East St. Louis showed why they are one of the best teams in the metro area after a huge victory Saturday night over Christian Brothers while Francis Howell handed Jackson their second loss of the season in a match-up that will have major implications in Class 5. Herculaneum needed to come from behind in a big road contest to improve to 2-0 for the first time in many years. Plus, it was a big weekend for the cross-country teams in the area as Herculaneum and Hillsboro won their divisions on the boys’ side of the First Capital Meet with Howell Central and St. Charles West claiming titles in the girls’ meet.
Let’s get everyone caught up on a big Labor Day weekend of events in this Tuesday edition of the Monday Morning Wrap-Up.
In the feature game of the weekend, the Flyers raced out to a 42-19 halftime lead en route to a 64-19 victory over CBC Saturday evening at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium in East St. Louis. After the Cadets scored an early touchdown on a Ralph Dixon seven-yard score, the Flyers scored the next 14 points in a little more than 3 minutes to take a 14-7 advantage. Robert Battle scored on a 10-yard run, tossed a 15-yard scoring strike to Chris Bennett, Jr., and added safety in that span. CBC cut the lead to a point after Jeremiah McClellan caught a 61-yard pass from Cole McKey to make the score 14-13, but it was all East St. Louis after that. The Flyers held the Cadets scoreless for the final 30-plus minutes of the contest while outscoring CBC 36 -0 over that time span to earn their first win of the season. TaRyan Martin rushed for 152 yards and a score while Battle connected on 15 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns to pace the Flyers while Marquise Palmer led the East St. Louis defense with 11 solo stops. Dixon finished the night with 28 yards on the ground while McClellan had 151 yards in receptions to lead CBC.
The Vikings welcomed Jackson to St. Charles County and sent the Indians home with their second loss of the year after a 41-14-win Friday evening. Quarterback Adam Shipley scored a pair of touchdowns in the first half to propel the Vikings to the win while the Howell defense proved to be one of the best on that side of the ball in Class 5 in the early season.
In Jefferson County, Herculaneum needed a pair of late scores to defeat Fredericktown on the road 22-14 to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2011. Jackson Dearing was a major force for the Blackcat offense with 151 yards on the ground while adding another 211 yards in the air with three scoring strikes to lead the way for Herculaneum while Lucas Bahr hauled in four receptions for 148 yards in the win. Mike Maloney paced the Blackcat defense with a game-high 12 solo tackles and five assists on the night to aid in the victory.
The cross-country season started with the First Capital Meet at McNair Park in St. Charles, Mo., this past Friday with many of the top teams in the area taking part. On the boys’ side of the meet, Herculaneum showed that they are going to be a team to beat once again in the state as the Blackcats won the Blue Division with 28 points while St. Charles finished with 43 points and Whitfield claimed third with 83 points. James Wortham from St. Charles West won the individual race in the blue division in a time of 16:22.46 while Sam Vaughn from Herculaneum earned the second spot in a time of 16:45.32. Nate Maples earned third place while Keith Vance and Nate Wright from Herculaneum finished the top five in fourth and fifth place. In the White Division, Hillsboro lead the Jefferson County sweep by placing first with 17 points while Webster Groves earned second with 48 points and Lutheran St. Charles grabbed the third slot with 73 points. Josh Allison led the way for the Hawks by winning the individual race in a time of 15:50.59 while Jonah Allison grabbed second with a mark of 16:14.91. Orville Mann and Gavin Vaughn placed in the third and fourth spots to aid Hillsboro in winning the team event.
On the girls’ side at McNair Park, St. Charles West grabbed the top spot in the Blue Division with 34 points with Lutheran St. Charles taking second with 54 points. Visitation earned the third spot on the day with 75 points. Grace Schaff of Lutheran St. Charles won the individual race in a time of 20:23.45 while Brentwood’s Kensington Curd earned the runner-up spot with a mark of 20:37.09. Madalyn Mahoney from Lutheran St. Charles was third in a time of 20:46.19 with Genevieve Wacker and Claire Horstman earning fourth and fifth to ais the Warriors in the team event. In the White Division, Howell Central earned the team title with 47 points, Fort Zumwalt North placed second with 70 points, and Fort Zumwalt West placed third with 86 points. Reese McDevitt led the way for the Spartans by winning the individual race in a time of 19:38.90 while Sarah Morrison from Fort Zumwalt South claimed the second spot with a time of 19:53.70. Julia Donnelly from Washington claimed third in a time of 20:27.72 with freshman Jocelyn Haynes of Troy coming in fourth with a mark of 20:29.45.
Things on the prep sports scene continue to stay busy this week as there are many bug matchups on the volleyball court and on the diamond in softball.
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
