Introducing the Semoball Cup

Last year the Semoball Awards featured a fan vote to determine the best fans in the area -- and you can do that again this year -- but which school had the best overall sports program?

Three different schools brought home a state title last year, two more reached a state title game, another had an individual win a state championship while 25 athletes from one school reached the state finals in various sports.

This year we're crowning a champion and giving them the Semoball Cup on July 11 at the River Campus at Southeast Missouri State University.

While colleges compete for the Capital One Cup, which bases points on how teams finish in polls for each sport, the Semoball Cup will be determined strictly by performance from each schools' teams. There's no voting, no discussion, just results to determine the top program.

Here's how it works:

First, schools in the Semoball coverage area are required to report their results to the Missouri High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) with the exception of Eagle Ridge in Cape Girardeau and Westwood Baptist in Poplar Bluff. Those results, which are published online, will be plugged into a formula to determine which schools have the best overall sports program.

Each school will earn points for overall winning percentage as well as postseason success for both individuals and teams. By using the overall winning percentage for all teams combined, this allows small schools to compete with larger schools on an even playing field. As teams and individual athletes going deeper into the postseason, they earn more points for their school.

TEAM WINNING PERCENTAGE The winning percentage for each school (wins divided by total games played) takes the wins and losses of each team. For example, if Tech High School has 10 teams and those combined teams finish with a record of 100-76, Tech ends up with a winning percentage of .568 for 57 points. If University High School has only four teams with a combined record of 76-44, University ends up with 63 points.

POSTSEASON SUCCESS Schools will earn points for advancement during the postseason for each team. Points are given for the district runner-up (5 points), champion (10), playoff wins (10) and losses (5), final four appearances (20), state runner-up (50) and state championships (100). For sports with individual and team championships such as track and field, cross country, wrestling and golf, schools earn points based on how they finish in the district with the champion earning 10 points down to one point for sixth place. (For swimming, which does not have a district meet, the conference championship will serve as the district). Those sports can also earn 20 points for finishing in the top four as a team at state and 100 points for a team state title. For example, if Tech's girls basketball team reached the state final four that team would earn 50 total points, plus five more points for the girls soccer team that was a runner-up in the district. If University High, meanwhile, had three district champions with only one reaching the quarterfinal it would earn 55 points.

INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE POINTS An individual athlete can earn points for their school as well. For each district title by an individual in track, wrestling, golf, ect., a school earns a point. When a team has one or more individuals qualify for state it earns another point. State champions earn 25 points while all-state honors earn five points. (All-state honors for track, swimming and tennis are the top eight finishers while golf and cross country is top 15 and wrestling is top six.) For example, if Tech has a runner that wins a district title and finishes fifth in their event at state the school would get seven points. If Tech's track team also finished third in the district it would earn four points. If University's track team won the district title with five individual champions, three of which reached state but none made it to the finals, the school would get 16 points.

Using the examples of University and Tech high schools, here's how their points add up:

School Win pct. Playoff Ind. Total

1. U-High 63 55 16 134

2. Tech 57 55 7 119

Small schools should be able to compete with larger schools in this formula because they are competing against other small schools for postseason points. Larger schools have more teams that can win district titles but there are fewer district titles handed out in the larger classes. For example, Class 4 has one district title in basketball among six schools while Class 2 has three titles for 16 teams.

WHAT ABOUT LAST YEAR? Using the formula, the Semoball Cup for the 2013-14 season would have been presented to Notre Dame.

The Bulldogs had five district titles, three district runner-up finishes, two teams reach the state quarterfinal and state qualifiers in nine sports with three all-state honors. Teams finished with a combined winning percentage for 79 points.

Kennett was a close second with a state title in spring softball, a state semifinalist in girls tennis, two individual district champions, three teams with state qualifiers and 68 points from combined winning percentage.

Scott County Central finished third without any individual points earned thanks to a state title in boys basketball, a district title in girls basketball and 61 points from combined winning percentage of the four teams.

Dexter (state runner-up in girls basketball and an individual state champion) and Leopold (state runner-up in volleyball and two more district titles) were fourth and fifth while Cooter was sixth after winning a state title in baseball but finishing with 50 points in combined winning percentage in its four sports.

2014 SEMOBALL CUP STANDINGS

SCHOOL PTS HIGHLIGHTS

1. Notre Dame 240 5 district titles / 25 ind. state qualifier / 3 all-state

2. Kennett 233 STATE CHAMP spring softball / state semifinalist / 6 ind. state qualifiers

3. Scott Central 226 STATE CHAMP boys basketball / 2 playoff teams

4. Dexter 224 State runner-up girls basketball / 16 ind. state qualifier (1 state champ)

5. Leopold 210 State runner-up volleyball / 2 more playoff teams

6. Cooter 200 STATE CHAMP baseball

7. Jackson 191 2 playoff teams / 3 more district titles / 24 ind. state qualifier

8. Kelly 146 State semifinalist softball

9. Cape Central 136 State semifinalist football / 2 more playoff teams / 2 ind. state qualifiers

10. Bernie 125 State quarterfinalist softball / 2 more playoff teams

11. Oran 120 State quarterfinalist / 2 more playoff teams

11. Saxony Lutheran 120 State semifinalist girls basketball / 1 ind. state qualifier

13. Clearwater 117 2 playoff teams

14. South Pemiscot 111 2 playoff teams / 3 all-semoball

15. Perryville 108 2 playoff teams / 2 ind. state qualifiers

16. New Madrid 107 State semifinalist baseball / 4 ind. state qualifiers

17. St. Vincent 102 1 district title / 12 state qualifiers / 1 all-state

17. Scott City 102 State semifinalist spring softball / 1 more playoff team / 2 ind. state qual.

19. Poplar Bluff 100 1 playoff team / 1 more district title / 13 ind. state qualifiers

20. Neelyville 93 State quarterfinalist girls basketball

21. Charleston 88 State quarterfinalist boys basketball / 3 ind. state qualifiers

21. Woodland 88 1 playoff team / 3 ind. state qualifiers

23. East Carter 87 State quarterfinalist baseball / 1 more playoff team

23. Malden 87 1 playoff team / 3 ind. state qualifiers

23. Portageville 87 2 playoff teams

26. Gideon 81 1 playoff team

27. Oak Ridge 80 1 playoff team / 5 ind. state qualifiers

28. Advance 78 1 playoff team / 2 ind. state qualifiers

29. Naylor 77 1 playoff team

30. Sikeston 71 13 ind. state qualifiers / 1 ind. all-state

31. Chaffee 66 2 ind. state qualifiers

32. Clarkton 63 1 playoff team

32. Greenville 63 District runner-up

32. Twin Rivers 63 1 playoff team

35. Caruthersville 61 1 playoff team

36. Doniphan 57 District runner-up / 2 ind. state qualifier

37. Van Buren 52 2 ind. state qualfiers

38. Hayti 51 3 ind. state qualifiers

38. Holcomb 51 none

40. Bloomfield 49 District runner-up / 1 ind. state qualifier

41. Risco 47 District runner-up

42. Senath 46 District runner-up

43. Campbell 40 none

43. Puxico 40 none

45. North Pemsicot 39 District runner-up

46. Delta-Deering 38 none

46. East Prairie 38 1 state qualifier

48. Ellington 33 none

49. Marquand 32 none

50. Bell City 28 none

51. Meadow Heights 24 none

52. Delta 19 1 state qualifier

53. Southland 13 none

54. Richland 9 none

53. Zalma 9 none

Note: Eagle Ridge and Westwood Baptist results were not available but will be included for the 2014-15 Cup standings.

Here's how the top 10 schools breakdown in terms of how they scored points:

SCHOOL TOTAL PCT. POST IND.

Notre Dame 240 79 80 81

Kennett 233 68 160 5

Scott Central 226 61 165 0

Dexter 214 58 110 46

Leopold 210 70 140 0

Cooter 200 50 150 0

Jackson 191 52 55 84

Kelly 146 50 55 41

Cape Central 136 41 75 20

Bernie 125 70 55 0

Standings for the 2014-15 Semoball Cup through the fall and winter season will be released at a later date with the final standings posted following the Award banquet July 11.