Bell City

The Semoball Cup ended up being a battle of the Bulldogs that needed overtime to decide. Megan Heisserer's golden goal to lift Notre Dame to the Class 2 soccer title also happened to clinch the Cup. In the closest finish in the early history of the award, Notre Dame edged Van Buren by 4.79 points in the standings that determine which area school had the most athletically successful school year...

From across Southeast Missouri, people descended upon Cape Girardeau on Saturday night for the region's premier sports awards show. More than 150 student-athletes from 57 area high schools were on hand for the Fourth Annual Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH at the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus, as awards were handed out in 25 sports categories...

Austin Hicks was 9 years old when he took the mound for the first time during a game. Suddenly, he felt in control -- an enticing feeling for a kid who wasn't a particularly good hitter or fielder at the time. Hicks soon realized pitching was his strong suit, so his dad built him a mound in their backyard, using a tire as a strike zone. Sometimes he imagined he was pitching in a "big game."...

Twelve high school student-athletes earn recognition for their accomplishments on the baseball field this spring

This spring, three area high school teams won state championships. With the success came accolades. Numerous local student-athletes earned recognition, including all-state honors. On the baseball diamond, Bell City won its third straight Class 1 state championship. Along the way, five Cubs earned all-state distinctions...

Ten months after the high school sports calendar began, we now know all 148 of our on-field nominees for the 2017 Semoball Awards. On Friday, the spring sport finalists for baseball, softball, girls soccer, boys and girls track and field, golf and boys tennis for the event -- to be held Saturday, July 8, at the Bedell Performance Center at Southeast Missouri State's River Campus -- were announced as part of a live selection show on SEMO ESPN Radio...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- A day after Austin Hicks fanned 10 batters and gave up one run in a semifinal victory, Cole Nichols one-upped his teammate and best friend. Nichols pitched a one-hit shutout in the championship game as the Bell City baseball team won its third straight Class 1 championship with a 10-0, six-inning victory over Wellsville on Tuesday at CarShield Field...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Taylor Ogden heard the chants. After Bobby Wright's three-run home run in the second inning extended the Bell City baseball team's lead to seven runs, fans along the right-field line briefly yelled, "Three-peat! Three-peat!" Ogden responded by lifting three fingers into the air. The Cubs have struck that pose at various times this year, including after their quarterfinal win six days earlier. A third state final four appearance wasn't the goal, though. A state title was...

O'FALLON, Mo. -- Austin Hicks is no stranger to championship game appearances. The Bell City senior has been an integral part of a program that has won back-to-back Class 1 baseball state titles and is gunning for a three-peat. But for the Cubs' ace, the third time feels just like the first when it comes to advancing to the final...

We chat with athletes from each of the four state-bound teams this week.

Before each season, Bell City baseball coach Justin Simpher gathers his team together and delivers a message. "Last year's over with," Simpher tells his bunch. It's a new group with a new dynamic. While that may sound cliche, the Cubs take his words to heart, and it helped keep the two-time defending Class 1 state champions grounded this season...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Just minutes after the final out had been recorded and cries of "We're going back to state," had died down, the Bell City baseball team lined up along the left-field line. Under the eye of coach Justin Simpher, the Cubs sprinted halfway toward second base and back. Then, they did it again, and again, and again...

COOTER, Mo. -- The Bell City baseball team had two major advantages when it took to the field in a Class 1 sectional at Cooter on Monday -- its experience with big-time playoff games, and pitcher Austin Hicks. Hicks was every bit the ace as he befuddled a young Wildcats team that left the door open enough for the Cubs to kick it down, 7-1, and roll back to a third consecutive state quarterfinal...

Woodland senior Bruester Young claimed a gold medal in the javelin at the MSHSAA Class 2 Track & Field State Championships held Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City, Missouri. Young not only claimed a state title, but also set a Class 2 state record with a throw of 173 feet, 11 inches on his first attempt. ...