Hard work is paying dividends with Caruthersville athletics

A Caruthersville High School athlete takes part in a recent football Combine event at Charles Bland Stadium at Dexter High School.

Tom Davis ~ Tdavis@semoball.com

High school athletes returned to the fields, diamonds, gyms, and weight rooms this week following a mandated week break by the MSHSAA last week, and no school is seeking to continue its positive mojo more so than those athletes and coaches at Caruthersville High School.

“There are a lot of coaches (at Caruthersville),” third-year Tiger baseball coach Joey Middleton said recently, “who are grinding it out. We are working hard to help set a culture here that includes that work ethic.”

The Tigers won 14 games in boy’s basketball last season, improved from two to 10 wins in softball, scored points at the MSHSAA Boy’s Track and Field State Finals, tripled its win total in volleyball from the previous season, and under Middleton, had its most successful baseball season in seven springs.

“Right now,” recently hired Caruthersville Athletic Director Dom Guglielmo explained, “we’re in a really good stride of improving in all of our sports.”

No one would know that better than Guglielmo, who is entering his third autumn of leading the Tigers’ football program.

The Caruthersville football program was staggering after losing its head coach early in the 2021 season, and a run of 12-plus winning seasons ended with a combined five wins in 2020 and 2021.

Guglielmo came into town and has led the program to 11 combined wins over the last two seasons, including seven in 2023.

“I think that there are a lot of good things going on at Caruthersville, especially athletically,” Guglielmo said. “The building is just populated with great athletes.”

Middleton, who also is an assistant coach with the Tiger football program, said that the drive to succeed is contagious, and the young people and their mentors feed off each other.

“Any head coach within this (school district),” Middleton explained, “they are working extremely hard. The players are starting to follow suit.

“It is special to see the culture go in the right direction. That is what is going on over here.”

The Tiger fall athletes will officially begin their seasons on August 12 with the football team opening its season at home against St. Pius X (Festus) on August 30 at 7 p.m.

The Caruthersville girl’s tennis and volleyball squads open their fall seasons in September.