November 14, Quarterfinal Recap Blog #10
by Admin on 11/14/23
November 14, Boys Postseason Blog #10
Quarterfinals complete…Final Four weekend ahead!
A great Saturday across MO has brought it all down to one weekend and big hopes for the eight survivors, which included a fun run for teams ranked 16th as three of the state’s #16 ranked squads advanced and the other had a near miss.
A quick recap today and then on Thursday we will release a specific Final Four preview edition.
Class 1
The top three teams based on MPR all advanced, but only the top team team cruised Saturday, leading to a tense day in the state’s smallest class. #1 Bishop DuBourg pulled away from #4 Metro 4-0 at DuBourg and will enter this weekend as the team to beat. BDB finished third last season and has taken out the #4 and #5 teams in consecutive games. #2 Duchesne had all it could handle at home with #6 Father Tolton before scoring midway through the first OT to advance to its first semi since 2007. #3 Maryville made the nearly four-hour trip to Carl Junction a worthwhile one, but it wasn’t easy against #12 College Heights. CH, making its first postseason appearance since 2004, scored first early in the second half, but the Spoofhounds rallied with two goals inside a minute apart a short time later and held on for a 2-1 win. Maryville returns for the first time since 2021’s third place squad. In Stover, #16 Laquey broke through in its seventh attempt at a postseason win, getting an OT goal to eliminate #19 Stover, who was making its first postseason appearance.
Class 2
All three of the top remaining seeds punched a ticket to the final four with convincing wins Saturday, but it was #16 Excelsior Springs’ 3-1 win over #6 Harrisonville that provided the big story of the day. ES won its third straight over the Wildcats, with the last two being 3-1 playoff wins, and advanced to its third consecutive final four where it has back-to-back third places. #1 Westminster Christian took a 2-0 halftime lead and rode its defense to a shutout win over the high-scoring Cougars at Affton. WC advanced to its first final four. #2 Logan-Rogersville will also debut in a final four Friday after a convincing 3-0 win over #10 Sacred Heart in Rogersville. The Wildcats join C4 Rockhurst as one of two undefeated squads in St. Louis. Last year’s runner-up, #4 Orchard Farm, had no problems with #20 Fulton, scoring four in each half for a mercy-rule win. OF has finished second twice in its two appearances (2020, 2022).
Class 3
A Friday night showdown between #1 Rockwood Summit and #3 East (KC) looms after each advanced with three-goal wins. Summit trailed early at #22 Farmington, but poured it on from there, winning 4-1. East took the opposite approach, rolling out to a 4-1 lead over rival #4 Van Horn, before finishing a 5-2 win. East was the C3 runner-up last year, while Summit returns for the first time since winning in 2019. The other side of the bracket has plenty of intrigue as well, with #16 Ladue continuing its unlikely run after topping #21 Ft. Zumwalt South 1-0 on a late second-half goal.The Rams will play #8 Springfield Catholic, 4-0 winners over upstart Springfield Central. The Irish led 1-0 at half, and after a near Central miss, scored on a counter shortly after before two late goals finished the deal. SC hasn’t been to a final four since 2014 (the last of seven in a row that included 2011 and 2012 titles in the small classes), while Ladue is two years removed from finishing second in C3.
Class 4
As expected with eight quality sides remaining in C4, Saturday was going to be a grind for anyone who advanced. #1 Rockhurst took down another difficult challenger - this time #11 Ozark on the road. The Hawklets got out to a 2-0 lead before surviving an Ozark goal and final push to remain undefeated and on target for its third consecutive C4 title. #13 John Burroughs is up next after the Bombers clawed past #8 Liberty (Wentzville) 2-1 on the strength of a late header off a corner. Liberty played a good portion of the match with 10 men after losing its GK to a “last man” (DOGSO) foul that resulted in a 1-0 JB lead on a penalty. The Eagles equalized in the 52nd on a free kick strike, but couldn’t find another in the final moments. The Rockhurst (9)/John Burroughs (4) semi will feature teams that have won a combined 13 state titles. Easily one of the best performances of the day goes to #9 Lindbergh who pulled away from #3 and last year’s finalist CBC 3-0. The Flyers return for the first time since 2019 and will play #5 Park Hill South. The Panthers took out host #16 Rock Bridge (last year’s third place finisher) 2-0 and advance to their first final four as a C4 school. PHS went to back-to-back 1A-3A final fours in its first two years (1998-99), but hasn’t returned.
Previews of the weekend matches to come Thursday!
