Sports

The only thing that may out pace the Monett girls swimming and diving team’s numbers this season is the team’s talent. The Lady Cubs have 21 total team members, including five returning seniors and two divers on the squad. Charles LaGarce, said because of the numbers, and the skill of those on the team, expectations for this season are as lofty as they come...

A new coach is taking the reins of the Pierce City boys basketball program, and he will have some weapons at his disposal this season with four returning starters. Derrion Donson, Pierce City boys basketball coach, lost five lettermen to graduation, including All-State selection Kyle Renkoski...

Monett senior Daniel Geiss still has one spring of prep baseball left to play, but he is wasting no time in declaring his collegiate intentions. Geiss signed on Nov. 17 to play baseball next fall at Maryville University, saying the walk-on offer was a dream...

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 Monett boys wrestling team is being grappled by the loss of multiple returners, but the Cubs are looking to score a reverse and turn heads this season on the mats. Ben Hohensee, coach of the boys team, said by all accounts, it’s an odd year. “It’s a weird year because we’ve had some quit,” he said. “We have low numbers, but the guys are getting more attention. We just want to stay strong and healthy and go by our motto this year, ‘Only the strong survive Monett wrestling.’”...

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...

The Monett girls basketball team may be one of the youngest around this season, as there are no seniors on the squad and only two returning lettermen. However, the Lady Cubs are excited about their youth and what possibilities lie ahead. “I am excited to start my second year here at Monett,” said Josh Kleine, Monett girls basketball coach. ...

The Verona girls basketball team is putting a focus on an important area of the game this season — defense. Brandon Weiss, Lady Wildcats coach in his fourth year at Verona, said the team’s work ethic will be a major strength of the squad. “With us being very young we want to develop every day,” he said. ...

Kenley Richardson Field at Burl Fowler Stadium is looking a bit bare this week, as a long-awaited turf replacement is finally underway. The turf was vandalized back in April with graphic graffiti that was impossible to completely remove. The district had hoped to replace the turf before football season, but delays pushed the work to the end of the year...

The Monett boys swim team sent a good number of qualifiers to the Class 1 State Championships, but the final outcome was not as bright as the team had hoped. For the first time, Coach Charles LaGarce took a boys swimmer into two individual events, and the Cubs qualified in all three relays...

The Monett boys basketball team is looking to improve on a 7-17 mark last season, and the Cubs are returning 10 lettermen to help achieve that goal. Monett fell in the first round of districts in Class 5 last year, downed by runner-up Neosho, 46-35. This season, the Cubs are looking to make a stronger case for postseason hardware...

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 playing style of the Pierce City girls basketball team is changing this season with the exit of two post players and the influx of standout guards. Chris Randolph, Lady Eagles coach, said the team lost starters Katie Tindell and Leslie Jones, as well as senior Sara Farmer, to graduation, but three returning starters will bolster this year’s roster...

No seniors? No problem. The Monett girls wrestling team may be void of 12th-graders, but the hopes and expectations are high for the many returners on the squad of 14. Justin Semerad, Monett girls wrestling coach, said the program will miss graduated seniors Abby Jastal, the first ever state place for the girls with a 4th-place showing at state last season, and Jewelia Willoughby. Returning though is a big slate of juniors and sophomores ready to fill those state-qualified shoes...

The Verona boys basketball team has a cache of starters and off-the-bench contributors heading into the upcoming season, and the expectation is to vie for a district championship. Brad Stewart, Verona coach, said his team is loaded with weapons and wants to play an up-and-down style, using subs and speed to wear opponents out...

Junior Monett swimmer Matthew Fillinger is a once-in-a-decade talent, according to his coach, and the record-breaker is taking said talents to St. Peters this week looking to earn the first ever top-8 finish for a Monett swimmer. Fillinger has set five new records for the Cubs this season in the 200-yard individual medley, 2:02.96; 500-yard freestyle, 22.79; 100-yard freestyle, 49.31; 100-yard butterfly, 55.65; and 100-yard backstroke, 57.68...

The Monett boys swim team has the chance to make history this week at the Class 1 Boys Swimming and Diving State Championship in St. Peters. The Cubs have had a standout season, winning the Big 8 Conference Meet big and qualifying for a handful of events at state...

Monett junior Julio Cruz finished 41st out of 158 boys in the Class 4 State Cross Country meet.

The Verona Junior High girls basketball team won the conference tournament championship last week, taking the title for the second year in a row.

Low-win seasons can sometimes be hard on football players and coaches, but despite a 2-win campaign and quarterfinal playoff loss to McDonald County, Monett is proud. Derrek Uhl, Monett coach, said he was continually impressed with his team’s drive to compete against good teams...

For runners, many races offer “mountain top” experiences, a pinnacle of either success or the simple thrill of competing. One such peak is America’s oldest marathon, the Boston Marathon, which began in 1897, the year after the modern day Olympics began...

The Monett boys soccer team took aim in the last week at a 10th consecutive district title, but the hardware was not in the cards this year, and a 2-1 semifinal loss to Logan-Rogersville has forced the Cubs into the offseason. On Oct. 30, the No. 4 seed Monett faced No. 5 Cassville in the district quarterfinals, coming away with a 3-0 win, the second over the Wildcats in a five-day period...

Although it was a down year for the Pierce City football team, the Eagles are excited for the future and hope to use the experience of this year’s campaign to turn things around in 2022. Brad Hocker, Pierce City coach, said looking back at the season, seeing his players getting reps and improving every week was crucial...

A season with only two seniors and two juniors was expected to bring some growing pains, but the Monett softball team saw the year as one of growth and accomplishment. The Lady Cubs (5-19) ended their campaign in the Class 3, District 4 quarterfinals, falling to Cassville, 10-8...

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.

Monett cross country runner Julio Cruz placed 11th at the Class 4, District 2 meet in Bolivar on Saturday, earning a spot on the Class 4 starting line for the state meet on Friday morning. “He came into the season with great mileage from the summer and he has been a great leader for our team,” said Kelly George, Monett cross country coach. ...