Republic Sports 4-9-25

Republic soccer cruises in two wins
The Republic soccer team found its offensive rhythm last week, scoring 11 goals in two victories. The Lady Tigers shut out Waynesville on Tuesday before overwhelming Lebanon in a mercy-rule win on Thursday.
THe Lady Tigers erupted for three goals in the final 20 minutes to secure a 3–0 victory at Waynesville Tuesday. After a scoreless first half, Republic finally opened the scoring when Claire Redman connected with Adison Gibbs 21 minutes into the second half.
Redman delivered a left-footed pass from 35 yards out, and Gibbs made a touch 20 yards from goal before sliding the ball into the left corner of the net for a 1–0 lead.
Republic extended its advantage when Cadence Lugar fired a shot into the top-left quadrant of the goal with 11:56 remaining. The scoring sequence began with Macey Mitchell’s crossing pass to Gibbs, whose shot was deflected to Redman, who then found Lugar left of the goal.
Redman capped the scoring in the final minute, receiving a pass from Wistrom in the middle of the field and spinning to fire a shot that bounced past the goalkeeper.
The victory improved Republic’s record to 4–5 and snapped a two-game losing streak. Goalkeeper Awbree Berning and the defense recorded their third shutout of the season.
The Republic girls soccer team made quick work of Lebanon Thursday, scoring eight goals in the first half to earn a mercy-rule victory. Cadence Lugar paced the Lady Tigers with three goals as Republic controlled play throughout, outshooting Lebanon 13–2.
Republic wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Kaylee Cornelsen converting a penalty kick just 3:29 into the match. Lugar added her first goal less than two minutes later on a breakaway to make it 2–0.
Macey Mitchell scored off an Adison Gibbs throw-in, and Claire Redman cleaned up a rebound for another goal, extending the lead to 4–0 with nearly 29 minutes still remaining in the first half.
Lugar struck again on another breakaway shortly after, and Cornelsen netted her second goal with 18:46 left when she finished a rebound after Bria Claxton’s shot hit the crossbar. Gibbs got on the scoreboard with a goal of her own, and Lugar completed her hat trick with 14:04 on the clock for the final 8–0 margin. Her third goal came off a cross from Emma Hoodenpyle.
“It was a good time. I enjoyed playing with my friends. We got to relax and kind of just play our game. Slow it down a bit, relax, have fun. Not a lot of pressure on that one,” Cornelsen said.
Republic scored all eight goals in just over 22 minutes. It marked the second 8–0 win this season for the Lady Tigers, who also beat Monett by the same score on March 28.
Tennis Tigers compile 3–2 record, take 2nd at home tournament
Republic’s boys tennis team navigated a busy week with three victories against two defeats, including their first losses of the season.
The Tigers began with a narrow 5–4 home win against Nixa, building an early advantage by taking two of three doubles matches. Lucas Riffe and Gavin Collyott won 8–3 at No. 1 doubles, while Andrew McCord and Nico Lugli secured an identical 8–3 victory at No. 3. Republic sealed the team win with singles victories from Riffe (8–5), Collyott (8–1), and Lugli (8–0).
Two days later, Republic traveled to Joplin in a showdown that ended with the unbeaten Eagles handing Republic its first loss, 6–3. Riffe claimed one of Republic’s singles victories at No. 1 (8–4) and Lugli added another at No. 6 (9–7), while McCord and Lugli combined for an 8–1 win at No. 3 doubles. Collyott fell short in a tight 9–7 contest at No. 2 singles.
The Tigers bounced back strongly during Friday’s Republic Invitational, opening with a 7–0 sweep of Springfield Catholic. All three Republic doubles teams won convincingly, and singles victories from Riffe, Collyott, and Lugli completed the shutout. Coach David Smashey called it a “very solid performance against a talented Catholic team,” noting that “three quick and decisive doubles wins really set the tone.”
In their second match of the day, Republic defeated Forsyth 5–2, highlighted by Nathan Henry and Cooper Choate’s comeback 8–6 win in doubles and Collyott’s 8–0 blanking at No. 2 singles. “A tough comeback win at 2 doubles was key,” Smashey said.
The week concluded with a 7–2 loss to powerhouse Bolivar. Riffe and Collyott provided Republic’s bright spots, winning 8–4 at No. 1 doubles and Riffe adding a 9–7 singles victory over Bolivar’s top player.
“Bolivar is easily the best team we’ve played. They are talented, well-coached, and deep,” Smashey said. “Riffe and Collyott at one doubles were down 3–1 early and then went on to win seven of the next eight games. That’s the best extended stretch of tennis I’ve seen in a long time.”
Smashey was especially impressed with Riffe’s singles performance against Cy Douglas, one of the best players in southwest Missouri. “Lucas just made huge shots on the biggest points of the match to narrowly win 9–7. That’s the ‘statement’ win that I so hoped he could get in his first high school season.”
 
Republic track boys, girls find success at large area meets
Republic’s track teams competed against large fields at two Springfield meets last week, with several athletes placing in the top 10 at JFK Stadium. The Lady Tigers participated in Thursday’s Girls Night Out meet against 35 schools, while the boys team competed in Friday’s Jim Vaughan Invitational against 45 teams.
Gracie Troester led Republic’s girls with two top-five finishes in distance events on Thursday. She placed fifth in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:22.19 and took third in the 3200-meter run, finishing in 11:39.66.
The Lady Tigers’ 4x800-meter relay team delivered Republic’s best result at the Girls Night Out meet, placing second with a time of 10:11.83. The team consisted of Josie Stalzer, Zoey Johns, Brylie Harris, and Troester.
In Friday’s boys competition at the Jim Vaughan Invitational, Keiran Govan collected two top–10 finishes in field events. He placed eighth in high jump, clearing 1.83 meters, and fifth in triple jump with a distance of 12.89 meters.
Will Payne nearly broke into the top eight in the 300-meter hurdles on Friday, finishing 10th with a time of 42.46 seconds. Ekene Chukwu also earned a 10th-place finish in discus with a throw of 45.58 meters.
 
Baseball Tigers win two during busy week
The Republic baseball team experienced a mixed week of results, beginning with a convincing win over Waynesville before dropping four of six games overall. The Tigers now stand at 9–8 for the season after going 2–4 during a busy six-game stretch.
Republic used exceptional pitching and a five-run second inning to secure a 7–1 victory over Waynesville Tuesday at home. The Tigers’ pitching trio of Cannon Ellison, Jackson Overstreet, and Kyler Tate combined to limit Waynesville’s offense while Nolan Lashley collected three hits to pace Republic. Ellison was nearly flawless in his three-inning start, striking out five without surrendering a hit. Lashley, making a rare varsity start behind the plate, went 3-for–3 with a double. “I was really thankful that I got the chance to… start with the older guys, and I just really wanted to show up and show them what I can do,” Lashley said.
Four Republic errors led to four unearned runs as the Tigers fell 7–5 at Lebanon Wednesday night. Preston McCracken took the loss despite a solid outing, allowing seven runs (only three earned) on seven hits over six innings with eight strikeouts. Nolan Lashley connected for his first varsity home run, and Isaac White led Republic’s offense by going 3-for–3 with a double and an RBI.
Republic opened the Smith-Cotton Tournament with a 12–2 loss to Columbia Battle on Thursday. Ryder Davis worked five innings, allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out five. Jackson Overstreet and Preston McCracken each went 2-for–3 at the plate, but Republic couldn’t string together enough hits for a big inning.
The Tigers split a Friday doubleheader, falling to Lone Jack 5–3 before defeating Warrensburg 11–8. Against Warrensburg, Republic built leads of 6–0 and 11–3 before surviving a five-run rally in the seventh inning. Cooper Thomas earned the save, entering with the bases loaded and no outs. “I wasn’t really nervous. I’d been there before,” Thomas said. “I just thought, ‘Just throw strikes like I usually do and get this game over with so we can go back to the hotel.’” In the day’s first game, Republic couldn’t overcome Lone Jack’s four-run sixth inning. Preston McCracken went 3-for–4 to lead Republic at the plate, while Cannon Ellison went 2-for–2 with both of Republic’s RBIs.
Republic closed out the tournament with a 12–2 loss to Nevada Saturday. The Tigers managed just three hits while Nevada collected 13, including two home runs. After falling behind 5–0, Republic briefly showed life in the fifth inning when Landon Perkins singled and later scored on Ryder Davis’s sacrifice fly, while Cannon Ellison scored on a passed ball to make it 5–2. Any momentum quickly disappeared when Nevada erupted for six runs in the sixth inning. Ellison took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) over four innings.