Good morning.
Welcome to the first edition of The Watch List, a condensed, focused preview of just some of the high school football programs around St. Louis, written by a guy with a little bit of free time here and there.
For the first edition of The Watch List, you’ll get an inside look at three of the most interesting teams in the region (Kirkwood, SLUH, and University City), a condensed rundown of what or who you should keep an eye on this season, the top photos from the summer, and the games I’m most excited to see in Week One.
I hope you enjoy. If you had any feedback, I encourage you to email me directly: timgodfreyvideo@gmail.com.
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THE LEAD STORIES
The More Things Change in Kirkwood…
There are so many ways to describe Kirkwood’s program, but since 2022, I’ve always known them to be one thing: very good.
But that always came through the lens of a balanced offense and an experienced defense, made up of more than a dozen experienced, veteran playmakers.
This year the pieces are different.
But the result remains the same: A very good football team.
The New Crew at SLUH
When a team graduates a ton of talent, the knee-jerk response from the peanut gallery is always: They won’t be as good as last year. Saint Louis University High is no exception.
After 2025, the Jr. Bills took losses at quarterback, linebacker, offensive line, running back, and receiver. It’s enough to make anyone wonder what do they have left?
The short answer? Plenty.
U-City has talent, vision, experience. But can they stay the course?
University City flew under the radar last season as the Lions turned in their best record (9-2) in quite some time. Head coach Will Franklin enters Year 3 with plenty of buy-in and experience on his roster.
But now that University City knows what it feels like to win, they know that winning can become a double-edged sword.
That’s why winning is just one goal.
The other?
Realizing their fullest potential.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THIS SEASON
These are in no particular order.
- Northwest High School has a quarterback named Cohenn Stark and he’s the most exciting quarterback you’ve never heard of. Which is a shame, because he’s a great football player. He’s a classic dual-threat guy but has the size to punish defenders who try to tackle him (HUDL page)
- You need to see St. Mary’s running back Kingston Miles play at least one time this season. Miles, who’s committed to Missouri, reminds me a lot of Derrick Henry, a tall, smooth runner who has a chance to beat you no matter where he is on the field. Last year, Althoff had him dead-to-rights, 5-7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, only for him to rip off a 60+ yard touchdown run.
- If I was a Chaminade alum, I’m very hopeful for the future. Head coach Connor Kohlschreiber is an offensive mind with plenty of talent on that side of the ball, particularly at receiver with Isaac Hudson.
- In fact, if I was a Ladue alum, I’m also very excited for the future with head coach Adam Hamilton. The 2025 season was a big step in the right direction, especially with the playoff run they had, beating MICDS in a nail-biter and a very talented Hazelwood East team before falling to Cardinal Ritter.
- If you love the Air Raid, head to the Palace on Ballas. De Smet quarterback Chase Cooper gets the nod as the starter, and he’s everything you’d want in an Air-Raid offense — height, pocket awareness, and a cannon. He’s also got a massive offensive line in front of him. The Spartans will be fun to watch.
- The Metro Catholic Conference, once again, will be a madhouse. Nearly everyone in that conference has new faces at key positions (CBC, SLUH, De Smet all have new quarterbacks, for example), and I’m buying into the hype for Vianney and Chaminade, which means this season might have the most parity in a long time.
- Speaking of Catholic schools, St. Mary’s and Cardinal Ritter, once again will be very talented and win a lot of games, and will likely be vying for another state title. In other news, water is wet.
- Cardinal Ritter has a linebacker named Marshaun Ivy who is one of the smoothest linebackers I’ve ever seen (HUDL page). The senior linebacker moves like he already knows where the ball is going and takes direct lines to the ballcarrier. It wouldn’t surprise me if he breaks triple-digits in tackles.
- I’m aware I didn’t mention your school. This is the first year, I’ll get around to you soon enough in some form or fashion.
BEST SHOTS OF THE SUMMER
TOP GAMES: WEEK 1
These games are based on available games through MSHSAA’s website.
| Hazelwood East | at | Hazelwood West |
| Vianney | at | Lindbergh |
| Parkway North | at | Parkway West |
| Kirkwood | at | Ritenour |
| LIFT | at | De Smet |
| Eureka | at | Troy |
| North Point | at | St. Dominic |
| FZ North | at | Webster Groves |
| Hazelwood Central | at | SLUH |
| St. Pius X | at | Rockhurst |
| Lee’s Summit West | at | Rock Bridge |
| Chaminade | at | Marquette |
LET’S END ON A RANDOM ST. LOUIS RAMS STORY
In 2005, the Rams defense was riddled with injuries and sent Mike Furrey, a special teams ace and a wide receiver buried on the depth chart, to play defensive back.
At that point, who cared? They were out of the playoffs. Mike Martz was well on his way out of St. Louis. There was no need to search the market.
And in true Rams fashion, Furrey played out of his mind in a hopeless vacuum.
By the end of the year, he led the team in interceptions (4) and was third on the team in pass deflections (8).
At the end of the season, Martz gets fired. Furrey became a free agent. They connect in Detroit in 2006 and Furrey moved back to receiver where he once again became a beautiful glimmer on an otherwise heaping trash fire.
He became their best receiver, breaking the 1,000-yard mark for reception yards with six touchdowns.
And like every great “Random Ram who was good for a little bit”, he fell off the map shortly after his peak.
Thanks for reading!
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