Seasons to remember

Missouri's high school sports season ended on the first Saturday in June with the final day of the state baseball championships.

Before things start back up in late August, we here at the Standard Democrat figured we would take time to look back on Sikeston's 2001-2002 season. In many sports, it was a season to remember.

* The Sikeston football team had some inspiring wins and some disappointing losses to finish 6-4 on the season.

In the season-opener the team led area powerhouse Jackson 7-6 after one quarter of play but the Indians took control from there, taking advantage of five Bulldog turnovers to win 34-7.

But even with the loss, the Bulldog defense opened some eyes in holding star running back Mario Whitney to 90 yards on 16 carries, which proved to be a season low for the senior.

The Bulldogs rattled off three straight impressive wins against Charleston (36-15), Dexter (38-6) and Kennett (38-20) and in the process discovered the talents of Lavar Morgan, a tailback with breakaway speed.

Sikeston nearly toppled heavily-favored Poplar Bluff in Week 5, but lost 8-6 when a clipping call went against the Bulldogs on their final drive.

The Bulldogs responded the following week with a 25-14 win against eventual Class 3A runner up New Madrid County Central. The win marked the Bulldogs' most notable victory since defeating No. 2 ranked North County in 1999.

Against NMCC, Sikeston trailed 14-0 before rattling off 25 unanswered points to pull out the win. In that game, Sikeston held all-state running back Dereke Tipler to 93 yards on 17 carries, and he had just eight yards on four carries in the second half.

In Week 7, Sikeston defeated Roosevelt 37-26 to improve to 5-2, but not without a price. All-state lineman Kevin Keller went down with a season-ending knee injury in the game.

It proved to be more of a severe blow to the Bulldog offense than originally anticipated.

The following week, with Keller out, the Bulldogs' other top lineman, Justin Lowes, also went down with an injury which sidelined him for two games.

Without their one-two punch on the offensive and defensive line, Sikeston dropped two district games in a row, falling to Cape Central (32-9) and Farmington (37-31).

Sikeston wrapped up the season with a 44-0 win against Perryville.

Morgan finished with a team-high 733 yards rushing on 160 carries with eight touchdowns on the season. Included in that total was a 34-carry, 182-yard effort against NMCC, the highest total an opposing running back tallied against the Eagles all year.

Andrew Lambert was Mr. Versatility for the Bulldogs. The senior kicker was selected as a first team all-state kicker, booting 7-of-9 field goals, including three from 40 yards or more. And he was a perfect 23-of-23 on extra points.

As a corner back, Lambert intercepted eight passes and registered 48 tackles.

He also led the team with 340 yards receiving on 14 catches, including four TD snares.

Senior linebacker Kyle Duncan led the team with 114 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Myron Hardin led the team with eight quarterback sacks to go with his 50 tackles. Junior Drew Lawrence and sophomore Blake DeWitt alternated at quarterback for the season.

Lawrence saw the most snaps, completing 51-of-102 passes for 702 yards. He had four TD passes and five interceptions. Lawrence ran for 116 yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns.

DeWitt was 14-of-35 for 210 yards with two TDs and two INTs. He was second on the team with 70 tackles.

Sikeston graduated 21 seniors off the football team. Keller, a first team all-state offensive lineman, Lowes and Hardin leave SHS ranked among the best linemen in school history.

Sikeston's volleyball team was somewhat of a surprise, finishing the season with a record of 16-16-2.

The Lady Bulldogs didn't have lofty expectations after losing the entire starting lineup from '99. But the team went on to take third place in the conference tournament, and had first and second place finishes in other major tournaments.

In the regular season, the Lady Bulldogs played traditional powerhouse Bernie to three sets and defeated Bloomfield in two without Jaime Medlin, one of the team's top players. Key members of the team were middle blocker Joy Daniel, Shavonna Dirickson, Medlin, Beth French, Stefanie Mason, Fleming Silverthorn and Summer Ray.

The team lost just four seniors to graduation (Medlin, Ray, French and Mason), so the future looks bright.

Sikeston's girls tennis team finished the regular season with a record of 9-6 and took fifth place in the 1A-3A district tournament.

Sophomore Elizabeth Killion finished second in the district singles, qualifying for state. At state, she lost to the eventual state champion, John Burroughs' Annie Truetzel, in the first round.

As Sikeston's No. 1 player this year, Killion finished with an individual record of 11-4 in the regular season. She went 3-1 in districts.

Valerie Haman also had a memorable year, finishing the season 15-0 in singles play.

Other key members of Sikeston's team were sophomore Lindsay Leible, senior Heather Hester, and senior Erin Shelton.

It was a rebuilding year for Sikeston's softball team, which finished 2-14, one win better than the 1-16 season of 2000. The Lady Bulldogs were extremely young. Both pitchers were sophomores and most of the freshmen on the team saw extensive playing time.

The year was highlighted with a 28-23 slugfest win over East Carter County and a 14-2 victory over East Prairie. Sikeston will lose left fielder Kendra Riddle, first baseman Jennifer Walls, outfielder Megan Knickman, and utility player Cindy Valdez to graduation.

Sikeston put out its best soccer team ever this fall, finishing with a record of 9-10-1.

The Bulldogs put together a four-game win streak in the regular season, and were able to play area powerhouse Notre Dame to a 1-1 tie. Late in the season, Sikeston rallied from a halftime deficit to beat rival Poplar Bluff, 2-1.

The year ended in disappointment though with a 1-0 loss to St. Pius in the district tournament. The Bulldogs outshot St. Pius 21 to 9 in the match, but failed to get any in the net. This year forward Adam Garrett led the charge for the Bulldogs. He set school records for goals in a season (30), career (87), game (5) and total points (189).

He was named Southeast Region Player of the Year and was second team all-state. Midfielder Brandon DeWitt also set a school record with five assists in one game.

Other key members of squad were defender Justin Coffer, forward Tanner Fritz, defender Justin Showmaker, and midfielder Brad Deere.

Sikeston will lose 13 players to graduation, most notably Garrett, DeWitt and Adam Hahs. The team will also lose all four of its defenders and goal keeper Chris Cota.

Individuals on Sikeston's cross country team fared well this season, but the Bulldogs didn't have enough runners to qualify for team points.

Sam Klimmek took 19th place in the Class 3A state meet with a time of 17:18.94. He also had second place finishes in the SEMO Conference meet (17:15), the Anna-Jonesboro Invitational (16:06) and the Kelly Invitational (17:33).

He won the 11th grade race at the Jackson Invitational against 52 other runners.

Other key members of the cross country team were Jennifer Medlin, Dale Ham, Quinton Lamb and Daniel Morrision.

After a disappointing season last year, the Bulldog boys basketball team returned to respectability in 2001-02, finishing with a 14-12 record against one of the toughest schedules in the region.

Sikeston bounced around the .500 mark for most of the year, racking up some impressive wins along the way.

The Bulldogs defeated Blytheville, Ark., 62-54 in the season opener and dominated DeSoto 49-28 three games later. The DeSoto game was the first sign of the suffocating defense Sikeston was capable of playing.

The Bulldogs went into Christmas break with a 5-4 record after two solid wins against Notre Dame and Farmington.

The long layoff hampered Sikeston in its first game back against the University High Tournament champion Charleston Bluejays, falling behind by 17 points in the first half. But the Bulldogs rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter before falling 56-55 in an emotional, exciting finish in front of a packed Sikeston Field House.

The Bulldogs went 4-3 over their next seven games before embarking in a highly anticipated matchup with Portageville, a team they hadn't played since the mid-1980s.

Portageville proved to be too much, winning easily 75-37 on its homecoming night.

But the loss seemed to inspire Sikeston.

After a tuneup game with Gideon, the Bulldogs were set to take on rival Poplar Bluff, who had just defeated top-ranked New Madrid County Central three days before.

The Mules entered the game ranked No. 3 in Class 4A with an 18-2 record while Sikeston stood at 10-9.

Employing a rarely used zone defense, Sikeston confused the Mules, jumping out to a 26-12 halftime lead. The Bulldogs led 30-12 at one point before the Mules stormed back.

Poplar Bluff had a chance to tie at the buzzer but Tony Webb's shot was off the mark.

Sikeston, which never trailed in the game, won 48-46. Junior point guard Lavar Morgan scored a career-high 26 points in the game.

The Bulldogs went on to defeat Oran 66-39 and Cape Central 55-42 before clashing with NMCC.

The Bulldogs played the defending state champs dead-even for a half but the Eagles pulled away to win 57-49. Even in the loss, Sikeston established itself was one of the top defensive teams in the area, limiting star guard Dereke Tipler to a season-low six points with three assists and five turnovers. He didn't score until the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter.

It was also 6-foot-3 junior forward Lontas McClinton's breakout game when he scored a season-high 32 points (15-of-19 shooting) with 14 rebounds.

Sikeston garnered the No. 3 seed in the district tournament but the Bulldogs were eliminated by No. 2 Dexter 63-51 in the semifinals.

The high-flying McClinton established himself as one of the elite players in the area, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was the SEMO Conference's leading scorer and he was a unanimous pick for the all-conference team. He was also selected second team all-state in Class 3A.

Senior forward Justin Freeman was the SEMO Conference free throw champion at 81 percent. He averaged 12 points and five rebounds per game. He also nailed 65 three-pointers on the season.

Morgan averaged 12 points per game.

The Bulldogs graduated three seniors but only Freeman saw extensive playing time. Four starters will return for next year.

It was a banner year for Sikeston's girls basketball team. Under the direction of longtime coach Lee Brooks, the Lady Bulldogs put together their best squad in school history, ending with a record of 16-10 in the 3A District 1 championship game.

Sikeston's improbable run to the finals began with a 61-56 upset win over Perryville in the first round. Joy Daniel scored a game-high 23 points in the victory, hitting nine crucial free throws down the stretch.

The Lady Bulldogs followed that up with their biggest win ever, knocking off top-seeded Doniphan, 56-51. Again Daniel dominated with 17 points, and Kerri Jones contributed 14.

Sikeston lost to a loaded Fredericktown team in the championship game, 49-41. Sharpshooter Jennifer Medlin hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 overall, but it wasn't enough to overcome the seasoned Lady Blackcats' offensive attack. On the year, Daniel led the Lady Bulldogs in rebounds (124) and blocks (19), averaging 9.5 points per game. Medlin carried the highest average with 13 points a night.

Sikeston lost just Summer Ray, Jaime Medlin and Tyrese Wims to graduation, so a good nucleus will return. Expectations are high for 2002-2003.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 6-4 record in dual matches, and qualified three for the state meet. The three that the Bulldogs took this year, senior Cleveland Anthony (130), sophomore Kyle Weeks (125) and freshman Joe Johnson (Hwt.), were more than Sikeston has taken in several years.

Anthony and Weeks both won a match at state, but Johnson came away 0-2.

Anthony compiled a record of 30-11 and set a school record for career takedowns (243). He was ranked No. 9 in the state for his weight.

Weeks was also ranked No. 9 in the state with a record of 30-9. Johnson put together a personal record of 21-18, and was somewhat of a surprise to qualify for state.

The Bulldogs ended a solid regular season with a fifth place finish in the brutal 3A District Tournament. Six wrestlers qualified for sectionals. Weeks and Jackie Cowley (160) both took third place in the district with 3-1 records. Fourth place qualifiers with 2-2 records were Anthony, Justin Keller (140), Scott Heuiser (189) and Johnson.

Anthony and Keller both signed letters of intent to wrestle for Missouri Baptist College.

Sikeston put out its first ever girls soccer team this spring. As expected, the Lady Bulldogs struggled against the experienced competition, finishing 0-12.

Sophomore Elizabeth Killion had the biggest highlight of the season, scoring the program's first goal against Marion. Marissa White provided the assist for the monumental kick.

Other top players on this year's team were Heather Hester and Fleming Silverthorn.

The Lady Bulldogs should be more competitive in the future, with a good crop of year-round players coming up in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades.

For the second year in a row, Sikeston put out one of the premier teams in not only Southeast Missouri, but in the state in Class 3A.

After taking second at state last year, the Bulldogs qualified for the 3A Final Four again, this time taking fourth with a final record of 21-4.

Sikeston started the season with a 5-1 loss to Cape Central, but they reeled off five straight wins before collapsing against Jackson 10-9.

The Bulldogs ripped off a 16-game winning streak the rest of the way.

For the fourth straight year Sikeston won the Greene County Tech Tournament championship.

The Bulldogs blew past Notre Dame 12-0, a team that eventually took third in the state in Class 2A.

Sikeston also won the SEMO Conference Tournament championship, avenging a loss to Cape Central 10-7, defeating Dexter 7-0 on a no-hitter by Chris Cota, and annihilating Jackson 17-0 in the title game.

With a 13-0 win against Kelly, Sikeston clinched the SEMO Conference regular season title.

Sikeston garnered the top seed in the Class 3A, District 1 Tournament in large part due to its 4-3 victory against Kennett early in the season.

The Bulldogs battled No. 6 ranked Kennett again for the district title, only this time the game went 10 innings. In a back-and-forth game, Sikeston eventually tied the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out, three-run home run by Jamie Puckett.

The Bulldogs won the game in the bottom of the tenth when Drew Lawrence drew a bases loaded walk to win the game 7-6.

The following week, against top-ranked North County, the Bulldogs topped themselves with a 12-inning game in the 3A Sectional.

The Bulldogs ended the game on a walk-off single by Blake DeWitt in the twelfth inning to win 2-1.

Sophomore Bulldog hurler Lance Rhodes dueled North County star Mike Cole to a stalemate in the game. Rhodes threw 10 innings, allowing one run off six hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks.

The Bulldogs were now set to take on No. 3 ranked Pacific in the 3A quarterfinals.

Sikeston got by Pacific surprisingly easy, especially with star pitcher Ronnie Ray on the hill.

The Bulldogs hit Ray hard with six hits and four runs, knocking him out of the game in the fourth inning. Sikeston won 6-0 to advance to the Final Four.

Ray was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Metro Player of the Year and he was drafted in the 14th round of the Major League Draft by the Anaheim Angels.

The Bulldogs' experience at state won't bring back any fond memories as the team fell to St. Mary's of St. Louis 8-4 in the semifinals, and lost in the third place game to Ozark 11-1.

There were several great individual efforts on the team but two players stood out above the rest, eventually being named to the all-state team.

DeWitt was named a first team infielder as he led the team in runs (38), hits (44), triples (6) and batting average (.458). He also had 31 RBIs and eight doubles.

On the mound the sophomore went 8-0 with a 2.50 earned run average. He struck out 58 and walked eight in 50 1/3 innings.

Puckett was named a second team infielder. He led the Bulldogs in home runs with four and tied for the lead in stolen bases with seven. He batted .431 with seven doubles, 26 RBIs and 29 runs scored.

Puckett, Cota and Adam Garrett were the only graduating seniors on the team.

Sikeston clinched its second straight Class 1A-3A District 1 title this season, sending three players to state -- Stephen Pobst, Peter Jones and Ryne Vickery.

The Bulldogs started the year off win a bang, winning the Farmington Tournament. Then after losing to Cape Central in their first match, the squad rattled off 11 straight wins to the finish the regular season 11-1, even avenging the loss to Cape with an 8-1 win.

Sikeston's success carried over into the district, where the Bulldogs dominated, beating second place Dexter by 12 points. Pobst defeated Charleston standout Alec Peterson in the singles championship, 6-1, 7-5. In the doubles title match, Jones and Vickery took down Park Hills Central's Lance Sechrest and Cody Christopher, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.

Sikeston also got a strong showing out of the unseeded doubles tandem of sophomore Chris Robey and freshman Marc Leible, who won their first round match against North County 6-0, 6-0, but fell to Sechrest and Christopher 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

On the following Saturday, the Bulldogs came within an eyelash of reaching the state quarterfinals, losing to Priory 5-4 in the sectional round.

In singles play, Pobst defeated Jimmy Nowick 6-4, 6-3; Jones beat Calvin Kinsella 6-4, 6-4; Leible beat Mike Nickolai 6-4, 6-3; and Robey defeated Tom Capps 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.

At state, Pobst lost in the first round to Neal Hopson of Westminster Christian 7-5, 4-6, (6-10). Pobst took an undefeated record of 21-0 into that match, and had won 41 regular season matches in a row dating back to the previous year.

Hopson eventually took second in the state.

Vickery and Jones lost in the first round of state doubles to Sami Hawasli and Jimmy Nowicke of Priory 6-4, 0-6, (3-10). Their doubles team finished the year with a record of 11-3. Hawasli and Nowicke took second in the state.

Sikeston will return most of the lineup for next year but will lose the No. 1 and No. 2 players, Pobst and Hahs.

Pobst signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Sikeston's golf team capped off an excellent season with a sixth place finish in the state tournament.

In the regular season, the Bulldogs placed second in the Sikeston Invitational and tied for third in the first-ever SEMO Conference Tournament. The squad was somewhat inconsistent in dual matches, but peaked at the right time.

They dominated the district competition, beating eventual state champ Dexter by 10 strokes.

Junior Tanner Fritz checked in with a 76, followed by senior Brandon DeWitt at 77, freshman E.C. Atchison at 80, sophomore Matt Bain at 81, and sophomore Jonathan Spence at 84. In the first round at state, Spence tied for 10th place with a 70 on Springfield's par-72 Rivercut course.

But the rest of the team struggled. DeWitt finished with a 90. Bain and Fritz each checked in at 91, while Atchison ended with a 92.

The Bulldogs made a drastic turnaround the next day though, posting the second best team score in the two-day event. Sikeston moved from 13th place to sixth with a score of 320, finishing just one stroke shy of the fifth place Eldon team. Atchison and Spence each finished at 80, while Bain and Tanner Fritz both checked in at 81. Spence added his score to his first-round total of 79 to finish in 16th place, just one shy of medalist honors.

With four of the five state qualifiers returning next year, another trip to Springfield seems probable.

Sikeston's boys track and field team clinched its second consecutive Class 3A District championship when they held off Perryville and 14 other schools on the final race of the day to win 126-122.

The track team performed well all year, taking third out of 14 teams in the Murphysboro Invitational and taking second place in the 16 team Jackson Invitational. Sikeston also took second in the SEMO Conference meet.

At the district meet, Sikeston qualified all four relay teams and eight individual performers for the sectional meet in Festus.

At the sectional meet, two relay teams and five individual performers qualified for the state meet.

At the Class 3A state meet, Sikeston took eighth, with four athletes getting all-state recognition by placing in the top eight.

Senior Andrew Lambert took fourth in the state in both the long and triple jumps with leaps of 21'7" and 44'3 1/4" respectively.

At the district meet, Lambert high jumped 6'9", just one inch short of the school record. But he injured his ankle at the sectional meet before the high jump competition and did not qualify for state in the event.

Junior Michael Colon took second in the state in the triple jump with a leap of 44'4 3/4". He also ran on both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 meter relay teams that qualified but did not place at state.

Senior shot put specialists Justin Lowes and Kevin Keller took sixth and seventh respectively in the event. Lowes tossed 51'1" and Keller threw 50'8 1/4".

Sikeston's boys team graduated Lambert, Keller and Lowes along with five other seniors.

The girls team, with only three seniors on the team, took second in the East Prairie Invitational and took second in two triangulars.

The girls had one athlete qualify for sectional competition, Paige Kaiser in the pole vault.

Sophomore Rachael Vining was the top point-getter for the girls, competing in the long jump, triple jump, 100 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles.

The girls team improved greatly as the year progressed, eventually taking 10th in the 15 team district.