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Impressive performances highlight announcement of 2018 Semoball Awards fall-sport finalists
Another year, another group of superb performances by area student-athletes, the most outstanding of which are being recognized.
On Wednesday, 55 individuals were announced as fall sport finalists for the 2018 Semoball Awards. The selections were presented during a live radio show on SEMO ESPN Radio.
The group is the first of a total of 150 student-athletes from 57 area high schools which will be honored at the Fifth Annual Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH at the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus on Saturday, July 14.
The fall selections are highlighted by some of the more decorated athletes in Semoball Awards history, as Cape Girardeau Central boys swimming standout Brogan Davis -- Semoball Awards Boys Swimmer of the Year in 2015 and 2016 -- becomes part of a select group of four-time Awards nominees. Only two other athletes are in that club.
"I think it's a fantastic event, itself. [The camaraderie of the athletes] of the winners, I think that's 100 percent accurate," Davis said on air. "I think even just getting invited is a step up from your average banquet."
As a senior, Davis, who will continue his swimming career at Auburn, was the Class 1 Boys Swimming & Diving State Championships meet MVP, as he claimed gold medals in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly, as well as helped his team to victories in the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams.
That added to his haul from the previous year, when he also won those two individual events along with two relay championships. For his career he has helped set multiple state relay and individual records.
But in 2017 he watched teammate Reagan Ragsdale take home the Semoball Awards prize.
"It was different," Davis said. "It was definitely a big motivator for me because I knew I needed to step up my game."
He's joined by fellow Tiger Aaron Harris, who has made a name for himself on the football team and has earned his third trip to the event.
Harris, nominated on the offensive side of the ball in 2016 and then on the defensive side in 2017, is back among an elite group of offensive players after rushing for 1,627 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season while earning a Class 4 First Team All-State nod. This fall, he became Central's all-time leading rusher.
Harris will have some impressive company at the Bedell Performance Hall in July. He is joined by fellow finalists Cooper Callis of Jackson (3,807 passing yards, 56 passing TDs, Carr Trophy winner), Q'nairies Anderson of Charleston (2,265 rushing yards, 32 TDs), and Tray Stevenson of Malden (2,537 rushing yards, 40 TDs).
Those are only a few of the local players who put up outstanding offensive numbers on the gridiron this past fall.
Jackson's Jordan Kent had 81 receptions for 1,307 yards and 24 touchdowns, Caruthersville's Charles Golliday had more than 2,300 total yards of offense and Kennett's Patrick Maddox had more than 2,600 total yards of offense, was named the SEMO South Offensive Player of the Year and expects to continue his playing career at Southeast Missouri State.
Poplar Bluff offensive lineman Preston Burroughs, Portageville's Ian Torrey and East Prairie's Luke Marcum round out an accomplished collection of offensive talent.
The football defense category is led by a quartet of two-time finalists in Poplar Bluff's Tanner Dunnivan, Charleston's Jeremy Tucker, Hayti's Ivory Winters and Malden's Jackson Wilson. Winters is the reigning Semoball Awards Football Defense Player of the Year, while Wilson was a finalist on offense a year ago.
Tucker led the area with 28 tackles for a loss while racking up 143 tackles overall and earning a scholarship with SEMO.
No other sport matches the four returning finalists of the football defense, but boys cross country and boys swimming each have three familiar faces, despite just five total nominees in each.
Last year's Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Ean Buffington, of Jackson, is back for another go around, while Notre Dame's Blake Morris and Saxony Lutheran's Caleb Cornelius also take another shot at the top prize. The newcomers are Cape Central's Jared Neikirk and Notre Dame's Benton Keran.
In the pool, Davis' accomplishments speak for themselves, as he brings back another load of state gold medals and a second consecutive team state championship for Central.
Fellow Tiger Sam Hahs is also back for the event after a pair of individual all-state finishes and a relay gold, as is younger teammate Jacob Bening.
The Tigers swept the finalist spots in boys swimming, as Hyrum Dickson and Daniel Seabaugh round out the group.
Volleyball's 10 finalists feature three Semoball Awards veterans, as Advance's Alanis Below, Bloomfield's Jewel Chism and St. Vincent's Jackie Verseman earn second nominations.
Some of the first-time standouts include All-Southeast Missourian Volleyball Player of the Year Olivia Hallet, from Jackson, Dexter middle hitter Hannah thurmon and Co-SCAA Player of the Year Bailey Below of Bloomfield.
Notre Dame's Lexi Welter, Saxony Lutheran's Lexie Barnes, Jackson's Lainey Broussard and Dexter's Bailee Williams are also among the selected.
Return nominees Kennedy Bauer, of Jackson, and Alaina Baumgart, of Notre Dame, headline the five girls cross country hopefuls.
St. Vincent's Corin Carroll, Van Buren's Jennifer Morey and Poplar Bluff's Katie Sliger all get running nods as well.
The only familiar face among the boys soccer finalists is Perryville's Cole Gerstenberger, who was among those honored in 2017. His first-time cohorts include All-Southeast Missourian Boys Soccer Player of the year Desmond Morris, fellow Jackson Indian Justice Crosnoe, Notre Dame's Grayson Mueller and Saxony Lutheran's Luke Daniel.
Two-time girls tennis winner Hadley Hilburn, of Kennett, has graduated, but her alma mater remains strongly represented thanks to return finalist Anna Beth Williams. First-time Indians selections are Kayton Harris and Darcy Campbell, while Notre Dame offers up a pair of options: Hattie Burdin and two-time nominee Grace Powderly.
Tickets for the Semoball Awards go on sale Friday, and the event's keynote speaker will be announced in March.
The Semoball Awards are presented by SoutheastHEALTH along with title sponsors SEMO ESPN Radio, the St. Louis Cardinals and rustmedia and bank sponsor The Bank of Missouri.
Go to semoball.com/awards for more information.
FOOTBALL OFFENSE
Aaron Harris, Cape Central
Charles Golliday, Caruthersville
Q'nairies Anderson, Charleston
Luke Marcum, East Prairie
Cooper Callis, Jackson
Jordan Kent, Jackson
Patrick Maddox, Kennett
Tray Stevenson, Malden
Preston Burroughs, Poplar Bluff
Ian Torrey, Portageville
FOOTBALL DEFENSE
Matt Nussbaum, Cape Central
Julian McBride, Cape Central
Jeremy Tucker, Charleston
Ivory Winters, Hayti
Jay Moore, Hayti
Cole Welker, Jackson
Trevon Lemons, Kennett
Jackson Wilson, Malden
Tanner Dunivan, Poplar Bluff
Tyreke Jamison, Sikeston
VOLLEYBALL
Alanis Below, Advance
Jewel Chism, Bloomfield
Bailey Below, Bloomfield
Hannah Thurmon, Dexter
Bailee Williams, Dexter
Oliva Hallet, Jackson
Lainey Broussard, Jackson
Lexi Welter, Notre Dame
Lexie Barnes, Saxony Lutheran
Jackie Verseman, St. Vincent
BOYS SOCCER
Justice Crosnoe, Jackson
Desmond Morris, Jackson
Grayson Mueller, Notre Dame
Cole Gerstenberger, Perryville
Luke Daniel, Saxony Lutheran
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Jared Neikirk, Cape Central
Ean Buffington, Jackson
Blake Morris, Notre Dame
Benton Keran, Notre Dame
Caleb Cornelius, Saxony Lutheran
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Kennedy Bauer, Jackson
Alaina Baumgart, Notre Dame
Corin Carroll, St. Vincent
Jennifer Morey, Van Buren
Katie Sliger, Poplar Bluff
BOYS SWIMMING
Brogan Davis, Cape Central
Sam Hahs, Cape Central
Hyrum Dickson, Cape Central
Jacob Bening, Cape Central
Daniel Seabaugh, Cape Central
GIRLS TENNIS
Anna Beth Williams, Kennett
Kayton Harris, Kennett
Darcy Campbell, Kennett
Grace Powderly, Notre Dame
Hattie Burdin, Notre Dame