Pursuit of Perfection: Can MRH End Penney's Winning Streak?

The best has been saved for last, as they say.

Penney football, from Hamilton, MO, went 14-0 last year, defeating Catholic Valle 21-17 in the Edward Jones Dome for the Class 1 state championship. They were moved up to Class 2 this year, and so far, are still undefeated. That is a 28-0 mark over the past two years.

Maplewood Richmond Heights (14-0) will face off against Penney (14-0) at the Dome on Saturday at noon to determine the Missouri State Class 2 champion. Penney earned its slot at the Dome by thumping Macon, 47-28, in its semifinal game. MRH beat Lamar, 33-19, last Saturday at Webster Groves' Moss Field.

"They're hard workers basically," said Penney head coach Dave Fairchild of his team.

Fairchild added, "We have returning players from last year's team, but we had a lot of holes to fill on the offensive line ... and also in the backfield, but we've had some younger kids step up and do a good job for us."

Penney athletic director Dave Richmond thinks the team wins because "they don't know any different," he said. "I don't know if it's overconfidence, but they plan on a win every time they take the field."

Penney has scored 679 points on the season (48.5 per game) vs. MRH's 601 points (42.9 average). The two teams are tied at 150 in points scored against.

Senior running back Trevor Dixon (6-foot, 175 pounds) has carried 234 times for 1,970 yards and an average of 6.9 yards a carry. They also have Dillon King, who has carried 121 times for 1,113 yards. Penney has 4,233 total rushing yards and 1,112 receiving yards. They've fumbled only seven times this season.

Penney's senior quarterback Keagan Prather (6-foot, 3-inches, 185 pounds) has 61 carries with a 6.9 per carry average. He's also completed 53 of 89 passes.

MRH senior running back Terron Dale is up to 157 carries for 1,096 rushing yards. Senior Austyn Ford has 96 carries for 571 yards. Dale has 23 touchdowns and Ford has 15. Cortez Cooper has scored 11 times and Tony King and Marcus Taylor both have seven trips into the end zone. (Stats from Maxprep.com and STLhighschoolsports.com)

Sophomore quarterback Wes Williams, in the two games he's played since , has 13 completions in 27 attempts for 222 yards.

MRH head coach Brandon Gregory said they won't make major changes at this point, but the team will need to consider the differences they'll face in the Edward Jones Dome. It's obviously warmer than they're used to, so they'll make adjustments in what they wear, and they'll have to work on staying hydrated, he said.

"The coaches will need to work with the guys to stay focused, playing in a professional stadium," Gregory said.

Both coaches respect the challenge and the opposing team. Gregory said the best has been saved for last.

Fairchild said his defense "can run a little bit." And he adds that his team will have to run a lot to keep up with Maplewood.

"We'll have our work cut out for us."