Southeast Missourian

It was a rainy Thursday in Southeast Missouri, and many of the day's games got postponed or canceled. But for Meadow Heights, searching for a response to a tough loss earlier this week, the Panthers got it against Bloomfield. BB: Meadow Heights 5, Bloomfield 0...

This season the Cape Central Tigers golf team has reached new heights. The Tigers have consistently posted their best team scores since coach Scott Sanders took over the program eight years ago. “What’s even sweeter is all of these guys are coming back next year,” Sanders said. ...

A Hasz is once again one of the top performers on the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders golf team. Last year, it was Michael Hasz, this year it is Michael’s brother Thomas, following in his shoes and pacing the Crusaders this season, Hasz, a junior, is already making great strides as a golfer and has been impressive this season for Saxony Lutheran...

It was a tame Wednesday in the Southeast Missourian coverage area, but that didn't apply to Perryville as it dismantled a tough Meadow Heights team. Scoring 11 runs in the first three innings, the Pirates got the headliner after putting the hurt on a Panthers team that's had its way with local squads this year...

The Semoball Awards finalists for fall sports were announced Wednesday morning on a selection show broadcast live on SEMO ESPN Radio and streamed on the Semoball.com Facebook page. The finalists were selected by a sports panel made up of representatives from the Southeast Missourian, Standard Democrat, Dexter Statesman, Daily American Republic and Delta Dunklin Democrat...

On a busy Tuesday in the Southeast Missourian coverage area, it was Jackson who came away with one of the wildest wins of the year in a thriller at Kennett. Down a run in the seventh, the Indians scored a pair and got one more in the eighth to put away Kennett's upset bid...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team (21-20) returned to above .500 on the season after a 8-5 win over Southern Illinois on Tuesday, April 23, at Capaha Field. The Redhawks have now played SIU twice, Murray State twice and Missouri once on the road, and have won all five games. For them, playing their rivals means something different, as shortstop Ben Palmer alluded to when he said, “there’s a different kind of energy when you get to the ball field.”...

Cape Central baseball coach Justin Lieser informed the Southeast Missourian that he has been told he will not return next season. The news comes with the SEMO Conference Tournament still to come as well as six regular season games before postseason play begins...

DEXTER - Advance/Bell City got past Dexter in varsity softball action on Wednesday at East Park in Dexter.

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — It was a good old-fashioned shootout at Meatte Park on Monday, with Portageville edging East Prairie 9-7 in a display of offensive fireworks. While both teams showcased firepower, the Bulldogs (21-6) ultimately had enough in the tank to outlast the Eagles (11-9)...

SIKESTON — Sikeston unleashed a long-awaited offensive onslaught, securing its first win of the season dominantly with a 14-2 victory over Class 2, No. 6 Chaffee on Friday, April 19. "Our offense finally came alive," said Sikeston's coach Wyatt Pratt. "We took great at-bats up and down the lineup."...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — It was a weekend of highs and lows for East Prairie softball, featuring a hard-fought district win followed by a mixed showing at the Dexter Swing Pink Tournament. The Lady Eagles (8-11-1) kicked things off Friday with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Twin Rivers Lady Royals (9-5) where strong defense and a clutch go-ahead double by Alison Miller propelled the team to victory...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — In a battle of district rivals with playoff-seeding implications, East Prairie turned a pitcher's duel with Twin Rivers into a statement win. Owen Knight dazzled on the mound, backed by timely hitting, as the Eagles (11-9) took down a tough Royals (10-5) squad, 6-1, on Friday, April 19...

From one game to the next, the Chaffee Red Devils went from the worst of times to the best of times. Chaffee (16-3) concluded last week being on the losing end of Sikeston’s first win of the season on April 19, and suffering injuries to key players that could lead to the derailment of a promising season...

In the decade spent seeing A.J. McCarron playing quarterback in the NFL, has he ever earned the reputation of one who could scramble or break off a run? The answer is likely no, but in the UFL, as a full-time starter, McCarron has been showing off the wheels lately and it’s led to him powering the St. Louis Battlehawks past the Memphis Showboats 32-17 on Saturday, April 20, in St. Louis...

There has been no shortage of stories published regarding the implementation of the new NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) philosophy within intercollegiate athletics over the past couple of seasons. However, recently-hired Gulf State Community College men’s basketball coach, and Advance native, Lane Below, said in his four years of coaching at the junior college level, the NIL isn’t a major issue.

Scott City, Chaffee, Woodland and Saxony Lutheran compete in a track meet on Tuesday, April 23, in Jackson, Mo.

Photos from Portageville's 9-7 win over East Prairie at Meatte Park on Monday, April 22, 2024.

Photos from East Prairie's 6-1 win over Twin Rivers at H.A. Jones Memorial Park on Friday, April 19, 2024.

Capaha Field is the jewel of Cape Girardeau sports. Nestled in the middle of Capaha field, it is home to the oldest amateur baseball team in America, an NCAA Division I baseball team, an exciting collegiate summer baseball team, numerous high school baseball games, and most recently, the Babe Ruth World Series. This old but enduring ballpark is active from mid-February through August...

Both the Jackson and Perryville baseball teams had the rare and special opportunity to play a game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Both the Pirates and Indians are enjoying winning seasons and scored wins against their Illinois counterparts at the home of the St. Louis Cardinals...

In 2009, most teenagers were obsessed with Miley Cyrus, beginning to get into Taylor Swift and Facebook (before the old farts ruined it), and spent hours honing their sports skills, not necessarily on the diamonds and courts across America, but in front of their TV screens playing Wii Sports. People who knew Lane Below could see even then, as a seventh grader at Advance Junior High, that he was different.

Chaffee defeated Oran 9-5 on Monday, April 22, in Oran, Mo.

Jackson defeated Collinsville 5-3 at Busch Stadium on Sunday, April 21, in St. Louis.

The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks baseball team hit the road for a three-game set against Tennessee Tech, a battle of two of the top teams in the OVC. Ultimately, a 4-3 loss on Sunday saw the Redhawks drop the series after the two clubs split the opening two games of the series...

Fans of the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks got their first taste of football in 2024 on Saturday. The Rowdy Bowl Football Spring Game featured the Redhawks’ roster divided into two teams; Team Make My Cap (SEMO Black) coached by Cape Catfish president and director of baseball operations Glenn Campbell and Team Arnold Insurance (SEMO Red) coached by Marcus Harris...

Perryville defeated Rowva-Williamsfield 9-1 on Saturday, April 20, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

It was a busy Saturday full of weekend action in Southeast Missouri, bring a bunch of local teams together. For Cape Central, it continued its dominant performance with wooden bats with an opening victory against Pattonville to make way for a daily split...

BENTON, Mo. — Jada Griggs isn’t afraid of a challenge.  The Kelly High School basketball standout recently signed to continue her athletic and academic at the University of Health Science and Pharmacy (UHSP) in St. Louis, a move that both excites and tests her desire for growth. ...

It was a fun Friday in Southeast Missouri as some power matchups resulted in some crazy results, including two of the top baseball teams in the area dueling. Scott City and Meadow Heights met on the Rams' home turf, and the hosts narrowly outdid the Panthers in a shutout effort to keep that big streak alive...

After a 3-0 win over Meadow Heights on Friday, April 19, the Scott City baseball team is now 5-0 in Capaha Field. The Rams have played four games in their home ballpark so far this season. At this point, “Cobbaha Park” is more like home to the Rams than their actual home field...

Scott City defeated Meadow Heights 3-0 on Friday, April 19, at Capaha Field.

Scott City defeats Woodland on Senior Day on Friday, April 19, in Scott City, Mo.

The ability to pounce on mistakes made the difference on Friday as the Oran Eagles downed the Notre Dame Bulldogs 8-3. “It was like a battle the entire game,” Oran coach Joe Bickings said. “We just grinded out at-bats and we grinded out in the field. I always tell them that pitching, defense and timely hitting wins games.”...

For the third consecutive day, play in Southeast Missouri was shortened due to weather concerns, but don't tell the Stoddard County Athletic Association teams that. Advance and Woodland softball got into one of the tightest battles of the season, and despite the Hornets winning tight, Woodland made a big statement on Thursday...

St. Louis native Clayton Keller was only a teenager when the Rams left the Show Me State after 20 years for greener pastures in Southern California. Nearly a decade later, he was a part of another franchise finale. Keller and the Arizona Coyotes played their final game in Arizona, winning 5-2 over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, April 17, at Mullet Arena in Tempe, Arizona...

“Saltwater croc mentality!” Those three words echoed from the home dugout throughout the Perryville baseball team’s 8-2 win over Windsor on Wednesday, April 17 in Perryville, Mo. Grant Smith became the first Pirate to hit a home run this season and it was so nice that he did it twice. It was fitting that Smith, who leads the Pirates with 15 RBIs, was the one to come up with the team’s newest motto...

This is the third of a four-part series on Ryan Flournoy as he prepares for the NFL Draft. In just two years, Ryan Flournoy left behind a legacy at Southeast Missouri State University. From the beginning of his collegiate football career at the University of Central Missouri to finding his way to Cape Girardeau where he made his mark, Flournoy now has a chance to be the highest-drafted player in Redhawks history at the 2024 NFL Draft...

Another slower day in Southeast Missouri with the after-effects of weather kept the scoreboard fairly light, but there was still ample to talk about. Starting with Advance softball, the Hornets made a big statement against a sizeable foe in Dexter in Wednesday's big SCAA-opening win...

ORAN, Mo. — Oran’s Senior Night fireworks came late, but they were worth the wait as Rylan Mills crushed a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning, blasting the Eagles (8-4) to a 10-0 run-rule win over the Advance Hornets (2-11) on Wednesday, April 17...

ORAN, Mo. — The hits, the runs, the cheers – it all came together for Oran on Wednesday, April 17. It was a night of celebration and a hint of bittersweetness as the Lady Eagles (7-2) celebrated Senior Night with a 16-1 win over the Charleston Blue Jays (1-9) at Oran High School...

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Ten years ago, Lane Below was named the Southeast Missourian Player of the Year in boys basketball and helped the Advance Hornets make it to the Class 2 quarterfinals. Wednesday, Below got his first head coaching job in the college ranks when he was named the coach at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City...

Photos from Oran's 10-0 win over Advance on Senior Night at Oran High School on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Photos from Oran's 16-1 win over Charleston on Senior Night on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Lots of teams couldn't take the field on Tuesday with the rainy Southeast Missouri weather, but the few that did had some big games and crazy results to go with them. For Oran baseball, it was a perfect day to put local teams on notice as the Eagles went into Saxony Lutheran's house and took the reins...

With half the UFL owned by FOX, the league is really nothing more than television product helping football starved fans to get through the weekend from March to June. After all, the USFL started playing all their games in one location and expanded in four locations. It’s also no wonder that three of those four hosting spots came with the merger...

Andy Sawyers won his 200th career victory as Southeast Missouri State head baseball coach as the Redhawks (19-18) paced the Racers of Murray State 15-8 in Murray, Ky. Caleb Corbin led the Redhawks with three hits, two home runs, and four RBIs. The Redhawks have hit 61 home runs as a team, which is good for second in the Ohio Valley Conference...

Last year, if you told Notre Dame’s Michael Bogdanovich he would be the singles SEMO Conference champion, I’m not sure he would have believed you. And that’s not because of a lack of talent, but because of the injuries he was battling through. His injury situation forced him to miss the majority of last season, but this year, he’s been healthy and able to compete...

Monday's warm weather brought a fun slate of baseball around the area, with one of the top area games coming in a showdown between small powers. Oran baseball's early scores were enough to hold off a late rally from Meadow Heights in a tight-knit battle on the Eagles' turf...

PERRYVILLE - 16 straight. That’s how many wins the Scott City Rams have strung together. For much of Monday’s contest with Perryville however, it appeared that streak was in jeopardy as the Rams rallied to beat the Pirates 7-5. “We wanted to come out and have a lot of energy,” Rams coach Skylar Cobb said. “We felt like it could be a trap game. That’s a good team we played. They came out and punched us in the face.”...

The Southeast Missouri State women’s tennis team have won back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships and enter the OVC Tournament at the top seed with a bye on Saturday, April 20, in St. Louis. “It’s kind of a relief,” Redhawks coach Mary Beth Gunn said on the SEMO Scramble, hosted by Rusty Hendricks and Semoball’s Clay Herrell. “You work hard for this every day starting in August so it’s a relief when you have these goals and you’re able to accomplish what you set out to do.”...

MALDEN, Mo. — Portageville emerged victorious at the Malden Invitational Tournament this past weekend, showcasing potent offense and resilient pitching. The Lady Bulldogs (13-6) strung together a series of impressive wins, culminating in a dramatic walk-off championship victory...

MALDEN, Mo. — Portageville racked up multiple run-rule victories before a hard-fought loss in the finale of the Malden Invitational Tournament this past weekend.  “We obviously didn’t have the finish we wanted, but overall we had a great weekend,” said Portageville coach Tyler Trover. “Scott City is a very good baseball team. They are in the midst of an incredible season and are a well-deserving champion...

FARMINGTON, Mo. — Sikeston’s girls’ soccer team had a rollercoaster weekend, showcasing both impressive highs and challenging setbacks at the Fralish Cup in Carbondale, Illinois.  The Lady Bulldogs (6-6) kicked things off with a record-breaking 9-0 victory over Illinois Valley Central (0-10-1) on Friday, April 12...

BENTON, Mo. — Valle Catholic continued its unbeaten streak with a 10-0 win at Kelly on Monday, April 18. The Class 3, No. 3 Warriors (18-0) extended their impressive run, but the Hawks (7-8) showed resilience despite the loss. “You have to tip your hat to the Valle Catholic program,” said Kelly coach Josh Hopkins. “That’s a class act program, they do everything well and are very business-like. From the first pitch, you could tell that those guys came here to take care of business...

Photos from Valle Catholic's 10-0 win at Kelly on Monday, April 15, 2024.

With another busy Saturday in the area, a couple of big tournaments came to a head including a high-flying finish from Meadow Heights in the Oak Ridge Invitational. The Panthers, blazing a trail this season, dominated the hosting Oak Ridge Bluejays from start to finish to go undefeated...

There was a column on Semoball not too long ago stressing the importance of corralling the area’s top talent to bring the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team back to conference contention. Redhawks head coach Brad Korn tried to recruit Cam Williams when he was a star senior at Cape Central last year. He chose to go the junior college route and now has Division I options in conferences rated much higher than the Ohio Valley Conference...

The St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1) to a share of first place in the XFL Conference with a 31-24 road win over the San Antonio Brahmas (2-1) 31-24 on Sunday, April 14, in San Antonio, Texas. “It’s big,” Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron said during his postgame press conference. “To be able to have back-to-back wins within the division is big. We’re a 64- or 65-yard field goal away from being 3-0.”...

On the day the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks celebrated Masters Sunday at Capaha Field, the Redhawks baseball team channeled their inner Tiger Woods with pure domination while wearing Sunday red. The Redhawks cruised to a 12-2 win over the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Sunday to take the rubber match of the three-game series...

The Poplar Bluff Mules baseball team used strong pitching and a pair of big innings at the plate to roll to a 10-1 win Friday over the Cape Central Tigers in a SEMO Conference contest at Strenfel Field. First of all, the Mules (12-5) got a strong pitching performance from starter Noah Spain. The hurler started and pitched six innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out six and walking none. Dylan Hall tossed a hitless, scoreless seventh inning to secure the win...

After a slower slate the day before, Friday action in the area ramped up for a packed day of local high school baseball and softball action. For Scott City diamond sports, it was a day to remember as baseball (17-1) and softball (9-4) went 4-0 in the opening day of their respective Malden Tournaments...

For the fourth straight year, the Notre Dame Bulldogs won the SEMO Conference tennis championship. The Bulldogs posted a team score of 24.5 to finish 15.5 points ahead of the second-place Jackson Indians on Friday at Notre Dame Regional High School...

Following a Wednesday downpour, it was a quiet Thursday in the area as just a handful of teams contended in a typically packed slate. For Scott City baseball (15-1), it became 11 wins in a row as the Rams eked out a walk-off 3-2 victory against the Kelly Hawks on Thursday night...

It took three seasons and three different versions of spring football, but Mataeo Durant made Battlehawks history. Prior to St. Louis’ 27-24 win over the Arlington Renegades this past weekend, the Battlehawks never had a 100-yard rushing game. Not during the pre-pandemic XFL 2.0, nor the Rock-solid XFL 3.0...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — With every carry, Jamarion Smith is out to prove something. Few could have predicted the meteoric rise of Portageville running back, but after a quiet start to his high school career, an engine that never quits and tireless drive transformed him into a record-breaking force...

Cape Central football coach and Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Kent Gibbs added another honor to his resume. Gibbs was awarded the Gerald Linneman Lifetime Achievement Award at the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) Conference last weekend...

By defeating Sikeston 4-0 on Tuesday, April 9, at Bill Lawson Memorial Field in Sikeston, Mo, the Cape Central girls’ soccer team did something that hasn’t been done this late into the season since 2021. Have a winning record. Cape Central’s previous two games against Kelly and Sikeston were won by a combined score of 12-0. ...

SIKESTON — Cape Central secured a decisive 4-0 victory over Sikeston in a SEMO Conference clash at Bill Lawson Memorial Field on Tuesday, April 9. The match began as a back-and-forth affair, but the Lady Tigers (4-3-0) intensity ramped up as the game progressed, ultimately overwhelming the Lady Bulldogs’ (4-5-0) defense...

A handful of local schools participated in the Ste. Genevieve Golf Tournament on Wednesday, with Dexter taking the crown with a 322 team score. taking part in a field of 20 teams, St. Vincent, Perryville and Saxony Lutheran joined Dexter on Wednesday with both St. Vincent and Perryville placing among the top 10 teams...

Photos from Cape Central's 4-0 win over Sikeston at Bill Lawson Memorial Field on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

After defeating Bernie 11-4 on Tuesday, April 9, the Rams (14-1) have not only won all four games at Capaha Field this season but by a combined score of 42-7. As far as the Rams are concerned, they play in "Cobbaha Field."

Despite a cloudy, overcast radar showing uncertainty for a packed Tuesday slate, local teams played on for a busy day in Southeast Missouri. Part of a historic rivalry series, Jackson (11-3) made it eight consecutive victories over Cape Central (3-13) with a dominant 11-0 victory in five innings on Tuesday...

This is the second of a five-part series on Ryan Flournoy as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Ryan Flournoy is inching ever closer to fulfilling his lifelong dream of being drafted to the NFL, but, the dream had to start somewhere. For Flournoy, it began when he was five years old...

For a guy who became a multimillionaire playing baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals at a legendary level, Adam Wainwright’s music resonated more with the humble lifestyle of his venue. The former pitcher performed as the headliner of a country music concert on Monday, April 8, in Chaffee, Mo., as hundreds of spectators converged at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In to witness a total solar eclipse...

A four-goal second half propelled the Jackson Indians girls soccer team over the Farmington Knights 5-0 on Monday at Jackson High School. Offensively, Jackson had a rather slow start in the first half with just one goal but put on a clinic in the second...

Scott City defeated Bernie 11-4 on Tuesday, April 9, at Capaha Field.

Chaffee defeated St. Vincent 13-1 on Monday, April 8, in Chaffee, Mo.

Saxony Lutheran defeated Risco on Wednesday, April 3, in Jackson, Mo.

Saxony Lutheran defeated Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 2, at Notre Dame High School

Notre Dame defeated New Madrid County Central 14-4 on Monday, April 8, at Notre Dame High School.

ST. LOUIS — Maarten Paes saved seven shots for FC Dallas and Roman Bürki notched five for St. Louis City as the two clubs played to a scoreless draw on Saturday night. Dallas (1-4-1) played without a couple of key players on offense — Asier Illarreamendi and Jesús Ferreira, who are both out with muscle injuries. The tie ends a four-match losing streak that tied a club record...

The St. Louis Battlehawks defeated the Arlington Renegades 27-24 in their home opener on Saturday, April 6, at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis.