Sports

The Monett baseball team (11-4) could only muster two runs in the second inning, but that was more than enough for pitcher Corey Spain (4-0), as the Cubs defeated Mt. Vernon Thursday on the road, 2-0. Spain shut down Mt. Vernon, throwing a complete game shutout. He struck out 12, while only allowing one hit and walking one. At one point, the senior hurler retired 16 Mountaineers consecutively...

With a quick glance at the Monett swimming record book, a person will see the name Kelli Sangston dotted all over. The senior fell in love with swimming at a young age and that set her on a path that is now paving the way for her education. Sangston, a four-year member of the Monett swim team, signed with Millikin University in Decatur, Ill., making her the first Monett swimmer to earn a scholarship in the sport...

Stability in its coaching staff has been a trademark of the Pierce City school district, especially in basketball. However, that is changing with the resignation of Rob Guerin, high school girls coach. For the last seven seasons, he has guided the Kelly Green and White to five district titles and three conference championships, along with a quarterfinal appearance and a record of 132-68 (66 winning percentage)...

Being open, honest and genuine are traits that I have always tried to portray in columns and when readers approach me in public. In layman’s terms — what you see is what you get. I’ve never considered myself to be a journalist, but an individual that loves sports and gets to cover local teams and scratch out a living...

The Verona athletic department honored its fall and winter sports last week at its annual sports banquet. Awards were as follows: • MVP: Twilah Carrasquillo, 2,232 career points (school record), 994 rebounds and 458 steals • Wildcat Award: Rita Castillo...

It was a good week of baseball for Monett with the Cubs (8-4) rolling to a 5-0 win over McDonald County and a 14-4 romp over Nevada to open the conference portion of its schedule. “That’s a big start for us, especially getting wins over quality opponents,” said Michael Calhoun, Monett coach. “We come out with Seneca on Tuesday and then a crossover game with Mt. Vernon, which is big because they are in our district. We have to come out to play well.”...

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) in college brilliantly trolled the nation when it rolled out its marketing slogan tagline “It Just Means More” in 2016. No doubt sports makes fans do crazy things like kill trees, steal mascots and deface university property. The conference played this line perfectly to elevate itself above every other conference in the land...

Pierce City’s Levi Cooper (No. 16) takes a secondary lead off of third base on Wednesday, while Coach B.J. Curry watches from behind.

Without a doubt, the hottest baseball team in the bi-county area right now is located in Purdy. The Eagles are 10-1 and ranked No. 10 in Class 2. The lone blemish on their record was a razor thin, 4-3 loss to Monett, in which Division 1 Arkansas-committed pitching ace Corey Spain secured a victory for the Cubs...

Monett High School was notified on Monday that five of its swimmers were named to the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association of America (NISCAA) All-America Team. The award is the highest honor the NISCAA bestows upon its members. Josh Dixon, Kelli Sangston, Maddy Lee, Ashley Batson, and Carly Jenkins all received Academic All-American honors for their outstanding work in the pool. Any recipient of this award must be a senior lettering in swimming and have a GPA of 3.75 or higher...

On the hottest evening so far this year, the red faces of the Monett girls soccer team after a double overtime loss to Marshfield, 1-0, was caused by two sources — first, the heat, and second, the frustration of losing another game in extra time. “I told the girls after the game that we are right there on the cusp,” said Neil Bluel, Monett coach. ...

Wednesday was a frustrating day to be a Monett baseball player or fan. The Cubs showed flashes of brilliance at times, but also demonstrated lack of focus in a 9-7, 8-inning loss to Carthage. On Thursday, the Cubs (6-3) proved that they could put a bad performance behind them when they earned a 11-1, 5-inning victory over Nevada on Thursday...

Change is something that most people are reluctant to embrace. Whether it is committing to a weight-loss plan, accepting that you aren’t as young as you used to be or realizing that you must face the fact that the world changes. On Tuesday, the voters in Verona recognized the need for change or more appropriately the need to provide for the future when they passed a no-increase bond to build a new storm shelter-gymnasium at the high school...

The Monett girls track team traveled to Springfield Thursday to compete in the annual Girls Night Out. The Lady Cubs finished eighth in the 30-team field. “We faced some of the best competition from all classes in Missouri,” said Kelly George, Monett coach. “We just missed placing in the top eight in several events. I am proud of the girls for persevering through the weather and competing at a high level. We are still fine-tuning some things to reach our goals by the end of the season.”...

The Wheaton baseball team defeated conference foe McAuley, 14-3, on Thursday. Ty Hudson earned the win throwing six innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 5. Klay Reed hit two doubles and drove in four runs. Ricky Miller scored three times and Jack Mitchell collected 2 RBI...

The Purdy baseball team moved to 7-1 on the season with a 17-7 win over College Heights on Monday. Mason Schallert earned the win on the mound. He also went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI. Anthony Martinez was 2-for-3 at the plate with 4 RBI, and Osiel Aldava hit a home run for the Eagles in the win...

Pierce City’s Gage Guerin pitches in the inaugural Pierce City Middle School home baseball game for the Eagles.

The bi-weekly state baseball rankings were released on Friday and the news continues to be good for the Purdy baseball team. The Eagles held on to the No. 10 spot. The complete list is as follows: 1. Cooter (4-0) 2. Dora (6-0) 3. St. Elizabeth (3-0)...

The best player to ever don a Monett soccer jersey has made his choice for college, and he will stay close to home. Cubs standout Jason Puente signed a national letter of intent to play soccer for the Roughriders of Crowder College in Neosho this fall...

Five Monett wrestlers will wrap up competition today in the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) wrestling tournament in Virginia Beach, Va. This event is the most prestigious high school event in any sport, throughout the country. The 2018 National Championships culminated with a total of 4,430 entries. ...

The Purdy softball team is once again garnering state-wide attention in spring softball. The Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association has released its rankings for the spring season and the Lady Eagles check in at No. 8. The complete list is as follows:...

The Monett tennis team is off to a 1-2 start on the season, but do not let the record fool you, this team is vastly improved. Monett opened the season with a 9-0 win over Aurora and then dropped back-to-back matches to Neosho and Thomas Jefferson. The catch — the team was not at full strength for those matches...

In damp and dreary conditions, Alejandro Groomer lit up the sky with a first-pitch, 3-run homer to lift the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over Republic. “We talked before the game that no one was hitting a home run in these conditions,” said Michael Calhoun, Monett coach. “Ale squared that ball up and just absolutely crushed it.”...

For the fourth time in nine years, the Monett girls basketball team will have a new coach. At the February school board meeting in Monett, the district accepted the resignation of Alyssa Kennedy. “The last four years spent as head girls’ basketball coach at Monett High School have been full of many positive and successful memories,” Kennedy said. “As I move on to pursue the next challenge in my career, I am confident in the hard work I’ve put in as the leader of the...