Winning just their second football game of the season with only a week left before the “sudden-death” playoffs begin doesn’t mean a whole lot in the standings, but the victory was a great confidence booster for the Mehlville High School Panthers.
The Panthers, now 2-6, shut out North-west/Cedar Hill Friday night 26-0. It was their second win in three games, as they beat Seckman 40-0 two weeks ago.
Besides being a great confidence booster, the victory meant quite a lot to Mehlville players who have battled all season long, but have not been rewarded for their efforts on the box scores, according to head coach Kent Heinemann.
The coach was pleased with the performance of his players Friday night, not to mention the outcome.
“It was a very physical game. We played tough on defense and found a lot of success running the ball,” he told the Call.
The Panthers dominated the Lions beginning in the first quarter when Tim Ghormley got things going for Mehlville on a 29-yard pass from quarterback Brendon Mady.
In the second quarter, Mady carried one in with a short 2-yard push in the red zone, and also tossed an 18-yarder to receiver Ben Hughes to put the Panthers up 20-0 at the half.
Jabari Shelton added one more in the third quarter for Mehlville on a 2-yard run.
The Panthers hope to end the regular season on a positive note when they take on their closest rival, the Oakville Tigers, at 7 p.m. Friday at home, 3200 Lemay Fer-ry Road.
The 1-7 Tigers have struggled this season and only picked up their first win of the season last Friday night, blasting Seckman 42-0. But when Mehlville and Oakville meet, the records and statistics of these two teams don’t mean anything, as it’s always a close battle to the very end of the game, according to the Mehlville High head coach.
“A Mehlville-Oakville game is always a good battle,” Heinemann said. “Last year, it came down to a game-winning field goal.
“They are coming off a big win last week, and Coach (Arlee) Conners will have them ready.”
On Friday, the Lindbergh High School football team will tackle Marquette at 7 p.m. at Flyer Stadium, 5000 S. Lindbergh Blvd.
The 3-5 Flyers fell last Friday night to Eureka, 28-7.
