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BY JIM WIENERS

Once again McCluer North and Hazelwood East football teams will battle to continue playing in the post season but this time an opponent and site — for the winner of Saturday’s 1 p.m. game for the Class Five, District Two and Suburban North Conference titles — has already been decided.

Jackson, Mo., located just northwest of Cape Girardeau, will host the Class Five Quarterfinal game, Nov. 9, most likely at 7 p.m. Jackson, 9-0 overall and 2-0 in Class Five District One, is ranked second behind Kirkwood in Class Five State according to the Associated Press. Jackson has District One wins over Eureka and Parkway West and plays at home Friday against Seckman, who has lost to Parkway West and Eureka.

“We played terrific on defense and played good enough on offense to win,” said Jackson coach Carl Gross last Friday at Parkway West. Gross, who got to see Hazelwood East win 41-12 last Saturday at McCluer and who is coming to Gorzynski Field this Saturday, also said his team “knows how to win.”

Hazelwood East, tied for fourth with Waynesville in Class Five State, as of Oct. 24, is 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the Suburban North Conference and 3-0 in Class Five, District Two, McCluer North, unranked state-wide, is 7-2 overall, 5-1 SNC and 2-1 District and is coming off a 35-7 home win last Saturday over Troy Buchanan (1-8, 0-3). The only tiebreaker that could decide the district title is head to head if McCluer North defeats Hazelwood East.

Hazelwood East is “a very good football team with lots of talent,” said McCluer North head coach Jim Schottmueller. McCluer North is a team that “finds a way to win,” said Hazelwood East coach Corey Johnson. “They (McCluer North) are there (in a position to play in the post season) every year.”

Hazelwood East had four touchdowns last Saturday from DeMarco Paine, who ran for 150 yards, on 21 carries and scored three second half touchdowns on the ground. Paine also caught one of three touchdown passes from Eric Brown, who completed 12 out of 22 passes for 147 yards. This against a McCluer team that “we knew we were a very good team” and “they kept fighting,” said Johnson.

McCluer North was holding onto a 14-7 lead through three quarters last Saturday but Darius Stewart, who ran for 217 yards on 20 carries, put the game out of reach with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. “We still need to get a lot better,” said Schottmueller. “As long as the kids keep on working hard that’s all we ask.”

McCLUER, who is finished with Suburban North play with a 3-4 record and was 2-2 in District Two, takes their 5-4 record to a non-conference, non-district game at Public High League co-champion Gateway Tech Saturday at 1 p.m. Gateway Tech (7-2) finished 6-1 in the PHL and 2-2 in Class Five, District Three.
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