Central's cross country meet draws large field

Nearly every cross country team in Southeast Missouri will be at Central High School on Saturday to take part in the Central Invitational on Saturday.

Fox, from Arnold, Mo., will be the only non-Southeast Missouri school in the field. Jackson, Notre Dame, Saxony Lutheran, Kelly, Delta, Oak Ridge, Meadow Heights and Advance all will send runners.

"This would probably be the best opportunity to see all the local teams competing together in one spot," Central coach Mark Hahn said.

The first race will begin at 10 a.m., with the first varsity race starting at noon.

The boys race should be competitive with Notre Dame and Fox among the contenders. Saxony Lutheran should also be among the top boys squads after bringing back its top runners from last year's Class 1 state title team.

"I think Notre Dame could be a very good team this year, so it should be fun to get to look at them," Hahn said.

The Tigers are coming off a strong showing at the Perryville Invitational, where they placed three boys runners in the top 10. Central also took home the senior class boys title at the Jackson Invitational.

"The boys actually have been a pleasant surprise," Hahn said. "I think they're a little stronger than we anticipated this early. And there's still a lot of room for improvement."

John Kipper led Central with second-place finishes at Perryville and Jackson.

"John has been our leader the last couple of years," Hahn said. "Nothing has changed in that aspect, except he's fitter, which is saying a lot."

Jackson softball tourney

At 15-1, Notre Dame's softball team appears to be firing on all cylinders heading into Saturday's Jackson Invitational softball tournament at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex.

The Bulldogs will be looking for their second straight tournament title after winning the Incarnate Word tournament last week.

Notre Dame will face Fox at 8 a.m. Saturday in the opening round.

All games in the 16-team tournament will be played at Shawnee. The championship will be at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

Other first-round matchups on involving local squads include Central against Cor Jesu, Perryville facing Poplar Bluff, Kelly versus Goreville (Ill.) and Jackson against Farmington.

Perryville volleyball event

Perryville and St. Vincent will be among 10 teams which take part in the one-day Perryville Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at the Perry Park Center.

Pool play will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the semifinals set to follow the final pool match, which is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Pirates are off to an 7-4-3 start. St. Vincent's honors this season include winning the Notre Dame Volleyballfest title.

Building at Eagle Ridge

Eagle Ridge Christian School is in the process of adding a new baseball field and a soccer field at its facility on Highway K in Cape Girardeau.

Eagle Ridge is a member of the St. Louis Metro Christian Athletic Association and the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association. The Eagles already have one season under their belts in both soccer and baseball.