Month: August 2018

Last Saturday Branson opened up their Soccer season at Monett.  After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, the Pirates saw Monett score the last five goals of the game and send them home with their first loss of the season.

Last Night, Coach Dave Brenner’s club made sure that didn’t happen again.  The Pirates had Bolivar on the defensive most of the night.  The aggressive, attacking style of the Pirates had the Liberators scrambling to keep them off the board.

The Liberators were able to withstand a number of Branson scoring opportunities early in the match.  Then,  Dwight Hyde was able to find the net from the back of the net from left side of the penalty are at the 17:44 mark left in the first half.

Just over nine minutes later, he would add his second goal of the night from a similar position.   That would send the Pirates to the intermission with a 2-0 lead.

Cristofer Abarca would get his name in the scoring column with 28:21 left in the match,upping the Branson lead to 3-0.  It would not stay that way long.  Just :22 seconds later, Hyde would complete the hat trick for the night, beating the Bolivar goal keeper for the third time, and the rout was on.

Branson was not done, and neither was Hyde.  With 7:44 remaining in the match Dwight would strike one last time.

Kyle Sutton broke out ahead of the pack and was pulled down from behind in the penalty area with 2:59 left.  That resulting in a penalty kick and goal as the junior was able to beat goalkeeper Raif Fullerton for the score.

Goal Keepers Garrett Smith and Isai Lopez would combine for a shutout.  Brady Brashers, Alex Brenner, and Garrett Wicker handled the defender duties, the majority of the night, and deserve a good deal of credit for the clean sheet as well.

Overall a very nice performance on a hot night at Pirate Stadium.   The 6-0 victory moves Branson to 1-1 on the season.  They travel to Springfield to take on Greenwood on Thursday.

For 3.5 innings Reeds Spring could do no wrong.  Their bats were exploding and Izzy Erickson was PERFECT in the circle..   Unfortunately a softball game is SEVEN innings long.

The Wolves struck early, after an Erickson fly out to start the game, Abby Rudd and Courtney Scobee hit back to back doubles.  And, that was followed by a Maddison Cantrell Big Fly.  That allowed the Wolves to jump out to a 3-0 lead before Republic had a chance to bat.

As good as things were going offensively, they were going even better with the Wolves in the field.  Erickson sat down the first 9 batters she faced, seven of them with strikeouts.

Reeds Spring would add a four spot in the top of the fourth, as Ericson, Scobee, Welch, and Brooke Davis all had hits.  It was 7-0 and folks had to be wondering if this was going to be an early night.

But then, here came the Tigers.  Republic would score four runs of their own in the fourth, including back to back homers from Julia Higgins and Livi Collier.

The Wolves did not seem to be deterred as they responded with three runs, themselves, in the top of the fifth.  The big blow was a three-run homer off the bat of Courtney Scobee.

But, just when it seemed that control had been regained, Republic came up in the fifth and put up a SEVEN SPOT.   Collier had her second homer in as many innings, as the Tigers sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning.  They would add another run in the sixth and ended up coming away with a 12-10 decision and dealing Reeds Spring their first loss of the season.

Erickson, Rudd, Courtney Scobee, Dusty Welch, and Brooke Davis all had multiple hits.

Erickson struck out 14 in her six innings of work.

Kaitlin Ragsdale, Higgins, and Collier were all 3-4 for Republic.  Higgins was only a single short of the cycle and drove in five.

Reeds Spring gets right back on the field Tuesday vs Lamar.

The Branson Pirates got the opportunity to be the fist team to visit the new football complex at Republic and the Pirates were able to take full advantage of it.   The Pirates were able to capitalize on a late Tiger turnover, turning into a Stephen Derks TD run with under 3:00 left to play and came away with a 19-13 win.

The Pirates will play their home opener next week when they host Neosho.  The Wildcats pulled off a big surprise vs Ozark last night.

In Hollister, the Rich Adkins era got off to a great start.  The Tigers got a 35-0 shutout victory over East Newton.  Hollister was able flex its muscles and their more physical brand of football was evident as they took it to the Patriots.  Armitage had an 85 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Tigers hit the road next week, with a trip to seven-time defending Class 2 State Champion Lamar.

In Forsyth, the Panthers were never really able to quite get on track and the visitors from Skyline took full advantage.  In the end it was a 60-12 Skyline win.

Forsyth will be on the road next week.  The play Lighthouse Christian.  The game will be played at Kickapoo High School in Springfield

Reeds Spring got the 2018 season off on a good note, with a 52-32 victory over Nevada at Carl Langley Field.

The Wolves struggled with mistakes in the first half and the Tigers were able to take advantage.  Reeds Spring fumbled on their first drive and Nevada went into their bag of tricks and pulled out a half back pass for a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage.

Reeds Spring was able to answer when Blake Gronvold found Cole Watson, for the first time, on a 18 yard scoring strike.  But, the joy was short lived as Kaden Denney returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for the score.

The teams went back in forth for the first half.  Reeds Spring led 20-18 at the break.  But, that is where things would turnaround for the Wolves.

The third quarter would totally belong to Reeds Spring.  This time it was the Wolves that would force mistakes and take advantage of them.  The Wolves would score FIVE times in the third quarter, alone, to put the game on ice.

Colton Cramblett getting his first start at fullback  would score on runs of 16 and 24 yards.  And Cole Watson and Blake Gronvold would hook up for their third and fourth touchdown connections of the game.  When the smoke had cleared the home team had marched out to a 52-18 lead.

Reeds Spring would substitute liberally in the fourth quarter and the Tigers would add two scores to get back to within the 52-32 final.

Seth Stamps went well over the century mark and found the endzone twice.  The Reeds Spring running game ran for nearly 400 yards on the night and the FOUR TD receptions puts Cole Watson’s name in the school record books.

Wolves will travel to Seneca next Friday.. If you can’t make it make sure to tune to 100.1 for the action.

The countdown to football season is reaching its final stages.  Tonight across the state teams will be taking part in their annual Jamoborees.  Basically scrimmages against three other opponents.  Its a chance to see your kids go up against other teams at full speed to make final evaluations before heading into Week 1

Branson will be hosting this year and Reeds Spring will be one of the schools making their way to Pirate Stadium.  The Wolves and Pirates will be joined by Lebanon and Aurora.

Hollister has hosted the past few years but this year will make the trip up to Springfield Catholic.  Diamond and Ava are the other two teams that will be taking part in that Jamboree.

And Forsyth will be donning the pads tonight as well.  The Panthers will be taking the long bus ride to Jasper.  Liberal and Rich Hill are going to be there as well.

For Coaches its a chance to make some overall evaluations for their team and maybe even make a decision on any remaining position battles.  For players its a chance to “hit someone else” and to see the game at FRIDAY NIGHT speed.

For me and other fans its a chance to see the kids play and a sign that it is finally FOOTBALL SEASON.

It wasnt just the football districts that were released today… All Fall Sports had their district alignments revealed.

Branson Soccer was one that we were watching with anticipation.  The thought was there was a chance they could fall to Class 4.  Well, that did not happen and to top it off, they find themselves in a tougher district to boot.  Their four team district includes the Pirates along with Ozark, Nixa, and Kickapoo.

 

Softball Districts involving the area schools:  Branson is grouped with Nixa, Ozark, Glendale, Kickapoo, and Parkview

Reeds Spring draws Buffalo, Bolivar, Hillcrest, Rogersville, and Marshfield

 

Volleyball:

Branson, Kickapoo, Nixa, Ozark, Parkview, Republic and West Plains

Forsyth, Ava, Rogersville, Catholic, Willow Springs, and Marshfield

Reeds Spring, Hollister, Aurora, Cassville, Monett, Mt Vernon and Seneca

 

Well this is the day that some have been waiting for.  The Missouri State High School Activities Association, released the classifications and district assignments for fall sports.

Most of the predictions that I posted last week have come to pass.  Monett moved up to Class 4.  East Newton dropped to Class 2.  And, Logan-Rogersville held on to its Class 3 Status.  Also, Ozark did make the jump to Class 6.

Things did go a little different with the district alignments though.  Instead of grabbing Catholic and Rogersville, MSHSAA went the other way and pulled Nevada and Clinton into the District that has Reeds Spring and Hollister.  History says that is a big break for the Irish and the Wildcats.

So that being said, here is a look at the districts for our local schools.

Class 5 District 6

Branson

Carthage

Nixa

Parkview

Republic

 

Class 3 District 6

Reeds Spring

Hollister

Aurora

Cassville

Clinton

Mt Vernon

Nevada

Seneca

 

Class 2 District 3

Forsyth

Ava

Fair Grove

Houston

Mtn View-Liberty

Mountain Grove

Strafford

Willow Springs

As reported earlier MSHSAA looked at the idea of balancing the classes so that there are an equal amount of teams in each Class.  Instead they stuck with the current plan that the largest 32 schools make up Class 6.  They then go down to Class 1 and the smallest 64 make up that class.  They then move up and the next 64 are Class 2.  The process is repeated to make up Classes 3 and 4 and what is left over goes into Class 5.  That is why there are several byes in Class 5 come District Playoff time.  Some districts only have 5 teams.

 

The COC Small may be gone but a big part of it remains alive as all but two teams are still together in the same division of the new Big 8.  Add Mt Vernon and Aurora and you have the new league.

Most of the teams were hit hard by graduation, leading to questions galore.

Reeds Spring- The Wolves won the last two COC Titles, the last one outright.  But gone are Kelly Newton, who had the most prolific rushing season in school history last year and one of the best offensive and defensive lines the school has ever had.  The Wolves have experience coming back led by third year starting quarterback, Blake Gronvold and All-State Linebacker Ben Moler

Mt Vernon- The Mountaineers caught fire at the right time last year and rode that momentum all the way to an appearance in the State Championship game.  That run included a tight 30-28 victory over Reeds Spring, for the District Championship,  on a foggy night at Carl Langley Field.  Many of those Green and White heroes have graduated.  But, State Defensive player of the year, Will Boswell returns and Coach Tom Cox will have the benefit of some upperclassmen new to the football program.

Catholic- Just like the two teams above, the Irish were hit hard by graduation.  But Coach Steve Hancock will still have one of the most athletic players in SW Missouri at his disposal.  QB/FS Tyson Riley returns as do two All-Conference Linemen.  The Irish will be a handful for anyone they play.

Hollister- The Tigers enter a new era.  Not only are they in this new conference but they have new guy at the helm.  Rich Adkins takes over for Jacob Hamon.  Gone is the spread offense and in its place a more ball control split back veer.  No doubt the Tigers are already more physical.  That was evident this summer.  They are few in numbers and staying healthy will be a necessity

Logan-Rogersville- A change in coaches for the Wildcats as well.  Doug Smith retired and the Wildcats reached over to Fair Grove and pulled in Mark Talbert.  The Wildcat return seven starters including All League receiver Ryker Strong, who will look to thrive in the Wildcats Spread offense.

Marshfield- The BlueJays will look to take a step forward in the sophomore campaign for coach Cody Bull.  He will have the confidence of a third year starting quarterback in Brock Utecht, and an all conference defender in Keegen O’Dell.  Big running back Trenton Kanengieter will look to improve on a solid 2017

Aurora- The Houns will look to improve on a 5-5 record.  Eight players will starting experience return on the offensive side of the ball.  They will have to replace quarterback JD Lee.  Coach Craig Weldy is back for his second year as head coach.

Lots of balance on this side of the league.  Picking an order of finish is almost like flipping a coin. A convincing argument can easily be made for at least the top three having a solid chance to win the league.

My worthless prediction…

1. Reeds Spring (call me a homer,  a real case for any of the top 3)
2. Catholic
3. Mt Vernon
4. Aurora
5. Marshfield
6. Hollister
7. Logan-Rogersville

 

 

 

Lots of Conference Changes in Southwest Missouri this past year.  Without a doubt, the biggest changes in recent memory have taken place.

No changes are bigger than what we have seen out of the Big 8.  The League will now have two divisions.  For the purpose of football,  you could almost look at it as two different conferences.

For this look, I will concentrate on the West.  The Big 8 West will have Nevada, returning to the conference it helped found, along with traditional Big 8 Members: Monett, Cassville, Lamar, Seneca, East Newton, and McDonald County.

Lamar- Anytime you talk about Big 8 football you really have to talk about Lamar.  They have won SEVEN consecutive Class 2 State Titles.  The Tigers run the double wing to perfection and hardly anyone has been able to slow it down, much less, stop it.  The Tigers graduated a lot of talent but, in the past, they have always been able to reload.

Seneca-  These guys were loaded last year.  And, they did it with a lot of underclassmen.  Its a team that can be explosive on offense.  Now with a successful year of experience under their belt, they might just be ready to take the top spot.

Cassville- This is another team that has played a number of “young kids” over the past couple of years and that may be about ready to pay off.  The Wildcats have a lot of experienced talent and are always tough and extremely physical.  Coach Parnell does an excellent job and this is, without a doubt, one of the teams to beat.

Monett-  Youth is the name of the game at Monett.  Lots of fresh faces will be taking the field wearing the Purple and Gold this year.  But they will have some experience returning at key positions including quarterback.  While this may not be the Cubs of two years ago, look for them to be improved, especially as the year progresses and the young players get more and more experience under the Friday Night Lights.

McDonald County- This was a team that really looked better last year.  They seemed to be more disciplined and had better focus.  Now, numbers are going up as well.  That is a good combination for Coach Kellen Hoover.  Look for that upward trend to continue.  The Mustangs will be a handful for most opponents.

East Newton-  There is no hiding the fact that the road has been extremely tough for the Patriots for a while now.  They have struggled with numbers and combine that with playing in one of the best conferences in the state and what you get is a lot of long Friday Nights.  Coach Wolfe will be hoping to change that.  But, as anyone knows that has had to totally build a program it takes time.

Nevada- The Tigers are the newbie in this group.  Wes Beachler will bring his Tigers back to the Big 8.  They were 5-6 last year but played a schedule that most around this area are not familar with.  To say they are the wildcard in the group would be an understatement.  Their numbers have been a little down for a school their size but you can bet Coach Beachler has been working on that.

My worthless predictions….

1. Seneca (yes I did it)
2. Lamar
3. Cassville
4. McDonald County
5. Monett
6. Nevada  (not meant to be a slight… I honestly have no idea)
7. East Newton

Here is a look at the tentative broadcast schedule for this fall.  Schedule is subject to change due to weather or conflicts with other projects…  Football Broadcasts can be heard on 100.1 everything else, here, on perryphillipsspors.com

August

24- FOOTBALL  Reeds Spring vs Nevada

27- SOFTBALL Reeds Spring at Republic

28- SOCCER   Branson vs Bolivar

31- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring at Seneca

September

4- SOFTBALL Branson at Ozark

4- SOCCER Branson at Ozark

7-FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs Rogersville

11- SOFTBALL Branson at Republic

14 – FOOTBALL Reeds Spring at Mt Vernon

17- SOFTBALL  Reeds Spring at Marshfield

21- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs Catholic

22- SOFTBALL Branson at BRANSON TOURN

25- SOFTBALL Reeds Spring at Cassville

28- FOOTBALL  Reeds Spring at Hollister

29- SOFTBALL Reeds Spring and Branson at SPFLD TOURN

October

1 SOFTBALL  Reeds Spring vs TBA

5 FOOTBALL  Reeds Spring vs Marshfield

6- SOFTBALL  Reeds Spring at Kickapoo

8-SOFTBALL Branson vs Bolivar

9- SOCCER  Branson at Webb City

10-13  SOFTBALL- RS AND BRANSON IN DISTRICT TOURNAMENTS

12 – FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs Cassville

19- FOOTBALL  Reeds Spring at Aurora

23- SOCCER Branson at Central

25-SOCCER Branson vs Parkview

26- FOOTBALL  Reeds Spring vs TBA District Quarters

27-31 SOCCER Branson in District Tournament

November

2- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs TBA District Semis

9- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs TBA District Championship

16- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs TBA State Quarters

24- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs TBA State Semis

30- FOOTBALL Reeds Spring vs TBA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME