​The North County Raiders are looking for redemption this season as they learn from their last season on the diamond. Having gone 5-14 on the year the seniors this year are looking at what they have to do in order to succeed. I had the chance to speak to Coach Jacob Donze and he was telling me about how the Raiders had a down year in 2022, but are looking forward to the silver lining they see in 2023.
      I asked him about some of the Seniors that had left due to graduation, and he pointed out the names of 4-year catcher Clayton Chandler, Carson Elliot, and Issac Easter. Coach Donze said that they were happy to have had great leaders in those young men but life goes on as Jobe Smith, Grant Mullins, and Cooper Kekec step into the leadership roles for this year. With a big Senior class this year the North County Raiders are looking forward to the damage they can do to their opponents.
     The main idea that Coach Jacob Donze is pushing onto his players is the fact that they have to win today. Take everything day by day and be able to overcome adversity. As the Raiders gear up for their new season, the first place that you can watch them is on March 20th when they take on Poplar Bluff at home. Good luck Raiders!

​     The Fredericktown Blackcats are ready to get back on the Baseball field this Spring as they gear up for a great season. I had the privilege to talk to Coach Joaby Sikes in an interview about this upcoming season and he showed nothing but excitement. I asked him about last year's team and he responded by saying that they had a great season in comparison to the years prior.
     Coming from a 1-21 record in 2021, the Blackcats put up 10 wins and 12 losses last season, and look to improve even more this year. Coach Sikes believes that it was a special year in terms of gaining back the momentum that they were looking for. He says that they will have an abundance of underclassmen starting for the team this year and he is not worried a bit, he says he has faith in where they are headed.
      This coming season, Coach Sikes says that his team is looking for redemption on some of the games they should have won last year as well as trying to get over the .500 mark. The Blackcats aim for consistency this season as they try for a run in the playoffs. The first place you can see the Blackcats in action is on March 17th when thy take on Saxony Lutheran at Saxony High School. Good luck Blackcats on your upcoming season!

​     The Farmington Knights are more than ready to return to the baseball field this Spring. After having a 7-16 record last year the Knights are urgent to prove everyone wrong. Coach Josh Hoehn said that his boys plan on making a full turnaround from last year. Coach Hoehn spoke about his young men struggling at the plate and not being able to finish games last year.
     When asked what they have been doing to counteract this coach brought up the fact that they have been workhorses in the offseason. He says they have been in the cages, looking better than before, and setting situations to get the players thinking about big moments and how to execute them. Some players that are going to lead the charge for the Knights are Pitcher Landon Johnson, Catcher Ryan Cooper, and 2B Caden Probst. These young men are some of the many weapons that Farmington has.
     Coach Hoehn said that with the team this year, they are going to take things slower, stay defensively sound, and go over the technical things that baseball offers. With around 30 games this season, the Knights are sure to get their fill of situational play. The first place you can see these Farmington Knights in action is on March 17th when they play Rockwood Summit at home. Good Luck Knights on your baseball season!

   The Central Rebels are returning to the diamond this year as Class 4 District 2 Champions hoping to defend that title successfully. When I had the chance to speak to Coach Ronnie Calvrid about the team this year he said he was “really excited to see what they can do.” He did look back on the past season pretty pleased about the outcome telling me that the seniors they had last year were “something to be proud of.” The fact that they also won a district championship could not have hurt either. With star athletes like Slade Schwiess, Michael Vance, and Jett Bridges being big contributors to the team’s 20-4 record you would think it would be hard to bounce back from their leaving, but Coach Calvrid thinks otherwise.
       He says Seniors SS Ty Schwiess and OF Kendall Horton are ready to take the reins and step into those leadership roles. I asked Coach Calvrid about some of the goals he may have set for his team. He says they will start small by winning the first game and then if they go on to the District Championship it will be their goal to win that game also. Looking to start their repeat District Championship campaign, The first place you can see the Central Rebels in action is at Carshield Field against Ellsberry on March 17th. Good luck Rebels in your upcoming season! 

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      The Bismarck Indians are one of the many teams gearing up for Spring Baseball in the area. I got a chance to speak with Head Coach Chris Hayes in an interview and he expressed to me how he feels about his team this year. When asked about his team's performance last season he expressed that they “had a pretty good season” with their 11-10-1 record. He relayed the information that the team did not lose many seniors, and that they are “ready and willing to make a district championship run this year.” Some key players for the Bismarck Indians include Seniors Gavin Butery and Carter Hedrick.
     Coach Hayes spoke about these young men stepping up and being leaders for their team which is already gelling well together. When asked about the strength of the schedule before them, Coach Hayes said he feels that “there are going to be some tough games but it is nothing that his team can’t handle.” Some goals that they have set for themselves include the ability to take their schedule game by game no matter what, getting better every day, and lastly winning those important games.
​      The first place you can see the Bismarck Indians in action is the Jamboree that they are hosting on March 10th. Good luck to the Indians in their upcoming baseball season.

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​      The Arcadia Valley Tigers are ready to take on the 2023 Spring Baseball Season in full force. I had the privilege to talk to Head Coach John Inman about the upcoming season and he showed nothing but optimism about his team and the direction they are headed.
      Finishing last season with a 12-14 record the Tigers are looking to improve and maybe even make a run into the playoffs. Coach emphasized the fact that AV gets to play a Fall Season also, so he thinks that will help out his squad when this Spring comes along. When I asked Coach Inman about the roster he has he was ecstatic. He said they have “plenty of juniors and seniors who are ready to step up to the plate and lead this team in the right direction.” Thus including Pitcher Colin Whited, Alex Nash, and Jaxon Dement. When asked about the strength of the schedule this year, Coach Inman expressed his team’s goals of taking it day by day, improving on the small things, and executing in big moments against tough teams.
​     Arcadia Valley has their sights set on a District Title knowing it will be a battle to get there! The first place you can see the AV Tigers in action is the jamboree they are hosting against Meadow Heights and Valley on March 10th. Good luck Tigers in your upcoming season!

     POTOSI - Senior QB Blake Coleman plans to continue his football career this Fall in St. Louis as he goes to play for the Missouri Baptist Spartans. Blake Coleman was a passing threat for the Potosi Trojans after taking the reigns from his brother Andrew in 2021. Blake led his team to a 8-13 record in his time spent at Potosi.
     Being a great team leader and a presence in the backfield, Missouri Baptist has a great prospect on their hands. "He is one of the most coachable kids I have ever had the honor to guide, and he is going to succeed in whatever he decides to do" says Potosi Head Coach Dylan Wyrick. I am personally excited to see exactly what Coleman can do at the collegiate level as he is bound for success with his caliber of play. Good Luck Blake Coleman from the Dockins Sports Team!   

    BONNE TERRE - The Farmington Knights season has concluded with a last-second loss to the Hillsboro Hawks in the Class 5 District 1 first round of play. This was one of the more exciting games that one could watch. Keeping in mind the fact, if a team lost they would be eliminated, Hillsboro and Farmington battled it out to the last second. After starting the game trading shots back and forth with plenty of lead changes both teams settled into a rhythm to keep points on the board. Farmington’s Justus Boyer put up 16 points in the first half by driving into the paint repeatedly, forcing his willpower on his opponents. It seems to me that Farmington game planned around the fact that Hillsboro has an explosive offense. Their plays included plenty of passing on offense, trying to keep the ball out of the Hawks' hands. When Hillsboro did get the ball, the dynamic duo of Dominic Sutton and Luka Pool took over and made sure to keep their team in the running. Pool ended the half with 8 points, Sutton with 7. The score going into the 2nd half was Farmington 22 Hillsboro 28. 
     When the game continued into the 2nd half, Hillsboro started to run away with it. Farmington had to keep playing catch up and did successfully a couple of times. Cannon Roth of Farmington played an integral role in keeping the Knights in the game. He ended up with 20 points on the night, getting busy from the 3-point line. It was an exciting game with 2 minutes left on the clock. At this point, Farmington came back from a 10-point deficit, took a lead, and had the reigns of the game. The score was 59-58 Farmington, with about 2 minutes left. Farmington’s Roth was fouled on a shot he tried to take, missed it, went to the line, and made 1 of his 2 free throws. The score was 60-58 Farmington. 
     It gets interesting around this point, Hillsboro had possession of the ball, marched down the court and Sutton put the ball in the basket, tying the game. With 60 points for each team, Farmington has the ball with 1:30 on the game clock, Schaupert takes the ball down for the Knights, they pass it around for about a minute, and then is picked away and knocked out of bounds by the Hawks with 28.5 seconds left. What happens next is history.       
     Farmington passes the ball in, they are moving it around to kill the little bit of time that is left. It ends up in the hands of Cannon Roth who is located at the top of the key, 15 seconds. Roth looks to his left and sees Schaupert open for the pass, 10 seconds. Schaupert has it with the time ticking down, he glances down on the baseline, and sees Cooper Tripp wide open for an easy layup to win the game. He makes the pass with 8 seconds left, and Tripp takes his shot. Holland for the Hawks comes out of nowhere and blocks the shot down into the hands of his teammate Sutton with 5 seconds left. On the other end of the court, Hillsboro’s Pool is taking off to get ahead of the aggressive Farmington defense. Sutton makes a risky cross-court pass to Pool with 3 seconds ticking down. Pool grabs ahold of the ball and shoots his game-winning shot as the buzzer sounds. Ball goes in, Hillsboro Hawks win. It was a celebration for the Hawks and quite the opposite for the Knights. 
   Even though it was a hard-fought game, Hillsboro walks away victorious and Farmington’s season ends. Congratulations on a hard-fought season Knights, and better luck next year!    

(Below is a clip of my broadcast in the last 28 seconds of the game. Fair warning, it gets a little loud)