jump (1.4m), while Lannah Grigg placed third in the discus (29.96m) and Avery Hocker finished fourth in the triple jump (9.52m).
Also advancing was Macie Shifferd, who was second in the 3200 (13:59).
The TJ girls just missed qualifying in the 4×800 after finishing fifth. The Cavaliers were also sixth in the 4×100.
Thomas Jefferson’s girls finished fourth in the team standings, while the TJ boys were sixth.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey won two events in the girls meet, the 3200 in 12:27 and the 1600 in 5:50.
On the boys side, McAuley senior Joe Staton finished fourth in the pole vault (2.87m) and sophomore Roscoe Miller placed fourth in the javelin (36.06m) to give the Warriors a pair of individual qualifiers.
McAuley’s boys finished fifth in three relays, as the 4×100, the 4×400 and the 4×800 all just missed qualifying. Also, Michael Parrigon just missed advancing in two events, as he was fifth in the 1600 and sixth in the 800.
McAuley’s boys were 11th in the standings and the McAuley girls were 13th.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The Class 1 team champions were the Appleton City girls and Hermitage boys.
Sarcoxie’s girls and Stockton’s boys won the team titles in Class 2.
In Class 2, Diamond’s Zachary Roughton won the 300 hurdles and was the runner-up in the 110 hurdles.
Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four girls events in Class 2 — the 200, the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the high jump.
Winning events for Sarcoxie were Ariel Wilson (girls 400) and Jaron Malotte (boys 110 hurdles).
There was plenty of suspense in the air when the final event of the Class 1 District 5 track meet concluded on Saturday night at Mountain Grove High School.
Three boys squads — Lockwood, Thomas Jefferson and McAuley Catholic — were all in the hunt for a team championship near the end of the meet.
And when the dust settled, and thanks to a strong finish in the 4×400-meter relay, McAuley Catholic was the squad celebrating when the final team scores were announced.
For the Warriors, a feeling of anxiousness quickly turned into a feeling of pure joy.
McAuley finished with 94 points to capture the team championship, while runner-up Thomas Jefferson had 93 points and Lockwood finished third with 90.
“In MoMileSplit’s virtual meet, we were fourth or fifth, so it wasn’t supposed to happen on paper,” McAuley coach Andy Youngworth said. “And there were six events we didn’t compete in. But you never know. I’m really pleased. We really competed well. I’m just really happy for these kids. I know the kids are excited.
“It was just one point…that’s what it came down to,” Youngworth added. “Thomas Jefferson has a good team and they beat us at the conference meet. TJ’s coach Clayton Carnahan came over even before it was announced that we won and congratulated us. I thought that showed a lot of class. I appreciated that.”
The district championship is the first in school history for the McAuley boys track program.
Now in his second year at the helm of the McAuley program, Youngworth noted it was a rewarding experience to watch his team not only celebrate a district championship, but also make history.
“I’ve done this for a long time,” the veteran coach said. “There have been other things I’ve been involved with that have brought a lot of enjoyment, but this is way up there because it wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Youngworth said McAuley’s previous best finish at a district meet was a third place showing in 2014.
“One of our goals this season was to win the conference,” Youngworth said. “That’s hard to do because College Heights is really good and really deep. The second goal was to win a district championship. It’s always been one of our goals. This group has bought in from Day 1. I’m really happy for the kids and I’m hoping this is something the program can build on.”
The McAuley Catholic boys track team poses after winning the district meet on Saturday. Courtesy photo.
Youngworth said he was able to check the live results online a few times throughout the meet to see how the team standings were looking.
“We were kind of hanging around all meet,” Youngworth said. “Every time I checked the live results we’d be in third or second and not that far off from first.
“After the two-mile, we were nine points out of first place behind Thomas Jefferson and we were tied with Lockwood. Thomas Jefferson didn’t have an entry in the 4×400. So we were fortunate we had those four kids running the mile relay.”
The Warriors’ seed time in the 4×400 was 3:50, but McAuley’s foursome of Alex Bohachick, Dylan Taffner, Jack Jones and Michael Parrigon recorded a winning time of 3:41.
Their win, which delivered 10 points, put the Warriors in first place in the team standings.
At the district meet, the top four finishers in each event qualified for Saturday’s Class 1 Sectional 3 meet.
McAuley’s boys recorded 11 top-four performances in 10 events, with multiple qualifiers in one event.
The Warriors won three events, finished second in three others, had a pair of third-place showings and took fourth in three events.
“We scored points in 13 of the 19 events,” Youngworth noted. “Every kid who competed for the boys team scored a point and will be in an event on Saturday. I’m not sure that’s ever happened before on one of my teams…every kid who competed at districts will compete at sectionals.”
The showing in the 4×400 capped a stellar day in the relays for the Warriors.
McAuley’s Michael Parrigon and Thomas Jefferson’s Kip Atteberry are among the runners competing in the 800-meter run at last Saturday’s district track meet. Courtesy photo.
McAuley’s 4×800 relay team of Bohachick, Connor Taffner, Drew Zeb and Trae Veer took first in 9:18
The team’s 4×100 of Ethan Stabb, Jones, Dylan Taffner and Bohachick finished second in 49.93 and the 4×200 of Stabb, Staton, Dylan Taffner and Tripp Miller placed fourth in 1:49.
Joe Staton won the pole vault with a clearance of 11-4.5.
Parrigon finished second in the 1600 in 4:47 and third in the 800 in 2:06, while Bohachick finished third in the 400 in 54.39 and Veer placed fourth in the 3200 in 11:14.
The Warriors had two of the top four in the javelin, as Roscoe Miller was the runner-up (113-8) and Max Anreder was fourth (108-10).
Two Warriors finished fifth in their events, Jones in the high jump and Veer in the triple jump. Anreder finished seventh in the discus, Drew took seventh in the 1600 and Connor Taffner was eighth in the 800.
And although they missed qualifying for the sectional, all of those points were crucial for the team.
“It’s not just the first places that win you meets, it’s the sixth, seventh and eighth places that help you do it,” Youngworth noted.
RAMSEY LEADS MCAULEY GIRLS
McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey advanced to the sectional in three events.
Ramsey won two events, the 1600 in 5:47 and the 3200 in 13:08. Ramsey was the runner-up in the 800 with a time of 2:42.
“Kendall ran well and competed well,” Youngworth said. “She ran a PR in the 800. She was solid in the 3200 and the 1600. I’m excited for her. I think she’s confident and I think she’s in a good spot as far as the sectional.”
Also competing the McAuley girls were freshmen Brooke Righter (hurdles), Samantha Perrin (400), Vanessa Diaz-Hernandez (100, 200) and Keira Mays (discus, shot).
The McAuley girls finished eighth in the standings with 33 points.
“My goal is to create two programs that are competitive, but you have to have some numbers to do that,” Youngworth said. “Our girls scored more points this year, which was good to see. Hopefully this year’s success will get more kids to come out in the future. If not, we’ll continue to do the best we can.”
SECTIONAL MEET IS SATURDAY
At Saturday’s sectional meet hosted by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, state berths will be secured by those who finish in the top four of each event.
The MSHSAA Track & Field Championships for Class 1 will be held on May 19-20 in Jefferson City.
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. — The McAuley Catholic Warriors, behind the strength of three event wins and 33 overall points from their four relays, earned a team championship in Class 1 District 5 Saturday at Mountain Grove High School, beating out crosstown and Ozark 7 Conference rival Thomas Jefferson by a single point, 94-93.
Lockwood finished third with 90 points, Billings fourth with 83, Dora fifth with 79, and Crane sixth with 68, while the other nine schools finished well behind the top six with seventh place Walnut Grove compiling 26 points.
The district title was determined in rather dramatic fashion.
The Warriors’ 4×400 relay team of Alex Bohachick, Dylan Taffner, Jack Jones, and Michael Parrigon recorded a winning time of 3 minutes and 41 seconds, and their win put the Warriors in first place in the team standings after the final event.
The Warriors’ 4×800 of Bohachick, Connor Taffner, Drew Zeb, and Trae Veer took first in 9:18, their 4×100 of Ethan Stabb, Jones, Dylan Taffner, and Bohachick finished second in 49.93, and their 4×200 of Stabb, Staton, Dylan Taffner, and Tripp Miller placed fourth in 1:49 during a great day in relays for McAuley Catholic.
Also for the Warriors, Joe Staton won the pole vault with a clearance of 11-4.5.
Parrigon finished second in the 1600 in 4:47 and third in the 800 in 2:06, while Bohachick finished third in the 400 in 54.39 and Veer placed fourth in the 3200 in 11:14.
The Warriors had two of the top four in the javelin, as Roscoe Miller was the runner-up (113-8) and Max Anreder was fourth (108-10).
Thomas Jefferson senior Jay Ball won the discus with a heave of 117-9 and placed fourth in the shot put at 34-7.
Fellow senior Tyler Brouhard finished second in the 100-meter dash in 11.59 seconds and second in the 200 in 23.65.
Fellow senior Kip Atteberry won the 1600 in 4:39 and the 3200 in 10:52 and finished second in the 800 in 2:04.
Sheraz Anis finished third in the 110 hurdles in 18.10 and placed fourth in the 300 hurdles in 45.07.
Thomas Jefferson’s 4×800 of James Wisdom, Trenton Farley, Eann Espinoza, and Braden Honeywell-Lynch finished third in 10:12.
On the girls side, Thomas Jefferson finished third with 81 points and McAuley Catholic finished seventh with 33 points.
Thomas Jefferson senior Nico Carlson won a district title with a clearance 4-11 in the high jump and sophomore Lannah Grigg won the discus with a winning toss of the implement at 103-8.
Macie Shifferd finished second in the 3200 in 13:40, while Gabriella Hiebert finished second in the long jump with a leap of 15-1.5 and third in the high jump at 4-7 and Avery Hocker placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in 19.85.
Thomas Jefferson’s 4×800 of Samantha Seto, Sarah Mueller, Carlson, and Shifferd finished third in 11:24.
The Cavaliers’ 4×100 of Carlson, Hiebert, Hocker, and Haley Orr finished third in 56.24.
McAuley Catholic junior Kendall Ramsey won district titles in the 1600 in 5:47 and the 3200 in 13:08 and finished second in the 800 in 2:42.
The top four finishers in each event Saturday qualified for the Class 1 Sectional 3 hosted Saturday, May 13, by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.
The District 5 qualifiers will compete against each other and the District 6 qualifiers for the right to earn their spot in the 98th edition of the boys and the 50th of the girls MSHSAA Track & Field Championships on May 19-20 in Jefferson City.
Class 1 and 2 compete May 19-20 and then Class 3-5 take over host site Adkins Stadium on May 26-27.
College Heights boys advance in five events, tie Jasper for third place
BOLIVAR, Mo. — The College Heights Christian boys finished in a tie for third with 67 points Saturday at the Class 2 District 6 meet hosted by Southwest Baptist University.
Stockton ran away from the field of 15 schools with 162 points and Sarcoxie finished a distant second with 77 points. Like CHC, Jasper also had 67 points.
The College Heights 4×200 of Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade, and Colsen Dickens won a district title in 1:35.71 and the 4×800 of Steven Calandro, Ian Edwards, Jace Edwards, and Derrick McMillan finished second in 9:04.
Quade finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 40-11.75 and second in the long jump at 20-1.25.
Calandro placed fourth in the 110 hurdles in 18.37.
As far as other highlights, Diamond’s Zachary Roughton won two events, the 110 hurdles (15.83 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (42.56), while Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four events in the girls meet, the 100-hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 200-meter dash and the high jump.
The top four finishers in each event Saturday qualified for the Class 2 Sectional 3 hosted next Saturday by the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout.
Meanwhile, the College Heights girls compete next Saturday in the Class 3 District 6 meet hosted by Big 8 Conference member Hollister and also featuring Aurora, Cassville, Clever, East Newton, El Dorado Springs, Fair Grove, Lamar, Mount Vernon, New Covenant, Seneca, Springfield Catholic, and Strafford.
The Neosho High School boys track and field team made history on Wednesday night.
The Wildcats captured the team championship at the 2023 Central Ozark Conference Track Meet at Ozark High School.
It’s Neosho’s first conference title in boys track as a member of the COC.
Neosho’s boys track program last won a conference title in 2005 as a member of the Southwest Conference.
With that, it’s safe to say Wednesday night was a memorable one for the Wildcats.
“This year our team motto has been ‘Victory Takes Payment in Advance’ and we have fully embraced that motto,” Neosho coach Randy Mustain said. “I am extremely proud of the boys and the way they competed as a team and the way they supported each other throughout the competition.”
The conference meet ended in thrilling fashion for the Wildcats.
Neosho was in second place in the team standings behind Webb City ahead of the 4×400-meter relay, the night’s final event.
Coming up big, Neosho’s 4×400 relay team of Isaiah Keezer, Will Ebbinghaus, Isaiah Green and Izaiah Hill won the race with a time of 3:26.
The 10 points for the event victory pushed Neosho past Webb City (129.33 to 123) for the top spot in the final team standings, giving the Wildcats the championship plaque.
Mustain noted the Wildcats were not favored to win the meet.
“Going into the meet we were projected to finish second behind Nixa by four points,” Mustain said. “We challenged our kids in some areas that we were showing weakness and they rose to the occasion.”
In a stellar showing, Neosho won seven events and took second in two others.
Overall, the Wildcats recorded 20 top-eight performances.
“We were confident in our big points contributors and they did their jobs in delivering those points in the jumps, sprints and relays,” Mustain said. “Our kids in the distance group and throws have been working extremely hard improving every week knowing they will continue to play a big role in our championship season success.”
Senior sprinter Tyrese Hill won a pair of individual events, the 100-meter dash (10.87 seconds) and the 200 (22.37).
Also winning individual events for the Wildcats were junior Izaiah Hill (400), senior Jared Siler (long jump) and fellow senior Green (triple jump).
Neosho won two relays.
In addition to the 4×400, the Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:30, with Tyrese Hill, Izaiah Hill, Keezer and Tyrone Harris competing.
The 4×100 relay team of Brock Franklin, Tyrese Hill, Siler and Harris finished second in 43.46 seconds.
The 4×800 relay featuring Carson Newell, Gabe Mabrey, Ebbinghaus and Brock Pyle finished fifth.
Green finished second in the long jump and was eighth in the 400, while Jared Siler was third in both the triple jump and high jump.
Also for the Wildcats, Izaiah Hill placed fourth in the 200, Konnor Siler was fourth in the 100, Newell finished fourth in the 800, Keezer took fifth in the 400, Carter Baslee finished sixth in the discus and eighth in the shot put and Collyn Kivett was sixth in the javelin.
Neosho will be among the teams competing at the Class 5 District 6 meet on May 13 at Carthage High School.
Mustain noted his team’s work is far from over, as there are plenty of goals still to reach.
“We’re looking forward to a very exciting finish to our season, as we now gear up to attack a 42-year-old drought between district championships,” he said.
OZARK, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats definitely finished strong on Wednesday night.
Neosho’s boys were trailing Webb City in the team standings by a slim margin when the final event of the Central Ozark Conference track and field championships arrived.
However, the Wildcats won the 4×400-meter relay, Webb City finished sixth, and with that, Neosho captured the team championship at the 2023 COC Meet at Ozark High School.
Neosho finished with 129.33 points to Webb City’s 123.
Nixa (106.33), Joplin (92) and Ozark (68) rounded out the top five teams. Branson (63), Willard (58.33), Carthage (50), Republic (43) and Carl Junction (7) finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
The top five girls teams were Republic (129), Ozark (118.5), Nixa (105), Webb City (85) and Joplin (79).
Rounding out the girls team standings were Carthage (67.66), Carl Junction (60), Willard (47), Branson (26.5) and Neosho (20.33).
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho won seven events and took second in two others. Overall, the Wildcats recorded 18 top-six performances.
The Wildcats had a strong showing in the sprints, relays and jumps.
Neosho’s Jared Siler (22-2.25) and Isaiah Green (21-6.75) took first and second in the long jump.
Green won the triple jump (44-5.25) and Siler was third (43-8.5). Siler also finished third in the high jump.
Tyrese Hill won the 100-meter dash in 10.87 seconds, and teammate Konnor Siler was fourth in 11.31. Hill also won the 200 in 22.37 seconds.
Izaiah Hill took first in the 400 with a time of 50.34 seconds. Teammate Isaiah Keezer was fifth. Izaiah Hill also placed fourth in the 200.
In addition to winning the 4×400 relay in 3:26, the Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:30, were second in the 4×100 and placed fifth in the 4×800.
Also for the Wildcats, Carson Newell finished fourth in the 800, Carter Baslee finished sixth in the discus and Collyn Kivett was sixth in the javelin.
For the Neosho girls, Miranda Wennhold (triple jump) and Rylyn Moritz (200) both finished fourth.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys won four events and took second in five others. The Cardinals recorded 17 top-six performances.
Winning individual events for the Webb City boys were Grayson Smith (pole vault), Trey Roets (javelin) and Evan Stevens (3200).
Smith cleared 15 feet in the pole vault, while Roets recorded a toss of 174-9 and Stevens crossed the line at 9:21.
Stevens was also the runner-up in the 1600.
William Wolfe (11.04) and Jordan Thornburg (11.22) finished second and third in the 100-meter dash. Wolfe took second in the 200.
Justin Allen (pole vault), Malique McCarter (javelin) both finished third, Tucker Liberatore (javelin) was fourth and Jadon Brisco (pole vault) and Mason Hedger (800) both placed fifth.
Joseph DeGraffenreid took sixth in the high jump.
Webb City won the 4×100 relay in 43.12 seconds and finished second in both the 4×200 and 4×800 relays before finishing sixth in the 4×400.
Winning individual events for the Webb City girls were Chase Stilley (high jump), Dawsyn Decker (javelin) and Abi Street (3200).
Stilley cleared 5-1.75, while Decker recorded a toss of 133-10 and Street crossed the line at 11:14.
Street was second in the 1600, while teammate Brooke Hedger finished third in the 800 and fourth in the 1600.
Aubree Lassiter placed third in the discus, Essence Robinson took fifth in the 400 and Jaeli Rutledge and Kylee Sargent placed sixth and seventh in the shot put.
Webb City’s girls finished third in the 4×100 relay, third in the 4×400 and fourth in the 4×800 relay.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell won two events and finished second in another.
Campbell won the 1600 in 4:20. The Eagles had three of the top seven in the event, as Ian Horton was sixth and Grey Edwards took seventh.
A future Kansas Jayhawk, Campbell won the 800 in 1:55. Campbell was the runner-up in the 3200 in 9:34.
Drew VanGilder took second in the javelin, Orion Norris placed third in the 200 and Cordell Washington (high jump) and Horton (3200) both finished fourth.
Finishing fifth were Davin Thomas (100), Neil Barstow (discus), Dontrell Holt (shot put) and Chance Tindall (3200). Avarus Kuhn-Wofford finished sixth in the 300 hurdles.
The Eagles took third in the 4×100 relay.
The Joplin girls also had a stellar showing.
Featuring Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland, the Joplin girls won the 4×100 relay in a school record time of 49.6 seconds.
Joplin finished third in the 4×200 relay.
Brylee Strickland won the 400-meter dash in 59.51 seconds and also took second in two other events, the 100 and the 200.
Kiki Thom was the runner-up in the 300 hurdles and Vogel took second in the 200.
Maria Loum placed third in the pole vault, Micah Holden was third in the 100 hurdles, Aubrey Strickland finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and Ava Werberger-Doll finished fifth in the 3200.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Miguel Solano was the runner-up in the 800, while Daryl Martin finished third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Micah Lindsey placed third in the shot put and Trenton Yates finished fourth in the triple jump.
Carthage’s boys finished fourth in both the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.
For the Carthage girls, Chasity Straw won the discus with a toss of 109-12. Straw was fourth in the shot put.
Finishing second were Ada Roughton (triple jump) and Karlie Nichols (shot put), while Lexa Youngblood finished third in both the 200 and the 400.
Joey Hettinger placed fourth in the long jump and Maggie Boyd was sixth in the 800.
The CHS girls were fifth in the 4×400 relay.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction’s Sydney Ward won a pair of events in the girls meet, the 100-meter dash in 12.12 seconds and the 200 in 25.23. Both times are conference meet records.
The CJ girls won the 4×200 relay in 1:47. They were sixth in the 4×100.
Carl Junction’s Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson finished fourth and fifth in the pole vault.
Zoie Weibel (400) and Madilyn Olds (javelin) both finished fourth, while Hannah Cantrell (triple jump) and Izzy Southern (shot put) placed fifth in their respective events.
Carl Junction’s Ryder Pyles finished fifth in the boys long jump and Braxton Dodds was eighth in the javelin.
Note: The names of those who competed in relays were unavailable at time of publication.
GIRARD, Kan. — With a strong overall showing, Carthage’s boys and girls captured the team championships at the Girard Optimist Club Track Meet on Friday.
Carthage’s boys compiled 150.5 points. Chanute was second with 101 and Girard was third with 99.
Carthage’s girls finished with 114 points, with Pittsburg second (104.5) and Girard third (99).
There were 13 teams in attendance, including McAuley Catholic.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Micah Lindsey won two events. A senior, Lindsey won the shot put with a school record toss of 56 feet even. Lindsey also won the discus with a toss of 149-3.
Daryl Martin also won two events.
Martin took first in the 110 hurdles in 16.35 seconds, with teammate Trenton Yates third (16.86). Martin won the 300 hurdles in 41.58 seconds.
Miguel Solano won the 1600 in 4:42. He also finished second in two other events, the 400 and the 800.
Featuring Kruz Castor, Jackson Hettinger, Yates and Braxton McBride, Carthage won the 4×100 relay in 44.69 seconds.
The Tigers took second in the 4×800 relay, with Trey Nye, Xander Vazquez, Michael Lanyon and Caleb Fewin competing.
Carthage was also second in the 4×400, as McBride, Martin, Trey Nye and Joseph Childs recorded a time of 3:34.
Fewin and Devin Smith placed first and second in the 3200, while Yates placed second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump, McBride took third in the 400, Hettinger took fourth in the triple jump and Aydan Nye was fourth in the pole vault.
On the girls side, Carthage’s Lexa Youngblood won the 200-meter dash in 27.28 seconds. Youngblood was second in the 100 with a time of 12.99 seconds.
Joey Hettinger won the high jump (4-10), with teammate Evelyn Carrol second (4-8). Hettinger took second in the long jump.
Chasity Straw won the discus with a toss of 106-11.5 and Karlie Nichols (35-1) and Lilly Holmes (34-3) were the top two finishers in the shot put.
Also for the CHS girls, Maggie Boyd finished third in the 800, Jaidyn Brunnert was fourth in the 100 hurdles, Ashleigh Rowden took fourth in both the 400 and the high jump, Ada Roughton was fourth in the triple jump and Jenna Wilson was fifth in the 3200.
The CHS girls were third in the 4×400, fifth in the 4×800 relay and sixth in the 4×100.
MCAULEY CATHOLIC HIGHLIGHTS
McAuley’s Michael Parrigon took second in the 1600 with a time of 4:42. He was also fourth in the 800.
The Warriors finished fourth in the 4×100 relay, with Dylan Taffner, Jack Jones, Ethan Stabb and Alex Bohachick competing.
The team of Bohachick, Taffner, Jones and Parrigon finished fourth in the 4×400 relay.
McAuley’s 4×800 relay team of Bohachick, Connor Taffner, Drew Zeb and Trae Veer finished seventh.
Also for the Warriors, Jones finished fourth in the high jump, Veer was sixth in the 3200 and Bohachick finished seventh in the 400.
For the McAuley girls, Kendall Ramsey won the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:48.
Ramsey finished second in the 1600 in 5:39.
Girard Optimist Club Track Meet
Boys team scores: Carthage 150.5, Chanute 101, Girard 99, Parsons 74, Pittsburg 46, Fort Scott 29, McAuley Catholic 28, St. Mary’s Colgan 26, Riverton 18, Baxter Springs 14.5, Frontenac 6, Southeast 4, Columbus 3.
Girls team scores: Carthage 114, Pittsburg 104.5, Girard 99, St. Mary’s Colgan 74, Fort Scott 56.5, Chanute 50, Baxter Springs 26, Riverton 25, Frontenac 19, McAuley Catholic 18, Parsons 17.5, Columbus 3.5.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The host Cardinals swept both team championships at the Webb City Invitational track meet on Friday at Cardinal Stadium.
Webb City’s boys compiled 170 points, and Neosho (160.5) and Joplin (144) were second and third, respectively.
Webb City’s girls topped the team standings with 155.5 points. Joplin (126) and Carl Junction (119.5) finished second and third.
Webb City’s Trey Roets won the javelin at Friday’s Webb City Invitational. Roets, a returning state medalist in the event, recorded a toss of 53.49 meters. Photo by Jason Peake.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s Grayson Smith was all smiles during Friday’s pole vault competition at the Webb City Invitational. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
The Cardinals went 1-2-3 in the pole vault, with defending state champion Grayson Smith taking first (4.93m), Justin Allen second (4.7m) and Jadon Brisco third (3.95m).
Webb City took first and second in the javelin, as Trey Roets was first (53.49m) and Tucker Liberatore (49.17m) was second.
Webb City’s Evan Stevens won two individual events and was part of a winning relay.
A junior, Stevens took first in the 3200 in 9:59. Stevens (2:01) and Mason Hedger (2:04) finished first and second in the 800, while William Wolfe won the 200-meter dash in 22.42 seconds.
The 4×800 relay team of Fenton Rice, Noah Lankard, Hedger and Stevens took first in 8:25.
Second-place finishers for the Cardinals were Nate Miller (discus), Noah Moss (110 hurdles) and Wolfe (100), while Jordan Thornburg finished third in the 100 and Jace Jones was fourth in the 110 hurdles.
Finishing fifth in their events were Andrew Dawson (1600), Dalton Riggs (110 H), Moss (400) and Dakota Grove (800).
The team of Brisco, Moss, Joshua White and Hedger finished third in the 4×400 relay.
Winning events for the Webb City girls were Abi Street (3200), Chase Stilley (high jump), Essence Robinson (long jump), Aubree Lassiter (discus), Jaeli Rutledge (shot put) and Dawsyn Decker (javelin).
The team of Emily Countryman, Aspen White, Kristina Bundy and Brooke Hedger won the 4×800 in 10:27.
Webb City’s girls were second in the 4×400, with Kylie Jennings, Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Robinson competing.
White was the runner-up in the 800, Hedger took second in the 400 and Countryman finished third in the 1600.
Joplin and Neosho were among the teams competing at the Webb City Invitational on Friday.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s boys won the 4×100 relay in 43.91 seconds, with Quinton Renfro, Tayshaun Palmer, Orion Norris and Davin Thomas competing.
Joplin’s 4×200 relay team of Palmer, Fredy Cerrato-Martinez, Norris and Thomas finished second.
The Eagles were fourth in the 4×400, with Ian Horton, Jamohn Smith, Avarus Kuhn-Wofford and Cerrato-Martinez competing.
Horton and Chance Tindall finished second and third in the 1600, while Grey Edwards and Tindall were second and third in the 3200.
Taking third in their events were Aiden Scourten (triple jump), Dontrell Holt (shot put) and Kuhn-Wofford (110 H).
Fourth-place finishers were Aidan Sampson (long jump), Cordell Washington (triple jump), Thomas (100), Scourten (400) and Norris (200). Drew VanGilder took fifth in the javelin.
Joplin’s girls won the 4×200 relay in 1:49, with Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland competing.
The JHS girls won the 4×100 in 50.45 seconds, with Vogel, Sophie Krumsick, Eckert and Lowery running.
The Eagles were third in the 4×400, with Kiki Thom, Krumsick, Aubrey Strickland and Holden competing.
Second-place finishers for the Joplin girls were Kendall Nyarango (long jump), Micah Holden (100 hurdles) and Brylee Strickland (100, 200).
Taking third were thirds: Maria Loum (pole vault) and Aubrey Strickland (triple jump), while fourth-place finishers were Eckert (long jump), Claire Jasper (shot put) and Loum (100 H).
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward won three events. Ward crossed the line first in the 100-meter dash in 12.49 seconds, won the 200 in 25.5 seconds and also took first in the 400 in 58.53 seconds.
CJ’s Acadia Badgley (3.05m) and Brooke Jasperson (2.75m) finished first and second in the pole vault.
Madilyn Olds took second in the javelin, Dezi Williams finished third in the high jump and Izzy Southern was third in the shot put.
The CJ girls were second in the 4×400, with Emily Rice, Evie Weibel, Delaney Harris and Zoie Weibel competing.
For the Carl Junction boys, Owen Hensley finished fourth in the pole vault, Braxton Dodds took fifth in the javelin and Ryder Pyles was fifth in both the long jump and triple jump
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
The College Heights boys finished fourth in the 4×800 relay, with Zach Beaty, Steven Calandro, Ian Edwards and Jace Edwards competing.
The Cougars were also fourth in the 4×200, with Logan Decker, Levi Durling, Caleb Quade and Derek Bowman running.
Quade finished third in both the long jump and high jump and was also seventh in the triple jump, while Calandro was fifth in the 300 hurdles.
The College Heights girls won the 4×400 relay in 4:19, with Jesalin Bever, Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout and Lauren Ukena running.
The CHC girls finished second in the 4×200 in 1:50, with Johnson, Stout, Ukena and Bever competing.
Also for the CHC girls, Johnson finished third in the 400 and fifth in the 100, Bever was fourth in the 300 hurdles and sixth in the 100 hurdles and Marla Anderegg took third in the 800 and fifth in the 1600.
Bailey Peoples and Maddy Colin tied for sixth in the high jump.
Neosho’s duo of Riley Kemna and Chloe Wood compete in the 1600 at Friday’s Webb City Invitational. Photo by Jason Peake.
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho’s boys won two relays, the 4×200 in 1:32 and the 4×400 in 3:29. Competing in the 4×200 were Izaiah Hill, Tyrone Harris, Isaiah Green and Tyrese Hill. Running the 4×400 were Isaiah Keezer, Green, Virgil Rosiere and Izaiah Hill.
The Wildcats were second in the 4×100, with Brock Franklin, Tyrese Hill, Harris and Jared Siler competing.
Tyrese Hill won the 100-meter dash in 11.14 seconds and took second in the 200 (22.43). Izaiah Hill won the 400 and placed third in the 200, while Keezer was third in the 400.
Siler and Green were first and second in the long jump, while Green and Siler were first and second in the triple jump. Siler and Cade Camerer finished second and third in the high jump.
Carter Baslee took third in the discus and fifth in the shot put, while Collyn Kivett finished third in the javelin.
For the Neosho girls, Miranda Wennhold and Claire Burghart took first and second in the triple jump.
Jazmyn Washington was second in the high jump and took third in the 100 hurdles.
Chloe Wood and Riley Kemna finished second and third in the 3200, while Wood was the runner-up in the 1600, with Kemna fourth.
Kaylee Schibi placed third in the discus, Madilyn Ebbinghaus was fourth in the 200, Raine Harris took fourth in the triple jump and Kailyn Daniels took fifth in the pole vault.
The NHS girls took fourth in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Mac County’s Tyler Rothrock runs next to Willard’s Barrett Jarvis during the 800-meter run at the Webb City Invitational. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s 4×400 relay team of Dominic Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Josh Pacheco finished second.
McDonald County’s boys finished third in the 4×200 relay, with Esteban Martinez-Olvera, McClain, Aidrian Short and Pacheco competing.
The Mustangs were fourth in the 4×100, with Samuel Barton, Martinez-Olvera, McClain and Pacheco running.
Leach placed third in the 800, Toby Moore finished fifth in the discus and Andrew Moritz was seventh in the javelin.
McDonald County’s Anissa Ramirez finished third in the girls javelin, while Gia Coffel and Savannah Leib finished third and fifth in the high jump.
Lacey Nixa took fourth in the pole vault and fifth in the 300 hurdles, while Anna Price was fourth in the 800, Carlie Martin was fifth in the triple jump and Clara Horton finished fifth in the 400.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson’s 4×800 relay team of Trenton Farley, Braden Honeywell-Lynch, James Wisdom and Eann Espinoza finished fifth.
Honeywell-Lynch took seventh in the 1600.
Sheraz Anis finished eighth in the 100 hurdles and ninth in the 300 hurdles.
For the Thomas Jefferson girls, Macie Shifferd placed fourth in the 3200, Jenna Joseph was eighth in the 800 and Gabriella Hiebert took eighth in the long jump.
The TJ girls were seventh in the 4×100, with Leah Studer, Hiebert, Haley Orr and Nico Carlson competing.
WEBB CITY INVITATIONAL
Girls team scores: Webb City 155.5, Joplin 126, Carl Junction 119.5, Neosho 96.5, Willard 83, College Heights Christian 55, McDonald County 49.5, Thomas Jefferson 9.
Boys team scores: Webb City 170, Neosho 160.5, Joplin 144, Willard 135, McDonald County 40, College Heights 33.5, Carl Junction 28, Parkview 7, Thomas Jefferson 7.
Joplin’s Drew VanGilder competes in the javelin on Friday night at the Webb City Invitational.
Thomas Jefferson’s Sheraz Anis competes in the 110 hurdles on Friday at the Webb City Invitational.
Webb City and Joplin compete in the 4×200 relay on Friday.Carl Junction competes in the 4×200 relay.
Tucker Liberatore competes in the javelin on Friday.
Webb City’s Julian Andrae competes in the long jump at Friday’s Webb City Invitational. Photo by Sloan Uebinger.
SARCOXIE, Mo. — The Sarcoxie High School girls track and field squad captured the team championship at the Southwest Conference Meet on Thursday.
The top five girls teams were Sarcoxie (174), Pierce City (163), Stockton (87), Ash Grove (76.5) and Pleasant Hope (52).
The Sarcoxie boys finished second in the team standings with 141 points. Stockton was first with 204. Finishing third, fourth and fifth were Marionville (118), Ash Grove (84) and Diamond (52).
The Sarcoxie girls won all four relays.
Winning individual events for the Sarcoxie girls were Madison Chrisman (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Alexis Letts (high jump), Ariel Wilson (long jump), Jordyn Misner (triple jump) and Nikki Roth (javelin).
Wilson (400), Laney Dorris (800, 1600) and Lily Garrison (3200) all finished second in their respective events.
Stockton’s Kylie Hunter won three events, the 100, 400 and 800.
Other individual event winners in the girls meet were Pierce City’s Liliana Lasker (200) and Emma Hunt (1600, 3200), Marionville’s Olivia Hopkins (shot put), Ash Grove’s Jamalynn Atkinson (discus) and Pleasant Hope’s Gwendolyn Montle (pole vault).
Diamond’s top finishers were Jernie DeWitt and Ashlyn Daniel. DeWitt placed fourth in the 100-meter dash and the 300 hurdles, while Daniel took fourth in the 100 hurdles.
Sarcoxie’s boys won two relays, the 4×100 and the 4×200.
Winning individual events for the Sarcoxie boys were Noah Garrison (200), Jaron Malotte (110 hurdles, pole vault) and Garrett Smith (javelin).
Malotte was the runner-up in two events, the 300 hurdles and the long jump.
Marionville’s Wil Carlton won three events, the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Other individual event winners were Diamond’s Zachary Roughton (300 hurdles), Marionville’s Braydon Bellah (100) and Stockton’s Jay Baxter (400), Braden Postlewait (800, 3200), Caden Duncan (1600) and Jayse Sharif (shot put, discus).
Diamond’s Roughton was also the runner-up in the 110 hurdles. Diamond’s Alexander Brown placed third in the discus, while Nicholas Meza finished fifth in three events, the 100, 200 and long jump.
Southwest Conference Meet
Girls team scores: Sarcoxie 174, Pierce City 163, Stockton 87, Ash Grove 76.5, Pleasant Hope 52, Marionville 51, Miller 35, Lockwood 34, Diamond 30.5.
Boys team scores: Stockton 204, Sarcoxie 141, Marionville 118, Ash Grove 84, Diamond 52, Lockwood 38, Pierce City 36, Miller 28, Pleasant Hope 3.
MONETT, Mo. — Area track and field teams competed at the Monett Invitational on Tuesday.
The host Cubs captured both team titles at their home meet.
The top five girls teams were Monett (98), College Heights Christian (85), McDonald County (76), Aurora (73) and Sarcoxie (61.5).
The top five boys teams were Monett (112), McDonald County (110.6), Neosho (102.6), Aurora (59.6) and School of the Ozarks (59).
There were more than 20 teams competing at the event.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN HIGHLIGHTS
The College Heights girls won five events.
Marla Anderegg won two events, the 800 with a time of 2:38 and the 1600 in 5:50.
The CHC team of Jayli Johnson, Allie Stout, Lauren Ukena and Jesalin Bever won the 4×200 in 1:51 and the same foursome also took first in the 4×400 in 4:21.
Johnson won the 400 (1:01) and was the runner-up in the 100, while Maddy Colin took second in the discus.
Ukena was third in the 200 and fifth in the 300 hurdles, while Jesalin Bever finished fourth in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the 100 hurdles.
For the College Heights boys, Caleb Quade and Logan Decker finished second and third in the long jump, while Quade took third in two events, the high jump and triple jump.
Steven Calandro and Ian Edwards finished seventh and eighth in the 300 hurdles, Josiah Thomas finished seventh in the 3200 and Colton McMillan was eighth in the 1600.
The CHC boys placed fifth in the 4×200 relay and sixth in the 4×800.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGHLIGHTS
Thomas Jefferson senior Kip Atteberry won the boys 1600 with a time of 4:43.
Also for the Cavaliers, Sheraz Anis placed eighth in the 110 hurdles and the Cavaliers finished eighth in the 4×800 relay.
For the TJ girls, Sarah Mueller took second in the 800 and fifth in the 1600, while Lannah Grigg finished third in the discus, Nico Carlson placed fifth in the high jump and Samantha Seto finished sixth in the 3200.
The TJ girls took second in the 4×800 relay, with Seto, Macie Shifferd, Mueller and Carlson competing.
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho’s boys won the 4×200 relay in 1:35, with Bentlee Farley, Konnor Siler, Lathan Cote and Colton Burr competing.
The Wildcats were second in the 4×100 (Farley, Tryone Harris, Burr, Siler) and were third in the 4×400 (Virgil Rosiere, William Ebbinghaus, Brock Pyle, Cote).
Farley and Siler finished second and third in the 100, while Harris took fourth in the 200, Ebbinghaus was fourth in the 400 and Isaiah Rhone finished fifth in the 110 hurdles.
In the field events, Cade Camerer took second in the high jump, Drew Cobb was the runner-up in the pole vault, Collyn Kivett placed fourth in the javelin and Nicolas Olivares finished fourth in the shot put.
Neosho’s girls finished fifth in the 4×100 relay, with Kendra Clark, Olivia Emery, Kali House and Keely Keeton competing.
Keeton placed fifth in the triple jump.
SENECA HIGHLIGHTS
For the Seneca boys, Brodie Probert finished third in the 400, Grant Landers was fourth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump, Blake Hurn finished sixth in the 100 and Brock Pendergraft was seventh in the discus.
The Indians were fifth in the 4×100 relay, fifth in the 4×400 and sixth in the 4×200.
For the Seneca girls, Isabella Renfro won the shot put (33-2), Anna Adkins placed third in the high jump, Cambry Long finished fourth in the 400 and sixth in the 200, Dalisia Reed took third in the 800 and sixth in the 1600 and Amber Garrison was sixth in the shot put.
The Indians finished fourth in the 4×200 relay, with Adkins, Addyson Jones, Savannah Johnson and Long competing.
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s Josh Pacheco won two events and finished second in two others.
Pacheco won the 100-meter dash in 11.52 seconds and finished second in the 200 with a time of 23 seconds. Pacheco won the long jump (19-3) and took second in the triple jump (41-4.5).
Hunter Leach was the runner-up in the 800, Toby Moore took second in the shot put and third in the discus, Andrew Moritz placed third in the javelin, Caleb Garvin finished fourth in the 3200 and Samuel Barton was fifth in the triple jump.
McDonald County’s 4×800 relay team of Leach, Arthur Mead, Miguel Mora and Dalton McClain took first in 8:48. The Mustangs were second in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays and fourth in the 4×100.
For the Mac County girls, Anissa Ramirez won the javelin (104-2.5), Savannah Leib took second in the high jump, Lacey Nix was the runner-up in the pole vault, Carlie Martin was third in the triple jump and fourth in the discus and Roslynn Huston took fourth in the shot put.
The MCHS girls were second in the 4×400 relay, with Clara Horton, Corina Holland, Ireona Nirka and Anna Price running.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Konner Poynter won four events in the boys meet, the 200 in 22.69 seconds, the 400 in 51.35 seconds, the 110 hurdles in 15.41 and the 300 hurdles in 41.92.
Monett’s Julio Cruz won the 3200 in 10:09 and took second in the 1600 in 4:44. Monett’s Jonathan Jayden Apostol took first in the triple jump with a leap of 41-6.75.
For the Monett girls, Karlee McCallister won the 100 in 13.31 seconds.
Sadie Camp took second in the 3200 and third in the 1600, while Vayla Smith was second in the 400 and fourth in the 200 and Allyson Inman finished second in the javelin.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Other individual event winners in the boys meet were Sarcoxie’s Jaron Malotte (pole vault), Jasper’s Noah Neher (discus), Aurora’s Ethan Husmann (shot put) and Marionville’s Gabe Whitman (800).
Sarcoxie’s boys won the 4×100 relay, with Blake Heckmaster, Antonio Benito, Garrett Smith and Noah Garrison competing.
On the girls side, Jasper’s Crystal Smith won four events, the 200, the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the high jump.
Aurora’s Makena Hall took first in three events, the long jump, triple jump and pole vault.
Sarcoxie’s girls won two relays, the 4×100 and the 4×800. Competing in the 4×100 were Jocelyn Benito, Jordyn Misner, Madison Chrisman and Ariel Wilson. Running the 4×800 were Lily Garrison, Remington Garrison, Andela Hirtz and Laney Dorris.
MONETT INVITATIONAL
Girls team scores: Monett 98, College Heights 85, McDonald County 76, Aurora 73, Sarcoxie 61.5, Seneca 52, Galena 50, Jasper 45, Thomas Jefferson 36.5, School of the Ozarks 35, Lighthouse Christian 28, Marionville 19, Diamond 15, Southwest 15, Neosho 12, New Covenant 12, East Newton 8, Wheaton 6, Bronaugh 4, Walnut Grove 4, Hollister 1.
Boys team scores: Monett 112, McDonald County 110.6, Neosho 102.6, Aurora 59.6, School of the Ozarks 59, Sarcoxie 54, Galena 49, Jasper 46, College Heights 40, Seneca 30.6, Southwest 19.6, Marionville 14, Diamond 12, Thomas Jefferson 12, Cassville 11, Lighthouse Christian 5, Wheaton 4.
BOLIVAR, Mo. — Webb City’s boys and girls track and field teams finished second and fourth, respectively, at the Southwest Baptist University High School Invitational on Monday.
The meet featured 22 schools who compete in Class 5 or Class 4.
Webb City’s boys finished second in the team standings with 85.5 points. Waynesville was first with 105.5. Nixa (76) and Kickapoo (58) were third and fourth.
The top four girls teams were Kickapoo (92), Republic (82), Marshfield (65) and Webb City (64).
Athletes from Carl Junction and Carthage also competed at the event.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
The Webb City boys won three events and had 11 total top-five finishes.
Trey Roets won the javelin with a toss of 174 feet and Grayson Smith took first in the pole vault by clearing 14-7.25.
Evan Stevens crossed the line first in the 3200 with a time of 9:37 and was also second in the 1600 in 4:19.
Also for the Cardinals, Justin Allen took second in the pole vault, William Wolfe finished second in the 100, while Tucker Liberatore took third in the javelin, Nate Miller was fourth in the discus and Joseph DeGraffenreid finished fourth in the high jump.
Webb City’s Jordan Thornburg was sixth in the 100, Malique McCarter placed eighth in the javelin, Jadon Brisco took eighth in the pole vault and Julian Andrae was eighth in the triple jump.
The Cardinals finished third in the 4×100 relay and took fifth in the 4×200 relay.
Webb City’s girls won four events and finished in the top five in three others.
Webb City senior Abi Street won two events, the 1600 with a time of 5:10 and the 3200 in 11:07.
Brooke Hedger took first in the 800 in 2:22 and Dawsyn Decker won the javelin with a toss of 136-9.
Also for the Cardinals, Hedger finished third in the 1600, Chase Stilley tied for third in the high jump, Essence Robinson took sixth in the 400, Aubree Lassiter finished seventh in the discus and Lily McCaw was eighth in the pole vault.
Webb City’s girls were fourth in the 4×400 relay and seventh in the 4×100 relay.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward won two events, the 100-meter dash in 12.29 seconds and the 200 in 25.7 seconds.
Also for the Bulldogs, Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson finished second and fifth, respectively, in the pole vault, and Madilyn Olds placed sixth in the javelin.
The CJ girls were eighth in two relays, the 4×100 and the 4×200.
Carl Junction’s Braxton Dodds finished seventh in the boys javelin and Ryder Pyles took seventh in the long jump.
Carl Junction’s girls were ninth in the team standings and the CJHS boys were 20th.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Miguel Solano took first in the boys 800 in 1:56.
Also for the Tigers, Daryl Martin finished third in the 110 hurdles and was fourth in the 300 hurdles, Micah Lindsey placed fourth in the shot put and seventh in the discus and Michael Lanyon took fifth in the 2000 steeplechase.
The Tigers were third in the 4×400 relay and eighth in the 4×800 relay.
For the Carthage girls, Lexa Youngblood placed fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 200, Chasity Straw finished fifth in the discus and Ada Roughton finished sixth in the triple jump.
The CHS girls finished seventh in the 4×400 relay and eighth in the 4×800 relay.
Carthage’s boys finished ninth in the standings, while the CHS girls were 16th.
On Saturday, trailing Nixa entering the final event of the 4×400, Neosho’s relay of freshman William Ebbinghaus, sophomore Isaiah Keezer, senior Isaiah Green and junior Izaiah Hill rallied past the field down the back stretch with a winning time of 3 minutes and 26 seconds and secured the program’s first district track title since 1979.
Neosho was in second place in the team standings behind Webb City ahead of the 4×400-meter relay, the night’s final event. 
Carthage’s Micah Lindsey won two events. A senior, Lindsey won the shot put with a school record toss of 56 feet even. Lindsey also won the discus with a toss of 149-3.
McAuley’s Michael Parrigon took second in the 1600 with a time of 4:42. He was also fourth in the 800.
