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Tom Rackers

Stories by Tom

Lady Jays fall to 1-2 combo

Lose to Webster Groves

The Jefferson City Lady Jays might have survived one or the other. But the inside 1-2 punch by Webster Groves was too much to overcome.

Blair Oaks rides late run to win against North Callaway

WARDSVILLE — Following a tough opening act, the Lady Falcons didn’t disappoint in the closer.

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Haith reportedly faces charges by NCAA

Missouri head basketball coach Frank Haith will be accused of unethical conduct and failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance during his time as coach at the University of Miami, according to published reports Monday.

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Helias girls rout Fulton 62-29

The Helias Lady Crusaders did a little bit of everything well in the first quarter of Friday night’s game against Fulton and checked out to a 62-29 victory at Rackers Fieldhouse.

Linsenbardt goes 3-0 for Helias

At Capital City Wrestling Invitational

It was a message received. On Thursday night, Dylan Linsenbardt of Helias scored a win by fall in the Crusaders’ wrestling dual at Rock Bridge. But there can be a story behind every win.

Lady Crusaders overcome slow start in win against Notre Dame

The Helias Lady Crusaders needed to step it up before it was too late.

You can take more away from a game than just the final score

Sports Commentary

It seems like all the time is the busiest time of the year to be a sportswriter.

Lady Jays can’t come back in loss to Storm

Jefferson City falls 66-53.

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Calvary Lutheran nabs first win

The Calvary Lutheran Lady Lions were as close to full strength as they’ve been all season.

St. Elizabeth slips by Prairie Home, 56-45

Prairie Home was the gum on the bottom of the collective shoe of St. Elizabeth on Thursday night — annoying and hard to get rid of.

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Helias girls take third

At the start, it looked like they may have been finished. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

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Lady Crusaders down Louisville team 49-43

The last time the Helias Lady Crusaders played at Rackers Fieldhouse, they survived poor free-throw shooting to eke out a victory. On Thursday, their performance at the stripe made things a lot easier.

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Lady Pintos roll to victory

In girls basketball action Saturday

At halftime Saturday afternoon, the final outcome wasn’t really in doubt. And if there any happened to be lingering, Syndey Deeken quieted those doubts in the third quarter.

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Big second half sends Hermann past Fatima

In girls basketball action Saturday

The Fatima Lady Comets led the Class 3 top-ranked Hermann Lady Bearcats by three points at halftime.

Mo. deer tests positive for wasting disease

The Missouri Department of Conservation says one adult deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease out of about 800 recent test samples.

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Helias wins duals against Warrenton, Hannibal

It was a great way to enter a little break.

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Lady Crusaders come back to win in overtime

Helias was able to send the game to overtime on a putback by Emma Verslues with :02.7 left in regulation, then outscored Smith-Cotton 11-7 in overtime to take a 53-49 victory at Rackers Fieldhouse.

Final play comes up short as Helias falls to Rolla

The Helias Lady Crusaders did what they wanted to do on the last play.

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Jays top Helias in wrestling crosstown showdown

The tone was set early, the Jefferson City Jays were going to be physical. It was a winning strategy.

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Lady Jays show flashes of potential in 30-point win over Lady Falcons

The Jefferson City freshmen showed flashes of what promises to be good things to come as the Lady Jays defeated the Glendale Lady Falcons.

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Crusaders finish 2-5 at Missouri Duals

The Helias Crusaders struggled to pick up dual wins. With three opens in the lineup at the Missouri Duals, that wasn’t unexpected.

Pinkel could be picking his succesor in coordinator

Sports Commentary

The foreseeable future for Missouri football could depend on the decision made by Gary Pinkel.

Helias splits on first day of Duals

Dual wins aren’t the No. 1 goal for the Helias Crusaders this weekend.

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Helias takes down Fatima

It was an early-season game that should make both teams better in the long run.

Holiday Hoops invitational up for grabs

With the start of the State Farm Holiday Hoops Invitational just three weeks from today, it’s almost impossible to pick a favorite among the eight teams.

Linsenbardt hits wrestling milestone

Dylan Linsenbardt reached a career milestone Tuesday night.

St. Elizabeth tops Fatima, 52-48

WESTPHALIA — In a back-and-forth game, the St. Elizabeth Lady Hornets were the ones moving in the right direction at the end.

Helias building blocks come through in Classic

Four wrestlers combine for 19-1 record in tournament

A week into the season, the Helias Crusaders have four “go-to” wrestlers in their starting lineup.

Crusaders lack spark in 55-19 loss to Tigers

Where the Helias Crusaders were good, they were pretty good. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, there weren’t enough of those good spots.

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Helias opens wrestling season tonight at Fox

If they had to do it over, the Helias Crusaders wouldn’t be starting the wrestling season tonight.

Lady Jays come up short in loss to Lady Bulldogs

The Jefferson City Lady Jays and Rolla Lady Bulldogs are mirror images of each other.

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Helias overmatched in 49-14 loss to Webb City

In time, when the Helias Crusaders look back at this year’s Class 4 state championship football game, they’ll realize one thing. The Webb City Cardinals were just that good.

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Webb City downs Helias for Class 4 championship

UPDATE: Webb City downs Helias 49-14 to win the Missouri Class 4 High School Football Championship in St. Louis.

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Lady Jays open today vs. Pacific

It’s a complete makeover for the Jefferson City Lady Jays.

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Lady Crusaders set for tonight’s opener

The Helias Lady Crusaders made a run to the Class 4 basketball quarterfinals last season. And while getting at least that far this season is a big goal, there’s a lot of time between tonight’s season-opener and early March.

Helias beats Harrisonville to advance to title game

The Helias Crusaders are going back to work. And they’re darned happy about it. The Helias Crusaders are going back to work. And they’re darned happy about it.

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Helias advances to state championship

UPDATE: Final: Helias 17, Harrisonville 7.

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Buschjost carries Helias to semifinals

Junior running back Garrett Buschjost carried the ball 34 times for 192 yards and a touchdown Saturday afternoon to help the Helias Crusaders to a victory against the Clayton Greyhounds in a Class 4 quarterfinal contest at Adkins Stadium.

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Helias fully focused on game vs. Clayton

The district tournament is firmly in the rearview mirror. On Monday night, the Helias Crusaders scored in the final minute to take the Class 4 District 6 crown with a 14-10 victory against the Hannibal Pirates. The Crusaders have their eyes on a bigger prize.

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Bruins snag another one-goal win over Jays

The Jefferson City Jays were trying to rewrite recent history.

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Jays get second chance against Rock Bridge

The Rock Bridge Bruins defeated the Jefferson City Jays 1-0 about three weeks ago at the 179 Soccer Park.

Last-minute TD lifts Helias past Hannibal 14-10

Down 10-7 in the final minute in a road playoff game, the Helias Crusaders had the Hannibal Pirates right where they wanted them.

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Helias, Hannibal to clash for district championship

It didn’t take a crystal ball to see this coming — top-seeded Hannibal against second-seeded Helias for the Class 4 District 6 title.

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Helias’ McCoy captures third cross country medal

Relieved and excited — Michael McCoy of Helias felt a little bit of both emotions after running Saturday morning in the Class 3 state cross country championships in Jefferson City.

Helias boys, girls set for Class 3 championships

There’s nothing normal about running at the state cross country championships.

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Helias rolls past St. Dominic 38-14

Helias starters planted firmly on the sideline in the second half of the Class 4 District 6 semifinal, St. Dominic scored twice to make the final 38-14.

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Helias looks to continue home success

Home is where the heart is. Home can be sweet. Home is also where the Helias Crusaders score a heck of a lot of points.

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Jays topple Lebanon 8-0

It was a no-win situation for the Jefferson City Jays.

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Jays open soccer districts today

Practice can often turn into a tedious process as the season winds down. But for the Jefferson City Jays, having nearly a week since wrapping up the regular season has been a blessing.

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Helias sets five individual marks in 54-7 victory

You’ll need to get an update to the Helias football record book.