The Fulton Lady Hornets soccer team has suddenly hit a little snag.
Freshman midfielders Keagan Riddick and Bailey Reed both scored first-half goals and rival Mexico fought past Fulton 2-1 in a North Central Missouri Conference matchup Wednesday night at Morgan Soccer Complex.
The loss was the second straight for the Lady Hornets after opening the season with eight consecutive shutouts. Fulton (8-2, 4-2 NCMC) was coming off an 8-0 conference loss at Moberly - ranked No. 9 in Class 2 - on Monday night.
"This was not the result we wanted," Lady Hornets head coach Kati Wallace said. "Our motivation now is getting ready for the Moberly Tournament and then starting the second half of conference play next week.
"We really need to get ourselves refocused."
Wallace has been forced to shuffle her lineup with the loss of two key starters - sophomore midfielder Adrienne Ebersole and sophomore defender Kate Sterner - to injuries. Senior goalkeeper Liz Foreman returned to the lineup Wednesday night after missing three games in a row after being involved in a minor car accident last week.
"We had a rhythm going," Wallace said. "Like with anything, when you change a few pieces you have to find that rhythm again."
Down 2-0 Wednesday night, Fulton made it a one-goal game 11 minutes into the second half when junior midfielder Lola Weiss scored off an assist from sophomore midfielder Jenny McCarty. However, that would be the only score the Lady Hornets would produce.
Fulton finished with 12 shots on goal and six corner kicks. Mexico recorded just five shots on goal and two corner kicks.
The Lady Hornets (2-5-1) prevailed in the junior varsity game 3-0. Freshmen Jamie Hunt and Victoria Langley each had a goal and an assist, while junior Amber Alexander was credited with Fulton's other goal and junior Erin Russell also contributed an assist.
Sophomore Billie Klutts and freshman Autumn Lungstrom shared the shutout in goal for the Lady Hornets.
Fulton returns to Moberly for the Lady Spartan Invitational starting Friday, opening the round-robin format with a 3 p.m. game against Winfield. The Lady Hornets then face Southern Boone - which they shut out 2-0 in the season opener at Ashland on March 21 - at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by a rematch against Mexico at 1 p.m.
King, Hornets golf team tie
for third at Southern Boone
HARTSBURG - Sophomore Josh King came in second individually on Wednesday to steer the Fulton boys' golf team to a third-place tie in the Southern Boone Tournament at Eagle Knoll Golf Club.
King shot a 5-over par 77, falling a stroke short of individual medalist Dusty Angerer of Fatima.
"I thought Josh was outstanding," Hornets head coach Pat Kelley said. "By far, this is the most difficult course we'll see and he was fantastic."
Fulton shared third with Fatima in a 16-team field, with both squads compiling scores of 363. Belle captured the team championship with a 352 and Linn came in second with a 359.
Junior Glenn Ripsch followed with an 89 for the Hornets to tie for 13th place. Senior Jordan Kelley was next with a 96 and freshman Kory Masek shot a 101.
"We were close again," Pat Kelley said. "It's nice when you're (11 strokes) away from being able to win, but it's a little frustrating. If we clean up a few holes, we'll be fine."
Fulton competes in the Hannibal Invitational at 9 a.m. Saturday at Norwoods Golf Course.
Ladybirds, T-Birds place
fourth, fifth at Centralia Invite
CENTRALIA - Jordan Gray was victorious in the 3,200 meters on Tuesday to help spark the North Callaway girls to a fourth-place finish at the Centralia Invitational.
On Monday, Tylar Walker triumphed in the 300 hurdles and Jared Graves prevailed in the high jump as the North Callaway boys came in fifth overall at the Centralia Invitational. Walker and Graves combined to have a hand in six medal finishes for the Thunderbirds.
Gray claimed first place in the 3,200 on Tuesday with a time of 12 minutes, 52.8 seconds. She also medalled in the 1,600 by finishing second in 5:49.62.
Also posting wins for the Ladybirds were the quartet of Meagan Thurman, Kelsey West, Marena Penn and Aisha Lindsey, which took first in both the 400 (:52.39) and 800 (1:51.31) relays.
Other medalists for the North Callaway girls included Jaida Gray, second in the 800 (2:36.83) and fourth in the 1,600 (5:56.34); Thurman, fourth in the long jump (14-11 1/2), and the 1,600 relay of West, Penn, Baylie Borman and Jaida Gray, fourth in 4:30.85.
Among the top finishers for the Ladybirds were Morgan Brown Emmons, sixth in the discus (87 feet, 11 inches); Lindsey, seventh in the long jump (14-7), and Makenlea Jones, eighth in the high jump (4-4).
Walker won the 300 hurdles in :44.17 on Monday to help guide the North Callaway boys, while Graves finished first in the high jump with a leap of 5-10. Walker and Graves were members of the 800 relay - along with Austin Castle and David Jones - that medalled with its third-place showing of 1:39.74.
Graves and Walker also medalled with respective fifth-place finishes in the 200 meters (:24.73) and 110 hurdles (:17.2). The pair then teamed up with Castle and Anthony Moses in the 400 relay to medal with a fifth-place time of :48.64.
Other medalists for the Thunderbirds included the 1,600 relay of Andrew Attebery, Austin Castle, Grant Hague and Ethan Watring, second in 3:46.77; the 3,200 relay of Attebery, Cullen Hudson, Watring and Jacob Haubner, third in 9:17.63, and Hague, third in the 300 hurdles (:45.78) and fifth in the long jump (18-9).
Adding to the top finishes for the North Callaway boys were Jones, seventh in the 400 (:57.63); Taylor West, eighth in the 100 (:11.96); Moses, eighth in the long jump (17-9 1/2); Zac Eads, eighth in the discus (111-3), and Jimmy Craighead, eighth in the shot put (38-11).
Both North Callaway teams compete in the Hallsville Tomahawk Relays at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.
Lady Wildcats, Wildcats take
fifth, seventh at Show-Me meet
LINN - Christina Mackey medalled with second-place performances in the discus and shot put on Tuesday to direct the New Bloomfield girls to a fifth-place finish at the Show-Me Conference championships.
In the boys' division, Colton Carrier was a three-time medalist with third-place finishes in the 100, 200 and 400 meters as New Bloomfield ended up seventh overall.
Mackey set a school record with her second-place heave of 109 feet, 11 inches, in the discus as the Lady Wildcats totalled 52 points. She came in second in the shot with a throw of 32-3.
The New Bloomfield girls' other medalist was Chelsea Wiler, who took second in the 100 hurdles in :18.04. Wiler also finished fifth in both the 300 hurdles (:55.29) and triple jump (30-1).
Among the top finishers for the Lady Wildcats were Ashtin Withers, fourth in both the 800 (2:42.79) and 1,600 (5:55.60), and fifth in the 3,200 (13:32.16), and Gwyna Gray - sixth in the 800 (2:56.92), seventh in the 1,600 (6:21.50), and eighth in the 3,200 (15:30.95).
Meanwhile, Carrier logged third-place times of :11.81 in the 100, :23.90 in the 200 and :54.86 in the 400. Tyler Spurgeon also medalled by taking third in the 800 (2:15.81) as the New Bloomfield boys accumulated 29 points.
Other top finishers for the Wildcats included Spurgeon, seventh in the 3,200 (11:48.77); Will Schattgen, seventh in the triple jump (31-6 1/2), and Zach Murrell, eighth in the 800 (3:16.38).
Fatima swept the boys' and girls' team titles with 236 and 228 points, respectively.
In the junior high girls' division, Mykaela Bonnett medalled with her victory in the 1,600 (6:13.78) and second-place finish in the 800 (2:51.34) as New Bloomfield finished third overall with 76 points.
Also medalling for the junior Lady Wildcats were Becky Bade, second in the 1,600 (6:28.18); Taylor Howard, second in the shot (30-5), and the 800 relay of Zoe Welschmeyer, Jessica Daro, Taylor Howard and Sydni Bedsworth, second in 2:13.83.
Among the top finishers for the New Bloomfield girls were Hallie Jeffries, fourth in the 800 (2:57.09); the 1,600 relay of Jeffries, Bonnett, Bade and Nicole Dawson, fourth in 5:07.64; Morgan Mattern, fourth in the 75 hurdles (:14.92); Bedsworth, fifth in the 75 hurdles (:14.94);
Dawson, fifth in the 400 (1:13.12), sixth in the long jump (10-9 1/2) and seventh in the triple jump (25-10); Daro, seventh in the 400 (1:19.77); Alyssa Bradley, seventh in the discus (60-1/2), and the 400 relay of Bradley, Ashley Kelley, Erin Callahan and Brooke Kelley, seventh in 1:09.70.
Sam Niedergerke medalled for New Bloomfield in the junior high boys' division with a second-place finish in the 800 (2:28.20) and a third-place finish in the 1,600 (5:25.70). The junior Wildcats placed sixth overall with 37 points.
Other top finishers for New Bloomfield included the 1,600 relay of Niedergerke, James Bishop, Charlie Schattgen and Cameron Engelbrecht, third in 4:34.90; Schattgen, fifth in the 1,600 (5:27.11) and sixth in the 800 (2:30.92); Bishop, seventh in both the long jump (12-6) and triple jump (26-6), and eighth in the 400 (1:09.10); Nicolas Granich, seventh in the 100 (:14.73); Connor Coffindaffer, eighth in the 100 (:16.27), and Engelbrecht, seventh in the 400 (1:08.13).
Both New Bloomfield varsity squads compete in the Southern Boone Relays at Ashland at 2 p.m. Friday.
Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs
finish third in own quad
MOKANE - Bryan Lechner bolted to first-place finishes in four events Tuesday as the host South Callaway boys came in third in a quad meet with Versailles, Eldon and Wellsville.
On the girls' side, Taylor Howard recorded a pair of victories - setting a school record in the 400 meters - to steer South Callaway to a third-place finish.
Lechner - the lone event winner for the South Callaway boys - took first in the 100 (11.37 seconds), 200 (:22.9) and 400 (:53.53), as well as the 110 hurdles (:15.4), as the Bulldogs logged 60.5 points. Versailles claimed top honors with 101 points, Eldon was second with 78.5 and Wellsville followed South Callaway in fourth place with 17.
Meanwhile, Howard established a school record in the 400 with a time of 1:02.56. She also triumphed in the pole vault with a jump of 8 feet, 6 inches, as the Lady Bulldogs amassed 48 points. Eldon secured first place with 130 points, Versailles came in second with 68 and Wellsville trailed South Callaway in fourth with 17.
Also posting first-place finishes for the Lady Bulldogs were Abigail Luebbert in the 3,200 (13:00.17), the 800 relay in 1:58.65, and the 1,600 relay in 4:39.6.
Both South Callaway teams compete at the Wright City Wildcat Invitational at 3 p.m. today. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs then take part in the Lowell Eaton Invitational at Harrisburg at 9 a.m. Saturday.