High School Sports

PERRYVILLE, MO. – Third-year Perryville football coach Blane Boss has waited a while to see what Evan Daugherty could do on the football field. He found out just how solid the junior Pirate athlete is this week.

Participation is sky-high for the Campbell Camels volleyball program coming off its strongest season in recent history last year. “We’ve got more than 20 out for volleyball this season,” Campbell fourth-year volleyball coach Gentry Vancil said. “Right now we are looking at nine playing on varsity and 12 on junior varsity. “We’ve got a lot to live up to because we’ve got a lot of good girls returning."...

With players sitting on the turf at Bobby Strenfel Field following their first practice of the season Monday morning, Poplar Bluff softball coach Lisa Boyer laid out her expectations of them. Heading into her 15th season as head coach of the program, Boyer, who will retire at the end of the school year, was presiding over her final first practice...

A new season brings about change for Poplar Bluff’s tennis and volleyball programs that have new head coaches this fall. Aimie Simmers takes over the Mules volleyball program while Missy Cox is the new coach for the girls tennis team as they opened practice this week...

The Holcomb Hornets volleyball program is blessed with experience entering the 2019 season. Holcomb has three seniors and five juniors on its varsity roster. Five of the eight players saw significant playing time on last season’s varsity squad that finished 10-16-4 and won Class 1, District 1...

Summers are supposed to be centered on beaches, baseball, and barbecue, but certainly NOT biology. However, when you are a student-athlete at Southeast Missouri State, summer may mean several things, but classwork IS a part of it.

The official start of the MSHSAA cross country season was Monday so Saxony Lutheran first-year coach Max Weiser has been having his athletes be on the run, literally.

NEELYVILLE — Cindy Siebert's first year as a head coach hopefully won’t include recruiting in the hallways. After three years as an assistant for the Neelyville softball team, and taking last year off from coaching after having a baby, Seibert has taken over the head coaching job for the Lady Tigers...

NEELYVILLE — Depending on how you figure it, Neelyville returns anywhere from seven to 11 starters. “We lost two seniors that played quite a bit but we started 10-11 of these guys at some point last year, so we’ve got a good chunk returning, and then we got a pretty good freshmen class coming in,” Neelyville coach Tyler Thompson said. “We’ve got to obviously get better on the mound from where we were last year, but pretty much everyone who pitched last year has varsity experience this year.”...

Like any shopper, the Poplar Bluff Mules football program couldn’t pass up a good deal and will sport new jerseys this season. “We were talking about getting new uniforms and we were going to try to incorporate a new set into what we already had,” Mules coach David Sievers said. “Adidas had a real sweet deal so we decided to jump in with both feet.”...

PIEDMONT — Clearwater returns seven starters from a team that went undefeated last fall and won the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament. However, the two starters they lost were big losses. Two of the Tigers’ four seniors last season were Heath Ayers and Jesse Holmes, who were the team’s top two pitchers as Clearwater went 12-0 and outscored opponents 141-18...

In some regards, Cape Catfish pitcher Bryan McNeely had a typically solid outing in Tuesday’s Prospect League Championship Series Game 3 against Chillicothe at Capaha Field.

PIEDMONT — When the current seniors were freshman, the volleyball team wasn’t great. Clearwater won three matches that season, and just eight individual sets. But every year has gotten incrementally better and the Tigers have a chance for their first winning season since 2014...

The two-time defending district champion Malden Green Wave volleyball program enters the 2019 season looking to adopt a new style of play after graduating most of its power hitters. “We are a totally different team this season,” Malden coach Brittany Crane said. ...

ELLSINORE — East Carter opened last season’s Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship on a great note. The Redbirds took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against undefeated Clearwater after Alex Kearbey stole home. The Tigers tied it up in the bottom frame, and both teams scored a second run in the fourth. It was still tied at 2-all in the sixth, but East Carter committed three errors and lost 7-2 to finish the fall season 17-6...

ELLSINORE — Last year, the softball team talked about having a two-year plan with the goal of reaching state. The talk was reasonable, with a strong junior class and only one senior, the Lady Redbirds had a window that was getting more open by the day...

The Boles family will never forget their annual trip to Evansville, Indiana, in early July 2018. Dexter junior Ryder Boles made a startling discovery while in the bathroom of his family’s hotel room. “I kind of felt something there, a lump or something,” Ryder said. “I just notified my parents. It was like there’s something there. I don’t just want to leave it alone. I want to know if it’s actually something or not.”...

Southeast Missouri State senior inside linebacker Zach Hall doesn’t lack for notoriety and with good reason.

Determined and hard-working describe Dexter senior Margo Nea. Nea won an all-state medal in track and field last season and qualified for the state cross-country meet for a second straight season. However, she wants more, including a scholarship to run cross-country and track at the collegiate level...

The Bloomfield volleyball team may not play a home match until October because of ongoing construction at the high school gymnasium. One home match has already been moved. The Wildcats will travel to Essex to face Richland on Sept. 10. Home matches against Cape Central (Sept. 19), Dexter (Sept. 24) and Notre Dame (Sept. 27) will likely be played on the road, according to volleyball coach Haley Silman...

Dexter resident Richard Jones became a repeat world champion recently. Jones, who plays for the Dudley Lightning, a Senior Softball USA major-rated slow-pitch team based in St. Louis, helped his team win its second straight Independent Sports Association Senior World Series on July 28 at Columbus, Indiana...

The Kennett Indians girls tennis program enters the 2019 season looking to continue a long-lasting tradition of winning district titles with a slew of newcomers. Kennett returns just two varsity starters off of last season’s squad that finished 13-1 and won its 12th straight district title...

As the Poplar Bluff Mules football team ran through a drill Monday afternoon a cloud and slight breeze gave temporary, but noticeable, relief from the heat. The opening day of fall sports for high schools in Missouri turned out to be one of the hottest of the year...

If the Cape Girardeau Central boys swim team doesn’t win its fourth consecutive MSHSAA state championship in early November, it won’t be because the Tigers didn’t attack this season with fervor. Veteran coach Dayna Powell had her guys jumping into the Central Municipal Pool at 12:01 a.m. Monday, just seconds after the official start of the high school fall sports season.

Volleyball schedules are set for Dunklin County volleyball squads. Senath-Hornersville, Holcomb, and Southland open their season Aug. 30. Holcomb visits Southland Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Senath-Hornersville visits North Pemiscot Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Campbell, Kennett, Clarkton, and Malden play their first game Sept. 3. Campbell visits Kennett Sept. 3 at 6 p.m., Clarkton hosts Cooter Sept. 3 at 6 p.m., and Malden hosts Hayti Sept. 3 at 6 p.m...

GREENSBORO, NC — Twenty-three members of the Southeast Missouri Swim Club recently competed at the AAU Junior Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 12 members of the boys’ team finished 18th as a team with a score of 52 points, and the 11 members of the girls’ team finished 15th with 50 points...

SIKESTON — The wait is over. On Monday, another season of Sikeston football begins, as the first practice of the season is set for the Bulldogs. Terry Flannigan returns to the sidelines for Sikeston, after previous head coaching stops at Scott City and Chaffee...

EDITOR’S NOTE: This game was full of ups and downs. The three overtime periods proved how badly the Bearcats wanted to win this game. Just when Ste. Genevieve grabbed the momentum, the Bearcats would make a big play on defense. The Bearcats won the battle up front, gaining 346 yards of total offense and holding an almost 2-to-1 advantage in time of possession. This game ranks No. 1 on the Dexter Statesman's list of the top 10 games for the 2018-19 school year.

Dexter High School senior Margo Nea earned a pair of top 10 finishes in a national track and field meet last week in North Carolina. Nea and classmate Cole Barker, who are members of the Cleats of Fire track program in Poplar Bluff, competed in the 2019 AAU Junior Olympics in Greensboro. The pair competed in a combined seven events.

An old tradition was delivered by fresh faces this season. In its final practice before the dead period where teams aren’t allowed to practice, the Poplar Bluff football team was treated to a feast of watermelons. “The watermelons were delicious,” said Poplar Bluff senior lineman Dylan Wells, who ate an entire watermelon by himself. “I’m going to take two home and there’s going to be one for my family and one for me.”...

BROSELEY — Twin Rivers recently filled its vacant softball head coach role. Ryan Medlin — a Jackson native — will serve as the new coach while filling in as a substitute teacher in the school district. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to lead a quality program,” Medlin said...

BELL CITY — Luke Nichols wants to make a name for himself at Bell City High School. His older brother, Cole, helped the Cubs baseball team win three straight state championships from 2015-17. His older sister, Haley, who graduated in the spring, played volleyball and ran track. She reached the sectionals in the 100-meter dash and the 100 hurdles after top-three finishes in the district meet last season...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. – The distance between the practice field at St. Vincent and the game field is only a few hundred feet, but second-year Indian football coach Tim Schumer measures it in years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Hornets had won back-to-back district championships entering the season but lost in the sectional round both times. Despite incurring injuries to a pair of starters during the season, they rolled to another district title. They defeated Valle Catholic and Bernie in the sectional tournament to qualify for the final four...

The Bloomfield boys basketball roster took a hit this spring. Eight players graduated from that roster, leaving only four with varsity experience. The Wildcats lost three of their top four scorers: Travis McCullough (16.4 points per game), Malik Williams (7.9) and Carson Blair (7.7)...

SIKESTON — Every summer, coaching changes tend to occur. In the area, there will be multiple new faces on the sidelines for their respective programs. At Sikeston, Terry Flannigan returns to the Bulldogs football team, after his previous stint at Chaffee. He replaces Kent Gibbs who, after 12 years with Sikeston, heads to Cape Central...

The Senath-Hornersville Lions softball program didn’t look far to find its new head coach. Assistant coach Melani Rooney will be the new head softball coach at Senath-Hornersville for the 2019-20 school year. “I’m super excited about it,” Rooney said. “I have had an interest in being a head coach for some time if the opportunity ever presented itself.”...

The Perryville football program hadn’t had much success when Blane Boss took over as the Pirates’ head coach prior to the 2017 season. And the brutally honest young coach didn’t make things any easier on the Pirate student-athletes.

Varsity football schedules are set for schools in the Missouri Bootheel less than six weeks before the start of the 2019 season. Kennett, Malden, Hayti, and Caruthersville have no changes to their schedules. All four programs will play the same schools in the same order as last season...

A few weeks before the start of the 2019-20 school year the Senath-Hornersville Lions girls basketball program is headed to Branson, Missouri, to fine-tune its skills under a new head coach. Senath-Hornersville is scheduled to play two scrimmage games on Wednesday, four games on Thursday, and three games on Friday under new head coach Nicki Pierce...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Bearcats expected big things last season, including a trip to the final four. They featured six seniors, including all-stater Chaylea Mosby. Head coach Chad Allen had never had a roster with so many seniors in his 12 years leading the program and his team had won eight consecutive district championships during that stretch. This game ranks No. 3 on the Dexter Statesman's list of the top 10 games for the 2018-19 school year...

The Dexter girls basketball team used the summer to test its young roster against varsity competition. The Bearcats lost six seniors from a team that went 19-9 and reached the championship game of the Class 4 District 1 tournament last season. Three-time all-stater Chaylea Mosby, 6-foot-1 Rylee Allen, Keirstan Keirsey, Maycie Martin, Maci McBride and Natalie Sitze graduated in May...

Less than two years after the Cape Central Junior High School athletic facilities were named after Terry Kitchen, the Cape Girardeau School District school board went a step further Monday, approving a resolution to rename the entire building after the former Central athlete, longtime coach and athletic director...

The Scott County Post 389 Junior Legion baseball squad is now on its way to AA Regional Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama beginning Thursday. However, its journey began with quite the audacious first step.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. — East Prairie head football coach Chad Jamerson patrolled the sidelines at the 43rd Missouri Lions All-Star football game on Saturday, in Warrensburg, Mo. Held at UCM Walton Stadium, five Southeast Missouri individuals represented the Gold team on Saturday...

Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate Chancey Hughes will attend Colby Community College in Kansas on a basketball scholarship. "It feels great to have my schooling paid for and not have to worry about it," Hughes said. "Colby is known for basketball, and the head coach (Rusty Elmore) reminds me of my old coach, Drew Church. It also has a family-type environment similar to Cape, and it's a school that'll help me focus."...