The Missouri State High School Activities Association baseball and girls’ soccer state tournaments head to the quarterfinal stage this weekend with many of the top teams still in the running to advance to the state semifinals next week,
Let’s start on the diamond as Francis Howell advanced to the Class 6 quarterfinals after defeating GAC rival Fort Zumwalt West last week in the district finals. They will face De Smet, who handled their MCC rival CBC to claim the district crown last weekend, Saturday at 1 p.m. at De Smet. The Vikings enter the quarterfinals with a record of 29-10 and are led by Brett Norfleet who is batting .351 on the season and has a team-high seven home runs with 39 runs driven in on the year. Brysen Nepute has been the ace on the mound for Howell as he is 9-1 on the year with an earned run average of 1.46 with 67 strikeouts. The Spartans are currently 20-14-1 as they will turn to Quinn Argetsinger to lead the offense as he is batting .378 with 12 doubles and 17 RBIs. Josh Cunningham is the anchor for the pitching staff as he is currently 6-1 on the year with a 1.37 ERA.
Photo Credit – Fort Zumwalt South
Lafayette will join the quarterfinals after defeating Vianney 4-3 in the district finals and they will take on Jackson Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Jackson. The Lancers are 20-12-1 and will rely on Xander Schmitt to keep his outstanding year going as he is carrying a batting average of .434 into the quarters while hitting 16 extra-base hits and driving in 25 runs. Jack Stauss carries the Lafayette pitching hopes as he is 4-1 on the year with an ERA of 3.58.
In Class 5 action, five local teams remain alive in the tournament as Festus will meet up with Clayton Saturday at noon at Tiger Field in Festus. The Tigers are 24-8 after defeating Windsor in the district final and have won nine of their last 10 games. Hayden Bates paces the Festus attack as he is batting .440 on the year while driving in 37 runs. The Greyhounds enter the contest with a 14-16 mark and have won their last four games. Tommy Filarski is pacing the Clayton offense with a .394 batting average while driving in 24 runs.
In the second quarterfinal, Rockwood Summit will face off against Fort Zumwalt South Saturday at noon at Summit. The Falcons come into the quarterfinals with a 17-14 record and will turn to Jayson Shorb to lead the Summit pitching efforts as he is 4-0 on the year with a 1.96 ERA while striking out 39 batters in 39.3 innings pitched. The Bulldogs are currently 26-6-1 and have won 12 of their last 13 contests as they will be led by Evan Fulhorst who is carrying a .376 batting average while driving in 31 runs.
Borgia will also take part in the quarterfinals as they will play host to Glendale Saturday at 2 p.m. The Knights are 23-5 on the year and have won nine straight contests with Jack Nobe leading the way with a .394 batting average with six home runs and 27 runs batted in.
In Class 4 quarterfinal action, John Burroughs returns to the quarterfinals as they will face Kennett Thursday. The Bombers are currently 25-3 and have been ranked in the top five all season long and will use their balanced offensive attack led by Julian Schenck to keep the winning streak alive. Schenck is carrying a .355 batting average into the quarterfinals and has 26 runs batted in.
St. Charles West moved on to the quarterfinals after defeating Orchard Farm in the sectional as will face off against Fulton on Thursday at 4 p.m. at West. The Warriors are 16-14 on the season and are led offensively by Brenan Goering who has a batting average of .438 and has driven in 28 runs.
The winners of this week’s quarterfinal games will advance to the state championships at USA Ballpark in Ozark, Mo. with play starting Monday.
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
