DDD Sports

A veteran Jackson volleyball squad is no stranger to putting together big comebacks. “Last year in the conference tournament we were down 11-0 to Notre Dame in a semifinal and we were able to come back from that deficit to get to the championship,” Jackson middle hitter Hannah Shinn said. “We as a group can get down early but we stay calm, cool, and collected, and bounce right back.”

MALDEN — The Bloomfield volleyball team executed its block to the satisfaction of coach Hannah Dement and held off a late charge by the Green Wave to earn a sweep Thursday night at Malden High School. The Wildcats held the Malden attack in check for most of the match en route to a 25-18, 25-11, 25-22 victory to end the regular season with an 11-13-1 record. Malden fell to 11-14-1...

It took a big rally for Jackson to earn a shot to defend their title in the championship game of the SEMO Conference Volleyball Tournament Thursday at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex.

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Consecutive kills helped Kennett close out the first game before Melena Green served up a big lead in the Silver championship match at the SEMO Conference Tournament. Green collected five aces during a 14-point run to start the second game and the Indians held off a late charge for a 25-22, 25-18 win over Scott City at the Cape SportsPlex on Thursday night...

High school football season in Southeast Missouri is nearing the end in the Standard-Democrat area. All six of our schools have at least two more games remaining on the schedule. How will Friday’s games turn out? Let’s take a look at that. Sitting at No. 6 in Class 3 in the recent football polls, the Kennett Indians are once again one of the better teams in the entire SEMO Conference...

Records: Sikeston 2-6; Kennett 8-0 Series History: Sikeston leads 59-10-1 Last Meeting: 2019, Kennett won 36-0 Last Week: Sikeston lost to New Madrid County Central 64-34; Kennett defeated Poplar Bluff 41-19. Notes: Sikeston hasn’t tasted victory since Week 2 against Dexter, and the test doesn’t get any easier in their finale when they face state-ranked Kennett on the road. ...

LAST MEETING: Kennett won 36-0 in 2019 LAST WEEK: Kennett beat Poplar Bluff 41-19; NMCC beat Sikeston 64-34 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Sikeston leads series 59-10-1 ABOUT SIKESTON: Sikeston beat Caruthersville 17-6 in Week 1, Sikeston beat Dexter 28-21 in Week 2, Farmington beat Sikeston 25-7 in Week 3, Poplar Bluff beat Sikeston 30-9 in Week 4, Jackson beat Sikeston 71-0 in Week 5, Cape Central beat Sikeston 28-19 in Week 6, Potosi beat Sikeston 39-25 in Week 7, and NMCC beat Sikeston 64-34 in Week 8. ...

There was no shortage of intense moments on the athletic fields and courts throughout Southeast Missouri last week, as area athletes prepare for the looming postseason competition. Sikeston boy’s soccer player, Brice Gordon, and Kelly softball player, Ava LeGrand, each excelled in their endeavors and were voted by fans as the Semoball.com Athletes of the Week...

A Kennett High School individual and a Notre Dame doubles team recently competed in the MSHSAA Class 1 Girl's Tennis State finals.

CAPE GIRARDEAU — The SEMO South is 0-for-forever in getting a team into the semifinals of the conference volleyball tournament. Kennett earned the top seed out of the South pool Tuesday by sweeping all nine sets against Scott City, Oran and Charleston...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz has been coaching the sport for a quarter of a century but nothing he had ever done at his eight different stops has prepared him for what has transpired over the past eight months.

A year ago, the Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball program played games in eight states outside of Missouri. That means a whole lot of time spent on a bus for the Redhawk players, and if they are inclined to learn about the world, sharing a row with junior guard Taelour Pruitt wouldn’t be a bad idea.

HAYTI - The Hayti Indians varsity volleyball squad had won at least one set in four of its 10 games but had yet to enjoy a victory entering Tuesday’s final regular-season contest against the Senath-Hornersville Lions. “We’ve had close matches all season,” Hayti coach Caitlin Woods. “Our girls have worked really hard. They’ve always had the athletic ability. They just have to believe in themselves.”...

EAST PRAIRIE - The Caruthersville Tigers were back in action on Friday night with another road game. The Tigers traveled to East Prairie to try to ground the Class 2, District 1 first-place Eagles. The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive to start things off. ...

The Kelly football team is in the midst of a strong 6-2 season and the play of Bryce Phelps has been a key reason as to why.

Kennett may not have moved up in the state media rankings, but the Indians did jump to the top of the standings for the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 playoffs. Entering the final week of the regular season, Kennett holds a 0.5 point lead over Valle Catholic for the top seed while St. Mary’s is third...

Dexter junior Gabby Brown’s times keep dropping and her ranking keeps rising on the cross country leaderboard. Brown finished seventh Saturday in the Farmington Invitational in a personal-record 21 minutes, 2.98 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at Engler Park in Farmington. She recorded a PR in her third straight race...

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...

KENNETT - The Kennett Indians offense set the tone from the get-go in its home football contest against the Poplar Bluff Mules Friday night at Metz Cherry Stadium. Junior running back Jordan Jarrett ran 75 yards for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the game to put Kennett on top 7-0 with 11:39 left in the first quarter...

CAMPBELL - The success continued for the Campbell Camels in big way Thursday night at the Bootheel Conference Tournament at Campbell High School. No. 1 seeded Campbell never trailed in either set as it beat the No. 2 seeded Malden Green Wave 25-14, 25-12 for its third straight Bootheel Conference Tournament title at the varsity level...

Brad Korn finally gets to walk onto a basketball court today with the first team of his head-coaching career, and because of how the past seven months have transpired; it will be a surreal experience.

There were no shortage of intense moments on the athletic fields and courts throughout Southeast Missouri last week, as area athletes prepare for the looming postseason competition.

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...

Records: NMCC 3-4; Sikeston 2-5 Series History: Sikeston leads 27-10 Last Meeting: 2019, Sikeston won 28-20 Last Week: NMCC lost to Valle Catholic 62-18; Sikeston lost to Potosi 39-25 Notes: The schedule hasn’t been kind to NMCC in recent weeks. In the last three games, the Eagles have faced three state-ranked teams, losing to all of them. ...

LAST MEETING: Poplar Bluff won the last meeting against Kennett 48-0 in 1995 LAST WEEK: Poplar Bluff beat Cape Central 50-27; Kennett beat Dexter 50-13 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Kennett leads the series 47-19-7 ABOUT POPLAR BLUFF: Poplar Bluff (4-2) beat Agape 42-0 in Week 1, Poplar Bluff beat DeSoto 53-6 in Week 2, Jackson beat Poplar Bluff 56-7 in Week 3, Poplar Bluff beat Sikeston 30-9 in Week 4, Poplar Bluff did not play in Week 5, Farmington beat Poplar Bluff 31-28 in Week 6, and Poplar Bluff beat Cape Central 50-27 in Week 7. ...

Poplar Bluff football coach David Sievers didn’t have much of a voice Friday night when the Mules hosted Cape Central. He needed to have assistant coach Austin Jefferson yell for him on the sideline. “I was pretty useless last Friday,” Sievers said after practice Wednesday afternoon. “And maybe that’s why we played so well...

CAMPBELL - The Campbell Camels and Malden Green Wave are set to collide for a fourth straight season in the championship of the Bootheel Conference varsity volleyball tournament after both squads collected semifinal wins Wednesday night...

Sikeston football didn't come out successful in its recent road loss at Potosi but Bulldog quarterback Joseph Heckemeyer earned praise for his effort nonetheless.

Paige Glueck led Oak Ridge over a win-less Marquand team Tuesday in straight sets, 25-9, 25-16, 25-17. Glueck tied the lead in kills with teammate Erin Urhahn, both recording seven while Zoe Berry added five and Mylee Schilling finished with four. Berry also recorded 11 assists...

KENNETT - The Kennett Indians varsity volleyball squad closed out the regular season on a high note Tuesday night. Kennett recorded 19 ace serves as it beat Sikeston in straight-set fashion 25-14, 25-13, 25-4. “Our serving was strong tonight,” Kennett coach Gentry Vancil said. “Melena set the tone early with nine strong serves in a row. That really helped our confidence and led to us being more aggressive the rest of the way.”...

The coronavirus that has swept across our planet has been powerful enough to interfere in almost every facet of our daily lives. However, it will take more than a global pandemic to keep the youth of Southeast Missouri from praising the Lord.

As the cars turned off of Kingshighway onto Kiwanis Drive before veering toward Maria Louise Lane Saturday there was no mistaking the two (and too) cute girls dancing in the back of a Redhawk-adorned pick-up truck that belonged to seventh-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz.

Jackson and Webb City both beat ranked opponents this week while top-ranked Carthage earned a win over the only team to beat Webb City as the top of the Class 5 rankings in the state media poll remained the same. Jackson, which beat No. 8 Farmington 56-14, had two first-place votes while Carthage got the remaining eight but Webb City, which beat Class 6 second-ranked Nixa 28-0, ended up with three more votes than the Indians...

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 Campbell Camels varsity volleyball squad is once again favored to repeat as champs at the Bootheel Conference Tournament. Campbell (15-5-2), which has won the event at the varsity level each of the last two seasons, has earned the No. 1 seed at next week’s conference tournament after finishing 6-0 in regular-season conference play...

DEXTER — Friday night’s football game between the Kennett Indians and Dexter Bearcats was turned on its head in a matter of five minutes. The sixth-ranked team in Class 3, Kennett rallied from an early deficit to beat the Bearcats 50-13 at Charles Bland Stadium...

Junior hitter Kambri Erzfeld excelled Friday, leading Meadow Heights passed Oran in straight sets, 25-9, 25-11, and 25-16. Erzfeld led the Panthers in kills, finishing with with nine. She also had nine digs and two ace serves. Molly Conrad totaled eight kills along with a block...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo – It’s all starting to click for the Portageville Bulldogs. Not too long ago Portageville was the team that lost five-straight to start the season, including three consecutive shutouts in their first three games. Coming off a 50-point outburst against Chaffee, however, the Bulldogs are now a team boasting a two-game winning streak thanks to its two best offensive performances of the season...

BENTON, Mo. — After the first half, many in attendance may have thought that the Hayti and Kelly football game would have been a low-scoring contest. However, the Hawks couldn’t find a way to slow down a talented, state-ranked Indians team in the second half, losing 32-12 at rain-soaked Lambert Field in Benton...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association announced its latest postseason changes for fall sports Wednesday. The changes will impact the fall softball and boys soccer playoffs. Fall softball state semifinals will now be hosted by a member-school on Oct. 24 for Classes 2-5 and Oct. 27 for Class 1. All five state championship games will take place Oct. 29-31 at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield. The third-place games for the state softball playoffs have been eliminated this season...

LAST MEETING: Kennett beat Dexter 56-6 in 2019 LAST WEEK: Dexter’s game with Caruthersville was cancelled; Kennett beat NMCC 43-25 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Kennett has won the last five meetings. ABOUT KENNETT: Kennett (6-0), which is ranked No. 6 in the latest Class 3 state poll, beat Malden 64-8 in Week 1, beat Doniphan 53-7 in Week 2, beat Ste. ...

There has been no shortage of stories reported through the years on interactions between collegiate athletic programs and law enforcement, however, the majority of those instances have been told in a negative light.

Records: Sikeston 2-4; Potosi 3-3 Series History: Sikeston leads 3-0 Last Meeting: 2010, Sikeston won 62-8 in the Class 4 State Tournament Last Week: Sikeston lost to Cape Central 28-19; Potosi beat Perryville 56-15 Notes: After Charleston canceled its home football game against Sikeston on Friday, the Bulldogs had to look for a new opponent. ...

There have been no shortage of stellar athletic performances throughout Southeast Missouri of late and that was evident last week, as Bernie baseball player John Nimmo and Meadow Heights volleyball player Kylee Denman excelled in their efforts. Both were recognized Wednesday as this week's Semoball.com Athletes of the Week by Semoball.com readers...

Southeast Missouri State athletic director Brady Barke has been involved in intercollegiate athletics since he was a teenager and is currently in his sixth year of leading the Redhawks’ athletic program. Yet nothing he ever dreamt of could’ve prepared him for the last eight months.

There were a number of factors going against Notre Dame in Tuesday’s MSHSAA Class 1 District 1 Tennis championship match against Kennett.

CAMPBELL - Things got interesting late but the top-seeded Campbell Camels found a way to prevail in the title game of its own nine-team baseball tournament.

The Notre Dame girls volleyball team lost to Class one #1 ranked Advance in straight sets Monday 10-25, 9-25, 14-25 to drop their record to 11-4-1 and on the season. Claire Jones recorded six assists while Sarah Brennan added five in the loss. Rylee McClintock and Lexi Rubel each had three kills...

The Portageville football team got its first taste of success in a long time Friday, as the Bulldogs topped Chaffee 50-32 in Chaffee.

KENNETT - It took a strong performance in singles but the Kennett Indians girls tennis squad found a way to rally past the visiting Dexter Bearcats and keep their hopes for a 14th straight district championship alive Monday evening. No. 2 seeded Kennett won the first four singles matches completed after dropping two of three doubles matches to outlast No. 3 seeded Dexter 5-2 in a Class 1, District 1 semifinal...

In a rather lop-sided game at home, Meadow Heights won easily Monday night beating Marquand 25-10, 25-5, 25-4, giving the Panthers their ninth win of the season and third victory in a row. Meadow Heights was paced by Kylee Denman, who had 10 assists to go with six digs and 10 aces...

St. Louis area schools that finally got to play a game entered the state media rankings this week. Lutheran North, which won the Class 2 title last year, moved into the top spot in the Class 3 rankings released Monday. Valle Catholic, which won the Class 1 title last year, dropped to No. 2 while Kennett fell a spot to No. 6...

KENNETT - Six girls tennis players booked their spot to the Class 1 individual sectional with first or second-place finishes in the Class 1, District 1 individual district Saturday at Kennett. Kennett’s Anelle Harris and Audrey Phillips qualified for the individual sectionals in singles. Harris beat Phillips 6-0, 6-2 in the singles championship...

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. ...

HAYTI, Mo. — After two weeks off due to quarantine because of COVID-19, Charleston was rudely greeted back to the field Friday night with a 70-6 road loss to Hayti. Hayti, the second-ranked team in Class 1, got on the board early and often, racing out to a 36-0 lead after one quarter and a 56-6 lead at halftime...

KENNETT - The Kennett Indians football squad found itself in an unfamiliar position at halftime against the New Madrid County Central Eagles Friday. For the first time this season, the Indians needed to put together a strong second half after NMCC closed out the first half with a pair of touchdowns to trim the Indians’ early 21-0 lead to 21-13...

Advance’s Jack Bailey struck out the side in the seventh inning, leaving the bases loaded in the Hornets’ 8-5 victory over the Bell City baseball team Thursday at Bell City. The Cubs were playing their first game since Sept. 11 because of a COVID-19 outbreak at the school...

Junior middle hitter Ella Vogel pumped in a game high 17 kills and added three blocks and eight digs leading Cape Central passed Saxony Lutheran Wednesday night 25-22, 25-14, and 26-24, improving the Tigers season record to 11-8-2. Madison Phelps had eight kills and 10 digs in the victory for the Tigers...

High school athletes throughout the state are trying to hit their stride with the MSHSAA postseason nearing and that was exhibited by both Anna Eaton and Dylan Thornbrough last week.

Records: Sikeston 2-3; Cape Central 1-3 Series History: Sikeston leads 54-47-7 Last Meeting: 2019, Cape Central won 33-0 Last Week: Sikeston lost to Jackson 71-0; Cape Central lost to Farmington 37-14 Notes: How do you respond from a 71-0 loss? Sikeston will look to answer that when the Bulldogs travel to Cape Central Friday night for a Class 4, District 1 battle with the Tigers. ...

High school football teams that reach the state championship in their respective class will not have the opportunity to play for a state title at Memorial Stadium located on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia this season. The Missouri High School Activities Association announced earlier this week they are moving the state championships to high school facilities due to venue usage conflicts in Columbia...

The path to the Class 3 state championship became a bit more challenging for football teams in the Southeast Missouri region earlier this week. The MSHSAA Board of Directors agreed to add St. Mary’s of St. Louis and Cardinal Ritter to the Class 3 state playoffs earlier this week...

The Kennett cross country team is set to return to action Saturday after competing in its third meet of the season last week at the Van Buren Invitational. Kennett will compete in the Notre Dame Invitational Saturday at 10 a.m. in Cape Girardeau. “We will have a tough week of practice this week before we head up to the Notre Dame Invitational,” Kennett coach Fred Garmon said. “That course and competition is always tough."...

The Holcomb baseball team produced 10 hits and took advantage of four Bernie errors to produce a 7-0 victory Wednesday at Holcomb. Only three of Holcomb’s runs were earned, while two pitchers held the Mules to only two hits, both by Johnny Vaughn. Wyatt Nimmo was charged with the loss, permitting five runs — three earned — on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk in 1...

LAST MEETING: Kennett beat NMCC 50-6 in 2019 LAST WEEK: Kennett beat East Prairie 51-6; Hayti beat NMCC 64-38 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Kennett has won the last seven meetings dating back to 2013. ABOUT NMCC: NMCC (3-2) beat Portageville 58-0 in Week 1, East Prairie beat NMCC 41-27 in Week 2, NMCC beat Dexter 40-20 in Week 3, NMCC beat Doniphan 45-0 in Week 4, and Hayti beat NMCC 64-38 in Week 5. ...

Cape Central couldn’t make the comeback complete Wednesday as Kennett started strong and beat the Tigers 5-4, making the victory the fifth in a row for the Indians. Varsity Singles results include: Varsity Doubles results include: With the loss, Cape Central drops to 6-7 on the season, ending the regular season schedule below .500. They start play in the Class 2, District 1 district tournament on Monday...

ORAN, Mo. — Competing with only seven players this season, the Oran volleyball team doesn’t have the opportunity to mix-and-match against their opponents as other teams do, but are still finding ways to make the most of what they have. That was the case on Tuesday night against a Kennett (12-5-1) team that had dropped its previous two matches...

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...

MALDEN - The Malden Green Wave baseball squad continues to put up runs in bunches in its inaugural fall season. Three Green Wave entered Tuesday averaging over nine runs per game. “We’ve been pleased,” Malden coach Tim Harmon said of his 11-player squad. ...

KENNETT - The 13-time defending district champion Kennett Indians are heating up with the start of the girls tennis playoffs less than a week away. Kennett (8-3) beat Poplar Bluff 9-0 for its fourth straight regular-season victory Tuesday. “Right now we are doing a good job taking care of the business on the courts,” Kennett longtime tennis coach Janet Hilburn said. ...

The Malden Green Wave scored three runs in the bottom of six inning Tuesday to beat Bloomfield 5-2 at Malden. Bloomfield tied the score at 2 with a run in the fifth. Ethan Campbell picked up the win, allowing two unearned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in seven innings...

Cape Central had a very busy weekend and start to the new week as they earned a well deserved victory beating Fox Monday night in straight sets 25-19 and 25-14. Ava Nelson had five kills to go with nine digs. Ella Vogel recorded 13 kills, two blocks, and added 10 digs...

Notre Dame pulled out a victory Friday night by outscoring Bloomfield 18-25, 25-16, 25-21, and 25-16 to win in four sets. Claire Jones had 18 assists while Tori Rubel and Shelby Renner recorded 12 and 11 kills. Renner also had 20 digs and four aces while Kristin Anderson had 19 digs and three aces...

KENNETT - Bernie volleyball coach Jason Long elected to burn a timeout to try to calm his squad down after Kennett scored three straight points to build a 22-17 lead in the opening set Monday night. “The message when we were down 22-17 was to just relax and see what we could do because we knew it was going to be a hard deficient to overcome,” Long said. “We really played really clean from that point forward and found a way to comeback against a good Kennett team.”...

HAYTI - Senior Night brought about added excitement to the home opener for the Hayti Indians. Hayti was originally scheduled to play the Chaffee Red Devils, but COVID quarantine had other plans. Hayti did what numerous teams are having to do these days; find a game at the "last minute." New Madrid, having to find a game themselves, was originally slated to play the Caruthersville Tigers. ...

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...

Jackson, Kennett and Hayti all kept their positions in the Missouri football state media rankings released Monday. Jackson, ranked No. 3 in Class 5, will face another ranked opponent Friday when the Indians travel to Fox (5-0), No. 8 in Class 6. The Warriors handed Class 4 No. 9 St. Dominic a 42-10 loss while Jackson won 71-0 at Sikeston...

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. ...

The Advance Hornets brought home another tournament trophy Saturday, and head coach Erin Hoffman captured win No. 600 in the process. In her 24th season as a head coach, Hoffman improved her career record to 604-160-19. According to the Missouri High School Volleyball Coach Association, only 11 coaches have reached 600 career wins in state history.

Kennett girls tennis coach Janet Hilburn wasn’t sure her entire team would be jumping for joy when the SEMO Conference Girls Tennis Tournament concluded Friday at Sikeston. “Till I saw which players reached the championship matches it didn’t even cross my mind we might be in the running for the team title,” Hilburn said. “Then I started looking at the brackets and realized we had a chance to win the team title, and sure enough we came out ahead in the end.”...

The Advance baseball team scored four runs in the sixth inning to blow open a tight game and beat South Pemiscot 8-3 Saturday in a round robin at Malden. Jed Garner drove home a run with a bases-loaded walk, Tyler Davis was struck by a pitch with the bases full, and with two outs, Jack Bailey doubled home the final two runs...

EAST PRAIRIE - The Kennett Indians football squad had established itself as a run-first team in the first part of 2020, moving the ball on the ground more than in the air in each of the first four games. However, it quickly became apparent the Indians were going with a new game plan in its road contest Friday at East Prairie...

Kennett and Notre Dame took home singles, and doubles honors at Friday’s SEMO Conference tennis meet at Sikeston.

Derland Moore, who played 14 seasons in the NFL and was an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Oklahoma, died Thursday night. The Poplar Bluff native was 68. Moore was a walk-on at Oklahoma after earning a track scholarship based on one meet that his father didn’t want him to attend because he had to work on the family farm...

MALDEN - Scott City forced seven turnovers in the first half, including a pair of pick-six scores by Gage Underwood and Logan Speakman. The short fields and quick scores helped put the Rams ahead by 39 points at halftime and they went on to beat Malden 54-21 on Friday night...

POPLAR BLUFF — Kennett nearly ran out of players as Poplar Bluff was rallying from a two-set deficit Thursday night. The Mules stormed back for a 19-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-8, 15-5 win as already short-handed Kennett lost senior hitter Anna Beth Vancil to an ankle injury early in the fourth game...

Perryville could not string together the offense to come back, getting behind early in the game, to mount a comeback as they lost to Hillsboro Thursday at home 7-3. The Hawks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first. They would then score three more runs in the top of inning three, with the home-team Pirates getting on the scoreboard one-half inning later, pushing a lone run across the plate...

SIKESTON — The sequel ended up being as good as the original Thursday night as Poplar Bluff edged Sikeston 3-2 in overtime. “The guys kept fighting,” Mules coach Rusty Crafton said. “It was a good all-around game. A good win for us.” The Mules (4-4-1) beat Sikeston in penalty kicks on Sept. 10 at home after falling behind by two goals...

Jackson was able to come back after a first match loss to Cape Central to win eight matches in a row and improve their record to 10-3 on the season. Varsity singles results include: 1. Megan Maxton(CC) def. Delaney Pipkin(J) 8-1 2. Mia Foote(J) def. Camden Soto(CC) 8-5...

The Holcomb baseball team walked off a winner when Nate Rhew scored on a balk in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday at Holcomb. The Hornets loaded the bases with one out before Connor Scott’s balk handed them a 4-3 win over Bloomfield. Bloomfield scored two runs in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead and one in the third to tie the score at 3...

LAST MEETING: Malden beat Scott City 51-8 in 2015 LAST WEEK: Scott City beat Portageville 42-13; Perryville beat Malden 35-30 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Malden has won the last six meetings dating back to 2010. SCOTT CITY: Scott City (2-2) beat Dexter 18-15 in Week 1, Park Hills Central beat Scott City 40-26 in Week 2, Hayti beat Scott City 62-43 in Week 3, and Scott City beat Portageville 42-13 in Week 4. ...

It was a good week for Notre Dame athletes both on AND off the field, as a pair of Bulldogs earned success in their athletic quests, as well as proved to be popular with Southeast Missouri fans.

MALDEN — Serve-receive was not Malden’s friend Tuesday night. The Green Wave struggled to generate any offense and allowed 13 service aces in a 25-10, 25-17, 25-6 loss to the Bernie Mules volleyball team at Malden High School. “Serve-receive’s difficult. ...

With the recent and surprising announcement by Southeast Missouri State football that it would be returning to the football field over the next four weeks for training camp, followed by a game at Southern Illinois on Oct. 23, seventh-year coach Tom Matukewicz was excited about the opportunity to “learn a lot about our team.”

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.

The Dexter volleyball team stretched its win streak to four matches with a 25-22, 25-17, 25-16 victory over Woodland on Monday night at Marble Hill. Chloe Thurmon paced Dexter with 13 kills. Bailey Chamberlain had nine, Dulcie Pullen eight and Mikayla Dodson seven. Pullen and Thurmon had two blocks apiece.

Woodland couldn’t overcome an early deficit and fell to Dexter Monday evening in three straight sets, losing 22-25, 17-25, and 16-25, dropping the Cardinals season record to 3-4-2. Woodland head coach Melissa Rinacke received outstanding effort despite the loss,...

The Advance Hornets baseball team’s seventh-inning rally came up short in a 6-5 loss to SCAA rival Woodland on Tuesday at Marble Hill. Woodland picked off a runner at third base — the potential game-tying run — to end the game. The Hornets had the bases loaded with only one out.

Statewide high school football rankings, as compiled by a 9-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes in parenthesis. Only teams that have played games this season are eligible for rankings. CLASS 6 Rank, team, Rec., Pts. 1. Raymore-Peculiar (9), 4-0, 99...

Depending on who you are, some people want to deal with Southeast Missouri State women’s basketball coach Rekha Patterson, while others don’t.

Everything in life during this calamitous year has been fluid and nothing captures that instability more so than the college football season.

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.”...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — No matter what threat South Pemiscot threw at New Madrid County Central on Monday, the Lady Eagles responded in their tough, three-set victory at New Madrid County Central High School. The Lady Eagles won the first set 26-24, and the last two 25-23 for their fifth-straight win of the season. During this streak, NMCC has dropped only one set...

BLOOMFIELD — First-year Bloomfield baseball coach Ryan Alexander is building his team around defense. The Wildcats played error-free ball Monday in their 16-0 rout of Gideon. The game was called in the third inning because of the 15-run mercy rule. “That’s been our identity as a team. ...

With only four games left on the fall schedule, the Oran Eagles looked to stay hot against Bernie. Senior Ty Johnson led the way for Oran as the offense hit just enough to get by the visiting Mules Monday afternoon, by the final of 5-1. Johnson, who hits in the third in head coach Joe Bicking’s lineup, paced the Eagles in the hit column, recording three hits in four at-bats. He also scored two of the five runs for Oran...

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...

KENNETT, Mo. - The Kennett girls tennis team walked away with every plaque up for grabs at its own three-team tennis tournament Saturday. Kennett’s Mary Grace Collins and Malea Lack placed first and Kennett’s Molly McClain and Molly Potts placed second in the doubles tournament...

PERRYVILLE - If you broke down Perryville’s 35-30 football victory over Malden at Perryville Friday into segments, depending on which part of the contest you watched, you would have a varying opinion on each team.

The Woodland baseball team lost a very close game to Bloomfield Friday at home by the score of 5-4 to drop their record to 1-2 on the shortened season. The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, plating two runs in their half of the first inning. The Cardinals answered, scoring one run in the third inning and then three more in the fourth inning, capped off by a 1 out, RBI single by Seth Abernathy...

FESTUS - The defensive success reached a new level for the Kennett Indians football squad Friday night. Undefeated Kennett built a 26-0 lead by halftime on its way to a 46-0 road win against St. Pius X of Festus at Father Dalton Stadium. It was Kennett’s first shutout of the season...

Two Dunklin County football squads will have to travel a bit further than originally planned for their Week 4 football contests Friday. Kennett’s game at Caruthersville and Malden’s game at Chaffee have been cancelled. Kennett has added St. Pius X to its schedule in place of Caruthersville. Malden has added Perryville to its schedule in place of Chaffee. Both games are slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday night...

As much as football intellect is needed by all that follow high school football throughout Missouri, organizational skills may be even more critical.

It was the hot hand of Addie Johnson that led the way for Woodland to win rather easily over a scrappy Zalma team Thursday night 25-8, 25-6, and 25-8. Johnson finished the game with 10 kills, eight digs, and three serve aces. Emma Brown recorded eight kills, nine digs, three aces, and three blocks in the well-balanced attack for the Cardinals...

The Jackson varsity girl’s tennis team improved their record to 8-3 on the season with a road victory over Charleston Thursday 9-0. Singles Matches scores: Doubles Matches scores: Jackson will host the Doubles Tournament on Saturday. Charleston(1-6) will travel to Poplar Bluff on Tuesday and play at 4 p.m...

Will Tomblin will soon be returning to the court to play competitive basketball. The 2020 Southland graduate recently signed to play basketball at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. “I decided my senior year I wanted to go to play at the collegiate level,” Tomblin said. “My coach sent the Williams Baptist coach a film of me playing last fall. Then I took a tour there and really liked it and decided it was a good fit for me."...

Twin Rivers softball player Abbey Hester and Notre Dame swimmer Nick Landewe were strong in their competitive sports last week and popular off them, as the two earned the latest Semoball.com Athletes of the Week honors.

Cooter out-hit New Madrid County Central nine to six and improved their record to 7-1 on the season with a 8-4 win Thursday afternoon at home. Luke Barnes, the Wildcat’s lead-off hitter, led the charge offensively, racking up two hits (both doubles)...

Malden 12, Clarkton 2 The Malden baseball team run-ruled Clarkton 12-2 Wednesday. Clarkton led 2-1 until Malden scored eight runs in the bottom of the second inning to move ahead 9-2 and never trailed after. Ethan Campbell finished 3 for 3 with one RBI, Dylan Bader was 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Zach Wiseman was 1 for 3 with two RBIs and Trey Miller finished 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs for Malden...

Malden 13, Campbell 6 The Malden baseball team rallied to beat Campbell 13-6 Tuesday. Campbell led 2-1 until Malden scored eights runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a commanding lead. The outburst was highlighted by RBI singles by Trey Miller, Ethan Campbell, and a 2 RBI single by Griffin Riley...

DEXTER — The Dexter volleyball team overcame an energy shortage in the second game to beat the Kennett Indians 25-13, 25-16, 25-19 Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center. After falling behind 7-0 in a first-game loss, the Indians put up more of a fight in the second, using a series of strong serves and some hard-hitting up front to keep the Bearcats off balance...

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. ...

The Advance baseball team scored four runs in the fifth inning to blow open a close game and beat Twin Rivers 8-3 Monday at Broseley. The Royals scored three runs in the first inning to take a 3-1 lead. However, Advance tied the score in the second and went ahead 4-3 in the fourth...

The Dexter football team fell to New Madrid County Central 40-20 Friday but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort or production on the part of senior athlete Ryan Collier.

Charleston lost their first match but recovered to win their next six matches in a row to defeat Sikeston 6-3 overall Tuesday. Singles results include: Doubles results include: Charleston(1-4) travels to Dexter today to take on the Bearcats at 4 p.m...

Notre Dame won a six-team doubles tournament held at Cape Central Friday. Overall results include: 1st - Notre Dame 2nd – Jackson 3rd – Kennett 4th – Dexter 5th – Cape Central 6th – Saxony Lutheran Round 1 Group A results: Round 1 Group B results:...

KENNETT - Fresh off a runner-up finish in the silver bracket of the Black Division at the Dig for Life Challenge Saturday in Cape Girardeau, the Kennett Indians varsity volleyball squad added another win to its resume Monday night. Kennett recorded eight ace serves as it beat the visiting Scot City Rams 25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 25-14...

CAMPBELL, Mo. — Finding the good in a loss is how Sikeston head coach Emily Pullen would describe Monday’s three-set defeat to Campbell. The Lady Bulldogs lost the first set 25-6, the second 25-11, and the third 25-12, but even though the score didn’t necessarily show it, Pullen believes that her team showed a lot of good signs in Sikeston’s first match of the season...

KENNETT - Four former teams and one former standout athlete of the Kennett School were added to the Kennett Athletics Hall of Fame last week. Nathan Baker, the 1926 Kennett High School Track Team, the 1991 Kennett High School Track Team, the 2014 Kennett High School Softball Team, and the 2015 Kennett High School Softball Team were recognized as new inductees in a ceremony at halftime of the Kennett-Doniphan varsity football game Sept. 4 at Metz Cherry Stadium...

Action concluded at the two-day Dig for Life Challenge Saturday at Cape SportsPlex. Notre Dame beat Dexter 25-17, 25-21 in the gold bracket championship of the Red Division. Lesterville beat Cape Central 25-19, 21-25, 25-21 in the silver bracket championship of the Red Division...

Malden 8, Doniphan 7 The Malden baseball squad rallied from a 7-5 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Doniphan 8-7 in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday. The trouble started for Doniphan in the final frame when Ethan Campbell collected a base hit. Cooper Thomas followed by drawing a walk. RBI hits by Dylan Bader and Griffin Riley tied things up at seven-all...

The Notre Dame girls tennis team beat Jackson 2-1 in the championship match of the Cape Central Doubles Tournament on Friday in Cape Girardeau. Kennett beat Dexter 2-1 to place third and Cape Central beat Saxony Lutheran 3-0 to take fifth. Here are the individual results:...

The first 46 pool play contests of the Dig for Life Challenge took place Friday night at Cape SportsPlex Pool play continues at the two-day varsity volleyball tournament Saturday morning. Teams will begin bracket play Saturday after the completion of pool play. Red Division bracket play begins at 1 p.m. Saturday and Black Division bracket play begins at 11 a.m. Saturday. Placement in bracket play is based on pool play performance...

DONIPHAN ­— For only the second time in three years of varsity football, the Doniphan Dons found themselves with a lead in the second half Friday night against the Caruthersville Tigers. Trey Mills’ reverse field 40-yard catch and run with 2:32 left in the third quarter followed by Alonzo Rios’ run for the two-point conversion put the Dons ahead 21-20. Caruthersville (2-1) recovered with the help of a couple of Dons turnovers in the final 14 minutes to claim a 42-21 win...

KENNETT - The Kennett Indians varsity football squad collected its third straight mercy-rule victory Friday night. Fresh off beating Malden 64-8 in Week 1 and defeating Doniphan 53-7 in Week 2, Kennett carried the ball for over 285 yards as it rushed its way past Ste. Genevieve 49-13 in Week 3...

In one of the longer Southeast Missouri high school football games in recent memory, Hayti won a shootout with its SEMO South Conference rival and host Scott City Friday, 62-43, behind the outstanding play of 6-foot-2 Indians junior quarterback Trayvon Thomas...

The figurative path leading from the Ohio Valley Conference to the NFL isn’t exactly an interstate, but it’s not an overgrown trail in a woods either.

Campbell 3, Caruthersville 1 The Campbell Camels varsity volleyball team outlasted previously unbeaten Caruthersville 25-23, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20 Thursday night. Macy Hendrix had a team-high 20 assists for the Camels. C.J. Littrel added 14 assists and Hannah Littrel recorded a team-high 15 digs...

KENNETT - The Kennett varsity volleyball team was forced to implement a new rotation heading into Thursday’s contest against the visiting Malden Green Wave. “We have a couple girls out right now,” Kennett volleyball coach Gentry Vancil said. “So we had to have a few players step up and play different positions tonight and I thought they handled their new roles well.”...

LAST MEETING: Kennett beat Ste. Genevieve 40-0 in the Class 3, District 1 championship last season. LAST WEEK: Valle Catholic beat Ste. Genevieve 42-7; Kennett beat Doniphan 53-7 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Ste. Genevieve is 3-4 against Kennett since 2010. Kennett has won the last three meetings, including twice last season...

SIKESTON — Continuing to improve, the Sikeston girls tennis team found themselves battling a challenging field of players at the 2020 Sikeston Invitational Thursday. Even though both of the Lady Bulldogs’ singles matches came to an end in the play-in rounds, both Sikeston doubles' teams picked up a pair of wins, with one duo battling in the quarterfinals. Altogether, Sikeston went 2-4 in its matches...

Bell City’s Easton Newell and Bryson Maddox combined to pitch a five-inning no-hitter Thursday in the Mules’ 14-0 victory over Gideon. Newell secured the win, striking out seven and walking five in four innings of a game played at Gideon. Maddox retired the side in the fifth on only five pitches...

Chaffee scored nine runs in the bottom half of the first inning to set the tone early and would never falter as they won going away 12-0. The Devils ran three more across the plate in the fourth frame to push the final tally to 12. The Lady Devil offense was paced by leadoff hitter Abby Cowell. She recorded two hits in three at-bats, scoring twice and finished with three RBI...

SENATH, Mo. - Things remained close most of the way but the Campbell Camels baseball squad finally strung together the clutch hits it needed to build a comfortable lead in its opener. Campbell broke a 1-1 tie when it scored a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning and drove home seven more run in the top of the seventh inning as it beat the Senath-Hornersville Lions 10-1 Tuesday afternoon...

The Malden Green Wave baseball team opened its inaugural fall season with a 16-2 five-inning home victory against Gideon Wednesday. Malden built a 6-1 lead by the end of the third inning. The Green Wave scored 10 runs on five hits and eight walks in the bottom of the fourth inning to pad its lead to 16-1...

CARUTHERSVILLE - The Caruthersville Tigers hosted the Mountain Grove Panthers on Friday night in the Tigers' home opener. With the season in a constant pending status each week, the Tigers took a moment before the game to honor the senior football players and cheerleaders in front of its hometown crowd...

PORTAGEVILLE - Last Friday the Hayti Indians loaded up and headed north for a football clash with the Portageville Bulldogs. The offensive game plan was simple, according to Hayti offensive coordinator KC Gilmer, “Our main focus was to offensively execute, and focus on the 'little things', QB reads, O-Line blocking, and wide receiver blocking.”...

Jackson won a tightly contested volleyball game tuesday evening, winning in straight sets 25-14, 25-19, 25-21.

The Kennett varsity girls tennis team beat Dexter 8-1 Tuesday afternoon. Dexter’s Julianna Rivera beat Kennett’s Molly Potts 9-8 (9-7) in a tiebreaker in the closest singles match of the afternoon. Kennett won the other five singles matches by at least four points and also collected wins in all three varsity doubles matches...

New Madrid County Central had dropped 114 points on East Prairie over the past two seasons. However, the Eagles soared Friday to a 41-27 win and running back Lucas Moore was a key reason as to why.

Scott City (1-1) faces the only team to blemish its 2019 regular season record Friday as it hosts unbeaten Hayti (2-0) at William Wllthong Field. The Rams were riding high at 6-0 last season when they traveled to Pemiscot County on Oct. 11 and dropped a heartbreaker to the Indians in the final 29 seconds of the contest, 46-41...

Cape Central would make quick work of East Carter as the Tigers would win going away in just three innings. The Tigers would score five runs in the bottom of the first inning, then plate eight more in the bottom of the second. They would then shut down the Redbirds in the third inning to win by 10 run rule...

Scott City (1-1) faces the only team to blemish its 2019 regular season record Friday as it hosts unbeaten Hayti (2-0) at William Wllthong Field. The Rams were riding high at 6-0 last season when they traveled to Pemiscot County last October 11 and dropped a heartbreaker to the Indians in the final 29 seconds of the contest, 46-41...

MALDEN — The Kelly Hawks did not need many sustained drives to beat Malden in the SEMO South opener for both teams. Kelly scored three of its four first half touchdowns on plays of 13 yards or more and dominated from late in the first quarter on to take a 48-6 victory over the Green Wave on Friday in Malden...

KENNETT - The Kennett Indians varsity football team experienced little difficulty improving to 2-0 Friday night. Kennett built a 39-0 lead by halftime as it cruised past Doniphan 53-7 in its home opener at Metz Cherry Stadium. “I’m a little bit disappointed in some of the mental errors we had on substitutions and by a couple offside penalties our defensive line made,” Kennett football coach Joel Wyatt 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...

The fifth time was the charm for the Dexter girls tennis team after its first four matches of the season were either rained out or suspended because of the weather. The Bearcats beat Sikeston 9-0 Thursday with eight of the matches being lopsided.

Cooter baseball coach David Mathis called his latest squad "the youngest Cooter team ever," following its latest outing. However, he also said the team, which starts seven players who are either sophomores or freshman "the funniest bunch to coach."

LAST MEETING: Kennett beat Doniphan 56-0 in a Class 3, District 1 quarterfinal in 2019 LAST WEEK: Kennett beat Malden 64-8; Kelly beat Doniphan 34-14 HEAD TO HEAD STREAK: Kennett has won the only two head-to-head meetings since Doniphan restarted varsity football...

The Kennett boys cross country program enters its 2020 campaign with four runners after having a senior-heavy squad last season. “We are a little thin after graduating five seniors,” Kennett cross country coach Fred Garmon said. “But we are returning one senior who has had a great summer - Brett Bradley. He’s been doing more than enough to get ready for the season and he really wants to have a big senior year.”...

Sikeston at Dexter Records: Sikeston 1-0; Dexter 0-1 Series History: Sikeston leads 52-21 Last Meeting: 2017, Dexter won 12-0 Last Week: Sikeston defeated Caruthersville 17-6; Dexter lost to Scott City 18-15. Notes: For the first time in three seasons, the Sikeston football team plays Dexter. ...

From afar, the job of Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz may look glamorous.

Kennett swept all nine matches to blank Charleston in girl's varsity tennis action Wednesday in Kennett.

Portageville picked up its first win of the 2020 season on Tuesday evening at Senath-Hornersville.

CAMPBELL, Mo. — It wasn’t the start of the season that the Portageville volleyball team wanted on Monday night at Campbell. The Bulldogs lost in straight-sets to the Lady Camels. Portageville (0-1) lost the first set 25-3, the second 25-14, and the third 25-12...

CAMPBELL - It came down to the wire but the Kennett Indians varsity volleyball team found a way to walk away with a victory in its season-opener Tuesday night against the Campbell Camels. Kennett scored five of the final six points to break a 10-all tie and outlast Campbell 15-11 in the fifth set of a five-set marathon that lasted more than two hours...

DUSTIN WARD dward@dddnews.com The pieces appear to be in place for another big year for the Gideon Bulldogs volleyball program. Gideon returns five starters off of last season’s varsity squad that finished 28-4-2 and won the Tri-County Conference Tournament for a 10th straight season...

Chaffee football is on a roll of late.

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

It was a barrage of extra base hits for the home team Cooter in the shortened contest that would spell doom early for Clarkton.

The Clarkton Reindeer volleyball program is blessed with experience entering its 2020 campaign. Clarkton has five returning varsity starters on last season’s varsity squad that finished 23-7-3. “We been really young the past few years,” Clarkton coach Amy Cowart said. “This group of seniors has played varsity since they were freshmen. We’ve finally matured. Most of the players on the varsity squad have played varsity for multiple seasons. They are very seasoned players.”...

The Southland Rebels volleyball program enters its 2020 campaign with as many newcomers as returners on its squad. Southland has one senior, two juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman out for high school volleyball. “We’ve been working really hard,” Southland coach Julia Murray said. “It’s a struggle to do certain things since our numbers are so low but we are finding a way to make things work.”...

SIKESTON — Positive offensive plays came few and far between for Caruthersville in Friday night’s opener at Sikeston. The Bulldogs defense played a stellar game against a Tigers offense that racked up 43 points per game one season ago. All night long, Sikeston defenders continued to make plays. They finished with 16 tackles for loss and one interception in a 17-6 win over the Tigers at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium...

MALDEN - Fresh off of a 13-1 record and a trip to the Class 3 state semifinals last season, the Kennett Indians needed just 64 seconds to find the end zone on the game’s opening drive and scored 22 points in the first five minutes of Friday’s 64-8 victory over the Malden Green Wave in the Delta Bowl. ...

POPLAR BLUFF — The 2020 football has finally arrived and in Missouri (at least for now), Semoball.com-area programs are playing (for the most part).

Caruthersville at Sikeston Records: Caruthersville 0-0; Sikeston 0-0 Series History: Sikeston leads 29–10–1 Last Meeting: 2007, Sikeston won 34-20 Last Week: N/A Notes: Football is back. As Week 1 of the high school season gets underway, we start this week’s Standard-Democrat preview with Sikeston and Caruthersville. ...

The Hayti Indians followed up an undefeated 2018 season with a 12-2 finish last year, falling to Valle Catholic in the Class 1, District 1 championship to end another stellar 2019 campaign. Like all teams, the Indians have been forced to adjust to the Covid-19 pandemic...

The Caruthersville Tigers’ roster may be thinner than a year ago, but the team still has some playmakers in the skill positions. The Tigers have 20 players this season compared to the 40 they had suiting up in 2019. Like all teams, Caruthersville is adjusting to changes caused by COVID-19, and pressing on with hopes of competing this year...

Good Sports is a column featured weekly in the Southeast Missourian and on semoball.com. It is primarily designed to showcase people who have impacted the sporting life of Southeast Missouri, so that readers may get to know them more fully. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity...

No fewer than 17 states have canceled high school football this fall, according to the Indiana-based National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Nineteen more states have “significantly modified” gridiron play this autumn, with Missouri one of 14 states to have made no changes to scheduling 2020 prep football in the fall, according to NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff...

The Malden School announced Tuesday it has made the decision to limit the number of fans at home volleyball and football games this fall beginning Friday when it hosts Kennett in a varsity football contest. “We felt like if we were taking precautions at school we might as well extend those precautions to our athletic contests,” Malden athletic director Tim Harmon said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. ...

Malden Green Wave volleyball coach Alex Glover plans on finding a way to use all 17 of her players’ skills on the court in 2020. “Everybody brings something to the table this year,” Glover said. “So we are looking at playing time for every single person. Every player is included in our rotation right now, which is great.”...

Brady Barke holds degrees from three different universities, so knowledge is sort of “his thing.” However, none of those diplomas earned by the fourth-year Southeast Missouri State Athletic Director came in the field of wizardry. But that is precisely what Barke is trying to exhibit as he navigates the problematic financial situation that his athletic department finds itself in.

Turnout is high for the Senath-Hornersville Lions volleyball program a few days before the start of the 2020 season. The Lions currently have nine freshmen, one sophomore, five juniors, and five seniors on its high school roster. “We’ve got a big group,” Senath-Hornersville first-year coach Allison Hoffmann said. “I’m very excited about our chances this year. My seniors are working hard and are very good leaders. We’ve also got a good freshmen class so the future looks bright as well.”...

There is zero possibility that first-year Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball coach Brad Korn is going to complain about himself, his coaching staff, and his players having to wear masks when trying to communicate with each other. After all, Korn has been on the job for five months and only last week did he actually get to meet with his entire team in person.

The Campbell Camels volleyball program enters its 2020 campaign looking to build upon its winningest season in school history last season. Campbell returns five seniors starters - Macy Hendrix, Caris Foriester, Kaylee Holsten, Hannah Littrell, and Alexis Pounds - off of last season’s varsity squad that finished 26-5-2...

The Jackson High School football program is now on its third opening week opponent with the season less than a week from getting underway. Having said that, is there anyone willing to bet a large sum of money that the Indians absolutely, unequivocally, will not be making another schedule change before Friday?

Dexter cross county coach Leonard Morse believes his varsity boys team could make history this fall. “If the season is able to progress all the way without COVID-19 interruptions, I think we will have a very solid season,” Morse said. “I believe that our boys have a legitimate shot to earn a state berth as a team for the first time since 1971. ...

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...

The Kennett volleyball program is blessed with experience entering its 2020 campaign. Kennett returns five players on its roster who were significant contributors at the varsity level last season. The returning players who saw significant playing time last season are seniors Caroline Byers, Caroline Patton, Melena Green, and Anna Beth Vancil, and junior Macy New...

DUSTIN WARD dward@dddnews.com The pieces appear to be in place for another big year for the Kennett Indians football program following its deepest postseason run in school history last season. Kennett graduated nine seniors off of last season’s varsity squad that finished 13-1 and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time school history. ...

During this time of social distancing, the SuperFan series of articles focuses on fans who are geographically distant from the teams they support, who are fiercely loyal to a team outside the state of Missouri. Responses are edited for clarity and brevity...

For nearly four months, seventh-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz and his staff monitored the physical conditioning of the Redhawk student-athletes as best as they could while navigating a global pandemic.

The Malden Green Wave football program enters its 2020 campaign with a balance of veterans and youngsters ready to contribute on the gridiron. Malden has 11 seniors, six juniors, 14 sophomores, and eight freshmen on its high school roster. “We’ve got some veteran guys coming back that have been in our system for a while,” Malden football coach Justin Peden said. ...

After not being on a football field with his team for eight months, seventh-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz acted like it was his birthday on Aug. 5 when the Redhawks opened their 2020 training camp.

To no one's surprise, the Ohio Valley Conference announced Friday that it would be postponing the athletic contests scheduled for this fall. The league has directed its membership to "develop plans for conference competition and championships in the spring semester (of 2021)," according to a release...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — What a summer it was for the Charleston Fighting Squirrels. Overall, the team won 41 games, won the Missouri Senior Babe Ruth state title and capped off the season by winning the Southern Invitational Series in Mobile, Ala., against top competition...

Traditional girls tennis powerhouse Kennett enters its 2020 campaign looking to develop new talent after losing its No. 2 and No. 3 singles players off of last season’s varsity squad. “I’ve got a young team,” Kennett longtime girls tennis coach Janet Hilburn said. “We have worked hard all summer trying to get our newcomers ready to play. We are doing what we can to be prepared for the season.”...

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...

Give the Ohio Valley Conference credit for this; no one will accuse the league of rushing into any decision to manage its sports competition this fall.

The Campbell Camels volleyball program enters the 2020 season with a new leader at the helm. The Campbell Board of Education recently hired Bootheel native Amber Hixson as its new varsity volleyball coach. Hixson takes over for Gentry Vancil who had served as head coach at Campbell the past four seasons...

SIKESTON — Senior-oriented events should be a mainstay for years to come. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic halting all means of spring sporting events this past season, that didn’t stop coaches, parents and — most importantly — the athletes from having final memories with their uniforms strapped up and cleats or tennis shoes put on...

KENNETT, Mo. - Local golfers teamed up for a fifth straight year to raise money for the Kennett Athletic Program Friday. A total of 92 golfers competed at the fifth annual Kennett Athletics Booster Club Four-Person Golf Scramble at Kennett Country Club...

Colorado native Thomas Fischer is no stranger to high school wrestling. “I’ve found myself coaching wrestling quite a bit simply because I have a background in it,” Fischer said. “I thoroughly enjoy it.” Fischer, who has 23 years of experience teaching and has coached wrestling at the high school level for 15 years, is bringing his expertise to Kennett. The Kennett Board of Education recently hired Fischer as its high school wrestling coach for the 2020-21 school year...

The world of sports is a whirlwind right now as it is caught up in the COVID-19 storm. Games are being shut down, programs are cancelling seasons, and players are opting out of even playing in some instances.

Local high school football teams are currently trying to figure out how to play a season amid the coronavirus. Looking back just over 100 years ago and there are some similarities as high school football — which was still in its infancy at the time — was impacted by the Spanish Flu...

One couldn’t fault seventh-year Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz if he would have woken up before sunrise Wednesday and sprinted down the stairs in a childlike fashion.

MOBILE, Ala. — It was his final baseball game of the summer, but former Sikeston Bulldog Payton Howard didn’t let it end without a memory. Tied at four and heading to the top of the seventh, Howard made sure to capitalize with runners in scoring position and nobody out, in the Fighting Squirrels 5-4 victory over Mid County, Tex. in the championship game of the Southern Invitational Series, in Mobile, Ala., at Hank Aaron Stadium...

Good Sports is a column featured weekly in the Southeast Missourian and on semoball.com. It is primarily designed to showcase people who have impacted the sporting life of Southeast Missouri, so that readers may get to know them more fully. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity...

Tom Matukewicz was a teenager the last time he went eight months without taking part in football practice and he sure as heck doesn’t want to make it nine months.

Ohio Valley Commissioner Beth DeBauche recently stated that the league could be addressing whether or not to play football following its Board of Presidents convening this past Wednesday.

Good Sports is a column featured weekly in the Southeast Missourian and on semoball.com. It is primarily designed to showcase people who have impacted the sporting life of Southeast Missouri, so that readers may get to know them more fully. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity...

ORAN, Mo. — Oran High School is hosting a senior softball game, at Oran City Park, on Saturday at 11 a.m. Fifteen players will participate in the event, with four coming from the Standard-Democrat area. Charleston’s Ashanti Jones and Skylar Marshall and Oran’s Kaylee Payne and Samantha Welter are all playing...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Baseball isn’t quite finished for the Charleston Fighting Squirrels this season. The team will play in the 2020 Southern Invitational Series, starting Friday, at Hank Aaron Stadium, in Mobile, Ala. There are 15 games scheduled with a tournament, based on records, to follow on Tuesday...

Preparation for the 2020 high school football season continued Wednesday night at the practice field near Metz Cherry Stadium in Kennett.

The state of Missouri, as of now, is planning to start prep football on time this fall. Official practices may begin August 10 and the first competitive games are still on for August 28. Show Me State high schools may soon be approached with transfer requests from players in other states whose return to play has either been delayed or canceled...

Kennett graduate Marshall Brown elected to play baseball for the Charleston Fighting Squirrels this summer after being contacted by pitching coach Jamie Johnson last fall. “Their coaching staff contacted me and encouraged me to tryout,” Brown said. “They said it would be really fun and it has been. It’s been one of the best summers I’ve ever had.”...

Good Sports is a column featured weekly in the Southeast Missourian and on semoball.com. It is primarily designed to showcase people who have impacted the sporting life of Southeast Missouri, so that readers may get to know them more fully. Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Mission accomplished. After nearly two months of baseball games, Missouri crowned a state champion on Monday evening at Hillhouse Park in Charleston, as the Charleston Fighting Squirrels staved off the defending state champion Southeast Tropics 3-2, to win the Senior Babe Ruth State Championship Tournament...

CHARLESTON, Mo. - It took a little extra time but the Southeast Tropics found a way to avoid elimination at the Missouri Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament yet again Sunday afternoon. The Southeast Tropics put up a five spot in the top of the eighth inning to break a 2-all tie on its way to a 7-2 eight-inning victory against the Mineral Area Orioles in an elimination game at Hillhouse Park in Charleston...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Expect the unexpected when you watch a baseball game at any level. That would be one way to summarize how the Southeast Tropics played in their extra-inning 8-7 victory over Festus in the loser’s bracket final of the Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament at Hillhouse Park, in Charleston, on Sunday...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — One win now separates the Charleston Fighting Squirrels 19-and-under team from a state championship. After a marvelous performance on the mound from Luke Nichols, Charleston is now 21 outs away from a goal they had at the start of the season...

CHARLESTON — The Jackson Tribe baseball squad has struggled to put seven innings of good baseball together at times this summer and that was the case Saturday, as it dropped a pair of games to close its season in the Senior Babe Ruth State Tournament at Hillhouse Park in Charleston.