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Risco sports thriving in present, future with Sammy Smith's influence (3/3/24)Veteran Risco High School varsity boy’s basketball coach Brandon Blankenship has seen a lot of talented athletes come through his program during his highly successful 22-year tenure, and current junior guard Sammy Smith ranks up there with the best.
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C1D2 BKB: Rebels top Risco with toughness for 2nd straight District title (2/26/24)ESSEX – To start this month, the Richland (Essex) boy’s basketball squad dropped three of four games, including a 10-point loss at Risco, and fifth-year Rebel coach Matt Cline was none too pleased with how his team was trending. “I really haven’t liked the way that we rebounded,” Cline said following that stretch.
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C1D2 BKB: Richland (Essex) vs. Risco (2/26/24)ESSEX - Richland (Essex) claimed its second consecutive MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 Boy's Basketball championship on Saturday with a 74-62 win over top-seed Risco at Richland (Essex) High School.
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Collier signs letter of intent (2/23/24)Risco High School's Natalie Collier committed to playing volleyball at Williams Baptist University at Walnut Ridge, Ark., under Coach Michelle Lawson. Collier plans to major in Sports Management and Marketing while attending university. Pictured, front row from left, are: Monica Collier (mom), Natalie Collier, Risco head volleyball coach Jessie King; (back row, from left) Risco Athletic Director Brandon Blankenship, Risco Schools Supt. Dr. Amy Baker, Risco Assistant Coach Jon Smith...
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C1D2 BKB: Balanced Risco to give Leopold all it wants at both ends (2/22/24)Leopold High School varsity boy’s basketball coach Gary Poyner has been around long enough to know how to scout an upcoming opponent. In assessing his next foe, Risco, the debate is whether the Tigers are more problematic offensively or defensively.
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Risco ends regular season on good note with tough OT W at Neelyville (2/18/24)NEELYVILLE – Both varsity boy’s basketball squads at Risco and Neelyville high schools have enjoyed their best seasons in several years, so when they recently met, yes, everyone knew the Tigers would prevail, but which team?
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Risco bkb at Neelyville (2/18/24)NEELYVILLE - Risco topped Neelyville 51-48 in overtime on Thursday in varsity boy's basketball action at Neelyville High School.
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Westwood Baptist takes down state-ranked Risco (2/13/24)An evenly matched basketball game goes down to the wire at Westwood Baptist Academy. After claiming the Metro Atlantic Conference championship, the Westwood Baptist Eagles looked to close out the regular season on a high note. The Eagles are the defending MCSAA state champions, and before they could set their sights on making a repeat, they took on the Risco Tigers on Monday as their last test before the state tournament...
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Risco Tigers earn Tri-County Conference championship (2/12/24)RISCO, Mo. – The Tigers basketball program's winning legacy continued Friday when the varsity squad beat a solid Cooter Wildcats team and delivered a Tri-County Conference Tournament championship to hometown fans. Risco defeated Cooter by a 20-point margin, 70-50 in the final contest of the event's grinding three-game series at Risco's rowdy Roy Hon Gymnasium...
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Basketball: Westwood Baptist vs Risco (2/12/24)
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Risco, Cooter to scrap for Tri-County Conference title (2/9/24)RISCO – And then there were two. From a field of eight Bootheel high school basketball programs, home-town hosts, the first-seeded Risco Tigers and the second-seeded Cooter Wildcats both emerged victorious at Thursday's Tri-County Conference Tournament semifinals at Roy Hon Gymnasium...
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Risco, Clarkton, Cooter, Gideon advance in Tri-County Conference Tournament (2/7/24)RISCO – Competition was fierce Tuesday at the Roy Hon Gymnasium when eight area high school basketball teams competed in the Tri-County Conference Basketball Tournament preliminary round. The bracket pit the host, first-seeded Risco, against the visiting eight-seed North Pemiscot Mustangs; featured a four-five contest, the Holcomb Hornets against the Clarkton Reindeer; included a two-seven matchup, the Cooter Wildcats against the Southland C-9 Rebels; and found the three-seed Delta C-7 Chargers against the six-seed Gideon Bulldogs.. ...
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Risco wins on homecoming over Scott County Central (1/29/24)RISCO – The Risco Tigers topped off a rainy homecoming week Friday by defeating the Scott County Central (SCC) Braves decisively. The varsity Tigers stretched its record to 13-3 by beating the 9-10 Braves, 70-48. Tigers head coach Brandon Blankenship, now in his 22nd season at Risco, heaped praise on the Braves, emphasizing that, "historically, Scott County Central is a great program," and that he anticipated a burner of a contest...
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Risco beats Portageville for Clarkton Christmas Tournament championship title (12/16/23)CLARKTON – The fourth-seeded Risco Tigers will go into the remainder of the basketball season with the reputation of a team to not underestimate as they made it past second-seeded Portageville with a score of 51-49 for the Clarkton Christmas Tournament championship title...
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Clarkton Christmas Tournament Championship: Risco vs Portageville (12/16/23)
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Risco upsets Malden, Portageville keeps rolling in Clarkton Christmas Tournament (12/15/23)Fourth-seeded Risco pulled off 78-75 upset in overtime against first-seeded Malden, and second-seeded Portageville kept their momentum going with a 55-32 win over East Carter County in the semifinal round of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Thursday...
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Clarkton Christmas Tournament Semifinals (12/15/23)
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Risco beats Delta C-7 in home opener (12/8/23)RISCO - The Risco High School Men’s Basketball Tigers roared Thursday evening and blasted the Delta C-7 Chargers 57-38. Risco’s Head Coach Brandon Blankenship celebrated the season’s home opener in style and said the matchup was a good one. “We’re excited!” Coach Blankenship said. “We got a good crowd...
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SCC blazes past Zalma, Hot-shooting Risco downs Oran (12/6/23)SIKESTON — Scott County Central served up a masterclass in puzzle-solving, systematically dismantling Zalma, piece by piece, exposing every weakness and exploiting every opportunity. The Braves (2-2) left no doubt, exploding to a 38-1 lead after the first quarter en route to a dominant 75-25 victory over the Bulldogs (1-5) on Tuesday, Dec. 5...
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Volleyball Roundup: Area teams dive into a new season (8/31/23)Portageville started its season with a 3-1 victory at Gideon (1-1) on Friday, August 25, winning with set scores of 13-25, 25-10, 25-22 and 25-22. Jayla Weddington led the team with an impressive performance, contributing 12 kills, three blocks and two digs. Ja’Niya Smith showcased her skills with 14 digs, 11 kills, four assists, two blocks and an ace...
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DDD-Area softball athletes shine, earn postseason honors (5/22/23)After an eventful season of high school softball came to an end for Bootheel schools, many student-athletes continued the legacy of success for themselves and for their respective schools. From Southland to Risco, Campbell to Delta C-7, at least one athlete from every school in the Delta Dunklin Democrat's area of coverage earned postseason honors this year...
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Cooter defeats Risco for C1D1 championship title (5/17/23)COOTER – In a low-scoring battle of pitching and defense, Risco held Cooter’s explosive offense to only two runs, but after Luke Barnes’ no-hitter performance on the mound for the Wildcats, Cooter won the Class 1 District 1 Championship game 2-0. “Luke Barnes struck out 19, and had he not done that, we probably wouldn’t have won the game,” Cooter coach David Mathis said. “He was just dominant. He threw 105 pitches and got the last out on his 105th pitch.”...
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Risco softball team falls to Valle Catholic in Class 1 softball state quarterfinal (5/17/23)RISCO – Despite falling to Valle Catholic 2-3 in the Class 1 State Softball Quarterfinals, the Tigers softball team undoubtedly made history this spring. Risco's softball team won the program's first ever district championship in an upset over Holcomb, advanced deeper into the state tournament and played the Valle Catholic Warriors, a team that consistently racks up more than ten runs a game, to just a single run...
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Risco SB falls to Valle Catholic in Class 1 softball state quarterfinals (5/17/23)
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Cooter, Risco to face off in Class 1 District 1 Baseball Championship (5/16/23)COOTER – After a long day of baseball, quarterfinals and semifinals all at once, the Wildcats and Tigers will officially have a Class 1 District 1 championship rematch. Fourth-seeded Clarkton came out on top of their quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Southland 13-12, a game that came down to the final play of the seventh inning. ...
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C1D1 Baseball District Tournament (5/16/23)
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NMCC ends regular season with back-to-back wins (5/12/23)RISCO, Mo. — The New Madrid County Central baseball finished the regular season with a fury, winning 13-3 at Risco on Thursday, May 11. The Eagles (8-18) came into the game with something to prove, having struggled with inconsistency throughout the season...
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Risco upsets Holcomb for program’s first district title (5/9/23)HOLCOMB — The second-seeded Risco Tigers softball team upset the first-seeded Holcomb Hornets in the Class 1 District 1 finals to claim the team’s first-ever district championship title Tuesday, May 9, 2023. After playing in three consecutive district championships and falling to Holcomb on three different occasions this season, Risco will finally have the chance to advance deeper into the state tournament...
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Holcomb, Risco to meet in Class 1 District 1 softball championship once again (5/9/23)HOLCOMB – Each of the four teams left to take the field in the C1D1 softball tournament played lights out Monday, but after some bursts of momentum, several big hits at the right time and the wind blowing the ball right into the gloves of watchful defenders, higher seeds came out on top...
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Class 1 District 1 Softball Tournament Semifinals (5/9/23)
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Holcomb, Campbell, Risco, South Pemiscot advance in C1D1 Softball Tourney (5/8/23)HOLCOMB – After North Pemiscot and Clarkton bowed out of the Class 1 District 1 softball tournament, what followed was an offensive onslaught as fifth-seeded Campbell upset fourth-seeded Gideon 25-12, then third-seeded South Pemiscot took down sixth-seeded Cooter 15-0 and second-seeded Risco cruised past seventh-seeded Delta C-7 20-0...
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Risco baseball team shuts out Gideon on the road (5/5/23)GIDEON – The Gideon Bulldogs took one on the chin Thursday as the Risco Tigers blanked the Bulldogs 15-0 in a brief, three inning game at home. It was the Bulldog's second game of a double header that found Gideon defeating rival Clarkton 5-4 in the first matchup...
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Holcomb softball executes late comeback for Tri-County Conference championship title (4/26/23)WARDELL – The first-seeded Holcomb Hornets softball team defeated second-seeded Risco 15-13 after a late comeback Tuesday to claim the Tri-County Conference championship title. The Tigers clinched a resounding 11-0 lead at the end of the top of the third inning, but Holcomb slowly chipped away at their deficit over the following innings to claim the team's fifth-consecutive title...
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Tri-County Conference Softball Championship: Holcomb vs Risco (4/26/23)
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East Prairie handles Risco 11-4 (3/31/23)EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — Rayne Jerrigan struck out eight batters and earned a win in his first varsity start on Wednesday, March 29. Jerrigan threw six innings, allowing an earned run on three hits and led the East Prairie Eagles (3-2) to an 11-4 victory over the Risco Tigers (1-5) at East Prairie High School on Wednesday, March 29...
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Portageville softball drops game to Risco (3/31/23)PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The Portageville softball team lost 8-2 to Risco at Portageville High School on Thursday, March 30. “The game started against us,” said Portageville coach Kelsey Snider. “One of my girls didn’t touch first base which caused us to have to take away a run. That started the tempo for us and we just didn’t fight back.As soon as we started to get down on the scoreboard we started making errors we don’t normally make.”...
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All District and State Basketball teams released (3/23/23)Winter sports have come to an end in Southeast Missouri and for many of the schools in the area, successful seasons. New Madrid County Central won the Class 3 State Championship and the Notre Dame girls and Jackson boys each captured fourth in the state in Class 5 and 6, respectively...
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Postseason hoop honors rolling in for Cooter, others (3/16/23)The boy’s basketball season may have ended for all MSHSAA Class 2 programs, however, the postseason recognition has just begun for Cooter High School senior Luke Barnes.
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Clarkton, Delta C-7 to face off in C1D1 championship (2/23/23)GIDEON - That ear-splitting explosion heard in Southeast Missouri Wednesday evening wasn't a sonic boom. It wasn't a tornado or horrible weather. It was basketball thunder, and it emanated from fans howling at Gideon High School's Field House during the semifinals of the MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 tournament...
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Bears rally past Puxico, to face Advance in final (2/23/23)BLOOMFIELD — The top-seeded Greenville Bears used a strong fourth quarter to overcame a fourth-quarter deficit and rally past No. 4 Puxico 53-44 in the first of two Class 2 District 3 semifinals Wednesday night. The Bears will face the second-seeded Advance Hornets for the district championship Friday night. Advance downed Oran 54-45 in Wednesday’s other semifinal...
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MILESTONE WIN: Risco’s Brandon Blankenship picks up 300th victory with win over Neelyville (2/21/23)RISCO, Mo. — A game of runs ultimately favored Risco on Friday as longtime head boys basketball coach Brandon Blankenship picked up his 300th career victory with an 86-83 win over Neelyville. Risco (15-12) used a balanced attack against Neelyville (13-12), as Layden Kellum (24) and Sammy Smith (21) to combined for 45 points...
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Risco, Clarkton, Naylor advance in C1D1 tournament (2/21/23)GIDEON – Monday's Class 1 District 1 boys basketball tournament pitted six area programs against each other at the Gideon High School Field House. (2) Risco vs (7) North Pemiscot In game one, the Risco Tigers played the North Pemiscot Mustangs for a spot at Wednesday's semifinal matchups...
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District playoff tournaments preview: Why not Van Buren? Bulldogs set sights high (2/18/23)Tipping off Monday, the newest edition of the state high school basketball postseason will begin with the boys taking center stage. A number of area teams will begin their quest in first-round contests while a small group has been awarded byes into the semifinals with only two wins needed to advance to their respective sweet 16s. ...
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Lady Mules pull away late for win at North County (2/18/23)BONNE TERRE, Missouri — The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules got a big game from Madelyn Eads and pulled away in the second half for a 52-35 win over the North County Lady Raiders Friday night. Poplar Bluff (11-13) led just 19-18 at halftime, but extended its lead to 34-28 after three quarters. However, the fourth quarter belonged to the Lady Mules, who outscored host North County 18-7 to come away with the win...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Lady Redbirds get big win over Kennett (2/14/23)ELLSINORE — The East Carter Lady Redbirds got 29 points from Brooklyn Kearbey and took a resounding 68-46 victory over the Class 4 Kennett Lady Indians Monday night “Kennett is a more physical team than we’re used to and that’s something we need to get better at playing through,” said East Carter coach Angela Rodgers. “It was not one of our smoothest games, but I’m proud that we didn’t roll over.”...
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Higher seeds prevail on Tri-County Conference Tournament opening night (2/7/23)COOTER – Cooter, Risco, Holcomb and Delta C-7 all advanced as the higher seeds in the opening round of the Tri-County Conference Tournament Monday night. While the field is wide open right now, it's going to be a battle for the next two nights with plenty of parity between each team left in contention for the conference title...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Lady Whippets roll to big win over Sikeston (2/7/23)ELLINGTON — Kaylee King scored 19 points and the Ellington Lady Whippets never let up as they rolled to a 58-24 win over Sikeston Monday night. “We played well,” Ellington coach David Burrows said. “We were able to force some turnovers and get out in transition and finish inside.”...
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Win or go home: Tri-County Conference Tournament begins next week (2/3/23)The Tri-County Conference Tournament is nearly upon us once again, and this year there is sure to be plenty of close competition. While the bracket hasn't yet been decided, each and every team in contention, including Clarkton, Cooter, Delta C-7, Gideon, Holcomb, North Pemiscot, Risco and Southland, will have to fight ruthlessly to stay in the tournament every night...
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Holcomb takes conference matchup (and Risco’s homecoming) by storm (1/21/23)Armored with bright purple Nikes, the offensive power of Holcomb (8-8) senior Braiden Burk was not to be questioned from the moment he set foot on the court in Risco (6-9) Friday night in Holcomb’s 72-59 conference matchup triumph over the Tigers on their homecoming night...
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Senath-Hornersville holds off Risco in 83-80 homecoming victory (1/14/23)Senath-Hornersville (9-5) is on a five-game winning streak after hosting Risco (6-7) for the Lions’ intensely close homecoming game Friday night. Three of those five wins have come in the last week, all of which have come down to a combined six points...
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PREP ROUNDUP: Neelyville downs Clearwater in battle of the Tigers (1/11/23)NEELYVILLE — The Neelyville Tigers defeated the Clearwater Tigers 93-69 at home Tuesday night in an Ozark Foothills Conference contest. Preston Goodnight led Neelyville’s scoring with 21 points, with Casen Stephens putting in 17 points in the victory...
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DONETTES 2, EAST CARTER 0: Doniphan beats Lady Redbirds in rematch of LRCC final (1/10/23)ELLSINORE — Nineteen days after the Doniphan Donettes and East Carter Lady Redbirds battled for the Lady Royals Christmas Classic title, the two squads met Monday in a key Ozark Foothills Conference battle. And for the second time in 19 days, the Donettes emerged victorious, this time by a score of 59-49 in a battle of two of the area's best girls basketball teams...
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Mules win opener at Route 66 Shootout (12/17/22)WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — The Poplar Bluff Mules had three players in double figures and steadily pulled away after halftime as they defeated the St. Louis Blue Knights 63-49 Friday at the opening day of the Route 66 Shootout. The Mules led just 23-18 at halftime, but outscored St. Louis 20-14 in the third quarter to take an 11-point lead (43-32) by the start of the fourth quarter...
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Healthy (finally) Risco proving competitive early this season (12/14/22)The Risco High School boy’s basketball squad got back on the right track on Tuesday with a convincing 100-25 win over North Pemiscot in the consolation semifinals of the Clarkton Holiday Tournament.
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High School boys basketball roundup, Dec. 6: Oran beats Risco by a dozen on the road (12/7/22)Oran (3-1) defeated Risco (1-3) 74-62 victory on Tuesday night. Oran hosts Scott City at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, while Risco plays at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Delta C-7.
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Holcomb Invitational opening night sees close competition, multiple near-upsets (11/29/22)This week's Holcomb Invitational Tournament is proving to be not just many players' first venture into varsity basketball, but it's also a test that will shed a glimpse into what the season might look like come February. Monday night brought about four games that all finished within a ten point margin and the tournament could be anyone's to claim...
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Holcomb Invitational opening night sees close competition, multiple near-upsets (11/29/22)Holcomb hosts Bernie, Bloomfield, Campbell, Risco, Twin Rivers, Puxico and Neelyville at the Holcomb Invitational Tournament Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
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MSHSAA announces basketball districts (11/19/22)
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MSHSAA announces winter district assignments (11/18/22)Districts for winter sports were released on Friday morning, with New Madrid County Central dropping to Class 3 for the 2022-23 season. NMCC finished third in Class 4 last season and return juniors Jadis Jones and AJ Ruff while junior BJ Williamson also returns after missing last season...
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C2D2: Greenville, Charleston ready to lock horns again (10/19/22)It is a nice way to get the postseason volleyball tournaments started with a good-ole fashioned rematch — especially one that could offer some drama. Clearwater, who defeated Greenville in four competitive sets only recently, will get a chance to ward off the Lady Bears when the two square off in a 4-5 match at Saxony Lutheran 5 p.m. Thursday in Class 2 District 2 action...
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Longtime MSHSAA baseball official steps away from the plate (6/27/22)If you really want to know the origins of Joe Baldwin passing judgment on pitchers’ accuracy throughout Southeast Missouri, you’d have to go all the way back to the dusty dirt fields of the Marston Little League in the early 1960s.
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MSHSAA official Joe Baldwin (6/27/22)Various photos capture longtime MSHSAA sports official Joe Baldwin in action throughout his career.
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Oran lands five on All-Class 1 District 2 softball team (5/19/22)The Oran Lady Eagles had five players named all-district after the team claimed the MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 title. Sophomore Molly Spane was selected as a pitcher. She earned complete-game wins in the semifinal and championship with 21 total strikeouts...
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Champs Again: Oran captures second straight C1D2 title with win over Risco/Gideon (5/12/22)ORAN, Mo. — Top-seeded Oran withstood a tough test and a late rally from third-seeded Risco/Gideon to win its second consecutive MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 Championship at Oran High School on Wednesday, May 11. The Lady Eagles (14-5, 3-1 Scott-Mississippi Conference) jumped out to a controlling lead but the Lady Tigers (17-12, 5-1 Tri-County Conference) refused to go down without a fight...
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Risco/Gideon takes out Bernie in semifinals of C1D2 Tournament (5/11/22)ORAN, Mo. — Third-seeded Risco/Gideon avenged an early-season loss with a 14-5 win over second-seeded Bernie in a semifinal of the MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 Tournament at Oran High School on Tuesday, May 10. The Lady Tigers (17-11, 5-1 Tri-County Conference) led the entire game and pulled away late from the Lady Mules (16-13, 3-1 Stoddard County Activities Association). It was the first game of the tournament a lower-seeded team came away victorious...
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C1D2 Softball Roundup: Delta, Risco/Gideon and Bernie win big in opening round (5/10/22)ORAN, Mo. — Fourth-seeded Delta made quick work of fifth-seeded Campbell with a three-inning 18-0 victory in the first round of MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 Tournament on Monday, May 9, at Oran High School. The Ladycats (7-5 2-1 Scott-Mississippi Conference) pounced on the Lady Camels (3-10, 1-2 Tri-County Conference) putting the game out of reach in the blink of an eye...
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Southeast Missourian prep box scores, results for May 9 (5/10/22)Chaffee (10-11) - Batting: Carson Spies (Hit), Conner Berry (Hit). Pitching: LP - Kade Atkins (2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K). Saxony Lutheran (11-5) - Batting: Jacob Johnson (2-2, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 Runs), Aaron Eubanks (3-3, 2B, RBI, Run). Pitching: WP - Drew Hahs (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K)...
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Baseball Roundup, April 6: Late rally helps Meadow Heights pick up fifth win in a row (4/6/22)With Meadow Heights trailing visiting Delta 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman Braeden Hays drove in the tying run followed by a two-run error that gave the Panthers the eventual winning run helping Meadow Heights win its fifth straight game against Delta Wednesday 6-4 at Meadow Heights High School...