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Semoball Cup finalists all had teams play for a state championship
Four schools with Indians as mascots finished in the top 10 of the Semoball Cup standings with six schools claiming a state championship and the other four at least playing for one.
The winner will be announced Saturday, July 13, at the Sixth Annual Semoball Awards, which will be held at Southeast Missouri State's River Campus.
The top 10 programs, in alphabetical order, are Cape Central, Eagle Ridge, Ellington, Jackson, Kennett, Hayti, Notre Dame, Oak Ridge, Oran and St. Vincent.
The winner is determined by a point system that uses a school's overall winning percentage, plus bonus points for advancement in postseason play for both team and individual sports that are honored at the Semoball Awards.
Schools large and small are able to compete against each other for the Cup because the formula determining the points weighs a school's chance of advancement. At the heart of the formula is a school's overall winning percentage.
Bernie had the best winning percentage at 72.09% at 93-31-5 overall, but missed the top 10, finishing 14th. But the Mules won only two district titles and fell short of the state semifinal in volleyball.
Advance, meanwhile, won a state volleyball championship but the Hornets didn't win a district title in any other sports and won 47.3% of their games. Saxony Lutheran and Charleston had teams place third at state but were held back by low overall winning percentages.
Malden, the defending Cup champion, finished 27th with a 45.2% winning percentage and three district titles with no postseason advancement.
The top 10 teams all had winning seasons and teams play for or win a state championship.
Cape Central returns to the top 10 for a third straight year led by the boys swim team which claimed its third straight state championship. The girls swim team placed eighth at state as the teams had a combined six individual state champions and 15 all-state performances. The boys basketball and girls soccer teams reached the state quarterfinals as the Tigers won four district titles in all.
Eagle Ridge just missed the top 10 last year but defended state championships in girls basketball and volleyball. The boys track team finished eighth at the state meet and the Eagles had three individual state champions.
Those titles were in the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association, not the Missouri State High School Activities Association, which all but two schools in the Semoball area compete. While the Eagles were given points for winning a title, they do not earn the same amount of points as a MSHSAA title winner because advancement through the playoffs is shorter.
Ellington won a state title in baseball with a 29-1 record and placed seventh at state in girls cross country with an all-state performance. The Whippets won 65% of their games and cracked the top 25 for the first time.
Jackson claimed the most district titles of any Semoball school with seven and won a state championship in boys golf. The football and girls basketball teams reached the quarterfinals while 13 athletes had all-state performances as the Indians returned to the top 10 for the fourth time in five years.
Kennett won the second-most district titles with five as the spring softball team placed second at state while football and girls tennis reached the quarterfinals. The Indians were sixth at state in boys golf and 15th in boys track to reach the top 10 for the first time since finishing sixth in 2014.
Hayti undefeated state champion football team led the Indians while the boys track team placed seventh at state behind an individual state champion among five all-state performances. The girls basketball team also claimed a district title for Hayti, which returned to the top 10 for a third straight year.
Notre Dame is the only school to finish in the top 10 in each of the last five seasons, winning the Cup in 2014, '15 and '17. This year the Bulldogs were led by a state title in girls soccer while the boys soccer team reached the state quarterfinals and girls track finished fifth with a pair of individual state championship performances.
Oak Ridge made the top 10 for the first time as the boys cross country team placed second at state while the girls were 12th. The Bluejays finished 18th last year in the Cup standings.
Oran returned to the top 10 for a third straight year behind a second-place finish at state in boys basketball while the girls reached the state quarterfinals. Baseball also claimed a district title for the Eagles.
St. Vincent is back in the top 10 for a fifth straight year as the Indians placed second at state in girls soccer, fourth in boys cross country and sixth in boys golf.
The complete standings will be released on semoball.com after the Semoball Awards show.
Tickets are on sale online at www.semoball.com/awards, where a full list of finalists can also be found.