THE LASTEST LINE: CAPE CENTRAL FOOTBALL TURNAROUND IS SOME KIND OF STORY

Last year was certainly the worst of times for Cape Girardeau Central High School's football team. The Tigers had several players quit the squad during the season and limped home to a 1-9 record.

But look at the Tigers now. Ridiculed around Southeast Missouri in 1999, the 2000 Tigers are riding high after Thursday night's 17-0 win over Farmington that clinched the Class 4A, District 1 title.

At 6-4 overall -- and with a defense that has posted an amazing four straight shutouts -- the Tigers are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 1989.

It's certainly quite a story, one that has been written by a bunch of hard-working and talented young men and an equally talented coaching staff that has helped mold the Tigers into a championship-caliber team.

Central is not going to be favored to capture a state title -- although the Tigers will be favored to win at Hillsboro in Wednesday's sectional playoff game -- but no matter what happens from here on out, nobody can take away the memories of this turnaround season that, for everybody involved, will last a lifetime.

Congratulations, Tigers, on a job extremely well done!

* Congratulations and good luck are also in order for the other area squads who won district titles Friday night and will be opening the playoffs Wednesday.

St. Vincent, like Cape Central, deserves some special praise for its undefeated regular season. The Indians rallied past tough Hayti 22-16 Friday and will take a 10-0 record into the 1A sectional at Van-Far.

Charleston also should receive its share of kudos. The Bluejays rebounded from an 0-6 start to win their final four games, including Friday's 34-21 triumph over Scott City. Charleston will host 7-3 Malden in the 2A sectional.

Poplar Bluff ended Jackson's season and handed the Indians their first loss, 27-16 Friday. The Mules will carry a 7-3 record into a 5A sectional game at undefeated Parkway South.

And finally, New Madrid County Central remained undefeated by routing Fredericktown 49-8 Friday. The 9-0 Eagles visit Festus in the 3A sectional round.

* The early signing period for college basketball teams begins Wednesday and Southeast Missouri State University's Indians are hot on the trail of several players, although it is not certain if they will sign any early.

One player SEMO's coaching staff is hoping to land again is 7-foot-2 Kostas Avgerinos, who originally signed with the Indians in 1999 but did not qualify academically and instead went to Southern Idaho Junior College.

The native of Athens, Greece, is in his second and final season at Southern Idaho, the nation's top-ranked juco squad that features a host of major Division I prospects.

Although Avgerinos is being courted by some other D-I programs, there is reportedly a solid chance that he will wind up back in Cape Girardeau.

* Former SEMO football star Kelvin Anderson is having another impressive season for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

Anderson, SEMO's all-time rushing leader who last played for the Indians in 1994, was third in the CFL with 1,048 rushing yards entering this past weekend's final regular-season games.

Anderson has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his five CFL seasons, never finishing lower than fourth in the league.

Calgary has clinched the CFL's West Division and will be favored to once again make it to the league's championship game, the Grey Cup. The Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 1998 and lost in the title contest last year.