Poplar Bluff

Poplar Bluff moved up to the largest class in wrestling and will face the same opponents in basketball while hosting the district this winter. Poplar Bluff Athletic Director Kent Keith announced in a statement that the school’s bid to host the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 boys and girls basketball tournament had been accepted...

Noah Burkey planned on pitching at Three Rivers College where his father has been head coach for the past 26 years. Instead, the Poplar Bluff senior signed his National Letter of Intent on Friday to play at Missouri State University. “That was my plan at first,” Burkey said of playing for his father, Stacey, “but when I got the opportunity to go to my dream school he understood and they supported me through it all...

Gene and Brian Bess have attended many signing ceremonies through the years welcoming players to Three Rivers College. None, however, was likely more special than Thursday afternoon when a Poplar Bluff senior chose to play for another college. Kiley Bess made it official in front of friends and family by signing her National Letter of Intent to play basketball for Saint Louis University...

A pile of uniforms and pads sits on an eight-foot table in front of a washing machine in the equipment room at Poplar Bluff High School. Instead of prepare for another shot at state-ranked Jackson in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship game, the Mules turned in their equipment Monday after Fox ended Poplar Bluff’s season at 4-6...

Poplar Bluff basketball fans can relive the glory days from more than three decades of boys basketball on Saturday as the first-ever Mules alumni game takes place in the E.T. Peters Gymnasium at the Poplar Bluff Middle School. The alumni event will feature two games from two eras, with players from 1987 through 2004 competing in the first matchup, followed by alumni from 2005-2019 in the second game...

SIKESTON — Sikeston’s Alivia Cobb garnered some more awards last week, as the Class 4, District, and SEMO Conference teams got announced. Cobb earned the SEMO Conference North Defensive Player of the Year after setting the single-season record for digs in her senior season. She also earned a spot on the first-team as well...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Van Buren girls cross country team placed in the top four for the first time in program history at the MSHSAA Cross Country championships on Saturday at the new 5,000-meter Gans Creek course. Poplar Bluff junior Jaden Deaton earned all-state honors with a late comeback for 22nd place to become the fifth Mules runner to place in the top 25 at state and first since 2005...

ARNOLD, Mo. — Fox had just padded a 3-point lead with a touchdown late in the third quarter when the ensuing kickoff bounced through the hands of three Poplar Bluff players. The Warriors recovered the ball. The Mules never recovered Friday night. Fox ran for six touchdowns, scoring 14 points off turnovers, to knock out Poplar Bluff 41-25 in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal...

The next step in MSHSAA football team's quest for a championship will be taken tonight throughout Southeast Missouri. Here is "What 2 Watch 4" throughout the area.

A new era of cross country in Missouri starts Saturday when the MSHSAA state championships is held for the first time at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. It’s the first time since 1975 the race will not be held in Jefferson City’s Oak Hills Golf Course in Hough Park where Poplar Bluff’s John Meyers won the 4A title in 1986...

For the fifth straight year, the Poplar Bluff football team is in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal looking to reach the championship game for the first time. It’s been 19 years since the program’s last title and a decade since the Mules were runners-up in the district...

Cape Girardeau Central narrowly pulled out a victory over budding swim rival Notre Dame Tuesday in the SEMO Conference Swim Meet at the Central Municipal Pool, and Tiger senior Jacob Bening fervently believes that a higher being played a significant role in the victory.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — The Poplar Bluff swim team returned to the conference championships after a 13-year wait Tuesday, finishing fourth out of six teams and earning 10 top-10 finishes. “It was awesome, we had lots of (personal records),” Mules coach Julia Dragon said. “Overall we were really excited about the outcome.”...

Northwest senior Brandon O'Dell carved up the Poplar Bluff defense Monday night in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal. With a hat trick in 34 minutes and another goal early in the second half, O'Dell helped put the Lions back into the district final for a second straight year with a 6-0 win over the Mules...

A week after dropping out of the top spot, Kennett returns to lead the Semoball Power Rankings to end the regular season.

SIKESTON — The SEMO All-Conference softball teams are here. Sikeston had one member on the first team and four more on the second team. Notre Dame had six nominations on the first team, while Jackson had four. North County and Farmington each finished with three nominees, and Kelly, Chaffee, Cape Central, and Poplar Bluff each rounded out the team with one...

Poplar Bluff senior wide receiver Chad Casey was voted the Semoball Football Player of the Week in online balloting that concluded Tuesday night. Casey, who collected 614 votes, hauled in six passes for 131 yards and a score in the Mules' 39-26 senior night win over Hillsboro on Friday...

SIKESTON — With district play starting next week, the Sikeston boys soccer team had one last tune-up match before postseason play commenced. The Bulldogs hosted Poplar Bluff on Tuesday night, but it was not a match worth remembering for the home team...

JACKSON, Mo. — Jaden Deaton kept his feet under him running a muddy 3.1-mile course at Jackson City Park on Saturday as the Poplar Bluff senior won the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 race. Rain before and during the meet made conditions slippery for runners trying to advance to the sectional round...

Poplar Bluff overcame a shaky start Friday night, scoring 33 unanswered points to snap the longest losing streak in eight years on Senior Night. The Mules took care of business with a 39-26 win over Hillsboro and will find out if it will be enough to move up in the district standings...

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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Needing to win four games in as many hours to claim the SEMO Conference Tournament, the Poplar Bluff volleyball team fell in the final Thursday night. The Mules reached the final for the first time by winning consecutive three-set matches before falling to top-seeded Jackson 25-10, 25-18 at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex...

By BRIAN ROSENER Sports Editor The district playoffs may not start this week, but it sure feels like a must-win for the Poplar Bluff football team. Having lost four straight, the Mules have tumbled to the bottom of the district standings heading into the final regular season game Friday night against Hillsboro...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Pool play was not pleasant for the Sikeston volleyball team on Tuesday. The first day of the SEMO Conference Volleyball Tournament kicked off at the Cape SportsPlex in Cape Girardeau. 10 teams, split into two divisions, made up the tournament. In the North Division was Jackson, Notre Dame, Cape Central, Poplar Bluff, and Sikeston, while the South Division comprised of Scott City, Oran, New Madrid County Central (NMCC), Kennett, and Charleston...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Kennett Indians varsity volleyball team finished first in SEMO South Division pool play Tuesday at Cape Girardeau SportsPlex in Cape Girardeau. Kennett won seven of the eights sets it played in pool play. Kennett beat Charleston 25-18, 25-14; Kennett beat New Madrid County Central 25-17, 25-9; Kennett beat Oran 25-14, 25-23; and Kennett split Scott City 26-24, 25-27...

The Saxony Lutheran Crusaders could not keep the North County Raiders from putting the ball in the back of the net, losing 4-2 on the road in boys soccer. Paul Adams led the Saxony Lutheran (7-9) offense, scoring a goal on an indirect free kick and assisting on the Crusaders other goal. Garrett Richey found the back of the net off the Adams feed...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Poplar Bluff went 1-2-1 in pool play Tuesday night at the SEMO Conference Tournament to earn the fourth seed for bracket play. The Mules (17-12-2) will open against Charleston at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Cape SportsPlex with the winner advancing to play Kennett, top-seed from the South Division, in the quarterfinal...

After drawing even early in the second half on a penalty kick, Farmington had the majority of scoring chances and possession Tuesday night, despite playing down a man over the final 25 minutes. However, Poplar Bluff forward Alex Ketcherside took advantage of one of the few opportunities the Mules were able to put together...

Kyla Beel made sure to leave her mark for the Leopold volleyball team in its final home game of the season on Monday against Bloomfield. The senior standout, who along with six of her other teammates were honored for Senior Night, amassed 23 kills and eight digs...

LADUE, Mo. — Poplar Bluff put an early scare into the Red Devils on Friday night, but three turnovers by the turned into points for Chaminade. By the end, the Mules had turned it over five times and Chaminade took advantage each time for a 62-20 win...

POPLAR BLUFF — Running in a conference championship race for the second time in four days, Dexter's Margo Nea ran away from the field Thursday for a clean sweep. Nea won the SEMO Conference cross country race at Ozark Ridge Golf Course after earlier winning the SCAA title Monday...

The Jackson boys and girls claimed the team titles at the SEMO North Conference Meet on Thursday at the Ozark Ridge Golf Course in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Notre Dame senior Blake Morris successfully defended his conference in the the boys race, winning in 15 minutes, 42.94 seconds and helping the Bulldogs to a second-place team finish...

Kennett and Jackson remain atop the Semoball Power Rankings this week while Scott City’s first loss of the season dropped the Rams to fifth. By beating Scott City 46-41, Hayti moved up a spot to fourth, while Caruthersville moved up to third. Cape Central’s one-point win at St. Charles West didn’t help move the Tigers up the list (not sure why since it boosted their opponent’s win total to 28, behind only Sikeston’s 32 and Malden’s 30)...

FARMINGTON — Poplar Bluff scored three runs in the second inning, but managed one hit after that as the Mules lost to Northwest 13-3 in the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 tournament. Serena Davis, Breann Thresher and Ella Zgaynor scored for the Mules and Morgan Courtney had two hits...

The state media football rankings have Jackson and Chaminade Nos. 2 and 3 in Class 5 while a computer rankings says they’re Nos. 9 and 10 in the state regardless of classification. After a trip to St. Louis on Friday night, Poplar Bluff will have played both in consecutive weeks...

FARMINGTON, Mo. — The glass slipper seems to fit the Poplar Bluff softball team pretty well. The Mules, seeded last after a 6-20 regular season, upset host Farmington 7-6 in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 quarterfinal Wednesday night. After knocking off the third-seeded Knights at home, Poplar Bluff (6-20) will face second-seeded Northwest (22-4) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Farmington...

After breaking his own team record in the 500-yard freestyle, Poplar Bluff’s Gavin Vaughn got out of the pool and stood in line to swim the anchor leg of the next event Tuesday. The Mules won the 200-freestyle relay by 7.29 seconds as Kastin Caudel, John Paul Godwin, Christian Todd and Vaughn had their best time of the season...

The Advance volleyball team avenged its only loss thus far before it sustained its second defeat of the season in a 25-21, 18-25, 21-25 loss to Lindbergh in the championship game of the Second Annual Jackson Tournament on Saturday at Jackson High School.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Jackson's offense found its pace early, the defense got them right back on the field and the host Mules were down 35 points before picking up a first down Friday night. The Indians nearly averaged a point per snap in a 68-19 win at Poplar Bluff...

There will be many eyes in Southeast Missouri on this game; the Rams, off to their first 6-0 start since 2004, have had their eyes on it for quite some time.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Gavin Vaughn missed the Poplar Bluff school record in the 500-yard freestyle by just 1.45 seconds Tuesday, winning the race at Farmington. Two days later the sophomore didn’t win but was faster. Vaughn finished second Thursday with a time of 5 minutes, 48.25 seconds, besting the school mark set in 2005 by Frank Smith...

Following a mistake-filled three weeks on the road, the Poplar Bluff football team faces state-ranked Jackson for homecoming Friday night at Mules Stadium. The Indians (6-0) come in looking to finish off an unbeaten conference title after escaping Farmington last week with a 35-14 win with a big fourth quarter...

NEELYVILLE — Poplar Bluff put together another late rally Wednesday, overcoming a two-run deficit in the sixth inning for a 9-5 win over Neelyville. The Mules scored five runs in the sixth to pull ahead a day after pulling even in the sixth before losing in extra innings on Senior Day to Kelly. Their previous two wins also featured late comebacks with seven-run innings...

The Notre Dame girls tennis team shut out the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders 5-0 to advance to the finals of the Class 1 District 2 team tournament Tuesday. The Bulldogs got the early lead and never looked back, thanks to three doubles wins. The frst two doubles matches both ended 8-1 as Claire Bruenderman and Anna Grace Stroup defeated Maddox Murphy and Sydney Turner at the No. ...

Brylee Misner waited on deck as teammate Clara Rahlmann fouled off pitch after pitch during the sixth inning. With her team trailing by a run, the Poplar Bluff freshman’s 10-pitch battle ended with a diving catch by the center fielder for the first out...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Jaden Deaton ran his fastest time of the season Saturday but finished second at the 18th annual Notre Dame Invitational. Notre Dame senior Blake Morris won the 5,000-meter race in 15 minutes, 52.18 seconds followed by Deaton in 16:31...

The Notre Dame boys swimming team came way with four state qualifiers that was good enough to land the Bulldogs in second place at the 26th Annual Roger Eastman Invitational on Saturday at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo. Joseph Barber and Nicholas Hux were a part of three of those state cuts for the Bulldogs, including their first-place 200 medley relay team (1:44.90) and second-place 200 freestyle relay (1:34.26). ...

Eight turnovers. The Poplar Bluff football team coughed up the ball on their first eight possessions and Cape Central took advantage as the Tigers scored all of their points off Mules miscues in a 36-0 homecoming win Friday night. "Those things sometimes happen and they're unexpected. There's really no way to explain it," Central coach Kent Gibbs said. "That ball bounces differently sometimes, and sometimes you don't know why things happen."...

The masses have fervently called for a revised Semoball.com Football Power Rankings and the analytics department has delivered it.

POPLAR BLUFF — Lizzy Turk's two-out, bases-loaded slap hit put enough spin on the ball that it appeared to spin out of the third baseman's glove. The left-handed hitting junior gave Cape Central the lead in the top of the seventh Thursday afternoon when her cue-ball hit eluded the hot-corner's pocket and spun along the third-base line...