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Thursday, November 20, 2008

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Charleston Puxico rolls, Lady Bears fall in district volleyball (10/28/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer BLOOMFIELD -- Puxico took charge early against Charleston and didn't let up as they won in two games Monday afternoon in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 tournament in Bloomfield, 25-9, 25-7. The Lady Indians will now face Bloomfield in the semifinals today at 5:30 p.m... Eagles hold off pesky Tigers (10/26/08) EAST PRAIRIE -- The East Prairie Eagles football team was able to hold on against the Tigers of Caruthersville to win 22-15 Friday night in East Prairie. The Eagles (6-3) came out strong in the first quarter, striking for touchdowns on their first two possessions with runs by Jordan Jarrett. The Tigers (2-7) also showed their ability to move the ball early on with 45-yard bomb from quarterback David Shaw to Jovon Hagerman... East Prairie wins battle of Mississippi County (10/19/08) CHARLESTON -- The East Prairie Eagles football team rolled the Charleston Bluejays 46-22 Friday night at J.H. Marshall Stadium in Charleston, gaining their first victory over the Bluejays since 1986. The Eagles (5-3), who had not won in Charleston since Lyndon B. Johnson was in the oval office (1965), were led offensively by star senior tailback MC Williams. Williams had five touchdowns and 312 all-purpose yards, in addition to four extra points... Teams take part in tournament pool play (10/17/08) ORAN -- Four local volleyball teams were vying for their chance at a conference title on Thursday night, as the SEMO Conference tournament opened up pool play. Sikeston, Oran, Charleston and New Madrid County Central each played one another once to determine the seeds for the rest of the tournament... 'Cats will need stout defensive effort against Eagles (10/16/08) There will be a lot on the line when the Dexter Bearcats host the New Madrid County Central Eagles Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium. In previous years, the Dexter-New Madrid game has been the last regular-season game for both schools, with the winner laying claim to both the Class 3, District 1 and SEMO Central Conference championships. This year the meeting will be the first district game for both schools, but the outcome will be no less important... Charleston comes out sluggish against undefeated Blackcats (10/12/08) CHARLESTON -- After the very much improved performance that the Charleston Bluejays had against the Dexter Bearcats last week, they could not carry that over into their game against the undefeated Fredericktown Blackcats this Friday as they fell 49-6... SHS season comes to a close (10/10/08) SIKESTON -- The Sikeston High School girls tennis team's 2008 season came to an end on Thursday at the Class 1, District 1 tennis tournament held at Sikeston High School. Sikeston performed well in their singles matches as Jacarra Lampkin made the quarterfinals before being ousted by Dexter's Katelyn Heil 6-2, 6-0. Lampkin defeated Jayne Rey of Arcadia Valley 6-1, 6-0 after receiving a bye into the second round... 'It's going to be a slugfest': Tribe to get test from tough Sikeston (10/09/08) The Sikeston Bulldogs have been a thorn in the side of the Kennett Indians over the last several years. While the Tribe beat Sikeston last season, the Bulldogs had not lost to Kennett since 2000 before then, including earning their first win of the season with a 21-13 victory at Kennett in 2006... Bearcats, Bluejays put on offensive display Friday (10/05/08) DEXTER -- An offensive powder keg exploded all over Charles Bland Stadium on Friday night. The Dexter Bearcats and the Charleston Bluejays compiled almost 1,000 yards of total offense between them with the Bearcats coming out on top of the high scoring affair in a close 49-42 final... Bearcats win shootout with Charleston (10/05/08) There was a shootout at Charles Bland Stadium in Dexter Friday night. And when the smoke had finally cleared, it was the Bearcats that were left standing after fighting off the Charleston Bluejays, 49-42, on Homecoming night. The game was an offensive bonanza for football fans, as the two teams raced up and down the field scoring at will. ... 'Cats open league play at home against Bluejays (10/02/08) Coming off their first win of the season, the Dexter Bearcats will be looking to make it two in a row when they host the Charleston Bluejays on Homecoming night at Charles Bland Stadium Friday. Dexter broke through for a 41-7 win over Malden last Friday, and will need another big effort against Charleston in the Bearcats' SEMO Central Conference opener... Sikeston soccer and tennis teams fall (10/01/08) JACKSON -- The Sikeston Bulldog soccer team fell to 2-12 on the season with a 4-0 loss to the Jackson Indians on Tuesday. A breakdown in the second half was the back-breaker for the Bulldogs in an otherwise tight first half. It was 1-0 Jackson at half time but three goals in a span of five minutes proved to much for the visiting Bulldogs... Sikeston volleyball earns win against Bluejays (09/30/08) CHARLESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs picked up another win on the volleyball court Monday evening as they defeated the Charleston Lady Bluejays 25-14 and 25-14. Sikeston finished the contest with 17 aces total. Leading the way in the stat column for the Lady Bulldogs was Asia Liggins with five kills, four aces and six digs, Madeline Davis with three kills, six aces, five digs and two blocks and Keyarra Blissett had three kills and three aces. Mandy Moore also had 11 digs in the victory... Jackson hands Sikeston loss on diamond (09/23/08) JACKSON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs softball team dropped a close one on Monday afternoon on the road to the Jackson Lady Indians, 2-0. The two runs were unearned, one coming in the second inning and the other in the third. Sarah Hopson was handed the loss as she lasted all seven innings. Hopson walked two and struck out three while only giving up three hits... NMCC pours on offense in rout of Charleston (09/21/08) CHARLESTON -- The running game of New Madrid County Central has been tough to stop pretty much all season long. Rotating between a combination of three running backs and a quarterback that all have the speed to break off a big gain at any time. They continued that trend on Friday night against the Charleston Bluejays... Sikeston netters fall at home to Lady Mules (09/16/08) SIKESTON-- The Sikeston Lady Bulldog Tennis team fell to the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules Monday 7-1. Sikeston's lone victory in the home meet came from Jacarra Lampkin, who defeated Poplar Bluff's Jessica Gray 8-5 in their singles match. "Jacarra (Lampkin) had a great singles match," Sikeston tennis coach Lynne DeWitt said. "She fought hard and won."... Jays roll to first win of season (09/14/08) CHARLESTON-- The Charleston Bluejays football team (0-2) met the Portageville Bulldogs (0-2) Friday night at Charleston's Marshall Athletic Complex. Both were looking for their first win of the season. However, it was the Bluejays who emerged victorious from the contest rolling the Bulldogs 49-0... Bluejays, Bulldogs seek first win of the season tonight in Charleston (09/12/08) CHARLESTON -- Both the Charleston Bluejays and Portageville Bulldogs have started the season with two losses in two games. One of those teams will end their winless streak on Friday night. The Bulldogs will travel to Charleston with injuries and eligibility problems plaguing their entire backfield. Both running backs, Demetric Trotter and D.J. Birdwell, have been battling shoulder problems that has stopped any contact with them during practice... Sikeston netter fall at Jackson (09/12/08) JACKSON-- The Jackson Lady Indians tennis team defeated Sikeston's Lady Bulldogs 9-0 Thursday in Jackson. "We played better today," Sikeston tennis coach Lynn DeWitt said. "Our goal is to improve every match and I feel that we are doing that. Even if the scores don't reflect it."... Rain suspends Lady Bulldogs tennis match (09/04/08) SIKESTON -- Rain played havoc in the Dexter and Sikeston tennis match Wednesday afternoon in Sikeston. Midway through doubles play the matches had to be suspended because of a steady light rain that left the courts too slippery to play. No make-up date has been announced... Bulldogs, Bluejays set to continue tradition (09/04/08) SIKESTON -- The 100th year of Sikeston Bulldog football continues on Friday evening as they welcome in the Charleston Bluejays for their 123rd meeting in the history of the two programs. The Bulldogs lead the series 84-34-4. Sikeston head coach Kent Gibbs is experiencing his second contest between the two schools, and in his first bout with Charleston his Bulldogs pulled off a 35-14 victory on their home turf. He said that there is a slight buzz in the locker room about the match-up... Charleston will try to build off 2007 playoff experience (08/31/08) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- It's always a good thing when a football team comes into a new season as a reigning champion. That is what the Charleston Bluejays will be doing this year after winning the Class 2 District 1 championship last season. Something that hasn't been done in Charleston since 2004... Tribe opens with shootout win (08/31/08) CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The bright lights of Friday night did not shine in the Charleston Bluejays favor during their season opening game at Charleston High School, as they fell to the Kennett Indians 32-22. The passing and receiving tandem that was Blake Parr and Jarvis Finley created all kinds of problems as well as the spread offense that the Indians used lining up four to five receivers at a time. ... Bluejays can't solve Kennett air attack (08/31/08) CHARLESTON -- The bright lights of Friday night did not shine in the Charleston Bluejays favor during their season opening game at Charleston High School, as they fell to the Kennett Indians 32-22. The passing and receiving tandem that was Blake Parr and Jarvis Finley created all kinds of problems as well as the spread offense that the Indians used lining up four to five receivers at a time. ... Oran rolls past St. Vincent for first win of the season (08/27/08) PERRYVILLE -- The Oran Lady Eagles started the season on a positive note Tuesday afternoon, defeating St. Vincent 14-0. Oran was held scoreless for the first three innings before breaking through for six runs in the top of the fourth inning. The Lady Eagles added three more in the fifth and five in the seventh... Upcoming events 7-22 (08/22/08) Monday Softball Farmington at Sikeston, 4:30 p.m. Kelly at East Carter, 4 p.m. Girls tennis Jackson at Charleston, 4 p.m. Tuesday Girls tennis Carbondale, Ill. at Sikeston, 4 p.m. Charleston at Kennett, 4 p.m. Softball Perryville at Sikeston, 4 p.m... Charleston will be unproven in the 2008 season (08/21/08) CHARLESTON -- Gaining experience will be the focus of the Charleston Lady Bluejays tennis team this year. Coach Seth Benton's squad is a young one. Losing five of the top six and seven of the top nine to graduation will mean a new look for the Lady Bluejays this season... Lady Bearcats to rely on Heil's experience (08/21/08) DEXTER -- Losing four out of six varsity players would definitely put any team in a rebuilding year situation for the upcoming season. But, for first year head coach Leanne Dooley and her Dexter High School girls tennis team's case, they have one half of the 2007 first place district doubles team and state qualifier Katelyn Heil returning to the squad as their leader on the court... Charleston building up program (08/20/08) CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Lady Bluejays volleyball team will face a rebuilding year in 2008. The Lady Bluejays lost most of their 2007 varsity team to graduation as the likes of Faye Parker, who was named to the all-conference team last year, Tiffany Johnson, Brittany Browning, Christian Haines, Emily Dugan and Brittany Stack will be hard to make up for... Charleston 2008 football schedule (07/18/08) Aug. 29 -- Kennett Sept. 5 -- at Sikeston Sept. 12 -- Portageville Sept. 19 -- New Madrid County Central Sept. 26 -- at Hayti Oct. 3 -- at Dexter Oct. 10 -- Fredericktown Oct. 17 -- East Prairie Oct. 24 -- at Malden Oct. 30 -- at Caruthersville No place like home: Redbirds sweep Charleston to stay perfect at Indian Park (06/06/08) After an impressive 10-0 win against Charleston in game one of Thursday's twin bill, Dunklin County's Junior American Legion squad had to pull out all the stops in an 11-10 victory in their final at-bat in game two. In game one, Dunklin County used a dominating pitching performance from Trey Bazzell to cruise to a 10-0 win in six innings. ... Charleston advances to district final (05/14/08) Bluejays battle weather and Red Devil comeback in Class 2 tourney Charleston rallies past East Prairie to advance (05/13/08) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- Usually with the game on the line and all options pointing in a specific player's direction, that particular athlete wants to be the one to put their team over the top with the game winning play. But, for Chase McClendon on Monday night, he was thinking differently... Oran breezes past East Prairie 12-1 (05/09/08) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com ORAN -- It was the long ball that gave the Oran Eagles an early lift in their last regular season game against the East Prairie Eagles on Thursday, as the blue Eagles pounded out 12 hits on their way past the red Eagles 12-1... Charleston baseball blasts Hayti (05/02/08) Charleston has 18 hits in 24-0 win over Indians Raiders pick up Jamarcus Williams (04/25/08) The Charleston grad is transferring from UT-Martin's football program to play basketball at Three Rivers. Notre Dame wins Miss. Co. wood bat tourney (04/21/08) Bulldogs explodes for six runs in fourth inning to defeat host team Sikeston walks off with win over Charleston (04/16/08) Bulldogs rebound from a three-game losing streak ROUNDUP: Sikeston tennis shuts out Mules (04/15/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com POPLAR BLUFF -- The Sikeston tennis team blanked Poplar Bluff 9-0 on the road Monday afternoon. "I thought we played well today," said Sikeston head coach Brian James. "It's only our second match, so we're behind some of these other teams that have several matches in and maybe a tournament or two in... Offenses post crooked numbers (04/09/08) By DAR STAFF ZALMA -- Joey Morey struck out seven and Greenville's offense dominated Zalma in a 25-2 win in five innings Tuesday. "I was pleased with our bats hitting the ball after a long layoff," Greenville coach Jason Hill said. "We had a good all-around offensive attack."... Dexter silences Charleston (04/09/08) Bearcat pitching holds Charleston to three base hits Dexter defeats Charleston, extends win streak to three (04/09/08) Dexter hitters banged out 10 hits and the Bearcats made it three straight wins with a 6-4 decision over the Charleston Bluejays Tuesday at the East City Park ball field in Dexter. Mason Noe, Caleb Miller, Matt Banken and Tyler Scott each collected two hits as the Bearcats improved to 6-1 on the year... Kelly earns first baseball victory, 7-4 at Charleston (04/08/08) Hawks defeat previously unbeaten Bluejays on the road Teams take advantage of wood bat tournaments (04/06/08) Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- Who could deny enjoying the natural sound of a wooden bat and a leather baseball connecting for a crisp line drive? Fans of "America's Favorite Pastime" surely cannot, and those fans should be delighted in the fact that many of the area's high school programs are getting more involved with the true pastime of the game, the wood bat... Rains making it difficult for teams to get in games (04/06/08) This spring is one of the worst in memory, say many local coaches Charleston baseball remains perfect (04/04/08) Charleston uses late runs to defeat NMCC Wednesday Lady Eagles walk past Charleston in extra innings (03/30/08) Winning run for East Prairie scores on walk in eighth Miller throws no-hitter for Bluejays (03/30/08) Charleston bats come alive on cold, windy Friday for 15-2 victory against East Prairie All-state team released (03/26/08) Eight local players honored by Missouri sports writers. Chaffee's hitting grounds Kelly (03/25/08) Barber pitches another complete game for Charleston Bearcats post win over "Jays (03/25/08) Aided by two forfeits, Dexter High School's tennis team recorded its first win of the season, 5-4, Monday at home over the Charleston Bluejays. With only five varsity players, Charleston was unable to field one doubles team and was short one singles player. Of the matches played, Charleston won four of the seven matches played, but the two forfeits, Dexter took he match, 5-4... Charleston baseball wins season opener (03/19/08) Junior Jamie Barber throws a complete game five-hitter for Bluejays NMCC shocks Charleston (02/27/08) Bluejays' run of six straight district titles comes to end Favored girls teams roll into semifinals (02/25/08) By Chris Pobst, Josh Mills and Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com PORTAGEVILLE -- The top-seeded teams rolled in the first round of the girls Class 3, District 1 tournament setting up semifinal action tonight. State-ranked Portageville will take on New Madrid County Central at 6 p.m. while Kelly and Caruthersville will battle at 7:30 p.m. with the winners playing for the district championship Thursday at 6 p.m... Seeds hold in first day of tournament (02/25/08) Scott City survives scare from No. 6 seeded East Prairie Scott City boys reach district semifinals (02/25/08) The Scott City boys basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Class 3 District 1 tournament with a 52-48 overtime victory Saturday over East Prairie in Portageville, Mo. The third-seeded Rams trailed the sixth-seeded Eagles 32-28 entering the fourth quarter, but rallied to send the game into overtime... Bluejays work overtime to beat Dons (02/20/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer DONIPHAN -- Whenever Charleston needed a basket Tuesday night, it turned to junior Donald Dixon. Dixon had eight of the Bluejays' 12 points in overtime and scored 29 as they moved past the Doniphan Dons, 56-54. "We wanted to get the ball to Don (Dixon)," Charleston coach Danny Farmer said. "Don can score and that is one of the things he does well. He is instant offense."... Charleston students place at bench press championships (02/18/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- The 2008 Eastern Missouri High School Benchpress Championships were held in St. Louis Feb. 9, with two Charleston students taking home honors. In the 123-pound weight class, James Naile, a freshman at Charleston High School, took fourth place with a final lift of 110 pounds, while Jamie Barber, a junior at Charleston High School won the State Championship in the 132 pound division. Barber's final lift was at 175 pound... A fresh start: Mules open senior night with 11-0 run (02/17/08) Chaligoj scores 30 points to lead Poplar Bluff past Charleston 73-57. Lady Tribe starts fast, wins big on Senior Night (02/15/08) The Kennett Lady Indians' seniors weren't the only one to step into the spotlight on Senior Night. Freshman Jerica Wheeler scored a team-high 14 points and sophomore Allyson Luce scored all six of her points in the first quarter to lead the Lady Indians to a 52-31 victory over the Charleston Lady Bluejays Thursday night at Kennett Middle School... Charleston utilizes bench to beat Portageville (02/10/08) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com PORTAGEVILLE -- The Portageville Bulldogs' district foe, Charleston, came to town Friday evening, stealing a victory from the home team. The Bluejays started with a different set-up on the floor to begin the game, and over the course of 32 minutes, nine players got involved in the 78-65 win... Charleston secures road win at Portageville; Richland upsets Clarkton (02/10/08) PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- The Portageville Bulldogs' district foe, Charleston, came to town Friday evening, stealing a victory from the home team. The Bluejays started with a different set-up on the floor to begin the game, and over the course of 32 minutes, nine players got involved in the 78-65 win... Charleston girls knock off Sikeston 44-29 (02/08/08) By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- The Lady Bluejays captured their second win of the season Thursday night after beating arch-rival Sikeston 44-29. The Lady Bulldogs had a hard time finding a handle on things without senior point guard Amber Minner, who was out due to sickness, as numerous turnovers and an unsteady tempo seemed to plague the visiting team throughout... Charleston, New Madrid standouts sign letters of intent (02/07/08) Allen Hemphill and Corey Rowe will play college football for Lindenwood University. Charleston's defense too much for Jackson (01/30/08) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- The balance of power never swayed toward the Jackson Indians Tuesday evening, as they strolled into Charleston expecting a major victory, but instead were handed a 15-point loss, 63-48, at the hands of the Bluejays... Charleston boys cool off Jackson with 63-48 SEMO Conference win (01/30/08) CHARLESTON -- In its climb to the top of the SEMO Conference and superiority in Southeast Missouri, the Jackson boys basketball team has beaten Notre Dame twice, Sikeston twice and Cape Central three times. But the Indians don't have the answer for Charleston, the Class 3 defending state champion that has ridden a roller coaster to a 13-7 record... Kelly girls roll past Charleston (01/29/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com BENTON -- The Charleston girls fell to the Kelly Lady Hawks Monday night by the final score of 60-31. "It was a good game for both teams, but it was a big win for us because of districts," said Kelly head coach Rod McQuerter. "I'm just proud of the girls. They came out and played hard with a positive attitude."... Perryville girls rout Crystal City (01/29/08) Perryville outscored Crystal City 24-6 in the second quarter to help secure the 62-34 road win in girls basketball action Monday. Ava Johnson scored 16 for the Pirates (15-4) to lead the way. Kendra Schilli chipped in 12, and Alicia Kueker netted 11 in the win... Tribe routed by defending state champion Charleston (01/27/08) CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Charleston Bluejays showed the Kennett Indians why they are the defending Class 3 state champions and one of the area's most tradition-laden programs, taking a 21-point lead over the Tribe to the break on the way to a 79-49 rout here Friday night... East Prairie shocks state-ranked Hayti (01/27/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com HAYTI -- The East Prairie Eagles stunned state-ranked Hayti " on the road Friday 66-49. "We are extremely pleased with the way our kids played tonight against a very good Hayti team," said East Prairie coach Matt Schonoff. "I think this is the best game we've played all year."... Puxico faces Cubs in Stoddard County final (01/25/08) By DAR STAFF Puxico will get another shot at the state-ranked Bell City Cubs. The Indians will face Bell City in the championship game of the Stoddard County tournament at 8:30 p.m. tonight. The Cubs won the last meeting between the two teams, a 69-62 overtime game at Puxico... ROUNDUP: Charleston finishes off Malden (01/23/08) By DAR STAFF CHARLESTON -- Charleston held on to defeat Malden on Tuesday night, 75-60. Malden brought it to a 55-50 game with six minutes still left, but the Bluejays went on to outscore the Green Wave 18-8 to close out the game and earn their second-straight win... Charleston turns aside Malden (01/23/08) Charleston ends game on an 18-8 run to get 12th win Charleston snaps losing streak with win vs. Metro (01/21/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com ST. LOUIS -- The Charleston Bluejays ended a four-game losing streak with a 51-33 win over the Metro Panthers on Saturday. The Bluejays led 26-18 at halftime and outscored Metro 11-4 in the third quarter to seal the win... Charleston's Johnson signs with Jefferson College (01/21/08) Paul Johnson, a senior at Charleston High School, signed a letter of intent Friday, to play baseball at Jefferson College in Hillsboro. In the 2007 season for the Bluejays, Johnson played in 25 games, hitting .524 in 82 at bats, with an on-base percentage of .660. ... New Madrid, Scott Central girls win (01/18/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com NEW MADRID -- The NMCC Lady Eagles won their second consecutive game Thursday night, defeating Charleston at home 54-42. NMCC (7-10) led 29-13 at half and were able to hold on for the victory. The Lady Eagles were led in scoring by Tameika Williams who finished with 17. Shameika Williams and Jasmine Flennoy finished with 16 and 15 respectively... Caleb Johnson, Scott County Central (01/16/08) Scott County Central senior Caleb Johnson came up big Friday night in Charleston. The 6-foot-1 post player came in a little undersized against Charleston's forwards, but he got the job done with a game-high 26 points in the Class 1 Braves' 75-70 victory against the defending Class 3 state champion... Notre Dame beats Charleston (01/16/08) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CAPE GIRARDEAU -- When the Charleston Bluejays lost in the semifinal round at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, the Notre Dame Bulldogs used a 40-point performance by senior Ryan Willen to advance to the championship round... Notre Dame boys defeat Charleston a second time this season (01/16/08) Notre Dame's Ty Williams used a simple three-word phrase to sum up the way his teammate, Mark Himmelberg, played Tuesday against Charleston. "He was money," Williams said. "It seemed like every time we needed the big shot, we'd kick it out to him and he'd knock it down," Williams added... Scott County Central races past Charleston (01/13/08) Braves win rebounding battle on way to win over state-ranked Charleston Malden clobbers Bloomfield; Royals slip past Mules (01/13/08) High School Roundup Johnson leads Scott County Central past Charleston (01/12/08) CHARLESTON -- Scott County Central showed on Friday that it has done something to fix that leaky baseline in its full-court press. The Braves won their fifth straight game, dominating defending Class 3 state champion Charleston 75-70 after limiting the Bluejays to 43 points through three quarters... New Madrid pins loss on Charleston boys (01/09/08) Eagles led by as many as 12 before late Charleston push cut lead to two points Delta, Scott City girls grab opening wins (01/08/08) Fast start paces Lady Bobcats in win over Charleston at Scott-Mississippi tournament Bollinger, Howard lead Jackson girls' romp past NMCC (01/08/08) Cassandra Bollinger scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Jackson girls basketball team to a 69-27 victory against New Madrid County Central on Monday. Ashten Howard tied for the team lead with seven rebounds, and added 11 points for Jackson (8-3)... Sikeston gets bragging rights over Charleston (01/06/08) Sikeston handles Charleston with 56-47 victory and first home win against Bluejays since 1999-2000 season. Rivalry brings out best in Charleston, Sikeston (01/06/08) By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- Packed crowd, intense basketball, bragging rights. Just another typical game in the Charleston/Sikeston basketball rivalry. "It's a very old rivalry, but a pretty friendly rivalry," said Sikeston assistant basketball coach Brian James, who has played and coached for the Bulldogs. "I know usually both teams play extremely well against each other. It's a cliche, you throw the records out the window and it's definitely true in this situation."... Charleston falls to Notre Dame in semifinals (12/30/07) Top seed unable to overcome Notre Dame's Ryan Willen Charleston overpowers Central (12/30/07) Charleston's Brian Parham was a bit in awe over the performance by his teammate Antonio Riggens in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Saturday. Riggens poured in 21 points, including hitting five 3-pointers, to help the No. 1 Bluejays beat No. 7 Central 63-46 in the third-place consolation game at the Show Me Center... Guards deserve respect (12/30/07) You won't find much love for the true point guards on the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament's all-tournament team. In fact, you found very few of them on the ballot, despite several standout performances. "Point guards are the most underestimated people," said Jackson shooting guard Jake Leet, who assisted backcourt mate Marcus Harris against Notre Dame's press in the tournament's championship game. ... Willen puts up 40 in Bulldogs' victory (12/29/07) Notre Dame's Ryan Willen admitted on the first day of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament that if there was any team he'd like to face this week, it was Charleston. The 6 foot 8 center missed the first five games this season with a stress fracture in his ankle, and during that stretch the Bulldogs dropped a 30-point decision to the Bluejays... Scott County falls, Charleston advances in Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament (12/28/07) Notre Dame too much for Scott Central in anticipated match-up of touted teams Fifth-place semifinal 2: Scott City bounces back, Bell City does not (12/28/07) The Scott City Rams sent No. 2 seed Bell City home from the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament with a 53-55 victory in a fifth-place bracket semifinal. Shae Simmons scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the Rams. Jay Simmons added 18, including one trey... Top-seeded Bluejays roll into semifinals (12/28/07) Charleston's Donald Dixon is tired of earning the top seed in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament each year with his Bluejays team and then not winning the championship. His teammates are, too. "I want it real bad," Dixon said. "We've been working hard for it. We're going to continue to play hard because we really want this tournament."... Seeds hold true for first round of Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament (12/27/07) Oran runs past Leopold, will face Charleston today Christmas tourney Quarterfinal 1: Charleston hammers Oran 76-45 (12/27/07) By RACHEL CRADER ~ Semoball.com The top-seeded Charleston Bluejays scored the first eight points of their quarterfinal game with Oran and never stopped filling the basket in a 76-45 victory. Charleston's Donald Dixon led the charge of nine different scorers for Charleston with 30 points. The junior put up 26 points in the first half alone. Also in double digits were Antonio Riggens and Brian Parham with 13 points each... Bluejays christen tourney with rout (12/27/07) The 63rd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament got off to a familiar start for the Charleston Bluejays. Playing the first game of the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fifth-straight year, the Bluejays rolled past the 16th-seeded Delta Bobcats 97-41... GAME 1: Charleston crushes Delta in Christmas Tournament (12/26/07) The 63rd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament got off to a familiar start for the Charleston. Playing the first game of the tournament as the No. 1 seed for the fifth-straight year, the Bluejays rolled past the 16th-seeded Delta Bobcats 97-41... Bell City eager to defend Christmas tournament title (12/24/07) Third-year Bell City coach Brian Brandtner says one of the finest moments he has experienced while leading the Cubs came when his team won last year's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. "Growing up in the area and being around the Christmas tournament as a small child on up, my whole life, the teams you watch only win it so often," he said. "So it's such a great honor to win it. That was absolutely a special moment."... Top local teams will be on display in Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament (12/23/07) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CAPE GIRARDEAU -- It's Christmas time again, and that can only mean one thing for area high school basketball fans. The Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament has had a tradition of almost always delivering some of the best high school basketball competitions. This year should be no exception... Bell City eager to defend (12/23/07) Third-year Bell City coach Brian Brandtner says one of the finest moments he has experienced while leading the Cubs came when his team won last year's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. "Growing up in the area and being around the Christmas tournament as a small child on up, my whole life, the teams you watch only win it so often," he said. "So it's such a great honor to win it. That was absolutely a special moment."... STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL POLL (12/19/07) The Missouri state high school boys and girls basketball rankings, as compiled by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Records are through Sunday. BOYS CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 3 CLASS 4 CLASS 5 GIRLS CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 3 CLASS 4... Sikeston, New Madrid County Central advance in Twin Rivers consolation bracket (12/18/07) Lady Bulldogs and Lady Eagles will meet Thursday in semifinals of the consolation bracket Charleston loses thriller (12/17/07) Scott Central, Bell City each rally for win, and East Prairie loses at Heartland Hoopfest Neelyville girls pull off upset of Doniphan (12/17/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- Neelyville jumped out to a quick lead against heavily favored Doniphan and held on for the upset, 63-54, Saturday in the first round of the Lady Royals Classic. "Inexcusable," Doniphan coach Jimbo Blackwell said of his team's performance... Charleston routs Caruthersville 93-32 (12/16/07) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays basketball team won in impressive and quick fashion Friday night over the Caruthersville Tigers, 93-32, with the mercy clock running the entire fourth quarter. The Bluejays started out hot and never looked back with big performances from Brian Parham, Donald Dixon and Antonio Riggens... Delta runs away from Lady Bluejays (12/14/07) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com DELTA -- The Charleston Lady Bluejays made a trip to Delta Thursday night, only to come up short against the Delta Lady Bobcats, 56-25. Although the Lady Jays were only behind by five points at the end of the first quarter, 17-12, Delta went on to outscore them 39-13 in the remaining three quarters of play... Notre Dame swimmerssweep three-team meet (12/14/07) Notre Dame took first place in all 11 events as it rolled at the St. Vincent three team girls swimming meet Thursday. Brittany Menz and Lauren Castleman led the Bulldogs by aiding in the victories by the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Castleman also won the 50 freestyle and Menz won the 100 freestyle... Twin Rivers pulls away for win vs. Kelly (12/12/07) Standard Democrat staff reports BROSLEY -- Twin Rivers pulled away from Kelly by controlling the midsection of the game, outscoring the Hawks 55-29 in the second and third quarters in a 79-45 win Tuesday night that pushed their record over the .500 mark... Dexter girls defeat district rival Fredericktown (12/11/07) Portageville stays unbeaten by routing Campbell; Central girls rout Charleston 71-27 (12/11/07) The Central girls basketball team put on a dominant performance at home against Charleston, allowing only nine points in the second half, in the Tigers' 71-27 victory Monday. Four Central players scored in double digits, including Wendi Zickfield, who led the way with 14 points... Back to back: Charleston repeats at SEMO Conference tournament champion (12/09/07) By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays repeated as SEMO Conference champions Friday night after knocking off the Jackson Indians 63-56. In what proved to be a see-saw battle between Charleston's athleticism and Jackson's size, the Bluejays managed to pull away in the end with steady pressure and clutch shooting down the stretch... Jackson's boys bid for title falls short (12/08/07) SIKESTON, Mo. -- Because the Charleston boys basketball team struggled shooting from the outside during Friday night's SEMO Conference tournament championship game, the Bluejays went to Plan B -- the inside game. By the end of the night, the Bluejays had demonstrated their ability to hit from inside, outside and in transition during a 63-56 victory against Jackson... Williamson's 38 leads Bloomfield past East Carter (12/07/07) By DAR STAFF Kyle Williamson scored a game-high 38 points and capped off the night with a one-handed slam as the Wildcats pulled away from East Carter in the second half for a 81-59 win. Williamson also connected on four of Bloomfield's six 3-pointers... Bluejays rout Notre Dame in SEMO Conference semifinal (12/07/07) By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays will try to repeat as SEMO Conference Champions tonight after beating the No. 1 seed Notre Dame Bulldogs in Thursday's semifinals 77-47. Charleston wasted no time after the opening tip off as they took control on both ends of the court, leading with their signature defense and finishing with their newlysparked offense... Risco sees early lead slip away in loss to Delta C-7 (12/07/07) By Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com DEERING -- The Risco Tigers saw an early lead disappear in the fourth quarter as they fell to the Delta C-7 Chargers, 82-74. "We played extremely well in the first half," said Risco coach Brandon Blankenship. "Kyle White was on fire, hitting five threes and finishing with 19 in the half, but their point guard (Damian Flowers) had 19 at the half as well."... Top-seed ND falls in semis to Charleston (12/07/07) SIKESTON, Mo. -- Notre Dame was without two of its top players in Ryan Willen and Austin Greer when it took the court against Charleston in the semifinals of the SEMO Conference tournament on Thursday. Charleston's Jerquawn Sherrell said his team was aware of Notre Dame's vulnerabilities with the absence of Willen and Greer, both sidelined with injuries... Eagles oust 'Cats from SEMO Conference tourney (12/06/07) SIKESTON -- New Madrid County Central's Koney Ealy scored a game-high 18 points and was an imposing figure around the basket as the Eagles defeated the Dexter Bearcats, 51-44, during SEMO Conference tournament action Wednesday at Sikeston. Dexter only trailed 23-20 at the half, but the Bearcats went ice cold in the third period and could only manage five points in the frame as the Eagles pulled away for an 11-point advantage, 35-25... HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Coaches all-state team (12/05/07) All-state football teams for classes 1 through 5, selected by the Missouri High School Football Coaches Association: Portageville girls beat Charleston to remain perfect (12/04/07) Dexter blows out Senath; Notre Dame too much for NMCC Bluejays get past New Madrid County Central (12/04/07) Charleston advances in SEMO tournament, as do Dexter and Cape Central 'Cats play there way in to SEMO tourney (12/04/07) SIKESTON -- Kevin Hart poured in 24 points to lead the No. 9 Dexter Bearcats to a 55-49 win over No. 8 Kennett in one of two play-in games to open the 2nd Annual SEMO Conference Tournament at Sikeston Monday. The 6'3" senior did most of his damage inside, posting up and crashing the boards for offensive rebounds. ... SEMO tournament tips off Monday (11/29/07) Notre Dame has No. 1 seed (List of games at bottom of story) Charleston's pressure too much for Dexter (11/28/07) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON -- The Dexter Bearcats traveled east on Highway 60 to Charleston Tuesday night, where the Bluejays were back to winning form, defeating Dexter by a score of 75-54. "We're not too bad," Charleston head coach Danny Farmer said. "(But) we have a long way to go."... Bearcats drop opener to Charleston Bluejays (11/28/07) CHARLESTON -- Charleston's Fred Pratt and Donald Dixon combined for 45 points as the Bluejays defeated the Dexter Bearcats at home, 75-54, Tuesday in the regular-season opener for both teams. It was the first game of the season for the Bearcats, while the Bluejays improved to 2-1 on the season after going 1-1 at the Riverbend Classic Tournament this weekend at New Madrid... Sikeston Standard Democrat Football Dream Team (11/27/07) Here are the players selected to the Sikeston Standard Democrat's Dream Team for high school football: New Madrid County Central turns up pressure to grab first win (11/26/07) Charleston falls to talented Memphis Central squad, 79-47 Scott County Central impressive in opener (11/25/07) By Chris Pobst ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com NEW MADRID -- The Scott County Central Braves (1-0) opened their season in impressive fashion Friday night at the Riverbend Classic in New Madrid, as they went on to rout the West Memphis (Ark.) Blue Devils 87-64... Jackson defense collects honors (11/25/07) The Jackson defense was certainly an important reason why the Indians advanced to the Class 5 state semifinal game against Waynesville this fall. The Indians' defense allowed 125 points in 12 games for an average of 10.4 points per game. So it is not too surprising that players from this group earned seven of the 13 spots on the SEMO-North all-conference defensive team and six of 11 spots on the all-region defensive team... SEMO Central all-conference team (11/24/07) First team Offense Quarterback -- Ben Mills, 5-11, 170, sophomore, Dexter Running back -- Lennies McFerren, 5-9, 185, sophomore, New Madrid County Central Running back -- Demetrius Childress, 6-1, 160, senior, Kennett Running back -- Nick Hessling, 5-10, 175, junior, Dexter... Charleston girls win opener against Meridian (11/21/07) Sherrell paces the Lady Bluejays with 25 points in victory Riverbend Classic set for 13th year (11/21/07) By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com NEW MADRID -- With Thanksgiving Thursday, everybody knows that the day after can only mean one thing ... the busiest shopping day of the year? Not quite, as this Friday, New Madrid County Central will kick off its 13th annual Riverbend Classic... High school football area leaders (11/09/07) Offense Scoring Rushing Passing Receiving DEFENSE Tackles Sacks Fumble Recoveries Interceptions ---... Charleston loses a heartbreaker against Crystal City (11/08/07) The Hornets won the Class 2 sectional football game 29-28 with a two-point conversion in the final minutes. Bluejays hope to take sting out of the Hornets (11/06/07) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com CHARLESTON--It's playoff time again in Charleston, but as the Bluejays prepare for battle this week, it will be under the lights of the football field, not on the hard wood in the gym. After starting the season on a slower note than head coach Dan Kesselring probably would've liked, the Bluejays have come on strong when it was necessary, taking the district title and heading right into the postseason... Charleston, district title slips past Green Wave (10/28/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer CHARLESTON -- The football slipped away from the Malden Green Wave time and time again Friday night, just like the team's chance to clinch the district title. "It's going to be tough to keep the kids motivated now because all we have left to play for is pride," said Malden head coach Gary Blaylock following a 27-14 loss to Charleston... Charleston wraps up district with 27-14 victory against Malden (10/28/07) Chris Pobst ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON - The Charleston Bluejays (3-6) did not let the rain wash away their district title hopes Friday night, as they clinched the Class 2 District 1 championship by defeating the Malden Green Wave (3-6) 27-14. "The kids fought hard," Charleston head coach Dan Kesselring said. "The first half we struggled. Second half we came out, we were determined to win this ball game and get a district title, so you have to give all the credit to the kids."... Title shot: Malden faces Charleston for district edge (10/25/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer While there are district games on the schedule for next week, the winner of Friday's game between Malden and Charleston can pretty much take home the Class 2 District 1 title. Both teams enter the game sporting 1-0 district records and the winner Friday at Charleston will have the all-important first tiebreaker... Charleston runs past East Prairie for district football win (10/21/07) Chris Pobst ~ Standard Democrat EAST PRAIRIE -- The Charleston Bluejays (2-6) were able to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers Friday night, as they defeated the East Prairie Eagles (1-6) 34-12 in the battle for Mississippi County. “Offensively, I thought we did a great job moving the ball,” Bluejays coach Dan Kesselring said. ... Twin Rivers sets up volleyball showdown with Scott City (10/23/07) The Royals beat Bloomfield 25-20, 25-16. Charleston tennis ousted in Class 1 sectional against Burroughs (10/15/07) Staff reports ~ Standard Democrat ST. LOUIS -- The season came to an end for the Charleston Lady Bluejays tennis Saturday morning. John Burroughs defeated Charleston 5-0 in the Class 1 sectional match to advance to the quarterfinals. In the other sectional held at John Burroughs, Clayton defeated Kennett 5-2. In the quarterfinal match, John Burroughs defeated Clayton 5-0... Sikeston grabs top seed with 4-2 pool play mark in SEMO volleyball (10/12/07) Andrew Powell ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The SEMO Conference Volleyball Tournament kicked off Thursday night at the Sikeston Field House with entry level pool play. Four teams battled it out over a five hour span with one exciting game after another to determine their seeding for the bracket-play this weekend. Each team competed against one another in two game sets to see who gain the top spot in the tournament... Kennett ends Sikeston's tennis season (10/10/07) Charleston downs Dexter to advance to Saturday's sectionals. Lady 'Cats fall to Charleston in team sectional playoffs (10/10/07) CHARLESTON -- Except for the doubles team of Amanda Dooley and Katelyn Heil, the tennis season came to an end for the Lady Bearcats when they dropped a 6-3 decision to the Charleston Lady Bluejays in a team sectional match Tuesday at Charleston. Dooley and Heil, by way of their first place finish at the Class 1, District 2 tournament Thursday, earned an automatic berth in the MSHAA tournament... Bearcats push aside Bluejays (10/07/07) By ALEX ABATE ~ Sports Writer CHARLESTON -- It wasn't a very happy homecoming for Charleston on Friday night. The Dexter Bearcats scored early and often as they beat the host Bluejays 33-7 and moved their season record back to .500 at 3-3. "Defensively, I felt like we bent a little bit, but I felt like we played well," Dexter coach Aaron Pixley said... Bearcats get physical to defeat Charleston 33-7 (10/06/07) The Bluejays fall to 1-5 with homecoming loss. Sikeston tennis wins first district championship (10/05/07) David Jenkins ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs tennis team won their first district title Thursday afternoon, led by the stellar singles play of senior Jenni DeWitt and freshman Campbell Moore. DeWitt, the top seed in the singles bracket, cruised to her third straight Class 1 District 1 title, winning every match by a score of 6-0, 6-0... Dexter doubles team captures district crown (10/05/07) SIKESTON -- Dexter's Amanda Dooley and Katelyn Heil steam-rolled the competition to capture the Class 1, District 2 doubles title and help the Lady Bearcats to a third-place team finish Thursday at Sikeston. After receiving an opening round bye, the Dexter duo knocked off four teams to capture the title, losing just three games along the way in the best-of-three sets district format... Dexter looks for win at Charleston Friday (10/04/07) Dexter will be looking to continue its recent dominance over Charleston when the Bearcats take to the road for a SEMO Central Conference clash with the Bluejays Friday. The Bearcats have won the last five meetings between the two schools by a combined score of 174-58, but Charleston is always explosive and capable of scoring from anywhere on the field at any time... Charleston tennis takes two on Saturday (10/01/07) Charleston beat John Burroughs and Clayton NMCC eighth-graders edge Charleston (10/02/07) Staff reports ~ Standard Democrat NEW MADRID -- The eighth grade New Madrid County Central Eagles had to fight to remain unbeaten Thursday in a matchup with the Charleston Bluejays. The Bluejays, who had just come off a big win over Jackson, played with confidence all day long but it was NMCC who came out the winner 16-8... Elusive Hayti slips past Charleston (09/30/07) The state-ranked Indians had three players rush for more than 100 yards. Hayti runs past physical Bluejays (09/30/07) CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Hayti Indians marched into John Harris Marshall Field Friday night to take on the Charleston Bluejays in what proved to be a tough gridiron show-down. In the end, the Bluejays found their grasp to be out of reach as the Indians slipped by with the victory, 39-20... Charleston tennis tops Sikeston 6-3 (09/25/07) Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Charleston Lady Bluejays pulled out a tough match against the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs on the road Monday, 6-3. The most exciting match of the day was the No. 1 doubles match between Sikeston's Jenni DeWitt and Campbell Moore and Charleston's Jade Schwieger and Lindsay Burke. DeWitt/Moore won 8-6 the match that was filled with long rallies and many winners from both sides... Sikeston volleyball pounds Charleston in straight sets (09/25/07) Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON - The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs volleyball team improved its record to 7-9-2 on the season, by defeating the visiting Charleston Lady Bluejays on Monday night by scores of 25-17 and 25-14. "It was good to get the win," Sikeston head coach Steve Beydler. "We started out a little flat. The second match was even at 9-9, then we focused and outscored them 16-5."... New Madrid County pulls away from Charleston in second half (09/22/07) New Madrid returns two interceptions for TDs in the second quarter. Kennett aces Sikeston in girls tennis (09/21/07) Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston girls tennis team found the going tough against the visiting Kennett Lady Indians Thursday afternoon, losing 7-2. Sikeston's Jenni DeWitt kept her undefeated singles season going with an 8-1 victory over Kennett's Brook Burcham. Sikeston's only other win on the day came in doubles play when the team of DeWitt and Campbell Moore beat Kennett's team of Burcham and Susan Shetley 8-0... Charleston tennis doubles up Dexter again (09/20/07) Staff reports ~ Standard Democrat DEXTER -- The Charleston Lady Bluejays tennis team traveled to Dexter and left with a 6-3 win Wednesday afternoon. Charleston coach Seth Benton was pleased with his girls performance, especially after a tight 5-4 loss to Carbondale Tuesday on the road... Charleston beats DHS in rematch (09/20/07) There was no curtain call for "Act II" of Dexter vs. Charleston. By the same score as the first time the two girls tennis teams met, is was Charleston that once again proved they have the deeper squad as the Lady Bluejays defeated the Lady Bearcats, 6-3, Wednesday at the Dexter High School courts... Sikeston, Charleston tennis teams suffer losses (09/19/07) Staff reports CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs tennis team dropped a tough match to Cape Central 8-1 Tuesday afternoon. The lone bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs came from top singles player Jenni DeWitt, who defeated Cape Central's Sarah Ford 8-4... Bluejays fly past Portageville 38-13 in football (09/17/07) Josh Mills ~ Standard Democrat PORTAGEVILLE -- On a night where two hungry clubs met up, Charleston took the bigger bite, defeating the Portageville Bulldogs on their home turf by a score of 38-13. It was obvious from the start that Charleston was out for blood, as they jumped all over Portageville's offense from the opening kickoff. Charleston forced three fumbles in the first three minutes of the first quarter... St. Vincent captures Perryville Invite title (09/16/07) Brooke Brown, Sarah Dewilder and Kelsey Cissell were named to the all-tournament team as they helped St. Vincent win the Perryville Invitational volleyball tournament Saturday. Tournament scores St. Vincent def. Bismarck 19-25, 25-11, 25-18; St. Vincent def. ... Charleston's Burke, Schweiger hope for return to state tournament (09/14/07) Jeff Arenz ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- Lindsay Burke and Jade Schwieger have been only playing prep tennis together for the last four years, but the Charleston natives have been friends for life. On Saturday, Burke and Schwieger, who qualified for the MSHSAA state finals in 2006, teamed up to win the doubles tournament at the Sikeston Invitational. For that performance, Burke and Schwieger have been selected as The Standard-Democrat's "Athletes of the Week" for the period of Sept. 3-9... Charleston slips by Sikeston in girls tennis (09/12/07) Staff Report ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Lady Blue Jays tennis team hosted the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday afternoon, handing the Lady Bulldogs a loss by a final score of 5-4. Sikeston's Jenni DeWitt was in usual form, taking care of Charleston's No. 1 Jade Schwieger, 8-0. At No. 2 singles, Sikeston's Campbell Moore was victorious over Allison DeField, winning by a score of 8-3... Whiteside chosen for Arkansas State Hall of Fame (09/12/07) Charleston native pitched in major leagues. DeWitt wins singles title in Sikeston tennis tournament (09/10/07) Staff Report ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Invitational was held Saturday morning at the Sikeston High School tennis courts, displaying talent from four prep teams in the surrounding area, including Sikeston, Charleston, Fredricktown and Kennett... Sikeston runs by Charleston for 35-14 victory (09/09/07) Jeff Arenz ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- On Friday night at the Sikeston Public Schools Stadium, Gaviland Bland provided the shoulders and Jarian Wims carried the load. Bland ran for 105 yards and four touchdowns while Wims added another rushing TD on a game-high 136 yards as the Sikeston Bulldogs rolled over the Charleston Blue Jays 35-14... Sikeston leading rusher Jackson out with injury (09/07/07) The sophomore was injured during the opening win against Caruthersville. Leopold sweeps Meadow Heights (09/05/07) Leopold remained undefeated in high school girls volleyball Tuesday night, defeating Meadow Heights 25-16, 25-12. Leopold, winners of the recent Woodland tournament, improved to 3-0. Cassi Jansen, Casey Bucher and Maddy Hastings each had seven kills for the Wildcats. Cassie Seiler had 20 assists... Prep football standings: Week 1 (09/04/07) Friday's Games Central at NMCC Parkway North at Jackson Charleston at Sikeston Poplar Bluff at Blytheville, Ark. Portageville at Scott City Chaffee at Mountain View Liberty Hayti at Malden East Prairie at Corning, Ark. Kennett at Caruthersville Dexter at Festus... Charleston tennis team beats Dexter (09/04/07) Staff reports ~ Standard-Democrat CHARLESTON -- With four victories in singles competition and two more wins in doubles, the Charleston High School girls tennis team defeated Dexter 6-3 Tuesday. Lindsay Burke (No. 3), Mary Kate Renaud (No. 4), Kayla McKenzie (No. 5) and Chelsea Stallings (No. 6) won their matches for the Lady Bluejays. Burke was an 8-3 victor over Emily Vines, Renaud topped Catherine Kinchen 8-3, McKenzie knocked off Kristyn Lemons 8-2 and Stalling upset Kendra Rinehard 8-3... Tribe wins first opener since 2002 (09/02/07) When Kennett coach Kirk Welch was asked before the season if he thought his team had heart, he said that he would not know until his team actually played. He got his answer Friday night. Blake Parr hooked up with Cameron Conder on a 45-yard yard touchdown pass with just over eight minutes left in the game, and the Indians' defense came up with two big stops in the final four minutes as Kennett rallied past the Charleston Bluejays 21-19 in the season opener at Metz Cherry Stadium... Charleston sweeps Malden in volleyball (08/31/07) Lady Jays improve to 2-1. Tribe looking to get off to good start against Bluejays (08/30/07) There has been a sense of excitement buzzing around the Kennett Indians entering the 2007 high school football season. Attitudes are better. There are more bigger, faster athletes on the field than there was last season. After a forgettable 2006 season, the road to making the 2007 one to remember begins in earnest Friday night when the Tribe hosts the Charleston Bluejays at Metz Cherry Stadium... Charleston tennis shut out by Cape Central (08/24/07) CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Not only was the Charleston High School girls tennis team on the receiving end of a shutout Thursday, but just two Lady Bluejays players managed to score during singles competition at Cape Central. No. 1 Jade Schwieger and No. 6 Chelsea Stallings each score one point apiece during a pair of 8-1 losses to Sarah Ford and Sami Gross, respectively... Lady Indians down Naylor for first win; Charleston rolls past Kennett in tennis (08/22/07) NAYLOR, Mo. -- The Kennett Lady Indians erupted for 10 runs in the top of the seventh inning, then held off a furious Naylor rally in the bottom of the inning to take a 12-9 win in high school softball here Tuesday. "It's always nice to get that first win," Kennett coach Laurie Vaughan said afterwards. "We would have liked to have got it (Monday), but they stepped up today, fought hard and showed their desire to win."... Charleston tennis beats Kennett 8-1 (08/22/07) Staff reports ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- Charleston's girls tennis team continued it's winning fashion on Tuesday afternoon, defeating Kennett 8-1. For Charleston, the victory was its second consecutive of the season against no losses. Even the only match the Bluejays lost was a close one... Oran, Charleston, East Prairie has all-state players (06/27/07) Derek James ~ Standard Democrat JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association released the high school all-state baseball teams for all classifications for the 2007 season Tuesday. Five players from the area were represented on the team... ALL-STATE BASEBALL (06/26/07) The all-state team from the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association: Justin Clark file (06/25/07) Class: Senior Height: 6-4 Weight: 195 Honors: Among his numerous accolades, Clark was named All-State in football and basketball during his career. '07 Highlights: Clark battled injuries early in the football season but was still one of the best corners in the region. In basketball, Clark led the Bluejays to a state title while averaging a team-leading 17 points per game... Standard Democrat's Athlete of the Year: Justin Clark (06/25/07) Charleston senior was a standout on the football field and the basketball court. SEMO Central Division football schedules (06/11/07) Aug. 31 -- Sikeston Sept. 7 -- Kennett Sept. 14 -- at Cardinal Ritter Sept. 21 -- Hayti Sept. 28 -- New Madrid County Central Oct. 5 -- Festus Oct. 12 -- at Dexter Oct. 19 -- at Malden Oct. 27 -- East Prairie, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 1 -- at Charleston --- Aug. 31 -- at Kennett... Area digest (06/10/07) Cape Ford and Sons Legion falls to Festus The Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons American Legion baseball team suffered its second loss of the season Saturday night as host Festus posted a 7-4 win. Cape (8-2) had seven hits, led by Mark Himmelberg with three. Matt Hester added two hits, including the game's only home run... FINAL TRACK HONOR ROLL (05/29/07) Top 10 performances in each event as reported in the five newspapers that are media partners with Semoball.com, through the state meet May 26: (Note: Performances in preliminaries and by individuals in relay meets are not included; only events where an individual is eligible to score points for his or her team.)... Scott City reaches Class 2 district final (05/16/07) Shae Simmons went 2-for-4 with a triple and struck out eight batters in 4 1/3 innings of pitching to lead Scott City past Charleston 14-3 in the semifinal round of the Class 2 District 2 at Charleston. The game was stopped after five innings due to the 10-run rule... Bluejays end Kelly's season with upset in district baseball (05/16/07) Derek James ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON - The sixth-seeded Charleston Bluejays pulled off a first-round upset in stunning fashion as they defeated No. 3 Kelly 18-7 on Monday in the Class 2, District 2 Tournament at Hillhouse Park. Charleston opened an 11-0 lead in the top of the third inning and never looked back. ... ND, St. Vincent soccer teams will meet for district title (05/15/07) Top-seeded Notre Dame and No. 2 St. Vincent eked out one-goal semifinal wins Monday to move on to the championship of the Class 1 District 1 girls soccer tournament in Perryville. The Bulldogs (15-2-1) edged No. 4 Perryville 2-1 in one semifinal, and No. 2 St. Vincent knocked off No. 3 Sikeston 1-0 in the other semifinal. The championship game is 4:30 p.m. Wednesday... Old rivals Scott City, Chaffee may cross paths (05/14/07) Scott City is one of the hottest baseball teams in the area, having won nine of its last 10 games. Chaffee finished its regular season at 15-9, one of its best regular seasons in years. The Scott-Mississippi Conference rivals have the top two seeds in the Class 2 District 2 tournament which begins today in Charleston... Class 2 sectional results from Principia (05/12/07) Girls 100 Meter Dash Girls 200 Meter Dash Girls 400 Meter Dash Girls 800 Meter Run Girls 1600 Meter Run Girls 3200 Meter Run Girls 100 Meter Hurdles Girls 300 Meter Hurdles Girls 4x100 Meter Relay 5) Courtney Meyers 5) Iesha McDaniel 5) Britany Albus... BASEBALL, GIRLS SOCCER DISTRICT BRACKETS (05/11/07) Check out the schedules for the upcoming tournaments. BASEBALL, GIRLS SOCCER DISTRICT PAIRINGS (05/11/07) BASEBALL Class 4 District 1 (at Hillsboro) Monday, May 14 -- First round: (4) Seckman vs. (5) Fox, 4 p.m.; (3) Hillsboro vs. (6) Poplar Bluff, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15 -- Semifinals: (1) Cape Central vs. Seckman or Fox, 4 p.m.; (2) Jackson vs. Hillsboro vs. Poplar Bluff, 6:30 p.m... Class 1 District 1 Boys Tennis results (05/10/07) Results from the Class 1 District 1 boys tennis district tournament Thursday at Sikeston: Track honor roll (05/10/07) BOYS AND GIRLS top performers through May 9 Sikeston takes aim at another district tennis championship (05/09/07) Derek James ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Class 1, District 1 tennis tournament will kick off tomorrow morning at Sikeston High School at 9 a.m. Sikeston, the defending district champion and winners of five of the last seven district titles, will have its hands full with newcomer Farmington added to the field. However, Sikeston coach Brian James is optimistic about his team's chances... MSHSAA members vote to expand football playoffs (05/04/07) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor There won't be a separate playoff for private schools, but the postseason bracket for football will expand in 2008. Missouri State High School Activities Association member schools voted 321-92 against a proposal to split the public and nonpublic schools into separate playoffs for every sport except football... Semoball Girls Track Honor Roll (05/03/07) Top 10 performances in each event as reported in the five newspapers that are media partners with Semoball.com, through April 29... Central, Jackson will be represented at state golf meet (05/01/07) Central golfers Tim Simmons and Jordan Sheets, and T.J. Smith of Jackson each earned a berth in the state tournament by way of a top-10 finish at the Class 4, District 1 tournament Monday at the Eagle Lake Golf Course in Farmington. Poplar Bluff earned the automatic team berth as district champion, finishing 12 strokes ahead of runner-up Oakville. Central finished fifth and Jackson was ninth in the 10-team district... Kesselring to return to Charleston football sidelines (04/30/07) SEMO News Service CHARLESTON -- A familiar face will be back on the sidelines at Charleston as Dan Kesselring has been named the new head football coach for the Bluejays. Kesselring was previously the head coach at Charleston from 1992-1999, compiling a career record of 44-39... HS Roundup: Oran squeezes past Saxony Lutheran (04/27/07) Standard Democrat staff reports ORAN -- The Oran Eagles squeaked past Saxony Lutheran, 4-3, on Thursday. Oran (13-4) tallied the winning run on Tyler Beardslee's suicide squeeze bunt which scored Chase Seyer in the fifth inning. Alex Chasteen picked up the victory in a complete game effort... Notre Dame baseball squeezes past Sikeston (04/25/07) Blake Gaddis brought home Brett Heischmidt with a squeeze play for the game-winning run in the sixth inning as Notre Dame's baseball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the sixth inning Tuesday for a 3-2 home win over Sikeston. Chad Friend tied the game with an RBI double, and Dylan Drury started Notre Dame's three-run sixth with a solo home run... Central's Williams earns victory No. 250 (04/24/07) Central edged Francis Howell 7-6 on Monday in a makeup game from the Jeffco Showcase, as Tigers coach Steve Williams recorded his 250th career victory. Blake Slattery, Matt Hester and Alex Shell had three hits apiece for the Tigers (10-6), who ended a two-game losing streak... Charleston pushed Stoutland before losing wood bat opener (04/22/07) Larry Lewis ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays opened the Mississippi County Wood Bat Classic against the Stoutland Tigers, the state's second-ranked Class 1 team, at Hillhouse Park on Friday. Charleston (3-9) battled undefeated Stoutland (9-0) on even terms before dropping a 10-9 heartbreaker in 12 innings... Sherrell signs with Moberly (04/19/07) Derek James ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- The Charleston Bluejays basketball program has a long list of outstanding point guards that have come through the school. Add senior Shawn Sherrell to the ever-growing list. On Tuesday, Sherrell signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Moberly Community College... Sikeston baseball defeats Charleston (04/18/07) Derek James ~ Standard Democrat CHARLESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldog baseball team improved to 10-2 with a 6-1 victory against Charleston on Tuesday at Hillhouse Park. The Bulldogs rode the arm of senior hurler Jerod Scott to victory. Scott had a shutout through six innings, allowing Charleston's only run in the bottom of the seventh... Twin Rivers hammers Doniphan 13-2 in softball (04/18/07) DAR STAFF Carlee Vancil and Bethany Keirsey teamed up to lead the Lady Royals to a five-inning 13-2 Ozark Foothills Conference win against Doniphan on Tuesday. Keirsey, who hit in the leadoff spot, finished 4-for-4, including a triple, with three runs scored. Vancil went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Vancil's bases-loaded double in the second inning broke the game open... Twin Rivers hammers Doniphan 13-2 in softball (04/18/07) DAR STAFF Carlee Vancil and Bethany Keirsey teamed up to lead the Lady Royals to a five-inning 13-2 Ozark Foothills Conference win against Doniphan on Tuesday. Keirsey, who hit in the leadoff spot, finished 4-for-4, including a triple, with three runs scored. Vancil went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Vancil's bases-loaded double in the second inning broke the game open... Central baseball storms past Eagles (04/18/07) Garrett Stevens belted a home run and drove in three runs to help propel Central to a 13-0 victory over New Madrid County Central in a SEMO Conference baseball game Tuesday. Brad LaBruyere picked up his third win of the season on the mound, striking out nine in five innings of work. He added a double at the plate... Sikeston's inaugural relays meet a success (04/17/07) SIKESTON -- Poor weather has been area track and field teams' biggest obstacle this season, but that wasn't the case on Monday. For the first time in weeks, nice weather came through the area giving Sikeston a good kickoff for its inaugural Sikeston Twilight Relays on Monday evening at SPS Stadium... 'Cats battle back to defeat pesky Bluejays (04/11/07) CHARLESTON -- The Dexter Bearcats battled back and defeated the Charleston Bluejays at Hillhouse Park on a blustery Tuesday afternoon, 17-8. Trailing 8-6 heading into the top of the fourth, Dexter scored 11 unanswered runs in the final four innings. The Bearcats plated five runs in the fourth inning and five more in the seventh to get past the pesky Bluejays... B.A. Sports event set for April 13-14 (04/01/07) The annual B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza will take place April 13 and 14 this year at the Bess Activity Center in Poplar Bluff. The two-day event again will feature a volleyball game Friday, followed by two boys basketball games and a girls basketball game Saturday. In between the boys basketball games Saturday, players will take part in a skill competition with a slam-dunk contest and a 3-point shooting contest... HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL | All-state (03/28/07) The Missouri high school all-state basketball teams and final rankings as voted on by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. BOYS Class 5 First team -- Reggie Chamberlain, 6-0, sr., Raytown; George Goode, 6-8, sr., Raytown South; Logan Gray, 6-2, sr., Rock Bridge; Nick Larson, 6-6, sr., Liberty; Josh McCoy, 6-4, jr., Fort Zumwalt South; Sam Pearson, 6-1, sr., Hazelwood Central; Leon Powell, 6-7, sr., Vashon; Richard Rose, 6-3, sr., Troy; Torres Roundtree, 6-3, jr., McCluer North; Colby Smith, 6-2, sr., St. ... Central, St. Vincent fall in tourney semis (03/24/07) The winner of the Noon Optimist Girls Soccer Tournament will not come from the four area squads, as St. Vincent and Central dropped semifinal games Friday at Central. St. Vincent fell to Marion (Ill.) 3-1, while Central dropped a 1-0 decision to Sikeston... Willen, Burger add to honors with player of the year awards (03/22/07) Notre Dame junior Ryan Willen and senior Kristain Burger brought home player of the year awards Wednesday from the annual all-SEMO Conference basketball banquet in Poplar Bluff. Both had been honored by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association earlier this month when the 10-player Class 4 all-state teams were announced... High School basketball: All-Region (03/20/07) Class 5 Boys First team -- Jake Leet, 6-3, jr., Jackson; George Hamilton, 6-1, so., Central; Hunter Grantham, 6-5, jr., Jackson; Antonio Garritano, 6-5, jr., Jackson; T.J. Stonecipher, 6-3, sr., Poplar Bluff Coach of the year -- Darrin Scott, Jackson... Charleston reaches Class 3 state final (03/16/07) The Charleston boys basketball team, in its fifth consecutive Class 3 final four appearance, advanced to its third straight championship game. Now the Bluejays will bid for their first state championship since 1996 when they play Kansas City Pembroke Hill today... Perfect LaPlata confronts Bell City (03/16/07) The sting of second place is not quick to go away. For the Bell City boys basketball team, the moment the buzzer sounded on last year's 74-61 championship loss to Jefferson, thoughts turned to next year. "It was immediately after," Bell City coach Brian Brandtner said. "Immediately following the game, that's what we talked about in the locker room. Now we have the opportunity to do what we've talked about for a year."... Bluejays end Malden's year in sectionals (03/08/07) POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- After Charleston's 80-59 workman-like victory against Malden in the sectional playoffs Wednesday at Peters Gym, there was little celebration. A couple high-fives. A hug or maybe two. A quick huddle and a short cheer at center court after the Green Wave had left the hardwood for the friendlier confines of the locker room... Scoreboard (03/08/07) Wednesday's Scores Boys Class 2 sectionals At Poplar Bluff South Pemiscot 56, South Iron 44 At Park Hills Eskridge 53, Puxico 40, OT Class 3 sectionals At Poplar Bluff Charleston 80, Malden 59 Girls Class 2 sectionals At Poplar Bluff Ellington 59, Campbell 34... Delta girls, Bell City boys capture Class 1 crowns (03/03/07) GREENVILLE -- The Delta girls basketball team remained perfect and set up yet another sectional matchup with rival Scott County Central by routing second-seeded Lesterville 56-35 on Friday in the finals of the Class 1 District 2 tournament. The Bobcats, ranked No. 1 in Class 1, improved to 26-0. Delta will face Scott County Central (19-7) in the sectional round Tuesday at Poplar Bluff High School. This will be the fourth straight sectional meeting between the teams... Small schools launch district tournaments today (02/24/07) Three area basketball squads will be seeking return trips to the state final four as the district tournaments begin today for Classes 1 through 3. Advance and Bell City each made the final four on the boys side last year, while Delta made it on the girls side. All three will carry top seeds in their respective districts, as will Scott County's boys and Scott County, Kelly and St. Vincent on the girls side... Time is ripe for JHS boys to end drought (02/19/07) The Jackson boys basketball team has gone eight seasons since its last district title, suffering district-championship defeats in two of the previous three seasons. With the five-time defending district champion Poplar Bluff Mules weakened by graduation and only one other team with a winning record in the new six-team district, the time seems right for the top-seeded Indians to strike... Scott Co. Central upends Doniphan (02/14/07) Drew Thomas, Caleb Johnson and D.D. Gillespie combined for 66 points to lead the Braves in a 74-70 home win against Doniphan in the battle of state-ranked teams. Scott County Central (19-4) entered the game as the No. 7 team in the state's Class 1 poll, while Doniphan (19-3) was No. 5 in Class 3... Notre Dame boys breeze past Central (01/31/07) Rival boys bask