Sports

The Dexter Bearcats reached the Red Division Gold quarterfinals of the Saint Francis Dig for Life Challenge volleyball tournament Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Bloomfield advanced to the Red Division Silver semifinals, while Puxico and Richland were eliminated in Black Division playoffs...

BLOOMFIELD — The Advance baseball team struggled early this season with finishing off opponents. The Hornets lost leads in the sixth or seventh inning in each of their first three games, all losses. On Saturday in a round robin at Bloomfield, the Hornets rallied past the Wildcats and finished them off with a game-ending double play to win 8-7...

The Bernie Mules scored two runs in the seventh inning to avenge an earlier loss to the Holcomb baseball team Friday at Holcomb. Luke Tanner doubled home the tying run and Ivan Meyer singled home the go-head run in the Mules’ 3-2 victory. Landon Zoll was the winning pitcher, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks in seven innings...

The Dexter Bearcats reached the Red Division Gold quarterfinals of the Saint Francis Dig for Life Challenge volleyball tournament Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Bloomfield advanced to the Red Division Silver semifinals, while Puxico and Richland were eliminated in Black Division playoffs...

With a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line, the Sikeston Bulldogs were looking to punch in late in the first quarter to take the lead Friday night. Two snaps later, it was Poplar Bluff celebrating in the end zone. DJ Dennis recovered a fumble by the Bulldogs and on the next play, Poplar Bluff quarterback Kannon Carr found an open Devin Gatewood for a 90-yard touchdown...

DEXTER — The New Madrid County Central football team struck quickly in the second half. The Eagles scored touchdowns on their first two possessions after halftime to break a 15-all tie and beat the Dexter Bearcats 43-15 Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium...

Poplar Bluff softball went 0-3 Friday at the Ozark Fall Festival in Ozark, Mo. The Mules lost 10-1 to Eureka, 6-2 to Nixa, and 9-0 to Raymore-Peculiar. Audrey Lack had a strong day, going 4 for 6 as the Mules’ leadoff hitter. She was 2 for 2 against Eureka, as the Mules (1-5) had four hits as a team and lost in five innings. McKenzie Smith was 1 for 2 and scored the Mules’ lone run...

MALDEN — After being on the wrong end of a running clock the first two weeks of the season, Malden turned the tide against Portageville. Malden marched for its first drive and never slowed down as it beat Portageville 48-12 Friday at The Swamp. Malden consistently converted on offense when it needed to, including three times on fourth down in the first half...

After falling behind by 12 points in the opening game, the Poplar Bluff volleyball team answered the alarm. The Mules couldn’t complete the comeback in the opening game but managed to win the match with key late-game runs to fend off Bloomfield 18-25, 25-22, 25-19 at the Senior High Gym...

The defending Class 1 state champion Advance Hornets came out on top in a battle of two of the top volleyball teams in the state last season. The Hornets rallied from an early deficit to beat Arcadia Valley 20-25, 25-15, 25-19 Thursday at Ironton. Arcadia Valley finished second in the Class 2 state tournament last season...

GREENVILLE — Clearwater put the ball in play 25 times and got 16 hits. Greenville put the ball in play 23 times and got four hits. As they say, that’s just baseball. With the Tigers seemingly always finding gaps and the Bears struggling to do the same, Clearwater scored in every inning but the seventh for a 13-4 win Thursday in Greenville...

WILLOW SPRINGS, Mo. — Ellington’s Carson McNail won the Class 1 race in 18 minutes, 14.48 seconds at the Steve Waggoner Cross Country Invitational on Thursday at the Willow Springs Municipal Golf Course. For the girls team, Grace Lloyd took second in 24:12. Fordland’s Mia Wiley won the race in 23:33...

Over the summer the Poplar Bluff coaching staff was looking to add depth to the offensive line with junior Gavyn Hays. “Shows you how smart we are because we knew we were going to be short on the line, numbers wise,” Mules coach David Sievers said. “And so we had talked about making Gavin a tackle.”...

Makenna Rodgers and the doubles team of Julianna Rivera and Maci Comfort fought through tiebreakers to help the Dexter girls tennis team earn a season sweep of the Poplar Bluff Mules. The Bearcats beat Poplar Bluff 8-1 Wednesday at T.S. Hill Middle School...

Four Stoddard County volleyball teams will compete in the 60-team Saint Francis Dig for Life Challenge on Friday and Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Dexter will compete in Pool B of the Red Division along with Park Hills Central, Seckman and Eminence. Bloomfield joins Parkway South, St. Vincent and Lesterville in Pool C...

MaKayla Waldner this past week broke the Mississippi State soccer team’s career record for game winning goals. Waldner (Dexter HS), who was the only active player to be named to the school’s all-time team in the MSU media guide prior to the season, scored twice for MSU in a 3-0 win over University of Tennessee-Martin on Sept. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) confirms Bill Babler of Blue Eye is now the new state-record holder for brown trout after catching a monster 40-pound, 6-ounce fish at Lake Taneycomo Sept. 4 using a pole-and-line. The previous record was set just seven months ago by Paul Crews of Neosho. Crews was also fishing at Lake Taneycomo when he reeled in a 34-pound, 10-ounce brown trout Feb. 23 using a pole-and-line...

For Missouri’s bowhunters, the day they’ve been waiting so long for is within reach. Missouri’s 112-day archery deer and turkey seasons will open Sunday, and, at least for deer hunters, things look pretty good. “Overall, I think it’s going to be a great season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another harvest record,” said new Cervid Program Manager for the Department of Conservation, Jason Isabelle...

Following a weekend in which they found the back of the net once in three games, the Poplar Bluff Mules soccer team got goals from six different players in their home opener Tuesday. Alex Ketcherside and Hayden Pinderski each scored twice while Ketcherside added an early assist in Poplar Bluff’s 8-0 win over St. Paul Lutheran at Mules Stadium...

Jeffrey Allen smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday, and the Bell City baseball team beat Risco 6-5. Bell City (5-0) jumped ahead 3-1 in the first inning, but the Tigers (4-3) rallied to take a 5-3 lead into the sixth...

Jackson kept pressure on Poplar Bluff all night. The few times the Mules looked like they were going to release it and make a rally, the Indians paused, kept their composure, and applied some more. Poplar Bluff led 2-1 in the early stages of both games, but never after that as the Mules fell to Jackson 25-19, 25-12 Tuesday at the Senior High Gym...

The Dexter Bearcats began to find their offensive groove Friday night at Salem. A week after mustering only 19 yards of total offense in a 49-7 loss to Ste. Genevieve, the Bearcats finished with 253 total yards — 157 rushing and 96 passing — in a 19-6 loss to Salem...

ELLSINORE — East Carter held on to beat Jackson 2-1 on Tuesday. Makenna Moore limited the Indians to three hits and a walk while earning five strikeouts. She also tripled and scored. Audrey Carter scored East Carter’s other run. East Carter (7-2) had four hits as a team, along with Moore’s triple, Anna Willis had a double, while Kennedy Thies and Hailey Brown both singled...

In a small home meet, a growing Poplar Bluff boys swim team picked up a pair of wins and 54 total points on Tuesday at the Black River Coliseum. “We scored a lot more points than we have before, which is super exciting,” Mules coach Julia Dragon said. “This year, we met the goal of being able to have a person in every single event and the only thing we missed this time was the 200 relay just because we were short one swimmer (due to an ear infection.)”...

ELLSINORE — Makenna Moore struck out a dozen, gave up one hit and made sure she didn’t have to pitch the seventh inning Monday afternoon. The East Carter senior pushed across the game-ending run with a walk as the Redbirds beat rival Twin Rivers 11-1...

ADVANCE — The focused Advance volleyball team would love to repeat as Class 1 state champion. However, the team, which returns almost everyone from last year’s championship squad, hasn’t addressed the issue in practice. “We haven’t even talked about it,” Advance coach Erin Hoffman said. “It’s a new year. It’s a different team. It’s just a whole new ballgame.”...

NEELYVILLE — Austin Sheppard held Dora to three hits as Neelyville pulled away for a 6-2 win on Monday. Sheppard finished with two walks against and a strikeout over seven innings, and needed just 86 pitches for the Tigers (2-3). Austin Ennis was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs, while Parker Jeffries hit a triple and was 2 for 2 with a run and three RBIs. Ryan Armes drove in two runs, as well...

Monday marked the first Meet the Raiders event at the Libla Family Sports Complex. The complex was opened for basketball games earlier this year, and held its first commencement ceremony in May. “It feels way better. Better atmosphere, better vibes all around. We’re excited for a new year,” sophomore basketball player Willie Lucas said...

The Dexter volleyball team opened SCAA play with a 25-10, 25-6 win over Richland on Monday night at the Bearcat Event Center. Bailey Chamberlain, Blair Rogers and Alexa Werneck paced Dexter with four kills and two service aces each. Shelby Bishop and Dulcie Pullen had nine assists apiece for the Bearcats, who improved to 2-1...

By BRIAN ROSENER Daily American Republic IRONTON, Mo. — Poplar Bluff’s Jaden Deaton and Dexter’s Margo Nea ran away from the pack at the Arcadia Valley XC Invitational on Saturday. Deaton won by 47 seconds, cutting 44 seconds from his second-place time last year as a sophomore. He ran the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes 5.9 seconds...

Dexter’s Margo Nea won the Arcadia Valley Invitational on Saturday, and schoolmates Carter Dorton and Gavin Cartwright earned top-20 finishes at Ironton. Nea posted a time of 20 minutes, 33.93 seconds in the 3.1-mile varsity girls race, 33.18 seconds off her school-record time...

It took a century, but the NFL finally figured out what was missing with football: pass interference challenges. History was made early in the fourth quarter Thursday night in the season opener when Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur challenged that there was offensive pass interference after the officials didn't throw a flag. After a review call stood and the Packers lost a timeout...

Once the Mules got running Friday night there was little stopping them. Poplar Bluff's four running backs combined for nearly 400 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns as the Mules beat Riverview Gardens 48-8. "We felt that we could run the ball at them," Mules coach David Sievers said...

THAYER, Mo. — Doniphan's defense helped produce the first touchdown of the season for the Dons against a state-ranked opponent. Gavin Thompson recovered a fumble on the Thayer 15-yard line and help set up the first of three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Alex Harris in Doniphan's 50-19 road loss Friday night...

The youthful Dexter football team showed some growth Friday night. However, the Salem Tigers made the most of a big second quarter and beat the Bearcats 19-6 at Salem High School. “I thought the defense played really well,” Dexter coach Aaron Pixley told radio station KDEX a week after the Bearcats allowed 477 yards of total offense in a 49-7 loss to Ste. ...

MALDEN, Mo. — The Green Wave had no answer for Devin Russell. The Caruthersville quarterback put together an all-round performance as the Tigers beat Malden 54-6 in Malden on Friday. Russell finished with 305 passing yards and 58 rushing yards and six total touchdowns...

Luke Nichols dominated the Bernie batting order, and the Bell City Cubs remained unbeaten with 10-1 win over the Mules on Friday at Bernie. The left-hander struck out 17 and allowed one run on three hits and one walk in seven innings, as the Cubs improved to 3-0. Bernie fell to 1-2...

Three Rivers College will be holding its annual “Meet the Raiders” night at 7 p.m. Monday at the Libla Family Sports Complex. The event allows fans a chance to meet new Raiders, as well as say hello to returning Raiders. There will be a $5 meal beginning at 6 p.m. and admission to the event is free. Attendees will also have a chance to sign up for the Three Rivers Booster Club and purchase reserved seats as well as other membership items. The College Store will also be open during the event...

BROSELEY — Twin Rivers softball rallied from down 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning to win 6-3 Friday in Broseley. The Royals cut Naylor’s lead to one run after five innings, and then scored four runs in the sixth for holding the Eagles in the seventh...

SIKESTON, Mo. — After falling behind 7-0 through two innings, the Poplar Bluff softball team chipped away Thursday afternoon. The Mules got with a pair of runs in the seventh but could not complete the comeback in a 7-5 road loss. “I was very pleased the second half of the game; I thought we played a lot better,” Mules coach Lisa Boyer said. “Playing like that in the beginning, it might have been a different story.”...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — The Poplar Bluff tennis team got off to a good start Thursday afternoon in doubles play and finished a sweep of Sikeston as the Mules earned their first win of the season. “Everyone showed more confidence today,” Mules coach Missy Cox said. “Our serves, forehands and backhands were much stronger and fluid.”...

DEXTER — Dexter seniors Blair Rogers and Alexa Werneck rallied the troops, and the Bearcats roared back to beat the Jackson volleyball team Thursday night at the Bearcat Event Center. The Indians were within three points of a victory after a lopsided first-set win, but the Bearcats came back to win 11-25, 25-22, 25-20.

PUXICO — It took the Royals an inning to settle into their season opener, and then they cruised. Twin Rivers struck out twice in the first inning, but just three more times the rest of the game as they beat Puxico 15-0 in four innings Thursday. The bottom five spots in the lineup scored 10 of Twin Rivers’ 15 runs. ...

The Woodland Cardinals scored three runs in the sixth inning beat Advance 7-5 in a matchup of two SCAA baseball teams Thursday near Marble Hill. The lead changed hands four times with Woodland leading 1-0 after one inning and 4-3 after four and Advance leading 3-1 after three and 5-4 through 5 1/2 innings...

Dexter football coach Aaron Pixley wasn’t fazed by Friday night’s lopsided season-opening loss to Ste. Genevieve. “We knew we were going to take some lumps (and) have some growing pains, and that’s all this is,” Pixley said of his young Bearcats squad. ...

The Dexter Bearcats girls team team lost to Cape Central for the first time since 2011, falling 9-0 Wednesday in Cape Girardeau. The Bearcats had won seven straight in the series. SINGLES No. 1 Maria Seidu-Sofo (C) def. Courtney Northcutt (D) 8-3. No. 2 Anita Kellum (C) def. Kyla Propst (D) 8-1...

Veteran volleyball coach Starla Pulley is excited about the future of her high school program at Dexter High School. “We have 14 JV players. That’s the most I’ve ever had on a JV team,” Pulley said. “But you know what, it doesn’t seem like 14. They all come in. They work hard. They have a passion.”...

The Dexter girls tennis team stretched its win streak against the Blue Jays to 19 matches Tuesday with an 8-1 win at Charleston. The Blue Jays last beat Dexter in 2010. SINGLES No. 1 Courtney Northcutt (D) def. Anica Paris (C) 8-0. No. 2 Kyla Propst (D) def. Zakiya Wilson (C) 8-5...

The sun came up Saturday morning and the Poplar Bluff football team practiced. The Mules’ season didn’t come to an end after a 34-27 loss to state-ranked MICDS on Friday night. “We didn’t finish. We had our chances offensively and defensively to do what we needed to do to win the game and we didn’t do it,” Mules coach David Sievers said. “And the kids were hurting Friday night.”...