The Mehlville Panthers enter the 2025 football season with optimism and a hunger to flip the script after a 3-7 campaign last year.
Head coach Kent Heinemann said the program’s offseason workload has laid a strong foundation as the team looks to compete more consistently in close games.
“We had a good summer,” Heinemann said. “We scrimmaged St. Charles High School and Waterloo High School, and competed in the Kirkwood 7-on-7 tournament. We were ready to play in the championship game, but it was cancelled due to the heat. Overall, we were pleased with how we performed.”
The Panthers’ summer focus was on installing their systems, giving August practices room to fine-tune execution. The early weeks of practice have carried a confident tone.
“We wanted everything in so we could sharpen up when it really mattered. The coaching staff also emphasized continuity, keeping familiar schemes in place while adding wrinkles to become more dynamic,” Heinemann said. “I think the overall feeling is optimism. We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’ve added things to what we’ve done in the past few years that we think will make us better.”
Mehlville boasts a strong core of returning varsity players across the board. The offensive and defensive lines will be anchored by Kolby Armaniampong, Alen Hasanovic, Eric Ho, Khan Hoorman and Matt Ringenbach. Quarterback Cam Trautman, who had a productive summer, returns to guide the offense.
Skill players expected to make an impact include Jordan Hannam-Lewis, Cliff Storch, Aaron Davenport, Marquise Jackson, Francisco Becerra and Nathan Huntly, all of whom bring experience to both sides of the ball.
Hannam-Lewis, in particular, emerged as a difference-maker in 2024, leading the St. Louis area in return yards with 502 yards on 17 returns, averaging nearly 30 yards per attempt. That explosiveness gives Mehlville a dangerous special teams weapon.
One player Heinemann singled out is Jeremiah Evan, who steps into the starting tailback role.
“We’re expecting big things from him,” the coach said. The roster also features underclassmen eager to prove themselves, though Heinemann noted captains and under-the-radar contributors are still being finalized in preseason.
A year ago, the Panthers came up just short in several close contests, including a 12-7 loss to Northwest and a 35-27 battle with Oakville. Turning those heartbreakers into victories is a key focus this fall.
“We felt like we were a better team than our record showed last season,” Heinemann said. “If we win those two games, we’re sitting at 5-5 instead of 3-7. This year, we have to compete better in those types of games.”
Heinemann has also stressed chemistry as a measuring stick for success.
“I told our guys that our record at the end of the year will be a direct reflection of our chemistry,” he said. “When we play together, we can be pretty good.”
The Panthers’ greatest strength lies in their combination of experienced starters and promising newcomers. With an optimistic camp atmosphere and lessons learned from 2024, Mehlville looks poised to push for more consistency in the Suburban Conference this fall.
“We’ve got quite a few returning starters and some new guys we have high hopes for,” Heinemann said. “Now it’s about bringing it all together.”