By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Players, coaches, and parents gathered to celebrate the successes of the Bearcats in the 2012 Spring Sports season on Thursday evening.

Softball coach Leonard Morse took the podium first; in his first season as head coach, the Lady Bearcats amassed a 12-8 record - one of the better records in recent years - including a third place finish in the inaugural 'Swing Pink' tournament and a second place finish in the SCAA Tournament.

"I want to thank the school for support, Dr. Sharp for attending our games, and the high school secretaries for helping with concession stands and media relations," Morse said. "My assistant coach Chris Bolin was a tremendous help; I couldn't have done it without him.

"This year was the first time since 2008 that we won 12 games. We did well in county play after struggling early in the season, he continued. "In the middle of the season, we won 9 of 10 games at one point."

Numbers were a little down this season, with just 11 girls on the squad, but Morse was proud of the girls he had for their hard work and dedication to the team.

"We only had 11 on the team, and there were several games we played with just nine girls available," Morse added. "They worked hard and put in the effort - proud of them for that."

Kendra Stevenson, with a .450 average, took home the Batting Award; Ashley Brown was voted to the Dedication Award, and Becky Anderson, who recently signed a Letter of Intent to pitch at Mineral Area College next year, was voted Team MVP. Anderson and Riley Rickman were also named to the SCAA All-Tournament Team.

Head track coach Jill King was up next, and thanked the school administrators and assistant coach Greg Lummukkua for their assistance throughout the season.

"I also wanted to thank the Booster Club for buying us new hurdles this season," King said, "and those that volunteered to help us at our home meet. Our parents had gave us great support and the kids worked hard for a great season."

The track team gives out one award that goes to a male and a female athlete for scoring the most points at meets; Zach Comstock and Taylor Martin earned the honor. King noted that Comstock scored in every meet this season in the long and triple jumps, while Martin tied the school record for the 200, and has only been defeated once this season in the 100 and 200.

Head tennis coach Leanne Dooley stepped to the podium next to honor the Men's Tennis team.

"I want to thank everyone who makes this program possible, and that's a lot of people," she said.

"A special thank to you the parents - we've actually had people attending our matches this season," Dooley added, laughing.

The team stands at 5-4 on the season in a noted 'rebuilding year' by Dooley. The team holds a first place finish in the doubles division at the Poplar Bluff Invitational Tournament, where DHS was the smallest participating school.

"This has been what you would call a rebuilding year; we have a lot of young players," she said. "Varsity has two players that are in their first year of playing competitive tennis."

The Team MVP award went to senior Tyler Miller, and was the only award given; Dooley noted that the other two awards - Most Singles Wins and Most Doubles Wins - were too close to call before Friday's match against Bluff.

Head coach Brian Becker closed out the banquet by honoring the baseball team; the Bearcats have a 14-6 record with three games to go before the District Tournament.

"Thanks to Dr. Sharp for coming to some of our games," he said. "I don't remember seeing a superintendent at games before. Also, thanks to Dexter Parks and Recreation for doing our pre-season field prep."

"We've had the best spring weather in the history of springs; 11 home games schedules and only had to move one," Becker continued. A big thanks to Coach Pixley and Coach Boyer. I'm not getting any younger and throwing BP is harder on me than it was; having Cody and his fresh arm out there is great."

The JV squad currently has a 5-6-1 record; Becker noted their steady improvement throughout the season.

"It's amazing how much these freshman improve over the year," he said. "Hopefully they'll come out this summer and work hard and keep improving."

"The Varsity is 14-6 so far; we've had some quality wins this year," Becker noted. "Oran and Scott City were big wins; we beat Sikeston twice, Poplar Bluff, Jackson, MICDS...it's always good to get a win over a private school. Five of our six losses are by a combined six runs."

"It's been a great season so far," he added. "It's been one of the most fun years I've had as a coach, and I've been at it for a long time. These kids know when to have fun and know when to work."

The 'Cats have four seniors on the roster this season - Alex Cliff, Josh Overall, Daniel Fitts, and Owen Flowers - and Becker had nothing but praise for the group.

"I really appreciate your work for all four years," he said. "They've worked hard, and I've loved coaching them for all four years."

The team gives out two awards - one for Batting Average and the Team MVP.

The Batting Average Award was a tight race between juniors Chase Young and Jordan Miller, but Young was able to narrowly take the award with a .426 mark.

Team MVP went to pitcher/first baseman Alex Cliff; the senior has a 3-2 record and a 2.33 ERA through 18 innings of work on the mound, and has yet to record an error at first base this season.

The golf team was unable to attend due to Friday's Sectional match, where Drake Mitchell, Myles Urhahn, and Cody Stevens will fight for a trip to State.

Booster Club member Kevin Bishop closed out the evening by giving out the annual Booster Club Scholarships; Tyler Miller, Dalton Putnam, and Sydnie Rinehart earned the honors.