Notebook: MRH Takes Aim at Third Straight Track Title

As the high school spring sports season begins to wind down and we enter postseason competition in each of the spring sports, we’re giving fans and supporters of area teams an update.

Here is a recap of what went down last week and a brief look at what is coming up for area teams:

MAPLEWOOD-RICHMOND HEIGHTS

The two-time defending state champion MRH boys track team put itself in position to make it three in a row at Principia High on Saturday.

The Blue Devils won nine of the meet’s 18 events and took second place in five others to score a whopping 146 team points. They easily outdistanced second-place finisher Scott City, which scored 89 points.

The big winners of the day for MRH were seniors Nick Coulter and Marcus Taylor.

Coulter won three individual events, including the long jump, triple jump and 300-meter hurdles, while Taylor finished first in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes.

Another senior standout, Marcus Daily, won the shot put while Cortez Cooper, yet another MRH senior, took second in the long jump and third in the triple jump.

The Blue Devils also swept the three sprint relay races—the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. MRH is considered a strong contender to win another state championship in Jefferson City this weekend.

The MRH girls track team also did well at sectionals. The Blue Devils finished sixth and qualified for state in six events.

Brittney Bell will compete for a state title in the discus throw, while Brandi Allen will do the same in the shot put. Essence Brewer qualified for state in two events, the 100 and 200, and will also run on MRH’s state-qualifying 4x100 and 4x200 teams.

The MRH baseball team ended its five-game losing streak last week, winning three games to end the regular season.

One of those victories was a record-setting 32-6 victory over Crossroads College Prep on Wednesday. In that contest, Kevin Sapp had four hits and seven runs batted in, while Kashon Hagens and Brad Swedlund added five RBI apiece.

But the big news was the successful appearance of female ballplayer Mariah Russell, who drew a walk, drove in a run and also scored a run against Crossroads. It is believed that Russell’s three accomplishments—successfully reaching base, driving in a run and scoring a run—are each firsts for an MRH female baseball player.

Russell and the rest of the Blue Devils will begin MSHSAA district play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Cleveland NJROTC at Brentwood Park.

The MRH girls soccer team finished off what proved to be a brutal regular season with a 7-0 loss at John F. Kennedy on Friday.

The Blue Devils, who haven’t won since the season opener, did end their eight-game scoreless streak on Wednesday but still lost the game, 2-1, against Bayless. District play will begin for MRH at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday when the Blue Devils play at John Burroughs.

The winner of that contest will face Brentwood on Thursday in the district championship game.

CLAYTON

The Clayton boys tennis team won the district championship match last week with a 5-0 win over John Burroughs.

The Greyhounds have advanced to the state sectionals and will face Bishop DuBourg on Saturday for the right to advance to the state quarterfinals, which will be held later the same day.

Should Clayton advance to the state championships, the Greyhounds would play on May 26 at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.

The Clayton girls track team had three individuals and two relay teams qualify for sectionals next weekend. Senior Leah Johnson was the highest individual finisher for the Greyhounds on Saturday. She took third in the 200-meter dash.

Throwers Amelia Stubblefield (discus) and Briah Adams (shot put) took fourth in their respective events, while the 4x200 relay team finished third, and the 4x400 team took fourth.

The Clayton boys track team didn’t see any individual qualifiers, but two of its relay teams did advance to the state sectionals. The Greyhounds’ 4x100 team finished second on Saturday to qualify for sectionals, while the 4x400 team came in fourth to advance to the next round.

The Clayton girls soccer team, which won its first Suburban East Conference championship since 2008, finished the regular season with one win and one loss last week.

The ‘Hounds lost a 3-2 double-overtime heartbreaker at MICDS on Tuesday but bounced back with a 1-0 win at Whitfield on Thursday to finish the regular season with an 11-6 record.

Clayton begins district play Monday against Westminster Christian. That contest was scheduled for a 4 p.m. start and will be hosted by Villa Duchesne in Ladue.

The Clayton baseball team also went 1-1 last week, losing 11-6 to Windsor on Tuesday, and winning 5-2 against St. Mary’s on Wednesday. The Greyhounds were to open district play Monday, hosting Priory at Shaw Park at 4 p.m.

(Have some local sports news, or story ideas? Please email Patch writer Cedric Williams at cedricwilliams510@gmail.com.)