Republic Sports 5-1-24

Soccer:
Republic soccer sets consecutive win mark
The Republic Lady Tigers soccer team had a record-breaking week, extending their winning streak to a school-record 10 games before falling to Columbia Hickman in the Jefferson City Shootout. The Lady Tigers are now 14-5 overall and 6-0 in the Central Ozark Conference.
Republic 5, Branson 0
Republic dominated Branson in a 5-0 home victory, out-shooting the Pirates 38-2. Claire Redman opened the scoring off an assist from Molly Blades, who later added a goal of her own. Adison Gibbs scored twice, and Kendra Phiri provided an assist on Blades’s second goal. The win was Republic’s ninth shutout of the season, just three shy of the school record set in 2015.
Republic 3, Carl Junction 1
The Lady Tigers came from behind to tie a program record with their ninth consecutive win. Carl Junction took a 1-0 lead, but Claire Redman equalized off an assist from Blades. Republic took the lead when Kaylee Cornelsen’s corner kick deflected off a Carl Junction defender for an own goal. Redman sealed the 3-1 victory with her second goal, assisted by Mati Carpenter.
Republic 2, Capital City 0
Republic made history with its 10th straight win, a 2-0 victory over Capital City at the Jefferson City Shootout. After a scoreless first half, Redman broke the deadlock off an assist from Blades. Emma Hoodenpyle scored her first-ever varsity goal to secure the win. The Lady Tigers outscored their opponents 43-7 during the winning streak, which included seven shutouts.
Columbia Hickman 4, Republic 2
Republic’s school-record winning streak ended with a 4-2 loss to Columbia Hickman. The Kewpies led 3-0 before Republic’s Blades scored off an assist from Cam Burton. Cornelsen converted a penalty kick to make it 3-2, but Hickman added a late goal to seal the victory.
Track:
Lady Tigers win another meet; Allen shines in jump events at SBU Invitational
The Republic girls track team dominated the Southwest Baptist University Invitational in Bolivar on Tuesday, scoring 97 points to easily outdistance second-place Kickapoo, which had 65 points. The boys team finished eighth overall with 41 points.
Jenna Belcher had a record-setting day for the Lady Tigers, breaking her own school record in the triple jump with a leap of 11.54 meters. She had set the previous mark of 11.48m last year.
Gracie Troester also had a strong performance, setting a new meet record in the 1600m run with a time of 5:08.39, about four seconds off her personal best. It was one of three gold medals she earned, as she also won the 3200m run in 11:12.36 and participated in a winning relay.
On the boys side, Zion Allen was a double-winner in the long jump and high jump. He set a personal best in the high jump, clearing 6’ 6 3/4”, edging closer to the school record of 6’ 9” set by Garrett Metscher in winning the 2013 state championship.
Other winners for the Lady Tigers included the 4x800m relay team of Gracie Woods, Kristin Probst, Troester, and Reese Finley, which took gold in 9:49.38. The 4x400m relay team of Alaina Norman, Rilynn Finley, Probst, and Woods also finished first, clocking 4:08.10. Probst added an individual win in the 800m run, crossing the line in 2:20.83.

Baseball:
Republic baseball drops another close contest at Branson
Republic’s struggles on the baseball diamond in close games continued with a 2-1 loss at Branson last week. Caide White delivered a strong pitching performance, allowing just two runs on three hits over six innings while striking out seven. But Branson’s Hunter Jones was equally impressive, limiting the Tigers to one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Devon Hughes provided Republic’s lone run with a solo home run in the first inning. The Tigers threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs, but Jackson Overstreet struck out to end the game. Overstreet and Hughes each had two hits for Republic, who fell to 14-12 overall, with nine of those losses by one run.

Tennis:
Republic tennis seniors celebrated before victory
Republic’s tennis team celebrated Senior Night with a 7-2 win over Springfield Catholic on Monday, April 29, improving their record to 6-5. The team honored four graduating seniors: Austin Hardcastle, Garrett Carpenter, Micah Crosby and Cooper Davis.
Coach David Smashey praised the seniors for their unique personalities and interests, which set them apart from typical tennis players. “They’re unapologetic about who they are,” Smashey said. “They’re all eSports guys, and they’re all computer guys, and they bring this other aesthetic and way of looking at the world.”
Despite their unconventional backgrounds, the seniors have developed into competitive tennis players during their time on the team, Smashey said. “They’ve learned tennis also, and they’ve been really competitive, and they’ve really become good players.”
Six commit to college sports programs
Six Republic seniors committed to college sports programs on Wednesday, with four planning to play football, one committing to baseball, and one choosing basketball. James Rexroat became the first Republic player to earn a full-ride scholarship to a Division I football program directly out of high school, committing to Arkansas State University. Misora Nambara will play basketball at Culver Stockton. Carter Nation will be part of the inaugural baseball team at Missouri State University-West Plains. Cory Craigmyle and Michael Worthy will both play football at Westminster College in Fulton, joining a rebuilding program under a new coaching staff. Daniel Phillips committed to play football at Mid-America Nazarene, attracted by the team’s pro-style offense.