St. Louis U. High wrapped up the 2021 regular season with a commanding 76-36 win against the McCluer Comets last Saturday. The game was an offensive spectacle as the Jr. Bills scored their most points in a single game since September 29, 1921 and featured the most combined points (112) scored in a single game in SLUH football history. 

In total, the two teams combined to run 209 plays, by far the most in a game this season. The Jr. Bills scored early and often last weekend, torching the Comet defense for 647 total yards on offense, a season high. 

“I think coming off of De Smet, we all had something to prove, not only to ourselves, but to each other,” said senior lineman Pierston Sander. 

Midway through the second quarter, the Jr. Billikens led 42-6. The Comets scored twice before halftime, though, and converted both two-point conversion attempts to narrow their deficit to 42-22

McCluer, led by senior receivers Kameron Gillespie (9 catches for 199 yards) and Dennis Keyes (8 catches for 203 yards), didn’t go out quietly in the second half either, scoring twice more and forcing the Junior Bills to continue to keep their starters in and light up the scoreboard until the Comets were finally put away. 

SLUH’s defense, particularly the secondary, struggled in spots against the Comets, who put up 620 offensive yards of their own, which, combined with the Jr. Bills’ staggering number added up to a total of 1,267 yards, the season high in a SLUH game. Luckily, the offense came to play.

Senior wide receiver and Yale commit Chris Brooks led the charge for the Jr. Bills, as he tallied 7 receptions for 106 yards, 2 carries for 10 yards, and 5 touchdowns from scrimmage, three receiving and two rushing. Brooks was one touchdown short of the single game record held by Ronnie Wingo (2008) and Raymond Wingo (2012). 

Senior running back Derrick Baker continued his stellar senior season with 101 yards on an 8.42 yards per carry clip and two rushing touchdowns, bringing his season touchdown total up to 12. 

Once Baker took a seat, senior cornerback and running back Andre Tucker got into the game and made an immediate impact. Tucker exploded for an 85-yard touchdown run, going completely untouched by the defense. He finished the game with 5 carries for 107 yards. 

Complementing Baker and Tucker, junior running back Kam Bailey ran 5 times for 35 yards and sophomore Kodi Cade added 3 carries for 7 yards. 

Senior quarterback Luke Johnston dazzled through the air, completing 20 of 25 passing attempts for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns. Johnston’s other receivers contributed in big ways as well. Sophomore wide receiver Joe Harris (6 for 97 yards, 1 touchdown), junior tight end Zach Ortwerth (3 for 64 yards) and senior receiver Craig Ortwerth (2 for 20 yards) each posted strong performances.

Meanwhile, sophomore Ryan Wingo continued his standout season with 82 total yards, 51 rushing and 31 receiving, and two rushing touchdowns. 

Head coach Mike Jones commented on the team’s keys to their offensive success this season. 

“We got talented kids, we got a quarterback who gets the balls to the right guys, we got two really good running backs, and the offensive line played well, so I think it’s just a combination of everybody playing well,” he said. 

On the defensive side of the ball, seniors DonTavion Sullivan and Philip Bone each had an interception, while seniors Cayden Owens and Pierston Sanders each recorded a sack. 

Junior linebacker Louis Kertz contributed a whopping 23 tackles, a season high for any Jr. Bills’ defender. 

The McCluer Comets put up a valiant fight, but the Jr. Bills simply overpowered them, winning by a score of 76-36. 

SLUH was able to hold McCluer (7-2), winners of the St. Louis Suburban Blue District who came into the game averaging 54 points per game, to their fewest points of the season. 

The Jr. Bills wrapped up the regular season with a 5-3 record, securing their first winning season since 2016. Each of their three losses came against a top ten team in the state. 

Overall, SLUH finished sixth in their district and will face the Lindbergh Flyers, the No. 3 seed, in the District Quarterfinals tomorrow at 7 p.m. 

The Junior Bills drew a familiar foe in the Flyers, as Lindbergh knocked the Junior Bills out of the district semifinals last year on a last minute play by a score of 28-21. 

“We are ready to leave it all on the field,” Sanders said. “We have a personal grudge against Lindbergh and we are going to repay it.”

The key for the Junior Bills will be to stop the Flyers’ run-heavy offense which has propelled them to an 8-1 record. 

“We know Lindbergh is a heavy run football team, so we’ve been focused on that mostly at practice,” Brooks said. “As for everything else we’ve been preparing the same way we have for other weeks. We believe that if we do our jobs the correct way, regardless of who we play, we’ll win.”

If the Jr. Bills can beat the Flyers then they will play the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Marquette and No. 7 seed Northwest Cedar Hill. The opposite side of the bracket features No. 1 seed CBC going against No. 8 seed Vianney, and No. 4 seed De Smet matching up with No. 5 seed Kirkwood.