Sports

After getting its first 7-on-7 of the summer rained out last week, Poplar Bluff hosted its on Thursday at Mules Stadium with Malden and Doniphan joining. The loosely scripted evening featured the traditional 7-on-7 passing drills, with the lineman at the other end of the field battling for impromptu lines of scrimmage. A couple of 40-yard races broke out, and in one instance, a back flip...

Twenty-four individuals fished Saturday’s Current River Smallmouth Association “King of the River” tournament, and this year saw a first-time winner. Birch Tree’s Alex Rutledge out-fished the field, hauling in a winning weight of 10.34 pounds and earning the coveted King of the River title...

VAN BUREN, Mo. —Missouri’s black bear population continues to grow, while at the same time expanding its range into new areas, prompting the state’s Department of Conservation to begin developing an updated, comprehensive management plan. “Our current estimate is between 540 and 840 bears,” MDC Resource Scientist Laura Conlee told about 40 people in attendance at an open house last week in Van Buren...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Ellington’s Cameron Brewer and Kaleb Richards were nervous. Both were nominated for the Semoball Baseball Player of the Year after the teammates went 29-1 and won the MSHSAA Class 2 state championship. Brewer pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts in the state semifinals, Richards pitched a complete game shutout in the state championship...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Dexter’s Travis Waldner and the SCAA were repeat winners Saturday night at the Semoball Awards. Waldner repeated as the Wrestling Athlete of the Year, and Roz Schrader, of Advance, became the third straight SCAA athlete and fourth in five years to win the My Daddy’s Cheesecake Volleyball Athlete of the Year award during the ceremony held at Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bernie’s Alyson Marcum and Scott City’s Kaileigh Dirden, two of the top softball pitchers in the state, squared off with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line. Both teams were state-ranked entering the matchup. The outcome was in doubt until the final at-bat with Dirden recording the final out with the tying run at second base. This game ranks No. 4 on the Dexter Statesman's list of the top 10 games for the 2018-19 school year...

Hayti’s undefeated state championship run in football and a seventh place showing by the boys track team lifted the Indians to their first Semoball Cup. The Indians, who finished fifth in the Cup standings last year and eighth in 2017, join two-time winner Malden and three-time winner Notre Dame as the most outstanding sports program in the Semoball coverage area...

Jaysea Morgan had one concern about going from high school basketball to college basketball. Playing time. Even that was turned out to be unnecssary. The Twin Rivers alumna is entering her senior season at Webster University in St. Louis with plans to go to nursing after graduation...

As conservation agents, people often ask, “I guess it’s slow this time of year?” My response is usually, no, it never really gets slow for us; our duties and responsibilities just change like the seasons of the year (not necessarily hunting seasons)...

Poplar Bluff’s trap team continued its hot streak at last weekend’s Scholastic Clay Target Program championship shoot at Linn Creek, with several shooters earning their personal best scores. Conner Hendricks earned a second-place finish in the varsity division with a score of 198 out of 200, while in the junior varsity grouping, Garret Cooper took the win with a 198 and Kason Henderson grabbed second place, also with a 198. ...

The winningest coach in Bernie High School boys basketball history has taken on a new role as the school’s junior and senior high principal. The Bernie School Board hired Botsch as secondary principal during an executive session Monday night. The board named Jason Long athletics director and boys basketball coach, taking over for Botsch in both positions. Long had served as Botsch’s assistant coach for 12 years...

Editor's note: The Semoball Awards will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 13, 2019, at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau. The Dexter Statesman is featuring Dexter's Travis Waldner, who has been nominated for the wresting award. Visit semoball.com and click on Semoball Awards for more information...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Bearcats were coming off a 21-0 season-opening loss to Ste. Genevieve. They lost starting quarterback Haden Hillis to a collarbone injury in the opener. After falling behind early, the Bearcats answered with a solid performance and opened some eyes across the region with the victory. The Dexter-Salem football game is No. 5 on the list of 2018-19 Games of the Year...

Seven Three Rivers athletes earned NJCAA Academic All-American honors for the 2018-19 school year. Zoe Bisby, Lexi Campbell, Calli Gerber, Gracie King, Allison Pingel, Jared Woodward and Braden Cox earned the award by finishing with at least a 3.60 GPA for the year. All five women play softball, while Cox and Woodward play baseball and Bisby also played for the women’s basketball team...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shared its initial plan for a limited elk-hunting season with the Missouri Conservation Commission at the Commission’s public meeting June 28 at MDC headquarters in Jefferson City. The Commission gave its initial approval of the proposed plan, and MDC is asking for public comments...

It’s a pretty slow time in the outdoors, and with the heat, not a lot of folks have been getting out. Fishing remains pretty good locally, and the area’s lakes and rivers didn’t suffer too much during the latest rainy spell. Those pursuing crappies have been doing well fishing deep around structure, while bass anglers have reported catching fish early and late on topwater baits...

Editor’s note: The Semoball Awards will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at the Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus in Cape Girardeau. Today the Statesman is featuring Bernie’s Alyson Marcum, who has been nominated for the softball award. Visit semoball.com and click on Semoball Awards for more information...

BLOOMFIELD — The Bloomfield volleyball team lost all-stater Bailey Below, but coach Haley Silman still expects her team to be in the hunt for a district championship. Below helped the Wildcats win four straight district championships, while finishing her career with 1,119 kills. She signed with John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, last year...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Bearcats will carry a 22-game SCAA regular-season win streak into the next season, but during that stretch, they hadn’t won the SCAA tournament. They accomplished the feat with a team that lost five seniors from an 18-win team and featured a new head coach, Lloyd Hyten. ...

Four schools with Indians as mascots finished in the top 10 of the Semoball Cup standings with six schools claiming a state championship and the other four at least playing for one. The winner will be announced Saturday, July 13, at the Sixth Annual Semoball Awards, which will be held at Southeast Missouri State's River Campus...

Out of 120 participants in the Varsity Spirit London Parade, Neelyville cheerleading will have two representatives. Captain Hailey Stewart and co-captain Isabelle Bunton were selected to take part in the Varsity All-American London Tour after attending a four-day Universal Cheerleaders Association camp in Branson, Missouri, June 3-6...

Editor’s note: The Semoball Awards will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus in Cape Girardeau. Beginning today, the Statesman will feature a Stoddard County athlete who was nominated for an award. Visit semoball.com and click on Semoball Awards for more information...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation announces it has reduced the number of counties in its management zone for chronic wasting disease (CWD) from 48 to 29 starting in July. Changes to the CWD Management Zone will impact restrictions on feeding deer, antler-point restrictions, antlerless permits for some counties, and mandatory CWD sampling...

Thirty-one teams fished Sunday’s Angler’s Choice tournament on Wappapello Lake, and all but one weighed fish. Jamie Toon and Brian House led the field with a five-fish stringer weighing 19.3 pounds, which earned them $1,620 in prize money. Second place went to Randy Pierce and Keith Carroll with 16.18 pounds, worth $1,330. The pair also caught the biggest bass of the day, weighing in at 5.65 pounds...

The Dexter football team lost big numbers from last season. Not only did the Bearcats lose 15 seniors but many of them were big guys. The Bearcats finished 5-5 last season following a 2-4 start and won a playoff game for the first time since 2010 when they advanced to the state quarterfinals...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Dexter girls basketball team’s loss to Poplar Bluff ended the former’s quest to win the SEMO Conference title outright. Both teams rallied from significant deficits, and PB won on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. This game is No. 7 on the Dexter Statesman's list of top high school games from the 2018-19 school year involving Stoddard County teams...

Jake Hime didn’t foresee winding up as the coach of a state championship baseball team in Ellington. He called it “a series of great accidents.” His friend, Derek Brewer, who Hime went to college with, was coaching junior high baseball and was an assistant coach on the high school team. Brewer saw that Ellington had just hired Hime’s wife, Brittany, to teach kindergarten in 2010...

Cameron Brewer has had a pretty good month. On May 31, the Ellington senior became a state champion as the Whippets shutout Seymour to win the program’s first state title. After a warm welcome back to town, by the fans, Brewer took off on a cruise. When he returned home, he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Three Rivers...

Three Rivers women’s basketball saw a meteoric rise to a national contender a season ago, finishing 27-4 and making its first appearance in the NJCAA Tournament since 2004. The Lady Raiders will boast a sophomore-laden roster this season as coach Jeff Walk and co-head coach Alex Wiggs will try to lead the squad to back-to-back appearances in the national tournament in Walk’s final year before retiring. With that experience will come a tougher schedule. Here’s a breakdown:...

Madison Steele was sitting in the stands at the Northwest Mississippi Community College rodeo in April when Three Rivers College rodeo teammate Trevor Dorris got her to come outside with him. When Steele stepped outside, she heard Dorris say, “Madison, you won the region.”...

CAPE GIRARDEAU — The Bernie volleyball team will feature a healthy mix of returning players and an influx of young talent when the season begins in late August. The Mules, who competed in the Rib City Shootout last weekend at the Cape Girardeau Sports Plex, are coming off a district championship season when they advanced to the Class 1 state quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Advance...

Twelve teams fished Saturday’s Current River Smallmouth Association His and Hers tournament at Van Buren, with Nicholson and Weaver taking the top spot. The pair’s winning five-fish stringer weighed in at 9.58 pounds. Second place was earned by Dougherty and Dougherty with 9.08 pounds, while Black and Black took third place with 8.88 pounds...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites the public to a series of open houses to learn more about black bears in Missouri. The open houses will include information on MDC black-bear research projects and management efforts, MDC’s draft black bear management plan, potential future hunting opportunities, and how to handle conflicts with nuisance bears. MDC staff will also be taking comments on these and other related topics regarding black bears in Missouri...

I have dedicated my career and most of my life to conservation, so wildlife is very important to me: it’s the idea of passing on fisheries and wildlife resources to future generations through wise management. Of all my duties as a conservation agent, one of my most challenging comes this time of year. I sincerely hope this information (wise conservation) reaches those who really need it, either directly or indirectly, and is absorbed. I cannot stress the importance of this enough...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Puxico and Dexter met in the first round of the SCAA softball tournament, but this game’s spot in the top 10 was decided by the game itself. Dexter led for most of the game and Puxico didn’t take a lead until the seventh inning thanks to some daring base running by Bailey Burns to score the walk-off win. This game is No. 8 on the Dexter Statesman's list of top high school games from the 2018-19 school year involving Stoddard County teams...

Jake Sellers was practicing bull riding in the Three Rivers practice pen in mid-October when he was thrown from a 2,200-pound bull. His spur got caught in his bull rope and he was stuck under the biggest bull Three Rivers has in its practice pen. Sellers was dragged around the pen and got kicked by the bull twice while he was stuck. The first kick broke three of his ribs. The second split his liver...

The Rib City Shootout 3-on-3 basketball tournament has been canceled. The tournament was scheduled for Saturday, June 22, at the Bearcat Event Center but was canceled because not enough teams entered.

Three Rivers men’s basketball released its 2019-20 schedule online, and it’s a tough one as the Raiders will try to reverse their fortunes after two straight seasons under .500. Here's a breakdown of what's to come. Right off the bat, there’s a slew of early tests for a young Raiders squad to deal with. Four of the team’s first five opponents finished last season ranked in the Top 25 in Wabash Valley, Indian Hills, Southeastern Community College and John A. Logan...

Willie Lucas and Jacob Shoemaker both walked into their respective Gene Bess Basketball Camp sessions for the first time as kids. They were eager to learn fundamentals and get better at the game they love while getting lessons from Three Rivers men's basketball coaches and players...

Hannah Thurmon didn’t travel far to go to college, but Three Rivers College took her all the way to Texas. Thurmon, a 2018 Dexter High School graduate, helped the Lady Raiders, of Poplar Bluff, advance to the NJCAA national tournament for the third time in program history. They compiled a 27-4 record, won 20 straight games and were ranked No. 22 in the final NJCAA poll...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Dexter baseball team struggled to a 3-18 finish in the spring, but one of the bright spots was an extra-inning SEMO Conference win over New Madrid County Central. This game is No. 9 on the Dexter Statesman's list of top high school games from the 2018-19 school year involving Stoddard County teams...

Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team competed Saturday at the AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) state shoot at Linn Creek, Mo., where a total of 218 shooters were on hand. Tayler Hillis earned fourth place honors in the Juniors division with a score of 198 out of 200...

Van Buren alumna Summer Shockley had just moved into the University of Missouri. The day after she met her California roommate Cassie Gasper, also a sophomore and a late summer addition to the Missouri softball roster, the pair went to Subway for sandwiches...

The Gene Bess Basketball Camp is back for its first of three week-long summer sessions. NBA talents such as Otto Porter and Ben and Tyler Hansbrough have attended camps in the past. This year, it has a member from as far away as coaches Gene and Brian Bess can remember...

Khalil Johnson has been on the move for most of his life. He calls Long Island, New York, home, but he had many. His slew of moves began in the second grade when he moved from Long Island to Lynchburg, Virginia. After a year, he moved back to Long Island. ...

Two Dexter players received honorable mentions on the Class 4 District 1 all-district baseball team. Seniors Ethan Kincy and Luke Thurston represented the Bearcats. Here’s the complete team: Doniphan: Nolan Czerwonka, Jake Eddington and Alex Littrell...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Bloomfield softball team began the season with a victory over Puxico but opened some eyes with a come-from-behind road win over Dexter in its second game. Bloomfield, who hadn’t posted a winning season in at least seven years, finished 11-7 and reached the championship game of the SCAA tournament and tied Advance for second in the final league standings. ...

“Here’s where it all starts,” Bernie senior Blake Harty said Friday at the Rib City Shootout at the Bearcat Event Center. “You learn the fundamentals, and how your team’s going to be,” Harty said of playing summer basketball in preparation for the upcoming season. “Players are starting to know their roles.”...

As the unmistakable smell of burned gunpowder loomed over the fields at the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville last weekend, Corning’s Senior Black trapshooting squad found itself in a familiar position - battling for a state championship. But it wasn’t meant to be, and the team finished in second place for the second year in a row...

Whether you’re a budding nature photographer or it’s a longtime passion, it’s time to gather your best images because the entry period for the 14th annual Mingo Swamp Friends Flora and Fauna Photography Contest now is open. As in recent years, the contest will be divided into two divisions - youth and adult. The youth division is for those entrants aged 17 and younger as of Aug. 1, and the adult division is for everyone else...