Week 10 District Q-Final Scores & Analysis: Herculaneum Blackcats Turn Middle Seed Into Magic With Roaring Win Over Kennett Indians

Herculaneum 32, Kennett 26

Weeeeee are loyal to you Herky,
Honnnnnnor is our aim
Whyyyyyyy does Coach just keep complaining? 
His name rhymes with “insane”
Rah! Rah! Rah! 

Holy heck. The Herculaneum Blackcats have righted the wrongs, stolen the show, and set Dunklin’s ship upright in what was supposed to be a Perfect Storm. Did it seem possible that the least-hyped Herky team in 5 years could give up an opening TD, then outpace a MSHSAA Class 3 stalwart – gulp – 32 to 6 in the next 36:00!?!

How about Herky’s 2023 lineup earning Dunklin’s biggest win of the 2020s? Hmm. HOW ABOUT THAT.

…and the head coach is still unhappy. Oh, yes, the HC is still unhappy, after a pair of mighty upsets that might just change how a lot of local folks think about Herculaneum football. Blane Boss, now officially the craziest son-of-a-gun who ever went on a surprise win streak, spent the first half of Friday night’s postgame interview dishing out the doom and despair we’ve come to expect, grousing that the HHS Blackcats should have expanded on a 32-12 lead and romped the #5 seed Kennett Indians in front of God and everybody.

HOOOOME POOOOLS ‘N SPAAAS! Home Pools & Spas End Zone Show host Griffin Weinberg couldn’t take any more. It’s been a long season, and we’ve got half a hunch – after listening to Blane Boss’ segment with Weinberg on Friday evening – that Regional Radio’s lively, loquacious End-Zone Show host has been reading Mississippi Magazine. “But come on, coach,” Weinberg implored Boss in a voice like Michael Irvin’s famous “COME ON MAN!” from ESPN. “You have said it felt like a give-up season. People were injured, you didn’t know who wanted to play. You just beat the Kennett Indians in a home playoff game. You hosted a District game, and you just won it! Doesn’t that make you feel, maybe, kind of…GOOD about these Blackcats?”

The coach couldn’t help it. Boss began to smile, started to chuckle, and spilled the beans about his frightening remarks from back in Week 8 of what’s turned into a special campaign. “The boys on the team read that jerk reporter who says I’m too negative hear my interviews after the games. I told them tonight’s performance is why I’ve been so hard on them, because we think they can win a lot of games if they just work as hard as they can on every single play.”  Once the skipper was disarmed by the clever Weinberg, he began heaping praise on quarterback Keaton Reeves, who piloted a handy offense, pitched and tossed the ball accurately, and scampered for points on Herky’s final Red Zone turn that wound up making the 6-point difference.

The Geek doesn’t agree with Coach Boss (imagine that) that Kennett’s comeback bid was a mark of a sloppy performance from the home team. Instead, the KHS comeback LEGITIMIZED Herculaneum’s playoff win by showing that the Varsity Indians really cared about winning or losing, and allowed the ’23 Herky Blackcats to outplay their Friday Night Prediction TWICE in one victory. We said HHS would have a chance to manufacture Friday’s win, but rather because the Kennett Indians – who managed to beat Sikeston, East Prairie, and nearly Caruthersville earlier this season – were not fully invested in the game, already feeling embarrassed about not hosting a home game in Round 1 as Kennett has done for many years. But by the time the 3rd quarter pile became so ornery that a MSHSAA referee kicked a KHS player out of the bout without further discussion, it was clear that KHS had come to win, and be the team making next weekend’s prestigious trip to Park Hills. Herky didn’t just upset a Class 3 power in midst of a slump. Dunklin defeated a gutsy gang that tried like mad.

Not that things weren’t hairy for a minute. Kennett WR Jack Morrison made a spectacular snag for a catch-and-run TD to trim Herky’s lead to 6 points with just over 1:00 remaining. What happened next became a perfect small sample of Dunklin’s season, as the coaches flipped out in anxiety while a kid made a savvy, determined play to force the issue and get HHS back into the win column. Boss’ coaching staff screamed at Herky’s Gabe Moore after he jumped on an illegal onside kick attempt from Kennett, which went just 4 yards thanks to a lucky break from the rainy weather creating crude crop-circles of mud and sod right around the 50-yard line. Boss was worried about his student-athlete making a potential “Leon Lett” play to give Kennett a cheap W:

However, the Dallas-Miami blocked kick of legend wasn’t like Herky’s onside kick recovery on Friday. Kennett had already earned a penalty once the ball stopped short of 10 yards. You can’t recover a fumble or flip possession on a play you drew a penalty for. What’s more, Moore’s recovery – a skillful old school slide-and-secure move with just the right “Knute Rockne” fundamentals – was the moment The Geek began to smile. Herculaneum’s junior RB, in all the joy that Dunklin was feeling when that last kickoff wobbled short, was only talking to MSHSAA’s slow-poke referees (who made a day-and-a-half long 4th quarter feel even longer) in one of the only ways our players are allowed to talk to them – by doing something hectic with the pigskin. “OK. THAT’S IT. HERE’S THE BALL. OUR BALL WE WIN, RIGHT?! CALL IT! CALL IT NOWWWWWW!”

Herky’s defense and special teams will be lauded as the group that turned Dunklin’s season around. But the Blackcats’ revival on offense was a sight to see after so many scoreless Feline frames against Crystal City, Jefferson, and St. Pius X. Herculaneum’s playoff success can be an inspiration to Crystal City 2023 and any others who’ve lost their way on offense late in the season. We wouldn’t have known Herculaneum’s attack was considered the I-55’s second-weakest for the previous 9 weeks by watching the Blackcat offensive linemen tearing wide gaps in Kennett’s defensive front, giving Herky’s rushers daylight on a rainy night by utilizing the program’s patented “PlayStation” counters. Reeves’ offense executed like a San Francisco 49ers prospects’ squad when going for the gusto with WR Reverses and other tricky runs from scrimmage. Using the whole gridiron from side to side, the Herky Blackcats overcame their “one-dimensional” aspect which had surely appeared on Kennett’s scouting sheet. FWIW, Herky receivers were open once Reeves looked for them.

Live Stream STL’s otherwise great broadcast of Herky’s big win on MSHSAA TV referred to Mr. Reeves as “Deet-un Reeves,” which was very funny. The Gridiron Geek has thought about giving Keaton Reeves the TGG treatment (most of the outstanding players on Mississippi Magazine get nicknames by the time it’s said and done) by calling Reeves “Alex P. Keaton” after Michael J. Fox’s character from “Family Ties,” but now, Herculaneum’s QB might just have to be “Deets,” named after the cook from “Lonesome Dove.”

Reeves and his sophomore class could be cooking-up Herky’s real revival, just a season or 2 down the road. Clark Struckhoff, who recovered a Kennett Indians fumble to become a hero of 2 straight games, is also an underclassman, and the senior combination of Demian and Camron Light promises even more, even bigger brotherly bruisers in that Class of 2026. All told, 2024’s Herculaneum Blackcats can return everybody but 5 players, with seniors accounting for less than 20 of this year’s touches. The 6’1 Struckhoff is already an undeniable force on defense, tearing up opponents for 15 tackles-for-loss and 4 sacks on the season.

Finally, the Varsity Blackcats could feel let down to have been vindicated on the field in such an epic way, then click Live Stream STL’s footage and see how few folks were on hand. Not even Herculaneum High’s pride and joy, the concession-stand balcony where the vibe of the Herky-Crystal City rivalry game was just great, was populated with very many spectators. But the ‘Cats should be made aware that ZERO Tri-City football fields boasted good turnouts on Friday because of the 6 PM storms, and Festus (and possibly Herky?) actually wound up turning would-be ticket buyers away when lightning struck over the Mississippi River at 6:45.

They went home and watched the playoffs on TV. At 9:45, by Dunklin Drive, they saw lightning strike again.

Festus 41, DeSoto 0

Having expected the boys to coast through Round 1 of the District playoffs, Black & Gold faithful were hit with a double whammy of nasty developments on Friday night.

First, the Varsity Tigers were sluggish on offense, and against the weakest defensive team they’ve played in 6 games. Festus R-6’s single TD versus DeSoto in Quarter 1 is an offense’s “performance” – if you want to call it that – which was matched or surpassed by Joachim Junction opponents like Windsor, Bishop DuBourg, and Orchard Farm this season. Head coach A.J. Ofodile, who was in a foul postgame mood over the team’s unforced errors on running and passing downs alike, says the FHS attack is not where it needs to be.

Second, what had at first felt like a night of good injury news turned into pale-faced fear when it became clear Hayden Bates wouldn’t be taking the pitch. Everybody named “Edwards” suited up and played, and QB Essien Smith returned from an absence to spark Midmeadow Lane’s offense, finally chalking-up some touchdowns in midgame. But it’s the tailback Hayden Bates who has been R-6’s surprise gem in 2023, having a senior season that’s not unlike Logan Uding’s late upturn into a Division 1 rusher back in 2017, except that Kirkwood did not raid Black & Gold’s excellent roster this time around. Bates may become a nightmare “RBI Hitter” style running back for any opponent trying to come back against a Festus lead in the playoffs – if he PLAYS in the playoffs, that is. Coach O hasn’t been talking to the media very much, and FHS has started to take Hillsboro and Grandview’s leads in not talking about specific injury problems until it’s absolutely necessary.

There’s a small flicker of hope, and it lies in something else Ofodile said to Regional Radio after the Q-Final game. When asked about Bates’ injury, Coach O turned the subject to a general one, but also said “We’re taking it day-to-day with some guys, letting players rest after we see who needs to play in the next game.”

After we see who NEEDS TO PLAY in the next game? Not who “can” play, but who needs to? Hmm. We know from experience that when Festus is scoring points, and winning a bunch of scrums in a row, Ofodile likes to “handicap” his own offense, like placing extra stones on a horse in a Steeplechase, to see how the Festus Tigers will react and execute in different packages. The head coach has “Essien”-tially done that with the QB position for 2 seasons now, and his NFL-and-SEC background taught him the value of getting many RBs involved in a successful year, and making sure no one takes too many hard hits before the leaves fall.

What’s exciting is that there wasn’t a lot of 9-Stone Handicapping going on with Ofodile’s roster moves in 2022, when the Festus Tigers had to finish well just to go 6-6. Ofodile tends to handicap his team’s ability only when he believes that Black & Gold is just one very, very small step away from getting everything exactly right.

Just about all that Coach O said about Week 11’s game was baloney, and was also the only wise, polite stuff you could expect any coach to say. More on that to come in what’s going to be an ongoing Hillsboro-vs-Festus preview, aka Mississippi Magazine’s “Class 4 reporting” now that Windsor and C4D2 are out of the picture.

St. Pius 33, Priory 14

Gridiron Geek’s “44-16” prediction just missed the final tally on SPX’s Week 10. But it was still right-closer than our Week 9 forecast for Hill Valley – a loss instead of the Lancers’ 50-point win. Friday’s rainy meeting was just as impressive on St. Pius’ behalf in its own way, as Frank Ray’s youthful club overcame a bad beginning like Oregon falling behind early, and then brushing aside Cal or Washington State with points to spare. Most notably, the Round 1 victory sets up an IMMENSE Highway 61 rematch at Jefferson this Friday night.

MSHSAA TV’s stream of the St. Pius vs Priory game never worked, which can hardly be blamed on Hill Valley given the bad timing of the storms that lashed the Tri-Cities right after supper. But in typical style, there was no acknowledgement or emails offering a refund (as has become the norm) for everyone who put $10 inside the MSHSAA Pay-Per-View slot machine and came up tomatoes. Victims can email Jason West of MSHSAA’s cartel headquarters at Jason@mshsaa.org to negotiate terms with Gus Fring try to get their money back.

Oakville 56, Northwest 14

Do the Oakville Tigers officially look scary in the Week 11 rematch with Seckman? More likely, the Cedar Hill kids were simply out of gas following the heartbreak of Week 8 and the mad relief of Week 9.

Union 48, Windsor 19

Windsor coach Jeff Funston got on the radio after Week 10’s elimination loss and thanked everyone who helped him “put in a new offense” in bits-and-pieces over the last “12 or 13 weeks” (!!!) aka the reason why WHS and its swift wide receivers had less than 20 complete passes this year, and why the Albino Birds played like a train pushed off the tracks from start to finish this season. It’s not every Friday you hear a coach cheerfully explain to a radio host how he made a brutal, short-sighted, slow-motion mistake to keep a frustrated program spinning its wheels, and sit himself on the hottest seat in the conference. Stranger and stranger in 2023!

It feels weird to say this, but we sort of hope that no skinny Track & Field star with Division 1 wide receiver’s skills turns out in Windsor’s OTA camp under Funston next spring. Chances are, the coach would take one glance at the youth’s 5’11, 145 pound frame, and say “Gosh, son, you’d go really fast up the middle 30 straight times, except of course when our QB fakes the hand-off, and then falls right on top of you.” The kid would march back indoors, tearfully tell his favorite English teacher goodbye, and transfer right across town.

St. Mary’s 27, Fox 6

No disrespect to Arnold’s brave enterprise this season, but St. Mary’s isn’t “back” just because of Friday’s final score. At the very least, the Varsity Dragons aren’t “back” to their 2021-22 form on the field. Fox lost to Class 4’s “non-defending” champs in much the same way that the Warriors lost to teams like Seckman, Lindbergh, and a so-so Ladue lineup in the regular season. St. Mary’s is actually just back to where it was in most of the 2010s, playoff spoilers who rarely draw a nice District seed due to playing a very tough schedule in STL. Since the Dragons embarrassed so many public schools over 2 years, only private schools want to play them now.

The Geek suspects that St. Mary’s coaches would grumble about that. For some reason, every Smilin’ Jack prep sports editorialist you’ve ever read thinks its fashionable to criticize public schools and honest private school teams for not playing “traditional” games against Lutheran North or Country Day these days. Even the “Donnybrook” talk show reporters on PBS, who are all supposed to be sports fans that know better, harshly criticized John Burroughs’ neighborhood boys for not going up against Lutheran North anymore.

But last year, the game-day rosters of Lutheran North, Cardinal Ritter, and St. Mary’s teams combined featured athletes from 100+ zip codes. Those are NOT High School football teams. Those teams are something else entirely. How can anyone blame a High School team for not going-up against something out of its category? One wishes that St. Mary’s actual state championship game from last season had come against the SEMO RedHawks, to have people say “Just Play Better!” or “Don’t Be Spoil-Sports!” after the Dragons lost 99-0. MSHSAA doesn’t have a firm handle on the All-Star Team scourge yet, and who knows when it will end.

Lift For Life 50, Grandview 0

SPEAKING OF WHICH.

*growl*