The Mehlville High School varsity football team will tackle Pattonville at 7 p.m. Friday at home, 3200 Lemay Ferry Road.

The Panthers are looking for their first win of the season, after falling to Francis Howell last week 35-21. Vianney defeated Pattonville 30-20 last week.

Despite Mehlville’s loss last week, the contest against Francis Howell was very close until late in the game. Francis Howell struck first and second, with a touchdown in each of the first two quarters.

Mehlville, with just over a minute left in the first half, scored when the Panthers’ Jabari Shelton zoomed into the end zone on a 45-yard pass from quarterback Brendan Mady.

The late-quarter touchdown gave the Panthers some momentum, which would continue into the third quarter. However, the Vikings made it 21-7 on a 79-yard punt return.

But Mehlville regained its momentum, as Shelton scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter to tie the game at 21 each.

The score would remain the same until roughly 5 minutes were left in the game, when Francis Howell shut the door, adding two more touchdowns after capitalizing on a turnover.

Panthers head coach Kent Heinemann said he saw some good things and some bad things, but was encouraged by what he saw despite the loss.

“We battled all night, struggled to get anything going offensively early on. Finally, we got the ball moving and tied the game 21-21 late in the second half,” he told the Call. “But we turned the ball over and gave up some points late.

“The kids played their tails off, but mistakes late in the game were the difference. It’s still something to build on for next week against a very athletic Pattonville.”

Heinemann also praised the defense, noting,”They kept us in the game all night.”