Instead of going to Fox’s homecoming dance on Saturday, senior Jude Pribish picked up an extra shift at QT.
You can’t blame anyone who wants to make extra money these days, and it’s the gridiron where Pribish plays quarterback and makes all of the right moves anyway.
Pribish rushed for three touchdowns and gained a career-high 191 yards on 21 carries to lead the Warriors to a 27-7 upset win over visiting Parkway West on Oct. 2 in Arnold. The Longhorns were 5-0 and had outscored their last three opponents (Hazelwood East, Riverview Gardens, Parkway Central) 127-0. Fox (3-3) had lost its previous two games to Seckman and Ladue. West, the Warriors and Rams are all Class 5 schools in the Suburban Conference Green pool.
“Teamwork has been the biggest part of the success we’ve had this year,” said Pribish, who has started for four years, with this being the first as the QB. “Going into halftime, we knew if we fought hard we’d come out on top.”
“The offensive line keeps getting better,” Fox coach Brent Tinker said. “A lot of it came down to the decisions Jude made. In the second half, he took over, was disciplined on his reads and was a punishing option. Like most offenses, we go into a concept, and it’s the QB’s job to put you into the right play. When that ball is snapped, we don’t know who’s getting the ball.”
All season Pribish has either kept it himself or handed off to senior Ryan Joggerst or sophomore Jacob Edwards. The triple option trio has combined to score 18 TDs.
“After the (West) game, one of my buddies texted me and said we’re a great match,” Pribish said of the backfield. “Jacob has a little more speed than me and Ryan. We’re an unstoppable force at times.”
A 1-yard Pribish TD run and Carson Kraemer extra point provided all of the points in the first quarter against the Longhorns, who tied the game with 2:24 in the half on a Max Jones 15-yard TD reception from QB Braden Biermann. The teams went to the break tied 7-7.
Fox fumbled on its first drive of the second half, but the Warrior defense led by lineman Eli Spicer and back Nehemiah Glanville kept giving the ball back to Pribish and the offense. Pribish gave the Warriors a 13-7 lead – Kraemer’s PAT was no good – with a 12-yard TD run with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
“The defense played great all night, didn’t give up the big plays and forced turnovers,” Tinker said. “We’ve grown accustomed to high-level linebacker play, but we felt the DL and DBs had more to offer. Eli was the disrupter we knew he would be. Then Nehemiah Glanville brought extra confidence to the DB crew.”
“I think we have one of the best defenses in St. Louis or Jefferson County,” Pribish said. “No one can tell me otherwise.”
Fox mounted a 99-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a Pribish 6-yard TD run, a Kraemer PAT and 20-7 lead with 9:00 left.
“It was a great drive,” Pribish said. “Our OL pulled together last night. We had open gaps for anyone who was running the ball.”
“Jude trusted his eyes and what was going on around him and made the right decisions,” Tinker said. “They didn’t want us to beat them with the pitch, so he got to keep the ball.”
A Joggerst 2-yard TD run and Kraemer PAT with 3:25 left gave the Warriors time to think about celebrating the homecoming in style, with many former players on hand.
“Getting a win for the alumni, seniors and parents in the program who’ve meant so much over the years, getting this win for them is joyful,” Tinker said.
Now the Warriors have to put that joy aside and prepare to play at Kirkwood (4-1) on Friday. The Pioneers were 27-3 winners against Lindbergh last week. The Pioneers are currently the No. 1 seed in Class 6 District 2 that contains CBC (3-3) and De Smet (5-1).
“We always talk about being district champions and to do that you have to beat the Kirkwoods of the world,” Tinker said. “You can be intimidated or you can embrace the challenge. We have to do all the little things right. We have a tremendous amount of respect for what their coaches are doing over there. Let it be challenging and a difficult situation, because once you get to that district final, every team’s that good.”