~ A short-handed Central team also will have its own challenge in Class 4.

The Notre Dame baseball team opens the Class 3 District 1 tournament against Fredericktown today, but athletes throughout the school have plenty of interest in a possible semifinal matchup with Sikeston.

The rivalry between Notre Dame and Sikeston in boys sports has nearly surpassed Notre Dame's natural area rivalries in recent years. The two schools have met in the district tournament the past two years in soccer, basketball and baseball.

Sikeston has won five of those six meetings, and all five Sikeston wins have come in district title games, including soccer and basketball this school year.

"Even though it's not the championship, we're going to treat it as the championship," Notre Dame senior Kirk Boeller said of the potential semifinal meeting. "They ruined us in soccer and in basketball, and we won't let them do it in baseball."

Boeller is one of several Notre Dame baseball players who have been on the receiving end of multiple Sikeston district defeats. The teams split two regular season meetings in baseball this season.

"I'm ready to reverse that and we beat them for once," Boeller said.

Kennett is the top seed in the district tournament hosted by Sikeston, followed by No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Sikeston. Semifinal games will be played Tuesday, and the championship will be played Wednesday.

Notre Dame's last district title came in 2003, its first year in Class 3. Sikeston has defeated Notre Dame in the district title game the past two seasons.

"I truly felt when we left Class 2, the consensus was the district came through us," said Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett, whose program had gone to the Class 2 final four in 1999, 2000 and 2002. "But in my opinion, the district goes through Sikeston right now."

Notre Dame carries a 15-6 record into its 6 p.m. quarterfinal against No. 7 Fredericktown. The Bulldogs have not played a game since they defeated Kennett in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference tournament on May 1.

"We've had a solid year," Graviett said. "If you'd offered me 7-3 in the conference before the year, I'd have taken it. We got third place in the conference tournament. I would love to top it off with a district championship, that makes everything seem better.

"I felt we were starting to play some good baseball before the layoff. If we can carry that over, we'll be all right."

For Notre Dame's seniors, the district tournament gives them one more chance at Sikeston.

"Us 10 seniors have worked hard, and to cap off our senior year with a district title would be a good way to go out," Boeller said.

Overcoming suspensions?

Top-seeded Central (20-5) will be without five of their top hitters and their three top pitchers when they play in a semifinal game Tuesday in the Class 4 District 1 game at Central.

Ty Craft, Lance Young, Brad LaBruyere, Matt Hester, Blake Slattery and Justin Myers will have to sit out Tuesday's semifinal as part of a two-game suspension for a self-reported Missouri State High School Activities Association violation. Coach Steve Williams will also have to sit out Tuesday's game.

Central will find out who it plays when No. 4 Farmington takes on No. 5 Fox in an opening round game 4:15 p.m. today. Third-seeded Jackson (12-9), the defending district champion, will play No. 6 Poplar Bluff at 2 p.m. in the other opening round game today.

The final is 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Collision course?

Oran and Advance hooked up for one of the most bizarre district-championship finishes last year, when the Hornets ended Oran's three-year district reign.

The teams are lined up to meet again this year.

Despite losing the only meeting between the two teams this season, Oran (20-4) enters as the top seed in Class 1 District 2 ahead of No. 2 Advance (10-3). Chaffee is the third seed, followed by Bell City.

The quarterfinals are today at Oran, with the finals set for 4 p.m. on Thursday.

A first for Saxony?

For the second straight season, Saxony Lutheran will enter the Class 1 District 3 tournament as the top seed.

Saxony Lutheran, a second-year varsity program, hopes the second turn as top seed goes better than the first. Saxony Lutheran was defeated in the semifinals last year.

Defending district champion Valley of Caledonia is the second seed, followed by South Iron and Leopold.

Kelly has top seed

Kelly again is seeded first in Class 2 District 2 and is looking to avoid the upset this year in search of its second district title in three years.

The Hawks fell to St. Vincent in the semifinal round last year, and Scott City went on to win the district. The Rams are seeded third this year, behind No. 2 Valle. Charleston is seeded fourth.

The quarterfinal games are today at Perryville City Park, and the championship game is 4 p.m. on Thursday.