Cape Central coach Lawrence Brookins got a kick out of seeing his players get a kick out of their first win of the season as the Tigers kicked St. Charles West 27-8 on the road.
With all that kicking, Brian Emmendorfer, a junior, got the biggest kicks of all.
In addition to a 41-yarder, Emmendorfer booted a 58-yard field goal Friday night which is believed to be a school record.
"The 58-yarder was with the wind," said Brookins. "But he hit that 41-yarder against the same wind. And not only that, all of his kickoffs went through the end zone."
In addition to Emmendorfer's kicks, running back Jamelle Austin also traveled quite a distance.
Austin rumbled for 214 yards on 32 carries.
"Jamelle's learning how to run the ball," Brookins said. "Kids sometimes don't understand the philosophy of a play and he's learning that. Jamelle has to get it north and south. And he's learning how to make some subtle moves and he's learning how to do that in the context of the plays.
"O.J. Turner also had a good night running the ball, but he's the most fun to watch when he's blocking. He really makes some blocks."
Turner had 73 yards on 12 carries.
"I was real proud and it was real fun to watch the kids celebrate," Brookins said. "They've endured a lot and had six losses to show for it. They deserved a win. I'm happy for them.
"They've got a very short time to enjoy it."
Central will travel to Poplar Bluff -- one of the top teams in the area -- Friday night.
Scott City counts down impressive week
In a matter of four days, Scott City scored 80 points; David Enderle scored five touchdowns three different ways; and the Rams crushed two opponents in one outstanding week.
After wiping out Caruthersville 42-7 on Monday, the Rams -- despite a barrage of penalties -- hammered Hayti 38-0.
After scoring four touchdowns Monday -- three rushing the ball and one on a kickoff return -- Enderle found the end zone Friday on a 30-yard interception return.
The Rams have now shut out three opponents and have outscored their opponents 228-19 since suffering a 30-0 loss to Malden in the season opener.
Nine scores and 20 years ago ...
Talk about an offensive explosion.
St. Vincent beat Grandview 61-13 Friday night, scoring more points than any Indian team has scored in the past two decades.
The Indians gained 434 total yards, 352 of which came on the ground.
Mark Gotto did most of the damage for St. Vincent, running for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
St. Vincent (6-1) had four players with at least 27 yards rushing.
"It was most definitely our best offensive game of the year," said St. Vincent coach Paul Sauer. "Offensively, we played really well tonight."
Battle of the best backs
NEW MADRID -- Sikeston's Justin Robinson and New Madrid's Ricky Smith lived up to their expectations Friday night in the battle of the region's best running backs.
New Madrid came out on top, beating Sikeston 35-16.
And Smith, the region's leading scorer, out-rushed Robinson, the area's yardage leader, 211-152 Friday night. Smith (20 carries) scored three touchdowns and Robinson (28 carries) scored two.
But despite the statistical differences, the individual performances would have to be called equal as New Madrid's defense is considerably better than Sikeston's.
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.