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BY JIM WIENERS

Three high school head football coaches in North St. Louis County will make their debuts this weekend to open the 2008 football season.

Michael Jones, who is more known to football fans for securing the Super Bowl XXXIV title for the St. Louis Rams in 2000 with a tackle of Kevin Dyson, Tennessee Titans, in the last play of the game at the Rams’ one-yard line, will debut as Hazelwood East interim head coach this Saturday at 1 p.m., at Gorzynski Field. East (8-2 in 2007 and Suburban North Conference co-champions [6-1]) will host CBC (6-4 in 2007), who will also have a new head coach as Scott Pingel replaces Bob Shannon, who coached East St. Louis, Ill., to seven state championship games and five titles in 20 years (1976-1995). Jones, who assisted Corey Johnson takes over after Johnson, who was East head coach for seven years and took the Spartans to two state title games, stepped down to be an assistant principal.

Trinity Catholic (5-5 in 2007) will open 2008 this Friday, 7 p.m., with an Archdiocesan Athletic Association game against Lutheran-St. Charles County (6-4 in 2007). Trinity will also have a new head coach as Leon Hite, who became an assistant coach last year, takes over for Mark Harris. In three years with Harris as head coach the Trinity Titans were 11-18 but were 10-10 the last two years (5-5 each year) and was a district runner up in Class Three in 2006.

Lutheran North (6-5 in 2007 and a Class Three Sectional Qualifier), will open Friday, 7 p.m., at Gay Field against Clayton High (4-6 in 2007) with their third coach in the last 30 years. Troy Fehrs succeeds Jim Manion who coached the Crusaders for 13 years after succeeding the current athletic director Mike Russell. Manion coached the 1999 Crusaders to a Class 2A State title while Russell coached four Class 3A title teams (1981, 1988-90) and a Class 2A runner up team in 1993.

SUBURBAN NORTH CONFERENCE OPENERS FOR WEST, McCLUER
Friday at 7 p.m. the Suburban North Conference season begins with Hazelwood West (3-7 in 2007) visiting Pattonville (7-5 and Class Six Semifinalist) while McCluer High (6-4 in 2007) visits Ritenour (2-8 in 2007). HAZELWOOD CENTRAL (5-5 in 2007) will host University City (3-7 in 2007), Saturday at 1 p.m., RIVERVIEW GARDENS (1-9 in 2007) will host 2007 Class Five Semifinalist Jackson (11-1in 2007 ) Friday at 6 p.m. while McCluer South Berkeley (6-3 in 2007) will host Sumner (3-7 in 2007) this Saturday at 1 p.m.

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