Poplar Bluff

Several local players were represented when the SEMO North Conference recently released its all-conference squad. Two Dexter players — Kate Nichols and Cali White — earned first-team all-conference honors, while two Poplar Bluff players, Ireland Gowen and Morgan Cisne, were named second-team all-conference, as was Dexter’s Avery Riley...

The story of the 2024 Poplar Bluff football Mules, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, could be titled, “A Tale of Two Teams,” but with a reversal of Dickens’ famous opening line, “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.” The worst of times was the start of the season, which saw the Mules begin the first half of their schedule 1-4 with home losses to Farmington and Cape Central...

The 2024 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships began on Thursday, Nov. 14, in St. Peters, starting with the Class 2 preliminary heats. Jackson competed as a team in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Jackson senior Wade LaValle placed 19th in the 200-yard freestyle and finished 16th 500-yard freestyle to qualify for the finals on Friday...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules have earned a well-justified reputation as road warriors this season. All five of the Mules' wins entering Friday's district semifinal at Cape Central have come on the road, including a three-game winning streak that includes wins at Kennett, Hillsboro and last week's district opener at Farmington...

It wasn’t exactly in the short-term career plans for Poplar Bluff graduate Madison (Moore) Brannon. But things are shaping up nicely. Brannon, a 2021 graduate of the Mules, has accepted the district’s offer to become the girls swimming assistant coach, as she formally accepted the offer on Oct. 9. She hopes to help the team build off last year’s 11-3 record...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules will follow up their 56-21 postseason victory over Farmington last week with a Class 5 District 1 semifinal showdown at Cape Central this Friday. Poplar Bluff improved to 5-5 on the season with a dominating road victory, with all five wins so far coming on the road...

Poplar Bluff surges with a key win, setting the stage for a major clash between Caruthersville and East Prairie in the postseason. Discover who's climbing the Semoball Area Football Power Rankings.

Fifteen years ago, Tara Porter was a first-team all-state basketball player at Greenville High School. Porter now finds herself on the other side of the bench as she is in her third season as the team trainer for all sports, including football, at Poplar Bluff High School...

FARMINGTON — The Poplar Bluff football Mules continued their Road Warriors tour in the 2024 season with a 56-21 trouncing of the Farmington Knights Friday night in the opening weekend of the Class 5 District 1 playoffs. The Mules improved to 5-5 on the season, with all five of their wins coming on the road, but none of the others were as dominating or decisive of their win at Farmington...

Seeing standout Poplar Bluff girls golfer Olivia Thetford sign her letter of intent to play at the collegiate level was a “bittersweet moment” for Lady Mules head coach Tyler Davis. “She was one of the first golfers that I've had,” Davis said. “When I first started coaching, my first year was with the girls golf team, and she was one of my first six — so it means a lot having her finally get through the program and going off to the next level and playing golf. ...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules are riding high after a 3-1 finish to the regular season into a Class 5 District 1 showdown with Farmington this Friday. Following a 36-28 road win at Hillsboro last week, the Mules finished 4-5 on the year with a 4-1 road record. Considering the Mules went 0-4 at home, Poplar Bluff may feel more comfortable as the visitors in Farmington...

The Poplar Bluff Mules boys soccer team ended the regular season with a bang Monday night when the Mules shut out North County 8-0. More than that, senior Alex Bedell scored three goals to record the hat trick for the Mules (12-7-1), while Landen Deaton also had a pair of goals...

Get ready for postseason high school football in Southeast Missouri as Jackson holds the top spot after a dominant win over Festus. Discover the final regular season top 10 rankings and key matchups.

HILLSBORO — The Poplar Bluff football Mules racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense and rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit to pick up a big 36-28 road win over the Hillsboro Hawks on Friday night. With the win, Poplar Bluff ends a three-game losing streak against the Hawks...

HILLSBORO — Brothers Preston and Payton Brown have become synonymous with excellence during their careers on the football field. Both Browns helped the Hillsboro football Hawks reach the Class 4 state championship game last fall — and that success has continued in 2024...

Following a dominant 39-0 road shutout at Kennett last Friday, the Poplar Bluff football Mules hope to close out their regular season strong this Friday on the road against the Hillsboro Hawks. The Mules improved to 3-5 on the season, while Hillsboro fell to 4-4 with a 62-35 loss at Chaminade. The Mules beat Chaminade on the road 14-12 in week two...

The Mules Booster Club has named Poplar Bluff High School athletes Hannah Kee and Jay Edmundson as the September Athletes of the Month, presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. Edmundson, who is the Mules starting quarterback, has amassed 1,283 passing yards and 493 rushing yards this season, as of the recognition, for a total of 1,206 career rushing yards...

ST. LOUIS — The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules tennis team saw its season end in the Class 2 state quarterfinals on Monday with a 5-0 loss to MICDS. “Our girls played solid tennis today but came up short,” Poplar Bluff coach Michelle Massey said. “Many of their games went to deuce, which shows our girls hung in there. I’m proud of their season and how they stayed strong all season.”...

East Prairie dominates Charleston, climbing rankings as Poplar Bluff reclaims a spot. Jackson and St. Vincent hold top positions in Southeast Missouri's Week 9 football power rankings.

KENNETT — The Poplar Bluff football Mules scored early and often to roll to a 39-0 victory over the Kennett Indians Friday night at Metz Cherry Stadium. The Mules (3-5) jumped out to a 33-0 lead after the opening period and never looked back as Kennett fell to 0-8...

Poplar Bluff shuts out Kennett 39-0 on Senior Night, scoring five touchdowns in the first quarter.

Editor's note: This the second part of a two-part story. Part One ran in the Oct. 12 edition of the Daily American Republic and can be found online at semoball.com Current Poplar Bluff assistant football coach Mark Barousse has a legacy with the Mules that goes beyond the 77 wins and two district championships he racked up in 12 seasons at the program's helm from 1997 to 2001 and 2011 to 2017...

It was a great day to be a Jackson Indian at Thursday’s SEMO Conference cross country meet. The Indians and Lady Indians easily claimed both team titles in the annual culmination to the regular season at Ozark Ridge Golf Course in Poplar Bluff — but it was a pair of Notre Dame runners who won individual titles to take momentum into the postseason...

The last time the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules won a district title in tennis, none of their current players had been born yet. The Lady Mules defeated Notre Dame 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon at the Poplar Bluff High School tennis courts to wrap up the Class 2 District 1 championship, their first district title since 2003 — and just the third in school history. Poplar Bluff also won a district title in 1989...

After a strong performance against West Plains that came up short in overtime, the Poplar Bluff Mules will go on the road to try to improve their record against the Kennett Indians. The Mules lost 35-28 to the Zizzers last week to drop to 2-5 on the season. Kennett, however, is winless so far, standing at 0-7 in 2024...

The Poplar Bluff High School volleyball Lady Mules welcomed young fans to their annual Kids Night Tuesday evening, treating the community to a night of high-energy volleyball and family-friendly activities. The event began with a High Five Tunnel, where eager kids lined up to greet the PBHS varsity players before the match. The excitement continued as the team faced off against Saxony Lutheran in what would be a challenging match...

The Poplar Bluff Mules boys soccer team knocked off the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders of Jackson 2-0 Tuesday at Mules Stadium. The well-known sayings, “Good things come to those who wait,” and “Patience is a virtue,” applied to this game, in which the Mules broke a 0-0 tie with a goal from Landen Deaton with 2:20 remaining in the game...

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules tennis team got a strong performance from its doubles teams, fueling a 5-0 shutout win over Festus in the Class 2 District 1 team semifinals Tuesday at the Poplar Bluff High School tennis courts. “Our girls came out strong in doubles, and I think that gave the momentum they needed to stay up, stay ahead and focus on winning singles,” Poplar Bluff coach Michelle Massey said afterwards...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules lost a heartbreaking overtime thriller to the visiting West Plains Zizzers 35-28 on Friday night in their final home game of the football regular season. In a game marked by both teams matching each other with gritty scoring offset by turnovers and penalties, Poplar Bluff (2-5) played perhaps its best game so far this season despite the losing outcome...

Editor’s note: This story is the first of two parts. The second part will run in the Oct. 19 edition of the Daily American Republic. When Jeff Mannon was named the head football coach of the Poplar Bluff Mules earlier this year, he looked to a past mentor to join his coaching staff...

“Tonight, we honor the boys that turned into men, and the men who turned into leaders,” Sarah Holt proclaimed as she inducted the 2004 and 2005 PBHS Mules basketball teams into the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of fame on Thursday. “These championships were built on their coaches and their families.”...

The Dexter Lady Bearcats and Poplar Bluff Lady Mules both were able to take some positives away from Thursday night’s volleyball match at the Poplar Bluff High School gymnasium. For the Lady Bearcats, it was first and foremost a 25-20, 25-21, 25-16 over their SEMO Conference rivals — especially on a night when Dexter got off to a slow start in the first set...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules look to capture back-to-back wins when they take on the West Plains Zizzers at home at 7 p.m. this Friday. After struggling to a 1-4 record in their first five games this season, the Mules won last week at Sikeston 27-26 to improve to 2-4 this year...

SIKESTON — Sometimes victories are measured in more than just points, and Sikeston’s razor-thin 27-26 home loss to Poplar Bluff on Friday, Oct. 4 was proof of growth. While the scoreboard reflected a loss, the game marked a potential turning point for the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-3 SEMO North), who have been grappling with a daunting 27-game conference losing streak...

Nico Gaddy’s on-the-field contributions for the Poplar Bluff football Mules ended earlier than he expected this season. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t part of what the Mules are still doing. “He was really good for us the first two weeks, but happened to have a (knee) injury and hadn’t been able to be on the field ever since,” Poplar Bluff coach Jeff Mannon said. ...

KENNETT — Kaitlyn Booker continued her strong run as a girls tennis player for the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules by adding a SEMO Conference individual championship to her trophy case during Thursday’s SEMO Conference Tournament at Kennett High School. She wasn’t the only Lady Mule to play well Thursday, as Molly Maurer finished fourth in the conference...

Kennett-Holcomb clinches back-to-back SEMO Tennis Titles, edging out Jackson by two points.

The Poplar Bluff Mules football program recently was able to put a precautionary safety measure in place for student-athletes with the aid of an anonymous donation. Several local medical practitioners, lawyers and realtors teamed up over the summer to supply 150 Guardian Caps, a value of more than $8,000, to be dispersed between Poplar Bluff High School and Poplar Bluff Junior High School...

Explore the top high school football stat leaders in the Semoball area through Week 5. Discover standout performances in passing, rushing, receiving, and defense across 18 local teams.

The Poplar Bluff Mules varsity football team hopes to rediscover a winning game plan on the road at Sikeston this Friday. After a 1-1 start with a home loss and a road win, the Mules have struggled at home and on the road, losing to Farmington and Cape Central at home, then losing at Jackson last week...

Handley McAtee extends her unbeaten streak on Kennett tennis' senior night, securing an 8-1 win over Poplar Bluff.

It was definitely a good day for the Poplar Bluff Mules and Lady Mules sports teams on Monday as all four varsity teams in action on Monday — softball, volleyball, girls tennis and boys soccer — picked up wins. The Lady Mules softball team shut out Kelly 3-0 at Strenfel Field, while the volleyball team picked up a 25-13, 16-25, 16-25, 25-14, 15-8 win at the Poplar Bluff High School gym. ...

Tickets for the 36th Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet are on sale for the ceremony to be held Thursday, Oct. 10, at E.T. Peters Gym. Tyler Hansbrough, Ben Hansbrough and the 2003-04 and 2004-05 PBHS Mules basketball teams will be honored that evening...

Jackson's ground game dominated in a stormy 57-9 win over Poplar Bluff, led by Jaylon Hampton’s five-touchdown, 191-yard performance.

It is safe to say any conversation about the Poplar Bluff football Mules this season has to include senior lineman Chase O'Neal. “Chase is a great kid,” Mules head coach Jeff Mannon said. “He's worked hard ever since I've been around him. … Chase is one of those guys (who will) just do whatever you ask — and is a great kid.”...

It was a night of celebration and triumph for the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules volleyball team — and not just because the Lady Mules secured a hard-fought victory over Kennett. Thursday’s 25-17, 25-15, 29-27 win over the Kennett Lady Indians also saw senior setter Kyra Mizell reach the milestone of 1,000 career assists...

Statistical leaders from the Semoball coverage area through four games. Semoball.com covers 20 local high school football programs, 18 of which field varsity teams for the 2024 season. Schools included in these totals are Cape Central, Caruthersville, Chaffee, Charleston, Dexter, East Prairie, Hayti, Jackson, Kelly, Kennett, Malden, New Madrid County Central, Perryville, Poplar Bluff, Portageville, Scott City, Sikeston and St. Vincent...

The Poplar Bluff Mules will try to avoid dropping three straight games as they prepare to travel for an SEMO Conference contest against the Jackson Indians. The Mules took a tough 49-6 loss in their last game against the undefeated Cape Central Tigers. With the trouble of picking up more yardage than their previous game, the Mules had a hard time keeping up with the Tigers' swift game scheme...

A change of scenery was not enough to lift the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules softball team past the Jackson Indians on Tuesday. Playing at Strenfel Field since the Jackson field was too wet to play on, the Lady Mules managed just two hits and fell victim to a nine-run, three-home run third inning on the way to a 13-0 loss...