Jul. 24—During the 2021-22 high school sports year, many teams registered firsts.
First state championship, first district title, highest finish at state competitions … all are reasons to celebrate.
Of course, this particular 10-month span provided a first for all of us: The first time we went through a pandemic.
COVID-19 shut down the high school sports scene in March 2020, and there wasn’t a whole lot of optimism when the new school year began five months later.
But somehow, the state championships in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma were successfully contested. Sure, there were hiccups along the way, and state tournament formats were altered to provide fewer athletes and fans at events.
But they were completed, and teams across Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma played most if not all of their scheduled games.
Without question, that’s the biggest accomplishment of all.
Reviewing last year’s highlights, College Heights Christian got the year started with a state championship in girls cross country — a first for the school. and at the end of the year, CHC added a girls track and field state crown.
In fact, the Cougars made a strong showing all year long. They also earned district titles in volleyball, boys basketball and spring softball.
After coming oh-so-close to podium finishes in recent years, Webb City stood on the highest step after winning the boys track and field state championship for the first time. The Cardinals also took second in boys cross country.
Postseason volleyball matched the best two teams in Class 4; unfortunately, they met in the first round and Willard nipped Carl Junction in a 3-2 thriller. Willard went on to win the state title, losing only one set in three matches.
Football saw a familiar team return to the championship level as Lamar edged Kansas City St. Pius X 6-3 for the Class 2 crown. The Tigers scored on a halfback pass that covered 74 yards late in the third quarter from Joel Beshore to Mason Gastel. Jared Beshore — Joel’s brother — won a title in his first year as the Tigers’ head coach. He played on the Tigers’ first three state championship teams.
During the spring, Purdy went 30-1 and claimed the school’s first softball state championship.
More state runners-up included Webb City in softball, Mount Vernon in girls basketball, Thomas Jefferson in boys tennis, Monett and Seneca in wrestling (a tie in Class 2).
Individually speaking, Grace Bishop of College Heights and Mekhi Garrard of Webb City were selected as the Wendell Redden Athletes of the Year by the Globe sports staff.
Bishop was on the Cougars’ cross country and track and field championship teams, and CHC’s basketball and McAuley’s soccer teams that lost in the district final.
Garrard helped the Cardinals reach the state semifinals in football, the district final in basketball and state title in track and field.
Nevada’s Ben Hines picked up two more swimming state championships, giving him 10 state medals for his career.
Cayden Auch grabbed the wrestling spotlight, capping a 49-0 season with his fourth state championship — the first four-time state champ in the Wildcats’ storied history. The Wildcats finished second in the team standings, just the third time in the last dozen years they have not finished first.
Carl Junction’s Jesse Cassatt also went 49-0 and joined an exclusive club as the Bulldogs’ second two-time state champion. The other is Mike Frizzell, who is Cassatt’s coach.
Annie Moore of Cassville became the first girl from Southwest Missouri to win a state wrestling title. On the same day, the Wildcats’ Zach Coenen won three overtime matches to become the school’s first boys state winner.
In Southeast Kansas, Girard senior Cormick Logue won the cross country state title — adding to the family collection — and he won the 3200 meters to help the Trojans take second in the track and field state meet.
St. Mary’s Colgan’s girls basketball team finally got over the hump. After winning several district titles, the Panthers won a state tournament game for the first time. They then won at Manhattan for the first time on a buzzer-beater in the semifinals but lost to top-seeded Sterling in the final.
The accomplishments throughout the area are too many to mention, but congratulations to all. and I can’t wait for the 2021-22 school year to start.
JIM HENRY is sports editor of the Globe and receives correspondence at jhenry@joplinglobe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Jim_Henry53.