Well, we’ve done it again! At least, we think we have. We’ve been through the entire area prep football schedule and painstakingly have narrowed it down to our picks for the best 20 games of the season.
Earl went to McCluer North and I went to Ritenour, so we must admit our Suburban North bias. That said, we once again feel we’ve come up with a fair list. Most of our choices might not surprise you, but with at least one game chosen from every week of the season, I bet we’ve got a few on the list you hadn’t considered as one of the best of the season.
As always, we hope you’ll use this list as a guide to get you out to some games this year. Go support the kids and the coaches. High school football is finally here!
Here is the first half – the top 10 games of the season. Come back next week for the next 10.
#1 Sat., Sept. 12 Hazelwood East at Hazelwood Central 2 p.m.
Is it really any surprise that this year’s prep game of the year is the Battle of the Hazelwoods? We put this game in the top five every year. And the 2009 rendition will feature the first battle of two area defending state champions since Haz. East & East St. Louis hooked up in the 1991 season.
#2 Thur., Nov. 26 Webster Groves at Kirkwood, noon
The Turkey Day Game is always one of our area’s best annual sporting spectacles. This year shouldn’t be any different. Expect more than 5,000 fans to be in the house when the Statesmen and the Pioneers get it on in a battle for the Frisco Bell.
#3 Fri, Oct. 30 Chaminade at Webster Groves 7 p.m.
There’ll be all kinds of drama and electricity in the air when these two teams battle on the final Friday of the regular season. A spot in the playoffs will likely be on the line when top RB Rob Standard leads his Flyer teammates into Webster to take on QB Derrick Dilworth and the Statesmen.
#4 Sat., Oct. 17 Hazelwood Central at McCluer North 1 p.m.
This Week 8 showdown will likely determine the Missouri Class 6, District 4 champion. But it’s always a fun football Saturday when the Hawks & Stars together. This year’s game will pit Central’s high-flying skill guys against North’s massive offensive and defensive linemen.
#5 Sat., Sept. 5 DeSmet at Hazelwood East 1 p.m.
This Week 2 battle will feature two of the best defensive units in the area. There’s gonna be a whole bunch of D-I recruits on the field, including DeSmet teammates QB Stephen Kaiser & TE/DL Kenny McClendon and East cohorts WR/DB Donald Shumpert & TE/LB Christian Kirksey.
#6 Fri., Oct. 30 SLUH at Lindbergh 7 p.m..
Another tough district might be decided when the Jr. Billikens & Flyers hook up on the final Friday of the regular season. SLUH RB Griffin Lowry, one of the most exciting players in the area, is worth the price of admission all by himself.
#7 Sat., Sept. 26 McCluer North at Hazelwood East 1 p.m.
Another stellar showdown in the Suburban North. This one takes place in Week 5 and will serve as a high-quality midseason barometer for both the Stars & the Spartans. North’s got three fantastic looking linemen in Joe Burgess, Kevin Redmond & Lamar Woods. But will they be able to push around East’s fearsome defense?
#8 Fri., Sept. 18 East St. Louis at Edwardsville 7 p.m.
East Side’s the best team in the area again, coming off its seventh state championship. And Edwardsville missed the playoffs last year. But you can throw the records out the window when these two Metro East rivals get together. This year will be more of the same. And Friday nights at Edwardsville’s Tiger Sports Complex are always exciting.
#9 Sat., Sept. 19 Gateway Tech at Roosevelt 1:30 p.m.
It will be early in the season, but this might be the PHL Game of the Year. Gateway RB Anthony Pierson is already the talk of the internet recruiting boards. Is this kid for real? Is he really that fast? There’s no way he could be that good… He’ll get his chance to show us all in this Week 4 tussle.
#10 Fri., Oct. 2 Webster Groves at Parkway West 7 p.m.
It’s gonna be all about the QBs when these Suburban South rivals get down in Week 6. Everybody knows about Parkway’s Tyler Gabbert, who recently verballed Nebraska. But this could turn into the coming out party for Webster’s Dilworth, nifty little lefty, who threw for 1,554 yards & 11 TDs last season.
