~District soccer
PERRYVILLE -- The Sikeston girls soccer program has come a long way in its six short years of existence.
Head coach Derrick Long is ready to take the program to the next level, much like he has done the boys soccer team.
Sikeston's girls are seeded third in the Class 1, District 1 Tournament set to start tomorrow at St. Vincent High School in Perryville. The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to play No. 6 Farmington at 11:45 a.m.
"I think we've got just as good a chance as anyone of getting to that championship game," said Long. "Notre Dame's probably playing the best in our district right now and they're on the other side of the bracket. We just have to put a few things together offensively right now and try to tinker a little bit with our defense. We've got to tighten up the ropes back there."
Notre Dame is seeded first and received a first round bye.
Sikeston enters the tournament with a 13-9-1 record, but have struggled recently. The Lady Bulldogs started the season with an 8-2 mark.
"I'm not real stressed about it," said Long. "We've just got to get our mind-
frame right. Once districts starts it's a brand new season. We've been confusing ourselves, getting a little fancy with our lineups and it started backfiring. We just need to go back to the basics and get a set lineup."
Sikeston's boys team won back-to-back district championships in 2004 and 2005, upsetting Notre Dame both times in the final.
Long isn't making predictions, but he compares this year's girls team to his boys teams of the past.
"Any district championship we won with the boys we were the underdogs going in," said Long. "I never think that we can't win a district title. The one thing that I like about my teams is that we usually find a way to be competitive with any team we play, but that's if we want to play.
"I think if everybody puts 100 percent effort out there I think we can play with anyone."
The other first round games pit fourth-seeded Perryville and No. 5 Fredericktown at 10 a.m. No. 2 St. Vincent plays No. 7 Kennett at 1:30 p.m.
If Sikeston beats Farmington, the Lady Bulldogs will play Monday at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of the St. Vincent-Kennett game.
The championship game is set for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.