Now that the district tournaments have been decided, two football teams from Jefferson County are set to embark on different paths in the state playoffs that ultimately leads to the Show Me Bowl in St. Joseph in December.
In Class 2, the St. Pius X Lancers turned around an 0-3 start and stand at 7-5 as hosts of Montgomery County High in the quarterfinals Saturday at 1 p.m. It’s the first time St. Pius has played in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats finished second in Class 2 in 2005.
The Lancers lost their season-opener 33-25 at home in August against Caruthersville High (8-3), the No. 1 seed in District 1. St. Pius (No. 2) running backs Cody Shaver (28 carries, 161 yards) and Brody Ervin (12-128) paved the way offensively. The school’s single-season record holder, Shaver boosted his season total to 2,645 yards.
In Class 4, Festus High (1, 9-2) repeated as District 1 champions after beating North County (6, 6-6) 42-24. It was the second win of the season for the Tigers over the Raiders. Festus beat them 46-21 in a MAFC game in Bonne Terre.
The Tigers are at Sullivan (9-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a quarterfinal. Playing on the road last year in playoff games against teams that were undefeated at the time, Festus beat Gateway STEM and Warrenton to reach the state final in Columbia.
Junior QB Parker Perry threw four TD passes in the district final and set a new school record with 33 this season. Cole Rickermann previously held the record with 29. Senior WR Jackson Frank caught three TD passes, including the game-winner.