Carl Junction collects momentum ahead of Webb City matchup

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. – Carl Junction hosts Webb City tomorrow night for their home opener. The Bulldogs have momentum, coming off a 42-21 win over Ozark in week one.

Carl Junction hosts jamboree with Carthage, Nevada and Monett

WATCH: Carl Junction hosts a jamboree with Carthage, Nevada and Monett to prepare for next week’s season opener.

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Numbers, expectations rise for Carl Junction football

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. – (WATCH) Numbers in the program and expectations rise for Carl Junction in 2022, after the team was 3-7 overall last season.

Check out more from Carl Junction in our 2022 Pigskin Preview.

Johnson drives in three; Outlaws hammer Griffons

NEVADA, Mo. – (WATCH) Carl Junction High School product Carson Johnson goes 2-3 with a double and 3 RBI, helping the Joplin Outlaws roll by the Nevada Griffons 12-1 Sunday night.

Outlaws pitchers only allowed two Nevada hits on the night.

Pitt State football names 2022 captains

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Pittsburg State football has named its captains for the 2022 season.

The Gorillas have picked eight players as captains for the fall, including five who played at local high schools.

WR Elijah Harris (Pittsburg HS)

OL Kory Woodruff (Sioux City West HS)

WR Bryce Murphy (Neosho HS)

LB PJ Sarwinski (Galena HS)

LB Morgan Selemaea (Harrisonville HS)

S Brandon Mlekus (Frontenac HS)

DL Zeke Wall (Carl Junction HS)

OL Trase Jeffries (Broken Arrow HS)

The Gorillas are scheduled to open the regular season on September 1st, at home against the University of Central Missouri.

Pitt State women’s camp to bring 150+ teams to Pittsburg

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Pitt State women’s basketball high school team cam brings in teams from all around the region – with teams from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado and more coming to Pittsburg in the past.

“This week we’ll have 71 teams and then we’ll have 84 next week,” says PSU women’s basketball head coach Amanda Davied, “It’s a lot of teams, a lot of talent and a lot of great coaches that we’ve been able to build great relationships with.”

The camp is split into two sessions, with the first running from this Wednesday to Friday. The second session will be next Wednesday to Friday.

In those six days, more than 150 teams will play around 600 games in six different locations in the Pittsburg area as part of the camp. Games are held at Pitt State’s Weede Gymnasium, Pitt State’s rec center, Pittsburg High School, Pittsburg Community Middle School, St. Mary’s Colgan Catholic High School and Frontenac High School.

For local teams it’s a chance to push themselves against new and tough competition.

“We get to see a lot of different competition for our kids. We put our kids in the toughest division every year,” says Carl Junction girls head coach Brad Shorter, “We see a lot of great basketball. It’s not really about wins and losses, but it’s about improving. We give our kids the opportunity to kind of expand their game and progress and maybe put some more tools in their bag before the season.”

For Pitt State it gives the coaching staff a chance to see potential recruits – with multiple campers being signed to play for the Gorillas over the years.

“Typically, we would possibly get a commitment from this camp, or right before or right after,” Davied says, “We get them here on campus and get them to meet our players and our staff and get involved in the community. They’re going places in the community and they get to see, even before they’re a Pitt State athlete, that Pittsburg is really appreciative of new people coming into town. We’re always dealing with that with the college with incoming freshman and things like that. The college is welcoming and the town is welcoming, so it’s really their first taste of that.”

It gives the current PSU players – who help *run* the camp – a chance to work together in the off-season and build a little team chemistry.

“It’s awesome to have our incoming freshmen and new players join us and see what Pitt State is all about, and kind of get a feel for who we are as individuals, both on and off the court,” says Pitt State sophomore guard and former camp attendee Grace Pyle.

“All the way around, it’s just a phenomenal experience for everybody,” Davied finishes, “We’re happy to host. We love that we have this. I told somebody that I ran out of dorms, and they said well that’s a good problem to have. Some of these things…it’s truly a beautiful mess. We love it.”

Click HERE for more information on Pitt State women’s basketball camps.

Burgess nets late game winner; Carl Junction wins district title

WATCH: Lauren Burgess scores with three minutes remaining to lift Carl Junction past Branson 1-0. The Bulldogs are district champs and advance to the state tournament.

Carl Junction will host Glendale in the class 3 state quarterfinals next Saturday.

Carl Junction girls soccer aims for redemption in district championship

CARL JUNCTION – Mo. – As the Carl Junction Bulldogs head into the district championship game, a sour memory comes to mind.

“Last season was really hard for us,” says senior Kadynce Arnold. “It was a big game, and we didn’t win. I think that impacted us and made us want it even more. We have more passion this year.”

Last year, Carl Junction fell to Webb City in the district championship game in penalty kicks. This year, they say they’re both stronger and more motivated than ever.

“We noticed how the other team was celebrating and how they felt and we tried to put that in the memory bank,” says Carl Junction head coach Ed Miller.

A lot has changed since last season.

“We have experience. Having been in certain situations last year, when we’re put in the same situations this year, we’re putting the ball in the back of the net and that’s what getting us wins,” Miller says.

“This year I think our main focus is being together as a team and winning as a team instead of individually,” Arnold says.

CJ will play Branson at home in the championship game on Saturday. The Bulldogs beat the Pirates 3-1 just last week.

“Now they’re starting to believe that they’re a good team,” Miller says. “They’re starting to believe that they can win and that they’re a quality team top to bottom and we can compete with some of the better teams in the state. So, I think that’s the biggest thing is just the confidence that our team is gaining over these last couple of weeks.”

It’s the third straight district championship appearance for the Bulldogs. The last time they won it was in 2019 when the current seniors were freshman.

“I just remember being so excited and just like jumping up with my teammates in the air,” says Carl Junction senior Marly Stauffer. “I remember we passed the plaque around and all took pictures with it and we were just so proud. The motivation is it’s my senior year, so I think that we need to finish things how we started. I want to get this team as far as we can go.”

Carl Junction and Branson will hit the field at 12pm on Saturday for the district championship.