Cross Country

With her infectious giggle, Van Buren’s own Katie Griffin took a second and described her thoughts on what is about to take place Saturday afternoon at her alma mater: “It is surreal,” she said. What is so surreal to Griffin is that less than a year removed from graduating from Van Buren, she will be one of the highlights of Saturday’s Legends of the Hardwood festivities set to take place beginning at 10 a.m. (see full schedule below)...

As the sports world put the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind it in 2022, several teams and individuals in this area rose to the top in their respective sports. From history-making achievements on the hardwood to first-in-school-history performances on the diamond, this year proved itself to be a memorable one for local sports fans...

Jackson senior Cade McCadams overcame a series of injuries and he signed his letter of intent to run cross country at Southeast Missouri State University. At the end of his sophomore year, McCadams broke his leg for the first time and would suffer a broken leg three more times in his high school career...

Perryville senior Tegan Bishop signed her letter of intent to run cross country and track at St. Louis University on Nov. 21. Bishop, a three-time All-District Honors recipient, a four-time all-conference recipient and a three-time state qualifier, is excited about the opportunity...

A town with a population below 800 citizens sure has no problem finding enough young runners to create a cross country juggernaut. The Van Buren Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs teams recently wrapped the 2022 season with another stellar campaign as the boys and girls both brought back second-place Class 1 state championship finals trophies from Columbia...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Dexter boys cross country team headed to Columbia this past weekend with a dream of bringing home a state top-four trophy. While that didn’t happen, the Bearcats did end up with a fifth-place Class 3 state finish that can be proudly known throughout Stoddard County for years to come...

COLUMBIA — For the fourth time in the past five years, the Oak Ridge boys cross country team made an appearance at the Greg Hall Champions Plaza for a top-four showing at the MSHSAA Class 1 Cross Country Championships. The Blue Jays finished third overall on what was a cold, windy and muddy tract on Saturday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course...

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Cross Country is a team sport – from the No. 1 to the No. 7 runner. Jackson needed almost everyone’s best showing that toed the line at the MSHSAA Class 5 Boys Cross Country Championships on Friday at Gans Creek Cross Country Course...

ARNOLD, Mo. — The Jackson boys cross country team placed four runners in the top 10 and claimed the Class 5 District 1 championship by 38 points on Saturday at Arnold Park. The Indians topped St. Louis University High 35-73 to take home the team title...

The Dexter Bearcats boys cross country team finished second at the Class 3 District 1 championships Saturday at Arcadia Valley High School and is heading to state. Dexter finished just three points out of the top spot, losing to prohibitive favorite and defending state champions Herculaneum...

It’s a chance to reboot a season for one last weekend and see just where Poplar Bluff’s cross country team’s work this year might have paid off. The Mules head to Arnold’s City Park Saturday for the Class 5 District 1 district meet with a chance to send some of their harriers to the state meet as four teams and/or the top 30 individuals advance to the final weekend of the campaign...

SIKESTON — More difficult than even the most challenging cross-country course, the journey for Dexter senior Chris Stone to get back to normal life has been a daunting one. At the beginning of Stone’s freshman year, a mysterious medical condition found the promising young athlete losing consciousness...

IRONTON — Arcadia Valley High School will be the place to be Saturday when cross country hopefuls race the final event that will determine which teams and what individuals could qualify for the 2022 state finals. Three districts — Class 1 District 1 (see separate story), Class 2 District 1 and Class 3 District 1 — will all race at Arcadia Valley High School. The top four teams go to state as a group while runners may qualify as individuals if they place in the top 30 of a respective race...

IRONTON — Arcadia Valley High School will be the place to be Saturday when cross country hopefuls race the final event that will determine which teams and what individuals could qualify for the 2022 state finals. Three districts — Class 1 District 1, Class 2 District 1 and Class 3 District 1 — will all race at Arcadia Valley High School, with races taking place at 9 a.m. ...

DEXTER, Mo. — More than 250 athletes competed at varsity, junior varsity and middle school level during the Dexter High School Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 22. Jackson won the boys’ varsity meet with a team score of 31, while Willow Springs Carson Smith was the top finisher with a time of 17 minutes and 4.7 seconds. Jackson’s Kyle Craigmiles, Jack Hancock, Alex Niedbalski and Puxico’s Jet Hancock rounded out the top five...

Six former athletes and one former coach were inducted into the Jackson R-2 School District Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday at Jackson High School. Among those inducted into the hall's second class are Jack Litzelfelner, Truman Blackman, Allen Welker, Larry Schloss, Mike Kistner, Bruce Collier and Ron Cook...

Puxico sophomore Logan Robison and Scott City junior Logan Schiwitz received Runners of the Week honors from the Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association for the eighth week of the season. Robison — who became the first runner in Puxico history to advance to the state meet as a freshman — finished second at the SCAA Conference meet on Oct. ...

Jackson senior Cole Puls and freshman Anika Stephens were named the Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Runners of the Week for week seven of the cross country season. Puls has been recovering from a broken foot and pneumonia this season, but has still managed to put on strong performances on the course. ...

JACKSON — The Jackson Indians claimed both the boys and girls SEMO Conference Cross Country Championships on Thursday evening at Jackson City Park. Jackson’s boys team was paced by senior Hunter Wendel, who won the individual conference championship with a time of 16:31.1. The Indians also had junior Bryce Gentry finish second and senior Cole Puls finish third...

The Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Runners of the Week are freshman Calvin Layton of Woodland and senior Mara Wilson of Jackson. Layton was the top-placing freshman at last week's Notre Dame Invitational, finishing 16th in 17:46...

The Cape Central boys and girls cross country teams took part in the Woodland Invitational on Thursday. The boys took first place as a team, while the girls finished with junior Abby Meyers placing in the top 10. Meyers’ 10th-place finish led the girls with a 23:38, while senior Ryan Seabaugh led the boys with a 16:38 first-place finish. Classmate Peyton Schlick finished in seventh place at 18:27, while junior Curtis Gibson finished 12th with a personal-record 18:54 time...

All five Jackson boys runners finished inside the top 10 at the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday as the Indians finished with a score of 27 as a team – 72 points ahead of second-place Dexter. Behind Dexter, host Notre Dame finished third, ahead of Cape Central (4), Perryville (5), Valle Catholic (7), Woodland (9) and Fredericktown (12)...

Woodland junior Reed Layton and Jackson sophomore Annika Barks were named the Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Runners of the Week for Week 5. Layton finished second in the Oak Ridge Invitational on Sept. 20 — which was shortened due to excessive heat — running the 1.7-mile course in 8:51. He also took fourth place in the Bismarck Invitational on Sept. 17, finishing the 5K in 17:55.47...

Notre Dame junior Lauren Eftink took first place at the Marhsall County Invitational on Saturday in Benton, Kentucky, winning by nearly 30 seconds to lead the Bulldogs to a second-place team finish. Eftink finished in 19:37.04 to win the title. Senior Molly Turner and freshman Lily Coy both finished in the top 25 at fourth and 13th, respectively...

The Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (SEMOTCCCA) runners of the week for Week 4 are Jackson senior Evan Kiefer and Woodland freshman Faith Rouggly. Kiefer was selected after finishing seventh at the Arcadia Valley Invitational last weekend and taking 39th at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin, Missouri...

VAN BUREN — Kastin Cleaver led a pack of Bulldogs across the finish line as the host placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 Wednesday to win the Van Buren Scenic River Run at Big Spring. Cleaver, a sophomore, won the Small Schools Division race in 21 minutes, 42.8 seconds. Van Buren’s Kinsley Murphy placed fourth, Madison Mabry finished sixth followed by Adria Marvin while Ziah Been was 10th...

Perryville senior Tegan Bishop continued her strong season with a dominant victory at the Oak Ridge Cross Country Invitational on Tuesday in Oak Ridge. Bishop finished the 2,400-meter run in 10:22.35, more than 40-seconds faster than the second-place finisher...

The Jackson boys cross country team continues to find success on the trail, taking fifth place in the highly-competitive Missouri Southern Stampede Green Division race on Saturday in Joplin, Missouri. Senior Hunter Wendel took ninth place out of 350 runners with a time of 15:55.78. He was closely followed by junior teammate Bryce Gentry who finished 12th to lead the Indians...

Three Jackson boys cross country runners finished in the top five to help the Indians win the team title at Saturday's Arcadia Valley Invitational. Junior Bryce Gentry and seniors Cade McAdams and Hunter Wendel took second, third and fourth, respectively, out of 142 to lead Jackson in scoring...

Each week of the cross country season, the Southeast Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (SEMOTCCCA) will select a male and female runner of the week. Last week's runners of the week were senior Hunter Wendel of Jackson and senior Tegan Bishop of Perryville...

MEMPHIS — The Jackson boys cross country had a strong outing at Saturday's City Auto Memphis Twilight Cross Country Classic, scoring 126 points to take third place in a 55-team field. Five of the Indians' seven runners scored fewer than 25 points, with senior Hunter Wendel scoring five with his seventh-place finish at 16:13.69...

Ozark Ridge Golf Course can be challenging for golfers but Thursday the rolling hills were a tougher test for runners. The Barry Cody Bootheel Classic hosted by Poplar Bluff was the first 5,000-meter race for many of the young runners on the Mules roster this fall...

Jackson's senior boys, junior boys and sophomore girls took home team titles at the Indians' cross country invitational on Saturday at Jackson City Park. Jackson's senior boys were led by Hunter Wendel who took first place with a time of 12:29.69. The Indians scored 33 points total to take home the title...

Jackson’s cross country will feature experienced runners on the boys team and uncertainty for the girls team in 2022. The boys return nearly all of their runners from 2021 who will lead them in their state championship-hopeful season. The girls are returning two of their varsity runners from 2021 in London Popp and Annika Barks and will look to newcomers to contribute...

There’s an old saying in cross country, said Poplar Bluff coach Beth Lewis-Muse, “Summer miles brings fall smiles.” The Mules that put in the work over the summer are looking to have some fun come race day this fall. While runners at Poplar Bluff have always had summer workouts, a few took it upon themselves to continue the training on their own...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — For the third consecutive year, Portageville claimed the Best Fans Awards at the 2022 Semoball Awards on Friday, July 8, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Nearly 40,000 total votes were cast from May 2 to May 31, with all schools in the Semoball coverage area eligible. Each week, the list was narrowed down based on votes until the final five schools remained. The five finalists were Bernie, East Prairie, Poplar Bluff, Portageville, and Sikeston...

Van Buren’s Katie Griffin added one more honor before moving onto the next chapter in her athletic and academic career as she was named Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Semoball Awards. Griffin had a stellar cross country season along with winning a state title in track and playing basketball for the Lady Dawgs...

Woodland sophomore Reed Layton and his father Ryan have an interesting dynamic. Ryan is Reed’s cross country coach. Reed was named the Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on July 8 at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau...

The Show Me Center will play host to the MSHSAA State Volleyball Championships in 2023-24 and 2024-25 according to a Missouri State High School Activities Association news release on Wednesday. The MSHSAA Board of Directors decided to put aside proposals to host the state volleyball tournament in 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 to allow staff members to visit the St. Joseph Civic Arena for consideration...

As Jackson senior Layla Fliege concludes her high school track and field career, one thing is for certain. She will be competing next year as a Division 1 athlete. Fliege signed a letter of intent in December to run both track and cross country at Southeast Missouri State, joining fellow locals Kendall Holweg and Anna Thomason as a member of the Redhawks...