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 ZIBEON WASHINGTON (7), (left photo) whose run against Westminster Christian was nullified by a penalty, averages over 11 yards per run for Trinity Catholic.     Jim Wieners photo

By Jim Wieners

    Two high schools in Spanish Lake are celebrating homecoming this week but the football teams have opponents that are not exactly pushovers, especially since this is the last week before district weeks begin.

On Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. Trinity Catholic host St. Mary’s in an Archdiocesan Athletic Association battle of 5-1 teams overall (in the AAA Trinity is 3-1 while St. Mary’s is 4-1) with both having only lost to St. Dominic.

“St. Mary’s always plays us tough,” said Trinity head coach Leon Hite, “we want to play them tough.”

The next day, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m. Hazelwood East will host Ritenour in a Suburban North Conference contest. East is 3-3 overall, 3-1 in the Suburban North while Ritenour’s 6-0 start (3-0 in the Suburban North) is, perhaps, its best start ever especially since the Hazelwood School District went from one to three high schools in 1974. Ritenour High’s existence is longer than that of the Hazelwood and Ferguson-Florissant School Districts.

Meanwhile McCluer North is on a five-game winning streak after losing the Aug. 27 opener to Jefferson City. The Stars take their 5-1 record, 3-0 in the Suburban North, to 0-6 Riverview Gardens (0-4 in the Suburban North) Oct 8 in a 12 noon Suburban North game. Despite Riverview’s winless record McCluer North head coach Jim Schottmueller says “every team is good so we won’t take them lightly.”

    Trinity, on a four-game winning streak, has outscored their last four opponents, 187-22, and shut out two of their last three opponents. In the last two weeks the Titans won on the road over Westminster Christian Academy, 37-6, and Lutheran-St. Charles County, 48-0. Desoto Dickson, in the last two games, have passed for 258 yards and four touchdowns while against Lutheran-SC Jordan Barnes scored three touchdowns while Zibeon Washington ran for two. Barnes and Tyler Jones have each scored nine touchdowns while Dickson has 10 touchdown passes.

Hite attributes the Titans start to the “big fellows up front (led by Nick Curlett),” he said, “They jell well, go hand in hand. We go with the concept ‘there is no I in team‘ (and) that is what we are all about.”

    Hazelwood East has already assured bragging rights in the Hazelwood School District winning over Hazelwood West, 34-10, and Hazelwood Central, 36-18. On the other East has a pair of two-point losses thanks to late fourth-quarter touchdowns — to DeSmet on Sept. 3, 14-12, and McCluer North on Oct. 1, 38-36. Eight Spartans have scored at least two touchdowns including Ahmad Huddleston with five including two against Hazelwood Central while Trey Hill has eight touchdown passes including two against McCluer North.

McCluer North, prior to the win over Hazelwood East, have knocked off two teams from the ranks of the undefeated. The Stars won at home Sept. 17 over 5-1 Lafayette, 27-0, while on Sept 23 won at 5-1 Farmington, 45-17, in what Schottmueller said there were 10,000 fans at Farmington’s homecoming so “It was huge, excellent.”

Galen Brown had three of his eight touchdown passes in the come from behind win over Hazelwood East including two in the fourth quarter to overcome a 36-24 deficit to East. Brown, on a first and goal from the East 10 threw the game-winning pass to Roja Harvey with 23.6 seconds left then with no time left Brown tackled Brandon Fountain as he was attempting a hook and lateral play after catching a Hill pass.

“The offense ran the two-minute drill well,” Schottmueller said on the game winning drive by the Stars. “We kept plugging away (and the) defense made stops when we had to” especially on halting East on two fourth down plays in East territory and midfield late in the fourth quarter/

Elsewhere on Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. Hazelwood Central visits McCluer in a battle of 2-4 teams (in the SNC Central is 2-1 while McCluer is 2-2) while in a battle of 1-5 teams Hazelwood West (1-2 SNC) welcomes Pattonville and West will be the visiting team due to renovations at Pattonville Stadium. On Oct. 6 Lutheran North (5-1) plays Mary Institute/Country Day School (6-0) in a 7 p.m. game at SLU High.

Hazelwood Central won their Oct. 1 homecoming game over Riverview Gardens, 28-0. After four losses McCluer ruined two homecomings by defeating Pattonville, 32-20, and Hazelwood West, 36-20.