St. Vincent football sees season end in state semifinals

The St. Vincent football team traveled all the way to Marionville to see their season end on Saturday in the Class 1 semifinals.

The Marionville duo of Cash Pomeroy and Hugh Eaton were virtually impossible to stop, as they rushed for a combined 255 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Comets (13-0) past the Indians (9-4) 38-7 to reach the state championship for the first time in 17 years.

Pomeroy and Eaton scored their first rushing touchdowns in the opening quarter and a field goal by kicker Gabe Uttini gave Marionville a 17-0 lead at halftime. A small lead in any other game but a monumental deficit against a Comet defense that averaged four allowed points per game this season.

What worked for the Comets in the first half against the Indians worked again in the second half. Pomeroy and Eaton scored their second rushing touchdowns in the second half. Pomeroy’s third touchdown rounded out the scoring for the Comets.

The only Indians score came on a long touchdown pass from senior quarterback Christian Schaaf to senior tight end Jacob Schremp. It was the last passing touchdown in Schaaf’s career, who ends the season with a career-high 21 touchdowns through the air.

It’s a sad way to end a great football season that ended with the Indians’ first district championship since 2009. The season started slow for St. Vincent, who went 0-2 after close losses on the road at Thayer and Scott City, two teams that went deep in their respective district tournaments. The Indians went on to defeat Perryville and Herculaneum convincingly by a combined score of 89-7 to even their record to 2-2. A 54-0 loss to Valle Catholic knocked back the Indians but instead of folding at 2-3, the loss sparked a seven-game winning streak, leading to their second straight I55 Conference title and deep postseason run.

The Class 1 championship game between Marionville and North Platte will take place at Faurot Field, the home of the Missouri Tigers, on Friday, Dec. 1, in Columbia, Mo.