Sports

The Southwest boys 4x800 and 4x400 relay teams finished fourth and eighth, respectively, at the Class 2 Track Meet Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City — the first in school history to earn All-State status. The 4x800 relay team of seniors Caden Uthe and Christian Long, junior Matteo Lumetta and sophomore Robert Humphries finished the 3,200-meter race in 8:26.74 seconds, only 0.30 seconds off the school record they established two weeks prior...

The Cassville girls and boys track teams qualified a combined 13 athletes in eight events to MSHSAA Class 3 State Championships on Friday and Saturday. For the girls, eight individuals will move on. Annie Moore is the sectional champion in pole vault, as is the the 4x800 relay team of Marianne McCrackin, Tori Mitchell, Moore and Jolie Evans...

The Cassville baseball team fell 9-1 to Monett last week in the opening round of the Class 4, District 11 Tournament, but the season’s end did not dampen the hope from goals achieved. Ron Hudson, Cassville baseball coach, said overall, the team improved in two major areas — mental toughness and defense...

The Cassville football team has one representative at the 21st Sertoma GRIN IRON CLASSIC football game, set for June 3 at Glendale High School. The rosters for the all-star game were recently released, and lineman Michael Morgan was picked from the Wildcats to join in the fun...

Two state-ranked teams rarely play for a district championship, but that was the case Wednesday when Class 2 No. 6 Purdy took on No. 2 Marionville. The Eagles plated the first run of the game. Josh Brown reached on an error, then stole second, setting up Zach Henderson to reach on an error with a two-out grounder, allowing Brown to score...

In 2023, the Exeter softball team will be hoping the third time is the charm. In the Class 1, District 5 championship on May 10, the Lady Tigers were defeated by Miller, 18-13, in a game that saw one Exeter player hit two home runs. The first two innings provided a third of the runs scored, with Miller jumping out to a 9-2 lead. At the end of the second, when the team ran back to Coach Ashley Fly, she said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”...

It was a record day for the Cassville boys and girls track teams, especially for Bradan Dickinson. At the district meet over the weekend, Dickinson threw 16.2 meters for a new school record and first place in the district. Other boys advancing onto sectionals include Eli Pickett in pole vault; Caleb Leach in the 1,600-meter; Peter Littlefield in the high jump; Garrett Ewing, Bryson Jacobson, Jake Anthonysz and Jon Oliphant in the 4x100 and 4x200; and Charles Elliot, Leach, Jacob Martinez and Littlefield in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays.. ...

The Southwest High School boys track team prides itself on its relays, and the Trojans will get to show off three of their squads this weekend at the Class 2 Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City Friday and Saturday. In all, six Southwest track athletes — seniors Christian Long and Caden Uthe, juniors Otis Rainer and Matteo Lumetta, and sophomores Robert Humphries and Ezra Sprowes — advanced to the meet at Jefferson City High School...

Bradan Dickinson and Annie Moore were the recipients of this year’s Rotary MVP awards for boys and girls track and field. The pair scored the most points out of any other individuals on their teams this season. Contributed photos

Southwest seniors Christian Long and Caden Uthe have signed to run cross country and track at Crowder College in Neosho.

The Middle School Big 8 Championship Tournament was held in Monett on April 30. 

A respectable showing by the Cassville girls and boys track teams awarded the squads fifth and sixth place, respectively, at the Big 8 Championships in Mt. Vernon on May 3. The Lady Wildcats’ 4x800 relay team of Marianne McCrackin, Tori Mitchell, Annie Moore and Jolie Evans was the biggest winner, turning in a 10:37.33, more than 6 seconds ahead of runner up Logan-Rogersville. ...

The Purdy High School boys golf team hosted the Class 1, District 3 Tournament on Monday, and one Eagle senior punched his ticket to the next stage. Brady Garner shot a 111 (+30) on a windy, hot day on Windmill Ridge Golf Course, tying for 13th overall but finishing 9th in the individual scoring system used for state qualification...

The Cassville boys basketball team will have a new coach for the 2022-23 season, and one who has a history with the Wildcats. The district has hired Caleb Reynolds to lead the program beginning July 1. Reynolds has experience both playing and coaching men’s basketball at the collegiate and high school level. Most recently, he has served as the head coach at Dora High School. Prior to his time at Dora, Reynolds led the team at Silver High School in Silver City, N.M...

Wheaton High School has announced Seth Lash as its new head boys basketball coach beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. Lash will also serve as the 7-12 physical education/health teacher and athletic director. He will be a sixth-year teacher and currently the assistant boys basketball coach at Gainesville High School in Gainesville. He has also taught and coached at Bakersfield High School for two school years...

The Southwest boys track team is rewriting the Trojans record book this week after a high-flying performance at the Class 2, District 6 meet at Sarcoxie, where the team won three relays. The 4x800 team stole the show, setting a new school record with a time of 8:26.44. The team of Christian Long, Caden Uthe, Robert Humphries and Matteo Lumetta beat the old mark of 8:27.62 established by Caleb Mitchell, Logan Pendergraft, Dustin Breedlove, and Luke Hackett in 2008...

Before her freshman year, Jasmine Brown had never played competitive soccer. On Wednesday, she signed to take a scholarship at Crowder College in Neosho, joining her sister, Julia Brown, on the Roughriders squad. At Cassville, Brown has etched her name into the program’s young record books. After three years mostly as a goalkeeper, Brown became a midfielder and forward in her senior year, netting 11 goals and dishing 4 assists...

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly softball team has its third signee for its inaugural season. Aubrey Antle, a four-year starting pitcher with the Exeter High School Lady Tigers softball team, has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Grizzlies, MSU-WP Head Coach Don Long said...

The Cassville boys track and field team competed at the Cub Relays last week, taking second place overall as a team. Full results include: 1st place Bradan Dickinson, Shot Put, 14.58m Peter Littlefield, 800m, 2:09.63 Garrett Ewing, Bryson Jacobson, Jake Anthonysz, Jon Oliphant, 4x100 Relay, 45.51...

Crosby Harmon a U12 player on the Seven Valleys Soccer Club, launches a shot at a pop-up goal during the halftime shootout, sponsored by the CHS Soccer Booster Club.

The 2022 middle school volleyball season was full of firsts for Southwest. The biggest undertaking being one of advocacy.  “Each season, we do ‘Theme Nights’ for home games, and this season, I wanted it to be about more,” said Coach Mandy Henry. “I gave the girls three options to choose from on what they wanted to advocate, and child abuse awareness was one that resonated with them. They told me that this was their choice because it was something they knew affected their own classmates.” ...

The road to success for the Cassville girls soccer team has been paved with touchline paint. Jake Forste, Cassville girls soccer coach, said the Lady Wildcats (6-9) have played their best this season on the wings, helping them carry a three-game win streak into the Marshfield Invitational this week...

Purdy may have a small track and field team with only nine members, but the diversity of their events is making the Eagles a force at local meets. Four sophomores, three juniors and two seniors make up the team this season, and Coach Mikayla Palmer said the season has been an exciting one...

Last year, no Wheaton athletes competed in jumping events in track — not this year. Lewis West, Wheaton track coach, said the program is 16 members strong this season, with eight boys and eight girls. “We have Seniors Robbie Prewitt, Zane Smith, Zane Johnson and Coy Harper for boys track,” West said. “Monica Hinojosa, Sui Pau, and Sui Cuai are seniors for our girls.”...

Natalie Johnson, a Southwest High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes student athlete, was recently named the female Athlete of the Year for the South Central Missouri district.

The Southwest boys track and field team won four events en route to a team victory at the Hillbilly Relays in Pierce City on Thursday. Earning medals in nine events and winning four, the Trojans were led by seniors Caden Uthe and Christian Long, and Junior Matteo Lumetta. Southwest earned 94 points, outdistancing Sarcoxie, which had 72, and New Covenant Academy, with 57. ...

With approval of three of four voters, the Southwest school district is preparing for a $2 million athletics facilities project with a main goal unique to the area — a trap shooting range. On April 5, voters in the district decided 417 for and 136 against, a 75-25 margin, to approve the building of new trap ranges, softball and baseball fields, press box, concessions and restrooms...

The Cassville girls track and field team took home top honors at the East Newton Relays, winning first place in nine total events. Across those events, 11 different Lady Wildcats came away with golds. Annie Moore led the field with three firsts, in the 4x200 relay, 4x800 relay and pole vault. ...

A cold and bitter wind met about 75 golfers on Thursday at the Cassville Golf Club, where the Wildcats hosted 15 other teams in its invitational. Jay Rogers, Cassville golf coach, said despite the weather, his team performed better than expected. “We did better than we have previously,” he said. “I think three of our five lowered their scores. The 98 from Cole [Watts] is probably in the top 25 percent of the field. A score of 89 was the cutoff for the top 10.”...

The Cassville boys track and field team brought the heat to the Ice Box Relays in Aurora last week, taking first place among the 10 teams. The Wildcats were led by Bradan Dickinson, who won first in the shot put and discus. Six other individuals and three relay teams also scored golds. Full results include:...

Southwest pitcher Trisdtan Morgan slings a ball to first baseman Brendyn Paulsen, attempting to pick off an Exeter runner.

The Purdy baseball team is hoping to get off the roller coaster this week after going win-loss-win-loss since last Monday. The Eagles (4-2) were part of two 15-run games on March 28 and 29, winning one but losing the second. The Eagles defeated Cassville 15-0 in three innings, garnering 10 hits in the process. Ezequiel Garcia led with 3 hits and 4 RBI. Zach Henderson and Travis Hughes each had 2 RBI, and Hughes pitched all three innings, striking out 4...

The Cassville girls track and field team competed at the 2022 Branson Invitational last week, getting a solo first place finish but three seconds and four thirds. “The ladies competed against bigger schools in the cold/snow and came out with some very nice finishes,” said Erin Flehmer, Cassville girls track coach. “I am very proud of how this season is starting off.” Results include:...

The Cassville Middle School and Cassville High School combined fishing Team season is underway.

A SouthWest Central League Tournament championship was not in the cards for Purdy this season, as the Lady Eagles (2-1) fell in the semifinals to tourney runner-up Crane, 2-0. The loss was sandwiched between a pair of wins, a 4-0 defeat of Blue Eye in the quarterfinals and a 10-0 win over Southwest in the third-place game...

The Wheaton baseball team is a young one this season, but the Bulldogs bring back some experience and have set lofty goals for the spring campaign. Tucker Dermott, Wheaton baseball coach, said the team has set two clear goals — have a winning season and compete for a conference championship...

The Cassville girls track and field team took second place at the McDonald County meet last week. Results include: Pole Vault: Annie Moore, 2.57m Discus: Riley Morris, 31.57m 4x800 relay: Marianne McCrackin, Tori Mitchell, Annie Moore, Jolie Evans, 11:10...

The Cassville boys track and field team took third as a team at the McDonald County meet last week. Results include: Shot put: Bradan Dickinson, 14.97 Pole vault: Eli Pickett, 3.35 High jump: Peter Littlefield, 1.73 4x100 relay: Garrett Ewing, Bryson Jacobson, Jake Anthonysz, Jon Oliphant, 45.92...

The Southwest softball team picked up a big win last week, but the Lady Trojans struggled to find runs in the SouthWest Central League tournament over the weekend, taking fourth place. In a 15-0 rout of Billings on March 22, Southwest plated 10 runs in the second. Amy Reeves and Natalie Johnson led with 3 hits each, and Riley Rlippo sent in 3 RBI. Alli Fosse pitched 3 innings, striking out6...

Led by two relay teams, the Southwest boys track team finished fifth in the McDonald County Stampede last week in Anderson. The 4x800 team of Robert Humphries, Otis Rainer, Caden Uthe, and Christian Long won the race in a time of 8:56.36. In the 4x100, the team of Rainer, Uthe, Ezra Sprowes, and Matteo Lumetta earned bronze with a time of 47.08 finishing behind Carthage and Cassville...

Keaton Shellenberger stretches to get an out during the Wildcats’ win over Springfield Central on Saturday.

It was a trophy raised, but not necessarily the one the Lady Wildcats wanted. After a 3-1 win over Aurora on Friday and a 2-1 victory over Monett Saturday morning, the Cassville girls soccer team set up to play Branson for the championship of the Lady Wildcats Soccer Classic. However, a tournament title was not in the cards, as Cassville fell in the game, 4-0...

A full season canceled by COVID in 2020 left the 2021 Cassville baseball team without much experience and struggling to catch up — but that’s not the case in 2022. Following a 10-18 campaign, the first with double digit wins since 2016, Cassville returns eight starters and lost only two lettermen, Zac Acheson and Lane Mitchell. Acheson had 39 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.17. He also provided three homeruns, 31 hits and 21 RBI...

The Southwest Trap Team has started the year off with a bang at the first competition of the season at Ozark Shooters Sports Complex in Walnut Shade on March 6. Three squads competed this year. Competitors that walked away with medals were: Colten Phillips, Sub Jr. ...

No area baseball team may be reloading as much as Purdy, and the Eagles hope the talent and experience on their roster will line them up for a special season. Joshua Hughes, Purdy baseball coach, said the culture of the program is strong, which is a tribute to the Eagles playing state champ Marionville to a 4-0 district contest...

The Southwest softball team is looking for its first above .500 season in four years, aiming to compete at the district tournament at the year’s end. Shawn Johnson, Southwest softball coach, said the team’s defense will be sound, but hitting will need some work...

The Southwest High School boys and girls track and field teams are setting some high goals this season, especially with the boys having a medalist in two events last year. Gone is All-State dual medalist Travis Sickles, who now runs for Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau. He was second in the two-mile and third in the mile at state, also anchoring the 4x800 relay team to a 9th-place finish...

The Cinderella run of the Cassville girls basketball team came to an abrupt end on Friday, as the Lady Wildcats fell in the district championship game. Cassville, the No. 6 seed in the Class 4, District 12 Tournament, had upset No. 3 East Newton and No. 2 Mt. Vernon, leaving only No. 1 Seneca remaining...

Matching 2021’s season is a tall task for the young Purdy softball team, but the fledgling Lady Eagles are searching for their wings and hope to fly back to another Final Four and state title. The Class 1 state champ last season with a record of 30-1, Purdy is reloading this season with a much younger lineup that is ready to grow...

Logan Wingo dives to keep a ball out of the goal at Seven Valleys soccer tryouts Saturday.

Joe Schatzley, of Neosho, tosses a disc into the chains while playing in the Chuck in Cassville tournament Saturday morning.

The Cassville girls basketball team is trying on ballroom slippers this week, aiming to Cinderella its way to a district championship. The Lady Wildcats (14-13) entered the Class 4, District 12 Tournament as the No. 6 seed, tasked with No. 3 East Newton, earning a 31-29 upset victory...

The last two years have not felt quite right for the Cassville girls soccer team. Following an 11-10, district runner-up campaign in the team’s first varsity season in 2019, the Lady Wildcats lost the 2020 season to COVID-19, and the 2021 season was heavily marred by injuries. For this year’s class of graduating seniors, the 2022 season provides one more opportunity to make a mark in girls soccer...

Higher expectations are being set for the Southwest baseball team this season, aiming to improve on last year’s 8-11 campaign with stronger pitching and an emphasis on focus. Kenny Ferguson, entering his 19th year as Trojans baseball head coach, said last season was a roller coaster...

The Cassville girls basketball team (13-13) earned an upset victory on Saturday in the first round of the Class 4, District 12 Tournament in Seneca. The No. 6 Lady Wildcats defeated No. 3 East Newton, 31-29. Cassville started hot and played strong defensively, leading at the break 17-8. ...

It was the 115-pound girls title match everyone expected at the 2022 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships. Cassville junior Annie Moore, defending state champion, met Angelina Vargas, a freshman from Park Hill who beat her once already this season. Despite Moore nearly turning her opponent and getting a pin, Vargas proved to be too much, and Moore lost a 10-2 major decision, giving her the silver...

The fast-paced style of Cassville’s boys wrestlers paid off at the 2022 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships, as two of the team’s three participants found spots on the podium. Cassville juniors Akhilleus Arguelles, at 132 pounds, and Jake Anthonysz, at 160 pounds, both ended the tournament with wins, taking fifth-place in their respective brackets...

Two words were spoken by the Cassville girls wrestling team more than any other at the trip to the 2022 MSHSAA Wrestling Championships — party time. An excitement on the surface and a coping mechanism below it, party time was a key factor in the Lady Wildcats winning a record two medals and getting its second-ever medalist...

The opponents in the Class 4, District 12 tournaments for Cassville’s boys and girls basketball teams have been set. The No. 6 Lady Wildcats (12-11) play first, facing No. 3 East Newton on Saturday at 4 p.m. Cassville fell to the Lady Patriots, 44-31, on Jan. 27. The Wildcats (7-15) earned the No. 7 seed and will face No. 2 Lamar on Monday at 6 p.m...

Faith James was pinned by Amitira McNack in 1:15 in her consolation semifinal. In the fifth-place match, James lost a 10-2 decision to Janiah Jones, of Parkway South. She finishes with a sixth-place medal.

The Cassville boys wrestling team was eliminated from championship contention on Friday, but the team’s two members that were still in action assured themselves top-six placements. Ahkilleus Arguelles started the day in the consolation round, and he picked up a win by pin over a Fulton opponent, then with a medal on the line, won a 9-0 major decision over Dominic Ransom, of Sullivan. The win put him in the consolation semifinals on Saturday morning with still a shot at third place...

The Cassville girls wrestling team had a mixed bag of results on Friday, with two Lady Wildcats securing medals and one in a state championship match. Annie Moore, at 115 pounds, won her quarterfinal match by fall in the morning, then in the semifinals, overwhelmed her opponent for a 17-1 technical fall...

Three of Cassville’s four girls wrestlers have moved on to day two of the state tournament in Columbia, with the fourth bowing out with injury. Kelsey Harris advanced with a win in her round one match, as did Annie Moore. Faith James was pinned in her opener, but she bounced back with a win in the first consolation round to advance to Friday’s action...

Two of the three Cassville boys wrestlers at state are still in contention after day one at the tournament. Akhilleus Arguelles and Jake Anthonyz both won their first-round matches and will wrestle again on Friday. Kurt Deaver fell in his opener, then lost in the first round of consolations and was eliminated from the tournament...

The Cassville boys wresting team has tripled its number of state qualifiers this season, as three Wildcats punched their tickets on Saturday to the 92nd Boys MSHSAA Wrestling Championships. Nathan Fortner, Cassville wrestling coach, said the district tournament in Seneca was all business for his boys...

Five Cassville athletes made their collegiate intentions known this week, signing letters of intent in four separate sports, with one athlete going a dual-sport route and two signing for more unique sports. Sharayah Seymour signed with Evangel University for volleyball and track. She is a two-time All-State volleyball player for the Lady Wildcats and a high jumper on the track team...

Every time a Cassville girl is on the mat, spectators can guarantee to see the rest of the Lady Wildcat contingent as close to the squared circle as possible, cheering their hearts out for their teammate. That abundance of team chemistry is one of the factors contributing to the Cassville girls wrestling team, for the second year in a row, taking four grapplers to the 4th Girls MSHSAA Wrestling Championships...

An underreported and undervalued part of the wrestling world is the discipline it takes to keep a consistent weight while hopefully getting stronger and more powerful. For the four Cassville girls wrestlers headed to state this week, weight management is always at the forefront of their minds, but there’s still room for a little cheating...

In the 1960s, the Fearsome Foursome of the Detroit Lions was one of the most dominate defensive lines of all time, and the Cassville girls wrestling team has channeled that decades-old energy to qualify four of its members to state. As a team, Cassville took seventh, but individually, defending state champion Annie Moore took first, Kelsey Harris and Kailey Artherton took third, and Faith James qualified with a fourth-place finish...

Wheaton girls basketball Coach Jessica Dermott said this season has been the most .500 the team has ever had, and she’s hoping to add a few more ticks in the win column before districts arrive. The Lady Bulldogs’ season has been a winding one, starting at 5-0 but falling to 6-6 by the holiday break. Since then, it’s been a win one, lose one scenario, like the 53-36 loss to College Heights and the 51-41 win over Southwest...

The month of January was not kind to the Purdy boys basketball team. The Eagles (6-13) were unable to add a tally to the win column last month, falling to seven teams with records of .500 or better. Heath Carmichael, Purdy boys basketball coach, said in the Eagles’ latest loss, a 56-25 decision at home against Southwest, scoring struggles were apparent...

Free throws can make all the difference in a basketball game, and two misses and a make in Anderson on Jan. 25 meant a win for Cassville. Tied at 44 apiece after a Riley Morris jumper with 10 seconds left, the Lady Mustangs inbounded and Cassville fouled, sending Morris to the bench for fouling out...

The duo of Akhilleus Arguelles and Jake Anthonysz brought their A-games to Seneca last week, as both won first place in their weights at the Peoples Bank of Seneca Tournament. Arguelles, at 138 pounds, started the day with a win over Caymen Cornelison, of Aurora, but a loss by fall to Seneca’s Brayden Thiel. Arguelles bounced back in the quarterfinals, pinning Blair Oaks’ Quinten Denney in 1:29, then earning a, 11-3 major decision over Rogers Heritage’s (Ark.) Ian Little...

The Cassville boys basketball team (7-12) fell on Jan. 25 to McDonald County, 75-43. The Wildcats played East Newton on Tuesday, with results not available at presstime. They head to Nevada on Friday, then return home on Feb. 8 and 11 to host Lamar and Monett, respectively...