The magic number is four.
With the 2016-17 high school athletic calendar coming to a close this week, four Semoball-area teams are state bound, as Bell City baseball, St. Vincent baseball, St. Vincent girls soccer and Notre Dame girls soccer are all headed to the final four.
Podcast host and Southeast Missourian sports editor Josh Mlot caught up with a representative from each team to talk about how these teams got where they are, what the moment means and more.
First up (5:00), Bell City senior catcher Bobby Wright joins the podcast to talk about three-peats, sandwiches and fashionably torn clothing.
In the second segment (15:13), Notre Dame senior goalkeeper Abby Rollet talks about busted ear drums, stiff defense and what it's like to have pulled on the uniform of two of the teams at state this week.
Then (26:50) St. Vincent senior central midfielder and captain Faith Kapp discusses the ties that bind her Indians squad and the feeling of (finally) getting over the district hump.
We close the podcast (44:07) with St. Vincent senior pitcher Tyler Monier, who chats about dental work and his team's unlikely postseason run.
Follow @semoballJosh on Twitter for coverage from the Class 1-2 girls soccer championships and @semoballphillip for updates on the Class 1-2 baseball championships. And, of course, get all the best coverage online at Semoball.com.
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This podcast was recorded and produced by Josh Mlot.