There is good news for all of you high school football fans who may not be able to make it down to the Edward Jones Dome for this weekend’s MSHSAA State Football Championships. All six of the games from the upcoming Show-Me Bowl weekend will be televised on Fox Sports-Midwest.
On Friday, the Class 1 championship game between Valle Catholic and Westran will be televised at 1 p.m., followed by the Class 3 game between John Burroughs and Richmond at 4:15 p.m. and the Class 5 game between Webster Groves and Lee’s Summit West at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s coverage will kick-off at noon with the Class 2 title game between Maplewood and Penny. That game will be followed by the Class 4 title game between Webb City and Warrenton at 3:15 p.m. and the Class 6 championship game between Hazelwood Central and Kansas City Rockhurst at 6:30 p.m.
In case you missed it the first time, Fox Sports-Midwest will show replays of the games in the coming weeks. I think it was a great idea to put on all of the state championship games on television. It took several years, but I think everyone finally got it right.
Blue Devils on the run
When Maplewood takes the field for its first Show-Me Bowl appearance on Saturday night, it will continue a remarkable run for its athletic program in recent years.
The Blue Devils won back-to-back Class 3 state championships in basketball in 2008 and 2009 and back-to-back Class 2 state titles in track and field in 2009 and 2010. The Blue Devils advanced to the Class 2 state semifinals in 2007 and 2008 before finally breaking through to the big game this weekend.
Senior defensive end Calvin Belts, Jr. was a starter on both of those state title basketball teams and a member of the Blue Devils’ state-record 4×200-meter relay team on the state title track team. If Maplewood wins on Saturday, he will have three state titles in three different sports.
Central attempts three-peat
Hazelwood Central will seeking its third consecutive Class 6 state championship on Saturday night against perennial state power Kansas City Rockhurst. The Hawks will attempt to become the first St. Louis area team to accomplish the three-peat in state football in 20 years. Lutheran North collected three consecutive Class 3A state championships from 1988-90 with standout players such as Derrick Crouch, Mike Martin, Robin Thompson, Chuck Calhoun, Jerry Terry, William Tolen, Sean Morris and Sean Huggans.
Ball on a roll
Former Wentzville Timerland football star Montee Ball has been on a roll lately for the University of Wisconsin. Ball rushed for 172 yards on 29 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Badgers to a 48-28 victory at Michigan last Saturday. On Nov. 6, Ball rushed for 127 yards and scored two touchdowns in a victory over Purdue. Ball also scored the winning touchdown in Wisconsin’s huge 31-30 victory at Iowa on Oct. 23. The 5’11” 235-pound sophomore has been sharing the load at running back with talented teammates John Clay and James White.
Thanksgiving Tournament
High school basketball gets underway this week with one of the highlights being the annual St. Francis Borgia Thanksgiving Tournament. This year’s tournament should be loaded with the presence of such state contenders as McCluer North (Class 5), Soldan and Borgia (Class 4) and Maplewood (Class 3), although several of Maplewood’s players will be playing football for a state title this weekend. The semifinals will be held on Friday night at 6 and 7:30 p.m. with the championship game set for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
