Area's best will be on display at B.A. Sports extravaganza

The annual event will take place Friday and Saturday in Poplar Bluff.

The third annual B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza will take place Friday and Saturday at the Bess Activity Center on the campus of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff.

A volleyball game, three basketball games and a banquet make up the two-day event. An all-star volleyball match on Friday opens the festivities.

Small school and large school boys basketball games will be played Saturday after a girls basketball game starts the day's events.

A banquet Saturday night will feature Hall of Fame basketball player David Thompson, the guest speaker. Thompson was a two-time AP Player of the Year at North Carolina State in 1974 and 1975, and he had a successful career playing in both the ABA and NBA. Thompson had his number retired by the Denver Nuggets and North Carolina State.

Area volleyball participants include: Kaci Cooper, Alicia Broshuis and Leslie Rainey of Advance; Bell City's Katie Niemczyk and Emily Burch; Amber Nenninger of Leopold; Laura Brown, Amanda Essner and Allison Essner of Notre Dame; Kaci Cartwright of Scott City; and Bell City coach Erin Hoffman.

Area girls basketball participants include: Sarah Cook of Delta; Kelly Essner of Kelly; Janet Penrod of Scott County Central; Kelly Loos of Jackson; and Kelly coach Rod McQuerter.

Area boys basketball participants include: Tyler Bowman and Drew Sherman of Advance; A.J. Henry of Bell City; Jeremy Johnson, Andrew Pullen, Chris Monroe and Avis White of Scott County Central; Kevin Bartels and Brent Menz of Delta; Austin Morrison of Oak Ridge; Alex Armbruster of St. Vincent; Eli Harris of Central; Kelly's Kendal Deason and Kent Deason; Mark Dannenmueller of Scott City; Cody McCraw of Woodland; Jackson's Jack Puisis and Ryan Mirly; Bryce Willen of Notre Dame; and coaches David Heeb of Bell City, Joe Shoemaker of Advance, Cory Johnson of Kelly and Darrin Scott of Jackson.

First win ... and loss

The Saxony Lutheran baseball team couldn't have opened its first season any better than a victory in its first game. Unfortunately, the Crusaders were playing a doubleheader.

They lost 11-0 in the nightcap after a 4-3 win in the first game of a twinbill with Christ Our Savior of Illinois on Saturday. The games were played in Perryville.

"We've been practicing so long, it was good to get out there and see what we have," Saxony coach John Beaudean said.

Kory Mueller had two hits in the first game, including a double that drove in the game-winning run. Dustin Roth was 3-for-3 in the second game.

Saxony Lutheran plays at Joppa, Ill., today and heads to Chester, Ill., on Saturday for another doubleheader with Christ Our Savior.

Awards night

Longtime NFL coach Jim Hanifan spoke at Eagle Ridge Christian School's winter awards banquet.

Hanifan's 31 years of coaching included a stint as the head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals and offensive assistant positions during Super Bowl championship years for the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams.

His tie to Eagle Ridge comes through athletic director Tony Hammack, whose father, the late Malcom Hammack, played for the Chicago Cardinals and then the St. Louis Cardinals in a pro career that spanned from 1954 to 1965. Hammack's father had played in an all-star college football game with Hanifan and also served in the military with Hanifan.

In addition to talking about his experiences as a coach, Hanifan talked about the courage of Malcom Hammack as an NFL special teams player, though he said it was more likely Hammack's reckless abandon was a result of his terrible eyesight.

During the awards ceremony, it was announced that four players -- first-team all-stater Joel Price and Sandy Holmes from the boys team and second-team all-stater Kristen Margrabe and Chelsey Clark from the girls team -- will play Friday in the St. Louis Metro Christian Athletics Association all-star games at Gateway Christian in St. Louis.

Surrounded by youngsters

St. Vincent senior Stacy Brown, a four-year player on the girls soccer team and the only senior on the squad, finds herself surrounded by five ninth-grade players who are having an impact on the varsity level.

"It is kind of hard being the only senior on the team, and I was a little worried about mixing in with the new players," Brown said. "But everybody seems to be coming together. This is by no means a selfish team."

Brown said she doesn't believe she needs to be a leader for the young players.

"I am there if needed but it's not like these girls need a lot of leadership," Brown said. "They have a lot of talent and soccer experience. If we are doing this well now, I can't wait to see how we play later in the season."

Brown scored a goal last week in a 4-1 victory against Pacific at the Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, Mo. Freshman Brooke Brown -- no relation -- had two goals and an assist, while freshmen Jessica Welker, Lacey Siegmund and Kelci Cissell also contributed either a goal or an assist.

Correction

Leopold softball player Cassie Seiler's name was misspelled in the March 30 edition. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.