With some uncertainty at quarterback, fans of the St. Pius X football team can rest easier knowing senior running back Justin Lehn returns as the focal point of the offense.
A burly, straight-ahead runner, Lehn (6-1, 215) led the Lancers last season with 1,653 yards rushing on 215 carries (7.7 yards per carry) and added four touchdown receptions to finish with 28 overall. A state qualifier in wrestling, Lehn also has exceptional balance.
“He’s just a workhorse,” said second-year St. Pius head coach Frank Ray, who led the Lancers to a 7-4 campaign in 2023. “He’ll turn nothing into something and make things happen. I wouldn’t put 2,000 yards past him at all.
“Everyone expects that he’ll be the key to our offense. We obviously want to spread the ball out to get him out of that dead space, where there’s eight or nine in a box, to give him more room.”
Lehn’s importance to the Lancers extends to the other side of the line as well. At middle linebacker, he led the team in tackles with 130 and rang up 14 sacks. He was a shoo-in for first-team all-conference honors, both ways, in the final season of the I-55 Conference.
Lehn said he hopes to play in college – but first things first.
“We’re striving for the state championship,” said Lehn, whose father, Jim, is the school’s president. “We’re working hard. That’s the main goal. It could definitely be 2,000 (yards). It depends on what the defense gives us. We’ve got a new offense (with) a new QB.”
Going into preseason practice this week, Ray said junior Daniel DeGeare has the upper hand behind center, but he’ll be pushed all year by freshmen Evan Eckrich and Hunter Hylton. James Smith threw for 1,280 yards and 17 touchdowns last year but has graduated. So has his main target, Patrick Flanagan (30 receptions, 582 yards, 10 touchdowns).
“We’ve got a three-way QB derby,” Ray said. “We’re leaving that position open and let those guys fight for it and see where (it) takes us. It’s kind of Danny fighting off two younger kids and we’ll see if he runs with it. The freshmen can share JV reps and prepare for next year.”
Rangy junior Jack Michaud (6-3) will try to fill Flanagan’s large shoes; Michaud is the top returning wide receiver after catching 14 passes for 277 yards and two TDs a year ago.
“Patrick was unique – just a really talented kid,” Ray said. “And I don’t know that you replace him. I think you take the kids you’ve got and use their talents. At the end of the day, I’m looking for competitors. Guys who want the football when it’s in the air.”
Ray’s son, Harrison, will line up at the other receiver spot. Another of Ray’s offspring, Griffin, played defensive back for his dad when Ray was an assistant at Hillsboro.
Joining Lehn in the backfield are senior Thomas Boldt and sophomore Cody Shaver, both tough, gritty runners in the same vein. What they lack is varsity experience. Shaver, like Lehn, is a state wrestling qualifier (190 pounds).
Senior Peyton Shaver, Cody’s brother, and sophomore tackle Jackson Jercinovic are returning starters on the offensive line, but Ray said beyond them the unit has been inconsistent. A second-team all-conference guard last year, Shaver moves to center. He finished third in the state in wrestling (Class 1) at 165 pounds in February.
“(Jercinovic and Shaver) are our rocks right now,” Ray said. “Part of the inconsistency is there are a lot of other sports, like baseball, that have kept some kids out of the summer work. We’ll have to get that going fast when practice starts.”
Most of the offensive starters will play defense as well. At outside linebacker, Boldt recovered three fumbles, snagged an interception and had 51 tackles a year ago. The Shavers combined for 126 tackles, Peyton at linebacker and Cody at cornerback. Adding depth at linebacker is sophomore Dawson Litterall (seven sacks and an interception).
Senior soccer player Connor Meffen returns as the placekicker. Last year was his first on the gridiron and Ray said once he got the hang of kicking an oblong ball, he started splitting the uprights. He finished with 26 extra-point conversions.
“(In Meffen), we’ve got a good one,” Ray said. “Connor has been all over the country at camps, working really hard. It took a while to teach him and once we got it down, he was automatic.”
When St. Pius was ousted this spring from the I-55 Conference and the Jefferson County Activities Association, Ray had to scramble to fill six holes on the 2024 schedule. The Lancers travel to Senatobia, Miss. in September (Week 4) and private Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) Oct. 18 (Week 8). St. Pius opens the season Aug. 30 at Caruthersville, Mo.; like the Lancers, the Tigers were in Class 2 and went 7-4 a year ago.
“I’m looking for growth,” Ray said. “I’m not paying attention to wins and losses until districts; then they become extremely important. Until then, we’ve got nine games to develop the older and younger kids to build depth. I want to see my kids fight and work hard together.”
The coach said going independent is the best path forward for his program.
“Our schedule will make us better come districts. I’m excited to see what the top level of high school football is like (outside Missouri). Can we play with them? We’re training. Getting it right. We’ll have a shot.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids fighting for spots. They want to be a part of this and build something. We’ve got great leadership from the top. When you put that together, it’s going to be special.”