Homecoming matchup a test for Perryville running back

The Perryville football team's three-week homestand concludes on Saturday, Sept. 30, with a showdown against the undefeated Jefferson Blue Jays at 1 p.m.

It will be a true test for the Pirates' offense, especially for running back Barrett Wheeler. The sophomore has 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 59 carries so far this season, putting him just shy of the area's top 10 rushers. His best game came in a 62-6 Week 4 win over Bayless, where he rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

"He's still learning," Perryville coach Brent Roth said last week of Wheeler. "He definitely has great potential and he's got great vision. He's a big, powerful, strong runner and he's got enough speed to pull away. One thing he's still working on is hitting the hole a little harder, a little sooner. There's some times he's waiting for things to open up, and I'd rather him just go."

Wheeler had varsity experience last year but this year was different. Now as the starter, it's his show in the backfield, the muscle to senior quarterback Riyland Graham's finesse.

"The start of the season, it was shaky," Wheeler said. "It was like a lot more pressure on me. I realized to play my game, I know my game is better than most teams' best game. Once I started doing that, everything started coming together."

Wheeler got into football because of his father and is motivated to have a better high school career than him.

"I want to be better than him," Wheeler said. "And I to make sure that he knows if he was playing middle linebacker, I would smoke him."

Wheeler entered high school six feet tall and put on 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason leading toward his sophomore year. His most proud gym accomplishment is squatting 405 pounds for four reps.

"It's everything," Wheeler said, "try to hit every muscle group twice a week."

The offseason work paid off in the third quarter of Perryville's 48-14 Week 5 win over Grandview, when the Pirates ran Wheeler to run the clock and he was able to push through while having numerous defenders on him.

"They had about four guys on me and I just kept running," Wheeler said. "That's like whenever you feel the moments like all this hard work is paying off. It's really nice and it feels so good. It's like the best feeling in the world because you're just feeling the work you've put in just displayed in front of your home team."

Saturday will also be a test for receiver/defensive back Chase Richardet, who returned an interception for a touchdown against Bayless and amassed 200 yards and two touchdowns on six catches, plus a score on a kickoff return against Grandview. If the Pirates are to have a chance for a third straight win, he will have to keep up the intensity.

Perryville is 3-2 for the first time since 2019, and they have their home-field advantage to thank. The Pirates are 3-0 at home with wins over Windsor (12-0), Bayless (62-6), and Grandview (48-14).

While most teams usually schedule homecoming on a game against a weak opponent, Jefferson is anything but. The Blue Jays are 5-0 coming off a 70-14 win over Bayless. Their offense is averaging 40.6 points per game while the defense is allowing only 7.6 points.

It's the start of a difficult portion of the schedule for Perryville. After Jefferson, the Pirates are slated to take on New Madrid County Central, Herculaneum, and St. Pius X, who entered Friday's games with a combined 10-5 record.