ROUNDUP: Redbirds edge Naylor in eighth (10/01/08) By DAR STAFF ELLSINORE -- East Carter rallied with six runs in the fourth inning before getting one in the eighth to move past Naylor 7-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Derek Saffle hit a grounder to third base that scored Austin Stephens to give the Redbirds the win...

ROUNDUP: Puxico volleyball rallies past Bloomfield (09/30/08) By DAR STAFF After dropping their first match Monday night, the Puxico Indians bounced back to beat Bloomfield, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22. "The first one they were a little bit down," Puxico coach Karen Hazel said. "They picked it up though. They were determined."...

ROUNDUP: Poplar Bluff wins volleyball battle of Mules (09/23/08) By DAR STAFF BERNIE -- Six different players had two or more kills for Poplar Bluff and the Lady Mules combined for 13 blocks in a 25-16, 25-20 win Monday night at Bernie. "A true team effort," Lady Mules volleyball coach Mike Berry said. Blake Talkington led Poplar Bluff (8-6) with five kills, while Jamie Fritts added four kills and three solo blocks and five block assists...

Clearwater Tigers beat former coach's new Tigers (09/23/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- Justin Dobbins was back on the field Monday at Clearwater but this time he was wearing a purple pullover and purple hat as the coach of the Neelyville Tigers. Clearwater won 5-3 against its former coach, the same man that just last spring, took them all the way to the state quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Scott City...

ROUNDUP: Clearwater rallies with 12-run inning to beat Van Buren 15-14 (09/17/08) By DAR STAFF VAN BUREN -- The Clearwater Lady Tigers scored a dozen runs in the sixth inning and held on for a 15-14 win Tuesday over Van Buren. It was Clearwater's first win of the season. "We showed a lot of heart by not quitting," Clearwater coach Shannon England said...

Clearwater's Logan Morris no-hits Twin Rivers (09/16/08) By DAR STAFF Logan Morris was dominant from start to finish Monday afternoon, as he allowed no hits in a 10-0 win over Twin Rivers. "Logan has had a really dominating fall," Clearwater coach Joe McCallister said. "He has had really good command. Right now, he is doing all the things I'm asking him to do, pitching well and getting ahead in the count, using his breaking ball at the right time."...

Naylor's Lane tosses no-hitter (09/09/08) By DAR STAFF Chelsea Lane threw a no-hitter Monday as Naylor beat Neelyville 4-0. Lane had 10 strikeouts and just two walks in the win. "She kept them off-balance and is starting to hit her spots," Naylor coach Gene Deckard said. "She was hitting the corners and moving the ball around."...

Clearwater rallies past Ellington for three-set win (09/05/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- Even though Clearwater lost the first game Thursday night, they sent the Ellington Lady Whippets a message. The Lady Tigers were down early but finished on an 11-6 run before Ellington won. However, Clearwater came out strong in the second game, rallying for a 22-25, 25-16, 25-9 win...

ROUNDUP: Doniphan softball slips past Twin Rivers (09/03/08) By DAR STAFF DONIPHAN -- Doniphan scored a run in four different innings as the Donettes moved past Twin Rivers 4-3 Tuesday afternoon. "I thought our kids were really focused," Doniphan coach Brad Phillips said. "In the past, Twin Rivers has really had Doniphan's number and we were fortunate enough to hang in there and battle and get the win."...

ROUNDUP: Royals turn triple play but fall to Camels (08/27/08) By DAR STAFF Twin Rivers fell to Campbell 8-2 Tuesday afternoon but did turn a triple play in the process. Campbell's Cody Huber popped up a bunt attempt and Royals pitcher Garrett Stockton made a diving catch and threw to Jon Stevenson at second who threw to first base to complete the play...

Clearwater softball back on familiar ground (08/21/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- After a tough off-season, the Lady Tigers are getting back on their feet. The flood last March hit the Clearwater softball team especially hard as it flooded out their field and washed away the dugouts and fencing, leaving virtually nothing familiar. However, with help from the community and others even outside the state, the Lady Tigers field is expected to be ready for their first game...

Clearwater pounces on Warhawks (05/20/08) Tigers scored four runs in first inning to set pace in win

Clearwater rallies, beats Twin Rivers (05/18/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer Clearwater waited until it had to have a hit Friday afternoon to get something going. The Tigers were down 7-4 to Twin Rivers in the Class 2 District 3 title game going into the bottom of the seventh inning before they got three runs to tie the game at seven and send it to extra innings. A bases-loaded walk to Jake Hime in the bottom of the ninth gave the Tigers the win, 8-7 at Strenfel Memorial Field. It was the second straight district title for the Tigers...

Strong finish leaves Hillis fourth (05/14/08) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor REPUBLIC -- Trent Hillis stormed back Tuesday at the MSHSAA Class 4 state golf championship but the Poplar Bluff sophomore couldn't catch Kevin Kring. Hillis birdied two of his final three holes and finished with the only sub-par round of the day but ended up fourth, three strokes back...

ROUNDUP: Sixth-seeded Greenville advances (05/13/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer The Greenville Bears didn't pay attention to the seeds of the Class 2 District 3 tournament. Behind ace Joey Morey, the No. 6 seed Bears scratched across two runs and beat No. 3 seed Alton on Monday at Raider Field, 2-0...

Bluff's Hillis in hunt for all-state honors (05/13/08) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor REPUBLIC -- Trent Hillis didn't like how he played the first round of the MSHSAA Class 4 state golf tournament Monday, so he was surprised to see his name among the leaders. The Poplar Bluff sophomore shot a 4-over 76 at Island Green Golf Course and is tied for 14th, five shots off the lead heading into today's final round...

Pitching dominates OFC softball field (05/04/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer When the Ozark Foothills Conference softball tournament gets underway Monday at Three Rivers' Rains Field, there is no telling what may happen. With rain wiping out a good portion of the season, teams enter the tournament with little in the way of actual game experience. That could be a factor, especially in the first round, as opponents may face each other for the first time since last fall...

ROUNDUP: Neelyville, Twin Rivers softball roll (05/02/08) By DAR STAFF Chelsea Lane held the Lady Tigers to three hits, and the Lady Eagles used their speed and baserunning to overwhelm Clearwater 11-0. "They're one of the best-hitting teams around," Clearwater coach Shannon England said of the Lady Eagles...

Clearwater's Swofford throws no-hitter in defeat (04/22/08) By DAR STAFF Clearwater's Tisha Swofford threw her third no-hitter in four games but walked eight as the Lady Tigers lost 5-0 Monday at Greenville. The Lady Tigers had their best chance to score when Lydia Wymore led off the second inning with a double, only to be stranded on second as Sara Condray retired the next three hitters in order...

Clearwater tops Bears for fifth straight win (04/22/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer GREENVILLE -- Clearwater had to pull out all the stops Monday afternoon. After the Tigers blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning against host Greenville, they scored one in the eighth and held on for the win, 4-3. "Sometimes you have to win them ugly," Clearwater coach Justin Dobbins said. "Sometimes heart and guts have got to come through when you are not playing real well."...

ROUNDUP: Parish, Vancil toss no-hitters (04/18/08) By DAR STAFF Libby Parish and Carlee Vancil each pitched no-hitters Thursday to lead their teams to wins. Neelyville 11, Clearwater 0 Parish struck out four and walked one at home for Neelyville. Parish found her success by forcing Clearwater into ground ball after ground ball...

Homers key surge in Clearwater's win against Neelyville (04/18/08) By ALEX ABATE ~ Sports Writer NEELYVILLE -- Clearwater was happy to open the floodgates Thursday afternoon. The Tigers scored eight runs in the bottom of the third inning on the way to a 13-0 win over host Neelyville in five innings. "This was just a real good team effort," Athletic Director Louis Bell said, filling in for Justin Dobbins, who served a one-game suspension for being ejected from Wednesday's game...

Clearwater rallies, edges Dons 2-1 (04/17/08) Smith's homer in ninth is difference

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...

ROUNDUP: Greenville rallies, walks away with victory in eighth (04/15/08) By DAR STAFF The Greenville Bears rallied from a three-run deficit to force extra innings and scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk to defeat Naylor 8-7 in eight innings Monday. D.J. Robinson went 3-for-5 and scored three times while Joey Morey went 3-for-4 and also scored three times for the Bears...

ROUNDUP: Clearwater, Naylor win (04/14/08) Naylor's Lane strikes out 17 in shutout.

Mules golfers back on top (04/08/08) Poplar Bluff wins title by 22 strokes

Oran, Chaffee baseball teams remain unbeaten (04/03/08) Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com ORAN -- The Oran Eagles (3-0) routed the Clearwater Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. On a no-hitter by Steven Dooley the Eagles were lifted past the Tigers 14-0 in five innings of play. Dooley faced 17 batters in his five innings of work, striking out 10 while allowing only two walks...

ROUNDUP: Clearwater softball falls 19-16 in opener (04/02/08) By DAR STAFF WINONA -- After the recent flooding and the loss of a new field, the Clearwater softball team saw its first action of the season, falling in a wild game on the road Tuesday. "We were just happy to be on the field," Clearwater coach Shannon England said...

Doniphan players lead OFC selections (03/27/08) DAR Staff The All-Ozark Foothills Conference was led by three Dons and a pair of Lady Eagles. Charles Wilson, Chandler Wilson and Tyler Collins led Doniphan to the OFC title while coach Jason Andrews was named Coach of the Year. Clearwater, Naylor and Twin Rivers each placed two players on the team. Luke Hillis and Kyle Randolph qualified from Clearwater, while Eagles Travis Thomas and Caleb Johnson and Royals Kenny Johnson and Dylan Stockton were also honored...

Clearwater softball field destroyed by flooding (03/23/08) Doniphan will probably go on the road for a while due to the flooding.

ROUNDUP: Bloomfield rallies past Kelly; Naylor wins in OT (02/20/08) By DAR STAFF BLOOMFIELD -- Kyle Williamson's layup with three seconds left Tuesday gave Bloomfield an 80-79 win over Kelly. The winning basket completed a Wildcat charge from a 17-point first-half deficit and gave Williamson a total of 19 points in the game, all in the second half...

ROUNDUP: Puxico holds off Bloomfield; Naylor rallies (02/15/08) By DAR STAFF Puxico jumped to a 17-9 lead after the first quarter and held off a run to beat Bloomfield 71-58 Thursday night. "We just came out and really asserted ourselves," Puxico coach Josh Dowdy said. "J Hon hit three 3s in the first quarter and that really opened us up."...

Naylor boys top Clearwater for third place in OFC (02/08/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- It wasn't a pretty win by any means, but the outcome for Naylor was a satisfying third-place finish in the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament as the Eagles held off Clearwater 41-35 Thursday. The Eagles scored six of the final 10 points after Kyle Randolph pulled the Tigers to within four points with a long two-point jumper from near the top of the key 2 minutes into the fourth quarter...

Doniphan returns to OFC final (02/06/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- Doniphan took an early lead and never allowed Clearwater the chance to make a close game of it Tuesday, advancing to the championship game of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament with a 51-36 win. After playing the top-seeded Dons close for the first 2 minutes of the game, the Tigers succumbed to intense defensive pressure applied on the ball, resulting in numerous turnovers...

Lady Royals, Donettes win in OFC tourney (02/04/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- Saturday marked the fourth meeting of the season between the Twin Rivers and Neelyville girls and the Lady Royals defended their home court to take a 3-1 series lead with a 60-56 win. The Lady Royals overcame a 50-47 deficit in the fourth quarter to advance to a semifinal against top-seeded Naylor on Tuesday...

Clearwater, Naylor advance in OFC tournament (02/03/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- The first day of competition at the Ozark Foothills Conference tournament provided little drama and one impressive individual scoring effort as No. 4 seed Clearwater and No. 3 seed Naylor both advanced to the semifinal round in the boys' bracket...

A game-by-game preview of the OFC tournament (02/01/08) Here's a game-by-game look at the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament, which starts Saturday at Twin Rivers. BOYS (1) Doniphan The defending champion Dons have a first-round bye as the top seed and will face the winner of the Clearwater-Neelyville matchup on Tuesday. ...

ROUNDUP: Doniphan clinches OFC boys title (01/30/08) By DAR STAFF Doniphan clinched the regular-season OFC title Tuesday with a 65-31 win over Clearwater. Charles Wilson scored 25 points for the Dons (15-4, 6-0 OFC). Mitch Granier and Greg Davis each scored eight points. Luke Hillis scored 13 points to lead Clearwater, which trailed by five after one quarter before getting outscored 17-6 in the second...

ROUNDUP: Vaughn's free throw lifts Campbell (01/29/08) By DAR STAFF CAMPBELL -- Courtanie Vaughn's free throw with no time remaining gave Campbell a thrilling 50-49 win over Senath on Monday. Vaughn pulled up behind the 3-point line to attempt a game-winning shot as time wound down, drawing a foul in the process...

Ellington rallies, beats Liberty 61-60 (01/27/08) BY DAR STAFF Ellington overcame a 14-point first quarter deficit and then dodged a bullet in the end to hold on Friday night for 61-60 victory over Liberty. The Eagles had the ball down four with four seconds left and got to within one on a 3-pointer before time ran out...

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...

Doniphan boys, Naylor girls have top seeds in OFC brackets (01/24/08) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer Doniphan and Naylor took the top seeds in the upcoming Ozark Foothills Conference boys and girls tournaments, which will take place Feb. 2-7 at Twin Rivers. The championship games will take place Feb. 8 at Three Rivers Community College...

ROUNDUP: Advance Hornets sting Campbell in OT (01/18/08) By DAR STAFF Advance held on for a 63-58 overtime win over Campbell on Thursday night. Justin Fowler made a 3-pointer for the Camels with less than 15 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 53. However, David VanGennip made 7-of-8 from the free throw line in overtime to propel Advance to the win. He finished the game with 27 and Jacob Bond added 14 points in the win...

Dexter stops Bernie; Green Wave rolls to win (01/13/08) By DAR STAFF Kevin Hart scored a game-high 28 points and David Hessling added a season-high 13 to lead Dexter to a 57-48 win Friday over visiting Bernie. "Kevin is a good scorer for us offensively and he wants to carry that load for us, but I think David Hessling may have played his best game of the season," first-year Dexter coach Rob Nichols said. "He showed some leadership, played good defense and really brought a lot of intensity to the game."...

Sophomores carry Clearwater past Neelyville (01/09/08) By BRAD HURT ~ Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- The wait is over for Clearwater. The Tigers rode the shoulders of sophomores Ethan Scott and Luke Hillis to their first win of the season as they downed visiting Neelyville 64-55 on Tuesday. Scott and Hillis tied for the game high with 21 points each, with Scott scoring seven key points in the fourth quarter to help Clearwater pull away...

Donettes surge past Ellington (01/08/08) By DAR STAFF Doniphan outscored Ellington 21-5 in the third quarter, rallying to win 67-53 Monday night on the road. "We didn't play well early and they did," Doniphan coach Jimbo Blackwell said. "We were just fortunate enough to find some energy in the second half."...

ROUNDUP: Jackson girls surge past Doniphan for 45-39 win (01/04/08) By DAR STAFF Jackson overcame a one-point halftime deficit and outscored the Doniphan Donettes 8-2 over the final 2 minutes to break a tie and come away with a 45-39 win. "We had our chances," Doniphan coach Jimbo Blackwell said. The Donettes (6-3, 1-2 SEMO) got the game off to a good start and held a five-point lead after the first quarter before the Jackson defense turned up the pressure...

Portageville, Kelly advance in Lady Royals Christmas Classic (12/19/07) By Josh Mills ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com BROSELEY -- The Lady Royals Christmas Classic continued play on Tuesday night, as Dexter, Naylor, Kelly and Portageville all notched victories. In the third game of action, the Kelly Lady Hawks took down the Clearwater Lady Tigers by a score of 49-34...

Twin Rivers presses Kelly for win (12/12/07) By DAR STAFF 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. Kenny Johnson led the Royals (4-3) with 19 points, while Kyle Oberkramer followed his big game on Saturday with 12 points...

Puxico's balance too much for Clearwater (12/05/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer PUXICO -- When the Puxico Indians needed to distance themselves from visiting Clearwater on Tuesday night, they looked to the outside. J Hon hit three of Puxico's five 3-pointers as the Indians put away the Tigers 57-41...

Woodland slips past heavy-hearted Tigers (10/30/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer GREENVILLE -- In the days leading up to the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 tournament, the Clearwater Lady Tigers had anything but volleyball occupying their minds. "We couldn't prepare for this match real well," said Clearwater coach Rae Jean Fuchs, citing the recent deaths of a Clearwater student and her father in a car wreck. "We tried our best, we just weren't ready to play."...

Lady Royals earn sweep against Bernie in volleyball (10/03/07) By DAR STAFF BROSELEY --Twin Rivers edged Bernie in two close games Tuesday night, 30-28 and 25-23. Tosha Woodham had seven kills and five blocks for the Lady Royals while Briana Johnson had six kills. Kaylee Blue had 10 assists and Jordan Sentell had 15 digs in the win...

Clearwater grabs third place in OFC tournament (10/05/07) By BRAD HURT ~ Sports Writer Clearwater ended the Ozark Foothills Conference tournament with a win, although it didn't come in the game the Tigers had hoped. Instead of taking home the conference title, the tournament's top seed claimed third place with an 8-4 win over sixth-seeded Naylor, which finished third last year...

Doniphan knocks off top-seeded Clearwater with late rally (10/03/07) By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer Doniphan rallied in the top of the seventh inning and held off Clearwater to advance to the Ozark Foothills Conference championship game with a 5-4 win Tuesday afternoon at Raider Field. "It's a big win," Dons head coach John Mark Merriman said, "but we have to get ready for tomorrow."...

Clearwater shakes off slow start to beat Neelyville in baseball (09/18/07) By ALEX ABATE ~ Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- Clearwater's Jake Hime got off to a rough start but was able to shrug it off Monday afternoon against visiting Neelyville. After giving up two runs in the first inning, Hime settled in and allowed just one run in the final six innings as the Tigers offense flourished in an 8-3 win...

East Carter trims winless Clearwater 5-4 in eight innings (09/14/07) By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Staff Writer ELLSINORE -- Even though Clearwater had lost eight games going into a tilt against East Carter, the Lady Tigers showed no signs of a team that was struggling. With the game tied 4-4 in the eighth, Clearwater loaded the bases with two outs, but Tesha Swafford grounded out to third base to end the threat...

Van Buren scores 34 runs in softball win against Clearwater (09/12/07) By DAR STAFF Van Buren put on a scoring clinic Tuesday, posting 34 runs on the board in a 34-13 victory over Clearwater. The Lady Bulldogs batted around in the second, third and sixth innings, scoring eight runs in the second, eight in the third and seven in the sixth...

Clearwater edges Twin Rivers 8-6 in baseball (09/11/07) By BRAD HURT ~ Sports Writer BROSELEY -- Whenever rivals clash, it's sure to be an intense battle. Monday was no exception for Clearwater and Twin Rivers. The two teams put on a hitting display, each putting 10 baseknocks in the book, as the Tigers maintained their spot at the top of the OFC and knocked the Royals from the ranks of the unbeatens with an 8-6 victory...

BA Promotions Volleyball Classic -- Day 1 scores (09/07/07) Friday Night Pool Play Scores St. Louis Notre Dame def. Holcomb 25-19, 25-5 Cape Central def. Clarkton 25-11, 25-7 Bernie split with Jackson 25-14, 25-23 Scott City def. Twin Rivers 25-13, 25-16 Leopold def. Perryville 25-6, 25-14 Cape Notre Dame def. Oak Ridge 25-11, 25-8...

Neelyville softball needs just five hits in 14-1 win (09/05/07) The Tigers accepted 11 walks from Clearwater.

Clearwater baseball edges Doniphan 9-8 in 13 innings (09/04/07) DAR staff Clearwater and Doniphan were having so much fun Thursday they decided to keep right on playing. The teams battled it out for 13 innings in a game that lasted just over four hours before Clearwater came out on top, 9-8. "We were trying to see who could last the longest," said Doniphan coach John Mark Merriman. "I couldn't ask for more out of any more out of my guys."...

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...

Greenville wins softball opener against Clearwater (08/24/07) Greenville 14, Clearwater 3 Tara Porter went 2-for-2 with a triple and drove in four runs to help the Lady Bears to a home victory in their season opener against Clearwater. Sara Condray struck out five and scattered five hits in five innings to pick up the win...

ALL-STATE BASEBALL (06/26/07) The all-state team from the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association:

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.)...

Clearwater baseball edged by West County (05/24/07) By TROY HYDE ~ Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- Clearwater's sectional baseball game against West County on Wednesday featured a lot of offense and several hard-hit balls. And a coin flip might have decided the outcome as the Bulldogs batted last and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to advance, 9-8...

Back in business: Clearwater returns to baseball playoffs (05/22/07) By TANNER KENT ~ Sports Writer No need for any repair work this week for the Clearwater Tigers. Not after rolling right through the MSHSAA Class 2 District 3 tournament with nary a stutter. Not after outscoring their district opponents by a combined score of 21-2. Not after looking so crisp and so sharp...

Clearwater makes statement with Class 2 district title (05/18/07) By Tanner Kent ~ DAR POPLAR BLUFF -- By 6:30 p.m. on Thursday night, all the detractors had left Three Rivers' baseball field. Gone were those who said the Clearwater Tigers were rebuilding. Gone were those who said the Tigers were an afterthought because of a disappointing fall season. Gone were the critics, doubters and naysayers...

Clearwater waiting in Class 2 District 3 baseball final (05/16/07) The top-seeded Tigers will play Thursday in the championship game.

Mules two strokes back after first day (05/16/07) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor NIXA -- Poplar Bluff heads into today's final round of the MSHSAA Class 4 state golf tournament just a double bogey behind the leader and in the hunt for the Mules' seventh championship. "I think it will be pretty tight," said Mules coach Billy Pyland after the first round. "It will be interesting."...

Top-seeded Clearwater survived opening district scare (05/16/07) By TANNER KENT ~ Sports Writer BROSELEY -- During Clearwater's 2-1 Class 2 District 3 opening-round win against East Carter, seven total players were hit by pitches. During their matchup a month ago -- in which Clearwater won 13-2 -- 10 players were hit by pitches...

Poplar Bluff golfers get a second chance against Rockhurst, Glendale (05/14/07) By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor "Golf is a funny sport," Poplar Bluff coach Billy Pyland said. "You can never tell what's going to happen." That, in a nutshell, is why it's pretty much impossible to handicap the MSHSAA Class 4 state tournament which starts Monday at Fremont Hills Country Club in Nixa...

Clearwater has top seed in baseball district tournament (05/14/07) By TANNER KENT ~ Sports Writer Clearwater's season so far has been a tale of two different teams. In the fall, the Tigers were a middle-of-the-road Ozark Foothills Conference team, finishing with a record 6-9. They earned a No. 5 seed in the OFC Tournament and suffered a disappointing 13-3 loss to Neelyville in the first round...

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...

Clearwater baseball improves to 16-3 with win over North Pemiscot (05/10/07) By DAR STAFF Thanks to a dominating offensive performance, the Clearwater Tigers improved to 16-3 this spring with a 12-8 win against North Pemiscot on Wednesday. Clearwater scored 10 runs in the first three innings to take an early lead. Two more runs in the fifth inning provided insurance as North Pemiscot scored at least one run in each of the final three innings...

Track honor roll (05/10/07) BOYS AND GIRLS top performers through May 9

Greenville, Naylor advance in tournament (05/09/07) By TANNER KENT ~ Sports Writer During Monday's 6-5 win in the opening round of the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament, the Greenville Lady Bears recorded eight hits. But it just took two of them to make all the difference. The third-seeded Lady Bears trailed sixth-seeded Doniphan 3-0 in the third inning. To that point, Greenville had recorded just one hit against Donettes pitcher MaryBeth Cosgrove and was 0-4 with runners in scoring position...

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...

Vancil pitches no-hitter for unbeaten Twin Rivers softball team (05/02/07) In baseball, Campbell edges Bernie 5-3

Bernie baseball holds off Portageville, improves to 13-2 (05/01/07) DAR Staff The Bernie Mules grabbed five runs in the first inning against Portageville on Monday and held on to win, 6-5, behind two hits each from Jake Welch and Jake Owens. Owens had two RBIs in the five-run first inning while Silas Dill, Marcus Massey and Devin Busby also knocked in one run each as the Mules improved to 13-2 this spring. Welch homered in the second to make it 6-2 and Bernie survived a late rally by Portageville...

Clearwater baseball rallies to stay unbeaten (04/20/07) DAR STAFF Thanks to a late rally, the Clearwater Tigers remained undefeated with a 13-5 victory against Ozark Foothills Conference foe Neelyville on Thursday. Behind two RBIs from Caleb Dockins, Neelyville led the game 5-4 when Clearwater came to the plate in the sixth inning. But Clearwater exploded for nine runs in the bottom half of the frame to improve its record to 11-0 on the spring...

Saxony Lutheran Invitational golf tournament results (04/19/07) Saxony Lutheran Invitational Tournament Results from the inaugural tournament, played Thursday at Dalhousie Golf Club: Team scores Notre Dame 353 Individuals Scoring by team North County ­(330) -- Chris Spitzmiller 78, Fritz Zalamans 83, Luke Elders 84, Caleb Barron 85, Cary Claywell 92...

Bernie baseball suffers first loss, in 10 innings to Senath (04/17/07) By DAR STAFF The Bernie baseball team was tagged with its first loss of the spring after a 3-2 loss to Senath in 10 innings on Monday. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Senath's Tony Scott led off with a single and stole second base. After two walks, Jeremy Wilson came to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a ground ball that was misplayed, allowing Scott to score the winning run...

Clearwater baseball improves to 9-0 with win against Twin Rivers (04/13/07) By TANNER KENT ~ DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- There are only so many routes a baseball team can take to a 9-0 record. And the Clearwater Tigers have found one of them. "Good pitching and putting the ball in play with two strikes," is how Clearwater coach Justin Dobbins assessed his team's success...

Naylor freshman Lane fights illness, twirls no-hitter (04/13/07) DAR STAFF Naylor freshman Chelsea Lane overcame sickness and threw her first no-hitter of the season Thursday as the Lady Eagles rolled past Bernie, 10-0, in six innings. Lane finished with five strikeouts and four walks despite missing significant time earlier in the week because of an illness...

Free throws help lift Clearwater (12/19/06) By TROY HYDE/DAR Sports Writer BROSELEY -- The age-old cliche, "You gotta make your free throws," came into play last night at the Lady Royals Classic as No. 13 seed Clearwater picked up a 44-37 victory against 12th-seeded Kennett in the consolation quarterfinals...

'Intensity' lifts Puxico to 4-0 start (12/06/06) By TANNER KENT/DAR Sports Writer PIEDMONT -- "Intensity" was the word of the day after Puxico defeated Clearwater 64-41 Tuesday. After what Puxico coach Chad Allen called a "sluggish" first half -- in which his team still led at the break 37-28 -- the Indians returned to the court for the third quarter full of ... well ... maybe it's best said by coach Allen:...

Lady Eagles allow only eight points (11/29/06) By DAR STAFF The SEMO News Service provided information for this story. NAYLOR -- The following is not a typo: The Naylor Lady Eagles really did defeat Eminence 80-8 in the Naylor Invitational on Tuesday. Led by Hailee Deckard's 29 points, the Lady Eagles did not score less than 15 points in any quarter and held the Lady Redwings without a point for the first five minutes of the game...

Doniphan looks to dominate Ozark Foothills Conference (11/22/06) OFC BOYS At the beginning of the season, the Daily American Republic sports department sends out a short preseason questionnaire to area coaches. Included among the questions is one asking about that particular team's conference outlook. The coaches' answers pertaining to the Ozark Foothills Conference boys' season were telling...

OFC girls have star power (11/22/06) OFC Girls Warning to all Southeast Missouri basketball players, fans and coaches: This story may cause extreme jealousy, upset stomach and, in some advanced cases, intense defensive discomfort. After last season in which three area underclassmen were named to All-State girls basketball teams, the secret is undoubtedly out of the closet. The film footage has been reviewed and the stat sheets have been tabulated...