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Close Games Dominated Hawks Season
By Jim Wieners
Hazelwood Central High’s 2010 Football season can be best described as playing it “close to the best” even though the Hawks came up short from and undefeated season.
Nine of the 14 games Central played were decided by a touchdown or less, winning eight of them. The Hawks trailed in six of those games and they overcame five of those deficits but not the title game as a Jamal Flowers pass intended for Kevin Short was ruled incomplete with 51 seconds left. Seven of those games were decided by Hawk scores in the fourth quarter.
Hazelwood Central held off DeSmet twice in close games and the Hawks scored 20 points in each. It was the season-opener the Hawks overcame a 19-13 Spartan lead. The rematch in the semifinals saw the Hawks lead 20-0 but DeSmet scored twice in the third quarter and the Hawks held the Spartans off in the fourth.
It was against Kirkwood the Hawks overcame a 16-point third-quarter deficit by outscoring the Pioneers 26-3 and sealing the 45-38 win when D.J. Cameron returned a blocked field-goal attempt, which would have given Kirkwood the win, 55 yards to score with no time left. CBC took a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter of the Class Six Quarterfinal game only to have Jon Harris win it on a 28-yard field goal.
In three Suburban North Conference games Central had to salvage wins with fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Hawks trailed Pattonville and Hazelwood East in the second quarter but tied each game just before halftime, although East came up a yard short from taking a halftime lead and almost scored on the last play of the game. Against McCluer North the Hawks saw a 21-7 halftime lead disappear to a 21-21 tie with two third-quarter touchdowns by the Stars before Flowers scored the game-winner in the fourth quarter.
In the blowouts three of the games were shutouts.
Against Riverview the Hawks turned a 17-0 halftime lead to a 41-0 rout while in the shutouts of Hazelwood West and Rockwood-Marquette all of the scoring took place in the first half. Central put McCluer away in the third quarter and put Ritenour away at halftime.
