Perryville football coach Brent Roth is already trying to erase the game from his memory. It is probably for a good reason, too.
Perryville struggled to do anything well as Park Hills Central handed Perryville a 76-0 defeat on Friday at Park Hills High School. It was the most lopsided loss for the program since 2013 when the Pirates fell 67-0 to Ste. Genevieve.
“They are very good,” Roth said on Monday. “Whenever you can compete with MICDS and score 52 points, that means something. However, we didn’t help ourselves out much either. We didn’t play well, so the final score was a perfect storm.”
That started on the first possession of the game when the Pirates went three and out and had the ensuing punt blocked into the endzone for a safety.
Then the Pirates fumbled on the kickoff and the Rebels scored on the possession on a 24-yard run by running back Dayshawn Welch.
The senior tailback ended the game with 153 yards and four touchdowns.
“That’s how it started and it didn’t get much better,” Roth said. “What could go wrong for us, did go wrong.”
The Rebels, who were coming off a 59-52 loss to MICDS, the number No. 2 ranked team in Class 4 in week 2, scored six touchdowns in the first half, including four in the first quarter to lead 50-0 at halftime.
What Park Hills (2-1) didn’t get on the ground they found success through the air.
Senior quarterback Jett Bridges threw for 161 yards with two touchdowns (one rushing) and had just two incomplete passes on the night. The Rebels ended the game with 537 yards of total offense.
“We just weren’t tackling very well, that’s all there is to it,” Roth said.
The Pirates didn’t produce a first down in the game, and finished with negative total yards. However, looking back, he did see a few aspects of the game that he liked, which included forcing two turnovers.
“If you would have asked on Friday, I don’t know what I would have said,” Roth said. “Cameron Young came back and had seven tackles. I was also proud of our guys for never quitting. When you are down 50 at half, it’s really easy to roll over and we didn’t. We were energetic at half. I felt like we played football the right way on and off the field.”
The already depleted Pirates suffered one more season-ending injury against the Rebels, which brings the total number to four players out for the season, three to knee injuries. Other players suffered injuries as well, but Roth felt as if they were minor.
“Toward the end of the game, we were just trying to get out of the game alive,” he said. “With all the injuries we have and guys who are quarantined, we may have had 25 guys come off the bus to start the game.”
Perryville (1-2) will return home and host Fredericktown (0-3) on Friday. The Pirates have had recent success against the Blackcats, winning the last three meetings. Fredericktown is coming off their own lopsided loss last week, after they fell to Potosi 61-20. However, Roth is not taking anyone lightly.
“This is definitely a game we believe we can win,” Roth said. “However, Fredericktown is coming in and thinking the same thing. They have some guys that can make some plays. If we do the right things and take care of the ball, we will have success.”
