Special to the American
Week 4 of the prep football season will feature some of the most highly
anticipated matchups of the season. Among them are the epic No. 1 versus No.
2 showdown, when McCluer North hosts Hazelwood Central, a nasty new rivalry
in the Metro East between East St. Louis and Alton, and the always
entertaining small school rivalry between Cardinal Ritter and St. Mary’s.
The Rosh Hashanah holiday makes for an extra special weekend, because some of
the area’s top parochial school teams (small school No. 1 MICDS included)
will play Thursday night instead of Friday or Saturday. When in observance of
the holy day, activity of any sort is prohibited.
Here’s an inside look at the best games of Week 4:
#1 Sat., Sept. 23 Hazelwood Central (3-0) at McCluer North
(3-0), 1 p.m.
It’s No. 1 versus No. 2. This exquisite Suburban North Conference matchup might
be the game of the year. It appears to be that way on paper, as both the Hawks
and the Stars have been absolutely dominant over the first three weeks of
the season. Second-ranked Central gained one of the most impressive wins of
the season last week, when it demolished Columbia Hickman 38-0. Transfer RB
DeVion Moore continued to shine, going off for 168 yards on just 10 carries
and three TDs against Hickman. He has moved into the league lead in rushing
with 469 yards. QB Marvin McNutt, a terrific athlete who lead Central to the
state finals in football and baseball last year, hasn’t had to pass much
this year. McNutt has thrown only 27 passes in three games, but he has
rushed for four TDs this year.
Top-ranked McCluer North averaged 45 points a game in wins over Pattonville,
Hazelwood West, and Ritenour. The Stars do it with a brilliant triplet set
on offense, featuring QB Ben Hendrix, RB Quartize Jackson, and WR Norris
Johnson. Jackson, a terrific cutback runner, has rushed for 258 yards and
five TDs. In last week’s 49-6 win at Ritenour, Johnson had 71 receiving
yards and three TDs, giving him 318 yards and five TDs of his own.
#2 Fri., Sept. 22 E. St. Louis (4-0) at Alton (4-0) at Public
School Stadium, 7 p.m.
It’s new. It’s nasty. And come Friday night, it’s gonna be a whole lot of
fun. This thing between East Side and Alton began earlier this decade as
both teams were trying to catch Edwardsville as it was dominating the league
and the area on its way to three state title game appearances. But now this
rivalry is its own beast. And it seems to grow every year, especially in
games played at Alton, where the Redbirds have dealt the Flyers some of
their toughest losses of the past few seasons.
Fifth-ranked East Side is led by what might be area’s best big-play passing
combo in QB Derrick Johnson and WR Jerrell McDaniel. Johnson led the
Southwestern Conference in passing last year and is leading the entire Metro
East this year with 812 yards and 10 TDs. McDaniel is leading the area with
369 receiving yards and eight TDs. The Flyers, who average an area-best 46.8
pts/game, also have a fantastic RB duo in Nick King and Tommie Liddell.
Sensational QB/S Kavon Lacey leads Alton. A 6-1 senior, who also might
be the best basketball point guard in the area, Lacey has passed for 305
yards and three TDs, while rushing for three others. Senior RB Marcus
Clemons is second in the league with 481 rushing yards and nine TDs for the
Redbirds, who’ve averaged 34.8 pts/game.
#3 Fri., Sept. 22 Rockwood Summit (3-0) at Eureka (3-0), 7
p.m.
The Summit Falcons are one of the great surprises of the early season.
Undefeated and just out of the top 10 rankings is not where anyone thought
Summit would be after three weeks, but that is where the Falcons are. Thanks
in large part to the arrival of transfer WR Rolandis Woodland. A 6-4 senior,
who played at Lutheran North last year, Woodland has caught just nine balls
this year, but for 283 yards, a whopping 31.4 average, and four TDs. And its
that big-play ability on the outside that’s really loosened up defenses on
the inside and allowed running room for RB A.J. Buxton and FB Brad Williams.
Senior Brandon Williams (6-3 280 lbs.) is one of the area’s top lineman.
Eureka might have the best offensive line in the area. Last week, in a 36-35
overtime win at Webster Groves, the Wildcats front five opened massive holes
for junior RB Antonio Evans. And boy did he make the most of it. The 5-9
junior carried 27 times for 276 yards, five TDs, and a two-point conversion.
Those totals helped Evans burst into the Suburban South Conference lead in
rushing with 460 yards and eight TDs for the season.
#4 Fri., Sept. 22 Cardinal Ritter (2-1) at St. Mary’s (2-1)
7 p.m.
Another of the area’s best, but least known rivalries is this Archdiocesan
Athletic Association matchup. Few happen to know it, but some of the most
exciting football of the past decade has been played when the Lions and the
Dragons get together.
Ritter is coming off its best season ever, a 9-4 campaign that saw the Lions
advance to the Class 2 state semifinals. This season, Ritter brings back two
of the area’s top defensive players in LB Michael Baker and DB DeAndre
Gilmore. The standout tandem, who’ve both also given oral commitments to
Miami (OH), are also stalwarts on offense, Baker at RB and Gilmore at WR.
Transfer QB Jeremy Boyce might be the best athlete of the team and ranks
second in the league in passing.
Running the spread offense, St. Mary’s QB Damien Savka, was the 2005 AAA
Player of the Year, after passing and rushing for over 1,000 yards and 19
TDs last season. Savka was injured in this year’s season opener, but
returned last week to complete 11-of-12 passes for 184 yards and three TDs
leading the Dragons to a 43-0 win over DuBourg. Ty VanValkenburg is St.
Mary’s leading rusher, while teammates Zach Ungerott and John Whitehead are
Savka’s favorite targets on pass plays.
Other games of note:
Thur., Sept. 21 Beaumont at Cleveland at Gateway 6:30
p.m.
MICDS at Clayton
7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 22 Affton at Jennings
4 p.m.
Francis Howell N. at Pattonville
7 p.m.
Oakville at Lindbergh
7 p.m.
Parkway S. at Mehlville
7 p.m.
Ft. Zumwalt W. at SLUH
7 p.m.
Vianney at DeSmet
7 p.m.
Chaminade at CBC
7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 23 Belleville E. at O’Fallon
1 p.m.
Priory at Lutheran N.
1 p.m.