The final weekend of prep sports is here in the state of Missouri with the baseball and girls’ soccer state finals happening in Ozark, Mo., and Fenton, Mo., while the Triad girls’ soccer team looks to claim their second consecutive IHSA Class 2 championship this weekend. Plus, there are four baseball teams remaining in the IHSA state playoffs as they will also take to the field starting today.

Let’s get everyone ready with this week’s edition of the Friday Fast Break.

The Triad girls’ soccer team advanced to the IHSA Class 2 semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Chatham Glenwood in the state super-sectional this past Tuesday night. The defending state champions scored a pair of goals in the first half and used their defense in the final 40 minutes to move on in the state tournament. Avery Bohnenstiehl and Breanna Zurek each scored for the Knights while Reagan Chigas stopped eight shots to earn the shutout as Triad improved to 23-1 on the year. Triad will take on Oak Park Fenwick at 11 a.m. Friday in the state semifinals. The championship game will be played Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.

In the IHSA state baseball playoffs, Edwardsville continued to roll with a 10-0 win over Belleville East in the Class 4 sectional round Wednesday afternoon to move their record to 32-4 on the year. Cade Hardy paced the Tigers with three hits and drove in five runs while Cole Funkhouser added two hits and a pair of RBIs to lead the Edwardsville attack. The Tigers will face Minooka in the sectional final Saturday at 1 p.m. at Illinois Wesleyan University.

In the IHSA Class 2 state playoffs, Columbia advanced to the state final four with a 15-8 win over Freeburg earlier this week to move on to the semifinals Friday evening against Joliet Catholic at Dozer Field in Peoria, Ill. In the victory over Freeburg, Lucas Dominic Voegele paced the Eagles with three hits and a run batted in with Alex Schreckenberg driving in four runs to help Columbia to the semifinals.

Triad and Mascoutah will match up in the IHSA Class 3 sectional final after they won both of their semifinal contests earlier in the week. The Knights defeated Mount Vernon 1-0 to improve to 32-5 on the year. Reed Wendler drove in the only Triad run in the second inning with a single to provide the only run of the game. The Indians used a five-run fourth inning to propel themselves to the victory as Wyatt Beer had a pair of hits with two runs batted in to lead the way for Mascoutah. The Indians and Columbia will hook up in the sectional final Saturday at 1 p.m.

Valley Park Baseball: Photo Credit – Cheap Seats Photography

On the Missouri side of the river, Valley Park completed their season with a fourth-place finish in the MSHSAA Class 3 state tournament after falling to Springfield Catholic 11-1 in the semifinals and then dropping a 10-3 contest to Lawson in the third-place contest. The Hawks finished their season with an impressive 19-6 record.

In Class 5, Festus earned their fourth trip to the semifinals with a 12-2 victory over Lutheran South while Fort Zumwalt East is making their first appearance in the final four after a 7-4 victory over Parkway Central. The Tigers will take on Willard Friday at 4 p.m. with the Lions playing Platte County in the nightcap Friday at 7 p.m.

Lindbergh will make their fifth appearance in the semifinals after defeating Marquette in the Class 6 quarterfinals 10-2 while Francis Howell heads to their 11th state semifinal after defeating Howell Central 3-1 Saturday. The Flyers will play Blue Springs South in the first semifinal Friday at 10 a.m. with the Vikings taking on Liberty North Friday at 1 p.m.

On the soccer field, seven teams will head to Worldwide Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo., this weekend with hopes of winning a state championship. In Class 1, St. Pius X from Festus is making their fifth trip to the semifinals after defeating Metro 6-0 while Whitfield is making their first appearance in the semifinals after defeating Valley Park 4-0. The Lancers will play Greenwood in the first semifinal of the day Friday at 10 a.m. with the Warriors taking on Mid-Buchanan Friday at noon.

In Class 2, Orchard Farm defeated Southern Boone 3-0 to advance to the state semifinals for the second time in school history while MICDS heads to the state final four for the first time after a 2-0 win over Logan-Rogersville. Orchard Farm will play Perryville Friday at 2:30 p.m. while the Rams will take on Pleasant Hill Friday at 5 p.m.

After winning Class 2 last year, Ursuline advanced to their first Class 3 semifinal and will make their third appearance overall in the semifinals after beating Notre Dame 1-0 while Fort Zumwalt South will look to win back-to-back state titles after defeating Webster Groves 4-0 Saturday night. This is the fourth time that the Bulldogs have advanced to the final four and they will take on Smithville Friday at 1:30 p.m. while Ursuline will play Glendale Friday at 11 a.m.

St. Dominic will also look to win consecutive Class 4 state titles as the Crusaders defeated Howell Central 3-0. St. Dominic is heading to the state semifinals for the ninth time and has won five state titles heading into this weekend’s action. Nerinx Hall will make their eighth trip to the semifinals after defeating Jackson 5-0 in the quarterfinals. The Markers will play Rock Bridge Friday at 4 p.m. while the Crusaders will take on Liberty North in the nightcap Friday at 7 p.m.

 

 

Jim Powers

Jim Powers

Jim Powers has been covering prep sports in the St. Louis area for 15+ years and a part of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Championship Broadcasts for the past 11 years. Powers is also a part of the Fox 2 Verlo Mattress Prep Zone Friday nights at 10:10 during the football and basketball seasons. If you have a prep sports story, please contact Jim at japowers2421@yahoo.com. Follow Jim at @hssportscaravan