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BOYS HOOPS: Webb City starts fast, finishes strong against Seneca

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Taking the court with a little extra motivation, Webb City started fast and finished strong in an 88-58 victory over Seneca on Thursday night in a non-conference boys basketball clash inside the Cardinal Dome.

In a game they never trailed, the speedy Cardinals built a 16-point lead by the midway point of the first quarter.

“Our guys were really motivated tonight,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “Coach (Cort) Hardy spent a lot of time here as an assistant and he coached a lot of our guys when they were coming up through the program. They wanted to have a good showing against him. I thought we were very aggressive, sharp and focused to start the game. And it always helps when you hit some shots early. That really fed our defense.”

Propelled by its full court pressure defense, and getting plenty of hoops in transition, Webb City held an 18-2 lead by the 3:55 mark of the opening stanza.

But Seneca adjusted to the speed of the game and the Indians started getting high-percentage shots from in close. In fact, the Indians closed the first quarter on a 13-4 surge, trimming Webb City’s lead from 16 to seven at 22-15.

“You have to give Seneca credit,” Horn said. “We won that first four minutes, but they were much better in that second four minutes. They made a run at us.” 

In the first meeting between the two programs since 2012, the fast-paced and back and forth second period was nearly even, as the Cardinals outscored the Indians 19-18 in the frame for a 41-33 halftime advantage.

“Seneca was hurting us in the soft spots of our 1-2-2,” Horn said. “We talked to our kids about that at halftime and we were able to make the adjustment.”

The visitors were still within striking distance when Webb City finished the third quarter on a 17-6 run for a 65-45 cushion.

“We wanted to wear them down and keep running at them in waves,” Horn commented. “We hope the wear and tear will take its toll. We play nine guys, and with the way we want to play, we’re going to need all of them. We want the tempo as fast as we can get it and we want to use our speed to our advantage. And the guys really like playing that way. I enjoy coaching that way and I think our fans like watching us play that way.” 

Webb City senior guard Barron Duda hit a trio of 3-pointers in the game-changing third quarter, while Eli Pace, Omari Jackson and Holton Keith all contributed buckets as the hosts won the third quarter 24-12.

In the early stages of the fourth quarter, Gabe Johnson and Keith both drilled 3-pointers before Jackson converted a steal into a layup, and the Cardinals blew the game open by pushing their lead to 30 at 79-49.

“We’re going to score in waves and it’s going to come in bunches,” Horn said. “But there are also going to be some short droughts. We have to play through them. And I thought our kids played extremely hard tonight.” 

Receiving votes in the MBCA’s Class 5 poll, Webb City hiked its record to 5-2.

Webb City shot 56 percent from the floor, making 36 of 64 shot attempts, including 11 of 24 from long range.

Four players scored in double figures for the Cardinals. 

Duda led the way with 24 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 9 from 3-point land. 

A junior point guard, Pace scored 20 points to go along with eight assists.

Keith scored 16 points and Jackson added 12. Johnson just missed double figures with eight points.

Johnson and Keith compiled four assists and three steals apiece.

Hardy’s Seneca squad fell to 4-4. 

The Indians made 51 percent of their field goal attempts (23 of 45) and out-rebounded the Cardinals 27-26, but the visitors had 24 turnovers to Webb City’s 12.

Three players scored in double figures for the Indians. Senior forward Morgan Vaughn scored 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting and also grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Indians.

Senior Gavyn Hoover added 14 points and junior Zane Grotjohn had 13 points.

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Webb City will take on St. Joseph Central at 3:30 on Dec. 28 at the Twelve Courts of Christmas tourney in Kansas City. 

Seneca will be among the teams competing at next week’s Neosho Holiday Classic.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

GIRLS HOOPS: Webb City ends ’23 with blowout victory

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Coming off a pair of close setbacks, the Webb City girls basketball team needed to get well.

On Tuesday night, the Cardinals did just that.

Webb City led from start to finish in a dominant 60-17 victory over Seneca in a non-conference clash inside the Cardinal Dome.

It’s safe to say the Cardinals concluded the 2023 portion of the schedule on a high note, as they took control early on the way to a confidence-building blowout victory. 

“It’s a great way to end the first part of the season,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “This is a game we really needed. We’ve been in several close games the last few weeks and we hadn’t been able to get over the hump. I thought tonight we put together more of a complete game than we’ve had so far this season. We shot the ball well and we defended well. I think we played well as a team tonight. This one is definitely something we can build on going into Christmas break.”

Webb City took the court one night after suffering a 53-49 loss at Pittsburg, Kansas. The Cardinals also dropped a 51-47 decision to Bentonville West last Wednesday at the Lady Mustang Classic.

On Tuesday, Webb City scored the first 11 points of the game, as Malorie Stanley, Addie Burns and Kirra Long all knocked down 3-pointers early in the contest and Abby Sargent made an uncontested layup.

The Cardinals held a 13-4 lead by the end of the first quarter and the hosts were up comfortably 29-10 at halftime.

Webb City outscored Seneca 23-7 in the lopsided third period and the hosts took a commanding 52-17 lead into the final frame. There was a running clock in the fourth quarter.

A 5-foot-9 senior guard, Stanley scored 13 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Cardinals. 

“Malorie has been playing really well for us and she’s been shooting the ball really well,” Coach Robbins said. “She hit five 3s last night at Pittsburg and she made four tonight. She’s finding the open areas of the zone defense and we’ve been able to find her in scoring position. She’s shooting the ball with confidence.” 

Stanley is now the lone senior in the lineup, as senior guard Mia Robbins is out of action due to a knee injury.

A pair of freshmen also had nice outings for the Cardinals. 

A 6-foot forward, Burns compiled 13 points and seven rebounds, while the 5-8 Sargent contributed 12 points, five assists, four steals and five boards from the point guard position.

Freshman Whitlee Keith scored eight points, while juniors Long and Jenna Schulz contributed five points apiece. Junior Brynn Gilchrist and freshman Adalyn Maxwell each chipped in two points.

Webb City shot 48 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 21 of 43 field goal attempts.

The Cardinals have a lot of youth on the court, as five freshmen—Sargent, Burns, Keith, Adalyn Maxwell and Kaelyn Maxwell—have been getting lots of varsity playing time thus far. Freshman Jocelyn Maxwell and sophomore Karsyn Cahoon also saw playing time in Tuesday’s blowout win.

“We’ve been playing a lot of young kids and I feel like they’re developing at a good rate,” Coach Robbins said. “We need them to continue to be coachable and we need them to continue to buy-in. As they improve, I think we’ll be able to get over the hump in the close games.” 

Seneca’s Olivia Haase scored eight points and Ashtyn Lannon added five.  

Seneca (1-7) will compete at the Neosho Holiday Classic from Dec. 27-29.

Webb City (3-7) will return to action on Jan. 2 at home against Nevada (6-4). 

“There’s definitely some things we need to work on over Christas break so we can have a good second half of the season,” Robbins noted. 

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

GIRLS HOOPS: Webb City’s late rally falls short at Pittsburg

Posted on by Jason Peake

PITTSBURG, Kan. — A late surge fell short for the Webb City girls basketball team. 

Pittsburg (Kansas) finished strong to earn a hard-fought 53-49 victory over Webb City in a non-conference clash on Monday night.

The Cardinals trailed by just one with 19 seconds left, but the Purple Dragons converted 3 of 4 attempts at the charity stripe late in the game to secure the win.

Webb City held a seven-point lead in the first half but found themselves down eight in the third quarter.

Trailing by five early in the game, Webb City used a 10-0 run to take a 12-7 advantage. The surge was capped by a hoop inside by Adalyn Maxwell and a 3-pointer by Malorie Stanley.

Pittsburg’s Jaqueline Hall buried a buzzer-beating trey, cutting Webb City’s lead to two at the end of the opening frame, 12-10.

Picking apart the hosts’ zone defense, the Cardinals took a 21-14 lead in the second quarter after baskets from Jenna Schulz, Kirra Long, Addie Burns and Abby Sargent.

But the Purple Dragons turned things around and finished the first half on a game-changing 13-2 run for a 27-23 halftime advantage.

A back and forth third period, which featured 21 combined free throws, ended with Pittsburg up 38-33.

The Cardinals pulled within one at 42-41 after a pair of 3-pointers from Stanley and a hoop inside by Burns. But the Dragons reeled off four straight points.

Stanley’s fourth trey of the fourth quarter trimmed Webb City’s deficit to one with 27 seconds left.

Pittsburg’s Hall and Webb City’s Whitlee Keith each made two free throws, with Keith’s charities cutting the PHS lead to 50-49 with 19 seconds left.

Next, Pittsburg’s Alyssa Hotze drew a foul with 16 seconds remaining. Hotze made the first free throw and missed the second. But the hosts were able to snag the offensive rebound after the missed free throw and the Cardinals were forced to foul.

Hotze knocked down two free throws with 10 seconds left for a 53-49 cushion before the Cardinals missed a last-second field goal attempt.

A senior guard, Stanley led the Cardinals with 16 points. She made five 3-pointers. 

Schulz and Burns contributed eight points apiece for Webb City, while Sargent scored six.

The Cardinals went 9-for-19 from the foul line, while the Dragons were 18-for-27.

Hall scored 20 points for Pittsburg, while Hotze added 18 and Ava Heardt had 10.

Webb City (2-7) hosts Seneca (1-6) on Tuesday night in the team’s final contest of 2023.

BOYS HOOPS: Webb City rolls to home victory over Cassville

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals ended a two-game skid in a big way.

Propelled by a huge second quarter, Webb City cruised to a convincing 81-43 victory over Cassville on Friday night inside the Cardinal Dome.

It’s safe to say the Cardinals got well at home after road losses at Carthage and Rogers Heritage.

“It was good to be back at home,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We had a rough stretch of two games. We played two good opponents, including a rival in a championship game. You could tell fatigue was setting in and we weren’t as sharp as we needed to be. It was good to play at home and get some confidence back.”

The Cardinals (4-2) were clinging to a 24-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter, as the Wildcats stayed within striking distance.

But the Cardinals picked up the defensive pressure and sped up the game. As a result, the hosts began the second period on a game-changing 14-2 surge for a 38-18 lead. 

During the spurt, Gabe Johnson and Holton Keith both knocked down 3-pointers before the hosts converted several steals into easy transition layups thanks to their defensive pressure.

“Early on, Cassville played well and did a good job of bothering some of our shots,” Horn said. “We thought our pace would wear on them. We knew we needed to play up-tempo. We were able to get some steals and defensive rebounds and get out ahead and get a lot of easy looks.”

Overall, Webb City outscored Cassville 30-8 in the one-sided second quarter for a commanding 54-24 halftime advantage.

“That’s our second 30-point quarter and we’ve had a 29-point quarter, so that shows we can be explosive,” Horn said. “We want to see that for four quarters, maybe not at the 30-point range, but we don’t want to see any droughts like we had in our last two games.”

Webb City held a comfortable 75-38 lead by the end of the third quarter and the final outcome was never in doubt in the final frame.

“This is a game we can build on,” Horn said. “Everything offensively will get better. Our timing will get better, and our legs will get better with time. We’re going to get a lot more practice time from here on out and I think we’ll clean up a lot of things. I think we’ll be a much-better team down the stretch.” 

Junior guard Holton Keith scored 21 points to lead the Cardinals. Keith, who scored 19 points in the first half, also had seven steals. 

“He did a good job of playing defense with his hands wide and he did a good job of getting in the passing lane,” Horn said of Keith. “He was picking passes off and he was finishing. He’s shooting the ball well from 3. He’s worked on his release and his layups.” 

Also for the Cardinals’ balanced attack, senior Barron Duda scored 16 points, sophomore Trae Turner had 10 points and senior Omari Jackson and junior Eli Pace contributed nine points apiece. 

Johnson chipped in six points and five steals.

The Cardinals made 48 percent of their field goal attempts (33 of 68). Webb City was credited with 22 steals.

Cassville (4-4) received 13 points and 11 rebounds from Eli Stokes and 12 points from Simon Gates. 

The Wildcats hit 15 of 33 shots (45 percent) but had 39 turnovers to Webb City’s seven.

Webb City hosts Seneca (3-3) on Thursday.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

CARTHAGE INVITE: Host Tigers torch the nets early, hold off Cardinals late for tourney title

Posted on by Jason Peake

CARTHAGE, Mo. — For the first time since 2011, the host Tigers are the champions of their own Carthage Invitational boys basketball tournament.

Carthage torched the nets early and never trailed on the way to a 70-59 victory over rival Webb City on Saturday night in the 77th edition of the annual tournament.

The hot-shooting Tigers built a 12-point cushion by the end of the first quarter and the hosts were up by 20 entering the final frame. 

The visiting Cardinals trimmed their deficit to single digits late in the game, but the Tigers never surrendered the lead. As a result, Carthage was the team celebrating with a tourney championship when the night concluded.

“I’m really proud of that group of kids,” Carthage coach Nathan Morris said. “It’s fun to come to work. We enjoy practice every single day. These kids have been great. Now they get to reap the benefits of what they’ve put in. We hadn’t won this tournament in 11 or 12 years. It wasn’t perfect tonight, but I’m just really proud of all of those kids in the locker room.” 

Carthage came out on fire in the opening frame. The Tigers made five 3-pointers in the first quarter, three from senior Justin Ray and one apiece from junior Trent Yates and sophomore Landon Ray, to take a 21-9 lead.

Webb City stayed within striking distance after senior Barron Duda hit his second trey of the contest, but Justin Ray’s 14th point of the first half gave the hosts a 28-14 advantage.

Carthage’s Kruz Castor scores in the lane against Webb City on Saturday night during the championship game of the Carthage Invitational. Photo by Tyler Wade.

Carthage’s Taylor Stevens-Diggs scored three straight hoops off the bench and the Cardinals received buckets from Joel Hendrix, Joseph DeGraffenreid and Holton Keith late in the second quarter before the Tigers took a 34-21 lead into the break.

Simply put, while the Tigers shot well from the perimeter early in the contest, the Cardinals did not.

“It wasn’t the start we wanted,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We didn’t shoot well and we didn’t finish plays around the basket. We had good looks. And Carthage has the best player in the area in Justin Ray. He’s as good as anybody in the COC.”

Carthage outscored Webb City 21-14 in the third quarter to take a commanding 55-35 advantage.

Webb City didn’t go down quietly. In fact, the Cardinals outscored the Tigers 24-15 in the fourth quarter.

The visitors trimmed their deficit all the way down to nine at 65-56 with 1:55 left after a hoop from Keith. 

But Webb City simply had too many empty possessions in the fourth quarter, and Carthage converted more than enough free throws late in the game to secure the win.

“Those three guards for Webb City are great,” Morris said. “We had a great game plan and tried to limit them. We tried to take away Barron Duda as much as we could. Credit to our kids for locking into the scouting report and for executing tonight.” 

Webb City’s Eli Pace looks score against the defense of Carthage’s Justin Ray. Photo by Tyler Wade.

Justin Ray poured in 25 points and was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player. 

Stevens-Diggs scored 16 points and Kruz Castor added 14. Landon Ray scored nine and Yates added six.

The Tigers made 14 of 25 free throws in the game, with 12 makes coming in the second half.

“We’re a team that’s going to shoot a lot of 3s, but I challenged them to get downhill and get to the foul line,” Morris said. “When we got fouled, for the most part we were able to bury our free throws.”

Duda led Webb City with 19 points and Keith added 17. Pace had 10 points and Omari Jackson scored nine.

“It was our fourth game of the week and I think fatigue started to set in, especially with the way we play,” Horn said. “We’ve got some guys who still have limited practices and they’re playing their way into shape. And there may have been some nerves at the start of the game. We had some guys who were playing in a championship game for the first time. But I have to give our guys credit. They kept playing hard. We played through the misses. We’ll get better and more organized.”

Webb City’s Omari Jackson puts up a shot in the lane against Justin Ray.

Morris noted capturing a tourney championship should give his squad a nice confidence boost.

“This can only be good for us leading into a week where we play two of the better teams in the state of Missouri,” Morris said. “We’ve got Springfield Central and Sparta coming up and it should be a good challenge for us.” 

Carthage (3-0) hosts Springfield Central on Tuesday and Webb City (3-1) is at Rogers Heritage on Tuesday. 

The Cardinals and Tigers will meet again in COC play on Jan. 30 inside Webb City’s Cardinal Dome.

 

RAYMORE-PECULIAR 48, JOPLIN 41

Joplin’s late comeback attempt fell short in the tournament’s third-place game.

Raymore-Peculiar used a 12-0 run in the first quarter to take control.

The Panthers, who hit five treys in the opening frame, took a 22-10 lead into the second quarter.

By the break, Ray-Pec held a 28-20 advantage.

Joplin kept coming, limiting the Panthers to five points in the third period.

The Eagles made things interesting late in the game.

After a hoop from Collis Jones and a corner 3-pointer from Brecken Green, the Eagles only trailed by three with 50 seconds left. 

But Ray-Pec’s Ashton Jermain made four key free throws late in the game to seal the win for the Panthers. 

Jermain scored 19 points to lead the Panthers and Brendan Perry added 16.

Fred Taylor led Joplin with 12 points, while Hobbs Gooch and Jones added six points apiece. Tristan Gage scored five for JHS and Carter Harbin had four.

“For three quarters, we were really good defensively,” Joplin coach Nick Pfeifer said. “After a poor first quarter, we had to fight our way back and play from behind the rest of the way. I was proud of the way that we competed, got ourselves back into it, and even had some chances to take the lead late. However, we know that playing incomplete games and only scoring 41 points makes it very difficult. We must be able to take the lessons learned from the tournament and continue to improve.”  

 

NEVADA 52, LEAVENWORTH 43 (OT)

The Nevada Tigers ended the invite on a high note by beating Leavenworth in overtime in the fifth-place game.

The game was deadlocked at 41 at the end of regulation before Nevada outscored Leavenworth 11-2 in the extra session.

“I’m really proud of the grit our guys showed in the second half of this game,” Nevada coach Shaun Gray said. “Shots were not falling and the ball was not bouncing our way, but we stayed the course and continued to grind. Several players stepped up big for us. Our defense was the difference tonight.”

Nevada led 16-11 at the end of the first quarter, but the game was tied at 26 at halftime after a back and forth second period. 

The Pioneers held a 36-31 advantage at the end of the third quarter, but a 3-pointer from Nevada’s Riddick Shook tied the game at 41 late in the contest. 

A last-second trey by Nevada was off the mark and the game went into overtime.

Brice Budd and Kellen Braden both hit 3-pointers early in the extra session to give Nevada the lead for good. 

Budd scored 14 points to lead Nevada (3-3), while Jack Cheaney added 11 points. Gabe Smith scored nine points, while Braden and Shook each scored eight.

“This win is something we can build on, and we are very pleased with our improvements this week,” Gray said. “Anytime you can go 2-1 in Carthage it’s something we’ll take. We’re looking forward to a good tournament next week at Butler.”

In the tourney’s seventh-place game, Fort Smith Southside defeated the Carthage junior varsity 73-49.

 

The Carthage Tigers pose with the championship plaque after winning the 77th Carthage Invitational on Saturday. Justin Ray (0) was the MVP. Photo by Tyler Wade.

CARTHAGE INVITATIONAL

Thursday’s scores

Raymore-Peculiar 60, Southside 33

Webb City 84, Nevada 51

Joplin 57, Leavenworth 48

 

Friday’s scores

Nevada 63, Southside 48

Leavenworth 52, Carthage JV 38

Webb City 55, Raymore-Peculiar 51

Carthage 59, Joplin 42

 

Saturday’s scores

Southside 73, Carthage JV 49 (7th place)

Nevada 52, Leavenworth 43 (5th place)

Raymore-Peculiar 48, Joplin 41 (3rd place)

Carthage 70, Webb City 59 (Title game)

 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Justin Ray, Carthage (MVP)

Barron Duda, Webb City

Ashton Jermain, Raymore-Peculiar

Eli Pace, Webb City

Dylan Pugh, Carthage

Cannon Northcraft, Raymore-Peculiar

Collis Jones, Joplin

Jack Cheaney, Nevada

MJ Morgan, Leavenworth

Alex Roper, Southside

 

BOYS HOOPS: Webb City blitzes Monett in season opener

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Ahead of Tuesday night’s season-opener, the Webb City Cardinals had just four days of practice with all of their players available.

It was hard to tell.

Pushing the pace from the start, Webb City held a 20-point lead before the first quarter concluded on the way to a dominant 65-34 non-conference boys basketball victory over Monett inside the Cardinal Dome.

“I was really pleased with our effort tonight,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We wanted to get the pace into a track meet and we were able to do that. Every guy that went into the game was playing at max effort. They played through mistakes, and they made an effort to share the ball. Our guys have really bought in to what we’re trying to do, and I was really pleased.”

The Cardinals once again got off to a late start to the hoops season as far as practice time with everyone, as the school’s football team advanced to the state semifinals.

“It’s not easy when you’re playing into shape,” Horn said. “This is my eighth year here and we’ve built our system up from the grade school level, so they’re used to what we’re doing. It’s more about trying to get enough practice in to fine-tune things. And you’re always nervous for the first game. We had four varsity guys who were consistently in practice. The rest of the guys just came in.”

Displaying a tenacious defense and taking advantage of its overall team speed, Webb City built a comfortable 29-8 lead by the end of the opening quarter.

From the start, the Cardinals were able to get numerous hoops in transition, often converting steals into layups. Five different players scored in the first period, as the hosts showed their depth.

“I think this is the fastest team I’ve had in 20 years of coaching basketball,” Horn said. “There’s some elite speed on the floor and that can make up for our lack of size. And they share the ball. And right now, we need to get runouts because we don’t have our legs under us yet.”

The Cubs scored the first eight points of the second quarter before the Cardinals righted the ship in a big way. Webb City closed the first half on a spirited 22-3 surge to take a commanding 51-19 halftime lead.

Webb City senior guard Barron Duda outscored the visitors by himself in the first half, 22-19.

Webb City’s lead was never in jeopardy in the second half. The Cardinals were up 65-34 entering the fourth quarter.

“Monett struggled tonight and they’re a better team than what they showed,” Horn said. “They have some nice players. We had a good atmosphere and we overwhelmed them early and it snowballed on them. I certainly don’t think it would be like that if we played them again. But that’s a credit to our kids and our student section. Those things work together and it makes it a fun environment to play in.” 

The 6-foot-3 Duda scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Cardinals. Both were game highs.

“He’s an all-conference type player and I think he’s going to have a big year,” Horn said. “He made plays when he needed to. I’m really happy with his performance.”

Three others reached double figures for the Cardinals, as junior guard Holton Keith scored 13 points, junior guard Eli Pace had 12 and senior guard Omari Jackson added 10. 

“I’m really happy with Omari Jackson,” Horn said. “He’s on four practices and he played with great pace.”

Pace handed out six assists and sophomore Trae Turner had six boards.

The Cardinals had 18 steals in the game, as Pace, Keith and sophomore Gabe Johnson recorded four apiece.

Landyn Brandt scored 11 points to lead the Cubs, while Ian Waterman added seven. 

Webb City takes on Nevada at 6:30 on Thursday night in an opening round contest of the 77th Carthage Invitational. The Webb City-Nevada winner will meet either Raymore-Peculiar or Fort Smith Southside in Friday’s semifinals.

“Nevada’s got a good crew and we know they shoot the ball very well,” Horn said. “Win or lose, you’re looking at a tough game in the next round too. It’s a really good tournament again this year. Carthage has one of the better teams in our area and they may have the best player in our area in Justin Ray. There’s a lot of talent in the tournament. It will be a good one, so we’re excited to see where we’re at.” 

Monett (0-2) will be among the teams competing at this week’s Seneca Invitational.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

GIRLS HOOPS: Webb City, Carthage suffer season-opening setbacks at invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Webb City and Carthage had their chances late, but both ultimately fell short against squads from Arkansas in their respective opening-round games of the 2023 Lady Tigers Invitational on Thursday night inside the CHS Gymnasium.

Webb City suffered a 55-47 setback to Bentonville, while tourney host Carthage fell 41-33 to Fort Smith Southside.

In Thursday’s other first round action, El Dorado Springs defeated Sunrise Christian 59-56 in overtime and Rolla handled Olathe East 55-35.

 

BENTONVILLE 55, WEBB CITY 47

Featuring several newcomers in key roles, Webb City only trailed by four with 1:30 to play, but the Cardinals were unable to overcome the deficit.

Webb City coach Lance Robbins said he was pleased with his team’s performance. 

“It was our first game of the season, and I thought we looked a little nervous at the start of the game,” Robbins said. “Bentonville is always a solid, well-coached basketball team. We knew they’d had three or four games under their belt, so we just wanted to see where we were at. It was fun to play against somebody. I thought our girls did a great job. We have a lot of new faces out there. I thought everybody stepped up and played to their strengths. We saw a lot of positive things that we can build on.” 

Bentonville closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 15-7 advantage.

In the second period, Webb City received a trey from senior Malorie Stanley and a bucket from junior Kirra Long to stay within striking distance. But Cambrie Phillips and Anna Lee Kulka both drilled 3-pointers for the Tigers, who held a 27-16 advantage at the break.

The Cardinals began the second half on a spirited and game-changing 11-0 surge, as senior guard Mia Robbins swished back-to-back 3-pointers and freshman forward Addie Burns contributed five points to tie the game at 27-all.

Overall, Webb City outscored Bentonville 23-13 in the third period, as Stanley’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the left wing trimmed her team’s deficit to one, 40-39, entering the final frame.

“At halftime, we talked about just coming out more relaxed,” Coach Robbins said. “I thought we did that in the third quarter. We played with more confidence, we saw some shots go down and we used that energy to fuel us for the rest of the half.”

The Cardinals hung tough until the end but couldn’t get over the hump late in the contest.

Clinging to a one-point cushion, the Tigers finished the game on a 12-5 surge.

Mia Robbins led Webb City with 14 points, 12 coming on four 3-pointers. Stanley also reached double figures with 11 points. She hit a pair of treys.

“Our seniors did a good job,” Coach Robbins said. “They weren’t called on to score as much the last couple of years, but we need them to score more for us this year. They both did a good job of that.”

Burns contributed nine points for the Cardinals and Long had five. 

“Kirra did a good job tonight of distributing the ball,” Coach Robbins noted. 

In addition to Burns, three other freshmen contributed nicely for Webb City, as Adalyn Maxwell and Whitlee Keith scored three points apiece and classmate Abby Sargent had two.

Lee Kulka scored a game-high 26 points for the Tigers and Sadie Steele added 19.

The Cardinals will meet Sunrise Christian in the consolation semifinals at 4 p.m. on Friday.

 

SOUTHSIDE 41, CARTHAGE 33

The host Tigers had their chances late, as they only trailed by six with four minutes to play.

Simply put, Carthage was unable to rally late in the game. 

“Southside was playing its third or fourth game, so they’ve got the first game jitters out of the way, and they’ve got their roles defined a little bit more,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “For us, we know we have some things to fix. We’ll play again tomorrow, and hopefully, we’ll get past the first game issues we saw tonight.”

For the first time in five years, Carthage took the court with a new floor general, as four-year starting point guard Kianna Yates graduated last May.

With that, the Tigers have returning players in new and expanded roles this season. 

“The returners we have are being asked to do more because of graduation,” Moore said. “Maggie’s got to get used to being the full-time varsity point guard. She’s doing well and she’s going to get even better. Lauren is being asked to score more than she has in the past. She’ll do that. Lexa is being asked to score more this year. That adds up to everybody shifting roles. This was our first game, so all of that is still being ironed out.”

Carthage trailed 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The Tigers tied the game at 15-all on junior guard Maggie Boyd’s 3-pointer, but the hosts were down one at the break, 17-16.

Boyd’s second trey of the third period trimmed Southside’s lead to three, as the hosts trailed 25-22.

But the Mavericks concluded the third quarter on a 5-1 run for a 30-23 lead.

Southside extended its lead to nine early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers kept coming.

Junior Jaidyn Brunnert scored in the lane, the visitors responded on the other before CHS junior classmate Ashlyn Brust knocked down a 3-pointer, trimming her team’s deficit to six.

The Mavericks reeled off five straight points to push their lead to 11 and the Tigers had a couple of empty possessions that sealed their fate.

Moore noted there were plenty of positives for his squad.

“Our girls played really hard,” Moore said. “There’s no question about that. Sometimes we need to play a little smarter. And we’re a much-better shooting team than we saw tonight. A lot of shots just didn’t fall. There’s not going to be many games where Lauren Choate doesn’t hit a 3. Again, it was our first live speed action of the season. We’ll get better.” 

Brust scored 11 points to lead the Tigers, while classmate Boyd added 10 points and hit three 3-pointers.

Junior guard Lauren Choate scored seven points, while fellow juniors Brunnert and Lexa Youngblood contributed four and one point, respectively.

Six-foot senior post player Sophia Neihouse scored a game-high 18 points for the Mavericks.

Carthage will meet Olathe East at 5:30 on Friday in the consolation semifinals. 

 

EL DORADO SPRINGS 59, SUNRISE CHRISTIAN 56

Alexis Collins hit a go-ahead runner in the lane with 10.5 seconds left to lift El Dorado Springs to a 59-56 overtime victory over Sunrise Christian Academy in the tourney opener.

After Collins’ hoop, Sunrise Christian missed a last-second field goal attempt and fouled.

Eldo’s Neely Schaaf made 1 of 2 free throws with a second left for the final margin.

The game was deadlocked at 48 at the end of regulation.

McKinli Mays scored 26 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Schaaf added 13.

Sandra Hracka scored 22 points for Sunrise Christian. 

El Dorado Springs takes on Bentonville at 7 on Friday night in the semifinals.

 

ROLLA 55, OLATHE EAST 35

Up five after the opening frame, Rolla used a 23-12 second quarter to take control of Thursday’s nightcap.

Willow Gideon scored 18 points to lead Rolla, while Mariah Watkins added 13.

Corrine Cole scored 16 points for Olathe East. 

Southside and Rolla meet at 8:30 in the second semifinal.

 

PHOTO GALLERY: Webb City suffers semifinal loss to Republic

Posted on by Jason Peake

Webb City’s football team suffered a 21-20 loss to Republic in the Class 5 semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

The setback ended Webb City’s season, while Republic advanced to the state title game for the first time in school history. 

Below are photos from Saturday’s game by Steve Rackley (flattopphotos.com).

 

 

 

All photos by Steve Rackley (flattopphotos.com).

STATE FOOTBALL: Missed opportunities doom Webb City in semifinal loss to Republic

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

REPUBLIC, Mo. — A late turnover doomed a potential game-winning drive, and the Webb City Cardinals saw the 2023 season end in heartbreaking fashion.

Republic made more winning plays late in the game and the Tigers defeated Webb City 21-20 in a Class 5 semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers will play for a state football championship for the first time in school history. 

Republic (12-2) will meet Cardinal Ritter (13-0) in the state championship game at 7 p.m. on Friday at Faurot Field in Columbia.

In Ryan McFarland’s first season at the helm, Webb City concludes the ’23 campaign with a record of 10-3. 

The Cardinals won the regular season matchup with the Tigers in convincing fashion, 42-21, at Cardinal Stadium. But the stakes were much higher in the rematch between Central Ozark Conference foes.

Republic’s opening series ate up nearly 11 minutes of the first quarter and a 19-play scoring drive was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Wyatt Woods.

Omari Jackson picks up a big gain on the ground against Republic on Saturday in a Class 5 semifinal. Photo by Steve Rackley/Special to SoMo Sports.

Webb City responded immediately, as the Cardinals scored on their first play from scrimmage when sophomore quarterback Gabe Johnson connected with junior Jackson Lucas on a 45-yard touchdown strike. However, the PAT kick was off the mark, keeping the Tigers in front 7-6.

The Cardinals took a 12-7 lead with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter on senior running back Omari Jackson’s 4-yard touchdown plunge. In another missed opportunity, the 2-point conversion failed.

The Tigers went up 14-12 after Woods completed a 63-yard touchdown pass to senior James Rexroat with 4:27 left in the first half, and Mason Cole converted his second PAT kick.

Webb City had another missed opportunity late in the first half, as a penalty cost the visitors a first down on a potential go-ahead drive that ultimately ended with a punt.

After the break, Webb City needed just four plays to go back in front, as the speedy Johnson sprinted past the Republic defense for a 43-yard touchdown on a QB keeper. Johnson ran in the 2-point conversion, giving the Cardinals a 20-14 lead at the 10:27 mark of the third quarter. 

But Republic took a 21-20 lead into the fourth quarter after Woods passed to Caide White for a 9-yard touchdown on the final play of the third period.

Next, the Tigers recovered the ensuing onside kick at the start of the final frame. 

A few plays later, though, Webb City’s Aaron Bell fell on a Republic fumble. But the visitors were unable to take advantage of the takeaway.

Webb City was driving late in the game, but an interception by Republic’s Kaleb Norman on the 17-yard line with just 2:45 remaining sealed the win for the Tigers, who were able to run out the clock after the takeaway.

Webb City quarterback Gabe Johnson tosses to Omari Jackson while Slade Hurd looks on.

NAMES & NUMBERS

Sophomore QB Gabe Johnson carries the ball against Republic on Saturday.

Webb City recorded 281 yards of total offense on 33 plays, with 202 rushing yards and 79 passing yards.

Johnson rushed for 159 yards on 15 carries. He completed 2 of 5 passes for 79 yards.

The Cardinals recorded 12 first downs to Republic’s 17. 

In the semifinals for the first time since 1986, Republic compiled 285 yards on 57 plays, with 195 on the ground and 90 through the air.

Woods ran 26 times for 130 yards and also completed 4 of 7 passes for 90 yards and two scores.

The Tigers had nearly 32 minutes of time of possession to Webb City’s 16.

Webb City had five penalties to Republic’s two.

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It was Webb City’s first road semifinal since 2015, when the Cardinals traveled to Cape Central. 

The program’s last five semifinal matchups were all at Cardinal Stadium, as Webb City hosted Jackson in 2021, Platte County in ’20, Ladue in ’19 and ’18 and Platte County in ’17.

Saturday was Webb City’s 28th semifinal appearance overall.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

RELATED: PHOTO GALLERY: Webb City suffers semifinal loss to Republic – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)

 

The Webb City defense converges on Republic QB Wyatt Woods during Saturday’s Class 5 semifinal at Tiger Stadium. Republic defeated Webb City 21-20. All photos by Steve Rackley/Special to SoMo Sports.

 

Webb City’s Slade Hurd attempts to avoid Republic’s Kendall Curbow during Saturday’s Class 5 semifinal at Republic High School.

Webb City’s Aaron Bell and Christian Brock look to make a tackle against Republic on Saturday. Also pictured is Andrew Young (6). All photos by Steve Rackley (flattopphotos.com).

STATE FOOTBALL: Webb City rides strong finish, solid overall effort to quarterfinal victory  

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — The final home game of the 2023 season was one to remember for the Webb City Cardinals. 

With an impressive overall effort, and riding a strong finish, Webb City upended Grain Valley 49-35 on Friday night in a Class 5 quarterfinal at a packed Cardinal Stadium.

“I’m so proud of our players,” Webb City coach Ryan McFarland said. “They played hard. We’ve talked all week about how this was going to be a game with adversity and a lot of swings. We knew they may get some big plays offensively. We told them the team that keeps fighting adversity and doesn’t give up will have a chance to win. I’m proud of the composure our kids showed on the field tonight.” 

A back and forth affair throughout, the first ever meeting between the schools was deadlocked at 21 in the third quarter before Webb City finished strong, outscoring the Eagles 28-14 the rest of the way.

And as a result, the Cardinals were the team celebrating the season-saving victory on John Roderique Field, where they completed an undefeated home slate. 

“Our seniors were keeping everyone together and the spirits up on the sideline and we never got uptight in the game,” McFarland said. “I think that’s a credit to our leaders.” 

Webb City recovered a fumble, fell on an on-side kick and didn’t commit a turnover in the contest.

“The difference was the mistakes,” Grain Valley coach David Allie said. “They didn’t make them and they got our ball a couple of times. That’s the difference. We had some missed opportunities with the fumble and the on-side kick. They didn’t make mistakes and that shows they’re well-coached.”

“It was a pretty clean game for us,” McFarland said. “That goes back to the senior leadership and the kids playing for each other. We challenged them to do their jobs and play hard. If we can have 11 guys playing hard and not taking a play off, good things can happen. Tonight, that happened for us.”

Also key to the win was the fact the Cardinals were able to record a number of third-down conversions, often through the air. 

“We spent all summer and all season throwing the ball,” McFarland said. “People asked why are we throwing the ball so much. You have to be able to throw the ball when you need to. We feel confident throwing the ball.” 

Webb City (10-2) will travel to conference foe Republic (11-2) next Saturday in the semifinal round of the state tournament. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Webb City is back in the semifinals after a one-year absence. 

“I’m happy for the kids to experience this,” McFarland said as a large group of students and parents celebrated with the team on the field. “Webb City Football…this is why you play. You want a chance to win a state championship. They’re keeping that chance alive.” 

 

GAME RECAP

Facing a second down and 21 deep on the 10, Webb City sophomore quarterback Gabe Johnson sprinted past the defense for a scintillating 90-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive, electrifying the home crowd and giving the Cardinals an early lead.

But Grain Valley needed just five plays to tie it up, as standout senior running back Ty Williams ran for a 46-yard touchdown run with 8:55 remaining in the first quarter.

The Eagles took a 14-7 lead with 4:21 left in the opening frame on senior quarterback Sal Caldarella’s 17-yard touchdown pass to classmate Noah Olah.

Webb City senior running back Omari Jackson broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run with 1:29 left in the first period, and Alex Dunne’s PAT kick tied the score at 14-all.

It looked like the Eagles were about to re-take the lead with just under five minutes left in the first half, but the visitors lost a fumble near the end zone, with Webb City’s Conner Gayman knocking the ball loose and Jordan Howard recovering for a touchback.

The Cardinals took a 21-14 lead with 2:07 remaining in the second quarter when junior Joseph Graffenreid hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Johnson on fourth and 19. The go-ahead score finished off a 10-play, 80-yard drive.

Grain Valley’s Aaron Barr caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Caldarella at the 9:39 mark of the third period, tying the game at 21-21.

But Webb City responded with a pair of crucial touchdowns to take a two-score lead, as sophomore Slade Hurd scored on an 8-yard run and Johnson ripped off an electric 78-yard touchdown sprint.

“The long run by Gabe was a quarterback misdirection play,” McFarland said. “We were waiting for them to over-pursue and we thought that was a good time to call it. It worked out well for us.”

Grain Valley pulled within seven at 35-28 with a touchdown at the end of the third quarter.

Webb City recovered an on-side kick to start the final frame and then took a 42-28 advantage after Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown plunge with 9:58 remaining. 

The Eagles answered with a 71-yard scoring drive, once again pulling within a single TD with just under seven minutes left.

But the Cardinals wouldn’t be denied. 

Webb City picked up a huge first down with a third down conversion, once again through the air. This time, Johnson completed a 32-yard pass to senior receiver Payton Marshall, extending the time-consuming drive.

“We didn’t get off the field on third down,” Allie said. “That kills you.”

A few plays later, Webb City put the game away when Hurd charged into the end zone from a yard out, making it 49-35 with just 57 seconds left.

“We have played well in the fourth quarter all year,” McFarland noted. “We’ve had a lot of close games where we’ve been able to pull away in the fourth quarter. The credit goes to the mentality of our kids.” 

Grain Valley threatened to score in the final seconds, but Webb City’s defense forced a turnover on downs for the final exclamation point on the victory. 

“Our kids fought hard the whole time and we never felt like we were out of it,” Allie noted. “We ran out of time.” 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

Simply put, the Eagles struggled to slow down Webb City’s split-back veer rushing attack.

Webb City compiled 567 yards on 62 plays, with 447 rushing yards and 120 passing yards.  

The speedy Johnson ran for 255 yards on 16 carries, while Jackson added 121 rushing yards on 13 carries. Hurd contributed 54 yards on the ground. Johnson, Jackson and Hurd scored two touchdowns apiece.

“Their offense can control the ball and keep it out of our hands,” Allie said. “Their quarterback is shifty and they run the ball hard.”

Brody Eggleston was credited with 12 tackles and Gayman had seven.

Grain Valley recorded 476 yards on 51 plays, with 282 passing and 194 rushing.

Williams ran for 163 yards on 21 carries with one touchdown. He finished the season with 33 touchdowns and more than 2,400 rushing yards. 

Caldarella completed 15 of 25 passes for 282 yards.

Grain Valley ends the season at 10-2. The Eagles, who had won eight straight games ahead of Friday’s clash, lost in the quarterfinals for the fifth straight season.  

 

THIS ‘N THAT

Webb City went 7-0 at home this season. 

Webb City last advanced to the semifinals in 2021. Of course, the Cardinals captured a state championship that year, their first in Class 5.

Webb City was in the quarterfinals for the 31st time in school history. 

 

CLASS 5 QUARTERFINAL

WEBB CITY 49, GRAIN VALLEY 35

Grain Valley     14      0     14      7   — 35

Webb City         14     7     14     14  — 49

SCORING SUMMARY

WC: Gabe Johnson 90 run (Alex Dunne kick)

GV:  Ty Williams 46 run (Ben Drinkwater kick)

GV: Noah Olah 17 pass from Sal Caldarella (Drinkwater kick)

WC: Omari Jackson 60 run (Dunne kick)

WC: Joseph DeGraffenreid 23 pass from Johnson (Dunne kick)

GV: Aaron Barr 43 pass from Caldarella (Drinkwater kick)

WC: Slade Hurd 8 run (Dunne kick)

WC: Johnson 78 run (Dunne kick)

GV: Peyton Woodrome 18 pass from Cardarella (Drinkwater kick)

WC: Omari Jackson 1 run (Dunne kick)

GV: Woodrome 24 pass from Cardarella (Drinkwater kick)

WC: Hurd 1 run (Dunne kick)

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

DISTRICT FOOTBALL: Webb City advances to quarterfinals with dominant victory over rival Carthage

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — After a dominant victory over a longtime rival, the Webb City Cardinals are headed back to the state quarterfinals.

Top-seeded Webb City rolled from the start on the way to a convincing 42-7 win over third-seeded Carthage on Friday night in the championship game of the Class 5 District 7 tournament at Cardinal Stadium. 

“Tonight we wanted to come out and set the tone early and I think we were able to do that,” Webb City coach Ryan McFarland said. “Our 33 seniors have led us in every practice and workout and they led us tonight. I can’t say enough about the senior class. We’re going to get back to work on Monday. The Carthage game is over and it’s time to move on to whoever we play next.”

Webb City (9-2) will host Grain Valley (10-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the state tourney.

In a first half where nearly everything went the host’s way, Webb City built a commanding 27-0 lead by intermission. It was more of the same in the second half, as the Cardinals held a 42-0 advantage late in the game. 

“We kind of got steamrolled tonight for sure,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Big credit goes out to Webb City. They played a heck of a game. Their kids played hard. They took it to us tonight.” 

Of course, the Cardinals had some extra motivation after falling to the Tigers 20-13 during the regular season meeting on Oct. 6. 

“When we played them last time, for whatever reason, they were more physical than us,” McFarland said. “They played with more energy than we did that night. We’ve talked about that since that game…we can control our energy level and how physical we are.” 

Webb City senior defensive lineman Jace Jones admitted his team was highly-motivated to avenge the loss to the Tigers. 

“We had great preparation in practice this week,” the 6-foot-7, 255-pound Jones said. “We took practice more seriously this time. We knew the season was on the line. I’m so proud of every one of my teammates. We put in the work, effort and preparation and good things happened for us tonight. Overall, our offense and defense played complementary football. The offense would score, and the defense would get a stop. It was a great night.” 

Webb City’s Andrew Elwell is tackled by Landon Bland during Friday’s district title game at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Israel Perez.

GAME RECAP

After the teams traded interceptions early in the game, Webb City senior running back Omari Jackson scampered into the end zone from six yards out, finishing off a 12-play, 95-yard drive. 

It was the lone score of the first quarter.

The Webb City defense forced a turnover on downs on the first series of the second quarter, setting up the offense with good field position.

The hosts needed just two plays to go 44 yards, as Jackson’s 37-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals a 13-0 lead with 9:36 remaining in the first half.

After Carthage went three and out, Webb City junior running back Andrew Elwell recorded a 2-yard touchdown run with just under five minutes left in the second period for a 20-0 cushion.

Next, speedy sophomore quarterback Gabe Johnson sprinted past the CHS defense for a 76-yard touchdown run, extending his team’s advantage to 27-0.

“We had some big plays called back due to penalties in the first half, but I think it gave our kids confidence that we have that big play potential,” McFarland said. “We just needed to cut down on our mistakes.” 

Everything continued to go Webb City’s way, as an interception by junior defensive back Andrew Young late in the first half halted a Carthage drive.

After throwing a pair of interceptions in the opening half, Carthage lost a fumble at the start of the third quarter.

The Cardinals added a pair of unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, as Elwell scored on a 4-yard run and senior quarterback Braden McKee contributed a 6-yard score for a lopsided 42-0 advantage.

Carthage junior quarterback Brady Carlton scored on a 2-yard run with 35 seconds left for the final margin.

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

Led by stellar offensive line play, Webb City recorded 480 yards of offense on 45 plays, with 418 rushing and 62 passing.

Elwell ran 14 times for 126 yards and two scores, while Johnson had 119 rushing yards on just six carries. Jackson ran nine times for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

“Gabe Johnson is a stud,” McFarland said. “He’s getting better and better each week. We got Omari Jackson back last week and he’s a big play guy for us. All of our running backs played really well.” 

The Cardinals recorded 15 first downs to Carthage’s five.

Webb City’s stout defense limited Carthage to 158 yards on 38 plays, 127 on the ground and 31 through the air. 

Carlton recorded 60 rushing yards on 16 carries and Landyn Collins had 42 yards on 11 attempts.

Webb City remained undefeated at home this season, as the Cardinals are now 6-0 on John Roderique Field.

It was the third time in four years the two close rivals met with the season on the line in a district title game. 

Webb City sophomore Slade Hurd carries the ball during Friday’s Class 5 District 7 championship game at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Israel Perez.

SAYING GOODBYE

Carthage ends the ’23 season with a record of 7-5.

Carthage said goodbye to 10 seniors. The Tigers will return a solid core next fall, as many underclassmen were in big roles this season. 

The Tigers started the fall 0-3 before turning things around and winning seven of eight contests ahead of the district title game.

“I’m very happy with the progress our kids made this year,” Guidie said. “It was a tough situation coming in after losing 11 starters on defense. It took us some time to adjust, but they did. Our kids came around. And that’s a senior class that went 0-9 as freshmen. For those guys to hang in there, and win seven games after a 0-3 start, I’m really proud of those guys.” 

 

DISTRICT TITLE IN YEAR 1 FOR MCFARLAND

The Cardinals captured a district title in Coach McFarland’s first year as the storied program’s head coach, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since winning a state title in 2021. 

A Webb City graduate and former assistant, McFarland noted it was a special occasion to see his team celebrating on Friday night. 

“It’s not about me, it’s about the kids,” McFarland said. “When they buy in and do what you ask them to do, day in and day out, you want them to reap the benefits of doing that. That’s probably the biggest part of this. The kids have done everything I’ve asked, so I hope everything works out well for them.” 

 

CLASS 5 DISTRICT 7 TITLE GAME

WEBB CITY 42, CARTHAGE 7

Carthage       0      0       0      7   —  7

Webb City    7     20     15     0   — 42

SCORING SUMMARY

WC: Omari Jackson 6 run (Alex Dunne kick)

WC: Jackson 37 run (Kick failed)

WC: Andrew Elwell 2 run (Dunne kick)

WC: Gabe Johnson 76 run (Dunne kick)

WC: Elwell 4 run (Elwell run)

WC: Braden McKee 6 run (Dunne kick)

CAR: Brady Carlton 2 run (Luis Fuentes kick).

 

RECENT DISTRICT TITLE GAMES

2023: Webb City def. Carthage 42-7

2022: Carthage def. Republic 28-14

2021: Webb City def. Carthage 28-21

2020: Webb City def. Carthage 42-21

 

Webb City sophomore Gabe Johnson is tackled by Carthage’s Trevor Meadows.

 

Carthage junior QB Brady Carlton is tackled by Webb City’s Andrew Young during Friday’s district title game at Cardinal Stadium.

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

STATE SWIMMING: Carthage, Monett advance entries to Class 1 finals

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

ST. PETERS, Mo. — The MSHSAA Class 1 Boys Swimming and Diving Championships got underway on Thursday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.

The top 16 finishers in each preliminary event advanced to Friday’s finals, with the top eight qualifying for the championship finals and places 9-16 moving on to the consolation finals. 

Carthage and Monett will have entries in Friday’s finals.

 

CARTHAGE

The Carthage Tigers advanced to the consolation finals in four events.

The 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin finished 14th in 1:44. 

Frieling placed 13th in the prelims of the 100 backstroke in 55.32 seconds.

Wright advanced in two individual events, as he placed 16th in both the 100 breaststroke (1:02) and the 200 IM (2:05). 

Also for the Tigers, Frieling was 23rd in the 100 butterfly (56.06), Allphin was 25th in the 100 breaststroke (1:04) and McBride finished 24th in the 50 freestyle (22.92) and 32nd in the 100 free (52.09).

Carthage finished 21st in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32, with McBride, Frieling, Daryl Martin and Wright competing.

The Tigers finished 30th in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39, with Allphin, Martin, Ben Rogers and Aydan Nye competing.

 

WEBB CITY

Concluding his prep career alongside the state’s best, Webb City senior Micah Brouwer finished 29th in the 200 IM with a time of 2:13 and was also 31st in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.

The Cardinals finished 28th in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:38, with Adrien Black, Aiden Patterson, Cole Dalton and Steve Kenlee competing.

In the 1-meter diving competition, Webb City’s Grant Humphrey finished 12th with a finals score of 323.45.

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Monett senior Ryan Goodson advanced to the finals in two events, as he finished sixth in the 100-yard freestyle (49.25) and 14th in the 50 free (22.2). 

Nevada’s Trace Gould finished 18th in the 100 breaststroke and teammate Kolton Evans was 23rd in the 100 backstroke. 

Monett’s Jonathan Apostol finished 22nd in the 100 breaststroke and 28th in the 200 IM.

Nevada’s 200 medley relay team finished 23rd, with Monett 29th in the same event. 

In the 200 freestyle relay, Monett finished 29th and Nevada was 32nd. The Cubs were also 31st in the 400 freestyle relay.

The Class 1 finals and the Class 2 prelims are scheduled for Friday. 

 

BOYS SWIMMING: Local squads set for state championships

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Joplin area will once again be well-represented at the MSHSAA Boys Swimming and Diving Championships. 

Joplin has entries in the Class 2 meet, while Carthage, Webb City, Monett and Nevada will have athletes competing at the Class 1 event. 

The Class 1 meet is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, while the Class 2 event will be held on Friday and Saturday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.

 

CLASS 2

JOPLIN EAGLES

The Joplin Eagles will compete in six events at the Class 2 state championships.

Joplin junior standout Nathan Wardlow qualified for the state meet in two individual events, the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. 

Wardlow is seeded ninth in both events. He’ll also compete on two relays. 

Eagles junior Parker Hinman qualified in the 100 backstroke. 

The Eagles swam qualifying times in all three relays during the regular season.

The 200 medley relay will feature Wardlow, Hinman and seniors Jackson Mordica and Ian Vermillion. 

The team’s 200 freestyle relay consists of sophomore Isaiah Thom, Vermillion, junior Jordan Goins and Mordica.

Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay features Wardlow, Vermillion, Thom and Hinman. 

Relay alternates are juniors Connor Intessimone and Gideon Speer and freshman Owen Mordica.

 

CLASS 1

CARTHAGE TIGERS

The Central Ozark Conference champion Carthage Tigers will be represented in nine of the 12 events at the Class 1 state championships. 

The Tigers qualified for state in all three relays.

Senior Kellen Frieling, junior Braxton McBride and sophomore Will Wright qualified in two individual events apiece.

Frieling will compete in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke, while McBride advanced in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Wright qualified in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke, while sophomore Maveric Allphin will compete in the 100 breaststroke. 

In addition to Frieling, McBride, Wright and Allphin, seniors Noah Blackford, Ben Rogers and Daryl Martin, juniors Ryan Steinbach, Aydan Nye and Emerson Ixcol and sophomores Carter Yost and Hayden Wilkinson are options and alternates on the three relays. 

 

WEBB CITY CARDINALS

Webb City will be represented in four events. 

Webb City senior Micah Brouwer qualified in two individual events, the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. 

Sophomore Grant Humphrey will compete in the 1-meter diving competition. 

The Cardinals swam a qualifying time in the 400 freestyle relay, with junior Adrien Black, senior Aiden Patterson, freshman Cole Dalton and senior Steve Kenlee the likely foursome. 

Sophomore Dalton Spence, junior Dagan Chacon, freshman Isaac Shipley and freshman Quentin Custenborder are listed as alternates for the relay.

 

MONETT CUBS

The Monett Cubs will compete in seven events.

For Monett, junior Jonathan Apostol qualified in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke, while senior Ryan Goodson advanced in the 50 free and the 100 free.

The Cubs qualified in all three relays.

 

NEVADA TIGERS

The Tigers will compete in four events. 

Nevada sophomore Trace Gould advanced in the 100 breaststroke and classmate Kolton Evans qualified in the 100 backstroke. 

Nevada qualified in two relays — the 200 and the 200 freestyle.

 

MORE INFORMATION: MSHSAA: Boys Swimming & Diving Championship Information Central

DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY: Webb City taking both teams to state; Joplin runners advance

Posted on by Jason Peake

NIXA, Mo. — Webb City’s girls and boys cross country teams advanced full squads to the state championships and Joplin had individual qualifiers in both races at the Class 5 District 2 meet on Saturday at Inman Elementary School.

At the district meet, the top four teams and the top 30 individuals advanced to the state meet. 

The top four girls teams were Raymore-Peculiar (56), Webb City (97), Kickapoo (99) and Ozark (115).

Joplin senior Katherine Schaefer finished eighth in 19:12 to advance. 

Webb City sophomore Brooke Hedger finished 11th in 19:20, while freshmen Emma McKinzie (19th), Olivia Klotz (20th) and Amelia Antillon (22nd) and senior Emily Countryman (25th) all recorded top 25 finishes to lead the Cardinals to the runner-up team showing.

Webb City’s sixth and seventh runners were Brooke Collard (52nd) and Rachel Miller (76th). 

Among the local athletes unable to move on were Joplin’s Kyrie Britton (33rd), Carthage’s Maggie Boyd (41st) and Joplin’s Averi Burks (42nd). 

Republic’s Gracie Troester was the girls medalist in 18:12.

The top four boys teams were Nixa (65), Raymore-Peculiar (88), Lee’s Summit (97) and Webb City (108). 

Joplin junior Chance Tindall finished fifth in 15:36, while Webb City senior Evan Stevens was sixth in 15:39 and Joplin senior Ian Horton took seventh in 15:41.

Webb City’s Mason Hedger placed 16th in 16:05, Joplin’s Grey Edwards was 21st in 16:11 and Webb City’s duo of Andrew Dawson and Spencer Kendall finished 25th and 26th, respectively.

Webb City’s fifth runner was Noah Lankard (35th), while Fenton Rice (46th) and Dakota Grove (60th) were the Cardinals’ sixth and seventh runners. 

Nixa’s Aaron Ashley was the district champ in 15:32.

Carthage’s Eddy Fuentes finished just outside of the top 30 in 33rd and Neosho’s Adam Farrell finished 53rd.

The MSHSAA Class 5 Cross Country Championships will be held on Nov. 4 at Gans Creek in Columbia.

 

FULL RESULTS: MSHSAA Class 5 – District 2 2023 – Meet Results (milesplit.com)

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Webb City beats Carl Junction to win third straight district title

Posted on by Lucas Davis

ANDERSON, Mo. — Few things feel better for a team than righting the wrongs from a loss earlier in the season by winning the rematch with a district title on the line.

That is exactly what second-seeded Webb City did on Saturday after rallying from an early deficit to defeat longtime rival and top-seeded Carl Junction 23-25, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-14 in the Class 4 District 6 championship at McDonald County High School.

Webb City’s Aubree Lassiter swings through a kill in the Cardinals’ win over Carl Junction in the district title game on Saturday. Courtesy photo.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “We have kind of been struggling in recent games and have been messing with our rhythm and chemistry. We have been kind of stop and start, but today we were very smooth and played together. They’ve melded a little more over the last couple of weeks and I am so proud of them because we had to fight for every point. 

“CJ is a top opponent. You have to love this type of volleyball, with the top two teams in the area in a great match. I was very proud of my girls for stepping up and I think our experience in these situations helped us make an adjustment when we had to. We had kids step up into big shoes and make big strides, putting the ball where we needed to to score, working together, for each other and trusting the game plan. It was a great team effort.”

MOVING ON

The district title is the third straight for Webb City (27-6), which advances to the quarterfinal round of the Class 4 state tournament. 

Last year, the Cardinals made a run to the semifinal round before ultimately finishing fourth in the state. Webb City, which is ranked eighth in Class 4 entering the postseason, is relying on that experience as it attempts to duplicate and surpass the success from the postseason a year ago.

“Having the success of the last couple of years makes you more comfortable in these situations,” Lawrence said. “It has helped us everyday this year, driving us to propel further and bringing the young ones up with us. I felt like we kind of stalled a couple of weeks ago and then they realized how well they can play together. That belief in each other—showing that and proving that is helping us get the job done in tight situations. We can rely on each other because we are battle tested. We fight and work hard.”

SAYING GOODBYE

Carl Junction’s Miya Carnes earns an assist in the district title game against Webb City on Saturday. Courtesy photo.

With the loss, Carl Junction ends its season with a 25-9-2 record. The Bulldogs, which entered the district tournament as the No.11 team in Class 4, have won 20 games or more for five straight seasons.

“I thought our kids came out ready to battle,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “Then, some things started going the other way and we just couldn’t climb out of that hole. But they continued to battle all the way through and I am proud of them for that.

“We had a lot of big holes at the beginning of the season. There were a lot of ‘what ifs’. We had kids really step up in a lot of different positions and even learn new positions for us. We’ve had a great season and I am super proud of them.”

Carl Junction graduates seniors Acadia Badgley, Sara Buchele, Miya Carnes, Aubreigh Fowler, Abigail Wilson and Kylie Scott.

“Some of them have been on the varsity court since they were freshmen, contributing from the very beginning,” Sharples said. “Those of them that weren’t were still contributing to our program, namely helping to build the atmosphere and the culture of our program. That was their number one goal this year—to create a great culture around the team. They did that.”

BETWEEN THE LINES

Carl Junction opened the first set with momentum, building an early 9-4 advantage off a three-point service run from Buchele that featured a kill from Fowler and a block by DeShaye Buerge. Buchele came up with a four-point run in service later in the set, which featured an ace, after a sideout kill from Scott to push the CJ lead to 21-13.

After back to back kills from Scott made the score 23-15 moments later, Webb City scored eight of the next nine points to put on a furious rally and trail 24-23. Aubree Lassiter had a block and three kills to highlight the surge. The game ended on the next point with an attack error going in favor of the Bulldogs.

Webb City started off slowly and ultimately dropped the first set, but the Cardinals changed their fortune in the second set. After a serving error by CJ forced a sideout, Mia Lenker went on a four-point service run that had kills from Jaeli Rutledge and Lenker that gave the Cardinals a 10-5 advantage.

Webb City’s Kirra Long swings through a kill against Carl Junction in the district title game on Saturday. Courtesy photo.

“I think we really just got off to a bad start,” Lawrence said of her team’s ability to rebound after dropping the first set. “The first 10 points of the game we weren’t playing like we can, but we really turned it around (near the end of the first set) and started playing better, but we had already given them too many points. We just took that momentum from the last half of the first set into the second set.”

Both teams traded back and forth until Carl Junction scored seven of eight points—with kills from Carnes, Fowler and Scott, who also had a block—to give the Bulldogs a 19-17 lead. Each team traded sideout kills for the next seven points to bring the score to 22-21 in favor of CJ with Webb City serving. Savannah Crane delivered with an ace to tie the set at 22s, a kill from Lenker and an attack error on CJ put the Cardinals in front 24-22. Fowler earned a kill for CJ to force a sideout before Lenker answered back with another sideout kill to send Webb City to the win while tying things up at 1-1.

“Mentally, that was huge for us,” Lawrence said of her team staving off CJ late in the second set. “That was a momentum swing, which is a big factor in volleyball. … That just solidified that they were capable of doing this and gave them even more confidence.”

The Bulldogs and Cardinals traded swings in the early portions of the first set. Webb City initially built a 7-3 lead highlighted by kills from Makayla Mayes and Lenker and a block from Kirra Long before Carl Junction scored six of the next nine, with Scott earning three kills and Fowler one, to trim the deficit to 10-9.

Webb City took the momentum permanently thanks to back to back four-point service runs from Lenker—which featured an ace and two kills from Rutledge—and Jaylee Van Beceleare, who aced three times, to build a 20-11 cushion on the way to the go-ahead win.

“They’re both very skilled in their serving as far as placement,” Lawrence said. “And, they have a lot of heat behind their serves, so it’s hard to pass. Anytime you can serve aggressively and keep them out of their system, they can’t get it to their big hitters as well. That helps our defense to stay alive and gives our hitters a chance to get a hold of it back at them.”

The Cardinals jumped in front of the final set early, using a sideout kill from Mayes to build a 5-2 lead before Lenker ripped off four points in service to push the lead to 9-2. Lenker had an ace, while Mayes and Rutledge had kills.

CJ’s Karissa Chase earned a sideout kill which was matched by a kill from Rutledge before a block by Crane and an error on the Bulldogs pushed Webb City’s lead to 12-3.

The Cardinals shook off an error and gained service back on a kill from Long before Crane scored four straight points in service, with Lassiter earning a kill before an ace closed the run with an 18-5 lead intact.

The closest Carl Junction got to the lead was 10 points before Webb City finished off the win.

STATS

Rutledge had 18 kills and two blocks, while Lassiter finished with 17 kills, three aces and three blocks. Mayes had six kills, while Long had four and added seven digs. Savannah Crane finished with 38 assists and two aces, while Sophia Crane finished with 19 digs and two aces.

Carnes led Carl Junction with 33 assists, including an impressive one-handed assist, and three aces. Scott had 15 kills and 12 digs, while Fowler finished in double-digit kills with 10. Chase finished with nine kills, while Wilson led the team in digs with 18.

 

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Carl Junction, Webb City advance to title match

Posted on by Jason Peake

BRANSON, Mo. — Carl Junction and Webb City will meet with the season on the line.

Top-seeded Carl Junction defeated fourth-seeded Springfield Catholic 3-0 and second-seeded Webb City got past third-seeded Branson 3-2 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 6 volleyball tournament at Branson High School. 

The Bulldogs (25-8-2) and Cardinals (26-6) will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday for the district championship. 

It’s the fifth straight year that Carl Junction and Webb City will meet in a district title match. 

 

CARL JUNCTION 3, CATHOLIC 0

The Bulldogs defeated the Irish 25-16, 25-19, 25-19 in Wednesday’s first semifinal.

Aubreigh Fowler led the Bulldogs with 14 kills, while Kylie Scott added 12 kills, 10 digs and two blocks.

Miya Carnes recorded 32 assists and three aces, while Abigail Wilson contributed 18 digs and four aces. Acadia Badgley had two blocks, while Karissa Chase chipped in six kills and two blocks. 

 

WEBB CITY 3, BRANSON 2

The Cardinals needed five sets, but beat the Pirates 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-12, 15-9.

Jaeli Rutledge led the Cardinals with 23 kills, while Aubree Lassiter contributed 15 kills and seven digs. 

Savannah Crane handed out 38 assists from the setter position. Sophia Crane recorded a team-high 30 digs, while Jaylee Van Becelaere had nine digs and Jadyn Catterson added eight digs. Mia Lenker, Sophia Crane and Savannah Crane each served three aces.

In Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Parkview, Lassiter had 11 kills and Rutledge added eight kills, while Savannah Crane had 14 assists, Khloe Rhuems had 10 assists and Van Becelaere had five digs.

 

UPDATE: On Thursday afternoon, SoMo Sports was informed that Carl Junction and Webb City have agreed to play the district title match at McDonald County High School. The match will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with doors open to the public at noon. 

 

RECENT DISTRICT TITLE MATCHES
2022—Webb City def. Carl Junction 3-0
2021—Webb City def. Carl Junction 3-2
2020—Carl Junction def. Webb City 3-0
2019—Webb City def. Carl Junction 2-1

BOYS SWIMMING: Carthage repeats as COC champion; Webb City takes 2nd; Joplin’s Wardlow sets records

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

WEBB CITY, Mo. — For the second straight year, the Carthage Tigers were celebrating at the conclusion of the Central Ozark Conference boys swimming and diving championships.

Led by seven event wins, Carthage repeated as COC champs on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center on the campus of Webb City High School. The Tigers topped the team standings with 324 points.

“Last year was the first year we’d ever won it, and we graduated four seniors and lost a couple of other kids,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “So this really came as a surprise. Joplin has the best swimmer in the conference in Nathan Wardlow. Ozark has Steve Boyce as their coach and he’s won state championships. And I’ve learned so much from Shawn Klosterman. The fact that we won this year’s meet is awesome. It’s not just the guys who earn the medals and get on the podium, we’ve got a lot of guys scoring points. Those guys scoring the seventh, eighth and ninth place points really matter and are big for our program.”

Host Webb City was second in the team standings with 233 points and Joplin took third with 205. 

“I’m pretty happy, we had some good swims,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “We had some guys move up and that’s what you always look for. It’s always an inspired meet. Carthage is loaded, so they’re pretty untouchable this year. Joplin has some studs this year, and I thought they were going to get us. We pulled off second place, so we’re happy with that.” 

“Overall, I think there were a couple of events where we could have done a little better, but the guys performed well,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “If we had diving, we would have been closer to second overall. Webb City has that advantage on us. But I’m happy with how the guys performed tonight.” 

Nixa (180), Ozark (93) and Republic (92) rounded out the team standings.

Carthage’s Kellen Frieling won the 100-yard backstroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.

CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Carthage’s Will Wright won the breaststroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet.

The Tigers won two of the three relays and also took first in five individual events. 

“Our boys competed well and they did everything we thought they’d need to do tonight,” Coach McBride said. “It was a great night.” 

Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first with a time of 1:47.

The Tigers won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:34, with Braxton McBride, Frieling, Aydan Nye and Wright competing.

Carthage finished second in the 200 freestyle, as Allphin, Daryl Martin, Ben Rogers and Nye recorded a time of 1:42.

Braxton McBride and Frieling each won two individual events.

A junior, McBride won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.15 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 51.71 seconds. 

A senior, Frieling took first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.46 seconds and also captured gold in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.69 seconds.

A sophomore, Wright won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05. Wright also finished second in the 200 IM.

The Tigers received big points in several other events. Allphin finished third in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 free, while Martin took fourth in the 100 free and Noah Blackford finished fourth in the 100 backstroke.

Also, Ryan Steinbach took sixth in the both the 200 IM and the 500 free, Emerson Ixcol took sixth in the 100 backstroke, Carter Yost finished seventh in the 200 IM and Rogers took seventh in the 500 free.

“Kellen, Braxton and Will have committed to being year-round swimmers,” Coach McBride said. “They lead us, but they’ve got a lot of other guys with them. It was a total team victory.” 

Webb City’s Dagan Chacon is pictured during the COC Swim Meet.

WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Webb City fared well in the relays.

The 200 medley relay team of Cole Dalton, Micah Brouwer, Dalton Spence and Aiden Patterson finished third in 1:54.

Webb City was also third in the 200 freestyle relay, as Steve Kenlee, Spence, Brouwer and Adrien Black recorded a time of 1:43.

The Cardinals were fourth in the 400 freestyle relay, with Black, Kenlee, Dalton and Patterson competing.

Black was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:28, while Brouwer placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07 and third in the 200 IM in 2:16.

Black and Kenlee took fourth and sixth in the 200 freestyle, while Kenlee and Patterson were fifth and seventh in the 100 butterfly. 

Also for the Cardinals, Spence was fifth in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, Dalton was fifth in the 100 free, Patterson placed fifth in the 500 free, Cole was fifth in the 100 backstroke and Dagan Chacon finished seventh in the 50 free. 

Webb City’s Grant Humphrey won the 1-meter diving competition, besting Nixa’s Keegan Sandgren for the top spot.

“Adrien had a big meet and our 200 free relay moved up from fifth to third, so I was proud of that,” Klosterman said. “Aiden had a season-best in the 500, so that was big. Grant Humphrey had a great day. He’s a new kid, but he’s proven to be very competitive.

“I’m also glad we got to have a Senior Night, too,” Klosterman said. “And it’s always nice to host this meet. It’s a hectic day, but it’s really nice to have it here.” 

Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won two events at the COC Swim Meet on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.

JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS

Joplin was led by the standout performance of junior Nathan Wardlow.

Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow reacts to his time in the 500-yard freestyle, which broke a pool record set in 1984.

Wardlow was the COC champion in two events, as he won the 200 individual medley in 2:02 and took first in the 500 freestyle with a record-breaking time of 4:53.

Wardlow set a meet and pool record in the 500 freestyle. The previous pool record (4:55) was set in 1984 by Sean Garretson of Jenks, Oklahoma. The COC record (4:57) was set by Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann in 2022. 

“Nathan has been impressive all year,” Stump said. “I see a lot of drive from him. I saw him kick it into another gear tonight. For him to get that time in the 500 free here, I couldn’t be more impressed.” 

The Eagles had a top-five finish in all three relays.

Joplin’s 200 medley relay team of Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Parker Hinman and Ian Vermillion finished second in 1:50. 

The JHS team of Wardlow, Isaiah Thom, Vermillion and Hinman took second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:40.

The Eagles placed fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Owen Mordica, Jackson Mordica, Jordan Goins and Thom competing.

A junior, Hinman was the runner-up in two events, the 100 fly in 59.71 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:00. 

Vermillion and Thom finished third and sixth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle, while Jackson Mordica took fourth in the 100 breaststroke.

Also for the Eagles, Vermillion was sixth in the 100 fly, Thom took seventh in the 100 free and Owen Mordica placed seventh in the 100 backstroke. 

 

CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team standings: Carthage 324, Webb City 233, Joplin 205, Nixa 180, Ozark 93, Republic 92.

 

Carthage’s Carter Yost is pictured during Tuesday’s Central Ozark Conference swimming and diving championships. Photo by Israel Perez.

 

Jackson Mordica competes for the Joplin Eagles on Tuesday night in Webb City. Joplin finished third in the team standings at this year’s COC Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.

 

The Carthage Tigers pose on Tuesday night after winning the Central Ozark Conference Championships for the second straight season. Photo by Jason Peake.

 

FULL RESULTS: COC results with splits and scores

DISTRICT SOFTBALL: Nevada earns walk-off win over Webb City in title game

Posted on by Jason Peake

NEVADA, Mo. — An old adage says it’s always tough to beat the same team three times in one season.

As difficult as it may be, the Nevada Tigers found a way to pull it off. 

Top-seeded Nevada defeated second-seeded Webb City 6-5 in nine innings in the thrilling championship game of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament on Monday night at Bushwhacker Field. 

In a back-and-forth nail-biter that went into extra innings, the Tigers plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kara Phillips sprinted home from third base after a wild pitch. 

These teams knew each other well. Nevada won both regular season meetings with the Cardinals, winning 5-1 and 3-0. And with the season on the line, the Tigers were able to make it three straight. 

But it was far from easy, as the Cardinals put up a valiant effort.  

Nevada’s Peyton Eaton delivers a pitch to the plate against Webb City on Monday during the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 tournament. Photo by Brandi Redman.

Webb City took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, as senior Jensyn Pickett doubled to right-center before junior Addie Brown smacked a two-run home run over the fence in center field. 

Senior catcher Dawsyn Decker’s two-run single through the left side gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead in the third.

The Tigers pushed across three runs in the top of the fifth to pull within a single tally. Senior outfielder Hope Hearting homered to right field, freshman Kaniyah Johnson scored from third on a wild pitch and junior pitcher Peyton Eaton delivered a sacrifice fly to left, cutting Webb City’s lead to 4-3.

The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, as junior shortstop Kaleiah Johnson tripled and came home on Hearting’s RBI double to right.

In the same inning, Nevada had the go-ahead run at third with two outs, but the Cardinals picked her off, as Decker fired a throw to Alex Maturino in time to tag out Hearting.

Webb City took the lead in the top of the eighth. Sophomore second baseman Lily Hall singled with one out, and with two outs, Pickett hit a grounder to third base, but the Tigers threw the ball over the first baseman’s head, allowing pinch-runner Lia Taylor to score the go-ahead run.

Nevada tied it up in the bottom half of the eighth when Hearting was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

The Tigers had the bases loaded with just one out later in the frame, but Webb City reliever Makenzie Wynn retired two straight batters to send the game to the ninth.

The Cardinals went down in order in the top of the ninth, and Nevada ended the game in the bottom half. 

Phillips singled to lead off the frame and Eaton walked. With junior catcher Ella Heathman at the plate, a pair of wild pitches allowed the Tigers to score the winning run.

Eaton was the winning pitcher. She struck out eight and allowed nine hits in nine innings. 

Freshman Addie Burns started in the circle for Webb City on Monday night.

Addie Burns started for Webb City and took a no-decision. A freshman, Burns allowed four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight. Wynn was charged with the loss. She went 2 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. 

Hearting had a team-high three RBI for the Tigers. 

Decker and Brown drove in two runs apiece, while Maturino was the lone Cardinal to record two hits.

 

SOLID SEASON ENDS

Webb City finishes the ’23 season with a record of 26-12.

Suiting up for a final time for Webb City were seniors Decker, Pickett, Sydney Strickland and Rilley Hanes. 

The Cardinals will return a solid core next fall, as several underclassmen played key roles this season.

 

QUARTERFINALS ON SATURDAY

Nevada (27-7) will host District 8 champ Kearney (25-5) in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bushwhacker Field.  

 

Nevada’s Kara Phillips makes contact with a pitch during Monday’s district title game. Nevada defeated Webb City 6-5 in nine innings. Photo by Brandi Redman.

 

The Nevada Tigers pose after winning the Class 4 District 7 championship on Monday night. Photo by Brandi Redman.

DISTRICT SOFTBALL: Webb City will meet Nevada in title game

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEVADA, Mo. — The top two seeds will meet in the championship game of the Class 4 District 7 softball tournament.

Top-seeded Nevada pounded fifth-seeded Carl Junction 15-0 in four innings, while second-seeded Webb City defeated third-seeded Belton 6-2 in Saturday’s semifinals at Bushwhacker Field.

Tourney host Nevada (26-7) and Webb City (26-11) will meet at 5:30 on Monday night in the district title game.

 

WEBB CITY 6, BELTON 2

Webb City pushed across runs in the first three frames to take control early. 

The Cardinals scored once in the first, as Abby Sargent doubled and later scored on Alex Maturino’s run-scoring groundout.

Taking advantage of two Webb City errors, the Pirates plated two runs in the second, but Sydney Strickland’s two-run home run to center field gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second.

Kylee Sargent’s two-run bomb gave Webb City a three-run advantage in the third and Maturino’s sac fly extended Webb City’s lead to 6-2 after five frames.

Addie Burns was the winning pitcher. A freshman, Burns scattered 10 hits, struck out four, didn’t walk a batter and didn’t allow an earned run in a complete-game effort.

Belton’s Solana Carpenter took the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits. She struck out seven.

Maturino, Strickland and Kylee Sargent drove in two runs apiece for the Cardinals. 

Nevada’s Peyton Eaton was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s semifinal contest against Carl Junction. Photo by Brandi Redman.

NEVADA 15, CARL JUNCTION 0 (4 INNINGS)

Nevada scored two runs in the first, four in the second, five in the third and four in the fourth to earn a run-rule victory in the first semifinal.

Down 2-0, the Bulldogs threatened in the top of the second, but the hosts turned an inning-ending double play.

The Tigers added four runs in the bottom of the second, as Kaniyah Johnson hit an RBI single before Peyton Eaton smacked a two-run home run to left and Ella Heathman followed with a solo homer to center for a 6-0 cushion.

The Tigers added five runs in the third, with Heathman hitting her second home run of the game for an 11-0 lead.

Nevada scored four runs in the fourth to end the game, as Johnson hit an RBI double, Kara Phillips contributed a two-run single and then scored from third on a wild pitch.

Caylee Holcomb and Phillips recorded three hits apiece for the Tigers, while Eaton, Heathman and Johnson added two hits apiece.

Eaton was the winning pitcher. She allowed five hits and one walk in four scoreless innings.

Carl Junction (11-20) received two hits from Ryleigh Palmer. 

Kiley Spencer took the loss after allowing 13 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. Spencer struck out five and walked one.

Hannah Cantrell, Izzie Southern and Grace Kirk are Carl Junction’s seniors. 

 

Nevada’s Caylee Holcomb slides safely into home plate against Carl Junction’s Madi Olds during Saturday’s district semifinal contest. Photo by Brandi Redman.

FOOTBALL: Webb City knocks off upset-minded Neosho on Senior Night

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City sent its seniors out on a positive note.

Bouncing back nicely from last week’s setback, Webb City rode a strong fourth quarter to a 37-18 Senior Night victory over Neosho on Friday in Central Ozark Conference action at Cardinal Stadium.

“Sending the seniors out with a win was the goal tonight,” Webb City coach Ryan McFarland said. “They’ve done such a great job for us all year. Everyone always remembers their Senior Night game, so we wanted to make sure we sent them out on a high note.”

On the night the team’s 33 seniors were recognized, Webb City definitely had to earn the win.

The hosts were clinging to a 20-18 advantage in the third quarter against the upset-minded Wildcats. But the Cardinals scored 17 unanswered points in the final frame.

“Hats off to our defense,” McFarland said. “At halftime, everyone was frustrated. Neosho’s Quenton Hughes does a phenomenal job at quarterback and running their offense. But hats off to our defense for getting some stops late in the game.”

The Wildcats were looking for their first win over Webb City since 1999. Despite a solid effort, it wasn’t meant to be. 

“I’m proud of our kids,” Neosho coach Brandon Taute said. “They fought really hard. That’s a testament to who our kids are. It’s been a rough year as far as close game after close game after close game. It would’ve been easy for them to check it in at any point, but tonight shows who they are. These kids just keep battling and battling.”

Webb City and Neosho have been assigned to Class 5 District 7, so they could see each other again in the postseason. 

Both teams hope to make some noise when the district playoffs arrive.

Taute noted he’s confident his Wildcats still have their best performance ahead.

“I think we’re capable of beating anybody,” Taute said. “If we can clean some things up and put together a full game, I think we’re capable of making a deep run in the playoffs. Playing our best football in Week 10 has been the goal all along.” 

McFarland said his team still has work to do if it wants to accomplish its goal of making a deep postseason run.

“We made too many mistakes in the first half, but credit Neosho,” McFarland said. “Neosho’s defense caused us some problems. We’ve got to be better than that moving forward if we want a chance to do something in the postseason. The last two weeks we’ve made too many mental mistakes, and we have to get those things fixed.”

 

GAME RECAP

Webb City defeated Neosho 37-18 on Friday at Cardinal Stadium. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

Webb City junior running back Noah Durman got the hosts on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle with nine seconds left in the first quarter, capping an 11-play, 54-yard drive.

Three plays after a Webb City turnover on downs, Neosho junior wide receiver Hudson Williams hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Hughes with 6:55 left in the second quarter. The PAT kick was blocked by Webb City’s Brody Eggleston, keeping the Cardinals in front, 7-6.

On the next series, speedy sophomore Gabe Johnson bounced to the outside and sprinted to a 51-yard touchdown run for the Cardinals, extending the lead to 14-6.  

Johnson’s 1-yard QB keeper made it 20-6 with just over 40 seconds remaining in the first half.

The score wouldn’t hold up for long.

Neosho went 68 yards on four plays in just 42 seconds, scoring just before the half when junior Tyrone Harris caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hughes. A 49-yard pass play to Harris set up the score, which trimmed Webb City’s lead to 20-12 at the break.

After intermission, the Wildcats pulled within two after Harris hauled in a 31-yard pass with 4:33 left in the third quarter. The visitors attempted to tie the game, but the 2-point conversion was off the mark. 

The Cardinals lost their second fumble of the second half on the next series, but the Wildcats were unable to take advantage, as the Webb City defense forced a key turnover on downs.

Webb City’s Alex Dunne converted a 27-yard field goal with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals some breathing room at 23-18.

“Alex has done a great job all year, and we’re not afraid to kick field goals,” McFarland said. 

After a Neosho punt, Webb City extended its lead to 30-18 with 6:51 remaining on a 33-yard touchdown strike to  junior Jackson Lucas.

Next, Webb City junior defensive back Andrew Young recorded a 68-yard interception return with 5:38 left for the final exclamation point on the contest. It was Young’s second interception of the night. 

“Getting that pick six was obviously big,” McFarland said. 

 

Neosho quarterback Quenton Hughes passed for 273 yards against Webb City on Friday night. The Cardinals won the game 37-18. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

NAMES & NUMBERS

Ranked seventh in Class 5, Webb City hiked its record to 6-2. 

Webb City recorded 409 yards of total offense, with 270 rushing and 139 passing.

Junior Andrew Elwell led the Cardinals with 88 rushing yards on 21 carries, while Johnson had 87 yards on nine carries.

Jordan Howard made eight tackles and Brett Korth had six stops for the Webb City defense.

Neosho (1-7) finished with 360 yards, 273 through the air and 87 on the ground. 

A senior, Hughes completed 19 of 37 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Harris had 14 receptions for 179 yards and two scores, while Williams caught three passes for 66 yards.

Junior running back Denver Welch led Neosho’s rushing attack with 80 yards on 19 carries. 

Cade Spiva was credited with 11 tackles, while Bostyn Patterson had 10 stops.

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Webb City concludes the regular season next Friday at Branson (4-4), while Neosho hosts Joplin (5-3) in Week 9.

 

WEBB CITY 37, NEOSHO 18

Neosho         0   12   6     0 — 18

Webb City    7   13    0   17 —37

SCORING SUMMARY

WC: Noah Durman 4 run (Alex Dunne kick)

NEO: Hudson Williams 26 pass from Quenton Hughes (Kick blocked)

WC: Gabe Johnson 51 run (Dunne kick)

WC: Johnson 1 run (Kick failed)

NEO: Tyrone Harris 7 pass from Hughes (Kick blocked)

NEO: Harris 31 pass from Hughes (Pass failed)

WC: Dunne 27 field goal

WC: Jackson Lucas 33 pass from Johnson (Dunne kick)

WC: Andrew Young 68 interception return (Dunne kick)

 

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

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