After guiding Hazelwood East (St. Louis) to a 17-8 record collectively in 2008 and 2009, Mike Jones stepped down in January to accept a position coaching linebackers at Southern University in Louisiana.
Brian Simmons, the former head football coach at Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis), is set to replace Jones. Jones led the Spartans to the 2008 Class 5 state football title.
"Hazelwood East is excited about getting an outstanding football coach such as Brian Simmons. We look forward to continuing the winning tradition that has been established over the past 30 years," Hazelwood East activities director Larry Cunningham said in a story posted on the school district’s website.
Simmons began his prep career as an assistant coach at Pattonville, where he helped lead the Pirates to the 2000 Class 5A state championship game. After 10 seasons at the Suburban North School, Simmons took an assistant coaching position at Hazelwood Central, where he helped guide the Hawks to the 2005 Class 6 championship game.
Simmons posted a 25-11 record over the past three seasons at Cardinal Ritter and guided the Lions to back-to-back Archdiocesan Athletic Association titles and to the 2008 Class 3 Show-Me Showdown championship game.
Change of mind
After becoming Turner Gill’s first recruit at Kansas, Blue Springs running back Darrian Miller has recently withdrawn his name from the commitment list of the Big 12 North school.
Miller led the Wildcats to the 2009 Class 6 championship game by rushing for 2,798 yards and 37 touchdowns on 309 carries. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound junior also caught 24 balls for 375 yards and three touchdowns during his junior season.
A 2009 first-team Missouri Football Coaches Association all-state running back, Miller carried the ball 36 times for 181 yards and had a three-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring in the 35-24 championship loss to Hazelwood Central.
Miller’s decommitment reopens the doors for Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota and Wisconsin to claim his services. The Jayhawks and other interested schools are still in the running as well.
Suntrup commits to B.C.
Following his gut last Friday, Chaminade quarterback Christian Suntrup committed to playing football at Boston College.
"It really just felt right," Suntrup told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. "I went up there for the spring game and it felt right from the start. Ever since I went up there I’ve stayed in contact with the coaches."
Suntrup led the Red Devils to a 9-4 record and the Class 5 quarterfinals a year ago before falling to eventual state champion Webster Groves 34-29. The five-point Chaminade loss was the narrowest win for the champions during the 2009 postseason. Suntrup completed 98 of 181 aerials a year ago for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he has thrown for 3,212 yards in his first three high school seasons.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior-to-be received offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Stanford as well.
Vollmer, Taff strike gold
Lindsay Vollmer took back a little piece of what once belonged to her at last weekend’s Missouri Class 2 girls state track and field meet at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City. Then she made history.
The Penney junior hurdle and jumping phenom became just the 14th Class 2 girl to win four gold medals at one state track and field meet, and carried the Hornets to the school’s fourth straight girls Class 2 state title.
"It was really special," Vollmer told the St. Joseph News-Press. "I’ve been wanting to do this all three years of high school, just gunning for it. I was just feeling it this year."
Friday, Vollmer took gold in the high jump by outlasting Orchard Farm senior Rosemary Semke with a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches. Semke cleared the height of 5-5 to get the silver medal.
Then on Saturday, Vollmer won the long jump with a leap of 17-6 1/2, and won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles with times of 14.16 and a state meet-record 43.68 seconds, respectively.
Vollmer nearly completed the sweep during her freshman season, winning gold in the high jump (5-4), long jump (18-7 1/4) and the 300 hurdles (44.08), while finishing second to Crystal City’s Precious Selmon in the 100 hurdles (14.61).
In the process, the eight-time gold medal winner broke Audrey Bailey’s (Lathrop) 2004 300 hurdle record of 44.56 seconds and shattered Ameka Hannon’s 1982 long jump mark of 18-2.
Last year, however, Vollmer finished second to Selmon in the long jump and the 100 and 300 hurdles, but won the high jump with a near record leap of 5-7. Selmon broke Vollmer
’s state meet marks in the long jump (19-3 1/4) and 300 hurdles (43.82) during her four-gold medal run in 2009.
Now that Vollmer has sole possession of the 300 hurdle record again, she has her sights set on claiming state meet bests in her other events. Selmon owns the state meet record in the 100 hurdles (13.90), while Lutheran South
’s Jana Tillman established the high jump mark of 5-7 1/2 in 1997.
Taff sweeps gold, too
Alexa Taff made her way to the top of the gold medal platform four times Saturday. The St. Joseph Christian sophomore did her damage in the Class 1 girls sprints. Taff won individual golds in the 100 (12.57), 200 (26.36) and 400 meter (59.02) races, and ran anchor on the 4-by-200 relay (1:50.65) champion.
The seven-time gold medal winner had to put her rally cap on in both the 400 and the relay to secure victory. When Taff took the baton in the relay, the Lions were sitting third, but Taff quickly made up the difference. In the 400, Taff caught Slater
’s Ana Jackson down the stretch.
Other multiple winners
Princeton
’s Blake Goodin scored the majority of the Tigers’ sixth-place point total of 34 by out running the competition in the Class 1 boys 800 (1:59.98), 1,600 (4:34.25) and 3,200 meters (10:02.39).
Jasper finished second in the Class 1 boys standings thanks in large part to Jeff Piepenbrink
’s triple-gold performance. The Eagle raced ahead of the pack in the 110 (14.86) and 300 hurdles (39.87) and cleared 13-0 in the pole vault for gold.
Christian Brune was one of the key contributors of points as Fatima found itself in fifth place with 36 1/4 points at the conclusion of the Class 2 boys state meet. Brune took gold in the 100 (11.02) and 200 (22.23).
College Heights
’ Caleb Hoover proved unbeatable in the distance events at the Class 2 boys meet, out-running the competition in the 1,600 (4:19.47) and 3,200 (9:35.40). The Cougars finished third with 50 points.
Nic Ford, of Centralia, swept the 110 (14.36) and 300 hurdles (38.15) to lead the Panthers to a Class 2 boys fourth-place point total of 43.
Bryce Enyard took to the air in leading Westran to an eighth-place finish in the Class 2 boys standings. Enyard snagged gold in the high jump (6-5) and the triple jump (45-4).
Record breakers
Maplewood-Richmond Heights relied on an outstanding relay effort in racking up a first-place total of 75 1/4 points in the Class 2 boys standings. In the process, the Blue Devils 4-by-200 meter relay clocked in at a state meet-record 1:28.98 in the prelims to upend Lutheran North
’s 2001 mark of 1:29.60 in the event. Then Richmond Heights turned around and knocked off it’s new standard with a 1:28.27 clocking in the finals. The Blue Devil 4-by-400 relay also set a record, replacing Cardinal Ritter’s 2001 mark of 3:23.17 with a 3:23.00 time of its own.
Mackenzie Weis of Midway broke former Stoutland distance runner Jamie Vest
’s 2003 state meet record time of 11:32.87 in the 3,200 meters by turning in an 11:30.58 clocking of her own. The Vikings finished the Class 1 meet as the girls runner-up with 51 1/2 points.
Team standings
Class 1 Boys
Wellington-Napoleon, 42; Jasper, 39; New Covenant Academy, 37; Chamois, 36; Stanberry, 35; Princeton, 34; Orrick, 29; Concordia, 27; King City, 25; Worth County, 24 1/2.
Class 2 Boys
Maplewood-Richmond Heights, 75 1/4; Principia, 53; College Heights Christian, 50; Centralia, 43; Fatima, 36 1/4; Penney, 34; Valle Catholic, 30; Westran, 25; Strafford, 24; Hogan Prep, 21; Fair Grove, 21.
Class 1 Girls
Mound City, 55; Midway, 51 1/2; Chaffee, 40; St. Joseph Christian, 40; Liberal, 37; Albany, 32; Slater, 30; Northeast Nodaway, 27; La Plata, 24; DeKalb, 23.
Class 2 Girls
Penney, 61; Elsberry, 36; Conway, 27; Louisiana, 26; Lathrop, 25; Monroe City, 25; Fatima, 25; Stockton, 22; Linn, 22; Blair Oaks, 19.
