Caleb Riordan | Ameritime Sports Writer
For the second time this season the Valle Catholic Warriors will take on the Ste. Genevieve Dragons. Except this time, both of their seasons are on the line. These two long time rivals face off in the sectional round of the Class Three State Tournament on Friday, November 5th.
This is a rivalry that goes back as far as most in Ste. Gen can remember and these teams battle it out every year for bragging rights in the town of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The Dragons lost this matchup 46-0 when they met up in week two, and it’s the only time Ste. Gen has been shut out this season.
The Dragons are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. They had their first playoff game last week and absolutely blew Bayless out of the water with a 56-8 win. “Air Bnb” aka Aiden Boyer and Zach Boyer, had themselves a night. Aiden completed six of ten passes for 210 yards and six touchdowns and Zach caught four of those passes for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Wyatt Sprinkamper contributed two carries for 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Will Vaughn led the Dragon defense with six tackles. Thomas Weiler and Jacob Johns were right behind with five each.
Valle is coming into this game with an unblemished record on the year. They’re a perfect 9-0 and had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, so they’ll have fresh legs. Their last game of the season they crushed St. Pius 63-0 for their 600th win in program history. They have shut out four of their opponents this year and have never scored under 42 points.
Stud running back Bryce Giesler has 1408 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns on the year to pace the offense on the ground. Through the air, Grant Fallert took over the starting quarterback job mid-season because of an injury to Chase Fallert and he has been nothing less than outstanding. He has 19 total touchdowns and 798 total yards. His favorite target, Aiden Heberlie, has caught nine touchdowns and racked up 522 receiving yards on the year. This Valle team is full of athletes that create issues for opposing teams all over the field.
The Warriors won the last meeting between these tow teams, and that has been the theme in recent years. They are 9-3 against Ste. Gen dating back to 2010 and have won the last three meetings in a row. These two teams are both rolling at the right time, and both have high powered offenses that can blow a game open if you are not prepared.
Come Friday, November 5th on Valle Catholic’s home field, the score will be settled once and for all as far as 2021 is concerned.
Good luck to everyone who steps onto the gridiron.
