With only 117 students, St. Vincent High in Perryville is the smallest of the seven schools in the I-55 Conference. But it is the unquestioned king of the hill in the football-only league after going 11-1 the last two years.
The Indians left no doubters after downing Jefferson 28-21 Oct. 20 to clinch their second straight conference championship with a 6-0 mark. That included a 42-6 shellacking of a stout St. Pius X team in midseason. The Indians later won Class 1 District 2 and made it to the state semifinals, where they fell 38-7 to eventual state champ Marionville (14-0).
St. Vincent’s 9-4 campaign also was reflected in the I-55 all-conference teams as selected by the league coaches. The Indians swept the individual honors with quarterback Christian Schaaf and linebacker Drake Robinson as the offensive and defensive MVPs and Tim Schumer as Coach of the Year for the second straight season. Schumer’s 9-4 squad also gobbled up nine spots on the offense (five on the first team) and 10 on the defense, with six first-teamers.
“In my six years as head coach (at St. Vincent) I told the team after we had played (St. Pius) I had never seen them play a full game like that,” Schumer said. “We hit the ground running and stayed at that same pace and it was fun to watch. We caught St. Pius on an off night.”
The league has shuffled the deck in recent years with the departure of perennial champ Valle Catholic and Crystal City, replaced by Bayless and Perryville.
“It’s a great conference,” Schumer said. “You know you’re going to get good games week in and week out.”
Marionville allowed only 63 points all season and blanked North Platte 29-0 in the Class 1 final.
“They were a fantastic team and we got an experience that leaves our guys hungry and we’ll try to get at it again,” Schumer said.
Despite throwing to an almost-new cast of receivers in 2023, Schaaf fired a career-high 21 touchdown passes. He was voted to the Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 1 all-state second team.
“We expected big things and he did that and more,” Schumer said of the three-year starter at QB. “We went as he went, and as the season progressed, he was more of a runner as well and that kept defenses on their toes and opened things up for our receivers.”
The Indians allowed 16.4 points per game, second in the conference to Jefferson (16). Robinson made a staggering 173 tackles and is the second straight St. Vincent player to be named I-55 Defensive Player of the Year. He was the only unanimous choice by the coaches. Robinson also earned first team all-state honors.
“Drake is one of best players I’ve had the privilege to coach,” Schumer said. “I don’t know anybody who works as hard as he does. He was our leader on defense, which was designed to funnel everything to him.”
Breeze paced Blue Jays at receiver, defensive back
Jefferson finished 8-3 and 5-1 and lost 22-14 to Lift for Life in the Class 2 District 2 championship.
Blue Jay senior Nate Breeze was selected to the I-55 first team at receiver and defensive back. He caught 28 passes for 472 yards and seven touchdowns. On defense, he made 35 tackles, intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble.
“He’s a great leader and talent and showed his toughness playing in the St. Pius game with a broken hand,” Jefferson head coach Matt Atley said about Breeze’s eight catches for 124 yards in the Blue Jays’ 28-18 win over the Lancers. “More than anything, he will be harder to replace defensively than offensively. He sets everything we do and makes our coverages for us. If we want to make a change, he just does it.”
In three games this year, senior tight end Bennett Pemberton caught two TD passes for Jefferson. He was named to the first team after finishing with 21 grabs for 329 yards. Atley called this season Pemberton’s “coming-out party.”
“Nate gets most of the accolades, but (Pemberton) answered the call when it came to being a big target,” Atley said.
Senior guard Mikey Frisk was Jefferson’s first-teamer on the offensive line.
“He’s a great leader. I was happy he got recognized,” Atley said. “The O-line was a group that at the beginning, we didn’t know what we were going to get.”
Junior outside linebacker Landon Weiss headlined the first team defense for the Blue Jays. He recovered four fumbles and made eight tackles for losses.
“He only weighs 140 pounds, but he plays so fast and has natural speed,” Atley said. “He’s a really good baserunner in baseball, (and) that’s probably what he’ll play at the next level.”
Blue Jay quarterback Kole Williams made the most of his senior season, completing 133 of 232 passes for 1,887 yards and 25 touchdowns, while also running for 412 yards and eight TDs. In most years those would be first-team stats but Schaaf got the nod for leading the league-champion team. The coaches gave Williams a consolation prize of sorts by picking him for first-team punter, after he averaged 32 yards per boot and planted several inside the 20-yard line.
“The game that solidified (first team punter) was against Perryville when he had a punt go 74 yards that pinned them inside the 10,” Atley said. “Then he had a 50-plus yarder.
“Schaaf is a great player and they both deserved (first team). Kole’s development this year was something special. He was a great leader and mentor to our younger (QBs). He’s one of those kids I wish everyone had the opportunity to coach.”
Flanagan a first-teamer in first (and only) season
Frank Ray’s first season as head coach at St. Pius was a roller coaster. The Lancers had to move their opener against Clayton to a Saturday because of the heat, won it and started 3-0. Then they had to forfeit an I-55 win against Herculaneum because a freshman played too many quarters. They suffered a big letdown at St. Vincent but then mounted a three-game winning streak before their season ended against Jefferson in the District 2 semifinals. Pius finished 7-4 and 3-3.
It was a lot to process for Ray, who watched the team he previously helped coach, Hillsboro, go all the way to the state championship game in Class 4.
“I’m satisfied to a degree,” Ray said of the season’s outcome. “It wasn’t the way I wanted it to end. It was a good group of a few seniors and I wanted to extend the season further for them.
“I learned some things and as a program we made some big strides and the culture is going in the right direction. We had seven freshmen starters this year. Hopefully, we can have a season where we have very few freshmen starting.”
Strictly a soccer player until his senior year, Patrick Flanagan amazingly transformed himself into a first-team receiver, leading St. Pius with 30 catches for 582 yards and 10 touchdowns. Eleven of Flanagan’s 14 total TDs were against conference opponents. He caught three touchdown tosses against Herculaneum. He also was a second-team choice at defensive back, intercepting five passes, and at kicker.
“His year was really special because it’s the first time he played football in his whole life,” Ray said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anybody come out their senior year and contribute so much. He is a great athlete and competitor who expects a lot of himself.”
An early candidate for 2024 player of the year honors on either side of the ball is St. Pius junior running back/linebacker Justin Lehn, a first-team selection at both positions this year. Lehn piled up 1,800 total yards of offense and scored 30 touchdowns to go with 130 tackles, 14 sacks and three turnovers. In the Lancers’ district win over Priory, Lehn rushed 31 times for 386 yards and four TDs and had nine tackles and two sacks.
Ray compared Lehn to another special player he coached, Hillsboro 2023 graduate Austin Romaine, currently starting at linebacker as a true freshman for Kansas State University.
“He’s a crazy talent,” Ray said of Lehn. “He was kind of a hidden gem in the county. He’s an extremely smart football player and weight room junkie. He’s a film kid who studies the game. Justin is similar mentally (to Romaine), knowing what the offense is trying to do to you, like Austin (did).”
An honorable mention pick in a deep field of senior QBs, James Smith was the pivot at the back end of the Lancers’ ball-hawking secondary with a team-high six interceptions – three returned for touchdowns – and was named to the first team defense. Smith moved from linebacker to DB in the offseason.
“He just loves to play football,” Ray said. “He’d always been a linebacker and I needed a safety, and he made the change. He’s ready to help the team wherever he can.”
Eberhardt battled both ways
Shea Eberhardt thrives in the trenches. The Herculaneum senior recently won his 100th match as a wrestler and is a Class 2 state medalist on the mat. The I-55 coaches voted him to the first team on the offensive and defensive lines.
“I’m so happy for him,” Herculaneum head coach Blane Boss said. “He’s such a great kid and human being and one of the hardest workers I’ve coached in the weight room. He’s real smart. He and (senior Demian Light) knew what they were doing and we ran behind those guys. Defensively, (Eberhardt) didn’t have a whole lot of stats but he was double-teamed most of the time at nose tackle.”
Eberhardt played alongside Light, a first-team tackle and second-team linebacker for the Blackcats, who finished 5-6 and 2-4.
“(Light) was one of our best linemen this year on both sides of the ball,” Boss said. “He was our best puller on sweeps. Every time we needed some yards or a big play, we’d run behind him and Shea.”
Herculaneum’s season ended in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals to a loaded Park Hills Central team that blazed its way to the Class 3 state championship.
“It was an up-and-down season because of adversity and injuries,” Boss said. “We lost by a point in the first game (7-6 to Windsor) because of a blocked extra point. It was 100 degrees that night. I’m super-proud of them. We beat Crystal City (and) won a district game (32-26 over Kennett). We’ve drawn some tough teams in districts in my three years here.”
Eagles got more from Moore
Grandview senior Nash Moore capped off a superb career, named to the first team at fullback and outside linebacker. He rushed for 1,057 yards and eight TDs and led the Eagles (3-7, 2-4) with 87 tackles.
“He was the centerpiece of our offense, a great downhill runner, and I was happy for him to get that honor,” Grandview head coach Jason Kimminau said. “He’s a north-south guy who runs behind his shoulder pads and it takes more than one guy to bring him down. (On defense) he was a three-year starter and our leader putting guys in the right place.”
The Eagles had four players selected to the first team defense. Senior Jacob Walker (defensive back) and sophomores Isaac Walker (end) and Tucker Rhinehart (line) joined Moore. The Walker brothers accounted for 12 turnovers – Jacob had six interceptions and Isaac six fumble recoveries.
“Isaac moved to the edge when we changed on defense, and he came off the edge hard,” Kimminau said. “He’s fast and physical enough to chase down running backs.
“Tucker’s a force and he played every snap on offense and defense. He’s a tough kid who does what he’s supposed to do. Jacob’s a ballhawk and had quite a few tackles for a (DB). With the way the teams in the conference throw the ball around, it was helpful for him to be back there.”