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McCluer North Hosts Districts, Suburban 12 North Teams Split Up
By Jim Wieners
For many years, especially since The Independent News came into existence in the mid to late 1980s, six high schools that were part of the now former Suburban North Conference — Hazelwood Central, Hazelwood East, Hazelwood West, McCluer North, McCluer and Riverview Gardens — always competed in the same district in basketball, boys and girls, and each one of the schools hosted districts every six years.
Two years ago Riverview Gardens was sent to another Class Five district when the Missouri State High School Activities Association limited the number of teams per Class Five district to five. Yet it was assured that one of the girls’ and boys’ teams, especially the Florissant Valley area teams, were able to advance to the sectional round.
This year the six teams mentioned are now the teams that make up the new Suburban XII (12) North Conference and McCluer North will be hosting CLASS FIVE District Seven, which begins Feb. 28 or March 2, 2015. However the six teams are split up and will be a part of four districts and two classes, so the rotation of area teams ends and no there are no guarantees of at least one area boy’s team and one area girl’s team playing in the sectionals
Joining McCluer North will be one Suburban XII North rival Hazelwood East, Ritenour from the Suburban XII South and Ladue-Horton Watkins from the Suburban Central National in both boys and girls basketball. Also competing at McCluer North will be Chaminade, an all-boys school with junior blue chip recruiting prospect Jayson Tatum, and St. Joseph’s Academy, an all-girls school that took third place in Class Five State last season.
Two other Suburban XII North teams, Hazelwood Central and Hazelwood West, will be competing against two Suburban XII South teams, Parkway North and Pattonville, in Class Five, District Six and will be hosted by DeSmet Jesuit, an all-boys school. Last year Hazelwood Central took fourth place in Class Five Boys and was a Class Five Girl’s Sectional participant while Parkway North was a Class Five Girls Quarterfinalist.
McCluer, one of two Suburban XII North teams that moved down to CLASS FOUR, is the only St. Louis County team that will be competing in District Seven while the other five teams are from St. Charles County including host St. Charles West. Also from St. Charles County in Class Four, District Seven are Fort Zumwalt East, Wentzville-Liberty (Lake St. Louis), St. Charles and St. Dominic (O’Fallon). Last year St. Charles boys and St. Charles West girls were Sectional participants.
Riverview Gardens is the other Suburban XII North team that moved down to Class Four and will be competing in District Six and will be hosted by Normandy, a Collaborative high school and games will be played at Viking Hall. Also competing in Class Four, District Six are Incarnate Word Academy, an all-girls school with University of Connecticut-bound Napheesa Collier, Jennings, McCluer South-Berkeley, Soldan International Studies and Sumner. Last Year Incarnate Word won their second straight Class Four State title while Normandy was a Class Four Boys Quarterfinalist after defeating Jennings in the sectional, 55-51 in overtime.
CLASS THREE — Cardinal Ritter, whose boys team is the defending State Champion and whose girls team played in the Sectional, will be hosting District Five and since it is a nine-team district the tournament will start Feb. 21, 2015. Two North County schools, Lutheran North and Trinity Catholic, will compete at Ritter along with two City Charter schools, Construction Careers and Lift for Life Academy, and four teams from the Public High League — Carnahan, The College Prep (at Madison), Metro and Northwest Academy of Law. After winning state two seasons ago The College Prep was fourth ast season.
Meanwhile North Technical will be the only St. Louis County high school that will compete in Class Three, District Six hosted by Duchesne (St. Charles), one of six St. Charles County high schools in the eight-team field along with Lutheran St. Charles County girls’ team was a quarterfinalist last season one year after winning state place finisher North Tech,their highest finish ever.
