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JIM WIENER’S SPORTS ROUNDUP: Lutheran North Undefeated
Lutheran North’s 6th State Championship Is First Undefeated
By Jim Wieners
History was made Dec. 6 at Faurot Field (at Memorial Stadium), on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia for Lutheran North Football.
It took just over 20 years between winning their fifth State Football Championship (November 1999) and their sixth. Moreover, the Crusaders’ sixth state Football Championship is their first undefeated title. Mike Russell coached Lutheran North’s fist four wins (1981, 1988, 1989, and 1990), Jim Manion coached the 1999 team and Carl Reed coaches the newly crowned undefeated champions.
Lutheran North finished with 14 wins, the most in school history, to go along with no losses. Lutheran North is in a three-way tie for ninth in state overall with Midway and North Andrew and is first among North County high schools, surpassing Hazelwood Central with five, including a 1972 Hazelwood High co-championship with the now defunct Kansas City Southwest.
The sixth State title for Lutheran North is the 15th overall in all sports. Boys’ Track and Field won four, Girls Track and field won three and Boys Basketball won two. The 15 titles are the most by and Missouri Lutheran High School, and there area at least eight Lutheran High Schools in Missouri.
Lutheran North’s undefeated season was due to Cardinal Ritter forfeitures, cancellation of the season, termination of the coaching state and an athletic director change.
Ritter originally won over Lutheran North Sept. 7 but decided to forfeit all games and cancelled the season before the Crusaders’ week-eight game against Farmington. Ritter used an ineligible player, who was to serve a one-game suspension after an ejection in the 2018 Class Three Final loss to Trinity Catholic, under a different name and number but reported photos showed the ineligible player and the player with the different name and number (will not mention names) had the same tattoos.
LUTHERAN NORTH 49, AVA 0 — in the game that took only 109 minutes (1:49) the Crusaders had 12 possessions that included seven touchdowns a punt, an interception, and falling short on downs once. Lutheran North had possession at the end each half. The Crusaders recover the fumble at halftime The Lutheran North defense held Ava to three first downs, two in the second half and 66 total yards (all rushing, two incomplete passes). Lutheran North had only 16:51 possession time to 31:09 for Ava.
Seven Lutheran North players ran the ball 25 times for 207 yards and five touchdowns Senior Jalen Head ran the ball 10 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Roni Rutledge-Carroll and sophomore Ali Wells each ran for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Brian Brown completed nine passes for 171 yards and touchdowns to junior Jerrell Carter and senior Cameron Griffin. On defense junior Travion for had eight total tackles while senior Antonio Doyle was credited with seven and a half.
