Unbeaten Central shuts out Sikeston

Central's boys' soccer team pushed its record to 14-0 by rolling past visiting Sikeston 7-0 Wednesday night at Shawnee Park Sports Complex.

Ryan Ponder recorded a hat trick by scoring three goals to lead the Tigers, who got two goals from Heath Orr and one each from Devon Edmonds and Bryan Ross.

Grant Hengst, Luke Kester and Calen Wills all had two assists while Jordan Duncan added one.

Ponder scored the game's first two goals and Orr got the next two for the Tigers' 4-0 halftime lead. Edmonds, Ponder and Ross scored in the second half.

Goalkeepers Tony Leuckel and Jordan Young each played one half and shared the shutout.

Central's junior varsity improved to (8-1-1)won 2-0.

Class 2, District 1 Tournament

Host Central finished second out of nine squads and qualified for next week's four-team sectional meet.

Poplar Bluff won the title with 24 points, followed by Central with 20 and Farmington with 19. Jackson finished fifth with 16.5. The top two teams qualified for sectionals.

Individually, the top two in both singles and doubles qualified for the state tournament Oct. 24 and 25 in Springfield. Central and Jackson had no individual state qualifiers.

Central's top finish was by the doubles team of Erika Foley and Dani Gross. They beat a Poplar Bluff squad 6-3, 6-3 for third.

Also for the Tigers, the doubles team of Michaelyn Burns and Merritt Gerlach advanced to the third round; singles player Liz LaFoe advanced to the third round; and singles player Brett Ford made the second round.

Jackson's Kelly Mitchell was third in singles, beating Karen Flinn of Eureka by default.

Rockwood Summit's Sarah Helbig won the singles title, beating Poplar Bluff's Francis Kalich 6-3, 6-1 in the final.

The Farmington doubles team of Beffa-Karraker defeated Oakville's Goebel-Dalton 6-1, 6-4 in the final.

The sectional meet will be Oct. 16 or 18 in Cape Girardeau. The champion advances to the team state tournament Oct. 23 in Springfield.

"It's the first time Central has made it to sectionals as a team in three years, so that's something to be proud of," Central coach Bud Craven said.

-- From staff reports