With 5 minutes, 1 second left in the game at Festus Friday night, Sullivan took over at its own 12-yard line trailing by four points. A bobbled snap by the Tigers squashed a field-goal attempt and kept them from taking a seven-point lead.
Sullivan senior quarterback Caleb Pryor had shredded the Tigers in the first half, scoring both of the Eagles’ touchdowns. With the game in the balance, Pryor guided the Eagles down the field on an epic 17-play drive. But Pryor was tackled by Festus linebacker Abe Kraus along the sideline around the Tigers’ 10-yard line and was knocked out before the game’s last play.
Junior Ty Wheeler replaced Pryor at QB and threw an incomplete pass as the Tigers held on for the 16-12 win. The Tigers improved to 2-0 this season. The Eagles fell to 0-2.
Junior Chase Cole gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead with 6:26 left in the first quarter. Then Pryor took over. He broke several tackles en route to a 43-yard TD run with one second left in the first quarter. The Eagles missed the PAT and led 6-3.
After the Tigers went three-and-out on the next series, Pryor guided the Eagles from their 28. Three times the Eagles gained first downs on third-down plays. And on fourth-and-10, Pryor connected with senior tight end Christopher Blankenship for a 32-yard gain. Pryor gave the Eagles a 12-3 lead with a six-yard scoring run with 5:50 left in the first half.
Festus took possession at its own 12 with 2:58 left in the half. Senior running back Tyler Sexton gained 29 yards and the Tigers benefitted from a 15-yard penalty against the Eagles. Sophomore quarterback Justice Johnson hit senior running back Tyler Rystrom for a 31-yard TD pass with 1:14 left in the half to make it 12-10 Eagles.
The Tigers’ game-winning TD drive started at the Eagles’ 45. Another 15-yard personal foul penalty helped the Tigers march down the field. The Tigers faced fourth-and-four when the Eagles jumped offside, giving them an automatic first down. Three plays later, Sexton burst in for a two-yard TD run with 11:56 left in the game to give the Tigers a 16-12 lead.
East Prairie 19, Jefferson 8
Failure to cash in scoring opportunities three times while inside their opponent’s five-yard line doomed host Jefferson Friday night.
“In my opinion, it was a game of missed opportunities,” Jefferson head coach Alex Rouggly said.
Both teams killed their own drives through penalties in the first quarter, which ended in a scoreless tie. The Eagles punched in two touchdowns in the second quarter, failing to convert two-point conversion attempts after each, to take a 12-0 lead into the half.
They increased their lead to 19-0 lead in the third before the Blue Jays got on the board with a touchdown gallop by senior fullback Dustin Govro.
East Prairie improved to 2-0 with the win, while Jefferson fell to 1-1 with the loss.
De Soto 54, Bishop DuBourg 22; Perryville 45, St. Pius X 0; Brentwood 72, Grandview 8; Hillsboro 42, Oakville 34; Northwest Cedar Hill 34, Riverview Gardens 32; St. Charles 45, Windsor 26