Sikeston Hall of Fame/Honor Wall: 7 individuals, 3 teams to be inducted

SIKESTON -- Seven individuals and three teams will be inducted into the Sikeston Hall of Fame and Honor Wall Friday during the Bulldogs football game against the Poplar Bluff Mules.

Set to occur during the game's halftime, the 19th annual induction ceremony will include two Honor Wall honorees, Howard Parker and Steve Taylor; and eight Hall of Fame honorees: Scott Ellis Droddy, Cal Lane, Jenni DeWitt-Miller, Michael Porter, Lance Rhodes, the 2008-2009 boys' track team, 1971-1972 boys' tennis team and the 1967-1968 football team.

The Sikeston R-6 Hall of Fame recognizes athletes and teams who have received state honors or beyond. Past graduates must be out of school for at least five years before being eligible for nomination.

Honor Wall recognizes individuals and teams for their service and achievement to the district.

HONOR WALL

Parker was instrumental in the establishment of Sikeston Public Schools' Adult Basic Education and GED programs. Under his leadership, the programs grew from three satellites to 25, and over 2,000 people earned their GEDs while he served as director of the GED program. He also served as a translator for schools and the community for Hispanic population in Sikeston and the surrounding area.

During his 29 years of service to Sikeston Public Schools, Parker was a governor-appointee to the Missouri State Literacy Committee and a member of both the state and national committees for adult education.

A 1965 graduate of Sikeston High School, Taylor was a member of the Football Yard Marker Team for 25 years. Co-founder of the Sikeston High School Booster Club and founder and past-president of the Sikeston Jaycees Little League Football program, Taylor began promoting Bulldog sports after he returned to Sikeston from the University of Missouri and opened Burns-Taylor Law Firm 42 years ago.

Taylor's law firm is one of many local businesses that sponsors the Friday morning "Bulldog Breakfast" for the football team. A veteran of the United States Army Reserves, Taylor has actively participated in and chaired the Veteran's Day Ceremony that is held at the Field House each year.

HALL OF FAME

A 2008 SHS graduate, Droddy was a four-year varsity soccer player and a three-year starter for varsity baseball. He currently holds the Missouri state record for the most career saves as a goalie (1,455 total), and he was a part of Sikeston High School's first-ever soccer district champion team in 2004. He received a full scholarship to play shortstop at Florissant Valley Community College in St. Louis. Graduating from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in health management exercise science, he is currently a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness in Ellisville.

Lane led the Bulldogs' 2009 track team to a Class 3 state title by scoring 26 of the team's 43 points. He also placed first in long jump and triple jump and third in high jump at the state competition. Lane set three SHS track records that still stand: 24.9 1/2 (long jump), 49.9 (triple jump) and 6.11 (high jump).

DeWitt-Miller, a 2008 SHS graduate, remains the school's only girls' tennis player to place in state competition. She was undefeated during the regular season in her freshman and senior years. She also won first place in district singles all four years of high school.

Porter is the all-time leading scorer in SHS history with 1,994 points. He also had 926 rebounds. He is one of three basketball players in Missouri to be named to first team All-State four times. In 2006, Porter and the Bulldogs finished 23-7, in 2007--17-9, in 2008--22-4, and in 2009--24-4, won second place in the 2006 state tournament and earned the number-two spot in the final 2009 Class-4 state poll.

A 2004 graduate, Rhodes pitched a 6-1 record with a 1.43 ERA and batted .311 with 16 RBIs as a sophomore. In his junior year, the baseball player went 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA and a batting average of .402. In his senior year, Rhodes pitched 9-0 with a 1.95 ERA and batted .392. Currently, Rhodes is the pitching and recruiting coach for the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks.

The Sikeston High School 2009 boys' track team won the Class 3 Missouri state title by defeating 86 other Class 3 teams.

The 1972 boys' tennis team had a perfect season with eight wins, no losses and one tie, which led to a district team championship.

The 1967 football team went undefeated against teams who had some talented players: Charleston had Charlie Babb who would eventually play for the Miami Dolphins and in two Super Bowls. Poplar Bluff had Division I players: John Brown who would become All-Big Eight at Mizzou; Derland Moore who would play for Oklahoma and the New Orleans Saints; and Leroy Moss who would star as a Mizzou halfback.