Panthers wrap up regular season with a victory!

The FZN football team won their sixth straight contest on Friday with a 42 – 19 victory over Alton. The Panthers finished the regular season portion of their schedule with a 6 – 3 overall mark. The victory against Alton also helped the Panthers wrap up the #1 seed in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 3 tournament. As the district’s one seed, the Panthers earned a 1st round bye and will await the winner of the Fort Zumwalt East/Francis Howell Central game in the district semi-final, a game to be hosted by FZN on November 5th.

Against Alton, the Panther defense turned in another stellar performance giving up zero offensive points! Top individual performers were Shane Pruitt (10 tackles), Tyler Witt (9 tackles), Spencer Steinmeyer (8 tackles) and Jalen Lee (5 tackles and an interception). Through the end of the regular season, Steinmeyer is the team’s leading tackler, recording 64 on the season thus far. Over the course of the team’s last six contests, the Panther defense has allowed a measly 9.7 points per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, Panther quarterback Peyton Hoker continues to stand-out. In the game against Alton, Hoker completed 15 of 17 throws for an impressive 305 yards and 5 touchdowns! Hoker has 25 touchdown passes this season. The 305 yards is thought to be a single game record for FZN. Chris Reckel added a touchdown to his season total of 17, as he remains one of the top scorers in the St. Louis metro area. Also scoring touchdowns for the Panther were: Zach McGee (2), Jalen Lee, Braden Miller and DJ Jones. McGee has emerged as one of Hoker’s favorite targets, as he has nabbed 30 catches for 8 touchdowns on the season.

As mentioned, the Panthers will enjoy a week off this Friday before returning to action in the district semi-final game to be played November 5th at Fisher Stadium.