Sports


A fast start from the defending Class 2 state champion was too much for Cassville to overcome, falling 35-3 despite holding the Tigers to only 7 points in the second half.  The Wildcats started with the ball and showed offensive promise with a quick first down. However, the drive stalled and the ball was punted away to Lamar’s 40-yard line. ...

A big week awaits the Cassville football team (1-3), as the Wildcats head north to face the No. 1-ranked team in Class 2, perennial power Lamar. The defending state champions have been blazing their way though the Big 8 this season, toppling Springfield Catholic, Reeds Spring, McDonald County and Nevada by a combined score of 179-42...

In the last three meets, the Cassville girls cross country team has been silver or better, and the Lady Wildcats hope to continue channeling those results and turn them into a team bid to state. The Cassville girls cross country team earned a first-place finish in last week in the Class 1-3 division of the Monett Richard “Whitey” Mettlach Invitational...

The Cassville school district has welcomed Don Lentz, Mercy athletic trainer, as a member of the Wildcat team. Through a partnership with the district and Mercy, Lentz provides full-time sports medicine services to Cassville athletes, including injury prevention, medical evaluations and recovery...

The Cassville Middle School Volleyball 7th grade team won first place in the Monett 7th grade A Tournament on Saturday.

Southwest High School will host the 38th annual Volleyfest Tournament on Oct. 2 in Washburn, with 10 teams competing for the title. Along with Southwest, teams participating include: Crane, Verona, Wheaton, Exeter, Gentry (Ark.), and the defending champions from Pierce City. Spokane, Thomas Jefferson, and School of the Ozarks are in the event for the first time. Games begin at 8 a.m...

West Lamar, 2-0 Seneca, 1-0 Monett, 1-1 McDonald County, 1-1 Nevada, 1-1 Cassville, 0-1 East Newton 0-2 East Aurora, 2-0 Reeds Spring, 2-0 Hollister, 1-0 Marshfield, 1-1 Logan-Rogersville, 0-1 Mt. Vernon, 0-2 Springfield Catholic, 0-2 Cassville at Lamar...

Cassville's comeback bid against Logan-Rogersville came up short in a 28-13 loss on Friday. The game was much closer than the final 15-point margin as Rogersville tacked on a touchdown in the final 15 seconds of regulation. Cassville put themselves in great position with a trick play in the fourth quarter...

It has been eight years since the Cassville football team (1-2) had a sub-.500 record going into Week 4 of the season, and the Wildcats are hoping to match that 2013 campaign by righting the ship and producing a winning record, starting with getting back to even on Friday...

For high school golfers, consistently shooting in the 70s is a tough goal to achieve, but Cassville sophomore Avery Chappell is doing so this season. The Lady Wildcats have competed in a pair of events so far this year, one in Springfield and another in Marshfield, and Coach Jay Rogers is excited for how the season is going...

The Wildcat cross country runners went to Seneca on Thursday, with the girls taking 2nd as a team and the boys 4th. The results are as follows, with the top 25 medaling: Varsity girls Jolie Evans, 4th Annie Moore, 6th Marianne McCrackin, 17th Dakotah Anderson, 25th...

West Monett, 1-0 Lamar, 1-0 Nevada, 1-0 East Newton 0-1 McDonald County, 0-1 Seneca, 0-1 Cassville, 0-1 East Reeds Spring, 1-0 Marshfield, 1-0 Aurora, 1-0 Logan-Rogersville, 0-1 Springfield Catholic, 0-1 Mt. Vernon, 0-1 Hollister, 0-1 Logan-Rogersville at Cassville...

The Cassville football team was overpowered by a strong Nevada offense on Friday, falling to the Tigers, 46-20. Nevada started the scoring quickly, connecting on a 40-yard touchdown strike up the muddle only 1:11 in. The Wildcats fumbled the ball away on their first play from scrimmage, and Nevada added to the lead with a 1-yard run set up by a pass of about 30 yards...

The 2008 and 2009 Cassville state championship football teams will join some elite company this fall, as the teams will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame along with the likes of Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Tamba Hali and University of Missouri running back Devin West...

It was the best of games, it was the worst of games, it was a week of hope, followed by a week of despair. The Cassville football team (1-1) started the season with a bang, defeating Mt. Vernon 27-0, but the Wildcats’ fortunes turned on Friday, as they fell on the road to Marshfield, 35-0...

The Cassville softball team (4-3) unloaded a barrage of runs on Carl Junction last week, logging a 15-1 win on the road. Elly Ramaeker led the Lady Wildcats in hits with 4, and Ryleigh Burnette added 3. Isabelle Edwards, Kenzie Dilbeck and Kalee Lowe each knocked two. ...

Cassville High School varsity volleyball finished in second place in the silver division of the Branson tournament the weekend of Aug. 27.

West Seneca, 2-0 Nevada, 2-0 McDonald County, 2-0 Lamar, 2-0 Cassville, 1-1 East Newton 1-1 Monett, 0-2 East Reeds Spring, 1-1 Aurora, 1-1 Marshfield, 1-1 Hollister, 1-1 Springfield Catholic, 0-2 Mt. Vernon, 0-2 Logan-Rogersville, 0-2 Sarcoxie at Pierce City...

MARSHFIELD — It was a tale of two weeks for the Cassville football team (1-1) on Friday, as the Wildcats suffered a 35-0 loss on the road to Marshfield. The Jays started the contest hot, picking up a couple of firsts through the air, then quarterback Bryant Bull dropped a snap but picked it up and darted right 43 yards to open the scoring...

Delight filled the hearts of Wildcat Nation on Friday, as a young Cassville team with a lot of questions made a statement on home grass with a decisive shutout of Mt. Vernon. Lance Parnell, Cassville football coach, said the 27-0 victory was a testament to how the Wildcats, many of whom were starting for the first time at the varsity level, prepared throughout the week...

The Cassville athletics programs received word on Friday of their class and district assignments, and while the Wildcats’ placements largely didn’t change, their district groups did. Most notable in the changes is for the Cassville football team. While the Wildcats remain in Class 3, District 6, they may see some new logos on helmets this postseason...

A total of 19 Cassville High School football players and coaches from 1985-1989 were recognized on Friday prior to the Wildcats’ game against Mt. Vernon.

The Lady Wildcats dropped their opening game in the Marion C. Early Softball Tournament, sponsored by Sonic, to Camdenton, but followed up with a win over Walnut Grove. On day two, the team won both games over Hartville and Republic’s junior varsity to earn the Consolation Bracket Trophy...

West Lamar, 1-0 Cassville, 1-0 McDonald County, 1-0 Seneca, 1-0 Nevada, 1-0 Monett, 0-1 East Newton 0-1 East Reeds Spring, 1-0 Hollister, 1-0 Mt. Vernon, 0-1 Marshfield, 0-1 Aurora, 0-1 Springfield Catholic, 0-1 Logan-Rogersville, 0-1 Monett at Aurora...

A quick start and sustained play from Cassville led to a shutout win over Mt. Vernon, 27-0, to start the season. The Wildcats started the game with a bang, as Jadon Ewing broke free on a 37-yard run. A play and penalty later, quarterback Cutter Hicks blasted through the middle for a 28-yard touchdown. ...

Over the last few years, Cassville and Mt. Vernon have been two of the most evenly-matched teams in the Big 8 Conference, and this year is no different. Both squads are young, physical and hungry to prove themselves, especially after splitting results last year...

Brody Osborne, in black, and Jon Oliphant battle for a loose ball in the box during the Wildcats’ Black and Gold game Thursday.

The numbers have been assigned, helmets shined, pads distributed and depth charts crafted, all sure signs that Friday night football in southwest Missouri is back. This will be my 11th year of patrolling the gridiron sidelines on Friday nights in the fall, and it will be my eighth for the Cassville Democrat...

A total of 29 girls, including 14 ninth-graders, are out for the Southwest volleyball team that opens the season Saturday at the Verona Tournament. The Lady Trojans play Billings, Marionville, Everton and Miller in pool play in the 15-team event that will be played on three courts at two venues...

The Cassville football team will get its first sip of Friday night action this week, as the Wildcats will head north for their annual jamboree hoping to answer a few questions before Week 1 comes calling. Cassville participates in the Springfield Parkview jamboree with Willard and Forsyth, the last of which has replaced long-time participant Republic...

The Cassville volleyball team is looking to greatly improve the 4-17-1 record from last season, and the Lady Wildcats have plenty of opportunity to do so with the number of returners they have on the floor. Briana Kleine, Cassville volleyball coach, said three seniors will lead the way this season — Sharayah Seymour, a 2020 All-State selection, as well as Landry Parnell and Avery Crain...

The Purdy volleyball team capped an uncertain, COVID-affected 2020 season with only 10 players on the roster, but that should not be the case this season. Mica Propps, Purdy volleyball coach, said her team has been holding open gyms throughout the summer and recently started practice, working with twice the number of girls that finished last season...

Southwest will host a volleyball jamboree Monday with teams from Hurley, Purdy and Wheaton high schools. The cost is $2 for adults and $1 for students and senior citizens. A concession stand will be available. Games scheduled include: • 5:30 p.m., Southwest against Wheaton...

The Wheaton volleyball team has high expectations for the upcoming season, as the Lady Bulldogs graduated only one senior from a 16-win 2020 squad. Robert Creekmore, Wheaton volleyball coach, said the team has held open gyms four days per week since June and started official practices on Monday...

An era of touchbacks and bigtime field goals ended in 2020 with the graduation of four-year starter Drake Reese, and the Cassville football team is now facing the task of filling his position, as well as many other special teams duties. Lance Parnell, Cassville foot- ball coach, said a newcomer is aiming to fill the boots of the prolific graduate — junior soccer standout Peter Littlefield...

It has been more than two years since the Cassville boys soccer team has had a player net 15 goals in a season, and the team is hoping to change that stat this season by creating more scoring chances. Jake Forste, Cassville soccer coach, said he has four returning seniors on this year’s team, Dylan Renkoski, Jon Oliphant, Josh Case and Eli Leach, all of whom will start...

The Cassville cross country teams are strong when it comes to numbers this season, though between the boys and girls, there is only one senior runner. Courtney Kirk, Cassville cross country coach, said about 10 boys and 10 girls have been participating in summer workouts in June and July...

Experience will be at a premium in the trenches for the Cassville football team this year, as not many snaps are coming back to the offensive or defensive lines. Lance Parnell, Cassville football coach, said his men are a bit smaller than in years past, but they are not skimping on strength...

An accomplished athlete and coach has found his way to the Purdy school district this summer, where he is breaking into administration for the first time. Danny Powers, who spent four years as a basketball coach in Cassville then six as baseball coach in Neosho, began duties on July 15 as the Purdy athletic director and K-12 assistant principal...

The Southwest school district has released its fall sports practice schedule for high school and junior high athletics. High school practices all start Aug. 9, with baseball from 1-3:15 p.m., volleyball from 9 a.m. to noon and cross country starting at 8 a.m...

Members of the Cassville football team work a drill during camp last week at William Jewel College in Liberty.

The Purdy boys basketball team is under new leadership this year, as a recent College of the Ozarks graduate and Clever assistant coach is taking the reins of the program. Heath Carmichael is a 2020 graduate and four-year hoops player for the College of the Ozarks. He graduated in 2015 from Ozark High School after growing up in Springfield...

The Cassville football team’s core of wide receivers and tight ends is missing something this season compared to recent years — a senior. Lance Parnell, Wildcats football coach, said his men in the flats will be young this season in age and experience...

The Cassville softball team is flush with numbers and excitement for this season, as the end of the 2020 campaign has left the Lady Wildcats hungry. Cassville’s season came crashing to a halt last year when the 12-12 Lady Wildcats earned the No. 2 district seed but were forced to forfeit due to COVID-19 quarantines...

Of all the 22 positions on offense and defense for a football team, only one will be a bonafide returning starter for Cassville this season, and he can be found in the Wildcats’ secondary. Lance Parnell, Cassville coach, said the linebackers, corners and safeties are a group he is extra excited for this season, as the one returning starter, Hernan Hernandez, will be surrounded by a handful of players with some spot snaps last year...

The Southwest Trap Team traveled once again to Linn Creek on June 26, this time for the Missouri AIM State Shoot. Parents sat under umbrellas while the participants got soaked as they stood on the shooting line. The overcast sky and rain made shooting targets more difficult. But, that did not slow down these top notch shooters...

Saige Miller, of Seligman, competed in the Summer Sizzler tournament in Monett on Saturday with the 14U Bullpen Psychos 07 team.

The Exeter trap shooting team competed in the state competition earlier this year, taking home multiple medals, including three firsts.

The 2021 Cassville Middle School Volleyball Camp was held July 12-15, sponsored by Security Bank and Four States Stockyards, with Sports World for making the shirts.

It has been a while since the Cassville football team had to break in an all-new backfield, but that is what the Wildcats are tasked with this season after graduating a total of 21 starters in the 2020 campaign. Lance Parnell, Cassville coach, said the man under center and the backs behind him will all have to gain experience quickly this season, taking few starts into a new season that will be marked by youth...

Pace of play is paramount in volleyball, and the Cassville squad has honed in this summer on a way to slow the game down a bit — communication. With the group of upperclassmen coming through the program, Briana Kleine, Cassville volleyball coach, said this summer has been encouraging for her team...

The Exeter volleyball team is returning four seniors to a squad that has nowhere to go but up after a difficult and unpredictable 2020 season. Stephanie Crumpler, Exeter volleyball coach, is entering her fifth year with the program and has been putting her team to work over the summer months...

The Cassville football team is going through its summer paces, and the Wildcats are looking forward to opening the season in 51 days. Cassville will kick off the season on Aug. 27 at home against Mt. Vernon, one of only two teams to hand the Wildcats a regular-season loss in 2020...

The Wheaton girls basketball team is led this season by a quartet of seniors, and the Lady Bulldogs have used June to become closer as a team. Jessica Lombard, Wheaton girls basketball coach, said her squad competed in the Cassville summer league each week and held camps in the gym four days per week before ending the month with a team camp in Branson...

The Cassville boys soccer team has been hard at work in the summer heat, prepping for the upcoming season with weightlifting, field time three days per week and weekly summer league games. Jake Forste, Cassville soccer coach, said the team has been lifting Mondays through Thursdays, playing a summer league game every Tuesday and hosting open field scrimmages on Thursdays...

The Cassville football team is picking up the pace this summer, prepping for camp in July and the season’s start in August with a combination of strength and conditioning, as well as some 7-on-7 drills. Lance Parnell, Cassville football coach, said the team lifts in the mornings with three different weight groups, then hits the track for strength, agility and speed work...

Purdy senior Jake Brown has added his name to the expansive list of athletes headed for college programs next year, as he has signed to play baseball at Bible Baptist College in Springfield. Brown said the decision was an easy one after visiting the campus...

Purdy’s Lauren Schallert may have won a share of one of the most prestigious prep sports award in southwest Missouri, but the state champion is still as humble as ever. Schallert and Webb City pitcher Haidyn Berry shared the Sports Commission Award for softball, awarded at Tuesday’s Springfield Sports Commission Awards at the Ozark Empire State Fairgrounds...

Four local baseball players have earned the highest honors in the state this spring, named to the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State Teams. Leading the selections was Purdy senior Osiel Aldava, who was named a Class 2 First Team infielder...

Reed Smith is young in his basketball coaching career, but that was no obstacle in rising to the top of applicants and landing the girls basketball head coaching job at Cassville this year. An Oklahoma State graduate with a degree in food science, Reed said while he enjoyed his first career, something just wasn’t right...

Wheaton senior Brody Prewitt has pitched for the Bulldogs for all four years of his high school career, and he will continue working on the mound at the next level, having signed for Bible Baptist College in Springfield. Prewitt said there were a number of factors guiding his decision, but two major ones...

The Cassville High School and Cassville Middle School bass fishing teams have docked their boats for the season, unloading multiple awards, including a state runner-up finish. There are two types of tournaments Cassville participates in as bass fishing teams. ...

Area gyms have been in full use this summer, as basketball teams are making the most of their 20 summer contact days. The Southwest boys basketball team has been trekking across southwest Missouri and into Arkansas, playing somewhere new each week. “Last week, we were in Purdy, and we had our team camp to finish out the week,” said Rusty Roe, Southwest boys basketball coach. ...

A first-time head coach has taken the reins of boys basketball in Wheaton. Brian Wilde, St. Elizabeth High School and Missouri State graduate, has been hired to replace Jody Cavness, who was tapped to be Wheaton High School’s new principal. Wilde graduated from St. ...

The Purdy softball team has been named a finalist for Girls Team of the Year, and Lady Eagles pitcher Lauren Schallert is up for softball Player of the Year at the upcoming Sports Commission Awards in Springfield, sponsored by Elliott Lodging and presented by Blevins Asphalt. Along with Purdy, College Heights Christian Academy’s state championship cross country and track and field teams are finalists, as well as with Lebanon wrestling, Skyline softball, Springfield Catholic go...

When Annabelle Bowman arrived in Purdy three years ago, she was less than excited. The Nashville, Ark., transfer changed high schools at age 15, struggling with going from a high school of more than 400 to one with under 200, and a town of nearly 4,500 to a town of about 1,300...

The Exeter baseball team did something this season it had not done in nearly 30 years — win a conference championship. The Tigers went undefeated in the Ozark 7 this season, winning its first outright conference title since 1992. “We were happy with the season overall,” said Matt Tripp, Exeter coach and Ozark 7 Coach of the Year. ...

Local athletes put in work this spring on the fields and the track, with many earning postseason honors for their respective conferences and districts, as well as in the state. The Cassville baseball team earned a trio of All-Big 8 West nods, with senior Zach Acheson named Second Team infield, sophomore Isaac Hadlow named Second Team infield and junior Tim Hudson named Honorable Mention outfield...

The Wheaton track and field teams sent two competitors to the MSHSAA Class 1 State Championship 2021, with one of the athletes competing in three events. Senior Chad Meyer raced in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, and he threw the javelin for the Bulldogs...

On May 22, the Southwest School sent three squads to compete at the ATA and AIM zone state shoot at the Missouri Trap Shooters Association in Linn Creek. The Missouri Trap Shooters Association offers 60 traps and is the second-largest trapshooting facility in the world. ...

The Wildcat Soccer Camp for children in kindergarten through eighth grades will be held on Monday, from 5-8 p.m., and Tuesday, from 5-7 p.m. at the Cassville High School soccer game field. The cost is $30 and participants should bring cleats, shin guards and water...

The Special Olympics was held on May 5 at McDonald County High School. 

The Cassville track and field teams competed in a combined nine events at the MSHSAA Class 3 State Championship 2021 on Saturday, with the best results coming in the throwing events for Kyren Postlewait and Bradan Dickinson. Postlewait, a senior bound for Missouri Southern State University and winner of the district and sectional events with throws of 11.98 and 11.79, finished No. 4 in Class 3 with a throw of 11.95 meters, just under 1.5 meters less than the first-place finisher...

The Purdy baseball team is taking some momentum into the next few seasons, as six starting sophomores are moving up in the fall to help lead at team already with double-digit wins this spring. Joshua Hughes, Purdy baseball coach, said the 15-9 Eagles were somewhat disappointed in how the season ended...

Nearly 100 local high school athletes from Southwest Missouri, including five from Cassville, have been selected as part of the 2021 Grin Iron Classic (GIC) All-Star High School Football Teams. However, in light of continued social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sertoma GIC will not be played this year, though the team members will be recognized. ...