Hazelwood Central, Rockhurst survive in Missouri football
By Dean Backes
Sep 1, 2010, 2:13pm
In a pair of season opening battles of epic proportion, favorites Hazelwood Central and Rockhurst eke out wins.
First-game woes nearly sent two-time defending Class 6 champion Hazelwood Central (Florissant) into the loss column during first week of Missouri football action.
But a Hawk defense that lived up to Hazelwood Central coach Richard Nixon's above-par billing helped the Show-Me State's top-ranked squad stave off a mild upset, winning 20-19 over fourth-ranked DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis) Saturday.
"Six turnovers, you're not supposed to win – bottom line," Nixon told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. "I wasn't running my mouth. Our defense is pretty good. I'm very proud of their ability and their focus.
"The thing I was most proud of was we had a lot of young men that played today defensively, and we say all the time, when your number is called, be ready to be great and make plays. And those young men really stepped up and did a fantastic job."
The Hawks, who jumped out to a 14-3 first half advantage, somewhat made up for their offensive gaffes by blocking an extra point in the second quarter, and a field goal in the third.
Jamal Flowers led the Hawk attack by throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns, including a 26-yard strike to Michael Jordan with just over three minutes remaining in the contest that put the Hawks up 20-19. Jordan caught eight passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the game and D.J. Cameron added four catches for 116 yards and a score.
The Spartan ground attack was led by Oregon State recruit Malcolm Agnew's 128 yards, despite a second half hamstring injury. DeSmet Jesuit also had to overcome second half injuries to quarterback Leon Moody (knee) and wide receiver Durron Nea (cramping).
No. 2 Rockhurst (Kansas City) 7, No. 3 Blue Springs 6
Blue Springs scored first in this gargantuan season-opening tilt, but Rockhurst made the plays down the stretch to edge the Wildcats.
Blue Springs receiver Jordan Nubine put the Wildcats on top 6-0 when he reeled in a 13–yard aerial over Rockhurst defensive back Kevin Berg in double coverage early in the second quarter. Berg, however, stepped up and made plays down the stretch, intercepting two Blue Springs passes as the Wildcats drove deep into Hawklet territory.
Berg's final pick came at the Rockhurst 2-yard line with 10:45 remaining in the contest, thwarting another Blue Springs threat.
The Hawklets took the lead for good when Ryan Karlin hauled in a 13-yard strike from Rockhurst quarterback Frank Arbanas with 6-minutes, 22-seconds left in the third quarter.
Kelly Donohoe's third-ranked Wildcats' final opportunity came up short with 51 seconds remaining when the Hawklets stuffed Darrian Miller on 4th-and-1 at the Rockhurst 49-yard line.
LAST WEEKEND'S TOP PERFORMERS
Rushing
Logan Eubank of Orrick rushed for 351 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries in a 46-27 win over Mid-Buchanan (Faucett) … Dylan Cole of Logan-Rogersville (Rogersville) ran for 289 yards and five scores on 22 carries in a 39-21 win over Mt. Vernon … Darion Moore of Grandview rushed for 279 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries in a 28-26 overtime win over O'Hara (Kansas City) … Trent Davis of Wright City ran the ball 23 times for 273 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-6 win over Palmyra … Branden Walker of University City (St. Louis) ran the ball 14 times for 215 yards and six touchdowns in a 50-22 win over Parkway West (Ballwin) … Allen Frost of Seneca rushed for 215 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries in a 20-15 loss to Hillcrest (Springfield) … Aaron Wittman of Bishop DuBourg (St. Louis) ran the ball 26 times for 209 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-20 loss to Lutheran South (St. Louis) … Scott City's Garett Schaefer rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-41 overtime loss to Malden.
Passing
Brendan Weiler of Ste. Genevieve completed 33 of 55 passes for 427 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-25 win over Dexter … Brendan Norwine of Christian (O'Fallon) completed 30 of 56 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns in a 50-36 loss to Jackson … Corbin Berkstresser of Lee's Summit completed 12 of 15 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns in a 57-23 win over Chrisman (Independence) … Justin Jack of Miller completed 18 of 26 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-7 win over Greenfield … Chris Savage of Union completed 16 of 26 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-8 win over Affton (St. Louis) … Matt Futrell of Hillcrest (Springfield) completed 10 of 29 passes for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 20-15 win over Seneca … Pattonville (Maryland Heights) quarterback Michael Blaesing completed 24 of 34 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-6 win over Hazelwood East (St. Louis) … Trevor McDonagh of St. Louis University completed 14 of 18 passes for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Parkway North (St. Louis) … Neosho's Tyler Rathman completed 6 of 11 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-19 loss to Bolivar … Sam Van Doren of Burroughs (St. Louis) completed 21 of 27 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Pembroke Hill (Kansas City).
Receiving
Union's Bryan Schaefer caught five passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in a 43-8 win over Affton … St. Louis University's Mitch Klug caught six passes for 176 yards and a touchdown in a 42-28 win over Parkway North … Jermey Coleman of Hillcrest (Springfield) caught five passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in a 20-15 win over Seneca … Miller's Tyler Hinshaw caught five passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-7 win over Greenfield … Will McDaniel of Neosho caught four passes for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 26-19 loss to Bolivar … Christian (O'Fallon) player Robby Wilkinson caught 13 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns in a 50-36 loss to Jackson … Dorial Green-Beckham of Hillcrest (Springfield) caught six passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in a 20-15 win over Seneca … Clayton (St. Louis) player Tyler Walker caught seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in a 30-14 win over Lutheran North (St. Louis) … Dan Ruggeri of Lutheran South caught six passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in a 27-20 win over Bishop DuBourg … Webster Groves' Demetrius Robinson caught five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 51-14 win over McCluer (Florissant).
ODDS AND ENDS
* St. Charles West kicker Mike Gesell led the Warriors to a 16-0 win over Fort Zumwalt South (St. Peters) by kicking field goals of 33, 37 and 27 yards, and grabbed a pair of interceptions on defense. Anthony Richardson scored the game's only touchdown by rambling across the goal line from two yards out.
* Tipton football coach Tony Braby netted his 100th win with the Cardinals by knocking off Southern Boone (Ashland) 40-16. With the win, Braby runs his record at the school to 100-37.
MISSOURI FOOTBALL RANKINGS
(Record in parentheses, offensive and defensive scoring, previous ranking)
Note: This is the first week for the top 10
TOP 10
CLASS 6
Team
| Record
| Points scored
| Points allowed
| Last week
|
1. Hazelwood Central
| 1-0
| 20
| 19
| 1
|
2. Rockhurst
| 1-0
| 7
| 6
| 2
|
3. Blue Springs
| 0-1
| 6
| 7
| 3
|
4. DeSmet Jesuit
| 0-1
| 19
| 20
| 4
|
5. Jefferson City
| 1-0
| 41
| 10
| 5
|
6. Liberty
| 1-0
| 35
| 14
| 6
|
7. Blue Springs South
| 1-0
| 49
| 7
| 9
|
8. Howell (St. Charles)
| 1-0
| 58
| 16
| 7
|
9. St. Louis University
| 1-0
| 42
| 28
| -
|
10. Fort Zumwalt West (O'Fallon)
| 1-0
| 36
| 34
| -
|
CLASS 5
CLASS 4
CLASS 3
CLASS 2
CLASS 1
