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Jackson

State champion Bulldogs clean up all-state honors (06/23/09)
The state champion Notre Dame baseball team received plenty of attention in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association's all-state voting. Four Bulldogs players were named to the Class 3 first team, which was released Monday. Pitcher Colton Young, catcher Mark Hagedorn, outfielder Austin Greer and utility man Dylan Drury all earned a spot on the first team...

Artful Dodgers: Jackson's three HRs power sweep of Blytheville (06/19/09)
BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- Over a 12-game winning streak that has saw the Dunklin County Post 303 score with impunity, the Dodgers have had their share of offensive stars. Thursday, it was Austin Jackson's turn. Jackson hit three home runs over both games of a doubleheader sweep of Blytheville, leading the Dodgers to 15-6 and 10-0 victories, respectively, over the host team...

Dodgers swing hot bats, win Woodfest (06/09/09)
CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Dunklin County Post 303 Dodgers used a combination of hot hitting and strong pitching to take home the championship of the nutsbaseball.com Woodfest, routing Mayfield, Ky. 11-0 here Sunday evening in the title game. "I think for this early in the season we swung the bats well," said Post 303 head coach Jamie Johnson...

St. Vincent wants third memorable performance (06/05/09)
PERRYVILLE -- The St. Vincent girls soccer team points to two games during the season when it started to realize its potential this season. First, the Indians dropped a 1-0 decision to Jackson in the Noon Optimist tournament early season. Then came a rematch with Notre Dame after the Bulldogs trounced the Indians 6-1...

Bulldogs boast regional flavor (06/04/09)
Central baseball coach Steve Williams said that talented athletes want to play on teams that have reputations for winning, and Notre Dame teams have won a great deal lately. The Catholic high school in Cape Girardeau, therefore, has had a strong mix of athletes enroll recently from towns across Southeast Missouri...

Rushin caps weekend with title sweep (05/31/09)
JEFFERSON CITY -- If Saturday's Class 4 shot put finals contained any intrigue, it couldn't have centered on whom the state title would go to, not after Jackson's Jill Rushin had thrown. After an initial throw of 44 feet, the only question remaining was whether she would make history...

Rushin captures state title (05/30/09)
Jackson's Jill Rushin left little room for improvement after a stellar performance at the Class 4 state track and field meet last season. But the junior captured the state title in the discus Friday with a throw of 146 feet, 6 inches. Her championship throw was three feet better than the second-place finisher...

Kitchen will lead Jackson baseball program (05/29/09)
Tatum Kitchen doesn't expect to be intimidated by his first high school baseball head coaching position. After all, Kitchen grew up around the game as the son of longtime Central coach Terry Kitchen, who led the Tigers to four final four berths. "I was fortunate enough to grow up in a coach's office and a dugout," Tatum Kitchen said. "I was born my dad's second year at Central. I learned a lot from him."...

Jackson season again ends at sectional (05/27/09)
FENTON -- For the sixth straight year the Jackson girls soccer team was unable to make it past the sectional round of the playoffs. After an evenly played first half, Cor Jesu sophomore forward Cassie Sperruzza blasted a shot past goalie Morgan Riddick to break a scoreless tie early in the second half...

Jackson's Rushin wins two sectional events (05/24/09)
Jackson's Jill Rushin was a double winner in Saturday's Class 4 sectional meet to lead the area's contingent into next weekend's state meet. The top four finishers in each event from the sectional at Rockwood Summit in Fenton qualified for state competition Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City...

Tribe goes down fighting (05/21/09)
Errors haunt Tribe in district final loss to Notre Dame
The Kennett Indians may not have won a district title, but they didn't go down without a fight.

St. Vincent girls capture district (05/21/09)
Liz Brueckner scored two goals as she led St. Vincent to a 4-0 victory over Gateway Academy in the Class 1 District 1 title game Wednesday. St. Vincent (17-5) advanced to play a quarterfinal contest next Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Anheuser-Busch Center. It will play either Lutheran North or St. Elizabeth...

Slaten earns all-state honors (05/20/09)
Notre Dame senior Brett Slaten knocked seven strokes off his first-round score to finish in the top 15 at the Class 3 state golf meet Tuesday. Slaten shot a 75 at Fremont Hills Country Club to finish at 82-75--157 and in a four-way tie for 13th. He earned all-state honors by finishing in the top 15...

Notre Dame cruises past Fredericktown (05/20/09)
The Notre Dame baseball team continued to roll Tuesday, pounding Fredericktown 10-0 in five innings in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 1 tournament. Notre Dame, 23-1 and ranked first in the state, will face Kennett in today's 4 p.m. title game at Dexter. Kennett, an 8-7 winner over Dexter, already has lost to Notre Dame twice this season...

Tribe does enough to get past Tigers (05/19/09)
DEXTER, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians had their struggles against Caruthersville in the first round of the Class 3, District 1 Tournament, but did enough to do what matters in district play: survive and advance. The Tribe did not get a hit after the second inning but scored three times in the first two innings and limited the Tigers to three hits on the day to take a 4-2 victory Monday here at East Park...

Central's Simmons leads local golfers at state tourney with 77 (05/19/09)
Central senior Tim Simmons sits five shots off the lead after the first day of the Class 4 state golf meet. Simmons made it around the Rivercut Golf Course in 77 shots, tied for 25th. This is Simmons' third trip to the state tournament. His best finish came last year when he tied for 33rd...

Jackson soccer advances to title game in district (05/19/09)
The Jackson girls soccer team earned the opportunity to defend its district crown. The Indians advanced to the Class 3 District 1 title game with a 4-0 shutout of Northwest on Monday at Fox High School. Senior Bobbi Jo Schlick, who already signed to play at Southeast Missouri State in the fall, scored two goals, while Megan Davidson and Hannah Roach also scored in the victory...

High school roundup: Glastetter qualifies for state in 4 events (05/17/09)
Oran's Haley Glastetter won two sprints and advanced to the Class 1 state meet in four separate events with a strong performance Saturday at the Class 1 sectional in Centralia. Glastetter, a sophomore, won the 100 (13.37 seconds) and 200 (27.82). She placed second in the 400 and fourth in the 100 hurdles...

Central, Jackson begin district play today (05/16/09)
Sophomore Zach McDowell has been one of Jackson's top pitchers this spring, posting a 2.91 ERA in his first varsity baseball season. And Indians coach Rob French has enough confidence in the young left-hander to start him in today's opening-round district game against Farmington...

Correction (05/13/09)
n It was incorrectly reported in Tuesday's sports section that Jackson's girls soccer team beat Notre Dame on Monday. Jackson beat Poplar Bluff 3-0, while Notre Dame beat Central 7-1. Notre Dame and Jackson did not play Monday. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

Tribe wins Bootheel Conference tourney (05/13/09)
SENATH, Mo. -- Plagued by five errors and six walks on the day, the Kennett Indians never gave up the fight. That never-say-die perseverance paid off in a big way, as the Tribe rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 6-5 victory over the Senath-Hornersville Lions in the championship game of the Bootheel Conference here Tuesday...

Oran scores late runs to slip past Bell City (05/13/09)
Oran needed to rally for a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to beat Bell City 5-3 in baseball action Tuesday. The Cubs opened a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth inning, and Bell City went to Melvin Johnson in relief. The Eagles rallied against Johnson to improve to 11-7...

Werner claims medalist at SEMO Conference tournament (05/13/09)
Tim Simmons tattooed a 3-wood onto the 18th green, leaving himself with a lengthy but makeable eagle putt Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club. Simmons, a senior at Central, stood a shot behind Jackson's Tanner Werner entering the final hole at the SEMO Conference golf tournament and wanted to put some pressure on the sophomore...

Notre Dame soccer splits against Central, Jackson (05/12/09)
The Notre Dame girls soccer team split a pair of games Monday, knocking off Central 7-1, but falling to Jackson 3-0. Bobbi Jo Schlick scored twice to lead the Indians, who improved to 14-3. Kasey Crowden also scored for Jackson. Morgan Riddick snared two saves to earn the shutout...

Central girls dethrone Jackson at SEMO Conference meet (05/12/09)
SIKESTON -- Central's Mary Dohogne looked strong while competing in the 1,600-meter race for only the second time this spring during Monday's SEMO North Conference meet. So did her teammate Asia Thomas, who ran the 400 for the first time this season...

Central's Simmons places second in district meet (05/08/09)
EUREKA -- Central senior Tim Simmons had little trust in his putter during most of the spring. That began to change Tuesday, when Simmons carded a two-under-par 33 in a match against Jackson with the help of his putting. That was just what was needed before Thursday's Class 4 District 1 tournament at Aberdeen Golf Club...

Scott City baseball claims pair of one-run victories (05/08/09)
Scott City's baseball team squeaked out a pair of wins Thursday. The Rams edged Scott County Central 3-2 in the opener, then nipped Jackson 5-4 in the second game. Jaris Hye went 2-for-3 with a double for the Rams against the Braves. Jamie Scholz earned the win, while Josh Henson pitched three innings and struck out five batters to earn the save...

High school roundup: Woodland rides its offense past Richland (05/07/09)
Neil Johnson smashed a three-run homer in the first inning as he helped Woodland jump ahead early and beat Richland 16-5 in five innings Wednesday. Johnson went 2-for-4 with five RBIs while teammate David Gray stroked two hits and knocked in one run...

Athlete of the week (05/07/09)
Jackson junior Tyler Qualls enjoyed a successful SEMO Conference baseball tournament, helping the Indians to the title Monday night. Qualls batted .444 in his team's three games and scored four runs. He also knocked in four runs in his team's wins over Kennett, Central and Sikeston...

Jackson soccer routs Central 10-0 (05/06/09)
Bobbi Jo Schlick saw Jackson teammate Katelyn Myracle wide open in front of the net and kicked a perfect cross about 18 feet in the air to the senior, who scored a header early in the first half Tuesday. That was just one of the many strong plays Schlick and Myracle made on offense as the two players both posted hat tricks to help Jackson crush Central 10-0 at Jackson High School in a game that ended 20 minutes, 23 seconds early because of the mercy rule...

Bulldogs come up short (05/05/09)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Over the course of four innings on Monday evening the Sikeston Bulldogs baseball team appeared to be heading towards another SEMO Conference Tournament title. In high school baseball however, games last for seven innings and the Jackson Indians broke out their bats before their half of the seventh inning ever rolled around...

Jackson wins SEMO Conference tournament (05/05/09)
Pinch-hitter Travis Hurst legged out an infield single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was just the opening Hurst and his Jackson teammates needed. The Indians capitalized on four hits and two walks to score five runs in the sixth inning to beat Sikeston 6-5 and win the SEMO Conference baseball tournament title Monday at Capaha Field...

Notre Dame golfers qualify for state tourney (05/05/09)
Notre Dame's golf team fell just short of capturing the Class 3 District 1 title Monday. The Bulldogs fell to Farmington in a fifth player tie-breaker. Perryville finished 10th. The Bulldogs did qualify as a team because four members finished in the top 15...

Indians advance to title game (05/03/09)
Jackson pitcher Zach McDowell started to settle down in the top of the fourth after he allowed two runs and five baserunners in the first three innings Saturday. The sophomore southpaw struck out the side that inning, getting Central's Andrew Williams and Hide Tanaka swinging and Shawn Prince looking...

Notre Dame encounters first loss (05/02/09)
Top-ranked Notre Dame watched its perfect regular season end with a 13-8 loss to No. 8 seed Poplar Bluff in the first round of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Friday. Notre Dame (16-1) committed six errors and surrendered nine unearned runs...

Rain, rain go away (05/01/09)
After a relatively dry start to the month of April, the last few days have been anything but. The last four days have featured rain in at least some part of the Bootheel, resulting in postponements, cancellations and shuffled schedules. The Kennett Lady Indians soccer team was slated to host Poplar Bluff on Tuesday, but rain postponed the game until Thursday afternoon, when a torrential downpour and the threat of severe weather halted the game just minutes after kickoff...

Jam masters: Tribe pitches around tough situations, 'Dogs to reach finals (04/30/09)
STEELE, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians baseball team has arguably one of the best pitching staffs in all of southeast Missouri. That was no more evident than it was Wednesday, as Adam Grantham, Andy Lack and Cameron Wallace combined to outduel South Pemiscot ace Tyler Thompson, leading the Tribe to a 1-0 victory over the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Bootheel Conference Tournament...

ND's offense explodes in 10-1 win over Jackson (04/30/09)
Notre Dame senior Ryan Bass admitted he has been struggling some at the plate, but he made a bold prediction to his teammates before a home game against Jackson on Wednesday. "I used to go to Jackson and so I know pretty much the whole team over there," Bass said. "Before the game I was talking and I was like, 'I'm going to hit one out today.'...

Saxony, Chaffee reach semis of tourney (04/25/09)
Saxony Lutheran right-hander Chris Roth tossed a complete game, striking out nine, to beat Oran 5-1 in the first round of the Chaffee baseball tournament on Friday. The game was played at Oran High School. This is the second time the Crusaders (11-1) have beaten the Eagles (6-5) on the road this week...

Jackson holds off Poplar Bluff (04/24/09)
POPLAR BLUFF -- With the Poplar Bluff Mules slowly chipping away at Jackson's early eight-run lead, the Indians turned to Bobby Clark in the seventh inning Thursday. Clark shut the door on the Mules, pitching around a two-out walk, and Jackson held on for a 10-8 win...

Dexter falls to Jackson (04/23/09)
JACKSON -- When Dexter Bearcats baseball team are good, they are real good. When they are bad, they are real bad. Dexter committed nine errors and the Jackson Indians made them pay for the miscues with a 11-1 decision over the visiting Bearcats Wednesday afternoon...

High school roundup: Kelly rebounds to down Central (04/23/09)
The Kelly baseball team bounced back from a lopsided loss to hand Central an 8-3 loss Wednesday. The Hawks dropped a 12-1 decision to St. Vincent on Tuesday, but rebounded for the win over the Tigers. "I'm almost speechless," Kelly coach Nate Wills said. "I don't know what to expect. We can come out and play as good as anybody or we can come out and play as bad as anybody else. Day to day, I wish I could put my finger on what it is that makes us click...

Central girls shoot down Sikeston 1-0 with late-game goal (04/22/09)
Meg Goodman scored on a pass from Sarah Uptmor with five minutes to play as Central shut out Sikeston 1-0 in girls soccer action Tuesday. Caitlin Smith posted the shutout for the Tigers. Notre Dame 2, Poplar Bluff 0 Taylor Sanders and Anna Wren found the back of the net as the Bulldogs (9-2) earned the home win...

HIgh school roundup: Leopold romps to Oak Ridge tourney title (04/19/09)
The Leopold softball team wasted little time capturing the championship Saturday. The Wildcats scored in every inning, downing Meadow Heights 17-1 in four innings to win the Oak Ridge tournament title. Whitney Vandeven struck out nine to earn the win and went 4-for-4 with four RBIs...

Blue Jays, Crusaders reach final of Oak Ridge baseball tourney (04/18/09)
Oak Ridge scored in the top of the seventh inning Friday to knock off Leopold and advance to the finals of the Oak Ridge baseball tournament. Stephen Wright pitched six innings, allowed eight hits and three runs and struck out six batters for the Blue Jays as they beat the Wildcats 4-3...

Central's Simmons claws out share of medalist honors (04/17/09)
Central senior Tim Simmons thinks one of the easiest holes to play at Dalhousie Golf Course is No. 6, but it ended up being one of the more difficult ones for him Thursday. "I have to admit coming down the stretch, the last hole on 6, it is one of the easier holes on this course," Simmons said. "I made it look like one of the toughest. I actually bogeyed the last hole and was really kicking myself about that because I figured at that point I had given the tournament away by one shot."...

High school roundup: Simmons strikes out 17 in Scott City win (04/17/09)
Shae Simmons turned in a masterful performance to lead Scott City's baseball team past Chaffee on Thursday. Simmons, who already signed to play at Southeast Missouri State next season, struck out 17 and allowed one hit in the Rams' 2-0 home victory...

Miscues haunt Tribe in loss at Sikeston (04/16/09)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Strong pitching and solid defense were two key aspects of the Sikeston Bulldogs' 3-1 victory over the visiting Kennett Indians on Wednesday afternoon. The win is the fourth consecutive for the Bulldogs as they welcome in the Jackson Indians today...

Sikeston keeps winning streak alive with win (04/16/09)
SIKESTON -- Strong pitching and solid defense were two key aspects of the Sikeston Bulldogs' 3-1 victory over the visiting Kennett Indians on Wednesday afternoon. The win is the fourth consecutive for the Bulldogs as they welcome in the Jackson Indians today...

High school roundup: ND rallies to stay perfect (04/16/09)
An out away from suffering its first loss of the season Wednesday, the Notre Dame baseball team got a bloop hit from Mark Hagedorn. The Bulldogs scored five times in the seventh for an 8-4 come-from-behind win after Hagedorn's RBI single over the outstretched glove of Poplar Bluff's second baseman tied the game...

Bazzell steps up to pitch Tribe past Lions (04/15/09)
After two strong seasons to open his high school career, it should not be a surprise that Trey Bazzell is emerging as the ace of the Kennett Indians pitching staff. Bazzell took another step toward becoming one of the area's best hurlers Tuesday, tossing six innings of one-hit ball as the Tribe took a crucial 3-0 Bootheel Conference win over the Senath-Hornersville Lions at Indian Park...

Sikeston and Jackson tracksters brave cold (04/15/09)
SIKESTON -- A very frigid day on the track had the Sikeston track team feeling cold about their performance as they hosted Jackson on Tuesday afternoon. "Compared to the Jackson Invitational I'd say just so-so," Sikeston track coach Terry Flannigan said about their performance. "It was cold and a lot of the kids didn't want to run and it showed. Even Jackson really didn't want to run too much either. In this kind of weather it's kind of hard to get them motivated to do their best."...

Freshman sparks Jackson past Dexter, SHS (04/15/09)
SIKESTON -- Three teams battled the cold and wind Thursday at the Sikeston Country Club. But, it was the Jackson Indians (160) who emerged victorious defeating the Dexter Bearcats (162) and Sikeston Bulldogs (183) respectively. Jackson was led the the unlikely hero of freshmen Drew Hosp. Hosp earned low medal honors with his 1-over-par round of 36...

Bearcat golfers suffer first loss (04/15/09)
SIKESTON -- The Dexter Bearcats golf team suffered their first loss of the season to Jackson Tuesday at the Sikeston Country Club. Jackson posted a nine-hole team score of 160 to slip past the Bearcats at 162. Host Sikeston carded a 183. "It was our best round of the year," Dexter coach Eric Sitze said. "Compared to last year, I think our best score was a 161, so if we can keep our score around that 160, we should be in pretty good shape...

Hosp leads Jackson golfers to win vs. Dexter, Sikeston (04/15/09)
Jackson got an outstanding effort from a freshman as it defeated Dexter and Sikeston in a three-team golf meet Tuesday at the Sikeston Country Club. Drew Hosp led the Indians, shooting a 1-over 36 to grab the medalist honors. "I felt really good today," Hosp said. "My drives were in the fairways for the most part today. All of my putts came up close and I even made some long ones that I didn't expect to make, so it felt really good."...

ND girls reel off six goals (04/15/09)
Notre Dame's Meghan Dohogne did not celebrate right away after she scored on a shot that she blooped into the net just over the reach of St. Vincent keeper Anne Steele. Dohogne thought her shot had sailed above the crossbar and gotten tangled in the backside of the net. Her teammates did too, as one yelled, "It's over."...

Dexter takes second at PB Invitational (04/14/09)
POPLAR BLUFF -- Dexter High School put together a strong effort in less than desirable conditions to finish second at the 13-team Poplar Bluff Invitational played at Westwood Hills Country Club Monday. Chance Holden once again paced the Bearcats' effort with a 2-over-par 73. Only eight players broke 80...

Late offense carries Jackson at showcase (04/12/09)
FENTON -- Jackson girls soccer co-coach Justin McMullen signaled the No. 3 play as Indians sophomore Kasey Crowden prepared for a free kick from well outside the penalty area late in their game with Hazelwood Central on Saturday. McMullen had three fingers up on each hand and yelled the number, but Crowden could not see or hear her coach as the kick was taken from the far side of the field across from the Jackson bench...

Rushin demands more (04/12/09)
After Jackson junior Jill Rushin won the discus competition at the Jackson Invitational on Saturday, she returned to the throwing circle to work on her form. She said she needed some extra practice. She wasn't satisfied with any of her throws despite her best one going 16 feet farther than the best throw by the second-place finisher...

Lady Tribe wins for fourth time in four days (04/10/09)
CAMPBELL, Mo. -- The Kennett Lady Indians got a strong pitching performance from Haley Morrow and pounded out 13 hits to win their fourth game in as many days with an 8-2 win against the Campbell Lady Camels here Thursday. For the second time this week, every Kennett started had at least one hit as the Lady Tribe (6-0) got production top to bottom...

Pobst, Roth both toss no-hitters (04/09/09)
Oran senior right-hander Jayden Pobst tossed a five-inning no-hitter Wednesday. Pobst struck out 13 and held Oak Ridge hitless in Oran's 10-0 home victory. He walked two. Dalton Elfrink went 4-for-4, drove in three and scored two for Oran (4-2). Jake Carter scored three runs...

HS SOC - Jax v ND (04/09/09)
Notre Dame keeper Katherine Blasiney was not too fond of the prospect of taking part in a shootout against Jackson on Wednesday. Blasiney made that perfectly clear right before the start of the first overtime. While the junior keeper was waiting for the action to begin, she looked back at two Notre Dame junior varsity players standing behind the net and told them that the Bulldogs better score because Jackson players know how to shoot penalty kicks well...

Scott City's Simmons pitches no-hitter against Oran (04/08/09)
SCOTT CITY -- Ace hurler Shae Simmons rebounded in his past three starts after Jackson pounded him in Scott City's season opener more than two weeks ago. Simmons literally was unhittable against local rival Oran on Tuesday. The senior, who has signed to play baseball at Southeast Missouri State next year, tossed a no-hitter and struck out 11 as the Rams posted a 10-0 five-inning victory...

Jackson soccer improves to 5-0 with win vs. Pirates (04/08/09)
Morgan Riddick posted the shutout in goal as Jackson beat the Perryville girls soccer team 3-0 on Tuesday. Megan Davidson, Bobby Jo Schlick and Hannah Roach each had a goal for Jackson (5-0). Carbondale, Ill. 3, Notre Dame 0 Katherine Blasiney made seven saves, but it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs fell at home...

Tribe defense slips up in loss to Jackson (04/07/09)
It was d�j� vu all over again for the Kennett Indians. After losing their previous SEMO Conference home game two weeks ago in an error-plagued performance against Poplar Bluff, the Tribe's untimely miscues resulted in eight unearned runs in a 10-3 loss to Jackson Monday at Indian Park...

Reynolds hurls Woodland to first win (04/07/09)
Kyle Reynolds pitched a three-hit complete game Monday as Woodland posted a 7-2 victory against Kelly, the Cardinals' first win of the high school baseball season. Reynolds struck out seven and walked two in the road victory. Andrew Minson had a two-run double among his two hits and Ronnie Turner added a double for Woodland (1-2). Sam Long also contributed a two-run single...

Central baseball drops games to Fox, Seckman (04/05/09)
Central lost both road games it played Saturday. The first one against Fox featured strong pitching while the second game against Seckman featured hot hitting. The Tigers lost 2-1 to Fox and 12-7 to Seckman. Andrew Williams started against Fox. He pitched well, going six innings and allowing two runs -- one earned -- on five hits but he suffered the loss. He struck out one...

Jackson boys excel in field at ND meet (04/05/09)
Jackson sophomore Blake Smith missed almost his entire freshman track and field season with a fractured disc in his spine. But Smith, who also had his appendix rupture a couple of months before this season started, is feeling healthy and looking like one of the better local long jumpers this spring...

Central vaulters set high goals (04/03/09)
Former Southeast Missouri State pole vaulter Collin Sheridan, who won the Ohio Valley Conference outdoor championship in 2000, enjoys a different challenge these days as coach of the Central vaulters. Among Sheridan's athletes are two of the best local high school vaulters -- sophomore Matt Deisher and junior Ray Woldtvedt...

Heuring leads Oran past Leopold (04/02/09)

Braves' starting lineup garners all-district honors (04/02/09)

Tigers cut down Indians 2-1 (04/01/09)
Central junior Erik Allen talked with his teammates about the potential of Tuesday's baseball game being suspended because of darkness, and decided to do something about it. With the sun sinking lower in the sky and the shadows growing longer, Allen stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning. Both Central and Jackson had struggled to score all game, and there wouldn't be many more chances before the game was suspended...

Jackson rolls to 7-1 win vs. Central (04/01/09)
Jackson freshman Erin Eakens made scoring look easy after she received a pass and split the Central defense, leading to a breakaway goal during the first half Tuesday. The Indians' offense looked sharp — scoring on three breakaways in the first half alone — while cruising to a 7-1 road victory over rival Central...

Crowden blast sparks Kelly to 7-4 win against Bluff (04/01/09)
Dustin Crowden broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with a solo home run to right field, and Ethan Lee added a three-run blast in the fifth as Kelly downed Poplar Bluff 7-4 on Tuesday. Ryan Essner threw a complete-game six-hitter for the win, striking out four and walking two...

Holden paces 'Cats early season success (04/01/09)
Dexter's Chance Holden is off to a strong start and so is the Bearcats golf team. Holden carded a 1-over-par round of 37 Tuesday at Hidden Trails Country Club to help the Bearcats finish ahead of New Madrid County Central, Malden and Bloomfield in the second outing for the team this season...

Jackson's Werner excels in the art of scrambling (03/31/09)
Oh well. For Jackson golfer Tanner Werner, this is not an apathetic resignation but recurring resolution. As in, I came up short of the green. Oh well, my short game is excellent. Or, I just bogeyed to start my round. Oh well, there are 17 holes to go...

Scott City baseball posts first win (03/31/09)
The defending Class 2 state champions picked up their first win in convincing fashion Monday. Scott City romped past New Madrid 23-1 in baseball action. Shae Simmons earned the win by throwing four perfect innings. He faced 12 batters, striking out nine. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate...

Home sweet home: Tribe teams shine in Kennett Monday (03/31/09)
With their first medal meet just a few days away, the Kennett Indians and Lady Indians track teams continued to tune up with a pair of strong performances in a quadrangular meet with Hayti, New Madrid County Central and Caruthersville Monday at Metz Cherry Stadium...

Jackson, ND reach Optimist final (03/28/09)
Two local girls soccer powers will square off for the title in the Noon Optimist tournament today. Jackson and Notre Dame posted wins Friday to advance to today's 2 p.m. title game. Sophomore Allie Penzel took a pass from sophomore Kasey Crowden to score for Jackson, lifting the Indians to a 1-0 win over St. Vincent...

Dream at your own risk (03/28/09)
Bobbi Jo Schlick wants to crush some dreams. The Jackson senior and Southeast Missouri State recruit has had enough of other people ending her soccer season in heart-breaking fashion. The Indians have won a district title five years in a row. They have lost sectional games five years in a row...

Central golfers win season opener (03/27/09)
Central's Tim Simmons shot a 2-under 34 to lead the Tigers to victory Thursday in a season-opening three-team meet on the front nine at Bent Creek in Jackson. Simmons' round included an eagle on the par 5 No. 3 hole. The match was rescheduled from Tuesday, when rain forced the stoppage of play. Thursday's match started from scratch...

Tribe rebounds, takes down Wave (03/27/09)
MALDEN, Mo. -- After managing just five hits and one run in a loss to Poplar Bluff on Tuesday, the Kennett Indians needed a breakout game. Mission accomplished. The Tribe pounded out 14 hits and scored 12 runs in a 12-4 rout of the Malden Green Wave in the Bootheel Conference opener for both teams here Thursday...

Heil, Porter garner awards (03/26/09)
POPLAR BLUFF -- A pair of familiar faces picked up player of the year honors for the SEMO Conference. Michael Porter of Sikeston and Dexter's Katelyn Heil were honored Wednesday night at the Poplar Bluff Letter Club's 51st annual Basketball Banquet...

Local high school basbeall team capsules (03/26/09)
Woodland Cardinals Coach: Jason Crane Last season's record: 6-12 Postseason results: Lost 11-1 to Scott City in a Class 2 district opener Returning starters: Kyle Reynolds, sr., SS; Neil Johnson, so., P; Andrew Minson, jr., 1B/P Other top returning players: Hayden Mayfield, so., CF/2B; Martin Williams, so., 3B; Jesse Long, jr., 3B/OF...

Heil, Porter selected as conference's top players (03/26/09)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A pair of familiar faces picked up player of the year honors for the SEMO Conference this season. Michael Porter of Sikeston and Dexter's Katelyn Heil were again honored Wednesday night at the Poplar Bluff Letter Club's 51st annual Basketball Banquet...

Jackson, rain extinguish Dragons 6-3 (03/25/09)
Jackson pitcher Drew Coleman gave up three runs in six innings Tuesday against Ste. Genevieve. Most days that would go down as an average appearance, but not this day. "It's the toughest game I've ever pitched in my life, no doubt," said Coleman after his team's 6-3 defeat of the Dragons...

Jackson opens season with 9-8 victory against Scott City (03/24/09)
SCOTT CITY -- Two high school baseball teams carrying lofty expectations opened the season Monday with an entertaining game. Jackson wound up having the most fun as the visiting Indians slipped past defending Class 2 state champion Scott City 9-8. "I thought the atmosphere was more like a midseason game," Jackson coach Rob French said. "You could tell both teams had done a lot of preparation...

Amazing opener: Lack's windblown walkoff lifts Tribe past Tigers (03/24/09)
If the first game of the year is an indication how 2009 is going to go for the Kennett Indians baseball team, then it will definitely be a season to remember. Andy Lack's two-out, windblown solo home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Tribe to a 4-3 win over the Cape Central Tigers in a SEMO Conference contest at Indian Park...

Talented Braves cap big year with Class 1 title (03/23/09)
When I saw the Scott County Central High School boys basketball team crush every opponent to win the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in late December, I didn't think there would be a Class 1 team that could deny the Braves the program's 13th state title...

Borgia shoots down SHS (03/09/09)
FARMINGTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs basketball season came to an end on Saturday evening as the Borgia Knights proved to be too much down the stretch. Borgia pulled off the win by a final score of 51-41, but the score didn't tell the full story of the ballgame...

Final shot: Mules to play Cape Central for district title (02/26/09)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor CEDAR HILL -- The Mules will get another shot at the district title that eluded them last season, but they won't get a shot at the defending champs. Cape Central upset second-seeded Jackson 65-54 in overtime Wednesday night after Poplar Bluff punched its ticket to the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship game...

Sikeston uses long ball to rout Tribe (02/22/09)
The Sikeston Bulldogs finished their regular season on a high note Friday night as they picked up their 21st of the year with a 88-57 rout of the Kennett Indians Friday. The Indians (10-9) were able to keep things close in the early going Friday. Kennett just trailed 12-10 with 2:14 left in the opening quarter, but a 9-3 run by the Bulldogs (21-3) to close the quarter dashed their hopes of taking the lead. ...

Jackson rolls past Kelly (02/20/09)
BENTON -- The Jackson Indians dispatched the Kelly Hawks 68-45 Thursday evening in Benton. For the complete article and more stories from the Standard Democrat, click here to log on to the electronic edition...

Sikeston girls fall to Scott City Thursday (02/06/09)
SCOTT CITY -- The Scott City Lady Rams downed the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs 60-33 Thursday night in Scott City. This was both Sikeston and Scott City's first game in almost two weeks. The game began as a hard-fought battle, as the Lady Bulldogs held a 6-4 lead three minutes into the game. The Lady Rams came alive the last five minutes of the quarter, going on a 23-4 run to take a 17-point lead...

Storm damage impacts local sports (02/03/09)
By Chris Pobst sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- The recent weather madness has not only affected thousands of homes in the area but has also wreaked havoc on the local sports scene. Many schools are still in the dark in their gyms and in their knowledge about when they will play basketball again or reschedule missed games due to the weather. ...

Shorthanded SHS rolls over Rams (01/18/09)
SCOTT CITY -- The Sikeston Bulldogs kept things rolling Friday as they downed the Scott City Rams 70-26 in Scott City. The Bulldogs had to once again play on the road with out their three-time all-stater Michael Porter. Porter remained on the bench Friday in what coaching and medical staff call a precautionary measure...

Notre Dame runs past SHS on Thursday (01/16/09)
SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs basketball team had another tough outing, as they fell to the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs 66-15 at home Thursday night. Notre Dame (9-4) was in control of the contest from the onset and created many of their scoring opportunities by capitalizing on SIkeston (1-8) miscues...

ROUNDUP: Davis scores 24 to lead Twin Rivers past Campbell (01/16/09)
By DAR STAFF BROSELEY -- The Twin Rivers Lady Royals had three players in double figures Thursday night at home as they went on to beat Campbell, 72-54, in a non-conference game. Twin Rivers senior Torey Davis scored a game-high 24 points, including nine 2-pointers. Kelsey Snider added 17 points while Stephanie Jennings chipped in with 16. Jennings has averaged 17.5 points a game during the Lady Royals' current two-game win streak...

Bulldogs rout Fredericktown (01/14/09)
FREDERICKTOWN -- The No. 9 state-ranked Sikeston Bulldogs once again prevailed on a long road trip, as they downed the Fredericktown Blackcats by the wide margin of 83-47 Tuesday night in Fredricktown. The Blackcats were able to keep things close for the first minute and a half of the contest, but not much more than that...

Seventh grade team finishes perfect season (01/13/09)
JACKSON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs seventh and eighth grade programs each picked up victories on the road Monday evening in Jackson. In the seventh grade game, Sikeston won 38-26 while in the eighth grade contest the Bulldogs won 33-18. The seventh grade Bulldogs had an impressive first quarter where they took a 12-6 lead. ...

Turnovers plague Lady Bulldogs against Kelly (01/09/09)
BENTON -- The state-ranked Kelly Lady Hawks had their way with the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs on Thursday night. Tight defense and quick scoring led to a big lead after the first quarter which was all they would need as they went on to dispatch of the Lady Bulldogs 63-26...

Tribe routs Green Wave to open 2009 (01/07/09)
After a nightmare finish to 2008, the Kennett Indians started 2009 the right way. The Tribe got a 3-pointer from Jarvis Finley to end the first quarter and rolled from there to a 69-32 victory over the Malden Green Wave Tuesday night in Bootheel Conference play...

Portageville, Kelly girls both win on the road (01/07/09)
JACKSON -- The Kelly Lady Hawks rolled past Saxony Lutheran 68-42 on the road Tuesday night. Saxony hung with the No. 10 ranked team in Class 3 for one quarter, trailing only 15-13 after one. Kelly took a 29-20 lead into half and broke the game wide open in the third, leading 53-26 heading into the fourth quarter...

Scott Central wins first title since 1990 (12/31/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- It took a quarter, but the Braves continued their tournament dominance. The first quarter was when Notre Dame's attack was the most effective. They slowed the pace down on the offensive side and worked the ball around on a team that has put up an average of 26 points in the first quarter of their first three games of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament...

GAME 25: Charleston outscores Jackson in third-place game (12/30/08)
Antonio Riggens had his best tournament performance with 16 points as fourth-seeded Charleston held off third-seeded Jackson 65-52 for third place. Donald Dixon scored 18 points to lead Charleston. Bobby Clark had 20 for Jackson, while Lucas Davis scored 11 and Kyle Keith 10...

Scott Central cruises into championship game (12/30/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- No matter who steps out onto the court with Scott County Central, Braves guard Bobby Hatchett said that they will play the same way against all opponents. "We just try to play the same every game," Hatchett said. "We can't change anything. We just have to keep playing hard, have fun, play together and just get better."...

GAME 22: Notre Dame 50, Jackson 39 (12/29/08)
Notre Dame rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Jackson 50-39 and earn a spot opposite Scott County Central in the championship game of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center. The Bulldogs avenged a 61-53 loss in last year's title-game meeting with Jackson...

GAME 21: Scott County Central 87, Charleston 55 (12/29/08)
Scott County Central was relentless in an 87-55 trouncing of Charleston in a semifinal game at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. Drew Thomas scored 24 points, including one thunderous slam and one 3-pointer, to lead five players into double figures Monday night...

Routs highlight first round of tourney action (12/29/08)
BROSELEY -- The 12th annual Lady Royals Holiday Classic Tournament kicked off in Broseley Saturday evening with the winning teams buying into a similar theme. Defense, as Portageville, Charleston, Kelly and Dexter all came with opening round wins. The night cap featured the No. 2 seed Portageville Lady Bulldogs against the No. 15 seed Sikeston Lady Bulldogs. In the end, it was Portageville's defense and experience that got the best of the young Sikeston squad, coming away with the 56-24 win...

Top seeds move on (12/29/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Since coming in to the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Scott County Central Braves have pretty much done what they have done all season; score fast and score often. "It's just amazing," Kelly head coach Nate Wills said. ...

Upsets, routs highlight first round at Bloomfield (12/28/08)
BLOOMFIELD -- The 52nd Annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament got under way Friday in Bloomfield. The eight game first round was full of excitement as three lower seeded teams were able to upset their higher seeded opponents. Results on Friday's first round play are as follows...

Top seeds advance in opening round of Southeast Missourian Christmas Tourney (12/28/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Scott County Central Braves kicked off the opening round of the 2008 Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in traditional fashion as the No. 1 seed dismantled the No. 16 seed Delta Bobcats in a 88-24 romp on Friday. The Braves began their dominance with a 19-0 run to start the game while the Bobcats first basket came at the 2:30 mark in the first quarter...

GAME 15: Jackson 64, Leopold 53 (12/27/08)
The third-seeded Jackson Indians wore down Leopold over the second and third quarters to post a 64-53 victory over the previously unbeaten Wildcats in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament quarterfinals. The Wildcats, seeded sixth, had opened the season 6-0 but after winning the Woodland Invitational had yet to face a school as large as Class 5 Jackson...

GAME 3: Jackson 65, Chaffee 42 (12/26/08)
By Rachel Crader ~ Special to Semoball.com With less than 3 minutes remaining in the first half of their first round game at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, the No. 3 seed Jackson Indians were tied 24-24 with No. 14 Chaffee. After an 8-0 run to end the first half, Jackson coach Darrin Scott had a simple message for his team in the locker room...

McKay named to Hall of Fame (12/17/08)
PORTAGEVILLE -- During his tenure at Portageville High School, the legendary Jim McKay had accomplished many things on the football field for the Bulldogs in his 25 years of coaching. Five playoff appearances, becoming the winningest coach in Portageville history with 135 wins and solidifying himself as one of the best coaches in the state of Missouri...

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL | FINAL INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS (unofficial) (12/16/08)
Final leaders in scoring, rushing, passing, receiving, tackles, sacks, fumble recoveries and interceptions.

Sikeston wins SEMO Conference Tournament (12/14/08)
SIKESTON -- The SEMO Conference tournament title is back in the hands of the Sikeston Bulldogs as they soundly defeated the New Madrid County Central Eagles 64-44 on Friday evening. The packed Sikeston Fieldhouse saw a battle on the floor, but from the opening tip the game was controlled by the Bulldogs...

Delta holds off East Prairie in semifinals (12/12/08)
CHAFFEE -- The semifinal round of the Chaffee Lady Devils Invitational was completed on Thursday evening, and after the smoke cleared the Delta Lady Bobcats found themselves in the championship game after holding off a gritty East Prairie Lady Eagle squad. Delta led by as many as 12 points in the game, but East Prairie wouldn't go down easily as they forced the game back to within three points but fell short in the end by a final of 39-32...

NMCC holds on to defeat Mules (12/12/08)
SIKESTON -- The New Madrid County Central Eagles were able to hold off the Poplar Bluff Mules with stout defense late in the SEMO Conference tournament semifinals round at the Sikeston Field House on Tuesday night in a 50-44 win. With three minutes left to play in the fourth quarter and the Eagles down by one point, 43-42, Tyler Johnson came up with an offensive rebound and a put-back to give NMCC a one point lead. ...

Cape Central eliminates Bluejays from tourney (12/10/08)
SIKESTON -- It isn't very often the Charleston Bluejays are eliminated from a tournament on just the second night. Unfortunately for the Bluejays that is just what happened Tuesday night after falling to the Cape Central Tigers 51-46 in the consolation semifinals of the SEMO Conference Tournament...

Half-time adjustments help Lady Bearcats remain undefeated (12/10/08)
JACKSON -- Dexter Lady Bearcats coach Chad Allen may be and X and O's kind of guy. Trailing Jackson on the road 25-24 at the half, Allen made a few adjustments to his offense and the Lady Bearcats responded with an 11-0 run to open the third and never looked back in a 62-37 SEMO Conference win Tuesday over the Lady Indians...

Advance rallies late to defeat Bell City (12/10/08)
ADVANCE -- Advance used a 19-10 fourth quarter to erase a 5-point deficit and post a 57-53 SCAA win over Bell City, the league's defending champions, Tuesday at the Hornet's Nest in Advance. "I was disappointed in our energy level tonight (Tuesday)," first-year Advance coach Josh Dowdy stated. "With that said, this team knows how to win and I am proud of them for the effort they gave when their back was against the wall."...

Delta storms past Lady Bulldogs (12/09/08)
CHAFFEE -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs dropped their opening round game of the Chaffee Lady Devils Tournament on Monday evening. Knocking the Lady Bulldogs to the loser's bracket was the defending tournament champion Delta Lady Bobcats. The 61-26 final score wasn't an indication of how all four quarters were played, but Sikeston head coach Homer Jackson said that turnovers bit the Lady Bulldogs down the stretch...

Jackson tries to get good read on third-seeded Mules (12/07/08)
The teams square off Tuesday in the SEMO Conference tournament

Poplar Bluff girls edge Jackson at Farmington tourney (12/03/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor FARMINGTON -- Poplar Bluff couldn't find the bottom of the net in the first half, but luckily for the Lady Mules neither could Jackson in the final 10 seconds. Poplar Bluff escaped the opening round of the Farmington Invitational with a 44-43 come-from-behind win, despite shooting 25.7 percent from the field in the first half and giving the Lady Indians two shots at winning late...

Risco falls in Campbell tourney (12/03/08)
CAMPBELL -- The No. 7 seed Risco Tigers fell to the No. 2 seed Campbell Camels in the Campbell Tournament on Tuesday night 82-55. "We just never could recover after the first quarter," Risco head coach Brandon Blankenship said. "We're better than what we showed. Campbell came out and played very well. Ross Carter had a good game but we've got to have some other players step up."...

Eighth and ninth grade teams pick up victories at home (12/02/08)
SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldog freshmen basketball team downed the Jackson Indians 58-31 Monday night at the Sikeston Field House. The Bulldogs' scoring leaders were Eldridge Gibson (15), Keldon Warfield (11), and Terry Jamison (10). The Sikeston Bulldog eight grade basketball team breezed past the Jackson Indians 54-17 Monday night at the Sikeston Field House...

Sikeston JV wins in first round (11/28/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Sikeston Bulldogs junior varsity team were able to bounce back and beat the Jackson Indians 45-38 in the first round of the Notre Dame junior varsity tournament on Wednesday. At one point in the contest, Sikeston had fallen behind 22-5 in the first half...

Lady Bulldogs to rely on youth (11/23/08)
SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldog Basketball team will look to some fresh faces this year, as their young team looks to develop the fundamentals of success. Third-year head coach Homer Jackson notes that his squad will not return any starters from the 2007-2008 season...

Eli Jackson puts up gaudy stats in 2008 (11/12/08)
SIKESTON -- One reason for the improvement of the Sikeston Bulldog football team can be credited to the outstanding season of junior running back Eli Jackson. Jackson, who had the most rushing yards (1,464) and touchdowns (21) since Justin Robinson's record breaking year in 1999 also compiled 141 points in 2008, the third most ever by a Bulldog...

SHS program headed in the right direction (11/12/08)
SIKESTON -- As the Sikeston Bulldog football team walked off the field after a 27-26 loss to Farmington on Oct. 30, there weren't many smiles. But after reflection, the Bulldogs season shows how the program is heading in the right direction after several years of disappointing seasons...

Teams still are alive in playoffs (11/11/08)
CREVE COEUR --Jackson played a big game of keep away with Parkway North. The Indians rammed the ball down the Vikings' throat, rarely letting Parkway North's offense on the field in the second half during their Class 5 sectional football game Monday...

Farmington slips by SHS (10/31/08)
FARMINGTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs football team's season ended in a barn burner, as they fell to the Knights of Farmington 27-26 Thursday night in Farmington. The Bulldogs (5-5) came into Farmington fired up and ready to play. Sikeston's defense was able to stop the Knights offensive juggernaut for three-and-outs on their first two offensive possessions. The Bulldog offense was able to move the ball early and gain some first downs but were eventually forced to punt by the Knight's defense...

'Tremendous': SHS wins on C.J. Council interception return (10/26/08)
SIKESTON -- Turnovers can win or lose football games. C.J. Council's fourth quarter interception did both. With the score tied at 28 and only three seconds remaining in regulation, the Poplar Bluff Mules (4-5) opted to line up on their own 25-yard line and take one last shot at a score instead of running out the clock and trying their luck in overtime...

JV squad previews what lies ahead for program in big win (10/21/08)
SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldog junior varsity football team finished their season on a high note as they defeated the Jackson Indians 20-14 Monday night at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium. The Bulldogs (6-2) and Indians held one another scoreless through the first quarter. ...

SHS drops district opener (10/19/08)
WEST PLAINS -- The West Plains Zizzers proved that they have a tough schedule on Friday evening as they defeated the visiting Sikeston Bulldogs by a final score of 52-28. The Zizzers were coming off of a previous win in week seven where they defeated the reigning Class 5 state champion Waynesville by three points. Sikeston was fresh off of a victory over Kennett, but couldn't provide enough offense to match West Plains' 475 total yards from scrimmage...

SEMO Conference cross country results (10/16/08)
Results from Thursday's meet at Notre Dame (Central girls and Notre Dame boys won team titles):

Jackson cashes in on fumble returns, beats Mules 16-6 (10/12/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor Jackson's defense provided the points Friday night to beat Poplar Bluff, 16-6, at Morrow Stadium. Marcus Harris and Henry Williams each returned fumbles for touchdowns for the Indians, who got a 30-yard field goal by Morgan Johnson on their opening drive but no other points on offense...

Sikeston rolls as it hands Tribe first loss (10/12/08)
The Sikeston Bulldogs football team surged past the previously undefeated Kennett Indians 45-7 Friday night on the road in Kennett. However, the Bulldogs offensive game plan looked uncertain Friday afternoon. With starting quarterback Charlie Bohannon sidelined this week with an injury and backup Sam Erwin out with a fever, Sikeston gave the nod to junior Jordan Williams at quarterback. Williams, who usually plays wide receiver, has not taken a snap at quarterback since his eighth grade year...

Bulldogs run over previously undefeated Kennett (10/12/08)
KENNETT -- The Sikeston Bulldogs football team surged past the previously undefeated Kennett Indians 45-7 Friday night on the road in Kennett. However, the Bulldogs offensive game plan looked uncertain Friday afternoon. With starting quarterback Charlie Bohannon sidelined this week with an injury and backup Sam Erwin out with a fever, Sikeston gave the nod to junior Jordan Williams at quarterback. ...

Lady Bulldogs win extra inning stunner (10/10/08)
POPLAR BLUFF -- It has been five years since the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs have won a district tournament game. On Thursday night, that all changed. The Lady Bulldogs pulled out a close 2-1 win over the Jackson Lady Indians (8-16) in the Class 4, District 1 tournament in Poplar Bluff that had to go eight innings to finish...

'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...

Lady Hawks riding momentum into the district tournament (10/07/08)
BENTON -- The last game of the regular season for the Kelly Lady Hawks meant that it was a special day for the senior class on the softball team. Luckily for them, they pulled out a close 3-2 win on the field on Monday afternoon against Jackson to finish their final regular season...

Homecoming Heartbreak: Sikeston unable to hold on to 22-6 halftime lead (10/05/08)
SIKESTON -- The bid for a 4-2 record came up shy for the Sikeston Bulldogs on Friday evening as the visiting New Madrid County Central Eagles overcame a 22-6 halftime deficit to win by a final of 40-29 to spoil Homecoming festivities. NMCC on the other hand now sits at 4-2 on the season as they prepare for Park Hills Central on Friday...

Poplar Bluff falls short at Lesterville (10/01/08)
By DAR STAFF LESTERVILLE -- The Poplar Bluff volleyball team played a tough Lesterville squad Tuesday night, but came away empty-handed against the sixthranked team in Class 1. The Lady Mules gave Lesterville all they could handle, but still lost both games, 25-21 and 25-19...

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...

Jackson beats Poplar Bluff with late goals (09/30/08)
By ROB TATE ~ DAR Sports Writer A telling statistic in soccer that usually indicates how much pressure one team is putting on the other is goal kicks. Monday night against Jackson, Poplar Bluff had 11 goal kicks to Jackson's one in the second half. Jackson handled the ball in the Poplar Bluff defensive zone a majority of the game and came away with a 4-2 victory...

Lady Tribe wins 14th game, stays perfect in Bootheel play (09/30/08)
CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- The Kennett Lady Indians volleyball served 16 aces on the night as it stayed perfect in Bootheel Conference play with a 25-14, 25-14 win over the Caruthersville Lady Tigers here Monday. "Our serving game was on real good," Kennett coach Laura Ort said. "We worked on it in practice a little on Friday. We've really just talked about hitting our spots and being more effective servers."...

Bulldogs rout Cape Central for third win (09/28/08)
SIKESTON -- A lot has changed since the last time the Sikeston Bulldogs met up with the Cape Central Tigers on the gridiron. That contest, held last November in Cape Girardeau, featured a 27-20 victory that slipped away from the Bulldogs on a cold evening at Houck Stadium...

Dexter netters blanked by Jackson (09/26/08)
Dexter's Lady Bearcats tennis team suffered a 9-0 loss at home Thursday to the visiting Jackson Lady Indians. "Jackson is a very strong team," Dexter coach Leanna Dooley stated. "Our girls are working hard, but their lack of court time shows against tough competition...

Bulldogs looking for revenge on Tigers (09/25/08)
SIKESTON-- The Sikeston Bulldogs football team will look to rebound from the well contested loss at Jackson last week when they take on the Cape Central Tigers at home on Friday. Sikeston head coach Kent Gibbs felt his team played well last week. "Overall, It was apparent that our kids thought they could win," Gibbs said. ...

Jackson rolls past Sikeston (09/24/08)
SIKESTON -- Consistency was what both coaches were looking for in the Sikeston-Jackson volleyball match on Tuesday night at the Sikeston Field House. The Lady Indians found it. Sikeston did not. The Lady Bulldogs fell in two sets 25-9 and 25-14. "We have to learn how to put together one consistent match," Sikeston head coach Steve Beydler said. ...

SHS comes up short: Jackson defensive stand stifles upset bid (09/21/08)
JACKSON -- As the clock rolled down to 9-minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Friday's game with the Jackson Indians, the Sikeston Bulldogs had four downs to try to pick up a first down and an opportunity to tie if not take the lead in the game. As all four downs dwindled away, so did the momentum of the game as Jackson took over on downs and eventually pushed their lead further out in front of the visiting Bulldogs before they eventually went on to win by a final score of 35-14...

Kelly eases past East Prairie (09/19/08)
BENTON-- The Kelly Lady Hawks softball team improved to a record of 11-1 with a 10-0 win over the Lady Eagles of East Prairie Thursday in Benton. Pitcher Jessica Riley and the Kelly defense played solid Thursday, stifling East Prairie's offensive efforts...

Lady Bulldogs breeze through East Prairie with victory (09/18/08)
EAST PRAIRIE -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs handled business on Wednesday afternoon as they traveled to East Prairie, defeating the Lady Eagles 17-0 in five innings. For Sikeston, it was a display of offense as they rattled off 14 hits in four innings at the dish, chipping in nine walks as well...

Sikeston looking to carry their momentum north to Jackson (09/18/08)
SIKESTON--Optimism is in high volume around the Sikeston Bulldog football program as they prepare to travel to Jackson to take on the Indians Friday night. "I think our kids are optimistic," Sikeston head coach Kent Gibbs said. "You talk to them around school and there is a lot more optimism within our football program. The outlook of our kids that 'hey, we have a real shot at winning these games' is so much better. Our boys are excited to play and that just makes things a lot better."...

SHS Wins shootout (09/14/08)
SIKESTON -- It has been nothing but Dexter Bearcat dominance over the Sikeston Bulldogs on the football field for the last six years. On Friday night though, the Bulldogs ended the Dexter winning streak in a 49-27 victory at Sikeston Public High School Stadium...

Second half comeback falls short for Bearcats, lose 49-27 (09/14/08)
By Chris Pobst SEMO News Service SIKESTON -- It has been nothing but Dexter Bearcat dominance over the Sikeston Bulldogs on the football field for the last six years. On Friday night though, the Bulldogs ended the Dexter winning streak in a 49-27 victory at Sikeston Public High School Stadium...

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."...

Oran scores early in 16-2 win (09/10/08)
ORAN -- The Oran Lady Eagles had no problems scoring runs in their game against the Jackson Lady Indians junior varsity squad as they came away with a 16-2 win. The Lady Eagles scored 12 runs in the first two innings while allowing only two Jackson runs to score in the first inning...

Dexter passes first road test with win over Jackson (09/05/08)
JACKSON -- Dexter passed its first road test with flying colors as the Lady Bearcats battled for a three-game win over the Jackson Lady Indians Thursday, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19. Seniors Jessica Satterfield and Cathryn Heil both had big nights at the net, combining for 29 kills. Satterfield knocked down 17 and added a team-high 12 digs to go along with nine assist and two blocks. Heil charted 12 kills and a team-high 11 assists to go along with nine digs and one block...

Dexter rallies to down Kennett in season opener (09/03/08)
KENNETT -- Dexter overcame a injury and a scrappy much of Kennett Lady Indians as the Lady Bearcats posted a come-from-behind, 14-25, 25-16, 25-21, Tuesday on the road in the season-opener for both volleyball squads. With a revamped starting lineup due to the loss of Dexter's Abbie Warren to injury, Kennett took advantage of the situation and got off to a quick start in front of the home crowd with a 25-14 win in the first game. ...

Lady Indians start season 0-1 (09/03/08)
KENNETT - Dexter overcame an injury and a scrappy much of Lady Indians as the Lady Bearcats posted a come-from-behind, 14-25, 25-16, 25-21, Tuesday on the road in the season-opener for both volleyball squads. With a revamped starting lineup due to the loss of Dexter's Abbie Warren to injury, Kennett took advantage of the situation and got off to a quick start in front of the home crowd with a 25-14 win in the first game. ...

Central tops Jackson at Cor Jesu softball tournament (08/31/08)
By Bill Hester ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- The weekend had been a frustrating one for Taylre Scott and the rest of the Central softball team. The Tigers played two excellent games on the first night of the Haberstroh Cor Jesu Tournament, losing 2-1 contests to Affton and Notre Dame-St. Louis on Friday...

Sikeston falters late (08/31/08)
FREDERICKTOWN -- The Sikeston Bulldogs kicked off the football season on Friday evening as they traveled north to play the Fredericktown Blackcats. After an intense four quarter battle the home team prevailed as the Blackcats downed their visiting opponent 42-29...

Big plays hurt Jackson in 32-31 loss to Riverview Gardens (08/30/08)
By Bill Hester ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian ST. LOUIS -- It didn't take Van Hitt long to have his first major decision as Jackson's football coach. Hitt took over the Jackson varsity job this season after 29 years as an assistant. His Indians scored a touchdown with 30 seconds to play Friday night to pull within one point of Riverview Gardens in the season opener for both teams...

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...

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...

KST takes second in the Jackson Championship Swim Meet (08/01/08)
JACKSON, Mo. -- The Kennett Swim Team swam their way to second place at the Jackson Championship Meet on Saturday, July 26, 2008. KST managed to rack up a total of 1,012 points. They came in just 130 points behind the Gator Swim Team, but blew the third place Jackson Swim Team out of the water with a 659-point difference...

D.C. Dodgers repeat as District XIV Champions (07/29/08)
JACKSON, Mo. -- The Dunkin County Dodgers Post 303 took home the gold for the second year in a row after a 3-0 game sweep at the District Tournament in Jackson. In their first game, the number one seed Dodgers blew out the number four seed Cape Girardeau in a 12-0 victory...

Dunklin County rallies twice to defeat Jackson in tournament (07/24/08)
JACKSON, Mo. -- The Dunklin County American Legion team is one win away from its second consecutive District 14 championship, following a come-from-behind 11-9 victory against host Jackson that began Wednesday night and ended in the wee minutes of Thursday morning at Legion Field...

Jackson 2008 football schedule (07/18/08)
Aug. 29 -- at Riverview Gardens Sept. 5 -- at Parkway South Sept. 12 -- at Gateway Tech Sept. 19 -- Sikeston Sept. 26 -- Hazelwood Central Oct. 3 -- Farmington Oct. 10 -- at Poplar Bluff Oct. 17 -- at Eureka Oct. 24 -- Rockwood Summit Oct. 30 -- Cape Central...

D.C. takes number one seed (07/17/08)
The Dunklin County Dodgers clinched a No. 1 seed in the upcoming District XIV tournament with a 10-0 win over Cape Girardeau on Wednesday night in Senath. The No. 1 seed means that the Dodgers (32-15, 4-2 District XIV) will play their first game in the district tournament Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Jackson...

Big second inning fuels Dodgers in split (07/02/08)
BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- The Dunklin County Post 303 Dodgers have made a habit of scoring a lot of runs in a short amount of time this season against the Blytheville Casons. Post 303 put up nine runs in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader to roll to a 15-4 win before losing 6-5 in the nightcap to settle for a split here Tuesday...

Jackson ends Redbirds' winning streak in split (06/27/08)
One night after scoring 34 runs in a doubleheader against Dexter, the Dunklin County Redbirds were stymied in a 7-3 loss to District XIV foe Jackson before posting 18 runs in the nightcap of the twin bill. Jackson starting pitcher Brett Thomas was crafty in six innings of work in game one, scattering seven hits and give walks while striking out three and allowing just one run to a Dunklin County lineup that has routinely battered teams via the 10-run rule...

Leadership: Hunter, Branum are our Players of the Year (06/20/08)
It seems like Dustin Hunter and Shane Branum have been fixtures in area high school baseball for years. Both have been making major contributions to their respective teams since their sophomore years, so it is no surprise that both of them emerged this year to not only lead their respective teams, but to also be named as the Daily Dunklin Democrat Players of the Year...

Mizzou focused on gridiron for 2008 season (06/19/08)
With the vast majority of their starters coming back from a 12-2 team that ended last season ranked fourth in the nation, it would be understandable if the Missouri Tigers were feeling the pressure of national title expectations. But that is not the case, not if Tuesday means anything...

Dodgers ride arms to three wins over weekend (06/17/08)
SENATH, Mo. -- Dunklin County Post 303 manager Jamie Johnson said before the season that one of his team's major strengths was its pitching. That was quite obvious over the weekend, as the Dodgers won three of their four games, getting complete games from their starters in all three victories...

Dodgers down district foe Scott County (06/11/08)
Post 303 takes district contest, settles for twinbill split

Stonewalled again: Jackson stops Poplar Bluff 3-2 (05/14/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor HILLSBORO -- Having already been shutout three times by Jackson this spring, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules tried something different Tuesday in the MSHSAA Class 2 District soccer semifinal. The result, however, was the same -- another one-goal loss to the state-ranked Indians...

Kelly races out to big lead to spoil Senior Day for Indians (05/09/08)
The Kelly Hawks raced out to a big lead and held off a late comeback to defeat the Kennett Indians 7-4 Thursday at Indian Park, spoiling Senior Day for the Tribe. In other area baseball games, it was Senath-Hornersville 10, Holcomb 3; Cooter 9, South Pemiscot 7; and North Pemiscot defeated Gideon...

Mills pitches Dexter to victory over Tribe (05/08/08)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Ben Mills has not made many starts on the mound this season for the Dexter Bearcats. But one couldn't tell that Wednesday against the Kennett Indians. In just his second start of the season, Mills scattered 10 hits and pitched out of several jams to lead Dexter to an 8-2 victory over the Tribe at East Park...

Mills pitches 'Cats to victory over Kennett (05/08/08)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Ben Mills has not made many starts on the mound this season for the Dexter Bearcats. But one couldn't tell that Wednesday against the Kennett Indians. In just his second start of the season, Mills scattered 10 hits and pitched out of several jams to lead Dexter to an 8-2 victory over the Tribe at East Park...

Tribe shuts out Lions (05/07/08)
The Kennett Indians seem to just have the Senath-Hornersville Lions' number on the baseball diamond this spring. For the second time this spring, the Tribe's pitchers shut down the Senath-Hornersville offense, as Trey Bazzell and Corey Henfling combined to hold the Lions to just one hit in a 4-0 win at Indian Park Tuesday...

Jackson rolls past Sikeston in second half (05/02/08)
Jackson scores four goals in 2nd half to get the win

Conference champs: Lady Tribe wraps up outright Bootheel title with win (05/01/08)
In the midst of the season's homestretch, the Kennett Lady Indians softball team seems to be peaking at the right time. The Lady Tribe continued its recent hot streak Wednesday at Indian Park, scoring 13 runs in the bottom of the first inning to roll to a 15-0 victory over the Caruthersville Lady Tigers and lock up the Bootheel Conference title...

'Cats rally to take third place at conference tourney (04/29/08)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dexter staged yet another last ditch rally to take third place at the SEMO Conference baseball tournament with a 5-4 win over Jackson Monday at Capaha Park on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in Cape Girardeau. Dexter, the tournament's No. ...

South Pem makes Tribe pay for mistakes (04/26/08)
HAYTI, Mo. -- Errors. Walks. Hit batsmen. Missed opportunities. All of them combined to doom the Kennett Indians' chances of winning the Bootheel Conference Tournament. The Tribe issued five walks, hit four batters and made a pair of costly sixth-inning errors as it fell 5-3 to the South Pemiscot Bulldogs in the tournament championship game here Thursday at Indian Field...

Branum leads Tribe to Bootheel finals (04/24/08)
HAYTI, Mo. -- As one of just two seniors on the pitching staff, Shane Branum has emerged as a team leader this season for the Kennett Indians. Wednesday was no exception, as Branum pitched the Tribe past the Portageville Bulldogs 9-1 in the semifinals of the Bootheel Conference Tournament here at Indian Field...

Tribe golfers wrap up undefeated regular season (04/24/08)
From staff reports CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians may not have had their best day on the golf course, but it was good enough for the Tribe to finish undefeated in dual and triangular matches. Ryan Richardson and Randy Crawford each shot 44 as Kennett finished with a score of 180, enough to outdistance both Doniphan (194) and Saxony Lutheran (195) Wednesday at Dalhousie Golf Course...

Dexter looks impressive in easy win over Portageville (04/22/08)
Dexter's Lady Bearcats were clicking on all cylinders Monday, pitching, hitting and defense. The combination practically ended the game before it started Monday as Dexter defeated the visiting Portageville Lady Bulldogs, 15-0, in three innings. Stephanie Jackson threw a no-hitter for her three innings of work, the defense played flawless ball and the Lady 'Cats banged out 11 hits in just two innings at the plate...

Lady Tribe runs past Hayti to stay perfect (04/22/08)
HAYTI, Mo. -- It may have taken the Kennett Lady Indians a little while to get started Monday, but when they did, they were unstoppable. The Lady Tribe erupted for 10 runs in the top of the fourth inning to break open a close game and also stole 14 bases on the day to roll past Hayti 15-1 in a Bootheel Conference game here at Al Jackson Field...

Jackson edges Mules with goal from the corner (04/18/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor Kasey Crowden did her best impression of David Beckham -- if Becks was left-footed -- to beat the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules. The Jackson midfielder scored from a corner kick in the 28th minute Thursday night at Whiteley Park to give the Lady Indians a 1-0 win...

Lady 'Cats defeat Bloomfield for SCAA tourney title (04/18/08)
ADVANCE -- Dexter scored three runs in the first inning then used a solid defensive effort and the pitching of Stephanie Jackson to hold on for 3-1 win over Bloomfield in the championship game of the SCAA softball tournament Thursday at Advance. "You've got to say something good about all the girls," Dexter coach Tammy Crowley said after the game. "It wasn't just one or two players, it was the whole team. They all played great and I couldn't be more proud of them."...

Fundamentals help 'Cats fabricate win over Indians (04/17/08)
Even Dexter baseball coach Brian Becker has to be impressed with this year's team. After building a quick 6-0 lead over Jackson, the Bearcats must have had that sinking feeling as they watched the Indians begin to chip away and eventually overtake them, 7-6, with two runs in the sixth...

Tribe struggles at plate; Clarkton rolls at Delta (04/16/08)
JACKSON, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians' struggles at the plate continue. For the third game in a row, the Tribe was held to five hits or less as Jackson pitcher Caleb Hosey tossed a two-hitter in a 7-1 victory over the Indians here Tuesday. In other games Tuesday, it was Senath-Hornersville 3, Malden 2; and Clarkton 13, Delta C7 3, while in softball it was South Pemiscot 15, Delta C7 3...

Bearcats come up short against Dooley and Oran (04/16/08)
Oran's offense staked pitcher Steven Dooley to an early 6-0 lead and that was all the all-state hurler needed as the Eagles defeated the Dexter Bearcats, 7-5, Tuesday at the East Park ball field in Dexter. Dooley worked five innings to pick up the win, allowing six hits and walking two. The hard-throwing right-hander set nine Dexter batters down on strikes while working with a big early lead...

Mid-inning meltdown: Tribe allows 13 runs in fourth and fifth innings in SEMO loss (04/16/08)
For the first three innings on Monday, the Kennett Indians seemed headed to their fourth straight win. Then the wheels came off and things fell apart over the next two innings, sending the Tribe to a 13-10 loss to the New Madrid County Central Eagles in a SEMO Conference baseball game at Indian Park...

Lady 'Cats defeat Doniphan, improve record to 3-1 (04/13/08)
Dexter's Lady Bearcats improved to 3-1 on the season with a 6-4 win over Doniphan at home Friday. Senior Amanda Dooley had two hits, including a 2-run home run and scored twice, while Stephanie Jackson (1-1) went the distance on the mound to pick up the win...

ROUNDUP: SIkeston soccer shuts out Harrisburg (04/10/08)
Oran, Cooter baseball teams win convincingly

Jackson tosses no-hitter against Lions (04/09/08)
SENATH, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians broke out of their slump Tuesday in a big way against their biggest rival. After the Indians allowed 19 runs in their last two games, Austin Jackson tossed a no-hitter to lead the Tribe to a 1-0 victory over the Senath-Hornersville Lions in Bootheel Conference action on a rainy afternoon here Tuesday...

Tribe rallies for SEMO win against Notre Dame (03/28/08)
Struggling with errors and with their bats, things looked bleak for the Kennett Indians against Notre Dame on Thursday. But the Tribe never gave up. "We kept fighting until the very end," Kennett senior Shane Branum said. "That's what definitely kept us in the ballgame. We never gave up even though we were down after making a few errors. We just kept fighting hard."...

Tribe takes down Malden for first win (03/23/08)
After managing just one hit in an Opening Day loss Monday, the Kennett Indians knew they needed to swing the bats better to defeat Malden on Friday. "We were definitely going to need some hits today," Kennett pitcher Shane Branum said after Friday's contest. "After coming off of a game where we had (only a) couple, that was my main concern because I knew we would play good defense. As long as we hit the ball good, I knew we'd be all right."...

Dexter's Heil wins SEMO Conference post season honor (03/20/08)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Some of the best coaches and players in Southeast Missouri shared the spotlight Wednesday night as representatives from the member teams of the SEMO Conference gathered in the student center of Poplar Bluff High School for the 50th annua Poplar Bluff Letter Club Basketball Banquet...

Lady Tribe makes history with Opening Day win (03/18/08)
It was a historic day for the Kennett Lady Indians soccer team. After winning just one game last season, the Lady Indians jumped out to a big early lead and took a 5-3 win over the Paragould Lady Rams Monday evening at Indian Park. It is the first time that a Kennett High School soccer team has started the season with a victory...

Tribe starting New era (03/18/08)
Saying that the Kennett Indians baseball team has a "new" look this season may be the biggest understatement of the spring. The Tribe has new hats and new uniforms. With just three seniors and a group of talented freshmen on the roster, there are plenty of new faces...

Jackson promotes Hitt to head football coach (02/28/08)
Van Hitt, an assistant football coach at Jackson High School since 1979, was named the Indians head coach Wednesday. Hitt replaces Carl Gross, who retired Jan. 24 after leading the Indians to eight district titles over 19 seasons. Hitt, a 1965 graduate of Jackson and a former football player at Southeast Missouri State University, has been the Indians' defensive coordinator for 19 seasons...

Webster Groves eliminates Jackson boys in Class 5 sectional (02/28/08)
FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Webster Groves High School boys basketball team pretty well had its way from start to finish during a December meeting with Jackson. That wasn't quite the case Wednesday night as the Indians hung within striking distance of the Statesmen for a good portion of the Class 5 sectional...

ND, Jackson prep for sectionals (02/27/08)
Notre Dame coach Paul Hale watched his Bulldogs rout De Soto by 35 points in the regular-season matchup between the two schools 12 days ago. But Hale has stressed to his team that tonight's second meeting could be more difficult since the stakes are higher...

Poplar Bluff girls bank first district since 2005 (02/25/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor JACKSON -- Aereill Davis needed help getting to the locker room following the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship game. Davis' teammates were there for her after Poplar Bluff's leading scorer injured her ankle in the first quarter Friday night. The Lady Mules held off Jackson 48-40 then gave the senior a piggy-back ride off the court...

Jackson girls fall to Bluff in district final (02/23/08)
JACKSON -- Poplar Bluff's Jasmin Sumrall was unfazed when Jackson staged a late comeback against her team Friday night. The Indians, after trailing by as many as 12 points in third quarter, stormed back to make it a one-point deficit with 5 minutes, 45 seconds left in their Class 5 District 1 girls basketball championship game...

Jackson boys repeat as district champions (02/23/08)
JACKSON -- The Jackson High School boys basketball team anticipated a close game with Poplar Bluff. Why wouldn't the Indians? After all, when the squads met a little more than a month ago, Jackson won by five points. Nothing that happened in the first quarter of Friday night's Class 5 District 1 championship game suggested that the rematch would be any different...

ND, Sikeston fans scramble for tickets (02/22/08)
Tickets for the Class 4 District 1 boys basketball championship game between Notre Dame and Sikeston are not easy to obtain for the general public. Just ask anyone who stood in line Thursday at Sikeston High School waiting for two hours to purchase tickets...

Jackson's 3 barrage buries Seckman (02/21/08)
JACKSON -- The Jackson girls basketball team lives and dies by the 3-pointer most nights. The Indians lived by it against Seckman in Class 5 District 1 semifinal action Wednesday. Jackson, which scored 13 points in the first 13 minutes, 12 seconds of the contest, caught fire from 3-point range late in the second quarter and stayed hot throughout the third quarter to overcome a 10-point first-half deficit and rout the Jaguars 66-41...

Jackson completes season sweep (02/20/08)
JACKSON -- When Jackson's Jake Leet described teammate Hunter Grantham on Tuesday night, he called him an "animal down low." Grantham certainly was a force near the basket during the third quarter of the Indians' district contest against rival Central...

Indians battle pressure in fifth meeting with Tigers (02/20/08)
JACKSON -- The outcome of Jackson-Central V was the same as the previous four meetings this season, but this one counted most. It ended Central's season at 11-15, and it allowed Jackson to move on to the Class 5 District 1 championship game, which will be played Thursday night in Jackson...

Central boys will play Jackson in district semifinal (02/19/08)
JACKSON -- Jajuan Bell didn't miss during the first quarter. In fact, he nearly outscored Fox on his own. Bell delivered in the first half, then Chase Johnson took over in the second as Central defeated Fox, 67-57, in their Class 5 District 1 boys basketball opener Monday night...

ROUNDUP: Kelly boys fall; Kelly girls win (02/18/08)
Staff reports JACKSON -- Matt Lang scored 17 points, while Marcus Harris, Jake Leet and Hunter Grantham added 15 apiece as the Jackson boys basketball team won its tuneup for district play Saturday. Jackson earned the 80-57 victory over Kelly. The Hawks stuck with Jackson through the first quarter, but the Indians (18-7) managed to shake Kelly in the second quarter, opening a 10-point lead at halftime...

Central may face Jackson for fifth time this season (02/18/08)
The Jackson vs. Central rivalry game has been a common occurrence this winter. The two boys basketball teams have played each other four times. And there is still a chance for one more meeting in the Class 5 District 1 tournament this week. District action begins today at Jackson High School...

Sikeston takes bite out of Tribe (02/17/08)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Bulldogs came into Friday evening's match-up against the Kennett Indians with three things at stake. A win would give them a share of the SEMO Conference title, a 21-3 regular season record, their best in decades, and a solid victory heading into the district tournament...

Jackson's Peiffer earns fifth-place finish at 215 (02/17/08)
COLUMBIA -- Jackson junior wrestler Blake Peiffer could afford to think a little about next year after capturing the fifth-place match at the MSHSAA wrestling championships. Justin Miller had to be consoled with thinking about how far he had come since last year...

Get caught drinking, and prepare to sit (02/17/08)
Scott City High School student-athletes caught possessing or consuming alcohol for the first time are punished with a two-week suspension, preventing them from participating in games. Still, two Rams athletes, who play both football and basketball and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor alcohol charges in between the fall and winter sports seasons, were able to continue participating without having to miss a single contest...

Jackson finishes regular season 18-7 (02/17/08)
Matt Lang scored 17 points, while Marcus Harris, Jake Leet and Hunter Grantham added 15 apiece as the Jackson boys basketball team won its tuneup for district play Saturday. Jackson earned the 80-57 victory over Kelly. The Hawks stuck with Jackson through the first quarter, but the Indians (18-7) managed to shake Kelly in the second quarter, opening a 10-point lead at halftime...

High school roundup--Bernie wins shootout against Bloomfield (02/17/08)
BLOOMFIELD -- Two teams that like to run the floor locked up Friday and it was the Bernie Mules that won the shoot-out over Bloomfield, 90-82. Senior Silas Dill scored 22 points to lead four Mules in double figures. Quinton Stevens his three 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, while Jake Smith and Jake Welch connected for 16 and 13 points, respectively. Dill also added 11 rebounds to his statistics for the night while Welch dished out eight assists...

Tigers drop regular-season finale to Bearcats, 71-43 (02/16/08)
The Central boys basketball team hoped for a solid performance to warm up for Monday's Class 5 District 1 basketball tournament. The Tigers were forced to settle for a lopsided defeat, falling at Dexter 71-43. Central trailed by 10 at halftime, then the Bearcats pushed the lead to 25 entering the fourth quarter...

Jackson's Peiffer drops into hunt for third place (02/16/08)
Jackson junior Blake Peiffer's march toward a state wrestling title ended Friday when he lost his Class 4 215-pound state quarterfinal match in Columbia, Mo. Peiffer lost to Oak Park's Kolton Kono, 6-4. But Peiffer rebounded to defeat Ritenour's Derreon Richardson, 6-1...

One Jackson wrestler advances (02/15/08)
Jackson junior Blake Peiffer was the lone local wrestler to win his first-round match Thursday at the state meet in Columbia. Peiffer defeated Hazelwood West's Blake Oecki by major decision, 11-2, in their Class 4 215-pound match. He will face Oak Park's Kolton Kono, who enters 29-3, in the next round...

Richland knocks off state-ranked Clarkton (02/10/08)
Staff Reports ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com RICHLAND -- The Richland Rebels played host to the state-ranked Clarkton Reindeer on Friday night, the Rebels used a big third quarter to gain the lead and went on to win, 80-71. Richland was down by one point at halftime, 36-35. But, the Rebels outscored Clarkton 25-14 to take a 10 point lead at the end of the third quarter...

Slow starts dooms Jackson (02/10/08)
Parkway South jumped on Jackson early, and the Indians couldn't mount a rally as the Patriots earned the 56-29 girls basketball victory Saturday. Ashten Howard led Jackson with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Indians dropped to 12-9 with the loss...

Seven Jackson wrestlers qualify for state (02/10/08)
ST. LOUIS -- Jackson senior Justin Miller spent part of last February in St. Louis at Children's Hospital for surgery to repair a hole in his heart. He was back in St. Louis this February, but this time he was standing on the top of the podium after winning the Class 4 District 1 wrestling championship at 152 pounds. His championship helped the Indians to a fourth-place team finish in the tournament at Lindbergh High School...

HS Rdp (02/09/08)
Jackson 66, NMCC 55 The host Indians improved to 17-7 behind Spencer Goodman's 22 points. Jackson finally put away the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Marcus Harris scored 16 points and Hunter Grantham added 12 in the win. New Madrid (55) -- Dontre Jenkins 13, Bryan Waters 10, Justin Beasley 4, Kony Ealy 14, Josh Minner 6, Eddie Macklin 4, Lennies McFerren 4. FG 23, FT 7-17, F 17 (3-pointers: Jenkins 1, Ealy 1. Fouled out: None)...

Notre Dame makes short work of Tribe (02/06/08)
One night after the Kennett Indians won their first-ever Bootheel Conference Tournament championship, they were reminded that the SEMO Conference is a lot tougher road to walk. The Notre Dame Bulldogs jumped out to a big early lead and were never seriously challenged by the Tribe in a 50-17 route Tuesday night in a game that was called at halftime because of the threat of severe weather...

Jackson rallies from 17-point deficit to defeat Central (02/06/08)
Jackson senior Jake Leet already has a game-winning shot against conference rival Notre Dame on his resume this season. And Tuesday night he added a game-winning blocked shot to his list of late-game heroics against SEMO Conference foes. With his team leading 49-48 with 7 seconds remaining, Leet rejected Central's Jajuan Bell who drove to the basket for a layup. Leet held on to the ball, and the Indians held on for a 51-48 victory at the Show Me Center...

Jackson girls defeat Central 46-33 (02/06/08)
The Jackson High School girls basketball team trailed archrival Cape Girardeau Central for much of the first three quarters Tuesday night. Not that the Indians felt uncomfortable in that situation. "That's the way we play," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "I think we've been behind in every game we've played the last month...

Jackson girls shut down Sikeston in second half (02/05/08)
Lady Bulldogs' halftime lead undone by just three second-half points in 48-29 loss.

Jackson girls rally behind strong 'D' (02/05/08)
The Jackson girls basketball team entered halftime down by six at Sikeston on Monday. The Indians decided it was time for some defense after the break. Jackson allowed one point in the third quarter and two in the fourth as it allowed three points in the entire second half. Jackson outscored Sikeston 28-3 in the decisive half...

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...

Jackson wrestlers edge Farmington in wrestling dual (01/30/08)
The Jackson wrestling team remained perfect in dual matches and gained a measure of revenge by edging SEMO Conference tournament champion Farmington 37-34 on Tuesday night in Jackson. "It seems like we always have some great matchups with Farmington," Jackson coach Steve Wachter said. "It was a great effort by us, it was a great effort by them. Just a typical match with Farmington."...

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...

Gross says he knew it was time to retire (01/27/08)
With the news already reported that Jackson football coach Carl Gross submitted his retirement letter to the school board, the coach confirmed his decision Saturday. Gross said he retired Thursday -- effectively immediately -- from his positions as football coach, track and field assistant coach and science teacher...

Central falls behind early, suffers 56-49 loss to Bluff (01/26/08)
Poplar Bluff scored the first 12 points of the game against Central, but the Tigers boys basketball team refused to quit Friday night. The Tigers rallied behind a trio of 3-pointers by Anthony Watts in the third quarter, pulling within 41-36 heading into the final quarter, but the Mules held on for the 56-49 victory...

Tigers will join Indians in Class 5 District 1 for football (01/26/08)
The annual Central vs. Jackson football game could have more at stake in the coming years. Central learned Friday that the school's increased enrollment has forced its football program to move from Class 4 to Class 5. The Tigers have been placed in District 1 of that class, along with rival Jackson, which advanced to the Class 5 state semifinals last season...

Gross to step aside as Jackson football coach (01/26/08)
Jackson football coach Carl Gross submitted a letter of resignation from his positions as football coach, assistant track and field coach and junior high school science teacher. The letter from Gross, who has led the Indians football team for 19 years, was given to the school board, but has not yet been accepted, Jackson assistant superintendent James Welker confirmed Friday...

Indians' Keith repeats late feat vs. ND (01/25/08)
Jackson senior Kelci Keith attended the Jackson at Notre Dame boys basketball game Jan. 11, when her classmate Jake Leet swished a 17-foot jumper with 8 seconds left to beat the Bulldogs. She thought that game-winning shot was exciting. Little did she know that the next time the Indians and Bulldogs girls teams played each other, she would do the same thing Leet did...

Perryville girls pummel Woodland (01/25/08)
The Perryville girls basketball team continued to roll as it earned a 74-27 victory against Woodland on Thursday. The Pirates held the Cardinals under 10 points in three of the four quarters. Perryville (13-4) led 42-10 at halftime. Alyssa Bauwens scored 18 points, while Alicia Kueker had 14 to lead Perryville...

Levi Rayburn, Jackson wrestling (01/23/08)
Jackson freshman Levi Rayburn entered Saturday's SEMO Conference tournament match as a No. 3 seed in the 103-pound weight class. He left a conference champion. Rayburn won his semifinal match over Farmington's Todd Brackett, whom he lost earlier this winter at St. Charles West. He then defeated No. 1 seed Ethan Swingle of Poplar Bluff in a 2-0 decision to claim the title...

Dexter takes lead in SEMO Conference girls race (01/23/08)
By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer DEXTER -- Locked in a tight, physical conference battle with Jackson, the Dexter Lady Bearcats scored 12 straight second-quarter points to give themselves an edge early in the conference race with a 50-36 home win Tuesday night...

Dexter girls 'manhandle' Jackson (01/23/08)
Lady Bearcats prevail in physical, defensive contest

Jackson shocks Sikeston 76-54 (01/23/08)
Bulldogs unable to get revenge from SEMO Conference semifinal loss in overtime

Scott City wins OT thriller over NMCC, 66-64 (01/23/08)
The 12th win of the season for the Scott City boys basketball team came in thrilling fashion. Jay Simmons hit about a 30-foot shot with one second left in regulation to force overtime, and the host Rams went on to beat New Madrid County Central 66-64 Tuesday night...

Indians cage 'Dogs (01/23/08)
Jackson's Spencer Goodman was healthy. And unstoppable. Sikeston's Michael Porter spent the night in foul trouble. With that combination of factors, Jackson overpowered visiting Sikeston 76-54 in a SEMO Conference showdown Tuesday night. The win left Jackson (14-6) at 5-0 in the SEMO Conference with four league games to play. Sikeston, 13-3 and ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 4, suffered its first conference loss...

Lady Tribe runs out of time against Sikeston (01/22/08)
It could be argued that the Kennett Lady Indians did not lose Monday night -- they just ran out of time. Trailing by as many as 17 points in the third quarter and by 10 with a minute left in the game, the Lady Tribe made it a three-point game in the game's final minute before falling to the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs 52-48 in a SEMO Conference contest...

St. Vincent girls pound Kelly 53-20 (01/22/08)
The St. Vincent girls basketball team jumped to an 18-point lead after the first half and cruised to a 53-20 victory against visiting Kelly on Monday night. Courtney Besand paced a balanced scoring attack for the Indians (12-3) with 12 points. Jessica Welker added 11, while Lacey Siegmund, Brooke Brown and Elizabeth Rozier each had eight...

Jackson girls hit by point shortage (01/22/08)
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- It is difficult to win a basketball game on any level when your team has more turnovers than points. That was the case for most of the game Monday for the Jackson girls squad. The Indians finished the game with 21 turnovers and 25 points as they fell to Oakville 44-25 in the first game of the Martin Luther King Classic at Maryville University in St. Louis County...

Local swimmers find out how they stack up against state's best (01/20/08)
Jackson sophomore Cailin McGinnis is in a pickle most high school swimmers only dream of being in. The sophomore has already qualified for the state meet in five individual events, but she can swim in only two individual events at state. So she has to take time to decide which two are her best races...

Central, Jackson girls come up short at shootout (01/20/08)
Central struggled to get going during its game at the Notre Dame Shootout girls basketball event Saturday. The Tigers faced Nerinx Hall in the first game of the day, and fell to the Markers 68-29. Nerinx Hall led 53-15 at halftime. Wendi Zickfield led the Tigers with 11 points before fouling out. Central went 9-of-20 (45 percent) from the free-throw line...

Farmington edges Jackson for wrestling crown (01/20/08)
SIKESTON -- The final round of the SEMO Conference wrestling tournament was not quite a dual-meet showdown between Jackson and Farmington, but it had that feeling with three head-to-head championship matches and several more bouts that had both teams in control of their final scores...

Braves, Rams reach final (01/18/08)
It will be a battle of Scotts in the Scott-Mississippi Conference boys basketball tournament title game. No. 2 seed Scott City defeated Kelly 56-52, while top-seeded Scott County Central beat East Prairie 86-59 in semifinal action Thursday in Delta...

Jackson wrestlers set sights on 17th SEMO conference championship (01/18/08)
Jackson sophomore Clay Rouse made a list of three goals entering this wrestling season -- to win 35 matches, claim a SEMO Conference title and qualify for the state tournament in the 112-pound weight class. Rouse, who has competed since he was 4 years old, has wrestling in his blood...

Bulldogs drop second straight road game (01/17/08)
The Notre Dame girls basketball team limped into halftime after shooting 13 percent in the first two quarters Wednesday. What made the Bulldogs' woes even worse is that St. Joseph's shot 76 percent in the opening half. The Angels enjoyed an 18-point lead at halftime and cruised to the 77-43 victory. St. Joseph's entered the game ranked No. 10 in Class 5 in the latest Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association poll. Notre Dame was ranked No. 10 in Class 4...

Campbell takes down Lady Indians for second time (01/16/08)
After taking down the Lady Indians by 13 points earlier this year in the Lions Invitational Tournament, the Campbell Lady Camels traveled to Kennett Tuesday night hoping for a repeat. When the final buzzer sounded, they had gotten just that after a an impressive defensive effort helped them to a relatively easy 45-26 victory in Bootheel Conference action at Kennett High School...

Treat for Leet: Jackson senior leads Indians past Poplar Bluff (01/16/08)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor With the game tied midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday night, Jackson's Jake Leet knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Less than a minute later the senior did it again, leading a late Indians charge at Peters Gym...

Leet stays hot as Jackson boys top Bluff 69-64 (01/16/08)
Jake Leet was the hero for the second straight game as the Jackson boys basketball team picked up another victory. Leet poured in 32 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as the Indians slipped past host Poplar Bluff 69-64 Tuesday night. Jackson improved to 13-5 overall and 4-0 in SEMO Conference play. Poplar Bluff is 5-10 and 1-1...

Jackson downs Notre Dame with late shot (01/12/08)
There is something about Notre Dame that brings out the best in Jackson's Jake Leet. For the second time in two weeks, Leet burned the Bulldogs. This time the fire was especially hot. Leet, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, swished a jumper from about 17 feet away with 8 seconds remaining Friday night, lifting the Indians past the host Bulldogs 65-63...

ND, Jackson meet in rematch of tourney final (01/11/08)
Jackson vs. Notre Dame Round II. Tonight marks the rematch between two of the top high school boys basketball teams in the area -- the Indians and Bulldogs -- who last dueled in the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament title game 13 days ago. Jackson was the victor in that contest, beating the Bulldogs 61-53...

Delta, Kelly advance to final of Scott-Mississippi tourney (01/11/08)
Taylor Smith and Alison Burger both scored 12 points to lead top-seeded Delta to a 57-30 victory against No. 4 Scott City in the semifinals of the Scott-Mississippi girls basketball tournament Thursday at Scott County Central High School. Brittni Deprow added nine points in the win...

Central boys rally for win (01/09/08)
The Central boys basketball team staged a fourth-quarter rally Tuesday night to notch its ninth victory of the season. Central outscored visiting Francis Howell North 25-16 in the final period to prevail 60-59. Shane Nolen led the Tigers (9-7) with 17 points. Jajuan Bell added 14 points...

Portageville cruises to 14th victory (01/08/08)
Penn and Walker combined for 35 points in 78-21 win against South Pemiscot

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)...

Hot Tigers put cold Tribe on ice (01/06/08)
Hopefully Friday night's 72-40 loss to the Cape Central Tigers will go down as the lowest point of the season for the Kennett Indians in hindsight. While that remains to be seen, there is little doubt that it is the Tribe's lowest point to date. The Tigers scored the game's first nine points and never looked back, hitting shot after shot while keeping Kennett in check to roll in a SEMO Conference contest...

Jackson falters in shootout (01/06/08)
Parkway South sophomore Scott Pohle said his team knew it needed to use its speed against Jackson on Saturday. "We wanted to move the ball and be quick and fast," Pohle said. "We thought that they were a little bit bigger and we were a little bit smaller, so we could run on them. And I think we did that."...

Wilson captures 160 crown, Jackson wins team title (01/06/08)
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Central wrestler Zach Wilson liked the feeling of being on the top step of the podium. The junior made his first appearance there Saturday after winning the 160-pound championship at the Marquette Invitational. Wilson had finished third at Fort Zumwalt and fifth at the Tiger Classic in Cape Girardeau...

Meadow Heights rallies for third (01/06/08)
Sparked by freshman Jillian Mills' 3-pointer in the second quarter Saturday, Meadow Heights rallied from a 20-6 deficit in the second period to avenge a loss to Woodland earlier this season. Meadow Heights knocked off Woodland 57-39 in the third-place game Saturday at the Delta New Year's Tournament...

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...

Charleston falls to Notre Dame in semifinals (12/30/07)
Top seed unable to overcome Notre Dame's Ryan Willen

Leet, Grantham lead Indians to tourney title (12/30/07)
Hunter Grantham said his friends call him by two different nicknames:~ Jackson avenged last year's loss in the championship game. Big Red and Big Country. "Everyone says they'll call me [it] because I'm big, red-headed and I stick out," he said...

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. ...

Indians take control in second quarter (12/29/07)
When Jackson beat Scott City on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, Hunter Grantham dominated first-half play while Jake Leet led the Indians in the second half. It was the other way around Friday night when the Indians met Central in the semifinals at the Show Me Center...

Jackson watches upset, takes care of business (12/28/07)
Jackson's Hunter Grantham spent time watching an exciting game before he stepped onto the court with his team for some Christmas Tournament quarterfinal action Thursday at the Show Me Center. The 6-foot-5 senior glanced on from the sidelines as No. 7 Central upset No. 2 Bell City...

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 3: Jackson overwhelms Meadow Heights (12/26/07)
By Rachel Crader ~ Semoball.com The third-seeded Jackson Indians wasted little time opening up a big lead over Meadow Heights en route to a 91-42 victory. Jackson, behind senior Jake Leets's 15 first-half points, led the overmatched Panthers 53-28 at the break and never looked back...

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."...

Crowd disappoints event organizers (12/24/07)
Jackson boys basketball coach Darrin Scott and Show Me Center tournament director David Ross were in the same boat Saturday night at the conclusion of the inaugural Pepsi Showcase. Both had learned some lessons they hope to apply in the future. Scott's Indians, who entered the week state-ranked, suffered their second straight loss, and this one was downright ugly. Jackson fell 72-51 to Webster Groves in the event's nightcap...

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."...

Jackson rebounds from loss, places third (12/22/07)
Jackson junior Ashten Howard couldn't find the basket in the first half. After going 0-for-4 in the first two quarters, she sizzled in the second half, scoring 15 points to lead the Indians past Central, 55-50, in the third-place game Friday at the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center...

Sixth-seeded Bulldogs reach tournament final (12/21/07)
The final four of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic know each other well from the Farmington Invitational earlier this season. But the Notre Dame Bulldogs are doing their best to reintroduce themselves as a team with confidence. The Bulldogs hammered Jackson 52-34 in a championship semifinal game Thursday night at the Show Me Center, avenging a 14-point loss Dec. 1 in the fifth-place game at the Farmington Invitational...

Farmington opens tourney with 64-6 rout of Crusaders (12/20/07)
Top seeded Farmington led 50-0 at halftime and won 64-6 as they made easy work of a young Saxony Lutheran team in the first round of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic. Brooke Valleroy, Emma Meraz and Kara Verseman each had two points for the Crusaders...

Blake Peiffer, Jackson wrestling (12/19/07)
Blake Peiffer's Saturday ended with a loss. But the Jackson junior hasn't had many of those this year. Peiffer finished second in the 215-pound weight class Saturday at the Tiger Classic wrestling tournament hosted by Cape Central to lead the Indians to a seventh-place finish...

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...

Ice-cold shower: Mules let 11-point lead slip away (12/18/07)
Poplar Bluff falls to Jackson 48-42

Second half once again is Rams' undoing (12/18/07)
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The St. Louis Rams' 11th loss was a lot like the other 10. They can play with anybody in the NFL, at least for a while. After trading touchdowns with the Green Bay Packers in the first half of Sunday's 33-14 loss, the Rams (3-11) were undone by critical mistakes, missed opportunities and poor special teams play. It's a bumpy road they've traveled numerous times...

St. Vincent girls roll past Meadow Heights (12/18/07)
Lacey Siegmund led the way for St. Vincent, scoring a team-high nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Indians rolled past Meadow Heights 51-30 in a girls basketball game Monday night in Perryville. Brooke Brown (eight points, seven rebounds) and Kelsey Cissell (eights points, eight rebounds) also played well...

Showcase puts prep hoop talent on display (12/18/07)
Various players with the potential to become the next Michael Jordan or LeBron James will compete in a 14-team Pepsi Showcase at the Show Me Center on Saturday. That was the message delivered by Show Me Center director David Ross at a news conference Monday to promote the one-day high school shootout event...

Poplar Bluff swimmers improve times but fall to Jackson (12/14/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor Poplar Bluff got off to a good start Thursday night as the Lady Mules won their first relay race of the season. But that lead quickly disappeared as Jackson outscored the host in each of the next three races, winning nine in all to take the meet 96-72...

Goodman steps up as Jackson holds off Tribe (12/16/07)
With two of its big men sidelined, Jackson needed someone to step up Friday night. Enter Spencer Goodman. Goodman scored a game-high 27 points and presented matchup problems all night long as he led Jackson to a 67-59 victory over the Kennett Indians in SEMO Conference action...

Jackson's Peiffer holds own against rival (12/16/07)
Jake Glore has been Blake Peiffer's nemesis on the wrestling mat the past two years. Peiffer almost turned the tables Saturday night, but the Jackson High School senior fell just a bit short. Peiffer dropped a tense 2-1 decision to Glore -- a Seckman senior -- in the 215-pound championship match of the 34th annual Tiger Classic high school wrestling tournament...

Jackson secures road win at line (12/15/07)
The Jackson boys basketball team was 19-of-22 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal Friday night's 67-59 road win over Kennett. Spencer Goodman led the Indians with 27 points, while Kyle Keith added 11. Ahead 30-27 at halftime, Jackson outscored Kennett 16-7 in the third quarter and then held off the host squad down the stretch...

Back in the Bluff: Lady Mules host Jackson on Monday (12/14/07)
Poplar Bluff's meeting with its rival will be the 63rd meeting between the two rivals with Poplar Bluff holding a 32-30 series lead.

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...

Jackson girls defeat Perryville 66-51 (12/14/07)
JACKSON -- Ashten Howard said Jackson coach Sam Sides employs a simple philosophy on when to take shots. "He's a real good believer in that if you're open, to keep shooting, especially when you're on," Howard said. "Keep shooting and it will fall."...

Kennett for 3: Tribe drains 12 triples to pull off upset of Hayti (12/13/07)
With all of the struggles that the Kennett Indians have had shooting the basketball early in the season, it just seemed they were due for a breakout game. That said, calling the Tribe's performance against Hayti a breakout game might be a big understatement...

'Cats struggle against Indians (12/12/07)
JACKSON - The fact that Dexter dropped a 78-48 decision on the road to the Jackson Indians, one of the elite teams in the area this season, didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone Friday night. It was the way the Bearcats lost that concerns Dexter coach Rob Nichols...

Greer's return sparks ND to win over NMCC (12/12/07)
Junior Austin Greer made his season debut after returning from a back injury and scored 20 points to lead the Notre Dame boys basketball team past visiting New Madrid County Central 62-57 Tuesday night. "He looked pretty good. He gave us some scoring inside," said Notre Dame coach Paul Hale, whose squad has been without the 6-foot-1 Greer and 6-8 Division I recruit Bryce Willen since the start of the season...

Dexter gets a breather against CHS (12/11/07)
After opening the season against four of the best teams in the SEMO Conference, the Dexter Bearcats got to take a breather Monday night at home with a 73-28 win over the Caruthersville Tigers. But the Bearcats can't relax for long. Dexter will plunge back into the upper echelon of the SEMO Conference tonight when the Bearcats travel to Jackson for a game against the state-ranked, Class 5 Indians...

ND's Reinagel named Southeast Missourian Softball Player of the Year (12/11/07)
Notre Dame sophomore Lauren Reinagel said her best performance during her first varsity season came at the Jackson Invitational, when she pitched four games in one day, winning every one. Reinagel's dominance was the main reason the Bulldogs won that tournament for the first time in school history. Afterward she declared her arm felt just fine...

All-Southeast Missourian football team (12/11/07)

Charleston grabs top seed for Southeast Missourian basketball tournament (12/10/07)
The Charleston Bluejays were awarded the top seed in the annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament that will be played at the Show Me Center. Charleston, which has won the tournament 15 times but has not reached the title game the past four years, will kick off the tournament against No. 16 Delta at 9 a.m on Dec. 26...

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...

Morrill nets 21 as Bulldogs earn win (12/09/07)
Jane Morrill scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Notre Dame girls basketball team to a 57-43 victory against Westminster on Saturday. Paige Schumer added four points and seven rebounds, while Alex Fowler had seven points and six boards...

Jackson's running back kept the offense moving (12/09/07)
Jackson's Adam Zweigart knew he had worked hard lifting weights, running track and doing all he could to get his body in shape during the offseason in preparation for the 2007 football season. But he was not sure what his role would be with the Indians...

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...

Sikeston loses big lead, SEMO semifinal to Jackson (12/07/07)
By Andrew Powell ~ sd_sports@yahoo.com SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs' inconsistencies finally caught up to them Thursday night when the Jackson Indians leaned on a big second half to propel them to a thrilling 74-69 overtime victory in the semifinals of the SEMO Conference Tournament...

Jackson reaches final at Sikeston (12/07/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Jackson Indians looked overpowered against Sikeston in the first half Thursday, heading into the locker room down by 12. The Indians didn't just have to worry about stopping the Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 junior Michael Porter, who poured in 16 points before halftime...

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...

Tribe gets first win (12/06/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- After struggling to put the ball in the basket the first two games this season, Wednesday night was just what the doctor ordered for the Kennett Indians. The Tribe drained six 3-pointers and put up 30 points in the second quarter alone to roll to a 67-36 win over the Caruthersville Tigers in consolation play at the SEMO Conference Tournament here Wednesday...

Five Hayti Indians earn All-State honors (12/06/07)
Class 1First teamOffense Quarterback Ryan Humes, 6-1, 190, jr., West Platte All-Purpose Morgan Duff, 6-1, 190, sr., Princeton Running Backs Ethan Harris, 5-11, 180, sr., South Shelby; Michael Lowther, 6-2, 170, sr., Thayer; Taylor Eubank, 6-1, 189, sr., Orrick...

Problems with the Central pool pump kept swimmers on land (12/06/07)
Many members of the Central team did karaoke and other similar activities instead of actual swimming during the first two weeks of winter practice. "We did karaoke, but not the singing kind," Tigers senior Amity Downing said, laughing. "So it is like this ..."...

Jackson has three players honored on all-state team (12/06/07)
The awards keep mounting for the Jackson football team. Running back Adam Zweigart, linebacker Blake Peiffer and defensive back Matt Lang all earned a spot on the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association's Class 5 all-state football team Wednesday...

Sikeston tops stubborn Mules; Notre Dame squeaks by Dexter (12/05/07)
In other action at the SEMO Conference tournament, Jackson cruised past Cape Central in teams' second meeting of the season.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: All-state team (12/05/07)
The Associated Press Here are the All-State Football Teams as selected by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. QB -- Ryan Humes, 6-1, 190, jr., West Platte. All-Purpose -- Morgan Duff, 6-1, 190, sr., Princeton. RB -- Ethan Harris, 5-11, 180, sr., South Shelby...

High school honors (12/05/07)
Class 2 All-Region Soccer (Southeast Region) Parker Rawdon, sr., forward, Clayton; Scott Belsky, sr., midfielder, Clayton; D J Lambert, sr., goaliekeeper, Lutheran South; Nick Platipodis, jr,, sweeper, Lutheran South;Nelson Dorvlo, sr., forward, University City; Patrick McCaffey, so., forward, DuBourg; Sam Brotherton, jr., midfielder, Affton; Clint Carder, jr., midfielder, De Soto; Alex Haverstick, so, forward, De Soto; Scott Droddy, sr., goalkeeper, Sikeston; Patrick Wulfers, sr., forward, Farmington; Mike Alvarado, jr., forward, Windsor; Ty Williams, sr., forward, Notre Dame; Ryan Willen, sr., Midfielder, Notre Dame; Mark Zimmer, sr., defender, Notre Dame; Ryan Bass, jr., goalkeeper, Notre Dame; Mark Himmelberg, sr., defender, Notre Dame; John Unterreiner, jr., midfielder, Notre Dame; Joda Holloway, jr., midfielder, Notre Dame.. ...

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:

Jackson's dominance on boards buries Central (12/05/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jackson's Hunter Grantham said his team focused a great deal on rebounding in practice after it escaped with a four-point overtime victory against Central last Friday night. "We had a good, hard Sunday practice and came out Monday and practiced real hard and emphasized a lot on rebounding," Grantham said. "And it showed tonight."...

Indians earn all-state honors (12/05/07)
Fresh off winning the Carr Trophy last week, Jackson's Matt Lang continued to be honored for his strong season Tuesday, not only earning first-team all-state honors by the Missouri Football Coaches Association, but also receiving the co-defensive player of the year award for Class 5...

Notre Dame fends off Dexter (12/05/07)
The short-handed Notre Dame boys basketball team survived an upset bid as the Bulldogs opened their season Tuesday night in the SEMO Conference tournament at Sikeston. Top-seeded Notre Dame, playing without 6-foot-8 all-stater Ryan Willen and fellow returning starter Austin Greer -- both are injured -- slipped past No. 8 Dexter 65-59...

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: FINAL STATE POLLS (12/05/07)
The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The final state rankings for Missouri high school football voted on by a 12-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes in parenthesis, followed by won-loss record, points and last week's ranking...

'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. ...

Tigers place second at FZN tournament (12/03/07)
Central placed second in the the Green Division of the FZN wrestling tournament with 172 points Saturday. The Tigers finished behind only Fort Zumwalt North (286 points) and wrestled their way past Webster Groves (154 points), Sumner (102 points) and Parkway Central (69 points)...

Central rides Bell to third at Farmington tournament (12/02/07)
Central finished in third place at the Farmington basketball tournament with a 48-37 win over Doniphan on Saturday. Senior Jajuan Bell scored 22 points to lead the Tigers. Senior Shane Nolen also played well, chipping in 13 points. The game was tight throughout with the Tigers leading by only three at halftime and by three at the end of the third...

Jackson downs Central in OT in semis (12/01/07)
The Jackson boys basketball team overcame a 13-point, second-half deficit Friday night to defeat Central 58-54 in overtime to reach the championship game of the Farmington tournament. Jackson, which improved to 2-0, will try to defend its tournament title today at 7:30 p.m. when it faces Salem in the championship game...

SEMO tournament tips off Monday (11/29/07)
Notre Dame has No. 1 seed (List of games at bottom of story)

Jackson senior named top football player in Southeast Missouri (11/29/07)
POPLAR BLUFF -- It wasn't just versatility that made Jackson senior Matt Lang the best football player in Southeast Missouri. Versatility combined with excellence. "He's one of those five-in-one guys," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "And everything he did, he did pretty dog-gone well."...

Richland shocks Portageville (11/28/07)
ESSEX -- The Richland Rebels shocked the Portageville Bulldogs Tuesday night behind Drew Thornton's 27 points, 70-68. "It's a huge win," said Richland coach Casey Knight. "You couldn't ask for a better way to start the season to pull off the win against a quality team like Portageville."...

Kevin Pridemore, Jackson High School (11/28/07)
The only high school game of the week last week did not turn out in favor of the team from Southeast Missouri, as Jackson lost 25-14 to Waynesville in the Class 5 state semifinal contest in Waynesville. The Indians had opportunities, including one set up in the fourth quarter when junior defensive end Kevin Pridemore recovered Lyle Cox's fumble at the Waynesville 30-yard line after Matt Lang had stripped the ball from the Tigers quarterback...

Jackson wrestler returns to mat after heart surgery (11/28/07)
Jackson wrestler Justin Miller was feeling physically strong and mentally confident that he could qualify for the state tournament when he began the Indians' Christmas break two-a-day practice schedule last winter. Miller, then a junior, had posted a 19-4 individual record in the first part of the season, wrestling in the 140-pound weight class...

Central, Jackson boys advance to semifinal showdown (11/28/07)
Central and Jackson set up a Friday meeting in the semifinals of the Farmington Invitational with wins Tuesday in the opening-round games. The teams will meet 7:30 p.m. at the Farmington Civic Center, with the tourney's third-place and final games set for Saturday...

The heart of a wrestler (11/28/07)
Jackson wrestler Justin Miller was feeling physically strong and mentally confident that he could qualify for the state tournament when he began the Indians' Christmas break two-a-day practice schedule last winter. Miller, then a junior, had posted a 19-4 individual record in the first part of the season, wrestling in the 140-pound weight class...

Mules defeat rival Jackson in Farmington tourney opener (11/27/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor FARMINGTON -- Before her first-ever experience of a Poplar Bluff-Jackson game, Aereill Davis got a simple explanation of the rivalry. "'We need to win this game,'" said Davis of what her teammates told her. Davis, who transferred to Poplar Bluff midway through last season, did her part. The senior scored 11 points and helped force a key turnover in the fourth quarter Monday night as the Lady Mules opened the season with a 48-42 win against Jackson...

Braves, Cubs win in Oran tourney (11/27/07)
Drew Thomas poured in 27 points and D.D. Gillespie hit for 22 as the Scott County Central boys basketball team rolled to a 94-62 victory over Oran on Monday. Caleb Johnson scored 11 and Toby Heeb had 10 as the Braves won their first game in the Oran tournament...

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 North all-conference football team (11/24/07)
Jackson senior Matt Lang was selected at four positions for the all-conference team.

Indians, Wildcats land two on all-state (11/22/07)
Eight local high school volleyball players earned all-state honors this fall, including two members from St. Vincent, which finished second in Class 2, and two members of the Leopold squad, which finished in third place in Class 1. St. Vincent seniors Kelsey Cissell and Brooke Brown both earned first-team all-state honors in Class 2. Leopold's Maddy Hutchings earned second-team all state for Class 1 and Wildcats junior Casey Bucher was awarded a state honorable mention...

Indians bring back one starter (11/19/07)
When Jackson coach Sam Sides thinks back to last year, he says his team was "one big shot away from going to the final four," losing to Normandy in the state quarterfinals by five points. But with only one starter returning from that team, it might be difficult this season for a new group of inexperienced Indians to make another bid at a state title...

Full cast of starters return from 21-win team (11/19/07)
Jackson should be in fine shape as it starts this season with all its returning starters from last year's 21-8 squad, which advanced to sectionals before losing to Lindbergh. The only problem for the Indians might be that four key players have missed the first couple of weeks of practice because they're also members of the football team...

Title game eludes Jackson (11/17/07)
WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- When Jackson's Cody Randen returned the opening kickoff of the Class 5 semifinal game against Waynesville 92 yards for a touchdown, it appeared as though it was going to be a good day for the Indians. And it looked that way even more so when Indians quarterback Marcus Harris connected with Matt Lang about 49 seconds into the second quarter to give Jackson a 14-0 lead...

Jackson unable to hold down Fort in semis (11/17/07)
WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- This was a different kind of smashmouth football. More like slash you up the gut. Waynesville scored on three of its first four possessions in the second half Friday night to complete a rally from a 14-point deficit against previously undefeated Jackson, which had allowed more than 14 points just once in the last four weeks and twice all season...

Five in one (11/16/07)
Jackson senior Matt Lang gets uncomfortable when he hears a list of his accomplishments on the football field. He quickly deflects the praise to his teammates. He intercepted four passes in the Indians' victory against Parkway West. "I think luck had a big role in it," he said...

HS FB - Jackson FB capsule (11/16/07)
Jackson (11-0) at Waynesville (10-1) Kickoff: 7 p.m. today Last week: Jackson 24, McCluer North 7; Waynesville 14, Kirkwood 7 Notes: Waynesville used a balanced attack to knock off Kirkwood in the quarterfinals. Tailback L.J. Ford ran for 111 yards and a score while quarterback Lyle Cox threw for 194 yards and a score, according the the Web site waynesvilledailyguide.com. ...

Central's Gramling reaches final at swim championships (11/10/07)
Central sophomore Sam Gramling reached the finals of the 500-yard relay at the Missouri Swimming Championships on Friday with a seventh-place finish in the preliminaries at the St. Peters Rec Plex in St. Peters, Mo. Gramling posted a time of 4 minutes, 50.03 seconds to make the final field of eight. Zach Bolin of Blue Springs will take the top time into today's final, covering the distance in 4:37.95...

On to the semis (11/10/07)
Less than 2 minutes into Friday night's Class 5 state quarterfinal game at Jackson, the Indians were in trouble. "I thought we were going to be in for a long night," Jackson senior Cody Randen said. "We hadn't really seen the option, and we needed a series to get used to it and get a feel for it."...

High school football area leaders (11/09/07)
Offense Scoring Rushing Passing Receiving DEFENSE Tackles Sacks Fumble Recoveries Interceptions ---...

Indians will try to use Stars to stay on course (11/09/07)
Jackson wide receiver and defensive back Matt Lang said the Indians' game plan for their first postseason contest in six years is simple. "We just need to keep to what we have been doing: play hard-nose defense, read our keys and hopefully not make any mistakes," he said. "When you get to the playoffs, I think mistakes are going to play a role in the decision of the outcome."...

Central's pool problems stunted competitors' training (11/08/07)
Central captain Peyton Waggener has witnessed first hand how pump failures at the Central Municipal Pool adversely affected the Tigers and other local swimming programs. The pool problems caused the teams to schedule practice sessions at other facilites where they have not been able to put in as many hours as usual...

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: State poll (Week 10/End of regular season) (11/07/07)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The final state rankings for Missouri high school football voted on by a 12-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes in parenthesis, followed by won-loss record, points and last week's ranking. CLASS 6 Others receiving votes: Hickman (7-3) 4...

Vianney eliminates Jackson in sectional (11/07/07)
FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jackson ripped a shot off the post then slammed another shot at the Vianney goal, but the goalkeeper made the save while on the ground. It was that kind of night for the Indians soccer team. Vianney scored about 15 minutes into the game and added another one in the second half to earn the 2-0 victory against Jackson in their Class 3 sectional game Tuesday...

Leopold beats Osceola for third place in state (11/04/07)
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Leopold junior outside hitter Casey Bucher said Leopold girls usually start playing volleyball in fifth grade and until high school, their teammates primarily consist of other members of their class. So when she was a freshman and was named a starter on the varsity, she was playing with some girls she didn't know very well. But she said the then-sophomores greeted her well, and now two years later, she feels like part of their class...

Jackson finishes regular season undefeated (11/03/07)
JACKSON -- Seckman barely allowed Jackson to fine-tune its offense Friday in preparation for the Class 5 state quarterfinals. That's because the Indians kept hitting big scoring plays. Jackson possessed the ball for 5 minutes, 8 seconds in the first half but opened a big lead and rolled to a 42-0 victory over Seckman in the final Class 5 District 1 game for both teams. The win capped a perfect 10-0 regular season for Jackson...

High school football capsules 11/2/07 (11/02/07)
Seckman (4-5) at Jackson (9-0) Last year's meeting: Jackson 23, Seckman 6. Notes: The Indians wrapped up a district title last week. Jackson's defense has been outstanding this season, holding opponents to 10.33 points per game. Matt Lang intercepted four passes to help the Indians to victory last week. ...

Central football closes season with 27-20 district win (11/02/07)
Senior running back Derek Walker rushed for more than 200 yards in his final game as the Tigers ended a disappointing football season with a 27-20 victory over Sikeston on senior night at Houck Stadium on Thursday. Central picked up its first district win and just its second victory of the season, concluding with a 2-8 record...

Pepsi Showcase Tickets on sale Monday (10/31/07)
From a press release issued today by the Show Me Center: This Dec. 22, the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau asks "Who's Next?" To answer this question the venue has teamed with Pepsi to create the Pepsi Showcase, which brings fourteen of the hottest regional teams from Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee to compete in seven exhibition battles demonstrating their basketball prowess...

Jackson edges Central 2-1 in district title game (10/31/07)
Sometimes, Jackson is at its most dangerous when speedy senior forward Matt Mueller is standing along the sidelines, using his arm strength instead of his feet. Mueller's well-placed throw-in created Jackson's second goal, by Joel Smart, and the Indians held on for a 2-1 victory against Central on Tuesday night in the Class 3 District 1 championship game at Central...

Tigers turn back Northwest in semis (10/30/07)
Central pumped in two early goals to open the second half, and that's when Northwest came unglued. The Lions players, from the defense to the forwards, started yelling at each other about lack of coverage and who needed to cover who. That's when the Tigers were assured they'd move on in the playoffs...

Indians oust Hillsboro 5-0 (10/30/07)
Jackson missed wide left twice, wide right once and the goalie made a stellar diving save on another scoring chance. That was in a six-minute span before the midway point of the first half Monday night. The Indians finally broke through when Spencer McCormack found the back of the net midway through the first half. The offense didn't cool off as Jackson knocked off Hillsboro 5-0 in their Class 3 District 1 semifinal at Central...

Central captures sectional crown (10/28/07)
ST. LOUIS -- Advancing to the state tournament for the first time in five years would have made the Class 4 sectional cross country meet a successful one for the Central girls squad. But winning the sectional for the first time in school history made the meet at Jefferson Barracks Park a truly memorable one for the Tigers...

Jackson football wins district championship (10/27/07)
BALLWIN, Mo. -- Jackson defensive back Matt Lang was prepared for whichever Gabbert lined up at quarterback for Parkway West on Friday night. Highly-touted senior Blaine Gabbert was out again with a shoulder injury but Lang knew that his brother, Tyler, was going to be a handful...

Glance at tonight's area prep football 10/24/07 (10/26/07)
Scott City (5-3) at Crystal City (7-1) Last year's meeting: Crystal City 38, Scott City 0. Notes: Crystal City features a two-headed running attack, let by Demetrius Terry. He's rushed for 1,498 yards this season and averages over 8 yards per carry. ...

‘Cats look to continue winning ways against Kennett (10/25/07)
Dexter will be looking to make it five straight wins and seven in a row against Kennett when the Bearcats travel south for a big Class 3, District 1 showdown with the Indians Friday. Kennett was putting together one its best seasons in recent years with six wins against one loss before being steam-rolled by the high flying New Madrid County Central Eagles, 55-14, last week in a game that was much closer than the score indicates...

Farmington sweeps Indians in final (10/25/07)
Jackson senior Megan Spooler knew how close her Indians squad was to bringing home its first district title since 2002. She could almost taste it. "I wanted it real bad. I had dreams about it all week," Spooler said. "I was real nervous for this game. We really thought we had it this year."...

Player of the Week: Matt Lang, Jackson football (10/24/07)
In a big game, you couldn't ask for a much better final 5 minutes. Jackson senior Matt Lang blocked an extra point, caught a 78-yard pass that set up a touchdown, kicked the game-winning extra point and then intercepted a pass on Eureka's final offensive play Friday night at Jackson...

High school football Unbeaten Jackson climbs to No. 2 in poll (10/24/07)
Jackson's dramatic victory 21-20 over then-No. 2 ranked Eureka on Friday night was noted statewide, as the Indians climbed three spots to claim the Wildcats' ranking in Class 5 in the Missouri sportswriters and broadcasters poll. Jackson, which improved to 8-0 with the victory in its District 1 opener, collected 41 points. Kirkwood (7-0) continued to lead Class 5 with all 12 first-place votes for 60 points...

Jackson football players watch double feature (10/23/07)
Members of the Jackson football team were going to spend Monday afternoon watching film of Friday night's thrilling 21-20 victory over second-ranked Eureka. Jackson coach Carl Gross then was going to put that film on the shelf and get his players focused on this Friday's game at Parkway West...

Central runners win district titles (10/21/07)
Saturday's Class 4 District 1 cross country meet at Jackson City Park included some surprises for Central. The Central girls placed first in their division -- as expected -- but had to overcome a last-minute illness to hang on for a one-point win over Lindbergh...

Jackson nips Eureka 21-20 in district thriller (10/20/07)
JACKSON -- Friday shall be decreed Mat Lang Day in Jackson. The senior made his presence felt throughout the decisive fourth quarter. On offense? Check. On defense? Check. On special teams? Check. Lang intercepted Eureka quarterback Matt Borzillo with just over a minute left in the game as the Indians squeaked out a 21-20 victory against the Wildcats to open Class 5 district play Friday...

Gross says team must improve from last week as district play starts (10/19/07)
When Jackson beat Poplar Bluff by 14 points at home last Friday, it appeared the entire Indians sideline and cheering section was on cloud nine. Except Jackson coach Carl Gross. He was upset with his defense, which surrendered three long touchdown runs of 30, 50 and 65 yards, and with his offense, which was shut out in the second half. ...

Week 8 capsules (10/19/07)
Eureka (7-0) at Jackson (7-0) Last year's meeting: Eureka 30, Jackson 22. Notes: When Jackson played Eureka last year, the Indians were leading 14-13 at halftime. Jackson coach Carl Gross said his team then had some mental mistakes in the second half, including some botched exchanges between his quarterback and center in addition to some fumbles. ...

Saxony Lutheran shuts out North County in boys soccer (10/19/07)
Garrett Fritsche scored two goals and had one assist to help lead the Saxony Lutheran boys soccer team to a 4-0 victory against North County on Thursday night. Andrew Etzold and Bryant Steffens each scored a goal for the Crusaders. Mark Buerck recorded two assists...

Parkway North coach says big game will come down to turnovers (10/18/07)
Some would say Bob Bunton had the unenviable task of preparing his Parkway North football team for both Eureka and Jackson this season. He doesn't quite see it that way. "Those have been our only two losses, and I'm proud of that," Bunton said. "Those are two very good football teams."...

Jackson sweeps Perryville (10/16/07)
Megan Spooler smacked eight kills and added 10 digs and two blocks to lead the Jackson volleyball team to a win against Perryville on Monday. Chelsea Olson chipped in six digs, 11 assists and six kills while Jill Rushin added six blocks for the Indians (18-7-1)...

Mules dig a pit in SEMO Conference loss to Jackson (10/14/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor JACKSON -- Poplar Bluff’s defense of the SEMO North title ended before it started Friday night. The Mules turned the ball over twice during a first quarter in which Jackson scored 21 points as the Indians won 35-21 to claim their sixth conference title in the last decade...

Bulldogs survive double overtime (10/14/07)
John Unterreiner took a pass from Trenton Vance to score the game-winner in double overtime to lead the Notre Dame boys soccer team to victory Saturday. The Bulldogs improved to 16-3-1 overall with the 1-0 win against Clayton. Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bass had 16 saves in the shutout...

Jackson dispatches Mules (10/13/07)
JACKSON -- Jackson senior Adam Collier does not get many opportunities to score a touchdown. Hardly any because he's a defensive lineman. But the 5-foot-8, 240-pound, three-year starter got his first varsity touchdown Friday when he took the football out of Poplar Bluff running back Zach Ferguson's hands in a crowd of tacklers and dashed 53-yards untouched for a touchdown...

High school football capsules 10/12/07 (10/12/07)
Poplar Bluff (3-3) at Jackson (6-0) Last year's meeting: Poplar Bluff 17, Jackson 10. Notes: Jackson coach Carl Gross said Poplar Bluff did well shutting down his team's run game last year with 11 defensive players within five yards of the line of scrimmage. ...

The long run in mind (10/12/07)
Adam Zweigart remembers watching the athleticism of former Jackson star Mario Whitney and the quick linemen leading his way. "I've been coming to these games since about fourth or fifth grade," Zweigart said. "I was out here listening -- out here in the stands watching with my dad and I was just kind of watching [Whitney] and seeing what he did. He had good offensive linemen."...

ND boys, Central girls win SEMO meet (10/12/07)
Logan Davis set a course record to help the Notre Dame boys claim the SEMO Conference title by 42 points over runner-up Central on Thursday in Benton, Mo. Davis finished in 16 minutes, 9 seconds to edge second-place finisher Travis Blalock of Poplar Bluff by 8 seconds. ...

Jackson strikes early in 2-0 win (10/12/07)
Jackson senior Robbie Martin used his speed to create a scoring chance, then relied on his moves to finish the play. Martin streaked down the side, beating his defender then cut to his right, toward the goal. He deked Central goalie Clayton Uptain and buried the shot to give the Indians an early lead. Jackson added another goal and held on for the 2-0 victory in boys soccer action Thursday...

Defense leads Jackson into showdown with Poplar Bluff (10/11/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor There's defense and then there's the kind of DEFENSE like Jackson has been playing this season. The Indians are 6-0 and ranked fifth in Class 5, mostly because they're giving up only a touchdown per game. In fact, nobody has scored more than 14 points against Jackson this season and the Indians will be rested and ready Friday night for the SEMO North showdown with visiting Poplar Bluff...

Who's got the advantage?: Kennett Indians at Sikeston Bulldogs (10/11/07)
When the Indians have the ballKennett has scored 115 points in its last three game -- more than it scored all of last season. The Indians have done it with a combination of running and passing, as Blake Parr has thrown for 520 yards and Demetrius Childress has ran for 450 during that stretch. ...

Sikeston soccer shut out by Jackson 3-0 (10/10/07)
Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat JACKSON -- The Sikeston Bulldog soccer team was back in action Tuesday night as they headed on the road to take on the Jackson Indians. It proved to be a tough outing for the Bulldogs as they fell to the Indians 3-0...

Central volleyball sweeps Notre Dame (10/10/07)
The Central girls volleyball team swept a match with crosstown rival Notre Dame on Tuesday night, winning 25-11, 25-10. Wendi Zickfield had four kills and three blocks for the Tigers (15-7-2). Taylor Kirn also had four kills, while Rita Walter recorded nine digs and Katie Scholl had 12 assists and four aces...

Jackson spikers sweep (10/09/07)
Jackson swept Fredericktown 25-10, 25-14 at home Monday in high school volleyball action. Megan Spooler recorded four kills, two aces and eight digs for the Indians, who improved to 12-6-1. Chelsea Olson had 18 assists and seven digs, while Ashley Soemo added nine kills, five digs and one ace...

Chaffee improves to 4-2 with victory over East Prairie (10/07/07)
Collin Dannenmueller intercepted a pass inside Chaffee's own 1-yard line and the Red Devils marched 99 yards for a pivotal touchdown in a 28-14 win at East Prairie on Saturday afternoon. Chaffee improved to 4-2, reaching the four-win mark for the first time since 1990...

Seckman holds off Jackson in district final (10/06/07)
Seckman senior pitcher Holly Brown stood in the circle feeling a little anxious with two outs in the top of the seventh inning of the Class 4 District 1 title game against Jackson on Friday evening. Her team was leading by one run and she had a full count on Indians No. 9 hitter Jessica Pitts with two runners on base...

Indians remain perfect this season (10/05/07)
Jackson defensive tackle Kevin Pridemore had not recovered a fumble in the first five games of this season but had two in the first 1 minute, 23 seconds of Thursday night's showdown against rival Central at Houck Stadium. The first came on the Central 4-yard line and the second was on the Tigers' 17 yard-line. Central quarterback Chase Johnson lost both fumbles...

Central doubles team rolls in district play (10/05/07)
Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel didn't miss a beat. The Central doubles pair cruised through the first day of the district tennis tournament Thursday, earning a berth in today's semifinals. Ford and Pingel have won the district title and earned trips to the state tournament the last two years...

Andrews gives Central fans reason to cheer (10/05/07)
Bright spots were few and far between Thursday night for Central in its 56-13 loss to Jackson at Houck Stadium. But there was Cantrell Andrews. The junior running back and kick return man was the only positive for Central in a first half that saw the Tigers rack up a total of 21 yards of offense and fall behind 42-0. And he scored the Tigers' only two touchdowns of the game, scoring on runs of 3 and 41 yards...

Bulldogs earn revenge (10/05/07)
JACKSON -- The Notre Dame boys soccer team was so intent on avenging an earlier loss to Jackson, the Bulldogs believe they came out too fired up Thursday night. "We came out so pumped up ... we went in too hard and we caused a lot of fouls," junior forward Brock Dirnberger said. "We decided to calm it down [in the second half]."...

Cape Central-Jackson football: All-time series scores (10/04/07)
Scores of the 100 meetings between Jackson and Cape Central:

Jackson (5-0) at Central (1-4) (10/04/07)
Lat year's meeting: Jackson 24, Central 14. Notes: Jackson coach Carl Gross has given quarterback Marcus Harris more chances to throw the football the past two weeks. And Harris has responded, combining to complete 17 of his 20 passes, including a perfect 11-for-11 performance Saturday against Clayton. ...

Kelly holds off Jackson 4-3 (10/02/07)
The Hawks finished the regular season at 16-6.

Delta blanks Perryville 8-0 (10/02/07)
Bobcats pitcher Kendra Burnett allowed two hits, struck out nine and walked two to help the Delta softball team knock off Perryville 8-0 on Monday. Amanda Seabaugh went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs for the Bobcats (12-8). Emma Littge struck out one and walked two to take the loss for the Pirates...

Lang leads Jackson's rout (09/30/07)
CLAYTON, Mo. -- Jackson's Matt Lang has more than just one job to think about on the football field when game day arrives. "He's just Mr. Versatile," Indians coach Carl Gross said. "He plays offense, he play defense, he punts, he kicks, he returns punts and he returns kicks, and if I asked him to play right guard, he could. He's just a playmaker. He's competitive. He wants to play and he's in great physical condition."...

Reinagel throws no-hitter as Notre Dame stays perfect (09/30/07)
Notre Dame pitcher Lauren Reinagel fired her second no-hitter of the season to help the Bulldogs defeat Notre Dame (St. Louis) 3-0 on Saturday. Reinagel struck out nine while walking just one batter. WP -- Lauren Reinagel (21-0). LP -- Bauer. 2B -- Whitney Eftink (ND Cape). Multiple hits -- Notre Dame (Cape), Erika Reinagel 2. Record -- Notre Dame (Cape) 22-0...

Rookie Leonard set to step in for injured Jackson (09/28/07)
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- In April, the St. Louis Rams used their second-round draft pick on a running back to take some of the load off Steven Jackson. Now, Brian Leonard has all of the load. The rookie from Rutgers will be the feature back for probably at least a few weeks, given that Jackson is out with a partially torn left groin...

Nichols' 10 strikeouts lead Central to win over Chaffee (09/28/07)
Amanda Nichols struck out 10 batters to help Central to a 5-3 victory over Chaffee in softball action Thursday. Nichols walked five and allowed three runs in seven innings. Casey Popp and Mia Russell each had two hits for the Tigers (8-15), who had six overall...

Tribe has room to improve despite strong start (09/27/07)
The Kennett Indians are off to their best start in five years and stand a great chance of stopping a streak of six consecutive losing seasons. So why does head coach Kirk Welch not sound happy? "I think our kids are capable of much better," said Welch. "I told them at the beginning of the year that I was going to put pressure on them. I expect top-flight performance out of them every night."...

Jackson shuts out Central in softball (09/27/07)
Jackson's Jessica Tuschhoff threw all six innings and struck out four in a rain-shortened 6-0 victory over Central in softball action Wednesday. Brittany Feeney added two RBIs and Hana Bolen went 2-for-3 for the Indians (15-9). WP -- Jessica Tuschhoff (9-4). LP -- Amanda Nichols. 3B -- Brittany Feeney (J). Multiple hits -- Jackson, Hana Bolen 2-3. Record -- Jackson 15-9...

Sikeston loses heartbreaker 3-2 to Jackson (09/26/07)
Josh Mills ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs soccer team was back under the lights on Tuesday night taking on the state-ranked Jackson Indians, and fell just shy of a victory, losing 3-2 to the Indians. Jackson, now 10-1, suffered its only loss to Cape Central earlier in the season...

Jackson's Tuschoff hurls no-hitter (09/25/07)
Jessica Tuschoff pitched a three-inning no hitter as the Jackson softball team routed host Perryville 16-0 on Monday. Tuschoff struck out four and walked none as the Indians improved to 14-9. Maggie Baugh and Sienna Miller both had three-run home runs for Jackson. Jessica Pitts drove in four runs, while Hana Bolen had two hits...

Jackson drops final game in tournament (09/24/07)
A seventh-inning rally fell one run short for the Jackson softball team in the Indians' final game of the Jerry Joyce Jaguars Invitational Tournament at Arnold Athletic Association on Saturday. The Indians scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning and appeared headed for more. But Washington pitcher Jessie Eichholz snared a line drive by Alisha Craft and turned it into an inning-ending, game-ending and tournament-ending double play as the Blue Jays won 9-8...

Notre Dame improves to 20-0 this season (09/23/07)
Notre Dame's Lauren Reinagel won her 18th and 19th games of the season Saturday, helping the Bulldogs continue their best start in school history at 20-0. The Bulldogs beat Incarnate Word Academy 5-1 then bested St. Joseph's Academy 8-3. Reinagel pitched 13 innings over the two games, striking out 15 batters and allowing just one earned run...

Jackson outmuscles Sikeston 42-0 in SEMO North football opener (09/22/07)
Josh Mills ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Bulldogs played host to the Jackson Indians on Friday evening at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium, taking their second disappointing loss of the season by a score of 42-0. The Bulldogs fell hard to a very well-balanced Jackson club...

Jackson rips Sikeston 42-0, moves to 4-0 (09/22/07)
SIKESTON -- On a near perfect night, the team with a perfect record found one area where it still could improve. "It seems like we led the world in penalties tonight," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "It felt like we had 150 yards in penalties. It's a good thing we were able to overcome them...

Tribe can't finish Blackcats (09/21/07)
It was almost a good day for the Kennett Indians boys' soccer team.
The Tribe broke into the scoring column after back-to-back shutout losses and outplayed Fredericktown, but had trouble finishing and suffered a 5-1 loss to the Blackcats Thursday at Indian Park.

Lady 'Cat netters fall to Jackson (09/21/07)
JACKSON -- Dexter's Lady Bearcats tennis team was on the road Thursday and suffered a 6-3 loss to the host Jackson Lady Indians. Dexter again proved strong at the top of the lineup with Amanda Dooley and Katelyn Heil teaming up for a win in the No. 1 doubles match, before each posted a singles win in the top two positions...

A glance at area football games: Week 4 (09/21/07)
Sikeston (2-1) at Jackson (3-0) Last week: Jackson 21, Vianney 7; Dexter 21, Sikeston 0. Last year's meeting: Jackson 49, Sikeston 0. Notes: Indians head coach Carl Gross emphasized that defense and special teams are the two areas in which his team has been strongest so far this season and must remain strong to continue its undefeated streak this week against Sikeston. ...

Bulldogs face tough test with Jackson coming in Friday (09/21/07)
Josh Mills ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- As Week 4 rolls around in high school football, the Sikeston Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a tough loss last week to a difficult Dexter Bearcat squad. "We've practiced hard this week," head coach Kent Gibbs said. "We'll be ready to play. The kids didn't like taking that loss last week. and we know Jackson will be just as tough. They've got a great club."...

Saxony Lutheran soccer team improves to 6-1 with victory (09/20/07)
Bryant Steffens scored twice and added an assist to lead the Saxony Lutheran boys soccer team to a 6-2 victory over North County on Wednesday. The Crusaders improved to 6-1 with the win. Brett Rodewald, Mark Buerck, Casey Hemman and Ben Courtois all scored a goal in the win. Courtois added a pair of assists...

Lady Tribe makes Sikeston pay for mistakes in big road win (09/19/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs softball team was back in action Tuesday afternoon, playing host to the Kennett Lady Indians, but lost in seven innings, 12-4. The Lady Bulldogs were looking to bounce back, after a loss on Monday afternoon to the Jackson Lady Indians, in which head coach Tiffany King said the team looked great in the losing effort...

Rush delivery (09/19/07)
Central's Jesse Lawrence did not play soccer last fall because he was recovering from a fractured spine he suffered while playing in the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association. "I was also not physically fit enough to play," he said. Lawrence said even coming into this season he was not in great shape. He said one of the most difficult drills he was asked to do by Tigers coach Tom Doyle was run 4 miles in 30 minutes...

ND softball remains unbeaten (09/19/07)
The Notre Dame softball team kept its perfect season going Tuesday afternoon -- but just barely. Notre Dame slipped past host Goreville, Ill., 6-5 to run its record to 17-0. Alexis Ralls hit a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to wipe out a 5-4 deficit and put the Bulldogs on top for good...

West's homer sparks Bluff past Lady Tribe (09/18/07)
Poplar Bluff's Alex West did what Laurie Vaughan would like to see her Kennett Lady Indians softball team do. West drove a hit into the gap and used her speed to turn it into an inside-the-park home run, capping a three-run third inning as the Lady Mules took a 9-1 win at Indian Park Monday...

Jackson turns back Sikeston's upset bid in softball (09/18/07)
David Jenkins ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- As a fire raged just to the east of the Sikeston Sports Complex, the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs softball team came out with fire in their eyes, hoping to upset a highly-touted Jackson nine. However, when the smoke settled Jackson came away with the 3-1 win...

Kielhofner pitches Oran past Delta (09/18/07)
Callie Kielhofner pitched a six-hitter to lead Oran past Delta 6-2 in softball action Monday. Kielhofner struck out four, walked one and allowed one earned run. Amanda Williams went 3-for-3 to lead the Eagles (9-2) offensively. Taylor Smith had three hits for Delta (7-7). Kendra Burnett allowed six hits and just two earned runs. She struck out eight and walked two...

Runners find balance between friendships and finishes (09/16/07)
When Ronny Schabbing and Brittany Moreland are not competing on the cross country course for the Central girls team, they often enjoy going together to Texas Roadhouse. "My [favorite] meal is ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans and bacon," Schabbing said...

Jackson defense leads way in 21-7 win over Vianney (09/15/07)
JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson's offense was having trouble finishing off drives, allowing Vianney to hang dangerously close to the Indians Friday night. So Jackson's defense decided to take matters into its own hands. After that, it was lights out for the visiting Golden Griffins from St. Louis...

High school football | Week 3 glance (09/14/07)
Vianney (2-0) at Jackson (2-0) Last year's meeting: Jackson 24, Vianney 6. Notes: The Jackson defense looked strong again last Friday, surrendering 12 points to a Parkway North team with two talented runners in its backfield. Those 12 points are the only points Jackson has allowed in its first two weeks of the season. ...

Reinagel pitches ND to sweep of Jackson (09/14/07)
Notre Dame pitcher Lauren Reinagel had the most difficult day of her young high school softball career Thursday. However, a bad day for her is a good day for most others. Reinagel started her 10th game of the season without having allowed a single earned run in her first nine appearances, which were all complete games...

Central soccer blanks Poplar Bluff (09/14/07)
Zach Zaruba netted two goals to lead the Central boys soccer team past Poplar Bluff 3-0 on Thursday. Brooks Osburn tallied a goal, Jared Kinder added two assists and Dustin Welker added an assist in the victory. JV -- Central won 7-0. Jackson 3, Carbondale 0...

Riley, Kelly shut out Central (09/13/07)
Jessica Riley pitched a five-hit shutout and Londyn Backfisch homered as the Kelly softball team beat visiting Central 4-0 on Wednesday. Riley struck out two and walked two as the Hawks improved their record to 10-2. Backfisch and Casey Kern both had two hits for the Hawks. Kern drove in two runs...

Central netters roll past Jackson (09/12/07)
Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel have teamed up to win the past two district titles en route to successive trips to the state tournament. The two seniors, however, often have other things on their minds besides just tennis when competing. "Lindsey and I gossip," Ford said, laughing. "We talk about the day. Just gossip. … Doubles is more fun because I have my partner."...

Jackson spikers squeak by Central in three games (09/12/07)
Rivals Central and Jackson squared off in a tight volleyball match Tuesday night, with the visiting Indians pulling out a three-game victory. Jackson rallied for a 22-25, 25-21, 25-23 triumph as the Indians improved to 7-3-1 and dropped the Tigers to 9-6-2...

Davis serves as Leopold's good luck charm in tourney (09/09/07)
Leopold placed second in the B.A. Sports high school volleyball tournament at the Show Me Center on Saturday, its best finish since 1989 when assistant coach Sandy Davis was wearing the blue and white Wildcats uniform. "The last time we got in the championship game was my senior year," Davis said, laughing. ...

ND boys run to fifth-place finish in St. Louis (09/09/07)
The Notre Dame boys cross country team captured fifth place Saturday in the Forest Park Festival with an overall score of 215. Logan Davis led the Bulldogs with a 31st place finish in a time of 17 minutes, 6 seconds. Jackson's Greg Gibson was the top local finisher on the boys side, finishing in 16:54 for 22nd. The Indians finished 18th as a team...

Jackson holds on for 21-12 victory (09/08/07)
JACKSON -- Jackson's Tyler Martin positioned himself in his usual defensive stance with a lot of thoughts running through his mind with a little over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter Friday. Martin, a three-year starter for the Indians, said he was not only thinking about stopping the Parkway North offense, which was attempting to convert a two-point conversion that would have tied the score 14-14. ...

ND has perfect nightin volleyball tourney (09/08/07)
Kelsey Bradshaw finished with 23 digs to lead Notre Dame to two victories Friday on the opening day of the B.A. Promotions Volleyball Classic tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Oak Ridge 25-11, 25-8 and knocked off Kennett 25-13, 25-7. Paige Schumer recorded eight aces against Kennett. She had 16 service points and nine assists...

Jackson tennis team doubles up Sikeston (09/07/07)
Jackson 6, Sikeston 3 SIKESTON -- Jenni DeWitt and Campbell Moore provided the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs with all three of their victories Thursday during a 6-3 loss to Jackson at the SHS tennis courts. In singles competition, DeWitt earned an 8-0 shutout against Erinne Haff during the No. 1 match. At No. 2, Moore bested Chelsea Jones with an 8-5 decision. DeWitt and Moore combined to post an 8-3 win over Haff and Ellyn Beil in the No. 1 doubles match...

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...

High school football | Week 2 (09/07/07)
Parkway North (1-0) at Jackson (1-0) Last year's meeting: Parkway North 29, Jackson 25 Notes: Jackson's defense was extremely strong last week, holding Francis Howell Central, the top-scoring team in the Gateway Athletic Conference in 2006, to one first down. ...

Jackson defense looks to build on opening shutout (09/07/07)
The Jackson defense recorded a shutout in its season opener last week against a talented Francis Howell Central offense, but coach Carl Gross said he will receive a better picture of how strong the group is tonight. The defensive strategy focused much of its energy on stopping one talented Howell Central receiver last week. But this week, the coaching staff has dissected the entire Parkway North offense, which posted 56 points against Central in Week 1...

Poplar Bluff suffers shutout losses in soccer, softball (09/05/07)
The Mules lost 2-0 to Jackson in soccer and 15-0 to Notre Dame in softball.

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...

Jackson well-rested entering season for Rams (09/04/07)
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Steven Jackson got more work than LaDainian Tomlinson in the preseason. At least he dressed. Following the lead of the San Diego Chargers and their summertime coddling of the league's MVP, the St. Louis Rams conserved their do-it-all tailback for the regular season. Jackson, who led the NFL with 2,334 yards rushing and receiving last year, finished the preseason with two receptions, zero carries and very, very few bumps and bruises...

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...

Sikeston soccer falls to Jackson at ND tourney (08/31/07)
Sikeston Standard Democrat staff reports CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Sikeston Bulldogs and Jackson Indians played 78 minutes of soccer before any scoring occurred Thursday in the first round of the Notre Dame Invitational Tournament. With two minutes remaining, Jackson scored on a corner kick that eluded Sikeston goalie Scott Droddy, who made 20 saves in the match...

No longer unbeaten, Jackson places fifth at Cor Jesu (09/02/07)
The Jackson softball team did not leave St. Louis with their undefeated record intact. But the Indians did leave with a lot of confidence after a 1-0 victory over Cor Jesu on Saturday in the fifth-place game of the Cor Jesu Haberstroh Tournament at Kirkwood Athletic Association...

Earning a little respect (09/02/07)
Unlike most teams that wait until a playoff victory to pour the Gatorade cooler over the coach, Jackson did it just a week into its season after knocking off last year's Class 2 state champ, Notre Dame. The Indians pulled off a 1-0 upset of the Bulldogs on Saturday night to win the 2007 Notre Dame Soccerfest tournament...

Jackson upended Notre Dame 1-0 for SoccerFest title (09/02/07)
Unlike most teams that wait until a playoff victory to pour the Gatorade cooler over the coach, Jackson did it just a week into its season after knocking off last year's Class 2 state champ, Notre Dame. The Indians pulled off a 1-0 upset of the Bulldogs on Saturday night to win the 2007 Notre Dame Soccerfest tournament...

Jackson, Notre Dame take home division victories at Jackson meet (09/02/07)
Notre Dame's seniors and Jackson's juniors came out as the only local teams to win their divisions at the Jackson Invitational on Saturday. The annual opener for many cross country teams in the area covers a 2.5-mile course instead of the usual 3.1 miles and has teams divided by grade in school instead of the top seven runners...

Jackson 'D' notches shutout vs. Spartans (09/01/07)
Francis Howell Central football coach Travis Wilson knew exactly what to expect for his first ever head coaching experience Friday night as the Spartans hosted Jackson. Wilson played on the 1997 Jackson team that went 10-0 during the regular season and won a playoff game against Kirkwood before falling to Parkway Central in the Class 5A quarterfinals...

Lady Mules blanked by Jackson (08/31/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor After giving up just one run in each of their first three games, the Jackson Lady Indians finally games kept a team off the scoreboard Thursday, beating district rival Poplar Bluff 2-0. Jessica Tuschhoff's five-hit shutout featured four strikeouts, no walks and nine pop-ups...

Lady Bearcats lose in 2 Games to Lady Indians (08/31/07)
Dexter's Lady Bearcats were within a point of forcing a third and deciding game against Jackson at home Thursday, but that one point made all the difference as the visiting Lady Indians escaped with a 25-22, 26-24 win. Dexter matched up favorably with the larger Class 4 Jackson squad, but couldn't get the break they needed down the stretch. ...

Area teams open season tonight (08/31/07)
The area's six high school football teams finally stop hitting each other and get to take on foes from other schools as the football season opens tonight. Only two of the area's six teams will play at home tonight, as Perryville hosts Pacific and Chaffee welcomes Grandview...

Jackson softball moves to 4-0 (08/31/07)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- After giving up just one run in each of their first three games, the Jackson Indians finally kept a team off the scoreboard Thursday, beating district-rival Poplar Bluff 2-0. Jessica Tuschhoff's five-hit shutout featured four strikeouts, no walks and nine pop flys...

Central softball blanks Kelly (08/31/07)
Amanda Nichols took matters into her own hands Thursday. Nichols scored Central's lone run and picked up the win on the mound as the Tigers defeated Kelly 1-0 in a softball showdown. Nichols singled in the second, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, took third on a fielder's choice and scored on a passed ball...

Lady Mules strike early in softball win at Chaffee (08/30/07)
DAR staff CHAFFEE -- Breanna Moore and Kelly Kelm each had RBI singles in an eight-run first inning Wednesday for Poplar Bluff as the Lady Mules won 11-2 at Chaffee. Julie Maloney struck out 12 and walked none in seven innings to pick up the win. "She kept getting ahead (and) throwing a lot of change ups," Lady Mules coach Lisa Nippe said...

Will Jackson come to pass? (08/30/07)
The Jackson football program is known for its ground attack, but the Indians might feature more of a passing game this season with the emergence of first-year starting quarterback Marcus Harris and three tight ends with great speed and size. "Anyone who follows us knows that we're going to run the ball first and throw it second," Jackson head coach Carl Gross said. "But we do feel like we have receivers and tight ends that can catch the football."...

Jackson handles rival Central in softball (08/30/07)
Sheila Wade barely missed a shutout. But that was about all that went wrong for the Jackson softball team Wednesday as the Indians remained undefeated with a 6-1 victory at rival Central. Wade carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning. She finished with a three-hitter as the Indians improved to 3-0...

Dexter rallies to sink Tribe in three (08/29/07)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Cathryn Heil stepped to the line and delivered four momentum-busting serves late in the deciding third game as the Dexter Lady Bearcats rallied for a 23-25, 25-14, 25-16 win over the Kennett Lady Indians at home Tuesday in a early-season matchup of Class 3, District 1 rivals...

Lady 'Cats rally late to defeat Kennett (08/29/07)
DEXTER -- Cathryn Heil stepped to the line and delivered four momentum-busting serves late in the deciding third game as the Dexter Lady Bearcats rallied for a 23-25, 25-14, 25-16 win over the Kennett Lady Indians at home Tuesday in a early-season matchup of Class 3, District 1 rivals...

Central spikers down Perryville (08/29/07)
The Central volleyball team improved to 2-0 with a 25-21, 14-25, 25-20 win over visiting Perryville Tuesday night. Wendi Zickfield led the Tigers' attack with 13 kills. Taylor Kirn had 11 digs, Katie Scholl recorded 16 assists, and Carissa Wheeler and Rita Walter both had six blocks...

DeWitt gets only point in Sikeston tennis loss to Jackson (08/28/07)
Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat JACKSON -- No. 1 singles competitor Jenni DeWitt turned in the only win for the Sikeston High School varsity girls tennis team, which lost at Jackson 8-1 on Monday. DeWitt was an 8-1 victor against Jackson No. 1 competitor Erinne Haff...

Central floats past ND, Jackson (08/28/07)
Central's Caleb Coots, Jackson's Ryan Gibson and Notre Dame's Logan Bollinger swam the 100 butterfly neck and neck Monday at the Central Municipal Pool to earn state-qualifying times. "It was probably the best race of the day as far as excitement," Central coach Dayna Powell said...

Notre Dame cruises in opener (08/28/07)
Notre Dame, the defending state champion in Class 2 boys soccer, opened the season at home Monday with a 10-0 win against Kennett. The game was stopped with about 12 minutes left because of the 10-goal mercy rule. Ryan Willen and Ty Williams both scored two goals for the Bulldogs, while Matt Kiblinger, Trenton Vance, Josh Robert, Chris McMillan, Brock Dirnberger and Nick Wren all added a goal...

Indians' passing lights up the sky (08/25/07)
FARMINGTON -- The timing between Jackson's Marcus Harris and Matt Lang looked impeccable during Friday night's football jamboree. The Indians' duo struck for two touchdowns against St. Clair in Jackson's jamboree opening session on the rainy FieldTurf at Farmington High School...

An upstream battle (08/25/07)
When Dustin Kaminskey first learned a couple months ago that Jackson High School would start a fall swim team for his senior year, he felt some mixed emotions. Kaminskey, who had swam competitively for close to eight years, was restricted indefinitely from competing and told he might never swim again in April 2006 after separating his voice box from his trachea and severing his carotid artery and a vein in his neck in an automobile accident...

Indians launch program with diverse group (08/25/07)
Jackson's first-year boys swimming team is comprised of a diverse group of athletes, including four seniors who have never swam competitively, a student who scored a 36 on the ACT and a junior whose sweet tooth for cake one afternoon is the cause of his joining the team...

Poplar Bluff tennis team falls to 0-2 (08/22/07)
JACKSON -- The Poplar Bluff tennis team lost its second straight match in as many days, falling to Jackson 8-1. Morgan Allen picked up the only win for the Lady Mules an 8-3 victory against Erinne Haff 8-1 in the top-seeded singles match. After losing its season opener earlier this week the Jackson girls tennis team earned its first victory Tuesday, defeating Poplar Bluff 8-1...

Area teams will have artificial start at jamborees (08/24/07)
The St. Vincent football program hasn't stepped on an artificial surface to play football since its victory in the 2004 Class 1 state championship football game at the Edward Jones Dome. The Indians will take to the FieldTurf in Hillsboro tonight with a very good reason...

Jackson softball posts win over Kennett (08/24/07)
The Jackson softball team improved to 2-0 this season with its victory over Kennett on Thursday. Jessica Tuschhoff struck out nine batters to help Jackson pick up the 6-1 road win. Kelci Kieth went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs, a stolen base and a home run, while Brittany Feeney had a perfect night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs, one RBI and four stolen bases for the Indians...

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."...

Jackson tennis defeats Bluff to collect first win of season (08/22/07)
After losing its season opener earlier this week, the Jackson girls tennis team earned its first victory Tuesday, defeating Poplar Bluff 8-1. Chelsea Jones, Maura Neader, Ellyn Beil, Alison Keiper and Raechel Batz all won their singles matches for the Indians. Jackson's only loss was by No. 1 Erinne Haff, who was defeated by Morgan Allen 8-3...

Ready to rock and roll: Lady Tribe eyes second district title in three years (08/21/07)
With four starters returning from last season -- including three of their top four players -- it's little wonder that the Kennett Lady Indians are thinking district title as they kick off the 2007 girls' tennis season this afternoon at Charleston. "I think that we have a really solid team this year because we have a lot of juniors who are showing a lot of potential," junior Brook Burcham, the team's top returnee, said. ...

Charleston tennis records win at Jackson (08/21/07)
Staff Reports ~ Standard Democrat JACKSON -- The Charleston Lady Bluejays started the fall season in winning form on Monday at Jackson, winning 5-4 in girls tennis. The Lady Bluejays were led by their No.1 netter, senior Jade Schwieger, who defeated Haff of Jackson, 8-6. Schwieger also won in her doubles match with partner Lindsay Burke, also a senior...

Jackson christens softball season with win over Chaffee (08/21/07)
Jackson senior Sheila Wade surrendered just one unearned run on four hits over eight innings Monday to lead the Indians past Chaffee 3-1 in both squads' season opener. "I think she came out and did a good job," Jackson coach Amanda Forester said. "She started toward the later innings working ahead of her batters and that definitely helped things out."...

2007 high school softball preview capsules (08/20/07)
Central Tigers Last year's record: 15-13 Returning Starters: Amanda Nichols, jr., pitcher; Sirena Watkins, sr., pitcher; Jenna Matthews, sr., infielder; Casey Popp, sr., infielder; Mia Russell, sr., outfield. Top Newcomers: Victoria Schabbing, soph., infield; Tori Ourth, soph., infield; Kayla Bredekant, soph., outfield; Jamie Hillier, jr., catcher; Taylre Scott, soph., catcher; Jennifer Willette, jr., infield; Cara Parkinson, jr., outfield; Lilli Robinson, jr., outfield...

Summer is great, but so is the fall sports season (08/19/07)
I probably like summer as much, if not more, than most people. An afternoon of golf, a boat ride on the lake or a lazy, meandering float down the river. It just doesn't get any better than that. But I must admit, it's nice to see the high school fall sports season gearing up. After a ho-hum summer for local sports, the beginning of school will usher in another fun-filled season for local sports enthusiasts...

Central's top doubles team combines Pingel's power, Ford's finesse (08/19/07)
Central senior tennis players Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel are two total opposites on the court. Their coach, Annette Slattery, describes the right-handed Ford, as a steady, finesse player. She describes the left-handed Pingel as an aggressive competitor who powers the ball and takes more shots...

Heisserer has hands full at Oran with two fall sports (08/18/07)
Oran's Sara Heisserer will be pulling double duty in coaching. Not this school year, this fall. Heisserer, in her first year at her alma mater, will guide both the Oran volleyball and softball teams this season. The school district in March switched softball from spring to fall, which is when the Missouri State High School Activities Association conducts its playoff series...

Tigers absorb late hit at skill positions (08/17/07)
Central football coach Lawrence Brookins may have some skilled positions to fill after last year's playoff run. Brookins said at Thursday's picture day at the high school that leading receiver George Hamilton III relocated to Tampa, Fla., with his mother and sister, while the only player in school with significant experience at quarterback did not come out for the team...

Pixleys lead East to win in Missouri Lions All-Star Game (08/08/07)
With help from a field goal by Jackson's Grant Ressel, the local coaches ended the West's eight-game winnning streak.

Jackson fails to budge Rock in zone opener (08/03/07)
Jackson proved to be no pushover Thursday night in a first-round game at the American Legion zone tournament at Legion Field. In a field of district champions, the sub-.500 host team battled Rock Memorial before succumbing 11-7. The loss sends Jackson (23-28) into an elimination bracket game with Manchester (31-5). That game will start at 10 a.m., just 11 hours after Jackson's surprising rally fell short in the bottom of the ninth inning...

Peaking at right time, DC eyes zone title (08/02/07)
JACKSON, Mo. -- Even as Dunklin County Post 303 spent the first part of the season trying to get over the .500 mark, Jamie Johnson kept saying that his team hadn't played its best baseball yet. After Dunklin County won its first district title in five years, Johnson's words seem prophetic...

Host is at top of Jackson resume (08/01/07)
Mark Lewis is just happy his Jackson American Legion baseball team is playing this week. "Right now, were're one of 20 teams left in Missouri playing Legion baseball. To me, that's exciting," Lewis said. "It's a great opportunity for our program and our players."...

Post 303 enters tourney as underdog (07/24/07)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Scott County did not enter last year's American Legion District 14 tournament as the favorite, yet Post 369 captured the title. This time around Scott County is the squad to beat -- but coach Denver Stuckey is far from comfortable entering the five-team, double-elimination event that began Monday in Cape Girardeau...

Area digest (07/18/07)
Jackson to playin Pan Am Games Simone Jackson will join Tatiana Conceicao in the Pan American Games, giving the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball program two former players in that competition. Conceicao, who averaged a team-leading 19.4 points per game on the 2005-06 Southeast squad that made the program's first NCAA Division I tournament appearance, is playing for her native Brazil, which is ranked fourth in the world...

Jackson hires Martin as AD (07/17/07)
John Martin knew he eventually wanted to leave teaching and coaching for the administrative side of education. That the transition will take him to his alma mater only adds to his excitement. Martin was recently named the athletic director at Jackson High School, where he will also serve as assistant principal...

'Birds fly by Scott County (07/11/07)
JACKSON, Mo. -- The Dunklin County Redbirds have shown potential to be a great team all season long. Now, they may be putting it together at the right time. Seven Redbirds had two hits each and left-handed ace Trey Bazzell tossed five-plus innings of five-hit ball as third-seeded Dunklin County defeated No. 2 Scott County, 8-4, at the District XVI Junior American Legion baseball tournament here Tuesday...

'Birds end skid with district win (06/29/07)
After playing 12 games in six days, the Dunklin County Redbirds could not have found a much better way to end the regular season. Facing District XIV foe Cape Girardeau Post 63 in a doubleheader, the Redbirds got five strong innings from starter Trey Bazzell to take a 13-9 win in the opener, then came away with a 9-6 win in the nightcap to complete the sweep...

Cape's Myers tosses a no-hitter in Game 2 (06/29/07)
Blake Gaddis had never seen Chris Hanback pitch before. But in a pressure situation in the bottom of the seventh inning, Gaddis kept his approach simple. "I was just up there looking for something to hit," Gaddis said. "Fastball. I was sitting on it."...

Jackson, Notre Dame place six each on all-conference list (06/29/07)
Jackson and Notre Dame each had six girls soccer players make the SEMO Conference all-conference first team. Notre Dame senior Meridith Medlin and Jackson junior Chlesea Dale, who both earned first-team all-state honors, topped the SEMO Conference first team. Medlin teammates who joined her on the first team were senior Destiny Dirnberger, senior Claudia Brauss, junior Paige Shumer, sophomore Mindy Siebert and sophomore Amanda Pliemann...

High school notes (06/28/07)
Jackson, ND, Perryville make academic lists Jackson, Notre Dame and Perryville again claimed many places in the latest listing for Missouri State High School Activities Association's Scholastic Achivement Awards. The awards were released in the May edition of the MSHSAA Journal and include fall and winter sports teams...

Bohnert resigns as Jackson's athletic director (06/28/07)
After more than two weeks on administrative leave, Kevin Bohnert resigned Tuesday as athletic director and assistant principal at Jackson High School. Bohnert's resignation was accepted by the Jackson board of education in Tuesday's meeting, and it was handled like any other resignation, superintendent Dr. Ron Anderson said Wednesday...

Hunter sparks Post 303 (06/26/07)
SENATH, Mo. -- Dunklin County Post 303 has had its share of gut-wrenching losses on the baseball diamond lately. But thanks to Dustin Hunter, it didn't happen again Monday. Hunter hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning, then tossed two innings of scoreless relief to spark an 8-7 win over the Batesville Highwaymen in the first game of a doubleheader...

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

LaBruyere allowed no hits, one walk in five innings (06/23/07)
Brad LaBruyere came within an eyelash of pitching his first perfect game. But he didn't seem all that disappointed in settling for a conventional no-hitter Friday night as the Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team mauled host Jackson 17-0...

Area digest (06/17/07)
Cape Legion sweeps House Springs The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons American Legion senior baseball team swept a non-district doubleheader at House Springs on Saturday, winning 6-5 and 9-5. Cape (13-4) had six hits in the opener, led by Brad LaBruyere with two. LaBruyere and David Sanders each drove in two runs...

Crosnoe leaves Indians for job with Cape school (06/16/07)
Rex Crosnoe's tenure as Jackson's baseball coach may have been brief, but in four years the former area standout transformed the Indians into one of the top programs in the area. Jackson went 66-29 in Crosnoe's four years, a .695 winning percentage. ...

Jackson lands five on all-region team (06/13/07)
Jackson's girls soccer team led the way with five players on the Class 2 all-region team. Chelsea Dale, Bobbi Jo Schlick, Randi Kraust, Alisha Howard and Jenni Tenholder each made the all-region team from Jackson. The Indians won their sixth straight district title this past season and fell to Class 2 runner-up Incarnate Word in the sectional game...

It's time for Bohnert to make the right move (06/12/07)
In recent years, the Jackson High School athletic department under the direction of Kevin Bohnert has received publicity as an example for other departments. The school was among two in the Southeast Missourian circulation area honored the last two years as a Leadership School by the Missouri State High School Activities Association...

Area digest (06/12/07)
Jackson Legion sweeps Calvert City Alex Tripp drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh to complete an eight-run rally as Jackson's American Legion team swept visiting Calvert City, Ky., on Monday in a doubleheader. Jackson trailed 10-2 in the opener, but came all the way back and scored three in the seventh for a 12-11 win. Nick D'Amico pitched the seventh for the win and added two hits...

2007 Southeast Missourian baseball team (06/12/07)
First team Pitchers n Mark Himmelberg, jr., Notre Dame Stats: 6-1 w-l, 1.69 ERA, 54 inn., 57 Ks, .193 opp. avg.; .338, 15 RBIs, 8 doubles n Ryan Modglin, jr., Scott City Stats: 7-5 w-l, 2.10 ERA, 115 Ks, 53 1/3 inn.; .481 avg., 4 HRs, 12 doubles, 4 triples, 34 RBIs, 33 runs...

SEMO North Division football schedules (06/11/07)
Aug. 31 -- at Parkway North Sept. 7 -- at New Madrid County Central Sept. 14 -- Blytheville (Ark.) Sept. 21 -- St. Charles Sept. 28 -- at St. Charles West Oct. 5 -- Jackson Oct. 12 -- Fort Zumwalt North Oct. 19 -- at Poplar Bluff Oct. 26 -- at West Plains...

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.)...

Perryville senior finishes second in 100 hurdles (05/27/07)
Perryville senior Brittney Castleberry could not hold her top seed in the finals of the Class 3 100-meter hurdles despite a significant time drop Saturday and had to settle for second at the Class 3 and 4 state track and field championships at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City, Mo...

Central senior vaults to title (05/26/07)
Central senior pole vaulter Matt Willingham was cleared by doctors to return to action the day before the district track meet. Three weeks later, Willingham stood atop the podium at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City, Mo., after clearing 15 feet to win the Class 4 pole vault Friday at the Class 3 and 4 state track and field championships...

Inexperienced Central ready to make noise (05/25/07)
Central may not have a returning state champion heading with it to the Class 3 and 4 state track and field championships today -- last year's 200-meter winner Nicole Jackson did not come out for the team this year -- but that does not mean the Tigers won't come home with a first-place medal...

Jackson has no reply to powerful Word (05/23/07)
FARMINGTON -- Moments after Jackson's loss in the Class 2 state sectional to Incarnate Word, Indians coach Zach Walton ticked off some of the honors for the IWA players. All-Americans, national team members. That's why the Red Knights (22-1-2) entered the game ranked No. 13 in the nation, according to the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas poll released this week...

Notre Dame, Jackson try to get around sectional obstacles (05/22/07)
Notre Dame's girls soccer team dropped its season opener and has been on a tear ever since, dropping just one game since heading into a Class 1 sectional meeting with De Soto at 6:30 p.m. today at home. The Bulldogs (16-2-1) fell 3-0 to Marion in the opener of the Noon Optimist Tournament, but they worked their way through the consolation bracket to take fifth place. ...

All-SEMO Conference baseball team (05/21/07)
2007 SEMO Conference Baseball Team First Team Honorable Mention PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Blake Slattery, Cape Central COACH OF THE YEAR: Kevin Self, Sikeston...

Jackson girls lead march to state meet (05/20/07)
It was a big day for area Class 3 and 4 track athletes Saturday as many qualified for state competition and several set school records. Jackson and Central participated in the Class 4 sectional at Parkway South, while Notre Dame and Perryville competed in the Class 3 sectional at Farmington...

Jackson wins district title in triple overtime (05/19/07)
Jackson had to work overtime for its sixth straight district championship. Make that three overtimes. But the top-seeded Indians hardly minded after outlasting second-seeded Seckman 3-2 Friday night in the Class 2 District 1 tournament finals at Jackson...

Tigers top Jackson 5-2 to capture district title (05/19/07)
HILLSBORO, Mo. -- Two-run lead. Ace on the mound. Game in the bag, right? Not so fast. Central ace Brad LaBruyere did pick up the save in support of starter Tyler Propst on Friday in the Class 4 District 1 baseball championship, but not without a few anxious moments...

Jackson soccer eliminates Poplar Bluff (05/17/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor JACKSON -- For the first 53 minutes Wednesday, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules held the top seed to a single goal in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 semifinal. And with just more than 21 minutes left, Poplar Bluff's Chelsea Garner scored to again make it a one-goal game...

Walks doom tribe in district finals (05/17/07)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Nine walks and a rough fourth inning provided one fatal blow to the Kennett Indians' chances of repeating as district champions. The Sikeston Bulldogs drew nine walks from Kennett hurlers and scored all five of their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 5-0 victory in the championship game of the Class 3, District 1 Tournament at East City Park Wednesday...

Central, Jackson to meet for title (05/17/07)
Senior pitcher Brad LaBruyere tied a Central school record Wednesday with his 29th career victory as the Tigers reached the championship game of the Class 4 District 1 tournament in Hillsboro with a 6-1 victory over Fox. The top-seeded Tigers (15-10) seeking their first district title since 2000, will face Jackson at 6 p.m. Friday. Jackson routed Hillsboro 12-2 in six inning in the other semifinal...

Chaffee wins continuation of rain-delayed semifinal (05/17/07)
Chaffee's baseball team is one win away from its first district since 2001 after defeating No. 3 Crystal City 7-4 on Wednesday in the continuation of a rain-suspended semifinal game in the Class 2 District 2 tournament in Charleston Top-seeded Chaffee (17-9) will face No. 2 Scott City today in the finals...

Indians upset top-seeded Bearcats (05/16/07)
Kennett High School will be defending its Class 3, District 1 baseball title after the Indians upset the tournament's number one seeded Dexter Bearcats, 6-4, Tuesday at Dexter's East Park ballfield. The No. 5 Indians will battle No. 2 Sikeston today at 4 p.m. in the championship game...

Tribe shocks top-seeded Dexter to reach finals (05/16/07)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Kennett High School will be defending its Class 3, District 1 baseball title after the Indians upset the top-seeded Dexter Bearcats, 6-4, Tuesday at Dexter's East Park ballfield. The No. 5 Indians will battle No. 2 Sikeston today in the championship game...

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...

Tribe rallies past Fredericktown to reach district finals, rematch with Dexter (05/15/07)
DEXTER, Mo. -- Four teams saw their chances of capturing the Class 3, District 1 Championship improve with first-round wins Monday at Dexter, while losses ended the dream and the season for four others. Top-seeded Dexter brought the 10-run rule into play during a 13-3 win over No. 8 New Madrid County Central, and No. 2 Sikeston had little trouble with No. 7 Doniphan in a 9-2 win...

'Cats open district play with win over NMCC (05/15/07)
DEXTER -- Four teams saw their chances of capturing the Class 3, District 1 Championship improve with first-round wins Monday at Dexter, while losses ended the dream and the season for four others. Top-seeded Dexter brought the 10-run rule into play during a 13-3 win over No. 8 New Madrid County Central, and No. 2 Sikeston had little trouble with No. 7 Doniphan in a 9-2 win...

Indians end first round fourth in Class 1 (05/15/07)
St. Vincent's golf team found itself clinging to fourth place after the first day of the Class 1 state golf tournament Monday at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo. The Indians shot a 349, one stroke ahead of fifth-place Orrick. St. Vincent was just four strokes behind second-place Marceline. Tipton held a 14-stroke lead after the opening round...

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...

Lindbergh girls nip Jackson at the wire (05/13/07)
The Jackson girls track team was unable to hold off Lindbergh in the Class 4 District 1 meet Saturday afternoon, settling for second place by 3 1/4 points. Lindbergh swept the boys and girls district crowns at Jackson. The Flyers girls edged Jackson 153.25 to 150, while Lindbergh's boys scored 139 points to Central's 99...

St. Vincent golfers will attempt to add to school's rich tradition (05/13/07)
State golf success is nothing new to St. Vincent, a program which has won two state titles and has claimed eight top-four finishes. However, the Indians have placed in the team standings just once in the last four years -- a seventh-place finish in 2005. But a convincing district win over last year's Class 1 runner-up Thayer has the Indians heading into the state tournament with momentum...

Top-seeded Jackson mends from injuries (05/12/07)
Injuries are a part of the game. Few teams in the area know that better than Jackson's girls soccer team, which had its dominating start to the season slowed by injuries. Still, the Indians (12-2-2) remain the top seed and a favorite for their sixth straight district title when play begins Monday at Jackson in the Class 2 District 1 tournament...

BASEBALL, GIRLS SOCCER DISTRICT BRACKETS (05/11/07)
Check out the schedules for the upcoming tournaments.

Freshmen may set pace at sectionals (05/11/07)
A crop of freshmen athletes in Southeast Missouri is looking to make its mark on the state level in girls track and field. Kelly's Londyn Backfish, Scott City's Stephanie Essner and Saxony Lutheran's Cassie Simpher, all freshmen, will each compete in four events Saturday in sectional meets. All three should be among the favorites in their events. The three have all run under a minute in the 400 meters, which could make them contenders at the state meet next week...

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...

Oran baseball, softball teams post victories (05/10/07)
Staff reports ORAN -- Alex Chasteen knocked in three runs on two hits and Cody Dirnberger collected a pair of hits, both on swinging bunts, as the Eagles cruised to victory. Kody Campbell picked up the win on the mound. Hayti 000 00 -- 0 3 8 Oran 391 5x -- 18 12 1...

Moore delivers at the plate for 'Cats (05/10/07)
KENNETT - Tyler Moore has been providing the hot hand for the Dexter Bearcats on the baseball diamond in recent games. Now head coach Brian Becker hopes that it will catch on with the rest of the team. "He's been getting hot lately," Becker said. "He went, I believe, 2-for-2 the last game with a couple of doubles. He's starting to heat up and now's the right time of year to heat up. I�m hoping everybody kind of follows his lead there and starts getting hot too."...

Bearcats spoil Senior Day for Tribe (05/10/07)
Tyler Moore has been providing the hot hand for the Dexter Bearcats on the baseball diamond in recent games. Now head coach Brian Becker hopes that it will catch on with the rest of the team. "He's been getting hot lately," Becker said. "He went, I believe, 2-for-2 the last game with a couple of doubles. He's starting to heat up and now's the right time of year to heat up. I'm hoping everybody kind of follows his lead there and starts getting hot too."...

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

Notre Dame rallies to down Central (05/10/07)
Notre Dame started the day in a 3-0 hole, but that didn't get the Bulldogs down. Notre Dame rallied to tie the game in the fifth inning and scored a pair in the sixth to rally for a 6-4 victory over Central in a SEMO Conference baseball game Wednesday. The game had been suspended earlier in the season then rescheduled because of rain...

Junior records first-half hat trick (05/10/07)
Jackson junior Chelsea Dale scored a hat trick in the first half Wednesday and the Indians overcame a short bench to rout visiting Perryville 5-2. The Indians (12-2-2), who have been hit with a rash of injuries over the past month, had just five players dressed on the bench. They were able to get junior starter Lauren Drewett back from injury...

'Cats compete at conference tournament (05/09/07)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Dexter's Jon Bowman and Chance Holden both tied for 8th Monday at the SEMO Conference Golf Tournament held at the Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau. As a team, the Bearcats finished tied for fifth with Sikeston at 359. Poplar Bluff proved to be the class of the SEMO Conference, taking the top two individual spots and winning the team title by 30 strokes over Jackson, 308-338...

Jackson finishes second, 30 strokes behind (05/09/07)
Local high school golf coaches should take note:~ The Indians' T.J. Smith shot a 75 to finish third overall. Poplar Bluff coach Billy Pyland is ready to dole out the secret to a successful program. "I think it's great parents, starting them young, and they're coachable kids," Pyland said. "Those are the keys."...

Poplar Bluff tops SEMO Conference tourney for fourth straight year (05/08/07)
By Toby Carrig Southeast Missourian Local high school golf coaches should take note: Poplar Bluff coach Billy Pyland is ready to dole out the secret to a successful program. "I think it's great parents, starting them young, and they're coachable kids," Pyland said. "Those are the keys."...

SEMO Conference golf tournament results (05/08/07)
Results from the SEMO Conference tournament, played Tuesday at Dalhousie Golf Club, Cape Girardeau:

Sikeston rallies for 2-1 win over Notre Dame (05/08/07)
The Sikeston Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the SEMO Conference regular-season championship as they defeated Notre Dame 2-1 on Monday at VFW Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for March 20 but inclement weather resulted in the contest continually getting pushed back...

St. Vincent golfers win conference tournament (05/08/07)
The St. Vincent golf team capped its regular season in style with a win at the Jefferson County Conference Tournament on Monday at Fourche Valley Golf Course in Potosi, Mo. The Indians finished with a 359, 11 strokes ahead of regular-season conference champion Windsor. Hillsboro rounded out the top three with a 358. Perryville finished fifth with a 381...

Jackson girls claim SEMO North track title (05/05/07)
Jackson sophomore sprinter Adam Zweigart ran for the first time this season using the starting blocks in the open 400 on Friday at the SEMO North Conference meet at Jackson. Zweigart may want to stick with that approach after he set the school record with a conference-winning time of 50.06 seconds. That time would have been fast enough last year at the state meet for an all-state finish...

SEMO North Conference track results (05/04/07)
Results from Friday's meet at Jackson

Poplar Bluff boys, Jackson girls win SEMO North track titles (05/04/07)
No surprise in the girls team competition at the SEMO North track meet on Friday afternoon at Jackson, while the boys title came down to the final two results. Jackson's girls dominated the meet, winning 12 of the meet's 18 events. The Indians totaled 122 points in the four-team meet while Cape Central was second with 84...

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...

Jackson puts pressure on defense to create scoring chances (05/03/07)
Pitching and defense wins championships? They didn't compare to speed and scoring for Jackson during the SEMO Conference tournament. The Indians (14-7) put up 31 runs to sweep Notre Dame, second-seeded Central and top-seeded Sikeston in a four-day span to capture their first conference tournament title...

Bulldogs use chemistry to formulate 4-0 victory (05/02/07)
Destiny Dirnberger lofted a beautiful ball from the goalie's left side toward the middle of the 6-yard box and teammate Meridith Medlin delivered a ferocious header that found the back of the net. Notre Dame seniors Dirnberger and Medlin enjoy that kind of chemistry on the soccer field...

Zalma will have new basketball coach for third straight year (05/02/07)
The annual coaching shuffle for area boys basketball teams continues this offseason, with Zalma recently hiring a new coach and Woodland currently without a coach. Zalma's boys basketball team will have its third coach in three years next season when Steve Wells takes over the program...

Notre Dame qualifies trio for state golf tournament (05/02/07)
Notre Dame golfers Brett Slaten, Brandon Pleimann and Austin Gelsheimer each qualified for the state tournament by placing in the top 10 at the Class 3, District 1 meet at the Eagle Lake Golf Course in Farmington on Tuesday. Notre Dame, which finished second as a team, missed out on qualifying as a team for state by five strokes to North County...

Sikeston bows in nine innings in SEMO title game (05/01/07)
Jackson won its first conference championship, taking nine innings to subdue the top seed.

Lady Bearcats win conference track title (05/01/07)
NEW MADRID -- Dexter's girls track team used seven first-place finishes to help amass 173 points and walk away with the SEMO Central Conference track title Monday at New Madrid County Central. Dexter's 173 points were 59 ahead of second place Cape Girardeau Notre Dame's 114. Rounding out the team standing for the girls were Kennett with 95, NMCC with 59, Charleston with 42 and Caruthersville with 28...

SEMO Third place (05/01/07)
Those innings that seemingly will never end. The Central baseball team was on the wrong side of one Saturday in its loss to Jackson. On Monday night, the Tigers put one of those innings together in a 9-4 victory against Dexter in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament...

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...

Jackson wins SEMO Conference tournament in nine innings (05/01/07)
Jackson's relentless aggressiveness on the bases paid off in the championship game of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Monday night at Capaha Field. The Indians stole four bases in a six-run rally in the top of the ninth inning and held on for an 8-6 victory against top-seeded Sikeston...

Teams put seasons on line at district tourneys (04/30/07)
St. Vincent seniors Zach Richardet and Corey Brueckner brought home all-state finishes for the Indians last year. Now, following a successful regular season, Richardet and Brueckner will try to lead a veteran group to a district title and a place in the state tournament. Only the district team champion advances to the state meet, although if a team qualifies four individuals it can compete as a team at state...

Sikeston scores early, often against Tribe (04/29/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Bulldogs baseball team advanced to the semifinals of the SEMO Conference Tournament with a 13-0 whitewash of the Kennett Indians on Friday afternoon at VFW Stadium. Sikeston put the game away early with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Bulldogs only had three hits in the inning, but took advantage of two Kennett errors and poor control by Indian starter Payte Harris...

Central rallies from 10-0 deficit but Indians manages to reach final (04/29/07)
Jackson roared out to a huge lead for the second straight day of the SEMO Conference Tournament, but this time the Indians had to sweat it out as they squandered a 10-0 lead Saturday before scoring late to win 11-10 at rival Central. The third-seeded Indians (13-7) had a nine-run first inning against Notre Dame on Friday, and in the semifinals Saturday the Indians scored nine in the second to build a 10-0 lead over No. ...

State considers splitting public, private tournaments (04/29/07)
A lot can change in 10 years. In 1997, seven different proposals to split the softball, football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, track and field and baseball state tournaments into separate public and private tournaments failed, with none garnering more than 40 percent of the vote...

Jackson dumps St. Vincent to win soccer invite (04/29/07)
Jackson scored two first-half goals and held on in the second half to down St. Vincent 3-1 in the championship game at the Perryville Invitational soccer tournament Saturday. "The first half was ours," Jackson coach Zack Walton said. "We controlled a lot of it."...

Jackson blasts Notre Dame 12-2 in five innings (04/28/07)
Jackson hit for the cycle in order as the Indians routed Notre Dame 12-2 in five innings in a SEMO Conference quarterfinal at Jackson on Friday. Luke Crader opened the bottom of the first with an infield single, Rex Meyr lined a double over the center fielder's head, Logan Lawson hit a triple to deep center and Andy Winkleback cracked a two-run home run to left field. Notre Dame starter Brett Heischmidt walked the next batter and was pulled two batters later after getting just one out...

Jackson girls win Poplar Bluff meet (04/28/07)
Jackson senior Rachel Kahle won four events to lead the Indians' girls track team to a win at the eight-team Poplar Bluff Invitational on Friday. Kahle, all-state in the 100 and 200 last year, won the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump. Teammate Heather Hileman won both hurdle events along with the high jump...

Area teams advance in Perryville soccer tourney (04/27/07)
St. Vincent, Jackson and Perryville all won first-round games Thursday at the inaugural Perryville Soccer Invitational. Jessica Welker scored three first-half goals to lead St. Vincent to a 4-0 victory over Farmington in first-round action. Megan Wengert stopped three shots to earn the shutout. Shelby Hotop added a goal for St. Vincent (13-2)...

Camels think small to win Tri-County tourney (04/26/07)
WARDELL, Mo. -- After going 5-10 in the fall and struggling through injuries earlier this spring, people may have started to overlook the Campbell Camels. Big mistake. "A lot of people counted us out," Campbell coach Justin Shell said. "We weren't playing real good baseball. ...

St. Vincent edges Jackson in soccer (04/26/07)
Courtney Besand scored 1 minute into the game and then added another goal to lead St. Vincent to a 2-1 victory over Jackson in a girls soccer game Wednesday night. Brooke Brown assisted on one of Besand's goals for the Indians (12-2). Megan Wengert made 10 saves in goal...

Dexter baseball doubles up Central 12-6 (04/25/07)
Jerry Jarrell ~ SEMO News Service DEXTER -- Dexter extended its current winning streak to four games as Josh Stevens pitched a complete game and the Bearcats banged out 14 hits in a 12-6 SEMO Conference win over the Cape Central Tigers at home Tuesday...

Lady Bearcats take third at Jackson meet (04/25/07)
JACKSON -- Dexter's girls track team finished third Tuesday at the Jackson Invitational Track Meet, a meet that was originally scheduled for April 7 but had to be postponed because of rain. Dexter was scheduled to participate in the Kennett Invitational Tuesday, but opted to take part in the Jackson meet instead, according to Dexter track coach Jill Becker...

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...

Notre Dame settles for tie with Jackson (04/25/07)
Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley felt his team was held in check in a 2-0 loss to Jackson on April 2. The loss was the last the Bulldogs have suffered, as Notre Dame rode a four-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Jackson. Notre Dame more than made up for its previous poor showing against Jackson, dominating the play through much of the second half and overtime...

Sikeston gets top seed in SEMO Conference tourney (04/25/07)
A familiar team is back in the role of favorite in the SEMO Conference baseball tournament this year. Sikeston (12-4), which has played in the tournament championship game in each of its six years, is seeded first heading into this year's tournament. Opening-round play-in games will begin Thursday with Kelly hosting Poplar Bluff and New Madrid County Central playing host to Kennett...

Tribe holds off 'Dogs in tourney opener (04/24/07)
CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- Lots of scoring. Lots of wind. It must have seemed at times like the Kennett Indians and Portageville Bulldogs were playing each other at Wrigley Field. Despite a stiff breeze blowing in from leftfield most of the game, both teams combined to score 21 runs as the Tribe held on for an 11-10 victory over Portageville in the first round of the Bootheel Conference Tournament here Monday...

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...

Jackson rounds into form (04/22/07)
Jackson junior Heather Hileman won four events -- three individual events and one relay -- to highlight another dominating day for Jackson's girls track and field team Saturday in the Cape Relays at the Abe Stuber Track Complex. The meet did not include team scores, and only five events -- the 100, both hurdles, the 1,600 and 3,200 -- counted as individual events...

Oran dumps Scott City in showdown (04/22/07)
Oran's bats dominated the day at the Oran Softball Tournament championship Saturday, scoring 15 runs on 15 hits in a 15-5 rout of Scott City. Cassie Graviett led the assault with three hits. Callie Kielhofner picked up the win for the Eagles (9-1)...

Errors cost Oran in loss to Cooter (04/21/07)
Cooter scored six times in the second inning and got solid pitching from Aaron McCaig to defeat Oran in a high school baseball game Friday. Mistakes in the field proved costly for the Eagles, as they committed an uncharacteristic four errors in the contest...

Poplar Bluff rallies, but Jackson holds on (04/20/07)
By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor As Jackson reliever Levi Petzoldt warmed up to the backdrop of Queen's "Under Pressure," Logan Boles got some simple advice from his coach. "He said, 'Just forget everything we've been working on and just hit the ball,'" Boles said...

St. Vincent soccer posts shutout (04/20/07)
Megan Wengert stopped eight shots to earn the shutout victory as St. Vincent defeated St. Pius 2-0 in a girls soccer game Thursday. Liz Brueckner got the Indians on the board, with Jessica Welker and Courtney Besand earning assists. Megan Sutterer added an insurance goal for the Indians (11-2, 3-0). Liz Rozier assisted on the goal...

Jackson manages to swing medalist, second as team second at Saxony Invitational (04/20/07)
For a high school golfer, playing that first shot at Dalhousie Golf Club can be fun. Somewhere around the 100th shot, frustration can set in. More than half the field crossed the century mark Thursday in the first Saxony Lutheran Invitational Tournament, played at the course recently ranked No. 1 in Missouri by Golf Digest and hosted by a school with a first-year golf program...

Smith grabs top individual honors in Saxony's inaugural golf tourney (04/19/07)
By Toby Carrig Southeast Missourian For a high school golfer, playing that first shot at Dalhousie Golf Club can be fun. Somewhere around the 100th shot, frustration can set in. More than half the field crossed the century mark Thursday in the first Saxony Lutheran Invitational Tournament, played at the course recently ranked No. 1 in Missouri by Golf Digest and hosted by a school with a first-year golf program...

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...

Indians tame Bearcats in lopsided win (04/19/07)
JACKSON -- It was one of those days for Dexter coach Brian Becker and his Bearcats. Jackson got hot at the plate and pitcher Logan Lawson tamed the Bearcat hitters as the Indians rolled to an easy 14-4 win at home in SEMO Conference action Wednesday...

Kelly hires Bell City native to lead boys basketball team (04/19/07)
Kelly High School has tapped Bell City native Nathan Wills as its next boys basketball coach. Wills has been an associate head varsity coach at Duchesne High School in St. Charles the past three years. Along with his basketball duties, Wills will also be the head baseball coach. Wills, 28, is a Southeast Missouri State graduate...

Chaffee's balanced attack outpoints Saxony Lutheran (04/19/07)
The Chaffee boys track and field team used a balanced scoring attack to get past last year's Class 1 runner-up, Saxony Lutheran, in an eight-team meet Wednesday at Chaffee. Collin Dannenmueller won the 400 meters for the Red Devils, Trenton Horman won the high jump and Dylan McAlister won the triple jump...

Camels knock North Pem from ranks of undefeated (04/18/07)
CAMPBELL, Mo. -- With North Pemiscot and Cooter getting the lion's share of attention in the Tri-County Conference, the Campbell Camels have quietly put together a great spring. "It's better being the underdog because nobody expects you to do nothing," Campbell pitcher Dustin Crane said. "You just go out and play hard, work hard and beat them."...

Dooley homers as Lady 'Cats advance (04/18/07)
ESSEX -- Amanda Dooley's 2-run home run proved to be the game winner as the Dexter Lady Bearcats advanced to the championship game of the SCAA Softball Tournament with a 3-2 win over the Woodland Lady Cardinals Tuesday. The Lady Bearcats will now face the winner of Thursday's 1:30 p.m. game between No. 2 Bernie and No. 3 Advance. The loser of that game will take on Woodland at 3:30 for third place with the championship game to follow at 5:30...

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...

Notre Dame soccer clips St. Pius 2-1 with OT goal (04/17/07)
Meridith Medlin scored three minutes into overtime on an assist from Taylor Sanders to give Notre Dame a 2-1 win Monday at St. Pius. Medlin also scored the Bulldogs' goal in regulation from Destiny Dirnberger. Claudia Brauss had nine saves in goal...

Area schools take positives out of Sikeston relays (04/17/07)
SIKESTON -- The inaugural Sikeston Twilight Relays had no team scores, but three local teams could come away from the meet feeling like winners. The Saxony Lutheran boys distance runners more than held their own with the larger schools. Central's girls distance runners also came away with three first-place finishes...

Central, Saxony, Jackson have winning performances at Sikeston relays (04/16/07)
By TOBY CARRIG Southeast Missourian SIKESTON -- The inaugural Sikeston Twilight Relays had no team scores, but three local teams could come away from the meet feeling like winners. The Saxony Lutheran boys distance runners more than held their own with the larger schools...

Trimmer leaves Dexter looking for new head basketball coach (04/16/07)
One year after hiring Chris Trimmer to direct the Bearcats' basketball program, Dexter is again looking for someone to fill the position. Trimmer recently informed school officials that he will not be returning to Dexter next year. "Coach Trimmer has made the decision not to return as a teacher or a coach at Dexter," Dr. ...

Sikeston wins a thriller against Jackson (04/13/07)
Derek James ~ Standard Democrat SIKESTON -- The Sikeston baseball team overcame a three-run deficit and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat SEMO Conference foe Jackson 9-8 on Thursday at VFW Stadium. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with three straight two-out walks and were able to plate the winning run on Jerod Scott's slow roller towards the pitcher, Ryan Cheney, who fielded it but threw it wild to first...

St. Vincent shuts out hobbled Lady Indians (04/13/07)
The Kennett Lady Indians soccer team has had problems finding the back of the net all season. With two starters sidelined with injuries Thursday, it was that much harder. With senior forward Tierra Sherrill and sophomore Katie Carter out of commission, the Lady Indians were shut out, 7-0, by the St. Vincent Squaws of Perryville to fall to 0-8 on the season...

Jackson hands win to Sikeston (04/13/07)
Jackson pitchers walked the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of an 8-8 game and brought the winning run home with an error in a 9-8 conference loss Thursday at Sikeston. The Indians had a runner thrown out at the plate in the top of the seventh. Sikeston came back to put its first runner on in the bottom of the seventh, but Jackson was able to get a double play to clear the bases with two outs. The final error was the Indians' fifth of the game...

Jackson soccer enters tourney unbeaten (04/13/07)
The Jackson girls soccer team remains undefeated and unscored upon in five games heading into a weekend tournament in Springfield, Mo. Jackson will face Jefferson City today in the opening round of the Kickapoo Girls Shootout. Also in the gold bracket of the tournament are host Kickapoo, Francis Howell, Gibault, Raytown South, Springdale and Mehlville. The finals are Saturday...

Jackson golfers win three-team meet at Sikeston (04/12/07)
Sikeston Standard-Democrat SIKESTON -- The three-team golf meet between Jackson, Notre Dame and host Sikeston went off smoother than the 35 mph plus wind. Jackson won the event with Balsman 38, Wheeler 42, Hill and Smith's 44. Sikeston placed second with a 179. Dakota Trevino led the Bulldogs with a 40. Others were Joseph Bowman 44 De Bizzell 47 and Clayton Mayfield 48. Notre Dame's Oliver 44, Hunter and Slaten's 45 with Gilsheimer 48...

Youthful Bearcat golfers are showing improvement (04/11/07)
Dexter High School's youthful golf team continues to show improvement each time they tee it up. Freshman Tyler Holden followed up his fourth-place finish at the Poplar Bluff Invitational Monday with a 1-over-par nine-hole round of 37 Tuesday at Hidden Trails County Club as the Bearcats hosted Jackson and Sikeston...

Jackson baseball routs ND 13-0 (04/11/07)
Jackson starter Logan Lawson held host Notre Dame to just two hits Tuesday in a 13-0 six-inning SEMO Conference rout. The Indians took advantage of six Notre Dame errors to score six unearned runs against Dylan Drury, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings. Drury allowed four walks, four hits, hit three batters and allowed eight runs...

Lady 'Cats take first (04/10/07)
POPLAR BLUFF -- Dexter High School's girls track team finished first at a three-team meet Monday at Poplar Bluff. The Lady Bearcats racked up 76 points to finish ahead of Poplar Bluff's point total of 67 and Cape Girardeau Notre Dame's 25. The Lady Bearcats swept the relays and had four individual firsts...

Tigers blank Potosi on two hits (04/10/07)
Central pitchers Justin Myers and Tyler Propst combined to two-hit visiting Potosi on Monday in a 4-0 shutout. Myers threw the first five innings and allowed two hits without a walk. Propst pitched the final two hitless innings with two strikeouts and two walks...

HS BKG-allsemo (04/06/07)
First team Kristain Burger, sr., Notre Dame n The 5-foot-11 senior helped Notre Dame capture its first district title in three years by scoring 19 points a game to go along with 12 rebounds. Burger's patented left hook was an unstoppable force down low...

Tribe goes cold against Tigers (04/05/07)
The only thing colder than the weather Wednesday may have been the Kennett Indians' bats. The Tribe managed just five hits -- three over the final five innings -- and scored just once in a 7-1 loss to the Caruthersville Tigers in Bootheel Conference play at Indian Park...

Willen, Bogan two different types of post players (04/05/07)
Their style of play on the court is about as similar as their body types, but the end results mirrored each other in the 2006-07 season for Bell City senior Will Bogan and junior Ryan Willen. Both players averaged more than 22 points and 10 rebounds a game -- Bogan was closer to 25 and 16. Both players led their teams to the state final four, eventually earning runner-up finishes...

Notre Dame rally comes up short (04/05/07)
The Notre Dame baseball team fell behind 6-2 after three innings and could not recoverWednesday in a 9-7 SEMO Conference loss to Dexter. The Bulldogs fell to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Dylan Drury allowed seven runs, six earned, in four innings for the loss. Notre Dame also committed five errors...

Jackson defeats Chaffee 4-1 in SEMO Conference game (04/04/07)
Jackson's baseball team jumped out to a 4-0 lead and made it stick in a 4-1 win Tuesday at Chaffee. The Indians improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEMO Conference. Chaffee fell to 4-3 and 2-3 in conference play. Caleb Guilliams pitched five innings for the Indians for the win. ...

Lady Indians shut out NMCC; Jackson disposes of Tribe (04/03/07)
Freshman Laurel Scales struck out 13 batters in six innings of one-hit ball while seniors LeighErin Waddell and Kelly Carter combined to score four runs as the Kennett Lady Indians defeated New Madrid County Central, 10-0, in six innings Monday at Indian Park...

Jackson soccer collects 2-0 win (04/03/07)
Jackson's girls soccer team remained undefeated with a 2-0 win Monday at Notre Dame. The Indians grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the opening half on a Randi Kraust goal off a corner from Chelsea Dale. The score remained 1-0 at halftime. Jackson put the game out of reach with a Bobbi Jo Schlick goal midway through the second half. The Indians outshot Notre Dame 11-5 as Lindsay Poole picked up the shutout...

Round 1 to Mustangs (04/01/07)
COOTER, Mo. -- Friday's battle between North Pemiscot and Cooter had all the trappings of a heavyweight championship fight. Two undefeated teams. Two standout pitchers that combined for 18 strikeouts. Two powerful offenses that combined for 15 runs and 17 hits...

Delta wins Doniphan tourney (04/01/07)
The Delta softball team topped previously unbeaten Portageville 4-1 to claim the title in the Doniphan Tournament on Saturday. Kendra Burnett stuck out six and allowed two hits in the win. Kaci Menz had two hits for Delta (6-1), which avenged a loss from earlier this season...

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...

ND girls soccer runs win streak to five (03/31/07)
The Notre Dame girls soccer team won its fifth straight game Friday with a 3-0 shutout of visiting St. Vincent. Destiny Dirnberger scored twice, and Amanda Pleimann added a goal. Mindy Siebert had two assists, Meridith Medlin added an assist and Claudia Brauss had the shutout...

DHS girls take second at Jackson track meet (03/29/07)
JACKSON -- Dexter's Chad Ventura captured first place in the 100 meter and the Lady Bearcats finished second in the team standings Wednesday during track and field action at Jackson. Ventura's time of 11.3 over 100 meters earned him top honors, but the senior sprinter was held out of all his other events after he "tweaked" his hamstring, according to Dexter coach Jill Becker...

Oran softball team remains perfect with win vs. Leopold (03/29/07)
Callie Kielhofner struck out five and did not walk a batter as the Oran softball team stayed perfect Wednesday with a 6-1 win at Leopold. Ellen Sikes led the Eagles (3-0) with three hits. Whitney Vandeven struck out 11 but took the loss. WP - Callie Kielhofner, 2-0. LP - Whitney Vandeven. 2B - Cassie Seiler (L), Jodi Urhahn (O). 3B -- Ellen Sikes (O), Katey Tilley (O), Seirra Seiler (L). Multiple hits - Oran, Sikes 3-4; Tiley 2-3; Urhahn 2-3. Records - Leopold 3-1, Oran 3-0...

Errors loom large as Dexter hands Lady Indians first loss of season (03/28/07)
DEXTER, Mo. --�Kennett's bid for a seventh-inning comeback came up just short as the Dexter Lady Bearcats remained undefeated on the season with a 8-5 win over the Lady Indians at home Tuesday. Dexter broke open a tight 4-3 game with a four-run fourth inning, but it appeared the Indians were poised for a late rally when Christy Doughten tripled to lead off the seventh and Taylor Wake reached on an error to put two on with no outs...

Dexter hands Kennett first loss of season (03/28/07)
Kennett's bid for a seventh-inning comeback came up just short as the Dexter Lady Bearcats remained undefeated on the season with a 8-5 win over the Lady Indians at home Tuesday. Dexter broke open a tight 4-3 game with a 4-run fourth inning, but it appeared the Indians were poised for a late rally when Christy Doughten tripled to lead off the seventh and Taylor Wake reached on an error to put two on with no outs...

Central squeaks past Jackson 3-2 (03/28/07)
The presence of Central ace Brad LaBruyere on the mound for the Tigers has equated to a win more times than not over the past two seasons. LaBruyere did not have his best stuff Tuesday against rival Jackson, but thanks to a walkoff single by Blake Slattery the Tigers were able to pick up LaBruyere and remain undefeated with a 3-2 win...

Jackson shuts out Central (03/28/07)
The Jackson girls soccer team started its season with a bang, routing rival Central 4-0 on Tuesday at Central. The Indians were playing their first game while this was the sixth game for the Tigers, who fell to 2-4. Bobbi Jo Schlick gave Jackson a 1-0 halftime lead on an assist from Casey Schwab. Chelsea Dale added two second-half goals and Hannah Roach had the other...

Ventura sets new mark in 200-meter (03/27/07)
PERRYVILLE -- Chad Ventura set a new Dexter High School record in the 200 meter dash, while the Dexter girls managed a fifth-place team finish Saturday at the Perryville Invitational. Ventura's time of 22.34 was good for first place and set a new standard for the Bearcats, according to Dexter track coach Jill Becker...

Jackson strikes out 12, tosses no-hitter against Hayti (03/27/07)
The 2007 baseball season has been a year of firsts for Wesley Jackson. Less than a week after he hit his first career home run in a win over Poplar Bluff, Jackson tossed a no-hitter to lead the Kennett Indians past Hayti, 13-0, Monday in Bootheel Conference action at Indian Park...

Lady Indians 'D' up, but lose at Jonesboro, Ark (03/27/07)
JONESBORO, Ark. -- The Kennett Lady Indians soccer team turned in its second strong defensive performance of the season, but it was not enough to overcome a cold night offensively as the Lady Tribe fell, 4-0, to the Jonesboro Lady Hurricane here Monday...

Mules by a dozen (03/27/07)
T.J. Smith of Jackson tied for medalist honors with a 4-over-par 76 on Monday in the 10-team Notre Dame Invitational at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson. Tyler Hillis and Danner McCauley of Poplar Bluff also shot 76. The powerhouse Mules eased past the field with a score of 315. ...

Bearcats pound Indians in home opener (03/26/07)
DEXTER -- David Hessling and Tyler Moore both connected for home runs to back the two-hit pitching of Josh Stevens as the Dexter Bearcats defeated the Kennett Indians 10-0 in a matchup of SEMO Conference and district rivals Friday at Dexter. The game was shorten to five innings when Hessling doubled off reliever Billy Fender to push across the final two runs and bring the 10-run rule into play...

St. Vincent soccer collects three shutouts in its first four games (03/26/07)
St. Vincent's second 1-0 win against Central on Saturday in the third-place game of the Noon Optimist tournament was a repeat of the season-opener for both teams. It also kept up some trends. St. Vincent (3-1) posted its third shutout of the season, as goalkeeper Megan Wengert earned credit for her third shutout...

St. Vincent tops Tigers for thirdin Optimist tournament (03/25/07)
The St. Vincent girls soccer team failed to score a goal against Central in three meetings last season. The two teams met for the second time this week Saturday at the Noon Optimist Spring Classic at Central, and for the second time, St. Vincent came out on top 1-0 to capture third place...

Area running Whitehead paces field in CASA'sRun for a Child (03/25/07)
Brian Whitehead of Cape Girardeau was the first runner across the finish line in the Run for a Child 10-kilometer race on Saturday morning. Whitehead finished in 35 minutes, 6 seconds. Glen Stellhorn of Cape Girardeau was second in 37:08. The run also is known as the CASA run because it is sponsored by the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children as well as Southeast Missouri Hospital...

Jackson girls take firstat Perryville track meet (03/25/07)
The Jackson girls track team ran away with the Perryville Invitational title Saturday, led by four first-place finishes by senior Rachel Kahle. The Indians finished with 164 points, well ahead of Hillsboro's 102. Perryville was fourth with 65 points, and Notre Dame was tied for 10th with 26...

Indians rally for victory against Green Wave (03/23/07)
MALDEN, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians got a strong pitching performance from senior Wesley Jackson and rallied from a three-run deficit to take a 4-3 win over Bootheel Conference foe Malden here Thursday. In other baseball games Thursday, it was Senath-Hornersville 15, Hayti 0; Cooter 12, Holcomb 2; North Pemiscot 11, Risco 4; Clarkton 18, Gideon 4; South Pemiscot 7, Portageville 2; and Poplar Bluff defeated Campbell...

Ready to state their case (03/23/07)
Bright red mats cover the floor and walls. The smell of stale sweat saturates the air. It's not the most welcoming place, but it's home for Michael Riney twice a week. Riney and his Jackson USA youth wrestling club teammates spend two nights each week honing their skills in the homely room at Jackon High School's Multipurpose Building...

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...

Dexter track and golf squads give strong showings (03/21/07)
CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Lady Bearcats placed second in the event, winning a total of four events. The 4x800 relay team (Gabrielle Greer, Brittney Waldner, Sammy Waldner and Jill Temples) posted a 10:46 to take first. Sammy Waldner claimed the 300-meter hurdles (53.91), Katelyn Heil won the 100-meter hurdles (18.03), and Cathryn Heil's high jump mark of 4'6" won that event...

Bazzell, Jackson lead Tribe past Bluff (03/21/07)
Needing to bounce back from an opening-day trouncing by Cape Central, the Kennett Indians found a pair of unlikely heroes Tuesday. Freshman left-hander Trey Bazzell threw six innings of four-hit, one-run ball, while senior Wesley Jackson hit his first-ever home run in the bottom of the second inning to spark the Tribe to a 5-1 victory over the Poplar Bluff Mules in a SEMO Conference game at Indian Park...

Tigers sweep season-opening meet (03/21/07)
The Central track and field teams swept a three-team meet with Notre Dame and Dexter on Tuesday at Central Junior High. The boys finished with 114 points, Notre Dame was second (57) and Dexter was third (12). Tyler Terry swept the long jump and triple jump and ran on two winning relays for the Tigers. Central won all four relays...

Kelly's Johnson moves to Jackson (03/21/07)
After a three-year stint as Kelly boys basketball coach, Cory Johnson will join the Jackson coaching staff next school year as an assistant coach. Johnson led the Hawks to 39 wins in his first two seasons on the bench. Kelly fell off this past season, finishing 9-16. Overall, Johnson finished with a three-year record of 48-32...

Sisk, Jackson lead Lady Bearcats to win over Lady Green Wave (03/20/07)
Ashley Sisk collected two hits, including the game winner, as Dexter's Lady Bearcats opened the season with a 6-1 win over the Malden Lady Green Wave at home Monday. Sisk put the lady Bearcats on top early with an RBI single in the first, then delivered what proved to be the game winner in the third with the scored tied at 1-all as the Dexter catcher lined the ball down the third base line for what turned into an inside the park 2-run home run for a 3-1 Dexter advantage...

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...

High school track and field (03/20/07)
Boys Central n Head coach -- Lawrence Brookins n Assistant coach -- Mark Hahn, Scott Schweinbold, Chuck Goodale, Amy Blattel n Returning starters -- Allen Walker, sr.; Tyler Terry, sr.; Anwar Glenn, sr.; Matt Willingham, sr.; Kadeem Hammonds, sr.; Chase Johnson, jr.; Tyler Yeargain, sr.; Jauvaris Walker, so., Lucian Johnson, so...

Jackson baseball wins season opener 8-6 (03/20/07)
Jackson held off a furious Scott City comeback in the last inning for an 8-6 win Monday at Scott City in the season opener for both teams. The Indians led 4-2 heading into the seventh inning and tallied four more in the top of the seventh. The Rams scored four runs in the last inning but couldn't complete the comeback...

Etzold launches final crusade (03/20/07)
Spurred by junior Brandon Etzold's perfect meet, the Saxony Lutheran boys track and field team finished as the runner-up in Class 1 last year. Now with Etzold and much of the Crusaders' state qualifiers back, Saxony Lutheran will take another shot at defending state champion Polo...

Perryville wants to build on first district crown (03/19/07)
The Perryville girls soccer program won its first district title last season with just one senior starter, but an early rash of injuries could cause a slow start for the defending Class 1 District 1 champions. The Pirates finished their season 15-9-1, falling 3-0 to St. Pius in the sectional round. Perryville had just two seniors on its roster...

Tribe inexperienced but optimistic (03/18/07)
The season doesn't start until Monday, but the injuries have been mounting already for the Kennett Indians on the baseball diamond. Sophomore Jeremy Hughes, who was one of the leading contenders to start at first base, will miss the season after having "Tommy John" surgery on his elbow last week, while sophomore catcher Scotty Bailey has just recently returned to the field after battling a broken hand and freshman Trey Bazzell was cleared to play just Thursday after battling problems with his Achilles tendon.. ...

Jackson's shots don't fall in loss to Normandy (03/04/07)
ST. LOUIS -- The Jackson girls basketball team has lived and died with their outside shooting during the 2006-07 season. The Indians did a lot of living during a successful regular season, a district tournament run and sectional victory. But Jackson's campaign died with some miserable shooting Saturday, as the Indians fell one game short of making it to the MSHSAA Class 5 final four with a 46-41 loss to Normandy on Saturday at the University of Missouri-St. Louis...

Jackson seeks first trip to final four since 2003 (03/03/07)
The Jackson girls basketball program under coach Sam Sides has emphasized depth and team play. The Indians, who have averaged more than 20 wins a season during Sides' four years at the helm, are in the state playoffs for the second straight year. Jackson will put its philosophy on the line today with a berth in the Class 5 quarterfinals against Normandy. Tip off is 2:45 p.m. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis...

Lady Tribe has cause for optimism next season (03/01/07)
Saying that the 2006-07 basketball season was a long one for the Kennett Lady Indians is kind of like saying Michael Jordan was a "pretty good" basketball player -- in other words, an understatement. The Lady Indians finished 4-20, lost nine games in a row at one point and lost 10 games by 30 points or more. Also, the Lady Tribe finished winless in SEMO Conference play for the second year in a row, losing its eight league games by an average of nearly 39 points per contest...

Jackson settles for split (03/01/07)
FARMINGTON -- After playing one of the best first halves of its season Friday in the Clas 5 district finals, the Jackson boys basketball team struggled out the gate Tuesday in a sectional game and fell to Lindbergh 44-37 at the Farmington Civic Center...

Jackson girls reach Class 5 quarterfinals (03/01/07)
FARMINGTON -- The Jackson girls basketball team used its 3-point game along with another strong defensive effort to push its way into the state quarterfinal round with a 45-35 win Wednesday over Mehlville in the Class 5 sectionals at the Farmington Civic Center...

Father, son meet when ND faces Farmington (02/28/07)
It took a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Notre Dame's boys basketball team to slip into the sectional round. The Bulldogs now have a chance to take advantage of their good fortune when they face Farmington at 6 p.m. today at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo...

'Dogs, Indians hope to relive past success (02/28/07)
Notre Dame girls basketball coach Jerry Grim had the school's basketball court named after him as the coached was honored for his 25 years as head coach earlier this year. Grim, who has helped lead the Bulldogs to five state final four appearances, including three straight from the 2000-2001 season to the 2002-2003 season, has his team back in the state playoffs for the first time in three years. ...

Indians lose giant lead but claim title in Class 5 District 1 (02/24/07)
ARNOLD -- The Jackson boys basketball team turned a laugher into a nail-biter Friday night. The Indians played near flawless ball in the first half of their MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship game against Hillsboro at Fox High School. Jackson held the Hawks scoreless in the first quarter and to just eight points in the first half...

Jackson girls repeat as district champs (02/24/07)
ARNOLD -- It looked as if it might be one of those days for the Jackson girls basketball team in the opening minutes of its MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship game Friday night at Fox High School. The Indians were held scoreless for more than 3 minutes and trailed 6-0 to Seckman. But it was smooth sailing the rest of the way as Jackson cruised to a 64-36 triumph over the Jaguars for its second consecutive district title...

Delta girls clip Bravettes again (02/23/07)
Delta's girls basketball team survived another narrow victory over visiting Scott County Central 53-51 on Thursday to finish the regular season undefeated. The Bobcats improved to 24-0 heading into Saturday's district game against Eminence. This was the second game between the two teams to come down to the wire this season, as Delta edged Scott County 35-34 in the finals of the Scott-Mississippi Conference tournament...

Jackson hits free throws when it counts vs. Mules (02/22/07)
ARNOLD -- Free throws were an adventure for the first 31 minutes of the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal game between Jackson and Poplar Bluff Wednesday night. The two teams combined to make just 12 of 34 tries during that stretch. But with the game on the line, top-seeded Jackson converted four free throws in a row in the final 22 seconds and escaped with a 59-53 victory over the Mules...

Whitney earns sixth OVC newcomer award (02/20/07)
For the sixth time this season, Southeast Missouri State junior forward Missy Whitney is the Ohio Valley Conference newcomer of the week for women's basketball. Whitney, who transferred to Southeast from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as the Redhawks went 2-0...

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...

ND girls look to add another district title (02/19/07)
The Notre Dame girls basketball team has suffered through a two-year district title drought, its longest since the program captured its first title in 1993. The Bulldogs won eight straight district titles prior to their current drought and have made the state semifinals five times in the last 14 years. If the Bulldogs are going to reclaim the district crown, they'll have to fight through a deep field as the Class 4 District 1 tournament begins today at Sikeston...

Central, Jackson wrestlers ousted at state meet during wrestlebacks (02/17/07)
The quest for all-state status ended for the area's five wrestlers, as all five were eliminated Friday on the second day of wrestling at the state meet at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Jackson junior Jamie Schumacher was the lone area wrestler to make it out of the first round unscathed, but he lost a 9-5 decision to Ryan Greco of Blue Springs at 145 pounds. ...

Jackson's Schumacher wins opening match (02/16/07)
Jackson junior Jamie Schumacher was the lone area wrestler to win an opening match Thursday at the state wrestling meet at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, but none of the five wrestlers were eliminated on the opening day of the meet. Schumacher picked up an 8-5 decision over Nathan Fine in the 145-pound weight class in Class 4. Jackson senior Will Perry dropped a 12-6 decision to Drae Cox in his opener, but came back to pin Corbin Haughenberry in a wrestleback match...

Local wrestlers set their sights on state medal haul (02/15/07)
There will not be any undefeated state champions coming out of the area's five state qualifiers this year, but all five should have legitimate shots to make their way to the medal round in the three-day state wrestling meet, which begins today at Mizzou Arena in Columbia...

Hawks capture battle of state-ranked teams (02/13/07)
Kelly's girls basketball team hit 27 of 38 free throws and escaped Scott County Central with a 61-55 win Monday in a match of state-ranked teams. The Bravettes, ranked No. 8 in Class 1, led 23-14 after one quarter, but Kelly (18-4) outscored Scott County 18-6 in the second quarter to pull ahead 32-29 at halftime...

Central, Jackson boast sectional champ, advance total of five wrestlers to state (02/11/07)
Central all-state wrestlers Garrett New and Tyler Yeargain qualified for their third straight state meet Saturday with top-four finishes at the Class 3 sectional in Farmington. The top four finishers in each weight class advance to the state meet, which will begin Thursday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo...

Jackson girls roll to 46-39 road victory despite flat tire (02/11/07)
A rocky start to the day had a happy ending in more ways than one for the Jackson girls basketball team. The bus carrying the Lady Indians to St. Louis for Saturday afternoon's game at Parkway South had a flat tire in Pevely. That caused a delay in the start of the game against the Patriots. But the traveling inconvenience did not affect the Jackson team as they won a hard-fought game 46-39...

Chaffee boys turn back Oak Ridge (02/10/07)
The Chaffee boys basketball team has won 50 percent more games than it did last season. The Red Devils posted their sixth win Friday night, beating host Oak Ridge 60-48. Andy Hendrix hit four 3-pointers and had a game-high 21 points for the Red Devils (6-13). Jerrod Steger added 16 points for the Red Devils...

Jackson, Central enter sectional meets (02/09/07)
A competitive sectional and Jackson's relatively inexperienced squad could leave the Indians wrestling team with an abnormally low number of state qualifiers when the sectional meet concludes this weekend. Jackson will compete in the Class 4 sectional at Northwest, which begins today and runs through Saturday. Central will travel to Farmington for a Class 3 sectional...

Cape Girardeau USBC Bowling Association district tournament results (02/08/07)
Results from the Cape Girardeau USBC Bowling Association district tournament last month:Team event SINGLES event DOUBLES event All-events...

Indians stand tall in end, defeat Central 55-49 (02/07/07)
The Jackson boys basketball team could not take advantage of a huge size advantage against short-handed Central on Tuesday night at the Show Me Center, but the Indians had enough to squeak by the rival Tigers 55-49 in a battle of district foes. The Indians have five players 6-foot-3 or taller in their rotation, while Central used just two players listed at 6-3 or taller. But Jackson post players Hunter Grantham and Antonio Garritano had just nine points combined through three quarters...

Notre Dame boys claim 20th victim (02/07/07)
The Notre Dame boys basketball team notched its 20th victory of the season Tuesday night, routing visiting Kennett 85-47. Ryan Willen poured in 30 points for the Bulldogs, who improved to 20-4 overall and 6-1 in SEMO Conference play. Ty Williams added 12 points for the Bulldogs, followed by John Unterreiner with 11 and Austin Greer with 10...

Jackson girls edge Central (02/07/07)
The Jackson girls basketball team struggled shooting the basketball Tuesday night and needed six free throws in the final minute to push past rival Central 46-39 at the Show Me Center. The Indians led by as few as three points twice in the final minute, but they hit six straight free throws down the stretch to hold off the Tigers. Jackson (15-5) has won three straight after dropping back-to-back games to Notre Dame and Nerinx Hall on consecutive nights...

Notre Dame girls win conference title (02/06/07)
Notre Dame's girls basketball team wrapped up the SEMO Conference on Monday with a 60-57 win at district foe Dexter. The Bulldogs (14-7) finished a perfect 8-0 in the conference. Notre Dame built a 29-21 halftime lead and withstood a second-half comeback for the win...

Crusaders, Devils find MVC final (02/03/07)
Top seed Saxony Lutheran and No. 2 Chaffee used double-digit semifinal victories Friday to move into the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament championship at Meadow Heights. Saxony Lutheran will face Chaffee at 8:30 tonight. Saxony Lutheran (17-3) and Leopold were deadlocked at the end of the third quarter before the Crusaders used a 22-11 fourth quarter for a 68-57 win...

Jackson wrestlers win duels over Central, Poplar Bluff (02/02/07)
Jackson's wrestling team swept a double dual meet with Central and Poplar Bluff on Thursday at Jackson. The Indians moved to 7-1 in dual meets. Jackson beat Poplar Bluff 64-13 and Central 50-22. Central also fell to Polar Bluff 39-35. Jackson 64, Poplar Bluff 13...

Should the Lady Indians leave the SEMO? (02/01/07)
Is it time for the Kennett Lady Indians basketball team to leave the SEMO Conference? After nearly two seasons of one loss after another in the league, the answer might just be yes. The Lady Indians have had their struggles this season, going 3-15 on the year and losing nine in a row at one point...

Elliottera opens Saturday (02/01/07)
The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team, featuring a new coach and plenty of returning talent, hopes to build on its breakthrough season from a year ago. Southeast posted its first winning record since 1997 last season, going 12-11 and finishing on a four-match winning streak...

Jackson's rally falls short against Charleston (01/31/07)
Charleston held on for its second tight SEMO Conference win in four days, beating host Jackson 60-58 on Tuesday night. The Bluejays, who handed Notre Dame its first loss Saturday, improved to 17-3 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Jackson fell behind by seven points at halftime but closed the gap in the second half...

Charleston edges Bulldogs on late basket (01/28/07)
Shawn Sherrell fired in a runner down the lane with 1.5 seconds left to lift Charleston to a 73-71 victory in a SEMO Conference battle with Notre Dame. The loss was the first in conference play for Notre Dame, which fell to 17-4 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Bulldogs are ranked in the top 10 in the state Class 4 poll...

Cubs defeat Hornets, win Stoddard Co. Tournament (01/27/07)
Nick Niemczyk poured in 26 points as Bell City rolled past Advance 70-45 in the championship at the Stoddard County Activities Association tournament. The meeting was the third between the two teams this season after they had split the first two. But the Cubs (15-4) jumped on the Hornets with a 22-10 first period and stretched the lead to 15 at halftime. The Cubs led 59-32 after three periods...

Notre Dame girls end Jackson's winning streak (01/26/07)
Notre Dame's girls basketball team knocked off another area powerhouse Thursday with a 68-40 home rout of Jackson. The Bulldogs beat state-ranked Doniphan on Monday, and on Thursday the Bulldogs outscored Jackson 36-11 in the second half to end the Indians' 11-game winning streak...

Jackson escapes Sikeston with 65-64 win (01/24/07)
Antonio Garritano gave Jackson a one-point lead with 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining at Sikeston on Tuesday, and the Indians held on for a 65-64 SEMO Conference win at Sikeston. Jackson trailed 61-52 with 6 minutes remaining, but the Indians responded with an 11-0 run. Jake Leet capped the run with a 3-pointer which put Jackson up 63-61 with 1:45 remaining...

Sikeston crashes boards, downs Lady Indians in SEMO contest (01/23/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs defeated the Kennett Lady Indians at home on Monday night, 51-34. Sikeston had a 41-21 rebounding advantage over Kennett and forced 19 Lady Indian turnovers with solid fullcourt pressure. "We put a lot of pressure on them and forced some turnovers," said Sikeston coach Homer Jackson. "That is reverse from what we have been doing, usually we are the ones that have problems with pressure defense."...

Lady 'Cats suffer setbacks (01/23/07)
JACKSON -- The Dexter Lady Bearcats suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season with a 58-53 set back at the hands of the Jackson Lady Indians Monday after dropping a 57-50 decision to Nerinx Hall Saturday afternoon. Dexter coach Gavin Miller said his team played well enough to win both games on the road against the two larger Class 5 schools, but stretches of poor play in the first-half and some youthful mistakes on the end of both games cost the Lady Bearcats...

Jackson girls extend winning streak to 11 (01/23/07)
The Jackson girls basketball team began the season by losing three of its first four games, with all the defeats coming against some of the top teams in the St. Louis area. But ever since then it's been smooth sailing for the Indians, who held off visiting Dexter 58-53 Monday night for their 11th straight win...

Jackson girls top Oakville at MLK Classic (01/22/07)
ST. LOUIS -- If nothing else, the Jackson girls basketball team showed this weekend that they can win games in a variety of ways. Lindsay Poole, Kelci Keith and Andrea Barnes combined for 16 3-pointers in a 70-52 victory over St. Charles in a shootout at Notre Dame on Saturday night...

Central's Kinder wins MVP in City of Roses swim meet (01/21/07)
Hannah Kinder added to her collection of MVP awards from the City of Roses Invitational. After sharing the award the past two years, she captured the Jeannette Miles Memorial MVP Award outright Saturday after winning two events with two meet records...

Jackson dominates Kennett in SEMO Conference tilt (01/19/07)
The frustration was obvious in Casey Bunting's voice Thursday night. "It is very hard to compete in the SEMO Conference," the Kennett coach said after her team took a 76-18 loss to Jackson Thursday. "Jackson's such a talented team. (Playing Jackson and) Notre Dame, (teams) like that, it's hard for our girls...

Dexter's slow-down tactics not enough against JHS (01/19/07)
You can only fool a good team for so long. Dexter coach Chris Trimmer decided to let the air out of the ball and slow the game down, but it wasn't enough to rattle a tall and talented Jackson team as the Indians captured 47-25 SEMO Conference win on the road Thursday...

Jackson crushes Kennett with early spree (01/19/07)
The Jackson girls basketball team fired in six 3-pointers in the first period to get off to a great start in a 76-18 victory at Kennett. The Indians outscored Kennett 36-6 in the first period and led 50-13 at halftime. Jackson had 13 players in the scoring column and four players in double figures, led by Ashley Charboneau's 14 points. Gabrielle Garritano added 13 points. Lindsay Poole scored 11, including three 3-pointers, and Amanda Peiffer had 10...

Defending conference champion wrestles with losses (01/19/07)
A rebuilding Jackson wrestling team had enough talent to take second place at the annual Tiger Classic in December. Now the Indians will try to overcome some personnel losses as they try to win their third straight SEMO Conference title. The conference meet begins today and concludes Saturday at Ste. Genevieve...

Campbell pulls away from Lady Tribe; Camels rout Chargers with quick start (01/17/07)
CAMPBELL, Mo. -- The Campbell Lady Camels got 18 points each from Dani Nelson and Courtanie Vaughn and pulled away late for a 62-41 win over the Kennett Lady Indians in Bootheel Conference play here Tuesday. In Tuesday's boys' basketball games, it was Richland 68, Senath-Hornersville 57; Campbell 69, Delta C7 24; Holcomb 71, Gideon 42; Malden 75, Hayti 34; Clarkton 85, North Pemiscot 53; and Cooter 79, Risco 64...

Puxico scalps 'Cats in SCAA battle (01/17/07)
Puxico had four players score in double figures as the Indians handed the Dexter Bearcats a 60-52 loss at home Tuesday. Cody Clark and David Crain banged inside for 16 points each, while Matt Allison and Dylan Adams wrecked havoc from their guards positions and knocked down 13 and 10 points, respectively, in the SCAA win...

Scott City, Oran reach Scott-Miss semifinals (01/17/07)
Scott City and Oran advanced to the semifinals of the Scott-Miss Conference boys basketball tournament with opening-round wins Tuesday. The teams will play 9 p.m. Thursday, following the 7:30 p.m. semifinal game between East Prairie and tournament host Scott County Central...

Braves hold top seed for conference tourney (01/15/07)
The state-ranked Scott County Central boys basketball team has earned the top seed in the Scott-Mississippi Conference Tournament and will receive a first-round bye when play begins today at Scott County. The host Braves are 10-4 following a loss to Charleston on Friday. Scott County is ranked No. 5 in Class 1. Kelly topped the Braves in the conference finals last season...

ND captures Round 3 with Jackson (01/13/07)
In two prior meetings, Notre Dame's and Jackson's boys basketball teams had combined to average 166 points per game while splitting a pair of tournament games in December. The third meeting between the two teams was slowed by improved defense and turnovers, and Notre Dame claimed the season series following a 57-54 win Friday at Jackson...

Lady Indians rout Malden (01/12/07)
Mired in the middle of a nine-game losing streak, the Kennett Lady Indians turned to their defense to get back in the win column. The Lady Indians finished with 10 steals and limited the Malden Lady Wave to just 10 field goals in a 55-22 rout in Bootheel Conference action Thursday...

Central swimmers leave St. Vincent in wake (01/10/07)
The Central girls swimming team used a balanced attack -- with five different event winners and two relay wins -- to post a 114-65 victory against St. Vincent on Tuesday afternoon at the Perry Park Center. Betty Buhs, Jessie Baker, Brittany Thomas, Kelly Ennis and Lilli Robinson won individual events. Buhs led the Tigers' 1-2-3 finish in the 200-meter freestyle. Baker led a similar sweep in the 200 individual medley, and Robinson was followed by two Tigers swimmers in the 500 freestyle...

Bulldogs put on defensive display, beat Parkway South (01/07/07)
The Notre Dame defense has been torched at times this season, allowing 65 or more points six times. Of the nine boys basketball teams Notre Dame had held below 65 points, five were Class 3 or lower. The Class 4 Bulldogs had allowed 83 points in two of their previous three games, both losses...

Dexter's defense wears down Woodland (01/07/07)
Dexter's defense stiffened in the second half and the Bearcats found enough offense for a 60-40 win over the Woodland Cardinals on Homecoming night Friday at Dexter High School. Woodland's Seth Gaines knocked down 15 points in the first half to keep Woodland within striking distance, but the Bearcats limited the Cardinals' senior to just five in the second half as Dexter pulled away for the SCAA Conference win...

Jackson girls throw fast start at Dons (01/05/07)
The Jackson girls basketball team started fast in its showdown with Doniphan, building a 17-point lead after one period en route to a 63-54 victory at home. "We got a good jump, and we could have put them away," Jackson coach Sam Sides said. "We tried to go inside early and often. In the second half, we just couldn't finish and their defensive intensity picked up...

Woodland, Oran reach semis of Delta tourney (01/03/07)
Woodland and Oran rolled to easy victories Tuesday night in the first round of the Delta New Years Tournament. Woodland built a 16-point by halftime and defeated Chaffee 62-49, while Oran also led by 16 points by halftime as it posted a 55-17 victory over Meadow Heights...

Bell City caps Cinderella run (12/31/06)
A championship game which garnered David and Goliath comparisons took its ending from the legendary story, as Class 1 Bell City knocked off Class 5 Jackson 84-76 on Saturday in the finals of the 62nd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center...

Jackson outlasts Bulldogs to reach title game (12/30/06)
Jackson's streak of three straight Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament finals was extended Friday with an 83-80 win over second-seeded Notre Dame in the semifinals at the Show Me Center. The third-seeded Indians had lost to the Bulldogs in the championship game of the tournament last year, and also had lost to Notre Dame earlier this month in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament...

Familiar four left in semis (12/29/06)
Another year of blowouts, paired with some minor upsets, has left the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament with a familiar feel heading into today's semifinal round at the Show Me Center. The same four teams that appeared in last year's semifinals make up this year's final four. Bell City, the fifth seed, gets the unenviable task of facing No. 1 Charleston this time around at 6 p.m. tonight...

Headlines of 2006 (12/29/06)
Feb. 4 -- Southeast women's basketball senior Natalie Purcell set a team record with seven 3-pointers against Tennessee-Martin. Feb. 8 -- Bell City 6-foot-10 junior Will Bogan made a verbal commitment to Memphis, but he did not sign in November in the early signing period...

Story of the year (12/29/06)
Women's basketball usually doesn't grab the headlines. What the Southeast women's basketball program accomplished in 2006 -- sharing the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with Tennessee Tech and then crushing the Eaglettes to win the conference tournament and gain the program's first NCAA Division I tournament berth -- likely would have landed on this list of the Southeast Missourian's top stories for the year...

Indians rally, wear down Hornets in quarterfinal (12/28/06)
Sixth-seeded Advance used dribble penetration and movement away from the ball to build an early 10-point first quarter lead over No. 3 Jackson on Wednesday at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament, but the Indians eventually caught on and wore the Hornets down in a 95-70 quarterfinal win at the Show Me Center...

62nd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament (12/27/06)
Bell City, Advance pick up easy victories at Cape

50th annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament (12/27/06)
Trio of SCAA teams advance

Advance cruises past Leopold in opening round (12/27/06)
Advance grabbed a 30-point halftime advantage and secured the sixth-straight blowout of the opening day on Tuesday with a 94-46 win over Leopold in the 62nd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center. The sixth-seeded Hornets will face No. 3 Jackson in the quarterfinals today. Jackson cruised by Woodland 90-32 earlier in the day...

Jackson dominates Woodland (12/26/06)
The Jackson Indians, seeded third in this year's tournnament, outscored the 14-seed Woodland Cardinals 30-3 in the second quarter of their first round match-up and never relented as they cruised to a 90-32 victory. Woodland, who was able to slow Jackson early by switching defenses often and shooting well, trailed by only five points, 14-19, at the end of the first quarter, but found the Indians, particularly Jake Leet, too tough in the second...

Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament reruns could be riveting (12/26/06)
The Christmas season is a time for holiday reruns on television. In keeping with the holiday theme, this year's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament is littered with potential reruns to entertain area basketball fans. Three potential marquee matchups in this year's tournament have already taken place, including Scott County and Bell City, Charleston and Notre Dame and Jackson and Notre Dame...

Jackson makes habit of playing for tourney title (12/26/06)
Jackson's boys basketball team went 22 years between its first appearance in the finals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament in 1964 to its next in 1987. The Indians have made the championship game a habit since then, appearing in the finals 10 of the past 17 tournaments. Jackson's current streak of three straight championship appearances matches its longest, and the Indians have made the finals five of the past six seasons...

Oak Ridge faces huge obstacle in first round of tourney (12/24/06)
The Oak Ridge boys basketball gets the opportunity to tip off the annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament on Tuesday morning at the Show Me Center. That might be where the good news ends for the Bluejays. Oak Ridge plays in the tournament's 9 a.m. opening game against top-seeded Charleston, ranked No. 1 in the state's most recent Class 3 poll and winners of the SEMO Conference Tournament...

Jackson wins its fourth straight Holiday Classic title (12/23/06)
Jackson's girls basketball team jumped out to a 19-0 lead in the opening quarter of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic championship game Friday and went on to claim its fourth straight title with a 55-45 win over Sparta (Ill.) at the Show Me Center...

Jackson makes run to Holiday Classic final (12/22/06)
Jackson junior guard Kelci Keith's 3-point shooting sparked a 16-0 run in the second half, as Jackson earn its fourth straight trip to the finals of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic girls basketball tournament with a 56-50 win over Notre Dame at the Show Me Center...

Christmas BK tourney (12/22/06)
1945: Flat River over College High 1946: Flat River over Leadwood 1947: Leadwood over Illmo 1948: University High over Central 1949: Sikeston over Oran 1950: Puxico over Morehouse 1951: Puxico over Central 1952: Morehouse over Puxico 1953: Morehouse over Bell City...

Tigers' troubles refuse to take holiday in first round (12/21/06)
Central's girls basketball team fumbled the ball away in the second half Wednesday at the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic, and in the process the Tigers fumbled away a 10-point third-quarter lead en route to a 54-45 loss to Sparta at the Show Me Center...

Annual tournament establishes trend favoring top seeds (12/20/06)
A weakened field in recent years has led the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic girls basketball tournament to become a predictable, nearly upset-free tournament. With a pair of small schools possessing the bottom two seeds and several rebuilding programs in the middle, this year's version appears ripe for domination again by the top seeds. Play will begin today at the Show Me Center in the eight-team field...

Jackson girls win conference opener (12/19/06)
Jackson's girls basketball team started its conference slate on a good note Monday with a 45-35 win over visiting Poplar Bluff. The Indians had 10 players in the scoring column as they evened their overall record at 3-3. Kelci Keith led Jackson with eight points, and three players had six points apiece...

Running on empty? Lady Mules fall short (12/19/06)
By BRIAN ROSENER/DAR Sports Editor JACKSON -- With a chance to tie or take the lead at the start of the fourth quarter Monday night, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules instead turned the ball over. The backcourt violation less than 10 seconds into a key possession turned out to be the beginning of the end. Jackson rattled off a 10-2 run, scoring eight points following Poplar Bluff turnovers, to beat the Lady Mules 45-35 in a SEMO Conference game...

Kennett loses in SEMO Conference opener; Hayti gets by Lions (12/17/06)
JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson used a 23-point edge in the third quarter to turn a 37-20 halftime lead into a 40-point rout and roll to a 76-35 victory over Kennett here Friday night. In other area games, Hayti defeated Senath-Hornersville, 55-44, while at the Clarkton Holiday Invitational, Naylor edged Holcomb, 71-65, for third place and Cooter got by Gideon, 53-47, for fifth...

Jackson cracks top 4 again (12/17/06)
Jackson High School wrestling coach Steve Wachter wondered whether his relatively inexperienced squad could continue its impressive streak at the Tiger Classic. Much to Wachter's delight, the Indians pulled it off. By virtue of their runner-up finish in the 20-team event, the Indians have now placed in the top four in the rugged tournament every year since 1990...

Jackson comes up short in loss to Belleville (Ill.) Althoff (12/17/06)
PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- With 6-foot-6 junior starter Spencer Goodman again missing due to an injury and 6-6 junior starter Hunter Grantham missing for much of the game due to foul trouble, the Jackson boys basketball team had no answer for a big, athletic Belleville (Ill.) Althoff squad in a 68-57 loss Saturday at the Heartland Hoopfest at the Perry Park Center...

Scott City finds range in victory over Advance (12/16/06)
The Scott City boys basketball team connected on 11 3-pointers Friday, seven by Jay Simmons, and routed visiting Advance 85-59. Alex King led the Rams with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Simmons finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Scott City pushed its record to 3-1 with its third straight win...

Indians seek Classic form (12/15/06)
Jackson's wrestling team is used to eyeing the title at the Tiger Classic wrestling tournament, finishing no lower than fourth place at the event since 1990. The Indians' streak of top-four finishes could be in jeopardy this year, as Jackson faces a rebuilding season with no returning state qualifiers and a young, inexperienced squad...

High school football | coaches all-district St. Vincent earns more honors (12/14/06)
The Southeast Missouri Football Coaches Association recently released its all-district teams, with several area players earning player of the year honors. St. Vincent senior defensive lineman Chris Fischer shared defensive player of the year honors in Class 1 with Valle's Zach Uding. ...

Turnovers, missed opportunities cost Kennett (12/13/06)
HAYTI, Mo. -- The Kennett Indians have improved on the basketball court since dropping a pair of games at the SEMO Conference Tournament. However, there were still enough turnovers and missed opportunities to keep that improvement from showing up in the win column, as the Tribe fell to 0-4 on the season with a 63-47 loss to Hayti here Tuesday...

Jackson's fast start sinks Perryville girls (12/12/06)
The Jackson girls basketball team bolted to a 20-4 lead in the first period and picked up a 65-47 victory Monday night at Perryville High School. Gabrielle Garritano leading nine Jackson players in the scoring column with 13 points. Kendra Schilli and Alyssa Bauwens each scored 12 points for Perryville (2-3)...

All-Southeast Missourian football team (12/11/06)
Offense QB: Blake Slattery, sr., Central n Slattery threw for 1,636 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season, and he added 297 yards rushing with six touchdowns. RB: Kris Cottner, jr., Perryville n Cottner led the area with 1,225 yards rushing on 239 carries, also an area-high. The junior scored 10 touchdowns, and carried the load for the 5-5 Pirates with over 200 more carries than the next-leading back...

ND swimmers post two top-3 finishes (12/10/06)
The Notre Dame girls swimming team finished third among 11 teams Saturday at the Ladue Invitational, following up the Bulldogs' second-place finish Friday among five teams at the University City Relays. At Ladue, Notre Dame scored 276 points to finish behind Lindbergh's 526 and Ladue's 317...

Notre Dame claims third place in SEMO Conference Tournament (12/09/06)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Notre Dame's aggressive play Friday in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament led to a free throw attempt edge of 43 to 11, and it ultimately led to an 88-81 win over Jackson. The third-seeded Bulldogs hit 27 of 43 free throw attempts...

Lady Indians fall in physical contest at Portageville (12/08/06)
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- A big second quarter by the Portageville Lady Bulldogs helped add up to a long night for Kennett. Portageville outscored the Lady Indians by 18 points in the second quarter, taking a 23-point halftime lead and rolling to a 64-35 victory in a very physical game here Thursday...

Charleston hands ND first loss in semis of conference tournament (12/08/06)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- An abysmal third quarter pushed third-seeded Notre Dame into the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament as the Bulldogs suffered a 76-63 loss Thursday to No. 2 Charleston. Notre Dame will play No. 4 Jackson at 7 p.m. tonight in the third-place game...

Sikeston topples Jackson with 13-point win (12/08/06)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jackson failed to take care of the ball Thursday in its semifinal of the SEMO Conference tournament, and No. 1 Sikeston took advantage in a 86-73 win. The Indians held a pair of two-point leads late in the opening quarter, but a 5-0 run over the final minute gave Sikeston a 25-20 lead and the momentum. Sikeston continued to take advantage of turnovers in the second quarter and started to pull away by the half...

Delta reaches Red Devils' final (12/07/06)
Top-seeded Delta advanced to the championship game of Chaffee's Red Devils Invitational on Wednesday night with a 42-32 victory over fourth seeded Scott County Central. The Bobcats were led in scoring by Kaci Menz's 19 points. Sara Keys added seven points and had seven assists, and Jodi Menz chipped in six points and 13 rebounds...

Jackson boys declared champion of weather-plagued Farmington Inv. with (12/04/06)
While weather prevented the Farmington Invitational boys basketball tournament from finishing out bracket play, Jackson picked up a pair of victories Saturday and was declared the champion with a 3-0 mark. The Indians knocked off Doniphan 80-74 in their first game Saturday, and came back later that night to beat St. James 61-53...

Jackson places 4th at Farmington (12/03/06)
A long day at the Farmington Invitational brought a pair of losses and a fourth-place finish Saturday for the Jackson girls basketball team. After two days of postponements and the cancellation of the consolation bracket due to power outages caused by a winter storm that swept through Farmington, Jackson got under way at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the semifinals against No. 1 Belleville (Ill.) East...

Jackson edges Dons in wild finish (12/03/06)
By TANNER KENT/DAR Sports Writer FARMINGTON -- High school basketball doesn't get much better than what took place in the second half of Jackson's 80-74 win against Doniphan in the Farmington Invitational Saturday. Picture the scenario. Two of the area's most respected boys basketball programs. A gym packed to the ceiling with two of the most rabid fan bases in all of Southeast Missouri. Doniphan's cheerleaders going head-to-head with Jackson's student section for volume control...

Dexter falls to Jackson (11/28/06)
FARMINGTON -- Three players scored in double figures for Jackson as the Lady Indians defeated Dexter's Lady Bearcats, 56-43, in a first-round match at the Farmington Invitational Tournament Monday night. Gabrielle Garritino and Lindsay Poole each netted 13 points and Amanda Peiffer chipped in with 12 as the Lady Indians won their season opener and advanced to the tournament's second round...

Cubs, Braves to meet in Oran Inv. (11/28/06)
The much-anticipated meeting between Bell City and Scott County Central will take place sooner than later, as wins from No. 2 Bell City and No. 3 Scott County Central on Monday at the Oran Invitational set up a semifinal matchup between the two teams...

All-state returners will help keep CHS on course (11/28/06)
Before Central's contingent began wrestling at the state meet last year, Tigers coach Josh Crowell said simply qualifying for the meet would not be enough for his team any more. Central came back with two all-state finishes. Now the Tigers can dream bigger for the 2006-07 season, which begins for them Saturday at the Fort Zumwalt North tournament...

Basketballrevs up with tournaments (11/27/06)
The Oran, Woodland and Farmington events are among those scheduled for this week. By Jeremy Joffray Southeast Missourian High school basketball season has begun for a few area squads, but the annual Oran, Woodland and Farmington invitationals mark the start of the year for many squads...

All-Region Football Teams (11/24/06)
CLASS 4-5 FIRST TEAM OFFENSE QB -- Blake Slattery, sr., Central RB -- Travis Ribbing, sr,, Farmington RB --- Jason Winckel, sr., Farmington OL -- Dustin Amsden, sr., Farmington OL -- Matt Stroud, sr., Farmington OL -- Ben Wood, sr., Jackson OL -- Brian Hill, jr., Jackson...

Making memories in Lawrence (11/24/06)
There was a time a few years ago when Mark Dambach didn't know that the University of Kansas was in Lawrence. Dambach has to be a smart man. After all, he works as a biomedical supervisor at Southeast Missouri Hospital. "I'm a history buff, and I know about the raids during the Civil War, but I had no idea KU was there," Dambach said...

All-region teams (11/23/06)
Class 4/5 First team Offense QB -- Blake Slattery, sr., Central RB -- Travis Ribbing, sr,, Farmington RB -- Jason Winckel, sr., Farmington OL -- Dustin Amsden, sr., Farmington OL -- Matt Stroud, sr., Farmington OL -- Ben Wood, sr., Jackson OL -- Brian Hill, jr., Jackson...

A better season (11/23/06)
Even without a sense of urgency, the 2006 season was one of resurgence. Following a 2005 season when the six local football programs were a combined 20-40 with no appearances in the state playoffs, expectations for 2006 weren't much. The losing and the absence from the playoffs was a good bet to continue...

All-region highlights five from Jackson,St. Vincent (11/23/06)
St. Vincent and Jackson posted two of the top records among the six area football teams, and each landed five first-team players on the Southeast Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters all-region teams released Wednesday. Following a 1-3 start, St. Vincent won six of its next seven games to make it to the Class 1 quarterfinals. St. Vincent finished its season 7-5...

Sikeston boys grab top seed in tourney (11/21/06)
Seeds for the inaugural SEMO Conference basketball tournament are out with few surprises for the early December tournament. Sikeston earned the top seed following a runner-up finish in Class 4 last year, and Charleston is seeded second following its runner-up finish in Class 3. The tournament will begin Dec. 4 at Sikeston, where it currently is scheduled to take place annually...

Perryville girls drop season opener 77-50 (11/21/06)
The Perryville's girls basketball team fell behind by 10 points at halftime and could not come back in a 77-50 loss to Dexter on Monday in its season opener at home. The Pirates trailed 36-26 at halftime, and Dexter pushed the lead to 20 by outscoring Perryville 19-9 in the third quarter. Kendra Schilli led the Pirates with 16 points, and Alyssa Bauwens had 13...

Size still an advantage for Indians (11/21/06)
The graduation of 6-foot-10 center Aaron Redecker did little to diminish Jackson's place as the area's biggest basketball team. With a possible starting lineup that does not feature a player under 6-foot-3, the Indians will cause problems for teams in the size department. Inside, the Indians will feature a pair of 6-foot-5 juniors in Hunter Grantham and Antonio Garritano. Steven Spradlin, a 6-foot-4 senior, also will likely see time at a guard/forward spot...

Jackson girls look to replenish lost scoring (11/21/06)
Jackson broke through its district barrier by bringing home its first title since 2003, but in order to repeat, the Indians will have to find some scoring. Leading scorers Bobbie Jones and Kylie Werner graduated from last year's squad. Jones was Jackson's go-to player, while Werner provided the Indians with an outside presence...

Summer work gets Meyr to Missouri (11/11/06)
Traveled the Midwest, played a lot of baseball and secured a Division I offer. Meyr, a senior at Jackson, played baseball this past summer for Jerry Daniels' Rawlings Prospects, a select team out of St. Louis that played at tournaments in Fayetteville, Ark.; Dallas; Wichita, Kan.; West Lafayette, Ind.; Lincoln, Neb.; Mobile, Ala.; and Columbia, Mo...

Hawks end Jackson's run (11/08/06)
FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Jackson Indians came up empty on all fronts of the goal department Tuesday night at Farmington High School. Playing in their first sectional soccer game since 1998, the Indians failed to record the program's first playoff victory, falling 2-0 to Hazelwood Central in the Class 3 contest...

Indians Jackson had just five shots in the second half against the Hawks. From Page 1B (11/08/06)
FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Jackson Indians came up empty on all fronts of the goal department Tuesday night at Farmington High School. Playing in their first sectional soccer game since 1998, the Indians failed to record the program's first playoff victory, falling 2-0 to Hazelwood Central in the Class 3 contest...

Indians look to make next step (11/07/06)
In recent years, Jackson's boys soccer program has had to play second fiddle to the girls team, which has been on a streak of five straight district titles. The boys program has achieved some success of its own, including back-to-back district titles in 1997 and 1998, and is ready to take center stage this season 7 p.m. tonight, when the Indians square off against Hazelwood Central in the Class 3 sectionals at Farmington...

Area digest (11/05/06)
Kimbeland second atSEMO Cup tournament The Kimbeland Country Club contingent finished second at the SEMO Cup golf tournament on Oct. 14 at Hidden Trails in Dexter, Mo. Westwood Hills Country Club of Poplar Bluff had the first-place score. The event included 36 holes of competition in four formats -- nine holes each of scramble, four-ball, Chapman and alternate shot -- with teams scoring the best five two-man scores among its six entries...

Prep football: Conference standings (11/03/06)
SEMO Northern Division SEMO Southern Division SEMO Central Division MAFC Red Division MAFC White Division MAFC Blue Division Thursday's Games Sikeston 25, Central 14 St. Vincent 24, Hayti 13 Chaffee 39, Portageville 0 Caruthersville 30, Charleston 7...

High school football | Week 10 (11/02/06)
Thursday, all games 7 p.m. Central (4-5) at Sikeston (1-8) n Last week's games: Central 34, West Plains 31; Poplar Bluff 8, Sikeston 0 n Last year: Central 33, Sikeston 20 n Notes: Blake Slattery threw for nearly 300 yards and Tyler McNabb hit a pair of crucial field goals as Central put itself in the driver's seat in Class 4 District 1. ...

ND soccer routs De Soto to reach district title game (10/31/06)
Top-seeded Notre Dame set up a rematch with Sikeston in the Class 2 District 1 boys soccer finals with a 5-1 win over De Soto on Monday at Sikeston. Sikeston, the third seed, defeated No. 2 Farmington 4-0 in the other semifinal. The finals will be 6 p.m. on Wednesday. This will be the third straight championship between Sikeston and Notre Dame, with Sikeston having won the past two...

Bulldogs tote 21-1 mark into district tourney (10/30/06)
Top-seeded Notre Dame will try to end Sikeston's two-year reign. By JEREMY JOFFRAY Southeast Missourian The Notre Dame boys soccer team has enjoyed perhaps its best regular season in program history. The Bulldogs have rarely been challenged, pouring on goal after goal while holding their opponents down...

Led by Etzold, Saxony Lutheran captures district title again (10/29/06)
The Saxony Lutheran boys cross country program captured its fourth Class 1 district title in four years of existence on Saturday, winning the District 1 meet at Jackson City Park. The Crusaders, who have won the last two state championships, cruised ahead of a nine-school field in the meet hosted by Oak Ridge...

Hayti sloshes past Chaffee 22-6 (10/28/06)
Southeast Missourian Chaffee put up a solid effort Friday night but suffered its fifth straight loss, as visiting Hayti won 22-6. The Red Devils fell to 2-7, including 0-2 in Class 1 District 2 play. The Indians are 7-2 and 2-0 in the district. Playing on a muddy field and in driving rain for the first half, Chaffee led 6-0 at the intermission after a 47-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Collin Dannenmueller...

High school football: Week 9 (10/26/06)
High school football | Week 9 West Plains (3-5) at Central (3-5) Friday (all games 7 p.m.) Parkway West (6-2) at Jackson (5-3) Crystal City (7-1) at Scott City (5-3) Hayti (6-2) at Chaffee (2-6) Perryville (4-4) at New Madrid County Central (6-2) St. Vincent (4-4) at Portageville (0-7)...

Unbeaten New Salem eyes state volleyball title (10/26/06)
New Salem Baptist Academy will put its 16-0 record against the best in the state today when the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association Division II state volleyball tournament begins in Joplin, Mo. The 10-team field is divided into two pools with the top eight teams moving on to bracket play. Along with New Salem, area rival Eagle Ridge, Christian Outreach, Riverview Bible Baptist and Liberty Christian make up Pool A...

Notre Dame, Bell City capture district volleyball crowns (10/25/06)
Third-seeded Notre Dame pulled off a pair of upsets and slipped away with the Class 3 District 1 title Tuesday with a 25-19, 23-25, 25-22 victory against host Dexter. The Bulldogs (20-10-4) cruised past No. 2 Perryville 25-22, 25-9 in the semifinals before taking down the top-seeded Bearcats...

Rams sweep Bloomfield, reach district title match (10/24/06)
Scott City's volleyball team earned a spot in the Class 2 District 2 finals with a sweep of Bloomfield on Monday in the semifinals at Scott City. The Rams will face No. 2 Twin Rivers tonight at 7 p.m. in the championship. In the first semifinal, it was the No. 1 seed Scott City romping past Bloomfield 25-10, 25-10. The Rams were led by Kacie Ritter with 21 assists, and Brooke Simpson had 10 kills and two blocks...

Area teams begin defense of titles (10/23/06)
Four area volleyball teams brought home district titles last season -- all in classes 1 or 2 -- and Bell City went on to place third in Class 1. The same four squads enter district play today as top seeds, and again the Cubs lead the way into the postseason...

Moreland paces Central girls (10/22/06)
Central sophomore Brittany Moreland placed first in the Class 4 District 1 cross country meet on Saturday and teammate Veronica Schabbing finished second to lead the Tigers girls squad into a top-four finish in the qualifying meet for next weekend's sectional...

Eureka tops Jackson with quick strikes (10/21/06)
Eureka scored 17 points during a span of about 3 minutes in the third quarter Friday night as the host Wildcats rallied past Jackson 30-22 in the Class 5 District 1 opener. Jackson (5-3) led 14-13 at halftime, but Eureka went ahead for good on a short field goal with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter. It was Eureka's first lead of the game...

Notre Dame volleyball team spoils senior night at Leopold (10/20/06)
Notre Dame continued its narrow mastery over Leopold, winning for the fourth straight time as the traditional powers matched up again in the final week of the regular season. The Bulldogs pulled out a 25-22, 25-22 victory in a meeting between programs with 25 combined district titles...

High school football: Week 8 (10/19/06)
Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday (all games 7 p.m.) Jackson (5-2) at Eureka (4-3) Scott City (4-3) at Grandview (0-7) Chaffee (2-5) at St. Vincent (3-4) Dexter (6-1) at Perryville (4-3) -- Jeremy Joffray...

Kelly lands six players on all-conference softball team (10/19/06)
The Kelly softball team may not finished on top of the SEMO Conference standings, but the Hawks are the last area softball team standing and were rewarded with a conference-high six players on the all-conference team. Senior pitcher Kalie Hughes, senior catcher Summer Proctor, senior third baseman Brittany Ponder, junior outfielder Sarah Ruff, sophomore Katee Moore and freshman second baseman Londyn Backfish made the team from Kelly...

Booters give their teams a boost (10/19/06)
As a 6-foot-2 track athlete, Grant Ressel could make a pretty good wide receiver. But Jackson coach Carl Gross isn't willing to take that risk, because Ressel is too valuable to the team as a kicker. "We've had some good ones, but he's been great," said Gross, in his 18th season at the helm for Jackson. "He's the best kicker we've ever had."...

Leopold stays hot, defeats St. Vincent (10/17/06)
Leopold improved to 24-2 with a 25-23, 25-18 victory over visiting St. Vincent on Monday night in high school volleyball action Cassidy Seyer had a game- high 28 assists for Leopold. Casey Brooker added nine kills and five digs, while Janice Jansen contributed seven kills and eight digs...

Jackson's JV girls win (10/16/06)
Jackson freshman Jordan Whitener finished first and the Indians had four runners in the top seven to win the girls junior varsity race at the North County Invitational on Saturday. Kaitlyn Karleskint, Hollie Adelmund and Trista Guthrie finished fifth through seventh, respectively. Courtney Rodman rounded out Jackson's top five in 16th...

Central JV girls pushed Tigers over the top at conference meet (10/16/06)
With sophomore Brittany Moreland winning her second straight SEMO Conference individual title in girls cross country and teammate Veronica Schabbing finishing second, Central had a good head start toward its eighth straight league championship Thursday at Jackson City Park...

Scott City tops Central for SEMO volleyball title (10/15/06)
The Scott City volleyball team cruised past Central 25-20, 25-14 on Saturday in the championship of the SEMO Conference Tournament finals. The Rams (19-7-4) won their pool by splitting with Sikeston 22-25, 25-16 in their first match of the day. Scott City then went on to sweep Chaffee 25-10, 25-13 in the semifinals...

Gideon sweeps Tri-County tourney titles; Scott City shocks Hayti (10/15/06)
From staff and SEMO reports CARDWELL, Mo. -- The Gideon Lady Bulldogs made it a clean sweep at the Tri-County Conference Volleyball Tournament Friday, taking the varsity championship with a 25-13, 25-22 win over Holcomb and taking home the junior varsity crown with a 25-15, 25-11 win over host Southland...

Bluff prevents Jackson from clinching title (10/14/06)
Jackson was denied a third straight perfect run through the SEMO North on Friday night, losing 17-10 at Poplar Bluff. The loss ended the Indians' four-game winning streak this season and their streak of eight straight conference wins dating back to a loss to the Mules in 2003 that helped create a three-way tie for first place that season...

Friday: Gameday at last (10/13/06)
(Editor's Note: The Daily Dunklin Democrat was recently granted behind-the-scenes access to document the Kennett High School football team as it prepared for the Sept. 29 game at Portageville. This is the fourth and final part in a four-part series detailing that preparation.)...

High school football: Week 7 (10/13/06)
This week's games Jackson (5-1) at Poplar Bluff (1-5) Central (2-4) at Fort Zumwalt North (2-4) Hayti (5-1) at Scott City (3-3) Malden (5-1) at Chaffee (2-4) St. Vincent (2-4) at Grandview (0-6) Saturday (2 p.m.) Herculaneum (1-5) at Perryville (3-3)...

Yeargain, Moreland win individual titles (10/13/06)
With three of the varsity winners foregone conclusions from the time the starting gun was fired Thursday afternoon in Jackson City Park, the only question in the SEMO Conference cross country meet was which boy would cross the finish line first. Central senior Tyler Yeargain provided the answer...

Central boys soccer cruises to victory at Jackson (10/13/06)
The Central boys soccer team bounced back from a loss to Notre Dame earlier this week to post a 3-1 victory at rival Jackson on Thursday. The Tigers (9-9-2) led 1-0 at halftime after a goal by Andy Billmeyer at the 36-minute mark. Zach Zaruba had the assist...

Jackson will try to clinch conference title at Bluff (10/13/06)
The Jackson football team paid a heavy toll for its fourth straight victory over rival Central last week. The Indians (5-1) will be without three key contributors for tonight's conference game at Poplar Bluff, and another key offensive contributor will be a game-time decision...

Thursday: Tribe tunes up (10/12/06)
(Editor's Note: The Daily Dunklin Democrat was recently granted behind-the-scenes access to document the Kennett High School football team as it prepared for the Sept. 29 game at Portageville. This is the third part in a four-part series detailing that preparation.)...

Wednesday: Indians 'D 'up (10/11/06)
(Editor's Note: The Daily Dunklin Democrat was recently granted behind-the-scenes access to document the Kennett High School football team as it prepared for the Sept. 29 game at Portageville. This is the second part in a four-part series detailing that preparation.)...

Bell City, Woodland volleyball post SCAA tourney wins (10/11/06)
Bell City and Woodland posted first-round victories Tuesday night in the Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament at Bloomfield, Mo. Top-seeded Bell City hammered the host 25-11, 24-6. Woodland, the No. 5 seed, edged fourth-seeded Advance 25-14, 24-26, 25-19...

ND routs Central, clinches SEMO Conference (10/11/06)
The Notre Dame boys soccer team celebrated senior night at home Tuesday by clinching the SEMO Conference crown with a 5-0 rout of city rival Central. The Bulldogs improved to 18-1 and 6-0 in conference play. Notre Dame still has conference games with Central and Poplar Bluff remaining...

Countdown to gameday (10/10/06)
There is much more to a high school football game than the 2-3 hours spectators see under the lights on Friday nights. Unlike many sports, football is generally played just once a week, leaving more time for game preparation. Coming into the fifth week of this season, the Kennett Indians are 0-3 after having an unexpected week off when inclement weather canceled the Homecoming game against East Prairie Sept. ...

Saxony posts 4-0 soccer victory over North County (10/10/06)
Saxony Lutheran's first-year boys soccer program continued its solid inaugural season Monday, beating visiting North County 4-0. The Crusaders, who improved to 8-3, received two goals apiece from Brandon Etzold and Brent Rodewald. Andrew Etzold and Mark Buerck both had two assists, and keeper Bryant Steffens recorded the shutout...

ND boys cross country team places second at Potosi meet (10/09/06)
Notre Dame boys cross country coach Bill Davis was happy with his team's second-place showing Saturday afternoon at the Potosi Invitational, even though his team finished more than 80 points behind the winning team. "There was a lot of good competition," Davis said...

Jackson falls to Seckman in battle of the bats at Class 4 tournament (10/08/06)
It came down to timing, Jackson coach Amanda Forester said. Seckman defeated Jackson 12-4 Saturday in the Class 4 district title game at Farmington Sports Complex. The Jaguars pounded out 18 hits in the win. Jackson had a dozen hits, but had several scoring opportunities slip away...

Jackson prevails over Central 24-14 in rivals' 100th meeting (10/07/06)
The 100th meeting between football rivals Central and Jackson on Friday had something few games in the series have had recently -- drama. Hykeem Hammonds' 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown -- on the only kick of Jackson kicker Grant Ressel's five kickoffs that did not to go into the end zone for a touchback -- with 3 minutes remaining cut host Jackson's lead to 24-14...

Jackson sends its power, strength up against Central's speed, skill (10/06/06)
The level of attention surrounding tonight's rivalry game between Central and Jackson has been amped up several notches as the squads will square off for the 100th time. Lost amidst the talk of tradition, T-shirts and pre-game ceremonies is the game itself...

High school football: Week 6 (10/06/06)
This week's games Central (2-3) at Jackson (4-1) Last week's games: Jackson 43, Clayton 16, Central 34, St. Charles West 10 Last year: Jackson 44, Central 0 Notes: Both teams enter with winning streaks: Jackson's at three and Central's at two. The Indians have hammered the Tigers by a combined score of 79-6 over the past two meetings. ...

State-experienced doubles team leads Tigers' district title hopes (10/06/06)
An all-Central finals in doubles last year helped propel the Tigers to their second straight girls tennis district title. Central has the doubles favorite this year with the top-seeded team of juniors Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel, the defending district champions. But if the Tigers are to claim a third straight district crown, they will need to get strong contributions from a pair of unseeded singles players and an unseeded doubles team...

Rivalry takes on friendlier tone (10/06/06)
History will be made tonight when football players from rivals Central and Jackson hit the field for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Jackson. A rivalry that spans more than 90 years will be renewed for the 100th time. Friends will line up opposite each other and take their seats in the home and visitors sections. Generations of former Central and Jackson players will watch a game which has taken on great meaning for the two neighboring communities...

Jackson reaches title game of district softball tournament (10/06/06)
Third-seeded Jackson scored four runs in the fourth inning and cruised to a 6-1 win Thursday over second-seeded Farmington in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 1 softball tournament at Farmington. The Indians (18-9) will face top-seeded Seckman at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the finals...

Jackson opens district play with 14-run outburst (10/05/06)
Kelci Keith homered and drove in three runs as third-seeded Jackson unleashed its offense Wednesday during a 14-5 victory against sixth-seeded Hillsboro in the first round of the Class 4 District 1 softball tournament at Farmington. Jackson (17-9) had 14 hits, with Keith, Chelsea McDowell, Alisha Craft, Maggie Baugh, Amanda Pitts, Brittany Feeney and Roxanna Miller all getting two. Craft, Pitts and Feeney added two RBIs apiece...

High school softball: District previews (10/04/06)
Class 1 District 1 Class 2 District 2 at Perryville City Park Class 3 District 2 at Perryville City Park Class 4 District 1 at Farmington -- Jeremy Joffray...

Disgruntled Indians rally around seed in tourney (10/04/06)
The Jackson softball team owns victories over both Seckman and Farmington this season, but when the Class 4 District 1 field was seeded, that was not enough to give the Indians a higher seed than either team. So the No. 3 Indians will be forced to play an opening-round game today against No. 6 seed Hillsboro at Farmington, Mo. Seckman and Farmington, the top two seeds, will await today's winners in the semifinal round...

Lady 'Cats serve up win at home (10/03/06)
With the team's kill leader out with an injury, Dexter used the serving line to generate offense as the Lady Bearcats defeated the Puxico Lady Indians at home, 25-18, 25-9, in SCAA Conference volleyball action Monday night. Puxico took the jayvee match, 25-22, 28-26...

Tigers quarterback had game fit for a king against Warriors (10/03/06)
It's good to be king. Central senior Blake Slattery picked up that title Friday night at the school's homecoming dance. But he said Saturday it's even better to be the quarterback who completed 13 consecutive passes and helped direct the Tigers to a 34-10 victory against St. Charles West earlier Friday night...

Central netters cap perfect dual season with 9-0 sweep (10/03/06)
Central's girls tennis team finished its dual season with a perfect 15-0 record following Monday's 9-0 sweep of visiting Sikeston. Sarah Ford won the closest match of the day 8-6 in No. 1 singles over Jenni DeWitt. The Tigers will start district play Friday...

Tigers' Moreland places third in meet (10/01/06)
Central sophomore Brittany Moreland paced the Central girls cross country team Saturday with a third-place finish at the Parkway West Invitational. Moreland finished in 19 minutes, 11 seconds. The Tigers finished 10th in the team standings. Notre Dame de Sion was first...

Indians, Randen run wild past visiting Clayton 43-16 (09/30/06)
Jackson junior tailback Cody Randen does not even start for the Indians. But that didn't stop Randen from turning in a career performance as the Indians eased past visiting Clayton 43-16 Friday night. Randen, a swift 5-foot-10, 165-pounder who shares time in the backfield with starting senior Trae Smith, rushed for 183 yards and scored four touchdowns...

High school football: Week 5 (09/29/06)
Clayton (1-3) at Jackson (3-1) St. Charles West (1-3) at Central (1-3) Chaffee (2-2) at Scott City (1-3) Perryville (3-1) at Potosi (4-0) St. Pius (0-4) at St. Vincent (1-3) -- Jeremy Joffray...

West Plains joins field for Notre Dame Inv. (09/29/06)
Weather conditions prohibited Notre Dame's boys cross country team from facing some of its chief Class 3 competition -- mainly defending state champion Potosi and Ste. Genevieve -- at the Hancock Invitational last weekend, but the Bulldogs will get a look at a Class 3 favorite when it hosts the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday...

ND soccer edges Jackson 2-1 (09/29/06)
The Notre Dame boys soccer team picked up a narrow road victory over Jackson on Thursday, dropping the Indians to 2-1. The Bulldogs (13-1) struck first midway through the first half when a header from Ryan Willen found the net. Richard Marquart assisted on the goal...

Rain stops Jackson, Central from deciding winner in scoreless game (09/28/06)
The Tigers' Nichols and the Indians' Wade each had pitched a shutout in a contest stopped in the eighth inning. The Central and Jackson softball teams were engaged in quite a pitcher's duel -- until the rain came. A thunderstorm put an end to the scoreless game at Central after the top of the eighth inning. It is not known whether the schools will attempt to continue the contest at a later date...

Bell City spikers cruise past Crusaders (09/27/06)
Bell City's volleyball team continued to roll with a resounding 25-8, 25-19 sweep Tuesday of host Saxony Lutheran. The Cubs improved to 21-1. Bell City's lone loss came at the Notre Dame Volleyballfest to the host Bulldogs in the semifinals. Megan Slagley led Bell City (21-1) with six kills and six digs...

Central soccer routs newcomer Saxony Lutheran (09/26/06)
Garrett Duncan scored four times in the second half Monday to help lead host Central to a 7-1 rout of first-year program Saxony Lutheran. The Tigers subbed 10 at a time during the game and used two goalies about a half each. Central climbed over the .500 mark at 5-4-2...

Jackson takes Sikeston by storm (09/23/06)
Lightning and rain were not enough to stop Jackson's football team Friday, as the Indians routed visiting Sikeston 49-0 in the SEMO North opener for both teams. The game was halted by lightning for about 90 minutes just after it started. But that was enough time for the Indians (3-1) to establish their dominance...

High School football: Week 4 (09/22/06)
Sikeston (0-3) at Jackson (2-1) Central (0-3) at St. Charles (1-2) Chaffee (1-2) at Rector, Ark. (0-3) Scott City (1-2) at Fredericktown (2-1) Park Hills Central (2-1) at Perryville (2-1) St. Vincent (1-2) at Maplewood (2-1) -- Jeremy Joffray...

Central tennis stays perfect in duals (09/22/06)
The Central girls tennis team improved to 13-0 in dual matches with a 7-2 home victory against Poplar Bluff on Thursday. The Tigers won five of the six singles matches and two of three in doubles. Sarah Ford and Lindsey Pingel won the singles matches at the top of the lineup and teamed up for a doubles victory as well. Brooke Morris also had a win in singles and was part of a winning doubles team with Christen Edmonds...

St. Vincent returns to Notre Dame, wins again (09/21/06)
The Squaws improved to 21-2-2 by rallying for a three-set win. The Notre Dame volleyball team lost a home match to red-hot St. Vincent on Wednesday. After dropping the first game, St. Vincent rallied for a 19-25, 25-20, 25-18 victory. The Squaws, who won the Volleyballfest at Notre Dame to kick off their season, improved to 21-2-2...

Tribe making steady improvement on gridiron (09/20/06)
Zack Starnes may have said it best after Kennett's 33-14 loss to Hayti last Friday. "We're just making steps of progression," he said. "We're just making building blocks. We're getting better every game, I think. Basically, we were killing ourselves on a lot of fumbles and just stupid mistakes, basically."...

Jackson softball nips Seckman (09/20/06)
Sheila Wade scattered eight hits and three walks over eight innings and then scored the winning run for the Jackson girls softball team in a 1-0 victory against visiting Seckman on Tuesday. Seckman (15-7) had won the championship in the Jackson Invitational tournament on Saturday by winning four straight games, including the championship against Notre Dame...

Central, Jackson end in soccer deadlock (09/20/06)
The Central boys soccer team controlled possession in Tuesday's home game against rival Jackson, while the Indians had the better of the scoring chances. In the end, neither team could claim victory, as Jackson used a last-minute goal in regulation to help send the teams off the field after 100 minutes with a 2-2 tie...

Jackson kicks way past tribe (09/19/06)
The Kennett Indians knew coming in they would have their hands full with Jackson. The wet field just made it worse. "They've always been good," Kennett coach Rick Bell said of Jackson. "Every year they're a challenge, just like all the others that we play just about, but they're a very good team, very well-coached and play hard."...

Jackson soccer squad blasts Kennett 10-0 (09/19/06)
Chris Crossett recorded a hat trick, and three Jackson goalkeepers combined for a shutout as the Indians routed host Kennett 10-0 in boys soccer action Monday. In addition to Crossett's three goals, the Indians (6-3-2) got two goals apiece from Derek Richardson and Brian Davidson. Chris Shelton, Robbie Martin and Tyler Holman each added a goal...

First victory is huge for St. Vincent (09/18/06)
The difference between St. Vincent and Valle Catholic was one point. The extra point by Lucas Robinson following St. Vincent's first touchdown, early in the fourth quarter, lifted the Indians to a 13-12 victory in the Mississippi Area Football Conference Blue Division showdown...

Pitching leads way for ND softball (09/18/06)
Notre Dame softball coach Jeff Graviett has the luxury of choosing between two standout pitchers for the Bulldogs' important games. All-stater Beth Schnurbusch is 10-0 this season, while Miranda Schlosser is 9-2. She has lost two decisions -- on Sept. 9 against Incarnate Word in the championship of that team's tournament and Saturday against Seckman in the final of the Jackson Invitational. Both those teams are in Class 4...

Notre Dame settles for second again (09/17/06)
Notre Dame's softball team earned its first berth in the Jackson Invitational softball tournament Saturday at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex. The Bulldogs could not make their first trip to the finals a successful one, though, falling to Seckman 4-2...

Central runners first over the line (09/17/06)
Central sophomore Brittany Moreland dominated the Central Invitational cross country meet on her home course Saturday, while Tyler Yeargain won in a controversial finish on the boys side to complete a Tigers sweep. Moreland finished in 20 minutes, 28 seconds, nearly 40 seconds faster than fellow Central sophomore Veronica Schabbing...

Jackson stomachs Vianney, wins 24-6 (09/16/06)
KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- For the first time in a week, Jackson football coach Carl Gross did not feel sick to his stomach. The Indians just finished off a 24-6 win Friday against the Vianney Golden Griffins when Gross' stomach stopped turning. "It felt like we had the stomach flu all week," Gross said. "For the first time in a while I don't feel nauseated."...

ND spikers sweep aside Crusaders (09/16/06)
The Notre Dame volleyball team stayed above the .500 mark with a 25-15, 25-13 victory at home against Saxony Lutheran. Ashley Nenninger led the Bulldogs (9-7) with eight kills and two blocks. Meridith Medlin added four kills and 10 assists. Destiny Dirnberger and Emily Huber each had nine service points for Notre Dame, and Haley Bohnert added seven digs...

Fast start lifts Lady 'Cats to victory over Bernie (09/15/06)
After a convincing 25-15 victory over the Bernie Lady Mules in the first game of Thursday's prep volleyball match at Dexter, the Lady Bearcats had to fight for their lives to emerge with a 26-24 second-game victory to improve to 12-1 on the season. "We knew that we were really going to have to come out on fire, playing against a good team like Bernie," Dexter coach Kris Vandeven said. "Fortunately, we came out of the gate running and took them out of their game right from the beginning...

Lady Indians split in tennis, Indians lose on soccer field (09/15/06)
Thursday was a mixed bag for Kennett's sports teams. The Kennett Lady Indians tennis team defeated Poplar Bluff, 5-4, in the conclusion of a rain-shortened match from Aug. 28 before falling, 7-2, in Thursday's regularly-scheduled match at Kennett High School, while the Indians soccer team lost to Saxony Lutheran, 3-1, at Indian Park...

High school football: Week 3 (09/15/06)
Jackson (1-1) at Vianney (1-1) Central (0-2) at Blytheville, Ark. (2-0) Scott City (1-1) at East Prairie (0-2) Chaffee (1-1) at Crystal City (2-0) St. Vincent (0-2) at Valle (1-1) Ste. Genevieve (1-1) at Perryville (2-0) -- Jeremy Joffray...

Central soccer nips Mules in 2 OTs (09/15/06)
Matt Hester scored 3 minutes into the second overtime to lift the Central boys soccer team over district rival Poplar Bluff 2-1 on Thursday night. Hester, a senior, was assisted by sophomore Lucian Johnson, who also assisted on the first goal, which was scored by sophomore Zach Zaruba in the 50th minute...

Jackson volleyball turns back Central (09/13/06)
The Jackson volleyball team overcame a challenge from rival Central on Tuesday before posting a 25-23, 18-25, 25-17 victory at home. Ashlea Soemo had 11 kills for the Indians (5-7-1), while Katelyn James had nine kills and four blocks. Chelsea Olson recorded 24 assists, Megan Spooler had 15 digs and Megan Glueck added 13 digs...

Welch: 'Things are going to come together for us' (09/12/06)
Despite starting 0-2 against a pair of state-ranked teams, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for the Kennett Indians. "Going back and looking at the film, we played fairly well on defense (against Caruthersville)," Welch said. I felt like we moved the ball offensively. We didn't move it great, but everything that we're doing wrong that we're seeing on film, everything is correctable...

Cubs set sights beyond B.A. Sports crown (09/11/06)
Members of the Bell City volleyball team better be ready to get back to work. Cubs coach Erin Hoffman, who guided her team to a third-place finish in Class 1 last year, isn't taking it easy on her players after they won their first B.A. Sports Volleyball Classic on Saturday...

BA Sports scores Sept10 (09/10/06)
Saturday scores Pool play/Area teams Jackson defeated Southland, 25-22, 25-5. Notre Dame defeated Holcomb, 25-10, 25-6. Bernie defeated Woodland, 25-20, 25-8. Oak Ridge defeated South Iron, 25-17, 25-17. St. Vincent defeated New Madrid County, 25-7, 25-14...

Brooks leads Chickasaws past Poplar Bluff (09/10/06)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Blytheville junior Melvin Brooks starred Friday night as The Producer. Brooks ran for four touchdowns and 295 yards on 16 carries to lead the Chickasaws to a 42-24 win at Poplar Bluff. The Mules (0-2) led 24-21 with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter but Brooks scored on runs of 45, 57 and 26 yards to beat Poplar Bluff for the third straight year...

Turnovers, Reed prove disastrous for Indians (09/10/06)
Turnovers and Kendrickus Reed added up to one long night for the Kennett Indians. Kennett committed five turnovers while Reed ran for 200 yards and scored four times to lead his Caruthersville Tigers to a 31-0 victory over the Indians Friday at Metz Cherry Stadium...

Vikings pin first loss on Jackson (09/09/06)
CREVE COEUR, Mo. -- Disappointment. That's the word Jackson football coach Carl Gross repeated over and over after the Indians' 29-25 loss to Parkway North on Friday night. "We're real disappointed, the coaches are disappointed, the kids are disappointed," Gross said...

Saxony soccer triumphs in debut (09/09/06)
The Saxony Lutheran boys soccer team posted a victory in the program's first varsity game Friday, beating Webb City 3-2 in penalty kicks during the opening round of the Thomas Jefferson tournament in Joplin, Mo. Saxony Lutheran and Webb City were tied 2-2 after regulation and overtime. The Crusaders then converted all five of their penalty kicks while Webb City made four...

Special delivery (09/08/06)
When a special teams unit is playing well, the results of its effort on a football field are often easy to overlook. Making extra points, covering punts and kickoffs, and successfully executing a punt from the snap to the kick can easily be taken for granted...

ND softball improves to 10-0 (09/08/06)
The Notre Dame softball team found itself in a rare low-scoring game Thursday, but thanks to errorless defense and a three-hit shutout from Miranda Schlosser, the Bulldogs remained undefeated with a 2-0 victory against visiting Central. The Bulldogs (10-0) were limited to fewer than seven runs for the first time this season...

High school football: Week 2 (09/08/06)
Jackson at Parkway North New Madrid County Central at Central Scott City at Portageville Liberty Mountain View at Chaffee St. Vincent at Park Hills Central De Soto at Perryville -- Jeremy Joffray...

Lady Bearcats earn second win over Lady 'Dogs (09/07/06)
SIKESTON -- Dexter made it two wins in a week over Sikeston as the