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Prep Football: McCluer North, DeSmet, CBC Visits Dome; Central, East To Mid-Missouri
By Jim Wieners
McCluer North, DeSmet Jesuit and Christian Brothers College (CBC) High Schools will play in a six-game, two-day Great American Football Classic, Sept 9-10 at the Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, on the same weekend the Rams open the NFL season Sept. 11 with a noon game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
McCluer North plays the first of a four-day marathon at 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 10 with a Suburban North Conference game against Pattonville while DeSmet and CBC collide in their Metro Catholic Conference opener and the final game of the day at 6:45. In between those games Eureka and Marquette battle in a Suburban West Conference and Rockwood School District battle at 1:15 while at 4 p.m. Wentzville-Holt and Francis Howell Central meet in a GAC South Division game. Sept. 9 features Illinois High Schools in a pair of Southwestern Conference games featuring Belleville Public High Schools, East versus Granite City at 5:45 and West versus O’Fallon at 8:30.
Meanwhile the Hazelwood School District High Schools will be competing with the high schools from Mid-Missouri. On Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. East (1-1) travels to 2-0 Jefferson City while Central (1-1) travels to Columbia to play 2-0 Rock Bridge. On Sept 10 at 2 p.m. West, who is 0-2, welcomes 1-1 Columbia-Hickman after losses to Belleville East, 35-7, and Harrisonville, 20-0.
DeSmet is 2-0 after wins over two Hazelwood Schools, a 28-0 shutout Aug. 26 over visiting Central and a come-from-behind 14-12 nail-biter over East Sept. 3 at Gorzynski Field. Quarterback Conner Harrison threw four touchdown passes in two games, three to Durron Neal against Central, while running in the game-winner from 12 yards out on a 100-degree day at East with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter. Neal ran for a touchdown against Central but spent much of the second half against East on the sidelines with apparent leg cramps.DeSmet head coach Patrick Mahoney said the Harrison is a player that has “just a heck of a lot of heart.”
McCluer North (1-1) played the first two games at home, a 39-7 loss to Jefferson City Aug. 27 and a 38-21 win over McCluer on Sept. 3. Against Jefferson City the Stars trailed 14-7 at halftime but the Jays scored 25 unanswered points with Thomas LePage running for two touchdowns including a 51-yarder in the third quarter on a fourth and one and passed for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Against McCluer Antwaun Williams ran for three touchdowns including two in the fourth quarter as the Stars scored 21 points after trailing the Comets 21-17 after three quarters.
CBC won their first two games, edging host Fort Zumwalt West, 52-49 on Aug. 26 then at home on Sept. 2 the Cadets blasted Francis Howell Central, 64-0. Mahoney said if DeSmet “can’t run our offense (against CBC) we’re in real trouble.”
Central and East Win Shutout Routes
Hazelwood Central and Hazelwood East both routed Pattonville in shutout wins. Sean Wills passed for a touchdown and ran for another Sept. 3 in a 43-0 home Hawk win over the Pirates. Trey Hill has five touchdown passes, four on Sept. 27 in a 55-0 Spartan win over Pattonville, including two to Brandon Fountain.
Hill also ran for a touchdown against DeSmet late in the first half but fell inches short of a first down on a fourth down play at the DeSmet 14 with 24.7 seconds left in the game. Mahoney has a lot of respect for East head coach Brian Simmons saying Simmons is “the most underrated coach” in the St. Louis area.
Meanwhile 0-2 McCluer, which also lost 50-12 to Webster Groves, hosts Maryville High Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. Trinity Catholic (1-1), who won 53-13 Aug. 26 over Kennedy and lost 31-21 in a back-and-fourth Sept. 2 game at St. Dominic, continues AAA play Sept. 9 with a 7 p.m. home game against Bishop DuBourg. Lutheran North (2-0), who won 42-14 Aug. 27 over visiting Clayton and won 18-7 Sept. 3 at Westminster Christian Academy, hosts 0-2 Lutheran South Aug. 10 in a 1 p.m. Metro League Game (formerly ABC League).
Berlin Holloman threw two McCluer touchdown passes to Darrion Dillard against McCluer North. Desoto Dickson has four Trinity touchdown passes, three against St. Dominic including two to Tyler Jones. Glenn Bradford has four Lutheran North touchdown passes, three against Clayton.
