DDD Sports

KENNETT – The Kennett football program has been dominant for some time. In the past three seasons, the Indians have won 34 of its 38 games, and it appears that first-year coach Andrew Webster is leaving nothing to chance in maintaining that tradition.

Southeast Missouri State fans who can't use Houck Stadium' south grandstands due to recent safety concerns, take solace. Your stadium is getting a major upgrade. The 91-year-old venue was approved for construction Friday by the Missouri State Board of Governors, a pursuit that will be done in three phases...

Tom Matukewicz, the Southeast Missouri State head man who’s helped turn the Redhawks into a consistent Ohio Valley Conference contender, has had better years. The pandemic did no favors for SEMO and the 2020-delayed Football Championship Subdivision, opening the door for several key players to make the leap to the larger Football Bowl Subdivision, including new Auburn safety Bydarrius Knighten...

KENNETT – The home bleachers at Metz Cherry Stadium were overflowing for last Friday’s homecoming football victory over Caruthersville. The fans spilled out of the bleachers and lined the chain-link fence all the way past the entrance to the stadium at the south side of the field.

It’s going to be a tough row to hoe for the Cape Central girl’s tennis team in today’s SEMO Conference Tennis Tournament at Sikeston High School.

Junior forward Jace Boland scored two goals on Thursday to lead the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders over Farmington 4-2 on the road. Sophomore Luke Eggemeyer and junior Michael Hasz also produced goals while Max Richey and Landon Ochs each recorded two assists...

Cape Central coach Ryan Medlin and his Tigers picked up their eighth win of the season on Thursday, torching Jefferson 16-1 on the road. Junior leadoff hitter Ki Bogan had a whale of a game, going 4-for-5 in the contest with singles in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh innings. The junior drove in runs in the fifth and seventh frames...

The Dexter girls tennis team lost only three games en route to a 9-0 victory over Caruthersville on Thursday at T.S. Hill Middle School in Dexter. Leaha Koss, Nicole Rawlings and the doubles team of Lillie McMeans and Charlie Burkhalter recorded one win apiece in 8-1 losses to Julianna Rivera in No. 1 singles, Maci Comfort in No. 2 singles and Makenzie Mahy and Natalie Sells in No. 2 doubles, respectively...

The Scott City volleyball program, behind first-year coach Cindy Henry, has improved by leaps and bounds this season. The Rams have already matched their win total from a year ago by beating Sikeston at home Thursday, 3-1. Sophomore Alyssa Dirden’s eight kills and four aces along with junior Avarie O’Brien’s six kills led the Rams offense...

When Bryson Donnell isn’t using his feet to come off the edge of Southeast Missouri State’s defensive line, his hands are creating havoc in the interior. At 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, the versatile Donnell bears the aesthetic of a true defensive tackle, but his athleticism and innate nose for the football give him license to line up in different techniques. ...

Behind home runs from Ainsley and Hailey Burnett — as well as five RBIs from Ainsley — Notre Dame had little trouble with Festus on Wednesday, crushing the Tigers 13-1 in five innings. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom half of innings one and two, followed by one run scored in the third...

Cooper Callis (Jackson HS) matched a Southwest Baptist school record with six touchdown passes in a 62-41 loss to Findlay on Saturday. Callis was 30 for 40 passing for 450 yards and no interceptions. He found Jordan Kent (Jackson HS) eight times for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Callis completed passes to eight different receivers with Kent third on the team in total yards. Cameron Cox (Cape Central HS) also had a tackle for the Bearcats...

Jackson picked up its 11th victory of the season with a 7-2 triumph over Mehlville on Wednesday. Mia Foote, Lydia Weber, Avery Ford and Marissa Buehler all won both singles and doubles matches against Panther foes. Jackson (11-5-1) will play at 4 p.m. today against Cape Central...

The Perryville boys soccer team has been on a roll as of late, winning seven games in a row after suffering its lone defeat against Notre Dame on Aug. 31. Tuesday was no different, as the Pirates shellacked the Seckman Jaguars, 6-1, as part of the opening round of the Hillsboro Tournament...

Each week, I plan to take a look at the Semoball area's volleyball teams and rank them 1-10 based on how they improve or decline in play. These rankings are my personal opinion and are not official. 1. Woodland – Record: 12-3 – Wins last week: Saxony Lutheran, Advance, Dexter...

After Cape Central dropped its first set to Scott City on Wednesday, the Tigers turned on the heat, winning three sets in a row to beat the Rams on the road, (20-25), 25-22, 25-21, 25-18. Cape Central received a game-high 22 kills offensively from senior hitter Ella Vogel, while Ava Nelson added four kills and Madison Phelps contributed three...

Behind another solid all-around game from all-state hitter Addie Johnson, the Woodland Cardinals won their ninth out of 10 games on Tuesday, beating Cape Central in straight sets, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19. Johnson recorded 21 kills, 14 digs and had six ace serves...

The game of softball is often ever-changing. Just ask Chaffee freshman Reese Van Pelt. On Monday, Van Pelt gave up nine runs on 13 hits against East Carter, with her Red Devils losing 9-5. On Tuesday, Van Pelt pitched an absolute gem on the mound and led the Chaffee offense in hits, as the host Red Devils dismantled Saxony Lutheran 11-0 in five innings...

KENNETT – Throughout his highly successful athletic career, Kennett High School senior Tanner Duncan has faced a lot of challenges.

The Advance Hornets volleyball team lost its first match against a Class 1 school since 2017, dropping a 25-20, 25-19, 25-14 decision to Gideon on Monday night at Gideon. Valle Catholic beat the Hornets — who have won the past three Class 1 state championships — in two sets in the sectional round of the Class 1 state tournament in 2017...

Cape Central swept its tennis match on Thursday, beating Caruthersville 9-0. Four Cape Tigers shut their opponents out in singles competition, and two doubles teams shut out their opponents. Results Singles No. 1 — Jalee Spain won 8-0 No. 2 — Mackenzie Ramdial won 8-3...

The Jackson girls golf team played in two different varsity tournaments over the weekend, with the Indians winning the Rockwood Summit Invitational in Fenton, Mo., and taking second place in the Angel Classic at the Quarry at Crystal Springs in St. Louis...

——— CLASS 5 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 4 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 3 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 2 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 1 DISTRICT 1 --- A look at rankings from a 10-member panel of media members from around the state with current record, points based on votes with first place votes in parentheses and last week’s ranking...

The Dexter girls tennis team brought home a second-place trophy from the Kennett Invitational held Saturday at Kennett High School. Julianna Rivera and Maci Comfort received the top seed for the doubles tournament that featured players from Dexter, Kennett, Sikeston and Windsor (Imperial)...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. — It wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination for Scott City on Friday night, but Rams coach Jim May will take a win any way he can get it. Especially with three of his starters on the mend from injuries sustained in previous games...

KENNETT – Interim Kennett High School football coach (and defensive coordinator) Jim Tidd spent last week watching film of the Ste. Genevieve offense rack up points in abundance against his defense, though the Indians escaped with a 40-38 victory a week ago. So, when he filled in for Kennett head coach Andrew Webster, who had to miss Friday’s game at Metz Cherry Stadium against Caruthersville after being ejected a week earlier, Tidd was leaving nothing to chance in terms of keeping the program unbeaten this fall.

Dexter senior Gabby Brown won the Bismarck Cross County Invitational Saturday at Mineral Area College in Park Hills.. Brown completed the 3.1-mile course in 20 minutes, 32.25 seconds — 2.38 seconds short of equalling her personal-best time but beating second-place Katie Griffin, of Van Buren, by 16.62 seconds to win her second race of the season...

The Bernie Mules scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Campbell 3-2 Friday at Bernie. Landon Ellsworth was struck by a pitch to start the rally. Ellsworth advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Reece Justice’s single to right field...

The Advance Hornets swept district rival Leopold 25-14, 25-20, 25-14 Thursday night at Leopold. The Hornets and Leopold are members of MSHSAA Class 1 District 3. Advance will host the tournament in late October. No individual statistics were reported...

The Dexter Bearcats swept the doubles round to take command in a 7-2 victory over Arcadia Valley on Thursday at T.S. Hill Middle School in Dexter. Top-ranked singles player Julianna Rivera did not play in the singles round although she and Maci Comfort teamed up to Alyssa Glanzer and Elena Lara 8-4 in No. 1 doubles...

Behind goals from Sam Cairns, Timothy Kirby and Jonathan Brandtner, the Cape Central boys soccer team blanked Poplar Bluff 3-0 on Thursday. The Tigers outshot the Mules, 8-0, as the trio slipped goals past the Mules' goalkeeper. Cape Central starting goalkeeper Tad Couch went relatively unscathed, as the Tigers defense didn't allow a shot on goal during the entire match...

Moments into Kennett’s wild 40-38 win over Ste. Genevieve last Friday, Indian senior LaTrevion Thompson exhibited his athletic brilliance.

KENNETT — The Dexter volleyball team utilized aggressive serving, taking advantage of a struggling Kennett back row to sweep the Indians 25-17, 25-16, 25-15 Tuesday night at Kennett High School. The Bearcats served 17 aces with Carly Long recording 11 of those...

The Cooter baseball team scored three runs in the sixth inning to blow open a tight game and beat Bloomfield 9-3 Tuesday at Bloomfield. Cooter took a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but Bloomfield scored two in the bottom half to cut the lead to two...

Cape Central tennis coach Kevin Francis saw his team dominate the opposition on Tuesday, beating Charleston in all matches but one, 8-1. Taking single match wins were Emily Ford, Cammy Soto, Jalee Spain, Mackenzie Ramdial, and Sydnee Williams while the doubles teams of Ford and Soto, Spain and Ramdial and Rileigh Stevens and Zoe Mayfield were all victorious...

The Notre Dame girls golf team finished second in a quad match held at Dalhousie Golf Club while Cape Central finished fourth out of the four teams that competed. Massac County won the event, shooting an overall score of 172 while Notre Dame shot 189...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. — The Kennett volleyball team could not have started its game with host Scott City any worse on Monday night. The Indians dropped the first set 25-2, but coach Gentry Vancil was able reset her players, put the opening set in the rear-view and her team played much better despite ultimately surrendering the match in four sets...

The Saxony Lutheran boys soccer team performed well in the Hannibal Tournament — held on Friday and Saturday in Hannibal, Mo. — taking home third place in the two-day tournament. The Crusaders pounded Macomb on Friday, winning 8-0. Saxony Lutheran came back on Saturday and split two games. The Crusaders lost to Hickman 3-1 early in the day, but came back to defeat Southern Boone 4-1...

Behind some stout pitching by starter Samantha Waller, the North County Raiders took it to Chaffee, beating the visiting Red Devils 11.2 on Monday. Waller gave up two runs right off the bat in the first inning but put up zeroes the rest of the way, and the North County offense outhit Chaffee in the contest, 14-5...

Behind Grace Ozark’s nine kills and nine digs and Anna Thomason’s eight kills and six blocks, the Saxony Lutheran volleyball team pulled out a huge home victory over a talented Park Hills Central team on Monday, beating the Rebels in three sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18...

Notre Dame senior Megan Gullette was victorious again in No. 1 singles competition, defeating Jackson's Delaney Pipkin 8-4 on Monday in Jackson, Mo. Gullette picked up a second win, as she and No. 1 doubles partner Amina Hussein defeated Jackson's duo of Pipkin and Taylor Fehr 8-3...

--- CLASS 5 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 4 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 3 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 2 DISTRICT 1 CLASS 1 DISTRICT 1 --- A look at rankings from a 10-member panel of media members from around the state with current record, points based on votes with first place votes in parentheses and last week’s ranking...

When the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame inducted Three Rivers College basketball coach Gene Bess in 1983, he had 370 wins. As decades passed and Bess kept setting records, the irony of the outdated bronze tribute was not lost on the Poplar Bluff community...

As Southeast Missouri State kicker Kenny Doak lined up for a 47-yard field goal late in the second quarter Saturday, top-ranked Sam Houston was on its heels. The Redhawks -- playing a cleaner, more assertive brand of football than they did in a season-opening blowout loss to rival Southern Ilinois -- were moving the football on a defense chalked with All-Americans...

Julie Yankus doesn't tally career wins, but the 11th-year Southeast Missouri State volleyball coach is aware of some of the markers in her career. When the Redhawks take down Memphis, she remembers. It's been a trend in recent years, including Friday's five-set win over the Tigers at the SEMO Invitational...

Quarterbacks and linebackers zipping across Southeast Missouri high school football fields on Friday weren’t yet born. Most of Southeast Missouri State’s players were infants and toddlers. They’re aware of the magnitude of Sept. 11, 2001, the most somber day in American history, but didn’t experience the real-time shock and heartbreak of millions as smoke billowed from the Twin Towers...

DEXTER — Big plays were the recipe for success for the Dexter Bearcats and New Madrid County Central Eagles on Friday. In the end NMCC made more of them and recorded a 56-41 victory at Charles Bland Stadium. The Eagles made most of their noise on offense with the passing game...

STE. GENEVIEVE – Where to start when telling the story of Kennett’s 40-38 thrilling football victory at Ste. Genevieve on Friday.

The Holcomb Hornets scored three runs in the sixth inning and six in the seventh to beat Bernie 11-2 Saturday in the Bernie Wood Bat Round Robin. The Hornets led 2-1 entering the sixth and 5-2 entering the seventh. Nate Rhew secured the victory. He gave up two runs on three hits with 18 strikeouts and one walk in seven innings...

MALDEN — Malden quarterback Rylan Bell left the season-opener against Kennett in the second quarter with a rib injury and threw three interceptions with no touchdowns against Kelly in Week 2. Friday went better. Bell was 16 for 31 passing for 300 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to lead Malden to a 49-14 win over Charleston in the Green Wave's home opener...

CARUTHERSVILLE – Brad Gerling thought this chapter of his life had closed. He coached football at Caruthersville High School from 2005 to 2009, but after moving into an administrative role with the school system (he is currently the assistant superintendent), he had put his headset in the closet years ago. Ditto for former Tiger assistant coaches Brad Treece, Stacy Bradshaw, and Lee Bethune.

If there's an asterisk near Sam Houston State's recent national championship, it conveys circumstance more than the legitimacy of the Football Championship Subdivision power. The Bearkats - annually among the top FCS programs in the country - concluded a strange, truncated and pandemic-delayed 2020 season in May when they clipped South Dakota State 23-21 for the subdivision's crown...

Despite losing seven of the nine matches the Saxony Lutheran girls tennis team played in on Friday, head coach Amy Birk was pleasantly surprised on how her younger girls played in the tournament, "I am very proud of our freshman girls for holding their own against some good, experienced players," Birk said...

The Advance Hornets recorded their fourth sweep in four tries this season with a 25-18, 25-13, 25-21 victory over Arcadia Valley on Thursday at Ironton. No individual statistics were reported. The Hornets (4-0) will host Bell City in an SCAA match at 6 p.m. Monday at Advance High School...

The Eagle Ridge volleyball team improved its record to 5-0 on the season with a three-set home win over the Providence Classical Christian Academy (St. Louis) on Tuesday, winning 25-6, 26-7, 27-10. Coach Kristen Martin’s Eagles, led by outside hitter Rachel Margrabe, stormed out to a quick lead in the first set. Margrabe recorded a game-high 10 kills to go along with five aces in the contest...

Cooper Callis (Jackson HS) was 30 for 44 passing and threw for 289 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Southwest Baptist University on Saturday against Texas Permian Basin in a 24-16 loss. Callis was also the Bearcats’ leading rusher with 10 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown...

Playing video games is steadily becoming an accepted afterschool activity and a pathway to earn college scholarships. Sixty high schools are currently members of the Missouri Scholastic esports Federation (MOSEF), including Clearwater, East Carter, Richland-Essex, Advance, Farmington, Ste. Genevieve and Cape Central...

Anna Eaton produced 16 kills and served seven aces in the Bernie Mules’ 25-4, 25-18, 25-17 victory over Campbell on Tuesday night at Bernie High School. Piper Schoemehl delivered 15 assists and Mackenzie Powell had 15 digs. Bernie won the JV match 25-19 23-25, 15-12...

DEXTER — The undefeated Kennett Indians rolled to another lopsided victory Tuesday at T.S. Hill Middle School. The Indians won their first five matches to lock up a 9-0 victory and improve to 5-0 this season. They have dropped only one game over that stretch in an 8-1 win over Notre Dame...

HAYTI – The evolution of Hayti senior quarterback Tray’von Thomas continues, much to the pain of the Indian opposition this fall.

By BRIAN ROSENER Daily American Republic Jackson remained atop the state media football rankings in Class 5 on Monday while Hayti moved up a spot to No. 4 in Class 1. Jackson, the defending Class 5 champions, extended its winning streak to 16 games with a 42-0 win at Hillsboro on Friday night. The Indians have won 32 straight regular-season games, including 13 straight in SEMO North Conference play heading into Friday’s conference opener at Poplar Bluff (2-0)...

HAYTI – Hayti High School football coach Dominique Robinson hasn’t achieved what he has over five seasons with the Indians by tolerating lackadaisical play from his teams.

DONIPHAN — Jordan Jarrett ran for four touchdowns and Tanner Pierce threw for two more, all in the first half Friday night, as the Kennett Indians rolled past the Doniphan Dons 61-7. Jarrett, a senior, carried eight times for 113 yards and had his longest run of the night (62 yards) called back on a penalty...

KENNETT – Kennett High School senior Anelle Harris is never one to shy from the pressure of the spotlight, regardless of what time of year that it is.

As it turned out, having a dilapidated stadium was the least of the concerns on Thursday for the Southeast Missouri State football program.

The day Southeast Missouri State University athletic fans knew was coming has now arrived. Beloved Houck Field has reached its endpoint in its current state, and the timing could not have been worse. ...

NEW MADRID – If President Joe Biden feels he has had a rough go of it lately in his duties, he’ll get little sympathy from Portageville High School football coach Ian Penrod.

SIKESTON — Poplar Bluff’s streak of scoring two runs in the first inning ended after five straight games, but the Mules ended up jumping out to a two-run lead an inning later. Breann Thresher struck out a season-high nine, Lauren Webb drove in three runs and the Mules beat Sikeston 9-5 Thursday...

CHARLESTON - Less than 24 hours after securing a "good win,” according to veteran Kennett girl’s tennis coach Janet Hilburn, against MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 rival Notre Dame, the Indians improved to 3-0 on Wednesday with a 9-0 win over Charleston. The Indians only dropped one game in the nine matches and were paced by top singles player senior Annele Harris, who blanked Zion Jones 8-0.

Opportunity will eventually knock for Southeast Missouri State redshirt freshman defensive back Dony’e Taylor, however, it just won’t be on the first defensive possession of the 2021 season.

Second-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn has achieved a lot in his first 17 months on the job and he added to that Monday by successfully putting together a very challenging, but realistic 2021-22 schedule.

KENNETT – There are different ways to look at Kennett’s 3-0 volleyball win over Oran on Monday.

Meadow Heights started the first round of the Woodland Tournament on Monday with a straight-set victory over Greenville, 25-22, 25-19, and 25-16. The Panthers were led offensively by Halli Bollinger who recorded a game-high 11 kills to go with eight digs...

There are few businesses anywhere in the world that haven’t had to think differently over the past couple of years in this ever-changing environment that we are all immersed in, more than likely, forever. And Semoball.com is not immune to that. The website devoted to providing sports fans thorough coverage of sports throughout Southeast Missouri is still going to make that its mission on a daily basis, however, the internal pieces are going to be doing some shifting moving forward.

Jackson is again atop the state media football rankings in Class 5. The defending state champions received all 10 first-place votes from media members from around the state. Only defending champion Lamar in Class 2 also received all 10 first-place votes...

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Religious icon Mother Theresa made that statement some time ago, and it is profound in its application to all things in life, without question. However, she didn’t witness the magnificence of Jackson High School football a year ago, as the Indians played near-perfect football through five months and won the MSHSAA Class 5 state championship in dominating fashion. So, you’ll have to forgive gridiron fans from Perryville to Poplar Bluff if they just want to savor 2020 a tad longer.

Jed Garner dominated on the mound, and the Advance Hornets rolled to a 12-0 rout of Campbell in their season opener Friday at Westfield Park in Advance. Garner retired the first 10 batters of the game before allowing a one-out single to Jared Jennings in the fourth inning...

There were some early indications last season that Southeast Missouri State running back Geno Hess was on the cusp of emergence. Such as his breaking off a 64-yard jaunt against nationally-ranked Southern Illinois on his third carry of the 2020 season.

Kennett High School football coach Andrew Webster wasn’t the only person on the field of Metz Cherry Stadium on Friday seeking to meet high expectations. Indian quarterback Tanner Pierce, like Webster, also has some big shoes to fill this fall.

Christmas remains four months away and only a handful of people throughout Southeast Missouri probably celebrate their birthdays today. However, for football fans – and as it turns out, coaches and players, as well – today is a euphoric day of the year. The 2021 high school football season officially opens this evening and like every season, the next three months promise to be a rollercoaster of emotions for every person that follows the game.

KENNETT, Mo. - Kennett scored a trifecta in a little more than 3 minutes. The Indians scored a rushing touchdown, a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown one after the other and burst ahead to a 21-0 lead with 8 minutes and 46 seconds still on the clock in the first quarter...

The past 18 months have been like no other for Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz.

There were a lot of unknowns for the Southeast Missouri State football program in 2020. Often there were surprises that weren’t so pleasant (canceled games/season, transferring players, etc.). But there were also some pleasant surprises, one of which came in the form of a 285-pound defensive lineman.

There is no denying the chaotic state that the world remains in for a second consecutive football season, but Southeast Missourians can take solace in this: Football season is here, and we’re going to embrace it.

Issac Reed has been involved in college football for a decade as both a student-athlete and a coach. He’s endured just one losing season during that time, so he found joining the successful Southeast Missouri State football program this summer as the Redhawks’ running backs coach to be a natural fit.

The “real feel” temperature reached 106 degrees on Wednesday in Kennett, but don’t try to tell the area athletes throughout the Bootheel that this isn’t football season.

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz walked off the turf at Houck Field on Saturday being non-committal on who the Redhawks’ starting quarterback was going to be until he had an opportunity to watch the film from Saturday’s scrimmage. “We’ll watch the film right after (the scrimmage),” Matukewicz said. “But we’ve got to move forward.”

Last winter, veteran Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz THOUGHT he liked the kind of football player that Jackson High School senior linebacker Bryce Norman had evolved into. However, Matukewicz “didn’t really know” because the Redhawk coaches weren’t allowed to recruit off-campus due to the pandemic, per NCAA rules.

The Southeast Missouri State women's soccer team won their season opener at Houck Field Sunday, beating Maryville, 4-1, behind three goals scored by two different newcomers. Sophomore Anne-Clara Couturier, who is from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada, netted a pair including the game-winner, while freshman Elizabeth Rater and sophomore Zoey Memmel each scored a goal...

DEXTER — For a second-straight season, the Caruthersville football team will feature a roster about half the size it was only a couple of years ago. Following Friday night’s preseason jamboree at Charles Bland Stadium, first-year coach Adam Dowland said he has 20 players out for football, down from 23 from the first day of practice...

HAYTI – The four-team high school football jamboree conducted Friday at Hayti High School was exactly what one would expect the first opportunity to face another team would be, a mix of great, good, just OK, and uh-oh plays by each of the teams (Hayti, New Madrid County Central, Cape Central, and Kennett).

MALDEN - The Sikeston High School football team traveled to “The Swamp” in Malden for an annual jamboree on Friday, as the Bulldogs tested their talents against Malden and Doniphan. The only thing better than the weather was the Bulldogs' defense.

DEXTER — In the old days, the Poplar Bluff football team might face Dexter on Thanksgiving day or open the season facing the Bearcats. On Friday, the old-time rivals met for the first time in four years in a preseason jamboree at Charles Bland Stadium that also included Caruthersville and Fredericktown...

There were some big names that departed out of the Southeast Missouri State defensive secondary following this spring, which would lead some to question the ability and depth of the Redhawks pass coverage unit. However, don’t make that assessment in front of senior Lawrence Johnson or defensive backs coach Ray Smith.

People in and around the Bootheel know the last name Booker very well, especially in Portageville. Two ex-Bulldogs come to mind, as Roy Booker, and his older uncle, Jamie, were local high school basketball stars who took their games to both the college and professional levels. The prior Booker had a stellar 13-plus year career playing professionally overseas.

Earlier this summer, eighth-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz said his recruiting preference when it came to quarterbacks was to sign players out of high school and “grow every one of them.” But he also stated that he “likes winning,” which is why he has a history of signing transfers at the position. After watching four quarterbacks through the first two weeks of training camp – two signed out of high school and two via transfer – Matukewicz stuck with his recent history and announced on Tuesday that the two transfers were sitting atop the depth chart.

The massive question remains hovering over the Southeast Missouri State football program as to who will start at quarterback on Sept. 2 when it opens the 2021 season against Southern Illinois. However, which players will be catching passes from that quarterback isn’t in question at all.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Indiana State baseball player Ellison Hanna III returned to play this summer for the Cape Catfish “for one reason,” he screamed after helping the Catfish win their first Prospect League championship on Thursday over the Lafayette Aviators.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The epic finale scene in any “Rocky” movie had nothing on what the Cape Catfish game with the Lafayette Aviators had on Thursday.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – There are many things to enjoy about the Cape Catfish baseball club being in Cape Girardeau.

Cape Girardeau native Mitch Craft has the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of coaching his son Landyn in the Little League World Series. 12-year-old Landyn Craft plays for the Lafayette Louisiana little league team comprised of all-stars from the eight teams that compete in the state tournament. Once the team is created it begins playing district games in order to qualify for the World Series, which runs from Aug. 19-29 in Williamsport, Pa...

In 2019, the Cape Catfish dominated their way to the Prospect League Championship Series with sheer talent, as their players were atop (or near so) in most of the statistical categories.

For the first eight innings of the game on Sunday, Cape Capaha catcher Landon Tenkhoff had not performed well at the plate, going 0-for-4, while leaving several runners stranded.

Case Englehart (Jackson), Buddy Allen (Pevely), and Jeffrey Patton each took home honors at the recent 2021 Southeast Missouri Amateur Championship at Dalhousie Golf Club.

If baseball were a subjective sport, then the McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels may not be in the position that they currently find themselves in.

There is no way to sugarcoat the fact that standout pitcher Dylan Dodd is going to be immersed in spring training next February, not helping the Southeast Missouri State baseball program win its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship.

There is no one with more of a pulse on the quarterback competition that is ensuing at Southeast Missouri State than Redhawk offensive coordinator Jeromy McDowell. However, following the opening day of training camp on Wednesday, McDowell wasn’t ready to make a decision regarding the position, to say the least.

Success can spoil a lot of people involved in athletics and the media is no exception to that.

When you’re a talented athlete, who also happens to attend one of the more prestigious college prep schools in the country, you’re going to have options on which path you follow in life.

Neither of the two local baseball squads got off to the type of starts that they wished for at the 2021 Babe Ruth 16-18 World Series over the weekend in Mobile, Ala.

After clinching the West – Prairie Land Division title 24 hours earlier, the Cape Catfish came back to earth in a 12-2 loss to O’Fallon on Saturday at CarShield Field.

Second-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn is admittedly “a big theme guy, a big quote guy,” and he tapped into that trait prior to this summer in giving his student-athletes a mantra to pursue through their activities this off-season both on and off the court.

Poplar Bluff native Noah Burkey remained perfect this summer season on the mound, as he kept the O’Fallon offense at bay and led the Cape Catfish to a 6-2 road win on Wednesday.

CHARLESTON - As the month of July began, the McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels were more resembling the “faltering” Squirrels than playing like a tough nut to crack. The 16-18-year-old baseball team dropped four of their first six July games and an extended postseason was not a certainty in anyone’s minds.

It was fitting that the final game veteran umpire Joe Bill Davis worked was a regional championship game. In his 40 years, Davis has called many championship games but the regional was to be his last. After 40 years calling balls and strikes and making safe and out calls, Davis is stepping away...

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Cape Catfish were one strike away from beating the West -Prairie Land Division team, the Alton River Dogs, which is nipping at its heels of the first-place ‘Fish.

KENNETT - Local golfers teamed up for a sixth straight year to raise money for the Kennett Athletics Program earlier this month. A total of 68 golfers competed at the sixth annual Kennett Athletics Booster Club Four-Person Golf Scramble July 9 at Kennett Country Club...

CHARLESTON - There are obstacles for the McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels to reach the 2021 Babe Ruth Baseball 16-18 World Series in Mobile, Ala., not the least of which was trying to beat their rival, the Southeast Tropics, in the Regional and State Tournaments last week.

Cape Catfish starting pitcher Jalen Borders wasn’t especially sharp in his outing Saturday at Springfield. However, with a Catfish offense that pounded out 12 hits and scored 17 runs, Borders didn’t need to be great.

The Cape Catfish got off to a fast start in Sunday’s Prospect League game against Springfield, as the hosts took early leads of 2-0 and 5-2 before hanging on for a 5-4 victory at Capaha Field.

The Kennett Killer Whales capped off arguably its greatest season in program history by taking home the top prize at the Southeast Missouri Swim Conference Meet July 17. Kennett tallied a championship-high 6,390 points at the conference meet. River City Aquatics (3,679 points) placed second, Poplar Bluff Piranhas (1,253) came in third, St. ...

CHARLESTON – The numbers from Tuesday’s Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional Tournament championship game, as they pertained to McDonald’s Fighting Squirrel pitcher Luke Nichols, didn’t necessarily lie, but boy, were they deceiving.

2021 Malden graduate Alissa Olson knew she wanted to play collegiate golf at a young age. “I knew since I started high school I wanted to play college golf,” Olson said. “I just wasn’t sure where I wanted to go.” Olson finally selected a destination last week when she signed to play golf at William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri...

Several factors have gone into why the Kennett High School football program has been wildly successful over recent years and having talented athletes is just one of those.

There is no lack of unknowns surrounding the Southeast Missouri State football program entering the 2021 season.

With the top three teams in the West – Prairie Land Division of the Prospect League each having won six of their past 10 games, the margin for the first-place Cape Catfish isn’t much in staying atop the division.

CHARLESTON — The McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels rolled through pool play of the Midwest Plains Regional Saturday, outscoring their opponents 33-3 in two games. Squirrels 16, Buckley Bombers 1 In their opening game of pool play Saturday morning, the Squirrels took advantage of nine walks and four errors from Buckley, cruising to a three-inning win...

CHARLESTON — It was a slugfest for the Southeast Tropics when they took on the Akadema team from Salina, Kansas in the 2021 Midwest Plains Regional on Friday. The Tropics put up eight runs in the first inning of the game and they never looked back as they demolished Akadema 19-0 in a short three inning game...

Most high school soccer players could only hope to score 45 goals in an entire four-year career. Perryville’s Leah Buerck did it in one season. “It took a lot of pressure off the coaching staff,” Pirates coach Jerry Fulton said. “When you can get that early goal or get that early lead, it’s huge. For instance, I don’t know how this happened, but in the first 30 minutes, we were down three goals to North County the first time we played them. We beat them six to three and Leah had five goals...

Kennett talent Reese Robinett isn’t spending the summer competing on a baseball diamond close to home. Robinett, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Arkansas, is traveling the Mid-South playing travel ball for the Arkansas Stix this summer...

It was the very first game of the fall sports season when Jordan Moore was running to track down a fly ball. The left fielder jumped to make the catch but felt her knee do the same when she landed. Having already injured her other knee the previous winter rebounding in a basketball game, Moore knew immediately what had happened...

As he was warming up for a match in the district playoffs, a string on Parker Nagy’s racket broke. The Poplar Bluff senior had to use his coach’s racket that day and also borrowed a teammate’s as the Mules made a run at the team title. Having qualified for the MSHSAA state tournament in singles play, Nagy needed his racket restrung...

Twice Jackson linebacker Bryce Norman was nominated for the Semoball Award for Defensive Football Player of the Year, and twice he was denied. They say the third time’s the charm. Norman was named the winner of the award at last Saturday’s rain-soaked Semoball Awards event at the Rock-and-Roll Drive-In in Chaffee, Mo...

Alaney Moore from Kelly High School showed out in 2020-2021 with her athletic abilities and her performance in the classroom making her the Semoball Girl Scholar Athlete of the Year. Moore was awarded valedictorian in her senior class with a 4.09 GPA while also excelling at multiple sports such as track, basketball and softball...

A two-sport athlete, Brandon Fonda of Caruthersville, impressed many people in the SEMO area with his consistent and outstanding performances on the track. So much so he was named the 2021 Semoball Boy’s Track Athlete of the Year. The senior from Caruthersville collected many victories last year dominating most of the track events in 2021...

2021 Campbell graduate Blake Fowler is spending his fair share of time in a gymnasium this summer before he departs to play basketball at Central Methodist University. “Sometimes I work for my grandparents every now and then,” Fowler said. “But my main job right now is to prepare to play basketball. Me and my dad work out every day of the week. Four days a week I lift and shoot about 1,000 shots a day. I’m treating basketball as my job right now since I’ve received a scholarship to play it.”...

ADVANCE — Nyah Wilson, the 2021 Semoball Volleyball Athlete of the Year, has been thinking about the past while eagerly anticipating the future. The Lindenwood University freshman hitter enjoyed a lot of success in high school, helping the Advance Hornets win three straight MSHSAA Class 1 championships...

When Jackson golfer Carsen Silliman spoke with coach Zack Walton after the sixth hole of the SEMO Conference Tournament, the senior hadn’t made a single par. Instead, he had birdied all six holes. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness!’ “ Walton said. “I didn’t want to bring it up, so we just talked about the hole, what our distance was and where we wanted to try to put it on the green. ...

Jaden Deaton ran away from everyone in Southeast Missouri during the 2020 cross country season. The Poplar Bluff senior won seven of the nine meets he ran last fall, including a half-minute victory in the SEMO North championship race. On Saturday, Deaton was named the Semoball Awards Boy’s Cross Country athlete of the year and was also a finalist in track and field...

Southland senior Jenna Gibson wasn’t sure how things would go when her softball squad combined with nearby rival Senath-Hornersville this spring. “It was a super different year because I was a senior at Southland and we wound up combining with Senath-Hornersville,” Gibson said. “I think a lot of people thought it wasn’t going to work out well and there might be drama because we were small-school rivals. But it was honestly the best year I’ve ever had and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”...

Former Jackson offensive lineman Connor Tollison has already won several awards during his high school career. The 6-foot 5-inch, 305-pound tackle was a three-time All-State selection, the 2021 Carr Trophy winner and on Saturday was named Semoball’s Offensive Football Player of the Year and Overall Male Athlete of the Year...

It’s not a huge surprise to most wrestling fans in Sikeston that Kate Grubbs is named the Girls Wrestling Athlete of the Year at the annual Semoball Awards. Grubbs, a junior at Sikeston High School, accomplished a lot in 2021 and has gained even more recognition and respect for her performances throughout her junior year...

A year ago, Southeast Missouri State senior pitcher Dylan Dodd had a decision to make. The Texas Rangers, among others, were offering him $20,000 to leave the Redhawks with one season of eligibility remaining and begin his professional career.

Kennett girls tennis player Anelle Harris adopted a new strategy before she started her junior season in the fall of 2020. “The mindset changed for me a little bit going into the season,” Harris said. “I used to be reluctant to try to make a kill shot in a match. My cousin Hadley has helped me change that mindset and play more aggressive. You cannot play scared on the court because if you do you won’t play up to your full potential.”...

Prior to the MSHSAA Class 4 Boy’s Soccer state championship game last November in Springfield, Jackson senior goalkeeper Luke Mirly wasn’t exactly feeling great.

The Cape Catfish snapped a 2-2 tie with Quincy on Sunday at Capaha Field by scoring six runs in the fifth inning and eventually holding on for an 8-5 win in Prospect League action.

Iconic Portageville High School boy’s basketball coach Jim Bidewell has submitted his place in Missouri basketball history.

Dylan Dodd spent the past two-plus seasons in Cape Girardeau evolving – almost daily – into a better and better pitcher.

Watch the 2021 Semoball Awards, presented by SoutheastHEALTH, here. https://www.facebook.com/255415740253/posts/10165408428145254/

The Semoball Cup is presented to the school with the most successful season based on a formula that takes into account the combined winning percentage of all sports teams (WIN) plus bonus points for advancement in postseason play for both teams (POST) and individuals (IND). The bonus points are divided by the number of teams a school fields. Here are the standings with previous rankings from 2020:...

CHARLESTON - There is no shortage of top-quality high school baseball players throughout the Semoball.com area, so selecting just 10 players to be nominated for the 2021 Semoball Award for the Boy’s Baseball Athlete of the Year is a difficult task.

CHARLESTON — The Cardinals Legacy Perfectos exploded for five runs in the seventh inning to get past the SEMO Tropics 17u team 10-5 in the second round of the 2021 Missouri Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament Thursday night. The two teams traded leads for the first five innings of the game until Brandon Palmer hit a solo home run over the left field fence to even the game at 5-5. Palmer went 2-2 with a walk, sac fly and collected two RBI to help his team...

CHARLESTON - The 17U McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels rebounded nicely less than 24 hours after suffering a 10-9 extra-inning loss to the Perfectos in its first game at the Missouri Senior Babe Ruth state baseball tournament on Wednesday. The 17U Squirrels jumped out to 6-0 lead by the end of the second inning and hung on to beat the SEMO Legends 12-3 in an elimination game at the double-elimination tournament on Thursday...

CHARLESTON - A pitcher’s duel finally materialized at the Senior Babe Ruth state baseball tournament Wednesday afternoon at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. After 46 runs were tallied in the first two games of the state tournament runs were at a premium in Game 3 between the 19U Southeast Tropics and the 19U Orioles...

CHARLESTON – McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels manager Michael Minner is in his 17th season of guiding the summer baseball team, so he has learned what it takes to succeed in the postseason.

There is nothing like the taste of success to rekindle a flame for training in sports.

CHARLESTON — The Cardinals Legacy Perfectos were able to pull out a win against the McDonalds Fighting Squirrels in a close game that went into extra innings on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2021 Missouri Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament. There was a combined 19 runs between the two teams, however, the Perfectos outlasted the Fighting Squirrels on a walk off single by Jaden Thacker to end the game with a 10-9 score...

The Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball program wasted no time last season in sending a message to the college basketball world that it was a new era for the Redhawks.

PARAGOULD - The McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels are headed into postseason play on a high note after beating Paragould (Ark.) Legion 13-4 in five innings in the nightcap of a road doubleheader Monday. The visiting Fighting Squirrels scored multiple runs in each of the first three innings to build a 11-0 lead by the conclusion of the top of the third inning...

There is obvious enjoyment in winning 40 games over the past two women’s basketball seasons for seventh-year Southeast Missouri State coach Rekha Patterson. However, if there is a downside to success, it is that other programs want what is yours, which is why Patterson has spent the summer replacing her entire coaching staff.

Beginning Wednesday, Charleston will be hosting the 2021 Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament for 17u and 19u baseball teams. The tournament will be from Wednesday to Sunday and will include the Perfectos, Semo Legends, Tropics 17u and 19u team, Orioles 17u and 19u team and the McDonald’s Fighting Squirrels 17u and 19u team...

Adam Dowland’s ears lit up when he heard Caruthersville High School was searching for a new varsity football coach earlier this spring. “I’m originally from West Tennessee and grew up about an hour from Caruthersville so I’ve always known a little bit about the program,” Dowland said. “I’ve been looking to get back closer to West Tennessee so when the job became open I jumped at looking into it. Fortunately, I went through the interview process and things went well for me...

The Southeast Missouri State football program is never going to “wow” any prospective assistant coach with its incredible facilities or exorbitant resources.

2018 Kennett graduate Zane Wallace has entertained the idea of playing baseball at Lyons College in Batesville, Arkansas, since he was a senior in high school. “I talked to Lyons College twice before this summer,” Wallace said. “I spoke with them when I was a senior in high school and again shortly before I graduated at Three Rivers College. I’ve always felt like it would be a really good fit for me.”...

The Kennett Indians boys basketball program began the process of breaking in some new talent at its own two-day shootout last week. “Our personal has changed a little bit as we are beginning to incorporate some of our freshmen,” Kennett second-year head coach Corbin Clark said. “I don’t think we will have as much size as we had last season after graduating Michah from our front court. But I think top to bottom we are going to be a little more athletic and a little deeper.”...

Both Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz, as well as Redhawk offensive coordinator Jeromy McDowell, have spoken about how they like their quarterbacks to have an edge of toughness to them.

Burlington tallied 10 hits and scored a total of seven runs spread out over four innings in Sunday’s game against the Cape Catfish at Capaha Field. Good for the Bees.