During the Pattonville Pirates 31-49 loss to the Kirkwood Pioneers last Friday, junior Tyrone Eastern rushed thirty times for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Though it was his first start at running back for the varsity team, Eastern’s performance for a single game was statistically better than that of any running back last year for Pattonville.
Eastern planned to take advantage of the off-day Friday and prepared for the game very carefully.
“I talked to my [offensive] line, thought about my assignments, and listened to a lot of music,” he said, though he credits the offensive line for the majority of his success.
As impressive as Eastern’s performance was, his 120 yards and three scores came in less than three quarters of play. The 5’8, 160-pound running back went down with a sprained ankle midway through the third quarter—an injury that he said will keep him out for a week.
Though this means he will miss Pattonville’s game against the Lafayette Lancers (0-1) on September 6th, Eastern is optimistic about the rest of the season for both himself and his team.
“My goal is to get over 1,000 yards rushing this season,” Eastern said. “For the team, I think we’ll finish over .500 and hopefully go far into the playoffs.”
Eastern believes he’ll be back for the Pirates’ home game against the Hazelwood East Spartans on September 9th, where he can continue to make an impact for the Pattonville offense.
