Since the Class 4 playoffs began, the Festus football team has followed a blueprint of success that has it one step away from the first state championship game in school history.
The Tiger strategy is brutally simple: Score first, force a three-and-out, and keep piling on the points until the mercy-rule running clock kicks in during the second half, on a margin of 35 points or more.
It worked again Saturday in St. Louis as Festus subdued previously-unbeaten Gateway (11-1) 48-14 to improve to 10-2 and advance to the Class 4 semifinals. The Tigers will face another undefeated opponent, Warrenton (12-0) at 1 p.m. Nov. 30 at Warrenton. This is the farthest Festus has gone in the state playoffs since 2000; the Tigers have yet to win a state title in football.
“At the beginning of the season we told the guys there were some tangible things we could get,” said AJ Ofodile, the Festus head coach since 2020. “We hadn’t beaten Hillsboro since 2020 and we got that done against a really tough team. We felt like winning our conference (the Mississippi Area Football Conference) was something nobody could take from us. Then winning (District 1).
“Gateway was dynamite on film all year – big and explosive. They had our full respect. And the other thing was being one of the few teams in school history to get to the semifinals.”
The Festus first-string defense hasn’t allowed a point in eight quarters. Aside from a touchdown scored against backups, Gateway’s only other points came on a kickoff return by Magel Campbell.
As the Tigers took control of Gateway early, their defensive front sacked Jaguar quarterback Marquis Sutherlin four times in the first half, two by senior lineman Rob Turner, a first-team all-MAFC selection.
“We know when to lock in,” Turner said. “We play together and do what we do. We were beating them off the ball and using our hands, arms, anything to get a sack.
“It feels great. We haven’t done this in a while. Now we have to focus on next week and get to the final. I knew we could get this far the four years I’ve been here.”
After forcing a Gateway punt on its first possession, Festus drove the field and senior running back Trey Lacey capped it with a 17-yard touchdown run with 8:30 left in the first. Junior kicker Luke Wacker made the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Sutherlin was sacked twice on the next Jaguar possession and after a punt, the Tigers quickly flipped the field when senior quarterback Essien Smith completed a 47-yard pass to speedy sophomore Kam Yates. Yates took a handoff on the next play and juked through multiple defenders for a 14-yard TD with 4:33 to play in the first. Wacker’s PAT made it 14-0.
Less than two minutes later, junior Jackson Frank picked up a Gateway fumble and rumbled 18 yards to the end zone and the Tigers were rolling at 21-0.
With that comfortable lead, Ofodile gambled and went for it on fourth down on his side of the field, but the hosts forced a turnover on downs for one of the few Festus setbacks on the afternoon.
It looked like the game would stay 21-0 at halftime, but both offenses stirred. Lacey hauled in a 52-yard TD pass from Smith with 1:08 to go to make it 28-0, but Sutherlin hit Aaron Spencer for a 60-yard gain to the Tiger 16. A pass interference penalty against Festus made it first-and-goal, but Gateway got no closer.
“Last week (against Perryville) was almost a test run for this game because the (opponents’) defensive schemes were identical,” Ofodile said. “It fast-tracked our start on the game plan. We spent the rest of our time on adjustments and tweaks on how we felt they’d line up. To see that same front two weeks in a row was fortuitous.”
Junior running back Leuantae Williams, who has broken several long runs this postseason, put away the Jaguars for good when he scored on a 72-yard sprint 19 seconds into the second half for a 35-0 lead and the running clock. He finished with 196 yards rushing on only 11 carries, an average of almost 18 yards a pop. Yates contributed 113 yards in 16 carries and two touchdowns.
Ofodile said there wasn’t any special urgency to play for the shutout, and that point became moot when Campbell returned the kickoff for six right after Williams’ TD.
“Once the clock is running, we try to get it two scores away from it not running,” Ofodile said. “Sometimes you get up 35-0 and you sub in and get scored on, and there’s a lot of game left with the other team’s starters out there and sometimes they (score enough to) get back in the game. The main thing is we want to make sure we have the game locked up and get the starters out without running the risk of bringing guys back in.”
Sutherlin capped the scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds left in the game.
MAFC Defensive Player of the Year and MVP Mason Schirmer, a 6-2, 225-pound linebacker and running back, had six tackles at Gateway and leads the Tigers in tackles this season with 130. He also has four sacks and two interceptions. An all-state baseball pitcher with a state championship to his credit (2023), Schirmer said allowing the kickoff return for a touchdown will be addressed at practice this week.
“We work every day,” he said. “We get our assignments right. Everybody does their job correctly. We wanted to be the more physical team and that’s what we were today.
“We’re building a legacy here. I hope my little brother (freshman Aiden) follows in my footsteps.”
Warrenton is a member of the Gateway Athletic Conference North. In their only appearance in a state final, the Warriors lost to Webb City in the 2010 Class 4 championship.
Hornet season ends
Crystal City faced a tall task when it traveled to Perryville for the Class 1 District 1 championship Nov. 22.
Waiting for the Hornets (6-6) was unbeaten St. Vincent (12-0), the No. 1 seed. The Indians, champions of the Quad County Conference, controlled the game from start to finish for a 42-0 victory. It was the second shutout in three district games for St. Vincent, which plays Adrian (11-1) in the state semifinals Saturday.
Crystal City, despite suiting up fewer than 20 players, has made the district final two years in a row, losing both times to St. Vincent. The Indians are ranked No. 1 in Class 1 by MaxPreps.
Festus Tigers
MAFC champion
Head coach: AJ Ofodile (fifth year)
2024: 10-2
Festus 20, Rolla 6
Festus 34, Francis Howell Central 14
#Festus 49, Windsor 14
#Festus 56, De Soto 6
#Festus 14, Hillsboro 7
#Festus 31, North County 0
De Smet 42, Festus 13
Festus 34, Farmington 0
Jackson 43, Festus 7
Festus 35, North County 10
Festus 43, Perryville 0
Festus 48, Gateway 14
Nov. 30 Class 4 semifinals at Warrenton (12-0), 1 p.m.
Crystal City Hornets
Independent
Head coach: Adam Sims (first year)
2024: 6-6
Sikeston 29, Crystal City 18
Crystal City 42, Louisiana 16
Bayless/Hancock 34, Crystal City 30
Confluence Prep Academy 27, Crystal City 16
Gateway 41, Crystal City 0
Crystal City 22, Roosevelt 20
Crystal City 22, Duchesne 7
Scotland County 44, Crystal City 20
Crystal City 40, Grandview 33
Crystal City 36, Malden 8
Crystal City 36, Charleston 34 OT
St. Vincent 42, Crystal City 0