The 2022 version of the Valle Catholic football team continues to set the bar high for its successors.
Friday night’s win over crosstown rival Ste. Genevieve was not only the Warriors tenth win in 11 games against the Dragons, but the 63-7 final is one of the largest margins in the storied history of the series.
This is the fourth time in Valle’s 7-0 start that Head Coach Judd Naeger’s squad has scored more than 60 points, and it settled for 59 in another contest.
For the seventh consecutive week, the Warriors got on the board first…and again it didn’t take long.
At the 9:45 mark of the opening quarter, quarterback Chase Fallert found Isaac Basler on a 35-yard touchdown pass. It was Basler’s first touchdown of the season. The extra point was missed keeping the score at 6-0.
Moments later at the 5:19 mark, Bryce Giesler ran it in from eight yards out. Will Kuehn booted the PAT to make it 13-0.
Tim Okenfuss capped the Warriors big first quarter with a 16-yard run at 3:35 on the clock to make it 20-0 after the opening 12 minutes.
Just seven seconds into the second quarter, Fallert tossed his second scoring strike of the game, this time to Sam Drury from 48 yards out. Kuehn then kicked his third straight PAT to make it 27-0.
About three and-a-half minutes later Fallert let his legs do the work this time, as he ran it in from eleven yards. The point after made it 34-0 still early in the second quarter.
Ste. Genevieve is a program with plenty of pride and talent and the Dragons showed they weren’t going to lay down. Quarterback Aiden Boyer went up top and found Devin Flye for a 16-yard touchdown to make the score 34-7 just past the midway point of the quarter.
But Valle was far from done finding its way across the goal line before halftime.
Just 49 seconds after Ste. Gen got on the board, Giesler took it to the house for his second touchdown of the game and his team-high 14th of the season. The 51-yard run and subsequent PAT made it 41-7.
For good measure, the Warriors found pay dirt again with 2:00 left in the half when Fallert and Drury connected for the second time. This pass play went for 12 yards to make it 48-7 heading into the third quarter.
Valle has now scored 278 points in the first half this season. That’s good for just under 40 ppg. Again, that is just in the first half!
Valle came roaring out of the locker room when Rylan Fallert got loose for a 59-yard touchdown run at the 10:51 mark of the third period to make the score 54-7 after a bad snap doomed the point after attempt.
Then the Warriors’ big play defense decided to put points on the board as well with a safety to push the lead to 56-7.
Finally, Josh Fallert finished the scoring late in the fourth with a four-yard run. Kuehn added the extra point and that made the final score 63-7.
Valle finished with 344 yards rushing and 195 passing for a total of 539 yards. Seven different players scored the nine touchdowns. Just another day at the office for this team that is putting itself in the conversation along with some of the greatest teams in the storied history of Valle Catholic football. But for a school with 15 state titles, there is still a ways to go for it to truly make its mark.
Individually, Giesler had another big game in limited action. He ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Josh Fallert had a good game with 66 yards and Rylan Fallert made the most of his only rushing attempt with the 59-yard trip to the end zone.
Chase Fallert was efficient once again, completing ten of 14 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns. That pushes him over 1,000 yards through the air for the season. He has 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Drury had four catches, two of them for scores. Six of his 24 receptions now on the season have been for touchdowns. Basler’s only reception was good for points as well.
The Dragons were held to just 165 total yards and only five yards on the ground.
Carson Tucker and Okenfuss led the defensive charge with six total tackles apiece. They also combined for five tackles for loss.
The Warriors picked off three passes. Tucker, Alex Viox and A.J. Basler each had one.
Valle’s next game will be Saturday, October 15 at 1 p.m. when its hosts winless Vianney. There will be special recognition for the players from the 1988 through 1992 teams that won five consecutive state championships.
As for the Dragons, they will look to get back into the win column next week as they will travel to Festus to take on the Jefferson R7 Blue Jays, who are on a three-game winning streak.
