Tigers Fight Off Slow Start, Fend Off North County To Stay Undefeated

A wise man once said, “The hungry dog runs faster.” That rang true early in the first quarter Friday night as Festus traveled to North County. The Raiders, sitting at 1-4, were desperate for something to spark their season against the mighty 5-0 Tigers. Everyone knew North County would be fired up for this one—but the question was, would Festus bring its “A” game, or sleepwalk into Bonne Terre against a battered Raider squad? The opening drive gave an early hint.

After winning the coin toss, Festus deferred, giving North County the ball first. A strong return set up the Raiders near midfield, and on their first play from scrimmage, quarterback Braydee McClure motioned his wide receiver Brady Duncan across the formation and hit him in the flat for a 57-yard catch and run touchdown.

On Festus’s first drive, the Tigers looked stunned. The Festus sideline called for a timeout before the offense could run a play. After an incomplete pass, a bad snap got behind QB Parker Perry, and before they could blink, the Tiger offense was forced to punt down 7-0. The black-and-gold faithful were left shaking their heads.

Just one year and one day earlier, Festus had blanked North County 31-0. Coming into Friday, the Tigers had outscored opponents 194-49, with their closest win being a 30-14 victory at Rolla on opening night. Slow starts aren’t new for this Festus team; just last week, the Tigers trailed Hillsboro 7-0 before scoring 40 unanswered, but Friday night had a different feel early on.

After a big sack by defensive end Antonio Pinkston and a near interception by corner Jackson Frank, the Raider offense was forced to punt, and the miscues kept coming for the Tigers. Running back Kamden Yates was stuffed for a short gain on first down, and another low snap forced fellow RB Leuntae Williams to scamper for a loss. Just like that, the Tigers faced another third and long and would burn their second timeout of the half, just seven minutes into the game.

But then came the spark. Perry would uncork a deep ball to wide receiver David Russell for a 73-yard touchdown pass. The deep ball has been a new revelation in Perry’s game, as three of the four touchdowns thrown by the signal-caller were over 30 yards. Perry finished the day 10/15 for 320 passing yards and four scores. The air yards on the day are a new season high for Perry, who sits atop the state QBR leaderboard with a 185.89 rating, and his TD-to-INT ratio of 20-0 also ranks first in Missouri.

North County responded with a long drive into Tiger territory before linebacker Aiden Schirmer forced a fumble that Festus recovered near its own 25. Schirmer, along with fellow linebackers Aiden Clifton and Braydon Wilkes, anchored a defense that bent more than usual but didn’t break. Friday marked the first time this season an opponent topped 100 yards both rushing and passing, a “bad night at the office” for pessimists, or “teaching tape” for optimists. Either way, it was enough to get the job done.

The Tigers’ offense found its rhythm after the turnover. Williams punched in a five-yard score, one of 10 carries for 96 yards on the night, before Perry connected with a sliding Rowan Stucke on a nine-yard strike to make it 20–7. The Tiger running back finished just shy of his sixth 100-yard rushing performance (10 carries for 96 yards). Williams now ranks in the top-20 in the state for both rushing yards (729) and yards per carry (8.2).

The ladder score was set up by an impressive drive from Yates, who had multiple rushes of 15+ yards to give the Tigers excellent field position. Yates has been dynamic since returning from injury just a few weeks ago. The Junior finished the game with 19 carries for 141 yards and a score. Yates brings a whole new skillset to the Tigers' offense, especially the backfield.

With Festus’ bellcow back in Williams and the shifty receiving-capable back in Yates, the duo brings shades of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams from the mid-2000s dolphins or, for the old-school fans, Roger Craig and Wendell Tyler of the mid-80s 49ers.

North County would add one more score, a 29-yard passing strike, before Festus would regain possession and tack on a beautiful ball from Perry to Gus Drinen in the back of the endzone on a 34-yard bomb before halftime.

Following the break, the Tigers would tack on two third-quarter rushing scores, a 39-yard scamper by Williams and a 2-yard punch-in from Yates, to give Festus a 39-21 advantage entering the final 12 minutes. It was in that fourth quarter that Festus gave a gift to the fans still in attendance, a moon-ball from Perry to Frank for an 83-yard exclamation point to put the game to rest, with a score of 46-21.

With mixed emotions leaving Bonne Terre, Festus now looks ahead to a massive test at De Smet. The Spartans handed the Tigers their first loss last year, 42-13, en route to a 13-2 season. This year’s De Smet team is 3-3 but has posted back-to-back 56-point outings over Vianney and Chaminade. Festus’s defense got a reality check at North County, so Friday will demand an all-systems-go effort on the road.