Hazelwood Central, East, McCluer

North Have Repeat Football Openers

By Jim Wieners

It seems very familiar for Hazelwood Central, Hazelwood East and McCluer North to open the 2016 High School Football season with the same opponent they opened with in 2014 and 2015.

On Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. Hazelwood Central will host DeSmet Jesuit while Hazelwood East visits University City again. The night before, McCluer North has a 7 p.m. kickoff in Jefferson City at Pete Adkins Stadium. Since these are likely two-year deals there will be rematches in 2017, only the sites will be switched.

Hazelwood Central, defending two-time Suburban XII Conference North Division Champions, and DeSmet will be meeting for the 10th time in seven years but it will only be the fifth time in that period these rivals meet to open the season. Hazelwood Central, who was 9-3 last season, and DeSmet, coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons beating only Vashon, ended the last two years by being routed by CBC, Class Six State Champions in 2014 and Runner up in 2015, in District Two games. Hazelwood Central has beaten DeSmet four consecutive times including twice in 2013 and in six out of nine including twice in 2010 while two of three DeSmet wins in a two-year period came in 2012.

Hazelwood East and University City will meet for the third consecutive year and will open the second consecutive year at Muhl-Schemmer Stadium. Last year University City, 7-6 and a Class Four State Quarterfinalist, won 23-14 over Hazelwood East, who were 6-5 and lost in the Class Five District Two Semifinals to eventual State Runner Up Chaminade.

In 2014 at East’s Gorzynski Field University City (2-8 that year) had a 9-6 lead with 11:02 left in the third quarter on Aug. 23 when the game was suspended due to a 103-degree heat index. When it was resumed on Sept. 15, Hazelwood East (5-5 that year) scored 1:38 after it resumed on a Tyrone Johnson to Rajai Perkins 35-yard touchdown pass and the Spartans won 12-9.

McCluer North and Jefferson City will open the season for the ninth consecutive year and the Jays hold a commanding 10-0 mark over the Stars which include Class 5A State Championship Games in 1988 and 1993 at Faurot Field, University of Missouri, Columbia. All games were decided by double digits with the largest margin being 53-0 in 1988 and the smallest margin was 17 in two consecutive years (17-0 at Adkins Stadium in 2014 and 24-7 at McCluer North in 2013-called in the second half due to excessive heat).

McCluer North lost their first four games last year and finished 3-7 while Jefferson City was 9-2 losing only to CBC in week two and to eventual Class Six State Champion Blue Springs South in the District Three Semifinals.

OTHER OPENERS — McCluer kicks off the 2016 season Aug. 19 with a late-afternoon 4:15 game at home against Jennings while that same night, at 7 p.m. Hazelwood West visits Webster Groves’ Moss Field, Trinity Catholic hosts Priory, Riverview Gardens is at Poplar Bluff. Lutheran North plays at Clayton’s Gay Field. On Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. McCluer South-Berkeley hosts Northwest Academy of Law.

Lutheran North was 8-5 last year and was coming off their second consecutive Class Two State Quarterfinal loss to Palmyra. Clayton, 6-4, and Lutheran North will be playing their 11th consecutive season opener with Clayton holding a 7-3 lead.

Trinity was 6-4 and won the Archdiocesan Athletic Association Small Division Championship but one of the AAA Small Division rivals, Lutheran St. Charles County, won a rematch at Trinity, 28-27 in an Oct. 23 Class Two, District Five Quarterfinal.

Riverview Gardens was 1-10 but snapped a 26-game losing streak dating back to Week Four of 2013 with a Class Four, District Three 24-20 win Oct 23 at top-seeded Clayton before losing the Oct. 30 District Semifinal in overtime (3-0) at eventual District Three runner Up St. Dominic. McCluer and Hazelwood West were both 3-7 last year with McCluer defeating Hazelwood West 20-7 on Oct. 3 while McCluer South-Berkeley was 7-5 and were Class Three, District Two runner up to eventual State Champion John Burroughs.

Also last year Jennings was 4-6, Webster Groves and Priory were 4-7, Poplar Bluff was 7-3 and Northwest Academy of Law was 2-7.

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