The sitting and the waiting. That was the most difficult part for recently graduated high school athletes Tyler Slinkard and Trevor Morehead.

They don't have much in common at first glance -- Slinkard's a baseball player from Jackson and Morehead's a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track and field for Chaffee -- but they both learned what it was like to be on the sidelines watching their teammates prepare and compete without them over the last year before working their way back onto the field.

Now they are both finalists to be the Semoball Awards Comeback Player of the Year along with Jackson wrestler Jarrett Reisenbichler, Perryville volleyball player Libbi Schnurbusch and Twin Rivers basketball and baseball player Nathan Watson.

Slinkard and Morehead were on hand for the formal announcement of the finalists in front of dozens of fans Saturday morning at a selection show hosted by First Midwest Bank in Cape Girardeau and broadcast live on SEMO ESPN radio. The finalists for baseball, softball, boys track and field, girls track and field, girls soccer, golf and boys tennis player of the year were also revealed as well as for coach of the year and the sportsmanship award.

The Semoball Awards, presented by Southeast Health and featuring Olympic champion Jennie Finch as the keynote speaker, will be held July 11 at the Southeast Missouri State River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

"It was very emotional," Morehead said about watching his team compete after tearing his ACL in Chaffee's fourth football game of the season. "It was a very emotional process. There was more than one game where I was just sitting there on the sidelines on my crutches with tears in my eyes. Especially after you go from such a successful season we had last year, and honestly it was just like a nightmare. I kept waiting to wake up for it to not be. You just have to keep pushing forward. Life's not a fairytale."

After missing the remainder of the football season and the entire basketball season, Morehead returned to earn all-state honors in the shot put at the Class 2 track and field championships.

Slinkard had part of a finger on his pitching hand cut off in a weight-lifting accident in January before returning to appear in 21 games for the Indians in the spring. He hit .286 for a Jackson team that advanced to the Class 5 quarterfinals for just the second time in program history and had a 2.95 ERA in 40 1/3 innings pitched -- all after he thought his playing days were over.

"The ER doctor said it was the worst hand incident that she's seen, and that's the third year that she's been there, so that didn't help," Slinkard said.

Notre Dame baseball player Derek Hulshof and coach Jeff Graviett answer questions during an interview at the Semoball Awards spring sports selection show at First Midwest Bank Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

His family, his coach, Bryan Austin, and his teammate and best friend, Cameron Duke, were all by his side as he waited at the emergency room and prepared for surgery.

Rachel Crader, editor of Semoball.com, shares in a laugh with Semoball Awards event manager Lucas Presson, left, Cody Sandusky and Mike Baker, cohosts of Saturday Morning Express on SEMO ESPN radio during the Semoball Awards spring sports selection show at First Midwest Bank Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

"Just knowing that they weren't going to give up on me and that they were going to have full faith in me, help me out with anything that I needed, it kept me up the whole time," Slinkard said.

Once the bandages came off, he realized a comeback was possible. The night before his first scheduled bullpen session, during which he would only throw fastballs because the scar tissue on his finger made it impossible for him to throw curveballs or changeups, he had a dream that he'd be back on the mound.

"It was like two dreams split," he said. "It was a nightmare of the accident that happened, and then it went blank. And then I had a dream that I was pitching. It was a big game or something. It was bases loaded. It was zero outs and I struck three guys out in a row. It woke me up, and it was kind of a wake-up call saying, 'Hey, I'm going to come back from this. God's got a plan, and it's going to work out for the best."

The way Slinkard, who will play college baseball at Lincoln College, sees it, his Semoball Awards nomination is a chance for him to step into the spotlight to thank God.

"Just oh my gosh, my hard work finally paid off," Slinkard said about his reaction to his finalist selection. "Not that it didn't pay off during the season, but now -- my whole family kept saying, 'God's got a plan the whole way, and he's going to make time for you to glorify him.' This is the time I'm going to give him back for allowing me to come back and play and everything that he did for me."

Morehead said he didn't think the selection would have meant much to him in the past, but now he understands what injured athletes go through and has even tried to reach out to others in his situation.

"When you actually go through an injury and go through something terrible like this, it just means something to you and you realize you've kind of got a little group, a little clan, especially the ACL," Morehead said. "Any time I see that scar, I'm just like, 'How far out of surgery are you?' [People tell me] 'Six months,' 'Eight months, 'Two years.'"

Morehead, an all-state lineman who has signed to play at Austin Peay, was about six months removed from his surgery when he returned to the track and field team.

Notre Dame baseball players, Derek Hulshof, right, Adam Pope and Chase Urhahn take a photo with Semoball Awards intern Whitney Welker at the Semoball Awards spring sports selection show at First Midwest Bank Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

"My track coach -- Coach [Tyson] Moyers -- he talked to me about it, and he said 'I'm in a tough position because of course we want you out here, but you have to do what's best for you having college football on the line,'" Morehead said. "I just told him, I said, 'Coach, you can tell me all you want, but I'm going to be ready.' ... My parents were a little bit worried about it, but I told them this is what I wanted to do -- I'm not going to have my senior year completely taken away. I was a little bit stubborn about it."

Morehead, who said he feels 100 percent healthy but only about 85 percent as strong as he was before the injury, never returned to the shot put distances he reached as a junior, but a seventh-place, all-state finish at the state meet gave him a happy ending to his high school career.

"That was just the main thing because last year I think I let the moment get to me, more so letting the moment own me instead of owning the moment," Morehead said. "I just got kind of caught up in the hype. You know, I made it to state, but then this past year was a business trip. I wasn't just going, I was finishing all-state."

Morehead, who was a Semoball Awards finalist in football last year, is also a finalist for this year's scholar-athlete award in addition to his comeback player nod.

"It's a nice little reward for people who put in the work because rehab is tough, and that's just the unsung part of it because if you put work in for sports, you can get recognition for that," Morehead said. "There's no one there at physical therapy. You don't get interviewed for that, so it's just nice to have some form of recognition for your hard work coming back because that's tough. Anyone can prepare for a sport. It's tough to come back from an injury."

The winners for player of the year in 19 sports, the best fans contest, the Semoball Cup and all other awards will be revealed on the night of the Semoball Awards, which are sponsored by First Midwest Bank and SEMO ESPN in addition to the Harry Blackwell Family of Dealerships, Athlon Sports and the St. Louis Cardinals. The night will include a red-carpet entrance, heavy hors d'oeuvres for dinner, an address from Finch and dessert from My Daddy's Cheesecake. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the SEMO ESPN preshow beginning at 6 and the show following at 7.

General admission and VIP tickets, which include a meeting and photo opportunity with Finch, can be purchased at semoball.com/awards or by calling 573-388-2761.

"The whole night is going to be pretty cool just knowing all the players and what they've done, how hard they've worked," Slinkard said. "And the red carpet, that seems pretty cool, too."

---

Finalists for sports awards selected from 57 high schools in the semoball.com coverage are by a panel of sports editors and broadcasters. Finalists for Scholar-Atlete of the Year nominated by athletic directors. Schools without scholar-athlete finalists did not reply to requests.

Baseball

Hunter Eftink, Notre Dame

Austin Hicks, Bell City

Michael Houchin, Jackson

Trever Lewis, East Carter County

Kameron Misner, Poplar Bluff

Trent Pobst, Scott City

Adam Pope, Notre Dame

Brandon Stuckenschneider, Poplar Bluff

Devin Trammell, Bernie

Chase Urhahn, Notre Dame

Boys basketball

Delfincko Bogan, Charleston

Caleb Ellenburg, Bernie

Willie Jimerson, New Madrid County Central

Jeffery Porter, Scott County Central

Quinn Poythress, Notre Dame

Blake Reynolds, Jackson

Garret Reynolds, Woodland

Andre Statam, Central

Chris Stocks, Poplar Bluff

Fred Thatch, Sikeston

Girls basketball

Johneisha Daniel, Scott County Central

Melanie McKuin, Dexter

Tyeshia Mitchell, Sikeston

Shelby Moon, Neelyville

Lexi Morris, Clearwater

Brianna Mueller, Saxony Lutheran

Heidi Shetley, Kennett

Shayna Tharp, Naylor

Cassidi Tomsu, Jackson

Raegan Wieser, Saxony Lutheran

Boys cross country

Jackson Givens, Jackson

Jack Jeffers, Jackson

Levi Krauss, St. Vincent

Rudy McClellan, Notre Dame

Isaiah Williams, Poplar Bluff

Girls cross country

Alaina Baumgart, Notre Dame

Chelsea Drum, Jackson

Carli Knott, Jackson

Jenny Morey, Van Buren

Tayler Winick, Jackson

Football defense

Deandre Banks, Central

Steven Haley, Poplar Bluff

Bud Hilburn, Kennett

Preston Hobeck, Jackson

Noah Kronk, Dexter

Derrick Priggel, Portageville

Jalen Reddin, Central

Landon Strickland, Caruthersville

Josh Stone, Jackson

Nick Thompson, Malden

Football offense

Omar Bailey, Malden

Xominique Davis, Jackson

Cortez Dobbins, Malden

Jaylen Flye-Sadler, Central

Peyton Montgomery, Central

Braion Owens, Central

Dremond Robinson, Malden

Dante Vandeven, Jackson

Edward Wilson, Kennett

Al Young, Central

Golf

Jonathan Bell, Notre Dame

Sarah Bell, Notre Dame

Kobe Franklin, Central

Gabe Wheeler, Sikeston

Brian Whitson, Advance

Softball

Valerie Bahr, Scott City

Alexis Dock, Kelly

Mallorie Maintz, Jackson

Maggie Shepherd, Sikeston

Summer Shockley, Van Buren

Taylor Tiffany, Portageville

Shayna Tharp, Naylor

Madeline Urhahn, Notre Dame

Logan Vaughan, Kennett

Riley Washburn, Neelyville

Boys soccer

Eann Bergman, Perryville

Luke Dobbelare, Perryville

Benjamin Parsons, Notre Dame

Jose Reyes, Poplar Bluff

Luke Schlichting, Perryville

Girls soccer

Torrie Helms, Sikeston

Grace Mirly, Saxony Lutheran

Brianna Mueller, Saxony Lutheran

Jordan Nelson, Jackson

Cassidi Tomsu, Jackson

Boys swimming and diving

Brogan Davis, Central

Jack Gard, Jackson

Sam Hahs, Central

Austin Hobbs, Jackson

Joey Janisse, Jackson

Girls swimming and diving

Cassidy Harris, Poplar Bluff

Morgan McAtee, Poplar Bluff

Taylor Norwood, Poplar Bluff

Caitlyn Palmer, Jackson

Josey Powell, Central

Boys tennis

Brendan Boswell, Notre Dame

Ethan Flowers, Dexter

Noah Kronk, Dexter

Zain Siddiqui, Poplar Bluff

John Stroup, Notre Dame

Girls Tennis

Hadley Hilburn, Kennett

Carly Hopkins, Notre Dame

Josey Powell, Central

Kate Shetley, Kennett

MaKayla Waldner, Dexter

Boys track & field

Denzell Britton, Poplar Bluff

Maurice Davis, Kelly

Earnest Fobbs, Sikeston

Bobby Jansen, Notre Dame

Dakota Maddox, Jackson

Girls track & field

Jabreuna Brimlett, Poplar Bluff

Chelsea Drum, Jackson junior

Dakaria Johnson, Kelly

MaKayla Waldner, Dexter

Soley Webb, Poplar Bluff

Volleyball

Brooke Hogard, Perryville

Shyann Jines, Dexter

Jessica Lindsey, Dexter

Abbie McAlister, Notre Dame

Caitlin Petty, Leopold

Autumn Reid, Jackson

Alex Spears, Perryville

Kori Tapp, Poplar Bluff

Katie Verseman, St. Vincent

Lindsey Young, Bloomfield

Wrestling

Clayton Collier, Jackson

Matt King, Poplar Bluff

Carson McCord, Jackson

Jarrett Reisenbichler, Jackson

Ethan Stevens, Dexter

Coach of the Year

Jerry Fulton, Perryville boys soccer

Jeff Graviett, Notre Dame baseball and softball

Beth Lewis-Muse, Poplar Bluff swimming, track and field and cross country

Nathan Norman, Cape Central football

Frank Staple, Scott County Central boys basketball

Comeback Player of the Year

Trevor Morehead, Chaffee football, basketball and track and field

Jarrett Reisenbichler, Jackson wrestling

Libbi Schnurbusch, Perryville volleyball

Tyler Slinkard, Jackson baseball

Nathan Watson, Twin Rivers basketball and baseball

Sportsmanship Award

BJ Carr, Kennett football, basketball, baseball and golf

Hannah Clark, Advance volleyball and softball

Thomas Himmelberg, Notre Dame soccer, basketball and baseball

Landon Johnson, Woodland basketball and baseball

Pablo Mattingly, Perryville boys soccer

Boys Scholar-Athlete

Will Allen, Jackson

Tyler Battles, Bloomfield

Charles Brown, Kennett

Matt Campbell, Campbell

Haden Clark, Clearwater

Braden Cox, Scott City

Caleb Ellenburg, Bernie

Caleb Friedrich, Eagle Ridge

Luke Harris, Charleston

Quinton Herkenhoff, Bell City

Tristan Hollis, Van Buren

Evan Hovis, Marquand

Dalton Huffman, Kelly

Contrell Johnson, South Pemiscot

Zak Johnson, Oran

Drake Kesler, Scott County Central

Trever Lewis, East Carter County

Trevor Morehead, Chaffee

Drew Palmer, New Madrid County Central

Tyler Pech, Notre Dame

Sam Phillips, Neelyville

Corey Pratt, Puxico

Garret Reynolds, Woodland

Jacob Seabaugh, Oak Ridge

Brandon Stuckenschneider, Poplar Bluff

Josh Vogel, Saxony Lutheran

Luke Williams, Sikeston

Grant Woodfin, Advance

Girls Scholar-Athlete

Madison Avance, Scott County Central

Elizabeth Blanton, Sikeston

Bella Bowers, Scott City

Hannah Clark, Advance

Emma Cook, Meadow Heights

Marissa Crawford, Charleston

Samantha Cryts, Puxico

Allie Cummins, Oran

Kattie Davis, South Pemiscot

Chelsea Delay, Bloomfield

Alexa Garner, New Madrid County Central

Cassidy Harris, Poplar Bluff

Jamie Hodge, Delta

Allie Holmes, Clearwater

McKayla Hunt, Bell City

Emily Jackson, Eagle Ridge

Olivia Jansen, Notre Dame

Sarah Kitchen, Central

Ashley Law, Neelyville

Kaitlin McFerron, Chaffee

Alyssa Myers, Marquand

Taylor Osborn, Campbell

Samantha Ratledge, Kelly

Lauren Rich, Naylor

Kate Shetley, Kennett

Sabrena Shipley, Jackson

Chelsa Seyer, Oak Ridge

Carly Stucker, East Carter County

Daria Thompson, Perryville

Audrey Wilkinson, Woodland

Kayla Winkler, St. Vincent