Republic Sports for week of Oct. 9-15

Republic softball shares conference title, finishes with three straight victories

Republic softball closed out its regular season with a flourish, winning its final three games to claim a share of the Central Ozark Conference West Division title and reach the 20-win mark for the first time since 2018.
The Lady Tigers began their streak with a 4–2 road victory over Carthage, avenging an early-season loss. Kara Goeke pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out four. Republic capitalized on Carthage errors in the sixth inning to break a 2–2 tie.
Republic then secured its 20th win by defeating Willard 11–1. Addie Brown led the offense with three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Piper Dishman and Kara Goeke combined for nine strikeouts in the circle.
In the regular season finale, Republic dominated Parkview 15–0 in three innings to clinch a share of the conference title. Brown and Ashland Schaumann each drove in four runs, with both hitting home runs. Goeke and Jayma Pitchford combined for a no-hitter, striking out nine batters.
The Lady Tigers finished the regular season with a 21–9 record, their best mark since going 26–3 in 2015. They’ll open district play Thursday against Springfield Glendale at Kickapoo High School.
Republic cross country continues improvement at Branson invitational
Republic’s cross country teams saw several runners set personal bests at Saturday’s Cedar Ridge Invitational in Branson.
Will Payne paced the Tiger boys with a 15th-place finish, clocking a season-best 17:09.12. Freshman Lucas Riffe broke through with a personal record of 17:38.91, good for 26th place.
On the girls’ side, Catherine Wilson and Brylie Harris finished back-to-back in 16th and 17th. Wilson set a new personal mark of 21:14.41, while Harris crossed the line at 21:22.34.
Other top finishers for the boys included Dalton Glendenning, Gabe Benjamin, and Kaisei Wilcutt. Alex DeHaan and Caleb Brest also contributed to the team effort.
Mei Pruett led the rest of the girls’ squad with a 47th-place finish and season-best time. Zoey Johns, Jovi Kirby, Alexa Langdon, and Kelly Calderon rounded out the Republic contingent, with Langdon and Calderon both notching personal records.
Republic volleyball rebounds after two close losses
Republic’s volleyball team dropped two heartbreakers last week before bouncing back with a sweep on Monday. The Lady Tigers fell to Kickapoo at home, winning the first two sets, then losing three in a row. Reese Finley led Republic with 25 kills, while Reese Frey had 53 assists.
At Carthage, Republic again went to five sets, losing 15–13 in the final frame. The Lady Tigers won their two sets by 18 points combined, but lost three sets by just six points total.
Republic rebounded Monday, sweeping Springfield Catholic 25–17, 25–18, 25–16. Finley tallied 15 kills, Adison Gibbs had 16 digs and three blocks, and Frey contributed 20 assists and five aces.
The week’s results moved Republic’s record to 12–15 overall.
Republic football falls to Carthage in COC west showdown
Republic struggled to contain Carthage’s offense Friday night, falling 31–14 in a Central Ozark Conference West Division matchup. Carthage outgained Republic 322 yards to 194.
“That’s what we try to do. That’s what we are able to do at times — take the clock, run the ball, pound, pound, pound, and every now and then take a shot,” said Republic coach Ryan Cornelsen. “And so we got a taste of our own medicine.”
Carthage built a 21–0 lead before Republic scored just before halftime. Republic drove 70 yards in 10 plays, capped by sophomore quarterback Trenten Coleman’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Cannon Ellison with five seconds left in the half.
After Carthage extended its lead to 28–7 in the third quarter, Republic answered with a 59-yard drive. Coleman connected with Ellison again on fourth and goal from the 10-yard line to cut the deficit to 28–14.
Republic recovered an onside kick but couldn’t take advantage, and Carthage put the game away with a field goal after that.
Coleman, making his first varsity start, finished with 59 yards rushing on 11 carries. He completed three of seven passes for 28 yards and two touchdowns. Ellison caught both scoring passes, totaling 24 receiving yards.
Despite the loss, Cornelsen found positives in his team’s performance.
“Things weren’t working, we were having penalties, we weren’t very explosive, and then right before half we grind out a drive. I was proud of that,” he said. “I was proud of, even in the second half there were times I felt like they kept fighting.”
The defeat drops Republic to 5–2 on the season, while Carthage improves to 6–1. Republic will look to bounce back Friday at Neosho.
Tennis tops Lebanon to advance in district tournament playoffs
Republic’s tennis team defeated Lebanon 5-1 in the first round of the district team tournament on Monday. The Lady Tigers dominated doubles play and secured two singles wins to clinch the match.
Ella Lashley and Paelyn Kaufmann won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles. Mati Carpenter and Aubree Tinsley took No. 2 doubles 8-1, while Payton Schroeder and Brooklyn Douglas matched that score at No. 3.
In singles, Lashley won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2, and Schroeder prevailed 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3. Three other singles matches were in progress when Republic clinched.