Holcomb

GIDEON, Mo. - The top-seeded Bernie Mules and No. 2 seeded Gideon Bulldogs are set to collide in the Class 1, District 2 volleyball championship after both squads won their respective semifinals in straight sets Monday. Bernie was the first to punch its ticket in the title game. The Mules led most of the way in each set as it eliminated No. 4 seeded Clarkton 25-12, 25-16, 25-15 in the first semifinal...

CLARKTON - The No. 1 seeded Gideon volleyball team beat No. 2 seeded Holcomb in the third day of the 2020 Tri-County Conference Tournament Friday to clench its 11th consecutive varsity title. Gideon continued their streak with a win 25-18, 25-15, 25-11 at Clarkton High School, bringing their season record to 26-1-1...

Cape Central finally got the proverbial “monkey off their back” Thursday as they beat Notre Dame for the first time in over a decade, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-25, 17-15, in a five set thriller! Nine different Tigers got into the stat line, as Ella Vogel finished with 25 kills, seven blocks, and 11 digs...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has partnered with HomeTown Ticketing to serve as the official digital ticketing partner for MSHSAA state championship events this fall. Digital tickets will also be an option for all other playoff contests, at the discretion of the host manager...

The longtime defending champion Gideon Bulldogs are once again favored to win the Tri-County Conference varsity volleyball tournament. Gideon, which has won the tournament each of the last 10 seasons, is the No. 1 seed at its conference tournament that begins Tuesday at Clarkton High School...

The semifinals are set at the Campbell Fall Baseball Classic after an exciting opening day Saturday. Four of the five games on Saturday were decided by three runs or less. No. 8 seeded Bernie beat No. 9 seeded Senath-Hornersville 8-5 in a play-in game Saturday morning. ...

The bracket is set for the 2020 Campbell Fall Baseball Classic. The nine-team tournament begins Saturday at Campbell High School and Malden High School. No. 8 seeded Bernie takes on No. 9 seeded Senath-Hornersville Saturday at 10 a.m. at Campbell in a play-in game. The winner plays No. 1 seeded Campbell Saturday at noon in a quarterfinal. The loser of the Bernie/Senath-Hornersville contest is eliminated from the tournament...

Blake Wagster went 2 for 3 with a double, three RBIs and four runs scored to lead the Bloomfield baseball team a 15-0 rout of Risco on Monday at Bloomfield. Will Thorn went 2 for 3 with three runs scored and one RBI, as part of Bloomfield’s seven-hit attack...

A veteran Gideon Bulldogs volleyball squad is learning how to adapt to lineup changes quickly and utilize its depth to its advantage in 2020. “We lost one of our starting middle hitters during PE on Friday,” Gideon volleyball coach Kristen Ashabranner said. ...

There is a reason why Kennett football coach Joel Wyatt is an extraordinarily successful coach and not a member of the media or even a fan, per se. His task is to focus on the here and now, not some possible, but not definitive opponent off into the future. However, the Indian Nation – and the rest of the prep football fans (and media) throughout Southeast Missouri had to have had their interest piqued a tad when MSHSAA released its District assignments Monday.

HOLCOMB, Mo. - The Kennett Indians varsity volleyball squad fell behind early but enjoyed a strong finish as it hammered its way past nearby rival Holcomb 25-23, 25-23, 25-18 Monday night. “We finished things out when we needed to tonight,” Kennett coach Gentry Vancil said. “Holcomb has a great team. I know they are down some players just like us. But tonight was a good road win against a school that sometimes there is a little bit of a rivalry with.”...

Malden 6, Risco 0 Malden beat Risco 6-0 in Game 1 of a home doubleheader Saturday. Trey Miller pitched four scoreless innings and Easton Randl pitched three scoreless innings for Malden against Risco. Neither pitcher allowed a hit. Dylan Bader was 2 for 3 with one RBI and Carter Stewart was 2 for 3 with two RBIs against Risco...

HOLCOMB, Mo. - It took a late rally but the Twin Rivers Royals found a way to hand the Holcomb Hornets it first loss Tuesdady night. Twin Rivers rallied from a 5-0 deficit to edge Holcomb 15-12 in the decisive set as it won a five-set marathon 3-2. “We’ve been working really hard on being mentally strong,” Twin Rivers coach Whitney Edington said. ...

Jackson would get out to a quick start at home, winning the first set 25-19 over upstart Dexter Thursday night. The next set wouldn’t go as easy as the Bearcats would win the second set 25-21. But Coach Mirly would settle his girls down and would re-gain control the rest of the way, edging out Dexter in the third set 25-23 and would win going away in the final set 25-13 to open the new season with a win...

Holcomb dominates Hayti to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

The pieces appear to be in place for another big year for the Holcomb Hornets volleyball program following its deepest postseason run in school history last season. Holcomb returns most of its key contributors off of its 2019 squad that finished 18-13-2, repeated as district champions, and advanced to the Class 1 state quarterfinals for the first time...

There are now options for schools in Missouri to play sports at different points during the 2020-21 academic year. On Thursday morning, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Board of Directors announced, during a virtual meeting, the approval of a possible alternative schedule for its member schools...

Four years ago a group of Holcomb citizens began searching for a way to provide additional classroom resources to the teachers at their school district. “We met in 2016 and established the Holcomb Education Foundation in 2017,” Holcomb native Mark McClendon said. ...

Holcomb native Cayden Mitchell knew she wanted to speed down a dirt track when she was less than 10-years-old. “My dad has always been my best friend,” Mitchell said. “Growing up we always went and watched the races together at Poplar Bluff, Malden, and Paragould. I was drawn to it right away and wanted to do it. My dad got me started with drag racing, then we got in go-karts, and two years ago I started racing modified.”...

Holcomb graduate Ronnie Lewallen got his first taste of sports when he was still in elementary. “I was the bat boy for the final four team at Holcomb in the sixth grade,” Lewallen said. “Coach McCullough gave me a uniform and everything to be a bat boy. I liked being around the guys and got to practice with them and everything. I felt like I fit in and really liked that surrounding.”...

Each year the Semoball Awards recognizes outstanding high school athletes from around the region. That tradition continues this summer albeit in a different format because of lingering COVID-19 concerns and social distancing requirements.

Columbia, Mo. - The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Board of Directors voted to grant relief of portions of the MSHSAA By-Laws that include summer limits on contact between coaches and student-athletes at its April meeting on Thursday...

Host sites are set for most district tournaments if spring sports resume in Missouri. Missouri high schools remain out of session and all springs sports activities and practices are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indiana High School Athletics Association canceled spring sports in Indiana Thursday due to the VOVID-19 pandemic...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association issued an update regarding the status of spring sports amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday. “While schools across the state are determining the best course of action during this unprecedented time, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) office staff continues to prepare for Spring Championships,” MSHSAA said in a press release. ...

The preseason Missouri high school baseball state rankings were released Wednesday by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Six baseball teams from the semoball.com coverage area are state-ranked. Cooter, which placed third in Class 1 last spring and finished 22-1 in its fall campaign, is ranked No. ...

A slew of basketball players from the Missouri Bootheel have been named to all-district teams. Listed below are the boys and girls all-district basketball teams for Class 1, District 1; Class 2, District 1; and Class 3, District 1. Class 1, District 1 All-District Team...

The 2020 Bootheel Conference Boys Basketball Awards have been released. Campbell junior Blake Fowler has been selected all-conference and Bootheel Conference Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Fowler averaged 27 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals per game. He shot 82 percent from the free-throw line, made 64 percent of his 2-point shots, and knocked down 39 percent of his 3-pointers...

The Holcomb Hornets baseball program enters its spring campaign looking to build upon a 13-5 fall campaign. “We had a pretty decent fall,” said longtime baseball coach Darrin Shipman, who took over the Holcomb program at the start of the 2019-20 school year. ...

Spring sports for Missouri high schools will start as planned next week, MSHSAA announced Friday after releasing district assignments. "We re monitoring what is happening from the Missouri Department of Health, the Governor's Office, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education," MSHSAA said in a statement Friday...

Good Sports is a column appearing weekly in the Southeast Missourian and Semoball.com. The purpose is to get to know the people who impact the sporting life of our region in a more complete way. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity. Today: Chris Hahn, 30, head coach, Delta Bobcats boys basketball. ...

The 2020 Bootheel Conference Girls Basketball Awards have been released. Hayti sophomore Amiya Johnson has been selected all-conference and Bootheel Conference Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Johnson averaged 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and six steals per game as a sophomore...

The Holcomb Hornets softball program enters its 2020 campaign hoping for repeat success coming off its best season in school history in 2019. “We most definitely want to try to repeat our season last season,” Holcomb shortstop Bailey Cupples said. “We want to repeat as conference champs and put ourselves in a position to try to win the district.”...

The 2020 Tri-County Conference Boys Basketball Awards have been released. Cooter senior Jacob Watkins has been selected first-team all-conference and Tri-County Conference Basketball Player of the Year. Watkins, who scored 643 points his senior season, averaged 30 points per game in conference play and 25 points per game overall. He hit 122 3-pointers, brought down four rebounds per game, collected two steals per game, and averaged two assists per game...

St. Vincent (19-6) will advance to semi-final action in Class 2, District 3 at Bloomfield after a forty-point blowout over Puxico (8-16).

Five boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the final regular-season state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta (21-5), which is the No. 1 seed in Class 1, District 2, drops two spots to No. 9 in the Class 1 boys poll...

After a tight first quarter in which Notre Dame lead 13-12 after the buzzer the Bulldogs would outscore Carbondale (Ill.) 40-24 over the next three quarters pulling out 53-36 victory on the road. Notre Dame would hold the Terriers to just two points in the final period.

The postseason for MSHSAA basketball is nearing and the seedings and schedule for District play throughout Southeast Missouri were recently set.

Six boys basketball teams and three girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Thursday. Delta (19-4), which has won nine of its last 10, drops a spot to No. 7 in the Class 1 boys poll...

Gabby Nielson scored a game-high 33 points for the Campbell Camels (6-13) and outscored the Puxico Indians (0-16) by herself as the Camels picked up a 61-25 road victory on Monday.

CLARKTON, Mo. - The semifinals are set at the Tri-County Conference varsity boys basketball tournament after the top four seeds collected quarterfinal wins. No. 3 seeded Cooter (11-7) will take on No. 2 seeded Risco (12-9) Tuesday at 6 p.m. and No. 1 seeded Gideon (18-4) will take on No. 4 seeded Clarkton (10-11) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Both semifinals are slated to take place at Clarkton High School...

Puxico outscored Bloomfield in a home victory on Saturday, scoring higher than the Wildcats in every quarter. Ethan Helm scored six 3-pointers, scoring four within the first quarter. Helm contributed 20 points total to the Indians. Jamison Dodd gained 21 points for Bloomfield...

The stage is set for the highly anticipated Tri-County Conference varsity boys basketball tournament. The eight-team tournament takes placed Feb. 10-14 at Clarkton High School. Tri-County Conference regular-season champion Gideon (17-4), which has won its last 12 games and went 7-0 in conference play, has received the No. 1 seed...

Six boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball.com coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta, which had won nine straight as it beat Oak Ridge 105-86 in the semifinal of the Scott-Mississippi County Conference Tournament Friday, remains No. 6 in the Class 1 boys state poll. Oak Ridge (12-9) moves into the rankings at No. 10 in the Class 1 boys state poll...

Prep Roundup BOY’S BASKETBALL East Carter 72, Puxico 37 East Carter (14-7) parlayed a big second half into an easy win against Puxico (7-12). Ahead by eight at the break, the home team picked it up to the tune of 38-11 thereafter. Four Redbirds netted double-digits, led by Dalton Rudd with nineteen. ...

STEELE, Mo. - The Holcomb Hornets varsity girls basketball team dug itself an early hole for the second time in eight days against the Caruthersville Tigers Tuesday afternoon, Caruthersville, which jumped out to a 15-5 lead against Holcomb on Jan. 28, enjoyed an eight-point lead in the first half four times in the second meeting between the two squads...

Oak Ridge had to overcome a lot in its 61-60 boy’s basketball home victory over Oran Tuesday, not the least of which was a very strong Eagle team.

The Holcomb Hornets varsity girls basketball team established high exceptions for itself before the start of the 2019-20 season. “We sat down and wrote down a bunch of goals we wanted to achieve before the season started,” Holcomb coach Alexa Stockton said. “We’ve achieved some of our goals and not achieved others. But one of our goals was to win the regular-season Bootheel Conference championship.”...

Seven boys basketball teams and two girls basketball teams from the Semoball coverage area are ranked in the latest state poll released Wednesday by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Delta (16-3), which is unbeaten in the month of January, has moved up two spots to No. 6 in the Class 1 boys poll...