The quest for state championships continued this week as many of the top girls’ tennis teams have advanced out-of-district play to the state sectional round while the girls’ golf is starting district play as well. It was also an early start to the weekend on the gridiron as Affton won back-to-back games for the first time in three years. It will also be a very busy weekend in football action with a few games that will have conference title implications.
Let’s check out all the action in this week’s edition of the Friday Fast Break.
District action on the golf course began this week as Howell earned a spot in the Class 4 state tournament by winning their district at Crescent Farms Golf Club earlier this week. The Vikings finished the day with a score of 347 while Marquette and Timberland tied for second place with scores of 385. Peyton Cusick of Marquette and Addison Surber of Lafayette tied for second in the individual part of the tournament with rounds of 6-over par 78 while Brooke Inchiostro led the Vikings with a round of 10-over par 82 to earn third place. The Class 4 state championship tournament will take place at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club in Joplin, Mo. on October 17-18.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association girls’ team tennis field is set after district play wrapped up this past week. In Class 1, Bishop DuBourg secured their second consecutive trip to the sectional after they defeated Affton 5-3 in their district final. Joining the Cavaliers in the Class 1 tournament are Lutheran South, North County, Clayton, and St. Charles. In Class 2, St. Pius X out of Festus will take on Fort Zumwalt South while Ladue returns to the state tournament after defeating Webster Groves 5-0 and will take on Villa Duchesne in the state quarterfinals. St. Joseph’s Academy moved on to the Class 3 quarterfinals after defeating MICDS 5-3 and will take on Francis Howell, who swept St. Dominic 5-0 to claim the district title. All the sectional and quarterfinal rounds will take place Monday, Oct. 10.
In football action Thursday night, Affton avenged a big loss from last season with a 28-24 victory over Jennings. The Cougars fell to the Warriors last season by a score of 72-6 last season and have won back-to-back games for the first time since 2019 and are now 3-4 on the season. Affton raced out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first half as Antonio Muyco scored on a one-yard run and then threw an 11-yard pass to Ronnie Willenbrink in the second quarter to give the Cougars the lead. Muyco tossed his second touchdown strike of the game early in the third quarter as he found Terran Mitchell for 50-yards to extend the lead to 22-0. The Warriors battled back in the third as they scored a pair of touchdowns to cut the deficit to 22-16, but Affton put the game away midway through the fourth as Mitchell scored his second touchdown of the evening to put the Cougars on top 28-16. Muyco finished the night with 101 yards in the air and a pair of scores to pace the Cougars.
It will be a busy weekend on the football field as many pivotal matchups will help determine conference champions.
In a battle for the top of the Gateway Athletic Conference South, Timberland heads to Howell Friday evening in a 7 p.m. start and will look to defeat the Vikings for the first time in 13 tries. Howell is currently ranked second in the latest state poll and puts their perfect 6-0 record on the line after defeating Fort Zumwalt West 56-21 last week. Adam Shipley leads the Vikings offense with 907 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air while adding another 248 yards and seven scores on the ground. Jude James paces the Howell receivers with 219 yards and three scores while Brett Norfleet has added 200 yards and four touchdowns. Brady Hultman leads the Howell defense with 64 tackles on the year. The Wolves are looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season to Troy last week 44-12. Quarterback AJ Raines has been outstanding this season as he has thrown for 1,669 yards and 16 scores on the season while adding 540 yards on the ground and another nine touchdowns. August Billings has grabbed 27 passes for 489 yards with five touchdowns to aid the Wolves to a 5-1 record.
The Battle of Route 109 takes place tonight as Eureka will look to win their seventh consecutive game over rival Lafayette in a contest that is set to begin at 7 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium. Eureka remains undefeated after beating Pattonville 34-7 last week and is being led by senior running back Kevin Emmanuel. Emmanuel has rushed for 1,399 yards and has scored 18 touchdowns on the season while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Ryan Thornhill paces the Wildcats on the defensive side of the ball with 46 tackles. The Lancers are 4-2 on the year after knocking off Ladue 49-10 last week and are led by quarterback jack Behl, who has thrown for 1,059 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year. Dre Davis is the leading ground gainer for Lafayette with 315 yards and five touchdowns. Kris Kamrud is the leader of the Lancers defense with 43 tackles and a fumble recovery.
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
