Sports

The Cassville boys and girls track and field teams took a total of 13 athletes to the Class 3 State Championship Friday and Saturday, and six returned with All-State honors. Bradan Dickinson led the field with a third-place finish in shot put, throwing for 16.44 meters (53-11.25) to set a new school record.

The Cassville girls soccer team nearly doubled its win total from the 2021 season, but a firstround district exit left the Lady Wildcats at 9 wins. Jake Forste, Cassville soccer coach, said the mantra of the season was team-wide improvement, and that occurred.

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.

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.

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 Middle School Big 8 Championship Tournament was held in Monett on April 30. Cassville entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed. Cassville Defeated No. 7 seeded Hollister, 12-0, in 3 innings. Then, Cassville battled 3-seed McDonald County to a 4-2 victory in the semifinals. The Championship game featured Cassville against No. 1 seed Marshfield. The Wildcats fell 4-0 and finished 2nd in the Big 8 Conference. The team finished the season 11-4. The 8th grade girls finished their middle school careers at 23-6 with two Big 8 Championship appearances and one title. Contributed photo

Southwest seniors Christian Long and Caden Uthe have signed to run cross country and track at Crowder College in Neosho. The college is starting the program under the direction of Coach Jake Holt, a graduate of Southwest. Long and Uthe are both All- State in cross country and State qualifiers in track. Southwest Cross Country Coach Rusty Roe, Crowder College Coach Jake Holt, Track Coach Steve Voyak, Seniors Caden Uthe and Christian Long. Contributed photo

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