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Sports At A Glance
By Warren Mayes
Basketball Player of the Year
 Parkway South's Ben Hoener enjoyed a terrific junior campaign. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 19.2 points and 5.9 assists per game. For his sensational season, Hoener recently earned the Player of the Year honor for the Suburban West Conference.
"It was a nice honor for Ben to receive, especially when considering all the other great players in the Suburban West Conference," Patriots Coach Mitch Stevens said. "I can't remember the last time South had a conference player of the year. He could be the first for South in the Suburban West." Parkway South went 27-3 this season, and Hoener was a part of the Patriots' success. That likely played into Hoener winning the award, Stevens said. "When teams are having strong seasons, individual players tend to get more recognition," Stevens said. "I think the fact that we went 27-3 on the year played a role in the matter. That's not to say that Ben is not one of the better players in the area or deserving of the award, but there are several players in the conference who had strong seasons as well." In the off-season, Hoener plays for the Gateway 17-and-under team. Stevens said the club is comprised of some of the best players in the area and is competitive on the national level. "It provides Ben with a chance at competing against some of the top talent around and provides some exposure for him," Stevens said. There is room for improvement in Hoener's game, Stevens said, who also added he is glad to have him back for another season.
"I hope that Ben will continue to improve his skills in and out of basketball," Stevens said. "Basketball will be in his future for many years to come, but he also has much to fall back on. He is a gifted human being who is capable of giving much back to humanity besides basketball heroics."
Track And Field
A star might have been born for the Eureka boys’ track and field team. The Wildcats showed how good they are when they won the boys’ division of Parkway Central's Henle Holmes Invitational. The Wildcats finished first with 92 points. University City came in second with 85 points. Host Parkway Central wound up with 80 points for third place, while Lafayette finished fourth with 76 points. "We were pleasantly surprised by winning," Eureka Coach Chadd Lamason said. "Going into the meet, we were hoping for fourth or fifth.” Eureka sophomore Walter Williams created a big impression in his first meet. He won the 100-meter dash in 11.1 seconds and then claimed the 200-meter dash in 22.7 seconds. "It was Walter's first actual competitive meet," Lamason said. "He is a sophomore, but he is very, very talented. He is the fastest sophomore I have coached in 14 years." The Wildcats’ strength was definitely in the sprints and sprint relays. The 4x100 relay team won with a time of 43.5 and included Jamell Marshall, Brad Fitzgerald, Earl Jackson and Williams. The 4x200 relay team won in 1:31.0 and included Tim Davis, Jackson, Fitzgerald and Williams. The sprint medley relay team won with a time of 3:39 and included Matt Huston, Cole Toti, Williams and Nathan LaVanchy. Other notable Wildcat performances included Fitzgerald finishing fourth in the 200.
"Brad ran a strong 200," Lamason said. "Nathan LaVanchy also ran some good 800 relay splits."
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In the annual Fred Lyon Invitational at Parkway North, the host Vikings did well with junior Jeremy Bankston winning first in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles with times of 14.8 and 39.6 seconds, respectively. Bankston went to state last year and finished sixth in the intermediate hurdles. "He has not set any school records as of yet," Parkway North Coach Kevin Kinney. "He really is a good hurdler and has improved his times throughout the season.” Senior discus thrower and Viking captain Matt Wisniewski took first place. Chuck and Kalaun Gray, Bankston and Mark Hayden also are team captains. "We have 83 athletes on our team with only seven of them being seniors," Kinney said. "We are very excited about our future. We have a great coaching staff with Jeff Kinney (sprints, hurdles and relays), Amy Price (jumps), Grant Kniffen (throws) and Rod Reed (pole vault). I am very proud of our program and the direction we are heading." The Lyon event is special for Parkway North.
"Fred Lyon ran the finest high school meet in the state of Missouri for a long time," Kinney said. "When he passed away in the early 1990s, the meet was dedicated to his memory and long contribution to track and field. We have some of the finest programs in St. Louis competing each year from the Suburban South, West, North and East and the GAC."
Boys’ Tennis
The annual ABC Conference Tournament was held recently at Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS). The host Rams won seven of the eight singles flights, including the top six. MICDS also won the first three doubles flights. MICDS scored 71.5 points to win the title. Westminster came in second with 53.5 points. Priory was third with 30.5 points. John Burroughs (29) and Principia (2.5) followed.
High School Golf
Defending Class 3 state champion Priory took another big step in its quest to return to state by winning the ABC League Tournament for the second consecutive year. Priory took first with a score of 301 at Old Warson Country Club. Westminster came in second at 317, followed by MICDS (353), Lutheran South (359), John Burroughs (405) and Lutheran North (409). "We felt that we had a good chance," Priory Coach Joe Genoni said. "But who knows on any given day? Westminster has a good team, and MICDS is also very capable of playing well." Priory's J.D. Sabio was the medalist with a 73. "It was his best round of the year," Genoni said. Priory's Michael Kleffner and Joe Stock were next with scores of 75 and 76, respectively. Sophomore Steve Thiessen tied for fourth with at 77.
"We came in first, second, third and tied for fourth, and Tim Finney was in the top 12 with a score of 82," Genoni said. "We have lots of good golfers in our league and in our district. It's always a challenge."
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Marquette won the big Fox Invitational at Union Hills. The team scores included Marquette (316), Parkway South (319), Lindbergh (334), Oakville (336), Seckman (342), Lafayette (347), Parkway Central (349), Webster Groves (351), Ladue (353), Mehlville (363), Summit (365), Parkway North (366), Windsor (367) and Fox (372). Top individual scores included Nick Langley, Parkway South (74); Bobby Mayer, Marquette (74); Mike Farris, Lindbergh (76); Danny Regan, Parkway South (79); Ryan Berra, Parkway Central (79); Nick Foscheim, Marquette (80); Keith Lee, Oakville (80); Warren Crow, Oakville (80); Tommie Wuenenberg, Lindbergh (81); and Nate Crylen, Marquette (81). "This tournament win was huge for our team," Marquette Coach Eric Schweain said. "We have the depth to win matches with our eight players (keeping the top six scores), but I was concerned with our tournament showings where you play five and keep four scores. This shows what we are capable of doing in a tournament setting on a tough course. That is a big ego boost." To own a victory in both a regular season dual match (249-251) and then head-to-head in a big tournament over Parkway South is a big step. "I love everything about Parkway South,” Schweain said. “(Parkway South Coach) Mark Wade has shown other newcomer coaches to the conference how it should be done. They always compete with class. Here he lost a major Division I athlete (Scott Langley) last year and they have just picked up where they left off. I also feel good about our boys. We, too, lost a large part of our district championship team of 2007 (Zach Glazer) and our kids have battled to fill the gap there as well." Schweain said Mayer played well. Mayer and Langley have been battling since last season.
"Bobby has been rock solid all year,” Schweain said. “He and Nate Crylen have battled for that No. 1 position. I am a firm believer in practice/match competition being the best recipe for success late in the season. Nate tied Langley last year in the conference tournament for the low round. They, too, had a play-off in which Langley eventually won."
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DeSmet won the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC) tournament with a score of 376. Chaminade came in second at 394, with Christian Brothers College (CBC) finishing third with 396 in the event held at Forest Park. The Spartans' Joe Migdal was the medalist with a 70.
Amateur Golf
The Country Club of St. Albans has been awarded the 2009 United States Golf Association (USGA) Men's State Team Championship. The national championship will be held Sept. 23-25, 2009, and will be held on the club's Lewis and Clark course. A total of 156 golfers will compete. "We are honored to have been selected as host for the 2009 USGA Men's State Team Championship," said David Pendy, general manager at The Country Club of St. Albans. "This is a fantastic opportunity to support amateur golf on a national scale." The USGA Men's State Team Championship grew out of the USGA’s 1995 centennial celebration. Held every two years, the championship brings together teams of three non-college amateur golfers from each state. "This outstanding golf course and other club facilities, coupled with the enthusiasm and hospitality of the members and club staff, gave the USGA confidence that St. Albans would be an outstanding venue for this national championship," said Glen D. Nager, a member of the USGA Executive Committee from Washington, D.C., and chairman of the USGA Men's State Team Championship. The Lewis and Clark course is one of two 18-hole championship golf courses at St. Albans. A traditional links course, the Lewis and Clark course features natural creeks and topography changes. The course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish, the design team behind many highly regarded golf courses across the country.
Kennedy star gets her kicks on soccer and football fields
By Warren Mayes
 Senior Kim McCune knows how to get her kicks at Kennedy High School.
McCune is the leading goal scorer for the Lady Celts soccer team. Last fall, she was the place kicker for the football team and booted two field goals and two extra points. Kennedy is playing well this spring and McCune is a big part of the team’s success. “We’re doing pretty well, and I’m having a lot of fun,” said McCune, who transferred to Kennedy during her sophomore year from St. Joseph’s Academy. “I like the girls I play with. We have a lot of fun together. I get to play a lot of different positions. That makes it fun for me.” Kennedy Coach Tom Rapp has McCune playing center/midfield along with some time at forward. He has also put her at stopper in the defense. “She is an intelligent, savvy, experienced player who is strong on the ball and has deceptively quick attacking skills,” Rapp said. “She’s good off the ball as well. She knows when and where to make runs. She has a tremendously natural strike on the ball. Her left foot is her dominant foot. She’s a pure hitter. She has good technique. She knows how to strike a ball. But she knows when and where to shoot, which, by definition, makes her very skillful.” McCune, 18, has played soccer since kindergarten. Starting when she was in fourth grade, McCune began play year-round. She has been with J.B. Marine for the past four years. McCune said she likes the passing game. “I like give and goes and making runs off the passes,” McCune said. “I’m not a natural goal scorer, but the girls I play with, I work real with them. I've played more forward this year so I’ve had more opportunities to score goals.” As a senior, McCune is one of the team leaders. It is a role she enjoys. “We have 10 seniors on the team, and I’m one of the four captains,” McCune said. “By playing midfield, I try to take control during the game. Sometimes I try to make suggestions and point stuff out to the other girls. I tend to be kind of quiet on the field sometimes, too. I’m more of an example on the field by my play rather than my talking.” Rapp agreed. “Her commitment to the game, her mates and her coach are a great example,” Rapp said. “She works hard when her mates make mistakes to help win back the ball. She’s a quiet but confident leader. She leads mainly by example, letting her play speak for herself.” McCune shows no fear on the soccer field, and that is how she got on the football team for the first time. “Our school doesn’t have a whole (lot) of guys,” McCune said. “I knew our kicker had graduated. I went to the coach and asked him if he wanted me to do the kicking. I tried out. Coach saw me play some soccer and he told me I was on the team. I thought it was pretty cool.” However, she did not realize all the equipment a football player has to wear. “I didn’t like all that stuff like the helmet and shoulder pads and everything,” McCune said. “It makes kicking a whole lot different from soccer.” Kennedy’s football team went 0-10 last fall, but McCune kicked both extra points after the only touchdowns the team scored. In two others game, she provided Kennedy with their only points by kicking 27-yard field goals in games against Lutheran South and St. Dominic. “Those were the only ones I got to kick,” McCune said. “We didn’t score a whole lot.” Rapp said he is not surprised she was able to succeed in football as a kicker. “She knows how to strike a ball,” Rapp said. “She has natural talent. She picked her parents well. She’s been well coached all her life and she's coachable.” She enjoys sports and spends most of her spare time playing. She likes being outside. McCune said she plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia and study journalism. Rapp said she will do well at the next level. She has a 3.8 grade point average (GPA) and ranks 14th in her class of 90 students.
“She’s an excellent student,” Rapp said. “She is conscientious, organized, meticulous in her work and very intelligent. She’s on the student newspaper, ‘The Torch.’ She’s a member of the National Honor Society. She worked our annual Open House, an important recruiting tool. She is a great ambassador for the school.”
Parkway Central girls’ track team wins own Henle Holmes Invitational - Colts earn two national qualifying times in relay events
By Warren Mayes
 The Parkway Central girls’ track and field team won their own Henle Holmes Invitational recently. The Colts took first place with 126 points to top a talent-laden field. That pleased coach Ryan Banta, who said the win was an important stepping-stone for his team.
"I think it is always huge to win at your only invitational,” Banta said. “It’s even sweeter to win your first. For all of these ladies, winning such an important meet like the Henle Holmes really drives the point home that we can be special if we continue to train smart and stay healthy." The girls were excited about the win, and Banta had to run to stay dry afterward as the girls wanted to dump the traditional water bucket on him. "It was an awesome experience,” Banta said. “The kids chased me around the track for what felt like another 4x400 to try and pour water on me. It was so much fun I couldn't have been happier for this group of kids." Other team scores included Ladue (122), Kirkwood (88.5), Eureka (78), Hazelwood West (72.5), Festus (68), Howell North (54), Fort Zumwalt West (51), Riverview (34), Parkway South (24.5), Howell (18.5), Burroughs (15), Ritenour (14) and Whitfield (1). The Colts had two national qualifying times in the distance medley (12 minutes, 22.61 seconds) and the sprint medley (1:49.06). The girls on the distance medley relay team included Diane Robison, Kathleen Thompson, Lauren Johnson and Miana Lee. Robison, the defending Class 4 state cross country champion, is a sophomore, while the rest of the girls are juniors. What excites Banta about them is not only their ability, but also their age. "These girls will all be back," Banta said. "That's very exciting, and I get really giddy just thinking about the future of our program." The sprint medley relay included Swayze Jackson, Raequel Jacobs, Lee and Johnson. "This was an awesome race, which Ladue High School pushed us all the way around the track to a school record, meet record and nationally-ranked time," Banta said. "Everyone was going crazy, and it had the feel of a European football game." Unfortunately for the Colts, these events are not run at the state track meet. "However, many of the kids have played with the idea of going to Nike nationals this summer and representing our state and our school," Banta said. "I hope they go. It would be great for them and be an eye-opening experience for all involved." Girls in events that are held at state also are doing well. Robison, who is not playing soccer this spring, won the 3,200-meter run in 11:08. That was just off her personal best for the spring. "Diane's best time this year is an 11:05," Banta said. "She has been training in practice at some very crazy performance levels. We just hope we can keep pushing the envelope just enough while not getting her legs run out from under her. She is a great talent and could be a national-caliber runner before she leaves Parkway Central." Robison is second in the area in the 3,200. Festus' Alysdsa Allison has clocked a 10:59 already this spring. The same girls are in the top two spots in the 1,600 as well. Allison has a 4:59.70 so far this spring, while Robison has turned in a personal best of 5:03.60. Other talented members of the team include sprinter Jackson and shot put thrower Ryan Richardson. Both of the girls are seniors. Richardson has a toss this spring of 41 feet to rank among the area's best. Jackson, a junior, is ranked seventh in the area in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.13 and fifth in the 200 with a time of 25.50. Lee, a junior sprinter, is a member of the 4x400 and 4x200 relay teams. Johnson, a junior, and Khadijah Beyah also are sprinters. "This by far is one of the top teams we have ever had," Banta said. "I just keep my fingers crossed (with some toes, too) that we can keep the wheels on the bus and stay healthy. It's neat to see how hard these young people have worked over the last year pay off with some super regular-season performances. When the season is over I would love for these kids to have made some great memories and history.” |
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