Poplar Bluff

Poplar’s Bluff’s Kaitlyn Booker and the rest of the SEMO Conference hit the court Friday morning but Booker held on longer than almost everyone. Booker battled Kennett’s Christi Tejeda in the SEMO Conference Tournament Championship match and after each athlete grabbed a set, it was Tejeda that took the tiebreaker over Booker...

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team didn’t pull back any punches during Friday’s homecoming game, as a first-quarter explosion helped them walk away with a victory. The Mules landed their first home win of the season over the Sikeston Bulldogs 38-0 and did it in dominant fashion with the help of starting quarterback Jay Edmundson, who connected with four touchdown passes in the first half...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Despite a narrow 2-1 defeat at Poplar Bluff on Thursday, September 21, the Sikeston boys’ soccer team showed its ability to go head-to-head with top teams in the district and the SEMO Conference. With a breakthrough on the horizon, the Bulldogs (5-7-0) demonstrated their potential against the Mules (6-2-1), signaling that the team is on the cusp of making a significant impact when the postseason rolls around...

Roundup BASEBALL Senath-Hornersville 2, Twin Rivers 0 The Twin Rivers Royals took a loss on the road against Senath-Hornersville 2-0. Joshua Lilly opened the game for Twin Rivers Varsity. They surrendered three hits and two runs over two innings, striking out one and walking two. Drew Soloman led Twin Rivers with one hit in three at bats...

It took a scoreless half and several chances but the Poplar Bluff Mules took down Sikeston 2-1 on Thursday at Mules Stadium for its second-straight SEMO Conference win and its second-straight district victory. With the win, Poplar Bluff has now won four in a row and five of its last six matches dating back to Sept. 1...

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team has gotten off to a rocky start, but junior quarterback Jay Edmundson looks to lead by example as the Mules continue to find their stride. Despite the Mules 1-3 start to the season, Edmundson is still optimistic that the team will eventually turn the corner and make a strong run in the playoffs, similar to the previous season after an 0-4 start...

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team looks to pick up the pieces after a devastating loss by longtime rival Jackson High School 49-21 in last Friday’s matchup. Heading into their next game against the Sikeston High School Bulldogs, the Mules plan to utilize this homecoming game as an opportunity to get back on track...

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules pushed the visiting and state-ranked Jackson Lady Indians to the brink on Tuesday but despite the 9-8 loss that came down to the final inning, PB Head Coach Aaron Duncan was positive about the direction his team is headed...

Ever wondered how it is to be a Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules cheerleader? Many local young girls got the chance to get an up-and-close experience with cheering and exemplifying school spirit during the Poplar Bluff Cheerleading Kiddie Camp. The PB Kiddie Camp is a long-running tradition that has groomed most of the current Lady Mules cheerleaders, and cheer coach Brianna Jones is excited to have it back for another year...

The Poplar Bluff High School boys swim and dive team hosted their first swim meet of the season as they welcomed the Cape Central Tigers to the Black River Coliseum. The Poplar Bluff Mules reigned supreme as they tallied in more total team points to walk away with an easy win over Cape Central 102-58 on Tuesday...

It was a gorgeous afternoon for golf on Monday as four area teams started the week at Ozark Ridge Golf Course. Poplar Bluff hosted Jackson, Notre Dame and Farmington in a quad-match where two Lady Mules delivered top-10 finishes. Olivia Thetford finished tied for second as she delivered a 37 to continue a successful fall season but Thetford wasn’t the only Mule to turn in a solid performance as Rhyan Waddell also turned in a solid round. ...

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules softball team is still on the quest to capture their first home win of the season. The Lady Mules will have to wait a little longer for that home victory after falling to Farmington High School 11-3 in Monday’s softball matchup...

In one of the biggest games of the season so far, two of the top teams in the area faced off in Week 4. Jackson defended its title as the top team in the area, while Poplar Bluff impressed early before falling flat late. Only two teams in this week’s top 10 faltered in last week’s slate, with many proving why they’re in such strong standing in the first place...

The energy was high at Mules Stadium Friday night as longtime rivals met on the gridiron for a showdown of the ages. After a few snaps of hard-hitting football, the Jackson High School Indians made enough plays into the endzone to secure a 49-21 win over the Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team in a rivalry matchup...

The last time Poplar Bluff beat Cape Central in boys soccer, none of the Mules roster had made it to high school ... or junior high. It was back on Sept. 20, 2016, when the Mules last beat the Tigers, in a 7-0 drumming at home. While Thursday wasn’t a drumming, it was a 2-0 victory and a shutout for the Mules, something Rusty Crafton was excited about after the game...

The time-honored tradition of Jackson and Poplar Bluff doing battle annually has given way to one of the most tense, most anticipated and most legendary rivalries in all of southeast Missouri. The teams have met in every single season dating back to 1938...

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team is gearing up for a big rivalry week, and head coach Dave Sievers hopes to carry over the momentum from last week’s overtime win over Cape Central. The Mules will hit the gridiron on Friday to host longtime rival Jackson High School for a district matchup. ...

The Poplar Bluff High School tennis team opens the season with their best start in recent years. The Lady Mules are currently 4-1 and have landed solid wins over Dexter (4-6) and the longtime rivalry of Jackson High School (7-7). The Lady Mules have struggled to stay above a .500 winning percentage for the past few seasons, but this season may differ from the others...

With three road wins under their belt, the Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules softball squad aimed to grab their first home win against a fierce opponent. During Tuesday’s softball matchup, the Lady Mules faced off with the Norte Dame Lady Bulldogs, and due to a mid-inning collapse, the Lady Mules fell short 12-5...

There’s been some significant movement among the top teams in the area after week three. With some high-scoring action across some of the region’s best games of the week, we saw quite a few big results come across the ticker. With a new No. 2 in southeast Missouri, the area power rankings saw quite the shakeup between weeks three and four. While some teams made positive statements on Friday night, the opposite happened to a few other local teams...

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for all involved on Friday night as the Cape Central Tigers and Poplar Bluff Mules battled in their SEMO Conference opener. In the end, it was the Mules walking away victorious, defeating the Tigers 42-35 in overtime...

Former Poplar Bluff Mule Kayson King decided to take it up a notch this year for his mom’s birthday. King said she was planning a calm, quiet day in but he decided to throw a wrench in those plans and get her a present in the process. King, a freshman center for on the Southeast Missouri State football team, earned the right to travel to the Redhawks’ first game last week as they took on the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas...

One local basketball standout and former college All-American will forever be immortalized in the world of college basketball. Tyler Hansbrough, a 2005 Poplar Bluff High School graduate who led the Mules to a Class 5 state title before advancing to the University of North Carolina, where he became a three-time All-American, will take his rightful place in the College Basketball Hall of Fame for the class of 2023.

Another week of football is on the horizon as the Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team gears up for their next opponent. The Mules will hit the road Friday to compete in their first district matchup of the season against the Cape Central Tigers (1-1). Poplar Bluff's matchup history against Cape Central is 5-9, and they will need to be well-disciplined to add a game over to their win column.

Each week of the high school football season, Southeast Missourian sports editor Tony Capobianco will provide a quick matchup rundown for each of the seven area teams. With two weeks into the season, we are now getting closer to rivalry week territory...

It’s not often a high school volleyball team faces a team with multiple Division I talents and it’s even less often that being a regional rival but that’s the hand the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules were dealt on Tuesday as they fell to the Jackson Indians in straight sets...

It took almost two weeks into the season but the Poplar Bluff Mules boys soccer team had a home match and it couldn’t have gone much better as they took down the Terriers of Carbondale (Ill.), 4-0. The win puts the Mules at 3-2-1 on the year. After about 15:00 scoreless minutes to start the game, senior Alec Papanicolaou found the back of the net off of an assist from Blaise Rowland and Kolby Greenwall...

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules softball team attempted to stay red hot by capturing their third win in a row to start the season. The Lady Mules came out in attack mode with a solid start but were stopped in their tracks by the Chaffee Lady Devils and fell 10-6 to end their win streak at two.

The second week of local high school football action saw a number of important scorelines. The most impressive among these, however, came from the two teams that returned to the top of the power rankings as the area powerhouses once again proved their mettle against the strong teams from up north...

SIKESTON — In a rollercoaster game, the Sikeston softball team experienced both moments of triumph and heartbreak during an 18-6 loss to Poplar Bluff at the Sports Complex on Thursday, August 31. Despite gaining an early lead, the Lady Bulldogs' (0-3) efforts fell short in the face of an explosive sixth inning by the Lady Mules (2-2)...

Two teams faced off under the bright lights for an opportunity to capture their first win of the season. While one would finally get a tally in the win column, the other would leave the field with back-to-back losses. The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football squad traveled to Jonesboro for a revenge matchup against the Valley View Blazers for their second game of the season.

In the boys' 100-yard freestyle portion of Thursday's swim meet between Poplar Bluff and Jackson, the separation between Carson Todd of the Mules and Wade Lavalle of the Indians was .17 seconds. "It was a good race," said Todd, who won the race with a time of 52.50. "I really liked the time, especially at this point of the year with all the training we've been doing. It's a good spot."...

It was a gorgeous afternoon for the Barry Cody Bootheel Classic at Ozark Ridge Golf Course on Thursday as several school competed in the event that included high school and junior high races. Despite running in Jackson last week, the Poplar Bluff Mules didn’t let their home event have a champion from another school as senior Parker Hicks and sophomore Wren Cottrell cruised to victories...

The wheels are back in full motion for the Poplar Bluff High School Mules soccer team as they capture their first win of the season. The Mules recently traveled to Carbondale, IL, to compete in the Boys Soccer Greg Kline Invitational and got a 5-1 victory over Anna-Jonesboro Community High School and tied 1-1 with Murphysboro High School...

Most times, games aren’t decided in the first half. Well, that wasn’t the case for the Cape Central Tigers as they defeated the Poplar Bluff Mules 2-1 on Thursday in the first game of the Notre Dame SoccerFest at Notre Dame Regional High School. The Tigers were able to create multiple chances early by using their speed to get to the outside...

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules volleyball team needed a near-perfect game to secure their home opener win, but a mid-set collapse would cost them dearly. After a strong start, the Lady Mules’ spark would run its course, and they would suffer defeat by the North County Lady Raiders 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21)...

Consistency will be the key for the Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team as they hit the road on a quest to capture their first win of the season. The Mules are coming off a 34-13 loss against Park Hills Central and will head to Arkansas Friday to face Valley View High School as both teams look to avoid back-to-back losses on a break of the new season...

The Poplar Bluff Mules will host the Barry Cody Bootheel Classic today at Ozark Ridge Golf Course in an early-season cross country race. The Mules, along with Bernie, Campbell, Clearwater and Greenville, will hit the course for an intro 5K, as Poplar Bluff cross country coach Beth Lewis-Muse put it...

The Poplar Bluff High School tennis team did not miss a beat after competing in back-to-back matchups to start their season. The Lady Mules got a solid win over Dexter High School 7-2 on Monday in their home opener and returned Tuesday to host the Central Lady Tigers (0-2).

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules volleyball team is set to host North County (0-1) for their home opener on Wednesday.

A fast start proved to be the difference maker in the Cape Central Tigers’ 3-0 win over the Poplar Bluff Mules on Monday at Cape Central High School. Monday’s matchup was the regular season opener for both teams and it didn’t take long for the Tigers to get engaged...

In the midst of a heat wave, the Poplar Bluff High School varsity swim team kept cool over the weekend with a few laps around the pool. The Poplar Bluff Mules traveled to West Plains, MO, on Saturday for the Zizzer Swim Invitational, where they competed against many teams throughout the area. The Mules placed third overall and brought home a few team awards.

After a wild week of big wins, upsets and narrow losses, the first slate of southeast Missouri football games has come to an end. While in some places little changed, many others saw much movement as a few intriguing decisions came across the ticker as Friday night unfolded...

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team didn’t allow a little heat to stop them from competing on Friday night at Mules Stadium. The Mules faced off against the Park Hills Rebels, and after falling short the previous season, the Mules looked to even the score. Despite the effort, the Mules didn’t make enough plays and fell to Park Hills 34-13.

When meeting Poplar Bluff senior linebacker Logan Hite, a few things could come to mind. It could be his play on the defensive side of the ball where he helps lead the Mules defense or him carrying the ball after he logged 18 carries to add running back to his arsenal last season. It could even be his physciality on the wrestling mat. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure. Hite has a switch that when the whistle is blown, he shifts from his quiet demeanor to a player that opposing offenses fear when he lines up against them.

The bright lights will return Friday to Mules Stadium as the Poplar Bluff High School football team takes on their first opponent of the season. After a devastating loss from last season’s home opener, the Mules will seek their revenge to get a win back against Park Hills on their turf as they lost on the road 29-7.

Welcome to the 2023 MSHSAA Football season. With no shortage of talent, the southeast Missouri region anticipates fielding a number of highly talented football teams this season, and with a number of unknowns left to discover, the rarified air of the late summer that blooms into fall weather has emerged...

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules Volleyball team will have new leadership for the upcoming season. Summer Shipman will take on her new role as the head girls volleyball coach. With some years of coaching experience, Shipman will take on her greatest challenge yet of coaching volleyball for the first time.

The Poplar Bluff High School football season is set to kick off Friday at Mules Statudum against Central (Park Hills), but the Mules made a stop at Dexter High for a quick warmup. Dexter High School football team hosted its annual Dexter Football Jamboree to allow teams to iron out all the kinks before gameday.

In a quest to have a successful season, Poplar Bluff High School’s head softball coach Aaron Duncan will rely on the leadership of one of his key seniors. With high anticipation for the season, senior Kennedy Zgaynor will take her final swing as a Lady Mules softball player, using her experience and skills to push the team forward.