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Hazelwood West Wins 3 Spring Sports Conference Titles
By Jim Wieners
Hazelwood West High School had a good spring in sports as the Wildcats won three Suburban XII Conference North Division titles — Baseball, Girls Soccer and Boys Tennis.
Baseball was the best for West as the ‘Cats were 21-8 overall and 9-1 in the Suburban XII North. After opening the season with a fifth-place finish in the 45th Lindbergh-Mehlville Tournament the ‘Cats lost three of the next four games and were 3-5 before going on a nine-game winning streak.
Hazelwood Central, the only team to beat Hazelwood West in the Suburban XII North, snapped the ‘Cats nine-game streak April 30 on the back end of an home and home series with the Hawks as West and Central each won on the road. After that West would win nine out of their last 11, win the Fort Zumwalt North Tournament after losing to Central and win Class Five, District Six before ending their season May 26 with a 3-1 Sectional loss to eventual state champion CBC, their second title in six years.
Offensively Mike Puckett batted .534 with 47 hits and 29 runs batted in, Jake Jaycox had 12 doubles and five triples to go along with 39 runs scored and Jared Littlefield had four home runs. In pitching Puckett was 6-1 in 10 starts, completing five of them, with a 2.09 earned run average and 49 strikeouts while Jaycox struck out 59.
In Girls Soccer Hazelwood West went undefeated in the Suburban XII North (10-0) and was 15-8-1 overall. The ‘Cats won three games each over the other two Hazelwood schools, Central and Hazelwood East in winning Class Four, District Five.
West opened the season with a tie, a loss and win in the sixth Fort Zumwalt Kickoff Tournament. After losing four in a row the Wildcats would win 14 of their last 17 games with six of those wins by a 10-0 mercy rule score including three over East and two over McCluer. Two of their last three losses were to Pattonville, one time rivals of the now former Suburban North Conference, including a 3-0 home shutout to the Pirates in the May 26 Sectional.
Ashley Helfrich was the Wildcat goalkeeper and had 12 shutouts, a 1.14 goals against average and made 114 saves. Erica Atnip scored 27 goals of which seven were game-winners, Hannah Friedrich had 14 goals and 18 assists while Amanda Heider had 12 assists.
In Boys Tennis Hazelwood West went 8-0 in Suburban XII North dual meets and was 12-3 overall.
The Wildcats won three times over McCluer including Class Two, District Four but was 2-1 against McCluer North, who won 5-1 at West May 13 for the Class Two, District Four team title. West’s only other losses were to St. Charles and Webster Groves.
West’s Paul Schneider was a Class Four Singles Sectional Qualifier after finishing second in Class Two, District Four to McCluer North’s Steven Gibbons. Both Schneider and Gibbons lost in the singles sectional.
