Boys Prep Fall Preview; Minor Changes to Hazelwood West, McCluer North Football Schedules

BY JIM WIENERS

Most, if not all, high schools in Missouri run a two-year football schedule to deal with district games late in the season, the last three games, and most of them play a home-and-home schedule while some games, mainly non conference, could be played on the same site for two years.

There are also exceptions to the rule. This year Hazelwood West and McCluer North each has changed an opponent for the 2009 season. On Sept. 12 Hazelwood West will be visiting Soldan-International Studies, the second Public High League school (playing in Division II) on Hazelwood West’s schedule as Soldan fills a void to one of their two weeks off last year. Soldan replaces Northwest Academy of Transportation and Law, who will now play a new football team in Wellston-Eskridge (junior varsity) and who Hazelwood West easily won, 53-0 last year. It will be the first of back-to-back weeks for Soldan playing against a Suburban North Conference school, both at Soldan, who will also play Riverview Gardens on Sept. 19, a year after Riverview won, 58-0.

McCluer North to Play in Indiana

On Oct. 9, McCluer North will be making their longest trip in school history as the Stars travel to Evansville, Ind., to take on Evansville North for a Friday night game, which means getting out of school early. With Indiana schools starting next week the McCluer North-Evansville North game is the second from last game for Evansville North which replaced Beaumont whom McCluer North won easily last year, 61-6.

Previews of the opening week games will be featured in the Aug. 27 edition of The Independent News.

BOYS SOCCER — Hazelwood West or Pattonville will try to win the Suburban North title outright after the two teams shared first place, each having 5-1 records, last year and both Hazelwood West and Pattonville were 16-11 overall. Hazelwood West is the defending Suburban North Tournament champion and defeated Pattonville in a head-to-head contest last year, 2-1 in a non-tournament conference contest. However both West and Pattonville were eliminated in Class Three, District Seven by Francis Howell North.

Meanwhile, McCluer North, who was 15-14-2 overall, and shared third place in the Suburban North with Hazelwood Central (4-2) won Class Three, District Two went to the Class Three State Tournament and finished fourth. Last year McCluer North was 1-1 against Hazelwood West, losing in the Suburban North Tournament and winning the conference game, 0-2 against Pattonville, 2-0 against McCluer and 1-1 against Hazelwood Central, losing in the conference game and winning in the Class Three, District Two title game. North was 0-2 last year against eventual Class Three State Champion Kansas City Rockhurst.

Trinity Catholic hopes to improve on their state tournament appearance after finishing second last year to John Burroughs in Class One. Trinity, 4-6 in the Archdiocesan Athletic Association, 14-12-1 overall, lost to Hazelwood Central, Hazelwood West and McCluer North but won Class One, District Two.

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