Russell Korando

2 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

I was looking up county baseball statistical leaders Sunday morning when I came across a stat that had to be a typographical error. Nobody could have 20 stolen bases this early in the season. Good thing I made a phone call. Hillsboro head coach Matt Thompson answered and before I could finish asking if this was true, he verified that it was – adding that he wasn’t overly surprised. The Hawks (5-3) are eight games into the season and sophomore Max Partney has 20 stolen bases.

2 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

If the girls side of prep track and field were like the stock market, you’d take one look at Jefferson County and see a large green arrow pointed up. The trend is bullish because many local 2024 state medalists are back for more dashes, laps, jumps, vaults and throws, culminating in the state championships in late May at Jefferson City.

3 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

More than 1,000 athletes from 58 boys and girls track and field teams convened at Tiger Stadium in Festus for the McCullough-Douglass Invitational on March 29, providing an early look at some of the top athletes and teams. The day started with the 3,200-meter elite-class boys and girls races. There was a sense that the nine-minute mark could be broken on the boys side, challenging the on-Missouri-soil prep record of 8:56.53 by Ryan Riddle of Webb City, set on his home track in 2018.

4 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

Big-game hunters stalking another state championship – there’s no better way to describe the Festus High baseball team. In the wild, tigers are predators, and so is Festus on the diamond. It has talented, seasoned pitchers, especially from the left side, who can turn the lights out on any lineup. They have seniors looking forward to playing in college after one more shot at state prep glory.

4 weeks ago | myleaderpaper.com | Russell Korando

Every now and then the sports teams at St. Vincent High in Perryville remind the rest of the Jefferson County Activities Association that they belong, even though they’re about 35 miles south of the county line. The Indian girls basketball team delivered that message in bold type this season, winning the JCAA small-schools championship at 4-0 en route to the winningest season in school history (27-4) and second place in Missouri Class 2.