Poplar Bluff

FARMINGTON — The Poplar Bluff swim team won all but three events Thursday to beat host Farmington 108-58. Elijah McAtee broke a team record in the 200-yard freestyle, winning by 0.4 of a second, and edged teammate Gavin Vaughn by 0.23 of a second to win the breaststroke...

POPLAR BLUFF — Looking to get Layla Sullivan some at-bats, Poplar Bluff softball coach Joel McDuffey mixed up the lineup a bit Thursday and put the senior hitting seventh. In her first plate appearance, Sullivan came up with the bases loaded and delivered with a hard grounder up the middle to score the first run of the game. She ended up with three hits, starting a six-run inning as the Mules beat East Carter 11-4 at Bobby Strenfel Field...

POPLAR BLUFF — It looked as if the Poplar Bluff soccer team was headed for an overtime loss Thursday night when the Mules got a fortuitous bounce. Sikeston’s Heath Poindexter was able to chip the ball over the oncoming keeper near the top of the penalty box with nothing between the ball and the next. ...

Addison Kirkman has been a fixture on the sideline at Poplar Bluff football games the last few seasons, serving as a team manager. So after the senior was named homecoming queen Friday night, there she was in a full-length dress wearing her tiara while handing out water bottles during a timeout...

Looking for a Week 5 opponent to fill out the schedule, Poplar Bluff football coach David Sievers was looking for a good test for his team. “We had a couple of other opportunities and I just thought we didn’t need an over-by-halftime game in the middle of the seaosn,” Sievers recalled. “That’s why I was excited we got these guys on the schedule...

The Poplar Bluff Mules picked up their first win of the season Tuesday, 6-3 at Charleston. After taking two doubles matches, Poplar Bluff got an 8-5 win by Olivia Kirkman in the No. 2 singles match while Emma Sutton won 8-2 at No. 3. Elizabeth Ledbetter was an 8-0 winner while Kaitlyn Booker won her match 8-1...

POPLAR BLUFF — Triangles are not just for geometry. The Poplar Bluff soccer team is using them to create success no matter what shape they take. “I don’t care as long as we create triangles all the way down the field,” Mules coach Rusty Crafton said. “That will help us move the ball.”...

POPLAR BLUFF — A day after giving up three touchdowns, the Poplar Bluff softball team was locked in a pitcher’s duel Tuesday with Jackson. The Mules rallied with two outs in the sixth to pull even but couldn’t get out of a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh as Jackson won 2-1 at Bobby Strenfel Field...

POPLAR BLUFF — Things went from ugly to down right ghastly for the Poplar Bluff softball team Monday. Already trailing by eight runs, the Mules couldn’t get the first two outs of the fifth inning before Farmington hit a pair of grand slams. The Knights sent 17 batters to the plate, with 12 coming around to score in the inning, to beat the Mules 21-3 at Bobby Strenfel Field...

POPLAR BLUFF — Neither team could hold onto the football early Friday night but Poplar Bluff held on in the second half to earn a homecoming victory. Six different players scored for the Mules, who overcame three early fumbles and beat Sikeston 47-22 at Mules Stadium...

Behind goals from Sam Cairns, Timothy Kirby and Jonathan Brandtner, the Cape Central boys soccer team blanked Poplar Bluff 3-0 on Thursday. The Tigers outshot the Mules, 8-0, as the trio slipped goals past the Mules' goalkeeper. Cape Central starting goalkeeper Tad Couch went relatively unscathed, as the Tigers defense didn't allow a shot on goal during the entire match...

It’s homecoming this week for Poplar Bluff High School as the Mules host Sikeston on Friday night. “It’s great for the community and it’s great for the school that we get to have all of our assemblies and everything,” Mules coach David Sievers said...

POPLAR BLUFF — Down a run in the sixth inning, the Mules answered. Down to their final out and trailing by a run in the seventh, the Mules answered. Down two runs in the 10th, the Mules answered. Down to their final out, again trailing by two runs an inning later, the Mules answered and then some more...

The snowball picked up momentum in the opening four minutes but really got rolling early in the second quarter Friday night. Jackson scored twice in the span of 53 seconds, taking advantage of a fumble recovery and short field, to sweep away Poplar Bluff 50-32 at Mules Stadium...

The Chaffee football team has started its season 1-1 for the third straight year under third-year coach Will Daffron, but the Arkansas native has far more confidence in his team this year than the previous two. Despite taking a 48-8 beating from Charleston last Friday, Daffron believes his team has what it takes to take down the 2-0 Kelly Hawks on Friday night at Mark Whitaker Memorial Field in Chaffee, Mo...

POPLAR BLUFF — Bloomfield and Poplar Bluff came into Thursday’s match both looking for their first set victory on the young season. After the Wildcats opened with a big run to take the opener, they needed late pushes to hold off the host Mules. An 11-3 run gave Bloomfield the second game before the Wildcats closed out the match with consecutive points for a 25-15, 25-22, 25-23 win at the Senior High Gym...

The Jackson girls tennis team hosted Poplar Bluff on Wednesday and shut out the Mules, winning 9-0 overall, securing their fifth win of the season. Singles 1. Delaney Pipkin (J) def. Natalie Murphy (PB) 8-0 2. Mia Foote (J) def. Olivia Kirkman (PB) 8-1...

The Jackson boys soccer team won their fifth game in a row to start the season perfect, defeating Northwest at home on Wednesday, 3-2. Senior Will Essner scored all three goals for the Indians, while Deonta Blair recorded one assist while Brayden Stowe added another assist...

In the early 1970s, nobody in the SEMO North Conference could stop Cape Central. The Tigers won four league titles, winning 28 straight against conference rivals. It was the longest run since Sikeston dominated the 1950s, but in 1973 the streak was snapped in a loss to Poplar Bluff...

Anna Eaton produced 16 kills and served seven aces in the Bernie Mules’ 25-4, 25-18, 25-17 victory over Campbell on Tuesday night at Bernie High School. Piper Schoemehl delivered 15 assists and Mackenzie Powell had 15 digs. Bernie won the JV match 25-19 23-25, 15-12...

POPLAR BLUFF — While still tinkering with the lineup, the Poplar Bluff swim team found a good combination with the medley relay. Elijah McAtee, Gavin Vaughn, Kastin Caudel and Carson Todd teamed up to shave nearly 8 seconds off the previous fastest time this season and break the team record set in 2003...

Poplar Bluff first baseman Adrianne Casey led the Mules offensive with two hits as well as drove in four RBIs on Tuesday while starting hurler Brianne Thresher pitched five scoreless innings, to shut out a talented Chaffee squad on the road, 10-0. Poplar Bluff touched up Chaffee starting pitcher Reese Van Pelt for 10 runs on 11 hits, as the contest on Tuesday was Van Pelt's worst of the season...

POPLAR BLUFF — Darius Graham and Chris Matlock picked off passes while Nathan Bunton and Kolyn McBride recovered fumbles as the Poplar Bluff defense forced turnovers on DeSoto’s first four possessions Friday night. The Mules ended up with nine takeaways — including two by Payton Rogers and a fumble recovery in the end zone by Dace Wisdom — rolling to a 55-0 home win over the Dragons...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Gavin Vaughn and Elijah McAtee each won a race and Poplar Bluff finished second in a pair of relays as the Mules ended up second in a six-team meet Thursday. McAtee edged Avery Miller of West Plains by 0.29 of a second to win the 100-meter butterfly in 1 minute, 2.17 seconds and was second in the 200 freestyle while cutting 3 seconds off his time...

The road to Gans Creek and the MSHSAA state cross country championships will again be a little different this fall. The number of district meets around the state has been trimmed to four per class with the top 30 runners advancing to Columbia’s Gans Creek course. The top four teams in each district will also advance, unless there are fewer teams competing in a district...

SIKESTON — Poplar Bluff’s streak of scoring two runs in the first inning ended after five straight games, but the Mules ended up jumping out to a two-run lead an inning later. Breann Thresher struck out a season-high nine, Lauren Webb drove in three runs and the Mules beat Sikeston 9-5 Thursday...

At first glance, the DeSoto football team looks as if it has lined up in the I-formation. But when the ball is snapped, it becomes something different. “It’s kind of a unique formation,” Poplar Bluff coach David Sievers said of the Mules’ next opponent...

Poplar Bluff generated more offense from the service line than at the net Wednesday night as the Mules lost their second game in as many nights to start the season. North County, meanwhile, had four players with six or more kills and nearly matched the Mules in aces to win 25-17, 25-21, 25-12 at the Senior High Gym...

A late four-point lead in the opening game quickly vanished and the Poplar Bluff volleyball team never recovered Tuesday night in its season opener. Liberty-Mountain View rallied with an 8-1 swing that featured three kills and a pair of aces to turn the tide in a 25-22, 25-16, 25-17 win over the Mules at the Senior High Gym...

The top-seeded doubles match between Poplar Bluff and Dexter couldn’t have been closer without going to a tiebreaker Monday. The two sides went to deuce in eight of the 14 games, including the final two after the match was tied at 6-all. Of the 121 total points awarded, only five separated the two sides, even though the final score was 8-6...

After getting shut out in the opening game by the defending state champs, the Poplar Bluff softball team has been on a tear. The Mules are averaging nearly seven runs per game after three wins Saturday at the Rockwood Summit Tournament and an 11-0 win Monday at Greenville...

The Saxony Lutheran girls tennis team lost their season opener to North County on Monday by a final score of 6-3. Singles matches were won by Abby Haley and Leah Bronenkant and doubles matches were won by Bianca Scholl and Bronenkant. Individual match results include:...

There are few businesses anywhere in the world that haven’t had to think differently over the past couple of years in this ever-changing environment that we are all immersed in, more than likely, forever. And Semoball.com is not immune to that. The website devoted to providing sports fans thorough coverage of sports throughout Southeast Missouri is still going to make that its mission on a daily basis, however, the internal pieces are going to be doing some shifting moving forward.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. — Cape Central’s Phineas Theall and Elias Theall set pool records in winning their events Saturday at the West Plains Duals to open the swimming season. Phineas Theall won two events in record time, the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-butterfly, Elias Theall won the 400-freestyle while the two teamed up with Owen Groves and Noah McRaven to place second in the medley relay...

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Religious icon Mother Theresa made that statement some time ago, and it is profound in its application to all things in life, without question. However, she didn’t witness the magnificence of Jackson High School football a year ago, as the Indians played near-perfect football through five months and won the MSHSAA Class 5 state championship in dominating fashion. So, you’ll have to forgive gridiron fans from Perryville to Poplar Bluff if they just want to savor 2020 a tad longer.

Poplar Bluff’s season opened with a turnover and the Mules committed two more in the first half. Those miscues led to all of Agape’s points, but the Mules did a lot more right in a season-opening 48-10 win Friday night at Mules Stadium. “Terribly disappointing because I told them before the game we just need to be disciplined, play clean, play clean,” Mules coach David Sievers said. ...

Christmas remains four months away and only a handful of people throughout Southeast Missouri probably celebrate their birthdays today. However, for football fans – and as it turns out, coaches and players, as well – today is a euphoric day of the year. The 2021 high school football season officially opens this evening and like every season, the next three months promise to be a rollercoaster of emotions for every person that follows the game.

By BRIAN ROSENER Sports Editor When the Poplar Bluff boys swim team return four years ago, the Mules didn’t have enough swimmers to fill out a full lineup. Now the roster has doubled in size and seniors Kastin Caudel, Christian Todd and Gavin Vaughn are back as four-year lettermen with one more chance to become the program’s first state qualifier...

With eight returning starters, led by a senior class that has a combined 216 varsity games under their belt, the Poplar Bluff softball team is looking to have a breakout season this fall. Emilee Cheek, Morgan Courtney, Serena Davis, Layla Sullivan, Breann Thresher, Lauren Webb and Ella Zgaynor return for their senior year along with juniors Adrianne Casey, Madelyn Hefner and Clara Rahlmann, who have played a combined 144 varsity games...

With a baker’s dozen returning to the roster, including 10 seniors, the Poplar Bluff soccer team looks get cooking this fall. The Mules, who open the season Friday with a tournament in Carbondale, Illinois, may have a large part of the team back but there are still questions to be answered this weekend...

There is no denying the chaotic state that the world remains in for a second consecutive football season, but Southeast Missourians can take solace in this: Football season is here, and we’re going to embrace it.

Poplar Bluff football coach David Sievers wants opponents to be seeing an optical illusion when the Mules defense is on the field this season. “Whenever I talk to the defense I just tell them that when we’re running around out there it needs to look like there’s 15 of us on the field because we’re running around so much,” Sievers said...

There are plenty of options for the Poplar Bluff football team to move the ball this fall. The question that will determine how successful the Mules will be in doing that is how well will those without the ball contribute. “I just keep telling the linemen, it doesn’t matter how many skill kids we have if we don’t take care of them. We’ve got to open the holes and protect the quarterback,” Mules coach David Sievers said...

Losing five players to graduation and having just three seniors and one returning junior on the roster, the Poplar Bluff volleyball team will be young this fall. “We’re taking it day by day, switching positions that they hadn’t played, then kind of playing around with it to see what works best for us,” said third-year coach Aimie Parkin...

Baily Stevenson didn’t know how to break the news to Poplar Bluff volleyball coach Aimie Parkin that she was pregnant and the baby’s due date was just going to be just as fall practices were to start. “I was having trouble breaking it to her and I was really worried about what she’s going to think,” said Stevenson, who had just finished her first season as Parkin’s assistant coach...

DEXTER — In the old days, the Poplar Bluff football team might face Dexter on Thanksgiving day or open the season facing the Bearcats. On Friday, the old-time rivals met for the first time in four years in a preseason jamboree at Charles Bland Stadium that also included Caruthersville and Fredericktown...

The preseason jamboree is back and Poplar Bluff football coach David Sievers said it’s a welcome sight. “No matter how hard you work on the kids, no matter how much you talk to them, how much you mess with their minds, it’s kind of hard to get them to go hard against each other,” Sievers said. “So it’s just good to see other people.”...

Poplar Bluff’s scrimmage Friday night at Mules Stadium needed overtime to settle things. Senior quarterback Kannon Carr rolled out and scored on a 10-yard run on first down after it took the Maroon team three plays to score on a 2-yard run by Garrett Lazalier...

Poplar Bluff football coach David Sievers was recently talking with SHO-ME Band director Stephen Winters when he was asked how the Mules were shaping up for this fall. “So I asked him what’s the most skilled technical instrument in the band, and he said, ‘oh probably the clarinet,’” said Sievers, who recalled asking which instrument provided the big grinding sound...

High school athletes got back to work Monday, the first day of practice for the fall sports season in Missouri. Poplar Bluff’s football, girls tennis and boys swim teams opened with morning workouts while the boys soccer and softball teams practiced at what is normally their after-school time...