St. Genevieve 50, Festus 35
Yes, padawans, your author knows it’s supposed to be “STE”-Genevieve on official scoreboards, since “Ste” stands for the “See-aee’nt” in “Ste. Genevieve.” It’s that whole STL-region-country-club accent thing. There’s a tough golf course in St. Ste. Genevieve where players say made-up St. Louis words like “dee-ammit,” so it all works out fine. In any case, there’s no time to be caught-up in such small “mistakes” when The Geek has made such a colossal one.
TGG got the Festus Tigers exactly wrong coming into 2022, in a way that goes well beyond the team’s 0-1 record, or Friday night’s ugly recap.
Friday morning’s predictions stated that Black & Gold still had “some things to figure out” on offense and special teams, a remark that was rendered silly by the opening kickoff. FHS boomed a high kick to the 5-yard line, a yard-or-2 further than Emily Holt’s memorable “Anti-Reverse” boot that helped wind an early Turbo Clock on DeSoto last season. (Yes, special-teamers on the ’22 squad covered this one just as nicely.) Soon, the Varsity Tigers debuted a dual-QB offense that included all kinds of creative, sharp new running plays, overcoming a hip-stinger to WR Arhmad Branch to execute 5 fast-tempo scoring drives. Jeremiah Cunningham played like a veteran signal-caller, Essien Smith was grease-lightning in the open field, and the Tigers’ tackles blocked well to open-up yawning holes around end. The offense was sure-handed, and only took 1 truly costly penalty against the Dragons, a holding infraction that negated a TD on the 3rd quarter’s maiden drive.
Now about that “beastly” 2022 defense? The lineup with great measurables up front, the fast senior LBs salivating to gobble up tackles-for-loss, and a star-studded secondary? Oh, dear. Predictions, schmedictions. The Geek is forced to quote Colin Montgomerie all over again: “Well, that changes all that, then.”
The defense began the season so badly that FHS could conceivably score on every turn and still lose to Valle U. in Week 2. QB Aiden Boyer led St. Genevieve to an explosive 3-play scoring drive to take the early lead, which should have wiped the sleep out of the boys’ eyes immediately. But when the senior gun-slinger’s new-and-improved receiving corps kept slipping past the Lollipop Guild like clever Winkie Guards, the QB punished the tentative Tigers with 5+ long passing plays and a handful of break-away runs in the opening frames. Boyer’s upstarts posted a shocking 28-19 lead on the board at halftime, blowing apart the Black & Gold’s edge-rushers with vicious pancake-blocks on the hashes.
The Festus pass rush was MIA. Missing. Vanished. Kaput. Boyer stood in the pocket munching on shelled peanuts by the 3rd quarter, even though St. Genevieve’s final onslaught of scoring was held-off until the Dragons needed more points late in the final frame.
While it’s true that the late special-teams blunder (and a resulting momentum-killer score for St. Gen) gave up another full 6 points, just as the offensive line’s penalty had early in the 3rd quarter, the fact is that Friday’s FHS pass defense looked worse than anything since 2017’s air-raid assault from Clayton High, making it imperative for the Tiger offense and special teams play an absolutely perfect game to beat the Dragons. That’s unrealistic in August, and puts Cunningham, Smith, Branch, and 2-way contributor Landen Yates under the kind of pressure that TGG erroneously thought they would avoid in ’22.
The St. Genevieve Dragons, meanwhile, look like a dynamo this season. The Class 3 side’s total numbers rival Hillsboro High’s, its offensive line is full of super-mobile 275 pound bruisers, and the defense appears to have added so many effective players from the Class of 2025 that the absence of ’22 alumni is hardly felt. Valle’s earthquake of a victory in Week 1 makes Boyer’s amazing performance in last year’s playoffs look even better. If there’s ever a season in which St. Genevieve could potentially upset a championship-level team from Valle U., it’s this one.
The Geek has loved several moves that FHS skipper A.J. Ofodile made this preseason, like testing Essien Smith’s passing arm against Jackson’s defense while letting Jeremiah Cunningham “earn” Week 1’s starting role by scoring on his old teammates from Farmington in the next Jamboree scrimmage. But if Midmeadow Lane’s coaches think the lack of edge-pressure against St. Genevieve was just a warm-weather fluke that will improve over time, they’ll be making a mistake that could doom the Tigers’ chances for an 8+ win campaign right out of the gates. Week 1’s triumphant Dragons are far from 2022’s only Black & Gold opponent with powerful blocking, dangerous playmakers, and fast WRs. Jackson, Hillsboro, and North County’s offensive lines are bound to play up-to-standard this year, while even the Farmington Black Knights could scrape-up an OL comparable to St. Genevieve’s by late October. They almost always do.
Further measures will be needed. Midmeadow Lane’s front-7 was decent against the run for 2 or 3 quarters on Friday, which is at least some kind of foundation to build on. There’s no way a less seasoned quarterback than Boyer would have been able to produce 50 points or steal a halftime lead on FHS given the visitors’ edge in the ground game. But if the Tigers fail to get pocket-pressure on Valle QB Chase Fallert in Week 2, the Warriors could score upwards of 10 touchdowns at Tiger Stadium. Ofodile must choose to adjust any conservative summer-time plans on defense and begin dialing-up a blitzing scheme for the R-6 linebacking corps, his club’s most talented, experienced, and deepest unit by a country mile. Turn players like Carter Cupp and Eli Ortmann loose to attack the edge, stunt up the middle, and occasionally produce a QB-knock that will make Valle, Jackson, and NCHS think twice about putting on a 3-ring aerial circus. Even the Lollipop Guild’s representatives should blitz to get pocket pressure if that’s what it takes – nobody ever said the “Honey Badger” was lousy on a blitz because he’s not as tall as Larry Wilson.
Nobody – mark The Geek’s words – nobody will consistently stop Essien Smith from racing, or Jeremiah Cunningham from rumbling, for the Varsity Football Tigers in the Year of Our Lord 2022. But if the wounded boys run a soft, careful defense trying to prevent big plays from Valle U. in Week 2, they might as well just write “GUEST 56, HOME 24” on the scoreboard and then go on home to bed.
FHS is staring an 0-2 record in the face. A risky roll of the dice would be preferable to just waiting for more opposing TDs to come.
Valle University 61, Seckman High School 36
Sometimes, it’s really hard to know which school’s perspective makes the better Friday Night Lights story, or whether a losing team lost a game more than the winning team won it. The Gridiron Geek believes that Seckman’s lineup must take responsibility for a horrible, hideous, hapless 4th quarter that allowed Valle a statement victory to end all statement victories. At the same time, to overlook what Valle U. is achieving on the field would be absolute nonsense.
Seckman’s “monster truck” was hit with a double-whammy on Friday. MSHSAA’s District bracket for 2022 includes a number of stunning surprises, including Seckman’s inclusion in a Class 6 division, not Class 5 alongside the Jackson Indians, whom the Varsity Jaguars had spent a whole offseason hoping for another crack at, but peering at likely #1 seed Christian – gulp – Brothers – eep – College, instead.
It doesn’t mean the SHS playoff campaign is over before it begins. If the Jags’ defense happened to have a career night rushing the QB and snagging INTs, and Cole Ruble spent at least 28:00 of game clock grinding-out 1st downs, then a how-high-is-up roster like Seckman’s current crew could well upset a program like CBC in a District Final. But you wouldn’t have blamed Ruble’s team for coming-in distracted on Friday night anyway. The game, and the challenge, behind every summer SHS practice drill is now an impossibility. Making it worse for the Imperial kids – and this is nobody’s fault except MSHSAA’s – is that pretty much ALL of Friday morning’s pregame chatter shifted to the crazy new District brackets, and the Class of 2023’s lost chance to finally give Jackson a tough game. MSHSAA’s weird policy of announcing divisions, Districts, and potential seeds less than 24 hours before a season begins (if that) has never looked worse, or made more local coaches, players, and fans understandably angry.
Then the Valle Warriors showed up on their home field like the Guns of the Navarone, overcoming a meek ground game to connect on long catch-and-run plays and post a surprise 21-7 lead. That was statement #1 from the charged-up Warriors, whom detractors always claimed ran an “Oregon-lite” offense that sputters and stops when you stuff the running plays. When SHS managed to tie the scrum at halftime and then ring-up a 9-point lead in the 3rd quarter, it appeared as though Ruble’s powerful beast-on-wheels had a less-populated Valle University roster right where the Jaguars wanted it. That’s when Friday’s C1-turned-C3 hosts played what may be the best and most important 15 minutes of pigskin in Valle’s decorated history, taking a dramatic field-goal lead before the Jaguars knew what was happening, then crushing Seckman like a Class 1 patsy to post a 9-touchdown “13+ point bonus” win over a team that Valle U. already gets 20 District points just for scheduling. Fallert and his favorite WR Sam Drury will now be known among the best of Missouri’s QB-to-receiver connections regardless of school size. Most crucially, Valle U.’s contingent of Iron Man stars somehow found the stamina to tackle Cole Ruble, frustrate Seckman’s other skill players, and produce points off turnovers late in the 2nd half against Class 6 boys.
TGG pins Seckman’s ugly margin-of-defeat on HC Nick Baer’s inexperience against elite teams. SHS should have been spending its final turns trying for a “death march” while running on all 4 downs, knowing that Valle U. specializes in creating chaos when the chips are down. Instead, the numerous failed chances-taken as Friday’s scrum slipped away opened the door for the Jags to have an emotional let-down and let the Warriors run away with a history-making romp.
But as for Valle U. beating a powerhouse from Class 6 – by any score – that incredible W/L outcome smashes a decade’s worth of accepted MSHSAA wisdom to pieces, and transforms the character of the 2022 prep season completely. Valle University and St. Mary’s are now the most dangerous private-school teams in Missouri, with all due respect to Lutheran North, Cardinal Ritter, and Helias Catholic. We thought that St. Mary’s could have beaten Valle U. by 75 points if the Dragons wanted to last November, but maybe that 55-7 elimination-win was harder-earned than it looked. Nobody in Classes 4-6 should be looking forward to facing Fallert’s amazing squad in ’22. Valle U. is a clear favorite to reach the Class 3 Show-Me Bowl.
Hillsboro 49, Sikeston 14
It’s another weekend where there’s too many good Jefferson County (or at least St. Genevieve County) stories to fairly recap in Mississippi Magazine, leaving The Geek to cut right to the chase on the best performances, and thus “rank” the remaining final scores’ importance only by their location on the Friday Night Scores & Analysis scroll. Herky folks could be upset, but Hillsboro’s offensive line earned “#3 recap” status against Sikeston, consistently churning-out positive gains in between RBs Jaxin Patterson and Austin Romaine’s otherwise predictable gallops downfield, and thus answering any questions we had about holes in the HHS offensive line of ’22, while helping the Hawks go up 28-0 early and make quick work of 1-0.
Cape Girardeau Central is not in the Hawks’ playoff bracket, which is good news for Leon Hall and neighboring programs, considering that the Tigers scored a nice win in Week 1. There are plenty of teams in C4D1 to worry about, but HHS won’t be stressed over Sikeston.
Herculaneum 42, Windsor 6
Jackson Dearing was a poor man’s Aiden Boyer on Friday, producing his team’s own statement win through the air with a dazzling barrage of passing TDs against a somewhat beefed-up Windsor team. Dunklin R-5 faithful, watching the best pure pocket-passer in the county rack-up TDs against bigger schools in August, could already be excited about seeing more Class 3 playoff games played at home by the smokestack. But the Mississippi Magazine has another date already in mind that comes before conference or District considerations – a potential clash of winning, contending arch-rivals when the Blackcats host the Crystal City Hornets’ speedsters on Senior Night.
Crystal City 43, Chaffee 0
Reports were scant on the battle in Chaffee, and there’s no box score to be had. But the final score, combined with The Gridiron Geek’s hunch being correct that Cyle Schaumburg would take every snap for the revenge-minded Hornets in Week 1, should speak for itself.
Coach Fox gave a remarkably candid interview on Friday night’s End-Zone Show, rejecting the Regional Radio host’s usual invitation to say that the debut scrum was about each team trying to improve for its own sake. Fox said that the Hornets played with a “chip on their shoulder” after finding chirpy remarks from the ’22 Red Devils and their new coaching staff on social media. TGG’s prediction may have had Crystal City winning by just 24 points, but Mississippi Magazine was cheated out of crucial info until it was too late. Violating the Mark Messier Rule, and making a talented opponent mad for no particular reason, is almost always good for 3-4 additional rival TDs.
Counting the preseason’s scrimmages against St. Pius X and Perryville, 2022’s Crystal City Hornets have taken around 100 snaps and scored 12 times, while defending about 75 opposing snaps and allowing 2 touchdowns. Sunken Place may be ahead of schedule.
Grandview 33, Paris 13 (Saturday)
Yesterday produced a lovely story out of Coyote-ville as the Grandview Eagles maintain the standard of GHS’s recent revival with a nice victory over Paris. Cameron Hagen and other upstart rushers starred with the rock as Austin Blankenship’s defense shut-down a team that scored 30 points in Herky late last season. The Birds of Prey face a manageable Class 1 playoff bracket and have a super chance to go to 2-0 against visiting Bayless this weekend.
Brentwood 26, St. Pius 16
St. Pius X is also drawn in Class 1, District 2 against Crystal City and Grandview among others, an ironic state of affairs for a program whose alumni were lamenting a promotion to Class 2 before it actually happened, or didn’t happen. Friday’s mid-game woes spoiled a spirited start and a noble comeback bid for the Lancers, who’ll get a lay-up over Bishop DuBourg before plowing straight into a lot sturdier Rooks and Kings in the harder half of SPX’s I-55 schedule.
DeSoto 42, Bishop DuBourg 12
There’s not much to say about DeSoto’s debut, except that it was a wise Week 1 scheduling move, and a cathartic scoreboard-win for Keith Woodland’s ailing Varsity Dragons. But let’s face it, the way DeSoto executed in 2021, the Green Gang wasn’t about to score 40+ points on any MSHSAA cupcake shy of Agape Boarding School, making Friday’s outcome at least a tiny step forward.
Fredericktown 6, Jefferson 3
Despite what the final score may suggest, this contest was far more about the Fredericktown Blackcats’ renewed strength than any impending doom at Blue Jay Drive this season. JHS will get its crafty offense into a groove as always, but we also officially have a solid new contender and common-opponent with which to measure teams’ form when the I-55 Conference is letting its schools play other leagues.
Fox 26, Mehlville 7
Fox and Northwest have drawn very difficult large-school District brackets as usual this year, but the Warriors are in a Class 5 division that’s got enough vulnerable teams to produce simple Ws and momentum for the District’s 1-thru-4 seeds in the 2022 Quarterfinals. Fox took a big step toward hosting a #5-#8 seed in Week 10 by trouncing the MHS Panthers in Friday’s rally of retribution, holding a Suburban League rival to less than 3 yards-per-carry and 0 pass competitions on 7 tries while forcing and recovering 2 fumbles.
Sullivan 34, Northwest 7
Cedar Hill clearly has a rebuilding chore on its hands, hardly a good thing when 2021 was supposed to be spent retooling for an improved campaign behind Chase Viehland, who was chased-down far too often by the blue-collar Sullivan Eagles in Friday’s clash on I-44.