Editorial

Semoball Awards celebrates the best in high school sports

Southeast Missouri has no shortage of talented student-athletes -- both on the field and in the classroom.

Earlier this month the eighth annual Semoball Awards, presented by SoutheastHEALTH, were held at the Rock N' Roll Drive-In. Nearly 200 athletes were honored for impressive athletic performances, academic excellence, comeback efforts and admirable examples of sportsmanship.

Taking home the SoutheastHEALTH Male Athlete of the Year Award was Conner Tollison. The former Jackson offensive lineman is heading into his college freshman season of football with the University of Missouri. Kendall Holweg won the SoutheastHEALTH Female Athlete of the Year. Holweg is heading into her senior year at Delta and competes in track and field.

This year's event was a little different from previous years. The tailgate-style festivities preceded the awards show, which was shown on the big screen at the drive-in. But one of the consistent themes was the camaraderie among athletes. You can see photos of the evening in a photo page that appeared in the weekend edition of the Southeast Missourian as well as Thursday's print edition. Stories about the various winners and photos can also be found at semoball.com. And if you missed the show, the full version can be found on the Semoball.com Facebook page.

This is one of our favorite events of the year as top student-athletes are recognized for their efforts. For some of the athletes and their families, the Semoball Awards is a final opportunity to celebrate high school athletic success as they head to college or the workforce. For others, it's only the beginning. But in nearly each athlete, there's admirable traits to note: discipline, character and commitment to excellence in sport and studies.

Special thanks to the organizations that make this event possible, including: SoutheastHEALTH, The Bank of Missouri, SEMO ESPN Radio, rustmedia, the St. Louis Cardinals, Crader Distributing and your local STIHL dealers, Hudson Chiropractic and your local newspaper.

We look forward to another fun high school sports season, culminating again next summer with a first-class, unforgettable experience at the Semoball Awards.

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