Republic Sports 10/23/24

Republic Tigers post complete performance on the road to dominate Neosho
Republic turned an early defensive stand into momentum for a complete team performance Friday, shutting out Neosho 40–0 on the road.
After Neosho drove inside the five-yard line on its opening possession, Republic’s Grayson Hart recovered a fumble to halt the threat. The Tigers then marched 92 yards in 14 plays, scoring on Owen Klier’s five-yard run to take control.
“I felt like we played well, both sides of the ball,” said coach Ryan Cornelsen. “Obviously, they had some really talented receivers, and I thought our defensive backs did a great job of keeping them contained all night.”
The Tigers dominated both offensively and defensively, running 63 offensive plays to Neosho’s 24 and outgaining the Wildcats 344–151 in total yards. Republic’s ground game produced 306 rushing yards, led by junior Izaiah Hull’s 118 yards on 13 carries, including a 67-yard run in the first half.
Republic led 21–0 at halftime after two touchdown runs by Trenten Coleman. The Tigers added three more scores in the second half - a 34-yard touchdown pass from Coleman to C.J. Uhl, a four-yard run by Hull, and a one-yard run by James Richmond.
Klier finished with 55 yards on 11 carries, while Coleman added 46 yards and two touchdowns on 13 attempts. The Tiger defense held Neosho to just 48 rushing yards.
The win improves Republic’s record to 6–2 heading into next week’s regular season finale at Willard. Neosho falls to 5–3.
Republic cross country runners compete at COC meet
Republic’s Will Payne and Catherine Wilson led their respective teams at Saturday’s Central Ozark Conference Cross Country Championships in Nixa.
Payne finished seventh overall in the boys’ race with a time of 16:59.45, while Lucas Riffe placed 12th in 17:13.67.
Wilson paced the Republic girls with a 10th-place finish and a time of 20:33.67. The Lady Tigers competed but did not field a complete team.
In junior varsity competition, Gracie Troester won the girls’ race in 19:49.16 while working back from injury. Her time would have placed third in the varsity race.
Lady Tigers sweep Parkview in regular-season finale; district tournament began Tuesday
Republic volleyball dominated Parkview in straight sets Thursday, winning 25–8, 25–14, 25–6 to close out its regular season schedule.
Reese Finley paced the Lady Tigers with 11 kills, while Adison Gibbs and Kate Mitchell each recorded two blocks. Reese Frey and Kaylee Cornelsen anchored the defense with six digs apiece. Bria Claxton added five service aces, and Frey distributed 25 assists in the victory.
Earlier in the week, Republic dropped a five-set match to Willard on Senior Night.
The win over Parkview improved Republic’s record to 13–16 heading into Tuesday’s district tournament opener against Kickapoo.
Republic pair completes first day at state golf
Republic’s two state golf qualifiers wrapped up their opening rounds Monday at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, with senior Izzy Benson leading the way in the Class 3 state tournament.
Benson overcame early struggles to post a 93, good for a share of 39th place. After shooting 50 on her first nine holes, she found her rhythm with four pars on her final nine. She also birdied the par-three 15th hole.
In her first state tournament appearance, sophomore Jenna Smith carded a 104, tying for 65th place through one day. Smith improved throughout her round, cutting four strokes off her back-nine score of 54 to shoot 50 on the front.
Both players continued tournament play Tuesday.

Tennis season ends with district loss to Nixa
Republic’s tennis season came to a close with a 5–1 loss to top-seeded Nixa in the district tournament, finishing the year 7–7 overall and second in the COC West.
The Lady Tigers showed improvement from an earlier 9–0 loss to Nixa, picking up one victory in doubles play. Payton Schroeder and Brooklyn Douglas secured Republic’s lone win with an 8–5 decision.
“Brooklyn really carried us in the middle of the match with tremendous court coverage and great finishing at the net,” coach David Smashey said. “Then Payton really finished the match in style with four straight aces in the last game.”
In other doubles matches, Mati Carpenter and Aubree Tinsley fell 8–5, while Ella Lashley and Paelyn Kaufmann lost 8–1. Nixa clinched the victory by winning three singles matches, with the remaining matches unfinished.
“Overall, our effort and competitiveness was a lot better than when we played them earlier in the season, but in the end, they were just the better team,” Smashey said. “I’m really proud of the development of so many of our players during this season.”
Tigers split week’s soccer matches, now 8-14
Republic soccer split a pair of matches last week, falling to Joplin 3–2 in overtime Tuesday before bouncing back with a 3–0 shutout of Kickapoo on Saturday.
Against Joplin, the Tigers held two different one-goal leads but couldn’t secure the victory. Will Pinnell opened the scoring eight minutes into the game with an unassisted goal. After Joplin tied it, Diego Zuniga put Republic back on top with a breakaway goal with 21 minutes left in the first half. The Eagles forced overtime with a late second-half goal before winning about seven minutes into the extra period.
The Tigers rebounded Saturday against Kickapoo, scoring three second-half goals for their second straight win in the series. Elijah Phiri broke a scoreless tie with 34:27 remaining, converting a through ball from Zuniga. Mason Tackett added to the lead on a 25-yard free kick with 7:47 left, and Caleb Miclea sealed the win with a breakaway goal in the final minute.
Goalkeeper Koal Williams recorded seven saves against Kickapoo for the shutout, despite the Chiefs holding a nine-to-two advantage in corner kicks. Kickapoo finished the match with nine players after three red cards.
Republic improved to 8–14 on the season.

Lady Tigers’ season ends in district championship
Republic’s softball season came to an end Monday night with a 5–0 loss to Kickapoo in the Class 5 District 5 championship game. The Lady Tigers (23–10) had advanced to the title game with two impressive wins earlier in the tournament. They opened last Thursday with a 15–5 run-rule victory over Glendale, powered by Sammi Watson’s grand slam and Ashland Schaumann’s home run. In Saturday’s semifinals, Republic avenged an early-season loss by blanking Ozark 12–0 behind Kara Goeke’s two-hit shutout.
But in Monday’s championship game, Kickapoo pitcher Allison Scott proved too tough to solve. Republic threatened early, putting two runners on base in each of the first two innings, but couldn’t capitalize. The Lady Chiefs broke through with a run in the second inning, then Kate Finley delivered the decisive blow in the fifth - a three-run home run that pushed the lead to 4–0. Kickapoo added another run in the inning for the final margin.
“This group’s special to me because I’ve watched them grow up from little girls to young women,” said coach Lee Dishman said of his seniors. “I can look back on them and I’ll have many memories — of when they were 10 years old, and now when they were high schoolers — and they just make a coach proud every night.”
The game marked the final appearance for seven Republic seniors: Watson, Addison Walker, Schaumann, Lilli Richerson, Brooklyn Reed, Annabelle Gerhardt-Hobbs, and Cass Ellison.