Sports

If fans had wanted to watch the Monett basketball team this season, thus far, they would needed to fill up their car and drive a minimum of one hour away. The first six games of the season for the Cubs (4-2) have all been on the road and taken place in two tournaments...

Brad Stewart, Verona boys basketball coach, sat on his bench Friday night and watched as a 14-point third quarter lead against Miller slowly began melting away. The Cardinals pinned their ears back and began taking advantage of nearly every Wildcat mistake...

It was a game that Cassville remembers well. A year ago, Purdy traveled down Highway 37 and ran the Wildcats out of the gym, pulling away in the second half for an 80-61 victory. “They didn’t beat us, they thumped us,” said Barrett Milleson, Cassville coach. ...

This season continues to be kind to the Monett wrestling team. The Cubs won a double dual with Diamond and Webb City on Thursday, then followed that performance up with a tournament championship on Saturday at the Carl Junction Classic. Monett also sent junior varsity wrestlers to Harrisonville, and the Lady Cubs competed in a girls tournament there as well...

Monett fans will have a reason to watch the NAIA Football National Championship Game on Dec. 15 at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Fla. between Benedictine College (13-1) and Morningside (Iowa) College (14-0). Cubs fans will be looking for former quarterback Zach Hammond on the field for Benedictine as it makes its inaugural debut in the national championship tilt...

The Monett girls swimming and diving program opened the season at home Tuesday with a second place showing. Webb City won the event with 359 points, and the Lady Cubs tallied 302 points. Carl Junction finished third with 266 points. “I thought this was a very good swim for how early we are in the season,” said Dan Janssen, Monett coach. ...

On paper, it all worked. Verona felt like it had found a defensive identity with its man-to-man and was prepared to ratchet up the pressure on its opponents. That strategy went out the window on Tuesday when Sarcoxie shredded the Wildcats in the first quarter to lead 24-13...

When deciding what type of personality you possess, psychologists and professors often use the idiom of a glass of water that is at the halfway point. They challenge their subject with the question of if the glass is half full or half empty. Depending upon the response, the professional has a beginning point in which to initially classify a personality...

Conner Russell, an 8-year-old from Monett, harvested this 8-point buck with a 30-30 near Mt. Vernon.

Teams often find playing for third place in a tournament the hardest game for generating excitement among the players, according to Verona basketball coach Brad Stewart. “Take the fifth place game,” Stewart said. “You’re coming off a win and are looking to finish the tournament with two in a row. But in the third place game, you are still kind of down because it isn’t the championship and you were almost playing for the title instead.”...

The Monett football team finished the season strong, and its peers in the Big 8 Conference took notice. A total of 9 Cubs claimed 11 spots on the Big 8 All-Conference West Division list, including: First Team: William Murphy Second Team: Chet Butterworth, William Murphy, Aleks Salas, Wesley Merriman, Ray Villalta, Cole Davis and Dale Slater...

Barry and Lawrence counties are proving to be the exception to the rule when it comes to deer harvesting. The Missouri Department of Conservation has released preliminary deer harvest totals for the state, and through Dec. 1, a total 270,570 deer have been checked in with the state as harvested...

The Monett wrestling team began the season with a bang, earning a 44-27 victory over the Branson boys team and then defeating the girls squad, 18-12. Results for the boys match are as follows: 106: Anthony Cornett (Branson) over Karey Anderson (Monett), Fall 5:14...

It was a long meeting between coaches and players after Verona fell to Billings, 72-69, in overtime at the Pierce City Invitational hoops tournament on Thursday night. The Wildcats allowed a 5-point lead in the last two minutes of regulation to evaporate before falling in the extra session...

On Thursday, the Monett Middle School wrestling team defeated the Branson Junior High Pirates at the Monett High School gym. The Cubs went 24-11 on the night, pinning 21 opponents. Leading the way for the Cubs was Evan Witt, who was 5-0 on the night with 3 pins, a technical fall and a major decision...

Since its inception in 1970, the Monett wrestling program has been a boys club. While it was not strictly boys only, any females wishing to compete had to do so against their male counterparts. Slowly, over the next four decades, a movement began to grow nationally to create a female-only wrestling division...

A Final Four appearance capped a remarkable run for the Purdy boys basketball team last year. Though the team finished fourth, the fact that it finally got over the hump and reached the high level of competition proved that the little town in Barry County had what it took to turn the heat up and thrill the little city’s basketball-crazed fans...

For the second consecutive year, the Purdy girls basketball team will be breaking in a new coach. Jason Webb, who served one season after Eli Ernst left, decided to step away from the head coaching role and the district tapped Ashlee Luko, who spent the last three years as an assistant at Nixa, to take over the young program...

The expectations, ingredients, talent and coaching are all there for a potential state title run for the Monett wrestling team. “The kids are working hard, and are good competitors,” said Coach Daryl Bradley. “I don’t think the pressure is going to bother them. We have a really tough schedule that is going to prepare us for the state tournament. If we prepare hard, stay injury free, and listen to our coaches, we have a great opportunity to win state.”...

When the Big 8 Conference expanded to 14 teams this season, one of the biggest draws was the fact that several programs would be able to recognize their players with all-conference honors. The result of that benefit has begun to pay off for Monett with the release of the inaugural Big 8 All-Conference soccer team...

One of the most talented starting lineups in Barry and Lawrence County area will be found in Verona this season, as the Wildcats look to improve upon a 19-9 record from last season. Verona returns four starters from that squad and also welcomes a freshman to the starting lineup that has turned heads in the junior high circuit...

The annual Pierce City Invitational is set to tip off on Monday. This year’s field features a trio of local teams in Pierce City, Verona and Purdy. Greenwood landed the No. 1 seed, with Verona claiming the No. 2. Pierce City is the No. 3 seed, with East Newton the No. 4...

Monett engineer Kevin Sprenkle, right, and his son, Kristopher, left, bagged this 15-point buck on the first day of rifle season for hunting deer on the Sprenkle property in Newton County.

Clay Brown of Purdy competed in the tie-down roping event at the ACRA American Finals Rodeo at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield.

For the last three years, words like bits, pieces, parts, process and youth have been thrown around when describing the Monett girls basketball program. Zero- and single-win seasons have occurred since the team last won 20 games in a single campaign eight years ago. The team has dwelt in the valley of the Big 8 Conference...

Ever since she was a little girl, Monett’s Alyssa Williams had a singular goal that motivated her. With every minute of practice, every drill, every game, she honed her skills in the hopes that one day she would sign a letter of intent to play college basketball...

For the last two years, the Monett boys basketball team has endured growing pains on the floor. There have been flashes of brilliant play, but the consistency needed for four quarters has been an issue. Monett has gotten leaner losing Garrett Tharp, Cameron Johnson, Zach Blevins, Jedd Anderson and Jake Bouchard to graduation. The team returns two all-conference guards in Gavin Carr and Jackson Spencer, and they will look to up the tempo this season...

The consolation championship of any sport is always the toughest battle to assess, especially prior to the game. The biggest factor is that both teams are usually less that 24 hours removed from a heartbreaking semifinal loss. With the players knowing that they are playing the final game of the season, and that it is not for the most coveted of honors in a state title, the question is, will teams get back up for the final game or just sleep walk and go through the motions to complete the season?...

In a sport where hundredths of s second often separate winners from losers, the Monett swimming and diving team was pleased with where it finished the 2018 season. “Last year, we were on the right side of those times,” said Dan Janssen, Monett coach. “This year, we weren’t. We finished strong at state, and those that made it to the medal round swam fast, setting varsity record and personal records.”...