PERRYVILLE PRIDE: PIRATES IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE '90

Perryville High's football team will be playing its first playoff game since 1990 tonight -- and the Pirates certainly have a tall task in front of them.

Awaiting the Pirates in Class 4A first-round contest in Perryville (7 p.m. kickoff) will be none other North County, one of the state's top squads. The Raiders made it all the way to the 4A championship game last year and they're considered solid title contenders once again.

"We're going to be playing an excellent football team," said Perryville coach Jerry Tucker. "The things they do, they do awfully well. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

But Tucker figures the Raiders have plenty to worry about regarding his squad as well.

"We're playing real good football right now," he said. "The community is really fired up. It's a pretty neat thing, with us and St. Vincent both in the playoffs. It's great for the town."

Perryville and North County are both 9-1 and both have been red hot. The Pirates, ranked ninth in the state, have won their last eight games since losing to Ste. Genevieve the second week of the season. The fifth-ranked Raiders have won nine straight since dropping their opener to Country Day.

"We just didn't play real well our first game, but we've gotten better ever since," said North County coach Matt Haug. "Perryville has really been playing well. They're an awfully good team. We better be ready to play because I just know they'll be really ready to play."

What concerns Haug is Perryville's rugged wishbone offense that has overpowered just about every opponent this season.

Matt Jenkins has gained more than 1,500 yards and scored 20 touchdowns while Joel Heuring and Andy Haertling have added about 700 and 600 yards, respectively.

And, although he doesn't have gaudy statistics, quarterback Derek Cattoor has proven to be a good decision-maker at the controls of the option.

"We've faced some wishbone teams, but nobody that does things as well as Perryville," Haug said. "They're solid all the way around."

While Perryville does most of its damage on the ground, North County relies on a more balanced attack that is extremely dangerous both through the air and on the ground.

Junior Jeremy McDowell is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder has completed 88 of 139 passes (63 percent) for 1,563 yards, with 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He earned second-team all-state honors last year.

Wide receiver Jerry Reed has caught 43 passes for 864 yards and 14 touchdowns.

On the ground, Brian Lotz has nearly 900 yards, averaging 9.2 yards per carry, and he's scored 17 touchdowns. Theo Miller has added about 750 yards and 10 TDs.

"They're pretty solid all the way around," Tucker said. "Their quarterback is a real stud. He can throw the ball very well and he's calm in the pocket. And they're very effective running the ball, which makes them really unpredictable and tough to prepare for."

Tucker figures a big key to the game will be how well his team's wishbone attack can keep control of the football.

"Time of possession will be real big," he said. "We need to keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible because they can score so quickly."