Recruit Zone St. Louis Area High School Sports Blog
A blog by Eric Kearbey
Recruiting Coordinator for Recruit Zone, Eric Kearbey, gives first-hand accounts of the athletes/teams he sees play in the high school circuit around the St. Louis area including high schools located in St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties as well as St. Louis City. Recruit Zone is a third party fee-based recruiting service that matches qualified athletes to their network of college coaches across the country. For more information, send email to: eric.kearbey@recruitzone.com
Francis Howell @ Francis Howell North FOOTBALL 10/21/2011
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-10-26 21:39:21 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
I was in attendance for the subject football game on Friday night October 21st.  Some commentary is below:

Final of the game was 57-6.  I actually left at halftime because it appeared that Howell was going to start putting in their younger non-starting players because of the discrepancy in score.  From the box score, it appears that my observation was correct.  Howell North played hard but it was painfully obvious that they just didn't have the horses to play with Howell.  I was disappointed to see that Terron Givans did not dress for Howell North in this game.  I had heard he didn't dress because he missed more than 1 practice during the week leading up to the game.  I can't confirm that to be true or false.

Here are some comments on the Francis Howell guys I saw in the 1st half of this game:

#4 WR Alex Strong---clearly, this guy has some tools but he's gotta get stronger.  At 6'3", I'm sure he is getting some looks but he needs to put on some weight in order to become a higher division prospect.

#8 PK/Safety Zac Perkins---one of my favorites for the night.  This guy does his business the way it is supposed to be done.  He may not be the best athlete on the field but his dedication to his craft is admirable.  Had an interception return for a TD without any extracirricular nonsense...very respectful.  You learn certain things about how high school athletes handle themselves when you watch them play and I don't know if I can put it into words but we @ Recruit Zone would love to have Zac as a client.

#11 QB Eric Siebenshuh---kid looks to have a very strong arm.  I watched from the end zone the long TD pass on the 1st play of the game and there was an audible noise as the ball whipped through the air.  He can wing it.  Again, at 6'3", he's going to get his looks.  Only a sophomore as well.

#14 RB Alex Martin---Got a lot of touches in the 1st half and made the most of them.  It is hard to tell how good he can become after viewing this one game but he does appear to have some potential going forward.  Again, another sophomore so there is time for him to get nothing but better.

#16 WR John Haarmann---Made a couple of nice TD catches in this game....again hard to tell how good he really is after watching this one game but may make some noise for them in the high school playoffs.

#45 LB Calvin Munson---clearly a main defensive leader for Howell.  Another guy that takes his craft seriously and it shows.  As I watched, it seemed like Calvin was in on every play.  I've looked at his statistics and this seems to be the norm with him.  Only a junior.

#70 OG Nic Perkins---saw him make some good special teams plays and is their starting right offensive guard.  Only a sophomore.  I don't know the kid but I have a sneakin' suspicion that he will get nothing but better.

#72 LT Harneet Gill---The program listed him @ 6'7" 275 lbs.  If that is true, I can attest that this kid has room to grow.  He looks to be lean and, if he is serious about becoming a D-1 type recruit, could put on some weight and carry 300 lbs pretty easily.  No one got close to touching Siebenshuh from his blind side. College coaches should be salivating over this guy.  He looked a little raw to me but he's an athlete and could be taught technique.
Tags: Francis Howell, Football, Francis Howell North, FH, FHN
Posted in football, high school sports, men's athletics
Lafayette @ Oakville GIRLS VOLLEYBALL 9/23/2011
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-24 19:01:45 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
I saw a very entertaining and enthusiastic girls volleyball game last night @ Oakville High School.  I've always loved girls volleyball because of the sheer enthusiasm.  It makes watching the game that much more intense and fun.  Here are some of the athletes I'd like to comment on:

Oakville #7 (JR) Jennifer Brendel---All around solid player.  I thought she served well early and was a force in the match throughout.

Oakville #11 (SR) Annie Leonard---Had good kill:attack ratio early and was very effective.  We didn't see much of her later in Game 3 of the best of 3 but she was effective early.

Oakville #1 (SR) Sarah Stepp---setter....serves were effective as well.

Oakville #12 (JR) Kayla Reeg---set well and served well with some effective digs on spikes.

Oakville #2 (SR) Danielle Breeher---One of my favorites for the night.....Lafayette had some tall athletic girls at the net and some of the digs Ms. Breeher had were phenomenal.  Really helped saved the match for them.  She was an integral part of their victory.  Was in there the vast majority of the time.

Oakville #8 (SR) Jennifer Wolken---Effective at the net later in the match.  Leonard and her picked each other up from my perspective.  Leonard was effective early and Wolken effective late in the match.

Lafayette #20 (JR) Lindsey Pecoraro---Was in there the vast majority of the time.  Like Breeher, she had some effective digs for Lafayette although the intensity of the attacks weren't as pronounced from Oakville as they were from Lafayette.

Lafayette #30 (SOPH) Lily Johnson---Probably my favorite player of the night.  She did everything from my perspective.  Serves, digs and good net play.  I think she will emerge as one of Lafayette's top players later.  She's still pretty good now and one of their main cogs.

Lafayette #23 (JR) Stephanie Campbell---The best spiker in the game.  Her timing is very good and polished.  She was spiking balls that were set on the way up instead of contacting at the apex of the ball set.  I thought she was clearly the best player at the net in this contest.

Lafayette #21 (SR) Marilyn Dick---Very effective at the net and seems longer than her 6'1" roster height indicates.

Lafayette #11 (JR) Madison Jones---Has some great potential as a net player and could be a very solid player in the future.  Will want to keep an eye on her progress.

Lafayette #12 (SR) Abby Finder---setter.  Very solid play out of her.  My guess is that she is very dependable for her coach after watching her play last night.  Lefty serves were effective.


I may have my scores wrong but Oakville won the match over #2 big school ranked Lafayette last night (25-23), (17-25) and (25-23).  It was a very exciting match to watch and I'm very glad I attended.  As indicated above, there were many girls in this match that can play at the collegiate level if they so desire.   
Tags: Lafayette, Oakville, Volleyball
Posted in volleyball, high school sports, women's athletics
Fort Zumwalt South @ Desmet BOYS SOCCER 9/21/2011
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-22 01:36:00 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
I saw the subject game on Wednesday September 21st.  Some thoughts are to follow on some players and a game summary to finish.

FZS #2 Ryan Howell-My favorite player of the night.  The game was played on the DeSmet side of the field for the majority of the night so I got to see a lot of FZS defenders.  Loved Ryan's aggression and he seemed to mix it up well with the guys he hooked up with.  Never backed down.  Only a junior.

FZS #5 Jake Reinsmith-Made some fine plays as a defender in the 1st half.  He is taller guy and was aggressive.  Was able to head the ball for deflections on aggressive DeSmet offense in the 1st half.  Didn't see a lot of him in the 2nd half for reasons unknown.

FZS #00 Alex Patzke-I counted 16 shots on goal while he was in there for the end of the 1st half and all of the 2nd half.  Most of those shots were easy saves or off the mark but there were 3 saves that I thought were legitimate goal savers by Patzke.  He had no goals scored on him in the 2nd half.  Hard to tell if that was because the DeSmet starters didn't play as much in the 2nd half or if Patzke was having an impact.  I do think it is the latter because the 2nd group of DeSmet is still pretty good.

DeSmet #10 Louis Berra---Midfielder...Has signed with Ohio State and he's smooth.  The Buckeyes got themselves a polished player.

DeSmet #16 Brian Hail---had an excellent inbound pass for the 1st goal of the night for DeSmet.  That goal isn't possible without his pass.  Had some other excellent inbound passes.  Very unselfish player who made great passes in the field of play to get goals for his teammates.

DeSmet #11 BJ Tucker---Forward that was an aggressor for DeSmet early on in the 1st half and held tempo for the Spartans.  He mixes it up & attacks.

DeSmet #4 Ron Rolfes---got to see more of the defenders for DeSmet in the 2nd half and Rolfes caught my eye with a couple of nice stops.

DeSmet #5 Pat Conroy---Ditto for Conroy.  Seemed to have a revved up motor and was everywhere mid-2nd half making nice stops and taking the ball to midfield and further on a few occasions.

DeSmet #9 Cameron Boersig---Got to play more in the 2nd half.  DeSmet's 1st line is pretty good and I get the feeling he could be pretty good if he got a chance at the next level even though he didn't get a lot of time with the 1st line.


DeSmet won the game 4-0.  DeSmet scored all goals in the 1st half and cruised the rest of the way.  FZS seemed to play much more agressively in the 2nd half and battled to a scoreless tie in the 2nd half.  I think I only counted one shot on goal for the game for FZS though I may be wrong.  DeSmet ran waves of players at FZS.  In the 2nd half you could see some visibly winded folks over on the FZS side.
Tags: DeSmet, Fort Zumwalt South, Soccer
Posted in soccer, high school sports, men's athletics
Schedule For The Week
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-21 21:01:10 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
Wednesday September 21st---Fort Zumwalt West @ DeSmet Boys Soccer Game.....have a couple of potential clients playing in this game and want to see them both in action as well as see the remaining prospects on both of these teams I have marked as players we'd like to have as clients on Recruit Zone.

Friday September 23rd---Lafayette @ Oakville Girls Volleyball Game.....hoping to get some clients out of this game but don't have any as of yet but certainly have a few girls we'd like to have as clients on Recruit Zone.  STL Post Dispatch has both these teams in the Top 10 ranking for big school girls volleyball for the area.  Looking forward to watching this one.
Tags: Volleyball, Soccer, Recruit, Recruit Zone
Posted in soccer, high school sports
CBC vs. Desmet---Great American Football Classic
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-12 03:50:50 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
I saw the nightcap @ the Great American Football Classic @ the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday September 10th.  Some really good athletes were on display at this game.  Here are some of my thoughts:

#5 Durron Neal Desmet---Very versatile.  Played some WILDCAT as a QB.  Was able to gain the respect of CBC on the outside which allowed some big runs early on by #34 O'Brien.  He and Mabon commanded that kind of respect.

#11 Conner Harrison Desmet---Harrison is capable.  He is only a Jr. and I'm anxious to see how good he can be once Neal and Mabon are gone.

#15 Kevonn Mabon Desmet---Again, an obvious choice as one of the best athletes on the field along with Neal on the Desmet side.  Both Neal and Mabon helped the other guys by their sheer presence and the respect they commanded.

#26 James Placht Desmet---Played both ways for Desmet.  Anyone that plays both ways for Desmet should be mentioned.  He probably doesn't get much publicity for what he does but he does the right things on the football field.

#27 Latif Adams Desmet---Really liked what he brought to DeSmet's offense.  He made a lot of tough runs between the tackles and was impressive.

#34 Taylor O'Brien Desmet---Leading rusher for Desmet....was a beneficiary of the speed on the outside but was a capable runner for what Desmet needed early on in the 1st half.

#62 Charles Lauberth Desmet---Left offensive tackle for Desmet.  Was introduced as one of the members of the All-Academic Team for the Great American Football Classic.  Was capable and can move on to the next level if he wants to.  I found it to be very interesting that Desmet chooses to have Lauberth be the protector of the blind side for Harrison when they have some major beef on the right side of their offensive line.

#72 Nicholas Wunderli Desmet---Right Offensive Guard---listed in the program as 6'5" 305 lbs.  That alone will get him some looks.  He's only a Jr.

#76 Andy Bauer Desmet---Right Offensive Tackle---listed in the program as 6'5" 300 lbs.  Again, his physicality alone will get him some looks for the next level.  He is only a Sophomore.

#78 Lorenzo Gregory Desmet---A prototypical nose guard.  Listed as 6'0" 290 lbs.  Was very effective in the 1st half against CBC.

#85 Darian Harris Desmet---Played both ways for Desmet and made a one-handed grab for a TD in the 1st half.  The catch was impressive.  Only a sophomore.

#88 Donnie White Desmet---Has pass rusher written all over him for his future as a defensive end.  Beat the tackle a few times in the 1st half and certainly has a huge potential.

#1 Corey Patterson CBC---One of my favorite guys for the night.  When CBC was down early, Patterson made some tough catches for them as a WR when CBC really needed it.

#2 Dalton Demos CBC---Was being rushed relentlessly in the 1st half but settled down in the 2nd half with help from the effective playcalling of the CBC coaching staff.

#7 Lakel Bass CBC---this will be a recurring theme for CBC.  Speed.  Lakel Bass has it as a WR and so do a lot of the guys CBC has.

#10 Jonathan Parker CBC---probably CBC's most effective player of the night.  Can catch, can run, I think he also ran the WILDCAT in the 2nd half as well.  Lots of speed and seems very disciplined.

#20 Darian Bass CBC---For whatever reason, I didn't really notice him until the 2nd half.  Was effective while in there as a WR.

#23 Antonio Brown CBC---Speed as a RB.  Was much more effective in the 2nd half when Desmet was wearing down.

#28 Bert Birdsall CBC---Again speed and I thought was pretty effective as a DB for CBC.

#42 Joel Borders CBC---Drew a tough assignment on lots of snaps when he had to go up against Bauer and Wunderli.  I thought he held his own though.

#45 Darius Carey CBC---Ditto for Darius Carey....seemed to always be around the ball on tackles on the defensive side for CBC.  Again, drew a tough assignment against Wunderli and Bauer but I thought he held his own when he did go against them.

#60 Brian Wallace CBC---I don't think he saw a snap.  Only a sophomore but was a massive presence on the sideline.  Keep an eye on him as a offensive/defensive lineman.

#69 Sean Holloran CBC---Senior who is the anchor of the CBC offensive line.  He seemed to really drive off the ball in the 2nd half.  I think he can definitely go to the next level if he wants.  CBC's line looked like they wore out Desmet's defensive line as the night went on.

#89 John Moldthan CBC---FG kicker and punter for CBC....had a booming angle punt in the 1Q of the game....he looks like he could definitely go to the next level as a kicker and should be pursued as such.


CBC won the game 52-22 as Desmet simply self-destructed in the 3Q with some turnovers.  I think also that CBC really set themselves up very well with playcalling that was clearly to their strengths.  Desmet has a lot of athletes with loads of ability but they looked a bit gassed in the 2nd half especially on defense.  CBC is very disciplined and stayed the course in the 1st half even though things weren't going well for about 1.5 quarters.  I thought some of the playcalling by CBC in the second half was brilliant and really relieved any pressure some of their personnel may have been feeling.  All-in-all, a great experience of a football game in a wonderful venue with 2 high schools full of tradition. 


Tags: Desmet, Christian Brothers College Prep, Football, Great American Football Classic
Posted in football, high school sports, men's athletics
Holt vs. Francis Howell Central---Great American Football Classic
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-12 03:09:25 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)
I was in attendance yesterday @ the Holt-Francis Howell Central football game @ the Edward Jones Dome yesterday.  I saw some interesting things in this game I thought I'd like to share.

Here are some highlights of the players I thought have a possible future in intercollegiate athletics:

Jeff Deuser #9 HOLT---He was listed as a TE in the program but Holt would split him out I assume to take advantage of matchups.  I can tell you that he should be able to play at the next level.....a very physical presence.

Devin Pettit #18 HOLT---He is just a freshman and made some mistakes but the fact that he is the starting QB for Holt as a freshman should tell us all something.  He should be followed.

Nate Giessman #21 HOLT---Always around the tackle on defense as a safety.  Really has a nose for the football.

Mark Cushing #22 HOLT---Same thing as Giessman.  Both Giessman and Cushing's names were called all game on tackles.

Tray Mitchell #23 HOLT---Clearly Holt's biggest playmaker and was Holt's most valuable player according to the sponsors, GAF.

Logan Miller #70 HOLT---Big bookend tackle.  Only a sophomore and I think will only get better.

Stephen Riley #72 HOLT---Other big bookend tackle.  With Mitchell being the big playmaker on the ground for Holt, he couldn't have done it without these big tackles.  Riley played on defense as well.

Brad Simon #73 HOLT---Big offensive guard and has potential to get better next year as a senior.  Holt was clearly the bigger team on Saturday versus Francis Howell Central.

Desmond Young #3 FHC---Got a ton of work on the option as a running back and catching wheel routes.  I thought he was their best playmaker; has very good hands as well.  He could beat anyone on the field to the corner.

Charles Miller #7 FHC---Quarterback who made solid decisions on the option.  Would fit in well to an option-oriented offense.

Brett Davis #11 FHC---Was in on 2 very big plays.  Had a nice QB sack early on and had a key fumble recovery later in the game.

Jayden Lumpa #20 FHC---I'm a big fan.  He caught up to a kid and made a tackle on a kickoff return for Holt destined to be a touchdown.  He's a smaller guy but has a ton of heart.  He missed a catch on a potential TD (I'm guessing that this is the exception rather than the rule) however he made a great interception late in the game for FHC.

Ian Loy #35 FHC---Again, another guy that always had his nose in on a ton of tackles for FHC.  A player a lot like Giessman and Cushing for Holt.  Always around the ball on the defensive side.

Chris Thomas #46 FHC---He was a beneficiary of Young stretching the field with his speed.  When Holt got spread out, Thomas was the bigger bruising back who took full advantage of not having the defenders in the box.  He busted a lot of big runs and exploited Holt when they were too conscious of Young.  He and Young are only juniors which establishes a good base going forward for FHC.

Francis Howell Central won the game 29-27.  FHC looked to be outsized at a lot of the postions but kept plugging away and took care of the ball late and that was really the difference.  I was really impressed with FHC's offensive playcalling which always seemed to have a purpose.  Though, at times, it looked like FHC was getting wore down as the game progressed they always seemed to muster the stamina to make the plays they had to at the right times.  As stated, I was impressed with the will of FHC to make that victory happen. 
Tags: Holt, Francis Howell Central, Football, Great American Football Classic
Posted in football, high school sports, men's athletics
Lindbergh @ Webster Groves SOFTBALL 9/7/2011
Posted By: Eric Kearbey on 2011-09-08 02:12:41 ESTEmail Story  |  Flag As Spam  |  Comments (0)

Saw the subject game today (didn't see the 1st inning) and was pretty entertaining.  Some items that stood out to me:

1) Emma Buckles from Webster Groves is a solid player.  To me, she has a potential that could be far-reaching.  She came in today in the 4th inning to pitch and retired 9 of the 10 batters she faced in the 4th, 5th & 6th inning.  A few bad breaks happened in that 7th inning and the boxscore won't tell the story of how well she did today.  Good job, Ms. Buckles.

2) Abby Nestor & Brittany Stevens from Lindbergh are legit next level players.  Nestor has a real potential to be a tablesetter for the next level and Brittany Stevens had (2) hard hit balls that were hits in any league.  The respect Brittany Stevens commanded in the 7th inning with the intentional walk shows the potential she has.

3) Maggie Wright of Lindbergh had a bases-clearing triple in the 7th that made the lead insurmountable in the end.  To come through in the end like that shows a lot of moxie......big hit, Ms. Wright.

4) Webster Groves had some very hard hit balls today especially in the 7th inning but the hardest & most productive hit was by Kate Wylie in the 3rd that scored runs.

5) Sarah Reinsel for Lindbergh put in a gutty performance.  She seemed to gain a lot of life in the 4th, 5th & 6th innings and kept her team in it by providing quality pitching.


Lindbergh won the game today @ Webster Groves' Plymouth Field by a score of 11-6.  Reinsel got the win and Buckles would be the hard luck loser.  Some questionable calls by the home plate umpire in the 7th inning involving Webster Groves catcher Molly Dougan proved to be fatal.  I couldn't tell on both the play at the plate if Ms. Dougan made the play on the force out and I couldn't tell whether Ms. Dougan made the play on the dive of the popout.  On both occasions, the home plate umpire ruled that Dougan did not make those plays but Coach Gibson from Webster Groves, I think, thought otherwise.  The bigger play was the force out because the next batter, Maggie Wright, provided the big bases-clearing triple that put the game out of reach.

Tags: Lindbergh, Webster Groves, Softball
Posted in softball, high school sports, women's athletics
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Eric's Most Popular Posts

Lafayette @ Oakville Girls Volleyball 9/23/2011 (6 Visits)
Francis Howell @ Francis Howell North Football 10/21/2011 (5 Visits)
Cbc Vs. Desmet---Great American Football Classic (5 Visits)
Fort Zumwalt South @ Desmet Boys Soccer 9/21/2011 (4 Visits)
Lindbergh @ Webster Groves Softball 9/7/2011 (3 Visits)
Schedule For the Week (3 Visits)
Holt Vs. Francis Howell Central---Great American Football Classic (2 Visits)

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