By Robert Chalupny
For the Call

The Lindbergh High School varsity football team shored up its first win of the 2017 playoffs Friday night, knocking off the Mehlville Panthers 49-14.
The 9-1 Flyers are in the midst of their best season in recent years. In their win over the 2-8 Panthers, Lindbergh scored four touchdowns by four different players in the first quarter.
Sam Huff, David Grenia, Rico Payton and Bobby Tessler all contributed to the Flyers’ initial onslaught against the Panthers.
But Mehlville didn’t remain silent, either, as Steven Haverstick and Ibrahima Sy both scored for the Panthers in the first quarter.
The teams battled through a scoreless second quarter before Payton, who averages three touchdowns per game, added two more scores.
Grenia plotted his second of the night late in the fourth quarter.
Flyers Head Coach Nathan Norman praised his players’ intensity, but added his team still has work to be done.
“I’m proud of our kids and coaches for getting their first playoff win,” Norman told the Call. “It takes discipline and mental toughness to prepare and compete for 10 weeks.
“And Lindbergh has done a nice job of that. We need to clean up some things and be more consistent, which I am confident we will fix.”
The Flyers will square off against 8-1 Kirkwood at 7 p.m. Friday at home, 5000 S. Lindbergh Blvd.
The contest should be a much greater challenge for the Flyers, as the two teams are similar in several ways and have only suffered one loss.
Lindbergh lost to Eureka 41-10, while Pattonville defeated Kirkwood 41-35 earlier in the season.
The two teams have very high-powered and effective offenses and solid defenses to back them up, so it should make for an exciting high school football playoff game.
Norman said he was looking forward to the challenge, and praised Kirkwood’s program.
“Moving forward, we have a tremendous amount of respect for Kirkwood. (It’s a) great program and very well-coached,” he said. “We are excited about the opportunity and look forward to a great week of practice.”