Perryville gets a double dose of playoffs

Both St. Vincent and Perryville High School will play sectional football games tonight.

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

Perryville residents have football on the brain today with both the St. Vincent Indians and Perryville Pirates in action tonight in the sectional playoff round.

This is only the second time the two Perryville schools have made the state playoffs in the same season. In 1998, the last year the Pirates won a district title, Perryville lost in the sectional round while St. Vincent made it all the way to the state finals.

"We're very proud of the boys," Perryville Mayor Robert Miget said.

Both teams will be on the road tonight with Perryville making the short trek north to Ste. Genevieve High School, while St. Vincent must make the long drive to face South Shelby in Shelbina, Mo.

"It's absolutely wonderful," Perryville coach Rick Chastain said. "Thursday night after practice, we went to the St. Vincent game. On Friday night, I saw a bunch of St. Vincent kids rooting us on."

St. Vincent (9-1), the sixth-ranked team in Class 1, heads to the state football playoffs for the seventh time in nine years thanks to a stingy defense that has allowed less than eight points a game.

Indians coach Keith Winkler, who stresses the team game, links the defense's success to the work of the offense and special teams. The Indians made a habit this year of holding down opponents with a ball-control running game in addition to the special teams and defense.

"That's a key. We don't stress one part of the game over the others," Winkler said. "We say we have to win all three."

St. Vincent's team game will be put to the task against South Shelby (5-5) at 7 p.m. The Cardinals also showcased defense en route to their district title run, allowing seven points in three games.

"They're going to be a very physical team. They run a power offense," Winkler said. "They're going to come right at you. What they do, they do well."

St. Vincent's defense has been strong against the run. Against Hayti's running attack, St. Vincent allowed only 32 yards on the ground and limited Tremayne Pickens to 12 yards on 15 carries.

"It's going to be strength on strength," Winkler said. "We're going to find out which one's stronger."

District success has been rare in recent years for Perryville High School. Before Friday's thrilling 47-41 triple overtime victory over Dexter, the Pirates had reached the sectional round just twice since 1990.

"I probably got more hugs and kisses from people I don't know because the community is so excited about having a district crown again," Chastain said.

The season looked bleak for Perryville (5-5) after a shutout loss to Park Hills Central dropped its record to 1-4. The Pirates played better in a one-point loss to Potosi the next week and then won four straight, including three district games.

"The confidence level is up. They feel like they can beat the world right now," Chastain said. "I'm excited about the way we're playing."

Ste. Genevieve defeated Perryville 28-14 in the fourth week of the season. The Dragons (6-4) also have a four-game winning streak.

Chastain said he will not take much stock in what happened the last time the teams played.

"I think at this point of the year it doesn't matter much," he said. "I think it's going to be a real good matchup."

Perryville's biggest weapon heading into tonight's game is Matt Unterreiner, who has rushed for more than 1,300 yards. Unterreiner can even cause problems on defense: He interceped a pass in the third overtime against Dexter.

Win or lose, the city of Perryville will still have plenty to look back on following the football season.

"Both schools have done well," Miget said, "and I think they have both represented their schools both on and off the field very well."