Jackson back to defend its title

Jackson's girls will be looking to defend their own title Saturday in the Jackson Invitational, one of several big events that high school teams will compete in this weekend.

Jackson's girls will be one of 12 teams competing in the meet, which begins at 10 a.m. at Jackson Junior High School. Also in the field will be Murphysboro, Ill., Fox, Lafayette, Central, Pattonville, Poplar Bluff, Windsor, Sikeston, Notre Dame, Perryville and Fredericktown.

"I think the girls competition is wide open," Jackson coach Bob Sink said.

Sink said his Indians, Central and Pattonville -- strong in the track events but weak in the field -- should be among teams vying for the title.

One of the more intriguing races will be the 400, where Jackson's Rachel Lowes will go against strong Pattonville runners Britney Harron and Shaquita Johnson. Harron has been the fastest of the group, clocking 58 seconds in the event, with Lowes and Johnson just two seconds behind.

Poplar Bluff returns to defend its boys title and again looks strong. The boys' field will contain all the above schools with the exception of Lafayette. DeSmet will compete on the boys' side.

One of the more interesting events on the boys' side will be the 110-meter high hurdles, which features four runners in the 14.9- to 15-second range. The quartet includes Kyle Dobbelare of Perryville and James Fortner of Jackson.

"That should be a pretty heated race," Sides said.

Another event of note is the boys 100, which already has six sprinters turning in times under 11.0.

ACT exams could factor into the outcomes. Several athletes could miss their events due to testing scheduled for Saturday.

Central, ND soccer teams go to Springfield

Central and Notre Dame's girls soccer teams will travel to Springfield, Mo., to compete in the two-day, eight-team Kickapoo High School Girls Shootout that begins today.

Notre Dame will play today at 3:30 p.m. against Springfield Catholic, while Central will follow at 5:15 against Jefferson City. Winners' bracket semifinals will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and the championship will be at 4:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge tournaments end with Saturday finals

Oak Ridge will hold the championship games of its baseball and softball tournaments at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The tournaments, which contain seven teams apiece, began Thursday. Final first-round games and a semifinal will be today. The second semifinal will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday for both the boys and girls.

Leopold, Meadow Heights, St. Vincent, Delta, Woodland and Zalma will join Oak Ridge in the baseball tournament. Delta, Meadow Heights, Scott City, Woodland, Oran and Charleston join the host in the softball tournament.

Advance, Oran, Jackson compete in tourneys

Advance will play two pool-play games today in the six-team Bank of Grandin Tournament hosted by East Carter County in Ellsinore, Mo. The Hornets will face Arcadia Valley at 3:30 p.m. and East Carter at 5:30.

The pool winner will play in Saturday's 12:30 p.m. championship game against the winner of the second pool, which consists of Greenville, Winona and Pocahontas, Ark.

Oran will play in a four-team round-robin tournament today and Saturday in Forsyth, Mo. The Eagles play Forsyth at 6 p.m. today and play two games -- against Springfield Catholic (noon) and an undetermined team (2:30 p.m.) -- on Saturday.

Jackson will face Reitz, Ind., at 9 a.m. Saturday in the four-team Quad State Tournament at Anna, Ill.

Anna, Ill., and South Fulton, Ky., will meet in the other semifinal game, the winners playing for the championship at 4:30 p.m.