Festus 41, Farmington 36
Do you need The Gridiron Geek to say it was the best Festus R-6 Homecoming win of modern day? Maybe not, but it will still be fun to go over it together.
The 7-1 Festus Tigers unexpectedly slumped last week with a sloppy 56-28 loss at DeSmet. When they stepped on the field Friday night, they were still slumping. The boys had fallen asleep to the lullaby of “6-0” and couldn’t snap out of it, having the kind of poor first half against Farmington that had “Homecoming Blues” stamped all over it. Midmeadow Lane made mental miscues, drew more flags than a summit meeting, blew a fuse on simple wide-receiver coverages for more easy opposing touchdowns, and yes – the FHS Tigers made more coaching errors too, prohibiting the Charlie Brown’d field goal kicker Luke Wacker from getting on the board to make it 21-10 for Farmington in favor of a silly 4th-down try in the Red Zone. With just moments to go in Half #1, this year’s furiously-fast Farmington Black Knights led 28-7. That’s when QB Parker Perry’s offense flipped a switch.
Perry added at least two stars to his NCAA recruiting profile by having one of the best-ever performances of any Festus signal-caller. The junior phenom led a comeback that began with a “Larry Bird” miracle, passing the bean into a breadbox while falling down on a Farmington sack attempt, leading to WR Gus Drinen’s touchdown catch to make it 28-14 for the Black Knights at the half. The defense started to get inspired, playing with urgency and confidence in stopping Farmington’s opening second-half possession. That set Friday’s stage for the Black & Gold’s takeover, a breathless 15:00 of action in which the Tigers and their crazy-good Grade 11 helmsman would outpace the potent Farmington Black Knights 21-0, completing a 28-0 run of point scoring that began after Farmington’s fourth touchdown.
Drinen’s breakout night kept going when he helped Perry draw a Pass Interference flag to get Festus across midfield again. Two plays later, Perry uncorked a brilliant long pass in David Russell’s direction, putting extra height and velocity on the pigskin to avoid some Farmington defenders in the open field and trusting to Allah that Russell would still catch it. The latter Iron Man playmaker reeled in Parker’s piercing howitzer and galloped off for a 47-yard touchdown catch. The Tigers’ heroic Homecoming comeback was on in earnest.
Aiden Schirmer’s defense continued to stiffen later in Quarter 3. Farmington’s new hurry-up offense had a 3rd-down-and-short on the Festus 35-yard line, and hurried to the line to run a play that ended one yard short of the line to gain. They hurried up to the line to run a 4th-down play. That play hurried up and got 1/2 of a yard against a ferocious set of Tigers who were also in a hurry – to get the football back. HC Brent Eckley hurried onto the field to protest the spot, but the referees – hurrying, of course – gave FHS a turnover on downs. Five plays later, Perry hit a wide-open Drinen down the left sideline for a 37-yard catch and run for a touchdown, tying the score 28-28 thanks to Perry’s fourth touchdown toss. Farmington’s defense had rushed out to defend Parker Perry’s offense – again – with little rest in between turns. Racecars can get demolished when they crash.
To say that RB Leuontae Williams “stepped up” in Week 8’s comeback win would be an understatement. Cheers of “Let’s go LEON!” rang out from the upper bleachers as Williams started to shine as brightly as Perry and Drinen in the second half, overcoming an early fumble to drive the R-6 offense like a quiet, humming motor on numerous first-down conversion carries. Perry made what might’ve been his best play of the night on the Tigers’ go-ahead drive, making a desperate scramble to his left before hitting an open Rowan Stucke on a pass down to the 3-yard line. But it was Williams who plunged forward for a crucial 35-28 lead, keeping his head while the ball was bobbled in the backfield.
The Varsity Tigers reacted like champs when Farmington QB Jaxon Tinsley found sophomore RB Walker Laut on a touchdown pass with 4:47 remaining, then successfully gambled to take the lead right away (in a hurry, as always) on the Black Knights’ two-point conversion to follow. Williams began and ended the team’s sprint to the Red Zone with thrilling 10 and 20-yard rushes respectively, while Perry escaped from a seemingly impossible pocket-jam to race for another 20-yard carry on the fateful drive. From the opposing 17, once again in field goal range, the Tigers settled down long enough to run just once. But then, Perry stepped up in the pocket, and hit WR Jackson Frank for the winning touchdown:
Farmington again showed why Eckley’s squad is getting Top 10 votes in Class 5, doing everything but mount one final comeback of the Black Knights’ own. Festus was performing night-and-day better on pass coverage until Tinsley’s 6-foot-2 receiver Josh McCarthy broke away on a Button Hook catch at the 50-yard line, running down the right sideline and threatening to break every heart in Tiger Stadium while Farmington’s sideline and Cheer squad went absolutely bananas. The junior Festus tackler Liam O’ Brien was Midmeadow Lane’s hero who chased McCarthy down and got him out-of-bounds at the 9. That was when a final Tinsley pass attempt with 0:04 left was knocked away by Stucke, reminiscent without-a-doubt of Jeremy Davis-Mayes’ leaping knockdown of a Warrenton pass to seal the deal on last season’s Show-Me Bowl bid following Week 14’s snowbound semifinal.
Perry’s stats from the scrum weren’t available at press time – yet we know he’s got five more (gulp) TD passes to go with numbers which are shinier than anybody’s up in STL. Farmington’s tipped-ball interception in the first quarter broke the quarterback’s immense streak of passes tossed without a pick that dates back to (GULP!) last midseason.
Well, it was a slump, alright … but it only lasted 72:00. Festus has replaced its only swoon of the campaign with the joy of an all-time classic win, inked its own Top 10 ranking going into the Class 4 playoffs, and established its QB as an elite NCAA prospect. With Coach O using more Iron Man players than ever, that’s about the best “substitute” going around.
St. Vincent 44, Grandview 12
The Geek caught on to St. Vincent’s edge over Grandview too late in Week 8. By the time the Varsity Indians were jumping, pumping, and thumping all over the gridiron against the Birds of Prey in Quarter 1, it was clear that St. Vinny’s was a Turbo Team that benefited from weeks of rest followed by an easy-going “Exhibition” game (growl) against Ash Grove in Week 7. St. Vincent’s rowdy home-field atmosphere would still be a tremendous asset in the Class 1 postseason, for sure, but Dittmer’s schedule kept the Eagles at home and unprepared for such a tumult until Week 8, another bad break for GHS. It’s weird that a team would have such a freshness-edge over a conference rival this late in the season. Grandview couldn’t be asked to match the intensity of a team that’s like a dog finally let off a leash, not with a unit that’s just been through wars against Jefferson and Herky.
You can pick at Grandview’s methodical offense or its decidedly un-methodical turnovers at St. Vincent, which nixed any chance of a serious comeback even as the Indians stood below 20 points for a long time. It’s the correct move, though, for Cory Hanger’s coaching staff to keep the Eagles on cruise-control for a minute, and not sweat the loss too badly. Just look what getting away from the grind for two weeks did for St. Vincent, like it nearly manufactured upset victories for DeSoto and Windsor over Hillsboro during COVID-19.
Crystal City remains a dangerous visitor in Week 9. But the Eagles’ big offensive line will keep Brendan Martin and Isaac Walker’s feet cleaner in that contest. Merely the fact that Grandview has threatened to win an all-comers conference crown over Class 1 through Class 4 is a sign that the Eagles have a world of potential in the playoffs this November.
Herculaneum 16, Perryville 13
Okay, now we’re getting vintage Herky Football vibes from the team at Blackcat Drive. Herculaneum’s newer, sharper brand of power pigskin drove a dagger into favored Perryville with two early touchdowns and two-point conversions, just as an apparent fog over the field made MSHSAA TV viewers wonder if Doe Run had blown the smokestack right before a Blackcats home game again, as it happened at a Dunklin scrum that The Geek – COUGH! – recalls – CHOKE! – attending in – GAG! SNEEZE! – 1999. Once the lead was in place, Herky put a dose of “Scott Croom and Jason Ramsey”-era trouble on the Varsity Pirates, terrorizing Kayd Luckey with sacks and interceptions. Clark Struckoff lived in PHS’s opposing pocket, intercepted a Kayd Luckey pass for a 46-yard return, and ran what turned into the winning TD on a hook-and-ladder from Deets and Tanner Duncan.
Oh, and Struckhoff led Herculaneum with 116 rushing yards versus PHS too. What a beast from Jeff County’s east! DeSoto had better find some Alka-Seltzer and get rid of its Hillsboro hangover fast, or the JCTV Bowl of Week 9 will be nothing like 2024’s snoozer. 5-3 Herculaneum has clinched only its second winning regular season since 2014.
Meanwhile, could the 2025 Perryville Pirates go into the Class 4, District 1 playoffs with a bigger sign on their collective forehead that reads, “We Are Back To Performing at a Small Schools Level?” The C4D1 race might as well be a second Mississippi Conference race because only Mississippi teams really have a chance to win it. Hawks, Dragons, and Buccaneers take note – you can wipe away a lot of sadness by sweeping through what’s going to be a very familiar bracket of so-called “District” rivals in Weeks 10-12.
St. Pius X (Kansas City) 48, St. Pius X (Festus) 20
Looks can be deceiving, or at least glances can be. People will look at the Box Score of St. Pius X versus St. Pius X and assume that it was a tale of two halves, the Kansas City favorite embarrassing Hill Valley 45-0 before fielding its junior reserves in the second half, allowing Festus the morale boost of a few touchdowns and a respectable score.
Like Sydney Pollack says to Tom Cruise in a film that’s too scary to name at Mississippi Magazine, “I think you might have the wrong idea about one or two things.”
It was actually a tale of offense and defense for the St. Pius Lancers, or more accurately, defense and offense. With irony the unit that was better (defense) looked the part of an overmatched side (we don’t usually call football teams “sides,” but there is a soccer recap below this!) by allowing 40+ points in one half. That doesn’t change TGG’s impression of the first half at Hill Valley. When the Lancers’ tacklers were on the field, the game looked normal, and the Festus team looked like it belonged on the field against a powerful Class 5 contender’s starting lineup. When the Lancers got the ball back, that was when things went markedly south in a “first half at Baylor” experience of tiny gains, botches, bobbles, and 4th-down punts.
Any momentum the Lancers could have had was snuffed out by a weird call. When behind only 10-0 late in the first quarter, the home team recovered a muffed punt and went in for an apparent Brody Ervin TD on the scoop-and-score. But one official on the field did not agree with the original touchdown signal, and the score was overturned after a discussion. Lancers heads hung low as the points were taken off the board, prompting the experienced Warriors to whitewash the Lancers 35-0 in the ugly 14 minutes of play that followed.
The St. Pius defense’s trait of just missing against elite offenses came to the fore again when Warriors quarterback Trustin Wurm was drilled to the ground on a 3rd down in the Red Zone, but just managed to release the football to an open receiver for another TD in the second frame. The good news is that once the Lancers began putting things together on defense and offense in the second half, the scrum remained a far more even-handed battle after the Warriors brought their seniors back out to try to stop the bleeding from touchdowns by Cody Shaver and Harry Ray. SPX of KC didn’t have as much urgency by then, yet did go back to its starters a lot, making SPX’s 20-3 finish impressive.
On a personal note, The Gridiron Geek was humbled when St. Pius X (of Festus) adopted the “St. Pius Bowl” branding from Mississippi Magazine for Week 8, going so far as to promote Friday’s beautiful soccer match between Festus and Kansas City as the St. Pius Cup:
Was the St. Pius Cup closer than the football gala? You bet your Arse-nal! St. Pius X of Festus took a 3-2 lead into the break on goals from midfielders Lane Kohler and Sam Patterson plus a tally from the sophomore defender Evan Reim. The Lancers back line couldn’t hold off the Warriors’ strikers in the second half, falling to defeat 5-3. You have to appreciate SPX-of-Festus bagging goals from everywhere on the pitch, though. The Geek imagines that back-liners on most local “sides” average two shot attempts per year.
Chaminade 42, Hillsboro 7
Hillsboro’s final score is deceptive in the same way St. Pius X’s score is deceptive. The Chaminade Red Devils romped with midgame TDs, but it was the Hillsboro defense that shined in defeat while the offense had its roughest night of 2025. Chaminade was held scoreless in the first quarter of a contest in which the Hawks allowed only 304 yards of opposing offense and no 50+ yard opposing rushers. Hillsboro’s offense and special teams then began giving away easy turns (and one Pick Six) to a Class 5 brand that’s reestablishing itself as a stronghold. Lucky for the Blue & White that Class 4, District 1 looks so paper-thin as of Week 9, they’re still the second-most likely title winner.
Potosi 40, DeSoto 14
Whoa. We knew that DeSoto might have a hangover from the Hillsboro victory, but nothing like this. Without a MSHSAA TV stream or a Box Score from the DeSoto-Potosi game, The Geek can only hope that there were no serious injuries that struck DeSoto’s offensive backfield, the defense, or Collin Barton’s offensive line. We don’t mean that in the typical “well, so long as there are no injuries” sense, but in the sense that Potosi isn’t good enough to conquer the 2025 DeSoto Dragons by four TDs under normal circumstances. DHS defeated Perryville, for instance, and you wouldn’t expect the Perryville Pirates to lose by 26 points to a Potosi team that struggled to survive 2-6 Pacific High in Week 8.
Seckman 54, Hazelwood West 12
The Geek missed Seckman’s point total by just one. Past that annoying fact, did we actually learn something from a total mismatch? Hazelwood West’s long touchdown run in the second quarter, when the Jaguars led only 23-0, is another troubling sign for an Imperial defense that we thought would be more dominating this season, especially against the Suburban League’s weak sisters. You can have a blue-collar “offense by committee” and win championships (see: Ladue Rams) but it takes a lot of solid “no-name” defense.
Lots of opponents are shutting Webster Groves down this fall. Seckman of Week 9 has to become the next to do so, or Northwest will be licking its chops for the rematch.
Northwest 62, Parkway Central 9
Missed the final score by an XP and a safety. Drat! Oakville’s been on fire since losing to Seckman on 9/26, so say hello to a better game featuring QB Cohenn Stark in Week 9.
Parkway North 35, Fox 12
It’s getting to be like a broken record. Fox’s athletic defense plays bravely to hold a Suburban League score tight at halftime. Arnold’s offense breaks down completely in the second half, the fatigued defense starts allowing more points, and Chandler Price’s occasional long bombs have no open receivers to fly to as Warrior receivers can’t get open against an opponent that’s no longer scared of Fox’s ground game. Parkway North’s wide receiver Alex Harvey nearly outgained the Fox’s whole offense with 154 yards on just nine receptions. Things look bleak for the Red & White going into a tough Class 5 bracket. Since the Seckman and Fox faculties are cooperative now, maybe the Jags can suggest some changes.
Fredericktown 39, Windsor 22
Ugh. Windsor somehow piles up another 400 rushing yards and throws the ball effectively against Fredericktown, but can’t get out of its own way as the 1-7 Blackcats net their first victory in surreal fashion over Imperial’s team that nearly played Hillsboro to a halftime stalemate not long ago. Kudos to Fredricktown for playing so hard that the Owls couldn’t hoot in the Red Zone. (Cuba won on Friday night too. It is darkest before the dawn, ladies and gents.) The Windsor Owls fell off the “Elevator” of their schedule in the worst way, by tripping over a maintanence-man on the ground floor of MSHSAA. The Geek has some offseason advance for head coach Lee Freeman to prevent this sort of thing in 2026, but Mississippi Magazine will save that for (wait for it) the coming offseason. For now, suffice to say the Blackbirds are enthusiastic about running Freeman’s playbook on offense, something that you can’t say about the look-alike Fox Warriors this October.
Scotland County 52, Crystal City 30
Crystal City has gotten its offense in gear, and it’s a sight to see Landyn DeRousse’s offense begin to match the effectiveness of Nolan Eisenbeis’ and Cale/Cyle Schaumburg’s attacks from the past few seasons. However, the loss to Scotland County on Friday was a tale of two units. Crystal City’s defense was a sloppy mess, whiffing on tackles before losing pursuit of the Tigers’ rushers completely in the open field. SCHS scored points almost at will against a defense that’s almost mysteriously falling short given the strength, experience, and mobility that remains on the CCHS roster of tacklers. Grandview will score 90 points if the Hornets don’t tackle better in Week 9. Bradley’s Farm has started to perform well enough to score points on the Grandview Eaglesof 2025. CCHS still can’t win its next game if the defense doesn’t play well enough to give the offense a chance.
St. Genevieve 55, Jefferson 12
Have the Jefferson Blue Jays joined the Fox Warriors (and the Windsor Owls) in freefall? We’ll know more when the slumping ‘Jays straggle to St. Vincent to try to upset the Indians this coming Friday. Cooper Frisk’s squad is swooning so deeply that it might take a rivalry like Jefferson-vs-St.-Vinnys to wake them up. Whether a slumping team can handle 48 Game Clock minutes of the well-rested Indians and their “Heavy Metal Tomahawk” soundtrack is anyone’s guess. They like their metal in Jefferson R-7 of course, but this time, perhaps something more “1990s” than the Tomahawk Chop would do the trick … like the Soundgarden tune “Switch Opens” in which a happy day pops up out of nowhere.