MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: Parkway Central Football Set to Whip Webster Groves In Playoffs

Playoffs Monday (tonight) include Parkway Central Colts (9-1) versus Webster Groves Statesmen (9-1) at PCH Stadium, in Chesterfield.

These two top-ranked teams in St. Louis-area high school football will meet up in a showdown Monday for the second time this season for the chance to advance to this weekend’s state quarterfinals.

Central won the first meeting, 34-13, in one of the Colts’ best performances of the season, with nearly 400 yards of total offense and holding then No. 2-ranked Webster to just one offensive touchdown.

Senior running back Alan Gasanli, the Suburban South Conference’s second-leading rusher this season with 1,107 yards and 15 touchdowns, played fantastic for Central that night.

He carried the ball 32 times against one of the area’s best defenses and totaled 152 hard-charging yards and scored three touchdowns in a victory that gave the Colts their first district football title since 2006.

Quarterback Cole Gorman was also at his efficient best in that first meeting, completing 11 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.

For the season, Gorman is fourth in the Suburban South with 1,388 pass yards and 18 touchdowns this season.

Webster quarterback Rayshawn Simmons, one of the top candidates for the area Player-of-the-Year award, is the conference leader in passing with 2,690 yards and 29 touchdowns.

But in that first meeting, Simmons might have played the worst game of his high school career, with an inexplicable five total turnovers, including a career-worst four interceptions.  

The 6-foot-2-inch, 180-pound senior had only thrown two interceptions all season prior to that first meeting with Parkway Central, but the stifling Colt defense blanketed Simmons’ receivers and pressure the Statesmen quarterback into throwing a number of ill-advised passes.

Since then though, Simmons has been back to his incredible self, passing for 417 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago against Parkway North, and 283 yards with three total touchdowns in last week’s thrilling 34-32 first-round playoff victory over Rockwood Summit.

Senior wideouts A.J. Farrar and Demetrius Robinson both had 100-yard days for the Statesmen last week, and will somehow have to duplicate those performances if Webster is to avenge its loss to Parkway Central earlier this season.

The winner of Monday’s Class 5 sectional round contest will advance to the state quarterfinals Saturday at 1:30 p.m., where it will face the winner of tonight’s other sectional matchup between North County football rivals, Hazelwood East and McCluer.

Webster and Parkway Central fans can check for scores tonight and Tuesday morning to Patch for full coverage of the playoff rematch between the Statesmen and Colts, including a game recap, stats, quotes from the coaches, and photos from the game.