Darrin Rhodes, billiards

Darrin Rhodes has plenty of reasons to thank his older brother, Kevin.

He was 20 years old when his brother got him interested in billiards. Now, at 29, Rhodes has many accomplishments that stem from it.

Nearly 10 years ago, a trip to the Billiard Center in Cape Girardeau introduced him to a new sport that, at the time, took away some of the stress from his college work. Now it's not always a guarantee that the sport will relieve more stress than it provides.

"It's a challenge every time you get up there," Rhodes says. " It can put stress on me or take it off. It all depends on what kind of day it is."

He likes it enough to take off to Vegas to challenge his skills with some of the best in the nation.

Or is he the best?

Rhodes competed in the Las Vegas speed-shot contest two years ago. Speed-shot involves breaking three balls and pocketing each ball without fouling as quickly as you can. Rhodes qualified at the Billiard Center and headed to Las Vegas to challenge the best. He finished second in the field of 100 players.

Participants must sit out at least a year after qualifying for the speed-shot competition. Rhodes plans to try to qualify again this summer. He would like to pocket the $10,000 first-place prize this time around.

"I'm going to go for it all," he says.

Rhodes is far from done when it comes to shooting pool. He will play in the Masters tournament in May, which he qualified for by finishing in the top 64 in the U.S. Amateur Open. The Masters is a four-day tournament held in Las Vegas.

The Windy City Classic in Chicago is another tournament Rhodes would like to add to his trophy shelf. The $30,000 top prize would be a plus, too.

Local leagues are also part of Rhodes' schedule. He plays in the Sunday night league at the Billiard Center and has started his own Friday night handicapped nine-ball league. The league includes players who are not semi-pro.

"The number varies from week to week," he said. "Some weeks we may have 15 players, some weeks we may have 50."

Rhodes spends time between classes at Southeast Missouri State University practicing. He is working toward a degree in criminal justice but spends time at the billiards table as often as he can.

Rhodes sometimes practices with his wife, Jessica, who joined him as a competitor a few years ago. Occasionally his three also will play: Jake and Devan Wolpers are 8, while Travis Rhodes is 12.

"We get the whole family there sometimes," Darrin says. "They're all interested."

-- David Unterreiner

Jackson United, girls' soccer

The Jackson United under-10 team brought home a first-place trophy from the Queen City Classic Soccer Tournament in Clarksville, Tenn.

Jackson United first swept through their bracket by outscoring their opponents 18-1. That put the team in the semifinal against the second-ranked team in Tennessee, which Jackson United defeated 2-1.

In the championship, Jackson United won 2-0 against a top-ranked team from Kentucky.

The team is trained by Bonnie Knowlan and includes athletes from Jackson, Cape Girardeau and Sikeston.

-- From staff reports