Perryville High School had one of its best seasons in years, with a 10-2 record, but an early 25-29 loss against St. Vincent and a heartbreaking 0-43 loss against Festus kept it from winning the Class 4 district championship and a chance to go all the way to the state championship.
Good news came in December; however, with the news that the Pirates’ Chase Richardet, a 5-11 155-pound wide receiver, and Drew Leuckel, a 6-4 210-pound defensive end, had been selected for the All-State Second Team.
In a recent interview with the Republic-Monitor, Richardet, Leuckel and head coach Brent Roth spoke about the 2024 season and how they felt about the pair’s selection for All-State.
Leuckel, a 16-year-old junior who began playing football in the fifth grade, said he’s gotten better coordinated and stronger over the last year and complimented the coaching staff for their help in making him a better player.
“They’ve helped us understand the game of football,” Leuckel said. “Like seeing plays open up and seeing what to look for and whatnot.”
Richardet said, “They helped me the most by believing in me to give me the ball, giving me opportunities to prove what I can do. I feel like them just giving me the ball improved me the most in my confidence, how I prepared and how I attacked the game.”
Describing a play that he felt showed his talent on the football field, Leuckel said, “It was probably the first play of the year against Windsor. We were in a trips formation and ran a jet sweep to the right. Our tailback heat made the block out on the end, and then our guards pulled around and sealed the other edge. That pretty much made it wide open, besides maybe a safety, and that was it. I had a couple of good plays at that game.”
Recalling his best play of the season, Richardet, a senior, said, “It was against Hillsboro, the semi-district championship. It was a long third down. We knew it was going to be a pass, so we lined up. I was already ready for the pass, so when the receiver ran the route, he ran an out route, and I undercut it. Sometimes, you just know if they’re going to throw the ball to your guy or not, so I just had that feeling, and that’s why I undercut it. He threw it right where I thought he would, and I caught it. All my teammates ran out and made perfect blocks. They made an alley for me right for the end zone.”
And how did Richardet feel once the play was successful?
“More than anything, relief, because it felt like all the hard work that I put in and all the hard work that my teammates put in during off-season finally paid off for the first time during my high school career because we hadn’t been that far. It was just a relief.
Coach Roth was very impressed by Richardet’s successful play, too.
“In my opinion, it was the biggest play in Perryville football since the team won the district championship,” he said. “Chase is obviously a playmaker for us. He was a playmaker for us all year. He had two interceptions this year, and they were both touchdowns. When the ball gets in his hands, he’s pretty dynamic. As a coach, it’s also cool when you practice something and then you see it on the field. One thing we always do is practice interception returns, and we practice getting downfield and blocking.
“When you see it translate into a big moment, and the guys that don’t have the ball are sprinting down the field and make them blocks to seal a game — it was a special moment for all of us. But I will add that Drew had the first carry of the season and went for a touchdown. So, he kicked us off, and Chase capped it off for us. So, to have our two best players get us going and then to finish things off, I think it’s cool.”
After having such a great season this year, Leuckel was asked how he thinks next season will go.
“I feel like next year will be just as good, if not better,” he said. “I feel like in the box will be a lot better. Also, I think we’ll be a lot stronger”
Although Richardet will be graduating in May, he also had some thoughts about next year’s team.
“From what I’ve seen, I think we’re definitely going to be a run-heavy team, but that’s going to be our strong suit,” he said. “None of our linemen are seniors, so they’ll come back next year. They’ve been playing together since their sophomore year started, so they’re going to get more experience, stronger and better. Both of our running backs are returning next year, and they’re both really strong and have a good work ethic. All they’re going to do is get better, and that’ll be good.”
When asked how it felt for him to make all-state, Leuckel said, “It felt pretty good, you know? Nobody had gotten it in the 2000s.”
Coach Roth said, “No one has gotten in all-state since I’ve been coaching. This is my 10th year, so I’m not exactly sure who the last one was, but it has been a long time since anybody’s gotten all-state.
According to Leuckel, before the 2024 season, he and Richardet spent time in the gym every day after school.
“We were the only ones that went every day consistently, and we always worked out together,” he said. Afterward, we’d go outside and do some speed workouts. And then, during the spring, we’d have our little non-mandatory team practices, and we’d go over our playbook early and try to understand it before the summer before we started kicking into the camp. I feel like that advanced my knowledge of the playbook well, so I don’t have to learn it in the summer. I can just focus on getting better at what I need to do.”
Playing off of what Leuckel had said about working out, Coach Roth added, “These guys are the example of hard work paying off. Drew has mentioned it. He said waking up in the morning and lifting is not even hard for him because he's done it long enough that it's become a habit. He doesn't mention that he also does a very good job tracking his nutrition, diet and water intake. He's doing all the things that you have to do, and that’s not an easy thing.
“It's easy for him because he's been doing it so long. He's made a habit of it. Chase, on the other hand, didn't do that for all four years. But this off-season, they were the two that were in the weight room every single day. And it's cool to see it come full circle. The two guys that work the hardest are the two guys that are also getting the biggest recognition. “Obviously, they're gifted, but none of that would have been possible had they not worked hard. They would have been good players, but they probably wouldn’t have received this recognition without working hard."
Asked if making it onto the all-state team makes a player a little bit more likely to be given some attention by college coaches searching for potential players for their teams, coach Roth said, “If they're not already on a coach's map, I think any college recruiter is going to go down that list and look at guys on that list and go watch their film. If I were a scout, I don't know that it would make them more appealing, but it opens them up to more opportunities. Maybe a coach in Illinois didn't see these guys play. Now they read the all-state team, and maybe that opens up that door for them. So, it's just a cool honor for these guys.
“The further you go in districts and the further you go in playoffs, the more likely you are to get all-state honors. To me, it's a result of the team. These guys earn those awards, but it would not have been possible had we not gone to the district championship, If we don't beat Hillsboro, maybe one of them gets it, but probably not both. And if we don't beat Windsor, neither one of them probably gets it. So, at the end of the day, it does come down to the team.
“The more football games you win, the more all-state recognitions you're going to get. Lutheran North won the state championship this year. They had like eight, nine, 10 guys on the all-state team. So, it's kind of an accumulation of the team’s games. And, obviously, these guys earned it, as well.”
