Sports

The Cassville girls wrestling team saw more than half of its members bring home gold at the Big 8 Tournament in Monett on Jan. 19, and the Lady Wildcats earned two special honors. Champions included Kelsey Harris, at 110; Annie Moore, at 115; Kailey Artherton, at 120; Hailey Roark, at 130; and Faith James, at 135. Moore was also named the Big 8 Wrestler of the Year, and Cassville Coach Nathan Fortner was named Big 8 Coach of the Year...

Cassville took six grapplers to Reeds Spring on Saturday for Big 8 Conference Tournament action, and one Wildcat rose to the top of his weight class and brought home a gold medal. Akhilleus Arguelles, wrestling at 132 pounds, won his first thee matches by fall to get placement in the championship match against Seneca’s Brayden Thiel...

The Purdy boys basketball team (6-10) fell on the road Friday to Verona, 61-46. The Eagles went down by 12 at the break and outscored the Wildcats in the third quarter but could not complete a comeback. Purdy shot 35.2 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent from 3-point range. ...

The Exeter boys basketball team has had an up-and-down season, and the Tigers are hoping to play a bit more consistently down the stretch. Tremayne Williams, Exeter boys hoops coach, said the Tigers (5-9) compete with most teams on their schedule, but playing to potential is not a given...

The Cassville boys wrestling team was on the road in Branson Saturday, bringing home one bronze medal at the 20-team Branson Boys Invitational. Jake Anthonysz, wrestling at 160 pounds, won his first two matches both by technical fall, taking 11 points in the first period of his first match and scoring 13 in the first period of his second. However, Anthonysz met his match in his third bout, falling to Rolla’s Andre Ridenhour by major decision, 11-3...

Cassville High School Women’s Basketball Coach Reed Smith, along with his staff and team, hosted the annual Hoops Club for third-sixth grade students from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20, 2021. Hoops Club members spent five consecutive Saturdays working on basketball fundamentals and playing scrimmage games...

The Cassville girls basketball team (10-6), dropped pair of Big 8 contests last week, falling 55-30 to Seneca on Jan. 11 and 39-35 to Lamar on Jan. 13. Against the Lady Indians, Cassville fell behind by 23 at the break, shooting 22.8 percent in the game and being outrebounded by 12. ...

The Cassville wrestling team took seven wrestlers to the 50th Annual Monett Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, and the lightest member of the team came home with the heaviest neck. Kurt Deaver, a 113-pounds junior, went undefeated in his five-man round robin bracket, pinning each opponent in 2:41, 1:25, 1:34 and 36 seconds...

When the Cassville girls wrestling team enters a gym for a tournament, the Lady Wildcats expect to win. That is what happened on Saturday, as the Cassville team won the Midwest Materials Seneca Girls Tourney handily, bringing home three firsts, nine total top-6 finishes and scoring 206.5 total points to runner-up Nevada’s 147 and third place Seneca’s 112.5...

The Cassville boys basketball team (6-7) has reeled off three consecutive wins to start 2022. After going 0-3 at the Neosho Holiday Classic, Cassville traveled to Reeds Spring on Jan. 4 and picked up a 51-48 win. The Wildcats then returned home and defeated Wheaton, 58-49 on Friday, then on Saturday earned another victory, 41-39 over Miami (Okla.). Cassville hosted Seneca on Tuesday, with results not available at presstime. The Wildcats hit the road on Friday, heading to Southwest...

The Cassville girls basketball team enjoyed a merry swhishmas in Southwest last week, taking second place in the 8th Annual Girls Southwest Holiday Tournament. The No. 3 Lady Wildcats bested No. 6 Reeds Spring in the first round, 45-25, then upset No. 2 Wheaton, 41-26. Cassville met top-seeded Gentry (Ark.) in the championship, ultimately falling 47-29...

In a field of 79 teams and more than 500 total wrestlers at The Wonder Woman tournament in Columbia, the Cassville girls wresting team stood out. The Lady Wildcats took second place as a team on the backs of multiple medalists, including second-place finishes for 115-pound Annie Moore and 135-pound Faith James. As a team, Cassville scored 156 points, and the winner, Lebanon, tallied 229 points for first, and Nixa took third with 134 points...

Wheaton’s Bailee Gorman pulls down a rebound in the Lady Bulldogs’ loss to Cassville in the Southwest Holiday Tournament semifinals.

Southwest’s Cruz Marquez joined an elite club of prep basketball players recently.

Four local athletes were named to the All-Tournament team for the Southwest Holiday Tournament. Honorees include: • Corey Hilburn, Exeter • Kelton Park, Wheaton • Caden Uthe, Southwest • Cruz Marquez, Southwest • Bart Walker, Gentry • Garrison Jackson, Gentry...

Though the word “little” is in his name, it’s big accomplishments that have thrust Cassville junior Peter Littlefield into the fall sports spotlight. Along with earning the Honorable Mention goalkeeper spot on the Class 2 All-State roster, Littlefield surpassed a record that has stood for 30 years...

The Cassville girls basketball team (6-3) took a three-game. win streak into the Southwest Holiday Tournament this week after defeating Reeds Spring 45-35 on Dec. 20. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Wolves in the first, third and fourth quarters, shooting 40 percent from the field and stealing the ball 17 times. ...

Purdy girls basketball coach Brandon Moore is not allowing youth be an excuse this season. The Lady Eagles (2-7) have 15 total players on the roster, nine of whom are freshmen, and there is no senior currently eligible to play. “We are so young and not used to playing together yet,” Moore said. “These girls haven’t grown up together playing, so we’re having to put the time in to know what one another is going to do. That kind of chemistry is really important at the beginning of the season.”...

The Cassville girls wrestling team brought home tons of treasure from the Branson Girls Invitational last week, with nine of the team’s 12 wrestlers medaling en route to a team title. Cassville tallied 174 total points, besting Marshfield with 153 and Knob Noster with 122. ...

The Cassville girls basketball team (5-3) picked up a pair of wins last week At home over Wheaton, 36-33, on Dec. 14, and Sarcoxie, 46-37, on Dec. 16. Against the Lady Bulldogs, Cassville held the lead through most of the game but took a 24-23 deficit into the final frame. ...

Seven local hoops teams will exchange their Christmas wishes for Christmas swishes next week, as Southwest High School is hosting its annual holiday tournaments from Dec. 27-30. For the 39th installment of the boys’ Annual Southwest Holiday Tournament, Pool A includes No. 1 Marionville, No. 4 Southwest and No. 6 Exeter, and Pool B includes No. 2 Gentry, No. 3 Diamond and No. 5 Wheaton...

The Cassville Middle School wrestling team placed third in the Big 8 Conference Tournament on Dec. 11 in Seneca. 

The Cassville boys and girls wrestling teams had a busy end of the week last week, competing in a tri with Aurora and Joplin before heading to the Bentonville West Invitational in Arkansas, where two wrestlers earned first-place finishes. At the tournament, the 138-pound Akhilleus Arguelles who missed last season due to injury, gave no sympathy to his opponents at the tournament. After winning a 6-4 decision in his opening match, he won three more by fall before winning a major decision, 13-4...

Before joining the Cassville High School girls soccer team, senior Jhandi Shears had never competitively kicked a ball. Despite being a newbie in her freshman year, then completely missing her sophomore season due to COVID-19, Shears got after it her junior year and drew praise for her play. As a result, she signed on Dec. 8 to play college soccer at Neosho Community College next year...

Sharayah Seymour puts in a breakaway layup after a steal in a loss to Hollister on Thursday.

In the quarterfinals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Argentina’s Diego Maradona got away with one of the biggest missed calls by an official in sports history when he used his hand to help score a goal in a 2-1 win over England. After the game, Maradona said the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God” — thus, the “Hand of God” was named...

Every step of the season last year results in new territory for the Cassville girls wrestling team, and the Lady Wildcats are looking to build on their success this season and set more benchmarks for future grapplers to beat. Cassville returns four total state qualifiers from last season, including defending 112-pound state champion Annie Moore, the first ever from Cassville, boys or girls...

A year after getting its first state champion in program history, the Cassville wrestling team is having to hit the reset button with a team of mostly underclassmen. Nathan Fortner, Cassville wrestling coach, said heavy hitters returning include Jake Anthonysz at 160, Akhilleus Arguelles at 132-138, Kurt Deaver at 106...

The Cassville girls basketball team (3-2) took third place on Saturday in the Crane Lady Pirates Invitational. Cassville opened the tournament with a 57–32 win over Pierce City, but the Lady Wildcats fell in the semifinals to Hollister, 55-28. Cassville rallied back on Saturday to win the third-place trophy with a 58-57 overtime victory over Greenwood. The Lady Wildcats return to action Thursday, hosting Hollister...

Not many teams will return as many starters as the Wheaton girls this season, as all five players on the floor will have varsity experience. Jessica Lombard, Wheaton girls basketball coach, said there is plenty of excitement surrounding this season...

The Wheaton boys basketball team has lost all but one starter from the 12-11 squad last season, but the Bulldogs are still chocked full of talent. Brian Wilde, entering his first year with the team, said he has been impressed by the play of his boys in the offseason...

Coaches come and go, but not many have done what Lance Parnell has done in Cassville — stay. For nearly a quarter-century, his ball caps have seen many spectacular victories and heart-wrenching losses on Friday nights, a few of which I was on the ride for, too. Before the Fridays, in the cool and damp summer mornings, Lance can be found in his fishing hat on the practice field, overseeing a program he has led for nine years and been involved in since before his athletes were born...

Many families this week will sit down for a Thanksgiving feast and talk about any number of topics, but for the Kleine family, one topic in common tends to overtake all others — coaching. The Kleines have a hefty footprint in Barry and Lawrence counties, as brothers Zack and Josh Kleine coach Cassville boys and Monett girls basketball, respectively, and their wives, Briana and Haley, coach volleyball at Cassville and Verona, respectively...

The pains of the Cassville boys basketball team’s 4-win season last year are covered and healed, and the formerly young Wildcats are looking to do some damage this season with the experience they gained. Zack Kleine, Cassville boys basketball coach, said the team is hoping to take a big step forward this year...

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that deer hunters in Missouri harvested 89,861 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season Nov. 13 and 14. Of the 89,861 deer harvested, 54,415 were antlered bucks, 7,187 were button bucks, and 28,259 were does...

Brylee Gross, a seventh-grader, puts a move on Noah Jordan, sixth-grader, during a Cassville Soccer Booster Club Wildcat Futsal Tournament game on Saturday at the middle school gym.

The Cassville football team will have a new head coach next season, as Lance Parnell has resigned from his coaching role, and Offensive Coordinator Clay Weldy has been hired as his replacement. Parnell has coached for 26 years, all but two at Cassville. He has been the head coach for the last nine years...

The Cassville Soccer Booster Club will host the Wildcat Futsal Tournament on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cassville Middle School gym. Entry is $5 per person or $20 per family, with ages 5-and-under free. The 5-on-5 teams will be from Seven Valleys Soccer Club and local Barry County area. The event benefits the booster club. For more information, go to CHS Soccer Booster Club on Facebook...

From last season, the Purdy boys basketball team lost four starters, 85 percent of its scoring and 75 percent of its minutes, but inexperience is not an excuse the Eagles will accept. Heath Carmichael, in his first year at the helm of the program, also his first head coaching job, said though the 16-6 team from last season is gone, there are bright nights ahead for this year’s group...

The Exeter boys basketball team has only had one winning season in the last two decades, but Coach Tremayne Williams said this year is different. The Tigers are coming off a 3-17 campaign, matching the best win total other than the one winning year, and excitement is high...

Cassville boys soccer players have earned postseason recognitions for their play this season. On the Class 2, District 5 All-District Team, junior goalkeeper Peter Littlefield and senior defender Dylan Renkoski were named to the First Team. Senior defender Jonathan Oliphant and senior midfielder Eli Leach were named to the Second Team, and sophomore midfielder Ashton Wheeler earned an Honorable Mention...

The fourth-grade Mighty Mite football team went 7-0 in league play this year.

A total of 15 Barry County runners were represented in the Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 MSHSAA Cross Country State Championships on Friday, with a pair of Southwest runners stealing the spotlight. Trojan senior Christian Long earned the best finish of any local competitor, taking 15th and an All-State designation in the Class 2 race with a time of 17:03.80. Fellow senior Caden Uthe snuck his way into an All-State slot, taking 24th in the 168-racer field with a time of 17:13.40...

The Cassville girls basketball team has not had an above-.500 season in four years, but this season, a new coach believes his team will surprise the area with how well they can play ball. The Lady Wildcats are coming off an 11-15 campaign and second-round district loss to Mt. Vernon last year. Reed Smith, who took the head coaching job over the summer, said he’s excited to tip this season off on Nov. 16...

“A five-set loss in the district championship does not define our season.” Those are the words of Robert Creekmore, coach of the Wheaton volleyball squad that turned heads in southwest Missouri this fall. Among the Lady Bulldogs accolades this season are a 23-5 record, not losing a home match in the regular season; a tri-Ozark 7 Championship, the first since the conference reorganized; and the Southwest Volleyfest title, the first in more than two decades...

An up-and-down season for the young Cassville football team came to an end on Friday at the hands of Mountain Grove. An even first half of play turned Mountain Grove’s way after the break, with the Wildcats falling to the Panthers in the first round of district action, 21-7...

The Cassville boys soccer team had two chances to take down rival Monett in the last week, but the Cubs proved to be too much to handle both times, defeating the Wildcats 3-1 on Oct. 26 and 3-0 on Saturday in the district playoffs. Jake Forste, Cassville soccer coach, said the regular-season game was a close one, and the Wildcats played well...

Five Cassville cross country runners turned in state qualifying times at the Class 3, District 2 Meet in Clever on Saturday. On the boys’ side, junior Caleb Leach finished in 18:12.65, and sophomore Ethan Bohmke finished in 18:55.43, taking18th and 27th, respectively. ...

Purdy sophomore Bryce Ozbun, the lone cross country runner for the Eagles, took 16th place in the Class 2, District 2 meet on Saturday in Clever, posting a time of 18:16.10.

MOUNTAIN GROVE — An even first half of play turned Mountain Grove’s way after the break, with the Wildcats falling to the Panthers in the first round of district action, 21-7.  Cassville (3-7) ran for a first down on the opening play, but its offense stalled after that. The teams traded punts, and Cassville drove from its own 12 to the 30, with Hernan Hernandez faking a punt on fourth-and-4, ending up one yard short of moving the sticks. ...

For the first time since 2015, the Cassville football team will not open the district playoffs at home. The Wildcats (3-6) will hit the road on Friday for their longest venture of the season, taking a two-hour trip to Mountain Grove (6-2) for postseason action...

Cassville sophomore Avery Chappell has accomplished something never before done in Lady Wildcats history — medaled at the state golf tournament. Going into the second day of the Class 2 Girls Golf State Championships, Chappell was in 14th place, with the top 15 earning a medal...

The Cassville Middle School Volleyball team earned first place in the Big 8 Conference Tournament on Oct. 9 at McDonald County.

West Lamar, 6-0 McDonald County, 5-1 Nevada, 4-2 Seneca, 3-3 Cassville, 2-4 Monett, 1-5 East Newton 0-6 East Aurora, 6-0 Logan-Rogersville, 5-1 Hollister, 4-2 Marshfield, 3-3 Reeds Spring, 2-4 Springfield Catholic, 1-5 Mt. Vernon, 0-6 No. 6 Cassville at No. 3 Mountain Grove...

A stout McDonald County team was too much for Cassville on Friday, as the Wildcats fell on the road to the one-loss Mustangs, 20-0.  The first half for the Wildcats (3-6) was eerily similar to their first half against Seneca two weeks ago. Cassville struggled to move the ball against a disciplined McDonald County (8-1) defense, not gaining a single first down in the opening 24 minutes. ...

With only one week of regular-season play left, the Cassville football team is confident. The Wildcats (3-5) earned a big win over East Newton on Friday, 42-6, and they hope to take that momentum to Anderson on Friday in a meeting with McDonald County...

The Cassville softball team did something last week it hadn’t in 17 tries over 13 years — defeated Monett — but the Lady Wildcats ultimately fell short of a district title on Friday, falling to Logan-Rogersville. The Lady Wildcats earned a hard-fought, 10-8 win over the Lady Cubs on Oct. 12 in the opening round of the Class 3, District 4 Tournament...

It has been an eventful week for Cassville senior Sharayah Seymour. On Oct. 12, the standout volleyball player was honored with her 2020 All-State plaque, presented to her by the only other recipient of the award from Cassville, 2005 graduate Padyn Beyer (Rose)...

Football coaches and fans across the state may be spending some extra time with a calculator this week as they try to determine scenarios that would impact district seeding in Week 10. For Cassville (3-5), a seed change from the current week is likely, but not decided...

Players and coaches on the 2008 and 2009 state championship football teams were on hand to be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame last week.

West Lamar, 5-0 McDonald County, 4-1 Nevada, 4-2 Seneca, 2-3 Cassville, 2-3 Monett, 1-4 East Newton 0-5 East Aurora, 6-0 Logan-Rogersville, 4-1 Hollister, 3-2 Marshfield, 2-3 Reeds Spring, 2-3 Springfield Catholic, 1-4 Mt. Vernon, 0-5 Cassville at McDonald County...

Cassville took second place in the McDonald County Tournament over the weekend, going 5-1 and not dropping a set until the championship game.

The Southwest junior high girls basketball team won first place in the Wheaton JH tournament.

The Cassville football team rebounded in a big way in Week 8, forgetting about last week’s loss and exploding for a 42-6 victory over East Newton at home. Cassville (3-5) started the game with a methodical, 5:31 drive of 65 yards. Hernan Hernandez returned the opening kick to the 35, and during the drive, Jake Anthonysz dove to convert a fourth-and-2. ...

The Cassville softball team will vie a district title tonight. The Lady Wildcats (14-13) defeated Seneca (11-4) Thursday night, 8-1 in the Class 3, District 4 semifinal, setting up today’s Championship at 5 p.m. in Aurora. Cassville, the district’s No. 2 seed, faces Logan-Rogersville (19-8), the No. 1 seed...

For the first time in 17 tries over 13 years, the Cassville softball team has defeated Monett. The Lady Wildcats earned a hard-fought, 10-8 win over the Lady Cubs on Tuesday in the opening round of the Class 3, District 4 Tournament. Things didn’t look so hot for Cassville early on...

There was not much for Coach Lance Parnell to say to his football team on Friday after a 27-0 loss to Seneca other than to look ahead a week and take a step forward. The Wildcats (2-5) were shut out for the second time this season, struggling to move the ball more than any other game. Cassville managed only 4 first downs to Seneca’s 17, and the Wildcats were outgained by the Indians, 420-96...

Returning starters and team chemistry have proven their worth this season in Wheaton, as the Lady Bulldogs volleyball team has turned in more than 20 wins and is taking aim at a district championship. Wheaton (20-3) recently won Southwest Volleyfest, for the first time in decades according to Coach Robert Creekmore, and hope to lock down an Ozark 7 trophy, as well...

Two members of the Cassville girls golf team will head to Columbia next week to compete at the Class 2 Girls Golf State Championships. Avery Chappell and Alyzea Myers are the second and third qualifiers ever from Cassville. Chappell qualified with a 90, good for 4th place, and Myers shot a 111, finishing in 16th place. The scores were at a chilly and windy Class 2, District 3 Tournament on Monday at the Cassville Golf Club...

The Cassville cross country teams put on a show for home fans at the Cassville Invitational on Oct. 5 at South Park. Every runner on the squad ran a personal best for the season, and two Lady Wildcats earned top 10 finishes. “The meet was larger than it has been in the past with 26 schools bringing runners,” said Erin Flehmer, assistant cross country coach. “Overall the varsity girls finished 4th and the varsity boys finished 5th. We are very pleased with how our runners competed...

West Lamar, 4-0 Nevada, 4-1 McDonald County, 3-1 Seneca, 2-2 Cassville, 1-3 Monett, 1-4 East Newton 0-4 East Aurora, 5-0 Logan-Rogersville, 3-1 Hollister, 2-2 Marshfield, 2-2 Reeds Spring, 2-2 Springfield Catholic, 1-4 Mt. Vernon, 0-4 East Newton at Cassville...

It has been so long since Cassville has beat Monett in softball that the Missouri State High School Athletics Association does not have it on record. The Lady Cubs have dispatched the Lady Wildcats in 16 straight contests, and Cassville is hoping to change that today when the teams will meet for playoff action in Aurora at 5 p.m...

For the second time this season, the Cassville football team found itself at the wrong end of a shutout, as the Wildcats fell on the road to Seneca on Friday, 27-0.  The first half was the most Cassville (2-5) struggled to move the ball all year.  In six possessions, the Wildcats managed only two first downs. The first came via a pass interference call, and three plays later, an Indian interception took the ball the other way. ...

It all came down to the foot of Peter Littlefield. With 20 seconds left, the kicker drilled at point-after to give Cassville (2-4) an emotional 21-20 victory over visiting Monett (1-5) in the Barry County Brawl. The game was tiring not only for the players, but the coaches, as well...

In the first 15 games of its season, the Cassville soccer team (2-13) has played only five teams, one twice, with sub-.500 records, and the Wildcats hope the strength of their schedule will prepare them for the district playoff road that lies ahead...

On Sept. 28, the Cassville cross country teams traveled to Lamar to compete in a tough field of runners. The girls finished in 4th place, and the boys finished in 9th place. Individual results include: Girls Jolie Evans, 5th  Annie Moore, 14th Dakotah Anderson, 39th...

West Lamar, 3-0 McDonald County, 3-1 Nevada, 3-1 Seneca, 1-2 Cassville, 1-2 Monett, 1-3 East Newton 0-3 East Aurora, 3-0 Logan-Rogersville, 2-1 Marshfield, 2-1 Hollister, 2-1 Reeds Spring, 2-2 Springfield Catholic, 0-3 Mt. Vernon, 0-3 Lamar at Monett...

More than 30 Cassville High School alumni participated in the annual soccer alumni game on Saturday.

It all came down to the foot of Peter Littlefield. With 20 seconds left, the kicker drilled at point-after to give Cassville (2-4) an emotional 21-20 victory over visiting Monett (1-5) in the Barry County Brawl. Monett scored what seemed to be the go-ahead touchdown with 1:13 to go, a 40-yard pass to Konner Poynter...