Pattonville (3-6) plays its first round of the District tournament on Oct. 21 against Webster Groves (3-5) at home. The game kicks off a 7 p.m.
At the beginning of the season, the team was ranked No. 6 in the Class 5 Missouri High School Football Media Poll in preseason state rankings and the Pirates were No. 9 in the STLToday.com Area Large Schools Top 10 list.
Now Peter Collier and the No. 4-seeded Pirates are hoping to just get past the opening round of the District tournament.
“If we come out and play like we can, we will be successful,” Collier said. “It would also help if we could get the biggest student section we ever had.”
For the football team, there are five keys to get the victory over Webster Groves:
- They must play up to their potential on defense. They have a great defensive line and impressive secondaries but they have fallen short this season. A strong defensive effort on Friday will help.
- Junior quarterback Kaleb Eleby needs to be accurate with short throws. He is an amazing talent who has an incredible arm but lacks the attention to short throws. As long as he’s connecting his passes, the offense will be running smoothly.
- Running back Ahmad Avery needs to continue his excellence with running the ball. If he continues to put up the numbers on the ground, he’ll open up the passing game and the offense will be booming.
- HOLD ON TO THE BALL. The football team has had a problem with holding on to the football lately. If they can keep the ball in their hands and move the chains, they’re going to be hard to stop.
- The football team needs a strong student section. If most of the school goes and supports them at their game, they’ll be amped up and ready to play. A crazy student section is key to victory, they need all the support they can get.
If the Pirates defeat the Statesmen on Friday, they will advance the second round and face No. 1 seed Chaminade on Oct. 28.