By Ryleigh Hindle
The Ste. Genevieve freshman football team had no trouble scoring a win Monday over the Festus Tigers for their opening game. The Dragons won 41-14 with a strong offense consistently scoring throughout the game.
Ste. Gen started off the first quarter by stopping Festus in their tracks for a three and out. Once the Dragons were in control of the ball, quarterback Mason Nix sent a deep ball down the middle to Wyatt Springkamper on the first play for an early touchdown. Bryant Schwent put the ball between the uprights for the point after, giving Ste. Gen a 7-0 lead.
Nix wasted no time after a second three and out from Festus, sending the ball back to Springkamper and into the end zone with a screen on the outside. Schwent kicked it through the goal posts again to chalk up the additional point. Another touchdown was put in reach when Festus fumbled the ball, allowing Alex Fleeman to scoop it up and run the 40 yards to the end zone, only to have a penalty called for blocking in the back.
The second quarter saw the Dragons continuing the pressure. The defenses stepped up and kept both teams at a stalemate until the Dragons broke through and sent the ball downfield via a series of well-timed plays. Springkamper ran it in the final 15 yards to the end zone. Schwent kept his streak up of after touchdown points. With the Dragons dominating the field, Festus couldn’t find an opening before halftime arrived. The Dragons led at the break, 21-0.
Ste. Gen came out in the second half as strong as ever. Starting with the ball in the third quarter, the Dragons drove down the field, and this time gave Nix the opening to run from 15 yards out. Schwent kicked the extra point to make it 28-0. Festus finally put some points on the board with a pass and catch from 35 yards out, but they fumbled the two-point conversion, leaving the score at 28-6 at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was the final nail needed to shut the coffin on Festus. Schwent came in from the slot position to run the ball down the right side of the field, making it 34-6. Festus managed to break the lines only once more with a blown coverage and a pass over the middle, leading to a successful two-point conversion. Ste. Gen put a swift stop to that as Springkamper took over as quarterback, faked right, and went left 50 yards into the end zone. One last kick from Schwent sealed the deal, ending the game 41-14.
“I think the team played to the fullest of our potential and gave it our all on the field today,’ Nix noted after the game. “It felt really good taking that next big step from middle school to high school football.”
He wasn’t the only one pleased with the results of their first high school game. “I feel like our team worked great together,” said wide receiver Kaleb Wilson. “There are a few things to fix, but I think we had a great game and we’re going to be ready to come back and play Valle Monday. It felt so good to play in my first high school game, and I had a great time.”
With Valle being a difficult opponent to face off against next, running back/linebacker Jack Farlow explained what’s needed to be ready to take on the Warriors. “I think our team did very well tonight,” he said. “We had a few minor things like penalties and not running the ball to the correct hole, but hopefully this week we can work on it and be ready to play Valle next week.”
SGHS will take on Valle Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Warriors home field.
