Central maintains the momentum built in memorable season

The Tigers are 15-9 and seeded first in the district tournament. ~ Southeast Missourian

Central's soccer team last season was as close to a team of destiny as the program has ever had.

The Tigers went through the regular season without a loss and made the program's first appearance at the state final four. Only two starters remain from last year's fourth-place finisher, but the Tigers have managed to come back with another strong season and enter the Class 3 District 1 tournament seeded first.

Central (15-9) will play fourth-seed Farmington at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Central. No. 2 Poplar Bluff will play No. 3 Jackson at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Central. The championship is set for 6 p.m. Thursday.

Returning starters Matt Hellrich and Tony Leuckel have helped provide leadership to a fairly inexperienced Tigers squad. Fellow seniors Devon Edmonds, Ryan Ponder, Aaron Hutsell, Jeff Beard, Seth Gerlach and Jackson Bahn all got to see some playing time during last year's run and have helped stabilize this year's squad.

While the Tigers have had troubles scoring at times, midfielder Tyson Whiteside and forward Lance Altenthal have provided solid scoring punch for the Tigers. Edmonds has also proven to be a scorer for the Tigers this season, with a recent two-goal game against Notre Dame.

The defense, a mainstay on last year's squad, has had a few lapses this season but has basically played well. Hellrich has been a steadying force in the middle for the Tigers, and Cody Gaither has been successful overall in his assignments to guard some of the top players in the area. On occasion, Leuckel has shared time in net this season with junior Jordan Young and freshman Clayton Uptain, but Leuckel has been the Tigers' goalkeeper of choice against top opponents.

Notre Dame seeded first in Class 2 District 1

With the departure of St. Pius from Class 2 District 1, Notre Dame is left without a main rival.

The Bulldogs received the top seed despite a 10-12 record during the regular season. Notre Dame has had plenty of success against its district opponents, though, with blowout wins over No. 4 Hillsboro and No. 6 De Soto. Sikeston, the No. 2 seed, has played Notre Dame close this season.

Notre Dame will receive a first-round bye, while the other six district teams are in action today at Notre Dame. The Bulldogs will start district play on Monday against the winner of the Hillsboro-Windsor game.