Prep Football, quarterfinals

Trinity Ends 2 Lutheran No. Streaks,

Makes 1st State Football Quarterfinal


              By Jim Wieners

Since 2009, when Trinity Catholic Football defeated Lutheran North and won a Class Three Round-Robin District title, Lutheran North has had their way against Trinity as the Crusaders defeated the Titans seven consecutive times including twice in 2014.

Lutheran North has won the last three Class Two District titles in a row, and that included knocking out Brentwood twice from not only the ranks of the unbeaten but also the playoffs (2013, 2015). So Trinity got another chance to defeat Lutheran North, which was not only to extend their win streak over Trinity and win another district title in succession but also knock out another unbeaten team.

Trinity puts an end to that Nov. 4 before an overflow crowd of about 2,500 in a small-capacity Trinity football/soccer/track-field complex in Spanish Lake. Trinity ended Lutheran North’s streaks as the Titans ousted the defending three time district champion Crusaders 31-24 to win the Class Two, District Two championship.

With their second district title in eight years in hand the Titans stay at home for their first state quarterfinal game. St. Thomas Aquinas, before and after merging with Mercy, and Rosary never played in the post-season while Mercy, 1969 Class 3A State Runner Up, never had a Quarterfinal game, just a Semifinal win and a Final loss.

On Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, Trinity, 10-0 for the first time, hosts 11-0 and Class Two, District One Champion Malden, which is playing in their third straight Quarterfinal game. Malden lost the last two years to State Champion Lamar including the 2015 State Final Nov. 27 in St. Louis.

The winner advances to the Nov. 19 Semifinal game against District Seven Champion Summit Christian (Lee’s Summit) or District Eight Champion Lawson. Trinity, with a win, will have to travel four or five hours to the Kansas City area to play Summit Christian or Lawson. A Malden win means Summit Christian or Lawson will have to travel six to seven hours from the Kansas City area to the Southeast Bootheel.

The State Championship Game is Nov. 25, 3 p.m. at Plaster Stadium, Missouri State University, Springfield.

 

 

TRINITY 31, LUTHERAN NORTH 24 — An 11-yard run by sophomore quarterback Isaiah Williams with 1:42 left in the fourth-quarter broke a 24-24 tie and kept the Titans unbeaten for the first-time in school history. Williams had broken the tie once before, a 10-yard pass to Bryce Childress with eight seconds left before halftime, then Williams increased the lead to 24-10, the largest in the game with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter. However Lutheran North (9-3) came back with a pair of Aqeel Glass to Jordan Sommerville touchdown passes, with 5:15 left in the third quarter and 11:53 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game for the third time.

Field Goals started the scoring as Trinity’s kicker booted a 36-yarder in the first quarter only to see Lutheran North tie it in the second on a 27-yarder nine seconds into the second. Lutheran North led only once, a 10-yard Sommerville to Glass touchdown pass with 9:04 left in the second quarter, but Trinity tied it a second time at 10-10 with 6:15 left in the second as Reggie Love picked up a blocked punt and ran 35 yards for the touchdown. Trinity was without Marcus Washington after Lutheran North’s first possession and will be suspended for the game against Malden after he was ejected following two consecutive penalities.

 McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY won Class Three, District Five and travels to Jefferson City Friday, 7 p.m. to take on District Six Champion Blair Oaks in a battle of 11-0 teams. McCluer South-Berkeley, with a win, will host District Three Champion Owensville or District Four Champion Monett while Blair Oaks, with a win will host Monett or visit Owensville, and the State Championship Game is Nov. 26, 11 a.m. at Plaster Stadium. Berkeley High won Class 3A State in 1987.

McCluer South-Berkeley defeated Soldan International Studies 44-8, Lutheran St. Charles County 60-16 and St. Charles West 12-7. Devon Blanchard has scored 13 touchdowns, Tavian Willis has 20 touchdown passes but it was Tyriq Arties’ two interception returns for touchdowns that defeated St. Charles West.

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