Blue Eye High School’s Riley Arnold and Lamar High School’s Case Tucker won Girls and Boys Athlete of the Year, respectively, and two state championship teams – Willard Volleyball and Hartville Boys Basketball – were the Teams of the Year on Tuesday night at the Sports Commission Awards sponsored by Elliott Lodging and presented by Blevins Asphalt.
A crowd of more than 1,100 turned out at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds for an event honoring more than 200 student-athletes. The event was hosted by the Springfield Sports Commission and managed by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
A total of 32 sports categories were recognized, with a selection committee choosing the top athletes from southwest Missouri high schools this past school year. The SCAs also paid tribute to eight Inspiration Award recipients, and recognized CoxHealth and Mercy Sports Medicine for their efforts with athletic teams throughout the 2020-2021 school year.
Riley Arnold, Blue Eye High School
Arnold enjoyed quite the junior season. She won the Class 2 state cross country championship last fall – when she also found time to become an All-State volleyball player. She later led Blue Eye’s girls basketball team to the Final Four and earned All-State herself after averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 steals a game. Arnold ended the school year with three All-State finishes at the MSHSAA Track & Field Championships. She was seventh in the 800 meters and part of two third-place relay teams, the 1,600 and the 3,200.
Case Tucker, Lamar High School
Tucker was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and baseball) this past school, and successful in each. He may be one of the few – if not the first – to be voted the Big 8 Conference Player of the Year in football and baseball. In football, he led Lamar to the Class 2 state championship, combined for 2,626 total yards and 34 touchdowns and was the Class 2 Offensive Player of the Year. In basketball, he was honorable mention all-conference. In baseball, he was voted Class 4 All-State honorable mention after he hit .481 with a .904 slugging percentage, which included nine doubles and three home runs. He was 3-1 on the mound with 41 strikeouts in 38 innings.
Willard High School Volleyball
The Lady Tigers won the program’s first second overall state championship – first since 1981 – with a 3-1 victory against Parkway West in the Class 4 Tournament. Coached by Jamalee Hancock, Willard finished 31-3-1 split the first two sets of the championship match before taking advantage with a dominating, 25-9 win in the third set. The Lady Tigers then won the final set 25-18. The team included seniors Payton Van Veen, Maddy Bushnell, Taylor Crighton, Sara Lawson and Kelsey Kirkland.
Hartville High School Basketball
Coached by Brett Reed, Hartville won its second consecutive Class 3 state championship, beating Monroe City 45-43 and finished 31-0. Ryce Piper and Cody Mahan scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, with the Eagles scoring the game’s final six points after it was tied with 2 minutes remaining. With it, the Eagles ran their win streak to 42 games, which ranks No. 7 in state history. And it came in a season when they beat eventual Class 6 state champion Kickapoo, Nixa and Viola, Ark.
SCA Winners
Girls Tennis: Lexi Berry & Megan Roberts, Bolivar High School
Girls Golf: Reagan Zibilski, Springfield Catholic High School
Boys Swimming & Diving: Michael Jasinski, Glendale High School
Girls Cross Country: Riley Arnold, Blue Eye High School
Boys Cross Country: Riley Simpson, West Plains High School
Softball: Haidyn Berry, Webb City High School & Lauren Schallert, Purdy High School
Boys Soccer: Luke Courtney, Kickapoo High School
Volleyball: Payton Van Veen, Willard High School
Football-Offense Skill Positions: Devrin Weathers, Webb City High School
Football-Defense Linebackers & Defensive Backs: Treghan Parker, Webb City High School
Football Linemen: Tristan Wilson, Lebanon High School
Girls Swimming & Diving: Maggie Moore, New Covenant Academy
Girls Wrestling: Ashlyn Eli, Nixa High School
Boys Wrestling-Lower: Zan Fugitt, Nixa High School
Boys Wrestling-Upper: Jesse Cassatt, Carl Junction High School
Girls Basketball: Lacy Stokes, Mount Vernon High School
Boys Basketball: Aminu Mohammed, Greenwood Laboratory School
Boys Tennis: Caden Lingenfelser, Willard High School
Boys Golf: Max Bowman, Glendale High School
Girls Track: Brianna Utecht, Marshfield High School
Girls Field: Cali Essick, Branson High School
Boys Track: Daelen Ackley, El Dorado Springs High School
Boys Field: Marshall Swadley, Willard High School
Girls Soccer: Abby Harrison, Nixa High School
Baseball: Landon Richards, Hollister High School
Bass Fishing: Brock Pearce & Preston Trapp, Diggins
Girls Performance of the Year: Lilly Whitten, Skyline High School
Boys Performance of the Year: Marshall Swadley, Willard High School
Girls Team of the Year: Willard High School Volleyball
Boys Team of the Year: Hartville High School Boys Basketball
Girls Athlete of the Year: Riley Arnold, Blue Eye High School
Boys Athlete of the Year: Case Tucker, Lamar High School