Howell’s Pass Rush, Run Game Too Much For Fort Zumwalt West In Playoff Showdown

WELDON SPRING – On a cold November night last season, the High football team took on then-No. 3 ranked archrival Francis Howell High in a MSHSAA Class 6 state quarterfinal matchup, and pulled off one of the great upsets of the 2010 season, and eliminated the Vikings from the state playoffs with a 34-28 win.

It seems Francis Howell spent a whole year seething over that loss, because on Friday night, exactly one year after the last year’s upset, the Vikings got their revenge, by eliminating the current No. 3 team in the state Jaguars from this year’s playoffs, with a 49-28 win at Howell Stadium.

“We just made way too many mistakes, and when you make mistakes in playoff football, that’s what happens,” West head coach Paul Day said. “They forced a lot of errors, and we didn’t play as well as we can.”

In the early going, West actually seemed primed for another championship-caliber performance.

First, the Jags matched a Howell touchdown on its opening drive, with a touchdown of their own on a 54-yard bomb from senior Drew Hare to fellow senior Kyle Echols.

Then after an interception by Tanner Day, running back Ray Harris capped off a short drive, with a 2-yard dive into the endzone that gave West a 14-7 lead midway through the first quarter.

“We had some things going at the start,” Paul Day said. “We just didn’t do enough good things the rest of the game to sustain it. And you have to credit Francis Howell for that. They played a great game.”

Howell defensive star Josh Brown was a consistent thorn in the side for the Jags offense.

He harassed Hare all night, and was credited for 4 1/2 sacks, bringing his season total to a team-high 16 ½.

Howell quarterback Eric Siebenshuh tied the game for the Vikings on their next drive with a 24-yard scoring strike to teammate Corey King.

But instead of the back-and-forth battle Friday’s rivalry showdown seemed headed for, Howell broke the game wide open in the second quarter, by scoring 21 straight points to grab a 35-14 lead at halftime.

In the second half, West’s Harris scored his second of three touchdowns to pull the Jags to within 35-21.

But Siebenshuh burst up the middle on a 12-yard quarterback draw late in the third, to give the Vikes back their original 21-point edge, which proved to be more than enough to hold off the Jags.

Sophomore running back Alex Martin led the Howell offense, with 178 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Siebenshuh added 130 passing yards, two touchdown passes, and a touchdown run, as the Vikes totaled nearly 500 yards of offense in one of the biggest wins in their program’s history.

Next week, Howell will host its first ever state semifinal game, when Blue Springs (MO) South travels to Howell Stadium, in a matchup that will send the winning team to the Show-Me Bowl state football championships at the Edward Jones Dome on Nov. 25 and 26.

The winner of that contest will face the winner of next week’s other state semifinal game between CBC and SLUH, which will be played at CBC High next Friday night.

West finishes its year with a 9-3 record, after winning the GAC South league championship and the Class 6 District 6 title this season.

Scoring Summary

Score by Quarters

F

Fort Zumwalt West

14

0

  7

7

28

Francis Howell

14

21

  7

7

49

First Quarter

FH: Alex Martin 2 yd run (Zack Perkins kick) – 10:57

FZW: Kyle Echols 54 yd pass from Drew Hare (Nick Stanczak kick) – 9:31

FZW: Ray Harris 2 yd run (Nick Stanczak kick) – 4:04

FH: Corey King 29 yd pass from Eric Siebenshuh (Zack Perkins kick) – 3:21

Second Quarter

FH: Alex Martin 10 yd run (Zack Perkins kick) – 8:23

FH: John Haarmann 83 yd run (Zack Perkins kick) – 2:47

FH: Corey King 10 yd pass from Eric Siebenshuh (Zack Perkins kick) -- :30

Third Quarter

FZW: Ray Harris 2 yd run (Nick Stanczak kick) – 9:39

FH: Eric Siebenshuh 12 yd run (Zack Perkins kick) – 3:18

Fourth Quarter

FZW: Ray Harris 4 yd run (Nick Stanczak kick) – 11:18

FH: Alex Martin 28 yd run (Zack Perkins kick) -- :44