Who’s Heading To Fenton With Bolivar, Catholic And SGFsoccer?

Time for the annual round up of articles I’ve uncovered for you in anticipation of this years games. First, congratulations to the Bolivar Liberators who return to the Final 4 for the first time in a decade, and to the Springfield Catholic boys who are making their second straight trip. A shout out to our Central Missouri compatriots as well, as Jeff City Helias Crusaders and the Columbia Hickman Kewpies compete this weekend as well.

Follow my game reports on Twitter if you are unable to attend, MSHSAA is offering live video streaming of the Championship games only. You can find more information at MSHSAA.TV

I’ll update this report as additional stories are identified for your edification. Check back later!

Class 1
12:00 – Class 1 Semifinal: SGF Catholic vs JF Kennedy
14:00 – Class 1 Semifinal: Whitfield vs St Pius X (KC)

Kennedy – Rapp, who coached Kennedy to the Class 1A-3A championship in 1986, knew the Celts would be in position to compete for a state title a year ago when his program was moved from Class 2. But the Celts were upset in districts and finished 18-6-2.

Up top, Kennedy is led by senior Tony Luedecke (school-record 26 goals, 11 assists) and sophomore Danny McCune (16 goals, 13 assists). Midfield leaders are senior Blake Ficken (seven goals, nine assists), junior Jorge Ramos (seven goals, eight assists) and junior John Gaal, a transfer from SLUH who has provided some much-needed stability.

Whitfield – After being bumped off in a district final by eventual state champion John Burroughs a year ago, Whitfield returns for its seventh state trip this decade. Since the shift to three classes in 2002, the Warriors have dominated Class 1 by winning titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 and finishing second in 2005. Whitfield also finished second in 1999, when there were just two classifications.

This year’s team is led by a core group of seniors that includes goalkeeper Parker Spann (nine shutouts) as well as Kory Clawson (16 goals, nine assists), Martin Tobias (three goals, seven assists) and Matt Chabot (eight goals, two assists).

St Pius X – “We knew they were a strong young team that plays good fundamental soccer,” St. Pius coach Todd Ashby said of Sacred Heart (Quarterfinal opponents). “The thing that helped us for the most part is we controlled the tempo of the game.” Ashby said the Warriors, 22-5, will need to do the same thing against Whitfield, 13-7-2.

Regardless, he expects his team, which was fourth last season (losing to Springfield Catholic) , to have a better showing. “Last year, it kind of hit them that they were on a big stage,” he said. “But now we can say we’ve been here before.”

Class 2
11:00 – Class 2 Semifinal: Bolivar vs Cape Notre Dame
13:00 – Class 2 Semifinal: St Dominic vs Jeff City Helias

Bolivar Liberators – Coach Steve Fast’s Liberators defeated Pembroke Hill 2-1 in a Class 2 quarterfinal marathon Thursday at Harrisonville. That put Bolivar in the state final four for the third time. The Liberators previously took fourth place in 1998 and 1999.

“I want to thank my players for their work ethic and their desire to never give up. I can’t think of a better way for the winningest senior class in Bolivar soccer history to finish up their careers than in St. Louis.”

Cape Notre Dame Bulldogs – Notre Dame’s season came close to ending in every postseason game this year with three overtime games to open the playoffs. The Bulldogs then trailed twice against Bishop DuBourg in the state quarterfinals.

“We’ve had so many times where we’ve been down and came back, it’s kind of our thing,” Huber said.

The Bulldogs offer two reasons for remaining calm in close games. Their first explanation is that the team has been in close games all season. The second reason is the senior leadership on the team won’t allow the younger players to freak out when the Bulldogs fall behind.

Jeff City Helias Crusaders – nothing from the JC papers yet. I can tell you one thing, the Crusader’s did something not too many teams did this year and that is they beat the Camdenton Lakers 2-1, in OT on Aug 31st.

St Dominic Crusaders – As he prepares his team to defend its Class 2 soccer title this weekend at Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, St. Dominic coach Greg Koeller is not overly concerned about Helias, Cape Girardeau Notre Dame or Bolivar. In last year’s championship match, St. Dominic came from behind to beat Helias 2-1.

“I think our guys are excited to face Helias again,” Koeller said. “It was a good game last year and we’d expect the same this time around.”

Class 3
17:00 – Class 3 Semifinal: CBC vs Hickman
19:00 – Class 3 Semifinal: SLUH vs Park Hill

Park Hill Trojans – This year’s Trojans squad was greeted at practice earlier in the week by members of the 1993 team who, according to Sollars, shared stories of their magical run and of how they are still talked about 16 years later.

“Anytime you’re trying to match up with history, it gives us a little something extra (to play for),” Sollars said. “It’s a pretty good motivator when you’re playing for a spot in the history books. We just have a special team with a bunch of guys who want to play for each other, and that’s very rare.”

Hickman Kewpies – Taylor puts Kewpies at ease, Coaching change allowed Hickman to relax en route to state semifinals.

“Whenever we’re not doing something right, he doesn’t pull us out for the rest of the game or anything,” Cox said. “He tells us what we have to do, and we try to do it to the best of our ability.”

“I think we had it all along but weren’t able to put it together,” Janicek said. “He ultimately helped us pick up our heads and play together more.”

Coach has a story — another one from his own trip to the state semifinals. You see, he was a freshman on the last Hickman team, in 1999, to advance to St. Louis. A few years later, his playing days were cut short when he injured his knee as a senior. He understands how fleeting one’s glory days can be and thus wants this footloose group of kids to realize that this is more than just “good stuff.”

“I’m always giving them a story, whether it’s motivational or humorous, just to understand how special this is,” Taylor said. “I want them to realize that these are memories that will last the rest of their lives.”