Russell Korando

1 week ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

Two Fox C-6 graduates competed in the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. on June 11-14. Arkansas State University sophomore Noa Isaia, a 2023 Seckman graduate, threw the hammer 65-08 meters (213-feet, six inches) on the first day. Isaia’s 19th-place finish, in his first NCAA Championships, earned him honorable mention All-American honors. University of Minnesota senior Kostas Zaltos won the event at 78.08, the sixth-longest throw in NCAA history.

2 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

He won’t take an at-bat, run the bases, field the ball or throw a pitch, but Mike Sears will inspire the Jefferson County Blazers this summer. His jersey will hang in the Blazers dugout this summer as the JC players and coaches remember Sears and what he meant to the team for decades as a coach and general manager. Inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, Sears died March 24 at age 69.

2 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

As you can read in the American Legion baseball season previews, Missouri District 13 is down to three teams, all in Jefferson County. Festus Post 253, Rock Memorial Post 283 and De Soto SMCI continue to field teams made up mostly of players who live inside the school-district boundaries of those teams. The Hillsboro Prospects have folded after two seasons, despite becoming competitive enough to beat Rock in a district game last year. Most conspicuously absent is Ste.

3 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

Member schools of the Missouri State High School Activities Association voted to extend the baseball quarterfinals for Classes 5-6 to a best-of-three format, instead of a single game, to determine the final four. The playoff format for Classes 1-4 remains single-elimination, where a sectional round precedes the quarterfinals. Hosts of the Class 5-6 quarterfinals will rotate on an annual basis.

3 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

The Festus girls track and field team won all of their meets this season – but saved their best for last. Winning medals in 11 of the 19 events, including one individual title (javelin), Festus scored 61 points to claim the Class 4 state championship at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City on May 31. It’s the second state title for the Tigers, who were Class 3A champions in 1985 under head coach Janis Williams.