Advance

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- For Michael Brown, it was all a whirlwind. One day, his 4-year-old son, Nolan, was taking a bath when his wife Elizabeth noticed a hard spot on his stomach. A couple of days later, they learned Nolan had kidney cancer and they were driving to St. Louis, Missouri, for surgery...

The Advance volleyball team captured its fifth win in a row, defeating Saxony Lutheran 25-23, 24-26, 25-18 on Thursday at Saxony Lutheran High School. Allie Sprink recorded a double-double to lead the way for the Crusaders, finishing with 15 assists and 15 digs to go along with seven kills. Lexie Barnes also had a double-double for Saxony (12-6), recording 13 kills, 10 assists and eight digs, while Laurel Mueller chipped in 17 digs and five kills...

Lainey Broussard dished out a whopping 42 assists and had four digs as the Jackson volleyball team had to dig deep but eventually found a way to pull out a three-set squeaker over Park Hills Central -- 25-18, 25-27, 25-23 -- on Monday in Park Hills, Missouri...

Just over a week ago, the Advance volleyball team competed in the Notre Dame Volleyball Fest and suffered its only three losses of the season thus far. On Monday the Hornets made sure it stayed that way, returning to the gymnasium at Notre Dame Regional High School but this time taking on the host Bulldogs and coming away with a sweep, 25-16 and 27-25, in Cape Girardeau...

It's early in the season, there are still kinks to work out and, for some teams staying busy at early-season tournaments, there are already bumps and bruises for which to be accounted. But on Thursday night, Dexter walked in the door at the Notre Dame Volleyball Fest and announced it's gunning to defend its tournament title from a year ago...

Lexie Barnes posted a double-double with 10 assists and 10 digs to go along with seven kills, as the Saxony Lutheran volleyball team defeated St. Vincent 25-18, 20-25, 25-18 on Tuesday in Perryville, Missouri. Allie Sprink recorded 13 assists and seven kills for Saxony Lutheran (6-1). Macy Morehead finished with 16 digs and five kills, and Laurel Mueller added five kills and nine digs. Ashley Fritsche notched 12 digs to pace the Crusaders defensively...

Olivia Hukel served four aces and dished out five assists, as the Cape Girardeau Central volleyball team defeated Puxico 25-10, 25-19 for its first win of the season Tuesday in Puxico, Missouri. Karly Thomas notched 19 digs and hammered four kills for Central (1-2)...

Saxony Lutheran junior Caleb Cornelius offered up a standout performance as he finished fourth in a field of more than 400 cross country runners at the First to the Finish Kickoff Classic on Saturday in Edwardsville, Illinois. Cornelius ran a 16:40.20 to garner a top-five result, just 11 seconds off the winner, Jackson Stewart of Decatur St. Teresa...

It was a wild final night at the Woodland Invitational volleyball tournament, as the final four matches all went three sets, capped off by the third-seeded host Cardinals pulling off their second upset of the night with a 25-21, 26-28, 25-20 victory over top-seeded Saxony Lutheran for the championship...

It was like stalking prey. Cape Girardeau Central's Jared Neikirk positioned himself, held his spot and pounced when he saw the opening. At the end, Neikirk got a quality win early in the cross country season as he passed and pulled away from a pair of Jackson runners -- reigning Semoball Awards Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Ean Buffington and Gage Kinder -- to win the boys senior race at the 23rd Annual Jackson Invitational on Saturday at Jackson City Park...