Area fall sports teams shine at state level

With schools shut down and activities canceled last spring, some questioned whether fall sports would begin in August. Thankfully, schools opened and sports were played with proper precuations in place. It's been a welcome bit of normalcy in a year with little. Not only were the games played, but several teams had stellar performances.

The Jackson football team will play for a state title this weekend. The Indians are undefeated in 2020 and will seek a MSHSAA Class 5 Championship at 1 p.m. Saturday in Jefferson City. The Southeast Missourian will be there to cover all the action. Follow along on semoball.com with special coverage appearing in print over the next week.

Southeast Missourian and semoball.com sports editor Tom Davis reported this week the Indians have won each of their 13 games by an average margin of 44 points, and no team has come within 35 points. Truly remarkable to see this dominating performance.

The football team isn't the only sports team in Jackson to make a championship run. The Indians soccer team defeated St. Dominic at the Class 4 Boy's Soccer State Final in Springfield. The 1-0 win featured an overtime goal by junior forward Chalon Domian. The Southeast Missourian reported this was the first time for a team outside Kansas City or St. Louis metropolitan areas to win the MSHSAA championship in its highest classification.

Another Cape County school also made a deep run in soccer. Notre Dame fell to Fort Zumwalt South in the Class 3 Soccer state final by a score of 3-0. Though the Bulldogs didn't take home the title, they had an impressive year. Going into the championship, Notre Dame had only allowed five goals through its 17-game season.

Several other programs and individuals also had impressive seasons, went deep into the playoffs or ranked high at the state level.

We often talk (and write) about the life lessons sports can teach. Ultimately, that's the benefit. But it's fun to see area athletes achieve success, in the process of making priceless memories. This is a testament to their hard work, many years of skill-building and solid coaching.

Congratulations to all the area teams and athletes.