Week five of the high school football season has arrived with many rivalry games on the docket for the weekend while one of the top volleyball tournaments in the metro area crowns a champion Saturday. Plus, two rivals once again came together for an outstanding cause on the softball field this past Tuesday.
Let’s get you ready for all the action with this week’s edition of the Friday Fast Break.
One of the great things about high school sports is when teams get together and help raise awareness for an outstanding cause. Every year, the Francis Howell and Howell Central softball teams turn their conference match-up into a day of raising funds in the memory of Trevor Joerling for the Friends of Kids with Cancer group. The annual “Purple Out” game raised over $1,400 for the group as the two schools turned a game into a community event. The Vikings went on to win the GAC contest 8-6 over the Spartans as Maddie Illingworth went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs batted in to pace the Howell offense while Lorin Boutte earned the win in the circle going 6.2 innings with five strikeouts.
In another high-profile game this week on the diamond, Lafayette raced out to a 9-0 lead after two innings en route to an 11-7 victory over Marquette this past Tuesday. The Lancers scored five runs in the first and added four more runs in the second to grab the early lead, but the Mustangs scored their seven runs over the next four innings to make the game close. Makenzie Elsalaymeh drove in four runs on a double while Abby Carr struck out 13 Marquette batters to help Lafayette improve to 13-7 on the year.
Many of the top volleyball teams are playing in the Gateway Classic at Oakville this week as Eureka, Parkway West, Nerinx Hall, and Jackson all won their four-team pools to advance to the bracket play that begins Saturday at 8 a.m. The Wildcats were a perfect 3-0 in their pool with two set victories over Kirkwood, Pattonville, and Rosati-Kain to move to bracket play against Webster Groves Saturday. The Markers won their pool with a 2-0-1 record by earning a split with Howell and then sweeping Incarnate Word and Summit to move on to bracket action against Rosati-Kain Saturday at 9 a.m.
Rosati-Kain Volleyball
The football season hits the halfway mark this weekend with many conference foes hitting the field in the metro area’s version of Rivalry Week.
CBC and De Smet renew their rivalry Friday at 6 p.m. with the winner taking control of the top of the Metro Catholic Conference in a battle on Ballas Road. The Cadets own an 11-20 advantage in the series, but the Spartans have won four of the last six meetings. CBC is 3-1 on the year and 2-0 in the MCC after defeating Chaminade last week 56-7. Ralph Dixon leads the Cadets rushing attack with 353 yards and six touchdowns while Dylan Van had added 350 yards and three scores. Kyan Franklin is the leader of the CBC defense with 29 tackles on the year with Michael Teson chipping in with 23 stops. The Spartans are 2-2 on the year and are also 2-0 in league play after beating Vianney 56-7 last week. Quarterback Christian Cotton has thrown for 726 yards and seven touchdowns so far on the season with Demetrion Cannon catching 14 passes for 280 yards and a pair of scores. Jason King leads the De Smet defense with 21 tackles and a pair of interceptions.
We head to Jefferson County for another rivalry game as a pair of 3-1 teams square off as Herculaneum heads to down the street to take on St. Pius X Friday at 7 p.m. The Blackcats are coming off a hard-fought 19-16 loss to St. Vincent last week and will continue to lean on senior quarterback Jackson Dearing to lead the way for their offense. Dearing has thrown for 840 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding another 207 yards on the ground with a score. Lucas Bahr is the main target for Dearing as he has grabbed 24 catches for 584 yards and nine touchdowns. Mike Moloney has 48 tackles with a pair of fumble recoveries to pace the Blackcat defense. The Lancers have won three consecutive games after dropping their opener and look to quarterback James Smith to lead the way as he has 553 yards passing with seven touchdowns while adding another 308 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. Alex Moissis paces the defense for St. Pius X with 27 tackles.
Action in the Southwestern Conference heats up Saturday as East St. Louis heads to O’Fallon to take on the Panthers at 1 p.m. The Flyers hold an 18-5 advantage in the series and have won five of the last six meetings. East St. Louis is 2-2 on the year and are coming off a 57-0 win over Belleville East in their SWC opener. The Flyers are led by Robert Battle as he has thrown for 688 yards and eight scores while adding another 172 yards rushing with three more scores. TaRyan Martin has added 322 yards on the ground with three touchdowns. Leontre Bradford paces the Flyers defense with 39 stops while Dominic Dixon has 45 tackles and two sacks. O’Fallon is 4-0 on the year and are coming off a thrilling 32-31 victory over Edwardsville to start league play last week. Quarterback Colt Michael has been outstanding in the first part of the season with 1,094 yards passing and 13 touchdowns while Jaden Smith has grabbed 24 passes for 451 yards and seven scores. Zach Novy has made 28 tackles on the year to lead the O’Fallon defense.
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
