PREP SOCCER TO KICK OFF DISTRICT TOURNAMENTS

The boys soccer teams at Notre Dame and Jackson high schools are favored to repeat as district champions.

But both coaches realize the road to potential titles will be difficult.

Notre Dame is the top seed for the Class 1A-3A, District 1 Tournament that will be held at Lutheran South in St. Louis.

Jackson is seeded first for the Class 4A, District 1 Tournament that will be played in Cape Girardeau at Southeast Missouri State University's Sprigg Street Field.

The 1A-3A district begins today while the 4A district kicks off Saturday."I'm really pleased with the way we're playing," said Notre Dame coach Brad Wittenborn. "I like our chances, but in any sport, there are no guarantees. I expect a tough tournament."Said Jackson coach Bonnie Knowlan, "Our district looks so even, just about any team can win it. We just got lucky to get the first seed."Notre Dame is 19-4-1. Seeded second behind the Bulldogs is Lutheran South (12-6-2), followed by St. Pius (6-8-4), Bayless (12-6-1) and Windsor (12-8).Today's only game will feature Bayless against Windsor at 4:15 p.m., with the winner meeting Notre Dame at 11 a.m. Saturday in one semifinal. The other semifinal Saturday will feature Lutheran South against St. Pius at 9 a.m.

The championship game is set for 3:30 p.m. Monday."I think any of the teams could be dangerous," Wittenborn said. "I saw Lutheran South and St. Pius play and both would be tough opponents."But we've got an experienced team and I think we've got a good shot at coming through."While Notre Dame is probably a fairly solid favorite in its district, the same can not be said for 4A, District 1, where Jackson (10-9-5), second-seeded Poplar Bluff (12-9) and third-seeded Cape Central (11-10-3) look too close to call.

Jackson beat Poplar Bluff twice during the season, Poplar Bluff beat Cape Central twice and Cape Central defeated Jackson once and tied the Indians once."It's really wide open," Knowlan said. "Any of the top three teams could easily win it and the other two teams are dangerous."Sikeston (3-11-2) and Farmington (5-10-1) are the fourth and fifth seeds."It's wide open," said Cape Central coach Tom Doyle. "The top three teams were so close and you can't discount Sikeston and Farmington. We feel like we have as good a chance as the others."The tournament opener will be Saturday as Sikeston plays Farmington at 11 a.m.

Semifinal action will take place Monday, with Jackson playing the Sikeston-Farmington winner at 5:30 p.m. and Cape Central facing Poplar Bluff at 7:30. The finals are set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Jackson will be shooting for its third straight district title, which Knowlan figures would be quite an accomplishment considering the Indians were hit hard by graduation and field a young team.