A regular feature we will have every week on The Morning Prep is a quick look at some of the juicy matchups coming up between teams in the Missouri statewide media football poll.
Unfortunately, nary a Class 6 top 10 team is facing another ranked opponent this week, but, oh, is there a good one brewing in Class 5.
And lucky for us, it's a local matchup as No. 4 Kirkwood (4-0) pays a visit to No. 5 Parkway Central in a Suburban South Conference game.
In Class 4, No. 3 Bolivar (5-0) will put its perfect mark on the line when the No. 5 team in Class 3, Springfield Catholic (4-1) comes calling.
The No. 3 team in Class 3 will also be tested by a ranked team one class below it, as Cassville (5-0) welcomes in Class 2 No. 3 Lamar (5-0).
Elsewhere in Class 2, second-ranked Hamilton will play host to the ninth-ranked team in Class 1, South Harrison (4-1).
And the top of Class 1 is chock full of intrigue, as top-ranked Concordia (5-0) will play at No. 2 Wellington-Napoleon (5-0) and No. 4 Valle Catholic (4-1) will take on No. 5 Westran (5-0) in a game that will be played Saturday at Borgia.
A STANDOUT FOR ALL SEASONS
There hasn't been a high school sports season that Lauren Fussell hasn't seen the varsity field.
The Oakville senior has played up with the big club in softball, basketball and soccer for each of her four years at the school.
As Jim Faasen shows us, Fussell is closing in on becoming the first girl in school history to earn 12 varsity letters.
STAND UP AND TAKE A BOW
Our weekly glance at the seven STLhighschoolsports.com Athletes of the Week is up and running and is definitely worth a look.
Among the honorees this week is a Troy softball standout headed to Mizzou, the winner from the recent Missouri-Illinois River Challenge girls golf meet and a pair of football standouts, including the engineer of arguably the best offense on this side of the state.
WEDNESDAY REWIND
• Girls golf district tournaments were in full swing Wednesday across Missouri and we hit a pair of good ones on the area scene. In the Class 1 District 1 tournament, Jordan Wolf and her Westminster Wildcats were dominant. Meanwhile in Class 2 District 2, Ursuline won the team title and Nerinx Hall's Colleen Garvey was the top medalist. You can check out all the area girls golf district results here.
• The Triad Invitational cross country meet produced an upset on the girls side when Althoff's Savannah Ames knocked off defending Class 1A champion Kristen Busch of Freeburg, while the boys race was won by Mascoutah's Murphy Affolder, stiff back and all.
• In boys soccer action, the Parkway Central defense recorded its sixth straight shutout in a 1-0 blanking of Webster Groves in a matchup of two of the hotter teams in the Suburban South Conference.
• Eighth-ranked large-schools volleyball team Oakville recently registered an upset of Lafayette to knock the Lancers from the No. 2 spot. The Tigers tried to do the same to new No. 2 Francis Howell, but the Vikings would have none of it in a two-game sweep.
ON THE TOWN, THURSDAY STYLE
Two more days until the Cardinals' playoff series starts this weekend, so we'll help keep you occupied with some great high school game coverage. Readers can come back to the site late Thursday to catch up on all the game action. Here's what we're covering.
• The Gateway City Soccer Classic begins today and we'll bring you got a couple dandy matchups. One of the games features a pair of teams in the ESPN Rise Fab 50, as No. 9 Cherry Creek (Colo.) visits No. 49 SLUH (9-2-1) at 3:30. Meanwhile, Sacramento Jesuit just fell from No. 1 to No. 3 nationally after a 1-1 draw halted a 71-game winning streak, and the Marauders will play at Chaminade (7-3-1) at 4:30.
• In more soccer action, Columbia (10-1-1, No. 2 small schools) will square off against Alton Marquette (6-6-1) in a 4:30 contest at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.
• A battle for Wentzville bragging rights will be on the line when the softball teams from Timberland (10-6) and Holt (18-2, No. 4 large schools) do battle at 4:15 at Holt.
• Southwestern Conference rivals will get together on the volleyball court when Collinsville (6-10) pays a visit to Edwardsville (15-3, No. 4 large schools). First serve is 6:15.
THE VIEW FROM ELSEWHERE
• Ranking high school football teams can be a tricky proposition, as the Springfield News-Leader's Matt Schoch explains in his latest column.
• Peter Plakorus had an offseason transfer from Fulton to Hickman and the junior soccer player is starting to feel more comfortable with his new surroundings, writes Nicholas Sullivan of the Columbia Missourian. Plakorus plays for a club team based in St. Louis and will be in town with the Kewpies this weekend for the Gateway City Soccer Classic.
• A trio of Southwestern Conference girls golf teams will play in the Springfield Regional on Oct. 5. When they do, they will have to contend with this undefeated (in match play) buzzsaw from Sacred Heart-Griffin.
