PERRYVILLE COACH TO GET NEW 'DO

Jerry Tucker has never worn a mohawk hairdo in his 34 years.

"But I've had some strange hairstyles," said Tucker, head coach of the 2-1 Perryville Pirates. "I went to college in the early 80's."

On Monday afternoon, in the parking lot behind Perryville's locker room, the amateur barbers of the Perryville football team will give Tucker his most unusual style to date.

Tucker will join his players, who cut their hair Mr. T style before winning at Jackson, 18-14, Friday night.

"I walked into school on Friday, and they had mohawks," Tucker said. "They did it as a way to show their team unity. So I told them, `If you can beat Jackson Friday, I'll join you.'"

The Pirates ran the ball like men with mohawks on a mission Friday night, gaining 202 yards on the ground out of their option offense.

Matt Jenkins led the way with 173 yards rushing.

"It went just exactly the way it was supposed to go," Tucker said. "Our normal game plan is to run the football, take time off the clock, and wear the other team down."

Perryville did put the ball on the ground several times, on pitches by quarterback Derek Cattoor, but they all were recovered by the Pirates.

"That was not Derek's fault," Tucker said. "It's the running backs' job to stay in good pitch relationship."

The win over Jackson apparently was worth losing hair over. Perryville, 4-6 last year, looks like a plus-.500 team this year, and plays a favorable schedule after this week's game against Scott City.

"With our program having been down the past five or six years, we haven't won those kind of games," Tucker said. "That's why the kids were so excited, because they've figured out how to win in a big game."

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St. Vincent's 10-6 win over Park Hills was nearly a cause for hair loss of another kind.

The Indians executed poorly and committed a pair of crucial turnovers which nearly cost them a win over an opponent they beat 39-14 last year.

"We didn't play really well," St. Vincent's coach Paul Sauer said. "We tried to throw the football a little, and we ended up putting ourselve in some bad field position.

"Park Hills has gotten much better since Fredericktown (a 31-6 loss in the season opener)."

St. Vincent's is 3-0 going into its big test at Herculaneum on Friday.

"I think we can put last night behind us," Sauer said, "and come out next week and execute."

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When you factor in strength of schedule, Cape Central's 1-2 record doesn't look all that bad.

The Tigers have played teams with a combined 8-1 record: Hickman (3-0), New Madrid County Central (2-1) and Blytheville (3-0). They beat New Madrid County Central.

"We've played some good people," Tigers coach Jerry Dement said. "Obviously, we like to be 2-1 or 3-0, but the main thing is to peak at the end of the season."

For the most part, the Tigers are accomplishing their objectives. Their goal against Blytheville last Friday was to control the ball, and they finished with 31 minutes of possession to 17 for the Chickasaws.

"It's not from lack of effort," Dement said. "We've just got to play well enough to win."