Surging Central ready for Napovanice, Mater Dei in Breese’s annual Milk Bowl battle
Mater Dei football coach Jim Stiebel knows all about rivalries.
As an all-time great at Althoff, Stiebel was part of the Crusaders’s annual bragging rights battled against Belleville West.
But being part of the annual Milk Bowl game in Breese takes city rivalry to a whole different level.
“It’s different because you may have family members, grandmothers, cousins, uncles, aunts who live in the same town but support different teams,’’ Stiebel said. “It’s a big game in Breese.’’
Looking to win their fourth game in a row, the Knights (3-1) will be out to capture the prized Milk Bowl for a third straight year Friday when they host Central (2-2) beginning at 7 p.m.
Mater Dei owns a 34-10 advantage in the Milk Bowl rivalry.
Receiving votes in the Class 3A state poll for the second straight week, Mater Dei has rebounded nicely after a season-opening loss to Effingham. Led by another brilliant effort by senior running back Zach Napovanice, the Knights posted a big win on the road a week ago, defeating Freeburg 25-14.
Napovanice leads the entire St. Louis area with 14 touchdowns through the first four weeks and is tied for the most points with 88.
Bothered the first two weeks by injuries to key players, Central has rebounded with two straight wins to get back into the playoff hunt. The Cougars, with three touchdowns and 250 yards rushing from Tyler Huegen, defeated Carlyle 38-0 a week ago.
Central coach Brian Short said he has been pleased with how his team has come back from the 0-2 start. But he knows slowing down Napovanice and the Knights offense will be no easy feat.
“Napovanice is a very talented, multi-purpose back. He does a great job in the run game and is lethal running routes out of the backfield,” Short said. “We are going to have to know where he is at all times on the field.”
The Cougars’ surge is owed, in part to the health of experienced team leaders.
“At one point in each of the first two games, we only had one senior on the field. It’s tough to win ball games in those situations,” he said. “Along with health, our younger guys are gaining experience with each game and getting better on a weekly basis.’’
For Mater Dei the key the last three weeks has been cutting down on mistakes, according to Stiebel.
“We’ve done a good job the last two games of not making as many mistakes. We haven’t had an as many turnovers or halves where we’ve had 10 penalties,’’ Stiebel said. “Central is a good football team. They had some injuries early, a couple at key positions. But they’ve played well the last two weeks.
“They are big and they’ve got some speed. “
Two streaks, different directions
Two three-game streaks, one winning and the other losing will be on the line Friday when O’Fallon travels to Belleville West to take on the Maroons.
O’Fallon (3-1) has rebounded under first-year coach Byron Gettis after finishing 1-8 in 2018. Led by running back Mason Blakemore (920 yards, 13 TDs), the Panthers ran their winning streak to three last week with a 28-27 overtime win over Belleville East.
Still with games remaining with Edwardsville and Missouri power Christian Brothers College Prep (Mo.), Belleville West (1-3) heads into its home game in a must win situation as it attempts to qualify for an eighth straight IHSA playoff berth. After rolling past Riverview Gardens 40-2 in week one, the Maroons have been outscored 121-46.
Undefeated Columbia and Triad
Averaging over 40 points in recording three straight wins in the road, the undefeated Triad Knights return home for the first time in a month when they host Jerseyville (1-3) in a Mississippi Valley Conference game.
Triad, which opened MVC play last week with 44-14 win at Civic Memorial, faces showdowns the next two weeks at Mascoutah (Oct. 4) and on Oct. 11 when it hosts rival Highland.
Columbia, ranked seventh in the Class 4A hasn’t been pushed the first four weeks, outscoring its opponents 156-20. The Eagles travel to winless Carlyle (0-4) this week, but will be tested Oct. 4 at Freeburg and on Oc.t. 11 when it hosts Central.
Flyers look to extend SWC streak
The East St. Louis Flyers look to extend the extend their Southwestern Conference winning streak to 22 straight on Friday when they travel to Alton to take on the (2-2) Redbirds.
Undefeated in SWC play since the 2015 season, East St. Louis won its SWC a week ago, squashing Belleville West, 53-0. The Flyers (4-0) are the unanimous No. 1 Class 5A ranked team in the state and have outscored their four opponent 166-65.
In search of win No. 1
Carlyle is one of the four metro-east area teams hoping to claim their first win as the 2019 high school season reaches week five. Belleville East (0-4), which is honoring its undefeated team of 1969 on Friday, will play Edwardsville (3-1), while former Southwestern Conference football rival Collinsville (0-4) is playing at Lincoln.
Madison (0-4) is on the road at Nokomis.