Lopsided scores are always going to draw attention. And coaches of those teams that win those games will always be answerable about the reasons their team kept scoring.
On the gridiron, there’s one irrefutable truth: scores get out of hand because the losing team simply could not tackle or block well enough to keep the blowout from happening. Coaches can sub to the last freshman on the bench, but sometimes it’s still not enough to avoid the inevitable.
Freshman Joshua Lehn returned a punt for the final St. Pius touchdown in a historic 88-0 drubbing of visiting Priory on Sept. 11. The game marked the grand opening of the Lancers’ new stadium and natural grass field, complete with the same striped end zone markings found at the University of Notre Dame.
St. Pius head coach Frank Ray knew he immediately would take fire on social media about the blowout. The starters played into the third quarter, but the backups were on the field for the fourth quarter.
“(Lehn) asked the coaches, ‘What should I do,’” Ray said. “He caught it, the blocking opened a hole, he ran toward it, and I thought, ‘This is going to be a good one.’ Josh is a real smart kid. I didn’t know how fast he’d be in the open field. He said the last 10 yards his legs were on fire.
“What else am I supposed to do?” Ray said of the predicament. “I can’t play kids out of position. That will lead to injuries. Should I have just played the JV? What about all of the work the (starters) did to prepare.”
Ray remonstrated against accusations of running up the score. Instead of pounding senior running backs Brody Ervin and Cody Shaver at Priory, they combined for 11 carries. However, it’s what they did with those rushes that were the best examples of how overmatched the Ravens were. Shaver stayed ahead of last season’s record rushing total with 269 yards and seven carries and four TDs. Ervin scored the first TD ever on the new field, and he had two TDs on four rushes for 132 yards.
“We got to halftime and I told them what was going to happen with starters so they understand where they go out, they know where they’re playing,” Ray said of his plan to sub. “Then you get into those (starters) worked hard all summer too. So for two weeks, they don’t get to carry the football? That’s not fair to them. They know their touches are going to be limited in these types of games.”
On his first varsity carry, sophomore Colton McClune gained 53 yards. McClune is a second string JV RB.
“He made some moves, made a guy fall down, and then he tripped over the guy. You could tell he’s new to the position,” Ray said.
It’s not just Ervin’s and Shaver’s touches that are down. Quarterback Evan Eckrich hasn’t needed to pass the last two games. The Lancers smacked Mehlville 61-8 in week two. Two of Eckrich’s four passes against Priory went for TDs. Junior receiver Harrison Ray caught two passes for 84 yards and a TD.
“We could have run that play three or four times,” Frank said about his son’s TD. “That’s play-action off of power, and it’s hard for defenses because they’re so geared up to stop the run. Normally, that’s a play you bookmark and call again later in the game.”
St. Pius played 15 games on its march to St. Joseph and the Class 2 Show Me Bowl last December. Ray understands one of the benefits of the starters getting fewer reps now is having them fresher when the playoff push begins.
“I told them we’re going to get into the playoffs and Cody’s legs won’t feel like Jello. Brody’s knee filled with fluid and got drained the last four or five weeks. There will be games where we’ll need a lot more from them.”
One of those is likely Friday when Park Hills Central (1-2) visits St. Pius in a game that has district implications. Thanks to the Missouri State High School Activities Association’s new Championship Factor for private schools, the success the Lancers enjoyed last season forced them to move up to Class 3. St. Pius is in District 2 with Central, Herculaneum, Lutheran South, Potosi and St. Clair. The Rebels won the Class 3 state title in 2023.
“That’s a great coaching staff,” Ray said about Central. “I try not to look ahead. We focus on week by week. I don’t know anything about them. Their scheme’s going to be right, and they’re going to be coached up.
“Our defense has allowed negative yards the last two weeks. They’re flying downhill and causing chaos. They’re an extremely physical group. They’re fun to watch.”
Blue Jays extend streak over Blackcats
Blane Boss’s first season as the Herculaneum head coach was in 2021. Matt Atley took over that position at Jefferson in 2022.
The Blackcats beat the Blue Jays 16-8 in the first meeting between the coaches, but since then, Jefferson has reeled off four straight victories against its rivals in the Quad County Conference.
The latest meeting was Sept. 11 at Herculaneum where the Blue Jays (1-2) won 30-14 after leading 14-0 after the first quarter, and 14-7 going into the final 12 minutes when they scored 10 points in 15 seconds. Jefferson has scored at least 30 points during its winning streak against the Blackcats (1-2).
Late in the third quarter, Luke Smith scored a rushing TD for Herculaneum on fourth-and-3 inside the red zone. But that momentum was short-lived when Jefferson marched the opening drive of the fourth and capped it with Dekota French’s 28-yard field goal to make it 17-7 with 10:23 to play.
On French’s ensuing kickoff, Quinn Boyer forced a Herculaneum fumble on the return and it was recovered by Blue Jay freshman Logan Young. Quarterback Sam Kerley completed a 13-yard TD pass to WR Ollie Klump at 10:09 and French’s PAT extended the lead to 24-7.
Austin Brinkley scored a short rushing TD for the Blackcats with two seconds left.
“It helps when we have a good kicker who can hang the ball up in the air, and Quinn might have made every tackle on our kickoff team,” Jefferson head coach Matt Atley said. “Logan jumped on it, and Sam came over and wanted to take chance to Ollie on a go-ball Ollie ran a great route and that put us back in the driver’s seat.”
Kerley to Klump is becoming Jefferson’s ID on offense. Through three games, Klump has caught 19 passes for 269 yards and three TDs. Kerley has completed 53 percent of 75 passes for 542 yards and five TDs.
“Usually, you have a quick scat back who jukes left and right, or a tall lanky guy you throw it up and make a play,” Atley said describing high school receivers. “Ollie has the latter of those two. A lot of times, we get him the ball in space and he goes”
Jefferson hosts Cuba (with Steelville, 2-1) on Friday in a QCC game. The Wildcats opened QCC play Sept. 11 at home with a 42-6 win over Grandview. The Blue Jays have beaten Cuba five times in a row, dating back to 2020.
“They have a couple of big wins, so I know their kids are confident,” Atley said.