The game’s first completed pass, which came in the third quarter, was the biggest play of the game-winning drive by the Mehlville Panthers (2-2) in their 25-7 win over the Oakville Tigers (1-3) Friday night at Mehlville Senior High School.
Mehlville’s performance on the ground and on the defensive side of the ball, though, voided any need to throw the ball.
The Panthers threw only seven passes.
“It feels real good because when you work hard that’s what happens. It’s easier getting upfield,” Mehlville senior lineman Corey Simmons said.
The 34-yard completion from senior quarterback Zach Hayes to sophomore Chase Brown came midway through the quarter, and set up senior Troy Parrott’s eight-yard touchdown run that gave Mehlville a 12-7 lead with four minutes and 35 seconds left in the third.
Simmons and his Mehlville teammates on the offensive line cleared the way for 300 rushing yards on 46 carries by Parrott, Brown, senior Remington Grigsby and junior Brandon Zufall.
“We thought the offensive line could play well. They just believed in themselves tonight, and the running backs believed in them. That’s a big part of it,” Mehlville head coach Eric Meyer said.
Parrott drove his body through the trenches of the two opposing lines 18 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns in his best high school performance.
“We just kept moving. I knew our line was there for us, so once we kept putting the ball up the middle everything was working,” Parrott said.
Mehlville had little trouble barreling downfield in its first win against Oakville in its last three tries.
“Us seniors haven’t gotten a win in a while against them, so this one felt really nice tonight. When you can beat an archrival, it feels a lot better,” Parrott said.
Defensively, Mehlville held Oakville to less than 100 yards of offense after penalties negated 50 more, and sacked Tigers quarterback Javon Henderson three times for 23 yards total.
Henderson, a running and passing threat, completed one of eight passes for minus-3 yards.
“For the most part, they wanted it more than we did,” Oakville coach Arlee Connors said. “I thought they played a lot harder than we did. We didn’t do enough to help our own cause.”
Panthers junior cornerback Mike Sulya denied Henderson of completing several deep passes to his brother Jaron Henderson.
“Mike did a really good job. He played really well at the corner. He was strong out there, and made some big plays,” Meyer said.
The Panthers took a 6-0 lead three minutes into the second quarter on a three-yard touchdown run by Brown.
Junior Dan Kerckhoff recovered an Oakville fumble at Oakville’s 24-yard line to create the short field for the Panthers offense.
With 6:56 left in the third, Oakville took a 7-6 lead when Sophomore Anthony Herrera broke free on a 76-yard punt return touchdown, and senior Andrew Messmer kicked the extra point.
Parrott scored his second touchdown on a 37-yard run to give Mehlville an 18-7 lead with one minute left in the third. Grigsby punched in the final score on a two-yard run with four minutes left in the game.
The Panthers will visit Fox High School Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff while the Tigers will welcome Francis Howell North High School for a 7 p.m. contest Friday.
