By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The Lady ‘Cats prepare to open the 2011 Volleyball season tonight, when they make the short trip to Essex to face the Richland Rebels in SCAA action.

Head coach Lauren Hutchcraft, entering her second year, looks to improve the team this year with a mix of veteran leadership - the ‘Cats return seniors McKenzie MItchell, Lauren Ward, Lindsey Hindman, and Erika Mouser, and some ‘new blood’.


 “We have a strong group of seniors coming back,” Hutchcraft said. “Brittany Harris, a junior, and Hannah Noe, a sophomore, both played varsity all last year.” Erika Cobb, also a sophomore, will be seeing varsity action as well.


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


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


The Lady ‘Cats open the season tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Richland High School.

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Photo Above:

Freshman Jessica Lindsey, the lone freshman expected to see time at the varsity level, practices her serves during a summer practice. Coach Lauren Hutchcraft touted the youngster as a “player to watch; people will know her name in coming years.”
SMT File photo by Andrew Cato

From the Missouri Department of Conservation

With school getting back in session and fall sports underway, your opportunities to fish are going to be limited - the only problem is, you might not be able to catch anything even if you get a chance. According to this report, fish across the region are still slow to hit on most bait.

SOUTHEAST REGION: (573) 290-5858
LAKES

Clearwater Lake: 81 degrees, normal, clear; crappie good while trolling with crankbaits; largemouth bass fair on plastic or topwater baits; bluegill fair on worms or crickets; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Council Bluff: 81 degrees, normal, clear; largemouth bass fair on dark colored soft plastics and topwater lures during low light periods; bluegill and redear sunfish fair on worms and crickets; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/25/2011)

Cypress Lake: 87 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish good in 2'-3' depths using worms and stinkbait; crappie slow using minnows and jigs in 3' depths; bluegill and redear sunfish fair in 2'-3' depths using crickets, small jigs, and small pieces of worms; largemouth bass fair on spinnerbaits, jigs, and plastic worms in 3' depths or greater. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Duck Creek: 79 degrees, normal, clear; largemouth bass good on topwater lures; bluegill, redear sunfish and warmouth sunfish good on crickets and jigs; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/25/2011)

Lake Girardeau: normal, clear; channel catfish fair on worms; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Perry County Lake: 87 degrees, clear; channel catfish fair on liver; black bass fair on topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Robert DeLaney Lake: 85 degrees, normal, channel catfish fair on worms, liver, and stinkbait; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Wappapello: normal, black bass good on spinnerbaits and plastic worms early and late in the day; bluegill fair on crickets and worms along shoreline; crappie fair on minnows and jigs in the lake in the river channel; channel catfish fair on trotlines and jug lines at night using live bait. Anglers should note the 9" minimum length regulation for crappie on Wappapello Lake. All areas around the lake are now open since the lake water level has dropped. Call the Wappapello Lake Recreation Hotline for updates at 573-222-8139. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

RIVERS

Black River (near Annapolis): 77 degrees, low, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Castor River (above Zalma): low, clear; all species good. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Lower Black River (Clearwater Dam): normal, dingy; black bass fair on topwater lures; channel catfish fair on live bait; crappie fair on minnows and jigs; walleye fair on crankbaits below the basin; all other species slow. There have been some instances of paddlefish being caught and hooked in the mouth while using traditional fishing methods as of late. Paddlefish are closed to taking by any method in the Black River except from March 15 through April 30. If a paddlefish is caught outside of those specified dates it must be released immediately. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Mississippi (below Charleston): low, dingy; channel catfish fair on liver, worms and live frogs; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

Mississippi River (Cape Girardeau): 79 degrees, falling, muddy; all species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

St. Francis (above Wappapello): low, clear; black bass good on large minnows; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2011)

St. Francis (below Wappapello): 83 degrees, low, dingy; channel catfish good on chicken liver and stinkbait; flathead catfish good on goldfish and small green sunfish; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/25/2011)

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Anglers are invited to send photos of their fishing trips to the ShowMe Times. Just email acato@showmetimes.com. Be sure to include the name of the fisherman, the date of the catch, where it was caught, weight and - if you care to share - what type of bait you were using!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Bearcat Nation was treated to an outstanding display of defensive dominance Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium, when the ‘Cats dropped Ste. Genevive 28-6 in the 2011 season opener.

Dexter’s defense got hot in a hurry after the Dragons scored on their second play in the scrimmage - after the early blunder, the ‘Cats held Ste. Gen scoreless for the rest of the game, and limited their high-octane spread offense to only 148 yards and quarterback Brendan Weiler to just 67 yards through the air on 14 of 25 attempts.

“I felt like we played very well on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the tackling was outstanding,” head coach Aaron Pixley said. “Any time you play a team like that, that throws the ball like [Ste. Gen does], you have to tackle. We missed a few, but for the most part, we did a good job tackling.”


“They had one play that they hit a seam - they caught us in a defense where our safety is supposed to sit 10 yards off the line instead of backpedaling, and we did a good job of catching up, making the tackle, and stripping the ball,” Pixley added. “Other than that we kept the ball in front of us and tackled, which is what you have to do against this team.”

The ‘Cats were led on defense by seniors Jake Lee and Tyler Miller - Lee ended the night with six tackles (three for loss), a sack, and a pass breakup. Miller contributed five tackles (one assist) and a forced fumble.

“I think we played together tonight; we didn’t push each other away,” Lee said after the game. “We really grew up and played a lot better tonight.”


Offensively, the ‘Cats were able put up 418 yards of total offense, with 329 yards rushing.


“We did a great job of getting first downs and milking the clock to build a 21-6 lead late in the game,” Pixley noted. “[Josh Overall and Nick Summers] ran hard, and Alex Cliff ran hard from the fullback position.”

The one-two punch of Overall (13 carries for 150 yards and 3 TD’s) and Summers (16 carries for 97 yards), coupled with outstanding run blocking from the offensive line, was just too much for the Dragons to handle. Cliff chipped in eight carries for 30 yards and a pair of key first downs.

“I feel like my vision on the field has gotten a lot better this year. I saw the hole opening up and I took it. I made a cutback and wound up taking it to the house,” Overall said of his big 80 yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

The ‘Cats were limited in their passing game during the contest, but quarterback Cody Stevens (6-16 for 89 yards) was able to rack up just over 50 rushing yards.

“Offensively, we ran the ball well; probably dropped 150 yards of passes, but that’s going to get corrected,” Pixley added. “We have good receivers and I felt like Cody threw the ball well. We had some pass protection breakdowns in the first half; I felt like we could have done a better job, but it got better as the game went on. Our passing game is going to be good, and our running game was very strong tonight as well. Cody did a good job running the show out there - he was changing pass plays that I put in to run plays. He did a really nice job of running that offense.”


 Looking ahead to next week’s matchup, the ‘Cats will be on the road against Park Hills Central. The ‘Cats will have to adjust their defensive gameplan quickly - Ste. Gen and Park Hills are total opposites on the offensive spectrum. Pixley noted a bit of ‘bad blood’ between the two teams after their meeting last season, and expects it to be a hard-nosed, physical football game.

“I expect a physical football team. They’re going to be fired up and ready to play,” Pixley said. “It’s the exact opposite situation from what we were against tonight - we’re going to see double tight ends, two and three back backfields. They’re going to run power, lead, and triple option, and we’ll have to be physical and really get after it from a defensive standpoint. “


“Offensively, we’re going to do what we do. We’ll run and throw the football, and go out there, execute, and make plays.”

Kickoff for next week’s varsity matchup is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Friday (Sept. 2).

Click here for a full breakdown of the game's stats.

Photos Above:

Top: Josh Overall cuts through the Ste. Gen defense on an 80 yard touchdown run during the third quarter. Overall finished the night with 150 yards on 13 carries and three TD’s on offense, as well as three tackles on defense.

Middle: Jake Lee drags down a Ste. Gen ballcarrier during Friday night’s action. Lee finished the contest with six tackles (three for loss), a sack, and a pass breakup.
Bottom: Nick Summers powers through Ste. Genevive defenders for a first down. Summers finished the night with 97 yards on 16 carries.

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Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for updates on the team throughout the coming week’s practices!

By Caleb Livingston, Williams Baptist College

WALNUT RIDGE - Williams Baptist College head baseball coach Frank Lee has had a very busy summer. Not only was he completing his first recruiting class for WBC, but he was also coaching his son’s USSSA baseball team, the Arkansas Tornados.

After a successful season in the USSSA’s toughest division, which saw his team compile a 37-22 record and finish runner up in the AAYBA World Series gold division, Lee’s son, Cash, was selected to compete in the 14-year-old division of the USSSA/Amateur Baseball Report All American tryout held in Orlando, Fla.

  Cash was not alone in the adventure, as Coach Lee was selected in the same tryout to coach the 15 year old division. The Williams coach found himself in some prestigious company.

“There were former Major League Baseball players, MLB scouts and current college coaches on the staff that I was selected to,” Lee said. “Cash and I were scouted at an earlier tournament that we competed in by the organization, and that is how we were selected to compete in this tournament.”

Lee’s 15 year old squad was successful during the tournament.  His team finished the showcase with a 3-1 record and had three players selected to the 1st Team All-American squad.  Those players will represent the USA in the Gold Medal games in France next summer.

Lee will also get the chance to coach at the prestigious event again next summer. 

“Following the showcase, the administrators asked if I would entertain the idea of returning next summer and I accepted immediately,” said Lee. “This is a perfect opportunity to move our recruiting efforts to a national level for future student-athletes.”

Coach Lee was impressed with the talent level at the event, noting “For my son Cash and I, we both got an opportunity to see a high quality of talent compiled from all across the country, including Puerto Rico, in one location.”

Lee is entering his first year as head coach of WBC’s Eagles, after serving as an assistant with the program for the past six years.

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Williams Baptist College is a four-year, Christian liberal arts college located in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. DHS Alum Tyler Tanner is coached by Frank Lee on the baseball team. Fellow DHS Alum Ryan Windham is a member of the basketball team.

By Joe Foster,
ShowMe Times Special Correspondent

ESSEX - On Thursday August 25, 2011 the Richland Parent-Teacher Organization hosted a Gatorade Game at the Richland High School Gym. Of course the admission for the Gatorade Game is a Gatorade or $1. The money and the drinks are then used for the volleyball team. High school Principal Casey Rost served as the referee.

“I have kids who attend Richland, and I wanted to support the school,” said Chelsie Eaton, P.T.O. President.

Since last year the team has worked and improved by getting their serves and receives, they’re working together, and better at their pass, hit and service drills.

“A lot of good girls have come out, they work really hard for their spot on the floor, and they’re all excited about the season,” said Head Coach Lisa Taylor.

“We work better as a team, we come together and communicate,” said Junior Varsity Player Whitney Teeters.

“We keep getting better every practice we have,” said Assistant Coach Stephanie DePew.

Varsity player Chelsea Freeman said, “We all have good team work, and we really like each other and get along.”

According to Varsity Player Baylee Taylor what she is most excited about this season she said one word, “Winning.”

The Richland Rebels’ first game is this Monday at 6 p.m. they will be going up against the Dexter Bearcats; the Rebels will be hosting the game.