The Gateway Gold announced Tuesday morning that the franchise had been accepted into the Professional Softball League. The team will play a 40-game slate next summer.

"This rivalry win is really big to our school," Breese Central junior Carson Weber said.

"If you want to be great at this, you have to think outside the box," Brianna Krueger said.

"I think everyone down the line is very motivated and ready to put in the work," SLUH senior Jackson Miller said.

"He has never flinched," Marquette head coach Michael Stewart said. "He is a man who wants to be here every single day."

East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said: "We're going to make defenses respect Myson."

The Flyers open the season at 6 p.m. Saturday against Chicago Mount Carmel at Illinois State University.

Cardinal Ritter coach Brennan Spain said: "We can't just be content with just getting there."

Howell Central coach Malach Radigan said: "He's one of a kind who will be greatly missed, but I'm just thankful for the time we had with him."

"People might not know about these guys, but they can play some football," CBC coach Scott Pingel said.

"State title or bust," coach Raeffel Merriweather said.

"You don't see kids like him very often," Ladue coach Adam Hamilton said of Evan Via.

The Cougars open the season at 7 p.m. Friday by playing host to Effingham in a nonconference game.

"We've got to show them who Kirkwood is," receiver Travis Shores said.

"The best part about him is that even though he's done a lot, he still works as hard as anyone," St. Mary's senior wideout Greg Hollis said.

The Spartans check in as the No. 4 large school in the STLhighschoolsports.com preseason rankings.

"Every season has the beauty of birthing itself," third-year Hawks coach Tony Woolfolk said.

"We know he'll come out on top the majority of the time," East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said of Raheem Floyd.

"Little things always turn into big things, especially if you overlook them," third-year Comanches coach Darien Donald said.

“We feel like the last couple of years we didn’t leave anything on the table,” Festus coach AJ Ofodile said.

"I think he's the best linebacker that possibly ever came through here," Cardinal Ritter coach Brennan Spain said.

“We think we’ve got something to prove this year,” second-year Lancers coach Curt Mueller said.

Orchard Farm coach Chris Lindhoff said: "The kids have bought into establishing a program they can be proud of."

"Gomiller will do anything you ask of him," East St. Louis head coach Darren Sunkett said.

"We're doing whatever it takes to get back to the championship game and win it," Lutheran North senior receiver and defensive back Kyren Evans said.

"He can attack you in all three phases of the game," East St. Louis receivers coach Terry Fenton said.

"He's probably one of the best players I've ever coached," Belleville East first-year sideline boss Jason Burianek said.

"We expect some great things from him this year," East St. Louis head coach Darren Sunkett said.

"That's extremely hard to practice without playing," Brennan Spain said. "That's how I knew that this young man had greatness in him."

A look at the left-handed quarterback Austin Simmons, who will be Mizzou's starter in 2026.

"He's just an old-school football player, a big-time disruptor," Lindbergh coach Nathan Norman said.

Eureka High senior defensive lineman Noah McCollum "plays with an intensity, with a passion, with a demeanor that you hardly ever see," coach Jake Sumner said. McCollum, the No. 13 recruit on the Po...

Lift for Life coach Tony Woolfolk said: "Any point, when the ball is in his hands, he can put up six."

"He's such a weapon for us," Freeburg veteran coach Ronnie Stuart said.

Parkway West coach Jeff Duncan said: "He's never satisfied with where he's been, and he's always trying to get better and better."

"If it's tough yards that we're trying to get, we can definitely go behind him," Cardinal Ritter coach Brennan Spain said.

The Tigers used spring practices and offseason workouts to teach players the concepts and terminology that are part of Lindsey's offense, so Missouri is already fluent in the system.

"He’s probably the best edge rusher we’ve had here,” Marquette football coach Michael Stewart said.

"I knew he'd be a great addition to the team," Kirkwood's Travis Shores Jr. said of Benji Rice.

Vianney coach Chris Starkey said: "He saw an opportunity to come here and make a legacy and impact. He took it and ran with it."

"I have seen how coaches work, and I’ve learned from each one," East St. Louis lineman Lonnie Johnson said.

"He really understands the game and just naturally knows the right things to do out there," Timberland coach Arlen Harris said.

"He's an extremely versatile player, and we don't want to limit his opportunities at the next level by just having him play quarterback," Lutheran North coach Lorenzo Brinkley said.

"He's real twitchy, real explosive, extremely athletic and that's how we like him," Cardinal Ritter coach Brennan Spain said of DJ Boone.

"He's so hard to get a hand on and so hard to bring down," De Smet coach John Merritt said.

"He'll do some good things on Saturday afternoons,” Zumwalt North coach Joe Bacon said of Nathan Howard.

"He might be the hardest worker I've ever met," SLUH senior linebacker Sam Yust said of teammate John Ramella.