Perryville-St. Vincent rivalry lives on in race for top receiver

Who would have thought that two of the top receivers in Southeast Missouri reside in Perry County?

Perryville senior Chase Richardet leads the area with 415 receiving yards and four touchdowns entering the Week 6 matchups on Friday, Oct. 4. Right behind him on the leaderboard is St. Vincent senior John Schwartz, who has 364 with four touchdowns.

Even though their matchup is in the rearview mirror, the rivalry between the Pirates and Indians continues through the statistical race between these two receivers, as the prize is a 2025 Semoball Award nomination.

"I'm very motivated," said Schwartz, who was a Semoball Award finalist on defense. "I want the top spot just like I had the top spot last year for interceptions. I want that top spot again, and I'll do anything to get it."

Both receivers are either close to or have surpassed their previous season totals five games into 2024. Schwartz contributed to the offense as a third receiver, amassing 22 receptions for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Richardet is one good game away from surpassing his previous season total of 492 yards and six touchdowns.

“The trust the coaches is having me right now,” Richardet said, “they're willing to throw me in any formation, any pass concept, and just trust me that I'm gonna get open and give me the ball.”

The Indians have a balanced passing offense where multiple receivers are targeted and find the end zone, however, this time Schwartz leads the impressive pack. Max Wheeler, who is among the Indians in receiving yards, would be tied for the current SEMO Conference leader (Caruthersville's Jermonte Alexander) with 289 yards.

"Overall, I think we got better plays to get the ball out there throwing-wise," Schwartz said.

The common thread between Richardet and Schwartz's success has been both teams featuring first-year starting quarterbacks. Nick Buchheit is finally getting his chance to start as a senior and has been among Southeast Missouri's best passers with 1,045 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception.

"Nick's really stepped up this year," Schwartz said. "It kind of was a debate whether it was going to be him or Wyatt [Winkler], and I think Nick wanted it more. He's really stepped up to the plate and filled some big shoes."

Unlike Schwartz, Richardet has been the primary target for first-year starting quarterback Kayd Luckey, who is fifth in the area with 531 yards and fourth with six touchdowns.

“I feel like he's probably the biggest part of it, to be honest,” Richardet said. “He’s been working really hard, and he's been getting me the ball spraying the ball out, being smart with it, not throwing to me picks at all.”

Both Perryville and St. Vincent have seen major improvement compared to last year. High school football projector site, CalPreps.com, projected that both teams would beat their 2023 counterparts in a landslide victory.

St. Vincent hosts Bayless on Friday while Perryville travels to Jefferson for a crucial I55 Conference contest.