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
