Schools
Football Preview: Parkway Central Gets Ready To Host Kirkwood
A week five battle of unbeaten teams includes two of the best wide receivers in St. Louis.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – PREP FOOTBALL GAME PREVIEW
Kirkwood Pioneers (4-0) vs. Parkway Central Colts (5-0)
Friday, September 30, 2011 – 7 p.m. – PCH Stadium
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Two teams considered among the best in the state will meet in what might be the best prep football matchup in the state this weekend, when the Kirkwood Pioneers travel to PCH Stadium to take on the Parkway Central Colts.
Visiting Kirkwood maintained its hold on the No. 4 slot in the statewide Class 5 rankings, after while Parkway Central remained at No. 5 in the poll after it as well.
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Both teams have fine defenses, with Central, which is led by defensive line studs Jonathan Bonner (5 QB sacks) and Spencer Horwitz ( 4 QB sacks), and has allowed just 8.8 points a game.
But Kirkwood has been even better, allowing just 14 points all season, and an area-best 3.5 points a game.
The Pioneer “D” is led by senior linebacker Clayton Burnett (7 tackles-for-loss and 4 sacsk) and play-making junior safety J.J. Jones (16 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 defensive touchdown).
But the star players on both teams are its ESPN All-American candidate wide receivers Brandon Sheperd of Parkway Central and Mike McHugh of Kirkwood.
Both players are headed to Division I colleges next season, with McHugh already giving a verbal commitment to Northwestern, and Sheperd, who many consider the second-best wideout recruit in the state behind No. 1 national recruit Dorian Green-Beckham (Springfield Hillcrest), recently narrowed his possible choices to Mizzou or Oklahoma St.
This season, both Sheperd and McHugh have been like human highlight reels for their respective teams.
Sheperd ranks among the area leaders with 671 all-purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns, while McHugh is the area leader with an incredible 34.9 yards per catch average and nine touchdowns.
Both players also play both ways for their teams, so fans can legitimately expect to see them defending each other on nearly every play, regardless of which team has the ball.
College scouts and recruiters from all over the country are expected to be in attendance Friday night to see McHugh and Sheperd battle it out on the field.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at PCH Stadium, and please stay tuned in to Patch.com late Friday night and early Saturday morning, for full coverage of the tremendous football showdown between No. 4 Kirkwood and No. 5 Parkway Central.