Top local sports plays of 2020

From dunks, to diving catches and walk-offs; here are the top plays we captured in 2020.

2020 is drawing to a close. Although COVID-19 wrecked the sports schedule for most of the year, we were still able to capture some pretty great local sports moments.

If you know of something cool we were able to get on video that isn’t on here currently – just email jlenard@koamtv.com – we’ll see if we have it!

Enjoy.

2/4/20 – Alex Martini dunk

Carthage senior Alex Martini throws down a two-handed jam against Joplin

2/13/20 – Chanute dominates SEK league duals

The Chanute Blue Comets blow through the SEK league wrestling duals, beating Labette County 76-0, Fort Scott 84-0 and Independence 76-0. They didn’t lose a single match all day, and would go on to win the 4A state championship.

2/15/20 – Athena Alvarado reaches 1,000

Athena Alvarado reaches 1,000 career points for Pitt State with the left-handed finish against Northwest Missouri.

2/23/20 – Tommy Stevenson walk-off home run

Missouri Southern’s Tommy Stevenson hits a walk-off 2-run home run in the 11th to give the Lions a 3-1 win over Southwest Minnesota.

2/25/20 – Taris Jackson dunk vs. Webb City

Carthage senior Taris Jackson throws down this dunk against Webb City.

2/25/20 – Mekhi Garrard game-saving block vs. Webb City

Mekhi Garrard makes a game-winning block against Carthage, preserving a 58-57 win over Carthage.

2/26/20 – Womack brothers connect for alley-oop

Pitt State’s Jah-Kobe Womack connects with his brother Xavier for the alley-oop.

2/26/20 – DaMitz pass fake

Pitt State guard Kaylee DaMitz dishes out a nasty pass fake for the easy lay-in against Lincoln.

2/27/20 – Carl Junction girls finish undefeated regular season

The Carl Junction girls finish off a perfect regular season, beating McDonald County 74-31. The win put the Bulldogs at 24-0 on the season.

3/3/20 – Taris Jackson dunk vs. Republic

Carthage senior Taris Jackson gets up for the jam against Republic.

3/6/20 –  Parish sets MIAA strikeout record

Missouri Southern’s Zach Parish sets a new MIAA career strikeout record with his 350th career strikeout in the 5th inning against Washburn.

7/8/20 – Missouri Southern football shaves heads

Missouri Southern football players and coaches shave their heads in support of Christian Heady.

 

8/5/20 – Miami receives state championship rings

The Miami High School girls powerlifting team receives their state championship rings.

8/28/20 – Luke Gall erupts in season opener

Carthage sophomore running back Luke Gall scores 5 touchdowns in the season opener against Ozark.

8/28/20 – Glades kickoff return TD

Joplin senior Nathan Glades returns a kickoff 90+ yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Webb City.

9/5/20 – Alyssa Jennings robs HR

Webb City’s Alyssa Jennings robs Nevada’s Abby Harder of a home run in the championship game of the Joplin tournament.

9/18/20 – Devrin Weathers touchdown vs. Kickapoo

Webb City running back Devrin Weathers sheds tackles for the impressive touchdown against Kickapoo.

9/25/20 – Trent Alik touchdown vs. Frontenac

McDonald County’s Trent Alik with the slick move on the sideline to score a touchdown against Frontenac.

10/2/20 – Columbus double-pass against Cherryvale

Columbus pulls off a double-pass just before halftime against Cherryvale. Jaxson Haraughty to Landin Midgett to Lynn Shallenburger for the touchdown.

10/5/20 – Peyton Hawkins walk-off homer

Webb City’s Peyton Hawkins hits a walk-off home run against McDonald County to give the Cardinals a 1-0 win.

10/13/20 – Berry’s immaculate inning

Webb City senior Haidyn Berry throws an immaculate inning against Parkview in the district tournament. Berry struck out the first three batters of the game on 9 straight pitches.

10/15/20 – Adasyn Leach diving grab

McDonald County’s Adasyn Leach makes a fantastic grab on the bunt attempt against Neosho.

10/16/20 – Tyson Wiemers PAT

Pittsburg senior Tyson Wiemers knocks through the extra point in the first quarter against Atchison.

10/16/20 – Houk to Barcus TD

Parsons QB Ethan Houk and WR Tanner Barcus connect for the touchdown against Columbus. Perfect throw. Great catch.

10/30/20 – Bri Batson state championship HR

Webb City’s Bri Batson ties the state championship game with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 7th inning. It was Batson’s second homer of the season.

10/31/20 – Mak Sexton season debut

Pitt State QB Mak Sexton throws for 398 yards and 3 touchdowns against Nebraska-Kearney in the Gorillas’ season opener. Two freshmen, Christian Carter (8 rec, 153 yds, TD) and Dylan White (5 rec, 105 yds, TD) were the top two receivers in the game for Pitt State.

11/17/20 – McNemar signs to Auburn softball

Galena senior Riley McNemar becomes Galena’s first Division I softball signee, signing to play in the SEC for the Auburn Tigers.

11/30/20 – Ella Hafer block

Joplin’s Ella Hafer comes up with a monster block against McDonald County.

12/4/20 – Lamar WR pass in state championship

Lamar runs a WR pass – Joel Beshore to Mason Gastel – for a 74-yard touchdown in the state championship game. It was the only TD of the game, giving Lamar a 6-3 win over St. Pius X.

12/17/20 – Fullerton reaches 1,000 career points

Carthage senior Hailey Fullerton reaches 1,000 career points, scoring 22 against McDonald County.

12/22/20 – Grant scores 41, reaches 1,000 career points

Pittsburg senior Javon Grant drops 41 points against Riverton, reaching 1,000 career points in the process.

12/22/20 – Luke Brumit jam

Webb City’s Luke Brumit gets up for the two-handed jam against Crane