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Tom Rackers

Stories by Tom

Jays break recent skid, top Southern Boone

The Jefferson City Jays were hungry for a goal and a win. They got one of each Thursday night.

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Helias-Hannibal game will determine district seeds

The numbers have been crunched. The Helias Crusaders will know what they need to do to improve their Class 4 District 6 seed as they start Saturday night’s game against the Hannibal Pirates at Adkins Stadium.

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Rock Bridge slips past Jefferson City soccer team

The Jefferson City Jays need something to shake themselves from their funk.

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Helias gets past Camdenton in volleyball

The Helias Lady Crusaders could be excused if their focus was a little off for Monday night’s volleyball match with the Camdenton Lady Lakers at Rackers Fieldhouse. But they kept things together long enough to get the win.

Jays fall to Kickapoo in Firley Shootout

While it wasn’t a winning weekend, it was a productive one for the Jefferson City Jays.

C.B.C. tops Helias, 42-14

For nearly two quarters, the Helias Crusaders stood toe-to-toe with the C.B.C. Cadets, the top-ranked team in Class 6.

Jays set to host Art Firley Shootout

Weaknesses will definitely be exploited this weekend.

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Helias travels to face top-ranked C.B.C.

The Helias Crusaders learned the lesson the hard way against Rock Bridge when the Bruins used their speed to score three touchdowns on plays of 50 yards or more.

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Jefferson City tops Helias in soccer match

The Jefferson City Jays had three goals Monday night. They hit the trifecta.

Jefferson City, Helias meet tonight in soccer showdown

Bragging rights are fine. But there’s more than that on the line tonight when the Jefferson City Jays and Helias Crusaders square off at the 179 Soccer Park.

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McCurren shines as Helias rips MICDS

Two weeks ago, a rash of injuries at the running back spot for the Helias Crusaders left the coaching staff searching through the roster for someone to play the position. They found Griff McCurren.

Slow start

The first was the worst. In Friday’s Class 4 District 9 Tournament title game, the Jefferson City Lady Jays went down in order on three grounders back to the pitcher in the top of the first inning.

Crusaders achieve their goals in game with Bulldogs

The Helias Crusaders had a couple of goals in mind Thursday night. First and foremost, get a win against the Mexico Bulldogs at the 179 Soccer Park. But the Crusaders also wanted to use the competitive environment to work on a few things as the season starts to come to a close.

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Helias hosting MICDS

The Helias Crusaders walked off the field last Friday night disappointed after a 35-6 loss at Rock Bridge. Things got a little better after watching the game tape.

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21st goal puts Woodruff into Jays soccer record book

Marcus Woodruff made the most of his time away.

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Marcus Woodruff breaks single-season goal mark

Nobody has really cooled off Marcus Woodruff this season. Except maybe his Jefferson City Jays teammates.

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Helias wins soccer contest 3-1

The Helias Crusaders had the answer for the answer.

Rock Bridge rocks Helias, 35-6

The skill of the skill position players was on full display.

Tough loss to take for Helias

Fall in soccer to Rolla

This one hurt. The momentum appeared to be firmly in the possession of the Helias Crusaders. Chris Westermann’s goal with a little less than three minutes left Thursday night pulled Helias into a tie at 3 with the Rolla Bulldogs at the 179 Soccer Park.

Helias looks for bonus points against Rock Bridge

The Helias Crusaders aren’t afraid to play up. They just need to use it to its full advantage.

Jefferson City routs Moberly in soccer

The Jefferson City Jays are averaging five goals in their eight wins. That’s very good.

Crusaders survive in final game of soccer tourney

The Helias Crusaders had an exciting soccer sandwich Saturday afternoon. Helias wrapped up its play in the Capital City Invitational with a contest against Holt at the 179 Soccer Park.

Jays post 4-0 mark at C.C. Invitational

Woodruff has 10 goals

The Jefferson City Jays wrapped up a 4-0 performance in this weekend’s Capital City Invitational with a win Saturday afternoon against the Joplin Eagles at the 179 Soccer Park.

System overload: I was told there would be no math

Sports Commentary

Try to make sense of the MSHSAA district football points system.

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Helias blasts Vashon, 56-24

The Helias Crusaders could have scored 100 points if they wanted.

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Helias to host Vashon

It doesn’t take that vivid of an imagination to see a 4-0 start for the Helias Crusaders.

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Helias hands Fatima 3-0 defeat in soccer

Understandably, most people get caught up watching the scoreboard. On the other hand, coaches see the little things that turn into the numbers on the board.

Lady Jays control play in volleyball win over Lebanon

Jefferson City posted a 25-19, 25-18 victory.

Film shows Hickman had extra defender late against Helias

Game film shows the Hickman Kewpies had 12 defensive players on the field Friday night for the final two offensive plays for the Helias Crusaders.

Helias falls short, losing 21-14

This one got away. Down throughout the game Friday night, the Helias Crusaders were poised to pull into a tie with the Hickman Kewpies as the clock wound down inside the final minute.

Helias looking to keep Hickman from getting a quick start

It’s a simple, but so far winning formula, for the Hickman Kewpies. Score early, then let their defense take over.

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Crusaders address problem areas in win over Raiders

Any lingering questions were answered for the Helias Crusaders on Saturday afternoon.

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Helias falls to Borgia in soccer

The final result wasn’t what they wanted.

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Helias wants another good effort against Quincy N.D.

After struggling both defensively and in the run game in their opener against Harrisonville, the Helias Crusaders showed great improvement in both areas last Friday in a win against the Sedalia Smith-Cotton Tigers.

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Lady Crusaders boast deep roster

It will be a true team effort this season for the Helias Lady Crusaders.

Helias cruises past Sedalia Smith-Cotton to 35-6 win

It was worth the effort. “You put in a lot of time to get wins like this one,” Helias coach Phil Pitts said after the Crusaders’ 35-6 win in the rain Friday night over the Sedalia Smith-Cotton Tigers.

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Jays blank Quincy N.D. in soccer

This one definitely was an attention-getter. But it was just one game.

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Helias hungry for another shot at Final Four

The Helias Crusaders got a taste of the soccer Final Four last season.

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Jays enter soccer season confident in offense

It’s an annual tradition. The Jefferson City Jays usually enter the soccer season comfortable with their defense, but wonder where the scoring will come from.

Armstrong’s story finally crosses the finish line

Sports Commentary

On Thursday, cycling great Lance Armstrong said he was not going to enter arbitration in regard to his alleged use of banned substances during his record seven Tour de France titles run.

Helias falls in overtime

HARRISONVILLE — This round went the grinders.

Crusaders set for tough opening test

It will be an early report card tonight for the Helias Crusaders. The Crusaders, ranked No. 2 in the Class 4 preseason poll, will travel to Harrisonville to take on the third-ranked Wildcats at 7 p.m.

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Lady Jays bring veteran group into golf season

There wasn’t a need to make many introductions on the opening day of practice for the Jefferson City Lady Jays golf team.

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Helias brings young team into golf season

If there’s one sure thing about the Helias Lady Crusaders golf team this season, it’s that there are very few sure things.

Crusaders see entire spectrum while going 1-0-2

For the Helias Crusaders, there were some good moments, some bad moments and some teachable moments.

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Crusaders continue prep for upcoming season

The idea is to get a little better each day. From Friday to Tuesday, the Helias Crusaders got a little better.

Helias football shifting into gear

Monday, the practice atmosphere will be amped up as the Helias Crusaders prepare for the Jamboree on Friday at St. Clair.

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Helias scrimmage ends in a tie

Plan comes together

The plan was to make Helias’ football scrimmage as fair as possible to both teams. It worked.

Sports Commentary: Hold on a SEC

Clock winding down on Missouri’s start in ‘the big leagues’

I don’t know if you’ve noticed recently, but the girls are prettier, the air’s sweeter and evidentially, the toilet paper is thicker. That’s what T.J. Moe said earlier this month, anyway.

Post 5 routs Fulton to win district crown

It wasn’t their best effort of the season. But it was more than good enough to win the title. “It can be hard to stay focused,” Post 5 manager Denny Hughes said after Jefferson City claimed the crown with a 13-4 victory Thursday night. “Taking nothing away from Fulton, they played hard to the end, we tried to, but it’s tough.”