Despite an “ugly” win, Friday night’s 13-7 defeat of Oakville marked Eric Meyer’s first victory as head coach of the Mehl-ville Senior High School football team.

“It wasn’t a pretty win. It was ugly, plain and simple,” said Meyer of his second game as Mehlville’s head coach.

The win for Mehlville (1-1, 1-0 Suburban West) marked a rebound for the Panthers after opening the season with a 17-7 loss at home against DeSmet.

But for Oakville (0-2, 0-1 Suburban West) the defeat marked another night of frustration and missed opportunities.

“We pretty much stunk it up in the first half,” Oakville head coach Arlee Conners said. “We played a better second half, but we just didn’t do the things we needed to do to win. Mehlville controlled the line of scrimmage on offense and defense.”

Mehlville jumped out to a 6-0 lead when Christian Stewart hammered in a seven-yard touchdown run with 6:47 left in the second quarter. Stewart carried the ball 10 times for 55 yards in the win.

“Christian is a quick and physical runner,” Meyer said. “He really knows how to hit the holes hard.”

The Panthers extended their lead to 13-0 when Phil Blair blasted a 14-yard touchdown run with 4:19 left in the third quarter. Blair carried the ball six times for 13 yards and caught two passes for 51 yards.

“After the game was over, everything’s a blur,” Meyer said. “But after watching the film, the line blocked really well and he just eked through a hole and got the touchdown.”

Oakville cut Mehlville’s lead to 13-7 when Zach Melber pounded out a three-yard touchdown run with 10:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Melber recorded five carries for 15 yards in the loss. He also led the Tigers on defense with seven tackles.

“Zach’s a guy we hope would do a lot for us on offense and defense,” Conners said. “He’s turned into a very capable runner out there on the field.”

The Panthers are back in action at 7 p.m. Friday when they travel to Northwest to face the Lions. Northwest (0-2, 0-1 Suburban West) dropped a 41-13 decision to Lafayette Friday. Jake Waterkotte scored both of Northwest’s touchdowns.

“Northwest runs a spread offense and their quarterback is one tough kid,” Meyer said. “They’re a team where we’re going to see something that a lot of teams won’t run against you.”

The Tigers also return to action at 7 p.m. Friday when they play host to Lindbergh (2-0). Lindbergh is coming off a 34-7 win over Francis Howell as the Flyers defense is giving up just 3.5 points per game this season. The Flyers kicked off the season with a 43-0 win over Fort Zumwalt South.

“Lindbergh’s a team that’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Conners said. “They have a good running and passing game and a solid defense. We just have to go out there and minimize our mistakes.”