The Seckman football team continues to win with brutal efficiency.
The Jaguars stayed unbeaten at 5-0, shutting out visiting Oakville 30-0 Sept. 27 in a Suburban Conference Orange pool contest. The Jaguars sit atop the Orange pool at 3-0 while Oakville slipped to 2-1 in the pool and 2-3 overall.
It was the first shutout of the season for a Seckman defense that allows only seven points per game.
“I was happy the defense was able to finish a game and get the shutout they’ve deserved in three games already,” Seckman head coach Nick Baer said. “For us, it starts up front with the D-line that has the speed and power to wreak havoc. Lukaus Steinnerd, Gavin Shreve and Luke Ferrario and our 160-pound nose guard, Isaac Johnston, all those guys are getting it done.”
Steinnerd, Jackson Compton and Law Newman each had a fumble recovery as the Jaguars scored a touchdown in each quarter and added a third-quarter safety that by itself would have been enough to win the game.
The havoc created by the defensive line is allowing linebackers Dylan Lappe and Dominic Lograsso to swoop down on ball carriers, with the pair combining for 16 tackles.
“Two (fumbles) were botched snaps and that comes from creating pressure,” Baer said. “Johnston slants and we can line him up in different gaps and he’s hard for centers to deal with.”
Oakville entered the game with one of the most effective passing attacks in the St. Louis area in quarterback Max Bradley and wide receiver Joshua Williams. Bradley has completed 21 passes to Williams for more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns, but Seckman limited Bradley to seven completions in 17 attempts for 48 yards, none to Williams.
Baer credited that statistic to cornerback Ethan Schoemehl and safeties Jackson Rutledge and Compton.
“(Williams) has good size and good route-running ability and we did some things coverage-wise to put our guys in position to be successful,” Baer said.
Running back Ben Lewis gave the Jaguars a 6-0 lead on a six-yard touchdown run with 7:00 left in the first quarter, and his backfield mate, Brady Ambrose, ran in the two-point conversion. Ambrose also scored from six yards with 9:18 left in the half, but the run for two points failed.
Ambrose led all rushers with 139 yards on 24 carries while Lewis carried six times for 43 yards and Mason Fowler ran 11 times for 79 yards. Depth in the running game is a big reason for that undefeated record.
“Mason is stepping up and finding a role,” Baer said. “Last night it was Brady’s night. I told him it would be all week. Like I used to ask Cole Ruble (2023 grad and record-smashing quarterback), ‘Do you have 25 or 30 carries tonight?’ And he did.”
The second-half scoring came from the safety and TD runs of 36 yards by Ambrose and nine by Lewis. Kicker Ben Bajric made both extra-point kicks.
Seckman will go for its 22nd regular season win in a row at Pattonville (1-4) Friday night. The Pirates compete in the top-tier Yellow pool. Two of Pattonville’s losses were to unbeaten Fort Zumwalt North and Lafayette.
Baer said Pirate QB Kameron Eleby is a dual threat who is tough to contain. He is Pattonville’s leading rusher and has thrown for 852 yards and nine touchdowns.
“We know they’ll have athletes all over the field,” Baer said. “Our defense will have to hold leverage and trust the guy next to them to do his job. We’ll be prepared for (Eleby) to scramble.
“You’re always worried about the letdown. That’s something we haven’t done in four years. They know how big this game is.”
The Jaguars are 3-0 against teams in Class 6 District 1 (defeating Fox and Northwest along with Oakville) and hold the No. 1 seed in the district, 10 points ahead of Lindbergh (4-1).
Tigers break six-game skid against Hawks
Festus is the only other unbeaten team in Jefferson County, improving to 5-0 Sept. 27 with a 14-7 victory over host Hillsboro. The win ended a six-game Tiger losing streak against their Mississippi Area Football Conference rivals, who have won the conference championship three years running. Festus is 3-0 in league play while Hillsboro dipped to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAFC.
Festus can wrap up the MAFC title with a win at home against North County (3-2, 1-1) Friday night. The Tigers have a 10-point lead over Perryville (4-1) for the top seed in Class 4 District 1. Hillsboro is currently seeded third, three points behind the Pirates.
“This (win) means a lot because it gets the monkey off our back,” Festus head coach AJ Ofodile said. “After last year’s loss (to Hillsboro 29-28) in districts, I started feeling snakebit a little.
“We have a tough North County team coming in and we’ve started talking about tangible things, like we haven’t won (the MAFC) since 2020, so we have the opportunity to do that. I’m not 100 percent sure, but it also gives us a chance to get homefield advantage in districts. The tricky thing about these games is we’ve played (Hillsboro) twice every year.”
Senior fullback Mason Schirmer scored touchdowns on runs of three yards in the first quarter and one yard in the third and Luke Wacker kicked both PATs to account for the Tiger scoring. The Hawks’ only points came from a 48-yard TD run by senior Chris Duncan and junior kicker Caleb Arnold’s PAT.
The game came down to the last play, after senior quarterback Preston Brown led a Hillsboro drive inside the Festus 10 that came up empty.
“They had the ball at the nine with a chance to tie it up,” Ofodile said. “We needed to know there wasn’t a jinx (on us with) another comeback win. Preston had a nice run to get them down there, but it tilted back the other way when they got two penalties and we played it out from there. Our guys were relentless.”
Hillsboro head coach Bill Sucharski said when Festus scored on the game’s opening drive, it foreshadowed the rest of the game in the trenches, where the Hawks have struggled.
“They’re a good football team and they made a few more plays, and that was the difference in the game,” Sucharski said. “There were some crucial holding calls on drives. We didn’t turn the ball over, but those penalties put you in a bind when you’re first-and-20 from the five (yard line). The (officiating) crew we had were good; we’ve had them before. They weren’t phantom holding calls.”
Although the chance to repeat as conference champion slipped away, Sucharski reminded his players that the Kearney team the Hawks lost to in last year’s Class 4 state championship game didn’t win its conference.
“They made a run and beat Smithville the second time they played them,” he said. “I told our kids (to) let (the loss) sting a little, but in 24 hours we have to get ready for another game.”
That’s at Windsor (3-2, 0-2) in another MAFC matchup Friday.
Dragon offense powers win over Owls
One play defined the evening for De Soto in its 52-30 victory over Windsor Sept. 27.
The rain that canceled the Dragons’ Homecoming parade was gone by halftime. Then a lightning bolt in green and white tore down the middle of the new artificial turf field as junior Eli Thebeau streaked untouched 69 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter, giving the Dragons a 20-16 lead in the see-saw Mississippi Area Football Conference game.
“The first series of the second half is the most important in a football game,” said De Soto football head coach and activities director Russ Schmidt. “We have done nothing with that series this year, except for the Freeburg game. Eli rips off a touchdown on the first play.”
After the Owls converted a fourth down on the next series, junior running back Willie Coleman III sprinted 33 yards for six points, and after the two-point conversion failed, Windsor led 22-20.
De Soto scored the next three TDs to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the MAFC. It was De Soto’s first conference win since 2019 and the first time it scored 50 points in a game since 2018.
The Dragons were coming off a 56-6 drubbing at the hands of MAFC-leading Festus (5-0, 3-0).
“We knew we were better versions of ourselves than we showed at Festus,” said Schmidt. “I think anyone who watches that film is getting set up because we played that poorly. But we turned around and had the best week of practice we’ve had all year. We were laser-focused. They took the defeat at Festus personally.”
Facing the Owls (3-2, 0-2) Schmidt looked at the opposite sideline and saw Lee Freeman, Windsor’s first-year head coach. The two coached against each other when Freeman was at Hillsboro and Schmidt at Festus.
“If I take my emotions out of the game and how I feel about the outcome, I’m very fortunate and blessed because Coach Schmidt was my high school coach. I’ve known him for 30-plus years,” Freeman said. “I feel fortunate we get to do this on Friday night against each other. He’s gotten me twice now, but I think I’m still ahead. I know he loves the game and I feel the same way.”
“Coach Freeman and I know each other very well,” Schmidt said. “And I know he won’t punt and is four downs and a cloud of dust. So we needed to win the fourth down (battle) and in the first half, we were one-of-four. Unless we got some stops on fourth down, we wouldn’t win. If we stopped them and gave ourselves a short field, this thing could (go our way) quickly.”
De Soto took the lead for good on an eight-yard TD run by junior Brenton Drummond, who corkscrewed through the Owl defense for 107 yards on 17 carries.
The Dragons took that 26-22 lead into the fourth, and on Windsor’s ensuing series, the Owls turned the ball over on downs at De Soto’s 44-yard line. Thebeau gained 11 yards on fourth-and-six and Drummond capped the quick drive with a two-yard TD run, but the conversion again failed. Altogether the Dragons left 10 points off the scoreboard, missing four two-point conversions and two PATs.
On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Trey Blair recovered a Windsor fumble, and one play later Thebeau scored a 33-yard touchdown. Senior quarterback Austin Missey completed a pass to Peyson Casey for the two-point conversion and De Soto’s lead swelled to 40-22 with 5:50 left in the game.
“We were moving the ball and had a turnover,” Freeman said. “And we don’t get off the field defensively. Go in at halftime and we’re up by four points. Come back out and we knew we had to get off the field; they scored on the first play and set the tone for the second half and we didn’t respond. Our youth showed tonight.”
With 3:01 left, Dragon senior Connor Seibert scored a 25-yard rushing TD. Coleman answered with a touchdown jaunt from 32 yards, and after senior Landen Robbins ran in the two point conversion, the score was 46-32 at 1:32. Thebeau reached pay turf from 55 yards a few seconds later and finished with 241 yards on 15 carries.
“We need our offense to do what we did tonight,” Thebeau said. “I had a rough week at Festus. I took that personally. I ran hard this week. I’m happy now, but we’ve got more games coming up and we have to worry about those too.”
Missey completed five passes for 62 yards, but his big strike was a 48-yard touchdown toss to Casey that cut Windsor’s lead to 16-12 in the second quarter. The Owls’ first two touchdowns were on runs by Coleman (14 yards) and Logan Wilson (49 yards), with each adding a two-point conversion.
Freeman knew Schmidt would be ready for him on fourth down.
“That’s part of the mentality we’re trying to build here,” Freeman said. “That’s how I coach. Eventually when our guys get a little older and get more experience, those will turn into first downs.
“I thought De Soto played a really good game tonight. I thought they were physical, and like I said before, they’re a dangerous team and we saw that tonight.”
Windsor hosts defending conference champion Hillsboro (2-3, 1-1) Friday as Freeman faces his former team. De Soto is at Fredericktown (2-3).
Blue Jays outslug improved Bayless in Quad County tilt
Counter-punching, an effective strategy in boxing, worked for the Jefferson football team against visiting Bayless Sept. 26.
Anytime Broncho junior running back Marvin Jones or junior quarterback Andrew Bolden tore off a long touchdown run, the Blue Jays answered right back.
Jefferson’s backfield duo of junior QB Cooper Frisk and senior running back Landon Weiss combined for all of their team’s touchdowns in a 35-26 victory that gives the Blue Jays (4-1 overall, 3-0 conference) a half-game lead over St. Vincent (5-0, 2-0) in the new Quad County Conference.
Perryville (4-1, 2-1) visits Jefferson Friday in a conference matchup. The Blue Jays host St. Vincent Oct. 25 in the regular season finale. The teams can’t meet in the postseason because Jefferson is in Class 2, St. Vincent in Class 1 and Perryville in Class 4.
Bayless (2-3, 0-3) is coached by Jerry Woods, the former longtime head coach at St. Pius X. The Bronchos, as well as Jefferson, helped constitute the Quad County Conference out of the old I-55 Conference. Bayless was 0-9 last year, but with players like Bolden and Jones, the Bronchos can score in a hurry and they have wins over Dupo (Ill.) and Crystal City to show for it.
“We knew (Bayless) had athletes and would be tough to stop,” Jefferson head coach Matt Atley said. “Their quarterback (Bolden) got hurt in the fourth. I knew (Jones) was good and those two alone accounted for most of their rushing yards. Defensively, we shot ourselves in the foot a lot. We tackled poorly.”
Frisk connected with Weiss for a 20-yard touchdown pass and freshman Dekota French kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Jefferson lead. Jones sprinted 60 yards for six points, but the two-point conversion failed and it was 7-6.
“We were in position to make the play, but (Jones) found a seam,” Atley said. “He might be the fastest kid in the conference. We knew he was good last year. He reminds me a lot of our Landon Weiss. (Jones) doesn’t weigh more than 150 pounds. When he makes a decision with the ball, he can hurt you.”
So can Weiss, who leads the Blue Jays with nine TDs. His five-yard run and French’s kick gave Jefferson a 14-6 lead. But that disappeared in the time it took Bolden to sprint 90 yards for a score, and after the conversion was good, the game was tied 14-14.
The Blue Jays started to create some breathing room when Frisk completed a 31-yard TD pass to Aiden Usery and followed that up with a 52-yard jaunt to the end zone. French’s two PATs made it 28-14.
But Jones zigged and zagged 64 yards to pay turf, tightening the score to 28-20. Weiss answered with a 59-yard scoring run. After Jones scored from seven yards, Bayless had a chance to make it a one-score game again, but couldn’t convert a two-point try, leaving the Bronchos nine points behind at 35-26, ultimately the final score.
“That (Weiss 59-yard TD) was a ‘jet’ play and Landon got it and took off,” Atley said. “Once he gets green grass in open space, good luck catching him. He got some good blocks and made a great cut. Even against (Park Hills Central, a 42-24 Week 2 loss) we had some great drives, but we needed to clean some things up. Penalties were an issue early in the season. Plus, we didn’t know what our ID was. Kole Williams (the Blue Jays’ 2023 starting quarterback) was more of a pocket passer and he was always looking downfield. Cooper is more of a runner and he hurt Bayless several times with his legs. It took the (coaching) staff time to feel good where we’re at.”
Jefferson stands only a half-point behind unbeaten Hermann (5-0) in the Class 2 District 2 standings. The district points system will reward Jefferson well if it can knock off Perryville, which is two classes above.
“Of the teams in our conference, Perryville returns more than anyone,” Atley said. “They were big and physical (in 2023). They have a running back who is just a load and we struggled tackling him last year. Their QB is shifty and he’s better than the kid they had last year. Defensively, they have (good) kids, too.”
Atley said it’s hard to gauge St. Vincent’s 29-25 victory over the Pirates because it was so rainy and muddy that night.
“Scores are so hard to keep track of because that game was an absolute slop-fest,” he said. “The first punt St. Vincent had, the snap sailed 20 feet over the punter’s head and Perryville got the ball at the 20 going in. They earned several scores, but when you’re playing in the mud, all bets are off. They ran right at St. Vincent and they had the size to do it.”