By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

With their first game against Ste. Genevive rapidly approaching, the DHS Football team is ready to kick off the 2011 season with the return of the annual football jamboree to Charles Bland Stadium.

After two full weeks of practice, head coach Aaron Pixley seems to be pleased with what he’s seeing from the squad.


“[Practices have] gone well. They’ve been a little inconsistent; they’ve looked good at times and bad at others,” Pixley noted. “We’ve had great weather, so we’ve had a lot more good than bad. [Wednesday] was the first hot practice we’ve had, really. We were a little sluggish, but I feel like we got some good things in. So far so good, we just have to make sure we get a little more consistent and prove ourselves on Friday night.”

”Most of the time in practice, they’re playing the way they should. Even if they mess up, they’re doing it hard. I preach that to my kids: if you’re unsure or make a mistake, just go a hundred miles an hour.” 
The football ‘Cats have had a busy summer, with weightlifting sessions, ‘contact days’, and several camps crammed in the two and a half month ‘vacation’.

“We’ve had a good summer. We’ve had most of the kids out doing weights and contact days, and running their 300’s,” Pixley added. “We’ve had 90-plus percent of the full team all summer; you always want 100 percent, but sometimes you don’t get that.”

Looking to Friday night’s football jamboree, the ‘Cats will take the field for the first time since the end of DHS’s most successful season under the helm of Coach Pixley.

“We’ve got plenty of seniors that have ‘been there, done that’, they’ve been through quite a few wars, and they know what they’re doing. I think at times they get bored a little bit, but we have to make sure that we’ve very physical in all phases of the game,” Pixley said.

“Hopefully that’s what we’re going to get out of the jamboree - a lot of physicality, kids making plays, and for the defense to get it done.”


The ‘Cats have been lucky this summer to avoid any serious injuries - junior Chase Young is the only injured player heading into Friday night’s jamboree.

“We’ve got some bumps and bruises, but nothing too serious,” Pixley said. “Chase Young has had a knee problem for a while; he played baseball all summer on a bum knee, but it’s nothing major. He should be good to go.”

The ‘Cats will face East Prairie, as well as district rivals New Madrid County Central and Kennett in the jamboree.

The scrimmages will follow the traditional jamboree format, with a coin toss to determine offense or defense and the ball placed at the 40 yd. line. If a team scores, the ball will be placed back at the 40 yd. line. Each team will play 12 plays on offense and defense, respectively. No score will be kept. There will be no kicking game.

The jamboree is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start on Friday, August 19.

Admission will be $1 (no passes accepted), with a concession stand available on the east end of the field. The Bearcat Booster club will be providing food and drinks for all players and coaches at the conclusion of the evening’s scrimmages.

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From Rick Kindhart, Assistant Director of Athletics - Missouri State University

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification announced decisions today (Aug. 18) concerning the athletics certification status of 28 member institutions. Missouri State University has been fully certified through successful completion and review of its Cycle 3 self-study.

  The certified designation denotes that Missouri State operates its athletics program in full compliance with the operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.

  "Anytime you get an endorsement of your program from one of your national governing agencies, it is an accomplishment worth noting," said Missouri State Interim President Clif Smart.  "We are very proud of the balance and integrity with which our intercollegiate athletics program operates.  As a University, we benefited from completing the self-study process, and we very much appreciate gaining full certification from the NCAA."

  Legislation mandating certification was adopted for all active Division I schools in 1993 to ensure the integrity of each member institution’s athletics program, while assisting institutions with improvements when necessary. To complete the certification process, each institution had to complete a self-study led by its president or chancellor. The self-study instrument includes a thorough review of these primary components: governance and commitment to rules compliance; academic integrity; gender/diversity issues; and student-athlete well-being.  

Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said he was very pleased with the NCAA announcement and noted the many collaborative efforts that made full certification a reality.  

"I am grateful for the hard work of the steering committee and the sub-committee members on campus who worked countless hours to complete this process," Moats said. "I especially want to thank our chair Sue George and senior associate AD Casey Comoroski for taking ownership in this process on behalf of Missouri State University. They championed this effort from the very first day, and their dedication has ensured our inclusion in this cycle’s NCAA certification class.”  

Each member institution is to complete a self-study at least once every 10 years.  As a Cycle 3 institution, Missouri State has now completed three NCAA certification steps, receiving full certification in previous self-study efforts in 1996 and 2003.  

George, a Missouri State professor in Childhood Education and Family Studies chaired the MSU Certification Steering Committee. She noted her gratitude for the work of the 45 faculty, staff, students and community members who assisted during the 18 months of preparing the voluminous report.  

"Being part of the NCAA Athletics Certification process has confirmed the good work of our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Missouri State," said George. "My thanks go out to the members of the University community who worked hard to see this process through to its positive conclusion."  

Joining Missouri State in Wednesday's NCAA certification announcement were fellow fully certified Division I institutions:

















In addition, the following institution was certified with conditions:

            Southern University, Baton Rouge.

The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution’s certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation.  Then, the university is assessed by a panel of peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution’s resolution of the issues before a final certification decision is rendered.  This cycle represents the last certifications started before a moratorium was placed on the program in April 2011 by the Division I Board of Directors. No active Division I members will begin the certification again until August of 2013.

The complete Missouri State Self-Study report can be viewed on-line at www.missouristate.edu/ncaa. Members of the Missouri State community who participated in the Self-Study process were:








































For more information on Missouri State Athletics, visit www.missouristatebears.com.

It was a hot day on Wednesday as the DHS Tennis team took to the courts to prepare for their upcoming season.

Head Coach Leanne Dooley and the rest of her squad battled the heat as they practiced their serves, forehands, and backhands on the last day of summer vacation.

Sophomore Paige Patterson is pictured returning a serve during the day's drills.

(SMT Photo by Andrew Cato)

From Rick Kindhart, Assistant Director of Athletics - Missouri State University

MSU Announces MVC Championship Banner and Ring Presentation Night at JQH

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University Director of Athletics Kyle Moats has announced that the Missouri State men’s basketball team will officially raise its 2010-11 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship banner during ceremonies at JQH Arena on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The Bears will host Emporia State that night in their first regular-season home game of the new year.  The match-up with Emporia State also completes the non-conference schedule for head coach Paul Lusk’s inaugural campaign with the Bears.  Game times for all home contests will be announced at a later date.

The 2010-11 players will also receive their MVC championship rings during that pregame ceremony, which will mark the start of the club’s fourth season at JQH Arena.

The MVC is expected to announce its conference schedule for the upcoming season during the next couple of weeks.

Information regarding 2011-12 season tickets for the Bears and Lady Bears is available by calling (417) 836-7678.

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For information on everything Missouri State Athletics, visit www.missouristatebears.com.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The DHS volleyball team has been hard at work during the summer in preparation for their upcoming season.

“We’ve played in numerous camps this summer,” head coach Lauren Hutchcraft said. “We played in a camp in Poplar Bluff in June, and we scrimmaged almost every other week at Poplar Bluff - Mike Berry opened up his gym and we played two games a night there.”


“We also played some good competition at both the Perryville and Jackson shootouts. We lost to Advance in the finals of the Perryville shootout, but that was a game I feel we really should have won. We won lots of games this summer, so I have high hopes for the season.”

Hutchcraft, a 2003 graduate of DHS, is entering her second year as head volleyball coach, and is returning several key contributors from last year’s squad. The Lady ‘Cats only lost one starter last year - Elisha Flannigan - and seniors McKenzie Mitchell, Lauren Ward, and Lindsey Hindman all saw extensive time on the courts last season. Teammate Erika Mouser, who was injured during her junior season, is itching to get back on the court.


“Erika Mouser was injured all last year, but she’s played some strong games this summer - she should be a key member of the team this year,” Hutchcraft noted.

“We have a strong group of seniors coming back,” Hutchcraft added. “Brittany Harris, a junior, and Hannah Noe, a sophomore, both played varsity all last year.”

Another sophomore, Erika Cobb, should also see extensive playing time this season.

Along with the returning veteran leadership, the squad will welcome a group of freshman that didn’t lose a single match during middle school ball. One of the freshman will even see some playing time at the varsity level.


“Jessica Lindsey, a freshman, should also see some time at the varsity level,” Hutchcraft said of the freshman. “She’s played phenomenal ball this summer as a middle hitter; I expect great things out of her.”


“[Jessica] never really had the chance to shine because of the level of competition she faced in middle school,” Hutchcraft added, but believe me, by the time she graduates, people will know her name.

Despite a less-than-desirable outcome at the end of last season, the Lady ‘Cats look poised to excel this season. A solid mix of returning veteran leadership, as well as outstandingly talented ‘new blood’ to the program could be just what the team needs to return to the top of the local volleyball scene.


“Perryville was state-ranked last season - we lost to them during districts in three sets,” Hutchcraft recalled. “We came up against them and the Jackson shootout and were able to beat them, and that was a great moment for the girls this summer.”


“I think they’re going to be a team to watch this year,” Hutchcraft added.

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Photos Above:

Top Photo: Junior Brittany Harris goes in for a hard spike during Friday (August 12) morning’s practice session.

Bottom photo: Jessica Lindsey, an incoming freshman, brushes up on her serving technique during practice. Lindsey looks to be the lone freshman on an upperclassmen-heavy squad in the upcoming season.