Football roundup: St. Vincent rallies back to beat Crystal City

With about four minutes remaining in Friday's game against Crystal City, Joe Whistler converted a fourth-and-25 on a pass to Trevor Leible that set the St. Vincent football team up at the Hornets' 2-yard line.

Whistler punched the ball in the end zone two plays later, and the Indians held on to defeat host Crystal City 23-22 in the I-55 Conference matchup.

"It was a great job for us because we did not play our best," said St. Vincent coach Nathan Rowland, whose team committed four turnovers in the win. "Normally in the past when we don't play our best, it's a loss. This was a time where we didn't play our best and were able to scrap and fight and come out with the win. That's kind of what we focus on."

The Indians trailed the Hornets by eight points heading into the final quarter and began their rally after pinning Crystal City deep in its own territory midway through the fourth quarter.

The Hornets were forced to punt out of their own end zone, and a bad snap resulted in a safety. St. Vincent returned the ensuing kickoff to the 30 and got 15 more yards on a personal foul. Riley Riehn almost provided the go-ahead score but was stripped in the end zone for a touchback and a loss of possession.

The Indians went ahead on Whistler's touchdown two possessions later, and Riehn atoned for his mishap on the next possession by jarring the ball loose on a pass attempt near midfield with less than a minute remaining to seal the victory for St. Vincent.

"Our defense shutting them out in the fourth quarter was the thing that sealed the game for us," Rowland said. "If they score one more time, we're sunk. Time and time again, we called on them, and they made big plays for us."

Riehn finished with two touchdowns, one on a sweep early in the game and another on an interception return.

St. Vincent improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference while Crystal City fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

East Prairie 36, Chaffee 22

For the second week in a row, the Red Devils fell behind early and staged a rally that came up short.

After spotting rival Scott City three touchdowns in a loss a week earlier, Chaffee fell behind the Eagles by two touchdowns in the first quarter and eventually lost on the road.

"Speed hurts us and tackling in the open field," Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery said of his young team. "But we played extremely hard."

Chaffee pulled within a point of the Eagles at 23-22 entering the fourth quarter before East Prairie scored to make it 29-22.

The Red Devils marched down to the Eagles' 4-yard line before being flagged for a false start, a call Vickery matter-of-factly called incorrect following the game, saying his player was drawn offside.

The penalty made it fourth-and-9 with about three and a half minutes to go, and East Prairie stopped the Red Devils before tacking on another score as the clock wound down.

Vickery complimented the play of his offensive and defensive line after the game.

The offensive line helped freshman quarterback Landon Tenkhoff gain 192 yards on 26 carries. Uzziah Beggs added 48 yards on 10 carries, and Devon Nanney had 34 yards on seven carries.

Chaffee dropped to 2-4 on the season while East Prairie improved to 4-2.

Potosi 28, Perryville 26

The Trojans sealed the road victory over the MAFC White Division Conference rival Pirates with an interception late in the fourth quarter.

Perryville took its only lead of the game in the first quarter but went into halftime trailing 21-13.

The Pirates entered the fourth quarter trailing by 15 points but pulled within two before their rally was thwarted in the final minutes.

Perryville dropped to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference while Potosi improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

-- From staff reports