Nearly 200 student-athletes and 10 teams from southwest Missouri high schools were honored Tuesday night during the 12th annual Sports Commission Awards sponsored by Elliott Lodging.
A crowd of more than 800 turned out to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds for the celebration of the past high school sports season.
Fair Grove High School, on the strength of its volleyball and girls basketball teams winning state championships, won the inaugural Champions Cup for the most successful high school athletic department in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, Logan-Rogersville four-sport athlete Stewart McDonald and Fair Grove’s Brooke Daniels were named the Athletes of the Year, while Fair Grove Volleyball and Marionville football – both state championship teams – were honored as the Teams of the Year.
The Springfield Sports Commission and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame worked together on the ceremony, with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame assisting for a seventh consecutive year. Finalists and winners can now be found at www.mosportshalloffame.com.
Additionally, the late Josie Orellana of Ozark High School, Lebanon football player JJ Hutson, Marshfield’s Reiss Kaderly and Miller’s Mavrie Pritchett were recognized with Inspiration Awards.
A total of 34 categories featured the top athletes and teams from across southwest Missouri during the 2023-2024 school year, with each nominee chosen by a selection committee.
Athletes were recognized in tennis, golf, swimming and diving, cross country, softball, soccer, volleyball, football, wrestling, basketball, track and field, and baseball. Sports offered to girls and boys were split into their respective categories.
Football had finalists for offensive skill positions, linebackers & defensive backs, and linemen. Wrestling included lower weights and upper weights. A category for emerging sports included bass fishing, bowling, esports and boys volleyball. Additionally, the SCAs recognized the Spirit Awards featuring the top marching band, cheerleading team and dance squad.
Fair Grove High School Girls Volleyball
Coached by Tonya Peck, Fair Grove’s volleyball team captured its first state championship in program history last fall, beating tradition-rich Hermann in five sets. The scores were 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 25-21 and 15-5. Shea Skouby, Hannah Maxwell, and Ashton Bell had 16, 15 and 11 kills each. Brooke Daniels contributed 30 assists, and Maxwell had 21. Faith Klindsworth had 33 digs, while Daniels, Maxwell, Bell and Allison Findley combined for 78. Fair Grove finished 35-1-2.
Marionville High School Football
Coached by Paden Grubbs, the Marionville Comets won the Class 1 state football championship, beating North Platte 29-0. It marked the Comets’ first title since 2003, as the team featured 10 seniors. Pomeroy led the Comets with 13 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown, and Guerin had 87 yards rushing on 10 carries, including a TD. Eaton had 19 carries for 62 yards and two TDs as the Comets completed a 14-0 season.
Brooke Daniels, Fair Grove High School
A junior, Daniels was All-State in three sports and All-Region in softball. In volleyball, she was a setter who had 612 assists, 479 digs, 227 kills, 55 blocks, 46 aces and a 97.3 percent serve percentage. In softball, she batted .388. In basketball, the point guard led Fair Grove to the state title, averaging 8 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. In track, she earned three All-State honors at the Class 1 state meet. She was fifth in the javelin (120-07), seventh in the 300-meter hurdles (45.86 seconds) and helped the 4×100-meter relay team place fifth (50.76).
Stewart McDonald, Logan-Rogersville High School
McDonald is a rare four-sport athlete. In soccer, he was a First Team All-State midfielder for Logan-Rogersville’s Class 3 state runner-up team, with 45 goals and 13 assists. He also was a Second Team All-State kicker in football, making six field goals, including three beyond 40 yards, converted 19 of 21 PATs, and had 29 touchbacks. He averaged 40.4 yards per punt. In basketball, he captained a team that placed third in Class 4. He also placed fourth at the state golf meet.
Winners Overall:
GIRLS TENNIS
Lila Griesemer, Springfield Catholic High School
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BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING
Ethan Vance, Camdenton High School
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GIRLS GOLF
Page Bowman, Glendale High School
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GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Gracie Troester, Republic High School
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BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Aaron Ashley, Nixa High School
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BOYS SOCCER
Welle Welle, Carthage High School
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GIRLS SOFTBALL
Carleigh Kinnaird, Neosho High School-in
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VOLLEYBALL
Bella Faria, Kickapoo High School
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FOOTBALL-LINEMEN
Jackson Cantwell, Nixa High School
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FOOTBALL-LINEBACKERS & DEFENSIVE BACKS
Spencer Ward, Nixa High School
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FOOTBALL-OFFENSIVE SKILL POSITIONS
Quin Renfro, Joplin High School
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GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING
Paige Sheridan, West Plains High School
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GIRLS WRESTLING – LOWER WEIGHTS
Jessa Joiner, Lebanon High School
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GIRLS WRESTLING-UPPER WEIGHTS
Brenya Crahan, Nixa High School
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BOYS WRESTLING-LOWER WEIGHTS
Andrew Manley, Seneca High School
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BOYS WRESTLING-UPPER WEIGHTS
Samuel Murphy, McDonald County High School
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
Allyssa Joyner, West Plains High School
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BOYS BASKETBALL
Tyrique Brooks, Central High School
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BOYS TENNIS
Joshua Kim, Central High School
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BOYS GOLF
Jaxon Bailey, Monett High School
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GIRLS FIELD EVENTS
Maliya Clark, Clever High School
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GIRLS TRACK
Jozey Sharp-MacPherson, Mountain Grove High School
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BOYS FIELD EVENTS
Jackson Cantwell, Nixa High School
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BOYS TRACK
Chase Sorrell, East Newton High School
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GIRLS SOCCER
Bailey Snyder, Nixa High School
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BASEBALL
Drew Wedgeworth, Glendale High School
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EMERGING SPORTS
Bass Fishing – Corbin Bailey & Kaden Messina, Camdenton High School
Boys Volleyball — Max Mulyk, Nixa High School
E-Sports – Preston Beckett, Ozark High School
Bowling – Aiden Matney, Willard High School
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GIRLS PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Emree Cameron, Nevada High School
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BOYS PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Jackson Cantwell, Nixa High School
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GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR
Fair Grove High School Girls Volleyball
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BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR
Marionville High School Football
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GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Brooke Daniels, Fair Grove High School
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BOYS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Stewart McDonald, Logan-Rogersville High School
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SPIRIT AWARDS
CHEERLEADING – Ozark High School
DANCE TEAM – Glendale Crimson Girls
MARCHING BAND – Nixa High School
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THE COMMISSION CUP
Fair Grove High School