Annual clash of Indians has meaning

In the last 10 years, St. Vincent and Hayti have combined for nine district football championships.

When St. Vincent and Hayti meet 7 p.m. tonight in Perryville, the winner again will walk away with a district title while the other team's season ends.

This has been the trend in recent years -- four of the last five, to be exact -- a battle of Indians for the district title.

St. Vincent has come out on the better end over the 10-year span, winning seven district titles to Hayti's two, but the teams have split recently. Hayti won the district in 2001 and 2002; St. Vincent won the following two seasons, including a state championship in 2004.

Last year, Valle Catholic ran away with the crown, but the Warriors now are in Class 1 District 1, and St. Vincent and Hayti are left once again fighting for supremacy in District 2.

"They've got a fine program down there," St. Vincent coach Keith Winkler said of Hayti. "It seems every year we seem to face each other that last night, and it always seems to be for a district title."

Hayti will enter the meeting as the favorite this season. Ranked seventh in the most recent Class 1 state poll, Hayti brings a 7-2 record to the table. Among the Indians' wins this season were back-to-back wins against Class 2 teams Caruthersville and Charleston.

Tremayne Pickens leads Hayti's rushing attack with more than 600 yards on the ground. Pickens runs behind one of the biggest offensive lines in the region. At quarterback, K.C. Gilmer has thrown for more than 600 yards.

"They run the ball very well," Winkler said. "They have some quick athletes. And they can throw the ball well if you suck up on the run. They're huge. That's another aspect. And they can get off the ball."

After experiencing some growing pains early in the year, St. Vincent (5-4) is playing some of its best football with a three-game winning streak. The Indians rolled through blowout wins against Grandview, Chaffee and Portageville -- three teams with a combined 2-24 record -- outscoring their opponents 129-41 to climb over .500 for the first time this season.

Last week's win helped assure St. Vincent would finish at or above .500 for the 12th straight season. St. Vincent's last losing season came in 1993.

"We've come around," Winkler said. "We had some kids playing new positions. It took them a while, but they've come around. They continued to work hard, and when you work hard good things happen. I think it's just a matter of jelling and getting to know each other."

Senior running backs Greg Finger and Lucas Robinson have shared the load for St. Vincent this season, each rushing for more than 500 yards. Finger has averaged nearly 10 yards a carry, gaining the bulk of his yardage over the past three games. Robinson rushed for 83 yards and four touchdowns in last week's win. Senior quarterback Tim Guilliams has thrown for more than 500 yards in his second season as the starter.

While St. Vincent, with just six seniors and more freshmen and sophomores combined than juniors and seniors, may lack the playoff experience of the program's past teams, there still are plenty of reminders.

"They help to make sure the kids coming up through it understand the pride, and how hard you work to accomplish something," Winkler said.

This will be the biggest game many of St. Vincent's players have participated in, though, so even Winkler is interested to see how they respond.

"We're going to find out," Winkler said. "You never know how 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids will react in these situations."