Parkway West’s defense was key in the upset of Affton, 27-21 on Friday. The Longhorns came into the game looking for vengeance against the number five small school in the area. Last year, the Cougars beat West 41-15.
“Throughout the week, all of the coaches kept on reminding us how Affton ran for 400 yards against us last year in their blowout win. This served as motivation for the team to make sure that did not happen again and it didn’t thankfully. Our defense was pivotal,” senior linebacker Evan Shukers said.
The Longhorns held Affton to only seven points through the first three quarters. The Cougars were halted to 189 rushing yards on the night, 140 yards less than the week before against Windsor. Junior linebacker Drew Seers led the Longhorn defense with 10 tackles on the night.
“We were the underdogs and we wanted to prove something. Going into the game, we knew we had nothing to lose, so we left everything we had out there on that field and it turned out well for us,” Seers said.
The offense flashed their running game, which accounted for 150 yards on 26 carries. Senior running back Nick Lewis scored early on an eight-yard touchdown run. Then late in the third quarter, senior Simon Lindo followed up with a 40-yard touchdown run of his own which blew the game open for the Horns.
“It was important we got off to an early lead. When Affton fumbled it near their own end zone, we had good field position and I was able to score from a few yards out,” Lewis said. “Affton was a physical team and I credit my offensive line for establishing the run game.”
The highlight of the game came in the second quarter when junior defensive end Antonio Smith intercepted Affton’s quarterback, and returned it for a 22 yard touchdown.
“I definitely felt a change in momentum when I crossed that end zone line. It was a huge shift in the game and I knew I had to redeem myself after dropping a fumble recovery early on in the game,” Smith said.
Affton had a combined record of (13-1) over the past two seasons, with their only loss coming in the state semifinal game last year against Cape Girardeau Central.
“It was physical on both sides so we had to stay aggressive and it started on the defensive line. We won the battle upfront which led us to the victory,” senior defensive tackle Brian Loomis said.
The Longhorns (2-0) sit atop the Suburban Central-National conference. Their next game is on Friday, September 4 against Rockwood Summit at Eureka High school.
“We were able to come out with a win, without playing our best football which is very exciting. Now we have to move on as a team and prepare against Rockwood Summit, which is another very good football team,” Coach Jeff Duncan said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
