Greg Jackson

Charli Duemmel knows how to deliver in the clutch. The St. Elizabeth senior delivered the two biggest hits of the game, an RBI double in the top of the first inning and an RBI single in the sixth, to send the Lady Hornets past the Silex Lady Owls for a 2-0 victory in Saturday afternoon’s Class 1 state quarterfinal softball contest at St. Elizabeth Ballpark.

Friday night belonged to the Blair Oaks senior class. Each of the Falcons’ nine first-half touchdowns were scored by a senior. Both of the Falcons’ defensive takeaways were made by a senior. It was a fitting finish for the Blair Oaks senior class, which has never lost a Tri-County Conference game and secured the Falcons’ fourth straight conference title with a 76-3 victory against the Southern Boone Eagles at the Falcon Athletic Complex.

Throughout Tuesday’s final round of the Class 2 girls golf state championships, the Eldon Lady Mustangs had no idea where they were in the team standings. But to be fair, that was by design. Eldon coach Matt Frey took away his golfers’ cell phones before they began their rounds. That way, they couldn’t look up the live scoring leaderboard to see where the Lady Mustangs were in the team standings.

The Helias Lady Crusaders and the St. Pius X: Kansas City Warriors could not have been more evenly matched during their Class 2 state quarterfinal dual Monday at the Crusader Athletic Complex. That’s why girls tennis duals feature an odd number of matches. It took nearly 3½ hours to produce a winner, but Helias is going to its first Final Four in program history, edging St. Pius X for a 5-4 dual victory.

It has been a good run for the Jefferson City Renegades. The run’s not over, but it may be for the Renegades’ name. Last week, Diamond Baseball League announced it has purchased the Renegades, a collegiate summer baseball team, from owner DeWayne Cartee, who founded the ballclub when it began playing in the MINK League during the 2017 season. Jefferson City will be one of six teams in the DBL next summer. There will be one other team from Missouri, plus three from Nebraska and one from Kansas.

Following the third set of Tuesday night’s match, the Jefferson City Lady Jays held the tiebreaker, should there be a three-way tie for the Central Missouri Activities Conference volleyball championship. The Helias Lady Crusaders made sure a tiebreaker wasn’t necessary. Helias overcame a first-set defeat, snapping a three-match losing skid to Jefferson City with a 23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-9 win at Rackers Fieldhouse.

It would have been easy for the Helias Lady Crusaders to look past Monday night’s volleyball match, with a crosstown matchup against the Jefferson City Lady Jays looming the following night. But playing a team like the Hermann Lady Bearcats, who have been to nine straight Final Fours, is a pretty good way for the Lady Crusaders to remain grounded before a rivalry matchup.

The Helias Lady Crusaders already have the No. 1 seed in the Class 3 District 8 volleyball tournament later this month. Thursday night’s match against the California Lady Pintos served as what could be a preview of the championship match in the district. “They have some good hitters,” Helias coach David Harris said of California after the Lady Crusaders’ 25-19, 25-21, 25-15 win at Rackers Fieldhouse. “I thought we could exploit a few spots in their defense, and when we did that, it worked.”

The Helias Lady Crusaders already have the No. 1 seed in the Class 3 District 8 volleyball tournament later this month. Thursday night’s match against the California Lady Pintos served as what could be a preview of the championship match in the district. “They have some good hitters,” Helias coach David Harris said of California after the Lady Crusaders’ 25-19, 25-21, 25-15 win at Rackers Fieldhouse. “I thought we could exploit a few spots in their defense, and when we did that, it worked.”

The statistics will tell you quarterback Tyler Bax had a career game and safety Warren Davis had a career game. But if you ask the Blair Oaks coaching staff, they will say everyone who stepped on the field Friday night for the Falcons had a really good performance. “That’s what I like about where we’re headed,” Blair Oaks coach Ted LePage said after his team’s 52-10 win against the Blue Valley Southwest Timberwolves at the Falcon Athletic Complex. “Everything is about 11 guys working together."