After losing the opening game of the 2014 season convincingly, the Lindbergh High School varsity football team was looking for its first win of the season when it faced Pattonville Friday night, but the Flyers will have to look further.

The Flyers fell to the Pirates 37-14 in a game in which Lindbergh realized improvement in some areas, but not all, according to head coach Tom Beauchamp.

“We improved from (the first) week (of the season). We played better, but we still have some things we need to work out yet,” he told the Call. “We are going to have to work on some basic stuff — tackling and blocking — and I think to improve, we’re really going to have to push ourselves.

“We had a horrible week (last) week because of the weather, and we had a day that we missed school because of the water main break (on the Lindbergh High campus) …”

Beauchamp said he hoped the Flyers would have more practice time on the field this week to prepare them for Friday’s night game against Mehlville.

The Flyers were competitive against Pattonville, but the game slowly slipped away from them.

Pattonville scored first at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Lindbergh’s Logan Offner and Jamie Smiley each scored, but the Pirates added three touchdowns of their own, sending the teams to the locker room with Pattonville leading the Flyers 23-14.

However, the scoring ended for Lindbergh after the first half, while Pattonville found a way into the end zone two more times — once in the third quarter and once in the fourth.

Despite the loss and the off week of practice, Beauchamp said he saw noticeable improvement in his Flyers compared to the first week of the season.

“I think we improved a lot. I don’t think we are where we need to be yet, but I think we are definitely moving toward the positive …,” he said, adding he saw improvement both defensively and offensively, while special teams blocked a punt.

“But we are not where we need to be yet, so I think it’s just one of those things where you move forward and hopefully during the season, you can work it out. Because the way the playoffs are set this year, it doesn’t matter what your record is. You can still keep going if you win,” Beauchamp said.

Winning is the obvious objective, especially with a record of 0-2, and Beauchamp said he expects to see a lot of energy on the field Friday night against the Panthers, who also are 0-2 this season.

“I think it’s going to be a battle. It always is,” he said. “I am very fond of the (Mehlville head coach Kent) Heinemann family, both of them over there, in a big way and I coached over there,” he said. “I know a lot of the coaches, and so it’s always a battle when you play guys you know.

“As much as you love the people and you care about them, it’s also extremely competitive and that’s the way it is. I’m sure both teams will be putting their best into … getting ready.”