Losing to a team like Blair Oaks High School, which is led by one of the top football coaches in the state in Ted LePage, is nothing to be ashamed of. Not even getting skunked 59-0.
The mechanical way the Falcons chewed through opponents this season caught up with St. Pius X in the Class 2 Show-Me Bowl in St. Joseph on Dec. 6. Blair Oaks outscored its 14 opponents 736-78. Many of the Falcons were part of multiple state champions and finalists.
With his sixth state title under his belt, LePage had this to say about his senior class.
“The amount of games they played, I’ll remember that,” LePage said. “My pregame speech was, ‘You worked and did everything, but every day was fun.’ There was not one day I didn’t want to help them win a football game. The chemistry of this year’s team is one of the best I’ve been around. And their tenacity to win games and be dominant is the most important thing I’ll take away this season.”
The thing we can all take away from more than three months of football is how close the county is to winning that elusive first state championship in football. Cross country, track and field, wrestling, girls volleyball and baseball have all contributed state titles for county schools in the past five years. The county has knocked on the Show-Me Bowl door three times, and was brusquely denied in each game.
The senior class at St. Pius was small, so the majority of starters that swept through the district tournament and playoff games will return in 2026. That playoff journey will make each challenge next year easier to manage.
There’s only one place those returning players can burn off their frustration of being one game away from winning their first state crown.
“Weight room,” St. Pius head coach Frank Ray said. “We’ll lift right through the holidays like we did last year. We’ll get bigger, stronger, faster.”
Ray’s son, Harrison, is a sophomore and one of the top wide receivers in the St. Louis area. He caught 10 touchdowns this fall. The last one against Monroe City sent the Lancers to the championship.
“People doubted us, but we didn’t back down,” Harrison said about his team’s 0-3 start to the season. “Our heads were high the whole season.”
Cody Shaver is the first 3,000-yard running back in county history. The Lancers junior RB finished with 3,002 yards after gaining 47 against Blair Oaks. Shaver accomplished this rare feat despite playing all season with a broken thumb on the hand he carries the ball. He told me he’d be reporting to wrestling practice.
“Keeping everyone’s heads high and keeping everyone up is the main key of football, so I do my best to not pay attention to the score and be in it for fun. It was an amazing experience,” Shaver said in a postgame press conference after playing the Falcons.
I agree with Cody. This season was an amazing experience. We witnessed some great individual performances, mostly from players who will be back next year. I’d say the county has an excellent chance at extending its streak of state finals to four. But, man, St. Joseph is a long drive! Nothing against the great venue that is Spratt Memorial Stadium, but the state football championships belong at Faurot Field in Columbia. There, I said it. Enjoy the offseason.
Festus girls basketball off to roaring 4-0 start
While I and Ron and Lisa Rigdon were in St. Joseph, the Tigers were busy winning the 11th annual Fountain City Classic in De Soto on Dec. 6.
Festus beat Potosi High 59-47 in the tournament final, and at least early on, it appears the Tigers are multi-faceted on offense with four players averaging in double figures.
“I feel like we have several girls who can contribute offensively. We’re difficult to defend,” said Festus head coach Aaron Portell, the reigning Jefferson County Activities Association large-schools Coach of the Year. “Defensively, we’re getting better each game. All of the pieces are there and it’s hard for teams to match up against us.”
One of the more talented athletes in the county and a big part of the school’s Class 4 state track and field championship in May, sophomore forward Jahmeshia Patterson is quickly becoming a top player on the hardwood. Patterson is averaging 13.3 points and six rebounds per game.
“Jahmeshia is tough inside. She has tremendous vertical. She’s developed a nice shot from six to eight feet,” Portell said.
Sophomore guard Kylan Drury came off the bench and scored six straight points in the fourth quarter against the Trojans. Sophomore guard Lillian Kennedy scored 13 points and had six steals. Junior guard Alyzah Scaggs averages 11.8 points, made three 3-point baskets and leads the Tigers this season with nine.
“(Scaggs) shoots more 3-pointers than 2-pointers,” Portell said. “Lillian scores off our 1-3-1 defense; we get steals and she scores. Every girl out there can score.”
The Tigers are coming off a 20-win season and they split the JCAA large-schools title with Hillsboro High. Festus opened its conference scheduled at home against Windsor High on Wednesday after the Leader deadline.