VOLLEYBALL

Varsity

• Mt. View-Liberty 2, Willow Springs 0 (26-24, 25-20)
• Willard 2, Hillcrest 0 (25-16, 25-7)
• Billings 2, Fordland 0 (25-13, 25-17)
  • Billings: Terisa Moya – 15 digs; Kirstin Hedrick – 16 assists
• Ava 2, Spokane 0 (25-14, 25-10)
• Fair Grove 2, Clever 0 (25-16, 25-13)
• Exeter 2, Southwest 0 (25-14, 25-17)

Junior varsity

• Willard 2, Hillcrest 0 (25-13, 25-9)
• Spokane 2, Ava 0 (25-21, 25-14)

SOFTBALL

• Walnut Grove 10, Miller 0
  • Walnut Grove: Hannah Harmon – W, 13 K; Madisyn Freeze – 3 H, HR
• Neosho 8, Branson 1
• Kickapoo 8, Lebanon 2
• Pleasant Hope 5, Marionville 0
  • Pleasant Hope: Sarah Siegismund – W, 3 hitter, 12 K
• Hartville 15, Mountain Grove 5 (6 inn)
  • Hartville: Carlin Tompkins – 3 H

BOYS SOCCER

• Greenwood 2, Bolivar 1
  • Greenwood: Stuart Beezley, Devon Whitlock
  • Bolivar: Matt Magana
• Monett 5, Aurora 0

BASEBALL

• Purdy 6, Wheaton 2
  • Purdy: Cody Hall – 2R HR

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There was just one wrinkle, it was set for Saturday afternoon.  Well this was a very opportune wrinkle since it would allow me the chance to watch not one, but two games in week 1 because Hwy 60 would be crawling with games.  As I headed west, I had my choice of Mt. Vernon at Rogersville, Marshfield at Ava if I wanted to head a little south, state champion Cassville at Mountain Grove, Houston at Cabool, or Reeds Spring visiting Willow Springs.  It was a gridiron smorgasbord and I had only to pick what I wanted to take a bite of.  I’d hit a game Friday night, head to Mt. View to spend the night, and get to the Eagles Nest for the big game Saturday.  After considering Mt. Vernon/Rogersville (I was planning on seeing the Wildcats in week 2) and Marshfield at Ava (still left me a little too far to go to Mt. View), I decided to catch Cassville/Mountain Grove.  Great stadium, great atmosphere, two great class 3 programs.  That was the ticket.  An SCA weekend road trip.  I was all set.

Cassville at Mountain Grove

And so I found myself arriving at the Grove in time to watch the teams enter and catch the national anthem in weather that was about as good as it gets in August in Missouri.  Nice stadium, beautiful field, and the Grove faithful being so welcoming helped put me in a football mood.  Having seen Cassville at their jamboree, I knew their defense was solid.  But I still had questions about their offense.  And they had real troubles holding onto the ball that night at Parkview.  How would they look going live in a hostile environment?  As for the Panthers, I had heard good reports from their jamboree, but they still had suffered major losses to graduation.  Could they stack up to the two-time champs?

The Wildcats answered my offensive questions pretty quickly.  After an interception of a Mountain Grove pass, Cassville got on the board first via the big play as running back Kyle Brattin broke off a 55 yard scoring run.  “What about the deep pass?” I thought.  The Cassville offense was dangerous last year due to the underrated combo of Trevor Tanner to Travis Northern.  That question was soon answered also as new QB Ricky Nichols tossed a beautiful deep ball to receiver Josh Lewright for a 52 yard TD strike.  “OK, they have the big plays.  But can they sustain a drive?” was my next thought.  On cue, Cassville entered into a 11 play drive that covered about 75 yards culminating in a 9 yard TD run from Trent Tanner.  Halftime.  Cassville 20, Mountain Grove 0.  Cassville defense – awesome.  Joboo – impressed.

At my signal, unleash hell.

The second half was more of the same.  Cassville added three more scores and Mountain Grove broke the shutout on Shaun Anderson’s 2 yard TD run against the Wildcats second string defense.  To add insult to injury, Mountain Grove lost starting running back Preston Ary in the first half to a knee injury.  As the game came to an end with the Wildcats claiming a 40-7 victory, I was thoroughly impressed.  Their defense was dominant up the middle, fast on the edges, and tackled as fundamentally well as just about any team I’ve seen.  A third title is certainly in the realm of possibility for them if they stay hungry and focused.  As for Mountain Grove, they will be fine. The score was more a result of Cassville being so good as opposed to the Panthers being bad.  Coach Steve Ary has not won as many games as he has without overcoming some adversity.  I still look for them to be a challenger for the playoffs.

Hogan Prep at Mt. View-Liberty

After a short drive (I was tempted to stop at Cabool to catch the end of the game I was listening to on the radio, and I talked to some happy Willow Springs fans when I stopped for gas) I found my bed for a good night’s sleep.  And woke to a day which promised one thing for sure.  It was going to be hot. After making my way to the field about a half hour early, I had to apply sunscreen for a high school football game for the first time ever.  I’ve caught early season college games that were as hot, but never high school.  But the stands were full on the home side, both teams were keeping hydrated, and all seemed right with the world.

Mt. View-Liberty fans welcome Hogan Prep to the Eagles Nest

Liberty received the opening kickoff and if it’s possible for the opening kickoff to turn a game without it being a touchdown, this one did.  Coty Martin bobbled the kick initially, but picked it up, found a huge seam, and was gone.  Touchdown Eagles!!  The house was rocking.  Except there was some yellow laundry on the field.  A block in the back was called and the score was taken off the board.  The penalty, the heat, the emotion spent on the runback, something sapped the crowd.  And the Hogan Prep defense kept them from rejuvenating.  The Rams held, got the ball back, and began to march down the field.  But with first and goal from the 8,  Liberty’s defense toughened, kept the Rams out of the endzone, and got the ball back.  After punting back to Hogan, the Eagles again fell back before another drive.  Again the Rams had first and goal from the 8 but this time they would not be denied as they got the score and a 2 point conversion to make it 8-0 with 2 seconds left in the first quarter.

Both teams went back in forth in the second.  Hogan fumbled away a possession.  Liberty QB Kole Gastineau had a pass picked off on an incredible interception by Bausby who was defending star receiver Derek Daniels.  But with 3:58 remaining in the second quarter, Hogan hit a big play breaking off a 48 yard TD run.   The two point try was no good and it was 14-0 Hogan at the half.

Both teams seemed to be hit by the heat.  Other than the big runs, every play by both teams seemed to be slow in developing.  The Eagles hadn’t played terribly, but had some key penalties that killed a couple of drives.  And Hogan definitely put their speed to good use on defense.  Players on both sides seemed to be dragging though.  Coach Darin Acklin does a good job making game adjustments for Liberty, but I had the feeling they were going to have to find some hidden energy to mount a comeback.

After receiving the second half kickoff, Hogan tried to eliminate any thoughts of that comeback as they immediately scored on a 56 yard TD run.  The 2 points made it 22-0. With a quiet home crowd and an offense that had been lethargic in the first half.  It seemed like Hogan had it in the bag.  But that would be the last points Hogan would score, and the Eagles were about to come to life.

As soon as Mt. View took the kickoff, you could see that they had some fire.  The plays were coming quicker, Daniel Porter (who had sat out the first half) was hitting hard and chewing up yardage, and Liberty marched down the field and got on the scoreboard via a 28 yard Cody Stringer pass and run to make it 22-8 with the 2 point conversion.  The defense was now equally fired up, and treated Hogan to a 3 and out series to get the ball back.  Again Liberty started to march up field.  You could see momentum making it’s way over to the home side.  The Eagles Nest was ready to explode.  And then… fumble.  As one fan described it, the ball had eyes and ended up with a Hogan player.  Momentum looked lost and confused and stopped at midfield.

But Hogan still had troubles moving the ball.  Bausby had left the game with cramps, and the Hogan coaches shifted to clock killing mode immediately.  Not another Hogan offensive snap was taken with more than 5 seconds left on the play clock.  The Rams were clearly wearing down, but the elusiveness and athleticism of their backs allowed them to grab some first downs and kill more time.

The Eagles on the attack in the 4th quarter

On to the fourth quarter the game marched.  Mt. View saw one drive end on a punt.  Daniels came down hard on a catch and had to leave the game on the next drive.  But Gastineau drove them on and pulled the Eagles within a score with a 17 yard run keyed by a big Daniel Porter block.  22-15 Hogan as Mt. View kicked off to the Rams with 2:56 left.  Still time for a last shot if they could keep Hogan from getting a first down.  But, it wasn’t to be.  Milking the clock relentlessly, Hogan converted for a first down, killed off the remaining time, and headed back to Kansas City with a big win.

While they didn’t get the win, Liberty surely got respect as they played Hogan even once Porter was back in the lineup.  They certainly have the team to advance to another Saturday afternoon game this season.  And but for a couple of plays, could have easily won this one.  But that is now the past, and the Eagles can’t afford to dwell upon the past.  They have another big game coming their way with Thayer coming in Friday night.  That will be followed by trips to Salem, and back up Hwy 60 just a bit to Mountain Grove.  Such is life in the SCA.  There’s always someone else waiting around the corner.

But as I headed back west on 60, I couldn’t help but reflect on the past of this league myself.  So much great history.  So many great teams.  And thousands of loyal and devoted fans that go crazy each Friday night in the fall for their teams.  I feel lucky that I have some roots in SCA land which have allowed me to be aware of all that it is and has to offer, even if it doesn’t get much press.  I’ll be back in the SCA again.  Maybe not this football season, but I’ll be back.  I just hope that after the SCA teams went 0-2 with me present they’ll let me back in.

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Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way. I have to take the Waynesville Daily Guide off the list. With Jack Hittinger’s departure, they’re just not knocking it out of the park the way they were. Still a good local paper though. I’m also removing RecSpecsOnline from the list.  Mainly because it’s not being updated anymore, but there’s actually an update to it as you’ll see in a minute.

A long overdue addition is the Joplin Globe sports page.  I hesitated because of it being more than high school coverage.  But they’ve convinced me that they deserve inclusion.  Not only the high schools are covered, but youth sports in general.  No, they’re not perfect, but I’m not either.  And they work hard to do what they can.  That qualifies for Goodfella status.

Next is the update I mentioned, also overdue.  Allen Vaughan has taken his talents and passion for sports to TAG Magazine’s sports page.  Not only do you get his articles for TAG, but also easy access to the his aforementioned RecSpecs  blog and podcasts of his afternoon show on Jock 98.7, the High Road.  Allen will cover anything you can imagine in the world of sports, but has a clear passion for the high school scene.  Truly a Goodfella.

And finally, an entity I’m happy to add, yet surprised that I’m able to.  The News-Leader’s high school sports page.  I’ve written before about how the financial crisis in the newspaper industry has ravaged even papers in smaller cities like the News-Leader.  But new prep sports reporter Matt Schoch has lead a comeback.  He’s still learning the area scene and everything it entails, but he’s working his rear off to do it.  Just the shear volume and diversity of the work he’s turned out alone make’s the News-Leader worthy of Goodfella consideration.  But they’ve also listened the coaches and reinstated reporting scores by phone.  Yes, they’re still Springfield centered.  They do have to pay the bills.  But Matt has already expanded beyond the normal area.  Plus they posted earlier posted explaining their 3 zone approach to coverage.  It was spelled out clearly, and even though some folks won’t like it, at least the expectations are set.  They’re on the Goodfellas list, and hopefully they’ll stay.

These three join the Scoreboard Guy, KSPR Sports, and Springfield Soccer in showing real commitment to high school sports in the Ozarks.  Let’s hope for even more additions soon.

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Varsity

• Bentonville, AR 3, Republic 0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-17)
• Clever 2, Marionville 0 (25-18, 25-6)
• Houston 2, Licking 0 (25-17, 25-23)
• Parkview 2, Central 0 (25-9, 25-11)
  • Central: Laurel McDaniel – 18 digs
• Everton 2, Lockwood 1 (26-24, 21-25, 27-25)
• Ash Grove 2, Miller 0 (25-12, 25-18)
• Mt. Vernon 2, Reeds Spring 0 (26-24, 25-15)
• Kickapoo 2, Rogersville 0 (25-21, 25-22)
• Ava 2, Catholic 1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-16)
  • Ava: Jorie Garrett – 13 kills, 20 digs
• Willard 2, Buffalo 0 (25-6, 25-4)
• Blue Eye 2, Cassville 0 (25-4, 25-19)
• Carthage 2, Monett o (25-12, 25-19)

Junior varsity

• Parkview 2, Central 0 (25-21, 27-25)
• Lockwood 2, Everton 0 (25-10, 25-3)
• Ash Grove 2, Miller 1 (17-25, 25-12, 25-9)
• Kickapoo 2, Rogersville 0 (25-21, 26-24)

SOFTBALL

• Houston 2, Mt. View-Liberty 1
• Hartville 8, Sparta 4
• Reeds Spring 10, Branson 2
  • Reeds Spring: Marley Harmon – 3 H, 2B, 3B; Andrea Studer – 3 H; Shailyn Brown – HR
• Buffalo 20, Parkview 0
• Walnut Grove 3, Humansville 0
  • Walnut Grove: Hannah Harmon – W, no hitter, 14 K
• Marshfield 2, Ozark 1
• Bolivar 3, Willard 0
• Republic 13, Hillcrest 3 (6 inn)
  • Hillcrest: Katie Johnson – HR

BOYS SOCCER

Varsity

• Waynesville 7, Hillcrest 0
• Willard 10, Aurora 0
• Camdenton 2, West Plains 0
• Carthage 4, Parkview 1
• Webb City 3, College Heights 1
• Greenwood 3, New Covenant 0
• Branson 4, Rogersville 3
• Joplin 10, Lebanon 0

Junior varsity

• Webb City 3, College Heights 0
• Springfield Catholic 4, Branson 1
• Joplin 6, Lebanon 0

BASEBALL

Varsity

• Purdy 6, Golden City 2
  • Purdy: Landon Terry – W, 7 IP, 3 hitter, 10 K, 1 BB; Riley Veith – 2 R HR

Junior varsity

• Purdy 15, Golden City 14

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VOLLEYBALL

Varsity

• College Heights 2, Ash Grove 0 (25-22, 25-15)
• Exeter 2, Billings 1 (16-25, 25-21, 27-25)
  • Billings: Kirstin Hedrick – 20 assists
• Springfield Catholic 2, Conway 0 (25-15, 25-20)
• Osceola 2, Pleasant Hope 0 (25-16, 25-16)
• Glendale 2, Mt. Vernon 0 (25-17, 25-18)
  • Glendale: Olivia Brand – 20 kills; Frazier – 27 assists

Junior varsity

• Catholic 2, Conway 1 (14-25, 25-13, 25-18)
• Osceola 2, Pleasant Hope 0 (25-11, 25-22)

BASEBALL

Varsity

• Purdy 16, Galena 6 (6 inn)
  • Purdy: Kevin Miller – W, 6 IP, 7 K, 1 BB, 5 ER, 3 for 3, 2 RBI
• Wheaton 6, Blue Eye 2
  • Wheaton: Kyle Robbins – W, 7 IP; Sean Goostree – 3 R HR

Junior varsity

• Purdy 11, Galena 1 (4 inn)

GIRLS TENNIS

• College Heights 8, Reeds Spring 1
• Joplin 8, Carl Junction 1

SOFTBALL

Frisco League Tournament

• #1 Crocker 15, #8 Plato 0 (4 inn)
• #4 Newburg 10, #5 Laquey 0 (5 inn)

Varsity

• Purdy 13, College Heights 0 (5 in)
• Houston 10, Mansfield 8
  • Houston: Carmen Floyd – 2 2B, 4 RBI
• Joplin 12, Kickapoo 0
  • Joplin: Nana Jewett – 3 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI; Kelsey Gould – 3 H, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R
• Webb City 14, East Newton 4
• Hillcrest 9, Waynesville 6
• Sparta 6, Springfield Central 5
• Reeds Spring 10, Forsyth 0 (5 inn)
  • Reeds Spring: Brooke Smith – 3 H, 3B; Andrea Studer – 2B, HR
• Rolla 4, Glendale 0
• Norwood 4, Walnut Grove 3
• Republic 16, Monett 1 (5 inn)
  
  • Republic: Stephanie Eckhoff – W, 1 hitter; Payton Appleberry – 3 H, 2 2B; Amanda Snider – HR
• Marionville 8, Crane 5

Junior varsity

• Walnut Grove 6, Norwood 4

BOYS SOCCER

• Nixa 1, Joplin 0
  • Nixa: Jameson McFadden
• Bolivar 5, Aurora 0
  • Bolivar: Matt Magana 2, Jacob Hampton 2, Tim Armstrong

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We’d like to know what was the most shocking of the various results Friday night.  Was the outright stunner of Aurora crushing class 3 #1 Warsaw 34-0?  One of the “I didn’t think they’d win by that much” result?  Lamar 38, Carl Junction 7.  Carthage 60, Branson 28.  Miller 49, Greenfield 7.  How about the “that was a lot closer than I thought” score of Monett 10, McDonald County 0?  Or the Fair Grove 66, Buffalo 0 “Didn’t they just graduate a bunch of guys” final?  Tell us what you think, which was most shocking?  Vote now!

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THE GOOD

• Bolivar at Neosho
  • Prediction: Bolivar gets out of the blocks fast with a win as Peavey shows off his new targets.
  • Result: Bolivar 26, Neosho 19.  6-6 going into the fourth, Bolivar put up 20 points to ice the win.  Tyler Rathmann passed for 252 yards for Neosho.  Aaron Allen had 102 yards and 4 TDs on 20 carries for Bolivar.
• Camdenton at Nixa
  • Prediction: I like the Eagles to open with the win on home turf.
  • Result: Nixa 21, Camdenton 14.  The Lakers scored first and last, but Nixa scored more.  Josh Liles rushed for 117 of Nixa’s 284 yards on the ground as they won despite 5 turnovers.
• Miller at Greenfield
  • Prediction: Justin Jack is on a mission and the Cards win.
  • Result: Miller 49, Greenfield 7.  314 yards passing, 5 TD passes, and a TD run?  Jack is apparently on a Blues Brothers style mission from God.  Tyler Hinshaw had 153 of those yards and 3 TDs receiving.
• Carthage at Branson
  • Prediction: I think they do.  But it should be a good battle.
  • Result: Carthage 60, Branson 28.  Last year week 1 player of the week Brian Poston makes a strong bid to repeat with 261 yards and 5 TDs on 21 carries.  Carthage’s Keith Lawrie added the TD hat trick with a return, rushing, and receiving TD.
• Cassville at Mountain Grove
  • Prediction: I don’t think so.  The Panthers will be better than people think, but Cassville wins this one.
  • Result: Cassville 40, Mountain Grove 7.  I don’t think the Panthers are that bad, but Cassville sure looked that good.
• Glendale at Joplin
  • Prediction: I’ve heard good things about Joplin.  And they are familiar with the spread, they win at home.
  • Result: Joplin 17, Glendale 14. Trevor Vaughn had 115 yards rushing for Glendale.  Aaron Frost 178 yards passing for Joplin.  But the Joplin defense starred including a pick 6 for Stevan Freeborn.
• Republic at Willard
  • Prediction: Ryan Sifferman leads the orange & black Tigers to a win.
  • Result: Republic 32, Willard 7.  Republic racks up 265 yards rushing including TD runs of 34 and 74 yards for Sifferman.
• Webb City at Ozark
  • Prediction: Webb is too athletic on defense to lose this one.  The question is how far can Ozark go the rest of the year.
  • Result: Webb City 31, Ozark 7.  Ozark battled well trailing only 14-7 at the half.  But that was all the Cardinal defense would yield as Maddy Johnson rushed for 118 yards and 2 TDs for Webb.
• Parkview at Rolla
  • Prediction: Rolla wins and starts to build up steam.
  • Result: Rolla 42, Parkview 35.  Game of the week.  Parkview rolled to a 28-7 lead only to see Rolla score 27 straight.  Parkview retook the lead 35-34 in the 4th on a Kole Jenkins 11 run.  But with 2:24 left, Jonny Canhos scored his fourth TD of the night to give Rolla the edge.  Parkview went on another march and moved deep into Bulldog territory when an controversial interception call ended the threat and secured the win.  Rolla QB Jake Morris rushed for 211 yards, and Canhos had 148 to go with his 4 scores.  Darin Francis had 137 yards and 3 TDs for Parkview.
• Liberal at Ash Grove
  • Prediction: The Pirates ground it out.
  • Result: Ash Grove 42, Liberal 0.  No stats, on this one.  But the Pirates are obviously a team to keep an eye on.  A HUGE offensive line for a class 2 school.
• Carl Junction at Lamar
  • Prediction: Lamar puts the conference on notice with a win.  Markell White leads the way.
  • Result: Lamar 38, Carl Junction 7.  Oh my.  The Tigers rushed for 414 yards and allowed only 10 yards of total offense to CJ.  Brett Campbell ran for 158 yards with Markell White getting 132 and 3 TDs.
• Buffalo at Fair Grove
  • Prediction: Unfortunately, it’s against a Fair Grove squad that’s returning a number of starters.  FG wins.
  • Result: Fair Grove 66, Buffalo 0.  Yikes.  Even with Caleb Schaffitzel, the Eagles never beat Buffalo so badly.  The Bison had only 20 players suited up.
• Houston at Cabool
  • Prediction: Chalk one up for the Dogs.
  • Result: Cabool 34, Houston 13.  After going up 19-0, Houston rallied and had a chance to take the lead but had a pass picked off in the end zone.  From there, the Bulldogs tacked on 2 TDs to secure the win.
• Diamond at Lockwood
  • Prediction: Lockwood secures the home opener.
  • Result: Lockwood 49, Diamond 14.  Isaac Lasater says “Hello world.” with a 5 TD pass debut.  He also ran for a score as the Tigers ran out to a 48-0 lead.
• Springfield Catholic at East Newton
  • Prediction: The Irish roll to an easy first win.
  • Result: Catholic 42, East Newton 20.  Great start for the Irish as Chad McBride passes for 2 TDs, and rushes for another.  Scott Chesbro gets a pair of scores also.
• Adrian at El Dorado Springs
  • Prediction: The Blackhawks are one tough defensive team.  I think they take this one.
  • Result: Adrian 41, El Dorado Springs 6.  35-0 at the half, the Bulldogs were never in this one at all as they yielded 293 rushing yards.
• Seneca at Hillcrest
  • Prediction: I think the difference is that the Indians have no one who can stop Dorial.  Hillcrest wins.
  • Result: Hillcrest 20, Seneca 15.  Dorial Green-Beckham’s 66 yard catch & run with 1:02 left gets the win for the Hornets.  Matt Futrell’s 287 yards passing on 12 completions just offset the 263 rushing yards of Seneca’s Allen Frost.
• Hollister at Marshfield
  • Prediction: I think Marshfield is another climber.  They get the home win.
  • Result: Marshfield 51, Hollister 12.  Welcome to varsity football Hollister.  They Jays forced a Hollister fumble on the opening kickoff, scored on the next play, and never looked back.  Dillon Harms had 180 rushing yards and 4 TDs.
• Kickapoo at Waynesville
  • Prediction: The Chiefs get an important OC road win.
  • Result: Kickapoo 22, Waynesville 21.  The Chiefs score with just over 3 minutes to go and get the two point conversion on a fake extra point.  Waynesville drove to the 30 on their final series, but a game winning field goal fell well short.
• Lebanon at West Plains
  • Prediction: The Yellowjackets score a few points and get the win.
  • Result: Lebanon 49, West Plains 6.  Cole Matlock passes for 171 yards and 3 TD, Lebanon rushes for 157 yards, and the defense gives up less that 200 total yards.  That’s a well-balanced performance.
• Mt. Vernon at Rogersville
  • Prediction: The Wildcats Dylan Cole opens the Cats season with a bang and Rogersville wins.
  • Result: Rogersville 39, Mt. Vernon 21.  Mt. Vernon kept it close for a while leading 15-12 in the second quarter.  But then Dylan Cole took off.  More on him later.
• Pleasant Hope at McAuley
  • Prediction: The Pirates go to 1-0 to start the season.
  • Result: Pleasant Hope 42, McAuley 14.  The Pirates say goodbye to their 33 game losing streak emphatically.  Jason Gettle and Collin Sigrest score 2 TDs each.
• Monett at McDonald County
  • Prediction: They do, and the Cubs win.
  • Result: Monett 10, McDonald County 0.  Scoreless until the fourth when Monett blocked a punt then scored on the short field to take a 7-0 lead.  After a fumbled kick off, the Cubs got a field goal and that was all.  Four turnovers for the Mustangs including two in the red zone.
• Nevada at Warrensburg
  • Prediction: Warrensburg is an improving squad and should get the win.
  • Result: Warrensburg 26, Nevada 9.  Five turnovers for Nevada in the game against an improved Warrensburg squad. They didn’t get on the board until the 3rd quarter when it was 26-0.
• Pierce City at Sarcoxie
  • Prediction: The Eagles win easily.
  • Result: Pierce City 48, Sarcoxie 7.  Eagles all the way as they lead 42-0 at the half.  Only 12 plays all night for Sarcoxie across mid-field.  8 of them on their last drive.
• Reeds Spring at Willow Springs
  • Prediction:  This is a tossup for me right now.  I’ll give it to the Bears based on home field.
  • Result: Willow Springs 22, Reeds Spring 12.  Brandon Pitts rushes for 163 yards on 13 carries for the Bears.  Clint Harper kicked in with 99 yards receiving and a TD.
• Springfield Central at Lift For Life Academy
  • Prediction: Central opens with a W.
  • Result: Central 45, Lift For Life 16.  Great way to start the season for the Bulldogs.  Next up, a reeling Warsaw squad.
• Stockton at Butler
  • Prediction: Sticking with my gut.  Stockton opens with a win.
  • Result: Stockton 29, Butler 14.  Not the most impressive win of the week, but it’s always good to win your first game, and it’s always good to win on the road.  Ely Hendricks leads the Tigers with 135 yards on 16 carries.

THE BAD

• Hogan Prep at Mt. View-Liberty – Saturday at 1 PM
  • Prediction: I think Liberty finds a good balance between running and passing, hits some big plays in the second half, limits (not stops) Hogan big plays, and pulls off the win.  The Eagles Nest will rock.
  • Result: Hogan Prep 22, Mt. View-Liberty 15.  Other than the big plays, my prediction was a good description of the second half.  The first half is a different story.
• Thayer at Salem
  • Prediction: I think Salem will be fired up for this, command time of possession, and get the W.
  • Result: Thayer 20, Salem 14.  Cameron Carey scores twice in the second quarter to spot Thayer to a 20-0 lead.  They would hang on from there.
• Strafford at Ava
  • Prediction: Ava is still a good defensive team, but may struggle putting up points.  Strafford wins.
  • Result: Ava 35, Strafford 28 (OT).  So much for the Bears struggling to put up points.  Ava’s Dalton Allen picks off Strafford’s last attempt in OT to seal the win after Strafford rallied twice in the 4th to tie the game.
• Osceola at Marionville
  • Prediction: Marionville’s line commands the field for the win.
  • Result: Osceola 21, Marionville 14.  Can you Dug it?  The Duggins brothers, Dylan and Hawk, accounted for 30 total tackles for the Indians.  Kind of hard to command the field when your soldiers can’t move.
• Skyline at Cole Camp
  • Prediction: That would be Skyline for the win Alex.
  • Result: Cole Camp 27, Skyline 26.  I was obviously confused between Jeopardy and Hollywood Squares.  Which explains everything.  Looks like Skyline may not be the front line bully I thought they would be.  Or they may just be missing Zach Wallace more than I thought.

THE UGLY

• Warsaw at Aurora
  • Prediction: Warsaw downs Aurora.  But the Dawgs show really well.
  • Result: Aurora 34, Warsaw 0.  Really good is a major understatement.  How about 513 yards rushing for the Houn Dawgs.  Obvious thought of the week, Aurora may be improving faster than I thought.

Record for the week: 28-6, .824.  Only one bad pick and five that truly could have went either way, not bad for week 1.

STAT OF THE WEEK

• Cedric O’Hara, QB – Pierce City
  • Two rushes, two touchdowns. Average per carry, 49.5 yards as he had scoring runs of 2 and 97 yards.  He also was 2 of 3 passing for, you guessed it, two touchdowns.  17 and 31 yard scoring strikes.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Dylan Cole, RB – Rogersville
  • I predicted that he would be one of the breakout players of this year.  And after one week, his breakout is complete.  22 carries, 284 yards, and 5 touchdowns for the junior Wildcat.  10 run of 10 yards or longer including scoring runs of 61 and 73 yards.

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SOCCER

Friday

• Crocker 3, West Plains 1
  • Crocker: Teddy Zeigenbein 2; A.J. Imilkowski
  • West Plains: Devon Scott
• Waynesville 7, Sullivan 2

SOFTBALL

Friday

Morrisville Tournament

• West Plains 7, Miller 0
• Ava 3, Norwood 2
• Hartville 6, Morrisville 3
• Marshfield 18, Sparta 2

Crowder Tournament at Neosho

• Reeds Spring 7, Purdy 6
  • Reeds Spring: Marley Harmon – 2B, HR, 3 RBI
• Reeds Spring 2, Strafford 1
  • Reeds Spring: Lauren Taylor – 3 H

Humansville Tournament

• Stockton 8, Leeton 0

Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Memorial Tournament at Joplin

• Webb City 11, Diamond 1
  • Diamond: Hannah Million – HR
• Blue Springs 8, McDonald County 0
• Webb City 11, Park Hills South 0
  • Webb City: Chelsea Smith – HR, 3 RBI; Nana Jewett – 3 RBI
• Webb City 11, Joplin 1
• Park Hills South 8, Joplin 6
• Joplin 7, Diamond 6
• Bartlesville, OK 5, Carl Junction 0
• Raymore-Peculiar 8, Carl Junction 2
• Blue Springs 7, Neosho 2
• Neosho 12, Seneca 0

Varsity

• Walnut Grove 14, Wheatland 0
  • Walnut Grove: Hannah Harmon – W, no-hitter, HR, 3 RBI; Madisyn Freeze – 4 H; Haleigh Shubert – 4 H
• Mansfield 11, Central 5
• Crocker 14, Tuscumbia 0

Saturday

Morrisville Tournament

• Norwood 2, Morrisville 1
• Morrisville 3, Miller 0
• Miller 6, Sparta 3
• Marshfield 3, Ava 2
• 3rd place – Hartville 9, Ava 6
• Championship – West Plains 3, Marshfield 1

Crowder Tournament at Neosho

• Reeds Spring 18, Strafford 2
  • Reeds Spring: Keely Hill – 4 H; Shailyn Brown – 3 H, 2 2B, 4 RBI; Andrea Studer – 3 H, 4 RBI; Lauren Taylor – 3 H, 2B
• East Newton 6, Purdy 3
• Cassville 9, East Newton 1
  • Cassville: Jaime Everett – W, 3 H; Emily Speakman – 3 H
• Championship – Reeds Spring 12, Cassville 2
  • Reeds Spring: Andrea Studer – 3 H; Keely Hill – 3 H

Ash Grove Lady Pirate Classic

• Bolivar 4, Pleasant Hope 0
• Bolivar 6, Ash Grove 3
• Fair Grove 8, Marionville 1
• Ash Grove 12, Sarcoxie 11
• Monett 3, Aurora 0
• Pleasant Hope 11, Sarcoxie 0
• Aurora 11, Marionville 0
• 7th place – Sarcoxie 4, Marionville 3
• 5th place – Ash Grove 5, Fair Grove 4
• 3rd place – Aurora 5, Pleasant Hope 3

Humansville Tournament

• Sherwood 4, Stockton 3
• Stockton 6, Fair Play 1

Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Memorial Tournament at Joplin

• Consolation semifinal – Raymore-Peculiar 9, Neosho 3
• Semifinal – Blue Springs 9, McDonald County 1
• 7th place – Neosho – 3, Park Hill South 0
• 3rd place – Bartlesville, OK 3, McDonald County 0
• Championship – Blue Springs 5, Webb City 1

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