Saturday, August 27, 2011
Francis Howell Central seeks fifth straight conference title, after going 26-7 last year.
After collecting four straight GAC South championships, the Francis Howell Central Lady Spartans volleyball team is firmly established as the dominant program in St. Charles County. Even in years when they weren’t supposed to be the league’s best, Howell Central managed to somehow rise to the top of the standings and dominate the GAC South. Last year the Lady Spartans went undefeated in the conference and were 26-7 overall before losing in the district semifinals. “It was kind of a surprise last year,” Howell Central head coach Mark McAfee said. “We didn’t expect to be that good last year. You have to give all the credit to the team. The girls did an admirable job of making sure we always played our best.” The Lady Spartans won their first…
Thursday, August 25, 2011
With the loss of seven seniors from last year, Francis Howell Central has a lot of holes to fill in 2011.
As soon as the 2010 season was over, the Francis Howell Central girls varsity softball team wanted to wipe it away from their memory. And for good reason. The 2010 Lady Spartan softball season just was not a good one. The team went 8-17, the first losing season at Howell Central this century, and finished last in the GAC South, without winning any conference games at all last year, in what was a difficult season for sure for head coach Brenda Gabril. “I kind of think of it as a transition year,” Gabril said. “We moved from 40 feet in the pitcher’s circle to 43 feet, and we just had trouble adjusting.” Gabril, the former Brenda Ellison who changed her last name after getting married during the offseason, said the new pitching distance meant…
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
After going 4-6 in last year, Howell Central is looking for first winning season since 2006.
Even though it isn’t publicized much, fans of the Francis Howell Central High football program know the Spartans play one of the toughest schedules of any team in the area. In 2010, Howell Central went 4-6 over the course of the season, with all six losses coming to teams that made the playoffs. In fact, with Spartans being the only team in the area that played six regular season games against teams that made the playoffs, and the only team to play at least three 10-win opponents, the case could be made that Howell Central played the most difficult schedule of anybody in the area last year. “We’re not afraid to play a competitive schedule,” Howell Central head coach Todd Berck said. “It’s a learning experience. We play in a tough …
Monday, August 22, 2011
Loaded Spartans look for return to the top of the GAC South soccer standings.
Save for a four-game losing streak in mid-October and a heart-breaking loss to rival Francis Howell North in the district championship game, the Francis Howell Central boys varsity soccer team had a brilliant season in 2010. Howell Central went 14-8-2 last year, with wins againt several teams that did win their districts. At times, the Spartans even looked like it just might be one of the best teams in the state. “We had a really good group last year,” Howell Central head coach Derek Phillips said. “They were very experienced, and played really well together.” The Spartans only lose four seniors from the 2010 squad coming into this year, and Phillips believes the group he’s got this year, might be the one that could get Howell Central back…
