If you watch any movies, you know about FNL or better known as Friday Night Lights.
And they’re back at South as the Patriots seek their first win of the season tonight in a matchup against the 1-1 Webster Groves Statesmen. The Patriots currently have an 0-2 record after falling to Parkway Central 0-6 and the Oakville Tigers 3-41.
This season hasn’t started how anyone figured, with quarterback Tucker Swinton going down with injury and last year’s QB, Jamison Lombardo, graduating.
Taking the reins this year at QB is junior Calvin Huse.
“It’s obviously unfortunate what happened to Tucker Swinton, but I think Calvin Huse will be able to step up and lead this team to victories this year,” senior wide receiver Carl Bevineau said.
And it’s not just Bevineau who believes in Huse’s ability, but Head Coach John Heath also believes.
“I had quite a few guys come to me, and Calvin was one, and he’s done everything, working his tail off to do it,” Heath said.
With so many injuries, the Patriots haven’t gotten down on themselves, using the struggles as motivation, according to Bevineau.
“I think that we have a strong mindset going into the season. I feel like we have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. I just feel like if we stick together as one, be your brotherhood. We can accomplish anything,” Bevineau said.
And it’s not just Bevineau, but Huse is bought in too, saying that he’s determined this year and the Patriots are ready to play their best and fight for wins.
The Patriots are set to face Webster Groves tonight. The Statesmen are currently 1-1, losing to Vianney 54-10 in their home opener then bouncing back in week 2 with a 28-12 win over Hazelwood West. The Patriots took down the Statesmen last year with a 26-21 victory after being down 21-7 in the second quarter.
After the game tonight, the Patriots will set their sights on the Homecoming game, and the matchup against rival Parkway West. At press time the Longhorns sport a 2-0 record and have beaten Seckman and McCluer.
Bevineau said the Patriots will be confident coming into the Homecoming game.
“I think we have a good chance of beating them this year with our defense and our offensive game. And I just think it’ll be a really great matchup this year,” Bevineau said.
Offensively, the Patriots are currently led by junior punter/kicker Brayden Thomas after scoring their first points on Friday’s game against the Tigers with a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter. Thomas has kicked for a total of 352 yards through 2 games. That number puts Thomas in the top 5 in total kicking yards in the area.
So far, Huse’s go-to wide receiver has been sophomore Will Garthe with a total of 73 yards and 12.3 average yards per reception. It’s not just Garthe making an impact, but Bevineau is averaging 26.5 yd per kickoff return, placing him a half-yard short of the top 20 in the area.
On the defensive side of the ball, no player has stood out more than junior linebacker Michael Smith, who is top 10 in the area with 20 solo tackles and counting. Smith is also currently tied for sixth place in the area for total fumble recoveries and he’s in the top 15 for total tackles, showing his ability to stay alert and capitalize on opponents’ mistakes during critical moments in the game.
Junior safety Jeremiah McAfee got his season started pretty quick in week 1’s game vs the Colts with an interception early into the game, putting him tied for 16th place in the area.
Last year, Parkway South faced Parkway West in West’s homecoming game. This time, the Patriots are looking for revenge after falling short on West’s homecoming night. Now, with West set as South’s homecoming opponent, the Patriots have a chance to return the favor on their own turf.
“Last year, we were up at halftime, up 7-0, all the energy in the world, and they came out. They started throwing the ball. We couldn’t stop it,” junior defensive lineman Landon Nickerson said. “We all know the rivalry. Sophomore year really hurt,” Nickerson said.
Assistant Coach John Barnabee said the Patriot coaching staff has been putting an emphasis on developing leadership. He also gives fellow assistant coach Jeremy Houchins a lot of the credit.
“So what we’ve done is actually, this has been kind of a two-to-three-year process. Some of the younger guys, we’ve been doing a lot of leadership classes, really focusing on leadership even in the summer during our camps, and promoting good leadership skills,” Barnabee said. “They are becoming more prepared as they get older to step into those roles by working on communication skills, learning about brotherhood and family, and how to be there for each other, so this has actually been probably a two or three-year process that all the coaching staff have really been putting together. But really, the flagship person that’s been helping with that has been Coach Houchins.”
And with the season just beginning, it seems silly to talk about end-of-season goals, but the Patriots see the season as a week-to-week goal, according to Head Coach John Heath.
“Our goal every year is to try to get better every day. The hard part about football is that we practice, we play, and when it comes to Friday nights, we just want to go all out and enjoy every second. We don’t want to worry about outcomes, because we can’t control all; we can do is control ourselves, and the process of week one, week two, we continue to grow as a group, as a team,”.Heath said. “Are we better at week 3 than we were in week one? That’s the type of program we are. HC Heath said. This program is built on development and uses every day as an opportunity to get better as a program,
” Heath said.
