Sports

The Purdy girls basketball team is under new management this season, as a former Monett assistant has taken the reins of a program returning five players, including last season’s leading scorer. Drew Williams, three-year assistant for the Monett boys team now in his first head coaching job, said he is excited to return to his alma mater.

Senior libero Olivia Erwin and sophomore setter Laura Jean Henry were both named to the SWCL Conference volleyball team. Erwin led the Lady Trojans in digs, receptions and aces, while Henry was tops in assists and serve percentage.

The best qualities of a football team could be described with word like speedy, intelligent or powerful, but Cassville Football Coach Clay Weldy used another word to describe his Wildcats this season — Gritty.

Southwest High School will celebrate Tipoff to the basketball season on Tuesday, Nov. 22 against Pierce City. The candidates are: senior Feanne Damen, junior Julika Petermann, sophomore Ashlin Batts, cheer candidate junior Kayla Hendrix and freshman Lilian Sanders. The queen will be crowned between the junior varsity and varsity boys’ basketball games. Contributed photo

The Wheaton volleyball team nearly met its goal of a district title, falling to Galena in the championships, but the Lady Bulldogs still achieved a winning record and immense growth with a revamped offense. Robert Creekmore, Wheaton volleyball coach, said overall, it was a successful year.

The Exeter boys basketball team is looking to three athletes to lead the Tigers this season — its glue, it’s guard and its big. Tremayne Williams, Exeter boys basketball coach, enters the season at 12-34 and in his third year, saying success has been hard to come by, but Exeter is no longer a team opponents can overlook.

According to a recent NPR article, pickleball is one of America’s fastest growing sports with nearly 5 million people now playing. Erin Flehmer and Caleb Reynolds, Cassville High School coaches and physical education instructors, have started a CHS Pickleball Club that encourages students to meet after school in the winter months and before school this spring to learn more about this rapidly growing sport.

It was a steady pace for Jolie Evans and a half-mile gallop for Caleb Leach that helped the pair place in the top 25 at the Class 3 MSHSAA State XC Championships on Saturday. Leach finished in 12th place with a time of 16:56.90, and Evans took 19th in the race with a time of 20:14.30.

A momentum swing Cassville’s way at the restart of the rain-postponed district semifinal on Saturday gave the Wildcats a steady boost for three quarters of play, but the turnover bug bit hard and ended the team’s season with a 14-7 loss to Reeds Spring.