The final game of the regular season for the Ste. Genevieve Dragons went about as swimmingly as humanly possible. The defense stifled a tough Kelly offense and the Dragons were able to use the ground game and arial attack to perfection en route to a convincing 42-14 victory. That bumped their record to 7-2 on the year and has them set to square off against Dexter at home next week in the District playoffs.
The game started off a little bumpy as Kelly’s main threat, Running Back Reece Eftink, broke off a 54-yard run to put the Hawks up 7-0, but Ste. Gen came back in a big way. Quarterback Aiden Boyer found his favorite receiver Wyatt Springkamper for an 83-yard bomb that moved the Dragons all the way to the three yard line on one play. Running Back Ayden Butcher punched it in on the next play, kicking off what would be a huge night for him.
Boyer then hooked up with Springkamper again on the next possession for a six-yard strike to give Ste. Gen the lead 14-7 and close out the first quarter scoring.
The following frame would be even more exciting, as the Dragon offense really took flight. Boyer found Devin Flye wide open and he streaked into the endzone from 31 yards out to double the Dragons’ lead. Shortly after that the dual threat signal caller kept it for himself on a play-action call and found pay dirt from four yards out.
Eftink got another crooked number on the board for the Hawks with a long touchdown run, cutting the lead to 28-14, but the Ste. Gen defense stepped up the rest of the way. Not before an 18-yard TD scamper by Boyer though, closing out the scoring for the half. The Dragons went into the locker room up 35-14.
The pace of the game changed drastically in the second half, with neither team able to cross the goal line in the third quarter, but that was just fine for Head Coach Jay Pope‘s squad. With a 21-point lead, holding the opposition scoreless was paramount to racking up the score. The Dragons did however make a little noise in the fourth quarter with Butcher capping off his incredible game with his second rushing TD. That made it 42-14 and sealed the deal for Ste. Gen, closing out their regular season with a 7-2 record.
Boyer did it all in this one, passing for 180 yards and two scores while rushing eight times for 75 and a pair of TDs to give him four total on the day. Butcher was the workhorse on the ground, toting the rock 23 times for a whopping 217 yards and two scores.
Through the air, Springkamper led the way with 100 yards and a TD on four grabs, and Flye had a solid outing as well with 68 yards and a score. Justin Schwent led the defense with 11 total tackles and Isaiah Basler forced a key fumble. As a team the Dragons racked up an impressive seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
This was a statement game for the Dragons, who earned home field advantage in the first round of the District playoffs. They will take on Dexter next week, and the Bearcats better bring their A-game, because this Dragon offense is firing on all cylinders.
Kickoff is at 7pm on Friday, October 28th in Ste. Genevieve.
