All-star games are a big statement for SEMO baseball talent

How good was high school baseball in the eastern half of Missouri this year?

Good enough that all four games in the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association's senior all-star games over the weekend were won by the East Team. Good enough that 20 seniors from Southeast Missouri earned spots on the East rosters — and good enough that one of them was picked as MVP.

The annual games featuring seniors from across the state were played in St. Louis and featured the region's top seniors chosen by coaches. East teams won all four decisions over the West: 22-21 in Class 1, 4-3 in C2, 12-5 in C3, and 11-3 in C4.

Garrett Stockton of Twin Rivers was picked as MVP of the C2 game.

Southeast Missouri seniors on the East rosters:

C1: Cory Kovach of Naylor, Mike Duncon and Zach Ricker of Van Buren, Kyle Wakefield of South Iron, and Austin Fisher, Jake Hilton and Brett Atkins of Winona.

C2: Stockton and Cole McBroom of Twin Rivers, Andrew Dooley of Chaffee, Joe Campbell of Campbell, Ethan Browning and James Naile of Charleston, Spencer Sander of Saxony Lutheran, and Logan Jett and Gary Doyle of Crystal City.

C3: Dylan Eye of Potosi and Jacob Farmer of Fredericktown.

C4: Logan Bartels and Bobby Clark of Jackson.

A new champion emerges for the annual All-Sports Award

A private school has again won Southeast Missouri's All-Sports Award for high school athletic programs, but for the first time it wasn't Notre Dame.

Valle Catholic won the annual competition among high schools in a 23-county area in convincing style — state championships in football, volleyball and track helped the school overtake 47 other local high schools that earned points in MSHSAA postseason events.

The annual award is tabulated by SemoSportsWeb using a system that awards teams points based on playoff performance. A team championship is worth 10 points, with eight points for second place and so on. Events used in the standings are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling.

It's the first time Valle Catholic has won the title since it began in the 2007-'08 school year. Notre Dame has won the past three awards.

Valle's 37 total postseason points bettered runnerup Notre Dame, which had 25 points. Festus was the highest-finishing public school in third with 20.5 points, Herculaneum was fourth with 20, and Farmington was fifth with 19. Click here for the full list of schools and final points.