Game Balls: Top performances from the week in high school sports

Deante Anderson

The son of Flyers track and field legend Detar Anderson, this Flyers standout was just one of many which shined as East St. Louis won the St. Clair County title last week. Anderson won the 400 meters in 48.80 seconds.

Rachel Anderson

The region’s top hitter with a .583 average paced the Tigers through a busy week. Anderson had one hit in a loss to Hardin-Calhoun Monday, but 7-for-13 with six RBIs, four runs scored and a home run in the next three games, all of the victories.

Addison Barnouski

The senior pitcher had two hits, an RBI and a run scored in the Panthers huge 2-1 win over Alton in a showdown of two of the top Southwestern Conference teams. But she dominated in the circle, allowing no earned runs on just two Redbird hits while striking out 12.

Grace Brauer

Brauer had seven goals in four games as the Lancers defeated Althoff and then went undefeated in the Adidas Tournament of Champions in Burlington, Iowa. Brauer, a sophomore, had one goal in a 5-1 victory over visiting Althoff on Wednesday. She then had all four of the Lancers’ goals in their 4-2 win over Eldridge North Scott on Friday in Iowa. She had one goal in a 2-1 victory over Cedarburg and another goal in a 2-1 triumph over Springfield. Both wins came Saturday in Iowa. Brauer has 19 goals and three assists for East, which improved to 13-6.

Keri Burmester

Burmester continues to respond well after a disappointing finish to her cross country season. The Musketeers senior won both the 1,600 and 3,200 meter events at the Monroe/Randolph County Track Meet. Burmester finished with a time of 5:24 in the 1,600 meters and 12:08 in the 3,200 meters.

Cole Cimarolli

The senior outfielder and Quincy University recruit was 6-for-10 (.600) in three Edwardsville wins last week with four doubles, a triple and seven RBIs. He continue to ignite big innings for the Tigers, hitting .365 this season with a team-leading 11 doubles along with 14 RBIs and 23 runs scored.

A.J. Epenesa

Epenesa continued his remarkable season by winning the shot put and discus titles at the Madison County Meet at Edwardsville High School. Epenesa had a winning toss of 191 feet in the discus and 56 feet 4 inches in the shot put.

Bradley Harrison

Harrison has his own locker among the weekly “Top Performers” list this spring and proved why again Thursday, shutting out Alton for the second time this season. It was a three-hitter as the Southern Illinois University Carbondale recruit pushed his record to a St. Louis-area leading 8-0 while lowering his ERA to 0.26. He also shut out Alton 5-0 on two hits on March 29. Harrison also leads the St. Louis area with 76 strikeouts in 53 innins and tops the Panthers in doubles (eight), home runs (two) and RBIs (20) while hitting .359.

Mariya Hudson

Hudson put on another impressive performance as she helped the Comanches place third at the St. Clair County Championship at East St. Louis last week. The defending Class 2A state champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, Hudson breezed to wins n all three at Clyde Jordan Stadioum.

Cal Kossina

In two victories last week over Belleville East and Highland last week, the senior Southwestern Illinois College recruit jumped his average to an area-leading .603 by going 6-for-8 with four RBIs. He also reached 100 career hits. Kossina, hitting .603 with 20 RBIs, also shut down Highland on three hits in a complete-game pitching performance, striking out five.

Jordan McFarland

McFarland continues to terrorize opposing pitching while his stock continues to rise as a potential Major League Draft pick. The Arkansas recruit rang up a .700 average last week in three games (7-for-10) with a double and four RBIs. McFarland leads the Bulldogs with a .587 average that includes four homers and 20 RBIs, but also a team-leading 24 stolen bases.

Greysan Moehrs

Moehrs was at his best last week as he helped the Bulldogs win the Monroe/Randolph County Bi-County Track Meet. Moehrs won the his specialty — the 110 meter hurdles — in 15.9 seconds — and the 300 meter hurdles title in 40.75 seconds for Waterloo which swept the boys and girls competitions.

Mark Nappier

The senior headed to SWIC banged out three home runs and collected nine RBIs in five games last week during a hot streak that saw Nappier hit .428 (6-for-14) with two doubles. Nappier leads the Pirates in hitting at .451, leads all of St. Louis with 40 RBIs and ranks second in the region with seven home runs. He had the game-winning bomb against Gibault and had two homers against Class 4A Alton.

Miranda Schulte

The sophomore led the Midgets to a key 2-0 win over New Athens Thursday. Schulte drove in a run with a hit, the pitched seven full innings, shutting out the Yellow Jackets on two hits while striking out 10. The next day in Lebanon, she was 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs.

Tyler Stamer

Stamer recently committed to McHenry Community College in northern Illinois and flexed his muscles last week by collecting seven RBIs on four hits in three games last week for the Tigers. Stamer is hitting .358 and leads Edwardsville in home runs (five) and RBIs (27).

Ja’Mari Ward/Anthony McRoberts

Simply one of the best in the nation, Ward was at his very best at the St. Clair County Meet last week at Belleville West. Ward set a new National Federation of State High School Association mark in the triple jump with an effort of 53 feet 7 1/2 inches and also broke the state mark in the long jump with an effort of 25 feet 6 3/4 inches. McRoberts, making his first outdoors appearance of the season won the hgh jump with an effort of 6 feet 9 inches.

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 11:57 AM with the headline "Game Balls: Top performances from the week in high school sports."