It was an up and down weekend, an emotional roller coaster, for sports fans in the area.
There were plenty of positives, particularly on the high school level.
A pair of junior running backs in the area, Washington’s Kyle Summers and Sullivan’s Justin Biermann, had football games to remember last Friday night.
Summers rushed for a school-record 300 yards on just 17 carries and scored three touchdowns against Ft. Zumwalt South.
Summers’ stats in the second half were 13 carries for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
“Kyle played like a mad man,” said Washington offensive tackle Jared Walde.
Yes, that’s a great way to put it. It got to the point in the second half where the FZS defenders really weren’t interested in trying to tackle Summers.
While Summers and the Blue Jays scored 50 points in the second half, Biermann and the Sullivan Eagles scored 47 points in the first half against Pacific.
Biermann scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one on a punt return, in the first quarter alone. He carried the ball seven times, and scored on four of them, finishing with for 121 yards.
Summers and Biermann both averaged an insane 17 yards per carry. The two players run with different styles. Summers is a bruiser. He’d prefer to run you over. Biermann seems to be one of those kids who does everything well; football, basketball, baseball, golf. He’s no doubt one of the area’s best athletes.
“Justin is a very versatile athlete,” said Sullivan Head Coach Pat Burke. “We like to use him at multiple positions.”
It was recently announced that Washington and Sullivan will meet on the football field in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Another great performance over the weekend was turned in by Washington softball player Courtney Kedroski, who hit three home runs against Hazelwood West during the Ft. Zumwalt North Tournament. She also shattered a car window with a foul ball Monday at Ft. Zumwalt North.
“It was the first three home run game I’ve seen in a softball game,” said Washington head Coach Phil King.
Also on the positive side of things is the way the Cardinals are playing down the stretch.
Fighting for that second wildcard spot, the Cardinals have won seven of their last eight games and own a 3 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee and Los Angeles with eight games left to play heading into Tuesday’s action.
Chris Carpenter is back, the offense is waking up. Bring on the Braves for that one-game wildcard playoff.
On the negative side of things, we have Mizzou and the Rams.
I wouldn’t consider the Rams to be a big negative. They are a much more competitive team than year’s past and the defense has improved.
The Rams have a rookie kicker from Missouri Western, Greg Zuerlein, who could probably kick the ball over the Arch if given the opportunity.
This column illustrates how important offensive linemen really are.
Summers and Biermann, both fine athletes, would be the first to say that their offensive linemen deserve much credit for their success.
The Rams and the Tigers could really use some offensive linemen.
Sam Bradford and James Franklin had a rough time over the weekend. There was no running game to speak of.
Heck, Green Bay all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked eight times in the first half Monday night at Seattle.
Even the greatest quarterbacks need their offensive linemen.
Instead of drafting rookie receiver Brian Quick with the 33rd pick of the draft, who was inactive Sunday at Chicago, perhaps the Rams should have looked at an offensive tackle.
The Rams’ three NFC West rivals, San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona, all have very strong defenses. That doesn’t add up well for the Rams offense.
How is everyone feeling about Mizzou’s chances in the SEC?
Like the Rams, Mizzou’s defense has been pretty good. But there’s not much offense. Has anyone seen DGB lately?
The Tigers are 0-2, but have lost to the two best teams in the SEC East, Georgia and South Carolina, both ranked in the top six in the country.
With the exception of Alabama on Oct. 13, the Tigers have winnable games coming up against Central Florida (non-conference), Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Mizzou needs to win at least two of those games or it will be a long first season in the SEC.
