Last week, I gave you the first half of our Top 20 Games to watch for during the high school football season. Now, here are the Top 10 match-ups to watch this season.
#10 Sat., Sept. 25 Hazelwood Central at Hazelwood East 1 p.m.
Always one of the area’s best matchups of the season, this year’s Battle of the Hazelwoods will take place in Week 5. The Hawks are coming off back-to-back state championships and still feature one of the state’s best defenses led by LBs A.J. Chappelle and Cortland Dunlap. While East is looking to rebuild after a down year in ’09 and bringing in new coach Brian Simmons this season.
#9 Sat., Sept. 25 Normandy at Ladue 1 p.m.
Two of the area’s best below-the-radar QBs will be the feature players in this Week 5 contest. Normandy’s flashy lefty signal caller Terrell Whitfield will lead the defending Suburban East champion Vikings, while Kortland Webb is hoping to lead his Rams to their first league title since 2003.
#8 Fri., Sept. 24 DeSmet at Chaminade 7 p.m.
Player of the Year candidates Durron Neal of DeSmet and Rob Standard of Chaminade will lead the best two teams in the Metro Catholic Conference into this Week 5 showdown. Neal, our 2009 Large Schools Sophomore of the Year, might be the most exciting player in the area this year. While Standard, our 2009 Large Schools Offensive Player of the Year, is nearing the area all-time leading rushing record.
#7 Sat., Oct. 9 East St. Louis at Belleville East 7 p.m.
There are some in the Metro East who believe this could be the year when someone finally wrests the Southwestern Conference title away from East St. Louis. And if that’s going to happen, it’ll most likely involve an upset win here for the Lancers in Week 7. It’ll be tough though, Darren Sunkett’s Flyers already have six D-I commits on their roster and expect several others might happen before signing day next February.
#6 Thur., Nov. 25 Kirkwood at Webster Groves Noon
A St. Louis tradition more than 100 years old, the Turkey Day Game is always one of our area’s best annual sporting events. This year, both the Pioneers & the Statesmen are both state championship good. So it oughta be some kind of fantastic matchup when they meet on Thanksgiving Day.
#5 Sat., Sept. 18 Edwardsville at East St. Louis 1 p.m.
Always one of our area’s best rivalry games, this year the Tigers & the Flyers get together in Week 4 at Clyde Jordan. You might wanna get there early though, because they’re expecting an overflow crowd to see two of the area’s best & most sought after recruits in Edwardsville’s Rodney Coe & East Side’s Anthony Pierson. Two great backs that we expect will put on quite a show.
#4 Sat., Oct. 16 Hazelwood Central at McCluer North 2 p.m.
Despite claiming the state title the last two years, Hazelwood Central has had one nagging problem they just haven’t been able to shake. The Hawks haven’t been able to beat McCluer North. The Stars just seem to have Central’s number, and regardless of the records or the pedigree, have nearly managed to derail the Hawks’ season in both ’08 & ’09. This year, Central will look to claim it’s third straight state title. But before they do, they’re going to have to exorcise their Week 8 McCluer North demon.
#3 Sat., Aug. 28 DeSmet at Hazelwood Central 1 p.m.
Hazelwood Central took this opening week showdown 20-19 in front of a overflow crowd at Central. Both teams are prime contenders for the Class 6 state crown and last Saturday’s match-up could be the first of two meetings. If they are to meet again, it would be in the state semifinals for the right to go to the Show-Me Bowl in late November.
#2 Sun., Sept. 5 Dillard (FL) at East St. Louis 7 p.m.
The Metro East Game of the Year will be this showdown between the STL’s best team, the East St. Louis Flyers and one of Florida’s best teams, the Dillard Panthers. This special Sunday night contest will be part of East St. Louis’ City of Champions Classic, a three-game event at Clyde Jordan Stadium, which will also feature games between Chicago Simeon & Imagine Prep and Jeff City & Chicago St. Rita. St. Louis sports fans should be familiar with Dillard High, that’s where Rams great Isaac Bruce and Mizzou standouts Keyon Dooling & Clarence Gilbert went to high school.
#1 Fri., Oct. 15 Chaminade at Webster Groves 7 p.m.
The last time these two teams met, it proved to be one of the all-time great STL prep football games ever, ending in what might be our area’s most fantastic finish, “The Miracle at Moss.” Webster went on to win the state title following that game. But Chaminade has been waiting nearly a year to get its revenge. This year, the teams will meet in Week 8 before likely hooking up again in the playoffs in November. But whether that happens or not, the regular season return to Moss Field, is looking like it’ll be the no-brainer 2010 Game of the Year.
