Blog

By Jim Wieners

The 1 p.m. game this Saturday, Nov. 9, is also a rematch from last year’s second round district game won  by DeSmet 40-30 as the Spartans went on to the state semifinals before losing to eventual Class Six State Champion Blue Springs.

The winner plays for the District Two title, which is also a Quarterfinal game, against the winner of the game played Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. between sixth-seeded St. Louis University High and second-seeded CBC. On Nov 1 SLUH won 42-28 at third-seeded Ritenour while CBC won 29-7 at home over seventh-seeded Hazelwood West. If Hazelwood Central wins the top-seeded Hawks will stay home for the Nov. 16 game but if fourth-seeded DeSmet wins than the SLUH-CBC winner hosts the district final on Nov. 15.

DeSmet is “disciplined, well coached (by Patrick Mahoney) and it’s going to be a dogfight,” said Hawk head coach Van Vanatta. DeSmet won at home Nov. 1 over fifth-seeded Pattonville, 42-21 as Marcus Jester and Scott Sinovich each scored two Spartan touchdowns.

Hazelwood Central won their opening-round district playoff game Nov. 2 at home over Francis Howell North as Vanatta said “we did what we need to do and the kids did a good job.” Quarterback Mike Glass, who is no stranger to Howell North since Glass played against the Knights for the Francis Howell Vikings last year, ran for three touchdowns including a 71-yard run in the third quarter and passed for two more. “I like Mike Glass,” said Vanatta.

CLASS FIVE, DISTRICT TWO-McCLUER NORTH, HAZELWOOD EAST WIN — On Nov. 1 McCluer North, seeded fourth in Class Five, District Two, rebounded from a 28-20 third-quarter deficit against Chaminade to win 38-28 at Fort Zumwalt South Jack Ball Stadium while earlier that day Hazelwood East, seeded second, rolled at Gorzynski Field over McCluer High, 41-6.

The Stars opened the fourth-quarter winning rally with a 56-yard pass from Demetrius Robinson to Harry Ballard on what McCluer North Head Coach Jim Schottmueller said was “a bubble fade and read and it performed perfectly.” With the Stars trailing 28-26 Tevin Miller scored his second of his three touchdowns with 3:38 left in the fourth on a 54-yard off tackle run straight in for the go-ahead touchdown and added insurance with a 16-yard run with 40.5 seconds left.

Chaminade overtook a 20-15 North Star halftime on a 49-yard Sam Frelich interception and a two-yard Darius Dales run after the Stars lost a muffed punt. “If we take care of the football we’re a pretty good football team,” Schottmueller said.

Hazelwood East, who shutout McCluer 41-0 in the extreme heat of the opening week of the season (Aug. 31), rolled over the Comets Nov. 1 on a breezy day. Ahmad Huddleston ran for four touchdowns including an untouched 51-yard touchdown run 25 seconds into the third quarter prior to passing for a two-point conversion to Terrell Abernathy and caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jay Kirk with 1:04 left in the first half. Although Huddleston is a senior the Spartans “got a lot of young kids” said head Coach Aaron Whittington (and) I think our kids are getting better and better each week.”

McCluer North played at top seed Kirkwood, who had a first-round bye, and Hazelwood East played third-seeded Webster Groves, who defeated Riverview Gardens 41-6, at Ritenour Moore Field Nov. 6 and the winners play Nov. 11 on the higher seed home field or at Ritenour had East and McCluer North won.

LUTHERAN NORTH, McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY ENJOY SIX-PACK TREAT — Lutheran North and McCluer South-Berkeley enjoyed a treat full Halloween (Oct. 31) as each won their sixth game in a row prior to Lutheran North visiting Brentwood in Class Two, District Two and MS-Berkeley playing O’Fallon Christian in Class Three, District Five Nov. 6. Lutheran North defeated Herculaneum 44-7 at Lutheran St. Charles County as Isaiah Holman scored five touchdowns while McCluer South-Berkeley routed visiting Sumner.