At long last, the prep football playoffs are here! It’s been a long season, but November is finally upon us, and now we can get down to the business of determining who really are the best prep football teams in the great state of Missouri.
Over on the Ill-side, the news is still dominated by controversy at East St. Louis High. At press time, no announcements nor rulings had been made. So we all still wait to find out what the fate of the Flyers will be this season.
Until we do, we’ll keep this space devoted to the teams that we know will get to play.
The first week of the playoffs in Missouri is always a goofy one. Some teams play on Wednesday, others play on Friday, and this year, the best matchup of the bunch might be the one that’s going down on Saturday. And we’re excited about all of them.
But because the Wednesday games will already be played by the time this issue hits the streets, we’re going to keep this week’s first round playoff preview strictly about Missouri Class 6, where among others, two-time defending state champ Hazelwood Central begins its quest to get to the Dome for the 2010 Show-Me Bowl on Thanksgiving weekend.
Here’s an inside look:
Sat., Nov. 6 Marquette (8-2) at Hazelwood Central (10-0) 1:30 p.m.
Even though they’ve won back-to-back state titles, the Hazelwood Central Hawks accomplished something this year that they weren’t able to do the last two seasons. They went undefeated and actually won their district.
Many may not realize that even though the Hawks went on the win state in ’08 and ’09, they did so those seasons playing from the runner-up spot, after losing their their district title game to rival McCluer North both times.
This season, the Hawks might be deeper than they ever have been, with sensational senior QB Jamaal Flowers leading an offense that averages a Suburban North Conference-best 33.1 points a game. For the season, Flowers is second in the league in passing yards with 1,901, and is tied for the league lead in TD passes with 17. RBs Rocky Smith and Tra Brown have been exceptional all season, and WRs Mike Jordan and D.J. Cameron are prime playmakers as well.
But Central’s true heart is its defense, which after giving up some points and a few big plays early in the season, has gone back to being one of the best in the area since about the midpoint of the season. The leaders of that “D” continue to be stud LBs Cortland Dunlap and A.J. Chappelle. The two seniors have been stars for the Hawks since they made the starting lineup as sophomores, and this year is no exception. Dunlap, a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Suburban North in total tackles with 123, while Chappelle ranks fourth with 91. Both players will be counted on heavily against Marquette’s run-heavy offense.
The Mustangs, tri-champions of the Suburban West Conference, had the top scoring offense in that league this year, averaging 38.7 points a game. QB Matt Seevers has proven to be one of the most efficient passers in the area this season. But he’s only attempted 85 passes all season. Marquette moves the ball with a devastating run game, led by electrifying playmaker Dante McKinney. At 6’1, 175-lbs, with blazing speed & thrilling moves, McKinney looks like Reggie Bush out on the field. And this year, he’s put up Reggie Bush-kinda numbers, with nearly 2000 all-purpose yards for Marquette, including 22 total TDs that have come rushing, receiving, on kick returns, and an INT return.
Fri., Nov. 5 McCluer North (7-2) at CBC (8-2) 7 p.m.
Two of the most underrated teams in the area will hook up in the intriguing contest. The mighty mites at CBC have been like giant-killers all season. Each week it seemed, the Cadets went into a game as the underdog, and somehow they managed to come out with a win.
CBC’s impressive resume includes wins this season, over DeSmet, SLUH, Chaminade, Francis Howell, Marquette, and Lafayette. And with one of the best defensive secondaries in the state, CBC might be the only area team capable of staying with Hazelwood Central and all its speed. It would be a fun contest should it happen.
But first we’ve got to get there. And that means, CBC has to get past McCluer North.
That won’t be easy. These Stars are one of the smartest and toughest teams in the STL. QB Galen Brown is a dangerous dual-threat player, who has amassed nearly 1800 total yards rushing and passing and has accounted for 25 combined TDs.
CBC’s primary playmakers are RBs Antonio Brown (1,084 yards and 19 TDs), Josiah Stanfield (581 yards and six TDs), and dangerous kick return specialist Courtland Leake-Smith (45.8 yards a return and three KO return TDs).
Fri., Nov. 5 Pattonville (7-3) at Fort Zumwalt West (8-2) 7 p.m.
Two of the area’s most prolific QBs will square off in this matchup of Class 6 upstarts. Zumwalt West junior Drew Hare can do it all. This season, he’s thrown for 2,704 yards and 20 TDs, while also rushing for 810 yards and another 11 TDs.
And when Hare does decide to let someone else have the ball, he likes to hand it to man-child RB Ray Harris, a powerful, slasing runner, with 957 rushing yards and 20 TDs this season. Hare will also look to get touches for FZW’s talented WR duo of Devonte Majors and Kyle Echols, who have combined for more than 100 catches, over 1500 yards and 12 TDs this season.
Pattonville’s offense hasn’t been quite as explosive. But QB Mike Blaesing is certainly capable. This season, the senior has thrown for 1,799 yards and 16 TDs, for an offense that averages 25.4 points a game. Two-way stars Tre’von Bonds and Martez Mason have also been standout players for the Pirates. It should also be interesting to see how FZW matches up against Pattonville’s ferocious pass rush led by stud DL Dominic Greenlee and Jesse Farmer, who have combined for 20 QB sacks this season.
Other Class 6 Playoff Games:
Fri., Nov. 5
Fox (1-8) at DeSmet (6-4) 7 p.m.
Lindbergh (8-2) at Eureka (9-1) 7 p.m.
Jeff City (6-4) at Francis Howell 7 p.m.
Winners will advance to next weekend’s state quarterfinals.
