Facing fourth-and-goal from the Monroe City High School 1-yard line, St. Pius X quarterback Evan Eckrich took the snap in the shotgun, rolled to his left and flung a pass to wide open wide receiver Harrison Ray in the back corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
The Lancers and Panthers traded leads seven times – four in the fourth quarter – but Ray’s TD catch with 10 seconds left lifted St. Pius to a 40-36 victory in the Class 2 state semifinals in Festus on Nov. 28.
“I didn’t even know what was going on,” Ray said. “I circled to the back of the end zone. I thought we were running the ball. I thought he was handing to (running back Cody Shaver), but I saw Evan roll out and I knew I had to come down with it.”
“We improvised. He ran the route he was supposed to and he was wide open,” Eckrich said.
The Lancers won their fifth straight game to improve to 9-5 and will play unbeaten Blair Oaks High (13-0) in the Show-Me Bowl at Spratt Memorial Stadium on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Falcons won the Class 3 state title last year and have six overall. Blair Oaks is in Wardsville, which is a few miles south of Jefferson City. Each step St. Pius has taken since the district final is the farthest it’s been. The Lancers began the season 0-3, reeled off four wins, then dropped games to St. Pius X (KC) and Valle Catholic High. St. Pius (KC) is a Class 5 school and Valle has won 15 state championships.
Those two games tuned up the Lancers to embark on their playoff journey that includes winning in Caruthersville to capture the District 1 title and shutting out Montgomery County High 14-0 in the quarterfinals.
“I’m happy for the kids. They believed in something they had never seen,” St. Pius head coach Frank Ray said. Harrison is his son. “They worked through the adversity of 0-3. People around here doubted them. We heard more bad stuff about us than good all year. Everybody had an opinion about us and now they can just watch us.”
Monroe City senior RB Quincy Mayfield rushed for more than 250 yards against St. Pius and his 45-yard gain set up the Panthers for the game’s first touchdown, from 1 yard by senior RB Jayden Holland. The two-point conversion failed and MC led 6-0 with 8:02 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers blocked the punt of Lancer junior Nathan Heredia and took over at the St. Pius 23. Mayfield gave MC a 14-0 lead when he scored a TD on a 15-yard run and caught the conversion pass from junior QB Wyatt DeGrave at 5:53 of the first.
“We didn’t hang our heads at all and I feel that’s what got us through this game,” Harrison said.
Instead, the Lancers peeled off the next 19 points and led at halftime. The Panthers were penalized 15 yards for roughing Heredia and that started the first St. Pius TD drive that culminated with Shaver’s 10-yard TD run and Heredia’s PAT at 3:29, cutting the MC lead in half.
The Panthers turned the ball over late in the first quarter when Shaver recovered a fumble at midfield, and on the next MC series, senior Cayden Payne intercepted DeGrave and returned it 60 yards for a TD with 6:04 left in the half, but the PAT failed and the Panthers led 14-13. The Panthers drove to the Lancer 30 on their next drive but turned the ball over on downs. Shaver gave St. Pius its first lead at 19-14 with a 4-yard TD run at 1:06 of the second quarter, but an Eckrich pass on the conversion was incomplete. A 50-yard run by Mayfield and subsequent 15-yard personal foul penalty against the Lancers moved the Panthers into the red zone late in the half, but they were unable to score.
A combination of a 39-yard run by senior RB Payton Hetheriton, personal foul against St. Pius and Mayfield run to the 13 ended with Mayfield scoring eight points with an 11-yard TD run and two-point conversion to give MC a 22-19 lead with 5:16 left in the third.
“All of their backs are tough. That’s a tough football team,” Frank said. “There’s a reason they’re here and they’ve got history. They adjusted all day. They knew what they were doing.”
A 30-yard Eckrich pass to junior Brody Ervin set up a 22-yard scoring strike to Ray with 4:09 left in the third. The conversion failed but the Lancers led 25-22. Ray outjumped the MC defender on a 50-50 ball and has caught 10 TD passes for more than 900 yards this year.
“I told (Eckrich) to throw it to me and I’d make a play,” Harrison said.
“I trust him and he went up and made a great play on that ball,” Eckrich said.
Shaver is encroaching on 3,000 yards rushing this season and Ervin has more than 500. With Mayfield ripping off big plays almost every time the Panthers had the ball, the Lancers had to break out of their shell and take to the air to keep up.
“People say we’re a running team,” Frank said. “We’re a damn football team. We showed today we can do whatever we need to to win.
“I yelled at (Eckrich) all year. He’s got nerves of steel. I don’t let up on him. I’m hard on him. I ride him. Today, I told him he wasn’t good enough. When those moments come, he’s bigger than the moment.”
The lead traded hands twice in 2:00 when DeGrave hit Mayfield with a 16-yard TD pass and Eckrich answered with a 49-yard TD pass to Ervin. This time the Lancers converted when junior Dawson Litterall caught a pass from Eckrich to make it 33-28 St. Pius with 9:21 to play.
Mayfield again carved through the Lancer defense until Holland put MC back ahead 36-33 with a 1-yard plunge with 4:23 to play.
Ray’s game-winning TD was arranged after a 40-yard run by Shaver and first-down reception by Ervin.
“We were ready to do our normal offense and go wishbone, but whatever works, works,” Eckrich said.