ANDERSON, Mo. — In the first action of the 2023 season, the Webb City High School softball team earned a pair of non-conference victories on Saturday at McDonald County High School.
Webb City defeated Quapaw, Oklahoma, 11-1 in the day’s opener and the Cardinals knocked off host Mac County 11-7.
Against Quapaw, the Cardinals scored three runs in the first inning, four in the fourth and two apiece in the fifth and sixth innings.
Webb City recorded 12 hits. Abby Sargent went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Alex Maturino, Sidney Strickland, Dawsyn Decker and Riley Hanes all had two hits apiece. Maturino hit a pair of doubles, while Decker and Hanes tripled. Lily Hall, Maturino and Decker drove in two runs apiece.
Three Webb City pitchers limited Quapaw to one hit.
Laney Taylor was the winning pitcher. She went two innings in the circle, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two.
Kenzie Wynn tossed three scoreless innings, while Karsyn Cahoon pitched one inning, giving up one run.
In the win over the Mustangs, Webb City plated six runs in the first inning and added two in the second to take a comfortable 8-0 lead.
Down 9-1, McDonald County erupted for six runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Cardinals added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
The Cardinals once again got the bats going in a big way with 11 hits against their district foe.
Kylee Sargent, Strickland and Decker had two hits apiece. Hanes homered and drove in two runs. Wynn and Strickland had two RBI, while Lily Hall, Maturino, Decker and Addi Brown contributed one RBI apiece.
Lia Taylor was the winning pitcher. She went five innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out three. Addie Burns and Wynn pitched in relief.
McDonald County’s Joslyn Royce allowed six runs on five hits, while Jaylee Brock gave up two earned runs on four hits and Dakota O’Brien surrendered two runs, both unearned, in one inning of work.
Carlee Cooper and O’Brien both homered for the Mustangs, while Kearston Hopkins drove in three runs on two hits.
In the day’s other game, McDonald County defeated Quapaw 12-2.
Webb City (2-0) hosts Nevada (3-1) at 4:30 on Monday.
NIXA, Mo. — Despite a valiant effort, a number of missed opportunities were too much to overcome as the Webb City Cardinals suffered a 14-7 loss to the Nixa Eagles on Friday night in the opener of the 2023 prep football season.
A back and forth first half ended with Nixa clinging to a 14-7 lead.
Neither team scored in the second half, as both defenses pitched shutouts after intermission.
The Eagles scored on the fourth play of the night when senior running back Spencer Ward sprinted 66 yards to the end zone with 10:15 left in the first quarter. The PAT kick was no good.
The Cardinals answered on their first drive of the night, as a 7-yard touchdown plunge by senior running back Breckin Galardo finished off a 10-play, 64-yard drive at the 4:48 mark of the opening frame.
After Webb City missed a 43-yard field goal attempt, Nixa took a 14-7 lead with 5:53 left in the first half after senior QB Drew Blevins completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Rylan Michel. Ward ran in for the 2-point conversion.
The Cardinals lost a fumble late in the first half, but the Webb City defense came up with a key fourth down stop, forcing a turnover on downs.
Webb City had another missed opportunity after a Nixa fumble. The loose ball was up for grabs, with the Eagles finally able to recover it and retain possession.
Webb City put together a nice drive after halftime, but the visitors had a costly penalty and then missed a field goal attempt with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.
After forcing the Eagles to punt, the Cardinals were stopped short on fourth down for a turnover on downs early in the fourth period.
The Webb City defense forced another punt on the next series.
Down seven late in the game, Webb City threatened to tie it up after gains on the ground by Galardo, Omari Jackson, Andrew Elwell, Braden McKee and Gabe Johnson put the visitors within striking distance.
But the Cardinals had a turnover on downs on the 12-yard line with just over two minutes left when the Eagles stopped a QB keeper from Johnson 1-yard short of the first down marker.
Nixa picked up a couple of first downs and ran out the clock.
The Eagles finished with 301 yards, with 225 rushing and 76 passing.
Senior running back Malachi Rider led the Eagles with 118 rushing yards on six carries, while Ward ran 10 times for 95 yards.
Webb City recorded 263 yards, 204 on the ground and 59 through the air.
A sophomore, Johnson ran for 75 yards on 20 carries, while Galardo finished with 73 yards on 19 carries. A senior, McKee completed five passes for 38 yards. Joseph DeGraffenreid had two catches for 38 yards. The Cardinals did not punt in the game.
Friday’s contest was Ryan McFarland’s debut as Webb City’s head coach.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City (0-1) hosts Carl Junction (0-1) in Week 2.
Class 6 Nixa (1-0) is at Neosho (0-1) next Friday.
SoMo Sports is proud to represent and contribute to the coverage of prep athletics for Joplin and its surrounding communities, and because of that, we’ve decided to continue our SoMo Sports Athletes of the Year series.
The SoMo Sports Athletes of the Year were chosen by reporters Jason Peake and Lucas Davis, who researched, discussed and agreed upon one athlete to represent for their school in each high school varsity sport from the fall, winter and spring seasons. The recipients were chosen by their athletic performances at the varsity level for the 2022-23 school year.
Without any further wait, the 2022-23 SoMo Sports Fall Sports Athletes of the Year.
FALL SEASON
FOOTBALL
Luke Gall, senior, Carthage
Carthage senior RB Luke Gall avoids Webb City during the 2022-23 season. FILE PHOTO
An outstanding player both offensively at running back and defensively at linebacker during his prep career, Carthage’s Luke Gall rushed for 2,000 yards and 40 touchdowns on 246 carries and made 106 total tackles during his senior campaign, playing a major role in Carthage advancing to the Class 5 state semifinals.
The area’s most-outstanding two-way performer, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Gall was named the Class 5 Offensive Player of the Year, the COC’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year and the Region’s Offensive and Defensive POY.
Carthage went 11-2 in ’22, with a 22-21 setback to Nixa the team’s lone regular-season setback. Eventual state champion Francis Howell defeated Carthage 35-13 in the Class 5 semifinals.
Gall and his classmates played for a program that finished a combined 42-6 overall during their four years of high school.
With his storied and remarkable prep career concluded, Gall has signed to continue his athletic career at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
HM: Quin Renfro, junior, Joplin
SOFTBALL
Jacie Frencken, junior, McDonald County
McDonald County’s Jacie Frencken had quite the junior season for the Mustangs on the diamond.
The junior infielder clubbed her way to a .510 batting average while getting on base at a .574 clip. She provided plenty of power after slugging 1.010 and came up clutch time and time again with a .683 batting average with runners in scoring position.
In total, Frencken set a bevy of single-season school records with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 53 RBI, earning herself the Big 8 Conference Player of the Year as well as earning first-team all-district, all-region and all-state while helping lead the Mustangs to a 23-10 record and a trip to the Class 4 state playoffs.
Seneca senior Parker Long earns a kill with a tip over the defense in the Indians’ win over Mountain Grove on Thursday. FILE PHOTO
Parker Long finished her career in Seneca on a high note.
The 5-foot-9-inch outside hitter was a catalyst in the Indians’ 23-12-1 season that ended with a program-first trip to the quarterfinal round of the Class 3 state playoffs. Long led Seneca with 448 kills, 474 digs and 65 aces on the season.
She had a 40.1% kill rate with a .269 hitting percentage and averaged four kills per set.
Among the accolades Long earned this season, she was named first-team all-conference and district as well being the first Seneca player to earn Class 3 all-state honors as well.
HM: Kyah Sanborn, senior, Webb City; Lo Jones, senior, Carl Junction
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Hobbs Campbell, senior, Joplin
Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell capped an outstanding senior season by finishing fifth at the MSHSAA Class 5 Cross Country Championships.
Competing in the state’s biggest classification, Campbell toured the 5K course at Gans Creek with a time of 15 minutes, 42 seconds to earn all-state honors.
Ahead of the state championships, Campbell finished fourth at the Class 5 District 2 meet with a time of 15:36.
Also of note, Campbell won the Central Ozark Conference Meet with an impressive time of 15:21.
Campbell will continue his athletic career at the University of Kansas.
HM: Kip Atteberry, senior, Thomas Jefferson; Evan Stevens, junior, Webb City
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Abi Street, senior, Webb City
Webb City senior Abi Street crosses the finish line during the 2022-23 season. FILE PHOTO
In a season full of highlights, Webb City senior Abi Street recorded a program-best finish at the state championships.
In a stellar conclusion to a standout prep cross country career, Street finished third in the Class 4 girls race with a time of 19 minutes, 6 seconds.
The third place showing is the highest place ever by a Webb City female at the state meet.
In addition to earning all-state recognition for the second straight year, Street captured district and conference championships during the fall.
Street was the top female finisher at the Class 4 District 2 meet (18:53) and she also took first at the Central Ozark Conference Meet (18:40).
Street will compete collegiately at the University of Kansas.
HM: Kendall Ramsey, junior, McAuley Catholic
GIRLS GOLF
Emree Cameron, sophomore, Nevada
Nevada High School sophomore Emree Cameron was the runner-up at the MSHSAA Class 2 Girls Golf Championships.
Cameron finished the two-day state tourney with a 2-over-par 146, just two strokes back of the state champion, Marshfield’s Marlene Edgeman.
In a stellar fall season, Cameron was the Class 2 District 3 champion with an even-par 70.
Cameron finished third at the Big 8 Conference Meet with a 2-under-par 68.
Cameron won 18-hole tournaments in Joplin, Lamar, Bolivar, Carthage and Nevada. She averaged a 69 on 18-hole courses last fall while averaging a 34.5 on 9-hole courses.
Cameron set a school record by shooting a 7-under-par 65 at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course on Sept. 23.
BOYS SOCCER
Alex Flores, senior, Webb City
Alex Flores’ final season with Webb City soccer was a strong conclusion to his prep career.
The standout forward helped lead the Cardinals to their program’s first district title since 1999 by finding the back of the net 28 times during his senior season.
Flores also added seven assists on the year, garnering him all-conference, district and state recognition.
BOYS SWIMMING
Micah Brouwer, junior, Webb City
Webb City’s Micah Brouwer finished as one of the top and most dynamic swimmers in the area.
He finished the season with Webb City as the Central Ozark Conference champion in the 100-yard breaststroke with a state consideration time of one minute, 4.94 seconds and was third in 200 IM.
Brouwer had a third-place time in the 100 breastroke of 1:03.39 in the SWMO Championships.
At the state meet, Brouwer finished 18th in the prelims of the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03, just missing a trip to the finals.
GIRLS TENNIS
Emma Watts, senior, Joplin
Joplin’s Emma Watts returns a shot during the 2022-23 season. FILE PHOTO
Joplin High School senior Emma Watts concluded her stellar prep career by putting together a solid 2022 season.
Watts finished her senior year with a 21-7 record in singles play.
Along the way, Watts captured the singles championship at the Central Ozark Conference Tournament. It was Watts’ third conference championship, as she and Astrid Cardenas won COC doubles titles the two previous seasons.
Watts finished third in the singles bracket at the Class 3 District 6 individual tournament.
The Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its all-state teams for 2023.
CLASS 5
Webb City had three players recognized as second team all-state in Class 5—senior pitcher Kaylor Darnell, senior infielder Cy Darnell and junior catcher Shaun Hunt.
Cy Darnell was recognized for the second straight year.
Webb City finished fourth in Class 5, the program’s best finish since 2010.
Other all-state picks in Class 5 from the Central Ozark Conference were Willard’s Klayton Kiser (second team INF), Cooper Wilken (second team DH/Utility) and Chris Massey (HM pitcher).
The Class 5 Player of the Year was Camdenton’s Kade Durnin.
CLASS 6
No Joplin area players were recognized as all-state in Class 6.
Recognized as all-state in Class 6 from the Central Ozark Conference were Nixa’s Rylan Michel (first team OF) and Ethan Taylor (second team pitcher) and Republic’s Gavyn Beckner (first team DH/Utility) and Wyatt Woods (second team catcher).
The Class 6 Player of the Year was Liberty North’s Tate McGuire.
CLASS 4
Nevada, Monett and Aurora had players selected in Class 4.
Nevada senior Case Sanderson was a first team all-state pick as a designated hitter/utility player.
Nevada senior Cade Beshore was an honorable mention pick at catcher.
Aurora senior Hayze Hoffman was a first team pick at infielder, while junior Heath Hoffman was an honorable mention selection as an outfielder.
Recognized as honorable mention all-state from Monett were senior pitcher Marcus Young, senior infielder Jason Garner and sophomore outfielder Aidan Clapper.
John Burroughs’ Bowen Brantingham was the Class 4 Player of the Year.
CLASS 3
Stockton had three players listed in Class 3.
Stockton sophomore Cale Johnson was a first-team selection at catcher, while sophomore Easton Hubbard was a second-team pick at DH/Utility and senior Wyatt Downs was an honorable mention selection as an outfielder.
Hermann’s Parker Anderson was named the Class 3 Player of the Year.
CLASS 2
Purdy senior Ezequiel Garcia was a first team pick at infielder in Class 2.
Pierce City senior Clayton Raley was a second team infielder, while Purdy senior Travis Hughes was a second team pick as an outfielder.
Purdy senior Bosten Goetz and Miller senior Brady Johnson were honorable mention picks at catcher, while Purdy senior Josh Brown was an honorable mention selection at DH/Utility.
The Class 2 Player of the Year was Ash Grove’s Parker Crow.
CLASS 1
Liberal had seven players selected as all-state in Class 1—senior outfielder Payton Morrow (first team), junior infielder Justin Payne (first team), senior outfielder Chase Ray (second team), sophomore infielder Kole Wiles (second team), senior DH Nate Smith (second team), junior catcher Kaleb Coleman (HM) and junior infielder Brodie Wilson (HM).
Lockwood had three players selected. Lockwood junior Hank Eggerman was a first team pick at infielder, while senior infielder Rader Boyd and senior outfielder Dylan Snider were honorable mention selections.
St. Elizabeth’s Jace Kesel was the Class 1 Player of the Year.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Boys high school basketball teams from around the area tipped off play Tuesday in the Webb City 4-States Summer League.
Games are played every Tuesday night in June with varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams utilizing five different gymnasiums simultaneously, including center stage at the Cardinal Dome.
The games are split into two 16-minute halves with basically a running clock throughout and only a brief intermission before the second half.
Webb City coach Jason Horn started this summer league when he was at Neosho and he took it with him to Webb City, where it has expanded in recent years.
“The summer league has been great for our area teams,” Horn said Tuesday between Webb City varsity games against Joplin and Carthage. “Our area teams and coaches do a great job of supporting it. It gives kids an outlet on Tuesday nights to play basketball. We’ve got great facilities at Webb City to host it with five gyms in walking distance of each other.
“This is the 11th year I’ve been running this league overall, seven years at Webb City running it, so it’s a great venue for it and it’s grown every year. We get to see some different teams come in and it’s a situation where you can play all four weeks, but we’re flexible and if you can only make it for a week, you can bring your team in for a week and get good competition.
Varsity boys basketball teams from Joplin and Webb City squared off on Tuesday night at the 4-States Summer League at Webb City High School. All photos by Jessica Greninger.
“It gives our area officials a chance to train. It’s just good for basketball in the four-state area.”
Schools that play in the league include the larger Central Ozark Conference schools like Joplin, Carthage and Neosho, as well as smaller schools College Heights, Thomas Jefferson, Liberal, Diamond, Jasper and Sarcoxie.
Rogers (Ark.) and Pittsburg (Kan.) are slated to join the fun on the second Tuesday.
“You get the David vs. Goliath matchup sometimes,” Horn said. “The big schools and the small schools get to mix together. The best thing about it is that we try and make it competitive. We try and put you with the level you think you can compete at, and you get to see different teams doing that. We’ve seen some really good players and some good teams come through here.”
Not only do the varsity players have the opportunity to develop their skills in live-action competition against players from other schools, but so do the younger athletes.
“The JV and freshman divisions have been great,” Horn said. “Freshmen are able to come up and play against JV teams sometimes. We’ve got a situation where you can play a freshman-only schedule. Certain years, when we have the teams to do that, it’s great for our younger players to get experience and get on the court. Just all the way around, it’s helping to grow basketball in the area, and I think that’s the most important thing.
Between camps, leagues and shootouts, the summer can be hectic, especially for multi-sport athletes and their coaches and parents.
“It’s great here because it’s a local opportunity to bring teams in,” Horn said. “We’re fortunate at Webb City. Coach (John) Roderique, since my first year here, has set it up to where we have set days. Basketball is a Tuesday and Thursday situation, and football is Monday and Wednesday. We have that for all our sports, so that helps us keep off each other and gives our kids an opportunity to play multiple times and I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been successful here in all our sports. You have to give a lot of credit to (Roderique) for having the foresight to think about and understand that.”
The summer can also be a time for coaches, especially a new head coach, to bond with players and vice-versa.
For example, acting Joplin head coach Nick Pfeifer talked with the Eagle players after their back-to-back games Tuesday against Webb City and Seneca about it being Day One.
“We’ve got a different look, a different group, all those things,” Pfeifer said. “A lot of changes. Ultimately, we just know that summertime is the time to get better and that’s our goal here. It was our first day. We just had a little practice today before we came out here and competed. We know that we have to keep getting better, and that we have a long summer ahead of us.
“It’s a great opportunity. We appreciate (Webb City) putting it on. We know that we’re going to come over and get quality games and competition.
“Our freshmen and our JV are playing right now. Those guys are the ones that have to continue to develop to build a program, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Pfeifer coached the Joplin freshman squad last season.
“We’ve just got to get those guys in the gym and work on their game,” Pfeifer said. “I think it is an opportunity for the community and the school to have a high-quality basketball program.”
Before his one season coaching at Joplin, Pfeifer accumulated 10 seasons of head coaching experience at Erie, Kansas. The Red Devils won 127 games during Pfeifer’s tenure and their 2021 state tournament appearance marked their first since 1993.
Editor’s note: Joplin High School is searching for a new head varsity boys basketball coach, as Bronson Schaake recently stepped down.
Varsity boys basketball teams from Joplin and Webb City squared off on Tuesday night at the 4-States Summer League at Webb City High School. All photos by Jessica Greninger.
OZARK, Mo. — After Webb City broke through with a run in the top of the 11th inning, Fort Zumwalt South rallied with two runs touching home for a 4-3 walk-off win in extras in the Class 5 third-place game on Saturday at Sky Bacon Stadium.
Webb City’s Drew Vonder Haar looks on as Fort Zumwalt South’s Evan Fulhorst is called safe at home by umpire Nick Dicapo after a close play at the plate in the fourth inning of the Class 5 third-place game on Saturday at Sky Bacon Stadium. Webb City catcher Shaun Hunt looks on in back. Photo by Jason Peake.
The Cardinals got back-to-back one-out singles from Gage Chapman and Sam Weller in the top of the 11th before Cy Darnell was eventually walked intentionally to load the bases. Shaun Hunt followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Chapman for a 3-2 lead—the first lead of the game for Webb City.
The Bulldogs opened the bottom of the 11th with consecutive singles from Carter Cox and Connor Mendell before being sacrificed to second and third on a bunt from Jacob Reynolds. Evan Fulhorst was intentionally walked to load the bases to bring the force out at home into play. Connor Henke followed with a game-tying single through the left side of the infield, with the winning run coming around to score on an interference call at third base for a 4-3 victory in 11 innings.
SEASON WRAP
Webb City finishes the season with a 22-15 record, making it to the Final Four for the first time since the 2010 season.
The Cardinals graduate seniors Cy Darnell, Kaylor Darnell, Chapman, Evan Freeman, William Hayes, Kenley Hood, Landon Johnson, Tyler Marbut, Elijah Miller and Walker Sweet.
ON THE MOUND
Webb City junior right-hander Drew Vonder Haar delivers a pitch to the plate during Saturday’s Class 5 third-place game at Sky Bacon Stadium. Photo by Jason Peake.
Henke started for Fort Zumwalt South and took a no-decision after allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts in eight innings. Gavin Reidel earned the win in relief after allowing one run on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts in three innings.
Drew Vonder Haar started for Webb City and took a no-decision after allowing two runs on six hits, a walk and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Sweet struck out the only batter he faced. Chapman was saddled with the tough-luck loss in relief after allowing two runs on three hits, a walk and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
GAME ACTION
Fort Zumwalt South took the initial lead in the first inning with a run coming home despite the ball not reaching the outfield.
Webb City’s Cy Darnell gave the Cardinals their first runner in scoring position with a leadoff triple over the Bulldogs’ left fielder’s head in the top of the fourth inning. Unfortunately, Darnell was stranded 90 feet away following a groundout, pop up and flyout to end the inning and the threat.
The Bulldogs added to their lead with an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth after Fulhorst, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, came around to score on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.
Webb City senior Cy Darnell motions to his teammates in the dugout after hitting a leadoff triple in the fourth inning on Saturday’s third-place game.
Webb City rallied in a big way in the top of the seventh inning when Hayes came up with an RBI single with runners on first and second before Chapman reached on a Bulldogs’ fielder error to allow the tying run to score and knot things up at 2-2.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth before an infield fly and a tapper back to the mound turned into a 1-2-3 double play to get the Bulldogs out of the jam. Webb City also had runners at second and third with one out in the 10th but couldn’t push across a run before breaking through in the 11th.
IN THE BOX
Cox had two hits and scored a run to lead Fort Zumwalt South at the plate.
Chapman had three hits, scored a run and drove in one, while Hood finished with two hits to lead Webb City at the plate.
OZARK, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals will attempt to end the 2023 season with a win on Saturday.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals will look to capture the third-place plaque as opposed to a state championship trophy.
A strong pitching performance from Jack Nobe led St. Francis Borgia to a 4-0 victory over Webb City on Friday in a semifinal contest of the MSHSAA Class 5 state baseball tournament at Sky Bacon Stadium.
With the setback, Webb City (22-14) will take on Fort Zumwalt South (27-7-1) at 10 a.m. Saturday in the tourney’s third-place game.
Winners of 11 straight games, Borgia (25-5) will meet Festus (26-8) in the title game at 1 p.m.
Simply put, the Cardinals couldn’t get the bats going against Borgia’s Nobe, a junior right-hander who has verbally committed to Xavier.
Webb City managed just two hits against the hard-throwing Nobe, who improved to 7-1 on the mound.
“We knew coming in he was a really good pitcher,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said of Nobe. “He did a good job of mixing his fastball and his breaking ball. I thought we put the ball in play quite a bit…we didn’t have many strikeouts. But we couldn’t get anything to fall.”
For most of the semifinal contest, it was a pitcher’s duel between Nobe and Webb City senior right-hander Kaylor Darnell.
Nobe went the distance, surrendering just two hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out five. Nobe faced only three batters in five of the seven frames.
“He was hard to square up,” Doennig said. “He keeps hitters off-balance. We could never really hit too many balls hard. Sometimes that happens in baseball…it was just one of those days.”
Webb City infielder Cy Darnell throws to first base during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
Nobe also tossed seven shutout innings against Glendale in the quarterfinals, limiting the Falcons to two hits.
Kaylor Darnell (9-3) threw well in defeat. The Missouri Southern recruit went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits. He struck out five, walked two and hit three.
Darnell left in the sixth to a nice round of applause from the Webb City faithful with his team trailing 1-0.
“Kaylor kept us in the game,” Doennig said. “You could see he didn’t have his best stuff today, but he battled through it. He did a great job. You could tell he was pretty gassed. We’ve asked a lot of him. This was his fourth start in-a-row. That’s tough for a kid, but he did a good job for us.”
In the Final Four for the first time in 13 years, Webb City came up with a key defensive play in the bottom of the first inning.
Borgia’s Nobe tripled to right-center and later attempted to sprint home when a pitch in the turf scooted away from Cardinals catcher Shaun Hunt.
But Hunt was able to pick up the ball in front of the plate and tag out Nobe to keep the game scoreless.
Webb City’s first hit came in the third inning, as senior center fielder Gage Chapman singled to left with two outs. But Nobe was able to retire Sam Weller to end the threat.
Webb City designated hitter Christian Brock makes contact during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
A private school located in Washington, Borgia broke through in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Nobe drew a walk before Tanner McPherson singled to left to put runners on the corners.
Next, Reagan Kandlbinder smacked an RBI single through the left side to get the Knights on the board.
The score held up all the way until the sixth, as both pitchers kept the opposition at bay.
Darnell left after hitting a batter with one out in the sixth inning, with senior right-hander Walker Sweet taking over on the hill.
After an out, a Webb City error on a ground ball allowed Borgia to extend the inning with two outs.
Two straight walks, the second on a close 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, made it 2-0 in favor of the Knights.
McPherson followed with a two-run single up the middle for a four-run cushion.
Webb City pitcher Kaylor Darnell delivers to the plate during a Class 5 semifinal game against St. Francis Borgia on Friday. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
After a walk, junior Payton Marshall took over on the mound and recorded the final out.
Webb City senior shortstop Cy Darnell reached on an error to start the seventh.
After Hunt was retired, junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar reached on an infield single.
But Nobe was able to retire Christian Brock and Kenley Hood to end the game.
With that, Webb City will look to end the ’23 season on a high note on Saturday in the third-place game.
“It’s tough,” Doennig said. “It’s going to be tough for the kids to come back tomorrow after this one. But we told the kids to flush this one and come back tomorrow and be ready to play for third place. We’ll regroup and we’ll try to win one tomorrow.”
“We’ll treat tomorrow’s game like a state championship,” said Cy Darnell, who entered the game as the team’s leading hitter (.331 BA). “We’ll be ready to go. We’re going to leave it all out there tomorrow.”
MSHSAA CLASS 5 SEMIFINALS
(At Sky Bacon Stadium)
Friday’s scores
Festus 2, Fort Zumwalt South 0
St. Francis Borgia 4, Webb City 0
Saturday’s schedule
10 a.m. — Fort Zumwalt South vs. Webb City (3rd place)
Webb City pitcher Walker Sweet delivers to the plate during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
Webb City shortstop Cy Darnell throws to first base during a Class 5 semifinal game on Friday at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark. Photo by Paul Halfacre/Special to SoMo Sports.
After securing district and sectional championships in back-to-back weeks, the Webb City High School boys track and field squad concluded its stellar 2023 season by finishing fifth in the Class 4 team standings on Saturday at the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City.
Webb City compiled 40 points, just one point behind Hazelwood East for the final state plaque.
“I feel pretty good overall,” Webb City coach Dustin Miller said. “Anytime you’re fifth it’s pretty heartbreaking, especially by one point. It was kind of a mixed bag. We had some things we didn’t take care of business on and then we had some things that we did really well on. Overall, it was a good showing. We had some kids put together some heroic performances to give us a shot at a trophy.
“On paper, we were supposed to be the sixth-place team and we were supposed to score 32 points. So I’m proud we got to 40 points.”
The Cardinals were sitting in fourth place ahead of the meet’s final event. Hazelwood East came from behind to win the 4×400 relay. And those points were enough to edge past Webb City for the final team trophy.
“We knew we’d be the fourth-place team if Hazelwood East didn’t win the 4×400,” Miller said. “They were in second place before the final leg. The state champ in the 400 is their anchor, so Ladue’s three second lead wasn’t enough. That’s how it goes.”
Although a team trophy eluded them, it’s safe to say the Cardinals finished the season strong, as the boys team recorded seven all-state performances, including two state champions.
Grayson Smith
Webb City senior Grayson Smith closed out his outstanding prep career with his second state title in the pole vault, as he cleared a height of 15 feet and 5.75 inches.
“I was really proud of Grayson,” Miller said. “He didn’t have the greatest day to his standards. He looked a little flat. But for him to go out on an average day and win a state title easily speaks volumes about who he is as an athlete. And he overcame a lot of adversity just to be able to compete. I’m really proud of him.”
Smith was able to repeat as state champ after overcoming a leg injury he suffered during the football season. A Pittsburg State signee, Smith won his first Class 4 state title last year with the same 15-5.75 mark.
Smith wasn’t Webb City’s only state champ.
Junior distance runner Evan Stevens won a state title in the 3200 on Saturday and also placed fifth in the 1600 on Friday.
“Evan ran a good 1600,” Miller said. “I was proud of him for hanging in there and getting fifth. That’s where he was supposed to be. In the 3200, we knew the other guys were tired and that Evan would have a chance to win a state title if he went out and stayed aggressive. And he did. It was just a really impressive performance, not just winning, but the way he won. He led the whole way. By lap six, Evan was 11 seconds ahead. The last lap was a little nerve-racking.”
Evan Stevens
Stevens finished in 9:18, four seconds ahead of Festus’ Ian Schram, who won the 1600.
“It’s huge for Evan’s confidence,” Miller said. “He showed he can run with the best athletes in the state. Now, we just have to make sure he stays humble and keeps working hard.”
Webb City senior Trey Roets closed out his prep career on the awards podium after placing third in the javelin with a toss of 179-11.
“Trey did not look good in the prelims, but he snuck into the finals,” Miller said. “Trey relaxed and threw well in the finals. It was good to see him end his career like that.”
Roets, who will compete in football and track at William Jewell, was also third in the event last year.
The Cardinals had two medalists in the javelin, as junior Tucker Liberatore placed sixth with a toss of 171-4.
“Tucker wasn’t even supposed to get out of sectionals, but he was very consistent,” Miller noted. “He had an impressive day.”
Junior thrower Nate Miller finished third in the discus with a toss of 163-11.
“He was in sixth place and on his last throw he stepped up with a big throw to take third,” Coach Miller said. “That put us in a position to get a team plaque.”
Cardinals junior Jadon Brisco joined Smith as a medalist in the pole vault, as his clearance of 12-4 earned him eighth place.
Also gaining state experience were junior Ryan Reid (high jump) and sophomore Eric Lathan (shot put).
Also competing was Webb City’s 4×400 relay team of Gabe Johnson, Noah Moss, Joshua White and Jordan Thornburg and the 4×800 relay team of Mason Hedger, Dakota Grove, Noah Lankard and Stevens.
Ahead of their postseason success, Webb City’s boys were a close second to Neosho at the Central Ozark Conference Meet.
“It was a great season and I’m excited about the guys we’ll have back,” Miller said.
DECKER, STREET LEAD WEBB CITY GIRLS
The Webb City girls had four all-state performances, including one state champ.
Dawsyn Decker
Cardinals junior Dawsyn Decker won a state title in the javelin with a toss of 139-10, out-throwing Savannah’s Rhyan Schrick by nearly nine feet.
“Seeing Dawsyn win was pretty neat,” Miller commented. “She was not the top seed. Her PR was her last throw of the season. She’s worked hard all season. She was in control of the competition from the get-go. I don’t think anyone challenged her. For her to keep climbing the whole way was impressive.”
Decker, a multisport athlete who placed fourth her sophomore year, will look to repeat next spring.
Ending her prep career on a high note, senior distance runner Abi Street earned a pair of medals by finishing third in the 3200 and fourth in the 1600.
“Abi ran a good race in the 3200,” Miller said. “The 1600 is not her strength, but I think she ran the best race of her career. It was really impressive what she did. It was a great way to end her career. It was a good day for our distance squad for sure.”
Street is headed to the University of Kansas to continue her academic and track and field career.
Just a freshman, Brooke Hedger finished fourth in the 800 in 2:19.
“Brooke positioned herself pretty well,” Miller said. “The race went out really slow. She ran a really good race. I’m proud of her and that should be a big confidence boost for her going into next year.”
The Webb City girls just missed a medal in the 4×100, as Kylie Jennings, Alyssa Moreno, Chase Stilley and Essence Robinson finished ninth. Also, junior Aubree Lassiter finished 11th in the discus.
The Webb City girls finished 11th in the Class 4 team standings with 26 points.
Also of note, Jeremy Butler has officially stepped down as Webb City’s girls track and field coach. Butler spent more than two decades coaching track at Webb City.
Coach Miller will be in charge of both programs next year.
“I look forward to seeing if we can get more talented athletes to come out for the sport,” he said.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — The Webb City Cardinals are Final Four bound for the first time in 13 years.
Drew Vonder Haar scored the go-ahead run in dramatic fashion and Walker Sweet maneuvered out of trouble on the mound in the sixth and seventh innings, propelling Webb City to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Kearney in a Class 5 quarterfinal on Saturday in front of a large crowd at Chuck Barnes Field.
Webb City coach Andrew Doennig noted it was rewarding to watch his team get over the hump and advance to the Final Four.
“It’s been 13 years since Webb City has been in the Final Four,” Doennig said. “We’ve played in this game six times since I’ve been at Webb City and we’d never won it. We told the kids this was their chance and their opportunity and they did it. It was just a great job by these kids, up and down the lineup. And the kids in the dugout did a great job, too.”
Webb City (22-13) will meet St. Francis Borgia (24-5) in a semifinal contest of the state tourney at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 2 at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark.
A senior right-hander, Sweet struck out the final three batters of the game after the Bulldogs put the tying run on base in the seventh inning.
“It’s a great feeling and this is a great team win,” Sweet said. “They were a tough team, but we kept battling. We stayed composed in tough situations and that’s what led us to victory today.”
Webb City senior Walker Sweet celebrates after recording the final out of the game, preserving a 3-2 win over Kearney on Saturday in a Class 5 quarterfinal at Barnes Field. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
GAME RECAP: ANOTHER NAIL-BITER
Kearney (24-10) entered the game ranked fifth in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Unranked Webb City defeated Kearney 8-5 on April 29.
Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell started on the mound against Kearney on Saturday in the Class 5 quarterfinal at Barnes Field. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The rematch was a nail-biter, as the final home date was a memorable one.
The contest was scoreless until the top of the fourth.
The visitors on the scoreboard, Webb City pushed across a single tally in the top of the fourth.
A junior third baseman, Vonder Haar doubled down the left field line to get things started.
Vonder Haar went to third on junior designated hitter Christian Brock’s ground out and then charged home on senior first baseman Kenley Hood’s RBI single to right.
Kearney answered with two runs in the bottom half against Webb City senior right-hander Kaylor Darnell.
Jackson Melberg walked, stole second, went to third on Manny Lithacum’s infield hit and then came home on Chase Porter’s sac fly. Next, Kale Conway lined an RBI single into left for a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals tied the game in the fifth.
Senior left fielder William Hayes doubled to left, senior center fielder Gage Chapman was hit by a pitch and junior second baseman Sam Weller reached on an error to load the bases with no outs.
Senior shortstop Cy Darnell grounded into a double play, with Hayes scoring the tying run on the play.
The Cardinals went ahead for good in the sixth.
Vonder Haar singled, went to second on Landon Johnson’s sac bunt and then took third on Hood’s ground out.
With Kaylor Darnell at the plate, Vonder Haar ventured off third base, drawing a throw from Kearney catcher Helberg.
Vonder Haar sprinted towards the plate and beat the throw home, allowing the Cardinals to take a 3-2 lead in exciting fashion.
“We knew their catcher kind of struggled to throw the ball back to the pitcher, so as soon as it left his hand, I was going to go,” Vonder Haar said. “I didn’t quite see the ball leave his hand, so it was a little dramatic. It worked out nonetheless.”
“That was some great advanced scouting and a little bit of luck and just a really good play for us,” Doennig said. “Drew did what he was told to do. It worked out.”
Down one, the Bulldogs threatened in both the sixth and seventh innings.
A senior right-hander, Sweet took over on the mound in the sixth. He walked the first batter he faced, induced a ground out, but then hit a batter and walked another to load the bases with one out.
But the Missouri Southern recruit regrouped and struck out both Carson Shear and Casey Rooney to end the threat in the sixth.
“I had to get back to the basics and not let the moment get too big,” Sweet said. “I just went back to the basics and that allowed me to get those big strikeouts.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Sweet walked Cameron Webster, who stole second to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.
But Sweet came through in the clutch. With the season on the line, Sweet struck out three straight batters to end the game, setting off a celebration for the hosts.
“If Walker’s in the strike zone, he’s got a chance to get anybody out,” Doennig said. “When I went out to the mound, I told him all the pressure was on those guys…they’re the ones that have to score. I told him all I needed him to do was put the ball in the strike zone. He’s got great stuff. It was a great job by him.”
Webb City’s Drew Vonder Haar slid in safely on a play at the plate in the sixth inning, scoring the go-ahead run in an eventual 3-2 win over the Kearney Bulldogs. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Kaylor Darnell was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and limited the Bulldogs to two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four.
Sweet earned the save, striking out five in two frames.
The Cardinals had five hits, two by Vonder Haar. Weller, Hood and Hayes had one hit apiece.
The Webb City defense turned a pair of key double plays.
Kearney’s Linthacum took the loss after allowing one run in three innings in relief of Elijah Helberg, who gave up two runs on four hits in four frames.
“That’s a really good baseball team that we just beat,” Doennig said of Kearney. “That’s a good win for us over a good team. I told the kids that’s why we played a touch schedule this year. Those games prepared us for today’s game.”
FINAL FOUR BOUND
Webb City last advanced to the semifinals in 2010. The Cardinals finished second that year.
Borgia beat Glendale 2-0 in the quarterfinal round to earn a date with Webb City. The other semifinal features Festus (25-8) vs. Fort Zumwalt South (27-6-1).
The Cardinals, who captured a second straight district title and the program’s seventh district crown since 2011, are now guaranteed to have two more games this season.
They’ll end the season in a state title game or in the third-place game on Saturday, June 3.
“It’s awesome,” Vonder Haar said of advancing to the semifinals. “We haven’t been there in a long time. These guys…we’re all best friends, so it’s awesome to make it this far with them. It’s great for the seniors. They’re a great group of guys. We really wanted it for them. Now we’re ready for the next step.”
The Webb City Cardinals celebrate after beating the Kearney Bulldogs 3-2 in a Class 5 quarterfinal on Saturday. The win advances the Cardinals the Final Four in Ozark.
The Webb City Cardinals hosted the Kearney Bulldogs in a Class 5 quarterfinal contest on Saturday in front of a large crowd at Chuck Barnes Field. Webb City won the game 3-2 to advance to the semifinals on Friday in Ozark.
Webb City senior Walker Sweet delivers a pitch to the plate late in Saturday’s Class 5 quarterfinal contest against Kearney. Sweet earned the save, striking out the final three batters of the game. Photos by Jessica Greninger/SoMo Sports.
William Hayes slides safely into second base after a double against Kearney on Saturday.
When Webb City High School first year head baseball coach Andrew Doennig moved into his new role last summer, he quickly realized one key staffing decision that would be particularly advantageous to this program.
Coach Doennig knew the best person to work with Webb City’s hurlers would be his own uncle, who just happened to be long-time former minor league pitching coach Steve Luebber.
Luebber certainly had all the credentials, as a former Major League Baseball pitcher over parts of five seasons from 1971–81, who then served as pitching coach for several organizations (Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals) during a lengthy career.
Most recently, Luebber had worked with the Quad Cities River Bandits, which is a High ‘A’ farm team of the Kansas City Royals.
“When I took the job, I knew it would be hard for me to continue working with our pitching staff and everything else,” Coach Doennig reasoned. “I knew there would be a chance that ‘Lueb’ might not go back to pro ball.
“I met with him and asked if he’d be interested in being the pitching coach at Webb City. He and I discussed it for a little while. When he said, yes, I fired myself as the pitching coach immediately.”
Luebber rationalized that, “I knew when I accepted the job that the caliber of play was different than what I had experienced in the past and there were some side issues working with high school pitchers.
“But since I had dealt with all age groups for 55 years, I was sure it would mainly be a positive experience for the kids.”
“I think he’s fit in well with the rest of the coaches and kids,” Doennig assured. “He’s been around a lot of high school-aged kids in the wintertime when he gives lessons, but it’s different seeing them every day. The kids enjoy being around him.”
Doennig affirms that, “Coach Luebber’s experience and knowledge have been immeasurable. High school teams aren’t typically fortunate enough to have someone with 50-plus years of professional baseball experience. So, everything he tells someone carries weight.”
As for how Luebber has been most beneficial, Doennig assesses that, “His biggest influence with our kids has been the small things. He came in and took notes on everyone and watched the guys a few times. Then he started making some small changes.
“Whether it was with their grip, their arm stroke, the way they held their hands, or their pick off move. His ability to see a pitcher’s consistency has been big for our kids. He would notice in just one pitch whether a pitcher did something different and call immediate attention to it. It’s been great.”
Steve Luebber, pictured at left during his time with the Quad City River Bandits, has spent the spring as Webb City High School’s pitching coach. Courtesy photos.
Family ties aside, Doennig couldn’t have asked this partnership with his uncle to sparkle any brighter on the baseball diamond and he raves that, “For him to come in and take care of all the pitchers without me having to concern myself with it has been a blessing.
“Whenever those guys are down in the bullpen, I don’t have to worry what they are doing, or if they are getting their work done. It allowed a seamless transition between me, and him as the pitching coach.”
Luebber has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with these young men and ascertained, “Coaching this age group keeps you in touch. You hear them talk, play, work, hear the music and help them have positive outcomes, avoid possible problems and hopefully aid them in moving on to higher baseball levels and life experiences in college or even further.”
There’s no doubt that Doennig couldn’t be more thrilled at how this has worked out and he says, “What I really appreciate is how he showed up and formed great relationships with our kids. It would have been easy for him to come in and tell everyone, ‘This is what I have done, and this is who I have coached.’ But he didn’t.
“He showed up and said, ‘I am here to make you better.’ The kids have latched onto him and what he has been saying. Every day you can see the guys improve and you can see it show up in games.”
QUARTERFINALS
After winning a district championship on Monday, Webb City (21-13) will host Kearney (24-9) in a Class 5 quarterfinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Chuck Barnes Field.
Saturday’s winner will advance to the semifinals on June 2 in Ozark.
STEVE LUEBBER FAST FACTS
Age: 73
Spouse: Lee Ann Luebber
High School Alma Mater & Year Graduated: Joplin High School/1967 Graduate
College Alma Mater & Year Graduated: Missouri Southern, 1967–72 (Majored in PE)
Hometown: Born in Clinton, Missouri & moved to Joplin, Missouri at 5 years old
Favorite Baseball Movie: Eight Men Out
Favorite Pitching Coach: Ray Berres, Pitching Coach for the Chicago White Sox for nearly two decades and former catcher who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/Braves and New York Giants
Favorite Baseball Manager: Cal Ermer, played and managed in the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins farm system for more than five different decades.
NEOSHO, Mo. — History repeated itself on Monday night at Roy B. Shaver Field.
For the second straight year, the Webb City Cardinals captured a district title inside the Neosho School District’s Marion Sports Complex.
A stellar pitching performance, flawless defense and timely hitting led second-seeded Webb City past top-seeded McDonald County 2-0 in the championship game of the Class 5 District 7 baseball tournament.
“Winning a district championship two years in-a-row was one of our goals at the beginning of the year,” Webb City coach Aaron Snow said. “The kids on both sides executed all game long. It was a great baseball game. I knew whoever scored first was probably going to win the game. I’m just really proud of the kids.”
Webb City defeated Carl Junction in last year’s district title game at the same location.
“It feels great to come out on top,” Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell said after the nail-biter. “I have a bunch of great players to play with. I can’t stress enough how much fun it’s been to play with all these guys over the years. Winning a district championship is a lot of fun. And winning a district championship back-to-back is really great.”
Webb City (21-13) will host Kearney (24-9) at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in a Class 5 quarterfinal at Chuck Barnes Field.
McDonald County was looking to win its first district title since 2001. The Mustangs end the season with a record of 20-9.
“You always want to win a district championship, that’s always the No. 1 goal when you start the season,” McDonald County coach Heath Alumbaugh said. “In the end, it’s all about the relationships you build with the kids. We have a great group of seven seniors. I’ve had them for six years myself. It’s a great group of kids.”
Webb City senior Kaylor Darnell delivers a pitch to the plate against McDonald County on Monday night in Neosho. Darnell allowed just two hits in 6 2/3 innings. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
GAME RECAP: A PITCHER’S DUEL
Drew Vonder Haar motions to his teammates after hitting a leadoff double in the sixth inning. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
Simply put, the district title game was a well-played pitcher’s duel between Webb City’s Kaylor Darnell and Mac County’s Weston Gordon.
In the end, Webb City was the team that was able to manufacture a couple of runs.
Webb City had their first real scoring opportunity in the top of the fourth. Christian Brock walked and Kenley Hood singled to left before Kaylor Darnell’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with two outs.
But the runners were stranded in scoring position, as Gordon induced William Hayes into an inning-ending chopper back to the mound.
The Mustangs had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the fourth. Destyn Dowd reached on an infield single, took second on Cross Dowd’s sac bunt and went to third on a wild pitch.
Next, Isaac Behm flew out to shallow right field. On the play, Dowd tagged up and tried to score, but Webb City right fielder Eli Miller threw a perfect strike to catcher Shaun Hunt, who applied the tag at the plate for a key double play.
In the fifth, Webb City’s Sam Weller singled, went to second on a botched pickoff attempt and took third on Cy Darnell’s fly out. But Gordon was able to strike out Hunt to end the threat.
The Cardinals finally broke through in the sixth.
Junior third baseman Drew Vonder Haar led off the inning with a double to deep center field. Vonder Haar advanced to third base on Brock’s fly out to right before Hood drew a walk to put runners on the corners with just one out.
Sam Weller lays down a bunt during the district title game.
Next, in a game-changing play, Kaylor Darnell laid down the squeeze bunt towards first base, Vonder Haar charged home and Darnell was safe at first for the clutch infield single.
“Going into that at-bat, I knew I was going to bunt down the first base line,” Darnell said. “I knew what I had to do and I was able to lay it down.”
“Kaylor is a great bunter, so I knew instantly to go with the safety squeeze,” Snow said. “He executed it perfectly.”
The Cardinals could do no further damage, as the Mustangs turned a nifty 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Darnell struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth before Webb City added a key insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Senior center fielder Gage Chapman walked and later scored on Hunt’s clutch RBI double to right field.
Kaylor Darnell retired the first two batters of the bottom of the seventh before allowing a single to Behm. With that, Coach Snow called on senior right-hander Walker Sweet to close out the win.
Sweet walked Tucker Walters to give the Mustangs two runners on base, but he struck out Gordon to end the game.
Weston Gordon threw well in defeat for the McDonald County Mustangs on Monday night in the district title game. Gordon was one of seven Mac County seniors this season.
NAMES & NUMBERS
A senior right-hander, Kaylor Darnell was the winning pitcher. In a masterful performance, Darnell allowed just two hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out eight.
“My fastball was working for me today and it’s easy to throw fastballs when your team plays great defense behind you,” Darnell said.
Sweet earned the save after recording the final out.
“Kaylor did a great job of filling it up,” Snow said. “He had all of his pitches working. And Walker came in and shut the door.”
The Cardinals did not commit an error.
“Our defense was huge,” Snow said. “In a game like this, you know both teams are going to put the ball in play. We had a couple of great turns up the middle. Eli’s throw from right field to get the runner out at home was a huge play. It was just a well-executed baseball game.”
A senior right-hander, Gordon took the loss, but threw well in defeat.
“Weston is our ace,” Alumbaugh said. “I think those are the first runs he’s allowed in like 42 innings. He pitched his butt off tonight. He’s been our guy all season. Arkansas State-Three Rivers is getting a fierce competitor.”
Gordon allowed two runs on six hits and four walks and struck out four in seven innings.
“Weston is a great pitcher and he had a great outing,” Snow said. “He was in the zone. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
The Cardinals had a little extra motivation, as the Mustangs beat the Cardinals 6-3 in the regular season meeting back in April.
“Our kids were pretty hungry after losing to them 6-3 (earlier in the season),” Snow noted.
“Last time, he struggled to throw strikes,” Alumbaugh said of Darnell’s early-season outing. “But we knew he’d be much better tonight. We knew he was their No. 1. He came out, threw strikes and they made routine plays behind him.”
Alumbaugh noted it was a fun game to be a part of, regardless of the final outcome.
“Great pitching and great defense…that’s what you want in a district championship game,” he said. “That’s what makes it fun.”
As far as Saturday’s opponent, Webb City defeated Kearney 8-5 earlier this season. The rematch will determine who advances to the semifinals.
As far as Snow, he was thrust into a head coaching role for the district title game, as Andrew Doennig was absent after being ejected from the district semifinal.
“Coach Doennig had a great game plan coming in and he’s involved all of us assistant coaches all year, so that really played a huge role in my confidence today,” Snow said.
Webb City senior Walker Sweet closed out the district title game by recording the final out. Webb City defeated McDonald County 2-0 in the district title game. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
VENUE CHANGE EQUALS LARGE CROWD
The district title game was originally scheduled to be played in Warrensburg.
The game’s location was changed to Neosho. And with that, fans of both schools were able to come out and cheer on their favorite team.
There were more than 500 fans in attendance at Roy B. Shaver Field, which created a great atmosphere for the district title game.
“Warrensburg has a great facility and they’re a great host, but not having to drive three hours one way was huge for us,” Alumbaugh said. “We were able to stay in our normal routine. And that type of crowd is what you want in a championship game.”
Snow had a similar view.
“It was a no-brainer to move the game here,” Snow said. “Having the big crowd here today was fantastic. Our crowd was awesome…their crowd was awesome. The atmosphere was great. I hope the atmosphere is even better at Chuck Barnes Field on Saturday.”
The Webb City Cardinals celebrate after recording the final out of a 2-0 win over the McDonald County Mustangs on Monday in Neosho. Photo by Jessica Greninger.
The Webb City Cardinals pose with the district championship plaque on Monday after beating McDonald County 2-0 for the Class 5 District 7 title. Photo by Jason Peake.
Webb City catcher Shaun Hunt shows the ball to the umpire after tagging out Mac County’s Destyn Dowd at the plate in the fourth inning of the district championship game.
Sam Weller and the Cardinals turn a double play against McDonald County on Monday. Photos by Jessica Greninger.
WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Webb City, Carl Junction and McDonald County all had multiple state qualifiers at Saturday’s Class 4 sectional 3 meet at West Plains High School.
The top four in each event advanced to next weekend’s state meet in Jefferson City.
One week after capturing a district championship, Webb City’s boys topped the final team standings at the sectional meet with 111 points. Marshfield was second with 95, while West Plains (94) and Rolla (74) were third and fourth.
Webb City’s girls were fifth in the team standings with 64 points.
The top four teams were Marshfield (108), Rockwood Summit (92), West Plains (78) and Washington (69).
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys advanced 13 entries to state in 11 events. The team had two qualifiers in two events, the pole vault and javelin.
The Cardinals won five events and finished second in two others to go along with four third-place finishes and two fourth-place showings.
Junior distance runner Evan Stevens was the sectional champion in two events. Stevens took first in the 1600 with a time of 4:25 and also won the 3200 in 9:47.
Cardinals senior Grayson Smith won the pole vault by clearing 15-11.75. Of course, Smith is the defending state champ in the event.
Webb City junior Nate Miller won the discus with a toss of 157-4 and junior Tucker Liberatore won the javelin with a toss of 171-7.
Sophomore Ryan Reid took second in the high jump (6-0), while junior Jadon Brisco was the runner-up to his teammate in the pole vault after clearing 14 feet.
Senior Trey Roets was third in the javelin (162-3), sophomore Eric Lathan took third in the shot put (50-10.75) and senior Jordan Thornburg finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.26).
The Cardinals advanced to state in three relays, as the 4×200 and 4×800 were third and the 4×400 finished fourth.
Mason Hedger, Dakota Grove, Noah Lankard and Stevens ran the 4×800.
The 4×400 featured Noah Moss, Gabe Johnson, Mason Hedger and Josh White.
Webb City’s 4×200 consisted of Thornburg, Gabe Johnson, William Headrick and White.
Webb City’s girls advanced to state in six events.
The Cardinals had two sectional champs, as junior Dawsyn Decker won the javelin with a toss of 139-3 and freshman Brooke Hedger won the 800 in 2:18.
Cardinals senior Abi Street was the runner-up in two events — the 1600 in 5:19 and the 3200 in 11:22.
Junior Aubree Lassiter finished fourth in the discus with a toss of 107-1.
Webb City’s girls finished third in the 4×100 relay in 50.34 seconds, with Kylie Jennings, Chase Stilley, Alyssa Moreno and Essence Robinson competing.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction sophomore Sydney Ward was the sectional champion in two events — the 100-meter dash (12.31 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (24.92 seconds).
Carl Junction’s girls had three other individual qualifiers, as junior Acadia Badgley was the runner-up in the pole vault (10-0.5), sophomore Madilyn Olds finished third in the javelin (121-0) and freshman Bella Montez took fourth in the 300 hurdles (49.1).
Carl Junction’s 4×200 relay team of Olivia Battagler, Destiny Buerge, Dezi Williams and Ward advanced by finishing fourth.
For the Carl Junction boys, senior Donnie Keith advanced by finishing fourth in the discus (137-4).
MCDONALD COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS
McDonald County’s boys advanced in three events.
The Mustangs finished second in the 4×400 relay in 3:29, with Dominic Cervantes, Hunter Leach, Dalton McClain and Josh Pacheco running.
The team of Sam Barton, Esteban Martinez-Olvera, Cervantes and Pacheco finished third in the 4×100 relay in 43.69 seconds.
Mac County’s Toby Moore placed third in the discus (141-8) to give the Mustangs an individual qualifier.
McDonald County’s girls 4×400 relay team of Ireona Nirka, Clara Horton, Anna Price and Corina Holland finished fourth in 4:13.
MONETT HIGHLIGHTS
Monett’s Konner Poynter won the 300 hurdles in 39.98 seconds. A senior, Poynter was the runner-up in two events, the 200 and the 110 hurdles.
Monett’s Vayla Smith took second in the girls 400.
BEACHLER WINS TWO EVENTS FOR NEVADA
WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Nevada senior Drew Beachler claimed a pair of sectional titles at the Class 4 Sectional 4 meet.
Beachler won the long jump with a leap of 22-0.25. He also won the triple jump with a mark of 44-1.25.
Webb City High School boys track and field coach Dustin Miller was pleased overall, but not completely satisfied with his team’s performance at Saturday’s Class 4 District 6 meet in Hollister.
Miller’s Cardinals compiled 169 points and captured the team championship. Marshfield was second with 144 points.
Led by six event wins and four runner-up finishes, Webb City advanced 19 entries in 15 events to Saturday’s sectional meet in West Plains.
“It was a good showing to have qualifiers in 15 out of 19 events,” Miller said. “We did a lot of good things. We had some guys perform well. It was a successful day. But, where we were trending and moving towards, our performance wasn’t quite to those expectations.”
Webb City’s individual district champions were seniors Grayson Smith (pole vault) and Trey Roets (javelin) and junior Evan Stevens (1600, 3200).
“They’ve been extremely consistent all season,” Miller said of the standout trio. “They’re dedicated and focused.”
Webb City’s boys advanced to the sectional in all four relays after winning the 4×100 and 4×800, taking second in the 4×200 and finishing third in the 4×400.
“Our 4×100 ran without Billy Wolfe on the end,” Miller said, noting Wolfe suffered an injury. “To run the time it did to beat a quality Marshfield team, I’m extremely proud of them. Same with the 4×2…we ran a solid time without Billy.”
Finishing second in their events were Jordan Thornburg (100), Mason Hedger (800) and Nate Miller (discus). Taking third in their respective events were Ryan Reid (high jump), Tucker Liberatore (javelin), Jadon Brisco (pole vault) and Noah Moss (400, 110 hurdles).
Eric Lathan (shot put), Atticus Luzadder (1600) and Jace Jones (110 H) all finished fourth.
Miller noted the performances of Reid, Luzzader and Lathan were pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, as is the case in postseason events, there were also some disappointments.
Senior Justin Allen, ranked second in the state behind his teammate Smith, failed to advance in the pole vault.
The team also had a few fifth-place finishers who just missed advancing—Dakota Grove in the 800, Joseph DeGraffenreid in the high jump and Devin Turner in the discus.
Next, the Cardinals will compete at the sectional meet on Saturday in West Plains, where state berths will be up for grabs.
Miller said the goals for Saturday are simple.
“Our stud athletes who are expected to score state points have to get through sectionals,” Miller said. “No exceptions. No excuses. We have to get our big point-scorers to the state meet. We’d like to get as many kids to state as possible. I just want to see them compete well on Saturday. Attitude and effort is what we’ve been preaching all year, so we need to get back on track with the way we were competing.
“We’ve got the talent to finish on the state podium this year,” Miller added. “That’s what we’re going to strive for. We have to take care of business, keep working hard and not get complacent. It’s the time of the year where we’re either going to man up and get it done or we’re not going to get it done. That’s where we’re at.”
WEBB CITY GIRLS ADVANCE IN 11 EVENTS
At Saturday’s district meet, Webb City’s girls won five events and advanced to the sectional in 11 events.
Jeremy Butler’s Webb City girls were second in the team standings with 140 points. Marshfield was first with 168.
Winning individual events at the district meet were senior Abi Street (1600, 3200), junior Dawsyn Decker (javelin) and freshman Brooke Hedger (800).
The team’s 4×400 took first, while the Cardinals were second in both the 4×100 and 4×800.
Taking second in their events were Street (800), Hedger (1600), Essence Robinson (400) and Lily McCaw (pole vault). Finishing third were Emily Countryman (3200), Chase Stilley (high jump) and Aubree Lassiter (discus).
“We had a good meet on the girls side, too,” Miller said. “I think our girls team has a chance to get quite a few to the state meet. The girls are really rounding into form and looking pretty solid.”
Saturday’s Class 4 Sectional 3 Meet in West Plains will feature the qualifiers from District 5 and District 6.
The top four in each event at the sectional will advance to the state meet in Jefferson City.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a final tune-up before the postseason arrives, Webb City earned a 4-3 win over Frontenac, Kansas, on Thursday night at Chuck Barnes Field.
Four early runs held up for the Cardinals after the Raiders rallied for three unanswered tallies late in the non-conference clash.
Frontenac entered the day with only two losses on their record, so for the Cardinals, it was a solid way to conclude the regular season.
“All wins are good wins,” Webb City coach Andrew Doennig said. “Frontenac’s a good team. That’s a good win for us. Both teams are preparing for their district tournaments, so it’s a good way to end the regular season.”
Webb City finishes the regular season with a record of 18-13.
Playing a tough schedule, Webb City has suffered five one-run losses this season, along with three two-run setbacks.
“We’ve played a really tough schedule, so I feel like 18 wins is good,” Doennig said. “We’ve had a lot of close losses. We could easily be 23-8 or something like that. But we played a tough schedule to prepare us for the postseason.”
GAME RECAP
The Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the first inning after junior second baseman Sam Weller doubled to left-center field and junior right fielder Drew Vonder Haar lined an RBI single into right-center.
Webb City added two runs in the second.
Senior left fielder William Hayes, senior center fielder Gage Chapman and Weller all singled to load the bases before senior shortstop Cy Darnell lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Later in the inning, a Frontenac error made it 3-0.
Chapman’s RBI single to left gave the hosts a four-run cushion in the third.
The Raiders got on the board in the fourth after two singles, a fielder’s choice and a Webb City error. A second run scored from third after a wild pitch.
The Cardinals stranded the bases loaded in the fourth before the Raiders scored once in the fifth to trim their deficit to one.
Frontenac had the tying run on base in the seventh before Webb City closer Walker Sweet retired the side.
“We got a few runs early, but we couldn’t get a timely hit here or there later in the game,” Doennig noted. “That’s baseball. One of these days we’re going to have the bases loaded and we’re going to get three hits in-a-row. It’s going to happen.”
Sophomore left-hander Luke Beverlin earned the win. He went four innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits. He struck out four.
Chapman allowed a run on two hits in two innings of relief.
“Beverlin continues to get better each time out, and Gage did a good job, too,” Doennig said. “I thought all of our pitchers did their jobs today.”
A senior, Sweet pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two. Doennig noted Sweet has been nearly automatic in save situations.
“If we can go to Walker in the seventh inning with a lead, we feel like we’re in a good place,” Doennig said.
Weller, Chapman and Vonder Haar had two hits apiece for the Cardinals.
Mario Menghini took the loss. He gave up three earned runs on seven hits in three innings. Bryant Kitchen pitched three scoreless innings in relief for the Raiders of the CNC League.
Logan Myers had two of Frontenac’s seven hits.
Frontenac fell to 17-3 ahead of their regional tournament.
DISTRICT TOURNEY AWAITS
Webb City is the No. 2 seed for the Class 5 District 7 tournament.
The Cardinals will take on seventh-seeded Grandview at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16 in a quarterfinal contest of the district tourney at Warrensburg High School.
If the Cardinals win their opener, they’d take on either No. 3 Belton or No. 6 Bolivar in the semifinals on May 18.
The district title game is slated for May 22.
“We feel good about our chances in the district tournament, but you never know what will happen in districts,” Doennig said. “Anything can happen in postseason baseball. There are a lot of unknown teams in our district. We don’t know them, but they don’t know us. We’ll go up there and see what happens.”
Third-seeded Webb City defeated sixth-seeded Ruskin 5-0 and fifth-seeded Belton beat fourth-seeded Neosho 5-3 in quarterfinal matchups of the Class 2 District 7 boys tennis tournament on Monday.
Webb City will take on second-seeded Thomas Jefferson in the semifinals at 3:30 on Tuesday at the TJ courts.
Belton earned a date with top-seeded Belton in Tuesday’s other semifinal.
BELTON 5, NEOSHO 3
Belton won two of the three doubles matches against the Wildcats.
At No. 1 doubles, Neosho’s Christian Williams and Reid Snyder defeated Carson Dent-Caden Petzold 8-4.
Belton’s Omar Martinez and Neil Patel defeated Willis Jarvis-Peyton Williams 8-3 at No. 2 doubles and Angel Grocida Basurto and Coleman Hardee topped Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.
Neosho won two singles matches, as Christian Williams defeated Dent 6-4, 6-1 and Schade beat Hardee 6-3, 6-2.
The dual ended when Belton recorded three singles wins, however.
SPRINGDALE, Ark. — The Webb City Cardinals dropped both games of a non-conference doubleheader in Arkansas on Saturday.
Fayetteville defeated Webb City 5-4 in walk-off fashion and Springdale Har-Ber topped the Cardinals 9-0 in the opener.
Webb City trailed Fayetteville 4-0 after three innings, but the Cardinals rallied with single runs in the fourth and fifth and two runs in the top of the seventh.
Fayetteville put two on in the bottom of the seventh on a walk and hit by pitch before Chayse Dutile recorded the game-ending hit.
Webb City managed seven hits, one apiece by Sam Weller, Cy Darnell, Shaun Hunt, Christian Brock, Kaylor Darnell, William Hayes and Gage Chapman.
The Cardinals used three pitchers.
Payton Marshall went three innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits. Brett Korth struck out four in two scoreless innings.
Chapman took the loss after allowing a run in the seventh.
In the day’s opener, Har-Ber scored two runs in the first, three in the second and four in the third.
Webb City was limited to five hits.
Chapman went 2-for-3 with two doubles, while Weller, Drew Vonder Haar and Hunt contributed one hit apiece.
Luke Beverlin was charged with the loss after allowing seven runs, four earned, in 2 1/3 innings.
Hunter Shull and Tyler Marbut pitched in relief.
Har-Ber’s Austin Jones struck out nine and gave up just two hits in four innings.
Webb City (16-12) is at Springfield Catholic on Monday.
Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan has earned the right to compete at the MSHSAA Boys Tennis Championships.
Nagarajan was the singles champion at the individual district tournament on Friday. Thomas Jefferson was the host school for the Class 2 District 7 event.
The top two singles players and the top two doubles teams at Friday’s district tourney advanced to the individual state tournament.
A junior, Nagarajan was the singles champion and Barstow’s Liam Groden was the runner-up.
After an opening-round bye as the district’s No. 1 seed, Nagarajan defeated Ruskin’s Michael Titalangha 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
Pictured is Thomas Jefferson’s Prithvi Nagarajan.
In the semifinals, Nagarajan defeated Webb City’s Jacob McDonald 6-1, 6-0.
In the bracket’s title match, Nagarajan defeated Groden 6-4, 6-1.
With the finish, Nagarajan earned a spot at the individual state tournament on May 18 in Springfield.
Barstow’s Groden advanced to the title match by beating Thomas Jefferson’s Devan Murali 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Webb City’s McDonald defeated TJ’s Murali.
The top four finishers in each bracket are considered medalists.
Also competing in the singles bracket were Webb City’s Lucas Lowery and Neosho’s duo of Christian Williams and Willis Jarvis.
Williams defeated Ruskin’s Aamer Hamdan 6-1, 6-1 before falling to Groden in the quarterfinals. Lowery and Jarvis both went 0-1.
Barstow had the top two doubles teams.
Barstow’s Sankeerth Gandhari and George Colombo defeated their teammates Sanjeev Adma and Aaram Salam 6-3, 6-3 in the title match.
Two local doubles teams fell in the semifinals, thus falling short of a state berth.
Barstow’s Gandhari-Colombo defeated Webb City’s Tristan Lynch and Felipe Perez 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.
In the other semifinal, Barstow’s Adma-Salam defeated Thomas Jefferson’s Chengle Qian and Jack Goodhue 6-3, 6-1.
In the bracket’s third-place match, Qian-Goodhue defeated Lynch-Perez 8-5.
Also competing in doubles were Thomas Jefferson’s Sam Li and Nathaniel Curtis, Webb City’s Jacob Russell-Kaden Cox and Neosho’s Reid Snyder-Peyton Williams and Breckin McAffrey-Noah Schade.
Li-Curtis defeated Ruskin’s Abdulrehman Assaf-Abdallah Banialmarjeh 6-0, 6-3 before falling to Webb City’s Lynch-Perez in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-2.
Neosho’s McAffrey-Schade defeated Ruskin’s Zhuhair Abuasbah-Mateo Lopez 6-2, 6-0 in the opening-round before falling to Qian-Goodhue in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-0.
Russell-Cox and Snyder-Williams both went 0-1.
DISTRICT TEAM TOURNAMENT
The Class 2 District 7 team tournament will begin on Monday.
Fourth-seeded Neosho will host fifth-seeded Belton at 3:30 on Monday, while third-seeded Webb City will host sixth-seeded Ruskin, also at 3:30.
The Neosho-Belton winner will play at No. 1 Barstow at 3:30 on Tuesday in the semifinals.
Second-seeded Thomas Jefferson will host the Webb City-Ruskin winner at 3:30 on Tuesday in the other semifinal.
The district title match is scheduled for 3:30 on Wednesday, May 10 at Thomas Jefferson.
WILLARD, Mo. — With a share of the conference championship on the line, Willard defeated Webb City 3-2 on Thursday afternoon.
Willard and Republic finished as COC co-champs after going 8-1 in conference play.
Webb City and Nixa finished 7-2 in COC play.
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association, Willard improved to 22-8 overall after an 11th straight win.
Webb City fell to 16-10 overall.
As expected, the game was a good one.
The Tigers pushed across a single tally in the bottom of the third inning after Owen Bushnell doubled to left before Klayton Kiser delivered an RBI single into right.
Webb City junior Christian Brock launched a game-tying home run over the fence in left field in the top of the fifth inning.
The game wasn’t deadlocked for long.
The Tigers re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Kiser homered to right-center to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage.
The Cardinals tied it up in the sixth when Kenley Hood was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The visitors were unable to do further damage in the frame, however, as they stranded the bases loaded. And that proved key.
Willard went back ahead in the bottom of the sixth on Cameron Jennings’ RBI single into right.
The Cardinals threatened in the seventh, as Gage Chapman reached on an error and Cy Darnell singled with two outs. But the Tigers retired the side to secure the win.
Webb City was limited to three hits, singles by Shaun Hunt and Cy Darnell and Brock’s homer.
Drew Vonder Haar started on the mound for the Cardinals. He went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits.
Gage Chapman and Walker Sweet pitched in relief. Chapman allowed a run on two hits in the sixth. Sweet recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
Willard left-hander Hayden Larson was the winning pitcher. He tossed 1 2/3 innings in relief. Larson allowed one hit and struck out two.
Willard southpaw Chris Massey started and went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits while striking out nine.
Webb City has a pair of non-conference games in Arkansas on Saturday, as the Cardinals take on Springdale Har-Ber at noon and Fayetteville at 3 p.m.
OZARK, Mo. — The Neosho Wildcats definitely finished strong on Wednesday night.
Neosho’s boys were trailing Webb City in the team standings by a slim margin when the final event of the Central Ozark Conference track and field championships arrived.
However, the Wildcats won the 4×400-meter relay, Webb City finished sixth, and with that, Neosho captured the team championship at the 2023 COC Meet at Ozark High School.
Neosho finished with 129.33 points to Webb City’s 123.
Nixa (106.33), Joplin (92) and Ozark (68) rounded out the top five teams. Branson (63), Willard (58.33), Carthage (50), Republic (43) and Carl Junction (7) finished sixth through 10th, respectively.
The top five girls teams were Republic (129), Ozark (118.5), Nixa (105), Webb City (85) and Joplin (79).
Rounding out the girls team standings were Carthage (67.66), Carl Junction (60), Willard (47), Branson (26.5) and Neosho (20.33).
NEOSHO HIGHLIGHTS
Neosho won seven events and took second in two others. Overall, the Wildcats recorded 18 top-six performances.
The Wildcats had a strong showing in the sprints, relays and jumps.
Neosho’s Jared Siler (22-2.25) and Isaiah Green (21-6.75) took first and second in the long jump.
Green won the triple jump (44-5.25) and Siler was third (43-8.5). Siler also finished third in the high jump.
Tyrese Hill won the 100-meter dash in 10.87 seconds, and teammate Konnor Siler was fourth in 11.31. Hill also won the 200 in 22.37 seconds.
Izaiah Hill took first in the 400 with a time of 50.34 seconds. Teammate Isaiah Keezer was fifth. Izaiah Hill also placed fourth in the 200.
In addition to winning the 4×400 relay in 3:26, the Wildcats took first in the 4×200 relay in 1:30, were second in the 4×100 and placed fifth in the 4×800.
Also for the Wildcats, Carson Newell finished fourth in the 800, Carter Baslee finished sixth in the discus and Collyn Kivett was sixth in the javelin.
For the Neosho girls, Miranda Wennhold (triple jump) and Rylyn Moritz (200) both finished fourth.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s boys won four events and took second in five others. The Cardinals recorded 17 top-six performances.
Winning individual events for the Webb City boys were Grayson Smith (pole vault), Trey Roets (javelin) and Evan Stevens (3200).
Smith cleared 15 feet in the pole vault, while Roets recorded a toss of 174-9 and Stevens crossed the line at 9:21.
Stevens was also the runner-up in the 1600.
William Wolfe (11.04) and Jordan Thornburg (11.22) finished second and third in the 100-meter dash. Wolfe took second in the 200.
Justin Allen (pole vault), Malique McCarter (javelin) both finished third, Tucker Liberatore (javelin) was fourth and Jadon Brisco (pole vault) and Mason Hedger (800) both placed fifth.
Joseph DeGraffenreid took sixth in the high jump.
Webb City won the 4×100 relay in 43.12 seconds and finished second in both the 4×200 and 4×800 relays before finishing sixth in the 4×400.
Winning individual events for the Webb City girls were Chase Stilley (high jump), Dawsyn Decker (javelin) and Abi Street (3200).
Stilley cleared 5-1.75, while Decker recorded a toss of 133-10 and Street crossed the line at 11:14.
Street was second in the 1600, while teammate Brooke Hedger finished third in the 800 and fourth in the 1600.
Aubree Lassiter placed third in the discus, Essence Robinson took fifth in the 400 and Jaeli Rutledge and Kylee Sargent placed sixth and seventh in the shot put.
Webb City’s girls finished third in the 4×100 relay, third in the 4×400 and fourth in the 4×800 relay.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin senior Hobbs Campbell won two events and finished second in another.
Campbell won the 1600 in 4:20. The Eagles had three of the top seven in the event, as Ian Horton was sixth and Grey Edwards took seventh.
A future Kansas Jayhawk, Campbell won the 800 in 1:55. Campbell was the runner-up in the 3200 in 9:34.
Drew VanGilder took second in the javelin, Orion Norris placed third in the 200 and Cordell Washington (high jump) and Horton (3200) both finished fourth.
Finishing fifth were Davin Thomas (100), Neil Barstow (discus), Dontrell Holt (shot put) and Chance Tindall (3200). Avarus Kuhn-Wofford finished sixth in the 300 hurdles.
The Eagles took third in the 4×100 relay.
The Joplin girls also had a stellar showing.
Featuring Phia Vogel, Abigayle Lowery, Abigail Eckert and Brylee Strickland, the Joplin girls won the 4×100 relay in a school record time of 49.6 seconds.
Joplin finished third in the 4×200 relay.
Brylee Strickland won the 400-meter dash in 59.51 seconds and also took second in two other events, the 100 and the 200.
Kiki Thom was the runner-up in the 300 hurdles and Vogel took second in the 200.
Maria Loum placed third in the pole vault, Micah Holden was third in the 100 hurdles, Aubrey Strickland finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and Ava Werberger-Doll finished fifth in the 3200.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Miguel Solano was the runner-up in the 800, while Daryl Martin finished third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles.
Micah Lindsey placed third in the shot put and Trenton Yates finished fourth in the triple jump.
Carthage’s boys finished fourth in both the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.
For the Carthage girls, Chasity Straw won the discus with a toss of 109-12. Straw was fourth in the shot put.
Finishing second were Ada Roughton (triple jump) and Karlie Nichols (shot put), while Lexa Youngblood finished third in both the 200 and the 400.
Joey Hettinger placed fourth in the long jump and Maggie Boyd was sixth in the 800.
The CHS girls were fifth in the 4×400 relay.
CARL JUNCTION HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Junction’s Sydney Ward won a pair of events in the girls meet, the 100-meter dash in 12.12 seconds and the 200 in 25.23. Both times are conference meet records.
The CJ girls won the 4×200 relay in 1:47. They were sixth in the 4×100.
Carl Junction’s Acadia Badgley and Brooke Jasperson finished fourth and fifth in the pole vault.
Zoie Weibel (400) and Madilyn Olds (javelin) both finished fourth, while Hannah Cantrell (triple jump) and Izzy Southern (shot put) placed fifth in their respective events.
Carl Junction’s Ryder Pyles finished fifth in the boys long jump and Braxton Dodds was eighth in the javelin.
Note: The names of those who competed in relays were unavailable at time of publication.
“We’ve got a different look, a different group, all those things,” Pfeifer said. “A lot of changes. Ultimately, we just know that summertime is the time to get better and that’s our goal here. It was our first day. We just had a little practice today before we came out here and competed. We know that we have to keep getting better, and that we have a long summer ahead of us.
Luebber rationalized that, “I knew when I accepted the job that the caliber of play was different than what I had experienced in the past and there were some side issues working with high school pitchers. 
