Strong Finish Helps McCluer Spoil Pattonville's Homecoming

ST. CHARLES—The combination of Jeff Shumpert's legs and Darrion Dillard's hands were the proper tonic to put a halt to McCluer's season-long winless slide.

Sprinkle in some of quarterback Berlin Hollomon's playmaking ability, and the Comets are winless no more.

Dillard tied a season-best with seven catches for a career-high 163 yards and a touchdown, Shumpert ran for 108 yards and accounted for two scores and Hollomon rushed for a score and threw for two more as the Comets rallied past 32-20 on Saturday on Homecoming Day for the Pirates, who played their home contest at Lindenwood University's Harlen C. Hunter Stadium.

Head over to Prepcasts to hear archived audio of the game.

The Comets (1-4 overall and 1-2 in the Suburban North) trailed the Pirates (1-4, 1-4) twice in the first half but rallied in the second half after setting up the run by throwing the football effectively. Dillard was the main culprit of the passing attack. He pulled in a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter and helped set up Shumpert's running ability in the second half.

"It was a long time coming," Comets coach Joe Henke said of his team's first win. "This has been the fourth game in a row deep in the second half with a chance to win and this is the only one we won. I'm sure the kids were thinking they were snake-bitten. Now maybe we can put that to rest and get better the rest of the year.

"We have been inconsistent in our run game all year, and in the first half, we were inconsistent again. The second half, I said we're either going to run the ball or we're going to lose.

"They decided to run the ball consistently and when when we did need to throw the ball, we were able to because they were putting guys in the box. The better you run the ball, the easier it is for you to throw the ball."

But it was not until Shumpert returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown with 6:02 remaining in the game that the Comets felt like the game was in the bag.

Pattonville had just pulled within one score at 26-20 on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Darren Davidson to Eddy Longmeyer with 6:19 to play. The momentum definitely shifted to the home side and the Pirate crowd was back into it.

But Shumpert quickly dashed those hopes by patiently waiting for a block before hitting the hole after a couple missed tackles and was off to the races up the middle of the field.

"One of my other teammates came and said to me we've got to get this one back," said Shumpert, whose 6-yard touchdown catch with 15.5 seconds left in the first half tied the game 13-13.

"The momentum was shifting and I had to pick my team up. I did what I had to do ... The wedge wasn't there, so I seen one of my teammates make a great block and I hit it hard."

Henke called it the play of the game.

"The Shumpert kickoff return was everything because we had been struggling on special teams," Henke said. "Answering their touchdown with a touchdown was definitely the icing on the cake. It could have been a helluva different game without that."

Pattonville coach Steve Smith, whose team won its first game of the season , said, "We had several missed tackles on that play, and again, we've got to execute. That's what that boils down to."

The Pirates seemed to thrive early in the game off a big crowd and moved the football effectively. But ultimately, they came away without the points they felt like they could have had on numerous drives.

"That's been the story of our year," Smith said of his team. "We're moving the ball, we put ourselves in position and we didn't finish. As soon as we start finishing, we'll have more points and we can give our defense a break and we can put (opposing) offenses in a position where they have to pass versus running the ball down our throats"

The Comets threw for 153 first-half yards thanks in large part to Dillard, who made a number of nice catches, particularly on third down.

"That was definitely an all-conference performance if I've ever seen one," Smith said of Dillard. "He was a one-man wrecking crew. We could have put everybody on him and he still would have caught the ball."

Added Henke, "The playmakers made plays today."

Davidson gave Pattonville a lead in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run that was answered back by Dillard's 24-yard touchdown catch and the game was tied 6-6 after 12 minutes.

Myron Buchanan gave Pattonville its last lead of the day with a 5-yard scoring run that Shumpert got back late in the second quarter.

Hollomon's 8-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave McCluer the lead for good and the Comets maintained that lead on Wyatt Clark's 2-yard score with 8:21 remaining that helped the Comets taste victory for the first time.

"It was frustrating, but we just had to keep on working and getting better and better," Shumpert said of starting 0-4. "One day we were going to get a break and today was the day."

After starting the season by getting pounded by Hazelwood East, Pattonville had seen its defense allow fewer points in each game that culminated with a 17-14 overtime win over Riverview Gardens last week. Smith called Saturday's game all about desire.

"Today, I believe McCluer had the desire and will to win and therefore they pulled it off," Smith said. "They have some athletes and I'll tell you what, that is the best 0-4 team I've ever seen in my life.

"I do feel like we're progressing. Obviously you want to progress, and the fruits of your progress is victory, but I do see a lot of progress and a lot of growth out there."

Shumpert's 108 rushing yards came on 23 carries. He also caught five balls for 45 yards and a touchdown. Hollomon threw for 205 yards on 13-of-20 passing. Davidson led Pattonville in rushing with 74 yards on 14 carries. He was also 16-of-28 for 212 yards and a pair of interceptions. Buchanan led Pattonville receivers with four catches for 78 yards.

SUBURBAN NORTH

MCCLUER 32, PATTONVILLE 20

McCluer     6  7  7  12  --  32

Pattonville 6  7  0    7  --  20

First Quarter

P -- Davidson 3 run (kick failed), 4:29.

M -- Dillard 24 pass from Hollomon (kick failed), 8:48.

Second Quarter

P -- M. Buchanan 5 run (Hach kick), 4:19.

M -- Shumpert 6 pass from Hollomon (Vivian kick), :15.5

Third Quarter

M -- Hollomon 8 run (Vivian kick), 2:59.

Fourth Quarter

M -- Clark 2 run (kick blocked), 8:21.

P -- Longmeyer 9 pass from Davidson (Hach kick), 6:19.

M -- Shumpert 90 kickoff return (pass failed), 6:02.

                                         MC                  PAT

First downs                         12                    10

Rushes-Yards                  45-152              22-110

Passing Yards                     205                  212

Comp-Att-Int                  13-20-0            16-29-2

Fumbles-Lost                      1-0                   2-0

Penalties-Yards                  3-17                 4-40

Individual Statistics

RUSHING--McCluer Young 5-13, Shumpert 23-108, Willis 2-14, Hollomon 12-9, Clark 3-8. Pattonville, Davidson 14-74, M. Buchanan 7-33, Smith 1-3.

PASSING--McCluer, Hollomon 13-20-0-205. Pattonville, Davidson 16-28-2-212, L. Wilkes 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING--McCluer, Dillard 7-163, Shumpert 5-45, Young 1-(-3). Pattonville, Smith 3-26, M. Wilkes 2-34, M. Buchanan 4-78, Longmeyer 5-28, D. Williams 1-0, Lewis 1-46.