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Prep Year In Review: 2006-07 -McCluer North Basketball Title Overcomes State Football Shortfall
BY JIM WIENERS
When McCluer North opened interscholastic athletic competition last fall hopes were springing eternal that the Football Stars would return to the Edward Jones Dome, in St. Louis, for the third straight year with a state title in mind, after five runner-up finishes.
It looked optimistic after the Stars won their first 11 games for the first time in school history. The Stars had to win two more to win state but their hopes were dashed in the Class Five State Semifinals at Kirkwood High. A 28-7 win by the Pioneers not only dashed the Stars’ hopes of retuning to the Dome but it gave Kirkwood a shot at beating Raymore-Peculiar one week later albeit unsuccessful as Ray-Pec won their third straight title.
McCluer North went unbeaten in seven Suburban North Conference games. However the Stars had to go overtime in their win over Hazelwood East just to win districts.
Not all was lost for McCluer North athletics. Nearly four months later Boys Basketball won their first state basketball title in their first final four trip. The Class Five Boys Basketball title was the school’s sixth overall in the school’s 36-year existence. It was the first state title for a Suburban North Conference school since Hazelwood East won Class 4A Boys Track in 2002.
McCluer North was 26-3 overall but was second in the Suburban North (5-2) to Hazelwood Central, thanks to conference losses to Hazelwood Central and Hazelwood East. Although the Stars, Central and East were in Class Five, District Five McCluer North did not have rematches because Riverview Gardens defeated East and Central in District Five.
McCluer North, who was 1-1 against Gateway Tech, played only one overtime game, a Class Five Quarterfinal win over Webster Groves.
McCluer North had other state champions. In Class Four Boys Track & Field the 4×100 Relay team won state by breaking a meet record set in 1992 by McCluer High. In Class Four Wrestling Donald Woods won the 160-pound title becoming the first McCluer North wrestler to be an undefeated state champion since Bruce Harris won at 189 pounds in 1989.
HAZELWOOD EAST — TWO SECONDS IN STATE — Two Hazelwood East girls teams took home state trophies in just over two and one-half months in 2007. Last March Hazelwood East Girls Basketball made their second consecutive final four appearance and the school’s first title game before losing to Liberty. Nearly a month ago the Girls Track & Field team had hopes of winning their sixth state title in 25 years but took second to Jefferson City in Class Four for the second year in a row, this time the Spartans were four and a half points short of catching the Jays.
Girls Basketball at East had a 24-6 record and was in a three-way tie for first in the Suburban North with Hazelwood Central and Riverview Gardens (6-1 each). East, who lost to eventual Class Three State Champion Metro, was 1-2 against Hazelwood Central but a 74-68 overtime win in the Class Five, District Five title game kept the Spartans’ hopes alive. East had to go overtime to defeat Gateway Athletic Conference Champion Francis Howell Central in the Sectional round and did likewise in a Quarterfinal win over Nerinx Hall, who knocked out 2006 Class Five Champion Incarnate Word Academy in the Sectionals.
East Girls Track & Field took second despite a state championship effort by Tiera Jones in the 300-Meter Hurdles and seven other medals won by three individuals and the 4×400-meter relay team.
East, also, had a state wrestling champion. Anthony Brock won the Class Four, 189-pound title — thanks to a 5-2 title match win over McCluer North’s Kevin Knopf, who defeated Brock, 7-6, in a District Two title match.
McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY — WINS CLASS THREE GIRLS TRACK & FIELD — Berkeley High had won 22 state titles overall, six of them came in Girls Track & Field. For the first time since moving from Berkeley to Ferguson and Berkeley High became McCluer South-Berkeley a team won a state title at it was Girls Track & Field.
In winning Class Three Girls Track & Field, in dominating fashion, McCluer South-Berkeley won three relay events, breaking their own 2006 record in the 4×400 Relay and setting a new meet record in winning the 4×800 Relay (breaking the 1993 record set by The Principia). Also Alishea Usery won three sprint events — 100 Meters, 200 Meters and 400 Meters, breaking records she set two years ago and still has a year eligibility left. McCluer South Berkeley also had a Class Boys Track & Field State Champion in the 4×200 Relay.
ONLY ONE STATE TROPHY FOR INCARNATE WORD — SECOND IN CLASS TWO GIRLS SOCCER — For the previous three years Incarnate Word Academy took home at least three state trophies, including at least one state championship team. This past season only Girls Soccer ended up with a state trophy and the Red Knights, nearly one month ago, took second in Class Two State to Fort Zumwalt West.
OTHER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP INDIVIDUALS — ALL IN TRACK & FIELD — HAZELWOOD CENTRAL (CLASS FOUR) — Jelani Kelly-Girls Discus, Boys 4×200-Meter Relay (setting new state meet record, surpassing 2006 mark set by St. Louis University High. LUTHERAN NORTH (CLASS THREE) — Tyler Shaw-Boys 110-Meter Hurdles.
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