It was another jam-packed weekend of events on the prep sports scene as Herculaneum claimed a huge win in a rivalry game while Eureka needed a field goal at the buzzer to earn a come-from-behind victory at home. Cross country was also in the spotlight as the St. Louis University High School boys’ and the Lafayette girls’ teams had out performances at Forest Park.
Let’s get caught up on the events of this past weekend in today’s edition of the Monday Morning Wrap-Up.
Herculaneum improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2004 as the Blackcats defeated Jefferson 16-8 Friday evening in a defensive battle. Mike Moloney put Herculaneum on the scoreboard first with a seven-yard run midway through the second quarter to give the Blackcats an 8-0 but the Blue Jays answered with 47 seconds remaining in the half as Sean Usery scored from two yards out to tie the game at 8-8. The defenses continued to play outstanding as neither team was able to score in the third quarter as the game remained tied until just over eight minutes remained in the game as Moloney collected a seven-yard pass from Jackson Dearing to put the Blackcats on top 16-8. The Herculaneum defense came on and stopped Jackson on fourth down late in the contest to earn their first win over Jefferson in seven years. Moloney finished the evening with 49 yards and a touchdown with Dearing throwing for 95 yards and a score. Moloney also added 13 tackles to pace the Blackcat defense in the win.
Bryce Casey was the hero for Eureka as he hit a 42-yard field as time expired to help the Wildcats come back from a 10-point deficit midway in the third quarter as Eureka defeated Kirkwood 31-30. The Pioneers raced out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter as Deion Brown scored on a 79-yard run and Jed Holliday hit a 30-yard field goal to give Kirkwood the early advantage. Kevin Emmanuel scored his first of four touchdowns late in the first quarter with a 49-yard run to cut the lead to 10-7. After the Pioneers took a 17-7 lead into the halftime locker room, the Wildcats started their comeback as Emmanuel scored twice in the third and then again early in the fourth to put Eureka on top 28-24. Omar Hopkins scored his second touchdown of the night with just over seven remaining in the fourth on a one-yard run to give Kirkwood a 30-28 advantage. After having one field goal blocked late, the Wildcats forced a punt to set up the Clark late-game heroics, hitting the game-winning field goal as time expired. Emmanuel finished the game with 35 carries for 246 yards to help the Wildcats improve to 3-0 on the season.
Cross Country was in the spotlight as many of the top teams in the area competed in the 17th Annual Forest Park Cross Country Festival Saturday. Over 170 teams from five states took part in the event.
The Jr. Bills lead the locals on the boys’ side by finishing fourth in a loaded Green Division. Defending Arkansas big school champion Bentonville took first place with 50 points while Kickapoo and Rockhurst earned second and third in the meet just ahead of SLUH, who scored 137 points. Adam Snoke from Lutheran South was the highest local finisher as he crossed the finish line in fourth place in a time of 16:21.10. Nolan Meara paved the Jr. Bills with an 11th place finish in a time of 16:37.30. In the Green Division, De Smet earned second place in the meet with 109 points, finishing just two points behind Benton, Ill. Parkway Central grabbed third place in the team chase with 112 points with Lutheran St. Charles placing fourth with 118 points. Taylor Mason from Fort Zumwalt North was the highest finisher for the area with a fourth-place finish in a time of 17:13.70. Nolan Chickering led the efforts for the Spartans as he finished fifth in a time of 17:26.90 while teammate William Poelker earned an eighth-place finish in a time of 17:34.0. In the White Division, St. Charles ran away from the field as the Pirates won with 42 points. Ronan Hardwicke from Christian won the individual side in a time of 17:52.70 while Liam McCarthy of MICDS placed third in a time of 18:60.60. The Pirates claimed four of the next five slots as Luke Nottmeyer finished fourth with a time of 18:19.80 with Jack Case right behind him in a mark of 18:20.50.
The Lafayette girls showed that they will be a team to watch this season as the Lancers finished second in the Green Division at Forest Park with 71 points, finishing behind Bentonville, Ark., who won the event with 53 points. Summit earned the fourth spot with 174 points. Grace Tyson led the Lafayette efforts by winning the individual race in a time of 18:30.40 while Julia Ray of MICDS placed second in a time of 18:40.30. Natalie Barnard of Lafayette earned fourth in a time of 19:24.40 to help the Lancers win the team event. In the Gold Division, Fort Zumwalt North won the team event with 109 points, Webster Groves placed third with 181 points, and St. Dominic claimed fourth with 202 points. Julia Donnelly from Washington led the local runners in the division with a third-place time of 20:19.30 while Lucy Luetkemeyer of Metro placed fourth with a mark of 20:20.50. John Burroughs placed third in the White Division with 108 points as they finished behind a pair of teams from Iowa. Eris Nelson from Althoff won the individual race in a time of 20:24.50 with Josie Villard from Christian earning seventh place in a time of 21:41.60.
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