Central Municipal Pool hosts meet Saturday

The Central Municipal Pool's bubble is up, and the water will be filled with swimmers Saturday for the annual Cape Rock Invitational.

Central and Notre Dame christened the bubble with a dual meet on Tuesday. The two teams also had a home dual earlier in the season, a rare outdoor meet with boys swimming moved from a winter sport to the fall this school year.

Diving on Saturday will begin at 9 a.m., and swimming events will start at 1 p.m.

The meet will feature 14 teams, with most coming from the St. Louis area and Springfield. While both Central and Notre Dame have several strong individuals, the change in season has decreased the number of swimmers in both programs. They likely will not be among the favorites in the team standings.

Lindbergh and Parkway Central are expected to contend for the title. Springfield Glendale and Parkway South should also have strong contingents.

"We've got all size teams from really fast to small teams like we are, so it should be exciting," Central coach Dayna Powell said. "It should be a meet for every caliber speed and stroke."

New basketball districts

District assignments are out for high school basketball, and area fans will be seeing plenty of new faces once the playoff season begins.

Of the districts that include area squads, only Class 4 District 1 remained intact. Notre Dame and Perryville are in Class 4 District 1.

One squad changed classes, as the multiplier bumped Saxony Lutheran to Class 2 this season. The Crusaders will be in a newly formed District 3 along with area squads Advance, Chaffee, Meadow Heights and St. Vincent.

Bell City's status as the favorite in Class 1 District 2 will be in jeopardy with Eminence's arrival. Eminence put a scare into the Cubs last year in the quarterfinals. The district also will contain a couple of unknowns in Lesterville and Bunker.

Oran's girls basketball program could get a boost from moving to Class 1 District 2 this year, a change that ends Scott County Central's unopposed district title run. The Bravettes have not had a district opponent the last few years.

The realignment that could provide the greatest controversy in the area is Class 3 District 1. Depending on the talent level from year to year, this district has the potential to be one of the toughest in the state. The district contains Scott City, Kelly, Charleston, New Madrid County Central, Portageville, Caruthersville, East Prairie and Kennett.

In Class 5 District 1, the field has grown from four teams to six. Fox, Hillsboro and Seckman have come down to join Central, Jackson and Poplar Bluff.

New basketball districts

Class 5 District 1 -- Central, Jackson, Poplar Bluff, Fox, Seckman, Hillsboro.

Class 4 District 1 -- Notre Dame, Perryville, Sikeston, Dexter, Fredericktown, Ste. Genevieve.

Class 3 District 1 -- Scott City, Kelly, Charleston, NMCC, Caruthersville, Portageville, East Prairie, Kennett.

Class 3 District 2 -- Woodland, Alton, Clearwater, Doniphan, East Carter, Greenville, Malden, Twin Rivers.

Class 2 District 3 -- Advance, Chaffee, Saxony Lutheran, Meadow Heights, St. Vincent, Richland, Bloomfield, Puxico.

Class 1 District 1 -- Scott County, Oran, Delta (Deering), Clarkton, Cooter, Gideon, North Pemiscot, Risco, Southland.

Class 1 District 2 -- Bell City, Delta, Leopold, Oak Ridge, Zalma, Marquand, Eminence, Lesterville, Bunker.

ND sixth in Class 2

The Bulldogs dropped a spot to sixth in the second Class 2 Missouri Soccer Coaches Association top 10 poll.

Notre Dame was ranked fifth in the initial poll on Sept. 15 and has gone unbeaten since then. The Bulldogs are 15-1. One point ahead of Notre Dame is Westminster, which will come to Notre Dame on Friday for a makeup game.

Duchesne took over the top spot in Class 2 from St. Dominic.

St. Louis University High remained on top in Class 3, and Trinity remained the top-ranked Class 1 squad.