Our preseason football poll is just around the corner

With the start of August comes the next step in getting ready for the high school football season at SemoSportsWeb.com, which means we're almost ready to put together the region's only poll for all 32 high school teams in Southeast Missouri. Look for that poll to come out in mid-August, a couple of weeks before the first games of the season.

Last season's poll is online here, and we've also posted schedules here for teams across Southeast Missouri, including the SEMO Conference and Mississippi Valley Conference. Look for the final additions of Salem and Thayer soon.

• Another site update: Basketball info from last season is being updated this week on our high school pages, and new year-by-year basketball archives should be up soon for several teams, including Gideon, Hayti Jackson and Malden, among others.

• Summer baseball is winding down, but not before Jackson hosts the American Legion zone tournament starting Thursday. Because of a quirky rule that guarantees the host team a spot, Jackson is in with a 23-27 record, even though it was one of the first teams out of last week's tournament. Other teams are Dunklin County, Imperial, Manchester and Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis.

• Two local auto racing notes: Saint Francois County Raceway near Farmington takes a break from weekly events Saturday because of the county fair, which is held on the racetrack's fairground site. And Sikeston sprint racer Hunter Schuernberg won at I-69 Speedway in Marion, Ind., last week, hish first win at I-69 this season.

• The buzz that Beef O'Brady's sports pub might open a location in Cape Girardeau comes as good news not just to diners who love Buffalo wings, but to local schools and sports leagues looking for sponsorships. The 208-restaurant chain has gained notoriety for its active sponsorship of local youth leagues and sports programs wherever it builds, and last year it gave away $34,000 in college scholarships. Plans are to have the restaurant open by Christmas.